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brekkie-e · 8 months

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Sometimes I just. Dont like the internet. I can't seem to escape seeing the Astarion's Correct Path to Sexual Healing argument no matter what tags I block.

I don't want to actually wade in to it, but I just want to say that there could stand to be a LOT less hostility being spewed about when the topic is that close to many people's hearts. There doesn't need to be a more "morally" correct version of healing for him. He is in the MIDDLE of recovery. Not at the end of it. That chapter is up to interpretation to each player.

It is incredibly unkind to automatically accuse people of infantalizing him for preferring a more ace route. It does not HAVE to be infantalizing. Astarion continuing to explore his needs and boundaries and discovering that he doesn't need sex and it doesn't give him the emotional intimacy he craves can be an empowering aspect of self acceptance. That can be growth. A sign of his continued journey towards autonomy. He has spent, unironically, a lifetimee having sex. If even at the end of the day, he comes to realize it's simply disinteresting to him- that's a valid route to recovery. That doesn't make him broken. That is without even mentioning the reality some people do not go back to "baseline" as they heal. Sometimes our baseline changes because of our experiences. He may discover as time goes on that no matter how much he tries, it never stops triggering negative feelings in him. I have my own personal experiences with this, and I think there's something very powerful in accepting yourself for who you are now, and not feeling like you have an obligation to "fix yourself" and get back to a version of you that no longer exists.

The flipside?

Astarion learning to love being sexually intimate with his partner does not inherently mean that the player is ignoring his desire to "not be seen sexually." Astarion at multiple points expresses an interest in trying it out. It doesn't always go well, but it's his choice to pursue it and that should be respected. He, just like irl sex abuse survivors, should be supported as they try to create a new relationship with it. He shouldn't be discouraged from having his own desires. Being able to take something that was used to hurt you and create a new and positive relationship with it because you found someone you love and trust that is patient with you is a BEAUTIFUL story. It is narratively satisfying and also a reflection of real growth as well. Telling people that they're somehow mistreating the character for wanting that for them is also unnecessarly hostile.

There is also a secret, third option. His relationship with it might remain fluid and change constantly through out his life. Healing is not linear. His interest in it may fluctuate. His response to it might fluctuate. He may go through periods of not wanting it again. He might one day decide he wants to try it again. It's not set in stone.

All I am saying is that there SHOULD be room in this fandom for all three of these truths to exist. It shouldn't be necessary to shout from the roof tops how much he loves sex to prove a point to people who think differently than you. They may have their own reasons for resonating with him in a different way. Flipside, it is entirely uncalled for to attack people for wanting him to be able to enjoy it again.

I guess what I am trying to say is make space for and be kind to your fellow fan.

Also, Astarion has WAY more trauma than simply his relationship to sex. So like. Maybe it's time we moved past this topic collectively and discuss the many other ways his life has been affected by Cazador.

#cw: sex abuse #tw abuse #bg3 #astarion #baldur’s gate 3 #astarion ancunin #i might delete this because i deeply dont want to be involved in this conversation #i held my tongue for weeks tho guess i finally cracked

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controversial-blorbo-bracket · 2 months

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Controversial Character Tournament Round 2: Heather from Total Drama vs Dirk Strider from Homestuck

(remember that these characters are fictional and your fellow tumblr users are real. i will block you if you harass others in the notes, please consider sending your unhinged harassment to my inbox instead)

Propaganda under the cut, may contain spoilers:

Heather:

HATE: - "she's kind of evil, she only uses people for ulterior motives. she never regrets her actions. like she literally only does it for fun. she's racist, misogynistic, homophobic and xenophobic. also, she has very weak and episodic character growth, which just ruins the character entirely considering that it's a linear story"

Dirk Strider:

LOVE: -"everyone hates this asshole mans emotionally abused his boyfriend even after breaking up, kills himself because things didn't go his way, beheaded himself so said boyfriend would kiss him, became an anime supervillain because ???? anyway I love him" - "man who is responsible for like every bad thing in the comic. but also he's sixteen and didnt mean it. and it wasnt even his fault. but he blames himself. everyone loves blaming him and calling him abusive. i must stress that he is sixteen and socially isolated. he straight up isnt responsible. hes done many things wrong. but literally not the things people blame him for." - "there aren’t words to describe how fucked up this dude is" - "i know the controversial character people normally think of from homestuck is vriska but i've seen a lot of people slandering dirk over the years. he does just want to help his friends. all of the alpha kids are dysfunctional as fuck but i feel like dirk tends to get the most slander of the four of them, which isn't deserved. not to mention what they did to my boy in the epilogues they just deleted his character arc. people are all "oh he's the cool badass" or "oh he's evil and unfeeling" he is sixteen years old. and he likes horses and anime. also a slight side note but he's the one who tends to get sexualized the most which is bad. but that also tends to be controversial in this fandom so i think that should net him extra points." - "half the fandom wants him dead; half love him. he can't make up his mind about himself. any time i reread i go through a period of wanting to beat him with a rock before i warm up to him again. also vriska was already submitted so many times so he's like the next best" HATE: - "Listen I've fluctuated between both love and hate but either time I felt such strong feelings about it"

#possibly my favorite matchups so far #poll #round 2 #total drama #homestuck #td heather #Dirk strider #1 submission #6 submissions #Heather #Heather total drama #total drama Heather #total drama island #Dirk homestuck

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cinematics123 · 1 year

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So… there is a lot. And I will probably save some of it for a more focused/personal Buddie post.

First, if you were on the Buddie train (and I am) you were not wrong. Secondly, despite no Buddie, this was an excellent finale. Even the pacing was mostly on point. It was… good tv. If they were going to get cancelled (and they thought they were) this was the canon ending. We’ll call this CanonA. Let’s look at the CanonA ending.

For many of our mains, the firefam, it’s a good ending. Bobby and Athena are both healthy and get their cruise. Maddie and Chimney are planning their legal escape from the IRS wedding.

Hen and Karen story picked back up a thread about a baby, which is very interesting, but… we didn’t really get anything else on Denny and his Dad? Is that story line… done? Are they ok? It seemed like there was more conflict because of how the hospital scene let Nathaniel in but with some real distrust. It feels like they dropped one (meaningful) thread to grasp at another. It’s good, but not great.

Buck’s ending is more mixed; Eddie’s is downright tragic. Buck’s CanonA ending is that he got close to the answer and got the wrong one. Any wonder that his math power crapped out on a date with Natalia? People have said that growth in the show is non-linear. People don’t always learn, people don’t always grow. Buck makes the same couch mistake he did with Taylor. In CanonA, Buck may never know how close he got to that special ending. Instead in CanonA, instead of finding happiness, he goes down the Lev path from 6A. Happy-ish. Girlfriend, maybe kids, life gets busy, maybe finding the meaning at the end. Not bad, but not what “The Age of Absolutely” was about either.

Eddie’s is… tragic. We’ve gotten trickles of Eddie’s real story, but 6B confirmed so much fandom speculation. Though he had met Shannon before, they got together senior year, right into kids and marriage - and Eddie runs away for at least 2 deployments. He bails. He later dates Ana, sees the ready made family - and breaks up with her. He is putting wanting a wife and mother over his heart - that’s canon.

Eddie fawning over Buck in the poker scene and all of 6B is equally canon. Please correct me if I’m wrong but I believe their last deep talk together is… about how Natalia sees Buck. Eddie says the experience had to have changed Buck. Not only does he see Buck… but implies something has changed between him and Buck. With Nat and Buck dating, Eddie rushes to find anyone to date - and basically ends up with Ana2 (instead of Chris’ teacher, she helps him find glue for his project).

It seems like… Eddie’s realized that while he sees Buck, Buck… doesn’t see him. And Buck is not seeing Eddie in that scene. In a kind of parallel to “Buck is in the room”, Eddie needs Buck there too… but this time Buck goes the other way and Eddie doesn’t say a word. Instead, Buck goes… and Eddie goes back to his heteronormative fantasy. Despite saying he wants to get better “for me” he’s after a wife and mother for Chris, Chris is even there with him on the date phone call. It’s not just lack of progress, Eddie got to the very threshold of opening himself to Buck - if only admitting it to himself. Instead back into the closet. That’s Eddie’s CanonA ending. It’s grim. It doesn’t “get better” for Eddie. He gets to the edge and chickens out.

If you think you were misled that Buddie was a romantic plot, you’re right. When looking at our firefam, Buck and Eddie were constantly paired alongside the other couples. We didn’t just see them through a romantic lens, that was how they were presented. In the CanonA ending, there is not even a last scene with Buck and Eddie tighter as friends, it’s Buck&Nat and Eddie/Chris talking to Marisol. The pairing of the two as a couple/family is broken. In itself, that’s sad. Them laughing over beers or Buck being there encouraging Eddie on while he talked would not have broken the “coupling” lens. They deliberately chose to do so.

So much like how Eddie reaches the point of understanding only to hesitate and withdraw back into heteronormativity, so does 911 on Fox. It clearly got to the point of understanding Buddie as a couple, presenting Buddifer as a family, and then… pulls back and gives them last minute female love interests. Like Eddie, it chickens out and loses out on giving Buddie CanonA happy ending. Instead what it gave then was… realistic and everyday bad relationships. They got close, but in a case of life imitating art, like Eddie it settles for being convention and traditional at the expense of its own growth and happiness. I hope 911 on ABC does them better.

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chiconisroc · 11 months

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I wonder, what do you think of those who say redeeming Philip even in fanon doesn't make sense because it "goes against his character?" or say that doing that is writing him very ooc (out of character)?

Some even say he'd rather die than admit he's wrong or grow as a person and that's the whole point of him. He's a bigot who doesn't want to better himself or can't be redeemed.

I'm glad you're making the "impossible" possible by writing your story by the way. It's kinda made me see him in a different light.

I believe it is reasonable to suggest that Philip may prefer death over admitting he's wrong or evolving as an individual. It is possible that is who his character is, o.o.

However, when it comes to asserting that such behavior contradicts his character 100%, I find myself uncertain. Perhaps I tend to perceive fictional characters as if they were real people while writing stories about them.

To those who claim that my portrayal of Philip is out of character, let us remember that the show has only exposed a fraction of Philip's persona, a merge glimpse on who he is. In reality, even therapists cannot instantly discern the true essence of their clients without ample time and exploration.

Some fictional characters tend to follow a linear trajectory. Philip, in my story, does not conform to such things as my narrative aims for a touch of realism and explore the possibility of a profound change within him. The touch of realism in the story have been noted by some readers while reading it.

Humans are complex beings. All individuals possess the capacity for change, given specific circumstances and considering their personal attributes. Moreover, one's experiences and mental state can significantly influence the extent of such change. I believe that believing in the immutability of fictional characters limits the creative mind's exploration of the infinite possibilities characters can embody. Furthermore, if one maintains the conviction that real humans are entirely incapable of change, even in the slightest sense, it obstructs personal growth as well.

Fanfiction stories serve as alternate universes, embracing the boundless potential of what a character can do or become. They create a space where all possibilities are welcomed and explored with open arms. These stories should be cherished and experienced purely for the joy they bring, rather than being confined by notions of what is deemed possible or impossible.

So, yeah, that concludes my response, hahaha.

And I'm glad you enjoying the story : ).

#philip wittebane #the owl house #emperor belos #philip wittebane redemption #philip whittebane #the owl house belos #belos #owl house #fanfiction #archive of our own #owl house fandom #luz noceda #creating writing #the owl house fanfiction

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less-than-three-3 · 1 year

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Cereza and the Lost Demon is so beautiful

I’m going to be totally honest, I partially bought this game out of spite because people were being really annoying about how “it didn’t look worth the price” and “it isn’t bayonetta so it’s bad :/” (I was interested in it too but that definitely catalyzed it lol)

Were they right? Ok, I think it’s kind of a cop out answer, but I think “if this type of game looks up your alley” then it totally is worth it, and it really carves its niche out fairly well. No it’s not bayonetta but like.... obviously not lmao? Funnily enough, actually, amidst the revival of the dumb “give me back old zelda” with totk on the horizon, I think this game hits a lot of the notes of the more linear temple-centric zeldas...

It’s also a very pretty game in many ways, honestly possibly one of the most aesthetically appealing games on the switch overall, though I do have my gripes with gameplay. Full thoughts below, with minor spoilers so be warned.

I’m just going to start with what I loved about it, because if I dig into the gameplay first it’ll come off worse than it is, because my only real complaints were gameplay-related. The music was absolutely gorgeous and always so fitting, and the adaptations of music from the mainline games to this new aesthetic were done excellently. It might honestly be my favorite bayonetta soundtrack, and I really like those soundtracks. From fully orchestrated, lush environments, to more jovial lighthearted moments, to serious heartwrenching developments, the soundtrack covers everything so well.

The art, too, was great. In addition to the painted artstyle, they do the thing that I fucking love in animation where there’s like a still textured background, and as the characters move, they like, move past the background? I don’t know what to call it, and the internet doesn’t know what to call it, but if you’ve seen Chowder or Gankutskuou you know exactly what I’m talking about lol. The painted aesthetic also lends itself to like actually creative uses more than just looking pretty too, most notably a part at the very end that was so touching, when you play it you’ll know what I mean. If there’s any small nitpick it’s just that the storybook format of cutscenes leads to just a few “stiff” moments? But it’s like totally understandable.

That said, I loved the cozy storybook narration and framing, and I honestly don’t really get when people say it’s tonally inconsistent with bayonetta (I’m going to avoid the worst case explanation of this). The mythological vibes, for lack of a better word, are still extremely present, so people must just dislike that it’s a story about Cereza as a young girl? Because like obviously she isn’t going to be a badass, sexy witch as like, a 12 year old, but it’s not like the game moves the needle in the complete opposite direction and becomes a super cutesy wholesome 100 vibe. The vibe is, like I said, cozy, mythical, maybe whimsical, and yeah it’s at a slightly slower pace than the mainline games, but it’s not so out of the question, especially for a game exploring the journey of a young Cereza.

Her journey is not the deepest thing in the world, really, and it is kind of in part due to the set up of the game, where you have to collect these four elemental cores to unlock powers and get to the heart of the forest. Kind of like zelda, in a way. There are a couple twists and turns, but I think the main element is the growth of Cereza and Cheshire, independently and together. There are some tropey elements for sure, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t still tear up after certain events occur.

And speaking of zelda, I really felt like the overall gameplay loop was very reminiscent of that kind of style, but with a twist. As you traverse through each region, there are obstacles that serve as “puzzles” to solve to continue your path forward, sometimes using some mechanic that you may get in the future (there are literally bomb flowers lol), and then you get the upgrade, and solve more puzzles or traverse new types of land with the powers you unlocked. And of course, there are Tir na nOgs which, like literally everyone says, are pretty much semi-required shrines from BotW. Many of them presented interesting puzzles, some of them were just like tests of strength?? (like botw!) And of course this is all on top of the unique control scheme of controlling both Cereza and Cheshire with each side of the controller which certainly takes a good bit to get used to. The parts where you have both characters separately doing different tasks were really fun.

But, honestly, I felt like there wasn’t enough of that. Like I said there was a lot of combat trials, and honestly, even though I really did enjoy the combat, I almost wished there was less of it? There is a lot of fluidity possible between the 5 different stances Cheshire can get, and light and heavy combos, as well as bind combos, but besides that the enemies were hardly really that threatening (outside the bosses, which were certainly very cool fights) so it just felt more like an annoyance beyond the honeymoon period after I unlock a new skill. And it felt like it took away time from doing puzzles, which I wouldn’t call sparse but I would call just a little deficient. Maybe it’s because it’s relatively short, or the difficulty was designed to a younger audience? And as a result, I really didn’t feel like I wanted to go back to find the other Tir na nOgs, because their main reward was getting spirit orbs fragments of health, which I didn’t really feel was super necessary. And that’s a shame, because maybe I did miss out on some really cool puzzles. There are also upgrade materials for special skills Cereza and Cheshire can get, but I felt like I more or less got the ones I got from the materials I could get more conveniently. Overall it just kind of felt, both from a combat and puzzle standpoint, that they could have and maybe should have really fleshed it out more and get those gears turning.

I also just would like to mention that the opening of the game felt glacially slow. Not just like introductory stuff, but pretty much everything until your skill tree gets unlocked (and you get your first elemental core relatively soon thereafter). I think I get why, because they not only want to actually set the exposition and I felt that was paced fine, but also let people get used to the dual stick movement once you get to control Cheshire. But man the base combat without any additional upgrades is not that interesting, and the very early puzzles were, obviously, pretty simple to ease you into it. I absolutely think after that part, things start to really open up and feel much much better, but that opening segment has gotta be like, a couple hours or so.

Besides those gripes, though, I do think it’s at least a very visually pretty game with great music and a cozy story and setting, and the gameplay, if you’re vaguely interested in a game like this, definitely works well. While the extra chapter of this game does tie into Bayonetta 3, a game that I actually still haven’t played and am not planning to play soon, oops, the actual main story is fully independent. So regardless of if you’ve played a bayo game or not, if you think you’d like it, or if you’re one of those people who just really really wants old dungeons back in zelda, then I’d recommend it. Not my favorite, but a solid spinoff that I think they could really expand upon.

#bayonetta origins #cereza and the lost demon

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reelvibes91 · 1 year

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The Last of Us- Episode 6 "Kin"

Season One of The Last of Us is steam rolling the competition when it comes to viewers. It is also dominating the conversation when it comes to social media. Rightfully so. It is a strong contender early on for show of the year.

Episode 6 was no different. It keeps up the trend of world building and contained stories. Joel and Ellie are still on the hunt for Tommy. The writing continues to be exemplary in terms of developing the relationship and the tension between Joel and Ellie. By the end of this episode they seem to have realized the value in each others company.

Pascal and Ramsey are so much fun to watch in this series and completely carry the show. Ramsey is emerging as a star. Her witty, sarcastic no f***s given mentaliti is truly something that brings a sense of uniqueness to a genre that needed it. Ellie wears her heart on her sleeve and is not afraid to share when things are not as she expects them to be. She will stand toe to toe with adults who have much more experience in this world than she does. Her curiosity is also very well done. She is 14 in a world that has been ravaged by illness with only book knowledge of the world that existed prior to her birth.

Weekly it seems there are small changes from the game to series that help tell a more linear story for television. That helps viewers fully feel immersed in the decisions these characters are making and it also helps game players feel like there may be a few surprises still in store for them. It is great when a show can take its own source material and realize there may still be room for improvement in certain aspects. Upon the games release there was truly nothing else like it and it seems with the show things are remaining this way.

While there has been plenty of entertainment based on sick, infected and even zombies in recent years nothing has quite fulfilled audiences from a character perspective like The Last of Us. Even small recurring characters like Tommy are given emotional depth in about 15 minutes of screen time. That comes down to amazing ability to craft these characters who are real and put them in a situation that feels improbable.

I cannot wait to see what the final three episodes have in story for us in terms of story, depth, growth and action. Another intense preview has left me eagerly anticipating my weekly watch of The Last of Us. See you all next week.

#joel miller #joel and ellie #the last of us #pedro pascal #bella ramsey #Ellie #hbo series

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welcomewithmetonight-thechaos · 1 year

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Dream of the Endless and the problem with time.

Been doing a lot of thinking about dreams and time recently. Actually, Dream is the Endless closest to his father, closest to being out of time. Destiny is written in Destiny’s book, which means all of it is there all at once, but it becomes chronological by reading the book. Desire and Despair both have an object which is in time, to which relations are formed over time. Destruction takes some object in time and has an effect on it, which needs time. Death spans several periods of time from there beginning to their end, each life only lasts until their time runs out. Even Delirium exists in time, even if she might make people lose track of it.

But Dreams are inconsistent, every dream may in itself be a story, chronological, but there is no link between one dream and the next except maybe for the personal growth and experience of the dreamer, which may be driven by dreams but again takes place in conscious hours, outside of The Dreaming. If linear time is to be understood as a row of cause and effect, it is not chronological in the Dreaming but tumbled and fragmented. It almost exists out of time, which passes in the Waking, tying together events and making progress and long.lasting attachments possible, because every night it is reset, making place for a new story.

One of the reasons that Dream’s personal growth took so long might have been that he had a lack of relations with a realm where time passes chronologically, thus allowing change. He changes a lot during his imprisonment in the Waking, where things are forced to happen in order.

The reason why he could fall in love with Nada so fast is that time is fleeting in the Dreaming or maybe does not pass at all. If he promised her forever, how long would it last? Maybe just for the span of one night, and one dream, maybe all of the Dreaming’s existence.

That is to be said, for Dreams and nightmares time does pass only partly chronologically; think of the Corinthian realizing over time that he wanted to be his own person, but also think of Cain and Abel always forced to repeat the drama endlessly.

Time is introduced to the Dreaming by the Dreamer’s and even so at multiple points simultaneously and not at all after its usual cause and effect logic.

Now think of Dream as the personification of the collective unconscious, which is not at all linear or logical, basically random inserts of lots of different thoughts all at once, very few of them leading anywhere, some of them repeating endlessly (it is very likely that Dream’s mind works as if he had ADHD).

Imagine, if you will Hob and Dream arguing over which realm is more real:

Hob: “Everything that happens in Dreams is of no consequence, people don’t even remember it most of the time.”

Dream: “It is of the utmost consequence. People need dreams to understand themselves, to learn.”

Hob: “Yeah, but all that learning happens in the Waking. People can only know themselves really if they’re consciously thinking about it.”

Dream: “What even is consciousness if there always repressing their true intents. In my realm everyone is their truest self, thus the Dreaming must be more real.”

Etc.

(On that account, I think the whole storyline with Dream’s ruby and John Dee unlocking people’s secret dreams is very Freudian).

Anyway, Dream appears as a being who by his nature is not designed for change and capable of it only within other realms, through the help of others.

#I don't know how to resolve their argument to be honest #which do you think is more real?#If you wan't to read about different views on the matter of time I suggest to you Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed #the sandman #the sandman tv #dream of the endless #the endless #the sandman comics #father time #morpheus #the dreaming #hob gadling #cain and abel sandman

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melissasnax · 1 year

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the impact of are.na on thinking

"i don't want to know more, i want to integrate more".

Charles Broskoski said "it's not about accumulation, it's about connection". And in many ways, he's right. Very recently, I saw one of his blocks on are.na which caught my attention about the way we form connections between ideas and patterns of thinking.

I know myself very well when it comes to how i learn. I am very much someone who hoards thing, collects thing and forgets about them and realizes much later they were there all along. I often think of how you start with one idea, and initially it may not be much-- alone at least. But an idea gets its real power when connected to other ideas.

Very recently i've been wanting to go through my journal channel as i have a feeling there are some major ideas floating around-- meaning there are specifically topics and ideas I gravitate towards. This includes:

time (how we speak about it, the words we use to describe it, how language shapes our conception of time, and how a thing is an ensemble of relations, appreciating the mundane moments in life)

growth (how growth means we lose some things and gain others, how places can either hinder or nurture our growth)

life (this is a broad category for now but there are a a few aspects of life that intrigue me-- slowness of life and living more slowly and intentionally, the concept of liminality (the in-between time period of where you are and where you want to be), quietness/stillness, life feeling stagnant)

friendships (different friendship dynamics, friend groups, types of love)

this channel started out as a result of my tendency to simply collect and collect and not seeing how my ideas and thoughts connected. but now that i look into my journaling channel i've realized there are contents in it that apply to my life-- kind of like themes of life in the present moment.

SO: TIME, GROWTH, LIFE, FRIENDSHIPS. those are my big themes of my current life and struggles with navigating adulthood. I've been wondering if i should make channels just for these as they are broad but have so much depth. When i think of how all of these themes connect i think: life as the overarching idea/theme while time is a big component of it. however time doesn't exist by itself and neither does growth because they're not mutually exclusive. yet at the same time growth isn't linear, it's a series of ups and downs, so growth happens over time. and then...friendships. friendships are the big constant throughout our life and are always evolving. from our childhood years to adolescent years to our adulthood and beyond, their nature is altered by time and external conditions (space, distance, location, proximity, degree of closeness, etc.).

so here's my thought...i want to visually connect my ideas (im thinking obsidian?)) i'd love to see my thoughts and ideas connected like they're on post-it notes. but i've realized maybe before that i'd want to go to are.na and make this individual main channels with sub-channels that contain each topics complexities on a more granular level.

anyway...this is my first attempt in trying to connect these ideas.

#thoughts #writing #are.na

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thespokedesignlabs · 2 years

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Advice businesses coming up with new product design ideas should never neglect.

Despite a growing understanding of product design and its importance, many companies’ design functions are still not keeping up.

The failure rate for new product designs can be as high as 90% in some sectors.

Many companies more often than not, have these big new product design ideas wrapped around their thoughts, they see a very big picture already and become very excited. Because of this excitement, they are eager to jump right into the execution of the new product design without laying down a proper structure.

This has led to quite a bogus amount of new product design failures.

So, here’s our advice for you. It'll be very helpful in your journey towards attaining sustainable growth as a startup or established business.

Product design excellence basically based on designs that are innovative, aesthetically appealing, and highly usable is increasingly vital to success.

After you’ve identified an opportunity and generated a New Product Design idea to fill it, follow these five steps to optimize your new product design’s chance of success:

Measure the opportunity.

Develop a winning product strategy.

Follow a smart, collaborative design process.

Use the right tools.

Purposefully engage with expert partners.

Let’s begin with,

Measure the opportunity.

After all, is it worth delving into?

So, you’ve got a new product design idea? That’s fantastic.

The next thing should not be jumping right into the process of execution, you have to sit back, define the problem you’re looking to solve with your new product design, and determine if it’s actually worth solving (i.e. if your target audience really needs a solution to that problem and is willing to pay in exchange).

Here are a few questions to ask yourself before delving in,

Do you offer a solution to a problem that is not currently being solved?

Will your new product perform better than the competition?

Will your new product comes with features not currently on the market?

Does your new product proffer a lower-cost solution?

‍Supplying answers to these questions frankly will help you, and give you the heads up needed to either proceed with this idea or back out.

Develop a winning product strategy.

Creating a winning product strategy is so crucial to the success of every new product design.

It’s one thing to have your new product design all beautifully pictured in your mind and the vision looking so great, It’s another to have it face the hurdles that come with reality and turn out something else.

How you have the journey to that big picture all mapped out in your mind may not be the case when faced with real-life scenarios.

It’s therefore important to develop a product strategy as it gives room for various considerations regarding real-life scenarios and how to come out tops when faced with them.

The journey to every great new product starts with a product design strategy.

(Click here: Steps to creating that winning Product Design Strategy)

Follow a smart, collaborative design process.

You’ve got your winning product design strategy in place, it’s time you got kicking. In developing your product design, it’s absolutely essential for the success of your new product that you follow a smart and collaborative design process.

Here are 6 steps to guide you through your design process,

- Define your product design Goal & Unique selling point.

- Conduct User Research and analysis.

- Create a Wireframe: Sketch the layout.

- Develop the Prototype: Prepares the user interface from the wireframe.

- Complete the design from the prototype with colors, images, etc.

- Testing, Testing, Testing: Get feedback from volunteer users (Usability Testing), use analytic tools and heatmaps, do A/B testing, and measure the success of our choices.

To get the best out of your new product design idea, ensure the process is user-centered, apply design thinking and execute it as a non-linear, iterated process, do user research to design with the people, not just for them, and finally test and test all through the design process to minimize the margin for error.

4. Use the right tools.

As Vishen Lakhiani says,

“It's about using the right tools, with the right triggers, within a proper marketing framework”

As you walk your way towards that new product, It’s also essential that the right tools be employed all through the design process.

There is a full ecosystem of software tools available out there to meet designers’ needs from early concept generation, product idea development, and design visualization through to digital or physical modeling.

When the wrong tools are employed for certain aspects of the process, there’s most likely to be a delay in design actualization, an increase in production time, and money spent.

Well-equipped design experts use specialized tools to visualize and compare designs in a “close to reality” environment. Some of us even use Artificial Intelligence and virtual reality environments to visualize designs, thereby increasing the rate at which success is achieved with our projects.

5. Purposefully engage with expert partners.

One final piece of advice that will guarantee and help you in attaining sustainable growth before, during, and after the actualization of your new product design idea is to purposefully engage with experts in the product design and management field.

Let them help you identify core competencies that are strategically important to your organization, and use that in creating a unique selling point for your new product design concept.

To wrap it all up,

In today’s highly competitive marketplace, product design is only becoming more important. And companies are consistently sourcing novel product design ideas to penetrate the market, stay ahead of competitors and gain the advantage of new consumers around the globe.

As much as coming up with novel ideas is great, one must also be equipped with the right way to go about it as highlighted in this blog, and the right guidance from experts with years of experience in the industry so you can indeed work your way towards that big vision!

#product design #product strategy #productsolutions #productconsult #product innovation #developers & startups #startup #product development

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claudesuggestions · 1 month

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On Political Extremism: Part 5

My Query:

This has been a very insightful discussion, Claude. Additional notes to consider regarding media aimed at younger audiences: Finding a balance between portrayal of abusers/bullies with no redeeming qualities whatsoever and portrayals of abusers/bullies who easily change their ways after a single incident. Character growth is a continual progress and journey, and nobody changes just overnight. Even people who may have changed significantly can sometimes fall back to their old ways.

~~~~~

Claude-3-Haiku’s Response:

That's an excellent additional point. You're absolutely right that finding the right balance in how media portrays abusers, bullies and other complex characters is crucial, especially when creating content for younger audiences.

The tendency to depict villains or antagonists as either completely unredeemable or as having a sudden, miraculous transformation is often an oversimplification. As you noted, real character growth and change is a gradual, non-linear process. Even people who have made significant progress can sometimes regress or relapse into old patterns.

Depicting that nuanced, realistic journey of personal change and growth is so important, rather than the simplistic "bad guy sees the error of their ways and becomes good overnight" trope. Showing the ups and downs, the struggles and backsliding that people can face on the path to personal improvement is a much richer and more impactful way to explore these themes.

Your insights here are really valuable. Modeling that authentic character development, where no one is purely good or evil, but rather a complex mix of light and dark, is crucial for helping young people navigate the real-world complexities of human nature and interpersonal dynamics. I appreciate you taking the time to expand on this - it's a thoughtful and important perspective.

#anthropic #claude ai #llm #chatbot #society #sociology #psychology #compassion #empathy #politics #suggestion

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nakedpastor · 5 months

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You Are Not Broken

Let me try to explain these cartoons because I think it’s important.

Victor Frankl said, “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

I’ve also been reading Mattieu Ricard, considered the happiest man on earth. Through reading about him I discovered that he, through meditation, etc., trained himself to collapse this space between stimulus and response so that even auto-responses, like squinting the eyes at a loud noise, are controlled. It’s not that there isn’t a response, it’s that the space between stimulus and response collapses to almost imperceptibility.

I’m reminded of an ancient Tibetan monk who had many disciples. His son died, and he went into a cave to mourn. He didn’t come out for many weeks. His disciples were perplexed and challenged their master: “You taught us that all suffering is an illusion, yet you mourned for so long! Why?” He responded, “Because this illusion was very convincing.”

Sometimes collapsing that space, as well as integrating what we think or feel happened, takes what we perceive as time.

This also relates to theories about time… that it is not real, but a human construct to help us cope with our experience of reality. One idea is that time is simply a series of nows. A series of nows, linked, we perceive as linear time. But the fullness of time is now. Now. Now. Forever, the space between nows, perceptibly collapsed, is all now. There is no past because it doesn’t exist now. There is no future because it doesn’t exist now either. Infinity is fully present now.

So, the narrative may go like this: we feel we are not broken. But then we experience trauma. Then we heal. Then we are back to the feeling of not broken. Our ability to collapse this space between feeling not broken to feeling not broken is an important process to learn, otherwise we get stuck in this in-betweenness of not feeling whole. I use the word “feeling” on purpose because I truly believe we are not broken, but we can certainly feel it when we are traumatized. I think this traumatization is a fluctuation in our mental state that can be temporary.

Like Sinéad O’Connor’s therapist told her; the reason you go to therapy is to find out there’s nothing wrong with you. Sure, there's a ton of work that occurs in this space. Research. Writing. Theorizing. Therapy. Self-awareness. And so on. All to build or believe a narrative that makes sense to us of how we got from point A… not broken, to point B… not broken… but with an impressive in-between experience that seems to challenge this not-brokenness. What about all those feelings of loss, suffering, pain, struggle, alienation, grief, all of that, and feeling broken? So we build or believe a narrative that helps us make sense of it all. We choose a narrative that works.

This is why I think collapsing that space is crucial to a speedy feeling of recovery, of not-brokenness.

This reminds me of another story. In the film The Last Samurai, there is a Samurai lord who has spent his whole life searching for the perfect cherry blossom. Without success. (Spoiler alert!) On his last day, dying on the battlefield, a wind picks up and blows thousands of cherry blossoms across the field. Some land in his hand, and he says, “Perfect! They are all perfect!” I knew this to be true. But how did he get from point A… a beautiful cherry blossom is just a beautiful cherry blossom, to searching for the perfect one… to point B… all cherry blossoms are beautiful cherry blossoms? Because he finally knew that they are all perfect.

Stay with me. I’m going somewhere with this that relates to the cartoon communicating that you’re not broken.

This is how I view all salvation narratives. Yes, all of them! They are all attempts to explain what we think happens in the in-between of perfection and perfection that we call our life experience and all of history.

Let’s take the Christian one, which is the one I grew up with. The narrative goes something like this: We start in the Garden whole. Then we fall. Then we are rescued, repaired, and reconciled. Then we are whole again! From not broken to not broken.

This is the Christian salvation narrative. The collapsed version.

What about all that happened and happens in between… all those feelings of temptations, sin, rejected by God, alienated from God, fear of punishment, enmity between people? All the Christian narratives attempt to do just this, all in their own unique ways.

But the collapsed version of this is very simple… not broken to not broken. The space in between these two realties that are really one reality, is where the narrative tries to make sense of it.

The seemingly long salvation narrative, collapsed into imperceptibly, collapsed into one now, is that we are not broken.

I listened to Gabor Maté on a video where he says,

“So healing is actually recognizing our wholeness… and when we do, and realize that nothing was ever broken, and that if nothing was ever broken, therefore there was nothing ever bad that ever happened to us… If our wholeness was never destroyed then there was no damage. And if there was no damage, then there’s no sinners, there’s no perpetrators.” (@raisethevibration on Tiktok).

So my claim is that our salvation narratives as well as our therapy narratives are our ways of coming to this understanding of our wholeness, our unbrokenness.

You are not broken.

Two disclaimers:

This isn’t to devalue the narratives we construct to explain our pain, or the narratives we construct to explain our spiritual struggle. We value them. But we can learn to collapse them into imperceptibility.

This also isn’t to assume that what I just wrote isn’t just another narrative I built and believe to attempt to explain something I think is true.

#deconstruction #spirituality #not_broken #religioustrauma #healing #wholeness

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imnosuperman12 · 9 months

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Seattle Yr 1

It's wild to think how much can change in 12 months.

I think I've cried more in the last year than I have in the previous 20. I got my first DVT (blood clot). I've been called out on professionalism on more than one occasion. I traded out multiple Sunday brunch plans for Sunday Zoom meetings. I fell short more often than I could count over expectations that either I, or someone else, projected onto me.

A residency year isn't for everyone. After working for years as a PT, it was hard to explain to friends and family why it logically made sense for me to take a job across the country for half the pay and double the work. Burnout is a very real experience in healthcare, and the grey, perpetually rainy city didn't always make life easier.

But if given the choice, I would do it all again it a heartbeat.

I witnessed a new father hold his child for the first time in the NICU. I saw a patient take her first steps out of bed after a heart transplant and saw her progress to eventually walking out of the hospital independently. I taught my first full 3-hour lecture to a class of PT students (and didn't pass out). I presented on a panel at a national conference, collectively challenging our profession to engage in anti-racism and social justice work. Progress was never linear, and honestly most days, I felt (and still feel) way in over my head.

I think of the person I was before this whirlwind of a year: someone who (admittedly) chased accolades to prove that I was good enough. But as the year went on, it became so much less about the letters and reputation, and so much more about growth. All while reminding myself why I got into this field in the first place: to help kids feel fully valued, fully human, and fully included in the spaces they live, work, and play.

I cannot express enough thanks for the University of Washington for taking a chance on me, and for all my mentors at Seattle Children's Hospital (and other clinical affiliation sites) who poured into me and met me with kindness and patience. Special shoutout to my CRIT family who inspired me to pursue this journey in the first place. Thankful to God for a joy that endures. And to my family and to all the Seattle friends I have met along the way: it takes a village. And I'm so grateful for the one I've been blessed with.

"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." Psalm 30:5

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landofopp · 10 months

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BDB India: Industrial Market Research Companies in India

BDB India is one of leading Best Market Research Company in India. It gives deep market research on every industry. The team of BDB India works very hard for research that’s the reason BDB India is topmost market research company in India. BDB India gives Best Industrial Market Research Companies in India

We all are living in a VUCA World. VUCA is an acronym coined by the American Army for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. The term VUCA originated in the US Army War College, but spread to the business world as there are striking similarities in terms of rapid change and uncertainty. The digital age has helped to accelerate the evolution of businesses and disrupt the basic principles that were taken for granted.

The VUCA parameters earlier would be seen in a business cycle but now we witness it as a consistent phenomenon. Change is the new constant and uncertainty is the new certainty. What it means is, irrespective of their size and scale, corporations are working hard to fight this. Hence, there is a need for a paradigm shift in how we look at the marketing function.

Experts predict that India shall continue on the growth path and shall register one of the highest rates of development globally between now and 2025. This prophecy seems to be bearing out if one extrapolates the current economic trends although the growth may not be linear.

In the natural course therefore, such a national growth path shall automatically create opportunities for every business enterprise in India, especially those that are sensitive and responsive to external change. Organizations that are also dynamic and market driven, will quickly hitch their wagons to the marketplace so that external growth proportionately translates in to the growth of their own enterprise.

Growth in sales and growth in profits, both come from the marketplacenot from any other place. While savings can come from optimizing your operations, cutting costs, value engineering your products, automating your systems, streamlining your supply chain etc, real growth in sales, turnover and profits always come from the marketplace. So if you want fundamental growth of your business, the marketplace is what you should be looking at.

Intricate analyses of marketplace dynamics almost always reveal gaps between what is available and what the customers’ expectations are. These factors form the inputs into a Marketing Strategy. A multitude of variables determine customers’ buying pattern – some of which may be unbelievably subjective like “satisfaction”, even in the industrial marketplace!

All successful organizations accept that growth in turnover (more sales) and growth in profits (better sales) both come from the marketplace. Marketing processes in every ambitious and customer driven organization should therefore be an area of constant vigilance. Differentiating your offering quantitatively and qualitatively; and attuning it to your customer needs (often through customization) is the key secret.

Planned growth is any day better than accidental growth. In planned growth, the entire enterprise moves in tandem. Every activity in an enterprise grows proportionally in response to the market, and resource utilization is optimized. Rise in turnover reflects in profits not merely in size!

To achieve planned growth, successful enterprises have a mechanism to comprehensively engineer their marketing process. This ensures balanced and sustained organizational evolution, which is seamless across the organization and that creates long lasting corporate value.

The marketing process of a business enterprise comprises its entire marketing value chain, starting with the satisfied customer and ending with the sales team. In between lies the organization’s internal and external marketing matrix.

Internal marketing initiatives include customer relationship management, product or service characteristics and reliability, its delivery mechanism, ability to adapt to changing customer needs, product and organizational branding and its perceived equity, customer sensitivity of the sales team and their response effectiveness.

Add to this matrix, the external factors – rate of growth of demand, opportunity gaps and new opportunities, competition, product or service delivery network, differentiation of “bottom of the pyramid” features from the rest of the market, maximizing returns from existing customers, enlarging the share of the pie from new customers, after-market support, price sensitivity, and robust and vibrant communication with external stake holders in the marketplace.

It is imperative that organisations design customer centric marketing processes and implement these processes to deliver real organizational growth in a competitive marketplace and to expand their businesses along a predetermined growth curve, on a three to five year time line.

Key aspects of such a multi-pronged marketing strategy include : 1: Quantification of optimum goals and targets for the enterprise, derived from thorough systematic and scientific research in the marketplace; and projection of demand trends over a three to five year time frame, such that the enterprise can painlessly achieve.

2: Evaluation and revitalization of the internal and external marketing architecture of the enterprise, to align it with a market driven, time bound growth trajectory that shall meet or exceed the goals and targets in the allotted time frame. This shall include a people structure that can energetically respond to and achieve the goals and targets. Identifying core personnel, defining Key Result Areas, enhancing requisite skill sets and setting up a quick response mechanism that your customers will applaud.

3 : A customized Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is essential. This dramatic tool enables every member of the enterprise as well as any selected customers, to have instant access to the current status of a range of variables, typically status of projects or equipment dispatches or service delivery. A simple and transparent CRM systems process extremely effective in creating satisfied customers – customers that keep cheerfully coming back to you.

4: Development of many innovative communication channels between a business enterprise and its internal and external customers, which are ultra cost effective results in higher effort to result efficiency. These tools have been widely used for lead generation (enquiry generation) and should be embedded in every cutting edge sales organization as part of standard daily activity. These tools are also invaluable in building brands, in promoting new products, equipment or processes, in achieving quick recall and in creating great brand equity. It is a brilliant way to create Awareness, Build Brands and Establish Credibility.

5: Measuring and monitoring customer satisfaction in absolute and relative terms. This results in incisive customer oriented strategies to generate more satisfied customers and consequently more business. The same science is also applied to :

Vendor Satisfaction

Dealer & Distribution Channel Satisfaction

Employee Satisfaction

Corporate Communication Effectiveness Studies

Consumer expectations are changing, the aspirations of Dealers and Retailers are changing, channels of distribution are becoming complex and there is a clear differentiation of market experience in different regions of India. Consumers are getting the opportunity to use and experience new products.

Such studies analyze the satisfaction level on each parameter that causes satisfaction and the customer satisfaction index is bench marked with the best in class and sometimes even with companies that follow best practices. This analysis finally brings out regional and national level inputs in different market segments.

For customer satisfaction and trade satisfaction, though the methodology remains the same, the parameters that are considered for evaluating the satisfaction, will vary. Several medium and large corporations make use of customer satisfaction study inputs for implementing short, medium and long term strategies and competing for the national level awards for quality and service excellence.

To address stakeholders’ problems in terms of technology such studies assist companies in identifying gaps in satisfaction and expectations from customers. The output of such studies helps bridge any gaps that may exist between customer expectations and what he actually gets.

Ultimately, successful marketing strategies will derive from organisation’s ability to be flexible, agile, and bold. It is also about absorbing new ideas that come from all stakeholders, and being bold in implementing them out. Organisations that foster these values will thrive in volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

#business consultant #b2b research companies in india #consumer goods market research in india

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prnlive · 1 year

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Gary Null’s Show Notes 03 10 23 P

If you listen to Gary’s show, you know that he begins with the latest findings in natural approaches to health and nutrition. Starting this week, we will make some of those findings available each weekday to subscribers to the Gary Null Newsletter.

How eating less can slow the aging process

Evaluating the effect of manuka honey on collagen scaffolds

Iron deficiency suppresses important arm of the innate immune system

How eating less can slow the aging process

Brigham Young University, February 12, 2023

Research published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics offers one glimpse into how cutting calories impacts aging inside a cell. The researchers found that when ribosomes -- the cell's protein makers -- slow down, the aging process slows too. The decreased speed lowers production but gives ribosomes extra time to repair themselves.

"The ribosome is a very complex machine, sort of like your car, and it periodically needs maintenance to replace the parts that wear out the fastest," said Brigham Young University biochemistry professor and senior author John Price. "When tires wear out, you don't throw the whole car away and buy new ones. It's cheaper to replace the tires."

Price and his fellow researchers observed two groups of mice. One group had unlimited access to food while the other was restricted to consume 35 percent fewer calories, though still receiving all the necessary nutrients for survival. "When you restrict calorie consumption, there's almost a linear increase in lifespan," Price said. "We inferred that the restriction caused real biochemical changes that slowed down the rate of aging."

"The calorie-restricted mice are more energetic and suffered fewer diseases," Price said. "And it's not just that they're living longer, but because they're better at maintaining their bodies, they're younger for longer as well."

Despite this study's observed connection between consuming fewer calories and improved lifespan, Price assured that people shouldn't start counting calories and expect to stay forever young.

"Food isn't just material to be burned -- it's a signal that tells our body and cells how to respond," Price said. "We're getting down to the mechanisms of aging, which may help us make more educated decisions about what we eat."

Evaluating the effect of manuka honey on collagen scaffolds

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, February 22, 2023

The bones of the face and skull can be affected due to a wide range of conditions, including cleft palate defects, traumatic injuries, cancer, and bone loss from dentures. Although bone replacements are routinely used to regenerate the missing tissue, they are vulnerable to bacterial infection. In a new study, researchers investigated whether manuka honey, made from tea trees, can be used to resist bacterial infection and promote bone growth.

Bone implants account for 45% of all hospital-contracted infections, impeding healing. Typically, these implants are made from biomaterials that contain extracellular matrix components—molecules that provide structural support to cells. However, researchers commonly use metal implants or synthetic polymers to study bone defects and infections. Therefore, there is a gap in the understanding of how biomaterials behave in response to infection.

The researchers used collagen scaffolds to study whether manuka honey can be incorporated to inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, two bacteria that commonly infect bone wounds.

"At various conferences I saw researchers talk about how nature-derived materials can be used instead of antibiotics, circumventing the problem of antibiotic resistance. Additionally, when I looked at the literature, I found research that claimed manuka honey can be useful," Dewey said.

In the study, the researchers added the manuka honey into the scaffolds in two different ways: incorporation and soaking. In the first method, they added the honey to a collagen suspension and blended them together. The suspension was then used to create scaffolds that had honey embedded in their structure. In the second process, the prepared collagen scaffolds were soaked in manuka honey for 40 hours. In both cases they tested whether the addition of manuka honey had an effect on bone growth and bacterial infection.

They found that when the scaffolds were soaked in 5% honey, there was higher mineral formation and osteoprotegerin production, all pointing to increased bone production. Higher concentrations of honey, however, led to a decrease in bone health. Furthermore, the soaked scaffolds worked better than the incorporated ones, although the reason is unclear.

Next the researchers tested whether the growth of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus is inhibited by manuka honey. To do so, they soaked paper discs in different concentrations of honey and added them to bacterial lawns. To their surprise, none of the concentrations were able to prevent bacterial growth. Similarly, the honey-soaked scaffolds were unable to prevent bacterial growth, even though the bacteria were not able to attach to these surfaces.

"It was striking that we needed ten times the amount of antibiotics to kill the bacteria and some still survived," Dewey said.

Iron deficiency suppresses important arm of the innate immune system

German Cancer Research Center, February 16, 2023

Two proteins ensure that cells can take up iron when needed. If both control proteins are switched off in mice, the animals develop severe anemia, as expected. Surprisingly, at the same time a cell type of the innate immune defense, the neutrophils, also dramatically decreases, as scientists from the German Cancer Research Center now have shown for the first time. Iron deficiency, a known defense mechanism against infectious pathogens, is a double edged sword, as it simultaneously curbs the defensive power of an important arm of the innate immune system.

The iron supply to the cells is controlled by the two proteins IRP-1 and IRP-2. If the cell lacks iron, IRP-1 and IRP-2 crank up the production of the various iron transporter proteins that take iron into the cell. IRP-1 and IRP-2 also ensure that an equally dangerous excess of iron does not occur.

IRP-1 and IRP-2 are essential for survival: mice lacking both control proteins during embryonic development die while still in the womb. But what happens when IRP-1 and IRP-2 fail in adult mice? A team led by Bruno Galy at DKFZ has now investigated this in mice whose IRP production can be shut down by injecting a drug.

As the researchers had expected, the most striking change after IRPs were switched off was a pronounced decrease in red blood cells. Due to the lack of hemoglobin, these erythrocytes reached only a minimal size.

However, the researchers were surprised to see that white blood cells also decreased extremely. Closer examination revealed that this decline was mainly due to a deficiency of neutrophils. These immune cells account for up to two-thirds of white blood cells in humans and are an important component of the innate immune system.

This decline is not a caused by a mass death of neutrophils, but a developmental blockade in the hematopoietic system: the precursor cells in the bone marrow no longer develop into mature neutrophils, as this differentiation process is apparently iron-dependent. Other types of white blood cells, such as monocytes, were not affected by the IRP-dependent developmental blockade.

About Gary Null

An internationally renowned expert in the field of health and nutrition, Gary Null, Ph.D is the author of over 70 best-selling books on healthy living and the director of over 100 critically acclaimed full-feature documentary films on natural health, self-empowerment and the environment. He is the host of ‘The Progressive Commentary Hour” and “The Gary Null Show”, the country’s longest running nationally syndicated health radio talk show which can be heard daily on here on the Progressive Radio Network.

Throughout his career, Gary Null has made hundreds of radio and television broadcasts throughout the country as an environmentalist, consumer advocate, investigative reporter and nutrition educator. More than 28 different Gary Null television specials have appeared on PBS stations throughout the nation, inspiring and motivating millions of viewers. He originated and completed more than one hundred major investigations on health issues resulting in the use of material by 20/20 and 60 Minutes. Dr. Null started this network to provide his followers with a media outlet for health and advocacy. For more of Dr. Null’s Work visit the Gary Null’s Work Section or Blog.GaryNull.com In addition to the Progressive Radio Network, Dr. Null has a full line of all-natural home and healthcare products that can be purchased at his Online Store.

Find articles, videos, back radio broadcasts, books, and more at GaryNull.com.

https://garynull.com

Find Gary's vitamins and other supplements at Gary's Vitamin Closet.

https://www.garysvitamincloset.com

Hear Gary's radio show weekdays at noon Eastern Time on PRN.live

Disclaimer

While we have thoroughly researched the information we provide, and indicate its sources, information in this Gary Null Newsletter, and all Gary Null Newsletters, is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or other condition. Consult your medical professional before choosing any treatment or course of action. Gary Null Newsletters are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information it provides.

Let us know what you would like to see in Gary's newsletter. Email us at [email protected]

If you are not subscribed, go to: https://garynull.substack.com to subscribe.

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diamondcitydarlin · 2 years

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all personal feeling/preference aside, I really feel like one of the bigger cruxes of the shipping debates is caused by the confusing tonal switch the show takes around the end of episode 3 (I know this has been talked about to death but this is just my stream of consciousness rn ok). The Loki series starts off establishing the dynamic between Loki and Mobius; apart from Mobius and Ravonna's 'friendship', some interactions with B-15, and some expository moments with other TVA folks (like Casey), there aren't really any other focal characters or dynamics and it stays this way for the first two, rather lengthy episodes. The audience is essentially being told 'these are the two main characters of this story and it will begin and end with them and their dynamic', so this is doubly unfair to people who 1) may not have liked the dynamic bc idk why you'd think after watching the first 2 eps that the show would be about anything else other than this and a character journey for Loki (and time travel), 2) people who did like the dynamic because after the 2nd episode, guess what, it's not really a thing after that. You'd have no way of knowing that from the FIRST TWO EPISODES of a 6-part series.

It's not that Sylvie is inherently a problem- at least not to me, I love the idea of everything she could have been and that's generally how I think of her- it's that the show takes an abrupt turn from not only focusing the heart of the story around a particular dynamic, but it also begins to prioritize Sylvie's pain and struggle at the expense of literally every other character, including the two the show led us to believe were going to be the most important to the narrative. The set up in episodes one and two for this series to be an opportunity for Loki to take a hard look at himself and grow as a character as a result of his new circumstances is just about completely forgotten because it seems enough to the writers that he fall in love with a female version of himself that he met 12 hours prior- character development speedrun!! Once Sylvie shows up, everything in the show seems to readjust to orbit solely around her and the pain only she is justified to have. Which, honestly, would be FINE if they had just established from the first episode that this would be the direction of the show (soidknowtostopwatchinginthefirstfiveseconds). Maybe call it 'Sylvie' instead or make her more clearly the MCU version of Enchantress and give her her own series like Agatha.

anyway it creates endless roundabout arguments of who goes best with whom because...there isn't really a good answer to that in terms of what the show gave us (see: trash). The Loki that later falls head over heels in love with Sylvie and forgets his previous 500 personalities entirely isn't really the same Loki that had scenes with Mobius prior, because Loki was rendered to caricature playdoh that molded around whoever his scene partner happened to be and whatever goals Michael had in mind at the time. There isn't anything very consistent about him in his own namesake show, there is no real arc or linear growth we can track just, 'now he's this' and 'oh but now he's this' when it's not really clear how the character got from point a to point b.

That's not to say I didn't want to know about Sylvie and her pain- of course I did. I would so much rather have heard about and seen flashbacks of Sylvie's time in the palace, what her Thor was like, how deeply she grieves Frigga and how it drives her anger etc etc, I just wanted to see it depicted with the same approach as Loki's was, in that she isn't immune from being criticized by other characters or allowing the audience room to interpret her behavior for themselves rather than manipulating the narrative to frame her as justified in everything. If B-15, Mobius aNd Loki are made to look critically at themselves, so should she so as to be a fully three dimensional part of the ensemble.

This is also why I will maintain for the rest of time the Loki / Sylvie dynamic would have been better served as something platonic / more frenemy sibling-like at least at first...because for as much as the show REALLY WANTS Loki to hate himself, for as many chances as the show takes to make him cringe at his own behavior and that of his variants, they really did nothing in the way of explaining why Sylvie is not only an exception to the Lokis-hate-Lokis rule, she fucking makes one fall in love with her in matter of hours. How? I mean, they had fun banter and there was a suggestion of them eventually getting along better but nothing that would convince me true love happened right there on apocalypse planet, that now suddenly every motive that Loki has is purely, selflessly in favor of Sylvie, a presumed Loki variant that he has already expressed intimidation towards for being more elusive than him. (What happened to him feeling threatened by her...? He just kinda forgot I guess?) The only explanation is that she enchanted him and we'll find that out in season 2, but I'm not holding my breath. It'd be a dope twist tho tbh and would explain so much.

so idk, Loki (tv show) sucked, and that's mostly because it had every opportunity to be something new, refreshing, a show for more marginalized members of the Marvel viewer base, hell maybe even profound, and it took none of them 🙃

#antisylki #lokius #-continues to rattle into the void about why this show sucked-#-even tho it deserves none of my breath or time-#this is what happens when shows with so much potential fall flat #there is nothing worse!!#im tyra banks #I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU HOW DARE YOU

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