#soap is well versed in the art of faking it

[hyperfixiation-station]

Incorrect Quotes by Sun

Soap: "You don't talk much.

Ghost: "I'm observing your weaknesses since you so freely verbalizing everything about yourself."

Soap:

Soap: "I regret asking."

A/N: I am aware this is not my own, but as I found it in a google doc of mien from 2019 I don't rlly know who came up with it, sorry :(

Also, let me know if you want to see more of these :)

[phoenixyfriend]

SW Masterlist: In the Big Leagues

Navigation Post

Fun fact, tumblr allows 250 links on the old editor and 100 in the new. So. Network of masterlists

This post is for tumblr posts I've made that are specifically about one fic or another that made it onto AO3, including those that were previously on the Wider AUs masterlist.

Order:

One-offs

Sandstorm Verse (Flip the Hourglass)

Anakin and the Jedi Babies

Dimension Hopping to an Omegaverse (Bare Your Teeth, Soldier)

Commander Buir (This is Where the Story Starts)

Rex and Anakin Raise a Family

Fake Spontaneous Training Bond

Uncle Ben and Little Luke (Journey to the Center of the Galaxy)

Fake Sith TCW

Obi-Wan Declares Himself Dad-Shaped

TCW Leverage AU

ObiSabe AU (When the Bodyguards Hook Up)

Sticky Fingers AU

The Sexbot AU (Human Pleasure Droid)

Tread Upon the Wind

King, Soldier, Spy

Weapon Women

Parole Officer Fulcrum

System’s Scourge

Legally Horny

Jango Breaks Into Satine’s House

Fake Affair to Cover Up the Real Affair

Fett vs. Kamino Fertility Clinic and Sperm Bank

One-offs

A Candle in the Night - Anakin/Luminara (original)

Crossover between my Lumakin and Windwalker fics - Pt 2

The Way to a Boy's Heart is Through Violent Defensive Measures - Rex has difficulty with whiny AotC-flavor Anakin, a terrible flirt

Not Quite as Clever as a Fox - "I would kill for you.” “Great, here’s a list.”

Fett vs. Kamino Fertility Clinic and Sperm Bank - How this fic even happened, original post

In Which Anakin's Soulmate is a Lot Like Him, But More, and Worse - Adding some Pantress

Alert! Hot Young Single Dads in YOUR Area! - Street names are puns

Anakin Gets Pregnant and Causes a Scandal in Defense of the Jedi - Obi-Wan is just barely alien enough to have mating cycles (original)

Well, That's Not According to Plan - Rexanidala ft. pregnant transmasc Anakin (original)

General Kenobi and the Twins - General Kenobi and the Twins (original)

[redacted] - Hypnosis vs meditation

Amicable Anidala Divorce - Anidala Amicable Divorce (ft. whiny gay Anakin and “I can fix her” Padme/Ventress)

-

Sandstorm Verse: (chrono) (AO3) Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex time-travel to pre-TPM Tatooine, Anakin and Rex have to be fake married for Ahsoka's safety

Base Post

Fake Marriage Shenanigans

Wouldn't It Be Easier

Various Thoughts on Anakin Needing Therapy

Interaction exploration: - Dooku - Maul - Maul&Soka - Shmi - Anakin&Anakin - Mace

-

Anakin and the Jedi Babies: (chrono) (AO3)

* Anakin and the Jedi Babies

AatJB Addendum - whatever the fuck this was

* Jango Meets Soka (1.5k words)

* Names and Faces (6.5k words)

* Anakin, Shmi, and the Jedi Babies (3k words)

* Anakin and the Jedi Babies: Knightmares (1.6k words) - Ben just really loves banthas

* Anakin Introduces his Jedi Babies (and Himself) (5.8k words)

Winds of Change

The Conspiracy (of Anakin and his Jedi Babies)

JangoShmi and Jedi-Mando relations - Shmi finds out

Cultural comparison of Jedi/Mando/Tatooine

How doth yonder baby brain work

Ylliben Skywalker (hair and tattoos) - various related thoughts - * A Child’s Ink - Hi there’s art now! It’s by the amazing @shukruut - This is the outline btw

And this is the outline of the whole ‘verse (so far)

Pronunciation of names

The Kidnapping of Pre Vizsla

* Where There’s a Whill, There’s a Windu (2k words)

From when I was writing Child’s Ink - The same - Ibid. - New subplot

Why is Anakin not aging?

A specific fanart I plan to commission

I forgot Depa has a sister orz

-

Dimension Hopping to an Omegaverse: (nsfw) (Chrono) (AO3)

Base Post

Surrogacy, Worldbuilding, Obi-Mom

How to Build an Army - The Clone Risk

Soap Operas

Tatooine (2.2k words)

Meet the Generals

Interior Design

Country Dyke

“Assigning” Dynamics

Rexwalker Nonsenses

No Way Home

Warfare 101

Quinlan and the Interdimensional Ingenues (except not really)

Random thought about Omegaverse pregnancies

The Spikes Thing (nsfw, noncon mention, body horror)

Gland Guards

“Weren’t you dead?”

Padme’s marriage to someone who is not Anakin

Churning his brain like butter

Chandrila, Mon Mothma’s pronouns

-

Commander Buir: (chrono) (AO3) An excuse to let Cody be dad-shaped

Initial Brainstorming

Worldbuilding for the AU

Cody & Shmi Talk About General Kenobi

Qui-Gon Jinn enables Skybaby crimes

The Jango Incident - Just some age stuff

Rexsoka and the Quinlan thing

New Mandalore

Cody deserves to be petty

-

Rex and Anakin Raise a Family: (Chrono) (AO3)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

TPM Era

-

Fake Spontaneous Training Bond: (chrono) (AO3)

Original post

gay

overbearing dad

undercover

various musings

Discussion of Fulcrum’s skills (see notes)

-

Uncle Ben and Little Luke: (chrono) (AO3)

Uncle Ben and Little Luke (3k words, basically a fic)

Auntie ‘Soka and Little Leia (and Rex) (25k words)

Thoughts on “Auntie Soka and Little Leia” (jokingly, a director’s cut)

Rex, Pint-Sized Battlemaster

Twins, meet TCW plots

Planned continuations

Why not Han+Vader

The process of writing Auntie Soka - Addendum

“Luke rolls his eyes”

Headcanon meme

Ben pins the dilf radar

-

Fake Sith TCW Trio: (chrono)

Fake Sith TCW Trio (7.5k words)

Thoughts, and perhaps feelings

Padawan Kenobi puts up with a lot

Writing this was a JOURNEY

GRITTY?

Why did I set this in Space!1930s NYC

Plotting the route from Rattatak to Tatooine

-

Obi-Wan Declares Himself Dad-Shaped: (chrono) (AO3)

Obi-Wan Declares Himself Dad-Shaped

More of “Obi-Wan Declares Himself Dad-Shaped”

“Game’s over you son of a bitch! Tell me where she is!”

Requested Headcanons

-

TCW Leverage AU: (chrono) (AO3)

TCW Leverage AU

The bit with Korkie

The Family Tree is… a Disaster (ficlet)

Family Tree charted out (with excerpts)

1970s Dooku/Sifo-Dyas by @uraaniuum

-

ObiSabe AU (AO3)

ObiSabe

Palpatine

Face Blindness among clones

-

Sticky Fingers AU (AO3)

Hondo Saves the Galaxy

Anakin the Distraction

Manipulating Anakain

-

The Sexbot AU: (chrono) (AO3)

The Sexbot AU

Rex and Boytoy Anakin

Pregnancy

Writing process jokes

Not a slowburn, but a raging inferno someone’s aiming a fire extinguisher at

Poor Quinlan

Wanna Smash

-

Tread Upon the Wind (and Chase the Sky)

Mace and Fives

Jaster’s opinion on swearing

Adventures in AO3 Tagging

Does this count as a Freedom Trail

Qui-Gon and Feemor

The King, the Soldier, and the Spy

Original version: The King, the Soldier, and the Spy

Writing the Intro

Time-travel or a break with reality?

Alas, poor Satine

Not Very Nice to Ahsoka 

Weapon Women in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

WandaVision/SW Prequels (original brainstorm)

Widows on Kamino (original brainstorm)

Reader response to Anakin getting a civics lesson in Witch’s Favor

Parole Officer Fulcrum Steals Three Million Babies

Ahsoka Steals Three Million Babies

Ahsoka with baby clone Glitch (art by @amikoroyaiart, commissioned work)

Ahsoka is Anakin’s Parole Officer

Systems' Scourge

Systems’ Scourge (original)

Addendum

Ahsoka’s helmet in time-travel AUs

Legally Horny

Legally Horny AU (original)

Fox and Padme need to talk about the politics before you guys can Bang

Reactions to Jango Breaks Into Satine’s House (And Criticizes Her Security)

the weird S*ltcoats thing

Using the fic as shorthand with discourse

Fake Affair (To Hide the Real Affair

Fake Affair to Cover Up the Real Affair (original)

Sexy Addendum, feat. baby twins folllowup

Shiny Rainbow Knife

Transfemme Anakin (original)

Shipping Musings

Fett vs. Kamino Fertility Clinic and Sperm Bank

Kamino Sperm Bank (original)

An additional Fertility Clinic joke, now with lawsuits

Modern AU Hardcase’s deadname

[lavendairs]

♚  ━━━  ❛ ALL ABOUT AUGUST.

G E N E R A L  —

NAME.         his full birth name is august ahn-evergreene, his last names being a combination of his maternal and paternal last names because his mother wasn’t going to allow her children to not have her last name in some fashion. however, in his twenties he drops evergreene and only uses ahn as his last name due to a rift with his mother / wanting an identity separate from her ( he’s not fond of his father either but he has a habit of leaving town so it’s easier for august to distance himself from that part of his family’s ‘legacy’ ).

AGE.         he appears in his late 20s ( 27-30 ) but is around 60 years old due to the extended lifespan of a mage.

HEIGHT.          he stands at 6′1 ( 185.42 ). no, he’s not a sloucher and is the type to internally judge people who do because stand up straight wtf?

WEIGHT.          170 pounds ( 77.1kg ). he’s lean and not overly muscular; doesn’t do much heavy physical activity anymore due to his current ‘condition’.

ETHNICITY.         korean-filipino american mage. he comes from a bloodline of magic-users. if commenting on his natural magical prowess, expect a dry ‘of course, i was breed to be.’ in response.

OCCUPATION.           he is what the people of crescent creek call ‘the overseer’, the highest sitting member of the council of novema ( or just ‘the council’ for short ). they are the ones who ‘govern’ the town and its people, establishing laws and stepping in to resolve high-level matters between residents if it should come to it. with the council needing to hear matters from the magi, vampires, fae, werewolves, and other beings, august has a constant headache.

GENDER.          cis-male.

SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION.         he would state that he’s heterosexual but admittedly he’s never fully explored his sexuality enough for that to be a definite statement. he hasn’t seriously dated in a very long time™ and it isn’t interested in changing that.

MBTI.         INTJ-A,  The  Architect  —  it can be lonely at the top. as one of the rarest personality types – and one of the most capable – architects ( INTJs ) know this all too well. rational and quick-witted, architects may struggle to find people who can keep up with their nonstop analysis of everything around them. these personalities can be both the boldest of dreamers and the bitterest of pessimists. architects believe that, through willpower and intelligence, they can achieve even the most challenging of goals. but they may be cynical about human nature more generally, assuming that most people are lazy, unimaginative, or simply doomed to mediocrity.

S P E C I F I C S  —

FAVOURITE  FOOD.           he’s very particular about getting his three meals a day in if he can but he probably has the most fondest for food that was often served at dinner time with his family or when all his cousins spent time at his lola’s house when they visited her. dishes such as bopis, kimchi, pancit canton, tocino and rice, korean styled steak, etc. are personal favorites.

FAVOURITE  DRINK.           his day isn’t complete without having a nice, chilled glass of vintage red wine during dinner ( and maybe just drinking straight from the bottle by the end of the night ). he does enjoy drinking rosé during a nice breakfast or lunch depending on the bottle.

FAVOURITE  HOBBY.          brooding. joking aside, he does enjoy sparring matches, ‘magical’ based sparring matches. he does practice taekkyeon ( korean martial arts ) and enjoys mixing spells in by shocking opponents, blocking their spells with his own wards, etc.

FAVOURITE  SCENT.             the smell of freshly cut grass as well as the scent of pomegranates, vanilla, cinnamon, and musk. the former is bittersweet and nostalgic, reminding of his years as a teen: when he was young, oblivious, and only had to be concerned about being late to football / soccer practice. the latter reminds him of someone he would rather forget.

FAVOURITE  PERSON.        i. his twin brother, ansel ahn. his death still hurts and he’ll always partially blame himself for it - despite the fact that there would’ve been nothing he could’ve done to change it. ( this is the part where that wand.avision quote is inserted in ). the loss of his brother dramatically changes the course of his life. ii. his lola, nora evergreene. she grounds him a lot. one of the few times he’s at peace is when he visits her for brunch every third saturday of the month. iii. his ex, audrey cramer. he would never admit it out loud though - at least not anymore.

T E N   F A C T S  —

he’s well versed in magical creatures : one of the 'gifts’ of being the overseer is the ability to traverse pass the veil - a barrier / entry way that exist between ‘earth’ and the many dimensions that exist beyond it. this ability, however, is one that has fallen out of use over the past few decades. ever the abnormally, august makes use of this ability for his own personal agenda. outside of the different races that already live within crescent creek ( witches, vampires, werewolves, fairies, etc. ), there are those that prefer to live freely in their own worlds rather than live in secrecy on earth. so yes, he has met unicorns and he thinks most of them are actually assholes.

on the nature of the veil : the origin of the veil itself is a mystery. all that is known that about its existence is that many millennium ago, those from different dimensions ( or ‘worlds’ ) were able to freely pass through it without the need of assistance or a spell. as time progressed and humanity began to rise, passage through the veil became increasingly more restricted, leading to entry ways within the veil being sealed and only accessible through the leader in each world ( ex. the overseer in crescent creek ). although the town of crescent creek has always traded with other towns, cities, etc. pass the veil, many of those trades have slowed to a stop entirely as those dimensions have become inaccessible. to somewhat ease panic and concern, the council has framed the issue being due to other dimensions permanently closing themselves off from earth ( a situation that has previously happened some worlds ). in truth, the veil itself has become 'infected’ by a foreign spell that’s led to the blocking of entry ways that lead into other worlds. due to not knowing the source of the spell and its affect on the veil, the knowledge of its presence is unknown to most people in crescent creek. // note: this is more of an overall ‘lore’ fact that explains the backdrop of what’s going on in this ‘world’ to understand other facts about him. in the grand scheme of things, this wouldn’t come up when interacting with him.

he doesn’t believe in astrologists, psychics, fortune tellers, etc. : which may seem contradictory considering he’s a literal magical being but in his experience, it’s typically humans pushing pseudoscience or mages using their magic to con clueless humans. people in that line of ‘work’ are hacks to him - especially since he’s seen it first hand with his own father’s profession.

over the past twenty years, he’s been continuing his brother’s research : ansel, his older, twin brother, had been studying the distortions within the veil in secret before his death a decade prior. although the status of the veil was supposed to be concealed to those outside of the council’s reach, ansel confided in his brother before his death. in august’s eyes, whatever spell that’s taken over the veil is an active threat and with the backing of onyx crane, a vampire on the council, and his cousin, faye evergreene, he began an almost obsessive-like determination to complete his brother’s work and find answers - even if it’s to his own detriment. // *note: with a big soap opera trope being people returning from the dead, it shouldn’t be shocking to discover that ansel, is in fact, not actually dead. he used a storm that hit the town as a means to fake his own death ( disasters that kill off characters is usually a soap opera storyline that happens during ‘sweeps’ period ) and left town for his own agenda.

the youngest overseer to sit in the council : his status as the overseer is one steeped in controversy due to...a variety of reasons: an overseer typically is replaced by another council member by vote or an apprentice to the overseer should they have one after an overseer’s death, resignation, or if they’ve been forcefully discharged from the position. none of these things applied to august’s own mother, tala ahn-evergreene, when he usurped her - blackmailing the council by threatening to expose the truth about the current threat of the veil. // *note: in every ( american ) soap opera, it is a staple to have a ‘thing’, whether it be a business, a central institution in town ( ex. a hospital ), or a position ( CEO of a company, chief of staff at a hospital, etc. ) that many of the characters are tied to or even fighting for control over. ELQ, the quartermaine’s family business on general hospital, often have storylines where family members are fighting over shares of the company, who should run it, or the family teaming up to oust an outsider that’s taken over the company ( funnily enough, there is a story like the latter happening on the show right now ). the point here is that being the overseer or even sitting on the council of novema is that ‘thing’ that people fight over to be on for various reason. 

he takes his personal upkeep very seriously : there’s a lot of things one could say about crescent creek’s current overseer but no one can ever say they’ve seen august ahn not look put together when he’s out and about ( this is him going out publicly basically ). as someone who values consistency and control in his life but pretty much never has it, august actually highly treasures the time spent doing his morning / nightly skincare routines, getting his acupuncture treatments, and so on. he supports the self care movement essentially.

he ( as well as his siblings ) once witnessed one of his father’s affairs : it was an awful experience. -10/10. doesn’t recommend. this incident shapes his attitude towards relationships in general and how he operates within them. august has a very black and white attitude about relationships: you are either with him 100% or you’re not with him at all. it’s unhealthy and he has to unpack that. // *fun fact: this is actually a real event that happened with this family back in the sims 2 over ten years ago - they just all had different names, were a different race, and so on at that point.. they’ve changed a lot:tm:. 

may be an active suspect for murder : it happens. when marlena cramer, a former council member, suddenly passes on, the town is overtaken by a wave of a grief...that soon becomes shock and suspicion when her death is rules to be from unnatural causes. between being one of the last people to see her alive and reports of him wanting her off the council, august becomes one of the prime suspects for her murder case. // *note: whodunit’s are probably up there with ‘who’s the daddy’ storylines in terms of being the most common soap opera staple ( ex. who shot j.r. on dallas ).

voted most likely to be successful in his HS yearbook : august was the picture perfect prom king, the jock that was friends with everyone on campus, and the one everyone expected ride off into the sunset with his hs sweetheart. on paper, august was well rounded - some would say outright perfect. today, those who knew him in high school would shake their heads and ask themselves what happened to the boy who always smiled at them when he passed you by in the hallway or whose laughter could easily be heard the loudest in a classroom. august, as he is now, is a stranger to those that once knew him.

it’s happening gradually but he is, in fact, dying : many of the worlds that had become unaccessible were not only blocked off but were actively decaying - many of its residents fleeing to other worlds before they were forever trapped in a dying one while others locked their entry ways to stop the spell from spreading to their own homes. the overseers in crescent creek were restricted from traversing the veil themselves due to the unknown risk of the spell, a rule that august actively ignores. every time he travels through the veil, the more the spell slowly eats away at him - a fact that he is well aware of and he has no desire to stop. he will keep traveling worlds ( and helping those he can ) until he finds the source of the spell and kills its caster himself.

FIVE  THINGS  HE  LIKES.

visiting the sauna. the heat helps with his internal pain.

eating home-cooked meals.

getting hydrafacials ( james_franco_so_good.gif ).

smoking with his cousin, faye.

blasting emo music as he gets drunk, questions his life choices, and stares at the ceiling

FIVE  THINGS  HE  DISLIKES.

feeling used.

disloyal / uncommitted people

selfishness.

tough, chewy steak.

cheap wine.

COMMON  WORDS / PHRASES  THAT  ANNOY  THEM.         during a misunderstanding or argument, the worst thing to tell him is that he ‘doesn’t understand’. even if the person is somewhat correct, august is a person that prides himself on being an objective observer of a situation, rational in his thinking, and not someone who lets his emotions dictate his choices. saying something like that to him would just further annoy him.

PERSONALITY  TYPES  THEY  PREFER.        those who are smart, loyal, and efficient. those who are willing to dirty their hands on occasion, and believe that the ends do justify the means.

PERSONALITY  TYPES  THEY  AVOID.       selfish and incompetent people, those who proceed to waste his time, useless people in positions of powers, jerky unicorns.

WHAT  DO  YOU  FIND  DIFFERENT / DISTINCT  ABOUT  YOUR  PORTRAYAL?

         the whole concept of this ‘world’ is based around soap opera cliches and tropes so the character is intentionally ‘tropey’ and meant to pull from different fictional men from the genre - as well as outside of it. i would say him being the leading man is unique within itself because people of color in soaps ( at least within american soaps which this is all inspired by ) are generally never the leads or involved in what i actually watch soaps for: the drama, the love stories, the scheming, the cheating, etc. they’re usually the straight men to the white characters; living well off but boring lives and are rarely given front burner stories. all black people in a soap opera are usually always going to somehow know each other, only date each other, etc. you can switch black people out with latinos, asians, etc. and it would still be true. the characters of color are easily written off as a result of this.

        in general, soap operas are very white - and still are today. they have a history of casting white people as mexican characters, ex. lindsay hartley as theresa on passions. asian american soap characters are severly lacking - i could probably count the amount of i’ve seen on screen. a black actress formerly on general hospital mentioned how people jokingly called the show ‘generally white hospital’ behind the scenes. chad.wick bos.eman left all my children because of how much of a stereotype his character was - and he was right ( ironically, michael b. jord.an was his recast ). some shows are getting better, bold and beautiful currently has a story involving two characters cheating ( one of which is black ) and it’s hot af but it’s still not enough for the times we’re in. this isn’t a problem exclusive to soaps either - most media has a problem with this. people of color aren’t getting lead roles and especially not romantic lead roles - even if they do, the shows always make it a interracial romance with a white person ( ex. bridg/erton ) as if people of color of different races are incapable of dating each other.

         finally, i’ve noticed that you rarely see asian american men portrayed as romantic leads or desirable ( at least in a non-fetishized way ) in western media. that’s pretty lame:tm: so that was also a factor when i revamped audrey’s love interest ( parts of ‘old’ him still exist, ex. him being a jock / king of the school as a teen, a complicated relationship with his brother, etc ). anyway, stan august uwu.

tagged by:   i took it from myself. tagging:   anyone who wants to.

[kemetic-dreams]

Traditional medicine in a modern world

By Cosmic Yoruba on April 8, 2014 — Under colonial rule, traditional healers were deemed backward and outlawed. Little was done to investigate the legitimacy of what these healers actually did. Today the prejudice remains, but our ancestors weren’t stupid. We need to clinically research these remedies.

“Black magic” and witchcraft? They are ubiquitous to almost every bustling urban African city, little signs advertising the services of a powerful herbalist, healer, native doctor or astrologist. Sometimes these signs are hand painted, other times they are printed from a computer, yet all claim to verify the power of alternative medicine. The initial reaction of most middle and upperclass Africans is to denounce these signs and anything associated with them as backward or superstitious. A herbalist might be able to cure a headache, but can a healer really cure money woes? Nollywood movies, too, tend to portray traditional herbalists in a negative light; there are always babas and dibias using black magic to help people with spells and charms that always backfire but can be controlled with a vigorous bout of Christian prayer. Granted one should be suspicious of anyone who claims to guarantee wealth coming your way after performing certain rituals but there is more to traditional medicine than superstition.

A signboard showing services of a traditional healer in Malindi town. Wherever you are in almost any African city today, you’re never far from a signboard like this one. Photo: Robert Nyagah

The Yoruba example Traditional medicine has always been linked to spirituality. Among the Yoruba, for example, traditional philosophy views illness and disease as something connected to spirits, witches, wizards or ancestors, and these spirits are present in every animate and inanimate object or being. Furthermore, the wind, stars, sun and moon are also capable of affecting ones health.

Medicines prepared by the traditional Yoruba herbalists involve the use of roots and herbs, along with the odd incantation and ritual. In the bygone era, many herbalists were also hunters. They believed that coming in contact with the spirit of the forest made them well versed in diverse flora and fauna, and indeed they were wells of knowledge of plants and trees. So in addition to their knowledge of spirits and deities, occult arts, charms and incantations, rituals and sacrifices, they knew a lot about the healing properties of plants.

Clearly this way of thinking is very different from what we know today from Western medicine. Yet, from what we know, these medicines worked for our ancestors (which shouldn’t be altogether surprising since many modern remedies are based on plant extracts) and are still used today. In Yoruba traditional medicine today you will find specialists in bone setting, paediatric care, general medicine, stroke, hypertension and more. Healing is done using herbs like bitter leaves and basil, as well as trees and plants such as the cinchona tree (it’s got quinine in its bark), the neem tree, and of course the miraculous aloe vera plant.

Honey is also used in combination with different herbs. An example of a herbal remedy would be a mix of bitter leaf and basil to reduce high blood pressure. A prescription for diarrhea may be made from a sieved concoction of guava leaves to be taken four times daily, while Dutchman’s pipe, bitter kola seeds and peeled off grains of paradise are dried and ground together and taken with pap in order to ease abdominal pain. Yoruba traditional medicine also places importance on the use of water, either taken plain or mixed with herbs and tree barks.

The spiritual aspect comes in the form of incantations, usually spoken over the medicine before it is given to the sick person. Rituals and sacrifices are done to appease the supernatural entity that caused the sickness, while amulets such as engraved silver rings may also be administered for protection against these spirits. Some amulets are ground herbs to be eaten, but they can also be rubbed on the body as lotion or used to bathe as soap.

A traditional healer stand in Accra, Ghana

Traditional healing in a modern world All this will sound strange to anyone who grew up with a familiarity of injections, tablets and pills only. Nonetheless to dismiss traditional medicine or this pre-colonial, indigenous African philosophy as mere superstition would be presumptuous.

Our ancestors were not stupid, and while it’s impossible now to know what percentage of their “patients” recovered from their illnesses due to the placebo effect and what as a result of the administered herbs, the herbalists would not have been in business for long if their remedies had been completely ineffective. Yoruba herbalists interviewed by Olugbenga Olagunju insist that in pre-colonial days, people lived long and healthy lives due to this knowledge of herbs and magic. Meanwhile in places like Uganda and Rwanda, colonial European explorers wrote of witnessing local “medicine men” performing caesarean sections with banana wine used as an intoxicant and a cleanser, and the wound sutured with needles and a paste made from roots.

It seems to me that somewhere along the line, the line separating the healing part from the spiritual part became blurred, as did the difference between herbalists and those who seem to offer only bad luck to your enemies and good fortune to you and believe none of this is possible without an incisor from an endangered species. As read above, traditional medicine in its purest form is concerned with disease and healing. While the herbalists and their clients might believe sickness is caused by spirits, herbal remedies were/are still administered to do the actual curing.

Just pray and God will take care of everything

Today, there are Nigerians who eschew any form of medicine while believing prayer is all they need to be rid of their illness. And these days many traditional herbalists claim to bring about wealth and riches, love and success as though the lack of any of these things is itself a genuine disease. This corruption of the practice of traditional medicine probably began following the PR damage done to the profession by colonialism (colonial “rulers” basically outlawed traditional healers/herbalists, and in the process started a process of prejudice that still exists today among the middle and upper classes), and was exacerbated by the fact that we now live in a capitalist world where money rules everything and everyone is looking to enrich themselves by whatever means. Thus it is no surprise to read of a so-called traditional herbalist defrauding desperate jobseekers of N510,000 ($3114).

Popular still, but risky business Nonetheless, traditional medicine remains popular, especially among Africans who live in regions that are far removed from pharmacies and hospitals (although claims about the majority using traditional medicine should be taken with a pinch of salt). Herbs are seen as a healthier alternative to more expensive Western drugs. There is also the belief that Western trained doctors cannot detect certain sicknesses. For some Africans, traditional herbs are the only form of medicine they know from birth to death.

Hedranthera barteri (used to make abgo)

Speaking with some of my extended family members who routinely consume traditional herbal mixtures we call agbo, the general consensus is that herbal medicine can cleanse the system and that it really works. I remember my mother giving me agbo as a child, I threw up immediately. Talking to her about it recently, she told me that some parents believe giving their children agbo is necessary because of all the sweets and chocolates kids typically consume. She also confided that a family friend had given her agbo for her backache and that the herbal mixture did relieve her from that pain. But Western-trained doctors and healthcare providers tend to dismiss indigenous African forms of medicine due to lack of clinical evidence, and there have been warnings against drinking herbal mixtures due to the preponderance of fake ones. People have died from drinking fake herbal drinks.

Agbo without the liquid. And without a Nigerian food and drug agency label.

The need for regulation We don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Clearly, with countless quack healers handing out fake herbal remedies that can blind or kill – and generating prejudice against all traditional herbalists in the process – the industry is in desperate need of regulation. But traditional medicine itself shouldn’t be discouraged. Health ministries across the continent should cooperate with the more trustworthy traditional healers to research traditional remedies to establish clinical-based evidence for their efficacy.  Some of this is being done already: there’s a journal of traditional, complementary and alternative medicines for anyone interested in keeping abreast of latest developments and a Medicinal Plants in Nigeria research project being run by Professor Tolu Odugbemi (check his plant gallery), but the bulk of the research into the efficacy and healing properties of plants and traditional remedies is being conducted by western researchers. This is hope though. I once caught a documentary about a student from Benin studying traditional medicine at a university in Japan, and I know there are other students from other African countries specialising in the same subjects at universities in China. So perhaps it’s only a matter of time.

In the meantime though, while drink and drugs in Nigeria must carry a registration number from the Nigerian food and drug agency (NAFDAC) on their label, I am yet to see a NAFDAC registration number on the bottles of agbo consumed by members of my family. The only African country I know of that has moved to regularise traditional medicine is Kenya where the Kilifi County Assembly is set to introduce a motion that, if passed, will see traditional healers vetted and issued with licenses. This is a step in the right direction – vetting traditional healers should reduce the number of quack doctors and the cheats, and removing the criminal element should help people of the popular image of traditional healers as evil witchdoctors.

[scoutess-blog]

Summer Project

Tasks

Once I was accepted into graphics course, the class was set a task to introduce us to our first new topic. Which was poetry. To help us get stuck into the tasks we were first asked to look at some poets: Sylvia, Walt Whitman, Eminem and many others. 

Sylvia - Lady Lazarus

I have done it again.   One year in every ten   I manage it—— A sort of walking miracle, my skin   Bright as a Nazi lampshade,   My right foot A paperweight, My face a featureless, fine   Jew linen. Peel off the napkin   O my enemy.   Do I terrify?—— The nose, the eye pits, the full set of teeth?   The sour breath Will vanish in a day. Soon, soon the flesh The grave cave ate will be   At home on me And I a smiling woman.   I am only thirty. And like the cat I have nine times to die. This is Number Three.   What a trash To annihilate each decade. What a million filaments.   The peanut-crunching crowd   Shoves in to see Them unwrap me hand and foot—— The big strip tease.   Gentlemen, ladies These are my hands   My knees. I may be skin and bone, Nevertheless, I am the same, identical woman.   The first time it happened I was ten.   It was an accident. The second time I meant To last it out and not come back at all.   I rocked shut As a seashell. They had to call and call And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls. Dying Is an art, like everything else.   I do it exceptionally well. I do it so it feels like hell.   I do it so it feels real. I guess you could say I’ve a call. It’s easy enough to do it in a cell. It’s easy enough to do it and stay put.   It’s the theatrical Comeback in broad day To the same place, the same face, the same brute   Amused shout: ‘A miracle!’ That knocks me out.   There is a charge For the eyeing of my scars, there is a charge   For the hearing of my heart—— It really goes. And there is a charge, a very large charge   For a word or a touch   Or a bit of blood Or a piece of my hair or my clothes.   So, so, Herr Doktor.   So, Herr Enemy. I am your opus, I am your valuable,   The pure gold baby That melts to a shriek.   I turn and burn. Do not think I underestimate your great concern. Ash, ash— You poke and stir. Flesh, bone, there is nothing there—— A cake of soap,   A wedding ring,   A gold filling. Herr God, Herr Lucifer   Beware Beware. Out of the ash I rise with my red hair   And I eat men like air.

I particularly enjoy this poem as I feel it has a lot of history and emotion to the point that I feel like I know the person well enough, like I can see her life through her own eyes in just one poem. It uses many illustrative words and phrases to create a very clear picture, almost like a movie. Personally, the poem is a extraordinary piece of work as even though the topic is extremely morbid it almost gives way to a hopeful ending. It uses no rhymes, long phrases or even heavy descriptions. Yet, it can communicate powerful, emotional feelings through single words or small phrases. Especially, once I read it out loud. 

Walt Whitman - One’s-Self I sing

One’s-Self I sing, a simple separate person, Yet utter the word Democratic, the word En-Masse. Of physiology from top to toe I sing, Not physiognomy alone nor brain alone is worthy for the Muse, I say the Form complete is worthier far, The Female equally with the Male I sing. Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power, Cheerful, for freest action form’d under the laws divine, The Modern Man I sing.

This poem is much shorter than the previous one but uses longer and more complex words and phrases. I believe the poem is communicating the fact that even if society dictates whom is stronger, worthier he will not bend to them as all are equal in life with their own choices. He has freedom of speech as is the modern way. The changes that were currently happening during the time the poem was written. 

Eminem - Lose Yourself

Look, if you had, one shot, or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted. In one moment Would you capture it, or just let it slip? Yo His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs, But he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down, The whole crowd goes so loud He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out He's choking how, everybody's joking now The clock's run out, time's up, over, blaow! Snap back to reality. Oh, there goes gravity Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked He's so mad, but he won't give up that Easy, no He won't have it, he knows his whole back's to these ropes It don't matter, he's dope He knows that but he's broke He's so stagnant, he knows When he goes back to his mobile home, that's when it's Back to the lab again, yo This whole rhapsody He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him [Hook:] You better lose yourself in the music, the moment You own it, you better never let it go (go) You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime (yo) You better lose yourself in the music, the moment You own it, you better never let it go (go) You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime (yo) (You better) The soul's escaping, through this hole that is gaping This world is mine for the taking Make me king, as we move toward a new world order A normal life is boring, but superstardom's close to postmortem It only grows harder, homie grows hotter He blows. It's all over. These hoes is all on him Coast to coast shows, he's known as the globetrotter Lonely roads, God only knows He's grown farther from home, he's no father He goes home and barely knows his own daughter But hold your nose 'cause here goes the cold water His hoes don't want him no more, he's cold product They moved on to the next schmoe who flows He nose dove and sold nada So the soap opera is told and unfolds I suppose it's old partner, but the beat goes on Da da dum da dum da da da da [Hook] No more games, I'mma change what you call rage Tear this motherfucking roof off like two dogs caged I was playing in the beginning, the mood all changed I've been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage But I kept rhyming and stepped right into the next cypher Best believe somebody's paying the Pied Piper All the pain inside amplified by the Fact that I can't get by with my 9 to 5 And I can't provide the right type of life for my family 'Cause man, these goddamn food stamps don't buy diapers And it's no movie, there's no Mekhi Phifer, this is my life And these times are so hard, and it's getting even harder Trying to feed and water my seed, plus Teeter totter caught up between being a father and a primadonna Baby, mama drama's screaming on her Too much for me to wanna Stay in one spot, another day of monotony's gotten me To the point, I'm like a snail I've got to formulate a plot or I end up in jail or shot Success is my only motherfucking option, failure's not Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got to go I cannot grow old in Salem's lot So here I go it's my shot. Feet, fail me not This may be the only opportunity that I got [Hook] You can do anything you set your mind to, man

Eminem is one of my favourite rap artists because he makes all of his songs realistic since it is usually what is going in his life at the time. however, they still seem to relate to everyone like this song as it speaks to people about not missing your chance at life. The language is mainly modern slang but is easily understood and much easier to rhyme with. When I tried to speak it out loud it didn't really sound as good as the original as I found it difficult to just speak it when it should be rapped. 

Step Right Up

For the second task our main objective was create some poetry verses based on advertising, signs and pictures that are around shops and roads. The task is based off from the song “STEP RIGHT UP” from 1977. Honestly, it is not to my taste but is certainly catchy and made it much easier to create verses by using the song as a reference. 

Leave it to dame

Touch you must pay

Only £1

To make a house a home

Spend it all to get it all

Because you’re worth it

I’m lovin’ it

Every little helps

Maybe she’s born with it

Just do it

Karaoke Poetry

Task 3 was slightly more difficult as we had many more choices of content since we had to use our top 10 favourite songs. I chose my favourite songs first then i cost songs that a similar theme like genre or just the topic.

Once  I chose my favourite songs I listened and picked out my favourite lyrics so I could have a variety of choices for the poem as the lyrics could be mixed to create differently themed poems. 

1. Take It Out On Me

-Thought i had it under control

-You wanted it to be picture perfect 

-You don’t have to throw it away

-Just let it go

-Take it out on me

2.Stressed Out

-Nw I’m insecure and i care what people think

-My name’s blurry face and I care what you think

-Wish we could turn back time 

3.Superhero

-Hands up if you’re ready for the fight

-I don’t need you to believe in me

-I know how to change my destiny

-We can change the whole world 

-Tell me that you’re in it

-Don’t you wanna be a superhero

4.Nicotine

-You’re worse than nicotine

-I’ve lost control and I don’t want it back

-Just one more hit then we’re through

5.Satellite

-You have to cross the line

-I’m passing over you like a satellite

-So shine your light on me

-It’s not too late, we have the rest of our lives

-This is the life you can't deny us now

6.Immortals

-They say we are what we are

-I’m bad behaviour but I do it in the best way

-I’ll be the guard dog of your fevered dreams

-Cause we could be immortals

-I am the sand at the bottom of the hour glass

-Pull the black out curtains now

7.I miss the Misery

-I miss the misery

-I’ve been a mess since you stayed

-i’ve been a wreck since you changed

-I’ve tried but i just can’t take this

-I’d rather fight than just fake it

-Don’t let me get in your way

8.The Resistance

Am a soldier, I won’t surrender

-Who’s gonna stand up, who's gonna fight

Heavy as a hurricane, louder than a freight train

-Heart beating faster, feels like thunder

9.Blood

-And rid myself of all my sin

-I swear I have sense

-We will gain nothing from this

-If you come closer I will lose control

-Cause you’ve been asking for it

10.X Gon’ Give To It Ya

-It’s what hearing, listen

-X gon’ give it to ya

-Fuck waiting for you to get it on your own

-I’ll do it again cos I’m right

-Ain’t never gave anything to me

By inserting the key phrases I found it easier to complete a poem and I experiment with different orders.

Poems

CONTROL UNCHAINED

Thought I had it under control

I don’t need you to believe in me

Now I’m insecure and I acre what people think

I’ve lost control and I don’t want it back

I’m passing over you like a satellite

I’m bad behaviour but I do it in the best way

I’d rather fight than just fake it

Heavy as a hurricane, louder than a freight train

If you come closer I will lose control

There is a beast inside, breaking free

[Insert photo sketches]

IMPERFECT TIME

They say we are what we are

You wanted it to be picture perfect

You can change the whole world

We will gain nothing from this

It’s not too late, we’ve have the rest of our lives

Don’t let me get in your way

You’re worse than nicotine

Ain’t never gave nothin’ to me

Heart beating faster, feels like thunder

Wish we could turn back time

DEATH’S DOOR

I’ve tried but I just can’t take it

Take it out on me

I swear I have sense

Am a soldier, I won’t surrender

I am the sand at the bottom of the hour glass

Its what your hearing, listen

Tell me that you’re in it

Wish we could turn back time

Just one more hit, then we’re through

This is the life you can’t deny us now

ME X YOU

You don’t have to throw it away

Now I’m secure and I care what people think

I know how to change my destiny

I’ve lost control and I don’t want it back

You have to cross the line

Pull the black out curtains now

I miss the misery

Who’s gonna stand up, who’s gonna fight

Cause you’ve been asking for it

X gon’ give it to ya

Evaluation/ Reflection 

When I first looked at the starting brief I was surprised about the topic since it was not something I previously associated with graphics. however, once I started completing the tasks it became more obvious that the point of the brief was to introduce us to the relationship between text and image. A graphic artist is not only someone who creates art pieces on the computer but instead communicates through their artwork with a message. Whether that is from product design, advertising or simply creating a comic.