#It can also mean equal standing but generally still means link is regarded highly

[909hold]

Good Content Means Good SEO

Content Marketing Is a Critical Component to Your SEO Success:

It Can Be Very Effective in Increasing Traffic, Generating Leads, Enabling Sales, And Contributing To SEO. Which Brings Us to The Main Question - How Can I Use This to Improve My Search Rankings?

When Done Well, Content Marketing Can Contribute to Boosting a Site's Position in Search Rankings. While This May Not Seem Like the Most Obvious Benefit of A Successful Content Marketing Strategy, It Is An Impact That No Business Can Afford To Ignore. Let Us See How to Make Full Use of Your Website Content to Rank Higher in SERPs.

1. Creating New Content

Having A Website Is Not Enough; It Needs to Be Updated Continuously for It to Rank Well. And That's Where the New Material Comes in Handy. A Site Can Never Have Enough Content. There Is Always an Opportunity to Create New Content, And the Novelty of Content Is Also One Of Google's Ranking Signals.

Fresh Content as A Ranking Factor Is Judged Not Only by The Page's Publication Date, But Also by New Pages, An Increased Number of Links on A Page, and Ultimately an Increased Level Of Traffic Arriving At The Page. The best Digital Marketing Agency Will Help You Grow Your Business by Giving Best Content Marketing Service.

These Criteria Suggest That Older Posts May Still Be Valuable, Especially If They Offer In-Depth Analysis of a Topic or Have Been Updated Regularly to Keep Them Relevant, Which Leads Us to The Next Tip.

2. Reusing Old Content

There's No Reason to Ignore Older Content You've Published in The Past, Especially If It Still Receives a Significant Amount of Traffic.

Content Repurposing Can Help You Analyze a Topic in More Detail, Allowing You to Create Multiple Types of Content Without Repeating or Losing Their Value. This Saves You Time Coming Up with New Content Ideas and Gives You a Regular Supply of Fresh, Valuable Content to Boost Your Rankings.

Going Beyond Blog Posts, You Can Create Videos, Infographics, Podcasts, Lists, And More from Your Old Content. Your Target Audience May Be More Receptive to Infographics Rather Than Blog Posts, For Example, Or You May Find That You Get Higher Conversion Rates Through A List Rather Than A Podcast.

3. Using Visual Content

Visual Content Has Become Very Popular on The Internet Because Of Our Ability To Process Images Faster Than Any Written Text. It Wins the First Impression and Can Be Very Powerful In The Context Of A Single Page.

Previously Mostly Used Alongside Written Content, Visual Content Has Reached the Stage Where It Is Now Considered a Form of Content in Its Own Right, Standing On Its Own To Increase Awareness, Engagement, And Leads.

On Top of That, It Can Be Optimized for Search, Which Provides a New Opportunity for A Business To Stand Out From Its Competitors Through Images And Videos. Optimizing Your Visual Content Can Produce Surprisingly Positive Results, Provided You Follow a Series of Small Steps That Ensure They Are SEO-Friendly.

4. Choosing The Right Keywords

Keyword Research Can Be a Useful Ally, Especially If You Keep In Mind That You Don't Always Need To Target The Most Obvious Keywords.

Targeting Highly Sought Keywords Can Make It Harder for You To Rank High In Search, But That Doesn't Mean You Can't Become An Authority On A Topic By Using Different Phrases For The Same Concept.

How About Choosing Words and Phrases That Are Less Competitive but Still Rank High? Find The Keywords That Best Suit Your Content Marketing SEO, And Think Outside the Box When Deciding On The Focus Keywords You Want To Target.

5. Create Linkable Content

Link Building Helps Your Content Reach a Wider Audience, Thereby Increasing Both Your Site's Visibility and Its Authority. This Can Help Increase Your Search Traffic, As the Number of Unique Domains Linking to Your Site Helps Search Engines Understand Whether Your Content Is Informative Enough To Rank High In Serps.

Not All Links Are Created Equal, As High-Authority Sites Contribute More in This Regard. This Means You Should Aim for More Reputable Mentions, But Without Snagging Any Lesser Sites That May Link to You, Because It All Adds Up. It's Easier for A Source to Link To Your Content If It's Authentic, Interesting, And Well-Researched, So Always Aim For Quality Over Quantity.

[plutoswrath]

i’m jealous of your big heart when it comes to animals lmao. i’m arachnophobic and it can be so annoying to have sometimes. i haven’t been able to tie it back to astrology, as much as i would like to. i asked because i was wondering if there was a clear indicator based off certain placements like how 6th house rules animals, 6th is ruled by mercury so i jumbled them even though i probs shouldn’t have lol. and with venus it ties to personal taste so i wondered if it could indicate a liking towards a certain animal. i have sag and sag venus in 6th and embarrassingly enough, i was obsessed with horses. like i came out of the womb adoring them. as soon as i learned to talk i was a walking horse encyclopedia. my obsession died down. i’m not a horse girl, i swear on my life.

i agree with you about the cancer loving animals. animals are babies and momma cancer loves to nurture the babies. i feel like cancers are the most likely to hate the “are you a dog or cat person” question. they’d get offended because how dare someone assume their heart isn’t big enough for both. more than both, really. throw a turtle in there. a rabbit even. cancer asc peeps usually have a shit ton of animals. it’s probably the sag/abundance in the 6th. or they either own a horse or Great Dane. but this is off topic because i forgot i had a follow up question.

if you could tie an animal or a couple animals to each sign that you think best represents that sign? or just seems like one they’d like? some are so easy and others just leave me blank. my arachnophobia thinks scorpio’s deserve better than scorpions but my terror blinds me. but i was looking up the symbolism behind animals and tying them to signs. so far, i’ve concluded that while horses should go with sag, their highly intuitive and empathetic animals. their behavior is like a mirror so if you’re nervous, they are too. so pisces or cancer actually seems to be a better fit. and to stay on topic of cancer with animals, i always tie wolves and dogs in general to cancer. the wolves are tied to the moon and familial dynamics and also i think they’re a great symbolic opposition to leo and how leos tend to resemble cats. sun and moon, dog and cat, night and day, that sort of thing. i realized i’ve rambled but i’m looking forward to your opinion because i’m so lost on what other signs would have. it’s been a year old question in my brain and it’s time for help from the master.

I'm sorry to hear that, I'm had a friend once who was arachnophobic and having phobias like these is really no fun, I can't imagine what it feels like really having them. And omg don't feel bad for liking horses when you were a child, literally so many children, especially young girls, like horses simply because people decided horses where a 'teenage girls only' thing somehow?? (and I will have to dig deeper into this at a point because here where I come from the horse girl thing is soooo painfully real and I want to understand the phenomena). And if I'm not mistake, arachnophobia (like most types of phobias), stem from some kind of trauma right? I absolutely don't try to get to personal but if we look at phobias in that way, maybe it's good to also include looking at planets/asteroids that point to trauma or aspects that can represent/indicate traumatic experiences in that sense! And I agree wholeheartedly to the 'dog or cat' question, I don't get offended by it but I hate this question in general because every animal deserves my love and empathy adfghj and yes, mother feelings definitely play into this haha! I think cancers enjoy (to an extent) having that occasional (or constant) outlet for their nurturing side and the bound you have to animals is also very intuitive and requires a lot of patience and getting educated as well as being observant and reading between the lines somehow and all that dedication paired with emotional knowledge just really speaks to water signs in general (and animals don't judge openly with words, just your energy asdfgh) Uhh, I like the question regarding the animals and I agree with your takes on it so far!! I think one animal can not represent all the core traits of a sign alltogether, but I'll try my best here! and psdfghj no need to call me master because I'm literally so far from anything close to that but thank you so much still, I feel honored really!!

The Signs as Animals:

Disclaimer: some of them are inspired by my ‘the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit’ tarot deck.

Aries: House cat. I know, I always thought cats actually link pretty well to Aries! Cats are just the perfect mixture of intelligen and curious, reserved, stubborn, aggressive, senstive as well as playful/impulsive! They are quick to learn and not afraid to face off against any other, bigger animals, but also can live pretty well together with other pets in the house, as long as they don‘t bother them too much. Especially when it comes to intimacy/pda they are very picky, but forceful when demand it. Seem flexible and unbothered at first but actually have the firmest boundaries when it comes to their personal freedom. Will let you believe they need you but give it a few weeks and the neighbor has better treats than you and gone they are asdfgh, but it's actually a harmful stereotype to believe that cats don't need you because they can become extremely fond of you and grow very attached.

Taurus: Elk. Based on the interpretation of my tarot deck. The elk represents earth energy, it is grounded, is established in itself and knows their core values and acts according to them. They show consistency, coherence and care. Dedicated to who they love and what they care for. Can become narrow minded due to knowing what's best, based on their perception of what's right and necessary, which can effect their ego negatively. Very Taurus for me. Gemini: Dragonfly. I refer to the interpretation of the Dragonfly based on my tarot deck. The dragonfly represents the mind: everchanging, quick, fascinating, a reflection of the world inside us and aroudn us. As the dragonfly is very quick (refering to Mercury's fast and nervous energy) the dragonfly also calles for paying attention to what quality our mind has and to become mindful, because on first glance things always appear different tahn on first glance (Mercury floats between detail-oriented and paying attenetion and being too fast, impatient). The dragonfly is joy and magic, as well as impatience, restlessness and being unable to concentrate. Cancer: Killer Whales (but also whales in general)! I thought especially about Killer Whales, because I once watched a documentary on them and they went in depth about how they have different cultures and different languages even (if I remember correctly) in their familys. Cancer often gets associated with the home life, but I think I wanted to look at it from another perspective, as in how does family 'become' family and how do those family roots develope, what do they consist of, how do we define family and what holds it together (and especially: how do our roots shape our own emotional patterns and nature in life?). I think the mystery of the Killer Whales but the whole complexity that lies behind the fascination of how these animals function and also how deeply affected Killer Whales are by their emotions/when they are absent from their kin, just opens up another big question of family dynamics and how we relate to one another and how principles we always condoned to human beings now apply to animals too. I think the whole part about the Killer Whales relation to emotions and their family's cultures just really made me link them to Cancer. Leo: Otter. I refer o the meaning of teh Otter based on my tarot deck. The Otter resembles the energy of the inner child: it's pure bliss, playfulness, they love to live and live for life itself, and out of this eagerness to enjoy life comes also a contentment and completeness towards life itself. To reconnect with otter energy, it is advised to step into settings of celebration, or total creative self expression and from the outside looking 'unproductive/selfish' indulgence. But actually, this energy is what makes life so enjoyable in the first place.

Virgo: Octopus. Highly intelligent beings that can quickly adapt and take the initiative. Self sufficient by nature, they aren't aggressive unless provoked, they like to mind their business unless they get curious (then they cling heavy onto you because you are their new object of interest). They can change color if it's needed (Virgo is a mutuable sign and can blend in perfectly in social occasions/new situations) and tbh the inking part about octopus just reminds me of the fact that most Virgos have a really quirky side to them you only get to see when you annoy them long enough (aka you are a long term friend). Libra: Gazelle. I refer to the meaning of ten Gazelle based on my tarot deck. The gazelle combines the creation of beauty and harmony, creativity and hyper awareness of it's surroundings, very affected of the imbalances in it's environment, but in it's try to remain this beauty around them, they tend to forget their achievments and stay in the present with their thoughts, as they constantly wheigh out the 'what if's'. A very perceptive animal in the tarot deck and this attribute is equally it's strong suit and downfall. Scorpio: Tiger. I refer here to the meaning of the Tiger based on my tarot deck. Waits in stillness and darkness to reconnect to their own inner power. Healing in isolation with the help of the lunar forces, waiting to regenerate. The Tiger energy shows itself in being passionate, sensual and stepping into ones own power, recognizing ones strength. For me, this is very Scorpio (Moon) for me. When the Tiger in unbalanced, it becomes overstimulated and acts according to this hyperawareness. Sagittarius: Zebra. I refer here to the meaning of the Zebra based on my tarot deck. The Zebra stands for an open mind, visionary and eccentric, new thinking, as well as being young at heart and expansion. I personally connect horses with passion and drive, because they are truly powerhouses. Based on the meaning of my tarit deck, the Zebra also is sociable, at least people find themselves drawn to the energy of the Zebra because it triggers their desire to learn, and I think this is something very beautiful Sagittarius symbolizes when they come into your life: be prepared to broaden your horizon for more. 

Capricorn: Camel. I refer to the meaning of the Camel based on my tarot deck. Camels here represent absolute dependence on self and being able to find the answer to problems in oneself. This self reliance and capability reminds me of capricorns, the camel is finding the 'cool' aka water inside of them and Capricorn is traditionally also symbolized as the sea-goat (which I seriously think should really be considered when anaylzing this archetype) and Capricorns have (imo at least) a rich emotional life, but it's just deeply locked within. The Camel represents showing responsibility for their own actions, regulating the self and circumstances around them as best as they can, which makes sense for Capricorns, ruled by Saturn they usually are confronted with task in their life. If the Camel energy is out of balance, it shows a lack of vitality, with Capricorn representing the senior age in life makes sense, especially since Capricorns can tend to feel very old (exhausted)- Aquarius: Platypus- and no, I’m not using the Platypus because ‚wow all Aquarius are so weird like straight up aliens 🤪🤪’ I think the platypus is a good representation because it makes us question what we’ve known so far about animals and Aquarius too is a sign that introduces us to new ideas and perspectives all in the favor of progress and considering alternatives, leaving the status quo. Pisces:  Raven/Crow. I name these two in particular because as far as I know it’s only the ravens that have been documented intimating people’s voices and tones, but crows are definitely more known for their bright mind. For me people often forget Pisces mutable nature and how quick witted they actually are. These birds are hyper intelligent and their observational skills are truly amazing. In my Wild Uknown Animal Spirit deck, the crow is an animal carrying 3rd eye energy. Here, the view is clear, the crow is moving through different dimensions and sees what other’s cant. For and the emotional depth (void) Pisces is conencted to it just seem to make sense. 

[bigskydreaming]

hood-ex

i was like well he could just date some random dude who's an artist or something and then i was like oh wait. kyle. lmao. did dick and kyle ever have interactions when donna wasn't around? i mean i know dick found kyle's.. spirit? or whatever in jla. but any other major moments between them aren't coming to my brain

LOL, nope, Dick and Kyle have barely ever interacted ever. Just at Hal’s memorial and then the Obsidian Age, which was well after Kyle and Donna split......they never hung out with Dick when they were together, as he was....busy in Bludhaven. Like Donna and Kyle were together during that period when Roy was running the Titans and they had that weird lineup with Terra the Second and Impulse and Fake Supergirl and just....yeah. But point being like, that was basically right after Dick left the team and Kory left to return to Tamaran, so Dick was kinda deliberately avoiding most of the Titans at that time, as far as I’ve always viewed it.

But yeah honestly all my Dick/Kyle thoughts pretty much stem just from their very brief Obsidian Age interactions and then me going like, huh. I could see it. Its more based on just their characters in general, and the fact that I think they have such similar priorities and mindsets as to be more alike than different, but without being so similar that they’re in any way derivative of each other or like....immediate analogues. Like you think of either Dick or Kyle, you don’t immediately jump to the other because they don’t particular stand out as being interchangeable or anything, but when you dig a little into their characters you’re like, oh wow, they have a lot in common actually.

In particular I’ve always keyed into the slightly lonely nature of Kyle’s position as Torchbearer in the GL Corps. A nod to his time as the only GL left, and the fact that he resurrected the Guardians and restarted the Corps, essentially.....so he’s always stood a little apart from the rest of the GLs, even Hal and John and Guy who were still around in some way or another back when he was the solo GL. Its not that he’s not close with them, its just that he has a very unique experience among the GLs where for most of the Corps, they always had the support of the Corps behind them as they became more experienced as Green Lanterns. And the weight of what they all did as Green Lanterns and what people looked to them for, it was always spread among like....the whole Corps, whereas when Kyle was Green Lantern during his solo tenure, like, it all rested on him, there was no one else to look at or look to....all eyes were just on him. 

That pressure, that absence of anyone who can fully relate, its always made him stand slightly apart from the rest of the Lanterns, even now that the Corps is back, and its only been heightened by the fact that he continues to have very unique experiences. Like how he was the only one to ever master the full emotional spectrum on his own, without external additives, the unique way in which he became the White Lantern, the fact that he has such a different relationship with the Ion entity than even those others who’ve hosted it, etc. Also the fact that like, despite his reputation among the Lanterns and others, despite how highly he’s regarded by them, that doesn’t always translate into the camaraderie and support you’d think it would, and most of his most intense adventures or most emotional storylines still happen when he’s off completely by himself with no lifelines. Because as much as he matters to the Corps and is valued by them, there’s always this kinda disconnect that frequently translates into a lot of distance between them and him, both physical and emotional.

And I’ve always thought there are a lot of parallels to the way Dick often feels like he’s alone even when in a crowd. That unique kind of pressure that comes from being the FIRST Robin, the original leader of the Titans, the guy who so often has acted as a trailblazer that others followed but without fully being able to relate to that experience of being first, of not having anyone TO follow, to have to make it up entirely as he went and hope that he wasn’t screwing up too much because it wasn’t like he had any precedent to look to or others to compare himself, his triumphs and his failures to. The way so often the buck stops with him and there’s no one really to pass it off to even when its not actually his fault, its more just.....people feel a need, a want to blame someone, and there’s not really anyone else to look at in his stead there. The similarities in how he also has such a positive reputation overall, and is seemingly so valued and respected by his various communities, and yet despite this it doesn’t always translate into direct and tangible support, leaving him often actually being cut-off and isolated during some of his most emotionally intensive storylines.

I think they have a lot of insight they could lend each other stemming from their respective experiences with the weight of legacy, which parallels without being the same....because the angle, the perspective is different with them. Kyle struggled with the weight of having to carry the entire legacy of the Green Lantern Corps by himself and feeling the responsibility of not wanting to let his predecessors down. Dick struggles with the weight of having his legacy carried by so many others and feeling responsible for what they go through as a result of that. And then at the same time Dick also struggled with the weight of carrying Bruce’s legacy as Batman at different times, such as Knightfall/Prodigal and then when he was lost in time, and now Kyle struggles with the weight of his legacy as Ion being carried on by others and the legacy his existence as the Torchbearer is creating for after he’s gone.

Additionally, they both have abundant experience with feeling under a microscope, like their every action is being scrutinized and they’re constantly being compared to the larger than life figure they’re most directly linked to. For Dick its Batman, for Kyle its Hal. That thing where they’re simultaneously expected to BE the equal to Bruce or Hal, or even better than them, but also at the same time being not exactly blamed for Bruce’s and Hal’s mistakes, but treated as even though they had nothing to do with their actions, they might as well have, kinda? Constantly compared to Bruce and Hal and with people saying they would have done this or that instead, but also with people quick to act like Bruce and Hal are their personal cautionary tales and tell them how dangerously close they are to becoming them whenever they do something that even slightly parallels the older two. 

Also, they have this distance between themselves and Bruce and Hal....Dick because of the chasm between them during the early years of Nightwing and Kyle because Hal was basically a villain and then dead during his early years as Green Lantern.....but without anyone ever really factoring in that they’re not as joined at the hip to Bruce and Hal as people act like and they not only have nothing to do with the worst of their mistakes, but the older two weren’t always as involved in the younger two’s successes as people credit them as being. And that very niche feeling that only they can really relate to, where Dick and Kyle so often end up being Bruce and Hal’s biggest defenders, and how often this overwrites or gets in the way of Dick and Kyle ever getting to fully express valid resentments they have of how Bruce and Hal’s own actions and choices and reputations impact Dick and Kyle’s lives and actions and choices.

Plus I think they’d just be good for each other - Kyle actually does have the ability to relax and unwind with his art and other hobbies in ways Dick could definitely learn from and benefit from applying to his own life, and Dick has the gravitas and weight of history and experience that means he can really address in actionable ways that Kyle can truly internalize, like the longing Kyle has always had, despite his many accomplishments, to really feel like he isn’t just a hero by happenstance or mistake, that he really belongs among their number. Kyle was a diehard superhero fanboy before he ever got the ring, and you can’t tell me he didn’t have a crush on the first Robin when he debuted back when Kyle was probably in middle school (they’re actually pretty close in age, with everything lending itself to the idea that Kyle’s of a similar age with Dick and the original Titans). Likewise, you can’t tell me Dick has anything but respect for someone who manages to establish himself and his own reputation despite how easy it’d be to be overshadowed by his predecessors and their actions.

They both have extremely parallel storylines even in their particulars......both have been briefly killed then presumed dead and then isolated from their loved ones for a period for a ‘solo mission’ and then blamed for that upon their return, even though Dick wanted nothing to do with that mission and was forced into it by Bruce just like the same is true of Kyle who was backed into his by the Guardians. Both have struggled with suicidal ideation in the past, most notably in the aftermath of Blockbuster and then with Kyle, his subconscious literally created a nemesis for him named Oblivion, who wanted nothing other than his death, because Oblivion was literally Kyle’s own death wish made flesh and blood by Kyle’s willpower and leftover Ion energy. 

Both have nightmares of being hijacked by someone else’s will and used as their puppets, with Dick and his many times being brainwashed and Kyle and his time possessed by Parallax. Both have extremely complicated feelings about children that were never truly theirs, both have been the scapegoat for crimes they didn’t commit, both are wracked with guilt for things they choose to take responsibility for but only because nobody ever told them it wasn’t actually their fault. Both are rape survivors whose rapes were never taken seriously or treated like they matter, and both are desperate for the approval of loved ones and mentors who actually do approve of them very much, but just often struggle to show them that in the ways they really need in order to BELIEVE it.

I could go on, lol, but like, you get it. Don’t worry, you’re not forgetting about some super significant story between Dick and Kyle, it really was just me latching on to that one story from twenty years ago where Kyle’s like if we get out of this alive, I want a hug, and Dick’s like deal, and I was like SOLD. And then my brain manufactured all these other reasons why clearly they are soulmates, and thus you have the Good Ship Dick/Kyle, which I shall sail forever more, no matter if I am only ever a crew of one.

afsbjkfabhjkfaghjkfalhkfla

[bettertheworld]

To change, you have to change.

The most important crash-course our planet is on is with itself, it doesn't matter that in billions of years our solar system is going to collide with a nearby galaxy, our planet is on a crash-course with human habits and they're already ruining the world bite-by-bite, meal-by-meal.  

Yes, there are other factors threatening our existence causing climate change, but none of those factors have as much impact as what we ingest as 'foods' and 'drinks'. None of those other factors can be compromised because people need to travel to and from work, move about the world, people need to get goods from one part of the world to another etc...  

What people don't need is to support the burning and deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest and other grasslands to allow cattle to graze, we don't need meat to exist as a thing that keeps us fed - that idea is 100s of years old and if you haven't heard, Justus Von Liebig was wrong – very wrong.  For an idea that old to be so strongly affecting us today, means we're living in the past - we don't need animals to get ample protein in our lives.  Ignoring the problems the present is creating is a true and horrible crime of today, but you should also realize that someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes and initially, it's not our fault. If this scenario were a person in their life, a medical doctor would send that person to a psychotherapist, and you know that doctor would have already started them on an SSRI among other drugs that they would be getting kick-backs on.

Later on I'll describe to you what the Disease Model is, and how Doctors operate within those boundaries to keep us sick, but alive.

The Covid-19 pandemic is the canary in the coal-mine telling us that if we don't change our ways, minds, and belief systems, it's going to be too late to save life as we know it; look at Covid-19, it’s already doing that.  Misguidedly, I tried so many times to inform and help people accept the facts, but at that time, I didn’t know that, new facts are polarizing, they don’t just change belief-systems. I burnt so many bridges wasting effort on people who weren't ready to accept new information, who didn't want to change, and who at best wanted to make me look like a blabbing fool.  What does it take to make someone talking pure gold look like their talking garbage? The answer is a loyal following.  Take away the loyalists, and you take away Those-Who-Resist's ground to stand on. Inform the following, and instead of working against them, like Othello, you're now working with them.  Seems easy, but it's an absolute nightmare sometimes to be on this mission – while trying to do life.

The bottom line is this, If we don't change our eating habits, we're going to be looking back on 2020 and we're going to regretfully say, 'we should have listened, we should have read the true science and informed ourselves and understood that vegan activists are sharing information so that we can minimize our impact which elongates the future for generations to come, not to take away anyone's rights or freedoms today'.  You might not see all of those right away, but I need to make the point about 2020 and it's a bit cheesy, here it is in a series of extremely short sentences. 2020. Vision. Hindsight. (You see what I’m doing here?) Covid-19.  Human deaths. Animal flu Spillover. Cause of covid. These points are all strongly connected and the answer to the problem is, leave the animals alone.  We can easily be getting all nutrients from plants, thereby eliminating the ability for animal flu spillover, stopping future pandemics and living successfully and healthfully. Wow, seems simple. If you need proof about how vegans can kill it physically, check out Nimai Delgado on Instagram.  Here's a hint - do not worry about adequate protein intake – I would worry a whole lot more if I still ate meat.

Did you know that a chickpea has every amino acid that your body needs and none of the cholesterol that lays down fatty streaks in your arteries?  Dietary cholesterol only comes from eating animal products.  Did you know that of the 20 amino acids, only 9 are essential?  Did you know that plants make amino acids? Did you know plants make ALL amino acids? Did you know you can live healthfully with just eating plants? If you doubt, check out nutritiondata.com; it will set you free.

I had the hindsight to realize that we are the problem, what I was eating was harming me, and that change happened without me forfeiting anything and that what I needed to thrive and live my best, most fulfilling and healthiest life was growing in the ground and putting carbon back into the ground thereby removing carbon dioxide from the air? What was being bled out, hung upside down, chopped into pieces, packaged, and then referred to as Halal Beef or 'extra-lean ground chuck' was killing me from within.  It is my hunch that in the future, Halal will be condemned as an inhumane and non-sustainable practice.  If you doubt my words, consider watching Earthlings, and I mean ALL of Earthlings – It's free on Youtube.

Covid-19 was caused by humans' interactions with animals.  You can try to re-word, re-frame, re-everything the previous sentence, but you can't, we caused it by conquering the world and being negligent with our logistics and lack of science.  It doesn't matter if you can conjure up conspiracy theories or already understand that it's our closeness with animals that has caused the pandemic. I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty details because that's already been done.  I'm here to send a wake-up call to anyone who will listen, anyone who will change, anyone who cares about their children, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, parents, or anyone who will live beyond your years, basically anyone beyond yourself.  Yes these are strong words, but these are grim times.

Are you going to be in the group who changed given the information that is out there, or will you be in the stubborn group who thinks they can interpret the science better than the professionals can? Are you going to continue to believe that every falsely "debunked" meat-free solution as a result of fake news is remotely inclusive or correct? Are you going to choose greed and personal choice over minimizing your impact on the future?  Are you going to let fake news scare you into eating meat?  The only reason why you have a choice today is because of capitalism, but is capitalism helping or killing you? Take capitalism away, and you would be left with no choice, you would be doing what is best for the planet because that’s also best for you and, if you don’t know, climate change is already here!  

Again, I'm not here to take away your personal choice, I'm here to instill a sense of agency within you, to give you the power to take control of your life, to be in the driver's seat with regard to your own health, and to reframe the choices that you have so that you can choose better for whatever the rest of your years look like or whatever may come to be on this planet because of you.  Do you want to be part of the solution, or would you rather defend your right to live unsustainably because you have money?

Take the rich for example, whatever you want, you get because they have the money for it. Well, consider the fact that heart disease has not been linked to a lower socioeconomic status, instead it affects everyone roughly equally if you're all eating an equal amount of animal protein and animal fats, you're all getting just about the same amount of sick (ignoring specific nutrient deficiencies).  Whether you're eating the rarest of blood-dripping steaks with the fanciest 1000-thread count napkins on your laps, or you're going through a McDonald's drive-thru dropping lettuce all over your car because all your bank account will let you do is get a Bacon-Double-Cheeseburger and the person who made it can’t get all the lettuce between the patties, either way that animal fat is being pushed into your arteries by your blood pressure and the animal protein is wreaking havoc in your body promoting your genes to signal cancer growth within your body. It doesn't matter if you're eating only white meat vs red, animal protein does not promote optimal health for a human being.  

Eating meat was the exception and necessary at one point in time within evolution, but it was never meant to be a long-term solution, how do I know this? Our bodies tell us that. Our teeth are flat for grinding roughage, our teeth cannot shred muscle very well.  We have elongated GI systems designed to absorb complex carbohydrates, our stomach acid is not as strong as true carnivores.  We require vitamin C in our diet which relates to us having trichromatic vision, vs Lions that only see black, white and grey. Vitamin C is found in plants, not meat.  Yes we have the ability to digest meat, but it wreaks havoc on our bodies, and it takes a long time to see the result of that action develop into symptoms of various cardiovascular diseases, and cancers.

With regard to deciding to finally kill Betsy the cow because you’re starving and need to eat something? Can you imagine being that person who had to hack up the first cow when it went against their way of life at the time? How traumatic it would be! Maybe you can imagine doing it yourself right now, and or it's time to think, "If I can't do it, how am I going to pay someone else to do it?  Ask yourself that 3 times.

Necessity has a way of changing us because we’ll do anything to survive. Whether you accept it or not, we're already at that point of necessity with regard to climate and I’m glad someone has done something about it.  Look at Greta Thunberg, if you haven't seen her documentary, I highly recommend it, it's called 'Greta'. A child who has been handed an unfair start at life, facing a climate crisis and being left to think, 'what's the point of me doing anything other than this?' The answer to her question is 'quite honestly, barely any". Her campaign of 'Skolstrejk for Klimatet', translated it means "school-strike for climate" has gained momentum and woken people up, but was that her resonsibility in the first place? We all know the answer to that, and that proves that our ignorance is making the future more and more unfair for each child born, and if that’s your child, and if you eat meat, you truly do not what to offer the best planet to your children.

I have to address this quickly because so many people refer to it.  If 'God' created the world, the bible via prophets and animals to eat, then god also created Science and Philosophy and Logic, which has now proven many facts about diet and disease, so how are we going to defend eating meat with words of the bible and ignore the Science, Philosophy and Logic that was also bred of God? You tell me what you come up with.

You tell yourself that it's just one meal, it's just a couple meals a day, or it's every meal and it's your choice and you can do whatever you want to your body.  That is true because capitalism allows that, but if you want to grow and become better than you already are, you should really ask yourself a question that about 98% of people ignore - "Am I doing this whole food thing right?" And therefore, "Am I giving myself too many allowances? Do I have a realistic or horribly unrealistic view of my own life and my existence?"  Yes, it goes deep, but is it too difficult to critically look at yourself? Think beyond yourself.

For those educated regarding Critical Theory and higher degrees of thought in school, you may ask yourself a lot more questions than that, but before you begin to answer them with regards to food, do not even think about answering them with regard to your experience if you have only tried eating one way, you need to go with science on this one and use yourself as an experiment - make changes, and gauge how you feel – cut the meat and dairy, align your thoughts and feelings with what is on your plate.  

It was only a year ago Canada made their first food guide without Research from the companies providing the animal products.  Is it just me or does it seem crazy to have ever used research from Beef producers about beef?  Regarding the changes which nearly left meat out completely, I have my own conspiracy theories as to why meat was left in, but take a hint people, it was all but removed. Wake up and smell the chickpeas, ditch the animal products.

What do you think your children, grand-children, great-grand-children, etc.. will think of you? No you will not meet all that come to be because of you but they'll know if you were the first go ditch meat, and take control of your health. You have the power to choose, you have the agency to act autonomously and to think for yourself.  What legend do you want to leave behind? What are they going to say about you if you refuse to change?  

My mother has smoked my entire life, always telling me that she'll quit, it's hard I know, but after 35 years, I've given up trying to change people, instead I refuse to keep secret for her, her habits that are shortening her life day in and day out. Telling her that if she dies of anything related to her smoking or eating habits, that I will use her as an example to teach my nieces about cause and effect.  Call me brutally honest, call me anything you want, but before all, call me a realist.

Did you know that even in abusive relationships, the abused will at times defend the abuser? Did you know that happens a lot more than you realize? Maybe now you can realize that you're being abused by the meat-producers and now you're defending them by defending your 'right' to eat meat?

I think we are ready to remove the veil, but to do so you'll have to do the research yourself and not just take my word for it. Everything I spout nowadays, is the opposite of what I knew myself to be in 2014. The fact that I have been through university with a degree in Human kinetics, spending time with nutrition and other Biomedical sciences - nothing woke me up better than meeting a Vegan who cared enough to hold my hand and walk me through what big businesses never wanted me to find out. That what we eat is killing us, the planet, and the future.  Now, science has shown us that with a vegan diet, rich of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, we can reverse the number top killers (heart disease and many cancers) of people caused by ingesting animal products or at least optimize your chance at fighting off or living with a disease. Eating animal products is never part of the solution, it’s the problem.

Take control of your life and inform yourself because only you can live your life.

[crossingscon]

March Myth of the Month: The Legend of Skalsh

The myth I’m bringing to you today is about a rock. Specifically, this one:

It’s most commonly known as Siwash Rock, though I’ll be referring to it as Skalsh (for reasons I’ll explain later). It’s a beloved local landmark here in Vancouver, BC, which I assume is mostly due to its location right off the busy Stanley Park seawall, surrounded by beautiful ocean, mountain, and city views. It’s in one of the most picturesque places in an already very picturesque city, and as such it gets photographed a lot:

People love this big rock!

And, to be fair, Skalsh is a very cool rock. It was formed some 32 million years ago when magma pushed up through a crack in the Earth’s crust and then cooled into basalt. Over time, wind and water wore away at the (relatively less dense) sandstone surrounding it until what we see today was all that remained.

There are also trees growing on top of Skalsh! The Douglas Fir trees seen nowadays were planted back in the 60s to replace an earlier (and much older) tree that had been growing out of it since at least the 1800s, as seen in this photo from either 1889 or 1890:

When that tree died following Typhoon Frieda in 1962, there was an honest-to-goodness obituary posted in the local paper—

—followed by a years-long effort to replace it by planting various tree saplings where the old one stood. Luckily, by the 1970s there were at least three new firs successfully growing atop Skalsh, and those firs are still going strong to this day.

But that’s not why I’ve chosen this particular rock to talk about today. Skalsh isn’t just a modern tourist landmark, after all--it’s been here millions of years, and has existed pretty much unchanged since long before Canada as a country even existed, let alone Vancouver. As such, the people who originally inhabited the peninsula that is now known as Stanley Park have legends and myths about this land that stretch back centuries. It’s one of those myths that I want to share.

The story of Skalsh was originally told to local Mohawk poet E. Pauline Johnson by Chief Joe Capilano of the Squamish nation, one of three First Nations who call this region home, and it first appeared in Johnson’s 1911 book Legends of Vancouver. There are several myths surrounding Skalsh, but this one is my personal favourite, and it’s the one most people are familiar with. I highly recommend you go read the full legend, but I’ll summarize it for you here as well:

Thousands of years ago, a young chief and father-to-be went swimming in the waters off Stanley Park to cleanse himself in preparation for his child’s arrival, for it was tribal law that all parents must be spotlessly clean when a child is born to ensure them a chance at a clean life. As he swam, he was confronted by a huge canoe carrying four equally huge men who commanded him to move out of their way. He refused, at which point the men, shocked at his disobedience, revealed themselves to be The Transformers, agents of the Creator with the power to transform him into anything, living or dead. Again they asked him to move aside, and again he refused, telling them that nothing was more important than “the cleanliness and purity of his coming child”, not even the Creator himself. While the Transformers were debating what to do about this transgression, they heard the first cries of a newborn child from the shore. Stirred, the man at the head of the canoe stood up and, rather than cursing the chief for his disobedience, decided to reward him for his commitment to his family, turning him to “living stone” so that he could stand as a “monument to clean fatherhood” for generations to come. That stone, of course, is Skalsh, who stands tall and proud to this day.

There are several reasons why I love this story. For one, it’s about a mortal disobeying the gods for the sake of his child and being rewarded for it (though I’m not sure I’d call being turned to stone on the day your child is born a “reward” necessarily). Too often people in myths do things to please a god, or because a god told them to, so it’s nice to hear about someone standing up to them and putting their family first, instead. I also love that it acknowledges the impact of a parent’s state or mindset on their child’s development and life, and casts the young chief’s devotion to his unborn child in a positive, relatively healthy light. It also isn’t a story about sacrifice, which parenthood myths so frequently are. Yes, he gets turned to stone, but it’s a transformation, not a death. In the full retelling of the myth linked above, his wife and newborn child are also turned to stone, effectively immortalizing all three of them, which is at least a kinder fate than leaving them to go on without him.

Mostly, though, I love this myth because it’s about a thing I’m very familiar with, but from the perspective of the original inhabitants of this area, whose voices and stories have so often been silenced and erased from our history. As a descendent of colonizers I think it’s important to be aware of the fact that this land I’ve been privileged to call home was claimed and reshaped and renamed against the will of those people, and learning their myths and legends (those that have been freely shared, at least), and honouring their wishes regarding how this land is seen and used, is one way to do that. It also provides greater meaning and context to the ordinary things and places I see everyday, which makes me appreciate them even more.

Which brings me, finally, to my reason for calling the rock in question Skalsh rather than its current name, Siwash Rock. Skalsh is an anglicization of the Squamish word Slhx̱í7lsh, meaning “standing man”, and was recently proposed as a new name for the rock by the current chief of the Squamish nation as it more closely resembles the names the local first peoples have been using to refer to it for centuries. Comparatively, siwash is a Chinook (not a local nation) jargon word derived from the French sauvage, meaning “native person”, and was chosen by white colonizers in the late 1800s. The plan is to officially change it soon, once everyone can decide on a pronunciation and spelling, but in the meantime I’d still rather call it Skalsh, in honour of that young chief who once stood up to the gods themselves so that his child could thrive, and was immortalized for it.

Claudia Kowalski Director of Public Relations, CrossingsCon

PS. Another of the legends described in Johnson’s book mentions Skalsh, and honestly it’s such a beautiful paragraph, and one that I feel would resonate so deeply with fans of the Young Wizards series, that I couldn’t not include it here, even though it’s not part of the original myth. Consider it an epilogue, I suppose:

The Indian belief is very beautiful concerning the results of good and evil in the human body. The Sagalie Tyee [God] has His own way of immortalizing each. People who are wilfully evil, who have no kindness in their hearts, who are bloodthirsty, cruel, vengeful, unsympathetic, the Sagalie Tyee turns to solid stone that will harbour no growth, even that of moss or lichen, for these stones contain no moisture, just as their wicked hearts lacked the milk of human kindness. The one famed exception, wherein a good man was transformed into stone, was in the instance of Siwash Rock, but as the Indian tells you of it he smiles with gratification as he calls your attention to the tiny tree cresting that imperial monument. He says the tree was always there to show the nations that the good in this man's heart kept on growing even when his body had ceased to be. On the other hand, the Sagalie Tyee transforms the kindly people, the humane, sympathetic, charitable, loving people into trees, so that after death they may go on for ever benefiting all mankind; they may yield fruit, give shade and shelter, afford unending service to the living by their usefulness as building material and as firewood. Their saps and gums, their fibres, their leaves, their blossoms, enrich, nourish, and sustain the human form; no evil is produced by trees–all, all is goodness, is hearty, is helpfulness and growth. They give refuge to the birds, they give music to the winds, and from them are carved the bows and arrows, the canoes and paddles, bowls, spoons, and baskets. Their service to mankind is priceless; the Indian that tells you this tale will enumerate all these attributes and virtues of the trees. No wonder the Sagalie Tyee chose them to be the abode of souls good and great.

[asocier]

interaction guide for leah!

last edited: april 6th, 2021

         leah overall is a very, very flexible muse, and while she’s mostly an uwu muse, she’s not always ( e.g. potty mouth, kind of aggressive/possessive with certain muses, has “kick your ass” energy even though she’s like 5′1 and cries over everything, is very lewd and can be very forward at times ). i tend to have a lot of fun with her because she’s so dimensional, but below are some good points of entry if you’re stuck or need inspiration!!

          “are you finding everything alright?” — threads that take place at leah’s workplaces ( i.e. the university bookstore or delight, the adult store ); a great way to break the ice since shopping can allow for casual conversation, big or small! retail work can be very strange as well, so there’s a lot of room for some interesting scenarios that can leave a lasting impression for leah to remember your muse by in the future. not every interaction in the adult store has to be sexual or sexually charged, either, so feel free to have some fun with the setting!

          college/university setting threads — being a university student that lives on campus in the dorms ( canonically, anyway; there’s always room for divergence! ), most of leah’s waking hours are spent doing something related to her classes or social events happening on campus. she’s usually not a big partier, but when surrounded by the right crowd, she can easily be roped right into wild parties. though she’s not the type to let herself get wasted; chances are, she’ll be the one taking care of your muse! college is full of possibilities when it comes to shenanigans, like some real wack ass shit can happen, so below are just a few general possibilities for plot ideas. studying abroad has also been my default way of sending leah out of the country, so if your muse has to be in a different country to make a storyline work, i gotchu! your muse:

takes the same classes as leah and befriends her because they sit next to her in class, are partnered up with her for an assignment, engage in group discussion with her regularly, ect. can also just be a brief meeting like an exchange of compliments ( “that’s such a cute top!” “thanks, your pencil bag is super cute, too!” )

is leah’s roommate ( plotting required since it’s canon that she lives alone!! but housing situations change frequently during college so it’s not a huge problem, just gotta work out the details )

is the teaching assistant for a class that leah is taking, so she come to them for help on assignments ( or vice versa: leah is the teaching assistant so she grades your muse’s assignments/tutors them )

a tutor in general that leah can turn to for help in exchange for cash or a different kind of payment ( food, advice, ect. this doesn’t have to be a dirty thing alksjdlkjsad )

met leah at a party and now the two of them are just party buddies or just always get into trouble whenever they hang out and party together

          celebrity/idol + fangirl; city meets country; wealthy meets poor threads — oh my god okay so listen; i really enjoy the idea of “opposites attract” with leah. like the idea of meeting a muse who is a higher status than her socioeconomically, socially, or just comes from a different background than her ( hence city meets country since leah was born in an urban area, so interacting with a muse who comes from a small town would be the opposite of her ).

anyway, leah’s the type to be really into pop culture, so keeping up with celebrities, idols, youtubers, whatever would be a past time for her, and then meeting them in real life would make her lose her shit. being in a relationship of any kind with a celebrity would make her lose her shit, and considering she lives in los angeles, it’s possible to run into one for the sake of a plot.

socioeconomically, leah’s considered low-income, maybe lower middle class ( but considering how vast the “middle class” actually is, can we really say ). as such, she’s very conscious about how she spends her money, so meeting a muse who is very well off financially would be an interesting dynamic. she always jokes about being a sugar baby or like, being a trophy wife so she doesn’t have to work, but whether that’d actually happens depends on what happens when she meets a muse with the means to make that joke a reality.  

anyway, leah teeters on the edge of being a gold digger but she probably won’t be. it’s just fun to pair her up with wealthy muses because they live such a vastly different lifestyle from her usually that she’s like “what”  

          sexcapade threads ( 18+ muns only ) -- leah is a very sex positive muse, and as such, a lot of her interactions can be smutty. taking into account her sexuality, hook-up culture on a college campus, and her freedom away from her parents, quite a few plots ( and their variations ) can happen rather easily. it’s important to note, though, that i prefer to write smut threads that either have some sort of plot to them or can lead to further development in a relationship. writing smut can get boring real quick if nothing new is introduced, but i’m okay with plotting out intimacy privately! also, sex does not always equal romance, so romantic feelings may not always develop between leah and your muse. if you are interested in shipping our muses romantically, please let me know! otherwise, i’ll assume they’re just in a casual type of relationship.

one night stands

friends with benefits

tin/der, bum/ble, or other dating apps/sites dates or meet ups

just gossiping about respective sex lives

first time meeting threads where it’s literally just leah and your muse getting it on is also acceptable, though some plotting might be required depending on the muse.

          verse/au/wishlist plots — i always love a good au. love, love, love my aus. below are a list of verses that are already “premade” on my blog that that you’re welcome to work with. i’ll go ahead and link leah’s verse page as well in case you want to read up on the basics. i do have a wishlist tag as well full of plots that may or may not work with leah. you’re definitely not limited to the verse page or the tags; if you have an idea, please don’t be shy to reach out to me! like i said, leah is very flexible. all i ask is that you respect her as a muse and don’t be weird with her. i get that she’s a very sexual muse but please ... respect her. 

angel verse — this verse is probably one of leah’s most used verses, and important details about this verse can be found here, here, and here! i highly suggest you read these posts bc a lot of her mannerisms hinges on what’s laid out in these posts, and of course you’re always welcome to ask questions if you have any!! angel verse is a good place to begin if your muse is also another supernatural creature, and considering angel leah has no qualms about visiting other realms like hell, it’s very possible for her to meet your muse one way or another.

influencer/idol/celebrity verse — considering how big on social media leah is in terms of her constant engagement with it, plots that involve her being an influencer are right up her alley, and collaborations with other muses who fit into this category are a great way for leah to interact with them! while i don’t have an official verse up for this category yet as of 04/06/21, leah’s very flexible when it comes to what she can do if she gained social media status, but what she’d most likely do involves modeling, acting, and being on youtube or streaming. 

high school verse — high school leah is very different from main verse/college leah in the sense that she’s a lot more reserved and is a lot more closeted about her sexuality. she’s still very enjoyable to interact with, but what sets high school leah apart from canon leah the most is that there’s a more prominent struggle and confusion regarding her spiritual views, and dating her in high school is almost like a chore since your muse will have to jump through hoops in order to date her if that’s something they want to do. in high school verse, leah canonically only has one boyfriend in her senior ( final ) year, but as always, i welcome divergence. your muse is even welcome to be her high school boyfriend if we plot things out ( spoiler: her high school boyfriend was a real asshole ). high school shenanigans are definitely more tame than college shenanigans, but this verse will be good for slice of life plots ( hanging out after school, doing projects together, decorating for the school dance, prom date, applying to college, ect. )

          miscellaneous plots — finally, here are some classic plots that i always love with leah. they don’t really fit into the other categories, but these are plots i don’t mind doing over and over and over again because they’re never always the same each time i write them, and these plots make leah happy too :’)

mom friend/big sister leah bc oh my god i love her with kids so much, but also she’s incredibly doting towards close friends she cares a lot about so yeah call her the mom friend™

in the same vein, pls hire her to be your main babysitter. she’d appreciate it so much bc college is so expensive

beach threads!! aquarium threads!! ocean threads!! pool threads!! leah enjoys water and ocean life, so any thread where these elements are involved really get her going. i don’t care how often she’s been to the aquarium or beach, she’ll go again.

take her on trips with you!! she loves traveling and really like the idea the freedom that comes with traveling around the world

[datshq]

BNHA Secret Santa Fic

@bnhasecretsanta gift for @todoiideku ! I hope you had a great one and that you enjoy my gift, late as it is. I tried to fit at least nods to all your preferences! You told me you liked AUs and I saw you reblogging Fantasy AU stuff so that’s what this is based off.

Title: The Greatest Gift of All Summary: Prince Shouto’s path to receiving all he ever wanted lasting three Christmases. Also known as: Shouto is really, really bi and keeps falling for the altruistic knight types.

Christmas was celebrated in the Kingdom of Shizouka in early winter. The region had extreme variations between seasons, which was why winter came so late in the year. The potential for both snowstorms and heat waves through the year was believed to be the reason why the royal family held the power of heat and cold, combating the worst of the most extreme seasons.

For Shouto, the reality of the world was nothing so whimsical and fairytale-like. The reality was that the Todoroki family's regard in the eyes of their subjects had been going downhill during the reign of the previous king, and Enji Todoroki had felt he needed to recreate the strength of the lineage. Because of that he had tirelessly searched the entire kingdom in his youth for the purpose of finding a bride with the magical potential to balance out his own.

Weather magic was commonly practised within the kingdom, but summoning winter had never been seen as too much of a priority, considering the season's destructive nature. As such, King Enji, crown prince at the time, had commanded the magically gifted women of the kingdom to present their level of affinity for the magic. That was how he had found his bride and secured the good standing of the royal family for a while longer.

It didn't last, as was the nature of temporary fixes. Enji's obsession with creating a perfect prince to continue the Todoroki reign had caused the family to become splintered, ruining the unity that also could have served to create the image of strength that Enji coveted. As things stood, all of Shouto's older siblings had abandoned the castle, seeking their fortunes elsewhere with whatever magical talents they'd been born with and trained in.

As for Shouto's mother, the much coveted winter witch, no one had heard from her in years. She'd been sent away from the castle years ago, spirited away into some distant corner of the kingdom where no one could find or recognize her.

What she had done to deserve such a banishment was kept as much a secret as her location. Regardless, the countless servants at the castle didn't miss how the crown prince was kept secluded soon after and how, when he finally emerged from his chambers, half of his face sported a faint burn scar.

In a kingdom ruled by Enji, Christmas was a grand, bright and impressive celebration. It was all a testament to the man’s ego, a bright and warm party in the cold and dark of winter, a victory over a season. Enji was like that about everything, treating everything as a foe he could overcome, even weather or his own family.

A man who only had enemies and conquests didn’t have the time or interest to celebrate just for the sake of it. As such, Shoto had never learned to do so either. In fact, Shoto could barely stand Christmas celebrations.

While Shouto himself wasn't much of a Christmas person, others more than made up for it. During Christmas time the castle was always brimming with cheer and singing voices as servants and temporary hired help set up and maintained the grand two-day long party. The guest were equally merry, among them Shouto's oldest and dearest friend, the knight Momo Yaoyorozu.

Momo was still young, but everyone knew she would be leading the royal guard when the current commander retired at the latest. Her family was highly influential, nobles of the highest calibre, so no one questioned her status despite her age. Outside of that Momo's strategic ability, combat ability and magical prowess created an impressive resume that had Shouto fully believing that he could rely on her any day and that she deserved the high regard even if her family could have potentially influenced it.

Every year, Momo and Shouto would exchange gifts privately, away from the bustle of the party. They were small, practical but fun things: books, spyglasses and maps. It was a reliable tradition and one of the few things Shouto enjoyed about Christmas.

This year Momo gave Shouto a map of the kingdom of Shizouka, with handmade markings sprinkled on the edges of the kingdom.

"What's this?" Shouto, asked, curious about what made these spots so special that Momo would catalogue them for him.

Momo fumbled with the spyglass she'd gotten from Shouto, military grade with shadow-repelling enchantments. "Those are all the places mentioned in rumors about your mother."

Shouto's eyes widened and his hands immediately rolled up the parchment, protectively hiding it from the curious eyes of anyone passing by.

"Because of the secrecy, no one knows anything for certain, but people have been curious for years, so there's been a lot of digging around and whispering going on among the nobles. I collected the most promising leads here," Momo explained. She gave Shouto an encouraging smile. "Maybe one day we can check them out?"

"Yes," Shouto breathed out with no hesitation. "Yes, I'd love that." He felt like he loved the idea of seeing his mother even more when it was combined with the idea of leaving this palace with Momo. He wondered how he could tell her that.

"Thank you," he finally said. "You're amazing."

Momo's smile was beaming, her eyes sparkling like they always did when she got a compliment. "You too," she replied, happy, eager and friendly.

She hadn't understood what Shouto meant, but Shouto decided that this was fine too. She understood enough. Even if his feelings weren't exactly reciprocated, he was still valued, so much was clear in this meaningful gift that was one step closer to getting him what he'd wanted for years: to see his mother again. He could wait to find someone to love and to love him in return, just like he could wait for this.

---

It was the day before Christmas Eve the next year that Momo approached Shouto again with the idea of leaving the palace.

"I need to get you out of the city," was what Momo said, and it was also all she needed to say.

Shouto knew opinions on his father's rule were growing less split and more entirely negative. Of course there was going to be a coup. Indeed, Shoto's quiet observation of the servants had noticed more outsiders were helping with the Christmas preparations than the year before. Disguised rebels possibly.

"Thank you, Momo," Shouto said sincerely to the guard as they made their way out of the castle casually, like they were simply going out for a stroll, arms linked companionably. "I appreciate you going through this extra effort to make sure I'm not hurt."

"Of course," Momo said passionately, eyes gleaming with intent. She was breath-taking like this. "You're my friend, Shouto." Her cheeks flushed. "I can't take all the credit for this consideration, however, Jirou was the one who pointed out that the nobles are most likely involved in this for their own selfish reasons." Momo's arm around Shouto's tightened protectively. "She knows I'm friends with you so she said I should get you away from the power struggle."

So Momo wasn't so much worried over Shouto getting caught in the crossfire as she was worried over someone purposefully coming after Shouto to make sure he didn't claim his father's throne. While the common citizens might have considered Shouto a good replacement for his father, the noble families thirsting for more power wouldn't care about much outside their own grab for power.

"Good thinking," Shouto said, instead of the several uncomplimentary things he was thinking about adults and their games.

"Jirou is so practical like that," Momo said, and there was something in her tone that indicated she meant much more than that.

This must have been the difference between Shouto telling Momo she was amazing and her saying it back. Hidden meanings that hoped for more. A game of emotion rather than power. It was nice, even if disappointing.

---

There was a bright side to everything. Going into exile granted Shouto the unique ability to go searching for his mother without any other responsibilities holding him back. He would have wanted to take this journey with his friend but, by the time they were united, if they ever were, Shouto would most likely have to take his father's former throne. As things were, Shouto would have gladly allowed the crown to go to anyone else, as long as it meant he could finally find his mother.

Shouto didn't travel alone for long. He'd told the end goal of his journey to a pair of knight-errants who'd eagerly agreed to help him traverse the scarcely-habited outskirts of the kingdom. Well, Izuku had agreed with no questions asked, but Tenya had insisted on the term that Shouto wouldn't keep them from fulfilling their duties. With that agreed, the trio had continued the journey together.

It was a long journey to begin with, with few roads to make travel easier, but Tenya and Izuku made the trip even longer, since they stopped to help with every minor or major disaster, settle every dispute and help with any problems. At first Shouto put up with these knightly duties grudgingly. Then he became used to the interruptions. Finally he started to appreciate the side trips for the new sides to his companions they brought out.

Tenya was an organized person and a good speaker. He was the one who usually settled the disputes they ran into, convincing people to come to a conclusion. He organized groups to take care of bigger problems and he was generally very logical and almost impossible to argue with.

Shouto thought, if he ever did take the crown and became the new king, he'd like to lead like Tenya did. He didn't think much of his admiration for the knight when it first started popping up, mostly because, even as he looked to Tenya with appreciation, Izuku's similar looks were downright starstruck. Obviously Tenya just was a very admirable person, or so Shouto convinced himself.

Izuku was as led by his emotions and gut as Tenya was by his logic. It was watching the easy way he cared for the well-being of complete strangers that taught Shouto the difference between helping because you wanted to right a wrong and helping because you cared too much to let something unjust slide.

It was Izuku's example that finally moved Shouto from simply liking the idea of people getting help, to actually taking part in helping people with their problems. He also noticed that Tenya had, bit by bit, stopped talking about his knightly duty so much whenever they stopped to help someone, also developing a softer side to match Shouto's new outlook. Even Izuku was more willing to speak his mind after they had all travelled together for a while, becoming more assertive from having his friends support him in the things he did.

All in all, the three of them all benefitted on a personal level from travelling together. They had all grown as people and become better. Because of that Shouto had started to see the arrangement as a status quo of sorts, the way things were and would continue to be. Because why change something that so obviously worked?

But all journeys have an end goal somewhere and, if nothing stopped you, you'd eventually reach the ending. As such, it was a bittersweet occasion when Izuku and Tenya presented to him the map he'd based this journey on, with added markings on a location close to the town they were currently stocking up at.

"So, we asked around," Izuku explained. "Well, I did most of the talking because apparently some people think Tenya is intimidating." Izuku scoffed at the very thought but then put himself back on track as he tapped the woods Momo had marked originally. "But, there's a young woman living in the woods around here, who always comes to town alone but still buys supplies for two people. Also, no one knows where her assets come from, since she's never selling anything."

"We think she might be your mother's attendant," Tenya carried on, easily offering up the conclusions based off Izuku's facts. "Since your mother's location was to be a secret, and you mentioned she was unwell, it would make sense for her to have an attendant with her who could take care of her needs."

Shouto grasped at the map to look more closely at it, at the more exact coordinates for his mother's hideout that Izuku and Tenya had managed to discover. Somehow, the situation felt almost dreamlike and unreal. After all this time, after almost a year of searching, they'd finally found her.

Shouto swallowed. "How do you think she's doing?" he asked.

Izuku moved closer in comfort while Tenya considered the question. "You did say it was living at the castle that didn't agree with her," Tenya said. "And this is a peaceful region. It's the perfect place to recover."

In other words, if his mother could recover, this was the place to do it. It was good news.

"This is amazing," Shouto said, after a moment to collect himself. He turned to his companions, thinking about how he'd grown thanks to them, how he probably never would have made it to this point without them. "You're amazing."

He'd never managed to say that quite like he meant to with Momo. He hoped that this part of him had changed too.

Tenya's cheeks reddened, but he smiled brightly as he clapped Shouto on the shoulder. "You're magnificent," he returned, tone holding a weight of meaning.

"Wonderful," Izuku added in, his voice equally meaningful even as his body seemed to curl up from embarrassment over the sincere regard, arms tight around his own torso.

Shouto looked at them both and now realized that even as he'd admired these two and as they'd admired each other, they'd also been admiring him back. His feelings were reciprocated.

The map in Shouto's hands felt heavy and real. The warm regard of his companions made this new perception of reality finally make sense. It wasn't a dream and he wouldn't need to wait anymore. He was getting all he'd ever wanted, in one fell swoop.

[garp20-liambull]

Circus as Multimodal Discourse Performance, Meaning, and Ritual

Chapters 1 and 11

Paul Bouissac London : Bloomsbury Publishing 2012PublisherLondon : Bloomsbury PublishingCreation Date2012Format1 online resource (225 p.).LanguageEnglish SourceLJMU Library Catalogue

Chapter 1

Circus Perfomances as Ritual: Participative Ethnography The opening chapter opens with the role of the traditional circus and how this has developed into online advertising. I talks about the alluring qualities in which the circus showcases such as music, banners, painted panels and loudspeakers to entice an audience.

A key point to note is it says that each circus is an organisation with its own social identity and symbolic character. Something it says a lot of journalistic reports miss.

There is nothing fancy in the phonetics and semantics with respect to the languages of the countries they work it. The value of these acts are established in the memory of the spectators who went ad seen their acts over several generations.

Example - Circus BureauIt has a rather bland name but was held in high regard for the older generations that romanticise the stories of the circus. It creates an established image that people hold in high regard. It was endowed in glamour. It had blue and yellow tents and trucks which became iconic to its brand This is similar to what most circuses do as they need to establish their identity as a brand. The driect impact of a circus depends on its ability to stand out from a dull background. It was important for the to distinguish themselves from their competitors. To this day, traditions companies display bold, vibrant colours and patterns on their tents and trucks. The chromatic combinations invokes ancient coat of arms communicate the brand.

The WebsiteThis way of advertisement has been transferred onto an online presence for the circuses.The website is a semiotic gesture towards the audience. By combing images,textx and music, it provides a virtual sample of the goods it is offering.The websites convey the rich iconography of the circus by displaying crucial information two an audience. It first allows to show their identity and style through the colours of costumes, props and animal decorations. Secondly, the website displays content of the acts which the circus have chosen themselves to represent what they have to offer. The want to provide a glimpse into their artistic identity without disclosing the full content of what they have to offer.

The circus as a ritualCircuses qualify as a form of secular ritual. The term ritual has often been used in a metaphorical sense in modern sociological literature to designate forms of interaction which follow a set of patterns and convey meaning. Example include ‘how are you?’ And ‘have a nice day.’ Accompanied by a stereotypical hand gesture. It does not imply that the person cares about someone else day. It is rather a quasiautomic maintenance of the functionality of a network. It is engrained into our culture to do so. A handshake in some cultures can make a contract effective. It can also be a form of greeting and a visual display to show that two people are friends or acquaintances. That they are linked together as a network. It is a physical acknowledgement that you have become part of a group and people who stay in touch, literally. In animals, rituals mean a display of courtship, threat or submission.

In religion terms, a ritual is described as a performance involving an action, gesture, objects or words with the purpose to interact with supernatural entities. Extreme cases of this are a human sacrifice. Sacrificing a human life in order to establish a deal or agreement with a supernatural force. Typically for protection. This is  seen in Voodoo and Tantric Hinduis.

To be a ritual the action needs to set apart, remain unquestioned and require a radical suspension of disbelief. The actions follow a compulsory pattern. There is no practical rationale for them except that they must be obeyed for the ritual to be effective. They carry the symbolic seal of a transcendent order.

Bringing it back to circuses. In India, crises there use animals to perform rituals and religious acts such as elephants. Now as elephants, monkeys and cows are scared in hinduism, it is clear to see how the circus makes itself compatible with the accomplishment of a religious ritual and of the culture.  We can clearly see that circuses too, include the formal properties of rituals. The displays o circuses themselves are repetitive. Horses are included in acts that vary little, cage acts include lions, tigers, leopards or bears where the core action of the act is down to the same training techniques and displays. The acts of clowns are based on only a small number of gags. All these actions are executed with a formality and highly predictive manner. A circus can show heroes, like willing victims of a sacrifice for no other reason than the act itself. The themes of purification, survival, redemption, life and death is consistent in both religious rituals and the circus. Subtle actions of acrobats kissing their medals or wearing a talisman before performing an act or tilting their head towards the sky with a hand gesture gratitude retroactively endows their actions with a religious significance.

Chapter 11

Ideology and Politics in the Circus RingIt is explained that circus acrobatics often immtate there p[oses based on greek, renaissance and modern marble icons. The music score involved is typically synched to match the acrobatic style of the performance.

There is an element of voyeristic language to their performances. Erotisim is in the eye of the beholder. There is nothing pornographic as to the perfromnacer of the acrobatic performance. However with the elements of intimate body movement, costume and eye contact with the audience, it can be why some audience may feel this way.

The intimate dancing of the acrobats does have its constraints in some cultures. One of these being India. In the last century male and female performers were segregated in the ring. This contrasts to major circuses in America and European circuses which establish a variety of performers male and female which are in close contact with one another. Now this kind of intimacy would have been unacceptable in India in context to their culture which enforces norms of incompatibility.

Another example is in western civilisation and the taboo of homosexuality. Until the gay liberation movement, two acrobats on a single trapeze would of had to have been a man and woman. Despite this, having two woman on a trapeze was acceptable but only if it where stated that they where sisters and the emphasis was on the gracefulness of their acrobatics rather than the undertones of erotism.

Later when circuses such as the Zirkus Roncalli introduced program acts of two men displaying daring acrobatic seats it was perceived as a strong statement of sexual politics. 1983 “The Lindors” Martin Ener and Walter Joss performed and by how they displayed an unapologetically romantic between two men was loved by audiences in Germany and Holland. However no circus in Southern Europe would try this as Homophobia was still the social norm in there cultures. “Eric er Amelie” was an example of the progression of the male and female roles in the acrobats. Their performance was based “passion of perfect yet unspoken communication”. The performance displayed signs of mutual respect as the woman was also the bearer, balancing the man on her hands. A small detail which was insatiably noticed by the audience. This was due to the rise in sexual politics, men and women where becoming more equal.

The article explains how circuses included “Gay Circus Night” where the erotism is unleashed to the audience, examples being drag queens, erotic dancing and bear skin showing. However despite this being perceived by a naive audience as maybe being a pornographic show. It is intact sexual politics expressed through the language of the circus.

The language of the circus can be used metaphorically to convey political propaganda and ideologies. This can result from spontaneous representations of ethos of a culture. Examples include the idea of the American Dream, how we as individuals strive for excellence and to risk it all which is reflected in the lone acrobat who surpasses everybody else by showing self reliance and courage. This ranged differnent from Soviet Union circuses of the 50s and 60s which had the ideology of a communist culture which empathised the human concern as apposed to the recklessness of the American circus. Acrobats performing daring feats in a much more controlled manner with a safety net beneath them as to let a person injure or kill themselves in the pursuit of entertainment for a crowd was cruel and a symptom of the cruel capitalist culture.

Circus acts are loaded with political significance. From portraying the stereotypes of social classes such as fat priests, intellectuals of high class represented in attire and props such as books, men and women and their relation to one another. The language of the circus articulates its own multimodal texts which produce a deep meaning for its audience. “Circus is a well ordered microcosm that reflect harmonious society I which everybody works at the place which God has assigned to them.”