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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 2 years

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Miss raven!! Sorry for the highly theoretical question, i couldn’t think who else to ask !

Do you think it would be possible for mc/yuu to receive some sort of magical ’blessing’ (either from Lilia, Malleus, or even Maleficent?)

I was rewatching SB and thought ’oh wow it would be mighty convenient if they could do that and let yuu have magic lol’

do you think it would even be physically possible???? like i feel as if Yuu must have some possible physical difference with their soul that makes it impossible for them to wield magic or a magical blessing (that directly affects them ie: beauty, singing voice)

Hi, Anon! ^^ Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! 😉 I actually really like seeing and responding to theoretical asks like this (and I actually saw Sleeping Beauty for the first time recently, so I actually now have some context to work with)!

I believe the “blessings” you’re talking about are the gifts that Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather grant to baby Aurora? (In the movie, this would be the gifts of beauty, song, and a way to counteract Maleficent’s death curse by converting it into a sleeping curse instead.)

Firstly, let’s define what a “blessing” is based on what we observe in Sleeping Beauty. It seems that the fairies (magical beings) “bless” Aurora (a non-magical being) with gifts that will be with her for her lifetime. In other words, “blessings” will be defined as magic bestowed to a non-magical entity by a magical entity; said magic is permanent and has an impact on the recipient’s base skills and traits. There also appears to be no payment or reciprocation needed for the blessing to work, and no predetermined conditions that need to be met first. If we take this definition and what we know of magic and how it works in TWST, I think that it’s possible for MC (a magicless human) to wield magic and/or to receive a magical blessing, but it’s probably NOT in the way that you’re thinking of, and it likely has considerable limitations.

Lemme make it clear: I don’t think that MC has innate magic or can use a magical pen like everyone else in the main cast. It is made very clear that in order to use magic in the world of Twisted Wonderland, you must be BORN with that ability. We see many examples of this via the families of the boys—some have relatives that can use magic, some have relatives that don’t, and some have a mix of both. It seems that the ability to wield magic innately comes from one’s lineage and genes, and the nature of that magic is also impacted by that. For example, the Draconia family is said to have extremely powerful magic, and has ruled the Briar Valley for several generations with this mighty power. It is also implied that the Shroud family’s unique magic is hereditary, as each Shroud heir is burdened with not only the duties that come with Blot research, but also overseeing and maintaining the Gate to the Underworld (which must be opened and closed with their unique magic). MC doesn’t have any sort of magic inside of them. They are incapable of it, and this is explicitly told to us via the Mirror of Darkness in the prologue. It’s a point that everyone else reinforces as well, from Ace bullying MC for being a magicless student at a magic academy to Crowley suggesting that MC has promise as a beast tamer (presumably an occupation that doesn’t require the use of magic).

While MC may not be able to use magic at their baseline, there’s nothing that’s preventing MC from temporarily gaining magic. What do I mean by this? I mean that MC can use magic via magical objects. I know this to be the case because we already have one prominent (but often overlooked) example in TWST canon: the ghost camera. In TWST’ prologue, Crowley gives the item to Yuu and describes it as “a camera enchanted with a special kind of magic [...] it enables the user to photograph not just the subject’s physical form, but parts of their soul itself.” In other words, the ghost camera is an object that has already been enchanted in order to perform a certain magical function. It does NOT require magic from the individual using it in order to operate; this is why a magicless human like MC is able to use the ghost camera. I believe that this extends to other objects as well, but ONLY to ones that have been charmed or enchanted in advance, like the Ghost Camera. It is NOT inclusive of items that require magical input to work, such as magical pens (in which their magestones “aid in casting [...] and also serves as a lightning rod [..] to prevent blog from accumulating within the caster”; they are not possible to wield if the holder is incapable of using magic themselves) or potion ingredients that require magical cultivation (see: Cater’s Labwear vignettes).

Now, while it’s exciting to think of all the magic that MC could potentially wield because of this “loophole”, we need to remember that dangers most likely exist (as TWST, despite having magic, usually follows through on the promise of consequences). It’s not too hard to think that a human that has little to no experience with wielding magic may struggle to control complex and powerful types of enchanted objects. You can’t just hand MC Thanos’s glove and the infinity stones and expect that MC suddenly has the power to snap everything out of existence. MC would probably also not be immune to any side effects that linger as a result of using said enchanted objects. In all likelihood, MC won’t end up overpowered or untouchable 🤣

Okay, so MC technically can use magic, just not on their own--but what about enchantments cast on MC and other magicless humans? Can those impact their traits and abilities, possibly even grant them magic to use? The short answer is that I believe spells and potions can temporarily augment a person, but that these enchantments never last long, In episode 5, Vil implies that magic is only a temporary fix, and that he is not interested in such a fleeing thing. Other characters also have lines of dialogue which imply the transience of magic, such as Azul in episode 6 (explaining to Riddle that the transformation potions merfolk take to maintain their legs on land only last for ~7 to 10 days before the effects start to wear off). Oh, and speaking of Azul, he’s able to whip up potions which enhance one’s magical capabilities (which he provides to Ruggie in episode 2), as well as potions which allow land creatures to breathe underwater (in episode 3). From this, we can deduce that yes, it’s possible to grant people new abilities and even physical traits through potions. On the subject of spells, I think it’s also possible for those to do the same, as we’ve seen characters like Azul and Vil use their unique magic to rob people of certain abilities and traits within well-defined limitations (set curse conditions and/or via the golden contracts). In Azul’s particular case, he is able to give those that make contracts with him things in return, such as altering preexisting traits. An example of this is in episode 4, when he grants a deep voice to Floyd to borrow Bind the Heart. It isn’t really a “blessing”, but more like an agreed upon exchange. As for Vil, he needs criteria to be met before his magic kicks in. What’s important to note here is that these two cases seem to be more permanent acts, as Vil’s curses require that conditions be met before they break (and not even he can undo the curse until said conditions are met), while Azul’s contracts rely on the paper remaining intact and depends on the contents of the contract. They demonstrate that more long-lasting magic exists, and that this magic CAN directly impact a person—BUT this kind of a “blessing” is unique, and thus not everyone can grant them. Most magic still appears to be very temporary.

Alright, so even though I’ve just thrown a bunch of examples at you in the last paragraph, I think it’s important to stop and acknowledge one thing: most of those instances involved people who could already use magic to begin with. What would happen if the same were to happen to a magicless human? To that, I propose this: potions and enchantments work on magicless folks, but, as I’ve said before, there are limitations. Recall that Azul granted MC and co potions to help them breathe underwater in episode 3; MC, despite being magicless, was able to take the potion and its effects kicked in just fine for them. This leads me to believe that potions work on a principle similar to enchanted items--they DON’T require the innate ability to use magic in order for the potion to work on a person. I also believe that enchantments work in a similar way (though this point is mostly speculation based on Azul making promises to others to be able to fulfill their heart’s desires, including giving people the traits they want). However, I do think there are still limitations to this. I don’t think that potions and spells can give MC the ability to use magic just based on what we’ve seen of the examples and how they might break power balance and in-universe lore, as well as creates scenarios with confusing internal logic. If potions could grant magic, then why isn’t every magicless human buying potions and carrying them around so they can replicate the powers of their magical counterparts and stand a chance against them in fights? And if unique magic/signature spells could grant others the innate ability to use magic, then why wouldn’t there be naturally magicless humans trying to get into magic schools using the magical skills and abilities they gained from natural magic users (assuming this is more permanent than potions are)? In short, potions and spells are NOT substitutes for actual spellcasting magic, but they CAN alter someone, their traits, and their abilities according to set rules.

So a normal mage can’t do it, but what about fairies? What about the all-powerful Draconia line? That, well... I’m not sure 😅 because honestly, we don’t have a lot of concrete lore about fairies or just what the limits of Malleus and his bloodline’s powers are. If we take everything I’ve already said so far into consideration, then no, I believe that even Lilia and Malleus need to conform to the rules of the magic system laid out in TWST. The only issue here, again, is that we don’t have clearly defined magical power levels for them or for fae in general. We know that fae have enhanced strength and speed, but we don’t know if they are somehow able to transcend the magical limitations of other people and races. I can kind of see Malleus being capable of granting blessings since he’s already advertised as being overpowered to high heaven, but (if I may be biased for a moment here) I honestly don’t want that, because it destroys the power balance that I briefly mentioned before 😔 I don’t know if I’d categorize what he did to fix Vil’s aged appearance in episode 6 as a “blessing” (since he was only just restoring Vil to his original state and not enhancing him or giving him any additional powers or traits on top of that), but I think that’s the closest thing we have right now to “a magical blessing” imparted onto another without asking for something in return or as payment, or asking for a condition to be met first. I’d say we would have to wait for more details to be released before I speculate further 💦 but I hope that what I’ve said so far was enough to answer your question (and if not, I hope that I’ve at least said some things to get your own brain juices flowing)!

To summarize this post (because I know that there’s a lot of chunky paragraphs and that it probably looks intimidating at first glance):

MC does not have the innate ability to use magic; it is something you must be BORN with.

MC technically can use magic, but only with the help of an item that has already been enchanted. Items that require magic to be used (like magical pens) do not work for MC.

MC is likely not free of the consequences and the difficulties that come with wielding and controlling magic.

MC is able to have their form and skills changed via potions and spells casted on their person.

The effects of potions are temporary, so MC would need to continuously drink them in order to maintain the potions’ effects.

Spells casted on MC likely have more long lasting effects, but usually come with caveats or conditions that need to be met. These longer-lasting spells also tend to be unique magic/signature spells, so not every mage has the ability to grant these extended effects to others.

MC most likely would not be able to gain the ability to use magic on their own. They would need to use enchanted items, chuck potions at their enemy (since potions don’t require magic to use) or down them themselves to gain short term effects, and/or utilize skills or abilities enhanced via spells or curses.

As of this post, we do not yet have enough canon information to deduce if these parameters can be broken by fae and/or Malleus (who is said to be extremely powerful and has already demonstrated being capable of outperforming his classmates in feats of magic).

(ASBHAYFAIYFAIPIF I’M SORRY BUT BEFORE WE CLOSE THIS POST I WANT TO CORRECT SOMETHING THAT’S BEEN BOTHERING ME 😅 I’m not sure why you mentioned Maleficent in your ask, since the wording of it implies that she is someone that MC can directly meet???? I believe that this comes from the headcanon that Malleus’s grandmother IS Maleficent herself, but that’s unfortunately all it is: a headcanon, and a popular one at that. The game and its various supplemental materials have never said that Malleus’s grandmother is THE Maleficent.

OKAY THAT’S ENOUGH FROM ME AND MY BIG MOUTH I’M OUT)

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scarlet--wiccan · 4 years

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your ideal billy/teddy duo comic (plot, character designs, artists and writers involved etc)

One thing that I've always wanted to see is a comic about Billy and/or Teddy that was produced entirely by mlm creators. Vecchio, Robles and Gracia are all gay artists who've worked with the characters on recent titles, and I'm eager to see more from them. While none of these artists have ever shown the characters in a way that exactly suits my wants, they've each demonstrated a clear personal vision of who Billy and Teddy are that I can respect. I find that Vecchio and Robles, as illustrators, both articulate a gay sensibility in their designs and are able to represent a range of gay identities and expressions with not only dignity, but real love, which is frustratingly hard to come by. Oh, also, Kevin Wada covers, because duh.

Writers are a little bit more difficult for me. I love Anthony Oliviera and I know that he's got a lot of ideas for the characters, so I'd be delighted to see anything that he might pitch. Vecchio also does write, and his creator-owned series, Sereno, is an urban superhero story in a modern fantasy setting-- something he describes as Batman Beyond meets Sailor Moon. Based on that, I think he'd do a great job telling a story about a witch and shapeshifter from New York. I know that Sina doesn't work for Marvel anymore, but I've always wished he could've done Billy and Teddy in a sweet little rom-com miniseries, or even just a single issue special. He's particularly good at writing tender, funny, and just unapologetically gay characters who signal authentic elements of our culture and community without making them cheap or laughable. That is a quality which I find essential for Billy and Teddy, and it's part of why I want more mlm creators to work with them.

If you had asked me this question last year, I would have had an easier time pitching ideas for these characters. I'm eager to see what the future holds for them, but "rulers of an interplanetary nation" was never part of my vision for how Billy and Teddy would be spending their early twenties. I did have this idea for an ongoing series about their "college years", wherein Billy would be studying magic with Wanda and Agatha, and Teddy would work part time with Carol or Alpha Flight while attending community college or learning a trade, like piercing or tattoo artistry. The idea was that they'd often spend time apart, as they'd each be focusing on their own careers and having individual storylines, but they'd always come home to each other at the end of the day and lend each other support, in ways both mundane and super-heroic.

I used to imagine that they'd stay in that nice apartment Sunspot got them, which would act as sort of a crash pad/base of operations for a revolving cast of their friends. They could convert one of the rooms into a magical sanctum for Billy, and another into a study room or art studio for Teddy. Tommy, America, Kate, or whoever could crash on their sofa whenever they're in town or need to do a team-up. Wanda could help Billy ward the apartment so that he and America are the only ones who can portal in and out, but then Loki would find a way to get around the wards and cause trouble, and there'd be a whole dramatic reunion. The whole idea could easily be adapted as a Young Avengers ongoing if you widened the focus from the main couple and treated it as an ensemble piece with individually chunked plot-arcs, much like the original series.

Unfortunately, that idea no longer holds as much water as I'd like because, for one thing, they lost that apartment and never explained why-- it seems like it was passively retconned out in between New Avengers and Death's Head. More importantly, they now live in space, with Teddy being a busy ruler of an interstellar Alliance, and Billy his prince-consort.

I would still like to explore the idea of them pursuing separate goals and working in separate fields while never being truly apart. Empyre introduced a clever plot device wherein Billy is now able to sense Teddy's location and teleport to him instantly, no matter the distance, which, I assume, works in reverse as well. This feat of magic is made possible by their marriage, which binds them symbolically and draws on the power of their love. They can go anywhere and do anything on their own, and still be together again at a moments' notice, which is super romantic and also affords them more flexibility than most superhero couples. I would still pitch a series about Billy doing magic work on Earth while Teddy does diplomacy in space, and one can always warp to the other when they need backup fighting a bad guy. They could even switch back and forth between staying on Teddy's throne-ship, and getting cozy at Billy's little Manhattan apartment when they want to get away from it all.

I guess my final answer is that I want the two of them to be fully realized, individual characters whose love is illustrated through mutual support rather than, like, being glued to each other's hips. The things that I want to see Billy doing are very far removed from the things that I want to see Teddy doing. Superhero characters tend to lose momentum when you marry them off, and superhero couples tend to fizzle when you keep them apart, but Billy and Teddy's unique strength is that they're never truly apart, and their relationship never seems to lose steam-- they've been a pair from the start, and... they're a little obsessed with each other.

The Billy story that I most want to see right now is a full Maximoff team-up. It could go in one of two directions: A) a quest to uncover Natalya's history and finally vanquish the Emerald Warlock, in which they're waylaid by Doom and other magic villains from their past, while teaming up with their magical friends around the world-- basically a sequel to Scarlet Witch; or, B) a showdown with Krakoa and a resolution of their relationship with Erik, which, best case scenario, partially reverses the Axis retcon and proves once and for all that the Maximoffs are mutants. If we got a longer series, we could actually do both plots-- they learn something about Natalya which leads them back to Erik, and the two arcs become a larger story.

The Teddy story that I most want to see is a Guardians-esque space romp with political elements featuring Teddy, Xavin and Noh-Varr as, like, a sexy-alien-boys version of the Gullwings from Final Fantasy X. Does that make sense? I don't have a great grasp on the political landscape of Marvel Space so it's a little hard for me to come up with details, but I know that the status quo has been totally upended, so there are going to be different factions and movements springing up, and likely no shortage of villains and space monsters rearing their heads when the dust of the war has fully settled. Teddy's a monarch now, but he's also been set up as this Arthurian hero-king, so I think there's still room for him to go on adventures and fight his own battles with his magic sword and, maybe, a crew of loyal space knights.

Having said aaaallll of that, I would absolutely die for a full-on fantasy adventure story with Billy and Teddy. I mean, Teddy's a king with a magic sword and his husband is a super-powerful witch. It's gotta happen. I'd actually be into them having a rematch with Mother, who is a pretty adaptable villain, in that her abilities and motives will differ depending on how she's been summoned. I'd also really like them to have a chance to go up against Sequoia directly, and on more even grounds. Quoi is such a great enemy for them because they represent the same generation of Avengers babies, and, actually, Quoi's origins are directly tied to Billy's-- their respective parents had a double wedding together. Sequoia and Teddy's arcs in Empyre paralleled and contrasted each other beautifully, but the two characters had no meaningful interactions. I want to see thems as arch rivals, and maybe, begrudgingly.... friends? Plus, I love that they're both alien princes who live in sci-fi stories, but whose aesthetics and powers are pure fantasy-- Quoi's a dryad wizard and Teddy is King Arthur, if King Arthur was a gay anthropomorphic dragon.

Anyways, that's my Wiccan+Hulkling pitch. The first arc is Billy and Teddy facing off against Sequoia in a magic forest that he's grown on his new planet, only to find out that they've been set up by Mother.

In the second arc, the three of them grudgingly team up against Mother while hashing out their shared backstories and giving Quoi, who's literally never had peers to relate to, a chance to fully come to grips with the way he was conditioned and manipulated by his father. Instead of conjuring dead parents, Mother seems to be able to summon dead children, which makes her particularly dangerous around the Cotati, Kree and Skrull, who've just emerged from a war and have countless recent dead.

In the third arc, Mother has freed R'kll and they've set their sights on Earth. Billy heads out with America and Tommy to ask Loki for advice on defeating her, while Teddy brings Sequoia before the Avengers as his charge in order to ensure that Quoi receives provisional immunity.

Loki is able to provide insight on how Mother might have been summoned and what the parameters might be for breaking the spell that's tethering her to Earth-616. It turns out that Mother is essentially holding Anelle's soul hostage and has been appearing to R'kll in her form. Mother's hold, at this point, has spread to the entire Alliance, and Teddy will have to defeat her or else she'll use it to destroy Earth and decimate his nation in the process.

Teddy recruits Wanda to help face Mother down. (side note, I'm desperate to see more of their relationship as in-laws.) Wanda agrees to work with Sequoia but insists on calling Mantis and making them talk.

The final showdown is the three boys, plus Wanda and Mantis, against Mother, R'kll, and an army of dead alien soldiers. Mantis and Wanda are able to pull Anelle's soul from Mother's grasp, but this doesn't banish her-- Mother's true anchor was R'kll, who'd been carrying Anelle's ghost in her heart ever since the destruction of Tarnax.

R'kll believes that she's always acted in the best interest of her nation, and she thought that bringing back Teddy's mother would finally make him see her way. Anelle and Teddy have a tearful reunion, but he admits that the only mother he's really mourned was the woman who raised him.

Wanda, Mantis, and Anelle, as a trio of mothers united with their lost sons, are able to reverse and seal Mother's power, which was based on lost children. They are not able to banish her, however, until R'kll steps forward and sacrifices herself, believing now that the best she can do for her nation is to rid the Alliance of the curse she brought upon it.

R'kll and Anelle begin to dissipate, but R'kll's sacrifice has called forth the spirit of Mrs. Altman, who is finally granted some closure and dignity in death by getting a chance to see how far Teddy's come and the peace that he's built in her memory.

Lots of crying! I made this sad. I'm sorry.

#young avengers #teddy altman #hulkling #wiccan #billy kaplan #empyre #robintext

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modafactor · 4 years

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THE MILITARY INFLUENCE ON FASHION

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Reference- https://www.highsnobiety.com/ https://textilevaluechain.in/

The ever changing and ever evolving fashion industry seeks inspirations from infinite founts. Some sources have influenced fashion extensively. The military of the world have had an indubitable impact on fashion.

From camouflage cargo pants to combat boots, the clothing that is worn by the military is based on practicality and uniformity. Every item that a soldier wears serves a purpose. The fashion of the times generally signified support or protest as there was military influence on fashion.

Interestingly, over time, military style has provided the fashion industry with utilitarian inspiration and unique concepts to rock on the runway. Here are some classics that are influenced by the military:

1. The Necktie

According to The New York Times, "During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Croatian mercenaries arrived in Paris dressed for battle with bright scarves tied so tightly around their necks that the men often fainted during maneuvers. The French, naturally, adapted the look, looping the scarves rather more loosely in a style that became known as ''La Croate'' and later 'La cravate.''' Though the cravate is regarded as the true forerunner to the modern tie as a fashion statement, it would take a few hundred years for the tie to evolve to the narrow strip of cloth we think of today as a necktie.

Checkout the evolution of necktie at- https://www.tie-a-tie.net/the-evolution-of-the-necktie/

2.Khakis

Following their defeat to the United States in the Revolutionary War, the British continued to wear brightly-colored outfits of their "Redcoat" brethren despite many clamoring for a change in tactic. It wasn't until the 1840s when Harry Lumsden, a commanding officer in a unit of the Bengal irregular cavalry, introduced the highly unorthodox notion ''that a tight scarlet tunic with a high stock was not the most suitable garment in which to wage war in the plains of the Punjab in the hot weather.'' According to The New York Times, "Lumsden gave his men coarse cotton smocks and pajamas, wrinkled cotton jackets and turbans all dyed with mazari, a local plant that turned everything a sort of dull brownish gray. The leather goods were dyed with mulberry juice, which produced a more yellowish tone, but both colors became known as khaki, from the Persian word "khak," which means earth, dust or ashes. Once institutionalized, khaki's official name became "drab."

Checkout history of khakhi at- https://www.dockersshoes.com/blogs/fashion-guide-news/a-history-of-khakis

3. Ray-Ban Aviators

As new airplanes of the 1930s were allowing people to fly higher and farther, so too arose a problem associated with the advancement in altitude: Many U.S. Air Force pilots were reporting that the glare from the sun was giving them headaches and altitude sickness. Thus, a new type of eyewear/goggles was commissioned by the Army Airs Corps to Bausch & Lomb, which was then ultimately brought to the public for consumption in 1937. It featured plastic frames and the classic aviator shape, which reduced the sun's intensity on pilot's faces and instruments. A year later, a slight remodel in the form of metal frames and the official designation as "Ray-Ban Aviators" solidified what is now considered both a utilitarian and stylish statement. Over the years, research and development resulted in innovations such as the gradient mirror lens - which featured a special coating on the upper part of the lens for enhanced protection, but an uncoated lower lens for a clear view of the plane’s instrument panel - further suggesting that they're every bit as tactical as they are practical.

4. Trench Coats

No other item of outerwear embodies heritage British style as much as the trench coat. While the piece has become synonymous with the Burberry brand, the roots are debatable and include another label, Aquascutum. For the latter, the history goes back to 1853, when the company produced practical coats for officers fighting in the Crimean War using its patented waterproof wool. For Burberry, Thomas Burberry entered a design to the War Office in 1901 for an officer’s raincoat made using his very own patented cotton gabardine fabric and featuring large lapels, convertible collar and epaulets.

5. Cardigan Sweaters

The name "Cardigan" is attributed to James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan and British Army Major General, who led the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War (which as you may have guessed it, also birthed the creation of the balaclava - a town near Sevastopol in Crimea). From a fashion perspective, 17th century fishermen in France and the British Isles are said to be the early adopters of heavy knits which could withstand blustery conditions, but still retained a regal silhouette inspired by the British waistcoat.

6. Camouflage

The word camouflage is said to have originated from the Parisian slang term camoufler (meaning “to disguise”) after the French army began employing artists to paint their artillery and observation posts in the now ubiquitous pattern, instead of their more traditional white gloved and pantalons rouges attire in World War I. In a 1917 Op-Ed in The New York Times pertaining to the relatively new practice of camouflaging oneself, they offered, "It is a wonderful opportunity, this game of hokus-pokus."

7. Pea Coats

The "pea" in pea coat is derived from the Dutch word "pije,”which refers to the type of cloth used - a coarse kind of twilled blue cloth fabric with a nap on one side, first made popular in the 16th century and favored by the Dutch who were a naval power. It was aesthetically pleasing, but durable and warm thanks to the double-breasted nature of the construction, large lapels and vertical pockets. The coat was quickly mimicked and modified slightly according to the amount of wool needed, depending on the region where one was sailing.

8. Bomber Jackets

During World War I most airplanes didn't have enclosed cockpits, so the daring sharpshooters of the sky had to be outfitted with coats suitable of the high-speed and icy climates at altitude. While the Royal Flying Corps - the air arm of the British Army - favored long leather coats, the U.S. Army established the Aviation Clothing Board in September 1917 and began distributing heavy-duty leather flight jackets. They featured high wraparound collars, zipper closures with wind flaps, snug cuffs, and waists, which we now equate with the instantly recognizable bomber. According to Midwest Vintage, "In the early 1930’s, years before WWII, the U.S. Air Corp was issued the A2 Bomber Jacket and it became standard issue in 1931. These jackets were made of seal skin leather and cotton lining. However, as the requirement for these jackets grew, supplying seal skin was considered impractical. The department of war went on to start making the Type A2 Bomber Jacket out of horsehide which at that time was plentiful. The A2 was a waist length leather jacket that featured two front patch pockets, and webbing attached to the bottom of the jacket and at the end of the sleeves to close out the air in addition to shoulder epaulets."

9. The White T-Shirt

The white T-shirt was officially designated as a part of the U.S. Naval uniform in 1913, as a means to both beat the heat in tropical climates and aboard submarines, and to avoid soiling their uniform while doing dirty jobs.

10. Fishtail Parka

The concept of the fishtail parka design was to offer flexible protection during extreme cold weather through the detachability of all parts, with the "fishtail" designed to be tied around the legs for extra insulation. Used by U.S. troops during the Korean War, the M51 (named after the year it was put into mass production) was the result of previous attempts to create the perfect version of the coat during WWII, such as the OD-7 and the M-4. Needing to be warm but not cumbersome due to the wet climate they were encountering, the resulting waterproof nylon and cotton construction certainly did the trick.

Read more on- https://www.heddels.com/2015/01/history-fishtail-parka/

To be continued....

Check out fashion essentials on- https://amzn.to/34Kt5Ia

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crimson-snowfall · 5 years

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Hello ! I absolutely love your headcanons, so when I saw your askbox was open I jumped in. I wanted to Ask a headcanon for the ikevamp suitors (if you can't do all of them I really love Mozart, Napoléon, Vincent and Arthur... But I must admit that if you could do all of them it would be fantastic :)) ) with a MC with an eating disorder ? Because this was not really common during their Time and I Wonder how they would react ? Thank you so much and continue with the good work !)

Hey there sorry for the wait, I tried to do all characters but I’m simply running out of time (there are still 7 requests after this and I might close my ask box once uni starts again), so I did 8 of them… which is 2/3 of them all so I hope that’s fine with you too.

A little disclaimer, this topic kinda scared me at first because gone are the days of the internet where people don’t get offended by literally anything. Anyway MC’s eating disorder here is nothing too extreme, she just eats way too little to the point that the suitors can’t help but worry over how unhealthy it is sometimes.

Ikevamp HC request: Reacting to MC with eating disorder (Napoleon, Leo, Arthur, Vincent, Theo, Isaac, Dazai, Comte)

Napoleon

Napoleon is notably bewildered since he has ruled an empire in a time where famine is still a common occurrence. He asked you if famine occurs as often in the modern world, to which you reply that it doesn’t.

He genuinely wonders what could’ve brought about such condition in a time where food is abundant, so he turns to Sebastian for further enlightenment and advice.

As soon as Napoleon gained a deeper understanding about your condition and how certain standards from the society you came from might’ve had brought it about, he wrote down a list, which includes his favorite dishes, as well as the particularly scrumptious foreign dishes he had tasted in his human life.

Napoleon makes good use of his culinary talent, and uses your curiosity over the variety of dishes you’ve never seen in your life as a motivation to discover more recipes so he can keep on feeding you new things and keep you healthy.

Leo

At some point in his life, Leo was a vegetarian, so he knew what it’s like to have people questioning your choices in food. Thus, it comes naturally that he out of all the residents in the mansion would understand you the most.

However, he acknowledges the fact that you’re eating way too less than you should, so he has found a way to subtly make sure you’re still getting enough nutrients from what little you eat.

Leo has put his genius mind into work by extracting essential nutrients from natural ingredients and somehow converted them into spices. He has discretely asked Sebastian to put them in your meals. The rich taste enhanced your appetite and improved your preference for certain meals.

Arthur

Upon hearing about your condition, Arthur takes it as a challenge to keep you healthy without overstepping your boundaries, and without you realizing that he’s began to give you some special treatment.

Your dates became more often and Arthur has kept a watchful eye on you every time you eat, rigorously taking a mental note on your eating habits and compiling this data so he can better deduce what foods you prefer from the rest.

Once Arthur has completed this period of initial observation, he immediately puts his plan into action. Every other day, Arthur would bring you breakfast in bed, where he would serve you the dishes he figured you like the most.

At first his cooking is average, but as he continued observing you, in several months he managed to perfect the array of meals that gives you a well-balanced diet.

Vincent

Vincent grew very concerned upon learning about your condition and tries to find out more about it. In fact, he’s become so pre-occupied with the thought as to what food you may like that he subconsciously ended up painting a lot of portraits of food.

The food in his paintings looked insanely mouthwatering to you, and you ended up having cravings for those foods. Once Vincent had realized this, he asked Sebastian for the list of dishes that would be served for the next few days, and painted them.

Your appetite has considerably improved in the following days and overtime has gradually approached satisfactory levels of normal food intake. Thankfully, Theo doesn’t seem to mind his brother had developed a habit of painting food every other day.

Theo

One time, you fainted from eating so little, which earned you a severe scolding from Theo. The two of you got into a heated argument, and it is only when you explained to Theo about your condition did he calm down.

Theo apologized to you the next day, but told you that you can’t keep doing that to yourself and he will definitely figure out a way to keep the incident of you fainting from happening again.

Theo doesn’t want to be forceful about it, so he takes it slowly but surely. One day he told you that he believes that “Food becomes more enjoyable when you share it with your loved ones,” and asked you if you would like to eat his pancakes with him.

With his method, you eventually acquired his addiction for pancakes, but Theo knows you need more than pancakes to stay healthy. That’s how Theo began making his own pancakes for you with secret ingredients he researched himself that will provide you with all your other basic nutritional needs.

Isaac

As a vampire with an unusual condition that gives him an extraordinary appetite, Isaac can relate to you one way or another.

Isaac thinks of your condition in a similar way he thinks of his, that you have no control over it and thus you can expect him to be the last person who’s going to tell you that it’s your choice to be like that.

However, Isaac still feels bad for you because on the other hand, he has you to satisfy his hunger. So he thought that the least he could do for you is to give you something in return for always sating his hunger.

It surprised you when Isaac suddenly got into cooking. While the meals he prepares for you certainly does end up tasting strange, you just can’t have enough of his cooking after seeing him put in the effort and the embarrassed expression he makes when he asks if you if it even tastes edible.

Dazai

Dazai listens attentively to you as you explain your condition to him. He looked like his usual whimsical self as he offered you some words of comfort about it.

Unbeknownst to you, Dazai was already coming up with an idea on how he could possibly help you with your condition as you told him about it.

Every now and then, you would find a neatly wrapped box of bento on your bed. Being stuck in 19th century France, you couldn’t help but miss Japanese food so you end up having a feast to yourself every time this happens. Not to mention how ridiculously good the dishes taste.

Dazai skillfully dodges any confrontation about it but that unmistakable genuine smile of contentment you rarely see on his face afterwards confirms your suspicions. You’re curious whether Dazai prepares these dishes himself, but knowing that he goes to such lengths to keep you healthy deeply warms your heart.

Comte

Comte’s expression didn’t show it, but he was a bit horrified to hear about your eating disorder (mainly because he feels like he can’t spoil you that much on your fancy dates with him). The next time the door to the modern time opened, he didn’t return for at least three days.

In the time that he spent in the modern world, Comte got in touch with a team of health and diet experts and sought advice on how to deal with your condition. Of course, he hasn’t told you about this.

The changes were not abrupt, so you didn’t notice how the meals being prepared for you changed in variety and nature overtime, but whatever it is, it was doing a good job of promoting your appetite.

You also noticed new dishes in the menu of the fancy restaurants he often takes you to, which reminds you of the unique assortment of ingredients in the meals you usually have in the mansion.

Next HC request will be up in a few hours or so because I got busy with enrollment yesterday and couldn’t post one for yesterday, thanks for being patient with me~

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slide-studio · 3 years

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SlideStudio Review – Worth It or a Scam?

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utopia-game · 4 years

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Strategy Corner with FFW: Kingdom Setup

Strategy Corner by FFW: Picking Your Kingdom's Setup

Every start of the age, we go into discussions about what is the "best" setup. How do we truly define what the best is? We're joined by Dowla of Hipmunks, Smiles of Warbirds and myself FFW of Merciless in a forum of how to pick your kingdom's setup and be a more successful warring kingdom. We've also got a special guest Peetah who has co-led many kingdoms to numerous crowns over the ages. Let's talk about setups and is it truly important to have a setup? Peetah: Yes, this will help leadership to coordinate efforts to win the war. Running a lot of different races and pers will give leadership a hard time to make builds. Set certain times to “nuke” a prov with ops. Dowla: It is absolutely important to have a setup to achieve anything it is you want to achieve if it requires your kingdom to do well in the game. You can achieve screwing around without a setup. Smiles:Setups are make or break and a lot of things simply won't work well. That being said, all the things that do work, are pretty similar FFW: I think we can all agree that setups are important. All successful kingdoms will have a proper setup but not all kingdoms with a proper setup is successful. So let's go into the finer details of picking a setup. Before we even start talking setup, let's talk strategy. How important is it to think about the win conditions before even deciding what to pick? Peetah:There are different ways to win a war and a setup will make it a lot easier to achieve victory if it’s in line with your idea on win conditions. Par example with a smash setup you want to win at mintime. After that your chances of winning go down. While a setup based on econ can easily go war for a week. Do realize this will be a burden for leadership as well. You need to plan according to what you got available. Smiles: I don't think you have to be super specific about the strategy. A general idea is enough since there are lots of things to think about and some assumptions to make but the early age is pretty consistent FFW: Let's talk about the some assumptions in strategy for the age since you've brought it up Smiles. I normally like to assume that early advantages are the most awful for a successful warring kingdom since you want to be consistent through the age and not just win for the first 3 weeks and suck the next 6. Do you agree with this? For the record, I'm not saying you throw away the early age either. Smiles: For the most part the early strengths can let you steamroll certain things but generally you can assume some early easy wars, leverage your later age bonuses since most early advantages don't scale well but some do. FFW: What about you Dowla? I hear that you have got a unique perspective on this topic. Dowla: We do not pick a setup with a focused effort on selecting a win condition usually. We usually just go for a good setup that works for us.The base line is creating something that the enemy simply cannot control anymore. There are ages where win conditions are very important and there are ages where we want to do well all around. FFW: That's interesting Dowla, so you would rather pick a comfortable setup and then decide strategy on a war to war basis? Dowla: That's how we operate. We agree on a setup start of the age, and a general way of how we'd play it. The dynamic of warring changes every war. We pick what works for us and it's usually something we're comfortable with. Something that wars well. FFW:So would it be fair to say your strategic approach to setup picking is oriented around balance so you won't be too badly matched against anything the server throws at you? Dowla:Yes. That is exactly how we pick our setup. Something that works well and can work against anything. FFW: Let's talk about what worked for us in the past as to give examples What's your most successful strategy that you've run with thus far? Peetah:I think I played with most combos and won crowns with all. I’ve also seen all kind of setups win crowns and even multiple crowns in one age. Most kingdoms develop a style they seem fit and chose a setup accordingly. Smiles, Dowla and FFW can probably give more insight on what makes a certain setup a HM/Merciless/Warbirdies setup. Smiles: comfort strat, 2-4 pure mystic, 4 rogue 4 hybrid mystic synced core with the view of hybrid casters provide ET support and duration coverage of spells your TMs don't want to have to cast. They also work as a buffer where people might hit them instead of pure TM. The outcome is that you end up with more mana, more attackers. Dowla: Tried a few different ones, but what works best for us is hybrid turtles that become UB and then steamroll from there. FFW: I like having a big offensive fist so that core can create space for our TM to work a later war economic advantage and always assume you have to win on a 50% double networth win. Picking the racial and personality choices. What works and what order do you pick in? TMs first or Core first? FFW:I prefer picking core choices first since they are normally the majority in the kingdom, so it helps us to decide what our battering ram will be then decide what type of supporting actors we want to support the core. Peetah: First, you need to find your balance! How much TMs how much hitters and do you need support? Smashing setups want at least 16-18 hitters. Plus do you wanna run hybrids or just pure hitters and pure TMs. Smashing kingdoms want pure TMs as they need to cover all thievery and magic operations. Your hitters you want to build to make sure you can hit enemy TMs bring down the winning condition of your opponent. Going for the econ play you want provs that are able to hold out and sustain their off. While you work on creating land on UBs and slowly convert to hitters. UBs mostly are your TMs. Basically circle back to the strategy you've chosen to play for the age. Dowla:We usually agree on T/M choices rather quick and then keep on deciding on core picks until the last minute. First of all I want to say it's not me personally picking the setup. It's a group of us doing it. Usually the whole LS team decides on it. A few of us make a setup we'd play, then we all comment on each others setup and we work from there. So we incorporate a bit of everything or we create a totally different setup than anybody proposed. For T/Ms there are always a very limited amount of choices that are playable, and by this I mean combos that work the best. While for attackers it's much more complicated. A super heavy attacker can mean more T/Ms, an econ based attacker can mean less, do we want long wars or do we want to zerg rush, it all depends with them. So, we set the T/Ms and they set the dynamic. What kind of attackers we need and then we pick what works for that type of strategy. Or simply we're comfortable with this many T/Ms and this many attackers. That's our go to if we have troubles agreeing on what we want. Smiles: As stated before, in my head the most generic setup is: 4 mystics 4 rogues 2-4 paladin/cleric/PF caster depending on what the age needs. 15 synced core I usually start there ask, is it a heretic age? If heretics, what am I cutting to stay in that 8 Pure TM range FFW: There seems to be a lot of focus on picking the right TMs so let's talk about that next Picking Your Kingdom's TMs. What works? FFW: I see you didn't put much emphasis on heretics Smiles? What's up with that? Smiles: It's fine to have 1 heretic just for access to blizz/fg depending on the age but I don't think they're bad. I just rarely have that 1 tick sync for NM and I in general am not a fan of NM like I used to be. With the exception of high GS+WT+dpa tanks, I don't ever think you NEED NM because it just makes chains go deeper, rarely adds additional chains and rarely allows you to hit TM+Chain as is the classic desire for NM. So really you're trading significant TM mana just to take chains a little deeper. Deep chains don't matter as much anymore anyways. I chain to secure UB, if it doesn't go deep enough, but trims their offense, good enough for me FFW: What about you Dowla, what do you value in picking TMs? Dowla: Most usually it's bonuses in TPA/WPA. We value it over anything else as in the event of a dragged out war it allows us to try raining fire over enemy T/Ms with out own. Or in any war. T/M supremacy is what it's all about. FFW: I can relate to that. I love population bonus on my TMs since it leads to better raw numbers which leads to much better modified numbers to have TM supremacy late age. Smiles:Generally for TMs, all TMs my order of priorities >UB, Defense mostly >T defense >wpa>tpa>eco/offense. Recently, I prefer the safest easiest possible rogues. Since if a rogue every gets chained/massed out, they're basically unrecoverable although wpa and honor recovery isn't possible for the most part. Mystics, I like TOG paired with +1 mana but I am more willing to pick the mystic I expect to be strongest at its peak FFW: Before we close, what's the single most important advice we can give to aspiring war kingdoms out there? You go first Smiles Smiles: Pick a kingdom you admire or setup you think is strong and just copy. Add a small spin for what you like and don't be original. When Warbirds formed and we were ready to run a top tier setup for the first time, we essentially straight copied Hipmunks from the age before as we had warred them twice, lost twice. FFW: Dowla will be pretty happy to know Hipmunks inspired Warbirds to an extent. Let's hear from him next. Dowla: If you're unsure on how to play it and what exact setup to pick then pick something simple. Start with something simple as two types of T/Ms with 3-4 of each, 3-4 clerics and pick the rest as heavy attackers or ditch the clerics and everything else can go into attackers. Keep it simple until you start feeling comfortable with changing it and doing things a different way, a way that suits you. Do know that every single one of the best warring kingdoms has a usual way they pick setups and each one of those setups works for them because they've gotten good at playing with those setups. FFW: Be bold and brave. Don't hesitate to experiment with choices since all the best strategies and setups have been called retarded or silly once upon a time. Your new idea could be the next top strategy but be sure your entire kingdom is on board with it. Consensus is important. Editorial Section: Wrapping up this session, it is clear that there's no one best approach in picking your Kingdom's setup and strategy. What is truly important is that you choose a strategy that works for you and remember that mastery over a particular strategy would cement your place as a top warring kingdom. When it comes to the finer details of picking your race and personality choices, pick a combination that is most comfortable for what you want it to do. The key important takeaway is the concept of objectives and whatever combination you pick should conform with the objectives of your kingdom. PS: Dowla volunteers to help people struggling with choices if you PM his retired ass on discord since he inspired Warbirds. Link to his interview on his honor crown achievement below

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danielmanlangit · 4 years

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PORTFOLIO IN EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGY

CHAPTER 1 LESSON 1: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY - Is a branch of engineering that involves the conception, design, manufacture, and operation of robots. This field overlaps with electronics, computer science, artificial intelligence, mehcatronics, nanotechonology and bioengineering. CONTENT STANDARD

- The learners demonstrate an understanding of ICT in the context of global communication for specific professional track.

Performance Standards

- The learners shall be able to: at the end of the 2-week period independently compose an insightful reflection paper on the nature of ICT in the context of their lives, society, and professional tracks (Arts, Tech Vocational, Sports and Academic)

Most essential learning competencies

The learners should be able to:

1. Compare and contrast the nuances of varied online platforms, sites, and content to best achieve specific class objectives or address situational challenges.

2. Apply online safety, security, ethics, and etiquette standards and practice in the use of ICTs as it would relate to their professional tracks. 3. Use the internet as a tool for credible research and information gathering to best achieve specific class objectives or address situational.

1.1 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

- ICT is the technology required for information processing, in particular, the use of the electronic computers, communication devices and software applications to convert, store, protect, process, transmit and retrieve information from anywhere, anytime.

- Information refers to the knowledge obtained from reading, investigation, study or research. The tools to transmit information are the telephone, television and radio. Information is knowledge and helps us to fulfill our daily tasks. - Communication is an act of transmitting messages. It is a process whereby information was exchanged between individuals using symbols, signs or verbal interactions. Communication is important in order to gain knowledge. Technology is the use of scientific knowledge, experience and resources to create processes products that fulfill human needs. Technology is vital in communication.

- ICT nowadays has also widened the horizon in developing new tools or emerging technologies. Mobile devices can communicate through wireless fidelity (Wifi), Bluetooth, third generation 3g & 4g, data services and dial up services and virtual private networks. EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

- Artificial Intelligence (AI) - is the ability of a digital computer or computer controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings. The term is frequently applied to the project of developing systems endowed with the intellectual processes characteristics of humans, such as the ability to reason, discover meaning, generalize or learn from past experience. ROBOTICS

- Is a branch of engineering that involves the conception, design, manufacture, and operation of robots. This field overlaps with electronics, computer science, artificial intelligence, mehcatronics, nanotechonology and bioengineering. BIOMETRICS

- Are a way to measure a person’s physical characteristics to verify their identity. These can include physiological traits, such as fingerprints and eyes, or behavioral characteristics, such as the unique way you’d complete a security-authentication puzzle. QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY

- Also called quantum encryption, applies principles of quantum mechanics to encrypt messages in a way that it is never read by anyone outside of the intended recipient. COMPUTER ASSISTED TRANSLATION

- Involves the use of software programs to translate both verbal and written texts. Also known as machine-assisted or machine aided translation. 3D IMAGING AND HOLOGRAPHY

- Is defined as a 3D projection that exists freely in space and is visible to everyone without the need for 3D glasses. VIRTUAL REALITY

- Refers to the computer generated simulation in which a person can interact within an artificial 3D environment using special electronic devices that can be similar to or completely different from the real world. ONLINE SAFETY

- Is the knowledge of maximizing the user’s personal safety and security and risk to private information, and self-protection from computer crime in general. 1. Know the scams - Learn about different kinds of scams and what you can do to avoid them.

2. Think before you click - Think twice, thrice and zillion time before click any link or buttons.

3. Safety Peruse - These sites may have an Address that’s very similar to a legitimate site, but the page can have misspelling, Bad Grammar, or low resolution Images.

4. Shop Safety - Don’t shop on a site unless it has “https” and a padlock icon on the left or right in the URL.

5. Kick-butt passwords - Use an Extremely uncrackable password One like “9&4thkel965#”.

6. Protect your info’s - Keep your guard up, Back up all your data on your computer, smartphone and tablet, theft or a cash.

7. Watch your Wi-Fi Connectivity - Protect your network by changing your router’s setting and making sure that you have the connection password protected.

8. Install a Firewall - A firewall is a grate line of defense against cyber attracts.

9. Keep up to date - The best security updates automatically to protect your computer. - Use the manufacturer’s latest security patches to make regular updates and make that you have the software set to do routine scam.

10. Use your Noggin - Use your common sense while surfing the web.

COMMON ISSUES AND CRIMES IN THE INTERNET - CYBERBULLYING - HACKING - IDENTITY THEFT - PLAGIARISM - COPYRIGHT ISSUES CYBERBULLYING - Is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and Cyber Harassment are also known as online bullying. - Cyberbullying is when someone, typically teens, bully or harass others on the internet, particularly on social media sites. Harmful bullying behavior can include posting rumors, threats, sexual remarks, a victims’ personal information, or pejorative labels. THE ANTI-BULLYING ACT OF 2013 ( RA 10627 )

(Sec. 2, RA 10627) These acts are collectively “called cyber bullying” when committed online. (Sec. 2-D, RA 10627) This covers social bullying aiming to belittle another individual or group or gender-based bullying that humiliates another on the basis of perceived or actual sexual orientation and gender identity. (Sec. 3, B-1 RA 10627. Implementing Rules). THE REVISED PENAL CODE AND THE CYBERCRIME PREVENTION ACT. - One who publicly or maliciously imputes to another a crime, vice, defect, real or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status or circumstance tending to cause the dishonor, discredit or contempt of a natural or juridical person, or blacken the memory of one who is dead may be liable for libel under this Code. (Art, 353, RPC) These acts are more severely punished when done online in addition to the civil action for damages which may be brought by the offended party. (Sec. 4(c-4), RA 10175) Cyberlibel holds liable only the original author of the post (Sec. 5(3), Implementing Rules of RA 10175) Likers or shares of a post cannot be held liable under this law. - Slander may also be applicable to one who, in heat of anger, utters statements that are highly defamatory in character. (Art 358, RPC) Intriguing Against Honour may also find applicability when the principal purpose is to blemish the honour or reputation of a person. Hence, a blind ite is not as actionable as a named-post in social media. HACKING

- Hacking generally refers to unauthorized intrusion into a computer or a network. The person engaged in hacking activities is known as a hacker. This hacker may alter system or security features to accomplish a goal that differs from the original purpose of the system. - Hacking can also refer to non-malicious activities, usually involving unusual or improvised alterations to equipment or processes.

IDENTITY THEFT

- Also known as identity fraud, is a crime in which an imposter obtains key pieces of personally identifiable information, such as Social Security or driver's license numbers, in order to impersonate someone else. TYPES AND EXAMPLES OF IDENTITY THEFT 1. True-name identity theft means the thief uses personal information to open new accounts. The thief might open a new credit card account, establish cellular phone service or open a new checking account in order to obtain blank checks. 2. Account-takeover identity theft means the imposter uses personal information to gain access to the person's existing accounts. PLAGIARISM

- Is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward. The following are considered plagiarism - turning in someone else's work as your own - copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit - failing to put a quotation in quotation marks - giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation - changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit - copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules) Republic Act No. 8293 [An Act Prescribing the Intellectual Property Code and Establishing the Intellectual Property Office, Providing for Its Powers and Functions, and for Other Purposes]otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. Intellectual property rights under the I. P. Code: The intellectual property rights under the Intellectual Property Code are as follows: 1. Copyright and related rights; 2. Trademarks and service marks; 3. Geographic indications; 4. Industrial designs; 5. Patents; 6. Layout designs [topographies] of integrated circuits; and 7. Protection of undisclosed information. The scheme of penalties for infringement has also been changed. From the previous fine of Php200 to Php2,000 and/or imprisonment of 1 year, the current range of penalties are as follows: - For first offenders - fine of PhP50,000 to PhP150,000 and/or imprisonment of 1 to 3 years - For second offenders - fine of PhP150,000 to PhP500,000 and/or imprisonment of 3 to 6 years - For third and subsequent offenders - fine of PhP500,000 to PhP1.5 Million and/or imprisonment of 6 to 9 years. - In case of insolvency, the offender shall furthermore suffer subsidiary imprisonment. NETIQUETTE - Is a combination of the word net and etiquette.It focuses on the acceptable behavior of a person while using the internet resource. - It focuses on the acceptable behavior of a person while using the internet resource. The Core Rules of Netiquette Rule 1. Remember the human. - Never forget that the person reading your mail or posting is, indeed, a person, with feelings that can be hurt. - Corollary 1 to Rule #1: It's not nice to hurt other people's feelings. - Corollary 2: Never mail or post anything you wouldn't say to your reader's face. - Corollary 3: Notify your readers when flaming. Rule 2. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life. Corollary 1: Be Ethical Corollary Corollary 2: Breaking the law is bad Netiquette. Rule 3. Know where you are in cyberspace. Corollary 1: Netiquette varies from domain to domain. Corollary 2: Lurk before you leap. Rule 4. Respect other people's time and bandwidth. Corollary 1: It's OK to think that what you're doing at the moment is the most important thing in the universe, but don't expect anyone else to agree with you Corollary 2: Post messages to the appropriate discussion group.Corollary 3: Try not to ask stupid questions on discussion groups Corollary 4: Read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document Corollary 5: When appropriate, use private email instead of posting to the group Corollary 6: Don't post subscribe, unsubscribe, or FAQ requests Corollary 7: Don't waste expert readers' time by posting basic information Corollary 8: If you disagree with the premise of a discussion group, don't waste the time and bandwidth of the members by telling them how stupid they are.Just stay away Corollary 9: Conserve bandwidth when you retrieve information from a host or server. Rule 5. Make yourself look good online. Corollary 1: Check grammar and spelling before you post Corollary 2: Know what you're talking about and make sense Corollary 3: Don't post flame-bait Rule 6. Share expert knowledge. Corollary 1: Offer answers and help to people who ask questions on discussion groups Corollary 2: If you've received email answers to a posted question, summarize them and post the summary to the discussion group. Rule 7. Help keep flame wars under control. Corollary 1: Don't respond to flame-bait Corollary 2: Don't post spelling or grammar flames Corollary 3: If you've posted flame-bait or perpetuated a flame war, apologize Rule 8. Respect other people's privacy. - Don't read other people's private email. Rule 9. Don't abuse your power. - The more power you have, the more important it is that you use it well Rule 10. Be forgiving of other people's mistakes. CONTEXTUALIZED ONLINE SEARCH AND RESEARCH SKILLS

- Online search is the process of interactively searching for and retrieving requested information via a computer from databases that are online. Interactive searches became possible in the 1980s with the advent of faster databases and smart terminals. Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages: - Ability to obtain a large sample, which increases statistical power - Data is automatically coded so no data entry errors - Reduced cost of conducting research Disadvantages: Online is not totally secure and theft is one of the numerous danger it poses, researchers personal information is at risk of being access by rogue persons. - Some of the materials on the internet have not been evaluated by experts or thoroughly screened - Lack of accreditation and low quality

RESEARCH SKILLS “Research” sometimes just means finding out information about a topic.You can certainly develop advanced information retrieval skills in Working with Sources. However, in specific understandings of “research” carry a lot of weight. The classic definition is that “research” leads to an original contribution to knowledge in a particular field of inquiry by defining an important question or problem and then answering or solving it in a systematic way. - So you will need to read on to develop a relevant understanding of what research means in your subject. - Research skills can be anything from looking at competitors and seeing what they do well to producing a written report on how your department could work better. Doing research in the world of work is all about stepping back from your day-to-day work and looking at ways you can improve. Important aspects of research: - Research design covers the key issues in developing a successful research project. - Research methods takes you to resources on essential techniques for carrying out convincing research. - Working with data will provide resources on the use of statistics and other numerical skills in research. Improving Your Research Skills Online 1. Know your sources. Make sure to find the most reliable information which can be found in multiple sources or, better, to have the original source. 2. Use your web browser properly. Know the capabilities of your preferred browser to help make your search faster and easier. 3. Organize your bookmarks. It is to organize the links you have marked. 4. Learn to use advanced search engines. Practice using advanced search techniques which are available in Google. 5. Follow the web. Follow the web information in the web. Just make sure to read and be critical in every link you click. SIX STRATEGIES THAT CAN HELP ONLINE STUDENTS PRODUCE STRONGER RESEARCH. 1. Contact a librarian before getting stuck sifting through piles of online information. 2. Consider that when in doubt, it's wiser to over-cite sources than risk plagiarism. 3. Use Google and other reliable resources at the beginning of a research process, not the end. 4. Don't think that the Web is your only source of information. 5. Understand the professor's expectations for citation format. 6. Understand why professors still assign research projects. Some examples of research skills that you may have include: 1. Report writing. 2. Analyzing lots of information from different sources. 3. Finding information off the internet. 4. Critical thinking. CHAPTER 2 APPLIED PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS Productivity Tools - It is a tools that can be a freeware or shareware. Freeware - is copyrighted, which can be used for free and for an unlimited time. Shareware - is a commercial software that is copyrighted, which can be copied for trial but needs to be purchased for continued use. Advanced Techniques Using Microsoft Word Microsoft Office Word

- One of the software of Microsoft Office 2013 suite. - Offers a set of tools that is compared to its previous versions. - Along with its new features are advanced techniques including hyperlinks, macros and mail merge. Hyperlink

- A link that will direct you to another page or part of the same document. Creating a Hyperlink to an Existing Document - Suppose you are to link a part of your document to an existing document. - Click your mouse on the location in the document where you want to insert the hyperlink. - On the Insert Tab, click the Hyperlink button on the Links group. - On the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, click Existing File or Web Page and then select the File name where the source file is located and then hyperlink will be created on your document. - Press Ctrl+ click on the Hyperlink to open the linked file. Mail Merge

- Is a useful tool that allows you to quickly produce and send information, newsletter, resumes, or brochures to many people. Creating a Mail Merge 1. Open the word document that you want to Mail Merge. 2. On the Ribbon, click the Mailings tab, go to the Start Mail Merge group and click Start Mail Merge and select Step by Step Mail Merge Wizard. 3. The task pane will show the Mail Merge steps 1 to 6. PowerPoint

- It allows you to create slide show presentations wherein you can format the texts and images, adding also animations and other multimedia components interactively. Excel

- One of the applications created by Microsoft, used to simulate a paper worksheet.

- It is composed of cells that are represented in rows and columns design to perform basic arithmetic operations. - Widely used in accounting and financial applications, as well as statistics and engineering calculations. The following are the common Excel Functions: = SUM – Calculates the sum of the values of a range of cells = AVERAGE – Calculates the arithmetic mean of a range of cells = MAX - Gives the maximum value in a range of cells = MIN - Gives the minimum value in a range of cells = COUNT - Counts the number of cells in a range of cells BENIFITS OF ONLINE SOFTWARE Convenience - The applications should be intuitive and easy to use to ensure everyone can use them without spending a lot of time learning how. Scalability - The applications should be able to be used in all areas of your business and also work effectively no matter how much demand there is to use them or how much your business grows. Safety - All the applications should be safe to use with all existing systems and should have the ability to fully integrate with all other software and not inhibit the workers ability to do their job. Sustainability - All consumer-based software should be flexible and adaptable to have the ability to last for up to 10 years, but they must be able to expand functionally with other developments in software and operating systems. PRINCIPLES OF GRAPHICS AND DESIGN BALANCE UNITY MOVEMENT REPITITION PROXIMITY CONTRAST WHITESPACE BALANCE

- Describes the placement of elements of equal weight on the page. MOVEMENT

- Describes the flow of elements on the page.

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professor-vanad · 4 years

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Well, for specific reasons, a lot of it is that since the sanctuary got upgraded, we just have more resources to do stuff in general.

But it's also since we're in a very rural farming location in jhoto, lot of the pokemon here cant get particularly specialized attention locally, and old dude, welll....

Honestly it doesn't seem fair that a kind of pokemon that are usually supposed to be functionally immortal if cared for properly, is probably going to die of old age by the time they're 30, mid 30s if they're lucky.

So if there's any reasonable fixes to improve that life span, or any quality of life improvements in general that can be done before then, it's best to explore those opportunities now.

Or barring that, it's still worthwhile to make sure some in depth records are made of him for the public to be able to have some added insight on the process and history for how porygon were originally made while the old guy's still fit enough to travel around.

As for food and care I'll make you a more in depth guide soon, but just in case, you should make sure you can get some chansey eggs, since I know they can get pretty pricey in general, and might be especially hard to find in some regions.

And if its the case for you, just make sure to save the receipt. Old dudes chansey eggs are covered under our funding as a unique dietary supplement, and if you send me a receipt I can forward it, and the jhoto government types will refund you the money.

I started him on those things when I saw a theory that unfertilized chansey eggs (once converted to energy similarly to how a pokeball normally works????) were used as one of the primary raw materials for giving porygon physical forms and normal functions like being able to eat or reproduce in the wild.

Which piqued my interest, since it would make sense to have extra steps like that involved, or else every 12 year old and their grandma would be making their own versions of porygon in their computers.

But you can't trust everything you read on the internet, so I asked the employees at the local pokemon center if it was a good idea to feed them that, and they said chansey eggs were an "eggcellent" (yes, they did include the pun) option for elderly pokemon, so I basically shrugged and swapped him from his old food to eggs as his main meal, and he improved a whole bunch with like energy and being able to remember things, so I've kept him with the eggs as his main food source since.

I've seen some say that porygon dont actually need to eat though? But I dont know how much I can trust that, since old guy eats 3 times a day and doesn't go into computers, so I guess can't "eat electricity?" Or however that works? So I'd just stick with his schedule since it seems to work for him.

One egg should be enough for a weekend, but I'd get 2 just in case they need to stay longer.

Just scramble it, cook it, and split it up into 4 peices for one serving in the morning and one in the evening for porygon. Along with any sweet berry, some leafy greens, or regular pokemon kibble to go along with it, or for their lunch when they dont have the eggs.

As for dunsparse, they'll eat literally anything, but they're gonna be "on vacation" so just give them a serving of whatever it is you're eating so they can feel fancy and accomplished. Especially if its something spicy or with noodles or both.

But really they're just going to want some of whatever it is you're having, and I've yet to see them not be able to stomach something, so I'd say just roll with it and let them follow their usual "vacation at the neighbors farm/the school/parents house in alola" protocol and give them a little bowl of whatever you're having.

Old guy's only going to want to eat what your having though if its pink or they can recognize it as candy or ice cream. So you might want to get some small, pink, safe for pokemon candy for treats/bribes just in case.

Keep in mind they're both mini pokemon so they'll probably eat less food than you're expecting. Neither of them overeat though, so you can err on feeding them too much instead of too little since they'll stop when they're done.

Ok that was more than a bit of info on how to look after them, but I'll still give some more info soon.

Main thing is to get the chansey eggs before the visit since neither of them have any particular medications or anything.

Thanks for getting back to me! All that info on diet is very useful, thank you! I have made a note of it so please send on whatever additional info is necessary in your own time.

I’ve been thinking over your Porygon’s condition a lot since we last spoke. I’m curious, have you been in contact with Silph Co. at all? If not, I’m happy to do so on your behalf. At the very least, they are the best place to start looking for some more information on previous iterations of Porygon.

Now, while there’s not many assertions I can make without seeing the Old Man myself, I am... entertaining the possibility that, considering the likelihood that he is a beta version of Porygon rather than simply an older model, fixing the life-span issue may necessitate a ground up re-building of a lot of his core programming. I can’t say for sure what effect that will have on his personality and memory. This is not a guarantee or even a necessity, it’s just think you should be prepared to think about the possibility. He’s an exceptional case.

Regardless of any of that, it is definitely worthwhile to make a record of him. It would undoubtedly aid in our knowledge of how Porygon work. That theory about Chansey eggs is one I’ve hearing in passing too but if there’s evidence that they can improve Porygon quality of life, I would be very interested in knowing more about it.

#mumblingabomination #professor-vanad #porygon

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drumpfwatch · 6 years

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How to Convert Someone into a Conspiracy Theorist

Today I decided I’d take a break from specific ragging on Trump to talk about the cult of personality surrounding him - or, more specifically, cults in general.

Now let me be positively clear from the get go - I am aware that anti-science rhetoric and cult thinking provides both sides of the political spectrum. Anti-vaxxers tend to be leftists, for instance, and conspiranoia about the involvement of the government and/or large corporations in any given tragedy is pervasive. I used to be 9/11 Truther, and I have always been a liberal. So this isn’t targeting any particular political belief. This article - and myself, frankly - are interested in how smart people get pulled in by stupid things.

So I thought for a while about which one conspiracy to use as an example, and after much wringing of hands and internal arguing I decided I’m just going to pick “The Moon Landing was a Hoax” people as my example. Because that one is fairly apolitical and the only people who are going to get mad at me for that one are moon hoaxers.

Yeah, sorry guys. You’re wrong, and everyone who isn’t you is laughing at how stupid you are. We’ll get to why sooner or later, but for now let’s talk about how you got there.

But see, that’s the thing. You’re not stupid. Not statistically speaking, anyway. I’m sure there are legit crazy and stupid people in your community - there are in every community - but statistically, you’re an average everyday ordinary human with hopes, dreams, a job, and some common sense. But here you are, believing stupid things. How did you end up there?

It all starts with what I like to call “logic bait.” See, the thing about reality is that it’s often more complicated then common sense would lead you to believe. An indoctrinator will often dangle one of these logic baits in front of you, telling you “isn’t it suspicious that this is what it’s like?”, without mentioning that if it were that simple people at, say, NASA would have to be morons.

A perfect example of this is lunar regolith. One of the first things a moan hoaxer will tell you is “Isn’t it strange that the foot prints make these perfect shapes on the moon? Those shapes only happen in wet sand, and there’s no moisture on the moon so the moon dust can’t be wet! Those famous boot print pictures are a hoax!” At first that almost sounds convincing. Ignoring the fact that special effect artists and space scientists would have to be idiots to overlook something like that if they were trying to hoax people, why do those boot prints appear so pristine?

Well, the reason is that moon dust ain’t like earth sand. Moon dust - called regolith - doesn’t have any moisture to make it stick together, but there’s another thing the moon doesn’t have, and that’s erosion. Without an atmosphere, there’s no wind, and without wind, the hardened and sharp pieces of rock that end up on the surface from meteor impacts and moon quakes never get eroded down into fine points. What that means is instead of being a fine round rock, regolith is basically made of tiny sharpened spikes. This was actually a huge problem for the Apollo astronauts, the regolith kept getting in their space suit joints and restricting their movement and was almost impossible to get out. But this also means that unlike sand, which has little friction and will just roll around because it’s more or less circular, regolith has sharp edges and thus, a high friction. When you step foot on the moon, you’re basically basically shoving all these pieces together and hold that way because there’s no wind to blow them away, and their edges get caught against one another.

That’s the bait. And if you buy it, you get hooked. What follows is what I call “the reel”. You ever wonder why conspiracy theorists love to produce and distribute documentaries? They then drop a bunch of facts at you, one after the other, without explanation, and keep on doing it without interruption.

See the thing about “logic bait” is that it can be any number of logical sounding arguments. The moon is too hot in the day, and too cold in the night for humans to reasonably survive (the astronauts always landed on parts of the moon that were in dawn/twilight hours). There are belts of radiation that if a human were to pass through, would outright kill them (these belts are mobile and don’t encompass the entire Earth, and thus can be easily accounted for). The shadows shown in the pictures don’t make any sense (regolith is also highly reflective and causes reverse lighting - things that should be in shadows aren’t). There are no stars in the background of the pictures of the moon, and there’s no atmosphere so there should always be (this has to do with exposure levels - if you exposed it enough so you could see the stars, you’d not be able to see the things going on on the moon at all.) It doesn’t matter, any one of these could be used to hook you into their talk, but the rest are used as further evidence. Throw one on top of the other, and suddenly the case becomes convincing. Throw those one after the other without anyone to rebut it, and people can be convinced. From there, you end up on the ship with everyone else. And it’s there where the real indoctrination begins.

There could be another separate post entirely about the cult techniques used to draw people into these conclaves of people, but that’s a different topic. I’m interested in the fishing for conspiracy theorists. Needless to say, however, the techniques are similar. Once you’re on the ship, you’re encouraged only to associate with people who believe the moon landings never happened, to ingratiate your denial into your identity, and all those other wonderful, funderful things that cults do. But there’s another thing that happens unique to conspiracies.

If everyone basally accepts that the moon landing never happened, then you don’t even need to think about the obvious stuff. There’s a reason the first argument for the moon landing hoax is never the one about the “flag that still waves without their being wind”, it’s obvious to anyone with even a modicum of skepticism that it’s only moving because someone just touched it, and that it’s just taking a little longer to slow down because there’s no friction, but by the time someone’s on the ship they’re not thinking like that. To them, the moon landing obviously never happened, and any evidence to suggest it didn’t is just accepted at face value by most people. It’s another log on a burning fire.

But it doesn’t stop there. Often, after conspiracy theorists finish giving their pitch, they’ll pretend to ask themselves the question “if this happened, why doesn’t everyone know about it?” and that leads to the actual conspiracy. “They” are covering it up! “They” don’t want you to know about it! Why? Who the fuck cares, I’ve only ever heard that question answered once with an answer that wasn’t “because they think we’re dumb sheeple who need to be controlled” or whatever, and with an answer so absurd that a minute of thinking about it would reveal it’s folly.

This is a protective armor of sorts for the mind. If a cultist sees a person writing, say, a blog post online against Moon Hoaxers, they’re conditioned to believe that I’ve been deceived by this conspiracy. And when they see an actual scientist with actual credentials who actually knows what they’re talking about talk about it, they’re in on it! They can’t be trusted, they’re evil! Every one of them has a reason to lie to you, and apparently none of them have even the slightest modicum of morals to step forward and call their comrades out. Either way, they can’t be listened to.

Next, they believe that each and every piece of evidence invalidates the Moon Landings, so you have to refute every. Single. One of them. This is standard fare for dogmatic beliefs. You try and jump through a hoop, they pull it back. You manage to make it through anyway, they set up another one, and they keep doing this until you get tired - or they run out of hoops. But they probably won’t, because each and every one of those little reel lines and baits from earlier is a hoop, along with every single other stupid thing they thought of, and every aspect of it.

You throw that into the indoctrinated mindset, and the human desire to never admit they’re wrong and what you end up with is a conspiracy theorist, and some of them are just in too deep. Some do this as a job, it’s how they make their money and they will never give up. Others are just physically incapable of changing their mind, either because of strict indoctrination or stubbornness. Some can be helped. But that’s not what this article is about.

No, the conclusion here is that ignorance is not a crime. Your everyday average Jane Doe doesn’t need to know how regolith functions to go about their daily lives, they don’t need to know about the Van Allen radiation belts, just like how I don’t need to know the proper legal protocol and methodology for the operation of a crane. I am many things, but a construction worker is not one of them.

You’re not stupid if you’ve been tricked into believing a conspiracy, be it the Flat Earth, the Moon Hoax, Trutherism, or that Trump is a good president. But you are ignorant, and you need to be willing and able to look at the matter objectively. There’s nothing wrong with not knowing, especially when a very charismatic person is the one delivering the information, but you must choose.

#Wednesday Essays #by Phoenix

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hayumapa-blog · 5 years

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What You Don't Know About India Could Be Costing to More Than You Think

https://pl.ivisa.com/india-medical-visa-application

India is believed to welcome about 2 million patients annually from all around the world. It was awesome, definitely interesting at times, but a real treat nonetheless. It is one of the most religiously diverse nations across the globe. The Advantages of India

There aren't any hotels in Matho. There are many tour operators working in quite a few cities and about the tourist spots of the nation. There are several beautiful places which ought to be included in Srinagar tourism.

You can also pick a North Indian tour package in line with the sort of experience you desire. The truth is it went in tandem by it. Indian surrogacy for worldwide parents appear to end since it's a little difficult to assume in what way the laws will presume. Why Almost Everything You've Learned About India Is Wrong

With Times of India as the perfect option, you also will need to pick the perfect ad agency. In the event the foreign national is already in the USA in a unique non-immigrant category then they can alter the status. Indian hospitals are currently competing with different hospitals around the world. Type of India

Bangkok that is the capital city of Thailand delivers an exemplary fun time to the people. If you are a person who wishes to delight in the exotic elegance of India, booking a North India tour package is a great idea. The Bahu fort built about 300 decades back offers a temple that is devoted to deity Kali.

Recently, many company and networking events in Kolkata are occurring, including prominent small business heads across various sectors functioning within the nation. Businesses are realizing the advantages of mobilizing the workforce, and that means you can do the job remotely instead of visiting an office far away from your residence. After the impetus to social change isn't indigenous it cannot be thought to have any lasting effect. India and India - The Perfect Combination

The service also provides a credit card that's connected to the creditline which may be used for converting purchases into EMIs. You will need a mix of USD cash and some form of bank or travel card. There are accommodation facilities out there for all category of people and one can pick the hotel that they think to be suiting their budget and the services which they would like to avail. Top India Secrets

India have a special convergence of several religions and culture. The recent projects of the society also demonstrate they continue to be committed on their motto. In the whole period of 15 days, you might have a fantastic experience whether in the conditions of monuments, food or festivals.

Indian sweets are loved throughout the globe because of varieties and divine taste. You are going to be taken on a houseboat. Delhi is an excellent place to explore with your buddies and family members. Ok, I Think I Understand India, Now Tell Me About India!

The procedure doesn't end here. The following suggestions will help you to look for the ideal oncologist in India with minimal frustration. One-tenth of the price of health treatment in the usa or the UK is the start of treatment costs in India.

Our involvement with just the very best medical practitioners in India ensures that you will receive the finest medical treatment for virtually any condition. Especially for international patients, it is the best place to have lumbar spine treatment. Start looking for the board certification When you're hunting for the ideal cancer doctor in India, it's a must to hunt for the board certification.

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yourhealthmattersblog · 2 years

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The writer has actually thought

an urban cultivation frenzy is just a "progressive manga" in my point of view that in each area, you learn extra regarding the struggles every one of the figures are experiencing at attempting to conquer their constraints Although The tale progess may seem sluggish. With each 2nd, the piece be a lot more attractive and suspenseful through this. ^ ^ split and Your main numbers are battling to try their refuge and also comprehend this is of slipping in-love for the time. With every area and also each I study, I'm as though my heart touches in sort of experience that is "tingly". A fourteen-year old lady passionate to prom on her very first demand. The pureness story makes the entire manga just a superb and also wonderful research, occasionally really telling you of one's prior love experiences, the issue of confessions, the eye-contact situations that were unpleasant, and also sometimes also the after-effects of the long-planned day. I recommend that you begin looking for an urban cultivation frenzy now.

Art:

I would love to just mention that Morishita- Sensei comprehends simply exactly how to attract manga characters that are kawaii. Suiren, who's identified within the story like an all-natural splendor, is brought in to appear so charming that you merely wan na get her in the website and hug her within your rest!What's additionally special regarding that manga's art might be the degree of psychological meaning the writer has actually thought about. Your main heroine could barely glide out a phrase in a section, nonetheless the mangaka is completely reliable at having her site visitors comprehend her sensations simply by just how entirely she may convert feeling and love of getting it without power.

Personality: Adorable. So charming. As well Cuteeeee!! After path of the shaman utilizing the -the- harem story-line, crybaby protaganist, or perhaps the closest pal that is typical/ man close by pie, it's promoting to establish anything fresh to obtain an adjustment.

Another point I would certainly choose to notice, would be the side people. We've Aya- Suiren's closest close friend since kindergarden. Promoting Suiren's updating towards her concerns in addition to carrying out like an assistance program, Aya chan can be several of those individuals who you just want to reveal every one of your techniques with. Her -chan, one more friend of Suiren, create numerous situations to have Kawasumi and also Suiren to fulfill ... often their embarrassments under both.

Next we've Kawasumi closest close friend, Ryosuke, that's head-over cures for Suiren. He provides a sort of amusing outcome for that manga, being in addition to being COMPLETELY not aware in whatever he is ignorant in the direction of the truth of the connection between Kawasumi and also Suiren!!!

Then we've Kotaru, Suiren primary love rival. Unlike several and even all shojos, Kataru isn't your bad villain. (that are possibly being identified by 1.) their fake appearances and also effective character 2. Being a whole 3. extremely frustrating 4. all of the above stated)Number, conversely Kotaru is merely so affordable. By attempting to damage her condition in the area of messing Suiren's odds with Kawasumi, Kotaru battles on her OWN elements, trying to create Kawasumi regard/drop with her in deep love in the place of based upon somebody's catastrophe to satisfy her purpose. Thoguh you will discover celebrations where Suiren efforts, I simply truly think that it's area of her "examination" to try and understand Suiren/'s experience for Kawasumi, not or if they are actual.

Which's all, individuals! If you're otaku and reading manga online everyday, don't miss this manga!! Hope to see you heart-beating with this unique as well as cutest romance!! Please visit https://findmangaonlinenow.wixsite.com/themangablog/post/gk86ryea4hmvp4w228hk1650453484 if you like to know more related details

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syzygyzip · 6 years

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Wolf Dreams a Video Game

This essay can be read on its own, though it is a continuation of another essay titled “A Matter of Some Ceremony”. Together these essays explore the psychological symbolism of Farron Keep and the creation myth of Dark Souls.

Taking the swamp as a liminal space, a threshold of unconsciousness, with the potential to infect. We know it is a threshold from its many doors, and its proximity to the Abyss. We know it is infectious from its adhesiveness and toxin. We’ve also seen that as Ghrus are more “removed” from the swamp, the higher up they go, the more technology and civility they seem to possess. So what’s the highest point available? A tall tower -- in actuality a support column of a former bridge to Lothric Castle. The tower’s only room contains the Old Wolf of Farron, who rules the Watch Dogs of Farron covenant. To reiterate, this covenant represents a truer retention of the same foundational principles from which the Abyss Watchers have diverged. So the covenant here represents the “heart” of the environment’s teaching. And indeed, getting to this point is plainly helpful for dealing with the initiation ordeal: if one gets some distance from the matter, “removing” oneself from the swamp of sorrow, and taking on an unattached, bird’s eye perspective, one can easily see where the three flames of initiation flicker from. This detachment from the senses, engendering their easier discernment and extinguishment, is probably reflective of the wolf’s inner state, seeing as it has given itself over to stillness.

The wolf has become like petrified wood. She has given so much of her blood to all her Artorian devotees. Everything that takes place on the floor above is her dream, which is the key to the rites of initiation.

What does the dream contain? It takes place on a ruinous segment of castle wall overlooking an endless ocean at twilight (more imagery suggesting the edge of consciousness). The first sight hereupon is a huge deteriorating stone monster walking in a circle. It is a Stray Demon in whom the fire has gone out entirely. On either side of the segment, we see lowered and locked gates, signifying a blockage. With a little resourcefulness and surefooting, we can walk a small ledge around one of these blockages. On the other side of the gate there are a number of sleeping soldiers, and at the end of the wall, a similarly incapacitated drake. Near the drake are two items: the lightning bolt and the dragoncrest shield, both invaluable for conquering dragons. At the blocked gate there is a pilgrim. If the bridge were not mostly demolished, he would reach Lothric, the seat of destiny. This is an important bit of context. The game informs us elsewhere that the entire world is folding toward Lothric; it is there that they are preparing a host capable of linking the fire. The full meaning and function of Lothric is another subject, and a very dense one, but for the purposes of this essay it’s necessary to establish the fundamental symbolism: that Lothric is the setting of some soon-arriving moment of revelation; it is an event which can be variously termed but is most succinctly described as the emergence of the Self.

So, as in any dream, first we are presented with the problem. We see the transcendent moment in the distance, and that it is unreachable. There is also a gate, which once led to that epochal seat, and is still guarded by a great monster. But the fire has gone out in this demon, who walks mindlessly in circles, and when provoked is only capable of vomiting boulders of rock. Critically, this Stray Demon has some unique animation when you attack its leg repeatedly: the leg crumbles, and then the other leg crumbles from the weight, and then the rocky demon is dragging itself around with its arms, carrying on the fight. Why is the demon in a degraded state? Is it because it is cut off from its purpose, and from the generative power of the Lothric moment? Or it might just be a matter of old age, because elsewhere we find the Old Demon King, last of his kind, also losing the final spark from his ancient embers.

Then, moving down the bridge away from Lothric, we find that shuttered gate against which a pilgrim has collapsed on the far side. This seems to restate the problem: that there is blockage of the channel which leads to the Self, but the fact that it is a pilgrim who is stopped here shows us that there is a striving. Curiously, through a purported texture fluke, this unique and functionless pilgrim is golden in color. This is a helpful image for our inventory, and will come up again a little later. The pilgrim is stuck on the side of the bridge with a typical, classically Dark Souls squad of hollow soldiers, who are dormant until roused by the lantern-carrier (the consciousness principle).

The Story of Lightning A few paces beyond the soldiers, at the bottom edge, there are the crucial bits of information: the dead drake, the dragon crest shield, and the lightning spell.

Now, to fully appreciate this scene we are going to have to get straight the symbolism of The Everlasting Dragons. They are not creatures, not like the Drakes we encounter in the game; their “stone scales” are but a metaphor. The Age of Dragons “preceded” the Age of Fire, because it was not in time at all; only with the advent of the flame and its flickering did the universe know discrepancy and time. Dragons are something like patterns within a pre-differentiated milieu of consciousness; prefigurations of form; informational structures not fully realizable within space and time. In countless world mythologies “the dragon is the animating principle of every place,” because it is from their generative matrix that our world derives. And the same likely applies to Dark Souls; one only needs to look at Ash Lake to see that the many world trees are all nourished by the dragon realm. Elsewhere, Drakes and Wyverns are the “distant kin” of dragons, as the game tells us; mere shadows; catachrestic images downloaded from a subtler order of being.

Back to the scene: the drake, the descendant reduction of a dragon, is apparently dead, it is still and stonelike. Next to it are two more images of the dragon, the shield adorned with a dragon crest, and the spell “Lightning Spear.” The spell is associated both with drakes (who have lightning as a breath weapon) and with the fall of everlasting dragons (Gwyn used lightning to rend apart their stone scales). But lightning is also a very elegant metaphor for dragons as a morphogenetic principle:

In those cases where electrical energy is transmitted without benefit of wires it inevitably follows the line of least resistance, creating its own pathways in much the same way that cracks do in a solid medium. Although we tend to think of the sudden and massive dissipation of energy in lightning as an “event” rather than a “thing,” it is revealed by photography to have a quite complex form, one that bears a marked resemblance to the branching systems of a great river. These energy patterns, if we may call them that, are the very converse of those formed in fractures in a solid medium; lightning is intensely active but of limited duration, whereas dislocation patterns, such as crackle-glaze, are persistent but a mere vestige of the activity that caused them. In other cases, however, where there is a constant supply of energy to a receptive medium the “paths of least resistance” can be converted into dissipative structures. (Wade p.175)

In the world of Dark Souls, spells are stories. So this Lightning Spear spell is the story of lightning. The reading of the story then is an event that produces a thing. But the “current” runs through all these variations. A converse relationship has been noted between the diffusion of the lightning and the dislocation patterns of cracking solids. Remember that at the opposite end of this tiny scene, there is a great rocky demon who can be made to shatter in a special way. Solid matter cannot forever bear the force of lightning; the animating impulse (the “Word” of lightning; the first-flame event) eventually results in degradation, and it is this entropy that permeates Dark Souls as an omnipresent adversary.

Born into the Drama

So what we are seeing here, in this Wolf’s dream, is a reference to the cosmogenetic moment. In microcosm we see the generation of the world, and its current condition, and that it is cut off from its full actualization (Lothric). As for the soldiers, who are somehow oblivious to it all, and are perhaps complicit in blocking “the pilgrim’s progress,” well, there are a number of ways to interpret that: an allegory for the tunnel-vision militarism of the Abyss Watchers, standing at a threshold accomplishing nothing; the masses under the thrall of maya, sustaining some social/material status quo despite ruin on every side; the multiplicity of the ashen one, the different facets (roles, character classes) which are brought into unifying purpose by the “call” of the lantern-holder.

What’s beautiful about Dark Souls is that its symbolic content can be appropriately interpreted on a cosmic level, or a personal level. (That is why the linking, or snuffing, of the first flame feels like both “this world has come to an end” and “I have come to an end.”) So we can also take this scene as a birth allegory; after all, the Stray Demon is the very first enemy visible to the player in Dark Souls 1, and the Dragon Crest Shield is the sister shield to the one held by Oscar of Astora, the character who initiated the entire saga by giving the player a key out of their cell (an image of a higher self calling the child forward from the womb). Getting born is a quite a traumatic thing, having suddenly to obey matter’s restrictions, and it is therefore quite tempting to “lower the gate” on the matter/mother issue, symbolized by the Demon of course, and leave it to its own cycles without addressing the problem of embodiment.

In addition to the two items that refer to the beginning of the saga, the scene itself resembles an early moment in the original Dark Souls. Reddit user peperib has discovered a visual correspondence between this bridge and the drake bridge from Dark Souls 1. This compounds the symbolism in a few ways. Foremost, the DS1 drake bridge is the first place the player confronts a dragon(oid), and it is the first major blocked passage. The drake sits above the Sunlight Altar, which is the source of the Lightning Spear miracle, (the same spell we find by this dead drake in DS3). Right before this tableau, the player meets the famous Knight Solaire who, in identifying the sun as “a magnificent father,” supplies another image of aspiration and emancipation, and mirrors the opening scene with Oscar. Altogether this sequence is one of the most iconic in Dark Souls, and its central image is the drake surrounding an inner fire.

Back on the wolf’s dream bridge, there is no fire in the stray demon. This crumbling demon resembles the crumbling tower, and the crumbling kingdom at large. According to the Gnostics, wisdom is held within matter. If it is not engaged with, if we cut ourselves off from it, of course it falls to ruin. The Abyss Watchers are so frightened of the entropic march of matter that they have doubled down on their aggression against it: they have forgotten that Artorias held a shield, and so instead they wield two blades. But of course there is one Watcher who has a shield – the deserter, Hawkwood, the only Watcher with a face and a personality. His retention of his shield is highly loaded, given that it was Artorias’ shield that protected Sif against the violence of the abyss-corrupted primordial man Manus. In preserving his shield, Hawkwood also preserves the Artorias myth as a living reality. A Bridge Between Swamp and Summit

Hawkwood is one of several clues that ties Farron Keep to Archdragon Peak, and I believe it is this peak to which the old wolf of Farron attempts to direct us through dream language. Archdragon Peak is an area predicated on stillness. It is full of quiet and emptiness, and dragon initiates in a meditative posture who have turned to stone. It is something like an image of knowledge of the void. It is the understanding that in the chaotic, undifferentiated Abyss there is the inevitability of renewal:

“In effect, the ascent of a stairway or a mountain in a dream or a waking dream signifies, at the deepest psychic level, an experience of “regeneration” (the solution of a crisis, psychic re-integration). Mahayana metaphysics interprets the ascension of the Buddha as an event at the Centre of the World, and therefore one that signifies transcendence of both Space and Time. Great many traditions trace the creation of the World to a central point from which it is supposed to have spread out in the four cardinal directions. To attain to the center of the world means, therefore, to arrive at the “point of departure” of the Cosmos at the beginning of Time”; in short, to have abolished time. We can now better understand the regenerative effect produced in the deep psyche by the imagery of ascension because we know that [it] is capable, among other things, of abolishing Time and Space and of “projecting” man into the mythical instant of the Creation of the World, whereby he is in some sense “born again”, being rendered contemporary with the birth of the World.” (Eliade p.119)

This is all there in Archdragon Peak. The whole idea of voidness is conceptualized differently here. Rather than the black expanse loathed by the Watchers, or the Deep swallowing the church, or even the “deep sea” feared by Aldritch, here void is contemplated without attachment of affect. This is a very classically Buddhist perspective! The Abyss, the Deep, and the Sea are all “rooted” in some way: in greed, hatred, or delusion. And critically, they are all relational conceptions of nothingness; they are (loudly and profanely) distinguished from the witness.

Now, we don’t have any acolyte NPCs coming up to us and explaining what the Path of the Dragon doctrine is explicitly or anything – but the environment itself does a number of things to suggest emptiness as a present reality: The boss of the Peak is not at the end, it is rather (conditionally) in the center; the highest point of the Peak, the ascent, the end of the level, shows us only a clear sky; there are lots of little shrines and outlooks, bowls and blankets of the temple illuminated by streaks of sun. The area never really feels like you’ve completed it, because it loops back on itself, and there is no point, no requirement to come here.

Note that this is the only environment that shows both the Sun and Moon present. This place, like the twilight bridge, is a tableau which depicts the mingling of opposites in metaphor.

Havel as Anomaly

There is only one “person” on the peak, a true individual, Havel the Rock, about whom myths, stories, anecdotes, and homages have been circulating since Dark Souls 1. Or at least, it is the image of Havel. But it is a very distinct image: there is no mistaking that absurdly heavy armor, or the giant dragon’s tooth he wields as a club. In DS1, Havel was known primarily for two more things: his punishing, blindsiding combat, and how he abhorred dragons. It is thought that he deplored dragons so much, that he was playing to betray his company of Gods because he could not tolerate their association with the dragon Seath. Despite his heavenly allegiances, he was very much by himself …

There are ‘anomic’ phenomena pervading societies that are not degradations of the mythic order but irreducible dynamisms drawing lines of flight and implying other forms of expression than those of myth, even if myth recapitulates them in its own terms in order to curb them. (D+G p.237)

D+G go on to cite Moby Dick as a quintessential example of the anomic/anomalous, an image which nicely parallels Havel’s own fixation on Seath, another white anomaly, a scaleless dragon, who sits away. This obsession has caused Havel to become sort of a fringe character (locked in a basement in DS1, and now marooned on a peak); he has himself become anomalous. That’s how the becoming functions: those lines-of-flight are drawn between gates of identification, and there is this contamination. But of course Havel is an exemplar of stubbornness, he does all he can to resist contamination! Even on this Peak, this threshold of release, he is lost in contemplation on the corpse of a wyvern. He is just like the Stray Demon locked into the grooves of its obsession (guarding the gate in that case) despite the Melvillian futility of the outdated task. In fact, the Stray Demon’s soul produces the ring of Havel, confirming their identification. We can see the ring, which relieves equipment burden, as a recapitulation into mythic terms. The name of Havel is inscribed into this object, which shows us what his myth is about: the bearing of weight. It is important to endure, to cohere your identity to get to where you have to be, but to endure, like a rock, and clog up a line-of-flight (a channel of transformation), to hold too tightly to a particular identification, you will just become a colorless and cracking version of yourself. Perhaps the pilgrim in the doorway on the bridge is another caricature of Havel.

Havel the Lapis

But there is also the lapis. The stone that is conditioned and refined through all the trials of the alchemical process. Or in Buddhism, the Cintamani; the jewel or pearl of perfection. Regardless of the tradition, it is essentially a symbol of the incorruptibility of prima materia, the substance from which all things derive. In many ways, Havel the Rock is also the “stone” that the builders rejected; kicked out of heaven only to become a capstone on the peak: Havel is the ultimate NPC duel in terms of difficulty. He completes a quaternion of anomalies: the Wolf of Farron Swamp, the Stray Demon at one end of the bridge, the dead wyvern at the other end, and the Havel image on the roof. Together, these four figures compose much of the Dark Souls universe: wolf, demon, dragon, knight.

There is also something like a falling action among these four points. Once defeated at the peak, Havel’s armor will appear by the drake on the bridge. At the other end, as we know, killing the stray demon yields its soul, which becomes Havel’s ring. This can only happen, of course, back in Lothric, at the transposition kiln. So at one end of the bridge, there is the essential quality of Havel, and at the other end there is his armor, his visual likeness. Above is Havel himself, and below is the place where the player can become Havel (through transposition and PvP).

Well, that was a fun exercise. The point being that there are two pairs of tensions of spirit and matter: the lightning and demon; the knight and the wolf. This cross is rooted in Farron Keep, a swamp at the bottom of “Crucifixion Woods.” The stone can be understood as a synthesis of these 4 elemental extremes. None of these images or their associated attributes is sufficient on its own to define the prima materia, and yet all are said to derive from it. Pointless Ahead Therefore Try Giving Up

We’ve seen that by digging into this simple scene on the bridge, this wolf’s dream, we open the door to the all the mysteries of Archdragon Peak. There are images of spirit, of matter, of cosmogenesis, of prima materia, of emptiness and the ultimate nature of reality. We cycle through the game and expose ourselves to this stuff again and again. Of course it’s not a conscious process; it’s just a backdrop. It’s the circle-and-cross into which the mind of the player enters as they play Dark Souls. What’s the point of mapping out this territory?

Well, for that matter, what’s the point of playing Dark Souls? That’s a question with a thousand answers. Then, what’s the point of going to Archdragon Peak? It’s an optional area with absurdly arcane entry point (you’d have to be up on the metatext to even surmise this place existed). But it’s a popular area, rife with online activity. Some people return here because they want a challenge, or they like the dreamy environment. Practical folks see this place as required: there’s a ton of loot here that’s crucial for upgrading weapons. If you don’t nab the Dragonchaser’s Ashes, you won’t be able to access unlimited titanite chunks, scales, and the twinkling stuff. In keeping with the fantasy tradition, these dragons are sitting on a great bounty of treasure.

In addition to the infinite treasure, there’s also infinite exp: easily defeated and endlessly respawning knights, 4000 souls a pop. There’s also a unique treasure, the calamity ring, which makes all enemies stronger, extending the game in another capacity: difficulty. So whatever you consider treasure: perfected weapons, piles of money and exp, or the enrichment of elevated challenge, Archdragon Peak has what you’re looking for. It even has the singular thrill of leaping off a tower and onto the fuming head of a dragon, driving your sword into its skull, felling it at one blow, into a graceful landing – spectacular heroics! And reminiscent again of the first portion of Dark Souls 1, when you realized “how badass this game is.” This area offers a lot to keep players on the hook.

What does it mean to be hooked on a game? What is it about a game that calls to you in the middle of work, begging, “Come home and keep playing this”? What’s happening in the mind of a player who stays up to 4 AM saying to themselves, “Okay one more level,” “Okay one more invasion,” “Okay let me just do this,” time and time again? Often it is even past the point of pleasure; it may be slightly painful to keep playing, and it begins to feel like a dirty high, but you keep going because of these tiny rewards, or maybe you want to put a bow on it somehow. I remember hearing about how the creator of Katamari Damacy was dismayed to find out that people were “addicted” to his game, about endlessly rolling a ball around. Very Sisyphean premise. The whole idea of being fixated on rolling a virtual ball around would’ve sounded like a sci-fi short story a couple decades ago. But it works! The haptic hook of Katamari was what drew people in, but the chewing-gum effect of this haptic would not have sustained itself for most players if it did not have an incredibly vital world. Brimming with personality and lots of little moving parts, playing Katamari is like putting your face up to a bustling forest floor.

Dark Souls too is so incredibly vital in its world; every scene, object, enemy points to a larger story, filled in by the imagination. Players easily log hundreds of hours into playing this game, and just as much into discovering its lore. If you’re paying close attention, you’ll do well in combat. If you’re paying close attention, you’ll do well in lorebuilding. But if you’re constantly locked in combat, addicted to the rush of victory, it’s easy to miss out on the world’s richness. The manserpent summoners wish to tempt you with infinite challengers, victims to your blade. If you’re going to stand around all day acting as an execution machine, you might as well sign up for the Legion of Abyss Watchers! Let the rich land of Lothric become a one-room mausoleum. Well, we get where they’re coming from. This game is famous for the gratification that comes with the repetition of death and triumph. And actually it is often by that repetition that we come to appreciate the setting – as long as we take the time to smell the phlox. The subtlety of Dark Souls storytelling benefits from a lot of marinating. Periods of not playing.

So we nobly set the controller down and sit in dragon posture, maybe stacking stones into a cairn as we contemplate. Lol. Those dragon statues have the right idea though, don’t they? We assume they’re inert, but maybe they’re simply unconcerned with whatever’s transpiring on the peak. They’ve untangled themselves from worldly illusion; they are no longer invested in the affairs of the Souls world. I can see why the Wolf, in similar stillness, pointed to this place: it’s a great antidote to the edgelords behind the door of Farron Keep. Something like a waiting room before jumping back into the fray. If that’s what we want. A chance to pace around a bit as the lore settles.

The First Stirrings of the Mind

The Chinese dragon rolls about in the heavens a pearl of perfect wisdom, a jewel ball which emits darting flames along with thunder. A flash of lightning issues forth from the rolling sound and gives birth to the fertilizing rain. This flash is symbolic of the first stirrings of mind, of the wish-fulfilling jewel that the dragon swallows and spits forth as it rolls across the universe. With those stirrings there is a fall from subjectivity into objectivity. (Valborg)

The lore and cosmology of Dark Souls is famous for the degree to which it is withheld. This isn’t only to keep players hooked on its mystery, it is necessary to retain the vitality of the world. There must always be elements of life that cannot be pinned down, explained, or solved. There must be space. Some absence at the center, and in the enigmatic places in between. This space is generative: it gives meaning to the parts that are defined and explicated. By this method, we’ve seen how far the imagination can take players as they explore the lore, and how the practice of interpretation similarly benefits from gaps and silences. If you attempt to wage war against that space between, to take arms against voidness and cut it down with swords of discernment, it suddenly becomes the Abyss and you open yourself up to corruption. On the other hand, an embrace of emptiness and contemplation of its nature is quite liberating:

“Who sees the inexorable causality of things,

Of both cyclic life and liberation,

And destroys any objectivity-conviction,

Thus finds the path that pleases Buddhas.

Appearance inevitably relative

And voidness free from all assertions

—

As long as these are understood apart,

The Buddha’s intent is not yet known.

But when they coincide not alternating,

Mere sight of inevitable relativity

Secures knowledge beyond objectivisms,

And investigation of the view is perfect.

More, as experience dispels absolutism

And voidness clears away nihilism,

You know voidness dawn as (illusory) cause and effect

—

Then you will never be deprived by extremist views.” (Tsong Khapa)

This kind of attainment would probably be of great aid to the anxious and desperate people of Lothric. But very few of them seem to be in a place to hear it. As the linking of the fire is immanent, the contrast between the lights and shadows of the kingdom becomes extreme, and most beings we meet are clinging very tightly to their delusions and desires.

We know that the Age of Ancients had a quality of grayness; of little contrast, of little differentiation. The description is reminiscent of the clear light of the void, the ego’s oblivion during chikhai bardo, the experience of ultimate reality. The fight with the nameless king channels the imagery of the Age of Ancients myth. A sea of fog creeps in rendering the open air solid and treadable. Then the lightning-slinging lord and the drake fly in, as a pair, emitting darts of thunder and bringing the fertilizing rain. It is another glimpse of cosmogenesis; the eruption of the mind into a state of objective consciousness. This revelation comes first as one being, one Lord, the lightning termed here as a knight riding a dragon:

All the Kabalists and Occultists, Eastern and Western, recognize (a) the identity of “Father-Mother” with primordial AEther or Akasa, (Astral Light)*; and (b) its homogeneity before the evolution of the “Son,” cosmically Fohat, for it is Cosmic Electricity. “Fohat hardens and scatters the seven brothers” (Book III. Dzyan); which means that the primordial Electric Entity — for the Eastern Occultists insist that Electricity is an Entity — electrifies into life, and separates primordial stuff or pregenetic matter into atoms, themselves the source of all life and consciousness. “There exists an universal agent unique of all forms and of life, that is called Od, Ob, and Aour, active and passive, positive and negative, like day and night: it is the first light in Creation” (Eliphas Levi’s Kabala): — the first Light of the primordial Elohim — the Adam, “male and female” — or (scientifically) electricity and life.

(c) The ancients represented it by a serpent, for “Fohat hisses as he glides hither and thither” (in zigzags). (Blavatsky p76)

But then the King of the Storm is knocked from his mount, his title lost, and he becomes “the Nameless King” as he plunges his spear into the skull of the beast with which he was once identified. The dragon is obliterated. This is the moment that the material world is born:

“Fohat hardens the atoms”; i.e., by infusing energy into them: he scatters the atoms or primordial matter. “He scatters himself while scattering matter into atoms” (MSS. Commentaries.) It is through Fohat that the ideas of the Universal Mind are impressed upon matter. (Blavatsky p85)

The encounter with this Logos-like lord is surrounded by numerous stone dragon gargoyles, like pillars at the ends of the universe. Of course, this is only theater. It is a stage production of cosmogenesis, but by its image the individual may be rendered new, reborn along with the world. But to appreciate what that world is, it is helpful to climb back into it.

Return to the Swamp

At the bottom of the wolf’s tower, there are Ghru. They stand around a warm swamp, teeming with life. There are those bodies strung up everywhere. For all we know, these crucified carcasses lining the swamp are the Ghrus themselves, and have been hung there as objects of contemplation. Their method of reckoning impermanence. This swamp seems to be a pivotal place in the renewal: we see something like the reconstitution of dragons in the Elder Ghru, growing roots like the everlasting dragon from Dark Souls 1, who sits at a central place outside of time. Dragons and Archtrees are interdependent in the lore, echoing the timeless symbolism of the serpent and the tree; the kundalini and the pillar. The Ghru-dragons in the swamp wield trees as weapons, and a few of them guard a white birch tree, which stands apparently pristine in the toxic sludge. These trees are associated with Dusk and their branches grant the ability to change into an aspect of the environment. This was one of Dusk’s earliest tricks, and perhaps her defining feature. Dusk is thus another personification of prima materia: Mercurius, the clear-casting aqua permanens which takes any shape and composes all objects. The aqua permanens is also known as the universal solvent, for its capacity to dissolve any substance.

This is quite profound! The entire world is deteriorating, and Farron Keep is one of the most dramatic examples. A formerly vibrant forest with clear flowing water is now an expanse of putrid and sticky morass. And yet despite the apparent hostility to life, this place is incubating dragons and archtrees. In ancient times Oolacile cradled humanity, and it appears that a new world is destined to sprout from here again. In that regard, the wolf’s tower is also like Izanagi’s staff, the world extending from the point of impact. It also mirrors the King of the Storm driving his halberd into the crown of the dragon, an act borne of profound discernment and mercy. Is the tower a cosmic lightning rod, its connection to the heavens allowing it to transmit spirit into the fertile soil of the swamp, giving rise to the kingdoms of life?

Lightning Strike and Serpent’s Path

Another motif related to the kundalini serpent, described in Kabbalah, found in cultures the world over, and which transpires along the tree of life, is the lightning strike and serpent’s path. In which an emanation spirit imparts from the highest point, reaches lowest and densest matter, and then climbs up again in an undulating serpentine path. I have just described the “falling action” of the lightning first, but there is no authoritative point of beginning in the cycle. Yet the journey of the Ashen One is, of course, aspirational, suggesting a climbing action, and reflected in all the strivings of the other characters, all the pilgrims, all the hollows in trees reaching desperately upward. So we can suppose that the Dark Souls world represent the lowest point, the physical world of matter. This pattern imposes quite nicely onto our quaternary tableau:

It is from a place of not playing that we come into Dark Souls. We go through the game, conditioned by its challenges, subjected to its symbolism, and come out again with a new understanding of ourselves. Serpents, like drakes, are imperfect dragons. To rise in the world of Dark Souls is to become better and better at it, and all the treasures of Archdragon Peak, guarded by the Snakemen adepts, allow us to become “dragons” – to become so good at the game that we can go naked and wear the calamity ring and forge any weapon to be viable. But if all the still and stone dragons sitting around are any indication: many have come before, reached this level of mastery, and given it up. Once the subject has been refined to perfection: only then can it be sacrificed.

Initiation

This concludes our tour of the tower of the wolf’s dream, which bridges the very lofty and the very coarse. It is quite remarkable that so much of Dark Souls’ central mythology and symbolism can be found in microcosm between the two areas of Farron Keep and Archdragon Peak. As ever, in between periods of theorizing and contemplating, the game begs to be played again. So climbing down the tower, the ritual of the swamp awaits completion: the snuffing of the three flames. The three flames represent three fears which corrupt our images of the void: Nito refers to suffering, illness, pain, and death; all the anxiety of the body when confronted with the idea of its abolishment. Four Kings represent the Abyss, the idea of emptiness put into relational terms, thus incomplete; a trap which ensnares the mind into a false conception of the absolute. The Witch of Izalith is the matron of chaos; the incomprehensibility of the void; the inconceivable scope of an unstructured and totally diffuse awareness.

But all these burdens of ignorance are really treasures when properly framed: the coarse physical embodiment lamented by Nito is what allows us to participate sensibly in time. The transfixion which has trapped the Four Kings is the same function that allows us to hook into an experience and be affected by it. And we know that it is the chaotic matrix of life, that poisonous, homogenous soup, that incubates new forms. All of these potentially positive phenomena are prohibited, blocked by the clinging to an identity, which feels threatened by dissolution. The pilgrim on the bridge at the closed gate. A stone in the artery. The stubbornness of Havel, retaining his form even in heaven. The “dreamchaser” lodged in the window of the wolf’s tower. The passages of life cannot flow freely! So the illusion of the self must be discarded if the door is to open. One must allow oneself favorable contaminations.

“The self is only a threshold, a door, a becoming between two multiplicities.” (D+G p249)

This essay is the second of two parts. The first part can be found here. Thanks for reading!

Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine. Theosophical University Press, 1888. Deleuze, Gilles and Felix Guattari. A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. University of Minnesota Press, 1987. Eliade, Mircea. Myths, Dreams, and Mysteries: The Encounter Between Contemporary Faiths and Archaic Realities. Harper & Row, 1960. Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa. Three Principles of the Path. Lotsawa House, 2012. Valborg, Helen. The Dragon. Theosophy Trust, 2013. Wade, David. Crystal & Dragon: The Cosmic Dance of Symmetry & Chaos in Nature, Art & Consciousness. Destiny Books, 1991.

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