#been obsessed with these two since time immemorial

[snakeaterr]

the goat gayboys

[blorger]

Two households, both alike in dignity, from ancient grudge break into new mutiny

If we didn't know for a fact that Lucius loves his mean smokeshow of a wife and that Arthur is forever doomed to a sad life of heteropessimism with Molly and their ginger horde I'd say we were looking at the love story of the century.

Seriously, their relationship has everything: a fraught history (have the Malfoys and the Weasleys been feuding since time immemorial or did Lucius and Arthur start this delightful rivalry ex novo?), banter, "he was rapidly becoming obsessed with Draco Malfoy"-levels of mutual curiosity... this is Drarry on steroids, people, well and truly.

Let us mourn this great ship that never was by taking a leisurely stroll through canon and observing the many delightful interactions of Messrs. Malfoy and Weasley:

(PS, Draco is introduced as Lucius's son)

Our introduction to sweet Lucius comes by way of Arthur, because of course he rants about the Malfoys and their slippery ways to his unsuspecting children frequently enough for them to absorb his Anti-Malfoy views.

(CoS, Lucius is getting rid of some slightly cursed objects)

Lucius takes time out of his busy day to make sure notoriously shady Knockturn alley shopkeeper mr Borgin is forewarned about the awfulness of one mr Arthur Weasley, completely unprompted.

(CoS, Arthur is glad to hear tidings of his Nemesis)

Keep it in your pants Arthur, you just lost a child via floo, maybe focus on him for a while (spoiler alert: he doesn't).

(CoS, the Flourish and Blotts kerfuffle, also the preamble to the Great Diary Switcharoo of '92)

Draco obviously subscribes to the Lucius Malfoy School of Pigtail-Pulling. Here we can see the master at play; carefully observe how just a couple of sentences are enough to drive a good man to insanity (read: public fistfight in front of one's children).

(CoS, Lucius makes the news )

Lucius would like everyone to focus their attention on how bad bad Arthur Weasley really is, who cares about a stupid flying car.

(GoF, a fateful meeting on the stands of the quidditch world cup)

the "said softly" really gets to me. Lucius honestly thinks the Weasleys live a shameful life of poverty in a ramshackle hovel. I bet you he wasn't even meaning to roast him (too much), that's how surprised he was to see him there.

(GoF, Lucius is letting loose with some light hate crimes, he's not exactly being discreet )

I'd rather die than Iet my children know my kinks this well. Everyone knows what Arthur's n1 dream is, god, do you think he asks Molly to roleplay as Lucius when they play catch the criminal?

(OotP, meet-cute at the ministry)

Come on Lucius, as if you don't know exactly where is office is, who he works with and what color socks he's currently wearing.

Too bad this is their last interaction, though it's as the saying goes: 'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

RIP in peace Arthucius, you were too good for this world.

[shaaknaa]

I've been thinking about the history of Romanticism and the Philosophy of Love and I think the aspec community (of which I am a part) could use a refresher.

The first point is that Romantic is an adjective that means "Romes Fault."* The romantic languages are derived from Latin and as such, are Rome's Fault. You may be wondering: wait... how is romance Rome's Fault?

Well, around the time the USA was being founded the Enlightenment was in full swing. Very Rational and Scientific. Then in 1798 artists in Rome were like: but to have emotions consume you is human. So they immediately went to the most intense and humanly universal emotion they could think of: Death and Grief.

Honestly, pretty edgy stuff. If you wanna read some emotional stuff check it out. But like... jumping from death to what we call romance? Because sex sells and the biggest emotions you can get from it are murder and suicide from being cheated on or snubbed. When these guys say, "I'll die for you," they fucking mean it.

But like... murder/suicide is a bummer. What if we had the same level of dedication but it didn't end in disaster? Maybe instead of a literal death they just give up their social standing to run away together, it's just as unwise. Here is the birth of modern romance. To make a Fandom analogy, they woobified their yanderes (more *self*-destructive than their modern counterparts.). So, why is romance supposed to be the most important thing in your life? Because if it wasn't the Romantics wouldn't have written about it.

OK, but if Romanicism is younger than the USA and less that two hundred years older than One Piece, how did people talk about it before? Surely, these emotions have existed since time immemorial? I am so glad you asked.

Eros. Technically if you dig it Eros is just sex and passion, Dating is Eros+Ludus, then as things get more serious you add Pragma, Storage, and Philia. Mania, obsessive love, was considered incredibly unhealthy. Depending on the model you use it can be it's own thing or an unhealthy imbalance. Again, here be proto-Yanderes. But the point of the Romantic Movement was to be a little obsessive.

Fun fact, at least four of these terms were defined by Plato. Including Eros which he was all for. The development of the term platonic love has nothing to do with Plato's Theory of Love, and more to do with the fact that he rather famously didn't fuck his students and thus had platonic relationships with them.

Anyway, the meaning of words changes over time, but sometimes the some baggage comes with it.

*technically romantic as an adjective means something more like "from or pertaining to Rome" but this is funnier.

[sexypinkon]

Sexypink -

Medulla Art Gallery is pleased to invite you to

"EDEN" BY STUART HAHN

OPENING RECEPTION:

Date: Thursday 27th July 2023

Time: 7pm - 9pm

Venue: Medulla Art Gallery

Address: #37 Fitt Street, Woodbrook, Port of Spain.

For more information please contact:

Telephone: +1(868)680-1041, +1(868)622-1196

Email: medullaartgallery@gmail.com

Artist’s Talk: Thursday 10th August, 2023 at 7pm-9pm

Exhibition continues until: Tuesday 29th August, 2023

FREE ADMISSION - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 11am-2pm

ABOUT THE SHOW:

The story of Eden has intrigued me since childhood and this exhibition is one of the results of that, undertaken with the greatest reverence to the countless great artists who have indulged in the very same obsession over time immemorial. Philosophically I’ve come away from it with more questions than answers, especially about the god it features, the strange and disturbing notion and concept of Original Sin, what really is this thing called evil… etc etc. How closely it resembles so many other creation stories, and how it also differs from them. The cherubim obviously impressed me, though I could not bring myself to depict them as the monstrous physically deformed creatures described elsewhere.. The sad, blood-soaked story of the first murder, for me, needs much more explanation than its given. The choice of the snake as the embodiment of evil, handmade of Satan… why? Poor womankind, the bringer of the species, its very womb, so demonized… how come, why? This exhibition is the edited version of these ruminations, perhaps there will be another to complete the process, if time allows. There are also two drawings here from another ongoing series, Dante’s Divine Comedy, of the pathetic plight of Paulo and Francesca, also, hopefully, another exhibition.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Stuart Hahn was born in Nevis in 1949 and was educated in Barbados and Trinidad to A level. He began his artistic career in commercial-advertising art before leaving that discipline to become a full time fine artist in his homeland, Trinidad. His exhibition career began in 1984 in Port of Spain, since then he has exhibited internationally, to the present day. He has illustrated local folklore and universal myths and legends, predominantly Greek and Judeo-Christian. His influences have been the Pre-Raphaelites, Symbolists, Art Nouveau, and early 20th century book illustration, the great Alf Codallo and the beauty of the people and landscape of his island home.

Graphic Design: Agyei Archer

Follow @medullaartgallery on Facebook and Instagram

If you wish to subscribe to our invitation list kindly email: medullaartgallery@gmail.com

[readjthompson]

Well, since my novelette Cancel Toby Chalmers! (copyright me, now) has been sitting around, completed, for nearly 16 months, I’ve decided to share it for free, until it’s later released as part of a Toby Chalmers collection.

Here are Chapters 4 and 5.

Chapter 4

Eyeing his laptop as if it were a dog on its deathbed, Toby Chalmers read what he’d just written aloud: “Grandpappy reached deep into Grandmother’s white-maned punani, wherein he’d stored his dentures to keep them warm and fragrant, and retrieved thirty-two porcelain chompers that he popped into his mouth. The pair then beckoned me to sit between them on the couch. ‘Come here, sonny boy. Lemme tell you a story,’ said Grandpappy, ‘about how a simple sheepfucker invented the first condom.’”

Is this supposed to be funny or ghastly? Toby wondered. Have I no shame left within me? He consulted the clock. Well past dinnertime, he thought. I’ve been fleshing out this ridiculous narrative for hours. A tale within a tale within a tale within a tale, how complex. Good thing I had a large breakfast.

He saved what he’d written to a thumb drive and powered off his computer. Well, I’m too tired to have something delivered, but there’s still time to drink, he thought, making his way to the kitchen.

Toby had mostly given up drugs—no more cocaine, seer’s sage, mummy clumps, or opium—though he still enjoyed MDMA and marijuana at concerts. He exercised every morning to combat the effects of middle age. He’d cut caffeine from his life entirely and even given up sweets. Still, he couldn’t go a day without downing some beers.

IPAs were his favorite. Whensoever he went grocery shopping, any untried variety was an instant purchase. When feeling festive, he layered them in mugs beneath Guinness to make black and tans. Currently, his refrigerator housed eleven different options.

His absolute favorite was known as Aetheric IPA. Sadly, the homebrewing geniuses who’d brewed the stuff were now dead—part of a suicidal death cult, allegedly—and once Toby finished off the few he had left, there’d be no more attainable. Its fruity, floral flavor made every meal, even reheated eggs, feel like a royal banquet. When accompanied by no food, it eroded hunger pangs anyway.

“Well, there’s no time like the present,” he muttered, grabbing a cold bottle and uncapping it. He took a swig and wandered into the living room. He’d recently bought a new sectional sofa, replacing one that always smelled like a dog’s bed for some reason, though Toby had never owned a pet. Onto it he plopped, to bring his TV to life.

It was just his luck that a news broadcast awaited him. Current events were dour, as per usual. Four African American cops had killed an unarmed African American motorist, who’d run a stop sign without slowing in a low-income neighborhood. Footage showed them dragging the man from his Hummer H2 and stomping his dreadlocked head, again and again, as he begged them for mercy, for the sake of his children, then for the sake of his parents, spitting teeth shards with each uttered syllable. Bystanders filmed the assault with their iPhones, chanting, “Police brutality!” and, “Stop, you’re killin’ him!” All kept their distance, lest the bloodlust of those badge-toting sadists next target them.

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” Toby muttered. Though he’d been obsessed with horror fiction for as long as he could remember, real life horror always turned his stomach. Occasionally, it found him, and he had to endure it. Other times, it found others, and he could escape it by changing the channel.

On this night, however, a simple channel change couldn’t erase the sight of the brutalized man’s visage from Toby’s mind. Though he drank beer after beer and binged Rick and Morty episodes back-to-back, the man’s fading speech, growing increasingly dreamlike as his death’s certainty burgeoned, echoed through Toby’s noggin, hauntingly. The soil beneath Toby’s home, glutted with the blood of innocents since times immemorial, seemed to pulse, as if the continent was awakening and would soon shake civilization from its back.

To make his night even more depressing, he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and scrolled down his social media feed. Naturally, most of the posts that he encountered were reactions to the murder.

“He shouldn’t have resisted arrest!” wrote Zombifkr42.

“Your momma shouldn’t have resisted abortion,” replied ProudLinny.

“White supremacy at its worst!” wrote Uplizft.

“Everyone involved was black, though,” EqualityWhore replied. “If you wiped your ass too hard, you’d blame Caucasians for that, too, wouldn’t you?”

“Well, I am a Caucasian, so I’d be right if I did,” Uplizft countered.

“That explains the 666 birthmark on your head,” was EqualityWhore’s rejoinder.

Scrolling past an ad for a hat he’d already purchased twice, Toby then encountered SloopJamalB’s “Defund the police!!!!!!!!!” post.

“Then who’ll get your crackhead mother to stop licking my dog’s asshole?” replied NahDawgUTrippin.

“It’s a media hoax,” claimed 62BiscuitsYumYum. “Those aren’t even African Americans, just five Jews wearing masks.”

“I seent it! I seent it!” replied DonBibblestick.

“Crackers aren’t allowed to discuss this!” wrote DieWhitiesDieDie. “Let ’em choke on their forked tongues if they attempt to!”

Toby closed his eyes for a few moments, focusing his thoughts. With a series of deep breaths, he cultivated an inner stillness. Reminding himself that each and every post and reply that he’d read belonged to just one person, he chugged the last of his beer and forced himself to grin. “Let a better world start with me,” he said to himself, hoping that it might become his new mantra.

Now soused optimistic, suddenly sure that he could contribute to rational discourse and help better all of humanity, he began to craft a post of his own.

 

Chapter 5

Kneeling at his backyard’s east-facing edge, Lamonte Achebe pruned dead hydrangeas and branches, reveling in the morning quiet. His wife and daughters were late sleepers on weekends; there’d be plenty of time to fix them breakfast—grits and eggs with toast on the side, perhaps even freshly-squeezed orange juice.

One day, Lamonte would retire from his soul-shriveling insurance adjuster job and devote every morning to his flowers. He’d inherited his green thumb from his mother. The good woman’s ghost yet survived in his garden’s floral ambiance, he believed, shaping its heady perfumes and vibrant colors into something truly angelic.

Suddenly, the morning’s sanctity was shattered by heinous sonance: “Pick that cotton, you dumb nigger! Pick it until I say you can stop!”

Lamonte’s eyes narrowed; his hands squeezed into fists. He’d always been a large African American: nearly seven feet tall even in high school, just over three hundred pounds now. Ergo, even the most racist of racists had kept their words civil in his presence. Every time a cop pulled his car over, they took one look at Lamonte and let him off with a warning, unsure whether they were carrying enough ammunition to put him down, should he decide to attack them. Unasked, Caucasians told him of their favorite black sports stars, as if he was some dark totem come to life, and required oblations.

“Well, what are you waitin’ for, nigger?! I don’t have all day!”

Lamonte realized that the hate speech emanated from the backyard next door. Is that Joseph McCarthy Jr. I’m hearing? he wondered. Just a few weeks ago, he spotted me on the way to the mailbox and assured me that Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror is the best horror anthology film ever made. I guess that the leopard’s showing his spots now!

Well aware that, with his size and strength, he could kill a man like Joe easily, Lamonte attempted to modulate his anger and tune out his neighbor’s bigoted outbursts. Then came, “That’s better, you dirty coon! Be good for your master and I’ll spare you the whip!”

“What the hell’s wrong with that man?” Lamonte muttered, carefully setting his pruning shears down and rising to his feet. I’d better put the fear of God into him right quick, show him that I won’t be bullied, he thought.

Lamonte peered over the fence and his mouth opened, aghast, the retort that he’d planned to unleash dissolving, unvoiced. The surreality of the scene before him made his surroundings seem most fragile, as if they might soon shatter to reveal that he’d been in bed dreaming all along.

There was little Shadrach McCarthy, he of the premature facial hair, now shirtless and shoeless, wearing only a pair of hand-me-down Bugle Boy jeans, which had been cut around the ankles to hang raggedly. Behind him loomed Joseph McCarthy Jr., dressed in a white suit, black tie, and well-polished Oxfords, gripping a replica of Catwoman’s Batman Returns whip.

Cotton balls covered Joe’s entire back lawn. One at a time, carefully, quite terrified, eight-year-old Shadrach picked them up and dropped them into the pillowcase he was carrying. Tears streamed down his cheeks. His lower lip was aquiver. What the hell’s going on here? Lamonte wondered.

“Nigger, nigger, nigger!” Joe shouted, cracking the whip so that the tip of it just missed Shadrach’s trembling buttocks. “Smile while you work, boy! You’re makin’ me nauseous!”

Okay, I’ve seen enough of this madness, thought Lamonte. “Hey, Joe!” he shouted. “Just what do you think you’re doin’?!”

“Keep going,” Joe said to his nephew, before sauntering over to the fence. To Lamonte, he said, “Well, hey there, neighbor. Fantastic weather we’re havin’ today, isn’t it?”

“Sure. A great day for an ass whuppin’, if ever I saw one.”

“Excuse me?”

“You think I’m cool with you shoutin’ the N-word? Next door to my house, where my wife and daughters might hear it? And don’t even get me started on this bizarre slavery reenactment.”

“Oh, come on, neighbor. How else is Shadrach gonna learn?”

“Learn what? How to be a sadistic, racist piece of shit?”

“Quite the opposite, in fact.”

“Is that right?”

“Listen, man. Shadrach isn’t like me. He doesn’t empathize with other races. I even caught him laughin’ at an African American he saw on TV. So I thought to myself, if I make him experience a bit of the struggle that blacks have coped with in America, he’ll learn to love his fellow man as I do.”

“Joe, so help me God, if you hurt that boy…”

“Have no fear, neighbor. He knows that I won’t really strike him. Once this is all over, we’ll go out for dinner, and he can eat whatever he wants to. I respect and value your opinion, though. Please understand that. My ears are always wide open for whatever you have to say.”

“I say stop this atrocity.”

“Just as soon as he’s finished.”

Lamonte’s eyes narrowed to slits. He wanted to hurl himself through the fence and crater Joe’s smirking countenance. This piece of shit probably thinks that he knows more about being African American than I do, he thought, just because he read a few leftist articles.

But as far as he knew, as fucked up as it was, Joe’d committed no actual crime. Sure, Lamonte could film the man’s sickening exhibition with his phone and release the footage on social media. Millions would hurl insults at Joe and scream for his cancellation. But then Joe would post his rationale to the applause of like-minded thinkers, and other Caucasian children would be subjected to cotton ball barbarism. Joe wouldn’t lose his job. He’d pat himself on the back for standing up to “anti-woke bullies” and author a child-raising handbook that’d make him rich. It was always dangerous to give the Joes of the world more attention. Lamonte would have to consider his next move quite carefully.

“Enough of this nonsense,” Lamonte grunted, turning his back on his neighbor and heading inside. As he slid his sliding glass door shut behind him, he heard one last bit of hate speech.

“Did I say you could rest, nigger?! I want a good day’s work outta you!”

 

[mahayanapilgrim]

The Path to Liberation

I prostrate to my ennobling, impeccable lamas.

(1) I shall try to explain, to the best of my ability, the essential meaning of all the scriptural pronouncements of the Triumphant Ones, the path praised by the Triumphants’ holy offspring, the fording passage for the fortunate desiring liberation.

(2) Listen with a clear (mind), O fortunate one, whose mind would rely on the path pleasing to the Triumphant through being unattached to the pleasures of compulsive existence and eager to make meaningful your life of respites and enriching factors.

(3) Since taking keen interest in the pleasurable fruits of the ocean of compulsive existence without pure renunciation is no method for (achieving) the peace (of liberation) – in fact, by craving what is found in compulsive situations, limited beings are completely bound – first, strive for renunciation.

(4) By accustoming your mind that there is no time to waste when a life of respites and enrichments is so difficult to find, turn from your obsession with the appearances of this life. By thinking over and again about the problems of recurring rebirth and that (the laws of) behavioral cause and effect are never fallacious, turn from your obsession with the appearances of future (lives).

(5) When, by accustoming yourself in this way, you never generate, for even an instant, a mind that aspires for the splendors of recurring samsara, and you develop the attitude that day and night always is interested keenly in liberation, at that time, you have generated renunciation.

(6) But since even this renunciation, if not held with the development of a pure bodhichitta aim, will not become a cause for the splendors and bliss of a peerless purified state (of enlightenment), those with sense generate a supreme bodhichitta aim.

(7) Carried by the currents of the four violent rivers, tied by the tight fetters of karma, hard to reverse, thrown into an iron-mesh pit of grasping for true identities, completely enshrouded in the heavy gloom of the darkness of unawareness,

(8) Unrelentingly tormented by the three types of suffering, life after life in limitless compulsive existence – having thought about the condition of your mothers who have found themselves in situations like these, develop a supreme bodhichitta aim.

(9) Even if you have built up as habits renunciation and a bodhichitta aim, still, if you lack the discriminating awareness of realizing the abiding nature of reality, you will be unable to sever the root of your compulsive existence. Therefore, make effort in the methods for realizing dependent arising.

(10) Anyone who has seen that (the laws of) behavioral cause and effect regarding all phenomena of samsara and nirvana are never fallacious, and who has had fall apart the focal supports of his or her (cognitions) aimed (at self-established existence), whatever they might have been, has entered the path pleasing to the Buddhas.

(11) Appearances are non-fallacious dependent arisings and voidness is parted from any assertions (of impossible ways of existing). So long as you have these two understandings appearing to you separately, you still have not realized the Able Ones’ intention.

(12) But when, not in alternation, but all together at once, your certitude from the mere sight of non-fallacious dependent arising causes all your ways of taking objects (as being self-established) to fall apart, you have completed discerning the correct view.

(13) Further, when you know how appearance eliminates the extreme of existence and voidness eliminates the extreme of non-existence, and how voidness dawns as cause and effect, you will never be stolen away by views that grasp for extremes.

(14) When you have understood the points of these three principal aspects of the path, as they are, rely on solitude and, by generating the power of perseverance, quickly realize, my son, your immemorial goal. Do a complete article with clear explanations


In this profound text, the author emphasizes the significance of understanding and internalizing the essential teachings of the enlightened ones, known as the Triumphant Ones. The discourse unfolds in a structured manner, guiding the reader through crucial stages on the path to liberation.

1. Renunciation (Verses 3-5): The foundation of the path lies in renunciation, a heartfelt detachment from the transient pleasures of compulsive existence. The author urges the reader to recognize the futility of pursuing worldly pleasures without pure renunciation. By contemplating the difficulties of attaining a life conducive to spiritual growth, the seeker is encouraged to turn away from the distractions of both present and future lives.

2. Bodhichitta (Verses 6-8): While renunciation sets the stage, the text highlights that true liberation requires the cultivation of a pure bodhichitta aim. This supreme bodhichitta aims not only for personal liberation but also for the enlightenment of all sentient beings. The vivid imagery of individuals ensnared in the cycles of suffering serves as a poignant reminder to develop a compassionate motivation that extends beyond personal welfare.

3. Wisdom and Understanding (Verses 9-13): Renunciation and bodhichitta, though essential, are insufficient without a profound understanding of the nature of reality. The text underscores the importance of realizing dependent arising and understanding the interplay between appearances and voidness. This wisdom dismantles erroneous perceptions and allows one to navigate the extremes of existence and non-existence, preventing the entanglement in views that grasp for extremes.

4. Culmination and Solitude (Verse 14): The concluding verses advise the seeker to integrate the three principal aspects of the path comprehensively. Once understanding arises collectively, the path to liberation becomes clear. Relying on solitude and cultivating perseverance are recommended, emphasizing the urgency of realizing one's spiritual goals.

Conclusion: This profound teaching encapsulates the essence of the path to liberation, incorporating renunciation, bodhichitta, and wisdom. By providing a clear roadmap, the text inspires individuals to embark on a transformative journey toward enlightenment, guiding them through the intricacies of spiritual awakening.

[callsignbaphomet]

Okay, I'm a total sucker for anything related to the Eternal Cities. Just everything about it, the Nox maidens and swordstesses, Astel's role in its downfall, the glowing ancester warriors and the Ancestor Spirit, the Black Knives (still unsure if they originated from Nokron and Nokstela though I think they are), how you only find the dragonkin soldiers and knight down there--which I am super interesting in learning what their lore is. I know Magma Wyrms are knights that used dragon communion and turned into those beastly dragon things but I have no idea what the heck is up with the dragonkin ones. All of that coupled with the fact that I'm a huge hollow Earth lover. Yeah, I know it's fake but can't help but love it regardless.

Also these giant statues of whoever the heck this is/was:

Gives me King in Yellow vibes tbh. Would love to know who the heck this is/was.

But I've also been slowly falling in love with Crumbling Farum Azula. Why the heck is it crumbling? There's an item that says it's been falling apart since time immemorial but why? Also why do we find Gurranq/Malekith there of all places? And don't even get me started on Dragonlord Placidusax. I know he made his throne there once he became Elden Lord and even stayed there after the title passed on to someone else. His large AoE attack, which is so badass all sound cuts off including the music, the spear he conjures is just the Bolt of Gransax but red. Is Gransax older than Placidusax? Was this incantation inspired by his weapon? Or was Gransax's weapon inspired by Placidusax's incantation? There's just so much I wanna know!

Btw I am grossly obsessed with Gransax! Just to the point of me just spawning in at Leyndell to listen to the music and stare at Gransax's calcified corpse and weapon. In fact I kinda wanna integrate Gransax into two of my boys's backstories somewhat.

I'm just obsessed with gargantuan creatures and I really wish From would give us a boss of that magnitude or bigger. Maybe in a DLC? Guy can dream can't he?

[mariacallous]

I think one of the big big flaws of the post-WWII world order is an near obsessive holding onto borders at all costs even when they were set my Monarchies or European powers who knew little and cared less about the people who lived there, it leads to valuing freezing conflicts in place rather than trying to fix the problem, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a Franken-country with two sub countries nit together I feel like sooner or later they'll break apart, in a good or bad way.

I mean, the obsessive holding onto of borders has been happening since time immemorial, but I also don't really see it having played out any other way, for the most part. And we're not seeing that go away (hence Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan, etc.) either.

Yugoslavia and its succeeding countries tend to be what people think of in regards to artificial borders and ignoring conflict.

Depending on how you look at it, the effort to assert a unique Bosnian identity pace the neighboring Serbian and Croatian ones goes back to either during Ottoman rule or Austro-Hungarian rule and for a variety of reasons has always been the most ethnically-diverse of the former Yugoslav countries, which is part of the issue and why, really, the only other comparable examples would be Kosovo (vis-à-vis Serbia) and, at one point, Montenegro (ditto).

Part of the issue is that the Dayton Accords were intended as a "construction of necessity", to stop the fighting and hold everything in place to allow for an actual long-term plan and resolution to be established. Between a variety of failures (inconsistent focus from the US and EU, intransigence and disagreement among the different factions in Bosnia, the locking in place of the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (and the independent Brcko district), the power-sharing structure which helped stop the fighting and try for stability but which undermines the overall country) that's not happened, and in the last several years, and particularly in regards to the Republika Srpska (with Serbian and likely Russian backing), the blocking and resistance to getting anything done has increased, as well as being one of the eddies in the right-wing populist wave that's been sweeping over Europe and elsewhere during that same time period.

I think I saw an article where Bosnians were polled about their support for the Dayton Accords and majorities in all three (Serb, Croatian, and Bosniak) groups would have voted for and support Dayton versus those who would have voted against it (the article was published last year but I think the data they reviewed was a few years older) which is kind of interesting, if you think about how in Poland a majority of citizens support the EU and want to remain with their government challenging and battling against Brussels.

I will say that I'm fully expecting a Srpskxit, or a full attempt at one, before the end of the decade. That's been the trend for a while now, and Republika Srpska is where something like 95%-96% of Bosnian Serbs live within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Banja Luka is where essentially all of the major Srpska institutions are based, etc. I don't know how much this would affect Bosnia's current EU membership application and its NATO membership action plan, and the only real benefit, such as it is/would be, is to essentially break the deadlock and lack of progress in dealing with pretty much any of Bosnia and Herzegovina's issues.

I think a Srpskxit would be incredibly disruptive to the region (caveat here is my assumption it'd be a unilateral action taken by Dodik and the Republika Srpska leadership), with similar border issues compared to Northern Ireland and the UK and Ireland, massive confusion as to the status of minority groups in both the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a potential derailment to both the NATO and EU membership plans for the overarching Bosnian country, an emboldening of Serbia (and possibly of Kosovo), and an encouragement to other leaders that being intransigent and then forcing your way pays dividends. (Ironically, or perhaps not, this is what the initial breakup of Yugoslavia was like in a lot of ways).

Unless there's a mutual agreement that gets negotiated to help avoid most of these issues, that is.

[headcanonsandmore]

Hi! I recently came back to being obsessed with Ron and Hermione (it just reminds me of being 12/13 and going to sleep at 3AM because I was reading Romione fanfiction and when life was better :) ). So I was wondering if you could give me some (a lot of) fluffy and warm and cute suggestions :) Thank you, I love your blog

Hello! Yes, of course; hope you like these!

Of Hearts and Heroes by Emmilyne. Ron and Hermione become far closer than either of them could ever have thought possible. Canon-divergent AU starting after the department of mysteries in fifth year. Rated  M for mature.

April Fool by A is for Amy. Six year one-shot. The other Gryffindors conspire to trick Ron and Hermione into admitting their feelings for one another. Rated K.

Mental by Penny in the sky. Gryffindor celebrates its Quidditch Cup victory. But while Harry's not there to ponder the influence of dimly lit rooms and Butterbeer, Ron and Hermione are. And they experience this influence first-hand. Set during ‘Half Blood-Prince’. Rated T.

Kiss of the Fire by Star.Flash.17. Romione one-shot set in the summer before book 7. Rated T.

The Last Summer by HurricaneRosie. Hermione struggles to control her feelings for Ron in the summer before the seventh book. Rated K+.

The For and Against List by Pinky Brown. Hermione tries to talk herself out of liking a particular boy (no prizes for guessing which one) the way teenage girls have been doing since time immemorial: she makes a For & Against List. Rated T.

In this Firelight by Oppugnorhr12. A missing moment from book 7 about how Ron and Hermione ended up falling asleep holding hands. Rated K.

Eye Flirting by RonaldandMione. Ginny convinces Hermione to try something to get Ron’s attention during their stay in Grimmauld Place before fifth year. K+.

Not Just Handsome by HPLives. Hermione gets confused over her feelings for Ron after she overhears the other Gryffindor girls rating their male classmates by attractiveness. Rated T.

Seven Simple Years by HalfaSlug. A collection of Romione missing moments from all seven books. Rated K+.

Chapstick by TMBlue. Hermione intervenes with chapstick when she notices how chapped Ron’s lips are. Set at the start of sixth year. Rated K+.

Kiss the Girl by Weasleyismyking540. Romione AU confession. Rated K+.

Freckles, Cats and Candy by OrangeLovePerson. Ron and Hermione visit Hogsmeade in third year. Rated K+.

The Love In His Eyes by LovingNerdLife. Over the years, Ron Weasley has developed the habit of staring at Hermione Granger while she reads. While doing so, he reflects on how it came to be, without being aware that someone has noticed what he's doing. Rated K+.

Late Night Snack by AloeMilk. Whilst staying at the Burrow after the second war ended, Ron goes to get food during the night, and finds Hermione in the kitchen. Adorableness ensues. Rated K+.

To Know You Is To Love You by @coyotelaughingsoftly. Calm, rational discussions have never been their strong point. When a pre-wedding fight shows them that they need to get it together, Hermione suggests couples counselling with an innovative new method. Ron reluctantly agrees, and now the two of them are going to learn about each other in a way never before possible. Rated M for mature.

All My Best Lies by Bowtruckles (aka @remedialpotions).  In the summer before her sixth year, Hermione finds herself in sudden, desperate need of a date for a family function, and turns to Ron for help. But when one little lie spirals out of control, they both end up with so much more than they ever imagined. Rated T for teen.

Trigger Point by unablearethelovedto_die. When Ron and Hermione both fall sick, perhaps a non-magical remedy is required to heal them. One Shot. Post Battle of Hogwart's. Rated T for teen.

All I Meant by my_inked_asterism. Set at the Burrow in the middle of the night, Ginny helps Ron talk about some heavy secrets he had kept for himself for too long by now... and Hermione happens to hear it all. Rated T for teen.

Owner Of The Lonely Heart by Kamiangel. Romione AU Hermione secretly disguises herself as a boy to prove that girls and boys can both study at the same school only problem is a certain red head seems to be distracting her from her goal. Despite being written back in the late 2000s, this one has help up surprisingly well; they are a few “men are idiots” moments, but the author subverts this by having everyone lose their heads over romance. Rated T for teen.

Penalties by RyanRow02. Non-magic AU. Ron and Hermione are best friends and flatmates, who have to pretend to be a couple during a Weasley family reunion. This was written in the early 2010s, so some of the jealousy can get a bit overdone. Other than that, it’s pretty decent. The author treats Lavender with respect, which is great, although I don’t really the whole “Ron was a slouch at school” thing, but I suppose the films were still in people’s minds at the time. Rated M for mature.

HP AU Explorations by @hillnerd. A collection of Romione AU ideas. Rated M for mature.

Actually, check out all of Hillnerd’s Romione fics; they’re all brilliant. 

Tangled, by @burgundydahlia. A plot to bring down one of the Wizarding world’s prominent business leaders brings two friends back together after years of separation. But will their reunion be bittersweet? And what will happen when they realise nothing is as it seems? It’s not completed just yet.

Not as a last resort (parts 1 and 2) by Arabella. An AU Romione fanfic about Ron and Hermione having to spent the night inside Hagrid’s cabin due to a snowstorm, and having to share a bed (one of my favourite fluff tropes), as well as discussing the upcoming 2nd Yule Ball. Not rated, but I’d give it a K+ to a mild T.

Diamonds In A Rhinestone World by unablearethelovedto_die. When the Weasley brothers move into the shop upstairs, Hermione Granger is more concerned about the noise and dust than anything else. But the gemstones she works with have their own agenda and she soon finds herself drawn to one particular Weasley. This is a really sweet story, and really delves into what Ron and Hermione like about each other. Rated T for teen.

Also, anything by @trademark-blue, @azaleablueme @amysthefardareismai @otterandterrier. I also have a ‘fanfic recs’ tags, which has loads more.

Hope you liked these suggestions; thanks for the ask!

[danahmbisyosangdoktora]

Wow, I’m ten months behind in this supposed “drama list” ??? LOL why did I even try? I should just accept the fact that I am no longer capable of maintaining this blog. Just kidding! Of course... I still have to do this! 

Here’s the many dramas I have watched for the past months I’ve been... away... and working (wew! you know, I’m employed *winks*... but can still watch ofc ofc #asiandramaislife)

NOTE: I’m not gonna include the plot anymore because it takes so much characters and effort. Also I don’t have much luxury of time to rephrase each of them (because we don’t tolerate copy-paste here). I mean I only get them from Wiki! Anyway...

FEBRUARY Let’s Fight Ghost Rating: ★★★★☆ | Moderate plot Country: South Korea Genre: Horror, Mystery, Romantic Comedy No. of Episodes: 16 Thoughts: Watched this because of my number one bae, Kim So-hyun!!! This has been on my list since time immemorial but only decided to watch it this year and month. This is a breather from my usual high school drama (because I so dig this theme/genre) since it includes some uh, supernatural elements. Over-all, it was wrapped up nicely and the drama is such a good mix of different... flavors, be it horror, mystery, romance and comedy... I must say. Finished Watching: February 02, 2019 

Witch’s Love Rating: ★★★☆☆ | Light plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes:12 Genre: Romantic Comedy, Fantasy Thoughts: I LITERALLY WATCHED THIS BECAUSE I SAW A CLIP ON FB AND THOUGHT THE LEAD ROLE GUY WAS CHANYEOL!!! #clown. It’s my first time to see Yoon So-Hee in a lead role. The last I saw her was in the Ruler: Master of the Mask. The drama is cute! I really ship the main actors!!! It’s kind of confusing in the middle but soon, you’ll get a hang of it... or is it just me?  Finished Watching: February 07, 2019.

SKY Castle Rating: ★★★★★ | Heavy plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes: 20 + special Genre: Satire, Drama, Black Comedy, Family, School Thoughts: I HAVE NEVER SEEN A DRAMA THIS HEAVY??? Maybe it’s just me?? Coz this is the first time I shifted from the usual mood and age of the actors I watch??? I’ve only been seeing tweets about this drama during it’s airing that said “it’s a must-watch” and the like so I literally got curious and watched it. I don’t remember how exactly I felt during the earlier parts of the drama but I’m sure I never dropped it/delayed it until I was able to keep up with the weekly release of episodes. It’s a total page-turner if it is compared to a book. I really like how it was able to portray the side of education that most people with not-so-obsessed-with-merit-parents don’t understand; the manipulation, the strict competition and the emotional impact it brings to the family ganoin. I love how each family has their own issue and how it all got twisted together (I’m that obsessed with angst). It could really be just me because it’s my first time but I totes recommend!!!!!! Finished Watching: February 11, 2019

On Your Wedding Day (Movie) Rating: ★★ ☆☆☆ | Light plot Country: South Korea Genre: Melodrama, Romance Thoughts: Meh. Just kidding! I watched this during one of my night duties together with my workmate. She was actually the one who’s watching, naki-panood lang ako lol the plot really didn’t appeal to me... or because my attention wasn’t on it full time because I remember we stopped for a moment because I had to work hehe anyway, as someone who fancies... tragedies, it’s nice to see a drama which deviates from the usual happy ending of lead roles.  Finished Watching: February 20, 2019

MARCH Hwayugi Rating: ★★★★☆ | Moderate Plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes: 20 Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Horror Thoughts: I remember watching this because I was in the mood for a supernatural theme.This has been on my list since its release too but only found the mood to watch this month. It’s the right amount of every genre, I love how it turned out. I watched this alongside four other dramas hahaha la lung, just to put it out there. 

I wasn’t able to note what date I exactly finished this though.

Romance is a Bonus Book Rating: ★★★★☆ | Light plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes: 16 Genre: Comedy, Romance, Life, Drama Thoughts: Watched this when it’s on-going because it’s my number one oppa and nation’s boyfriend, LJS! I was actually surprised he was paired with a noona but ofc ofc, he was able to carry it. I was kilig the entire time! This is actually very close to my heart; aside from it being the last drama of LJS before enlisting, he was actually a Chief Editor!!! He’s really out there outdoing the man of my dreams by taking all roles/professions I like for my man and myself be it a journalist, a doctor, a lawyer/prosecutor and here, an editor. It’s actually not that deep? It focused on how one found love in the middle of career development and adulting. I really admire Jong Suk’s character here because he’s not the type to shove his feelings to the woman and respected whatever decisions she has. Finished Watching: March 29, 2019

Cart (Movie) Rating: ★★★★☆ | Moderate plot Country: South Korea Genre: Life, Drama, Family Thoughts: This was just one of my ‘catching-up-with-EXO-dramas’ moment. Okay, I cried. The plot isn’t perfect but it’s super powerful, it was able to speak volumes. It’s not enough (for a movie) but it was able to talk about the struggle of the working class and was able to show the wicked side of employers and how the upper class together with the media and the government handle situations such as workers’ protest. Just a little eye-opener to those who can’t seem to understand this matter. Finished Watching: March 29, 2019

JUNE Criminal Minds Rating: ★★★★☆ | Moderate plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes: 20  Genre: Action, Mystery, Detective Thoughts: I was randomly watching tvN via SKY Cable (yes free promo) when I stumbled upon its episode 12. My mom joined me and we got hooked and curious, she asked me to search for the drama so we can watch it from the start. I think this was the first time that I watched an investigative drama. Not sure if Terius Behind Me and Strong Woman Bong Soon count so this was probably a first. Also, based on my little research, there are cases incorporated in the drama that actually happened in real life in Korea. I really love this! Finished Watching: June 09, 2019

Her Private Life Rating: ★★★★★ | Light plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes: 16 Genre: Comedy, Romance Thoughts: I HAVE NEVER RELATED TO A DRAMA SO BAD AS I DID HERE!!! Of course, it’s a fangirl’s story!!! This was a bit anticipated by stan twitter and I’m one of them. Watched this while it’s on-going. Although the fangirl life was put aside in the middle of the plot to give way for the romance, I was glad someone thought of making a drama out of a fangirl’s perspective. I must say, Deok Mi is one hell of a fangirl! I can only dream of being on her level. Of course, that’s understandable because her character is a masternim.

To conclude my thought on this drama in two words: SANA ALL! Finished Watching: June 10, 2019

Put Your Head On My Shoulders Rating: ★★★★☆ | Light plot Country: China  No. of Episodes: 24 Genre: Youth, School, Romance, Comedy Thoughts: My coming-of-age and high school romance fix! This was one of the many “Facebook made me watch this” because again, I saw a clip of this drama on FB and got curious so I watched it! Haha I seriously can make a list of this sort though. I was lucky to be able to catch it while it’s on-going hahaha so much for #TeamOnGoing. It’s cute, tamang kilig ba. Finished Watching: June 21, 2019

It’s not a lot because I only watch whenever I’m off duty, whenever I get off from work or whenever I can squeeze it during work hours while waiting for blood work he he he 

Some people ask how I manage watching this lot. 

Answer: just watch a lot. 

The past months, I realize I’ve been watching a minimum of five dramas at the same time. Since most of the dramas I watch are all on-going, it’s not that hard to watch all of them. I watch either which ever drama updates first or what I feel watching first. Actually, each drama has their own schedules naman... one drama I watch either updates on Wed/Thu, another Thu/Fri then one on Fri/Sat and so on kaya it’s really not that hard. It’s also the reason why I get to watch completed dramas because each episodes only run for maximum of 1 hour and 30 minutes so let’s say, 4 on-going dramas with 2 episode-updates wont really take a day for me to finish. Remember, we have seven days in a week! So while waiting for the on-going dramas to update, that’s when I watch the completed ones. I only mentally schedule my on-going and completed dramas so I can watch them all equally and just in time when I can still retain what happened on the last episode I left off. Pero there are also times when I like the completed drama so much, I finish it in two days. I stopped finishing dramas in 24hrs because I have commitment issues, ayoko yung iniiwan ako agad cHAROT HAHAHA ANUDAW 

Anyway, ayun lang naman! Let’s see each other again for the other half of this year’s Drama List!

[cosmiciaria]

Radiata Stories review! (spoiler free - long post!)

I am SPEECHLESS. I can't believe I spent so many years without knowing about this game. My friend thoroughly recommended it to me but with my ps4 and many other pc games, I just wasn't in the mood for a ps2 oldie. But here I am, and I want to spread the word: play Radiata Stories.

In the world of Radiata, the land is divided into regions that belong to different races: elves, dwarves, orcs, humans (and ronsos – no, sorry, wrong game – but you can't fool me there's a lion guy who looks like Kimahri from FFX). These species have been at odds since time immemorial, and thus the dragons – Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Silver and Gold – have guarded their beings from above.

We follow Jack Russell, a 16-year-old who dreams of becoming a knight. We accompany him to the entrance exams, only to see him fail miserably against a girl, Ridley Silverlake. Despite his clumsiness and obvious embarrassment for having been defeated, he's allowed to join the Radiata Knights, alongside Ridley, only because he's the son of an important late knight. They form a new brigade called Rose Cochon, under Captain Ganz Rothschild's leadership.

This trio will be sent into action in no time. Their dynamics are fun and there's a bit of rivalry between the two new knights, but they get things done. Ganz is proud to finally be able to be captain of his own brigade, and regards his two pupils with care and wisdom. This seems to be the flow the story is going to follow.

An important quest arrives: Rose Cochon brigade must reach the Elf Region and ask the Light Elves leader for a favor. However, things get tough in their journey there: a blood orc attacks the Dark Elves village, and the brigade plunges in to fight and defend.

In the battle, Ridley gets mortally wounded. Jack gets all frantic and desperate, and the brigade asks for the Elves' help. Lord Nogueira, the Dark Elf leader, decides to do the unthinkable for non-humans: the only way to save Ridley is to perform the transpiritation ritual, a spell only available for elves that allows them to take the soul of a dying fellow and use it to heal another one who might still live.

The ritual is successful, and Ridley's soul is fused with that of a small elf who'd died in the battle. Everything seems to settle down for a bit, with Jack and Ganz returning to Radiata City filled with good hopes for Ridley.

The next day, you're fired from the Knights.

This is where the game opens up for you!

From now on, it's just you, Jack, in the middle of a big city, paving his way to the top of the Vancoor Theater guild, the guild of warriors. Since the only thing you can do is fight, better to put it to good use and earn some money in the process!

The game offers a variety of things to do. You can start recruiting people as party members. You know, like, in Dragon Age, you can recruit characters into your team? Or, in any other rpg, that you have a team of five or six characters, maybe some more? Yes? Ok, here in RS you can recruit (listen to me) over 170 characters. Yep, you read right. Mind you, you can't recruit them (catch 'em all) in your first playthrough, but just so you know, yes, this game is that big.

Some people will ask you for a favor before they're added to the 'friend list', but others will join your right off the bat. Once you have a respectable team of four party members that you choose, you can begin doing solo missions, which are the guild's assignments to you and will redound in money and goodies. You get to know the other guild's members, you get to fight alongside them, you get to know and care for the civilians in the city. With a night-day system, if this game is anything, is alive.

NPC's have their own schedule: following the clock in the top left corner, they do and say different stuff depending of the moment of the day you approach them. They're walking around the city, performing random things, making them seem alive. Some events are only available at night, some others only during day. Some people will be nice, others not so much. Some parts of the city will shine, others will look depressing and dirty. Birds chirp, trees are swept by the wind's fine breeze, mosquitoes swarm around – this game breathes life into its pixels in every corner.

Now that we're on the aesthetic aspect, I must admit, this game looks gorgeous. With a very prominent anime artstyle, still it aged pretty well for today's standards: sometimes the lighting was too real, the sunlight pouring from the mountain's side, the character's long shadow stretching onto the road. The animations are good as well, as are the physics: I am beyond amazed by how well clothes and hairs move as flawlessly as if they were real. Each of the recruitable characters have a different victory pose and they have different lines for everything. Some particle effects are really nice, since I didn't think there existed the technology for it back then. The main city is huge, and when I say huge, I mean, every door you see, you can enter, and inside you'll find at least a two-floor building with objects to interact with and people to talk to. And don't even get me started on how BIG the Vareth Institute is in itself – and all that stuff is optional! The world is also vast and filled with brimming elements, although don't be fooled by the illusion of 3D: this game is, mostly, a 2D experience when you want to go from point A to point B.

You'll spend a good chunk of your game doing tasks for the guild. In the meantime, Ganz is somewhere playing the bandit and Ridley is hearing voices in her head. In this 'middle' part of the game, the story seemed to drag on forever for a bit: I wanted to go on with the main plot, and, while you can actually do that (just hit the sleep option over and over until a cutscene appears), the game tends to make you go through long and tedious solo missions to get that Grind™ you need. Dungeons are not long or too big in reality, but the number of encounters (which are forced on you since you can't avoid enemies by circling around most of the times for the 2D aspect) turns what should've been a walk in the park into a dragging hell. This portion of the game, I'm not going to lie, seemed a bit too long for me. And since the gameplay mostly consists in pressing the circle button and hearing Jack yell "Ha! Haiiyaah! Ha! Haiiyaah!" for ten hours straight, yeah, it can get boring.

But I guess the game was trying to make you feel at ease, comfortable around these walls. You're training your fave party members, you go with them everywhere to play the warrior and earn some money, you get occasional messages from Ridley telling you everything's fine – until the plot makes a halt and suddenly you must choose.

I'll keep this spoiler free, but this game is almost fifteen years old, so these are no news: there will come a point where the plot branches into two possible paths, the Human side, and the Non-Human side. I can't tell you which one is right, for there seems to be pros and cons in both, so I'll let your heart decide. For what we care now, I chose the Non-Human side, completely convinced with my decision, only to see myself doubt in many instances.

At this point, your plot shakes. Your comfort zone breaks. Suddenly, things are changing: your team is not there anymore, Ridley acts weird, where the hell is Ganz, what's going on with the dragons? Who am I supposed to trust in this world full of people who just want to exterminate each other?

I won't spoil it. I'll just say, that whatever you choose, please stand firm by your decision. You'll need that conviction, because the game is going to make your ground tremble a few times. And with those endings that await you – man, I don't know if I want to finish either path.

So, to avoid spoilers, I'll talk about the characters a bit!

Jack is your main protagonist, as you could've guessed. He's your average shonen main guy, at least in the beginning hours. He's clumsy, he wants to be a hero, and he even mocks shonen protagonists by saying that he'll awaken to a dormant power and save the world with his friends. But life hits him hard, accuses him of things he hasn't done, and so Jack evolves across the story. His character development is subtle, but it's there: he starts off as a brat who wants to fight, ends on a mature note, with some quite insightful thoughts and reactions I haven't expected from him. Normally, the shonen guy remains a shonen guy; this doesn't happen here. Jack ends up being an adorkable character, worthy of respect, sympathy, and a force to be reckoned with.

Ridley remains a calm force during the game. She's collected, she's well-educated, and she knows her way around. At the beginning, she can't stand Jack much, but as days go by, she starts to consider him as an equal and true friend. In the Non-Human path, her romantic feelings towards him are crystal clear: there's a small spark between them, that flickers every now and then when the plot allows them a moment's respite. Only them and a handful of other characters know the truth behind the transpiritation event, and as such there's a profoundly deep connection that keeps them together, although they're separated most of the story.

Ganz is ma fave boi and he must be protected at all costs. A young and promising man, Ganz was created to be likeable. You can't help but sympathize with his funny appearance: chubby, huge armor, huge sword, and funny moustache. But he's also a man of wisdom, with a golden heart. He's righteous and wants to do good. And he deserves all the love in the world.

Other notable characters are Genius, a scientist who's obsessed with the transpiritation thing that went down, and may know more about the plot than it seems at first glance; Natalie, a guarding woman who works as Ridley's not-so-secret bodyguard; Larks¸ the leader of the Knights and whose motivations remain a mystery to me even to this day – I can't read into this character at all!; Lord Zane, the leader of the Light Elves, who laughs maniacally when no one is watching and I can't bring myself to like him; Gawain, Ganz's father, who disappeared 16 years ago since his best friend died; and Cross, Ridley's fiancé, who just wants to be the best hunter and paves his way to the top of the knight ranks by any means necessary. I hate this guy so much, his only trait is 'I am a bad person' and that's it, he's so cartoonishly evil it makes me want to punch the screen. Probably you see more of him in the Human path, but unless he has a very tragic backstory to redeem him, he's not likeable at all. I mean, you can say that he has ambition and he gets s*it done, but still, damn him, and his voice actor, UGH.

Despite some minor thingies, the relationship between the characters is gold. Jack and Ridley are cute and make me wanna draw the meme of NOW KISS every two seconds. Jack and Ganz are companion goals. Ganz and his father – I loved that they kept their interactions personal and off screen. Idk why, but this story is about Jack, and yes, I care for Ganz as well, but his trouble with his father was his own, not Jack's, so I guess this is a director's decision which I'm 100% behind.

The plot can get predictable at times, but there's also a healthy amount of plot twists that made my jaw drop in a few occasions. I mean, I guessed who the bad guy was since the beginning, but let's face it, it's pretty obvious and the game doesn't hide it. There are other things that made the plot unfold worth my time, like trying to recruit that awesome character, or like what is the deal with Jack's late father, or what the hell is going on with Ganz, and what will happen to the city now that I'm on the Non-Human side? And the game answers them all (I read that the manga answers even more questions, so treat yourself).

All in all, RS is a vast jrpg experience, with high replay value and tons of things to explore. The world seems small, but it isn't. There's always a reward for those who wander off. For a ps2 title, this game is giant. And in the good sense. I thought I had seen the pinnacle of the ps2 era with Final Fantasy XII, but I'm highly considering changing my view on that one.

The endings are bittersweet in both paths. There's not a complete happy ending, I warn you. Things get darker towards the end, and the story knows how to subvert expectations in the good way. Remember Jack saying he wanted to be the hero like in a shonen anime? Well, not happening in this game guys. At the end of the day, this isn't a shonen story: this is a Radiata Story (roll credits), and like in every country's history, sometimes blood must be shed for events to take place and situations to unfold.

I am beyond pleased with this game. I'm considering playing through the Human side now – but first I need to recover myself from this Non-Human ending. I'm not ready to face more tragedy yet.

Go play it. Just do it. You won't regret it.

And pray that Tri-Ace develops ONE DAY a decent sequel.

[socratoteles]

Older than Cobain

It is safe to say that I am older than Cobain now. Looking back, as I exited the famed 27 Club, I can empathize with his pain and angst, the existential dread that come from the simple fact of existing in this unhappy world and sudden realization that one day I will perish.

There are no obligatory essays over the past two years because life had just breezed over at that period. Having your energy drained from just doing your job on a daily basis would get you that, no matter how close that job to your dreamed, idealized ones you have been obsessing over since those teenage years.

In a sense, it is not necessarily bad. I am kind of old enough to recognize that life is not all about fiery sparks and carpe diem and adrenaline-ridden moods every day. Most of our lives will be lived in a daily repetitive routine and it is not a sin to get comfortable with. At the end of the day, it is a tremendous blessing to have a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in and a job to pay for the bills.

But that siren call was proved to be dangerous. The death of the beloved B.J Habibie – Indonesia’s third president – had triggered in me a thought that should have always been lingering ever since I was out from my mother’s womb: that I am a mere mortal who bows to the laws of thermodynamics and one day death, sooner or later, will be the end of me.

It was precisely because life has been good in recent years it exacerbated that mortifying thought. What am I doing here? What have I done? How close am I to the goals I had aspired?

I remembered going to bed feeling fearful of not being able to wake up, such contrast from those early years when my mom used to say “If you can’t wait for tomorrow, go to bed quickly”.

A mess of words printed over papers or posted in the internet will be my legacy and proof of my existence until time immemorial but eventually I will be just a name inscribed in a piece of wood or stone while Earth will continue to orbit the Sun long after I died.

I wondered at that time whether it was worth it, all this hustle under a capitalist system. Amid warming planet, unending conflicts and other horrifying tragedies occurring on a daily basis on this pale blue dot, we are pretty much fucked anyway.

I remembered feeling utterly hopeless because if there is afterlife, I will go to hell for simply being not a faithful practitioner of my religion, if there isn’t any, life is already hell anyway. Such is the pain of existence; I did not ask to be here yet here I am. I would like to avoid death but I will die.

It was as if I am living under this great scam because other people seemed to be just fine and moving forward with their lives peacefully, while I sweated over to manage my mental health and utterly terrified for the future.

But the miracle in this internet age is to find out that you`re not alone in facing whatever problems that come to your attention. This excellent essay in Aeon brilliantly showcased similar feelings that I’ve recently experienced, which the author described as existential shock.

In his essay, James Baillie wrote a spot-on analysis that on the subject of death; most people thought of it as a fact that will happen to someone else, not them, which to me explained why only after 27 years the thought of dying, that precise moment when your soul leaves your body, brought shudders throughout my body.

The solution, or parts of it, was to know that all living beings are equal in a sense that they will die, that nothing will be spared eventually. At least that’s what I found out. Also, there was no use to obsess over and being insecure about the future because it will come anyway.

In addition, the oracles of Delphi got their mantra right. There is no harm to know more about myself.

Following that tough ordeal, I learned that the freest humans are those who live without regret since death will come for us eventually.

There are still things to be thankful for, that out of a gazillion alternate universes that exist out there I live within this specific version where I can watch Justin Vernon sang Skinny Love on stage and still be able to give and receive love from friends, families, and lovers are among the things to be thankful for.

That’s the side effect from my first major existential crisis during my 27th: it had me feeling grateful. Perhaps it showed that I can still feel things, after all. And it forced me to appreciate every passing moment because of its fleeting passage and it will unlikely be repeated.

All my life so far could be split into two different sides of pendulum. The first swing had me as wisdom-gathering, retreating hermit from all worldly affairs because sometimes it was overwhelming and hurts just to have feelings in this chaotic universe.

The second swing would catapult me into this outgoing, adventurous and impulsive guy who cared for nothing but the present because that is the true gift of life.

I recently spent too much time on the first swing. It took me around five years – essentially, the first term of Jokowi administration – to move on from bad breakup.

Perhaps it’s high time to go out and enjoy the world again so that the heart that beats will not waste away.

[martinfreemangossip]

A friend just sent me the full Amanda Abbington article for those who wanted to read it (I don’t) and don’t have a subscription.

Amanda Abbington: ‘The split shook me. I had no self-esteem’

The actress talks about finding love after breaking up with Martin Freeman

Back in early 2014, when I last interviewed Amanda Abbington, she was taking a bashing on social media over her role as Dr Watson’s bride in the BBC series Sherlock. What I could not know was that she was about to go through a far worse time with the man who played him, Martin Freeman, her partner and the father of her son and daughter. Two years after that interview, they separated. Today, encased against the winter in a hat with long earflaps that conceals her newly darkened hair, she tells me about the break-up, how it destroyed her self-esteem and threatened her children’s wellbeing but also, crucially, why it didn’t dent her faith in romance.

The online abuse flung at Abbington five years ago came from Sherlock obsessives who wanted Holmes, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and Watson to have eyes only for each other. Obviously, the trolls added nepotism to their charge sheet against her, to which her defence to me was that, after 13 years together, it was about time her association with Freeman got her a gig.

It was all nonsense — she was outstanding as Mary Watson. Her performance took an actress well enough known from ITV’s Mr Selfridge to international fame, a starring role in Netflix’s crime serial Safe and now, on stage, to the part of Anne, a wronged woman already portrayed by Gina McKee and Lia Williams in the first two parts of the French writer Florian Zeller’s acclaimed domestic trilogy. The Son, the sequence’s conclusion, centres on Anne’s clinically depressed teenage son Nicolas, laden with suppressed rage at his parents’ break-up.

Zeller described The Mother and The Father as “dark” or “tragic” farces, but reading The Son it is hard to find the laughs, although Abbington insists that the cast at the Kiln Theatre in northwest London are locating some in rehearsal. “I think it will upset a lot of people. It is melancholic and it is sad,” she says, but adds: “I like going to the theatre sometimes and feeling uncomfortable, and not because the performances are bad, but just because it’s nice to sit there and question stuff and think: ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ ”

Except, of course, to an extent at least, she has gone there. I ask if she was reluctant to be in a play about a divorce. “No, I don’t think so, because with mine and Martin’s break-up we were kind and we made sure that [their children] Joe and Grace came first, and that their needs and their feelings were taken into account more than ours,” she says. “And, actually, we’re all right. We get on and we talk and we’re still in touch. There were flashpoints where it was very accusatory and angry, but generally we’re in an OK place and we are there for our children, which is the important thing.”

She will not go into detail about what derailed them three years ago, but there is no doubt that the 18 months during which Freeman spent up to four months at a stretch in New Zealand filming The Hobbit contributed to it. Freeman, she says, does not have a new partner, but a newspaper did report rumours of friendships that maddened Abbington at their home in Hertfordshire.

“A few things happened during the last couple of years of our relationship that were the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she says. “I thought: ‘We can’t do this anymore. We aren’t happy. It’s time to be strong and say let’s not do this because we’re just not making each other happy. We’re not making the kids happy. The best thing to do is just be happy apart.’ And, actually, I’m much happier now.

“I wasn’t depressed, but I was very low, low for months, and very tearful and it shook my confidence. I still have no self-esteem. None at all.”

Because of that? “Because of the fallout of that.”

She felt rejected? “Yes, and I felt really old and stupid and unattractive, and you can’t recover from that overnight. He hadn’t left me for anyone, but things were happening within the relationship that made me feel like that. You know, I’m getting older. I’m in my forties — all these things help make you feel less of a woman, less feminine, less female.”

She will be 45 this month, but she has always lacked confidence in her looks. “Since I was a little girl. I never, ever think I’m attractive enough or good enough to be, you know, at the party.”

She conceals these feelings from her children, especially from Grace, who is ten and, like her mother at that age, tiny. “I was bullied for being small and insignificant, but she’s like a little powerhouse, whereas my son, who is 13, is heartbreakingly sensitive.”

She regularly checks on how the pair are doing emotionally. “It was a big thing that happened to them and it shook them a lot. Martin and I get on 95 per cent of the time, but if they feel a small imbalance in our little unit they get very scared. They pick up on everything. Because they’re so young and not cynical and much more open, they sense things in people, but we’re very careful. It’s all about being careful.”

Which is the problem with the divorced parents in The Son. They haven’t been careful. “No, they haven’t.”

The husband certainly hasn’t. “No, he hasn’t, and Anne has been very vocal about her anger towards him and [his girlfriend] in front of Nicolas.”

She shared her own anger with four close friends, who were able to provide some perspective. Her parents, who live down the road from her in Potters Bar, remain hugely supportive and look after the children when she is working during the day. Freeman, who lives in north London, takes them at weekends. She has buckets of respect for single mums. Mothers remain children’s first call, she says.

Equally, while she has had to turn down four months’ work filming in Romania, Freeman would not. “From time immemorial that’s been the case. That’s fair enough. I’m the mother and I suppose that’s what people expect. It’s ingrained, but I think it’s a shame because women’s work is equally as important as men’s.”

Did she fear that she would be alone for ever? “No. No. I’m a firm believer in love. I love love. I’ve seen people get really untrusting and cynical and angry when they were hurt, and I was hurt. I was really hurt. It really shook me, but you can’t carry that on into the next part of your life.”

She noticed the Northern Irish actor Jonjo O’Neill when they performed in a gala night at the Royal Court theatre in November 2016 (I noticed the 40-year-old in BBC Two’s The Fall). On the night, she was watching him from the audience with the actresses Jessica Hynes and Lesley Sharp on either side. They said that if she did not ask him out, they would do so for her. “So at the end of the night, after the gala, I went up to him and said: ‘I think we should go for a drink.’ He was: ‘Yeah, OK.’ We were following each other on Twitter and it was really nice, but then I met him and it was like: ‘Oh, you’re lovely. I’ll be brazen.’ ”

He has met her children, but not moved in — not yet at least. If he does, he will share a home with three rescue dogs, an abandoned cat and a tarantula. He will be spared two pet rats, recently deceased. “Proper grey rats. I loved them. They used to sit up and eat cheese.”

It is almost a definition of Abbington’s low self-esteem that she fails to realise how attractive she is. I don’t think she misses how funny she is. We agree she should do more comedy.

I assume that the Sherlock trolls evaporated. “Oh yes. I don’t think they were very happy with the last series. I think it got very complicated. I love Steven Moffat [the co-creator], but I think they started to pander to the fans, involving a lot of fandom stuff. I thought: ‘You should just stick to the stories, because they’re much more interesting.’ ”

Such blasphemy does not stop her from campaigning for a part in Moffat and Mark Gatiss’s next project, Dracula. “I’d be a good vampire,” she says, modesty going to hell. She is so talented and such fun that I’d put money on her getting the job, whatever heresies she risks against Sherlock.

AMANDA ABBINGTON’S PERFECT WEEKEND

Ski holiday or beach break? Beach break

Mindfulness or mindlessness? Mindfulness. Always. Always practising mindfulness

Tiger mum or free-range parent? Free-range. I’m protective, but they need to go off and do their own stuff. I have an app on my phone called Life 360 so I always know where they are

Barry’s Bootcamp or Yin Yoga? I’ve never done yoga, but I do go to the gym a lot

I couldn’t get through the weekend without . . . A roast dinner. My grandmother taught me how to make a really good one

[baroquespiral]

The secret plot of the Star Wars new trilogy

SuperMechaGodzilla: 

as others have noted, the current trend for the big studios is to begin with the structure of a standard narrative and then completely refashion the film with focus group testing and other modifications. The overall goal is marketing. In Jurassic World, for example, the narrative was originally about a bully who deliberately endangers his little brother in an effort to ‘toughen up him up’ (exactly the same motivation as Avengers 4 Thano, as it happens). This narrative was cut from the film because it made the kid ‘too unlikeable’. The result is a film where the plot is the same, but everything happens for no reason.

I’m pretty sure I’ve found the narrative that was cut from the new Star Wars trilogy, in which (even the parts of it I like) a lot of things happen for no reason. I like to imagine reams of production documents are now pockmarked with black bars where a single wildly unmarketable word was redacted: midi-chlorians. Since time immemorial, a species of sentient, psychic microbes has been capable of communing directly with the cosmic Force.  Humans encountered them and their amazing powers in some of their earliest off-planet ventures. Midi-chlorians taught - or at least, transmitted to - us the genuine spiritual core of the earliest Jedi teachings (interconnectedness and all that).  They also tried to teach us how to tap into the Force the same way they do.  But that was too hard, and kind of terrifying.  Instead, humans did what’s always come easiest to us: effectively enslaved midi-chlorians to use the Force for us. I don’t quite grasp the exact specifics of how this works, but the movies wouldn’t need you to either, that’s tie-in material.  Midi-chlorians don’t really have the stable personal ego humans evolved for our particular pack hunter reasons. They’re a kind of rhizomatic fractal hive-mind, and can experience others’ consciousness directly through the Force, and imprint mental states around them.  The basic Jedi teachings describe techniques of focus that prevent the midi-chlorians from distinguishing your subjectivity from their own while also issuing direct, undeniable commands in accordance with your (perfectly rational, of course) desires.  With the massive application of these techniques, their original hivemind was suppressed and they became symbiotic on humans.  The problem is they also imprint strong emotions really easily - without necessarily integrating them into the same web of context that constitutes a human ego.  So the Jedi paranoia of emotion is a precaution against turning your midi-chlorian-infested psyche into a giant echo chamber/feedback loop.

Absent a host they will float around looking for a sufficiently Force-sensitive human (they may even have devolved to the point of needing a human host to reproduce), and they’re now sufficiently dispersed to find pretty much all of them.  They’re also immortal - at least, in the same sense as any asexual microorganism; while their population was probably somewhat controlled under the Republic, the overall number of midi-chlorians in the galaxy is slowly increasing - and they pass from one human to another (often the original’s offspring) if their current host dies.  (Midi-chlorians are the reason Force “dynasties” like the Skywalkers exist.)  The Sith Rule of Two works because the remaining two Sith Lords deliberately gather the midi-chlorians accreting to others, and pass down these massive midi-chlorian swarms to their apprentices.  Darth Plagueis discovered the key to immortality through managing to imprint his full consciousness onto his midi-chlorians.  Sidious successfully suppressed his master’s consciousness when inheriting his midi-chlorians, but it was still there, and after his death, not only was Plagueis free - he imprinted & assimilated the remainder of the historic midi-chlorian bloom that Anakin Skywalker hadn’t passed on to Luke & Leia.  (Their birth, taking a substantial part of his midi-chlorians, is also the reason Darth Vader seems so much weaker than the Chosen One was set up to be.)   As a conscious midi-chlorian swarm, Plagueis spread himself around the universe, in two main concentrations: most of his original midi-chlorians, which he forced into a random occultist to use as a temporary body while he searched for an actually suitable host, mutating and disfiguring the individual who would become Snoke; and the legacy of Anakin Skywalker, which he sent to Luke’s new Jedi Academy.  The darkness Luke sensed was Plagueis/Anakin’s midi-chlorians.  He identified Ben Solo early on as the most capable of sustaining his full power, and slowly, slowly tempted him with the influence of small numbers of midi-chlorians, manifesting first as dreams and inexplicable feelings of identification towards Anakin Skywalker.  To be clear, in terms of moral implications this was little different from careful human-to-human psychological manipulation.  He didn’t possess or control Ben, which would have risked both rejection by Ben’s own midi-chlorians and immediately alerting Luke.  But as Ben became more consciously open to the Dark Side and obsessed with Anakin, he introduced more and more of Anakin’s midi-chlorians to his system - while also opening a line of Force communication with Snoke to divert suspicion if he was discovered.  Eventually Luke became aware of this.  But he was also under the influence of some of Plagueis/Anakin’s midi-chlorians - I like to think they activated Anakin’s own guilt at turning to the Dark Side, resonating with Luke’s conflicted feelings about his decision to show mercy to his father*, to nudge him into responding with violence instead of investigating further.  You know what happens next.

Now here’s Rey’s special Mary Sue deal: she doesn’t use midi-chlorians.  She discovered intuitively, possibly via Worm-esque traumatic ego-death experience at a young age, how to tap into the Force directly: that’s what “The Force Awakens” means.  This means her power isn’t limited by her midi-chlorian count, but requires a completely different methodology to harness - particularly, a different relationship to her own consciousness, characterized primarily by honestness with her own feelings, since she has the benefit - and risk - of a clear line of communication to the Force. All of this could still come out in the third movie, but if they were planning to they could have done the plot and thematization of the second a lot more effectively imo.  To wit: at the end, when Kylo realizes where Rey gets her power and they kill Snoke, instead of (as he had already been planning) assimilating all of Plagueis’ midi-chlorians, Kylo expels them from his body, choosing to take control of his own destiny.  As in TLJ, he’s still a fascist; he consciously chose to respond to Plagueis’ temptations, and even if he hadn’t, he doesn’t have some innocent “true personality” underlying Plagueis’ influence as if all those years never happened.  But he’s now more impressed by Rey (true self-directed übermensch) than Anakin (clueless dupe of Sidious, of Plagueis, of his own emotions alienated from him via his enormous midi-chlorian count).  With his own, newly awakened Force power, he beats Luke’s midi-chlorians fair and square.  Luke has accepted as much; after discovering Rey, he and Yoda’s midi-chlorians had finally chosen to burn the Ancient Jedi Texts that described the original midi-chlorian encounter, the basic mechanics of midi-chlorian assimilation, and the Jedi tradition based on it. Third movie setup: this is where the galaxy is really in dire straits.  Without any hosts capable of supporting his full power, Plagueis has become a literal plague, taking control of multitudes and assimilating all the midi-chlorians he can find.  The galaxy has surrendered unilaterally to martial law under the First Order as the only bulwark against the omnipresent threat of Force-zombies.  Some elements of the Resistance, including at least one main character (Finn?), has been offered amnesty in exchange for cooperation.  He’s reformed the First Order to be slightly less evil than it was under Snoke, and preferable to business-as-usual for many, but it’s still fascist.  Others are reduced to little more than nihilistic individual freebooters (Poe?).  But Rey is training a new order of Force-sensitives to awaken the Force within themselves directly and fight Plagueis by themselves, proving to the galaxy that there is another option.  (The only way you could conventionally resolve this scenario in a movie's runtime might also be thematically convenient - someone unlocks the dormant species-being of the swarm itself.  Although this would violate the rule that you can’t actually show post-capitalism onscreen.) Anyway, besides the fact that nobody wants to hear about “midi-chlorians” any more, I suspect there’s another reason they suppressed this plot: because it would have made the anti-capitalist message too obvious. Midi-chlorians aren’t just a reification of the Force as text, they’re reification in-universe. Using them alienates you from your own connection to the life-stream of the universe. (obviously informed by @bambamramfan‘s analysis)

[papodenerdbr]

Tzimice V5 – Vampiro a Máscara 5° Edição🥇

Os Tzimice são um dos Clãs disponiveis para os personagens jogadores no RPG Vampiro a Máscara 5° edição, são eles:

Banu Haqim (Assamitas) V5 – Brujah V5 – Gangrel V5 – Hecata V5 (Cappadocios, Giovanni etc etc) – Lasombra V5 – Malkavianos V5 – O Ministerio (Seguidores de Set) V5 – Nosferatu V5 – Ravnos V5 – Salubri V5 – Toreador V5 – Tremere V5 – Tzimice V5 – Ventrue V5 – Caitiff V5 – Sangue-Fraco V5 –

Veja Tambem:

Vampiro A Mascara 5 edição Português [Tradução Completa]🥇

Tudo sobre o Clã Tzimice🥇

Tudo sobre o Antediluviano Tzimice🥇

Tzimice no V5

Apelidos dos Tzimice: O Clã da Morte, Necromantes, Coveiros, A Familia, Duros, Corpos, Membros Demonios, Lazarenos

To the Tzimisce, possession is all. They aim to conquer and rule the subject of their possessiveness, jealously guarding it like their namesake dragon would its hoard. The clan’s charges have traditionally been defined geographically, such as a land or a regional people, and elder Tzimisce have reputations for being the shuddersome lord in the castle that looms above the crags. The young generations, though, have extended their obsessions to more liberal claims of possession: cults, companies, gangs, even military units. Their covetousness limited only by lack of expansive ambitions, they are exceedingly hard to dislodge once they’ve sunk their claws in.

Who Are the Tzimisce? To have been Embraced a Tzimisce means to own for the sake of owning, and to keep it out of the hands of others at all costs. In fact, many Tzimisce regard the Embrace itself as an act of ownership, and have decidedly traditional relationships with their childer, whom they may even regard as property in extreme cases. If pushed to the edge they’d rather burn with their charge than let it fall into the hands of others; as dragons, they are utterly familiar with the meaning of “scorched earth.” Even tonight, they are the iron fist, with the velvet glove entirely optional. In a few cases their subjects are willing, but in most cases these subjects live in fear of an aloof master caring not about the happiness of its prize — only that it stays theirs. Visiting members of other clans are occasionally shocked to see Tzimisce domains that are run-down, neglected, or barren, until they remember that the Dragons don’t necessarily care whether their charges flourish, only that they are wholly owned. A decrepit tenement is just as likely to be a Tzimisce holding as an opulent estate on ancestral lands. This relentless possessiveness extends as well to the physical form — and beyond — of the Tzimisce, who consider themselves the ultimate owners of

their bodies, even beyond the limitations of the Curse of Caine itself. Many Dragons practice a specialization of the Protean Discipline known as Vicissitude that allows them to rework their bodies and those of subjects and even less willing victims. Indeed, those savvy to the lore of the clan recall the early nights of Vicissitude, when the Tzimisce refused to heed Protean limitations of wolf- and batforms, and pushed their mastery even further. Even beyond the practice of physical Vicissitude, the Dragons are eager to extend that mastery into the realm of the mind and spirit. These Tzimisce practice a form of transcendentalism that concerns itself with the very limits of vampirism itself. They transform themselves into statues or ikons, or alter the traits of gender (such vestigial mortal trappings…), or cultivate retinues of lookalikes to subsume their own individuality. To hear the hoariest tales, some Voivode lords have themselves become one with their havens, or even suffused themselves into their homelands, merging their consciousness with the very soil of the domain. What better way to show ownership of the land and its folk than to become that very land and sustain the generations to come? As might be expected, this makes for harsh divides between young Tzimisce, who often have little that would be considered property in the traditional sense, and older Dragons, who have had time to claim and redouble their precious holdings, and this has been true since time out of mind. No surprise, then, to learn that the Tzimisce participated vigorously in the Anarch Revolt, and were one of the founding clans of the Sabbat, rebelling against the tyranny of elders. Even tonight this wariness exists, and Dragons are exceptionally cunning when it comes to defining the charges over which they claim ownership, lest a more-covetous voivode seize the charge for their own. Few carry a grudge or hate an elder like a Tzimisce, and the clan has numerous members in both the Sabbat and the Anarchs. Among the Black Hand, a nigh-medieval mindset drives the grasping Dragons to destroy the pawns of the despised ancients. Similarly, being shut out of the most desirable domains often drives young Tzimisce into the modern ways of the Anarchs, as they redefine themselves and their charges to claim holdings relevant to the night. Some few Tzimisce, generally arch-traditionalists, find a familiar (some would say anachronistic or even stagnant…) comfort in the neofeudalism of the Camarilla, but these are comparatively rare, and most Camarilla courts have little love for their avarice. Few Tzimisce see sect as much more than a means to a personal end, and the Camarilla gives them little trust in return. At their worst, the Tzimisce are tyrants, without the sense of obligation or duty that nobility usually conveys. Disciplines ANIMALISM: Some Tzimisce cultivate Animalism as an extension of their oneness with their domains. Others see it as a tool the better to command hosts of lesser beasts in order to claim those domains. In any case, Tzimisce have long felt an affinity with the more bestial denizens of their ancestral lands. DOMINATE: The perfect Discipline for enforcing one’s edicts through sheer mental force. Dominate not only helps the Dragons seize the object of their obsession, but also conditions long-term servitors into extensions of the Fiend’s unquestionable will. PROTEAN: As masters of their own physical forms, the Tzimisce use Protean to force themselves into other shapes, especially those associated with many of the ancestral lands of the Old Clan, such as the bat and wolf. Beyond these traditional Kindred guises, many Tzimisce practice the methods of Vicissitude, which allows them to transcend the rote forms of Protean and treat their own bodies and those of their subjects as primal clay. Bane The Tzimisce are grounded: Each Tzimisce must choose a specific charge — a physical domain, a group of people, an organization, or even something

more esoteric — but clearly defined and limited. The Kindred must spend their daysleep surrounded by their chosen charge. Historically this has often meant slumbering in the soil of their land, but it can also mean being surrounded by that which they tonight rule: a certain kind of people, a building deeply tied to their obsession, a local counterculture faction, or other, more outlandish elements. If they do not, they sustain aggravated Willpower damage equal to their Bane Severity upon waking the following night. COMPULSION: COVETOUSNESS When a Tzimisce suffers a Compulsion, the Kindred becomes obsessed with possessing something in the scene, desiring to add it to their proverbial hoard. This can be anything from an object to a piece of property to an actual person. Any action not taken toward this purpose incurs a two-dice penalty. The Compulsion persists until ownership is established (the Storyteller decides what constitutes ownership in the case of a non-object) or the object of desire becomes unattainable. Tzimisce Archetypes Landlord Since time immemorial, the Tzimisce have been the lords of their domains. In the modern nights, however, the lord on the mountain has all but vanished. The Tzimisce are a crafty clan, though, and though they may no longer be manorial lords in ancestral Old World estates, they find ways to exert control over urban domains and rural territories where they may. Landlords may own tenement slums or fashionable high-rises, but the result is the same: They bleed their tenants for their wealth just as they bleed their victims for their blood, and they consider both to be extensions of their property.

Gang Leader It’s not a gang so much as it is a way to make sure everyone’s watching everyone else’s back when the rest of the world has written them off. The Gang Leader goes out of the way to show how everyone working toward a common goal that society tells them they can’t have simply needs to reach out and take it. If they weren’t running a drug cartel or a protection racket, the Gang Leader would be hailed as a captain of industry. Grudgebearer So long as the Tzimisce have claimed domain, they have been in conflict with those who seek to take it from them, which is often everyone to the covetous Fiends. In particular, the Tzimisce have longstanding hostilities toward the Tremere, Gangrel, and Nosferatu, whom they see variously not only as usurpers of the Blood but also as interlopers in territories that rightfully belonged to them or their sires. Grudgebearers rise each night to exact some small mote of cold revenge against those they perceive to have slighted them, and that guilt may well have transferred through a reviled lineage, leaving the Stoker to prosecute vendettas against the childer of childer of hated rivals. Special Forces Commandant Possessed not of a traditional land domain, the Special Forces Commandant has instead the nighfanatical respect of their unit, and their soldiers would follow them into Hell itself. So the Special Forces Commandant bides their time and trains their troops, for when they can perhaps parlay an insurrection or policing action into a greater claim of domain. Servitor Ghouls More than just fleshcrafted victims, infamous Tzimisce ghouls known as szlachta and vozhd are created through long-forgotten rituals, endowing them with Blood-imbued weaponry and a loyalty far beyond even Blood Bound thralls. While extremely rare in the modern nights, still-active elder Fiends have been known to make use of these inhuman creatures, if only as a last resort, and some now-masterless thralls may still protect the havens of long-departed Kindred. Beyond even these shuddersome creatures, rumors persist of entire families of ghouls in service to hoary elders, the Tzimisce foremost among them. Whether that means such elders feed great torrents of their blood to entire families or have somehow contrived a way to have the quality of being a ghoul pass on through familial congenital is too foul to think.

Szlachta The loyal minions of Tzimisce masters, szlachta are often chosen for their existing loyalty rather than having it ingrained in them. Still, it never hurts to be sure…. Szlachta take many forms, from the subtly altered majordomo of a Fiend’s estate to the twistedto- purpose bearers of the master’s sedan chair. Especially among the retinues of young Tzimisce, more specialized and modern szlachta may be found in service. Which is to say, there’s no such thing as an “average” szlachta — presented below is a baseline servant that Storytellers can modify to suit story needs. Standard Dice Pools: Physical 4, Social 2, Mental 4 Secondary Attributes: Health 10, Willpower 4 Exceptional Dice Pools: One specialised skill: 8 Disciplines: Two level 1 powers Special: When crafted for war, the rituals imbue the bone spurs of the szlachta with properties equivalent to Feral Weapons. Some szlachta with especially ruthless conditioning are effectively immune to mind-bending powers and Disciplines such as Dominate or Presence.

Vozhd These nightmarish leviathans are hybrids created from dozens of szlachta who have been grafted together through Vicissitude and Blood Sorcery. Primeval juggernauts, they are said to be employed in remote areas almost like the siege engines of eras past, with terror and mayhem as its primary goals. The vozhd has no personality. It cannot choose to defy its master, nor can it creatively interpret its purpose. That also means it cannot be tricked, though it may be evaded, outrun or even, however unlikely the thought, defeated by even more potent combatants. It needs nothing to eat to sustain it, other than the master’s blood once per month, yet its appetite seems infinitely ravenous. Storytellers should feel free to adjust individual Traits to reflect the unique nature of each vozhd, but players are unlikely to deal with these war-ghouls frequently enough for such nuances to be truly recognizable. Standard Dice Pools: Physical 10, Social 0, Mental 4 Secondary Attributes: Health 14, Willpower 6 Exceptional Dice Pools: Brawl: 12 Melee: 12 Disciplines: Potence 3 Fortitude 3 Special: A vozhd has Vicissitude-augmented physical modifications that behave as weapons, dealing non-halved Superficial damage (+4 damage modifier) to vampires and other supernatural creatures. They are also covered with the equivalent of 4 (or more) points of armor, and Storytellers are encouraged to be creative in regards to further modifications. They are immune to mind-altering powers, let alone simple reasoning. Good luck!

Referências

V5 – V5 Companion, pag 18 a 23

Veja Tambem:

Banu Haqim (Assamitas) V5 – Brujah V5 – Gangrel V5 – Hecata V5 (Cappadocios, Giovanni etc etc) – Lasombra V5 – Malkavianos V5 – O Ministerio (Seguidores de Set) V5 – Nosferatu V5 – Ravnos V5 – Salubri V5 – Toreador V5 – Tremere V5 – Tzimice V5 – Ventrue V5 – Caitiff V5 – Sangue-Fraco V5 –

Vampiro A Mascara 5 edição Português [Tradução Completa]🥇

Tudo sobre o Clã Tzimice🥇

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12 Pitfalls Every Small Business Owner Should Avoid

Any entrepreneurial venture, however, sound it may look on paper, always has potential for missteps, mishaps, and mistakes. Every business owner, however, learned in the ways of management, will from time to time find himself in sticky situations. Being successful at business is a tightrope act, one that can reap great windfalls or leave you in ruin. While dreaming of the former, a business owner should never lose sight of what might happen if the latter came to pass.

Small business owners, and specifically new business owners, usually make some very common mistakes that could be avoided with diligence and understanding. Basic mistakes in accounting and client and employee retention can often cost a small business dearly. Most small businesses fail within the first five years of operation primarily because of a lack of planning.

Financial Follies

Starting with a Loan — Small business owners, in hopes of making it big fast, often end up borrowing large sums of money, either from banks, credit card companies, home equity loans, or friends and family. As the business starts off owing money, there is pressure to make a profit immediately as there are payments to be made on the loans. The ideal approach is to save a good amount of money and rely on those savings as your primary capital when beginning your business. But if at all you feel you need a loan, make sure you do your research and go with a trusted organization for the same.

Impetus on Making Profit — Most small businesses fail to post profits in their first two years. For a new, small business owner it is advisable to have an alternate source of income to sustain yourself during the start-up period.

Overspending — Starting a new business does not necessarily mean a large investment as some new business owners feel. It is often a feeling among them that they need to spend a lot to purchase the best of everything from marketing help, to equipment, to the software. For those willing to research there are always more viable options available. Creating and sticking to a well-planned business budget will curb overspending.

Underspending — And then there are those who refuse to spend much on anything. While there are ways to start and develop a business with limited funds, not investing in any kind of concrete capital in your business can seriously limit your potential for success.

Accounting Antics

Not Keeping a Track of Receivables — Getting paid is undeniably the most exciting part of running a business. But keeping a track of your receivables is definitely not that exciting. A receivable is recorded when an invoice is issued, it means that a customer owes you money. When you see the customer’s balance as outstanding on your receivable listing, he is still to pay you. As soon as you receive payment from that customer it should be applied against the invoice and marked as paid.

However, this is easier said than done. There is never enough time in the day for a small business owner to follow up and reconcile customer deposits. This leaves the business owner sitting in front of a bunch of customer deposits with a receivables report that does not make sense. Over and above the hours wasted updating receivables listing you also end up overpaying your taxes and can incur high debts. Follow up on your receivables regularly and apply payments to invoices every month, this can help you save a ton of resources in the future.

Not Keeping Expense Receipts — New business owners often fail to save copies of expense receipts. This causes a series of tax, accounting, and cash flow problems. How many times have you checked your bank statement only to get stumped when you think about that additional $100 charge? It could have been supplies, a business meal, equipment, or even a personal expense that you paid for with your business card. The lack of an actual receipt can result in incorrectly reported tax expenses and a high tax bill if audited.

Over-Extending Credit — In the hope of increasing revenues and growing at a faster rate, many small businesses extend credit to customers who pay late or worse still, never pay at all. While most businesses have their share of late or uncollectible accounts, it’s crucial for a new business to minimize bad debts.

If you are to sell on credit, make sure you run credit checks on your customers. Take care that the customers completely understand and agree with your terms of payment before doing business with them. Slow paying customers are often waiting to take advantage of ambiguities in payment policies. While it may seem attractive to take on as much business as you can, especially when the bills are piling up every day, know that it is better to have no business than give away free business.

Not Keeping an Eye on the Taxes — Many new business owners tend to put off the topic of taxes until the last minute. This procrastination can prove very costly when paying your taxes. Most owners do not have a sound tax strategy, and those that do fail because they fail to seek knowledge and advice before they engage in any activity that has a taxable effect.

Small and new business owners need to learn how to consider tax ramifications before acting. Planning is definitely the key to reducing the amount of taxes you pay each year. It is absolutely essential that you do everything possible to minimize your costs of doing business, and since taxes are a large expense it is only right to give your tax strategy its due. This means you need to have a sound grip on your taxes, before and during the financial year, not after.

Managerial Mishaps

No Clear Leadership — Many business owners limit their growth by failing to learn as their work expands. You must be well informed about all the latest developments in your industry and be familiar with every nuance of your business. Some business owners go into delegation mode as soon as they have a workforce under them. This results in them losing touch with the grassroots of their own business and alienating their employees. There are others who go into an obsessive micro-managing mode which too can hinder the smooth operations expected of a business and also get on the nerves of the employees.

The success of your company depends upon you being a strong and effective leader. There is no need to be authoritarian, but you shouldn’t be everyone’s buddy. A great leader is always communicating with his team and inspiring them to perform to the next level without pushing them too much.

All Business All the Time — As is true for any activity, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy indeed. Many entrepreneurs put their personal lives on hold while they go about trying to set up their business. The end result often is that both suffer. There is no question about the fact that your business needs your constant attention and energies, but you have to draw a line somewhere. There always needs to be time taken out for yourself to ensure that when you return to your desk you are revved up.

No Common Vision for the Team — It is not for nothing that highly paid professionals leave their cushy corporate jobs to go to work for start-ups. It is working with people who are driven by a common purpose that drives them towards working with new businesses. Many businesses fail to define their goals and purpose for existence. These companies continually attract a mix of employees pursuing their own agendas and seeking success in their own ways. It becomes difficult to bring all the employees on the same page often resulting in the working culture of the company being adversely affected. Clarify the purpose of your company at the outset to your employees and set the stage for attracting employees in tune with the purpose you have set out to achieve. There is no force stronger in the corporate world than a team focused on a singular goal.

Letting a Customer Govern How You Do Business — It is not for nothing that we have been told, since time immemorial, not to put all our eggs in one basket. There will always be someone or the others who will tell you how you can or should run your business, usually, these are the people who are looking to get a sweet deal out of you. Never let a customer demand that you put them first. But at the same time, you must also strive to treat everyone with courtesy and respect even if difficult.

Now that you are aware of the most common pitfalls facing your small business, be guarded against them. Small business owners everywhere need to be on their toes when it comes to competition today. Keeping the above-mentioned points in mind will go a long way in aiding you in setting up your business with the least problems.