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itsnothingofinterest · 4 years

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You know there’s been a lot of content from the hero stans lately about “the villains aren’t much better” or “that’s like what the villains are doing” whenever the villains/villain stans point out the heroes failings. But you know, when you say that enough, it becomes likely that the reverse is also true. So you know what, screw it; I’m gonna turn that around to show how much the heroes are like the villains & then show why that looks way worse for the heroes than it does the villains.

Especially since this guy’s the one who first made that point.

Part 1: Killing People

To start the compression, we can point out how the heroes are committing the same crimes as the villains; and murder’s a good place to start with that. I don’t think I need to point out Hawks’ murder of Twice and Endeavor’s various murder attempts on Shigaraki; both notable because heroes don’t kill, as confirmed by Ending. These 2 instances are in fact, the first instances of heroes attempting to kill non-Nomu villains besides All Might’s attempted murder of AFO, which he later admitted was wrong and vowed to do things right for the rematch.

Ah, but while these are them same crimes, I can already hear people furious at me for trying to compare 1 itsy-bitsy murder to the unfathomable number of deaths that would result from the PLF’s attack. So how about 110,000 deaths, is that a better compression?

I’m always “happy” to point out, laws are often based on precedent; and the precedent set by Kurogiri’s imprisonment in Tartarus indicates that would be the destination of PLF member that’re captured, as they are all working with the League & fighting heroes. Of course there’s not enough room for 110,000 people, so the rest will likely be killed while only the most dangerous are kept alive to suffer. But that’s fine, right? It’s not like the indiscriminate violence of villains; we’re talking state-sanctioned violence, which makes it okay.

Hey where have I heard that before?

Part 2: Crimes Against Humanity

This and the next part feel a bit unfair, as they’re both crimes committed more by the backers (the HPSC and Ujiko & AFO) than the guys on the front lines (the pros & the PLF). But it’s different because for the heroes, their leaders are among those backers, and the pros all have full knowledge of the offenses in question, even if the don’t exactly acknowledge them as such. Meanwhile the villains’ leader is Shigaraki, one of the front line guys, who inherited Ujiko already committing his atrocities. And we don’t really know how much the PLF know about what “goes into” a Nomu. Thus, they feel lees responsible for these next points; but we’ll be comparing them equally and holding both groups accountable regardless.

Anyway, crimes against humanity: on the PLF’s side, we’ve got the human experimentation used to make Nomus, and on the heroes side we’ve got inhumane super prison Tartarus.

Tartarus, if you’ll recall, is a prison made to allow for a sentence worse than the death sentence. This means it was made under the thought of “There are people who deserve worse than death. We will create this fate worse than death, and then subject people to it as we judge is fitting.” And so they did, quite readily too, as in 1 year, 6 villains Deku has encountered have already been sent there. Notably including Kurogiri, the League’s taxi driver and my main point of evidence that there may be a mandate that anyone in the League is to be sent to Tartarus. And if such a mandate exists, who knows how else Tartarus has been utilized? But even I’m wrong (and I very well could be), those numbers set quite a disturbing precedent for how the Japanese government utilizes their purposefully-made Fate Worse than Death.

Part 3: The Harming/Endangering of Children

“Oh but come on“ some will say “Even if Tartarus is that bad, the Nomus are still worse because they’re not just human experimentation, but also the occasional child experimentation.“ And you know what, maybe you’re right. I mean it’s not like the heroes (outside of the no. 1 of course) have ever done anything to hurt of endanger childr-

Oh. Oh that’s a bad look. That is egg on the heroes faces right there.

Heck, that might even add up to being worse than the Nomus, by the simple advantage of 1 < 2. I mean the Nomus are bad, I won’t deny that; but they might still come out on top when we compare them to a purposefully used and abused government-sanctioned Fate Worse than Death & the use of child soldiers for the purpose of fighting super dangerous criminal rebels-both at the same time.

Part 4: But It’s All For a Good Cause

But the heroes are all doing it to save people, right? Stopping dangerous criminals that committed horrible crimes? It’s all for the greater good, yeah?

Well, remember what we just talked about. Putting aside the PLF’s greater goals for a bit; if the heroes are justified in what their doing by preventing the PLF’s crimes, and yet they commit similar crimes, don’t they justify the PLF’s actions? Especially since one of the PLF’s goals is holding heroes accountable for their actions & failures. That is: if the heroes are justified by saving the lives of everyone who the PLF would kill; aren’t the PLF justified by saving the lives of their 110,000 members, who the heroes would kill if they won? And if the heroes are justified in what they do to stop the villains & their Nomu activities, aren’t the villains justified in what they do to stop the heroes and their use of child soldiers and government-approved Fate Worse than Death?

That sounds a bit too paradoxical to be right, but we’ll put a pin in that for just a second.

It’s time to stop putting aside the PLF’s greater goals and face facts; the heroes greater good is not the greatest good being fought for this arc. They aren’t really fighting for anything, actually; they fight for the status quo, and all of their justifications were listed in that last big paragraph. The PLF meanwhile, along with the above justifications, are also trying to accomplish something with all the crime they’re committing. They’re trying to end the corruption of power in the hero system, the various forms of quirk based prejudice going on, and the legally enforced bystander effect, as well as expanding the rights of the average citizen with regards to their quirks (which would also help with that bystander effect). And y’know, it’s been debated if all of this would be that good for society, but it is a cause the heroes don’t have.

In fact, Bonus Round: a lot of the things the PLF are fighting against that aren’t just the direct actions of heroes, heroes are still partially at fault for. For example; the concept of “villainous quirks” and the prejudice there in which affected Shinso & Toga’s childhoods would probably be much less of a thing if society didn’t revolve around good heroes that everyone loves and evil villains that try to ruin your lives. But most importantly for this discussion, this ‘crime’ is one the criminals don’t have corresponding activity to compare to, so that’s actually just a free win for them.

Final Notes:

And y’know, even if the villains aren’t better (I can understand why anyone would see any of their above “wins” as small in the grand scheme of things), the closing of the moral gap between the two sides really does look worse for the heroes than it does the villains. It’s not great for the heroes to be considered not much better, occasionally considered worse, and overall considered the rough moral equals to a group that called themselves THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS. Like, intentionally.

The heroes have/are messed up so bad, that Machia is currently walking through apartment complexes while Dabi laughs & makes snarky comments on his back and I can still think “yeah, they’re about moral equals to Endeavor & Hawks”. That’s how bad their position is. It’s just embarrassing really.

Look, the truth is: those hero stans I talked about at the start were right about one thing; the villains aren’t the “good guys”. But the heroes aren’t the “good guys” either. Their aren’t any good guys, this is just a morally messed up situation and we’re all just along for the ride to see if there’s a way out. And maybe we have our faves who we’re rooting for to make it for as long as they can & maybe even be the ones to find that way out, the solution to this mess. But until then, I think we’ve all got to come to terms with the fact that almost all of our faves are problematic. It turns out that’s just the kind of manga this is.

#bnha #league of villains #lov #paranormal liberation front #PLF #shigaraki tomura #hero society #pro heroes #hero public safety commission #kyudai garaki #analysis #anti hawks #anti endeavor

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a-student-out-of-time · 3 years

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Twisted Sister Aftermath Review Part 2

And we are back! Sorry the last part was a bit meaty; I couldn’t really cut bits out and most of the relationship stuff could be covered in the first part. And with this part we move onto the more plot relevant sections. So, seeing as we are going to start on a bad note (you will soon see what I mean by that) let’s hop right in!

Plotly Plot Stuff

Unfortunately, we cannot go one Arc without going back to Mr. Polarising himself, Yasuke. If A Student Out of Time ever gets its own TV Tropes page, Yasuke will definitely get the ‘Base-Breaking Character’ trope to him, because yikes has this guy been debated among Anons. Heck even my original review of Yasuke caused some tension! And to address some of the criticisms I’m been getting about Yasuke being nothing like Byakuya…what I meant was that he is a good ‘Rival/Antagonistic’ character. The villains aren’t going to challenge the Quantum Crew’s views, they know they are bad and they are going to get punished. Tsurugi despite being touted as Hajime’s rival isn’t going to challenge him from a moral standpoint, it’s basically like Sae towards the Phantom Thieves, when one riles up society, the law is going to oppose, and as we know the law is evil, it kinda dampens Tsurugi’s viewpoint. Yasuke though, can challenge Hajime as he’s made Hajime think whether going a Pacifist playthrough is really the best way forward. Given how irredeemable some of the villains are, and that simply imprisoning them might not be good enough, it’s going to be a real test to see if the Quantum Crew can go forward without spilling any blood. Granted Yasuke’s morality is twisted as his only friend is Junko…who isn’t the best of influences, and he is narrow minded in thinking that because his girlfriend is invincible, not helped by how much of a Villain Sue she was in Despair Arc, which is another among many reasons why the anime was a piling hot piece of crap. I used Byakuya as a comparison because really the other rival characters are nothing like Yasuke, and I needed something to get my point across. But the best part about his appearance was the savage beatdown Umeko gave him for thinking that the Many Worlds theory is valid. See this is what I love about this blog, the Mod could just go the lazy option when it comes to time travel, but no they take the time to research a plethora of topics and all the research into quantum physics is so good, it’s like reading a better version of Game Theory. Again, the whole Yasuke Multiverse thing could have easily been avoided if the Mod decided to take a break and not write when they were tried, as it seems to be when the most questionable story choices come from, and used their revised idea of having Umeko toss some ideas to Hajime, Hajime thinking about the Many Worlds Theory and heck even using the fact he played the Zero Escape franchise to get a better idea of time travel so he thought he was SHIFTing, and then when he found out he was wrong, for Umeko to chew him out. Anyway, that’s enough talking about Yasuke, I hope I don’t have to touch this jackarse again in a while, I don’t like him, you don’t like him, the Mod doesn’t like him and pretty sure 95% of Anons reading this don’t like him and just talking about him stresses me out.

Umeko wasn’t the only person to throw punches at Yasuke though because Chiaki had a few choice words to say to him as well. And while Umeko is more of ‘Your knowledge of quantum physics is BS’ Chiaki is more from a morality standpoint that she is very sus about Yasuke’s role in the mess. And think about it, he’s been sus of Hajime and co for a while now, we only have his word that Junko doesn’t know, and that ain’t good enough, and it seems the only reason why Yasuke wants to ‘help’ the Quantum Crew out is because they claim his original plan with Junko fails and he wants to ensure there is no chance that the Mindwipe process once he perfects it on Kanade can be done flawlessly with Junko. And again, Yasuke could be secretly involved in the whole plan because the one thing that for many of us is a concern regarding Kanade’s kit to start a school massacre is the BCI containing intel on Class 77-B. You can make an argument about Junko being involved with the other stuff, her analytic talent would have allowed her to create the complicated chemical formula for the addictive, as a model Junko is loaded so she has plenty of money to spend on stuff such as experimental armour on the black market, and her darling sister could have provided the combat data. Yasuke was in Hope’s Peak and would have known that Hibiki came to Hope’s Peak after Kanade was arrested and bonded with Class 77-B. Bear in mind as soon as Junko saw the news that Kanade was arrested, her first response was to call Juu and said she has plans for Kanade but they can wait for now. Obviously, Junko was waiting to see what was going on regarding Kasugano and wanted to test him by seeing how easy or hard he is to break. People often debate why Junko converted Class 77-B and not her own class but I think the reason why she went after them is because of how unified Class 77-B are. As we learn more about other Hope’s Peak classes it becomes clear just how much of an anomaly Class 77-B are in the regards that they are all friends with each other, and have a high level of hope, which of course Junko due to her desire of a challenge went to break them as sending that class into despair would give her the ultimate satisfaction, even more so than her own class. I think Yasuke isn’t going to be talked about for a while because his very presence stresses people out and after how much the Mod was savaged from their last usage of him, they are going to have to seriously rethink how to use Yasuke in a way that doesn’t cause a scrum debate among us Anons.

Still Yasuke did raise a fair point that against someone with no morals like Junko, the Quatern Crew are going to be hard pressed to keep their ‘Thou shall not Kill’ policy. While Hajime claims he has beaten Junko before in the OG timeline and will do so again in the various times Junko has lost, she has played by her own rules and allows room for failure in her plans, because due to how much of a despair fetish she has, the prospect of losing and tasting the despair of losing is too tempting for her. But if Junko realises that Hajime is hell-bend on standing against her, and that the very laws of time are against her, Junko might just go ‘fuck it’ and forgo that prospect of failure and become, much, much more dangerous as a result. Chiaki’s response to this is simple, they just need to expand their ranks and hire more people. In other words, it’s time for the entirety of Class 77-B to know. To some this is a case of ‘about time!’ But there was a reason why Hajime didn’t want to involve the class. He wasn’t aware on how much history can be changed, and as soon as he discovered he can change the timeline, he also became aware that fate is actively working against him, and the more he fights against it, the bigger the backlash. The last thing Hajime wants is his only friends, Class 77-B, to be hurt due to ripple effects of the Ankle Effect. While half of Class 77-B knew, Hajime didn’t go out of his way to tell them, they either forced Hajime to tell them, or they got caught up in one of Hajime’s plans and he had no choice but to tell them. Chiaki got sus of Hajime when he saved Natsumi and Sato and thus he had to spill, Mikan overheard Hajime and Chiaki talking to Umeko about the future, and the only reason Hajime told her is because he knew there was a risk that Umeko could accidently expose Hajime. Sonia and Gundham went to the Melody Rhythm Concert on their own separate investigation because Koroko and Yoruko was talking about serial killers in order to help get intel into Kanade’s mindset, Sonia got sus about all the mysterious deaths around the Otonokoji Twins, and thus got caught up in Hajime’s plan to save Hibiki and stop Kanade. Mahiru and Hiyoko were investigating Kasugano when they got kidnapped by Junya and Haiji, and Fuyuhiko and Peko were the only ones brought in because Hajime needed extra muscle to deal with the traffickers. And it is becoming apparent that changing the future is a task too large for one person as without the help of his fellow time travellers, his classmates that know, Void, and other allies, Hajime wouldn’t have achieved all the victories that the Quantum Crew have enjoyed. And given that Kanade tried to kill them all, its something they cannot hide from their friends anymore and thus its time to spill the truth.

This of course means that the rest of Class 77-B (Teruteru, Imposter, Ibuki, Nekomaru, Nagito, Kazuichi and the Canon Akane) get to meet Void, Another Akane and Sora for the first time. The interactions between them are both sweet and bitter. Sweet because all the Class 77-B interactions are wholesome, Nekomaru and Maku are developing a bromance similar to what Maku enjoyed with Shinji in SDAR2, Akane is done to have a scrap with Maku, Kazuichi is simping for Emma, I hope that doesn’t last, Iroha is fawning over the Imposter, Taira and Teruteru dosed Pornhub, and Kazuichi and Chisa are amazed that Sora exists. But also, bitter because if you noticed, I didn’t mention Nikei. And that’s for a good reason as Nikei didn’t really interact with the rest of Class 77-B, his only interaction is helping Mahiru getting the two horny members (you know who they are) away from each other. We could have had at least an interaction between him and Ibuki as those two actually met before, but nope. This is a clear example on how the other Void members have become comfortable around Class 77-B and warmly welcomed the other class members with open arms and yet Nikei is still gated off. Clearly our Reporter friend here is going for a slow burn character development but one that hopefully will pay off in the end because I will cry rivers of joy when Nikei finally becomes comfortable around Class 77-B. Oh yeah forgot to mention, Chisa and Juzo are in the truth meeting as well. I was wondering if they would be told but it makes sense to tell them as they alongside Kyousuke are doing an internal investigation into the dark under dealings of Hope’s Peak and in Despair Arc came the closest to foiling Junko’s plans to despair bomb the planet. They failed because A) it’s a shitty prequel anime and Junko is a Villain Sue in this and B) she brainwashed Chisa and blackmailed Juzo with his feelings towards Kyousuke dosed with a lot of homophobia, because we didn’t need any more reasons to hate Junko already. Once all the fuzzy feelings are done, the truth is spilled and everyone is horrified, as you would if you found out that in a couple of years’ time the world would end, you are the reason the world ended and you were basically turned into some Anarchist Model’s mind slaves. Naturally some are a little hesitant to accept it, but at the end of the day, its their friends at the end of the day, they didn’t tell them not because they didn’t trust them but because they didn’t need to know and they didn’t want themselves to be hurt by the forces they are up against. Its unclear how many are official Quantum Crew members or just allies, as knowing the truth about the future and being a Quantum Crew member are two different things. Natsumi, Sato, Fuyuhiko, Peko and Mahiru were all offered the chance of membership and they refused for their own reasons, but they didn’t rule out helping the Quantum Crew out if they need their help. Koroko and Kyoji aren’t official Quantum Crew members and yet they pull some serious weight in regards to the various missions the Quantum Crew go on. Chisa and Juzo agree to help as well, and Kyousuke is being left in the dark because he would go and try to kill Junko and we know from experience how well THAT would go. Spoilers: Not very well, just ask OG Juzo and OG Nagito.

Speaking of Kanye West Sans from Undertale on the Nintendo DS, Iroha started to chat up to him as she’s dating Makoto and he’s going to be Class 78’s Lucky Student if nothing changes about his Worst Day Ever, and Nagito drops a bombshell that Kanata is being upgraded from Class 79 student, to Class 78 student! Ever since Toko was sent to the mental hospital and thus means she could never become a member of Class 78, which was already a small class, debate ranged on who would replace Toko, if it was going only be 15 students, or if someone like Hibiki or one of the Voids would replace Toko. Welp the answer is that Kanata is replacing Toko. That’s going to be interesting because I would love to see how Kanata interacts with the rest of Class 78, especially those like Chihiro and Aoi. Obviously, she would be at great risk because she would be in the same class as the Despair Twins but that cannot be helped. But Kanata moving to Class 78 means there is a gap in Class 79. Now this obviously depends if there ever IS a Class 79 because ideally the school will be open as long as Junko is at large but once she is caught and defeated, the next step would be to expose Hope’s Peak, which would be easy because here’s a hint, what did Hajime promise to Nikei to get him on board with helping him in the first place? But call me pessimistic but someone like Junko, the main villain of Danganronpa isn’t going to be caught in a year, and depending how long it takes to defeat Junko, Class 79 might get formed before Junko is defeated. We obviously have a gap, and it depends if say Hibiki goes back to high school and gets scouted for Class 79 because I doubt while all the Voids would be eligible then for Class 79 (Reason why not all would be eligible for Class 78 is because Iroha is a year younger then the other Voids. The Voids as a whole are the same age as the Trigger-Happy Havoc cast, so Iroha is basically similar age to Class 79) That’s something to be tackled another time though.

One last thing before the Arc concludes and it’s the biggest bombshell of them all. So, one might ask, what is bigger than Kanata being part of Class 78? Here’s a simple answer; how about that being a time traveller isn’t the only way to remember the future? Remember when Mikako came to visit her mother? Turned out it wasn’t just a curtsy visit as ever since Mikako had her brain surgery, she’s been having recurring nightmares and the worrying thing about those nightmares is…they are memories of the OG timeline. She drew a picture of Monokuma, which is something that shouldn’t be possible as Junko didn’t come up with the design of Monokuma until she arrived at Hope’s Peak, and the robot version of Monokuma was only made by Junko influencing Monaca, which given that Monaca is more under the influence of the Quantum Crew, means that the Dis Bear more or less is non-existent in this universe. The nightmares are only the start though as before Mikako had her surgery, she met Kanata because Kanata’s adoptive father is the one who did the surgery to remove Mikako’s brain implant, and Mikako noted that Kanata felt familiar, which if Mikako was getting memories of the OG timeline, she should as Kanata was a classmate of hers. Now that Kanata is part of Class 78, she would no longer be a classmate and Mikako also remembered the Massacre timeline as she thanked Koroko before leaving with Yamato for saving her life, which again she shouldn’t have known as that only happened in the Massacre timeline which no longer exists. Mikako didn’t recognize anyone in the nightmares expect for Yamato obviously, but when shown pictures of future Class 79 members like Akane Taira, she noted of them being familiar. So, WTF is going on? I’ll be clear, I don’t think Mikako is a time traveller or a time traveller in the making. If she was, Umeko would have detected that and she didn’t. But what is clear is somehow Mikako is getting memories of other timelines. My best theory is a few factors. Firstly, being the future Ultimate Exorcist, Mikako possesses spiritual powers and maybe said powers provide some immunity to resets, which means that if Hajime has to go up against an enemy who has supernatural abilities, he has to be careful with resetting as its not just time travellers who can remember. Secondly, in the OG timeline, Yamato managed to develop a solution to reserve the memory wiping that Junko and Yasuke invented, and he used it on himself and Mikako. Granted, said machine wasn’t perfect and it did have side effects, Mikako’s emotions got supressed and she had difficulty expressing them and Yamato’s speech patterns got fucked up, but Yamato isn’t experiencing the nightmares like Mikako is. This obviously requires some investigating and probably another goal for the QC to explore in the next arc, but if other characters aside from time travellers can remember the other timelines, it can be both a boon as it means more allies and a bane because all we need is one villainous character to have this ability and then shit will hit the fan. Bonus points if it happens to be Junko. My big worry for Mikako though is that in DRA Mikako gets framed for Yamato’s murder by Monokuma, and he rigged the trial so that Mikako would be executed, forcing her to take poison so that Monokuma won’t get the pleasure of killing her himself, didn’t stop a spiteful Monokuma from executing her corpse though. Her death was on her terms but still recalling being poisoned to death, as Hajime can tell you is very unpleasant and something that Mikako is going to not enjoy dreaming in the slightest.

And with that we have finished Twisted Sister Aftermath! It was lengthier than I wanted but coming off from a plot heavy arc and being basically the spill over from that, it cannot be helped. I will give this a C overall. Normally I would give it a B because it’s not as intense as the previous Arc but the mere presence of Yasuke and the fact that I could see that most of this Arc was the Mod try to remedy their terrible inclusion of him from the previous Arc knocked it down a few points. At least the Mod learnt that you do not write plot when sleep deprived or lacking in energy, as its when the worser aspects of the story tend to be manifested from. Next Arc should be much chiller in tone and I just hope I can cram everything into one submission there. Nikei’s bemoaning that his article about Kanade’s death being too long speaks to me on a personal level. I hope you enjoy this review everyone and see you next time when we hopefully finish with a chiller Arc, and happy Holidays because I believe by the time the next Arc finishes, Christmas would be behind us! -Review Anon

#mod talks #a student out of time #review-anon #these are super long but I appreciate the time put into them #submission

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hautevaux · 4 years

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Day after day after day - late nights and early mornings, scarcely time for a break; Vaux had been near working himself to the bone to catch up on orders ready for a Gala - ball gowns, evening dresses, tailcoats and three piece suits. The back of his store, in the workshop space, was an absolute mess what with himself and his three seamstresses working constantly. Though stressful, it did (in fact) make the decision of expanding into the vacant store next door much easier because they needed more space to work; expansion would be best.

Regardless, once again was he heading for another late night, the monotony of stitching on dainty sequins and crystals to a floor length gown driving him near insane. But ever the doting boss, he sends his seamstresses home to get a decent nights sleep - though his receptionist stays to get on top of paperwork; ever a sweetheart.

So work he did - on and on with the monotony and sore fingers until he simply needed to stand up and stretch his legs, drink some water, breathe away from the literal piles of stress surrounding him. With eyes closed does he feel a hideous nausea come over him, head hot inside, mind reeling. Thus he sits, perched upon the corner of his desk with a gentle sigh; thinking he needed but only a moment to relax before continuing.

With a softened hum does Vaux lift his head, opens his eyes and instantly feels unbearably overwhelmed; tingling in his fingers feels bizarre and he stares at them as if they are not his own, confused and uncomfortable. He doesn’t realise they are his usual warning signs for a pending seizure for his confusion prevents most of his rational thoughts - and thus he stands up, walks a few steps as if heading towards the front of the store but stops and sits down, on the floor among pots of pins and sequins, where he has been for hours.

Deep breaths - one, two, three - eyes feeling strained, a headache brewing in the very back of his skull of which throbs; consciousness largely focused upon his tingling fingers when he finally falls back. Entirely tense for a moment, Vaux is unconscious - un-moving and unmovable. A count barely less than a minute and only then does the typical rendition of a seizure begin - poor Vaux, upon the floor, convulsing hideously.

The noise of him falling had alerted the receptionist, who got to his side just before the seizure itself started - and she simply sits, and watches with dismay - knowing there is nothing she can do but wait. If it doesn’t last too long and he wakes up relatively quickly then she knows all will be fine - but the seizure goes on perhaps a moment longer than one would have liked and one he stills she gently touches his face and calls his name to attempt to rouse him.

Moments pass and still eyes do not open - Vaux simply laying there, his hair sprawled behind him, a small cut on his hand from where it had caught a rogue pin upon the floor. Concerned does the receptionist grow, further, as he continues to lay unconscious- and then turns stiff once more and her hand goes to her phone - an ambulance called. She is talking to the receiver when he fits again, unable to do anything more than get him the help he needs; sometimes, on rare occasion, he could get caught in a spiral; one fit causing another through the stresses upon his body and medication and aid is needed to stop the cycle before any damage is made.

It is perhaps two hours later, in the hospital, when Vaux finally opens his eyes and idly glances around - the pounding in his head fiercely uncomfortable, the confusion as to where he was growing by the moment. In the least, the nausea had passed; though it seemed he would be subject to another medication review - did it need to be stronger? Another type? Such an unfortunate happening and ailment to have; so dangerous.

He’s tired, his body hurts - bruised muscles throbbing just as much as his skull; he desperately desires small comforts (soft blankets, plushies, anything) and yet there is nothing to hand - so there is little he can do but lie there and wait. Rest.

#TW: Epilepsy #TW; Seizure #I wanted to write something about it??#since it is a thing for Vaux??

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theonyxpath · 6 years

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Via Satyros Phil Brucato:

Janine was a homeless junkie I found dying one night along the path of my post-midnight constitutional. What could I do? Let her perish? Of course not! I took her home and did what any conscientious scientist would do: used my G8-Z26 purgative treatments while stabilizing her physical condition with Dr. Johnstone’s now-famous bioregeneration matrix. I admit she’s not the sharpest scalpel in the drawer but given the condition I found her in last year, I doubt she ever was. There’s no excuse for sloppy work on my part, of course, but Janine’s still alive, and I consider that a victory…

Hola, folks!

When I first conceived of Gods, Monsters and Other Familiar Strangers in 2013, I had initially pictured it as a collection of good, bad, and neutral NPCs to drop into your Mage 20 chronicle. During the intervening years and projects, however, I began to envision a more coherently thematic book – a collection, true enough, but one that featured a coherent theme, hinted at potential metaplots, provided additional rule-systems for non-mage characters, and approached those characters from a broader perspective than a simple, “Here’s a bunch of folks you can marry, fuck, or kill.”

Bringing in several additional authors – Hiromi Cota, Atalanti Evripidou, Jason Louis Feldstein, Antonios Galatis, J.F. High, and Isabella M. Price – we began to shape the slightly retitled Gods, Monsters & Familiar Strangers into a larger and more comprehensive sourcebook. Featuring constructs, consors, Avatars, familiars, spirits, Loa, and many other entities, this book also contains a revised and expanded collection of Special Advantages, spirit Charms, and companion construction rules. Although the past year or so has hit most of the book’s contributors with an array of personal and professional complications, we’re nearly finished with a book that is – in the grand Mage tradition – larger and more ambitious than we had initially intended it to be.

The following excerpts come from that bigger, better book. Enjoy!

The Banner Dei Brute Squad

When the Ecstatic jam band / performance troupe Banner Dei formed on the last night of 1999, that troupe found immediate, enthusiastic support from fans who’d been there that night. The Brute Squad, as they were dubbed by then-bandleader Tricia “Thunderheart” Rykomanski, held the fire-line against unskilled would-be performers who’d be more likely to set themselves on fire than add anything to the performance, pounded out improvised percussion on anything that would make some noise, and then stayed all day the following morning in order to help Banner Dei and their friends clean up the post-gig trash-piles and load the gear into whatever vehicles they could find. Since that night, both Banner Dei and the Brute Squad have cycled through dozens of members. The core of both groups, though, remains stable: Banner Dei blows minds, and the Brute Squad gets them in and out of gigs intact without leaving a huge mess behind. Under the guidance, since 2010, of Kore Valkyrie Smith, the “Banner Brutes” provide drop-in support for Banner Dei’s members and former bandmates. Either collectively or as a group, those Banner Dei personnel can send up a flare, text message, phone call or blog post and have members of the Brute Squad on the location as quickly as a bunch of mortals can arrive. Because the Brute Squad consists of several dozen unAwakened hangers-on scattered across North and Central America, Northern Europe, Japan and India, and because Smith happens to be really good at resource-management (and has backing from several noted Ecstatic philanthropists), a team of three to 15 Brute Squad folks can show up within a day or less with a little advance warning, or be on-site when needed if they know at least two days in advance where they need to be.

Once dispatched, the Banner Dei Brute Squad can handle trash collection and disposal, crowd control, violence-free de-escalation, light medical attention, and set-up / tear-down logistics for stage gear and musical equipment. Most Brute Squad members can also dance, spin fire, perform acrobatics, play musical instruments, or contribute other skills to the performance itself. Kore and her co-leaders train Brute Squad personnel in the essential skills before those people are allowed to back up the band and its people, and though Banner Dei and its support team have rather liberal attitudes about sex and drugs, there’s a strict code of conduct that expels any Brute Squad member who abused his position or can’t be bothered to respect a given “no.” So far, most folks associated with the Brute Squad have remained trustworthy and reliable; Kore’s very good at vetting people, and the few who step out of line and take advantage of Ecstatic hospitality tend to wind up gibbering mindlessly by the side of a road if they’re ever seen again at all.

Traits-wise, Banner Dei’s Brute Squad features a colorful collective of Subculture Devotees (as per that template) whose training lets them haul gear and calm crowds with minimal fuss. Although the oldest members have looked age 40 in the rearview mirror, most Banner Brutes are in their mid-20s to early-30s. Regardless of age or gender, these folks combine tattooed badassery with Zen-focus people skills. Most have traveled extensively throughout the mortal world, and a number have spent time in the Otherworlds as well. Despite appearances, these are friendly people who blend old-school manners with new-millennium social consciousness. They rarely possess paranormal powers themselves (Kore probably does, but if so she doesn’t brag about it), but occasionally bring along mystic goodies they’ve found or been gifted with at various events. The majority of them speak at least two languages, and some enjoy learning as many tongues as they can recall.

Arriving in dust-crusted cars (many of which have been modified for all-terrain use), all Banner Brutes sport a tattoo that marks them as approved and official members of the group. This design – a Hulk-green banner with a white lightning bolt slashed across its surface – glows in the dark so Brutes can find each other in the dark. If a Brute gets booted for good cause (as opposed to retiring from the group on good terms), his tattoo burns away in an agonizing flash of bright green fire, leaving the thunderbolt behind as a permanent scar.

Joe Dread

He’s the face of fear, though he has no face. He can look like anyone yet resembles no one. Joe Dread is the embodiment of terror that wears a human guise. He lurks in alleys, shouts from cars, and walks loudly down the street behind you when no one else is around. Some people, though, make a friend of Dread. For them, he’s family, and his gifts to them are legion.

You’ll never see Dread clearly. That’s the point. His dominion is the unknown factor at the edge of what seems certain otherwise. At times, he’ll crouch on your shoulders when you’re trying to get things done, or loom over your bed on a restless night. Dread is an imp. Dread is a stranger.

Dread looks just enough like one of Those People to get you fired up about them, yet he can look like you as well. He’s the fiend whose face is everyone’s. Dread knows no ethnicity or class because terror haunts us all.

Some folks view Joe Dread as part of Big Owl’s brood – a servant, perhaps, or a human manifestation of the fear-god himself. That might be true, but there’s no way to be sure. These days, Dread is everywhere: screaming at you on the internet, lurking behind your best friend’s grin, knocking on your door and the then disappearing before you answer, smashing your car window just for fun so you can wonder what he took or fear that someone might be inside the car, waiting…

As a totem entity, Joe Dread gifts his chosen with Intimidation, Stealth, and Torture. He knows how to hurt folks and likes to share his secrets. For Joe, the threat of pain is sweeter than pain itself; thus, the favors he confers focus more upon what might happen than on violent acts of certainty. He’s not about beating someone to a pulp, but about getting them to fear what being beaten to a pulp feels like. Dread’s chosen people are similarly frightening, not because they use brutal force but because the potential for force always seems to hover around them. Inflicting such fears really is a kind of science, so Joe’s an exception to the rule that Technocrats cannot bond with totem spirits. His kinsmen among the Black Suit and PsychOp ranks don’t view him as an ephemeral entity, though; to them, he’s just a guy (regardless of gender) like them, who happens to be extremely good at his job.

Despite his colloquial name, Dread isn’t bound by gender. A man who fears women would meet Jo Dread instead. She sneers at him, tears him down, leaves a blank space of rejection in the center of his world or else tells that world that he’s really no one at all. Names are just conveniences we attach to things we wish to classify, and Dread reminds us we have no control. Even those who Dread befriends realize that life is full of terrors and their lives are no exception.

Manifestations: Loud noises, sudden shouts, feelings of anxiety, shadowy figures, whispered threats, posts and comments on the internet, sudden acts of random violence. Associations: Terror, anxiety, suspense, phobias. Brood: Elementals of cold wind, “bad luck” or fearsome animal spirits (spiders, black cats, crows, owls, snakes, and so forth), people who use fear to their advantage. Abilities: Intimidation, Stealth, Torture. Bans: Those who embrace Dread cannot comfort other people or ease their fears unless they do so as a tactic to scare that person even worse afterward.

Baron Samedi, the Cemetery Lord

Everybody dies. Even gods, it is has been said, must die eventually. And when we die, it is the Baron – Baron La Croix, Ghede, the Cemetery Lord – who will greet us on the other side. Tipping his top hat, puffing his cigar, laughing at mortality’s little joke on us, Samedi embodies life as well as death, and can bestow either one with a snap of his fingertips.

Wrongly viewed by outsiders as a demonic figure, the Baron represents balance, not cruelty. Amidst the horrors of slavery and poverty, his presence seems oddly comforting. All things end, the Baron reminds us. Even suffering. Especially suffering. This doesn’t mean he’s not above poking fun at humanity, of course. Among Loa and devotees alike, he’s infamous for crude jests and sexual humor. You might as well laugh at it all, La Baron says. The alternative is misery… and who wants to go through life like that?

A large man dressed in a mockery of the white man’s fashions, Baron Samedi heads the Guédé Loa family: a clan of entities whose provinces are death and fertility. His wife, Grandma Brigitte, appears as a blazing skeleton-woman who guards the crossroads and cemeteries of the nighttime American South. Le Baron has a thing for crossroads too – a territory he shares with Papa Legba… usually over a bottle of good rum and a lot of filthy jokes at humanity’s expense. Manifesting most often with his signature top hat, tailed coat, and a face either painted with skull-like make-up or replaced by an actual skull, Samedi speaks in a high, often loud, nasal voice, swears continually, and smokes up a storm. He often wears dark glasses, with plugs up his nose like any well-dressed corpse should have. His devotees, when ridden by La Baron and his kin, smear themselves with crushed hot peppers and raw rum, taxing the limits of the flesh because what’s most important is the state beyond this mortal shell.

Straddling life and death like an enthusiastic lover, Gedhe always speaks the truth. Because he transcends mortal limitations, he ignores the bounds of propriety, too. The head of his cane has been carved into the shape of a cock, and he loves to wave it around. Samedi is, after all, a deeply sexual Loa, too. Some folk call upon him when they want to get laid in non-fatal fashion, and his devotees have a reputation for being frighteningly seductive yet downright crude. Samedi loves to party, but he’s always watching the clock… not his, but yours. A trickster godhead, he’s got the blunt honesty of the grave. Sex and death are his dominion, and he enjoys indulging both.

Thanks to his province over death, Samedi tends to attract necromancers to his path. These folks often wind up wishing they’d knocked on someone else’s door. Although he often plays the fool, La Baron does not suffer fools at all, most especially not if they’re white folks who think they understand voodoo. In addition to the frenzied dance called the banda, Papa Gedhe loves to mess with people’s minds. He can read minds, too, so it’s a bad idea to try and fool La Baron. Coffins, poisons, graveyards, and near- or actual death are signatures of his rites, and would-be devotees need the courage to face both the grave and what lies beyond it if they wish to beg Samedi’s favors. Offerings of rum, cigars, black coffee, roasted peanuts, and bread (baked black if you can manage that) attract La Baron’s attention, but you’d best be ready to meet Death face-to-face if you wish to work with Samedi. Though often associated in popular media with zombis, Samedi actually prefers to keep dead people dead. Behind his rough humor and fearsome façade, Baron Samedi hides a secret compassion for the poor souls walking this hard earth. Demise, he knows, is not a torment but the blessed relief from life itself.

Manifestations: Skulls and skull-faced men, gravediggers, skeletons… very profane skeletons. Associations: Crossroads, death, sexuality, graves, top hats, phalluses, black or purple clothing, cemetery dirt. Brood: Ravens, black dogs or roosters, gravedigger spirits, Southern American Goths, and the Guédé Loa as a whole. Abilities: Intimidation, Medicine, Occult. Bans: Don’t lie. Seriously, don’t.

#Onyx Path Publishing

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star--seeking · 7 years

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Imagine if the Po3 Hadn’t Been Used for Good

(Forewarning this is going to be long and also contain a lot of spoilers for every series up to OoTS !!) Okay so I’m rereading The Power of Three and honestly, Hollypaw Lionpaw and Jaypaw’s behavior is sort of surprising to me, it’s been a while since I read the books and I had originally skipped the second arc due to my library not having it and went straight to Po3 so I didn’t think much of it but holy crap are the three intolerant towards cat’s with unusual backgrounds. Now I know Leafpool and Crowfeather are their biological parents but for the sake of this post I’ll be referring to Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight as their parents, considering they raised them. After having just read TNP for the first time I’m really surprised by all of the snide comments and thoughts the three have about cats, even cats they know and love, who aren’t clanborn or follow the code. Considering it was a big thing in TNP for Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight to be forced to see past the circumstances of one’s birth and being tolerant towards cats from other clans and cats that weren’t even clanborn, I would have expected their children to reflect these views. Now, I imagine they did this to sort of have the big reveal of the three’s biological parents be so much more impactful but I think if we look at things a tad differently they become really interesting. So first we have Lionpaw, who makes the usual comments here and there notably being surprised that Daisy’s kits were chosen over Sorreltail’s to go to the gathering since they weren’t really Thunderclan as they were born in the horseplace. Aside from this he doesn’t seem too ambitious outside of the usual apprentice mentality of “I’m going to be the best warrior there ever was!” He does however seem oddly battle hungry for a cat who only just became an apprentice. At his first gathering he hints at hoping that ShadowClan would start a fight, Hollypaw only scolding him because that would be against the warrior code. He then remarks that his sister wouldn’t understand the rivalries amongst the clans due to her training to become a medicine cat. Now say what you will about it just being due to Lionpaw romanticizing battle and not understanding that the other clans aren’t bad per se, but then we get to Lionpaw’s first fight; the border skirmish with ShadowClan and that’s where things get kind of odd. The battles goes as expected with ThunderClan coming out as winner, but afterwards Lionpaw is outright overjoyed about his first real fight, even having enough leisure in battle to stop and assist Jaypaw not by throwing Owlpaw off of him, but instead guiding him word by word on how to defeat Owlpaw. Then we have Jaypaw, who’s sick of being patronized and urged into becoming a medicine cat apprentice. A cat who, his entire life, has only ever dreamt of one day being as strong and powerful as his father, Brambleclaw. He holds the same prejudice against cats not born pure ThunderClan and even has the gall to suggest to Firestar that ThunderClan take advantage of WindClan during the dog attack after spying on Barkface in a dream. He was offered to be trained by Tigerstar and Hawkfrost and almost accepted, only becoming a medicine cat because he realizes the power he holds and being very vocal about how disappointed he is with the day to day life of a medicine cat. (Applying poultices, collecting herbs, etc etc.) And finally we have Hollypaw, who’s most notable among the fanbase for being ambitious. She holds the same views as her brothers only having more respect for the warrior code which led to her insinuating that her own father shouldn’t be deputy because Graystripe was revealed to still have been alive. She ultimately becomes a medicine cat apprentice solely because she wants to be important to the Clan, not because she enjoys healing. Plus, they somewhat all have superiority complexes, as their father is the Clan deputy, their mother’s sister is the medicine cat, and their grandfather is the Clan leader. Jaykit notes at the beginning of the book that the clan worked hard to make sure they weren’t treated differently because of this, which seems fair, yet he notes “Sometimes it felt like the rest of the Clan went out of their way to make sure he and his littermates never got special treatment. It wasn’t fair!” Which ??? seems pretty fair to me and makes it feel like Jaykit expected more for being kin with Brambleclaw, Leafpool, and Firestar. Now, it’s interesting in and of itself to note that Brambleclaw fathered them as he struggled with his own ambitions in his warriorhood, but it’s even more interesting to imagine what could have happened if the three hadn’t been so loyal to StarClan. For the sake of the post, let’s just say Hollypaw is one of the three and has the powers Dovewing gets in OoTS. Imagine if the three had become somewhat antagonistic during the series, especially after learning of the prophecy which, in this case, only serves to further their mentalities of being superior and reaffirms their faith in the warrior code. Fast forward to Eclipse and to the introduction of Sol, a cat who knows of StarClan and, presumably, the Dark Forest, a cat who has enough faith to know they are real, but who doesn’t seem to value them all that much. Originally the plan was for Sol to help train the three to learn to control their powers and to use them for the sake of their Clan, but we all know Sol only seeks to benefit himself and thus chooses to stray their paws from the path of serving their Clan in StarClan’s name. Now, the three, frustrated by StarClan’s refusal to elaborate on the prophecy eat this all up. So Sol twists the words of the Warrior Code and makes it seem as though it were their destiny to lead ThunderClan, with Hollypaw as the leader, Lionpaw as deputy, and Jaypaw as the medicine cat. He suggests they overthrow their kin and expand ThunderClan’s territory, claiming that if their rival Clans couldn’t defend their territory then that was their problem and that in expanding their territory they could provide so much to ThunderClan, enough that they would never have to worry about anything again. They could rule the forest if they wanted. But the three aren’t evil, they think they’re doing the right thing. This is their destiny, after all. They reveal their abilities to their clanmates and demand Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Leafpool step down from their respective duties, referencing times in which they strayed from the warrior code and how that impacted the Clan. Leafpool, having run off to be with Crowfeather and having been too late to warn ThunderClan of the Badgers. Brambleclaw, who nearly killed Firestar so that he could become leader not out of respect and devotion to ThunderClan or the Warrior Code, but because of his own selfish desires. And Firestar, who in giving territory to ShadowClan and allowing so many cats that existed outside of the code into ThunderClan sparked the battle which led to the Sun being covered. The battle which nearly killed their mother. And ThunderClan has reason to doubt their leaders at this point, they were never keen on what ThunderClan was becoming and now, due to the Eclipse, have reason to believe that StarClan is angry with them. And they have a completely viable solution, the three who hold the power of the stars in their paws can set them on the path that will lead ThunderClan to glory. It’s almost as if it’s too good to be true. Things get more aggressive quickly, due to their lack of experience the three make sure its known that those who disobey the code will be punished, they make it known that they hold a power cats can only dream of, and they make it known to their neighbors that they are not to be challenged. While they can’t have been happy about it, Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Leafpool all are the types of characters that would pity themselves, and they do, the Clan’s support of the three and the apparent prophecy about them leads them to believe that yeah, maybe they’re right. But Squirrelflight? You’d best believe that when she finds out she is pissed. And so, during the fire, it’s not Ashfur that blocks the Three’s path out of camp. It’s Squirrelflight. She expresses that she loves them and that they’re young and don’t know what they’re doing but that they are messing with powers they don’t understand, powers that could lead to the downfall of ThunderClan. The three don’t want to hurt Squirrelflight but things do get heated until ultimately Squirrelflight reveals that she is not their biological mother. Shocked and hurt, Squirrelflight flees with the three following. Suddenly, everything is different. The powers they have, the role they thought they were meant to play, if their biological parents had followed the warrior code that they are so heavily trying to enforce they wouldn’t even exist. How can they be anything but a danger to the Clan. A curse meant to cause the downfall of life as Clan cats know it. Confused and upset they flee the forest and Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Leafpool regain their positions and no cat sees the three for some moons.

#warrior cats #this is a mess and its 3am #warriors #warriors au #red speaks #rambles

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adventures-in-everhaven · 5 years

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The History of Everhaven

(Note: Everhaven as a setting uses the pantheon from Green Ronin Publishing’s The Book of the Righteous, so all the gods mentioned are from that, and draws on Matt Colville’s Strongholds & Followers for some past history of the setting, especially the Ganarajyan and Xin Empires during the Age of Wonders and the Caelian Empire during the Age of Conquest; the Age of Giants and the Thousand Year War as a general concept comes from Wizards of the Coast and Dungeons and Dragons. I do not own that stuff.)

The Age of Gods

The Creator formed the planes and the five elements: fire, earth, water, air, and arcana. Having formed the worlds, the Creator made a servant He named Kador. Kador was placed in control of fire. Then, the Creator made more servants: Rontra, who was given earth; Urian, who was given air; and Shalimyr, who was given water.

Shalimyr and Rontra together planted a seed (given to them by the Creator) that grew into a great and lovely tree. Urian tended to the tree and called it Eliwyn. Kador came to hate the tree, for he had become corrupted with his power. He began to believe he was better than the other three.

The Creator made more servants, for soon He would form the mortal races, and servants would be needed to guide them. He made Terak, Tinel, Morwyn, and Zheenkeef. Kador asked Terak and Tinel which was older, and both claimed they were the eldest. Thus started the Lesser War of the Gods, for Terak with his axe and Tinel with his magic fought to rightfully claim to be the eldest of the two and Zheenkeef believed that if she could destroy them both, she would take that title. Morwyn looked on in horror as Zheenkeef tricked the brothers into killing each other with Eliwyn, destroying the tree in the process.

In the moment that the two brothers were slain, the Creator formed Mormekar, the Shadow. Mormekar formed a pyre from the wood of the tree and burned the bodies of Terak and Tinel upon it. Zheenkeef was so entranced by the flames that she leapt upon the pyre and was consumed. Seeing Morwyn weep, the Creator reformed Eliwyn, Terak, Tinel, and Zheenkeef; at the same time, he created Maal. Morwyn formed three laws for the gods to obey from that day forward:

· The gods would never again make war upon one another;

· The gods would do as the Creator commanded and use their strength to guide mortals;

· No one god would rule over the others. Morwyn would lead, but she could not order the others to obey and follow.

With these laws agreed to, the gods turned their attention to Kador, who by this point they knew was evil. They attacked Kador in the Great War of the Gods and smote him down. The Creator cast Kador into another plane to serve as his prison: today, it is known as Infernus.

There was peace, for a time. Morwyn took Terak as her husband, and they tutored the new servants the Creator formed: Anwyn, Korak, Darmon, and Aymara.

Then, the Creator set to work creating mortals. With Aymara and Urian, He carved from the wood of Eliwyn the elves and the fey, who were placed on another world from the other mortals; on Korak’s anvil, He forged the dwarves from Rontra’s earth and stone; with Zheenkeef’s blood He formed the gnomes and halflings; and with Morwyn He made the humans.

The Age of Heroes

After this was the Age of Heroes, when the gods walked among the mortals and the giants warred among themselves. It was during this time that the Creator made the last of the gods: Naryne, Thellyne, and Canelle.

Although the gods had been barred from waging war directly against each other, they found that they could pit their servants against each other. Eventually, though, the struggles of these servants grew so ugly and intense that the gods almost went to war again. To prevent this, the gods agreed on the Compact: the Lords of Good would set themselves apart and would no longer dwell in the Material Plane, and they were to return to it only in times of great danger to mortals. Nor would they ever again be able to directly order the mortal races to do their bidding.

The Compact created a system whereby mortals might be given powers to serve the will of the gods only if they came, of their own free will, to follow that god.

During the Age of Heroes, the gods also warred with the aboleths. During this time, seven gods were slain, their power spreading to the mortals around them. These bloodlines founded the first mortal empires, but now they are rare.

The Age of Wonders

During the Age of Wonders, mortals began to create great things with magic. Mighty empires were formed, such as the Ganarajyan Empire and the Xin Empire in the east. The greatest of these was the Ganarajyan Empire, of course, but the last and most feared was the Spider Kingdom.

In his time, Vecna was one of the mightiest of all wizards. Through dark magic and conquest, he formed a terrible empire and even threatened other planes. For all his power, though, Vecna couldn’t escape his own mortality. He began to fear death and took steps to prevent his end from ever coming about. Orcus, the Demon Prince of Undeath, taught Vecna a ritual that would allow him to live on as a lich. Even though his body gradually withered and decayed, Vecna continued to expand his evil dominion. So formidable was his temper that his subjects would not say his name. He was the Whispered One, the Master of the Spider Throne, the Undying King, and the Lord of the Rotted Tower. Eventually, the Spider Kingdom was brought down from the inside: Vecna’s greatest general, Kas, took the sword his master had made for him and attacked the Undying King, until all that was left behind was the gem Vecna had replaced his right eye with centuries before and the lich’s gnarled, six-fingered left hand in its black gauntlet.

The Age of Giants

After their civil war during the Age of Heroes, the giants became united in purpose. They easily took over the small races, and thus was formed the Ostorian Empire. The storm giants ruled the tritons from undersea fortresses and the rest of Everhaven from cities in the sky. The cloud giants served as their seconds-in-command, living in floating castles. The fire giants forged weapons and the stone giants made great works of art and craft. The frost giants defended the realm from what enemies there were. The hill giants subjugated the small races in more immediate, local terms.

For four thousand years, the Ostorian Empire dominated Everhaven. There was relative peace. The only beings who could truly challenge the giants were the dragons, but when they did it was always local, personal conflicts that were resolved through tests of skill, strength, or wit. That is, until the red dragon Garyx railed against the prosperity of Ostoria. “We are dragons: why should we not be the masters of this place?” Garyx and several dragons who had been stirred by his words rose up and attacked Ostoria, and thus began the Thousand Year War.

There was no front line or safe haven. The war was a mess of endless ambushes, sieges, and atrocities committed on both sides. Eventually, stronger forces got involved. For the last time, Bahamut, king of the metallic dragons, and Tiamat, queen of the chromatic dragons, husband and wife, joined forces and battled the children of Annam.

It was at this time that the elves came to Everhaven. Fleeing from their enslavement on another world, some elves arrived in Everhaven. Seeing the plight of the mortals, the elves sought to protect them, and their valor won them a hearty welcome to the world.

Finally, a fourth side joined the war: the gods. They sought to end the war to protect the mortals who were caught in the crossfire. Terak and Canelle begged the Creator for warriors, and thus He made the orcs; then Bahamut petitioned the Creator for defenders for the mortals, and thus He and Korak made from the flesh and blood and bone of the eldest dragons the dragonborn, whom Bahamut charged to defend mortals everafter.

In the end, Ostoria was broken, the grand capital Voninheim frozen over, and over the next thousand years what remained of Ostoria fell. Never again would such a war be fought.

The Age of Conquest

The Coming of the Goblinoids

Nobody is sure where the goblinoids came from, but they were not recorded among the small races ruled by the giants. The goblinoids name themselves the Eliksni and say that they used to be blessed by gods. They controlled great amounts of land until one day their gods seemingly abandoned them. This triggered a cataclysm known as the Whirlwind, and it caused a breakdown of goblinoid society. Eventually, the civil war was tentatively ended and the Eliksni set out for a new home, as theirs had been ruined.

The goblinoids are recorded by the dwarves as coming from the sea. They terrorized humanity and the other races when they first arrived, conducting raids and attacks against outposts. As time wore on, the Eliksni began to understand that if they wanted this new home, they would have to take it by force.

In an attempt to truly begin their new home, the Host of Devils staged a coordinated attack on the human city of Mandrake Keep in what would come to be known as the Battle of the Six Fronts. During the battle four groups of soldiers protected the newly constructed walls of the city against six enemy approaches, and not a single front faltered. There the Devils faced off against many warriors who would later become known as legends.

The Warlord of the Host of Kings, manipulating the other Hosts, pushed for a united effort against Sturm, the greatest city in this or any age. The Hosts of Kings, Devils, and Winter stood together against Sturm in what would later be known as the Battle of the Twilight, with the Devils leading the charge. Sturm managed to push back the united goblinoids, with Marshal Zander Goranir leading a counterattack that broke the Hosts. At the end, the legendary paladin Brennan Embersword led a bloody assault to dislodge the remaining goblinoids that directly surrounded Sturm. In what would become known as the Embersword Crusade, the brave warrior fought against Solkis, Warlord of the Host of Devils, killing him with a headbutt and bringing the offensive to its final end.

The Caelian Empire

The Caelian Empire was the most magnificent human empire seen since the Age of Wonders. It stretched from Logres in the north to what are now the Red Wilds in the south, and from Valumar in the east to Oriellon in the west. It was brought down, however, as much from internal turmoil as from the Dragon Empire.

The Dragon Empire

The dark elves arrived in Everhaven after their kin. They decided to stay in the mountains and live in the caverns. The presence of the dwarves, who didn’t respond well to these newcomers, caused the dark elves to retreat further than even the dwarves were willing to delve, into what is known as the Underdark.

On this journey, some dark elves found five white dragon eggs. These were cared for until they hatched, and then the wyrmlings were trained to obey the dark elves. Recently, the dark elves had come under the influence of a faction that urged for them to conquer, and now the opportunity was seized. With the power of their dragons the dark elves began to spread, forming what is now known as the Dragon Empire.

The Dragon Empire was finally brought down from the inside. A prince of the empire who had soured against his cousin the emperor went to the high elf cities, the dwarfholds, and the human realms that remained independent and offered to lead their warriors through the labyrinthine network of mountain valleys and Underdark tunnels that led to the empire’s capitol. The humans agreed, and so fell the Dragon Empire. The capitol was sacked and put to the torch, the dragons slain, and the dark elves were broken.

The Golden League

It was some time before another great organization rose to power. When it finally did, it was mostly human and it was an alliance.

Good King Arthur was something of a reformer. When he looked at the world, he saw the opportunity for the various races to work together and develop. He went to the various other realms and brought them together in what is known as the Golden League.

That was eighty years ago. For twenty years, Good King Arthur has been dead, and the Golden League is quickly approaching collapse.

The Modern Age

None may yet say what the current age will be called, but it is an age of chaos.

#everhaven #history of the world #history of everhaven #d&d 5e

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sualkmedeiors · 5 years

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What’s the Mesh and Why It Matters for Marketers

“I read Peter’s notes, all of them, and he knew that a peer-to-peer Internet was possible in the future, but he was also basing that on, what, old desktop computers. He never, ever foresaw the ubiquity or power of all of our modern-day smartphones. He was also dealing with a completely different Weissman limit. So… uh, yeah. Yeah. Okay.”

If you’re a viewer of the HBO hit, “Silicon Valley” then you probably recognize this quote. It is from the main character and CEO of “Pied Piper,” Richard Hendrix. So what is he going on about? Is it completely fiction or is it based in fact?

The truth is that Richard isn’t crazy, and his new internet may soon be coming to a home near you in the form of Mesh Networking. So what is Mesh Networking and how does it differ from traditional networks…and how will it change marketing?

Traditional wireless networks transmit a signal from a central router, creating a radius in which devices can connect directly to the source and receive the signal. In the traditional network, devices which are farther away may experience attenuation in signal strength, and eventually at a certain distance the range of the signal is too weak for a device to connect.

Alternatively, think of a mesh network like a woven fabric in which each device is interconnected. Rather than the wireless signal being distributed in a wide range, each device connected to the mesh network acts as a node, connecting to the signal and passing it on to the next device. Nodes create network links with other nodes around them, letting signals pass from node to node in a number of paths throughout the mesh. Each device thinks that it is connected to the central router. Signal strength is not lost as it makes small jumps from device to device. Because of their decentralized nature, mesh networks can continue to scale almost endlessly, maintaining signal strength and the ability to send and receive data.

Why Mesh?

Mesh networks are resilient, self-configuring, and efficient. You don’t need to mess with them after what is often minimal set up, and they provide arguably the best and highest coverage that you can achieve in your home.

Outside the home, mesh networks enable IoT devices to function in remote areas where a traditional network may not be able to reach, and help ensure devices are continually connected to networks without downtime. According to a Research and Markets report, the wireless mesh network market is expected to grow to $8.9 billion by 2023, growing at a rate of 9.6 percent CAGR during the forecast period (2017 to 2023).

Problems to Solve

Physical Attacks: Internet access speeds up when more users contribute to the network, but it also opens up the network to multiple points of access. As all computers in a wireless mesh function as routers, each computer represents a possible point of attack. Computer nodes also can be compromised by the loss or theft of a laptop or desktop computer. In this case, the attacker stealing the computer can use the access provided by the stolen computer to enter the network, or simply disrupt the entire system by removing crucial routing nodes.

Denial of Service: Even without physical access to the network, hackers can create “zombie” computers using virus infections. Once infected, each computer does the bidding of the attacker without direct monitoring. Meanwhile, the hacker launches a concentrated denial-of-service attack, which floods a particular computer or system with overwhelming bits of information to effectively shut down that system’s ability to communicate with other networks. If a computer in a mesh network becomes infected, it can attack other computers inside its own network, and infect them as well, causing a cascading effect.

Passive Monitoring: A zombie computer doesn’t need to attack the system to cause damage. Hidden and compromised computers can passively monitor Internet traffic moving through the network, giving the attacker the ability to intercept bank information, login credentials for any website accessed and routing information for the network itself. At this point, the attacker can choose to leave the network without anyone knowing, while possessing enough data to steal bank funds, commit identity fraud or re-enter the network at will.

Gray, Black, and Wormholes: If a computer becomes infected or malicious computer enters a mesh network, it can pretend to be a trusted member of that network and then modify sent data and disrupt how the network passes information. In a black hole attack, information passing through the infected computer will not continue through the network, blocking the flow of data. In gray hole attacks, some data may be blocked, while other data is allowed, making it seem like the computer is still a working part of the network. Wormhole attacks are harder to detect: They tunnel into a network computer from the outside and pretend to be other nodes in the network, essentially becoming invisible nodes. They can then monitor network traffic as it passes from one node to the next.

Mesh Marketing

So how is this relevant to marketers and how will it change the scope of marketing? To begin, the rise of “smart” devices is continuously increasing the capabilities of social media and digital marketing sectors. By having every device connected into an interlinking system, the possibilities of communication, cookies, and advertisements increases with every new device added. Fridges can send information about buying habits and your phones can detail everything about your travel routines. While scary at first, in a world where the consumer is put first, it opens up the doors for a truly massive addition to marketing campaigns.

Additionally, by essentially becoming our own wireless networks, we are then given the opportunity to market our own social pages as well as businesses for traveling entrepreneurs. By setting up “localized push notifications” we could have events and people be “live” broadcasting at all times for special offers. This could allow for flash sales in certain areas and during events as well as provide free promotion for traveling artists.

This leads into the final benefit, which is that mesh networking helps to expand internet connection and thus digital marketing outreach into low-populated areas. This not only is great for businesses but consumers in rural areas as well. No more going to Grandma’s and being disconnected from the world. With interconnected devices sharing bandwidth and publicly owned terminals extending into rural areas we will have most of the planet with access to internet. The best part is that it will probably (at least a small part of it) be free. What’s really revolutionary about mesh networking is the fact that it provides a means for people to self-organize into communities and share resources among themselves: Mesh networks are operated by the community, for the community. Self-organization means less groundwork for you as a marketer!

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darkammarketing · 5 years

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What’s the Mesh and Why It Matters for Marketers

Why Mesh?

Problems to Solve

Mesh Marketing

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archiebwoollard · 5 years

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What’s the Mesh and Why It Matters for Marketers

Why Mesh?

Problems to Solve

Mesh Marketing

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racheltgibsau · 5 years

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What’s the Mesh and Why It Matters for Marketers

Why Mesh?

Problems to Solve

Mesh Marketing

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zacdhaenkeau · 5 years

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What’s the Mesh and Why It Matters for Marketers

Why Mesh?

Problems to Solve

Mesh Marketing

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maxslogic25 · 5 years

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What’s the Mesh and Why It Matters for Marketers

Why Mesh?

Problems to Solve

Mesh Marketing

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martimorrison-blog · 6 years

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Gratitude Articles.

Can you envision possessing breasts that constantly grow, are constructed from glass, or hook up to make up a single one? This is actually certainly not about our errors in lifestyle that specifies that our company are actually, that has to do with the personality that is actually constructed due to them, the wisdom that our team gain from them and the knowledge that when our company perform make errors our team will certainly get past them and still live a fantastic lifestyle. If you was located to your partner, spent a lot of on the bank card, or even carried out anything which ultimately caused the separation, you need to learn from your errors. By steering clear of these blunders you can swiftly transform your sub interaction and herewith alter the way people respond to you. The 1st installment from the twelve component Merryll Mysteries made its American debut in the spring season from 2008. Much older motion pictures that you may have observed before, but now you get the possibility to view them in Hd for the first time. The top mistake supervisors make-and given that this is basically unconscious that is crucial to be compassionate along with ourselves as well as each other-is to certainly not hear of, include, allow, and have your personal authorization. Nonetheless, this is actually just compounding the mistake you have actually made in multiplying up on a dropping trade by urging you perform the same factor following time you're in this placement. Ironically, most of the errors that daddies and also mothers help make are blunders made in an effort to obtain an unjust advantage. Be gentle and also loving when you connect this along with her, however don't produce the mistake from ignoring it. You'll just create resentment over time, and also's heading to hurt your marriage. Katie immediately contacted her supervisor, explained the error as well as offered suggestions concerning exactly how they could protect brand new funding sources to maintain the organization afloat. Amount of money oversights are actually notoriously surviving in individuals's thoughts, and also usually they locate that difficult to forgive themselves or even others for oversights long past. For handling over a thousand bundles, packages, bags, pouches and also other traits a year, these primary delivery business make a mistake under one per-cent of the amount of time. The estimated $5 thousand budget the movie created worldwide profits of $368 million, making it the highest-grossing private film of all time, and also the the highest grossing film certainly never to have actually attacked leading at the box workplace. Syn: error, error, oversight, slip describe an inadvertent deviation from precision, formality, reality, or even ideal conduct. If you are you looking for more information on yellow pages advert (official website) review our own web site. Blunders massage therapy counselors typically make are to either come under a routine where they offer the exact same massage over and over again, or to neglect the customer's ask for tension/ concentration and also rather only focus on what the counselor thinks is crucial. When you make a mistake, the best thing to perform is admit it and also attempt to offset it; not excusing an oversight is actually an additional error. Each opportunity you think of a mistake you have actually made, this's as if you're making that error throughout again. Within this article, I will examine the development popular music innovation has actually created and also just how this creates songs making much easier. If you can mock your own self and your broken efforts, you are going to manage to stay in the beneficial energy required to try once again or even take the next step.Mistakes are commonly not devastating. I am that I am today because of the outstanding trainings I picked up from actions I as soon as contacted blunders." I no more view them as adverse, silly or unsatisfactory. You may re-send the initiative to these receivers using MessageFocus's filter device, with the proper web link apologising for the mistake as well as any type of aggravation induced. This was actually a 2003 Ford that had precisely compiled a fair handful of kilometers (possibly certainly not the greatest selection I had actually created) however I possessed my automobile! Some trainers bring in the error from observing just what they presume will definitely work best, without knowing the workout motions, approaches and also devices they could be utilizing. Enjoy your errors of what they are actually: precious life trainings that can only be discovered the hard way. Perhaps that is going to be an oversight that no person notices, possibly that will definitely be an oversight that just one or more people notification or perhaps this will certainly be something bigger, like the blunder that J. C. Dime, ChapStick or I created, that possesses the prospective to definitely temper every one of your current customers as well as potential customers. I could also supply some advise from my own errors in lifestyle in order to help them coming from making the exact same blunder once more. Bring in blunders is actually the benefit from the energetic-- from those which can easily remedy their blunders as well as put them straight. It simply commemorated its own l lth wedding anniversary and created it by means of the current recession along with very few hiccups. One have to first compare technical computations and also organisation inaccuracy when checking out one-sided oversight. Go to - or click the following associated with acquire house owners insurance estimates off top-rated providers as well as find just how much you can easily spare. Without a doubt, oversights benefit our company - they make our team that our team are and frequently account for our very most valuable jewels of wisdom and knowledge. Understand that your problem along with your kids' errors resides in reality an image from your challenge dealing with your very own mistakes; be aware of this and also handle your personal concerns to begin with. You may call RI Attorney David Slepkow by visiting Rhode Isle Household Law Attorney or even through naming him at 401-437-1100. All this takes is for one mistake to occur as well as every thing you've worked thus challenging to complete might be removed in the blink from an eye. If they might make mistakes along the technique, the one trait they all have in common is actually the determination to take a threat even. Off record masking, using redaction device courses and also redaction software application and also legal redaction, right here are some of the standard oversights individuals create. And also most of us perform. Maybe our team produce the same oversight three opportunities, but ideally not four or even 5. For technical summations, a party could have the capacity to set aside the deal on these premises provided that the various other celebration performs certainly not attempt to capitalize on the blunder, or even 'snatch up' the provide (entailing a good deal that did certainly not intend to make, unmasked by an inaccuracy in math and so on). This are going to be seen by an unbiased requirement, or even if a practical individual would certainly have the capacity to know that the mistake would not make good sense to among the events. I do not feel excellent when I mess up however I do try to maintain traits in perspective as well as advise on my own that humans are actually certainly not best which errors are about expanding and also finding out as well as blah humdrum Oprah blah. It is actually no make use of reporting a blunder or even trouble and also having no concept how to resolve it. Operate out how you could restore it if you have actually erased a critical report unintentionally. off the back-up device and for how long this are going to have. At that point you are actually an effortless intended for identification burglars and scammers, if you carelessly throw away relevant information associating to your account. Looking to the Middle East, he punished the 2003 infiltration of Iraq as potentially the most awful selection ever created in the past of the country, as well as pointed out risk-free areas should have been actually generated within Syria and also spent for due to the United States' Basin allies. You shed concentration when you reside in the past times, when you hold onto the baggage from all the breakdowns you have actually created in your lifestyle. The second blunder lots of business help make is to disregard and also somehow miss out on the learning from the necessary value of advertising and marketing.

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harriettgrondin-blog · 7 years

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Write And Increase Wealthy By Suzanne Harrison.

Not every few hope for a formal, sit-down, catered function for their wedding ceremony anniversary party. The consultation along with a Spin design rep starts with an understanding of one's requirements within the show area demands. Though Murphy has been aggravating a secondary variation that might only completely change the video game once more, so our experts'll must observe. I checked out a woman perform at full speed into the vault, set sail higher into the air in a dual front somersault with half twist - and after that totally catch the touchdown. Affection Aaj Kal, the flick is actually the following major trait striking the hollywood and controversy constantly surrounds and hounds the good. But when the repressed minds surface, our sight of the story changes together with Charlie's. There is something I contact 'visitor assets' that uses when taking into consideration the perfect size for stories with a twist. Despite your ideas on Split's efficiency as a thriller, this is an astonishing spin. Over on the Bay banks, as you might expect, dinner ideas are actually typically stemmed from sea food, including snapper, crawfish, crab as well as shrimp. The last book as well as film instalment; Harry Potter as well as the Deathly Hallows, marked the closing from a uplifting and also enchanting tale. The sword motion on display screen tracks your gestures rather magnificently as you swinging, propelled and also twist your timber cutter. The story of a household from little people who stay below the floorboards, making use of various things which they 'borrow' from the residents of the house. The Tale chases us up until our team record this. Then, this forms a void in between our partner and us. The partnership as well as our partner don't stand up a possibility. Twist - Every story doesn't need to end along with a twist, but an occasional twist could be fun. The Disappointments Space: Starring Underworld infant, Kate Beckinsale, this dramatic movie informs the tale from a mommy and also her younger boy releasing unthinkable horrors off the attic of their non-urban aspiration house. This is cattle multiplying location nevertheless as well as the locals like to eat beef and also possess that merely smoked, spiced and also panned fry or in a stew including chili, accompanied by side dishes as well as condiments. Occasionally the very best way to start these stories is actually off completion, choose the spin after that operate backwards, looking at all the ideas you may provide the viewers without uncovering the truth. Friends, coworkers as well as educators make great visitors and also may highlight methods which your plot spin does certainly not make good sense or undermines your narrative. Stop as well as consider where that's going, then think about a different end. This course considers a tale example to demonstrate just how a second spin can incorporate additional value. Because of its mainstream aspects and also questionable protagonists, this is certainly not your usual James Connection account In fact, this essentially restores the entire function of the film; Crack isn't really a prisoner thriller, but a supervillain origin account. The plot twist-- that she never ever got away the cavern and also is about to be fed on through carnivorous cave individuals-- is a straight end result from her aberrations. Accumulating a story which is within the leading yet woven tightly ought to be actually complied with. We are going to evaluate numerous story examples, consisting of The Present of the Magi through Holly as well as The Locket through Man de Maupassant. Do not begin along with an interesting twist then start creating your story out from there. Draw up as numerous tips as you can, regardless of exactly how commonplace, noticeable, or even ridiculous it they are actually. The tale will definitely have an intriguing overview to begin the narrative as an occasion or even regular action, an individual case, or even a study with an enough end to interest the visitor. Our experts may help our kids use their creative imagination to grow and be successful along with just a little assistance through using all of them spruce up clothes and even merely the beginnings from a story for them to build on. In case you loved this informative article and you would like to obtain more info relating to yellow pages advert - demasiado--peso.info, generously visit our web site. Along with children you often carry out certainly not must compel all of them to participate in and also imagine yet just supply the opportunity. To reduce a lengthy account brief - as well as to promote you to enjoy the film - Oliver is sent out away as well as satisfies the Artful Cheat - and so the tale unfolds. That prone subconscious develops an outstanding setup twist gadget considering that just about anything can possess happened. Maybe she has PTSD, which sidetracks her coming from an important item from plot information. Most of us understand loss, distress, frustration, stress - make sure that emotional states are actually effective factors in your story. We may utilize Toto as an instance of how personalities manage the twist as well as the story as well as kips down the tale. This type of ending is not everyone's best closing, but Chopin's awful and also paradoxical twist helped in the total unfortunate mood of the tale. The plot expanded when a physical body was actually found with a number of bullet cuts to the head, and determined as John Cameron. You need to probably provide additional materials that are actually not straight related to your intended physical exercises, in the event that your trainees will produce innovative concepts and demand components to realize all of them. Write down 10 ways that character can hold back essential relevant information in your upcoming story. Kids love this because it appears like they're mistaking, and you can adore that because that mess" dries out rapidly. British star Anthony Newley participated in the character in a 1948 movie adjustment from the account. I know I say this yearly, but I would like to claim this once again ... you do an AMAZING work along with the recital method ... off routines and communications, to completely in a timely manner gown rehearsals to delightful efficiency chances by gals ... it is actually one if the many, many causes our experts enjoy Breaking Ground! The Rewards of Being an Introvert writer, Stephen Chbosky, likewise displays Charlie's psychological distress throughout the tale. The Variation unit is additionally light in weight so that does certainly not call for an army of people to get factors in position. She expressed him that his genuine daddy was among 4 males whom she 'd made love along with at a spree in 1967, which is actually currently a less-than-romantic tale. This program is actually for article writers who have a specific passion in knowing how to create plots with a spin - for usage in either narratives or books. Although his story is encouraged through a Hollywood film, he told the movie halfway decent. . Love Aaj Kal, the motion picture is actually the next huge trait reaching the cinema and dispute always neighbors as well as bothers the excellent. Yet when the stifled moments surface, our perspective of the story modifications along with Charlie's. There is actually one thing I get in touch with 'audience investment' that uses when looking at the suitable duration for stories with a twist. Despite your ideas on Crack's efficiency as a mystery, this is actually an astonishing twist. Thus, he made a decision to compose and also illustrate cards as well as characters to every from his four grandchildren weekly in just what has actually been actually called a really distinct and enchanting articulation from passion by a grandpa for his grandchildren. A more accurate, even more effective phrase of love could possibly have been actually the non selfish act of Jim surviving on his own because her future.

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firstumcschenectady · 7 years

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“How to Love God” based on Acts 17:22-31 and John 14:15-21

One of the squeal worthy moments of my life was being asked to serve on the Board of Directors for the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA). When the official request came in I was surrounded by young, United Methodist clergy people, and the announcement led to an immediate toast. The Methodist Federation for Social Action has been a justice leader in both the The United Methodist Church and the United States for more than 100 years, starting with worker's rights. Calls for justice expanded, as they do, because any justice work always intersects with other justice work. By 1940 Mary McLeod Bethune joined the board to help focus the work on combating racism in the denomination.1

Our “spring” board meeting, in March, was outside of Philadelphia. (So, it was our winter board meeting.) Trainers came from “Crossroads Antiracism Organizing and Training” to work with the board for two days. It was very different training than I have done before. Almost all of the anti-racism training I've done has been focused on the personal. That is, I've often looked at my own behaviors and biases with hope of becoming more aware and less biased. Those trainings have all been a blessing. Some educational opportunities I've had have been important in educating me about the history of race and racism in our country. Those have also been very important.

However, the training we did at the MFSA board meeting was different than any of those. We looked at institutional and structural racism. In fact, our training was really “anti-white supremacy” training, and we looked at the ways that white supremacy lives in our society and its institutions. One of the most useful ideas I brought home from the training was the idea of the “center” of power and privilege in our society and its contrast, the “borderlands” outside of power and outside of privilege.

I'm going to offer here a very extended quote because I don't trust myself to find the language to summarize these ideas quite yet:

“There is a center in US society that is considered normal: white, male, heterosexual, married, Protestant (Christian), Anglo-American, English speaking, upper middle class, able-bodied, educated, middle-aged and embodying a particular standard of beauty. It is the standard by which all are measured. Around this center exist the rest of us – at varying distances from the center. Some of us are closer and some further apart. The borderlands surround this “center of normalcy.” Power, time, place, and position dominate their interaction. The borderlands is a juicy place. It is a place full of possibilities, chaos, creativity, conflict, beauty. It’s the place where harmony and conflict exist – simultaneously. It’s a place that transcends and defies dualism, where rigid linear reality cannot exist; a place where multiculturalism and diverse identities mix and mingle in a constant ebb and flow of mess, mediation, and mitigation. Our institutions are structured to rein force and maintain the center. When institutions ‘embrace diversity’ people of the borderlands must assimilate in order to come in to the center, though they will never fully belong there. The tension that results is troublesome for the center. It creates conflict that the center is not structured to tolerate. Thus, brining the borderlands into the institution means forcing it to conform, contort, and homogenize. There is peacefulness in the borderlands but not peace. The power and privilege of the center causes separation, divisiveness, and ultimately destruction within the borderlands. The center demands conformity and sameness, making scarce the resources required to creatively and collectively resolve conflict. This is the daily experience of the borderlands. The power of People of Color and other oppressed groups is in the borderlands. Coming to the center disempowers the borderlands and destroys its spirit. Our institutions are defined by rigid boundaries, which isolate both institutions and the center. The challenge for anti-racism transformation teams is to make these boundaries more permeable and to move the institutions to the in-between-ness of the center and the borderlands. Journeying through the in-between-ness brings the center to the borderlands, making permeable the walls and boundaries of the institution. It pushes the center out into the borderlands, making it part of its chaos and creativity, conflict and beauty. In doing this, the borderlands becomes what is normal, diversity and justice become the standard. The borderlands becomes the Beloved Community for which we all yearn.”2

This model of the world as it is, and as it could be, has been playing around in my mind for 2 months, and I needed to share it with you. It has helped me to see more clearly. Within this model it was useful to learn that one of the ways the center maintains its power is through the control of resources and “legitimacy” which sets up different groups in the borderlands to compete with each other. It was also helpful, if radically uncomfortable, to be confronted with the idea that charity is a means by which the center deals with its guilt AND attempts to bring the borderlands into conformity. (I'm still squirming.)

After this training, when I was invited to work on dreaming an anti-racist United Methodist Church at the Change Maker's Summit led by the General Commission on Religion and Race, I was super excited!! When I got there and started listening, I realized that my newfound knowledge of how white supremacy works and the language I could use to talk about it was ALREADY shared language among the people of color I was in conversation with. I'd had this MAJOR learning experience that had reformed my thinking, which I'm still struggling to fully understand, and then I realized that I'm still super far behind.

I think, perhaps, that knowing how far behind I am is an appropriate place to be, at least as long as I don't get comfortable and stay here. Part of the way that white supremacy, and “the center” are maintained are by encouraging white people NOT to see the structural and institutional ways that they're maintained. From within the center, things just look “good, orderly, and right.” As we looked carefully at the sorts of factors that impact how closely an individual lies to “the center”, I realized that I share ALMOST all of those characteristics, and I have been socialized to seek the sort of power that “the center” brokers, and move myself closer and closer to the center.

Thanks be to God, I've also been introduced to Jesus, the Bible, the vision of the Torah, and the concept of the kin-dom of God. The values that I've learned in THOSE places are the values that led me to every anti-racism training I've ever gone to, and are the values that give me a way to counter the narratives and socialization of “the center.” Now, to be clear, The United Methodist Church as an institution operates with a confusing mix of the values of “the center”, the language of Jesus, and an occasional reflection of the actual values of Jesus. It is a very confusing place to be. That mix of values and language pervades all the levels of the church, albeit in different concentrations of each ingredient.

One of the other take-aways from the anti-racism training is that no person, institution, or experience is truly free from the values, power, and impact of “the center” and we kid ourselves if we think we are. Yet, together, we are able to make progress anyway, if we try.

So, loving God and following Jesus offer us a way out of the center and its values, into the borderlands to be part the Beloved Community in all of its beautiful diversity. God's universal love for all people leads to God's dream of world where people are able to survive and thrive together. However, even in the Bible, that universal love of God gets held in tension with other values and ideas.

For instance, let's take this brilliant speech of Paul's in Acts. He meets people where they are, and takes what they already know seriously. He is speaking to people who don't share his experience of God, he started out as a monotheist and was well educated in Judaism. He is speaking to polytheists, and he makes space for them. I love that he notices to their humility in the altar to the unknown God, as uses it an opening to tell about the God he knows. I also love that he quotes one of their well-known sayings, “in God we live and move and have our being” and applies it to God as he knows God! I also think it is really funny that one of my favorite descriptions of God (“in whom we live and move and have our being”) was ADAPTED to fit the monotheistic God. I think it is beautiful that Paul includes the people he speaks to as being children of God, and indicating that in his faith God loves them all.

Of course, then the passage comes to its end, and Paul tells people that they all have to do things his way, and follow his God while abandoning what they've known, or his God will punish them all. SIGH. Paul thinks there is ONE right way, he knows it, they don't, and they should all do it his way. That's not so beautiful, nor so welcoming or respectful of the people he is talking to. He changes from accepting people as they are to telling them how they should be. It is a switch from valuing the borderlands to demanding that they comply with the center. His speech ends telling them that unless they think like he does, they're of less value. He requires unity with his ideas rather than joining with the people in solidarity with their needs.

John presents this differently. He shows Jesus speaking to people who already know and love God. The speech says that God has desires for how people act, but the desires are that people treat each other with God's love for them, and build communities centered in love. This makes it clear that unless love defines actions, people are not truly following God. There is no space for exceptions so that anyone can be excluded, instead there is a reminder that the Spirit can help us live as God wants us to live. We're told we aren't alone, and that doing God's work IS the same same as loving God, and then when we want to seek out God we can do so by loving God's people. In this brief passage I hear the values of God and Jesus without significant muddling of the center! (Thanks be to God for moments like that!)

Loving God is loving God's people. All of them. Loving people who are in the borderlands is sometimes a challenge. So too is loving people who live near the center. But God doesn't make space for exceptions. Only for love.

I'm pretty sure that one of the most important forms of loving God's people is truly seeing, hearing, and knowing each other. That means helping to loosen the walls between the borderlands and the center, and for me at least, that's going to require continued anti-racism and anti-white supremacy work. But, thanks to the writer of the Gospel of John, the Methodist Federation for Action, and this church, I know that I don't go it alone. Thanks be to God!

Amen

1http://mfsaweb.org/?page_id=2692

2 Robette Anne Dias & Chuck Ruehle, Executive Co-Directors, ©Crossroads Ministry http://www.crossroadsantiracism.org/wp-content/themes/crossroads/PDFs/The%20Borderlands.pdf

Rev. Sara E. Baron

First United Methodist Church of Schenectady

603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305

Pronouns: she/her/hers

http://fumcschenectady.org/ https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

May 14, 2017

#Thinking Church #anit-racism #anti-white supremacy #Progressive Christianity #in God we live and move and have our being #FUMC Schenectady #Schenectady #UMC #Rev Sara E Baron #MFSA #Crossroads #GCORR #Life in the Boarderlands #Lots to Learn

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