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lilacmoon83 · 4 years

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Finding You Always

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Chapter 219: Home Sweet Home Again

"Yes...oh Nana missed you both so much," Snow gushed, as she cuddled Hope, while Lucy sat between them.

"Yeah...so did Papa," David agreed, as he dropped a kiss on Lucy's head.

"Can we come on the next adventure, grandpa?" Lucy asked.

"Uh...well, maybe if the next one doesn't turn out to be so dangerous," he said.

"When does an adventure not turn dangerous with you two?" Henry asked in amusement.

"He has a point," Leo agreed.

"Well, hopefully you and your parents can come with us on the next trip to Boston, but we plan on being home for a while hopefully," Snow said, as she looked at her son and Elsa.

"We have a wedding to throw, after all," she said, as they shared her smile.

"I'm still the flower girl, right?" Lucy asked. Leo smiled.

"Of course you are," he replied.

"It's starting to get late, so we should probably be going," Ella said. They were all in agreement and said their goodbyes for the night.

Their three oldest children went home with their spouses, while their two youngest wanted to hang out with their new friends, JJ and Zia. With the promise that they would be home by midnight and that they stay in Storybrooke or around the reserve, which they agreed to.

That left Snow and David to their own devices and they soon found themselves enjoying a moonlit walk on the beach. They were in October now, so the air had a bite to it, but she was kept warm cuddled against him.

"No matter where we are...the stars at home are always the best. When we can see them anyway," Snow mentioned, referring to the clear night sky, which wasn't always a thing during the winter months in Maine.

"That's because it's home...even when it's below zero in the winter," he joked, making her smile.

"That just means nights cuddled by the fireplace in each other's arms," she purred. He smiled and kissed her passionately.

"Any evening with you in my arms is paradise, no matter the weather," he replied, as they shared another kiss. Before he became lost in her though, he heard a noise and his defenses kicked in, as he pulled his sword and leveled at the approaching person.

"Whoa...easy tiger, it's just me," Patricia said, as she put her hands up. He sighed and sheathed his sword.

"Sorry…" he said.

"A little edgy?" she asked.

"Can you blame me after everything we've been through?" he countered.

"Touche," she agreed.

"What are you doing here?" David asked.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but you two are really hard to get alone," Patricia replied. He rolled his eyes.

"I know, thus, why we're here...alone. We haven't been alone...in days," he complained. Snow smirked at that and Patricia shared in her amusement.

"And this won't take long, I promise," she replied.

"Days," David repeated.

"Charming…" Snow chided, as she turned her attention to the other woman.

"What can we do for you?" she asked.

"I had an unfortunate conversation with one of my superiors earlier today...on our way to rescue the two of you," Patricia said.

"What kind of conversation?" David questioned, as she proceeded to explain.

~*~

Flashback

"General Mendoza...what can I do for you, Sir?" she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"You've missed three check in calls, so you tell me, Major," the stern voice replied.

"I apologize Sir...there just has been a lot happening," she replied.

"And you were supposed to keep me up to date on everything happening. I let you run your operation with this mysterious David Nolan for the last two years, because you promised big things from him," he said.

"And he delivered, Sir. In his time at the bureau, David helped me take down multiple drug cartels, bust several human trafficking operations, and countless other violent offenders," she replied.

"And you think my superiors are happy about that!?" he yelled, leaving her speechless. She had always known there was a shadow government and had once done their bidding as most in the military did. But she was about to find out just how deep it went and how pissed they were.

"My superiors do not like surprises and they also do not like when there are places they cannot control. How long have you known about this Storybrooke, Maine?" he asked.

"A while," she admitted.

"And yet we had to hear about it the same way the rest of the world did," he said.

"These people are not of this world and would not welcome leadership from elsewhere," Patricia replied.

"Then they will be made to accept it! Like the rest of the world, we must infiltrate the United Realms under the guise of peace, and gain control," he said.

"With all due respect, General, this place is not like other places in our world. They will see right through any plot or supposed gesture of peace," she replied.

"Then you must convince them that this is the best course of action. We will even praise your super agent for all the good work he did tearing down our shadow operations if that's what it takes," he said.

"They will never fully trust me. I am on good terms with them, but they have been wronged too many times. This will not end well for us if we press this," she insisted.

"Oh, that is where you are wrong. The people above me are immensely powerful...more so than either of us can imagine. They are not people you say no to!" he roared. She swallowed thickly.

"I understand that, General, but forcing this issue could be an act of war," Major Donovan argued.

"I am receiving a lot of pressure from the people truly in power in this world and they do not tolerate what they cannot control. They want all your Intel and everything you inherited from the one known as the Collector," the General said sternly.

"And if I cannot or will not deliver that?" Patricia asked.

"Then you will be court-martialed," he threatened, as the line went dead and she pocketed her phone, before going up on deck.

~*~

"I knew it...I knew that I was being used," David said, with a touch of anger in his voice.

"No...if I had truly used you, then I would have never had you help me take down all the operations that we did. It flies right in the face of what these people really want," she replied.

"That doesn't make any sense," he said.

"Okay...the people that really run things, this shadow government, are responsible for all the conflict in our world. The wars, poverty, drugs, trafficking, disease...it's created by these powerful families behind the scenes," she explained.

"There is nothing in this world that these people don't know about...until Storybrooke. Finding out that it's been here since 1983 and they had no idea...that's not something that was easily swallowed by them. They're furious," she added.

"All of this sounds like a lot of conspiracy," Snow mentioned.

"Well, there is always some truth in conspiracies...and in this case, a lot of truth," she said.

"And these people...they were all investors with Clayton?" David asked.

"Yes...he would have never gotten away with it all without help from this Underground network. He liked to make you think he had all the power. But his connection to this group allowed him that power to run his operation," Patricia explained.

"But that doesn't make sense...because Clayton knew about Storybrooke. Are you saying he kept that information from them?" Snow asked.

"Exactly that...he managed to conceal Storybrooke. He wanted it and all its power, specifically the chalice, for himself. He managed to fool them all, which let me tell you, is not easy to do," she replied.

"He almost had the Chalice...and he could have easily destroyed anyone he wanted to with it," David said.

"That was probably his plan and now they know that, he's lucky he's dead," Patricia replied.

"Damn him...he keeps haunting us, even from beyond the grave. He's probably in the Underworld right now with that stupid smirk on his face, laughing at us once again," David said in frustration.

"What can we do to stop them? I mean, that's why you're telling us, right? If you weren't on our side, then you wouldn't be telling us? Or is this subterfuge?" Snow asked, as she looked at the other woman with scrutiny.

"She's right...our darker halves wouldn't trust you further than they could throw you...and I wouldn't either, except I did work with you for two years. We did put away a lot of bad people," David said.

"We did...people I wasn't supposed to put away. We're lucky to be alive, honestly," she replied. He rolled his eyes.

"These were their worker bees and agitators that we put away, but there are many more," she said.

"So you expect us to help you take down the rest of them? You're talking years of work and even more danger to my family," David said in irritation, as Snow took his hand, threading her fingers with his own.

"I know...it's unfair, but they will stop at nothing to get into the United Realms and once General Mendoza figures out that I'm not going to play ball, I'll have a hit out on me, which means taking them out is the only way we all survive," she replied.

"What do we need to do?" Snow asked.

"I have a team in place...you've worked with a few of them. They're ready to do the leg work once we eliminate these people in power," Patricia replied.

"So we help take out Clayton's leftovers and then we're out?" David asked.

"Absolutely...and the United Realms can be cut off from the world if you two decide that's what is best," Patricia replied.

"You know that requires that you give up everything you have on Clayton's operation," Snow said.

"I'm ready to surrender it all to you now. If I don't, it might fall into their hands," she replied, as she started with something wrapped in a cloth. David unwrapped it and revealed it to be a mermaid scale.

"This is a start," he said.

"The submarine is in the Harbor and the keys are yours too, so to speak. I'll turn over everything else too," she promised. Snow and David exchanged a glance.

"Then we'll help you take these people out if you really think it can create prosperity in the world outside here. All people should have that...not just us," Snow said. David sighed.

"We'll take these people out...it's our duty as truest loves, but then we're out. The cleanup of your own world is up to you, because we still have ours to protect," he stated. She nodded.

"That's more than fair," she agreed, as they shook hands.

"For tonight...I'll leave you alone," she said, as she walked away. He sighed again and put his arm around her.

"Guess there are more adventures for us, after all," Snow mentioned slyly. He scoffed.

"I think there will always be dangerous adventures for us," David said.

"Maybe...but we'll always face it together," Snow replied, as they shared a kiss.

"Come on handsome...let's go home so we can be really alone," she said. He grinned and with arms around each other, they headed home.

~*~

Flashback

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Mendoza asked, as they prepared for a siege on the palace of Cyprus.

"Of course...you don't really think I'd rush into an armed castle unless I knew exactly what I was doing, do you?" John asked.

"I guess not...but would you mind telling me how we're getting through an army to take a soon to be King hostage?" Mendoza asked. John smirked.

"Hera has taken care of that for us with a light sleeping mist," he said.

"Hera?" he asked.

"Yes...it seems Aphrodite's stepmother is no fan of hers. She wants her happiness destroyed and in return for helping that along, we get what we want," he replied.

"You made a deal with Hera?" Mendoza asked in disbelief.

"Oh yes...and the riches that await us in this new land are hither to un-dreamt of," John replied.

"Then you have an escape plan too?" he asked. John smirked again, as there was a flash of blue and a fairy stood before them.

"Reul Ghorm," he said, bowing in respect to her.

"Your bean, Collector...make sure you hold up your end of our deal," she replied, as she gave it to him.

"Not to worry...when I'm done, Aphrodite will be a shell of her former self with her dead lover in her arms. She'll pay for whatever she has done to piss you and the Goddess Hera off and regret rejecting me for her pretty Prince," he promised. Blue smirked.

"Then safe travels and make sure it's a good show. I really want you to twist the knife in that sanctimonious little retch," Blue said. Mendoza looked at the fairy curiously.

"Why do you hate her so much?" he asked.

"The power of the chalice should be mine. Hera is his wife and I am his right hand, yet he allows such sheer power to remain in the hands of someone who has no interest in using that power for greatness," Blue replied.

"Look at her current charges. At least her first pair managed to defeat several great evils to this world like Gothel. But what has this second pair done but refuse to realize their power? It will not bode well for their future," she said ominously.

"They are fools...we agree on that," Mendoza said. John nodded.

"Thank you...and may we all get exactly what we want," he said, as she disappeared in a flash of Blue.

"How are we going to kill him? Just doing so conventionally in front of the Goddess will be useless if she can heal him," Mendoza said. John smirked.

"Not even her chalice can heal dreamshade, though I suspect after this, it will be something she ensures it can do," he said, as he showed the other man a thorn.

"Dreamshade?" Mendoza asked.

"A highly potent poison from Neverland. No one survives it outside of Pan's realm. One knick and he'll die slowly," he revealed.

"It's time," he said, as they moved onto the palace grounds.

~*~

Aphrodite appeared in the palace gardens and made her way inside Adonis' palace. She was returning from a visit with her father and was in very good spirits, knowing she was only days away from her wedding to Adonis. But she found the Throne room eerily quiet and empty.

"Adonis?" she called, but her words fell into the silence. She walked further into the room and then heard footsteps behind her. She whipped around and found John Clayton there.

"You…" she said in an accusatory tone.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I've come to ask for a favor, Goddess," he replied.

"You will get nothing from me," she refuted.

"I figured that would be your attitude, so I have something in place to persuade you," John said, as a man she recognized as General Mendoza from the Dragon King's court came forth. But that was not the alarming part. The frightening part was that the General had her beloved held captive. He had clearly been roughed up and his wrists were shackled, as Mendoza held his sword to his throat.

"Adonis...let him go!" she cried.

"Your lover is free to go if you tell us the location of Cibola," he demanded.

"I told you...she doesn't know! If your own Queen won't tell you...then it's not information she wants you to be privy to," Adonis interjected.

"Quiet…" he snapped.

"He's right...I don't even know the exact location myself! Let him go!" she pleaded.

"And even if I did...not even I could access it," she added.

"You lie! We know the Dragon Queen has enabled access to it with the chalice, which means you are just about the only person other than her that could gain access," John refuted. She closed her eyes and contemplated her next move.

"Aphrodite don't...don't give into them," Adonis implored.

"Give us what we want or he dies," Mendoza threatened. A tear slipped down her cheek and she swallowed thickly.

"You'll need a bean," she said.

"We have one...several, in fact," John replied.

"How did you get magic beans? I thought only the giants had them?" Adonis asked.

"They do...but thanks to a friend, I was able to obtain a few without getting caught," John boasted.

"Enough...let's go," Mendoza said impatiently, as they prepared to travel to another realm.

"Stop!" a voice called, as Esteban entered the Throne room, with Zia and his most trusted adviser, Tao.

"You've committed treason against the crown, Mendoza," he accused.

"Cibola is out there and your Queen refuses to share it with the world!" he claimed.

"Cibola belongs to my people and I will not reveal it to anyone with greed in their heart," Zia refuted.

"Then he dies," Mendoza threatened.

"No!" Aphrodite cried.

"She's right...I will not let you kill him for something as frivolous as gold," the Dragon Queen agreed.

"Then tell us," he snapped.

"In my home realm, I have hidden Cibola near the lost island of Mu. On an island, shaped as a half moon, the gates of Cibola rest. It is in an ocean called the Pacific," she revealed.

"You'll give us coordinates and access," John demanded. Zia used the chalice to produce an enchanted map and handed it to him.

"Now let him go!" Aphrodite cried, as John nodded and Adonis was released. Aphrodite ran into his arms and she kissed him passionately. He smiled at her, before suddenly collapsing in pain.

"Adonis!" she cried, as she looked him over for wounds and lifted his tunic, finding scary black veins covering his torso.

"What have you done!?" she screamed.

"It's nothing personal, my dear...but someone ordered that he must die. I do apologize for choosing dreamshade as the method, as it's quite excruciating, but I could not have you healing him," John said, as a portal opened and they disappeared.

"Adonis...stay with me, my love…" she cried, as she tried to heal him. But nothing worked.

"Adonis…" she sobbed.

"It's okay…I love you," he rasped.

"No…I can't lose you! I can't!" she cried, as Zeus appeared.

"Father...please help him!" she pleaded.

"Oh my sweet girl, you know I would. But even dreamshade is beyond my power," he said sadly, as she held her beloved and he took his final breath. He scream rattled the walls and shook the ground beneath them, as she died inside again.

~*~

Present Day

The four of them came out of the theater and began walking along the streets of Storybrooke. It was about ten and there were still a few people out and about.

"That was a good movie," Summer mentioned.

"It was, but I have to say, all the adventures I've been on with you and this family lately kind of makes movies a little less exciting," JJ admitted.

"Yeah...we feel that way a lot. No movie can compare to our crazy lives," Bobby agreed.

"I don't know, it was pretty exciting, but then I haven't been to a theater very many times," Zia mentioned, as she smiled at Bobby.

"Um...so you wanna get some ice cream? My Uncle Dopey runs the shop," he said.

"Sure," she replied, as JJ heard his phone chime and he sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Summer asked. He sighed.

"Just Nora...live on some podcast. Probably skewing all the details of everything she just saw," he replied.

"I'm sorry…" he apologized. Summer shrugged.

"It doesn't bother us," she promised.

"I know, but she can never see the good in anything," he complained.

"It seems that way right now, but she may come around. It will just take time for her to see the truth," Summer said.

"I don't know...you don't know Nora," he said skeptically. She smiled.

"No...but I am the granddaughter of a woman that used to hate my mother with a blinding passion. If the Evil Queen can change...I believe Nora can too," Summer said optimistically. He smiled.

"Does that optimism just come natural to a Charming?" he teased. She smiled back.

"More than you know," she said.

"Except Emma and Leo have their moments of skepticism," Bobby reminded her.

"Sure, but some of that is just an extreme lack of tact, which we know comes from Daddy," Summer said, as they arrived at the ice cream shop.

~*~

"Wow...so you saw it all? A City made entirely of gold?" the podcaster questioned.

"Yes...as you can see from the high resolution photos I took. I will most likely have the FBI all over me for releasing the information and photos, but I could care less," Nora replied, as she participated in the podcast from her room at Granny's on her laptop.

"So a lot of my listeners want to know about the company you're keeping these days," the podcaster. Nora snorted.

"Let me guess, more saps obsessed with the great love story of Snow White and Prince Charming," Nora said with an eyeroll.

"There are many that have been caught up in that aspect, yes," the podcaster agreed.

"Well, they'll be happy to know that, though I don't really believe in love, theirs appears to be very genuine, to the point that I think they're both insane," Nora replied. The podcaster chuckled.

"Not a fan of true love, I see," he mentioned.

"Not even a little...and their kids are just strange," Nora said.

"But the magic...that has to be pretty cool, right? I mean, we all saw it during that insane battle," the podcaster replied.

"I suppose it's impressive, but honestly, these people are more trouble than they're worth," Nora said.

"Then you're in the camp of people that think we should fear these people. That they could bring about some kind of apocalypse on us?" the podcaster asked.

"Haven't they already? I mean, look at what happened in Seattle and then in Boston," Nora reminded.

"Fair point...they have unleashed this mysterious demon on us, after all and he already has a body count," the podcaster said.

"And that's just part of it. Apparently, Snow White has some insane doctor obsessed with her too," she reminded him.

"Ah yes...we've all read the book. I have to say, I don't think any of us would think a literary character such as Dr. Jekyll would be in hot pursuit of none other than Snow White. He has a body count as well," the podcaster said.

"Yes...and I know many are enthralled by this love story, but I think we should be asking if the possible destruction of our world is worth it for these people," Nora replied.

"Another fair point," he agreed.

"This pair does seem to go easy on some of their enemies," he added.

"Exactly...and that probably won't bode well for the rest of us," Nora agreed.

"Well, thank you for joining us tonight, Ms. Bradley," he said, as her segment on the podcast ended. But the podcaster would plug her social media and she was already lightning it up with all her photos and reporting. This was going to be the moment where her career as an independent investigative reporter took off.

~*~

Xander found himself unable to sleep and made his way down into the common room of the castle. It was taking some getting used to living in such a place, but he didn't dislike it. He was just glad his son still wanted him under the same roof, especially with how angry he had been at finding out about more of his past. As he entered though, he found that he wasn't alone and saw Thalia having a drink.

"Hey…" she muttered.

"Take it from someone who knows first hand...that stuff is not going to make anything better," he admonished.

"Your son will forgive you...but my daughter," she said.

"Our daughter," he corrected and she gave him a look.

"Our daughter," she relented.

"Won't be so easy," she said.

"She'll come around. Clayton was manipulative...and his son is the same way. That family has been manipulating this one from the moment I met him," he admitted.

"Mine too…" she agreed.

"Then let's end that now. Our daughter may be grown, but we can become a united front. She's been hurt by him too," he mentioned. She nodded.

"I'll drink to that," she said, as she finished her drink.

"I'll pass on the drink, but I'm with you. If I've learned anything from my son and I've learned far more from him than he ever learned from me, is that love heals," he said.

"And by the way...had I know about her, I never would have walked away," he added, as he left her to her thoughts.

~*~

The moment they arrived home and were in their bedroom, their passion consumed them, ensuing in several bouts of lovemaking. The fireplace burned brightly in their bedroom, for it was proving to be a cold fall night in Storybrooke, but it couldn't have been hotter in their bed chambers. Their bodies moved together in an incredible sync that only they could ever achieve. Every kiss, every touch, every movement brought pure pleasure and expressed their incredible love in the purely physical manner. The sounds punctuated that feeling of that pleasure. Limbs were entangled and lips were locked, as they found completion, not for the first time, together in the most euphoric experience possible. Their insatiable need for each other led to several comings, until they finally collapsed in sated bliss together beneath the sheets, still thoroughly entwined. Kisses were soft and caresses were intimate, as they bathed in the ecstasy induced afterglow.

"Oh baby...that was…" Snow breathed, as she rested her head against his chest.

"Yeah…we have some pretty good stamina for two people that should be old and gray by now," he joked, making her giggle.

"Well, if that was old people sex, then wow…" she joked, as they shared another smile and a kiss.

"Wow indeed," he agreed, as they cuddled together. She sighed.

"Are you worried about everything the Major told us earlier?" she asked.

"A bit...but no matter what, our love always seems to win," he said, as he kissed her shoulder.

"Mmm...after this, I think it's best though. I'm just not sure this world will ever accept us as just people. They're treating us like we're aliens or something," she mentioned.

"Yeah...even the ones that seem enthralled by our love story take it to the creepy level," he said.

"I think I'd be more than okay with staying in the United Realms once this is all over, but I know that you liked your work when you were an agent," she replied.

"I think I'll always have plenty of policing to do here in the United Realms. I liked my work, but I love being with my family and my beautiful wife more. There's nothing I'll miss out there, because everything I love is here," he promised, as he pecked her on the lips. She smiled and kissed him again, as their love consumed them once again.

~*~

"And...good morning, United Realms! It's a cool October day, which means fall is in full swing here in New England and the foliage is at its peak beauty," Le Fou said.

"In other words, Le Fou is just trying to distract you from the fact that we live in Maine and winter is coming," Goldilocks replied, as he gave off a fake chuckle.

"Aw, come on Goldie...you don't let a little cold bother you, right?" he joked.

"A little no...but Maine's winters are ridiculous, am I right people? I mean, if I had one question for Queen Regina, it would be why didn't you curse us to sunny California?" she commented, making Le Fou laugh again.

"She's got a point, but hey, there's no snow yet and that's something. Well, fellow United Realmers, our esteemed leaders have returned! Yes, they were spotted at Granny's Diner last night and as usual, they didn't come home without bringing new things with them," Le Fou said.

"Yes...and for that we go to our reporter in the field, Scuttle Seagull, who of course, isn't a seagull anymore and but still travels like he has wings to keep us all up to date on all the happenings in the United Realms," Goldilocks said.

"That's right Goldie...I'm the one that sprouted legs, thanks to the good curse, and now I am an intrepid reporter, who seeks information now instead of fish!" he joked, though it was doubtful anyone was laughing.

"Right...so what can you tell us, Scuttle?" Le Fou asked.

"Well, it looks like our esteemed leaders have gone and added an entire new realm!" he said, as the camera panned to the newest addition.

"We have been told that this is the island of Mu, which is inhabited with a mysterious tribe of people and behind that, even more spectacularly, is Half Moon Island, which is home to none other than the fabled Cibola. Yes...a city made entirely of gold," he gestured grandly.

"Wow...that's impressive," Le Fou commented.

"Yes, it's not often that Snow and Charming bring us anything but complete mayhem, but the day is young," Goldilocks said. Le Fou chuckled.

"Very true...you never know what calamity will happen in the United Realms. Moving on though, we go to the weather…"

"Ugh...seriously, these are the best reporters they can find?" Leo complained, as he turned off the television.

"Yeah...it's a lot of opinion and not so much reporting," Elsa agreed, as she braided her hair at her vanity. He leaned down and kissed her neck.

"It's good to be home," he purred. She smiled and slipped her arms around his neck, as she stood up.

"Yes...it is. I missed you," she said, as she nuzzled her nose with his own.

"I know, you showed me last night," he replied slyly.

"So...let's have an encore," he purred and she smiled.

"That sounds nice...but we have a wedding to plan," she reminded him.

"Okay...but I need pancakes first if I'm going to go through a day of wedding planning. I mean, I love my Mom, but she's probably already hired a pyrotechnics specialist to do all the fireworks or something," he said. She raised an eyebrow.

"You really think she's going to have fireworks at our wedding?" he asked.

"Uh...if we're going to get married, then we need to do it right," he replied, making her laugh and she pecked him on the lips.

"I love you...let's get you some pancakes," she said, as they joined hands and left their chambers together.

~*~

Natalie splashed some water on her face and brushed her teeth. Her morning had started out horrid, as she found herself throwing up and wondering what she had eaten to upset her stomach so much. She decided to shower and then find the kitchen for something to settle her stomach, hoping that whatever it was, passed quickly.

~*~

Flashback

After losing Adonis, Aphrodite fell into a deep depression. She spent most of her days alone in the tiny cottage outside Cyprus where she had lived before meeting Adonis. Zeus thought it would take a few years for her to come around, so he let her be mostly, visiting her as often as he could. He had sent Blue to check on her once, but that ended explosively, as his daughter still blamed Blue for leading the Black Fairy to her, which resulted in Anchises' death and the abduction of their son. He did not and could not know of Blue's real role in that, as not even Aphrodite recalled her or Hera's traitorous deeds that took place. Nor did either of them know about Blue conspiring with John Clayton and giving him the beans to escape the realm. The fall out of Adonis' demise had destroyed her and once again, he felt helpless. But this was a curse not even he could break, thus why he had charged his eldest daughter with finding a way to circumvent it. And he had hope that she was onto something. Athena was a prophesier and he only hoped a solution was bestowed upon her.

"Father…" Athena said, as she came to him on Olympus that afternoon. He continued to lament over Aphrodite and all that had befallen her. Her grief had not lasted but a few years, but hundreds now. Her second charges had been cut down in their prime and the chalice was void of champions. And he had to do something to bring her out of her misery.

"Please tell me we have hope for her," he pleaded.

"That is exactly why I am here…" Athena replied.

"Tell me…" Zeus said.

"Do you remember when Dione spoke of the eternal spark?" Athena asked.

"Yes...she also called it a divine spark. It was a prophecy she decreed about a first spark of true love. But that it would happen between two mortals before they even know each other, much less fell in love," he replied.

"Yes...they will be champions of true love and even greater than their predecessors. They will face evil like none before and win with the power of true love," she said.

"Yes…I'm familiar and if that prophecy had come from anyone other than my beloved Dione, I would have scoffed at such notions," he replied.

"The eternal spark will happen...I received the prophecy. Their time of conception is near and Aphrodite will be needed to soon guide them, from the shadows at first, of course," she said.

"She is in no state of mind to do so," he refuted.

"I know...that is why we must wipe Adonis from her memory and change her story," Athena declared. He looked horrified.

"She would never want that...you know that," he said.

"I know...but the fate of all the realms may depend on it. Because her destiny and her true love's will be entwined with this pair's," she replied.

"Why? What is different this time?" he questioned.

"Because her true love will be reborn as the twin brother of the male half of her new champions," she said.

"Why does it matter? She is just cursed to lose him again anyway," Zeus said in frustration.

"Maybe not if we play this right...my visions were clear. Her new champions may be instrumental in helping them to break the curse this time," Athena replied.

"How?" he asked.

"You know I don't have details much beyond that. It never works that way, but dark forces are already rumbling. It's almost as if they feel the light that is about to be born, which is why we must act," she replied.

"And this pair...what will make them so special?" he asked skeptically.

"Well, to start, they will have their first spark, before they even meet. He will come from nothing, but be more remarkable than any born into royalty. He will be handsome, noble, and fight for good. She will be born a princess and upon first sight of her, she will be declared the fairest in all the realms," Athena added. He snorted.

"That sounds like a curse on its own. My daughter's own beauty has caused much of the wrong kind of attention," he complained.

"And it may be. She will entrance men that already have madness in their heads, but her heart will belong only to one...her beloved. But I fear that once the evil senses their spark, they will stop at nothing to destroy this pair as they have with the previous ones. Because this one...will spell their end," Athena decreed. He sighed.

"I am almost afraid to ask, but what must we do?" Zeus asked.

"We leave her memories of Anchises and her son. As usual, when she meets him again, her memory of Anchises' physicality will be blurred. Then we erase the rest," she said.

"The rest? You can't mean…" he started to say.

"We have to, father...she must be so focused on making sure nothing cuts this pair down. In the end, the breaking of the curse will restore her memories and then her true love cannot be taken from her again," she replied.

"Then she will not know I am her father…" he said sadly.

"But one day, she will again, I promise. For now, she must believe her purpose for existence is to champion true love and this coming pair. This pair...they will change everything. They will save many, including Aphrodite and her love," she promised. He sighed deeply.

"I hope you are right...proceed with this plan," he said sadly, as he looked at his precious daughter through the viewing pool.

"Give me strength to see this through, my love," he whispered to Dione.

~*~

After breakfast, Snow and David made the dreaded, but necessary trip to the prison to make sure everything was secure with the newest detainees.

"Are you sure you want to come to the barracks with me?" he asked, as he looked over the logs.

"I am...it helps me see that the worst are where they belong, especially Blue. I have words for her," she replied. He couldn't argue with that, as he signed off on the logs, which was part of his job as supreme Sheriff. He took her hand and they took the elevator up to the top level. There were sneers from their newest residents.

"At least your new home doesn't have a bunch of deadly radiation poisoning your bodies, so you're welcome," David commented, as they passed by those cells.

"Well, well...Snow White and Prince Charming have come upon their prisoners. I do notice there is an empty cell up here. Could that be for someone special?" Dr. LaGuerra asked.

"Another certain Doctor that continues to haunt you, fairest?" he goaded, as David grabbed him by the collar, slamming his head against the bars, causing him to cry out in pain.

"How many bones of yours do I have to break before you keep your mouth shut?" David growled, as he shoved him away.

"And for your information, no that cell isn't for Jekyll, because I'm going to make sure he ends up in the morgue. And you'll join him if you even look at her again," he warned, as they kept walking.

"Well...she is quite a vision. She seems to cast a spell wherever she goes, much like the Goddess. My father was obsessed with the chalice and Aphrodite...and later the two of you," Johnny said, as they passed by him.

"He always wanted to mix his bloodline with that of the Charming family," Johnny leered, as his eyes swept over Snow.

"That will never happen and if you keep looking at her like that, I'll gouge your eyes out," David warned, as they moved on, but Snow didn't like the smug smirk on his face.

"Well, well...the Charmings have returned," Blue said, as they arrived at her cell.

"We wanted to see this for ourselves, though I'm not surprised that Fandral bested you," David replied.

"Trust me...when I get out, I promise to make the Asgardian scum and his little waif pay," she said. She looked terrible. Her makeup had run and she hadn't bothered to wash her face of it, making her look almost comical. She wore a blue prison jumpsuit and her hair was a frazzled mess.

"Wow...you look like hell," David said in amusement.

"Oh, you'll know hell when I get this cuff off...you both will," she hissed.

"What has happened to you? I mean, you've been shady before, but this outright evil is alarming, to say the least," Snow mentioned. Blue smirked.

"Oh honey...this is the real me. But I didn't hate you when I felt the spark occur between the two of you. I saw an opportunity...two idiots to manipulate," she said.

"Well, that didn't happen and now you're going to pay for your crimes. You'll be tried in a royal tribunal and if found guilty...you'll spend the rest of your life in prison," David declared.

"Do your worst...because neither of you have the guts to sentence me to the death penalty and that means, given the chance, I will escape and destroy all of you," she promised.

"No...you won't," Snow interjected, as she looked at her husband and swallowed.

"As Queen...I have the power to up your sentence if you're found guilty and if you are convicted of treason, you will face death," Snow decided. It surprised David a little, but he knew they had been through enough to know that Blue was too dangerous to be kept alive, just like Jekyll. Blue smirked.

"There's that darkness...be careful, Snow White, or your heart will end up as black as mine. I would relish that," she hissed.

"No...never. Your sentence will be justice, not darkness. There's a difference," she said and Blue frowned.

"Kill me...and I'll haunt your dreams, Snow White! I'll help the doctor invade your mind and terrorize your every sleeping moment!" she warned, as David led her away. Snow shuddered at her words.

"I'll help Jekyll invade your mind and you'll know no peace! I'll torture you!" Blue promised, clearly having lost her sanity and he felt Snow shudder again beside him.

"Guards!" he called.

"Take her to solitary! She'll remain there until her tribunal!" he ordered, as he held Snow closely and led her back to the elevator.

"Is execution really the right decision?" she asked in uncertainty.

"Yes, my darling...she's a treasonous snake that just threatened a Queen," he reminded her.

"My Queen…" he said.

"What if she can haunt me from beyond? We've had crazier things happen," she told him.

"We will talk to Gold and Regina. We'll make sure she can't, even if we have to go visit Nyx ourselves to make sure her soul isn't allowed to run free in Underbrooke," he promised, as he kissed her forehead and led her out. He hoped that spending the rest of the day planning their son's wedding would help her de-stress and relax.

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #OC Charmings #AU #The United Realms #original season 9 storyline #Fandral of Asgard #Rose Red #Dashing Rose #background CS #background OQ #background Rumbelle #romance #adventure #family #finding you always #the epic continues

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racefortheironthrone · 5 years

Text

Thoughts on House of X #5

Time for the issue where HoX/PoX horniness kicked off!

Society Comma We Live in One:

Time to talk about an issue that definitely merited the coverted red issue status. The issue starts with Magneto and Polaris having a dialogue on society that comes off as a bit writerly, more about Hickman creating an opportunity for him to talk about his ideas about society than what Magneto and Polaris would actually be saying to one another (unless Polaris just arrived on Krakoa and is being given the tour, but that doesn’t quit fit her dialogue).

To start with, Magneto is making an argument that “the one good thing humanity taught us was society,” but attaches this to the concept of human beings shifting from settler-gatherer to agrarian cultures. Notably, in Magneto’s version, this shift also has implications for national identity, what with the whole “this is a good place - it is...ours, and from this land we will not be moved.”

At the same time, it would be highly inaccurate to suggest that hunter-gatherer cultures don’t have societies or engage in (what Magneto is really getting at here) cooperation. The main difference between hunter-gatherer and agrarian modes of cooperation is that, by creating substantial surpluses that allow more people to not engage in food production, the agrarian mode enables a new form of cooperation based on specialization.

All of this applies pretty directly to Krakoa and the resurrection ceremony that Magneto and Polaris are witnessing: as long as mutantdom was constantly fighting for survival (the time when “the greatest necessary traits in mutantdom” would be “strength and aggressiveness”), it was essentially stuck in a hunter-gatherer paradigm. But once mutantdom established themselves on Krakoa, “intelligence, ingenuity, and creativity” started to come to the fore: the Krakoan flowers and medications, Doug’s interface and the resulting Krakoan systems, KASA, Cerebro, and now a new one. Contrary to certain implications from the Librarian in Powers of X #6, rather than simply relying on their “natural” mutant powers, Krakoan society is technologizing them.

The “Five” are a great example of this process at work. I’ll get more in detail on how this particular Krakoan biomachinery works when we get to the infographic (which brings together all of the information into one place), but there’s some more subtle details at work here:

I love how the (Fab) Five’s social/cultural status is prefigured by their on-page introduction, which looks like nothing so much as the slow-motion group shot from Resevoir Dogs combined with a supergroup pose complete with spotlights.

As many people have pointed out, Hickman’s reinterpretation of Goldballs’ “seemingly benign and pointless power” shows how a different social and technological context completely changes the way we think about the value of different x-genes.

As someone who’s spent their fair share of time studying the history of science, I do like how much the Five’s introduction re-emphasizes themes of cooperation and specialization rather than the Lone Genius myth: even with Goldballs’ limitless “eggs,” he still needs Proteus to make the eggs viable, and so on and so forth. As Magneto puts it, ““separate...they are great mutants, but only significant, not transcendant. Together..."

An interesting commonality in Krakoan biotechnology is the use of psychics and other mutants - in this case, Hope plays a similar role to the Cuckoos in KASA - to allow the group to work in unison without the need for the literal hiveminds of the machine consciousness. Something to keep one’s eye on.

At the same time, the Five’s biomachine relies on two other forms of technology of varying levels of technology. As the red diamond on the syringe confirms, Mister Sinister provides the DNA to grow the husks and (and this is one of the Big Reveals of the issue) Cerebro downloads the mind into the body.

Playing her role in the Socratic dialogue admirably, Lorna raises the vital question of whether these clones are “just their bodies...not them.” What’s really interesting about Magneto’s response is that he’s not just talking about downloading the mind of the mutant, but also “the essence..the anima...[the] soul” of the mutant, which implies a pretty strongly spiritual conception of Cerebro’s primary purpose. (It’s an interestingly monist approach to the question of the soul as a form of data that can be copied, uploaded, downloaded, etc. I wonder what Nightcrawler thinks of this?)

Xavier’s statement that “even knowing I could bring you back...a part of me dies when any of you do” really backs up what I was talking about re: Xavier’s motivation for changing his worldview. Resurrection doesn’t change the emotional impact of death, especially since the system requires Xavier to be psychically linked to the X-Men he’s sending into harm’s way, so that he’s experiencing all their pain and suffering. This also reads quite differently in the wake of Powers of X #6, because it suggests that (quite aside from his broader plans for Krakoa), Xavier’s shift to being even more of a pragmatist has a lot to do with years of compounding trauma.

BTW, a clear sign that there is a high degree of continuity of consciousness going on is that Scott’s first thought after being resurrected is “did it work?” For all intents and purpsoes, this is the Scott Summers who died on Sol’s Forge.

We See Them, Do We Know Them?

I’m going to take this opportuntity to get on my high horse for a second and take parts of the X-fandom to task. While I wouldn’t go so far as to accuse anyone of arguing in bad faith, I do think there has been a tendency to not grapple with the text in an honest way when it comes to certain characters or themes, with the Resurrection Ceremony as Exhibit A in this tendency.

Rather than being about cults or nakedness (more on both of those soon), what this scene is actually about is the coming together of the foundational aspects of Krakoan society/culture, and how two groups of heroes - the five and the strike team - will be treated in this new world.

As we might expect, there are both parallels and differences in how the Krakoan masses treat and are expected to treat these groups: as we’ll learn later from the Resurrection Infographic, the Five are “universally revered...as cultural paragons [something sacred to be treasured].”

Storm’s exhortation provides the text that is supposed to shape and give purpose to this popular attitude, that the Krakoan masses should “love them...for they have righted the wrongs of men and defeated our great enemy death.” As with many RL human cultures, historic grievances are used to define in-group and out-group, but at the same time, the Five’s “miracle” is defined as a victory over “our great enemy death,” (which neatly ties together anti-mutant violence, mutant-specific epidemic diseases, all the forces of the “on the brink of extinction” stories we’ve seen for almost twenty years).

Given that the Five are responsible for A. reversing mutant genocides which have directly and indirectly affected all mutants in profoundly traumatic ways B. making mutants functionally immortal, it would be utterly unprecedented if a cultural and social change of this magnitude did not have some element of spiritual or religious feeling behind it. World religions have been founded on far less than this.

By contrast, the Strike Team are described in more secular terms. For removing the existential threat of Mother Mold (let alone Nimrod) which had loomed over mutant society, Storm describes them as “heroes of Krakoa,” but not so much cultural heroes as secular military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation: “through their deaths...a great victory was won for our people.”

Another sign of difference is that the Strike Team’s public reception is conditional, requiring a further ceremony where the community asks “we see them, but do we know them?” I love the way that Hickman turns the meta-question of whether these resurrected mutants are the real thing or “just clones” into a cultural question.

Thus, he has Storm act as the Master of Ceremonies for a ritual that’s all about recognition and confirmation of individual and social identity, and uses X-comics continuity nods that readers will recognize in the same way that Storm does as the clues:

Cyclops remembers losing the leadership to Storm in UX #139, and I like this particular deep cut because it’s a great contrast to their present-day respect and affected, and because Scott’s inability to commit to his marriage to Madelyn Pryor will help kick off Inferno.

Similarly, Jean recalling line-for-line what she said to Storm in UX #242 works especially well because it’s a line about asserting your identity in the wake of death, resurrection, and the existential questions of cloning, and because once again it recalls Inferno. I’m not sure whether it’s a good sign or a bad sign that Hickman gets Jean’s voice better here when he’s quoting earlier authors rather than writing original dialogue.

And finally, in a great Rule of Three joke format, Monet breaks the pattern by going for a character beat - Monet has strong personal space boundaries - rather than a deep continuity callback.

Having done my close-reading due diligence, let me get to the point: this is not a cult, and you don’t need to take much in the way of Anthropology coursework to see that. Call-and-response between an officiant and the congregation are incredibly common across many religions, as are ceremonies in which the individual’s membership in the group is confirmed, and so on and so forth. If you want to describe this as a cult, or cult-like, you need to point to qualities that are specific to cults as opposed to other forms of religious activity.

Similarly, I find it quite strange to describe Storm as acting out-of-character in this sequence. Storm, who’s all about giving speeches at the top of her lungs, who’s been worshipped as a goddess in multiple countries, would have a problem with giving a sermon and carrying out a basic ritual? This is the sort of thing that makes me think that a lot of these comments are just people trying to disguise personal preference as story critique.

The scene ends with pulling back to see Xavier and Magneto reacting to all of this, and their feeling of tempered joy is a pretty good synecdoche for how things stand at the end of HoX/Pox: while the “good work” is clearly a cause for joy, it’s clearly at a very early and vulnerable stage, and there’s a feeling of determination that it has to continue “until it is done.” Interestingly, both Charles and Erik view this aspect of Krakoa as more “foundational” than any other element, and I wonder whether this could be part of why they don’t quite see eye-to-eye with Moira any more.

Another sign that things are not as secure as they’d like is that Krakoa still hasn’t gotten over the hurdle of UN recognition, which requires getting around a veto from a permanent member of the Security Council.

Resurrection Infographic:

So let’s talk about the Resurrection process, now that we have all of the information in front of us.

The Infographic really confirms that Mister Sinister is absolutely crucial to the Genetic Base working - “without this, we have nothing.” But given that we learn in Powers of X #6 that this was very much in opposition to Moira’s wishes, I wonder how the original plan envisioned this working. I wonder whether Magneto’s statement to Emma Frost in Powers of X #5 that “we are not ahead of ourselves...we are woefully behind” suggests a motive. Mister Sinister already had a comprehensive DNA database on the go, they might have gone to him because they wanted to accelerate the time table for reversing the Genoshan genocide.

At the same time, you can already see how Sinister has become the snake in the garden. At the moment, Xavier and Magneto have “limited...current mutant modifications...to “optimal aging,” but we can already see Sinister’s influence in the line “it is believed that in the future, designer modifications will be possible.” Unless they are very, very careful, this is how the chimera singularity could topple all of this into the abyss of the singularity.

The Five:

As I discussed above, each of the Five are a crucial element of the overall process.

Fabio Medina (Goldballs): produces limitless eggs for limitless husks. Without Goldballs, the resurrection process would be extremely limited in how many people could be brought back at any time by all kinds of resource constraints; with him, the process can be turned into one of mass-production.

Kevin MacTaggart (Proteus): turns unviable eggs into viable eggs; without Proteus, Goldballs’ innovation would be effectively stillborn. Kevin’s presence here is also a strong indicator that this was part of Moira’s plan, so as with so much in HoX/PoX what we’re talking about is a question of means vs. ends.

Joshua Foley (Elixir): “kick-start[s] the process of life, initializing cell replication and husk growth.” Without Elixir, the DNA might sit dormant within the egg; with Elixir, you have a bridge between the raw building blocks of life and the end product of a viable husk.

Eva Bell (Tempus): “temporally mature[s] a husk to a desired age.” This is potentially an under-appreciated aspect of the whole process: without Tempus, you’d still have to wait decades for resurrected mutants to come to maturity and all throughout that time, the process would be incredibly vulnerable; with Tempus, mutants are brought back to life as fully-grown adults capable of doing their part for Krakoan society.

Hope Summers (Hope): has the more nebulous task of “enhancing and synergizing...to ensure the success of each resurrection.” As Magneto explains, resurrection is “delicate, almost impossible work.” Hope’s unique power set allows her not only to boost the powers of the rest of the five, but also to improve coordination and thus quality control, so that the overall process has a success rate of 100%.

As we can see already, this is a system with a lot of irreplacable parts, which means a bunch of potential points of failure. No wonder, then, that Krakoan minds are at work trying to overcome these problems. We already see that “Synch or Mimic” have been floated as “upgrades/extensions/stand-ins” for the Five, which suggests that they’re already thinking about ways to improve functionality by adding to the “circuit” or about ways to maintain service if one of the Five needs to be replaced.

Similarly, I love how the “Proteus problem” shows how Resurrection is changing our perceptions of so many things in Krakoan society. From his introduction, Proteus has been shown as inherently dangerous because of the way that his powers damage his body - but with the Resurrection system, Proteus is just a mutant who happens to have a chronic illness that can be treated. One interesting question...why is Proteus’ “backup mutant husk” based on Charles Xavier? Charles isn’t his father, so it’s not a question of genetic compatibility.

The Mind:

Here’s where we really get into the philosophy of identity. Hickman gets really emphatic here that these are not “just clones,” because the backups include “the essence of each mutant, how they think, how they feel, their memories, their very being.”

I’m personally inclined to agree with Hickman. Even without transference of consciousness as a real thing, I don’t think a strict view of continuity of consciousness can really hold, given the fact there are plenty of breaks in said continuity - we don’t consider people who get knocked out or blackout drunk or just have a nap to no longer be the same person, so what’s the rationale for saying that any of the Strike Team aren’t the same people who they were before?

I also love how the Cerebro part of the system adds all kinds of new problems: there’s the technical complexity of scanning every mutant mind on the planet and then storing and copying that datat to “multiple redundant “cradles,” as well as new philosophical and ethical issues about what happens when you put someone’s mind in someone else’s body, etc. More on this in a bit.

Scale:

So at least at the time that this document was written, it looks like the mutant population is back to 100,000 (although how much was the Five isn’t clear), but that there are 1 million de-powered mutants (many of whom might want to use the system to regain their powers), and 16 million mutants who were murdered and whose resurrection is a key ideological drive for Krakoa.

As Hickman points out, this brings up issues of productivity and efficiency that we’re used to seeing in industrial and technological processes. The Five’s initial rate of 200 a day would take 300 years to accomplish the goal of reversing Krakoan genocide, which is way too long a timeline.

However, it turns out that there’s a mutant version of Moore’s law: the more the Five do this, the better they get at it (with a nice nod to Wolverine, so “its estimated that capabilities could possibly reach around 30,000 a week” (or 6,000 a day), bringing the timeline down to a far more manageable decade.

A final bottleneck: Charles Xavier “is not capable of” 6,000 daily downloads, and we already seen Krakoan minds thinking about “a workaraound or a team of telepaths” to supplement someone who’s also busy attending U.N meetings, Quiet Council sessions, plotting world domination, etc.

On a policy wonk side note, I was trying to figure out how Hickman worked out these numbers, and I realized that his math assumes that Krakoa has a five day work-week. As we’ll see in House of X #6, there are major open questions about what kind of economic policy (and thus, what kind of society) this new nation-state will have. Good to see that Actual 19th Century Robber Baron Sebastian Shaw isn’t getting his own way.

One particularly odd thing about Krakoan biomachinery, according to “extensive testing,” the Five don’t actually experience “exertion,” but rather a “blissful experience” of self-actualization. This suggests the psychological equivalent of a perpetual motion machine - rather than requiring more and more labor, the damn thing requires less and less and produces “total fulfillment” as a byproduct. Weird.

Another interesting side effect is that the Five have become “an inseparable family unit” who are undergoing a process of symbiosis - given all the discussion of mechanical hiveminds, it’s worth wondering whether we’re seeing a biological one forming and to what extend is individuality being maintained.

A final, slightly odd note: this Infographic describes the Five’s socio-cultural status as that of “cultural paragons” rather than “something achievable through works,” even though the Five are explicitly described as having carried out “good works.” So what gives?

Resurrection Protocol:

One last bottleneck: the whole process seems to take at least 42 and as much as 52 hours to complete. Although they can clearly work on multiple eggs in one batch, getting that figure down would no doubt be useful in further increasing productivity.

An interesting sign of the cultural/philosophical impacts of the system: Krakoan society now has “fears regarding duplication” of an explicit moral character, and thus requires an elaborate system of confirmation to bring someone back from the dead. Thus, we start to see the formation of mutant law-enforcement entities to deal with “mutant missing persons and suspected deaths and murders,” which is presumably going to be X-Factor rather than X-Force as initially believed (since X-Force turns out to be the intelligence service instead).

A Grateful Nation:

Speaking of the burdens of statecraft, the scene shifts to the aftermath of the U.N recognition vote, where it emerges that Emma Frost used her telepathy to push the Russian ambassador to abstain rather than veto, which Xavier is ok with. Krakoa is now an internationally-recognized nation-state in good standing, something that previous mutant nations never quite managed.

This gave some parts of the fandom a good deal of trouble, but let me say as someone who’s taken a couple courses in diplomatic history, this is really quite mild stuff compared to the usual run of vote selling, wiretapping, blackmail, threats of economic or military retaliation, and other kinds of skullduggery and corruption. The world of nation-states is not one of moral purity.

Also, if we’re talking about characters being in and out of character, as much as Charles Xavier has been described as an idealist when it comes to his ultimate ends, he’s always been a pragmatist when it comes to his means when it comes to psychic powers. Mental compulsion, altering or erasing memories, mind-wiping people into mental vegetables - as long as it’s for the greater good.

I’m curious what Emma Frost’s reward will be. This scene explicitly comes after she made her bargain with Xavier and Magneto for a fifty-year monopoly for the Hellfire Trading Company and three seats on the Quiet Council, so I wonder what this bonus will be.

Mutant Diplomacy Infographic:

Speaking of the moral ambiguity of international relations, we learn from this infographic that “all current mutant diplomacy...is dependent on relationships with human nations centering on their need for mutant pharmaceuticals.” On the one hand, it’s better than basing your diplomacy on military aid. On the other hand, it’s notable that Krakoa isn’t building its diplomacy on the basis of human rights or cultural exchange or other elements of “soft power,” it’s all very transactional. (It’s also not a good sign that “nations that have rejected a trade treaty with Krakoa are considered to be naturally adversarial.)

We then get a list of non-treaty nations. Some of these inclusions make sense, others are a bit puzzling, and I have some questions about why certain nations didn’t make the list.

Asia:

Why just Iran in the Middle East? OPEC should be losing their minds about the potential for Krakoan portals to undermine the value of oil. Likewise, plenty of Middle Eastern regimes might be worried about other ethnic minorities using the Krakoan precedent to redouble their own pushes for national independence. And if it’s religious ideology, why is it only a Shia issue and not a Sunni issue?

Madripoor: given where Krakoa is located, this is probably an issue of being afraid of a new power in their sphere of influence. Also, Madripoor has tended to get up to a lot of mutant-related crimes, so they’d probably be worried about this.

North Korea: this being listed as an ideological issue is a bit strange. The official state ideology of North Korea is really peculiar, even among putatively Communist regimes, so it’s hard to tell

Europe:

I imagine the E.U’s role in negotiating trade deals probably is responsible for the relative lack of European nations on the list, but I’m surprised that none of the right-wing populist governments that have sprung up in central/eastern Europe in recent years who aren’t particularly friendly to real world minorities wouldn’t have an issue with a powerful nation of mutants.

Latveria: probably because Doom is a paranoid, egomaniacal autocrat who pursues economic autarky generally. I am curious, however, about other Marvel-specific nation states - we know that Namor isn’t going to go to Krakoa, but what is Atlantis’ foreign policy on this issue? What do the Inhumans think? Etc.

Russi: as we’ve seen from House of X #1, Russia fears a new global superpower. What’s interesting is we don’t see them exerting any successful influence on Central Asian or Baltic or ex-Soviet eastern European nations.

South America:

Brazil: is this Bolsanaro's cultural conservatism at work or something else? Because...

Venezuela: is kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum from Brazil’s current government, so it would be odd to see them on the same side of this issue. The only thing I can think of is that this might be due to Chavezista anti-imperialism. Because...

Santo Marco: contrary to what Magneto said in House of X #1, mutants have not been entirely free of the sins of conquest and imperialism, and in one of his first appearances, Magneto conquered the Republic of Santo Marco and ruled it in an extremely brutal fashion. That’s the kind of thing people remember for a long time, so I’m not surprised that you see some South American countries taking a negative view of Krakoa as a result.

Terra Verde: Similarly, Terra Verde’s government was briefly overthrown by the supervillain Diablo, and although mutants were not involved, they may be generally wary of superpower-led nation states.

Central America:

Honduras: it’s not that I think it’s implausible, but what makes Honduras different from other Central American countries on this issue?

Africa:

This is where we get a potentially really juicy plot hook. As late as X-Men Red, Wakanda has been generally positive towards mutants, especially since not only does T’challa have a personal relationship with Storm, but in the current run of Black Panther, Storm has been popularly worshipped as Hadari Yao, the Walker of Clouds.

Given that Wakanda is seen as a threat because “they do not need mutant drugs,” this may be a case of Krakoan/Moira’s paranoia that Wakanda’s advanced technology and self-sufficiency might mean that the post-human revolution might start there.

At the same time, the fact that the rest of the “Wakandan economic protectorate” also reject a trade treaty might suggest that we’re just seeing a simple story of nation-state competition for spheres of influence.

Krakoa Is For All Mutants:

In a very straight-forward example of X-Men dissenting from Xavier’s plan, we see Wolverine - who’s about to take up a significant post in Krakoa’s national security infrastructure - has a big enough problem with the amnesty program that he mentions wanting to beat “Chuck” to death for general smugness and condescension.

A whole bunch of supervillains cross-over, but while some of them will become significant as members of the Quiet Council or Captains, Apocalypse is framed as the most significant one, because he’s the only one with a pre-existing connection to Krakoa

Indeed, he goes full Disney Princess on page 27 because Krakoa “knows me, and I Krakoa,” which might be a big problem later on if Krakoan’s earlier and deeper connections to Apocalypse come into conflict with its more recent alliances with Cypher and Xavier.

At the same time, at least for the moment Apocalypse is the most ideologically on board with Xavier’s broader project, seeing it as the culmination of his life’s work.

Thus, he’s happy to say the words: “we submit to the laws of this land, be what they may, and acknowledge from this day forward, we all serve a higher purpose than want or need. One people from this day forward.” It’s an oath of citizenship, but it also speaks to the conditionality of the amnesty. And there are penalties for breaking it.

#xmen #xmen meta #house of x

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realrhythmskrp · 7 years

Photo

DISPATCH, (04/19/17): BKB Entertainment has officially released information about leader and main vocalist, Kim Wonseok, on PARAL/L’s official website! Wonseok is a ‘90 liner and has been beloved by fans since his debut in 2011. Find out more about Wonseok below!

I, KIM WONSEOK, have read and understand the terms and conditions as my position of LEADER and agree to honor the standards that are to be expected of me as an employee of BKB ENTERTAINMENT.

OOC INFORMATION

Preferred name: Ji

Pronouns: she/her

Timezone: GMT+1

Other muses: N/A

Password (for reservations only): dangerous

Skype: N/A :c

IC INFORMATION

Faceclaim: Lee Kikwang of Highlight

Name: Kim Wonseok

Stage name (if applicable): N/A

Idol concept: At first, his concept was supposed to be that of a ‘church oppa’ – with the kind boy next door vibe. That, however, conflicted with the controversies he soon got wrapped up in so it was quickly changed to something more fitting (and thus believable): the grandpa. Still kind, still caring, but also stereotypically straightforward yet measured. Wonseok welcomed the change because he no longer has to feel like he’s wearing a mask most of the time, since the new concept is much closer to his real personality. Of course there are tweaks here and there, a lot of things held back and plenty of feigned smiles but that is inevitable in the business. While never entirely relaxed, he is no longer on edge everytime a camera is around and can thus show a more natural side of him, which allows jokes to come easier too and has overall increased his popularity. If he’s honest, he thinks some of the controversies could have been avoided if the company had introduced him as the grandfather from the start, as people would have known not to misunderstand his dry and occasionally cynical comments. Or maybe it wouldn’t have changed a thing – he’s not so naive as to believe that the public won’t find a reason to dislike someone no matter what they do.

Birth date and age: March 30th, 1990 – 27

Company name: BKB Entertainment

Group Name (if applicable): PARAL/L

Group Position (if applicable): leader

Strengths: His biggest strength no doubt lies in his vocal prowess. Naturally gifted with a unique but pleasant voice, he is said to possess 'caramel vocal chords’, which he has been rigorously training since his early teens. Thus, he has acquired stability in both lower and higher registers and can usually belt out notes without any straining whatsoever. After all, his vocals are the one thing the public most often praises him for.

Although most of it happens behind the scenes, Wonseok’s leadership qualities are notable as well. Half a decade into their career, the group is still his top priority and he believes the secret to their lasting success is maintaining harmony among the members, which is what he works towards at all times. Here, he’s always trying to keep every member’s best interest in mind to find a common goal for everyone. He also firmly believes in solving problems as they arise as not to let a wound fester.

While his sense of humor is what got him into most of the controversies he was involved in so far, it’s also the only reason why he always gets invited on variety shows again anyway. Cynical, witty, honest and dry, he’s a valuable asset to any talk show – as long as it isn’t geared towards children, anyway.

Despite everything, he is highly motivated to keep going. Making music is still what he wants to do for a living and that knowledge helps him pull through whatever difficulties he faces in the business more easily, be it working without a break for months or enduring the hate he receives.

Weaknesses: Tying in with his affinity for talk formats, he is an exceptionally bad match for shows that require body gags, aegyo, or anything else of the sort. It’s embarrassing, in his opinion, and a field he gladly leaves for the other, younger members. Acting falls into this category too and is hence something he has little to no interest in doing (with the exception of musicals!).

Of course he is not a bad dancer, per se, just not much of a natural either. PARAL/L’s choreographies are never easy and he certainly doesn’t mess them up, but that requires hours upon hours upon hours of practice every single time, so staying behind at the practice room and pulling all-nighters to avoid messing up has become a habit.

Generally not a negative trait but very much so for an idol, Wonseok is a bad liar - to a large part also because he despises doing so. As such, he is sometimes too honest. There are only two options: he either doesn’t mention something at all (be it scandals or secrets), or he tells the truth.

For someone who spends as much time worrying about the feelings of other people as he does, he’s not in tune with his own. He has a hard time opening up to people and tends to internalize everything. Sometimes, it actually takes him a while to figure them out because he is too focused on something else at the time. For example, he could get into a fight with his little sister in the morning, then go to work like nothing happened and only feel bothered by it at night, once he settles down.

Positive traits: diligent, empathetic, quick-witted

Negative traits: stoic, self-conscious, workaholic

PERSONAL HISTORY

1 year old and resolute - “That boy will grow up to be just like his father. Stubborn as a mule.” Baby Kim Wonseok is yelling over everything his grandmother is saying and foolish as people are around children, his family is taking it as a good sign; one of strength and energy. He’s just hungry but that isn’t nearly as impressive so no one wants to hear it – and he keeps yelling.

7 years old and calm - “You’ll run for school president, right?” His mother is not so much asking as she is demanding as they’re sharing the dinner table for once. He’s in elementary school, an only child, his father is a surgeon and his mother is a lawyer (and no one knows how and if that works). Ironically, little Wonseok is the one they expect to do great things. His father comes home and goes to sleep. His mother comes home and nags. Wonseok comes home and does everything. Cooking, cleaning, his homework, then studying. “We have your nanny for that,” his mother scolds him often. What she doesn’t understand is that it is the only time of relaxation he has, doing menial tasks and not using his head for once. As long as he performs well and remains in the top three of his school, she doesn’t care very much. She just likes complaining, he thinks and lets her. Her job is stressful.

10 years old and empathetic - “You don’t understand. You’re part of the most perfect family of Gimhae,” his best friend reprimands him during one of their regular joined study sessions, which they’re using for games more often than not. His parents are getting a divorce and he’s right – Wonseok doesn’t know what that’s like. His parents are still together somehow, though he doesn’t see much of it except for when they all go to church together on Sundays. In fact, his mother is currently pregnant again. He doesn’t know the feeling of losing one’s anchor, of having to let go one or the other, of fearing a change that will make everything different and weird and wrong. He doesn’t know it but that doesn’t mean he can’t help and offer to be at least one constant.

12 years old and bold – “You’re scary, like one of those ruthless businessmen in dramas my mom likes to watch.” Again, Wonseok can count on his best friend to call him out. His baby sister is the sunshine of his life and he can’t help but feel like he’s her parent more than their biological ones. Measured by the amount of time he spends with her and effort he puts in, he is more than they will ever be. At home, he is bright and caring and buzzing with energy. Outside, he’s become quiet as he has lost sight of everything but academics and the things his parents deem important and worthy of his attention. He doesn’t speak much and it’s been a long time since he’s last made a new friend – since he’s last spoken to anyone without needing anything from them or vice versa, actually. His best friend is right, undoubtedly, and Wonseok decides that he doesn’t want to become a robot and signs up for choir instead of the math athletes.

14 years old and tired - “We get that this is puberty. Your rebellious phase. We paid for vocal and piano lessons; we were understanding. But an idol? Out of the question. Snap out of it, Kim Wonseok.” His mother means well, he knows, she just likes complaining. She’s worried because it is an uncertain future, not one of the most stable and secure careers out there and she thinks he’s cut out for more than that. Not the first thing about how he feels more alive on stage than he ever has off it or how he’s finally coming out of his shell again reaches her ears. Feelings aren’t something they talk about in this household. His mother means well, he knows, but people can do the worst things with the best intentions.

16 years old and headstrong - “We’ve never interfered in who you choose to spend your time with but that Jaeyoung is below you, son. You don’t want that to reflect badly upon the family, right?” His father dislikes Wonseok’s best friend because he’s gay. Of course he does, as the loyal church-goer he is, pretending to pray to a God he really doesn’t know anything about. At this point, he is beyond caring. He’s had enough. This is it, he thinks and packs his bags, bids farewell to his beloved little sister who doesn’t understand what he’s saying and leaves behind his hometown for the uncertainty that is his future in Seoul, his happiness in music.

19 years old and determined - “When are you coming back?”, his sister asks and he can’t answer. Time passes and not much changes. Wonseok has never quite found back to who he was before the expectations and responsibilities but he’s happy nowadays. His career isn’t going anywhere since he signed with BKB Entertainment three years prior but he’s not one to give up easily or be knocked down by harsh words during an evaluation. This is the path he’s chosen and he’s going to walk it all the way to the end, wherever it may lead, so he sweats and bleeds and smiles through it all.

21 years old and hardworking - “And today’s Winner is… PARAL/L, congratulations!” Finally, he has debuted as the leader of PARAL/L and is met with an overwhelming amount of success right away. It’s hard to grasp and he tells the others not to let it go to their heads while carrying on like nothing has changed himself, staying behind to practice whenever they don’t have a schedule and sleeping almost exclusively in the van that brings them from one show to the next. On the inside, he’s feeling it all but he’s the leader and he knows that it falls to him to make sure everyone stays focused. This is only the beginning, after all. He wonders if his parents are watching.

24 years old and mature - “It makes me so angry that they keep misunderstanding things just for the sake of making you look bad!” His sister has read news articles about him before he has bothered checking them. They always say the same thing anyway. Usually, people like him for his sense of humor and the way he jokes around with people, always teasing, a bit gruff but never malicious. Wonseok never minces his words but he makes sure not to hurt anyone’s feelings nevertheless. At least he tries to, since that is the last thing he wants. Netizens are not as forgiving as his colleagues who raise an eyebrow at him, then see his grin and laugh along with him. Netizens like to think he’s mean and perhaps narcissistic. They don’t care that there are a thousand scenes proving the exact opposite. It’s not the first time this has happened, so he swallows his feelings and doesn’t comment on the issue. That method has proven effective. It’ll blow over; it always does.

27 years old and unchanging - “You’ll go solo afterwards, right?” His mother is not so much asking as she is demanding. Same old. After he has become successful, they have deemed him no longer a shame to the family and accepted him back as one of their own. Wonseok doesn’t blame them for the people they’ve become; he doesn’t like it but it isn’t entirely their fault either. The future, once again, is uncertain now that their contract is ending soon – only one more year until the big decision. Personally, he’s very attached to the group that has made his dreams a reality and the friends who have stayed with him throughout it all, but not so much the company that treats them as marionettes rather than humans. His journey is not at an end, that much he knows for sure, and making music is still his happiness and his dream. In the end, it will depend on what the others want to do. Ideally, Wonseok would like to transfer to a different label as a whole, as PARAL/L, but he would never force the others (or anyone) into something they don’t want for themselves.

#ryt:accepted #ryt:bkb #ryt:paral/l #rytwonseok

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robininthelabyrinth · 8 years

Text

Legends Recap

Because while I was determined not to (I was three episodes behind!), sometimes a girl's just got to scream into the void: "HOW DO THESE WRITERS KEEP THEIR JOBS?"

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Raiders of the Lost Art: Wow, I don’t care about Rip. Also, you had the fucking spear of destiny through all of season 1? Fucking incompetent.

I’ve seen the Mick scene before. *hugs Mick*

…Nate is such an annoying frat boy. 3AM blasting bad music? In a small space near other people’s sleeping quarters? And just “oh, yeah, sorry, I needed to do a thing” as an explanation? We have a name for those people: assholes.

Again: Indiana Jones is an archeologist. Not a historian.

“Anyone would have made the call to save Grey!” “Would Rip?” Answer: no, because Rip doesn’t care about the team. Remember how he did that repeatedly last season? Why is this show trying to push Sara’s weird (and out of nowhere) crush on Rip?

I have literally no interest in Rip’s issues. Zero.

Fear of giant toads, somehow related to Mick’s mother (reference to “mommy talk”). Dragon!Mick confirmed?

Mick’s expression of “you’ve got to be kidding me” is going to be the highlight of this episode, I can tell.

I’m pleased they remember that Mick can knock someone out without harming them. I’m less pleased that they seem to have forgotten that Sara can do the same?

“Oh now, our way out is block! Pity we didn’t bring Jax, so that we could literally Firestorm fly our way out! That would have made sense, but cost precious CGI money!”

Mick’s tradition of carrying people continues.

Oh god, this episode’s only halfway over. Make it stop.

Goody, Stein insulting Mick to his face. Also, emotional problems leading to hallucinations are a serious problem??? Even if it’s just “emotions”, there are hallucinations?

NOTE TO AUDIENCE: Not having 4 PhDs or a history degree = total inability to read words!

NOTE TO AUDIENCE: Not being an inventor or a historian makes you useless!

Also, apparently getting mugged once can cause a change of career after dropping money and time into it.

Why did they move the chair into Mick’s room? HOW did they? (Why were we, the audience, deprived of the glorious scene of Mick and Stein hauling it down the hallway)

Also, Mick has been interpreting Stein’s academic technobabble without a problem the whole episode, and yet, everyone on board thinks he’s stupid…

I’m incredibly pissed at this episode for raising hopes of Len and then destroying them. Both for Mick, and for the audience.

I’m also not here for the Rip/Sara thing. Also the fact that this show seems to assume people will be super disbelieving despite being on a goddamn spaceship.

Oh, my bby! Mick’s head is literally SLICED OPEN in that scene! WTF?

I get all the Star Wars references, I just…don’t care…

George Lucas is holding the spear of destiny, which makes him a great director…or, at least, married to one. He’s a good tech guy, at least.

In which the Guy Who Has Never Been In A Fight Decides Not To Run From Evil Bad Guys Because…Plot.

Mick’s little smile when he says “ghost” and the heartbreak after it is just…unnecessary. Also, wtf, Stein, hallucinations are not a usual response to grief, okay?

Ugh.

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Legion of Doom:

Damien’s intro is more interesting than 95% of the normal Legends’.

Okay, why is Merlyn having Feelings about Darkh dying? (Also, wouldn’t removing Darkh from the timeline mean that that timeline no longer happens? Why do G. Lucas’ ~~feelings~~ about filmmaking have an immediate impact but literally removing the person who doesn’t go on to do any of the shit he later does not?)

Fucking writers. This could be such a good show if they cared even a LITTLE.

I do enjoy the sheer bitchiness of the bad guys. Pity they’re Nazis. Also, do we need all the scenes of tortures?

ALSO: why the hell would his daughter help with a mystical artifact? Like, I see that she does because of plot, but couldn't they have put any effort into explaining why her specialty is required? Also, why does she have a radiation detector in her pocket when she goes to get coffee?

Bad guys: bitch-bitch-bitch.

Bad guys: bitch about each other.

Bad guys: yet MORE bitching!

Bad guys: worst bank robbers ever?

Mick’s difficulty thinking of the word is adorable. And yeah, she deserved to know. Everyone acting super weird about her, and she doesn’t know why? She would have wanted to know. It was clearly deliberate, too (I love how he goes to “asphyxiation”!)

Bad guys: going back to bitching. With swords! (See, I’d like them, but: Nazis.)

Stein is moping because Mick “spilled the beans” on a secret he shouldn’t be keeping. So sad.

Both sides figure out Eobard, finally. Also, can’t Eo just phase out through the wall?

Speedster: not…use…speed…force? I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand?

Eo’s terror face is hilarious. Also, did everyone just forget about phasing?

Stein’s family drama, yeah, yeah. Stein: Can’t you stay? Lily: No, the budget can’t afford another regular. I mean, I have protein-folding to be doing instead of LITERAL time travel with future science! Because that’s totally how normal people/scientists make decisions!

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Turncoat:

Mick’s intro is lovely.

Interesting mention about “time travel” being fun – I assume not all the memories are back in place. That, or being a Time Master is even more dull than I’d previously imagined.

I’m in for Gideon killing everybody! *notes down fic idea*

Go Mick! Use your skills! (Ray deserves all the arm twisting.)

Nate and Amaya – boring. And seriously, with the ‘falling into his arms’ thing?

Good lord, someone actually makes a plan that includes the line “and then if there’s trouble, Firestorm”? I thought I’d never see the day.

(Ray should totally go as a toy. And Ray, stop making faces at Mick – you’ve been a dick to him all season, only fair he gets some licks back in.)

“Oh you’re married to a black woman! Don’t you know we were racist back then!” says the man in late 18th century New Jersey, where rich black women could still vote. (No, really, in a handful of states black women could vote as long as they owned property. This was one of the rights that was lost when the US got itself a federal government. But the past was always racist! because we didn't make this joke enough when Kendra and Ray were dating!)

Ray’s “Mer-ry Christmas!” is amusing.

Mick identifies the problem faster than anyone else, as usual. Mick disapproves of Rip’s behavior – and Rip’s attempt to compare the two of them. For shame, Rip; as usual, thinking the worst of Mick.

“And Rory.” “That was implied.” Yeah, sure. At least Jax gets next Captain after Sara goes! First time I’ve seen any reference to Jax’s leadership skills in…the entire series…

Really. Twice. That doesn’t make it funny.

“I’ll bet a hundred yous you’re wrong” = Mick is the best. Georgie isn’t wrong about there being rules of war, but Mick is still the best.

Jax. Jax. I love you, but there is a DIFFERENCE between “wow, I’m in charge of a handful of people and need to make decisions” and “I’m going to do a potentially life threatening activity involving literally digging into my friend’s stomach (which is filled with organs that, if nicked, could cause sepsis and death) with a knife, and I’m going to do it without a guide or any experience”. Stein wins this one hands down.

Okay, let me just be clear: somehow, Amaya has been on this ship for months and months and never heard the term ‘dating’ and is instead using ‘courting’, which is the most formal of formal terms used in the past. Because obviously a man – to use old-fashiony language like this show wants to – “called on” or “stepped out with” a woman a few times before officially declaring a courtship. Because the past didn’t have one-night stands, because people only developed libidos around the time of the internet. SERIOUSLY SHOW? People have been fucking for fun since forever. The whole “sexual revolution” thing was a revolution because women could have sex for fun WITHOUT RISK OF PREGNANCY.

Before then, they still had sex, they used what contraceptives they had and hoped for the best. There’s a reason shotgun weddings were a thing. And why

And I was told they went with the “huddling for warming -> sex” thing, I knew it was coming, it’s just…disappointing. Boring.

Jax Home Alone looks like it’s going to be fun.

Rip – the most ahistorical haircut, or the most ahistorical haircut? Ugly, too.

Georgie: “Don’t punish Mick! He’s not guilty!” Mick: “You bet your ass I am! Possibly not at the moment, but of many other things! And also, just generally speaking!”

Still bored with Nate/Amaya.

Jax Home Alone is not anywhere near as fun as I was hoping. Boo.

Mick: So I’m getting you out of here. George: No. Mick: *tries insults* *it’s not very effective* George: *stirring speech* Mick: *stirring speech* *it’s super-effective!* George: …

“Oh, no, what about George Washington and Rory!” says the person happily having sex and napping instead literally five minutes before.

Awwwww, Ratigan! That is some terrible CGI.

Why are they selling the Rip/Sara? It’s icky. (This is me: totally believing that Sara’s dead. Really. Totally. Even for five seconds.)

First, the historical critique: they shouldn’t ALL be standing around at a hanging with primed guns, that’s a recipe for disaster.

Second: I don’t even care this is glorious. Mick saves everyone! Mick tackles four people! George uses his superior height!

Also, if Mick convinced him early in the evening, then they literally spent all night talking.

First instance of Georgie-boy! (though poor Mick is still suicidal, oh dear)

George: …yeah, Americans out, stage left, pursued by bear.

Jax, Jax, baby, just shoot him in the kneecap. What the hell is with these heroes? Sara’s back and decides to use Christmas against everyone because…no, I have no idea why. Is it just me or does it feel like these episodes are massively out of order?

Awwww, Georgie and Mick drinking together <3 Mick and the criminal justice system! And then they hug! Mick finally has a good friend!

“Rebel spirit, steadfastness, crass yet effective use of language, you’re the best of what our new nation can be” – Mick is now officially embarrassed and hiding. Man, if I hadn’t already written that Barry/Mick fic, I would now.

Sara and Jax bro-ship is perfectly okay. More of that.

Mick in a hat! Mick with his new rat! <3 Mick kissing his new rat!

“We have nothing to celebrate – including Mick getting a statute!” – why, guys, why?

(Mick’s face of “yeah I still got nothing” whenever the statute is mentioned is adorable)

“Because the League may have everything – smarts, beauty, cunning, charisma…wait, where was I going with this?”

#dc's legends of tomorrow #lot liveblog

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swanboy · 4 years

Text

Aimless

I’ve made it. I’ve done it. I’ve reached my goals. Did I really want to reach team?

I am struck by the futility of life and action. What’s the point? Why do I try? What am I trying to do? Perhaps this is a mini-mid-life crisis brought on by COVID, or perhaps it’s something that has been in the back of my mind once I saw what the result of my goals actually looks like.

Do I want to work on optimization code to make robots marginally better at processing something when it will likely be overtaken by advancements in processors in the near future? Do I want to work on optimizing some AI system whose performance will easily be overtaken by the latest paper? Do I want to spend all my time building some advanced architecture which will most likely be discarded like all the rest in the future? What’s the point?

For the longest time my goal was to learn all the skills I thought I needed to do robotics. I have learned a lot of them--programming, AI, 3D modelling, 3D printing, electronics, some machining, some control systems...and yet, something is still missing. I work at NASA and I am more unhappy about the work I am doing than I have been in a while. Maybe this is just the nature of research work--we spend a whole lot of time trying to do something only for it ultimately to be something thrown away. Only the 0.1% of research that makes breakthroughs is ultimately useful to the world.

Why am I unhappy? I don’t enjoy the work I am doing. I don’t like my work environment. What’s wrong with my work? ... Well my whole reason for working with robots was to see them actuate in real life. I don’t want to be pushing algorithms behind the scenes and never see my work doing something. I’m building up a toolset that will likely only ever be used by me and perhaps one or two others. Worse, I’m making marginal improvements to a system whose performance does not seem to be getting any better than my initial results despite all the time and effort I have put into it.The fact that I don’t get to work in person with anyone or with any actual robot is soul crushing. This ties in with the work environment--working alone sucks. Telework is nice once in a while, but I think actually going in and working alongside people is so much more motivating, so much more satisfying. It’s easier to balance my time and I gain a lot more knowledge just by being in the vicinity of smart people and hearing about their work.

I have difficulty feeling motivated working on my own stuff of my own volition unless there’s some particular “cool” aspect that I really enjoy--even then, there’s usually a lull where the sheen fades and I just have to keep trudging on in order to finish the job. I guess I enjoy that part right after starting where I start to figure things out and I get a result, but not the part where I polish it into something reusable and desirable for others. The prototyping stage is the most fun part of any project.

Unfortunately the reality is that my work is going to be like this for a while longer. Maybe even a lot longer based on the way this quarantine is shaping up. So how can I make it work? How can I adapt to these shitty circumstances while still being happy, healthy, and productive?

General wisdom says that a mindset of gratitude is the key. Perhaps it’s true that I haven’t been grateful enough. I am at one of the top universities in the world working with some of the greatest minds. I have plenty to eat, stable finances, a patient family, and friends I can call if I really feel the need. I’m not worried about survival at this point, only about fulfillment--many in the world cannot say this. There are probably 1000′s if not millions of people who would love to be in my position.

I am grateful for all these blessings, but I also feel almost soul-crushingly responsible because of them. Like if I don’t do something great, I am betraying all those who have raised me up to this point. If I waste my time I am insulting those that have sacrificed for my sake. It feels like too much sometimes, and I just want to give up, to go on an extended vacation, and just be free for a while. The thing is, I feel obligated to work 40 hrs a week, and if I don’t do that, I’m worried that I am robbing the people paying me. One could argue that my time is more valuable, that I’m being underpaid, or that I’m more efficient than the average, but this doesn’t change the fact that I made a contractual agreement to put in the time.

So what do I do? How do I demonstrate my gratitude? How do I stay productive with work while also finding fulfillment? Is there room for me to work on my own projects that I enjoy more? Do I even enjoy my own projects? What do I want to do? The question of goals comes to the forefront of my mind again. Perhaps an overarching goal and provide an underlying drive to everything I do.

Do I want to go into research? My current view of research in my field is that I would spend a whole lot of time on my own working on something of debatable value and unproven possibility anchored to the underlying goals of my selected PI. The other possibility is that if I had a strong enough idea and open enough PI, I could probably shape my work to something I believe would work, find a group of people that I believe are capable, and then use that as a launching pad for building a company, maybe not even completing my PhD.

What am I good at? What do I like? I am good at building and understanding large systems/frameworks/architectures. I have a variety of shallow skills, but my only real specialization is software engineering. My math is OK, physics is decent, electronics is decent, 3D modeling, fabrication, and mechanical mindset is mediocre, AI is okay, though I doubt I would make my own network or algorithm there, and my leadership skills are alright. I am also decent at teaching (or at least patient enough to learn to do it well). I feel I would thrive in an environment where I get other people started with something new and they take it to its ultimate fruition. Either that, or leading a small team after getting a prototype out. System architect would be okay, though I would like to work with hardware too. Really what I want is to replicate the environment I usually see in maker spaces and robotics clubs when people are working on the same project. It’s open, free, laidback, and fun. Everyone gets to share in the successes and failures and just screw around a little bit. I suppose the question is how I can replicate that kind of environment in the real world while still making enough money to support everyone involved? A startup seems like the most natural conclusion. Either one I start or one I find that has the culture I like. I think the main thing is I don’t really want to work on projects alone or with people who have significantly less investment.’

Aside: The VR project I did was really cool in terms of team structure. It sort of fell apart due to COVID, but if we had had the space and in-person time I would have liked, it could have been much better; 3/4 of the team was on top of things too, which was excellent (The other 1/4 was a waste of my time, but what can you do).

Okay, so the goal is to find a way to replicate the environment of robotics club somehow while making something valuable. This means that wherever I go, I need to work somewhere where collaboration is core, and not just an afterthought where each person works in a silo and then meets together after 100 hours. The Interaction Lab was kind of this, but they had the issue of unequal investment. Investment should be 2:1 at worst, and ideally it would be 1:1 for everyone. A 4:1 ratio or greater is just unproductive unless the 1 is a consultant/expert/advisor rather than a regular team member.

The question then becomes: what do I need to do or learn in order to make this work environment a reality? I suppose one option is to just go around and meet a bunch of different teams and see how they work, then attempt to join them. The other approach is I create my own team using startup money or research funds. The former option requires an idea and startup mentor; the latter requires a hypothesis and a PI. Both require me to find people that would join me. The challenge for me is likely that for me the work environment is central, but for many others it is the idea that is central. While the idea is very important, I’d say the work environment is much more important. A good team can produce value very easily with many ideas, while a poor team with a fantastic idea will struggle to produce value. That said, usually it’s the idea/vision which motivates good people to join a team. I need to make a point to keep up an idea journal again. The best way to enact my vision for a working environment is to start it myself, but to do that I need a vision people will get behind along with their trust.

So what are the other goals, and how will I adapt to COVID in the short term? Personal health is one that comes to the forefront--I’ve been living unhealthfully for a while now; my work should never be more important than my health (with some rare exceptions perhaps). Secondary to that is relationships. I realize now that sitting around until I finish XYZ before looking for a significant other is pointless. Yes, I will “lose” a fair bit of time courting someone, but ultimately it will be worth it once I find the right person, and there’s no real reason for me to hesitate. I will never reach the absolute ideal of physical performance or personal life habits, and must instead bank on love developing between flawed individuals.

COVID adaptation: For work, separating it into two working sessions per day is probably the key. Requiring any more than that does not feel sustainable or valuable right now. Focusing on hitting 8 hours every day feels like a slog when I’m by myself. I know I can accomplish enough work in less time if I’m focused. I’ll probably be more effective this way as well since i won’t burn out. After or between those working sessions, I should work on personal passion projects which I feel will make me better at something in some way. These will make me feel some sense of progress every day even if work does not provide it for whatever reason. For exercise, I just need to do it. The time of the day it occurs in doesn’t really matter, I just need to get outside and be at least somewhat active.

Aim acquired. Thanks God.

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coruscantholonet · 5 years

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Survey Results Part 3 : The Negatives

Been dreading this section! The question was “ Would like to hear what you feel could use improvement? Please be constructive! “

My comments will be in bold. Identifying comments may have those portions redacted.

Combat System Related

“The combat system is tremendously complicated to configure and use. You have to make templates to guide the new players or they will not attract you. In my case I have decided not to use it, it requires too much time and there are faster options that favor roleplay “

The template suggestion is a good idea. This is one of the easier to learn systems we’ve used over the years though, if anyone has any trouble configuring it feel free to poke any online staff board or ask in the Discord, we’re here to help!

“ LRS needs to be balanced, going all points offense is just too much of an advantage “

We’re constantly testing and considering options,will look into this further!

“ Everything. Meter being #1 on at the moment. “

Sorry you feel that way! We do have meter as a “needs improvement”, and high priority in that category.

“ Less complicated systems not everyone is waaaaayy into the Dungeons and Dragons Aspect. i myself am from a era in SWRP where everything was Combat Meter. People will debate that combat meter is not rp and they are right from a certain point of view. However before we attacked someone or another group we extensively rped out the scenario these days its all DICE MATH DICE MATH i am horrible at math i come to SL to relax and just play out my character with the occasional battle here and there. Now i am aware thats all the current generation of SWRP but the freedom is very limited i'd prefer old school honor FFC above meter and dice but i realize there is a huge trust issue in the community which i gotta admit is somewhat logical considering the amounts of people that god-modded in the past especially the Sith and Jedi who all were SUPAH powerfull. Hell i'm a sith too but i hide it and play like Palpatine nobody knows i'm sith unless they are sufficiently alligned with the force to sense the intense dark energy hidden.

Eh long story short. Focus more on ROLEPLAY and less on DICE or any other system.

In the end we all come to SL to escape the hectics of life adding complicated systems like CLOCKS [Large Events only as far as i heard ] does make me want to just walk away. Turfs work pretty neat but requires more consistent rules like Take 1 turf a week to prevent Big groups such as my [REDACTED] to Streamwall it all I can go on for hours but wont bother you guys ;) I love the casual rp on the sim that's what drew me in “

“ feel like things like clocks and turf are bloat “

We’re looking at things like Clocks & Turf for revision or termination. Those behind it are no longer with us, and we do feel it’s current version is too heavy. The add ons such as that are not mandatory for players to know, they’re more for group leads and often something they can opt out of as well under certain circumstances.

“ Make LRS more like d20 “

I wish this one elaborated a bit more.

“ Only thing I can really think of, is maybe more instructive ways to teach the LRS system, notecards can be helpful. Explain such things like weapons, armor, items, in general to be obtained, where to get them etc. Host events to maybe entice people to get them. And maybe, have more items with different stats, mind you I realize some share different stats, but from what I can see in the starter items, very few have different stats. Not saying, starter items should be powerful, just saying the things I've noticed. I could be mistaken with the items itself, and may need more experience in it. Anyway, thank you for your time :) “

Some good suggestions here.

“ Leveling/Rank system is kinda meh'. While I do like a system that has leveling/rank to it keeps people honest and cuts down on meta/god emoting and shit. I feel like the gaps between some of the higher ranks and lower ranks seem like kinda insane. Which might be intended if so then I suppose it's fine but I feel like Emi basically can't interact with certain people in a hostile manner once she learns their abilities cause you she would have be insane to try it again lol. “

The gaps are actually much less significant than they have been in the prior systems we’ve used such as SWT & Chimera but will look further into that. I’ve personally lost to a 1 on a 5, so it’s not invincible mode by any means.

Build/Setting Related

“i feel it might be nice to see more places for people to sit and hang out around coronet, maybe replace some of the derelict vehicles or make it so you can sit on them like benches. id like to see more items handed out as mission rewards even if rarely. “

“ I'd like for there to be more places to sit in Vreni and Corenet. benches or just something as simple like being able to sit on clutter such as crates, vehicles, or even ledges. “

Been working on this, adding in more benches, small parks, etc. As well as getting more staff the ability to generate items that can be given as rewards. If anyone is running a storyline that they want to request items for ask in the Discord or ask me directly, if I’m busy I can at least point you to someone who can help

“ more fun, less stress ... but I have no clue how to make that happen other than just focusing on RP and letting everything else go entirely “

I agree! I assume this one is more about staff than the playerbase as we’ve been pretty happy with the low number of OOC player vs player incidents.

“ Rentals availability notifier “

“ It's hard to find personal rentals. I wish there was a map or something that showed where there were rentals available. “

“ more rental homes i feels like there's not enough rental homes especially on the lower section there's like 4 i beleave maybe bump this up a little if possible as i would belave it would make it better for more people to have homes there. “

Since the survey have added enough rentals to catch up on the waiting list. While the waiting list is now empty they are all full last I checked so will add more. The waiting list is why the boxes often auto-lock and do not notify. When we do have freed up rentals and no list I let people know in Discord announcements. If you want to get on said list let Zenless know, specify which of the rental types/location. Generally go down the list when one becomes free but if I don’t hear back from someone in 48 hours move on to the next person.

“ The island build kinda tbh “

Would have liked elaboration as to why, I personally enjoy the contrasts in setting.

“ Add a area we can rez items we buy “

We do have a build box, but yeah need to be in the landgroup to rez, this is to protect the sim from griefers.

“ I feel like the furries need to be toned down, a lot of them seem to be pushing the limit on what is okay for a character. Otherwise I don't have a whole lot that comes to mind. “

If you have concerns about an avatar, contact a GM or an Admin. No one else should be confronting people about avatar appearance. Mentors will help those wondering if their avatars conform as well.

“ More open areas, like forests, deserts and snowy mountains, depicting the different Corellian environments and bringing more RP scenario options. “

Worked on it with the addition of the RP scenes, currently there are 4, we may switch them up now and then, any player can use these for their adventures. As of writing this we have a snowy one, a shadowy planet, a jungle and a minimalist desert. It often depends how many prims we have free how details these are. Things are also added to them specifically for a story, etc.

Story Related

“ Perhaps get more people involved IN the Holonet so we have a wider scope of story coverage from other factions/sources. “

“ StoryLine for the sim. News Reports. “

Would love to! Contact Zenless anytime you have something you would like printed on the news, we’ll take anything from briefs to full length articles. It’s generally me (Zen) who ends up writing most, but would love to have more contributors.

“ Easier access to groups. More storys that involve the "lesser" people that arnt part of a huge faction. Less hiding the roleplayers in faction bases. “

“ More events and gatherings for other time zones. It sucks that all of them are always at 9PM at night US EST. Some of us have jobs... “

“ Perhaps slightly more conflict between the groups. “

“ Most improvements are at the group level. All group leads should be working to give their players some daily content. Whether it be a small quest, large mission, or just something to progress their IC storylines. Right now it seems group leads are more there for policing than GM (game master) “

“ I feel that the Storytellers should put out more events, as well as come to defining the terms of the Clock System in a Simple way. There is too much confusion even among Admins about it. The Sim Build should also be improved to reflect 4D Coruscant. While an Island is nice it is only ever used for beach parties or the Jedi. Whilst every other RP is taking place in Coronet City or the Event Boxes. I am sorry if this was not very constructive but typing it out is a lot harder than explaining on voice. Come hangout with myself or talk to [REDACTED]. “

“ leadership in groups focusing on small scale rp to advance players char's ICly “

“ Could use more roleplay opportunities such as organized events. “

Lot of similar themes in these 6 so I’ll touch on them at once. Our group leads have been great and have been the primary ones responsible for the high levels of activity. On the other hand since the start we had a story team that did not put much time and effort in other than those who were also group leads. There was a main story arch yet few if any segments were ever run, and when these people left they asked for their stories not to be used so we had to go back to the drawing board. We’re working very hard to get more people involved in stories/running stories, do let me know if you are interested as we’re always looking for more aid. Typically we bring on people as mentors first, find out what they do well and help with stories if desired.

“ Not having jedi trying to confiscate lightsabers as if they are the cops... “

You could go to CorSec ICly. This one really seems like an IC issue as it is technically a violation of Corellian policy/law.

Staff/Management/Leadership Related

“ I feel there is a bias that favors the Jedi with staff “

“ the admins other than Eva do not seem like they care about the players “

“ Some of staff can at times be out of touch with the playerbase and comes off as elitist “

“ One owner has to go as per the jedi discussion on the jedi discord. The rest of the sim is fine. “

“ Admins “

“ Easiest suggestion. Unity. This admin team, just like the old 4D, is being trapped in drama. Things need to be unified and aligned to help the admin team mesh, instead of argue. “

“ some of the staff come off as condescending and rude mostly jedi who are also staff “

“ Consensual basis of decisions by the staff. Seems like things are constantly at odds. “

“ tessa and perry should not be admins “

“ Really wish the admins could be more approachable and stuff :l Except for Ootarian, he cool :D “

“ stop taking on owners who are terrible admins but just have money. wil,perry,lone,keely and so on “

“ I feel the LRS could be slightly more balanced rank-wise. I'd also like to see more LRS items but not too many. Less staff drama would be nice as to not fracture the community and kill RP. More sim-wide events such as Pazaak tournaments, races and even combat-oriented ones would be welcome “

“ Not a big fan of LRS but it’s better than most dice systems. Would like to see consensual agreements on staff rather than seemingly duking it out “

As some may have noticed there has been an overhaul of staff, much of this will seek to address any of the comments here. Everyone knows I say what I think to a fault. So I’ll be transparent in my POV (take as you will) though I’m sure some are going to be unhappy I even touched on this. The SWL Community was in bad shape after what happened on 4D for those who were here for that, I made a bad judgement call in some of the people I partnered with as our views were incompatible. I was very depressed after 4D (our prior region), and didn’t input as much as I should have when it came to staffing the sim, so they filled the staff with those who I’d consider their “friends”. Staff often became a battlefield of ideology between myself and what I saw as a circle of friends. In no way am I ever a perfect angel, and there are patches that I could have navigated better so I am responsible for the conflicts within staff as much as the departed are. Sometimes people just don’t work well together. What’s done is done though and moving forward I feel we’ve been making a lot of progress in having a more cohesive team. Still some rough patches as any sim with a decent sized playerbase is going to have it’s share of arguments, but I can say for certainty that everyone involved in leadership now genuinely cares about the community and that we’ll do our best to listen to the players and strive for consistent improvement.

“ Telling myself that "You seem to be breaking the system, the sith might need their own story system" isnt encouraging. We are here to help the story move along but because we are the only ones really using the Clock system. Our use of it in my opinion should be rewarded not, not discouraged so that way other groups are encouraged to use it also. And this isn't me complaining, this is how what is being said is being perceived. “

The staff member who said this is among those who departed (who have been mentioned often here). We’ll strive for a fair environment for everyone/all groups where goal posts aren’t moved on a whim.

“ More freedom and less bureaucracy “

You and me both :D

“ My friend who had been rping here for a few days before me and participated in two events got told she couldn't rank up because she "only earned 1 exp" meanwhile I got enough to level up and that isn't cool because we both pretty much did everything together so it feels like there might've been some bias there. “

I know it’s repetitive but the person who did this is among those who departed. Fixed this personally as being consistent is of extreme importance to us.

“ Maybe a little more staff so no one feels overburdened. Would love to see currency added to LRS (kind of like Chimera), most inventory items/upgrades/mods/etc. Otherwise, I love this place. Great people and great fun! “

We are currently interested in taking on another mentor or two as there is a lot of work to be done, but we’re being careful in that we want a staff that can get a long to avoid a lot of the feedback that was brought up here on staff environment being internally hostile.

MISC

“ Clear advertisement of those willing to mesh-build or animate on commission for players would be nice! Even if we don't take them up on it, knowing it is available helps. “

I like this suggestion, will think of ways to try to advertise for them.

“ - More sim events for common people

- More story events at current scale before we try and move large scale. We really haven't even tested the waters here and yet we're trying to move larger? It's like an amusement park with one slide saying we need to buy more land rather than build more attractions in the available space to entertain people. Lets try and utilize the current setting to its fullest before we decide it needs to go larger - The main social hub moved to a neutral ownership.

- More balanced meter

- Less outrageous things being brought onto sim. The more outrageous things get, the harder it is to bring content because that content gets dismissed by one person with the snap of a finger rather than being a tension and toil to overcome It also puts newer players at a huge social disadvantage. “

This one touched on a lot of things so put it in misc. Pretty much touched on everything but “outrageous” in other sections. What people consider outrageous is very subjective but we do try to avoid anything too crazy.

“ A lot of people are a bit bossy and obligating others what to do with their character, especially how they look. That makes people, certainly those who put a lot of effort in them, really pissed. Maybe a send out that we all should respect each other in how we look and how we roleplay. Not everyone is a rich ass who can buy what they want or so experienced in roleplay as the other. So the basic thing is respect. “

True. If any issues with an avatar or anything else, a GM or Admin should be contacted. Players hostilely confronting other players is often something that will be considered a minor offense which can lead to disciplinary scenarios. If you need any help do let one of us know, it makes me very sad when I hear about someone being given a hard time over something like that.

In conclusion, thank you to everyone who filled out the survey. This was the hardest section to give feedback on as it does touch on a lot of “drama” elements. I’m not the smartest admin, def not the most PR or PC, I speak from the heart. It means a lot to me that after six years and all the obstacles that people are still here. I’ll do my best to try to improve everyone's experience. Please keep in mind we are a VERY diverse role-play community and it’s literally impossible to fully please everyone, sometimes the good of the many will outweigh the good of the few but the tyranny of the majority is also something you always try to keep at bay.

SWRP as a whole has now lasted about fifteen years as you can trace it’s origins back to 2003 while the first groups and sims really got going in 2004 with groups like the Mandalorians under Dazzo Street, Jedi under Marcus Moreau and others,the first Galactic Empire. Then in 2005 sims exploded with Korriban, Sirius, New Holstice, Tatooine, the founding of GAR & DLOTS. We may have had to do a lot of adapting and changing with the times to still be an active community, but fifteen years is an amazing accomplishment for any roleplay community. We’ll have our ups and downs but I think we’ve proven ourselves to be as resilient as they come. :)

#SWRP #StarWars #Corellia #SecondLife #SLRP

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ainadesigncompetition · 6 years

Text

Article

They also have produced an article that talks all about the book and what Sam Conniff Allende message is to the society.

The link to the article

Be More Pirate

Work / Opinion

Be More Pirate: Sam Conniff Allende on how, by breaking rules, we can rebuild the creative landscape

Words by Sam Conniff Allende, Friday 11 May 2018

The founder of Don’t Panic and multi-award-winning youth marketing agency Livity Sam Conniff Allende has always believed in doing business a bit differently. Here, in the run up to his talk at Nicer Tuesdays later this month, he tells us why, as inequality rises, we all need to re-learn how to break the rules.

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a pirate.

A pirate state of mind has been the underlying ethos of the last twenty years of my creative career founding and running Don’t Panic and then Livity. And now it’s informing my message to creatives everywhere. It also partly explains the fact that I’ve just published a book called Be More Pirate.

I believe in pirates, I believe in their principles, I believe in their manifesto, and I believe that now more than ever, you and me both need some new rules when it comes to doing things differently.

Are you, like me, beginning to realise that the idea that Technology Will Save Us is looking like an increasingly undercooked and oversold promise?

As incomes fall and inequality rises. As the march of the machines threatens mass redundancy, and a backdrop of almost guaranteed ecological disaster can’t seem to wean us off our addiction to consumerism, the hard truth is that no one is coming to save you. Except maybe you.

Take one look at our current leadership, and the alternative, and tell me you disagree. The leadership we need now is within. We have to decide whether we’re part of the problem or part of the solution. And when I say we, I mean you. The creative industries, and advertising and marketing in particular has to choose whether it wants to be the signature on humanity’s suicide note, or part of its wake-up call.

That’s why I want to talk about rule-breaking. History tells us time and again that yesterday’s rebels and rule-breakers become today’s heroes and tomorrow’s legends. At the same time, history often judges badly those who followed orders and played by the rules.

So, for people living in historic times, do you feel confident that you will do what’s required when it’s your time right to not do what you’re told? Will you flinch when it’s the responsible thing to break the rules and risk everything?

Be More Pirate is my first book and it was published last week, the same week Livity turned 17, and like Don’t Panic before it, I’ve left the agency in far better hands than mine to manage, as I embark on an even more radical adventure, than those to pretty radical endeavours.

And here I am, back once again (like the reengage master) and one-man-band trying to take on the world, and win. Because after nearly two decades at the helm of two influential youth-led marketing agencies, I am tired of witnessing young people being patronised by creative businesses, brands and society and not offered what they increasingly seem ready for: a more decisive stake in determining their own future.

That’s why I want to talk about pirates. What’s so profound and potent about the 18th Century millennials aka the Golden Age Pirates who outwitted the Navy from approximately 1690 to 1725, is that they didn’t just break rules in purposeless anarchy, they fundamentally rewrote them. They didn’t just reject a society, they re-imagined it; and they didn’t just challenge the status quo, they changed everyfuckingthing.

I know most of us have a mental image of pirates and more often than not it’s informed by Hollywood, but I’d argue that the troublesome true history of pirates, suppressed at the time by the establishment they threatened, puts them alongside the working class heroes like the Levellers or perhaps even pioneers of civil rights like the Suffragettes in their fight for fairness and equality. Bold claims I know, but I think it’s time to look further back for our lessons. We’re increasingly too wedded to unproven short-term models. For all the unicorns galloping out of Silicon Valley, there’s a lot of horse shit behind the scenes. And I for one, think we need more than the uberisation of everything as the proposed future model of anything. Dropping a vowel from your name, doesn’t make you fit for the future, but knowing your history could.

So come on an adventure with me, and 300 years ago you find a a discontented Gen Z of the early 1700’s who were fed up with the inability of a self-serving establishment to provide a decent wage, decent working conditions, or any sense of hope in the future. Their response was to take power into their own hands.

The lessons for everyone facing disruption are pretty profound, but they come into especially sharp focus for our industry, as these were, after all the great-great-grandfathers of global branding. Not Coca-Cola as many think, but the Skull and Crossbones 150 years earlier, a deliberate meme designed go viral and maximise profit and contrary to popular opinion, to reduce violence. There’s much more of Blackbeards rules of branding in the book, but now word counts and deadlines loom.

Talking of deadlines, this piece is due to be published one week on from the books launch and as things stand, the rebellion is in full flight. Be More Pirate launched as a Best Seller on Amazon in multiple business categories and is rising slowly, with no mainstream media recognition but a growing (and humbling) amount of support on social.

But far, far more important than sales, is the rebellion rate. I’ve lost track of the number of the rebellious responses I’ve received so far, from the resignations it’s triggered to a young woman who is using pirate principles to run a massive campaign to get her friend released from illegal detention by the Home Office.

This book has touched a nerve, across all walks of life, but it’s most precise message is for the audience it’s inspiration is drawn from, young creatives with world changing ambitions, so I sincerely hope this has found you. Because deep down I think you know as well as I do the biggest mistake we could both make is assuming that the way things have always been is the way they still have to be.

www.bemorepirate.com

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maryhare96 · 6 years

Text

How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation?

The team at Convince & Convert and I have been working with Comcast for nearly two years, helping them understand the landscape of customer experience influencers, and how that community thinks about CX transformation and storytelling.

Last week, as part of that work, I was joined at the Comcast headquarters in Philly by a cavalcade of all-star customer experience thinkers: Chip Bell, Jeanne Bliss, Joey Coleman, Steve Curtin, John Dijulius, Matt Dixon, Moira Dorsey, Shep Hyken, Scott McKain, Adam Toporek, Bill Quiseng, and Jeannie Walters.

We gathered together to spend an entire day behind the scenes with Comcast executive leadership, including Chief Customer Experience Officer Charlie Herrin, discussing the commitment the company has made to turn around a customer experience that has historically been far less than optimal.

The company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars, embarked on the largest Net Promoter Score implementation in history, and has made more than one million customer callbacks in just the first 10 months of 2018. (Every manager in the company, regardless of role, is now required to call actual customers on a regular basis).

The commitment made to this transformation is staggering and is bearing fruit in hundreds of ways, large and small.

For example, customers receive a $20 bill credit if technicians are late for an appointment. Customer service response times are way down, especially in social media, where Comcast now has 408 full-time equivalents (FTEs) handing social care. And the xFinity product line is riddled with self-healing functionality and easy diagnostics. Comcast fundamentally believes that better, simpler, more intuitive products are the forward guard of CX.

The 80,000+ employees are dialed in on this course trajectory, which is crucial. In fact, Comcast has spent as much, if not more, time and money on internal CX and culture change than they have on customer-facing enhancements. This “inside out CX” approach is absolutely a requirement for meaningful, long-term change to occur, particularly in service-oriented businesses.

As you might imagine, a course trajectory change of this magnitude takes years. Today, a lot goes right. And a few things that go wrong. Sometimes more than a few.

But as a Comcast customer, I can personally attest that the customer experience and customer service improvements are numerous and real.

But they are also largely hidden.

This is the great conundrum for Comcast: how do you convince people you’ve changed?

This is the great conundrum for Comcast: how do you convince people you've changed? Click To Tweet

For example, during this CX Influencer Day, my colleagues and I received a technology briefing from Comcast’s Senior VP of Digital Home, Devices, and AI, Frasier Stirling. He showed off several interesting features, many of them using the xFinity voice remote. For instance, press the microphone button and name any NFL player, and his stats appear.

And a lot more ninja tricks are rolling out soon.

It’s a ton of behind-the-scenes work and expense to make all of this synch up. We asked him why Comcast was making that investment, and he said he felt it was his job to make people love television again. He said emotion comes first. Emotion then creates customers.

Emotion comes first. Emotion then creates customers. Click To Tweet

It all makes sense, and the company’s commitment to iterative product enhancements is commendable. But how do you create the emotion if people don’t know about the cool stuff that will trigger it? I wouldn’t call myself an avid television watcher, but I do watch a bit, as do some of the other CX professionals who joined me in Philadelphia. And NONE of us were aware of some of the features that Frasier demonstrated, even though they are currently available in our homes.

At one point, he said one of the voice remote features was “a bit of an easter egg.” And it got me thinking, particularly since I drive a Tesla that is full of hidden tricks, isn’t the difference between a “feature that triggers emotion” and an “easter egg” simply the number of people that know about it?

To me, this is also part of the challenge currently faced by Amazon Alexa and Google Home. The ability of those devices to add value to our lives is out-kicking the coverage of our ability to stay on top of what those abilities actually are.

Discovery takes time to occur organically, and I wonder how Comcast could be more proactive in alerting customers to what is actually at their fingertips or lips.

Comcast faces a similar challenge with the customer experience turnaround story at large. Charlie Herrin talked extensively with us last week that “trust must be earned” from customers, and he is, of course, correct on that point.

But HOW do you earn that trust if you’re a company like Comcast? How do customers — some of them longstanding and frankly, long-suffering — get the message that there’s a new CX sheriff in town?

Comcast runs some ads on this theme today, talking about their commitment, showing their technicians in action, and so forth. I’m not sure there’s much impact here. The “believe us, we’ve changed” commercial is quite the trope in modern, American business and you could build a hall of fame to house the gauzy, piano-laden contributions from Toyota, Facebook, Wells Fargo, and many, many others.

These 30-second corporate pinky swears say the right things, but there’s a reason why it’s called customer EXPERIENCE.

So if you’re Comcast, I think there are only two options to regain the trust of any particular customer or former customers, and both are marathons, not TV-aided sprints.

First, you put up such a long string of uninterrupted, error-free service that it slowly begins to dawn on the customer that “hey, these guys have their act together.” This is the electric company model of trust-building. If I flick a switch 5,000 times in a row without incident, I begin to believe that those responsible for illumination are pretty good at their job.

The trouble with this approach is that it’s massively susceptible to glitches in the Matrix and disturbances in the Force. This method of regaining customer trust works like an ice cube tray: every day that goes by the water gets harder. But one little problem — somebody leaves the freezer door open just a crack — and you’re melted. Back to the beginning.

For xFinity, there are a lot of ways that door can be left open: weather, up or downstream tech issues that aren’t their responsibility, and customer errors.

Airlines have the exact same problem. Without even talking to you, I can tell you your least favorite airline: the one that disrupted your travel plans you most recently, for any reason, even if it had nothing to do with the airline itself.

It’s possible to earn trust and rebuild a CX reputation using this consistent, long-term excellence model, but boy is it hard, and unreliable to boot.

The second option for Comcast to address the conundrum that is changing the narrative around their CX is to simply fix every problem perfectly.

There is a ton of research that shows that customers who have a problem that a company successfully fixes are not only satisfied, but buy more and are more vociferous advocates than customers who never had a problem at all. We cite some of this work in my book, Hug Your Haters.

Comcast’s Big Opportunity for Earning Trust

To me, this is the opportunity for Comcast. Because amidst increasing complexity, emerging product/service lines like home automation and mobile phone, it seems to me that EVERY xFinity customer will have a problem eventually. I certainly do, from time to time.

You’ve heard the saying that the measure of a person isn’t how she or he treats people when times or good, but how they treat you when times are bad? Customer experience and customer service work the same way.

If Comcast can NAIL IT every time a customer has any kind of an issue, that’s the most direct path to gaining trust, creating true, ground-up advocacy, and spreading the word about the overall CX transformation.

The commitment to better problem resolution at Comcast is real, but there is still a ways to go. This is what powers the company’s zeal to make every product self-healing, wherever possible. Charlie Herrin once told me, “the best phone call is the one that never has to happen.”

Customer experience at the product level, done perfectly, makes customer service superfluous, in large measure.

Customer experience at the product level, done perfectly, makes customer service superfluous, in large measure. Click To Tweet

The implications for this fascinate me. Customer service has always been looked at as mostly a soft skill, rooted in equal parts empathy and common sense. But Comcast’s approach combines the traditional service approach with a wholly modern idea: what if every product is its own customer service team?

Maybe the secret to telling the transformation story at Comcast doesn’t require convincing 29 million people that customer service is better. Perhaps instead, it requires machines to tell that story through customer experience, one robotically fixed problem at a time.

The post How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation? appeared first on Convince and Convert: Social Media Consulting and Content Marketing Consulting.

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#How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation?

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christinesumpmg1 · 6 years

Text

How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation?

The commitment made to this transformation is staggering and is bearing fruit in hundreds of ways, large and small.

As you might imagine, a course trajectory change of this magnitude takes years. Today, a lot goes right. And a few things that go wrong. Sometimes more than a few.

But as a Comcast customer, I can personally attest that the customer experience and customer service improvements are numerous and real.

But they are also largely hidden.

This is the great conundrum for Comcast: how do you convince people you’ve changed?

This is the great conundrum for Comcast: how do you convince people you've changed? Click To Tweet

And a lot more ninja tricks are rolling out soon.

Emotion comes first. Emotion then creates customers. Click To Tweet

Discovery takes time to occur organically, and I wonder how Comcast could be more proactive in alerting customers to what is actually at their fingertips or lips.

These 30-second corporate pinky swears say the right things, but there’s a reason why it’s called customer EXPERIENCE.

So if you’re Comcast, I think there are only two options to regain the trust of any particular customer or former customers, and both are marathons, not TV-aided sprints.

For xFinity, there are a lot of ways that door can be left open: weather, up or downstream tech issues that aren’t their responsibility, and customer errors.

It’s possible to earn trust and rebuild a CX reputation using this consistent, long-term excellence model, but boy is it hard, and unreliable to boot.

The second option for Comcast to address the conundrum that is changing the narrative around their CX is to simply fix every problem perfectly.

Comcast’s Big Opportunity for Earning Trust

Customer experience at the product level, done perfectly, makes customer service superfluous, in large measure.

Customer experience at the product level, done perfectly, makes customer service superfluous, in large measure. Click To Tweet

The post How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation? appeared first on Convince and Convert: Social Media Consulting and Content Marketing Consulting.

https://ift.tt/2RdRPiN

#How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation?

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dainiaolivahm · 6 years

Text

How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation?

The commitment made to this transformation is staggering and is bearing fruit in hundreds of ways, large and small.

As you might imagine, a course trajectory change of this magnitude takes years. Today, a lot goes right. And a few things that go wrong. Sometimes more than a few.

But as a Comcast customer, I can personally attest that the customer experience and customer service improvements are numerous and real.

But they are also largely hidden.

This is the great conundrum for Comcast: how do you convince people you’ve changed?

This is the great conundrum for Comcast: how do you convince people you've changed? Click To Tweet

And a lot more ninja tricks are rolling out soon.

Emotion comes first. Emotion then creates customers. Click To Tweet

Discovery takes time to occur organically, and I wonder how Comcast could be more proactive in alerting customers to what is actually at their fingertips or lips.

These 30-second corporate pinky swears say the right things, but there’s a reason why it’s called customer EXPERIENCE.

So if you’re Comcast, I think there are only two options to regain the trust of any particular customer or former customers, and both are marathons, not TV-aided sprints.

For xFinity, there are a lot of ways that door can be left open: weather, up or downstream tech issues that aren’t their responsibility, and customer errors.

It’s possible to earn trust and rebuild a CX reputation using this consistent, long-term excellence model, but boy is it hard, and unreliable to boot.

The second option for Comcast to address the conundrum that is changing the narrative around their CX is to simply fix every problem perfectly.

Comcast’s Big Opportunity for Earning Trust

Customer experience at the product level, done perfectly, makes customer service superfluous, in large measure.

Customer experience at the product level, done perfectly, makes customer service superfluous, in large measure. Click To Tweet

The post How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation? appeared first on Convince and Convert: Social Media Consulting and Content Marketing Consulting.

https://ift.tt/2RdRPiN

#How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation?

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conniecogeie · 6 years

Text

How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation?

The commitment made to this transformation is staggering and is bearing fruit in hundreds of ways, large and small.

As you might imagine, a course trajectory change of this magnitude takes years. Today, a lot goes right. And a few things that go wrong. Sometimes more than a few.

But as a Comcast customer, I can personally attest that the customer experience and customer service improvements are numerous and real.

But they are also largely hidden.

This is the great conundrum for Comcast: how do you convince people you’ve changed?

This is the great conundrum for Comcast: how do you convince people you've changed? Click To Tweet

And a lot more ninja tricks are rolling out soon.

Emotion comes first. Emotion then creates customers. Click To Tweet

Discovery takes time to occur organically, and I wonder how Comcast could be more proactive in alerting customers to what is actually at their fingertips or lips.

These 30-second corporate pinky swears say the right things, but there’s a reason why it’s called customer EXPERIENCE.

So if you’re Comcast, I think there are only two options to regain the trust of any particular customer or former customers, and both are marathons, not TV-aided sprints.

For xFinity, there are a lot of ways that door can be left open: weather, up or downstream tech issues that aren’t their responsibility, and customer errors.

It’s possible to earn trust and rebuild a CX reputation using this consistent, long-term excellence model, but boy is it hard, and unreliable to boot.

The second option for Comcast to address the conundrum that is changing the narrative around their CX is to simply fix every problem perfectly.

Comcast’s Big Opportunity for Earning Trust

Customer experience at the product level, done perfectly, makes customer service superfluous, in large measure.

Customer experience at the product level, done perfectly, makes customer service superfluous, in large measure. Click To Tweet

The post How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation? appeared first on Convince and Convert: Social Media Consulting and Content Marketing Consulting.

https://ift.tt/2RdRPiN

#How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation?

0 notes

christinesumpmg · 6 years

Text

How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation?

The commitment made to this transformation is staggering and is bearing fruit in hundreds of ways, large and small.

As you might imagine, a course trajectory change of this magnitude takes years. Today, a lot goes right. And a few things that go wrong. Sometimes more than a few.

But as a Comcast customer, I can personally attest that the customer experience and customer service improvements are numerous and real.

But they are also largely hidden.

This is the great conundrum for Comcast: how do you convince people you’ve changed?

This is the great conundrum for Comcast: how do you convince people you've changed? Click To Tweet

And a lot more ninja tricks are rolling out soon.

Emotion comes first. Emotion then creates customers. Click To Tweet

Discovery takes time to occur organically, and I wonder how Comcast could be more proactive in alerting customers to what is actually at their fingertips or lips.

These 30-second corporate pinky swears say the right things, but there’s a reason why it’s called customer EXPERIENCE.

So if you’re Comcast, I think there are only two options to regain the trust of any particular customer or former customers, and both are marathons, not TV-aided sprints.

For xFinity, there are a lot of ways that door can be left open: weather, up or downstream tech issues that aren’t their responsibility, and customer errors.

It’s possible to earn trust and rebuild a CX reputation using this consistent, long-term excellence model, but boy is it hard, and unreliable to boot.

The second option for Comcast to address the conundrum that is changing the narrative around their CX is to simply fix every problem perfectly.

Comcast’s Big Opportunity for Earning Trust

Customer experience at the product level, done perfectly, makes customer service superfluous, in large measure.

Customer experience at the product level, done perfectly, makes customer service superfluous, in large measure. Click To Tweet

The post How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation? appeared first on Convince and Convert: Social Media Consulting and Content Marketing Consulting.

https://ift.tt/2RdRPiN

#How Does Comcast Tell 29 Million People About Customer Experience Transformation?

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cleancutpage · 6 years

Text

We Need to Chat About Something and It’s Going to Be Unpleasant…

This post originally appeared on Michael Beckerman's Blog and is republished with permission. Find out how to syndicate your content with theBrokerList.

…No no, I’m not referring to THAT convo that my wife often wants to have with me 🙂

It’s about cybersecurity. Everyone knows it’s important but I am afraid most people just want to put it off or not have the conversation at all. My friend Sandy Jacolow of Silverstein Properties is ALWAYS nagging me that we need to raise this issue every chance we can. It’s THAT important! And he is right, as usual.

It’s one of the biggest issues facing anyone who is online in all areas of their life. But it’s also a huge issue for businesses and for commercial real estate, in particular.

And so I went to one of the real experts in in my network on cybersecurity, SAX Technology Advisors, and wanted to learn more about the things we should be doing now and in the future to protect ourselves from these massive thefts happening daily.

Here are the excerpts of my conversation with Matthew Hahn, Leader of Sax Technology Advisors.

Michael: How big of a problem is cybersecurity in the U.S. business sector?

Matthew: Cybersecurity is the most prevalent wave of threats that face businesses today. The reason being is that cyber threats are coming from many different angles and are growing in sophistication and increasing in frequency. We’ve seen the damage these threats can inflict on enterprises who were recently breached, like Yahoo, Equifax, Target, and Sony. These are organizations who certainly already have security measures in place, but it goes to show have savvy and sophisticated some attacks can be. So, what does that say for businesses who have limited resources? 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses, and that is because they are not as secure and can be a gateway into larger organizations they are affiliated with. The good news is that combative technology is evolving as well, and active security measures can be put in place for any company, at any size. End users need to stay abreast of the existing and emerging cyber threats by way of security awareness training and leveraging technology to combat them.

Michael: What are some of the most common mistakes you see companies making in leaving themselves vulnerable for cyber breaches?

Matthew: The most common mistake I see companies make with respect to leaving

themselves exposed to cyber breaches is believing an attack will not happen to them.Therefore, they do not maintain a strong security posture because it is not an initiative they are willing to allocate time and resources to. Also, many companies fail to use professional service providers to monitor and maintain their IT environment so the implementation of various products introduce threats themselves, simply by not being adequately maintained and changing manufacturer defaults. Lastly, a lack of proper technology leadership or guidance can ultimately lead to a cyber incident that negatively impacts a business. This is often times not the fault of a business owner as they may believe it is being handled by their existing IT team. When I ask, “How is your data being protected” to many key management members of various companies, I commonly get the deer in headlights look. Business owners are often times unaware of the behind the scenes with regards to how their data is being protected, and whether it is at all. This causes significant issues, because just relying on the word of your IT provider may not be enough. An incident response plan should be in place in the event of a cyber-attack, and business owners should understand what that entails should an incident occur.This plan and these measures to protect a company should be consistently tested and evaluated. If this is not the case, you may be vulnerable and not know it.

Michael: What are some of the basic things companies can be doing on their own to protect themselves?

Matthew: Technology solutions require specific expertise to be effective. With that, the most important thing a company can do to protect themselves is to enlist a trusted advisor to maintain their IT environment. Aside from that, it all starts with employees who are on the front lines. The most effective measure to implement internally to protect a company from within is to build an internal education program in addition to procedures and policies for staff to follow that provides true security awareness training and teaches team members what to look for regarding outside threats attempting to breach. Also, companies should consider Cyber Liability Insurance. Even after you train your staff, one potential misstep from an employee can bring an entire company to its knees. Cyber Liability Insurance can cover you for damage inflicted as a result of a cyber breach or incident. Lastly, leverage emerging technologies that make sense for your specific industry and company size. Then, you must be proactive with maintaining them so your investment is worthwhile.

Michael: How does Sax Technology Advisors approach cybersecurity and what is the process to protect clients?

Matthew: Sax Technology Advisors leverages the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 1.1 Cybersecurity Framework which is a proven, structured process to identify critical process issues, system vulnerabilities and various forms of protection needed at the host and network level. Sax also leverages Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) technology which allows us to get a proactive view into the various systems through real-time analysis of security alerts generated by applications and network hardware. Another main component is education. A company’s staff is on the front lines when it comes to company data that is the lifeblood of any organization, and they are also the lowest hanging fruit for cyber criminals. Sax Technology Advisors helps to develop internal training programs, policies and procedures to better equip a company’s staff on best practices with regards to security awareness and protection from within. Education on the Internet of Things (IoT) is also necessary. This is the system of interrelated computing devices that transfers data over a network and is an emerging technology which will be coupled by emerging threats. Staying on top of advancements like these not only allows a company to maximize on technology to streamline efficiencies, but also allows them to be better prepared to protect the technology from within.

Regarding our process to protect clients, we start out with some level of a network assessment (based on their preference) for each company to get a firm handle on their technologies in place and where immediate and long-term needs lie. Technology solutions are not one size fits all, so once we identify the needs and provide our recommendations for improvement, we work together with key management to come up with an action plan to address those needs and a process to implement the plan. We also provide ongoing advisory because technology products are not “set it and forget it” type of solutions. They need ongoing maintenance and monitoring, and a business needs ongoing technology guidance to be kept abreast of emerging enhancements so they stay competitive, productive and secure at all times.

Michael: Are there things you do differently for real estate companies in particular?

Matthew: The real estate industry is one of great breadth and complexity, in addition to being a very competitive space. Real estate companies also handle sensitive data like Personally Identifiable Information (PII) so we need to take a thorough approach to providing technology expertise in a way that best conforms with the way they do business and protects their sensitive information. There are many SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions real estate professionals can leverage under monthly subscriptions which grants them access to cloud-based technology to improve capabilities and efficiencies (such as Office 365) without having to manage it. This in-turn allows real estate professionals to utilize technology that improves their business, while not be bogged down by its maintenance or hiring a staff to oversee it. Also, augmented reality (AR) is an incredible, up and coming technology that will bring showing properties to prospective renters or buyers to a whole new level.

Michael: What does the future of cybersecurity look like and are you confident we will eventually be able to one day prevent these massive company hacks?

Matthew: I would love nothing more than to say “Yes, we will eventually stop all cybercrime”, but the reality is that will just not be the case. As our technologies and defenses advance, so do the ways hackers infiltrate systems. We can only try to avoid the threats or dilute the damage inflicted when a threat hits. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools will play a big part in allowing us to identify threats before they happen based on behavior trends, but we cannot be naïve in thinking cybercrime won’t continue to evolve as well. Cyber criminals are banking on us letting down our guard. Small and medium sized businesses will continue to be the target of more and more cyber breaches as they are easier ins for cyber criminals. Moving forward, we must continue to educate ourselves and our staff on best practices for protection, and be diligent with the security of our company, our people, and our data.

Matthew Hahn is the Chief Technology Officer at Sax LLP and Leader of Sax Technology Advisors. He has over 25 years of experience in the technology industry, and his proficiencies cover all areas of technology business solutions.

Matt built and led a prior Managed Service Provider (MSP) Practice to much success for 14 years which provided customized technology solutions to hundreds of businesses and received many accolades under his leadership. Matt was appointed to lead Sax LLP’s technology practice because of his expertise in the technology space, his demonstrated success leading a prior MSP, his renowned client service, and because he is a force in the technology industry with valuable relationships with state-of-the-art service providers that will drive Sax Technology Advisors’ high-quality standards and product offerings.

RSS Feed provided by theBrokerList Blog - Are you on theBrokerList for commercial real estate (cre)? and We Need to Chat About Something and It’s Going to Be Unpleasant… was written by Michael Beckerman.

We Need to Chat About Something and It’s Going to Be Unpleasant… published first on https://greatlivinghomespage.tumblr.com/

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energysolutions · 7 years

Text

Speech: Launch of the Clean Growth Strategy has been published on Energy Solutions News

New Post has been published on http://www.energybrokers.co.uk/news/beis/speech-launch-of-the-clean-growth-strategy

Speech: Launch of the Clean Growth Strategy

Good morning all.

It is such a pleasure to be here today to launch our new Clean Growth Strategy. Not only because I am required to, under the Climate Change Act.

But also because I am genuinely proud of what we have achieved so far in the United Kingdom and incredibly excited about the huge opportunities for us ahead.

You may wonder why we have asked you to come to this iconic venue, scene of so much national success, this morning.

Well there are two reasons.

The first is because we are benefiting in this building from one of the UK’s biggest low-carbon combined heating, cooling and power facilities – brilliant technology that we want to see deployed much more widely.

And the second reason is… well you will have to wait for that.

Before I begin to detail all the steps we are taking, I want to thank a few people.

First, I want to thank my Secretary of State Greg Clark for his longstanding commitment to action on climate change.

From his time as Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change before the 2010 election, to his work across government, he has continued to champion the urgent need to cut emissions and seize the opportunity of clean growth and he deserves a huge amount of credit for this Strategy.

Second, I want to thank Nick Hurd, my predecessor in the department.

Nick put a massive effort into developing the policies in this plan, and I was really delighted I could take the baton from him [not just to steal all the glory] but because when I took on the Strategy, he had got it to a great place.

Thanks also to my amazing team at BEIS who have been working so hard for so long to put this Strategy together.

I also want to thank the Committee on Climate Change and their tireless chairman, Lord Deben.

You don’t realise until you sit in this ministerial chair, what a brilliant piece of legislation the Climate Change Act has proved to be, holding our feet to the fire as we consider every policy choice and empowering the Committee to keep us moving forward despite the short term political cycle.

Finally, I also want to thank all of you here today for your work cajoling, prodding, challenging, sometimes praising and, yes, criticising what we do.

We are not going to tackle the risks of climate change, nor grasp the opportunities of doing so unless we work together and I thank you for your commitment to this most important of issues.

You will know the gestation of our Clean Growth Strategy has been long, at times difficult and sometimes frustrating.

But we finally have a Strategy that is ambitious, broad and binding…

Sets out clear targets….

Harnesses the power of national innovation….

And re-affirms this government’s commitment to lead the way to a low carbon future.

So, today, in launching the Clean Growth Strategy I want to focus on three things:

First, to celebrate the extraordinary success the United Kingdom has achieved in delivering clean growth over the past two decades…

Second, as Greg said, to underline the enormous industrial opportunity for us that is emerging from the global transition to a low carbon economy – and how it will benefit us right across the UK.

And third to set out why this Clean Growth Strategy is distinctive and how it helps us meet the challenges we face.

As I said to start, the reason we are all here is the 2008 Climate Change Act, which had cross-party support and was a totemic piece of legislation. Because of that legislation we have to set out our strategy to meet the upcoming carbon budgets.

But we are also here because we want to be.

As the Prime Minister said in her foreword to our new strategy: “Clean growth is not an option, but a duty we owe to the next generation.”

And I think the UK should be very proud of our record in fulfilling that duty.

We were one of the first countries to recognise both the economic and security threats posed by rising sea levels and rising high temperatures.

And we have followed the guidance provided by that scientific understanding with action.

As Greg said, since 1990, we have cut emissions by more than 40 per cent while our economy has grown by two thirds over that time.

On a per person basis, this means that we have reduced emissions faster than any other G7 nation.

And not by sacrificing growth and competitiveness – we have led the G7 group in growth in national income over that period.

Let me just repeat that – we lead the G7 group of countries in cutting our emissions and growing our economy

Proving as false the view that we couldn’t protect the planet and raise prosperity at the same time.

Our world-first 2008 Climate Change Act set the pace for change, committing us to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least eighty per cent by 2050.

And I’m pleased to tell you we are on track.

We over-performed against our first carbon budget, and are on track to do the same for the second and third. This is a fantastic achievement.

Our action at home is matched by our ambition to see action across the world.

This saw us playing a leading role in securing the agreement of 195 countries to sign up to the now historic Paris Climate Agreement…

It commits us to being among the largest contributors of international climate finance.

And it means that from the Prime Minister, Theresa May, downwards we continue to work across the world to ensure the Paris agreement and climate action are delivered and at the forefront of international action – UK leadership that has never been more needed than now.

I know many of you in this room are responsible for this incredible success.

A success which I don’t think we celebrate enough.

Well I promise to keep talking about it and to champion it on your behalf at every opportunity, home and abroad.

The commitments made by 195 countries in Paris also present an unparalleled economic opportunity.

We are seeing the start of a global shift toward clean solutions…

Low carbon ways to get from A to B…

…power and heat produced in way that helps the planet and helps people struggling with their bills…

…and heavy industry going carbon-light.

This shift offers UK businesses and innovators huge potential to shape the future of clean growth.

Because part of the reason why the UK is considered a leader in tackling climate change, is that we don’t just see it as a problem to be solved…

We see it is an opportunity, too.

So, by focusing on clean growth, we are presented with a win-win situation…

We can cut the cost of energy…

Drive economic growth…

Create high value jobs right across the UK…

And improve our quality of life.

This is precisely what our Clean Growth Strategy is about.

You will see a list of 50 major policies and plans in the Strategy Document today, with many supporting ones in the text behind them, and when implemented there will be real change

To give you just a few examples:

For businesses, the largest pool of contributors to emissions, we will help them improve how they use their energy, aiming to increase their energy productivity by at least twenty per cent by 2030, saving businesses £6 billion…

…we will establish an industrial energy efficiency scheme to help large companies cut their bills…

…and we will demonstrate international leadership in carbon capture, usage and storage, that we need to decarbonise and improve how we do business, including substantial new investment in leading edge innovation.

Our strategy will make a positive change to how we live.

We will make it easier for homeowners to make home improvements that can reduce their energy use…

…we will invest around £3.6 billion to upgrade around a million homes through the Energy Company Obligation by 2020, and extend that support to 2028…

…we will continue to support RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive)…

… we will work towards our aspiration that every home in the country will be rated Energy Performance Certificate as Band C by 2035…

And we will aim to upgrade as many private rented homes as possible where practical and affordable – helping many of those living in severe fuel poverty.

And, our Clean Growth Strategy will change the way we travel and make our air cleaner.

We have already said and reconfirm today we will end the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040…

…it will invest £1 billion supporting the take-up of ultra-low emission vehicles, including helping consumers to overcome the upfront cost of an electric car…

…and we will make sure that those cars are powered by developing one of the best electric vehicle charging networks in the world.

Indeed you may have seen the hydrogen bus outside and we will continue to support different types of low carbon transport.

I get asked all the time – so what’s the magic bullet today?

And my answer is – we don’t have one. There is no one lever we can pull.

Instead we go through every major part of our economy and every part of government to set out ways to cut the emissions and drive innovation

Whether that’s investing in research and innovation for energy efficiency…

Or building new heat networks across the country to drive down the cost of keeping homes warm…

Whatever it takes, we are determined to make a difference.

And any set of actions that hopes to combat climate change has to cover all parts of the economy

And be focused on the next few decades, not the next few years, that is why the Clean Growth Strategy is a Strategy.

It has far-reaching goals and priorities, and sets the scene for other long-term plans government will be bringing forward like the upcoming 25 year plan from my colleagues at DEFRA, the DfT’s Road to Zero and our Industrial Strategy and its Sector Deals.

Our message is clear: this needs to be a priority for our government and the country for the years ahead, for future generations and not just us today.

And now is the right time to make these decisions because the benefits are huge.

The most recent research shows that the UK’s low carbon economy could grow over 10 to 12 per cent per year up to 2030 – four times faster than the growth of the UK economy as a whole.

By that estimate that would mean – in just 13 years – the UK’s low carbon economy would support up to 2 million more jobs and export up to £170bn low carbon goods and services each year.

And I’m not just talking about jobs in London and the South East…

This impact will be felt all over the country. We’ve already seen this happen, whether it’s the Siemens wind turbine blade factory in Hull or Nissan confirming that their Leaf electric car will be produced in Sunderland.

Like I said: a win-win situation right across the country, one that we are exploiting.

You may ask: what is different about this plan?

Well, it focuses areas of action where we get clear joint benefits:

cleaner air from low emissions vehicles…

…lower energy bills from improved energy efficiency…

… reducing waste and using resources efficiently…

…and creating a more biodiverse, resilient natural environment.

It is also a true cross-government approach – with real actions from buildings to transport, and from the natural environment to power generation.

And at the heart of our Strategy is a targeted focus on innovation.

Because I fundamentally believe that it is only through innovation that we can bring down the costs of low carbon technologies.

We want low carbon to mean low cost.

Because we need low cost to protect our businesses and households from high costs, including energy costs.

But – just as important – if we can develop the low cost, low carbon technologies here, we can capture the industrial and economic advantage from the global transition we are starting to see.

Finally, if we want to see other countries, particularly developing countries, follow our lead, we need low carbon technologies to be cheap.

So we have a new triple test to help us decide how to support new technologies:

First, does this deliver maximum carbon emission reduction?

Second, can we see a clear cost reduction pathway for this technology, so we can deliver low cost solutions?

And third, can the UK develop world-leading technology in a sizeable global market?

Of course, we can’t predict every technological breakthrough – if we’d have done that a few years ago, we would have been wrong – and not all of the choices we make will be the right ones.

That is the nature of working with such fast moving technologies.

But we are determined to create the best possible ecosystem for the private sector to invest and innovate.

If we get it right, we can see the benefits, just as we have on offshore wind, and the remarkable cost reduction we have seen where the costs have plummeted 50 percent in just two years.

And we have installed the biggest offshore wind base in the world.

To achieve these sorts of wins going forward and deliver the clean growth we need, it will require everyone to play their part.

This is not a job for central government alone.

It is a job for our devolved nations, local authorities, businesses and civil society working together; ambition and drive from every part of society and government is as important as diktats from Whitehall.

That is why we are delighted to celebrate in our document some of the amazing work that is taking place across the country.

And it is why we are setting up an annual ‘Green Great Britain’ Week, to celebrate the progress we have made, showcase UK technology and leadership, and inspire and motivate us to keep going, no matter the challenges, to deliver low carbon technology.

To meet our goals, we are going to need the full ingenuity, enterprise and determination of the British people working together.

So that answers the second question as to why we are here today.

Because we want to capture the spirit of cooperation and enterprise that gave us such an amazing performance at the 2012 Olympics from Team GB…

And use it to deliver a Green GB…

There won’t be medals on offer…

But the prize for all of us will be driving and capturing the benefits and opportunities for Britain and the world of our low carbon future.

I think that’s a race we all want to win.

Thank you.

#BEIS

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newstfionline · 7 years

Text

How We Learned Not To Care About America’s Wars

By Andrew J. Bacevich, TomDispatch, Oct. 9, 2017

Consider, if you will, these two indisputable facts. First, the United States is today more or less permanently engaged in hostilities in not one faraway place, but at least seven. Second, the vast majority of the American people could not care less.

Nor can it be said that we don’t care because we don’t know. True, government authorities withhold certain aspects of ongoing military operations or release only details that they find convenient. Yet information describing what U.S. forces are doing (and where) is readily available, even if buried in recent months by barrages of presidential tweets. Here, for anyone interested, are press releases issued by United States Central Command for just one recent week:

September 19: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

September 20: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

Iraqi Security Forces begin Hawijah offensive

September 21: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

September 22: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

September 23: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

Operation Inherent Resolve Casualty

September 25: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

September 26: Military airstrikes continue against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq

Ever since the United States launched its war on terror, oceans of military press releases have poured forth. And those are just for starters. To provide updates on the U.S. military’s various ongoing campaigns, generals, admirals, and high-ranking defense officials regularly testify before congressional committees or brief members of the press. From the field, journalists offer updates that fill in at least some of the details--on civilian casualties, for example--that government authorities prefer not to disclose. Contributors to newspaper op-ed pages and “experts” booked by network and cable TV news shows, including passels of retired military officers, provide analysis. Trailing behind come books and documentaries that put things in a broader perspective.

But here’s the truth of it. None of it matters.

Like traffic jams or robocalls, war has fallen into the category of things that Americans may not welcome, but have learned to live with. In twenty-first-century America, war is not that big a deal.

While serving as defense secretary in the 1960s, Robert McNamara once mused that the “greatest contribution” of the Vietnam War might have been to make it possible for the United States “to go to war without the necessity of arousing the public ire.” With regard to the conflict once widely referred to as McNamara’s War, his claim proved grotesquely premature. Yet a half-century later, his wish has become reality.

Why do Americans today show so little interest in the wars waged in their name and at least nominally on their behalf? Why, as our wars drag on and on, doesn’t the disparity between effort expended and benefits accrued arouse more than passing curiosity or mild expressions of dismay? Why, in short, don’t we give a [expletive deleted]?

Perhaps just posing such a question propels us instantly into the realm of the unanswerable, like trying to figure out why people idolize Justin Bieber, shoot birds, or watch golf on television.

Without any expectation of actually piercing our collective ennui, let me take a stab at explaining why we don’t give a @#$%&! Here are eight distinctive but mutually reinforcing explanations, offered in a sequence that begins with the blindingly obvious and ends with the more speculative.

Americans don’t attend all that much to ongoing American wars because:

1. U.S. casualty rates are low. By using proxies and contractors, and relying heavily on airpower, America’s war managers have been able to keep a tight lid on the number of U.S. troops being killed and wounded. In all of 2017, for example, a grand total of 11 American soldiers have been lost in Afghanistan--about equal to the number of shooting deaths in Chicago over the course of a typical week. True, in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries where the U.S. is engaged in hostilities, whether directly or indirectly, plenty of people who are not Americans are being killed and maimed. (The estimated number of Iraqi civilians killed this year alone exceeds 12,000.) But those casualties have next to no political salience as far as the United States is concerned. As long as they don’t impede U.S. military operations, they literally don’t count (and generally aren’t counted).

2. The true costs of Washington’s wars go untabulated. In a famous speech, dating from early in his presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower said that “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” Dollars spent on weaponry, Ike insisted, translated directly into schools, hospitals, homes, highways, and power plants that would go unbuilt. “This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense,” he continued. “[I]t is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.” More than six decades later, Americans have long since accommodated themselves to that cross of iron. Many actually see it as a boon, a source of corporate profits, jobs, and, of course, campaign contributions. As such, they avert their eyes from the opportunity costs of our never-ending wars. The dollars expended pursuant to our post-9/11 conflicts will ultimately number in the multi-trillions. Imagine the benefits of investing such sums in upgrading the nation’s aging infrastructure. Yet don’t count on Congressional leaders, other politicians, or just about anyone else to pursue that connection.

3. On matters related to war, American citizens have opted out. Others have made the point so frequently that it’s the equivalent of hearing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” at Christmastime. Even so, it bears repeating: the American people have defined their obligation to “support the troops” in the narrowest imaginable terms, ensuring above all that such support requires absolutely no sacrifice on their part. Members of Congress abet this civic apathy, while also taking steps to insulate themselves from responsibility. In effect, citizens and their elected representatives in Washington agree: supporting the troops means deferring to the commander in chief, without inquiring about whether what he has the troops doing makes the slightest sense. Yes, we set down our beers long enough to applaud those in uniform and boo those who decline to participate in mandatory rituals of patriotism. What we don’t do is demand anything remotely approximating actual accountability.

4. Terrorism gets hyped and hyped and hyped some more. While international terrorism isn’t a trivial problem (and wasn’t for decades before 9/11), it comes nowhere close to posing an existential threat to the United States. Indeed, other threats, notably the impact of climate change, constitute a far greater danger to the wellbeing of Americans. Worried about the safety of your children or grandchildren? The opioid epidemic constitutes an infinitely greater danger than “Islamic radicalism.” Yet having been sold a bill of goods about a “war on terror” that is essential for “keeping America safe,” mere citizens are easily persuaded that scattering U.S. troops throughout the Islamic world while dropping bombs on designated evildoers is helping win the former while guaranteeing the latter. To question that proposition becomes tantamount to suggesting that God might not have given Moses two stone tablets after all.

5. Blather crowds out substance. When it comes to foreign policy, American public discourse is--not to put too fine a point on it--vacuous, insipid, and mindlessly repetitive. William Safire of the New York Times once characterized American political rhetoric as BOMFOG, with those running for high office relentlessly touting the Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God. Ask a politician, Republican or Democrat, to expound on this country’s role in the world, and then brace yourself for some variant of WOSFAD, as the speaker insists that it is incumbent upon the World’s Only Superpower to spread Freedom and Democracy. Terms like leadership and indispensable are introduced, along with warnings about the dangers of isolationism and appeasement, embellished with ominous references to Munich. Such grandiose posturing makes it unnecessary to probe too deeply into the actual origins and purposes of American wars, past or present, or assess the likelihood of ongoing wars ending in some approximation of actual success. Cheerleading displaces serious thought.

6. Besides, we’re too busy. Think of this as a corollary to point five. Even if the present-day American political scene included figures like Senators Robert La Follette or J. William Fulbright, who long ago warned against the dangers of militarizing U.S. policy, Americans may not retain a capacity to attend to such critiques. Responding to the demands of the Information Age is not, it turns out, conducive to deep reflection. We live in an era (so we are told) when frantic multitasking has become a sort of duty and when being overscheduled is almost obligatory. Our attention span shrinks and with it our time horizon. The matters we attend to are those that happened just hours or minutes ago. Yet like the great solar eclipse of 2017--hugely significant and instantly forgotten--those matters will, within another few minutes or hours, be superseded by some other development that briefly captures our attention. As a result, a dwindling number of Americans--those not compulsively checking Facebook pages and Twitter accounts--have the time or inclination to ponder questions like: When will the Afghanistan War end? Why has it lasted almost 16 years? Why doesn’t the finest fighting force in history actually win? Can’t package an answer in 140 characters or a 30-second made-for-TV sound bite? Well, then, slowpoke, don’t expect anyone to attend to what you have to say.

7. Anyway, the next president will save us. At regular intervals, Americans indulge in the fantasy that, if we just install the right person in the White House, all will be well. Ambitious politicians are quick to exploit this expectation. Presidential candidates struggle to differentiate themselves from their competitors, but all of them promise in one way or another to wipe the slate clean and Make America Great Again. Ignoring the historical record of promises broken or unfulfilled, and presidents who turn out not to be deities but flawed human beings, Americans--members of the media above all--pretend to take all this seriously. Campaigns become longer, more expensive, more circus-like, and ever less substantial. One might think that the election of Donald Trump would prompt a downward revision in the exalted expectations of presidents putting things right. Instead, especially in the anti-Trump camp, getting rid of Trump himself (Collusion! Corruption! Obstruction! Impeachment!) has become the overriding imperative, with little attention given to restoring the balance intended by the framers of the Constitution. The irony of Trump perpetuating wars that he once roundly criticized and then handing the conduct of those wars to generals devoid of ideas for ending them almost entirely escapes notice.

8. Our culturally progressive military has largely immunized itself from criticism. Put simply, critics who in an earlier day might have blasted military leaders for their inability to bring wars to a successful conclusion hold their fire. Having women graduate from Ranger School or command Marines in combat more than compensates for not winning.

A collective indifference to war has become an emblem of contemporary America. But don’t expect your neighbors down the street or the editors of the New York Times to lose any sleep over that fact. Even to notice it would require them--and us--to care.

#war #indifference to war #American wars

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