#they heighten the connection between 2+ characters and highlight relationships and feelings and needs

[taz-writes]

here's a hot take for today

the narrative function of sex is the same as the narrative function of fight scenes is the same as the narrative function of songs in a musical

no i will not explain

[loquaciousquark]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E49 (Jan. 29, 2019)

Hey hey hey, we’re on the internet! Filling in for @eponymous-rose​, it’s time to fake my way through a Talks without having quite caught up yet. What could possibly go wrong?

Tonight’s guests: Sam Riegel & Liam O’Brien!

Announcements: The second season of Between the Sheets debuted last night, ft. everyone’s friend Bobby. It’ll be on Youtube tomorrow morning & is already on the CR Twitch. Next week will feature cinematographer Quyen Tran (aka Sam’s wife!)! Everyone agrees Sam married up. It’ll air Monday night on the CR Twitch.

And now, episode 49: A Game of Names

Brian comes back prefacing some comment with a mention that Matt names the episodes, which Sam immediately derails because he thought Taliesin named them. Poor Matt.

CR Stats: The M9 have cast Disguise Self 97 times. Liam: “What a bunch of lying motherfuckers!” 20 were by Nott; 17 were by Caleb.

Sam’s found it interesting that his in-game persona has been a bit of a facade, but Nott as a character is in an in-between place between who she was and who Nott purports to be. “It might be weird to be called Veth, actually, because it’s just not in the course of her experience in the last couple years. She’s gotten used to the name if not the body.”

Caleb doesn’t like to think about Bren or the old self that came with it; he winged the name “Caleb” the moment he met Nott, but now he has a lot of good memories associated with that name. Brian asks if it was a name of someone from his past; Liam points out you can always retcon anything. Sam’s surprised it was the day he met Nott; Liam says he’d actually been using different names everywhere he went, and Caleb happened to be the one that happened to keep being used by people he never left.

Sam and Liam goggle that they both picked characters with false (very similar) names, that their questlines are so accidentally intertwined, and that they’re so linked despite the fact that they’d decided they’d traveled together right before the first show. Sam wonders who else has fake names.

“Nott the Brave” and “Veth Brenatto” being anagrammed was a purposeful decision out of an accident. He was originally going to be Vix off a gag he made in Campaign 1 re: Vex & Vax, but decided he’d better scrap it & just go with a V name instead as homage. He created the anagrammed names together (without the help of a fantasy name generator, he points out).

Everyone thinks Fjord still has secrets to reveal. “What if it’s Ferrrd?” “What if it’s Fred?”

The water issue for Nott grew out organically in the game. He knew she’d been turned into a goblin (and assumed she’d been killed in the process), but wasn’t sure exactly how she’d died until a few months into the campaign. Then he emailed Matt and asked if it was okay if the way Nott had died had been by drowning, and Matt said, “Yep!”

Liam agonizes over the fact that they all can email Matt, asking if something can be added to character history based on how plots are going in-game, only for him to say “Yes!” and then be silent for six months before walloping someone over the head with a barbed-wire bat. Ha!

Liam reminds everyone that Caleb canonically does not know Beau’s last name. Liam knew it and was talking in third person (even though it was in an accent). It was not meant to be metagamed knowledge.

Liam was surprised by the “Fuck him!” comment but was not surprised Nott had had something chambered, so out of game he recognized this was the beginning of Nott’s story & was ready for it. Caleb still feels like he’s walking a tightrope and juggling plates, but Liam points out it’s his own fault if anything drops.

Everyone marvels at Nott’s use of “Bren” as a false name in episode 2. Sam remembers looking over at Liam as Liam gave him “the weirdest look! Liam looked at me like I had just said the c-word.” Liam: “I was staring holes into your skull.” Sam thought Caleb was judging Nott for being deceptive. Liam sat there for a hot minute wondering if Matt had let something slip, if Caleb was talking in his sleep, if Sam had seen a sheet from Liam’s binder... “Anything but this impossible fucking coincidence.”

GIF of the Week: @winteristboi with an incredibly topical GIF of Liam revealing his name, Sam commenting “That’s why you looked at me,” and including a flashback of the just-mentioned episode 21 moment.

The intertwining of Nott’s & Caleb’s backstories has been fun for both of them. Sam finds Liam an excellent actor and likes doing scenes with him. Liam and Sam both talk about how they actually prefer bumps in the road and complicated relationships instead of everyone being friends & peaceful. They had a conversation months ago about how they’re looking forward to things falling apart within the group. Liam reminisces about how much he loved the bowl argument with Beau. “That’s the best part of the show.”

Nott is very excited that part of Caleb’s backstory is out so that he can get some healing, maybe.

Caleb is closer to Beau than the rest of the M9 at this point. In the moment of his backstory, “he was wanting to borrow her spine. And Beau had rested her hand on his shoulder just moments before, and that was reassuring to him because he knew things could get ugly, so he was looking for that again.”

Very quickly, Nott saw something in Caleb that reminded her of her son. “A boy who was scared and alone in the world and needing someone to take care of him.” Even in game zero, Caleb was knocked out and Nott had to save them, kill the gnolls, and get them out of there singlehandedly.

Sam finds out onscreen that halflings live much longer than humans. It’s hilarious. “I thought they lived the same as humans!” He’s worked it out with Matt that Veth is not older than Caleb, who is 32. Veth got married at 20ish (childbearing age), spent a couple years happily married, goblins intervened, escaped, and is now about 25 years old (a young mom). “Similarly, as I understand it, when you are reincarnated, you are given an adult body, so goblin Nott is 7-8 years old.” Liam gasps that if she doesn’t get changed back, she’s taken a 200 year lifespan and violently compressed it to only a fraction.

Many of Veth’s quirks (collecting things, general nervousness, and enjoyment of wine) were badly exacerbated and heightened in goblin form. Where she enjoyed a nip of sherry wine before, she’s now a raging alcoholic. Where she enjoyed collecting baubles before; now she’s compulsively stealing. She was a nervous Nellie before; now she’s ratcheted anxiety. Sam discussed this with Matt. Liam again: “Her lifespan was condensed down into this dense little ball; her habits were condensed into a dense little ball too!” Sam, brightly, dancing: “It’s a saaad episode!”

Liam’s asked about his arm-scratching as Caleb. (Sam’s stunned; he never realized!) In Liam’s mind, the scars are extremely faint and old, and it’s cold in Wildemount. He doesn’t imagine them as large or even visible gashes unless you knew where to look.

Sam envisions his goblins as just generally amped up. Not angry, but murderous. Sam also has been playing it that Veth has been becoming a bit more goblin & less halfling over time just because she’s being overwhelmed by the physiology. It would have been different if she’d been in a different body. She’s very eager to get back, but she is also aware that her “perceived vehicle” who might be able to get her back to her original form is not quite ready yet. She’s anxious for that to get cooking.

Early in the campaign, when Caleb wakes up from a fight and screams, “Take them out!” he was talking about the crystals Trent put in his arms.

Fanart of the Week: @queddajaw​ with a gorgeous Nott drowning portrait.

Nott has a general tendency to want to see people connect (Astrid’s letter, Jester & Caleb). She knows time with a loved one is not eternal. It’s not really a projection of her own relationship. Augh.

Caleb didn’t give the whole truth because a) it’s too humiliating & heartbreaking to talk about and b) the first confession to Beau/Nott was only out of need, and he was just excruciatingly lonely. He’s gotten it out once and knows that it’s completely awful, and he doesn’t want to dump it on the rest of the group unnecessarily, such as “sunflower” Jester. Liam also didn’t feel it was all pertinent information in the moment since he didn’t want to trample on Nott after she’d just bared her soul to the group. Liam mimes opening a door over Sam’s face: “But alsooo myyy story is super tragic!”

Sam thinks VM was more familiar with each other at this point in their campaign, but not as vulnerable/connected. It’s a very different story.

What makes Sam keep picking goblins as backstory villains? “They’re gross.” Actually, it’s more coincidental this time as Liam was the one who picked his goblin race. Sam talks about how he’s gotten tweets wanting to know why goblins can’t be nice, is he racist against goblins? Sam: “Yes. In your campaign, you can do what you want. Veth might be horribly misguided!” but in his/Veth’s mind at the moment, there’s nothing redeemable about them. She is curious about the butler goblin, but didn’t really get a chance to talk to him.

Caleb is very relieved they’re not going to Rexxentrum.

Sam thinks it was a good time for Nott’s reveal. Caleb had thought it would take longer for him. Matt had asked Sam how long he wanted to play it out, if he wanted the reveal to be early or late game, and Sam told him it would be fine for him even if it never came out in the whole campaign. He’s excited to see how this will change the group dynamic for everyone. 

Liam comments that he always tries to make character decisions that feel true, even if it leads to things that are sad.

Sam did tell his kids how Nott became a goblin. As soon as he was done, his daughter asked him to tell them the story one more time. I have flashbacks to Travis saying “Let’s do it again” at the end of C1.

Sam hasn’t given up on the shirt gag, but he gave away 20 shirts for a donation prize. When he has the shirt, he will wear it. Sam also points out that he’s also tracking the facial hair from C1 too.

After Dark: Secret Secret Names Edition:

Everyone marvels again at how cool Quyen is. Sam tangents full circle into a discussion of Mr. Yuck. Brian tries to get us back on track talking about drinks, and I don’t even know what’s happening right now. Sam drinks a (I think!) Miller Lite on screen and almost throws it back up. You dramatic fool.

Quyen is a big wine nerd, just like Sam. “Now, we enjoy a burger and a beer once in a while, we’re not awful people.” Then he tells a story about how when people bring them wine bottles at their homes as gifts his wife has a terrible poker face if she doesn’t approve of the wine. Don’t buy her wine, is what I’m getting from this.

They discuss Mame Drop from today, which featured some laser discs and old games.

Nott’s favorite reality show would be whatever is the opposite of Hoarders, like maybe Storage Wars. Dani suggests Caleb might be into dating shows. Brian takes great offense at the word “smut” as a descriptor and talks about his 30-person Bachelor watching parties. Dani suggests he [Caleb] might be into the sordid melodrama of that and Real Housewives. Liam: “Tell me more about my character. You too, internet.”

This entire segment has devolved into an almost rabid discussion of reality shows and I legitimately cannot keep up with it. GBBO has come up, cat judging shows, documentaries about Scientology...

Liam & Sam try to have a man date once a year where they have a good dinner and glass of wine together and catch up on their years.

Travis apparently really got into David Blaine like eight years after he was relevant. Brian puts out a call to send him David Blaine gifs. “He’ll know exactly why.”

We end with an incredible moment of tiny Sam’s head being shopped live onto the cutout of his Emmy acceptance. “We go to the moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard, hard, hard.”

And we’re out! Have a lovely evening, everyone, and is it Thursday yet?

[ettadunham]

A Buffy rewatch 4x22 Restless

aka a trip to the show’s psyche

Welcome to this dailyish text post series where I will rewatch an episode of Buffy and go on an impromptu rant about it for an hour. Is it about one hyperspecific thing or twenty observations? 10 or 3k words? You don’t know! I don’t know!!! In this house we don’t know things.

And today’s episode is a challenge to talk about. Not because there isn’t stuff, but because there’s so much stuff that you just know that everyone already dissected each and every beat of this episode. All we have left is to enjoy it.

First of all, I’m just gonna leave this video here for you in case you haven’t watched it yet. It does a wonderful job of dissecting a lot of the core details of the episode that you might miss without further research (like the Sappho poem Willow’s writing on Tara’s back or even who the band members are during Giles’ musical exposition scene).

As an addition to that, I must say that I’ve also been guilty of listening and re-listening to the Once More With Feeling soundtrack even before I started this rewatch. And that album has a Restless track (as well as a Hush one), so I already had those haunting melodies stuck in my head.

So… I was very much in the head space for Restless, and as a result, I don’t have much fresh thoughts to share about it now. But I’ll try.

Because even if this is an episode that everyone already took apart to pieces a million and ten times, it’s still one that we go back to again and again. For instance, when I, personally, try to dive into Xander’s or Willow’s characters, this is one of my first go-to episodes.

Buffy’s arc is evident throughout the series, and what we get of Giles isn’t necessarily all that defined in this episode, but Willow and Xander? Restless is a neat corner piece of the puzzle that’s their character motivation.

Willow’s dream is also an interesting one because it’s perhaps the most disrupted out of all. The video above already mentions Xander’s masturbation joke (where the show takes a hit at its own metaphor), and how that’s a scene where we leave Willow’s perspective - but the scenes from the play are also weirdly out of PoV.

Tara and Willow are talking between the curtains as we cut to dream Riley, Buffy and Harmony acting out their absurd play. Twice. So if we consider that we’re in Willow’s dream, it’s almost like she’s disassociating, or getting detached from her own sense of self. Which doesn’t necessarily have to translate to reality, dreams are dreams after all; but it does work with the theme of her dream, which is identity.

I will also say that I don’t view the implication that Tara’s talking about Willow’s sexuality with those lines about how ‘they’re going to find out’ as a red herring. It’s merely that there’s also another, deeper layer to Willow’s insecurities when it comes to her identity. And how the two are connected, since… well, I’ll probably have a separate rant about that later on, in which I’ll be undoubtedly citing Restless too.

Meanwhile we’ve got Xander’s dream. And one of the best and worst parts of Xander’s subconscious is the inappropriate sexualization of some of his friends.

I think my favorite two details about how Xander pictures Joyce and then Willow and Tara is how in some scenes, their mouths aren’t even moving as they’re talking. It heightens the fantasy nature of these scenes and highlights the way Xander’s dream objectifies these women.

The other is the fact that after each of these scenes Xander almost immediately finds himself back in his basement.

It shows how Xander’s always reaching for the unattainable, but it never ends up being what he actually needs. Or even wants. What Xander wants is love, but the shadow of his upbringing will always loom over him. He doesn’t know what he’s searching for, because he didn’t grow up experiencing it.

When the show makes it clear that the monster Xander’s been running from at the top of the stairs leading from his basement is his father, it’s one of the most lowkey chilling moments of the show. It’s not surprising, given all that we’ve already learned, but it’s still shocking, seeing it on full display.

As for Giles’ dream, I guess the one thing I will challenge the above video review on is Willow’s use of “Rupert”. Since this is Giles’ dream, my reading is that it says much more about how he sees Willow as a peer, rather than Willow’s own perception of him (which is still valid though, because she did have a crush on him, bless her heart).

This will of course have much more significance in season 6…

And then there’s Buffy.

One thing that I want to point out right off the bat, is how Buffy’s dream is about isolation, and the whole point of it is that she can’t find her friends. The people that are most important to her.

So consider then the characters who do appear in Buffy’s dream: Anya and Tara, or course, the two love interests of her friends who she hasn’t had a chance to establish her own relationships with yet. Her mom, who she’s been distant from throughout the season, and is unable or unwilling to bring back into her life.

…And Riley.

The fact that Riley appears in two forms also seems to underline that he’s someone that Buffy feels distant from in some ways. When dream Riley is with Adam, he is representing something that’s perhaps beyond his character. But then he also appears in street clothes, calling Buffy a “killer” (the same thing Forrest called Faith when she was inhabiting Buffy’s body).

It perhaps foreshadows that Buffy could never fully share the Slayer parts of herself with Riley. Or at least that that’s how she feels on a subconscious level.

I also read somewhere that they wanted to have David Boreanaz as Buffy’s guide and to be the one giving voice to the First Slayer. Which I found odd, because I thought Eliza Dushku would’ve been a more natural first choice for that… But I just did a quick wiki fact check, and apparently the plan was to have her for the scene in Buffy’s bedroom, and him in the desert.

Instead, out of necessity both of these parts have been given to Tara. Which then makes it interesting that the script only calls out her desert appearance as her not being part of Buffy’s dream, and being “borrowed”.

The implication here is that while she may not have been the production’s first choice, her earlier appearance in Buffy’s dream is intentional in-universe. Which plays well with what I earlier mentioned about Buffy choosing characters she felt a distance from at this point for her dream, especially since we transition to this after Anya’s brief appearance as dream Buffy’s college roommate. And Tara being the intuitive magic muffin she is makes her the perfect prophetic conduit.

(Also, Buffy/Tara is real, there, I said it, you can quote me on that.)

I can of course see the same scene playing out with Faith too. It would’ve once again established the shared dream universe of the slayers, given that Buffy talks about the bed they made in Faith’s dream earlier in the season. This scene is a callback to their shared dream in Graduation Part 2 too, with the direct reference to the clock as well.

The drawback of Buffy’s dream and perhaps the entire episode is the portrayal of the First Slayer herself. A “primitive” African girl that we’ve “evolved” from who couldn’t even form her own words, and whose hair Buffy makes fun of.

So… that’s not good.

Otherwise Restless is still my most favorite presentation of dreams in media. This is largely true for the entire show of course, but Restless puts those previous dream sequences on steroids, and just goes off.

The combination of what the episode reveals about the characters, the fun easter eggs and massive foreshadowing, and the absurdity that makes it all truly dreamlike… We could be here all night, all day, write essays and perhaps dissertations, and there’d be still stuff to talk about.

I just love this weirdo season finale a lot.

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

The Devil and the Spider Part 1

Let me blow your minds for a moment. I really like Spider-Man. I know, I know, I kept that quiet. But you know who else I really like?

Daredevil!

Okay, not like in a particularly hardcore way. I’ve read a smattering of issues here and there, beginning more or less with Miller’s run as artist transitioning into writer. I saw and loved the 2003 movie (guilty pleasure sorry not sorry) and I’ve just always loved the lore I read up on about him, how he was a blind lawyer and a Catholic and street level and stuff. And it all started with his guest appearance in the 1994 Spider-Man cartoon. These were two solid episodes unto themselves, but they were also probably the best guest appearance on the entire show and in my experience introduced a lot of people to the Man without Fear.*

Thing is ANOTHER thing I love about him is his connections to Spider-Man.

Perhaps unfairly and to the detriment to Daredevil, he was for the longest time perceived as a second rate Spider-Man. Nevertheless it must be admitted that both characters:

·         Live and operate in New York city

·         Come from working class families

·         Are book smart people who enjoy some physical action to blow off steam

·         Travel via swinging from buildings and rooftops

·         Fight with acrobatics

·         Make with the witty banter from time to time

·         Have heightened senses, with both possessing a specific sixth sense that gives them a profound edge in battle

·         Have a complicated ally/enemy relationship with the Punisher

·         Have important friends and connections within the Daily Bugle

·         Have blonde girlfriends murdered by villains

·         Primarily concern themselves with street crime

·         Maintain double identities which cause much stress in their personal lives and relationships

·         Try to fight for the little guy

·         Have major beef with the Kingpin

And that isn’t even getting into just how they’ve shared villains. Elector, the Enforcers, Bullseye, Owl, Doc Ock, Mysterio, etc.

Because of all this I consider Daredevil not a Spider-Man character but kind of a ‘cousin’ to the web-head.

Playing into this is that the characters have had a long association as allies and friends in their comics, including major arcs for both characters. Not a Daredevil expert and I certainly can’t go through their whole history, but I thought it’d be fun to take a tour through their potted history together.

Best as I can tell the two characters first interacted in ASM #16, a classic by their mutual co-creator Stan Lee.

They first cross paths when Spidey rescues Matt from a group of muggers looking to take advantage of a helpless blind man. Spidey of course has no idea Matt could handle himself fine and even offers to help him get to where he was heading.

In a bit of classic Stan Lee silver age romance irony, Peter and Matt both have trouble with the secretaries Karen Page and Betty Brant. In Matt’s case he wants to avoid going out with her due to his feelings for her and in Peter’s case Betty gets the wrong idea that he might be going out with another girl. Even this early on the stories are drawing parallels between Spidey and DD.

Peter and Matt wind up attending a circus show, hosted in secret by the Ring Master and his Circus of Crime. The Ring Master plans to hypnotize the crowd and rob them blind and so to draw in the crowd he advertises that Spider-Man will be appearing. Hearing the proceeds will apparently go to charity Peter decides to put in an appearance whilst Matt, overhearing Spider-Man will be attending decides it will make for an interesting night out. At the circus Peter notes his Spider Sense gives him a tingle when he spots Matt in the crowd. I...don’t really know why. He’s not a threat so I guess the Spider Sense can just tell when there are other heroes around.

The Ring Master soon hypnotizes Spidey and the rest of the crowd, sans Matt due to him being unable to see the Ring Master’s hypnotic hat. He suits up as Daredevil and prepares to put an end to the plot but Ring Master orders Spidey to attack him.

One really neat detail that becomes a recurring dynamic between these two characters is that the story highlights the difference in their respective power levels. Daredevil might be able to move with more precision than Spider-Man due to his heightened senses, but in terms of raw strength and speed he is utterly outmatched by Spider-Man. Thankfully due to the hypnosis handicapping Spidey, the pair are more evenly matched giving horn head a chance.

Thankfully, Daredevil gets a hold of Ring Master’s hat and uses it to free Spidey from it’s control. Spidey and DD begin to fight the Circus of Crime together but Spider-Man tells the Man without Fear to tag out because he’s done enough. Daredevil obliges but makes it clear he’ll help if Spider-Man asks him too, because they’re both awesome like that.

Daredevil observing Spider-Man’s one man battle realizes he’s surplus to requirements and returns to the stands. 

Usually in Silver Age Marvel stories heroes were just plain jerks towards one another and battled over a misunderstanding. It’s a cool subversion that in their first interaction both Daredevil and Spider-Man fight due to perfectly understandable reasons and seem to respect one another. Spider-Man doesn’t belittle Daredevil in asking him to tag out, he feels he owes him for saving him and Daredevil for his part recognizes just how powerful Spider-Man really is.

What’s also a nice bit of writing is that the story doesn’t punch down on any one hero. Spider-Man was hypnotized and in need of help for sure, but he was played as a major threat and his subservience doesn’t dominate the issue. Once freed he gets to apprehend the villains who controlled him as opposed to even doing that alongside Daredevil. It’s an interesting way to team up two characters but not undermine the true lead of the book.

Heck the Ring Master even tries to hypnotize Spider-Man again and this time Spider-Man saves himself, which earns a round of applause from Matt.

The two part ways with Spidey lamenting he didn’t get to know Daredevil better.

All in all it’s a fun crossover and probably the best Spidey/DD team up for the longest time going forward.

*Adding to Daredevil’s appeal was just how I personally experienced these two episodes. I first caught the tail end of the second part one Saturday morning before Greek school which left me for years wondering who that mysterious all red Spider-Man guy was.

Years later I recorded a marathon of Spider-Man 1994 episodes. It began towards the end of the X-Men crossover story in season 2 and cut off just as Daredevil introduced himself in season 3. Being teased with this guy’s identity and then being abruptly cut off only added to his mystique.

[carliejeanmakingperformance]

Blog 2- Liveness

After listening to the Tuesday lecture and reading Tannahills essay on liveness and @thetheatre what do you think are the most important elements needed to create a live experience?

‘Unlike mass media, plays are performance for a specific community, for an audience who must be physically persent in order to participate’ (Tanahill 2015) acknowledging this and making an effort to include your viewers allows the ‘contract the audience has with the performer’ (Tanahill 2015) to be stronger and as a result of that the audience will take more from the performance and connect with it on a much more successful level.

‘The best theatre is theatre that innately understands why its a live event and reminds use why we, as humans, continue to live.’ (Tanahill 2015) This message is broadcasted throughout Rhiannaboi with Sunny thanking the audience for 'staying' (tannahill 2013) with him and acknowledging that they are a part of his YouTube channel which is the exact thing that got him into the mess he is in, which would only work in a live event as the audience in a filmed and pre recorded event would not have the same connection to him.

The theatre presents the world with a working model of co-operation, connectivity and community' (Tanahill 2015) which Is highlighted through the aspect of liveness in this play as the audience are a part of Sunnys online YouTube community who are providing an ear for sunny and supporting him through this difficult time of homophobia and angst.

Describe what Tannahill was trying to achieve by putting Rihannaboi online and whether you think it was successful as a piece of live theatre?

Tannahills main goal was ‘to engage honesty and empathetically with this performance style not to mock or critique it.’ (Tanahill 2015) Focusing on the relationship with audience and telling a powerful story of race, family and sexuality he strived to encapsulate ‘an intimate liveness you could hold in your hand or watch under the covers of your bed, your face only inches from Sunny’s.’ This was effective as you could watch it tucked up in bed, at a desk or while cooking dinner. The audience member felt free to leave and not continue watching, yet gripped people in and left them wanting more and to see the outcome of Sunnys actions.

(Tanahill 2015) I belive Tannahill 'wanted the viewing of the play to be a choice made by our young audiences, not an obligation.’ (Tanahill 2015) which worked successfully as Rhiannaboi entised and gripped the audience from the very beginning always heightening the mood and dropping in new story pathways to keep it engaging and fresh. On the whole I think it was a very successful piece of live theatre as it spoke to a modern audience, kept the context and structure engaging and left the audience wanting more.

Where there any moments in Rhiannaboi that were particularly successful in terms of portraying connection to the audience, character or world?

‘I love you and I need you tonight more than ever’ (Tanahill 2013) is a line that stood out above the rest. Allowing the audience to feel needed and as if they are personally being spoken too, not only created a relationship between Sunny's Character and those watching but made the audience feel that they need to stay to help him, that leaving the performance would somehow alter what would happen within the script. Having a stand out line is important as it allows you to draw your audience in and encapsulate them in the story, I want to take this and emphasis the importance of character, audience relationship in my own work allowing my character to break the forth wall and include audience members.

The foreshadowing of ‘Im in my friend Keira’s room’ (Tanahill 2013) not only provides comfort for the audience to know Sunny's character has a friend and that he is safe at present, but also provides the audience with subtle context despite not knowing the full story yet. This creates an understanding and allows the audience to follow the story better. I feel its important for the audience to understand and ground themselves when viewing performances, so I will make sure that my work follows a clear structure or at least hints at things like Tannahills work in order for the audience to keep up and understand.

Bibliography

Tannahill J (2015) Theatre of the Unimpressed: In search of vital drama. Published by Coach House Books. Chapter 1

Tannahill J (2015) Theatre of the Unimpressed: In search of vital drama. Published by Coach House Books. Chapter 2

Tannahill J (April 23-28 2013) Rhiannaboi95. One of three ‘Age of Minority: three solo plays.’ Performed in an ‘inner suburban bedroom live streamed to audiences computers around the world.’ Playwrights Canada Press 2013.

[chucksandjeans]

2018 in Review and Goals for 2019

It’s 8 days into the New Year and I finally set aside some time to reflect on the past year and also set goals for the upcoming 12 months. Disappointingly, I did do this retrospective in 2018, so I am unable to measure whether or not I did well. Broadly speaking, 2018 was a very busy year, but I remember a few years ago, I told myself “no excuses”. With that philosophy, shame on me for not prioritizing an hour or so to think about my own life.

 I read a blog this morning written by an individual who broke down his goals into the following pieces: Career, Personal and Hobbies, Home, Relationship, Friends & Community. I adapted this framework and modified the categories to fit my life. Let’s see how this works out:

 2018 at a glance

The first part of 2018 - before the wedding - was a blur. It was a whirlwind of moving into the house, launching Butter and setting up operations, going to Taiwan, Texas and North Carolina, attending several weddings, and getting things ready for our own wedding. These months were reactive, less-planned, and auto-piloted.

 The latter half of the year - post wedding - was also back-to-back with the mini-moon, Hong Kong and Singapore, post-wedding cleanup, getting the house into shape and then the holidays. Overall, I’d give myself a B+ for 2018. I am proud of myself and my wife for getting through these 12 months in one piece given the heightened intensity and complexity.

 And now, a bit more detail into each aspect:

Relationship

I married the love of my life. This woman complements my strengths and weaknesses and gives me a reason to wake up every morning. There have been times where I chose to be selfish and impatient and I will work on these shortcomings this year.

 As a couple, we went through big life moments, like the wedding, buying a home, getting into a car accident, and melting into one blob unit. It’s an exciting time in my life as I grow into the role of husband.

Family

The past year was characterized by events, parties, plans, schedules, money, accidents, and everything in between. Albeit more happy than sad events, everyone was stressed. It was a testament to what a family is, and finding the definition that works for us. I am happy that I was able to visit Hong Kong in 2018 and see family who I have not seen in a decade. It’s been too long and it was my fault that I prioritized traveling and new experiences over going home in the last 10 years.

Friends

The events of 2018 brought my social circle. From traveling to Taiwan with the boys to bachelor parties to weddings galore, I think this is one aspect of 2018 that I was able to excel in.

Career

I grew a lot professionally and personally. The lines have blurred between work and life as colleagues became friends and vice versa. The skills that I learned in 2018 have been invaluable to my growth, and I am happy to say that I have rounded out my skill set to include product, development and general management in addition to my quantitative background.Some highlights from the year include building and leading a high-performing team to launch a new product in the digital space, presenting in front of 700+ people at TechTO, seeing our product featured on Product Hunt, closing deals with big-name partners, learning basic web development, and winning an award recognizing me as an emerging leader. It’s amazing that it’s still possible to learn something new after a decade being out of school. I use to think that learning meant keeping up with the latest trends in a particular industry and reading the current state of X standards. In reality, it can be so much more than that.

Personal

My early 30s is another chance to redefine my life and character. It happens every 10 years or so, in my mind: at age 0, age 10, age 20, and now, age 30-ish. Life changes quickly but the most pivotal moments occur at the decade marks where I change along with everyone and everything around me. I don’t want to watch life go by and have it spin out of control. I want to take the reins and define for myself who I want to be.

 2018 was so busy that I didn’t sit down and think about life. From a broad-level identity perspective, I can do better. I did do well from a life-skills perspective though. In early 2018, I was uncomfortable drilling holes at home and freaked out over what are now seemingly small tasks. Now I am able to use my toolkit to diagnose, install and fix basic elements around the house. Handyman, not yet, but not an idiot either.

Travel

I flew a lot in 2018: Taiwan for Duncan’s bachelor party, Texas for my bachelor party, Raleigh for work, Mexico for our mini-moon, and Florida for the holidays. To be honest, I lost direction in traveling once I hit my “50 countries before 30 years old” milestone goal. That North Star was what drove me to be creative, bold and adventurous to seek out new places and commit to culture shock. Now, I have no goal and feel directionless, which may or may not be a good thing. On one side, it allows me to seeing things I really want to see, regardless of whether I’ve been to the place before. On the other hand, I don’t have a fire under my butt. Whatever the goal happens to be, I will set one.

Health

I can’t say that it’s been a great year for my mind and body. Stressing out over the many events of 2018, making excuses for not running, spending only 45 minutes at the gym vs. 60 in the past, and indulging in fatty foods more often, this year was bit out of the ordinary. But staying too long in out of the ordinary becomes ordinary, so the fix has to be made immediately. I did switch to meal prepping with the help of my wife which has been great, so kudos to her for that.

Finance

We did well given the wedding and house. Buying the home, procuring the first bit of furniture and supplies, paying vendors, trips here and there, unexpected expenses and daily living costs – these all made it exceptionally hard to balance the books. Cash was tight and we lived through one of the most financially difficult years of our lives to date. It did force us to be on top of our finances though which has given us a great set of skills and dialogue for what life has in store for us.

2019 and Stretch Goals

Relationship

I will continue to support my wife in her endeavors, and challenge her to be better every day. I will be a role model, make healthy and well-balanced choices that help us succeed as a couple, and be less critical. In tough situations, I will control my emotions and focus on the bigger picture, which means taking a step back more often. I will recognize events in our lives and celebrate those because life is too short to have no special moments!

Stretch: I will create and capture more memories outside of Instagram, through writing, photos or videos.

Family

Goal: I will work on being more present in the family and fostering a harmonious balance where possible. Striking a medium is important and I will take initiative on being the family man that I strive to be, which includes my immediate family, my parents, my in-laws and my extended family overseas.

Stretch: talk to at least 1 overseas family member once a month

Friends

Preamble: as the years go by, I am more appreciative of friends who stay in touch. Life gets busy and all around me, people are getting married, buying homes, having kids and moving up in their careers. All these things require constant re-prioritization of time and focus.

I will build on strong social bonds by reaching out, staying in touch, physically going to see friends, and recognizing special moments. This will be a challenge without the aid of weddings and bachelor parties but I am confident. At a more granular level, I will proactively reach out to friends on a more consistent basis either weekly or monthly, seek out those who I have not connected with in a while, and hang out with at least 1 friend once a month.

Stretch: hang out with 2 friends once a month

Career

I will think about my career more critically and plan out my path. Although it’s not possible to predict the future, it’s definitely possible to set goals and have criteria. The opportunity cost of making the wrong career choice is too big now, especially in my early 30s. It will be a blink of an eye before I am in my mid-30s, so from here to there…these need to be fruitful years. The role that I am in must provide me with new skills development, learning and intellectual stimulation, a strong team and network, upward mobility, reasonable compensation and good people. I will not settle for anything less. I will not let 2019 be a year that sails by as I sit idly staring off into the distance – 2019 will be a defining year.

Stretch: meet at least 2 new people every month who can help me in my career or gives me new ideas and add an international aspect to my experiences

Personal

Preamble: identities cannot be created or concluded definitively. It takes time. In my 20s, I don’t think I had a plan but I felt confident in my direction. I have to find that in my 30s.

I want to ignite that flame and give myself opportunities to find enlightenment, for lack of better word. What this practically means: I know who I am, I know what I am doing, and this is where my ship is headed. I will put time into soul searching, mind-exploration exercises, and philosophical debates to have a clearer answer by the end of 2019. I will also learn how to do more things around the house, like gardening (maybe) and doing basic electric (and plumbing?) work. I will read expand and relax my mind, which can span from reading to watching TV to playing video games. I’m not going to rub off video games and TV. I will do these things in moderation and be cognizant that it’s for relaxing the mind. I will write things down in my journal 1x a month and read 3 books this year. And lastly, I will be more organized. I will ask myself “does this make me happy” before buying things.

Stretch: write in journal at least 2x a month and read 6 books this year.

Travel

Preamble: April is the first trip of the year: Chile. It’s been 5+ years since I’ve been back to South America and I’ve always wanted to go to Patagonia so this trip checks multiple boxes. Additionally, the Andean air may give me that jolt and inspiration to LOVE travel again. I still love travel but I want to find that flame…to hit 50 countries…but now a new goal. Is it to try all the cultural flavours of the world? Is it to climb the peaks of the world? Whatever it is, I hope Chile will spark and awaken. Later in the year, the plan is to go to a wedding in Italy and then jet off somewhere nearby afterwards. I have yet to figure that one out. Lastly, there’s a brimming desire to add more of an international flavour to my career. I wonder what life has in store.

Find a new goal that revolves around travel and cultural exploration. I want to love travel immensely again.

Stretch: Eat a weird animal.

Health

Preamble: I am a proponent of making small decisions that eventually lead to bigger ones, which become habits and those then define lifestyle and character. In 2018, I did not make the best decisions and 2019 will mark my climb back to the top. I saw a picture of myself from 5 years ago and I looked great. Age is obviously a contributor to looking different but that’s no excuse to not live a healthy lifestyle.

I will continue to meal prep, choose more vegetables and fish over red meats, push back to 60 minute of gym, and drink more water. And yes, drink at least 2L of water daily. I will hit 158lbs by end of the summer and run an organized 5km run.

Stretch: drink 3L of water daily, 160lbs by end of summer and run an organized 7km run or two 5km runs.

Finance

I will go back to the way I use to plan finances, and have a more holistic and long-term view on how to grow the family net worth. This will mean a dedicated savings plan, an investment portfolio, perhaps a way to make money on the side, and a way to control costs such that we have enough to live and enjoy.

This post took over 3 hours from ideation to planning to writing. It was mentally exhausting but I managed to get it all down. I feel good. And now, time for execution. Let’s go!

[holytheoristtastemaker]

The future of gameplay is reliant on the usage and perfection of Emotional AI and its ability to create and emulate realistic and human relationships.

App developers, students and researchers are using the transformative power of AI technologies to develop people's emotional connection to video games.

Since the 2001 introduction of the first AI digital helper Cortana in Halo, technology and AI have become pivotal to gameplay. With all the buzz around the release of a new iteration of the popular GPT-3 video game tool, IT developers are more in tune than ever with the needs of creative deployments of popular AI technology. The future of AI in video games lies in the ability of the technology to increase the human connection.

The human connection

Since the dawn of chatbots and digital assistant creation, one critique has been universal: the helper is not human-like enough. This issue spans enterprises, and IT developers and startups are now developing AI that is human-like, emotional and responsive.

Christian Selchau-Hansen, CEO of enterprise software company Formation and former manager of product at social game development company Zynga, said that one of the major uses of AI in video games is the implementation of generative adversarial network (GAN) technology, image recognition and replication in character design. The ability of an algorithm to read emotion, generate emotion from text and accurately portray emotion enables a heightened level of gameplay.

"Whether it's GPT-3 or the processing and techniques of developments like deepfakes … the good things that come from [these developments] are more immersive worlds," Selchau-Hansen said.

"For people to be able to interact with more immersive and complex characters, and not just have the ability to interact with them -- but create new responses based on interactions through facial expressions, language, dialogue and actions," Selchau-Hansen said.

Danny Tomsett, CEO of UneeQ, a digital assistant platform creator, said emotional connection is the creation of a feeling between you and the story or character, and AI allows for the closest representation of visual humans.

Visual representations of humans are not as good as meeting in real life, but a model that can see your emotion and vice versa lets you respond dynamically, Tomsett said.

When looking toward the future of gameplay, Selchau-Hansen imagines a world where you have something akin to a physics engine during the game -- one that controls gravity, wind-resistance and thermal conductivity -- but for emotional interactions.

"You could have an emotional engine where your interactions with a [character] can make them sad, confused, scared, jealous -- and their dialogue would spring from those emotions," Selchau-Hansen said.

Monetizing emotion and brand loyalty

The gamification of AI has been a driver of technology, with iterations of DeepBlue and AlphaGo teaching developers that perhaps the most important part of augmenting gameplay is the ability to find the spot between competition and demolition. Gamers want to be challenged but still have a chance to win because their competitors are making human-like decisions.

This idea of competition between humans and computers, a friendly tussle between players, is central to creating brand loyalty -- returning players need to be challenged with dynamic, human-like bots on the other side of the game.

Creating brand loyalty in gaming is also about eschewing flat, two-dimensional, text-based digital interfaces to unlock the power of emotion and story, Tomsett said.

Another crossover between AI and gameplay is the ability to personalize. Much like marketing campaigns and personalized promotions, the future of AI in the video game industry depends on monetizing the emotional connection between the game and the consumer. Algorithms collect data from the game -- what the player collects, what quests they follow, what skins they use -- and suggest and alter additional downloads that have the highest chance of winning over the player.

From gameplay to retail to IT personalization, AI is being used to create and strengthen the idea of product value. That value -- monetary, recreational or business-related -- is offered to the consumer to increase the likelihood of brand loyalty, Selchau-Hansen said.

AI-generated games highlight limits of non-humanoid interaction

While the future of AI in video games would naturally point to automation and generated text, the AI-generated video games now testing the fringes of current gaming technology also highlight their limits.

Independent designers are toying with open-source technology to use natural language generation to create virtual games without a gaming studio. Developer Nick Walton's AI Dungeon storytelling game throws you into the development of the decision tree -- your choices change the outcome and help train the game for future players. This interactive virtual role-playing game is modeled on Open-AI's machine learning-based GPT-2 natural language generator. Walton tuned more than 117 parameters and crafted neural networks to output this unique story text.

But the game reflects many of the major issues of language generation. The game is a chaotic story as the program cannot tell what you know or if you have seen a character before. Some of the language is nonsensical. There is no human emotion or human decision making.

Michael Cook, a research fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering, developed Angelina, an AI digital assistant who is trained to develop intelligently designed videogames.

Angelina is designed to make games based on simple theme inputs and is the first system to make 3D games within the game design engine Unity. Despite the nonsensical gameplay, somewhat comical instability and terrible UX, games by Angelina are an interesting foray into what it means to train an AI or machine learning system -- it's a peek into the mechanics of how to train computational creativity. When you input a word or phrase, Angelina accesses a word association database to create a framework for creation. A "secret" theme leads to word associations like "crypt," "dark," "hidden" and "dungeon," but it can also lead to a tangled web of characters, color and ineffective jump-scares.

It's clear that the future of AI in video games lies somewhere between generated text and finely crafted human emotion to wrangle consumers.

[positivepsychologyinterventions]

7 Ways to Fight Well in Your Relationship

“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” — Rumi

I had one of those really intense arguments with my partner recently, and it made me realize the importance of knowing how to fight well in a relationship.

That might sound like an oxymoron, but there isn’t a relationship I know of where the couple doesn’t fall out at one point or another. Fights can make or break a relationship. That’s why it’s important you know how to fight well—because the success of any relationship isn’t based on how well you manage the good times but on how well you can deal with the bad.

Basically, it’s about how well you can learn to fight.

Learning to fight well is important because it can help bring up lots of hidden stuff that’s been lying dormant for years; it enables you to be really honest with each other, which helps you develop deeper levels of trust; and studies have shown that learning to fight well can even improve the intimacy in your relationship.

But back to our fight.

It all started when I was out at friend’s house and lost track of the time. My partner and I had agreed to spend some quality time together that evening, and when I noticed the time, my heart sank. I knew she would be upset as I made the difficult call home, and yep, I was right. She was livid. We then descended into a really uncomfortable argument of blame and counter blame, with a bit of defensiveness thrown in for good measure.

Criticism and defensiveness are two of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, as highlighted by renowned relationship experts Drs. John and Julie Gottman. They noticed these two traits are highly correlated to relationships that lead to breakup and divorce.

Whenever my partner and I would have our worst arguments these two traits would always be present, and this time was no different.

That’s why becoming more aware of how you fight can help you avoid relationship Armageddon and instead increase the trust, safety, and love in your relationship. To help with this here are seven key steps to follow when you feel as if you’re descending into another one of those earth shattering fights:

1. Upgrade Your Language.

Some arguments can help grow the relationship and develop greater levels of trust and intimacy between both parties. Other arguments are the opposite; they create a hierarchy and a power struggle, which diminishes respect, trust, and love.

If we rewind to the start of our arguments we can predict to some extent their “success” by the language that started them and whether it was “hard” or “soft.”

Hard language starts with generic hyperbole like “You always…” or “Why do you never…” or “I knew that you would…” Soft language uses “I” statements and focuses on the actions that took place, how they made us feel, and what we want to happen.

My partner’s language that day was very “hard.” She criticized me and I immediately became defensive as the original story in my head started to change in response to her accusations. The firm agreement I knew we’d made became a tentative expectation in my mind. My lateness was no longer my responsibility but my friend’s, who had been delayed preparing food. Bit by bit I retold the story of what had happened and made myself into a victim of my circumstances instead of the owner that I really was.

The language used at the start of our exchange influenced my response and how the subsequent argument progressed.

The Gottman Institute reported that they can predict with 94 percent accuracy how a discussion will end based on the language used to start it. The softer and kinder our words, the less defensive we become, meaning we are more open to taking responsibility and creating connection instead of disconnection.

A key principle to help with this is to use language to complain but don’t blame.

2. Create Space.

Luckily, I had a one-hour drive home to work out what had happened and to get some perspective following our argument. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was a crucial period because I used it to work through what had happened, and there’s no way we could have achieved such a good outcome without the time this gave us.

I’ve learned that it’s wise to agree in advance to call a “timeout” or “press pause” before arguments begin. In the past I’ve attempted to call a timeout to create the space to calm down, but this has only made matters worse.

My partner and I now have an agreement that if either of us needs to call a timeout in an argument the other will respect the request. It can be infuriating at the time, but arguing when you are in a low mood or heightened sense of emotion is never going to assist your dialogue. Therefore, it’s important to create space as much as you can.

3. Safely Express Your Emotions.

On that drive home the first thing I did was shout and scream about what had happened. My inner child had a field day as I moaned and complained to my imaginary passengers about what she’d said and how wrong she was. It was fantastic, and a very cathartic way to clear the negative energy and emotions I was holding on to around the conversation.

When we had the initial phone call I went into a stress response as my body became flooded with cortisol, and my heart rate went through the roof. Expressing my emotions and doing lots of deep breathing on the way home helped me flush the cortisol out of my body and return it to its original state. Without doing this I would have taken those negative emotions and feelings into the resumption of the fight on my return home.

The intense emotions we have during a fight form a negative filter through which we see the relationship. There’s not much our partners can say that we won’t interpret the wrong way when we come from this place. That’s why it’s so important to clear the filter and express your emotions as best you can.

It’s important to make sure that you find somewhere safe to do this, however. Doing it next to your partner won’t go down well, so get out of the house and find somewhere to express your emotions as cleanly and safely as possible so you don’t take it into your next fight,

4. What If…?

Once I’d let go of the emotions I started to calm down, and it was only then that I realized I could let go of the story I’d been telling myself. It was at this point I decided to tell myself a new story that started with “What if…”

“What if she had a point?”

“What if I wasn’t being honest with myself?”

“What if I wasn’t taking responsibility for something?”

This provided a new lens through which to see the situation. With my strong emotions now expressed it was like a fog had been lifted, and I could see the situation from a new vantage point. This new perspective allowed me to completely shift my thinking on what had happened and relinquish my grip on the version of events I had concocted to help deal with my partner’s “hard” response.

5. Take Responsibility.

From that simple question I realized that there was plenty I could take responsibility for, that I was ignoring based on my initial triggered response. I was shocked because once I found one thing, I found another, and another. By the end, I could take responsibility for almost all of what happened.

It would have been easier to take responsibility for either nothing (be stubborn) or everything (be a people-pleaser). But the more honest I was with myself, the more I could distinguish between what was mine and what was not.

For example, we had made a clear agreement about what time I would get back. I knew the food was going to be late, so I could have explained to my friends and left without eating. I knew I didn’t have a watch, so I could have checked on the time from somewhere else.

Previously I’d been telling myself the story that I needed in order to ensure I wasn’t in the wrong and to protect the scared little boy inside myself that was upset at being made to feel bad.

This also helped me to realize what I was not prepared to take responsibility for. I was being accused of some things that weren’t right. In fights we easily turn critiques about our actions into criticisms of our character. So, for example, in this scenario I was late home because I didn’t prioritize my partner. This is a critique (and is true); however, a criticism would be that this action makes me a selfish person (not true).

Taking ownership for what was mine helped me release responsibility for what was not. This helped me to feel much stronger and clearer in owning my part in the situation and how I communicated it to my partner, as a result.

6. Respect Your Partner’s Process.

When I arrived home I was excited to share what I’d learned with my partner and imagined us having a great conversation about it. That didn’t happen because she was still really annoyed with me. I came through the door with this great insight and awareness about the argument and how and why I’d behaved as I had. However, I was met with stonewalling.

I’d used the journey home to vent and express my feelings, so the emotions in me had subsided. However, my partner had been sat at home the whole time stewing and making matters bigger and badder in her head, so we were in very different places. She still needed to express those emotions and get them out of her system before she was able to communicate with me in a productive way, and I needed to create space for her to do that.

That was really tough because I realized I was in one place (emotionally and physically expressed, and now ready to take responsibility for what was mine), whereas she was somewhere else (still emotional and not ready for a rational conversation).

7. Create the “Container.”

Fights often get out of control when you are both full of emotion and expressing it from a place of fear. The most important thing missing in most fights is a safe space within which to share and be heard

When my partner and I fight we often fight for space to be heard as much as we argue about whatever the fight appeared to be about. Most fights are secret battles for power in the relationship and not really about whatever started them.

To fight well requires one of you to have enough presence, away from your emotions, to create a safe space (or the “container”) within which to have the conversation.

Once my partner’s emotions had calmed I asked if she was okay to have a conversation about what had happened because I wanted to share with her some things I wanted to take responsibility for. She agreed, and we were then able to have that conversation where I took responsibility for what was mine and we discussed what was not for me to take.

I found that leading and taking responsibility for what was mine made her more trusting in me, which added to the safety we’d developed in creating the “container.” This made her much more understanding and able to take responsibility for what was hers.

It really helped me when she said the simple words “I was wrong to say you were selfish.” I felt validated, which helped further develop the trust we had for each other.

She would never have been able to admit that if we’d not created the sufficient safety for us both to be honest with each other.

—

This certainly wasn’t an easy conversation, but it would never have been possible if we hadn’t taken steps to create some space to express our emotions, take responsibility for what was ours, and then create a safe environment within which to discuss it.

I learned that it’s not what we fight about but how we fight that’s most important.

This post courtesy of Tiny Buddha.

from World of Psychology https://ift.tt/2SGddz7 via IFTTT

[mayfourteenthnineseven]

2018 N U M  E R O L O G Y

Opportunities of the 11/2 Universal Year

Hurry up and wait? 2018 will be a year of action, but there will be delays and weird detours. It’s like the urgency you feel when applying for a new job or starting a business. You need a plan, proper financing and the tenacity to go with the flow of creation—which is rarely (if ever) a linear path. The trick will be in our collective ability to step back and develop new solutions and mindsets, and to find confidence in the face of change and uncertainty.

Balance autonomy and partnership. The double 1’s offer twice the pleasure and the challenges related to the number 1. This year continues to push all of us to step into our power, express our individuality and exert healthy independence. And we have to do this while playing well with others.

Find your tribe. Detach from draining people and invest in relationships that inspire you to be your best self. Cultivating a support system takes time, so it won’t happen overnight. Be patient and keep at it.

Balance masculine and feminine. Concern for humanity or “me first”? Inclusion or exclusion? The 2 is heart/feminine energy, while the double 1’s are cerebral/masculine energy. An 11/2 Universal Year highlights these dualities. 2018 will challenge all of us to find the right balance between giving and receiving.

Challenges of the 11/2 Universal Year

An 11/2 year can deliver challenging circumstances that are help build character. If we pass these tests, we’ll emerge stronger, more spiritually evolved and ready to assist others. Illumination comes when we find ourselves in darkness and opt for the light. This could be a year when we experience the “butterfly effect” firsthand, fighting our way out of chaos into clarity.

Be tolerant. A Master number cycle can heighten anxiety. Knowing this, we can be kinder to ourselves and more compassionate to others throughout the year. Remember that everyone is feeling this stress—not just you.

Embrace the lessons of conflict. The number 2 is the teacher of love, patience and diplomacy. But what must transpire for these important lessons to be learned? Sometimes: conflict! In a cycle guided by the number 2, we’ll find ourselves in more situations that require healthy emotional detachment. This is a year to back off from our own staunch viewpoints. Seeing all sides of the equation helps us formulate win-win scenarios rather than win-lose outcomes.

Humble thyself. Working with Master numbers is a marathon, not a sprint. We have to train, be flexible and take the tough coaching. Rushing into anything will lead to burnout. Master numbers teach us humility. We must overcome ego and connect with a deep sense of service before we can truly manifest the power of 11.

[myrrhmaiden]

5 Ways to Create NEW in the New Year – and All YearBy

5 Ways to Create NEW in the New Year – and All Year By Tris Thorp (as posted in The Chopra Center newsletter)

While the beginning of a new year does signify new beginnings, every single day of your life is an opportunity to begin anew.

As you’re wondering how to approach the coming year, and thinking about all that you’d like to accomplish and achieve, it’s important to remember that you have the power to create change any time you make a conscious commitment to do so.

Here are five creative ways to plan, manifest, and create new in your new year—and all year! Try one or two, or combine all of them into a five-step process.

1. Get to Know Yourself through Identifying Your Values

Knowing your values can help you create a life that you are excited about living. A value is an internal representation (or picture) of what has been encoded in your unconscious mind as being the most important thing to you in an area of your life. When you know what is most important to you, you can begin to formulate how you are living based on your passions. Consider a particular area of your life that needs tending to; an area that you would like to do some renovations in or where you would like to manifest something new. Maybe it’s your health and fitness, your career, or your relationships.

Next, ask yourself, “What is important to me about this area of life?” Make a list of words that come to mind. This list should be things you consider to be important about this specific area, as opposed to things you are wanting or wishing for. Once you have your list, organize it in order of importance. You can then begin to make choices, set goals, and take action toward living in accordance with what is truly most important to you.

2. Work with Your Vision and Set a Goal

This is easier to do than you might think. Unlike values, your vision is a picture of how you would be living your life in an ideal world; it will feel exciting, inspiring, and is filled with positive emotions. The great news is that your vision already exists inside you—it simply needs to be revealed. To do this, reflect on the area of your life you know you need to revamp and how it currently exists today. Next, allow yourself to envision how you would like for these situations or circumstances to transform in the next six months or year. Become aware of the different experiences you’re having, the positive emotions you’re feeling, and notice the people around you, as if it’s happening now. Let yourself dream big—this is your vision! Now that you have unveiled your vision and you’ve had a glimpse of what is possible, you can determine what goals you need to set. Goals are important because they point you in a specific direction and help you achieve the things you want to achieve. So now, think about your vision and consider a goal you need to achieve in the next three to six months that will move you powerfully toward living your vision. It’s important to do this work one step at a time so that you don’t become overwhelmed by the big picture. After setting your short-term goal, it’s time to determine what action steps need to be taken in order to get there. Ask yourself, “What is one thing I can do this week to move toward my goal?” Then, follow through and do it—week after week—until you’ve reached your goal. Then, set your next goal. Keep in mind your goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound).

3. Collaborate with Others

Never underestimate the power of collaboration. There are lots of ways you can manifest or create newness through getting together with others who share the same interests. Consider the area of life you are working on and think about how you could align yourself with friends, family, and perfect strangers to help you achieve your goals. If you are working on health and fitness, you may join an online fitness and nutrition challenge group or train for a marathon with people in your community. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or working on your career, perhaps you create or join a meet-up group that is focused on that particular niche. If your relationship is in trouble or you are carrying residual emotional pain from the past, a life coach may be a great option to help you get back on track. If you’re wanting to enhance your spiritual life, you might attend community meditations, join a book club, or attend a spiritual retreat. The point is to connect with others who can help keep you inspired and accountable for creating change in your life.

4. Design Your Ideal Self Avatar

An avatar is an iconic representation or ideal embodiment of a person or idea. Who is it that you want to become? This doesn’t mean you can’t be you, but rather, it’s a matter of getting clear on who the best version of you is—and then stepping into that. This will require some assistance and some imagination, so let yourself have some fun with it. To create your Ideal Self Avatar, sometimes it’s helpful to begin with bringing to mind people, characters, deities, or superheroes you admire and respect. Make a list of the specific qualities and characteristics you find attractive. Imagine a time in your life when you didn’t handle a situation in the best way and imagine what this character would have done in that same scenario. You can then call upon this archetype whenever you feel challenged to help you become a better version of yourself by emulating some of their attributes. See if you can come up with a few different people or superheroes who inspire you to be your best and keep them in mind when you find yourself up against tough times. Next, start to think about who you would be if you could design yourself:

What would you be capable of?

Who would you surround yourself with?

What would your physical health be like?

What type of relationships would you invest in?

What would you want to accomplish or achieve?

Would you be someone who is connected to their emotions and able to communicate in a conscious, yet direct way?

Would you be able to set and enforce boundaries—with yourself and others?

Would you have a spiritual or religious practice? If so, what would it entail?

Then, begin to make strides by taking action each day to become that version of you. Keep in mind that Rome was not built in a day and that the journey isn’t traveled overnight. You will need to be diligent in your self-discipline and maintain focus every day—even if it’s just baby steps.

5. Create a Vision Board

Vision boards have been a long-standing favorite of many for inspiring positive change. While they gained a heightened level of popularity after the documentary, The Secret, came out, vision boards have been around for a long time. A vision board uses the law of attraction—you will attract what you hold inside—like a magnet—good, bad and everything in between. The law of attraction is activated at all times and is based on whatever is going on in your unconscious mind and the actions you are taking every day. Similar energetic frequencies attract other energetic frequencies. If you are doing your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual work and focusing on positive evolution, you will have an easier time attracting the things you are seeking. Choose the area of your life where you need to do the most work and create a vision board—a collage of words, phrases, and images of things that inspire you, that highlight what you want to manifest in your life, and how you want to be living. To create a vision board, get a large piece of poster board and a glue stick. Find online images relative to what you are seeking in your life or thumb through magazines, cutting out things you want to put on your board. Then, when you have your pile of desired images, begin to glue them to the poster board in a fashion that suits your taste in design and pin it to a wall in your home or office. The key here is to make sure you can see it every single day and that you have an energetic connection to the things on it.