#pears are generated along the tail and sometimes on the back

[tenspontaneite]

Pearmaster.

[yandere-daydreams]

Sphinx!Xiao, who finds you stranded in the desert after your research group gets separated. A pack of wild coyote hybrids thought to be amicable, if not friendly towards humans attacked your camp in the middle of the night and sent you running aimlessly into the sand plains without time to gather food or water, let alone distress flares. By the time you stumble onto a wind-beaten temple, you're freezing, dehydrated, and exhausted. You barely have the strength to drag yourself up the meager steps and through the degraded doorway before you collapse on the sandstone floor, only able to hope that, by some miracle, a search party would be able to find you before you died of exposure. A search party doesn't find you, obviously, but Xiao does.

Sphinx!Xiao, who refuses to show himself for days. You only know he's there by the gifts he leaves you - cactus pears, palm dates, flasks of water and bitter wine that burns your throat as it goes down. It's not much, but it's enough to keep you alive, and you're too desperate to turn down anything he gives you. He's generous, too, giving you more than enough to get by while you're still in that state of bleary half-consciousness. You think he can tell that survival's not your area of expertise, that if you were left to your own devices, it'd only be a matter of time before you ate something poisonous or wandered into a bobcat den. That, or you're just pathetic enough to earn a few sand-covered blankets on top of the bare necessities.

Sphinx!Xiao, who lets you fawn over him with a purse-lipped scowl when you do finally manage to corner your elusive savior. You honestly just want to thank him, but once he's in front of you, you can't help grinning as you rake your fingers through the ivory feathers of his massive wings and scratch at the bases of his rounded ears. You've never so much as heard of a creature with both the wings and eyes of a bird-based hybrid and the legs, tail, and fangs of a cat-based hybrid, so you can't stop yourself from treating him like the eighth wonder of the world (unintended affection a touch-starved Xiao secretly basks in, not that you notice the pale blush painted across his skin while you're performing a remarkably thorough investigation on the color of his paw-pads).

Sphinx!Xiao, who stand-offish at best, reclusive at worst. He's clearly not used to having someone to talk to, his voice rough and his dialogue usually limited to one-word phrases or barked orders, but you can usually manage to string along your brief conversations on your own, either wondering aloud when you might be rescued or telling him about all the things you're going to do when you make it back to civilization. For every hour you spend fantasizing about baths and take-out and air conditioning, he spares a few words about himself. From what you can gather, he's a guardian of-sorts, meant to protect people like you from a threat he claims you couldn't begin to understand. You're not really in a place to question him, considering you didn't even know a hybrid like him could exist a few weeks ago.

Sphinx!Xiao, who also claims he's not allowed to 'meddle in human matters', meaning he can't help you beyond making sure you don't starve to death. You've asked him if he's seen anyone looking for you while hunting, but he's never given you a straight answer, and when you suggest that he just, say, put that twenty-foot wingspan to use and drop you off on the edge of the nearest town or village, he just scowls, rolls his eyes, refuses to say anything at all. You want to press the subject, sometimes, but you really can't afford to annoy him, to make yourself even more of an irritation to him than you already are. You wouldn't survive a day out here, on your own. You wouldn't survive without Xiao.

Sphinx!Xiao, whose gifts have been getting more... modern, recently. Luxuries are still few and far between, but you have a small store of canned food, now, a couple fleece blankets that don't seem at least a decade old, bits of scrap metal and glass that must've caught Xiao's eye. You try not to pry, not to turn down anything he gives you, but his most recent gift - a half-crushed, silver wedding band with an odd, scarlet stain you can't seem to polish away - hasn't seen the light of day since he dropped it into your hand.

Sphinx!Xiao, who keeps his wings wrapped around you as you sob into his shoulder and beat your fists against his chest. You're not in the temple anymore, dilapidated and open, but his den - a hellish, lightless cave filled to bursting with golden jewelry and century-old artifacts and scraps of metal and clothing that couldn't have come from anything but human travelers, from dozens upon dozens of people who could've saved you if he hadn't gotten in the way.

Sphinx!Xiao, who hums and coos and purrs as he rubs circles into your back, as he promises that he's not going to hurt you, that he's not going to let anything hurt you ever again.

Sphinx!Xiao, who's always been a guardian, first and foremost. It's just that now, he's decided it's his responsibility to guard you.

[originalcharaycters]

Porcelain Face - 4 Door Theater

Parson has accomplished many things. She acquired her unique magic at an early age and had been training it ever since. At the age of seven, she was taught how to handle different weaponry and was able to fend for others and herself.

And yet,

‘I AM SO STRESSED OVER THIS BIRTHDAY GIFT!!!’

She's found herself fussing over a gift in her room.

Multiple crumpled paper was thrown into the trash can along with pencil shavings with how many pencils Parson has broken. The aforementioned girl continued to brainstorm ideas for a gift for her supposedly self proclaimed rival, Drake.

She could probably just give him a gift card and be done with it but the boy had previously given her a lovely gift on her birthday, so it was only fair she returns the favor. Maybe there was another underlying reason but who knows for sure.

Parson quietly messes up her unbraided hair in frustration, Antos already in deep sleep beside her. She sighed and thought to herself, whoever could help her with the gift before a lightbulb appeared beside her head.

“Pear Blossoms, it is 2 A.M. on a Saturday.”

Sun's tired voice answering the phone made the chameleon froze in her seat.

“... It's what.”

“2 A.M.- you know what, just call me back later during lunchbreak or something. I'm getting my beauty sleep.”

The tired boy quickly hung up while Parson was cursing to herself in her hands for not paying attention to the time and taking so long in deciding a gift.

“Alright, what's your emergency?”

Sun spoke into his phone as he sits at a table with Mital beside him. Parson, who's on the other side, took a deep breath before saying everything in one take.

“So, say you have to get a gift for someone who you barely know but you care about them a lot cause they've been with you for a long time and you admire them quite a bit but you just don't know what to get them so now you're stuck in your room, pondering? What would you do?”

“Right, well. Pardon my language but who the fuck?”

The green-haired beastmangirl chuckled nervously at Sun's question. Hesitantly, she answered. “He's um, in Diasomnia?”

The beauty paused before slowly turning his head just enough to see the Diasomnia students, crossing off unfamiliar ones and landing on a rather crude red-haired dragon munching on his food.

Sun turns away before stating his judgement which made Parson sighs. “You can do better than that.”

“Are you helping me or not?”

Sun sighs in frustration, pinching between his furrowed brows. The chameleon can be so insufferable sometimes.

He takes a moment to think before responding.

“Flowers can mean different things and they're generally given to show appreciation anyway.”

“If he's given you something before, maybe try to reciprocate that with something that you find personal?”

Parson pondered for a moment.

“Hm.. Oh! Sun, I have another favor.”

Drake stood by the NRC entrance gate, impatiently fiddling with his hands and his tail swinging from one side to another in a hurry. He was called by Parson to sit there for a few minutes till she arrives.

He had been pacing around the entrance for 15 minutes and he was now beginning to doubt that she was coming. However, he knows her better than that. She wouldn't pull some kind of weird, cruel prank out of nowhere. But what would she want?

“Drake!”

The aforementioned boy jolted in surprise. Hearing his name suddenly being called, he turned around to see Parson holding a few items in her hands.

The red-haired dragon wasted no time to be beside his "rival's" side. They awkwardly stared at one another and exchanged greetings before the chameleon girl extends out a decent-sized bouquet she was holding.

“Um, these are for you...”

“Flowers?”

“Yeah..! A friend of mine gave me the idea.. They hold special meanings that I think suits you so..”

Drake looks at the variety of flowers which Parson had carefully assorted into a bouquet.

Multiple satin flowers and variegated tulips fills the center of the bouquet while weeping willows are peeking from the bottom and wisterias surrounding all the flowers. Drake looked at it in awe, it wasn't the prettiest thing he's seen that would be Parson but he appreciated the thought that went into the gift.

Parson remembered her other present. She reveals a small box in her hand, the cover was neatly decorated with blue felt and looked almost as a ring box. She extends the box to Drake, avoiding his gaze.

The latter stared at the box for a few minutes before gently taking it off of Parson's hand which intertwined back into her lap once the box is off her hand. The inside held a beautifully hand carved silver charm of a moon.

“This was a.. limited time charm from.. a shop belonged to my friend's mother..”

“I have a matching sun brooch. So I just thought you'd like it...”

Parson's brown eyes was on Drake the whole time as he admired the accessory. Feeling self-conscious, she offered to take back the charm if he didn't like it which she was met with a loud protest which further made Drake stumble in his words.

“Uh, I mean, you've gone through such lengths, it would be rude for someone as great as me to not accept!”

Parson had to take a moment to process before letting out a quiet giggle into her hand as Drake felt his face heat up.

“I hope you like them.”

Parson's soft smile and genuine words made Drake's heart skip a beat. He quickly snapped out of his trance and panics.

“Oh wow, would you look at the time!! You should get back, I'm sure you have important pretty business— PRETTY IMPORTANT BUSINESS to do!!!!”

He continued to push Parson out of the gate despite her protests and she finally leaves begrudgingly with a pout on her face.

The red haired dragon sighed as he quickly return back to the school building.

Drake entered his room, deciding to go to his club activity's after getting changed.

He gently placed the bouquet of flowers on his bedside table and flopped face first on his bed. He had hung the moon charm on the chains of his belt and us now tired out from the birthday celebration.

His mind wanders back to his interaction with Parson, being reminded of her having the dragon charm on the handle of her sheathed sword. For the 10th time today, his face heats up and he ends up screaming into his pillows while kicking his feet out of serotonin.

Just thinking of her cute face drives him nuts.

i hope this little fic cheers mee maw up due to recent events Drake and Mital belongs to @anaxocs

[i-dream-of-twilight-sparkle]

Chapter 18: The Royal Ball, Part 6 - Sweetie Belle’s Performance

While their much older friends and/or family are having their fun, the Cutie Mark Crusaders have had a table for themselves where they’ve been playing together and enjoying the performances that have shown up thus far themselves. Clapping for Trixie’s show, getting some good laughs from Autumn’s Puppet Show, and Sweetie Belle in particular enjoying Coloratura singing The Magic Inside again. 

They continue to have some banter between them, until they’re joined by a family member of Apple Bloom and former fellow cutie mark crusader, Babs Seed. Who eventually found her talent in being a barber in Manehattan and is currently under the tutelage under of one of the most famous hair stylists in Manehattan. While she was here, she thought she’d visit her cousin and her friends for a little bit

Babs Seed: Hey there, Apple Bloom! How’s my cuz, doin’?

Apple Bloom: Oh hey Babs! Nice t’ see ya! Ya’ll still having ah nice time at that barber shop ya work fo’?

Babs: Yeah! I get chosen whenever somepony wants a cool haircut, such as mohawks or the different kinds of punk-style haircuts

Scootaloo: Niicceeee! Maybe I should get one of your hairstyles sometime, Babs!

Babs: Haha, I’d love to have a hoof at styling your hair in cool ways some day, Scoots.

Sweetie: I may need your services sometime too, Babs. I’ve gotten into singing metal, could be useful for such performances.

Babs: Awww yeah! That would be pretty nice too, Sweetie. I have been wondering how you’ve all been. Been up to anything lately? Maybe tell me how you all were invited here?

Apple Bloom: Sure thing! Ah was mah sister’s first invite when she got t’ the farm, then ah would go t’ get inviting Zecora here as mah sister invited others in our family, as well as Rara and Autumn.

Babs: Yeah, thanks to ya sister we got some pretty awesome, and funny in the case of Autumn Blaze, performances tonight! Though I also kind of got to thank her for inviting Rara for another reason, as in turn she’d bring me. I was taking care of Photo Finish’s mane at the time Applejack was there in Manehattan so I couldn’t quite come across her. Anything else happen though, Apple Bloom?

Apple Bloom: Well.. all that’s left is sort o’ sad, Ah must warn ya. But what ah did next was try t’ see if Grand Pear was available t’ go, he didn’t end up goin’ but we’d find him visiting the graves o’ mah late parents…

Babs: Oh… yea… visiting the graves of dead beloved relatives is always a bummer… I hope this ball is making ya feel better though.

Apple Bloom: It is, yeah.

Babs: How about you, Scoots? Whatcha been up to?

Scootaloo: Hm, it has been a while since we last saw eachother hasn’t it?

Babs: Well, I was at the party ya held that ya girls held to try to convince ya parents to let you stay in Ponyville. But I suppose I haven’t been made too aware of what ya’ve done in a little more then 2 years.

Scootaloo: Is that so? Then I guess you’re not quite very are of… this!

Scootaloo shifts her body from the waist down into her seapony tail in front of Babs, and bends it in a way that would be impossible to bend hooves in to prove it’s a real fish-like tail. Scootaloo now sitting with her sea pony tail dangling down from the side of her chair.

Babs: WHOA! Ya can turn half-fish?! Just like the hippogriffs with their necklaces, but ya don’t have a necklace! How are ya doing it?

Scootaloo: A wish from Twilight, really. But there’s more to this then just that, I’ve been training myself to use this form and get even better at swimming. And just two weeks ago? I was able to convince Spitfire and the Wonderbolts to make a new branch called the Waterbolts! I can’t join yet despite helping start it, but they got decent number of good swimmers from Mount Aeris/Seaquestria to get it started. Along with some of the best fliers there too who will try to become proper Wonderbolts in the near future.

Babs: That’s awesome! Dang Scoots, ya’ve made history!

Scootaloo: Just wait till’ I’m all grown up and I’m the fastest swimmer on the planet! That will be the real kind of history I want to make!

Babs: Yeah! That’ll be a sight to see one day, ya could even do a show in the Manehattan Bay! See how fast it takes for ya to do 20 laps around The Statue of Friendship!

Scootaloo: Yeah! Exactly! It’s gonna be awesome!

Scootaloo transforms back to her pony form

Babs: Now how about you, Sweetie. You mentioned you found out you’re a bit of a metal singer. Mind explaining that?

Sweetie: Of course! After being invited by my sister, we would eventually get to Vinyl Scratch and Octavia’s house to invite them. I decided I’d stay with them a little bit as Rarity got her invitees. I decided to give their karaoke machine a try, and picked a few songs I wanted to sing for them. All of the ones I chose were some level of Metal/Hard Rock. And I guess I did great, as I left them impressed to the point that they actually want me to sing another song here at the ball just to show my voice.

Babs: No way, you’re going to be performing?! When?

Sweetie: Well either me or Cheese Sandwich is next. As soon as Octavia and Vinyl Scratch are called, I’m going to need to head over to see them to get ready.

Babs: So ya plan on rocking the palace in a little bit?

Sweetie: Weellllll the song I chose for the ball isn’t going to be a super intense song, it’s still made by a band that generally does metal, but it’ll be one of their softer ones. I decided I would try to make my first ever solo appearance in front of an audience with something intent on evoking emotions rather then a bang your head kind of tune.

Babs: Yeah, that’s probably respectable. What’s the song?

Sweetie: Mother’s Soul from Stalliondust

Babs: Oooooh, that is a good one. Can’t wait to hear your singing voice, Sweetie. Ya obviously have a talent in music going by your cutie mark, so this will be great to see!

Apple Bloom: Ooo! Ah think ah see the palace staffer walking t’ the stage t’ announce the next performance!

Indeed, as Apple Bloom noticed the palace staffer once again goes up to the stage as the audience once again quiets down to let him speak.

Palace Staffer: Thank you, thank you. Our next performance includes backing instruments from Octavia and Vinyl Scratch. Who will joined by a young rookie singer by the name of Sweetie Belle, showing off her singing talent for the first time solo in front of a big crowd!

This intrigued many in the audience who were aware of Vinyl Scratch and Octavia but have never met Sweetie. Though for those who do know Sweetie, loud cheers could be heard. Especially from her sister and her parents.

Sweetie: Oh my gosh! I’m next!. Seeya soon Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Babs! I need to get ready!

Scootaloo: Good luck, Sweetie!

Apple Bloom: Ya’ll do great! We know ya will!

((Story continues after the break))

Sweetie Belle quickly hops off her chair and rushes to wherever she can find Vinyl Scratch and Octavia. Eventually, she just manages to get to them before they were starting to walk behind the curtains on stage.

Sweetie: Hey! Vinyl! Octavia! I’m here!

Octavia: Hello, Sweetie Belle. Are you ready to debut your singing talent for the world to know?

Sweetie: Yes… I’m no longer shy about my singing. It’s time I finally put my front hoof forward.

Vinyl Scratch nods, and gives Sweetie an approving grin.

Octavia: That’s good to hear. By the way, you picked a great song. I know it’s not quite as intense as some of the ones you sang for us, but it may be a song that’s soft enough to endear your voice. And even if they’re surprised that you end up doing mostly more intense songs that aren’t to everypony’s taste, they can respect the range of your voice.

Sweetie: Thanks, Octavia

With that the 2 musicians, and the little aspiring singer all head backstage to take their places. Vinyl provides the machine that will play an instrumental of the song Sweetie sings, and Octavia provides a little extra symphonic metal elements into Sweetie’s choice of song. And of course, Sweetie on her own in the middle of the stage with a microphone. Soon, the curtain starts raising and the audience can see the three on stage. Claps are heard for the performance’s start.

Rarity: Good luck, Sweetie darling!

Sweetie smiles hearing the voice of her sister and takes a few heavy breaths. Before the song begins to play. Octavia already playing her instrument.

Mother’s Soul by Stalliondust ((To the tune of Angel’s Son by Sevendust))

Sweetie: Life is changing… annnnd…

I can’t… goooo on… withouuuut you…

Rearranging, annnnd… I will be strong!

I’ll stand byyyyyy you…

You were fighting… everyday…

Soooo hard to hide the pain…

I know you never said goodbye…

I had so much left to saaaaay…

(Sweetie puts her mouth closer to the mic to sing the first use of the chorus more quietly)

One last sooooong…

Given to a mother’s soooul…

As soon as you were gooone…

As soon as you were gooooone…

(Sweetie puts her mouth back from the mic, and starts to pick up the intensity as the song itself does)

I have a new life now…

I live through you!

What can I do?!

I feel so alone now…

I pray for you!

We still looove yooou!

You were fighting… everyday…

So hard to hide the pain…

I know you never said goodbye…

I had so much left to saaaaaaay…!

(The song picks up to it’s highest intensity)

One last soooong!

Given to a mother’s sooooooul!

As soon as you were goooone!

As soon as you were goooooone! Ooooh!

One last soooong! Ooooh!

I can’t believe, you’re gone!

Given to a mother’s sooooooul!

Iiiiii can’t beliiiieve!

As soon as you were gooone!

As soon as you were… gooone a ohhh a ohhh a

The song finishes, many of the audience’s mouth agape from Sweetie’s cover of the song. Soon claps are heard and they start spreading across the crowd until the entire crowd claps and starts cheering for the young singer. Not all were necessarily clapping, but that’s because instead they were emotionally moved by the lyrics for one reason or another. Many of the members of the M.I.L.F. club among them, being this is a song dedicated to a deceased mother, anyone in the audience who has a deceased parent, especially Applejack who took the lyrics to heart and is already wiping tears from her eyes. Starlight was still next to her, and is patting her on the back.

Applejack: *sniff* Such a-ah  b-b-beautiful s-so-song… *sob* W-w-well done, S-s-sweetie B-belle… *sniff*

Starlight herself also tears up a bit from the song since while it’s known this is for a deceased mother. The lyrics could still somewhat apply to a missing one, and she still can’t rule out the possibility that her mother is dead anyway.

Sweetie Belle walks off the stage and is immediately approached by her sister and her fellow crusaders.

Rarity: That was amazing, Sweetie! You really gave the crowd a show!

Apple Bloom: We knew ya’ll would ace this!

Scootaloo: Yeaaaah! You rocked it!

Suddenly, another pony comes to approach Sweetie Belle. It’s Coloratura herself quite impressed with Sweetie’s talent.

Rara: That was a top-notch performance, Sweetie. you have a voice that I think the whole world will want to hear. In fact, if you ever feel like you’re ready to start making record deal. My place can be open to you some day, and I’ll be your sort of manager.

Sweetie: Wait.. you… as my manager?!

Rara: Not immediately of course, I think you still have a little bit of your childhood to have before you do. But say when you think you’re ready to start selling records in your teenage years or older.

Scootaloo: Kinda like just how it will still be a few years until I’m ready to become a trainee for the Waterbolts!

Sweetie: My gosh, Coloratura… this is such an honor… even if this is still some years away… you have no idea how happy I am that you recognize my talent… Even if we’re kinda getting into different genres. You’re mainly a pop singer right?

Rara: That’s true, but because I’m a pop singer doesn’t mean I can’t manage other types of singers. I started self-managing ever since I kicked Sven Gallop out, and I felt as I got comfortable I’d eventually get to helping other singers find a footing. And I’ll be a nicer manager then Sven ever will be.

Sweetie: Well then, yes! Of course I’d love you to be my manager when I’m ready to start my music career in full!

Rara: On a side note, I know the stallion who wrote the song you sang. He unfortunately lost his mother to an illness, and that song was dedicated to her. And he would of loved to hear your cover of the song. Perhaps some day, you’ll get to perform your cover again while he’s in the audience.

Sweetie: Yeah… I figured the song was about a deceased mother. But nice of you to tell me the real story behind the song’s making. And that would be cool to have the actual band’s writer and lead singer listen to my cover! But if it’s ok, I think I’d like to return to my table with my friends, I still very much appreciate reserving a spot for me at your studios. So thank you, Coloratura.

Rara: No problem, Sweetie. I can’t wait to see what comes next for your music career.

Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo return to the table they were sitting. Many tables they’re passing by with strangers waving to the young Sweetie, as it seems she’s made a decent amount of fans already. Babs Seed is still at the table and sees the group approach.

Babs: Great singing, Sweetie Belle! Ya did great up there.

Sweetie: Thank you very much, Babs!

Once they’re seated, they don’t get much time before another pony approaches. Though it’s a pony the Crusaders are very fond of: Cheerilee, their school teacher.

Cheerilee: Hello, Cutie Mark Crusaders!

Apple Bloom: Miss Cheerilee!

Scootaloo; Hiya!

Sweetie: I’m so happy to see you’re here!

Cheerilee: I’ve been having a pretty good time here, thanks for thinking of inviting me Sweetie. And also… you did a great job out there on stage. I’m very proud of you, Sweetie. I know one day you will make it big in the music industry.

Sweetie: Thank you!

Cheerilee: Also, I want to talk to Scootaloo a little bit

Scootaloo: Oh no.. am I in trouble for something?

Cheerilee: No, not at all. I just want to congratulate you on starting up the Waterbolts!

Scootaloo: Huh? How’d you find out about that? I don’t think I told you yet.

Cheerilee: Me and Spitfire are actually good friends! While talking to her, she told me all about what you did in Mount Aeris/Seaquestria

Scootaloo: Oh nice! I can’t join it myself yet, but you bet I’m going to continue to swim as much as I can until then!

Cheerilee: I’ve seen you swim sometimes in Saddle Lake, the School of Friendship’s moat, and the rivers in town! You are really fast in the water! You’ll no doubt be a star, once you’re old enough to get in the Waterbolts.

Scootaloo: Thank you, Miss Cheerilee!

Cheerilee: And now Apple Bloom, mind if I ask if you have any idea where your big brother is?

Apple Bloom: Big Mac? Ah think he’s on a table with his wife, Sugar Belle.

Cheerilee: Ah, of course. They are certainly a cute couple.

Sweetie: You’re not going to fight with Sugar Belle... Are you?

Cheerilee: What? Why would I fig- Oooooooh, do you still think I have romantic interest in Big Mac? We were just friends, granted, we were only acquaintances until your love potion shenanigans.

Sweetie: Well… you did still say one of the names you called him while under the effects of the potion, after you were cured.

Cheerilee: Oh hahahaha, me and Big Mac just decided to prank you girls at that moment.

Apple Bloom: Ah think only Sweetie really thought ya had feelings for him. Ah’d know if ya’ll were together after that Love Potion incident.

Scootaloo: Yeah, you fooled me with that prank at first, but over time it probably would of been more clear if you really did become special someponies for real at some point.

Cheerilee: Then I guess Sweetie Belle must be slightly holding on to a ship she once had for me. I remember when you were upset that I didn’t kiss Big Mac, and you popped out of the bush yelling “OH COME ON” *giggles*

Sweetie: Nuh uh… I tried to help Big Mac get with Sugar Belle too! Though… it is still a shame that you still don’t have a special somepony.

Cheerilee: Well, what if I told you why you never did that Hearts and Hooves Day so long ago? Besides the fact that love potions override everything in a pony’s mind order to hypnotize ponies into loving eachother and won’t necessarily make it likelier that the two ponies become special someponies after being cured.

Cheerilee moves on closer in order to whisper, and the 3 hold up their ears to hear.

Cheerilee: I’m not into stallions at all, I’m into mares. You had the wrong orientation the whole time!

Scootaloo: Oh! Oh! Oh! Just like my Aunts!

Apple Bloom: Lyra & Bon Bon too!

Sweetie: Oooooooooh, I see. Well… I’ll guess I’ll have to rearrange some things at home later then. Hehehehe…

Scootaloo: *rolls her eyes* Great, now she’s going to spend a whole night shuffling her shipping chart…

Cheerilee giggles

Cheerilee: Anyhow, I guess I won’t bother Big Mac just yet, if he’s on a little bit of a honeymoon with Sugar Belle. I can always see him later.

Apple Bloom: What did ya even want t’ see him fo’?

Cheerilee: Nothing all that special, just if I can ask him if he can reserve some Sweet Apple Acres apples sometime when we get back.

Apple Bloom: Ya’ll could o’ asked me that

Cheerilee: Yeah but I wanted a lot of apples, enough that it’d be hard for you to carry all by yourself

Scootaloo: Whatcha going to do with all those apples?

Cheerilee: Just stock back up many, many jars of applesauce back home. And maybe save some for slices and/or eating them normally.

Apple Bloom: Well, even if ya don’t get Big Mac at some point later. Me and Applejack can probably get ya what ya want.

Cheerilee: True, I suppose. I guess I’ll just get back to the table I was sitting at for now, who knows when that final performance is going to start after all.

Sweetie: All that’s left is Cheese Sandwich before the night finishes with some dancing. So yeah! What ever is left of the ball should be quite fun, though it almost certainly means this ball is nearly over.

Scootaloo: It’s been a pretty fun night! All parties come to an end eventually, but they saved some cool stuff for last with one of the best party ponies around, and then we’ll all get to dance!

Apple Bloom: Ah guess seeya, Miss Cheerilee! Thank ya’ll for being such ah great teacher fo’ us. Mind if we get ah hug from ya before ya go?

Cheerilee: Oh of course I will, anything for 3 of my favorite students!

Cheerilee lowers herself to the ground by sitting on the floor and hugs around the 3 fillies. And then head back to her table.

Meanwhile, back at the table of the M.I.L.F. club, Twilight’s had enough fun talking with the other mothers and getting Trixie’s mom to be a member too (Stellar Flare was chosen to make Dandy Lion recite the club’s oath)

Twilight: Well this was a lot of fun, all of you. But I think I’m going to head elsewhere now, if I don’t see any of you the rest of the night. Hope you had a wonderful time here

Windy: We absolutely have! And no problem, Princess!

Velvet: Of course, dear. You have a fantastic rest of the night!

Twilight walks off waving to all the other mothers and once Twilight’s far enough, they continue their family gossiping. Twilight herself ponders where to go next, and realizes she still hasn’t seen Celestia and Luna here. And she figured it was going to be important to inform Celestia of her plan with Spike and Malakhar to visit the spot where Spike’s birth mother died. She eventually finds the two Alicorn sisters on their own table and heads on over to where they’re sitting. Celestia sees Twilight approach and smiles.

Celestia: Hello, Princess Twilight. Thank you for inviting us, it’s been a fantastic time. And a decent amount of great performances.

Luna: I never knew Sweetie Belle had such a beautiful singing voice. That was wonderful to hear

Twilight: You’re welcome both of you, and yeah, Sweetie’s going to be a fantastic musician one day. Thee’s no doubt about that, after that performance. But I actually went to see you because I have something important to ask of you for tomorrow morning, Princess Celestia

Celestia: Oh? Do tell what it is.

Twilight: Remember when you told me the story about where you got Spike’s egg and where his birth mother died? I told the story to Spike 2 weeks ago, and he said at one point he wants to visit that cave the day after the ball. And I thought I’d ask you to be there since you could likely help show where it was. I guess it turns out Malakhar was also there at the time, and I may have him accompany us as well to give directions, but I still wanted to ask if you could still help us if we went to you in the morning to go see it.

Celestia: I’d be happy to lead you to the cave, and oh? Malakhar was there too? Interesting, he must of been the teenage colt that handed me the egg back then. He did look familiar when I saw him, but he’s certainly a lot bigger then he was then. Does Spike perhaps wish to have a moment of silence to mourn his birth mother?

Twilight: Well, probably not quite on the same level as others. But he does want to pay his respects, especially if everything in your dream came true, she’s very much responsible for the path our lives took. Even if we can’t speak to her, it’d at least feel respectful in that way

Celestia: Completely understandable, I along with Malakhar will take you and Spike to the cave in the morning. But first, how has your night gone? Any interesting things happen for you?

Twilight: Besides enjoying the performances, I guess the night started with me and my friends telling each other what happened in our individual inviting trips. Including myself telling most of what you told me about Spike’s egg and Sunset Shimmer to my friends. But after that, I met up with my Canterlot friends. And sometime during all that, the Prince of Saddle Arabia, Theandri the 2nd surprised Moondancer as we were talking. And absolutely swept her off her hooves, kinda literally. They’re currently still on their first date as of this very moment.

Celestia: Awwwww, that’s so adorable!

Twilight: Though that’s not even the only thing about this, at some point… Moondancer called me to head on over where they were… and weirdly enough in a plan the Prince told Moondancer to do… Moondancer confessed… that she had a crush on me as far back as when we were teens.

I didn’t even know she was Bisexual, I guess that was because she still mostly preferred looking for stallions. But I guess I became an exception, it somewhat makes me feel even more bad for not even saying goodbye before you sent me to Ponyville. I think Moondancer understands that saving the world, and freeing your sister was in the grand scheme of things more important then her party, but it nonetheless hurt her pretty bad since she had planned of finally gathering the courage to tell me. I likely only would of said I don’t feel the same way, but because I didn’t go at all. A part of her never really got an answer, so she had to know what I would of said, so she could completely move on.

Celestia: Wow… If only I had known that long ago, even if the result would have been the same… that you don’t have the same feelings for her… Moondancer was still one of the students at my school, I would of gladly personally given her the chance when there was time after Luna was freed. No pony’s heart should be left with an unanswered heart for a decade

Twilight: But at least she now has the Prince. I can already tell they’ll be a close couple, Theandri II risked giving up Moondancer if hypothetically I wanted a relationship with her now, and Moondancer felt like she preferred to satisfy her long-lasting feelings towards me. An act of kindness that no doubt Moondancer will never forget.

Celestia: Certainly something that’s somehow heartwarming, but also a little heartbreaking at the same time. Good to see both the Moondancer and the Prince happy. I’m sure the Sultan and the Sultana are also pleased they may possibly know who becomes Sultana when they step down.

Twilight: Haha, believe me I saw them celebrating from their balcony when their son and Moondancer’s date started.

Celestia giggles

Celestia: Good for them, but now… anything else Twilight?

Twilight: Well all that’s else that happened is I met and joined a club of other mothers of Equestria that was co-founded by my own mom, and includes many of my own friend’s mothers

Celestia: Ah… that does sound quite cute, thanks for sharing how your night’s been.

Twilight: It’s pretty close to the end isn’t it? Only one more performance, then a moment to dance and then either anyone here is brought back home or they stay in the palace rooms for the wedding in 3 days.

Celestia: Indeed, but everyone’s certainly got their slice of fun here.

Twilight: It was good to talk to you once again, Princess. I think I’m going to head back to the table I was at originally to be with my friends and Spike again for the rest of the night. But I’ll see you again soon tomorrow morning to go to that cave.

Celestia: Have yourself a good rest of the night, Twilight. And yes, I shall see you in the morning.

Twilight heads out to the table she started at during the night, as the royal ball etches closer to the end.

UP NEXT: Chapter 19: The Royal Ball, Part 7 - The Taste Of Fresh Dough On The Tray

[miomediator]

Homestuck - Heart and Mind

Inner self and outer self

Content/trigger warnings: Heart: blood, decapitated heads, flashing colors, eye strain

Mind: flashing lights, repetitive looped gif

Very veeeery long thread!

Heart

I’m going to be honest, this is the more head-scratching (ha!) symbol of the 12, in my opinion. While the others immediately (or take a moment to) make sense, this one confuse me. Sure, it’s a cartoonish representation of a pink human heart.

The problem isn’t the main shape, but the right side of it. Beside the fact that it’s more original and eye-catching than a filled heart, why this gap, this wiggling line? But let’s proceed in order and take a more general approach first.

It’s a pink heart on a darker purple/pink background. The left side is filled, while the right side looks like a tail that coming in or out the shape. We’ll get into it a bit down below.

In pop and universal culture, people has always been show this embodiment of the heart. While many theorise about when and where it came from, a stable origin was registered during the Middle Age, as a pear.

Here’s an exempt of the theory:

“Historically speaking, the first known depiction of a heart shape, which can be vaguely considered as a symbol of love, was made in the 1250s. It appeared in a decoration of a capital letter “S” in a manuscript of a French romance called “Roman de la Poire” (Romance of the Pear). 

This miniature depicts a kneeling lover who offers his heart to a lady. This heart shape is similar to a pine cone, and it is held upside down (not in the usual position of the heart shape that we know today). Researchers only assume that the pine cone-shaped object is a heart because its part held by the lover is hidden. The name of this novel is “Romance of the Pear,” so the object may also be a pear.”

The earliest depiction of a heart symbol as a symbol of love in a manuscript of the “Roman de la Poire.”

[Mio’s note: Roman actually means novel in french, and isn’t necessarily romantic. Though I guess it is in this context.]

It is interesting, in this paragraph the heart is both referred as pine cone-shaped and pear-shaped. The latter is extremely funny, has it reminds me of a famous fanon HS meme “Well this has gone completely fucking pear-shaped”, attributed to Dirk and the decapitation joke. He, in fact, never really said it in Canon.

If we indulge this banter, the pear-shaped heart would symbolise things that took a disastrous turn, and so negative and stressful elements such as anxiety, adrenaline (negative in this case, positive in others), heart pounding, leaving a weird and unpleasant sandy taste on your tongue.

But I digress.

What we actually need to focus on is that:

A fruit, the pear, has been associated to a love gesture, like a gift to express romantic affection to someone.

The pear is upside-down, as the text point out. Which is curious and worth mentioning.

“the pine cone-shaped object is a heart because its part held by the lover is hidden”. So what is important it’s what is inside it, and so inside your heart. Which perfectly echoes with my subhead: Inner self.

The article continues, with Guido whom also depicted his version of a heart:

“Guido da Vigevano, a 14th-century Italian physicist, made some anatomical drawings of a heart that are very similar to the descriptions made by Aristotle. These depictions, along with the presumption that the human heart is connected with emotion and pleasure, transformed the heart shape into a symbol of medieval love.”

After this, a picture shows Charity incarnated as a woman, giving her heart to Jesus. While I won’t dwell on the religious implications, it is a metaphor of showing care and compassion to someone. Giving them a bit of your time, patience, and heart. In an extreme case, being completely devoted to someone in a strong way. 

Heart-bound fellows, despite the fact that they are concerned about themselves, are very people-oriented. They deeply want others to feel well and happy. Hence the expression being ‘kind-hearted/big-hearted’, and ‘work you heart out’. They put a lot of themselves into their hobbies, which they are passionate about.

After this, the article introduce the playing cards, implying that Guido had an influence on the decision to show a heart among the symbols:

The playing cards are even more relevant to this analysis, as their modern symbol are present in Troll romance. Here, the ‘clover’ is an acorn, the ‘spade’ a leaf, perhaps ivy, the heart is even more like the one we know nowadays, and the ‘diamond’ surprisingly is a small metallic bell. This set is dated from ~1540.

[Sources: this site about the origins of the red heart]

That was a (very) quick look at the evolution of the heart symbol.

I could go on and talk about Valentine’s Day, but it would be paraphrasing the site, and we have much more content to focus on. I invite you to take a look at said site and do some research of your own if you are interested about this peculiar bit.

Let’s go into more direct Homestuck content.

During the adventure, we are introduced to three Heart-players. Nepeta Leijon, Dirk Strider, and Meulin Leijon, in appearance order.

They all have interests related to feelings and love.

Nepeta has a shipping grid of her own friends on her cave’s walls and seems to be proficient in moirallegiance, a quadrant that require to be invested and devoted to their partner feelings. She had a crush on Karkat that she never confessed. Karkat knew but never worked the nerve to do something about it.

Dirk is engrossed by romance and smut, unashamedly draw his friends getting frisky (in a borderline-obscene way), is passionate about the projects he works on (work his heart out, sometimes literally). He was (and still is) madly in love with Jake. But by being overbearing and socially inept their relationship crumbled (while not being the only reason it didn’t work out).

[I love talking about Dirk, but I’ll do my best in this analysis to properly and equally split the content between Nepeta, Meulin and him] 

Meulin not only love shipping, she also gives directly advises to her friends, and acted as a matchmaker. She shipped several of the alpha trolls but according to Aranea, she focused on how cute a couple would be, instead on how and if their dynamic would work out. Her matespritship with Kurloz was cut short when he yelled in his sleep, deafening Meulin in the process.

Meulin talking about shipping the human teens, transcript from the Openbound game, part 2

The most obvious element they share is that they are zealous and unlucky in love. One would say it depends on the class, personality or aspect. They seem all correct assumptions to me.

Nepeta was the first to be presented as a Heart-bound character, the Rogue of Heart. So, logically, the design of the Heart symbol could be inspired by her.

How, you ask. Let’s take a look to Nepeta’s sign.

The ‘Leo’ sign, in human culture represents the constellation of the lion, with the circle as their head, and the loop as the body and tail.

Now looking back and forth to Leo and Heart: Heeeey! It’s quite similar. Can you see it?

Alright, that’s a good start. So the right side is like a tail. Let’s dig and look around Heart/heart. Heart is synonym of soul. Its symbol is a pink blood pusher. For humans it represent romantic love, our only ‘official’ quadrant. A red lover for trolls is called a matesprit. Sprit comes from esprit, which is the french word for spirit. So matesprit is a soul mate. But this term is used for another concept in Homestuck. A spiritual guide during the player journey: a sprite.

The link between the Leo and Heart sign is getting stronger. The circle as the head, the wiggling line as the body and tail. The sprite is a living spirit, a floating soul present in the physical plane. So the right side, the tail, is bound to the left side, the head. Meaning the soul is bound to the body. Oh. But what if it was detached from it? Yeeep, you know, I know, they know. This is why and how decapitation come into the picture.

Beheaded Dirk and Roxy hit in the stomach, from the [S] Dirk: synchronize

Jasperosesprite^2 prototyping Nepeta’s decapitated head in Jake’s kernelsprite

A kiss on the lips, which is seen often as a romantic gesture, is one of the resurrecting mechanism within SBURB/SGRUB. It transfers the soul from the ‘original’ body to the dream self, turning the latter into the main body. Separating the head from the rest of the body amounts to take away the soul, while throwing the head back (or any part of the corpse) into a kernelsprite recreate the link between the two. 

 A kernel is: 

“ a computer program at the core of a computer's operation system with complete control over everything in the system. It is an integral part of any operating system. It is the "portion of the operating system code that is always resident in memory". It facilitates interactions between hardware and software components.””

Source: Wikipedia

It’s a brain that bound the soul to the body, and is the core of the system, controlling it. So basically, the digital mind made in SBURB. One display among the several ones of the Heart/Mind duality.

So wait, if the head in this case is the soul, and looking back at medieval picture at the beginning (dude kneeling in front of a lady offering a heart) then Dirk sendificating his head in [S] Dirk Synchronize/Unite is really a romantic overture toward Jake (sacrificing a part of his self then Hal prompting him to kiss Dirk’s lips). Same for Jasperose resurrecting Nepeta by using her head. Damn. You two are smooth operators in the most disturbing way.

Another personal theory in my mind, is that pink ‘tail’ could represent how a person use and interact with their aspect.

Nepeta, as a Rogue, remove or give personality, passion and feelings to someone. 

For example she could appease a friend by removing their frustration. In contrary she could also give passionate feelings to someone who needs them. Such as in Ni no Kuni! In which the protagonist Oliver takes a piece of somebody’s soul (what is called emotion or virtue) to give it to someone who needs it. Those people are referred to “brokenhearted”.

So the wiggling tail would be something introduced or take away from the soul.

Dirk, as a Prince, has shown having the power to completely remove someone’s soul from their body. 

And for that, he doesn’t like his abilities, exhibiting him as a ‘cartoonish villain’ like Voldemort (splintering his soul into horcruxes) or Xehanort (putting part of himself in the Organization members). Though he could remove and grab one of his friend’s soul to save them from a close death. See the fan comic Double Death of the Author by The Lifetime Channel on MSPFA, and the fan fiction Defragmentation by Katreal on Ao3.

In this case, the tail would represent the soul being slowly removed.

Meulin, as a Mage, have an understanding of people’s strong feelings, especially romantic ones. 

Her ability is to read, feel and use her knowledge to help her friends figure out who is better suited for them. Meulin’s powers are similar to a diviner, allowing to form or break a couple. Perhaps with practice and reaching the God Tiers, she could even perceive red threads of fate which bound two lovers regardless of the location and time. The manga Bound Beauty (sorry, no english Wikipedia page) features a young lady with the ability to see those strings, usually invisible to the eye. She uses it at her advantage to coach her classmates, in exchange of money.

In this case, the tail would represent the red/pink thread of fate, coming not from the pinkie, but directly from the soul.

Heart-bound recommended Lyricstuck: What do you want from me by Pink Floyd

Mind

Watch as I make as much Mind puns as possible :p

This one is easier to read, which is also why it will be difficult for me to write a substantial section about it. Let’s start with the obvious.

It’s a vivid teal on a bit darker green background. Same as the Heart aspect, it’s more likely that the palette has been inspired by the first revealed character related to Mind: Terezi Pyrope, from the Teal caste. The shape is composed of an orb surrounded by three hook-like tails connected to the center. What effortlessly come to mind (ha!) is an organic cell, from the brain.

Picture source: https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/784048616363923971/

Neurons allow and facilitate informations to navigate in the brain. 

It’s:

an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses.

Source: Wikipedia

Information goes from a neuron, through a synapse to another neuron. An idea leads to another, connecting bits that turns into the big picture. The Mind aspect seems to share the concept of data with the Light aspect. The differences are that Light focuses on the most fructuous parts, ones that lead them to victory, while the Mind-bound works with choices and a mindset, in a more wide range, then narrowing the paths.

Terezi using her vision to s33 what action leads to which outcome, searching for the most fitting one.

Rose insisting that Kanaya come along the 3 years ride, while explaining and guiding Kanaya to make her narrowing her vision of “victory”.

So both Seer treat information, just not in the same way. 

The outcome still remains ”I want to advance toward a certain reality and I help others to reach it as long as they follow my instructions”. The inconvenient blind spot (sorry for the involuntary pun) is that they hardly can use those abilities for themselves. Either we don’t witness it on-screen, or they barely do it in the first place (a good example is the retroactive continuity during the GO timeline).

But let’s end the Seer detour here. Back to the Mind aspect itself.

We have a whole system going on in our own head. When I try to look for something, if I don’t find it directly, then I turn to something related to said information. Like an indirect research on the internet. If we don’t pay attention and don’t try to understanding our mind, as well as others’, we just end up being frustrated and lost.

The thing is you make your own world, with every action, decision, it creates a new path full of possibilities. The words you say or keep to yourself, acting or staying put, it all matter. Grasping and managing to own it, and you’ll have a better grip on your reality. It’s not my Aspect, I do have trouble making decisions and take responsibilities, however everybody needs to go through it.

The within interacts with the without, the mind to the outside word. We are always worried about how others perceive us, what kind of depiction of the self we convey. So we desperately put filters to the point of exhibiting falsehood of a personality. While introspection is observing ourselves, extraspection is perceiving things that are outside our mind. Hence the outer self, complementary to the inner self.

Terezi perfectly get how people work, and can manipulate them with ease, in contrary to Vriska whom doesn’t want to and go for mind-controlling them. Joke’s on her, her ‘mind’-control is proof that she fails in this peculiar category, since Terezi doesn’t need any psychic powers to convince someone to do and give the info she desires.

The big contrast contrast between Vriska and her, is that Terezi looks and determine what matters or not, while Vriska force the odds to be in her favor, shamelessly stealing fortune from others. She doesn’t even want to understand or try, she is a cheater and proud of it.

That was the link and differences between Mind and Light.

Let’s take a look at the Heart/Mind duality again. Both seem to share a connection with electricity.

Terezi gazing at the sky of her planet, the Land of Thought and Flow

It’s no secret that the connection between neurons are often compared to electronic chips. Cables canalize and facilitate electricity’s flow, to power devices, to link ideas and data. Or just used as raw energy.

Brain-not-so-ghost-anymore Dirk trying to rip Aranea’s soul

Lightning seen from a building roof on Dirk’s land

While the electricity for the Mind symbol refer to synapses, for the Heart/heart, also called blood pusher, would allude to cardiac nerves.

Bec Noir preparing the Red Miles to be thrown at the Genesis Frog

Instead of thoughts, it’s blood that navigates in the ‘roads’.

For the Heart-bound, the lightning represents the chaos that are emotions and sensitive intuition. While for the Mind-bound the lightning is order, reasoning and cold logic that strikes to bring justice, whether said justice is deem fair or not.

Let’s talk about a famous movies series in which among the core themes resolve around the Mind/Heart duality: The Matrix

Each building, tree, person are made with an inimaginable amount of lines of code

The Matrix spoilers ahead!!

If you’re not familiar with this trilogy (or haven’t watch it in a while), here’s the plot:

//Thomas A. Anderson is a programmer for a big software company, and in parallel is Neo, a hacker that illegally provides contraband programming. Agents in black suits caught up with his activities, but in truth approached Neo because a renowned hacker, Morpheus, enemy number one according to Agent Smith, contacted the programmer. After offering to clean his criminal record in exchange of helping catching Morpheus, which Neo refuses, the agents violently implant a snitch in our protagonist.

Neo wake up in his bed, believing it was all but an awful nightmare. Appearances are deceiving, as ‘dream sequences’ are layers on layers on reality. The resistance group calls him again, setting a rendez-vous under a bridge to help him and answer his questions, if he is willing to cooperate.

After a lot of hesitation, snitch removal, and the insistence of one of the member, Trinity, he finally accept and follow the group to go meet Morpheus.

There, Neo is given a choice, The Choice if we’re going with Homestuck comparisons: 

"This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."

Morpheus, Matrix (1st movie)

By choosing the take the red pill, Neo accepts to unplug himself (literally) from his ‘reality’ and see the truth: the world he lives in is all but an illusion, a huge program that is the Matrix, blinding humans to a make-believe 1999 year, used as living batteries, harvested and enslaved by the machines. Humanity is in ruins, and a war between people and machines has gone for a whole century.

Morpheus tells him that they believe he’s ‘The One’ and he has the power to stop the war. From the real world, Neo will train to reinforce his mind, going back into the Matrix and fight different enemy programs. While constantly being undergo introspection, looking for what to believe, who he is, questioning his values and acts.\\

From there I’ll go back and worth to Homestuck and the movies to point out the similarities and support my choice.

I’ll begin with the Mind aspect first:

Millions of human beings are plugged, treated as programs that have a function, along with providing a great amount of energy to the machines. Stuck and having their body atrophied, their brain is connected to the Matrix. The program control everything of their life and vision, from their status in society, to their physical sensations.

"What is real? How do you define real?" asks Morpheus to Neo. “If real is what you can feel, smell, taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain." As I quote farther above, reality is something that isn’t there, but rather something you make. With Morpheus’ quote, my interpretation of the Mind symbol being neutrons and synapses is consolidated.

After being blinded by Vriska, Terezi way of ‘seeing’ shifted. Slowly, her perception of things changed and she grasped on a new light her reality.

She didn’t need eyes, but expanding her mind and freeing herself from the vision that clouded her. Navigating inward and outward, understanding what she felt, her inner self and outer self, back and forth. But it wasn’t perfect, no, she had and still is working on it, as she can be blinded by either cold logic or passionate feelings. Neo and her have the same weakness, they both are in love and it obstructs their mission. The dilemma is exhibited in [S]: Flip, where she has to choose between letting Vriska go, exposing the whole team to Jack, or killing her to protect her friends.

Terezi, on the path she let Vriska go

Vriska in her ancestor outfit, fitting Jack in one reality

A painful sacrifice is needed to be able to go forward, a reality in which most of them survive and has a chance of winning the game. A necessarily path that she regretted.

Neo with the Architect in the secret room, the screens displaying the different paths his reactions could take (Matrix: Reloaded, second movie)

In Matrix, Neo has to reach the source of all the program to reinstall the previous version of the code. The first time, he has a small range of opportunity, only a few minutes gap to access a secret room that would allow him to reach the source, among the city of machines. There, he encounters the Architect, a program whom function and personality is based on the creator of the Matrix, and have a chat with him.

Six others chosen ones preceded him, and all failed to accomplished this mission.

Why? “Choice. The problem is choice” answers Neo. Because unlike the Architect, Neo is a flawed human being. He can’t just brush off his feelings, he’s in love with Trinity. The latter despite asked not to join him plugged herself back into the Matrix allowing him to get safely into the secret room. With that, she exposed herself to an inevitable death. And so Neo took the door that lead to his lover, enabling within him a miracle that resurrected Trinity. 

Here was a couple of paragraphs about the dance between duty and love, cold logic and passion.

I’ll continue with the Heart aspect:

I talked about love and romance until now, but let’s take a look at another side of the Heart. The identity.

After taking the red pill- Neo turns his head and gaze at a mirror.

It’s shattered. The symbolism here shows that he’s lacking a part of himself, something that scratch him without being able to put his finger on it. Soon, right before his eyes, the mirror mends itself. Because he chosen the truth, the path that would lead him to understand and find himself.

The mirror is of course, a reference and call back to Alice, mentioned shortly before by Morpheus. No no, please forget about any cartoon, especially Disney’s version of the story. And focus about the sequel book: “Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There”. It’s a curious, deep and tricky book. I would know, I read it twice and I’m still confused.

But I’m sure of one thing, the adventures of Alice has always been about introspection. First in chapter 1, Alice imagines for fun that the mirror in the living room lead to a parallel world. Like Neo, she touches the mirror and engages into a journey. In chapter 3, in order to cross a giant life-sized chess board (UH HMMMM UNCANNY!) she takes a train. 

“There she forgets all nouns, including her own name. With the help of a fawn who has also forgotten his identity, she makes it to the other side, where they both remember everything. Realizing that he is a fawn, she is a human, and that fawns are afraid of humans, it runs off (to Alice's frustration).”

Source: Through the Looking-glass (wikipedia)

[going through the book itself would have been too long]

The train might symbolize the course of life, or a part of it, in which an identity crisis occurs for Alice and question what is and what does it means. I’ll even say that this temporary memory loss put aside all differences and precedences, perhaps reflecting a class hierarchy, between Alice the human and the fawn, or the rich lady and the poor.

Back to Matrix.

Later in the movie, our programmer encounters a woman called the Oracle. She can see some events according to her grasp on human psychology, but never beyond a choice that she cannot understand, not even hers. The Oracle isn’t here to predict the future (even if she can), but to assist and guide those who picked the red pill. She does sound like a Seer of Mind :]

Upon meeting her, she asks him “do you think you are the one?” to what he respond “honestly I don’t know”. She then point behind him, toward a mantra hanged above the threshold: Temet nosce, which means “know thyself”.

The introspection will continue through all three movies, a wild tango between certitude and doubts, self that leads to a choice, from a choice which leads to who he is, the two are intertwined and indivisible.

In Matrix: Revolution (third movie), the final battle between our protagonist and his alter ego take place. Rain is pouring, thousand and thousand of copies looking down at him, the sky is dark, and Agent Smith step away from the crowd, so the fight begins.

Remember the paragraph about the lightning? The sky in this scene is quite reminiscent to Terezi Land’s electric atmosphere, and even more Dirk’s, has his planet is covered be countless empty green buildings in ruins.

The scene portraits perfectly the confrontation between order and chaos, good and evil, selfless and selfish. I could go on and on but I think y’all got the concept, and I nicely fill an even bigger word quota, with the two aspects balanced.

Source for the screenshots: Fancaps.net, here and here

Mind-bound recommended Lyricstuck: Dog days are over by Florence and the Machine

[sea-and-storm]

LFRP :  Nhia Molkoh (Crystal)

Below are just the most basic of Nhia’s character details in order to keep this post short and sweet. But if you’d like to see a more in-depth profile, please check out her carrd!

The Basics ––– –

Age: Twenty-four (24).

Birthday:  Twentieth sun of the first astral moon. (1/20)

Race:  Miqo’te, Keeper of the Moon.

Gender: Female, cisgender. (she/her)

Sexuality: Bisexual, male leaning. Demiromantic.

Marital Status: Single.

Server: Balmung (Crystal DC)

Physical Appearance ––– –

Hair:  A medium gray-brown color, long and thick in texture. Sometimes left down and untamed, other times pulled up or styled, but almost always decorated with some combination of braids, beads, and other baubles that catch her eyes. For a visual example of the sorts of hairstyles she tends to wear, take a look at this gallery.

Ears:   Same color as her hair, and very soft to the touch. Pierced along the underside of the lobes, usually wearing some small, simple earrings.

Tail:   Very long, very plush, and very well-groomed. Extremely expressive, often moving along with her mood or as she speaks.

Eyes: Bright blue.

Height:  5′0″.

Build:  Petite pear, with a little extra weight carried around her hips and thighs. Pleasantly soft and curved.

Distinguishing Marks:  Light gray-white tribal paints across her face, and sometimes other places across her body depending on the occasion and her mood.

Personal ––– –

Profession:  Clan Trade Liaison. She brings her clans’ good to market in the cities to trade for coin and barter, and attempts to find those merchants and artisans willing to enter into more lasting and mutually beneficial supply agreements with them.

Hobbies:  Drawing and painting. Finding new places and new things to paint or draw. Foraging. Flower picking. Listening to other people's stories.

Languages: Common, Huntspeak.

Residence:  None in particular, outside of her clan's territory when she's home. She wanders wherever her feet carry her, and she tends to prefer making a camp for herself out in nature rather than spending gil on inn rooms.

Birthplace:  The Black Shroud, as a part of the Singing Dove Clan of Moon Keepers. Theirs is a small and peaceful gathering of families that mostly keeps to their own, but occasionally reaches out beyond the Shroud's borders to sell and trade for goods not readily found at home.

Religion: Devout follower of Menphina.

Fears:  Anything ill befalling her loved ones. Being trapped. Deep waters. Very large and fearsome beasts. Losing her ability to wander, whether by injury or by order of her clan.

Personality:  Cheerful, bright personality. Very sociable. Talkative. Curious. Empathetic. Generous. Understanding. Quite emotionally intelligent. Can handle her own in nature. Very naive. Too trusting. Sometimes too talkative or too curious. Not the most formally learned. Also not the most street smart.

Relationships ––– -

Spouse: None.

Children: None.

Parents: Emhi Molkoh (mother, npc) & Naih’a Epocan (father, npc).

Siblings: (Open to sibling / half-sibling connections!)

Other Relatives: (Open to other familial connections as well!)

Pets: No pets, per se. But she does have a chocobo by the name of Arrow.

Traits ––– -

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted Disorganized / In Between / Organized Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded Calm / In Between / Anxious Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable Cautious / In Between / Reckless Patient / In Between /  Impatient Outspoken / In Between / Reserved Leader / In Between / Follower Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic Traditional / In Between / Modern Hard-working / In Between / Lazy Loyal / In Between / Disloyal Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

Additional information ––– –

Smoking Habit: None.

Drugs: None.

Alcohol: Sometimes, but she doesn’t handle hard liquor well. Though chances are if you offer her a drink, she’d think it rude to turn it down.

Possible Hooks ––– –

◖SHROUD DWELLER◗ ⠀ Fellow dweller of the Shroud, or maybe just a passer-through? We could set up an interaction around this, easily! Nhia is often found within the forests of the Black Shroud whenever she's home from her traveling, whether she's hunting or just exploring.

◖KEEPERS OF THE MOON◗ I would love to meet some fellow Keepers, whether they've left home in search of a new life or keep the old ways! In the latter case, a connection would be quite easy to manage, as Nhia is regularly sent out to make contact with other clans of the Shroud to establish trade and goodwill with her own.

◖TRADERS AND MERCHANTS◗ This is technically what Nhia does for a living -- venturing out to establish trade connections for her clan. If your character is the buying and selling sort, perhaps they can speak and come to a mutually beneficial deal!

◖FELLOW HUNTERS◗ Nhia is something of a huntress herself, and so crossing paths with others is only to be expected! Perhaps a trail leads them to the same prey, or they team up to take down something neither can handle individually?

◖THE ARTIST & HER MUSE◗ The only thing that Nhia loves more than traveling is documenting it, most usually by way of paintings and drawings. Perhaps she might ask if it's alright if she adds you to her sketchbook while you regale her with stories of your travels, or maybe you know of a particularly beautiful, breathtaking sight that you could take her to see?

◖GULLIBLE WITH A CAPITAL ‘G’◗ For better or worse, Nhia tends to take everything that someone tells her at face value, believing it to be the absolute truth. I mean, what reason would they have to exaggerate or lie to her, right? .....right? Feel free to regale her with all your wildest tales, even if they aren’t exactly truthful.

OOC Rules of Engagement ––– –

I'll do no RP of any sort with real-life minors. Sorry, I just don't feel comfortable writing with anyone under eighteen!

I don't tolerate OOC romantic and/or sexual advances, or any OOC clinginess or possessiveness. Just… don’t. RP partners with reasonable and healthy OOC boundaries only, please!

All natural, slowburn ships only. I don't do the whole pre-arranged or love-at-first-RP ship deal. If it's meant to be between our brainchildren, it'll happen because of character chemistry and a lot of RP, or not at all.

Dark & mature themes are fine, but please ask before crossing too far over the line! Very little thematically tends to bother me in RP. However, if you plan on pushing further past the conventional boundaries than usual, I'd at least appreciate a heads up first in the off chance I'm not up for it!

ERP is something I could easily take or leave. It may be fun to write sometimes, but it gets repetitive and boring to me real quick. So if this is your sole or primary focus of RP, we aren’t gonna be suitable partners. If we are going to write the beast with two backs, at least give me some plot to make it interesting and/or meaningful. And don’t be salty about being asked to FTB more often than not.

Contact Information  ––– –

Discord:  Jaliqai#1327.

In Game:  Niah Molkoh.

Tumblr:  @jaliqai-and-company

[thehistorian]

SO

Here I go, not doing what I’m supposed to be doing as usual. (Which now is studying).

Anywho, I thought about this part (not Jungkook twerking but the rabbit in the moon :’D) 

You guys can yell at me if this has already been done. As we all know, Taehyung said he believed there were rabbits on the moon. 

BUT

There’s a Japanese tail about a rabbit in the moon where the Old Man on the Moon “..began to wonder about these animals that he knew only by sight. After a while he began to long to know them better.” 

The Old Man disguises himself as a beggar and tells the fox, monkey, and rabbit that he is old and tired and very hungry. All three animals scamper off for food. The monkey comes back with bananas, berries, and pears. The fox comes back with fresh fish. The rabbit, to no avail, scurries all around the forest only to find nothing. Upon his return he asks his friends to gather wood and start a fire because all he has to offer is himself. When he is about to throw himself into the fire the Old Man tosses aside his disguise and stops him. He says that his kindness is beyond price and wishes him no harm. In turn, he wants to take the rabbit home with him to watch over him forever. When the moon is full you can see the rabbit there resting in the man’s arms, helping him to watch over us all. 

Now, this is just my interpretation, but this could be indicative of BTSxARMY or BTS & each other. The most generous amongst them gives up themselves for the happiness and well-being of the others, whereas the other party lifts them up and protects them. 

Each member of BTS sacrifices their self in many ways. They sacrifice their time, personal lives, sometimes health, and many other things. We have seen through countless interviews, behind the scene videos, summer packages, concerts, etc. that all the members support and lift each other up when the others are feeling down. 

With many ARMY we lift them up with our encouragement and words. As Namjoon said in his UNICEF speech they “truly have the best fans in the world.” Many of us have supported them along the way throughout their hardships and successes. In return, they lift us up with their words of encouragement especially with Love Yourself. 

In ways we are the rabbit being protected by BTS and sometimes we are the Old Man taking them to the moon to rest in our arms forever. 

sidenote: I watched their reaction to the IDOL mv and one of them asked, “What’s with the rabbit?” So there’s that 

[thisoneisherown]

TAG GAME, BROTHERSHUCKERS!!!

Tag Game! Rules: Answer some questions and tag 15 people you want to get to know

I got tagged by @astrawberrycake, and I am honored that she picked me out to participate! (>^<)7 💕 

Name: Okay, I’d like to keep my anonymity, but I can say my initial actually spell ALT. (Yes, like on your computer XD) 

Gender: I is of the female brand of human~ OwO 

Star Sign: Libra all the way, my dudes!!! ♎

Height: I thought I was 5′4″, but... I’m only 5′3″ and three quarters...  AKA freaking short.. ;w; 

What image do you have as your lock screen?: Well, I have an Amazon tablet, so... eternally changing ads... XD 

Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?: O_O.... Well, I was homeschooled, so my teacher was my mom and sometimes my dad.... I sure hope I never had a crush on a teacher. (ʘ‿ʘ) *Shudders*

Where do you see yourself in ten years?: Well, I hope to be living with the love of my life @traveling-in-pears, and adventuring with her, doing some freelance illustrating along with making my own comics, writing and traveling around, making art, and doing the life thing! (ง'̀-'́)ง💞

If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you be?: Either on a beach or listening to crickets while laying in a forest and watching fireflies alongside my lovely human. \(;w;)/ 

What was your coolest Halloween costume?: Oooo, crap! That’s a hard one! I have a few I really liked! My second ever costume was a Noah’s ark costume, and I made a helmet with poly-fill on it that was spray painted grey to look like clouds, then I made an entire ark with a tiny Noah on in and tiny plastic animals, and my dad painted raindrops on my face, plus I had a sound machine that made storm sound effects. OwO The other was a steampunk thing where I had an actual wind-up, rotating key that ticked connected to a jet pack I made, and mage myself look like an automaton and put a moving gear on a top hat and make my face look like brass with rivets. Last year I was a fox, which was also fun.  

What was your favorite 90’s TV show?: Um..... Hm.... I grew up on the tail end, so... I always get the 90′s and the early 2000′s mixed up, so all I can say is that I liked most of the shows back then, like most of  the ones on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, and Discovery Kids, along with Disney channel, AND I grew up with a TON of Animal Planet and Discovery channel and Travel channel too. So... I can’t decide what I liked the most. XD 

Last Kiss?: .... It was nice... (◕////◕✿) (And way too short!!! ;//^//;)

Have you ever been stood up?: If this means by people in general, than yeah, a few times. 

Have you ever been to Las Vegas?: No, but my girlfriend wants to take me someday, so I’m excited! 😁

Favorite pair of shoes?: Probably between my bronze colored leather boots, another pair of leather shoes that look steampunk, or these light-up sneakers I just got. OwO 

Favorite fruit?: Um...maybe nectarines? I have no clue, I just really love fruit. XD 

Favorite book?: As a stand alone book, probably one called Welcome to Fred, or Howl’s moving castle. My favorite classic is Little Women, and my favorite book series is PJO.  

Stupidest thing you’ve ever done?: .................... I told my my mom that my friend’s mom was pregnant after half hearing a conversation she was having, then my mom asked about how far she was and the friend's mom looked VERY confused..... and she was struggling with her weight at the time too... I still cringe from this. I guess that’s more embarrassing than stupid though, but... still sorta stupid... ;w; 

Tag some cool people: Ah, ha~ Tag time! 

@alpha-rye @squiddlesss @onetwothreedogcatboatchicken

@jello-is-bae @traveling-in-pears @vryhungrypanda @tr0nja @in-the-key-of-f-major@areasonableoptimist @fingersinatoaster @brijralls @grey-witch-with-fandoms @rosetherandomreblogger @asemifunctioninghuman @mikampinri @katania48 @chiakis-wife @sweet-suggestions @alpha-rye @magickz

[usfwspacific]

Putting the ‘Hun’ in Hunting: A Series on the Enigmatic Hungarian Partridge, Part I

By Dan Magneson, USFWS Fisheries Biologist

Editor’s note: As a part of National Hunting and Fishing Day (Sept. 22, 2018) and Public Lands Day (Sept. 29, 2018), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Region is highlighting hunting, fishing and public lands, as well as the importance of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

Photo: The author in a blast from the past photo of a successful hunt for Hungarian partridge, Credit: Dan Magneson

You’ve hunted all day for the Hungarian partridges you know just have to be here somewhere in this general area: after all, you’ve seen them in good numbers after sunrise and before sunset along the adjoining gravel roads, and you’ve seen them hunkered down amongst the snow drifts in the winter. So they’ve just got to be here somewhere.

You’ve already spent this otherwise-splendid afternoon hunting every area that looks the least bit “birdy” but to no avail. What gives?  

Nearing dusk, you throw in the towel and take a shortcut back to your car, cutting across a fall-plowed field, the bared earth there virtually devoid of any vegetative cover.  When you are out in about the middle of it, a large covey of Huns burst simultaneously skyward, those characteristic rust-colored tail feathers fanned and flared outward, filling the air with the fast and flapping fury of wingbeats and excitedly uttering in machine gun-like unison those rick!-rick!-rick! calls.  

They quickly maneuver to turn that ceaseless prairie wind to their tails and transform into blurs.  

And just like that, in not much more than a blink of the eye, they’ve already disappeared again.  

Photo: Public land where the illusive ‘hun’ may sometimes be found. Or not. Photo credit: Dan Magneson

Welcome to the challenging world of hunting – or should I say trying to hunt? –the seemingly-inexplicable gray partridge, that feathered lightning whose swift, strong and sure flight makes it the cheetah of our upland gamebirds.

I once had a friend who remarked, “pheasants are where you find them.”  I knew what he meant, but that statement is far more accurately attributed to the Hun, who – due in large part to their very minimal need for cover – are the least predictable gamebird we have in terms of figuring out just where they are apt to be.

As a passionate upland gamebird enthusiast and an ardent hunter, I just live for the thunderous bedlam of these covey rises, accompanied by those vocalizations that sound to my ears somewhat squealing, but which at the same time are not unmusical, having even a melodious quality about them.  The Hun has the most exciting flush of all of gamebirds.

Formally known as the gray partridge, Perdix perdix, this Eurasian bird was imported from various countries in its European range, with the country of Hungary being chief among them, and thus the common nicknames of “Hun” or less commonly “Hunkie” came into widespread use reflecting the ultimate origin of so many of these birds.  They are on the smaller end of being a medium-sized gamebird, being usually a little over a foot long in length, and a little over ¾ lb. in weight.

Photo: The Hungarian partridge (Perdix perdix), Photo credit: Audubon.org

Like virtually everyone else, I’m awestruck by the eye-popping iridescent and vivid coloration of a drake wood duck or a rooster pheasant.

But there is room in my heart for the others having a more understated beauty, with the drake pintail duck being a personal favorite; the pointed polar white streak extending up the sides of their brown necks, the fine gray herringbone suit, and the neatly-accented “windows” of slate blue on the sides of their otherwise-black upper bills combine to give them a subtle and highly attractive beauty.

So it is with the Hun, though they are perhaps even more conservative, all demurely done up in those flatter, more muted pastel earth tones that are so handsomely overlain with the chocolate-chestnut horseshoe-shape emblazoned upon their breasts and also arranged in a dramatically-barred pattern down their sides.

My favorite physical description of the Hun is taken from Discover The Outdoors:

“…The male is mostly gray with a distinct "U" shaped, rust colored, brand on its lower breast. It's face and throat is tinged with burnished orange and the breast is stamped with minute bits of a darker gray. At the demarcation of upper abdomen to belly, the feathers lighten to almost white and pale beige. The upper back is an almost non-discernable blend of brown, gray and white, shifting to mottled dark brown wings. The male partridge's tail is a dark, chestnut-brown. Female Hungarian partridges are similar…”

Little wonder that the plumage of the Hun is so highly prized by anglers who tie their own fishing flies!

The feathers of the “shoulder” area of the folded wings near the body is where you go to definitely determine the sex of the Hun:  males have only a blond mark along the central shaft of the feather, whereas the females have this exact same mark, but also with the addition of blond crossbars at right angles to the central shaft; this pattern on the female bird represents the so-called “Cross of Lorraine.”

But there are Hun stories out there just as colorful as a rooster pheasant.  I read of one describing a World War I soldier in central Europe, who was crawling about one night in that “no man’s land” between the two entrenched and opposing armies.  He accidentally placed his hand right smack dab in the middle of a snoozing covey of a dozen Huns.   In that split second before he came to his senses, he’d thought he had set off a landmine and was then on his way toward knocking on those Pearly Gates.  I myself recall driving down a seldom-used North Dakota gravel road one night well after darkness, and a covey of Huns who had roosted right in the center of the road flushed through the headlight beams.

On a heart-warming holiday note, one man notes how the lyric “and a partridge in a pear tree” from the song The Twelve Days of Christmas reminds him of the Christmas mornings of his childhood.  He goes on to describe how his siblings and he, at his father’s behest, carried a bucket of grain just far enough away from their prairie farmhouse that the partridges felt secure.  They would then retreat back into the house and tiptoe up to the window and peek out to watch the Huns come down to enjoy their very own Christmas presents.

The story of how the Hun came to North America begins with the unregulated overhunting and destruction of their historic habitat that decimated so many of our native upland gamebird species.  Faced with these steep declines and eager to find a replacement species, Americans naturally turned to the Old World gamebirds already familiar to so many of the newer immigrants from Europe.  

Like the bobwhite quail, Huns are sociable and gregarious birds, coalescing into a basic and cooperative social unit termed a “covey’” which in turn is largely comprised of birds which are related to one another.  They feed together, keep watch for and sound a warning indicating the presence of predators, and often sleep overnight in a rosette or ring in which all the tails are pressed inward, their bodies are hugged against the other birds on both sides, and all heads and thus eyes are facing outward and covering a 360 degree field of view.  The benefits of roosting this way are two-fold:  body warmth is conserved and predators are observed.  And just as with a covey of bobwhites, if a covey of Huns is ever scattered apart, they will employ a unique call with which to reunite themselves again.

These imports reached their pinnacle from the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s, abruptly ceasing in 1914 concurrent with the start of World War I.  Numerous entities were stocking Huns:  various state game agencies, private hunting clubs and even independently by wealthy and well-heeled individuals.  Those releases along the Atlantic seaboard were generally failures, but as one progressed west, and especially in the west-northwest and northwest compass directions, the birds began to take hold.  Not surprisingly, this occurred in those areas of North America that were similar to the Hun’s own native environment, and at similar latitudes, where the annual precipitation fell within a band of somewhere between one to two feet and where the grasses were often no more than knee-high and the distance between the standing stems rather sparsely-spaced.

The stunning success of introducing the ring-necked pheasant into Oregon’s Willamette Valley by Judge Owen Denny is a well-known story, but less well-known is the story of particular Canadian attempts at stocking the Hun in the early 1900’s.

Like a droplet of oil falling onto the surface of water or a lit match tossed into gasoline vapor, these birds explosively stormed across the prairie at a rate calculated at 28 miles per year and enduring for a full 400 miles, spilling over into the adjacent northern U.S. states along the border and augmenting their own attempts at stocking Huns.

Further leveraged by the penetration of the railroads ever deeper into the northern prairie, it may well have represented the most successful attempt at stocking an introduced gamebird anywhere in the world – ever.

In the state of North Dakota alone, it was estimated that by the early 1940’s the Hun population had already reached its all-time peak of 8 – 10 million birds.

Today the grain belt of the northern Great Plains and the semi-arid sagebrush steppe of the Columbia Plateau and the northern Great Basin high desert areas of the Intermountain West remains the Hun’s biggest stronghold in the United States.  Being a fishery biologist, it isn’t lost on me that good Hun range east of the Rocky Mountains coincides with good northern pike range, and in the Pacific Northwest it coincides with the farther upstream reaches of historically good salmon range. And all of it is jackrabbit country to boot.

Requiring not much more than a wide open sky overhead, one can be hunting sparsely-vegetated and sparsely-peopled prairie and high desert habitats (photo above) for individual species as diverse as pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse, chukar partridge and California quail and still have an excellent chance of stumbling across some Huns as well.  

And during certain longer-term periods of persistently favorable weather patterns (which in the case of Huns means dry and droughty), the southeasterly fringe of Hun range may even briefly blend with the northwesterly fringe of bobwhite quail range and thus you might possibly encounter both of these species on the same hunting trip.

For example, there was an extended period of a generally droughty-dry and rather persistent weather pattern in Iowa from 1977 – 1989. It was within this same time period that large areas of farmland acreage were enrolled and thus idled for long periods in the newly-created Conservation Reserve Program, often being planted to grassy cover.  This created a coupling of conditions distinctly positive for Hun reproduction and their further range expansion, and in some cases they were subsequently found all the way south to the Missouri border.  

Today in Iowa, with the return of wetter conditions and fewer CRP lands, Huns have largely receded and retreated back to their historic stronghold in the northwestern quarter of the state.

Probably no other American gamebird rubs shoulders with so many other species of upland gamebirds across such a wide range – and wide range of varying habitats.

But like a buckeye tree, they usually are never particularly thick anywhere, and so mostly represent “targets of opportunity” and are taken by the wingshooting public more as a “bonus” or “filler” gamebird, taken incidentally while primarily hunting the aforementioned more popular species; relatively few hunters specifically key in on Huns.

Yet if you were going to pursue Huns specifically, what is their general life history, and what are their seasonal patterns of habitat use along with their related behaviors, and how might one adapt their hunting strategy to better boost their odds of success?

Tell us why you hunt and fish and share your photos with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by using #iHuntBecause, #iFishBecause and #HuntShootFish.

[marvelandponder]

DEAR GOD... IT’S COMIC-CON

Welcome, one and all, to the biggest Pony news day of the year! 

For those of you who maybe haven’t been following the fandom closely around Comic-Con in previous years, the community has come to expect news, clips, animatics, even full trailers! Lucky for those of us without the necessary pocket change, every spoilerific tidbit is live-blogged for our enjoyment by our friends at Equestria Daily, and the clips released afterwards online by Hasbro.

So, expect spoilers below the break with commentary and hyper fangirling! (Note: This post will be updated as clips and more news come out)

NEWS! CLIPS! SOME OTHER THIRD THING!

My Little Pony: The Movie

Two sneak peaks and a SONG were shown! I’ll update the post when they’re released online. There was also an intro video to the panel where the cast of the movie talked a tiiiny bit about their characters (we’ll hopefully see that online, too).

The song was sung by Rainbow Dash and Captain Celeano (the pirate birb), and it’s a song called “Time to be Awesome” sung to the pirates to rally them into rebellion against the Storm King.

Sneak peek #1 was about the mane 6 leaving Equestria for the first time heading south, and sneak peek #2 was about the Storm King using some kind of potion to essentially video chat with Commander Tempest.

They couldn’t spoil too much more of the movie after that, but the panelists were prompted to use one word to describe something about the movie:

“"Broken." "Musical." "Spongecake." "One small thing." (Okay, Pinkie.) "Therapy." (Aw, 'Shy.) "Not a big enough par--" "Granny, how'd you get here?" "Flushed," said Rarity. "Windmill," says AJ. "AWESOME." "Festival," Ms. Sparkle.” (from EQD)

Here were a few screenshots and pictures displayed at the MLP Booth

My Little Pony Season 7

Surprisingly, they didn’t show off any real clips for season 7 or reveal much info at the panel, but if you’ve been following pony news in the past few days (AND Friday night!), we got some stuff that’s really exciting!

So, we’ll get the old stuff out of the way first: if you don’t know, we have most of the summaries for season seven and you can read those here. Season 7 part 2 is set to premiere August 5th with two amazing episodes, Discordant Harmony and The Perfect Pear. With Fame and Misfortune on the 12th, Triple Threat on the 19th, and Campfire Tails airing on the 26th!

That last one is especially important, because we now know it’s going to tie into the first arc of the Legends of Magic comic line!

There’s two short trailers with action-y clips out already:

and an extended version:

But even more than that, we know the Legends of Magic comics tie into the finale, as well!!!

The 7th issue of Legends of Magic, set to come out in October, “ties into the finale” and with an Avengers-like storyline to boot: “You’ve met the most legendary ponies in Equestria’s history… now find out how they first came together to battle an unstoppable evil!”

Exactly how that story ties into the finale remains to be seen, but this is the most well-integrated the show has EVER been with its comic line. Oh, and as someone whose been following the Legends of Magic comic line and getting more and more invested (it’s one of the best arcs they’ve ever done), I can say that you won’t need to read the comics to enjoy and understand what’s going on.

It’s excellent, top-quality bonus material that tells you stories after the important ones that are talked about in Campfire Tails, but both the comics themselves and it seems the episodes of the show will be able to stand on their own.

Oh, and for the record: season 8 was confirmed long ago (as was Discord’s inclusion), but a few days ago Daniel Ingram teased that he was working with a very talented singer for season 8. So, there’s a lot on the horizon!

UPDATE: This isn’t from Comic-Con per se, but the news just dropped about the episode titles for the last three episodes of the season!

Episode 24: Uncommon Bond Episode 25: Shadow Play Part 1 Episode 26: Shadow Play Part 2

Now here’s what’s cool about the season finale title (aside from the fact that it’s just objectively cool): there’s a few options for who that could be.

A few days ago Discovery Family announced the second half of the season, in which they described a few things:

“Throughout the second half of the season, Pharynx learns that love is a strength and not a weakness, Twilight Sparkle battles the Pony of Shadows, famous author A.K. Yearling teases a new novel, the Cutie Mark Crusaders learn that nothing is impossible with courage and strength, and much more!” (x)

The identity of which is still a big mystery...

Equestria Girls

No actual news for EQG, I’m afraid, but they did make some jokes in the Q&A portion that CONFIRM MY DAMN HEADCANONS SO I’M TAKING IT AS CANON UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE YOU CAN’T STOP ME

Q: Any chance Celestia is Sunset Shimmer's mother? Meghan: There is NOW! We may need you to sign some papers.

VALIDATION! SWEET, SWEET VALIDATION!

OKAY, BUT IF YOU KNOW ME YOU KNOW THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER-LIKE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TEACHERS AND THEIR STUDENTS IN THIS SHOW GIVE ME LIFE.

Q: Why doesn't Twilight write to the Princess anymore? Tara Strong: She uses email. She's a great texter. I dunno. Meghan McCarthy: That's my fault, that we stopped doing that. We felt she evolved as a character and her relationship with Celestia was changing, so she didn't have a need to update her in that way. Mike Vogel: More time to spend with her daughter, Sunset.

THEY ACKNOWLEDGED IT. EVEN IF IT WAS A JOKE, THEY ACKNOWLEDGED IT.

Also, there are three kinds of people in this world, apparently.

Q: Is Sunset ever going back to the pony world? Meghan McCarthy: ... yes. Mike Vogel: For a three-day weekend.

To visit her mom, obviously...

Q: Will Discord change if he goes through the portal? Meghan McCarthy: Oooh. He would change. That's just science. Cathy Wesluck: All his parts would just fall off.

So Discord would actually change going through the portal. Into what, we may never know, but at least we know he’s not immune.

It would be funny if his multiple parts just changed into different parts, though. Like, the translation process is still one-for-one, so he’s basically the same structure with different animals.

UPDATE: And for those wondering, it’s been confirmed that there’s more EQG on the way by Big Jim on Twitter:

We know for a fact there’s at least two new music videos coming out sometime this year because they were leaked in Russian, but at least we know there’s more EQG beyond that in 2018!

IDW Comics

In addition to the crazy things going on with the Legends of Magic line, IDW previewed a few pages from the Movie Prequel line of their comics: this time, Captain Celeano!

Much like the Legends of Magic comics, these seem to be smaller stories that give us a little background on the new characters, but won’t be necessary reading for the movie.

There’s also not a ton of reports out about what was actually said during the panel, but that might be because IDW had other brands to focus on presenting (Star Trek, Transformers, etc.).

Overall + Other Convention News

So, that’s about it for SDCC 2017, and we got a few great things, but if that wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, don’t worry too much.

Hasbro’s first ever convention, HasCon (... yes that’s really what they went with), is set for September 8th-10th with a panel line-up that already has me drooling:

The Voices of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Have you ever wondered what it's like to be the voice behind a pony? Straight from the pony's mouth, learn about what it takes to bring iconic characters to life with just a script and a mic.

From Ponyville to Canterlot High – History of Equestria Girls Join master storyteller, screenwriter and lyricist Meghan McCarthy as she shares the inspiration behind Equestria Girls and gives a peek at what adventures the Equestria Girls are going on next. Be the first to see the new product line and hear first hand from the Equestria designers as they share how they bring to life our Mane 7 ‘s unique personalities!

My Little Pony Designer Q&A Join members of the My Little Pony design team as they take you on a journey through four generations of pony product. Designers will answer questions, giving a behind-the-scenes look at how they have made their (cutie) mark on My Little Pony and proving that you're never too old to play with ponies.

The Making of My Little Pony: The Movie Join master storyteller, screenwriter, and lyricist Meghan McCarthy as she shares her experience in creating the first feature film for My Little Pony. Find out how the Mane 6 inspired her to discover the importance of teamwork and friendship along the way. Includes an exclusive sneak preview of the film!

First Look at My Little Pony Season 8! The adventures of the Mane 6—Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack—continue with the 8th season of the beloved My Little Pony Series in 2018. Renowned storyteller, screenwriter, and lyricist Meghan McCarthy will join fans to present the first look the Season 8 premiere exclusively at HASCON!

And yes, I realize the irony of putting this section into a post about SDCC, but I do it for a good reason. Normally, SDCC is the biggest Pony news day of the year, but that’s just not the case now that Hasbro can dedicate 45 minutes EACH to the main show, Equestria Girls, and the Movie!

This is especially important (and relevant to this post) because the decision to make the SDCC MLP panel just about the movie was a last minute thing. They had things about the remainder of season 7 and EQG that they were prepared to share, but were probably told to hold off on it because of HasCon.

So, I just wanted to let you know this won’t be the last post like this this year, and that there’s even more exciting news on the horizon.

If you need more pony RIGHT NOW (which is my constant state of being), you could always take a look at my editorials or episode reviews! Here, have an end slate because pretty pictures:

Daybreaker Editorial, LGBT+ Editorial, and Trailer Analysis

Or see the whole year’s selection of stuff right here:

Year of the Pony

[call-me-alex-maybe]

05/16/2017

20 external parts of the body 

head 

nose 

ears 

mouth 

eyes 

chin

arm 

chest

leg 

foot

fingers

tooth

nails

eyesbrown 

forehead

ankle

elbow

face

neck 

hands

20 Internal Body Parts 

brain 

heart

stomach 

bones 

lungs 

liver

kidneys

spinnal curve

pancreas 

anus 

colon 

intestines

diaphragm

rib cage

skull

spleen

larynx

arteries

veins 

urinary blander

                                                    Brain

Location:

The human brain is the central organ of the human nervous system. The human brain, with the spinal cord, makes up the central nervous system.

Function:

The brain is the organ that controls most of the activities of the body. The brain processes, integrates, and coordinates all of the information it receives from the sense organs.  

                                                  Heart   

Location:

The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist, located just behind and slightly left of the breastbone.

Function:

The heart pumps blood through the network of arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system.

                                                     Bones

Location: 

Bone tissue (osseous tissue) differs greatly from other tissues in the body. There are 206 bones in the human body.

Function:

Bone is hard and many of its functions depend on that characteristic hardness. Later discussions in this chapter will show that bone is also dynamic in that its shape adjusts to accommodate stresses. This section will examine the gross anatomy of bone first and then move on to its histology.

                                                      Lungs

Location:

The lungs are a pair of spongy, air-filled organs located on either side of the chest (thorax). The trachea (windpipe) conducts inhaled air into the lungs through its tubular branches, called bronchi. The bronchi then divide into smaller and smaller branches (bronchioles).

Function:

In the alveoli, oxygen from the air is absorbed into the blood. Carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, travels from the blood to the alveoli, where it can be exhaled. Between the alveoli is a thin layer of cells called the interstitium, which contains blood vessels and cells that help support the alveoli. 

                                           The kidneys

Location:

The kidneys are a pair of organs located in the back of the abdomen. Each kidney is about 4 or 5 inches long -- about the size of a fist. 

Function:

The kidneys' function are to filter the blood. All the blood in our bodies passes through the kidneys several times a day. The kidneys remove wastes, control the body's fluid balance, and regulate the balance of electrolytes. 

                                                  The Colon

Location:

The colon is also called the large intestine. The ileum (last part of the small intestine) connects to the cecum (first part of the colon) in the lower right abdomen. 

Function:

The colon removes water, salt, and some nutrients forming stool. Muscles line the colon's walls, squeezing its contents along. Billions of bacteria coat the colon and its contents, living in a healthy balance with the body. 

                                                        Veins

Veins are blood vessels that carry blood toward the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart. In contrast to veins, arteries carry blood away from the heart. 

                           Order of the Digestive System

Mouth

In human anatomy, the mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and produces saliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth. 

Diseases:

Leukoplakia: generally refers to a firmly attached white patch on a mucous membrane which is associated with an increased risk of cancer. 

Oral mucocele:  is a clinical term that refers to two related phenomena:Mucus extravasation phenomenon Mucus retention cyst.

Bad breath: is medically called halitosis, can result from poor dental health habits and may be a sign of other health problems. Bad breath can also be made worse by the types of foods you eat and other unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Esophagus

The esophagus is a muscular tube connecting the throat (pharynx) with the stomach. The esophagus is about 8 inches long, and is lined by moist pink tissue called mucosa. The esophagus runs behind the windpipe (trachea) and heart, and in front of the spine. Just before entering the stomach, the esophagus passes through the diaphragm.

Diseases:

Heartburn: An incompletely closed LES allows acidic stomach contents to back up (reflux) into the esophagus. Reflux can cause heartburn, cough or hoarseness, or no symptoms at all.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): When reflux occurs frequently or is bothersome, it's called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Esophagitis: Inflammation of the esophagus. Esophagitis can be due to irritation (as from reflux or radiation treatment) or infection.

Barrett's esophagus: Regular reflux of stomach acid irritates the esophagus, which may cause the lower part to change its structure. Very infrequently, Barrett's esophagus progresses to esophageal cancer.

Esophageal ulcer: An erosion in an area of the lining of the esophagus. This is often caused by chronic reflux.

Stomach 

The stomach is a muscular organ located on the left side of the upper abdomen. The stomach receives food from the esophagus. As food reaches the end of the esophagus, it enters the stomach through a muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter.

Stomach Conditions

Gastroesophageal reflux: Stomach contents, including acid, can travel backward up the esophagus. There may be no symptoms, or reflux may cause heartburn or coughing.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): When symptoms of reflux become bothersome or occur frequently, they’re called GERD. Infrequently, GERD can cause serious problems of the esophagus.

Dyspepsia: Another name for stomach upset or indigestion. Dyspepsia may be caused by almost any benign or serious condition that affects the stomach.

Gastric ulcer (stomach ulcer): An erosion in the lining of the stomach, often causing pain and/or bleeding. 

Peptic ulcer disease: Doctors consider ulcers in either the stomach or the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) peptic ulcer disease.

Gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach, often causing nausea and/or pain. Gastritis can be caused by alcohol.

Stomach cancer: Gastric cancer is an uncommon form of cancer in the U.S. Adenocarcinoma and lymphoma make up most of the cases of stomach cancer.

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES): One or more tumors that secrete hormones that lead to increased acid production. 

Gall bladder 

The gallbladder is a small pouch that sits just under the liver. The gallbladder stores bile produced by the liver. After meals, the gallbladder is empty and flat, like a deflated balloon. Before a meal, the gallbladder may be full of bile and about the size of a small pear.

Gallbladder Conditions

Gallstones (cholelithiasis): For unclear reasons, substances in bile can crystallize in the gallbladder, forming gallstones. Common and usually harmless, gallstones can sometimes cause pain, nausea, or inflammation.

Cholecystitis: Infection of the gallbladder, often due to a gallstone in the gallbladder. Cholecystitis causes severe pain and fever, and can require surgery when infectiom continues or recurs.

Gallbladder cancer: Although rare, cancer can affect the gallbladder. It is difficult to diagnose and usually found at late stages when symptoms appear. Symptoms may resemble those of gallstones.

Small intestine

  Food comes into the small intestine from the stomach. It starts out as semi-solid sludge, but bile from the liver an, enzymes from the pancreas, as well as water and mucous mix with the sludge in a process called peristalsis. The mixture is quite watery by the time it gets to the large intestine.

Diseases

Some disorders of the small intestine are bleeding, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, infections, intestinal cancer, intestinal obstruction and blockage, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, pain and bacterial overgrowth.

Pancreas 

The pancreas is about 6 inches long and sits across the back of the abdomen, behind the stomach. The head of the pancreas is on the right side of the abdomen and is connected to the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine) through a small tube called the pancreatic duct. The narrow end of the pancreas, called the tail, extends to the left side of the body.

Pancreas Conditions

Diabetes, type 1: The body’s immune system attacks and destroys the pancreas’ insulin-producing cells. Lifelong insulin injections are required to control blood sugar.

Diabetes, type 2: The pancreas loses the ability to appropriately produce and release insulin. The body also becomes resistant to insulin, and blood sugar rises.

Cystic fibrosis: A genetic disorder that affects multiple body systems, usually including the lungs and the pancreas. Digestive problems and diabetes often result.

Pancreatic cancer: The pancreas has many different types of cells, each of which can give rise to a different type of tumor. The most common type arises from the cells that line the pancreatic duct. Because there are usually few or no early symptoms, pancreatic cancer is often advanced by the time it’s discovered.

Pancreatitis: The pancreas becomes inflamed and damaged by its own digestive chemicals. Swelling and death of tissue of the pancreas can result. Although alcohol or gallstones can contribute, sometimes a cause for pancreatitis is never found.

Liver 

The liver is a large, meaty organ that sits on the right side of the belly. Weighing about 3 pounds, the liver is reddish-brown in color and feels rubbery to the touch. Normally you can't feel the liver, because it's protected by the rib cage.

Liver Conditions

Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver, usually caused by viruses like hepatitis A, B, and C. Hepatitis can have non-infectious causes too, including heavy drinking, drugs, allergic reactions, or obesity.

Cirrhosis: Long-term damage to the liver from any cause can lead to permanent scarring, called cirrhosis. The liver then becomes unable to function well.

Liver cancer: The most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, almost always occurs after cirrhosis is present.

Liver failure: Liver failure has many causes including infection, genetic diseases, and excessive alcohol.

Ascites: As cirrhosis results, the liver leaks fluid (ascites) into the belly, which becomes distended and heavy.

Large intestine

The large intestine is the final section of the gastrointestinal tract that performs the vital task of absorbing water and vitamins while converting digested food into feces. Although shorter than the small intestine in length, the large intestine is considerably thicker in diameter, thus giving it its name. The large intestine is about 5 feet (1.5 m) in length and 2.5 inches (6-7 cm) in diameter in the living body, but becomes much larger postmortem as the smooth muscle tissue of the intestinal wall relaxes.

Disease

Being constipated means your bowel movements are tough or happen less often than normal. Almost everyone goes through it sooner or later. 

Intestinal bleeding

Diarrhea

Rectum

The rectum is the final segment of the large intestine that connects the colon to the anus. It stores fecal matter produced in the colon until the body is ready to eliminate the waste through the process of defecation.

Diseases

Proctitis is an inflammation of the anus and the lining of the rectum, affecting only the last 6 inches of the rectum. 

Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer and colon cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine).

Prolapse literally means "to fall out of place", prolapse is a condition where organs, such as the uterus, fall down or slip out of place. It is used for organs protruding through the vagina or the rectum or for the misalignment of the valves of the heart. A spinal disc herniation is also sometimes called "disc prolapse". 

Differences between the stomach of a human and the stomach cow

Cows have four compartments where they keep food and humans only have one.

Humans digestive system is longer than cows

Humans digestive system has enzymes to digest proteins but not cows

Human oral cavity has strong and sharp canines but cows have blunt canines

Humans have four canines but cows have two

Cows have a complex Rumen but humans have a simple stomach

Cows can ruminant during the digestion but  humans not

Glossary

Ruminant

Ruminants are mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions. The process typically requires the fermented ingesta (known as cud) to be regurgitated and chewed again. The process of rechewing the cud to further break down plant matter and stimulate digestion is called rumination.

Differences between the stomach of a camel and the stomach of a cow

The camel's digestive system consists of three chambers inside its stomach that allow it to digest several times the food, absorbing to the maximum the humidity of the plants that it consumes to obtain the water necessary for its metabolism. And the cow has four chambers inside his stomach.

20 bones 

- Sternum

- Ribs

-Sacred

- Coccix

- Frontal

- Occipital

- Temporary

- Parietales

- Sphenoids

- Etmoids

- Hyoideo

- Clavicles

- Shoulder blades

- Humerus

- Radio

- Cúbito

- Femur

- Tibia

- Peroné

-Vommer

Chunchuria

The chunchurria is the small intestine of the res and contrary to what can think many people who do not live here in Colombia, the chunchurria does not wash inside, that is to say it keeps all the liquids that have the res in its interior (remember Which is the small intestine), because it is these juices that give the characteristic flavor and rich the chunchurria.

                                               Healthy class

+Music +Projects +Research +Keep the spark

Key Learning Point 

 In class I learned to differentiate between the stomach of a cow and the stomach of a camel

 I learned that humans can also be ruminants when they think and babble.

 I also learned that in Colombia you eat something called chunchurria

[hvalross-artinactive]

Kenmei Profile - Magi OC

Soooo, I talk a ton and draw my Magi OC constantly, and I feel a bit weird posting her here without anyone really knowing anything about her. So I thought Id just post her profile here. I’ve done a lot of work on her, and she’s still not perfect, but if you’re interested, you can read below the cut!! 

It’s really, REALLY long, especially the section about her and Judar, so if you do read it all the way though, I’d love any constructive feedback??

Thank you!

I have had an issue with people taking ‘inspiration’ from Kenmei. Please, no matter how much you may like something, be respectful of someone elses work and be creative on your own. I do notice, and it freaking sucks. So please, dont copy my work.

Basics

Full Name: Cai Kenmei | Cài Kěnméi | 蔡肯美

Titles/Nicknames:

By Family: Ken (By Brother)

By Friends:

Mei, MeiMei, Miss Kenmei ( Nanami )

Ken, Mei, Bookworm (Dyver)

Mei ( Sun Li, Lilianna)

By Judar: Stupid Girl, Woman, Freckles, Freckle Face, Mei (only when being serious)

Age: 18 (First appearance), currently 23

Species: Magician

Blood Type: A

Gender: Female

Sexual Preference: Heterosexual

Marital Status: Dedicates herself to Judar, though they are not in a committed relationship

Hometown: Rakushou

Home Province: Kou Empire

Current Residence: Kou Empire Palace

Birth date: December 21st

Death date: N/A

Fighting

Affiliation: Kou Empire

Element: Healing and Water Magic

Skills: Expert healing magician, advanced with water magic. Skill varies from beginner to average with other types of magic.

Fighting Style: Kenmei literally cannot physically fight at all. The only skills she has is mostly defensive using her water magic, along with some offensive moves. She gets better while sparring with Judar over the years, but could never truly hold her own against him or anyone else as she gets exhausted easily.

Weapon: Magic Staff. 3' long staff made of metal with 3 Blue Topaz stones, one large and two small.

Statistics:

Quantity of Magoi: 3/5

Fighting Ability: 2/5

Physical Strength: 3/5

Technique: 3/5

Leadership Ability: 2/5

Wisdom: 4/5

Appearance

Hair Color: Jet Black

Hair Style and Length:

Age 18: She mainly wears her hair in a lose pony trail that falls over her right shoulder. Intertwined in the pony tail is a small braid she makes from a single lock from her hair, completely separate from the rest.

Age 20+: She wears her hair in a single, huge braid that she either keeps over her shoulder or back behind her. Sometimes she will wear it down as well.

Eyes Color: Pistachio Green.

Eyesight: 20/20

Height: 160.02 cm (5’3”)

Weight: 59.4 kg ( 131 lbs)

Skin Color: Light

Body Type/Build Description: She has a pear shape, with her hips slightly wider than her bust size. During the academy, she kept herself healthy and in decent shape. After the academy and her father left the capital, she gained her position as a healer of the palace and felt no need to keep her body in shape, so she had let herself go. After meeting Judar, she was put through serious physical training and was forced to get back into shape if she wanted to keep her position, according to his threats. After close to two years of training with him and on her own, she became very in shape and was able to easily keep up with him during physical training.

- Nose: Celestial shape

- Lips: Bow Shaped

- Hands: Small hands with short, thin fingers

- Feet: Size 6 ½, average size front and heel.

- Face Shape: Round

- Eyes: Roundish Almond Shape

- Arms and legs: Both arms and legs are average in proportion to her height. Both are toned and built from training

- Torso: Toned stomach. Not a six pack or anything extreme, but obviously built.

- Hips: Wider than bust size due to par shape. 26”.

- Breasts (if female): Archetype shape, standard and average. 34 C.

Physical Abnormalities: Attached earlobes and noticeable gap between her big and second toe

Allergies: Eggs, dust, smoke

Distinguishing Marks:

Scars: Kenmei has burn and regular scars from training with Judar and with magic in general. She has one large scar on her side and left thigh where he got her with ice. She has smaller scars on her arms and another small one on the right side of her face on her cheek, though it tends to always be hidden by her hair.

Moles/Birthmarks: Kenmei has a small, light birthmark on the under area of her upper left arm, near her elbow. She has freckles on her face, shoulders, back, arms, hips, legs and feet, all varying in intensity in their patches. She has one small mole on her left side.

Self Care: Kenmei is very serious about keeping herself healthy and clean. She bathes every day, often twice a day if she does any physical or magic training that day. Even though she likes to keep a low profile and not catch attention to herself, she likes to do any make up and keep herself presentable for her job, though will often go without make up. Once she meets Judar, she becomes more interested in trying to impress him with looking good and does her best to look good every day.

Default Expression: Very content, though focused on any tasks. Usually without a smile, but calm.

Posture: Being of timid nature, Kenmei walks with her arms close to her body, usually holding something tight to her chest or sides, head facing down.

Piercings/Tattoos: Earrings, one in each ear

Describe Their Voice: Her voice his of medium range with a soft, gentle tone. Her voice will often crack or shutter, especially when nervous or around Judar.

Way Of Speaking: When in a normal situation, Kenmei often speaks very quietly and softly, usually causing people to ask her to repeat herself and speak louder. When working or speaking to a patient, she is still gentle but confident and supportive, talking however loud the patient needs her to. When with Judar, she speaks with a louder, friendly tone, though it depends on the situation.

Relationships

Family

Father: Cai Keneiji | 49 | Alive (Kou Empire Military Official / General - Human)

Keneiji was a tough military man, having grown up in the Kou Empire with a mission to become a great fighter. He was not gentle in the slightest, even to his wife and children. Still, he was the one who helped Kenmei achieve her position in the Palace. When Kenmei was in Magnostadt, he was injured during a training sessions and that is what forced Kenmei to return home to help care for him. After he recovered, he could no longer fight properly and was let go of his position as a general. Upset, he left the Kou Empire to travel. He soon settled in Sindria under a different name and remarried.

Mother: Cai Junkyo | 42 | Deceased (Kou Empire Medical and Healing Magician)

Junkyo was a very kind and calm woman. She was passionate about her healing abilities and did her best to serve anyone in the palace that needed her attention. Her marriage to Keneiji was more forced than consensual, as she became pregnant without being married to him, and she did not want her children to grow up with that type of relationship to their father. Even though he was hardly ever around, Junkyo did her best to raise her children and continue her duties. . Even with her extensive healing abilities, she fell ill to a disease that she could not keep away. She soon grew too weak to continue treatment on herself, and the other healing magicians could not keep it away either. She died when Kenmei was 10.

Brother: Cai Kendai | 22 | Deceased (Balbadd Military Official – Magician)

A very kind and caring man who moved away from the Kou Empire palace at the age of fourteen, as he did not like the way it was ruled and did not want to follow in his fathers footsteps. Instead, he moved to Balbadd and became a part of the military there. He and Kenmei were always very close and would often write letters to each other. When he fell ill from the same disease that killed Junkyo, he tried to get ahold of Kenmei by letters but never could, as she was too busy with her new magic training to respond. He died without her knowing and she often blames herself for his death, as she could have slowed the illness down. He died when Kenmei was 18.

Sister In Law: Cai Felda |20 | Deceased (Married to Kendai – No Occupation)

Before Kendai’s death, Felda and Kenmei got along very well. After Kendai’s death, Felda completely blamed Kenmei and had a deep hatred for her, which she expressed at Kendai’s funeral. Even though she was 7 months pregnant with Kendais child at the time of his death, the shock caused her to go into labor early. Sadly still, the child was still born. Felda killed herself a year after, unable to recover from the extreme loss.

Children

Junjei | Magician

Junjei was born 6 1/2 months premature, 4 months after Judar's supposed death. As a child, he was very weak and frail because of his premature birth, on top of being naturally frail as a magician. He takes after his mother, being naturally very caring and almost a little too worried about everything, especially the feelings of others. Still he does have a bit of playfulness to him, often playing harmless pranks on his childhood friends or even Kenmei, reminding her much of Judar when he does act this way. He is a very curious child, often asking so many questions that Kenmei can't hardly keep up with him.

Love Interest

Judar:

Kenmei first met Judar during a collision she had with him in the halls of the Kou Empire palace. At the age of 17, she was walking at a quick pace down the halls to meet her father for his daily healing of his wound. She had a book open and right in front of her face as she walked, reading about the correct spell to heal his issues.

Typically, Kenmei was able to walk like this and not run into people, usually very aware of someone unless they weren't paying attention, either. Walking in the opposite direction, Judar was being led by some members of Al Thamen to a meeting with the Emperor. While walking, she was easily able to go around the Al Thamen members without running into them (hardly even noticing who they were), but did not see Judar lagging at the back of the group, who was looking back behind him listening to another care taker scold him for being late, even though that care taker was heading in a different way to go to a different meeting.

Kenmei was unable to see Judar, who was currently muttering under his breath in annoyance at the care taker scolding him and twirling his wand between his fingers out of boredom. Walking at such a quick pace, she ran into Judar so violently that it caused him to drop his wand and stumble back, though was able to catch his footing. Kenmei was not so graceful and fell back, clutching her book tightly to herself out of fear once she noticed who it was she had run into. She kept in a very low bowed position as Judar chewed her out for a bit before his care takers dragged him on, not wanting to make the Emperor wait any longer that they already had.

When Kenmei got the nerve to get out of her bowing position and stand, she noticed Judars wand sitting between some pages of her book. She panicked and tried to follow after them to return it, but found they had gone. For two days, Kenmei kept the wand hidden, hearing rumors from her co workers about how upset the Priest was. She became panicked, fearing she would lose her home, job or even her life if she were to be discovered with it without returning it.

After gathering her courage, she did remember that she always saw Judar in the gardens around specific times of the day. At one point during the third day of having his wand, she approached him as he rested in a tree. He didn't bother to really look or notice her until she bowed down low once again and held his wand out towards him, offering it back.

Enraged, Judar got down from the tree and snatched it from her, throwing all forms of threats and angry words at her that he could think of at the time. Fearful, Kenmei kept in her bowing position and took the abusive words, her emotions swelling and eyes beginning to tear. She truly thought that he was going to viciously punish her.

After a little bit of yelling, he seemed to grow irritated at a different issue and told her to stand up and explain herself. She did just as he asked, explaining in a very quiet, timid voice of what happened in the hall and why it took her so long to return it.

Upon hearing that she was a magician, clarifying Judars thoughts from having seen her own wand and the feeling of her Rukh, Judar demanded that she fight him. If she could keep her own, he would let her go and she would only fail if she died before he got bored. Kenmei had no other choice but to agree, as he started attacking her with magic before she could get a word in.

After more than an hour of running around the area trying to keep herself safe, every so often sending a spell back at him in an attempt to defend herself, Judar got bored of chasing her around and decided to stop. He was impressed by her ability to keep herself alive, though she left the battle with multiple wounds. He decided not to punish her for taking her wand in a traditional way. Instead, he demanded that she meet him there twice a week to do the same thing. It was the same deal. If she lived, she could continue with her life and the punishment was still death if she were to fail.

After a few weeks of this, Kenmei quickly learned that this was not a way to have her improve in any way, but instead just a way for him to have fun and attack something that would move instead of just staying still. She could tell from how excited he got that he never had the chance to do things like this and that oddly made her feel bad for him. So, twice a week at the same time, rain or shine, still hurt from past injuries or not, she would arrive as told.

Knowing she was not going to be able to improve just by running around, she began to train herself physically on her own, often running or doing push ups and the like. After three months of their first encounter, Judar noticed her training by herself in the courtyard. Annoyed that she was doing things like that without telling him, he once again snapped at her about it and claimed she was doing everything wrong. So, on top of their 'magic training', Judar began putting her through physical training as well on the same days before the magic. He had specific routines that he made her do, and often joined her on, which Kenmei soon noticed he took great enjoyment in doing as well. She could tell getting to blow off energy was his way of getting to relax. And still, she felt bad that he did not seem to do this with other people (or she never saw it). Even though he was mean and snappy to her, she still felt the need to be kind to him and help him.

After a year of training like this, Judar decided that her punishment was over and she had made up for 'stealing' his wand. He considered her willingness to grow and how quickly she improved as a sign of strength. But, instead of completely stopping the training, he wanted to continue. Kenmei, having grown to greatly enjoy his company, agreed. She knew he did not want to continue for her sake, but for his own and to cure his boredom. Besides his political duties and time spent hanging around with the Royals of the palace, Judar had very little to actually do or ways to release his energy.

But, over the year of training, he had found that while she was around him, the energy and rukh around her was calming to him. As a Magi, he was able to see and sense the rukh around people better than they ever could, and Kenmei's were no different. As well as a release for energy, he started to want to be around her for that feeling of comfort and relaxation. So, often before or after training, he would follow her around or make her go places with him just so he could get that feeling from her rukh. The new attention was confusing to Kenmei, but she did not question him and he did not ever explain himself to her about it.

Along with following her or spending more time not fighting, he began to open up more and become more playful, in his own way. He would often play pranks or her or tease her as a way to make himself laugh. Kenmei soon began opening up to him as well, getting back at him with other pranks and it would often turn into a war until one of them, usually Kenmei, gave up. Judar enjoyed the playful competition, though, and his annoyance at her fighting back wouldn't last long.

As he began to open up to her more, he noticed that the longer he was away from her, the more irritated he seemed to get with people and things around him. He caused him to crave and want that relaxing feeling from her, so he would often seek her out just for it.

After more than a year and a half, Kenmei's brother passed away. Kenmei blamed herself for his death, as she could have saved him or slowed the progress of the death down if she had noticed his letters. This caused her to become extremely depressed and shut herself away from everyone, including Judar. She did not show up for practice or even for her work. After a month of having not seen her, and his stress level growing from not being able to release is energy or feel the comfort of her rukh, he went to find her. Finding her locked up in her room, he could feel the change in her rukh and the feeling irritated him. They had become angry, sad, and no longer held the comforting feeling he wanted from her. Irritated, Judar started to try in his own way to get her out of her fit, though it typically only upset her more. His 'compliments' and 'encouraging' words would never come out like they did in his head, often making her even more upset and angry with him. His pranks did nothing to make her laugh or cheerful like they used to and often only made her upset and cry.

So, after another three months of failing to get her to change, he decided trying to be 'nice' would not work on her. He started to become more violent and more natural to himself. He started to once again threaten her with removal of her position in the palace and kick her out, as she had not been going to work as normal. He felt if she was going to just sit around and mope, she could do that outside of the palace in an ally way of the poor city.

Oddly enough, the threats once again put that fear into her of being kicked out and she started arriving to training again, though she was sluggish and obviously still very upset with herself. During training, he was more tough on her, forcing her to focus on him instead of her depressing thoughts. This method was quickly effective, as Kenmei soon began to act normal, going to work again and meeting him in time to train every day they could.

Judar was relieved when she started acting normal again and her rukh once again held that comforting, relaxed air to them. But, he started to notice something else about them, as well as the way Kenmei started to act around him.

Whenever she met him for training or just met up with him in the hall for whatever reason, he could feel her rukh become very bubbly and excited and would even see them change color from their usually pale yellow to pale pink. He wasn't sure what this meant at first, but soon quickly caught on when she started acting much sweeter towards him and a bit flirty.

Because of the way he had treated her during her depression fit, Kenmei had grown extreme feelings for Judar. She felt that he actually cared for her in some way and knew he wouldn't have tried to 'help' her if he didn't. Of course, the only reason he wanted to back to normal at that time was to get the feeling from her rukh and release for his energy through training.

Every time Kenmei acted sweet to him or said something flirty, Judar would shoot her down and pick on her, seeming to be come embarrassed from her action. Sometimes he would leave after an insult, not sure how else to respond to it. He would often tell her that he wasn't close to her like that and tell her that he wasn't even her friend. Still, Kenmei's feelings for him grew and he still felt the urge to be around her for her rukh.

After a three more months of Kenmei's more caring attitude, Judar found himself feeling even more embarrassed than angry at her, usually just staying quiet when she said something nice to him instead of picking at her. He began to grow confused with his feelings as the second year of knowing her started up. He began to want to be around her just for her company as a person rather than to fight, though his craving for the comfort of her rukh continued to grow.

At this time, Judar started to become more playful, or even flirty back to her. This caught Kenmei completely off guard when he first started and her flirty actions toned down to almost nothing. He would pick on her and play pranks a bit more often, usually very childish in the way he showed his liking for her.

After two and a half years, the two had grown very close and would often meet up as much as possible for no real reason other than to just hang around. He often still wanted to spar with her, as she had grown in skill to be able to keep up her defense against him in magic and could keep up with him easily in physical training. Other than to spar and training, the two would sit around and talk, or Judar would nap with her next to him while she read.

Closer to three years after meeting, Judar's teasing and flirting had become so pronounced that Kenmei would often feel as if she were going to pass out whenever he did anything remotely affectionate. One night after some light sparing, it had been no different. Judar had been noticing her overly extreme shyness, and demanded that night that she told him how she felt. After backing her into a wall, trying to force her to overcome her shyness, Kenmei had no other way to explain herself. She expressed her feelings with a very timid, awkward kiss on the lips. It only lasted for a few seconds, and instead of him returning a second, passionate kiss back to her that Kenmei had seen in her mind, Judar began to laugh at her. He teased and insulted her on his kissing skills, making fun of her lack of experience.

Still, Judar did not deny any similar or opposing feelings. Instead, from that night, Judar started to show her similar affection and accept the affection she was wanting to give to him. They kept very private, keeping it out of the ears and eyes of others.

They kept it this way for another two years, though their feelings for each other continued to grow during this time, especially Kenmei's. She had grown to the point where she was fantasizing about marrying him and having a family, though she kept those thoughts away from him and others. Judar was not at that level, though, and could not think about things because of his position, not only as the Priest, but as a member of Al Thamen as well. He kept everything about them secret from her, no matter how much she pestered for him to tell her.

After the death of the Kou Emperor, Kenmei noticed an extreme change in Judars personality. He was much more distant from her and did not want to do anything with her. She would often not see him for months at a time, and when she did see him, their meetings were short and lacking in the affection that she had grown used to. Kenmei could not understand what the issue was and she began to feel like he no longer wanted her.

Judar claimed that the lack in contact was because he had grown increasingly busy. Kenmei had noticed that Judar was spending more time training in magic on his own, and also saw him sometimes with Hakuryuu.

After months of his distant behavior, Kenmei grew too upset and couldn't take not knowing what was going on anymore. After a heated argument and Kenmei spilling her guts out to him about everything she had been feeling and ever wanted from him, Judar finally agreed to try to start making time for her again.

Still, even with this promise, she still did not see him as much as she had been hoping for. She began to grow distant from her friends and went to work as if she were a statue. She began to become quite emotionless, as she had grown to depend on his presence so much to keep herself happy in the past and this sudden change in his personality and attitude towards her completely crippled her.

After months of the limited interaction with Judar, it suddenly made a 180 and he was back again. Though Kenmei could tell that he was different. Not only did he seem happier than in the past, but she could also tell that he was much stronger, the Black Rukh that surrounded him almost overpowering to her. She begged him to tell her what was going on, and for once Judar complied with her requests. He told her of how he had been working with Hakuryuu to not only rid themselves of Al Thamen, but to take over the whole empire in general.

Kenmei was quite taken aback by this, but still she supported him. She could not make herself turn her back on him after everything they had gone through, and he was finally spending time with her again and almost being even more kind to her than before. It was strange to her, but she accepted it. The fact that Judar kept her updated on almost everything that was going on helped her to adjust as well.

But, he soon vanished again to help Hakuryuu with his conquest. She did not see Judar again until the night before he and Hakuryuu attacked Gyokuen. She was completely shocked and taken aback at his changes in power and attitude. His power almost scared her, and she was even afraid to touch him at the time. Still, he was quite gentle with her and told her about what was going to happen and that she needed to stay in her room, no matter what she heard. She complied with him and did not leave, though did use a little water and clairvoyance magic to peek in on the battle until Judar used the barrier and her magic no longer worked.

After the battle, she helped to heal both Judar and Hakuryuu, still completely dedicated to Judar and willing to do what she could to help. Though she did not agree with all of the violence, she could not turn her back on Judar.

Two months before Judars supposed death, she confronted him about a secret she had been keeping for almost over a year. At one point in their relationship, Kenmei had forgotten to take the necessary steps to prevent pregnancy. Because of this, she did end up pregnant. She had been suppressing the pregnancy by stunting the growth of the child, but still keeping it alive using her Magoi. When she told Judar this, he was not surprised, angry or particularly happy. He was completely neutral, having already known about it from the changes in her power and rukh. He told her that she could have the child if she wanted to, but he could not promise that he would be there to support her or the child. This did upset Kenmei, but she was happy that he at least allowed her to have the child.

The morning before Judar's battle with Aladdin two months later, Judar seemed particularly kind to Kenmei when he came to tell her what was going on. He wanted to once again make sure that she stayed here in her room and did not leave no matter what she heard. Kenmei once again agreed, though felt as if Judar should not be going into any sort of battle like this. Knowing it was useless, she asked him not to do it and instead find some other way to resolve what was going on. Judar only kept quite giddy about the situation, excited for the thought of such a battle, and only told her not to worry.

Kenmei once again watched the battle using a mix of water and clairvoyance magic. She watched in horror as the battle came to a close, only able to listen to the words of Aladdin that Judar would not be returning.

After this, Kenmei became extremely ill and depressed. She refused to eat, leave her room or accept help from anyone that attempted to offer it. She kept this up for nearly two months, until her friends, Nanami in particular, forced her back into existence, very similar to the way Judar had done to her years before. With help, Kenmei began to go back to her normal life, though still struggled greatly with her depression.

Sadly, even after getting back to as normal as she possibly could, she went into premature labor two months later, 6 ½ months into her pregnancy. Junjie was born, very sickly and frail, and needed constant support and observation from healing magicians after his birth. Kenmei, feeling as if it were all her fault, refused to see the child, fearful that she would cause more harm to him. And, from what the others were telling her, she did not expect the child to live and could not stand to see him pass away. As awful as it sounded, to her and to anyone she told, she felt as if she could never love the child as much as she had loved Judar.

After weeks of care and them both being in the infirmary, the healers determined that Junjie would survive, with just some frequent healing sessions for the first few months of his life, and Kenmei was pushed to care for the child from there. Still, she could not find it in herself to bond with the child. She had so much loss in her life, that she was fearful of growing close to him, thinking that he, too, would end up passing away. But, after caring for him, she found herself drawn to him and his likeness of Judar. She began to think of the child as the last piece of Judar she would ever have, and caring for him helped pull her out of her depression.

For two years, she cared for Junjie on her own, with some help from her friends. She was completely dedicated to caring for him, working endlessly to be a good mother and good at her job. She went up in position multiple times during these two years, making more money and a better life for her and Junjie. She still fought with her depression, and still often missed Judar deeply, but was able to function and move on in her life.

Then one day, on the way back to the palace from the marketplace with Junjie on a flying carpet, the two were met with a very interesting surprise. Out of no where, Judar suddenly landed on the carpet, greeting Kenmei as if he had never been gone. Instead of a happy meeting like he had hoped for, Kenmei screamed and immediately fainted, causing Judar to have to take control of the carpet before they all started to fall. Now stuck with a screaming and crying Junjie, Judar took the carpet back to the outskirts of the Palace.

After a bit, Kenmei woke, laying on the ground while still on the carpet. At first, she lied there on the ground, listening to soft talking. She soon sat up, to see Judar sitting with Junjie. Kenmei was in denial at first, feeling as if this had to be a trick, she was ill or he was some sort of ghost. But, after realizing she was now awake, Judar turned to her and began to explain what happened and where he had been the last two years.

Kenmei was still confused and frustrated, but after speaking with him for over an hour, she calmed down and accepted what had happened. It was all his fault, after all, even though he was the one that started the fight. But still, she could not find it in herself to forgive him completely at that moment, as he had neglected her pleas for him not to fight and she still felt abandoned by him.

Still, she welcomed him back. Secretly and silently, away from the eyes and ears of anyone else, he stayed with them that night. Even though Kenmei hoped that things would be normal again, she was one again devastated when Judar was up and ready to leave again in the morning, to search for Hakuryuu. Still, she understood him as she always had, and let him leave with little fuss.

As a way to keep in contact, she gave him the other piece to her Rukhs eye set her brother had given to her years ago when she was still young. With it, he kept her updated over the next year, and Kenmei patiently waited for him to return.

Though during that year, Kenmei and Junjie began to go through very hard times as the Kou Empire started to fall. Kenmei had less and less work, or had to charge very little for her services, as no one could afford her or any services in the palace anymore. Due to her relationship with Hakuryuu in a friendly matter, having grown to know him both through Judar and Nanami, he had given her a higher position a few months before he left the country, serving Royals and high counsel members mostly. This helped her through the hard times, as they were still able to pay her decently enough.

Still, Kenmei had to end up selling most of her belongings to get by, including most of her books, scrolls, expensive clothing and jewelry. She was willing to give up everything to make sure that Junjie could eat at least twice a day, as even food had become scarce.

Even though he asked her about her situation, Kenmei refused to bug Judar about their situation, knowing he had his own problems to sort out. Though eventually, Alibaba came back to the empire and began to help rebuild it. This slightly improved life for them, and things continued to get better up until Judar arrived back with Hakuryuu. Kenmei happily welcomed him back, though Judar was upset and scolded her for not telling him what was happening to her during the time.

While Judar was back, Kenmei was able to focus less on struggling to survive, as the countries economy began to stabilize, and instead she was able to focus on trying to build their relationship back up and get Junjie used to Judar. But, things took a turn when Sinbad took hold of the Sacred Palace, and both Kenmei and Junjie fell under the world wide spell.

--Still a WIP as Manga continues--  

Friends/Acquaintances

Best Friend: Dyvar Uoris | 22 | Alive (Magician in Training at the Academy)

Dyvar is a very spunky, outgoing person who is welcoming and friendly to anyone who is willing to be the same towards him. But, because of his hyper personality, most people just push him away. Kenmei was able accept his hyper personality and got along with him great, as he was a 1st Kodor and helped her with anything she was having trouble with. He grew a crush on her, but she continuously pushed him away, her self confidence and timid nature holding her back from attempting a relationship with him. She left the Academy without telling him goodbye, though kept in touch with him through letters as often as she could.

Best Friend: Lilianna | 17 | Alive (Fog Troupe / Maid in Kou Palace)

Kenmei first saw Lilianna after Kassim's death. She picked up Lilianna from the desert outside of Balbadd while on her way back to the Kou Empire alone on a carpet. Claiming that she had seen Lilianna and the young child she carried in the Kou Empire country, she got permission to help Lilianna become healthy again from Sun Li, as she wanted to adopt Lilianna into her family and care for her. Kenmei raised the depressed and broken Lilianna back to health while also taking care of the child when she needed. During this time, the two grew very close. After she was healthy, they spent time together often and Kenmei would also baby sit the child if she was off and could do so. Kenmei and Lilianna often argued over the fact that Kenmei was so close to Judar and the black rukh that killed Kassim, though they got along great otherwise.

Best Friend: Yue Nanami | 17 | Alive (occupation currently unknown)

Kenmei, knowing many of the magicians in the palace but not being very sociable, was drawn to Nanami's happy personality. She would often share her knowledge from the academy with the young magician and give her tips. Though not all was calm with Nanami, as the younger girl often took advantage of Kenmei's timid nature to play jokes on her for laughs. Still, they got along great and enjoyed each others company.

Best Friend: Sun Li | 26 | Alive (War Council)

Kenmei first met Sun Li when she was assigned to her case, as Sun Li was very ill and she had to tend to her. Upon their first meeting, they two hit it off instantly and became grew friends, even though Kenmei was much more timid than the outspoken Li. After the healing, the two continued to meet and do things together. As Li wanted to become more physically strong, Kenmei trained with her to help her, along with the help of Judar. They tend to have opposing views on subjects and can sometimes bicker about it, but are always quick to come to an agreement and not hurt their friendship.

Rivals/Enemies

Competition and Bully: Tifna Artine | 17 | Alive ( Magician in Training at the Academy)

Tifna was not exactly an enemy to Kenmei at the academy, but Tifna was a bit of a bully to her. She often teased her about not being able to use combat magic correctly and only being “useless” with healing magic. This hurt Kenmei, but made her want to become a better person and magician. In retaliation, she often made Tifna look stupid in front of people using her book smarts instead of physical powers. Still, the bullying continued through her time at the academy, though she made it through with the help of Dyvar.

Being a part of the Kou Empire, she supported their cause and goals completely. She followed her leaders without question and any enemies of theirs were enemies of hers. She did her best to keep from judging people or getting to know them, though, and kept her thoughts about them purely what she was told.

Personality

Positive Traits:

Adaptable

Affectionate

agreeable

bright

courteous

faithful

generous

gentle

passionate

unassuming

Negative Traits:

Clinging

conservative

gullible

indecisive

introverted

jealous

nervous

overemotional

timid

pessimistic

Strengths

Healing Magic:

Kenmei’s mother was a Magician that focused only on healing magic. As a child, she learned a lot of about her mother’s abilities and it quickly became her passion as well. When her mother passed away, she continued to learn the healing magic on her own to perfect her abilities. When she went to the academy, her skill increased greatly and she became one of the top healers in the school, even though her combat magic skills were a little shaky. They did increase in the years she was at the academy and this increased her healing abilities as well.

Willingness to Learn and Grow:

Even from a young age, Kenmei always wanted to know everything and learn as much as she could. She is willing to try out anything to help herself grow in both strength and knowledge, even if she knows she will fail, as she has learned much from her many failures in her techniques. She reads as many books as she can on specific subjects she wants to learn and is able to absorb the information well, though she often cannot do what the information tells her to do.

Adaptable:

Kenmei is easily able to adapt to new environments or situations, which makes her great for healing the wounded. If a situation with a patient gets out of control, she is able to keep control of herself and deal with the situation in a professional manner. If a situation occurs in her personal life, then she has a bit more trouble adjusting, as her personal life has always been a routine for her. This happens especially with the death of each family member, normally causing her to become emotionally unstable and stressed, rather than calm and collected like when she is on duty.

Weaknesses

Timid/Introverted:

Because of her introverted nature, she often does not speak to many people inside of the palace. She often keeps to herself and tries her best to stay out of trouble. Still, this can keep her out of the loop on a lot of things, such as plans for the armies and the expansion goals of the Kou Empire. And because her nose is always in a book, she never over hears any information. She either misses or ends up late to magic training or meetings she is meant to go to, causing her to have to go through more trouble to make up for her mistakes and lost time. It has also caused her to be threatened to be removed from the palace.

Self-Conscious:

Even though Kenmei has an extremely extensive knowledge of all kinds of magic, she is self conscious about her abilities and often looks down on herself. She has a hard time feeling confident and strong about the things she does and cannot find the strength to support herself. This causes her magoi levels to be held back and her attacks are extremely weakened. She is also self conscious about her body, especially before she goes through intense training with Judar to get fit. She does not find herself attractive and often obsesses over making sure she looks presentable, both on and off duty, even though she never gets involved with the social life in the palace.

Physical Strength:

Kenmei’s physical strength has never been the best, and this has often held her back from being able to become better at combat magic. She has always been frail and would often become ill as a child. She learned from her parents that she did have to increase her physical strength to be able to become more powerful to successfully serve the Kou Empire. She had a very difficult time doing so, both in and outside of the academy. After she returned from the academy and got her position, she slacked off on her physical strength training and her magic abilities did suffer for it.  

Disorder(s):

Medical:

- None, very healthy

Psychological:

- Fear of Abandonment

Any events cause the disorder(s) to surface?: Kenmei has gone through the death of each family member, and her father leaving their home. After the death of her last family member (brother), she went through a time where she felt alone in the world and like no one was there for her. After getting through it and getting closer to Judar, she became fearful that he, too, would leave her behind one day. She became careful about how she acted around him and was sure to try to do nothing that would ever upset or make him mad. This was not only with Judar, but with her friends as well.

Hobbies:

-Reading

-Writing

-Taking walks

- Practicing her Magic

Favorite Color: Light Blue

Least Favorite Color: Yellow

Favorite Food: Carrots

Least Favorite Food: Eggs and Fish

Favorite Animal: Mice

Least Favorite Animal: Birds

Favorite Instrument: Woodwind instruments

Least Favorite Instrument: Loud drums

Favorite Element: Water

Least Favorite Element: Lightening

Favorite Season: Fall

Least Favorite Season: Summer

Favorite Weather: Cool days

Least Favorite Weather: Hot days

Favorite Time of the Day: Morning

Least Favorite Time of the Day: Midday

Comforts:

- Her books

- Baths

- The Rukhs Eye her brother gave her

- Judars company

Fears:

- Being alone or abandoned

- Loud and sever storms

- Flying bugs

Favorite Items:

- First book on healing magic she received from her mother

- Rukhs eye she received from her brother

- Her magicians hat, which was her mothers

Knowledge

Languages: Only the normal language of the lands.

Schooling Level: Average

Favorite Subject: Magic

Intelligence Level With:

Art: No skill

Archery: No Skill

Astronomy: No Skill

Botany (Flowers): Knows some good plants for healing or medicine

Cooking: Horrible

Dramatics:

- Acting (theatre): No Skill

- Dance: No Skill

- Singing: No Skill

Economy/Accounting: No Skill

Geography: No Skill

Martial Arts: Mediocre

Math: Average

Medicine: Excellent, above average

Mythology: No Skill

Politics/Law: No Skill

Poetry: No Skill

Puzzles: Average

Reading: Excellent, above average

Science: Average

Sewing: Average

Writing: Excellent, above average

History

Biography:

[amphikiki]

So I have an open species! They're called Lichids, and they're basically forest spirits. They're all named after plants, and these plants grow off their backs, along with a thick moss (in the case of trees, branches made of the wood of the tree will jut out). The moss will also grow in random patches on their bodies, sometimes being asymmetrical. Some may also have twigs or thorns grow out of their tails. They come in a variety pf body types (just like anything), and their body shape usually depends on their plants (e.g. A redwood will be tall and thin, whereas a prickly pear will be much smaller). Any scars they have will be filled in with naturally coloured moss, unlike the moss on their backs, due to their blood turning to moss upon oxidation. They have spiral patterns that indent their skin, and these match their eye colours. They can also have one to eight eyes, which glow slightly. They have four claws on each hand and three on each foot. They can have more than two arms, or none. Sometimes their arms will grow like tree branches, with two forearms branching from one. They generally have a distaste for humans and anything that they make, so most don't wear clothing, however some do fashion clothing out of leaves and flowers. They can also merge into trees and other plant life and use it as either a hiding place or transportation to any other plant of that kind. They can merge into any plant, not just their namesake plants. (The coloured ref is my sona, Hemlock)

[yashira-vivies-blog]

Nutri-tips

09, May 2017.

Course content

Unit 1: knowing the parts of the body

      terms related to the body

Unit 2: food guides from different countries

      2.1 food from different groups

      2.2 pyramids from different countries

 Unit 3: nutrients

      3.1 macronutrients

      3.2 micronutrients

 Unit 4: food-related diseases

      4.1 anorexia

      4.2 bulimia

      4.3 overweight and obesity

   Unit 5: healthy lifestyles

      physical activity

     1.2 balanced diet

        Healthy Classroom

      Feng Shui                                                

      Pay attention                                            

      Proper posture                                        

      Discussion of important issue            

      Respect

      Positive actitude

      Support each other

      Classroom never in lines

      Social media therapy  

      Nutritional Breaks

      correct social interaction

      No bad  words 

                                                   Fat shaming   A term made by obese people to avoid the responsibility to actually take proper care of their body and instead victimize themself by pretending they're discriminated like an ethnic group. 

Key learning point

The three things I learned from the class.

Know new people.

What is Fatshaming.

Social media therapy.

16, May 2017.

20 external parts of the body

head

nose

ears

mouth

eyes

chin

arm

chest

leg

foot

fingers

tooth

nails

eyesbrown

forehead

ankle

elbow

face

neck

hands

20 Internal Body Parts

brain

heart

stomach

bones

lungs

liver

kidneys

spinnal curve

pancreas

anus

colon

intestines

diaphragm

rib cage

skull

spleen

larynx

arteries

veins

urinary blander

Brain Location: The human brain is the central organ of the human nervous system. The human brain, with the spinal cord, makes up the central nervous system. Function: The brain is the organ that controls most of the activities of the body. The brain processes, integrates, and coordinates all of the information it receives from the sense organs.  

Heart   Location: The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist, located just behind and slightly left of the breastbone. Function: The heart pumps blood through the network of arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system.

   Bones Location: Bone tissue (osseous tissue) differs greatly from other tissues in the body. There are 206 bones in the human body. Function: Bone is hard and many of its functions depend on that characteristic hardness. Later discussions in this chapter will show that bone is also dynamic in that its shape adjusts to accommodate stresses. This section will examine the gross anatomy of bone first and then move on to its histology.

Lungs Location: The lungs are a pair of spongy, air-filled organs located on either side of the chest (thorax). The trachea (windpipe) conducts inhaled air into the lungs through its tubular branches, called bronchi. The bronchi then divide into smaller and smaller branches (bronchioles). Function: In the alveoli, oxygen from the air is absorbed into the blood. Carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, travels from the blood to the alveoli, where it can be exhaled. Between the alveoli is a thin layer of cells called the interstitium, which contains blood vessels and cells that help support the alveoli.

The kidneys Location: The kidneys are a pair of organs located in the back of the abdomen. Each kidney is about 4 or 5 inches long – about the size of a fist.  Function: The kidneys’ function are to filter the blood. All the blood in our bodies passes through the kidneys several times a day. The kidneys remove wastes, control the body’s fluid balance, and regulate the balance of electrolytes.

The Colon Location: The colon is also called the large intestine. The ileum (last part of the small intestine) connects to the cecum (first part of the colon) in the lower right abdomen. Function: The colon removes water, salt, and some nutrients forming stool. Muscles line the colon’s walls, squeezing its contents along. Billions of bacteria coat the colon and its contents, living in a healthy balance with the body.

 Veins: Veins are blood vessels that carry blood toward the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart. In contrast to veins, arteries carry blood away from the heart.

Mouth: In human anatomy, the mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and produces saliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth.

Diseases:

Leukoplakia: generally refers to a firmly attached white patch on a mucous membrane which is associated with an increased risk of cancer.

 Oral mucocele: is a clinical term that refers to two related phenomena:Mucus extravasation phenomenon Mucus retention cyst.

Bad breath: is medically called halitosis, can result from poor dental health habits and may be a sign of other health problems. Bad breath can also be made worse by the types of foods you eat and other unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Esophagus The esophagus is a muscular tube connecting the throat (pharynx) with the stomach. The esophagus is about 8 inches long, and is lined by moist pink tissue called mucosa. The esophagus runs behind the windpipe (trachea) and heart, and in front of the spine. Just before entering the stomach, the esophagus passes through the diaphragm. 

Diseases:

Heartburn: An incompletely closed LES allows acidic stomach contents to back up (reflux) into the esophagus. Reflux can cause heartburn, cough or hoarseness, or no symptoms at all.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): When reflux occurs frequently or is bothersome, it’s called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Esophagitis: Inflammation of the esophagus. Esophagitis can be due to irritation (as from reflux or radiation treatment) or infection.

Barrett’s esophagus: Regular reflux of stomach acid irritates the esophagus, which may cause the lower part to change its structure. Very infrequently, Barrett’s esophagus progresses to esophageal cancer.

Esophageal ulcer: An erosion in an area of the lining of the esophagus. This is often caused by chronic reflux.

Stomach The stomach is a muscular organ located on the left side of the upper abdomen. The stomach receives food from the esophagus. As food reaches the end of the esophagus, it enters the stomach through a muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter. 

Stomach Conditions

Gastroesophageal reflux: Stomach contents, including acid, can travel backward up the esophagus. There may be no symptoms, or reflux may cause heartburn or coughing.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): When symptoms of reflux become bothersome or occur frequently, they’re called GERD. Infrequently, GERD can cause serious problems of the esophagus.

Dyspepsia: Another name for stomach upset or indigestion. Dyspepsia may be caused by almost any benign or serious condition that affects the stomach.

Gastric ulcer (stomach ulcer): An erosion in the lining of the stomach, often causing pain and/or bleeding.

Peptic ulcer disease: Doctors consider ulcers in either the stomach or the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) peptic ulcer disease.

Gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach, often causing nausea and/or pain. Gastritis can be caused by alcohol.

Stomach cancer: Gastric cancer is an uncommon form of cancer in the U.S. Adenocarcinoma and lymphoma make up most of the cases of stomach cancer.

Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES): One or more tumors that secrete hormones that lead to increased acid production.

Gall bladder The gallbladder is a small pouch that sits just under the liver. The gallbladder stores bile produced by the liver. After meals, the gallbladder is empty and flat, like a deflated balloon. Before a meal, the gallbladder may be full of bile and about the size of a small pear. 

Gallbladder Conditions

Gallstones (cholelithiasis): For unclear reasons, substances in bile can crystallize in the gallbladder, forming gallstones. Common and usually harmless, gallstones can sometimes cause pain, nausea, or inflammation.

Cholecystitis: Infection of the gallbladder, often due to a gallstone in the gallbladder. Cholecystitis causes severe pain and fever, and can require surgery when infectiom continues or recurs.

Gallbladder cancer: Although rare, cancer can affect the gallbladder. It is difficult to diagnose and usually found at late stages when symptoms appear. Symptoms may resemble those of gallstones.

Small intestine Food comes into the small intestine from the stomach. It starts out as semi-solid sludge, but bile from the liver an, enzymes from the pancreas, as well as water and mucous mix with the sludge in a process called peristalsis. The mixture is quite watery by the time it gets to the large intestine. Diseases Some disorders of the small intestine are bleeding, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, infections, intestinal cancer, intestinal obstruction and blockage, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, pain and bacterial overgrowth.

Pancreas The pancreas is about 6 inches long and sits across the back of the abdomen, behind the stomach. The head of the pancreas is on the right side of the abdomen and is connected to the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine) through a small tube called the pancreatic duct. The narrow end of the pancreas, called the tail, extends to the left side of the body. 

Pancreas Conditions

Diabetes, type 1: The body’s immune system attacks and destroys the pancreas’ insulin-producing cells. Lifelong insulin injections are required to control blood sugar.

Diabetes, type 2: The pancreas loses the ability to appropriately produce and release insulin. The body also becomes resistant to insulin, and blood sugar rises.

Cystic fibrosis: A genetic disorder that affects multiple body systems, usually including the lungs and the pancreas. Digestive problems and diabetes often result.

Pancreatic cancer: The pancreas has many different types of cells, each of which can give rise to a different type of tumor. The most common type arises from the cells that line the pancreatic duct. Because there are usually few or no early symptoms, pancreatic cancer is often advanced by the time it’s discovered.

Pancreatitis: The pancreas becomes inflamed and damaged by its own digestive chemicals. Swelling and death of tissue of the pancreas can result. Although alcohol or gallstones can contribute, sometimes a cause for pancreatitis is never found.

Liver The liver is a large, meaty organ that sits on the right side of the belly. Weighing about 3 pounds, the liver is reddish-brown in color and feels rubbery to the touch. Normally you can’t feel the liver, because it’s protected by the rib cage. 

Liver Conditions

Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver, usually caused by viruses like hepatitis A, B, and C. Hepatitis can have non-infectious causes too, including heavy drinking, drugs, allergic reactions, or obesity.

Cirrhosis: Long-term damage to the liver from any cause can lead to permanent scarring, called cirrhosis. The liver then becomes unable to function well.

Liver cancer: The most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, almost always occurs after cirrhosis is present.

Liver failure: Liver failure has many causes including infection, genetic diseases, and excessive alcohol.

Ascites: As cirrhosis results, the liver leaks fluid (ascites) into the belly, which becomes distended and heavy.

Large intestine The large intestine is the final section of the gastrointestinal tract that performs the vital task of absorbing water and vitamins while converting digested food into feces. Although shorter than the small intestine in length, the large intestine is considerably thicker in diameter, thus giving it its name. The large intestine is about 5 feet (1.5 m) in length and 2.5 inches (6-7 cm) in diameter in the living body, but becomes much larger postmortem as the smooth muscle tissue of the intestinal wall relaxes.  Disease

Being constipated means your bowel movements are tough or happen less often than normal. Almost everyone goes through it sooner or later. 

Intestinal bleeding

Diarrhea

Rectum The rectum is the final segment of the large intestine that connects the colon to the anus. It stores fecal matter produced in the colon until the body is ready to eliminate the waste through the process of defecation.

Diseases

Proctitis is an inflammation of the anus and the lining of the rectum, affecting only the last 6 inches of the rectum.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer and colon cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine).

Prolapse literally means “to fall out of place”, prolapse is a condition where organs, such as the uterus, fall down or slip out of place. It is used for organs protruding through the vagina or the rectum or for the misalignment of the valves of the heart. A spinal disc herniation is also sometimes called “disc prolapse”.

Differences between the stomach of a human and the stomach cow

Cows have four compartments where they keep food and humans only have one.

Humans digestive system is longer than cows

Humans digestive system has enzymes to digest proteins but not cows

Human oral cavity has strong and sharp canines but cows have blunt canines

Humans have four canines but cows have two

Cows have a complex Rumen but humans have a simple stomach

Cows can ruminant during the digestion but  humans not

Glossary

Ruminant

Ruminants are mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions. The process typically requires the fermented ingesta (known as cud) to be regurgitated and chewed again. The process of rechewing the cud to further break down plant matter and stimulate digestion is called rumination.

Differences between the stomach of a camel and the stomach of a cow The camel’s digestive system consists of three chambers inside its stomach that allow it to digest several times the food, absorbing to the maximum the humidity of the plants that it consumes to obtain the water necessary for its metabolism. And the cow has four chambers inside his stomach.

20 bones

Sternum

 Ribs

Sacred

 Coccix

 Frontal

 Occipital

 Temporary

 Parietales

 Sphenoids

 Etmoids

 Hyoideo

 Clavicles

 Shoulder blades

 Humerus

 Radio

 Cúbito

 Femur

 Tibia

 Peroné

Vommer

Chunchurria

The chunchurria is the small intestine of the res and contrary to what can think many people who do not live here in Colombia, the chunchurria does not wash inside, that is to say it keeps all the liquids that have the res in its interior (remember Which is the small intestine), because it is these juices that give the characteristic flavor and rich the chunchurria.

Key Learning Point

In class I learned to differentiate between the stomach of a cow and the stomach of a camel

I learned that humans can also be ruminants when they think and babble.

I also learned that in Colombia you eat something called chunchurria.

23, May 2017

The Six Food Groups

Grains

                               The most important grains

Rice

Wheat

Oat

Commeal

Barley

The different grains can be cooked and eaten whole, ground into flour to make a variety of cereal foods like bread, pasta and noodles, or made into ready-to-eat breakfast cereals.

Ancient grains

Sorghum

Teff

Millet

Quinoa

Buckwheat

Chia

Ancient grains are often marketed as being healthier than modern grains, though their health benefits have been disputed by some nutritionists.

Teff

Also known as Williams’ lovegrass or annual bunch grass, is an annual grass, a species of lovegrass native to Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Vegetables Legumes Legumes are plants that bear their fruit in pods, which are casings with two halves, or hinges. Legumes are a very healthy food because it is low in fat and high in protein.  Legumes are also very high in fiber and other nutrients. 

List of the most important legumes

Beans

Lentils

Peas

Peanuts

Rhizome Is a modified subterranean stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes. Plant stem A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant, the other being the root. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes: The nodes hold one or more leaves, as well as buds which can grow into branches (with leaves, conifer cones, or inflorescences (flowers)). Adventitious roots may also be produced from the nodes. The internodes distance one node from another. Important Rhizome Bamboo  Ginger hops asparagus ginger  irises Lily of the Valley

List of Root Vegetables

Carrots

Parship

Turnip

Rutabaga

Herb

Radish

Celery

Root vegetables are plant roots eaten as vegetables.

Tuber

Yuca

Potatoe

Sweet Potatoe

Yam

Fruits

The 6 Favorite Fruits around the world

Strawberries

Mango

Bananas

Pineapples

Oranges

Cherries

Vines Fruits

Tomato

Dragon fruit

Grape

Watermelon

Berryfruits

Kiwi

Pitaya

Milk Lactose Lactose is the sugar that’s in milk. Our bodies use an enzyme called lactase to break down that sugar so we can absorb it into our bodies. But people with lactose intolerance don’t have enough lactase. It’s produced in the small intestine. Even with low levels of lactase, some people can digest milk products just fine. For people who are lactose intolerant, their low lactase levels gives them symptoms after they eat dairy. Types of milks Cow Camels Sheep Goat

Meats

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, pork is the most consumed in the world (36%), followed by poultry meat (33%), beef (24% ) And goat / sheep meat (5%).

Lean meats

Poultry: chiken, hen, turkey, cornish

Beef

Pork: canadian bacon

Oil

Oils considered good for the body

Sunflower oil.

Peanut oil.

Oil of canola or rapeseed.

Sesame oil.

Coconut oil.

Grape seed oil.

Linseed oil.

Rapeseed oil.

Oils that should be avoided

Palm oil.

Soybean oil.

Margarines.

Corn oil.

Lard.

Glossary

Rapeseed Is a bright yellow flowering member of the Brassicacea family (mustard or cabbage family). It is a mustard crop grown primarily for its seed which yields about forty percent oil and a high-protein animal feed.

What's the Difference Between Canola and Rapeseed Oils? In the 1970s canola was created through traditional plant cross-breeding by removing two things found in the rapeseed plant: glucosinolates and erucic acid. Erucic acid was removed because it was believed to be inedible or toxic in high doses. The newly developed plant was renamed "canola" – a combination of "Canadian" and "Oil" (or ola) to make this difference apparent.

Noni Fruit

Is a tree or shrub of the rubiaceae family; Originating in Southeast Asia, has been introduced to India, Polynesia and Panama.

5 Benefits of Noni

Analgesic

Immune system booster

Antidepressant/sedative

Skincare/hair

Anti-tumor/anti-cancer

Pitaya or Dragon Fruit Indigenous to Central America but is also grown and exported from several Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam. Obtained from several cactus species, its succulent stem provides the uniquely delicious fruit with moisture in the arid climates where it grows.

3 Food Pyramids From Around The World

China’s Food Pagoda

There’s a very big difference in the Chinese diet between meat and vegetable protein sources. They’ve also skipped the “servings” in favor of showing how much to eat from each group. There’s also more sweet potato, soybean, and lentils which is more culturally specific to the Chinese diet than more general food pyramids.

Spinning Top — Japan

Japan decided to have a little fun with its nutritional guidelines: they’ve flipped the food pyramid upside down and spun it around, giving new meaning to playing with your food! From bottom to the top, in super small amounts, are fruits and dairy products, fish and meat dishes, vegetable dishes, then the top (the bulk of your diet) should be grains and breads. And the spinning part? Well, there’s a little guy standing on the top Well, there’s a little guy standing on the top running around to keep it spinning, emphasizing the role of exercise in any healthy diet.

Sweden food pyramid

Sweden uses a simple and clear graph with three key messages in a traffic light colours. Green: eat more vegetables, fruit, berries, fish, shellfish, nuts, seeds, exercise. Amber: switch to whole grains, healthy fats and low-fat dairy products. Red: eat less red and processed meat, salt, sugar and alcohol.

Netherlands food pyramid

The circle is divided into four food groups and one beverage group. Fruits and vegetables and breads, cereals and potatoes cover more than half of the circle. Animal source foods, spreads and cooking fats comprise a much smaller part. Water and other beverages such as tea, and coffee complete the circle.

Key learning point

I learn that Pitaya is also called dragon fruit.

It was the first time I heard about Chunchurria and what it is.

And the differences between the stomach of a camel and the stomach of a cow.

30, May 2017.  

Talk about Smoking. Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream.

Tobacco was applied a law in Panama in 1987 in which the sale is not recorded to minors, is not registered with advertising and smoking is not allowed in closed places, with people, among others. You should put the corresponding posters that say NO SMOKING anywhere near schools, libraries, public and private sites, universities, among others. The sale of electronic cigarettes and narghile are not allowed.

Smoking in nutrition

Relationship between nutrition and smoking

Effects between nutrition and tobacco

 Increases blood cholesterol levels by 0.33 mg / dl for each cigarette smoked.

 Increases energy expenditure at rest.

 Decreases vitamin C concentrations due to the body’s demand to neutralize the free radicals that emanate from cigarette smoke.

 It changes the sense of taste and reduces the perception of the taste of food.

 Reduces blood levels of vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin B5.

 Generates deficiency of folic acid that is expressed in a lower concentration of red blood cells.

 Decreases vitamin B12 reserves.

 Increases calcium excretion.

 Reduces the concentration of selenium with antioxidant function in the body.

Effects of tobacco on body weight

 Nicotine produces an increase in energy expenditure at rest of up to 10%, which means that if you stop smoking will have a lower energy expenditure, so it will be necessary to balance it by increasing physical activity or reducing caloric intake.

 Cigarette smoke causes alterations in smell and taste, so smokers do not feel the food so attractive, these feelings are recovered by quitting smoking which explains the greater tendency to eat food.

 The cigarette is a powerful anti-depressant and anxiolytic. In some cases, people, when quitting smoking can get to fight anxiety with food. Changing the habit of lighting a cigarette by opening the refrigerator.

06, June 2017.

Nutrients Are the substances in food that our bodies process to enable it to function. Your nutrient requirements are influenced by factors including your age, growth stage and activity. Nutrients are so small that they can’t be seen by the naked eye.

Vitamins and Minerals

Are You Getting What You Need?

Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients because they perform hundreds of roles in the body. There is a fine line between getting enough of these nutrients (which is healthy) and getting too much (which can end up harming you). Eating a healthy diet remains the best way to get sufficient amounts of the vitamins and minerals you need.

Photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that can later be releasedto fuel the organisms’ activities (energy transformation).

Trace elements

Chromium

cobalt

copper

iron

manganese

magnesium

molybdenum

selenium

zinc

other elements that occur in very small amounts (usually less than 1 to 10 parts per million) as constituents of living organisms, and are necessary for their growth, development, and health.

Components of the gatorade

Treated water

Saccharose

Glucose

Citric acid

Sodium chloride

Sodium citrate

Monopotasic phosphate

Gum arabica

Natural strawberry flavor

Kiwi

Glycerol Ester

Caramel color

Does not contain fruit juice

Gum arabic Also known as acacia gum, is a natural gum consisting of the hardened sap of various species of the acacia tree. Originally, gum arabic was collected from Acacia nilotica which was called the “gum arabic tree”; in the present day, gum arabic is predominantly collected from two related species, namely Acacia senegal and Vachellia (Acacia) seyal. Producers harvest the gum commercially from wild trees, mostly in Sudan (80%) and throughout the Sahel, from Senegal to Somalia—though it is historically cultivated in Arabia and West Asia.

Promotes good digestion 2. Alleviate constipation 3. Strengthen Immune system 4. Control blood sugar 5. Lowering cholesterol lever 6. Get rid of sore throat 7. Keep healthy teeth 8. Help in weight loss 9. Fight oxidative stress 10. Improve kidney function 11. Protect liver 12. Cure diarrhea

E number E numbers are codes for substances that are permitted to be used as

food additives

for use within the European Union  and Switzerland.  The “E” stands for “Europe”. Commonly found on food labels, their safety assessment and approval are the responsibility of the European Food Safety Authority.

MACRONUTRIENTS

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main energy source for the body and are made up of chains of small units of sugar that the digestive system can break down relatively easily, and ultimately enter the body as glucose. Glucose is essential for the body, being the preferred and quickest source of energy for the body’s cells, as well as the brain. For this reason, the diet ideally needs to contain 45-65% carbohydrates.

The skinny on fats Fat is a wonderful part of the diet, as aside from the expected “essential” roles and functions it plays in brain development and function, cellular production, cell regeneration and overall cell functioning.

Protein Protein can make up anywhere from 15-30% of a healthy plant-based diet. Proteins and protein-based foods contain amino acids that are the building blocks of protein, as well as protein structures in the body – e.g. cells and tissue structures, hormones and enzymes. Amino acids are linked together in differing levels of complexity, and formation.

What Micronutrients are and Their Role in Your Health

Micronutrients are what are commonly referred to as “vitamins and minerals.” Micronutrients include such minerals as flouride, selenium, sodium, iodine, copper and zinc. They also include vitamins such as vitamin C, A, D, E and K, as well as the B-complex vitamins.

As mentioned, micronutrients are different from the macronutrients protein, carbohydrate and fat, and micronutrients are called “micro”-nutrients because your body needs only very small quantities of them for survival. However, if your body doesn’t get the small quantities of micronutrients that it needs, serious health problems can result.

Micronutrients are vital to the proper functioning of all of your body’s systems. Sodium, for instance, is responsible for maintaining the proper fluid balance in your body; it helps fluids pass through cell walls and helps regulate appropriate pH levels in your blood. Here are some of the ways that other micronutrients help maintain your body’s systems:

Manganese promotes bone formation and energy production, and helps your body metabolize the macronutrients, protein, carbohydrate and fat.

Magnesium helps your heart maintain its normal rhythm. It helps your body convert glucose (blood sugar) into energy, and it is necessary for the metabolization of the micronutrients calcium and vitamin C.

Iron helps your body produce red blood cells and lymphocytes.

Iodine helps your thyroid gland develop and function. It helps your body to metabolize fats, and promotes energy production and growth.

Chloride helps regulate water and electrolytes within your cells, as well as helping to maintain appropriate cellular pH.

Vitamins Are substances that the body needs to grow and develop normally. Your body needs 13 vitamins. They are vitamins A, C, D, E, K and B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate or folic acid). Usually, vitamins come from the food you eat. The body can also produce vitamins D and K. People on a vegetarian diet may need a vitamin B12 supplement.

Why vitamin C is so important and something that does not produce the body? Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. It is necessary for normal growth and development. The water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. Leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through the urine. That means that the person needs a constant supply of such vitamins in the diet.

Minerals

Are inorganic substances distributed widely by nature and also present in food. They are essential components for the human being, since we are not able to synthesize them in our organism from other compounds and we must take them from the outside through the feeding, in order that our organism works correctly. They are found in our body forming part of various structures such as teeth, bones, blood.

Fluorine Is a chemical element with symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists as a highly toxic pale yellow diatomic gas at standard conditions. As the most electronegative element, it is extremely reactive: almost all other elements, including some noble gases, form compounds with fluorine.

Selenium

Top 5 Foods High in Selenium

1) Brazil nuts 1 oz (6-8 nuts): 544 mcg (over 100% DV)

2) Yellowfin tuna 3 oz: 92 mcg (over 100% DV)

3) Halibut, cooked 3 oz: 47mcg (67% DV)

4) Sardines, canned 3 oz: 45mcg (64% DV)

5) Grass-fed beef 3 oz: 33 mcg (47% DV)

Sodium Sodium is a chemical element with symbol Na (from Latin natrium) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal.

Copper

Copper is found in a large amount of regular dietary foods such as oysters, seafood, legumes, viscera and nuts among others, in addition to drinking water and therefore it is very rare for a copper deficiency to occur in the body. Copper imbalance causes liver disease known as Wilson’s disease. Zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. In some respects zinc is chemically similar to magnesium: both elements exhibit only one normal oxidation state (+2), and the Zn2+and Mg2+ions are of similar size. Zinc is the 24th most abundant element in Earth’s crust and has five stable isotopes.   Iodine Iodine is a chemical element with symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a lustrous, purple-black metallic solid at standard conditions that sublimes readily to form a violet gas. The elemental form was discovered by the French chemist Bernard Courtois in 1811. It was named two years later by Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac from this property.

Key learning point

I learn what gatorades do in our bodys.

I learn what is gumic arabic.

And Social media therapy.

20, June 2017.

Obesity Is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health.

Qatar named as the fattest nation on earth where HALF of all adults are obese Qatar, the richest nation on earth, is also the fattest with half of all adults obese and 17 per cent of the population suffering from diabetes. By comparison America, which is often assumed to be the fattest, looks positively slim with a third of adults obese and eight per cent diabetic.  Out of a population of 1.7million, just 250,000 are native Qataris, who, in the space of just two generations have switched from a tribal existence to living in air conditioned villas being waited on by armies of servants.

Gout Is a kind of arthritis. It can cause an attack of sudden burning pain, stiffness, and swelling in a joint, usually a big toe.

Obesity in the Pacific Is a growing health concern with health officials stating that it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the Pacific Rim. According to Forbes, Pacific island nations and associated states make up the top seven on a 2007 list of heaviest countries, and eight of the top ten. In all these cases, more than 70% of citizens age 15 and over are obese.

Drug trafficking Is a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. UNODC is continuously monitoring and researching global illicit drug markets in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their dynamics. Drug trafficking is a key part of this research. Further information can be found in the yearly World Drug Report.

Bulimic people can:

Fear of weight gain

Feeling dissatisfied with size, shape and body weight

Make up excuses to go to the bathroom immediately after having eaten

Eating only dietary or low-fat foods (except binge eating)

Acquire laxatives, diuretics or enemas regularly

Spend most of the time exercising or trying to burn calories

Social isolation, especially to avoid food or festivities where food is served

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy or psychological counseling, involves discussing your bulimia and related issues with a mental health provider. Evidence indicates that these types of psychotherapy help improve symptoms of bulimia:

Cognitive behavioral therapy to help you identify unhealthy, negative beliefs and behaviors and replace them with healthy, positive ones

Family-based therapy to help parents intervene to stop their teenager’s unhealthy eating behaviors, then to help the teen regain control over his or her own eating, and lastly to help the family deal with problems that bulimia can have on the teen’s development and the family

Interpersonal psychotherapy, which addresses difficulties in your close relationships, helping to improve your communication and problem-solving skills

Medications

Antidepressants may help reduce the symptoms of bulimia when used along with psychotherapy. The only antidepressant specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat bulimia is fluoxetine (Prozac), a type of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which may help even if you’re not depressed.

Nutrition education and healthy weight

Dietitians and other health care providers can design an eating plan to help you achieve a healthy weight, normal eating habits and good nutrition. If you have bulimia, you may benefit from a medically supervised weight-loss program.

Hospitalization

Bulimia can usually be treated outside of the hospital. But if you have a severe form and serious health complications, you may need treatment in a hospital. Some eating disorder programs may offer day treatment rather than inpatient hospitalization.

Diana, Princess of Wales , was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Diana was born into a family of British nobility with royal ancestry and was the fourth child and third daughter of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and the Honourable Frances Roche. She grew up in Park House, situated on the Sandringham estate, and was educated in England and Switzerland. In 1975, after her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer, she became known as Lady Diana Spencer. She came to prominence in February 1981 when her engagement to Prince Charles was announced.

People with bulimia rarely have to go to the hospital, unless they:

Have anorexia

Have major depression

Need medicines to help them stop purging

Most often, a stepped approach is used to treat bulimia. Treatment depends on how severe the bulimia is, and the person’s response to treatments:

Support groups may be helpful for mild bulimia without other health problems.

Counseling, such as talk therapy and nutritional therapy are the first treatments for bulimia that does not respond to support groups.

Medicines that also treat depression, known as selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are often used for bulimia. Combining talk therapy with SSRIs may help, if talk therapy alone does not work.

People may drop out of programs if they have unrealistic hopes of being “cured” by therapy alone. Before a program begins, people should know that:

Different therapies will likely be needed to manage this disorder.

It is common for bulimia to return (relapse), and this is no cause for despair.

The process is painful, and the person and their family will need to work hard.

Key learning Point

I learn I learned that in Qatar women tend to have more obesity than men.

I learn About Bulimia

I learn about history of Lady D.

27, June 2017.

Suet

Suet is the raw, hard fat of beef or mutton found around the loinsand kidneys.

Suet pudding

A suet pudding is a boiled, steamed or microwaved pudding made with suet (beef or mutton fat), flour, bread crumbs, raisins, and spices.Many variations are strongly associated with British cuisine. Recipes vary greatly and can be desserts or savoury courses. They are typically boiled or steamed, though some baked variations and recipes adapted for microwave ovens exist.Examples include Spotted dick, Christmas pudding, Treacle pudding, Clootie, Jam Roly-Polyand many other flavour variations. Savoury versions include rabbit, chicken, game and Steak and kidney pudding.

5 Negative Health Risks of Drinking Too Much Wine

Sleep Deficiency

Many people feel a bit drowsy when consuming wine. This happens because alcohol is not digested but moves directly through the stomach lining and wall of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Once alcohol gets into the bloodstream, it goes into every cell of the body, depressing cellular activity.

2. Obesity

For some people, one glass of wine can turn into a whole bottle. One 5 ounce glass of dry wine has on average about 100 calories.

3. Heart Disease

Moderation is important. Up to one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men may provide the associated health benefits, like lowering risk for heart disease. But when drinking habits become higher, you can put yourself at risk of heart disease.

4. Fertility

Although the potential harmful effects of alcohol during pregnancy, such as birth defects or low birth weights, are well known, less well-known are the effects on males. For men, excessive alcohol intake can result in lowered testosterone levels, slowed motility of the sperm and erectile dysfunction.

5. Pancreatitis

Excessive alcohol intake, including wine, can lead to acute pancreatitis. If you already have chronic pancreatitis, it can worsen the symptoms.

5 Health Benefits of Wine

The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Heart Disease

The Evidence: Red-wine tannins contain procyanidins, which protect against heart disease. Wines from Sardinia and southwest France have more procyanidins than other wines. Source: a study at Queen Mary University in London, published in Nature, 2006.

The Benefit: Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

The Evidence: Moderate drinkers have 30 percent less risk than nondrinkers of developing type 2 diabetes. Source: research on 369,862 individuals studied over an average of 12 years each, at Amsterdam’s VU University Medical Center, published in Diabetes Care, 2005.

The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Stroke

The Evidence: The possibility of suffering a blood clot–related stroke drops by about 50 percent in people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol. Source: a Columbia University study of 3,176 individuals over an eight-year period, published in Stroke, 2006.

The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Cataracts

The Evidence: Moderate drinkers are 32 percent less likely to get cataracts than nondrinkers; those who consume wine are 43 percent less likely to develop cataracts than those drinking mainly beer. Source: a study of 1,379 individuals in Iceland, published in Nature, 2003.

Histamine is an organic nitrogenous compound involved in local immune responses as well as regulating physiological function in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter for the uterus. Histamine is involved in the inflammatory response and has a central role as a mediator of pruritus.

Key Learning Point

I learn Benefits of drink wine.

I learn also the negative part of drink wine.

I learn about suet.

11, July 2017.

Hazard analysis and critical control points or HACCP  is a systematic preventive approach to food safety from biological, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes that can cause the finished product to be unsafe, and designs measurements to reduce these risks to a safe level. In this manner, HACCP attempts to avoid hazards rather than attempting to inspect finished products for the effects of those hazards. The HACCP system can be used at all stages of a food chain, from food production and preparation processes including packaging, distribution, etc. 

Kings College School

King's College, The British School of Panama is a British international school in Building 518 in Clayton, Panama City, Panama. It includes infant school, junior school, and senior school. It is operated by the King's Group. A British education creates open-minded, creative and well-prepared individuals. Childrens learn from first-hand experience, not just text books. They are encouraged to be creative in their thinking and they are expected to work hard every day. 

CLASSES AT SCHOOL 

Science

Experimentation and observation are at the heart of learning Science. Learning through experimentation is fundamental. At King’s, children need to learn by doing whether using batteries and wires to create circuits in Primary school or working in one of the purpose-built laboratories in Secondary school to investigate bonding and intermolecular forces.

Maths

The school believe that anyone can learn even the most complex mathematical concepts when they are taught in an exciting and engaging way. Parents want their children to be numerate and the school take the role in this very seriously, to give children the tools to approach Maths in ways that inspire and encourage them.

Music

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.

Art

An integral part of a broad British education. Art is celebrated in many areas of school life at King’s College. The creative process of painting, drawing, modeling or designing; all of these activities have an important role to play in your child’s education and of course learning through practical, hands-on means.

Sports and Team Play

Traditionally sport and team play have been an important part of physical and mental development at British schools. Working hard towards a shared aim gives a sense of achievement. Being part of a team teaches children to understand tactics, cooperation and fair-play. The school goal is that children at King’s College learn to be chivalrous winners and gracious losers.

Anorexia

Consists of a disorder of eating behavior that involves a loss of weight caused by the patient himself and leads to a state of starvation. Anorexia is characterized by the fear of gaining weight, and by a distorted and delirious perception of the body itself that makes the patient look fat even when his weight is below recommended. Therefore, it initiates a progressive reduction of the weight by means of fasts and the reduction of the food intake.

Symptoms of anorexia

This pathology is characterized by a significant loss of weight caused by the patient and by an erroneous perception of the body itself. Consequently, endocrine problems become apparent in a relatively short space of time. The main symptoms that determine the onset of the disease are:

Refusal to maintain body weight above the minimum appropriate for the patient’s age and size. Fear of weight gain or obesity even when the weight is below the recommended level. Distorted perception of body weight and proportions. Absence of three consecutive menstrual cycles in women (amenorrhea). Anorexics may experience a variety of symptoms: constipation, amenorrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and so on.

But it is the family that detects the symptoms that give the alarm:

Excessive concern about the caloric composition of food and the preparation of food. Constant sensation of cold. Progressive reduction of food. Obsession with the image, the scale, the studies and the sport. Use of traps to avoid food. Hyperactivity. These symptoms are compounded by other typical traits such as irritability, depression and emotional or personality disorders. Likewise, there is an alteration in the sensation of satiety and fullness before meals, nausea, swelling, or even absence of sensations. In this pathology there are also numerous cognitive disorders that focus on food, body weight and physical appearance:

Selective abstractions. selective use of information. Generalizations. Superstitions. It magnifies the negative side of any situation. Dichotomous thinking. Self-referential ideas. Arbitrary Inference. As for the clinical consequences, the symptoms are as follows:

Cardiac pulsations are reduced. Arrhythmias occur which can lead to cardiac arrest. Low blood pressure. Menstruation disappears in women (amenorrhea). It decreases bone mass and, in very early cases, slows growth rate. Decreased intestinal motility. Anemia. It appears a fine and long hair, called wooly, in the back, the forearms, the thighs, the neck and the cheeks. Chronic constipation. The decrease in energy expenditure produces a constant sensation of cold. The skin is dehydrated, dried and cracked. Yellowing of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet by the accumulation of carotenes in the sebaceous glands. The nails are broken. Hair loss. Problems with teeth and peripheral edema. Bloating and abdominal pain.

Treatment

The biggest challenge in treating anorexia nervosa is to help the person recognize that they have an illness. Most people who suffer from this type of anorexia deny having an eating disorder and often seek treatment only when their condition is severe.

The goals of treatment are to first restore normal body weight and eating habits. A weight gain of 1 to 3 pounds (lb) or .5 to 1.5 kg (kg) per week is considered a safe goal.

Different programs have been designed to treat anorexia. These may include any of the following measures:

Increased social activity.

Decreased amount of physical activity.

Use of eating times.

To begin with, a short hospital stay may be recommended. This is followed by a daily treatment program.

Longer hospitalization may be required if:

The person has lost a lot of weight (being below 70% of their ideal body weight for their age and height). For severe and life-threatening malnutrition, the person may require intravenous feeding or a feeding tube. Weight loss continues even with treatment. There are health complications, such as heart problems, confusion, or low levels of potassium. The person has a severe depression or intends to commit suicide. Health professionals who generally participate in these programs include:

Professional nurses

Physiotherapists

Professional Medical Assistants

Nutritionists or Dietitians

Mental health professionals

Treatment is often very arduous. The people affected and their families need to work hard. Many therapies can be treated until the disorder is under control.

People with anorexia may be marginalized from programs if they have unrealistic expectations of being “cured” with therapy alone.

Different types of psychotherapy are used to treat people with anorexia:

Individual cognitive behavioral therapy (a type of psychotherapy), group therapy and family therapy have all been effective.

The goal of therapy is to change the thoughts or behaviors of a person in order to stimulate him to eat in a healthier way. This type of therapy is most useful for treating younger people who have not had anorexia for a long time.

If the person is young, the therapy can include the whole family. The family is seen as part of the solution, rather than being the cause of the eating disorder.

Support groups can also be a part of the treatment. In these groups, patients and families get together and share what has happened to them.

Medications, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers, can help some people when given as part of a complete treatment program. These medicines can help treat depression or anxiety. Although these drugs may help, some medication has not been shown to decrease the desire to lose weight.

Body image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind.

It encompasses:

What you believe about your own appearance (including your memories, assumptions, and generalizations). How you feel about your body, including your height, shape, and weight. How you sense and control your body as you move.  How you feel in your body, not just about your body.

People with negative body image have a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder and are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and obsessions with weight loss.

We all may have our days when we feel awkward or uncomfortable in our bodies, but the key to developing positive body image is to recognize and respect our natural shape and learn to overpower those negative thoughts and feelings with positive, affirming, and accepting ones.

The four aspects of body image

How you see your body is your perceptual body image. This is not always a correct representation of how you actually look. For example, a person may perceive themselves as overweight when they are actually underweight.

The way you feel about your body is your affective body image. This relates to the amount of satisfaction or dissatisfaction you feel about your shape, weight and individual body parts.

The way you think about your body is your cognitive body image. This can lead to preoccupation with body shape and weight. For example, some people believe they will feel better about themselves if they are thinner or more muscular.

Behaviours in which you engage as a result of your body image encompass your behavioural body image. When a person is dissatisfied with the way they look, they may isolate themselves because they feel bad about their appearance or employ destructive behaviours (e.g. excessive exercising, disordered eating) as a means to change appearance.

[shphillip-blog]

Vietnam and Cambodia – Land of the Dragon

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam… (and Cambodia)… that everything is so intense… The colours, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the…rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat….You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war.” These were the words of Thomas Fowler from the film, “The Quiet American,” which so accurately sums up Vietnam. It is a land that captures the very essence of your soul and takes you on an unforgettable journey through the land of the dragon.

 Ancient mythology tells us that the people of Vietnam are descendants of the Dragon Lord Lạc Long Qun and the Immortal Fairy u CÆ¡. They produced 100 children, 50 of whom lived with their mother in the mountains and the other 50, with their father in the sea. So steeped in mythology is the land of Vietnam that each area is shrouded in some story of mythological formation.

 Landing in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam and home to about 3.7 million people and 1.2 million motor bikes, is like landing in the heart of a giant mosquito that never sleeps. Endless streams of bikes pass you by each day, with many families of 4 heading off on their daily chores. Farmers from surrounding areas meet at the “morning market at 03h00 and by 07h00 have cleared up and gone. At night, entire streets are transformed into night markets which trade until late in the evening. Unlike its sister city, Saigon, Hanoi has narrow streets and still retains some of its old city charm. The old quarter, often known as the “36 streets,” dates back over 2000 years. The area was once home to numerous craft guilds which created work areas. When the streets were eventually named, each street was named after the craft sold along that street and so today, if you need shoes, you head for Hang Guay, and for jewellery, Hang Bac.

 Leaving the bustle of the city behind and traveling northwards towards the sea, highway 5 takes you to a world Heritage site, and the tail of the “descending dragon.” Halong Bay is an endless canvas of 1969 limestone islands, 989 of which have been named. Many of these islands are home to numerous caves, some of which can be visited on foot and others in the pleasant tranquility of a kayak.

 According to local legend, Halong Bay was created by a family of dragons, sent by the gods to help protect the Vietnamese from Chinese invaders. The dragons spat out pears and jade stones which soon turned to a myriad of islands protecting the people from the invaders. Today, these very same islands provide a safe home to many small floating villages, the inhabitants of whom survive off the 200 species of fish and 450 different species of mollusks that the waters provide.

 Far south of Halong Bay is the picturesque small historical town of Hoi An, where the “The Quiet American,” was partially filmed. Between the 15th to 19th centuries the town served as one of South-East Asia’s most important trading ports for spices and silk and today is still a traders paradise. Cars are banned and the narrow cobbled streets are lined with old buildings, temples, pagoda’s and endless shops selling hand made trousers for $15, evening dresses for $25 and three-piece suits for $40. In the heart of the town is the Ving Hung Hotel, which served as the dressing room for Michael Caine during filming. Today, tourists jostle to book into the same room which overlooks the narrow bustling lantern lit streets below, which come alive during the festival of the full moon.

 From the quiet tranquility of Hoi An, a short flight takes you in the belly of the dragon, Saigon or the modern day, H” Ch Minh City. Inhabited by 8 million people and 4 million motor bikes it pulsates 24 hours a day. Traveling through the vast tarred streets with towering modern hotels and malls, it is hard to believe that the city started out as a small fishing village in an area that was originally swampland, but when heading out into the neighbouring areas the tranquility of forgotten days soon prevails. Endless rice paddies line the myriad of roads that spread out from the city. Framers work the land,

 harvesting rice in the blazing heat. Old carts are pulled by weary horses. Rubber trees are methodically planted in rows, their sticky sap slowly seeping into wooden bowls for collection.

 Driving back in time, one arrives at the area of Cu Chi, whose 121km hand-dug underground tunnels became famous as a battleground of the Vietnam War. The forested area is littered with B52 bomb craters and the endless spattering of gun fire can be heard from the firing range. Some of the tunnels are open to tourists to experience for a brief period, what life in the tunnels must have been like. In the blistering heat of the day, 7 of us descended into the dark abyss below us. The tunnels are narrow, dark, airless and in places slope down and narrow so one has to belly crawl. 40m was all it took for me to realize that as a non-sufferer of claustrophobia, another 20m would surely have converted me. Lack of air. Stifling heat. For the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was difficult. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing from American troops, the Viet Cong would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time. Malaria and sickness were rampant and accounted for the second largest cause of death after battle wounds.

 As horrific as life in the tunnels must have been, it is the images of the war weapons and traps set by the Viet Cong for the Americans that will remain in my memory for a life time, but as one local guide said, when your way of life is under attack, you will do all in your power to protect it.

 South of Saigon lies the feet and arms of the dragon, whose claws spread out to form the massive expanse of the Mekong Delta. The area, also known as Nine River Dragon Delta, drains an area of over 790 000 km2. The Mekong is the 12th-longest river in the world, and runs all the way from the Tibetan Plateau through China, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, into Vietnam and finally into the south china sea.

 With such an expanse of water it is not surprising to find that the residents of the Mekong area are river people. Where Hanoi’s streets come alive with early morning markets, the tributaries of the Mekong erupt into a chattering wash tub as hundreds of boats navigate the narrow channels laden with hands of bananas, grapefruit, jackfruit, spinach, fish and every kind of vegetable imaginable. Trade takes place under the shade of Vietnamese hats while hotel and restaurant owners on the shore line yell instructions across the water of their daily needs. About 20 minutes up the Mekong we headed along a narrow tributary to encounter life up river. Locals wade about in the waters catching fish. Children cycle and play along narrow sidewalks dodging chickens and dogs. Mothers sit at the waters edge washing clothes while the men potter about fixing their boats. Farmers live on combination fish and rice farms, generating an average of $35 a month, while small family businesses survive making rice cakes, rice paper and potent rice wine.

 Leaving the peace and tranquility of the Mekong, our next stop was neighbouring Cambodia, lying at the back of the dragon. Like Vietnam, the history of Cambodia is marred with foreign invasions, international political intervention and internal conflicts. The pinnacle of Cambodia’s history arose during the rulership of the Khymer Kings between about 800 – 1400AD. It was during this period that Khmer kings built the most extensive concentration of religious temples in the world – the Angkor temple complex – and hundreds of surrounding temples.

Then in 1431 the Thais plundered the area and the complex of Angkor was abandoned. For almost 200 years the forces of nature invaded the temples. Fig trees took up residence on temple walls and slowly engulfed the buildings. Moss adorned the intricate carvings and aerial roots flowed to the floor.

 Today, the complex of temples is a World Heritage site. Many of the Hindu statues have been removed and replaced with sculptures of Buddha and numerous renovations are underway. Time seems to have stood leaving an imprint of mystique. I lost my heart to the temples of Cambodia.

 I cannot say what made me fall in love with Vietnam and Cambodia. Perhaps it was the ever smiling faces of the people, the sheer simplicity of life or the vast green rice fields; the smell of the rain or the sounds of children splashing about kicking a home crafted soccer ball. Perhaps it was the excitement with which vendors haggle over prices or the intense respect shown by children to their elders. Whatever the reason, they left an indelible imprint on my heart and a yearning to return, in my soul.

Resource

[everydayreviewsfromnatali]

Canada's 8 National Dishes

1. Montréal Smoked Meat Sandwich

A popular dish served at Montréal delis, the Montréal smoked meat sandwich consists of slices of spiced beef served on thick rye bread, along with plenty of yellow mustard. Although smoked meat is not unique to Montréal, its preparation is distinct from other types and typically involves a generous sprinkling of cracked peppercorns. The resulting meat is usually sweeter and less spicy compared to other kinds of smoked meat, though each deli has their own unique take on this national dish.

2. BeaverTails

BeaverTails are a deep-fried dough pastry that is stretched to resemble the tail of Canada’s national animal. The pastry is served warm, topped with butter and a choice of sweet toppings, such as candy, fruit, chocolate, or sugar and cinnamon. A staple at Canadian theme parks, sport venues, ski hills and festivals, BeaverTails evolved from a recipe passed down by the founders’ family. The famous pastry was evenenjoyed by U.S. President Barack Obama during a 2009 trip to Ottawa.

3.  Nova Scotia Donair

Sometimes called a Maritime donair or Halifax donair, the Nova Scotia donair is popular late-night street-snack consisting of spicy ground beef inside a moist pita, topped with tomatoes, raw onions, and a sweet sauce made with evaporated milk, garlic powder, sugar, and vinegar. The sweet sauce and use of beef, rather than lamb, distinguishes the Nova Scotia donair from similar dishes like shawarma, doner kebabs, and gyros. The dish is still mainly available on the East Coast, but it’s gradually gaining popularity across the whole country.

4. Saskatoon Berry Pie

Named for the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, these berries are sweet and bluish, and look similar to blueberries. Despite the resemblance, Saskatoon berries actually belong to the same family of fruit as apples and pears but have a drier, earthier flavour. They’re excellent right off the bush or in preserves, but are especially popular in golden pies topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

5. Tourtière

Tourtière is a meat pie that originates from the Lac-St-Jean region of Québec. It can be eaten any time of year, but it’s traditional for French-Canadian families across the country to enjoy it on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. There are numerous regional variations on the tourtière, with fillings ranging from minced pork to wild game, but the meat is always sandwiched between a top and bottom layer of flaky pastry. Tourtière’s signature clove, cinnamon, and allspice seasonings distinguish it from other meat pie dishes. It’s often served with green relish sauce, tomato ketchup, or pickled beets for added flavour.

6. Butter Tarts

Butter tarts are a sweet dessert filled with butter, syrup, sugar, and egg in a small pastry crust. The tart can contain raisins or nuts as well and is baked until the filling is slightly firm. Dating back to the early 20th century, the origins of the butter tart are unclear, with some believing it was inspired by Québec’s sugar pieor American pecan pie. Butter tarts are popular across the country, particularly in Eastern Canadian provinces like Ontario. The small size makes butter tarts the perfect dessert after a meal or even a snack to accompany coffee or tea.

7. Poutine

If you ask any Canadian to name a few Canadian dishes poutine will almost certainly be the first one they describe. No other Canadian dish has gained such widespread fame across the country quite like this combination of hand-cut French fries, fresh cheese curds and well-seasoned gravy. It’s best compared to American Gravy Cheese Fries, but any fan will tell you that poutine is so much more than that.

8. Nanaimo Bar

A Nanaimo Bar is a layered chocolate dessert that originated in Nanaimo, British Columbia. There are many variations on the dessert, but it generally consists of a bottom layer of graham cracker crumbs, cocoa, coconut, and nuts then a middle layer of butter icing, and then a top layer of melted chocolate. The layers are gently cooked together and then the dish is chilled and cut into snack-sized squares.