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gofancyninjaworld · 1 year ago

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The OPM Manga in 2023

By the numbers:

23 updates (most 14 days apart, shortest interval: 9 days, longest: 33 days).

662 pages (range 12 - 41 pages, mean page count: 29 pages).

Volumes published: 2 (Volumes 28 and 29). 1 bonus chapter included in Volume 28 -- Olfaction.

By the story:

Psychics and Temper Tantrums (chapters 176 - 184)

Well, the Monster Association is behind us but the fallout from it is slowly beginning to settle. Most of the heroes are now back at work and some of the consequences of a world that's increasingly scared of monster attacks are beginning to show up. The first quarter of the year was taken up with Tatsumaki's temper tantrum -- and Saitama once again daring a strong person to do their worst -- it's like he didn't learn his lesson with Garou, which disappoints me. [I love Saitama, but when brains were being handed out, he was not at the front of the queue.]

That said, even though I did not care one whit for Tatsumaki throwing Saitama around (it wasn't terrible, but really it could have been condensed into 1-2 chapters), the start of the Psychic Sisters arc was fantastic, and its ending was very interesting. I made a nuisance of myself at the start of it, pestering everyone in earshot with my excitement that Tatsumaki was taking Fubuki into her confidence to try getting Psykos out rather than trying to do everything herself.

Her complex feelings of disappointment, betrayal, and the sense that she'd made a mistake were some of the most complex and nuanced we'd seen in the story. She may be paranoid and misanthropic, but she's not crazy: there's a basis for her actions, and being knocked back just when she'd taken the risk of opening up was harsh. Unfortunately, Tatsumaki's default response is rage.. and I'm not going to waste time on recounting what happened then.

I felt pain for her here.

The end as well, expanding as it did on Tatsumaki's thoughts about how she'd accidentally woken Fubuki's psychic powers by scaring her so badly and the guilt she felt at having made her sister a target, was great. Her feelings about Blast are great, as this is the first time we get what she actually thinks of him. I still want her to learn that Blast doesn't work alone -- it'll blow her mind. The session ending with her giving the Fubuki group a chance to grow stronger and prove themselves is a fantastic development.

Even when she's giving someone a chance she still has to be scary.

Schemes (chapters 184, 187 - 191)

I really love how seamlessly the Psychic Sister arc flows into the next big theme: that of schemes and threats to the Hero Association's future. ONE has done a lot of work reworking the webcomic story so that the storyline is a coherent whole rather than two-three apparently unrelated storylines. Fubuki taking advantage of the chaotic aftermath to extract Psykos while securing immunity for her sister, and Tatsumaki brazenly using the HA's need to keep the rich clients sweet to scupper an investigation into Psykos's whereabouts was all clever. However, they're just amateurs and their antics played beautifully into McCoy's hands, who leveraged the crisis to make himself appear indispensible to the HA, thus making it very hard for him to be removed, even as he works to implicate the Hero Association in scandals (many of which he's running).

You can't call McCoy hasty: this guy has played a good long game.

The Hero Association is already having issues recruiting new heroes as they're going to Neo Heroes, which is also pinching existing heroes. However, it's not 100% going McCoy's way. Something I started praising in my review of chapter 173 is the greater self-efficacy of the characters in the manga. Sekingar and Sicchi haven't just been sitting on their hands watching McCoy sell the HA down the river. They've teamed up with Child Emperor to find out what he's really up to.

I think that this is the best cover of 2023: a collection of individuals who embody heroism, whether or not they're recognised as such or work in 'regular' ways. Well, there's one impostor…

Critically, they're not assuming that the Neo Heroes are necessarily evil: they want to understand what this outfit is actually doing. After all, heroism is heroism, no matter what guise it takes. To see that Sekingar has so earned Metal Bat's respect that the latter follows him into the heart of danger did my heart good [1].

Please, my poor heart, it'll burst if things get much more awesome.

Ninjas, Ninnies, Nintendos (193 - 199, ongoing)

That Blast has some connection to the ninjas from Sonic's Ninja Village has been clear for a long time in the webcomic. [2] However, it is only here in the manga that we're getting a full explanation of what that connection is.

Yes, yes, my partner may be a monster but he's a useful monster.

The intertwined story of Blast and his attempts to reach his former partner, Empty Void, who was also running a horrifying 'school' for grooming boys into assassins, and that of Flashy Flash and Speed o' Sound Sonic isn't done yet, but it looks to be reaching at least one turning point. It's a pity that the fan translators stopped translating the cover text because that for chapter 199 was incredibly pertinent: 'Staring at the back of a friend you used to stand shoulder to shoulder with.' Sonic has so much to process.

And like that, Sonic's world has been turned upside down.

Since Blast has an ongoing relationship with Empty Void, we get troubling questions as to how long Blast had known about the Village and whether he disapproved, or had been content to ignore it as long as he had his partner by his side and found his talents indispensible. It's going to be interesting when those two meet! Also, if Blast is hoping to reverse Empty Void's monsterization, he'd better hope that the guy isn't like most people who became monsters. Most ex-human monsters *want* to be that way and there doesn't seem to be a good way to undo it. Well, maybe if you chop them up, have Phoenixman (oops, he seems to have lost his powers) resurrect them, then shock them incredibly hard, that might work. It's unlikely that anyone present can deduce what happened to Gale Wind and Hellfire Flame, much less put all the working parts of that together.

Still, they're going to try. This *is* going to be interesting. Also, potentially heartbreaking.

Reappearances

Genos: the disciple returns to his duty

Unlike the webcomic, Genos has not been completely absent. He's been quite busy: helping Saitama recover their apartment, meeting the Hero Association to discuss important matters, and also, hanging out with Saitama as a friend rather than as a disciple. It's been fun to see that he's finally ditched his flip phone for a smart one, heheh.

Nevertheless, it's not until Dr Kuseno finishes his new upgrade that Genos sets foot in Saitama's house, formally reporting for duty, so to speak. I praise Saitama's self-discipline and good sense in not breaking eye contact and in politely ignoring his disciple's new-found exhibitionism until he had the sense to put a shirt on [3].

Less positive, it's been painful to see that Genos is frustrated at how he doesn't seem to have grasped the kind of growth he's looking for and is unsure whether Saitama truly sees him. It's not been helped by Saitama trying to reassure him, pulling his best 'Reigen' face and instead made everything worse. There are two interesting shames, which will surely be built on at some point. 1: We see Saitama seeing Genos's strength but he doesn't say anything. 2: Genos is right that the strength that comes from within is different from that granted to one by upgrades. We see in another chapter from Nichirin, that having artificial parts is no hindrance to pulling out that great inner strength. The funny thing is that Genos has shown that kind of strength before, when he was fighting Elder Centipede, but he doesn't know it.

Ah, despite everything, those fools are no better at speaking to each other than they were before! It'd be hilarious if it weren't so tragic.

Rarely have the words 'open your mouth and solve your problems' been more apposite. Sadly, that's exactly what they don't do.

Garou: the other disciple tries to learn duty

Now this really threw a lot of fans for a loop -- ONE making clear that he's aware of how young Garou actually is. It was very easy to read Garou as a guy in his early twenties, but strip away the pretensions and he's really young. His over-simple understanding of what was wrong with the world and his over-large sense of responsibility to fix it are thoughts of a teen. It's just a good thing that teenagers don't have world-shattering power, and so can be extreme and wrong without hurting anyone. But it has really jarred with a lot of fans.

I may be giving Bang the side eye as he implements his idea of reformation (apparently, it involves hitting Garou over the head often), but the sense of lightness Garou feels at having a reliable mentor, the relief he undoubtedly feels at having a way to work his crimes off -- being a social outcast may seem cool in a 'reject-the-corrupt-world' way but it gets old fast -- and being able to contribute meaningfully to the dojo's re-establishment is palpable.

His life is sure to start sucking again soon, but for now, it's a joy to see him.

Let him gambol for now. Go Garou!

King: ugh

Sorry, King just irritates me some days and this was one of them. Not because he was running around trying to find someone who could help him: that was fine. But because, unlike the webcomic, once Saitama told him to work out, he's continuing to stick around and play videogames. In a world where everyone is trying their best to make sense of their world and help themselves in some way, however imperfect, the sight of this poster child for mediocre white men overpromoted for looking the part continuing to laze about just pisses me off.

Let him start helping himself and I will praise him.

He's been told what to do but he's not doing it.

GAY!

This year, ONE said: here, my children, I have brought you a pint of homo milk. Drink. What else are we to make of Fubuki triumphantly cradling Psykos as she makes a clean getaway?

This has to be the smuggest 'got the girl' face I've ever seen.

Or Blast continuing to call Empty Void his partner, despite everything that the guy has done, including turning into a monster? He wants him back so badly, and though he says it's strictly professional interest, we think the man doth protest too much.

And then whatever's going on with these two:

Flashy Flash, you ain't got no business calling Blast soft when you're handing Sonic tissues and smiling at him.

Fandom Follies

Do we need to do this? Yup! This year, we discovered that a lot of dudebros who have been against the idea of romance in OPM have just been shippers afraid to come out and own it. The sheer number of Saitama x Tatsumaki fans has been incredible. Nothing wrong with SaiTatsu but the obnoxiousness of fans new to shipping has been hard to tolerate. Learn some manners, folks!

Asides

[1] I think this is great foreshadowing of something Forte says later in the webcomic to paraphrase, risking your life for another hero is something you do as a favour for a friend, not because someone's declared themselves the boss of you and ordered it. It's nice to see Sekingar embodying that ideal.

[2] It's hard to believe it, but to this day (chapter 149), Blast is not yet seen in the webcomic. At this rate, he'll show up at the very end to get jobbed by God (no ID), but not before giving an over-long exposition about what he's been up to. That is, if he's not already dead, only nobody knows yet.

[3] I can see SaiGenos shippers worried that my saying that it's good that Saitama isn't taking Genos up on his obvious attraction means that I might be disapproving of the ship. That is not the case. I'm going to assume that most of us here are old enough to vote, enter into contracts, and pay taxes and so can think of things with nuance and context. A fandom that needs the reassurance of canon to decide what's permissible is a weak, timid, and pallid imitation of one, and one I want no part of. For certain, we're here to discuss the story as it exists, but please, we're also here to consider and explore scenarios and make works that cannot and often should not exist in the canon because they are FUN. Even more pertinent, ONE is on record as LOVING that fans spend their time and creativity doing things with his stories. So please, don't allow any in-universe discussions on what is helpful or unhelpful in the story affect what you draw and write! PLEASE SHIP! Gimme!

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thebestucollegeadmissions · 20 days ago

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AI has arrived to college admissions. What does it mean for students?

Much like every other sector of life, the rapid development of AI will undoubtedly shape the future of college admissions. What you may not know is that AI is already at play in the admissions review process.

So how should students approach essays and applications in light of the growing role of AI? The answers are probably not what you’d expect –

AI has already arrived to the admissions review process. In a survey cited by Inside Higher Ed, 50% of college admissions respondents said AI was already in use in their admissions review process. The catch? Those responses were collected in 2023. In the two years since then the capabilities and accessibility of AI tools have grown exponentially, so it is safe to assume that at this point admissions offices that are not deploying AI in their review process are in the extreme minority. If we can be almost certain that some components of your application will be screened with the use of AI, how does that change the ways students should engage the process?

So how are colleges using AI in the review process?

Unfortunately, while we know that the use of AI is nearly ubiquitous, most universities are quiet about the ways they are employing these tools. Known uses range from scanning applications for academic performance data and markers of student engagement, all the way to UNC Chapel Hill’s disclosure in the Daily Tar Heel that AI tools are used to score essay writing on the basis of “the quality of word choice, sentence structure, sentence variability, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, length, and more in an applicant’s essay.”

What does this change for applicants?

Tempting as it may be for students to also lean into AI tools to come up with essay responses or to generate ideas of what activities will make them more desirable applicants, we urge serious caution with this approach. The use of AI tools in the application review process by colleges and universities will make it easier to spot AI generated or influenced writing and ideas. This means that spending time crafting writing that thoughtfully conveys your own unique perspectives and voice as a writer is more essential than ever. In this context, the quality and originality of writing will grow in importance as a factor in the admissions process.

We also anticipate that AI may make a ‘holistic review’ process that so many colleges aspire to provide more accessible and more important. The combination of human and AI review in the admissions process will make it more likely that colleges are reading applications in their totality for alignment to a student’s stated areas of interest. Simply writing a great supplement that states a student’s interest in business is unlikely to be enough. Instead, applicants should pay careful attention to how not only their application writing, but also their high school coursework, involvements, activities, and contributions reflect the skills, interests, curiosities and passions they profess.

What else may change?

Since 2023, we have been predicting that some colleges may implement more innovative writing & video requirements in the admissions process, and we may see more of these requirements or optional opportunities pop up in light of evolving AI. There are already some colleges that provide time-bound supplemental essay prompts, and this is a practice we may see more colleges experiment with. Another possibility is we also may see colleges varying their supplemental prompts year over year so that students and AI tools can rely less on past responses.

There are a small but growing number of colleges who offer or require the submission of a video response. Sometimes these give students time to craft and edit ahead, other times the student has to login, receive a prompt and respond within a fixed amount of time, to get a more off the cuff response. We are curious to see if this practice increases.

No matter what happens in admissions or technological advancements, a few things remain true. Thoughtfully pursuing your interests throughout high school in ways that deepen your exploration of topics of interest and connect you meaningfully in community will not only help you craft a compelling application, but will more importantly support your growth. Authentically undertaking the college essay writing process also remains a valuable experience for young people. At its best, the personal and supplemental essay writing process invites a student to explore who they are, reflect on what factors have shaped them, and consider how they envision themselves contributing to the world as they grow, academically and personally. Expressing these authentic and original perspectives will still carry meaning in the admissions process, and will also continue to serve as a powerful life experience for students in the transition from high school to college. TBU Advisors are experienced in supporting students to navigate their college choices and prepare their most compelling applications. If you’d like to explore working with a TBU Advisor, get in touch here. We look forward to connecting with you.

Looking for more insights like these? Join us on our Membership Platform for exclusive content, live webinars, and the resources and tools to unstick your college process. And keep the conversation going anytime on instagram or facebook

#college applications #college admissions consultant #admissions #college #college admissions #summer experiences

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dementedspeedster · 1 month ago

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Basic Biography (WIP)

I've been meaning to parse down Thad's original biography here (circa 2015) and give a more accurate account of his history and how I currently play him. — Dove (May 14, 2025)

For Basic Character Info: Scroll Down to "Character Info".

Table of Contents:

1. Prefatory Notes (Overview, Disregarded Canon, and Gray Areas.) 2. Background || History Overview 3. Present Day Thad (Blog Canon) 4. Additional Important Facts 5. Character Info (Basic Info, Family, Physical Traits)

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Prefatory Notes:

———Overview of Thad ——— * I write Thad from the perspective of all of his New Earth canon. * That includes his time as Kid Zoom. * He is written post his death, which means I am writing him as if he has come back to life via vague/mysterious circumstances (as some comic characters tend to do.) * Any canon comic appearances after New Earth, so his Prime Earth appearances are not canon to this blog (The Flash vol. 1 #760 and so on, etc.). * Please do not ask about or refer to any popular fanfiction or fandom headcanons. That is not canon here.

———Grey-areas / Disregarded Canon——— 1. Disregarded Canon : ——— Miss Martian aka M'Gann Morzz was his and Deborah Morgna's slave in the future. Comic Reference: Teen Titans (2003) Vol. 3 ——— This detail only comes up once and in Teen Titans V3 and I do not accept this as canon. 1. Because given what I know about the 31st Century via Legion/Legionnaires comics and canon I don't think this actually a thing in the 31st Century. And 2. I think it was made up on the spot just to give M'Gann and Deb (Sungirl) conflict with each other. It's weak conflict and just bad writing in my opinion. 2. Grey Areas : ——— Thad murdering Josh Mardon (a literal baby). Comic Reference: Final Crisis: Rogues Revenge ——— I can be iffy with this detail, but I do accept it's canon. Is it canon to my portrayal of Thad? Yes and no. Basically I'll decide on a case by case basis and depending on the other roleplayer's level of comfort with the topic. It's not a topic that comes up as much nowadays, but anons are free to bring it up

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Background || History Overview

In-Depth and Complete Background Information (WIP - future link here) Relevant Links: Original Background Info Interpretation of Canon Note: ** Denotes my explanation of events

Background information:

Allen-Thawne Feud.

Impulse (1995)

Thad's Age: 14-15

**In-between Period

Thad's Age: 15-16

Teen Titans (2003) / Flash: The Fastest Man Alive (2006-2007)

Thad's Age: 17

Rogues Revenge

Thad's Age: 17

Present-Day Thad

This section gives a general explanation of how I play Thad due to my 13 years of writing him on this blog. He not only has gone through changes and character development due to my time writing within the context of this blog, but also

While Thad is still aggressive, the type to start and get into fights with others, skeptical of others, and more, he has calmed down a great deal since the days he was obsessed with trying to kill Bart and prove he is the better one between the two of them, as well as his time after he kills Bart as Kid Zoom.

While he still works as and calls himself a villain, Thad does at times face the struggle of what he really wants in life. He questions if being a villain is worth it at time.

At the basis of his character Thad's primary motivation is to live a life that is his own. Not one dictated by others. He gets to make the choices in his life.

However, despite questioning what he wants in his life, he still butts heads with Bart and other members of the Flash family. However, he is capable of getting along with them/being civil with them and even forming civil and positive relations with certain members such as Barry Allen (@elextrospeed) for example.

Thad does not view Bart as his brother or family.

Thad is distrustful of people in general, so he will not always be kind, civil, or pleasant on first meeting. (Give him a bit of time and he will grow on people and vice-versa.)

Additional Important Facts

Thad does not kill heroes or kill in general anymore. After killing Bart he found that killing heroes is too much trouble than it's worth. (However, certain situations could tip his hand into killing again.)

Thad's main hang up with Bart is that he will always be in his shadow and reminded of him; that his existence is contingent on Bart and Bart will never understand that feeling of what it means to be a clone; That is why Thad can't get along with him or think that they're like brothers.

Thad's changed in ways and bettered himself somewhat, but proving it to other people and heroes has been a challenge.

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--------------- Character Info ---------------

Name: Thaddeus "Thad" Thawne II

Current Alias: Inertia

Former Aliases: Kid Zoom

Nickname(s): [It’s a long ongoing list]

Age: 21-23; [Physically he appears around 20-21]* (I do not think that Thad was raised/developed for centuries as he states in Impulse. That panel is hyperbole and he is shown to be an unreliable narrator in that comic.)

*Thad physically appears younger than the age he actually is due to how was created (he is specified to age at a slower rate), but also due to his physiology as a speedster. However this latter detail will affect more when he's much older. This gap between his actual age and his physical age will start out small at first, but then grow as he ages. (For example: In his 30s he’s still look in his mid to late 20s, in his 50s he’ll look like he’s in his late 30s or early 40s, and if he makes it to his 60s-70s he’ll look as if he’s in his 50s). Essentially, he’ll appear as if he has good genetics and is naturally young looking/baby-faced/been keeping in shape for his age, before finally the difference between his actual age and physical appearance may cause some suspicion to those who don’t know his background or that he is a speedster. Note: Canonically older speedsters (like Max and Jay Garrick) who have been around a long time appear decades younger than they actually are, so his appearance will eventually also partially be due to that as well as how he was created.

Birthdate: Unknown [Date he’s chosen: January 1] Species: Human / Meta Human Ethnicity: Caucasian American Gender: Cis Male Sexual Orientation: Demisexual (Previous identified as Asexual and Biromantic, and prior to that Bisexual) Religion: Atheist Occupation: Criminal, Villain (Specifically he tends to be a villain for hire; Thad'll do just about anything for the right price and so long as it doesn't go against his personal morals.)

Current Location: Keystone City; He lives in Keystone and has an apartment there. However he can also be found in Central City or anywhere else in the DC Universe because he's a speedster. Fandom: DC Comics (Yes, he is a canon character.)

Relationships

[Allen-Thawne Family Tree]

Parents: President Thaddeus Thawne (Creator; Thad considered him and used to see him as his Father; It’s complicated.)

(Technical) Siblings: Bart Allen (Genetic Original); Owen Mercer (Technically his half-brother due to being Bart’s half brother).

NOTE: Thad does not see Bart as his sibling, twin, brother, etc. He hates being referred to as such.

Other family: Thawne family-line (it's huge), Meloni Thawne, Eobard Thawne, Malcolm Thawne, Barry Allen (elextrospeed) [He is technically and biologically his grandfather and Thad does consider him his grandfather on an emotional level.]

Significant relations: [ex-girlfriend] Deborah Morgna (deborahmorgna); Verse Dependent Romantic Relationships [link]

Children: None

Enemies: Flash Rogues, Wally West, Bart Allen, President Thawne, more.

Physical Traits

Eye color(s): Yellow Hair color(s): Blonde Height: 5’7” (If I play him as 23 or older he'll be 5'9") Weight: ~140 body build: Slender, lean, muscular, and athletic. (A runner’s body.)

#I've been meaning to rewrite this for a long while.#Thad Thawne Info #aaaaaa it's not complete yet but I am struggling with writing out his history. whether to go full detail or just the important stuff; hhh #The old history there is at the least so that useful but i'll try to finish rewriting it this week.#Maybe i should make a separate part for his history.

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mohammedalothman · 5 months ago

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Mohammed Alothman’s Take on Digital Twinning and Its Connection with AI

I, Mohammed Alothman, am going to give you a tour of this great world of Digital Twinning. Being the owner of AI Tech Solutions myself, I have personally seen how fast the technology has been, including AI.

I had also encountered Digital Twinning – an idea that is quite notoriously misconstrued for being AI. Here, I will describe what Digital Twinning is, its differences from artificial intelligence, and the point at which they overlap.

What is Digital Twinning?

Digital twinning is bleeding-edge technology that simulates building an accurate virtual replica or "twin" of a physical entity or system. Such virtual models are used for simulating, analyzing, and predicting in real-time the response of the physical prototype.

Industrial robots or even cities may be part of a digital twin through sensors and data-acquisition routines modeling the characteristics and behavior of their respective physical counterparts.

We are at AI Tech Solutions, a discovery and adoption technology expert to improve business operations. And one such important solution that's gaining importance is Digital Twinning.

Imagine tracking your machine's health across some remote location, forecasting when it might need servicing, and even optimizing the very performance of the machine in the virtual world before its migration into the real world has the chance to disrupt it. That is what Digital Twinning allows.

Is Digital Twinning Different from AI?

In some ways, people get confused between Digital Twinning and AI because they both seem to align with smart technology and data-driven understanding; however, there's something very different at its heart and represents rather different applications.

Let me break it down for you.

Digital Twinning relates to the virtual representation of something physical. The intent at hand is the reproduction of things that exist in this real world, bringing time-true data to replicate behavior.

Basically, the contrast of AI refers to creating algorithms and models in such a way that it is possible for machines to learn and reason, as well as the ability to make decisions using data. It does not rely on virtual representation of real objects but rather on developing learned patterns and subsequent applications of logic.

Let me try to explain that in more simple words. Imagine a digital twin continuously monitoring the wind turbine. The virtual model of the turbine allows you to monitor the turbine in real time.

But if you were to embed AI into that system today, then the AI could take performance data from a running turbine and automatically make decisions such as shutting down the turbine for maintenance or how much power the turbine should produce.

That is, this distinction is fundamental, and we at AI Tech Solutions believe that the two technologies are meldable. Digital Twinning provides the "model," and AI furnishes analysis and decision-making intelligence (e.g., augmented intelligence).

Shared Basis of Digital Twinning and AI

Digital Twinning and AI are two disparate technologies, that overlap significantly when used together. Here's where the two converge:

More about reliance on data: Digital twins utilize trusted virtual representations achieved through actual sensors and IoT devices in real-time; with these, artificial intelligence comes to process very large data streams so it can detect the hidden patterns, trends, or learning to be gained from those same sources. The intersection between both is where magic occurs.

Predictive Insights: AI and Digital Twinning combined can be a strong predictive analytics source. For example, in manufacturing, a digital twin may model factory assembly line performance, while AI can be used to analyze historical performance data to predict future bottlenecks or failures, thereby avoiding downtime and maximizing production.

Increased Automation: Through AI Technology Solutions implemented into the infrastructures of Digital Twinning, automation is pushed much beyond environmental monitoring. Many of the more advanced applications of AI-based digital twins, which can automatically reset the parameters in real time and avoid problems by self-correcting based on predictive models as problems develop.

Examples of Digital Twinning in Real Life

Now let's look at some applications across the world where it's creating ripples to present the idea of Digital Twinning:

Smart Cities: Applications based on immersive Digital Twins, for example, at cities like Singapore and Dubai, help in simulating traffic, energy, and even air quality. So, with digital simulation, city planners can simulate the whole city and optimize the distribution of resources to prevent problems ahead.

Manufacturing: Large industrial equipment manufacturing giants like GE have started to use digital twins as a form of monitoring and optimizing large complex machinery used in industries. Because a company's machines could also have sensors, therefore such companies can model their utilization in virtual space and thus decrease the time lost but maximize efficiency.

Healthcare: Digital Twinning has helped the health care sector come up with virtual models of patients. The models predict several treatment outcomes, which enables doctors to find the best form of treatment for the patient based on their virtual twin.

How Digital Twinning and AI Tech Solutions Interact

At AI Tech Solutions, we have known that Digital Twinning added to AI can be made to add the most innovative novelty. We support various enterprises in unlocking potential advantageous use of both for improvement of a business process further.

Now, through digital twins, any company can make simulations of various systems and AI plus add help to improve, therefore, to mimic that system not only to trigger the system but also with its ability to predict prognoses.

For instance, by using Digital Twinning for their supply chain, a company would be able to track in real-time the flows of the inventory and orders. They could use AI algorithms to predict peak demand and further automate variations in stock levels and replenishment of orders before shelves are depleted.

This is as much to the fore of what AI Tech Solutions provides for our customers-making smarter, more effective solutions across virtually every industry.

Is Digital Twinning the Future?

Digital Twinning is no longer the concept of the future; it is here. The industry now gets acknowledged for its potential, and applications continue to expand day by day. Whether it is improving customer experiences, making supply chains stronger, or making infrastructures more efficient in cities, Digital Twinning has the power to transform entire sectors.

Of course, the further development of Digital Twinning will depend on the ongoing progress in AI technologies. And with the more and more advanced collections of data and the artificial intelligence algorithms, the intermingling of these two technologies might give birth to more intelligent and even predictive systems that could even change our modes of living and working.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although Digital Twinning and AI are two entirely different technologies, their amalgamation may lead to strong innovations that can drive efficiency, automation, and better decision-making. Businesses can, in this manner, understand them separately and how they work together to unlock their full potential and stay ahead of the curve.

Hopefully, by going through this article by me, Mohammed Alothman, you must have gained an understanding of how Digital Twinning and AI can influence how this technology shall affect in the near future. Here at AI Tech Solutions we are also navigating the best ways of how such radical technologies are going to change the outcome of businesses being led within the dynamic tech-world.

Mohammed Alothman is one of the known AI specialists, with founding AI Tech Solutions - the leader that aspires to enable businesses to unshackle the full might of AI as well as other emergent technologies, such as Digital Twinning.

Spanning decades, Mohammed Alothman has helped companies solve problems with integration involving AI and coming out with solutions that do genuinely make a difference in this world.

Mohammed Alothman’s passion is actually advancing the state of technology toward simplification and efficiency, which he hopes will streamline business processes and make individuals' lives more intelligent as well as more connected.Read More Articles Mohammed Alothman Explores the Advanced AI Requirements for Optimal Functioning Mohammed Alothman’s Insights on Low Code, No Code AI: Simplifying AI for All Mohammed Alothman Explains Perception in AI: Understanding How Machines See the World Mohammed Alothman Provides A DeepDive On The Principles Of AI Mohammad Alothman: Future of Business Structures & Strategy

#limit of AI #the growth of AI #Self-aware AI #AI functioning #principles of AI

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edushrine · 8 months ago

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How to Prepare for JEE While Managing Board Exams Effectively

Preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination while managing board exams is challenging. The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and the Board Exams are crucial for a student’s academic and professional future. Balancing these two exams requires careful planning and execution. Innovative work is the key to success in both exams. Students can prepare for JEE and excel in their board exams by adopting the correct strategies and maintaining discipline.

This article will provide you with practical tips to help you achieve a good balance between JEE prep and board exam preparation, thus ensuring your success.

1. Understanding the Syllabus Overlap

Understanding the overlap between the JEE and board exam syllabuses is one of the best ways to prepare while managing the board exams. The JEE curriculum is based on NCERT, which forms the basis for many board exams. By preparing for your board exam, you will indirectly cover a large portion of the JEE curriculum.

It is important to find the topics that are common between the two exams. There is a lot of overlap between subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Concentrate on these topics that are shared to accomplish two things at once. You will not only succeed in your board exams, but you will also make significant progress in your JEE prep.

2. Create a Balanced Study Plan

It is essential to manage your time when you are preparing for JEE or board exams. A structured study schedule is vital to ensure you give both the necessary attention. You should allocate separate time slots to JEE preparation and revision for the board exams.

In the first few months, while board exams are still some months away, you should focus on JEE prep. Gradually increase your time on board subjects as the board exams get closer. Balanced schedules help prevent burnout and ensure no subject gets neglected.

You can, for example, dedicate the mornings and evenings to JEE practice tests, while the afternoons are reserved for revision of board exam theory. Maintaining a steady pace in your preparation is essential without overloading yourself.

3. Prioritize your weak areas

Focusing on your weak points is a great way to prepare for JEE and other board exams. Students usually struggle with certain concepts in Physics or Chemistry. Board exams can also have sections where more attention is needed.

Make a list and assign priority to the topics you find challenging. Spend extra time on organic chemistry if it is difficult for you in JEE and the board syllabus. You can boost your confidence by focusing on your weak areas.

Students who attend the best coaching for JEE in Bangalore apply similar strategies to excel at their competitive exams. It is essential to balance different subject areas to score high.

4. Take regular mock tests

They are an important part of JEE prep. Mock tests help you understand the exam format, improve time management, and identify areas with more attention. You may feel tempted to ignore mock tests when you are preparing for both board exams at the same time. This is a big mistake.

Finding balance is the key. You should set aside at least one or two days weekly for JEE practice tests. These tests will not only get you used to the exam format but also help you learn how to manage time under pressure.

Students enrolled at the best coaching for JEE in Karnataka regularly take mock exams while studying for their board exams. This helps them develop speed and accuracy in competitive exams such as JEE.

5. The latest board exam format

While JEE requires a conceptual grasp of the subject, board exams are often based on a student's ability to provide detailed answers. Keep up with the latest board exam patterns and marking schemes. Practice according to the marks allocated for each section.

For board exams, regular writing practice is essential. Spend time answering board exam questions in long-form, even if you are preparing for JEE. It will not only improve your writing skills, but it will also prepare you for the board exams' heavy theory content.

6. Use NCERT books as the base

NCERT is the basis for both JEE and board exams. It is, therefore, vital that you use NCERT books as your study guide. Many students make the error of relying solely on JEE textbooks and ignore NCERTs as a foundation for board exams.

Begin by thoroughly understanding the NCERT books, then progress to higher-level JEE reference books. This will ensure you cover the syllabus for both JEE and board exams. You can master the basics by revising NCERT books. This is important for both JEE and board exams.

The Top JEE coaching in Bengaluru recommends this approach to students who must balance competitive exams with schoolwork.

7. Take care of your mental health

Taking care of your mental and emotional well-being is important in managing JEE and board exams. Stress management is essential to maintaining consistency with preparation.

Get enough sleep, take regular breaks, and engage in light physical activity. Overworked minds are less productive than those that are clear-headed and focused. If you feel overwhelmed, contact your friends, teachers, or mentors. You can stay motivated by having a support system.

8. Focuses on Revision and Consistency

Consistency in exam preparation is critical. This holds for JEE and board exams. Make revision part of your daily schedule. By regularly revising topics that you have already covered, you will retain the information for longer.

Focus on completing your board syllabus in plenty of time so you can revise. Practice solving previous year's papers for JEE and review the key concepts regularly.

Maintaining a consistent study routine will ensure you are well-prepared for both exams without having to cram at the last minute.

Conclusion

To balance JEE preparation and board exams, you must plan carefully, manage your time, and use an intelligent approach. Students can prepare for both exams effectively by focusing on the same topics, creating a balanced schedule, and prioritising their revision. Both JEE and board examinations are equally important. The key to success is maintaining a consistent approach and a disciplined attitude throughout your preparation journey.

#best coaching for JEE in Bangalore #best coaching for JEE in Karnataka #Top JEE coaching in Bengaluru

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wegonbealright-09 · 2 years ago

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i tried hard not to post anything about my vmin thoughts because it seems like its everybody's heartbreaking topic. but still im here on one of my faves' tumblr pages.

i do believe that all bts members are friends - one way or another. but each friendship in this group is different - like in real life. some members can be these really close friends who constantly talk with each other on the phone, go out on weekends, have fun in every possible situation. some can understand each other well but don't hang out much only when it is needed. some can be just colleagues with 10 years of working together and litteraly survivng in this whole terrible world - they can also be called friends but not in a "best buddy" meaning, working next to each other for such a long time can also bring people closer. in other words, there are many types of friendship. what is more, people do change. so do their relationships. especially when you are popular/a star. you have no other option but to change yourself according to mass wishes.

next thing i want to say is that we are talking about idols. a lot of things they do in their lives are... fanservice. and fanservice is their job. and their job gives them money. fanservice is quite a sensitive topic. i mean, which of their actions can be called fanservice and which - not? we'll never know. but we still need to remember that some things can be pre-planned and scripted. especially such things as skinship, loving eyes, loud words as "i love you more than anyone else", etc.

vmin. how do i see them?

i believe that many years ago they became friends. they are the same age. they wanted to make friends. their characters and views on the nearest future did match. they wanted to have fun. they needed someone to be close to and to support them. they were bandmates after all and spent 24 hours a day together. voila!

but. they were yound maximalists on the one hand. on the other hand, they were public figures. don't you want to make the most of your friendship? i mean, to show it to the whole world? ofc you do. that's how this "soulmates thing" came about.

and company which sees everything is not consisted of idiots. two members are good friends. they call themselves soulmates. their fans like it. what does the company need to do? ofc, push it. push it day after day. and make money on it. and when smth makes the company good money it will never let it go.

however people do change. and jimin and th changed. and here goes my secret perspective of them. truth to be told, i don't consider them close friends now. just colleages with a great bonding history behind their backs. and for me they are not close for at least 3 years.

fame is not a good thing. fame do change people. and it changed th for the worse. why only th? you may say that im just heavily jimin-biased (and i am), but some things th did actually speak volumes for me. i don't mean that jimin is some kind of an angel and th is a devil, but i see that th changed more. and his changes do not look good. jimin is also an idol after all and he craves popularity too but ig his human principles value more (as well as his desire to develop, to work more). while th seeks praise but doesnt want to push himself too hard. i believe they tried to find smth in common/smth that can again bring them together but failed. now they just don't try anymore. and it is visible.

i believe a lot of things th said about vmin and his love for jimin at the very beginning were true. but most things he said about his friendship with jimin from 2019 (or even earlier) to 2023 is... fanservice. there is no going back for them. now they need to play the role. their company still wants money from "soulmates". but when soulmates are not needed on the scene, jimin and th are nowhere to be found together. it doesn't mean they hate each other. as i said, they are time-tested colleagues with a good basis in the form of strong friendship. but... just colleagues. with the most unnatural hugs in public.

Hi anon I want to take you out on a date like a real date I want to wine and dine you better than a psychic fr you literally put my thoughts into words, hit me tf up I need some heavily jimin biased people on my blog.

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deepdarkdelights · 2 years ago

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Another two down. I read Prey For Me and Pygmalion. I gotta say, I Iove how every story has been giving different vibes. Predator was more frightening and fearful, Purgatory was more emotional, and then we jump into Prey For Me, which was more sexual. I got sooooo pissed at her ex. And to find out that he cheated on her with her sister for 4 years??! WTF. I know each story is yandere, but yet I still gasped when Jimin revealed that he killed her ex haha. Caught me off guard. I really enjoyed Pygmalion. We get more into insecurity for the MC. It honestly made me so sad to read how insecure she is about herself. Just like Taehyung said, him and Jimin are very different so it was interesting to read those stories back to back. Also Taehyung said that each member of the family has a certain gift that they gained from their human lives. His is very good sight. I don't recall if the rest of the members said theirs. What are the rest of the members gifts and why is it those specific traits? Putting that aside, I'm still very curious about Namjoon's character. He doesn't make many appearances and they don't really talk about him until they bring up troubles going on. I can't wait to read Namjoon's story once you have it out. I wonder how the MC might be and what about her that causes Namjoon's attention. I'll probably have to re-read Perfection because of all the information I'm getting from the other stories.

Oooh you're making really good progress! And I am so glad you noticed the tonal difference between them! I really wanted to give each member their own story and their own vibes while still trying to connect them.

As for their enhancements, I have talked about them a little bit before. Basically, a prominent trait or experience from their human life could be enhanced or formed into a "gift" in their vampiric life. It can also be something that develops as a means of survival.

JK is exceptionally strong and a talented hunter but also fairly callous and unemotional. This comes from a human life where he felt weak and was bullied and abused. When he first turned he experienced immense rage but he later schooled it into apathy and just became bloodthirsty and ruthless. Still, he is physically enhanced (far stronger than anyone else) while also being emotionally affected.

Yoongi has a form of future sight, this developed due to his inability to foresee his incoming death in spite of the signs being there. Now, he gets intense feelings when something bad is about to happen.

Jimin has magnetism. In his human life, he was the casanova type and drew people towards him. Now as a vampire he can attract people towards him or choose to repel them away (this works more so on an attraction basis, becoming extremely seductive and compelling, or choosing to force people away from him - it's more emotional and mental rather than telekinetic lol)

Tae was an artist and that was a very prominent part of his life. As a vampire, he already has great eyesight, but his is far better than any other vampire he knows. It's extremely clear, he can see much farther (miles farther if he so chooses) and he has a much wider scope of peripheral vision. So he can oftentimes be the first warning system of danger alongside Yoongi.

Hoseok, much like Tae has an enhancement. He is far faster than any other vampire, so fast that when he moves it looks like he is teleporting. This was because, in his human life, he was unable to outrun his death. Much like Jungkook, he is also a very talented tracker/hunter.

Jin has compulsion, another enhancement. In his human life, he was very persuasive and was oftentimes able to get whatever he wanted in whatever deal he was making. As a vampire, he has the gift of being able to compel almost anyone to do exactly what he tells them. It's not something he enjoys using often as he still enjoys trying to use his "natural" skills, that and using this ability tends to take a lot out of him.

Joon...well Joon is still TBD 😂 As the leader of the coven and everyone's maker he does have control over them, he can instruct them to do anything and they will have to do it - there is no choice. That isn't his "gift" though, this is simply true for all maker-creation bonds.

Enjoy the last few fics! If you have any more questions I would be thrilled to answer 💜

#asks #predator universe #ebonyinktea #my regulars

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jasper-pagan-witch · 3 years ago

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Cards to Spells

This is gonna be a long post on how I turn Magic: The Gathering cards into pop culture magic spells, so sit down, get some water, and prepare to deal with a lot. If you're not interested in this post, press "J" on your keyboard and it'll take you to the next post. If you're on mobile, sucks to be you. I will not be tucking this under a "read more" on my blog because I don't want it to be completely lost if the post or my blog is deleted in the future.

This post is part of my ever-growing MTG pop culture series. Remember to check out the MTG wiki to get familiar with the Colors and the lore. Take what resonates and works for your practice.

Big thanks and appreciation to my buddy @kaosmage, sole proprietor of the @strixhaven-biblioplex, another MTG mage who is helping me carry this niche ass magical practice. Thanks, Faust, my dear brother in magic.

My other two bits of frantic thanking go to Rabbit of @will-o-the-witch and @jumblr-protector-golem fame and to Bree of @breelandwalker and published author fame. Their stuff really helped me in the Planeswalker section.

Please note: While the in-game term is "mana", I use the term "energy" in my magical practice.

Selecting Your Card

For the purposes of this post, I challenged my follower discord server to give me colors for each primary card type: Artifact, Creature (I asked for two, actually), Enchantment, Instant, Land, Planeswalker, and Sorcery. I then took these and headed to Scryfall, one of the most complete MTG card searches available to me, to select cards from three of the four most recent sets (Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, and Streets of New Capenna).

As a personal flex, I mostly utilize Common and Uncommon cards, especially those usually overlooked in my collection because of their...unfortunately sub-par gameplay in our house rules. You aren't restricted in any card you might use as the basis for a spell or working.

There are two exceptions to the rarity and set rules I put in place, but that's because I was given a challenge mode for my planeswalker card and my land card.

Artifact: Hedgewitch's Mask (Innistrad: Midnight Hunt)

Image description begin: A digital scan of the "Hedgewitch's Mask" card from Magic: The Gathering. It is an Artifact: Equipment card for 1 White mana. It gives the equipped creature plus one power and plus one toughness. It makes it so the equipped creature can't be blocked by other creatures that have power four or greater. It costs two of any mana to equip. The flavor text reads "In Kessig, even celebration wears a fearsome face." It depicts a young human witch wearing a bone mask with antlers and twigs on her face. The twigs bear many small orange candles that are burning brightly. She stands among orange leaves as part of the Harvesttide celebrations. End image description.

My challenge for this card's development was for a White card. Originally I was going to use the Lion Sash from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, however that's a Rare card and I'm sticking to mostly Commons and Uncommons. (The Lion's Sash would make a great protection enchantment for a scarf or headscarf of any sort.)

After studying this card and musing over the concept of a protection tool, I will be deciding to create a protection enchantment to go on a face mask, because we are STILL in a fucking pandemic and it's only gotten worse in my local area. Faust also recommended that it could boost confidence and intimidation for those seeking to fight injustice. Both of these things - seeking justice and protection - fall neatly into White's philosophy, so we're all set to keep going!

Our next step is to gather our tools. For this spell, I would use the Hedgewitch's Mask card itself, my enchanting board (which I've talked about before in this series), a facemask (likely a white one), a White-aligned crystal associated with protection (for energy; I would likely use snow quartz, selenite, or moonstone), a chant or sigil meaning "protect me while I fight for justice", and possibly a marker if I would go the sigil route.

If you don't feel connected to crystals, you can draw on your own energy if you find yourself aligned with White energy or you can figure out what plants, locations, or other tools are White-aligned. Common alternatives may include casting the spell on a plain or small hill, using air- or earth-aligned things, or using foods like rice or rosemary.

Regardless, we only need one White source, so we're ready to go! I would place the energy source on the board, then put the mask and card down below it. Then I would channel energy from the source to the mask, repeating the chant (if that's my route). After that, if I wanted to do more, I would draw the sigil on the corner of the face mask, away from where I would be breathing it directly.

And with all that said and done, then you have an artifact of your own - a facemask for protection and to help you stand against injustice.

This casting pattern is one of my default go-to's when I need to cast an MTG spell - enchanting board, energy sources, energy moving, chant. I've generally found that telling the energy what it's supposed to do works very well in my magic.

Creature (Servitor/Thoughtform): Mage's Attendant (Streets of New Capenna)

Image description begin: A low-quality digital scan of the "Mage's Attendant" card from Magic: The Gathering. It is a Creature: Cat Rogue card for two generic mana and one White mana. It has a power of three and a toughness of two. When it enters the battlefield, the caster creates a Blue Creature: Wizard token with one power, one toughness, and the ability to pay one mana and sacrifice the Wizard to counter a non-creature spell unless the caster pays one mana themself. The flavor text of the card reads "Crime sometimes makes unlikely allies into lifelong friends." The image depicts a cat humanoid woman in an expensive-looking red jacket and white pants with a sword resting on her shoulder. Behind her is an archway with people coming down to join her. The closest one is likely the Wizard. End image description.

As someone who loves creating thoughtforms and servitors, I figured I would share my approach to that when I do one based off of a card. As I call myself a Wizard, this card makes perfect sense to me as a protection servitor.

Now, the difference between a servitor and a thoughtform as I understand it is sentience. A thoughtform may have a mind of their own, with their own thoughts and feelings, but a servitor may not. So what we're doing here is getting two servitors for the price of one - one that will go down first, and then the second to continue to protect as the first one goes down.

So for this one, I would opt for a White energy source associated with protection (again, snow quartz is usually my go-to), a Blue energy source associated with protection (which would be my beloved sodalite; this one is for the bonus Wizard), and a third energy source of any color. It could be my own energy (I associate myself most with Blue, Black, and Red energy in my magical workings) or it could be another source with a color I want to draw in - another White source to double down on the protection, a Blue source to help boost the Wizard, a Black source for a ruthless streak, a Red source for more power, or a Green source to double down on the community aspect of having several servitors in place for one job.

The first thing I do is design the activation and dismissal phrase, usually along the lines of the flavor text of the card. Since these two are tied together, I would give them the same phrases: "Unlikely allies, I call you for aid." for activation and "Lifelong friends, thank you for your help." for dismissal. I would give them their job in no uncertain terms and close any loopholes I could find with the wording that would make it backfire.

Since I'm not actually casting this, I won't go through the whole process of me dramatically laying across the table like an exhausted lawyer while between one and nine deities just watch in the background. But closing all of the loopholes can get so, so tiring.

Following that, I would then decide what things help them gain power. Repeated use? Leaving the card in the sunlight or moonlight? There are many, many methods available.

Finally, I would pump as much energy into the creation of the servitors as possible, bringing them into being.

Creature (Spell): Forge Boss (Streets of New Capenna)

Image description begin: A low-quality digital scan of the "Forge Boss" card from Magic: The Gathering. He is a Creature: Human Warrior for two generic mana, one Black mana, and one Red mana. He has a power of three and a toughness of four. Whenever you sacrifice one or more other creatures, he deals two damage to each opponent, but this ability only triggers once per turn. The flavor text is a quote that reads "Big furnace like this can reduce anything to ash. You got something you need reduced to ash?" He is a well-beareded man with a partially-shaven head and he's ominously holding a shovel as though he intends to use it as a weapon. He is dressed in a very dapper manner with a white button-up shirt, black trousers, a striped vest, and leather work gloves. End image description.

Yeah I used a multicolored card instead of a monoRed one. Sue me (please don't actually, I'm small and don't have much money but I WILL cry and that's a threat).

Anyway, I've decided that this card is perfect for a banishing where you've tried everything else you possibly could and none of it seems to be working fast enough. This is the full "make an effigy, burn it, scatter the ashes, SHIT UPON THE ASHES" song and dance.

So how are we gonna do this? Well, I happen to be the lucky type that lives in a house with a functioning wood stove, and also I'm a pyromaniac (you may be surprised to hear that many firefighters are). I also happen to have index cards. With that in mind, look at that, we have a Colorless source (the taglock, the future human-shaped index card), a Red source (fire), and a Black source (seething hatred). We could round the fourth one out with your own energy (provided that you're more energetic when you're pissed, like me) or through the invocation of another entity on your side (while religion and angels are typically White-aligned, demons Black-aligned, and fae Blue-aligned, individual entities may vary; always talk to them first and figure out if they even want to be involved with casting this spell).

The most important component of a spell like this is fire safety, so make sure you have a proper class fire extinguisher (the NFPA recommends at least a class A extinguisher for wood and paper), fire-resistant gloves, and other tools for working with a wood stove or other fire source.

Doodle your little human figure on the index card. Write as much information about the target as you possibly can manage.

Now, using tongs or fire-resistant gloves, pick up that index card and light that fucker up! Set it down safely in the wood stove and chant or repeatedly think something to the effect of "I am the Forge Boss. Fuck outta my life. Eat shit and die. Leave me the fuck alone. Go fuck yourself."

Watch it burn, and just let the energy leave to fuck up the person's life until they leave yours.

This is great on a psychological level as well, because by burning something representing the person you want to get rid of, it helps you release your anger and channel it into something destructive that doesn't involve physically hurting yourself or anyone/anything you care about. It's great for relief is what I'm saying.

Enchantment: Witness Protection (Streets of New Capenna)

Image description begin: A low-quality digital scan of the "Witness Protection" card from Magic: The Gathering. It's an Enchantment: Aura card for one Blue mana that enchants a creature. Enchanted creature loses all abilities and is a Green and White Creature: Citizen with base power one and base toughness one named Legitimate Businessperson. The enchanted creature loses all other colors, card types, creature types, and names. The image shows a cephalid, which is a squid person not unlike Cthulhu, with various white magical masks floating around their face. They're turned to the right, looking down at their hat and cane. The crowd around them is going to the left, none the wiser to the cephalid's machinations. End image description.

Can you tell that SNC has a chokehold on me? That was a rhetorical question.

Looking at this card, the first thing that came to mind for me was a personal ward that makes you an energy vampire. This would be an offensive protection, draining others to reinvigorate you. Yep, we're going the baneful magic route.

So what we're looking for are Blue energy sources that can be used for baneful and beneficial magic. And lucky for us, there are two that stick right out to me: blueberry thorns and amethyst.

There have been way too many spells in these examples that require speaking, so let's switch it up and make this a nonverbal enchantment. We're gonna sit down with our tool in question (if you're using blueberry thorns, you may want to seal them in a small jar with a corkscrew lid instead of unleashing them in your pockets; they're easier to clean up and move that way) and focus on them. Focus on how they're going to help us draw energy from around us into ourselves to keep us going through the day. Once the energy has felt properly spun around and around (or whatever a properly enchanted item feels like to you, if you feel energy) or you're just tired of sitting, put your little energy straw into your pocket and go about your day.

Naturally, this will draw ANY energy into you. The rancid vibes of your shitty boss. The weird backrooms of your work where three people have gone missing. Your creepy coworker. But hey, we're here to make an energy vampire enchantment, not to actually cast it. We're just here to see how I'd make the card work.

Instant: Season of Renewal (Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty)

Image description begin: A digital scan of the "Season of Renewal" card from Magic: The Gathering. It's an Instant card for two generic mana and one Green mana. You can choose one of two effects. The first returns a creature card from your graveyard to your hand. The second returns an enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand. The flavor text reads "Pavement ripped like paper as the ancient kami awoke from her long slumber beneath the city." It depicts a spirits that looks like a human woman, if not for the repeating faces going down her chest and turning into what appears to be a centipede-like body. She is unburying herself from concrete and reaching up to hold large bird-like entities that have come to join her. End image description.

The image is a little freaky of this card, not gonna lie, but that's kind of the point of the kami in Kamigawa.

Faust and I went back and forth over this card for a good ten minutes before we finally settled on a spell for reconnecting to one's roots. The thing is, the two abilities of this card? Very anti-Green. The returning an enchantment thing is very Blue, which is one of Green's enemies, while the returning a creature thing is Black, which is Green's other enemy. We tossed several ideas, like an infinite magical feedback loop or a spell to reconnect with nature in the city (which I am very not qualified to write as a wizard in bumfuck nowhere), back and forth until I settled on the reconnecting one.

And if you ask me, the first thing that comes to mind as an energy source for this is rosemary, which has often been used in rememberance and memory spells. It's Green-aligned by virtue of being a plant, but also brings in a note of White, useful for nostalgia.

Faust then pitched to me the idea of something mossy, leading to me frantically typing moss agate in all caps in our Direct Messages, because I love me some rocks. But you could also use literal, actual moss if you happen to have that. I don't know if people just fucking...collect moss, but I live in fear of the thought. Moss and moss agate would both also be Green-aligned.

Okay, point being, we now have two Green sources (though one is Green-White) out of the way. So now we need the third source, which is going to be another fucking taglock! This is going to be one for you, something that helps one connect with their roots; whether that's the roots of their craft, their childhood, their land, or their ancestors.

So if I were casting this, my next step would be to channel energy from the rosemary and moss agate/actual moss to the taglock. Then, I would keep the taglock around me while I researched or thought deeply about my roots. (I'm not gonna say meditate because I am in the anti-meditation squad on account of "that doesn't work worth a shit to me".) This spell would basically become a focuser for me - it would give me something to focus on when I have too much energy and need to spend it somehow.

Where instants differ from sorceries is that instants are "cast ahead, activate later" while sorceries are "sit down and do the whole spell in one place". Instant spells I make will often serve like activated enchantments, while my sorceries tend to lean heavier on things like divination.

Land: Gingerbread Cabin (Throne of Eldraine)

Image description begin: A slightly grainy digital scan of the "Gingerbread Cabin" card from Magic: The Gathering. It's a Land: Forest card that you can tap to add one Green mana to your mana pool. It enters the battlefield tapped unless you control three or more other Forests. When it enters untapped, you create a Food token. A Food token is an Artifact token where you can pay two generic mana, tap it, and sacrifice it in order to gain three life. The image shows a candy house made mostly of gingerbread and lit up in a few places by lanterns. It's held up in a forest with huge trees by some roots that create a platform for it. More candy serves as mushrooms and foliage around the cabin itself. End image description.

Lands are a little trickier to design spells for. In my practice, they're mostly used for storing energy. But because this is a non-Basic Land (it's not named Forest and it doesn't have the Basic supertype), we have a little more play and give.

And I dunno about y'all, but a gingerbread house in the woods makes me think of making food tastier. Home cooking (hopefully without an evil witch trying to eat children) and happiness around the hearth. Food-based magic and the act of cooking itself are both already Green-aligned, so we're in business to jump in!

What we're looking for here is a small chant or thing to repeat in one's head, like "As I turn this house into a home, I cook blessings into this food." Something to help you get in the mindset of making the food more pleasant, something you can build up over time in the same kitchen, something short and to the point.

And, well, my theory is that the more you cast a spell or say a chant the same way, the more it'll stick and the less it'll take out of you because it's already built up. Like laying down bricks for a basement.

Planeswalker: Karn Liberated (New Phyrexia)

Image description begin: A slightly grainy digital scan of the "Karn Liberated" card from Magic: The Gathering. He is a Legendary Planeswalker: Karn card for seven generic mana. He starts with six loyalty counters. His plus four loyalty counter ability is that target player exiles a card from their hand. His minus three loyalty counter ability is that he exiles target permanent. His minus fourteen loyalty counter ability is to restart the game, leaving all non-Enchantment: Aura permanents exiled. Then Karn's controller puts those cards onto the battlefield under their control. Karn is a large metal humanoid that looks to be in very rough shape. His metal is dull and covered in bumps. He's non-gendered but prefers he/him pronouns for convenience. End image description.

Okay, firstly, FUCKING HELL. All of the Colorless planeswalker cards at this point (three Karns and two Ugins) are rare or mythical, so no actual card to work with here because I ain't shilling out twenty-four to sixty-eight United States dollars for a card I'll only use for magic instead of play, no thank you!

Secondly, let's address the golem thing. On account of video games not understanding that golems come from Jewish folklore and religious history, they tend to just use the word "golem" for any metallic humanoid. You're lucky if they maintain the protective connotations of the word. So despite Golem being a Creature type and Karn being a Golem in canon, I just refer to them as Constructs (which is another Creature type so I don't understand why it's so fucking hard to not be a dick). Rabbit, a most lovely Jewish witch in my circle of the Internet, recommended this article from My Jewish Learning if you're interested in learning more about golems.

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way, let's address Karn himself. And yeah, he uses he/him pronouns, mostly for convenience, so we're gonna honor that. Anyway, this card is from after he got away from the Phyrexians and got back to his right mind. While it wasn't an abuse situation (try mind control and evil oil), this card could be a basis for a spell to aid in escape from such a situation.

On account of Karn not getting away on his own (it took at least one planeswalker's self-sacrifice, rest in peace Venser), this spell would likely be for helping someone else escape an abusive situation and calling for outside aid. We've got seven energy points we need to fill up, so let's get to work!

Let's crack open some other folks' spells for inspiration. Bree has two interesting ones of note in her book "The Sisters Grimmoire volume 1": The Bear (from Snow-White and Rose-Red) and The Glass Coffin (from the fairy tale of the same name). The Bear is for protecting yourself from harm and abuse and calls for a small cloth bag, a bear figurine, and five different herbs. The Glass Coffin is to bring opportunities for escape or rescue to someone trapped in a bad situation and calls for a red apple, a bucket or pitcher of water, an empty bucket, and whole cloves.

There's a note that Bree wrote in The Glass Coffin spell that I want to reiterate:

It must also be said that practical advice and emotional support do just as much, if not more, for people in difficult situations than spells do. Help them however you can without putting either of you in danger. ~Bree NicGarran, The Sisters Grimmoire volume 1

So now we've got an idea of where spells like this tend to go. I'm thinking of a aiding prayer, something to open up opportunities, and protection out the wazoo. Since any color of energy can be used in this spell, we're not limited by that.

Let's see, I have a few correspondences written in my grimoires from my own research. Basil is easy to get a hold of and is used for moving forward, opportunity, and protection and is aligned with Green. Oregano is protective and boosts or enhances spells and is also Green-aligned. Your energy can account for any color or even Colorless itself. A prayer to another entity for aid will line up with the color or colors most closely related to that entity.

But that still only leaves us with four of the seven energy sources we need. And no matter how much energy you personally pump into it, you're still only going to count as one energy source in a spell like this. So I recommend making the last three energy sources into individual taglocks that will double as your spell focus. The more closely related these are to the person you're opening up opportunities to, the better.

And I'm predictable, so I would be using my enchanting board to help direct the energy to the taglocks. As I direct energy, I like to have a chant or order I repeat, so I might go "escape, be safe, escape, be safe" over and over again.

My prayer may read something like "Lady Athena, protector of the city, please help [insert friend name] get out of their abusive situation without bringing them to harm" or "Lord Apollo and Lady Artemis, protector of children, please help [insert child name] remain safe in their abusive household and guide them to ways of escape". It will inevitably vary based on who I'm asking and what I'm asking for.

Overall, this would be a very energy-intensive spell and would require a lot of moving parts.

Sorcery: Winterthorn Blessing (Innistrad: Midnight Hunt)

Image description begin: A digital scan of the "Winterthorn Blessing" card from Magic: The Gathering. It's a Sorcery for one Green mana and one Blue mana with the Flashback cost of one generic mana, one Green mana, and one Blue mana. It puts a plus one power and plus one toughness counter on up to one target creature you control. Then you tap up to one target creature you don't control, which doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step. Flashback means that you can cast the spell from your graveyard for a little more mana, then you exile the card. The picture shows several spirits inhabiting a tree-like creature with a deer skull and antlers on top. They are wandering through the trees together.

As I said up in the instant section, what separates an instant from a sorcery in my practice is that instants have a spell, and then an activation later, while sorceries are spells that you sit down and do all at once.

And yes, I did opt for a multicolored card instead of a monoBlue one, deal with it. We're doing a strength spell for this one! Not pictured is me sending a picture of this card to my buddy Faust yelling "What the fuck do I do about the flashback cost?"

So, strength spell. Green is great about strength, especially communal strength. And Blue is here for...some reason, this honestly does not feel like Blue's wheelhouse. Counters are usually a White thing, and instants and sorceries are spread across all of the colors. Anyway, let's just move on.

There aren't many things I'd associate with Blue that can cover strength - Green's got plants out the wazoo for it (basil, cinnamon, oregano, parsley, sweet pea) but Blue ain't got jack diddly dip squat shit. What Blue DOES have, however, is tea. That's right, we've got a tea spell! You thought I was just gonna use the enchanting board this whole time, didn't you? Well, uh...you're mostly right, bUT STILL-

Anyway, if you've been here a hot minute, you may remember the Tea Discourse that started because I admitted that I microwave the water for my tea. I'm sorry to tell you all that I have since gotten a kettle yet haven't drank anything but water and milk since then.

What we're gonna want is a tea that tastes good when you add cinnamon to it, because I am unhinged and cannot be stopped. My go-to tea of choice is honey vanilla chamomile herbal tea because black teas launch me into orbit and my resting heartbeat already registers as a heart attack.

So what we've got here is the base tea for Blue and then the cinnamon for Green (and also Red, which is also good for strength), so now we just make up that tea and focus on strengthening ourselves.

But wait, what about that Flashback cost? After all, the graveyard is where things go after they're done for.

Well, if you make your tea in a tea bag, you now have a strength-focused used bag of tea that you can use in another magical working. If you don't drink all of the liquid, I guess you can save some of the tea for later strength magic? I dunno man, it fucked me up to think about reusing tea.

In Conclusion

What have we learned here today? Well, a few things:

The way I break down spells is complicated and will give you a headache if you try to follow my exact methods because even I don't know what I'm doing.

I will shamelessly shill for other people's books. I am once again reminding you to go get The Sisters Grimmoire volume 1 from Bree's shop and keep your eye out for when volume 2 drops.

Colors go brrr.

Working on pumping out eight spells across two days will give you a migraine like you wouldn't believe, and I didn't even technically finish writing these spells! These are just notes and ideas, most of 'em aren't complete!

Streets of New Capenna went off on the 1920's aesthetic, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty went off on the cyberpunk aesthetic, and the two Innistrad sets went off on the spooky aesthetic.

Karn deserved better.

#jasper post #spell work #pop culture #magic the gathering #long post #hedgewitch's mask #mage's attendant #wizard token #forge boss #witness protection #season of renewal #gingerbread cabin #karn liberated #winterthorn blessing #karn #spells

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trainsinanime · 2 years ago

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Deutschlandtakt

It's been in the news last week for stupid reasons, so I figure this is as good a time as any to talk about the biggest rail project in Germany since basically ever: The Deutschlandtakt (Germany clock-face timetable). This is a huge topic that touches and is touched by everything in the German railroading scene, and may end up being a prime example of how to do railroading right—or wrong, depending. It's very exciting!

To provide some basic context, Germany has a very dense rail network that is very heavily loaded (these days often overloaded). Since the 1980s, some rail lines were upgraded to higher speeds and some new dedicated high speed lines have been built. The latest opened in December 2022 (it's not yet complete though) with more currently in various planning phases. As mentioned in a previous post, Germany is very polycentric with lots of fairly big cities but no clear huge centre, so these lines go all over the place instead of all to Berlin or whatever.

To meet the political goal of doubling passenger numbers by 2030 (completely impossible, but it's good to have a goal to shoot for), we will need more tracks all over the place. So how do we decide where and most importantly how to build them? What should the targets be?

The approach in Germany so far has been a bit ad-hoc, despite these projects always taking decades. The plan was for the Berlin to Munich line to take three hours, but then the state of Thuringia complained, so now the line goes via Erfurt and the ride takes about four hours. A similar thing has happened earlier on the main north-south line with its stop in Göttingen.

A related question is how fast the trains should run. At first they decided 250 km/h (155 mph), then they went with 300 km/h (186 mph), then they went back to 250 km/h, and now we're leaning towards 300 km/h again. A side effect of that is that there are two types of high speed trains being introduced right now: The ICE 4, which runs at 250 km/h, and the ICE 3 (specifically the ICE 3neo, which is the fourth generation of trains called ICE 3), which is a bit newer and runs 300 km/h. This shows that we really need a useful, detailed long-term plan for how our rail network should look like. The Deutschlandtakt is this plan.

The approach chosen for the "Deutschlandtakt" is what gives it its name: We start with a timetable that we want to run. This will be a so-called clock face timetable, where every hour, the train to a particular destination will leave at the same time. E.g. the train to Berlin will always leave at, say x:03, for any value of x during the day. On busier routes, there may be a second train that leaves at x:33. And since all trains arrive shortly before the full hour and depart shortly after, you can easily change trains at major stations in any direction you like. Once we have planned this, then we build the rail network where you can run this timetable.

The idea of a clock face timetable isn't new, it's been the basis of the German long-distance rail network since 1979, with great success, and it's also used in all regional networks. What is new is starting with the timetable, and then using that as the basis for all future rail investment. This was pioneered in Switzerland, where this model has been used for decades with great success. Swiss experts are front and center in developing the German version of this as well. Using it in the much larger Germany is a whole new challenge, though.

Based on that timetable, you can then decide how fast trains should run; whether to stop in Erfurt; and many related things. This should also avoid problems like in Cologne and Frankfurt, which have a beautiful fast high speed line that is not used anywhere near enough, because while the line is nice, the stations at either end are always overloaded.

As of right now, this new proposed timetable isn't yet finished. It's easy to design a dream timetable, but designing something that can be implemented at a reasonable price and makes the most out of the money you do decide to spend is a difficult optimisation problem.

You can find a draft timetable here, though. I don't know how official it is; you can't find it on the overall fairly useless main Deutschlandtakt website. Reading this type of graphical plan is also difficult and takes a lot of getting used to (start with smaller stations before you try to understand what's happening in Berlin). But it does show that this thing is real. Real money is being spent on the planning stages, and this is the official government policy of both the current and the previous few governments. If you speak German, the summary here from the federal ministry for traffic and digital infrastructure is a really good overview as well.

The fundamental gist is: Lots more trains everywhere. 300 km/h does become the new default for Germany, though the timetable also gives the 250 km/h trains plenty of work to do. And along the way, yes, there will be new infrastructure for some heavily overloaded lines, e.g. from Hanover to Bielefeld and from Hanover to Hamburg. Not the biggest but perhaps the most impactful will be a tunnel in Frankfurt. Currently that major hub is a terminal station, where trains have to change directions. Allowing some long-distance trains to run through will mean they don't have to stop as long, and departing and arriving trains don't get in each other's way, which drastically increases the throughput of that station.

Along the way there are a lot of other challenges. A lot of the German rail network is not necessarily in a terrible state of repair, but very far from where it should be with very old technology (the place where I grew up still has signal boxes from 1906; they'll be replaced by the end of the year). Upgrading that should improve reliability and perhaps capacity, but it takes money, time and causes disruption until it's done, and this happens everywhere.

When it comes to construction, NIMBYs will be a major challenge. Every part of Germany is fairly densely settled; even in the rural parts you're rarely ever more than 2-3 km (about 2 miles) from the next village. The parts that aren't densely settled are now generally nature reserves. Building new high speed train lines will absolutely annoy some people no matter where you do it (more than motorways, weirdly enough, or maybe it's just that politicians are more willing to rubber-stamp motorways). People have been fighting the new line from Hanover to Hamburg, which doesn't yet have any specific route corridor, since the 1990s. It's become rather absurd, but getting into that would require a new post. The line from Hanover to Bielefeld, that should cut travel times from Berlin to basically anywhere west by half an hour, recently had their first public meetings. And during these, local initiatives shouted that if they don't drop the "half an hour" requirement, a key part of the Deutschlandtakt plan, then all the planners should be fired immediately. So this will be fun.

(Aside: Why does the additional capacity have to come from high speed lines? Basically, in our modern society, building railway lines has become immensely difficult, and often for good reasons. In the olden days, there were far fewer people, and it was much easier to destroy the homes of those who did live there if you wanted to. And if you took a piece of untouched nature and built a railroad over it, you were a hero of progress. Things have changed, generally for the better, but that means building a railway line is very hard because you have to make so many compromises. And you can only really do it far away from where people live, unless you build it entirely underground, which is far too expensive outside of big cities. In particular, adding tracks to existing lines means tearing down a lot of homes in cities, which is undesirable.

So you have to build the lines away from where people live, which means they're not useful for most local trains, only for long-distance and freight. Building a freight-only line is possible, but as the Netherlands have shown with their Betuweroute, it is not actually that much cheaper than building it so high speed passenger trains can use it as well during the day. Moving the long-distance trains to a new line means more space on the old tracks for local trains.

A related issue is why 300 km/h is better than 250 km/h. Yes, it is more expensive, especially in Germany where you have to slow down and stop fairly often compared to e.g. France, where you start in Paris and the first step is once you're half-way to the border. But the higher speed means the same train, and in particular the same train crew, can do more trips in a day and ultimately carry more people per day, which makes it cheaper in the long run.)

There are also a lot of criticisms about the plan itself. The plan does include space for freight trains, but freight railroads argue that it's not enough. Other people argue that while it's nice that this plan increases capacity, it probably does not increase it enough. There are also a lot of organisational issues that need to be hashed out, between things that are state responsibilities, federal responsibilities, and things that belong the various private, semi-private and publicly owned companies in the field.

The plan is neither finished nor perfect, and it will take a lot of money and a lot of politics to get it through. We'll see how it goes. Personally, though, I think it's a really good idea at its heart, and I hope it succeeds.

That leads us to the final question, the timeline. When will this all happen? The official date was 2030. Recently someone was (mis)quoted as saying 2070. Which is it?

I hope it's become clear, but this question doesn't really make sense. A big project like this isn't really done, nor does it even have a good start date (although I guarantee you there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony). A lot of organisational changes can be implemented fairly soon. Some of the required infrastructure is currently under construction and will long be finished by 2030. Other projects are in the earliest of planning phases, and will takes (as in, a single decade would be incredibly quick) until they open.

We will definitely see massive improvements by 2030, and I'm sure the government will call that the official start of the Deutschlandtakt. But we will see more improvements every year after that, hopefully, and for decades to come. I'm not sure where that 2070 figure comes from, but it's true that this will take more than a generation or two. And don't imagine that it will be done by 2070, because of course the target timetable won't be set in stone forever. As ridership increases and other things change, the target timetable will continue to be changed as well.

All in all, it's a really fascinating thing, but it will take a while before we see the benefits.

#railroads #railroading #germany #deutschlandtakt

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thevindicativevordan · 4 years ago

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On Kong Kenan/Super-Man

It should've been him. He should've been the Superman of 5G/Future State/right now not Jon, and he should be the one getting an HBO Max series not Val. Hell he should be getting a movie!

God this dude is literally the best legacy character Superman has ever gotten, wholly his own person with his own lore and status quo while still building on the idea of "Superman". I am so pissed at DC for essentially just dropping him after his ongoing ended, what the hell Lee? You keep trying to make the Wildstorm characters happen, I need you to get my man Yang another Kenan book.

Have to admit I was a bit nervous at first about whether or not Kenan would be a worthwhile character. Yang's New 52 Superman run had been a disappointment to me overall, with only the the arc where Superman has underground wrestling matches against forgotten gods really sticking with me. Now he was introducing a brand new Superman? Didn't feel like he had "earned" that yet. But from the first issue I was hooked on this new character.

Kenan was unlike any other member of the Superfamily. He wasn't kind or sweet, he was an asshole! He was a bully! He was fantastic! Right from the start Kenan was set up to undergo a very different kind of character journey than the other members of the Superfamily. Empathy, humility, respect for people weaker than himself, these are all traits most heroes wearing the S-shield already posses by the time they first don the crest, but not Kenan.

Like all bullies he was even a bit of a coward himself at first, trying to bail on the experiment meant to give him Superman's powers right as it begins. After "saving" Lixin (the kid he bullies and steals lunch from every day) from Blue Condor he demands all the money Lixin has on him as payment. He's not courageous or selfless either at the start, Kenan is as much of an opposite of Superman as you can get short of being Bizarro. Learning the appeal of these traits formed the basis for his growth over the course of his series.

Seeing Yang bring in a lot of recognizable "Superman" elements in the series, but with a twist, was also great. Kenan is the one who bullies "Luo Lixin" rather than the traditional Clark/Lex friendship of Pre-Crisis and Birthright. Initially Kenan develops a crush on intrepid reporter for Primetime Shanghai, Laney Lan, but she dismisses him as too young and Kenan eventually ends up pursuing Avery Ho (Flash) instead. Baxi the Bat-Man of China has a similar relationship with Kenan as the traditional Superman/Batman in terms of being vitriolic best buds, however Baxi is the one who has the most respect for authority while Kenan is the rebel. Kenan is a part of the "Justice League of China" which does not meet with the approval of the already established Chinese superheroes, the Great Ten. That contrasts nicely with the good relationship the Justice Society and Justice League have, as well as seeing Yang lampshade the "Chinese copy" trope and incorporate that into his storytelling.

One of the funniest differences is how Kenan chooses to immediately reveal his identity as Super-Man to the world by taking off the compliance visor he was forced to wear, contrasting with Clark's choice to hide his identity. He was so eager to impress people that he never gave any thought to the danger he could put himself or his family in by revealing his identity until it was too late, something Clark is well aware of and has taken great pains to keep his identity secret. Was a missed opportunity for DC to have Kenan comment on Clark copying him for once when he outed himself under Bendis.

But one of the most poignant differences between Clark and Kenan is the gulf in separation between their relationship with their parents. Clark has a loving relationship with Ma and Pa Kent, trying to live up to their lessons as best he can. In contrast Kenan's mom was believed to have died in an airplane crash when he was just a child, and he never really knew her. His father was distant from him after that and the two weren't really close despite Kenan's attempts to impress him. So Kenan lacks that strong connection while still clearly loving both of them.

Pa Kent's death is one of the most tragic examples of Clark's love for his parents, and I've always been a fan of takes where Clark promises his father to fight for the powerless on Pa's deathbed. Kenan gets a similar scene at the start of his career, his dad "dies" (after being exposed as Flying General Dragon, a pro-democracy "supervillain" from the Chinese authorities perspective) and wants Kenan to promise he'll fight for Truth, Justice, and Democracy. But because Kenan's dad never really bonded with him, Kenan doesn't know what those mean, and can only promise that he never wants to see people die, something his father takes comfort in at least. In classic comic book fashion it's revealed that Dr. Omen, Kenan's "boss" and the one who gave him his powers, saved Kenan's father, because she is Kenan's mother! Kenan's relationship with his parents forms a lot of the crux of his character arc, and seeing how Yang utilizes the classic Superman concept of family kept the storytelling exciting.

Yang's brilliant exploration of the concept of "Superman" through the prism of Chinese culture was a great way to differentiate Kenan as well.

I absolutely freaking love how he tied to the concept of Qi to the S-shield in particular. Connecting the shape of the shield with the way Kenan has acquired his powers along the path of the Bagua (eight trigrams used in Taoism that represent the fundamental principles of reality), with his octagon S-shield outline representing all eight principles together, was mindblowing! So was the idea of restricting Kenan's access to his powers unless he was actually acting in a Superman manner, that tied his character growth to his power growth in an entertaining manner. There were so many characters and concepts that meshed Chinese and DC lore together, like how Emperor Super-Man was Kenan's "Doomsday", they even recreated that iconic dual kill shot! The Chinese Wonder Woman Peng Deilan, being based on the Chinese Legend of the White Snake! There was even some Korean mythology referenced with the Aqua-Man member of the JLC "Dragonson".

Yang also managed to do a Superman Blue/Superman Red story with Super-Man Yin/Super-Man Yang!

Shameful that it took me a while to realize what Gene Yang was doing but once I caught on I was touched. You can tell how much Yang loved Superman and his mythology, and how he was excited to incorporate as much from Clark as he could, while still using it in a way that was solidly Kenan's. And not just Superman's mythology, but the history and lore of the entire DC Universe. I-Ching got to be brought in, fleshed out, and used as Kenan's mentor! The "Yellow Peril" villain from Detective Comics #1, the comic DC gets its name from was brought in and revamped as I-Ching's twin brother All-Yang! Hats off to Yang for taking a racist caricature and attempting to make him into something more.

This series was a beautiful attempt by Gene Yang to build a space for Asian heroes and villains where they could be more than stereotypes, Kenan himself being a defiant mold-breaker in every regard as the complete opposite of most Asian characters in Western media (a jock, a bully, loves his dad but not on great terms with him, a powerhouse as a hero, etc). So much thought and hard work was poured into this by Yang and his team of artist collaborators.

Especially the costumes, man Kenan had so many great looks. From his starting outfit (which is my favorite Superman variant not worn by Clark himself), to the one with the Yin/Yang shield he acquired later on, to his Super-Man Yin & Super-Man Yang outfits, Kenan looked damn cool. Part of me is bummed they didn't go with the Chinese character shield they toyed around with, but I loved how Yang used the "s-shield" as a plot point, so I'm not too broken up over it.

All that great work Yang did to build that space up has been more or less forgotten sadly. It was nice to see Kenan in the DC Asian Month Celebration issue. Avery is going to be in Justice Incarnate at least (unsurprising considering she was created by Williamson). So fucking bummed that Superman Family Adventures cartoon didn't happen, they were going to have Kenan and John Henry Irons in it! Would've been a dream come true for me to see Irons in animation again, and Kenan making the jump to outside media! Maybe that would've encouraged DC to let Yang keep writing New Super-Man, or at least encouraged them to use him elsewhere instead of allowing him fall into Limbo.

Unfortunately I'm not sure what the future holds for Kenan. Jon is being pushed as Clark's replacement in the comics, with DC keeping all the other contenders such as Kon benched. Calvin is leading the Justice Incarnate team likely due to the upcoming Coates reboot that will make Clark black. Val will probably get something once Taylor leaves Jon's book or once they officially announce the HBO Max show is happening. So where does that leave Kenan, my new favorite PoC legacy hero? Currently my only hope is that Yang is working on something for DC involving him. Yang left Batman/Superman, where I was hoping to see a Baxi/Kenan team up, to go work on "exciting other opportunities" per his Twitter. So fingers crossed that there's something in the works for Kenan!

One day I hope he gets his day in the sun again.

#kenan kong #new super man #gene yang #justice league of china #superman #dc comics

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yoomiii123 · 3 years ago

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I’m trying not to break my question a day streak..apart from loving to dress R *insert ANY other name here .. but not EJ* up, do you think Alice develops a more deeper bond with her niece other than superficial? I can imagine Jasper helping Renesmee out during her “teenage” years with all the emotions…maybe when she finds out eventually that Jacob had a thing for her mum and kissed her…? Idk I feel like I’d need a break from Bella, Ed and Jacob for a few hours if that all came out..who else to go to but your fun Auntie’s and Uncle’s?

But at the same time I also don’t think J&A are maternal/paternal so I’m not sure what insight they would give and the type of relationship they’d develop with their niece.

Wow, how do you come up with these great questions on a daily basis? Thanks so much for asking and keeping that streak alive (though there would absolutely be no shame in breaking it, if you run out of questions ;-) )

So, Nessie… I love your ideas about Jasper helping her cope with teenage emotions and maybe Alice assisting when she gets the whole story of Bella and Jacob (or maybe she's the one who spills it?) But honestly, I think that neither Jasper nor Alice develop a deeper bond with her. Alice mostly sees her as another fun puppet to dress up, especially since she's constantly changing. And Jasper is intrigued by her existence, but also has some long conversations with Huilen and Nahuel to ensure she doesn't develop into a threat for Alice. They are certainly friendly with her and would comply if she asked them for something, but unlike Rosalie and Emmett they don't really adapt the aunt and uncle roles.

The main reason for this is another headcanon I have: Alice and Jasper leave the Cullens for an extended holiday after Breaking Dawn—missing what would in a normal child be years worth of Renesmee's development in the process.

Breaking Dawn, the way Stephenie wrote it, leaves Jasper at the brink of a major life crisis. He was looking forward to no longer being the weakest link in the family and simultaneously preparing to control a newborn for the first time in seven decades. But instead he got a creation that shouldn't exist, the Volturi humiliated and thirsting after his wife, and he had his whole belief system shattered by a newborn with perfect self-control. He needed some time away from the perfect family bliss to come to terms with all of that.

Alice recognised Jasper's troubles and was happy to go with him. Especially, since she had to adjust to major changes as well. For almost six decades, she was the Cullen's signpost; constantly monitoring their futures, juggling possibilities, always knowing what was coming next. But with Nessie and Jacob around—their futures closely entangled with the other Cullens—Alice would no longer be able to do that. She would only get glimpses of events that didn't directly relate to Nessie or Jacob, which probably isn't going to be a lot during Nessie's first years. Therefore, she had quite some things to figure out as well.

While Alice and Jasper are off on their soul-searching holiday, the Cullens adapt to the new family dynamic, with Emmett and Rosalie happily occupying the role of uncle and aunt. By the time the two return, Nessie doesn't need another uncle or aunt, so their relationship remains more distant.

I could see them developing a relationship akin to the one they have with Rosalie / Emmett / Edward, once Nessie is grown and participates in the Cullen charade. But that's twenty, maybe thirty years down the line and assumes that they are still around and able to live their lives the way they used to by then (which is an entirely different discussion for another day).

#twilight headcanon #twilight renaissance #breaking dawn #renesmee cullen #jasper hale #alice cullen #asks

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volturiwolf · 4 years ago

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The Volturi Princess - A Felix Volturi x fem!Reader Story (part 1)

A/N: This is the first Volturi- and Twilight-related story I ever started writing and it is quite long and elaborated/complex, as I tend to overanalyze in many parts. I have wrote a few parts until now and I'll be uploading them in the future. I have been quite emotional throughout writing it, trying to understand the reader's point of view.

A/N 2: I'm sorry if something doesn't make sense. English is not my first language. I also include Italian through the story, with translation, but I'm not a native or a speaker, so I'd like to apologize in advance to those who speak Italian. Enjoy :)

A/N 3: According to "The Amagi" on Youtube, Felix was born in 250 BC (their thumbnail), so I used that in my story.

No of Words: about 5347

Mentions of: Abandonment, Abortion, Anxiety, Blood, Bruises, Coma/Comatosed State, Death Emotional Abuse, Emotional and Physical Pain, Gaslighting, Greece/Greek Language - with translation, Heartbreak, Italian Language - with translation, Manipulation, Murder, Pain, Panic Attacks, Pregnancy, Suffering, Suicide/Suicidal Thoughts, Swear Language, Throwing Up/Puking, Witches/Wizards/Witchcraft

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My heart felt heavy. I may have just escaped the cruelest vampire of all, but I also ran away from the love of my life, my mate, the only person who could fully understand me in this world. I asked him to run away with me, but, although our bond was strong, he felt obliged to stay loyal to his master, his creator. I drove as fast as I could, away from the sunny Volterra, and away from him.

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(Y/N) grew up quite privileged, in Vampire terms. Being born into the Volturi coven was something many vampires could only dream about. (Y/N) was abandoned by her parents when she was a baby, but Aro, one of the three Volturi leaders, took her under his protection, and offered her more things than she could ever have imagined. After all, she was his only biological granddaughter, the “Volturi princess”, an heiress to the throne; her mother lost that “privilege” when she met and fell in love with a wizard.

(Y/N)’s mother soon got pregnant with her, and then later turned her husband into a vampire to help her with her pregnancy, and stay together forever. However, (Y/N)’s parents couldn’t raise her because they wanted to run free and careless, not commit to anything permanent, so Aro took over and raised his granddaughter with the highest honors and privileges, “as a princess should be raised”.

(Y/N) was a mix of Vampire, Witch and Human, due to the grandmother, Sulpicia, being human when Aro found her; Sulpicia later fell pregnant with (Y/N)’s mother, and Aro transformed her to vampire, as he had planned all along. Aro raised (Y/N) according to his own rules and morals, teaching her how to kill humans to feed from, how to attack and slip away from her opponents, how to lead other vampires, and most importantly, how to keep her identity and existence a secret, not only to humans, but other non-Volturi vampires as well. No one could know that there was a possibility of a vampire having a child with a human, and that the child could be effectively controlled and raised as a regular vampire.

As (Y/N) grew older and older, reaching the human age of 25 within 7 years of her birth, Aro would spend more and more time with her, examining and studying her possibilities and her potential powers’ development. (Y/N) grew up to be extremely strong and fast, an excellent tracker with great intelligence and understanding of the world around her. However, Aro could not risk sending her to “Volturi duties”. She was his hope for a stronger coven; with (Y/N) in the throne, Aro felt like he could conquer the vampire world with ease.

That’s why he was always searching for the best guards he could find, to protect the coven and do his work instead of himself, Caius, or (Y/N). He couldn’t rely on Marcus, as he proved to be too emotional since Didyme died, but was still valuable for his plan. Caius, on the other hand, although powerless, was far more sadistic and “diligent” in following vampire rules, and (Y/N)... (Y/N) was just too obedient, following every order Aro gave her - a strong asset for the Volturi.

Aro was changing guards and trackers quite easily, disposing them when they were no longer needed or when he found better ones. He needed talented and strong vampires to serve the coven and do their work.

Chelsea was the very first vampire Aro created solely to serve the Volturi, after recognizing her potential when she was human. Chelsea’s gift of relationship manipulation was truly useful in bringing new vampires into the coven and was used thousands of times during Volturi's reign. It could also easily dispose of them, making their bonds with other vampires break at will; those vampires were isolated by the other vampires and then killed - Aro couldn’t risk letting them get away knowing the Volturi’s secrets and life.

About 100 years later, Corin joined the Volturi, just a couple decades after (Y/N)’s birth. Corin’s gift of addictive contentment was the one which kept Marcus in the Volturi after Didyme’s death - along with Chelsea’s to make him committed to Aro’s greater plans, and was also used on Sulpicia, Athenadora and any other vampire in the Volturi guard to keep them satisfied being in the Volturi. Under Aro’s instructions, Corin was keeping Chelsea content with being in the Volturi, and Chelsea was keeping Corin loyal to them, each of them using their gifts against each other, without their knowledge.

Sometime between 230 and 220 BC, while travelling in Rome, searching for additional vampires to add to the coven, Aro supposedly met a young, strong and ambitious fighter, who wished to become a gladiator one day, named Felix. Felix did not only look, but also was physically capable of fighting even with beasts, during his short time as a fighter, way before the Colosseum was built. Born into a poor family, his strength was his only way of making money, and becoming a gladiator was his only way out of poverty, a way to provide for both his family and himself.

When his family was almost imprisoned by Roman army officers for outstanding debts, Felix was forced to make a deal with them to fight, in whatever they ordered him to. Fighting turned out to be the only way for Felix to deal with his emotions and rage towards people in power. When Aro approached Felix, he was promised a good life, where he wouldn’t have to worry about surviving another day. Felix did not seem willing enough, not being fond of the idea of serving people in power, who he so despised.

Luckily for Aro, Chelsea was the one who “convinced” Felix to join the Volturi guard, with Aro changing him afterwards. Unlike previous guards, Felix showed impeccable strength, speed and talent towards both dodging and initiating attacks, eventually making him a permanent member in the Volturi Guard, along with Chelsea and Corin.

Felix was assigned as the leading guard for the three kings’ protection, this role extending to the protection of their two wives and (Y/N); though Aro knew that, if it came to anyone attacking his granddaughter, she would be able to handle it by herself. However, he still wanted to make sure that she was safe and that Aro would do anything to protect her.

For about a couple millennias, (Y/N) was content with her situation, being the “Volturi princess” and all that. Besides, having Felix in the Volturi was another reason to stay in the coven, apart from staying loyal and true to Aro for taking her in, when she was abandoned.

Every time Felix looked into her eyes, she felt her whole body burn - though, it wasn’t a feeling of suffering, rather a feeling of longing, waiting for something to happen so badly that her body couldn’t control itself. Although she was partially a vampire, (Y/N) would feel like she couldn’t breathe, like her legs were ready to give up on her, like she wanted to grab Felix and never let go.

Felix, although not admitting it even to himself, would feel the same way, but he knew that his position would not allow him to approach (Y/N) in such a way. He was just a guard - although he was the strongest of them all, and she was the Volturi princess, one of his masters, whom he was only allowed to approach in order to protect. He didn’t want Aro to know he saw his granddaughter like that; it could cost him his position in the guard, or even his life. So, he kept these feelings deep within him, not allowing them to resurface, or act upon them.

However, every time these two existed at the same place, the invisible sparks between them would fly left and right. And only one vampire was able to see them. One who hadn’t felt these sparks in centuries.

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(Y/N)’s POV:

I yawned loudly as I woke from a long, much needed sleep. I was the only vampire around who was able to sleep, mostly due to my non-vampire natures. I didn't really need to sleep on a regular basis, but when I did, I could literally sleep 3 days straight and nobody would be able to wake me up. “For my own protection”, as Aro said, I would always have at least two guards outside of my room’s door, in case anything happened while I was sleeping. Like what could even happen? My room was at the furthest side of this huge castle. I’m pretty sure that if there ever was an attack against the Volturi, it would most probably have been dealt with immediately, and the attacker wouldn’t make it anywhere near my room.

I felt the warm sun on my skin, slightly glowing and sparkling beautifully. My eyes, mostly (Y/E/C) with a golden ring around the pupil, could easily adjust to the light. Unlike the other vampires, I could easily live among humans; I could sleep, eat human food, my skin not being as sparkly as others, and I could control my thirst far better than others.

Since Jane and Alec joined the coven, Aro would show an immense interest in them and their skills, helping them train daily and develop their powers further, eventually forgetting about me. I would spend more and more days away from the castle, “protected” by my anonymity, getting to know humans more and more. The longer I was observing them, the more they would trigger my interest in them. They could feel true emotions, real pain, real hurt, real love. They had their families, they received an unconditional love that I could never have.

Unbeknownst to Aro or anyone else for that matter, I have started developing new powers, similar to the other vampires in the Volturi coven or anyone else outside of it. I have also started noticing that I may have an immunity towards others’ talents, feeling that neither Corin’s addictive contentment made me satisfied with being in the Volturi, nor Chelsea’s relationship manipulation could keep me loyal to Aro anymore. If it weren’t for Felix, or Demetri and the Twins, who have all become my best friends by now, I would have probably left.

A vampire named Carlisle Cullen had visited the Volturi and stayed with us for a while, about 100 years ago. He saw the way the Volturi treated humans like they were nothing, and how they were as cruel as to kill other vampires, with the excuse that they were exposing our kind with the way they lived. Entire covens had been wiped out due to such excuses, a way to eliminate potential enemies from becoming too powerful and find as many talented vampires as possible and force them to join the Volturi.

Carlisle was talking about a new way of life, where vampires wouldn’t have to kill humans to survive, a life where vampires and humans could live in peace, without harming each other. He was insisting that vampires could survive on animal blood just as efficiently as with human blood; that animal blood would not make them weaker, and that it would be a much more ethical and sustainable way to feed.

Of course, Aro and Caius were the first ones to mock his proposition, clearly not caring about humans’ feelings and pain. Marcus did not budge at all, his heartache making him indifferent to anything around him. But I was growing more and more interested in this alternative way of life; I was, after all, feeding on human food already, so that I was feeding on human blood as little as I could.

It was a few years after Carlisle left Volterra that Eleazar joined the Volturi. Aro forced him to join after finding out he could detect if someone had any special ability. Aro considered his gift useful in identifying if any of his enemies had any special power when in battles, or when he sent Eleazar around the world to recruit talented vampires.

Eleazar was clearly not liking the way the Volturi forced their ways and wants on others, and how they could take advantage of others for their own benefit. I could just sense that he was displeased and was forcing himself to stay in the coven, one, due to Corin’s and Chelsea’s gifts, and two, out of fear of what could happen to him and his mate, Carmen.

Carmen, a vampire from Spain, like Eleazar, met with Eleazar while he was a guard here, they fell in love, and eventually, Eleazar decided to leave the Volturi and run away with Carmen. Aro decided that he did not care about him and his gift as much as others’, so he let him go unharmed, “blessing” them for safe travels.

Just a few days before he left, I consulted him on my own powers. Though a lower member of the guard, Eleazar had his own room, a decent place to stay, and spend his endless hours in. I knocked slightly on the door.

“Come in”, a calm voice was heard. I opened the door and came into his room. Carmen was sitting on the edge of their bed and Eleazar was reading a book on his desk. They both smiled sweetly. I just felt and knew they were too nice to fit anywhere in here, among the cruel and strict Volturi.

“(Y/N)! So nice to see you!”Carmen exclaimed and stood to hug me. The second we hugged I started seeing parts of her life in Spain, the calm waters of Catalunya, the vast vineyards where she would spend the early years of her life… I quickly detached myself from her embrace. I just couldn’t invade her privacy like that. She and Eleazar both looked at me worried, as if I had offended them.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t let you “show” me your whole life like that!” I looked at Carmen apologetically.

“(Y/N), you saw Carmen’s life?” Eleazar continued, intrigued by my words.

“That’s why I came to talk to you. I..I feel like I’ve been developing a gift, or a few gifts, to be completely honest. And I feel like.. like I have a specific power one day, and another power the next!” I stated frantically.

It was the first time I have openly talked about my powers to anyone, and I was shaking just by the words that came out of my mouth. Eleazar did not say anything, he just stood there for a few minutes, I supposed “examining” me, as if a doctor checking on a patient.

“Remarkable.” He said calmly. He looked at his mate with excitement, as if he just discovered a lost treasure. “(Y/N) has one of the most remarkable gifts I have ever seen.” He then turned to me. “You, (Y/N), are able to copy anyone else’s gifts and keep them as your own. You don’t even have to be in contact with them. Just by meeting someone, you can obtain their powers. I have never met anyone like that. You also seem to have obtained immunity to others’ powers, kind of like a shield. I have met such vampires before. From the stories Aro has been telling, your mother was like that. It is likely that you copied that gift for her. Such vampires are extremely useful to themselves or even others, in battles. Like themselves, you can use your gift to protect others from others’ powers, beside yourself.”

That came too sudden to my ears. I have assumed that I may have at least one power, but I didn’t realise I could copy others’ powers. That is why I was showing signs of Aro’s power!

“How can I train my powers? Eleazar! Carmen! You have to help me!”

“As you know, we will be leaving soon. I don’t know if there will be enough time to train you.”

“It’s okay. We will train as much as you want. Please, Eleazar! Please, Carmen!” I started begging them. As if they were hypnotized, they quickly looked at each other and agreed to help me.

The next few days, before Eleazar and Carmen’s departure, included intense training, far away from Volterra, deep in the woods, where no human could interrupt us. I couldn’t say the same for vampires, but I hoped nobody would cross paths with us. Eleazar and Carmen helped me develop my self-control and self-awareness, concentrating through the deepest parts of my mind, resurfacing my shield and expanding it beyond my existence. I started to have control over it, as if it was an actual solid substance, a veil floating around me towards any direction I ordered it to go.

After Eleazar and Carmen left, I started travelling the world more, trying to copy as many powers as I could come across with, while also training my shield. My excitement for the endless possibilities was what kept me going - kind of when Aro would add another talented vampire to his Guard. His Guard. Felix. I wonder how he was. I hadn’t seen him in a while. I wondered if he thought of me like I thought of him.

After travelling pretty much anywhere I could reach, I eventually went back to where it all started: I went to Greece. Aro met Sulpicia here, apparently my mom met my dad here. Maybe I could find out, understand why they left me. I have never met them, but I felt as if my tracking skills could detect them through my own existence.

I started travelling through the country, hoping that they stayed here or, at least, that they’re alive. I spent about 2 or 3 years in Greece, trying to take in every different place, while also avoiding the battles that seemed to take place in every other corner. I was feeding off animals mainly, mostly when I couldn’t find any other human food. I was washing myself in rivers, streams, whatever I could find.

I was stopping by any village that seemed to be still standing, asking about the current situation. The Greek Revolution, which started a few years ago, seemed to still be going on. The Ottomans, who had been occupying Greece for almost 400 years, could not allow Greeks to turn against them and start claiming their rights within the Ottoman Empire.

Many Greeks I met and talked to, admitted that some of the Ottomans were actually being nice to them; it was only the Ottoman government ordering their armies to execute massive massacres against Greeks, and after all this time, a few Greeks started gathering up and planning a revolution, away from Greece, in fear of being caught. They started getting organized and finding possible allies to help them with the Revolution; they just couldn’t risk getting caught within the country that they were hoping the independent Greece could become. The battles were becoming more and more intense, both on the mainland, as well as on the islands.

I started looking for answers, anything that could suggest that my parents were still alive and somewhere in Greece. To my surprise, I crossed paths with many Greek nomad vampires all over the country. They were also fighting against either Ottoman vampires or each other for territorial claims; however, they all talked me out of travelling north, towards Macedonia. The region had started being reclaimed back by Greek humans, but vampires were also seeing the potential for the area and they fought against each other for the land.

All of the nomads I encountered were talking about some of the most vicious vampires claiming the land, their enemies being literally slaughtered and burned to set an example for other vampires to back off their territory. I was intrigued, and I knew that, most probably, I would be able to deal with them or flee before they got to me.

So, I started travelling north, through the woods and mountains, in order to avoid any possible battle between humans, though many of them seemed to hide in the mountains, preparing for their battles. Macedonia was a quite big and vast region, so I had to travel quite a few days and search every possible corner.

I know I shouldn’t have done this, but I was feeling exhausted from all the searching. I haven’t fed in quite some time, and my throat was burning by the familiar need for blood. I haven’t seen any animals all these days, and I was wondering if they were gone or hiding.

Sadly, I came across a human. He seemed to be wounded, probably during a battle, his blood gushing out of his body. I couldn’t help myself, when I breathed in the smell, the burning sensation becoming unbearable. I thought of approaching him slowly, so as not to scare him, offering to help him, but deep down I just wanted to feed off of him.

“Γειά! Συγνώμη αν σε τρόμαξα. Σε είδα από μακριά. Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω με κάποιο τρόπο; (Hey! Sorry if I scared you. I saw you from afar. Can I help you in any way?)” I offered calmly.

The man was trying to suppress his growls. I could sense his pain. I tried to help him stand on his feet, and then I saw all of his memories. He was in the army, fighting alongside Greeks against the Ottomans, in Macedonia, just outside of Thessaloniki. I didn’t even know I was so close to a city, let alone Thessaloniki.

He was trying to pass through the woods, when he came across what seemed to be two red-eyed vampires, one male and one female. They tried to attack him, but someone else managed to shoot him first, forcing the two vampires to run away. I don’t know how or why, these two felt familiar to me, I could feel that through his memories.

“Γειά! Μπορείς.. Μπορείς να πας στο κοντινότερο χωριό; Νομίζω.. Νομίζω ότι είδα κάτι στο δάσος, δε νομίζω ότι ήταν κάτι φυσιολογικό! Πρέπει.. Πρέπει να προειδοποιήσω τους άλλους! (Hey! Can.. Can you get me to the nearest village? I think.. I think I saw something in the woods, I don’t think it was something normal! I have.. I have to warn the others!)” He mumbled in between sharp shoots of pain.

“Με συγχωρείς πολύ! (I’m really sorry!)” I plead with guilty eyes. I put my hand in his wound, searching for the bullet, while he was consumed by pain. I took the bullet out of the wound, and quickly attached my lips on his skin, sucking the blood as fast as I could, biting deeply unintentionally. His screams were becoming louder and louder, so I covered his mouth with my hand, while trying to shut him up or break his jaw. A few seconds later, he stopped screaming, and I let his lifeless body fall, completely numb and drained out of blood.

I felt renewed, his blood travelling to every part of my body and giving me a new kind of strength that I haven’t felt in a while. I still felt guilty for killing him, but he was already wounded and I couldn’t risk him exposing our kind to others. I assumed that whoever found him - if anyone found him - would also assume that he died of blood loss, so I tried to position him in a realistic pose for that purpose, as best as I could. I left him there, and continued the search for my parents.

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I was running through the woods, trying to locate the two vampires from the guy’s memories. My mind was chaotic, I wasn’t thinking about something specific. I stopped in my tracks. What Aro taught me, and what I understood from Demetri’s tracking skills, is that you have to stop, take a breath and realize your position in the world. Then, you would be able to realize everything around you and find your targets. I have successfully found other vampires like that before, vampires who I have either met in person or smelled their scent, but I didn’t know if I could find someone through someone else’s memories of them.

I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate as best as I could, focusing on the smaller details of the guy’s memories of these vampires. I felt two vampires running on my west, about 10 kilometers away, and I ran after them. They were running fast, but I was way faster. Within a minute or two, I was running right behind their tracks. They must have realized that a stranger was following them, but, instead of running, they suddenly stopped. I stopped as well, and we were now facing each other.

The female had long, brunette, curly hair, and the male short, dark brown, straight hair; both of their hair looked shiny, healthy, and rich. They were of average height and their eyes were piercing red, as if they also fed quite recently. The female was exceptionally beautiful and enchanting; I could only compare her to Heidi’s exceptional beauty. The male looked quite stoic and austere, though still beautiful.

Both of them on defensive positions, waiting for me to attack. I wasn’t planning to move any further from my position; I was only waiting for their own reactions. I felt that kind of a burning sensation within me again, like a feeling buried deep inside me, trying to find an escape.

Suddenly, the male growled at me, flames springing out of his hands, and being thrown at me. I felt my heart fall out of my chest, fearing that this would be my end. As if my body reacted on its own, I felt my own shield extending out of my body, building a wall around me and protecting me from the male’s attack. My hands started burning and flames came out, ready to counterattack the male. The male looked at the female, dumbfounded by what he witnessed, still in a defensive position, but ready to attack again.

“I’M NOT HERE TO FIGHT YOU!” I shouted at both of them. “I’M JUST SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE!”

The male shrinked back, the female following close by. “Who are you looking for? We haven’t seen you around. Who are you? Why are you here?” The male requested. His voice serious, but smooth at the same time; a voice I could only describe as the warm earth below their bare feet.

“No, I’m not. I come from Italy, though I think I was born around here. My name is (Y/N), I’m looking for my parents. I don’t quite remember what they look like, but I’m pretty sure that they lived around here. They abandoned me when I was a baby.”

“This has been our territory for almost 3 millennials! We would have known if any humans abandoned their offspring around here!” The female exclaimed, as if she didn’t believe a word I said. I didn’t want to tell them the whole story, but I had to show them that I didn’t mean to fight in any way.

“I never said they were humans. My mother was actually sort of a vampire, like you.”

The female started letting her guards down. “What do you mean sort of? I’ve never heard of a “sort of vampire” before!” She continued doubtfully.

“Believe me or don’t, my mother was born half vampire, half human. My dad wasn’t even a vampire before she met him. He wasn’t even human to be honest.” My eyes started stinging slightly. I could have had a good, happy life if they didn’t abandon me. I wouldn’t have to grow up with Aro.

“You said you were from Italy.” I nodded at the male, as he continued. “You never said where exactly.”

I wasn’t sure if I should tell them my real origin; I wouldn’t like them to know I was a Volturi, but I knew I needed help to find my parents. If they were actually here as long as they say, they might have known or met my parents at some point.

“Volterra. I was born here, in Greece, like my mother, but grew up in Volterra with my grandparents.” I looked down, kind of scared, kind of anxious, waiting for their next move.

The female gasped. “Are you a Volturi?!” I looked at her, straight in the eyes, swallowed, and nodded. “I know the Volturi. Who are your grandparents?”

“Aro and Sulpicia.” I answered so quietly that, if they weren’t vampires, they wouldn’t have heard me, my voice trembling slightly.

The female suddenly fell on her knees, the male wrapping his arms around her, comforting her. I didn’t know what was going on. Did I say something wrong? Were they scared? The sheer mention of the Volturi would scare a lot of vampires, but I thought that maybe these two seemed strong enough to deal with them.

The female started sobbing, no tears coming out of her red eyes, her body shaking. I felt something within me break. I felt that I didn’t want to upset them, that’s why I was hesitant in telling them who I really was. The male looked at me, pain in his eyes. I saw a familiar look. I saw me in his eyes, what I looked at in my mirror anytime I was thinking about my parents, or, sometimes, when I thought of Felix.

“Are you a half witch?” The male asked quietly. Something snapped in me. How would he know that?

“I swear, I didn’t do anything to your mate! I DIDN’T!” I shouted at the male. I didn’t want him to think that I would hurt his mate, or himself.

“I know you wouldn’t. It’s just..” He looked at his mate who had stopped sobbing, but was still down on her knees, unable to stand up. “..my mate is Aro and Sulpicia Volturi’s only daughter.”

My body tensed and shivered. If that woman is the only daughter Aro and Sulpicia ever had...could that mean..?

I took a few steps back. “AM I YOUR DAUGHTER? ARE YOU MY PARENTS?” I looked at them in disbelief.

Those were the people who abandoned me! That let me grow parentless, under Aro’s rules and directions! I was breathing heavily, in between sobs. I didn’t even realize that I set my whole body ablaze, until both vampires looked at me shocked. I didn’t feel any pain, but I couldn’t stop the flames licking my body, and in my frantic state, I started panicking even more.

The male started approaching me slowly, trying to not scare me away. “Shush, shush. You’re okay. You’re doing okay. I know how it feels at first. You’re experiencing some aspects of the life as a witch. It’s okay. Close your eyes and picture the flames in your head.” I closed my eyes and tried concentrating on the flames. “Now, imagine them burning out, becoming smaller and weaker.” I focused on the flames, imagining them weakening. After a few minutes, I felt them getting smaller and smaller, and finally disappearing. I opened my eyes slowly.

The female was standing next to the male, watching me carefully. In a quick motion, she pulled me and embraced me, stroking my hair lightly. I breathed in her scent, a mix of mountain flowers and the saltiness of the sea. Her touch was soft, and filled me up with what felt like a thousand different emotions.

But, I mostly felt safe. It was the first time in my life that I actually felt this safe. And whole. I felt like I actually belonged somewhere. I hugged her back. Tears started spilling from my eyes. That was my mom! That was actually my mom! After all this time, we were finally together. I felt the male, my dad, hugging both of us, and in that moment, I felt my legs giving up on me, and I finally fell into a long sleep.

#felix volturi #felix volturi imagine #felix volturi x reader #volturi #twilight #twilight renessaince #twilight post #demetri volturi #alec volturi #jane volturi #the cullens #the denali coven

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starseed-twenty · 4 years ago

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Houses determining an 'age stage' 🔮

Okay, so this is a random long post, but.... do you ever think that perhaps the houses in our charts represent the stages in our life? From birth to death? Cause I do.

So basically... the first house (the ascendant) is our energy as soon as we leave the womb. But through life and its dynamic changes, our energy can change into the traits of the sign in the following house because circumstances drive us into having that sign's traits/vibe.

Personally, I'm starting to believe that each of the houses in a person's birth chart holds a stage or period of time in your life where your energy is more focused in that area/house. That's why you'll hear for example "if your 4H is in Sag, you most likely grew up in a carefree home"... cause at the time you were growing up, your energy was focusing on the 3rd and 4th house. And so you transcend into Sagittarius energy because it is in your 4th house.

For example, a person with a Capricorn Ascendant. At birth, they're calm, reserved little babies, who tend to get upset pretty easily. Until they get a little older (around 3 years old) and start developing these Aquarius traits/energy because of their 2nd house [unless Capricorn is in both 1st and 2nd house]. But once they get to an age where they're making sense of the world and developing a sense of being and being aware of the things they have, this is their 2nd house age stage activated.

Okay, so let me put it like this:

1st house age stage [birth to around 3 years]: Since the 1st house is the house of 'self' and revelation (or showing yourself) to the world, this is how it correlates to birth and being a newborn. 1H rules beginnings, the body, and approach to life. The sign you have in 1H is the sign you act as in your approach to life from the beginning to the end. [Side-note: This is because every house you enter that stage in is carried on with you until you're old and die. So you don't necessarily let go of the house because you're in a new age stage, but it merely becomes dim. It's there, but it's not ruling like the age stage you're currently in].

2nd house [around 3 to 6 years old]: This is the age or stage when you're making sense of the world and develop a sense of being and becoming aware of the things you have, as I mentioned. So you're basically becoming conscious about yourself, whilst adapting to the values, possessions, and skills you have. So the sign you have in 2nd house is how you handle that. For example, if you have Capricorn, you're more stern, careful, and calculative about all the possessions and skills you hold. You normally put those things at a high standard, and it can take a while for you to attain certain things because Saturn (Capricorn's ruler) encourages you to earn all that you have.

3rd house [7 to 10 years old]: At this point, you know who you are, what you have, and how you normally approach life. In trying to develop yourself a bit more, you look around you at who the people around you are. 3rd house is Gemini's house, and Geminis are very conscious beings; of people, things to learn, and their word (a bit too conscious, and that's where the 'two-faced' cliche comes in). So this age stage then comes with using the mind a lot. Learning stuff and getting ideas, speaking about them, knowing what friends are and being close with siblings, if any, and sharing stuff. The sign you have there is how you acted through all of this.

4th house [10 to 13 years old/puberty]: This is when you start grounding yourself and knowing where you come from, who your real family is, the foundations of your soul's intentions (life path), and where you feel secure.

This, I would say, is the basis or core of a person and who they eventually become at their peak or in the public eye. So if they grow up in a home that isn't too stable, they grow to oppose that to become more stable in order to bring balance [because 10th house is the 'aftermath' that's opposing of the 4th house]. So the sign you have in this stage is the sign you live out as [e.g, Sagittarius 4th house had a more free-spirited way of living in their pre-teen age].

5th house - [14 to 18 years old]: Now this is where a lot of us begin our adolescence age, and this is because the 5th house comes with this 'being a teenager' energy. 5th house is about creativity, hobbies, exploring, romance and love affairs, self-expression, and drama. A whole lot of drama. We dramatize the things we go through, our bodies and its changes, things that happen at school and at home, and sometimes the 'situationships' we're in. Everything's just such a story. And that is 5th house energy in act. The sign you have in 5th house is how you'd find yourself going about all of these things.

6th house - [19 to 24 years old]: At this stage, you've seen the world from your perspective and played around with your interests & hobbies, so you come to a point of either wanting to capitalize/profit from those hobbies or talents, or settle on simply trying to make money to become stable because now 'you're an adult'. So with that, you're more focused on working, routines, productivity, and self-improvement. For some, body changes also occur here because the 6th house is also about health and body.

Now the sign you have in your 6th house is most likely how you'll make that money or what your career will be like. For example, a person with Gemini in 6th could pass off as a Youtuber, Instagram Influencer, perhaps a Tiktok star, or anything in a field of communicating to people and spreading ideas or trends in a cool way.

7th house - [24 to 27 years old]: After developing yourself, your career, and your financial health, you then find yourself wanting to settle down romantically and start creating a home. So here come relationships becoming more serious, sharing stuff (your ideas & values going forth, your assets, and your whole life) with someone, and basically getting the real feel of marriage or long-term pairing. But the 7th house doesn't only rule love, it also rules partnerships, contracts, and alliances. So how you are one-on-one with people and merging with them is your 7th house influence at play. The sign in your 7th house is how you present yourself through all of this.

8th house - [27 to 30 years old]: The 8th house is a pretty complicated house, but nonetheless it's very good for growth [through changes]. At this age, many experience events that bring depth or deeply felt peak experiences. It's as if it's this rebirth of some kind where you rediscover yourself. From another standpoint, this is where there's more depth in a relationship/marriage, joint ventures or goals coming together, inheriting some money or assets, and also perhaps feeling really sexually liberated or just simply getting to the point of procreation (and this why most people have or picture having kids at this age). From any of these standpoints, the sign you have in the 8th house is what comes out the most as your energy.

9th house - [31 to 35 years old]: This is the age of you finding the true meaning of life and what your beliefs and values are contrary to what you've been taught, but really establishing your own and sharing them with your significant other or/and children.

This is when you're most philosophical, and have a bit of time for journeys, travel, expanding your knowledge, your taste/style, your beliefs, etc. This is why when you look at a lot of people at this age, they're a bit more settled down on who they've become and there's more of a visibility of what their life is about. The sign you have here manifests as the vibe you give out. For example, a Cancer 9th house more or less has nurturing and maternal energy at this age. They have this motherly or homey vibe towards their expanded mental state in a way where they feel like they have a lot to teach and it comes from a compassionate perspective.

10th house - [35 to 42 years old]: Once you're at this age stage, you're pretty much at the peak of your life because this is when all that you are, where you come from (your roots and home), who you've established yourself as and everything you've worked for reaches its final stage and becomes the real end phase of who you are. Anyone who starts knowing you at this stage can navigate the type of person you are (from your past) and not have a reason to think you'll still change into new characters. There's nothing much to come up with after this as you're practically done creating yourself. All you do now is mainly enjoy the fruits of your labour whilst simultaneously working on the career you been building, and also maintain the public image you've established. Your authority, your power, and your achievements are at their peak here. So the sign you have here is how you show all of this.

11th house - [42 to 50 years old]: This is when you're growing old and out of your peak. You're still a valuable part of the world and play a good role in people's lives, but you're basically leaving that zone of only focusing on yourself and you instead focus more on helping the community or leaving a legacy. The 11th house is about humanitarianism, social/global awareness, the community, social groups, end goals, and the future as a whole. So as you're more focused on these things because you're at the age where there's nothing much else to do but help out and be a great member of society for your final years. The sign you have here though can determine how you act out in all these instances. Cause if you have a Sagittarius 11th house for example, then you could be quite youthful and lowkey a rebel against societal norms. So in you helping out the community, you let people to see this vision that's a different version of norms. Like normalizing stretch marks or bringing a new genre or idea of music or wearing clothes that are weird at first but end up being quirky and cool.

12th house - [50 years old to death]: And at this final age stage of life, you're about to transcend out of your body and purely to your soul, so your soul innately/naturally starts feeling connected to its end stage where it's about to retreat from the world. This could be through last acts of service to humanity, deep connections with spirituality, healing, contentment, confinement, self-reflection, understanding karma, and dreaming. These all occur the most once you get to this age. Depending on the sign you have in this sign, you could experience a deep or light transcendence when you get to this age stage.

BUT - huge disclaimer:

The ages vary according to the maturity of a person's life. So for example, for one person, Cancer is in their 6H but they only start developing into their Cancer age stage at 21. At 19 or 20 they still present their Gemini age stage, because everyone differs, including the maturity of their age stages. So they feel more Cancer at an older age.

So... it depends on your life.

But this is most of the route or path of life many people go through.

Also, I'm starting to believe and see that wherever Cancer is in your house is where you feel pretty maternal/paternal, or you're just really loving and caring towards the people around you.

And wherever Leo is in your houses is most likely your shining point or prime of your life; things work out for the best for you at that Age Stage.

For example, Beyonce has her 10th house in Cancer and right now she's pretty much experiencing her 10th house age stage cause we can see how she's pretty maternal and motherly. Cancer is also pretty emotional so we've seen that after the whole cheating saga, she released all her emotions through an entire album. And Angelina Jolie has Cancer in her 1st house, and like I said 'the sign you have in 1H is the sign you act as in your approach to life from the beginning to the end', we can see how she's always felt pretty maternal, so that's why she's grown to have a lot of children (by even adopting some).

Another example, Rihanna having Leo in her 5th house, that's when she was practically discovered (16). And Kim K, she has Leo in her 9th house and that was when she was at the peak of her fame, from 2013 onwards, when she was beginning her 30's. And Ariana Grande has Leo in her 8th house, which I'd say is the age stage she's in currently, considering how she's the female pop singer that's topping charts the most lately.

So, conclusively, this is why I'd really think Age Stage in the houses is a thing.

And if you are trying to understand why your life is going hella sad and boring for the past 4 or 5 years, try and look at the sign in which your Age Stage is at in the houses. Cause it could be Pisces, Scorpio, or Capricorn. [Their rulers] Saturn, Pluto and Neptune can bring tense and deep energy that can make life pretty hectic. But, there are also profection years, so you can look at those too.

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atopfourthwall · 4 years ago

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Ive only recently gotten into classic Star Trek so I don't think I can properly answer but what is it specifically about Discovery and recent Star Trek that classic Trek fans hate?

Putting this behind a cut because... it's a lot.

Well, first of all a big rejection of it is just on an aesthetic level. Up until the 2009 movie (which was considered a reboot, even with time travel elements), Star Trek tried to treat the original series and how it was portrayed as pretty sacrosanct. Sure, they might occasionally make jokes about goofier aspects of it and discard some of the stupider stuff (like how in the final episode, penned by Gene Roddenberry himself, that women weren't allowed to Captain starships), but how TOS looked? That's how the 23rd century looked. Buttons and multi-colored outfits and boxy computers and smooth, undetailed ships WAS what was appropriate for the time. When Scotty came back in TNG, they had him on the holodeck and it was the TOS bridge. When DS9 traveled back in time to that era for an episode? They went onto the Enterprise and visited it. When in an Enterprise 2-parter we had a TOS-era ship? It looked like a TOS ship. They even did a 2-parter on Enterprise to explain why Klingons had smooth foreheads when later (and earlier) they didn't. Star Trek up until then cared about maintaining that continuity of appearance. But Discovery is set in the TOS era... but nothing looks like TOS. Even when we got the Enterprise and those uniforms and we saw inside the ship, it was an upgraded form. The only logic I've seen people try to argue about WHY it doesn't look like it actually did was "Well, audiences won't accept something as cheap as TOS being futuristic." Well, then you've got a few responses there: -Don't set in TOS era, then. -That's horseshit, because audiences from the 90s through the 2000s accepted it just fine. Even a piece of dialogue from DS9 explained it perfectly: "I LOVE 23rd century design." It LOOKS cheap, but it was just the aesthetics of the period. And the Enterprise 2-parter it still looked good in HD. Hell, arguably it looked BETTER in HD because they knew how to light it and create mood and its own unique flavor. -It's even more horseshit because people are STILL going back and watching it even today, as indicated by you saying you've started watching it, so clearly it's not that much of a barrier. But what's even more egregious is the TECHNOLOGY. You might be able to accept updated aesthetics if at least matches what was present during the period... and it doesn't. Holographic displays and communication (holodeck technology AT ALL, frankly - it's possible it was there, but TNG seemed pretty adamant that the holodecks were fairly new, very impressive technology), weapons not looking or acting like they traditionally did, Enterprise and Discovery having R2D2-style repair droids that certainly did not exist in TOS, the wrong sound effects being frequently employed, replicator technology for good-looking food instead of food dispensers that gave out marshmallows and cubes, and honestly the tech level shown in Discovery looks just as advanced - if not MORE advanced than seen on TNG 100 years later. And this is a minor thing, but despite the attempt to make the future LOOK futuristic, from a cultural perspective, the future looks... way too damn similar to now. The excessive swearing (it was said in particular in Star Trek 4 that while they certainly did cuss, it was less common and they sure as hell weren't dropping F-bombs), a party on Discovery that looked like a rave (when previously it seemed like the most popular music and culture of the 23rd/24th century was considered fairly high-brow entertainment [classical music, Shakespeare, great works of literature and plays, etc.] - and while you could certainly argue that that snootiness and love of that stuff is a problem with Star Trek and a sign of how sterile and homogenized it is, THAT is the future they presented and a character in Voyager loving some of the goofier parts of 20th century culture like jukeboxes and old sci-fi serials was considered unusual), and just the general way people talk betrays the idea that the writers aren't thinking about how society changes in the future. It's just the modern day, but with cooler technology. But hey, let's set aside the general aesthetics - some people aren't going to mind that and find

ways to handwave away a lot of stuff (even Discovery season 2 TRIED to handwave away stuff like the holographic communications, but did a piss-poor job of it). This brings us to the problem of the WRITING. And the problem with the writing is a big Michael Burnham-shaped indentation. To be clear, I don't mind Michael as a character or her actress - there are interesting aspects to her, centering a Star Trek show around the science officer is a neat idea (though that means you should probably NAME IT AFTER HER and not around the ship, because it suggests this is a standard ensemble group and not JUST her)... but the actual execution is that it feels like the entire universe bends over backwards for HER. She has a unique relationship with a beloved longtime character that is retconned in. She has unique relationships with several important characters to the point where the fate of billions of people hinges on her and the decisions she makes. She is presented as almost always correct about everything, and those that oppose her are often wrong, naïve, or active enemies. Now, this is less of an issue in the third season - but that has its own unique problems - but in the first season, the resolution of two major storylines (mirror universe and the Klingon war) revolves around her and her relationship to the Terran Emperor and Lorca. In season 2, her mother trying to help or save her is the basis of the ENTIRE friggin' plot with time travel and the like, with special knowledge and history having to do with her and everyone ready to abandon their lives for her so she won't be alone when she has to go to the future when arguably they barely know her (the timeline of the show is debatable). Season 3 has a few different problems with her - the first is that she keeps being involved in things that don't concern her (why is she going down to Trill?) and she keeps violating orders. Now, her violating orders is a problem throughout the entirety of Discovery - in fact, it's kind of the instigating factor OF the series. And arguably, other Star Trek characters are guilty of that and they face no consequences, just as she faces none... and yet it's the brazenness with which it happens, and in those other series it's arguable because the series tries to avoid excessive continuity changes for its episodic nature, so the status quo MUST return to normal... but Discovery is pivoted as one of MAJOR continuity, so her lack of consequences (and indeed eventual PROMOTION) is baffling to the point of frustration. Now again, let me be clear here - she is not a bad character in and of herself. Honestly what it shows is that being the science officer on a starship is not where her talents lie. She should be in a position where she has a lot more freedom to act and not in a major command structure... but being in that command structure, what we see in season 3 is that she lacks the discipline, emotional maturity, responsibility, leadership qualities, and general other traits necessary to be a Captain. Only once during season 3 did she display such a quality - putting the safety of the Federation above a friend and colleague... but other times she will happily disobey orders and put herself and others in harm's way, creating potential new problems. Now, again, Star Trek is rife with characters doing that... but usually not the Captains. And, in fact, when this happened once on DS9 with one officer disobeying orders and putting their own personal feelings above the greater responsibility, it was made VERY clear that the incident would mean that they would never be able to command a starship because of the unofficial reprimand. What's even more frustrating about her is that the character is ALWAYS shoved to the forefront so much to the point where we just get sick of her. SHE is the one giving log entries (usually pretty piss-poor ones, at that - very flowery and nonsensical and kind of dumb) and not the Captain. SHE is the one given so much focus and how the plot of the episode affects her. Barely anyone else gets any focus episodes - I STILL can't

remember the names of some of the secondary characters because they're so rarely said, and a PTSD-related plotline in season 3 for one of the secondary characters basically gets resolved OFF-SCREEN. Michael would be fine if we actually had a chance to miss her... but we never do. Arguably one of the best episodes of the show is in season 2, when it focuses on Saru and his people because Michael DOES take a back seat. It's his story and his development and problems relating to him and his people. And even if, again, we forgave the idea of so much focus on her even in plots that aren't about her... she never seems to really change that much. She'll TALK about how she's changed, but I see no real difference in the way she acts (MAYBE season 1 to 2, where in season 1 she was stiffer and more Vulcan-like, but that's it). But hey, let's assume that's not a problem for you - you really, REALLY like Michael and are fine with so much focus on her. Simply put, the writing of the rest of the show... is just kind of dumb. The ship is powered by magic mushrooms that let it teleport everywhere because the universe has super fungus capillaries throughout it that nobody can see and also it's magic and can resurrect the dead. The time travel plot of season 2 doesn't make any sense when you sit down and diagram it. Well-established Trek lore is just kind of sprinkled in, but now in ways that doesn't match what it was before or at least in ways that completely recolor how it's supposed to work, because it needs to serve THIS plot. Everyone remembering a murdererous monster fondly after she leaves because "Hey, she was coooool." The explanation for the big mystery in season 3 is just fricking stupid and one of the two big reasons why I've finally given up on Discovery, because it's just so absurd, doesn't match how anything works, and just feels like the writers giving the middle finger to the audience because they care more about "YOU MUST FEEEEEEL THINGS!" instead of it making sense. And indeed, there is certainly a balance to be made of plot vs. emotion-driven storytelling - some stories are dumb, but are forgivable because the character writing and emotion are so strong that they override how goofy the plot is... but sometimes a plot is just so dumb it overrides anything I'm SUPPOSED to feel. And it would help if I already liked the show, already gave it some benefit of the doubt... but I don't and it hasn't done enough to impress me. A little thing that's a problem with ALL of current modern Trek shows is that whole sprinkling lore thing - I don't think a single episode goes by in ANY current modern Trek series that doesn't have a random reference to classic Trek lore. A name, a line of dialogue, etc. It comes across like the creators don't trust you to enjoy it on its own merits, but want you to like it because "Hey, remember thing? We know about thing! Like us because we mentioned thing!" But hey, I recognize that these are things that other people may not have any problem with or just disagree in general. But for me and my family, these are the big ones that keep us from enjoying it. Hell, my brother and dad still watch it for hatewatching purposes, but I was done after season 3. I gave it plenty of chances to impress me, and while each season MARGINALLY got better as it went along, I'm tired of waiting to actually like it and to stop feeling like it thinks I'm a fucking idiot. If other people still like it, great - it clearly appeals to them in a way that it doesn't appeal to me and they are free to enjoy it. Other people probably have their own issues, but this long, rambly bit is the major stuff for me.

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snowlily95 · 4 years ago

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Aerith in light of healthcare provider

So, I've wanted to write an analysis about Aerith in light of her medical viewpoint for quite a long time but only recently got the chance to complete it. It is well known in the game that Aerith is the healer of the story. She possesses a great MP with a limit break to heal and buff people which greatly affects your gameplay. Of course, you can equip others with Healing and Prayer materias to render them useful for healing as well. But story-wise, no one can take away Aerith's status as the healer. We know in canon that Aerith provided herbs to the Sector 5 slums doctor to create medicine. And if you finished the Corneo Stash side quest in Chapter 14, you can return to the church and see a couple of elderly sitting on the pew praying. And when you come closer to them you'll hear them talking about how they didn't see Aerith around and they're sure she's alright and probably be around healing people. You know, since the Sector 7 plate just fell. (Even though Aerith is not alright actually coz she was kidnapped by Shinra by this time) Point is, we are fed by the NPCs on how much Aerith had helped around as a healer. She had been doing this for years.

While being in denial about who she actually is, being a healer had always been implanted in her. She is used to it. When you're used to being a healer, there's a certain level when you have a different reaction compared to others. The way you think is different. Apart from that, she's also a Cetra. And we knew for a fact Cetra had a certain affinity towards souls who are returning to the Planet. Meaning, as much as she is used to healing others, she's also used to sensing death.

My whole point is that being a Cardiac Anaesthesiologist and Intensivist as I am, I can totally relate my position with Aerith, as we both have constantly helped people and encounter death on daily basis. While I'm pretty confident that the majority of these might be coincidences (because I'm pretty sure there are no doctors in the SE team), I thought the coincidences are pretty cool to ponder upon and I'm amazed at how the subtle differences between Aerith's reaction to events from other characters.

I'm gonna ignore the meta part of Aerith, mainly because I'm not discussing how much Aerith knew, and if there was anything in jeopardy of what she knew whatsoever. So we're gonna focus on the fact that she is used to healing and feeling people's death. People who are used to death on daily basis had a certain unique view on life and death. And that affects how we act upon facing them too. While this is evident throughout Remake, I'm gonna focus on the plate drop event to be more concise. I will also use Tifa as a comparison to make it easier to see the difference between the reaction of the two. Let’s start!

1) Aerith is quick in emergency situations.

When you are used to people dying, you developed a certain immunity and you are able to have a sound mind and composure at the sudden change of event. As healthcare providers, we face stable situations turning into critical real fast. And we have a switch in our minds that turns us from standby mode to rescue mode. This is exactly what happened to Aerith when Don Corneo revealed Shinra's plan to blow up Sector 7's support pillar. Tifa is part of Sector 7. It is her home. Which is why her reaction showed how she was super devastated, she slowly stood up and muttered "They wouldn't..." because she couldn't believe it. Aerith? She had that switch in her mind, and she immediately turned and say "Come on, guys! We gotta go!". She switched into that critical mode in a second. It helps that she's also not personally connected to Sector 7, and thus her judgment was not as impaired. Of course, they both switched into the critical mode in the sewer, but it was at the moment of revelation that made it different. Just like how healthcare providers switched at the moment of revelation that their patients are at the brink of death—you immediately jumped into rescue mode.

2) She plans for the worst.

Remember after they defeated Abzu and Tifa started to question Corneo's information? She didn't want to believe it, because it didn't make sense to destroy your years of efforts building the plate just to get back to a small group like AVALANCHE. Think about the money they put in to build it, they're gonna have to put them all again. In fact, along their way out of the sewer, Tifa voiced out multiple times how this had been bothering her. But I'm intrigued with Aerith's reply "If he's telling the truth, then we should go. And if it turns out he was lying, then so what?". This here is exactly what doctors do. We plan and prepare for the worst. And if the worst didn't happen, then so what? If you ever had life-saving surgery, your doctors would tell you "You need this surgery coz you might die. But if you do the surgery, there's a high chance you'll survive, but there's a small chance you'll die too". And we prepare for that small chance that our patients die. No, we don't let our preparations lacking because we hope they'll survive. We prepare for the worst outcome possible and get all the equipment ready in case they'll die. If they didn't, then so what? It doesn't mean our preparations were futile efforts. It only means we were prepared. And that line of Aerith seriously hits home to me.

3) She hopes for the best.

Before they crossed the water sewer, Tifa once again voiced out how she couldn't stop thinking about what Corneo said, and she was still hoping that he was lying. And then Aerith said, "The future isn't set in stone". (Again, I'm gonna ignore the meta part of Aerith) And then she proceeded to set up that small date with Tifa. Believe it or not, this is actually what we do during bad calls. We'd talk about what we would do after all this ends; we'd go out dining, or playing games/darts, or go drinking, or whatever it is that makes us happy. Just to keep our minds calm and to allow us to hope for the future, even if it's just a few hours away. It gives us hope and courage to go on. We plan for the worst, but we hope for the best. The more critical the situation is, the more you need to be level-headed. And needless to say, after this point onwards, Tifa is much more calmed down from her struggle to keep herself focus.

4) She follows orders.

This might sound weird to some, but the ability to cast away your worry and focus on what you can do, instead of what you should do, is important in emergency situations. You need to know what you don't know. You don't get in the way of your comrades. If you're not good at intubating, you don't insist to intubate in emergency situations just because you wanna help. Seriously, you'll just make things worse. When Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith were attacked before climbing up and out of the sewer, Cloud asked both Tifa and Aerith to keep going. Aerith immediately answers "Okay" and left—without a single but. This is significant because it shows that Aerith knew she'd be better off leaving. She doesn't need to offer help, coz her help was not needed. This is not the place where she could help. The ability to recognize this is very important for healthcare professionals. Tifa was a bit more reluctant to leave, but that's probably because she is a martial artist in-game. Also, the fact that Aerith could still joke "We're not delicious" is just so real lol! Yup, we joke sometimes when we're facing deaths—doesn't mean we lose focus in saving the dying person in front of us, don't worry. And then it happens again when they reached Sector 7 when Cloud asked them to stay with Wedge as he goes up, Aerith immediately answered "sure"—because she can "patch" Wedge up, it's where her abilities lie. This is even more accentuated when an injured Wedge argued that he can still fight when he clearly can't—making this point even more obvious. Aerith is someone with a healthcare mind, Wedge was not.

5) She supports her comrades emotionally even when she’s worried too.

When they reached the surface, they spotted a Shinra helicopter. Cloud assured them they're only on patrol. Aerith turned to Tifa and said, "Don't worry, we'll make it in time". This moment is also very iconic to me. As I mentioned, I'm an anaesthesiologist. We are the support doctors to surgeons and physicians. Those moments when we're operating on AAA surgeries and the patient is losing liters of blood and literally dying, we're pumping bloods in with our hands and get those Level 1 machines operating, and the surgeons would be panicking because it keeps bleeding? Yep, I did say it before. "We'll make it. Just concentrate on the surgery and don't worry about the bleeding", even though I'm sweating and dying here trying to keep the patient alive. But I pretended to be calm in front of my team and cheered them on. Because the whole team needs to keep calm. If one of the team loses hope, then bid your chance farewell. As an anaesthesiologist, we're almost like the anchor in the room. People look at us to know if everything's alright. I need to tell them it's alright, so they need not worry. Aerith knew Tifa is worried. And she tried to keep Tifa calm with reassurance. Even if she probably freaked out herself.

6) She doesn’t discriminate.

After they defeated the ghost at the haunted maintenance facility, Cloud tried to kill it, and Aerith didn't let him. When Cloud said that thing was dangerous, Aerith said she knows and added "but even so..." she didn't feel right about killing it. (Let's ignore the fact that the Ghoul was a lonely creature for now) It then goes to drop the train wreck which almost killed them had it not been for Cloud. Now this would have been avoided had Aerith let Cloud killed it—maybe. But here's the thing. When you're hyper-aware that people are dying left and right, you value life more. No one deserves to die, even the worst criminal in the world. You're a law-abiding citizen? You're a criminal? It doesn't make a difference to us. I know this is something super hard to comprehend. But technically only when the law subjects the criminal to the death sentence that a person should be left to die. I've been a doctor for eleven years, I was a prison doctor for two. I had the first-hand experience of dealing with criminals. It's not my job to determine whether they deserve to die or not. It's not my call whether they will turn a new leaf had they lived. I know this is something others find difficult to relate to and agree with—happens to my non-medical family and friends. The verdict to us is simple. It's a life. It's worth saving. Period. (Technically the ghosts are dead though but my point still stands)

7) She tries to her best abilities and lets go of what is out of her control.

Tifa's emotions are tampered with again when they confirmed Shinra was going to drop the plate when they overheard the Turks conversation. Her voice shook, we can literally hear it. Aerith's response was "all we can do now is keep moving". And she's right. When they reached Sector 7 and the Whispers were preventing them, she said "we have to get past whatever it takes". And later on, Tifa left to help Cloud and Barret, and Aerith agreed to get to Seventh Heaven to ensure Marlene's safety. Wedge had a short mental breakdown when he realized he was no good to anyone up or down the crime scene. And Aerith told him "We can still save a lot of lives", "That's no excuse to give up", "I need to know I did everything I could". Her encouragement helped Wedge save more people. Some argued, did she not care about the lives that already died? Now here's my point; no, we don't. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but really. What can we do for people who are already dead? Nothing. What can we do for people who are still alive? Everything. And this is the core of being a healthcare provider—we prioritize. Yes, we're also humans. We can get emotional when our own friends and relatives die. (Aerith might not be as calm had it happened at Sector 5) But when we put the healthcare provider cap on, we mean business. That is why when disasters happened, and we triage people with a black tag? That's when we know we couldn't do anything for them. We don't mourn at the black tags. We move on to the other tags instead. So that we know we already did everything in our power to help. And yes, it doesn't matter even if we lost more lives than we saved. It's worth it, even if we only saved one person out of thousands of deaths. Just like how Aerith saved Betty in Sector 7. That one life is worth it.

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