#hes so excited to be doing violence its so fun for him. enrichment in his enclosure (fighting mavericks to bond with his friend

[velveteen-vampire]

theres two slight variations on how you can characterize zero and one is keeping him very focused very serious murder robot for most of the time with the occasional snark for cool points and the other is letting him be a little silly

[blacksunwillbecanon]

It’s Funny...

Some people in the FNDM think that Blacksun is a boring romance. How? 🧐I’ve explained all of their significant moments here but I’ll address the topics that are significantly impacting the FNDM and that is REPRESENTATION.

Before I begin, let me explain something to you all. I am an African-American women who identifies as a straight demisexual 👩🏾‍💼. This means I prefer to be with men but I need to have a strong emotional connection with a man before I can be in a relationship with him. Also, I was on the very low end of the autism spectrum. When people ask for representation, I am right there with them. However, I don’t want to see representation that is forced, fake or is just there to please the audience. I want representation that is authentic, enriches the story and gives me a really good feeling. And when I talk about representation, I am not just talking about LGBTQ+, I’m talking about People of Color/minorities and people with disabilities. And I honestly believe that Blacksun hits these three major categories in an authentic and excellent way that does not take away from the story of RWBY which is about Ruby,Weiss,Blake and Yang along with their friends and loved ones protecting the World of Remnant from Salem,her compatriots and Grimm. Now I will break down these three forms of representation and explain how Blacksun fits into them.

LGBTQ+

As I’ve mentioned in this post and in many discussions, Blake, Sun or both of them could be bisexual, which is part of the LGBTQ+ community. Some toxic people in this FNDM tend to forget that bisexual people are part of the LGBTQ+ community. They make up the B in the acronym. Bisexual individuals are attracted to people of the same and opposite sex. Sun Wukong (the mythological character Sun is based off) is bisexual. He was attracted to Tripitaka/Tang Sanzang but was a flirt to both men and women. Since Sun is from Vacuo, the most relaxed kingdom in Remnant, don’t you all think that Sun would flirt with men and women? Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he flirted with his team before meeting Blake. He’s an open person. And Blake could be bisexual as well. Her voice actress A/rryn Z/ech is bisexual as well. Although she was in a relationship/partnership with Adam, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a crush on some female white fang members or a section leader who was female. Even if Blake and Sun were NOT in relationships with people the same sex or showed outward attraction, that should not be an excuse to erase their sexual identities.They are young adults, they are still trying to figure themselves out! Also, is it wrong for bisexual people to be in relationships with people of the opposite sex? Let’s take some members of CRWBY for example.  Lindsay is bisexual and she’s happily married to Michael. Barbara is bisexual and she is in a happy relationship with Trevor. El/lie who was in a relationship with a woman is now in a relationship with Miles and A/rryn is in a relationship with a man (I’m sorry but I do not know his name). Just because a person who is bisexual is in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex does not give you the right to say that they are not LGBTQ+. You all should realize that all healthy and wonderful LGBTQ+ relationships can be M/M, F/F and M/F. This includes cisgender, transgender and non-binary.

Minorities

In RWBY there are two intelligent races and the two races are humans and Faunus. Faunus are an oppressed group within the world of Remnant. They are branded, treated less equals and are abused. If I’m going to be honest, the Faunus are supposed to alluded to real life minorities especially Black People. Why? In the past, Africans were brought to the Americas and Europe and were literally slaves. They were beaten, had their rights revoked and struggled to get their freedom. Also the White Fang alludes to the Black Panther party. Tell me, what are Blake and Sun in the show? They are Faunus. They are part of an oppressed group in the World of Remnant. Also consider this thought...Sun is a faunus team leader who attends Haven Academy that is located in Mistral,the second most racist kingdom in Remnant whereas Blake was a member of the extremist White Fang and the daughter of the former White fang leader. They’ve also had different experiences being Faunus. I find it wonderful that two members of an oppressed race come together to learn about each other’s  respective experiences and work together to reform an organization meant to bring about peace and equality.

Also, I know real life ethnicities are not fully considered in the show but if we were to apply them to Sun and Blake, Sun would be Chinese and Blake would be Indian(primarily due to her parents inspirations)-Japanese. I think a lot of us can agree that it would be refreshing to see an well developed couple of color bring positive change to Remnant. If I were to assign team RWBY real-life ethnicities they would be the following:

Ruby: 1/4 Chinese and 3/4 European (British)

Weiss: German

Blake: Indian-Japanese

Yang: 1/4 Chinese and 3/4 European (Norwegian and British)

Also its great that Sun and Blake have beautiful contrasting appearances which helps establish that they are Faunus of different upbringings and experiences but they are coming together to make positive change.

Disabilities

This last form of representation is one that is rarely discussed in the FNDM and that is disabilities. So many of us here believe that Sun has ADHD. This and this post do a really good job explaining why Sun is likely to have it. ADHD can arise not just through genetics but the environment as well. Sun was born and raised in Vacuo, a kingdom that had suffered through depleted resources, violence and Grimm. When we first met Sun, he was running on the boat and throughout Vale. Also, his tail is constantly moving which could be his outlet like how someone would tap their foot or press the button of a pen. Also, the precious Sunny boi was very excited talking to Neptune about Blake and her team. Listen to his tone and the speed of his voice. Did you guys notice how Neptune is conversing with him? He’s patient and understanding with Sun. This could also be applied when he was talking to Blake’s parents. We know that Sun is a smart, wise, fun and capable leader. Although we don’t know anything about his past and experiences (and I know we will learn more once we hit Vacuo), don’t you guys think it is important to have a major supporting character exhibit a disability? This will allow members in the FNDM to relate more to the character and show members with disabilities that they are heroes in their own right. That their disability will not hinder them in saving the world. Blake and Sun being in a relationship can assure people with disabilities that they to can find love with and in someone.

Thank you all for reading this analytical piece. I hope this brought some perspective about the three main forms of representation and how Blacksun can fit into them. This isn’t meant to shut down your personal ships. This post was meant to shut down the toxic part of the FNDM, mainly elitist bees and wasps. If you have any questions or concerns, DM me or send a civil ask. Thanks! 😁

[bigyack-com]

Ankur Tewari on music festivals in India, spoken word poetry, Gully Boy and more in this exclusive interview - art and culture

The city of lakes and a popular tourist and wedding destination, Udaipur, Rajasthan is alive with culture and the sound of music of various genres. Lake Pichola, City Palace, Fateh Sagar Lake, Jagmandir Palace are some of the must-visit locations while you’re in this city.The Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival (UWMF) has begun today and will be on until Sunday, February 9 2020. A city-wide, multi-venue music festival featuring 150 global artists and collaborations, the fest also sees participation from countries namely Spain, Italy, France, Brazil, Switzerland, and many more.In its 5th edition this year, this festival has fast become the biggest world music festival in the country. This year’s edition is built around the concept We are the World: Unity in Diversity. Spread over three picturesque venues, UWMF offers immense diversity in music that celebrates different moods of the day, right from a morning meditative raga to personifying romantic music at its best played beside the lakes in the afternoons. Evenings will bring spirited youthful music that connects people of all age groups. The festival also features local Rajasthani talent.Ahead of their performance tomorrow at UWMF 2020, we got a chance to speak with Ankur Tewari and The Ghalat Family. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:Q. Tell us about the inspiration behind called The Ghalat Family and why?A. The inspiration behind the band being called The Ghalat Family is actually nothing serious, we didn’t have a name for a band. We were shooting for a music video and a friend of ours saw us and he said that we are a bunch of misfits and somehow the word The Ghalat Family came out between fits of giggles and laughter and we just stuck by the name.Q. Your opened for singer Norah Jones back in 2013. What’s been your fondest memory of that day?A. It was quite a special opening for Norah Jones back in 2013. It was a summer-time festival where we were going to play and I have always been a fan of her music and I have never seen her live so just to share the backstage along with her is a big honour. Karsh who was also opening for alongside us is a friend of hers (Norah’s) and because of him we met her, chatted with her. It was quite a humbling experience to see somebody so famous and big, being so humble, and her band was also too nice and too sweet.Q. How far have famous authors from history impacted your songwriting? Tell us some of your favourite proverbs/lines written by Manto and Bukowski.A. An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way and an artist says a hard thing in a simple way this quote by Charles Bukowski has always struck a chord with me. There are so many interesting authors and poets whose words resonate with me, Manto’s Toba Tek Singh is a classic for me where people in an art house are asked to decide whether they want to go to Pakistan or stay in India during partition… can’t describe the partition in a better way.Q. What’s more fun: performing for a live audience or in a studio?A. I have always been a performing artiste. I love performing to a live audience. I have not been in the studio as much as I want to be in the studio. I find performing live is a better community experience but in recent times, I started enjoying recording in the studio as well. But definitely, when I perform I like to play more for an intermediate audience than big stages. Big stages make me feel very distant from the audience and with my band members at the same time.Q. Favourite film song project you have been a part of?A. Favourite film song project that I have been a part of is my first song Sabse Peechhe Hum Khade for Let’s Enjoy (2004). That was the song I used to sing and then I used it in the movie and then I got Silk Route to sing a cover of it.Q. What can the audience expect at the Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival 2020? Tell us something about the songs you have chosen in your set and what’s in it for everyone attending?A. Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival is very special for me especially it is organised by SEHER. It is like a family for me and I have curated an interesting set of my popular songs including Mohabbat Zindabad, Sabse Peechhe Hum Khade, Dil Beparvah and some surprises.Q. Your thoughts on the music festival scene in India and if there’s one thing you could change, what would it be?A. It is amazing that there are music festivals that showcase artistes from around the country and the globe. When I started making music, there was none, but it’s so amazing to see so many festivals cropping up, so many stages, and I am encouraged to see this kind of an atmosphere in the world with independent music.If there’s one thing I could change, I would try to include more new artistes in the line-up every time because, for me, music festivals are about the discovery of new music as well. Vedanta Udaipur World Music Festival is one such festival which brings new artistes from across the globe in its editions and I simply admire this concept.Q. Tell us more about Woh Hum Nahin and the process of writing/composing it.A. Woh Hum Nahin came to me in about 5 minutes. I was backstage going to perform in 10 minutes and I was looking at my phone and I saw the images of violence in the hostel of JNU and it really hurt me that such kind of violence is happening in universities, in colleges in India and it had a deep impact on me. Thought about of nation that has Mahatma Gandhi as a father of the nation, a pioneer in the world of peace and agent of love in this country. Such an act happening, it broke me within. Even before I could hit the stage in 5 minutes these words came to me and I went and performed my set. I came back and found the chords to these words, and recorded it in an hour’s time.Q. How did you decide on collaborating on Kommune with Roshan Abbas?A. If I may be honest it was Roshan Abbas who decided to contact me and Gaurav Kapoor and take our discussions further. We were usually discussing how we don’t find going out exciting where the only place you go out is to tune out of the world. But sometimes you go out to tune in to something and feel enriched when you come out of it and we were missing those events. So Roshan Abbas came up with an idea that we should gather those people who will be interested in storytelling, poetry or music of a softer sort. We pretty much started on instinct and before we knew it, it is known into a big thing.Q. What can you tell us about the upcoming seasons of The Spoken Fest? After the Delhi debut late last year, will Spoken be going to other cities too?A. We are constantly in touch with the spoken word artists and poets around the world and we are trying to make it interesting with each coming year.The Delhi edition was encouraging and on the response of the Delhi edition, we thought to take it to other cities as well. Many cities have written to us and we are strongly crunching the numbers to make sure that we can take it to other cities as well.Q. For upcoming poets, what is the one-word advice you would want to share?A. My only advice to upcoming poets is that you should be honest and clear with what you want to express and try not to push vocabulary outside what you use. If you are not satisfied with your vocabulary, read more books and increase your vocabulary, once you start using those words in your life you should include mini pauses as well.Q. Name three poets you’ve seen Live in performance and find great promise in their voice?A. Some of the poets I admire are Kausar Munir, Swanand Kirkire and Varun Grover. They’ve also had an amazing impact on me.Q. You’ve worked with Prateek Kuhad on several songs too - tell us about this collab. A. I’ve worked with Prateek on the collaboration called Dil Beparvah, for a show called The Dewarists and it happened organically. It was amazing that we both are diverse personalities and the song became the meeting point for both of us and started an interesting friendship where I get to learn a lot from this young artist.Q. Your favourite from the Gully Boy album and why?A. My favourite work from Gully Boy is definitely Apna Time Aayega for the way the song happened, the way poetry happened and the collaboration happened with Divine who is such an amazing artist. I’ve never imagined that I would be collaborating with a hip-hop artist. It was a dream collaboration to work with Dub Sharma, Divine with Javed Akhtar Sahab giving his suggestions and inputs.Q. Jeene Mein Aaye Mazaa is a sweet reminder of life in Bombay (Mumbai) one has lived and misses. What was your inspiration behind the number?A. Jeene Mein Aaye Mazaa is for me a story about friends, a story about people who stands by you even when the times are tough. When the tough times are over you look back and you realise how important they are because you know tough times don’t last but friends do. They make this world worthwhile and if we can ever look beyond the balance sheets of life then you will realise friends are what makes your world. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Read the full article

[mula-samvit-blog]

New Post has been published on Traveling Karma Yogi

New Post has been published on http://sonofearth.org/journal/ttc-completed-new-life-new-town-lots-of-adventure-love-my-life/

Sivananda TTC, Val Morin

OK … so much has Happen since my last update… I completed my TTC Certification.

5 month living  in an Ashram &  it was one of the most enriching experience in my life and surely to be repeated. But that is a hole subject on its own and you can read all about it in the Ashram Life Serie. But I have to admit… Thank god I got some preparation and a good foundation prior to my TTC course or else I don’t think I would of made it.

There this guy who showed up on the first day, name JD and we all ask each other how long we been doing yoga …and this guy says “Well I just had my first class today”

and I tough to my self WOW! that gonna be painful, but let me tell you, the guy made it all the way true with a smile all the time I’m sure he wanted to quite at time …we all did, but I was impress with the man keeping up like this. So bravo JD you the man.

  The course is very demanding physically and mentally and at the beginning of my stay with the organization I didn’t have neither. The karma yoga gave me the opportunity to work on my mind, body & soul for some time before putting them true  the challenges of the TTC.

But first thing first, what is a TTC ? It’s a Teacher Training Course to become an Yoga teacher. A course design to teach you principle of the Yoga philosophy. Most will believe that Yoga is all about being flexible and showing off some crazy Position “Asana’s” but I can assure you there is much more to it , same as KungFu most believe it to be about violence and fighting but very few realize that it all about energy flow, state of mind & philosophy & let’s not forget some spirituality. So Yoga also has all of these principal & quality’s as well and I was fortunate enough to be able to experience them in this life time. A course design over 30 days to immerse the sadhaka  in the gurukula life style.

I don’t think i have ever work this hard at something or even wanted something as much as this other then when I was training as a rider for the Olympic … I wanted to absorb as much as possible live every second of it, get more …More knowledge, more practice, more meditation … Just more. The first day was orientation day, people arrive from all over the world to come and live the ashram life and develop there practice. For a few of my yogi brother and sister it was a welcomed day off, we knew our way around the Ashram, we had been here for some time now as Karma Yogi. Then that evening we had a Satsang  and we all got to introduce ourself to each other by standing up and giving our name, where we were from and why we wanted to accomplish this endeavor. I could see some of the students freaking out at the sigh of the spiritual aspect of the practice… there even a guy I tough the first night he would burst into flame, attempting to wrap his head around these ritual, prayer & chant. Then we where told that the next day there would be a tour of the grounds and that got me excited because I was going to experience the Ashram as a guess since I have been a resident Karma yogi since august all my time was for the community it was nice to see the other side. On top of that, a permanent resident Yogini Chandrika, was giving the tour and I really wanted to attend.

That evening we received our initiation announcing the official Begin of our course. 30 days of intensive yogic discipline, our days consisted of 4 hours of yoga asana & teaching class, 3 hours of meditation & chants, 1 hour of Karma Yoga & 3.5hours of Bhagavad gita teaching, chant class, philosophies & anatomies class, from Swamis And member of the organization from all around the world. We where very fortunate, first we had our resident Swami Sivabaktananda he tough the Asana,teaching class, anatomies class and the Kriyas , He was from Brazil but reside in Quebec and is in charged of the Val Morin Ashram many called him the tattooed Swami. then there was Swami Rajeshwarananda who also teach the Asana class for the French group and the children & people with disability class as well as the philosophy class, she is from Mexico but live in Rome as the director of the center there. For the Bhagavad Gita class we  had a lady name Padmavati  “Hope I wrote her name right”  she was from england and she had a way to share her tough that was very particular & entertaining I always looked forward to her class, and for our chanting class there was Chandrika always wanting to help everyone, she is from Quebec and reside at the Ashram for the past 7 years or so very knowledgeable . And all of the teachers assistant, all past student advance in there practice and willing to shared there knowledge and experience. and them too, soul from all over the world.And for 11.5 hours everyday we got to learn from them. Live with them, share knowledge

A new life dawn upon the horizon, I could feel myself detaching from past life and believed dear to my heart that the Yogic life was more suitable for me.

The first week was a breeze, my spirits where up…all of my past time spent at the Ashram was well worth it. I had done 3 weeks of 2 asana class a day,I work as a Karma yogi for 4 month, I got use to the routine 5:30 am wake up, 6 am Satsang & Meditation or silent walk, 8 am Asana class, 10 lunch, 10:45 Karma Yoga and usually I would work until 4 or 6 and even sometime 9 pm all depending on the task at hand. But now that was different, during the TTC,  after lunch some had some karma yoga and the others had free time for me my Karma yoga was in the kitchen at night cleaning dishes for and average of 85 people at all time, more on week ends sometime some 120 people where present and luckily enough on those days there was always a special event requiring a cake or ice cream 😛 now don’t get me wrong I like sweets like everyone but that did pile on the dishes to a hole new level… but that ok that was my service my karma yoga and I did it with pride trying to out best the previous day …lol. with partner Madhuri, we always had some great chat or chant and often we had some passing karma yogi that would join in to help with our task. Anyways so after lunch I had some free time to study and do my homeworks then at noon we had a Bhagavad Gita or a kirtan chanting class then we had one hour break and at 2 we had a philosophy or anatomies class then at 4 was the asanas class then diner my karma yoga satsang now it was already 9pm then a bit more study some likhita japa a reading from master Sivananda and light out by 11 even doe they said 10pm, it was hard to fit everything on this little time . And like I said the first week was a breeze but by the second one… Ouff!!

You see before my goals where to lose weight be in better health but with no real goals and I had all the time in the world, so I went fairly easy on my self… Still at the beginning of the TTC course I could not do the headstand. I had all the right techniques, execution & not afraid of trying or falling …god know how often I fell …Like A LOT but the mind set wasn’t present but now I am going to be a Yoga teacher I have to be the best that i can be, so with in 4 days I was able to hold the headstand for give or take 25 second. But by the second week I was trying to catch up to some of the student. I know they say you have to go at your  own rhythm but I didn’t want to be the chubby kid that couldn’t keep up. and then I herded a  clear  distinctive  voice telling me “YOUR STILL FAT” that was my ego booster telling how good of a job I was doing …lol. I could see some of the student bending in ways that made me regret all the times I din’t take care of my health, so I push a little harder and now my body was hurting, thank god my wife was with me and on good night she could give me massages and thank  god I had my bus to sleep in. I am not much of a dorm kind of guy eater . It funny how your mind mind will bring up all these SH&^%T,  tough to your attention once you start putting some strain on it and much was brewing in my mind during the second week lots of anger resurface and needed to be address, ” that always fun”… and it need to be done with a smile, not anybody fault my energy center where cleansing 😛 . At time I ask myself what I was doing here but nothing a little meditation could not fix. But yes the second week was the hardest all the mental and physical negativity came out but that made room for something much better, some peace of mind and my practice improves 10 fold I could see it I could feel it .

I got into a grove on the third week, for a few days I felt good about my self and the progress i was achieving. I was limber, more flexible I could stay longer in my asanas overall I was getting impress with myself, then Swamiji threw us a curve ball with some crazy Asanas variation, for a few days and that cooled me right down, remembering how much I still had to progress , not because they where impossible or I wasn’t good enough but because everything in life take time and devotion to succeed and some part of yoga came easy to me or easierrrrr should I say and other harder and Asana reminded me of all past ill care I have done to my self. Smoking, no exercise, fast food & laziness where an obvious factor. And it dawn on me, this was not about a few month of practice to master but a life time & everyday would bring a finite enlightenment , but for that I have to practice everyday but the tough was reassuring understanding that it would take years and not just weeks or months . I have found some peace in what, I now believe to be  one of the path to enlightenment, a purpose to my life that dint not quantify itself by the amount that was in my account . So ya new variation and a hole new level of hurting in my body but could fell my body changing, I was progressing .

Fourth and final week, now I was getting nervous the final exam was only days away and I din’t know how I was going to perform. I never did good in exam, the second there is a marking on what I am suppose to know I lose all sense and cant perform, but that was ions ago  …so hopefully i was going to do just fine plus I studied every single night. The crazy Asanas where over now we where back to the foundation of Hatha Yoga. My favorite part where the Yoga Meditation asanas where we would stay longer in the poses long enough to get a glimpse of there steadiness.

I could feel the excitement of everyone, eager to finish the course longing to go home and see love one, as well as the sorrow in some at the sight of this newly founded family drifting apart after such a short but very powerful bound shared amongst once strangers. Some talk about staying at the Ashram for some time and I was really hoping I could as well, I felt comfortable there, at home even, but the weather was not in our favor and my wife suffered enough I had to go but none less sad at the tough of leaving the ashram behind.

Graduation was coming and we just learn there was going to be a second talent show night and needed to get ready. The first night I sang with a consoeur  “Mirabai” playing the guitar and now I wanted to play on my own see if I could get over that fear 😛 well I cant now tell you I sing better when someone play with me 😛 I never tough that this journey that stared month ago on a summer day, looking for a yoga studio, would lead me to today being a certify yoga instructor and even more a yogi with a purpose of spreading Swamiji message of world peace and understanding.

Thank you to all my yogi friend who I have met during my time at the Ashram . I love you and hope to see you soon

Namaste

Bhima Mula Samvit

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