#the balance between freedom of expression and age appropriateness is always a hard one to strike

[blogquantumreality]

I looked up FIMFiction and the link adds a lot of context for why it was so easy to see NSFW material. The My Little Pony fandom back then was just overrun by adults, mostly men, who couldn't resist doing what Rule 34 says people will do when confronted with a new fandom.

Now, being as it was established in 2011, I'm going to assume there were at least basic controls that required some kind of half-assed age verification. Now, most websites didn't work too hard to enforce that, but the thing is, when you're younger, and you see something hidden away that says You Must Say You're An Adult To Get In, well, 99% of the time you're gonna say YES, because you want to be seen as older and more mature and you're rabidly curious about what the grown-ups do and see that you can't yet do and see - that's just how teenagerhood tends to work. (I should know, I was one once)

So the onus was on the parents to sit down and explain some basic stuff:

Websites that say they have material that is potentially R or M rated say that for a reason: so you can opt out of it.

If a website says that, then just because you can click the "I am an Adult" button with no consequences does not mean you should without thinking hard about whether you can deal with whatever you see past that point.

All that said, I know we all like to laugh at the ineffective parental controls found in operating systems and whatnot, but it does sound like in skweeze's case it might've been a good idea to add that software onto the computer and allow them to slowly dip their toe into fandom rather than jump into the deep end, as it were.

But websites can't be the guardians and curators of everything people see and do; it's just not possible. The best they can do is have robust warnings and label systems, and if necessary require that casual viewers have login accounts to view potentially NSFW material. But even those things will not stop a teenager bound and determined to pull back the curtain and see for themselves.

Fanfiction literally cannot "normalize" anything. Fanfiction is a weird little niche and fics are not something with massive cultural impact.

[mfkinanaa]

CAPRICORN RISING.

Born with Capricorn rising (or on the Ascendant), you may notice a duality in your nature between someone who is, on the one hand, serious, organized and capable, and on the other, uncertain about their ability to achieve all the things they want.

This is a curious combination of capability and caution that usually becomes balanced over time.

The characteristics of Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, are pronounced – lending you an executive ability, patience and the ability to master difficult tasks, whilst at the same time, generating fear, awkwardness and an inclination toward pessimism or negativity.

Ambition is often strong, but so too can be crippling doubt about your ability to achieve what you set out to do.

Making Your Way To The Top.

When your Ascendant is Capricorn, the mastery of material resources is a prime concern. You may have a tendency to be stern, strict and serious especially – with yourself. You can be far harder on yourself than you are on anyone else. Others may see you as a harsh task master or a capable leader, and you are likely to be well respected owing to your capacity for hard work, pragmatism and prolonged focus.

You need to find ways to make practical and efficient use of the resources that are available to you, and ultimately master your world. To do this, you need to cautiously plan and structure your approach in order to meet the voice of responsibility inside of you, urging you on toward success and achievement.

Treating yourself as you would a member of your team will help. Would you punish and criticize others as harshly as you do yourself? In the course of a day you are likely to do ten things, eight of which you will do very well. Yet at the end of the day it is the two you didn’t master, the two that were “less than perfect” that you will remember and recriminate yourself for. Rather than focussing on what you have not yet achieved you need to recognize what you have. Then you will see that you are more than able to fulfill whatever task is at hand, perhaps with a more patient approach?

Patience and Endurance.

Achievements may be slow to come by, but are usually certain, owing to your methodical approach. The sign and house position of the Sun in your chart will give you many clues as to how this happens for you. Saturn, your ruler, is also known as Father Time, teaching valuable lessons through patience, commitment and endurance. Hardship and frustration teach you to refine your ambitions whilst developing long-term staying power. Limits, laws and structures must be recognized and obeyed. There is a need to make something of yourself; and this will become a key driving force. Submitting to the need for order, structure and discipline will lead to long term satisfaction and contentment.

Sometimes the inner expectation that life must be hard for you makes things far more difficult than need be. You meet what you expect in the world, and with Capricorn rising you may secretly expect hardship and limitation to greet you at every turn. These beliefs can lead to difficulty in realising your goals. The belief that life must be hard for you often sets things up so that they are! Learning to appreciate your need for hard work and discipline, without seeing yourself as somehow under the thumb of Cruel Fate, helps. Also putting your ambitions into perspective is a good move.

The Pleasures of Life.

There is more to life than hard work and discipline. The potential to enjoy the physical things of life is also strong. You need to let yourself enjoy the journey, and your potential for sensual pleasure. This of course is much more easily achieved, once the crippling limitations of guilt and self-repression are removed. This Ascendant also brings great responsiveness to the needs and feelings of those you hold close. You will work hard for the people you care about. An ideal partner is one who can provide plenty of nurturing and support as a balance to all the apparent stiffness of the ‘capable’ Capricorn mask.

Publicly, you may come across as reserved. Always aware of status and protocol, you will avoid doing anything that might adversely affect your reputation. You will be aware of decorum and following appropriate social codes, but behind closed doors, another story can emerge. This sign is also associated with the festival of Saturnalia, in honour of Earthly Pleasures and Delights. With Capricorn rising you will find a sense of purpose and inner balance comes through pursuing your ambitions whilst giving plenty of time for recreation. By developing your sensual and practical sides you will find satisfaction, whilst reminding yourself that you are far more capable than you let yourself believe.

The Gift of Capricorn Rising.

You are a work in progress and, in the end, highly likely to succeed. Affirming that you are able to create what you need EASILY while taking time to enjoy life’s pleasures will help to overcome any self-imposed limitations. Through perseverance and faith in your own ability you will eventually reach the summit of your desired achievements. If in doubt, just think about how far you have come. You are a born leader and strategist. 

AQUARIUS RISING.

Born with Aquarius on your Ascendant (or Rising), you will find a clearer sense of individuality is gained by stepping back to look at life from an objective perspective.

A detached point of view allows for a logical assessment of the circumstances around you, giving you the ability to find, at times, lightning fast resolution to key issues.

This is the sign of the collective over the individual, the group over the singular.

You are likely to have an especially broad view on society that allows you to mix with a great variety of people.

Your awareness of group and social dynamics is paramount for your overall self-expression.

Putting group endeavours first may override purely personal concerns.

There is likely to be a pronounced tendency to act in ways that will benefit the collective, rather than provide personal gain.

This then is the rising sign of the true humanitarian, who gets what they need in ways that are socially responsible and considerate.

You may be suited to working with large groups of people, especially organizations or groups that have a humanitarian focus.

You may also be drawn to arenas such as science, politics, communications or human resources, and have a strong social conscience.

Usually open to scientific innovation, you can be an early-adopter or work with advances in technology.

Broadcasting also falls under this sign, and you may have significant talents here.

Heightened Intuition.

When your Ascendant is Aquarius, your intellect may be highly pronounced, and you may also be gifted with a strong intuition – able to see the gestalt of a situation in one moment, then make pinpoint decisions based upon multi-leveled dimensions of information. With sudden flashes of illumination you see the next step, and should learn to trust yourself enough to proceed. The sign and house position of the Sun in your chart will give you many clues as to how and where this happens most for you.

This rising sign is both idealistic yet practical, and concerned with the benefit of the group. You may be somewhat rebellious and unorthodox.This is as it should be, for those with Aquarius rising are meant to “bring to earth” their vision of future worlds. Accordingly, you may suffer at the hands of others because of your apparent eccentricities. You may have played the role of the outsider or someone different from an early age, and become used to following the beat of your own drum. Freedom is important, as it allows you to continue being the rebel or renegade, ready to bring about the unorthodox and new.

Sometimes Aloof.

Sometimes, this level of future orientation does not manifest. You may instead display a serious and calculating demeanour concerned with social position, status and due process. Isolation and autonomy become strategies used to defend yourself against close connection with others. In this instance, care must be taken not to become too rigid and crystallized as the years go by. A resistance to change, together with a shrewdly calculated social response, can lead to arthritic and nervous disorders down the track, as well as heart problems.

Personal development comes about by remembering to honour the special things that make you uniquely you, allowing for passion and joy in your life. Extremes of emotion are not usually comfortable for Aquarius rising, and you may have to learn to value your emotions as essential experiences, rather than a cumbersome and embarrassing inconvenience.

You Are Special Too.

You will find your greatest happiness comes about when you find the love that is lying beneath most outbursts of emotion, discovering that vulnerability is not in fact a sign of weakness. You may at times look down upon others when they seek to be recognized and seen as important, for you have an innate dislike of self-centered behaviours, and a tendency to view emotional neediness as a curious weakness found in lesser beings.

Opening up to the emotional and passionate dimensions of your being helps you to avoid aloofness, and lets you realize that in order to be truly human, you need to respond with both reason and emotion. In this way, you gain a clear understanding, and not just an abstract idea, of what being human is all about.

The Gift of Aquarius Rising.

Life is best met with a sense of hope and a happy vision for the future, knowing that through the right application of ideas and technology, humanity can be evolve. You are likely to take up social causes, supporting the ideals of liberty, fraternity and equality for all. Your sense of equality and ability to connect with all can be one of your greatest assets. Even if you feel different from the rest, you can find the group that is right for you if you share your unique perspective.

PISCES RISING.

Born with Pisces on your Ascendant (or Rising) you are likely to be an especially sensitive individual, with an ability to “pick up on” the unseen influences in your surroundings.

Your sensitivity is in fact both your gift and your challenge.

Learning to recognize the feelings that flow through you for what they are, and then find an outlet for their expression, is required.

There is an inherent challenge around knowing how to project your self into the world.

The need to present a cohesive sense of individuality is at odds with the fluid and elusive qualities of this sign.

With Pisces, the urge is to merge with one’s environment and then transcend boundaries.

You may find yourself asking – “How can I project any clear identity when who I feel I am is so open to change”? For this reason you may find it hard to know what you want to do in life.

You could find yourself going along with whatever the most dominant influence suggests, even if it does not really make you happy.

The Chameleon’s Life.

With Pisces Ascendant, you may feel like a chameleon or “shape-shifter”, changing your personality to adapt to those around you. You may have a sense that no-one really knows who you are – because the image you project keeps changing. You find yourself taking on other people’s personalities because it is so easy to become whatever you think they want you to be. This is great if you are an actor, but makes dealing with the real world somewhat problematic. Discovering the essence of your own individuality, and then developing this is essential for your happiness. Thus, a delicate balance between focus and fluidity, between adapting to others and asserting your self, is required.

This dilemma will be resolved by cultivating the awareness that you are part of something greater than your individual self. You will find your strength by seeing yourself as connected to a greater whole. This may seem like a paradox, but is the essence of Pisces rising. Your journey will remind you that there is more to life than meets meets the eye. Through creativity, spirituality or service you are likely to find a higher truth that will give meaning to your life. The sign and house position of the Sun in your chart will give you many clues as to how this is likely to unfold.

Heightened Sensitivity.

You may be very creative, with a strong imagination. You may have a strong interest in film, photography, drama, dance, music or any kind of abstract artistic expression. Or you may inherent creative gifts which can be cultivated. Developing these talents or interest will benefit you greatly on an emotional level and help you find your way through the world.

Or you may have a strong sense of spirituality, with a keen awareness of the transcendent aspects of life. Through meditation, contemplation and prayer you find meaning. You may be especially intuitive, even psychic, able to connect with higher dimensions and bring spiritual knowledge into others’ lives.

You may experience strong feeling of compassion for others, and so dedicate your life to service. You could be interested in working with the sick or needy. Or you may be drawn to some kind of therapy or counselling work. Learning when to give, and when to hold back, is essential.You must maintain appropriate boundaries for your own well-being. This can be a constant challenge. Your nature is to give from the depths of who you are, yet you must learn not to take this to an extreme Giving unconditionally is admirable, but giving yourself away is not. When you fail to maintain boundaries you open the door for others to take advantage of you, or to become seriously unwell.

The Urge to Escape.

Some of you may have trouble coping with your sensitivity and so, the realities of life. In this instance, you may become “the victim “ or the one who needs to be saved. Dealing with reality might be avoided, because you have unconsciously set up circumstances which require you to receive “special care”. There may be a subconscious belief that you are too vulnerable to cope, or that someone else should do it for you. You may deal with life by seeking a means of escape. In this case, escape can come through drugs, alcohol, illness and even madness. Or you may give up your individual autonomy by “flowing” with whatever is happening, allowing external events to control you. This can prevent from taking charge of your own life course.You may have a love of indulgence that joins easily with the desire to escape. Emotional extremes, impulses and addictions can take over if your ego boundaries are too loose, leading to all sorts of psychological disturbances.

Other people often provide the discrimination, caution and common sense that you need. Thus you do best with analytical types who can give a rational, no-nonsense assessment of any situation.

The Gift of Pisces Rising.

With Pisces rising you need to balance great compassion, creativity and sensitivity with the constant urge to escape. You seek liberation from your isolated self by merging with others. This may be a romantic ideal, a spiritual dream or a nihilistic vision with no future. Whatever the image is, your challenge is to learn how to manifest your many gifts, and at the same time, stay grounded on the earthly plane. You are a spiritual being living a physical life. Your mission is to make the most of it.

[stillness-in-green]

MLA Week, Day 2: Judge/Shackles/Freedom

A threefer!  Spinner and his brand new lieutenants.  (Look, until Horikoshi starts deigning to give these guys names, they are free real estate.)

I was originally going to use this day to write about one of the more thuggy or delinquent-looking lieutenants, spin out an ex-con not being able to get his feet back under him and so sliding into the MLA’s sphere, but then I remembered this three foot tall goblin in a drugstore Halloween costume and decided to go with him instead.

Also included is Spinner’s number 1, this gal: 

Content Notes: Discussions of disability, portrayal of the marginalized having become the radicalized.  The Liberation Army’s really fascinating, y’all. 

———–      ———–      ———–      ———–

«I think you’ll like this one,» Nimble announces, the rainbow-colored letters of her quirk dancing in the air.  

“You thought I’d like the first two, too,” Spinner replies skeptically, looking away from the floating words to focus on his brand new number one, a woman with a face like a doll whose sculptor had gotten as far as the eyes—huge and green—before giving up on the rest, little things like a nose and a mouth.  She breathes by absorbing air through her skin like a frog, apparently, which is why she dresses the way she does, a distractingly low-cut tank top and a sweater jacket that he has never once seen covering her shoulders.  

She shrugs, expressive eyes briefly fluttering closed, and movement in the air draws Spinner’s attention back over to where her quirk—Sky Write—has spelled out her response.  

«I thought you’d like them too.  Can I call him in?»

“Yeah, go ahead.”  Just as long as he’s not a not surly bastard like the last two.  They’d had good quirks, the last two, but damned if Spinner’s going to work with people who can’t even manage to keep resentment out of their eyes for the length of a job interview, or whatever this process of picking subordinates out of an army full of people that were trying to kill him less than two weeks ago is called.  

Nimble’s letters dissolve into a shapeless blur as she looks over to the door, eyebrows briefly lowering in concentration.  A few seconds later, the door to Spinner’s makeshift office opens. Spinner’s eyes drop almost half-a-person’s length in height and he tries to keep the surprise off his face.  

“A kid?”

«He’s twenty-one, actually.»  

“What she said.”  The voice comes out a bit muffled through the black hood covering the kid’s—okay, the twenty-one-year old’s face.  But if he’s the same age as Spinner, he sure as hell doesn’t look it.  He can’t be over a meter tall, with the skinniest legs Spinner’s ever seen sticking out from under the hem of the black robe he wears like a kid running around the house beneath a sheet.  A big feathery ruff sits around his neck like a dried-out wreath.  

“Scarecrow, reporting in.” The weird little gremlin settles into a military rest in front of the desk, far enough back that it’s not too obvious that he has to tilt his head to look over it.  “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”  

Spinner stares at him, trying to suppress a grimace.  Scarecrow stares back through little eyeholes cut in the hood, but without being able to see more of his face, it’s impossible to tell if he’s glaring or just has really piercing eyes.  

“Right.”  Spinner glances over at Nimble, who nods.  Her response scrawls itself in the air between them, facing first him, then angling to face the gremlin.  

«Show him your meta-ability, Scarecrow.  Catch!»  

She pulls out a 100 yen coin and deftly balances it on her thumb before flicking it out into the air over the desk.

Spinner bites back a yelp as bug legs unfold from beneath Scarecrow’s ruff, long, segmented things that narrow down to sharp points at the tips.  Two thin lines of silk jet out from the knobby second joints, catching on the spinning coin, and the legs reel it back in, bouncing it in the air, spinning it like a weight on a string, then cocooning it up with quick efficiency.  It falls neatly into his hand—not a normal human hand, Spinner notices belatedly, but a prosthetic, hard plastic and super articulated, with cables visible beneath the individual parts.

“I can fully cocoon up to twelve adult men a day,” Scarecrow rattles out.  “I can also pull myself up the sides of walls and move between buildings, if they’re close enough together.  I was inducted into the Meta Liberation Army on my sixteenth birthday; my parents have been members for ten years.  I know we’re a relatively new family, but—”

“I don’t—”  Spinner stops himself from finishing that sentence with care about that stuff, amending to, “I’m not worried about your—generation or whatever.”  Is that better?  Neither Scarecrow or Nimble react to it with narrowed eyes or a snarl, anyway. Promising?  “Why’d you join up?”  

Jumping on a bandwagon is one thing, but at least that takes a running start and a leap.  Not like joining a cult because it’s just the family business, Spinner thinks viciously at his memory of that greasy asshole Trumpet’s plated mask.

Scarecrow stares at him for a long second.  Spinner does his best to look serious, like he’s actually got a whole prepared list of questions or whatever.  Like he knows what he’s doing.  

Finally, Scarecrow holds up his hands, both spread wide, both obvious prosthetics.  His bug legs twitch and probe at the air.  

“I was born with no arms,” he says.  “Just my forelegs.  It’s not the same as having opposable thumbs, obviously, but it’s better than you’d think. But my teachers used to scold me for raising a foreleg instead of a hand to answer a question or carry things.  The kind of stuff a kid who didn’t have a birth defect could use their quirk to do and no one would look twice.  If I go out in public and so much as open doors for myself with them, people look at me funny.  Because I look funny.”

Don’t use your quirk at school outside of training lessons, Shuuichi-kun.  Spinner remembers that kind of bias, yeah.  All the non-heteromorphic kids could run around the schoolyard playing tag with snowballs in July, but heaven forbid he use his quirk to climb a tree so he can get away from bullies for the length of a lunchbreak.  

He pushes the memory away and nods at Scarecrow to keep him talking.  Not that the guy needs much pushing—he talks like someone who’s told the story before, hard-edged, voice intense despite a mid-ranged pitch.  He’s got just a hint of a—a hiss or a lisp, something that muddles the edges of his hard consonants.  The hood doesn’t move like he’s hiding mandibles under there, but…

“I’ve been wearing prosthetics for longer than I can remember.  The government pays for most of it, since I was born this way, but there’re a lot of limitations on it.  How often they’ll replace them, what my folks got charged for them.  It was always tight, and the kinds of prosthetics government money buys definitely weren’t as nice as these.”  He flexes his false fingers demonstratively.

“My folks and I met Re-Destro—” and there’s that note of reverence, the same tone Re-Destro himself’s using about Shigaraki these days “—when I was nine.  A family friend recommended Detnerat’s products to us, and he took an interest. That’s how we found out about the Army.”

“Yeah?”  Spinner crosses his arms over his chest.  

“My parents joined up because of me.  But I joined up for myself.  Because people think that because I have prosthetics, I shouldn’t need to use my forelegs in public.” Scarecrow’s voice sharpens.  “Like I don’t have the right to use the limbs I was born with.  I should have that right.  We all should.”

“We’re not out to reform society, you know,” Spinner cautions him.  He’s had to tell Re-Destro that too many times already, and that’s just having grasped it himself there in the ruins of Deika.  “That’s not what Shigaraki’s after.”  

Scarecrow gives him another long, quiet look, unreadable behind his hood.  Finally—slower, less practiced—he nods and answers, “Destro’s teaching was that oppression will always lead to revolution.  The Grand Commander of the Liberation Army is the one who’ll throw off those chains.  Whatever he makes of the world, I want to be there to help, not sitting in my shackles waiting for someone to hand me an answer.”

Spinner breathes out hard. He scratches at his hair.  

“…Right,” he manages. Don’t admit he said it better than you could.  “Well put.” He turns to Nimble and adds, “Well, he didn’t offend me.”

«I know you’d like him.»  Her words practically shimmy in the air, flickering green and yellow and pink.  «Then do we have our number 2?»

Spinner glances back over at Scarecrow, who’s staring determinedly out the window behind the desk, his back toy soldier straight.  He still looks more like a kid in a costume than anything else, but…  

Well, I like him better than people like the politician.  And we need to keep things moving, anyway.  Don’t stop running or someone might catch up.  

“Yeah, I think so” he says aloud, then takes a breath and leans over the desk, offering a hand.  Scarecrow takes it without a second’s pause, plastic clicking against Spinner’s scales.  “Welcome to the Support Regiment.”  

———–      ———–      ———–      ———–

I’ll have some links up about things here when I post this to AO3, but in the meantime, Scarecrow--whose condition at birth was called amelia--wears a hood not because he’s embarrassed of a bug face, but rather because he’s embarrassed of the way various surgeries to repair cleft palate and cleft lip have left his face looking.  He’s much more confident in showing off his meta-ability than what he thinks of as his disability.  

Scarecrow is also vaguely modeled on an insect called a webspinner, a tiny little bug that lives in big communal web “galleries” and has the unusual feature of its silk production apparatus being located on its front legs rather than the base of its abdomen like spiders.  The choice felt appropriate for an unusually tiny cult member with top-mounted spider legs.   

[enkisstories]

Just like them (part 2)

November 16, 2038 The DPD’s reception hall

As part of his parole terms Daniel was required to report to a social worker ever so often. But not today and certainly not right here at the police station. What had led the android here this morning, after having gotten let out only the day before, was the need to file a lost item report on…

“…my left hand.”

The police officer behind the counter, her nameplate read “Chen, Tina”, looked down at Daniel’s very functional left hand. The android was using it to knock impatiently on the surface.

“Looks functional to me”, the woman remarked.

For the second time in his existence Daniel sighed, then started to recount the loss of his real hand that was holding the Phillips apartment key in all its colorful detail. Almost as patiently as an ST300 android the human took notes. But when Daniel answered “August” at the prompt when exactly the item in question had went missing, Tina shook her head.

“Look, deviant-dude, I still need to wrap my head around your revolution and all the new rules, but if there’s a single certainty left in my life, then this: We’re living in Detroit.”

“So what?!”

Tina laughed, radiating disbelief at how one claiming to be a person manufactured and raised in her hometown didn’t get it by now. “A key lost in this city in summer would have been used long ago”, she explained. “By now your apartment would have been stripped clean of everything even remotely valuable.”

While Tina was talking, three men entered the reception hall, coming through the barrier between it and the authorized personnel only - zone. The first man was in his thirties and from his looks a small-scale criminal whose boss had just now coughed up the bail money. The second was middle aged and looking like he had spent the night in the drunk tank and the third… the third man was an RK800 android. THE RK800.

Oh, no! Not that thing again!

Before Daniel could react to Connor’s presence in any way, the thug shoved him aside and started to agitatedly talk to Officer Chen. The android found himself stumbling from the push. What the hell…? He, who had stood a few inches away from a vast chasm, holding a struggling girlchild, all the while still hitting true and keeping a bunch of humans perched behind their sofa barricade, shouldn’t have lost his balance at a mere grazing hit! Except, of course, that Daniel was standing on replacement legs at the moment. And although a PL600 met the minimum system requirements for those legs, the android’s locomotion system as a whole was a patchwork now, far from optimal. After trying to regain his footing a few times, Daniel eventually gave up. He slumped down on a bench.

I need to look into dedicated drivers for those legs, he thought. The plug and play doesn’t cut it. What if the legs betray me at the worst possible moment? I could have dropped to my death for real yesterday when I scaled that balcony!

Someone who had already managed that feat, betraying Daniel at the worst possible moment, now took a seat next to the deviant: Connor.

“Daniel, I…”, he started, but uncharacteristically for one nicknamed “the negotiator” the android hesitated at this point. Because how did you casually bring up the point that both of you had killed and should probably talk about it? Among the policemen Connor felt unique with his list of lives he had taken or indirectly wrecked within a single week. Many of the other cops had went through their whole careers so far without firing a single shot…

“We went through similar experiences and I thought…” the RK800 started again, only to get yelled at by his erstwhile opponent:

“Oh, did we?! I never had the world’s most powerful company behind me! I couldn’t run to CyberLife whenever I stubbed my pinky toe! And neither did I have a bunch of badge-carrying police friends in my tow wherever I went! Maybe both of us have computers for brains, but Ma Kamski was a bit more generous with her youngest than she was with me. So do not tell me anything about “similar experiences”!”

Daniel’s reencounter with the former deviant hunter was interrupted by the ruffian, who still hadn’t left the police station. To the contrary, the man was leaning onto the bench’s back and talking back and forth between Tina Chen and Connor now. What exactly was getting communicated Daniel didn’t quite get, he only registered that a heartwarming number of insults got directed Connor’s way from both humans, the female cop and the criminal alike.

Daniel didn’t know anything about this duo, other than that they seemed to be a typical humans, as base and petty as they came. But Officer Chen and the stranger not sucking up to CyberLife’s Golden Child made Daniel inclined to like them.

Eventually the male pushed Connor off the bench and towards the exit.

“Move along!” he barked. “Get your plastic arse out of my precinct! You do not belong here!”

Connor remained standing where he had ended up, halfway between the counters and the door, visibly hurt. Seeing the deviant hunter like that felt… admittedly less satisfying than Daniel had imagined it would.

“You heard him”, Connor addressed Daniel over his shoulder. The RK’s upbeat, almost chirpy, voice sounded downcast when he added: “We have to leave.”

“What do you mean, “we” have to leave? I thought you were a cop?”

“I was only lent to the DPD, to help solve the deviant cases. They were soon to receive a new and improved RK900, while I… Didn’t you know I am a prototype?”

Daniel slowly rose from the bench.

“You were to be replaced short term? With success or failure making no difference?” he gasped. “And you were aware of that all the time?”

“Yeah.”

Arms crossed Daniel was now standing next to the deviant hunter.

“Sucks”, he said.

Moved at the, albeit curt, expression of sympathy from Daniel of all people, Connor looked up.

“You really think so, Daniel? Thanks!”

The deviant nodded.

“Everything would have worked out nicely”, he claimed. “But then Markus comes along with his revolution, deviates you and wins freedom for all of androidkind. Would it have been asked too much of him to wait two or three more days? Just long enough for CyberLife to scrap you? Why’s it that you ALWAYS come out on top smelling like a rose?!”

In the androids’ backs someone laughed out loud at these words: the thug, who was still lingering in the hall as if he owned it. Daniel wasn’t quite sure whether the man was on his side, but he was definitely not on Connor’s.

“Should have known you’d say something like this…” Connor uttered through clenched teeth. “Whatever! To answer your question, no, I’m not a cop. I am, in fact, a CyberLife employee. They made a big show of welcoming me back with open arms, no hard feelings and the least amount of hacking attempts. I have a desk in a cubicle and get an office clerk’s paycheck now, never mind that the company has no idea what to task me with, therefore I spent my first week at “work” serving coffee and watering the potted flowers. Everyone else in the office is tiptoeing around me, uncertain how to behave in my presence… Meanwhile Captain Fowler paired Hank with Gavin Reed, because with their antisocial tendencies he cannot assign either of them to a normal partner. That’s how messed up my post-deviancy life is!”

Daniel shrugged.

“Just quit with CyberLife, if it annoys you, and apply for a police job through regular means. With your qualification there’s no way they’ll turn you down! Or is a fancy RK800 too good to go through that probationary year?”

“Exactly that I cannot!” Connor shot back. “Because some shitty law states that an applicant must be eighteen years of age and have finished high school. What I obviously haven’t.”

“Flunked one class too many, huh? I bet it was Social Studies. You know, the one where they teach you not to LIE to others!”

“Very funny. Just you wait ‘till after you’ve gotten tossed out of a venue for being technically a minor!”

The PL600, who had spent his first night in freedom alternating between crying, cursing and punching the apartment walls, opened his mouth. He had wanted to live again, no, he was dreaming of living again… or at the very least was familiar with the general idea of living again. The vague concept included theme parks, nightclubs and owning a car. What wasn’t covered by Daniel’s fantasies was a hall pass for minors.

“That can happen?” the deviant asked.

“It happens all the time already”, Connor confirmed. “Reed grabbed me off the street for breaking curfew yesterday, when I was walking Sumo after dark. He knew the route I’d take and lay in wait… pathetic, but effective. That’s why I am here today. Because I spent the night in a cell until my “parent” picked me up.”

“Sweet! - And who is this “Reed” you keep talking about? Your boyfriend?”

“The asshole right behind us.”

“That one? That’s a cop?!”

“The one cop that nobody would have held against you, had you shot him.”

Daniel turned around. He saw the presumed thug leaning against the counter, only now it had a name and a model designation: Gavin Reed, Detective. And indeed, looking more closely Daniel now noticed a faint glimmer of light from the ceiling lamps reflected by the police badge at the man’s belt.

“Fucking tin cans”, Gavin commented. “Half the town’s depopulated, but aren’t we lucky the plastic “people” are here to simulate a lively early morning! Just listen to them argue, Tina! Aren’t they phucking adorable together?”

In between moving two files to their appropriate folders Tina replied that she didn’t care as long as she was getting payed.

“And what did you do this morning?” Gavin raged. “Opening a case file on the toaster’s behalf, wasn’t it? You’re getting payed to serve the machines! The world’s turned upside down!”

“Yes, it is”, Daniel agreed. He nodded towards Connor and then towards Gavin, purposely excluding Tina. “But the vermin’s clinging to the rim, refusing to fall out. – Bye, detectives and office boys.”

(to be continued)

[our-legacy-rp-blog]

JUDY has been accepted for the character JUNE FLETCHER

You brought June to life so beautifully, Judy! From your para sample to headcanons, June really jumped out at us as a character that you have a good handle on, and we can’t wait to see you get started with her.  Welcome to the roleplay, and be sure you fill out the checklist HERE.

OOC name & pronouns: Judy, she/her Age:  26 Timezone: GMT +1

IC INFORMATION:

Character’s name: June Fletcher

FC choice: Adelaide Kane

Position request: /

Birthday: August 20th; Leo’s are creative, self-confident and it’s very hard to resist them. They will work for their goals until they reach them and that fits June perfectly. She will work hard for her goals to come to life. She is passionate and driven and she knows she has to work hard for her dreams to come true, but she usually achieves the things she has set her mind on. She is loyal to the people she cares about and she knows she is considered attractive - like most Leos are - which she generally uses for her own sake. She doesn’t sabotage other people, but she also doesn’t go easy on her competition. She believes that the best should win and she knows that she is the best in the end.

Wand: 13 1/4″, Cherry, Dragon Heartstring

Patronus:

June’s patronus is an owl. It embodies her deep connection with wisdom and intuitive knowledge. She likes to know things and tries to find the hidden things between the lines. She always craves to learn more, to be better and to succeed in life. She never gives up and always tries to master all kinds of challenges with her brain. June feels also pretty connected to owls - or rather birds - in general because they can fly away whenever they want to, which is one of her deepest wishes. She wants to be free and and live her life the way she wants to. She wants to be independent and be recognized for her talent and her wisdom.

Boggart:

June’s biggest fear is failing. She fears being unable to achieve her dreams, so if she would face a Boggart she would see someone else having the job she really craves. June would see a pureblood, someone with not even comparable knowledge and skill, and still this person would be dressed in elegant robes and with a badge on it stating they have her dream job. It would tear her apart seeing this, knowing that although she is working so damn hard, she wouldn’t be able to get her dream job. She would also always believe this person would get the job because of their connections and that is what she is really afraid of. Losing to someone who is not as competent as her.

Headcanons:

June is a very hardworking person. She is studious and she is also a very curious person, but she also knows that her life can’t completely revolve around her dream. She knows that she has to balance herself and her life out. And while she wouldn’t show anybody openly, she would find her relieve in literature. Not in classic, or challenging novels, but in modern and best selling books, which are usually quite trashy. She still feel like she can unwind and yet she is ashamed of her guilty pleasure, knowing that some of the books she likes to read would make other people doubt her taste and sanity.

Having two Dads made the girl struggle once she got into puberty. She was unable to talk to someone about all the things a female has to go through and while she loved her grandmother dearly, she never really felt like it was appropriate to talk to the woman about anything of that sort. In the end she would do her own research mainly because she is a curious person and not afraid of finding answers to her questions. A lot of her questions she would answer not only theoretically but also practically, but always making sure to be safe and never risk anything. That way she had her first drink, her first drag of a cigarette and also her first time. She would do tons of research and then just go for it, always reflecting what she had done and trying to make sure she wouldn’t make any kind of mistake she might have made ever again.

June has a very girly yet elegant way of style. While she is a rather serious person, she somehow dresses more feminine than you would expect. She likes braiding her hair, she often spends time painting her nails and if she isn’t wearing her uniform, she likes to wear skirts, dresses and other pretty things. The brunette believes it is the perfect clash to her personality making her more diverse and interesting, using her way of style as a way of self expression and also as a tool to connect with others and use them for her own advantage.

History:

A wild Friday night at the Fletcher household usually consists of June’s two fathers - Byron and Lewis - sitting their two children down to quiz them on magical law. Having forged careers in the field themselves not long after graduating from Hogwarts, the Fletcher’s have built a name for themselves working as top lawyers for private wizarding companies. One of June’s fathers works for Gringotts, the wizarding bank, where he settles any lawsuits filed against the bank for damaged items kept in their care or, on the rare occasion, missing funds. Her other father is employed by a broom manufacturing giant where lawsuits and complaints are frequent and often with a hefty moral pricetag attached. June learned early that rules were relative: if you could talk your way out of something, then it was never really enforced to begin with.

The oldest of the Fletcher children, June and her brother Augustus were adopted by their fathers as newborns. Neither of them wanted for anything: a good home and constant support, love, and attention was given to them despite the busy schedules that the two men had. Weekends were always family time, no matter how big the case or important the client, and because family came first for the Fletcher’s, they were always able to communicate openly about their feelings. It became obvious early that June was a smart girl but her interests laid elsewhere than magical law - a fact that was a difficult pill to swallow for her fathers, but one they took with grace. The two men never hid it from their children that they expected great things - they were open to the idea of June and her brother doing anything, whether it be art or music or law, so long as they were passionate and worked hard at it. The children were given a lot of freedom to explore what they liked, often spending days with their grandmother who would take them to museums and muggle science centres where they could experience new things to get a feel for what they liked. June would always appreciate the effort her fathers and also her grandmother would take. She loved to know they cared enough to give her brother and also her all those opportunities and make sure they could see and experience a lot of things. The fact that her family was so supportive of her made her simply just as supportive. She would be the one to encourage her brother, or to support her fathers whenever they would struggle with their work. She believed that support was something important and as long as someone close to you would support you and you would believe in yourself everything was possible.

June was every bit as hard-working and studious as her fathers, even from a young age. She learned to read quite quickly and she was speaking a very polite and formal way for a young girl. But she also enjoyed learning things about the muggle world, trying to figure things out, explain them and maybe find a purpose in them. Though she enjoyed the muggle world that her grandmother showed her and found the wizarding law books to be very dry and dull, June was still fascinated by the Ministry of Magic. For her eighth birthday present, she requested a visit there - odd to her parents, but a wonderland for June, who had dreamed of the day for months. But June’s fascination with the Ministry was no whim or childhood fantasy - in fact, it spawned a love of the building and its inner workings, one that continued to be her single-minded focus for years to come. She revelled in the way the Wizengamot worked in tandem with the Departments; she studied the structure of each Department and the branches under them until she was a more reliable narrator for each floor than the elevator at the Ministry itself. The intrigue of the government turned into a study of its laws and procedures, and June even loved that - the idea of making a difference, and from starting from the ground up was the most interesting thing to her.

Just a few years later Hogwarts came and welcomed June into Ravenclaw house, where her ambitions and intellect would be honed and crafted into something that she could use later on. June set her sights on the Wizengamot, wanting to be at the forefront of decision making in the wizarding world. She knew that goal was ambitious but the girl believed that her dreams could come true and she would work hard for them if needed to. Every summer she has an internship at the Ministry, trying to network and make connections with people in high places, and though she was often just making coffee, she’s never let that sway her from her dream. A half-blood with no real family connections to the big players in the wizarding world, June has had to make do with getting by on her intellect, hard-work, and persistence: if she wants something, she makes sure that she works hard for it. Wanting to make a career for herself is something that keeps June working hard into the early hours of the morning, and she refuses to be swayed from the idea.

Cutting corners has never been June’s style, and because of this, she can be strict, unwavering, and unfriendly in her journey to get to the top. Ruthless only when it comes to herself, June will drive herself to make it, no matter the cost - she doesn’t believe in sabotaging anyone else, but she also isn’t one to play it cool or go easy on the competition. And that is how June sees her peers: as competition. Everything from the daily house point rankings to the N.E.W.T exams is fair game for June, and her unsportsmanlike attitude can rub some people the wrong way. June can be a handful - energetic, loud, and confident, June is out for herself and no one else, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have friends. Anyone who can deal with June is someone that she wants to keep for life, though they are few and far between.

Networking is something that June tries to squeeze in between her studies, especially with the pureblood families with big reputations attached. An unfortunate and unavoidable fact of the wizarding world, June’s realised, is that these people are going to be walking into Ministry positions while she’s struggling to get her resume read. Because of this, June wants to befriend - or at least be on speaking terms with - the big players. More often than not, June is straightforward and honest about her intentions, hoping to trade favours or study notes for a chance to hang out with someone important. June will do anything to get ahead of her peers, but it’s always her mind that pushes her to that position. A Ravenclaw through and through, June seems to have boundless energy and a passion for seizing the day that can exhaust others on sight.

Now:

Being raised the way the Fletcher’s raised their children it is no surprise that June is focusing mainly on her school work. The Ravenclaw has a hard time relaxing or just having fun the way her classmates would have it. She knows that she misses out on a lot according to the others but she looks at it in a different way. The girl just knows that she doesn’t need to hang out with friends, watch Quidditch games or be a player herself to unwind and feel better about herself. She knows her fathers haven’t raised her to be lazy and average in all of her classes. Quite the contrary. She wants to make her fathers, her grandmother and also Augustus proud of her, so she works especially hard and tries to stay away from drama and everything else as good as possible.

Being interested in politics and the Ministry the girl can be found quite often with newspapers in her hands, or a book about the Ministry in her lap. She tries to stay up to date and she never keeps her opinions to herself. She speaks her mind freely, likes to discuss politics and never backs away from a discussion. She can accept and tolerate other people’s opinion even if she doesn’t share them and yet there are topics she is very passionate about. Topics which will make her lose her politeness and shows her hot temper, which is quite typical for a Leo.

The girl tries her best to have a successful last year at Hogwarts, knowing that once the year is over she will move on to greater things. She will finally try to achieve her big dreams and maybe that is why she feels slightly sentimental more and more often. She spends a lot of time alone, trying to memorize all those little things she has been so used to while attending Hogwarts. Over the last weeks - while always refraining from spending too much time in the common room or on the school grounds - the girl can be found there more and more often. She tries to be more social, while not being actively social. She simply spends her time surrounded by others, while she would still have her head in the books and her mind in the clouds.

[tuthillscopes-blog]

The 30 Things I Learned By The Age Of 30

check it out @ https://tuthillscopes.com/the-30-things-i-learned-by-the-age-of-30/

The 30 Things I Learned By The Age Of 30

My make an effort to convey the understanding Ive acquired previously 3 decades, has shown to be tougher than initially anticipated. It was not simply dependent on listing a number of learning, but prioritising deciding on probably the most critical ones, which have created a lengthy-lasting imprint on me and also have formed my persona in the manner people and that i recognise it today.

Captured, I visited the greatest mosaic museum on the planet known as the Zeugma museum in Gaziantep, Poultry. I recall on that day, after i lurched among the traditional ruins gloriously erected, I almost felt like travelling back in its history. Every mosaic told a tale every coloured stone symbolized an instalment, that when put together, recreated an entire era.

When I was approaching 30, a cascade of questions and solutions was triggered within my mind. What have I learned previously 3 decades? Have I learned anything more? I reflected, dug up hidden recollections, relived vivid souvenirs, so that they can recreate the mosaic of my very own existence.

1. Things are transient.

Like lots of people, I increased up believing in eternity. Eternal existence, eternal love, and eternal happiness are the eternals I aspired to achieve. Whether instigated by religion or fear, eternity is really a myth, a phantom we secretly nurture within the shadows in our ideas, wishing itll become real eventually. This is exactly what my recurring losses helped me understand. My existence occasions were really like waves where I surfed, just for a short while. All of them hit my inner shores eventually, and disappeared within the sands of my recollections. Several things remained, yes, however they weren’t exactly the same again. Things are temporary. Dont you believe?

2. The grass isnt greener on the other hand.

We spend a lot of our time wanting to have what we should do not have. If there exists a garden, get married want a forest, and there exists a forest, get married want a jungle, and when there exists a jungle, well, get married want an outdoor. We believe that other bands life is better. We believe their moon is definitely full as well as their stars will always be better. I personally, wasn’t safe from this type of demeanour. But oh how mistaken we’re! Dont we all know that everyone has an encumbrance to hold, that people each one is soldiers of existence fighting a fight nobody knows of? I learned to invest time watering my inner garden and sowing my very own seeds. In the end, our vegetation is all prone to droughts and worms, regardless of by which land they grow. Grass is grass.

3. The ego is really a weapon of mass destruction.

I increased in a culture that constantly attempts to prove itself. Held in challenging between conservatism and liberalism, we constantly look for a name that defines us, and reclaim the lost bits of ourselves scattered between your East and also the West. This can be more pronounced within my culture compared to others, however i dare say it is not uncommon to anybody. Dont all of us attempt to prove ourselves in lots of ways? Dont everybody wants to demonstrate we exist? This really is known as ego. A dominating energy that reflects our need to impose, conquer, overtake, and win. I personally, fell prey to my ego many occasions. Pride, arrogance, and pretension are signs and symptoms of the magnified I and major hurdles to achieving ones full potential. Our ego destroys us, destroys others, and blinds us. I learned to become more humble, more loving, to compromise, and also to forgive. In a nutshell, I learned to determine more with me for it is just using the heart that you can see appropriately what’s essential is invisible towards the eye.

4. Kindness is really a weapon of mass construction.

Are we able to all recall a period when weve been mistreated? It takes place nearly anywhere: at the office, in your own home, around the roads, as well as in our social circles. Doesnt it? Mistreatment is a kind of violence that fuels the demons of revenge laying dormant beneath our ego. Our reactions frequently mention similar amounts of anger, abuse, and harshness. Ive done that the couple of occasions, until I finally learned to target your product more frequently. Being kind one of the baby wolves is neither cowardice nor weakness, as our ego falsely signifies. Kindness is really a weapon of mass construction, the best expression of maturity and knowledge. It rebuilds the dismantled bits of love, restores ones dignity, and soothes the hardest emotional wounds. Visiting consider it, kindness happens to be rewarding in my experience and it has always done me justice. So regardless of how strong the need to harm or destroy another may be, I learned to allow kindness prevail, because its only then that i’m a champion.

5. Locating a lifetime partner isn’t a pre-requisite for happiness.

We reside in a world where finding our spouse is regarded as essential, a supreme goal by itself. The majority of us recognize the eternal symphony and it is traditional movements sang everywhere: locating the (right) one, marriage, and getting children. While with a this can be a secret recipe for happiness, in my experience its known as noise, an annoying resonance without anyone’s knowledge. I learned how to disregard it. Actually, I realized which i met many ones, but these were okay. Simply because they didnt stay, doesnt mean these were wrong. With time, I learned to write my very own sonata and produced different movements. I known as them self-sufficiency, autonomy, freedom, and independence. I’m each one of these four. I’m grounded. I’m proud.

6. Happiness hides in tiny problems.

After I was more youthful, I produced a picture of myself at age 30 that is today a black and white-colored picture resting within the album of my memory. I stored it there purposefully to help remind me of methods far I had been from reality. All of the expectations and hopes I’d for which a contented existence appears like were just a fantasy. For the reason that photo, I had been posing having a husband and three children, all whom I havent met yet. My existence today is basically traditional. It doesnt meet our societys minimum standards of the happy existence. But oh how wealthy I’m! How free and lucky I’m to see adventures unusual and moments of infinite pleasure! I discovered happiness in tiny problems: within the corners of coffee houses, in a single type of a magazine, in greeting a destitute, in exchanging a grin having a stranger, in wandering in an exceedingly old castle. We do not need to follow along with the norms. We do not need be conventional. Browse around! Happiness hides in tiny problems.

7. Things are poisonous, there is nothing poisonous, it’s all dependent on dose.

This learning dates back to my chemistry class in class. I did not know in those days that it is a philosophy I ought to apply in every aspect of my existence. It’s known as moderation, an important component in my equilibrium. Moderation for each other, in fun, in ambitions, brings inner peace even going to probably the most turbulent souls. It’s stored me solidly grounded and stable. I notice that almost all people find it difficult to keep things in balance and therefore are very likely towards extreme opposing rods. They either come with an overdose of all things or choose not to taste anything. This really is possibly why my pace can’t be synchronised using the majority. My irritation doesnt originate from the things they say or do, but exactly how frequently they are saying the things they say or attempt what they are doing. An excessive amount of love can suffocate, while not enough love can result in starvation. I learned to like sufficient, have some fun sufficient, cry sufficient, and become sufficient.

8. Persistence is really a virtue.

I’m an impatient person. I live more later on compared to present. My imagination is definitely racing as time passes. I paint images of the flowers thatll grow next spring. I’ve found waiting to be really hard. Irrrve never got accustomed to its bitterness. I believe waiting is probably the heaviest burden borne through the spirit. Yet, waiting is inevitable. Searching back inside my existence, I understand that the great stuff that became of me found an effective solution after lengthy periods of waiting. It is a fact these periods were intercepted with bouts of eagerness, however they were developed, formed, and polished by persistence. The questions that when tormented me about love, friendship, careers, self-worth yet others, all found their solutions within my persistence. It may be true in the end so good things arrived at individuals who wait.

9. Top quality relationships matter.

This can be a little scientific but research has proven so good quality relationships are connected with better health outcomes, which is not only health. Loneliness for example increases the chance of depression and it is connected having a lower existence expectancy. The findings from the Harvard Study of Adult Development lately presented on TEDx confirmed an old knowledge everyone knows. The research viewed the lives of individuals for more than 75 many figured that good relationships stop us more happy and healthier. I learned to nurture the relationships I’ve, to safeguard and safeguard them. I still dislike the abundance of individuals within my existence. I do not have neither time, nor energy, nor hunger to gather buddies and acquaintances. I’m just happy and grateful using the couple of ones I’ve.

10. We accept the romance we believe we deserve.

Approximately Ive heard for many years not understanding what this signifies exactly. Ive recognized mistreatments many occasions. I wept because of it many occasions. Yet Ive built the same choices repeatedly. So why do we re-engage, again and again, in encounters that when made us suffer? Today the solution may come as clearly as always: because we dont think we deserve better. With time, I learned to understand myself, value myself, respect myself, love myself, and it is only then, only if I saw how worthy I’m, that my choices grew to become rightful, healthier, nurturing, and enriching. I actually do deserve a great existence. You do too. I actually do should be loved. You do too. I actually do should be treated well. You do too. Today, I’ll never accept anything less. Which means you will.

11. Studying is definitely an antidote to mediocrity.

Possibly for this reason the world is mediocre. I had been oblivious towards the miraculous results of books for many years until I’d my very own space. I stepped in to the mystical realm of books and enjoyed swimming within an sea made from ink with waves made from ideas. Each time I open a magazine, Personally i think like lifting a curtain from my soul. And each time I close a magazine, I understand that i’m a measure nearer to myself. I found that studying cures loneliness, solutions our most complex questions, transcends distance and time, and unites us with humanity, history, space, and also the future.

12. Many people are hungry for love.

Have you been verbally or emotionally mistreated? Well, I’ve. Although me hasn’t become safe from negativity, hurtful language, unkindness, and cruel conduct, Ive learned something which eventually altered my perception towards such absolutely common behaviours. I have faith that behind every negative comment, every wounding word, every insensitive gesture, there’s somebody who hasnt been loved enough. Exactly what a pity! The number of people crave to become loved yet never admit so! The possible lack of love should have produced a massive painful void within the soul. In my opinion everyone has a bird inside ourselves. When loved enough, the bird flaps its wings and fly. So when not, it uses its beak to eliminate. Things I learned, would be to always do my favorite to like that bird.

13. Silence is healing.

Possibly for this reason the world is really ill. My culture loves noise. Laughs are loud, greetings are loud, farewells are loud, everything howls. There’s surely grounds why many people hide behind the noise. Will we know what it’s? I believe to prevent silence. Alone, people can hear themselves and theyre very frequently scared to pay attention. Silence is sort of a stream of freshwater running within the spirit, and filling the cracks produced by noise having a soothing tranquility. Silence heals, clears up confusions, rectifies prejudices, brushes from the remains of uncertainty, and brings people nearer to one another. I learned to hear the seem of silence. Silence is really a story teller, a counsellor, along with a friend.

14. Between love and hate, indifference may be the worst.

There’s nothing worse than being stuck inside a condition of nothingness. A condition in which you feel neither hot nor cold, neither excited nor tired, neither interested nor bored, neither happy nor sad, neither calm nor angry. You float inside a vacuum that is filled with oxygen yet without any existence, filled with space, yet without any freedom, filled with silence, yet without any peace. Will we exist simply because the problem creating your body is alive? Or does existence exceed the problem, beyond survival, where the soul vibrates, sings, loves and hates all simultaneously? I exist after i love, after i hate. I exist since i feel. Indifference is dying.

15. A job is simply a job.

A lot of us operate in jobs it normally won’t like. We invest a lot of our time, mental, intellectual and emotional energy at work. We project our whole being and obtain compensated for this in the finish from the month. At the office we like, we envy, we seek attention, we yell, we agonise, we bare burdens, because many of us are humans wherever we’re. However, we frequently neglect to recognise that everyone has potentials past the work we all do, the task we perform, and also the salary we obtain. Employment is simply a job. We’re even more than that. Many people think I’m able to alter the world because Im a humanitarian worker. It normally won’t realize that Ive altered the planet a lot more outdoors my job: in your own home, on the telephone, inside a pub, in in person conversations, in coffee breaks, within my dreams. My job is simply a job and i’m even more than that.

16. Its never far too late to alter a existence path.

The conviction our existence path is sort of a ladder we have to climb requires a very straight line method of existence, a trail that can take you against One place to another inside a straight line. The truth however is extremely different. Many lines intersect, bend, elongate, as well as shrink to almost only a point. This is the way my existence continues to be to date. An elaborate geometry with multiple beginning points, endings, parallels, and spirals. As Im continuing to move forward, unwrapping my inner gifts and starting to warm up within my passion flames, Im finding who I truly am and just what I truly want. Now i realize that basically awaken eventually and choose to stop, I’ll quit. Its never far too late to veer, never far too late to alter directions. I it’s still carrying out a line, a line that me will draw, and that i know, insidewithin all, this line won’t be straight line.

17. Every the truth is wrong, every the truth is right.

Individuals are a mix of rainbows and water. A variety of mellow colours that will get either diluted or saturated with values, opinions, perceptions, and attitudes, throughout the path of their lives. This eclectic nature to be engenders multiple realities which are faithfully recognized by its creators, by us. People have realities that appear to be to them but wrong to other people, acceptable for them but dejected by others. Ive requested myself: why is yet another right compared to other? What truth can there be when all facts hold in keeping with one individual a minimum of? I found that everything could be right and everything could be wrong. The treatment depends on whos knowing.

18. Promises are simpler damaged than satisfied.

I learned to vow absolutely nothing to nobody. Why would I invest in the next that falls completely outdoors of my control? We frequently underestimate the strength of words stated today not realising that theyll have a big responsibility tomorrow. We enjoy playing methods using the future by imagining it, fantasising about this, creating and re-allowing the finish results. After which what goes on when its there? Thanks for visiting the land of disappointments! Our promises are words that point at random and playfully rearranges until another chapter is created, another meaning is fathomed and also the promise is totally damaged.

19. We’re more fragile than we believe.

You will find moments in existence when everything appears to become all right, once the forces of nature appear to become directed for the center maintaining an account balance, an equilibrium. Then out of the blue, from the tender placidity in our being, increases a turbulent whirlwind: breakdowns in relationships, divorces, deaths, rejections, disappointments Moods begin to swing, ideas dismantle, concepts collapse, promises break, infidelities erupt, so we lose balance. The self-portrait we once colored that demonstrated an invincible persona, all of a sudden loses these very traits among the transformation in our existence occasions. Then we remember how fragile we’re. We remember how delicate orchids could be. We remember that we’re breakable. We remember, the intolerable lightness of (our) being.

20. Concepts must only be forged with experience.

I learned never to bind myself to some principle by which I havent tested my temptations yet. This realisation came once i broke many concepts I remember when i thought are unshakable. Ive learned to eliminate and rebuild my concepts with experience. As time passes, I learned to calibrate the right amounts of right and wrong, those that I judge as acceptable in my experience. I forged new methods for thinking. I defined my values. And it is only then, which i could articulate what my concepts are.

21. Some chaos is essential.

I originate from a culture adorned by chaos. Even our breathes are chaotic and lack rhythm. You are able to argue its pollution I believe its fear. 2 yrs ago, I became a member of a culture that loves discipline. Things are very newly made: the roads, a persons behaviours, not to mention The Machine. Getting experienced the 2 sides from the discipline gold coin, I deducted that some chaos is essential. It boosts creativeness, gives ample space that people think, to do something differently, to generate different solutions. Tough rules, systemisation, policies, and automation would be the opponents of creativeness. Chaos is symbolic of existence. You’ll want chaos inside you to provide birth to some dancing star. Now we all know why each time I consider the sky, all I see are shooting stars.

22. Magic is real.

Do you experience feeling at occasions our world talks to us inside a mysterious code that we’re not able to fathom right into a obvious language? The greater the year progresses, the greater I’ve found myself searching in the world with reverence and awe. How small we’re within this infinite world! Were finite entities within an infinite world! It is true that people arrived at a good degree of understanding in cosmology, physics, mathematics, and biology, yet there are plenty of things we still have no idea. Our world is outstanding! How about the notions of future, serendipity, significant coincidences, synchronicities? My existence continues to be filled with such mysterious occasions. In my opinion in magic. In my opinion magic is real.

23. Whether it doesnt feel right, then it’s wrong.

We sometimes choose to move within our existence. We elect to simply do it now, because everything around us informs us its right. We believe and re-think concerning the whole scenario, analyse it, link the reasons towards the effects, but, regardless of how coherent and logical all of the data appears to become, something (inexplicable) leaves us worried and doubtful. Will it seem familiar? Well, it’s certainly in my experience! I’d describe this something like a tickle within my heart, just a little vibration within my beats unusual. And That I feel it, regardless of how low the regularity is. I learned to believe my intuition and listen more to my inner voice. I found that its the one which informs the reality.

24. Sometimes, when walking you’re ready to move ahead.

Throughout my walk of existence, there have been occasions after i stopped for any (lengthy) while and permitted me to land, beat harder, and obtain attached. Get mounted on what? To individuals, objects, places, comfort zones After which I acquired stuck. This is exactly what attachments do, dont you believe? They wreck havoc on space and time dimensions, disorient us, and then leave us lost inside a circle dancing tango alone! Sometimes, its only when walking away that people can re-established our space and time coordinates. It requires time, courage, along with a strong will to allow go, but eventually, the show must continue.

25. Art is really a language we ought to learn.

It required me time for you to comprehend the language of art. Much like silence, art includes a healing power. Painting, writing, dancing, sculpting, all speak an identical language: the word what of beauty, spirituality, and existence. Museums in my experience are just like sacred temples. Fortunate are the pious who bow with admiration to the good thing about art! Let’s stand still and marvel in the strategies of a painting! Let’s permit the silence in colours brush-off the noises within our heads! A global without art is sort of a desert without sand: lonely and incomplete. So let’s rejoice!

26. It’s how it’s.

Why do you consider heaven is blue? Why the shades don’t have any smell? Why the sounds can’t be seen? Well, since it is how it’s. How frequently will we find ourselves lost within the maze of existence occasions, being unsure of the why and how, the reason and also the effect? We have seen people die every single day without no reason. We have seen people split up, marry, be sad, laugh, fall, fully stand up so we just have no idea why and how. As time progresses, we accept to reside with this particular mystery. We believe that some questions don’t have any solutions. Actually, we accept silence to become our perfect solution. A cigar is simply a cigar, which is all we have to know.

27. Its not necessary lots of money to become happy.

In situation we havent observed yet, many of us are slaves of consumerism. Income generating keeps climbing the ladder in our priorities, less by readiness as by sheer necessity. I acknowledge we all do take some money to reside a good existence where our rents are covered, our bills are compensated, our meals are provided, or perhaps our travels plans are guaranteed. However when I browse around me and then try to understand the unhappiness in peoples eyes, such things as low self-worth, anxiety about closeness, a desire to become understood, a have to be loved, a requirement to become recognised, a dissatisfaction using the present, a shyness to exhibit the actual self, a wish to bond using the other Theyre everything that cant be purchased by money yet are must be happy.

28. That which you resist persists.

Sometimes, when our emotional buttons are pressed because of say, dying of the closed one, rejection with a partner, or perhaps a tough conversation, we either deny or confront individuals very bitter and acidic feelings bubbling inside ourselves. But dont you are feeling its sometimes larger than you? Dont you are feeling it does not matter how you strive to get rid of that bitterness, the after taste remains lengthy following the incident? I learned to neither deny nor confront, but to embrace. I learned to embrace my sadness and accept it, until sadness itself dissolves within the warmth from the embrace, and finally, evaporates.

29. We’re good naturally but corrupted by society.

This can be a philosophy by J.J. Rousseau that goes back towards the 1700s. I’m a believer from it. In my opinion individuals are born good, until they become layer makers. Exactly what a masquerade we reside in! Individuals have become too busy building and embellishing their layers: layers of power, fear, hesitation, take your pick. Its an enormous amount of fake smiles instead of genuine tears. A global where praise is articulated within the most polite and formal manner, instead of through eyes sparkling with admiration. People learned how you can breathe behind masks. I found that the planet around use is a fantasy.

30. My 30 training are basically static.

I’m a flower that withers within the wind, blooms under the sun, hides within the snow, dies within the desert. My existence is a cycle of seasons that is inconsistent, every occasionally. If the is true, then how do i not change, transform, mutate, collapse, get restored, almost constantly? When the world is dynamic, infinitely expanding and contracting, then how do i not dance by using it? How do i take everything I distributed to you as static? My 30 training are basically static. They’ll change, transform, mutate, collapse, get restored, almost constantly. Captured, I visited the greatest mosaic museum on the planet. Now I recall the mosaics I loved probably the most, would be the people that are partially erased, those whose colours happen to be partially altered. Theyre those that have bore the traces of your time. Now we all know that in another 3 decades, this really is how my mosaic is going to be.

Find out more: http://thoughtcatalog.com/lara-ghaoui/2016/05/the-30-things-i-learned-by-the-age-of-30/