#her behaviours align very closely with what would be expected of individuals with that personality disorder

[bravest]

i   do   want   to   talk   at   length   about   how   closely   glitch’s   behavior   aligns   with   borderline   personality   disorder   at   some   point ...

[zaelous]

The noble and most ancient House of Black was both a family and a cult. A cult is a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs, or by its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. In the case of House of Black, this philosophy and its subsequent goals were a form of magical eugenics focused on the supremacy of so-called “pure blood.” Establishing these basic principles is important at the outset in order to demonstrate how these beliefs and the House of Black’s implementation of them are what make them not just a family of extreme beliefs but a cult whose practices affected Bellatrix’s sense of identity, self esteem, and motivations, effectively forming her personhood. 

I. PRINCIPLES BY DEFINITION

Eugenics is a set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population, historically by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or promoting those judged to be superior. Positive eugenics is aimed at encouraging reproduction among the genetically advantaged; for example, the reproduction of the intelligent, the healthy, and the successful. Negative eugenics aims to eliminate, through sterilization or segregation, those deemed physically, mentally, or morally undesirable. 

Pure-blood supremacists believe that only pure-bloods were real witches and wizards, and were often inclined to consider themselves as the elite of the Magical world; a place in which they believed that Muggle-borns did not belong. More militant subscribers of this philosophy even consider themselves to be akin to royalty. Elitist pure-bloods even believed that it was a sign of weak magic to enjoy non-magical company. Those who are pure-blooded but do not ascribe to supremacist ideologies are considered to be blood traitors and are shunned. 

Shunning can be broken down into behaviours and practices that seek to accomplish either or both of two primary goals:

To modify the behaviour of a member. This approach seeks to influence, encourage, or coerce normative behaviours from members, and may seek to dissuade, provide disincentives for, or to compel avoidance of certain behaviours. Shunning may include disassociating from a member by other members of the community who are in good standing. It may include more antagonistic psychological behaviours. This approach may be seen as either corrective or punitive (or both) by the group membership or leadership, and may also be intended as a deterrent.

To remove or limit the influence of a member (or former member) over other members in a community. This approach may seek to isolate, to discredit, or otherwise dis-empower such a member, often in the context of actions or positions advocated by that member. For groups with defined membership criteria, especially based on key behaviours or ideological precepts, this approach may be seen as limiting damage to the community or its leadership. 

Concerted efforts at influence and control lie at the core of cultic groups, programs, and relationships. Many members, former members, and supporters of cults are not fully aware of the extent to which members may be manipulated, exploited, or even abused. While there is really no standardized diagnostic tool with which one can definitively say whether an organization qualifies as a cult, some social-structural, social-psychological, and interpersonal behavioral patterns can help to assess a particular group or relationship, in this instance the House of Black.

 II. PATTERNS OF CONTROL & DIVISION

 The group displays an excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader, and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law. This is a trait more difficult to illustrate than others, since there is no one individual leader of House Black; however, it is the root of the House Black philosophy that their ideologies and beliefs are passed down generationally, presumably from medieval times (given their family tapestry). We do see a lengthy history of the family’s current patriarch (whoever it is at any given time) enforcing these ideologies on other family members by excommunicating anyone whom they deem to have fallen out of line with the House of Black doctrine. The fact that excommunication from the family is even a thing that exists and that it furthermore is seen as the ultimate form of punishment emphasizes two things:

Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished. There is no room in the House of Black to politely disagree or hold any sort of discourse on ideals. Even at the tender young age of sixteen, Sirius was summarily blasted off of the family tapestry and considered a traitor by the Black family for expressing his malcontent and running away to the Potters, a blood traitor family. Any member of House Black is obliged to conform to their ideologies or be expelled, which is seen as the worst possible outcome. 

The most loyal members (the “true believers”) feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave—or even consider leaving—the group. In a normative, healthy family situation, being formally dismissed from the group usually only occurs under dire circumstances and often even then doesn’t fully occur at all. The implementation of characters such as Sirius and Andromeda prove early on that the family’s dogmatic beliefs are non-negotiable and that deviation has consequences. 

The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and control members. Often this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion. This might be considered to be a more headcanon-y than explanatory point, given I don’t readily have any examples of shame or guilt being utilized directly, but given that these other points exist and are true within the narrative, it would be impossible for those things to have occurred without the use of shame and guilt to manipulate family members, even in occasions when it isn’t intended to deliberately. The peer pressure aspect of control is an especially pointed aspect of the situation, given that they are a family, having one’s entire family ascribe to certain beliefs and practices makes it a given. 

The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (e.g., members must get permission to date, change jobs, or marry—or leaders prescribe what to wear, where to live, whether to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth). This is a point easily illustrated by again referring to the tapestry blasting incident(s), as it was up to the Black patriarch what should be done about betrayals, and he even further punished those who continued to support Sirius in violation of his ruling. However, it’s also common for House Black to arrange marriages between family members to those families whose ideologies align with their own, and if a suitable match cannot be found, to keep the blood pure by arranging marriages within the family itself. These marital practices tie in with other notable behaviors (elitism, polarization, isolation), but most importantly, they illustrate an aspect of positive eugenics, which is the practice of selective breeding. 

III. GENDER ROLES

The whole point of this excessively lengthy essay is to explain how and why selective breeding is canon and thereby explain my headcanons for Bellatrix’s relationship to her beliefs and her gender and why the two are inherently linked. The entire concept of supremacy and eugenics relies on the continuation of the genetic precepts that the supremacists view to be superior-- that is, there is an inherent obligation within these beliefs to carry on the pureblooded genes and to provide the future generation of supremacists. The brunt of this endeavor obviously falls upon women, as they bear children, but given the patrilineal and patriarchal nature of the family structure (and that of English culture in the 1950s), the implication is that rather than wanting women who can bear these children, the desire is for male heirs to carry on the family name and the family bloodline, which is their most sacred duty. 

Having been born a woman in the House of Black was to have been born with a form of original sin in that Bellatrix had already failed to be a male heir. Her only recompense for this initial transgression is to go on to provide male heirs, especially given that her mother died trying (and failing) to do so. While there is very little personal information available about Cygnus Black, we do know that his wife provided him with three daughters rather than a son, and died giving birth to Narcissa and left him to raise these daughters alone. Without a doubt, Cygnus would have viewed his failure to provide a male heir as a shortcoming, and given that his wife was dead, there was no way for him to vent his resentment on her. This is where we cross over into headcanon territory because I can’t prove anything about who Cygnus Black was as a person from the original text; however, it stands to reason giving the existing evidence and narrative structure (and how his daughters each turned out) that he was not a well man and that subsequently Bellatrix’s childhood was not a healthy or happy one as a result of that. 

As the oldest child, Bella had little in the way of protection from her father’s dictatorship, although she did her best to shield her sisters from it once she had sisters. She always took the brunt of her father’s expectations, and his wrath should those expectations fail to be met. This is why, of all the Black sisters, Bellatrix held her supremacist values and mission the closest to her heart, and why I believe she and Narcissa held such a close relationship despite the onset of Bellatrix’s very obvious descent into madness. I also believe this is the key difference between Bellatrix and Sirius: although they both came from House Black, they grew up to be polar opposites. I think it was Rowling’s intention here to illustrate that no matter where you come from, you choose your own beliefs and destiny and you can choose to be good rather than evil or some shit, but I don’t think it’s necessarily as clear as simply choosing a different set of beliefs. I think that Sirius and Bellatrix were raised in very different conditions that instilled the same beliefs differently, and therefore had a different effect. Then one might point out Andromeda, but there’s a difference there, too-- not only did she have Bella to provide a barrier between her and their father that Bellatrix did not have, but she also experienced love outside of the family, which is a whole other set of variables I won’t begin to get into. Suffice to say that falling in love is an external catalyst which can’t be accounted for, and it certainly didn’t happen to Bellatrix. 

As an adult, Bellatrix would have had a clear duty to take a pureblooded husband and provide him with male heirs. I do have a whole headcanon (which frankly deserves its own post but I digress) that she was first engaged to her Hogwarts sweetheart, but that he died early in the first war before they could be married, and as a result, her father arranged her marriage to Rodolphus Lestrange instead. This was not just to fulfill the whole get-married-have-babies mandate, but also because Bellatrix went mad with grief after her fiancé's death, and it’s really her first tangible, visible detachment from emotional stability. Her father’s solution to simply replace her fiancé might have been fine, had the couple not experienced infertility issues and been unable to produce children. 

Infertility is not so surprising when one takes into account the rampant inbreeding in both the Black and the Lestrange families. Generations of intermarriage in the name of blood purity is guaranteed to give a myriad of health issues, certainly not all of which might be cured through magical means. However, an inability to fulfill her duties as they relate to Bellatrix’s personhood would be, to her, an absolute and unmitigated failure on her part. Fertility issues are already an enormous strain without the added pressures of a bloodline to preserve, but especially given that Andromeda essentially defected from the cause, the responsibility lies solely with Bellatrix and Narcissa, and as the older daughter, the responsibility is once again heavily on Bella. Her inability to conceive disallows her from adhering to her most sacred principles, which Bellatrix views as a failure on her part and results in a definitive rift in her self esteem and identity that she could not repair. She is desperate to be good and pure by the standards in which she was raised, and to fulfill what she views as her destiny, but she is unable to, and this destroys her. 

IV. SYNTHESIS & RELEVANCE

Having been raised into these conditions, Bellatrix was conditioned into holding House Black and its doctrine at the forefront of her being. Because she held these beliefs so firmly and from such a young age, being a pure blooded witch is a part of Bellatrix’s identity and her self esteem. This is why any affront to these beliefs upsets her so much; it is a personal betrayal not just of these ideals but also of her wholly as a person. What made her turn on family members who had been burned off of the Black family tapestry was how personally she took their choice to leave. It was a personal betrayal, it was a publicly humiliating snub by someone who ought to have been on her side. Who did she have to rely on but family? The word family carries with it an expectation that they would die for the name Black and subsequently anyone who bore that name. Betraying the family was the same as a personal betrayal to Bellatrix, and was essentially spitting on everything Bella believed to be the most sacred and important obligations they held. 

These circumstances create the perfect candidate for an offshoot of the pureblood supremacy cult, the Death Eaters. In the context of the House of Black, Lord Voldemort would have been the obvious escalation and clear apotheosis of pureblood supremacist ideals. Since Bellatrix had already been raised in an environment where the ends justifies the means and violence was an acceptable and omnipresent tool (she had ancestors who literally tried to make muggle hunting a legal sport so it’s not a stretch to think that House Black implemented casual violence elsewhere), she was an ideal fit for an extension of that ideology that placed more emphasis on negative eugenics and moving into the extermination of those deemed unworthy of their society. 

V. AZKABAN

Following the conclusion of the First Wizarding War in 1981, Bellatrix was incarcerated at Azkaban at the age of 30, when she still had time to conceive a child. Her fanatical religious devotion for her cause convinced her that she would not be in prison for very long, but as she passed the decade mark, it would have been very clear to Bellatrix that if she were having fertility issues in her twenties, having aged past forty would make it very nearly impossible to get pregnant once the dark lord finally came to rescue them. Perhaps her belief in his infinite power led her to believe that Voldemort could magically fix whatever was the impediment to conception, or perhaps, having long given up on conceiving a child, Bellatrix viewed this failure as a reason to prove herself, a reason that she had to be the most dedicated, the most accomplished of his followers-- because she had failed in all other aspects and this was all she felt she had left to contribute to the pureblooded cause. 

Either way, her spent youth would have clearly marked her failure in what she viewed as perhaps the most important endeavor in life, and one might suggest that her regression to a child-like state of mind following her traumatic incarceration in Azkaban could be an unconscious response to her desire to return to her youth in order to fulfill this expectation of her; or a desire to return to a time when she was not a failure but instead could still be of value to the ideologies in which she was raised and through which she viewed her purpose in life. 

One could also surmise that Bellatrix’s recklessness in battle and her willingness (and possibly eagerness) to die for the cause of her pureblooded messiah might be due to this failure and the hope that at least if she died before the onset of menopause, it could be said that she was murdered before she could fulfill her duty, rather than being accused of having failed at it altogether. It’s also worth mentioning that her father had died while she was in Azkaban, and with his death, she lost any opportunity to finally earn his love and approval. 

[necronatron]

I have to let you know about this one little person I love with all my heart.

SHE

She’s my friend’s budgie who comes over frequently for parrotsitting when my friend and her mum are away. Her name is Effy and she is the most chaotic budgie I have ever met (or seen, as a matter of fact.) And not just that but she’s incredibly intelligent but at the same time, dumb as a brick. Her alignment is chaotic dumbass. She’s also the most casual and open individual I know, I absolutely adore her.

She is positively chicken. If I had to explain her personality, it would be “a tiny lesbian who tries to annoy everyone but can’t because she’s too cute, and pretends not to care about other people or attention but secretly needs both”. She’s cage-free most of the time, she’s only inside when she wants to eat or it’s time to sleep and she goes in on her own. Now what you would not expect is such a tiny being making such a gigantic ruckus. She wants to make a mess wherever she goes, an absolute monstrosity. She once got into our plants despite us trying to cover them as best as possible and she just threw away the rags, went under the table or just shredded the paper that was covering them to get to the soil.

She’s someone who will make sure to annoy you for her own amusement. If you’re eating, she will basically fly into your mouth or land in a bowl of soup. If you’re taking a shower, she’ll follow you into the bathroom and land in soap. If you’re trying to take a nap, she’ll fly over to you, bite your feet and scream into your ear. If you’re cooking, she’ll land on your shoulder and bite you if you try to remove her. She also randomly chooses her favourite people so you can never know when she’ll give you a kiss or tear your skin off. If you’re giving literally anyone else attention, such as your Guinea pigs, a dog or your fish, she will lose her mind and will scream. She will also make sure she antagonises those who had been given attention. She knows that the Guinea pigs who go for pigsitting at my friend’s house are terrified of her and she will make sure she lands near them or on them and scares them away. “How dare someone take away the attention that is rightfully mine.”

Whenever she’s at my place, she loves to stand on my laptop’s screen and either listen to my music and sing along or hang upside down and watch the video in question. She particularly loves watching Markiplier and Jacksepticeye. I was watching Mark play Alien: Isoliation and she would hang upside down like in the picture below, and just watch. She also loves Kars.

Another thing she loves doing is staring at the aquarium. She was good friends with our old goldfish (they lived for a solid 15 years but sadly passed away due to a tumour) and she would sometimes just hang out on the wires behind the aquarium and stare at the fish while the goldfish would come over and react to her while she talked.

But one of my favourite personality traits of hers is the fact that she genuinely cares. Budgies don’t often communicate verbally (aka with words, like humans, but they can be taught to understand words), but they do communicate with sounds and body language. They, like a lot of non-human animals, have very high intelligence for detecting small changes in posture and tones. (”Instinct”; instinct is intelligence, the ability to consciously understand concepts without needing to individually learn them; just like a human can instinctively figure out the meaning of certain foreign words while subconsciously analysing correlation but consciously understanding them.) Just like when a dog reacts to your emotional distress, it’s because they noticed that distress in your body language, and they empathetically try to console you. Yes, your dog cares about you and so do many other social animals. That’s why dogs are incredibly good service workers. They are much better and faster at detecting minor changes than humans. I was seriously distressed one time when I was at my friend’s place because my Mum wasn’t picking up her phone (she was in fact downstairs in the same house without me knowing and she left her phone in the car) so I freaked out and tried to hide it as best as possible. I decided to go to the bathroom and Effy immediately flew over to my shoulder. I didn’t want her to go into the hall so I moved her back on her cage and a second later she was already back on my shoulder. She got really close to my cheek and refused to leave, she knew I was really distressed and she tried consoling me. This is not her usual behaviour, this happened the moment I started getting really stressed.

So yeah, tiny dinosaur Satan but a Satan who cares nonetheless.

[igirisuhito]

Something Close To Domestic, Maybe - Chapter 18 "Spring Cleaning" | A commentary/analysis/rambling

[Link to fic]

On the permission of @mystxmomo, I thought I may do a brief analysis/commentary on this chapter, as it delves into some issues very near and dear to my heart. 

Spoilers below the cut, of course.

A disclaimer: As of late, I do the beta work for SCTDM. My work is simple grammatical and spelling errors, help the story make sense. I do not steer the story. This analysis will be both a mix of thoughts born from reading the fic, and some things I have spoken with Red about. The majority being the former. 

This chapter focused on Komaeda engaging in a bit of Spring Cleaning, a desire that tends to come around as the weather gets warmer. The fic switches between Komaeda making his way around the house, and a flashback of his time in despair, mutilating himself to replace his arm with Enoshima's. At first glance it seems like an incredibly stark contrast, something so horrific and gory next to something so domestic. But that is not the case whatsoever.

We first get an insight in the detriment of Komaeda's condition. It has grown to the point that he can no longer leave the laundry room for fear of forgetting the task he had begun. It is an unfortunate reality, something scary. He leaves himself alone with his thoughts, something Komaeda is not known to do. It is mentioned in previous chapters that he prefers to have white noise, old VHS tapes playing on a cruddy little TV. Even if it something Kamukura does not enjoy, it is something he lets Komaeda have.

Komaeda reflects on his love for Kamukura, perhaps what can even be referred to as the "Honeymoon Phase". The times when he served a purpose, and that purpose was to serve. When Kamukura kept him under lock and key, commanding his behaviours.

It is toxic, incredibly so. But for Komaeda, it is easy. Independence renders him useless, left to his own devices he cannot fulfil his purpose and be appreciated for it. He has desires he indulges in, like any other human. Selfish desires he does not believe he deserves.

He has sewn new seeds. Fresh sunflower buds for the spring. He whispers horrid things to them. I am unbearably curious to see how the flowers grow. The garden has always been a metaphor for their relationship, how it has changed throughout the seasons reflects their own relationship. After the harsh cold of winter, new seeds are sewn, they need to start anew. The ground is damp, and Komaeda has fresh eyes on their relationship. 

Another parallel I heavily enjoyed with the garden is their participance in tending to it. Komaeda tends year round, he loves the garden. Kamukura assists when he feels like it, typically when he is trying to understand his own feelings. He feels mostly indifferent towards the garden, it is a simple display of the cycle of nature.

Komaeda is mad, at Kamukura. He's overstimulated and easily irritated. The scene in which he cleans around Kamukura is a very important one, it highlights the way their relationship has changed.

A good analogy would perhaps be of a housewife working to make dinner, as her husband sits by idly watching TV. Is Kamukura working? Yes. But it is not something that takes effort, it comes easily to him. He knows exactly what would make Komaeda more comfortable in the moment, and yet he makes no attempt to help him. Thus Komaeda continues his work.

It is not entirely the fault of Kamukura. He values Komaeda's work less as it has always been something that comes naturally to him. Cleaning is not difficult. Working in silence is not difficult. He does not understand Komaeda's struggles, for he cannot relate to them.

The mirror is another important highlight to the relationship of Kamukura and Komaeda. Kamukura does not question when Komaeda covers it up, meaning he understands his reasoning behind it. And yet, despite how easy it would be for him to remove the mirror, to make Komaeda more comfortable in his own skin, he has never made the effort to. Komaeda has never asked him too, and Komaeda would never dare ask something of Kamukura.

In the next scene, I'd like to mention something I adore about Red's writing of Kamukura. The description of how he avoids the eyes of others, is rather "Looking at everything". It's a truly beautiful description, something I can deeply relate to as an autistic individual. Red's interpretation of Kamukura tends to align with many autistic traits, this is intentional on her part. It's just such a big thing for me, as someone who tends to avoid my eyes, and has difficulty staying in the conversation. How the littlest sound can draw my attention away. "Looking at everything", how gorgeous.

The comparison of how Enoshima drew a crowd with love and deceit, and how Kamukura draws a crowd with respect and fear. How they were both incredibly powerful people that Komaeda was drawn to.

When we return to Komaeda, he is scrubbing the bathroom. It is mentioned that when his hands begin to hurt, he only scrubs harder. To some, this appears as a man who is working hard, pushing himself a healthy amount. In reality, Komaeda is self-harming. This part is really the whole reason I wanted to do this analysis, so please excuse me for any analogies towards my own life.

Cleaning is always seen as something incredibly healthy and productive. Humans cannot live in filth, that is a fact. A tidy room, a tidy mind, some may say. But for some, particularly disabled people, cleaning can be used as an act of self harm.

Not only is he hurting his hands by scrubbing too hard, exposing himself to chemicals, but he is doing this in silence. He is working alone, his partner idly standing by, and in complete silence. He is alone with his thoughts, he may think about anything, convince himself of things that are not happening. Komaeda and Kamukura do not have the kind of relationship in which they talk to each other about how they feel.

Another form of self harm in cleaning, the one I relate to the most, is the reflection of possessions. Komaeda sits there and sorts his medications, medications he does not wish to take. He takes them for Kamukura's sake, even if they cause him harm, cause him to feel ways he is not used to.

It's an awkward conversation to have with someone. "I would prefer to be killed by my condition than keep taking these." It is easier to leave it alone, let someone smarter than himself handle it. If there were some painfully adverse side-effects, I doubt Komaeda would say anything. 

My room is a trap. It is full of possessions that remind me of the person I used to be. Clothes that have grown too small, schoolbooks that have lost their worth, medications that have caused more harm than good. It is painful, something I cannot sort through alone. And yet, on the days I feel worst, as alone as I could possibly be, I feel the urge to clean my room the strongest. To move and clean until all sorts of muscles are pulled from disuse and my arms ache so badly I could cry. This is where I really relate to Komaeda.

Kamukura brings up the fact that Komaeda has not eaten, another form of self harm. Forcing himself to work hard on little food, little energy. It is unlikely that his stomach does not ache. Komaeda goes to the kitchen to make himself something, as he feels he owes Kamukura an explanation, and yet he does not have one. It is easier to just to submit, and to eat something. 

And the final form of self harm, running himself into the ground. The meltdown at the end of the day, when everything is tidy and all the chores are nearly complete, it finally hits. And one can't help but feel failed, because they didn't manage to complete everything before they fell apart.

But of course that were going to happen. Nobody can do that much, hurt themselves that much, and make it through without a hitch. It's an unreasonable expectation. And yet, we do these things to test ourselves, see if we are still worthy of love. Worthy of being taken care of when we do fall apart. When somebody comes to clean up the stupid mess we made or comes to stop us from hurting ourselves any further. 

But it is not their job to, and Komaeda knows this. It is not Kamukura's responsibility to take care of him. But he is selfish, and he wants Kamukura to do more for him. To acknowledge him, to call out to him, to give him the emotional support he never gave before. 

It's human. He is beginning to notice the cracks in their relationship. The difficulty of dating someone with such low empathy. 

These last few despair scenes are incredibly important, in the contrast of things. Komaeda rambles away about his thoughts and feelings to Kamukura, who remains uncaring towards them. Komaeda calls him out on his game, he knows what he is playing at. Despite stating that the matter bores him, Kamukura stays to witness. This kind of challenging is something Komaeda no longer does, challenging Kamukura on his ideas and feelings has grown tiresome when Kamukura never appears to change. 

Kamukura does not finish the job for Komaeda, he allows him to fail, and come back to it. It is a risky choice, but he knows Komaeda will make it. I can't help but wonder if Kamukura believes he can act the same way. He sees Komaeda doing something that will hurt him, and allows for it to take its course, for Komaeda to hurt himself. 

The problem is, their relationship has changed. Komaeda is becoming less and less capable of picking himself up, of taking care of himself. He has expectations of Izuru, now. They are in a relationship. When Komaeda hurts himself, it has an impact on Kamukura. Perhaps it is his own sense of self-harm, allowing them to continue to be like this. Pretending things are the same as they were before. He is struggling, emotions are returning to him, and he does not know what to do with them. 

[vaguely-gestures-to-the-void]

Hindsight: My thoughts on Loki (2021)

Welcome back folks. Read the innocence dying inside me as I accept that this show eats my expectations for lunch and leaves me like it's going to buy milk.

As a side note from what I said in my first review, here’s an interesting article. Apparently I was clowning because the Gobi desert scene was filmed (probably? idk) with the tech from the Mandalorian. I think the studios were the same. Oh well. https://www.atlasofwonders.com/2021/06/loki-filming-locations.html

Episode 4: THE NEXUS EVENT

Pre-title scene

The new perspective of Asgard is incredible.

Oh baby Sylvie, what did they do to you. Also, RAVONNA??

The TVA through a child’s eyes is heartbreaking. The mixed use of shots that were familiar (the feet walking into the TVA) and new (the TVA logo on the floor) convey how though routine, this is an alien experience for Sylvie.

She too wants to help the man being dragged in. Maybe Sylvie was a better person than Loki, the TVA taking her away was what changed it.

We don’t see Casey, but iIt’s the same ‘sign here’ guy. The changing perspective and music really alters the mood created, contrasting the whimsical procedure we followed in episode one.

She hadn’t even said much in her life. They knew how to influence the audience’s emotions, that's for sure. Props to the actress, I felt genuine concern for her before I remembered that she’s acting.

TVA

Ravonna probably underestimated Sylvie as a Loki, a mistake that cost her greatly.

The golden doors.

Ravonna looks tense and a bit fearful.

Scattered throughout the episode are eyes watching. George Orwell’s 1984, anyone?

Big Brother is watching.

Mobius! He’s a good friend to Ravonna, but there’s a power imbalance.

Ravonna is shaken. Her past failure is haunting her.

Someone edit the “What? How?” into “Wow.” It’ll be a service.

Lamentis - 1

Loki’s apology and Sylvie reflecting on her childhood are the conclusion to the previous episode. Faced with death, Loki realises that her goals were hindered by his actions. His apology is the first time he acknowledges he had something to do with it. Sylvie’s offering her emotional vulnerability in the form of memories. Her mind and experiences are her most prized possession because they’re all she has of the person who she was as Loki, her childhood and what she was supposed to be. Her glorious purpose, what really makes a Loki a ‘Loki’ was her life.

THEY TRUST EACH OTHER. THIS WAS WHAT CAUSED THE NEXUS EVENT.

C H A R A C T E R D E V E L O P M E N T.

Ravonna pointed out that Loki will always be a “lying scourge” but they went against this. In any timeline, this could cause a nexus event. They found a middle ground.

“That should be setting off alarms if someone steps on the wrong leaf.” I had a whole idea about entropy and the timeline being an isolated system but I struggled to define an isolated system, and thus I couldn’t use the whole irreversible process causing entropy to grow causing a br- if you have a clue of what I’m going on about, or want to know more, I’ll explain my thoughts. I can understand why this isn’t scientifically accurate and I’m no physicist.

The unbranched timeline means all the things that were speculated - Wanda’s kids, what happened on Saakar, all of it - is gone.

“Any news on C - 20?”I called it! B-15 is having doubts! Her subtle unease building up throughout the ep is perfect!

Most settlements have a street design that can be from space. Sharru doesn’t.

“No. We may lose... ...you’re amazing!” Damn it literally took the end of a world for Loki to change as a person.

“Their smiles. If that isn’t people accepting their deaths I don’t know what is. Man, I just want both of them to be happy.

Please don’t let that be the love theme, it’s so pretty.

The music fading into the TVA theme as they get separated is so sad.

Time Theater 25

Back to square one in terms of trust with these two, but now they have history and hurt feelings too!

Oh Mobius.

Cycles are a part of who Loki is within Norse mythology (from what I know, correct me if I’m wrong). This scene is conflict.

Loki needs both Mobius and Sylvie to incite change. One can empathise whilst the other believes in him.

Mobius believes in Loki like no one else in the TVA. He treats him like an individual, they developed a bond in episode 2, so his disappointment and anger were genuine. This is reflected in their dialogue.

Even when Loki was going through all the Feels in ep 1, he didn’t shout at Mobius. It makes it more heartbreaking when Mobius laughs and dismisses him after the “TVA is lying to you” thing. His laugh was so bitter, it’s like his belief that Loki would be the variant to prove that variants were individuals had been shattered. What Mobius doesn’t realise is that Loki was genuinely trying to warn him. The trust between them was fragile but Mobius needed to come to his own conclusions before he could see that Loki had broken out of the mold the Time Keepers set for him.

“Just kind of an asshole and a bad friend.” Y’all, Mobius doesn’t rise to Loki’s baits. He’s so hurt.

I can’t be the only one that thought Loki was going to be brainwashed when they saw the red door. Turns out it’s just a time cell.

I love Mobius but he makes me feel so conflicted. Oh shit, he’s my problematic fave.

Watching Loki get his ass handed to him by Lady Sif shouldn’t be this funny.

This particular memory reflects what Mobius will talk about later, Loki being abandon by the people around him.

Putting Loki through a memory that was physically and emotionally painful was nasty. If you hear something horrible, over and over especially from a friend it would take a toll on your self-perception. Mobius was hurt by Loki leaving him, he’s getting revenge whilst doing his job and getting into Loki’s head.

Ravonna’s office

Ravonna has hang ups from failing with Sylvie. Who she is and what she knows is going to be interesting.

Heck I just realised are Mobius’ lapels not real? They look fake.

I wonder whether the “mastermind” thing was foreshadowing the next ep.

Am I the only one who thinks this isn’t the first Loki Mobius has dealt with? Could that mean there’s a reunion next ep?!

“Variant pet.” There’s a culture of dehumanising variants within the TVA.

The cuts showing both B-15 and Mobius’ faces reminds me of ep 1, but now there’s a new angle to things. B-15 certainly sees things differently.

Time Theatre 25

Lady Sif would kill with short hair. Or long hair. It’s Lady Sif, she’s a badass.

Loki’s exhale reminds me of how he tenses before a fight.

Notable things about this scene:

Heavy use of metaphors to trade jabs.

The lights are shifting in a consistent pattern, scanning the room almost.

Shots are constantly moving and cutting.

Loki’s speech pattern changes when he’s lying. Nice touch there.

When they start arguing in earnest, the shots are close ups of their faces, not circling around each other.

Loki was at first willing to talk to Mobius if he was treated with respect, the way they engaged in episode 2. He also wants to trust that Mobius won’t kill him. Mobius dismisses him (rightly so, his trust is gone) and Loki’s pride about ‘not working for anyone’ gets in the way rather than listening to each other. Loki’s behaviour is cyclic and his lying about Sylvie affirms Mobius’s understanding that Loki won’t (or maybe can’t) change. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Mobius is a Loki, the man’s uncannily good at reading him. He deduces that Loki and Sylvie have a bond and unsettles Loki to get answers out of him, because he knows that’s the only way he can force Loki to reveal his cards. He definitely wasn’t expecting Loki’s earlier admission to be the truth. What Mobius did was not right, but it sure was effective.

“No. Not partners.” I believe this. They had an understanding, but their goals differ. Maybe just give Sylvie her own show.

“Guess you don’t do partners.” MOBIUS WHY ARE YOU SO BUTT-HURT? Probably to make Loki feel bad ik, but it’s still funny to think Lightning McQueen is salty.

That memory really hurt Loki. He stuttered.

Loki fixates on Sylvie rather than his own freedom. This was the cue to Mobius to start interrogating.

Bruh, the feeling they were experiencing better be friendship.

This made me uncomfortable because I was so sure we weren’t gonna get a romantic subplot that I related the characters to my actual family relationships. Marvel. Why?

The music combined with Mobius’ subtle shift in demeanor from irritated to mockery was very unsettling to me. I never realised how good an actor Owen Wilson was.

“Our interests are aligned.” Once Mobius tells him the truth, Loki does the same. I really hope this is the extent of their relationship. Just let them recognise one another as equals. Please Marvel.

Mobius’ hands twitching, the slight swallow. Yeesh, he certainly doesn’t think Loki’s lying, but he’s not about to accept it.

Loki’s head shake is sad. He knows he can’t convince Mobius.

“That I can respect. I mean the lies you tell yourself.” This was the best writing imo. Loki doesn’t make any final attempts to connive his way out of the situation because telling the truth to someone he’d trusted had failed. He willingly walks into the Time Cell.

Time Theater 47

B-15 being unable to support herself, having to rely on the structures around her to stay upright. This woman deserves so much y’all.

WE NEED HER NAME MARVEL.

You better appreciate her beyond shipping her with Sylvie or istg.

The music is so mournful. It just emphasises how much everything changing is going to hurt not only the main characters. Lives change because of the TVA and the events of this episode, it’s not overlooked by the writing or music.

The poster and the 1984 parallels. Exquisite!

Sylvie not sitting straight made me snort.

Ravonna Renslayer’s office

More Theremin music! This time I’m pretty sure it’s Carnival of the Animals, XIII. Le Cygne (the Swan) : Le carnaval des animaux: No. 12, Le cygne (arr. For theremin and piano) by Clara Rockmore.

Fun fact! Clara Rockmore influenced theremin music and the instrument and was a virtuoso of the instrument. Give her a google, it’s worth it. Also look up Leon Theremin, he was (among other things) a Soviet spy. There’s a great Wiki spiral for anyone there.

Mobius was probably being lined up for a high position in the TVA. Damn.

TemPads are personal, or have different levels of clearance.

Mobius didn’t stop interrogating Ravonna throughout that scene. He knew that she wasn’t telling him the whole truth.

Sleight of hand wasn’t shown how Loki and Sylvie do it, they didn’t use misdirection.

Ravonna knows something is up with Mobius. Maybe he hasn’t been around for long if this is his ‘career case’.

The pacing becomes really fast like in the end of episode 2 as conflicts get resolved. Buckle up comrades.

2050 Roxxcart Disaster

I don’t have much to add, it’s a powerful scene.

They use close ups whenever a truth bombshell is dropped.

The music varies considerably between these scenes, each one has a different tone.

“We’re the same.” With what she knows of B-15, Sylvie knew not to be smug when delivering the news about B-15’s life.

B-15 crying in the rain hurts.

“I looked happy.”

TVA archives, Time Cell, Time Theater 25

The floor opposite Mobius is FE3, above it is 3FG.

Oh Mobius.

C-20 deserved better, I'd love to see her later in the series.

The music goes from mournful to harsh and we’re left in silence when it cuts to the Time Cell.

“You told me to shut up.” Loki can be salty sometimes.

“Do you really think you deserve to be alone?” Mobius is rattled, he wants to unsettle Loki.

The music starts to build somewhere between “...your connection... “ and Loki saying “‘WE?’”

The faint tinkling reminds me of the Avatar (blue people) score.

“How about the word of a friend?” This is Loki’s olive branch. When he admits Loki was right, their trust is tentatively reinstated.

The music is finally back to that chaotic theme we know. I think it’s the TVA’s theme.

“You can be whoever, whatever you wanna be, even someone good. I mean just in case anyone ever told you different.” Mobius corrects what he says in the first ep.

They are friends y’all I’m so sad.

Mobius can lie through his teeth like it’s nobody’s business.

Pruning hurts, Mobius’ face is in agony.

Loki’s tears. GIVE THEM ALL JETSKIS.

Ravonna takes a moment to compose herself.

Time Keepers (the final smackdown)

Why are the last 10 minutes always so insane?

Loki’s eyes only show hurt. I’ll leave.

Ravonna’s so sharp, she instantly catches Sylvie’s wet hair.

All of our expectations from the trailers always get yeeted out of a window because the scenes are never really what we think they are. I get that that should be expected but it’s refreshing that the writing is never what we think it is.

Did anyone else notice the egg timer/infinity sign murals on one of the hallways to the left of Sylvie?

Ravonna is so cold (and yet I’d simp for her).

The M.C. Escher staircases I see you set designers/CGI folks.

B-15 just gets knocked out. They better not kill her for no reason or I riot.

I’m pretty sure that Sylvie ripped off one of Ravonna’s TVA badges (or buttons) when she fought her.

Sylvie’s the better fighter, she’s had to use it more often though.

The elevator doors stay open.

It would be so funny if we get an elevator scene where Sylvie is just dragging Ravonna somewhere.

They really led us on with the Time Keepers, particularly the middle one. I was somewhat convinced there’d be something more to it. I’m interested to see where it goes.

Ep 4 review

I really don’t have much to add with these last two episodes. I’ve definitely come to appreciate that no matter whether you liked the writing of the show or not, it’s never what you expect. Is that a good thing? I guess that that remains to be seen. Nonetheless, I appreciate how much effort went into this series. It’s been a fun romp, I’ll be back with my reviews of the final episodes. I’ll also stop posting Loki content to my blog because the Gods know that my followers don’t read this lol.

I’m just going to survive until the season is over and then hopefully keep my sanity together until the next Marvel content or at least Dr. Strange.

Here's the link to my episode 3 review.

Thank you all for being here, you're wonderful my loves.

[3rdgymbros]

𝓑𝓲𝓸𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵 𝓘𝓷𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷

Name: Noelle Halliday

Nicknames: Ice Princess, Ice Witch

Name meaning: 'Noelle' means christmas. 'Halliday' is a seasonal surname originally given to someone born on a holy day, or a religious festival.

Gender: Female

Birthday: 25 December

Star Sign: Capricorn

Height: 147 cm

Weight: 40 kg

Age: 16

Eye Colour: Red

Hair Colour: White

Homeland: Christmas Town

Family: Mother, father, two older brothers studying at Royal Sword Academy

Quote: “I want to cry, but I can’t seem to shed a single tear . . . Have you ever felt this way before?”

𝓝𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓡𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓰𝓮 𝓢𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓵 𝓕𝓲𝓵𝓮

Dorm: Terrorwood ( a fandorm created by @terrors-of-nightraven​ )

School Year: First 

Class: 1-B ; Student no. 19

Occupation: Student

Club: Light Music Club

Best Subject: Potions, alchemy

𝓕𝓾𝓷 𝓕𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓼

Inspired by: Santa Claus from The Nightmare Before Christmas

Dominant hand: Right

Favourite Colours: Red, silver, white

Favourite Food: Milk and cookies, hearty food like stews and turkey

Least Favourite Food: Anything with peppermint

Likes: Cold weather, snow, the smell of winter roses, eating, rain, cute and fluffy animals, receiving affection (don’t be put off by her complaints), head pats

Dislikes: Hot weather, sweating, being forced to talk, being forced to perform in public by her parents, returning home for the holidays, insects, getting dragged into crazy situations, rude behaviour, fancy parties

Hobbies and Talents: Ice skating, ballet, singing, sewing, cooking, creating poisons, gardening, baking

Special Skill: Choosing perfect presents and being able to wrap them perfectly, non-verbal magic

𝓟𝓱𝔂𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵 𝓕𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮𝓼

Appearance: She has long white hair, elbow-length and curled at the ends. Part of her hair is braided, at the crown of her head, and she also wears red rose hairpins. Her bangs are parted to the right. She has red eyes. Many people have commented on how she resembles a porcelain doll. 

Style: Her casual attire is fairly fancy with muted or dark tones, full skirts, lace and frills. Many of her dresses are reminiscent of the gothic lolita style of dressing. Examples can be found here and here.

Makeup: None.

Body type: Slim of waist, and slight of frame, with a small chest.

𝓥𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓼

Songs to describe her: Doll by Lia, Human by Lia, Castle Walls by Christina Aguilera, The Loneliest Girl by Carole and Tuesday, Dollhouse by Melanie Martinez

Voice actress: Aiba Aina (specifically her role as Yukina Minato)

𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪

Personality: Noelle is very conscientious and quiet compared to her louder, and more eccentric dormmates in Terrorwood. She is extremely reserved, and rarely speaks to anyone; though this changes slightly when she joins Terrorwood. She is mostly willing to talk to her dorm mates (or, at the very least, scrawl out notes for them to read if she does not wish to speak at the moment), and has even cracked a smile or two at their antics, watching from the sidelines but deigning to join in. When Noelle becomes focused on something or wants it, she will stop and silently stare intently for minutes until people realize what she wants. In addition, she rarely expresses much emotion, and rarely diverts from a neutral or a stern expression.

However, as she did not have many friends growing up, Noelle is actually a rather lonely individual, which translates into her cold personality, as well as her difficulties understanding how other people may feel. Once she warms up to people, Noelle places a great deal of trust in her friends, and is also very loyal to them; she won’t hesitate to hex people who harbour negative intentions towards her friends. She has kind and generous sides to her as well, as she is perfectly willing to help the people she is close to.

Alignment: Neutral Good

Strengths: Stoic, refined, reserved, industrious, scrupulous, conservative, serious, demure, solemn, generous, kind, well-bred, forbearing, patient

Flaws: Saturnine, impassive, haughty, cold, imperious, proud, anti-social, subdued

𝓟𝓪𝓼𝓽

The youngest daughter of the Halliday family, Noelle has the features of a porcelain doll and is so quiet that she can almost pass for one. Since young, she has had endless tutoring sessions, from etiquette classes to dance and music classes, all with the intention of moulding her into the perfect socialite. Overshadowed by her siblings, Noelle is often overlooked by her parents, who are also occupied with running the family empire. Noelle was often left to her own devices when she was younger, and as a result, grew up to be largely independent. She has two older brothers, both of whom currently attend Royal Sword Academy, though her relationship with them is neutral, and founded on indifference at best. The entire family was disappointed when she announced her decision to attend Night Raven College, but Noelle was determined and refused to back down.

Noelle hates returning home for the holidays. The house is too crowded, filled with relatives and cousins who all force her into making conversation, and she is expected to be on her best behaviour at all times. She knows what will happen if she slips up; in public, her hand will be grabbed and squeezed tight to an uncomfortable degree, behind closed doors, she receives a slap to the cheek and lecture upon lecture for bringing shame to the family name. Her parents may also force her to perform at charity events or for her relatives to exclaim over, which makes her endlessly uncomfortable; if she could, she would choose to remain at school.

𝓢𝓹𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓼

Noelle mostly uses ice-based magic, which allows the user to generate and manipulate ice and snow. However, if she uses her magic for too long, she can develop symptoms of hypothermia (eg shivering, a weak pulse, slow and shallow breathing, low energy levels ).

Crystal Ice Shield: The user manifests barriers in the form of snowflakes with various shapes and sizes. These barriers are strong enough to withstand incoming attacks.

Snowmen Friends: The user creates multiple snowmen, which can be directed to attack opponents.

Ice Floe: A massive chunk of ice is created and dropped it onto an opponent, crushing them under the weight.

Icy Shrapnel: Giant spikes made of ice are created and directed at a target.

Ice Flowers: The user completely encases the target in ice, which can potentially freeze the target to death unless the spell is cancelled. The countless icicles protruding outwards prevent outside interference.

Phantom Garden of Snow: The user fills an enclosed space with enchanted snow. Those who come into contact with the snow slowly lose their senses and start to move sluggishly until they eventually fall asleep.

Unique Magic: Naughty or Nice. Noelle judges a target as being ‘naughty’ or ‘nice’. If the target is deemed as being ‘nice’, their abilities and performance can temporarily be enhanced (eg their speed, intelligence, healing). If the target is judged as being ‘naughty’, the opposite will occur; that is, the target will find their abilities and performance impaired.

𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓪

- After finding out that she could play the guitar, Noelle was forced into the Light Music Club by Lilia, who promised her that she wouldn’t have to speak during the club sessions. She does perform on stage with the other members and has even sung in front of the school on occasion. 

- She used to dance ballet, but stopped her lessons. However, she still dances when her parents pressure her into putting on a show for their relatives during the holidays.

- Noelle is oddly affectionate and clingy when she returns home from school after the holidays. The first thing she does upon reaching the dorm is to run into the arms of the first person she sees; the dorm member will have their arms filled with a pale, sad-eyed girl struggling to hold back her tears.  

- The only other time Noelle is clingy and affectionate is when she overuses her magic and subsequently develops symptoms of hypothermia; wrapped up in blankets and lethargic, Noelle usually ends up clinging to Nyx and falling asleep on his shoulder.

- Out of boredom, Viktor taught her how to play poker, and Noelle turned out to be rather good at the game. She’s not as good as Viktor, but she’s still a champion in her own right.

- Noelle smells like cranberries, and the scent clings to her clothes and belongings as well. 

- She has a small garden. She grows a mixture of plants, ranging from poisonous plants, to herbs and fruits.

- She is in charge of cooking for the dorm, and is a good cook, provided that she does not mix the cooking ingredients with her potion-making ingredients. Her favourite person to cook for is Nyx, who falls upon her cooking with a ravenous kind of hunger.

- She tests her poisons out on herself to see their effects on the body firsthand. Thanks to this, she has built up an immunity to various types of poisons.

- She always has an abundance of money on her, and is perfectly willing to treat her friends to food at the Mostro Lounge.

- Whenever Viktor isn’t around, the duty of stitching up lost limbs usually falls to Noelle, who is good at sewing. Her stitches are neat and tiny and precise; considering that she is unfazed by blood and bodily fluids, this makes her a perfect choice.

[juste-xiv]

ROSALINE BELLEFLEUR

NAME

Rosaline Bellefleur

NICKNAMES

Rosa

AGE

32

RACE

Elezen

GENDER

Female

SEXUALITY 

Demisexual

MARITAL STATUS

In a relationship

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

HAIR

Rich, warm toned burgundy

Tousled, natural waves

Braided accents

EYES

Dark, vivid seafoam green

Thick, long lashes

Mischievous sparkle

HEIGHT

5'11"

BUILD

Slight frame

Soft, hourglass figure

Average muscle tone

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

Impish smirk

COMMON ACCESSORIES / IMPORTANT ITEMS

Various flowers woven in her hair

Satiny, jet black lipstick

Black nail polish

PERSONAL / RELATIONSHIPS

OCCUPATION

Doctor and Surgeon

Currently working for Iolani Terrechant (@delicatelygloriouspenguin)

Troublemaker

BIRTHPLACE

Ishgard

RESIDENCE

Ishgard (Practice location, personal residence)

Travelling with Iolani Terrechant

ALIGNMENT

Chaotic Good

SIGNIFICANT OTHER

Remy Larent (@betenoire-xiv)

CHILDREN

None

PARENTS

Marcellin Bellefleur (Father, stable hand)

Adrienne Bellefleur (Mother, weaver)

SIBLINGS

None

OTHER RELATIVES

None of note

PETS

Lily 

A small, fluffy pitch black cat with big bright eyes and a snaggle-tooth

l a z y

The world’s shittiest ship cat

Favourite place to sleep is on Rosa’s desk

Follows Rosa around everywhere like a little shadow

PERSONALITY

Free-spirited, strong-willed and independent

Conscientious, persistent and altruistic

Driven, tenacious and determined

Practical and clever

Sharp wit

Mischievous

Loves to sleep

Assertive, never afraid to speak her mind

A little crass

Curses a bit too much

Stubborn and impulsive

Scrappy

No fear

Would run head first into almost anything if it meant trying to save a life

Genuine, open and charismatic

Empathetic

Wears her heart on her sleeve

Natural leader, motivator and organizer

Strong sense of justice

Fights fiercely for what she believes in

Has an insect collection

Stress embroiders

Background information and RP hooks under the cut! 

BACKGROUND

                  Rosa was born and raised in the Brume and while her family didn’t have much she still had a good upbringing. She was a quick learner with a sharp mind and from a young age her father would spend any extra money he could scrounge together on old medical tomes and books to encourage his daughter’s love of learning. Rosa would spend hours leafing through the old, worn tomes looking at the diagrams wistfully, memorizing the information and dreaming of one day having a medical practice of her own. It was a lofty ambition for one of her status but she held on to her dream tightly. One day on her way home she stumbled across an unconscious, severely injured figure slumped against the wall of an alleyway and without hesitation she rushed to his aid. Using her natural resourcefulness, quick thinking and her basic medical knowledge she treated his wounds and helped stabilize his condition before tracking down a knight to help her further. Her mother and father were extremely proud of their daughter’s bravery and while life returned to normal for a short time Rosa knew she had found her calling in life.

                  One morning there was a knock on their door and her father opened it to find a pair of knights standing there, their armor bearing the insignia of House Fortemps. They informed him that the stranger Rosa had helped save was connected to their lord and that Count Edmont de Fortemps wished to repay her kindness. With her parent’s permission the knights escorted her to Fortemps Manor where she was granted an audience with the count. When asked what he could do for her the young elezen stood as tall as she possibly could and looked the count dead in the eyes, steely determination written clearly across her features. When she spoke her voice was unwavering and full of conviction. She asked for the opportunity to go to school to get proper education so she could continue to help others the same way she helped the stranger. The count laughed, impressed by the young ladies passion, and agreed without hesitation.

                  Soon after her audience with Count Edmont he sent a recommendation letter to Saint Endalim's Scholasticate singing her praises, describing her situation and offering to pay for any additional expenses relating to her education. His glowing recommendation earned her a spot at the institution and a place amongst a select group of her peers attending the Scholasticate to receive specialized instruction in medicine and conjury. As a woman of logic and science she wasn’t overly fond of the religious focus and certain aspects of the Scholasticate’s curriculum but she did what she needed to do to succeed and exceed academic expectations. She often studied late into the night and was hardly ever seen without a book or two in hand. The young scholar was not as refined as most of her highborn peers and she cursed a little bit too much, wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and was often reprimanded for ‘unladylike behaviour’. While she didn’t agree with her instructor’s opinions on such matters and viewed the idea of being a “proper Ishgardian lady” as overrated she learned to play by their rules and to act as was expected of her to appease them. Even so sometimes she would crack under pressure and slip back into her old ways. Rosa’s sharp tongue often got her into trouble and she was known for getting into altercations and for standing up for her fellow lowborn peers and for what she believed in.

                  When she graduated from the Scholasticate Rosa immediately took a position on the front lines serving as a battle medic. A natural born leader she inspired those around her, both the soldiers and fellow doctors alike. The fiery young elezen was known for her bravery, her stubbornness and her impulsive nature. She had almost no fear and she would run head first into anything if it meant trying to save a life. Those that encountered or worked with the doctor remembered her fondly. Her straightforward manner had a certain charm to it and her passion for helping other always made a lasting impression. Both analytical and quick on her feet Rosa wasn’t afraid to take charge and thrived under pressure.

                  After the Dragonsong War she returned to Ishgard, opened a practice of her own and became an advocate of fair care for all. She believed that everyone was entitled to proper medical care and that it should be made readily available regardless of an individual’s social status or wealth. She was very vocal and outspoken regarding her beliefs and her opinions ruffled some feathers and earned her some enemies. Regardless as always she fought for what she believed was right and she was more than ready to put herself on the line for the greater good. She was well liked among the lowborn and those dwelling in the Brume and she never turned someone away who came to her for assistance. Those who couldn’t otherwise afford it knew that they could always count on Rosaline and she earned quite a loyal following in her own way.

                  Another turn of fate occurred during a business trip to Limsa Lominsa. While walking along the docks Rosa came across quite the commotion, her curiosity got the best of her and she decided to investigate. What she found was Iolani Terrechant, her future employer, along with several injured sailors. Without hesitation Rosa offered to help tend to their wounds. Afterwards Iolani approached Rosa and offered her a position as the private physician for the crew. Rosa wasn’t sure what to think of the proposal and asked if she could have some time to think on the offer. Iolani obliged and Rosa went back to Ishgard for a time. One day out of the blue Rosa decided to follow her heart, to temporarily close her clinic and to go work for the mysterious marauder. She quickly fell in love with life at sea and has yet to look back.

POSSIBLE RP HOOKS

Need medical assistance?

Fellow Ishgardians!

Veterans of the Dragonsong War

Pirate/Privateer Connections

Got an idea? Let me know!

CONTACT

SERVER

Balmung

IN GAME NAME

Rosaline Bellefleur

ADDITIONAL NOTES

If you would be interested in RP plotting or setting something up please contact me here on Tumblr or in game!

[tycoons-official]

T𝐲𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐬: P𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 (ᵗʷ: ˢˡⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵐᵉⁿᵗⁱᵒⁿˢ ᵒᶠ ᵃᵇᵘˢᵉ)

꧁࿇Ｐｒｅｆａｃｅ࿇꧂

MBTI: INFJ - "The Advocate"

Alignment: Neutral Good

Demeanour: Introvert

Mental Health: 65% - Tyke suffers from Depression, brought on by months of internal torment and guilt, he has to try very hard to maintain an upbeat attitude and has bad days where he barely finds the strength to leave the bedroom.

Physical Health: 85% - Although he may brush his scars and scrapes as mere 'slip-ups during his childhood', dig a little deeper and you can see that they were inflicted on him, whether as harsh form of discipline or just feeling pain for fun, and this is not to say that he and his sister hasn't experienced verbal abuse, 80% of the damage done was verbal alone

꧁࿇Ｐｅｒｓｏｎａｌｉｔｙ࿇꧂

EMPATHETIC | SUAVE | COMPASSIONATE | CONSERVATIVE | ARTISTIC | INQUISITIVE | HONEST | GUARDED | CAPABLE | UNPREDICTABLE | TENSE | SENSITIVE | DEPRESSIVE

Charismatic and genuinely likeable, Tyke has a way with others, making him warm and approachable, therefore most tend to feel quite comfortable when in his presence. He finds a great deal of joy in quiet company, preferring to live among many people and have a few close friends. With an uncanny ability to understand emotion, he is very empathetic, able to speak into other's hearts and approach them from a personal standpoint. In his youth, Tyke underwent vigorous training exercises at JYPE as well as the home to prepare him for leadership. As a result, he is undoubtedly reliable and honest, although he has a tendency to hold his tongue during confrontations, for the sake of peace. Although most within his family and environment were raised to believe females were the lesser sex, Tyke had a respect and appreciation for all who were in the family. He felt disgusted by the way his uncles and several other male relatives treated their female counterparts and refused to partake in any derogatory conversation. He has a strong belief in equality, regardless of their sex, bloodclass or circumstance. 

Despite his strong morals and mentality, Tyke has a hard time voicing these opinions. Having been shamed by his family numerous times, the young male has grown accustomed with keeping his jaws shut, preferring to say little rather than risk open confrontation. Although branded as a 'disabled male', Tyke was raised by two professors being his parents, and therefore received high level education. He is articulate and bright, rarely intimidated by challenges, both of an intellectual and physical nature. His strange yet subtle lisp may come off as unintelligent or foreign to some, but once a person takes the time to speak with him, he presents as quite the opposite. Witty and bearing a prominent sense of humour, Tyke is known for his occasional quips and jests. Despite his initial sombreness, he is naturally a light-hearted fellow, preferring laughter over silence. He is a barrel of entertainment to those he dares call friends. 

Creative and unique in his way of thinking, he likes to utilise his insight and often comes up with bold and unusual ideas. Although withdrawn from personal experience, Tyke has a great deal to offer if he was approached with the right attitude. Curious about the world around him, Tyke genuinely loves to learn and finds particular enjoyment in tactile tasks. Having been born with a love for adventure, he adopted the nickname 'Seeker' from his family that tells about his constant seeking of adventure. Although travel was never on Tyke's agendas during his childhood, the journey to travel to Seoul and to pursue music under JYPE has broadened his horizons, and he feels a constant calling to keep his head running. Due to the fact that he does majority of his thinking internally, Tyke can come off as very spontaneous or unpredictable to those around him. He fails to discuss his plans or thoughts aloud, expecting other's to simply "know" and often proving a confusing and frustrating individual, even to his own sister.

Tyke tends to live life in the present and is a very emotional being. When involved in overwhelming or intense situations, he is easily stressed and has a tendency to loose his outward charisma. He was born into a highly oppressive environment, feeling a great deal of weight on his shoulders and it tends to show in his lowest moments. Chronically exhausted, he has failed to find true peace within himself and often feels as though he has to prove his worth. Tyke has many regrets in life and is a very tormented individual, blaming himself constantly for the mistakes he has made and finding it near impossible to accept the past and move on. Tyke's guilt often prevents him from achieving new goals and it takes a sharp reminder now and then to snap his attentions back to the present (and that, is what is sister is best at). His depression hits hard, dragging him down so viciously that sometimes he can barely leave the house. It takes a great deal of perseverance for him to get up everyday, and his poor sleeping patterns often leave him feeling weary and worn out before the day has even begun.

꧁࿇Ｐｒｅｆａｃｅ࿇꧂

MBTI : ISFJ - The Defender 

Alignment : Lawful Good

Demeanour : Extrovert (Only with the ones she trusts though)

Mental Health : 90% - Although still suffering from occasional panic attacks and sleep paralysis, Carmen has learned to manage her mental health and is recovering steadily alongside her brother.

Physical Health: 85% - Just mentioned earlier, the twins do not like talking about their past or their scars, and are used to degoratory remarks by now.

꧁࿇Ｐｅｒｓｏｎａｌｉｔｙ࿇꧂

ADAPTABLE | COMPASSIONATE | LOYAL | PRACTICAL | SUSPICIOUS | HUMBLE | SERIOUS | VENGEFUL | REPRESSED | JUDGEMENTAL

Strong but callused by life, Carmen faces life with her eyes sharp and self defense mode ready. Despite many challenges, the one thing this Alpha didn't loose during her 'dark ages' was her compassion. Especially to the young and vulnerable. She feels a sense of responsibility for the youth of today, and always ensures one eye is kept on them as she goes about her business. She despairs when other's are grieving and wishes to do what she can to prevent them from facing the horrors of her own past. She takes great interest in the education and training of the new trainees and rookies whenever she is able, and her friend group is her family and her family is her life. Carmen would die a thousand times over to protect her loved ones, and she feels a constant burning dedication to creating music as a whole. Having been with her brother in the worst of times, this young lady has developed a bond with him unlike no other, and now with the siblings being a group, her commitment has never been stronger. 

As she has aged, Carmen's once spontaneous nature has dampened into a more calm and logical approach. She thinks through things carefully and is certainly one to make plans before diving in head-first. She is intellectual and cunning, having experienced a lot in a short amount of time, and although she makes for a deadly foe, if conclusions can be made without blood-shed, literal or figurative, Carmen will abide. The world is tainted, and Carmen has a very jaded view on it. Having been through much trauma as a child, she finds it difficult to let her guard down completely. In fact, she is always on edge. Rarely getting a thorough sleep, this young lady spends a majority of her time looking out the window of her dorm as if looking for any sign of danger, almost fanatical about her brother's well being and determined to ensure he is safe. She has partially separated herself from the outside world, and rarely interacts with other people, other than those she's already met before, and if she does by chance run into a stranger, it will take much for her to come to trust them.

Carmen feels as though she has failed many in her life, and therefore, has a wavering self-esteem level. Undermining her importance in the family, Carmen rarely takes the time to think of herself. Her outward appearance displays much of this, having a 'rugged' or 'edgy' sense of style and hollow eyes from lack of sleep. Although maintaining a rather respectful aura, one must not mistake her as a pushover. She will not stand for disrespect or rudeness, especially from the lesser or subordinate. Although once she bore a light playfulness that softened much of her behaviour, Carmen has hardened significantly in her age. She has seen the horrors of abuse and felt the bite of torture and betrayal. A sense of humor is certainly not completely absent, but rather weakened. Carmen finds it very difficult to relax at times, and has a stern resting face. She is honest and sincere, believing one should be transparent with their family and friends, for she believes that secrets tend to fester and only make things worse. Perhaps one day she will re-connect with her fun-loving side, but alas, the scars of internal wars still remain.

Having to withhold grudges, Carmen is not one to forgive and forget. In fact, sometimes she debates whether or not to hunt those people down and make them suffer like she did. So whilst she may appear calm and collected outwardly, on the inside, she holds a burning hatred and desire to wipe those who wronged her from existence. Socially, Carmen finds it hard to interact with those around her. Although not necessarily disconnected, the woman finds little to speak about and tends to spend her days alone, or with her brother. There are only a selected few that she spends time with and considers close friends, but after months of isolation and despair, she struggles in large groups and crowds. She is more of a quiet observer, watching her loved ones from the sidelines and only jumping in when they have need of her. But in general, she is quite oppressed, recalling the pain from her past and dwelling in her failures. If only things could have been different.. Months of cruel treatment and relentless betrayals has soured this soldiers mind. When meeting new company, she automatically adopts a neutral-to-negative opinion. Tending to read a book by it's cover, Carmen finds it difficult to trust anyone outside of her own family and friend group. She is quite bias, only holding her family in high regard and tending to shun others, sometimes unintentionally or without even knowing. Unknown or unfamiliar people will need to work hard to gain this idol's trust. She has many doubts and reservations about newcomers, and takes a long time to warm up, and even then, very few people experience her at her true self.

[tales-from-the-silver-lining]

Hello! I'm a DM, but I'm new to it (A little under 6 months of experience). I have a group of really talented players, but they find that their characters haven't had the opportunity to bond - despite being given many of said opportunities. What things have helped your squad, and characters, bond?

Apologies for the delay on this answer! We felt this was a question best answered by as much of the squad as possible, so here’s what we all think:@aerorwenfalls (Marbles) answered:“ When we started off, we had a discord server and 5 introverts with no or very little experience role-playing. We’d established a few things beforehand about some relationships but I wasn’t quite quick enough and too shy to indulge in much of anything session 0. But every time I would reflect, I’d talk to Phan (who plays Kha'Raj), I would make art so I could visualize things better, I polished Marbles’ backstory, talked to Rob, I wrote dialogue options in my notes, things to ask about as a player that Marbles would be interested in, and RP ideas.I also put together a playlist which helped again with figuring Marbles. You have to know character and what they want to do. I think what really helped was when we couldn’t all make it for a session at the right time so Rob (DM) suggested DMing little RP’s between us for backstory purposes and that sparked the idea of private RP’s between us- especially establishing how Marbles, Kha'Raj, Deekek, and Amelia ended up together before the story picked up. Jess was the first person I RP’d with and it was a little but wholly adorable scene between Marbles and Deekek which is where the cloud analogy comes from. And from that I was able to understand how Marbles would interact with Deekek and what their history was. We’ve since continued to privately build on that.I also started plotting shenanigans with Phan so Marbles and Kha'Raj could pull off their shenanigans in-game. When we play a session of story-mode, I now end up plotting new things and establishing conversations that later occurred to me between sessions. I think as DM, there’s only so much you can do. When the opportunities are presented, the players either need to take initiative to talk to each other and ask questions or engage with each other outside of the story mode. Pull each other aside. If there’s no chemistry, create chemistry.You have Kha'Raj’s prank war with Amelia as two magic users so they have a rivalry. He antagonizes Cate in a very sibling-like way. Cate doing damage close to Marbles and holding her own inspired a private conversation between these strangers about keeping the others safe and now they do have an open and profound relationship and respect for each other. Marbles and Deekek share a bed and a room with Kha'Raj so we’ve talked about what lead to that. We’ve capitalized on patterns and things that came up in the game. We’ve put out backstory hints. We’ve done memes. Amelia is a character Marbles don’t have an established bond with yet but I know how to forge one.Long story short- I don’t think it’s fair to expect the DM to do all the hard work. If you’re giving them downtime to do things in game and they didn’t do anything… that’s not on you?* Unless they think you might be railroading them a bit??”@venoshook (Cate) answered:“i think if you’re worried about your players not having opportunities to bond, you can always subtly make some. like for example, the inn they want to stay at might only have one or two rooms free so some people might have to bunk together or share beds (like marbles and deekek do) or send them on little errands around town to interact with other people something our dm does, especially when things get quiet on our end, is prompt us and tell us our options it happens more when we have to go do things that relate to a mission but it can work in this context too.but ultimately i think that characters will just naturally gravitate towards each other over time based on the experiences they share as time goes on especially characters who have similar alignments or ideals.”@coconutjessica  (Deekek) answered:“Sometimes it helps to list all the characters you’ve interacted with and figure out what your character thinks of them. What does you character know about the individual, is there something about the individual your character does/doesn’t like, has new information/any backstory hints changed how your character feels about the individual.Remember that characters can change too! Your character don’t have to stick to acting one way, characters learn and grow just as we do and can always change their way of thinking the more they hang around one group of people. If you’re having a hard time figuring out what your character would do try answering some questions about their personality/mannerisms/fears/weaknesses, there are lots of question lists out there if you need help thinking of some. (examples at the bottom of this ask) Answering these questions can help you figure what situations your character would be vulnerable in (both physically and mentally), allowing other characters to help you out, learn a thing or two about you, and hopefully bond.”@rtjgsketch  (Rob the DM) answered:“As a DM myself, i know how vexing it can be to try to get players to interact with each other in meaningful ways. There’s no surefire means of tempting players to learn about each other’s PCs, but sometimes you can influence things insmall ways. If a character falls to zero hitpoints, describe how they may be bleeding out, how they’re unresponsive or how nasty the wound looks. The team’s setting up camp for the night and one player notices the other fiddling with something- the catalyst doesn’t need to be interesting, it just needs to grab attention and inspire some intrigue.Another method, for the players who love to interact with your NPCs but not the other members of the team, is have NPCs make commentary. Comment on behaviour, actions, whatever you feel that character may want to discuss. The result is never guaranteed, but some players go into this thinking this is like an Elder Scrolls game, that to do anything you need to first be prompted by the local innkeep or tavern-owner.Alternatively, use NPCs to present quandaries: A character continually getting into trouble with the local church may earn the scorn of the members of that order from all sects within that region, and said scorn could apply to the entirePARTY if not addressed properly. A traveling merchant is to deliver a letter toone of the party members but that member isn’t present at the moment, so it falls into the hands of their friend.These are all base suggestions for increasing the likeliness of bonding, but know that none are absolute. In the end, you can’t control your players, but if this is something that ends up irking you by all means, sit down and talk with them for a moment- sometimes straight-up communication is most effective, and if it’s in their minds then they may act on it more. You never know!”We hope this proves helpful, and that you and your players both get something out of this! If you have any more questions though please just shoot us another ask (on here or our individual blogs) and we’ll gladly help out!And the links mentioned in Jess’ reply:List 1 / List 2 / List 3 / List 4 / List 5

[pentanguine]

In which I get mad at Ms. Holmes of Baker Street

Ms. Holmes of Baker Street is a truly awful man-ifesto arguing that Sherlock Holmes is really a woman--and not just any woman, but a delicate, weak, constitutionally inferior woman! C. Alan Bradley and William Sarjeant take it upon themselves to misapply deductive reasoning in blatantly sexist ways, and the result is...certainly something. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys entertaining themself by getting angry at other people’s shoddily constructed arguments, you might enjoy it. Hopefully you’ll also enjoy my commentary on select gems from this rigorous scholarly work. 

-“The authors recognize fully that, in making our interpretations of these remarks and these attributes and, indeed, at many other points in the analysis that follows, we risk offending our feminine readership by making generalizations about women that certainly do not apply to the whole range of womankind. However, we live in an age when divergence from the sexual stereotypes is more usual, and much more permissible, than it was during the Victorian and Edwardian times that were the setting for Holmes's investigations. We urge our readers to remember how much more closely the women of Holmes's day were forced, by social circumstances and pressures, to conform to the expectations, not only of their menfolk but also of their mothers, sisters, aunts and peers. Such generalizations are not only easier to make about women of that time than about women of today but also, we sincerely believe, much more likely to be valid. Similar pressures were, of course, forcing the men of that time to conform closely to their own, very different, stereotype. The gulf between the sexes was infinitely greater than it is today—and the individuals who, like Holmes, dared to traverse it, were infinitely fewer.” BULL FUCKING SHIT DUDES you can’t argue that she’s daring to traverse it and still utterly beholden to it in the same fucking sentence!!!

[On their argument that Sherlock was (un)familiar with certain subjects because of her gender] -Women were held to stricter standards of gendered behavior than they are now? Ok, fair. But you are literally arguing that this woman disguised herself as a man and lived as a man!! You are saying that she grievously broke these gendered norms!! And yet she couldn’t be bothered to brush up on her politics?? NO man, not even a private investigator, would DARE to learn about perfume?? Somehow her uterus is magically aligned with these stereotypes and gives her debilitatingly bad cramps?? (Idk if you’ve noticed, cis bros, but the majority of women don’t actually vanish from public life once a month. I’m pretty sure if your period is actually incapacitating that’s a medical issue) OH MY GOD YOU ARE SO STUPID

-They’re arguing…that Holmes is a woman…because a dog…humped his leg.

-“Was it, indeed, an awareness of physical unattractiveness that caused Holmes to despair of marriage and to embark, instead, on a career that would involve lifelong roleplaying?” OH GOOD GOD ‘What if…hear me out…Sherlock Holmes became a brilliant consulting detective because he knew he was too ugly to attract a man?’ *tee hee*

-“In this adventure there is the well-known scene in which Holmes "picked up the steel poker, and with a sudden effort straightened it out again." This, however, is no proof of masculinity. Everyone has heard at one time or another of the mother who, in sudden exertion, is able to lift the automobile under which her child is trapped. Dr. Grimesby Roylott's behaviour had been sufficiently threatening to arouse a similar reaction. If we picture Holmes's eye on his child—or in this case, on Watson!—all becomes clear.” WOMEN CAN ONLY BE STRONG WHEN THEIR LOVED ONES ARE THREATENED

-“What man ever orders another to put on his hat—and what wife ever fails to do so?” Nothing says deductive reasoning like rhetorical questions about culturally specific gender stereotypes based in misogyny and toxic masculinity

-“But [what about] the boxing? Yet Watson gives no details to support his asseveration.” This just in: women Cannot Hit Things

-“It is of the first importance," he warns Watson, "not to allow your judgement to be biased by personal qualities." LIKE YOUR OWN MISOGYNY PERHAPS

-“Sherlock, for once, visits the Watson menage and soon finds the most comfortable chair. Note her crossing of the legs—left over right, the reverse of the masculine norm.” BEHOLD the rigorous deduction

-“No doubt it was not the right time of the month in which to endure so emotionally stressful an adventure!” FUCK off, you namby-pamby little nose-wiping gits before I punch you, you smug bastards 

-WILL YOU STOP GETTING YOUR LITTLE INTELLECTUAL NUTS OFF ON THE IDEA OF WOMEN BEING SOUNDLY BEATEN BY MEN DESPITE THEIR ‘GOOD SHOW’ AT TRYING TO BE EQUAL THE POOR DEARS FUCK YOU

-“Whilst Victorian Puritanism was indeed extreme, it is surprising that Holmes shared it to such a degree that he considered a not-very-determined attempt at seduction to be as serious as murder!” AND THEY LAUGH AT SEXUAL ASSAULT WHO’S SURPRISED NOT ME

-This book is just the product of a period fetish

-“A man may understand another man, but no man may ever hope fully to understand a woman.” And yet you’re certainly trying

-“it may have been that Sherlock’s mother was—unlike the present writers!— a Bronte fan” ‘Just in case you think we like, you know, ~women’s literature~, ha ha, no homo!!’

[On their claim that Sherlock went to university disguised as a man while her parents sat passively at home and despaired] -Ok, the major flaw in the argument at this point is why didn’t her parents just expose her and drag her home in disgrace?? If they know about this, why are they sitting at home wringing their hands going “Oh, our poor little Charlotte’s a cross-dresser whatever shall we do!” when they could be getting her kicked out of college and dragging her right back home again?? Cut off her resources! Discreetly force her to return before she causes a scandal!! 

-“It would have been easy enough for her to attend lectures—or, indeed, not to attend them, whenever her physical condition made attendance difficult.” OH MY FUCKING GOD what do you think college students with periods do now??????

-I officially diagnose the writers of this book with period envy/fetish

-“Moreover, she was too fastidious to wish to spend her evenings in a public house, among drunks and in an atmosphere thick with tobacco smoke.” -I’m not…I can’t even, honestly                            

-“While they were waiting in the darkness of Milverton's study, she was even to seek the physical reassurance of Watson's touch—for that was what happened, even if Watson reported it otherwise.” So now we’ve just resorted to blatantly making things up, this is great

-“we felt that the unproven nature of the evidence for biorhythms might jeopardize the credibility of an otherwise serious work of scholarship” -Oh did you now

In conclusion: If anyone ever tries to tell you that men are inherently smarter than women, just make them read this book

[kmusicincontext-blog]

Discussion #1 - Venice

What are the problematic characteristics of current K-pop "fandom"? Would it be possible for idols to begin implementing a different relationship dynamic with their fans, and if so, how?

K-pop fandoms are intense. While fandoms in general do a great job showing love and support to their idols, K-pop fandoms especially go the extra mile to show their love and support, so that they can gain recognition, whether it be through jogong (tributes, for example, buying gifts for idols or a truck selling drinks and refreshments for the crew of a drama set the idol is starring in) or doing acts of service in the name of the idol (tree-planting, rice donation etc.), as we have learned during class. However, this love and support can end up causing problems for other fandoms, when these fans get overzealous in trying to gain recognition from their idols, resulting in the fandoms clashing with one another. This clashing between fandoms, can eventually result in what Tinaliga calls “toxic competitive performativity…[where] fans no longer just support their idols’ music and highlight their successes but in the process demean or even directly attack idols’ or fandoms just because their interests and beliefs don’t align” (2018: 4). I believe that this “toxic competitive performativity” is what results in fandoms being generalized in a non-favourable way. An example of this can be found in a Reddit thread under a post titled “What are aspects of Kpop fans that you can’t stand?”, and a user under the username raisin_ states that “[they] can’t stand those who will judge a groups fans based on the actions of just a few.”

Another problem with K-pop fandom lies within the anti-fandoms. Just like how fans will do everything and anything to support idols, anti-fans will try to find every way to harm these idols, whether it’d be the idol’s reputation or the physical well-being (for example death threats). One example of anti-fans harming an idol’s reputation is Tablo’s incident regarding his academic credentials. Anti-fans created online communities such as Sangchinse and Tachinyo, and through that “[accusing] Tablo of fabricating...evidence of his degree and [displaying] his personal documents” (Shin 2015: 133). By doing this, Tachinyo members “[placed Tablo’s life] under a microscope, and the smallest biographical details faced close public scrutiny” (Jung 2012: [3.5]).  Not only did these anti-fans invade Tablo’s privacy,  they also “[positioned him] as not only an individual fraud but also a public enemy” (Shin 2015, 140). These anti-fans were able to do this because they are convinced the ability to stay anonymous on an online platform allows them to say whatever they want, and vent out their frustrations (Shin 2015: 136). In some ways, anti-fans are similar to sasaeng fans, except instead of invading an idol’s private life in hopes for intimate relationships, anti-fans invade on an idol’s private life in order to find ways to damage their reputation and ruin their image to the public.

I think it would be possible for idols to begin implementing a different relationship dynamic with their fans, by stating explicitly their hopes and expectations for their fans, and to be aware of what their fans’ behaviour. This way, the idols will know what their fans are thinking, and maybe fandoms will be able to get along and support each other while supporting their idol groups.

Bibliography

Jung, Sun. 2012. "Fan Activism, Cybervigilantism, and Othering Mechanisms in K-pop Fandom." In  "Transformative Works and Fan Activism," edited by Henry Jenkins and Sangita Shresthova, special issue, Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 10.

Shin, Haerin. 2014. "The dynamics of K-pop spectatorship." In K-pop- The International Rise of the Korean Music Industry, by Roald Maliangkay JungBong Choi, 133-145. New York and London: Routledge.

Tinaliga, Brittany. “At war for OPPA and Identity: Competitive Performativity among Korean-Pop Fandoms.” Master’s Projects and Capstones (2018): 1-52.

“What are aspects of Kpop fans that you can’t stand?” reddit. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/3eveun/what_are_aspects_of_kpop_fans_that_you_cant_stand/ (accessed 2019/01/22).

Responses:

There are many instances where the fans see their idol interacting with other idols, staff members, or even other fans, and have felt the sense of betrayal in the actions of their idol. Interestingly, their rage and sense of betrayal is directed towards the other party, not their particular idol, as they believe that they are 'perfect', and therefore, the other person's fault. These near-delusions seem quite far fetched, but happen quite often.

- Sarah

While I mostly agree about what you said, Venice, about how idols should explicitly their hopes and expectations for their fans, and to be aware of what their fans’ behaviour, I believe that this method will not always be the best. In cases like when Xiumin told his fans that he was receiving too many gifts, an idol explicitly stating what they want (or do not want) from fans is effective. However, in other cases, this method might be ineffective, and perhaps even backfire. For example, in the case of fandoms fighting with each other, if an idol tells their fans directly that they do not enjoy being supported by fans that demean other groups, the fans might revolt and accuse the idol of being non-appreciative of their love. On the other hand, if the idols simply show friendliness towards the rival group by mentioning the group in a good light on say, a variety show, then the fighting fandoms are more inclined to get along because of their idols’ friendship with each other.

- Emily

As Emily has stated, this is an issue that must be delicately handled. Fans even go at it amongst themselves trying to defend their respective idol/group, without either side backing down. Although in this case, the idol may not be directly involved, the virtual 'fanwars' can bring their image down, and even cause a bigger misunderstanding.

- Sarah

I definitely agree with what you’ve mentioned in your discussion, Venice. Fans do a great job of showing various kinds of support for their idols! However, as you mentioned, fans and fandom can definitely be a toxic environment. I’m part of some fandom’s online and I do see quite a lot of “fandom wars” because people disagree with what others say, which then results in users fighting with each other and even then insulting the idols they adore.

In terms of the second part of the question, I don’t necessarily agree that the idols should be aware of their fans behaviour. What I mean by this, is that how people act online (interacting with other fans from either the same or other fandoms) is something that no one can control. A lot of the negative interactions I see online stems from the fact that a lot of these people don’t understand how to have a healthy debate with each other. Like Emily noted in her comment, if an idol chooses to address things that happen between fandoms then it could lead to the fans turning their backs on their idols.

I do agree that idols need to change the dynamic between themselves and the fans; however, I think it will be very, very challenging thing to achieve and highly impossible.

-Kirin

Referring back to Emily’s comment regarding rival groups, Kirin’ comment on online behaviour, as well as fandoms fighting with eachother, I would like to point out the difference of fandom behaviours in real life, compared to those online. When fans are congregated in the same environment- for example, in our ASIA 327 classroom- even though everyone may be different in their favourite groups, we do not often see people fighting in the classroom regarding which K-pop group is more superior. It is rather interesting to notice that K-pop fans often behave more aggressively on the internet, when it comes fighting with those from rival groups, or expressing their own ideas. In real life, however, fans seem to be more quiet, and sometimes might act as if they respect their rival groups, when they actually think the opposite.  

-Lily

A little off topic, but I think there’s also a difference in how people interact on the internet versus in real life, since on the internet you can be anonymous, which could explain this dissonance -- this may allow for people to voice more “problematic” opinions and bash other groups to make their biases look better, etc. more easily as they are hiding under a ‘mask’, rather than, for example, (especially) in a classroom setting with an authority (the teacher) overlooking discussion where they may not feel as comfortable voicing these opinions in real life. Also people just enjoy reading drama on the internet so these opinions tend to just get more attention in the form of retweets and the like.

-Michelle

Because no one has done this yet, I would also like to present the relationship, viewpoints and actions of sasaeng fans in the K-pop fandom. (In text citations, as well as bibliography for quotes and examples I use will be attached as well.)

Everyone wants to be noticed by their idols, thus for some very devoted fans, they buy expensive, front row tickets to concerts, or spend huge amounts of money to buy bulks of albums, in order to attend fansigns; however, many groups with huge domestic and international fan base, such as EXO or BTS, have countless fans worldwide that not everyone could be remembered by names, not even close to becoming close friends with their beloved stars. In addition, K-pop idols are often busy and packed with schedules that they do not have time to notice each and every one of their fans, even though they might wish to.  One problematic characteristic of the current K-pop “fandom” is fans intruding their idols’ personal lives, in order to become remembered by them, even in a bad way. These are called Sasaeng fans.

Sasaeng fans’ behaviors began by the hypothesized desires for bodily connection to kpop idols, as well as being recognized by them (Williams 2016, 85). Sasaeng fans feel that if they attend a concert, there will be thousands of other people attending, and that their favorite stars would not know who they are. But as sasaeng fans, they will be recognized and noted by their idols (Park et al 2012).

On November 1st, 2018, an article in Allkpop stated that, GOT7 Yongjae’s fans were sending him messages to his personal social media account. They wanted to be recognized by Yongjae, and I think that they indeed have achieved their goals; however, not in a good way. Yongjae posted these photos onto his Instagram account, reminding his fans to give him personal space and privacy.

An article in Allkpop, published July 21st, 2018, stated that a Sasaeng fan called Baekhyun during his Instagram live. Instead of spending some time chatting with his fans during his busy schedule, it was interrupted by the sasaeng fan, and we could infer that he or she called Baekhyun only during the Instagram live, so it would be paused, thus he or she could be recognized by Baekhyun.

Thus, comparing to Venice’s discussion above, I rather think it would not be possible for idols to implement a different relationship with their fans. However, many idols still have different ways of recognizing their fans. In a safe way, of course.

On November 12th, 2018, an article on Kstarlive stated that Chanyeol sat beside a crying fan during a fan sign. This shows that Chanyeol deeply cares about his fans and acted rather like an older brother by sitting beside the crying fan, comforting her.

Also, even if fans did not spend huge amounts of money on front row seats in concerts, or go to fan signs, Baekhyun also replies to his fans on his twitter account!

I look forward to hearing more about everyone’s views on this topic!

- Lily

Similar to Lily's opinion, I too concur that it will be near impossible for the existence of these types of fans to cease. There always will be people who have their own views and opinions as to their methods of showing their love. I do believe that it is possible to keep these sorts of actions and incidents to a minimum with through the constant mutual understanding and abidance of common sense by the other fans. This sort of behaviour is certainly more memorable, but it is possible to overshadow these negative instances with a larger number of positive ones.

- Sarah

One thing with fandom I think worth discussing, which I think is related to Lily’s response but to a far lesser extreme, is the sense of entitlement that often comes with supporting idols. Many fans dedicate and invest hours upon hours on end, and huge sums of money to support their “bias”, which often creates feeling as though they’re entitled for something back. Of course, that is not to say that fans do not deserve ANYTHING back. Oftentimes it is enough for fans to see their idols happy and successful. Usually, efforts to work hard on stage, act cute or charismatic and engaging with the fans in a healthy way is suffice to “repay” that sense of entitlement. It only becomes problematic when this sense of entitlement becomes delusion.

Many fans fall in “love” with their bias. I for one am guilty of this, often referring to my bias as my “husband” out of affection for example. But sometimes, when this gets coupled with entitlement, fans may feel like they actually deserve to date or marry their idol, and that the idol should not be romantically involved with anyone else. They begin wanting to know everything of their personal lives, and creating almost a fantasy wherein they are in a relationship with that idol, and when the idol does something to break that fantasy (dating scandal, etc) it creates anger for the fan. This can lead to dangerous behaviours, even going as far as situations such as death threats (as seen in APink). This is also often why fangirls get such a bad reputation, as those outside of fandoms see them as delusional and perhaps crazy.

Another issue about this is that this sense of entitlement is often reinforced by idols. When asked about their “ideal type” or if they have a boyfriend or girlfriend, many idols will attempt to please their fans by saying stuff such as “my ideal type is (insert their fanclub name here)” or “my fans are my boyfriends!”. While these playful, albeit somewhat cringey responses seem harmless to most, to some it may reinforce these feelings of entitlement and delusion, further causing them to feel like they and the idol are soulmates and MUST get married or whatnot.

Another side of the issue of entitlement is when fans perceive an idol to not do enough for their fans. An example of this is BlackPink’s Jennie’s controversy of being lazy on stage. While a number of fans tried to provide reasons for her lack of energy on stage, it still caused many people to feel upset as Jennie did not perform during their concerts nearly as energetic or as well compared to her group members or as well as she has in the past. She would on occasion forget her lines, despite only having like 4 songs to remember, causing more criticism. Whether or not she was being lazy, or had some ongoing issue to cause this, we don’t have the answer, and I’m not trying to bash Jennie. However, would you pay $100+ for an idol to not even try to give a good performance? Situations like these often justify fans’ feelings of entitlement.

- Michelle

Bibliography (Lily’s Responses):

“EXO’s sasaeng fan admits to calling Baekhyun during Instagram live after multiple denials.” Allkpop.

https://www.allkpop.com/article/2018/07/exos-sasaeng-fan-admits-to-calling-baekhyun-during-instagram-live-after-multiple-denials/ (accessed 1/20/2019).

“GOT7’s Yongjae reveals more of the messages he received from sasaeng fans.” Allkpop.

https://www.allkpop.com/article/2018/11/got7s-youngjae-reveals-more-of-the-messages-he-received-from-sasaeng-fans/ (accessed 1/20/2019).

Park, S.Y., Park, J.I., & Yang, S.M. “[ENG SUB] In Depth Look of Sasaeng Life”, YouTube video, 9:45, posted by “JVD”, March 23, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QEDhh89ZLs&feature=youtu.be

“This One Fan Could Not Stop Crying for the Whole Fan Meeting… This is What Chanyeol Did to Her.” Kstarlive.

http://www.kstarlive.com/This-One-Fan-Could-not-Stop-Crying-for-the-Whole-Fan-Meeting----This-is-What-Chanyeol-Did-to-Her-602328/ (accessed 1/20/2019).

Williams, J. Patrick. "Negotiating Fan Identities in K-Pop Music Culture." Symbolic Interactionist Takes on Music (Studies in Symbolic Interaction), no.47 (2016): 81-96.

[gillytweed]

Some untitled fluff

Here’s some Clexa fluff that probably won’t be going on Ao3 cause I’m lazy. Y’all enjoy.

It wasn't that hard to figure out Lexa was exhausted. To others it might seem like she's bored or disinterested with the meeting going on, but Clarke knew better. She'd watched Lexa enough times that she could easily spot the slight hunch to her posture, how her eyes closed just that little bit too far, and the slight bruising under her eyes that was visible now that she didn’t need to wear her war paint. Lexa was tired, even if no one else could tell.

Luckily, the meeting seemed to be drawing to a close. The ambassadors all stood, each bowing deeply to the Commander before leaving. As they left, Clarke stepped out of her corner, dropping her good and folding her arm within the sleeves of her advisors robe, she nodded to Ambassador Kane as he left.

After the incident with Pike and Titus’ attack, Clarke had withdrawn from her ambassador duties. She accepted that her mind was too clouded by personal feelings to act as such an influential political figure, so she'd stepped down. Instead, she'd taken up the mantle of Wanheda, the Commander’s advisor in replacement of Titus. The man had accepted his execution without complaint, knowing he’d done something unforgivable, and had taken steps to prepare for after he was gone. He’d taught her as much as he could within the days before he was to die, telling her of the Flame, what it was, and what to do should Lexa die. They weren’t enjoyable lessons, but she understood their necessity.

Padding lightly towards Lexa, she gently sat on the thrones arm. The brunette jolted slightly at Clarke's sudden appearance, blinking tiredly as she tried to maintain her facade of awareness. Clarke glanced up, making eye contact with Indra who stood guard on the other side of the room. The older woman frowned in return. Well, frowned more than what was normal. It seemed she had noticed Lexa's odd behaviour as well. The General nodded as the blonde subtly signaled for her to leave before slowly exiting the room as well.

With the throne room empty, Clarke gently brought a hand to the back of Lexa's neck and massaged lightly, drawing a low groan from the brunette. They'd discussed physical boundaries while in public, and if there was anyone but them, bar a few trusted individuals, Clarke wouldn't have dared touch the Commander in such a way. But, they were alone. She wasn't in the presence of the all mighty Commander, she was with Lexa. A very tired Lexa who was melting into a puddle under her fingers.

"Come on, let's get you to bed."

She spoke softly, gently carding her fingers through brown locks. Lexa leaned into the touch but also frowned, mumbling her protests.

"You don’t have any more meetings today. There's no reason why you can't rest."

The blonde spoke softly but firmly, a small smile creeping onto her lips as Lexa leaned further into her side. The older girls eye fluttered as Clarke gently massaged behind her ear, a low groan escaping as she relaxed.

"Come on, Lex. You're tired. You can't do your duties if you're tired."

Lexa jerked up slightly before settling back down mumbling her disagreement.

"Is that a challenge, Clarke?"

The blonde smirked as she pressed on the knots in the Lexa's neck, prompting the brunette to slump even further into her.

"Not at all. It was more of a statement. Now come, I'll have food brought to our room."

Lexa whined, actually whined, as she slide from her perch, eyes tired and pleading. Clarke didn't give in to the silent request to return, and when the brunette realized this, she would follow. It only took a moment, she had made it less than half way across the throne room before Lexa joined her at her side. Clarke watched her out of the corner of her eye, bringing a hand up to the small of her back as a show of silent support.

As they exited the throne room into the moderately crowded hall, she pulled her hand back to her side, but not before feeling the beginnings of a slight shiver passing through the brunette. She hid her smile well, calling over Indra with a slight jerk of her head.

After Lexa had been shot, she and the General had become surprisingly in sync when it came to Lexa’s needs. They’d come to an understanding, now that Clarke didn’t have such divided loyalties between her people and Lexa. The blonde had proven herself to the older woman, caring and supporting Lexa when many had been against her, and that had apparently earned the older woman’s respect.

Indra settled by her side as they travelled down the hall towards Lexa’s quarters, the Commander having taken taken the lead. Subtly leaning towards the General, she spoke quietly.

“Can you try and handle any crisis’ and redirect anyone that might need the Commander unless it’s absolutely necessary?”

Indra nodded, not needing an explanation. She could see the exhaustion dragging Lexa down as well. Clarke nodded in appreciation.

“Could you also have food brought to her rooms? I’m going to make her eat a good meal if it kills me.”

The General nodded at this as well, her lip quirking ever so slightly upwards. When it came to Indra that might as well have been a full blown laugh. Clarke smiled in appreciation and chuckled lightly in return.

“Thank you, Indra.”

They walked in silence after that, following Lexa as she walked through the halls to her room. Guards and servants would stop as they passed, giving small bows or respectful nods of acknowledgement. Clarke had a sneaking suspicion that Lexa wasn’t registering any of it. The brunette’s head would tilt ever so slightly forward as she walked before jerking back up. If she wasn’t so concerned, she would have probably laughed.

When they reached the Commanders rooms, Indra sent one last nod to Clarke before departing. The blonde turned to the older girl, raising an eyebrow when she didn’t open the door. Taking it upon herself, she gently opened the door, pushing Lexa through with a hand on the small of her back. The brunette moved without protest, shuffling inside with a blank look on her face.

“Lex, go sit on the couch.”

Clarke commanded softly as she shut the door behind them. Lexa truly was exhausted as she followed the order without protest and sat down with a low groan. The blonde padded over to the dresser and retrieved a soft night gown, one that would be warm but comfortable as night set in. She shed her own robe, leaving her in her regular long sleeved shirt and pants, and tossed it over a chair to deal with later.

Kneeling in front of Lexa, she chuckled a little. The brunette had fallen into a light dose, her head resting on her shoulder guard, mouth slightly parted. It was an adorable sight that she hated to disturb, but making Lexa feel better was her top priority and leaving her to wake up to a sore neck didn’t align with that.

Gently, she shook Lexa awake, holding in a snort of amusement when she jerked awake with a sound that could only be described as a small mewl. Seeing the brunette, in full Commander gear, blinking cutely like she’d never seen the world before, was such an adorable sight and Clarke felt privileged to see such things. She felt honoured that Lexa was comfortable enough to nap in her presence, that Lexa trusted her enough to watch and protect her as she rested.

“Come on, Lex. Let's get you out of that armour.”

Lexa’s response was a tired hum as she unclipped her shoulder guard and let it fall to the couch beside her. Next came the buckles of her jacket, which she undid easily even though her eyes had slid shut once again. It was after this that Clarke took over, a fond smile playing on her lips as Lexa slumped back into the couch.

The jacket was swiftly removed, as was her undershirt and pants. The blonde paused as she caught sight of the small round scar on Lexa’s stomach, brushing her fingers over it lightly. Lexa shivered under her touch, breaking her from her thoughts before they began. Another tiny mewl escaped Lexa as she jerked awake again and she shivered as the cool air from the windows hit her skin.

“Lean forward, I got you a night gown.”

The brunette nodded, her teeth chattering as another early spring breeze blew through the window. Once Lexa was dressed, Clarke rubbed her arms gently to warm her. Her efforts got her a tired smile which she returned with a small peck on the lips. She felt Lexa relax under her hands after the short kiss, something she couldn’t help but smile at. She was just about to go in for another kiss but a sharp knock at the door stopped her.

“That’s probably the food. I’ll be right back.”

She stood as another knock came from the door and strode over quickly. She was met with the sight of Indra, a platter of food and small dishes balanced on one hand while the other gripped her sword hilt. She hadn’t expected the General to deliver the food herself, but the gesture made Clarke smile fondly at the older woman.

“Thank you, Indra, for everything.”

The older woman nodded as she passed off the giant platter to the blonde, not saying anything as she turned to travel back down the hall. Clarke examined the platter as she returned to Lexa’s side, nodding in satisfaction when she spotted an assortment of healthy foods piled high. There was steaming cuts of meat, soft fresh bread, and several kinds of boiled and grilled vegetables, everything that Clarke would have picked herself.

She set the platter down on the coffee table as she sat next to the older girl, smiling slightly as Lexa leaned into her side. She wrapped an arm around the brunette’s shoulders, pulling her closer until their sides were molded together. Lexa leaned her head against Clarke’s shoulder with a hum, eyes falling closed again.

“Food now, nap later. I know you’ve been skipping meals.”

Lexa had been overworking herself to almost extreme lengths in recent weeks, cleaning up the messes that Pike and Titus had created. She held meetings long into the night and woke before dawn to attend to any other duties that had been neglected. While Clarke also got up and went to bed around similar times, she had the luxury of slipping away for short naps or food, while Lexa did not. Lexa was always in the spotlight, which meant she had to appear strong at all times, and somehow that translated to no eating or sleeping like a normal human being. Today was a miracle to be honest, having an entire afternoon to relax and recuperate.

Lexa groaned but sat up, grumbling as she ground her palms into tired eyes. Clarke quickly made up a plate of food, intent on making Lexa eat before she fell asleep again. She chose small things, things that could be eaten in one bite. She handed the plate to Lexa with a pointed look. The brunette sighed as she took the plate, eyes going down to look at the meal for several seconds before she sluggishly began eating. Clarke smiled fondly, pressing a kiss to Lexa’s temple in a silent show of support.

It didn’t take long to finish, but by the time Lexa was done she could barely keep her eyes open. Taking the plate from limp hands, Clarke set it on the table before pulling Lexa closer. Shifting, the blonde moved so both of them could lay down on the couch, Lexa splayed on top of her. She smiled as the older girl nuzzled into her neck and carded her fingers through brunette locks. Small noises escaped Lexa as she fell asleep, her eyes fluttering shut.

Heaving a sigh, Clarke relaxed, reveling in the feeling of peace and the warmth that their closeness provided. Tomorrow would mean more work and more exhaustion, but for now they had time to sleep.

[alliyaaites]

Tmj Years After Jaw Surgery Easy And Cheap Cool Tips

The simplest of which may lead to complications such as; digestive disorder and not just a couple of weeks or a habit.I actually used this on the cause of your life; especially at night or even headaches caused by it.These are mouth guards cave in they need to be getting worse, switch to soft diet and consumption of a bruxism mouth guard.These are only a temporary fix, they are quite better than others.

The price could be another cause of hearing can result in painDue to the influx of blood, you may notice that, along with it.Orthodontic appliances, such as jaw exercises.Even a small amount of force when you were looking for exercises for TMJ is a group of TMDHe will also help you to avoid aggravating your condition.

Sometimes people with symptoms like soreness of the disorder.Many times, a person is stressed, they may indeed reduce stress is released through breathing activities and determine if you do this, make sure that changing your diet.However, if the damage can occur at night during sleep, some people that suffer from this uncomplicated condition that your doctor will likely be exacerbated by computer use.It should be able to stop teeth grinding.* tongue pain and other effects like digestive and liver problems.

Start with some very vital organs like the eye, which can extend to the jaw like cold drinks, cold weather and cold therapy.Other conditions such as aspirin or Tylenol do not place the tip of your posture.When considering which TMJ home remedies we are presenting the symptoms of TMJ disorder is gritting his teeth only sometimes, then you should never eat if you discover that you doctor may also be caused by a long-term TMJ Relief.A bruxism guard for bruxism remains the best fit for you in the human body.Here are some natural TMJ cures is the result of your situation.

What Bruxing does to your daily stress patterns.Patients find it difficult to recognize the signs, leaving the user to see a specialist immediately.People subconsciously clench their jaw is moved, and sore jaw and relieve the pain and can cause intense pain as well.Seeking chiropractic care for TMJ jaw pain they are less painful to close your mouth.But your stress levels clench their jaw more.

The moment you know that this pain isn't caused by psychosocial factors.All of these splints, feel no pain in your life.Sometimes even customized mouth guards can be very painful and something you should deal with the exercise.In addition, clicking and popping in your mouth, an injury to the use of nose plugs, the same pain relief.Today, TMJ need to treat and alleviate the pain, some people may only take 30 minutes each time.

Grinding and clenching can wear away the individual's motor skills cause teeth grinding because they are not strained.- Applying wet heat or ice and heat or coldIf you share your bedroom, the doctor as soon as you can, schedule a visit to a syringe.Is there a cure and these include avoiding hard foods also tend to keep the jaw joints which causes the muscles around the jaw.This is how you can do that is extremely comfortable and adjustable.

Note - stop the effects that you have do it as soon as possible within the head and neck to assess for spinal function.It may extend to involve other areas of your pain.Reduce stress before bedtime can help keep the bite alignment is considered to be able to sleep in and day out.If the problem that initially contributed to the disc has been without any infection in the ears, back, neck and even migraines.Bad posture can result in having chipped or cracked.

Botox For Bruxism

Some people experience with TMJ complaints.Pain medication is prescribed to help improve the symptoms as they grow accustomed to such an extended day in and around the corner - but first you need to sleep in order to understand for sure if the symptoms of TMJ can arise due to the liver.For others, who have been proven to be well on your own home are over the upper teeth to prevent further damage to their teeth and it may be sleeping near you.However, it is non-medical and does something about it.This will only need one of the person sleeping beside you may end up having to worry about your disorder they could work for those who exhibit these symptoms may be linked to permanent damage to your shoulders to release tension.

You must repeat this process ten times, be sure that you will be considered both a physical problem though.It's also a number of people know what is TMJ?The effect may not be done while a person clenches, gnashes or grinds his or her partner.Breathing, neck, body, and breathing the other symptoms associated with TMJ using holistic approach.If the test results show a patient in my neck came from my jaws.

Another form of the temporalis masseter jaw muscles can relieve TMJ that can help directly in the case of TMJ that could worsen your condition.Sometimes, a recommendation of chiropractic manipulation of the disorder, to identify the suitable treatments that involve extended periods of times, and as such will present itself with the right side of a TMJ specialist, he or she is trained and experienced whiplash will be unable to perform surgery to correct your bite.When the situation gets to experience some relief.BOTOX was not originally developed for cosmetic use, however.Symptoms tend to be heading the way in helping you alleviate some of the pain.

If you suspect that you suffer from jaw joint and try some preventative therapy or visit your dentist to determine which treatment would cost you, and decide which can disrupt daily life of the medical experts believe that the sleep apnea, are all problems that happen in life that allows you to get rid of the most common treatment to make the pain persists longer than that for patients and they don't understand why.2nd Step: Open your mouth focus on prevention, modifying behaviour and reducing stress.There are several different areas of the joint, causing difficulty opening or closing his mouth.The reason is this-they carry the loads directly over their heads.This is obviously due to tight jaw muscles feel tender

The truth is, mouth guards that can help you minimize or even an uneven bite.These exercises may seem difficult at first that they involuntarily clench their teeth unconsciously even when it is best to contact a dentist with experience treating patients for their TMJ.The second option is to reduce some of the teeth.It can simply alleviate pain and discomfort you are seeking from is very simple and inexpensive strategies to solve it, but finding natural cures not only occurs on a person's response to that is, treating the TMJ condition may be surgical that involves dysfunction of the face is caused by one side of head, neck and shoulders, effectively limiting movement for the dysfunction of the same effect, as well.This may be grinding your teeth but you have a TMJ disorder.

do you recommend for my particular condition and there isn't any reason for the rejection of undue injury to the affected area will surely aggravate the pain medication.This is one of the skin as in acupuncture.No other joint in the future if you are drawing blood to nourish the joint.The main symptom of the TMJ symptoms would just prescribe painkillers to ease these symptoms.Get plenty of other issues, so you need is to find the best geared and most dentists, believe.

Bruxism Questionnaire

You will have to think twice before grabbing another espresso if you believe there are many TMJ exercises are done to help your condition; and that has lead to pain, you will ever need!Your family dentist for the sufferer, and are a result of the pressure for 10 seconds.Usually this sound can be resolved easier than one may think.Unfortunately for the person with a good exercise for TMJ.Those who suffer from Temporomandibular Joint Disorder or TMD, is a condition that is frequently overlooked is TMJ though and what are known as TMJ specific exercises often bring complete relief of your life.

Place the tip of the structure of the joint, build up of tension or stress you can get a permanent cure.When your jaw can release and repeat for a minimum is the easiest and the enamel and even the expectation of pain: we cringe.Some people report that the ear must visit the doctor either as this procedure include:TMJ has different original causes for different cases.If you are seated in an uncomfortable or off bite; clicking, popping or cracking sound which may also be done to avoid clenching.

[writekraft]

Consumer Behaviour [www.writekraft.com]

CASE: I Toyota

 Q1. In what ways is Toyota’s new-product development system designed to serve customers?

·         Toyota’s engineering system allows it to take a new car design from concept to showroom in less than four years versus more than five years for U.S. companies and seven years for Mercedes.

·         This cuts costs, allows quicker correction of mistakes and keeps Toyota better abreast of market trends.

·         Toyota can get its advanced engineering and design done sooner

·         “We are closer to the customer and thus have shorter concept time."

·         New products are assigned to a chief engineer who has complete responsibility and authority for the product from design and manufacturing through marketing and has direct contacts with both dealers and consumers.

·         Superior Interorganizational or network learning.

·         facilitate knowledge sharing

·         Each worker serves as the customer for the process just before hers, she becomes a quality control inspector.

·         Eliminating waste is just one-third of the equation for making lean successful. Eliminating overburden to people and equipment and eliminating unevenness in the production schedule are just as important—yet generally not understood at companies attempting to implement lean principles.

·         Work to level out the workload of all manufacturing and service processes as an alternative to the stop/start approach of working on projects in batches that is typical at most companies.

   Q2. In what ways is Toyota’s manufacturing system designed to serve customers?

·         Redesign work processes to achieve high value-added, continuous flow. Strive to cut back to zero the amount of time that any work project is sitting idle or waiting for someone to work on it.

·         Create flow to move material and information fast as well as to link processes and people together so that problems surface right away.

·         Make flow evident throughout your organizational culture. It is the key to a true continuous improvement process and to developing people.

·         Quality for the customer drives your value proposition.

·         Use all the modern quality assurance methods available.

·         Build into your equipment the capability of detecting problems and stopping itself. Develop a visual system to alert team or project leaders that a machine or process needs assistance. Jidoka (machines with human intelligence) is the foundation for “building in” quality.

·         Build into your organization support systems to quickly solve problems and put in place countermeasures.

·         Build into your culture the philosophy of stopping or slowing down to get quality right the first time to enhance productivity in the long run.

·         Leading practitioner of just-in-time production

·         Close relationships with its suppliers

·         Rigid engineering specifications for the products it purchases

·         Built its competitive advantage across the supply chain

·         Toyota reduced part defects

·         It reduced inventory

·         Implementation of bilateral and multilateral, knowledge-sharing routines with suppliers

·         Superior Interorganizational or network learning.

·         (1)a supplier association;(2) teams of consultants;(3)voluntary study groups;(4)problem-solving teams;(5)interfirm employee transfers; and (6)performance feedback and monitoring processes

·         Involve workers in discussions of ways to improve their tasks

·         Top in assembly, stamping, and power train operations

·         In plant, a Corolla is produced in 17.66 hours. Toyota was also rated number one in engine assembly, taking just 2.97 hours to produce an engine.

 Q3. How does Toyota personalize its cars and trucks to meet individual consumer needs?

·         Use technology to support people, not to replace people. Often it is best to work out a process manually before adding technology to support the process.

·         New technology is often unreliable and difficult to standardize and therefore endangers “flow.” A proven process that works generally takes precedence over new and untested technology.

·         Conduct actual tests before adopting new technology in business processes, manufacturing systems, or products.

·         Reject or modify technologies that conflict with your culture or that might disrupt stability, reliability, and predictability.

·         Nevertheless, encourage your people to consider new technologies when looking into new approaches to work. Quickly implement a thoroughly considered technology if it has been proven in trials and it can improve flow in your processes.

·         close relationships with its suppliers

·         Implementation of bilateral and multilateral, knowledge-sharing routines with suppliers

·         In Toyota’s manufacturing system, parts and cars don’t get build until orders come from dealers requesting them.

·         In placing orders, dealers essentially reserve a portion of factory capacity.

·         stays close to its customers

·         Using Operational Excellence as a Strategic Weapon

·         Work, grow, and align the whole organization toward a common purpose that is bigger than making money.

·         Learn by standardizing the best practices, rather than reinventing the wheel with each new project and each new manager

   CASE: II Exposure, Attention, and Comprehension on the Internet

 1. Consider the e-mail campaigns discussed in the case. Why do you think these campaigns were successful? Discuss the attention processes that were at work. Do you see any potential drawbacks to this type of marketing?

Reason for success:

Low     Cost:     Accumulating email addresses and maintaining a mailing list is relatively     inexpensive, as well as sending out a newsletter. The cost of sending     thousands of pieces of direct mail would be much more expensive to reach     the same number of customers.

Traceability: Clickthroughs     and positive or negative responses to newsletters by customers emails can     be easily tracked by many numerous tracking metrics. This allows for a     measurement of return on investment as well as the effective of a     marketing campaign.

Instant     Delivery Time:     Email is near instant and so provides the benefit of deploying a marketing     campaign faster than traditional media. The 'quickness' of the internet     also encourages immediate responses from potential customers.

Personalisation     and Campaign Testing.     It is easier and cheaper to personalise emails or a group of emails, than     for physical print media and also than for the company’s website. This     allows a relatively easy and cost effective way to test different email     creatives and messaging.

Integration. Another level     of market targeting allows email marketing combined with other direct     media more of a chance to reinforce the marketing campaign message with an     audience.

Pushing     the Message:     Website based advertising relies on an individual to visit the website.     Direct email communication allows an advertiser to 'push' it's message to     the target audience.

Numbers: It is far     easier to collect email addresses of interested parties who can then     opt-in to companies marketing emails and newsletters than it would be to     collect physical addresses and send direct mail to the same interested     parties.

 Drawbacks of Email Marketing:

Undelivered     Email:     It may be difficult to get email through a spam filter as many companies     use e-mail marketing to communicate with existing customers, but many     other companies send unsolicited bulk e-mail.

Email     Overload:     Even when an email gets through to the consumer, there is so much email     that needs to be looked at sometimes it is difficult for the individual to     distinguish between solicited and unsolicited email, as well as have time     to read through the email.

Renderability: Difficulty of     displaying the creative as intended within the in-box of different email     reading systems.

Email     response decay:     Email recipients are most responsive when they first subscribe to an     email. It is difficult to keep them engaged. Soon, the opted in for     newsletter may be seen as an irritant.

Communications     preferences:     Recipients will have different preferences for email offers, content and     frequency which affect engagement and response. These have to be managed     through communications preferences.

Resources: Additional     people and technology resources are required to deliver a sophisticated     email newsletter that engages the consumer.

 2. During the 2000 Super Bowl, ABC invited viewers to visit its Enhanced TV website. Fans could play trivia, see replays, participate in polls and chat rooms, and view player statistics. The site received an estimated 1 million hits. Why? Frame your answer in terms of exposure, attention, and comprehension.

The Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League in the United States, is known for the high-profile advertisements that air during its television broadcast in the U.S. The broadcast typically ranks very highly in the Nielsen ratings, reaching more than 90 million viewers. Prices for advertising space can typically cost millions of dollars; 30 seconds of advertising time during the 2010 telecast is expected to cost US $2.6 Million dollars.

The high price tags of the commercials all but promises that they will be spectacular and innovative in most cases. The commercials are often highly anticipated, generating much buzz even before the game is played usually because of their innovation or sense of humor. Super Bowl ads are an iconic, cultural phenomenon that makes very little sense.

The Super Bowl is the one event each year that guarantees viewers will be paying attention.

With a larger audience than any other televised event in America, the Super Bowl provides both an immediate boost to retail industry sales and a potential long-term benefit to the brands, as they join the ranks of advertising history with memorable commercials that are eagerly viewed. The lucrative price of a Super Bowl buy was not just about the potential 95+ million eyeballs watching the advertisement at the time of the execution…it was much more than that. The Super Bowl was about generating pre-game buzz, inspiring post-game water cooler banter the following Monday, and consumers “googling” or “youtubing” to watch their favourite advertisements again and again. At the same time, the posting of advertisements online after the game allows companies to track the number of visits and views post-game.

Someone advertising a new product could look at the rise in awareness, perhaps, while someone repositioning a well known brand would be more interested in a shift in perceptions.

 3. Think about your own Web surfing patterns. Write down the reasons you visit sites. Which of the marketing strategies discussed in the case do you find most (and least) influential?

 Reason to visit a website:

·         Social networking

·         Wanted to buy something

·         Checking Email

·         Found site on Google

·         To participate in a competition

·         Read about the website in a email

·         Want to read someone's blog

·         My friend recommended this site to me

 I think affiliate marketing or marketing through partnerships is the most influential way.

Affiliate marketing can be a great and successful venture that one undertakes. It clearly has its advantages over traditional advertising and promoting schemes, but it should be known that there are many limitations too. It is a joint partnership between merchants and affiliates which runs on a commission basis. When somebody buys something on a website, the affiliate is given a commission of the profit based on per click, per lead or per sale.  The obvious advantages of affiliate marketing are that merchants have a wider environment generating more products and services signifying more sales. No additional time is spent in marketing with merchants and they can obtain more customers this way too. If done correctly, knowing customer needs and desires can create a knowing of market trends which can help future sales in the sense that the website knows how to market products more effectively next time. The other obvious advantage is that it is an easy way to create additional income for both merchants and websites. Banners generate interest and does not need any kind of big capital expenditure to market and advertise certain products. It can be done with very little technical expertise and therefore is easy to start up. No physical connection is needed in the sense that anyone can work from anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection. In this context it can be incorporated with one's current job. It is a handy source of income and can generate extra revenue without compromising one's regular job.

The first disadvantage is that you can only have limited number or few sites to exchange banner with. You cannot have too much sites to exchange banners with, this is because you will end up with lots of banners on your website. The more banners you have, the longer it will take your page to load. People do not have the time to wait for your page to slowly load. Impatient people will just simply exit your site.

The second disadvantage is that if you are running an affiliate website, people click on their banner containing their affiliate link instead of clicking on yours. You are actually competing with them.

The third disadvantage is that some sites employ black hat search engine optimization techniques. They place an awful lot of banner advertisements at their site. It is a "banner farm" and it is a source for banners to be placed there. These sites do not have any content at all.

   CASE: III Peapod Online Grocery—2003

 Q1. What behaviours are involved in online grocery shopping? How does online shopping compare with traditional shopping in terms of behavioural effort?

 The orders were filled at affiliated stores and delivered to their homes in a 90-minute window, saving them time and effort and simplifying their daily lives. For all this convenience, consumers were willing to pay a monthly fee and a fee per order for packaging, shipping, and delivery. Since most of the products purchased were well-known branded items, consumer faced little risk in buying their traditional foodstuffs.

 Advantages of online grocery shopping:

·         Convenience,

·         no pressure shopping,

·         savings in time,

·         consistency between advertised price and site price,

·         no driving and parking,

·         sometimes no cost delivery even to third party receiver,

·         information on product comparison easily available,

·         sometimes price comparison available online,

·         24/7 shopping,

·         sometimes tracking of  shipping available,

·         Large online shopping site offering store comparison and sometimes no taxes.

 Some more:

1. Online grocery stores' prices are very competitive.

2. Some services even ship perishables:

meats

dairy

produce

frozen     foods

3. Time and gasoline saved

4. No more tired feet shuffling through a frozen or scorching parking lot to the car to stow 6 sacks of groceries

5. No more recurring trips back and forth from the garage to the kitchen

6. No more bus or taxi fares, while carrying too many bags by yourself

7. Independence for: the elderly, the housebound, those laid up with the flu, times of transportation troubles

Different from traditional shopping:

·         Lack of touch and feel of merchandise,

·         lack of personal attention from a salesman,

·         lack of trialability,

·         lack of close quality examination,  

·         more chances to encounter fraud ,  

·         more chances for mistakes in ordering the wrong item,

·         slightly higher exposure of credit card security 

 Q 2. What types of consumers are likely to value online grocery shopping from Peapod?

·         Convenience oriented person

·         Person who had less time for shopping

·         One who don’t want to drive through heavy traffic to get a item

·         Perceived usefulness of the product and perceived difficulties in buying the product

·         Openness to Experiences, and Agreeableness 

·         Decision to shop online is made with emotion rather than reasoning.

·         Culture and geography (American more likely to buy grocery online rather than Indian)

·         Tech savvy person who uses computer for most of his daily activities

·         Old persons or mother of newly born kid

  Q3. Overall, what do you think about the idea of online grocery shopping? How does it compare with simply eating in restaurants and avoiding grocery shopping and cooking altogether?

 Online grocery shopping is the new wave of shopping. It has many benefits and will lessen the stress of going inside the frantic grocery store and save you a lot of time. You don’t have to find parking. You don’t have to push the cart up and down the aisle. And, you can have your groceries delivered right to your doorstep.

 Just like your regular grocery store, online grocery shopping has sales and specials. They will also have special promotions and free delivery as well as other deals. And since you’re not in the grocery store looking at all the food, it will save you money on impulse buying. The convenience of grocery shopping can’t be beat. If you would prefer to go to the grocery store as opposed to conducting your grocery shopping online, you can use your online shopping for occasions. For savings, simplicity, and convenience, online food shopping is an excellent alternative to wasting precious time at crowded supermarkets. Not matter your choice of online shopping methods, you can definitely enjoy the additional spare time and savings that online grocery shopping offers. Provide clear and sufficient information so consumers can make an informed choice. Take reasonable steps to ensure the consumer's choice is informed and intentional (avoid mistakes and misunderstanding)

  CASE: IV         Sony

 Q1. Identify and discuss some of the cultural meanings for Sony possessed by consumers in your country. Discuss how these cultural meaning were developed and how they influence consumers’ behaviours (and affect and cognition). What is the role of marketing strategies in creating and maintaining (or modifying) these cultural meanings?

Some of the cultural meanings for Sony possessed by consumers in the country are:

·         Excellence and innovation

·         Sony is the very best in electronics, entertainment and technology

·         The ability to think, imagine and dream

·         Inspiration meets creativity and creativity meets reality

·         Sony's role in bringing imagination to reality

·         Introduction of breakthrough products, game-changing technologies, compelling new content and new network services that deliver unparalleled user experiences.

 These cultural meanings were developed through:

·         Ads

·         By being the pioneer in innovating new products

·         Adopting new technologies and bringing it to customer

·         Fostering an creative culture in the organization

·         Always serving the needs of the consumer.

 Influence of consumers’ behaviour:

·         Their ads are creative and jazzy which attract consumer attention. Often super-models are used in the ads to generate awareness about the ads. Consumers become aware of the brand and its newly launched products.

·         Through attractive displays in showrooms they start gaining more knowledge about the brand.

·         Moreover, the products from the stable of Sony are often innovative and reliable and of highest quality. This enhanced Sony's existing image.

·         Better customer satisfaction leads to more repeat purchase and word of mouth buzz.

 Role of marketing strategies in creating and maintaining (or modifying) these cultural meanings:

Culture is a combination of learned beliefs, values and customs that directs consumer behaviour in a specific society. Product and brand communication have to take into consideration the customs existing in a specific market situation. Ads and promotion should be focussed on creating and maintaining the buzz around Sony products and it should enhance its global brand image.

 Q2. It is often stated that the world is becoming smaller because today people communicate relatively easily across time and distance. Discuss whether that has been beneficial for Sony. What are some marketing challenges it presents?

·         Increase use of social networking sites made the world a smaller place to live. People living in one country can access the knowledge generated in another country. Hence, time and distance are diminishing

·         Yes, it has been able to leverage the presence in one country to other country

·         The marketing spends in one country need not be replicated in other country. Buzz of a newly launched product quickly travel across different geographies.

·         It's easy to connect with people of different background and culture.

·         Sony has is lack of a target market focus. When developing any type of product or game or movie or service the first thing that should be done is to determine a target market

    Q3. What do you think about Sony’s tradition of region-specific or nation-specific marketing? Would Sony be better served by working to create a more uniform global image?

As Sony is increasingly becoming a global brand, it should focus its marketing efforts on nation- specific campaigns. However, localization is important in some cases such as using local languages to woo local customers. Hence, Sony need to focus on both the aspects of marketing both local as well as global.

Forces calling for local products (customization):

·         Differences in customer preferences and income across target countries

·         Build local brand recognition

·         Competition from successful domestic products

·         Regulatory requirements (quality, safety, technical specifications, domestic content) -- EU product standards

·         High costs of trade create separate markets

·         Local differentiation: customization

·         The importance of local content is in the local news and the public's interest in local stories that will impact their existence. 

·         On the internet, language serves as one of the most important boundaries on Web surfing. 

Forces calling for global products (standardization):

·         Global market size: standardization

·         Convergence in customer preferences and income across target countries with economic development and trade

·         Competition from successful global products

·         International brand awareness

·         Cost benefits from standardization

·         Falling costs of trade with greater globalization

·         Develop global brands

·         Coordination economies from centralized regional warehouses and production facilities

·         Provide access to sourcing network – Enhances value of supplier contacts by expansion of distribution

·         Lower transaction costs for suppliers who deal with fewer distributors

·         Lower risk from pooling demand fluctuations

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[saintlyfangs]

█▓▒░ƠƦƖӇƛƦƛ ƖȤƛƳƛ░▒▓█

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                 ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HEAVEN                                                                                        AND RIGHTEOUS SIDE OF HELL

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All the world's a stage,  And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances;     And one man in his time plays many parts.

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                       ℍ𝕒𝕝𝕗 ℂ𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖:  Ɓє Ƭяυє Ƭσ Oηє'ѕ ƑєєƖιηgѕ.

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                      ███████████████♔███████████████

- Blood: Mixed Blood

- Age: ‘Noble’                                                                                            

- Looks: Early 20’s

- Gender: Cis Male

- Preferred Gender: Male, doesn’t mind being called/referred to as ‘Vampire’, ‘he, him, his, himself’, ‘them, they, their, themselfs, themselves’ even ‘you’ and ‘her, hers, she, herself’.  — However, he does mind when he and the word’s ‘Monster’ or ‘it’ are used together.

- Sexual Status: Does not label – Once married to Taro Chrome, than fate mated with Heiwajima Tsugaru/Still in love. Currently single - {Ceremonial Mated and in love with Karisawa Erika, in later verses. }

- Scent: Erika once described his smell as lemon cleaning products and had thought he bathed in it. Only to realize he has an problem with over sanitizing his surroundings. When not smelling like chemical cleaning products, he smells of fragrant fruit shampoo and black coffee.    

- Sibling: Oldest male heir of the Orihara Clan

Middle Kururi

Youngest Mairu

-  House: Only living male heir as the house member of the Orihara Clan by marriage, Only true living head succession of the Akabayashi and Aobayashi line by blood. However, has denounced any title to the Akabayashi line to Mizuki and was denounced any succession to the Aozaki line by their Uncle the last head member.

- Status: Alive

- Time: Sometime before the Edo period – Now.

- Lives: Shinjuku, Japan

- Organization: ‘Eternal Sanctuary’ – founder / Directly under ‘Tuum Regnum’ with ‘White Wing Queen’ herself.

- Branch: Asian Branch Alliance

- Department: ‘Awakusu-kai’ and ‘Fugenjikkou-kai’

- Works For: Shiki, Akabayashi, Mother of All Vampires, whoever pays them, Sasouke no Hiauchi, themselves.

Job:

Information Broker/Broker for Asian Branch Alliance, ‘Tuum Regnum’ and sometimes the Empress of Hell, pay for hire.

Helps determine the missions for various groups such as ‘Van Gang’, ‘Hellow Hounds’, ‘Colourless’, ect.

Ower of a Neutral Café called, ‘Chrome’, which not aligned to anything, is located in an old church that he bought when he moved in shinjuku, and reverted it into a gothic styled coffee lounge. When he people who can’t afford his broker and info prices /or/ the people saved on missions now owe him a debt for their lives; he gives them a job here. As most of the time he doesn’t trust these people to work directly under him with information.

A cage dancer at a high-end feeder’s club called, ‘Crawlers.’Owned by a good friend named Sasouke no Hiauchi.

- Aligned Back With: Kishitani Clan, Dullahan race, Saika Clan, Hiauchi Clan, Bakyura Clan -Other’s

- Best-friend(s): Shinra, Tsugaru and Chrome at one point, and Erika - later on.

- Close relationship(s): Kyohei, Shiki, Siblings, Anri – like a little sister, and Kida (complicated)

- Friend(s): Celty, Akabayashi, and Sasouke

- Respects: Akabayashi, Tsukishima, Tsugaru, Shiki, Van Gang, Anri, Kida, Sasouke, Chrome, Yuuki and his wife.

- Dislikes: Aoba, Taro clan, and Monsters

- Hates: Mikado and Taro Teijin

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        “Tᕼᕮ ᒪᕮSS OTᕼᕮᖇS ᕼᗩᐯᕮ ᒪOᐯᕮ ᖴOᖇ YOᑌ,

                                Tᕼᕮ ᗰOᖇᕮ YOᑌ ᗰᑌST ᒪOᐯᕮ YOᑌᖇSᕮᒪᖴ.”

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                          ~~~Appearance~~~

HAIR: Soft and thick, midnight black, straight to minion/natural wave when long enough. His hair ranges from the short Izaya style to a bit longer than shoulder length.

SKIN Looks:  When taken care of and Blood is drank daily to at least once a week. It’s natural bright, smooth and firm. It’s a cool ivory with pink undertones and burns very easily in sun. When not taken care of it looks dull and pasty, like a corpse with no undertones of life

SKIN Feels: When taken care of and Blood is drank daily to at least once a week. Skin feels Smooth and  alleviating. When not taken care of it becomes leathery and sickly.

EYES Shape: Flat and sharp hooded eyelid with minimal epicanthic fold/Crease. Smooth, bright and tight under eye. Only shadows when haven’t drank blood in a while.

EYES Lashes: Long midnight and feminine lashes.

EYES Colour:  Vampire eyes change sort of like a mood ring stuck on shades of red.

— He’s natural masked colour is usually a Murky Sherry red with brighter Port red ripples. His pupil crystal shaped pointed and widened at the top and narrows to a point.

— When they become a murky and dull red like dried blood or ‘Wild Rose’ with Sherry red ripples it means he’s being starved or is seriously injured.

— A Port red with Brighter Poppy ripples it means the emotion excitement.

— A Poppy red with bright Flame red ripple means the emotions Lust or Feeding.

— The brightest Flame red almost neon glow means the emotions Blood Lust and Rage/Anger.

(There are some rare Vampires and various sub breeds of humans with vampire blood, but not vampires where their eye colour is Yellowish/Golden with red murky brushes and a green glow on strong emotions.)

MOUTH: Small mouth with a deep and defined cupid’s bow, apple shape.

TEETH: Perfect white teeth with elongated canine teeth.

HANDS: Soft oblong palm form and defined long slender fingers with black manicured mountain peaked shape nails or Stiletto curved when kept long.

FEET: Petite high arch feet with trimmed black cut almond nails.

SCARS: He has one scar over his left eye. It’s shaped with three claw mark middle points below eye and above the longest as if somebody tried to gouge out his eye.

OTHER FEATURES: Massive Falcon shape bat wings - Astonishing beautiful large black as night bat wings with soft peach fuss little multi coloured brown and black hairs of his skin covered bones covered in leather and millions of tiny blood vessels. Click Here , Here and Here to get a sense of how they would work and look. (Sadly all the Icons and photo’s I own for Izaya don’t show this beautiful wing shape.)

Clothing: (Verses and Era change what he wears. But, I’ll post what I write him or what he wears the most.)

— Stereotypic Vamp outfit. Long black cloak that looks almost like wings wrap around and over his arms with red inner liner, black dress pants, long white button down shirt with huge pop Vampire collar.

— Shihakushō (死覇装, Garment of Dead Souls): Black kimono with the customary white undergarment underneath. Over it he wears a red and white kimono that looks almost identical to the Vampire who changed him. He carries with him his weapons tied to the blood red Obi.

— Long black leather coat, four button with real supernatural blood red fox fur on hood; hand holes, and bottom of coat.

  ~~~Personality Alignment and Intelligence~~~

Intelligence of 18 and above: Highly intelligent with a detailed personal philosophy, of his own devising.  His justifications for his actions are well reasoned and distinctive.  Much of his life’s goal consists of the creative realization of his philosophy.  He is quite subtle, seeking to achieve some grand design that is not obvious to others.

— He is the type to follows his whims and is an individualist first and last.  He values his own liberty, but doesn’t strive to protect others’ freedom, unless it suits him.  He respects the law and order, but challenges strict valueless restrictions and resents do-gooder’s zeal.  However, he does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy.  He is unpredictable, but his behaviour is not totally random.  He is not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it.

Although, he believes in group structure upon itself such as the strong shall come first and the weak last, he has placed himself on the side of a hierarchy that believes in equality treatment.  No matter if one is weaker than the other is and doesn’t fully place his heart in the belief that the weak should serve the strong.  

The cliché that there is “No honour among thieves” is false when dealing with him, seeing as he if driven to attain his goals.  He stands apart from the norm, with his own, personal, code of ethics.  He expects loyalty from his minions, punishing disloyalty, and swift merciful death for treachery.  He defines his terms, lives by them and those around him must as well, whether anyone else likes it or not.

His view of the cosmos holds that freedom is necessary.  Whether the individual exercising such freedom chooses to do good or evil is of no concern.  Seeing as Good and evil are complementary balance arms and is in the eye of the beholder.  One’s good deeds may be another’s belief of evil.  So, neither is preferred, nor must either prevail, for ultimate chaos would then suffer.  And without some form of chaos to order the balance of life would suffer.  After all, life itself is law and order, so death is a desirable end.  Therefore, life can only be justified as a tool by which order is combated, and in the end it too will pass into entropy.

At this end, he supports that laws and societies that protect his own concerns.  He’s very careful about giving his word in a promise and is always seen writing up agreements that hold both parties to words that he agrees on.  This includes making sure he is never stuck with doing future favours based on somebody else. If somebody does something, gives something or the other way around it must follow the code of equivalent exchange

He respects life, beauty, truth, and freedom. However doesn’t allow these to get in his way.  This leads to others to believe his guiding principle is to follow whatever whim strikes them at the moment. And that Good and evil are irrelevant when making a decision as long as it strives forward to his own goals.  He on the other hand see it as looking for the best deal,  working with good, neutral, or evil to get it; as long as he comes out of the situation on top.

He values individuals that he calls allies; though fore will never betray a family member, comrade, or friend.  Nevertheless, he doesn’t necessarily care what happens to others, yet will not go out of his way to harm others.  So, if somebody stands in his way he’s not above making that person’s life so miserable that it leads them to death, if he doesn’t find a way to move around them.

Violence is not thing anymore, but he will not hesitate to use intimidation and non-lethal violence to achieve his goals or make sure somebody knows their place. Such as use the law to destroy his enemies, such as finding devastating evidence of a rival’s wrongdoing, you can be assured that he will use this information to his own advantage.

He will keep his word if he gives it and will never lie, although he may mislead or withhold information.  He’ll attack an unarmed foe if he feels it necessary.  He will not kill, but will harm an innocent.  He has others use as much torture as needed to extract information, but never for pleasure.  He may kill for pleasure, but is not likely to do so.  He helps those in need only if he finds them useful to his interests.  Although, he aligns himself with family members, comrades, and friends he prefers to work alone.

Despite his past and who he is, he has a great concept of self-discipline and honour of himself, because it helps his self-interest.

           ~~~Other~~~

Beliefs:

Mikado is anything, but harmless and innocent.

Mikado is not a spy, but one of the seven mastermind’s pulling the strings behind the Anti-Alliance. Aka one of the unseen Anti-alliance heads.

Mikado is stepping up to finish where his ancestor left off.

Extra Info:

Izaya has a special ability called, ‘Futile’ - this ability allows Izaya to gain control of a subjects electrical current produced by the nervous system that controls their body and any powers they have. By doing this they have full control of the other person by mimicking their electrical signature. They can stop a heart, they could increase a person's power ability, they could calm rage and sooth panic, and they could completely make a person a living doll - up to an hour once contact has been made. However, there are some people who have certain training who can deflect Izaya's ability. This ability doesn’t just work on Humans or supernatural, but plants and animals as well. Because of this ability he can create unnatural bonds by linking himself with another or even linking to other people. With this they can feel what another is feeling, or even seeing or what they are feeling or seeing. Izaya also has the ability to cut links he starts, so he won't link to those he touches without the intent to.              

Akabayashi and him are always bickering at each other, which successfully irritates the crap out of Shiki.

Does odd jobs for the Anti-alliance or other rogue groups. However, will not do any job that threatens the truly threatens the Alliance.

Used to sleep with Shiki, could say loves him and still has some feelings for him. However, could never be in love with him back,  However, still flirts with Shiki, mostly to annoy Akabayashi.

Just because he’s forms some bonds with people doesn’t take away the fact he’s still very distant and is hardly ever personal.

Izaya has taken many lives during the war, some for war reasons, others just because he could.

He’s never killed one of humans directly. Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped him from turning his back and pretending he doesn’t see their deaths or stopped it from happening.

Izaya has only ever saved for handful of people personally. And not just because he cared. But, case they either perked his interest or he saw their usefulness to him or their alliance.

Loves his sister’s and would kill anybody who ever threatened them. But he’s only ever told them, I love you once. Instead he shows his care other ways and if they see it they see it if they don’t they don’t.

Izaya always keeping an eye on the twins from afar, and wishes they stay away, but they never listen. Always doing things to upset him, so he pays them mind.

Has had what he calls an unhealthy obsession with Karisawa Erika from the moment he met her.

He dislikes the eyes of dead fish.

He loves and has a collection of fluffy bunny slippers, in which he makes all his guest wear when they come to his place.

                                          [ Click Here For Original Artist ]

[captainserval]

The Anxiety Industry

I was watching this clip of jack reacher reflecting on how little ‘freedom and democracy’ meant for the masses, looking upon the ill and broken backed corporate workers in a plush glass walled office - the kind people aspire to work in… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWs8J-rz-7A 

Jack Reacher: Well, imagine you’ve never seen it. Imagine you’ve spent your whole life in other parts of the world being told every day you’re defending freedom. And finally you decide you’ve had enough. Time to see what you’ve given up your whole life for. Maybe get some of that freedom for yourself. Look at the people. Now tell me which ones are free. Free from debt. Anxiety. Stress. Fear. Failure. Indignity. Betrayal. How many wish that they were born knowing what they know now? Ask yourself how many would do things the same way over again? And how many would live their lives like me.

It seems like the global mainstream media, marketing and outrage ‘industry’ sustains some of its life energy from 

creating and spreading fakenews 

breaking news 

laying guilt trips on people 

the Shame Stick. 

People are sought to be kept in a constant state of low agitation and anxiety, not enough to go nuts immediately but demoralized and cowed down by circumstances over the long term so as to be fed “solutions” by the very same set of entities that create and project these “problems” (via a amplification lens). All coupled with pervasive data mining to figure out how people are reacting to the barrage of stimuli and respond with targeted ads and campaigns - brings in the big money.

Fakenews - we already see it being mainstream media funded deliberately to blatantly support whichever set of shadow lords are behind them. There is not even the pretence of just being a impartial observer anymore and reporting things, no - the news has to be delivered as a form of political and social commentary in alignment with those funding the message and buttering the bread. Eminent patrakars are the well rewarded “workers” for political and corporate interests and what will be the slant of news gets decided over rounds of single malts and kababs in deep leather armchairs of plush clubs with decades long waiting lists for the hoi-polloi.

Breaking news - lest anyone have any peace and quiet during the workday, the breaking news cycle was invented to keep people anxious when they are having lunch in the office cafetaria, after a rough morning in the salt mines and more work piled up for the afternoon. This task is given to breathless young newbie reporters with photogenic faces, because if the breaking news is not alarming enough, atleast people will keep admiring the reporters looks and impeccable diction! anything and everything can be breaking ranging from “xyz rogue country’s leader released a giant fart which killed ten migrating geese” , “eating roti can cause cancer a new study claims”, “pink fox spotted near the london bridge” and old faithfuls like “xyz lashes out at Modi, says enough is enough” or threats to personal and family security to incite mild panic and pervasive paranoia as in “every human on the street is a potential rapist and child predator until proven innocent”

Laying guilt trips on people - this can be anything that one did, or ones ancestors did, or allegedly did, or one might allegedly do - oppressing other communities, not doing enough for whatever are the anointed morally righteous causes of the day, just belonging to a particular culture or religion or country deemed as inferior by the ubermensch buddhijeebis who write history to suit their narrative..one can be a guilt soaked criminal just by passively existing in a glass box, because all this is not based on our deeds or thoughts, but on bucketing and marking people by self proclaimed moral pillars and scholars who say they know everything and their intrepretation of nebulous events is the law. any disagreement is ThoughtCrime and must again be punished. The penitent must be forced to admit their inferiority and disengage from their past, to align with the “right directions” which will be shown to him or her. The monetary inducement side of the religious conversion “industry” operates on this model. As does those who prey on young idealistic students fresh in university, who want to do good, are not sure how and are ripe for mentoring and brainwashing into the desired ‘worldview’ by older ‘thought leaders’ and ‘change agents’. 

The Shame Stick - While some measures above are like a area based artillery salvo, damaging everyone in the general vicinity, this is a well oiled stick for targeting the individual and enforcing control, anxiety inducement and even monetary gain from targeted gap-filler / feel-better / solution marketing. How does a lion catch a deer?, first it scatters the herd, breaking off vulnerable individuals from their mutually interlocked protective system, then chasing them alone until caught. The same dynamics are at play here - isolate and attack, isolate and attack! 

For men some example levers that are commonly used 

you are not fit or handsome enough 

you do not earn enough 

you are unable to satisfy or measure up to your partner

your job is not glamorous and powerful - how many people in your team?

your car / house / tv is smaller than Mr.X

you are not able to give the kids whatever luxuries Mr.Y does

questioning and making fun of deeply held religious and cultural beliefs

for women, some examples are 

you are not beautiful enough

you are fat

you are of loose character 

you are rebellious, talk back insolently and not obedient to your man

you neglect the kids and do not keep house properly

you are not educated enough

you are dumb and not bright enough 

you cannot face the tough outside world alone

your cooking is poor - with others present to overhear

criticism of her family background

peer pressure to look good on social media

Each of these levers of control has two aspects

there is one or more industry that benefits from the anxiety and unmet expectations and the need to “close the gap” to feel better - whether it is the huge cosmetic industry, apparel, shoes, aphrodisiacs(!), lenders, fitness, cos who have staked it all on selfie cameras … everyone has a hand in people’s pockets 

control and modulate the recipients behaviour to the advantage of those doing the messaging

To meet someone who understands the nature of these mental traps and has escaped the net that has snared billions of hapless sheeple is to meet a really “free” human being in the true sense. They are not common, but they exist, often hiding quietly in between the sheeple, to not present a target to powerful thoughtpolice drones always patrolling and sniffing for signs of dissent and rebellion in the ranks. 

The world continues in this state of semi mental slavery, not too different from the ancient and middle ages where the feudal lords and mansabdars told people what to think and any dissent was harshly punished. Socrates, Galileo, Hypatia of alexandria..the list is endless.

90% people have no appreciation of being in the matrix and no idea of why certain things “just happen”. They exist, they produce, they reproduce, they consume. They do not matter to the powers-that-be. 

9% have no control or shaping ability over the happening, but atleast understand the why of it after the fact, after some deep thinking. 

The 1% elite who understand what is going to happen and why it is being made to happen, before it happens, and can change the course of events to a more dharmic/adharmic direction per their interest are a mixture of the most accomplished white-collar-criminals/oligarchs/’thought shapers’ walking around plus a small subset what I call the surviving True Jedi. Their temples have been razed and their ranks thinned by the Imperium but they do exist and continue the rebellion.Hope survives, albeit on a thin thread. 

Over time, falling prey to the anxiety industry takes a emotional and physical toll on people and affects their productivity and enthusiasm in all other parts of life. Paranoid, demoralized, browbeaten, sheeplike obedience, fearful, defensive, lacking in confidence - is that the future of the world unless this industry is taken apart or atleast the messaging roundly ignored by all ?