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feathers-scales-and-tails · 5 years ago

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My ‘unhealthy’ chickens

My blog has a lot of cute chicken photos on it, and sometimes I get comments such as “wow I want a chicken like that!” Which is lovely! I’m glad to spread the chicken love! However I want to take a second to address this. Just like with dogs, there are many breeds of chicken which are unhealthy and have health consequences because of this. I have a couple of birds like this. I just want to make people aware that if they seriously want a bird like this, to take into account what health issues may come with them.

Sooty - Frizzle feathers

Sooty is a fan favourite, and one of my favourites too. I do admit that I love the frizzle feather gene, it just looks so cool! However frizzle feathering causes some issues and I didn’t intentionally get a frizzle, Sooty hatched from a mystery egg. Her Dad was the only frizzle in the flock, with 13 other roosters, so she was a surprise to say the least!

Weather intolerance: Due to the feathers sticking out like that, birds can’t warm up in the cold since their feathers don’t provide a protective barrier and body heat escapes. This also means they have no natural shelter from rain and wind. Sooty doesn’t have to worry about any of this, it’s never cold where I live and she lives inside. She really struggles in the heat, however that’s likely due to her leg and foot feathering which I’ll discuss later, rather than the frizzle feathering.

Flight: Birds can’t fly well, since their primary wing feathers are curled or brittle. This puts them at risk of leg and spinal injuries if they try to fly from too large a height. Sooty did severe nervous damage to her spine when she was 8 weeks old, causing her to become paralysed in the legs for 3 months. Thankfully, she fully recovered after 5 months of physiotherapy.

Sooty’s wings look like this. Not all frizzle feathered birds have flights this poor, however it is a potential consequence of the feather type.

Communication: Another issue frizzle feathers cause is communication within a flock. Sooty used to get pecked a lot by her top hen Kath, because Kath thinks Sooty is always challenging her to fight! Chickens use their neck feathers, called hackle feathers, to communicate a whole bunch of things. From fear, to aggression, to even asking another flock member to clean their feathers. Since frizzle feathers stick out like that, the bird struggles to move them into the positions used for communication so can’t talk to their flock very well. Sooty’s curled hackle feathers make it look like she’s always challenging another hen to a fight

You can see how those raised hackles kinda look like Sooty’s ‘mane’ of curled neck feathers! Thankfully, Sooty is second in command and her head hen, Kath, seems to have learnt that Sooty just looks like that! So she doesn’t get attacked very frequently anymore.

Unethical breeding: The gene which causes frizzle feathers in homozygous form (two copies of the gene) also causes serious issues. These birds are called Frazzles or ‘over frizzled’ and their feathers are very weak, often falling out and leaving the bird naked. It can be painful for them, and if they’re left outside, they certainly wouldn’t survive. Therefore frizzles should never be bred together. To breed frizzles you should use a frizzle feathered bird with a smooth feathered bird. However, this means you hatch only 50% frizzles, so some unethical breeders breed frizzle x frizzle to reduce the amount of smooth feathered birds they get.

A Frazzle chicken

Heart failure: These feathers have also been linked with enlarged hearts, increasing risk of heart failure. Since the feathers cause loss of body heat, it causes an increase in metabolism and other physiological functions to keep the body temperature at the appropriate level. This means the heart has to work harder, increasing its size and putting more strain on it. Sooty tires out easier, and when she used to be out ranging she’d frequently come inside to sleep on the couch while her flock was still outside having fun. I could see this putting them more at risk of predation, since if they’re already tired they don’t have the same stamina of another bird to flee a predator.

Solo - Heavy foot/leg feathering

Not the most flattering photo of her but the best one I have to show her foot feathering! As you can see she was quite cranky with me! She’s a Silkie X Pekin, which are both breeds known to have heavily feathered legs. There are many breeds with healthy foot feathering, such as Langshans

But some like the show-type Pekin bantam, have a number of issues associated with their foot feathering. Here’s a Pekin in comparison to the Langshan above

As you can see the feathering is much much heavier!

Mobility: Very heavy leg and foot feathering significantly reduces mobility. The large feathers make it harder to move toes, making perching more difficult, and are a tripping hazard. Solo is always tripping over, stumbling, and ‘shuffling’ when she walks since her feet impair her movement a significant amount. I’m probably going to cut her foot feathers off so she can move about easier. They’d never hindered her movement until now, this molt they grew in humongous for some reason. Obviously having a built in tripping hazard isn’t a good idea, since it predisposes the bird to a higher risk of leg injuries.

Thermotegulation: As mentioned above, legs and feet are very important in helping a bird regulate their temperature. Lightly feathered legs like the Langshan has don’t have this issue, since the bird has majority of its foot free to cool down with. Heavily feathered legs like the pekin provide little surface area to cool down with, so the birds can really struggle in hot weather. Solo is one of our least heat tolerant birds, and she thankfully has wattles and a comb unlike poor Silkies!

Cleanliness: Heavily feathered feet get disgusting! They’re more prone to getting dirty and are harder for the birds to keep clean. Solo always has poop, sticks, food, mud, and all sorts of other gunk crusted into her foot feathering. I have to clean them quite frequently so that she doesn’t get bacterial build up.

Other health ailments: In my experience, heavily feathered feet tend to be a beacon for related leg and foot health issues. We don’t have to worry about this where I live, but foot feathers can get wet in snow and heighten frostbite risk for toes. Although I don’t have to worry about the cold, sadly these foot feathers also have heat related issues! I live in a sub-tropical environment, so humidity levels get pretty high here. Bacteria loves humidity. Solo has had a bad case of Bumblefoot which was really hard to treat due to this humidity. Sweep, another bird with heavy foot feathering, has had 2 cases of bumblefoot now. I’ve never had a clean-legged bird get bumblefoot, so it’s definitely linked to trapping bacteria and humidity. I haven’t had to deal with this parasite myself, but apparently feather-legged breeds are more prone to Scaly-leg mite too.

Cujo - Heavy layer breeds

Cujo is a Hamburg, sometimes referrred to as ‘Everlayers’ since they have a reputation for reliably laying an egg every day. They rarely go broody, and if they do are very easy to dissuade. I am very against production breeds if they’re not within an agricultural industry, where they have a purpose, since it tragically shortens their lives so much. The Hamburgs lay on average 200 eggs annually, which isn’t too bad and makes them a healthier layer breed, but it’s certainly heavier laying than most of the other breeds I have. Cujo is actually very healthy, I took great care in picking a breeder to get her from and most of his birds are lighter layers than they ‘should’ be. Cujo was laying 3-4 eggs a week before her current molt, much better than the 5-7 her breed has a reputation for.

Heart failure: One of the most frequent ends to laying birds is heart failure. Their bodies are under so much stress to make an egg every day that their bodies eventually just give up, usually from heart failure.

They don’t go broody: A lot of people don’t like broody hens, since they stop laying and sit on their nest all day, however I really like them. A broody hen gets a much needed break from laying eggs! Some breeds continue to lay eggs over winter, and some birds don’t stop laying when they molt if it’s a light one. So broodies give the bird a choice to stop laying and sit on eggs when she wants, if she didn’t get a break over winter or molt. Breeding this behaviour out of production breeds contributes to their issues, since they can’t take that break.

Shortened life span: Due to the strain mass egg production puts on their bodies, average lifespan is 3-4 years compared to the 6-10+ of healthy heritage breeds. I had a utility leghorn as a pet many years ago, her heart tragically gave out on her one day while I wasn’t home. She was dirtbathing in her favourite spot when it happened, so I hope to think it was a peaceful end. She was only 2 years old.

Reproductive complications: Heavy layer breeds are more prone to experiencing issues with their reproductive tract. This includes cancers, tumours, prolapses, egg binding, and egg yolk peritonitis (infection). They’re also more prone to nutrient deficiencies, especially with calcium, since it takes so much out of them to lay eggs. This is easily preventable with a balanced diet, however if calcium deficiency does occur the hen can suffer from brittle bones.

Sweep - Aggressive breeds

Now Sweep isn’t nearly as bad as this title frames her to be, but it’s still worth a mention. We can only guess what her parentage is since she came from mystery eggs, but we think Sweep is an Old English Game cross Pekin. In Australia, Old English Game are a hyper aggressive breed. They were bred for the cruel sport of cockfighting, where two roosters are forced to fight to the death. Thankfully this sport is now criminalised, but nobody bred the aggressiveness out of this breed.

Injury risk: hyper aggressive breeds pose a greater risk of injury mainly to other flock mates, but also to themselves. These birds often antagonise others despite there not really being a reason to, resulting in more fighting, disharmony, and injury within a flock. If another bird is stronger than them and gets sick of their shit, they themselves could be seriously hurt since they often don’t know when to back down from a fight like non-aggressive birds do. Sweep has to be housed separate from my main flock with her mother, Solo for company. She has tried many times to outrank birds in my main flock but her fighting is very brutal compared to the normal pecking order fights. She aims for the eyes, and came close to blinding a bird once before, I can’t risk that sort of injury.

Mortality risk: continuing on from that first point, some individuals will take their aggressiveness too far and kill fellow flock mates. What might start out as a simple pecking order fight can turn very bloody and very brutal with these breeds fast. Roosters can kill hens and hens can kill hens. This obviously should never happen in well bred, good tempered birds. I do not say this jokingly when I say that Sweep and Sooty would kill each other if I let them. They’re both Pekin X Old English, and although Sooty is good with other birds, she’s terrible with Sweep. I’m hoping Sweep will mellow with age (she’s currently 2) and I can integrate her and Solo as part of Blossom’s flock.

Social interaction: I think this is something a lot of people don’t seem to consider, but having hyper aggressive birds which have to be housed seperate will obviously hugely impact upon their social needs. It doesn’t matter how aggressive the bird is, a chicken is, and always will be, a social animal. They need companionship, and while this can be provided by us, it’s easiest to provide it with other chickens. Keeping a social animal by itself, never letting it interact with others, and not providing that companionship yourself is incredibly inhumane in my opinion. It doesn’t matter if that bird is incapable of interacting without trying to kill the others, the fact is that this animal is still hardwired to live in a social group. By breeding such aggressive animals, it’s very cruel since it deprives them of such a basic need.

Now this post isn’t to say people can’t get a breed if they like it but it has health consequences, because something like those heavy foot feathers don’t cause the bird any harm or pain in itself, it’s just a consequence of poor management. So if you’re willing to do the work to ensure those features don’t hinder the animals quality of life, then excellent! Go ahead and get those basketball-shaped Pekin lads! This post was merely a reminder to think critically and research any animal/breed before you get them, and to make sure you’re prepared for any future consequences or adjustments for that animal/breed. Sooty and Solo need fans set up on their pens during the Summer, Sweep needs a seperate coop, and all three need adjusted perches and weekly foot health checks because of their heavily feathered feet. Once again, the importance of you screening for ethical, responsible breeders is crucial when deciding to bring a new family member home.

Thanks for reading!

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blackswaneuroparedux · 4 years ago

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No “wine-ing”: a season of ice and fire

A lot of you dropped very kind messages about my well being and I’m happy to say that my recovery from Covid is firmly on track and I’m close to full strength again. My exhaustion and tiredness has thankfully been ebbing away. I’m back running my daily 5 km before I start my work day and cycling to get back to full fitness.

So I managed to escape Paris before the travel lockdown and curfew was imposed before April 26. I’m a country girl at heart and I’ve always felt a little uncomfortable in big cities. I love Paris but I also get tired of it quite easily. So I headed to the chateau vineyard where I thought I could complete my recovery from my Covid illness and work remotely (the work never stops) without too many distractions.

Unfortunately - or fortunately as I prefer to see it - I was mud deep in trying to rescue our wine harvest for 2021 as frost struck over a few nights that left us reeling, and left much of the country’s wine growing region devastated. No region of France was spared as French wine producers fought valiantly over several nights to stop the frost from letting the buds finally come out to sprout. Wine makers fought with everything they could think of, and in the end resorted to fire to keep the temperature warm enough for the vines to survive the cold snap. It was a spectacular sight all across the horizons of many French wine growing regions including ours.

I’m just thankful to be there at the right place and the right time to help out.

I enjoy coming down to our chateau vineyard as it’s a welcome contrast to the busy city life of Paris. I just couldn’t wait to get dressed up (or dress down?) in tatty old clothing, rolling up my sleeves, and getting my hands dirty with any physical chores to do around the vineyard. I always have this urge to make myself useful instead being stuck behind a desk, bored to death in Zoom call meetings. I was looking forward to running and cycling in the open country air to bust a gut or two.

Mostly though I was looking forward to enjoying home cooked country food, be in the fun company of my two Anglo-Norwegian cousins and their French families, and together we’d be preening over the first shoots of the forthcoming wine harvest for 2021.

It is always an emotional moment at this time of year when we see in the vineyards the glistening tears of the vines (‘les pleurs’) that tell us that the new vintage is underway. As the temperatures rise so does the sap in the vines and where the pruners have trimmed the end of the branch, we see this beautiful sight that reassures us – telling us whatever happens, nature continues. The baby buds are beginning to come out timidly but soon the stark branches of the vines will be green again as these fragile leaves unfurl in the spring sunlight.

Back in 2020 many vintners (winemakers), not just in our region but across the whole of France, were unsure what 2021 would bring. Would 2021 be a challenging vintage or an easy one full of sunshine? With the growing season starting so early, the first hurdle - and one of the most crucial - is the fear of late frost. It seems to be more and more of a problem in recent years, this late frost burying any new growth like a fast moving avalanche. For many vintners they have 2017 written into their hearts in painful tears when frost devastated any hope for a healthy harvest and for some even brought financial ruin.

For me - at the time - it was a rude introduction to the vicissitudes of the wine making business by two wine loving cousins co-owning and co-managing an old family owned French vineyard. Family fortunes rise and fall according to the harvest. All the blood, tears, and sweat poured into running an efficient high yielding grape vineyard comes to naught when you realise that you are not the master, nature is.

The risk of frost has increased in recent years due to global warming, which does not just warm but makes the climate more erratic and temperatures more extreme. Good news for the moderately temperate climate for our wine making region where hotter drier summers have produced a string of good recent vintages (2015, 2016, 2018, 2020). But the negative side of this is that frosts have become more common right up until the end of the usual cycle – last year it was on 6th May.

Except this year, 2021, now looked like 2017 because of the devastation of continued frost on the vines. In talking to the French family of my cousin’s French wife, who have faithfully made wine for a few generations they ruefully pointed out past bad frosts. Apparently 1956 was legendary with a very cold winter frost some minus 20 °C following a warm period when the sap rose from the roots into the vine foot and branches. It killed the vines. The last disastrous late spring frost before 2017 was 1991. It seems to be striking significantly every two years now and a every year to a degree. Who would have expected the devastation again this year, 2021 some forty years on.

This year, particularly around April 7th and 8th, brought despair to vignerons right across France from Champagne to Cognac, Burgundy to Bordeaux as thousands of vineyards’ new growth was obliterated by frost (resulting in zero yield for harvest 2021). There may be some new growth and some secondary budding but this is a repeat of 2017 (if not worse) and few were able to harvest any grapes worth speaking of.

My cousins had been in contact with friends and other peers who are wine makers in other regions (friendships are built at trade shows overseas and other association events) and in totality the picture appeared bleaker than previous years. The scourge of frost had been catastrophic. Around half of the vines in Burgundy have been damaged, according to local producers. Some vineyard owning friends in the Inter Rhône region told us that the whole of the Rhône has been hit dramatically and that some plots are affected 100%.

According to the CNIV, the official French council for wine appellation, the frost has affected 80% of French vineyards. We already know that we will have a very low harvest in 2021. Nearly all French wine growers have just suffered a dark week in April.

It’s not just wine growers but fruit farmers too. It’s been like winter coming in spring. Below-freezing temperatures in the Drome and Ardèche regions of central southern France have led to fruit farmers losing up to 90 percent of their kiwi, apricot, apple, and peach harvest. Even in Bordeaux the severity of the frost damaged the growth on fruit trees such as apricots, peaches and nectarines, and field-crops such as rapeseed and sugar beet.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. How does one protect the vines from frost?

There have been a variety of ways vineyard owners have been dealing with the problem of frost. There’s no one size fits all and the solutions are often handicapped by the size of one’s vineyards, financial resources, and manpower.

Two solutions in fighting frost have been aeolian wind turbines and air fans. It takes the warmer air from higher up, and pushes it to the ground. These machines can raise temperatures by up to 2C. The problem is that some of these wind turbines and air fans are permanently set so they can only be set in one direction whilst others one can wheel around to move the air and stop frost settling. Both are very expensive solutions and the cost may outweigh the gain.

Air heaters are another solution. No less expensive though. One of our vineyard owning neighbours wanted to use paraffin fuelled heaters. But he said he would have needed 4,500 paraffin-fuelled heaters to cover all his 15 hectares at a cost of nearly €50,000 for the two worst nights, and even then growers it would protect only the vines for his finest wines.

Some of the vineyards also launched helicopters to fly above their vineyards, a method that can help to prevent frost by encouraging warm air to circulate. In effect they push the cold air around so that it does not sink down to the ground causing its damage. I was all for this solution as I’m an ex-army helicopter combat pilot and so I felt my old training could be put to use in civilian helicopters. But we ruled this out once we did the maths. At about 1600€-2000€ per hour one can only fly from 6am but this is the coldest time when the sun comes up. At best the helicopter’s range of effectiveness was a mere 10 hectares. So you don’t get more bang for your buck. But that didn’t stop some vineyards that we knew doing exactly that. These were corporate owned vineyards who tend to be well heeled and can afford to spare no expense.

There are less expensive solutions but are more costly in terms of manpower.

Some vineyards used water sprinklers, allowing a fine coating hitting sub-zero temperatures as the ice acts like a mini-igloo and protect it from outside colder temperatures.

Conversely, vineyard owners hit upon another relatively low cost solution of using candles. They usually last 12 hours and so in effect can be used for the two crucial nights of severe frost. We calculated that at 10€ a candle you would need 300 for one hectare alone. Of course the chief problem is that they need to be lit by hand and hope the wind was kind.

For the biodynamic wine producers they fell back on organic solutions. They sprayed their vines with a spray composed of pectins from apples which is supposed to lower the temperature around the vines. More common and perhaps more effective was spraying vines with Valerian to give the vines some added fortification to survive themselves.

By far the most common response by vineyard owners to combat the frost was to burn fires by burning hay bales amongst the vines. The smoke causes a blanket which heats up the atmosphere. In the old days I was told they actually burned rubber tyres! For it to have any chance of being effective you have to be aware of wine direction and make sure the bales are in the right places. It also helps if your neighbours do the same.

Speaking for our chateau vineyard, we had to make tough decisions to see how our chateau vineyard could combat the frost and minimise the damage to the future harvest. Although I own a small financial investment stake in the vineyard I have always deferred to my two cousins who actually run the vineyard with their married partners on a day to day basis. It’s their life long passion and I’m happy to play a small part in getting my hands (literally) dirty in building something from the soil up and for purely selfish reasons, just love being so close to nature itself. The fact that the French family of one my cousin’s wife - they actually owned the land and were reputable wine makers for generations - added invaluable weight to the wisdom of any decision making we had to do.

We sat around the kitchen table and talked through our options whilst nursing a glass of wine from a past vintage. My cousins and their kids especially thought I was a weirdo - they’re probably right! It’s not that I enjoy it (the mud, sweat and lack of sleep etc) but it was the challenge that really got me energised. If it’s a forlorn battle against the odds that’s when I really come alive. So I was quite jolly and full of vim whilst those around me were bleary eyed and groaning for bed and a hot shower as we were out in the fields in the dead of night. We ran it like a military operation - thanks to me ha! - I put everyone on detail and even the small kids saluted and got to work on their task. We made sure we had hot soup and beers constantly on tap for our staff and workers to take a food break and take a breather. Not that they needed motivating. Every one of our staff and also volunteers worked bravely to limit the damage.

So in the end we fell upon a series of actions which indeed many of our immediate wine making neighbours also followed suit. We sprayed, we watered, we burned. We tried everything to save our vines from further damage from frost.

We concocted an organic solution that had thyme, oregano, and wild sariette to which we added valerian and meadowsweet and a dash of yarrow and horsetail as well as honey; all of which help the whole organic solution to work. In effect this helps the vine to prepare for ice, by changing the composition of the sap a little, by enriching it with sugar. The infusion is then sprayed onto the vines at least 24 hours before the first freeze is forecast. The solution only works if the temperatures stay just below freezing but no lower, at around -2C or -1C maximum. With this solution on the plants, we could increase temperatures by 1-2 degrees. If it drops even lower, to around -5C, as we had in 2019, it’s not enough. It might save some plants, but not all.

We soon followed with watering the vines using our irrigation system we had on hand. It was labouriously time consuming.

When it was clear that this wasn’t going to work out because of the severe temperature drop we fell on fire as the saving solution.

It was all hands on deck as we also roped in some volunteers to help us start small controlled fires amongst our vines. We burned straw bales and piles of wood in very large jerry cans to save what we could. The aim was to create a blanket of smoke so that when the sun came up it didn't burn the vines because of the humidity. One vineyard neighbour of ours actually used a flame thrower and lit more than 700 small fires but had to start all over again because the fires didn’t last one night.

This was our experience too. We had a lot of hectares to cover and so little man power and so we just worked around the clock until we were able to light fires and keep an eye on them should they go out. We ran between the selected vines to make sure the fires remained lit throughout the night starting around 2am to 6am. I don’t think any of us had more than a few hours sleep over a crucial 48 hour window. We took turns to cook for everyone and made sure everyone was well fed on home cooking as well as hot showers and adequately winter clothed. I’m used to being sweaty and getting by on little sleep from my army days but it’s a measure of how far I’ve succumbed to civilian life that even I found it a little hard going.

I’m not very good at lighting fires as I tend to over compensate on the fuel lighter and I feared that I would burn the whole vineyard down by trying to start a small controlled fire. I got singed here and there but nothing to complain about. Others were just marvellous in their work ethic and shared bonhomie as we tried to save our vineyard. One person on our staff did get singed with flames and in his case we rushed him to hospital with minor third degree burns. We all felt like roasted chestnuts standing between the small fires. But what a spectacular sight the landscape was with all these lighted fires. This wasn’t just our vineyard but all across the landscape of neighbouring vineyards. It looked as if the whole region was on fire. It was quite hypnotising to look at. As to its effects, it’s harder to discern. I do know that even cities of Lyon and Bordeaux had a layer of smog that was visible to others from far away.

Looking back it was both exhausting and exhilarating to experience such a time. It’s the kind of rite of passage that either breaks you or makes you. For us it certainly brought us all together more tightly than before. With our neighbours too there was a collective sense of togetherness and rather than act selfishly or just worry about our own fortunes, neighbours lent a hand towards each other in terms of equipment, expertise, or voluntary labour.

Perhaps the more wealthy chateau vineyards’ expensive techniques were able to save their best vineyards but most who could afford creating smoke blankets from burning hay bales – they were no match for the frost with temperatures down to minus 5 in some areas. Hopefully insurance had been taken out, which involves a substantial expenditure each year. We are fortunate to have insurance and the damage done to our vineyard has been mitigated to some extent. But I do know for instance that many are not insured against the effects of frost because of the cost of the coverage and many French wine producers were already struggling financially.

It was reported that many chateau vineyards in lesser known areas (Castillon, Bourg, Blaye, Côtes de Franc, Graves, Satellites of St Emilion) who could not afford these payments and who played ‘Russian roulette’, this year lost for perhaps for the last time. For them it’s personally heart breaking. For French wine making it’s a cultural tragedy. It’s hard enough for small independent vineyards (often run by families or young couples with a dream) to survive - the economies of scale as well as being aggressively overshadowed by the high volume output and superior marketing power of wealthy corporate owned vineyards - but never really expected nature, or vicissitudes of global warming, to make it that much more harder to make wine.

Unlike Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhone valley, in the Champagne region, we heard that not many Champagne wine producers didn’t even bother fighting the frost because they thought it would have done little good. One of the reasons why so few people engaged in frost protection in Champagne is these wine makers have as their biggest buffer against frost is their Individual Reserve (RI). In case appellation requirements are not met in the vineyard, they can draw from it.

Indeed with sales still stagnating and small yield expectations, growers may have to dip in the RI because frost season is not over till after the Saintes Glaces, a period in the middle of May after which frost generally doesn't appear. But not every vineyard can do that.

To their credit, perhaps recognising the commercial and cultural role French wine has in daily life and international prestige, the French government had agreed to step in to help. President Emmanuel Macron tweeted a picture of a candle-lit vineyard and promised that help was on the way, “À vous, agriculteurs qui, partout en France, avez lutté sans relâche, nuit après nuit, pour protéger les fruits de votre travail, je veux vous dire notre soutien plein et entier dans ce combat. Tenez bon ! Nous sommes à vos côtés et le resterons.” (“To you, farmers who, throughout France, have fought tirelessly, night after night, to protect the fruits of your labour, I want to give you our full support in this fight. Hold on tight! We are by your side and will remain so." )

To that end President Macron has declared an "agricultural disaster" and Prime Minister Jean Castex has promised that the government will provide emergency relief to those who were affected. He has also removed the limit on the amount of financial compensation that can be provided. It said it would help the smaller independent vineyards and co-operatives with tax breaks as well as pushing banks and insurance companies to help out. It’s unclear if any of this will come to pass or indeed what effect it might have in the short and long term. We shall see.

It’s been estimated that at least a third of French wine production worth nearly € 2 billion (£ 1.7 billion) in sales will be lost this year. It's another blow for France's wine industry whatever assistance is given. The French wine industry has already been dealing with the knock-on effects of the Covid pandemic, with decreases in restaurant orders due to the country's series of lockdowns. Independent producers have been hit hard by the cancellation of wine fairs due to Covid. Then there have been the effects of the tariffs that former President Donald Trump imposed as a result of assorted disputes between the administration and the European Union. In late 2019, Trump hit French wine with a retaliatory 25% import duty, a cost increase that the Economist says contributed to a 14% drop in French wine exports in 2020. Last month in March, the United States and the EU announced a four-month suspension of the tariffs.

But that doesn't necessarily help winegrowers right now - especially since a significant percentage of this year's crop may already be lost. Tradition has it that it is well into May before vine growers can sleep easy without worrying about the risk of further frost damage.

Even though we did our best to save our vines we couldn’t save all of them and even had decide which ones to forgo even trying because we lacked manpower and resources at such short notice. I heard someone amongst ourselves say losing the vines that one has cultivated so lovingly was like the loss of a family member. It may seem puerile, but that is close to what many feel. Perhaps only winegrowers can understand this sentiment, but they have found themselves out in the vines in the morning with tears in their eyes. I’m not one for sentiment and displays of emotion but even I was a little moved to see the heart break in tear filled eyes of some of the older generation who have for decades given their sweat and tears to tilling the soil. We did our best to console one another and remarkably in that crucible we experienced together we all became closer.

What is clear is the tradition of wine - beyond national politics and international trade disputes - is under long term threat from something much more existential. There is a saying amongst the older generation of wine makers in our fertile wine making region who say, ‘wine history is climate history’. Wine making is about the vines, the ‘terroir’ (a French way of saying the earth or the soil), but also the climate. Nature is very much the master and wine makers are but humble servants of the soil. For those who don’t believe in climate change or think it’s overly dramatised by scientists or worse, a hoax, then I would say wake up and smell the coffee. Climate change is real as any wine producer or arable farmer will tell you. Wine can make you do or say many things, but it won’t ever make you tell a wilful lie.

The French wife of my cousin, whose family the vineyard had been for several generations, told us that the wine harvest time used to span her grandfather’s birthday - September 28 - but now, the bustle of harvest is over and cleaned up in time for his birthday party - that’s two to three weeks earlier than when her grandfather used to make the wine. As she memorably put it, things are “bien cramées” (really screwed up).

All of this means that wine producers will have to change their ways as the climate changes. All the measures taken to combat frost were in reality delaying tactics to fight a losing battle with the climate. The wine industry, not just in France but around the world, needs to evolve if it is to face up to increasing climate challenges. This might include planting more weather-resistant vines that flower later, and are therefore less vulnerable to late frosts and cold snaps.

Wine, in France, is built into the fabric of the culture. The many variety of grapes across the wine growing regions indigenously grow and adapt to the precise climate conditions of the region for centuries. Winemakers know the growth stages intimately: the look of the vines before they bud; the look of the vines as they mature over long seasons; and the fat, sugary, fragrant curve of the grapes when they’re ready to be made into wine.

That harvest point is crucial. Too long on the vine and the grapes have too much sugar in them, meaning the wine will be more alcoholic—not the subtle feel most winemakers in the region care for. Too long, and the acids that give wine some of its feel in the mouth may disintegrate. Not long enough, and they might not have developed the right balance of fragrant chemicals that give the wine its characteristic flavours.

Winemakers keep careful track of harvest dates, with some regions have records stretching back to the Middle Ages. In the 1800s, scientists and historians realised that those careful records could be used to keep track of how the climate in different parts of Europe has changed over time.

Grape harvest date records are the longest records of phenology in Europe. There are hundreds of years of records of what the summer temp was like, and we can use them like a thermometer.

Grape harvest dates reflect the temperature the grapes have felt over the course of the growing season, from about April until they’re picked. If the spring and summer are hot, the grapes mature faster and need to be picked sooner. If they're cool, the opposite is true.

Climate historians started to pull together ancient information from other sources, too. They matched up the patterns in the grape harvest data with records made from tree rings and the length of glaciers in the Alps. They used records like those to figure out that much of central Europe warmed up during the Medieval Warm Period, from around 900 to 1300. It had cooled down during the Little Ice Age, from about the 15th to the 19th centuries.

The historians saw that over the past few hundred years, temperatures wobbled around, skewing warm for short stretches and cooling down in others. But overall, climate rocked up and down around a fairly consistent average value - until recently.

Wine is first and foremost an agricultural product. The grapes used to make it are grown and harvested with intent to be fermented. This means that wine production is vulnerable to the effects of climate change from the tangible health of vines to the taste and quality of the finished bottling they create. So for this reason, all winemakers see themselves as being on the front line to see what happens with the weather, with the climate. The fluctuations we have today are more significant than any time before.

If you don’t believe any of this or think wine producers are exaggerating the dangers, then taste your wine the next time you open a bottle. The chances are it has a high alcohol content. This is no accident. Because of the changes in temperature world wide, the alcohol content of wines has bumped up from about 12% in the 1970s to about 14% today. Of course that number varies from region to region and is also due to the wine maker’s preference. But a large part of it is because grapes are maturing faster in the heat. The more sugar they accumulate, the more of it is converted to alcohol during the winemaking process.

Warming has also caused the boundaries of viable growing area to swell. Typically, successful vineyards have been found between 30 and 50 degrees latitude. But as global average temperatures continue to climb, the most ideal areas to plant are moving farther from the equator. Now, areas as far up as the island of Föhr and Stargarder Land in Mecklenburg, at the tip-top of Germany, are legally permitted to produce table wines. Belgium, whose vinous history has been overshadowed by its beer culture, quadrupled production between 2006 and 2018; it’s forecasted to become a champion, alongside Finland, Sweden and other boreal climes. Shockingly, even England has also successfully entered the modern fine wine scene.

With better wine from regions we know and new wine from previously uncharted areas, it may appear the wine world is becoming better off. In truth, however, this is a thin silver lining to ever-worsening viticultural challenges.

If the growing season becomes too hot, fruit will push through its life cycle too quickly and characteristics like tannins and anthocyanins, the compounds responsible for giving grape skins their colour, won’t develop properly. Muted acid and increased alcohol levels are also possible and often undesirable.

Variations between daytime and nighttime temperatures are in jeopardy as well. In warmer growing regions, that difference can be crucial to achieving freshness and encouraging certain flavour and aroma development.

Intense heat or too much direct sunlight can lead to dried fruit notes or create flabby and dull wines. Fruit that’s left too long on the vine can be damaged from sunburn or may simply shrivel. Vines may just shut down to protect themselves.

This is already happening in some places. Wine growers in northern Italy have already seen sunburnt crops with increasing frequency. The summer of 2019 in Southern Australia was the hottest since national records began in 1910, and it ushered in an 8% loss of white wine varieties, with Chardonnay dropping 12% to its lowest yield in the past five years. Growers in Priorat, Spain, reported devastating vine damage, scorched leaves and desiccated grapes when temperatures shot up to a record 107.6˚F.

Climate change is complicated, however, and, even though temperature is the most influential factor in overall growth and productivity of wine grapes, there’s more than rising mercury to think about.

Winter, and all of its prescriptions, is one of those other things. We typically talk about warming, yet, freezes during the winter or extreme frost in the spring don’t go away. They may become less frequent, but potentially more severe. A decrease in regular winter frosts may also encourage the spread of pests and insect-borne diseases that would normally die off during cold seasons.

Moisture is pivotal. Too much rain approaching or during harvest can lead to watery grapes and a weak vintage. Similar to mild winters, damp, soggy and humid conditions open the door to a variety of pests, fungi, mildew and disease pressures.

All of these intricacies and others work in conjunction with temperature to dictate what vines can successfully grow where and for how long—and all are increasingly unpredictable or totally upended in the face of climate change.

The people who grow, make and sell wine are tuned in to these nuances.

A greater number of producers are rethinking canopy management, vine trellising or pruning techniques, developing cover crops and extensive shading methods, increasing vineyard biodiversity and finding ways to reuse water.

Still, there are some challenges that cannot be overcome.

In the future, I expect growers to struggle with maintaining varieties in certain regions without major interventions. If they don’t make major changes, wine producers will see declining yields - already seen in Europe - and declining quality as the varieties become increasingly mismatched to the climate.

Producers have begun grafting new rootstocks and experimenting with different grapes. In South Africa, Vinpro, aided tests of drought-resistant varieties including Assyrtico and Marselan, for example. Australian producers have tried Italian grapes like Fiano, Vermentino and Nero d’Avola that thrive in warmer settings.

In Old World regions, where grapes and blends may be prescribed by law, the idea of swapping plantings is monumental.

Bordeaux is one such place, and, at a 2019 General Assembly meeting, it finally relented. The Union of Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Supérieur winemakers unanimously approved a list of seven “varieties of interest for adapting to climate change”: Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Alvarinho, Liliorila and Petit Manseng.

The approval of these new plantings signals just how committed the region is to preserving the future of fine wine.

Each of the various tactics being implemented worldwide take lots of time, tests and research. Some experienced wine producers think it would take about 21 years to change course because of how long it takes to plant vines, grow grapes, and then create and age a wine; finding sustainable farming practices for a plot takes trial and error.

Further, the methods being devised now may not be applicable down the road. Though there are several models in use to try and predict changes, they are attempting to track a nonlinear problem that’s dependent on a range of forthcoming scenarios.

Basically, the only thing we do know for certain is that it will get warmer, and that we may be able to anticipate that heat before it hits us.We have to be asking what we can do now to preserve the integrity of the grapes and vineyards we work with and look for where our opportunities are to continue making wine. The one line that works for everyone is to cut carbon emissions, that is the emergency action that needs to be taken.

We’re all starting to see this and we’re all affected. We know we can’t turn it backwards, and we’re not even sure we can slow it down. But we have to try.

Think on all this the next time you take a sip of wine.

#wine #vineyard #frost #climate change #environment #economic disaster #harvest #france #bordeaux #bourgogne #champagne #weather #wine business #personal #personal pics #family

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thebumblingbee · 4 years ago

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“You should just eat healthier!”

Let’s have a chat about why that idea is damaging, ableist, and ignorant.

If you have a disability or chronic illness, you have absolutely had this said to you at some point or another. Whether it be from a concerned family member, a doctor, or just some random lady on the street that thinks kale will solve the world’s problems.

First of all, eating healthy is expensive. There is no argument that picking healthier options almost always has a higher price. You typically have to buy a significantly larger quantity of healthy foods to meet the same caloric content as some “unhealthier” foods. Many people with disabilities and chronic illnesses struggle with steady employment. Many can’t work at all due to symptoms or lack of reasonable accommodations. Assuming that someone has the finances to eat a completely “clean” diet is not only ableist, but classist as well.

Secondly, it is time consuming to eat healthy. “But you can meal prep” I hear you yell from the back of the room. Yeah, no. That’s not really a thing for most disabled people. For many people with physical and mental illnesses, taking a large chunk of time to cook food is unrealistic, undesirable, and honestly unattainable. For most of the week, I spend more energy than I have just going to work to earn money to feed myself (if you haven’t heard of the Spoon Theory, I highly recommend looking it up). By the time I get home, I struggle to even be able to get food in the microwave. That’s why my dinner option most nights is cereal. On the days that I do have more energy, which is typically the weekends, I have no interest in spending my precious energy on cooking for four hours. I have other things to do, like grooming my dog, laundry, and house cleaning that I didn’t have the ability to do during the week. Meal prep just isn’t something that can be squeezed into my schedule without potentially damaging my health.

Thirdly, for some disabilities, eating healthy can literally make us sicker. Due to one of my conditions, I cannot eat a salad without getting violently ill. I cannot physically digest large volumes of food. The issue with eating a plant-based, ‘healthy’ diet is that you typically have to consume a higher volume of food to meet the same caloric needs. Some of us just cannot do that due to our illnesses.

Lastly, I deal with enough shit in my life, food is one of the things that I can control and makes me happy. I really just don’t like kale, and don’t need people trying to shove it down my throat everyday, Susan. I didn’t even touch the fact that some people may have struggled with disordered eating in the past, so suggesting that a diet change is needed to improve their life can be triggering and extremely damaging.

I get where the sentiment comes from. Many times, our family and friends just want us to feel better. But they don’t understand why it is so harmful. Let me just eat my brownie in peace while I recover from standing up for ten minutes.

#chronic disease #chronic illness #disabled witch #disability #disabilities #cottagecore #grandmacore #farmcore #green witch #healthspo #healthblr #fitspo

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crystalelemental · 3 years ago

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I have 20 minutes before I have to feed the cat and get started on these courses that finally allowed me access, so let’s take a moment to talk about my good friend Thracia 776.

I made it through Chapter 5, and got both sidequest chapters along the way. So that’s fun. I decided to play on Paragon mode, because I don’t give a shit about challenge, I’m here to try and enjoy the experience for a game whose story I actually really like.

Currently, Leif is doing pretty well, mostly seems to do great with strength and speed, but his skill is bad and I don’t think he’s gained any build so that’s fun. I think Macha’s been the most unprecedented hero so far. She’s had two 6 point levels. That’s really good. Brighton’s had mostly 1 point levels so he’s not doing so hot. Asbel seems super magic screwed, he still only has like 4 magic at level 7. Not looking forward to that long-term. Tanya actually got some fantastic levels too, including a lot of extra strength, so I’ll be doing my damnedest to get her back.

Chapters 1-3 remain pretty enjoyable. Moreso now that I understand capturing as a mechanic and how to do that effectively. A big issue before was not knowing how to set up a good capture, but now that I’m in the swing of it...I kinda like this feature? Like it’s kinda cool. Only kinda, though. And the “only kinda” part kicks in as soon as you hit Chapter 4, where everything starts breaking down, but I’ll get to that.

I’m currently playing with the Lil Munster patch, which also allows me to see the hidden skills for units. Such as Miracle+ on Eyvel, which just literally prevents her from ever dying. I did not know that was a thing, and let me tell you, everything going on with Chapter 5′s pitfighters is suddenly a lot less bullshit. Yes, you can argue all you want that it increases the tension when you don’t know it’s there, but also fuck that.

Chapter 4 is really where I think I’m going to start complaining. Which is funny because on a second playthrough? This is actually a pretty fun chapter. You know, mostly. Facilitating the escape of the civilians was pretty simple and fun, and it honestly helped out Karin the most, since she wasn’t particularly threatened by a guard holding a captive. I was also pleasantly surprised at how engaging that map managed to be in terms of just...gathering Vulneraries. Like, looking at it, I expected a disaster, but judicious use of the thieves and maybe a capture here and there actually nets you enough to equip everyone with a full vulnerary.

Until the trouble. Let me be frank: I am always one for soft resetting when a character dies, and I’m trying to break myself of that particular habit a bit. It’s not that I want to not care about characters, so much as recognizing that some characters I don’t give a shit about so why reset everyone else for them? I play a quick run of Shadow Dragon before this, and just let people die, and honestly it was a lot more engaging when you’re not resetting for stupid things. But there was one unit who causes two of the three resets, because I couldn’t afford to lose him. Julian. I couldn’t just lose the thief and that utility. Resets occur not because of character love, but because you cannot give up the utility presented.

I feel like that’s part of early Thracia’s problem. Chapters 1-3, it’s pretty easy to keep everyone alive, especially with Eyvel being actually invincible, and having three super units in Eyvel, Dagdar, and Finn. If you got the Vouge and the Brave Axe, Osian and Halvan are actually ridiculous too. But once you hit Chapter 4, things feel like they change to a level that’s a bit absurd? If you didn’t successfully set up recruitment of Dalsin, I kinda feel like Chapter 4 and 4x are just impossible. The only way to damage these armor knights are Leif’s Light Brand at range, and Dalsin’s axe. Pretty much everyone else is dealing about 2 damage, and hoping for a crit, with none of them having the B-rank swords to make use of Armorslayer. So the chokepoint strategy to the north feels decisively impossible because of how much damage you take, how little you deal in response, and how hard it is to actually break through and take out the mages when their numbers dwindle. Not to mention one less unit means you have less defense against the soldier reinforcements, and it’s that much harder to protect your thieves. Which, actually, speaking of: Thieves plural. Which requires you actually got Lithis. You probably did, his condition is super easy to achieve. But. My recollection is that the original version of this game didn’t give you little icons to tell you when people could talk to one another. So unless you just figured out that Leif can talk to Eyvel (but not the other way around, that’s too much), you’d miss the hint about “Just catch him and hold onto him.” At which point I feel it is fair to say people might release him after taking his stuff. And then you only have one thief. Which is. Not great. And slows down that prison escape significantly.

Then there’s 4x, where you really need 4 strong frontliners to block off attacks, and if you don’t have Dalsin I honestly feel like you’re just hosed, both in terms of taking too much damage, and having too few units to deal with the mages. I’m not going to say it’s impossible to deal with, but for a putz like me it feels pretty impossible without the big tank man on deck.

Then there’s the issue of capturing. Capturing only works if your build is higher than the opponent. If you have a lower build, you can’t capture anyone. Which is all well and good when you have four chunky axe bros and a cav on your side. Then you can capture just about anything, especially with Tanya and Ronan giving you some nice chip damage to set up those easy captures. But Chapter 4-5, you really don’t have many options. Brighton is consistently able to capture, but Fergus isn’t. 8 build isn’t bad, but it’s not enough to capture one of the soldiers and take their vulneraries. So if you didn’t get Dalsin, you have one guy who can consistently capture people. One. The thieves can steal, but Lara’s build is so low she basically can’t steal anything heavier than a vulnerary or door key, and she’s got 14HP so good luck leaving her in range of anything. So like. That’s fun.

Point being, some of these challenges feel distinctly impossible without save states as a result. I think the biggest offender was admittedly an optional one: the two Loptyr mages in front of the chests in Chapter 5. Man, those guys are fucked. Tremendous damage output, poison, and had an absurdly high crit rate that would one-shot anyone if it hit. I think Leif was able to deny the crits with Light Brand but I’m honestly not sure. The fact you had to deal with two of them, or risk Leif having to chip them 3 damage at a time at range, was kind of a problem. That’s the kind of thing where I don’t really know how you’re supposed to manage that, and save states feel incredibly necessary if you’re going to stand a chance. Granted, this is optional, you can escape and just leave those chests. But this isn’t the only situation I can think of where the game just plays stupid, and usually the stupid is with mages, because magic is resistance and no one has any. Except Karin, who is delightfully too weak to actually KO a mage in response. So that helps. Situations across Chapters 4-5 have been difficult, because of the presence of magical hits that can 2-shot people if they connect, and a lot of situations feel like you’re desperately hoping for a particular attack to connect so you don’t start losing people left and right. And then the attack misses anyway because 100% accuracy doesn’t exist, and whoops now you’re gone.

Despite that, I’m still enjoying this more than my first time through. Maybe it’s familiarity with the game and its mechanics, but I do feel like being able to clear Chapter 4 without screaming is a good indicator that maybe it’s not as bad as I remembered. We’ll see though, there’s much worse to come.

#personal shenanigans #thracia 776

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strawberry-jules · 4 years ago

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i think i’ve mentioned my project to start dating myself and learn to fall in love with myself. i’m going to start documenting it here.

i’m in such a better place, thank god. i was really scared for myself, in a constant state of dissociation so far removed from myself i truly didn’t care if i died. i’m learning how to recover from an experience like that. i have such a short time here, i’m tired of feeling like i was feeling. i know that accepting myself as a whole and no longer projecting my insecurities on to a “person” i created in my mind (the shadow man, i’ll get to that in a minute) isn’t an option for everyone. i’m lucky in that i have a lot of choice and will when it comes to my mental health. i forget that sometimes. i always have had that ability to just choose how i’ll feel, it’s very helpful. anyway, onto my constant projection.

when i was in 4th grade, i wrote a story about the Shadow Man, a fictional character i created specifically for this school assignment. he was probably about 8 ft tall, and he was almost entirely 2 dimensional, like a cartoon, except his eyes. his head held no facial features except the sockets where his eyes would have been. two deep, somehow blacker-than-the-rest-of-his-being holes sunken into his flattened skull. he was solid when you looked at him, you couldn’t see through him. in actuality, he was a whisper of a black smoke that you could only feel near you.

we wrote these stories for a halloween activity in class. after i turned mine in, i looked across the room to the whiteboard, my eyes passing over the window momentarily. there was a man standing at the window, his shoulders and head were the only things visible, and he had a hat with a wider brim than i had ever seen, blocking out a majority of the light trying to filter into the room. i quickly glanced back, realizing that no one could be standing outside the window looking into the classroom-- the side of the room with the window was on the edge of a sudden almost 3 foot drop, the edge of a very sharp little hill, blocked in with a fence. there was only about 6 inches of space between the wall and the drop, perhaps even less. to be looking inside the classroom, someone would have to be standing on that narrow grass ledge between the wall and the fence, or they would have to be so tall that they could stand behind the fence at the front of the school, looking inside the window. no one was that tall. by the time my eyes found the window again, he was gone.

he stayed with me for many years after that. i was 9 at the time. as a child, i would feel him with me in the dark, when i was in the bathroom and steam fogged the mirror and i couldn’t see anything in detail, when i would trek out into the woods alone and i would feel the faintest brush of his hand on the back of my neck. i was 16 when i realized that he was a manifestation of my insecurities and fears, and he wouldn’t go away until i accepted them. unfortunately, i was too young and emotionally immature to actually act on that realization. i continued to allow him to be where i projected my fears of failure; didn’t pass that test? that makes sense, i could feel him breathing down my neck, in retrospect. instances like that.

the most intense encounters i had with the shadow man were my freshman and sophomore years of college, when i was truly alone. i had no one else to protect me from myself, and in my eyes, he took advantage of that. he would follow me home from nights i was so high i couldn’t find my dorm, knowing that i had put myself in a situation so dangerous with men i didn’t know. he would walk close enough that he could push the small of my back, urging me forward. i could hear his laughter, feel his cool breath through my hair. it became a game of cat and mouse: i would behave in a way that put me in danger, or i just simply knew wasn’t correct, and he would chase me home when i was finally alone, making me pay my penance. if he caught me, i would finally atone for my sins with my life as the payment. if i let him finally catch me and make me whole again, mistakes and emotional projections and inability to deal with sadness and anger and fear and hurt put back into me, the place where it really belonged, i would surely die. i couldn’t handle being held accountable to myself. sometimes, i would try to be brave. i would turn to face him, and he would be gone. i didn’t understand why i could never actually see him again after that day as a child. i could only feel him near me, constantly hovering, constantly watching.

it wasn’t until i came out as lesbian that i had my final encounter with him. i finally admitted to myself that i had been lying and hurting myself and pushing down who i really was, that i had been projecting my insecurities about my attraction to women onto him rather than dealing with it myself. i realized that i would never be able to accept all the bad things about myself until i accepted some real, hard to swallow truths. i’m a lesbian. i have an eating disorder that stems from control issues, more than likely due to my inability to control my sexuality. i have a hard time understanding who i am, because i never allowed myself to become myself. i put myself into a box and hid in it and never let my mistakes or real feelings near me. and that’s okay. it was my coping mechanism.

that’s when the walls of that box fell away, and i was left with this feeling that none of it was real, and the only real thing about me was a part of my identity i had spent no time with. so i managed to push away all of the good things about myself that came from the time spent in that box, because i felt like i didn’t deserve them, that they weren’t found in an association with my sexual identity and therefore weren’t who i actually am. with that feeling came the need to deal with all the bad things about myself, too, because i deserved it. i deserved to feel that pain for how i treated myself for so long. i got so high that i felt like i went to a different dimension. i saw the shadow man. i cried and i apologized to myself for letting it go on so long, and to him for making him the pinnacle of everything i hated about myself for so long. he forgave me, and he took my hand. he gave me back all the feelings i had pushed away for so long, and i was hit by this tidal wave of love. i opened my eyes and found that i wasn’t looking at the shadow man, i was looking at myself as a child. at some point in my early childhood, i think i was about 4 or 5, i realized i liked girls, but i also realized i wasn’t supposed to. so i hid it, and found it easier to hide all the feelings i didn’t like in that little box, that eventually morphed into the shadow man. at 9 years old, i wrote a scary story that i took so much to heart, i made it a place for everything that scared me, and what scared me the most was myself and everything i thought i shouldn’t be feeling. i had protected myself from myself for so long, that by the time i made it back around to me, the damage was severe. in that moment, i finally understood self love.

it’s taken a couple days for me to realize that i’ve been projecting my anger at myself onto my dad’s family, and that’s the reason i want to stop talking to them. they’re the main reason i hid who i am for so long. i wanted to be perfect in their eyes, to gain their approval and love that i was never given. there’s a lot to unpack in that sentence, i’m not going to get into it, but just gather that my dad’s family can be very toxic and didn’t like me growing up. i finally got to a place where they would approve of me, when my life fell apart, and i was forced to come to terms with who i am. is it right of me to be so angry at them when i was really the one doing the damage? no. but do i think they should be held accountable for how they made an innocent child feel, do i think they should be held accountable for their racist tendencies and selfish world views and constant purposeful ignorance? absolutely. and do i want to be the person to educate them? not really. there are so many of them in such a deeply rooted group think, it would take more out of me than i have to offer, to try to affect actual, substantial change in them. i have so little time on this earth, i don’t want to waste it on them when i could be helping people who deserve my help. i would spend so much of my time on wealthy adults who have college degrees and are willfully ignorant and have obviously made their choices to be such, when i could be helping someone who can’t help themselves, when i could be helping the people who actually want to make a change in themselves, who are open and kind enough to put others first. i’ve wasted the last 16 years of my life trying to please them, i don’t want to waste another 16 trying to educate them. they’re big kids, they can do it themselves and join me when they’re ready, or they can stay where they are while i surround myself with people who are committed to making a change and being good people.

and i want to be tolerant of them, to be able to look at them and say, it’s okay that you’re like this. but i can’t reconcile believing black lives matter while simultaneously making an exception for my wealthy, politically influential family and saying, well, black lives matter but it’s okay that you guys don’t necessarily think that there’s any real importance behind that phrase and i’m okay with that. because i’m not! and i’m not saying that they don’t believe that black lives matter, because i truly think they’re generally pretty ambivalent toward people of color, i just know that they don’t see any validity in saying that people of color are marginalized and oppressed and disenfranchised and persecuted/prosecuted at a significantly higher rate than white people and that’s a really, really big issue. in itself, in my eyes, apathy toward racism is just as bad as being racist, because you’re being willfully and knowingly complacent in hate crimes and perpetuating a society in which shit like this has to be said. guilty by association. it’s bullshit, and i’m tired of being okay with people’s apathy because we’re related. however, i do find myself drawn back to just resigning myself to my fate with them.

and this ties back into me dating myself. i don’t want to love someone who is so intolerant, i don’t know why i’m being so intolerant because it’s making it hard to love myself. i’m behaving like such an asshole, but i truly am stuck in such an emotional crossroads and i feel like i have to pick between advocacy and complacency, and it makes me feel so resentful toward my family for making me make the choice. why am i projecting my anger on them? what am i struggling with that i can’t get over? am i really this upset with them over their racist tendencies, or am i upset about something else and using this issue as a scapegoat? is it for how they made me feel about being gay for so long, so i’m using something else about them to fuel my anger because i’m angry and i have to feel like i have to have a valid reason to be angry? why am i not angry for myself? i don’t feel that upset when i think about how they made me feel, i’m mostly upset at myself for letting it get to me the way it did. i didn’t deserve that. i’m upset at how they made me feel, not necessarily at them. but i feel like i should be, so i’m using something else about them that does genuinely bother me as a way to cover up the fact that i’m angry that i’m not more angry and hurt, because i really deserve to be and someone needs to stand up for me because i never seem to be able to. i’m projecting my anger at myself onto them so hard that it’s hurting me.

i don’t know where else to go from here with this realization. i’m fairly sure i just hit the nail on the head with this issue, i just don’t know how to resolve it. i guess i need to learn what family means to me first. i just wish they were better people so that i didn’t have to deal with this.

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gofancyninjaworld · 5 years ago

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One Punch Man Serious CD Vol 2: Genos, Training. Full Dialogue Translation

Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/OnePunchMan/comments/ekjf4a/one_punch_man_serious_cd_vol_2_genos_training/

Courtesty of @u-vibhavm who has produced a full translation with Redditor u/hdx514′s help. Full text is posted with his permission and follows below the cut.

Translated by me using a lot of help from /u/hdx514 and his previous summary of the audiobook.

Follow along with the audio:

Part 1: https://streamable.com/m08uk

Part 2: https://streamable.com/oiiss

Genos (G): Haaaaa, Machine Gun Blow!

MGB noises

G: Incinerate.

explosion noise

Computer (C): Target annihilated, mission clear. Simulation complete.

Inferiority OST starts

G: Alright, I managed to eliminate even the strongest opponent by myself.

G: Dr. Kuseno made this, the Virtual Genocide System. It works by using a computer to create a virtual reality, in which I can practice by battling virtual opponents.

G: If there are no virtual opponents of a higher difficulty left, then like the Doctor said, maybe it’s time to start the next training phase

G: The evolved Virtual Genocide System allows me to engage in practice battles against monsters restored from data I collected in the past

G: That means, Mosquito Girl and Deep Sea King, and even Carnage Kabuto. I can have a rematch with all the opponents I lost too.

C: Restarting simulation. Mosquito Girl: High pitched scream

G: Mosquito Girl’s data.

G: This time, I won’t let my guard down. Let’s go.

Machine Gun Blow noises

G: I can feel it…

G: How much stronger I’ve got since the time I fought her.

G: Target acquired explosion noise

C: Target annihilated. Mission clear.

G: Alright, next one!

thunder and rain sounds play

Wet DSK’s voice: I’ll tear you to shreds

G: Deep Sea King. Let’s go.

G: Machine Gun Blow. Incinerate.

MGB and Explosion noises

C: Target annihilated. Mission clear.

G: I will not be defeated by the likes of acid spit anymore.

G: With this combat practicing, my learning efficiency in battle will rapidly improve.

G: Against Demon Level opponents that I had trouble with in the past, my chance of victory is over 70%.

G: .And now, it’s finally time challenge that guy.

Alarms

Thumping footsteps

Carnage Kabuto: Well then, let’s start the killing.

G: Carnage Kabuto, it won’t be like last ti-

BOOM

G: Wha!

G: After all those upgrading my parts, learning from my defeats, and time spent studying with sensei, I am sure that I have gotten stronger, however…

CK: Hehehehe, Baaaaaka.

G: Estimated Disaster Level Dragon and opponents of similar level, I knew my chances of winning would decrease significantly in dealing with those.

G: I’m still a long way away from being able to defeat Carnage Kabuto.

C: Player, Genos: Seriously damaged. Simulation completed.

Sorrow OST playing

G: Even though I challenged Carnage Kabuto 55 times, I can’t seem to achieve victory, so I requested Doctor Kuseno for advice.

G: According to the Doctor, since the opponent is too powerful, it’s no good as reference

G: I should use my personal data to create something called “ghost”, then gradually accumulate experience through practice battles against the ghost.

”Machine Gun Blow” echoes

G: Using the past me to shape the present me, even if it’s a bit of improvement, that’s still good.

G: I have been following this training method until now.

G: In the process of repeating this training, I began wanting to see my ghost fight with Saitama sensei.

Saitama (S): Hmm? Do you need something, Genos?

G: Saitama sensei, please try on this device.

S: What’s this?

G: It’s “Virtual Genocide System”

S: huh?

G: It’s “Virtual Genocide System”

S: (Think) That’s not really an explanation is it…

S: Anyway, I just have to put this on my head right.

C: Player, Saitama: Commencing Simulation.

S: Ooh! What’s this! I see something Genos! Where is this!

G: You are currently in a virtual reality. Please defeat the enemies I’ve configured to appear in front of you.

S: What? I just have to defeat right? How do I move in here?

G: It will read your brainwaves; you just have to imagine the normal scenario.

S: Imagine you say…

Clothes ruffling sfx

S: Oh yeah, it moved!

G: You don’t need to move your body around like t-

Loud crash

S: Did you say something Genos?

G: Nope (Homonym for “house”)

S: Alright. Here I go!

Seigi Shikkou OST playing

Monster death explosions

S: Oh, this is great… It’s just like the real world.

G: We can also review that place’s footage from this monitor here.

G: So regardless of it being a virtual world, you can completely defeat any monster easily.

G: However, your last opponent is….

Mechanical noises

Compute Genos (CG): Target Acquired

S: Woah, a guy that’s the splitting image of Genos just came out

CG: I will eliminate you.

G: It’s me from yesterday. Please fight it with all your strength.

G: Use the punch from last time that you stopped just before connecting with me. In the VGS, it isn’t the real me, so it doesn’t matter if I get completely destroyed.

G: Against a very upgraded me compared to last time, please fight to your heart’s content.

S: Sokka

G: How will Saitama Sensei fight against the current version of me…

G: After analysing and studying that, I might have unexpected findings regarding my weak points and blind spo-

S: I punched it.

C: Target annihilated. Mission clear. Simulation completed.

S: Sighs Seems like a videogame, though it’s easier than one.

S: Huh, what’s wrong Genos? Seems like the lights are gone from your eyes. Hello hello?

more sorrow OST

G: (thinking) Saitama Sensei’s power is wrapped up in mystery even till this day. It’s naive of me to think I could figure him out with mere simulations.

G: Please excuse me. I’m going out for a bit. S: Huh, where are you off to?

S: What happened to him… S: Wha- Hey… There’s a hole in the wall! ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!

G: For the experiment, it might be more appropriate to find capable heroes other than Saitama sensei.

G: Thinking that, I negotiated with the Hero Association in order to summon heroes to the headquarters.

Mysterious OST playing

Sneck (Sk): Are you the guy who suddenly summoned us? What do you want with me, Snake Bite Sneck. Sk: I’ll only say this once, despite our ranks, i’m your senior.

Metal Bat (MB): Who on earth is the reckless guy challenging me, Metal bat, to a one-on-one fight!?

Darkshine (Ds): No no, I heard there’s some new training machine.

Zombieman (Z): What a bunch of unpleasant members.

Z: Hey you, Genos or something? What do you want with us? G: A-Class hero Snake Bite Sneck, and from S-Class, Metal bat, Superalloy Darkshine, Zombieman;

G: You all will now equip this device in turns and fight enemies in a virtual space.

MB: Eh? The hell is that? The latest toy or something?

G: It’s fine if you want to think of this as a game. There’s no risk to your life, but the feeling is nearly same to life so be careful.

Z: What do you plan to do with that combat data...?

G: I will use it as a reference for myself to get stronger

Z: You’re a surprisingly straightforward guy.

Z: Very well, I’ll go along with you. Well, I hope it will be helpful reference.

MB: Heh, seems interesting.

Sk: Can’t be helped, I’l pitch in and help out my junior.

DS: It seems like good training

G: Snake Bite Sneck, you go first.

(TN: Genos used the very informal second person pronoun ‘omae’ (おまえ) implying equal or superior status)

Sk: Oma…? I’m your senior you know… man…

Sk: Tsk, I just have to put this on, right?

C: Player Sneck. Commencing simulation.

Sneck: Hmph, I’m going to show you guys right here, that I’m actually pretty damn strong.

explosion

Simulation System Voice: Player Sneck. Incapacitated in battle. Simulation complete.

Sk: I was defeated in 3 seconds!

G: No. Correctly speaking, it was 2.52 seconds.

Sk: W..what the hell was that enemy just now?

G: It’s a monster I fought in the past, Carnage Kabuto.

Sk: There... There’s something wrong with its strength setting...

G: Hmm, you really can’t be used as reference.

Sk: Eh? that’s it for m-

G (cutting Sneck off): Next! Metal Bat, your turn to challenge it.

MB: Hmph, let me give it a shot.

C: Player Metal Bat. Commencing simulation.

MB: Bring it on!

metal bat grunting

boom

Z: A frontal exchange of blows huh.

DS: What a great number of at-bats!

G: No wonder he’s an S-Class hero. He wasn’t finished off easily, however...

Carnage Kabuto: YEAAAAAAAAAAH!

explosion

MB grunts

CK: Hehehehe, Baaaaaka.

C: Player Metal Bat. Incapacitated in battle. Simulation complete.

G: He wasn’t able to win huh

G: But that was his first fight with Kabuto and he lasted 3 minutes. That’s pretty impressive.

MB: Huh? That’s it? It’s over?

G: You lost, Metal Bat, because the damage you sustained were too grave for you to continue.

MB: Huh? What are you talking about? I can totally keep going.

G: No, when you get injured to that extent, it is over.

G: You are considered “dead” in the virtual world.

MB: No way Jose. I might have lost in the game world, but in the real world it won’t go like that.

MB: It might be over once you die in the game world, but in the real world, a death is just a flesh wound. You can totally revive through fighting spirit and have another go, know what I’m saying?!!

Sk: Eh, isn’t it usually the other way?

DS: Calm down, Metal Bat kun!

DS: It would make a mess of things if you get into a real fight with Genos here!

Metal Bat: Damn it!

Z: Next, it's my turn.

G: Zombieman, I heard you're an undying hero.

Z: Hmph, if the device can read my brainwaves and recreate my body's abilities as well as the damages in the simulation, it will be a reflection of my characteristics in actual combat.

MB: Aren't you confident.

G: This guy could provide great reference data.

C: Player Zombieman, commencing simulation.

Z: Bring it on, as long as it's something that can be defeated.

CK: Baaaaaaaka!

squashing noises

MB: Hey hey, that Zombieman, I thought he'd start the battle with leisure, isn't this a one sided beatdown?

Sk: Ouch, I can't bear to watch.

DS: His body is gradually disappearing, is it okay to keep it going? It's starting to look gory as hell.

G: This is strange, the battle should have long since been concluded, but the system isn't stopping it. What's going on?

Z: It must be because my brain isn't acknowledging this as real danger on a cognitive level.

Z: Stuff like this isn't even considered damage.

MB: No no no, what a load of bollocks. A body-less head is in no position to say that!

G: Totally not useful for reference!

Metal Bat: Looks like it's going to go on for a while, yawns, I'm gonna take a nap. Call me when it's over.

Darkshine: I'm also going to take a break and get ready for my battle.

G: Then aside from Zombieman, it's recess for everyone else. Everyone, go take a break.

G (monologue): Afterwards, Zombieman's battle lasted for over 3 hours, since there was no conclusion, the system automatically sped-up its simulation clock and one week has passed in the simulation.

C: Simulation complete.

DS: Ooh! Zombieman’s back!

MB: Finally acknowledging your defeat?

Z: I won.

G: What did you say?

Z: After transforming into Carnage Mode or whatever and rampaging, it spent all its stamina and couldn't even move.

Z: I saw my chance and started my attack.

Sk: Finally winning after losing for 1 week straight...

G: That's amazing! ...but can't be used for reference at all...

DS: Alrighty, finally, i’m up!

G: Superalloy Darkshine...

DS: Since we’re in virtual space, it would be okay for me to release the full power of my muscles, right?

Genos: Yes, let me bear witness to your power.

C: Player Superalloy Darkshine. Commencing simulation.

Darkshine: Hmph!!

booms and bashes

Carnage Kabuto & Darkshine: DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー

Sk: Whoa, this is…

Z: A great fight

G: It’s working! This means Superalloy Darkshine’s strength goes beyond Kabuto’s defense.

continued sound effects of battle

DS: HMPH! !

Sk: WHOA!

C: Enemy, incapacitated in battle. Player, Superalloy Darkshine, is victorious. Simulation completed.

DS: Yeah! I won!

DS: He’s a lot stronger than I imagined, took me 15 minutes.

G: Zombieman is undying, so his body makes sense, but what’s with your body, Darkshine? Has it been modified?

DS: I’m not a cyborg! Although, I can’t say my body hasn’t been modified… by the power of muscles!

G: Muscles you say?

G: Looks like I have to give up on upgrading my parts. Maybe I should discuss with Dr. Kuseno about installing muscle upgrades.

DS: By the way Genos, I saw there are monsters in this to choose from, can I give them a go?

G: Sure, but Carnage Kabuto is the strongest monster who’s data is stored.

DS: Is that so… That’s unfortunate.

G: However, you can fight a ghost of yourself from the data collected.

Z: Wait a minute, that means, there are also ghosts of us right?

MB: So that means, it is possible to have Genos vs Metal Bat, and Zombieman vs Darkshine?

MB: That sounds interesting. Fight with my ghost, Darkshine!

DS: Ummm…

Button click and computer starting sounds

OPM OST Main Theme plays

DS: Oh, I pressed some strange button.

MB: Huh? What the hell is that enemy?

Sk: A black silhouette came out…

MB: Huh? That silhouette… I feel like i’ve seen it somewhere…

DS: Well, it’s not gonna be stronger than Carnage Kabuto. Let’s just test it out.

DS: Hmph!

boom

C: Player, Superalloy Darkshine: Incapacitated in battle. Simulation completed.

DS: Eh...?

MB: What the hell!

Sk: A bug in the system?

G: That Ghost just now… Could it be…

Z: Genos, do you know anything?

MB: Hey! Select that guy once again! I’ll defeat it!

DS: Oh, alright.

DS: Huh? It won’t move.

MB: What’s going on, Genos?

G: I do not know

Darkshine pressing the button repeatedly

DS: Ahh… It’s no good… It won’t boot up. Looks like it broken.

MB: Genos do something!

G: No. We are done for today here.

MB: Haah?

G: There’s something I want to confirm.

MB: What happened to him all of a sudden…

Genos slams a door open

G: Saitama Sensei! I have returned back home.

S: Ahh, Genos. Where did you go off to earlier?

G: I went to repair and improve this machine.

S: Are you still playing with that thing…?

S: More importantly, hurry up and go fix my wall.

G: Saitama Sensei, please active this once again.

G: I updated, but the previously collected data is still inside

S: Sure, but why? Won’t the same thing happen again?

G: No…

S: What do you mean? Well anyway.

C: Player, Saitama: Commencing Simulation.

G: Inside the system, yesterday’s Saitama sensei has been added as a ghost.

G: In other words, an enemy of the same level as Saitama sensei was born inside the virtual world.

G: Of course, including me, there are no heroes who can win against an enemy like that.

G: Even if I let the others try, they’ll probably think it’s just damaged strength balance data as the result of the machine being broken.

G (thinking): This enemy has power unlike anything Saitama sensei has ever faced, he will be forced into a hard battle against his own ghost… sensei has been down since yesterday putting holes in his wall, is this a bad time? Will not being able to one punch his ghost affect him mentally? What if a defeated sensei loses his mojo and retire as hero? This is a huge, putting sensei in such danger in order to satisfy my curiosity...no, I have to explain to sensei what I’m getting him into…

G: Sensei...!! The enemy you are about to fight is-

boom

G: Sen… sei… I was too late...

S: What?

G: Please excuse me, I failed to let you know beforehand…

G: Your current enemy was, yesterday’s Saitama Sensei…

S: Oh, was that so?

G: As such, even though Saitama Sensei lost, it was against himself at full power, please don’t mind it too much…

S: Nope, it was over in One Punch.

G: Yes… eh? You... you won?

S: Obviously. Why would I lose to yesterday’s me?

extensive scribbling

S: H- Hey… What are you writing down in the memo?

Genos nods to himself

G: However, that you won in one punch, that’s incomprehensible.

G: Sensei is far more powerful today than he was yesterday… is that even possible?

S: It’s just unreliable simulated data right?

G: No but-

S: GENOS!

G: Yes!?

Serious Saitama: It doesn’t matter how strong you become in the virtual world, it will never change who you are in real life. I learned this lesson the hard way as a kid when I was so obsessed with leveling up in an RPG I missed my entire summer holiday.

S: Now enough virtual reality... GO FIX THE WALL!

G: Ye… Yes!

#OPM #Drama CD #Genos #Saitama #Metal Bat #Superalloy Darkshine #Sneck #Zombieman #very entertaining but also informative #giving us great insights into how the other heroes work #also how Genos is able to improve so fast #he's now got a system to virtualise his training #and of course the idea that Saitama is still growing stronger is scary stuff indeed #also #Genos straightforwardly telling the others he plans to use them #you can't accuse him of being duplicitous #but still!

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fernrisulfr · 5 years ago

Text

Digimon ReArise Review

I realize I don’t post a lot of my reviews on tumblr, usually just to steam, but this is about Digimon, and I have opinions on Digimon. Especially after how terrible Digimon Links was. I’ll break this review into parts, making comments on the various activities and mechanics in the game, as well of course comments on the Digimon themselves.

STORY: First off there’s the fact that there is an actual story, a massive improvement over Links which honestly had nothing, or at least so little it may as well have BEEN nothing. While the story itself isn’t anything as complex or indepth as FGO or Gran Blue, it is still quite enjoyable. It has a straight forward episodic nature, mixing cutscenes with blurbs/text bubbles that show up in the middle of actual combat. While the story itself may be simplistic, it’s suits the Digimon Franchise, and is in a lot of ways much like playing through an Episode of the various Television Series. While in truth the story may actually have been better suited TO the Television Series, and keeps the aspect of Episode Titles giving away when Story Relevant Digimon are going to Digivolve, it’s still good. VORTEX: The Vortex’s are the main sources for farming materials uses for Awakenings, as well as Food Items to raise your Digimon’s Bond. They’re reminiscent of Dailies, while being on a much shorter timer. Though it seems like recently they lengthened the timer from 4 hours to 7. In general they’re fairly easy and after a point you can simply autobattle your way through them, but it does remove the strain of farming materials, as it makes it easier to multitask. CLASH: Essentially these are Raid Battles designed to be beaten by Multiple Players. They come in multiple levels so it’s possible for even the lowest level player to reasonably participate. Only the Top 3 Damage Dealers and the Spotter (person who found/started the Clash) gain additional rewards, so it’s easy for weaker players to farm things out enmasse even if they don’t deal much damage. Along with dropping materials necessary for Digivolution, Clash Battles also drop a currency called Clash Medals, which can be spent in a shop. Clash Medals can be spent on Rare Plugins (Equipment) or on additional Digivolution Materials. BATTLE PARK: The Battle Park is ReArise’s version of PvP. A single “season” lasts for 1 week before resetting. Battle Park Stamina is separate from regular stamina, so it’s only possible to compete in about 5 battles in a row before needing to wait and recharge. The Battle Park itself rewards both BP Medals which can be used to buy DigiEggs (and later Rare Plugins I’ve heard) as well as DigiRubies (Paid Gacha and Shop Currency.).The Battle Park itself is honestly insanely broken. It divides players into Ranks, and once you gain enough points you’re able to participate in a “Promotion Battle” allowing you to rise to the next rank. However once you’ve advanced in Rank, you cannot drop to a lower rank. This is a problem because it means it’s very easy for a Player to pass the Promotion Battle, and then find themselves in a Rank they’re not yet ready for, causing them to constantly lose. In addition, the Promotion Battle becomes Mandatory once you’ve gained enough points. You HAVE to do it, and you can’t ignore it without ignoring the Battle Park entirely. Adding to the problem is that “Season Rewards/Rank” are determined by how many points you gain in battle over the course of the week, however as you climb to higher ranks and begin to win less and lose more, it becomes next to impossible to obtain higher rewards without going out of your way to pay for more stamina and heavily grind at the Battle Park. As well, and this will be mentioned again quite soon, Status Effects are tremendously broken in PvP. Particularly Stun, Shock, Paralysis, Sleep, and Skill Lock. Each Status Condition states that it lasts for “2 turns” or a similarly short duration. However a “Turn” is so long that in this time that your Digimon is Immobilized, your own Team is likely to be decimated unless you have a significant level advantage over your opponent. They’re incredibly unbalanced and overpowered. UNDERWORLD: The Underworld is interesting in concept. It’s a series of “floors” separate from the Main Story and Vortexes. Each floor can only be played once, and will give a variety of great rewards such as High Tier Plugins, DigiEggs, Gacha Currency, and Store Items. They’re intended to be Post-Game/After-Story Challenge Quests intended for High Level Players. Which is great. However in reality they only showcase the problem I mentioned with Status Effects all the more clearly. With the encounter itself set to Max Level, enemy party combinations are often set to spam Status Effects, particularly those that hit the entire party and are capable of immobilizing multiple members. Unless you have a Digimon that is immune to or heals the status effect your utterly screwed, and even if you DO, there’s a good chance you’re screwed anyway because in the case of a healer there’s a 50% chance they’ll be immobilized, preventing them from healing anyone/removing the status effect, and even if they do succeed there’s a good chance it’s just going to happen again. If you have Digimon that are Immune, it better be over half the party worth, or you’re likely to lose purely based on numbers.

Now then, let’s take a step back and lok at the DigiTown as well as various other in-game mechanics. The main screen for Digimon ReArise is the DigiTown, a customize-able space that you can decorate, and watch your Digimon run around in. From this area you can reach the various menus (of which there are a lot.), as well as feed your Digimon to raise their Bond. Which brings me to the Four things you must do in order to make a Digimon strong. BOND: A numerical representation of your Digimon’s happiness, trust, and faith in you. You can raise it either by bringing a Digimon with you into battle, assigning them as your Partner Digimon, or by feeding them Food Items in the DigiTown. Required to perform Awakenings and Digivolution. Honestly I like it in concept, but not strictly execution. It doesn’t have a huge overarching effect (though feeding Digimon also improves their Mood and allows them to make Critical Hits more easily), and ultimately it ends up just being another number we need to raise and grind for. LEVEL: Sort of self-explanatory for the average player. Level is a representation of their over all power. The higher their level, the higher their stats. Can be raised by spending “bits”, the in-game currency gained from battles. A certain level is required both for Awakenings and Digivolution, both of which also happen to raise the level cap. WORK-OUT & AWAKENING: It is possible to “train” your Digimon using various Work-Out Chips obtained from Story Quests and Vortexes. Letting a Digimon Work-Out raises individual stats, and once all Work-Outs have been completed, and the additiional requirements of Level & Bond have been met, it’s possible to Awaken a Digimon. Awakening a Digimon further raises their stats (more significantly than the individual workouts), and raises the level cap. I compare it in some regards to Ascension in FGO, however it happens much more frequently, requiring more time and materials, as well as sharing the role with Digivoltion. Speaking of. DIGIVOLUTION: Requires the Digimon to be at a certain amount of Level and Bond. Allows the Digimon to reach the next, more powerful, stage. Raises their stats significantly, as well as boosting the power of their Main and Sub Skill. Naturally this also changes their appearance. A noteable thing is that while all Digimon can reach the stage of Ultimate, only SOME Digimon can get all the way to Mega, usually requiring you to roll in a paid Gacha, or get really lucky with a Digi-Egg. Alongside the above, other ways to make a Digimon Stronger are to raise their skill level (to a maximum of 10) or Equip Plugins. To raise a Skill Level you simply need to combine them with a Digimon with the same Digivolution Tree. This means that they have to have the same Rookie, Champion, and Ultimate Stage, and that Mega Digimon can only be combined with Digimon that can also reach Mega. Plugins are Equipment that can be sorted into Offensive, Defensive, and Status Effect. At max level you can equip 2 of each, for a total of 6 Plugins. Plugins, simply enough, raise various stats. They can be obtained as drops in Story Quests and the Underworld, bought in various currency shops, or obtained in the Gacha (More on this latter.). Plugins can also be combined together to increase their stat bonuses. Next we have the game’s “Social” aspects and a shameless plug from myself.

GUILDS: DigiGuilds are in a lot of ways like a second Friends-list, giving you another list of people you can invite to raids, or call on for support in battle. Joining a Guild also gives you access to a second DigiEgg Incubator, allowing you to raise 2 DigiEggs at the same time, as well as request help from Guild Members to ease the burden of hatching and raising it. The Guild also provides additional rewards to reap. Once a day Players can enter their Guild Page, and by clicking “Support” (or Support All) will receive additional Stamina for each member of the guild, which can be great while farming. As well by “Checking In” the ENTIRE Guild will receive a Reward based on the number of Members who checked in during a 24 hour period. The more members, the better the Rewards. Shameless Plug: Featured above is my own Guild “Menagerie” (Because “Phenomenal Menagerie Souffle” was too long.). If you play Digimon ReArise or this post convinces you to play Digimon ReArise, consider joining! If you do, please remember to Support and Check-in! FRIENDSLIST: The Friends-list like in most Mobile Games, is a list of other Players whom you’ve made (or accepted from) a friends request. Players on your Friendslist can be called for Support in regular battles, or send a help request for a Clash Battle. In addition they serve as a source of “Social Points” which can be earned by Greeting Players once a day (Button located in your Friendslist), by those players Greeting you, and by other players using your Digimon for Support in Battle. Social Points can be spent in a Shop to purchase new Decor items for the DigiTown, or Food. In addition they can be used in a Free Plugins Gacha. Speaking of the Gacha!

That’s our next topic on this painfully long review. GACHA: There are several types of Gacha in Digimon ReArise. The Limited Summon Gacha, the Step-up Summon Gacha, various Plugins Gacha, and the Social Points Plugins Gacha. Every Gacha besides the Social Points Plugins Gacha, costs DigiRubies, the Paid Gacha Currency of the game. There is no “free” Gacha for Digimon unfortunately, however I have found that DigiRubies (especially early on) are fairly easy to earn for free early on. So it’s not all bad. Additionally you can also gain new Digimon by hatching DigiEggs, which can be obtained in Shops, from Events, and from certain floors of the Underworld. SUMMON GACHA: A pretty standard Gacha. Comes in x1 or x10 (+1). Put in DigiRubies and a Random Digimon pops out. The Summon Rate of higher-tier Digimon is better when you roll x10 as opposed to x1. STEP-UP SUMMON: A Step-Up Summon Gacha is a Gacha that comes in steps. Ones I’ve seen have been 3-5 steps. The Price of each step is set, so there’s no x1 or x10. You roll it or you don’t. The Price and number of summons increases with each Step of the Gacha, but so does the Summon Rate of the available Digimon (so the higher the step the better your odds.). Additionally with each step you gain a Reward. At the Final/Highest Step you’ll get 1 Guaranteed Mega-Capable (Can digivolve to Mega) Digimon. Usually a specific Digimon associated with the Step-Up Summon. The Summon Rate increase will cap at the final step, but it is possible to roll the Final Step multiple times (However the Guaranteed Mega will only occur the 1st time you roll the final step.). PAID PLUGINS GACHA: Kinda says what it is on the tin here. You pay DigiRubies to roll for Plugins more powerful than what is generally going to drop from quest nodes. Comes in various types associated with your Digimon’s Personality Type, a concept I still don’t understand. SOCIAL POINTS PLUGINS GACHA: Again sort of what it says on the tin. A Plugins Gacha, only instead of DigiRubies you spend Social Points, so it’s essentially free. Again drops better Plugins than you’re likely to get from farming quest nodes.

Next we’ll cover the all important aspects. The Digimon themselves and Combat. DIGIMON: Digimon’s stats are pretty straight forward, split into HP, an Offensive Stat (PWR or TEC depending on the Digimon.), DEF, and SPD. Each Digimon has 3 Skills. A Passive Skill, usually some sort of Buff or Immunity. A Main Skill, which is an offensive Skill Unique to the Digimon themself (such as WarGreymon’s “Terra Force” as seen above), and a Sub-Skill, another Offensive or sometimes Supportive Skill which can be found across several Digimon. As noted before, only some Digimon can Digivolve all the way to Mega, but all can reach Ultimate. I don’t strictly agree with that decision, but I at least understand the reasoning behind it. BATTLE: Combat in Digimon ReRaise involves a Party of 1 to 5 Digimon Vs 1-3 Waves of Enemies (each Wave in a group of 1-5). Players can chose to activiate Skills Manually, or set Combat to Auto and let the AI decide when to use them. Fights in both Main and Vortex Quests is incredibly easy, and often better left to Auto. If a player is looking for a fight that involves some form of Strategy you’re better off going for a Clash Battle, the Battle Park, or the Underworld (despite my complaints about the latter two.). One glaring fault with the Combat is the inability to select your Target. Who get’s hit by your skills is randomized, which can be a problem both in high difficulty quests, or when special requirements require you to hit the “Boss” with a particular kind of attack.

Lastly we have the DigiWalker, a magnificent callback to the olden days of the Digivice Toys we used to violently shake up and down instead of actually walking with. The DigiWalker requires a Phone with a Pedometer Function, and access to said Function, but otherwise doesn’t require the game to actually be on. After a certain number of steps your Digimon will find items. When you accept those items they’re gain Bond Points. Digimon ReArise is not without flaws, the most glaring of which is an excessive number of loading screens, but over all it’s a game I greatly enjoy, and one you can play entirely for free. I’ve been playing a month and haven’t spent a single cent, but still have 6 different Mega Digimon. Thank you for reading this Review, and I hope it was informative.

#Digimon #Digimon ReArise #Game Review #Game Rant #WarGreymon #DigiGuild #Mobile Game #Nostalgia #Digimon Game #Pedometer #Gacha #Gacha Game #F2P

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aj-artjunkyard · 5 years ago

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Trials Of Apollo Oneshot Series CHAPTER ONE

“Ugh, we’re never gonna find this place!” I exclaimed, letting out a dramatic sigh.

Meg and I had taken Piper’s plane north to seek out Camp Jupiter, the training grounds of roman demigods. The flight had gone smoothly enough, save my brief panic attack when we flew through a storm. (Can you really blame me? I had done a lot of things over the past few months that could potentially make my father mad. Excuse my wise willingness to not get burnt to a crisp.) Unfortunately, farewells to our greek demigod companions had been brief, since everyone was still caught up in the grief of Jason Grace’s untimely death. This lead to Meg and I being quite clueless as to the exact whereabouts of the roman camp. I had expected my godly instincts to kick in and tell us where to go, but as always, they only came when others were in danger. I found that most annoying. We couldn’t simply ask some random person on the street for directions as the camp was shielded from mortal eyes, keeping itself completely unknown to humans who had had no run-ins with gods. Which, I might add, is a frustrating majority.

We now found ourselves tramping through a dense forest on a steep upward slope, the heat of the sun beating down on our backs as we trotted onwards. I had been so sure that this was the right way to go, that I had bet my last packet of skittles on it. (They were a gift from Piper’s father, Tristan McLean, who had snuck Meg and me a few packets out of pity. I had gladly taken them, but I now had a feeling that our slight detour was going to cost me. Meg McCaffrey does not share.)

I angrily slapped another tree branch out of my way, only for it to snap back and smack me in the face, earning a few snickers from my demigod master, who came up from behind me and elbowed me in the ribs.

“We’re lost.” Meg stated plainly. While her short summary had been more than obvious, I refused to admit it.

“Of course not,” I scoffed. “We’re close! We’ll be able to see the camp from higher ground. We’ll get our bearings and work from there.” Meg seemed to see straight through my lie. She uttered an unconvinced “Uh-huh”. I took a deep breath to regain my composure, and marched on.

When we finally reached the peak, we were completely exhausted. I promptly plopped down a large outcrop of rock, gasping to catch my breath. Meg followed my example (as everyone should do) and went the extra mile of lying flat on the grass, staring up at the clear sky. The top of the hill was quite a wide and level space, and the trees made a ring around the hillside about 10 meters down from the summit, meaning there was no shelter from the sweltering sun.

After several minutes of huffing and puffing, I started to notice mine and Meg’s breath even out. Then, Meg sighed deeply. “We’re lost, aren’t we?”

“No.”

“You’re the god of truth. That means you’re an awful lair.” I groaned. Sadly, there was a lot of truth in that statement. “So. Are we lost?” Meg repeated.

“Hopelessly.” I answered.

“Thought so.” She raised her arm from where she was lying on the ground and made a ‘gimme’ gesture with her hand. “Skittles.” She explained bluntly. I tossed the packet over to her, aiming to land them on her stomach, but I overshot and they landed on her face, which I was more than satisfied with. Within seconds she had emptied the bag into her mouth and was chewing furiously.

I held my face in my hands, leaning down on my knees and staring at the patterns of pebbles and soil on the earthen ground, trying to tune out the aggressive chomping and focus my thoughts on our next move. My attempts were unsuccessful. Instead, I imagined the steady beat of the crunch as a drum, and began to compose a piece of music in my head. It felt good to do something so simple, so familiar, that if I closed my eyes, I could still imagine I was sitting on the high balcony of my room on Olympus, singing my never-ending hours away.

Unslinging my ukulele, I began to noodle the beginnings of a fast-paced ditty. I had just gotten the swing of my new little jingle, my head bopping, my feet tapping, when the crunching stopped abruptly. I glanced up at where Meg was lying, and saw that she had sat up straight and tensed considerably, her hands pressed firmly against the soil as if she was ready to get up and bolt. Her eyes stared directly upwards. I was about to ask what was wrong when she called urgently, “Apollo.” I only had enough time to shoot her a quizzical look when she continued, “Look.” Typical Meg McCaffrey bluntness. I tried to follow her gaze, but all I saw in the sky was the sun. Then it occurred to me that there was something different about they sky. While still squinting up, I called over to Meg, “Is it just me, or is the sun getting bigger?”

I became uncomfortably aware of the rapidly increasing heat and brightness. I chanced another peek at the falling star, shielding my eyes with my arms. It looked lot closer that it had mere seconds ago.

Meg, who had long since gotten up, tugged desperately on my arm. “C’mon!” she yelled. “We need to go!” I had no clue where on earth we could run to, after all, if the sun hit the ground at a high enough temperature, it could easily level San Fransisco. But our options were extremely limited. So we ran.

We sped right back the way we came, both tripping and panicking. (Meg will tell you that I was the only one tripping. She is lying.) I kept taking risky glances back up at the blistering hot sun, which was now blocking a good deal more of the sky, until Meg screamed “STOP LOOKING! JUST RUN!”, which my body took as a direct command. Try as I might, I could no longer look anywhere but straight ahead.

We reached the forest. I had hoped that the trees could provide some sort of shelter, but alas, I could only feel the sunburns manifesting on my neck and back more acutely. We forged on, panting and frantically wiping sweat from our brows. My keen hearing picked up the hissing of starting fires. Leaves on the trees all around us smoked and curled inward. I examined Meg, who had skidded to a stop in a clearing a few feet ahead of me. She was perspiring as heavily as I was, her breath ragged, her eyes darting from place to place to find anywhere that might be a safe spot. I doubted such a place existed. But, there was not much else we could do. I too, scanned the area. But to no avail.

I once again looked down at my small friend and took in the hysteric panic flashing in her eyes. It was then that something within me clicked. A familiar strength swelled up inside me. As the sun connected with the ground, I flung myself at Meg, wrapping her in my arms and trying to cover as much of her body with my own as I could. I somehow knew that I would not be harmed. I reminded myself that I had jumped directly into the fires of the previous sun god Helios, and lived to tell the tale. And this time, I had a young life to protect. Meg clung tightly to my filthy Led-Zeppelin tee as a wave of blistering dry heat surged over us, the force almost knocking me out of my current crouched position. I clamped my eyes shut, but it did almost nothing to prevent the searing sensation that burned behind my eyelids. It felt as if all the oxygen in the world had been disintegrated by the roaring flames. The dust and ash swept forcefully around us, making me cough and splutter and try to gasp in oxygen that wasn’t there.

Finally, it ended. For a long time we remained as we were, holding on to each other as if our lives depended on it. Everything was completely still. Slowly lifting my head, I blinked the dust out my eyes and squinted at my surroundings, waiting for the spots to fade from my vision. My clothes and hair were caked with ash and soot, colouring them with a thick layer of grey. My usually black Led-Zeppelin tee had been bleached a few shades by the light. A few new holes had been burned into the back of my jeans, which, much like the slashes they had gained from enemy weaponry, did not look intentional or stylish. But I otherwise seemed unharmed, as I assumed I would be. I quickly checked Meg over. I had been mostly successful in my attempt to shield her from the fire as she also looked to be in good health, but her clothes had suffered a similar fate to mine. Her green dress was burnt at the hem, her bright leggings slathered a dull grey with ash and dust. A pungent smell of burning rubber emanated from her red high-tops.

She had discarded her panicked expression and replaced it with one of her commanding glares. Knowing Meg McCaffrey, she could have been saying Who said you could hug me? or, more likely, This is probably your fault.

After making sure that we were both unharmed, I looked back towards the summit, where the sun had smashed into the earth. The damage was not nearly as extensive as it could have been, which surprised me, to say the least. However, destruction had still been dealt. The top of the hill had been batted down significantly, the peak now sitting a good ten metres below where it had previously rested. The forest around us had been burnt to cinders, a few fires still crackling on dismembered branches. Dark smoke curled in tendrils from a fifty foot crater left in the hill.

Without warning, Meg grabbed my wrist and started dragging me back towards the crater. Before I could splutter a protest, she declared “The sun fell. That means it was probably something to do with you.” The march back up the hill was a lot shorter that the sprint down it, as the peak had been blown to smithereens and the hill had lost a few metres of rock. Too soon, we reached the edge of the hole and Meg gestured assertively down at it. “Fix it.”

I gulped. Edging closer to the rim of the crater, I wondered which angry sun deity I would have to avoid being obliterated by. None of us sun gods or goddesses would be particularly perky seconds after crashing our pride and joy - whether it takes the form of a super cool sports car or a kingly barque- into the filthy earth. Dents and scratches do not pick up ladies, folks. I prayed it would not be Ra, who was the ‘Zeus’ of the Egyptian pantheon. Not that he was as cruel or hard-headed as my father, in fact quite the opposite as I remember. But he did hold as much or maybe more power than Zeus, and I did not want to be on the bad side of two divine kings.

Leaning cautiously over the side of the deep pit, I tried to deduce which pantheon this sun was from without putting too much of myself in the downed god’s sight line (aka blast zone). But my eyes did not land on an Egyptian barque or a Norse chariot. Instead, I found myself glaring at a yellow school minibus with the numberplate ‘AP0110’ fixed on the back.

I felt every thought of caution and anxiousness vanish from my conscience as rage hotter than the sun’s fires filled every crevasse of my pathetic mortal being. Someone was driving my car. Some little perp had just crashed my car. I was appalled. I must have looked it too, because Meg tugged on my t-shirt from where she was hiding behind me (ugh, I was supposed to be the one hiding behind her. How selfish.) and asked “Are they bad?” I wasn’t sure whether that meant ‘are they badly hurt’ which meant she was sweetly concerned with their wellbeing, or ‘are they a bad guy I can stab’ which would be less sweet and more typical of my young master.

“That’s…” I trailed off, struggling to spit the words out through my mortification. I pointed my finger down at the minibus, urging Meg to look down at it while I tried to force out words. Finally, I managed to stutter “That-that’s mine! That’s my car!” Meg didn’t seem to share my shock. To my surprise, she snorted a laugh.

“You drive a minibus?” She said between giggles. “Are you telling me that the greek sun is a minibus?” I waved my hand at her dismissively.

“No, no. The minibus for transporting multiple passengers. I prefer Maserati Spyder mode, like any self-respecting sun deity should do.” I hastily explained, still glaring daggers down at the vehicle.

Starting towards the smoking minibus, I decided I would give this twerp driver the benefit of the doubt, as they were likely immortal and a lot more powerful than me in my current state. I really was not in the mood for making more enemies than necessary. Unlike my old godly self, I could not go around carelessly insulting minor deities who could never dream of overpowering a major Olympian. I did, however, plan to give them a piece of my mind and a lesson in basic driving. Step 1: Don’t crash the car!

I fearlessly marched down the steep drop, careful not to trip and lose any and all dignity I had in my Lester-y prison in front of this new wanna-be sun god. I told myself that I wasn’t particularly worried. I had dealt with immortal wanna-be’s before, two in my mortal state, and while I had hated both of them with a burning passion, they had been experienced evil emperors. I reminded myself that the person trying to drive my car was most likely a rookie that had been hurriedly pushed into the driver’s seat in a sad attempt to replace moi. They’d probably love to hear some hard advice from the actual sun god.

At least, that would have been ideal. As soon as the driver managed to stumble his way out of the minibus, my confidence sank (a feeling I had grown far too used to). I stopped in my tracks as I felt my face darken and my guard shoot up. Something about the young man…was strikingly familiar. His lightning blue eyes glinted with mischief. The dark hair that framed his pinkish face grew curly and wild. He looked to be about my mortal age of sixteen, perhaps slightly younger, but his good looks were undeniable. His baby blue jacket hung loose over his wiry arms. His casual white t-shirt was half-tucked into his baggy jeans. He looked a bit like me - mortal me - but better. More attractive. No acne. Lester 2.0, if you will. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Had this man taken this form simply to spite me? If I had any idea who it was - and I had - it would be a very plausible motive.

He spread his arms welcomingly as if he were extremely pleased to meet me, which was exactly what I hoped for, except that his eyes hid a much more mischievous intent behind his actions. His smile looked like he was stifling laughter, making his mocking actions all the more obvious. “Brother!” He said joyfully. “I was hoping I would run into you!” I looked him up and down, my mind whizzing to pinpoint exactly who this stranger was, and if I was right about my hunch. He didn’t give me time to finish my thought process (rude) before he exclaimed, “As you can see, the Olympians have entrusted me with the hottest ride in the heavens. I’d say I’m doing quite a bit better than you already!” He donned a thoughtful expression for a moment. “Maybe I should’ve gotten in on Caligula’s sun-god soup thing, huh?” He muttered.

I swallowed the all-too-many awful memories surfacing at the sound of Caligula’s name, and tried my best to look stony-faced. “Evidently,” I gestured at the wreckage, “they trusted the wrong person.” He waved his hand at me, dismissing my statement. I found that I didn’t like being at the receiving end of a god’s go-to ‘dismissive hand wave’. I much preferred giving them out. It made me feel much less small, and a little more important.

“Oh please. I’m a great driver!” He leaned in close to me, like we were about to trade juicy secrets. “For the record, I’ve only crashed this baby once. I couldn’t count the amount of times you’ve been downed on one hand.” He straightened up. “Besides, you’re good fun! I wanted to hang out for a few.” A few months ago, I would have seen no fault in these actions. I mean really, why wouldn’t you want to hang out with me? I was an amazing major Olympian god. I was a master musician, an emotion-jerking poet and a smooth ladies man who drove a hot-red convertible Maserati Spyder. I was well worth the attention! But now, I knew this to be too good to be true. Ever since the incident at Macro’s Military Madness in South California, I’d forced myself to come to terms with the fact that if people wanted to meet me, they usually wanted me dead. Besides, I could hardly remember my own twin’s face. There was always the chance that he wasn’t who I thought I was, and I didn’t want to risk greeting a dangerous enemy as an old friend.

Sharply reminding myself of this, I fixed a tight smile on my face. If the Olympians trusted this man with a source of light and warmth that every one of their worshippers depended on to survive, then any screw-up of his was on their watch. It was none of my business. I started to cautiously edge back from the boy.

“Well, I’d love to stay and chat with a fan-” the boy was obviously trying not to crack up, not helping my unease, “-but I’m afraid we must be getting on. I’m sure you’ve heard about my, ah, current predicament. I’d like my sun chariot back as soon as possible. And in one piece if you don’t mind.” I turned my back to him, trying to convince myself that I’d gotten out of immediate trouble.

Meg ruined it. You can blame her. As soon as I turned away from the man, I came face-to-face with Meg, who had snuck up behind me while I wasn’t paying attention. She looked past me and asked the man “Are you two related?” Typical. She avoids any and all conversation, except for when she knows it’s going to annoy me. I mean, come on. She knew darn well that I was related to almost everyone. On my dad’s side, anyway.

The boy stayed silent and looked at me expectantly, a stupid grin plastered on his stupid perfect face. I took a risk and went with my gut.

“Yes, Meg. This is my half-brother,” - I paused and glanced at him, his eye’s mischievous glint convincing me that I must be correct - “Hermes, the god of travel.”

“Bravo, big bro! Took ya a minute there, didn’t it?” I went for a smile, but I was hard. I didn’t know quite what to think. On one hand, I was overjoyed. My friend was here. My family was here. You may think I still despised Hermes from that time he stole fifty of my sacred cattle. Honestly. That was thousands of years ago! Besides, I’d gotten my precious lyre out of it, hadn’t I? I’d also given Hermes some of his signature items (flying sandals, his adamantine and gold sword, his freakin’ caduceus) so I considered myself a contribution to his success. Of course, some of his favourite hobbies weren’t exactly commendable, but his presence was always excitingly unpredictable. When you hung out with Hermes, you could find yourself attempting to add tabasco sauce into Ares’ protein shakes or see who could stack more objects on a sleeping Hypnos without waking him up. A night out with Hermes usually ended with a action movie worthy chase scene.

On the other hand, it was Hermes. A friend, yes, but not who I was looking for. I must have shown my disappointment.

“Ah, don’t sweat it, dude. Artemis is looking out for you. Father saw the risky stunt her hunters pulled in Indianapolis. She charmed herself out of any real punishment, but father has a real close eye on her.”

“So did you come here to laugh or what?” I asked.

“What?” He feigned shock, before his lips gave way to another impish grin. “Well, yeah. But not primarily. That’s just a bonus,” he winked.

“Thanks,” I grumbled. “But we really must be going. I don’t want to get blamed for anything else.” I began to usher Meg back up the slope. “You see, we got lost on the way to Camp Jupiter, and-”

“Oh! I know where Camp Jupiter is! Why don’t you hop on and I’ll drive you!” Stuck for options and really not wanting to be in my father’s domain with a god that I definitely shouldn’t be talking to, I decided to play the dirtiest card I had.

“Well obviously we would, but, ah, father may consider that against the rules. Other gods aren’t allowed to help. They’d most likely get the same sentence as me! Mortal and stuffed in a meat-sack body with no powers.”

“With acne,” Meg added.

I nodded. “With acne.”

His smile faltered. Some might say Hermes has no sense of consequence or self-preservation, but I knew that was not true. Hermes was smart. No god with half a braincell wanted to cross Zeus. He was known across the pantheons for being ruthless. You didn’t get a special pass if you were his kid. He wasn’t afraid to dish out punishments by the dozen, or chew someone out just for the sake of placing the blame (me). But despite common sense, Hermes regained his wide smile and shrugged, completely eliminating my dirty card. “Nah. He’s too busy dealing with all the prayers being sent to you right now. Something about a dumb copyright law in Europe. The teens are raging.” He winked at me. “Besides, I got my own ways of getting out of punishment. I’m quite a good talker.”

He placed one hand under the sun bus and flipped it right side up with absolutely zero effort. Meg looked unimpressed. I like her sometimes. Hermes whisked a whistle out of thin air and blew a long, shrill note.

“All aboard the Hermes Express!” He called.

“We are not calling it that.” I mumbled as I waited for Meg to skip up onto the minibus. As I approached the doors, Hermes held out his arm and blocked me.

“That’ll be ten drachma, sir.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Sorry sir, them’s the rules.”

“You didn’t stop her!” I complained, gesturing to Meg who stood giggling at the top of the steps.

“She’s a minor. Under fifteens go free.” Breathing some ancient greek curses, I reached into my back pocket and handed my brother ten gold coins. Then I bolted up the steps before he could lay down any extra charges.

But upon rounding the corner and facing the rows of two-seaters, I was confronted with the most horrific sight I’d ever seen. My car was akin to a pigsty. Piles of pizza boxes and duffle bags crammed with various boxes littered the back. Every seat was plastered with something as revolting as glue and monster goop mixed with Hephaestus’ sweat. Silly string of every colour dripped from the roof and decorated the backs of the seats like a band of tweens had started a riot. Even from the front of the minibus, I could see the wads of gum stuck on the seatbelts and underneath benches. Pizza dripped from the windows. Half eaten grilled cheeses stuck out from beneath the leather bench pads. I walked stiffly down the aisle. My hand gripped a seat, only for it to stick like a wasp in jam. I peeled it off, gazing in utter disgust at the odd pink substance that connected my fingers to the leather.

“What did you do to my car?” I asked, my attempts to contain my pure rage hidden poorly by my slow, deliberate words.

“I fixed it obviously,” Hermes had the nerve to answer cheerfully. “I made it more homey.”

“Is that why it’s a minibus?” Meg asked, looking approvingly around at the mess.

“Yup! It’s too much hassle to cram all this awesome stuff into a Spyder. Kept falling out. I hit an old lady with a whole pepperoni pizza though!” he laughed as if this was the funniest thing he’d ever heard himself say. He wiped a tear from his eye. “Ah, good times.” As much as the thought amused me, I would not give Hermes the satisfaction of my wonderful smile. I managed to hide my amusement with an eye roll.

“Wouldn’t a school bus fit more stuff?”

“Don’t encourage him, Meg.”

“You,” Hermes pointed at Meg, his rascal grin stretched across his face. “I like how you think.” Meg giggled at the compliment. I figured Hermes was going to be an even worse influence than Leo Valdez had been. I didn’t relish the idea of them spending too much time together.

“Can we get going? I don’t want to see my car in this state for any longer than I have to.” I paused, wringing my hands. “And… we have a duty. To inform the romans of what happened to their friend.” Hermes’ face fell.

“Oh, yeah. The Grace boy. Dad’s not too happy about that one.” The very thought of my father’s wrath shook me to the core. But there was no denying that I had had a hand in the death of his favourite demigod son. I just hoped he wouldn’t take his anger out on a son of my own. I would have no way of stopping him. I would have much preferred to steer clear of him altogether, but here we were, about to fly directly into his domain. Yay! Meg must have sensed the thick air of discomfort, and quickly put us back on track.

“Can we go now?”

Hermes perked up again. “Sure, kiddo! Oh, and don’t bother to buckle up. Riding the sun is much more fun when you’re floating around in zero gravity!” Meg gave me an eager smile, and her rhinestones glowed excitedly. I decided I didn’t like that. She didn’t know my brother like I did. He would have gotten a good kick out of a twelve year old breaking her neck. When we sat down, I made sure to double check that her seatbelt was fastened. With an agitated demigod glaring holes into my back, I turned to my own seatbelt. Hermes decided that was the perfect time to take off.

We rattled off the ground at full speed, Meg and I pressed flat against our seats. The wind was knocked out of me. My ribs felt like a herd of elephants had just tromped on them. Though I could not turn my head, I saw from the corner of my eye that Meg was not doing much better than me. All enthusiasm that had danced in her eyes mere seconds ago had been replaced with terror. Her face had turned the same shade of green as her famous dress. She sat awkwardly stiff, as if she had been flattened against a car windshield. I imagined I looked the same. From the front of the bus I heard a muttered “Whoops”. There was some button clicking, and the lights along the roof flickered on. This did not help our predicament.

My head was spitting with pain. I felt the air thin. The world outside got darker as we approached the exosphere. I tried to yell ‘SLAM THE BREAKS, YOU IMBECILE!’, but all I could force out was “sla-*gaSP*-m the *gaSP* br-*gaSP*”, which wasn’t much of a motivator.

“Don’t panic guys!” Hermes called. “I’ve got it all under control!” I wasn’t even sure if that was a blatant lie or not. It was more than possible that he was driving terribly just to mess with us. I heard a few more button clicks, and the lights flickered off again. So did the engine. For a few fleeting moments, we paused. The entire world slowed to a crawl. My curly hair defied gravity and floated upwards. Hanging midair, I could almost feel what it was to fly again. Then we resumed.

The minibus tilted sickeningly. Then we dropped. My stomach however, stayed stubbornly where it was, 300, 400, 500 feet above us. My body must have been desperate to rejoin it. You see, Meg had gotten her seatbelt on in time. I had not. I zoomed up, smacked my head on the roof, then lay there, being slowly crushed by the force. I looked directly down at Meg who seemed like she wanted to scream and puke at the same time. I couldn’t relate more. I then looked up at the front, where an all-too-calm god exclaimed “Ohhh. I get it. It’s this one.” He jabbed a button with his index finger, and the engine spluttered on, sounding much too exhausted for my liking. We stopped, and I hit the floor with an audible thump.

I tried to catch my breath while lying face down on the sticky ground. I began to pull myself up. The engine revved, and I realised my mistake. I should’ve gone for a seatbelt immediately. Cursing at myself, I scrambled for a seat, knowing it was in vain. Of course, I was right. My pathetic body was flung to the back as the bus took of at speeds to rival my father’s lightning. I was in too much shock to even feel the pain, though I was certain it would not be gone for long. For now, I would just have to cling onto the seats at the back for dear life, while trying not to scream, vomit or smash the speakers beside my head that were blasting ‘Sweet Caroline’ (another “My bad!” had sounded from the driver’s seat). I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to summon another burst of godly power. I knew that it only came out when I felt the strong need to protect. Even then, it was temperamental. I focused on Meg and how scared she was, how scared I was. But nothing happened. The only thing welling up in me was my half-digested skittles.

“Camp Jupiter ho!” Yelled Hermes. I forced myself to look up through the windshield window. Indeed, below us lay the roman demigod camp, in all its intricate splendour. Which wouldn’t be much if it was reduced to ashes. “Now, which one is the brake?”

“YOU’RE THE GOD OF TRAVEL!” I roared. “YOU KNOW WHERE THE BRAKE IS!” Hermes pretended not to hear me and continued to feign confusion, stroking his non-existent beard for added effect. Thankfully, a traffic-light coloured preteen (who had been seated a lot further from the back) had swallowed her nausea and was using all her strength to claw her way to the front. Her curved sword impaled the floor, making me flinch considerably (but I was not about to stop her) and she used the sticky wads of gum as footholds, as if she were scaling a horizontal climbing wall. Upon reaching her goal, Meg clung to Hermes’ baby blue jacket and hollered back to me.

“WHICH ONE’S THE BRAKE?”

“PEDAL ON THE LEFT!” I yelled back. “UNDER THE WHEEL!” I was more than happy to see her kick my tricky brother in the kneecap, then shove him out of the way so she could get to the pedal. Hermes made no attempt to stop her, or to help. After all, he was immortal. What did he care if the bus crashed? He wouldn’t get hurt. I found that reasoning disgusting, and awfully close to what I would have thought once, in a seemingly different life. The god of travel just stood there, holding onto a handle on the back of one of the seats, and keeping himself upright as casually as one might do on a train. Finally, Meg slammed her foot down on the pedal. I could feel the strain on the brakes, the engine trying desperately to slow down. It was a hard transition between halting and zooming forward at a million miles per hour. Despite her deity-kicking abilities, I could see that Meg was not strong enough. The force of the speed was pulling her back.

“HERMES! HELP HER!”

Hermes turned to me. “Sorry,” he said in mock regret. “You were right about what you said earlier. I’m not allowed to assist.”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

“Nope!” He said. “But here’s an idea - how about you help her?”

Before I could shoot another retort (preferably with some ancient greek curses), I was standing up behind Meg. Biting back confusion and nausea, I clung to the rear-view mirror and pressed down Meg’s foot which was on the brake with all my gangly sixteen-year-old might. With Lester’s track record in brute strength, I figured she wouldn’t get hurt. I looked up and saw the camp approaching alarmingly quickly. The bus was slowing, but not nearly fast enough. I estimated about thirty seconds before they all got fatally serious sunburns. I tried, once again, to summon my godly strength. I thought about the dozens of teenagers and civilians in the camp. I thought about their futures, and what they would one day accomplish. The visions flowed easily. I saw a young girl, a daughter of Mars, defeating armies of monsters in her father’s name. I saw a teenage daughter of Venus become the minor deity of self-acceptance. I saw a son of Vulcan in his thirties, happily hammering at a tractor and stopping occasionally to gaze at his beautiful wife, a dark-haired daughter of Ceres.

Then I thought about my own demigod companion. She was so unpredictable, and so young, that she had no determined future. A beautiful stage of life. Though some could argue that you never truly leave that stage. I saw her grow up, and become one of the fiercest demigod warriors, surpassing even Percy Jackson. In a different timeline, I saw her accept eternal maidenhood in my sister’s hunt. Yet another possibility arose. This time, she sat on a golden throne with a back shaped like a harp, emitting an aura of endless youth. Next to her, sat an eighteen-year-old boy with golden hair tied back in a man-bun. He had a bow slung on his back, and a celestial bronze ukulele in his hand. They talked and laughed as if they had known each other for centuries.

I have to admit, that last one brought tears to my eyes. With renewed strength, I floored the brake. The bus screeched to a halt, and we were thrown forward. We were on the ground, right outside the entrance tunnel, where two shocked guards stood. I laughed with sheer relief. Then I looked down at Meg, who didn’t share my enthusiasm for safety. She sat on the floor, cradling her foot.

“You stood on me,” she complained. “You used your godly power on my foot.” I was too relieved to argue. I grinned as I helped her up and supported her as she limped towards the doors. But before we could leave, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning my head, I saw my little brother smiling at me.

“Good job, bro.” He said. “I see you’re not completely out of juice. We wanted to make sure you still had it in you. The next part of your quest will be harder than before.” I shot him an uneasy glance.

“‘We?’” Hermes shook his head.

“Some concerned well-wishers. Can’t specify. Too dangerous.”

“Right.”

“Keep going, dude.”

“See you later, then.” I nodded. Hermes nodded back. We stepped outside, and the bus flashed, then was gone.

“You have a weird family,” Meg grunted.

“Don’t forget,” I answered, “they’re your family too.”

We turned to the two demigod guards, who were still standing with their mouth agape. It was such a wonderful feeling to be gazed at in awe, that I let myself forget why we were here.

“Hello!” I said cheerfully. “I’m Apollo.”

#writing #fanfiction #fanfic #apollo #meg mccaffrey #hermes #toa oneshot #toa #trials of apollo

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azuldemontana · 5 years ago

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CS1 - The Deepwater Horizon catastrophe: A corporate failure

The BP oil rig, named Deepwater Horizon was a floating, dynamic positioned oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. On April 20, 2010, a series of events caused a huge gas spill, an explosion killing 11 people and the largest accidental oil spill in known history. What caused this catastrophic failure? In this post I will argue that the inherent drive of all corporations to increase profits was ultimately what led to the disaster we all remember making headlines for weeks. I will also be providing my own personal suggestions from the background of a Security Engineer in training.

According to Roland Horne, an expert in Petroleum Engineering with extensive academic achievements, the major events that “all had to happen” for the oil rig to fail in the way it did were:

The cement job failed to seal off the producing reservoir - This particular issue caused a huge multi year long court case between Halliburton and BP. There was excessive pressure used for the float collar, as high as 3000 psi compared to a normal range of 400-700 psi. On top of this Halliburton had wanted to use 21 centralisers during the cementing process and predicted that only 6 centralisers (the amount that BP had used) would cause a lack of centralisation and channeling.

The hydrocarbon inflow was not recognized - The two tests that were conducted to test the cement job were deemed successful. The negative test interpretations were also made difficult by the unusual spacer used. As well as this the pit levels were confusing due to the fluids being offloaded to the service vessel and the lack of a standard procedure for the negative tests, which were conducted based on ‘experience’.

The gas igniting the rig, causing the fire and loss of pressure - When the hydrocarbons came through the riser and on board the vessel, the engine room intake closure was not activated automatically on the gas alarm and this led to large amounts of gas entering the engines controlling the dynamic positioning system. The result was that the engines oversped causing a huge surge in power which likely acted as the ignition source as well as the loss of power to the engines.

The spacer - A usual amount of spacer used is around 100 barrels, however since the spacer mix cannot be discharged unless used, a total of 425 barrels of an unconventional mix of Form-A-Squeeze and Form-A-Set were used as the lost circulation material. Due to this there was a possibility that the spacer entered the kill-line and caused anomalous U-tube pressure which is probably how the riser was bent.

The blow out preventer failed to seal the well - Initially the crew had attempted to seal the BOP, but it failed. The EDS was pushed but the link to the BOP was lost in the fire. The automatic function didn’t work and was wired incorrectly and finally the sheer force ram failed as the riser had been bent.

The poor cement job likely allowed the hydrocarbons to enter the riser, which went unnoticed due to the errors negative pressure tests. When these hydrocarbons entered the vessels, since they were undetected the engine room intake was not activated and the gas entered the engines which led to the ignition and loss of power. The blow out preventer failed to seal the well, and for 81 days oil gushed into the Gulf of mexico.

A great deal of these figures and facts do not mean a huge amount to someone like myself that does not have a background in petroleum engineering, or a vast understanding of fluid mechanics. Nevertheless it is hard to understand the reasoning behind so many of these decisions. It seems alarming to me that anyone would sit comfortably with the float collar pressures being nearly 500% higher than conventional float collars. It seems concerning that not only was an unconventional spacer used but also over 400% more spacer was used. Two weeks prior to the events the vessel lost redundancy in the BOP, how could this have been left for so long? How could BP be satisfied with significantly less centralisers even when the cement company had advised against the amount issued. Why was a long string riser used compared to the safer linear and tie back riser?

The real reasoning behind all these concerns seems obvious. The deep water horizon oil rig had multiple corporations invested in the success of the project, the employees on board all worked for different companies with different supervisors and managers and executives. But a successful oil rig in the eyes of a multi-corporate run operation is one that makes money, the more the better. It seems apparent to me that this corporate pressure is the real driver behind the majority of these issues, cutting costs wherever possible to drive up profit. This is the major issue that caused the deepwater horizon catastrophe.

On Friday during the first group case discussion for this course (COMP6441) I brought forward my main ideas to that discussion, arguing that the “corporate drive” must be well regulated and kept under control to prevent the maddening money rush that I believe killed 11 people. After discussions we came up with the following suggestions:

A dynamic taxation system that heavily penalises (through high tax rates) individual oil rigs that have spent less than a desirable amount of money on specifically making the oil rig safe and reliable while also rewarding (through low tax rates) oil rigs with significant expenditure on safe vessels. Another possibility along the same lines is to directly subsidize high quality safety and environmental equipment lowering the costs all together.

An independent regulatory body that investigates oil rigs based on a checklist style list of regulations that must be met in order to secure a high safety/environmental rating.

Increase anti-corruption laws, punishments and measures. Regulatory action is totally wasted if large corporations are able to gain control of the very regulations that they are regulated by. Hence to prevent corporatism a separation of powers must be maintained and cases of corruption must be heavily punished.

Implement a crisis plan. All rigs need to have an in depth crisis plan for all cases from the common manajable hickup to the most unlikely worst case scenarios. Roland Horne said there were over 8500 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico alone, with such a huge amount of oil rigs, even the smallest chance of a catastrophe will inevitably happen. With so many rigs, there needs to be less than a 0.012% chance of any kind of catastrophe. When a catastrophe does inevitably happen, an indepth crisis plan is the only option to reduce the damage done.

This case study was an incredibly interesting look at the major consequences of poor security engineering. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig was simply not a secure rig. In my honest opinion as someone that fears the consequences of climate change, I hope that fossil fuels and hence the oil drilling industry becomes redundant and unprofitable. However that is not good analysis, and oil rigs are not the only type of high risk major operation that will be taking place in the future. In future operations the lesson from this incident is to regulate accordingly to limit corporations excessively cutting corners. We mustn’t be surprised when different agencies act in their own interests and regulate accordingly.

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This has been my the first of many blogs that I will be writing over the next 10 weeks for a Security Engineering course that I am taking at UNSW, COMP6441. If you are reading this it is most probable that you are a tutor of the course, it is less likely (although possible) that you are a student of the same course, and even less likely that you have come from some far of place on the internet. However you have come across this blog, I welcome all feedback and discussion of my post/s and hope you enjoyed hearing from me.

#deepwater horizon #oil #pb #oildrilling #casestudy #catastrophe

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crystalelemental · 4 years ago

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Thinking it over, this is roughly what I’d want for Adrift F!Corrin. One or the other. And the good news is, they’re not even all that distinct.

The main difference is focusing on Aether and higher damage output for long-term sustain, or limiting damage and letting Blue Flame take things out. DC and the Lull remain the same. I think I’m satisfied saying that this is the preferred Lull, given how badly she needs to improve damage output.

The first build...actually has everything I need available for it as fodder right now. Aether’s free, I have three Bramimond I’m never merging who can pass on the Lull, and I pulled two Lilith who can pass along Joint Drive Attack. Realistically, I could have this entire build done immediately, if I were willing to part with the premium fodder.

The other build is...most costly. Blue Flame is a serious contender for Corrin, who needs to be near allies to function. With the naturally increased cooldown and Time’s Pulse, Blue Flame is essentially a 1-turn cooldown special. The recent Brazen Def/Res seal can significantly patch up her defenses, which is useful for a set that cannot heal at all, and is mostly dealing damage based on Blue Flame. The Lull can stay as Attack/Res, or go for Attack/Speed, but I think I’m keeping Attack/Res if I take the forma soul.

And that’s where we come to a decision. If. And this is a big if. This Hall of Forms event came super early, and suggests they may be rotating games much faster than before. If we’re getting two Hall of Forms for every one pack we can buy, that’s getting dire really fast. I’m down to my last one. I haven’t been conserving appropriately. So now I have to ask myself if it’s sensible to get this Adrift F!Corrin at all.

The one I have built is already +5, +Speed, and carries Distant Counter. As stated before, everything on that first build is immediately available, while the second is not. But is getting an alternate build around Blue Flame/Time’s Pulse really worth it, when that soul could be used on a latter endeavor? Do I really want to have to spend Trait Fruits on this? Especially considering that I still can’t adjust the traits of a second unit yet, and have two grail projects I’m eyeing, as well as the possibility of shifting my Dancer Micaiah to +Attack. Is this truly worth a Forma Soul? And I’m...kinda leaning no. If I wanted to build up Adrift F!Corrin, I have the necessary tools to do it right now, without wasting a rare resource that could be used for a much more important option later. Three Houses should be next, and depending on what they bring in, that could hit me like a truck. Not to mention they will likely cycle around to New Mystery afterward, and if there’s a chance of a free Clarisse with alternate optimal skills? Sold.

I just...I dunno. I want to be responsible with resources. A free merge on a 5* is never bad, and getting premium skills with it is even better. But I can’t say I’m eager to need Trait Fruits for yet another unit, or to use my last soul and find out that later batches have a lot that I want all at once.

#fire emblem heroes #adrift female corrin

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meditativeyoga · 6 years ago

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Just Be: The Value of Constructive Rest

You have actually attempted every little thing to deal with tension overload, and also you still feel drained. Have you tried simply doing absolutely nothing? In clinical parlance, it's called constructive rest.

I'm balancing on my father's athletic shoe, age eight. Some neighbor is talking-- developed speak about rain gutters or football-- but after that he stops and also overlooks at me. '3rd quality,' he says cheerily. 'So, just what's your favorite topic?' I don't hesitate: 'Recess.' I flash a self-conscious smile.

Recess, I'm assuming, really is far better than math and also background-- it's just what I have actually simply found out, still swirling in my head, plus the liberty to absorb it, plus the Jungle Fitness center, plus some unusual emptiness. However I smile because at eight years old, I already know what's expected. No one has ever before rested down to discuss it to me, I recognize the needs of a society owned by a job values, the demand to maintain unstructured time in its place. So, I take place to say to the good man that spelling's rather great also. I regret it to this day.

Twenty years later on, I'm considering recess-ish things. And work ethic. And rare vacuum. Adult life experiences an obvious lack of set up recess, we just take harsh estimates of it now and also then.

Indeed, a few yoga exercise experts could admit that their preferred component of course is Savasana (Corpse Pose), the silent mins of existing still at the end (see 'Find Serenity in Savasana'). They also might flash an awkward smile later. In a nation that frequently gauges its self-regard in efficiency, that would not really feel amusing calling remainder a rewarding pastime?

But under the amusing feeling, there exists something major. Therefore it is that, as another overbusy American, I'm attempting to imagine a full-bore Savasana developed right into our lives-- not the yoga exercise pose itself yet rather something broader. Having actually remembered to call our papas on Daddy's Day, we would certainly hang up and also show before sitting down to pay bills. After an extreme company conference, we would certainly going someplace silent to digest the experience. Rather than downing coffee and the front web page before work, we would certainly delight in the quiet of the morning. The opportunities are endless, in addition to diverting. On crowded street edges, one would see not just bus quits however individuals quits. Instead of iPods and also cellular phone, people would not leave home without their lavender-scented eye cushions. Yes, there would be laughing at first. However soon sufficient, somebody would certainly mention that laughing is a kind of rest too.

' The concept behind Savasana is to totally release,' Tara Mathur, a reflection instructor at the worldwide Art of Living Structure in San Francisco, informs me. 'The advantages of a task only actually obtain taken in when you've done this. With Savasana, it's physical-- the position is created to make sure that no muscular tissue has to strain-- but also psychological. It resembles meditation: being dead while you're still to life. Fatality not as a morbid thing but as flexibility and also agility.'

With Savasana's freedom and also agility, it's stated, we find ourselves able to absorb all the experiences as well as poses of the technique that came before. Savasana is a resting posture, however the relaxing we do is energetic, it is about incorporating exactly what we've discovered-- yes, a radical concept by itself. Yet many striking to me, Savasana is structured right into the technique. We're not delegated find some silent time later on, we're led to it by the hand. Were it not part of the drill, I 'd just roll up my floor covering as well as head house. I understand this concerning myself. Much more important, yoga recognizes this regarding me, for this reason the built-- in Savasana. We such as a deliberate rest-- need it, also-- but the majority of us typically aren't progressed sufficient to demand it without coaxing.

From books like Juliet Schor's Overworked American and Carl Honoré's In Praise of Slowness to national projects such as Repossess Your Time Day, a task started last year by a group called the Simplicity Forum, the message of our very own busyness has crept right into the cumulative awareness. Require reducing down in a culture blowing up with productivity are, in such a way, revolutionary. But they're additionally ending up being typical-- and also are normally overlooked. ' I require a holiday,' individuals whimper consistently, and afterwards they maintain precisely working, as if the possibility of damaging devoid of the numerous hours, also briefly, is just fantasy. 'This year, I'm mosting likely to simplify,' we swear, however the brand-new electronic organizer we buy in order to help us accomplish this grand goal winds up contributing to the heap.

I see no requirement to make another plea for us to function much less, you've heard them all. Nor do I feel drawn to release yet an additional questions right into our strange connection to function, or to busyness. Instead, I intend to consider the matter from the opposite side of the equation. Why is it that our nonworking hrs don't seem enough to invigorate us? Just what do we perform with ourselves when we're not active? And also when its time lastly arrives, do we enjoy our 'recess' at its energetic, purposeful, restorative best?

"TV is not Relaxation"

Following six straight hours of job, as well as coming before six even more, I commit 30 nonrefundable mins to Judge Judy. For but a moment-- the length of a Ziploc bag commercial-- I wonder if this is the finest method to invest my job break. Then the 30-second area mores than and also Judy is back.

The abiding and self-congratulatory myth relating to Americans as well as relaxation is that we've obtained as well much on our plates to partake. As a society, plainly we have underdeveloped suggestions regarding nothingness. While we're certainly busy, we're not too hectic, not by a long odds, not by at the very least four hrs of TV a day, inning accordance with Nielsen records, plus Internet browsing, tours to the shopping center, and more. We have, oddly sufficient, massive books of apparent free time. That we prefer to use so little of it to proactively deal with the different devastations of stress and anxiety suggests a connection to downtime that wants rethinking.

Of the current mainstream dabblings in the anti-busyness motion was a Redbook short article called '15 Ways to Streamline Your Life.' 'Do nothing' made the checklist, but the Redbook suggestion of doing absolutely nothing appeared to do not have the deliberateness of Savasana. 'Maybe you'll review old love letters,' the post recommended. 'Possibly you'll repaint your nails red. Whatever.'

Not lengthy back, I began doing points that just weren't on my to-do list-- silly things, meaningless court TV-ish things-- simply to feel my RPMs cycle downward. I liked it. With reducing sense of guilt, I 'd push back from my workdesk and also sink onto the sofa, or wander out the back door to adjust a passionflower creeping plant. But by as well as by, I understood my deceleration wasn't actually enhancing my whole lot. It happened to me that simply as the recently reformed cigarette smoker soon discovers himself hooked on coffee, I would certainly exchanged numerous hours for virtueless entertainment, the Wonder bread of remainder. Just not doing anything isn't without quality, it's putting down the pencil, which's a begin. Nothingness alone could recover just so much of the upset soul.

' The majority of Americans are doing what I call default relaxation activities, which generate lower degrees of procedure advantages,' states author Schor, who's additionally a teacher of sociology at Boston College. Refine advantages are the leisure activities associated with higher levels of human contentment. 'Watching TV and also buying, for instance, are revealed to have low procedure advantages,' Schor claims. Mathur, the reflection teacher, says, 'In modern culture, when we state we're tired, we generally mean our mind is tired.' Usually, however, we cannot listen up as well as offer it a remainder. Instead, we hunch down on the sofa with the remote in hand. 'With TV, you're adding input instead of removing or cleansing. In a manner, your mind is mosting likely to be a lot more worn out when you're done.'

Liz Newby-Fraser, academic dean at the California Institute for Human being Science, explains this in physical terms. 'Watching 2 hrs of television is not relaxation. With TV, there are stimuli that turn on the considerate nerve system, as opposed to the parasympathetic, which is connected with real remainder.'

The clinical instance for purposeful leisure has acquired prestige over the last few years. Americans may not require longer or even more frequent holidays simply to enjoy, yet our ears do prick up at health cautions. Inning accordance with the National Ag Safety and security Database, a database of farming health, safety, as well as injury prevention materials funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety as well as Health, 'Clinical study approximates as high as 90 percent of health problem as well as disease is stress-related.' As well as there's no lack of studies linking mental stress to heart trouble. In 2003, for instance, it was reported at the American Heart Organization's Scientific Procedure (four days of talks as well as investigatory discussions) that the variety of heart attacks in a Brooklyn health center increased significantly during both months after September 11. As well as Joe Robinson, owner of the Job to Live Campaign, has created that taking a yearly holiday reduces the threat of heart attack by 30 percent for males and also 50 percent for women.

A Relaxed Workaholic?

And yet I'm doubtful-- or, rather, unmoved. I long for a less demanding existence but appear incapable of making the necessary way of living adjustments. Do I desire to have 10 good friends over for a fancy supper tonight? Yes! Will I rip out the yard concrete as well as amend the soil myself? Yes! Did I accept the assignment to write this story despite a mountain of other work? Yes!

I'm not the only one. To evaluate our cultural perspectives regarding leisure is to confront our real feeling concerning it: We do not desire that much leisure to begin with. Previous labor secretary Robert Reich wrote in The Future of Success that are only 8 percent of us (compared to 38 percent of Germans as well as 30 percent of Japanese) would certainly favor much less job if it suggested much less pay. A Lou Harris public viewpoint poll showed that Americans' leisure had actually decreased 37 percent over a 20-year duration. In the September/October 2000 problem of Utne Visitor, Joe Harrison declared that in the mid- '90s, the United States passed Japan as the most worn country in the industrialized world, according to a record published in 2001 by the International Labor Company, Americans work 137 hrs (regarding 3 as well as a half weeks) more a year than Japanese workers. The 2002 publication Affluenza: The Intense Epidemic explains 'a painful, transmittable, socially transferred problem of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste arising from the relentless pursuit of more.'

Such examinations right into job as well as leisure in this country bring about impressively befuddling concerns regarding humanity itself. If our default leisure tasks do us little bit good, and an extra thoughtful mind-body recognition makes us a lot more effective, why do we still pick Survivor over meditation or yoga exercise or simply a few mins of actual quiet? One line of thinking recommends that we can not birth to deal with the messy barrenness of our hollow, online, box-store, early-21st-century lives, we do not dare glimpse the abyss. Schor, for her component, sees it extra merely: Tv's simple. 'Reflection requires an ability,' she claims. 'TELEVISION needs none.'

But creating abilities for much better remainder need not be an impossible job, I'm told, nor have to our vast order of business be totally discarded. Lots of people are looking for a counterbalance to the tensions of their lives, states Michelle Adams, health and fitness as well as motion treatment director at the prominent Canyon Ranch health spa and also health facility in Lenox, Massachusetts. 'You can attain that leisure in a number of methods: 3 minutes of music, a few mins of purposeful silent in bed after the alarm goes off-- even running, if you discover how to concentrate on exactly how your body is feeling. People assume reflection has to take location in a peaceful, dark area, yet that's not the situation.'

Schor concurs that an extra restful, reflective life and antique American performance needn't be mutually exclusive. The increased effectiveness of a healthy employee isn't difficult to imagine, and various other relevant advantages have been shown as well. 'One study shows that individuals living with just what I call volunteer simplicity leave less an ecological impact,' Schor informs me-- an exemplary point, certainly, as well as additionally financially beneficial to those individuals in the lengthy term.

But will Americans ever really select an extra peaceful life? There's inertia and habit to emulate, plus, there seems to be an overlooked mirrors that the rushing and also the vegetating are The U.S.A. at its bipolar best. A few of the best art, success, as well as enjoyable appear born of imbalance. Doesn't our mix of mad and also leisurely give us Friday evening, offer us New york city City after all?

Newby-Fraser puts it by doing this: 'The U.S.A. is very obsessed with achievement as well as addicted to certain adverse excitement. It's still possible to be a workaholic and to aspect in regular leisure. I, myself, am a workaholic as well as I don't view myself.'

When I tell Schor, Mathur, Adams, and also Newby-Fraser about my idea for incorporating a kind of generalised Savasana right into daily life, each responds with something like protected optimism. 'Many people do not live life in a proactively deliberate method,' Schor informs me, but includes that some do: 'You have actually obtained some polarized fads now. The majority is doing this dominant point [TELEVISION, buying, and so on], yet an expanding minority is beginning to do something else, to do this volunteer simpleness. You most likely to places like the Pacific Northwest as well as see increasingly more of it. It's about transforming mindsets toward consumerism, a propensity to be much more reflective as well as diligent.'

In concept, anything could be introspective, from lying quietly, to being in church, to several type of motion. The major thing, Mathur states, is choosing that remainder is a beneficial business in the first area. 'There are still one or two in each yoga class that rise and also leave after asana technique,' she keeps in mind. 'It has to do with seeing Savasana as a similarly valued pose and activity.

I desire to experience the value of Savasana. So, after taking in all the research study and also viewpoints of the specialists, I walk my worn self to the hallway outside my residence workplace. For the following 10 mins, my metaphor of generalized Savasana is mosting likely to be a literal Savasana for me, as best as I can take care of. My busyness awaits me, back at my desk, and I find it oddly liberating to approve this. I will not vow to much less job, I've tried it and it does not happen. Instead, I'm mosting likely to 'not work' better.

At one point in our conversation, Schor informed me her vision for the initial step: Americans, whose efficiency grows approximately 3 percent a year nowadays, must trade the moment they acquire for vacation, for leisure. After reflection, this looks like an additional method of saying recess. Which lengthy back really was one of my preferred things.

#asana #meditation #Yoga #yoga retreat

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terssipkingking1981-blog · 6 years ago

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bruce86herman-blog · 6 years ago

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Movers In Houston And Dallas

They even showed me the routes across Houston and let me select my preferred path earlier than we left to make the journey. For Oklahoma Metropolis to make the convention finals this year, it's going to presumably have to eradicate both the Rockets or the Warriors -- if not both, depending on where they find yourself seeded. Depending on their weight, these is likely to be used for both the underside or center layers. The taking pictures will come and go, however the defense ought to be there each night, and the underside line is Westbrook and George are able to carrying the offense, if only just sufficient, on most nights. We all know that your belongings are extra than simply stuff — they’re recollections, keepsakes, and heirlooms — so we treat them with care and respect. Three others — operating back Jeremy Langford, tight finish Ben Braunecker and long snapper Jeff Overbaugh — made the preliminary 53-man roster only to be waived a day later following a trio of waiver claims.

MLC: Solicitation of off-campus workshops (college contact: John Barone)

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I'm sorry it did not work out with you and cats. I like dogs, however points 1 and 8 are why I prefer cats. Read about them, flick thru their site and get an concept on sorts of providers these companies are providing. Huge or small, brief distances or long haul, we customise our transferring services to fit your needs. However we did what we did.We packed for a number of days prior to the three movers arriving; They loaded our truck over a 3-hour period, we locked the U-Haul and left early the following morning. No more feeling sorry for Russ as a result of Kevin Durant left. I wouldn’t have thought so at the time with Paxton pitching, nevertheless it led to three more runs and we misplaced by two. Two good inquiries to ask your potential Houston mover is how many moves do they do in a 12 months and what's their harm declare ratio?

Our new Houston branch is locally owned and operated by one in all Skinny Wimp’s most skilled movers. 2. One last take a look at an O-line competitors? Look how exhausting Roberson fights over the ball display screen to stay with Harden, at which level any half-approach engaged assist defender would rotate again to the shooter to do his half, even when he wasn't his man to start with. The man is what he's. Duck tape does not stick very well and when it does stick it is vitally arduous to get open. Then lower than 24 hours before my transfer they try to drive me to get four movers so it is going to be "safer" and they movers won't be as tired. After which the issue is exacerbated by the truth that a few of our interior metropolis areas, akin to East Austin, are gentrifying. Proper now we're the dwellers on the threshold.

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Sondra’s own words summarize her expertise: “This is the murkiness you appear to maneuver towards in your description. Most significantly, none of my issues were damaged throughout the transfer. With the economical problems that we face as we speak many of us are forced to move. The Chiefs’ collection of specialist are effective. Are you a fan of performing arts? The place Are the Quickest Growing Areas in Katy? We serve Houston, Sugar Land, and the surrounding areas. The town of Houston, Texas is residence to a big worldwide neighborhood. Houston, Texas is the biggest city in the south a part of the country and the seat of Harris County. I used to be raised in Kansas however have lived in New Mexico for some time and now get pleasure from living in Dallas, Texas. Weston Dicks was born a small town boy in canyon lake texas. Born and raised in Abilene, Dylan was instantly drawn to nature, consistently spending his time exterior. My brother Jim was born 17 months after my brother John. We received to hug for the first time in two months! He will get to place to use (on a pretend state of affairs) some of this stuff that he has been learning the last 6 months!

houston moving and storage

They made sure all our stuff received there secure and sound. They wrapped all our furnishings and have been very cautious with our stuff. Additionally they did not convey packing paper. Once the field is packed place a two or three inch layer of crushed paper on the highest for cushioning. For example, as an alternative of hanging my clothes in a wardrobe field, they took the bar out of the wardrobe box and just threw as much clothes and footwear into the box as they might. They did not even provide the contracted insurance of 60 cents per pound, so I continue to work via the slow strategy of re-buying my whole wardrobe which was stolen by Victor and high mov. Houston shifting company is a gaggle of skilled movers that work to satisfy our customers. I used Houston movers - All My Sons. You need to discover out highly reliable residential movers to get the fulfillment of your residential luggage moving needs.

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