#Importance of Strategy Formulation

[easynotes4u]

Strategy Formulation: Meaning, Definitions, Process, Importance, Objectives, Characteristics, Types, Methods, and Techniques

In this article we will discuss about Strategy Formulation: Meaning, Definitions, Process, Importance, Objectives, Characteristics, Types, Methods, and Techniques. Meaning of Strategy Formulation Meaning of Strategy Formulation: Strategy formulation is the process of creating a clear and comprehensive plan for an organization to achieve its long-term goals and objectives. It involves assessing…

[fairuzfan]

"We have come together as Palestinian academics and staff of Gaza universities to affirm our existence, the existence of our colleagues and our students, and the insistence on our future, in the face of all current attempts to erase us.

The Israeli occupation forces have demolished our buildings but our universities live on. We reaffirm our collective determination to remain on our land and to resume teaching, study, and research in Gaza, at our own Palestinian universities, at the earliest opportunity.

We call upon our friends and colleagues around the world to resist the ongoing campaign of scholasticide in occupied Palestine, to work alongside us in rebuilding our demolished universities, and to refuse all plans seeking to bypass, erase, or weaken the integrity of our academic institutions. The future of our young people in Gaza depends upon us, and our ability to remain on our land in order to continue to serve the coming generations of our people.

We issue this call from beneath the bombs of the occupation forces across occupied Gaza, in the refugee camps of Rafah, and from the sites of temporary new exile in Egypt and other host countries. We are disseminating it as the Israeli occupation continues to wage its genocidal campaign against our people daily, in its attempt to eliminate every aspect of our collective and individual life.

Our families, colleagues, and students are being assassinated, while we have once again been rendered homeless, reliving the experiences of our parents and grandparents during the massacres and mass expulsions by Zionist armed forces in 1947 and 1948.

Our civic infrastructure – universities, schools, hospitals, libraries, museums and cultural centres – built by generations of our people, lies in ruins from this deliberate continuous Nakba. The deliberate targeting of our educational infrastructure is a blatant attempt to render Gaza uninhabitable and erode the intellectual and cultural fabric of our society. However, we refuse to allow such acts to extinguish the flame of knowledge and resilience that burns within us.

Allies of the Israeli occupation in the United States and United Kingdom are opening yet another scholasticide front through promoting alleged reconstruction schemes that seek to eliminate the possibility of independent Palestinian educational life in Gaza. We reject all such schemes and urge our colleagues to refuse any complicity in them. We also urge all universities and colleagues worldwide to coordinate any academic aid efforts directly with our universities.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the national and international institutions that have stood in solidarity with us, providing support and assistance during these challenging times. However, we stress the importance of coordinating these efforts to effectively reopen Palestinian universities in Gaza.

We emphasise the urgent need to reoperate Gaza’s education institutions, not merely to support current students, but to ensure the long-term resilience and sustainability of our higher education system. Education is not just a means of imparting knowledge; it is a vital pillar of our existence and a beacon of hope for the Palestinian people.

Accordingly, it is essential to formulate a long-term strategy for rehabilitating the infrastructure and rebuilding the entire facilities of the universities. However, such endeavours require considerable time and substantial funding, posing a risk to the ability of academic institutions to sustain operations, potentially leading to the loss of staff, students, and the capacity to reoperate.

Given the current circumstances, it is imperative to swiftly transition to online teaching to mitigate the disruption caused by the destruction of physical infrastructure. This transition necessitates comprehensive support to cover operational costs, including the salaries of academic staff.

Student fees, the main source of income for universities, have collapsed since the start of the genocide. The lack of income has left staff without salaries, pushing many of them to search for external opportunities.

Beyond striking at the livelihoods of university faculty and staff, this financial strain caused by the deliberate campaign of scholasticide poses an existential threat to the future of the universities themselves.

Thus, urgent measures must be taken to address the financial crisis now faced by academic institutions, to ensure their very survival. We call upon all concerned parties to immediately coordinate their efforts in support of this critical objective.

The rebuilding of Gaza’s academic institutions is not just a matter of education; it is a testament to our resilience, determination, and unwavering commitment to securing a future for generations to come.

The fate of higher education in Gaza belongs to the universities in Gaza, their faculty, staff, and students and to the Palestinian people as a whole. We appreciate the efforts of peoples and citizens around the world to bring an end to this ongoing genocide.

We call upon our colleagues in the homeland and internationally to support our steadfast attempts to defend and preserve our universities for the sake of the future of our people, and our ability to remain on our Palestinian land in Gaza. We built these universities from tents. And from tents, with the support of our friends, we will rebuild them once again."

[ouroborosmoons]

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

—

"Either Palestine... or Fire[hell], Generation After Generation"

In the face of the renewed Nakba... we resist, we unite, and we move toward return and liberation.

To the masses of our steadfast people in the homeland and diaspora…

To the free people of our Arab nation…

To the free people of the world everywhere…

On May 15th, we mark the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, our open wound that has not healed, and a painful turning point in human history, when zionist gangs, with the full support of colonial powers, committed one of the most horrific crimes of the modern era: the systematic ethnic cleansing of our Palestinian people, their displacement, the destruction of hundreds of cities and villages, and the planting of a racist settler entity on the ruins of our homeland.

The Nakba represented a pivotal moment in the history of our people, a profound revelation of the nature of the zionist project as a racist, colonialist, and uprooting tool aimed at erasing Palestinian national identity and existence, seizing land, and displacing the Palestinian people. Since that moment, the chapters of the Nakba have not ceased, but have continued in renewed forms of killing, massacres, expulsion, discrimination, impoverishment, and siege.

Today, the Nakba is being replayed in a more bloody and barbaric form in the Gaza Strip, where our people are subjected to a genocide war unprecedented in modern history. The occupation machine is carrying out the most heinous forms of killing, destruction, starvation, and displacement. Hospitals, schools, and displacement camps are being bombed amidst a stifling siege, international complicity, international silence, and direct American partnership.

On this painful anniversary, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, while commemorating the steadfastness of our people across the homeland and in exile, from Gaza to the West Bank, from Al-Quds to the 1948 territories, and from the diaspora camps to forced exile, affirms the following:

First: Our conflict with the zionist entity is a comprehensive, historic struggle that will only be resolved by achieving our people's full national rights, at the heart of which are the right of return, self-determination, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on all Palestinian soil with Al-Quds as its capital. The Palestinian cause will remain the core of the Arab-zionist conflict until the roots of the Nakba are eradicated and the occupation ends.

Second: The true response to the Nakba and its repercussions is to build a unified resistance front and formulate a comprehensive national strategy that embraces resistance in all its forms, with armed struggle at its forefront. This strategy reaffirms the PLO as a comprehensive and unified national framework, based on partnership and democracy and in accordance with national consensus decisions. This strategy aims to block the path to monopolization and hegemony, harness the energies of our people wherever they reside, and enable them to express their will to resist the occupation until liberation and return.

Third: In light of these ongoing chapters of crime, the top priority today is to stop the genocide war against our people in the Gaza Strip, end their suffering, break the siege, begin reconstruction, and embark on a political path based on the inalienable national rights of our people.

Fourth: We warn against attempts to impose renewed "Nakba" under the guise of expansionist colonialist liquidation projects such as the "Abraham Accords," a "New Middle East," and other dubious schemes aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause.

Fifth: Confronting attempts to liquidate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is of paramount importance in light of zionist-American plans aimed at erasing the refugee issue and the right of return.Targeting UNRWA in Gaza—through the destruction of its facilities and staff, the closure of its institutions in Al-Quds, and the prevention of its operations in the West Bank is part of a systematic plan to liquidate the refugee issue.

Sixth: We renew our call for complete liberation from the Oslo Accords and its consequences, ending the PA's obligations resulting from them, halting security coordination and all forms of persecution of the resistance, reversing all dangerous and arbitrary decisions regarding allocations for the families of martyrs, prisoners, the wounded, and the freed, severing all forms of dependence on American-zionist projects, and moving towards building a unified arena of struggle that expresses the free will of the Palestinian people.

Seventh: The masses of our nation, its intellectuals, and its vital forces must rise up to support our struggle and confront the genocide war against our people. They must reject all forms of normalization with the zionist enemy, and confront the project of neo-colonial hegemony and plans to fragment the region.

Eighth: We salute with reverence the steadfastness of the brotherly Yemeni people, who have faced aggression and blockade for years. Today, they continue—through their courageous positions and popular and official initiatives—to provide support for our cause and affirm our unity of destiny and struggle by imposing new deterrent equations that extend deep into the zionist entity in support of Gaza. We also salute the valiant Lebanese resistance, which has been and continues to be a solid supporter of our people and resistance, a partner in the battle to defend Palestine, and a confirmation of the cohesion of the resistance fronts in the face of the zionist project.

Ninth: We highly appreciate the cries of solidarity that have risen from the streets and universities of Washington, London, Madrid, Brussels, Johannesburg, and all the capitals and cities of the world in support of Gaza, in rejection of the aggression, and in support of our people's just rights. The rise of international solidarity constitutes an advanced front in the battle to stop the war, break the siege, expose the crimes of the occupation, and hold it accountable at the international level.

🔻The masses of our people... O sons of our Arab nation... O free people of the world…

On the anniversary of the Nakba, we renew our pledge to our people, to the souls of our martyrs, to our prisoners, and to our wounded, that the Popular Front will remain a voice of truth, a shield of resistance, a guardian of national principles, and a staunch defender of the right of return, which is neither forfeited nor negotiable. As the wise George Habash said: "We cannot guarantee the future of our generations while the zionist disease remains on Arab land."

Greetings to our resistant people in all arenas.

Greetings to our male and female prisoners in the occupation's prisons.

Glory and immortality to the martyrs... and we will inevitably be victorious.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

Central Media Department

May 14, 2025

[flightlesstrash]

ace attorney x pokemon teams! (mostly investigations characters but with phoenix wright)

warning! yapping incoming!

these were all formulated with everything up to aa4 + investigations 1 and 2 in mind as i have not played past that yet! i've already made raymond shields/eddie fender's pokemon team so that doesn't show up here- but it exists!!

before i go into the teams, in this universe the prosecutor and defense attorney badges have been replaced to look more like these pokemon (this is important for later)

now, the investigator himself:

his doublade was given to him by his father before his passing. yes, it is a sword pokemon referencing his last name, but it also has outstanding defensive and offensive strategies. it used to be a defense attorney's pokemon, so it only makes sense that it's a good defender, too! miles himself has proven to be skilled at both as well. (also if you look at my other post about ray's team, his aegislash is related to miles' doublade!)

his gallade was also given to him back when it was a kirlia, but from manfred von karma instead of his father. it is yet another blade pokemon, and similarly to doublade, specializes in both offense and defense. it can defend others with its arm blades, but it can also use them to deal devestating blows very quickly

skarmory is another sharp mon, given to him by manfred. i have less reasoning for this one compared to the other blades, i just think it looks like a mon miles would own. i see it as his fly mon that he uses when it's more convenient to fly via bird than with a private jet (as long as it isn't raining)

his ninetales was also a gift from manfred, given to miles when it was a vulpix. it's very intelligent and fits the whole elegant thing he's got going on

it's hard for me to explain with words why he has an espeon but i mean. of COURSE he has an espeon. yk?? back in elementary, he found three abandoned eevee with larry and phoenix. they each decided to convince their families to let them have one, and miles' later evolved into espeon

finally his dartrix! it was given to him by gregory when it was a rowlet. not only do they have the same hair and similar fancy neck accessories, but they are both extremely precise with their attacks- until they aren't. dartrix spend a lot of time making sure they look their best and get distracted if something about their appearance needs fixing, and that feels very miles edgeworth to me

he also has some pet pokemon!!

the rockruff and shiny sinistea were his and his father's pets, and the persian was from von karma.

as you've probably noticed, most of his mons were given to him or passed down from his father figures. the only exception is espeon

next, that man...

he has a pidgeot that he mega evolves, and while i could say it makes sense to be there because it's a common route 1 bird, i'm going to be completely upfront and say its only actual reason for being on his team is the matching hair lmao

his sylveon was one of the eevee he found with miles and larry. it's the perfect eeveelution for him!!! picturing feenie with a sylveon is the cutest fucking thing ever i love them <3

arcanine are very loyal and protective, and they aren't the kind of mon to shy away from danger- very on par with phoenix. it also parallels miles' ninetales

he got his goomy shortly before the feenie trial, and it's the whole reason he got sick in the first place (he didn't realize just how germy goomy were)

yet another mon i can't quite explain the placement of, he has a cinderace. do you see the vision.

lastly, togedemaru. silly spiky hedgehog mon. need i say more.

next up, the butz-

his smeargle makes art with him and they each help each other hone their skills. he got it as soon as he set his mind to becoming an artist, and they've been inseparable since

he has a magikarp and a feebas because he thinks gyarados looks super cool and strong and milotic would be perfect to have as a model for his art. he can't evolve his pokemon to save his life though, so it's doubtful they will ever achieve their final form. he still loves them, though

there is ONE pokemon he's managed to evolve, which was his umbreon. it was one of the eevee he found with miles and phoenix. the one mon on his team he could evolve was the one that only required a strong friendship. speaking of, you may or may not have noticed that miles, phoenix, and larry's eevee all evolved via friendship......

his wimpod is not only just as cowardly as him, but it also spits out poisonous liquid when startled. that liquid happens to be very smelly, and when something smells... well, you know the rest! he really wants it to evolve into a super cool mon, but despite its inability to do so under larry's training, he still cares for it

he has a luvdisc that he brings around on his first dates for him and whoever he's with at the time to "discover" together. he does it to bring good luck to his relationships, as it is believed to bring about everlasting love between couples who see it. this, however, is obviously fiction, considering his relationships last for a couple months at best, despite his efforts

even in the depths of night, when no other bird dares to take flight!

she has two corvid pokemon. corvisquire are known to use tools (cough cough little thief) and murkrow love anything shiny. i considered giving her a tinkatuff for a short time, until i remembered that she would probably hate that entire line for opposing the corviknight line lmao

floragato is mischievous, dexterous, and likes to pull pranks every now and then. they are GREAT friends, and their antics oftentimes raise poor dadworth's anxiety to a dangerous degree. also, fun fact, kay is a cat person!! ...well, she's more of a bird person, but she does still like cats!

her gengar was inherited from her father. similar to floragato, it is mischievous and likes to pull pranks. it is also very stealthy and likes to hide in the shadows

frogadier is a ninja pokemon, so of course kay would love it! they are very skilled climbers and possess many cool ninja-like skills kay would be obsessed with. they train frequently together

finally her zorua, another mischievous mon. it can create illusions and disguise itself, and that would make it a great team member for the yatagarasu!

lang zi says: HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!

LOTS. OF. DOGGIES.

as i was making his team, i was concerned having only dogs/wolves would be a little boring or too obvious. after some reflection, i realized lang would 100% only have canine pokemon on his team so i stopped worrying about it

these mons are fierce, loyal, and care for their pack. they all fit very well! they can all howl at the moon with lang and bark at anyone who gets in the way of his investigation. except lycanroc. dusk form lycanroc don't really bark, but lang and the rest more than make up for it

oh? what's this? i'm giving luxray to yet another one of my favorite characters? yes, yes i am. and what're you gonna do about it?! i am unstoppable!!!! i know luxray is more of a lion than a wolf but that shiny is just too perfect. it's still sort of a 'pack' animal anyway so the luxray stays!! i like to imagine it's a bit of an outcast when it comes to other luxray because it acts more 'dog'-like than the others. lang noticed it was rejected from its own 'pack' and took it in in a heartbeat. while unable to exactly howl or bark, it does its best and lang still sees no difference between it and the rest of the pack (lang zi says: trans rights!)

he's also raising a houndoor pup which i think is adorable <3

detective gummy time, pal!

i completely forgot about this until a few days ago, but jake marshall gave him a cactus to talk to about all of his problems. in this universe, the cactus he gave gumshoe was actually a cacnea

he has a yamper nicknamed missile, of course! it's not really fully his since it's a police dog, but they have a really close bond and it's practically his at this point

he has a gumshoos because.... gumshoos.... gumshoe.... get it............. really though they are both very determined and not easily gotten rid of, and both can withstand being very very hungry, which gumshoe has to do often because miles keeps docking his pay. he never lets his mons go hungry, of course! just a lil thing they have in common (poor scruffy)

his fidough helps him make dough for noodles so he can cook homemade ramen. this helps him save money when he needs to and he can spend quality time with his lil guy in the process!

his magnemite acts as his metal detector in universe and is a police mon. like yamper, it's ended up being more of gumshoe's pokemon than the police's

palafin. palafin. pal. afin. ....... outside of the name though, it's very loyal and will do whatever it takes to help out its friends when they're in trouble. when it really needs to pull through, it will! just like gummy <3

make way, foolish fools! it's fran time!

obligatory vine whip mon, a shiny servine. it whips its foes relentlessly and is very prideful. due to its pride, it doesn't like to work with others and takes a long time to warm up to people and pokemon. very franny like, if i do say so myself

she has a shiny gardevoir that was given to her as a kirlia by her father, and it was given to her at the same time as miles' kirlia. she mega evolves it in battle

her shiny starmie is a symbol of her being a prosecutor, and she specifically went on a mission to find a shiny. i think she'd be a shiny hunter in this universe! feels very in character for her. i like to think her shiny obsession started when manfred gave her the shiny kirlia

her shiny galarian rapidash is also very prideful and fearless, and is one of the reasons she is referred to as a "wild mare" by others. she preferred the shiny, so she GOT the shiny

her alolan ninetales was given to her by manfred at the same time as miles' ninetales (both were vulpix at the time), and they are very close. it is a very calm and collected mon, and it helps franziska feel more at ease when the pressure of everything starts to get to her

the alolan persian was yet another mon given to her by her father at the same time as miles' persian. it's one of the many prideful mons franziska has, and it's also very hard to work with- unless your name is franziska von karma, of course!

(last few! spoilers for aai2, in case you haven't played it yet)

now, debeste team for debeste prosecutor!

he has a kricketune to conduct for, and they play music for his quaxwell to dance to. they like to put on shows for others to marvel at (their performances leave much to be desired, though.) he and his quaxwell both put a lot of effort into their hair (canon!), and a part of their morning routine is spending hours in front of the mirror together to perfect it. they also both put a lot of effort into their work, even if their prosecuting and dancing skills.... leave a lot of room for improvement

his leafeon has MATCHING QUESTION MARK HAIR OH MY GOD. i knew i wanted to give him an eeveelution because he 100% had an eevee, and when i saw leafeon. i nearly exploded.

he has a bulbasaur because "its pokedex number is #1, that means it's the best pokemon!" he gave it an eviolite and makes sure it's always carrying it

the cubone cries VERY often just like him, and i like to think that once sebby comes to terms with his father being horrible and lets a lot of that baggage go, the cubone grows from the experience, too, and evolves with him (im not crying theres just something in my eyes i swear)

he's got a deino, and to be completely honest, it's there because of the matching hair. what can i say, it's too perfect to pass up!!

prepare for the goddess of law's righteous judgement!

yes, she has a legendary virizion- shiny, at that!! i figured if anyone would have a legendary on their team it would be her. it's a sword of justice, after all. it's also the most intelligent of the swords of justice trio. ALSO. in pokemon reburst, the swords of justice are captured by GREAT GAVEL. as in verity gavelle. anyway-

dragonair are known as the "divine pokemon", and in this universe the blue gems on justine's clothes are meant to represent the blue crystals on dragonair

the flowers worn by yellow florges are the 'lion lilies' in this universe. they are protective and devote themselves to what they see as important. for florges, this is its flowerbed, and to verity, it's the law

leavanny care deeply for younger pokemon and are very parental. they would both do anything it took to protect their children, even if it meant going against the goddess of law herself

her shiny delphox.... i'm just gonna leave one of its pokedex entries and a segment from justine's fandom page here:

"it leaves burn marks in the ground with the flame at the tip of its wand. long ago, people used the shapes of these burn marks for divination."

"when gavelle investigates crime scenes, she sometimes swings her gavel, hitting the floor and leaving marks."

lastly, her bronzor is based on the yata no kagami. the badge judges wear in japan is based on it, and it's also the basis for verity's japanese name, mikagami, which means water mirror. the mirror is a symbol of god-like wisdom, honesty, and the truth. bronzor are said to reflect the truth, being based on the yata no kagami and all. they were literally made for each other. it's the perfect mon.

nowaynowaynowayyyyyy! it's mr monkey man!

he OBVIOUSLY has the do no evil monkeys on his team, he's literally the three of them stacked in a clown costume (his simipour is evolved because LOOK AT IT. they are the same)

speaking of clown, he has a mr mime. no need to elaborate

his alolan meowth is the one that becomes an armrest instead of the regular cat. alolan meowth are selfish and manipulative, and become hysterical if things go south for them. sound familiar?

his slakoth is there to keep up his silly harmless guy persona, but it later evolves into vigoroth to beat the absolute shit out of him once his true nature is revealed

thanks for coming to my tedtalk <3

if you have any suggestions for the current teams or teams for characters i haven't created yet, i'd love to hear them!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Thinking Styles

Here is a theory that may help you with character development.

The theory of mental self-government holds that styles of thinking can be understood in terms of constructs from our notions of government.

On this view, the kinds of governments we have in the world are not merely coincidental, but rather are external reflections or mirrors of ways in which we can organize or govern ourselves.

According to this theory, people can be understood in terms of the functions, forms, levels, scope, and leanings of government. 

People do not exhibit just one style or another, but they do have preferences across various kinds of tasks and situations.

Functions

There are 3 functions of government in this theory:

Legislative. The legislatively oriented student has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that require creation, formulation, planning of ideas, strategies, products, and the like. This kind of individual likes to decide what to do and how to do it, rather than to be told.

Executive. The executively oriented individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that provide structure, procedures, or rules to work with, and that, although modifiable, can serve as guidelines to measure progress. Whereas the legislatively oriented individual likes to decide what to and how to do it, the executively oriented student will often prefer to be told what to do, and will then give it his or her best shot at doing it well.

Judicial. The judicially oriented individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that require evaluation, analysis, comparison–contrast, and judgment of existing ideas, strategies, projects, and the like. This individual tends to be evaluative of others, sometimes on the basis of minimal information.

Forms

There are 4 different forms of mental self-government in this theory:

Monarchic. The monarchic individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that allow complete focus on one thing or aspect at a time until it is complete. A monarchically oriented individual is single-minded and often driven, and likes to finish one thing before moving on to the next.

Hierarchic. The hierarchic individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that allow creation of a hierarchy of goals to fulfill. This individual likes to do multiple things in a given time frame, but assigns differential priorities for getting them done. Hierarchic people tend to be adaptive in many settings where it is necessary to set priorities for getting certain things done before others, or where it is necessary to decide that some things are more worthy of attention than are others.

Oligarchic. The oligarchic individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that allow working with competing approaches, with multiple aspects or goals that are equally important. This individual, like the hierarchically oriented one, likes to do multiple things within a given time frame, but has trouble setting priorities for which to get done when. The oligarchically oriented individual thus adapts well if the competing demands are of roughly equal priority, but has more trouble if the things are of different priorities.

Anarchic. The anarchic individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that lend themselves to great flexibility of approaches, and to trying anything when, where, and how he or she pleases. This individual tends to be asystematic or even antisystematic. The individual tends to take a random approach to problems, and is sometimes difficult for other people to understand.

Levels

There are 2 levels of mental self-government:

Local. The local individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that require engagement with specific, concrete details. This individual likes to work with the nitty-gritty, but may lose the forest for the trees. Individuals displaying this style tend to enjoy tasks that require them to keep track of details and focus on concrete specifics of a situation.

Global. The global individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that require engagement with large, global, abstract ideas. This individual likes to deal with big ideas, but sometimes can lose touch with the details—the individual may see the forest but lose track of the trees. People employing this style enjoy tasks that encourage them to think about major ideas and not have to worry about details.

Scope

There are 2 scopes of mental self-government:

Internal. The internal individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that require activities that allow one to work independently of others. This individual prefers to work alone, is typically introverted, and is often uncomfortable in groups.

External. The external individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that allow working with others in a group or interacting with others at different stages of progress. This individual prefers to work with others, is typically extraverted, and is very comfortable in group settings.

Leanings

There are 2 leanings of mental self-government:

Liberal. The liberal individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that involve unfamiliarity, going beyond existing rules or procedures, and maximization of change. Sometimes the individual may prefer change simply for the sake of change, even when it is not ideal. People displaying a liberal style like new challenges and thrive on ambiguity.

Conservative. The conservative individual has a predilection for tasks, projects, and situations that require adherence to existing rules and procedures. This individual likes to minimize change and avoid ambiguity.

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[mirai-e-jump]

Animage January 2025 Issue ft. Hayama Yuki Interview (translation below)

Publication: December 10, 2024

The Informant's Dignity

The Informant who supports the Boonboomgers, with his ability to collect data quickly from all over the world and superior intelligence to formulate strategies and countermeasures against enemies based on said data he collects, is Ishiro Meita.

Although he has immense trust in their leader, Taiya Hando, when they first met, they were enemies. Hired by the ISA, he sneaks into Taiya's house, where he's recruited by him to join the Boonboomgers. "I've fallen for you. That skill of yours, I want to buy it!" These words moved Ishiro so much, that he makes the decision to become Taiya's friend.

As the battle between the Boonboomgers and Hashiriyan intensified, Ishiro investigates the suspicious movements happening behind the scenes of the ISA's Division Director, Tokoyari Eiichiro. He's then confronted by Sutea, a former fellow spy, who received the request from someone else. The fact that someone associated with him was opposing the Boonboomgers, and that the tracking device attached to Sutea was found broken must have cast a dark shadow over Ishiro's mind.

With the current situation of enemies on Earth operating with secret techniques, Ishiro's spy skills gained from living in the underground are sure to be of great help to the Boonboomgers. Don't take your eyes off the Informant's future movements!

-I'll never doubt Taiya-

"Over the course of the year, Ishiro's come to show a variety of expressions."

Hayama: When filming first started, I kept a certain amount of distance from everyone else except for Taiya, often times because the Director asked me to do so. Lately, there have been more situations where he works as a pair with someone, the expression of my lines in the scripts have become softer, and his overall rough vibes have relaxed. I think he now trusts everyone else as his friends, though not as much as Taiya, but I think his participation in the BBG has changed into a goal for the six of them to achieve together. I think that's how comfortable of a "place" Boonboomger has become in his mind.

"What's one thing you consider to be important when playing the role of Ishiro?"

Hayama: Since the start of filming, I've been dedicated to carefully expressing his sense of distance from people. I'm conscious of keeping his distance from anyone he encounters for the first time, and I also put importance on his habit of folding his arms as an expression of being on high alert. This is just something I personally obsess over, but as an indication of him getting closer to a character, I've been challenging myself to change my tone of voice when speaking. He usually speaks slowly, but for those he's comfortable with, while not much faster, he does change his talking speed, and from the very beginning, I was able to create that distinction between Taiya and the others. I've also been slowly working towards breaking his habit of folding his arms, as I've been trying to avoid doing it right away.

"On the flip side, is there anything you became more conscious of over the course of filming?"

Hayama: It was depicted in episode 6, but in the beginning, I didn't know he had a hot blooded side to him (laughs). I took that into consideration and changed my direction to playing someone who's trying his best to be cool. I was conscious of making him look cool in the way he stood and the way he spoke. Also, Ishiro's past, which was revealed in episode 14, was a very important point for me. I don't think normal people would see fish at an aquarium, cry, and be like, "Uwah, they're all living their lives to the fullest," nor would their body and minds be driven to such an point. No matter how cheerful he gets, I keep in mind that there's a depressing back story at the root of him being like that. I was also extremely nervous about the part before entering the aquarium, where he walks around looking unwell, as I thought, "If I mess up here, Ishiro will be ruined forever." I remember very well how scared I was to go to that shoot.

"It meant just as much to Hayama-san as it did to Ishiro, huh? Please tell us what you value when expressing your relationship with Taiya."

Hayama: To never doubt. When I read the scripts for the episodes we're currently filming just once or twice, there are quite a few parts of his interactions with Taiya that left me thinking, "?" When this happens, without fail, I always remember the words Director Nakazawa Shojiro said to me in the beginning, that being, "He trusts Taiya 100%." As depicted in episode 37, despite the fact that Ishiro and Taiya were acting separately, they knew what the other was going to do. Sometimes I have to forcibly convince myself about parts like that (laughs), but I read my lines with the intention of never doubting Taiya no matter what, and I also try to express this through my acting.

"Taiya said, I can tell what Chasshiro's thinking through his eyes."

Hayama: It almost felt like cheating (laughs). When Haruhi and I read the script, we were like, "How can he tell by looking into his eyes?" (laughs). Still, I once again found myself thinking that the words Director Nakazawa said to me weren't wrong.

"In episode 37, the main focus wasn't only his bond with Taiya, but also the appearance of Sutea, a fellow spy."

Hayama: I interpret Sutea as someone who, even in the darkest moments of Ishiro's life, made him see the light, or rather, someone he had a few cranked up moments with. If they had just been on the same mission once or twice, they wouldn't have a relationship where they called each other by their names. At the end of the episode, Ishiro restrains Sutea, but she manages to escape after that. I'm sure it was a sort of "you've lost" restraint, and that in Ishiro's mind, Sutea was the one opponent who could do that (escape).

"What was the most memorable scene involving Sutea?"

Hayama: Before the exchange between Ishiro and Sutea, they had to film the scene where Sutea watches the Robo fight after she frees herself from her restraints, and Director Hayama Koichiro allowed me to observe the scene in order to study. The way Sutea said "Ishiro" sounded alittle sad, which made me imagine that the relationship between the two wasn't just as friends, although I wouldn't say it went as far as love. In the scene where Ishiro leaves after restraining Sutea, the footage was shot from a wide angle, so it didn't show the scene clearly, but when he walked away, Sutea looked sad, as if she was about to start crying. At that time, I was happy to feel that Sutea's Naito-san and I were thinking the same thing about the relationship between Ishiro and Sutea. I've learned alot from Naito-san's performance, and I hope to work with her again someday.

-Ishiro's range that we both created-

"Episode 37 had alot of untransformed action scenes, but both Ishiro vs Sutea, and Taiya vs the fake Ishiro were great because they were fast paced."

Hayama: Asai Kosuke-san, who normally performs as a Suit Actor, was my stand in for the more dangerous scenes, but I wanted to do as much as I could on my own, so I performed most of the scenes myself. I had struggled alot in the previous boxing story (episode 29) that involved untransformed action, so to be honest, I was anxious before the shoot. Furthermore, this time, Ishiro and the fake had two different "hands" (choreography for the sword fight and fighting while moving), so things were already pretty chaotic because of that.

"Sutea's Naito-san is good at action, so there'd be alot of pressure when performing with her."

Hayama: That's true, the speed at which Naito-san learns is amazing! She did all her actions without a stand in, so for me, she's like an almighty being (laughs). For the part where I was facing off against Sutea……I can't really say that I was keeping up with Naito-san, but I had to make it look like we were neck and neck with each other, so it was also tough mentally. Ishiro's a combat specialist, so If I moved too slowly because "action isn't my strong point," that wouldn't be Ishiro Meita. I'd just be Hayama Yuki cosplaying as Ishiro. So, for the scene with Sutea, I had Naito-san practice the same moves with me multiple times, and by taking advantage of the gaps in filming time, I was able to film them. BoonBlue's Suit Actor Yoneoka Takahiro-kun was by my side the whole time we filmed the action in this episode. Just having him nearby made me feel safe, and he also gave me advice like, "Maybe you should do it more like this?," which really helped me out.

"Yoneoka-san is like a partner to Hayama-san."

Hayama: Yes, when a new script comes in, I discuss it with Takahiro-kun by saying, "What should we do here?" and since we're also close in age, we go out for meals in our private time. When it comes to the performance, we both trust and leave everything to each other. Takahiro-kun sometimes does things that he's never done before, and I sometimes hear him say, "Sorry Yuki-kun, I might've been too playful," but he never goes beyond the role of Ishiro. Instead, it's fun to find out that "this kind of Ishiro is possible," and I sometimes wonder if it's "okay for me to be alittle more playful."

"What's one of the most memorable scenes featuring BoonBlue's performance?"

Hayama: In the baseball episode (episode 23), Takahiro-kun said "You may have overdid it alittle," and to be honest, my roll call sounded really silly (laughs), but I was able to use my voice surprisingly easily during the post recording. I was able to reaffirm that Takahiro-kun and I have the same image of Ishiro. From there, I came up with the idea that "maybe Ishiro likes sports," and "If he enjoys doing things with everyone, he must be feeling very comfortable right now." We even found a way to screw around that would connect to episode 41's soccer episode (laughs). It's fun for the two of us to play Ishiro, it really is. I'm glad that Takahiro-kun is BoonBlue.

"Finally, please tell us what some future highlights to look out for in regards to Ishiro."

Hayama: I think that going forward, Ishiro will be faced with more and more situations, ones where you'll want to say, "What are you doing?" But I hope that you won't stop here, and it'd make me happy if you could rewatch episodes again, all while imagining what he's thinking and feeling as you watch. _

Q: What's your favorite manga/anime?

When I was in my fourth or fifth year of elementary school, my father recommended "SLAM DUNK" to me, saying, "This is a manga that teaches you about morality and what makes humans so cool." At first, I watched the anime, where I thought Mitsui Hisashi was just the coolest! I liked Mitsui so much, that I actually started playing basketball. In the end, I didn't become a shooting guard. I went to see "THE FIRST SLAM DUNK" five times because the sounds of basketball in the movie theater was too good (laughs). (-Hayama) _

Emotional Record

Family of Spies Ishiro's parents were also spies. He once said, "I was trained in all kinds of fighting techniques from a young age," suggesting that he had a tough experience as a spy.

Memories In the past, when he was exhausted from his duties, he happened to visit an aquarium that saved his life. He's still attached to the aquarium, so much so that he bought an annual pass.

Fateful Encounter Ishiro is hired by Tokoyari of the ISA and breaks into Taiya's house to find out Bundorio's true identity. Taiya discovers him, but since he was impressed by his ability to break through all the electronic security systems, they become friends.

Becoming No.2 Ishiro becomes Boonboomger's Informant. He was strict with the members, such as being against Mira joining, and tailing Jou out of suspicion, but he began to trust them as they worked together.

Doubting Tokoyari Ishiro is asked by Tokoyari to carry out a top secret mission. The task was to retrieve the Hashiriyan key, known as an Ignition Key, from the Aori family. This incident caused Ishiro to become suspicious of Tokoyari.

Spy vs Spy Sutea uses the power of Camera Grumer to create a fake Ishiro and tries to destroy the system related to Boonboomgers. Ishiro and Sutea, and Taiya and the fake Ishiro face off against each other, with our heroes being victorious.

[scootkiddo]

it’s interesting how the show is really putting emphasis on how crucial dina is to helping ellie pursue abby. ellie isn’t grounded in precision or planning; she’s purely motivated by action. dina, on the other hand, is capable of formulating strategy. she knows the route and it’s geography. she knows to account for both weapon and medical provisions. she knows weather patterns and how they may shift— all forethought that ellie is too blindsided by her anger to consider. for all intents and purposes, dina is engine that keeps their mission from imploding before it even gets properly underway. even knowing how important joel was to her, dina still manages an air of pragmatism. she doesn’t diminish ellie’s fire, but she quietly makes it sustainable.

and what an interesting choice it is to hone in on seeing as ellie will inevitably be separated from dina. and once ellie is prematurely removed from the practical engine guiding her…. it will only reinforce her spiral downwards

[snnrinc]

[AO3 Portal]

PAIRING : Boxer!Nanami Kento x GN!Reader

TAGS : SFW, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Boxing

SUMMARY : The losing streak that the boxing champion Nanami Kento began experiencing was shocking and infuriating not just to himself, but to a lot of people around him. With his exhaustion rising and the pressure from his sponsors and supporters to perform better becoming overwhelming, Nanami finally understands why his mind is not present in the game. Something is missing, a very important component to his motivation, the one that keeps him going in the face of defeat and countless obstacles.

His spouse, you.

WORD COUNT : 4.6k

AUTHOR'S NOTE : Suffering from a back pain that had me going to the ER to get checked only to wait over 10 hours to be seen gave me the inspiration to finally write this.

This longer continuation of my previous ficlet with Boxer!Nanami was inspired by the request of a lovely reader on AO3 <3

The cheer of the spectators was deafening as they chanted his name, clapping and yelling as he walked over to the ring basked in the eye-straining lights of the reflectors. He climbed the stairs and stepped through the ropes to take a seat at his corner stool, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd in search for familiar features. All the voices around him melted into a single continuous noise, a cacophony that was starting to cause the tension in his temple to pulse painfully. It took a tap on his shoulder for him to finally shift his attention from his fruitless search through various faces of strangers to the man standing in front of him. With a sigh, the voice of his cornerman finally filtered through.

“Yo, Earth to Nanami, do you copy?”

Nanami huffed, giving Gojo an unimpressed stare as he smiled at him, his eyes almost twinkling from beyond his black glasses. He helped Nanami get his mouth guard secure and tapped his shoulder again, his tone turning a bit more sympathetic.

“Hey, I know it's easier said than done, but try to focus on the match. You'll be home before you know it.”

With that, Gojo stepped out of the ring, taking his place at the ringside and allowing Nanami a view of his opponent, sitting across from him and staring daggers at him. The referee stepped in the ring and Nanami stood up, watching as his opponent tapped his boxing gloves together and jumped from one foot to the other, clearly pumping himself up for the fight. By the looks of how he carried himself, Nanami could guess that the guy was most likely a brawler, placing all bets on heavy punches and combinations—perhaps even the type to overlook effective aggression in favour of getting points from knockdowns.

With a strategy already formulated in his mind, Nanami rolled his shoulders and cracked the tension in his neck away, stepping towards the centre of the ring and raising his fists. After the referee went through the usual rules, the bell signalled the start of the fight and Nanami moved closer, watching out for the gestures of his opponent and trying to anticipate his actions. A few punches directed at his abdomen and Nanami was quick to parry, ducking once he realised that his head was left unprotected. He narrowly missed a left hook going for his jaw, landing a clean hit to the other fighter’s ribs and sending him stumbling a few steps back. He heard his fans cheer and the voice of the commentator excitedly yelling out about Nanami’s quick reflexes, but he drowned out the sound when his opponent advanced again, unleashing a flurry of punches and forcing Nanami to retreat closer to the ropes. From the corner of his eye, he could see Gojo yelling something out, lost in the amalgam of voices. Not that it mattered to him—he did not have the energy to listen to anyone that wasn't you.

The opponent raised his arm for a punch and Nanami shifted his stance to parry it, only to be surprised by a punch from the other side, landing perfectly against his jaw. He lost his footing from the force, his vision blurred as he connected with the canvas of the ring, cold under his hot, sweaty skin. Fuck, perhaps it was for the best you were not present to see him get caught cold in such an embarrassing way by a feint.

It took him a moment to come to, and once he opened his eyes and saw his opponent at one of the neutral corners, the referee slamming his hand against the canvas next to him, he finally realised he had been knocked out for a few seconds. He quickly pushed himself off the ground, standing up before the countdown was over. He could feel the swelling in his cheekbone, the pain and tingling heralding the onset of a nasty bruise. He was sure you would fuss over him once he got home, he could almost imagine the worry in your eyes so vividly, looking at him as you’d gently tend to his injuries.

Distracted yet again, the thought of your tender touches was brutally knocked out of him by yet another punch delivered to his jaw. This time, he was at least quick enough to adjust his step before falling, a pained grunt escaping his heaving chest. He heard Gojo yell out his name in frustration and he chanced a glance at the remaining match time. He grimaced once he read it: not nearly enough for him to take back the dominance of the ring. He knew he had already lost points from being momentarily knocked down, and whilst he was correct in his assumption that the other fighter was a brawler, his punches were far more calculated than Nanami had anticipated.

Despite not throwing in the towel, it wasn't long before the match ended with the scales tipped against Nanami, the side of the crowd that hosted his supporters echoing noises of disappointment and anger. Maintaining his sportsmanship, Nanami shook the hand of his opponent before he climbed off the ring, marching towards the lockers of the boxing club in time for the organisers to prepare for the next fight card.

As Nanami walked down the hallway, shuffling off his gloves and taking out his mouth guard, he heard Gojo run up to him, slowing down once he was in step with him.

“Hey, man, what the hell happened?”

“Don't talk to me now.”

“No, what the hell is going on with you?” Gojo pushed, following Nanami in the locker room. “You've been out of it for more than half the matches this season. The sponsors are not happy, not to mention your supporters.”

Nanami sighed, throwing his gloves on a chair and placing his mouth guard in a pocket of his gym bag, making a mental note to get it cleaned and disinfected once home. He grabbed a towel as he thought over what sort of excuse he could give Gojo to get him off his back, while also not relaying his real reasons.

“I'm tired,” he said simply, to which Gojo crossed his arms.

“You're distracted,” he countered, earning a half-hearted glare from Nanami.

Sighing, Gojo turned to his own bag to grab a bottle of water, walking over to Nanami and holding it up for him to take once he finished wiping his sweat off.

“Listen, I get it,” Gojo continued. “You need your lucky charm to be present or whatever, but you really gotta pull yourself together, loverboy. Your spouse has a job just like you. You can't keep losing focus like this.”

With a sharp stare, Nanami snatched the bottle from Gojo’s hands, taking a healthy swig to soothe his thirst. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Gojo was right. His frustration at how rarely he was seeing you despite living in the same home due to your different work schedules was starting to get to him. Coupled with his previous lost matches, it only served to add to the cocktail of negative emotions swirling in his heart, effectively distracting him regardless of how much he wanted to focus on his fights.

He finished the bottle then wiped the corner of his mouth, tuning out the rest of the words that Gojo was ranting at him. He was tired and couldn't wait to finally get home to you and your comforting arms.

The drive home had never felt longer for Nanami, not to mention each step needed to reach the front door of your home. Every muscle and bone in his body ached as he searched for his keys through his pockets, opening the door and being met with complete darkness. His shoulders deflated even further when he realised your shift today was longer than usual. He kicked his shoes off with a sigh and shrugged his jacket off, placing it in its usual spot on the coat hanger before trugging to the living room and approaching the couch. He grunted as he began to sit down, a sharp pain shooting through the muscles in his back. He lied down, trying to find a comfortable position to wait until you got home from work.

His eyes closed just as he checked the clock again, his eyelids heavy enough that he didn't even realise he was falling asleep. A few minutes passed—or perhaps close to an hour, he wasn't sure—when he felt a gentle touch on his jaw and the familiar feeling of a pair of lips on his forehead. He cracked one eye open to see you smiling at him, gently urging him to wake up.

“Hey, handsome,” you said, your thumb caressing his hand. “Can you sit up so I can patch you up?”

Blinking a few times, he did as you instructed without further argument, noticing the bandages, gauze, dressings and painkillers you had prepared on the coffee table. He could tell you had been home for a while, taking the time to get everything ready for him before waking him up to allow him a few more minutes of rest.

As you began to clean the injury on his cheek, he looked into your eyes, noticing just how much your exhaustion mirrored his through the dark circles under your eyes. He took in your features, your mere presence calming him down while he quietly waited for you to carefully place the dressing over the bruise. His cutman usually dealt with his injuries quite efficiently, making sure that he was never at risk of infection or his injuries worsening, but even so you still made sure to tend to anything that the cutman deemed insignificant. Nanami had told you before that there was no need for you to fuss over him, but you always insisted, so he patiently let you tend to him until you were satisfied and reassured that he was okay. There was something so sweet and intimate about your gentleness in the face of his vulnerability, despite how much he didn't want to admit that he loved how you cared for him. After all, as your husband, he was supposed to care for you, too, but with his profession it seemed to him that the burden fell on your shoulders more often than not.

Nanami reached up, affectionately cradling your cheek with his hand. You turned your head to kiss his palm, smiling at him before you returned to focusing on bandaging him. Your fingers swiped against his bottom lip and he winced, suddenly aware of the cut he hadn't felt while high on adrenaline.

“Sorry, it might sting,” you said, disinfecting the cut carefully with a cotton ball, damp with rubbing alcohol.

He hissed, but otherwise kept still for you to finish. You placed a soft kiss on his lips once the dressing was secure, and he smiled for the first time that day, leaning back in to steal another kiss.

“I missed you,” he said, placing his forehead against yours.

“I missed you, too,” you responded, gently threading your fingers through his hair.

“I didn't cook dinner.”

You chuckled. “You didn't have to, silly. You're tired. We can get takeout if you're hungry.”

He hummed, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you to lie down next to him on the couch. He adjusted his position so he could cuddle close to you, burying his nose in your hair to inhale your comforting scent.

“How was work?”

“Hectic,” you sighed. “I'm sorry I arrived so late, but I had a lot of work to catch up on.”

“It's fine.”

You moved your head to look at his face, raising an eyebrow at his short tone.

“Did something happen?”

“Just tired.”

The usual excuse was already prepared on the tip of his tongue, allowing him to continue hiding just how frustrated he was at your absence during his matches, but as a fellow workaholic he knew he had no legs to stand on when it came to complaining about you working so hard each day for the both of you, lest his middle name is Hypocrite. To soothe your worries, he planted a kiss to your forehead, rubbing his palm across your back and smiling at you lovingly.

“Let's go to bed.”

Nanami was sure that if he heard the referee count whilst he was on the ground one more time, he'd lose it. Perhaps then he'd finally be able to concentrate.

A flash knockdown had never been this annoying and demotivating. It had gotten to the point that he was starting to doubt his own abilities and experience. Surely he hadn't always had a glass jaw. In the past, everyone was throwing praises left and right about how he had such a “good set of whiskers,” how his slips and punches always seemed to be so well calculated, and how he dominated the ring no matter his position. Nowadays, not only was he getting his ass handed to him by fringe contenders, but by upstarts and low calibre fighters. It was honestly shameful for someone of his rank, and despite occasionally winning a match here and there, it was not nearly enough to please his sponsors and supporters.

The sound of the bell rang with a shrill vibration through the arena, saving Nanami just seconds before he found himself on the receiving end of what he assumed was going to be a sucker punch, judging by the position the other fighter had assumed. He turned around and slumped on his corner stool, watching in a daze how his cutman Geto stepped up to the ring to tend to his injuries, with Ieiri coming up as well with a damp towel to help Nanami cool down. She took the mouth guard out and allowed him to drink some water from her bottle, moving to the side so he could spit out the rest. The last thing he needed was to get punched in the stomach full of water.

Gojo tapped the canvas to get his attention as Ieiri stepped down, clicking his tongue in disappointment. He placed his chin against his palm, leaning his elbow on the edge of the ring, his other hand lazily hanging against one of the ropes.

“You're distracted again,” Gojo said simply.

Nanami sighed in annoyance and looked away from Gojo, his eyes landing on Geto who was applying a cold compress against his cheek.

“Y’know, I hate to say it but Satoru's right,” he said. “The main event’s about to start and this is already the… what, fourth chance you get? It's also the last one if you want to get into the championship again.”

“You don't need to rub it in, Geto.”

“I'm not trying to, but you have to admit you’re getting special treatment at this point. You're too young to be shopworn.” Geto helped him get his mouth guard secure then gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “You've won before. You can do this.”

With that, Geto stepped out and Nanami took a deep breath, ignoring the snarky jabs at his performance from the commentator. He couldn't care less about their opinions when his mind was racing with negativity, shame, anger and disappointment at himself running wild within him. The adrenaline pumping through his veins was not enough to keep his mind on track anymore, and for a while he wondered if he truly had reached his limit and the only direction left for him to go after peaking was down.

He tried to shake off the thought as he approached the other fighter, taking the first punch, which landed clean against the abdomen of his opponent. He slipped away quickly when the fighter tried to retaliate, parrying the next punch with practised ease. Nanami threw one more punch, but this time it didn't connect right and it left him open for a second too long, the other fighter taking the opportunity to jump to an offensive position. Nanami raised his fists to stop the hits, the sound of his name being called from the ringside by his team making him snarl. Then suddenly, a sweeter sound filtered through, piercing his mind with crystal clarity.

“Kick his ass, Kento!”

Instinctively, Nanami looked towards the source of the sound, registering your face for a split second before he was hit by a heavy cross punch. He stepped back, narrowly dodging a rear uppercut, and stumbled against the ropes. He took one more stunned glance at the ringside to make sure he was not hallucinating, his heart swelling when he saw you were actually there, next to the rest of his team.

You actually came to support him.

A surge of energy shot through his body, his heart hammering with both adrenaline and something more, something akin to motivation, forcing his limbs into motion at last. He swivelled around and pushed himself off the ropes, prowling closer to his opponent, his eyes blazing with a dangerous fire that had almost been extinguished if not for your presence.

His opponent began throwing a few quick jabs and Nanami felt pain shoot through his forearms as he blocked them. One well-timed slip and he saw his opening, with the other fighter’s hand flying past his face, Nanami had a clear shot to his abdomen, landing a jab powerful enough to knock the wind out of him. The fighter quickly recovered, a sharp huppercut connecting to the side of Nanami's jaw and causing a dizziness to settle in his vision for a few moments. An advanced blow to be sure, but instead of letting himself overthink it, Nanami accepted that he had to switch his strategy to keep up.

The crowd cheered, the voices melding together in a way that made his ears ring. He focused his hearing until he could hear your voice again, shouting for him to keep going. He zeroed in on the sound, shaking off his dizziness and glaring at his opponent. The timer on the scoreboard was nearing the end, with just a few minutes left of the main event, and with how the balance was tipped in the favour of his opponent due to the clean punches and ring dominance, Nanami knew he had to make the last stretch count, for his sponsors and supporters, for his team, for himself, for you.

He took a deep breath, the air flowing through his lungs and allowing his muscles to destress for a second as he tuned out every other sound save for your voice. At last, he felt like his mind was finally aligned with his body, working as a whole instead of being pulled in several directions at once and splitting his focus, a single stream of concentration connecting his limbs to his will as he entered the zone. Time seemed to slow down as he shifted his position, pivoting his leg behind him as he wound up for a rear hit, and finally, after so long, he could clearly see his opening, his mind immediately dividing the width of his opponent's torso into ten parts to find the weak spot, situated right at the ratio point of seven to three.

He exhaled, swinging his fist to land a blow against the fighter’s rib, knocking him backwards a few steps. Taking advantage of his lost footing, Nanami delivered a few jabs that the fighter was too slow to counter, instead trying to land an overhand blow which Nanami dodged with ease, ducking under the hit and taking a step backwards to twist his body. His eyes shifted to his opponent’s head, eyes scanning him and effectively calculating his next move until…

There it was.

Nanami saw the weak spot, his focal point narrowing on the exact line of the seven to three ratio, and channelling all his force into his arm, he twisted his body swiftly, his fist cutting through the air like an arrow heading straight for its target. The haymaker landed perfectly against the jaw of the fighter, his head moving to the side as his body tipped over from the force, collapsing unceremoniously on the ground, a clean knockout even if from a wildcard punch.

Nanami took a few steps backwards to one of the neutral corners as the referee began counting down, his hand slamming against the canvas until he heard the final number without his opponent standing up. The cutman of the fighter helped him up as he began to regain consciousness, and Nanami sighed in relief once he heard them confirm he was alright.

He waited for the judges ruling with bated breath, the crowd clamouring as the commentators began singing praises over the clean hits that Nanami managed to land, saying something about his spark having been reawakened. Soon, the scores were out, and Nanami heard the crowd of his supporters erupt with screams of excitement before he even had a chance to register the ruling, the sound of the commentator calling out his name replaying in his mind until he shook off his initial reluctance and raised his hands up in a triumphant pose.

He saw movement near the ropes and his eyes shifted to the spot, noticing you excitedly jumping up and down as you clapped and screamed out how happy you were. Just as Nanami was about to receive his reward, he moved away from the corner, sliding through the ropes and jumping off the ring to wrap his arms around you and lift you off the ground. He spun you around with a smile as you laughed happily, clinging onto his sweaty and tense body. Nanami grabbed your thighs and wrapped them around his waist to hold you up against him, looking up at you with a lovestruck gaze as the crowd cheered.

You cradled his face in your hands with great care, leaning down to kiss him sweetly. He responded by deepening the kiss, pouring his love and adoration into it until the air from your lungs was depleted and you both had to pull away to breathe.

“I missed you,” he said, voice just loud enough for you to hear him over the clapping and cheering of the spectators.

“I missed you, too,” you responded, planting another kiss to his lips before you leaned your forehead against his.

With you secure in his arms, he certainly didn't need the judges to tell him he was the winner.

It was a slow morning for once, the sun shining through the curtains and bathing the living room in the warm glow of the afternoon. The TV was playing a random show, one you chose more to fill the silence as you both relaxed rather than to actually watch it. With his head in your lap and your hand soothingly running through his hair, Nanami felt like he was in his own corner of Heaven.

He stared up at you, watching as you mindlessly scrolled through your phone, occasionally laughing at a funny video and turning it for him to see it. You looked so gorgeous, still in your pyjamas as you lounged with him on the couch, your beautiful eyes sparkling in the light of the sun bouncing off the floor, your lips so kissable that he had to stop himself a few times from disturbing you by constantly distracting you with loving pecks.

He raised a hand to affectionately caress your jaw, catching your attention as you smiled down at him and leaned over to kiss him. He was quiet for a few moments until he finally decided to voice his curiosity.

“How come you came to the match a few days ago?” he asked, eyes watching yours as you looked back at him. “That was one of your usual work days.”

You smirked. “Gojo called me whining like a baby.”

Nanami groaned and looked away with a frustrated sigh as his hand dropped from your face. You laughed in amusement, grabbing his hand and bringing it to your lips to press a quick kiss to it.

“He explained everything to me. You should've told me you were struggling, Ken,” you said, your tone turning gentle. “I didn't know if I should feel flattered or guilty knowing what you had to deal with.”

“You had enough on your plate.”

“Kento,” you sighed, caressing his cheek and turning his head to look at your loving eyes. “I'm never too busy for you. You're my husband, we can find ways to compromise so things work well for both of us. I should've known the matches were so important to you and-”

“Don't,” he cut you off, sitting up and turning to close the distance between you again. “They're not your responsibility. You couldn't have known since I never told you directly.”

You smiled at him, shifting to wrap your arms around him and snuggle against him, pressing your face in the crook of his neck and inhaling him in. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, eyes closing to bask in the comfort of your warmth, the scent of you, his home.

“Let's promise to be direct with each other, then,” you concluded, and he smiled against the crown of your head.

“Okay, darling. Let's promise.”

“You should also probably thank Gojo. He helped me take a day off with his acting skills. My boss actually believed he was my brother who had been in an accident when he called crying.”

“Let's not push it that far.”

You chuckled, shifting again so that both of you could comfortably cuddle while browsing your phones. Nanami began scrolling through some random social media, until a message from Gojo popped on his notification bar. He opened the message and ignored the teasing messages of Gojo, the news article he sent catching Nanami’s eye instead. The thumbnail was very clearly a picture of you two kissing at the match, with him holding you in his arms and your palms placed on the sides of his head, angling him so you could share a romantic and passionate kiss. The headline read “The Power Of Love: Boxer’s losing streak curse lifted by True Love’s Kiss.”

Nanami would've rolled his eyes if he didn't somewhat agree with the headline. Your mere presence was powerful enough to sway him enough to get back on track, soothing and motivating him all at once in a way that nothing else could. He put his phone on do not disturb and looked down at you, peacefully scrolling your phone and leaning against him. He couldn't help but let out an amused huff as he watched you, his knight in shining armour, his hero saving him from his undoing with what he was convinced was true love’s kiss. You looked at him, your lips lifing up in a smile as you noticed his.

“What?” you asked with a slight laugh, and he just shook his head.

“Nothing. I just love you.”

You beamed at him, leaning in to kiss him sweetly. “I love you, too.”

You settled back in his arms, your body fitting against him like you were both carved for each other. The thoughts and worries of his matches seemed distant, forgotten for a while as he focused on the present. Nothing else mattered but the fact that regardless of the outcome of his matches or just how tired or roughed up he was, he always had a home on your arms full of love and comfort to come back to. He smiled, knowing that as long as you were together, he'd always be on the winning side.

[studyandsteep]

the most important element of test taking

test-taking strategies, part 1 - full series here!

there are many posts out there that talk about various test-taking hacks (esp. for multiple choice questions), and while they can be helpful, i feel they overlook a key aspect- if not, the key aspect- of doing well in tests: remaining calm.

imagine this: you're in a quiet, brightly lit room, you have fifteen minutes left but you're only halfway through, and your panicking neighbor certainly isn't helping matters.

that's not gonna help you succeed at all. you need to maintain a cool, level head. you have to formulate a plan, a way to maximize your points and score according to the time crunch you're in, and being an anxious mess will not help you achieve any of that.

i thought i'd start this series to help anyone who feels uncomfortable and anxious during tests, since these tips really helped boost my confidence and overcome my past struggles with test-taking anxiety. enjoy!

[dittany-6413]

Supplementary Notes to Make Me Your Empress

In addition to Chapter 4 and 9, I believe a separate list of important information would be helpful for some of you to refer to. Most of them are not canon, except the five clans marked [Canon], but their roles in the Court are slightly altered and expanded. The list will be updated as the story progresses.

[The following layout took some references from canon, but it is mostly designed for the fic.]

I - Organizational Structure of the Outer Court

The design was inspired by the canon and the “three departments and six ministries (三省六部)” systems of many ancient Chinese dynasties. The ruling Emperor directly controls three official organizations and one shadow organization.

Department of State Affairs It is the primary executive institution led by the Prime Minister, separated into six ministries. Each ministry is led by one commander, followed by two vice-secretaries. i. Ministry of Personnel - responsible for selection, promotion, welfare, and termination of all Outer Court personnel, which includes the Physician Office  ii. Ministry of Treasury - responsible for tax collection, financial management, and auditory of other ministries and departments iii. Ministry of Rites - responsible for ceremonies and religious affairs iv. Ministry of Military - responsible for managing military personnel training, national defense strategies, and arms v. Ministry of Justice - responsible for law enforcement, judiciary, and prisons vi. Ministry of Works - responsible for public infrastructure development and agricultural planning

Central Secretariat It is the advisory body to the Emperor in laws and policy formulation.

Imperial Guards It is responsible for protecting the Emperor and the security of the Royal palace.

Intelligence Bureau It is a shadow organization that higher-ranking officials know exists. Because of their jobs, its members are never revealed, so they never attend court. Rumor has it that its members work in other departments and ministries under disguise. 

II - Organizational Structure of the Inner Court

The Inner Court is led by the Emperor, delegating his power to the Empress or the Empress Dowager when he has yet to name an Empress. Consorts are divided into three ranks: low, middle, and high. Despite no limit on the number of low and middle consorts, there are only four high consorts who live in the Diamond, Garnet, Jade, and Crystal Pavillions.

All matters in the Inner Court are managed by the Office of the Interior, divided into three major sections:

Domestics Services Department The primary organization manages all duties through six Shangs, including Wardrobe, Housekeeping, Catering, Gardening, Furnishing, and Administration.

Office of Eunuchs It is responsible for recruitment, allocation, and welfare of eunuchs. Since Emperor Yang had ceased all castration practices, the office is shrinking and aging.

Office of Serving Women Similarly, it is responsible for recruitment, allocation, and welfare of serving women.

III - The Twelve Named Clans

Ma 馬 - [Canon] the Clan responsible for the Imperial Guards for generations. Their de facto family heads are the females at home, as the males are expected to stay frontline protecting the Royal Family. They often marry the Mi Clan due to their close working relations.

Mi 巳 - [Canon] the Clan that fully controls the Intelligence Bureau. It is a ‘family’ not born by blood but maintained between masters and disciplines, trained and excelled in intel collection, spy work, and martial arts. Most of their identities are unknown to the others, except a few of the ruling Emperor and Ma Clan members with whom they share close relationships.

Kan 漢 - [Canon] the Clan of over a century of standing recently rose to power due to their fourth head of the house, Lakan, earning the position of the Ministry of Military. They do not stand with any factions in the Court and remain distanced from other Clans. Rumors were that the daughter of the Military Commander had a close relationship with the Moon Prince, earning caution and jealousy from different Clans.

You 楊 - [Canon] the Clan named for its governance of the Western Province. Despite its member, Gyoukuyou, rising to power as the Empress Dowager, the fall of her brother Gyouku-en led to its isolation from other clans.

U 卯 - [Canon] the Clan that once held great power over the Court during the time of the Empress Regnant but was currently weakened. Its head of the clan was the father of the former Consort Lishu, who worked as the vice secretary of the Ministry of Rites.

Ryou 梁 - the Clan leading the Ministry of Personnel. The former head of the clan, father of Great Consort Lihua, was the current governor of the Northern Province. His younger brother, the current head, was the Personnel Commander. Part of the conservatives’ faction.

An 安 - another Clan of the conservatives’ faction. Family of the Great Empress Dowager, Anshi. They controlled the Ministry of Justice. (I knew Anshi came from a Named Clan in canon, but their name was never mentioned in the LNs, so I named it instead.)

Kyou 姜 - another Clan of the conservatives’ faction. Its head is the Commander of the Ministry of Rites.

Shin 沈 - the Clan leading the Ministry of Treasury. Part of the reformists’ faction. The clan head Heyi 合義 was famous for being objective and fair.

Tei 鄭 - the Clan leading the Ministry of Works. Part of the reformists’ faction.

Lei 黎 - the newest Named Clan, ascended after the fall of the Shi Clan as their head Liansheng 連生 became the Prime Minister. Both factions disliked him and isolated him at the Court, and some officials called him the ‘Puppet Minister.’

Han 潘 - the Clan with members scattered in the Ministries of Treasury, Justice, Works, and the Central Secretariat. They did not take a stance with any faction or the Prime Minister.

IV - Other Notable Political Families

Dan 段 - Part of the conservatives, working in the Treasury and the Justice ministries.

To 杜 - Relatives of the Prime Minister, working in the Personnel and Rites ministries.

Syuu 周 - Part of the reformists, working in the Personnel.

Sai 蔡 - Part of the reformists, working in the Works.

[brandnewvoice]

You guys ever think about how Dazai is really smart and can comprehend complex situations despite constantly consuming alcohol and drugs before the age of 24, which is around the age the pre frontal cortex fully matures, and the development of that part of the brain can be heavily affected negatively by the use of drugs?

The pre frontal cortex is responsable for planning, formulating strategies, taking executive decisions, its important for emotional behaviour, cognitive functions, thinking, sensorial perception, expression of personality(which one?), the making of decisions and complex thoughts.

Such area of the brain can be damaged heavily by the usage of drugs, alcohol, etc. It can impact ones life drastically considering a damaged PFC can lead to irritability, short-term memory loss, lack of empathy, impulsiveness and difficult planning. Many would say that someone with a damaged pre frontal cortex from a young age might have a big chance of ending up a ‘nobody’(my father literally said that 😭).

Though the PFC only gets truly damaged if drugs are taken on a regular basis, once in a LONG while doesn’t quite do anything.

So, Dazai could be(prob is) naturally smart enough to not be affected by a damaged PFC (which is not quite uncommon, since iq tends to not be completely related to the pre frontal cortex all that much), or he recovered from the damage, or I don’t know what I’m doing :)

[mariacallous]

The booming popularity of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs for weight loss has led to a flurry of companies vying to make new and improved anti-obesity medications.

One of those is Boston-based Syntis Bio, which is working on a daily pill that mimics the effects of gastric bypass—no actual surgery required. Today, the company announced early data from animals and a small group of human volunteers showing that its approach is safe and may be able to suppress hunger. The company presented the findings Thursday at the European Congress on Obesity and Weight Management.

“We're at a stage with obesity treatment where it's important for us to figure out, how do we now tune it to be more effective?” says Rahul Dhanda, Syntis Bio’s CEO and cofounder.

A poll conducted in April and May of 2024 found that around 12 percent of Americans have tried a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, or Mounjaro—a number that has likely only grown over the past year. But many people eventually stop using these drugs. Cost and insurance coverage is one factor. Another is that GLP-1s can cause nausea, vomiting, and other unpleasant side effects. And some patients would prefer a pill over a weekly injection.

Syntis is aiming to develop another option for people looking to lose weight. The company’s drug is designed to redirect the absorption of nutrients from the beginning of the small intestine to its end. The effect is similar to gastric bypass, in which surgeons make the stomach smaller and shorten the small intestine. As a result, food bypasses much of the small intestine. The procedure changes how the body absorbs food, and leaves people feeling fuller from eating less.

Gastric bypass is a type of bariatric surgery, which an estimated 280,000 people received in 2022. But fewer people are turning to surgery with the advent of new anti-obesity medications. A study published last year in JAMA Open Network found that as prescriptions for GLP-1s skyrocketed between 2022 and 2023, rates of bariatric surgery dropped 25.6 percent.

The drug Syntis is working on does not actually shorten the intestine, like gastric bypass does. Instead, it creates a temporary coating in the upper part of the small intestine, blocking the absorption of nutrients there. This moves nutrients down to the lower part of the small intestine, where satiety hormones—including GLP-1—are triggered.

It does this with two main ingredients: dopamine, a small molecule best known for its relation to the brain, and a tiny amount of hydrogen peroxide. When this combination reaches the small intestine, it comes into contact with a naturally occurring enzyme called catalase. The job of catalase is to break down hydrogen peroxide, which is harmful to the body in high amounts, into water and oxygen. The process converts the dopamine into polydopamine, a biocompatible polymer. Within minutes, a thin film of polydopamine forms that coats the lining of the small intestine. The cells in this lining turn over quickly, so the coating is only temporary. It’s designed to last around 24 hours.

The drug is based on research conducted at MIT by Giovanni Traverso, a gastroenterologist and mechanical engineer, and Robert Langer, a chemical engineer who has launched more than two dozen biotech companies.

The two discovered the mechanism when working on a way to develop liquid drug formulations that could be given to children. They soon realized they could make this temporary synthetic coating more or less permeable, to either enhance absorption or slow it down. That latter ability was appealing as a treatment for obesity.

“This material is something you would take as a capsule or liquid, but the next day it's gone because of the natural turnover of our mucosal surface in the GI tract,” Traverso says. He and Langer cofounded Syntis with Dhanda in 2022. He likens this coating to what mussels and other shellfish use to stick to rocks or the ocean floor.

In the results Syntis announced, the drug was delivered in a liquid form via a tube directly to the small intestine so that researchers could check that the polymer coating formed as expected. A tablet form has already been tested in pigs and dogs, and it’s what Syntis plans to test in future human studies.

In rats, the drug produced a consistent 1 percent weekly weight loss over a six-week study period while preserving 100 percent of lean muscle mass.

In a first-in-human pilot study of nine participants, the drug was safe with no adverse effects. Tissue samples taken from the intestine were used to confirm that the coating formed and was also cleared from the body within 24 hours. The study wasn’t designed to assess weight loss, but blood testing showed that after the drug was given, glucose levels and the “hunger hormone” ghrelin were lower while the levels of leptin, an appetite-regulating hormone, were higher.

“When nutrients are redirected to later in the intestine, you're activating pathways that lead towards satiety, energy expenditure, and overall healthy, sustainable weight loss,” Dhanda says.

Syntis Bio’s findings in animals also hint at the drug’s potential for weight loss without compromising muscle mass, one of the concerns with current GLP-1 drugs. While weight loss in general is associated with numerous health benefits, there’s growing evidence that the kind of drastic weight loss that GLP-1s induce can also lead to a loss of lean muscle mass.

Louis Aronne, an obesity medicine specialist and professor of metabolic research at Weill-Cornell Medical College, says that while GLP-1s are wildly popular, they may not be right for everyone. He predicts that in the not-so-distant future there will be many drugs for obesity and treatment will be more personalized. “I think Syntis’ compound fits in perfectly as a treatment that could be used early on. It’s a kind of thing you could use as a first-line medication,” he says. Arrone serves as a clinical adviser to the company.

Vladimir Kushnir, professor of medicine and director of bariatric endoscopy at Washington University in St. Louis, who isn’t involved with Syntis, says the early pilot data is encouraging, but it’s hard to draw any conclusions from such a small study. He expects that the drug will make people feel fuller but could also have some of the same side effects as gastric bypass surgery. “My anticipation is that this is going to have some digestive side effects like bloating and abdominal cramping, as well as potentially some diarrhea and nausea once it gets into a bigger study,” he says.

It’s early days for this novel technique, but if it proves effective, it could one day be an alternative or add-on drug to GLP-1 medications.

[transmutationisms]

any controversial thoughts on psychoanalysis?

now why would you just assume that about me. yeah though. psychoanalysis gets a lot of shit these days for being, like, 'subjective' and 'not verifiable' and 'kind of made up and prone to bias' and so forth. and a lot of that is basically true imo but it's equally true of today's more respectable talk therapy methods, and critics of analysis really lose me when they start caping for therapeutic modalities that are like, literally only 'evidence-based' insofar as they're endorsed by nhs-funded studies run by people who make their careers off promising to reduce welfare rolls. like lmao.

also, "psychoanalysis" is obviously a pretty broad term encompassing a lot of different theories but in general, these modalities tend to be marked by an emphasis on exploring and accepting internal conflict and contradiction (this is the import of formulating the subconscious, mechanisms of defence & repression, &c) in a way i personally find a lot more useful than the kind of post-70s self-help style of, like, "think better, feel better" and the focus on 'practical strategies' for overcoming your dysfunction or whatever. like i'm so tired of that sort of presumption of what a 'healed' or 'healthy' psyche looks like, as though we are all striving to reach a condition in which we no longer admit of contradiction or self-negation or abnegation. i think most psychotherapy that tries to consciously excise the spectre of psychoanalysis just ends up falling back on this sort of relentlessly positive & positivist understanding of the psyche that is totally incapable of dealing with any kind of interior dialectical process or multiplicity of identity. it sucks so hard and makes me feel a thousand times more miserable and insane than old man freud ever could. reichian revival when ‼️

[marimeeko]

OK OK so it was not in time for Katsuki's birthday, but here it is, a little tidbit of the chapter I'm still hammering out for my BKDK fic :D

fic: When Did Your Dream Become Mine Alone

Guys, any readers still around, If you haven't noticed, I'm a slow writer but don't worry, so many parts of this story are banging around in my head and in various stages of draft.

Anyway, enjoy; Katsuki is WHIPPED and Izuku is so NORMAL about these thoughts in his head!

Taking a huge bite of his dinner, Izuku tapped through his e-mails, and found a fresh one from Katsuki. He immediately sat up straighter, excitement building; it had to be the recording of their training session at UA on Saturday.

Before they had their misunderstanding, Izuku muttered a passing thought it might be a good idea to begin recording their sessions, so he could see his form from a new angle, in order to help him relearn all of his skills, kick bad habits and decide where new habits needed to be formed. Formulate new strategies and new moves. 

Katsuki had clearly overheard his rambling thoughts, and volunteered his laptop…He’d made sure he had purchased a high-quality model long ago, ever since starting the Replica suit project. He said it had been important to have a high-functioning machine in order to store all of the data, keep communication records, manage finances, and especially, keep in regular, remote contact with Hatsume and Melissa.

 It turns out that Izuku himself must have gotten distracted since having the initial thought himself, because he was shocked when Katsuki suddenly came surprisingly prepared. He’d shown up on Saturday with the best recording software currently available for the model, freshly downloaded and ready to use. 

And a new digital camera with a tripod.

Izuku had nearly hit the roof, seeing Katsuki respond to his small, half-formed idea, and answering it with such intensity. 

Katsuki also refused to divulge the price tag of his new equipment.

“Look, you want to have footage, or not? We’re not using the camera that came with the laptop, you won’t see shit, and then your form will be shit.” Katsuki was recorded at the beginning of the video he’d sent; up close in the camera’s view, adjusting something off screen, and then looking at everything in sequence, Izuku could vividly see his ruby red eyes darting around. 

“Ok, it’s recording. It’s got an AI program that will focus on our movements so we don’t have a bunch of useless shots.” He was seen getting to his feet, stepping back. The camera kept him in focus, showing Katsuki and then Izuku who had been behind him bending forward with a curious look. 

“Wow, it really does,” Izuku remarked, leaned out of frame and waved a hand around. He sidled closer to Katsuki and sent the camera a little peace sign and a grin. In the present, Izuku shook his head at his own antics, with a small, embarrassed smirk. He almost moved to hit fast-forward.

Katsuki, who had of course been in his bad mood at this point, with his arms crossed across his chest, was looking sideways at Izuku and appeared slightly annoyed as he usually did. But before Izuku could tap further in the play log, he saw Katsuki’s face change. 

It wasn’t much. The flat line of Katsuki’s lips tilted upwards, and the wrinkles around his eyes faded, brows lifted. If Izuku looked closely enough, he could see the rare sight of dimples at the corners of his mouth. Katsuki smiled. Really, truly smiled. At the Izuku on the screen, obliviously doing his silly little peace sign and leaning against Katsuki’s shoulder.

There was something so warm about it...It felt the same, Izuku thought, as when Katsuki had been helping him with his hands in the car. Or…in the Med van.

In the blink of an eye, Katsuki shrugged sharply and changed back, looking as if he was quickly putting back on his outward gruffness. It was at that point that Katsuki had turned, and grabbed Izuku by a palm slapped onto his forehead, dragging him away. 

“Come on, you wanted to train, idiot!” Katsuki had loudly complained.

Izuku in the present paused the video as the two of them walked away, towards the open gym where they had had their bout of Catch-a-Kacchan. He had to admit, the camera really was effective at smoothly keeping the two of them in frame.

He began fretting with a finger on his lip. 

It was silly, really, he’d seen Katsuki smile plenty of times even a few of these particular, softer ones. Was it because this time it had happened when Katsuki was otherwise in a bad mood? Because it was clearly not meant for Izuku to see? Why did he look so… What word was Izuku even looking for? 

…Affectionate?

Well, sure, he thought. It was normal for friends to have affection for each other. Even Katsuki had his moments, his own language of expressing those feelings. It was normal for the blonde to warm up his hands when they hurt. It was normal for friends to have deep, heartfelt conversations and to be protective of each other, sometimes angrily so... Warm smiles were normal between friends. It didn’t…mean anything. Not necessarily.

…Why did that somehow not make him feel better?

[momo33me]

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (1/2):

—

"Either Palestine... or Fire[hell], Generation After Generation"

In the face of the renewed Nakba... we resist, we unite, and we move toward return and liberation.

To the masses of our steadfast people in the homeland and diaspora…

To the free people of our Arab nation…

To the free people of the world everywhere…

On May 15th, we mark the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, our open wound that has not healed, and a painful turning point in human history, when zionist gangs, with the full support of colonial powers, committed one of the most horrific crimes of the modern era: the systematic ethnic cleansing of our Palestinian people, their displacement, the destruction of hundreds of cities and villages, and the planting of a racist settler entity on the ruins of our homeland.

The Nakba represented a pivotal moment in the history of our people, a profound revelation of the nature of the zionist project as a racist, colonialist, and uprooting tool aimed at erasing Palestinian national identity and existence, seizing land, and displacing the Palestinian people. Since that moment, the chapters of the Nakba have not ceased, but have continued in renewed forms of killing, massacres, expulsion, discrimination, impoverishment, and siege.

Today, the Nakba is being replayed in a more bloody and barbaric form in the Gaza Strip, where our people are subjected to a genocide war unprecedented in modern history. The occupation machine is carrying out the most heinous forms of killing, destruction, starvation, and displacement. Hospitals, schools, and displacement camps are being bombed amidst a stifling siege, international complicity, international silence, and direct American partnership.

On this painful anniversary, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, while commemorating the steadfastness of our people across the homeland and in exile, from Gaza to the West Bank, from Al-Quds to the 1948 territories, and from the diaspora camps to forced exile, affirms the following:

First: Our conflict with the zionist entity is a comprehensive, historic struggle that will only be resolved by achieving our people's full national rights, at the heart of which are the right of return, self-determination, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on all Palestinian soil with Al-Quds as its capital. The Palestinian cause will remain the core of the Arab-zionist conflict until the roots of the Nakba are eradicated and the occupation ends.

Second: The true response to the Nakba and its repercussions is to build a unified resistance front and formulate a comprehensive national strategy that embraces resistance in all its forms, with armed struggle at its forefront. This strategy reaffirms the PLO as a comprehensive and unified national framework, based on partnership and democracy and in accordance with national consensus decisions. This strategy aims to block the path to monopolization and hegemony, harness the energies of our people wherever they reside, and enable them to express their will to resist the occupation until liberation and return.

Third: In light of these ongoing chapters of crime, the top priority today is to stop the genocide war against our people in the Gaza Strip, end their suffering, break the siege, begin reconstruction, and embark on a political path based on the inalienable national rights of our people.

Fourth: We warn against attempts to impose renewed "Nakba" under the guise of expansionist colonialist liquidation projects such as the "Abraham Accords," a "New Middle East," and other dubious schemes aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause.

Fifth: Confronting attempts to liquidate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is of paramount importance in light of zionist-American plans aimed at erasing the refugee issue and the right of return. Targeting UNRWA in Gaza—through the destruction of its facilities and staff, the closure of its institutions in Al-Quds, and the prevention of its operations in the West Bank is part of a systematic plan to liquidate the refugee issue.

Sixth: We renew our call for complete liberation from the Oslo Accords and its consequences, ending the PA's obligations resulting from them, halting security coordination and all forms of persecution of the resistance, reversing all dangerous and arbitrary decisions regarding allocations for the families of martyrs, prisoners, the wounded, and the freed, severing all forms of dependence on American-zionist projects, and moving towards building a unified arena of struggle that expresses the free will of the Palestinian people.

Seventh: The masses of our nation, its intellectuals, and its vital forces must rise up to support our struggle and confront the genocide war against our people. They must reject all forms of normalization with the zionist enemy, and confront the project of neo-colonial hegemony and plans to fragment the region.

Eighth: We salute with reverence the steadfastness of the brotherly Yemeni people, who have faced aggression and blockade for years. Today, they continue—through their courageous positions and popular and official initiatives—to provide support for our cause and affirm our unity of destiny and struggle by imposing new deterrent equations that extend deep into the zionist entity in support of Gaza. We also salute the valiant Lebanese resistance, which has been and continues to be a solid supporter of our people and resistance, a partner in the battle to defend Palestine, and a confirmation of the cohesion of the resistance fronts in the face of the zionist project.

Ninth: We highly appreciate the cries of solidarity that have risen from the streets and universities of Washington, London, Madrid, Brussels, Johannesburg, and all the capitals and cities of the world in support of Gaza, in rejection of the aggression, and in support of our people's just rights. The rise of international solidarity constitutes an advanced front in the battle to stop the war, break the siege, expose the crimes of the occupation, and hold it accountable at the international level.

🔻The masses of our people... O sons of our Arab nation... O free people of the world…

On the anniversary of the Nakba, we renew our pledge to our people, to the souls of our martyrs, to our prisoners, and to our wounded, that the Popular Front will remain a voice of truth, a shield of resistance, a guardian of national principles, and a staunch defender of the right of return, which is neither forfeited nor negotiable. As the wise George Habash said: "We cannot guarantee the future of our generations while the zionist disease remains on Arab land."

Greetings to our resistant people in all arenas.

Greetings to our male and female prisoners in the occupation's prisons.

Glory and immortality to the martyrs... and we will inevitably be victorious.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

Central Media Department

May 14, 2025

[shamandrummer]

How to Consult the I Ching

Divination is the art of seeing and interpreting signs in everything around us. The goal of divination is to encourage well-being by helping a person live in harmony with the universe around them. One of the best known systems of divination is the I Ching, or Book of Changes. For some 3,000 years, people have turned to the I Ching to help them uncover the meaning of their experience and to bring their actions into harmony with their underlying purpose. The I Ching consists of 64 hexagrams or six-line diagrams. Each hexagram is accompanied by a text containing folk poetry, historical tales, and commentary. These ancient texts describe the conditions associated with the 64 archetypal patterns of change. They convey the laws and principles pertaining to time and change. The hexagram images reveal the patterns through which change manifests itself in the ebb and flow of time.

The underlying premise of the I Ching is that all events--past, present, and future are interconnected. The future develops out of the present according to a set of fixed laws. To know the present, then, is to know the future. The I Ching counsels timely action in the moment for a given set of circumstances. Each moment has a pattern to it and everything that happens in that moment is interconnected. As a system of divination, the I Ching reflects your current connection with the Tao, or Universe. It serves to freeze the present moment at the time of your inquiry, responding in the form of a hexagram. By evaluating the hexagram that describes your current pattern of relationship, you can divine the outcome and act accordingly.

The I Ching is a microcosm of all possible human situations. It serves as a dynamic map, whose function is to reveal one's relative position in the cosmos of events. The hexagram texts address the sixty-four archetypal human situations. The commentary of each hexagram reveals the optimal strategy for integrating or harmonizing with the inevitable for a given condition. It provides the appropriate response to your inquiry. It affords a holistic perspective of your current condition and discusses the proper or correct way to address the situation.

The Inquiry

To consult the I Ching, one must first frame an inquiry. Formulating an appropriate question and writing it down is a key element in the process of divination. Focusing on a question develops a receptive state of mind and helps you clarify what it is you are truly seeking. It is important to word your inquiry in a concise and clear-cut manner. A vague question will elicit an ambiguous or misleading response. Be specific about your intent, the circumstances, and the scope or nature of the response you desire.

Avoid the tendency to ask yes/no or either/or types of questions. A simple yes or no question leaves no room for elaboration and the either/or inquiry is actually two questions. Inquire instead about the nature of the situation, the appropriate attitude and strategy, the outcome of a particular course of action, and so forth. If time is a factor, include this element in your inquiry as well. Appropriate inquiries might be worded as follows:

How would it benefit me to pursue a career in _____? What aspect of my character or attitude is hindering my progress? Which hexagram best describes my present situation? I would like the I Ching to comment on my intent to travel to _____ in three months?

Casting a Hexagram

Once you have formulated an appropriate inquiry, you are ready to "cast a hexagram." Casting a hexagram is the term used to describe the method for generating the six lines of the hexagram. Casting was devised in ancient China as a mechanism for reflecting or mirroring what the subconscious or inner self already knows. The subconscious mind, or right hemisphere of the brain, knows which hexagram best describes your current situation or condition. It knows because it accesses the invisible sea of information that we bathe in daily--the all-pervading frequencies of consciousness immanent in all phenomena. The subconscious has the capacity to analyze or devour information all at once while the conscious mind, or left cerebral, analyzes information one bit at a time. The conscious mind allows us to see only the surface of things. Accessing the all knowing of the subconscious is difficult since there is usually little or no communication between the left and right cerebrals.

Various casting methods were devised to resolve this predicament. The subconscious mind is able to gather the information desired and influence the casting, regardless of the method, to indicate the most appropriate hexagram. The original method for casting a hexagram is known as the "yarrow oracle." This method involves the manipulation of fifty yarrow stalks in an elaborate procedure that is repeated six times in order to determine the six lines of the hexagram. A simple "coin oracle" was devised by Chinese philosopher Kuei Kuo Tze some 2500 years ago to replace the complex yarrow stalk method. The coin method requires tossing three coins six times to generate each line of the hexagram. Like a building, the hexagram is assembled from the ground up--the bottom line being considered the first line in the text interpretations.

The easiest way of casting a hexagram is to use my online hexagram generator which is based on the yarrow stalk method. The result is the immediacy of the coin tossing method with the reliability of the yarrow stalk method. For a reading, click on the "Cast a Hexagram" button. A small window will appear. Click the "Create Hexagram(s)" button to generate the hexagrams. Red indicates a changing line. A hexagram with one or more changing lines indicates that the situation related to your inquiry will soon be changing. The changing lines will turn into their counterparts, transforming the initial hexagram into a changed hexagram. As a result, you will read two hexagrams. The initial hexagram corresponding to your present situation is read first, followed by the changed hexagram relating to the eventual development. Changing lines usually address the future implications of a particular course of action. They may describe the changes you are likely to experience and how to deal with them.

Interpreting the Message

The I Ching does not answer a question in a direct, logical manner. It responds in the form of a hexagram, which serves as a model or paradigm of appropriate behavior. It provides the framework within which to perceive and comprehend the archetypal condition related to your query. It provides a holistic perspective and comments on the situation or condition. It offers suggestions on the best way to approach this condition. It presents advice for what to do to act in accord with or avoid a particular prediction. You must then interpret the message and determine for yourself the most appropriate course of action with regard to your inquiry. This process engages and accesses the subjective mind and intuitive awareness.

When your interpretation differs from the eventual outcome, then reevaluate the commentary in light of what actually transpired. In this way, you develop proficiency in your ability to interpret the I Ching's sometimes paradoxical and enigmatic aphorisms. At times, the oracle will provide an incomprehensible response that does not seem to fit the question posed. When this occurs, the I Ching may be overriding your stated inquiry in order to address a more significant issue, an unstated concern, or unconscious projection. The oracle may also be alerting you to an impending crisis or significant change. Keep in mind, too, that all conditions are transitory. Nothing is permanently fixed or static, so whether you like or dislike the response, conditions will eventually change with regard to your inquiry. Consult the I Ching.