#lewis also has it’s just common sense to make sure they have protection

[lovelylunas-world]

Ever single driver should have bodyguards.

Formula 1 has become very popular why don’t they have bodyguards is the question… there like what 100 thousand people at the race track alone hell no should you let your driver walk without security

[diary-of-deadweight]

Masterlist.

Fic Idea by @leximills666

“Anything new?” You asked, sitting yourself in the spare chair between Darcy and Jimmy, who handed you your cup of caffeine. “If you consider Pietro teaching the twins how to stream snacks from the kitchen then no.” Jimmy spoke up, his eyes glued intently to the television for any missable details that could play in your favour. “But Jimmy did almost spill coffee onto Director Hayward.” Darcy shoots the mortified male a amused look as you slapped a hand onto his shoulder, trying so hard not to burst out laughing at the mental image that gave you an good amount of serotonin, “I’d pay good money to see you actually do it, serves him right for calling my friend a terroist.”

It was common knowledge that you and the Maximoff twins were close friends after their introduction to the Avengers as you were gaining some semblance of understanding of your teleportation powers and it’s limitations before trauma bonding with the pair over being Hydras successful lab rats. So when Hayward slagged off Wanda it took Darcy, Monica and Jimmy to hold you back from ending his whole career John Wick style. The bastard got real lucky but you couldn’t promise that the next time was going to have him leave a briefing room without a few bruises and even bruised ego. Fuelled by the frustration of recent events that left you feeling helpless as you were forced to watch the sitcom shenanigans Wanda and her dead yet somehow not dead husband and her adorable twins get into that only made it feel like a horror after they end, leaving you with more questions then answers that weighed on your darkening eyebags and breaking every last ounce of paitience you once thought you had along with the sleepless nights of theorising that went nowhere without someone bringing up a flaw made keeping your powers in check a little more difficult that you’d scare Jimmy, Darcy and Monica on a plethora of occasions.

You just wanted to get them out and be done with Hayward’s suspicious ass. I mean it was clear as fuck that vision was in bits and pieces in the video servalence footage. What was he doing with him? Why did he wait this long to show everyone something that would’ve benefited the opertation from the beginning? THAT was suspicious behaviour and yet no one was gonna question it?! Gotta love corruption I guess. “Anything new Dr Lewis?” Speaking of corruption, here it was in human form standing behind you there with his ‘stick up his ass’ attitude; it really pissed you off that you’d love nothing more then to slam your fist into him punchable bitch face until it’s unreagnisable. Sensing your hatred and thirst for violence, Jimmy places a hand on your shoulder and gave you a stern look that read ‘no...not yet at least.’ Sighing you gave him a passable smile before talking a long sip of coffee, making sure to slurp annoyingly loud as possible when Hayward looked at you unamused that you couldn’t help retaliating with a tight lipped smile and the middle finger. Darcy had to cover her mouth from bursting out in hysterics while Jimmy sighed like a disappointed parent but you knew he was trying to hold it together internally as Darcy was. “Nothing worth reporting back on sir.”

Hayward didn’t say anything other then let out a grunt then making his way out of the room not without a snarky comment from you of course, “don’t let the door hit you on the way out directior” to which he replied with as swiftly “appreciate the concern (l/n).” Making sure he was out of sight Darcy burst out laughing so hard she had to lean against you for support while Jimmy allowed himself to chuckle a little had your chest warming up, erasing any forms of pent up frustration like magic. Spending time with these beautiful bastards were what made the sleepless nights worth it in your opinion, knowing that you weren’t alone in wanting to help Wanda instead of harm. “What’re they laughing at?” Monica asked, a dazzling smile adorned her face as she nursed her own coffee between her hands; You shrugged nonchalantly looking back at her with fake innocence that told her more then she needed to know. “The sleep deprivation must’ve caught up to them.”

“Shut up!” The dark haired woman nudged you in the side, almost spilling your coffee in the process, “(y/n) threw some serious sass at Hayward earlier, should’ve been there Monica it was hysterical.” Monica only laughed in response as she patted you on the back, proud that she wasn’t the only one sick of Hayward’s shit, “I guess I should’ve. Would make a great memeory to share in the future” she sat in the chair next to Darcy turning her attention to the screen where Pietro was attempting to be slick and nab a snack while Wanda was cutting onions unflinchingly, only to slip and land flat on his back scaring Wanda as the unseen audicene laughed. Stupid and as cheesy as it was it didn’t fail to make you crack a smile while reminiscing of a similar memory that stuck out like a sore thumb. You and Pietro thought it be a great idea to compete against one another in order to see who’d get to the kitchen first, spoiler: he won by a narrow margin, that still had you calling him a cheat to this day, and decided to hide from you behind the counter like the little shit that he was. Long story short you entered the kitchen thinking you won, he jumps out scaring you so badly that you end up teleporting ontop of him.

“Hey (y/n).” Darcy’s voice brought you back from your thoughts and to reality. The thought of teleporting in there and getting your friends out has been a recurring one though your required to feel someone’s energy signature and with how well getting inside visuals went the likelihood of you sensing Pietro or Wanda for that case wasn’t going to be a piece of cake if it was you’d already have done it by now. “Yes Dr Lewis?” “Think you could-“ teleport inside? Trust me I’ve thought the same thing but the barrier is a major issue standing in my way of actually getting inside and out without trouble.” Despite all odds that didn’t stop you from wanting to give it a try if it meant trapping yourself also you wouldn’t hesitate to do it in a heartbeat. So it took your friends aback when you abruptly stood up from your chair, shoving your coffee into Jimmy’s hands and made a mad dash out of the room and down the corridor unapologetically shoving everyone aside with Monica and Darcy in hot pursuit while poor Jimmy placed your coffee down by your chair and bolted in hopes of catching up but when he did you were already teleported into the barrier that was dragging you into Westview before their eyes.

“(Y/n)!!!!” Monica yelled as she ran towards you, hand outstretched to pull you back but only grasped air when you disappeared form sight, she was so close to saving you but was too late non the less. Darcy and Jimmy shared a look as they came to her side as the feeling of helplessness became more evident within them. “Come on Monica, we can probably catch them on the television.” She said solemnly as they walked back to base.

-meanwhile in Westview-

Scared and confused you found yourself wandering aimlessly down the streets in your new attire of plaid shirt, leather jacket, high waisted trousers, converse and a locket that help a picture of you, Pietro and Wanda inside before finding yourself on your ass looking up at a silver haired male in a black leather jacket, Hawaiian shirt, jeans and worn down sneakers.

“What the-,” his chocolate eyes widened as they landed on your face, “(y/n)?! Is that you?!” His voice was just as you remembered it you smirked, outstreching a hand in a silent jesture to be helped up, “you think I’d let you wander too far?” He chuckled, hauling you off the floor and into his arms, face buried into his neck savouring the brunt sugar smell you’ve missed so much. “I should’ve guessed you’d be several steps behind.” He whispered into your hair, placing a kiss there, immediately comforting you before pulling away to drag you down the street without explanation towards a familiar house that belonged to the auburn haired female who was currently cleaning up after her kids when she saw Pietro, giving him that parental stare. “You’re a bad influence on my kids Pietro, you’re lucky to be my brother or I would’ve blasted across town by now.”

‘Well that ain’t foreboding at all.’ You thought to yourself as you took in the fact that you were finally reunited with the people who meant the most to you, you couldn’t remember when you got here nor how other then the fact that you wanted to visit Pietro and Wanda and that you could teleport. “If it’s any constellation, look who finally decided to pay us a visit.” The silver haired male stepped aside to reveal you in all your unsure glory as Wanda’s eyes widened like they did with Pietro but she didn’t any waste time in running towards you and holding your face in her hands, tears lining her eyes and you couldn’t help but lean into her warmth. “(Y/n)?” She whispered softly. “Hi Wanda, sorry I’m late.” You said as Pietro held both of you close to his chest protectively while Wanda laughed weakly her hand dropping you grasp yours tightly, “all is forgiven now that we’re together...as we should be.” Her eyes flashed red for a split second.

“Yeah, together at last.”

[herorps]

Hey flo do you have a guide to naming Chinese characters?? So I can be ethnically correct !

i apologize for how late this is. i’ve had a very busy work day and i’m only now getting some downtime to sit down and answer this the way i want to answer this. i want to start off by saying that i am chinese-american and that what i say and how i name my chinese characters is based on my personal experiences in my community growing up and what i’ve gathered through long-sought out research and diaspora twitter. 

i also want to say that of course your ethnically chinese character can have an western name, it’s very common that we do, especially in modern times and in immigrant spaces, however i think we should be able to normalize using ethnic names. also unless you are adopted ( see: leah lewis ), in my experience you 100% have a chinese name on top of having a ‘western’ name, so if you want to give your character a western name it’d be accurate to give them a chinese name as well ( see: natasha liu bordizzo/liu chengyu ).

if you find this guide helpful, please like and reblog the post, validate me and if you have any questions/corrections/add ons please let me know! 

i would have you start off by reading this really helpful guide. it’s a little long winded and you don’t have to read all of it but they do a great job with describing the different romanizations of names and how they’re different across different dialects/regions. you need to first decide what context your character exists in, whether they’re from beijing or taipei or hong kong, their full name is going to be spelled differently based on what background you want to give them.

my mother’s surname is actually a great example of this. her surname is 湯 which in mandarin chinese is pronounced “tang” but because my mother’s family is originally taishanese, her last name is romanized “hong” everywhere that uses an english spelling. alternatively, if my mother’s family changed their romanization when they moved to hong kong, where they speak cantonese, her last name would have been romanized as “tong”. 

another example of this is chou tzuyu. because she from taiwan, the romanization of her name is chou tzu yu but if her family was from, like, shanghai her name would be romanized zhou zi yu. same chinese characters ( 周子瑜 ), but because they are pronounced differently across different languages and because she is taiwanese, the romanizations are different. 

so after you’ve decided what romanization you want to give them, the next step is to actually choose a name. i personally begin with the given name with all of my characters because i like attaching a meaning to the given name over the surname. and also surnames are pretty easy to find/figure out.

here is a guide that discusses a little bit about naming conventions in china, particularly about gendered names. i really like what tangelotime had to say about the fact that gender doesn’t really matter when it comes to naming because, in my opinion and experience, it doesn’t. i would say that what would be “gendered” is possibly the way a name sounds. idk how to explain this but there are some names that sound “girly” but more in the sense that it’s like girly vs. butch. and i can’t think of a good example of this so you’re just gonna have to ... idk go with your gut. but for the most part, chinese names are gender neutral. 

what tangelotime also said about how giving a chinese name is intense is absolutely true because there are so many things that parents may consider including chinese zodiac and fengshui and radicals in a certain character and what it means---it’s a sport that i do not have the effort for nor the intelligence to properly explain. however, i think the guides that i’ve linked so far do a good job in explaining that in a way that i cannot. here is another extensive guide, but this one discusses historical contexts ( for all u historical rpers heh ) and more importantly imo, the list of themes that a parent might take in creating a name. 

8/6/21 edit: i came across these pictographs of characters from mdzs that analyze the etymology by the radical that gives you a lot of insight to possible name meanings and to the written chinese language. 

additionally, here is a video by avenue x, an amazing creator on youtube who reviews c dramas and gives a lot of in depth cultural context for some of the shows she watches, that explains the names of characters from word of honor and gives the poetry references that the writers may have used. 

so if you’ve taken a look all the guides i’ve given you, good on you, i really appreciate you putting in all the work. now let me give you some examples of how different things may be taken into consideration when giving a chinese name. 

my given name is 安儀, romanized “on yee” because my family speaks cantonese. the first character means “safe” while the second character means “appearance,” so together my name means “safe appearance”. but, my mom also took into consideration the radicals of the characters as well. the first character looks like it has a hat or a roof on it right? that is intentional. the character underneath the hat is the character/radical for girl, so my mom wanted to make sure that her daughter had something over her that would protect her. hence why she chose the character 安. the second character in my given name consists of primarily two other words/radicals, 亻+ 義. the first radical is a variation of ⼈, the chinese word for “person,” and the second radical can roughly translate to “righteous” which means when put together, 儀 can mean “righteous person.” however 儀 can also come to mean “the appearance of a righteous person” if you consider all of the meanings i’ve given so far. my parents thought heavily about what my name means, not only on a translation level but also on a structural level. 

if you’re writing a family with multiple children, consider having a generational name. in short, generational names usually have a shared character among a single generation of family members. both of my parents and their siblings are named in this manner. my mom and her siblings all have the 華 ( wah ) character in their names. my dad and his brother have the 少 ( siu ) character and his sisters have the 美 ( mei ) character in their names. my grandparents ( both sets ) thought to give their kids a generational link in their names. 

now let’s look at jackson wang’s given name, 嘉尔, which he explained was homophonic in meaning. this is a tangent but chinese people love homophones and it’s why we don’t trust the number 4 but love the number 8. his given name, romanized “gaa yee”/”jia er”  is essentially a homophone for “plus 2″. he said ( in a video that i cannot find anymore ) that his grandfather named him because he wanted the meaning to be “a king with two guards to protect him”. jackson’s last name 王 (wong/wang) means “king” so “king” “plus 2″ is the intention his grandfather had in naming him. 

but if you’re really not versed in things like fengshui or poetry or you don’t have someone with chinese literacy available to you, the next best thing is to honestly ... take a look at media. whether that’s celebrities or film/tv/book characters ( written by actual chinese people pls ) and see what their names are ( or at least the romanizations are ). this will help you figure out what sounds appropriate and what sounds like you’re just mashing sounds together ( see: cho chang is she korean... is she chinese?? who the fuck knows ). and then finding characters that give off a meaning ( like my name meaning “safe appearance” ) is just fine imo. 

and honestly sometimes giving a name doesn’t have to be so deep. like fan bingbing’s name literally translates to “ice ice” and i don’t even know what her brother, chengcheng’s name is supposed to mean, i think their parents just think having the duplicated character is fun and cute. so don’t stress yourself out. 

also a lot of what i’ve gone over has pertained to the common 3-character name ( 1 character surname, 2 character given name ) but you can also consider a 2 character name ( 1 character surname, 1 character given name ) ( see: xiao zhan ) or even a 2 character surname ( see: ouyang nana ). 

so finally, to get you started, here is a short list of characters and their romanizations that you can take a look at.

thank you so much for bearing with me, i know this is a lot of information to take in but it is great that you are seeking this information out in the first place. i also know that this may seem very daunting, and even for me it’s daunting sometimes, but if you have any more questions, please let me know and if you have anything you’d like to add, please let me know. 

[outbythehighwind]

The Misconceptions of FF7: A Cloud, Aerith & Tifa Analysis Part 3/5

Link to all parts: https://outbythehighwind.tumblr.com/post/640347336477966336/the-misconceptions-of-ff7-a-cloud-aerith-tifa

This post will examine the kind of love that Cloud has for Tifa.

I determined last post that his love for Aerith is that of a true and powerful friendship, but can, in interpretation of the narrative (which, unlike plot, is up for player interpretation), additionally be romantic. Regardless of the interpretation, it does not change the plot – that Cloud is romantically in love with Tifa. My emphasis from the prior post is that friendship, along with Eros (romantic love), is one of the highest forms of love, and its meaning & significance has sadly been lost in the world today. So I once again urge that people forsake this notion of ‘competition’ that one girl must win ‘all’ of Cloud’s affections (which is a betrayal to his character, for not all love need be Eros), and that at the expense of ‘winning’, his relationship with the other is belittled. With that in mind, let us proceed to part 3.

Cloud’s Eros love, in the plot sense of FF7, is Tifa.

“The event of falling in love is of such a nature that we are right to reject as intolerable the idea that it should be transitory. In one high bound it has overleaped the massive wall of our selfhood; it has made appetite itself altruistic, tossed personal happiness aside as a triviality and planted the interests of another in the centre of our being.” – C.S. Lewis (on Eros)

I have already established that Tifa is Cloud’s driving force. The weakness he attributes to himself resulted from his inability to save her at age 9 when they fell off Mt. Nibel’s bridge. His desire for strength came from his desire to be able to protect her, and coupled with his “sealed up secret wish” to win her acknowledgement, 14-year-old Cloud left to join SOLDIER.

The depth of Cloud’s feelings toward Tifa (whatever they may be at this stage) is emphasized in the circumstances: that they were not close and yet at 9 years old he had such strong desire to protect her; that over the next five years – despite their minimal interaction – he fervently held that conviction; and that the conviction grew to the point where, the moment he heard of Sephiroth’s strength (a way for him to act on it), he left to join SOLDIER.

A common misperception is that Cloud only wanted general acknowledgement – from Tifa and the other kids and villagers. He did want general acknowledgement, yes. But let us consider the Lifestream revelation summarized in the 12 screenshots below.

When Tifa asks Cloud why he joined SOLDIER, a dialogue occurs between the Cloud she is speaking to and his inner voice in the white text (his true self that they are presently trying to reach). Note that Cloud’s inner voice only ever speaks to Cloud; nobody else can hear it. Here, ‘real’ Cloud (the voice) says to “Ex-SOLDIER” Cloud – ie. Cloud from his inner subconscious says to himself – with both emphasis and exclusivity – “Who? You know who! …You, that’s who.”

“Ex-SOLDIER” Cloud then repeats aloud, “You…” to Tifa.

The context is of the singular person pronoun, in elaboration of Cloud’s statement “someone would notice.”

“You” is exclusively Tifa.

When Tifa is surprised and exclaims why her, Cloud brings up a time in their childhood that she does not recall right away – which he will reveal to be the Mt Nibel bridge incident. Immediately before showing her that memory, ‘little’ Cloud appears (the other manifestation of Cloud’s true self, as I noted earlier). ‘Little’ Cloud invites Tifa into this memory when Tifa engages with “Ex-SOLDIER” Cloud again, who reveals a “A sealed up secret… wish… Tender memories no one can ever know.” This wish is his answer to Tifa’s “Me? Why!?”

Cloud still holding this desire at present is evidenced in that it is “Ex-SOLDIER” Cloud – rather than ‘little’ Cloud – who states this. ‘Little’ Cloud is able to engage with Tifa. Were it his sealed up secret wish alone – something Cloud had only once desired – then he (‘little’ Cloud), not “Ex-SOLDIER” Cloud, would have been the one to tell her.

We are then taken to the specific memory of the day Tifa’s mother died and the accident on the Mt. Nibel bridge; the moment Cloud began his obsession with gaining strength in order for that sealed up secret wish to be realized (as he saw it).

I’ve already discussed his feelings of weakness and failure with regard to protecting Tifa. So I will just point out the last screenshot below in light of the sequence before it, where he says “Then even Tifa would have to notice me…”

Tifa being singled out as the “Who” he wanted to be noticed by has already been confirmed. This statement does not alter that exclusivity. Rather, it is Cloud’s affirmation to himself that his goal will be realized through the means of ‘strength’; if he becomes ‘strong’ then he will be acknowledged by others, he will be worthy – and surely then, even Tifa would have to notice him.

Cloud promised to be Tifa’s personal “hero”. What he has already resolved to strive for becomes a binding, personal promise between them – having resulted from, to his surprise, Tifa’s suggestion. This promise is both the heart of the entire internal plot (saving Cloud) and what brings Cloud and Tifa into the external plot (saving the Planet).

“Hero” to Cloud is synonymous with “SOLDIER”. “Ex-SOLDIER” Cloud therefore feels enabled to keep the promise, and joins AVALANCHE (and the fight for the Planet) with the sole primary purpose, as it had always been, of protecting Tifa.

Even while Cloud’s ‘real’ self is trapped in his subconscious and his memory is muddled, Tifa’s uniquely distinct importance to him is enforced throughout “Ex-SOLDIER’s” journey. Alongside this is the emphasis of his reliance on her – that Cloud, striving to be strong for Tifa, sees Tifa as his source of strength.

He hopes in himself because Tifa knew him.

He trusts only Tifa in what is true pertaining to himself.

It is when Sephiroth breaks through the trust between them that Cloud’s entire identity shatters (both “Ex-SOLDIER” Cloud and ‘real’ Cloud are lost). Sephiroth plays to Tifa’s confusion surrounding Cloud’s identity and her doubt in her own memories that do not align with Cloud’s. It is when she cannot give Cloud an answer that Sephiroth is able to convince Cloud of the lie that he is not the “Cloud of Nibelheim” she grew up with – synonymous with him not being Cloud the being at all.

Sephiroth, whilst successfully manipulating Cloud, is still threatened by their bond. He keeps an illusion over Cloud where Cloud cannot hear Tifa’s voice as she screams for him to not hand over the Black Materia. Later, Cloud will hear her voice above the cries of all souls within the Lifestream.

In the Lifestream, Cloud and Tifa cry out to one another simultaneously and Cloud draws her into his subconscious. This is revealed in both versions of their night under the Highwind, and is thus an emphasized plot matter – the big difference being that in the low affection version (see the red textboxes below) Cloud is thinking out loud rather than speaking directly to Tifa.

The English translation is vague in the fourth screenshot (“I think I’ve heard about it too”) – the Japanese being 俺も、聞いたような気がするな (which literally translates to “I feel like I heard it too”). “It” is referring to Tifa’s voice outlaid the fifth screen – “At that time, it was Tifa’s voice…” (あの時、TIFAの声を). Cloud chooses to introspect rather than engage directly with Tifa.

In the high affection version, the same term is used: he says to her that it was her voice (TIFAの声が) calling him from “the sea of consciousness in the Lifestream” (ライフストリームの意識の海から). The English translates this as: “You were calling me back from the consciousness in the Lifestream”, which, in both high and low affection alternatives, refers to all souls within the Lifestream (for Tifa quotes that her and Cloud were “surrounded by all those screams of anguish” when they were separated in their fall).

The point I wish to get across is this: that in both versions, Cloud’s subconscious cries out for Tifa and simultaneously hears her crying out for him amidst every scream from those returned to the Lifestream. We see this scene play out not as Cloud, but as Tifa, and the black void emphasizes their complete separation. Yet Cloud, in comatose state, unable to communicate physically at all, manages to draw her into his very subconscious.

Now here is the thing most players miss:

Aerith – as Cloud knows for certain – is also in the Lifestream, and having maintained her full consciousness rather than merging with the Lifestream like all these other souls crying out, would be capable of reaching both Cloud and Tifa more easily than they can reach each other.

Is she aware of their situation? Undoubtedly, she would have been watching over them throughout their entire journey since her passing. Does she somehow help behind the scenes? Quite possibly, and very likely. Aerith is already implied to be the reason Cloud survived the week before he washed up on the shores of Mideel (Cid is told by one of his finders, “That boy must have one powerful guardian angel watchin’ over him”).

So I like to think Aerith had a part in Cloud and Tifa’s survival too – but we’ll leave that one to theory. Just a thought.

Whatever transpired, only Tifa could reach the ‘real’ Cloud, and I have no doubt that Aerith knew this. So Cloud reaches Tifa and Tifa reaches Cloud, with all of their being each crying out for the other.

Now, we come to the long debated ‘scene’ – did Cloud and Tifa make love under the Highwind?

I believe the answer to be, under the high affection version, yes. But that is irrelevant to this discussion of whether their love is romantic – for that experience is not a plot matter (occurring in one narrative alternative), and may operate without Eros or as part of Eros. Of course, in Cloud and Tifa’s case, it would have stemmed from their Eros (my point simply being that it is not a necessary ‘proof’ of their love).

But before considering the high affection alternative, let us turn to what we can find in the low affection scene. The scene also results in Cloud and Tifa sleeping against each other. After they board the airship the next morning, they find Barret, Cid and Red XIII and the following conversation ensues:

Tifa then runs to the window and faces the other direction in an awkward stance, while Cloud turns away also and scratches the back of his neck. “Were you listening?” If nothing romantic was said at all, as the argument goes, what then is there to make of their embarrassed reactions?

In the high affection version, this conversation with Barret, Cid and Red XIII plays out the same up until the point where Tifa responds. Instead of saying, “Were you listening?” she asks “Were you watching?” and then falls to her knees in embarrassment.

There is a reason there are two versions of this scene and it is not whether Cloud and Tifa ‘get together romantically’ at all. Rather, it is what transpires – according to the player’s agency (for their earlier decisions result in either narrative) – around Cloud and Tifa’s sealing of their romantic relationship (Cloud’s feelings having already been brought to light in the Lifestream):

        In the low affection version, they declare it with words (that their friends listen in on).

        In the high affection version, they declare it, like they have been declaring it the entire game, through actions (which their friends, to their dismay, end up watching).

Now, with Cloud’s love for Tifa having been openly revealed in the Lifestream, this night under the Highwind is centered on the revelation of her love for him, and upon that love being mutual, the sealing of their relationship. The version the player ends up with is therefore dependent on the affection points earned with Tifa throughout the game.

These points being ‘low’ simply means they do not make love as they do in the high affection alternative, despite high emotions with the impending doom of the Planet. Like Gold Saucer, the narrative can differ. Their love coming together, however, is part of the plot.

Sephiroth’s manipulations through Tifa’s doubts – the catalyst that caused Cloud’s psyche to shatter – is paralleled in the Lifestream with the restoration of his psyche. After Cloud’s “sealed up secret… wish” is brought to light, Tifa is able to fully overcome her doubts over both Cloud and herself. And it is then that they return to the Nibelheim incident, where Cloud regains his true self. It is when Sephiroth broke Tifa that Cloud broke; it is when Tifa overcomes herself (“You weren’t created five years ago. My childhood memories weren’t all made up!”), that Cloud gains the strength to both recover and accept his true self.

They share a oneness and complete mutual reliance on one another in pertinence to their very personhood.

So far runs Cloud’s love for Tifa that it is at the core of his identity. While he cannot recall who he is even within his own subconscious in the Lifestream, his inner voice (true self) recalls Tifa as the motivation at the core of his being.

There is no ‘you and me’ in pertinence to Tifa and Cloud. There is only ‘us’. And alongside this reciprocative Eros (which I will soon examine on Tifa’s part), exists a friendship that surpasses that which Cloud has with anyone else. They are wholly absorbed in each other, and they are side by side in vision. Tifa is his rock as much as he is hers, fighting beside him in every sense of the word; she is his best friend.

Let us now turn to Aerith and Tifa:

https://outbythehighwind.tumblr.com/post/640347336477966336/the-misconceptions-of-ff7-a-cloud-aerith-tifa

[yepiamthesmileyface]

i have some Feelings about the (human) msa gang and each of their roles in the group + common sense

I have no idea if I’ve made this exact post before or if I’ve just rambled about it on discord but here we go

Lewis: Lewis is the best of them all at People-ing, and the most emotionally intelligent of the group. He can talk to people and get them to tell him things, a very useful skill when solving mysteries. This also comes in handy with some kinds of ghosts, where they need basically supernatural customer service or someone with years of experience being comforting.

Vivi: Vivi is the Team Leader. Her drive and enthusiasm keep them going, and her sense of adventure is the only reason they’re out on the road. She’s the most knowledgeable about supernatural phenomena, and can figure out what they’re dealing with pretty easily. She’s also the best in a fight, and keeps herself at the front of any grouping both so she can ask questions and so, if things go bad, she’s ready to protect her friends.

Arthur: Arthur is the Investigation guy. He’s not very knowledgeable about the supernatural, but he’s very good at seeing patterns in data, behavior, and the physical world, and can fairly easily use that to figure out what happened at any given investigation site, which comes in handy when helping out the supernatural creature in question. He also doubles as the technology guy/mad engineer.

Common Sense, or Why The Group Falls Apart In Very Different Ways If You Remove One:

Lewis has common sense in terms of “sometimes, people need to eat” (self care). He’s in charge of making sure everyone has enough (good) food, water, and rest. Without him, Vivi and Arthur burn themselves out on project after project after project without enough sleep, food, or water in between.

Vivi has common sense in terms of “getting out of the house is healthy” (enrichment). She’s the one pulling them out the door, always with a new adventure just over the horizon. Without her, Lewis and Arthur would never really leave Tempo, much less go on cross-country monster finding expeditions.

Arthur has common sense in terms of “don’t press the big red button” (self-preservation). He’s the voice of reason between Lewis “Purple Converse In A Cave” “Aesthetic Is Life” Pepper and Vivi “Pokes Things With Sticks” “It’s Only Possibly A Deadly Monster We’ll Be Fine” Yukino. Without him, Vivi and Lewis would absolutely 100% press the big red button labeled Do Not Touch/go rushing into situations without a proper exit strategy or any backup plans.

[thenerdparty]

John Lewis: Good Trouble - Film Review

Written by Shawn Eastridge

“We’ve come so far. We’ve made so much progress. But as a nation, and as a people, we’re not quite there yet. We have miles to go.”

So begins Dawn Porter’s excellent new documentary ‘John Lewis: Good Trouble,’ which opens with a shot of Lewis speaking directly to the audience. It’s a scene Porter will return to throughout the film: Lewis, sitting on a stool, sharing his experiences. Behind him, a giant screen onto which Porter and her team project footage of Lewis as a young man. At one point, a visibly moved Lewis tells her, “Dawn, I’m seeing footage I’ve never seen before.” It’s this intimate moment, and others like it, that make this documentary so special, offering us a glimpse not only at Lewis the legend but Lewis the human being.

As a boy, Lewis passed his days preaching the Gospel to his chickens. (“They listened to me better than some members of the opposing side.”) In high school, he wore a tie and carried a Bible with him every day. By the time he’d reached college, his compassion for humanity and admiration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led him to join the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. 

During the 1960s, Lewis helped organize peaceful sit-ins at restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee, eventually resulting in desegregation of lunch counters in the city. He worked from the mindset of Reverend James Lawson Jr.’s teachings about passive resistance. They were encouraged to ‘look their attackers in the eye,’ to feel nothing but compassion and love for those who hurt them. If they were struck in the face, perhaps this unbroken glance would give their offender pause. Perhaps in the absence of physical retaliation, their offender would recognize something human. One of the film’s most heartbreaking moments features one of Lewis’ Black peers involved in the movement reading a letter from his mother, scolding him and reminding him that it is the ‘white man’ that is responsible for his education. “What about the people of your race? What have they given you?” The boy tells a young Lewis, “I mean, I know she cares for me...I know she loves me. But, man, she just don’t understand.”

By the age of 23, Lewis was recognized as one of the ‘Big Six’ leaders of the Movement, which included Roy Wilkins, James Farmer and Dr. King. He was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and is the only one still alive today. His 60-plus years as a social activist and a legislator has seen him fight not only for civil rights, but for voting rights, common sense gun laws and healthcare reform. In his lifetime, he has been arrested nearly 50 times (the elder Lewis jokes he’ll probably get arrested again for something or other), brutally beaten, mocked and castigated. “I lost all sense of fear,” he tells us. And through it all, he’s persevered, stacking up a list of accomplishments that is nothing short of inspiring.

This is all to say there’s a lot of ground to cover over the course of a 100-minute runtime. Somehow, miraculously, Porter pulls it off. Not only does Porter’s documentary shine a light on Lewis’ life, detailing his extensive list of accomplishments as both an activist and a congressman, it serves as a powerful reminder that there’s still plenty of work left to do. ‘Good Trouble’s’ overarching message aligns itself with Lewis’ impassioned, lifelong battle: the right for all American citizens to vote must be cherished and protected at all costs. This is the very heart of our democracy, and it must be preserved. (The film’s release over 4th of July weekend of an election year couldn’t be more timely.)

The remarkable footage of Lewis as a young man during the Civil Rights Movement is intercut with the present day struggles revolving around the right to vote in America and the disturbing evidence of voter suppression that still remains. There’s a wealth of footage featuring Lewis as he makes the rounds across the country during the 2018 midterm elections. One of the most charming sequences showcases Lewis watching the election play out, cheering on his favorite candidates like you’d cheer on your favorite athlete. He calls them and congratulates them, only just managing to keep his excitement at bay.

There are extended sequences in which Lewis encounters random citizens while out and about. He seems delighted to meet with each and every one of them, and these moments account for some of the film’s most touching. Another highlight features Lewis’ Chief of Staff, Michael Collins, sharing the story of how Collins’ father’s funeral was on the same day as the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. Lewis attended the funeral. It’s further proof on a more intimate scale that through the years Lewis has remained a deeply compassionate and caring human being. The friendship and deep love between these two men also provides some of the biggest laughs. Collins teases Lewis for all the lipstick on his face, the result of numerous women greeting and kissing him. “I didn’t ask them to kiss me,” Lewis retorts. Lewis returns the good-natured ribbing in kind. As Collins helps Lewis up a large flight of stairs, Lewis pretends to trip and lose his balance. “Don’t let me fall!” he jokes.

And naturally we get mention of Lewis’ viral video dancing to Pharrell Williams’ smash hit single ‘Happy.’ It’s these smaller, humanizing moments that make this documentary so special.

At times, the truncated running length works against the film. Because the film focuses so exclusively on Lewis’ political activism and his work as a congressman, we lose some of the details of his personal life. This is especially clear in the film’s final third. I wish I could have learned more about his late wife Lillian Miles Lewis, and their son John Miles. Likewise, the details regarding Lewis’ intense and bitter run-off election against his long-time friend Georgia State Rep. Julian Bond in 1986 are skimmed over. But I want to emphasize that these are minor complaints. I can’t imagine the struggle to condense such an accomplished man’s life and career into a digestible, 100-minute runtime. Porter’s documentary succeeds in providing an overarching look at Lewis’ incredible life, and there are plenty of great materials out there to supplement this wonderful effort. The film has a limited opening this weekend across the country and will be available via streaming services. Don’t miss it.

Oh, yeah, and make sure to vote.

And on that note, I leave you with Congressman Lewis dancing to Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy.’

[tainted-sentimientos]

Barack Obama’s DNC Speech

“Good evening, everybody. As you've seen by now, this isn't a normal convention. It's not a normal time. So tonight, I want to talk as plainly as I can about the stakes in this election. Because what we do these next 76 days will echo through generations to come.

I'm in Philadelphia, where our Constitution was drafted and signed. It wasn't a perfect document. It allowed for the inhumanity of slavery and failed to guarantee women -- and even men who didn't own property -- the right to participate in the political process. But embedded in this document was a North Star that would guide future generations; a system of representative government -- a democracy -- through which we could better realize our highest ideals. Through civil war and bitter struggles, we improved this Constitution to include the voices of those who'd once been left out. And gradually, we made this country more just, more equal, and more free.

The one Constitutional office elected by all of the people is the presidency. So at minimum, we should expect a president to feel a sense of responsibility for the safety and welfare of all 330 million of us -- regardless of what we look like, how we worship, who we love, how much money we have -- or who we voted for.

But we should also expect a president to be the custodian of this democracy. We should expect that regardless of ego, ambition, or political beliefs, the president will preserve, protect, and defend the freedoms and ideals that so many Americans marched for and went to jail for; fought for and died for.

I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care.

But he never did. For close to four years now, he's shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.

Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone while those at the top take in more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before.

Now, I know that in times as polarized as these, most of you have already made up your mind. But maybe you're still not sure which candidate you'll vote for -- or whether you'll vote at all. Maybe you're tired of the direction we're headed, but you can't see a better path yet, or you just don't know enough about the person who wants to lead us there.

So let me tell you about my friend Joe Biden.

Twelve years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I didn't know I'd end up finding a brother. Joe and I came from different places and different generations. But what I quickly came to admire about him is his resilience, born of too much struggle; his empathy, born of too much grief. Joe's a man who learned -- early on -- to treat every person he meets with respect and dignity, living by the words his parents taught him: "No one's better than you, Joe, but you're better than nobody."

That empathy, that decency, the belief that everybody counts -- that's who Joe is.

When he talks with someone who's lost her job, Joe remembers the night his father sat him down to say that he'd lost his.

When Joe listens to a parent who's trying to hold it all together right now, he does it as the single dad who took the train back to Wilmington each and every night so he could tuck his kids into bed.

When he meets with military families who've lost their hero, he does it as a kindred spirit; the parent of an American soldier; somebody whose faith has endured the hardest loss there is.

For eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. He made me a better president -- and he's got the character and the experience to make us a better country.

And in my friend Kamala Harris, he's chosen an ideal partner who's more than prepared for the job; someone who knows what it's like to overcome barriers and who's made a career fighting to help others live out their own American dream.

Along with the experience needed to get things done, Joe and Kamala have concrete policies that will turn their vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into reality.

They'll get this pandemic under control, like Joe did when he helped me manage H1N1 and prevent an Ebola outbreak from reaching our shores.

They'll expand health care to more Americans, like Joe and I did ten years ago when he helped craft the Affordable Care Act and nail down the votes to make it the law.

They'll rescue the economy, like Joe helped me do after the Great Recession. I asked him to manage the Recovery Act, which jumpstarted the longest stretch of job growth in history. And he sees this moment now not as a chance to get back to where we were, but to make long-overdue changes so that our economy actually makes life a little easier for everybody -- whether it's the waitress trying to raise a kid on her own, or the shift worker always on the edge of getting laid off, or the student figuring out how to pay for next semester's classes.

Joe and Kamala will restore our standing in the world -- and as we've learned from this pandemic, that matters. Joe knows the world, and the world knows him. He knows that our true strength comes from setting an example the world wants to follow. A nation that stands with democracy, not dictators. A nation that can inspire and mobilize others to overcome threats like climate change, terrorism, poverty, and disease.

But more than anything, what I know about Joe and Kamala is that they actually care about every American. And they care deeply about this democracy.

They believe that in a democracy, the right to vote is sacred, and we should be making it easier for people to cast their ballot, not harder.

They believe that no one -- including the president -- is above the law, and that no public official -- including the president -- should use their office to enrich themselves or their supporters.

They understand that in this democracy, the Commander-in-Chief doesn't use the men and women of our military, who are willing to risk everything to protect our nation, as political props to deploy against peaceful protesters on our own soil. They understand that political opponents aren't "un-American" just because they disagree with you; that a free press isn't the "enemy" but the way we hold officials accountable; that our ability to work together to solve big problems like a pandemic depends on a fidelity to facts and science and logic and not just making stuff up.

None of this should be controversial. These shouldn't be Republican principles or Democratic principles. They're American principles. But at this moment, this president and those who enable him, have shown they don't believe in these things.

Tonight, I am asking you to believe in Joe and Kamala's ability to lead this country out of these dark times and build it back better. But here's the thing: no single American can fix this country alone. Not even a president. Democracy was never meant to be transactional -- you give me your vote; I make everything better. It requires an active and informed citizenry. So I am also asking you to believe in your own ability -- to embrace your own responsibility as citizens -- to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure.

Because that's what at stake right now. Our democracy.

Look, I understand why many Americans are down on government. The way the rules have been set up and abused in Congress make it easy for special interests to stop progress. Believe me, I know. I understand why a white factory worker who's seen his wages cut or his job shipped overseas might feel like the government no longer looks out for him, and why a Black mother might feel like it never looked out for her at all. I understand why a new immigrant might look around this country and wonder whether there's still a place for him here; why a young person might look at politics right now, the circus of it all, the meanness and the lies and crazy conspiracy theories and think, what's the point?

Well, here's the point: this president and those in power -- those who benefit from keeping things the way they are -- they are counting on your cynicism. They know they can't win you over with their policies. So they're hoping to make it as hard as possible for you to vote, and to convince you that your vote doesn't matter. That's how they win. That's how they get to keep making decisions that affect your life, and the lives of the people you love. That's how the economy will keep getting skewed to the wealthy and well-connected, how our health systems will let more people fall through the cracks. That's how a democracy withers, until it's no democracy at all.

We can't let that happen. Do not let them take away your power. Don't let them take away your democracy. Make a plan right now for how you're going to get involved and vote. Do it as early as you can and tell your family and friends how they can vote too. Do what Americans have done for over two centuries when faced with even tougher times than this -- all those quiet heroes who found the courage to keep marching, keep pushing in the face of hardship and injustice.

Last month, we lost a giant of American democracy in John Lewis. Some years ago, I sat down with John and the few remaining leaders of the early Civil Rights Movement. One of them told me he never imagined he'd walk into the White House and see a president who looked like his grandson. Then he told me that he'd looked it up, and it turned out that on the very day that I was born, he was marching into a jail cell, trying to end Jim Crow segregation in the South.

What we do echoes through the generations.

Whatever our backgrounds, we're all the children of Americans who fought the good fight. Great grandparents working in firetraps and sweatshops without rights or representation. Farmers losing their dreams to dust. Irish and Italians and Asians and Latinos told to go back where they came from. Jews and Catholics, Muslims and Sikhs, made to feel suspect for the way they worshipped. Black Americans chained and whipped and hanged. Spit on for trying to sit at lunch counters. Beaten for trying to vote.

If anyone had a right to believe that this democracy did not work, and could not work, it was those Americans. Our ancestors. They were on the receiving end of a democracy that had fallen short all their lives. They knew how far the daily reality of America strayed from the myth. And yet, instead of giving up, they joined together and said somehow, some way, we are going to make this work. We are going to bring those words, in our founding documents, to life.

I've seen that same spirit rising these past few years. Folks of every age and background who packed city centers and airports and rural roads so that families wouldn't be separated. So that another classroom wouldn't get shot up. So that our kids won't grow up on an uninhabitable planet. Americans of all races joining together to declare, in the face of injustice and brutality at the hands of the state, that Black Lives Matter, no more, but no less, so that no child in this country feels the continuing sting of racism.

To the young people who led us this summer, telling us we need to be better -- in so many ways, you are this country's dreams fulfilled. Earlier generations had to be persuaded that everyone has equal worth. For you, it's a given -- a conviction. And what I want you to know is that for all its messiness and frustrations, your system of self-government can be harnessed to help you realize those convictions.

You can give our democracy new meaning. You can take it to a better place. You're the missing ingredient -- the ones who will decide whether or not America becomes the country that fully lives up to its creed.

That work will continue long after this election. But any chance of success depends entirely on the outcome of this election. This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that's what it takes to win. So we have to get busy building it up -- by pouring all our effort into these 76 days, and by voting like never before -- for Joe and Kamala, and candidates up and down the ticket, so that we leave no doubt about what this country we love stands for -- today and for all our days to come.

Stay safe. God bless.”

- Former President Barack Obama

To the decided:

To the undecided:

To the opposed:

[danwhobrowses]

America, We Need to Talk

For some reason in these past years the concept of ‘Reason’ and ‘Sense’ has departed your country, I’ve hissed, I’ve simmered, I’ve hit my head against the wall hoping that in the end IN THE END the collective mass of the American People will open their eyes, stop making excuses and realise that for 4 years, America has not become ‘Great Again’ I’ve resisted the urge to unload many a time, but news that Donald Trump is to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize is just too much, because this is literal horseshit. For some part it feels like they’re only trying it just so Republicans can force a rhetoric as if Trump did a better job than Obama - who won in 2009 for easing religious tensions, preventing Nuclear Weapons distribution and profiting, working towards fixing climate change and assisting with the UN - as people die of COVID, cities burn and violence against peaceful protests continue to ravage your country.

I have to say that again, Ravage, because I feel as though some people are blind to the matter at hand. Donald Trump will say something and his cult of followers will believe it, when someone disagrees and presents evidence it’s deemed irrelevant or forged, if a Democrat says something on the contrary they need a full powerpoint presentation to prove it, somehow this mentality has poisoned the American society when the louder people will say something in confidence only for the rest of the world to read and think it’s one of the dumbest shit they’ve ever read. This isn’t just coming from a Brit, this is coming from family in Chicago, a co-worker who moved out of America and worked in the army, Italians, Greeks and someone who was in Hong Kong during the riots. The people who believe in Democracy, Majority Vote, Free Healthcare, Fair Wage, Equal Rights AND international peace that doesn’t look towards World War Fucking Three look at your country in shame because the state of your leadership and how it’s been allowed to continue with ridiculously boneheaded and stubborn reluctance to see the truth. So let’s start with the boiling point shall we, a Nobel Peace Prize Nomination? Have you learned anything from the last year? Or has the far-right got the prize so by the balls that this nomination is used as a cheap add-on to coincidentally peacock the Trump administration in its build to an election. The nomination to Trump has been cited to be in favour of the following things; Israel-UAE relations (aka ‘Saving the Middle East), Serbia-Kosovo deal (aka ‘Saving the ‘Middle East’’), Inter-Korea relations and likely the support of Jerusalem and Hong Kong, and in face value that may sway the common person who knows nothing about these deals. But a simple amount of research cuts most of these at the legs. Let’s talk Serbia and Kosovo, since it’ll directly involve Israel, relations were tense but they have not been at war, they are peacefully not talking to each other. The media will have you think that Peace has been brokered by Trump only in this but in reality Serbia still refuses to recognize Kosovo’s independence, the tensions are still there you can just travel there now. This is an agreement that’s been build up since the economic and trade agreement in 2013. If that year isn’t surprising you that is 3 years before Trump was elected, when Barrack Obama was in office - Republican Public Enemy Hillary Clinton was at the forefront of that when she was Secretary of State. So no, Trump hasn’t saved the Middle East by this deal, mainly because Kosovo and Serbia are in Europe, they have been part of the EU for quite some time and the deal is already jeopardized since Serbia won’t build an embassy in Jerusalem if Israel recognize Kosovo as independent - which was part of the original deal. Also for all the Republicans’ use of ‘fear by Communism’ to slander their opponents they sure love to rub shoulders with countries also rubbing shoulders with Russia and China. So this segues into Israel-UAE, the Arab Nations have mainly been reluctant to recognize Israel as independent. On the 13th August a deal was struck called the Abraham agreement establishing Diplomatic Relations. Except, this was in the making since 2012 and only delayed to help progress Israeli-Palestine conflicts (which Trump’s actions with Israel led to Palestine cutting ties with the administration and his ‘Peace Plan’ falling apart 3 years after announcing it). UAE and Israel had been in conversation before Trump was signed in, but only made headway when the FDD - already funded by the UAE - took over. For 3 years USA did little for the relations, UAE and Israel doing it themselves, it’s only now do the US mediate a peace agreement, which meant that Trump didn’t really do much in terms of convincing both sides, he just made sure things didn’t get out of hand - which was never close to happening since there is little tensions. It was Kushner who requested the meeting and Mossad also had a huge part in it. Also I want to add that the US are only buddied with these two out of fear of Iran - you know, that country that Trump almost goaded into war in January after bombings and the death Assassination of General Soleimani who helped the US in the wake of 9/11 track and hunt down the Taliban, as well as fighting ISIS, how peaceful was that? The Middle East is still in Civil and Proxy Wars, no saving has been done there, the US just were there for Israel and UAE to confess that they’re friends. Which leads me to Korea. The Olympics helped more than Trump did, a shared effort where both countries had to travel and accommodate each other. Tensions may’ve eased in 2016 but they were far from resolved and in 2020 not much is better. Korea still antagonize one another and the North still antagonizes the US, any ‘peace’ the Trump Administration will claim to towards Korea faded quickly. And finally, Hong Kong, the US may be supportive and rightly so but this is again fear of Communism, it should’ve happened sooner but the US was hoping for that big and meaty trade deal with China. And this isn’t months I’m talking about it’s years, the proposal first took place after the Umbrella Movement...in 2014, it was annually brought up in Congress but postponed until the Senate decided to. And after Trump signed it he said he might veto it in favour of the China trade deal

“We have to stand with Hong Kong, but I'm also standing with President Xi: he's a friend of mine." - Donald Trump, November 2019

So really, this Nobel Peace Prize is the product and efforts of other people that set events in motion that Trump was there just to sign his name on. Meanwhile, in the country he is President of, the COVID Death toll has officially risen to 190 Thousand. 20% of COVID deaths are in the United States. Tear Gas/Pepper Spray - which is a recognized chemical weapon not allowed to be used in warfare - is used by Trump Supporters along with paintballs to attack peaceful protesters and Trump calls that peaceful because ‘Paint is not bullets’ - as someone who has been hit with Paintballs from safe range, they will hurt like a bitch and if you don’t wear protective gear they can do enough harm to crack and sometimes even break bone, the asthmatic co-worker I aforementioned that was in Hong Kong also notes that Tear Gas is awful, it may not kill you but it is far from peaceful. In the same breath Trump refuses to condemn a 16 year old carrying an AR and shooting someone in the head. He has also refused to condemn Epstein’s financier Ghislaine Maxwell and ‘hopes that she’s well’...the sex trafficker, but when you mention late Civil Rights leader John Lewis and his words are ‘can’t say one way or the other...he didn’t come to my inauguration’. This is your leader. The embodiment of the standards the country upholds itself to, it baffles me and many many others that the American People Chose a racist, bigoted, misogynistic, careless, self-important, naive, power-mad, severally-bankrupted, reality tv personality man-child, who is also intending to use US Taxpayers money to cover lawsuit fees against him alongside all his other golf trips. The man literally said that no other president has done more for Black People than he has, this is while he profusely condemned Kaepernick taking a knee to protest Police Brutality against Blacks and POC only for years later the world support it as BLM protests still happen because action has not been taken. We’ll also see what happens on the 14th regarding the Felony Hearing of the officers in Buffalo who pushed over Gugino and gave him a brain injury which he is still rehabilitating from after Trump tried to sell him as an Antifa member. Just in case you’re unaware, antifa stands for anti-fascist but Trump will paint that again in ‘Fear of Communism’. If you actually look up this stuff, the web of Trump’s lies unravel, and yet people just forget about. The man is a pro at gaslighting I’ll give him that, I mean leaking e-mails that condemned Clinton right at election time was some cutthroat stuff, but a man who needs to rely on preying on xenophobia, paranoia, fear, racism and invests mainly on smear tactics and dismantling, is not someone who can lead a country to prosperity, the amount of leeway this man gets from his supporters just hurts my head. So let me ask you America, truly, what is it that you want? Because it can’t be this, can it? Protests, Riots, people refusing to wear a simple face mask to limit the spread of a deadly virus because they think it’s a fake thing that the entire world decided to get in on with WHO just to spite Trump? Teenagers carrying guns? Refugees refused asylum and kept in cages? Do you want to keep spending your savings just to go to the doctors? or do you think that ‘Patriotism’ is blindly defending your country’s flaws and clinging to archaic and outdated thinking because centuries ago your country prospered in it? I’ll tell it to you straight: America is not the greatest country in the world, it hasn’t been for a long time. I don’t know what your history books tell you; that Native Americans were fine with slaughter, that the US won WW2 with the military might they always had, that Vietnam was a moral victory, but the present day should tell you that your country is a mess, and the man who has been at the helm for 4 years will not fix it in another 4. There’s only so much of Obama’s policies he can plagiarize as his own; he has left the UN, left the Paris Agreement for cleaner air and energy and all his original campaign members have been arrested, an alarming amount of people associated with him are facing criminal charges - is that not a red flag? Don’t let your thoughts that as a patriot you have to support your country no matter what, true patriotism is not just the love of your country but the hope and strive to better it because you can love it but accept that it has flaws. I mean even I’ll admit that the UK has a lot of its own shit to deal with, doesn’t mean I hate where I live I just know it can be better. If this were anyone else, hell if this were a Democrat the Republican party would be booking them a flight to the other side of the world with the stuff Trump has done and let to continue on with afterwards, through him you went from the United States to an Absolute State and the rest of the world wonder if this will either lead to World War 3 or a Second American Civil War You don’t have to like Joe Biden, but he clearly looks like the lesser of the two evils here, and at least in 4 years time America under him won’t be on fire. If you still don’t like him someone new could be elected after, but right now you are on a downward spiral and need someone who can put you back into a stable place, that man is not Donald Trump. The man who wants to intercept mail-in voting and outcry its ‘risk’ of tampering when he himself voted by mail is not a truthful leader, the man who tried to cancel the World Health Organization when they simply asked to not call COVID a racist name that incited xenophobia after decrying cancel culture is not a moral leader, and the man who said that COVID would peter out and suggested injecting disinfectant into the lungs to combat it only to now suddenly buy out all the experimental treatment so that they can try and engineer a cure in time for the election campaign, is not a wise leader. All the stuff you see in these coming months is just an attempt to win your vote, for the most part it’ll be Trump stamping his name on something other people worked on for years and claiming that he did all the work. So make sure you actually check the truth of these things, research and fact-check yourself with valid, neutral sources. Take off the blinders, take a breath and actually see the full picture. And please, as well as not letting this man have the Nobel Peace Prize Don’t give this guy have a Second Term

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

this is (another) interview

"So... the ghost you mentioned last time," she begins the week after, hesitantly.

"This again," Lewis replies, already weary and a touch annoyed. "Why are you so invested in this? I already told you everything. He's dangerous, he's a liar, he'll fry you alive without a second thought. There's nothing more to say."

You're a liar too, she thinks, but refrains from saying. "Right, right. So how do you know?"

"I told you. Experience."

"What kind?" Her hand hovers over her notebook. "Did you used to know him? Or- did you try to help him once? Did he-"

He sets his fork down, closing his eyes. "Vivi, please. I'd... rather not talk about this now." His voice is still mostly calm, but the torches behind him are flickering a warning.

For once, her common sense wins out over her curiosity. That and she can read the tension in his skull, betraying something more than simple irritation. "Fine. Consider it dropped." For now. "So about that library you mentioned..."

The conversation resumes its normal easy pace, whatever mood had come over Lewis dissolving quickly. Vivi almost forgets about the story she's after, too, caught up in the now excited back-and-forth about books.

Only almost, though.

This is turning into a longer project than she had anticipated, but Vivi can’t say she’s upset about that.

Both her new ghosts are oddities, not quite fitting into any of the classifications she'd constructed. They have the power of wraiths, but none of the instability that normally comes with that. It's the first time she'd ever seen anyone that could use their magic for more than destruction.

Lewis’s mastery over his fire is incredible, a sight to behold even for her – she can't remember ever meeting a ghost this skilled with their innate powers. More than just a weapon, more than just a tool, it seems a part of him. He uses it for everything from cooking to cleaning, to light his way, to heal – she still feels a thrill of excitement when she thinks about the time she’d cut her hand and had gotten to watch, fascinated, as the site of the cut was swarmed in fire and healed completely by the time it was gone.

Arthur’s lightning might not be so versatile, but – and maybe it's just the way his home was constructed – it seems to bring life to the very world around him, animating objects to rearrange or put away or bring out without even having to get up. The whole home pulses with a sort of mechanical unlife, and Vivi just knows that if she was allowed, she'd have a field day exploring and cataloging everything he's made.

---

“Why fire, d’ya think?” she asks once, sitting at the kitchen table and watching Lewis cook.

He pauses for a moment. “I’m not sure. I suppose… it’s just useful, isn’t it? Fire is important to everyone.”

“Sure, but so’s lots of things. Like water, electricity…” she draws out the last word in a fake-casual voice.

If he notes her choice of examples, he doesn’t comment on it. “Well, maybe it is more than just useful. Fire is… familiar. I already knew how to use it, so it... came naturally.”

She nods along. It’s common for a ghost’s structure to take on traits of things they like, or to reflect their personality.

“When I woke up,” he says, more quickly now, and she knows he means when I died, “I needed… to protect myself. Fire was the first thing I could think of that could… help me.” Save me, are the words that go unsaid.

“Oh.” Curious as she is, she knows better than to press a spirit about the events of their death. And she can tell Lewis is getting uncomfortable, even if he offered the information himself. “So what else can you do with it?”

He looks up again, and some animation comes back into him as he starts talking about the mansion.

---

"So... why lightning?"

Arthur glances up at her with a frown and a "huh?"

"For your magic, I mean." She waves her hands at him, mostly gesturing at his tail. "You're all electric and stuff, I was just wondering... why? How come that's the element you gravitated towards?"

"Wasn't like it- it was a decision. J-just... woke up an- and I was," he waves a hand, "like this. All electric and shit or wh-whatever you s-said."

"Huh. Weird." She leans further over, propping her elbows up on the table, and continues talking mostly musing to herself. "Maybe it's a personality thing...?"

"I d-don't think that's it," he's quick to say.

"Did you work with anything electric when you were alive? It could be because it's familiar, maybe?"

After a moment with no response, she looks back up to notice he's giving her a look, and she realizes she's crossed one of the lines. In all honesty, she should have expected that one, plenty of ghosts were reclusive about their old life and with how Arthur was in general...

"Uh, yeah, forget it," she says, trying to communicate a sense of you don't have to talk if you don't want to. "So, how are the cookies? They're lemon, I dunno if you like fruity stuff, never had that before."

The glare leaves his eyes and he relaxes, floating back down into his seat. "Th-they're good, yeah."

---

She wonders if Arthur had deliberately constructed his house into a maze, or if it had just turned out that way, but what she had seen of it twisted and turned deeper and deeper into the hill with no end in sight. Every room she'd been in seemed jammed with what looked, to her, like meaningless trinkets and weird contraptions, and only some of them seemed to serve any purpose beyond storage. There was the living room she'd been invited into, and a bedroom she'd only caught a glimpse of once. Did he ever even use it?

Lewis's mansion seemed put together with much more care – or maybe he was just more naturally organized, that sounded equally likely. It was constructed like an actual house, at least, with some order to what went in each of the three wings. Bedrooms, the kitchen, lounges and libraries and those sorts of things were all kept in their own defined places. It made her wonder, though, why he'd gone to all this trouble. It wasn't like he needed all this space for anything. Maybe it just helped with not feeling claustrophobic.

She’s starting to get a sense, too, for what kind of people they are – and what they'd been before they died.

Lewis is always fussing over her, obviously concerned about her career choice of "professional ghost meet-and-greeter," something he openly thinks is dangerous no matter how many times she points out that he is one of the aforementioned ghosts. He also has an obvious fondness for stories, and though he'll try to keep up his proper, almost regal demeanor, she can still easily see how he lights up like a child at the offering of a new one for his collection. She's started bringing him books as often as she can, and finds herself with a renewed gratefulness for her connections at the Tome Tomb. His favorites are adventures and romances, she's deduced through trial and error, though he's very picky about the latter – he'd actually given a few of them back to her, something he'd never done with any of the others.

He loves to cook, too, and is good at it, with a level of skill that makes her suspicious that he'd been a chef at some point in his life. He doesn't seem nearly so interested in eating what he made, though, and while he'd sit and eat with her while they talked, Vivi would usually be sent off with a box of whatever was left.

Arthur, almost the polar opposite of Lewis's friendly demeanor, is reclusive and almost defensive, rarely offering any information she doesn't ask for. He still won't let her in if she doesn't have any food with her, and even then it had taken a while to convince him that no, she was just coming back for a chat, no nasty surprises here now please open the door. She wonders if maybe he still thinks she's a ghost hunter of some sort. It would explain the open suspicion and how quick he was to kick her out again. It almost wouldn't be worth the trouble, and honestly if this was just a random ghost she probably would've taken the hint by now (or, more accurately the constant barrage of demands) and left him alone. As it stands, though, he's one half of the most fascinating mystery she's gotten her hands on in a while, and like hell is she going to give up because of a little persistent roadblock.

So she’s gotten into sort of a routine. She’ll meet up with Lewis once a week, more or less, if she doesn't find something that she just had to show him right then. He'd give her some food for the road, and she'd turn around and march right down the hill and across the valley and hand it to Arthur. Lewis... probably wouldn't be too happy if he knew what she was doing with the food he gave her, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?

She's slowly adding more and more information to her collection, and gaining both ghost's trust in the process, but she still has to tiptoe around the topic of the other one with both of them. Any mention of Arthur was sure to send Lewis into a rare bad mood, with a flare of poorly-concealed anger and something else that he still refused to explain, but that was pretty much the end of whatever conversation they were having. His responses become snappy, and while she certainly isn't afraid of him, she still doesn't want to press him on what was obviously a touchy subject. On the flipside, Arthur almost completely shuts down when she mentions the ghost up the hill. Despite his irritated response the first time she brought him up, like Lewis's own response, it wasn't just anger there. She wasn't good enough at reading people to parse what else it was in either of them, though.

But she was getting better and better at asking roundabout questions, at getting both of them to say more than they meant to. Eventually she'd have enough to put the story together. Or so she hoped, at least.

[gateelbow71]

The Pensions Consultatory Service

The People's Pension Trustee

Content

Divorce And Pensions.

Pension Sharing (In Some Cases Called Pension Splitting).

Martin Lewis: Functioning From Residence Because Of Coronavirus, Even For A Day? Claim A Year's Worth Of Tax Obligation Relief.

Learn what pension advantages your members would receive if your plan transfers to the PPF. More than 160 personnel with specialist trustees from a varied range of histories. Trustees, employees and funding companies are covered for lawful expenses and also costs incurred in protecting insurance claims brought against them about their tasks to the pension plan. These expenses can consist of referrals to alternative conflict resolution and mediation. Trustees and also staff members engaged in the management of the pension system are covered for losses experienced as an outcome of wrongful acts, such as violation of trust, oversight or misstatement. Keep up to day with pension trustee work by signing up with Pension Careers.

He was greatly involved with the major refinancings in 2004 and 2006 and also handled pension concerns as part of those. He was a fiduciary of the Invensys US pension system while he was Team Treasurer.

Separation And Also Pension Plans.

Since 2007, Will has actually been benefiting the professional body for corporate treasurers, composing and also instructing thoroughly. These include the repayment of benefits, such as lump sum repayments after the fatality of a pension fund participant, kids's pension plans and also ill-health pensions. Before signing up with the board, Anna was a trustee of the Accenture Retirement Savings Strategy. As a digital technique consultant, she is experts in the Web of Points, and has actually also dealt with artificial intelligence and also blockchain projects. She brings this technical know-how to the board, in addition to her passion for great member communications as well as re-engaging plan participants. Long-term companions-- form our solutions to find the ideal equilibrium of assistance for your scheme, till the last pension is secured.

Canada’s largest pension fund bought SolarWinds stake days before hacking disclosure, stock plunge - The Washington Post

Canada’s largest pension fund bought SolarWinds stake days before hacking disclosure, stock plunge.

Posted: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 08:00:00 GMT [source]

We spend for the long-term-- including our innovation to support governance as well as clerical services. Whether you call for an administration or effectiveness testimonial, a recurring governance consultant, or an assistant for your trustee board, we can help you fulfill these increasing demands and also increase value on behalf of your participants.

Pension Sharing (Often Called Pension Splitting).

However, the ability to reimburse pension payments if the participant leaves solution within two years has been modified. Before 6 April 2006, trust-based plans had two significant benefits-- employers could pay even more money right into the plan and members could take a bigger tax-free cash amount than participants in contract-based plans.

Never miss out on a brand-new pension plans trustee task by subscribing to work alerts-- simply enter you email into the box above. The Trustee is legitimately independent of BUGB and all the churches as well as various other companies joining the System. It holds the Scheme's properties in support of members, so that those assets are maintained separate from BUGB and also the other employers, and also by law can just be used to pay Scheme participants' benefits and Plan expenditures. We have actually constantly found them to be specialist, educated and able to suitably challenge professional recommendations. The group are pragmatic and also sensible, bringing a common sense approach and an ability to equate complex issues for fellow trustees to make sure the very best results for recipients. As a Sole Corporate Trustee, we fill in a traditional trustee board, presuming duty and also accountability for all the task accomplished in governing the scheme; a method which is growing in appeal. We have dealt with clients to tackle every possible pension conundrum.

Martin Lewis: Functioning From Residence As A Result Of Coronavirus, Also For A Day? Insurance Claim A Year's Well Worth Of Tax Alleviation.

such as a laptop computer with a camera, which the participants have accessibility to the relevant products prior to initiating the conference. Pension trustees have actually typically relied on normal trustee conferences in the existence of their consultants in order to properly manage their system. The COVID-19 pandemic has actually suggested that in a reasonably short room of time, trustees have had to adjust to a new means of functioning. The Pensions Regulatory authority expects trustees to have a company connection plan. The Regulatory authority's 29 April advice informs trustees to be sharp to threats associated with transfer requests and also provide participants ideal warnings.

Fees for advice are not considered to be administration charges. The key obligation exists with trustees and also managers to be compliant with the regulation. As a system provider, Prudential has a crucial function to play in sustaining trustees to be able to meet their commitments. Adhering to the policies set in April 2018 by the Department for Job as well as Pensions, trustees are needed to make all prices and fees details publicly readily available. This is to permit system members to see if they are getting value for cash as well as to help drive far better end results for them.

Northern Ireland has its very own pensions regulation and referrals in this assistance to the regulation of Great Britain, includes the equivalent regulation of North Ireland. It ought to be kept in mind that some areas of pension plans law-- such as pension civil liberties on divorce and some aspects of trust fund law-- are taken care of differently in Scotland. Where the trustee is a business, you will certainly be a supervisor of that firm. However, you will certainly have the exact same responsibilities as a specific trustee in connection with the plan. If right pensions and divorce Burnley for you are an individual trustee, you will usually be one of a number of trustees responsible for running the system; this group is frequently referred to as a board of trustees.

If you are a trustee, or are thinking about becoming one, you require to understand some standard details about pensions, trustees and also the lawful framework surrounding occupational pension plans. In becoming a trustee of a work-related pension plan, you are choosing to take on an extremely vital role.

Maintaining Notified Of The Company's Strategies.

In summary, on a non-group basis, there is no difference between an agreement based or count on based pension plan and also it is dealt with specifically the exact same for FCA and also FSCS objectives. Additionally, the master count on might establish various other constraints which a typical trust-based system wouldn't have. Maybe that the master count on locations responsibilities on the employer in regard to financial investment option, which wouldn't take place under a contract-based scheme. In a contract-based scheme the employer would certainly assign a pension supplier to run the plan. This develops a contract in between the carrier as well as the employer, and the service provider makes all the choices regarding exactly how the scheme is run. In most circumstances the company will certainly have made a promise to the employee to contribute to the pension system every month, but their responsibility ends there. So the only continuing to be benefit trust-based systems have more than contract-based plans is the reimbursement of contributions.

How do I protect my retirement in a divorce?

Protecting Your Money in a Divorce 1. Hire an experienced divorce attorney. Ideally, this person will emphasize mediation or collaborative divorce over litigation. 2. Open accounts in your name only. 3. Sort out mortgage and rent payments. 4. Be prepared to share retirement accounts.

Participants asking for a transfer worth quote must be sent a letter that the Pensions Regulator, Financial Conduct Authority and also Money and Pensions Solution have produced concerning transfer threats. The Regulatory authority also asks trustees to consist of messages from its different template letter when replying to a transfer request.

If a major injury maintained you or other staff members at your business unemployed for a long term period of time, could your company manage? Individual mishap insurance can supply economic protection for your organization when injuries take place.

Trustees are asked proactively to keep track of the number of ask for transfer quotes they receive as well as which advisors are included. If you recognize uncommon or concerning patterns, you are asked to report these to the FCA at PTL, the leading independent trustee and also governance companies, today introduced its third consecutive year of record-breaking results because the company's MBO in 2017. PTL, the leading independent trustee and administration companies, today revealed the fourth new Customer Director to join its group this year, with the visit of Louisa Harrold. Will joined Invensys in 2000 and operated in the treasury division in the London HQ, first as Replacement Treasurer, after that Group Treasurer.

[chancebarber40]

Why Should You Write A Will?

Crucial Reasons For Making A Will Today.

Content

Expenses For Probate Guidance.

Just How Much Does A Lawyer Price

How Our Will Composing And Also Executor Service Works.

Leading Inquiries Regarding Writing A Will

But obtaining it best is very important-- grey locations or mistakes might turn out to be as bad as no Will in any way. This is why making use of a legal professional makes sense especially with even more cost effective choices offered.

Does a handwritten will have to be witnessed?

Holographic wills do not need to be witnessed or notarized, which can lead to some issues during will validation in probate court. To avoid fraud, most states require that a holographic will contain the maker's signature. Holographic wills are not accepted in all states and are subject to each states' laws.

Whether Probate is needed depends upon the value as well as materials of the deceased person's estate. Although be aware that if anything is uncertain or incorrect in your Will, that might cause confusion or even the Will being invalid, when you will not be about to establish the record right. The benefit of paying a specialist to aid is that they understand the pertinent guidelines and regulations as well as can guarantee your Will is both legitimately binding and appropriately worded. You ought to always have an updated Will as well as ought to consider creating a new Will or updating an existing one when your conditions transform, as an example when you begin a household or get divorced. Even if you really feel that you don't possess much of value, it deserves writing a Will to guarantee what you do have goes to the people or charity you 'd like it to. It's additionally important to designate an administrator to take care of your affairs when you die, which is done as part of arranging your Will. If you don't make a Will, you die 'intestate' as well as the guidelines of 'intestacy' will determine how your estate is shared out.

Expenses For Probate Suggestions.

A lot more notably the recommendations and details of how to set up a long-term Power of Lawyer helped me make what is for most people a really difficult choice concerning exactly how to plan for an unidentified future. If it is needed in the future, I currently feel that any type of choices to be made are in the hands of people I depend on and will make certain that I am looked after in the method I would want. Sharon gave a very professional service, she was a good listener as well as confirmed my demands.

Authorized as well as Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority No. The professional regulations relevant to us are the SRA Handbook, which can be found at/ handbook.Cyber Crime Alert-- Emails can be scammed.

Just How Much Does A Solicitor Expense

If your estate is likely to be hard or contentious, you may require to think about independent or specialist administrators. This workout can be very handy ahead of a meeting with your solicitor, as some monetary or tax preparation needs to be performed as part of the Will making procedure. It will likewise help you to take into consideration whether you intend to make details presents or other setups connecting to specific properties. If you have residential property together, a Will allows you safeguard a minimum of half of it if the survivor of you has to go right into treatment. We can discuss the treatment cost billing procedures and also summary actions to take when intending your estate and also will likewise include the residential or commercial property being changed from joint possession to Tenants in Common. They do not need to be experts, but they do need to be accountable and very well ordered, as they'll wind up dealing with a lot of challenging documentation. You can find out even more concerning selecting Beyond as an executor below.

The administrators of your will have the job of making your wishes a reality after you pass away. They'll also be the ones to figure out all your legal as well as economic events, ensuring your financial debts are paid and also all your properties end up with the appropriate people. Guardians can be anybody over the age of 18, however it's a great suggestion to select individuals that recognize your children/pets well as well as who are made use of to taking care of them. This search first checks the National Will Register then does a REACH search which get in touches with lawyers closest to the deceased last recognized addresses and locations they may have made their Will. Please note that our fixed or approximated fees for Wills and also Probate job are based upon an issue having requirement features.

If you make a Will, you can ensure your children are attended to after you are gone, as well as you can nominate a guardian, if your youngsters are under the age of 18 years of ages. We will assist you take care of your Will to make sure your family is secured and also everyone recognizes what your dreams are. A recent study revealed that over 60% of adults in the UK have not made a Will, and also extra amazingly 74% of co-habiting pairs do not have a Will.

Exactly How Our Will Writing And Also Executor Solution Jobs.

If you're seeking to protect your family members's future financially or you intend to leave a valued property to an enjoyed one, a will is among the most effective means to see to it this happens. In a will, your desires will be laid out plainly so that your picked administrator can manage the circulation of your estate according to your individual demands when you die. Inghams is a company of lawyers in England and also Wales authorized and also managed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority as well as goes through the SRA Requirements and also RegulationsSRA Registration No. 76362. They presume that their residence and also other properties will fall automatically to specific individuals. Having no will or a will which is not drawn up correctly can lead to severe problems. Dying without a will means that intestacy policies use, so the federal government makes all the choices concerning the estate.

Without a legitimate Will, your loved ones will have little control on the inheritance of your estate. If you create your online will at residence with Unite Wills, our professional group of consultants will inspect your will application to guarantee that your will is legally-binding. A legally-valid will implies that there are no issues or any kind of confusion within the record that can void the record in case of your death. If our experts find any kind of feasible mistakes in your will, you will be informed regarding this straight away and also you will be able to correct it. Nevertheless, there are extra contemporary, effective as well as less expensive ways of doing this. It is entirely feasible to write your will in your home without requiring to interact or meet up with an expensive solicitor by using an online will-writing solution like that offered by us at Unite Wills. If you pass away without a legally-valid will in place, your estate will be shared out according to the UK intestacy guidelines, which will not take any one of your individual dreams right into consideration.

Top Questions About Writing A Will

Wills are really important papers, so it makes good sense to get experienced aid to prepare your Will. Learn even more by contacting among our group or keep reading below for more information regarding our solutions.

Please do not count on e-mail alert of savings account changes without straight verbal confirmation from a relied on source. We advise before a video clip teleconference with your lawyer that you prepare as much information as you can. Please see our FREE 8 step overview to developing a Will to help you. The info consisted of in this overview is based upon our understanding of the law of intestacy in England as well as Wales only as at April 2019. The regulation in Scotland and Northern Ireland is considerably different. This guide is for info purposes and is not planned to be lawful guidance. In basic terms, Probate is a lawful process to develop if a Will stands and also the Administrators have the authority to administer the estate of an individual who has actually passed away.

These solutions may be online-based-- using electronic devices to draft your will-- operate by message, or will involve a person pertaining to see you in the house.

Whether you get your will from a lawyer or a will-writing solution, don't assume you also have to assign them as administrators (the people who'll sort out your finances after your death).

Farewill claims this service is not appropriate for 'mirror wills', abroad possessions or complex estates.

Nonetheless, there are likewise layouts online for fundamental contracts which, as long as a sensible arrangement is created, can be helpful.

Or if you need one that offers specialist lawful advice for older as well as prone individuals, their family members and also carers, trySolicitors For The Elderly.

Executors are the people you picked to administer your estate, manage every one of the documentation and also obtain Probate. Administrators can be Recipients, as well as it is usually suggested to have greater than one. Administrators can additionally be the Trustees of your Will if you have a proceeding Depend on. We will estimate a fixed price for a straightforward Will so you understand in advance what you are mosting likely to pay. If your conditions are a lot more complicated as well as you need Count on or tax preparation advice, after that the prices will be higher. We will attempt to fix these prices where feasible as quickly as we receive your directions.

These regulations additionally bypass the desires expressed in a Will that's not legitimately legitimate, so it pays to get a Will right. Things will change regularly as you go through life-- connections change, youngsters may come along and loved ones die.

Martin Lewis: Functioning From Home As A Result Of Coronavirus, Even For A Day? Case A Year's Well Worth Of Tax Alleviation.

It is additionally vital that you maintain your documents in great order to make sure that your Will and also estate assets can be conveniently determined after your fatality. When you leave any kind of part of your estate to a beneficiary, that inheritance after that enters into the recipients' own estate for all functions. This can leave the inheritance prone to third-party danger, as an example, from separation, personal bankruptcy, poor decision-making, and so on . If you are worried about these third-party dangers after that it may be feasible to secure part of your estate via the use of trust funds. The Administrators that you select in your Will are responsible for the administration of your estate and also carrying out your wishes. You need to think carefully regarding who you appoint to this function as your administrators require to be trustworthy as well as trustworthy, in order to assure that your wishes are properly performed.

will writing services somerset have a wealth of experience in handling accident instances. You must examine your Will every three to five years as well as when there has been a major adjustment in your circumstances. For instance, if you marry, a Will made before the marital relationship will be void. Additionally, the worth of your residence and financial investments might have increased in time and Wills might need to be changed to save inheritance tax. It is a great idea to speak to us if you assume you may require to alter your Will. If you are a moms and dad, specifically to more youthful youngsters under the age of 18 years old, it is a really crucial to make a Will.

It is necessary your Will is upgraded to show your present scenario so the best people will profit when you pass away. You can lay out plans for your youngsters's care, including calling a guardian with the lawful right to look after the personal as well as monetary rate of interests of children under 18. If you aren't wed or in a civil collaboration, your companion might be forgotten if you do not have a Will because the legislation will dictate what takes place to your estate. A Will lets you choose individuals you depend handle your estate when you pass away. A Will is merely a lawful paper setting out your wishes in crystal clear terms and also establishing one up isn't tough.

You can't change your will document after it's been signed and also experienced, so you'll require to produce a different file called a codicil to make changes. If you wish to make huge changes, it might be best to make a new will and destroy your old one. If you do not leave a will, your estate will be dispersed according to the legislation.

Making arrangements for youngsters or adults with a disability in your Will might take some factor to consider. For https://aspley-heath.trusted-willwriting.co.uk/ , if you do not wish your child to inherit their share of the estate promptly, establishing a Trust fund for your youngster might be a choice to think about. For adults with unique demands, you might wish to take into consideration setting up a Trust fund to ensure that they receive income on a regular basis, rather than a round figure quantity. For full information on setting up depends on, go to our Trust Wills.

They provide an indication of the likely series of rates in many circumstances. However if your issue has non-standard functions such as complicated residential property, family members partnerships, personalities or dangers, after that we might not have the ability to aid you for the charges shown on our website. Because circumstances we might provide you an alternate cost quote based on per hour prices or further repaired or approximated charges. You can lay out whom you want to gain from your estate and in what proportions. A Will can permit you to set up a fund to profit individuals long after you have actually passed away. A Will gives certainty regarding what is to happen to you as well as can give guidance to your sights on organ contribution. Whether you have a complex estate more than the Estate tax threshold (currently ₤ 325,000) or whether you simply wish to make certain particular items go to certain people, we can make a Will to match you.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Were you invited to a free dinner? Did it change your life?

‘Influence’ by Professor Robert Cialdini could explain some things.

Robert Cialdini is a Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University and has spent many years devoted to the scientific investigation and research of persuasion techniques.

In his Introduction to Influence, a book that has sold three million copies and been translated into over thirty languages, Robert Cialdini admits he had aways been an easy mark for salespeople, peddlers and fundraisers. It had never been easy for him to just say ‘no’ when asked to donate money.

An experimental social psychologist, he began wondering about the actual techniques that are used to make a person agree to do something when normally they would not be interested.  As part of his research, Cialdini answered newspaper ads for various sales training programs so he could learn first hand about persuasion and selling techniques. He penetrated advertising, public relations and fundraising agencies in order to glean the secrets of the 'psychology of compliance’ from its professional practitioners.

The result is both a classic work of marketing and psychology that shows us why we are so vulnerable to persuasion, in the process telling us much about human nature.

Getting our tapes to play

Cialdini starts by discussing the mothering instinct of turkeys. Mother turkeys are very protective, good mothers, but their mothering instinct has been found to be triggered by one thing and one thing only: the 'cheep-cheep’ sound of her chicks. The polecat is the natural enemy of the turkey, and when a mother turkey sees one she will instantly go into attack mode; she will do so even at the sight of a stuffed version of a polecat. But when the same stuffed polecat is made to make the same 'cheep cheep’ sound that her chicks make, something strange happens: the mother turkey becomes a devoted protector of it!

You may think: how dumb are animals. Press a button, and they act a certain way, even if those actions are ridiculous. But Cialdini tells us about turkey behavior only to prepare us for the uncomfortable truth about human automatic reaction. We also have our 'preprogrammed tapes’ which usually work for us in positive ways – for instance, to ensure our survival without having to think too much – but they can also be played to our detriment when we are unaware of the triggers.

Cialdini identifies half a dozen 'weapons of influence’, ways of getting us to act automatically that sidesteps our normal rational decision making processes. Psychologists call these easily triggered behaviors 'fixed-action patterns’ – know the trigger, and you can predict with reasonable likelihood how a person will react.

A more accurate but longer title for Influence may have been 'How to get automatic reactions from people before they can think rationally about your proposition’. Cialdini’s six basic 'weapons’ that compliance professionals use to get people to say 'yes’ without thinking include: reciprocation, commitment and consistency; social proof; liking; authority; and scarcity.  

He recently added a seventh, unity, the idea that we share an identity, or commonalities of identity, with someone else. And we are much more likely to say ‘yes’ to such a person. LINK

____________________________________________

1.    Rule of Reciprocity

According to sociologists and anthropologists, one of the most widespread and basic norms of human culture is embodied in the rule of reciprocity This rule requires that one person try to repay what another person has provided. By obligating the recipient to an act of repayment in the future, the rule for reciprocation allows one individual to give something to another with the confidence that it is not being lost.

This sense of future obligation, according to the rule, makes possible the development of various kinds of continuing relationships, transactions, and exchanges that are beneficial to society. Consequently, virtually all members of society are trained from childhood to abide by this rule or suffer serious social disapproval.

The decision to comply with someone’s request is frequently based upon the Rule of Reciprocity. Again, a possible and profitable tactic to gain probable compliance would be to give something to someone before asking for a favor in return.

The opportunity to exploit this tactic is due to three characteristics of the Rule of Reciprocity:

1.     The rule is extremely powerful, often overwhelming the influence of other factors that normally determine compliance with a request.

2.     The rule applies even to uninvited first favors, which reduces our ability to decide whom we wish to owe and putting the choice in the hands of others.

3.     The rule can spur unequal exchanges. That is, to be rid of the uncomfortable feeling of indebtedness, an individual will often agree to a request for a substantially larger favor, than the one he or she first received.

Another way in which the Rule of Reciprocity can increase compliance involves a simple variation on the basic theme: instead of providing a favor first that stimulates a returned favor, an individual can make instead an initial concession – that stimulates a return concession.

One compliance procedure, called the “rejection-then-retreat technique”, or door-in-the-face technique, relies heavily on the pressure to reciprocate concessions. By starting with an extreme request that is sure to be rejected, the requester can then profitably retreat to a smaller request – the one that was desired all along. This request is likely to now be accepted because it appears to be a concession. Research indicates that aside from increasing the likelihood that a person will say yes to a request, the rejection-then-retreat technique also increases the likelihood that the person will carry out the request and will agree to future requests.

The best defense against manipulation by the use of the Rule of Reciprocity to gain compliance is not the total rejection of initial offers by others. But rather, accepting initial favors or concessions in good faith, while also remaining prepared to see through them as tricks should they later be proven so. Once they are seen in this way, there is no longer a need to feel the necessity to respond with a favor or concession.

_________________________________________

1. Reciprocity. We are obliged to give if we have been given something.

2. Scarcity. If it's scarce, we want it more. Use this by highlighting the Benefits, Uniqueness and Possible Loss.

3. Authority. We are more likely to comply with a request if it is coming from a perceived authority/expert.

4. Consistency. We want to be consistent with our past commitments, even if the initial commitment is much smaller.

5. Liking. We like people who are similar, who give us compliments and who co-operate with us.

6. Consensus. If others (especially similar others) are doing it, then we are more likely to do it ourselves. [Social pressure]

7. Unity. Robert Cialdini recently added a seventh, unity, the idea that we share an identity, or commonalities of identity, with someone else. We are much more likely to say ‘yes’ to such a person.

_________________________________________

Video: Science Of Persuasion

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conformity

Bending Truth – Cognitive Dissonance

Cult Indoctrination – and the Road to Recovery

Sun Myung Moon’s theology used to control members

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VIDEO: Terror Love and Brainwashing ft. Alexandra Stein

Chris Shelton: This week on Sensibly Speaking I have Dr. Alexandra Stein, social psychologist and author of the book Terror, Love and Brainwashing. We discuss various aspects of cult behavior and psychology.

Comments: This is an outstanding piece of work that I will go back to several times. It has provided me with a degree of clarity hitherto unknown. Now, what do I do with it?

Some brilliant information, again, thank you. I found the part about separating from ones emotions and not allowing yourself to process them particularly interesting. Having been brought up in a Scientology family, I still struggle with dealing with ("low tone") emotions.

Dr. Stein's entirely justifiable reaction to Chris’s mentioning the dread James R. Lewis and J Gordon Melton et hoc genus omni (24:36 onwards) was worth the price of admission alone! ;) May Eileen Barker, Massimo Introvigne and all the other 'New Religious Movement' merchants and cult apologists be consigned to the dustbin of history as soon as possible.

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[todisturbtheuniverse]

FIC: Liminal Grief [2/3]

Rating: T Fandom: Stardew Valley Pairing: Shane/Female Farmer Tags: Pre-Relationship, Developing Friendship, Grief, Alcoholism, Depression Word Count: 10,613 (total) Summary: The new farmer has a level of equal-opportunity-friendliness that reminds Shane of an old friend, but when the mask comes off, it’s more like looking in a mirror. Also on AO3. Notes: Very much based in the game, but littered with my own headcanons, both for this particular farmer and for Shane. Like other stories in this series, this could be considered standalone, but follows the same farmer (named Lydia) and the same Shane, and shares continuity with those other works.

Part 1 here.

Jas wasn't in her usual spot.

Shane stared at the shady place beneath the big tree by the forest lake. He didn't expect her to materialize, but he hoped, which was a pretty big leap for him. If he hoped hard enough, maybe he could will her into existence. Maybe she was just hiding behind the tree, still mad at him…

He looked, even though he knew what he would see. Nothing. A whole lot of nothing. He gave the upper branches a perfunctory check, just in case she'd suddenly become capable of climbing a tree this big, but there was no sign of her lavender dress, of her green bow.

Shit. She'd been gone an hour already. If he'd known she was upset enough to go running off to a new hiding place, he'd have followed sooner.

At least, he told himself that, that her screechy voice hadn't provoked a headache so powerful that he'd been mostly incapable of stepping out into the sunlight until now. Screechy voices and hangovers were a bad combination.

He was going to have to enlist Marnie's help. Great. Fucking perfect. He didn't know how many more worried, disappointed looks he could endure from his aunt, but he was just going to have to suffer through it somehow. It would almost be better if she would just berate him outright. Almost.

He took his time heading back, hoping he'd find Jas somewhere in the intermittent forest and meadows. She loved the wide open space out here. She could be anywhere.

Anywhere. A hand closed tight around his lungs, squeezing them, cutting off his air. She could be anywhere. She could be hurt. She could be…

But he didn't get much further than that. It was an old fear, well-trod. It had lost its sharp edge, the squeak that had once kept him up at night.

Marnie looked up from the cash register as he came in, face tight with worry. "You didn't find her?"

"No," he snapped. 

Marnie didn't even flinch. "Maybe she'd have gone to Vincent's? I can—"

"No," Shane said, his tone better moderated this time. "No, when she's mad, she always wants to be alone." He didn't know much, but he knew that. In this one way, Jas had always matched him in temperament, rather than her parents.

Slowly, Marnie nodded. "All right, then...maybe...check with Lydia? She's still got a lot of undeveloped space on that farm, and it's nearby."

It was solid logic, but Shane resisted it. The last place he wanted to look was that farm. The last person he wanted to see was Lydia. He'd been in a weird place the night before, and it'd been...fine...having a drink with her, but he didn't want to give her any ideas about staying friendly.

So he'd just have to be extra rude while enlisting her help. Sure. Those two things went together.

"I'll come along," Marnie said, stepping out from behind the register, oblivious to his internal torment. "It's a big piece of land. Three of us searching separately will cover more ground."

"Assuming she wants to help," Shane muttered. It was probably too much to hope that she'd give them the run of her farm and then vanish into town for the afternoon.

"Of course she will. She's a sweet gal."

Shane didn't offer up any commentary on that, any of the words he'd use to describe her instead. Marnie locked up the ranch, and then they took the hard-packed dirt path north, following the old signpost pointing the way to Northern Lights Farm.

Shane vaguely remembered stumbling this way on a drunker night or two. Even wasted, he'd known to turn back. The southern entrance to the farm was overgrown; trees had crowded in, concealing any paths that might once have provided a route to the farmhouse.

Lydia hadn't completely cut back the overgrowth—impossible for one person in a single season to do—but she'd cleared a path, revealing old fences that were battered in some places and entirely broken in others. Nevertheless, the space between them was clear, showing a way through the trees, and Shane and Marnie followed it. In the distance, a dog barked.

"Sounds like Archimedes," Marnie said.

"Weird name for a dog."

"Lydia thought he had a clever face."

He lengthened his stride, even though it didn't help his headache one bit, hoping she'd be too out of breath to talk.

No such luck. Of course a woman who wrangled cows and chickens and sheep most days had the lung capacity to keep talking no matter how fast he walked. "Seemed like you two had a nice time last night."

Small towns. Only one bar, and it was the same bar everyone—including your aunt—went to. Usually Marnie was too busy chatting with Lewis to remark on what company Shane was or was not keeping, but not this time, apparently.

He didn't answer. That seemed safest.

"She seems a little lonely, isolated out here, fresh from the city," Marnie continued. "Bet you two have a lot in common."

There had been similar comments about other people—newcomers and community fixtures alike—over the last few months. Cautious encouragement to get out there, meet people, make friends.

"No," he said, "we don't."

"Shane—"

"Whatever it is, just stop, okay? Focus on finding Jas."

She sighed, low and disappointed, but didn't push further. They emerged from the path into an open field green with growing crops, and a dog rushed to meet them, tail wagging. Marnie leaned down to pat his head as he panted.

Shane saw the straw hat in the middle of the field before it popped up above the bean trellises. Lydia's face split into a wide grin as soon as she saw them. "Hey, neighbors!" she called.

Marnie shot him a look, as if to say, See? He glared back.

Lydia sidled through the trellises and walked over, still beaming, brushing the dirt from her gloves. "What brings you up here?"

"Jas is missing," Shane said, before Marnie could hem and haw about it.

Lydia's face fell. "Oh, no. What can I do to—"

"We need to search your farm," he cut across her.

"Of course," she said, nodding. "Archimedes and I can help—"

"That's not necess—"

"If you think she ran up here, it is," Lydia said grimly. "There's a lot of land I haven't cleared yet, and I don't know what kind of hazards the weeds might be hiding. It'll be faster with three of us looking."

"Fine," he bit out, and before she could argue further, he picked a direction and started walking.

"Be careful!" Marnie called after him.

He ignored her, plunging back into the trees, and searched for any sign of a misbehaving little girl. Any handholds on the trees that might have allowed her to scale them. Any tall reeds around the swampy pond that might conceal her. Any boulders that were the right size for her to hide behind.

The sun moved overhead. He'd been hoarse to start with, but after half an hour of calling for her, he hardly had any voice left. It felt like his blood was pumping too sluggishly through his body, slowing him down. Every time he passed from shade to sunlight, he had to squint against the glare.

A squirrel ran for cover nearby. A woodpecker took flight. Every rustle could have been her dress, every squeak could have been her giggle—but it was just some creature moving through the wilderness, and she was nowhere to be found.

The right thing to do was to keep looking. Keep wading through the tall, prickly grasses that had consumed the southwestern quarter of Lydia's land; keep stubbing his toes on all the rocks and fallen branches hidden within the grass; keep scanning the horizon and then the treeline for any sign of a green bow vibrant against dark hair, a small head bobbing away from him into the woods.

But Shane was tired. Powerfully hungover. Head killing him, sun trying to stab his eyes out, stomach churning, limbs like noodles. They’d been at this an hour. If Jas was on the farm, she was doing a good job of ignoring them entirely, staying quiet and out of sight.

Or she just wasn’t here.

He sank down against the nearest tree, letting the tall grass conceal him up to his neck, and closed his eyes. In the distance, he could still hear Marnie calling for Jas, the fear in her voice blunted a little by an hour of searching.

He’d long since lost that anxiety. Long since stopped peeking into Jas’s room before he turned in for bed, just to make sure she was still breathing. Used to be he could reassure himself that way, even wobbly and drunk, convince himself there was still something left to him, that somehow his best friends lived on through her, a last lifeline, and if he just checked, she would make it through the night.

But it was a stupid ritual. A false sense of security. She would make it, or she wouldn’t, and the universe wouldn’t ask his input on the matter. He couldn’t protect her. He couldn't protect anyone.

A shadow fell over him. He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting here, steeped in exhaustion, head throbbing; maybe long enough for the sun to shift, to cast the shadow of another tree over him. He squinted one eye open.

Not another tree. Lydia. He barely repressed a groan.

He expected her to have a hard time hiding her disgust—or maybe reprimand him outright. She’s your goddaughter. How could you just sit here? He welcomed it, even. Give him a chance to snap at her. Really deliver the kind of cutting words that would make her think twice about poking her nose where it didn't belong. 

He wasn’t even sure she knew that Jas was his goddaughter. Marnie called the kid her niece, even though she wasn’t, technically. Maybe Lydia thought they were cousins. Siblings. Maybe it wasn’t immediately obvious how irresponsible he was.

Either way, she looked concerned instead of repulsed. From what he could tell, anyway, backlit as she was by the sun.

“Well, you look like hell,” she said, a statement of fact rather than an admonishment. “Here.”

She leaned down, offering a canteen of water. He considered refusing, but his liver could probably use it. He took it, spun the lid open, and drank, not bothering to thank her. It was fresh and cold. He just hoped she hadn't scooped it out of the pond.

“There’s a treehouse around here somewhere,” Lydia said, shading her eyes and looking west. “Used to love it when I was a kid. Bet if Jas found it, that’s where she is.”

He let his head fall back against the tree, breathing deep. “You remember where it is?”

“Ehhh, sort of.”

He stretched out his arm—a monumental effort—to return the canteen to her. She slipped it back into an outer pocket of her backpack, then offered her hand down, as if to help him up.

“Come on,” she said. Encouragingly. Like that was going to improve his mood. “I think it’s just a little further.”

He didn’t exactly want the help, but he wasn’t sure he could get back to his feet without it, either. Was this section of her farm full of quicksand? Was that the hazard she'd warned them about? It felt like it was pulling him down, convincing him to lie in the tall grass and go to sleep, maybe let it swallow him whole.

He took her hand. It was heavily calloused even under his own rough fingers. A season on the farm really had transformed her from desk jockey to hardy manual laborer.

She heaved, easily setting him on his feet, and nodded when he didn’t immediately fall back down. “Let’s go.”

It occurred to him that she was sacrificing precious daylight hours to help him. That she could be fighting battles against these weeds, clearing more land or watering her existing crops or doing pretty much anything except look for a runaway little girl.

What was she even getting out of this? Would she expect some kind of reward? A gold medal, or just gold, for being neighbor of the year, finder of lost children?

Or was her kindness just inherent and altruistic? Hard to believe the world hadn't crushed it out of her yet. She'd worked at Joja. How had she survived?

“We’ll find her,” she said, like a promise.

His heart softened—a little. Just a little. If the world hadn't crushed the neighborly do-gooder instinct out of her yet, fine. It would. Eventually. But he wasn't going to be the one to do it.

“Sorry,” he said. Grudgingly, but he managed to force the word out. “Bet you didn’t plan to spend your afternoon playing hide-and-seek.”

“I didn’t,” she acknowledged, “but it’s okay. Archimedes!”

A bit of grass several yards away rustled and the blond head of her dog popped up above it, black nose gleaming, snout glistening like he'd recently stuck his face in the pond.

“Find anything?” she asked, for all the world like the dog was going to answer her.

He barked, turned a circle, and went plunging ahead west.

“All right,” she said. “Good as any other direction, probably. There used to be a big rock out here marking the way to the treehouse, but I can’t remember if Granddad broke it up after…”

She trailed off, and despite his determined distance, he found his interest piqued. After she’d stopped visiting? After he’d come back as a ghost to strew hazards all over the farm for his granddaughter to deal with? After the angry creatures in the wilderness reclaimed this part of the farm for their own?

Any seemed likely, coming from her. He remembered her playful hints at magic the night before. But she didn’t finish the sentence, just frowned and continued on, following the rustling grass that indicated her dog’s path.

And he followed her. If he couldn’t do the right thing, he could at least walk in the shadow of someone who would.

"You know," she said, as if she was allergic to silence, "if you want, I could give her a tour of the farm. Show her the places she ought to stay away from. That way, if she runs off again—"

"She won't."

She gave him a sidelong look. "Sure. Kids are totally predictable and obedient that way."

He scowled. "You could put a gate on the entrance by the ranch. Solved."

"Unless you want me to build a ten-foot-high concrete wall, she'd just climb it. And even then...I've seen her and Vincent testing the trees in town. She might still get in. Trust me," she said, and smiled. "I was once seven and precocious."

"Never would've guessed," he said, thick with sarcasm, and she laughed like he'd made a joke.

"Granddad never did get this part of the farm running. He always had plans for it, but he always stopped short. Cleared the path every season, maintained the fences, but kept the woods in the end. It was the first place I'd run off to whenever I was sad, or upset, or had just been scolded." She looked around at the trees as they walked, wistful around the eyes.

"Why?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes you need to lick your wounds in peace, right?"

"Not that. Why didn't he finish it?"

She glanced at him. "Said he had enough land, enough crops, to handle already." She hesitated, chewing on her lip. "But sometimes he told me that it was the forest spirits' home, so he couldn't cut it down."

"Let me guess," he said, unable to help his skeptical tone. "Those sounds you were talking about?"

"Sure," she said, all good-natured, like his cynicism didn't even touch her. "Why not?"

"Why not," he repeated in a mutter, and then, louder, "so you won't be clearing this, either?"

"Well, I don't really know if Granddad was telling the truth about having his hands full, but I certainly do." She shook her head. "I keep the path clear, and the rest is future Lydia's problem. The one who theoretically has a working sprinkler system."

He snorted. She took a look around again and pointed at a jagged boulder rising above the grass, maybe sixty feet in front of them.

"That's the marker. Okay. If we overshoot it a little and look to the right…"

He saw the evidence of an overgrown path here—a narrower track than the one Lydia had cleared through the forest, marked by old fences. This was just beaten down by, presumably, a history of footsteps. Lydia made her way along it, Archimedes at her side now rather than ahead.

"Aha," she said, quieter now, eyes traveling up a nearby tree trunk. "I think we've found our fugitive."

Shane's heart leaped in relief. He could see the old, partially-rotted handholds nailed up the trunk of the tree, the intact structure among its branches, and the thinnest sliver of a green bow through the window.

"I'll give you two some space," Lydia said, still quiet, and retreated back to the boulder, gesturing for Archimedes to follow; he went, tail wagging.

Despite his skepticism, and some derision—the same kind he felt every time Emily made a comment on his aura, truth be told—he appreciated this. Maybe Lydia was just too blind to see what a fuck-up he was, but even so, she'd given him the benefit of the doubt, the space to handle Jas on his own.

It was like Marnie'd said. She was a sweet gal. Too bad this unruly farm was going to break her of all that.

He considered the hand-holds, decided the risk of breaking a bone was acceptable, and began to climb. By the time he'd gotten halfway up, Jas knew he was coming, but there was no escape, and she wasn't desperate enough or stupid enough to jump out the treehouse window. She watched him with big, wary eyes as he contorted himself through the treehouse floor and settled gingerly on the worn floorboards.

For a long moment, they sat in silence, looking at each other. Shane was out of breath, and didn't know what exactly to say, anyway. Jas huddled in the opposite corner, tearstains on her face, some combination of defiance and guilt in the set of her jaw.

"You scared the sh—" He caught himself just in time. "You really scared me."

Her lip wobbled. He braced himself. "I'm sorry," she said, eyes gleaming again.

He stretched his legs out, enough to tap his shoe against hers. Almost instinctively, it seemed, she tapped back.

She'd still been a baby when he'd taught her to do that.

"Me too." He cleared his throat. "I was a real grouch this morning."

"Me too," she echoed, and rubbed a fist into her watering eyes. "I miss them so much."

How many times was it acceptable to say Me too? It didn't matter, because Shane couldn't get the words out. He patted the floorboards beside him instead, and Jas scrambled over to sit next to him, leaning against his side.

It wasn't sufficient. He was a poor substitute. No substitute at all, really. But he was all she had. Him and Marnie.

Poor kid.

"Don't run off again," he said. "Or at least go places I know."

She sniffed. "I like this treehouse."

He had a sudden, terrifying premonition of further forced interaction with Lydia.

"Look. There's drawings." Jas pointed, and he saw the little carvings in the wall. Your standard initials—L.A.V. in a shaky hand, B.I.V. in a steadier one beneath it—but also pictures. Little round creatures with guileless eyes and thin limbs, painted over in faded colors, sometimes outside the lines.

Forest spirits, probably.

"It's not our property, kiddo," he tried.

"Lydia's really nice. She always says hi to me when she's talking to Miss Penny. She gave me a dandelion once." She turned her tearful face up to Shane. "Maybe she'd let me come over sometimes."

Shane relented. It was hard to tell her no, especially for something so innocuous. He always felt like shit afterward, anyway.

So he'd have to put up with Lydia's sunny attitude once in a while. Whatever. Maybe Jas could get a little bit of happiness out of it. A childhood in the middle of all this horror. He could make some sacrifices on his personal comfort for that.

"We can ask her," he said, making a mental note to also ask her to replace the handholds on the trunk. "Can't believe you climbed all the way up here by yourself."

She grinned. "I'm strong, right?"

"You sure are," he said, and thought, Way stronger than me. "Let's get down from this thing, okay?"

She nodded, wiped at her face again, and hugged him quickly before scrambling past him to begin the descent.

He was an unfeeling asshole these days. The entire world had blended into some kind of dull, vomit-colored blur. But he loved her, even so.

If only it was enough.

He followed her down to the ground only to find her already frolicking with Archimedes, laughing as the dog enthusiastically licked her face. "Oh, he's so soft!" she exclaimed, gently petting the blond head.

Lydia approached from the boulder, smiling. "He likes you," she told Jas. "And he loves hide-and-seek. You gave him a good game."

Jas looked down, shy again. "Sorry I hid on your farm, Miss Lydia."

"No harm done," Lydia said. She cast a questioning look at Shane.

He sighed. "Jas likes your treehouse."

She brightened immediately. "It's a great treehouse. Used to spend a lot of time in it when I was a kid."

Shane nudged Jas. She buried her face in Archimedes' fur—he weathered the hug happily—and then peeked up at Lydia.

"Can I visit sometimes?" she asked, barely audible.

Lydia looked another question at Shane. So respectful, so intent not to overstep the bounds of his terrible guardianship.

He nodded.

"Of course!" Lydia cast a critical eye at the steps. "I'd better replace those steps first, though. Don't want anybody to get hurt."

She really was excruciatingly, painfully nice. He hated it. But he sort of, grudgingly, appreciated it.

"I can help with that," he offered. "We've got spare lumber at the ranch, and if Jas is going to be using it…"

It was fair, he figured. She was doing Jas a good turn. He didn't want to incur any debts. Maybe he could fix up some of those fences for her, too.

"Perfect," Lydia said. "Maybe we can do that next Saturday? Jas can hang out with Archimedes. If you don't have any plans."

Plans. Watching the pizza rolls spin in the microwave, maybe. Downing a few beers when the clock said it was acceptable to do so. Wandering the woods after Jas had gone to bed, coming back after Marnie had gone to sleep.

Jas looked back and forth between them, arms still looped around the dog's neck, some strange hope in her sad little face.

If she wanted to believe he was making a friend, fine. If she wanted to believe things were going to get better, great. He just had to maintain the illusion.

"We're free," he said. "If Jas really wants to hang out with this stinky animal all day."

"He's not stinky," Jas protested. Archimedes licked a broad stripe across her face, as if in thanks, and she giggled again.

Lydia flashed him a subtle thumbs-up. He rolled his eyes. It was one Saturday.

He could still fit in the beer-drinking and woods-wandering if they finished early enough.

Go to Part 3 ->

[schraubd]

New Congressional Black-Jewish Caucus Announced: Will It Go Anywhere?

Apparently brokered by the AJC, Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) announced the creation of a new bipartisan Congressional Black-Jewish Caucus. The other co-founding members are Reps. John Lewis (D-GA), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Will Hurd (R-TX), and Lee Zeldin (R-NY). Its stated goals are to:

Raise awareness of each community's sensitivities and needs, in Congress and around the country.

Provide resources to members of Congress to empower them to bring African-American and Jewish communities together, combating stereotypes and hate and showcasing commonalities.

Support stronger hate crimes legislation and advocate for increased government resources to confront the threat of white supremacist ideology.

Support legislation and work to expand access to democracy and protect election integrity.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what to make of this. The concept is great, but I have to wonder whether initiatives like this ever do anything substantive beyond the press release.

I also find the list of founding congressmen and women to be interesting (are they seeking out additional members?). The list includes two Black Democrats (Lawrence and Lewis), one Black Republican (Hurd), one White Jewish Democrat (Wasserman-Schultz), and one White Jewish Republican (Zeldin).  Let's quickly run through who they are:

Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI)

Lawrence is a third-term congresswoman from Michigan; holding the seat previously occupied by now-U.S. Senator Gary Peters. Prior to entering Congress, she was the first African-American woman to serve as mayor of Southfield. She also was a member of the unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial ticket in 2010, serving as Virg Bernero's running mate. 

In Congress, she's a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus. I honestly don't know much about her, and don't think of her as a particularly high-profile member of Congress. But Lawrence's district has both a large Black and Jewish population, so it makes sense for her to try and take a leadership position on this question.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

Former head of the DNC, Wasserman Schultz is probably best known as the favored target of 2016 Bernie dead-enders after they level up. That made her a target for a primary challenge from Sanders-backed Tim Canova, which got pretty nasty actually, but she ended up prevailing with 57% of the vote. She is one of the most high-profile Jewish Democrats in the House, and has what I consider to be a pretty standard political posture for a Jewish Democratic politician -- generally progressive voting record, while also being "establishment-friendly". Unfortunately, the 2016 election history means she is positively despised by the insurgent wing of the Democratic Party.

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

One of the legends of American politics and a civil rights hero, John Lewis has massive respect within the Democratic caucus and within the CBC in particular. He's also, throughout his career, been a stalwart friend of the Jewish people -- there's probably no more common "go-to" in Congress for Jewish-Black relations than Rep. Lewis. If anyone was going to join a cause like this, it'd be him. Unfortunately, that cuts both ways -- it is in many respects less interesting that John Lewis joined this caucus, because "of course he would". It doesn't actually signal the sort of broader buy-in one would hope for.

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY)

I was honestly surprised to see he was onboard with this, as Lee Zeldin is -- how to put this gently -- a monster whose spent the past year gleefully tossing molotov cocktails all over the "Black-Jewish relationship". Ideally, being part of an initiative like this will tame Zeldin's wilder instincts -- someone can perhaps explain to him why taking an antisemitic voicemail left at his office and randomly demanding Ilhan Omar (who is never cited, mentioned, or alluded to in the message) denounce it is not how we play nicely with others. More likely, Zeldin will simply end up blowing this thing up from the inside.

What's really going on here, I imagine, is a stark example of the limits of trying to form a bipartisan caucus of Blacks and Jews. If one is simply looking to foster healthy relations between the Black and Jewish community in Congress, Republicans are, with all due respect, kind of irrelevant. But if you absolutely insist on having a Jewish Republican in the mix, Zeldin has the almost singular virtue of, well, being one (the only other Jewish Republican in Congress is Tennessee Rep. David Kustoff. He's a right-wing extremist too, though I still suspect he'd have been a better choice).

Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX)

Speaking of slim pickings, Hurd is who you get when you decide you also need a Black Republican -- he's the only one in the House (swing over to the Senate and you've got South Carolina's Tim Scott as well). He is, to be fair, a much less offensive figure than Zeldin. He also barely squeaked out re-election last cycle against Gina Ortiz Jones, whose already gunning for a rematch, so he might not be around Congress next cycle.

* * *

What do we make of this set? Leave Hurd and Zeldin aside -- they're there for obvious reasons but otherwise are non-important. We'll even assume for sake of argument that Zeldin doesn't torpedo the whole deal.

Well, Wasserman Schultz is well respected in the Jewish community but also is a lightning rod for the Bernie-supporting wing of the party. With all due respect to the Florida Congresswoman, whom I actually rather like, she's carrying a lot of weight as the only Jewish Democratic Representative in the group, and I'm skeptical of the vitality of representing the "Jewish" side of Congress through her and Zeldin. Meanwhile, Lawrence is not high-profile, and I don't think really will do much to bring in more support from the CBC more broadly. Lewis is, of course, very high-profile, but he's also in some ways uniquely ill-positioned to signal buy-in from the CBC writ large for the reasons given above.

What's more interesting, then, is who isn't in the caucus. Now again, this was just launched, and so it's entirely possible more people will join. But the question is, who are the sorts of people who, if they did join, would signal that there might be a potential for success here?

On the Jewish side of the equation, you'd want to see both someone from new generation -- say, Elissa Slotkin or Max Rose, or perhaps Jamie Raskin -- and/or a less polarizing member of the old guard (like Jerry Nadler or Jan Schakowsky). Andy Levin -- newly-elected, but part of the Levin political dynasty in Michigan -- would be a great bridging figure here too. Another obvious name to look out for is Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, who actually represents a majority-Black district. If he joins, it suggests that this sort of initiative is actually being viewed as a positive. If he doesn't, well, it sends a different signal.

With respect to prospective Black members, you'd want to see something similar: someone from the old guard beyond Lewis, and then someone from the new wave. On the latter, I won't even bother mentioning she-who-must-not-me-named (though again, what does it say that Zeldin can be a member but she can't). But Lauren Underwood, Lucy McBath, or (dare to dream) Ayanna Pressley would be outstanding additions. With respect to more senior figures, Karen Bass or Elijah Cummings or even my own Congresswoman Barbara Lee would be great. There's also a "middle seniority" group that contains some promising figures, like Andre Carson (he'd be a fantastic pick-up, as the other Black Muslim serving in Congress right now) and Hakeem Jeffries (Jeffries, sadly, seems to be at risk of becoming a new Wasserman Schultz or Tom Perez -- which is to say, someone with a solidly progressive voting record who gets identified as a barrier to the advancement of some further-left hero and therefore is transmogrified into a tool of the neoliberal neoliberalist's neoliberalism).

In particular: I see the point of a caucus like this as not just comprising of itself of people who already agree on everything, but also ones who can fairly and effectively communicate their respective community's "sensitivities and needs" -- a project which often will involve explaining why practices by the other community which might internally seem innocuous are actually hurtful. In the Omar dialogues, for example, this is where we get Jewish members explaining why Omar's comments -- perhaps seen as just making the anodyne point that "AIPAC has influence in Washington" -- were harmful and seemed to leverage antisemitic tropes; and also where we get Black members explaining why the unyielding fury of the backlash -- perhaps seen as just "calling out antisemitism" --  were harmful and seemed to reflect a minute policing of Black politicians.

In other words, if you're running through potential members of the caucus with a red pen and looking for all the heresies that should bar them from membership, I'd urge you to stop. Yes, some level of overt antagonism is probably incompatible with productively participating in a project like this (but then: see Zeldin, apparently). But not all disagreements are akin to "overt antagonism", and I don't think any of the names I've listed stand outside the realm of regular disagreement. A functioning caucus that is designed to be a space where both community's can communicate their respective concerns and sensitivities can and probably should have some people who do not start out on precisely the same page. Speaking from the Jewish angle, it is in particular not reasonable to expect this caucus be "Black politicians come into the room and agree that everything the Jewish community has been saying and doing vis-a-vis the Black community is correct and laudatory" (and, of course, neither vice versa).

Finally, I don't want to say any of the people I mentioned above are obligated to join this caucus, or that it reflects badly on them or signals they "don't care about Black-Jewish relationships" if they don't. Congress is a busy place, and these people have things to do. This is one cause among many -- it's one I happen to think is important, but there are lots of issues lots of people think are important. And of course, these Congressmen and women are almost certainly better positioned than I am to see if this caucus has even the potential to turn into something "real" beyond the press release. If it's going to be a waste of time anyway, there's no need for them to cede their limited time to be wasted.

All I am suggesting is that, for a caucus like this to actually succeed, it needs to gain a membership that signifies buy-in from a solid cross-sample of the relevant communities. I don't think the initial membership group does that on its own.

via The Debate Link http://bit.ly/2KpE6VI

[timeagainreviews]

An Unearthly Comparison

Before we begin, I would like to start by saying- I know that "An Unearthly Child," is considered part of the Cave of Skulls serial. I've chosen to treat it as it's own separate story, due to the fact that it has very little to do with the other three episodes. As far as I am concerned, you could have put any story at the end of An Unearthly Child, and the results would have been the same.

In the last two days since "The Woman Who Fell to Earth," aired, I've had discussions as to why the Doctor lost her TARDIS, and what that might mean. A worry I had was that the TARDIS had rejected Jodie, and was making her prove she was still the Doctor, which would suck for obvious reasons. But my friend suggested something else- it's just a plot device. And it makes sense. Why would Yasmine leave behind her job to travel with the Doctor? What better way is there to keep Graham and Ryan together as a family? The Doctor can't just kidnap people can she?

Watching "An Unearthly Child" can be really jolting for a lot of modern Doctor Who fans. The Doctor is cantankerous, aloof, unhelpful, and contumacious. Sure, we've seen these traits in all of our modern Doctors, but with William Hartnell, it's so prevalent. Which is why it's hard to believe there was a version of him that was even more unpleasant! So naturally, I had to find out for myself.

For those of you not in the know, when "An Unearthly Child" (or AUC) was originally filmed, BBC's Head of Drama, Sydney Newman, was unhappy with the results. He told producer Verity Lambert to reshoot the episode in its entirety with a few changes to the characters and script. Ironically, with all of the official episodes of Doctor Who that were destroyed, this unaired pilot still exists! The episode lived another sort of double life, as it was aired two weeks in a row, due to the Kennedy Assassination the day before the premiere. Or as Terry Pratchett put it- "because of public demand and that pesky business with the grassy knoll."

The beginnings of the two different versions of aren't all that different. There is an audible "bang," sound in the opening music that I had never noticed before. And oddly enough, the picture quality in the unaired version is a bit crisper. You can actually read the I.M. Forman written on the gate of the scrapyard on Totter's Lane. Though I will say the camera work in the aired version is much snappier. I'm not sure if it's just the version I have, or if it has anything to do with the 16 mm telerecording. Who knows?

Try to imagine, if you will, what it was like to watch Doctor Who back then. Science fiction was still a thing of ire. Spaceships were stupid looking, and the stories were hacky. But this was something different. Something like C.S. Lewis (who also died the day before the episode aired). No matter what programs Doctor Who has inspired since, there's still nothing quite like it. Nothing that gets so borderline surreal. Nothing that has so much staying power.

We're introduced to Ian and Barbara. Two teachers at Coal Hill School in London. Barbara is concerned about a mutual student who perplexes her. In rewatching these episodes, I was reminded of the scene in Donnie Darko when Drew Barrymore and Noah Wyle discuss the titular character, a student of theirs that seems to stand out from the rest. In comparing the two versions of AUC, the biggest difference is that Ian and Barbara are sitting down in the aired version, which seems like a good choice. There's a more intimate, less rushed feeling. They feel more familiar with one another. Evidently, the original script had indicated a romance between them but was later toned down. I don't know why. I ship it.

It's through this interaction that we meet Susan. I've always had some rather conflicted feelings about Susan. On one hand, she's kind of endearing, and in other ways, she's downright annoying. When we meet her through the lens of Ian and Barbara's perspective, she's brilliant, enigmatic, and strange. Possessing knowledge no person her age should actually know.

The Susan we meet moments later is a bit more of a kid you'd expect in the 1960's. She listens to surfer music by the fictional "John Smith and the Common Men," while sort of strumming along with the music. This marks the first appearance of the name John Smith in Doctor Who, by the way. The impression I get is that Susan was supposed to be kind of "hip." Even her hairstyle was designed by Vidal Sassoon, which is actually still pretty cool.

After surreptitiously trying to learn more about Susan's home situation by offering her a ride home, we're left alone with the young girl. One of the things I'm kind of sad they scrapped in the aired version, is Susan's little inkblot Rorschach test she reads like tea leaves. It was a very "I Ching," moment, that I thought made her seem almost mystical. Instead, the scene ends with Susan looking through a book on the French Revolution (all white with big black letters like it was produced in the Repo Man universe), and exclaiming- "That's not right!"

Ian and Barbara follow Susan to the address in her school file, 76 Trotter's Lane, the same scrapyard from the beginning of the episode. They follow her in to find nothing but a bunch of junk and a large blue police box. Upon touching it, Ian describes the box as "alive." It is at this point, that the two versions of the episode begin to diverge the most.

William Hartnell's initial portrayal of the Doctor is almost villainous. Where he's supposed to come off as mysterious, he comes off as scheming and methodical. Instead of thinking he has some great secret he's worried about getting out, he appears more to have some horrible secret he's hiding. You almost side with Ian and Barbara, that Susan is in danger. It's easy to see how this is wrong for the character. You want the Doctor to be independent, and at times, contrarian, but never to the point that he seems like the antagonist. Dr Smith in Lost in Space comes to mind. His initial portrayal was one of a villain, but over time, his strength was found in being a sort of anti-hero, and friend to Will Robinson.

The way they solved this? Well, he appears more curious. More aloof. Less direct and confrontational. There's a bit more twinkle in his eye the second time around. Vague threats turn into goading and daring. As Ian interrogates the Doctor, the Doctor takes interest in some of the random junk around him. His curiosity, mixed with his blasé attitude toward their concern gives him the right mix of intrigue and mischief. You can tell he's hiding something, but it feels less to evade justice, but rather to protect himself, Susan, and even the two interlopers.

A lot of the beauty in capturing this balance is in the name of the show. Who is this Doctor? Why is he in a scrapyard? What is the deal with that police box? These are the right questions that the audience should be asking. You should wonder about his intentions, but not be able to say outrightly- this man is a criminal. But Ian and Barbara are still unconvinced, as they push forward into the big box, and like a C.S. Lewis novel, into a whole new world.

Some of the best moments in Doctor Who are the big reveal of the TARDIS. It will never not be cool. But the unique element to this reveal is it's the first one that was a big reveal to the audience as well. That's actually rather unique when you give it some thought. Usually, we're all in on the joke, waiting for it. We know about the wide-eyed expressions, mouths agape. "It's bigger on the inside!" they'll say. You know something is weird about the police box. They've framed it in the middle of the shot. The episode begins around it. We've been beckoned toward it since the beginning of the story. Even with the red herring of seeing a policeman walking past it at the beginning, the low hum it emits betrays any sense that it is merely common.

Ian and Barbara, have at this point, seen too much. It's still early, days and our Doctor doesn't like showing off his special ship. We learn it's name, given by Susan as an acronym for "Time and Relative Dimension in Space," (later to be changed to "Dimensions," for no apparent reason). One of my favourite aspects of this scene is the Doctor explaining the TARDIS's dimensional capabilities by comparing it to television's ability to shrink a large object down onto a screen. It's sci-fi mumbo-jumbo, but I love it.

Another big difference we see here is that in the first version, Susan explains that she was born in the 49th century. It's a little too on the nose. Explains a little bit of the "Who" in the title too much. Another thing is the hum of the TARDIS is much more abrasive in the original version. In reviewing it just a moment ago, my cat gave me a rather cross look from the shrill noise. Like Ian said, “I have... a very sensitive ear.” Though this is not the last time the Radiophonic Workshop will pierce your eardrums.

It's in this scene that we see the greatest disparity in William Hartnell's performance. He's angry, confrontational, and even calls Susan a stupid child at one point. His temper is evident and not at all endearing. It makes his decision to kidnap Ian and Barbara less one of survival, and more of one of control. While it has never made a whole lot of sense what danger two school teachers knowing his secrets could present, the Doctor chooses to kidnap his new guests. We never know why he was in the scrapyard (though we do find out in later episodes) or why Susan wanted to attend school. Susan's "why," may be self-evident, in that she's a child who wants to be around other children, but the Doctor's reasons are less evident. Either way, the scene fares far better in the aired version.

What comes next is one of my favourite shots in the history of the show. There's something exhilarating about the TARDIS among a rocky terrain, and the approaching shadow that cuts a long menacing shape against the horizon. It's pure science fiction and yet another big reveal. The Doctor wasn't lying. This ship of his really can move through space in an instant. It's a beautiful beginning to one of television's greatest sagas.

Thanks for reading! I won't be writing the Cave of Skulls retrospective until maybe next week. I have a convention to attend this weekend, so I probably won't have the time. You should probably expect more series 11 coverage around then too!

[architectnews]

Climate change means "whole paradigm has to change" for skyscrapers

The attack on the World Trade Center 20 years ago had a significant impact on skyscraper design. Continuing our 9/11 anniversary series we look at how skyscrapers will change over the next two decades.

The coronavirus pandemic and climate change will be two of the biggest influences on skyscraper design over the next 20 years, according to experts.

"I think environment and health are two fundamental things, above security, that challenge us all in the industry of the paradigm of the skyscraper," said Gary Kamemoto, principal at Maki and Associates, which designed the 4 World Trade Center skyscraper.

"Covid-19, in a certain way, is a terror threat right now," he told Dezeen, "and I think every single country is grappling with it in many creative and different ways."

Kamemoto made his comments in reference to the terrorist attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001, which played a significant role in the evolution of skyscrapers over the past two decades.

Ventilation in highrises "needs to be addressed"

Contemporary skyscrapers are still typically designed as sealed environments with predominantly glazed exteriors, which rely heavily on artificial ventilation to prevent overheating.

However, in light of the pandemic, Kamemoto thinks there will be greater demand for naturally ventilated skyscrapers with openable windows to help create healthier internal environments.

Georgina Robledo, a partner at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners which also designed a skyscraper on the World Trade Center site, agreed.

The trend of curtain walls could come to an end in the next 20 years. Photo is by Ulrik Hasselstrom via Unsplash

"Not to be a cliche, but we have to recognise the change after Covid," Robledo said. "That is a discussion about ventilated spaces and ventilation in highrises."

"I think more ventilated facades are going to come into play, and not just openable windows, I think it's a technology that allows for that fresh air intake at high rise level," she continued.

Kamemoto added that maximising the natural ventilation of skyscrapers can also help reduce their overall carbon footprint.

"High-rise buildings are very energy-consuming," Kamemoto said.

"And for the most part, until recent years, they're completely kind of divorced from the exterior environment, they're completely sealed off, so they depend very highly on artificial ventilators."

With a host of countries now committing to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 to tackle the climate emergency, he said "that whole paradigm has to change".

Photovoltaic surfaces may replace curtain walls

A focus on making skyscrapers more sustainable may also lead to the end of the trend of heavily glazed exteriors, according to Ung-Joo Scott Lee, the New York-based partner at US studio Morphosis.

"I'm not sure if the large use of glass will go on forever," he told Dezeen.

Instead, he said architects should "limit the amount of glass to areas where you really need the view" and experiment with facades that are more opaque or lined with photovoltaics.

"In New York City, some of the most beautiful buildings that you see were done almost 100 years ago," he explained, "they're masonry buildings with more limited windows."

Read:

9/11 led to "a renaissance of tall building design" say skyscraper designers

Gensler's chief operating officer Dan Winey told Dezeen that he believes the next 20 years could even see the use of curtain wall systems as electricity generators. Strides have already been made in developing photovoltaic surfaces too, he said, citing Tesla's Solar Roof shingles that are being developed as a way to power homes.

"I think you are going to see curtain walls and buildings that will generate electricity through solar," Winey explained. "The curtain walls themselves will become power generating and they will generate more power than they need."

Avoiding glass will offer "a sense of craft and texture"

Moving on from curtain walls also presents an opportunity to reintroduce texture into skyscrapers, like those built in the 20th century, said James von Klemperer, president at Kohn Pedersen Fox, which has designed four of the world's top 10 tallest buildings.

Von Klemperer described glass facades as "rather blank and inaccessible" and said using more tactile materials like terracotta or masonry can help to humanise them.

"I think we all feel, as a community of architects that we all created and had built too many large expanses of glass in our cities," he explained.

"The way the light comes on to masonry buildings, on the other hand...I was on the top of One Vanderbilt looking down just last night as the sun was setting and to see that light play on the masonry of the city of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and even 1950s is really gratifying."

KPF's 5 World Trade Center will offer "a sense of craft". Visual is courtesy of KPF

This is something that Kohn Pedersen Fox is striving to achieve in its design of the 5 World Trade Centre skyscraper, which is set to break ground soon at the Ground Zero site.

"What we're trying to do with the tall building today is to humanise it in a sense, to recapture some of the scales of an indication of craft which we love in smaller buildings," he explained.

"I think our 5 World Trade Centre building will have some of that recovery, of sense of craft and texture," he continued. "And as far as architectural design can have an influence on our lives, that's very important."

Timber structures could become more common

Maki and Associates' Kamemoto is expecting more frequent use of sustainable materials such as timber in the construction of future skyscrapers.

There has been a recent resurgence in the popularity of wood as a construction material due to its ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, but improvements in engineered timbers such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) has also made it more appealing to architects.

"Taking timber construction to a whole new kind of level in high rise design, we've seen that and that is ongoing," Kamemoto explained.

Read:

Eight trends that have defined the past 20 years of skyscraper design

For example, he said, in Tokyo the Japanese timber company Sumitomo Forestry is developing the 350-metre W350 skyscraper.

If built, it will steal the title of the world's tallest timber building from the 85.4-metre-high Mjøstårnet, which has been designed by Voll Arkitekter in Brumunddal, Norway.

More mixed-use skyscrapers expected

One of the biggest changes to skyscrapers in the last two decades has been an increase in mixed-use programmes. Several skyscraper designers believe this trend will only become more common in the future.

Von Klemperer of Kohn Pedersen Fox said mixed-use skyscrapers can help ensure skyscrapers become better assets for the community.

They can also help people to achieve a better work-life balance, he said. For example, a highrise containing workspace and daycare facilities could allow an office worker to spend more time with their child.

"A tall building doesn't have to be only a residential building or only an office building," Von Klemperer explained. "I think because a diversity of use and mixing of uses is good for us, in satisfying the things that we need in our lives."

Timber skyscrapers such as W350 could become more common

Both Chris Lepine, partner at London-based Zaha Hadid Architects and Gensler's chief operating officer Winey believe the rise of mixed-use skyscrapers will also create more opportunities for nature, greenery and farming in cities.

"Skyscrapers will continue evolving to be more human-centric with increasing levels of biophilic design and better amenities," Lepine told Dezeen.

"We'll also see an increase in different tower programmes with vertical structures accommodating varying degrees of mixed-use, public sky gardens, and even vertical farming."

Skybridges could make skyscrapers safer

While taking steps to minimise the impact of skyscrapers on the planet, some architects believe they must also be designed to protect occupants from the effects of a changing climate.

Eui-Sung Yi, the Los Angeles-based partner Morphosis, said designing against flooding will be particularly important.

These conversations began in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy hit New York and caused widespread flooding, he told Dezeen, as "people realised that if you're in a skyscraper in a high rise, you're effectively trapped".

As such, Yi believes "a network of higher infrastructure" including bridges between skyscrapers could become commonplace, ensuring the ground floor is not "the only connective tissue".

Skybridges could help offer protection from flooding

Morphosis partner Lee added that an increased risk of flooding will also require critical building services to be brought above flood plains, rather than hidden in basements as they have been previously.

"The requirement now in New York City is that things like emergency generators, connections to your actual power grid, all have to be outside from the flood plain," he explained.

"That's making the typology safer, and in fact, probably safer than other types of buildings around."

Skyscrapers are "a necessity"

One thing that several architects agreed on is that skyscrapers will remain a vital building typology over the next two decades and into the future.

SOM partner Ken Lewis explained that this is because cities must accommodate growing populations and that towers are the most efficient way to ensure this.

"Cities of the future will need to be even denser to accommodate predicted population growth," he said. "From an urban planning perspective, towers are the most sustainable answer."

Daniel Libeskind, the architect behind the rebuilding of Ground Zero, added that highrises are also an effective way to tackle car hegemony in cities and minimise consumption of land.

Read:

"Everything changed in architecture" after 9/11 attacks says Daniel Libeskind

"If you don't want to consume more and more land and keep building out and out and out and reinforcing cars and so on, you have to build densely," Libeskind said. "That's why cities originated."

"We cannot consume land by building low buildings and eating up what's leftover of the nature we already managed to destroy," he continued. "[Building tall] is a necessity."

However, Libeskind added that the desire for skyscrapers also goes "beyond the necessity".

"There's a magic to tall buildings," he concluded, "a sort of primordial sense of joy of being able to dominate the city you are in from a higher perspective."

"The truth is that when you're in a high rise in a skyscraper, it's just so liberating in many ways."

9/11 anniversary

This article is part of Dezeen's 9/11 anniversary series marking the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

The main image is courtesy of KPF.

The post Climate change means "whole paradigm has to change" for skyscrapers appeared first on Dezeen.