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makorays · 5 years

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A List of Short Bios for a Bunch of OCs so People Actually Know What I’m Talking About Whenever I Mention Them on Streams or Whatever

These are all from the Savage Worlds tabletop campaign known as The Initiative that my friends and I play. It is a modern day sci-fi story involving aliens and cosmic horror cults. The basic premise is that some very important Scellor tech was stolen and found its way to Earth, and the Scellor government contacted Earth’s government to warn them they will have to wipe out their planet if the tech isn’t recovered in time. Thus an initiative was formed consisting of renowned Earth military figures as well as Scellor volunteers to try and locate it.

The Scellor are a race of aliens originally created by a man by the name of Jukashi for tgchan. Joe discovered them and decided to write a tabletop story in that universe. He may have taken a couple artistic liberties here and there for the sake of better fitting things into his own story. Scellor are green psychic aliens with a whole bunch of neat traits I won’t go into but you can read about them here if you want: https://questden.org/wiki/Scellor

Onto the actual bios:

Sofie Edelstein

The commander of The Initiative. Over a century ago, her father revealed to her and her two sisters (Teri and Tara) that he was the head of an “angel”-worshipping cult known as Erleuchten. When Teri and Tara showed hesitance in joining it, her father killed them. Sofie joined, but plotted to sabotage the cult from the inside. Some time later she became a preserved brain, got digitized, and obtained a robotic body. Now she’s a 6′ tall 400 pound robot with advanced combat capabilities. She created a series of androids with artificial intelligence based after her late sister Tara, but none have gained sentience. Was the leader of Poland’s military as a day job. She was working for The Initiative from the inside as an Erleuchten leader, but got found out and now lives with us. She’s done a hell of a lot of sleeping around through all her years, but eventually decided to get into a long-term relationship when she met Stan.

Minyaxl

My OC. Minyaxl is a Scellor combat medic with renowned psionic healing abilities who decided to volunteer and help out the humans, partially out of kindness and partially to have a chance to demonstrate his abilities to a less advanced race. He started out as this 5′0″ little bitch who was super full of himself but his confidence has been beaten into the dirt on numerous occasions; most notably when he realized that humans, unlike Scellor, do not reincarnate after death, meaning he’s been sentencing people to oblivion during every combat mission. He’s since become desperately obsessed with saving as many lives of sentient, non-reincarnating beings like humans as possible, even if it means jeopardizing operations. He routinely finds himself at odds with his squadmates, particularly Valerie, due to their perceived lack of interest in non-lethal solutions to problems. He is the closest Scellor can get to typical human romance with Thael.

Katherine Dawson

Cey’s OC. Katie is a combat medic who was taken as a POW by a terrorist group and later forcibly enlisted into The Initiative for her abilities. She’s sort of the mom of the group. Everyone else in arbiter squad has some form of extra-ness to them and she’s the straight-woman who holds them together. She has a knack for bossing around idiots due to her upbringing with rambunctious siblings in a Japanese-American household. Dual wields pistols and does not take shit from people. Is girlfriends with Teri.

Johannes B. Otto

Kyle’s OC. It's sometimes easy to mistake Johannes for a confused German tourist. During quiet hours, he spends his time complaining about No Smoking signs and combining multiple quarter-pound patties into single full-pound burgers. But get in his way and you'll find that he's less "tired, goofy dad" and more "towering, ruthless brute". Withhold information during an interrogation, and he'll start calmly searching for a pair of pliers. Try to hurt him or his squadmates, and he'll shut you in a storage locker with a live grenade and then feel zero remorse for the gory soup that spills out (a tactic that has since been affectionately referred to as the "Deutsche Oven"). It should also be noted that Johannes is not a patient man. If we’re ever at a standstill with deciding how to proceed, he’ll start jumping a fence to go beat the shit out of a guard before taking all his clothes and spanking him until his ass is red.

Valerie Mimieux

Ragu’s OC. Valerie is a woman of class. She’s a French spy who likes expensive things and is passionate about cooking. She has a habit of flying way off the fucking handle and doing some reckless impulsive shit or just generally acting like a psycho. Will sometimes single out a particular enemy that did something to piss her off and then beat the hell out of their corpse long after they’re dead. She has raced Yakuza gang leaders for the right to win their car and then nonchalantly gunned them down when they decided to get revenge. She somehow manages to slither her way into acquiring ludicrous amounts of currency during her operations, and wants to one day take over all of Europe. Has a pet german shephard named Steve who used to be a guard dog for the enemy until she offered him a treat. She is alien-gay for Adiira.

Fayaiy

Selena’s OC. Fayaiy is a bounty hunter who crash landed on Earth and temporarily joined the cause before disappearing off to who knows where. She’s super goofy and sort of comes off as a happy-go-lucky foreigner who doesn’t entirely grasp English but loves to vibe with everyone regardless. LOVES Family Guy, thinks it’s the funniest thing ever. On multiple occasions she got faced on weed in the men’s bathroom with Stan, who I’m pretty sure still assumes she’s a trans guy because she didn’t seem to understand human gender symbols on doors. Has a pet black cat named Peanut who she took with her when she left.

Teri Grimm

A state of the art android who is so human-like you wouldn’t even know her body’s innards were synthetic unless you looked at them under a microscope. The commander’s first creation to gain sentience, and The Initiative’s token robot hacker waifu. Everybody loves Teri. She’s polite, incredibly intelligent, and has a face you just really want to protect, although she can hold her own in battles with superhuman strength. She’s rather unlucky though. Is girlfriends with Katie.

We’re actually currently playing a reboot of The Initiative. The first go around happened a few years ago, didn’t last as long, and featured the following five characters as our player characters. They did not function very well as main characters but work quite well this time around as quirky side characters.

Stan Ward

Ragu’s old OC. Stan is one of the most extra people to ever exist, roughly tied with only Bruce and Vulohon. A true American, he’s a mad bastard of a soldier who loves drugs and driving, often at the same time. Once, several members of The Initiative went out to town to relax and have fun, and he almost immediately got into trouble with the police, being chased off into the night. He came back later after swimming his way back to the base, crabs stuck to various parts of his soaking body with their pinched claws. Was somehow man enough to satisfy a 6 foot tall 400 pound 160+ year old android’s sexual desires to the point that he became her boyfriend.

Bruce Reistill

Kyle’s old OC. Bruce is an abrasive asshole who will never ever let a villain get more than 5 words into their monologue before interrupting them with something along the lines of “now y’see here I think the problem we’re having is that you keep on talking when you really shouldn’t be so I think it’d really be in all of our best interests if I were to just go ahead and...” before drawing his revolver that he nicknamed Banger.

Vulohon

The old OC of Roll, our long lost friend who just sorta disappeared to do his own thing in life. Vulohon is a fucking dumbass. He’s basically if Knuckles from Sonic Boom was an edgy anime himbo. The first time we saw him, he was doing the cool guy thing where you lean back in your chair and sharpen a blade. The second time we saw him, he was doing the same thing, but this time was sharpening a glock. The third time it was a trash can. He owns a legendary energy battle axe and can use psionic energy to generate explosions wherever he wants, but almost all of his fighting tactics involving picking up dudes and throwing them at other dudes. Either that or ripping off car doors and swinging them at people.

Stan, Bruce and Vulohon are all best bros. They moved their beds into the rec room and turned it into the Boys Room, where they sit in the hot tub together and behave heterosexually.

Thael

My old OC. Thael is a scientist who has no personality or emotions, but a really great ass. He’s a husk of a formerly optimistic young student who lost the ability to feel things after a shady government organization recruited him and forced him to conduct awful, sometimes murderous experiments on unwilling Scellor. Everyone is creeped out by him, but Minyaxl’s virgin horniness was enough to push past that as he felt love at first sight (with Thael’s back turned to him) and pursued relations with him. Thael opened up to him and Minyaxl decided to do his best to help him regain his former self. He’s getting there.

Pamiil

Selena’s old OC. Pamiil is an optimistic pacifist healer who never really got all that much screen time but she is cute and must be protected. She loves* Setel.

*by which i again mean the closest scellor equivalent to love which i guess is sorta just close friendship where you also fuck but they’re also capable of feeling proper love it’s just weird and can lead to psionic feedback loops if they’re not careful

(the following 5 pics were drawn by selena)

https://butamakingart.tumblr.com/

Orvon Valasma

The captain of the ship that a mysterious third party (referred to as the Scellor Freelancers, consisting of her, Adiira and Setel) arrived on. She’s 7 feet tall and has robotic legs that can extend to make herself even taller and run super fast. Somewhat stoic, and has gotten into fights with Adiira, but still cares deeply for her friends. The freelancers were originally at odds with The Initiative as they (somewhat rightfully) believed that we were doing a sloppy as hell job of things, but they eventually decided to join forces.

Adiira M’vora

A deadly assassin who, due to being born in the Ayaar caste, was forced to carry out political assassinations against people the Scellor government suspected of being potential state enemies. It got to her so she went rogue and is a bit of a wreck. She owns a legendary sword called Blue Midnight that can cut through the very fabric of space, and has various other psionic space manipulation abilities. She is human-gay for Valerie.

Setel Tunsai

An absolute chad of a man, standing at a towering 5′0″ (which is stupidly tall for his Orthan caste). Setel is a powerful psionic who excels at manipulating social outcomes, either through exceptional diplomacy or good old fashioned mind control. He has a talent for helping people with their emotional problems, and has acted as a therapist for people like Adiira and Thael. He is beloved by all. Is small lovefriend of Pamiil.

Korhan

Horrible. Piece of shit bitch bastard. Rightfully dead. Korhan used his position as an Ayaar operative as an excuse to live out all his sadistic fantasies. Worked in the evil-ass facility that used people like Thael to carry out their horrible experiments, and made implied rape threats to Thael if he thought about not doing his job. Responsible for everything that’s wrong with Djylana. Planted a tracking device on Minyaxl to find the location of The Initiative’s base, then came in and slaughtered innocent people for the fun of it before taking a bunch of hostages. He used them to try and make us hand over Adiira and Thael for betraying their government but we managed to clutch things out and put him in the dirt. Also he could stop time. Was basically Dio.

Djylana

Korhan’s partner in crime. A bloodthirsty animal he used to carry out much of his dirty work. After she was killed, while Korhan was lying on the ground just before Thael unloaded two magazines into him to finish him off, he said that she was his finest work, that we would never be able to truly stop her, that she would not rest until every single one of us was murdered. He had installed something called Echotech into her, allowing her soul to stay attached to her body after its death. She got up and started freaking out because her only “friend” had been killed, ready to kill us all, when MVP Fayaiy came in with the hug and helped us manage to convince her that Korhan was a piece of shit and we could be actual friends to her. She came around, like an abused guard dog finding a compassionate master, and now lives in the base as a decaying zombie. We convinced the commander to let her in despite her crimes and to also eventually make a robot body for her. She was unsure if she wanted to let us do that until someone brought up the fact that it would be the biggest middle finger we could possibly give to Korhan, at which point she vehemently agreed. I hope his piss stain of a soul somehow knows that his ace in the hole was defeated by the power of friendship.

Satan.

There are other characters that I may or may not include in the future, but those are the most prominent ones.

#the initiative #scellor

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velociraptor-detective · 5 years

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Consequences Are For Future Me V

Le thermae was wondrous. It had the elegance and opulence of roman baths, and the comfort and convenience of an onsen. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun, secured with a white lace scrunchie. She sank into the blissfully hot water, sighing in contentment and propping her elbows up on the edge.

Before long, she caught the approaching sound of conversation. Leonardo and le Comte were bickering about responding to letters with some kind of proposal.

“You know, you guys fight like an old married couple.”

The sound of footsteps stopped abruptly. “Scusa, cara mia.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “Mixed gender onsen used to be pretty traditional. There are still a few around; I’ve had to look into it for vacation recommendations.”

Leonardo and le Comte sank into the water a respectable distance away. She was pretty sure Leo caught her ogling.

“You haven’t left the mansion since you arrived. The residents are getting concerned.” Le Comte’s gaze was averted with that gentlemanly veneer he always seemed to have.

“So you’re here because you ran out of places to look for me? Afraid I’m going to get bored and burn down the mansion?”

The two shared a look that said that wasn’t previously on their list of concerns but it certainly was now.

“It’s the 19th century. What is there to do besides fetchingly die of consumption?” She leaned back in a mock swoon. “Euros aren’t exactly valid currency until there’s a European Union to issue them, anyway.”

“Sebastian can get you anything you require for your stay here. It is my responsibility that you are here.”

“I need something that will get me out of the mansion. Maybe get me a little spending money. Actually … the Moulin Rouge hasn’t burned down yet has it? We’re still years off from Mata Hari, but Japonisme is at its height, and I already know how to can-can. It’ll be fun.”

“You have only seen the romanticized versions of what being a courtesan like, playing suitors against each other, inspiring artists or kept by some noble they’ve seduced.”

“So if I want to seduce a nobleman, are you implying I can skip a few steps, le Comte?” Her tone shifted from teasing to serious. “…Are you even a count? You said you were called Comte de Saint-Germain.”

Leonardo laughed. “She’s a sharp one.”

“I went to a top university in America. People assumed my parents pulled strings to get me in, and that I graduated with honors because I was fucking my professor. Let everyone underestimate you, and there’s less pesky standards to live up to.” She shot a knowing look at Leonardo and le Comte chuckled.

“The answer to your question is a rather long story, and you shouldn’t stay in the heat much longer, mademoiselle.” She found it hard to tear her gaze away from le Comte’s golden eyes.

He had a point, staying in the hot water too long after a night of drinking was a recipe for dehydration.

#fics #ikemen vampire #ikevam leonardo #ikevam count #disaster-chan

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supporthosechi · 7 years

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Sex Worker, Capacious Heart, Revolutionary Gestation

What it gets you:

Knowing the enemy and which is the weaker sex. “I have been around men for too long” to be taken advantage of ever again. She can be afraid and she can be wrong, she can be beaten and, apparently, caged, but only for so long. There is no further margin of error, and the learning curve which takes some of us decades, an entire adulthood, or longer than a lifetime, seems to have been eclipsed. She knows which COs beat their wives, sleep around, are powerless in their state-sanctioned power (nearly all), are powerful in their understanding the tenuousness of their position in this microcosm of social control (perhaps one or two; they’ll resist the least when their backs are literally up against the wall). She knows what they do behind the barbed wire, bulletproof plexiglass, office doors, and cell walls. The white officers are simply reproducing constructions of whiteness well-remembered from the outside world, playing a part which is now one with their identity, worldview, and even faith. The Black and Brown officers are no longer confusing to her, either. They are “dogs,” “rottweilers,” and she speaks to them in the language she knows they understand: “grrrr...arf arf arf!” Hers is a look reserved for a special kind of dismissal—ain’t got time for any of that, where time is the main currency and there is at once an endless supply (inside) and an unfair and diminishing ration for all that ought to and must and will happen (outside). The keepers are the animals here, they’re the underclass. It gets you knowing who exactly is the enemy, clear as day and without exception, only degree of danger.

Long arms and longer lashes. The tighter the confines, the harder fought the power; the more stifling the controls, the brighter burning the heroine. Boredom and confinement might make you forget, for an instant or far longer, that you are a person and a (wholly undernourished) soul: bring your tired dramatics and petty relationship games to this woman at your own peril. Clout is making sure you’re last in the food line, you don’t get your linens cleaned, no one speaks to you for days on end, commissary is suddenly out of necessities, or, should you press the issue, something more...corporal. For the keepers, the stick being out of the question as the State still has the upper hand (at least regarding the body) in here, the carrot becomes the only recourse. If the women officers have any pretense of heart or shred of empathic dignity left in their traitorous beings, then perhaps they appreciate friendship, being considered “on the level,” it makes their jobs less drudgerous and may make their sleep easier, allowing them to forget the despicable business in which they are engaged, that is, reproducing patriarchy and gender- and race-based enslavement at the behest of a master which would just as soon throw them beneath the same wheel, given a reason or opportunity. The officers who share this happenstantial biological commonality with the inmates are subject to the false-but-never-saccharine wiles of women with relatively little to lose through momentarily suppressing their rightful hatred to exchange a pleasant word. The men, as mentioned above, remain men. A coquettish flip of the hair, a knowing batt of an eyelash, drawing upon the playbook which once extracted remuneration for services, all the same affects, gestures, tones, and caresses—literal as well figurative—operate in this universe. You get a reminder of what you are capable of.

Grown up in the face of every incentive not to be. If it seems incongruous to have it noted, as someone closer to forty than thirty, by a 24 year-old how much they feel they’ve grown, then just imagine being that 24 year-old and saying as much. It’s difficult, to say the least. It’s banal, and simply untrue, to assume that this place makes one “grow up fast,” or whatever other cliches might originate in the minds of creatives and content makers who have no firsthand (or even secondhand, as the case may be) experience. People don’t grow up because they’re caged, threatened, starved, deprived, oppressed, discriminated against and criminalized; people can be every damn one of those things before they ever up inside, continue to be them during, and emerge again being equally so with the added albatross of a record which will hound their every move like a shadow. Any growing up occurs due to the person themselves, and perhaps the company they keep and how they keep it. The incentives not to grow are many: avoiding hurt when those you care for—inside and out—disappoint you, living up to what is expected of you by your keepers, trying to find some bliss in ignorance, making it easier to pick up where you have left off when you get back out, the last of which might make it seem like less time has passed and less has been stolen from you while inside. So grow up at your own peril. Forge relationships, cling to them and give them meaning, be hurt when disappointed, try to learn, and steel yourself for the next one while remaining open to its possibilities. See through the whims and weaknesses of professional race and class traitors and bend them as much as you are able to keep yourself safe and in some relative modicum of comfort. Be ready not to accept but to command the reality into which you will reemerge, not soon enough, but soon.

What it damn well doesn’t get you:

The culture you want, and that which you learn you need. There is no one to show you what to read and how to read it, no matter how much time there is to do it. There were no performances, no theater, movies, concerts, readings, galleries before entering, and there certainly are none here. There is the vacuum of somehow better understanding how little you had and got to do before you entered, and how much more there must be outside of which you’re only dimly aware. She played the cello, drew bow to strings and felt the resonance of the body against her hands and throughout her body. She’ll act in Shakespeare, desperately absorbing the lines totally divorced from context or instruction, perhaps just the way they were designed to be learned those centuries ago. She’ll defy every empty, self-contradictory platitude which holds that this is a place of rehabilitation rather than one of class control and publicly sanctioned extension of slavery. All the culture she ought to absorb on the other side of this experience should reinforce that her life was worth living, and thus worth defending.

Automatically radical, all our prayers to the contrary. The prayer is perhaps one for silver linings which cannot exist without tailors to sew them in. Everyone who enters prison should become Mumia or Angela or Huey or Marissa or a Soledad Brother or Sister, dismantling the system brick-by-carceral-brick from within and then from without. But that ain’t how it works, any more than Black and Brown and poor white folks don’t become cops or workers organize and seize the means of production. Class consciousness takes on an entirely different register when your class is prisoner, and no longer discriminates, or at least in quite different valences, according to where you’ve come from and what you know. The responsibility of political education in this case falls to two white people from working-to-middle class backgrounds, who struggle to keep the lights on but will not go hungry, and will likely only be in front of judges on behalf of others or standing between vulnerable co-conspirators and aggressors. If my heart sinks when she confuses communism with totalitarianism, it soars when she instantly comprehends what seems to take so many so long: this place does not need to exist if workers take care of each other, fighting alienation and distance from one another. You can understand there is a better way far before embarking on the journey of figuring out how to achieve it.

What it takes from you:

Every damn thing it can. It’s nearly limitless, and almost unchecked, and very few (though some very motivated) have a care in the world about it.

What you keep from it:

Your heart, stupid as that sometimes sounds. If you make your heart inviolable to it—this almost insatiable, disgusting beast of punishment—eventually it seems like it gives up, which should give anyone who has ever needed it, hope. I wonder if she sees in my watery eyes the reflection of the heart she has protected from it. I wonder if she knows the unconscionable strength that has been required of her, or if it has become routine and does not mandate the same force of effort. It actually doesn’t matter either way, at least not for the purpose of this brief guide. What I see is a heart which has protected itself, so I am forced to conclude that is what you keep from it: you let it control your movement, your sleep, your diet, your communication with the outside world, your relationship to the inside world, because you have to. You keep your love and the sense—nay, the certainty—that you’ll overcome and supersede it the moment you pass through to the other side of the barbed wire and evil brick for the last time. It’ll be high heels and the life you now understand, if there was any doubt previously, that you deserve.

-AH

(This is the 6th visitation reflection from AH, from a visit on 1/3/2018.)

#FreeLeLe #survivedandpunished #justiceforalisha #standwithalisha #supportsexworkers #supportsurvivors #supportprisoners #prisonabolition #abolish prisons #alishawalker #sexworkiswork #incarceration #prisonishell

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tipsycad147 · 5 years

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Leandra Witchwood

Magick for Personal Gain I assume you want to be happy! I assume you want to live the best life you can possibly live. Then, why do you feel guilty about using Magick to manifest this?

It’s okay, you are not alone. Using Magick to gain wealth, prosperity, abundance, and happiness in one’s life is an area where many new and experienced Magicians struggle to justify. How dare you ask the universe for happiness and the means to live a good life!

STOP! Stop, making yourself feel guilty for using Magick to your advantage.

This post was inspired by a discussion in one of the groups I am a member of on Facebook. The question was in regard to using your own Magick to discover if someone is lying to you. The person asking the question felt that this kind of Magick was possibly unethical because it could possibly be related to personal gain. Possibly, potentially, blah blah blah. We are so very good at over thinking things. However, the idea that Magick being used for your own personal gain is wrong struck a cord!

When it boils down to you living up to your fullest potential, you should not talk yourself in circles creating doubt and regret. You deserve to live your best life! You deserve to have happiness, wealth, and prosperity in abundance. You deserve to know if the people you interact with are being truthful to you. You deserve to have authenticity in your life.

Magick is here for our benefit. Nowhere is it dictated that we should ONLY use Magick to help others, while we live in deprivation. This ideal is a rouse posed to us under a veil of deception. We are told we are greedy and selfish for doing what is right for ourselves in your own life. You are not being selfish or greedy when you use your own Magick to make your life better!

Still not convinced? OK! Magick is your energetic essence! It is there to make your life better!

What is my reasoning? It’s simple when you make your life better, you, by default help make other people’s lives better. You are more pleasant to be around. You carry around less stress and resentment. You help make your community better! You help boost the economy, create jobs, and so on! That should be justification enough!

How so? Let’s start with general happiness. When you improve who you are and the life you lead, you become a happier person. You are less touchy and less grumpy as you have more freedom to transform who you are. When you change your living circumstances and turn your deprivation into progress, you inspire others to do the same. Your change shows others that improvement is not painful or unattainable! If your happiness and progress do not make the people in your life happy, then it is time to CLEAN HOUSE! Which is just another aspect of creating your best life as you surround yourself with those who want what is best for you.

When you choose to live in happiness you attract more happiness. This includes happy people to spend time with.Let’s talk basic economics…

Having little to no money is stressful! It’s the Gods’ honest truth! When you have more money to spend, after paying all your living expenses and saving some for the unexpected (and long-term prosperity), you help the economy grow. When you are able to spend money with local small businesses, you are putting money directly into the local pool of prosperity. You are helping to create jobs, and generate new community projects, like parks and fixing those darn potholes you hit every day!

Sure there is more to it than this, but in its simplest form, this is how economics works. When you are able to spend a more, you help boost the whole of our community. When we all prosper and pitch in the system works and it becomes a collective collaboration to the flowing financial current. There is a reason money is called currency.

Also, when you can pay all your living expenses and have money left over, your stress level is much lower. Compare it to this common scenario, “Do I eat this month or take the sick dog to the vet?” This is real world ultimatum no one wins. It is also a situation no one should have to face. You deserve to have the money you need in your life allowing you to live abundantly and prosperously.

How abundance works

When we allow ourselves to be abundant, the universe sees that and gives us more. This applies to deprivation as well. When you restrict your power, the universe sees this and gives you less. You are the one who communicates to the universe exactly what you want. If you want happiness, exude it. The universe will reciprocate. If you are happy being miserable, exude misery and the universe will give you more of that, just the same.

This is the basic law of Magick. If you want something you cannot walk around thinking about how miserable you are without it. Focusing on lack will only attract more deprivation and lack. Instead, you must walk around in happiness, wealth and positivity, and the universe will give you more of happiness, wealth and positivity.

Yes, it is as easy as that, and it is as hard as that… especially when you are still making up reasons as to why money is bad…

Having money and desiring money does not make you a horrible person. You do not need to become a horrible person to acquire money, either. As I play devil’s advocate, money will not make you happy! You have to make you happy. Money will only make it easier to live comfortably so you can more easily choose to be happy.

Money is a Magickal tool. Just as some people use crystals or herbs (as an example) as Magickal tools so is Money used. Money is a means by which we survive, no scratch that… It is the means by which we THRIVE in this world. I think there is an entire blog post stemming from this subject alone, but for now, let’s put it this way – When you have more money you can do better! You can take care of yourself, your family, your home, your pets, cars, etc. and still have enough left over to care for the community.

So why in the name of the Gods should you not use your own Magickal ability, skills, knowledge, and POWER to manifest money for yourself?

Our culture and the world, even if you don’t like it, is run by money. Money has been given a bad reputation, because of the paths of corruption many people “with money” have chosen. The only way to change a system of greed, corruption, and oppression is from the inside out. Live by example and inspire others to do the same. You can show other people how to live a prosperous and wealthy life while continually giving back to the community. You choose how you show up in the world. If you choose greed when you are greedy. If you choose generosity, then you are generous. This is the Magick of money when we allow it.

‘But, wait… Money is the root of all evil, right?”

NO! Money does not create evil or greed. If a person displays these behaviours it is because they always had this as a part of their mindset, money was just the trigger. Money seems to be the element that reveals the true nature of many people. Money is viewed as powerful and those who crave it most will have their negative aspects revealed with money becomes abundant.

In essence, having a lack of funds causes just as much misery as having too much. Without enough money to care for yourself, your family, your pets, home, etc. you are not living a life of balance and well-being. In our current economic system having too little is just as damaging as having too much. In all things, a balance must be achieved.

When you attract prosperity to yourself the means to live comfortably you reserve your energy toward other important things. You can focus more completely on your personal and spiritual growth. You can take classes, hire a therapist/spiritual healer, and you are free to buy educational materials like books and seminars. You feel less stress because you have one less thing to worry about. You can progress further because you are no longer held back financially. Trust me, a new world will open itself up to you.

No longer will you miss out on things you really need in your life. Now, I am not saying you need to become a millionaire, but if that is what you want, then manifest it! There is nothing wrong with wanting to have money in abundance.

It’s not all about money!

Do you think someone is taking advantage of you and being deceitful to you? Then make it stop. Want to attract better friends? Funny-intellectual ones, who support and adore you for you are? Make it happen. Do you often feel bitter, resentful and angry? Make the change and reset your perceptions and mindset.

Magick gives you the ability to change any unsavoury circumstance in your life.

Taking your happiness into your own hands means you change your energetic field surrounding you. It means you have to take responsibility for what you will tolerate and how people interact with you. Give yourself the power to see through the deception. You have the power to attract the right people into your life. You have the power to change your mind about circumstances and obligations. Stop discrediting your ability and start using the power given to you by the universe!

It can be that easy.

There is no reason you need to feel undeserving of a happy life. Everyone deserves to be happy. Everyone deserves to have enough money to pay their bills, put food on the table, and live an abundant life. No one deserves to be lied to or deceived by those we care for. The only reason it seems hard to make necessary changes is that we think it is hard. We make it hard because we continually tell the universe, “This is hard!!”

Look at it this way, we have bought into decades and centuries of one kind of mindset. “Some are more deserving than others.” or this one “I have to work really hard to get what I need and want.” WRONG! Yes, I shouted it. WRONG!

If you only needed to work hard to gain prosperity and wealth, then every mother, grandmother, and a farmer would be rich beyond imagination. There is more to it than just hard work, it is about your thoughts and your relationship with money. It is about your relationship with yourself and what you believe you deserve in this world. It is about you believing that you can and will make things change. It is about you believing that you deserve to have positive and helpful people in your life. It’s about believing that you deserve to be fulfilled.

You don’t have to kill yourself to live a happy life. You don’t have to sacrifice family or friends to be prosperous. You don’t have to become a bitch or a tyrant to live abundantly. You don’t have to hate your job to make ends meet. You only need to think differently, and put your Magick to work for you!

Yes, changing a mindset that has been drilled into your head takes time. It takes patience, practice, and it takes diligence. You have to stop feeling guilty. You have to stop allowing others to make you feel guilty. You have to educate yourself so you can find the courage to stand up, and take responsibility for your future. It boils down to you making the change and deciding to no longer live in the shadow of greatness.

You are worth it! Let me say that again… YOU ARE WORTH IT!

You have the tools right at your fingertips. You only need to acknowledge and use them. You have to believe you deserve a good life filled with happiness and prosperity. Living with lack does not make you a more spiritual person. You, your mindset, and your actions make you a spiritual person. A life of deprivation and lack is not a life anyone should live. The only reason monks are able to do this is because they have a community who steps in to care for their basic needs. This does not happen for the average person. People like you and me.

We are not monks we are WITCHES!

How many times have you wanted to do something, or go somewhere and could not because you did not have the money? I hate that feeling too. When we lack, we miss out on great opportunities; opportunities we never knew we could experience.

The universe wants you to be well taken care of. Nature wants us to live abundantly. Of course, it takes a little inner work, but that is something you already know about. How do I know what nature wants? Nature tells me. When you spend time in nature you will realise how things flow and the natural cycles that beckon us to follow.

Take a seed for example. A single seed when properly cared for will grow into a large tree. A tree that grows fruit, but it does just grow one apple or one pear. NO! It grows several, and within each fruit are dozens of seeds for the future. One tree has the potential to become hundreds. This is how nature shows us that she wants us to live prosperously.

In conclusion…

Money is not about greed. Happiness is not about mowing others over for your own gain. It is not about selfishness or oppression. It is not even about having material possessions or being better than anyone else. It is about living the best life you can. Using Magick to your advantage is about attracting the right people and circumstances into your life. It is not about manipulating anyone’s free will. It is about giving yourself the best possible outcome! It is about changing your beliefs related to what you think is possible, and what you deserve in life.

I would like to leave you with a challenge. Below is a spell for personal gain, aimed at wealth and prosperity. I want you to complete this spell and commit to making your life better through Magick. Once you complete the spell, write about your experience in the comments below and tell me how much better you feel. Tell me how you took control of your life with the goal of improving your relationship with wealth and prosperity. Tell me what realisations you uncovered!

Spell Work for Personal Gain: Wealth & Abundance Pizza Margherita

First, you will need to ready your mindset for this working. You will need to speak to yourself differently. You will need to mind your thoughts before during and after this spell. You will need to remind yourself that you are worthy of prosperity and wealth all in abundance. Make your thoughts positive and mostly about abundance and prosperity.

Wealth & Abundance Pizza Margherita

First, you will need to ready your mindset for this working. You will need to speak to yourself differently. You will need to mind your thoughts before during and after this spell. You will need to remind yourself that you are worthy of prosperity and wealth all in abundance. Make your thoughts about abundance and prosperity. Servings 4 Author Leandra Witchwood, The Magick Kitchen

Ingredients

The dough

6 ounces warm water

1 teaspoon active-dry yeast

½ teaspoon sugar

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoons salt

¼ cup olive oil

Toppings

Fresh basil

Prepared tomato sauce of your choice

Whole milk mozzarella sliced

Fresh garlic pressed

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh oregano opt

Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine the water, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl or standing mixer with a whisk/whisk attachment, stir to dissolve the yeast. The mixture should look cloudy and foam should begin to appear on the top. Cove with a clean cloth, and allow this mixture to sit for about 15 minutes to ensure your yeast is active.

Switch to a dough hook (or a spoon if you are hand mixing) and slowly add your flour and salt to the bowl. Mix until you've formed a loose ball of dough.

Pour the olive oil into a large bowl and swirl to coat the sides of the bowl. Move dough into this large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size (about an hour). If you are making this the night before you can place your bowl in the fridge for a slow rise. After rising, you will want to knead it once more and set it to rise once more. Once ready, your dough can be used immediately or be refrigerated for 2-3 days.

Take 2-12” pieces of parchment paper and divide your dough between the pieces. Working with one piece of the dough at a time, (cover your resting dough with a clean damp towel while you work), with your hands form your dough it into a large disk on your parchment paper.

If you want an extra-thin crust, roll it with a rolling pin. Otherwise, Work from the middle of the dough outwards, using the heel of your hand - gently yet firmly pressing and stretching the dough until it's about a 1/4-inch thick. If the dough starts to shrink back, let it rest a few minutes before continuing.

Place your crust in the oven to pre-bake for about 5 minutes or just until the top is just golden. Remove from the oven and begin assembling your pizza. First, spread your pressed garlic on your dough, next add your tomato sauce, and cheese. Finally, top with fresh basil and oregano (in your own desired amounts, being careful not to overload your crust), and place in the oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted that the toppings are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut your pizza and enjoy.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, well-floured work surface. Flour your hands, and knead until all the flour is incorporated, and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes. The dough should still feel moist and slightly tacky, but should not stick to your fingers. If it's sticking to your hands and countertop, work in more flour; one tablespoon at a time until it is smooth.

When ready to make the pizza, preheat your oven to 500°.

Recipe Notes

When you mix your ingredients and knead your dough, focus on bringing prosperity and wealth in abundance into your life. Focus on joy and happiness, put on some happy music and dance if you feel the urge. Think of how you will budget, save, and spend your money when it is received. This is important. The universe wants you to have a plan. Make a budget, think of how much you need. Plan for your expenses, savings and yes decide where you will spend the rest. While your dough rises you should be focused on how you can improve you. If you allow the dough to rise 1 hour, take this hour or so, as a time of self-reflection. If you allow it to rise overnight, reflect before you go to sleep. This reflective time will be spent discovering your inner blocks that prevent you from living a wealthy, happy and prosperous life. You will also want to discover your relationship and receptions with money, especially any negative perceptions you have developed over the years. As you create your disc of dough, focus on balance within as reflected in the symmetrical shape of the dough. As you bake and top your pizza envision each topping adding wealth and prosperity to your life in abundance. When you sit to enjoy your pizza relish each bite as though they are ambrosia in your mouth. Take your time eating savouring each flavour, as you completely enjoy your creation of wealth and prosperity. Store what you do not eat and repeat this eating exercise until all your pizza is gone.

Bright Blessing!

Leandra

http://www.themagickkitchen.com/magick-for-personal-gain/

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alexsmitposts · 5 years

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G7 – The Cost of Uselessness The G7 Summit is an obsolete, useless talking shop, as Finnian Cunningham so adroitly says. RT calls it The Unbearable Pointlessness of G7. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, and the United States constitute the G7 gang. It should strike any logical thinker as extremely odd that the world’s largest economy (by purchasing parity-based GDP), China, is not part of the club. Why is that? – It’s clear, the club is for western turbo-capitalist ideologues only; the self-proclaimed world hegemons. Yes, the G7 are, no doubt, a useless talking shop – and much worse. These seven self-nominated leaders of the world are also among the greatest war criminals of the globe. They are involved in and initiate conflicts and wars that have in the last 20 years – roughly since 9/11 gave them a ‘free pass’ to raise in the name of fighting endless terrorism havoc around the globe – killed an estimated 15 to 20 million people, either directly or by proxy and mercenary armies. That is of course much worse than uselessness. *** Does anyone ever talk about the value and cost, of these ‘summits’? – The value, i.e. the output, is at best zero – and in most cases negative. These conferences highlight conflicts, create new ones and add to the fire what was just smoldering. And I am not talking about the Brazilian amazon fires. This was the case of the G7 in Biarritz. The high-ranking delegates were insulting each other, plus, as this was not enough, barbs were thrown back and forth across the Atlantic between Macron and Bolsonaro. That just shows about what level of human consciousness we are talking. Trump was confusing the lot, or those who paid any attention to the outbursts of the creator of pure chaos, more tariffs on Chinese goods, then not, then again, levying tariffs for French wines, new sanctions against Iran, Venezuela, threats of new aggressions and even war with Iran; and surprise-surprise “Kim Jon-un, North Korea’s President, is a friend”. Peace talks were not even on the back-burner. So, it would be fair to say, the benefits or values of this summit were less than zilch, they were negative. It was a laughable propaganda stint, but an expensive one at that. Defining the costs of the event is a rather complex algorithm. However, any cost for an event that produces a sum of negative values, is money thrown into a bottomless pit. The costs, of course, do not just amount to travel, lodging, good food and drink – they include for starters also the entire entourage of the megalo-politicians, police and military security. Biarritz alone was protected by about 20,000 police and military troops combined, they shielded the worldly leaders (sic) from anti-G7 / anti-establishment demonstrators. Protests are widely justified against this clan of smiling tyrants and despots, with the audacity to appoint themselves to the world’s rulers. No UN or other international body has selected or ratified them. Their arrogance with impunity is meant to irradiate power around the globe. Their smoke of grandeur emanating from their heads can most likely be seen from space. The sad story is that the vast majority of this world, especially the western world, takes them seriously. They bow to the G7 nonsense; they accept their often-criminal decisions for wars, conflicts and killer-sanctions, as God-given. – The G7 decide over the fate of sovereign nations, like Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria, Afghanistan – and who is next? – If it wasn’t for Russia and China the damage, they cause would indeed be unbearable. They selected themselves as rulers of the universe. Unheard of, only half a century ago, that something so aberrant like the G7, the G20, the WEF (World Economic Forum that meets every January in lush Davos, Switzerland), are able to assemble many of the same rulers to hold the scepter of power over the planet. How come the peoples of this world allow their supremacy with impunity? – One can but shake one’s head about this lunacy – what has humanity become? The Trump delegation usually travels with a flock of aids, journalists, advisors, let alone his bodyguards – and the blinded cars he brings from Washington by special air carriers. And all the others? Maybe slightly less, as they are – as vassals of the Great US Emperor – bound to be a bit more modest. Nevertheless, the total cost must be in the hundreds of millions – all counted, including shadow costs, environmental damage, CO2 emissions, and ‘externalities’ – which includes everything that establishment economists don’t want you to know, say a total cost of 200 to 300 million dollars? Maybe that’s an underestimate. The published figure on what Biarritz alone spent on this illustrious event is around US$ 41 million equivalent, 15,000 police and about 5,000 troops, but not counting for the damage caused by the authorities fighting peaceful protesters. Add to this the cost of all the other attendants. Never mind the exact cost – the sheer fact that a grotesque amount of money in the range of 200 to 300 million dollars, is spent for nothing, zilch, for the bolstering of egos of some megalos, is an absurdity of our western civilization. Hundreds of millions of dollars – a fiat currency produced at will and whim by the Federal reserve (The FED – the entirely privately owned US Central Bank) – nevertheless a currency that still drives much of the world, is used to pay for basics, like food, housing, clothing, health care and what’s left of education – meaning what the world rulers are still allowing young people to be educated with. Just think about it – who pays for all these hundreds of millions of dollars, euros, yen, or whatever other fiat currency? – You – the tax payer. So, you, the tax payer have something to say about how your money is spent. Don’t you think? Therefore, we the people have to stop this arrogant nonsense – that leads to less than zero, or worse, but costs hundreds of millions that could be spent on education and health services and other public services, including taking care of refugees – in the G7 countries, or alternatively in countries to be rebuilt after the destruction by wars for greed and hegemony by the very G7. So far – and every time more – the money spent on G7 and similar events, is like negative interest – destructive. You the citizen and tax-payer, spend money for something that has a negative return. It is as nefarious as if you deposit your savings in a bank and the bank, instead of giving you an interest on your savings, charges you interest for keeping your money, then lends it to, say, a corporation, but the corporation has to pay back less than it borrowed. In other words, you the ‘small saver’ subsidize the big corporation, or anybody who can afford and is considered ‘eligible’ and solvent enough by the bank to borrow money. – It’s a new form of transferring resources from the bottom to the top. The money spent on the G7 – or other comparable events – is similar. The event rulers take your money (taxes) and transfer it upstairs, where you will never see it again. Not only do you get nothing for it, but it costs you more, as the G7 foment wars and conflicts which kill millions, annihilate entire countries’ infrastructure, housing, schools, health facilities and generate an influx of refugees, for all of which you pay again. Let’s see – a year of primary education, say in Africa, costs about US$ 400 / per student, and about US$ 650 for high school education (2017). Providing decent health care, preventive and curative, per person in Bangladesh amounts to about US$ 650 per year. Assuming the money spent on the G7 Biarritz summit was about 250 to 300 million, you could provide education for a year to about 550,00 students in, say, Kenya, or provide a year of decent health care to about 430,000 Bangladeshi. – Or – the G7 funds could build drinking water and sanitation facilities for about 2.5 million people in developing countries. These figures may have a margin of error of plus or minus 20%. But you get the picture. Or closer to home – how many refugees could xenophobic Europe, especially France and Italy, take care of – refugees driven from their countries, precisely for wars started and sustained by the G7s, to line their weapons industries with huge profits, to dominate the world’s natural resources and eventually put all the people under one hegemonic, globalized roof – one culture, one currency, and only one kind of thinking and ideology allowed – their final goal. Well, these refugees streaming to Europe, children without parents, divided families, sick people, people dying in the ditches, on the sides of roads in self-built camps, camps exposed to the climate elements, camps that are eventually erased by bulldozers – these human beings – put into misery by the very G7 – why not use the money spent on such nefarious fora to impress the lot of the well-off populations on either side of the Atlantic, instead on a little humanitarian act – act of consciousness, what’s left of it – taking care of the trans-Mediterranean refugees? Mr. Macron, you are besieged by the Yellow Vests, who will not go away – what do you think canceling the event and instead pledging the funds for humanitarian shelter for refugees, and lobbying with the remaining G6 to do the same – would have done to your Presidency, to your ever-sinking popularity? – Maybe some uplifting? – You could badly need it. But the image – that’s what it is, the image of grandeur, rubbing elbows with the so-called “leaders” of the world, is of all-overarching importance. Isn’t it? – Never mind the unbearable suffering of many of the people you claim to democratically represent.

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blacknovelist · 7 years

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A stream of consciousness about Pyre, the Commonwealth, and Reading, and various technicalities/possibilities within the universe. Warnings for pyre spoilers, long rambling, the fact that I’m deadass tired right now, and some jumping to conclusions after last playing Pyre on Thursday, I think. Sorry if I forget important details or miss things that confirm or deny any of this.

Since literacy is banned in the Commonwealth and yet everyone is clearly able to communicate with each other and even have things like markets and a currency of Sols, it’s pretty obviously implied that their society is taught and based primarily on spoken word and, probably pictures too. Do you guys think that numbers count as reading, since having tags on things for sale is easier and safer than memorizing prices? And on that stream, does that mean writing is, to an extent, taught in their society still? I mean, they have contracts and things still. How would they use them if they needed to be read rather than, say, interpreted, right? Literacy is seen as a pretty hefty crime, after all. Though, if images aren’t used in the Commonwealth, then people with godawful memories must have one hell of a time in every day life.

I wonder what learning through spoken word alone is like. Also, scholars either have secret immunity to the reading (and subsequent assumed writing) bans, or they’ve got hecking good memories for all the things that they learn and eventually pass on. Again, the Commonwealth’s systems imply things might actually be done through images, though - stamps would probably work best. So then, what if everything gets translated into a mix of song and art, so that future scholars have books of diagrams and heiroglyphics they have to decipher to do their jobs properly? Somehow that’s just kind of a funny thought to my head, but that might be the fact that it’s the middle of the damm night where I am. On the line of using spoken word and pictures again though, where does the line of “it’s a drawing” and “those are words” lie? Could there be people who have been falsely accused of being “Readers” because of things like this? Knowing the Commonwealth…. That’s probably a yes, unfortunately.

Also, I know that Volfred was exiled because he was spreading radical ideas with his printing press. But also, it’s said that literacy wasn’t banned until the invention of the printing press, because it was that device which allowed things to be spread rapidly, to the point that the Commonwealth couldn’t monitor it properly anymore, presumably. However, there’s nothing to directly indicate whether or not reading was banned by the time Volfred used his press, outside of more implied stuff in the game itself. I mean, I assume it was, since flame-proof ink was a necessity from Bertrude when that was all in business, but that could also be passed off as a precaution. So, either Volfred used that press not too long after the ban was put into place (since why would he use a printing press if most of the society couldn’t read? Unless the press could do things printed in images but I gotta stay on track here), or it was Volfred’s use of the press that got literacy banned in the first place.

Edit: replaying the game reminded me that literacy has been "banned for centuries" in the Commonwealth. I guess that definitely confirms that Volfred was spreading ideas that were probably done in images, because why would he print words in a society that's almost entirely illiterate? Ah, well.

Plus, the Highwing Remnants!! I know they’re a small faction, but they’re also separate from the Commonwealth - do you think some of them might know how to read, even just a little? I mean, their size as a group is a problem, and they likely can’t really pick up the supplies to learn since they’re, you know, Harps instead of Curs or Humans, but, it kind of makes sense they might learn bits here and there, if or when they have the chance. Also, Bog-Crones usually seem to have fixations on learning old things and many different tricks and trades, if their dabbling into sorceries are any indication. And the fact that they live Really Hecking Long. So, could it be that some of them also know how to read and write? Some would avoid it, not wanting to be exiled, but others probably wouldn’t even care. And, I wonder how old Bog-Crones can live to be, too. A bit of food-for-thought, I guess

On a different note, Volfred probably uses his skills as a Reader to either read the minds of his Messenger imps, gets Readers in the city to transcribe messages for him, or he uses his history with Ti'zo to understand them. One of those, or they just always deliver pictograms and things back and forth between the Downside and the Commonwealth, who knows.

And!! I just thought.how many people in the downside think the rites are a myth? How many of them believe? How many try to pick up a reader and figure out how it works, only to fail? I know readers aren’t exactly common and stuff, but dude, what if readers are also notorious in some Downside circles, because having a reader means that if you ever come across the things needed to find freedom, you’ve already got someone on your side to explain it all to you? Also, I refuse to believe what we see of the downside is all there is. I want to believe there’s so much we don’t see! And that the rate at which the wagon travels is exaggerated for the sake of gameplay, along with how quickly ur supposed to arrive on site for the rites.

#blacknovelist talks #pyre #i'd put this on the discord but my thoughts are both long and a fuckin mess so congrats y'all are gettin' it tumblr #okay i'm done thinking goodnight my friends #the stuff abt readers being notorious is bc i've been thinking of a situation where the nightwings protect the reader #and it's got me thinking abt the rules of the rites and the technicalities they imply #and overall just the society of the downside vs the society of the commonwealth #i have more thoughts but i'll get on them tomorrow or smthn lmao #pyre spoilers

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businessliveme · 5 years

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Don’t Date a Perfectionist; They Won’t Settle for You

(Bloomberg Opinion) — A recent psychology study caught my eye because the interpretation seemed bizarre, and possibly misguided. The study involved a survey of several hundred newlywed couples, which included a test to see if they were so-called maximizers, who can’t settle for anything but the perfect choice, or satisficers, who can, as the word implies, be satisfied with something that suffices.

And lo and behold, the satisficers were pretty happy with their spouses, but the maximizers were only happy, for the time being, if they had attractive wives (as judged by the researchers) or rich husbands. The way the researchers seemed to be interpreting their result, published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, was that male maximizers should marry beautiful women, and female ones should marry rich men.

Does this mean that even people who were really holding out for someone fun and intelligent should settle for rich or good-looking? Or is it assuming that money and looks are all anyone really cares about?

There are lots of literary characters who follow this advice, and often it doesn’t end well. Think of the “social X-rays” of “Bonfire of the Vanities,” or as a more recent example, the ultra-rich hedge fund manager Barry Cohen of Gary Shteyngart’s “Lake Success,” which Rolling Stone called a 21st-century “Bonfire.” Cohen chooses a wife who is both beautiful and ambitious, not because he admires her ambition but because he assumes ambitious women are less likely to get fat.

I asked one of the authors on the paper, Florida State University graduate student Juliana French, why they chose to focus on looks and money. She said these are ancient values — looks being a proxy for fertility in women, and money being a sign that a man can provide for a family. “These are important cues about human mate utility across human history,” she said. “They are ingrained in our psychological systems.”

Besides, she explained, these are the traits that are obvious enough that maximizers can size up near strangers and compare them with their unfortunate spouses. And it’s those bad comparisons that make the maximizers so unhappy when they don’t get a pretty wife or a rich husband. But if the game works as French explained it — a looks and money contest — then such unhappiness will be the inevitable fate of those who can’t bring their own appropriate currency to the table.

Encouraging maximizers to recognize this in themselves is one thing. Advising them to pursue it is quite another. Wouldn’t it make more sense to advise these people to learn to satisfice a little bit more? The maximizing tendency is a fairly stable trait, she said. It’s not clear how much people can change. If that’s the case, then it seems clear to me the advice should be aimed at satisficers: If a maximizer pursues you, run for the hills.

For perspective, I called Barry Schwartz, a psychologist who did pioneering work on the science of choices, including the satisficing-maximizing spectrum. He said the concept of satisficing goes back to the 1950s, when economist Herbert Simon proposed that the field had been built on the faulty assumption that everyone was trying to maximize something called utility — that is, they would accept only the best possible deal on anything. Simon realized that people won’t benefit from spending the time or energy it would take to compare every possible example of a product they want. Better to save valuable time by getting an idea of what’s out there and pick something that’s good enough.

What Schwartz discovered was that people vary along a spectrum of satisficing and maximizing. Some people really can’t pick a car or a restaurant or a bottle of wine without wasting hours weighing choices and still feeling unhappy that there might have been a better option. In 2003, he and colleagues published a paper showing that extreme maximizers tend to be relatively unhappy, pessimistic and regretful, and prone to low self-esteem and depression.

He was as baffled as I was about the interpretation of this recent study on maximizers and romantic partnerships. When people are surveyed about the traits they value in potential mates, kindness, humor and intelligence come up before looks or money. He thought that when researchers see correlations with these superficial traits, it might be because they are easier to measure than the qualities that matter most for long-term relationships to succeed.

On the other hand, the tendency to scan too many choices can induce superficiality. Schwartz pointed to research on speed dating, in which people spent an evening rotating through short conversations. When faced with six choices, speed daters focused on intelligence, personality and character, but those given 12 choices focused only on looks. So perhaps those maximizers, compelled as they are to examine every possibility, can’t help but get stuck on the obvious.

Isn’t the trick to life not extreme maximizing or immediate satisficing, but rather setting smart and variable standards? Hold out for the best in areas that matter — such as integrity, intelligence and kindness — and settle when it comes to the trivial details, such as a person’s height or the make of their car. The researchers who gather data aren’t always the best sources of wisdom about what it means or, for that matter, how to live. It’s a good thing we have some artists to help them out.

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count-demonlord-of-decadence · 6 years

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WELCOME TO THE 41ST CENTURY

It was an unremarkably cold Indianapolis evening and Ethan Nguyen was standing outside the bank he worked at, waiting for an uber driver. His 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport wouldn’t start and none of his co workers remained to give him a ride home. He was the last to leave because he hoped going above and beyond his assigned duties would make it difficult for his manager to downsize him. Ethan was the sole loan officer at his branch but not many people came in for loans these days.

His uber was still nine minutes away and Ethan had nothing to do except count the number of red cars the passed him. Ethan’s count was interrupted by a flash of lightning in the sky. The forecast this morning had a 10% chance of early showers but nothing about a thunderstorm. There was a second flash when Ethan noted he hadn’t heard any thunder. A third flash silently struck Ethan.

There was no feeling of pain, only a sensation of electricity flowing through his body. All his hairs were standing on end. He couldn’t breathe, but wasn’t suffocating. His inner ear told him he was falling, but there was no rush of air; no visual cues to indicate speed or direction. All he could see is white blue light. All he could hear is his own thoughts. All he could feel was his hairs standing. All he could smell is...pizza? It never occurred to Ethan that heaven would smell like pizza. Maybe the Catholics were right about the afterlife.

Rain Gurumin was eating a slice of pineapple and jalapeno pizza, waiting for Professor Ethan Nguyen’s latest attempt at time travel to fail like all his previous attempts. For the sixth time in her life, Rain began to question the path she chose in life. To her, anything was preferable to working on her family’s farm. She wanted to make a difference in the world, rather than live a perpetual status quo. which is what farming was to her. Everyday the same, no different from the previous day or the next. So she studied and worked to get her bachelor’s degree in theoretical physics. Then she assisted different scientists looking to make breakthroughs in the realm of science. Nothing so far though. In fact three of Rain’s previous employers had their efforts debunked; one by Rain herself.

So Rain and Prof. Nguyen went through the 57 point checklist before he stood on the platform and began the countdown. Rain finished the slice of her favorite pizza and on Prof. Nguyen’s mark activated the “time machine”. But unlike previous attempts, something happened. A brilliant white blue light filled the room then quickly vanished. When Rain regained her vision the “time machine” was on fire and Prof. Nguyen was unconscious. The sprinkler system activated as Rain dashed to drag Prof. Nguyen to safety. His lab coat appeared to be burnt and his hair was shorter, so she was convinced he’d been burnt. She feared this fiasco would end her career and send her back to the family farm. How her sister would love that.

“Tae pagkain aso! What have you done this this time?” It was the shrill voice of Prof. Miguel Saldana, the laboratory manager. He measured 64 inches in height while wearing platform shoes; and a temperament indicative of being teased for it.

“Nguyen! Your antics are really beginning to...Hesus Maryosep! Was there a fire!? Is that a hole in the ceiling!? This is the final straw!.”

“He can’t hear you Miguel, he’s unconscious. He needs medical attention.”

“He’s probably faking it to avoid taking any responsibility for his actions. And that’s professor Saldana to you. This hair brained pseudo science ends today! This is a blight on the university and science itself.”

EMTs had arrived and begun to treat Prof. Nguyen which gave Rain the chance to give Miguel a piece of her mind.

Ethan woke suddenly because smelling salts were used on him. He was being treated by EMTs which he expected after being struck by lightning. What he didn’t expect was to feel perfectly fine. He anticipated pain or nothing becaused he died. He told the EMTs such and they helped him to his feet. Ethan was taking in his surroundings as they told him he didn’t have any injuries. He assumed he was in a hospital given what he saw, but the EMTs and obvious signs of a fire confused him. He checked his pockets to ensure none of their contents had been stolen. Satisfied nothing was, he thought to call his sister and mother and let them know he was in the hospital. But his iphone Kyrios was in the middle of a software update and told him to try again later. He turned his attention to the short man in a hideous blue suit with florescent green pin stripes arguing with a woman in a white lab coat with reddish-brown hair. He approached the pair and waited 50 seconds for an opening in their heated exchange before loudly clearing his throat and interjecting,

“Excuse me, is there like a phone or something I can use to call my family and let them know I’m...here; and where exactly here is? Thanks.” He felt the smile he added at the end made him sound less sarcastic.

“Who the tae are you and what are you doing here?” the short man demanded of him.

“Um...I’m Ethan Nguyen, I was struck by lightning and brought…”

“I think I know Ethan Nguyen when I am yelling at him and you’re clearly not him. Rain who is this person?”

The woman simply shrugged her shoulders and stared wide eyed at Ethan. Ethan noticed her eyes were grey. Ethan took a deep breath before pulling out his wallet.

“Look, I have my driver's license. That proves I’m Ethan Nguyen. Or at least a guy who looks exactly like him who has his license.”

The man looked at it for 1.4 seconds before asking, “What’s that’s supposed to be, an art project? I don’t know what kind of joke you two are trying to pull but I won’t stand for it. As of this moment you’re both trespassing. I’ve notified security to have your forcibly removed from the premises if need be.”

Rain had been staring at the license the entire time and when Ethan attempted to put it away, she asked to see it. She took the time to read the entire thing before asking Ethan,

“Is this information accurate? This isn’t some sort of practical joke you and Prof. Nguyen concocted?”

“If anyone here is the victim of a practical joke, it’s me. And I’m beginning to get a little frustrated with…”

Before he could finish, Rain grabbed him by the wrist and tried to pull him to the exit, but Ethan held his ground. She loud said over her shoulder,

“You’re right Prof. Saldana, this is a bad joke by my art school cousin here. All just a bad joke. No need to call security we’ll show ourselves out. Come along cousin...Erik? This time your joke has gone too far.”

She looked at Ethan with wide pleading eyes and tried to pull him along with her. He took the hint and went along saying as they walked,

“Uh...yeah. Just a bad joke on my part...cousin Rei.”

“Rain.” she corrected him in whisper.

“Um Rain, right as rain. Rain...just another joke on my part.” He added some of the phoniest laughter he’s ever produced. They walked quickly but not fast enough to gain attention until they were outside the building. Ethan was shocked by the light snowfall typical of Indiana in January, since it wasn’t snowing when he left the bank; just cold. Then noticed he was dressed for it, in the same wool coat and gloves he wore when he was waiting for the uber driver.

She led him to a taxi and shoved Ethan inside before following. She didn’t say anything to the driver but he started driving. So Ethan asked,

“He know where he’s going?”

“Yes, he does.”

“Okay, you gonna tell me what’s going on here?”

“Yes but not now, when we’ve settled in.”

Ethan looked out the window and assumed they were traveling rather fast for a snowy night. But there wasn’t much to see with the snow and darkness of night. The street lights seemed somehow different, brighter and clearer. But there was nothing to indicate what part of the city he was in. He went to check his iphone but it was still in the middle of the software update.

The taxi pulled over abruptly and Rain got out. Ethan pulled out his wallet, but didn’t see a meter, so he asked, “What’s the fare?”

“Ya mind pal, it’s snowin’ out there.” the driver snapped.

“Just get out Ethan, I already paid.” Rain hissed.

Ethan didn’t recall any exchange of currency or card swipe, but since the driver wasn’t concerned Ethan stopped caring and simply said, “No tip for you.” on his way out.

The sign read Great Fall Cafe. The decor was mostly hardwood and black leather. It was busy, but not crowded. Rain lead them to a table for two.

“Order whatever you want.” she said rubbing her arms for warmth.

There was forty seconds of comfortable silence between them before Ethan asked,

“So you gonna tell me what’s going on here, or do I gotta guess?”

“As soon as drinks arrive.”

Ethan looked around and saw two waitresses, but none approached the table. Nor was there a counter he could walk up to and order from. He was about to mention it when a waitress came to the table with a green drink.

“Green tea and kiwi juice, half and half. There you are ma’am.” She turned to walk away but Ethan stopped her with an obnoxious, “Excuse me. I’ll have coffee, two creams, and two sugars.”

She stared at him like he didn’t speak English, which Ethan knew she did. He was about to insult her when Rain said,

“Ignore him, I ordered before him. I’m sure they have it back there.”

The waitress slowly walked away, as Rain sipped her drink. Ethan was about to speak when Rain held up a hand to stop him.

“I’ll ask you two questions then explain everything. Question number one, what is your date of birth?”

Ethan looked aghast at her to which she replied, “Humor me. I promise I’ll explain everything after.”

“September 29th 1995.”

“Okay, question two. What is the current date?

“Assuming it’s the day after I was struck by lightning January 23rd, 2027.”

Rain paused as the waitress brought Ethan’s coffee, and stared at him. When she was gone Rain said,

“That explains everything. The day is indeed the 23rd of January. But the year is 4027. It seems Prof. Nguyen’s time travel experiment was a success. It brought you two thousand years into the future.”

There was a moment of silence. Rain was anticipating denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, but his silence was disturbing. He sipped his coffee twice before saying, “Okay I’ll play along. I’m obviously being punk’d but I’ll play along. What happens next?” and folding his arms.

“Prof. Nguyen was trying to send himself back in time and return, but instead of him you arrived. I guess we should return to the lab and try to return you to your own time and rescue Prof. Nguyen.”

“Why did we leave in the first place?” Ethan asked.

“Because time travel research is illegal on Earth due to the accidents and if that twit Saldana found out he’d have us arrested at once. I wanted to give him time to cool off and retreat to his safespace before we went back.”

“How much cooling off we talking here?”

“Maybe an hour. I have to say you’re taking this pretty well.”

“Oh I haven’t accepted any of this. But I’ve seen enough movies and TV shows to know what to do. See, if what you’re saying is true, then it’d be a waste of our time having you prove it to me. It’d be better to just go along with this so I can return to my own time in the shortest amount of time. And if what you’re saying is false, then it’d be a waste of time having you try and prove the unprovable. It’s simpler to just play along until the cameras and producers pop out and announce which reality TV prank show I’m on.”

Silence again as Rain tried to hide her disappointment. She was excited to show this man the bright and shiny future. To be marvel at his amazement at what she found mundane. It never occurred to her that the first thing he’d want is to return to his own life. Who wouldn’t? She felt childish. Her melancholy was interrupted when Ethan asked a question.

“Who’s this Prof. Nguyen you guys keep talking about?”

“Prof. Ethan Nguyen ph d in theoretical physics from Purdue university. He built the time machine that brought you here.”

“My name is Ethan Nguyen and I went to Purdue University. Granted I didn’t get no phd and majored in English Lit. It’s things like this that make this whole thing seem phoney. Next you’ll tell me his middle name is Erik.”

Rain choked on her drink before confessing,

“Actually his middle name is Eric, spelled with a “C” instead of a “K”. And you both were born on the 29th of September. But Prof. Nguyen is 64 years old and bald on top.”

“Right. That’s a little too coincidental for my tastes.”

Ethan's smartphone chirped in his pocket, he looked at it and it read update complete. He looked at Rain then asked it,

“Kyri, what’s today’s time and date?”

“It is 14:09 on the 23rd of January, 4027.” it replied in it’s female voice. Rain smirked at that.

“That doesn’t prove we’re in the future. It only proves you can change the time and date on my phone. That’s rudimentary 21st century skill. Kyri, who’s the current president of the United States?”

“The current US president is Zuri Sasakibe, she is the 379th person to hold the office.”

“Uh-huh. What team won the last super bowl?”

“The last super bowl was won by the Munich Schwarzesmarken in 4024.”

“How can a German team win the super bowl?”

Between 2053 and 2162 the NFL expanded to 64 teams; 32 in the US and 32 outside the US. In 2212 there were 74 teams, this year the NFL voted to adopt a formula modeled after the world cup to determine the teams that play in the super bowl. I hope that answers your question.”

Ethan returned his phone to his pocket and asked Rain,

“Okay, if this is the future; and I’m not saying it is. But if it is, why doesn’t the future appear more...futuristic?”

“How do you mean?” she asked, her grey eyes brightening.

“I mean like flying cars, aliens walking around, people beaming places, laser guns and robot workers. Stuff like that.”

“Let’s see. We do have personal vehicles that fly; hover copters. But given the snowfall it’s doubtful anyone would be using one.” Rain paused to look around. “I only see humans in here, but then again there are not even 35 million on the entire planet. Indianapolis isn’t exactly a tourist destination. Beaming, as you call it, is stupid expensive and not exactly safe for lifeforms. Conventional means are far more effective. Bullets are cheaper, safer and more effective than lasers or charged particles. And automation lead to the largest unemployment crisis in human history. You’ll still find some in dangerous work like mining and construction, but it’s still cheaper to hire waitstaff than keep a fleet of service bots. Plus bots have to be stored on site, workers go home at the end of the day.”

“You said cheaper a lot. You still have money in the future?”

“Of course. Goods and services have to be exchanged for something. How could a society function without money?”

“But, you didn’t pay for the taxi or these drinks.”

“Yes I did. It was done via the net. That’s how I ordered our drinks. I emailed my order in when I walked in.” Rain held up her wrist and revealed a jade bracelet. “This bracelet connects my computer to my brain via my nervous system. It’s more efficient and private than your voice activated one.”

“Oh. Well what about weather control?”

“Clearly it’s still science fiction.” Rain deadpanned gesturing towards the windows.

“You said there are aliens, so faster than light travel is real?”

“Oh Yeah. Hyperspace folding; HSF.”

“And time travel is real?” Ethan asked after finishing his coffee.

“You and Prof. Nguyen are the first two people to successfully travel through time. quantum mathematics has always said time travel was possible, but no one really had the time, money and resources to devote to it. Prof. Nguyen piggybacked centuries of research to get this far.”

“And you, what was your role in all this?”

“I’m just Prof. Nguyen’s assistant. A theoretical physics degree opens few doors.”

“Bet it opens more doors than an English literature degree.”

Rain looked at him dumbfounded before trying to politely hide her laughter. Ethan just folded his arms and waited for her to get it out of her system. It wasn’t a new experience for him. Everyone; friends, family, strangers, laughed at his major and the fact he didn’t eventually drop it.

“I’m sorry, really I am. I'm laughing because you’re half right. While an English literature degree, doesn’t even exist in the 41st century, an Earth literature one does. And it’s valuable because human culture is the second hardest to understand in the galaxy. Literature gives aliens insight into our culture. In this day and age theoretical physics is only useful in time travel and parallel dimension research.”

“Why’d you pursue it?”

“Why’d you go for English literature if you feel it’s so worthless?” Rain retorted.

“Intellectual snobbery. Your turn.”

“I chose the furthest thing from farming. My family is farmers.”

Ethan feel silent as he thought about his family. His sister, Elena, with her dream job (executive chef), lawyer husband, two perfect kids, four bedroom house; they even had an English Cocker Spaniel. He hated how his sister rubbed her clearly better life in his face, but the thought of never seeing her or his nephews again depressed him. His father was an alpha male jackoff who captained a fish boat in the great lakes. He always demeaned Ethan’s lack of physicality, but otherwise was a loving father. His mother could only compare Ethan’s life to Elena’s and point out his faults. The thought of never being able to become successful and throw it in their faces depressed him too.

Rain read his mood and had to remember that Ethan had a life; 32 years of life before coming here. He had friends, family, a career, hobbies, a whole life that he’d just suddenly been separated from. And here she was treating him like a science project. She felt ashamed, and decided it was time to make things right. Then noticed the two uniformed police officers approaching their table. Ethan turned and looked to see what Rain was frowning at.

The first officer was a dead ringer for actor Kevin Grevioux wearing a dastar, in Ethan’s eyes. His name tag read Lipsey. His partner was a woman nearly two feet shorter than him but looked like she weighed the same as him. She had emerald green hair in a tight bun. Her name tag read Rivers. Ethan couldn’t help but stare at her hair, wondering when police were allowed to dye the hair such colors. Then he noticed her eyebrows matched. She gave Ethan a look to express her disdain before asking

“Rain Gurumin and Ethan Nguyen?”

“I’m Rain Gurumin and this is a Ethan Nguyen; but not the Ethan Nguyen you’re looking for.”

“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.” Ethan quipped. No one got it.

“You’re not under arrest, but could the two of you come down to the station to clear up some of the details?” Officer Rivers asked.

“And if we refuse?” Ethan asked, but before either officer could respond Rain replied,

“Yes we can. There is no problem.” Rain stood up but Ethan just stared at her like she was crazy. She whispered in his ear, “It’s okay, they said we weren’t under arrest. That’s legally binding now.”

Officer Lipsey’s body language suggested he was all to prepared for a physical altercation. Officer River’s overtly indicated she didn’t understand Ethan’s hesitation. Ethan simply followed Rain’s lead.

Ethan was disappointed that the police didn’t have flying cars, but the ride was over before he could express this thought to Rain. The station was white and sterile like a hospital to Ethan. What he really noted was there was virtually no one else in the station. The two were escorted to the second floor where a series of cubicles were erected. They were taken to one decorated with clown pictures and figurines.

Behind the desk sat a woman with straightened black hair in a ponytail and yellow eyes. She wore a dark grey sportcoat with notched lapels and a bright white blouse. Her name plate read Det. Quita Kerr.

“I’ll try to keep this brief and reiterate neither of you are under arrest at this time.”

“Here it comes.” Ethan interjected.

“First I’d like to just confirm your identities.” she held out what Ethan thought were business cards. He watched Rain grab it without taking it and did the same; wishing she’d told him what’s going on.

“Okay, we’ve confirmed you are Rain Gurumin and you are not Prof. Ethan Nguyen. You are Ethan Erik Nguyen, born 29 Sep 1995. Declared missing on 17 Oct 2027. The world’s oldest man. Ms. Gurumin, we confiscated equipment from your lab that suggests that an illegal time travel machine was conducted in the laboratory you work at. Mr. Nguyen here and the disappearance of Prof. Nguyen seem to confirm this hypothesis. Do have anything you wish to say at this time?”

“Only that any and all hardware and software used were purchased and assembled by Prof. Nguyen. I’m an accessory only after the fact.” Ethan was shocked by Rain’s answer.

“Yes, the records support this statement. Do either of you know the,” she paused to clear her throat and used air quotes for the next word, “wherabouts of Prof. Nguyen?”

“Our best guess is Indianapolis 2027.”

“Okay. If you hear from Prof. Nguyen make sure to contact the proper authorities. As for you Mr. Nguyen, you may want to establish a new identity before people think you have the secrets of immortality.”

Rain stood to leave but Ethan had to ask, “What that’s it we’re free to go?”

Det. Kerr looked at Ethan in disbelief and answered, “Yes. Despite the evidence of a crime neither of you committed the crime in question. And you have no valuable information or insights into the case. You. Can. Go. Now.”

Ethan promptly followed Rain out.

The snow continued to gently fall in the night as Ethan and Rain climbed into the back of a taxi laughing.

“I still can’t believe there was a time when law enforcement would simply arrest people then hope the evidence fits.” Rain laughed. “Nowadays evidence must be gathered to prove a crime was committed and who the perpetrator is before an arrest can be made. I can’t imagine police coercing confessions with badgery and threats. It sounds barbaric.”

“That’s nothing.” Ethan paused to giggle, “When I was in high school the West Memphis Three were released after 18 years on death row for a crime they didn’t commit; and they still had to plead guilty.”

“How awful. The thought of being arrested with no corroborating evidence is frightening. Why weren’t people presumed innocent until proven guilty?”

“Well they are, in theory. But in practice cops were too afraid of letting offenders slip through the cracks so it was better to cast a wide net and apologize to those wrongfully imprisoned. But they never do because cops don’t want to admit they fuck up because it brings every other arrest they made under scrutiny. So they send it to the DAs whose job security is based on the conviction to acquittal ratio. Combine that with a prison industrial complex that profits from the number of inmates they lock up and you create a world where Fry ‘em Like Bacon is a hit song by C.H.A.M.”

Rain was staring at Ethan in amusement and when he inquired as to why she smiled and replied, “It’s just, I’ve never heard anyone on Earth complain about the judicial system. It’s refreshing. I mean, I know it’s not perfect like this everywhere, but it just seems so far removed from here; things like abuse of power and wrongful arrest.”

The conversation was halted by the taxi stopping outside an apartment building. The pair exited and Rain lead him into the building.

Ethan was taken aback as the interior of Rain’s apartment appeared to be floating over a city. He knew it couldn’t be true though because it wasn’t daytime outside. There was a beige couch and matching coffee table sitting on whatever Rain was walking on. He followed her in, a quarter expecting to fall, and noticed that the effect didn’t reach her kitchen. With a touch he confirmed that it was just an image displayed on the walls, ceiling and floor. The city appeared to be gothic architecture made of bronze, but that was Ethan guessing. His knowledge of architecture was the definition of gothic architecture. The image wasn’t still but moving in a slight curve clockwise.

Rain emerged from the single bedroom without her lab coat, and silently watched Ethan marvel at the image. She waited for him to notice her before saying,

“It’s an aerial view of Torapamen, a city on the planet Taanjagd. It’s the most famous city on the planet. The Chi’Taan, the race native to the planet, call it their city of lights. They say it looks breathtaking at night. But the effect is lost on humans, we don’t have the night vision for it. Have a seat, you must be hungry.”

“Feels like I haven’t eaten in a couple thousand years.” He quipped.

Rain couldn’t help but smile at that and said,

“I don’t have anything you’re used to here so I’ll order in. What would you like?”

“Cheeseburger, fries and a medium coke.”

There was a minute of silence before Rain said, “It’ll be here in 14 minutes.”

“Let me guess, fast food delivers in the future.”

“Fast food?” Rain asked before googling it. “Sorry, but that term isn’t in use any more. Food is so abundant there’s no need for cheap filler and additives.”

Rain sat on the couch and motioned for Ethan to join her. “The future seems perfect. Too perfect. There must be some dystopian price you pay for all this. Some sort of faction system or emotion suppression system.”

“It seems perfect because we’re on Earth, but it’s far from it. Earth is rich thanks to the corporations expanding into space, but there’re still problems. A millennium ago, there was over 16 billion humans. Earth was so automated that there was no need for a majority of people to work. Solar power and advances in water filtration increased the standard of living for most humans worldwide. Food production was at an all time high; so people became dulled with satisfaction. Imagine if upon graduating high school you knew that food, shelter and power would be provided for you by the state but the only jobs were in the arts, administration or education fields. What would you do?”

“I’d probably play video games in my underwear for days on end.”

“Exactly. People soon began protests and uprisings because they didn’t have anything better to do; no direction in their lives. Humanity was on the verge of a global civil war out of boredom. When the Geddon came and annexed the Earth into their star syndicate they were looking for an army to aid them in their war against the Cleomites. They need bodies and we found a means of providing direction and adventure to an increasingly dissatisfied population. It worked until the war ended. Then the problem began to include trillions of people from other races. The solution came with state mandated employment rates. Each world within the syndicate is required to limit automation to keep the unemployment rate below 15%. The Geddon Force, the military force of the syndicate, helps tremendously but humans are adverse to drafts and the Geddon Force loathes conscription. They're looking for career soldiers. So working conditions can be terrible in places where regulation isn’t strictly adhered to. The same with living conditions. They’re as good as the regulators force them to be.”

“Why doesn’t somebody do something?” Ethan asked.

“Corruption, lack of personal, lack of empathy.” Rain shrugged, “Plus corporations have a lot of power in closed colonies. A closed colony is one without a natural breathable atmosphere. Every colony in the Sol system is a closed type. Corporations bribe regulatory agencies and it becomes very difficult to speak out against the people who provide your jobs, homes and food.”

Rain got up to answer the door, though Ethan didn’t hear a knock or a bell. It was the food delivery.

#fiction #pointless fiction #Evilcorey's pointless fiction #science fiction #I once thought about entering this in a contest

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awesomecolorfulcollectorwombat · 6 years

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Coinbase Wants To Be Too Big To Fail

New Post has been published on http://tradewithoutfear.com/coinbase-wants-to-be-too-big-to-fail/

Coinbase Wants To Be Too Big To Fail

THE NEW TITANS OF FINANCE prowl a glass fortress 3,000 miles from Wall Street. High above San Francisco’s Market Street, their headquarters take up three floors with sweeping views of the bay and city below. The reception desk bears jars brimming with chocolate coins near a jokey “Initial Chocolate Offering” sign. Beyond it, in an open space with no corner offices, big shots poached from Silicon Valley giants sit beside junior hires clutching free cans of LaCroix. This is the home base of Coinbase, the buzzy startup that wants to rewire the financial system around blockchains and digital currency.

But good luck finding it. There’s no logo outside the building or in the lobby. Nor is there any signage in the hallway outside that reception desk, just fortified metal doors and an intercom. Coinbase employees maintain a low profile, they explain, because most own virtual cryptocurrency, some  in quantities that make them multimillionaires on paper.  A kidnapper could capture someone and “pull out their fingernails,” a staffer says, to learn the location of their fortune—as if betting your career and well-being on a volatile, unproven financial technology weren’t stressful enough.

Such is life at Coinbase, a company where the mood alternates between upbeat and under siege. It was founded in 2012 as an exchange that lets individuals and companies easily buy and store digital currencies, most notably Bitcoin. And by 2017, when investor interest in those currencies moved to the mainstream, Coinbase was perfectly positioned to capitalize, becoming a 21st-century Wells Fargo for a new digital gold rush.

In short order, Coinbase became the first U.S. cryptocurrency startup to earn a $1 billion “unicorn” valuation from investors, and the first to bring in $1 billion in annual revenue. (The still-private company is profitable, according to regulatory filings, though it won’t disclose specific earnings.) Coinbase now claims 25 million customer accounts—a five- fold increase from two years ago—putting it on a par with traditional finance giants like Charles Schwab and the brokerage arm of Fidelity. The tech press is buzzing about new, higher-valuation funding rounds and a looming IPO. And the company’s first-mover status has made it something of a home planet for the universe of crypto-oriented business; a surprising number of top industry figures are connected, in one way or another, to Coinbase and its 35-year-old founder and CEO, Brian Armstrong.

Still, life at the top is tense. Coinbase owes its preeminence in part to last year’s unprecedented speculative surge in cryptocurrency investing. Today the buoyant Bitcoin runs of 2017 seem a distant memory, as more investors question the value of assets that have yet to prove their staying power. Many of the most popular digital currencies trade 80% or even 90% lower than their peaks last December, and the popping of the bubble has erased a staggering $600 billion in market capitalization. The collapse has meant less trading and less commission revenue for Coinbase, even as new low-fee competitors threaten  to turn the company’s core service into a commodity—and even as the company recovers from self-inflicted problems that alienated customers during the boom.

Presiding over all this is an introverted founder who sees the cryptomania of 2017 as just one chapter in a longer story. Armstrong belongs to a generation of evangelists who view digital currencies, and the blockchain technology on which they’re based, as tools that will make investing, borrowing, and saving money faster, cheaper, and more egalitarian. And he wants Coinbase to become the banking empire that brings those tools to the masses.

Armstrong and his colleagues have laid the groundwork for that future, carefully wooing regulators and investing in new technology. What he hasn’t done yet is convince the wider financial world that crypto is a must-have technology. If Armstrong can’t eventually make a compelling long-term case, it may be not just Coinbase that crumbles, but an entire industry.

THE IDEALIST: Brian Armstrong at Coinbase’s San Francisco headquarters. “I really want to see crypto be used by a billion people in the next five years,” he says.

Winni Wintermeyer for Fortune

GROWING UP IN SAN JOSE, Armstrong often felt bored and confined. His parents, both successful engineers, provided a comfortable upbringing and a brisk intellectual environment. But while Armstrong saw the Internet as a tool to change society—in the same way Apple’s Steve Jobs and Intel’s Andy Grove who built their empires minutes from his househad done with computers and chips, two decades earlier—he fretted that others had beat him to it. “By the time I graduated from college and I was starting to work, I felt maybe I was too late—this Internet revolution had happened,” he said.

Armstrong arrived early, however, for the genesis of a different revolution. While surfing the web at his parents’ house on Christmas of 2009, he encountered a nine-page paper written by a pseudonymous author named Satoshi Nakamoto. The idea it described—a global currency beyond the reach of banks or governments—was so compelling he began to read  it again, tuning out his mother’s entreaties to join the holiday festivities downstairs.

Nakamoto’s paper is now famous for describing the architecture of Bitcoin—and the broader notion of using a global network of computers to maintain a common record  of any kind of transaction. Like other early believers, Armstrong became enamored of the idea of a financial system that could minimize the influence of middlemen and politicians. His fixation grew after a trip to Argentina. He recalls sitting in restaurants in Buenos Aires where prices on menus were covered with stickers that changed almost daily—symptoms of rampant inflation that had wiped out the savings of ordinary people. Bitcoin, he thought, represented a way to store or transfer wealth beyond the control of rapacious states. It was digital gold.

Childhood photograph of Brian Armstrong. Armstrong says he saw the Internet as a tool to change society: “By the time I graduated from college and I was starting to work, I felt maybe I was too late—this Internet revolution had happened.”

Courtesy of Coinbase

For this vision to come to pass, though, ordinary people would have to use crypto- currency—and in its early days, that was wildly impractical. Would-be Bitcoiners had to engage in a recondite rigmarole of downloading “wallet” software and then funding the wallet with an offshore bank transfer or working with shadowy middlemen.

Armstrong’s vision was to make the process more akin to buying stock online. In 2012, he left his job as an engineer at Airbnb to make it a reality. He designed Coinbase to allow customers to use traditional bank accounts to purchase cryptocurrency. Whereas buying Bitcoin had once required serious tech chops, the Coinbase version was more like using PayPal or Venmo. And instead of requiring users to store currency using complicated cryptographic keys, Coinbase stored it on customers’ behalf.

There turned out to be plenty of demand for an easy-to-get Bitcoin service; barely a year after launching in late 2012, Coinbase reached the million-customer mark. At a time when concerns about drug dealing and money laundering hovered over the crypto world, Coinbase took pains to comply with know-your-customer laws and other strictures of U.S. banking law. And during last year’s mania, as hundreds of new crypto “coin” investments sprang up, the company—fearful of scams or trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission—declined to sell the vast majority of them. (Today there are 15 cryptocurrencies with a market cap over  $1 billion, but Coinbase offers trading in  only five of them.) Fretting about compliance didn’t endear Armstrong to the crypto world’s self-styled renegades, whose tastes run towards cocaine, Lamborghinis and anti-government diatribes. But it has put Coinbase on the cusp of regulatory approval for a broker dealer license. It is also in talks to obtain a federal banking charter—a once unthinkable idea for any Bitcoin-related company.

“What matters in financial products is the first-mover advantage and who sets the standards,” says Christian Bolu, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein. “Coinbase is assuming that mantle and setting the regulatory agenda.”

Charts show price of Bitcoin and estimated number of Coinbase users

The company is also a darling of blue-chip venture capital firms, including early investors Union Square Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. The latter’s $25 million investment in 2013 came as the VC community’s first truly big bet on cryptocurrency. The young CEO, his backers say, quickly revealed an instinct for self-improvement. “Every meeting you have with him, he sends follow-up questions,” says Chris Dixon, a partner at Andreessen. “He’s constantly curious and looking for mentorship.” Armstrong’s bid to better himself is almost pathological. Last year, he obtained his pilot’s license but largely lost interest upon becoming satisfied he could fly a plane. At Coinbase, Armstrong will grill employees about what he, and they, could do better: He once emailed his performance review from HR to the entire staff in order to solicit tips.

He consumes large numbers of books, mostly by audio. His tastes include science and behavioral psychology, but lean to management bromides and great man biographies (Steve Jobs, the Wright Brothers, Dwight Eisenhower). Reading Michael Malone’s Bill and Dave, a history of Hewlett-Packard, prompted Armstrong  to urge employees to approach him anytime with ideas, lest someone else snap them up. “Steve Wozniak, when he was an engineer at HP, brought them the Apple 1,” Armstrong recounts. “He’s like, ‘I built this, I think HP should manufacture it.’ And they said no. And, of course, then he left and created Apple Computer, right?” Armstrong’s nightmare, it seems, would be for success to elude him after being right under his nose.

BUT WHEN SUCCESS did arrive, Coinbase and Armstrong found they had a lot to learn about managing it. In 2017, as Bitcoin and other digital currencies rose 20-fold or more in value, Coinbase made a killing on trading fees. During the height of the mania, Armstrong has said, Coinbase signed up more than 50,000 new customers a day. This led the company’s website to crash and sputter and leave the site’s engineers to feel like they were holding back an avalanche with Saran Wrap. For some Coinbase customers, the site became a hellish experience, as glitches reigned and orders went unfilled. Twitter and the website Reddit lit up with anguished accounts of money stuck in limbo and customer service tickets landing in black holes, unresolved for days. Dozens of other customers filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the SEC.

Hackers, meanwhile, began targeting customers with elaborate phishing and bank fraud scams; Coinbase was at one point spending 10%  of its revenue on resolving fraud-related issues. Employees weren’t happy, either. The chaos left many engineers and customer service reps working 18-hour days, and some quit in exhaustion.

Another serious hiccup occurred on June 21, 2017, when a high-net-worth “whale” abruptly sold millions of dollars’ worth of the popular currency Ethereum. The result was a “flash crash,” as prices plunged from $320 to under 10¢ before shooting back up again, triggering automated sell orders that resulted in some unlucky investors ditching their whole position for a pittance. Unlike most big stock exchanges, Coinbase hadn’t built a trip wire to halt trading in the case of a panic selloff—a big technical blunder. Armstrong eventually decided to rescue the victims by canceling their side of the trades—a calm-restoring but costly proposition.

At the peak of the crypto boom, Coinbase took another hit to its credibility over its handling of Bitcoin Cash, a spinoff of Bitcoin. It initially declined to support the new cur- rency, then reversed its position after a wave of customer complaints. But in December, just before Coinbase announced the reversal, there was a sudden, unusual uptick in Bitcoin Cash’s price—sparking speculation that Coinbase employees had traded on inside information and bought the currency in anticipation of an influx of new money. According to a former employee, the outcry led Coinbase to abruptly delete two of its channels on the messaging app Slack, which employees used to discuss the crypto market and trading strategies.

Coinbase concluded after an internal investigation that its employees had not engaged in insider trading, and the company tells Fortune it closed the Slack channels out of an abundance of caution rather than any wrongdoing. Given the evolving regulatory regime around cryptocurrency, it’s not clear that trading the currencies based on inside information would even be illegal. Still, the controversy, combined with the site’s customer service woes, sent a message: Just as cryptocurrency was commanding a national spotlight, Coinbase seemed unready for primetime.

Its struggles didn’t scare away investors, however: In August 2017, the startup raised $100 million, giving it a $1.8 billion valuation. That provided Armstrong with the capital and clout to hire talent that could help him right the ship. Coinbase poached longtime Twitter operations executive Tina Bhatnagar to help repair its customer service shambles, and it brought on HP veteran Asiff Hirji as COO. Armstrong has also committed to hiring inclusively: Coinbase, by company rule, interviews three qualified people from underrepresented backgrounds for each open position, and 33% of leadership roles are held by women.

Employees give their boss high marks for staying on an even keel as the crises unfolded. Armstrong himself believes he found his footing as the company grew. At first, he recalls, “I thought [a CEO] had to be a military general, barking orders. But I feel I’ve embraced my own style of leadership, which is a little bit more collaborative. It’s seeking the truth, not trying to be right. I also realized you shouldn’t try to be something you’re not because that’s the worst kind of leadership.”

Coinbase has also doubled its headcount over the past year to nearly 1,000. The extra staffing has helped restore work/life balance and reduce the number of all-nighters. Arm- strong, for his part, is showing his staff that he too can chill out. This includes recapturing some of the vibe from the company’s early days. Back then, Armstrong and Coinbase’s third employee, Olaf Carlson-Wee (who today runs Polychain Capital, the largest U.S. crypto hedge-fund) would team up in epic Halo matches against business VP Fred Ehrsam, a former high school gaming champ. There was also a lot of ping-pong and rock-climbing. Today’s version of chilling out includes Armstrong indulging his penchant for belting Disney songs in the office and at off-site karaoke. One staffer (who calls Armstrong a “great singer”) described the CEO leading a recent Little Mermaid sing-along at a bar in San Francisco’s Castro District.

PART OF YOUR WORLD: Armstrong with staffers at Coinbase’s San Francisco headquarters. The CEO wants the company to eventually become the crypto equivalent of a global bank.

Jason Henry—The New York Times/Redux

Customer service, meanwhile, has improved dramatically under Bhatnagar, says Mike Dudas, a Google veteran who runs a crypto-news startup The Block. By mid-2018, Coinbase claimed to have eliminated 95% of its backlogs, and it says it responds to complaints within 10 hours—a far cry from the peak of the Bitcoin mania, when many tickets took a week or longer to resolve.

Of course, if complaints are a far cry from where they were, that’s because Bitcoin mania is too. Cryptocurrency prices have lost more ground since December in percentage terms than the Nasdaq did during the dotcom bust of 2000–02. The research firm Diar recently reported that Coinbase trading volume has dropped from over $20 billion in January to less than $5 billion a month this summer. Since Coinbase charges commissions that range up to 1.99% of the value of each trade, the simultaneous plummeting of values and volumes is a double whammy. And its margins are under threat from new competition. Over the past year, fintech companies Robinhood and Square and European brokerage eToro have wooed crypto investors with low- or no-cost trading. That ominous drumbeat adds urgency to one of Armstrong’s biggest missions: converting Coinbase into a diversified blockchain-banking giant that isn’t solely dependent on trading revenue.

IT’S A SWELTERING EVENING in Washington, D.C. as Armstrong, clad in a tan suit, sits down for dinner. He and a small retinue are gathered in a hotel restaurant near Dupont Circle, where the food is both expensive and mediocre. Tucking into poached salmon, he reflects on his day meeting lawmakers and senior regulators. Armstrong, ever the Silicon Valley engineer, is not wowed by the political atmosphere. “I think my favorite part was the underground train,” he says, referring to the hidden monorail that whisks elected officials and elite visitors to and from the Capitol. Still, the CEO and his team have been persistent in educating the political class about cryptocurrency and blockchains. And these efforts are paying dividends, as more regulators see the technology as a useful tool rather than an inherently criminal threat—opening more opportunities for Coinbase and its competitors.

In addition to its impending broker-dealer license, Coinbase has won permission to provide custody services for big institutional customers that wish to own cryptocurrency assets. These services could prove lucrative if the company can lure more big players like mutual funds, pensions, and private equity funds to trade with it. There’s already some progress on this front: Earlier this year, its services aimed at professional traders and institutions—primarily wealthy “family offices” and cryptocurrency oriented hedge funds—surpassed its consumer platform as the company’s biggest source of trading volume.

“I don’t think it’s going to be easy,” cautions Richard Johnson, a financial technologies expert with consultancy Greenwich Associates. “The institutional market will be a different one for them to crack,” especially since mainstream fund managers are waiting for a stronger regulatory framework before investing.

Emilie Choi, vice president of corporate and business development. Choi, a veteran of LinkedIn, is a tech M&A specialist; she has helped Coinbase buy nearly a dozen smaller blockchain and finance firms to build out its own empire.

Stefan Ruenzel—Fortune Video

But recent acquisitions could help Coinbase be ready when that framework emerges. One of its recent hires is Emilie Choi, VP of corporate and business development, who presided over 40 acquisitions at LinkedIn. Since signing on in March, Choi has helped Coinbase snap up nearly a dozen small blockchain and financial firms that could help it provide a broader range of services. Still, for a company that likes to style itself as “the Google of crypto,” Coinbase is still waiting for an encore hit to its trading platform, along the lines of Google adding Gmail or Maps or YouTube to its core search service.

Right now, Coinbase’s most promising project, say Johnson and others, involves a new class of investments known as security tokens, which represent investable assets as tokens on a blockchain. Armstrong has spoken of building an alternative investment market around such tokens, run by Coinbase. Supporters say tokens could be used to convert assets that are relatively illiquid and expensive—privately held companies, for example, or art and other collectibles—into units that are easy to trade.

Trying to understand security tokens and their implications is much like trying to grok the Internet in 1994. Just as people were puzzled by terms like “browser” two decades ago or “app” a decade ago, the vocabulary of blockchain—including “tokens” and “wallets”—is still baffling to many. One of the industry’s better explainers is Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan, a charismatic 38-year-old with spiky hair, salt-and-pepper stubble and eyes that glisten. Srinivasan has written a series of influential essays on tokens’ potential to remake the venture capital industry.

“Blockchains are the most complicated piece of technology since browsers or operating systems,” he says, adding that only a handful of savants possess the expertise in a range of fields—including cryptography, game theory, networking, databases, and cyber-security—to wrangle them. But tokens are different, he explains. They can be built by a much broader class of engineers, while still taking advantage of blockchains’ powerful attributes, such as being tamper-proof and indestructible. And when used to securitize assets, they represent an efficient new way to recognize and distribute ownership.

Balaji Srinivasan, Chief Technology Officer. Srinivasan joined Coinbase this spring when it acquired Earn.com, a crypto startup he founded. He’s an expert on security tokens, tech that Coinbase thinks could be the foundation of a blockchain-based investment market.

Steve Jennings—Getty Images

David Sacks, the venture capitalist and founding COO of PayPal, sees U.S. real estate— a $7 trillion market that is highly illiquid—as particularly ripe to be subdivided and sold via tokens. “It’s like going from an analog to a digital system of ownership. Today, a deed or private security is a piece of paper in a file cabinet somewhere. A token digitizes it,” said Sacks, who is backing a company called Harbor that creates code to ensure tokens comply with security laws. The real estate idea is already moving from theory to reality: The owners of the upscale St. Regis in Aspen, for example, announced in August that they would sell a 19% stake in the hotel in the form of tokens.

Preston Byrne, a financial consultant and cryptocurrency lawyer, argues that the security tokens will make it easier for businesses  to raise capital, by streamlining regulatory compliance and record-keeping—as information that currently occupies dozens of disparate files gets consolidated onto blockchains. Tokens could also make companies less reliant on investment banks and other middlemen, slashing the costs associated with mergers, acquisitions, and the issuance of equity or bonds. “Coinbase is in a very good position to leverage all that because they’ve got the tech,” Byrne says. “This is where the rubber hits the road, as tech startups start eating big banks’ business.”

The big banks, of course, may eat before they get eaten. Flush with cash and stocked with their own tech talent, financial monoliths like JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup are funding their own blockchain projects. And Coinbase hardly has a monopoly on crypto- currency trading technology; rivals including Circle and Gemini are also jockeying to build institutional trading platforms.

Still, Coinbase remains an investor favorite. Multiple sources confirmed to Fortune that the company is in the final stages of a hefty funding round. In April, when Coinbase acquired crypto company Earn.com, reports leaked that Coinbase projected its own value at about $8 billion. The company has not confirmed that figure but doesn’t dispute it.

As for the broader cryptocurrency revolution, Armstrong hasn’t lost sight of the ideal of a global payment system independent of banks and governments. To this end, Coinbase is building software called Coinbase Wallet to help ordinary investors navigate the world of tokens. And Armstrong remains even more ambitious than his investors. “I really want to see crypto be used by a billion people in the next five years,” he says.

This article originally appeared in the October 1, 2018 issue of Fortune.

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pakkiyick · 6 years

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Trip to Denmark and Benelux (11th – 24th Sep, 2017)

Travel and Life

According to the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, “To travel is to live”. If you agree “Life is a journey”, the only way to live your life is to travel. Life is a story of oneself. One’s story is the summary of every piece of experience that one has ever encountered since the very first breath of his or her life. Writers use their pens to write their fancy stories on a piece of paper. Travelers use their own feet to record their adventures on the trails they have been to. A novel is a book in which authors express their ideas. The world is an arena on which travelers build up their memories. Not everyone can become a novelist, but all of us can write our own life stories simply with a pair of feet.

If the world is a storybook, your hometown is the first page of your story. Turn to page two after reading the first one. Going to another unfamiliar frontier and exploring a new world. Life is a continuing expedition. No matter where is your destination, just travel as far and as widely as you can. Don’t keep your imagination just on page one. Start moving to the next page and creating your own memories. Fill your life with memories and experiences instead of sorrows and regrets. Finish your story and complete your life with your own footprints.

Life is full of unexpected events, so does your journey. Something unpredicted always comes up during your trip. Just take the challenge and face your fears. Those trials will become your unforgettable memories. Sometimes you are only able to learn something valuable when you leave your comfort zone behind. One’s hidden potential can only be revealed by getting uncomfortable. Therefore, traveling may be the best way to learn about your true character.

Though Europe is the world’s smallest continent in terms of land surface area, European civilization is definitely utmost significant in human history. To a large extent, the modern western culture is somehow originated from the ancient European civilization. Today’s thousands of priceless historical and cultural heritages, including architectures, artworks and literature, can be dated back to the times of Renaissance. Nowadays leading political and economic ideologies such as democracy and capitalism were first proposed in the 19th century of Europe. No one can doubt the contribution of the European civilization to the world. European history is an inseparable part of world history.

Traveling to a new place is just like reading a new book. If I got a book by the name of “World History”, I would assume the first chapter of that book should be about Europe. Supposing this very first chapter is divided into different sections and each section introduces a single European country, I have already read the first few sections. Having traveled to some major traditional European powers such as Britain, France and Germany; and some other middle strength countries like Italy, Spain and Portugal, I continued my journey to some small-size European nation-states in western Europe. Although these four low profile independence nations are relatively small in size, they have never been treated as second-class members in the European family. Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are four key participants with the same importance as other European counterparts in European development and integration.

Although these four tiny sovereign states have never had much political influences in world politics, their citizens enjoy quite a high standard of living with low Gini coefficient and long life expectancy with high happiness index. Just the same as the United Kingdom, all four western European nations are constitutional monarchies. Theoretically, the people who live in those countries are not the citizens of the public governments, but the subjects of the royal families. Kings, queens, princes, princesses and castles can all be found in this territory. With well-preserved historical and cultural heritages, traveling to this European wonderland is just like reading a fairy tale story.

Denmark has been one of the members of the European Union (EU) for over 45 years. But having said that, Denmark has still refused to adopt euro as its currency. Just like the other northern European countries, such as Britain and Norway, Denmark has a long tradition of euroscepticism towards the European integration. Even though Denmark has never been regarded as a world super power, it was ranked the 11th best country out of 80, referring to the US News and World Report in 2018. Denmark is less than one-fourth the size of Guangdong province, but its GDP (nominal) per capita is nearly five times of Guangdong’s. It is not surprising that Danes enjoy a much higher quality of living compared to the Chinese.

Benelux is a geopolitical expression of three neighbouring nation-states in western Europe, including Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The Benelux Union is also known as the Low Countries since quite a portion of their territory are below sea level. Different from the Eurosceptic Denmark, Benelux countries have been the keen participants in European integration after World War Two. These three small nation states together with Germany, France and Italy are the founders of the modern European Union (EU). The total population of Benelux is five times more than that of Denmark. Since both the Low countries and Denmark share a similar level of GDP (PPP), it is believed that the living standards of their citizens are quite alike.

In September 2017, a two-week excursion was planned to nine different cities in these four idiosyncratic nation-states. Besides their capital cities, some low profile historical towns should not be omitted from the to-visit list. Each destination has their own story to tell and every traveler has their own story to complete.

Day One - Copenhagen: Den Bla Planet (Cabinn Metro, 2-star hotel)

Having been the national capital for more than half a millennium, Copenhagen has turned to be the biggest city in Demark. With over a million Danes reside in its urban area, Copenhagen is also the most populous city in the country. This time-honored city takes you back in time just by having you walk down any of its streets. Surrounded by characteristic brick buildings, a walk down the street can be quite exhilarating and mesmerizing. This is where childhood fairy tales blend with historical architecture and cultural inheritance. From royal castles to national museums, from century-old amusement park to modern aquarium, the beauty of Copenhagen can be seen just about anywhere. Enjoy relaxing yourself in a local café, reading your favorite Anderson’s novel with a cup of cappuccino in hand can just be the perfect thing to do.

Since the urban area of this mini-capital city is less than one-fourth of Hong Kong, four days in Copenhagen is long enough to have a brief overview of its cultural and historical heritage. For those who want to immerse in the atmosphere of Middle Age Europe, there is no better place than visiting a castle. A myriad of medieval castles is scattered around the city. Kronborg Castle is a well-known Renaissance stronghold not because by its hundred years of Danish history, but because by a tragic drama of a celebrated British playwright. The fictional Danish prince, Hamlet, was created by William Shakespeare some four hundred years back. The tragedy of protagonist took place not in another place but in this castle. Stepping into Kronborg Castle, you can submerge yourself in the story of this tragic character and read this immortal novel by following the footsteps of Hamlet. The Casemate is another highlight of this bastion where you can find the statue of Denmark’s national hero, Holger Danske. Legend has it that, Holger is a legendary knight of Charlemagne who will wake up if Denmark is in mortal danger. With such mythological background, it is no wonder that Kronborg Castle is enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Within walking distance from the Prince Hamlet’s Castle, there is a national maritime museum, M/S Museet for Søfart. Claiming fame to numerous international architectural awards, M/S Maritime Museum is a brand new dominant feature in the region which is built below ground level around a former dry dock. The museum tells hundreds of years of Danish maritime history in a modern way. Upon entering the elongated exhibition hall, you can explore a series of maritime stories and sailors’ adventures of all times. Model ships from old sailing vessels to modern ocean liners really showcase the Danish maritime development over time. It is a perfect place for those who are interested in maritime affairs.

Not far away from the maritime museum, you will find a low-profile university-owned aquarium. Øresund Aquarium may be less well-known compared to some other national aquariums in Europe, but its educational functions are the same as the others. With detailed explanation from the researchers of the aquarium, visitors can learn some fascinating facts and intriguing stories about the sea animals found in the waters between Denmark and Sweden. Under the guidance of aquarium staff, visitors are welcome to touch different kinds of local Danish fish and marine invertebrates in the specially designed touch pools. Since this saltwater aquarium is not too big and its displays are well-organized, a half-an-hour tour is good enough to admire the amazing underwater world. Øresund Aquarium is far more than a local aquarium and acts as an educational centre for a family with all ages.

Leaving the outskirts of the city, I hurried back to the urban area and looked for some exhibitions related to high technology. Tycho Brahe Planetarium is a state-of-the-art space museum located in the heart of the city dedicated to popularizing astronomy and promoting knowledge on space science. The exhibition hall depicts the development of cosmos exploration and space technology. The highlight of the Planetarium is surely the Dome Theatre. On a 1000-square-metre large domed projection screen, audiences can enjoy spectacular IMAX movies. Once you sit inside the Dome Theatre, you will just like voyaging into the infinite space. Losing yourself in a digital 3D universe, you can experience the cosmos like never before. There is no wonder why Planetarium is so popular from both local residents and far-traveling visitors.

Den Bla Planet (Blue Planet) was my last stop before I called it a day. This national aquarium has been the largest of its kind in Northern Europe since its commencing in 2013. This newly built aquarium is a masterpiece of art itself. When looking from the sky, the whole structure is just like a giant whirlpool with five spiral arms that reach out to the ocean. But if you look from one side, you can just see a huge blue whale lying on the sea surface. The whole aquarium is divided into three main sections and features over thousands of marine animals and seven million litres of water. By walking through the water tunnels and fish tanks, one can truly appreciate how fantastic the marine world can be. Amongst all aquatic creatures, five cutest animals are highly recommended, including sea otters, hammerhead sharks, stingrays, giant Pacific octopus, arapaima. In my opinion, sea otters should be the most popular sea animal among children. Sea otters are one of the few marine mammals that know how to use tools. In order to crack open shellfish or clams, sea otters hold rocks between their forepaws to pound their hard-shelled prey. It was a remarkable experience to watch the foraging behavior of this little sea creature up-close at the aquarium tank. This gigantic aquarium is a must-go spot when you come to Copenhagen.

Day Two - Copenhagen: Frederiksborg Slot (Cabinn Metro, 2-star hotel)

Early in the morning of my second day in Copenhagen, I took an express train up north to Hillerød, a Danish town with a small population of around 30,000. The only reason for tourists to visit this remote suburb is to see an unrivalled fairy tale castle. Scenically situated in the middle of an extensive green lake found the largest Renaissance citadel in Scandinavia, Frederiksborg Castle. This imposing castle was first built in the early 17th century by the legendary Danish King Christian IV. The castle was built with red brick fortress walls and green copper tower roofs, making the whole architecture stand out from its idyllic scenery.

The Museum of National History at the castle portrays five hundred years of Danish history with a significant collection of portraits, furniture and decorative art. A tour through the museum feels like going back to the Medieval Age of Denmark.

Judging by the scale and historic importance, some may think that Frederiksborg is nothing more than an ordinary medieval castle. The true beauty of this castle cannot be only evaluated by its lavish decoration inside, but also the landscaped garden outside. The most eye-catching part of the garden is four meticulous royal monograms executed in boxwood, which located at the centre of the lower level of the garden. Strolling around this romantic garden, one could temporarily escape from the hustle and bustle city life, and admire the man-made nature in tranquility. This Baroque garden is built of four terraces cascading down the castle lake. One can climb up to high ground at the other end and then look back to the gorgeous garden with the magnificent castle as its backdrop. It is the reason why Frederiksborg Castle is often referred to as the Danish Versailles.

Located in the heart of Copenhagen, Christiansborg Palace is the real jewel of the city. Not only is it the largest palace in Scandinavia, but it is also a multifunction government office with the National Parliament, the Prime Minister’s office and the Supreme Court. This palace is also the place where the queen entertains state guests and hosts New Year banquets.

On the site of Christiansborg today was originally a medieval castle which could be dated back to the mid-12th century. Suffered from two serious burndowns, the current palace was rebuilt in Neo-Baroque style in the early 19th century. With 17 colorful tapestries hung on the walls, depicting historical scenes of Denmark, the Queen’s Reception Rooms are the most remarkable part of the palace. It is used for receiving official guests and holding state dinners. The Royal Kitchen was the place where prepared royal banquets. Visitors can experience the history by touching the copper cookware found in the kitchen. The Royal Stable houses queen’s white horses together with a wide collection of royal carriages. The Ruins under the palace tell the story of Copenhagen over 800 years ago.

Situated in the city centre, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is a medium-sized local museum with a main focus of arts and antiquities. This museum houses an extensive collection of antique sculpture from several ancient civilizations around the Mediterranean including Egypt, Greece and Rome. In addition to the ancient artworks, Danish and French paintings from the 19th century are also presented in the museum. Once stepping into the building, you will be astonished by a brilliant winter garden replete with palm trees reaching up high to the glass dome. The focal point of the museum may not be some century-old artifacts, but the sculpture Water Mother lies at the middle of the garden. The Water Mother depicts a young mother feeding a dozen of her cute babies above a fountain. Wrapped up in a peaceful surrounding and under gorgeous afternoon sunlight, you just like being in a lushness botanical garden instead of an art museum.

Positioned right across the road from the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Tivoli is the second-oldest operating amusement park in the world and is the most visited theme park in Scandinavia. Walt Disney once praised this park as “Happy, with an unbuttoned air.” Unlike other theme parks, Tivoli is not decorated as a fairy tale wonderland with a lot of cartoon characters, but a nostalgic fairground with all the elements which a fun fair should have. Some classic old time carnival rides can be found in the park, such as bumper cars, Ferris wheel, music carousel and even a small aquarium. Inside the park, you can also find a number of exhilarating rides built over a hundred years ago, including one of the world's oldest wooden roller coasters, The Mountain Coaster. At night, Tivoli is ornamented with thousands of color lights that make the park even more romantic. During the Second World War, Tivoli was once burnt down by the Nazi, but fortunately it was quickly rebuilt and reopened to the public within a few weeks. It showed the bravery and intelligence of the Danes. Thus, Tivoli is more than just a fun fair amusement park, but also a historical gem of Copenhagen.

Day Three - Copenhagen: Rosenborg (Cabinn Metro, 2-star hotel)

On the third day in Copenhagen, I continued my trip of cultural and historical sightseeing. Visiting a castle is a great way to learn about the life of a royal family. Rosenborg was originally built as a summer hermitage in the early 17th century commissioned by the Danish King Christian IV. This elegant Renaissance castle had been served as a royal residence for over a hundred years. Today, this 400-year-old castle is open to public as a royal history museum for featuring artifacts spanning a breadth of royal Danish culture. Among all the rooms in the castle, the Great Hall is the main attraction. At one end of the hall, you can find three life-size silver lions guard the coronation chair of the Danish kings. Moreover, the treasury beneath the castle houses a large and exquisite collection of Crown Jewels and Royal Regalia. Through the exhibits of the royal family mentioned above, visitors can travel back in time and get a sense of everyday life of the kings and queens.

Kongens Have (The King’s Garden) is a 12-hectare park beside Rosenborg. Under a bright blue endless sky, taking a leisurely stroll in this castle garden is quite a relaxing activity away from the hassle of the city. The gardens today are a popular retreat for the Danes and oversea visitors.

In the same neighborhood of the Rosenborg Castle, there is another century-old Renaissance building which is served as a national gallery of Denmark. Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark), also known as SMK, is Denmark’s principal art museum, which contains a wide-ranging collection of western art from the period of Renaissance until the present day. Apart from thousands of paintings and artworks from the 19th-century Danish Golden Age, masterworks of international-known artists, such as Matisse and Picasso, can also be found in this gallery. Spending an hour or so is sufficient for taking a quick review of Danish and European art history of the past seven hundred years.

Situated in the same locality, Statens Naturhistoriske Museum (Geologisk Museum) is a natural history museum of Denmark. By merging several science museums in 2004, this newly established museum contains a rich and varied selection of exhibits relating to geology, zoology and botanology. The collections of the museum include a variety of minerals, fossils and even meteorites. By the time I visited this museum, a special exhibition about insect was on display. Thirty huge high definition insect portraits were hung in the exhibition hall. With such a state-of-the-art photo-shooting technique, all the details of the insects are clearly shown in a poster-size photo. It was the first time I saw some beetles on such a big color picture. Furthermore, visitors were allowed to use a big LCD monitor to zoom in on details of an insect. No other museum can you get equally high definition insect photos.

Nationalmuseet (National Museum of Denmark) is the biggest cultural history museum in Denmark with almost two hundred years of history. The museum preserves the most varied collection of exhibits from the earliest prehistoric period to the recent past of Denmark. Covering over 14,000 years of Danish history, the museum tells the stories of the Ice Age, the adventures of the Vikings, the artworks of the Renaissance and the modern daily life of the Danes. This museum is especially well-known for its comprehensive collection of ethnographic exhibits. Among the many prominent national treasures are some ancient artifacts, including 3000-year-old Egyptian mummies, 3500-year-old Sun Chariot and 4000-year-old Greek marble figurines. Placed inside the Nationalmuseet, Children's Museum is an area specially designed for the children who are under 12 years of age, where the young visitors are free to touch and examine the historical items in order to learn the history from the Viking Age to the Medieval period. It is quite a good museum for families with kids.

Before coming back to my hotel, I visited a lesser known attraction where normal tourists seldom venture. Det Kongelige Bibliotek (Royal Danish Library) is the national library of Denmark and the largest libraries in the world. The library is home to an incredible collection of books including the first Danish book of the late 15th century. Most tourists came to visit this library was not because of its large collection of valuable paper documents, not because of its fascinating architectural design. The building was designed in a rectangular shape with shiny black glass-curtain wall. Looking from a distance, the structure of this national library is just like a gorgeous black diamond situated by the riverside.

Day Four - Copenhagen: Amalienborg Slot (Cabinn Metro, 2-star hotel)

On the last day of my trip in Copenhagen, I headed out to the Danish royal residence, Amalienborg Slot (Amalienborg Palace). Since the old Christiansborg Palace was burnt down in 1794, the royal family moved to Amalienborg. Today, Amalienborg is the winter residence of the Danish royal family. According to size and splendor, this royal residence cannot be compared with other palaces in Europe. Nevertheless, the complex layout is still acknowledged to be one of the finest examples of Danish Rococo architecture in the city. The Amalienborg complex consists of four identical classical palaces which are built around an octagonal courtyard. At the centre of the courtyard stands the monumental equestrian statue of King Frederik V, the founder of Amalienborg Palace. Currently, among the four classical palaces, only the palace of Christian VIII is open to the public.

Another reason to visit Amalienborg is to watch the Royal Guard changes. In addition to post replacement every two hours, the Changing the Guard ceremony takes place at the palace every day at noon. It is an unmissable highlight for a visit to the palace.

My next destination was neither an opulent royal palace nor a colossal national museum, but it still draws millions of tourists all over the world every year. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, Little Mermaid is about one-metre high bronze sculpture displayed on a rock by the seaside. Since its unveiling in 1913, the Little Mermaid has been a major tourist attraction for over a hundred of years. It is said to be one of the most photographed statues in the world. Undoubtedly, the Little Mermaid is an unofficial mascot that symbolizes Copenhagen and a de facto symbol of Denmark. Unfortunately, the little statue has suffered from repeated vandalism since the mid-1960s for multiple reasons. To prevent from further damage, the Little Mermaid was moved onto a water-locked rock at Langelinie in the harbor of Copenhagen. Yet, in order to take a snapshot with this iconic statue, many visitors still take a risk to climb onto the dangerous slippery rock. As far as I had observed, most of those visitors were from Asia, especially from China.

After having lunch in a Chinese restaurant near the Central Station, I came to another natural history museum which is located a little bit away from the city centre. With over a century and a half of history, the Zoological Museum is the world's oldest natural history museum. Compared with other science museums around Europe, this one is relatively small but still worth spending an hour or so exploring. The museum holds a unique scientific collection of rare prehistoric animals. Some of the fauna fossils and specimens can date back to twenty thousand years ago or even earlier. The precious exhibits found in the museum include the models of a sperm whale, a giant sloth, a glyptodon and much more. Some specimens are not easily found in other science museums, like the skull of a dodo and a full-scale specimen of whale heart. Visitors can also get pretty close to an array of stuffed animals, such as a giant mammoth. Certain exhibits are even allowed to be touched, for example, the skull of a T-Rex and the skeleton of a whale. Amongst all the exhibits, the newly discovered Diplodocus is undeniably the most prominent item found in the museum. With the nickname of “Misty”, this 17-metre-long herbivorous giant was a fantastic creature some 150 million years ago. The Zoological Museum is just like a living encyclopedia of ancient animals.

Day Five - Amsterdam (Zaanse Schans): Zaans Museum (A&O Amsterdam Zuidoost Hotel, 2-star hotel)

Located a little less than an hour and a half flight time from Denmark, I came to my next destination, the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Some people, especially the Chinese, always refer the Netherlands as Holland. The Netherlands comprises 12 provinces. Strictly speaking, Holland only represents the two most powerful provinces which have the greatest economic contribution to the entire nation. Windmills, tulips and dairy products are probably the first few things which come to your mind when you think about the Netherlands. But people seldom ask why all those things are so famous worldwide. The Netherlands is known as a flat country since only around half of its land exceeding one metre above sea level. To prevent the damages caused by floods, windmills were invented to pump water out of areas below sea level. Additionally, with benign climate and gentle relief, market gardening has been well developed on extensive low-lying grasslands. This is the reason why beautiful flowers like tulips and high quality dairy products like cheese can be easily found in the Netherlands but not in other places.

Besides the capital city, two more metropolises were visited during the four-day trip to the Netherlands. Each city has their own characteristics and worth to be deeply explored.

Amsterdam is the very first place I visited in the Netherlands. It is the country's biggest city and what a million Dutch call home. Most people know that Amsterdam is the official capital of the Netherlands. However, not everyone knows that the Dutch central government is located in The Hague instead of Amsterdam. Amsterdam is colloquially known as “Venice of the North” because of its arresting canals and compelling bridges weaving around the city, which bears a resemblance to the romantic Venice in many ways. With dozens of national museums and art galleries dotted around the city, Amsterdam feels like a pop-up history book. Wherever you go, layers of history will unfold before your eyes.

Normally, city centre is a place where the main tourist attractions are located. Most tourists tend to spend countless hours walking around the urban area or simply taking a bus tour to get a brief overview of the city. However, if you would like to get an accurate impression of the traditional life of the Dutch, a heritage Dutch village is indisputably a great place to start with your historical sightseeing. Zaanse Schans, approximately 15 kilometres north of Amsterdam, is a serene Dutch village situated in a fairy-tale-like countryside. Having been meticulously restored to its former beauty, Zaanse Schans today serves as an open-air conservation zone with a number of museums displaying the traditional architecture of the Dutch.

Zaans Museum is sited at the entrance of the windmill village and also the place where the visitors can buy their admission tickets. The museum tells the history of the windmills and provides all the necessary information about the village visiting. The Verkade Pavilion which houses inside the museum gives a historical overview of the chocolate and biscuit making in the village. Visitors can even taste the fresh cookies made in the pavilion. The Zaanse Time Museum is dedicated to illustrating the history of Dutch timepieces and uncovering the hidden secrets of engineering and design of clocks.

As the icon of the Netherlands, the six well-preserved windmills are surely the focus in the village. Besides water pumping, a windmill is actually a kind of multi-purpose factory with the functions of wood cutting, oil refining, paint making and so on. Apart from the windmills, several traditional handicraft industries can be found in the village, including cheese making, cookies baking, cloth weaving, etc. Visitors can observe the whole process of wood sawing, clogs manufacturing and barrels making in different corresponding craftsman’s workshops.

Arranging a pleasant day trip to this picturesque Dutch countryside is a great education experience for every tourist. On a bright sunny day, exploring the historic windmills one by one is quite a delightful thing to do.

Anne Frank Huis (Anne Frank House) is the best-known biographical museum in Amsterdam and the third most visited museum in the Netherlands. Since it is considered one of the must-go tourist attractions, this historic house museum draws over a million visitors every year. Even though you are lucky enough to reserve an entry ticket through the Internet, you still need to line up a long queue at the main entrance for about half an hour to get in. In order to keep the artifacts intact and streamline the crowd control arrangements, no photo is allowed inside the museum. All the related historical documents, photographs, film images and even the original copy of Anne’s diary are shown in the museum.

This 17th-century canal house was the place where Anne Frank and her family hidden from the Nazi. It was also the place where Anne kept her noteworthy diary. Anne had hidden in the secret annex behind a bookcase for more than two years before she was finally arrested by the Gestapo. Eventually, Anne was sent to the concentration camp and died afterwards. Although Anne Frank could not survive during the Holocaust of the Jewish, her wartime diary was published after the Second World War. Today, “The Diary of a Young Girl” has been translated into over 70 languages. It is one of the bestsellers and significant first-hand documents about the dark history of World War Two.

The following museum may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is another tourist hotspot which attracts half of a million grown adults annually. Although this museum is only a five-minute walk from the Amsterdam Central Station, it can easily be overlooked in the busy streets of the Red Light District. Located in a 17th century-old multi-story building, the Venustempel (Temple of Venus) is the world's oldest sex museum with a considerable collection of erotic pictures, comics, photographs and even some life-sized sex mannequins. Some of the exhibits can be dated back to some 4000 years ago. Aside from some historical sexual artifacts, such as medieval chastity belts, the most eye-catching object should be the genital-themed furniture. Visitors are welcome to sit on that furniture and take photos with it. This museum is devoted to human sexuality rather than nudity and pornography. It is the very place for any adults who are interested in exploring the history and culture of sexuality.

Day Six - Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum (A&O Amsterdam Zuidoost Hotel, 2-star hotel)

Before I left Amsterdam, three more museums I would like to pay a visit. First and foremost, Van Gogh Museum is a national art museum dedicated to the artworks of Vincent Van Gogh, the best-renowned Post-Impressionist painter in the whole Netherlands. With the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings, this museum was claimed to be the most visited museum in the Netherlands in 2017. Millions of local and overseas art lovers make a pilgrimage to visit this museum each year. The museum is home to some masterworks of this genius artist, including Self-portrait, Sunflowers and Almond Blossoms. Aside from Van Gogh’s work, the museum also owns some masterpieces from Van Gogh’s contemporaries, such as Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet and Gauguin. Like the Anne Frank Huis, photography is not allowed inside the Van Gogh Museum because of the damage it may cause to the priceless paintings.

Within the same proximity, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is the second most popular national museum in the Netherlands after the Van Gogh Museum. As the largest art museum in the country, it holds more than 8000 art pieces in 80 showrooms to illustrate over 800 years of Dutch history, from the Medieval Ages to present day. Amongst all the celebrated paintings, The Night Watch by Rembrandt and The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer are two of the finest examples of artworks from the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. Another worth mentioning part of the museum is the Rijksmuseum Research Library. It is an exquisite and the biggest public art history research library in the Netherlands. No travelers should pass up on the Rijksmuseum when they have a chance to come to Amsterdam.

My final destination before leaving Amsterdam is the Nemo Science Museum. It is a popular science and technology museum housed in a huge ship-shaped emerald edifice on the harbor which is hard to be unnoticed. It attracts over 600,000 visitors from every corner of the globe yearly. The target audiences of the museum are the youngsters from the age of 6 to 16, but adults who are young at heart are more than welcome. As the largest science centre in the Netherlands, it contains five floors of interactive science exhibitions in which visitors can get close to the daily science and technology. The most attention-grabbing science-themed exhibition must be the “The Machine” on the second floor. It shows the logistic process through a large-scale assembly line of transferring some color balls from one place to another. Even if you have no time to go through the entire museum, please spend some time going up to the rooftop terrace where you can enjoy panoramic views of the city.

Day Seven - Den Haag: Mauritshuis (NH Den Haag Hotel, 4-star hotel)

After leaving the capital city, I headed to the next Dutch metropolitan, The Hague (Den Haag). With a population of around a million, The Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. It is called the country's administrative capital since it holds the seat of the central government, the parliament, the Supreme Court and even the residence of the royal family. This “Dual-Capital” political structure has its historical reason. Before 1806, The Hague was the state capital. During the Napoleonic rule, a puppet government was set up in Amsterdam by the French to govern the Kingdom of Holland. After the abdication of Napoleon I, the Dutch government was restored in The Hague, but the official capital remained in Amsterdam. Today, The Hague is no longer the state capital of the country, but it is crowned as the “Judicial Capital of the World” since over 150 international organizations are situated in this city, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

Though Mauritshuis (Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery) is only a compact-size art museum, it has a truly exceptional collection of the best Dutch paintings from the Golden Age of the 17th century, including some world-known masterworks from the old Dutch art masters. The “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer is regarded to be the jewel of the museum. The image of this painting has been printed a million times on all sorts of souvenirs, such as mugs, T-shirts, posters, umbrella and so on. “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp” by Rembrandt van Rijn is another highlight in the gallery which no one should miss. Mauritshuis is one of the few tourist attractions found in The Hague which I highly recommend visiting.

A monumental architecture tells the thrilling story of crime and punishment in the Netherlands across the centuries. Museum de Gevangenpoort (Prison Gate Museum) was originally the main gate to the Court and a medieval prison where serious crime suspects were locked up awaiting interrogation and trial. The penalties could be as light as a small fine to as harsh as capital punishment. This building served as a prison for four hundred years until it was turned to a museum in the late 19th century. Under the guidance of the museum staff, visitors will learn all the fascinating history about the prison, the trials, the sentences and even some horrible tortures applied to the prisoners. Visitors are allowed to walk through the premises and exploring underground cells, interrogation rooms, judge rooms and torture chambers. What’s more, an intriguing service is only offered to young visitors. Children aged from 7 to 13 are welcome to hold a birthday party inside this prison. An official guide would take the children on a unique historical tour of discovery through the museum.

Nearby the Prison Gate Museum, Galerij Prins Willem V (The Prince William V Gallery) is another hidden jewel in the heart of the city. It is an intimate art gallery built in the late 18th century. Among all the stunning paintings, I personally like the ones relating to Bible stories and Greek mythology, such as “The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man” by Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder and “The feast of the gods at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis” by Abraham Bloemaert. Since it is not a big gallery, you can walk through the premises within half an hour.

Due to a limited travel schedule, it is nearly impossible for most travelers to visit every single best-loved attraction in the Netherlands one by one. Madurodam (Little Netherlands) is the ultimate place to provide you an exceptional overall impression of the whole Netherlands within a short period of time. Madurodam is actually a miniature theme park featuring the most iconic landmarks found in the Netherlands on a mini-scale. Once you enter the park, you find yourself in a Lilliputian and everything surrounded you is re-modelled on a scale of 1:25, including windmills, canal houses, tulip fields, wooden shoes factories and many others. Every single model is recreated with incredible detail. The flower-bulb fields are made with real flowers at a quarter of real size. Ships, trains and airplanes are all mechanical objects controlled by computer. Although the size of the park is less than an acre, all major Dutch cities, public facilities and historical landmarks can all be found in such a small area.

Not every part of the Madurodam is built in a miniature structure. “Nieuw Amsterdam” (New Amsterdam) and “Het Hof van Nederland” (The Court of the Netherlands) are two real life size interactive presentation rooms which take you back in time to experience the enthralling medieval history of the Dutch. In addition, two playgrounds are built on a man-made beach which offers a place for children to play. It is much more than an amusement park for a family to spend a lovely afternoon. Since Madurodam is in the top five of the most visited theme parks in the country, over half a million visitors rush into this miniature world every year.

Day Eight - Rotterdam: Kinderdijk (Hotel Breitner, 3-star hotel)

Rotterdam was the third and the last city I visited on a trip to the Netherlands. The city developed from a quiet fishing village in the 13th century to nowadays the busiest seaport in Europe and the second-largest metropolis in the Netherlands. With its strategic location by the North Sea, Rotterdam plays an important role as a major logistic and economic hub. As a commercial centre, one may think that this municipality has nothing much to offer their visitors. Yet, some captivating tourist attractions are still worth to mention, like the Cube Houses, De Markthal, MiniWorld Rotterdam and so forth. Because I could only afford to spend one day in this port city, I decided to make a good use of my time. Somewhere which can represent the rich culture and history of the city is the ideal place for me to explore.

Located in a suburb of Rotterdam, Kinderdijk (Children Dike) is another impressive windmill village in the Netherlands. Although Kinderdijk is an official UNESCO World Heritage Site with the highest concentration of classical windmills, it is less crowded and more tranquilized when compared with Zaanse Schans of Amsterdam I mentioned before. Against the backdrop of the Dutch country landscape, an array of traditional windmills stands on the two sides of a river and welcomes every visitor come to the village. Regrettably, only two out of 19 windmills are now open to the public. Anyway, visiting an authentic windmill is a good chance to understand the daily life of the Dutch in their good old days. Visitors can also learn everything about the engineering of the windmill hydraulic system at the visitor centre. The Dutch windmills were originally built for regulating the water level to prevent inundation and keeping the lowlands dry. It also helped the development of agriculture and early settlements of the Dutch in the low-lying lands. Consequently, it can be regarded as the highest engineering achievement of the Middle Ages. Today, many windmills and pumping stations are rebuilt to be generated by electricity and controlled by computer, but the Kinderdijk is still well-preserved to be a traditional windmill village just like the one found in the 18th century. In a good weather day, taking a boat tour to go around the village is quite an enjoyable activity to do.

Day Nine - Antwerp: Museum ann de Stroom/MAS (Century Hotel Antwerpen Centrum, 3-star hotel)

As the neighbor country of Holland, Belgium was once a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands shortly after the Napoleonic Wars during the early 19th century. After the independence in 1830, Kingdom of Belgium has become a sovereign state with a constitutional monarchy. Having suffered from two world wars, Belgian have been continuously looking for peace and stability. Since the end of the Second World War, Belgium has made much efforts in European integration and international co-operation. Not only is Belgium a founding member of the European Union (EU) but also a founding member of the NATO. Just like the Netherlands, Belgian society is rather open-minded and respects individual human rights. The LGBT rights, same-sex marriage and even mercy killing are all legalized in this low-lying country. No wonder that Belgium ranks as one of the most peaceful countries in the world.

In addition to the state capital city of Brussels, three more lesser-known cities were briefly explored during my five-day excursion to Belgium. A number of hidden cultural and historical heritages were uncovered in this small European nation.

Antwerp is my first stop after I entered Belgium. Since the 16th century, Antwerp has been one of the most prosperous financial centres of the world. At present, Antwerp is the second biggest city in Belgium behind Brussels. The port of Antwerp is ranking second in Europe after Rotterdam of the Netherlands. The city is so sparkling not because of its economic power in the country but because of its leading industry in the world. With its reputation as “Diamond Capital”, Antwerp is the world leader in diamond industry, accounting for over 70% of global diamond trade. Antwerp is a city with many faces. It is not only a major trading hub but also a cultural city with myriad heritage sites.

Looking from a long distance away, one would find a huge red Lego-like brick floating on the water. With its idiosyncratic design and special building materials, no one could guess that it is a contemporary city museum. Situated in an old dock, Museum ann de Stroom (MAS) is the largest museum in the city and served as the landmark of Antwerp. Since its opening in 2011, this ten-storey-high postmodern building has been a custodian of an ever-growing collection of cultural and historical objects related to the city. Up to the present, the MAS houses nearly 500,000 museum pieces, including artworks, utensils, figurines, etc. Go up to the top floor, visitors can enjoy an unblocked panorama view overlooking the cityscape. It is a must-visit tourist spot for everyone who comes to Antwerp.

Consecrated in the early 16th century, Onze Lieve Vrouwkathedraal (The Cathedral of Our Lady) is a fabulous Gothic cathedral with the highest church tower in the Benelux. Inside the cathedral, Bible stories are depicted on stained-glass windows. During the day time, the Bible characters come to life when the sunlight passing through the colorful stained-glass windows. Numerous religious masterpieces are also exhibited in the cathedral, including a series of centuries-old paintings by Flemish artists. Both “The Elevation of the Cross” and “The Descent from the Cross” by Peter Paul Rubens are two most reputable art pieces. This sacred place is unquestionably another iconic treasure of Antwerp.

Museum Plantin-Moretus (Printing Museum) is a notable printing museum founded in the 16th century by Christophe Plantin. Though it has never been a national class museum since it opened to public in the late 19th century, its historical significance is recognized by the United Nations in 2005. It is the only museum inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage list. The museum boasts its incomparable collection of typographical objects, including the two oldest surviving printing presses in the world. Also, the museum library possesses a wide range of precious printing collections from the early Gutenberg Bible to the first Dutch dictionary, and many other invaluable treasures. The crown jewel inside the museum must be the Biblia Polyglotta (Pentaligual Bible). It is a Bible in five languages: Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek and Syriac-Aramaic. If you are interested in European printing history, it is the place where worth a visit.

Day Ten - Brugge: Historium (Ibis budget Brugge Centrum Station, 1-star hotel)

Brugge (Bruges in English) is located along the English Channel and is situated around 90 kilometres to the west of Antwerp. It takes less than 90 minutes to get to this Belgium town by express train from Antwerp. Though both Antwerp and Brugge are major seaport cities in Belgium, they are quite different in many aspects. Today Antwerp has developed to be a commercial centre with its geographical advantage and successful diamond industry, whereas Brugge has preserved to be a fairy-tale medieval town with its rich cultural and historical heritages. Just like the capital of the Netherlands, Brugge is also referred as the “Venice of the North” with its delightful cobblestone streets and dreamy canals. Similar to Venice of Italy, Brugge plays a role as a cultural city instead of an economic one. It is perhaps the reason why the city centre has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My trip to Brugge is not an average touristy sightseeing tour, but a chance to explore a historical old town.

The following tourist spot I would like to introduce is neither the biggest nor the most famous in the city, but it must be the most favorable museum for every history lover, especially those interested in Renaissance Europe. In my opinion, Historium should be regarded as a new-style interactive movie theatre rather than an ordinary historical museum. Different from the traditional museum, the whole building was redecorated in the form of several medieval scenes from the Middle Ages to the city’s golden age. Visitors are guided to immerse themselves in the Medieval Ages of Brugge by entering seven different historical themed rooms. Each room was refurbished to recreate the cityscape of Brugge in 1435. With the help of the latest multimedia technology and spectacular sound effect, you are just like stepping back in time and experience the daily life of an ordinary Brugge citizen. Making use of the newly developed virtual reality technology, visitors can now explore the old city in the first-person perspective. This fantastic museum just gives every visitor an exhilarating historic experience.

Some may think the following museum is quirky and chilling which may not be suitable for children and young adult. However, it is undoubtedly another paradise for history enthusiasts. Among all the torture museums of Europe, Torture Museum Oude Steen (Torture Museum of Brugge, the “Old Stone”) may not be the one with the biggest collection of related exhibits, but it may be the one which can recount the history of torture in the most detailed way. The premises was a former prison and later operated as a museum focusing on torture and punishment during Medieval times. As you walk through the museum you will be captivated by the bloodcurdling collection of torture devices and punishment methods. Over hundred horrifying torture instruments are on display, such as the thumbscrew, the chastity belt and the inquisition chair. Cruel punishment and execution scenes are recreated with the help of some lifelike wax mannequins playing the roles of prisoners. Visitors can feel the victims suffered atrocious pain when those harsh torture methods were applied to the human body. The Old Stone Museum tells the terrifying tale of crime and punishment a few hundred years before. The daunting torture tools and merciless punishment methods are the best silent witness of the gloomy history of the past judicial system. The museum provides you a unique learning experience and an insightful history lesson.

Sint-Salvatorskathedraal (Saint-Salvator Cathedral) was merely a common parish church when it was erected at the heart of the city in the 10th century. Although the church eventually obtained its official status as a cathedral in the 19th century, it was still outshined by the nearby Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (The Church of Our Lady). As the highest structure in Brugge, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk is indubitably the highlight of the city. The most eminent masterwork of the cathedral must be the “Madonna and Child”, a white marble sculpture made by Michelangelo in the early 16th century. This is a sacred place that entices tourists to stop by when they come to Brugge.

Splendid palaces, far-famed museums, exuberant gardens are all popular attractions which fascinate tourists during their visit. But sometimes hidden treasures could only be discovered by accident and it is not easy to be found in some tourist hotspots. When I was about to leave Brugge after visiting the prevalent city’s attractions, I came across an exhibition centre which was exhibiting the artworks and inventions of a Renaissance genius, Leonardo da Vinci. The Xpo Center Brugge is responsible to organize high-standard exhibitions about art, culture and science. During my visit to Brugge, a temporary exhibition about Da Vinci was on display. Over hundred models of Da Vinci’s inventions were showcased in different exhibition rooms. Visitors were even welcome to touch and operate some of the full-size models. It is no longer only an ordinary exhibition, but an interactive learning experience.

Day Eleven - Gent: Gravensteen (Hotel Adoma, 3-star hotel)

Gent (Ghent in English) is located about 50 kilometres southeast of Brugge, a train journey may take less than half an hour. Considering the scale of the city, today Gent can be no longer treated as a metropolis, but it has a glorious past during the Middle Ages. It was once one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe. Though Gent is a thousand-year-old historic town, its population is quite young in comparison to other Belgian cities. Among 250,000 inhabitants, a quarter of population is students. With such a big portion of youngsters, it makes the city more vigorous and energetic. The city’s immense fortress and grandiose cathedrals are the best evidence of the triumphant past of Gent.

The Gravensteen (Castle of the Count) is a medieval stone castle built in the late 12th century. It was once a courthouse, a prison and even a cotton mill. During the Middle Ages, this infamous castle was a symbol of power abuse and feudal repression. Today, this reputed citadel is now the single most significant landmark of the city. Visitors are allowed to explore almost every corner of the fortress, including the gatehouse, ramparts and count’s residence. The castle was meticulously restored and houses two historical museums.

The Museum of Judicial Objects, also known as the Museum of Torture, illustrates the turbulent history of inhumane torture and punishment during medieval Europe. According to the criminal law of that time, punishment could only be applied after getting the confession from the accused. In order to get the confession, torturers would inflict severe pain on the prisoners by using various kinds of coercion devices, such as neck restraints, thumbs screws, leghold traps and many more. All the mentioned items together with a full-size guillotine model can be seen in the museum.

The Arms Museum possesses an extensive range of collection of weapons, including pistols, crossbows, maces, daggers, rapiers and so on. Anyone who is interested in historical weapons should pay a visit to this museum.

Sint-Baafekathedraal (St Bavo's Cathedral) is a majestic religious structure with a mixed architectural style of Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque. The cathedral was first started to build in the mid-10th century and it was not completed until the 16th century. There is nothing special about the cathedral itself. The only thing deserved to be mentioned is the 15th-century polyptych altarpiece of the cathedral, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. It is a multi-paneled painting that is considered to be a magnum opus of European art by the Van Eyck brothers. It may be the reason why admission to the church itself is free of charge but charging four euros for seeing the masterpiece.

Though the Sint-Niklaaskerk (St. Nicholas' Church) is less well-known compared with the Sint-Baafekathedraal, its particular Scheldt Gothic architecture standing out from the surrounding. Under extensive restoration programme, this religious edifice is now a striking blue-gray church and has long served as the icon of the city.

Before leaving Gent, I came to another city attraction. STAM (Stadsmuseum Gent) is a newly established city museum commenced in 2010. The architectural design of the museum adopts the combination style of medieval red brick structure and modern glasshouse. Looking from the outside, it does not look like a cultural history museum at all. Different from the old-fashioned approach of traditional museums, STAM offers a brand-new museum visiting experience to every visitor. Once you step inside the museum, you are guided to enter a 300 square metre big multimedia exhibition room. The whole floor of that room is actually a gigantic aerial photo of Gent. Visitors are allowed to walk over it and see every detail of the map. No other museums I have visited use the same presentation method to show their city layouts. It is an exceptionally good idea of using innovative multimedia technology.

Day Twelve - Brussels: Waterloo (Hotel Mirabeau, 2-star hotel)

I spent the following two days staying in the capital city of Belgium. Brussels is a city that is crucially important not only because it is a state capital, but also because it is a “European Capital”. Although the European Union (EU) does not have an official capital, no one would deny that Brussels is de facto considered the capital of the EU since it hosts the official seats of major European institutions including the European Commission, Council of the European Union and European Parliament. Internationally, Brussels is the headquarters for NATO, the most powerful intergovernmental military alliance in the world. Therefore, Brussels is a place where worth it to travel.

On the first day in Brussels, I decided not to visit some tourist attractions in the city centre but went to someplace far away from the urban district. Anyone who is interested in European history would know the place called Waterloo. Waterloo is a place where Napoleon suffered his final defeat in 1815. For a history lover, a trip to Brussels would not be complete without a stop at Waterloo. Today, Waterloo has developed to be a tourist district with four historical museums related to this decisive battle which rewrote the modern European history. As it is only 15 kilometers away from the Brussels, a day trip to Waterloo is easy to be arranged.

Wellington Museum was the headquarters of the Allied Forces and the place where Duke of Wellington finalized his strategic plan a night before the Battle of Waterloo. The museum contains a rich collection of period weapons, military uniforms, old drawings, etc. Some of the exhibits shown in the museum are the authentic items from the battle, such as maps, letters and even a wooden leg of a British army officer. The scene which Wellington wrote his victory announcement was recreated. This museum is a very good starting point for learning about the history of the battle.

Memorial Museum 1815 is the biggest and the most captivating one among the four museums. Building on the historical site, this museum is the best place to retrace the history of the Battle of Waterloo. It is definitely an innovative museum which extensively utilizes the latest technology to reveal the turbulent history of the Battle. An impressive 4D movie let you immerse into the battlefield as if standing next to an artilleryman and hearing the cannon firing sound. The museum also has a comprehensive collection of full-size model soldiers and warhorses of the battle. As far as I am concerned, the highlight of the museum is not the multi-sensory experience which the state-of-the-art technology is offered, but the immerse panorama canvas which illustrates scenes from the battle of 1815. Further information and other reading materials related to the Battle of Waterloo can also be found inside the museum shop.

Located four kilometres away from the Memorial Museum, the Napoleon Last Headquarters was the place where Napoleon drew up his military strategy a night before the Battle. The museum holds variety items, including weapons, paintings and even the Emperor’s camp bed.

Leaving Waterloo before nightfall, I headed back to the city centre and visited my last stop before going back to the hotel. Manneken Pis, also known as Petit Julien, or little Julien, is a small bronze fountain statue. It is now the national symbol of Belgium and the best-known landmark of Brussels. There are multiple versions of the story of the Manneken Pis. Legend has it that a young boy called Julien peed on the burning fuse of the explosives and saved the city. Since then, the bronze statue has been erected and later became a must-see tourist hot spot in the city. Manneken Pis is not always naked. Sometimes the statue is dressed in different costumes.

Day Thirteen - Brussels: Mini-Europe (Hotel Mirabeau, 2-star hotel)

The following day I got up early to head to a temporary exhibition about dinosaurs, the Expo Dino World. It claimed that this dinosaur exhibition was the biggest exposition ever held on earth. The habitat of the Mesozoic era was recreated and over 60 animated lifelike dinosaurs were on display, including Triceratops, Brachiosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. The exhibition just took the visitors back to 65 million years ago when the daunting creatures were the rulers of the planet Earth. Most of the model dinosaurs were mechanized, so their heads and paws could move. Standing next to a Diplodocus, you would feel yourself really small in the presence of this sheer size animal. It was quite a good educational experience especially for the family with young children.

In the same vicinity, a miniature world is found, the Mini-Europe. Very similar to the Madurodam of Den Haag, Mini-Europe is another miniature amusing park presenting the most eminent architectures found in Europe in a tiny-scale. All world-famed attractions, like the Big Ben of London and the Eiffel Tower of Paris, are on a scale of 1 to 25. All the memorial buildings have been replicated till the smallest detail. Visitors are free to take photos next to the mini-models. Within the park, there is a section called “Spirit of Europe”. It is just like an education centre where you can learn everything about the European Union. Mini-Europe is not only a wonderland for tourists but also for anyone who interested in European affairs.

Museum Voor Natuurwetenschappen (Museum of Natural Sciences) is a natural history museum as well as a research centre of all living things on earth. The exhibition covers the complete evolution of animals and insects from millions of years ago until the present. It has the world’s largest dinosaur hall in which houses 30 completely assembled iguanodon skeletons unearthed in a coal mine in Belgium. Besides, an array of imposing dinosaur skeletons is on display, like stegosaurus, tyrannosaurus, triceratops and even mosasaurs. Aside from the prehistoric creatures, the museum also possesses variety kinds of modern animal specimens, such as giraffes, ostriches and whales. In the gallery of mankind, visitors can explore the evolution of human being and see some human organ models. This museum is a true treasure trove for anyone who is keen on natural sciences.

Day Fourteen - Luxembourg: The Casemates (ibis Styles Luxembourg Centre Gare, 3-star hotel)

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a landlocked country surrounded by France, Germany and Belgium. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is my final destination of my trip to Benelux. Luxembourg is a fully sovereign state with a territory smaller than Hong Kong and a population size even smaller than Shatin, a district of Hong Kong. Although both the territorial and population sizes are small, Luxembourg is a developed country and an important financial centre. According to the IMF, Luxembourg has the world's highest GDP (nominal) per capita. The country is also keen on strengthening international co-operation with other European partners. Just like Belgium, Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union (EU) and NATO. The capital city even holds the seat of the European Court of Justice, the supreme court of the European Union. As a prolonged active member of the European family, Luxembourg has many cultural and historical heritages offer to the visitors all around the world.

A trip to Luxembourg city is simply not complete without a visit to the world-known Casemates. A casemate is a type of firearm fortification with an immense underground military defense system. The very first mighty bastion was built in the mid-10th century by Count Sigefroy, and which provided a basis for the future development of Luxembourg city. In the following centuries, the casemates were strengthened and enlarged by different European rulers. Luxembourg city was gradually turned to a military stronghold and was famed as the “Gibraltar of the North”. After signing the Second Treaty of London in the mid-19th century, a large part of the fortified structure was demolished. The remaining part of the casemates is now a top tourist attraction of the city and which has been inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO since 1994.

Musee National d'Histoire et d'Art (National Museum of History and Art) offers an extensive exhibition space dedicated to archaeological, historical and art collections from all periods of Luxembourg. By the time I visited this museum, a marvelous temporary exhibition about the history of Portugal was on showcased. The museum also showed the daily life in the Ancient Times by remodeling the huts and tents found in that period. It is the exact place for anyone want to familiarize themselves with Luxembourg’s history through its public collections.

Situated right in the heart of the old town, Musee d'Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg (Luxembourg City History Museum) is a glass structure embedded in a four-story historical building. It is a successful combination of medieval architecture with modern extension. The exhibition provides both local and foreign visitors with a thousand-year history of the city through original exhibits and topographical models. The permanent exhibition named “The Luxembourg Story” will give you a complete picture of the city's evolution from a socio-economical approach. While I was walking around the top floor of the museum, I unintentionally discovered a scale model called "Kueb". It was an architectural project called "European Hemicycle Project". A new premises was supposed to be built for the European Parliament, but the project had never been realized. It was quite a surprising discovery during the trip.

Within the same neighborhood, I reached my final stop of my whole trip. Musee national d’histoire naturelle, natur musee (National Museum of Natural History) is a national science museum with a rich collection of botanical, zoological and paleontological specimens. The museum is focus on the small to medium size creatures from prehistoric period to contemporary world. Since the museum is not too big, no mega-sized prehistoric animals can be found in the exhibition hall. Besides the fossils like ammonites and dinosaur eggs are showcased, a wide range of life scale mammal models are recreated. There was a special exhibition themed on wild cats. Visitors could see a variety of wild cats, even some rare species. It is a place where natural science lovers can spend their afternoon.

Traveling and Learning

The trip to Denmark and Benelux were fruitful and memorable. During this half-month excursion, every single day was an exhilarating adventure and a treasure opportunity to learn something new. Reading and traveling are both good ways of learning as far as I am concerned. Reading a book about Europe may be the quickest way to learn what the continent is like, whereas traveling to Europe may be the best way to experience the spirit of European civilization. You can learn almost everything about this world from books with your logical mind, but you can only explore the unknown wonderland by traveling with your body and soul. You can learn someone’s valuable experience from a good book, while you can build up your own indelible experience from a great trip. I will continue my journey to Europe until I finish traveling every corner of this continent.

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