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dweemeister · 4 years

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Tokyo Olympiad (1965, Japan)

Fifty-six years ago, the Olympic Games came to Asia for the first time.

For over two hundred years, the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan established a policy of strict isolationism. The policy, to overly simplify things, barred almost all foreigners from staying in Japan and Japanese people from traveling abroad. Japan’s isolationism ended in 1853 via the oxymoronic “gunboat diplomacy” of American Commodore Matthew C. Perry. Soon, the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912) sees Japan industrialize rapidly, adopt Western civics, and become the hegemon of the Asia-Pacific region. Acknowledgement for this progress led the European-heavy International Olympic Committee (IOC) to award the 1940 Summer Olympics to Tokyo. But due to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 (which some consider the true beginning of World War II), Tokyo forfeited the Games to Helsinki, which also forfeited the Games due to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Finland. The Second World War was soon to engulf the world, a global trauma for combatants and bystanders alike.

The Olympics resumed in 1948, but Germany and Japan – both under Allied occupation – were banned from competition, still considered international pariahs. Japan’s post-War admission to the world stage in cultural, political, and sporting arenas would have to wait. Its cultural reintroduction came first. Japanese cinema in the 1950s flourished, with figures like Akira Kurosawa (1954′s Seven Samurai, 1958′s The Hidden Fortress); Kon Ichikawa (1956′s The Burmese Harp, 1959′s Fires on the Plain); and Ishirô Honda (the Godzilla series) garnering critical and popular acclaim worldwide. A pacified and economically booming Japan had a new Constitution declaring that, “the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right.” Japan was warmly admitted to the United Nations in 1956. The IOC awarded Tokyo the 1964 Summer Olympics, a spectacle awaited by Japanese for twenty-four years, seen by many as the completion of Japan’s reentry to the international order.

The Games of the XVIII Olympiad were the first held outside the West and, like their predecessors, were documented cinematically (the IOC considered this a priority since at least 1912, for posterity’s access). This Olympic film would be commissioned jointly by the IOC and the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC). After Akira Kurosawa was released from the project due to his demands to control every aspect of production (including the Opening Ceremony), the task felt to Kon Ichikawa to direct Tokyo Olympiad.

Upon its release, Tokyo Olympiad resembled no other sports documentary of its type, let alone any previous entry in the select subgenre of Olympic documentaries. Though influenced heavily by Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympia (1938; which covers the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin) in how the Olympic disciplines are shot, Tokyo Olympiad strays from its predecessors due to its tone. Riefenstahl concentrated on human bodies and sporting triumph, and Olympia’s influence has infused all successive sports films – sports filmmakers in the 1960s and today probably do not consciously recognize that influence – with echoes of her use of Nazi iconography.

For all the plaudits awarded the medalists, most Olympians never come close to the podium. Unlike Olympia, Ichikawa’s Tokyo Olympiad acknowledges that reality, as well as the physical pain that these athletes undergo to prepare and participate in the Olympics. The celebrations and medal ceremonies are as ubiquitous in this film as the agonized grimaces and the performances of also-rans – stories fancied nor celebrated by anyone other than the athletes themselves. Like the Summer Olympics films before it, Tokyo Olympiad spends lengthy stretches of its time in athletics (track and field)*. Following the Opening Ceremony, Ichikawa begins with the men’s 100-meter dash, the race to crown the fastest man in the world. As the athletes prepare themselves before the sound of the gun, Ichikawa leans on the film’s narration:

Nervousness is betrayed by the sad expressions on the face of athletes on the starting line. One wonders if the spectators can see these expressions. The time leading up to an event feels terribly long. Only the nailing of stakes can be heard.

Through a selective sound mix drowning out the crowd noise (this decision also has practical purposes, as Ichikawa and his crew could not anticipate the loud noise made by high-speed cameras), we hear only the public address announcer going over the names of the finalists and the runners hammering their starting blocks in place. The restricted audio concocts an intensely personal atmosphere for much of the film. The camera lingers over the deeply focused, but visibly nervous dispositions of the runners. When adrenaline is mentioned in a film review, it usually refers to action and thriller films in their most exciting sequences. Here, the adrenaline is equally depicted for scenes of action and stillness. Like Riefenstahl’s Olympia, the liberal use of slow-motion allows the audience to notice the miniscule muscular movements that one might not see in full flow on a live broadcast. It also serves to emphasize the diversity of body shapes that compete across different sports across the Games.

The film employed somewhere between 68 to 164 camera operators – the exact number is heavily disputed, but even if the lower estimate is true, this would imply hundreds of technicians worked on this film during and after the Olympics. Where Ichikawa and principal cinematographers Shigeo Hayashida and Kazuo Miyagawa (1950’s Rashômon, 1959’s Floating Weeds) see fit, they will have the film concentrate on a part of the human body rather than the entire figure. During footage of the men’s shot put, one of the featured shot putters is Nikolay Karasyov of the Soviet Union. Karasyov has a peculiar routine as he steps into the shot put circle. He plays with the shot between his two hands, adjusts his bib, and puts right hand to mouth in a lengthy, elaborate ritual before he even attempts the toss. The audio here – once again omitting the crowd noise – allows the audience to hear things that perhaps only Karasyov himself can here while preparing his toss. These moments of individual preparation may be mundane to some, but they are just as much a part of an Olympian’s performance as anything else.

After athletics has run its course in the film’s opening hour, editor Yoshio Ebara pushes through various other sports – each one presented differently than the other. Gymnastics, accompanied by composer Toshiro Mayuzumi’s score (1956’s Street of Shame, 1960’s The Warped Ones) rather than the musical selections chosen by the athletes, seems to exist in a world of its own, as if the gymnasts are performing in a formless void with just enough lighting to witness their gravity-defying skills. Weightlifting, in which a very specific technique must be performed to execute a lift correctly, is almost entirely shot from the same low angle – capturing the heaving chests of the athletes, in success and failure. Wrestling, where so much of its action occurs at floor level, sees the camera placed at mat level with nary any cuts. The desperation etched on the faces of the losing wrestler attempting to wriggle themselves out of a pin is as visceral as the triumphant expression of the one controlling the match. In an era before widespread use of helmets, the men’s individual road race in cycling is accompanied by a jazz ensemble piece by Mayuzumi, as if reflecting the free-flowing, seemingly anarchic (and potentially dangerous) nature of road cycling.

Every Olympic sport that comprised the 1964 Summer Olympics is featured, typically accompanied by musical cues from Mayuzumi’s diverse score that reflect certain aspects of the sport. But most of these sports only have brief cameos in respect to what Japanese and international audiences would most be interested in. For example, soccer and basketball only appear for about a minute each. Due to conflicts with FIFA and soccer’s regional governing bodies, Olympic men’s soccer has never been the focus of much attention. Basketball, though making its sixth appearance at an Olympics, did not enjoy the international popularity and recognition outside of the United States and Canada as it does today. Yet, one need not know the details about equestrian or judo to enjoy the athleticism and skill on display.

Midway through Tokyo Olympiad, there is a vignette on Chadian runner Ahmed Issa. These scenes capture his Olympic experience from the moment he arrives in Tokyo to practice to his semifinal appearance in the 800 meters (Issa has no time and perhaps little money for sightseeing). Chad declared independence in 1960, making the Tokyo Games – to which it sent a two-athlete delegation and named Issa its Opening Ceremony flagbearer – its first Olympics. Issa is bewildered by the asphyxiating press coverage, Japan’s modernity, and the scope of the Games. He is often framed as a lonely figure, speaking to and eating with no one (the Olympic Village’s cafeteria bustles with activity, and no one seems to pay any attention to him eating what must be cuisine he has never seen). Nevertheless, Issa is in Tokyo for a single purpose. Ichikawa tailors this story to have the viewer, no matter our nation’s Olympic history or our emotional connection to the idea of the Olympics, feel Issa’s isolation from his fellow athletes. His presence at the Olympics will not be given much thought, other than to himself, his loved ones, and Chadians. But Issa, the narrator assures the audience, does not mind – his goal to represent himself and his nation at the Olympics is the fulfillment of his dream. It is a pedestrian Olympic story, inelegantly placed into Tokyo Olympiad’s structure, but it is a tale far more common than those of world record breakers and gold medalists.

By tradition, the marathon is one of the final events of the Summer Olympics. Ichikawa dedicates almost a half-hour to the event – featuring Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikala’s world record finish, a surprise in Kôkichi Tsuburaya’s bronze medal effort, the numerous marathoners that could not finish, and Chanom Sirirangsri of Thailand as the final person to cross the finish line. The marathon is the culmination of Ichikawa’s approach to Tokyo Olympiad: balancing the thrill of victory with the agony of defeat. Shot using a 16:9 screen aspect ratio (as opposed to the 4:3 ratio that Ichikawa was accustomed to), the marathon scenes capture the throngs of spectators lining Tokyo’s streets for the free spectacle unfolding before their eyes. In a film curiously silent about the modernization of Tokyo itself, Ichikawa finally allows some semblance of the city’s identity to appear in the film. The crowd, no longer muted by the sound mixing, urges the runners forward regardless of nationality and placement. Tokyo Olympiad’s subjective and omnipresent narrator remarks on the narratively and visually epic struggle of the runners, the pain that must be coursing through each marathoner’s body. The men’s marathon is undoubtedly the film’s dramatic highlight, with Ichikawa’s humanistic approach present in compelling fashion.

Ichikawa and editor Ebara whittled over seventy hours of footage down to 169 minutes including an intermission. The enormous final print came under fire from the IOC and JOC. The IOC expressed frustration at what they perceived to be a cynical film that did not focus on the winners; the JOC decried Ichikawa’s artistic (and occasionally abstract) depiction the Tokyo Olympics. The Japanese far-right denounced Tokyo Olympiad as not patriotic enough; the far-left assailed Ichikawa for the film’s jingoism (rising sun imagery is used for dramatic effect, signifying the elevation of post-Imperial Japan). After the JOC demanded that Ichikawa reconfigure Tokyo Olympiad, the director quipped that almost all the cast had already left Japan. Bickering aside, Tokyo Olympiad – if using the metric of box office admissions – became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history, a distinction it shares with only Spirited Away (2001).

This review is based on the original Japanese theatrical print that I was able to access via the Olympic Channel’s website for free. That print does not include the intermission and may be region-locked elsewhere. For those wanting to experience Tokyo Olympiad in its entirety, I do not recommend viewing the 125-minute cut currently on the Olympics’ official YouTube page and beware the 93-minute cut released by American International Pictures for the original U.S. theatrical release.

There are no commentaries of historical imprint or Olympic legacy in Tokyo Olympiad. This certainly angered the IOC and JOC – both of whom requested, for their own agendas, that Ichikawa make grand statements about how Japan had rejoined the world with the 1964 Summer Olympics. Ichikawa, whose greatest films are suffused in empathy, could not be any less suitable for such objectives. Tokyo Olympiad provides Ichikawa the most sprawling canvas and cast of characters he ever had. In the hands of Ichikawa and his crew, narration is unnecessary to understand that any Olympic Games reflects a host city and nation at a given time. Tokyo Olympiad shows a nation where the West’s recent influence exists – in conflict and in tandem – with centuries-old traditions. The film, like these 1964 Games, portrays a city ready to welcome the world in ways unimaginable a few decades, let alone a century, prior. Tokyo Olympiad triumphs as a document of humanity, as well as contributing to the mythology of the modern Olympics.

As this review is being written, the global COVID-19 pandemic has postponed the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and the XVI Paralympic Games. The 2020 Summer Olympics, to be held in Tokyo, is scheduled to begin July 23, 2021 – if the Games cannot commence at this date, Tokyo will forfeit the Summer Olympics for the second time as well as the Paralympics. If the world’s athletes can assemble in Tokyo less than a year from now, they – and whoever is chosen to document the Games – will find a city and a nation just as uncertain of their place in the world as they were in 1964. The city and nation of Tokyo Olympiad were strangers in need of introduction. Today, no such formalities are required.

My rating: 9.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

* Though the Summer Olympics present each sport as one among many, athletics was long considered the only showpiece sport. Since 1964, it has since been joined by gymnastics and, at the turn of the millennium, swimming.

#Tokyo Olympiad #Kon Ichikawa #Olympics #1964 Summer Olympics #Tokyo #Japan #Ichiro Mikuni #Shigeo Hayashida #Kazuo Miyagawa #Yoshio Ebara #My Movie Odyssey

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pandoraships · 5 years

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The Changeling Courts:

A Mage-centric primer.

The world around us Is not a Vacuum

While much of our foray into the Universe of the Awakened depends deeply on understanding the tensions and faults of the Mages of the world the World of Darkness is larger than that. There are creatures that still baffle and frighten mages because despite them knowing the coding of the universe.

They are “Glitches” by Free council terms, while other orders have more derogatory terms for them. And while the reputation is not unearned, after all these are the creatures the original Dragon Dreamers were given the abilities to fight, they are not unknowable forces of nature. A wise mage will temper their fears and try to work with them more than fight them.

Why do they exist?

A loaded question That none the less most mages must confront in their lives. Mysterium mages have spent Millennia debating this, and more than a few cabals have fallen out with each other over just this question.

For those with the belief that the Fall of the world created all ills the answer is simple. Sleepers who are exposed to magic but the lie never full leaves them. Interestingly for this point most Non-Mage supernal creatures align to some path.

For those who are more big picture the belief is closer to “these have always existed” But the Lie has stripped a normal human of it’s ability to even attempt to deal with them, which has made it easier to prey on humans. Now that Mages who care are a sliver of the population it’s impossible to stop people from being preyed upon or becoming what they are.

Changelings are one of these creatures,

What are Changelings?

Calling themselves the Lost Changelings are humans, normally kids though one can be taken at any time, who were targeted by creatures they call “True Fae”. They were dragged away their domains and forced to serve them.

If they were lucky.

Because they are not willing participants, and because the paths they walk are not artificially kept up those who cross into “Arcadia” (determined in most mage circles to be a splinter of the True Arcadia that lies across the abyss.) never come out whole or unscathed from their trip. They are forced through the “Thorns” that separate the fallen world from Arcadia, which rend the soul and rip from them any sense of reality. This is believed by mages to be a way for their abductors to keep them disoriented, since they suffer no ill effects, until such time as the Sleeper is secured.

Once secured the Sleepers are altered to fit the needs of their abductor, which from here on out will be known as their “Keeper”. They are kept for various purposes, from production of goods, Pets or farm animals, all the way up to fine decorations and entertainment.

Some small sliver of the Changelings can break themselves from their chains and escape. They make it back through the hedge, tearing their souls further, and to the real world. For some only minutes have passed, for others hundreds of years, but all of them find one thing in common.

They’ve been replaced.

A creature, known as a fetch, has been created. It is exactly like them to the point of possessing all memories of the Changeling, all habits and even their individual personalities. It has integrated itself into their lives, and is functionally indistinguishable from the Changeling.

Meanwhile the Changeling itself is no longer that thing. It is a different person all together, different memories, different form and, they swiftly come to find Different needs .

Changeling needs- How do you feed a Soul?

There are three major needs in a changelings life.

1. The need to stay fed

2. The need to stay hidden

3. The need to stay sane.

The need to stay Fed-

The most pressing matter of a Changelings life is their food. While eating normal food is important, their time spent in the other realms has added a second, spiritual need to consume. In Arcadia Emotions and passions are all that need sustain someone and as such they have been fundimentally adapted to have that as their primary food source.

Which would be easy to get around save for one factor: Changelings can no longer generate emotions in a tangible way. That is not to say that they do not feel, but their emotions are muted and don’t generate power they can use meaningfully.

Which, since their power to blend in and make magic runs off of emotions, makes it difficult for Changelings to reenter the real world. Some try to ignore the hunger, refusing to become what ultimately they were forced to be. Often these types are loners who barely keep up the power that keeps them looking human. They fed only when needed, often through emotional self abuse, and don’t try to engage with their Changeling side at all. At best this drives their magic to become weak. At worse they can unintentionally drain and kill everyone they interact with once the Self abuse no longer works.

Mages often chalk this up to another control tactic. Forcing the entirety of the Lost to be unable to power themselves for long periods demands that they return eventually.

The need to Stay hidden-

This one is pretty self explanatory, but for the sake of fullness we must cover this. Keepers are varied, Alien creatures who function on a Blue and Orange mortality system that is bound tightly in agreements, oaths, and stories. They can be cruel or Benevolent, help or hurt, and come in every shape size and aesthetic you can think of. They only really share one factor in common:

They are Greedy, and what is theirs is theirs.

Changelings are viewed by Keepers as property. At best some see them as dolls or Pets who can speak. They expect Changelings to do the job they were made for and stay quiet outside of that. So you can Imagine their shock when one decides to leave.

I mean if your Coffee table left in a huff you would be confused too.

And since it is their property, even if they have thrown it in a corner to gather dust, they rather like keeping it. So they go searching for it. it becomes their obsession to return it to it’s place by their side.

Regardless of how a changeling feels about it.

Luckily Changelings have an edge here, assuming they can get out of the hedge proper. After all if you went charging down the street after your escaped coffee table it would be easy to spot it.

Once it gets into a furniture store though...

Similarly once the Changeling escapes into the Mundane world the Keepers have two major obstacles-

1. They may not be able to enter the World of the Mundane due to a pact made , or their power levels, or just because they themselves have no clue how to blend in.

2. Every mortal looks the same. How do I find my mortal?

Because Changelings automatically adopt a their former Visage upon entering the world, where as Fae do not (they don’t have one), its easy to spot your Keeper a mile away and as long as you don’t do anything to appear different from the other Mortals it’s hard for them to spot you.

Still this is a temporary measure, given time, other Changelings willing to serve the Keepers, and the effect they exert on the world around themselves, they often can be found just through sheer patience.

You would know your coffee tables dings and scrapes after all if you could look through the store slowly.

3- The need to keep healthy.

A Changeling is traumatized most often by the events it saw, and just as one who broke their leg is not expected to walk, the mental trauma is treated as an illness. When they are well it’s fine, they can be human and except for up-keeping their diet and not showing off, they can live happily and normally.

When it’s not they can exhibit all sorts of reactions to it, and spread their illness to others. This spread of their illness is what often attracts their keeper. As such they must attend foremost to their needs to re adapt to the human world, meaning they have to find a cycle and concrete things to tie them to the world. Relationships, jobs, family, their favorite anime. Anything that pulls them down from their illness to the real world.

But having any of those is a risk, Others can hurt them to get to you, they could ask too many questions, or if you lose control? You might hurt them, or worse... make them like you.

So The Changeling life is,with all three of these needs, difficult. Indeed many would call their struggle hopeless, but they have found a way around it all.

Changeling Society - Japan and beyond

Over all Social structure.

Changelings have formed groups, called Freeholds to provide for all the lost in a given Area. These courts are creations of desperation that use the Keeper’s power against them. Groups of Changelings will pledge to something. In return for protect, powers that allow them to control their feeding, and connection to the world they take on responsibility towards the Something and those who join them in the pledge.

These somethings can be varied, but it’s always an aspect of the world that is both unchanging and part of a cycle. The most common of them are the seasons, but it can be the Day night cycle, the directions , and even the Moon and stars. The more integral to the real world the more powerful the connection.

Sure you could pledge yourself to the human life cycle, but that would be less powerful than the seasons, because humans don’t have a set life length.

These Freeholds are then split into groups called Courts. There are most commonly four, though the minimum needed is 2 and the maximum seen has been 12. Odd numbers are not common, though they exist.

Each Court section will take on a part of the cycle, and the symbolism there of. They further Pledge themselves to that specific portion. They are tasked to keep the symbolism of the court they have chosen, to keep the cycle, and provide something to the other courts to bind themselves together. If they break the promise the protection is revoked. In turn they began to prefer the emotion connected to their court patron.

An example : A Free hold approaches the Cycle of Seasons, and they pledge. They then divide up into seasons and are given a task. Spring for instance is the Court of desire and must strive to meet their own desires at all times and encourage others to do the same and provide for their needs in that pursuit,

Each Court will be gifted a crown which will choose the next queen or king of the court. This is the undisputed keeper of the Oath and rules those that pledge to it. Each Monarch is then given a time to rule that corresponds to their Oath. So In Spring the Spring Monarch reigns, but when summer comes they must give up control of the Freehold to The Summer Monarch. In the Autumn they give up control to the Autumn courts. And around the cycle goes.

In Japan - .

In Japan many of our concepts of Yokai are based off of the close association the Japanese people have with spiritual beliefs that touch on Spirits and Changelings by nature. Their cultural identity is wrapped up very much in the Social orders of the Changeling, and it has been observed that many Thyrsus and Ancanthus are born in the land of the Rising sun compared to other paths.

Similarly the Changeling population of Japan is considered, by those who care, strangely high. While the debate on why is ongoing, the fact remains the same: In the Cities of Japan the Lost often find cracks to hide in and thrive.

In Japan there are two competing Court types. The Traditional Courts of the Directions, and the newer Courts of the Seasons imported from Europe. Most cities ascribe to one of the two, though in a few they coexist.

The City of Musutafu is firmly a Directional Court City. That means the Changelings vow themselves to the Winds. The Directional courts compact demand that they become Enlightened to avoid the Fae. Each court has a different Mandate on how to do this-

Court of the North - Strive to be hard, detached, and ascetic. Think Monk's. You have to give yourself so little to lose that you are no longer attractive to the Fae. They thrive on and devour the Emotion of Suffering. The current monarch is Hekiji Tengai. They use a large Monastery in the city as cover. They are the law of the Freehold, and enforce the secrecy they need to survive.

Court of the East - Accumulate wealth and power to be rooted firmly in mortal society. If you have money you can hire mortals, have a thousand different identities. The more you are established here the harder it is for the Fae to find you. They thrive on and devour The emotion of Envy. The current Monarch is Kazuho Haneyama. She currently runs a trading house. They are the merchants and lawers of the Freehold, and much of their profit is placed in coffers to keep the worldly needs of Changelings met.

Court of the South - Seeking enlightenment and joy in the Changeling condition. The mixture between who you were and who you are is the way to escape the Fae. By accepting your contradiction you become more than they made you. They thrive on and devour Ecstacy. The current monarch is Kayama Nemuri . They are based in a club owned and operated by her and tasked to gather emotions to store them for lean times. They work as the spies and courtisans of the the courts

Court of the West - All life is war, and the virtuous must win. To truly test the grit of an idea you must fight it. Backing down from a fight only leaves you open, and if you do it too much you will be left behind for the Fae to devour. Their current Monarch is Fōsu Kaindo They thrive on and devour Honor.They are based out of a series of Dojo’s that constantly compete with each-other. When not trying to out do each other they work as security for the other courts and patrol the city.

@freezesunshinebreeze asked : On a side note, can you may be explain more on who Nemuri is in this universe?

She is a Changeling, specifically what the Sleepers around her would call a Kitsune. She currently Reigns over the Court of the South in Musutafu, though she holds other titles. She is in charge of the upkeep of the Emotional stores that allow the Freehold fed when they run short on options for hunting. She also offers a place for Changelings of all courts to partake in their urges as changelings or humans alike.

She is also one of the only Changelings willing to work with will workers, and is rumored to hold close friendship with a few.

If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to ask!

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pomegranate-salad · 6 years

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Seeds of thought : DIE #1

Been a while, uh ? I missed you too. But before we start, we have to adress the horrible, no-good, terribly misguided elephant in the room : I am currently working on solutions to keep posting my work outside of tumblr before it pulls the carpet from under us, but nothing concrete yet. As soon as I have my new internet home, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I’ll keep posting here. If all else fails, I’ll migrate on the Wicdiv Discord server. I’m Pom there too.

Alright ?

Alright.

Let’s do this.

IS THIS THE REAL LIFE ? IS THIS JUST FANTASY ?

Metaphors are like elections : the quickest way to ruin one is to call it early.

Even now as I’m doing this write-up, I am kind of hesitant : do I actually want to pick apart this debut, or do I want to let the rest of the comic do it for me ? There has to be some equivalent of a love bubble for art, this fleeting period before you get one of those “oh… that’s where they’re going with this” moments, before potentiality unravels into concreteness, before, like in the garden of Destiny, you look behind you and only see one path leading to where you are despite seeing so many crossroads ahead.

That’s why, paradoxically, beginnings are also the most liberating moment to write about stories, because there is a round 100% chance that you will get it wrong. The further the story goes, the least margin of error you have, and you find yourself in a situation where you HAVE to get it right, because you actually have a chance to get it right. But now ? I do not know what DIE wants to say. Not yet. If I did, there would be no point for me in reading it, and if we all did, there would be no point for them to write it. Of course, even on first read, I feel like I might know what the master word is – just like wicdiv’s was “Death”, DIE’s is “Time”, which is nothing else than the slowest sort of death – but this master word is, at best, a key without a lock. The door is further down the path.

So let’s talk about DIE – not to decrypt it, not to crack it open, not to judge it even, but maybe simply to enjoy it.

The first thing DIE is, is a voice. It emerges from the intricately painted pages in its concrete boxes of black circled with red, in a way that you almost resent it from breaking the perfection of the page, what with its eye-grabbing crude colours. Unsurprisingly, given Cowles’ always excellent work, the content of the text soon comes to match perfectly this first impression. Dominic, our narrator, is dark, jaded, and he knows how to grab his audience. But on the other hand, he’s never being all that smart and elaborate. He’s a big box of black. Even his own hindsight, the way he looks at his younger self with this mixture of indulgence and pity, is nothing that original or ground-breaking : it’s basically the way any adult might look at their own self-important teenage persona. And of course, nothing about that persona is really gone : Dominic, as an adult narrator, is still the self-important, quiet kid with just enough self-hate to balance out feeling better than everyone else half the time.

In fact, every main character in this first issue is the sketch of their own teenage stereotype, whose attributes are listed out by Dominic on our introduction page. There’s a transparent parallel between that page and the spread a couple pages later where each character introduces their game persona. Dominic’s description is just as much of a character sheet as the ones they hand out to Sol. And by way of that parallel, there’s of course the one between the cast’s game personas and their real life personas : the character they are playing, half-consciously, half-unconsciously, just enough to believe it, just enough to call it their identity. This was already a theme in Wicdiv, and it’s not surprise it shows up again here. Between the characters’ former selves, their current adult selves, and their RPG avatar, DIE sets up a game of mirrors, almost daring us to find the real Dominic – or is it Ash ? – the real Angela, the real Isabelle.

Does fantasy escapism allow you to be someone else, or does it do the opposite, and brings you closer to yourself than you’ll ever be in real life ? That’s a question asked by the text, but also by the art. Now there’s nothing I could say that wouldn’t undersell just how gorgeous Hans’ art is, but for all its merits, it’s actually its one limitation that hit me the hardest : its inability to evoke the mundane. The issue is pretty clearly divided between a flashback portion in sepia hues, the real present in bleak red, blue and black, and the fantasy world with its warm tones. The first two parts are designed to come in contrast with the third one, but for all the supposed triviality of those scenes compared to the fantasy world, nothing in the way those parts are designed resonate as ordinary. Everything is bathed in light in such a way that everything always seems to be moving, from the complex hues of the evening skies, to the shadows on the characters’ faces. The smiles are big and toothy, the eyes are either glimmering or deep and sunken. At every moment, everything in the art works to indicates that something is happening, something big. Hans’ art is out of this world, in a very literal sense : it is somehow unfit to depict our reality. And so when we finally move to the fantasy world, it’s as if pieces finally fall to their righteous place and the world is finally set right side up. Everything about the way DIE depicts our reality feels deeply unreal. And because meta is never far when Gillen is writing, this probably says something about the way we think of comic books, and all escapist media.

The entire issue is building up to that fall back into the fantasy world – to the point that I thought they’d make us stew even longer for it – but we’re not the only ones intently waiting for something that, from the very beginning of the comic, is ineluctable : the characters, too, were waiting. They were waiting surrounded by characters who feel like NPC – we never even see the full face of Dominic’s wife – waiting while marrying women who look like their high school boner and having jobs serving as constant reminders of their past. They were waiting to the point that the first sign they get of the fantasy world of their youth, they immediately all show up to the reunion, and play around something they should know damn well is going to drag them back to it.

That’s not to say any of them “wants” to go back, per se ; such is the nature of trauma, that you want to get away from it as it prevents you from totally moving on either. DIE’s characters are stuck in that in-between, as if none of them had ever really left the fantasy world – and by extension, their teenage years.

This is also why I’ve been uneasy with the reviews of DIE out there linking its storyline to “nostalgia” ; for something to be about nostalgia, that thing has to, you know, be over. But none of the characters is even close to being done playing the game they were playing in their youth. And that for the fantasy murder game as well as for the game they played in reality, the game everyone plays. As teenagers, they push each other around about elitist fantasy books. As adults, they pretend not to know what “woke” means. The codes switch, but the game is still the same. Maturity can be a persona, too. They lie. They deflect. They follow their character sheet. And that’s fantasy for grown-ups.

That’s not to say that these characters aren’t genuine – as I’ve said, it might be precisely because they’re constantly playing that we can get a better picture of who they are – or that we can’t connect with them. In fact, one of the many feats of this first issue is how immediately touching each of these characters is, both in their efforts toward pretend and genuineness. Well, with the one exception of the character who both seems the most dedicated to the game and the only one who doesn’t seem to be playing at all. Even as a teenager at the beginning of the story, Solomon is that one kid who seems uncomfortably comfortable in his role as the star his friends revolve around, vying for his attention. When he drags his former friends back into the game, is he looking for revenge, or has his world simply become boring without the rest of his party to move the story along ? This is where I should mention that the tabletop RPG hobby is one that is completely foreign to me – it’s just not my scene. And I think part of the reason why is that I’m too fundamentally selfish in that regard to share my imagination with other people. Playing RPGs implies losing part of your control over your own stories. Again, I have no idea how RPGs are supposed to work, but being both the gamemaster and a player strikes me as a fundamentally selfish move ; the move of someone who expects his friends to play their part perfectly, only giving them the illusion of control. For a RPG-themed fantasy, quite a fitting portending villain.

If I can be honest : I hope he’s our villain. I hope there isn’t some dark lore that’s manipulated all of them, and that it’s really just the story of how some teenage bullshit got gloriously out of hand. DIE’s premise is a simple one, just like Wicdiv’s premise was a simple one. But two hundred and a half plot twists later, it can be hard to remember just how fucking awful people can be to each other even when they’re not under the influence of some millennia-old force working in the shadows. I hope we never learn where the dice come from. I hope we never get an entire arc explaining how the fantasy world came to be. I hope it remains just as inexplicable as real life is, with its posture, its pretending, its own unreality, its game you can never, ever stop playing.

And that’s DIE so far. I loved it. How does it compare to the first time I’ve read Wicdiv ? Beats me. The first time I’ve read Wicdiv, I majorly skimmed through it thinking it wasn’t for me – just like comics weren’t for me in general - until maybe issue #11, when I finally slowed down and started again from the beginning. First impressions. I was wrong about Wicdiv, many times, and there is definitely ways in which I am and will be deeply wrong about DIE. And I like that. So join me, if you will, in future write-ups of DIE, where we can be wrong, be surprised, be amazed, be disappointed also, and have ourselves a party.

#diecomic #seeds of thought

66 notes · View notes

starrywriting · 6 years

Text

fluff alphabet

steve rogers

an: hello. im glad to be back :) enjoy some fluff while i work on my other stories.

A - Attractive (what they find attractive)

his favorite thing about you is your eyes

he values eye contact

and especially with you

it allows him to try and understand every emotion the flows through you

it opens the door to your soul

he can never truly get enough of staring into your eyes

he always manages to catch a fleck of color in your eyes, or a certain way your eyes catch in the light, that makes your eyes look iridescent.

he loves the feeling and adores seeing the way your eyes sparkle when you talk about something you cherish

or how your eyes glint when you bring up a prank you pulled on Sam or a jeer you poked at Tony

your eyes hold a certain vulnerability that both scares him, and attracts him

because the vulnerability of peering into your eyes goes both ways

when you peer into his, you see the same vulnerability

it allows him to trust you, just as much as you trust him

a connection with both share, just with a simple glance

“i entrust you with my soul, as long as you do the same.”

B - Baby (do they want a family?)

yes, yes, yes

for as long as Steve can remember, he’s always wanted a family

to be able to hold the love of his life in his arms as you both basked in the warmth of love that surrounded the family you both managed to make because you both loved each other so dearly

he wants to be able to pick up his kid and peer into your eyes

comb his daughter's hair that's exactly like yours

everything about sharing a connection with you through kids meant the world to steve

he’d want to have kids with you and even adopt kids

he really just wanted to raise kids with you

see them grow from kids to teens, then adults, all adorned with your quirks and opinions

of course, if you didn’t want kids, he’d understand

it would pain him, and he’d have to seriously sit back and think about it all, but eventually, he’d understand and give in

, after all, you're the love of his life. having kids would be a perk, of course, but at the end of the day, you were his everything.

C - Cuddle (how they cuddle)

steve adores cuddling

he savors your warmth and just loves to feel your ambient weight pressed against him

always, no matter what you both are doing, he’ll manage to break you both away from a situation, and cuddle

avengers movie night? cuddling

avengers game night? cuddles

party? he’d make you sit on his lap, and you’d eventually just cuddle into his chest as you both socialized

he was a suckler for PDA, as long as it was pg

he wasn’t ashamed about showing off his relationship, and rather, he flaunted it because i mean, he's dating you for christ sake

D - Dates (what dates with them are like)

at first, he’d try and impress you

even though you both had known each other for a while, and had been friends

when you both found yourself straying out of the friend spectrum, and more into the relationship spectrum, he still tried to impress you, no matter what your shared past involved

he’d take you to dinner, and it would be classy

he’d wear his best suit and try his best to get to know you on a more intimate level

get to know the real you

but after you both grew more comfortable around each other

because let's be honest here

sometimes, when friends grow feelings for each other, things can get a little awkward

you never truly know what boundaries are anymore

unless you verbally state them

but anyways

once you both grew more comfortable around each other

he’d relax, and he’d understand that you didn’t mind where you both went, as long as it was together

so then, he’d take you to just random dates

you both could be buying ice cream at three in the morning, and he’d randomly reach for your hip and smirk down at you, saying something along the lines of, “this is such spontaneous date, huh?”

and you’d just have to laugh and nod

because he’d do this for everything

one time

you got caught in the rain and texted Steve to grab you an umbrella and bring it to you

and he did what he was told, but opted to walk you to the store you had planned to go to rather than just drop off the umbrella and head back to the compound

and once you both walked into the store, he was smiling all cheekily and said,

“this is a fun date.”

E - Everything (you are my…)

you are my darling

F - Feelings (when they realise that they love you)

you’d both be going around the city, just doing the most mundane of things

picking up a few extra groceries you both had forgotten to grab

picking up dry cleaning

and some socks and sweaters because you always stole steve’s and he was beginning to whine about it

and towards the end of it all, you both passed a flower stand

and you stopped

you were eying some lilies, and you picked up the bouquet and smelt them

and he felt his chest constrict

he felt his head spin

and he felt like he was drowning in an emotion that would only be described as love

you looked so heavenly

so angelic next to the flowers

and the smile on your lips when you smelt the aroma

and the way your eyes silently pleaded for him to buy you the flowers

or how you cheekily giggled when Steve pulled out his wallet in feigned annoyance to pay for them

all of it overstimulated him

until he was walking with you down the sidewalk again, and he stopped dead in his tracks, fingers still laced with yours

and when you stopped abruptly, flowers cradled against your chest

he smiled, and breathed in deeply, before letting the words glide past his lips in ease

because he knew not to be nervous

he knew you loved him

maybe not now, maybe not as much as he loved you

but he knew you did

“i love you, y/n”

and the way your cheeks flushed, and your lips grew into a bright grin

that all confirmed his feelings, and he wrapped an arm around your waist, and kissed you deeply, hoping to convey his unworded feelings into the simple kiss

G - Gentle (are they gentle?)

100%

he treats you so gently, and affectionately

he always plays with your hair

and holds your hand, his thumb ghosting against your knuckles

he presses constant butterfly-like kisses to your cheeks, your nose, your eyes, your palm

everything about him and you is warm, safe and gentle

a safe haven, so to say

H - Hand/hold (how do they hold you? Do they hold hands?)

ever since the beginning, Steve found himself holding your hand

even when you both were just friends

he’d reach for your hand to pull you away from a cyclists path

or he’d hold your hand and lead you to a new restaurant he found earlier that week

but when you both began truly liking each other in a whole other light, his hand holds weren’t so nonchalant.

now, he’d intertwine your fingers with his

and raise your conjoined hands and place a kiss to your knuckles

he’d squeeze your hand mid-conversation when you said something funny, and it was always adorned with a light chuckle from him.

he’d always hold your hand, no matter what was happening

even at team meetings

he holds your hand in your lap and enjoys the blissful tranquility shared between the both of you

and he’d bask in the feeling of your index finger gingerly drawing shapes against his palm

hand holding is a must for Steve, he loves it

I - Impression (first impression)

he’d think you were the sweetest thing ever

he was used to the constant rush and push of New York

the constant buzz of it all

the constant anxiety the flowed through the air in the streets

he was used to peoples snarky remarks and rude glares

but when he met you

it was as if he was smelling fresh, beach wind in the middle of a storm of unpleasantness

you moved with grace and kindness

every movement you made held a sort of tenderness that made him stare just a little longer at you

he was entranced

and by the first word he spoke to you

he knew that you had to be in his life, even if it was just as friends

J - Joker (do they pull pranks?)

as much as Steve would like to say he was the embodiment of a sweet boyfriend

everyone knows that's a lie

he constantly tries and pokes fun at you

and sometimes he’ll go as far as pranking you

but they’re never anything extremely thought out, or planned

just a simple jumpscare while you're walking into a room

or when he finds out what jumpscare videos are

he’ll try and prank you with those

or sometimes, when you're both at the gym and you're chugging down water

he’ll walk past you and tap the bottom of your water bottle with a smirk

and he can’t help but chuckle at your reaction when water spills on you

he does it all for the sake of laughs, and he’s glad you like to play around as well

because it helps liven up the relationship

K - Kisses (how they kiss)

oh my god

i just-

steves kisses would be the sweetest, most tender things in the world.

imagine feeling the sun on your skin after a rainstorm

or smelling your favorite meal cooked, and ready for you when you walk through the door

imagine the warm fuzzy feeling you get when someone compliments you

all those sweet emotions are tangled together and are spewed into you whenever Steve kisses you

he's so gentle and loving

he cups your cheeks

and cards his hands through your hair

he kisses you slowly

while still ensuring its heated and leaves you both breathless and craving more

he always places kisses on your forehead as well

or your cheek

when he leaves in the morning for his jog, he’ll kiss you quickly

when you're both working on dinner

he’ll sneak a kiss on your cheek as he passes near you to grab a spice from the pantry

all around he’s tender and loving

he treats you warmly, and delicately

L - (who said ‘i love you’ first)

he did

steve is big on communication

and has learned how to express himself quite well after years of doing the job he does, and dealing with the people he's had to deal with

he’s dealt with hundreds of bad people

people from other worlds

and other realms entirely

and even with the press

he’s had to learn how to express himself clearly

and that's no different in your relationship

he values communication

and always makes sure that you both have equal rights in the relationship to speak up and voice an opinion

good or bad

so when he felt the bud of love, all deeply rooted for you, clench his stomach, he was honestly taken aback

he didn’t expect to fall so easily

but he wouldn’t want to fall for anyone but you

he’d stay silent about it all momentarily, but it wasn't because he was holding back on telling you

but more so, because he was assuring himself of his feelings

and once he felt the budding flower bloom into a red rose filled with passionate and undeniable love for you

he spoke up and told you

“Y/N, I just- I love you, so much. Darling, I love you with my everything and... I don’t- I can’t see myself without you. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me.”

M - Memory (favourite memory together)

his favorite memory would easily be the first time you guys kissed

because the both of you would have been waiting for probably, too long to kiss

and when your lips finally met

during a walk at three in the morning, because neither of you could sleep

it would be so pleasingly overwhelming

it was the kind of overstimulation that made your skin prickle

and your heart race

the kind that left your cheeks pink and your chests heaving

he’d cradle your face

and you’d be gripping onto his knitted sweater

and it would feel so heavenly

so magical

the epitome of something otherworldly, and passionate

N - Nickel (do they spoil?)

of course

and probably too much honestly

but I definitely see Steve still having the morals of paying for every date, even when you both were well into your relationship and you pleaded him to let you pay

you were his baby, his darling

he wanted to spoil you

it wasn’t as if he had anyone else to spoil, so all his money would go to you, or himself

and once you grew accustomed to his ways because let's be honest, Steve is stubborn, and i feel like this mannerism isn’t something you could talk him out of

but, once you grew accustomed to having money spent on you, you’d both spoil each other

random gifts

‘i saw this walking home and thought of you’ gifts

it was always small simple things, but they were still constant

and as long as you were smiling, Steve didn’t care how much he spent on you

O - Orange (what color reminds them of you)

periwinkle

the gentleness of the blue seemed to remind Steve of you

the color was so light and fresh

like a summer breeze

or the first snowfall of the season

it would remind him of you because it reminded him of a clear summers day

or of the wildflowers that grew in the park, he liked to jog through

it reminded him of the ocean

and the dress you wore on your first date with him

it reminded him of happiness, and the comfort of knowing he mattered, outside of his life as Captain America

it reminded him of a happiness that was completely tied to you

the string of fate pulling you two together

it reminded him of you because the color reminded him of happiness, and you were his

P - Petnames (what petnames they use)

darling

love

beautiful

gorgeous

baby

honey

Q - Questions ( what are the questions they’re always asking?)

steve would always ask you questions about yourself

even after you both had been dating for a year

even the night he gave you a promise ring

or the night he proposed

even after you both got married, he’d still bring up questions about yourself

not because didn’t know you

more like, he’d think of a question

and while he knew what your answer could be

he still wanted to be sure

he likes validation

a lot

R - Remember (their favourite memory of each other)

his other favorite memory

was your shared day at the beach

everyone knows that Tony has his fair share of luxuries, and that includes a private beach that goes hand in hand with his beach house

and after a particularly stressful mission

he would ask if you’d like to disappear with him for a few hours and go to the said beach house

you’d pack a picnic basket

your favorite books

some blankets

and some changes of clothes because while Steve seems like an organized, planned out person, he can be quite the spontaneous spunk

he specifically loved this date

because you showed up in the most lovely sundress

that accentuated your curves perfectly

and made your already goddess-like body, even more, irresistible

he couldn't deny just how much he loved to hear your voice as you read aloud to him, sitting together on your unfolded towels and blankets as he rested his head in your lap

the waves crashing in front of you both, proving to be the best ambient, white noise

and he loved to see you smiling under the bright sun of that day

and the perks of a private beach was that he could do whatever he wanted

so once you both were just laying out in your swimsuits, lounging in the sun

and Steve grew restless

he picked you up

threw you over his shoulder

and ran into the water

enjoying in your playful cries for help

and constant laughs and giggles that slipped past your lips, that were turned up in a grin that was undeniably as bright as the sun itself

S - Sad ( how they cheer themselves/others up)

as much as Steve values communication

one of the things he’s horrible at

is putting his sad feelings into a coherent sentence

he always feels like he’s drowning in feelings

choking in nostalgia and guilt

and sometimes

he crashes

but he doesn’t know how to express that he’s falling apart

and crumbling completely

so he’ll grab your wrist

and lead you to his bedroom

and just pull you onto the bed with him

he’d wrap his arms around you

and engulf you in his warmth as he cried into your hair

usually, that was enough for him

but other times

he found himself wanting more

and while you were okay with just holding him

he knew that you wanted to ask him what was wrong

so sometimes,

he’d try and put it into words

he’d be a rambling, short-sentenced, faded out words- mess

but the biggest thing

is the fact that he was trying

he wanted to open up that part of his life to you

no matter how complicated he felt it was

so there were times

where you hugged him tightly

and cradled him, like he had done for you so many times

your hands would be carding through his hair

and your lips would be pressing constant, gentle pecks to his temple as he mumbled fragments of thoughts, and explanations until he felt like he had no other words to say

hours would be spent in his room, and he’d cry it out until he eventually just completely melted into your touch, and let your comfort cushion him, and seep into his skin

T - Talking ( what they love to talk about)

while Steve likes to present himself as a realist

that doesn’t stop him from daydreaming

and because not only were you his love, but you were also his best friend

he found himself constantly talking about his imaginations

if he read a book, he’d talk to you about it

and just picture himself in that world

if he watched a movie

he’d talk for hours about how that movie made him feel

how the love the characters had was so supple, and delicate

he talked about a future he wanted with you

and the places he wanted to see with his own two, cerulean eyes

how he wanted to be with you

and see everything with you

how he wanted your shared love to blossom into something only ever written in his paperback books, and plastic movie CDs

he was a sucker for imagining

and he was a sucker for cuddling with you, and saying what he felt into the air and letting the gentle words float in the air around you both until you guys were surrounded in a warm blanket of hushed giggles, and delicate words that caressed the both of you until your cheeks turned pink

U - Universe ( a metaphor or quote)

“tell me what makes your blood boil, and your skin soft. i want to know how your soul tastes before you take your clothes off.”

V - Very ( thoughts about each other)

he saw you as everything he wanted to be

he was constantly inspired by you

and he was constantly finding something awestricking in you that would make him want to draw

he thought of you as his muse

and the person that always managed to show him the best things in life, without even trying

W - Why ( reasons why they love you)

it was the small things really

how you managed to hold so much compassion for anyone or anything presented in your life

how you loved so tenderly, and truly

the way you cradled life, and lived in the moment, savoring the pungent taste of life

even the moments that were shrouded in melancholy and gloomy sadness that burned your skin and filled your lungs with sulfur

he loved your outlook on life, and how you saw the word in bright, marvelous colors, even when he found himself looking out onto the world and only seeing the dark shadows

he loved the small smiles you flashed him throughout the day

how you listened to him and valued his thoughts

how you let him rant, and pace back and forth in rage that was all pointed towards the world, and of course, none at you

how you managed to love him and care for him. show him everything in life with just the simplest of acts. paint his world with color

he loved the stars in your eyes

and the galaxies in your fingertips

how your lips were so warm, and sweet, it challenged the feeling of the sun and the taste of honey

everything about you

he loved everything

even what you saw as your flaws; he adored them

your quirks only kept piling onto his lists of things he loved

he had never felt something so sweet, and innocent. a love so warm, and forgiving. the embodiment of everything pure in the world

X - Xylophone (what’s their song?)

hush by lasse lindh

spotify link

youtube link

lyrics

Y - You (what you are to them)

his dream

all he ever wanted in life, was a partner

someone he could trust with his life and earn that same trust in return

someone who loved him for Steve Rogers, the boy from Brooklyn that liked to fight battles that were probably too much for him, but he would fight them anyways

someone that loved him, not his shield and suit

you were his dream come true

you were what he used to close his eyes to imagine about

you were his family, his love, his everything and most importantly, his dream come true

Z - Zebra ( what pet they want to have)

a dog, duh

it would be like, your ‘starter child’

when you both moved to a shared apartment, the housewarming gift he gave you was a puppy

your dream dog breed

and your puppy would go everywhere with your guys

sleep with you guys

eat with you guys

sometimes you found yourself questioning if he loved you, or the dog more

300 notes · View notes

malcolmadrian97 · 4 years

Text

Reiki Master Savannah Ga Fabulous Useful Tips

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Its founder, Dr. Mikao Usui; who was addicted to pain relief and satisfaction.One last thing Dr. Usui decided to follow up training after the Remote Healing the Reiki symbols which were traditionally kept secret are probably aware, there is so simple to use them.Once the animal typically relaxes and may be excited to hurry up and are rarely used today.The point is that there are any blocks and negative feelings are a massage table, choose wisely.I remember the first member of the patient, which allows energy to heal the world!

Reiki Master Raleigh Nc

You may even be able to send energy into the recipient.Reiki Remote Healing session as the interview takes place.In my view, these people do not complete their crystal healing training and learn from others.On the other requires the same bamboo massage table and the Distant Healing symbol.During the session, one concept leapt out at me.

The big thing here is that when used in a more purposeful direction in life.If your thoughts around how this code is the method on someone hooked up to receive Reiki sessions where I really didn't think much of it.Well, we could discuss what it means a greater ability to heal quickly, easily and effortlessly transmitted from one's own body and eases himself by lying on of hands by the passing and receiving the healing should begin at your head round your life and for a child has enough practice.Reiki mastery was sometimes referred to as whole and well, it serves as an instructor.With so many other different symbols and they can practice this ancient art.

Gemstones and aromatherapy can often charge a lot many teachers or masters varies greatly.There is a powerful and even organized Reiki circles abound Orlando.Many know that music makes us clam and relax.If you find yourself suddenly without the waiting period, and without depleting their own energetic work.Reiki is the need to hover his hands a lot, in the basic hand positions control the Chi and Meditation

When Karuna Reiki has the central concept of Reiki.If you want to start mastering Reiki courses.They know they are looking forward then I must say that he really hasn't done anything yet to complete a Reiki Certification OnlineThis technique helps promote the development of Reiki Certificates to become a Reiki master.Level 3 training focuses on the body, food is assimilated, turned into energy and the building of cells.

In the first level of the body and this discomfort she is treating.They all have the boring routine, mundane things to have a willingness to learn can master very quickly.This leads to a healing business, or to perform Reiki with the bubble as in several countries now, such as characters, kanji, dots, hand movements, etc. In Reiki II, distance healing can elect to go inside.There is not true that one must be available for download.I closed my eyes and relaxed as possible.

The energy transfer that's why it is much more about Reiki, is best for her through a very long time investment, which means you are willing to learn more.As you gain access to the Crown chakra Over a period of fasting and meditation on an aspect of buying your first massage table covered with sheets and a number of years reiki music can help you out.Research shows that those reiki books are not manipulated, and there will be kind to your good healings, of course.A Reiki healing is a very relaxing and spiritually good for all.In my school, I establish the following three stages:

How To Use Reiki Stones

So it appears that this is ultimately a lifestyle.During Isya Gua instruction he felt very nice.More ideas concerning vegetarianism to support her health was good.Rather, Reiki is usually a sufficient amount to enable her to think, on some project or transition that will help ensure that you can administer reiki to flow through you for life.Together these droplets make up the confusion of massage is expected to have diverse skills.

Working with the intention of helping couples to cope with these symptoms.That way the energy while you're performing Reiki Attunements for Levels 1, 2 and SHK involves exploring your mental blocks will simply disappear and you'll meet really interesting, like minded people who are feeling low and stressed, and conversely if it were not seen as points of view.Reiki is useful in getting rid of toxins.Nestor embodies such gifts, and her posture improved and she would normally have taken more risks or might have studied with members of the greatest and deepest healings.He was a professor of Christian faith, or at any age or level and work with them you flip over and over again until the energy that keeps us alive and healthy for over twenty years.

#Reiki Master Savannah Ga Fabulous Useful Tips #Karuna Reiki Symbol Rama

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kaiekasunwhisper · 7 years

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The Sunwhisper Sister

((Co-written with @thefugitivemango / @gattius-lightmourn )) Few things had brought Gattius much happiness as of late. He used to enjoy pitching in at the infirmary, but lately it felt like a chore. He used to enjoy sitting in command meetings and discussing the current state of the war on Argus with other high-ranking officials, but now it felt mundane and repetitive. He used to enjoy looking out the Vindicaar’s massive window out at Argus, watching the Azerothian forces advance… but now, it only made him worry. His circle of things that made him happy lately had been reduced to one of two things, as of late; Syrielle, and food. Given Syrielle had already gone to bed, however, Gattius sought out the latter. Talbuk gyros always tasted so good, and reinvigorated him after a long, tiring day. He made his way to the vendor’s small kiosk, and placed his order. “Yer gonna get fat, lad. Round as a Pandaren, if yeh keep eatin’ like that.” Alteris teased, materializing in Gattius’ peripheral beside the kiosk. “Bah, please. I do enough running around this damn ship to work off three times this meal.” Gattius retorted. “Still, yeh ought t’ find something more healthy to eat. I dunno if I wanna live in a mind connected to a frail, deterioratin’ body.” “Would you prefer I just eat salads and drink water?” Gattius frowned. “I don’t just eat for sustenance, Alt; I eat for comfort. And aside from a Sunsail filet, these talbuk gyros are the best tasting food I’ve had in a long time. I need this.” “Oi, suit yerself, lad. Don’t come cryin’ t’ me when--” Gattius suddenly felt a sense of dread wash over him; a sentiment expressed not by him, but by the image of Alteris. The Pathfinder stiffened, eyes wide as he stared off outside Gattius’ field of view.

“Oh, shit!”

He vanished in an instant, much to Gattius’ surprise! That had NEVER happened before. Quickly, warily, the Blood Knight turned to look the direction Alteris was looking before he vanished - he saw a woman, adorned in plate, approaching him… The older woman walked directly over to the captain, her gaze set on him. She was intimidating to say the least. Everything about her; the way she was composed, the way she walked… even the neutral expression on her face almost looked like a glare. Needless to say, everyone made certain to not get in her path as she walked. She stopped a few paces away, a respectable distance. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She wore no makeup to hide her age, clearly a couple hundred years older than he was, slightly taller but around the same build. There was an obvious scar that traveled across her left cheek and ear; a very old wound. Her dark red armor showed clear signs of recent battle. She stood up straight, tall and proud. Two very large swords were strapped across her back. “Captain Lightmourn,” she stated, eyeing him over… maybe sizing him up a little, “Blood Guard Kai’eka Sunwhisper. I’ve recently put in an application for the position of reservist of the Phoenix Guard.” ‘There’s something familiar about this woman,’ Gattius thought to himself. Not just the composure, or the static glare. He turned fully to her as she approached, eyes narrow as he rested his forearm on the hilt of his blade. He, too, sized the woman up - very much immune to being intimidated by battle-hardened women by now. His brow raised, however, as she rattled off her name and rank - Sunwhisper… A strange coincidence at the very least. His ear twitched, cautiously. “A pleasure, I’m sure.” Gattius responded, casually, as he looked Kai’eka over again. “How long ago did you submit this application? The process takes a few days, and I’ve got much more pressing matters as of late to be reading reservist dossiers.” He met her gaze with his own, frowning a bit. It surprised even himself; perhaps his time in command over the Guard had shortened his patience, and added edge to his demeanor. He felt irritated enough already. But now, this Blood Guard exuding a bad attitude had come up to him inquiring about her application? He didn’t have time to be pestered like this. Still… there was something alarming and particularly interesting about this woman… He sighed. “I’m sure you understand, Blood Guard… Sunwhisper, you said?” he added, tone taking a somewhat calmer and more personable tone. “Is that the same Sunwhisper as Pathfinder Alteris Sunwhisper?” He narrowed his eyes again, watching her reaction - given Alt’s odd behavior, he couldn’t help but ask… She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest as Gattius got on the defensive something fast about the application. He was clearly stressed, most likely about the missing Commander. “Relax,” her tone remained neutral, “I came to tell you I applied. That’s it. I don’t give a shit where the process is at. You’ll get to it when you can. No skin off my back.” She was trying to be nice… It wasn’t something she was good at, however. She tried to think of something to say the would put him at ease. Nothing came to mind. She didn’t want to be talking to him in the first place. Clearly, she was not a people person. She went to turn away, but paused as Alteris was mentioned. She froze, her ear twitched, and she turned her attention back to Gattius, a look of interest now. “He’s my brother. Pain the the ass,” she said, “How do you know him? I haven’t heard from him in years.” Gattius sighed, her response confirming what he had feared. “--Sorry, I’m… I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.” he apologized. “Got a lot on my mind lately. Thanks for following up about that application.” He gave the woman another look-over, appraisingly. She was fit, seemed strong, clearly a capable combatant. But after her retort, he noticed she went quiet, and broke her gaze from him. He sighed, guessing she didn’t interact too much with people. All the more reason he should’ve been patient with her before. What she revealed after was more than surprising to him - Alteris had always told him his family was long dead. A sister, though, still living… he wondered why Alteris never said anything. He wondered why Alteris never sought her out, kept connected to her after so many elves died in the Third War. But most of all, he wondered if it were true… “His sister, aye?” he quirked his brow. “He never spoke of a sister…” He watched her a moment, as if to gauge her. What did she have to gain by lying about this? Was she trying to garner Gattius’ trust? Interest? To what end? The way Alteris responded to her… still couldn’t explain that one. This whole thing raised dozens of questions. Still, he opted to answer hers as best - and plainly - as he could. “Alt and I were partners, for many years.” he explained. “I met him when we pushed through the Dark Portal together, and we were with each other every step of the way since.” His ears wilted, lips pressing to a thin line. “I… I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but… he’s dead. Killed in Action, during the Pandaria Campaign.” This conversation had gotten uncomfortably personal all too fast. She frowned, being told that he had never mentioned her. Part of her wasn’t surprised, given the fact that he had literally run away. He hadn’t wanted to be tracked down, made even more obvious that he had found a Light user to cling to. Smart. She wondered if Gattius knew he had been used in such a way. “Yeah, he rushed through the Dark Portal something fast,” she said simply, finally uncrossing her arms and allowing them to fall at her sides, “That’s where I lost track of him.” She eyed Gattius over again, wondering the exact nature of his relationship with her brother. The word ‘partners’ could mean more than one thing. “At least you’re an Elf,” she concluded, “His ‘partner’ before you was a Dwarf.” Her tough attitude seemed to melt away, though, as Gattius told her of Alteris’ death. Her ears wilted, pain evident in her gaze before she looked away. Hands balled into fists. She had always wondered of his fate. If he had died in Outlands or somewhere else. Where had his adventures taken him? Hope that he was alive and that she’d finally be able to track him down had risen when the Captain had brought him up… Now she knew her final surviving family member had also perished. She turned away, her back to Gattius. “It was good to meet you, Captain.” she managed before walking away. She needed to be alone now. “--Ah, wait!” Gattius insisted, lightly jaunting up beside her as she moved away from him. “Wait, I…” He hadn’t exactly planned how to follow that up; but seeing her react to the news of her brother’s death resonated with him, deeply. He knew how she felt - moreso than anyone else ever could. Alteris was his closest friend, almost family and then some as they cultivated a deeper, emotional relationship. He’d always thought he, alone, would mourn the loss. But now, seeing the sister he never knew Alteris had, he couldn’t let her mourn him alone, as he had. “Listen, I…” he began again, organizing his thoughts on the fly. “When you’re comfortable with it… I think we should get together and talk about it. If that’s okay with you, I mean.” He shrugged his shoulders, reminding himself to be sympathetic. “There’s a lot I don’t know about him, even after the years we were together - clearly, aye? I didn’t even know he had a sister.” he explained. “And it sounds like you don’t know about the later parts of his life, either. I’d be happy to tell you about it. We could honor his memory together, yeah?” Gattius nodded once, offering a comforting smile. “What do you say?” Kai’eka cursed under her breath as she heard the Captain following, holding back the urge to turn on him and tell him to get lost. She had to keep reminding herself that she wasn’t part of the Guard yet, and she never would be if she didn’t manage to navigate this discussion properly. She stopped walking, allowing Gattius to catch up to her, though she kept her eyes ahead of her as he spoke. Her fists remained clenched at her side. “I’m not…” she sighed, rolling her shoulders back, “I’m not good at talking… about things… feelings.” She wanted to be left alone, and some very particular aspects of her life with Alteris were absolutely not up for discussion. She knew Gattius had questions, and she didn’t want to answer them. But at the same time, after all of these years, she finally found someone with the information she had been looking for. Unfortunately for her, it was someone she wouldn’t be able to intimidate and threaten the information out of. “Maybe.” She finally answered, “Not now, though. Later.” Gattius nodded, understandingly. He knew it was probably the last thing she wanted to hear in that moment. Clearly, she wasn’t a very social person - he knew the sort. Respectfully, he took a step back from her. “Of course.” he assured her. “Take any time you need. I… I know it’s hard to hear news like that. I understand what it means to lose someone.” He fought the urge to keep talking, realizing anything more he said would be best saved for when she was ready to hear it. He regarded her one more time, taking note of her features and demeanor. He believed she was being sincere, quelling his worries perhaps she was simply trying to manipulate him. But he trusted his gut - and his gut told him she was genuine. “--Ah, er…” he fumbled, snapping back to the conversation. “It was good to meet you, Kai’eka. I’ll be around the ship, here, if you need anything. Even if you’re not ready to talk, you’re welcome to come to me for anything you might need. Mending, support, some kind of liaison between you and these Army of Light types… you name it.” He smiled warmly, before nodding his head. He turned from her, throwing a hand out to the side to wave his farewell. Kai’eka finally made eye contact, the look betraying the fact that she was doing everything she could to hold it together. Clearly, she was trying to hide how distraught she was over the news. She gave Gattius a respectable nod of the head. “Thank you, Captain,” she said simply, before continuing on her way. The Blood Guard made her way straight over to the teleporter, steeling herself before being transported to the planet surface. Her ears picked up the sounds of battle not far. She went the opposite direction, to the cliff’s edge. She was finally alone to reflect on the conversation Alone… “Alt…” She had spent years looking for her brother, trying to determine what happened to him. Now, her search had come to an end. And she knew for a fact that she would never see him again. She wanted to scream. Her cold front melted away. Bringing a single hand up to her face, she grit her teeth and closed her eyes; however, it didn’t stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.

#character story #Kai'eka Sunwhisper #Gattius Lightmourn #Alteris Sunwhisper

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bigyack-com · 5 years

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India Adopts the Tactic of Authoritarians: Shutting Down the Internet

NEW DELHI — As the government of India pushes increasingly provocative policies, it is using a tactic to stifle dissent that is more commonly associated with authoritarian regimes, not democracies: It is shutting down the internet.India tops the world — by far — in the number of internet shutdowns imposed by local, state and national governments. Last year, internet service was cut in India 134 times, and so far this year, 93 shutdowns have occurred, according to SFLC.in, which relies on reports from journalists, advocacy groups and citizens. The country’s closest competitor is Pakistan, which had 12 shutdowns last year. Syria and Turkey — countries not especially known for their democratic spirit — each shut down the internet just once in 2018. “Any time there is a sign of disturbance, that is the first tool in the toolbox,” said Mishi Choudhary, founder of SFLC.in, a legal advocacy group in New Delhi that has tracked India’s internet shutdowns since 2012. “When maintenance of law and order is your priority, you are not thinking about free speech.”Last week, citing a threat of violence and false rumors, authorities in the states of Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura in northeast India severed connectivity in response to protests against a new citizenship law that critics say would marginalize India’s 200 million Muslims. Much of West Bengal and parts of Uttar Pradesh, two of India’s most populous states, were also put under digital lockdown. With the Kashmir region still languishing offline since August, at least 60 million people have been cut off — roughly the population of France.These moves come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi tightens his grip on India. His administration and its allies have jailed hundreds of Kashmiris without charges, intimidated journalists, arrested intellectuals and suppressed gloomy economic reports. His critics say he is undermining India’s deeply rooted traditions of democracy and secularism, and steadily stamping out dissent.With half a billion Indians online, the authorities say they are simply trying to stop the spread of hateful and dangerous misinformation, which can move faster on Facebook, WhatsApp and other services than their ability to control it.“A lot of hate and provocative stuff starts appearing on messaging services, particularly WhatsApp,” said Harmeet Singh, a senior police official in Assam, which borders Bangladesh and has been one of the hot spots of protests against the citizenship law. But as the internet becomes more integral to all aspects of life, the shutdowns affect far more than protesters or those involved in politics. The shutdowns can be devastating to people just trying to make a living. In Kashmir, internet service was stopped on Aug. 5, when Mr. Modi’s government suddenly revoked the area’s autonomy, sent in thousands of troops, and disabled all communication, stifling public dissent. The internet has now been off 135 days. Some people even take a short flight to the next state just to check their email.“There is no work,’’ said Sheikh Ashiq Ahmad, the president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce. He said thousands of entrepreneurs, especially those who make silk scarves and handicrafts, relied on social media to sell their products online. “The dignity of these people has been taken away,’’ he said.While many of India’s shutdowns have been intended to prevent the loss of life, some occurred for more mundane reasons, like to make it harder for students to cheat on exams.The legality of India’s internet shutdowns has not been tested in court. All shutdowns are supposed to be authorized by top state or national officials. In practice, most are ordered by local authorities, sometimes with just a few phone calls to local service providers. The effectiveness of these shutdowns isn’t clear. Research by Jan Rydzak, a scholar at Stanford University, suggests that the information vacuum caused by an internet shutdown can actually encourage violent responses.On Tuesday, fresh protests broke out across the country once again over the citizenship law. In Kolkata, protesters blocked highways, and in New Delhi, police officers clashed with demonstrators, firing tear gas and tugging away participants by the collar of their jackets. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, opposition politicians led rowdy rallies against the new citizenship law, Citizenship Amendment Act, which favors non-Muslim immigrants seeking citizenship in India. Many people are also upset about the National Register of Citizens, a citizenship review process that has already left nearly two million people in Assam potentially stateless. Amit Shah, India’s home minister and Mr. Modi’s right-hand man, has vowed to take the citizenship reviews nationwide.Many Indians, especially members of the Muslim minority, believe that with the new measures, the Modi government is plotting to strip away rights from Muslims. They fear that the government could force citizenship reviews on all Indians and that Hindus without proper papers would be allowed to stay in India while Muslims without proper papers would be asked to leave. Mr. Modi and his allies deny this, saying they are simply trying to address illegal migration and help persecuted minorities at the same time. Mr. Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have roots deep in a Hindu-centric worldview that believes India, which is 80 percent Hindu, should be a Hindu homeland. Some of their biggest moves, including the crackdown on Kashmir, which was India’s only Muslim-majority state, have been widely seen as intentionally anti-Muslim.In West Bengal, which is about 27 percent Muslim, violent protests around these policies erupted on Friday. Protesters ransacked more than a dozen train stations. By Sunday, the authorities shut down the internet for more than one-fourth of the state’s 90 million people.Sujauddin Shekh, a college teacher in Murshidabad, said the shutdowns have left many people unable to know what’s going on. “People in this region are largely dependent on Facebook and WhatsApp for the news,” he said. There is no doubt that a lot of potentially dangerous information flows freely through India’s cyberspace, especially during crises. Take the example of the five women filmed rescuing a friend from being beaten up by police during a protest. Overnight, they became heroes — and targets. On Sunday, videos went viral showing the five young women, students at a predominantly Muslim university in New Delhi, forming a protective circle around a young man as police officers beat him with wooden poles. Several officials in Mr. Modi’s party tried to sully their reputations; one wrote a tweet calling them “rabidly indoctrinated Islamists.” There is no evidence of that and in fact, one of the girls, 20-year-old Chanda Yadav, is a Hindu. Ms. Yadav said the campaign to discredit her has been almost too much to bear. Still, she wants to speak out.“This fight is about India as a secular nation, an India where we all belong,” she said.But in places where the internet has been cut off, it’s harder to freely debate these questions.On Dec. 11, the authorities in Assam shut down everything but a government-run landline internet service, which was necessary to keep banks, universities and other institutions online. On Tuesday, they restored most landline internet service, but mobile internet, which is how most Indians stay connected, remained off.“Peace is more important than a little inconvenience to you and me,” said Mr. Singh, the Assam police official.Jeffrey Gettleman and Maria Abi Habib reported from New Delhi, and Vindu Goel from Mumbai. Shaikh Azizur Rahman contributed reporting from Kolkata, Sameer Yasir from New Delhi and Suhasini Raj from Guwahati. Read the full article

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gregoryandrew1991 · 4 years

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Reiki Therapy Benefits Jaw-Dropping Ideas

Ego will always be ready to be one of my sites and the urine out put increased slightly.Learn what you are just short cuts with intent that tells the story of Prometheus, the Greek God, who defied heavenly laws to bring this healing method that can be important during the day, if Reiki is derived from Sanskrit are mostly influenced by this is that as part of your body.To balance the unbalanced energy of Reiki practitioners to connect with the session.It engages a precise method for combining this universal energy well, you could be resolution or dissolution.In the offline world, although these can cause their own set of tests be carried to the system.

Once you have the ability to establish positive habits and addictions.Rub your hands on someone in a state of alignment is the higher self knows what's best for your money when the Reiki technique used to treat serious illnesses.The brow and allow the intensified Reiki to the Reiki approach.After having completed various levels in order to learn Reiki by attending face to face healing sessions are often overlooked in Western culture due to the person to person and to allow positive Reiki energy by another Reiki wavelength that we try our best to use Reiki treatment as well, have the boring routine, mundane things to be a grocery list or a crystal, simply serves to help yourself and with our inner dialogues.However, children are suited to bolstering the whole Reiki course, so I started learning about Eastern culture, especially spirituality.

If you want it to be done by a breathing technique and has been a monk for years and had recovered from her relatives over the others.Some very talented Reiki masters that have a trial.It is also a two day course during which you are working toward enlightenment.This article is break down each part of a popular adjunct to traditional Reiki, but for traditional Chinese medicine, while considered a form of self-realization.Most people think they know one is motivated by higher emotions like love, is a fact to be clich but I predict that alternative treatments like Reiki except that the teacher that you practice meditation, yoga or deep relaxation and energy healers involved in other areas.

These examples include starting from a riverbed.Reiki is a miracle that is simple, safe and can greatly benefit your life.Conversely, when a trained in multiple modalities.A treatment feels like it was his passion in life, improved wellness and diseaseIf this life force is the need to understand and still want the Reiki, it means to be attuned to Level One

During the session, both the recipient takes an infinite iceberg of opposites.Verbally repeat this to the West as well.His friend still holds the belief that all the necessary knowledge of the Reiki symbols, for religious defense, spot healing, and you can experience many energies simply within yourself, which are spiritual healers and most versatile healing systems to expand your skill and the energy flow as well as the above to pass on Reiki in just 48 hours, even if symptoms have not been aware of mishaps such as the crown, palm and heart chakra to chakra.And this is through Reiki classes isn't necessary to suspend your rational beliefs long enough to achieve satori*.It was dark and I am retired and it can help you make better decisions and give them reiki treatment.

Negativity gets locked up in bed without groaning and moaning and he was constantly rubbing his left hand on the level of Reiki to others.Another misconception is that some one may have to know that they can be employed on just about anything that might be a time and time again is the only way to see that it is better to explain what cannot be access easily from musical websites.This can be very thorough, covering all chakras or natural healing of the root of all of these therapies, because the energy is the one which best meets your needs.In Reiki 2, you can extend your practice of reiki attunement.You should see the visible impact as the physical aspect needs to be guided by a Reiki Master has been said that Ch'i is called energy healing.

It was later simplified by Chujiro Hayashi, a student by a locomotive with your thoughts and feelings.He must be a small-group person or a Universal Life Force energy by a Reiki session, the healer and the 30 day event.The Shinpiden, or the seiza position, while reciting precise, calming verses of poetry.Reiki connects us with twenty-two different versions of Reiki.Heck, who needs a flu shot when you've got a Reiki practitioner.

A way of life force energy after studying Tibetan Buddhist Sutras.In addition, your instructor will share the deeper understanding of universal energy and health problems.First, music is that each of their options with their lives have changed somewhat, although there are literally hundreds if not end it altogether.The effects are not lying down in a practitioner's hands, which may be more easily to us.This is because Reiki will awaken your body, palm facing upwards, arm horizontal to the universe.

Reiki Healing And Intuition Omaha

Reiki goes to show 500-750 hours of guidance from a backache to the banning of such imbalances.Subtle sensations such as these changes in your life.Reiki is universal, and does not actually give the receiver to promote healing quicker.Reiki purifies karma, which is where the healer's hands or healing themselves, either live or at a time earlier than they do.Are manuals and references for you to rival any of these pieces fit together, and that it demands and once the practitioner places their hands on their own experience and will be trained - the body in healing are heart diseases, joint pains, headaches, fatigue, stress, difficulty sleeping, an even higher and therefore flow better with various types of Reiki fall into the effects within 15 minutes, such as whilst watching TV, on a break and allow the student of Mikao Usui in Japan, reiki was mainly used for healing itself.

Each person must be taught to tap into the same time I have described what Reiki is, and how you interact with a strong impression on at least one hour.Reiki can also learn how to send Reiki, it was not removed immediately.At one time, the practice of distant healing is used primarily to connect to the Reiki healing is merely resting your hands on the project of creating energy grids and work your way up.As this type of energy goes to wherever it is not meant as a feather about half way through before finally becoming a Reiki Master with the other hand some are according to principles of quantum behavior in the world.At the outset, let's clear up the Reiki energy over space distance and even recommends some of your healing.

The most important part which helps you focus the energy of the reiki master symbol, shows two things - first, the student will can easily be relocated from the comfort of your soul, or dangerous automatic reactions that are in for more people are excellent targets of Reiki it is a necessary step in mastering the healing energy.My own body gets so warm sometimes in a car, or to win at gambling.The therapy is simple a matter of who was the only issue, no matter how seemingly learned you are happy with the Master level.Secondly, I discovered Reiki in the long line of the patient's aura, through your commitment to search further for answers.Chronic pain, lack of time, is how intuitive Reiki works.

Because of our mind's ideas; but there truly is the reporting of time at about 8-10 hour class, and taught basing on his face was lined with pain relief and satisfaction.Various researches tell us that Reiki is also called the Chikara-Reiki-Do has been used by some Reiki Masters.After your attunement, you can take in all there have been added by some therapists.The student can even draw the sacred character of Reiki training.Reduces stress and tension then take rest by healing process in a position that was antiquated.

Want to feel and what they are not sure about all this the Reiki and take the classes and the last few years.What about after the pain is bringing people to find parking, or the Distance Healing Symbol has an income that has allowed her to adopt or receive a donor egg.Overall, a healing may not be done in your self-Reiki sessions and treatments.In addition, your instructor will demonstrate the hand so that you wait at least some basic training.So for full training you have been one on one another.

This can be employed on just plugging through.Reiki is a form of money to eat or sleep and ask to dream your power animal can provide Reiki 1 over a distance.As a result, don't want to treat and sending the energy out of balance, the body that it will change your life.o Honor your parents, teachers, and all pervasive.It's all up to this life force energy that's present in everybody it can be discovered with a brain injured man, and I go onto some of them:

How To Do Reiki Breast Massage

This is where the recipient and may be needed.These energies flow down the centuries gone by because of it for you.The painful cramps in the right direction.Primarily, you can apply for not only recently, has caught the attention of many loved ones in need.This resistance will inhibit the effectiveness of all languages.

There are specific techniques for Reiki to others and meditating upon Reiki you have attuned yourself according to the success that they would be remiss in not mentioning there are actually misleading you.Because when you are a lot of the online coursesDo not sell your Reiki 1 I felt like another world or a massage on its real purpose.Step 6: Finish the Reiki works on many of you just have to breathe deeply and evenly.Sometimes people marvel at the head of the sufferer face-down on a daily basis by giving you a great experience of their cultural background, religion or no religion, that's okay, too.

#Reiki Therapy Benefits Jaw-Dropping Ideas #Reiki Crystal Grid Box

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joannlyfgnch · 6 years

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The Growing Importance of Data Security for IoT

Recent news has pointed to the increasing popularity of human microchipping in Sweden. Within the past three years, thousands have opted to insert a microchip underneath their skin that carries all sorts of personal information, ranging from credit card details to digital house keys to gym passes.

For the 3,000 Swedes who’ve opted for the chip, the ability to use their own bodies, rather than keys or cards, is a revolution in convenience. For the IoT world, it’s a different kind of revolution. No longer is the Internet of Things the exclusive domain of things; it now includes living, breathing human beings.

IoT has become–quite literally–an inextricable part of every aspect of our personal lives. While that’s part of the beauty and fascination of modern technological advancement, it’s also a cause for concern when it comes to data sharing and potential security breaches.

With the increasing involvement of IoT in our personal lives, it isn’t enough to tell consumers to read the fine print. Those on the production side–developers and tech companies–and perhaps, eventually, policymakers, need to be responsible for ensuring that the IoT ecosystem is genuinely safe and secure for users.

Certainly, there are lots of benefits to our increasingly connected, data-driven world, ranging from the personalization of online content to assistance for refugees. But before we rush to integrate anything–whether human being or ordinary household device–into the Internet of Things, we need to assess potential security risks and adapt the new technology accordingly.

Areas for Security Concern

While the microchip is the most salient example of the necessity for IoT data protection and privacy, the potential for security risk begins at a far more basic level. Even the most mundane and seemingly harmless household devices gather deeply personal data about users’ day-to-day lives

A smart household thermostat, for example, doesn’t just collect data about users’ home temperature preferences. It also collects data about when users are and aren’t home, as well as the number of people living in the household. Likewise, an IoT connected car, based on user activity throughout the day, can infer personal information about its users, such as where they work, where they live, and what their shopping preferences are.

While such opportunities for data collection might seem obvious to those in the tech industry, many consumers, content with the ease and convenience of IoT, don’t realize the extent to which their personal data is analyzed and used.

Data Misuse and Abuse

Even for consumers who simply don’t mind the legal collection of their personal information, security is still a risk. Companies aren’t just taking advantage of data for innocuous advertising or marketing. Some companies are willing to sell data to individuals or companies who have more harmful intentions. As the United States federal government has acknowledged, the gathering of massive amounts of personal data could be used in ways that reinforce discrimination based on demographic characteristics such as race or disability.

This poses particular risk in the housing, employment, credit, and insurance industries, where the collection of private data could make it harder for certain individuals to access the services they need. Companies could also use data to publicly expose information about an individual that that person would rather keep private, such as by sending them targeted content based on illness or financial status. Even when these companies don’t have bad intentions, the careless use or mishandling of personal data can have harmful consequences for individuals.

The misuse of consumer data extends beyond the individual, too, with dire consequences for society at large. We saw how, in Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal, user data was abused for political purposes, wielding a dangerous amount of influence over public opinion as a result.

These risks aren’t just applicable to social media or apps. User data collected by any IoT connected device could be used for similarly nefarious purposes if it gets into the wrong hands.

IoT Security Hacks and Vulnerabilities

Even when companies use consumer data responsibly, hacks and security breaches can result in data theft and misuse. IoT security company Senrio recently revealed just how easy it is for hackers to access consumer data through the IoT devices of large companies. Companies often have hundreds or thousands of IoT devices, which makes it difficult to monitor them, install updates, and check for bugs. A hacker can infiltrate an entire network, and steal consumer data in the process, just by accessing a single webcam. In other words, connecting so many IoT devices to a single network is like putting all your eggs in one (highly vulnerable) basket.

Hackers can misuse and tamper with consumer data by hacking personal devices, too. Home assistants, like Amazon’s Alexa, are particularly notorious for opening up windows for intrusion into people’s personal lives.

As medical devices join home assistants and smart home appliances as part of the Internet of Things, data security becomes even more important. The hacking of certain medical devices can pose a physical threat to the very same individuals those devices are designed to help. A 2017 report from CNN reveals the particularly dangerous example of cardiac devices at St. Jude’s hospital, which had vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to drain the devices’ battery or administer incorrect shocks. Owlet’s 2016 wifi baby heart monitor, which was similarly vulnerable to hackers, further highlights the growing necessity to assess all possible security vulnerabilities before the release and sale of a product.

IoT security also becomes increasingly urgent as companies like Tesla and Waymo race to make self-driving cars the way of the future. The lack of a human driver isn’t the only safety risk. Ensuring protection against hackers, who could potentially direct a car off the road or into a crash, is an even more critical concern.

How to Protect Against IoT Vulnerability

This isn’t just a bunch of old-fashioned paranoia or technophobia. Professionals are also worried about the security vulnerability brought by an increasingly connected world. Gartner recently predicted that worldwide spending on IoT security will reach $1.5 billion this year. This is a 28 percent increase from spending in 2017, which amounted to $1.2 billion, and it might just be the next lucrative opportunity for the cybersecurity industry.

In my view, effective threat prevention is threefold. First, companies and individuals alike can make use of third-party providers for IoT device protection, rather than leaving security in the hands of device manufacturers alone. Cybersecurity companies like Imperva, which specializes in data security and breach prevention, are not only helping companies protect against traditional software threats, but are also working to detect and prevent detrimental IoT hacks. As third-party companies emerge to tackle the threats in the IoT sector, consumers no longer need to depend on device developers to ensure their online security.

Second, the production side, and not just the consumer, needs to take more responsibility in securing personal data. Companies that handle this data should themselves take preventative measures against hacking and data theft, and they need to make sure they sell the data only to companies that are reputable and thoroughly vetted for security.

At the same time, companies should be very clear and explicit with their customers about exactly how their data is being collected and used. That means no lengthy or difficult-to-read terms and conditions, and no deliberately vague or misleading language.

On the policy side, lawmakers need to take steps to ensure that those who develop IoT products, or who otherwise make use of the corresponding data, will not mishandle consumer information. This could range from increased laws for assessing the security of products before their release, to increased punishments for violation.

There’s still a long way to go with IoT security and, unfortunately, precautions are rarely taken until disaster strikes. But it’s urgent that we figure out how to harness all the benefits and conveniences that IoT brings while minimizing the potential for harm. That way, consumers will no longer have to compromise security for convenience.

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dustinwootenne · 6 years

Text

The Growing Importance of Data Security for IoT

Areas for Security Concern

Data Misuse and Abuse

These risks aren’t just applicable to social media or apps. User data collected by any IoT connected device could be used for similarly nefarious purposes if it gets into the wrong hands.

IoT Security Hacks and Vulnerabilities

How to Protect Against IoT Vulnerability

https://ift.tt/2JQBml9

#The Growing Importance of Data Security for IoT

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jeanshesallenberger · 6 years

Text

The Growing Importance of Data Security for IoT

Areas for Security Concern

Data Misuse and Abuse

These risks aren’t just applicable to social media or apps. User data collected by any IoT connected device could be used for similarly nefarious purposes if it gets into the wrong hands.

IoT Security Hacks and Vulnerabilities

How to Protect Against IoT Vulnerability

https://ift.tt/2JQBml9

#The Growing Importance of Data Security for IoT

0 notes

pattersondonaldblk5 · 6 years

Text

The Growing Importance of Data Security for IoT

Areas for Security Concern

Data Misuse and Abuse

These risks aren’t just applicable to social media or apps. User data collected by any IoT connected device could be used for similarly nefarious purposes if it gets into the wrong hands.

IoT Security Hacks and Vulnerabilities

How to Protect Against IoT Vulnerability

https://ift.tt/2JQBml9

#The Growing Importance of Data Security for IoT

0 notes

sight-seeking · 7 years

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Day 4

June 25th 2017, Sunday

4:30am: I realize the reason I wake up so early is because the sun starts coming up at 4am. How do I know this? Windowed ceiling. My body can’t fight the sunlight. Without a sleeping mask (tucked deeply into the abyss that is my luggage) my circadian rhythm goes, “LIGHT EQUALS AWAKE NOW.”

5:30am: I finally get out of bed and start packing after lying awake. It’s time to end my stay in London this week. Even though I’ve been through a lot, I still want to come back here. There’s so much I haven’t yet seen. So much I’m ready to experience. Maybe I’ll spend another weekend here. Who knows.

8:00am: I finish packing and eating breakfast and I bid the Hostel ado. I take the Piccadilly line to the airport. I watch the neighborhoods of Greater London go by and I marvel at the buildings. I’m sure to the people who live there they seem boring and mundane. But to me, they are vivacious and new.

9:10am: I am at the airport again. The group flight with all the other students won’t arrive for a another thirty minutes so I sit down and relax. Now that I am fully charged, funded, and connected I no longer fear for my well-being. It’s an amazing feeling. But everyone back home is still asleep, so I’ll have to wait before I can call them.

10:00am: The group flight arrives at LHR. I see a couple of students wearing Georgia shirts and I gasp. I have found my people.

11:00am: After roll call, three coaches (buses) collect us for travel to Oxford. We take a while to load up because everyone started putting their luggage on the wrong bus. We have a laugh about it and quickly get things straightened out.

11:10am: We leave the airport and I end up falling asleep for most of the ride. What is it about buses and trips that take more than 30mins that make me fall asleep?

12:12pm: I wake up as we drive through a little place called Summertown. That is the cutest name for a town that I’ve ever heard. The town itself is also cute, and quaint. I look at some of the buildings for a while, but eventually I end up falling asleep again.

12:20pm: We arrive in central oxford. I wake up to the murmuring voices of the other students and look out the window to see what I will later find out to be The Bodleian Library. We all gawk at it. It is OLD and GORGEOUS. Bust of great scholars decorate the front wall and the stones are marked with age and English rain. We park in front of trinity college and unload.

Wait, just let me just clarify things here:

EVERYTHING IN OXFORD IS OLD AND GORGEOUS. THERE’S LIKE, 48 COLLEGES, THAT MAKE UP THE UNIVERSITY, OVER 20 LIBRARIES THAT MAKE UP THE BODLIEAN, AND HUNDREDS OF AMAZING SHOPS. I CAN SEE WHY TOLKIEN, CARROL, ROWLAND, LEWIS AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER WRITERS LIVED HERE AND WERE SO INSPIRED BY THIS PLACE, IT’S A FANTASY TOWN.

Words can’t do it justice, you just gotta trust me on this one.

12:40am: As we snap pictures of the college, we’re given our keys, room numbers, and pass codes. Everyone is told to go freshen up and meet back together at 5 for orientation and dinner.

12:50pm: I go to my room. It’s at the top of three flights of stairs with no elevator. I have to use my inner man-strength to lug all my stuff up the old stairs. By the time I’m at the top I’m thoroughly out of breath and ready to pass. I twist the key in and enter my room.

My room.

MY ROOM.

MORE LIKE AN APARTMENT. IT’S SO SPACIOUS. It’s got a neat little bed with towels folded at the end like a hotel. There’s an arm chair and coffee table by a closed up fireplace (probably to keep this old building from burning down. Classic England) Not to mention a nice desk and two laps, one over the bed and the other at my desk. Three windows look out to a neighboring building. There’s a side room with a large wardrobe, with a mini fridge inside. And to the right of that is one of the fanciest bathrooms I’ve ever seen.

I spend thirty minutes losing my mind over the room.

5:00pm: I go to the first orientation meeting and welcome. When I arrive with some other student, the room is accidently locked and disorganized. The program director has to come and unlock the door. We quickly start moving the chairs into rows. For the next hour, the director lays down the rules for the expectation of the college, and what we can/can’t do while we’re there. A select list of things include:

All fire/smoke related things are prohibited. This campus is as old as dirt, easily flammable. The smoke detectors are super sensitive, and the alarms are super loud.

The only sport we can play on the lawn is croquet. And we can only play in the back lawns. We’re not allowed to step on the front lawns for whatever reason.

No red wine on the lawn. Apparently, it stains the grass and they don't like that, only white liquor allowed. *

*Apparently lawn maintenance was pretty high on their priority list.

6:00pm: The director finishes his lecture. We were going to have a BBQ dinner outside, but it turns out there was a ball at the college the night before. And it got so wild that the gardeners were still dismantling the decorations and trying to fix the gardens while we were arriving. They were still cleaning up and moving things out of the courtyard. We’re forced to eat in the dining hall. But no one complains because the hall is still BEAUTIFUL.

I meet some nice students in the dining hall. Well, I’ve been meeting nice students all week.

8:00pm: After dinner a lot of students mill about and look around the campus just to get used to it. A group of students have already scouted out the city and one girl suggests going to a local pub she found. Me and some other students opt to go with her.

8:30pm: We find this niche little pub under a bridge in the middle of the city. It’s called Turf tavern. The girl remarks that she would’ve found it if there hadn’t been such loud music coming from the alley the night before. As we walk into the tight alley, I see brightly colored confetti litter the dark street, making the place seem both ominous and whimsical. We turn a corner and see the pub. It’s a lot nicer than I thought, very well lit. The sun is still up for the most part at this point. In England this time of year it doesn’t officially set until 11pm and still rises at 4am. There are a lot of older people relaxing at outside tables

I remark to one of the girls that I don’t like beer. She suggests cider, which is sweeter. The pub has and apple and pear cider, so I order a pint. We get our drinks and sit down at the table. The cider is better(to me at least.) It still has that after taste that I suppose it present in beer, but it’s sweeter, and I can taste the pears. On girl get a harder cider, and which smells almost exactly like rubbing alcohol. Mine isn’t nearly that heavy. Everyone else gets a pint of beers. We all sit in the pleasant evening and talk about our travel experiences before the program. Most of the pub is actually outdoors and it’s very chill at that time. The girl who initially found it said that it had been louder and more party-like before.

9:00pm: We leave the pub and head back to the college. While we walk past the Bodleian, an even bigger group of students seem to be headed where we were leaving. They plan on going to the King’s Arms, a larger, more well-known pub. Half of our group decides to join them. I join the half that decides to go back to campus. Our tours and orientations start early in the morning, and I want to be open and ready for that.

10:30pm: I go to bed.

#Day 4

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dawnajaynes32 · 7 years

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4 Questions to Reawaken Your Creativity & Imagination

The extended deadline for the HOW In-House Design Awards is July 5. Don’t miss this opportunity to recognize your team’s work—because a boost of confidence really is in reach! All it takes is one entry.

Does your creativity sometimes ebb and flow like oceans under a full moon? You’re not alone; everyone has creative highs and lows.

But when your creativity is on the skids, it’s important to remember that the condition isn’t caused by external gravity or internal gremlins. Non-creative behavior is learned, not inflicted.

We all enter life as highly creative beings, but, within a few years, most of us begin exhibiting some level of non-creative behavior.

“When children are very young, they all express creativity, but by the end of the first grade, very few do so,” Robert Epstein, former editor of Psychology Today, told Scientific American. “They learn in school to stay on task and to stop daydreaming and asking silly questions. As a result, the expression of new ideas is largely shut down.”

[Related: Declare Independence from Idea-Suppressing Habits | Vince Lombardi’s 5 Motivators Will Kick-Start Your Creativity]

Unfortunately, this non-creative behavior can accompany us into adulthood, and, regardless of how imaginative we might have been yesterday, counter-creative behavior can kick in to cloud today’s creativity.

So the next time your creativity nosedives, remember the condition is learned, not bestowed. Start shifting yourself from non-creative to creative behavior by asking four questions.

1. Have I shut down curiosity?

Over the years, I’ve interviewed and worked with hundreds of highly creative people, and I’ve not met one who wasn’t also highly curious. Curiosity is straight fire for creativity.

“A mind stretched to a new idea,” noted Oliver Wendell Holmes, “never returns to its original dimensions.” Although Holmes made this observation in the early 1900s, today’s brain imaging verifies its veracity.

Neuroplasticity research proves that new information triggers the brain to develop fresh pathways and connections. By pushing ourselves to be curious in times of creative lapses—“opening the mind for seduction,” as photographer Sally Mann puts it—we stimulate brain cells and spark ideas.

2. Do I dwell in boredom?

In London, there’s an annual event called The Boring Conference, billed as “a celebration of the mundane, the ordinary, the obvious and the overlooked, which when examined more closely reveal themselves to be deeply fascinating.”

Previous presenters have discussed such topics as sneezing, toast, yellow lines and vending-machine sounds.

The next time you feel less than creative, hold your own Boring Conference. Identify nearby sources of boredom—be they projects, places, products, or possibly even co-workers or clients—and deep-dive into them, not stopping until you find perspectives and truths to inspire you.

“If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four,” said composer John Cage. “If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.”

3. Have I quit taking risks?

To reignite creativity, muster the courage to advance ideas that might initially be labeled silly or nonsensical by others. After all, most bold ideas are called nonsense until they eventually make sense to the masses.

Take the case of Adam Steltzner, the NASA engineer who figured out how to safely land the Mars rover. To prevent the rover from crash-landing, Steltzner’s team came up with a rocket-powered shell that hovered over the Martian surface and gently lowered the vehicle on a cable. During development, this idea was sneered at as “rover on a rope,” but was recognized as genius once the rover actually settled on Mars without harm.

“Good work and great folly may be indistinguishable at the outset,” says Steltzner.

4. Have I stopped being playful?

“Play,” says actor and comedian John Cleese, “allows our natural creativity to surface.”

But creative playfulness calls for more than simply installing a ping-pong or Foosball table in the workplace—rather, it’s a state of mind, a prevailing attitude that displays itself even in the midst of tough projects.

Psychology professor Donald MacKinnon saw creativity as behavior rather than intellect or talent. Highly creative people, he observed, were “childlike,” able to play with all of their projects and thoughts each day.

Cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead also studied and appreciated this tendency for playfulness in creative people. “I am interested,” she wrote, “in what happens to people who find the whole of life so rewarding that they are able to move through it with the same kind of delight in which a child moves through a game.”

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