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hypemarketer · 2 years ago

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What are the Top Content Marketing & SEO Trends?

Recently, content marketing has really taken off. It has successfully attracted customers, produced leads, and increased conversions for businesses of all sizes.

The versatility of content marketing is one of its best features. Your content may be diverse and dynamic when in the hands of the proper people, whether it be website copy, social media postings, blogs, or videos.

Search engine optimization, sometimes known as SEO, is a crucial component of content marketing. If you want your material to be seen on search engines, SEO is an essential component of any content strategy. Your material is more likely to be viewed by the appropriate audience at the appropriate time and location if it is more SEO-optimized.

According to HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report 2021, 60% of marketers who spend in content marketing gauge their effectiveness through sales. Given the success of this area of digital marketing, it’s crucial to comprehend the major content marketing and SEO developments that will emerge in 2022.

1. It is getting harder to rank content on Google

Every content marketer is aware of the significance of being on Google’s first SERP. According to Sistrix research, the click-through rate for information in the top spot on Google is 25%, but it drops rapidly to just 2.5% for content in the bottom 10 spots. This only demonstrates the strength of your ranking in Google search. However, as the search engine increasingly displays more of the results of its goods, it is becoming more difficult to rank organic material.

“Google’s accommodation engine is now displayed when you search for a hotel,” explains Kate Toon, an SEO and content expert. So, branded search is becoming increasingly prevalent. The Core Web Vitals change (in 2021) was significant from a technological standpoint, and Google is pushing for usability, not just in terms of speed but also in terms of how your website loads.

Google is also creating a stir over accessibility, which will be taken into account when determining rankings. This includes making your page screen-reader-friendly and include enough contrast, font adjustability, and picture captions.

This requires content marketers to change their strategy to incorporate four crucial components:

Plan for branded search – seek for keywords and use them appropriately in your content

Do your People research – Additionally, inquire about brand outcomes to assist you maximize your copy.

Set up tracking for searches and keywords – So that we can keep track of their effectiveness and add new ones as they appear.

Question-based – The number of Google searches is growing. In both your short- and long-form content, ask questions.

2. Great imagery is the main focus of Google Discover

On your phone, Google Discover is a bank of swipeable material. It is personalized information that is listed according to your preferences and interests depending on what you read and search for by tracking your location and online and app activity.

Of course, this is a goldmine for content marketers since it enables your material to appear in users’ mobile feeds without them having to do any searches. What is the process for adding material to Google Discover?

Make your material stand out by producing excellent content. This may sound apparent, but Google only wants to display the most pertinent and excellent information to its consumers.

Focus on credibility and authority – Google values knowledge and will give authoritative material high rankings, so include quotes from professionals or provide evidence of your dominance in the field.

Optimize your website since having excellent information on a sluggish or unavailable website is useless. Consider your titles. Avoid headlines that are highly promotional or clickbait since they will alienate your readers.

Make material current – Users need timely and relevant content, so take advantage of trends or important events. Include compelling graphics in your material. Google Discover is all on visuals, so be sure to include compelling and pertinent photographs.

Toon thinks Google is giving more and more weight to aesthetics. “Google is making increasing use of image search. The way we use Google is changing thanks to Google Discover, and websites with excellent pictures are starting to rank higher.

3. The Use of Interactive Content Is Growing

Interactive content has grown in popularity among companies over the last several years since it encourages prospects and consumers to participate. Calculators, tests, surveys, maps, infographics, games, and TV series like Bandersnatch from Black Mirror are examples of interactive material.

Interactive content receives twice as much interaction as static material, according to Demand Gen’s State of Interactive Content research, and it may be especially helpful for B2B marketing initiatives like live webinars or virtual events.

Utilizing interactive content may be done in a variety of ways and for a variety of objectives, including lead generation or brand exposure. In order to pick activities in Scottsdale, Arizona, for instance, a user is led on a journey via this interactive infographic from Marriot Hotels.

DMI’s Digital Skills Test is an interactive piece of content that we’ve discovered to be effective in generating traffic and leads. It gives those who are curious about how well-versed they are in digital marketing a means to assess their degree of expertise and identify the areas where they are strong and weak.

Future developments in the metaverse and other new worlds may increase the role of interactivity in content marketing. “Facebook or Meta’s big future wager is the metaverse.”

How does my product or brand exist in a virtual experience setting would be an analysis of the metaverse that anybody can understand. Therefore, testing it with interactive material may be quite easy, says Fitzpatrick.

4. Content Creation Will Involve Artificial Intelligence More.

When producing engaging material, the human touch is crucial. The ability to choose the perfect word or phrase or to use comedy to stand out in a sea of material is something that content marketers take great pleasure in. Good writing is an art, and finding the proper tone and message to express your personality takes practice.

But clone production using artificial intelligence (AI) is about to go to a new level. In order to increase the comprehension of search queries by its algorithms, Google has been investing in natural language processing techniques over the past few years.

According to Kate Toon, SEO and Content Expert, “We had an algorithm update about a year ago called BERT, which was about understanding how what we’ve typed into Google, not just what we’re looking for, but why we’re looking for it, so understanding the context of the words.”

Another algorithm modification since BERT is known as MUM (Multitask Unified Model). This is made to seek for patterns in language so that you can comprehend it structurally.

Toon predicts that this will significantly affect how content marketers approach copywriting, keyword research, and copy automation.

“Automation is a more inexpensive choice for many firms. However, the tone, sequence, and messaging are frequently off. Because I don’t believe AI is yet capable of understanding wit, slang, rhythm, and tone, I don’t believe copywriters have anything to be concerned about. But in order to save time and money, I believe we will gravitate toward more automation.

SEO specialists will find this kind of AI technology beneficial since it allows them to automate the creation of copy components like title tags, meta descriptions, and alt tags.

5. Content marketers must incorporate content that is answer-based.

When searching for material online, modern customers prioritize finding answers. Today, inquiries make up 14% of Google searches, with the term “how” being the most often used one.

Customers are now more inclined to resort to gadgets and ask queries, whether they use voice search or type into a search engine on a laptop or mobile device. For content marketers who practice the craft of writing copy, this is an intriguing development.

Question-and-answer based content is still quite simple to obtain real estate for in the organic area, according to Toon. “It’s harder to rank in the organic space for just blank keywords, but it’s still relatively easy to get real estate for question-and-answer based content,” he adds.

Implementing FAQ schema is another action you can do to enhance content SEO. This might be a FAQ page schema or QA (people submitting various responses and voting on them). This is “really simple to do,” in Toon’s opinion, and it also provides you a chance to appear in the

People Also Ask section of search engine results pages.

The Future of SEO and Content Marketing

As you can see, content marketing and SEO have undergone a lot of recent improvements that provide you chances to increase engagement and conversions. The secret is to understand your audience and their problems so you can provide content that is genuine and gives solutions. Customers today want to believe that businesses are speaking to them personally. It is clear that people are using question-based searches to hunt for answers and that they want interactive information to immerse them in the experience.

It involves producing SEO-friendly content that promotes your business on search engines and other important channels, including social media. You might not need to start from scratch either; perform a content assessment to identify any existing materials that were successful and see whether they can be updated or repurposed.

Get writing, planning, and studying to see what you can come up with. It’s an amazing moment for material.

#digital marketing #branding #graphic design #social media #marketing #website

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ecodeacademy · 2 years ago

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Why Digital Marketing Job Roles are Future?

Introduction

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thecapitolvoice · 2 years ago

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what would your strategy in this arena be? (both of you)

i'm so glad you asked. please listen to the old world classic The Climb by Miley Cyrus while reading the following:

I rise up on the podium, looking fantastic in the camp t-shirt, which I've already converted into a crop top, and those cute little athletic shorts which hug my curves just so. The expression on my face is one of optimism and grit. The thought in the audience's minds is, overpoweringly, "Wow, she has what it takes." The countdown ends and I jump off the platform and run away immediately. I do this for two reasons. 1: There is no need for me to suffer. It is not what I was made to do. 2: People will shower me in sponsor gifts.

In this arena I would head immediately to my cabin. There is no Capitol cabin but this is what it would look like. I immediately settle in, listening to the distant sounds of the bloodbath and the cannons going off. The sponsor gifts begin to shower upon me within the first hour, so I set up my new home for the next few days as I do with any vacation house: of course I first check the sheets for bed bugs (there aren't any!), then I put my clothes in the dresser, then I place all my makeup on the vanity. I'm sent some changes of clothes by sponsors and makeup too, as they know I'd die (literally!) without it.

Once everything's in order I decide to do some exploring. A few tributes see me coming out of my tent and decide to raid it, since they can tell it's the nicest. Little do they know that one of the sponsor gifts I was sent is a crossbow, the weapon I'm most excellent at (because I learned it in training a few days ago). I shoot the three of them in the head and go over to see the bodies before they're picked up by the hovercraft. It turns out that these were the remaining Careers.

I forage in the woods for a bit and befriend some of my new forest friends, but I brush up against some poison oak and have to return to my tent to take my sponsor medication and lie down for a bit.

My afternoon nap turns into a long sleep, and I wake to birdsong in the morning. There's a boy at my door, very attractive, and he asks if he can come in. I sit up and rub my eyes blearily. He tells me that he wants to form an alliance. He's from District Nine and is strong; I saw him in training and was impressed by his muscles and nay, not his six pack, his eight pack.

He tells me that all he needs me to do is not fall in love with him. "That's the worst thing for tributes," he says, and I know that he's right, but I also know that he won't be able to stop himself from falling for me. We draw up battle plans which involves me making distractions in various parts of the Arena and then him swooping in for the kill. We kill several tributes in this way, and the rest pick each other off. At night we make a campfire and roast s'mores, then stay up late into the night talking. At first he refuses to sleep in my bed, but one late night, I insist. He does, and we make love. It's beautiful and I am so good and attractive.

The next morning I wake early and do some math to find that we are the only two tributes left. I go to my dresser and remove the lipstick that I was sent which is also a knife. I uncap it and go to his side. I lean down and give him a kiss to wake him, and then I slice his throat. The final cannon sounds and I am crowned the luminescent Victor.

Me, in the Arena? Why, I never...

Cue the music.

I begin by diving headfirst into the Bloodbath. Yes, I know why they call it that, and no, I am not afraid. The way to get somewhere in this world is to take things that don't belong to you and pretend they've been yours all along, and that's exactly what I do. I grab a bag, a sword, a canteen, and a granola bar. I plow over a few tributes in the process. I don't give a fuck.

I wormed my way into the Career pack days ago. How'd I do it? Doesn't matter. A few well-placed admissions of complete falsities dressed up as sincerity here, a few pecks on the lips there. I don't want to go into detail -- a girl never kisses and tells. Anyway, the team and I take over the Cornucopia. I don't see why Career packs don't do this anymore like they did in the olden days. But we have everything we need and more -- and I have a backpack filled with supplies of my own for when shit goes south.

Here's when I start capitalizing on those falsities from before. Little rumors. He said, she said. Turn them against each other. It's so fucking easy. Meanwhile they pick off the weaker tributes so I don't have to. Cannons going off left and right. I could lift a finger, don't get me wrong -- but a girl's gotta use her strengths, and that's what I do.

Eventually the Career pack dissolves. In-fighting based on everything I've told them, all of it completely false, about each other's loyalties or, rather, disloyalties. They kill each other while I'm taking a piss behind a bush.

Then it's up to me to hunt down the remaining tributes. I drown one of them in the lake -- bye bye, Earl. I take Spela on the ride of her life off the top of the high ropes course. You think I didn't have it in me? Bitch, look again. By the time the final cannon goes off I've earned my seat at the top. Cheers in the Capitol will go on for days.

#132

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cosmicjoke · 4 years ago

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Okay, here we go, chapters 83 and 84 of SnK!

Now I know I’ve already talked extensively about these chapters, specifically about Levi’s choice on the rooftop. But this is the first time I’ve read the actual chapter all the way through, so I have a few observations I’d like to talk about!

First, after having read the chapter, I think it’s an undeniable fact that Levi’s choice is the result of several factors and considerations on his part, and anyone who thinks or insists that he made it purely out of consideration for Erwin either didn’t actually read the chapter, or wasn’t paying any kind of attention. This was a multifaceted, deeply considered decision on Levi’s part, one that he clearly struggled and thought over with great scrutiny and caution before coming to a conclusion.

We see Levi first hesitate to give Eren the serum for Armin because he’s still holding out hope at the possibility of Erwin somehow having survived. We can see this isn’t just a consideration on Levi’s part for the usefulness Erwin would provide humanity, but also a personal one. Levi clearly cares deeply about Erwin (no, not romantically), but as a friend. As one of his closest and dearest friends. This is a difficult choice for Levi to make on a personal level, in having to let go of one of the few people he has left in his life that he’s close to. Still, Levi is aware of the improbability of Erwin still being alive, and time is of the essence where Armin is concerned, so we already see Levi letting go of Erwin here as he begins to hand Eren the serum. Of course, Floch just has perfect timing, because just as Levi is doing so, he appears with Erwin on his back, and thus ensues the whole drama.

Levi’s reasoning for deciding on Erwin then and there has more to do with Erwin’s usefulness to humanity, I think. Levi had already moved past the personal pain of losing a friend, and here we see him considering what would most benefit humanity. He tells everyone he’s choosing the man who will save humanity, and in that moment, Levi fully believes that to be Erwin. This isn’t even a contest, he thinks.

But then everyone starts talking, and things get crazy. Mikasa attacks Levi, Levi tells he she must know that Erwin is humanity’s only hope, then Eren starts talking about how it’s been Armin’s plans and realizations which have, time and time again, gotten them as far as they’ve come, how he’s the one who’s gotten them to this exact point. Then Floch jumps in and starts ranting and raving about Erwin being a devil, and how it’s Floch’s destiny, to have survived the charge at the Beast Titan to bring the devil back to life, speaking too about how he felt Erwin deserved to be brought back into the hell of the world. The thing with Levi here is that he LISTENS. He’s listening to everyone. All of this is having a major impact on him, and this is represented by how many close up’s we get in the panels here of Levi’s eyes, his pained, consideration expressions. Levi is absorbing all of this.

Finally, we get Eren entreating and asking Levi if he knows about the ocean, before starting to talk about Armin’s dream. He says “But Armin’s different! Fighting isn’t all he has! He has dreams!”. This is, I think, a majorly important line in understanding Levi’s ultimate decision.

The following panels show Levi struggling with what to do. Immediately following Eren’s pleas, Levi remembers the conversation he’d overheard the night before, recalling Armin’s bright-eyed enthusiasm and hope in the future. He remembers looking from behind the wall he was sat against and seeing that look in Armin’s eyes of genuine belief and joy. And then he remembers his last interaction with Erwin, and asking Erwin what will happen if his dream comes true, and Erwin admitting that he doesn’t know. Erwin’s own eyes in Levi’s memory are downcast and without light. Without the fresh hope and belief that Armin’s had. Erwin said “I just want to go to that basement.”. That’s where Erwin’s dream ends. That’s as far as his dream goes, and beyond that, he dreams nothing. Once he’s realized it, Erwin’s dream ends, and with it, the thing that’s driving his will to live. Armin’s dream, by contrast, is still far away and infinite in its possibilities. A dream which still stirs in him a limitless hope for the future. Armin’s dream has no end in sight, only a beginning, only possibility, only more dreams born from realizing the one. Levi remembers Kenny’s words then, about how everyone he’d ever met was couldn’t keep going unless they were “drunk on something”. Levi recalls this immediately on the heels of remembering Erwin’s confession about his own dream, and the limitations of it.

He’s already hesitating here, then, in choosing Erwin, because of everything everyone’s said, and because of what he’s remembering. He has the syringe at Erwin’s arm, but he doesn’t inject him. He hesitates, he waits. He looks over at Armin. I think Levi is already considering here that Erwin’s dream, and thus the thing that had been driving Erwin on and giving him motivation to keep going, was exhausted. Was at its end. And that Armin’s dream was exactly the opposite, not yet realized, and ripe with possibilities for the future. A still hopeful dream. Levi already knows this, and it’s what’s staying his hand here, what’s keeping him from injecting Erwin. The realization that the thing which allowed Erwin to give so much to humanity, and be such an asset to humanity, that dream which gave Erwin the strength to be the commander that he was, is wasted, and Erwin is wasted with it, used up and dried out. The thing which drives Armin, which gives Armin strength, isn’t. Isn’t even close to being spent. Hange talked earlier, while trying to talk Mikasa down, about humanity needing Erwin’s experience and leadership. But you can see Levi already realizing the opposite here. It isn’t experience and leadership humanity needs now. It isn’t practicality and strategy. It’s hope. Humanity needs someone who can give it hope, someone who can inspire a belief in a real future, someone who can make all of them believe in a future worth fighting for. This is the key difference now between Erwin and Armin. Armin has the strategic capability and observational skill, yes, but Hange is right when she says it’s undeveloped and Armin is still too inexperienced to take on the role of commander. But Levi realizes in this moment that that isn’t what’s important, but rather, Armin’s optimism in a brighter tomorrow.

And then, Erwin’s arm comes up, and he starts muttering incoherently about his dream, asking his father how he knows people beyond the wall don’t exist, and this is what drives the decision home for Levi. He thinks of Erwin’s resignation and despair, sitting on that crate, confessing to what it was that had always driven him. Levi thinks of then making the choice for Erwin to become the commander everyone always believed him to be and give up on his own, toxic dream. He thinks of Kenny, and him giving Levi the serum, and his words about everyone needing to be drunk on something to keep going, and then Erwin telling Levi “Thank you”, for allowing him to break free of the prison of his dream, for giving him the chance to rise above the selfishness of it, and give noble meaning to all his previous actions and decisions. For allowing Erwin to let go and find release and peace in death, because his dream was no longer something he could cling to as a reason to live. And then he thinks again of Armin, and the hope and light in his eyes, the belief he had in something better, the genuine joy and optimism. And that’s it. That’s what decides it for Levi. It’s both the desire to give Erwin the peace he’s earned, to let Erwin rest and be free of the hell he’s been living in, and also the realization that Erwin’s dream, the thing that made him so effective as a commander, the thing that drove him, is spent and dead, leading nowhere and to nothing but further pain and darkness, both for Erwin himself, and for humanity itself, while Armin’s dream is bright and hopeful and full of beauty. Armin’s dream still has a beating and passionate heart, which can lend its strength to humanity and help all of them to realize a future worth living and fighting for. It’s the exhausted finality of Erwin’s dream reaching it’s end, versus the infinite possibilities of Armin’s dream still there to be realized. It’s the past versus the future. Levi knows that humanity needs a future to believe in if it’s going to survive. Not a past which has lost its motivation to live.

Okay, just a few more, small moments I want to talk about too.

Particularly, I want to talk about the moment when Floch starts to run at Mikasa to get her off of Levi, and Mikasa lifts her blade, clearly with the intention of cutting Floch down. Levi, for the first time since Mikasa jumped him and held her blade to his throat, ardently protests and fights back, screaming at Mikasa to “Stop it!!”. It’s when the life of one of their comrades is being threatened, that Levi is spurred into action, trying to prevent Mikasa from killing Floch. It’s a small moment that gets lost in the gravity of everything that follows, but it’s incredibly telling, once more, of the kind of person Levi is. He fights for Floch’s life here, even as he made no protest for his own just moments before. Even for a bastard like Floch, Levi values his life enough to fight for it.

It’s also a true testament to the way Levi places the lives of his comrades above all else, that once he realizes that Armin is still alive, he gives up on his pursuit of Zeke. Levi had been in a rage just moments before, ordering Eren to give him his ODM gear so he could keep going after Zeke, determined to bring him down. But he makes absolutely no mention of it again, or shows any intention of continuing that chase once Armin proves to still be breathing. Levi’s priority immediately shifts to saving a life.

There’s also a moment in chapter 83, with Jean and Hange, that’s super important as well. With Jean once more struggling with the thought of killing Reiner, while Hange is fully ready to commit to it. Jean intervenes, and stays Hange’s blade, which ultimately leads to Zeke recapturing Reiner and them getting away. Jean blames himself for this development, and Hange tells him no, it was their decision to not kill Reiner, not Jean’s. Still, Jean is once more hit with the harsh reality of warfare. That hesitating to kill one’s enemy in order to spare one’s own conscience, or out of a too strict and naive idealism, can and will lead to casualties and loss for your own side. There’s no such thing as war without violence. You can’t get away with sparing the lives of your enemies if you truly want to win. You can only show mercy at the risk of your own goals, and often at the expense of the lives of yourself and your comrades. There are no half-measures in war. This is clearly a hard-earned lesson for these kids, one they’re still struggling with. Hange’s own hesitation has nothing to do with their wavering commitment, but rather it a calculated choice in an attempt to maximize their sides victory. Hange is past holding onto naive idealism when it comes to dealing with their enemies. They know the sacrifices necessary to ensuring success, those sacrifices often including ones own moral righteousness.

Ah, one more point to make. I think this is also a really important chapter for Eren’s character development, and understanding him as a character. I think this is maybe the first time Eren recognizes his own, monstrous tendencies. He acknowledges that he’s only ever had hatred within him, a desire for revenge and the destruction of the Titans. He says it’s Armin who will save humanity, not him or Erwin. We see Eren realizing here for the first time that it isn’t him who can act as humanities savior, because he’s beginning to recognize in himself what actually drives him, and how it isn’t a vision or a dream of hope for the future, but rather a vicious, unquenchable rage and compulsion for destruction. Eren recognizes for the first time that where Armin desires to create and has in him the ability to see beyond the walls to freedom, Eren himself is trapped by his own, dark nature, unable to move past his own, destructive impulses. I know it’s after this arc when we start to really see Eren withdraw more into himself, and push his friends away. I think this is where we see Eren really realize for the first time that there’s something essential lacking in him. Something missing in him, that everyone else has. Maybe that thing is an ability to believe in the true possibility of freedom, an ability to really hope.

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #Levi Ackerman #Erwin Smith #armin arlert #snk 83 #snk 84 #meta #thoughts

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nexyra · 4 years ago

Text

RWBY Analysis - Ozpin & Ruby, on the concept of leadership

In her song "Burned out", Dodie sings of her fans, how they look up to her and how uneasy that realization made her. For everyone is at the end of the day just as human as their neighbour; and having the hopes and expectations of others put upon you when you're just as lost as them can be a frightening thing. And this... made me think of Ruby & Ozpin.

On the subject of leadership, Ozpin tells Ruby the following : “Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?”

While I love this quote, I also have to analyze the drawbacks of this mentality and how they align with both Ozpin and Ruby. At the time, Ruby is a newly appointed leader and unsure of this reality. Ozpin's counsel give her the confidence needed to step up as a leader and take her duties more seriously, which in return appeases Weiss' and make their team all the more balanced. It is, in that context, good advice. A good leader should strive to lead by example and work hard to be worthy of the respect others give them, both in and outside of battle.

However there is one aspect that I find much more complex and that is... what does it mean to "always perform at your absolute best" and to have others follow you ? Note the use of follow, people letting you lead alone as opposed to "standing by your side" or a similar expression. It showcases in my opinion one of the biggest problem of Ozpin's leadership, but one that I feel has been inadvertently repeated by Ruby's.

- - - - - - - -

To cultivate hope and lies

When it comes to Ozpin's lies, I am of the firm belief that he had good intentions. Soo if you think he's the scorn of this earth, this might be a good time to tap out :D Now, this said I have a lot to say on the subject but I'll keep this short to stay on track (& make another unrelated post to develop my thoughts.)

In my opinion, at the core of his lies stand different beliefs. And on the subject of leadership, I think one stands out in particular and aligns with the advice he gave Ruby : the need to perform at your best to give others a reason to follow you.

Ozpin is the reincarnation of a centuries-old wizard and the headmaster of a school : what is one aspect almost every character agrees on upon meeting him ? "Oh, he's wise. He's knowledgeable. He has the answers. He has his shit together. He can tell us what to do."

Inherently, Ozpin's existence inspires respect and reassure. Just like to a child, a parent is all-knowing and unbreakable, Ozpin's status automatically give others the assumption that he knows what he's doing. And this, in my opinion, is one of the core problems of his leadership.

May it be with his inner circle, with RWBY, with ANYONE really; as soon as Ozpin reveals himself there are unspoken expectations that will chain him. He has the knowledge, he was here when it all began, he's the one calling the shots so he HAS to know exactly what to do. In that situation, breaking down and revealing to everyone how lost Ozpin is, how out of his depth... is unconceivable. And this is where Ozpin's conception of leadership becomes a problem as well. If you always perform "at your best" then you keep your doubts to yourself, you hide your sorrows and you put on a brave face. There are expectations in place that Ozpin wants (needs even) to meet. And thus the hopes of others and Ozpin's desire to fulfill them feed one another, as a perfect recipe for disaster. Because the more time Ozpin spends acting as if everything is under control, the more the expectations pile up... And coming clean about his humanity, the fact that he's just as powerless as the rest of them, becomes impossible.

And in that sense, breaking down the pedestal Ozpin had been put on was probably one of the best thing to do for his own mental health (though the method lacked a bit of compassion in my opinion xD)

The other part that somehow causes problem is how RELIANT on him his inner circle is. Despite their apparent friendship, Ozpin is the clear leader and as soon as he's out of comission, everything falls apart. Ironwood is the only one to call out Oz but in the end still wishes for the wizard to tell him what to do in period of stress. Qrow plays spy and takes order but doesn't seem really interested in stading at Ozpin's side as an equal. Glynda is stern but still defers to him etc...

All of them FOLLOW Ozpin but are just a few steps off from standing at his side. And this is something I see reflected in Ruby.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Following optimism up until it fails you

In Vol6, as secrets and lies are brought to the light, the loss of Hope that Ozpin feared so deeply happens. Is it worth it ? What are we even going to do with an immortal foe ? Maybe we should just go home. In that situation, Ruby is the simple soul who manages to keep her optimism, stand tall and say "No. We are taking the lamp to Atlas." And from then on her position as a leader and a bacon of light is reaffirmed. As Jaune put it in V4 "You gave us the courage to follow you."

Now is that, in itself, a problem ? Of course not. In fact I loved seeing Ruby come into herself and take the lead in Vol6. The problem in truth comes after, from the ramifications. From Vol6 onward, Ozpin has essentially been rid of his leader position and Ruby inherited it. And on a surface level sure, they are pretty different. Ruby is certainly closer to her partners : they're a family and they care about each other.

However, she is still clearly put at the lead. The others relied on Ruby's optimism and resilience to get to Atlas, and continue to do so. Setting foot in Ironwood's office, Blake tells Ruby "We'll follow your lead". They trust her, and whatever Ruby does... goes. They lie to Ironwood and Yang expresses some hesitations but eventually rally to Ruby's decision. And I emphasize this again : it is Ruby's decision. They did not pre-emptively discuss this as a group and then let Ruby be the spoke-person. Yang herself in Vol8 criticizes not their actions but Ruby's choices. Ruby calls the shots, Ruby is responsible for what happens, Ruby is their beacon of hope... Ruby is the new Ozpin.

Ruby has to be optimistic, and make the decisions and take risks because she's the leader. When Ruby leaves the room to break down, conversation & strategy stalls : the others don't take the lead. When things go south, it's Ruby's choices that led them here. Ever since Ruby has left Beacon, the only person who consistently encouraged Ruby to express the BAD, to share the negative has been Oscar. Even her silver eyes ask her to focus on only the happy memories to go off without a hitch ! The others comfort, they smile, they trust, they love even. But they don't want depressed Ruby finally grieving, they don't want honest "I don't know what to do" : they try to bring back confident and optimistic "we're gonna try" Ruby Rose. They want their earnest and happy but ultimately perfect leader that gives them reason to follow. In the end, even if they deeply care for her and have no shortage of warm coated reassurances for the teen, they still chain her down with their expectations. Ruby is NOT built for this. And I don't even say that in the "why is a kid calling the shots" sense, but "why is a kid put in a position where she's RESPONSIBLE for calling the shots ?"

Ruby is the youngest of the group apart from Oscar. The others should not rely on her this much to function. Blake telling Ruby that she looks up to her and that they'll follow her lead is admittedly sweet, but still builds up the pressure weighing her down. Blake calling out for Ruby's help when the teen has just been crashed to the ground by the Hound isn't even sweet anymore. They're all supposed to be equals. Blake is just as capable as Ruby. Calling out to your mind-controlled friend to bring them back from the edge is good. Calling out to your 17-old sister who's been beaten up because you need her to fight isn't.

They need to recognize that Ruby should not hold up the place alone. Because yes, they love her. But at the end of the day, Ruby is still the one bearing the weight of their decisions... Alone, even surrounded.

✦ ✦ BURNED OUT - DODIE ✦ ✦

He was certain; So was I There was comfort in her sighs

Dreams and ideas should not be the same thing You waited, smiling for this?

Oh, she'd want it, if she knew She could take it, I thought too Be careful, be cautious but you just wished harder You waited, smiling for this?

"But they love you!" Over and over, "they love you!" Thousands and thousands of eyes just like mine Aching to find who they are

"Oh, they love you!" Oh, you can feel how they love you ! Coated and warm but that's all they can do Words only get through if they're sharp

Oh, how fitting For one so fake Make me a fairy Whatever it takes

And just like a tale my dream was a scam You waited, smiling for this?

I am burnt out I smell of smoke It seeps through her cracks and so I start to choke Sentences sit in her mouth that are templated You waited, smiling for this?

Oh, maybe I'll talk about it... (maybe I'll talk about it) I can just talk about it... (I can just talk about it) I'll never talk about it... (I'll never talk about it) No, I cannot talk about it...

Don't build hope on something broken I am not cartoon. Cry for help, I am not joking I might just leave soon

#rwby #rwby analysis #rwby thoughts #character song #professor ozpin #ozpin #ruby rose #lyrics collage #rwde #does this count as rwde?#feel free to disagree in the reactions/reblogs I read everything !

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my-writings-and-musings · 4 years ago

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Could you perphaps do hc for Blitzwings reaction to his tiiny human S/O being hurt because the Autobots accidentally collapsed something on them in a fight because they didn't know they were there

I'm not quite as knowledgeable on TFA but I did a crash course and rewatched some of my favorite bits so I hope this fits what you had in mind!

·The size of all earth life respective to Cybertronians means that, even when absolute care is maintained by all, the odds of a nearby human staying safe are far from optimal when bots fight. This is a reality Blitzwing has had to consider carefully since bringing you into his life. Generally his solution has been to keep you as far away from his "work" as physically possible, but unfortunately enough for him, it occasionally tracks him to you. All he can do when that happens one day is insist you take cover in a nearby abandoned building while he goes on the attack. You heed him without question despite your worry for his safety, knowing that he tends to fight less effectively when stressed due to his personalities clashing, and also because his stories about "Autobots" paint a very brutal picture...

·The Autobots outnumber him as they move in, their goal being to drive him away from what they presume to be a human endangering mission, but it's quite obvious who has the advantage once things get started. You can soon hear him holding his own even from your little hiding spot, the roar of battle shaking the very ground beneath your feet, and a thick accent returning combat banter with ease. The Autobots may just be trying to guide the triple changer outside of civilization, but they still end up being driven back themselves quite swiftly, though they of course are unaware it's because he won't be leaving while you are in cover. He's hardly reveling in victory while holding his ground, as frankly he just wants to get this over with and return to you, for what was supposed to be an enjoyable day in this deserted area of the city... His Hothead self boils in rage at having lost precious time, which results in him focusing everything on driving the meddlesome Autobots into retreat as aggressively as possible. You're more than worth letting enemies get away just this once, but he fully intends on leaving them with a few scars for the trouble.

·The strategy appears to work, at least from your perspective, in that their responding attacks start to become more focused on distraction than corralling. He's told you enough about combat for you to recognize suppressive fire as the typical tactic of those seeking to retreat, and you find yourself sighing in relief from your crawlspace, hearing the blaster fire grow less frequent with every passing second. Being more or less ambivalent to the Autobots means that just seeing them leave is the ideal ending for you. Blitzwing gladly notes their impending escape with a touch of pride at having saved his tiny partner, ignoring that the Autobots are probably only giving up so easily because they've come to the baffling and somewhat accurate conclusion he's not here for anything malicious. There's scattered talk of establishing a perimeter to keep him from trying anything where humans actually live, but it's fading quickly as the team prepares an obvious final retreat.

·Blitzwing so delighted to be saving you that he'll smoothly alternate personalities to let them have a turn at the feeling, or at least, what each considers to be the feeling of victory. The thought of being your savior is appealing to all of them if he's quite honest, and admittedly he can't wait to gloat on his rescue to you in person. Unfortunately, his happiness is cut short when the Autobots just so happen to include the building you're shielding yourself within amongst their final shots, unintentionally causing dilapidated supports to crumble under the gunfire they only unleashed to distract. You don't have time to run before things collapse all around you, but you do manage to catch a glimpse of his expression before everything goes dark, and the sight of his hand reaching in your direction is the last thing you see... His concern for the battle ceases in that instant. Your tiny body, so fragile and soft he'd teased you for your lack of armor every time he'd held you, was now beneath countless tons of rubble he might never clear away in time... if there was still any time.

·Confused Autobots are left gaping as he turns tail to start digging into the remains of the building in a frenzy. His personalities start to fight for control, and for those listening he becomes and endless loop of arguments with himself while digging for what can't actually be a human, right? Because it sounds like he mentioned the word human but that must be a mistake, certainly? But if there's even a chance... Programming to fight Decepticons clashes with oaths to protect organic life, and Optimus is forced to act and offer assistance to the panicked con, an offer that is initially met with threats before his desperation results in him caving to the reassurance that any human within is their responsibility to rescue. Only his love for you could lead to him accepting help from Autobots, but he's still much too worried to feel very self conscious, because each minute is far too precious to waste.

·You aren't entirely aware of your own survival. Though you can hear heavy movement from the outside of your little crawlspace, battered and barely conscious as you are, only the faintest hint of a shout heavily colored with a familiar accent gives you hope help is near. Servos capable of warping steel overturn literal tons of rubble with each swipe in his desperate hazes, resulting in boulders of debris flying in the wake of an impossibly determined Decepticon. The Autobot's calls for strategy and teamwork are only met with silence or threats; if the human in this rubble can't be recovered, then he'll make certain their body isn't alone. He ignores their resulting debate with Optimus over whether or not to continue assisting. All that matters is you, his unexpected treasure amongst the cold chaos, and his absolute refusal to lose you while there's still a flicker of his spark in existence.

·Light strikes your eyes without much warning as the rubble above you shifts, forcing you to flinch in your tiny space and cough as the dust irritates your lungs, which in accordance with your current luck sends a pang through probably broken ribs. The only silver lining to it all is that your noises create an immediate reaction up above. Increasingly clearer voices come as the window of light grows and boulders of debris trapping you in are removed, spurring you to cover your eyes as the final hunk of mortar is removed and you're blessed with a rush of cool, fresh air as the sunshine streams in. To your incredible surprise the gruff voice that speaks first to comfort you is not one you know. There's hardly time for your dizzy head to wrap itself around the phenomenon before large but gentle hands reach down to skillfully pluck you free, but the relief of being rescued doesn't last long, and trouble is brewing even before you discern the team of surprised and worried faces circling you as the Autobots.

·You're in the hands of the Autobot medic when Blitzwing sees you've been pulled, injured but alive, from the collapsed building. His joy at seeing you breathing is matched only by his terror to see you in the hands of his enemy, which quickly turns into far more usable rage as he jumps back into rescuing you from the threat that started everything. Shouts to unhand you are his only warning before a charge, one that's quickly called as a bluff when he refuses to risk your safety and skids to a halt before his enemies. The same medic holding you carefully in his hands stares down the much larger triple changer without a flinch, though the remaining bots encircle him protectively, warning him not to hurt this human in their ignorance. A standoff forms in the tense moments where Blitzwing borders on panic, alternating between threats and demands and barely disguised pleading for the return of the human whilst the bots remain steadfast in their assumed defense. It's only through sheer grumpy determination that the medic, who you learn in this moment is called "Ratchet", is able to briefly cut through the shouting and try to force an understanding, starting with the fact that if any of them care about human safety they'll let him give this one some much needed help. Unfortunately mutual distrust keeps both sides moments from launching a new attack.

·You're in no position to fight and free yourself from the ambulance turned robot holding you, but even as Blitzwing stands just ahead and looks to you with that helpless expression, you realize you don't think you need to. There's no aggression in the arms supporting your battered body, just the cautious concern of an expert. But you know your partner; he feels deeply, and once his emotions take off he struggles to listen to reason. Thus you decide to speak up and help Ratchet act as mediator, partly to be relieved of at least a bit of this pain, but also to get back to the mech who you know only wants to see you safe. The hardest part is keeping down a cough as you try to speak...

·Everything stops when the voice of a weak and battered human pipes up, silencing the still intermittent arguing and turning the attention of all gathered bots to them. Blitzwing drops the entirety of his aggressive stance once he focuses only on you, stepping closer only to be stopped by the rest of the still distrustful Autobots. Your gentle pleading for him to stay calm and hear them out stops a brawl from erupting once again, and also creates a wave of surprise amongst the Autobots; this Decepticon has befriended a human?! His Icy personality is colder and more in control than ever when he prompts the medic to lay out his plans for your care, followed by a warning that you will decide whether or not to accept it, and that if they attempt to force anything on you or take you away there will be no Autobots left on earth by the time he stops them.

·Ratchet is mercifully to the point when he explains that he merely wants to ensure there is no immediate danger from your injuries, and to provide some basic aid to tide you over until a human proffesional can assist. In the grip of rather considerable pain, you can't help but concede to the logic of the plan, looking to your partner so he can see the certainty in your eyes as you express your consent. Ever true to his word regarding you, the triple changer nods his own assent, but insists he will be by your side through it all. Ratchet is able to locate a more sheltered location nearby, and despite the complaints of his fellows agrees to render aid in private, with only his patient and the Decepticon in question to assist him. The distrust crackling through the air makes it quite difficult for you to be relieved at the prospect of medical attention.

·Blitzwing is there for you at every moment, letting your tiny hand squeeze his large servo as the medic patches you up, his dexterity surprising you almost as much as the human medical kit he carries "for the sake of a different human that frequently gets herself hurt". Every whimper of pain from you makes the Decepticon growl through his whispered comforts to you, and by the time the medic has the immediate damage bandaged and secure each of Blitzwing's three personalities has had a turn threatening the old medic. Ratchet doesn't even seem to mind as he strongly encourages you to head for a hospital while he finishes putting away his supplies. The rest of the Autobots leave with a tense and awkward parting (as well as a few murmured apologies) that includes a promise that this incident may change things for Blitzwing, should he be so inclined... An Icy expression only bids them farewell, and when the two of you are alone he finally holds you close, whispering a thousand apologies for failing to protect you from his war. Though you hardly feel prepared to understand a several million year conflict, you embrace him in return, able to take a moment to just appreciate being back with your love. The moment only ends when he, somewhat bashfully, asks what a hospital is and if you could more effectively be transported there via tank or jet?

#transformers #tfa #transformers animated #blitzwing #blitzwing x reader #maccadam #tf #ratchet #my writing #my asks #requests #anon #human reader #self insert

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alittlefrenchtree · 4 years ago

Note

I have a PR question. How do we know if a non-paparazzi photo is staged/arranged or not? I’m talking about random pictures someone takes of him and his supposed dates. ☺️

I don’t think you can know for sure, Nonny. That’s kind of the beauty of it 😊

If you’re interested in joining today’s class and read a little more about stuff, click below.

Disclaimer 1) I really shouldn’t be any kind of authority in terms of pr and of famous people pr but since many people here are presenting things as true statements without knowing anything about anything, it’s only fair that I tried to explain some stuff while knowing, like 5% of stuff.

Disclamer 2) I’m not really interested about talking specifically about Timmy’s situation. His dating life is either a private thing that shouldn’t be commented as a public topic or a pr thing that I don’t want to encourage it by commenting. Or both and see all of the above.

What I’m interested in, is talking about pr strategy and public images in general ways, why it’s there and how it works and that’s about it.

That being said, let’s start today’s class.

My belief when it comes to pr and related stuff is that knowing the ‘truth’ is less important than having as much knowledge as possible on the subject. It’s kind like math. If you have an equation and someone gives you the answer but you don’t know how to get to there yourself, knowing the answer doesn’t get you much. But if you have all the keys to resolve the equation, you can try to find the answer on your own. And, even if you don’t find the answer, knowledge will help you understand the logic of it. Why it’s there. What it says.

So what’s our equation today? A content of one (or more) public person/people taken from a smartphone camera of someone we don’t know.

Smartphone content isn’t inconsequential. Using ‘low’ quality camera instead of a professional one says something different. It’s supposed to bring more authenticity, closeness to the audience, spontaneity. It feels truer because you could be the one taken it, since there is a large chance you own a smartphone when you probably don’t own a professional camera. It has to be genuine if you could be the one taking it, right? You would have any interest in taking part of something fake, wouldn’t you?

It can feels logical like everybody knows that or it’s not really important but it’s something that is actually thought through by professionals when it comes to create content. There is that brand of cooking videos (you know the one you stumble on when you remember Facebook exist and that show you recipe that always look really easy to make at home and delicious (and also overly greasy and/or overly sugary) that was explaining how they could totally shot their videos in professional kitchen with high quality stuff but choose to do the complete opposite instead? Because their goal is to make their audience feel like they can make the recipe at home so they shot their videos on small kitchen with smartphones.

Creating professional content on un-professional devices is a real thing. Half of the business of influencers people is built on this. To think that the strategy has stayed only in the influencers people business would be very naive. In the famous people world, content created on smartphone is used for these bts vibes. We’re showing you what you’re not supposed to see so you feel like a part of it. This is how the famous people you love are in real life, when the camera is off. Except they’re not off, since you’re seeing it.

You’re not part of it, we’re showing you just enough for you to want it, to envy it but you’re not.

Let’s go back to the casual pic of that public person. Truth is, you could be taking the picture yourself and still don’t know what you’ve taken.

Say I’m well known top model who has signed a new contract with a clothing brand. I have pap walks to put the clothes in online articles and magazines. Of course pap pics also ends up on social media but they aren’t the type of media design for the platform. Pap walks create some distance from the audience because they often looks like real photo shootings. Part of the audience is defiant towards it. Either it’s an invasion of privacy or it’s staged. It’s not that positive.

What’s positive is me going out in my brand new clothes and cross path with people who recognize me. They wouldn’t know anything about my contract but would do all the job themselves without knowing they’re doing it. They would take a picture from afar, maybe a selfie, share it on social media with a cute context. A story. Write about that cute dress I was wearing, what my coffee order was (omg, she likes almond milk like me!), what’s the interaction was like. Was it staged? I like that dress and I really wanted to go for a walk and for that cup of coffee. And the fan was nice, everything was genuine. Yet, I still went out to be seen and the clothing brand is happy.

The problem with that scenario is that I’m not in control of anything. Maybe nobody will recognize me or care enough to take a picture or something went wrong with the fan/person I’ve seen and instead of a cute story I have someone insulting me all over the internet. Lot of time lost, some risk taken, not much result. Wouldn’t be easier to take a friend or a PA who would snap a few pictures and we’ll be home in 5 minutes, job done? Pr team get the pics and share them with the world with one of the twelve stan accounts about me they’ve been running for years. Even write a little story to go with it if they’re inspired enough. If you think it’s too much, you’re naive. Everything that can be faked or staged to save time, money or give you more control of the result, has already been faked and staged by someone. Multiple someones.

My take on this would be, the bigger you are, the more money you have to carry on your shoulders, the less you let things to chance and the more you take control of your narrative. PAs, agents, PR people,… When you have a whole team around you, you don’t (overly) pay them as secretaries. They’re not just here to handle your planning and bring you coffee or you would only need one person, not 7 of them walking around you all the time.

But what if there is no contract? What if I’m just wearing that dress because I like the brand? Or maybe there is a commercial deal with the brand but I have no obligation to wear it on my daily life or been seen with it. Wouldn’t the pics look exactly the same to an outside eye?

Of course I can go low key, move only inside cars with tinted windows, don’t walk around in popular places and only go in isolated, private places. I can. But maybe sometimes I’m tired of it. Maybe I just want to meet my non-famous friends where they like to go and fuck it if I’m seen there. Pics taken by people would look like they’re staged. Except maybe they’re not.

But if I stop caring, I indirectly accept that however I’m seen becomes part of my public image. And if it has become part of my public image, I should accept that it will be monitored to some extend by my team, and eventually by myself.

So how do we find the answer? We can’t. Based on a single photo alone, I don’t think we can. Unless you’ve seen contracts or you know the person personally, you can’t really pretend what’s going on being doors. Even so, would you know everything? Sometimes a contract is just a contract. Something a commercial deal is also a friendship. Sometimes a real friendship became public et become part of your public image. Sometimes you don’t really feel like talking about commercial deals with that cousin you’re seeing 5 times a year and doesn’t really care about what the details of your fucked-up public job are. So even your own family doesn’t know the truth about everything.

What we can do, if we’re interested in doing it, is look at every piece of content and ask ourselves. What are we seeing? How is it made? For what purpose? How that type of content is used in different contexts?

With more context, you can make interpretations for yourself. Will everybody will have the same? Of course not. Mathematicians, physicists, chemists, spent their time disagreeing on interpretations of stuff, how can we expect people to agree on the interpretation on something based of human behavior?

From what I’m seeing, PR conversations seem to be going on in many (many) fandoms. From a PR point of view, I don’t think it’s not a bad thing, whether what we’re talking about is real or fake in the first place. Having people think it’s fake and people think it’s real makes the conversation going. They’re always be people who would want to defend their point of view, their opinions, their favorite celebrities. Names will keep being mentioned, pics shared, word spread. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and algorithms are happy.

My best advices, I guess, is, first, remember that you aren't obligated to have opinions on everything or to care about every aspect of the life of an artist you love, even when media and people would like you to think you are and you should. There is even things, such as dating life of other people than yourself, you shouldn’t really have opinions about at all.

If romance, love and sex keeps getting used to sell, it’s because it works. Think about all the books, all the movies, all the stories where a love story is integrated in an action movie/horror story/sci-fi scenario even when it has nothing to do with anything. Romance/love/sex sells since forever and probably for a long time. Because most people think falling in love is the main purpose of life and the most important thing in the world.

My second advice would be, don’t be naive but don’t be cynical either. Contexts and nuances are always important.

Anyways, like always I don’t have an answer and I’m barely even interested in the answer but I hope I'm able bring some perspectives to things because it’s important. More than ever, content is a tool. Since everyone is part of an audience, if not potentially part of all audiences , we should all learn more about how the tool works.

Of course i'm joking about the concept of class. I'm not a teacher. I'm only sharing some personal knowledge and opinions. I can be wrong or contested. No hard feelings against anyone.

#aflt asks #it's pr talk time again

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canyouhearthelight · 4 years ago

Text

The Miys, Ch. 128

This is another chapter that I started with one intention and it kind of dragged me the other way. I started with what Miys says at the beginning as a kernel, and...

Yeah, avoiding spoilers, you get...*waves frantically* this. Which I am excited about seeing where it goes.

Kudos to @baelpenrose and @mustachebatarts for this chapter. You’ll both understand when you read it :)

Tyche nodded sleepily as Alistair handed her a cup of coffee, mirroring my own struggle to wake up. It was the beginning of Alpha shift - roughly 6:30am Terran Pacific NorthAm time - and we were starting our week with an extremely rare mission brief. Parvati and Hannah seemed either anxious or excited - possibly a combination - as the last brief they had received was ship-wide when we announced the lighting changes. Neither of them had ever been in one of the Council-only meetings that preceded such announcements.

Due to the growth on the Council - both among administrators and among Mentees - it wasn’t feasible to hold this meeting face to face in the room ordinarily used for such things. As a result, each Councilor was joining from their respective office, along with auxiliary staff who needed to be privy to the information discussed. For someone like Grey, that would be themself, Antoine, and their current admin, Nora. In my case, it was everyone who reported to my office.

“Has everyone joined?” I asked in my role as Parliamentarian for this meeting. No one liked the position, so it rotated.

“Still waiting on Huynh, Charly, and Ivan,” Eino replied.

“We’re here!” an entirely-too-awake voice greeted.

Ignoring the laugh that Alistair and Hannah were suppressing, I forged ahead. “That’s everyone then. Good Morning, Council. Today is January 23rd, 2051 Terran-relative time, 45th day of Von cold season Year four Pre-Colony. We are currently two Terran years from Von. Miys has requested that we gather this morning for an important mission update so that we can prepare. Miys, you have the floor.”

“Thank you, Wisdom. Good day, Human Council.” I couldn’t tell if Miys had practiced or was operating on multiple minds, but the resemblance to a human public-speaker was startling. “As stated by Councilor Wisdom, the Yjq is currently two Terran years from your destination. We requested to address you in order to advise that navigational adjustments will be necessary within one Terran year of the planet you call Von.”

Murmurs erupted on the conference, but no one actually interrupted, so Miys continued. “Due to the density of systems in this portion of the Galaxy, the final Terran year of the journey cannot be made at our current speed. The Yjq will need to drop out of relativistic space and complete the remaining leg in realspace.”

“How does this immediately impact the human population?” Grey asked first, hardly letting Miys finish their statement.

“With the sensors operational, there should be no noticeable difference in the transition,” came the answer. “However, there will be the introduction of potential physical hazards once we are in realspace.”

After a pause of silence, Xiomara spoke up. “Are you talking about the potential of being attacked?”

“Galactic law prohibits acts of violence against aide or rescue vessels.”

I heard an explosive snort before an extremely dry voice joined in. “Miys, that is the opposite of an answer,” Evania argued. “And we all know that criminals are famous for their adherence to the letter of the law.”

An alert chirped on my data band, and I almost choked when I saw Arthur’s message: “Oh, I LIKE her…”

“Once we are no longer in relativistic space, the Yjq is due to rendezvous with an Ekomari escort within thirty Terran days.”

“And what is the tactical benefit of that escort?” Evan pushed.

Rather than Miys, Charly responded. “Ekomari are very aggressive, but even more bound by a code of honor. They view preying on the weak - including rescue and aide vessels - the most disgusting behavior imaginable. This extends to the point of stopping their own attacks once the enemy is considered defeated.”

“Only an extremely overconfident or suicidal crew would try to go up against an Ekomari squadron that is escorting us,” Arthur finished.

“That is satisfactory. No objections.”

Approval in her tone, Xiomara launched the next question. “What about the thirty days we won’t have an escort? What is normally done on that leg of the journey?”

“Optimally, there is no such period during such a relocation.” I heard every person in my office inhale with dread at that statement. “During this time, there is always an increased concern that pirates and scavengers will attack in an attempt to be the first beings with artifacts from the newly present species.”

“Souvenirs… They want us for souvenirs…” Tyche muttered.

“We will discuss our options once we have all the information,” I stated loudly, trying to keep the meeting going before everyone panicked. “Miys, what other information do we need to know about the final year of the journey?”

“Once we are in realspace, long distance scans and data mining operations will begin for more accurate information regarding Von. This information will be communicated to the entire Council so that any changes or updates to colony plans may be adjusted and finalized. That is all for now.”

“Thank you Miys. You may remain in the meeting, as we may need your input regarding Galactic regulations, statistics, or laws.”

“Of course, Wisdom.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. “Xiomara, I’m pretty sure that you and Evan have a lot to say on the matter at hand. Are there any objections to Health and Safety taking the floor?”

After a round of negatives, I conceded the floor. “Thank you, Sophia. Council, clearly there is a pressing matter in our future, here at the end of a tumultuous era, just as our goal is in sight. We cannot allow thirty days of risk to derail us now. For all that we have striven to show humanity as capable of peace and change, we now need to reach down to the roots of our very existence and ensure that we will not be undefended in that month.”

“Miys, the Ark is equipped with scouting probes and evacuation shuttles,” Evan followed. “What are the chances that we can repurpose those into our own small squadron for defensive purposes.”

“Doing such would invalidate the protection the Yjq is afforded by Galactic Law.”

“Excuse me, what!?” I sputtered, completely caught off guard.

“Hospital ships are only protected so long as they are incapable of defense, to prevent opposing forces from attacking each other under the guise of aide,” Charly explained in a mournful tone.

Evan and I groaned heavily. “At least tell me that the odds of any attackers completely blowing up the ship are low?”

“They would only be able to do so by detonating our drives from the inside. To do so from the exterior would require more force than a coronal ejection from a white dwarf star.”

That was reassuring at least.

“So we would be safe as long as they don’t board the ship,” Arthur acknowledged. I could see where his next question was going, but Evan beat him to it by a mile.

“Since we are not Hujylsogox, and are only the cargo of the Ark, there are no prohibitions against us defending ourselves in the event of a forced boarding, correct? Only you, yourself, would not be able to fight back.”

“This is correct, Commander Josue. I am not allowed to interfere in such a matter.”

Interesting wording. Noah was telling us, as officially as allowed, that it would not fight the intruders, but also would not stop us from any actions we took. I smiled as I felt a confirming nudge in the back of my mind.

“Well, those weapons demonstrations were certainly not just for fun,” Huynh growled. I could hear Charly cackling in the background before he confirmed to her that, yes, she can play with the construction exos.

“Let’s be organized about this,” Xiomara insisted. “For those comfortable with helping defend, we need to set up anti-boarding drills to start six months out at the latest. For those on the ship who are against violence, sort them into who can provide medical aid and who needs to do evacuation drills. Eino, Arthur - can you assist Sophia’s team with that?”

“We can,” Eino confirmed, echoed by Arthur.

Parvati and Hannah glanced at each other silently before the former jumped in. “I recommend that at least one person with weapons training is assigned to each evacuation group, as a worst case defense.”

“I second that,” Xiomara agreed in a clipped tone. “Any objections?” A brief, silent pause. “Good. Add that to the strategy.”

“Miys, we need a list of what species are most likely to be found on pirate vessels. Knowing their biology will go a long way to developing defense strategies,” Arthur requested.

“I like it,” Evan approved. “Ekomari may be honorable, but humanity has survived this long because we aren’t ashamed of taking cheap shots.”

“It is safe to assume that boarding parties will not have electromagnetic vision, as it has been advised that it is quite rare in the galaxy,” Grey pointed out. “We can use this to our advantage, most likely.”

“If we’re lucky to be in the light part of the cycle…” Tyche muttered.

“Administrator Reid has a point,” Pranav admitted, startling her. “If we are in the dark part of the cycle, we will be at a distinct disadvantage.”

“The lights are artificial,” Huynh sighed. “We can turn them on.”

“If I may interject,” Miys responded. “It is not as simple as you seem to believe to increase the light emitters on the entire Ark, Councilor Huynh. The drain on the ship engines could permanently damage them.”

I could feel Charly’s eyes rolling in my soul when she picked up from there. “We can try to make some plans for that contingency. Pranav does have a point.”

“So that’s anti-boarding drills, evacuation drills, aid teams, threat assessment, and at least a start on evaluating where we stand from a defensive perspective. Once Sophia, Eino, and their offices coordinate who is which group, we’ll pull back up to determine who will be leading which initiatives,” Xiomara recapped. “Sophia, anything else we need to cover?”

“I think that’s the priorities right now,” I confirmed, effectively ending the meeting. Once I closed out the channel, I turned to those in my office. “So, how do we feel about this?”

“Like you are going to be in one of the evacuation groups, stuffed as far back in the ship as possible,” Tyche stated drily.

“If we get boarded,” I pointed out. “It may not happen.”

“Madam Reid, you are on this ship.”

I scowled at Alistair before turning to Parvati and Hannah. “Reach out to Arthur and Eino to schedule that meeting.”

Hannah looked unsure. “Why are they being loaned to us for this? Eino’s a Councillor.”

The door of my office hissed open and the rhythmic thud of boots walked in. “Because your office, specifically Tyche, handles all ship staffing, while I am being used for physical ability assessments, and Eino literally has nothing to do as head of Education in all this.” Arthur nodded his head in thanks when Alistair handed him tea.

I just pointed at him and nodded. “Besides, this way Xiomara is indirectly involved.” I glanced at Parvati before winking. “It was a clever move, I have to admit.”

Parvati smiled and shook her head. “I can’t even say you’re wrong. That’s exactly why she did it, honestly, on all counts.”

“And that is part of it, too.” Tyche waved. “Work more closely with your fellow future Councillors, and you learn to read what they aren’t saying. Our office works very closely with Xio’s and Grey’s, so we have to know how best to keep that going.”

Arthur just held his arms wide and shrugged. “I have to respect Xiomara’s tendency to keep her fingers on all pulses. She’s almost as bad as Sophia that way.”

“Hey!”

“It’s true,” Alistair sighed. “You are profoundly nosy.”

Hannah groaned and threw her head back. “We are never going to be on the Council at this rate.”

“Excuse me?? That’s the point of all this!” I gestured around my office energetically.

“Yes, because you will totally retire,” Hannah said slowly, nodding her head like I was a toddler. “Of course you will, Sophia. We all know it…”

Parvati snickered, covering it badly. Arthur gave me a pointed look, and I could hear him repeating ‘obsessive, compulsive perfectionist’.

I was saved, for certain, weird values of salvation, by Tyche. She just glanced down at her nails, studying them, before calmly glancing at me. “Charly is dangerously close to getting approval from Sebastian for her proposal of kink night at the Undine. Think really hard if you want to be on the Council for that, Sophia. It would be an event, meaning it would come to this office.”

“Yep, retiring soon,” I squeaked. Laughter erupted around me as my face heated up. “I’m all for sex positivity, but I just can’t fathom the logistics of that. Nope. Not gonna be me. Y’all have fun. Enjoy. All yours.”

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#the miys #humans are weird #aliens #apocalypse #post-apocalypse #science fiction #humans are awesom #humans are space orcs #pirates #plot #strategy

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all-things-are-nothing-to-me · 4 years ago

Text

The New Nihilism

It feels increasingly difficult to tell the difference between—on one hand—being old, sick, and defeated, and—on the other hand—living in a time-&-place that is itself senile, tired, and defeated. Sometimes I think it’s just me—but then I find that some younger, healthier people seem to be undergoing similar sensations of ennui, despair, and impotent anger. Maybe it’s not just me.

A friend of mine attributed the turn to disillusion with “everything”, including old-fashioned radical/activist positions, to disappointment over the present political regime in the US, which was somehow expected to usher in a turn away from the reactionary decades since the 1980s, or even a “progress” toward some sort of democratic socialism. Although I myself didn’t share this optimism (I always assume that anyone who even wants to be President of the US must be a psychopathic murderer) I can see that “youth” suffered a powerful disillusionment at the utter failure of Liberalism to turn the tide against Capitalism Triumphalism. The disillusion gave rise to OCCUPY and the failure of OCCUPY led to a move toward sheer negation.

However I think this merely political analysis of the “new nothing” may be too two-dimensional to do justice to the extent to which all hope of “change” has died under Kognitive Kapital and the technopathocracy. Despite my remnant hippy flower- power sentiments I too feel this “terminal” condition (as Nietzsche called it), which I express by saying, only half-jokingly, that we have at last reached the Future, and that the truly horrible truth of the End of the World is that it doesn’t end.

One big J.G. Ballard/Philip K. Dick shopping mall from now till eternity, basically.

This IS the future—how do you like it so far? Life in the Ruins: not so bad for the bourgeoisie, the loyal servants of the One Percent. Air-conditioned ruins! No Ragnarok, no Rapture, no dramatic closure: just an endless re-run of reality TV cop shows. 2012 has come and gone, and we’re still in debt to some faceless bank, still chained to our screens.

Most people—in order to live at all—seem to need around themselves a penumbra of “illusion” (to quote Nietzsche again):—that the world is just rolling along as usual, some good days some bad, but in essence no different now than in 10000 BC or 1492 AD or next year. Some even need to believe in Progress, that the Future will solve all our problems, and even that life is much better for us now than for (say) people in the 5th century AD. We live longer thanx to Modern Science—of course our extra years are largely spent as “medical objects”—sick and worn out but kept ticking by Machines & Pills that spin huge profits for a few megacorporations & insurance companies. Nation of Struldbugs.

True, we’re suffocating in the mire generated by our rule of sick machines under the Numisphere of Money. At least ten times as much money now exists than it would take to buy the whole world—and yet species are vanishing space itself is vanishing, icecaps melting, air and water grown toxic, culture grown toxic, landscape sacrificed to fracking and megamalls, noise-fascism, etc, etc. But Science will cure all that ills that Science has created—in the Future (in the “long run”, when we’re all dead, as Lord Keynes put it); so meanwhile we’ll carry on consuming the world and shitting it out as waste—because it’s convenient & efficient & profitable to do so, and because we like it.

Well, this is all a bunch of whiney left-liberal cliches, no? Heard it before a million times. Yawn. How boring, how infantile, how useless. Even if it were all true... what can we do about it? If our Anointed Leaders can’t or won’t stop it, who will? God? Satan? The “People”?

All the fashionable “solutions” to the “crisis”, from electronic democracy to revolutionary violence, from locavorism to solar-powered dingbats, from financial market regulation to the General Strike—all of them, however ridiculous or sublime, depend on one preliminary radical change—a seismic shift in human consciousness. Without such a change all the hope of reform is futile. And if such a change were somehow to occur, no “reform” would be necessary. The world would simply change. The whales would be saved. War no more. And so on.

What force could (even in theory) bring about such a shift? Religion? In 6,000 years of organized religion matters have only gotten worse. Psychedelic drugs in the reservoirs? The Mayan calendar? Nostalgia? Terror?

If catastrophic disaster is now inevitable, perhaps the “Survivalist” scenario will ensue, and a few brave millions will create a green utopia in the smoking waste. But won’t Capitalism find a way to profit even from the End of the World? Some would claim that it’s doing so already. The true catastrophe may be the final apotheosis of commodity fetishism.

Let’s assume for the sake of argument that this paradise of power tools and back-up alarms is all we’ve got & all we’re going to get. Capitalism can deal with global warming—it can sell water-wings and disaster insurance. So it’s all over, let’s say—but we’ve still got television & Twitter. Childhood’s End—i.e. the child as ultimate consumer, eager for the brand. Terrorism or home shopping network—take yr pick (democracy means choice).

Since the death of the Historical Movement of the Social in 1989 (last gasp of the hideous “short” XXth century that started in 1914) the only “alternative” to Capitalist Neo-Liberal totalitarianism that seems to have emerged is religious neo-fascism. I understand why someone would want to be a violent fundamentalist bigot—I even sympathize—but just because I feel sorry for lepers doesn’t mean I want to be one.

When I attempt to retain some shreds of my former antipessimism I fantasize that History may not be over, that some sort of Populist Green Social Democracy might yet emerge to challenge the obscene smugness of “Money Interests”—something along the lines of 1970s Scandinavian monarcho-socialism—which in retrospect now looks the most humane form of the State ever to have emerged from the putrid suck-hole of Civilization. (Think of Amsterdam in its heyday.) Of course as an anarchist I’d still have to oppose it—but at least I’d have the luxury of believing that, in such a situation, anarchy might actually stand some chance of success. Even if such a movement were to emerge, however, we can rest damn-well assured it won’t happen in the USA. Or anywhere in the ghost-realm of dead Marxism, either. Maybe Scotland!

It would seem quite pointless to wait around for such a rebirth of the Social. Years ago many radicals gave up all hope of The Revolution, and the few who still adhere to it remind me of religious fanatics. It might be soothing to lapse into such doctrinaire revolutionism, just as it might be soothing to sink into mystical religion—but for me at least both options have lost their savor. Again, I sympathize with those true believers (although not so much when they lapse into authoritarian leftism or fascism)— nevertheless, frankly, I’m too depressed to embrace their Illusions.

If the End-Time scenario sketched above be considered actually true, what alternatives might exist besides suicidal despair? After much thought I’ve come up with three basic strategies.

1) Passive Escapism. Keep your head down, don’t make waves. Capitalism permits all sorts of “lifestyles” (I hate that word)—just pick one & try to enjoy it. You’re even allowed to live as a dirt farmer without electricity & infernal combustion, like a sort of secular Amish refusnik. Well, maybe not. But at least you could flirt with such a life. “Smoke Pot, Eat Chicken, Drink Tea,” as we used to say in the 60s in the Moorish Church of America, our psychedelic cult. Hope they don’t catch you. Fit yourself into some Permitted Category such as Neo-Hippy or even Anabaptist.

2) Active Escapism. In this scenario you attempt to create the optimal conditions for the emergence of Autonomous Zones, whether temporary, periodic or even (semi)permanent. In 1984 when I first coined the term Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ)

I envisioned it as a complement to The Revolution—although I was already, to be truthful, tired of waiting for a moment that seemed to have failed in 1968. The TAZ would give a taste or premonition of real liberties: in effect you would attempt to live as if the Revolution had already occurred, so as not to die without ever having experienced “free freedom” (as Rimbaud called it, liberte libre). Create your own pirate utopia.

Of course the TAZ can be as brief & simple as a really good dinner party, but the true autonomist will want to maximize the potential for longer & deeper experiences of authentic lived life. Almost inevitably this will involve crime, so it’s necessary to think like a criminal, not a victim. A “Johnson” as Burroughs used to say—not a “mark”. How else can one live (and live well) without Work. Work, the curse of the thinking class. Wage slavery. If you’re lucky enough to be a successful artist, you can perhaps achieve relative autonomy without breaking any obvious laws (except the laws of good taste, perhaps). Or you could inherit a million. (More than a million would be a curse.) Forget revolutionary morality—the question is, can you afford your taste of freedom? For most of us, crime will be not only a pleasure but a necessity. The old anarcho-Illegalists showed the way: individual expropriation. Getting caught of course spoils the whole thing—but risk is an aspect of self-authenticity.

One scenario I’ve imagined for active Escapism would be to move to a remote rural area along with several hundred other libertarian socialists—enough to take over the local government (municipal or even county) and elect or control the sheriffs & judges, the parent/teacher association, volunteer fire department and even the water authority. Fund the venture with cultivation of illegal phantastice and carry on a discreet trade. Organize as a “Union of Egoists” for mutual benefit & ecstatic pleasures—perhaps under the guise of “communes” or even monasteries, who cares. Enjoy it as long as it lasts.

I know for a fact that this plan is being worked on in several places in America—but of course I’m not going to say where.

Another possible model for individual escapists might be the nomadic adventurer. Given that the whole world seems to be turning into a giant parking lot or social network, I don’t know if this option remains open, but I suspect that it might. The trick would be to travel in places where tourists don’t—if such places still exist—and to involve oneself in fascinating and dangerous situations. For example if I were young and healthy I’d’ve gone to France to take part in the TAZ that grew around resistance to the new airport—or to Greece—or Mexico—wherever the perverse spirit of rebellion crops up. The problem here is of course funding. (Sending back statues stuffed with hash is no longer a good idea.) How to pay for yr life of adventure? Love will find a way. It doesn’t matter so much if one agrees with the ideals of Tahrir Square or Zucotti Park—the point is just to be there.

3. Revenge. I call it Zarathustra’s Revenge because as Nietzsche said, revenge may be second rate but it’s not nothing. One might enjoy the satisfaction of terrifying the bastards for at least a few moments. Formerly I advocated “Poetic Terrorism” rather than actual violence, the idea being that art could be wielded as a weapon. Now I’ve rather come to doubt it. But perhaps weapons might be wielded as art. From the sledgehammer of the Luddites to the black bomb of the attentat, destruction could serve as a form of creativity, for its own sake, or for purely aesthetic reasons, without any illusions about revolution. Oscar Wilde meets the acte gratuit: a dandyism of despair.

What troubles me about this idea is that it seems impossible to distinguish here between the action of post-leftist anarcho-nihilists and the action of post-rightist neo-traditionalist reactionaries. For that matter, a bomb may as well be detonated by fundamentalist fanatics—what difference would it make to the victims or the “innocent bystanders”? Blowing up a nanotechnology lab—why shouldn’t this be the act of a desperate monarchist as easily as that of a Nietzschean anarchist?

In a recent book by Tiqqun (Theory of Bloom), it was fascinating to come suddenly across the constellation of Nietzsche, Rene Guenon, Julius Evola, et al. as examples of a sharp and just critique of the Bloom syndrome—i.e., of progress-as-illusion. Of course the “beyond left and right” position has two sides—one approaching from the left, the other from the right. The European New Right (Alain de Benoist & his gang) are big admirers of Guy Debord, for a similar reason (his critique, not his proposals).

The post-left can now appreciate Traditionalism as a reaction against modernity just as the neo-traditionalists can appreciate Situationism. But this doesn’t mean that post-anarchist anarchists are identical with post-fascism fascists!

I’m reminded of the situation in fin-de-siecle France that gave rise to the strange alliance between anarchists and monarchists; for example the Cerce Proudhon. This surreal conjunction came about for two reasons: a) both factions hated liberal democracy, and b) the monarchists had money. The marriage gave birth to weird progeny, such as Georges Sorel. And Mussolini famously began his career as an Individualist anarchist!

Another link between left & right could be analyzed as a kind of existentialism; once again Nietzsche is the founding parent here, I think. On the left there were thinkers like Gide or Camus. On the right, that illuminated villain Baron Julius Evola used to tell his little ultra-right groupuscules in Rome to attack the Modern World—even though the restoraton of tradition was a hopeless dream—if only as an act of magical self-creation. Being trumps essence. One must cherish no attachment to mere results. Surely Tiqqun’s advocacy of the “perfect Surrealist act” (firing a revolver at random into a crowd of “innocent by-standers”) partakes of this form of action-as-despair. (Incidentally I have to confess that this is the sort of thing that has always—to my regret—prevented my embracing Surrealism: it’s just too cruel. I don’t admire de Sade, either.)

Of course, as we know, the problem with the Traditionalists is that they were never traditional enough. They looked back at a lost civilization as their “goal” (religion, mysticism, monarchism, arts-&-crafts, etc.) whereas they should have realized that the real tradition is the “primordial anarchy” of the Stone Age, tribalism, hunting/gathering, animism—what I call the Neanderthal Liberation Front. Paul Goodman used the term “Neolithic Conservatism” to describe his brand of anarchism—but “Paleolithic Reaction” might be more appropriate!

The other major problem with the Traditionalist Right is that the entire emotional tone of the movement is rooted in self-repression. Here a rough Reichean analysis suffices to demonstrate that the authoritarian body reflects a damaged soul, and that only anarchy is compatible with real self-realization.

The European New Right that arose in the 90s still carries on its propaganda—and these chaps are not just vulgar nationalist chauvenist anti-semitic homophobic thugs—they’re intellectuals & artists. I think they’re evil, but that doesn’t mean I find them boring. Or even wrong on certain points. They also hate the nanotechnologists!

Although I attempted to set off a few bombs back in the 1960s (against the war in Vietnam) I’m glad, on the whole, that they failed to detonate (technology was never my metier). It saves me from wondering if I would’ve experienced “moral qualms”. Instead I chose the path of the propagandist and remained an activist in anarchist media from 1984 to about 2004. I collaborated with the Autonomedia publishing collective, the IWW, the John Henry Mackay Society (Left Stirnerites) and the old NYC Libertarian Book Club (founded by comrades of Emma Goldman, some of whom I knew, & who are now all dead). I had a radio show on WBAI (Pacifica) for 18 years. I lectured all over Europe and East Europe in the 90s. I had a very nice time, thank you. But anarchism seems even farther off now than it looked in 1984, or indeed in 1958, when I first became an anarchist by reading George Harriman’s Krazy Kat. Well, being an existentialist means you never have to say you’re sorry.

In the last few years in anarchist circles there’s appeared a trend “back” to Stirner/Nietzsche Individualism—because after all, who can take revolutionary anarcho-communism or syndicalism seriously anymore? Since I’ve adhered to this Individualist position for decades (although tempered by admiration for Charles Fourier and certain “spiritual anarchists” like Gustave Landauer) I naturally find this trend agreeable.

“Green anarchists” & AntiCivilization Neo-primitivists seem (some of them) to be moving toward a new pole of attraction, nihilism. Perhaps neo-nihilism would serve as a better label, since this tendency is not simply replicating the nihilism of the Russian narodniks or the French attentatists of circa 1890 to 1912, however much the new nihilists look to the old ones as precursors. I share their critique—in fact I think I’ve been mirroring it to a large extent in this essay: creative despair, let’s call it. What I do not understand however is their proposal—if any. “What is to be done?” was originally a nihilist slogan, after all, before Lenin appropriated it. I presume that my option #1, passive escape, would not suit the agenda. As for Active Escapism, to use the suffix “ism” implies some form not only of ideology but also some action. What is the logical outcome of this train of thought?

As an animist I experience the world (outside Civilization) as essentially sentient. The death of God means the rebirth of the gods, as Nietzsche implied in his last “mad” letters from Turin— the resurrection of the great god PAN—chaos, Eros, Gaia, & Old Night, as Hesiod put it—Ontological anarchy, Desire, Life itself, & the Darkness of revolt & negation—all seem to me as real as they need to be.

I still adhere to a certain kind of spiritual anarchism—but only as heresy and paganism, not as orthodoxy and monotheism. I have great respect for Dorothy Day—her writing influenced me in the 60s—and Ivan Illich, whom I knew personally—but in the end I cannot deal with the cognitive dissonance between anarchism and the Pope! Nevertheless I can believe in the re-paganaziation of monotheism. I hold to this pagan tradition because I sense the universe as alive, not as “dead matter.” As a life-long psychedelicist I have always thought that matter & spirit are identical, and that this fact alone legitimizes what Theory calls “desire”.

From this p.o.v. the phrase “revolution of everyday life” still seems to have some validity—if only in terms of the second proposal, Active Escapism or the TAZ. As for the third possibility— Zarathustra’s Revenge—this seems like a possible path for the new nihilism, at least from a philosophical perspective. But since I am unable personally to advocate it, I leave the question open.

But here—I think—is the point at which I both meet with & diverge from the new nihilism. I too seem to believe that Predatory Capitalism has won and that no revolution is possible in the classical sense of that term. But somehow I can’t bring myself to be “against everything.” Within the Temporary Autonomous Zone there still seems to persist the possibility of “authentic life,” if only for a moment—and if this position amounts to mere Escapism, then let us become Houdini. The new surge of interest in Individualism is obviously a response to the Death of the Social. But does the new nihilism imply the death even of the individual and the “union of egoists” or Nietzschean free spirits? On my good days, I like to think not.

No matter which of the three paths one takes (or others I can’t yet imagine) it seems to me that the essential thing is not to collapse into mere apathy. Depression we may have to accept, impotent rage we may have to accept, revolutionary pessimism we may have to accept. But as e.e. cummings (anarchist poet) said, there is some shit we will not take, lest we simply become the enemy by default. Can’t go on, must go on. Cultivate rosebuds, even selfish pleasures, as long as a few birds & flowers still remain. Even love may not be impossible...

#hakim bey #Nihilism #t.a.z.#anarchism

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icasttourniquet · 4 years ago

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Can Your Character Survive... Avalanches?

Alternative title: why your character who lives in the mountains should be more scared of avalanches than they currently are.

What's an avalanche?

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Avalanches are large masses of snow that speed down mountainsides, carrying humans with them. There are a number of different types of avalanches, depending on who you ask. Let's look at a few:

Wet Snow Avalanche

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These avalanches are relatively safe, as far as avalanches go. They travel slower than their dry counterparts (10 to 20 miles per hour) and are harder to trigger. However, wet snow is often a good deal heavier than dry snow, so getting buried in it is still inadvisable.

Sluffs

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Sluffs are dry avalanches composed of the top layer of powder moving downwards. They occur when the weak layer of snow is on top as opposed to underneath, and they are far less dangerous than the opposite, a slab avalanche.

Slab Avalanche

(Or, as I cannot help but say in my head every time I read about them: Slabalanches.)

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A slab avalanche occurs when the weak layer of snow is on the bottom. When an avalanche is triggered, the weak layer separates from the slope and carries with it the stronger, more cohesive snow on top of it in a slab.

Slabs are typically about the size of a football field and more than a foot deep. They can reach speeds of 20 miles per hour within three seconds, 80 miles per hour within six seconds, and max speeds in excess of 150 miles per hour.

Hidden by more compact snow, the weak layer can lie in wait for days or months until something heavy (say, a human) triggers it loose. To make them even deadlier, the break often occurs above whatever triggers it, meaning the victim is already on the slab when it starts to speed down the slope.

How do avalanches kill you?

In the words of Shakespeare, let me count the ways. (spoiler: there are two).

Asphyxiation

In a study in Utah, 85% of avalanche fatalities died of asphyxiation alone. This is likely because humans cannot breathe snow [citation needed].

Once an avalanche gets going, the snow behaves sort of like water, and any humans trapped in it sink. However, unlike water, when the avalanche stops moving, it hardens, leaving the sunken human entombed in concrete-hard snow—this snow sometimes also hardens in the victim's lungs, with predictable consequences. It is essentially impossible for a fully buried human to dig themselves out of an avalanche—most victims won't even be able to move their limbs. It is now a race against time: can rescuers dig them out before they run out of air?

To make matters worse, human breath is hotter than snow. As the trapped human exhales, they melt a small pocket of snow around their face, which then refreezes as far-less-permeable ice. Any chance of breathing through the snow pack has now disappeared.

Source: A concept for optimizing avalanche rescue strategies using a Monte Carlo simulation. (And you know a paper is good when they're whipping out the Monte Carlo simulations).

After only about 20 minutes, a buried victim has less than a 50% chance of survival. Avalanche rescues are all about time time time. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Blunt force trauma

In the remaining 15% of cases, that same Utah study found that blunt force trauma was involved in the death. This hopefully makes sense, given how fast, heavy, and large avalanches are.

In some terrains, avalanches can take helpless victims through a "sieve." Let's say you had to be dragged down a slope at 150 miles per hour. In the picture below, which slope would you prefer: A? Or B?

Hopefully, you said B. While being dragged anywhere at high speeds is undesirable, at least B is empty. A is a sieve, and anyone swept through those trees would be lucky not to hit at least a couple of them.

Avalanche Likelihood

According to Bruce Temper's Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, 9 out of 10 avalanche victims trigger the avalanche that kills them. That means your character has a lot to do with whether or not they die.

Since we are are all authors here, let's design the scenario most likely to kill a character.

Avalanche-friendly conditions

There has been a recent, dramatic change in weather (storm to no storm, hot to cold, cold to hot, etc.).

The slope is between 30 and 45 degrees steep (contrary to popular belief, steeper does not automatically make an avalanche more likely). Side note: humans are rubbish at judging slope, so a modern-day experienced backcountry explorer will likely have her clinometer on her.

The slope faces north. These slopes get less sunlight in the winter (in the Northern Hemisphere), which makes the slow less 'sticky' and more unstable.

The slope is wind-loaded or beneath a cornice. If a cornice falls, it can trigger an avalanche above you, which is the worst place for an avalanche to be.

It has recently snowed (or is currently snowing!).

It's been windy recently.

Risky character traits

Your character doesn't know the area well.

Your character is a man (assuming the story takes place on Earth, where 92% of avalanche fatalities are men).

Your character is in a group that wants to press forwards.

Your character is overcommitted—they need to get to their destination, fast.

They are convinced they are an expert, or that someone in their group is.

Other people have gone down that slope already, which makes your character sloppy. Unfortunately, avalanches don't always trigger when the first person touches them.

Ironically, a slope that no one has gone down is also dangerous due to "powder fever," or the delight some skiers feel when they see an untouched slope and stop doing risk assessments.

High consequence locales

In the sections above, I discussed risk, or the likelihood that a bad thing (avalanche) occurs. Potential consequences also matter—it is safer to engage in high risk activities in places where the consequences are low, like rock climbing without ropes one foot off the ground.

How to make your avalanche as high consequence as possible?

Your character is alone. Recall that at 2 hours, the likelihood of surviving an avalanche has fallen to 20%. If your character is alone, what is the chance anyone notices they're missing within 2 hours, let alone they get to the exact slope where they're buried in that time?

The landscape has a lot of rocks or trees, making blunt force trauma likely.

The bottom of the slope is a crevasse or river bed or narrows as it goes down. This is because it takes time to dig someone out of an avalanche, even after you find them, so the deeper your character is buried, the more likely they are to die.

Avalanche Rescue

The worst has happened: one of your characters has been swept away in an avalanche and buried. Now what?

If we want a 50% chance of survival we have 20 minutes to 1) find the victim and 2) dig them out.

Immediately, your character's friends, who are, of course, avalanche rescue experts, leap into action. Having determined the slope is safe, they get to wherever the avalanche ended as fast as possible and commence a search.

Before launching into a search pattern, bystanders probe areas there friend has a high likelihood of being in. This means probing around any equipment they see sticking out of the snow (ski, glove, hat, etc.) and especially around any limbs (if the buried person is sticking a hand above ground and waving, start there). They also check around protruding objects like rocks, where their friend may have gotten stuck.

Source.

Probing means sticking a ski pole or some other long object into the ground at a 90 degree angle in the hopes that you poke the buried person.

Source. *poke* "Ouch!"

A note on pole length: six feet should be adequate. It is both rare to be buried deeper than six feet and essentially impossible to rescue someone six feet under before they die.

Let's say your characters probe all the likely areas and find nothing. Now what?

Beacon search

What is an avalanche beacon? Basically, beacons are small devices you can carry into avalanche country that help you find your friend, or your friends find you, if one of you gets caught.

Example of an avalanche beacon. Source.

Avalanche beacons have two modes: "send," which sends out a signal, and "search," which looks for a signal. The idea is, everyone on your team has what is essentially a GPS tracker on them. If one gets buried, the others can use their beacons to triangulate the position fast enough to, hopefully, do a fine search in the correct area before the buried person is dead.

If the bystanders in your plot have beacons, they switch them to "search" mode. (It is tragically common for people who carry beacons, but don't practice with them often, to commence an excellent search pattern while their beacons are still projecting their location instead of searching for the location of their friend.)

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The video above shows an example of a search pattern with one rescuer. The more rescuers, the faster the search, and the more likely the buried victim is to survive. The picture below shows some multi-rescuer search patterns.

Search patterns based on the number of searchers. Source.

Beacon-less search

What if your characters don't have beacons? First of all, they had better be in a world without beacons, because there isn't really a good excuse to be caught in an avalanche without one. Even if you are skiing alone, because beacons are interoperable, you might as well carry one to help out any potential rescuers.

But let's say your character lives in pre-industrial avalanche country so we can't judge their decisions too hard. Now what?

Assuming the victim's hand isn't sticking out of the ground and waving for help, your rescuers are stuck doing a probe search everywhere. This involves sticking a long pole in the ground every 1.5 feet or so in a spiral or grid pattern and hoping you poke your friend before they die.

Source

A spiral search may be easier with only one rescuer.

Source

If there are a ton of bystanders ready to rescue the buried victim, they can get regimented about it, setting up lines and moving in interlocking grid patterns to search the largest area possible in the shortest amount of time.

DIG

The rescuers have successfully poked the buried victim. The next step is simple: DIG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJbnc4MjylI (no more embedded videos allowed :sad face:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGQg9o3vAkM

Medical Care

Ideally, your bystanders dig the head out first, since this is the body part with all the important bits in it. My WFR instructor recommended starting Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV—the thing you see in movies with the plastic mask and bag that EMTs squeeze to help someone breathe) immediately after rescue unless the victim protests loudly. This can clear snow out of the lungs and in general help them maintain oxygenation.

As other body parts get uncovered, treat what you see.

How to Show Your Character is a Pro

They dig a trench before going out too far. This allows you to see the layers of snow and judge how likely an avalanche is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcXogVHecFQ

They test snow density by trying to poke through it with a knee, hand, finger, and knife.

They might also intentionally knock a cornice over to see if it triggers an avalanche (this is done from a safe distance).

And finally, they consider walking above someone on a dangerous slope attempted murder.

Conclusion

The best way to survive an avalanche is to avoid being caught in one. Barring that...

We at ICT recommend your character carry a beacon, be in relatively safe territory, and have a flock of friends available for rescue purposes.

#ict #avalanches #cycs #wilderness medicine #writing advice #writing tips

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hidden-otaku-stuff · 5 years ago

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Complementary (The INKED Collection)

Masterlist

THE INKED COLLECTION: A series of full-length one-shots detailing the stories of various Haikyuu boys, soulmate marks, and tattoo cover-ups.

Word Count: 6.8k

tw: Death, blood, battle, major character death, disbelief in the system

Pairing: Warlord!Kuroo x fem!ninja reader

Genre: Major angst, Edo period soulmate AU

Summary: Your tattoo has dictated your fate from what Clan you would support, to what training you would do. A simple cover-up has changed your life much more than you originally anticipated. But what else can you expect from the fickle warlord you call a close friend?

Tattoo image is from Google!

AN: Thank you for joining me on the first one-shot of “The INKED Collection”! More one-shots to come, but they’ll be on the fluffier side 😅 This will be a side project, so new updates will not be scheduled~!

Complementary

Everyone had a perfect match. A complementary pair. At birth, a mark appears on your skin to designate what clan you belonged to. Where your soulmate would find you. Owls flocked to Fukurodani, weasels escaped to Itachiyama, and eagles soared in Shiratorizawa. Your tattoos were placed in the same spot as your soul-mate, designs mirror reflections of it. If one person had a black design, the other would have a similar design in white. Your head snapped up as someone entered your room, weapon in hand as you prepared for the worst.

“(L.Name), you’ve been reassigned.” (E/c) eyes widened.

“Reassigned?” Your grip relaxed, tucking your weapon away.

Kenma cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. “Lord Kuroo has asked that you serve as his personal guard.” He pulled out a scroll, handing it to you. “As you’re aware, there’s been an increase in movements by the Itachiyama and Shiratorizawa clans. More threats have come in.”

“But I’m meant to-”

“You’re meant,” golden eyes flashed dangerously, “to do whatever your Lord commands.”

You bristled, jaw clenching. Letting out a sharp breath, you hissed, “as you say, my Lord.”

“Very well. Lord Kuroo should be in his chambers still.”

With a stiff bow, you trudged down the hall to find Kuroo. Your hand settled on the handle of the bamboo sword that hung on your hip, grasping it loosely. As a woman trained in some of the deadliest forms of combat, you weren’t meant to be a simple bodyguard. No, for all these years you’ve used your skills for espionage. After all, when there are warring clans and a sharp decline in kunoichi, or female ninjas, there was less suspicion and focus on you whenever you were in the field. You scoffed, knuckles turning white. The paper crumpled in your shaking fists before you shoved it into the inner pocket of your kimono. You’d find Kuroo later. Right now, you needed to take care of your rage before you treaded into dangerous waters. Whipping around, you made your way towards the training grounds.

Storming in, you were thankful to find it empty for once. Usually there would be a few people already, but considering that it was still early in the day, the room was deserted. Making your way to a corner with wooden posts, you shrugged off your kimono leaving only the inner layer. Before, you used to keep the kimono on in an effort to hide your soulmate mark. However, since getting your tattoo, you felt more confident in revealing your skin.

“This is a beautiful mark,” Kai, a Nekoma samurai who dabbled as the Clan’s resident tattoo artist, commented, fingers outlining your shoulder blade. He admired the white cat stretched in a moon outline that laid directly on your left shoulder blade. You hummed in response. “Are you sure?” Kai glanced between the mark and his design. He would be placing a tattoo of a red and orange phoenix surrounded by peonies directly over the mark.

“I’ve thought about this for years now, Kai-san. Please, if you will.”

“Very well, (L.Name)-san.” Kai shuffled, preparing the nara ink and double-checking the tebori tattoo tool. “Please relax, and I will begin.”

“Thank you.” You took in a deep breath to relax your muscles. Each push of the tool sent pain coursing through your veins. The first few movements had your jaws clenching, but you forced yourself to breathe through it. You’ve been through worse pains before.

Removing the bamboo sword, you let it drop to the side. You tied the extra fabric to your waist, letting it hang as you flexed your fingers, sharp metal blades clinked as finger-tips tapped together. The silver gloves glistened in the morning light, weak yellow beams bouncing off as you surveyed them. These were your pride and joy. Neko-te, or cat’s paws, were a kuniochi’s favorite weapon. It was a prerequisite to train with them when becoming a Nekoma ninja. But, you enjoyed the simple irony of it and found it fitting to use as your primary weapon of choice. Though it was often best used in covert affairs, being able to use these in larger settings could work so long as the sharp claws were dipped in poison and provided that you were agile enough.

You crouched down, closing your eyes. Wooden posts disappeared in your mind’s eyes, being replaced by three armed enemies. The world went silent, even the faint birdsong disappeared as the pounding of your blood filled your ears. You took a steadying breath through your nose, out your mouth. (E/c) eyes snapped open, launching yourself at the posts. Your dominant hand flew forward, imagining that you were swiping at someone’s neck. Ducking, you heard the swish of a wooden sword, or shinai, cutting through air before you twirled around, jutting your leg out to knock the assailant to the ground. Your hands braced itself on their chest, leaving gashes on the flesh as you sprung over the body. Landing lightly on your feet, you whirled around, another enemy was racing towards you while brandishing a knife. A rapid side-step before you were grabbing onto their arms, carefully guiding them away from your body. Claws sliced through their clothes as your grip tightened, slamming them into the ground and twisting their arm back so that they dropped their weapon. Kicking it away, you smashed their head into the ground, incapacitating them. You froze in your kneeling position before you straightened up, surveying your surroundings.

Deep gouges were left in the dirt where you’d somersaulted over the imaginary foe, dust clouds just now settling. Loud noises snapped you out of your reverie, causing you to glance behind you. The sun had risen over your head, signaling that training would begin soon. Men were huddled in groups, idly chatting while they waited for their instructor. A few had already begun sparring. You rolled your shoulders, turning back to the posts. You proceeded to dream up more scenarios, incorporating strategies that featured your neko-te.

A voice disrupted your concentration in the middle of one such exercise. “(L.Name), please come here.” Your arm froze mid-swing as the metallic claws clinked together. Your head snapped up to look behind you, casting your gaze to him.

“How’d you know I was here?” You grumbled, walking towards him.

“Yaku told me.” Hazel eyes glinted mischievously. It was rare for Kuroo himself to join in the training. Kuroo turned back to the group, letting his kusarigama pool at the corner of the space before picking up a shinai. In battle, Kuroo often preferred using the kusarigama due to its versatility. Being able to swing the weighted chain allowed him to defend and attack from a distance, and being able to switch to the blade end when it came to close contact made it the most optimal. According to him, anyways. He faced his audience once more. “Before we start today’s training, I will spar with (L.Name).”

“Her?” Someone scoffed. (E/c) eyes narrowed as you found the offending party. A grey-haired male towered over everyone. “What does a woman know about kenjutsu?” Your jaw clenched as your eyes flashed dangerously. It wasn’t that it was a bad question. After all, kenjutsu was still a traditionally male technique. Women learning it was practically unheard of. You just hated when people underestimate your ability.

“Excellent question, Lev. Why doesn’t she demonstrate?” Kuroo smiled pleasantly, rolling his shoulders back.

Slipping off your neko-tes, you kicked up a matching shinai, catching it in your hands. You tossed it into the air slightly, twirling it. “Don’t hold back on me now, my Lord.” You stepped back, adjusting your grip on your shinai before you bowed mockingly.

“Now, (L.Name), when have I ever?” Kuroo smirked, turning towards you. You rolled your shoulder. “Ready?”

You crouched, preparing your weapon. “When am I not, my Lord?”

With a cry, Kuroo brandished his weapon and stalked towards you. Both hands grasped the shinai as you parried the blow to the side, stepping to the opposite side as you attempted to elbow Kuroo’s head. Kuroo ducked, side-stepping as he swung his shinai towards your feet. You hopped up, pulling your shinai close to you as you rolled forward and away. Off-balanced slightly, Kuroo stumbled allowing you to steady yourself and straighten up. “Don’t embarrass yourself now, my Lord,” you tease. Kuroo growled, his carefree look ebbing away as hazel pools darkened. Circling each other like predators, you kept yourself close to the ground as Kuroo held himself up proudly. In this game of cat and mouse, you were determined to be the cat.

With a smirk, you slapped the shinai against the ground, sending a cloud of dust into Kuroo’s face. He let out a startled grunt raising an arm to cover his eyes, his grip on his weapon slackened. You darted forward, slicing upwards and knocking the shinai out of his grip. You grabbed his arm, using his own weight to throw him onto the ground. Kuroo’s body crashed awkwardly, his head flying back. As the dust settled, he found your shinai against his neck, your foot on his back. “That’s not fair,” he grunted.

“Do you yield?” More pressure was added to his back. Kuroo rolled his eyes, nodding. Stepping off of him, he turned over to see an offered hand. You pulled him to his feet, letting your hand drop as soon as he was up. He brushed the dirt off of his robes, turning back to his men.

“Wasn’t that cheating?” The same male protested, his arms crossed.

“(L.Name) is a well-trained kunoichi,” Kuroo explained, “using unorthodox methods,” he shot you a look, humour sparking in his eyes, “is well within her repertoire and is something I should have expected.” Kuroo cleared his throat. “You may not know the background of the enemies you face. That is why you should come to expect anything and everything in battle and have a strategy to combat it.”

Yaku stepped forward, standing on the other side of Kuroo. “Alright men, I will pair you up and we will have sparring matches.” As Yaku shouted his orders, Kuroo stepped closer to you.

“If you wanted to be on top, you should have said something sooner.”

You snorted. “That’s hardly appropriate, my Lord.”

Kuroo chuckled, a hand gripping your shoulder. “Join me for lunch after this.”

“As you wish.” You dipped your head to him before heading back to your corner.

A few hours later, you entered Kuroo’s chambers. Kuroo looked up from the table. Food was laid out, but his focus was on the scroll that he was holding up. “There you are, I was just wondering if I should send someone to find you.”

You bowed. “My apologies, my Lord. I was busy.”

“Yes, busy training.” He gestured to the seat in front of him. “Please, take a seat.” You kneeled in the spot in front of him, letting your naginata rest across your lap. He cleared his throat, setting the scroll down besides him. “As I’m sure you’re aware, I have requested you to become my bodyguard.” As you opened your mouth to protest, he held a hand up. “Both Kenma and I are worried. The rising state of tension throughout the country leaves us in a vulnerable position, especially if these reports are true.” His hazel eyes scanned your face. “I do not trust anyone else to protect me, but you, (L.Name).”

You frowned. “If you say it like that, of course I’ll do it, Lord Kuroo.”

His face relaxed. “Excellent.” He gestured to the food. “Please, help yourself.” After a moment’s hesitation, you picked up a pair of chopsticks, eating some of the food. Kuroo waited for you to take a few bites before also joining in. With your face downturned, you hid your eye-roll. Of course. First matter of business, poison-tester. You snorted. “Is something funny?” Kuroo cocked his head at you.

“I better not be your only poison-tester,” you swallowed, looking up at him, “otherwise you’ll be in some trouble if you encounter actual assassins.”

He laughed. “Don’t worry, I don’t intend on using you like that.”

****

The chilling grates of metal plates grinding against each other filled the air as you shuffled into the dining hall, blood speckled across your cheek. Making his way towards the front of the room, Kuroo took his seat. You kneeled beside him, running a blood-stained rag over the neko-te. On his other side, Kenma sat in a pool of regal red silks. Kenma had remained behind, serving as the strategist behind Nekoma. All around you were bustling bodies, roaring with laughter as the smell of alcohol and blood tainted the stale air. Shiratorizawa’s forces had been pressing on your borders, and so you and Kuroo had led a raid against them, successfully driving them away. This time at least.

The clang of metal cut the cool night air. The fire of adrenaline ablazed as you cut down body after body. With each body that fell, another surged forward to take its place. Kenma had hoped that the cover of night would help the raid with the element of surprise on-hand. But the Shiratorizawa Clan was more than prepared for such tricks as expected of one of the most powerful clans in the country. Their forces were armed and vicious in their retaliation. You ducked, an arrow flying over your head and burying itself into the enemy you faced. A body fell behind you, causing you to whirl around. Blood dripped down the kusarigama blade that Kuroo wielded, having used it to kill an enemy that had crept upon you. “Duck!” You shout, plucking a spear off of the ground and brandishing it over your head. Kuroo obeyed without a moment’s hesitation, letting the weapon soar over his head to bury itself into the enemy that was behind him.

Back to back, you and Kuroo left a circle of bodies. You would dart forward and engage in hand-to-hand combat while Kuroo whipped his chain around, driving back forces and cutting them down when men got too brave. Claws glistened with blood as you swiped at a man’s hands, forcing him to drop his sword. “I should have made you my bodyguard sooner,” Kuroo hollered over the roar of the battle.

“Of course you would need someone to protect your back, my Lord,” you retorted, cutting down another approaching enemy.

“Only when it’s you.”

The crimson glow slowly disappeared as you worked the rag harder, the acidic sting of vinegar beginning to overwhelm even your own heightened sense of smell. “Must you do that at the table?” Kenma’s face flashed with disgust as he leaned around Kuroo, glaring down at your hand.

“You know as well as I do that this is a part of my routine, Lord Kenma.” Your dry response caused Kenma to shift his glare to you. He bit his tongue, straightening himself up and averting his eyes.

“It’s improper.”

You only hummed, closely examining your claws. It’s not like you had never done it at the table before. As kids, this was the first thing that you would do after training or any battle. To drive away the ghosts and demons that followed after a life was taken by bloodstained hands. To forget about the bruises, aches, and calluses you were accumulating. As an adult, you continued this habit, finding solace in the practiced movements. After battles, you would typically seek a seat amongst the retainers closer towards the door, if not outside the hall entirely. You were reserved; being in the center of attention was the last thing you wanted in general, let alone after a battle. Satisfied by how clean they were, you slipped them off and tucked them carefully into your kimono. “Perhaps you should focus more on the celebration than on my behaviour, my Lord.” Kenma clicked his tongue at you, and instead of replying, decided to pour himself a cup of sake.

“To a successful raid,” Kenma muttered, tapping his cup to Kuroo’s. Kuroo threw his head back, swallowing it.

“To many more,” you agreed, cup untouched.

Kuroo stood, another glass shoved into his hands by an eager retainer. “To Nekoma! May more success and honor flow through the blood of this clan.” The room filled with even more roars as more people glowed like cherries. A slight frown tugged at your lips. This would be the perfect time for an ambush or retaliation, you mused. Hardly any of them can stand on their own. Kuroo downed his cup before placing it down onto the table. His black and red armor rustled as he made his way to the entrance. The golden cat on his chest glowed on the backdrop of black under the flickering fire-light. You stood up, gliding towards him. He stepped outside, the cool night air relieving after being in the stuffy room. “You do not have to follow me, (L.Name).”

“As your bodyguard, I believe that’s my duty, my Lord.”

He let out a soft chuckle. “When will you drop the ‘my Lord’ business?”

You shrugged, stepping to stand besides him as he leaned over the red fencing, eyes roaming the empty garden. You leaned your back against it, arms folded as you gazed back into the room. “You know as well as I do that doing so would be improper.” You snickered, quoting his best friend. Kuroo’s chest shook with stifled laughter. Clearing your throat, “shouldn’t you be in there,” you dipped your head towards the room, “celebrating with your men?”

He shrugs, straightening up. Kuroo offered a hand towards you. After a moments’ hesitation, you draped your fingers over his, letting his hand caress yours. A soft warmth crept through your body at the touch. With tender movements, he pulled you towards the garden.

Stepping under the glow of the moonlight, he escorted you to the wooden benches alongside the koi pond. He relinquished his grip on your hand, brushing his robes aside as he sat down. Kuroo looked up at you expectantly, patting the spot besides him. You reluctantly took a seat, worried about how this may look to others. “Do you ever wonder what your soulmate is doing?” Kuroo cast his gaze on to the pond, face blank.

You swallowed, watching as the two koi fish circled one another. The shimmering reflection of the half-moon hovered on top of them. The white fish gave the illusion of a full moon whereas its black counterpart created the all-too familiar yin and yang. Pale pink blossoms floated along the surface. “Sometimes.” Your fingers played with one another, right foot bouncing. “Sometimes I wonder what it’d be like to meet them, but I fear that I would not be able to restrain myself from the pull.” Your tongue felt heavy in your mouth. ‘I’ve only felt the pull to one person.’

“Mama, why am I doing this?” You stomped your foot, crossing your arms. Chubby fists of a six-year old clenched. Your mother knelt beside you, patting your head. Her robe raised, revealing a flying owl.

“Do you remember your soul mark?”

You frowned. “The kitty-cat?”

“Yes, honey.” Your mother pulled you into a hug, patting your back. “Nekoma is the cat Clan. You and your soulmate belong to Nekoma.” She released you, standing up and towering over you. “That’s why we trained you in the neko-te.” You pulled your hands free, unclenching them as you stared at your fingers, imagining the metal gloves that you had been using.

“But I wanna stay here with you and Papa,” you whined, jutting your lip out.

“(Name).” You jumped, blood chilling at the voice. “Stop your whining.” You turned, gazing up at your father. His arms were crossed, biceps flexed to show the owl, wings outstretched to wrap around his entire bicep. “You are a (L.Name). You will make your family proud and serve your Clan well.”

“Yes Father.” Your head hung as he patted your head.

“Now, go get changed. Lord Kuroo will be here soon to pick you up.”

“I’m leaving now?” Your head snapped up, eyes flicking frantically between your parents. Your mother had a frown on her face. “I thought I was supposed to finish my training first?”

“Lord Kuroo has arranged for you to complete your training on the castle grounds. Now get changed, I won’t ask again.” You bowed, tears welling up in your eyes as you hurried out of the room.

“Is this really for the best?” Your mother’s faint words were the last thing you heard before the door slid shut.

Returning after changing into the red kimono that your mother had laid out, you froze. Your feet moved on your own as you approached the boy that hid behind the wooden column. “What are you doing here?”

The boy jumped, whipping around to face you. “My father is here to pick someone up.”

Your eyes widened as you bowed steeply. “My apologies, Lord Kuroo.”

Kuroo’s eyes widened to match yours, waving his hands aggressively. “You don’t have to bow like that!” His cheeks glowed. “My father is Lord Kuroo. You can just call me Kuroo.” As you straightened up, a booming voice sent shivers down your back.

“Kuroo! Come here, we’re leaving once she arrives.”

“C’mon,” Kuroo offered a hand to you. Your cheeks matched your kimono as you took it, surprised at the electricity that shot up your finger-tips and through your body at the contact. A frown crept onto his face as you both looked down at your joined hands. Another shout had you both sprinting towards Lord Kuroo.

“My Lord, this is my daughter, (Name).”

You let go of Kuroo’s hands, bowing. “I will be in your care, my Lord.” Lord Kuroo surveyed you, giving a final nod.

“Let’s go.” He spun on his heels, leading you and his son to two horses. Lord Kuroo climbed onto a massive black stallion

“Here, I’ll help you.” Kuroo hoisted you by the waist, placing you onto the chestnut mare. He gave you a wide toothy grin, one of his bottom teeth missing. “I hope that we can be friends.” You nodded shyly, brushing your hair behind your ear. Kuroo climbed onto the horse behind you, snaking his arms around to take the reins. His father clicked his tongue, digging his heel into the horse’s side as he took off down the road. You tried to ignore the electric sparks that filled your body as Kuroo’s warm chest met your back.

‘Leaving Fukurodani and Mama and Papa won’t be too bad as long as I have a friend like Kuroo Tetsurou by my side,’ you thought as your family home disappeared in the distance.

Kuroo hummed. You both remained silent for a moment longer. The faint babble of the waterfall occupied the silence. Your attention drifted to the stoic male. Focusing on his deep breaths, you allowed your muscles to relax. Soreness from the battle crept in; your eyelids began to droop as a sense of calm caressed your body. “You should rest.” Kuroo glanced down at you, breaking the peaceful spell.

“Only after you do, my Lord.”

“Then we shall both go to bed now,” he murmured, standing up and offering his hand once more. You escorted him to his room, bading him good night as he stepped inside. The door slid shut, and his night guard stepped in front of it.

“Take care of him, Yamamoto.”

“I will. Good night, (L.Name)-san.”

****

Tensions were high, thick enough that even a butcher’s cleaver would not be able to slice through it. Your eyes shifted from one grim face to another when the door to the war-room suddenly slid open. You crouched quickly, hand falling on the weapon at your hip. “You started without me?”

You relaxed at the familiar sight. Kuroo stood, dipping his head slightly. “My apologies, Lord Bokuto. I was not aware that you would be arriving so soon.”

Bokuto stepped in, his mere presence filling the room. You made eye-contact with the male who stepped beside him, nodding at him. Gunmetal blue eyes twinkled as he returned your nod. “We left as soon as we received your message. You know this affects Fukurodani as much as it affects Nekoma.” The duo walked towards you. Bokuto slid into the seat beside Kuroo, Akaashi stood behind him. You took a step back, taking your place beside Akaashi.

Kuroo cleared his throat, sitting back down. “Recent reports state that Itachiyama and Shiratorizawa have started to collaborate. With Nekoma in between their territories, we will be at risk if this news is in fact true.” Kuroo gestured towards Bokuto, who sat impassively. “I have invited Fukurodani here to discuss our strategies of attack in the case that both Clans decide to attack.”

You zoned out, scanning the room once more. All around you were familiar faces. You had grown up in this clan. The country constantly teetered on the precipice of war, and you were more than aware of the outcomes. Each battle, from a small border skirmish to a full-scale invasion, ended the same. Some of these faces would disappear for good. Wives would lose husbands, children would lose their fathers. Families torn apart for what, power? Greed? What you would give for a peaceful world. A world where you could be in the arms of your soulmate as you both attended a hanami. Or at least a world where you can have mundane things and experience any other form of domesticity. Kuroo cleared his throat, snapping you out of your trance. “The meeting is over, (L.Name).”

“So it is.” You straightened up, making a move towards the door.

“Wait a moment.” Kuroo grabbed your hand. You looked over to him.

“Yes, my Lord?” He pulled a hand out of his kimono, presenting you with a white chrysanthemum kanzashi. You stared at the hairpiece, carefully looking at the white blossom that sat on a bed of bright green leaves. “What is this for?”

He cleared his throat, turning his face forward as he surveyed his clan-mates filing out of the war room. “Your hair is getting longer. As war approaches, this will ensure that your hair does not obstruct your vision.” A rosy tint dusted your cheeks. If you had spared the warlord a glance, you would notice a similar one creeping up his.

“I see.” You carefully picked it up, turning it over in your hands. “Thank you, my Lord.” You made a move to put it in your hair, only for Kuroo to do it for you. The pink roses bloomed scarlet at the contact. You cleared your throat, stepping away and nodding at him. Akaashi appeared at your side, having finished a whispered conversation with Bokuto. “Ah, Akaashi-san.” You grinned at the male, thankful for a distraction from the heat that swept through your body.

“(L.Name)-san.” He dipped his head to you. “I had a question about your kenjutsu technique.”

You stepped away from the table, “how funny, I was just about to ask you for assistance on that as well.”

Akaashi’s eyes sparkled. “Is that so?”

“Yes. Shall we make our way to the training grounds?”

Akaashi bowed slightly. “I’ll be in your care.”

You turned to Kuroo. “If you’ll excuse me, my Lord.” You bowed to Bokuto. “I will be borrowing Akaashi-san, Lord Bokuto.”

“Be sure to return him in one piece,” Bokuto warned, grinning at you. Akaashi bowed to both lords before you both made your way out of the room. The males stayed silently in the room for a few moments longer.

“Is that her?” Golden orbs surveyed his taller companion.

Kuroo glanced at his counterpart. “How did you know?”

“You look at her the same way Akaashi looks at me when he thinks I’m not looking.”

****

“The heavens seem disturbed today,” you comment, casting your eyes up. Dense clouds muddled the starry skies as the full moon twinkled.

Kuroo glanced up, pulling his coat closer. “Let’s hurry home.” You and Kuroo had been in town, visiting one of the Clan’s establishments. Fukunaga had been sent out on an infiltration mission to Shiratorizawa and had returned there to present you both with a report.

“You know what they say, clouded skies with a full moon bear ill omens.” Your hand fell onto the naginata that was strapped to your side, gripping it tighter. Loud crashing noises distracted you as bodies trudged out of the alleys.

“I believe you’ve cursed us,” Kuroo teased, the clink of metals and weapons filling the air.

“I do believe you’re right, my Lord.” In one fluid motion, you pulled the naginata over your head, steadying it in your grip. “We do not want any trouble,” you called down the alley. A faint hope in your heart prayed that they were simply drunkards who awoke due to your conversation with Kuroo, but you knew you couldn’t be that lucky.

“Well, we do.” You leapt out of the way as a knife went whistling past you, burying itself into a wooden post.

“Ambushing us? How unchivalrous.” You slipped your hands out of your sleeves, flexing your fingers. Silver claws glowed under the pool of moonlight that enveloped you. With a violent roar, pandemonium broke out. You ducked as one of the males swung at you with a tonfa. Wood met wood as you swung your arms, disarming him. Smashing the naginata into his gut, you twirled to parry the next weapon. With a flourish, you spun yourself away from the incoming enemy. The neko-te glinted menacingly as you sliced, staining them red as the male staggered back, frantically clawing at his neck. Crimson poured down from the marks you left. The skin bubbled as the fast-acting poison infiltrated his system. Besides you, Kuroo was preoccupied fending off his own attackers. Your eyes widened. “Get out of the way!” You shout, shoving Kuroo aside as a metallic glint caught your eye. A body collided with you as you grunted in shock. You stumbled back, looking down. Red blossomed over your white kimono, a knife buried in your chest. The naginata slipped out of your grasp as you collapsed onto your knees.

Kuroo’s vision went black, grabbing the male by the wrist and yanking the enemy towards himself. Kuroo head-butted him before throwing him over his shoulder into the wall. He rushed to your side, collapsing onto the ground besides you. He turned your body slightly, dismay coursing through his veins as icy claws gripped his heart. He cursed himself for not insisting on more guards. “We have to get help now!” Kuroo shouts, glancing around. Crumpled bodies littered the area. His hand reached for the knife.

“It’s too late now.” Fingers lightly curled around his wrist. “Kuroo, I can’t breathe.” Your voice cracked. As you attempted to swallow, a cough overtook you.

“I can’t lose you now.” His vision blurred as he furiously blinked. A clammy hand reached for yours.

“You’ll be fine.” Another hoarse cough. “Cats always land on their feet and so will you.”

“But I won’t have you by my side.” Tears streamed down his face, glassy eyes frantically searching yours.

“You’ll find another bodyguard,” you smiled. Crimson trickled down your chin. You weakly tried to wipe it away with the back of your hand.

“But I won’t find another soulmate.” Kuroo’s tears trickled onto your cheek, slowly gliding down to mix with your blood. He pulled his robe down, an almost familiar sight greeted you. A black cat curled on his left pectoral muscle, napping against the outline of the moon. The dam finally broke sending a tidal wave of emotions through you. Tears escaped you as shaky fingers delicately stroked the mark, a choked sob spoiled by the violent cough that tore through your body. Red streaks marred his otherwise clear skin. Kuroo’s hand tightened on your shoulder, fingers rubbing your covered mark.

Just as you were settling into the tattoo session, the shoji doors slid open. “(L.Name)?” You rolled your head to the side, eyes widening.

“Hello Lord Kuroo,” Kai greeted pleasantly, wiping away the residual ink that bubbled on your skin. He continued to poke away.

“Hello, my Lord.”

Kuroo crossed his arms, robes swishing with the movements. “What’s this?”

You pressed your chest closer onto the ground. The last thing that you wanted was to accidentally flash Kuroo. “I decided it was high-time to bear my mark.”

“I see.” Kuroo watched for a moment longer, a strange look crossing his face. “Are you covering up your soulmate mark?”

You shifted uncomfortably, only to have Kai smack your lower back. “Stop moving.”

“Sorry,” you muttered, pink creeping onto your cheeks. Clearing your throat, you gazed up at Kuroo. “Yes, I am.”

“Why?”

Kai pulled back slightly, dipping the tebori tool back into the ink. You offered him a half-shrug before shifting your head back and looking down at the ground. “This lifestyle is too dangerous for such things, my Lord.”

“I see.”

You lifted your head to show Kuroo a soft smile. “I wouldn’t want to find my soulmate and have to worry about putting them at risk. Or have them worry about my safety. I’m a proud ninja and a loyal servant of the Clan.”

Kuroo gave you a stiff nod. “Thank you, (L.Name).”

“Well I recall mentioning that this was a terrible line of work for soulmates.” Your eyes twinkled as you joked. Imperial red splattered as you spat onto the ground. Kuroo winced at the sight.

“Something like that.” A sad smile crossed his face.

“Is that why you assigned me as your bodyguard?” The words trickled out before you could stop yourself.

He gave you a jerky nod, his fingers encasing yours as he held it to his own mark. “I wanted to keep you close.” You could feel his heart drumming. A pang shot through your heart. If you closed your eyes, you could pretend that you were just laying against his chest, curled around one another under the black veil of night. Perhaps under different circumstances, in another life.

You stepped into Kuroo’s room, bowing. It was the eve before the Shiratorizawa raid. “Ah perfect. (L.Name), come help me.” He gestures to his armor. You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Don’t tell me that the magnificent Lord Kuroo needs help putting his own armor on.” Kuroo shrugged, sending you a cheeky smile.

“Even I need help sometimes, (L.Name). There’s no dishonor in asking for help when you need it.” You stepped beside him, sliding on the sode (shoulder pieces) over the kote (sleeves of various iron plates), lacing them together. As your fingers danced over the iron plates and leather straps, a soft medley filled your chest. “What is it that you’re humming?”

Kuroo had his arms extended, eyes shut as he let you work. You bent down, fingers trailing down the straps to the haidate (thigh pieces). “Just a song from my village.”

“It’s very pretty.”

You let out an airy laugh, tightening a strap. “My mother used to sing while she bustled around the house at night, finishing up her chores. I would stay up late at night just to hear her.” You stepped back, eyes carefully scanning his armor. “Finished. How does it feel?”

Kuroo lowered his arms, moving through motions to test his mobility. “Perfect.” He bent down, picking up a black hachimaki (headband), a silhouette of a golden stretching cat situated in the center of it. “Can you?” Kuroo held the fabric out to you.

You furrowed your brows. “Shouldn’t your soulmate or wife be the one to do this for you, my Lord?”

Kuroo offered you a smile, the flames of unknown emotions flickering in his eyes. “For now, I suppose I shall have to settle for my loyal bodyguard and closest friend.” A gentle hiss of air left you as you exhaled, your fingers brushing against his hand as you took the fabric. You’d gotten used to the electric pull between you both but it was still exhilarating when you experienced it. Kuroo kneeled, letting you stand behind him as you tied the hachimaki for him. “Thank you, (L.Name).” He stood, tying his sword to his waist and picking up his kusarigama. “Shall we ride?” Kuroo looked back at you.

“Wherever you go, my Lord, I shall be there.” You bowed your head to him. A knock at the door. You and Kuroo remained staring at each other as the door slid open.

“Lord Kuroo, (L.Name).” Kenma’s steady voice filled the room. “The men are ready to depart.” You slipped a black and gold cat mask on, pale sakura blossoms adorned the markings.

You were the first to break eye-contact, moving towards the door. Behind you, you heard the shuffle of Kuroo’s armor. “Let’s begin the raid then.” Entering the court-yard, you saw Lev holding the reins for your dappled mare and Kuroo’s black warhorse.

“Thank you, Lev.” You hopped on, patting Yua on the side of her neck. She had been a gift from Kuroo once you were made his bodyguard. Kuroo climbed onto Tadao, pulling the reins out of Lev’s hand in one fluid motion.

“Let’s ride.” Kuroo kicked his heels into Tadao, galloping through the open gates. You spurred Yua onwards, matching his pace as thundering hooves followed behind.

“You promised that you would be with me wherever I went.”

You offered him a soft smile. “My apologies for breaking my promise, my love.” His heart skipped a beat as shaky fingers squeezed yours.

The heavy clouds crackled above you, droplets cascading down. “The heavens cry for us, dear.” Kuroo chuckled softly, blood-stained fingers brushing against your cheek. “I love you (Name).” Your heart soared. Since you had met him, your heart has been his. Your hand shook as you raised it from his chest to his cheek, cupping it.

“I’m just glad,” a shuddering breath, “that I could save you one last time, Tetsu.” Your hand dropped, and Kuroo’s cry of anguish echoed throughout the streets. Above, thunder rumbled as the roar of heavier rain raced to match it. Crimson pools were washed away as Kuroo knelt there, your body still firmly clasped to his, violent sobs barely masked by the rain. The only time he could hold you like this ended up being the last chance he’d ever get.

Epilogue:

Curses left plump lips as you scrambled down crowded streets. Turning sharply, you let out a sigh of relief. Standing underneath the wooden blue fence was a familiar sight. “Sorry for the wait!” You waved as you approached, chest heaving as you caught your breath. He turned, grinning as he tucked his phone into his pocket. “Were you here long?”

“Not at all.” He extended his arm. “Shall we?”

“Let’s!” You laced your arm through his, tugging him along with you as you entered the park. “Y’know, this is my first hanami.”

“Oh really?” Kuroo looked down at you, his eyes sparkling. “Well I’m glad to be here with you.” He leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to your lips. Eyelashes fluttered as your eyes shut before he pulled away. As your lips chased his for another, a pale pink petal drifted down, sticking itself to your lips. You spluttered, pulling back. Kuroo let out an obnoxious laugh as he plucked it off your laps. “Should I be jealous?” He teased, holding the petal in front of your face.

“Shut up, rooster-head,” you scowled, averting your face as your face warmed. You shifted your attention to the sakura trees that surrounded you, eyes widening. “This is so beautiful!”

“Not nearly as beautiful as you.”

“You’re cheesy as hell, Kuroo.”

“Only when it’s you.” Your heart skipped a beat as you absorbed the moment. The words seemed so familiar and close to your heart. A tear cascaded down the left side of your cheek. Startled, you raised a hand to it, collecting it on your fingertip as you pulled it back to stare at it. “Are you alright?” Kuroo looked down at you, brow furrowed. “Why are you crying?”

You took in a deep breath, steeling your nerves. “I’m not sure.” You squeezed his arm, letting the sorrow ebb away at his comforting presence. “C’mon, let’s go.” Pointing down the path, you tugged him along with you. Everything just felt right, like this is exactly where you were supposed to be all along. He felt right. Like you and Kuroo were meant to be together, side-by-side against the world. You glanced up at your boyfriend, a soft smile crossing your face. Nothing would tear you guys apart, you would never let it.

AN: I did a lot of research on this, so please enjoy some of these fun facts :^)

💟 A phoenix tattoo in Japanese culture represents ‘resurrection’, ‘victory’, and ‘ardor’ whereas the peony represents ‘abundance’, ‘dignity’, and ‘accomplishment’

💟 Kuroo gave her a white chrsyanthemum hair-pin. In Japanese culture, white chrysanthemums represent ‘truth’ or ‘grief’. While in grief was the truth revealed.

💟 ‘Yua’ means “binding love” in Japanese whereas ‘Tadao’ means “loyal, faithful man”

💟 Tears that begin from the left eye symbolise sadness

Tagged: @weebintheinternet @settersloveletters

Please message, comment, or send me an ask if you’d like to be added to the taglist! 💞

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g9mediaagency · 4 years ago

Text

Why Canada SEO Expert Brantford Are In High Demand?

SEO is a universal service, which is needed by all kinds of businesses. It doesn’t matter if a business is a small online set up or a large e-commerce site, SEO is a necessary thing for all.

This is the reason why SEO expert Brantford and digital agencies are in demand.

There are companies in countries like the US and Canada that are looking for experienced SEO experts, who can provide the benefits of modern SEO techniques.

These companies are willing to pay, and they are taking advantage of the Canadian dollar value in order to get more from the Canadian-based online services such as web development, B2B services, and SEO.

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For many reasons, search engine optimization (SEO) experts are high in demand nowadays.

As more and more companies are going online, competition is getting tough, and search engine is the new profitable marketplace.

So, if you’re considering a long-term career, here are some reasons why Canada SEO experts are in such high demand.

Content

1. Ever-Expanding Search Industry2. College Degree Not Required3. Cutting Edge4. Be Your Own Boss5. Online Learning6. Easy Mobility7. High Job Satisfaction8. SEO Is Complex and Ever-Changing9. Awareness10. Canadian Dollar – More value for the money11. Buying Process Has Changed12. The Competition Is Investing in It13. It’s Cost-Effective14. Higher Returns on Investment15. Conclusion

Ever-Expanding Search Industry

The first-ever dot-com bubble emerged 10 years ago. Unlike the real estate, housing and financial bubbles, the search engine bubble is ever-growing and expanding.

More and more businesses are going online, and the battle for search rankings has become cutthroat. That means that the demand for SEO experts is unlikely to wither away anytime soon.

College Degree Not Required

Search engine marketing is a relatively new field, and only a handful of colleges conduct certificate courses on the topic.

All leading SEO practitioners are self-taught and have learned through experimentation, observation, and trial and error.

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Cutting Edge

According to various employer reports and industrial trends, SEO expertise is one of the very few jobs that come under the category of ‘cutting edge.’

That means that if you’re an SEO expert, you have better skill-based employment options. You can even work as a freelancer or start your own business.

Be Your Own Boss

As most of your work will be conducted online, and you’ll be spending hours analyzing Google Webmaster and Analytics tools, you’re pretty much your own boss.

You have complete freedom of choice to join an organization, enter into a contract, work as a freelancer, or even consider a startup. Due to massive demand, most SEO experts are opening up their new business.

Online Learning

All you need to know about how to become an SEO expert is available online.

There’s a wide range of resources on search engine marketing and social media marketing out there for your reading and learning. You simply have to read up and keep up-to-date to stay on top of your game.

Easy Mobility

Your knowledge and skills as an SEO expert are global and portable. You can easily relocate to different countries and territories if you know how to use common search engine analytical tools.

Similarly, all you’ll need to do business is a laptop and high-speed Internet. That means that you can even work from your favorite vacation spot.

And since you can easily connect with clients via calls and conference calls, you don’t need to wear fancy suits as well.

High Job Satisfaction

If you’re looking for a hip and trendy job with new challenges every day, and no number crunching, then SEO is the best job for you.

With all the daily hype, startups, internet news, social media trends, and geek toys you’ll need to use, you’ll rarely get bored with your job.

What’s more interesting is that every project will be different.

One day you’ll be working with a tech giant; the next day, your client will be a lifestyle coach.

They’ll all have their different needs and requirements, and this will make your job fun, refreshing, and rewarding.

SEO Is Complex and Ever-Changing

The rules for SEO are constantly changing, and this discourages the newcomers in the field of SEO, the ones who are on the fence of learning and entering the digital world.

The true SEO specialists spend about half their time on learning the new rules and trends of SEO.

But, the issue is changes happening to SEO on a weekly and, sometimes, daily basis.

Even the most experienced and seasoned SEO specialists can become inefficient if they don’t keep up with the SEO related news on a regular basis.

Awareness

Businesses who are interested in hiring SEO services are having a hard time finding an SEO agency or a specialist because of the increasing demand.

SEO in 2020 is more profitable than it has ever been for both SEO specialists and the companies who are using SEO to expand their businesses.

Everyone needs to compete, everyone needs to optimize, and everyone needs to be seen, and for this, SEO is the much-needed thing.

You’ll be surprised to know that about 10% of the companies in the entire world have paid for SEO management or optimization service. Now, the big question is, who’s helping the remaining 90%?

Canadian Dollar– More value for the money

Most of the U.S. companies are sourcing their online services from Canada, because they can get more for their dollar if they are paying in Canadian currency.

Since it hardly makes any difference regarding the transaction between the two companies, working with Canadian SEO experts makes all the sense in the world.

Businesses are looking for SEO experts with excellent communication in their own time zone at an incredible value for the money.

One can say that, if Canada has more SEO agencies and experts, then more money can pump into the SEO industry of the country.

Buying Process Has Changed

One of the main reasons the demand for Canada SEO experts is so high is because the buying process for consumers has changed dramatically.

Nowadays, more and more consumers look to the Internet to find information that is going to allow them to make a much better and more informed purchasing decision.

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Because of this, a lot of businesses are seeing the potential of having their businesses positioned well within the ranks of their competition for popular buying keywords.

This has made implementing SEO more important than it has ever been as there is more at stake than ever before.

The Competition Is Investing in It

Another reason why Canada SEO experts are in such demand is that the competition is likely already investing in it.

This only pushes more and more businesses to focus on it because their competition will gain a significant competitive if they do not implement it.

If you are not actively engaging in marketing and optimizing your website for search engine rankings, your competitors are going to grab significant market share from your business.

It’s Cost-Effective

One more reason for the high demand of Canada SEO experts is that other marketing strategies and their cost to implement them have skyrocketed.

The cost to implement SEO remains one of the lowest in the industry. That is massive for any business that is looking to gain exposure and increase their profits because the less you end up spending on marketing, the more money you’re going to be making in the long run.

Higher Returns on Investment

Canada SEO experts are in such high demand because SEO offers incredibly high returns for businesses.

The cost to implement SEO is low, which means that the returns you’re going to be getting from it are going to be substantial.

Not only will you be able to achieve higher rankings for buying keywords, but you’re going to be able to decrease the cost that you have to spend to acquire a customer due to better brand recognition and better traffic.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are infinite reasons why the demand for Canada SEO experts has become so high in recent times.

The fact is, more and more businesses are becoming familiar with how important SEO is to their business, and that is causing it to become one of the most critical marketing strategies to invest in as a business owner.

SEO is a universal service, which is needed by all kinds of businesses. It doesn’t matter if a business is a small online set up or a large e-commerce site, SEO is a necessary thing for all.

This is the reason why SEO experts and digital agencies are in demand.

There are companies in countries like the US and Canada that are looking for experienced SEO experts, who can provide the benefits of modern SEO techniques.

This has created a demand for skilled SEO experts in Canada and worldwide.

For many reasons, search engine optimization (SEO) experts are high in demand nowadays.

As more and more companies are going online, competition is getting tough, and search engine is the new profitable marketplace.

So, if you’re considering a long-term career, here are some reasons why Canada SEO experts are in such high demand.

Content

Ever-Expanding Search Industry

The first-ever dot-com bubble emerged 10 years ago. Unlike the real estate, housing and financial bubbles, the search engine bubble is ever-growing and expanding.

More and more businesses are going online, and the battle for search rankings has become cutthroat. That means that the demand for SEO experts is unlikely to wither away anytime soon.

College Degree Not Required

Search engine marketing is a relatively new field, and only a handful of colleges conduct certificate courses on the topic.

All leading SEO practitioners are self-taught and have learned through experimentation, observation, and trial and error.

However, having a marketing or IT-related degree can significantly improve your chances of becoming an SEO expert.

Cutting Edge

According to various employer reports and industrial trends, SEO expertise is one of the very few jobs that come under the category of ‘cutting edge.’

That means that if you’re an SEO expert, you have better skill-based employment options. You can even work as a freelancer or start your own business.

Be Your Own Boss

As most of your work will be conducted online, and you’ll be spending hours analyzing Google Webmaster and Analytics tools, you’re pretty much your own boss.

Online Learning

All you need to know about how to become an SEO expert is available online.

Easy Mobility

Your knowledge and skills as an SEO expert are global and portable. You can easily relocate to different countries and territories if you know how to use common search engine analytical tools.

Similarly, all you’ll need to do business is a laptop and high-speed Internet. That means that you can even work from your favorite vacation spot.

And since you can easily connect with clients via calls and conference calls, you don’t need to wear fancy suits as well.

High Job Satisfaction

If you’re looking for a hip and trendy job with new challenges every day, and no number crunching, then SEO is the best job for you.

With all the daily hype, startups, internet news, social media trends, and geek toys you’ll need to use, you’ll rarely get bored with your job.

What’s more interesting is that every project will be different.

One day you’ll be working with a tech giant; the next day, your client will be a lifestyle coach.

They’ll all have their different needs and requirements, and this will make your job fun, refreshing, and rewarding.

SEO Is Complex and Ever-Changing

The rules for SEO are constantly changing, and this discourages the newcomers in the field of SEO, the ones who are on the fence of learning and entering the digital world.

The true SEO specialists spend about half their time on learning the new rules and trends of SEO.

But, the issue is changes happening to SEO on a weekly and, sometimes, daily basis.

Even the most experienced and seasoned SEO specialists can become inefficient if they don’t keep up with the SEO related news on a regular basis.

Awareness

Businesses who are interested in hiring SEO services are having a hard time finding an SEO agency or a specialist because of the increasing demand.

SEO in 2020 is more profitable than it has ever been for both SEO specialists and the companies who are using SEO to expand their businesses.

Everyone needs to compete, everyone needs to optimize, and everyone needs to be seen, and for this, SEO is the much-needed thing.

You’ll be surprised to know that about 10% of the companies in the entire world have paid for SEO management or optimization service. Now, the big question is, who’s helping the remaining 90%?

Canadian Dollar– More value for the money

Most of the U.S. companies are sourcing their online services from Canada, because they can get more for their dollar if they are paying in Canadian currency.

Since it hardly makes any difference regarding the transaction between the two companies, working with Canadian SEO experts makes all the sense in the world.

Businesses are looking for SEO experts with excellent communication in their own time zone at an incredible value for the money.

One can say that, if Canada has more SEO agencies and experts, then more money can pump into the SEO industry of the country.

Buying Process Has Changed

One of the main reasons the demand for Canada SEO experts is so high is because the buying process for consumers has changed dramatically.

Nowadays, more and more consumers look to the Internet to find information that is going to allow them to make a much better and more informed purchasing decision.

Thus, the buying process heavily favors the use of search engines to come to the purchasing decision.

Because of this, a lot of businesses are seeing the potential of having their businesses positioned well within the ranks of their competition for popular buying keywords.

This has made implementing SEO more important than it has ever been as there is more at stake than ever before.

The Competition Is Investing in It

Another reason why Canada SEO experts are in such demand is that the competition is likely already investing in it.

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If you are not actively engaging in marketing and optimizing your website for search engine rankings, your competitors are going to grab significant market share from your business.

It’s Cost-Effective

One more reason for the high demand of Canada SEO experts is that other marketing strategies and their cost to implement them have skyrocketed.

Higher Returns on Investment

Canada SEO experts are in such high demand because SEO offers incredibly high returns for businesses.

The cost to implement SEO is low, which means that the returns you’re going to be getting from it are going to be substantial.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are infinite reasons why the demand for Canada SEO expert Brantford, has become so high in recent times.

#seo expert brantford

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real-jaune-isms · 4 years ago

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RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 9 Review/Remix

I cannot in good conscience joke that Rooster Teeth intended to go on a week’s hiatus after this cliffhanger, but I will say this was a hell of an episode for it to happen after. And while we wait to see what happens next, let’s take a little look at what’s happened here and now.

For the sake of not dividing up the action, let’s first cover what’s happening on the battlefield outside of Monstra. We open on a sweeping shot of the carnage thus far and see a good few nameless Atlesian soldier corpses to get our spirits plummeting. But Grimm don’t (with one terrifying exception) leave corpses so we don’t know how many of them have been taken out up to this point. It could be a very significant number, more than the body count on the human side! But Monstra keeps making more and we don’t have a way to replenish our forces so... it’s an endurance game more than anything else.

In a tactic I really didn’t see coming, the Atlas forces have dug trenches to fight out of like World War 1 soldiers. It makes sense, there are Grimm that we have seen have ranged projectiles so cover is a good move and it gives them a place to go over strategies before climbing out and going on the offensive. Just didn’t expect nearly century old battle strategy from an army with robots and mechs. Whatever works, I guess. We get a look in one of these trenches to see Winter briefing a squad on the plan to keep this area secure since it’s where an airship will be dropping off the bomb, and once it arrives their mission becomes escorting it inside Monstra. Amazingly, we can recognize 4 people in this squad as the members of Team FNKI! And WOW do they look out of place wearing the standard Atlesian soldier armor rather than their colorful and creative street clothes... Even their spunky personalities are taking a hit in this desperate situation. The next wave is approaching so everyone climbs out to start fighting back, and Marrow is shown a short ways away visibly upset over how many of their forces are just kids. Elm tells him to save the musings for after the fighting is done, and that does kick him into gear a bit. Everyone does a good job of handling the Grimm, Flynt and Neon tag teaming to take out a Goliath, and pretty soon the airship does touch down with the bomb. Left to his own thoughts, Marrow stares wistfully at Monstra and wishes good luck to “Juan”. Glad some things still haven’t changed.

Winter goes into the hold to sign off on its delivery, and Marrow follows her in to beg for a little more time for Yang and the others to get out first. She tells him they’ve allowed all the time they can and now it’s up to the teens to handle themselves. He calls her on this ambivalence, asks her if she’d be so dismissive if it were Weiss inside the whale. And for that matter, how is she going to be able to face Weiss and tell her 4 of her friends are dead because of Winter’s decision? Winter is visibly discomforted by that thought, but steels her nerve and replies that she will do so if she has to because that’s part of the job, so he should worry about doing his job. But you can tell she takes no pride in the job at this point.

With all of that battlefield drama out of the way, let’s talk about that group’s journey inside the whale. Through unseen means they managed to get inside, but the hallways all look the same and they aren’t finding a map any time soon. Yang points out this is like finding a needle in a... giant whale. More wonderful wit, brightens the mood immensely. Ren takes this opportunity to tell them about his new Semblance ability and says that he can use it as a sort of radar for other humans by sensing where the spikes of their emotions are. He can’t tell which one is Oscar, but he knows they’re all deeper inside Monstra so he’ll lead the way. Jaune reminds Ren that he can give him a boost with his own Semblance if he needs it, and Ren sheepishly agrees. Guess he’s still getting used to letting others in and being open about when he needs support. That was part of their whole three way argument on the tundra earlier this Volume after all. So this is them putting aside their differences and settling that. Jaune gives him some awkward finger guns and they head off.

We cut to Oscar lying on the floor of his holding room quoting a fairy tale to himself. Oz recognizes the quote as being from “The Girl Who Fell Through the World”, and Oscar isn’t shocked Oz knows it so well. He admits that yes, he did live through his fair share of events that became fairy tales. This particular story isn’t in the officially released book of Remnant’s fairy tales so we have to make some guess work about its plot and overall lesson. It seems to be a sort of mix of Wizard of Oz and the Hobbit where a girl craves to see the wider world and gets that chance through an adventure but when she returns she finds she can never quite fit in again because the journey has changed who she is forever. Oscar admits he’s growing to identify with the heroine of that story more and more by the day because he too has been sent through Remnant and come out the other side unable to feel the same innocent joy he did before he knew what the world really is. Oz thinks they may have to drop their plan of creating traitors in Salem’s ranks because it’s bearing no fruit, and suggests they start thinking about how to get his cane and get out of here themselves. Oscar has reservations about that, because apparently the more he uses Oz’s magic the quicker his soul is heading towards being lost as another past life for the single continuing existence that is Oz to look back on. Oz doesn’t blame him for wanting to delay that, and thinks just being Oscar is serving him pretty well. They don’t have time for further musings because Hazel comes in and drags the poor kid out of the room by the collar of his shirt.

Turns out they’re taking a trip over to the Home Depot, because Hazel is looking to procure a Lamp. He only half believes Oscar’s explanation of how Jinn works, so he wants to test it before taking the news to Salem and risking losing his head for reporting a lie. And if it does work, I guess he wants to know what that will entail. So he’s gonna make Oscar do it here and now. Before they can get underway with that, in comes Emerald to ask just what the hell they’re doing. Let’s find out, Hazel simply replies. That’s all the go ahead Oscar needs, and he calls for Jinn. Again, time stops around them and Jinn emerges from the blue smoke. She’s gotten a bit of an update to her model since Volume 6, and she’s as captivating as ever. Naturally, she wants to know what question they have of her, but no one seems to have one they urgently need answered. Hazel got all the answers he needed just by knowing Oscar was being honest about this and thus probably about a lot of other important matters. He decides now is the time to switch sides once and for all, he’s going to help Oscar AND Emerald get the hell out of here because neither of them deserve to be under Salem’s thumb. Oscar plays a little of the pronoun game and implies he wants his cane back before they leave, and Hazel seems to have no problem with that. Jinn remains playful, but must be getting pretty damn fed up with people summoning her without having a question to ask. Oscar deems it necessary to tell her that they’ll be taking her with them when they leave, as if that’s an alternative she was going to give much of a damn about. Hazel doesn’t think that’s a good idea, it’s the most prized item in Salem’s possession and she’s clearly going to know if it’s taken. He decides he’ll make a return trip to swipe it after the kids are out of the danger zone. They all head out as Jinn starts to fade into her cloud of smoke, but it seems they were not the only ones in the room at this time. With perfect chameleon-like camouflage, Neo was hiding in the shadows near the doorway, and emerges from nowhere like the Cheshire Cat. Now she’s alone with the Lamp and the knowledge of how it works. If only she could actually talk...

Back to our intrepid trio of heroes, Jaune is running on fumes with his Aura so he has to stop amping Ren’s Semblance. Ren apologizes of course, it does take a lot for him to both mask their emotional presences and search for other people at once, but Jaune says it’s fine. He’ll scout ahead while Ren takes a breather and doesn’t mask for a little while. With directions for where they need to be heading, Jaune jogs away full of optimism. Yang jokes about the two men patching things up after their spat the evening prior, but he decides its time for some patented Lie Ren wisdom. “It’s okay to be afraid, you don’t always have to hide it with a joke”. He’s not gonna judge her if she’s not in happy go lucky fun time mode, this is a seriously terrifying situation and she’s allowed to show fear and hesitation. At least, that’s the message I extrapolated from this and what we already know about Yang. Ren assures her he is scared too, but amazingly he can’t sense any such doubt or fear from Jaune. That man has full confidence and hope in getting this done, and if he believes then so will they. I really like that, it shows how much Jaune has grown from the noodle boy we first met. Speaking of the lad, he comes running back and tells Ren to mask them ASAP. A Seer is coming down the hall, and they hide from its view for as long as possible. But Ren is running low on Aura too and the effect wears off just before they’re in the clear.

Meanwhile, Hazel and Emerald are walking down a separate hallway and the former asks “You sure he’ll be okay on his own?” Clearly this means they let Oscar out of their sight so he can go get his cane, which shows a lot of confidence in the lad from these former captors. Emerald doesn’t have a clear answer yet, but she does stop Hazel and have him stand against the wall next to her. Salem is coming this way, and they need to let her pass. She stops, and naturally asks Hazel for an update on Ozcar. If he’s out here that must mean he has something to report. So, has he given up what they need yet? Hazel seems to immediately be cracking under pressure, the guy has no experience with lying or deception. Before he can stammer in place for too long, the Seers start wailing in the distance and that gets Salem’s attention instead. She realizes they have unexpected visitors, then almost immediately panics as she seems to realize the Lamp has been taken and these interlopers are surely to blame. Salem speeds off with all the grace of a kid riding a hoverboard, and it’s really quite amusing. I mean, we see her move her legs to walk but she just floats instead of running. We go back to the heroes finishing off the wave of what seemed to be Sabyrs that had come after them, and they decide to keep moving forward no matter the danger. Clever use of that phrase so near and dear to our hearts, and its good to see them gung ho about fighting their way through Monstra if it means finding Oscar.

They round a few more corners and find themselves face to face with Emerald and Hazel, and they’re none too happy about that. But good news comes suddenly, and Hazel steps forward to try and talk the situation down... only to be revealed to have actually been Oscar under the disguise of Emerald’s Semblance this whole time. She really is getting good at those illusions, it fooled Salem and was able to be cast on Jaune Ren and Yang at once. They are immediately much more happy to see Oscar alive and well, although the bear hug Jaune pulls him into might not help him heal any faster from the beatings he’s been getting. They still don’t know what to make of the fact that he was walking around with Emerald, and as soon as she makes a snippy remark they’re back on their guard. Oscar doesn’t quite know how to summarize everything that lead to this, but Yang insists someone give it a try. Emerald WAS the one who tricked her into “breaking” Mercury’s leg and becoming a public menace in Volume 3, she’s gonna need some good reasons to trust her now. Surprisingly, it’s Ren who has such an answer. Emerald is scared just like them, which would seem to show she is very much unhappy with being on this side of the fight and she wants to get out of this bad scenario. Em isn’t about to agree with that sort of admission of weakness, but she does have her own reason. She knows the way out, so if they want to leave they’ll all be leaving together. That’s enough to satisfy them for now, and they all get going.

They make it 90% of the way there, the ramping path down and out is just ahead of them... when Monstra starts pulsing and wailing. Emerald recognizes this influence, and she is frightened. The wall nearest to Oscar explodes, and Salem has arrived. She instantly takes stock of the situation, and deems Emerald the traitor in need of punishment for letting their prisoner out so she stretches her arms like my favorite rubber pirate and holds the poor thief closely with the intent to start that punishment immediately. She commends the girl for the improvements to her Semblance, but beneath the surface she is furious. Yang and Ren start shooting, and the fight with Salem has finally begun. She dodges the gunfire and responds with a beam of magic that Jaune jumps in the way to tank for Ren with his shield. They’re sent aback while Yang leaps in to unload a rapid volley of punches to Salem’s chest. A more baller move than punching this immortal witch in the titties, I never have seen. But that wasn’t all she did, she was actually leaving a bunch of sticky bombs that she jumps away and detonates all at once. Salem’s torso is blasted out of shape and she’s bending so far back you’d assume she’s the world’s greatest contortionist, but that doesn’t slow her down. She stretches out an arm to grab Yang tightly by the wrist and starts pulling her in as her chest starts to repair and reform at a rapid pace. Now it’s Oscar’s turn to attempt a rescue of his female companions, and he blasts some magic at Salem. Guess that fear of merging faster was kicked to the curb as soon as other people’s lives were on the line, and that’s pretty noble of him. But it’s a fairly weak blast, and Salem employs the classic strategy of hitting that motherfucker with another motherfucker by tossing Yang at him. Then she grows a bunch of Grimm arms from the floor to hold everybody down and leave them at her mercy. Emerald gets the special privilege of being held against a wall by some arms rather than on the ground, and is questioned on what she did with the Lamp. It’s missing, and Salem is dead certain Emerald is to blame despite her pleading insistence she hasn’t taken it and doesn’t know where it is now. Great job Neo, you made life that much harder for your former allies... Since Emerald isn’t offering any answers, Salem turns her attention to Oscar. At first it seems aloof and mysterious like before, but then she just lunges and grabs his face in anger. She’s mad that he keeps coming back to try and help this weak and selfish race instead of just letting her wreck it and end herself with the whole lot, as if he hasn’t already explained that he’s being forced to reincarnate by the gods she hates so much. But Yang is the one who snaps back, asking why Salem is so persistent. Sure, she had a tragic backstory and lost the love of her life. But that was thousands of years ago, she’s had plenty of time to get over it and move on. To grieve and accept Ozma was gone and be better. Instead she got pissed she couldn’t have her fairy tale ending and decided to make that everyone else’s problem. Salem has been the cause of almost every problem that has plagued Remnant since before the Great War, and Yang is calling her on it here and now. Go off, queen. Salem wonders just who Yang has lost to make her so indignant and so much more worthy of complaining and being the victim here than herself. Let’s list these losses, shall we?

Raven left home out of fear of Salem and her own hang ups with personal connections stemming from her upbringing (bandit lifestyle being so popular because there’s always towns to scavenge with Salem leading the Grimm)

Summer Rose is dead directly because of clashing with Salem

Pyrrha Nikos

Penny (she is back but there was still a lot of grieving on Ruby’s part and it had to affect Yang too)

About a dozen other Beacon students and visiting academy fighters at the Fall of Beacon, some of whom she probably got to know decently outside the ring and certainly respected as fighters in this defense effort

An arm because Adam was working under Salem and came to Beacon with vengeful intentions for Blake

About a year of PTSD nightmares flashbacks and involuntary fearful shaking

Her bond with Blake was fractured to hell and back because of the above incident, they’re damn lucky it was strong enough to be reforged with hard work and trust later

Now, some of those examples are a lot stronger than others, but they all affected her to some degree or another and all relate back to Salem. Naturally, she chooses the strongest example and says she lost her mom Summer Rose. This can be seen as throwing Raven under the bus as not being her mom in Yang’s eyes, but honestly after Volume 5 it just makes sense and it’s not like Raven would try to argue about it. Curiously, hearing Summer’s name just gives Salem a Cheshire Cat grin. I’m now realizing this is my second reference to that character in this review, but Alice in Wonderland is just that relatable here. Clearly she knows more than she’s letting on about Summer’s demise. Before we can get any more answers, Hazel arrives on the scene still playing the loyal subordinate role. Salem tells him she’s caught the traitor on their midst and he needs to take Oscar back to his room while she handles disciplining Emerald. He takes stock of all the kids trapped as he heads over to grab Oscar as asked, then pulls him in close to whisper “No more Gretchens, boy” in his ear. He suddenly drops him to ground again and turns to approach Salem. Oscar notices he was given his cane back when he wasn’t looking, and realizes what’s going to happen pretty quickly.

Salem holds a glowing ball of magic up to Emerald’s cheek with the implication that direct contac will be painful and possibly burning. Even under this threat of torture, Emerald has no answers and the fear of the seemingly inevitable brings her to tears. Lucky for her she gets a last minute save as Hazel runs up and sucker punches Salem, sending her flying a hundred feet through the air! She immediately recovers and starts flying before she can hit the ground, but the line in the sand has been drawn. As soon as she got sent flying the arms went away and all the kids were free to run away, which Hazel loudly yells for them to do as he rips his vest off and starts stabbing his shoulders and forearms with Dust crystals. Emerald lingers and wordlessly tries to talk him out of this, to run away with the rest of them. He just gives her a smile and turns towards his enemy. Salem asks if he really wants to turn his back on the path to vengeance she had promised him, and he responds that he’s instead choosing the righteous path his sister would have taken. Following her example is now the best way he can think to do right by her. So he’s gonna do that by using fire Dust to set his knuckle guards ablaze. She sends magic his way but the lightning Dust helps him quickly dodge and then he punches fireballs at her. He uses Revali’s Gale... I mean uses some air Dust to create an updraft and launch himself above her. He smashes some earth and fire Dust together to make a ball of spiky molten rock that he throws onto Salem and sends her crashing to the ground with an explosive impact. Then he just starts whaling on her, sending blood flying in 3 different directions and demolishing her upper body. But she makes more arms to hold him up in the air while she regrows her face. Emerald is still watching, not having moved an inch yet, but finally she decides retreat will be for the best. It’s why he’s doing this at all. Jaune seems to be doing a headcount as everyone runs past him, and realizes Oscar hasn’t left. He hasn’t made any moves to leave, in fact he seems like he’s getting ready to fight too. She’ll just keep coming after them at this rate, and Oscar seems to have a plan to change that. Salem shoots another magic beam at the now pinned Hazel, but he’s strong enough to pull against the arms and guard his exposed torso and put up a visible bubble shield of Aura. So she just tosses him away and immediately goes to where he landed and starts bashing his head into the ground. Oscar steadies his stance and readies his staff for whatever move this is gonna be. Salem notices and is ready to take him down before it can be ready, but Hazel continues to be a boss and gets her in a Full Nelson hold to keep her from going anywhere. She grabs his legs with a bunch of summoned arms, but it doesn’t discourage him. In a final act of vengeance, he bites down on a crystal of fire Dust he had popped into his mouth before grabbing her and they are both set on fire. She can’t escape his grip, and the fire seems like it’s hurting pretty bad. It’s only natural that they would reference the Salem Witch Trials by burning a witch named Salem, and I appreciate the idea very much. Oscar finishes charging up his staff for his attack, and Hazel gives him the go ahead. He knows this will kill him too, and he accepts that. It’s absolutely the same situation as Piccolo killing Goku and Raditz with the Makankösappö in the first arc of Dragon Ball Z, and that too is something I love to see. So Oscar puts up a magic shield and unleashes a blinding wave of golden light from the staff.

Fade to black.

Roll Credits.

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