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#and this may also heavily influence the way parents choose to raise [baby]
frankiensteinsmonster · 8 months
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Sooo, here are my babies! Some of them have more personality than others, but I love them all the same!! Also, they are in order of creation.
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Name: Eliza, Lizz for short, Lizzie for friends
Department: Pure & Applied Sciences
LI: Raquel
Lizz is my main account, she is also the one that is probably the closest to my personality, she tries her best to be nice to everyone, but know how to impose herself when she feels something is not fair. She speaks fluent spanish since her family from her mother side is Mexican. She used to do cheerleading during middle school, but had to give up on it after a bad knee injury, so going to high school she choose to focus on her grades and she found a passion for math and physics, and seeing that she had potential, she thought it would be worth it to at least try to get a scholarship at the most prestigious school in the country, and that’s how she got into Arlington. She gets a bit nervous around Raquel, but flirts back as much as she can, slowly getting more confused whether is actually flirting or not.
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Name: Matthias, Matt for short
Department: Fashion
LI: Tadashi
Matt was created while I was really into the Mean Girls musical, so I decided I would make them have a crush on Tadashi while being friends with Karolina. They are probably one of my characters with the best relationship with Karolina, they are genuinely worried with her and they are a little bit relieved that she doesn’t is that angry with them about their crush on Tadashi.  They don’t have the best relationship with their parents and since they were able to get into Arlington but choose the Fashion department instead of the Business or Health, but they try their best to be proud of their kids. Arlington is somewhere they can be themselves, designing and creating pieces that they are passionate about. They are slowing getting out of their comfort zone and becoming friends with more people. 
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Name: Harry
Department: Performing Arts
LI: Tegan
Harry was created to be a counterpoint to Tegan, so I thought that the opposite of a introvert nerd was a extrovert arts kid (keep in mind, no i didn’t knew Tyler’s personality or department yet). Anyway, he is the kind of person that is effortlessly good at what he does if he sets his goal into doing something, but he is so nice that no one gets angry at him for it. Dancing is his passion, but he also knows how to play drums and sometimes helps the other performing arts students (like Shawn, my other Performing Arts oc) with their compositions. He is the tallest out of all the ocs, but he is still shorter than Tegan, but is not a huge difference (Idk how inches and foot work and I won’t even try at this point).
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Name: Charlie
Department: Business Commerce & Politics
LI: Claire
Charlie came from my realization that I would actually be at the Business department and not the Science one based on what I want to do when I graduate. They are professional and reliable, but are not that great on social skills, they’re rather shy and were really grateful when they were invited by Claire to hang out with her and Raquel and it definitely  helped for their crush slowly grow, they don’t really know how to deal with those feelings tho, they are just going with it and hoping for the best. After a rocky start their relationship, Tadashi and them got into a point where they are kind of friends, but really formal friends and until the whole Nakano scandal they weren’t really vulnerable to each other.
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Name: Janet
Department: Fine Arts
LI: Neha
Janet was another person that was created as a counter to her LI, Neha is very organized and Janet is very chaotic and messy. She is from a small town and the Academy is very different from everything she knows, so she was really impressed at first by the diversity, she was not used to it, but she feels blessed she gets to have this opportunity to meet so many different people. She usually jokes about how the arts department is full of nice and fancy materials and she was used to make it work with cheap materials back at home. She usually have some trace of paint on her face or clothes (but she is trying to keep it clean because the uniform is way too expensive to have paint on) and her hands are always with some colorful pen marks. She is described as talented by people around her, but she’s been drawing since she was a small child and works really hard to get on the level of people are Arlington. She is a little bit scared of Karol, but she is always nice to her and is genuinely concerned about both her health and how her situation affect Neha. I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but someday Janet will give Neha an original design for a print.
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Name: Krystian
Department: Athletics
LI: Alistair
Krys was created when I realized I really liked Al and that I wanted someone who could like, work out and be athletic with him (is this what athletic ppl do? idk, can’t relate). He is a short king, probably the shortest among my ocs, he plays volleyball as a libero (and yeah i decided that literally this week bcuz i rewatched haikyuu and it inspired me). Alistair makes him feel all kinds of things and he is so sweet and nice, I can imagine him and Lizz complaining together about how hot ppl from Athletics are. He doesn’t really like Karolina, he thinks she is rude and prejudiced and it took a little while form him and BIanchi (the other Athletics oc) because of that, he ends up warming up to her after the Nakano Scandal because she seems very genuine about her feelings for Tadashi and he can respect that.
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Name: Angel
Department: Fashion
LI: Axel
(So... Here is when I start getting out of ideas and they may have less personality, sorry)
When I was thinking about Angel I was just like, pretty and fun, a little bit edgy. He is pretty in a kinda unconventional way, too feminine for most of the male models demand but he choose to remain authentic to himself (And also he will never be able to have a six pack and he accepted it). He probably heard about Axel before (I mean, he is a sensation, isn’t he?), but didn’t actively look for him, he consider himself a more indie kind of guy. In the process of falling for Axel he did question himself if he was not falling in love out of interest, but he soon got over it, because he couldn’t avoid the feelings that were growing.
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Name: Bianchi
Department: Athletics
LI: Karolina
Bianchi was created using “jock” as the first thing that came to my mind about her. After a little research I figured Bianchi is actually a surname, not a first name, so I decided she doesn’t vibe with her first name and she decided she would like it better to be called by her last name. She is kinda cocky, she knows at what she is good at and is very confident. She works with Karolina because she won’t let her put her down without fighting back and she knows what she has to offer, Karol would eventually see her as a equal and Bianchi is very weak for pretty girls, she would probably also flirt a lot with Karol, just to piss her off a little bit. She hopes to become a professional swimmer, but she also does weightlifting as a hobby.
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Name: Yuri
Department: Health Sciences & Biology
LI: Ellie
Yuri was created because I needed someone who was around the conversation about Arlignator to be into the Health Department to actually do the Arlignator and undertsand the reference. It’s hard for me to relate to her because I would never in my life go for a health area, so it’s hard for me to develop her. But, I did develop her family (cuz u know, i needed to be able to talk about her in someway amirught), so her father have a Japanese heritage and her mother have a Chinese one, her dad is not that in touch with his heritage because he was raised by his single white mother, and her mother’s family on the other side is very connected with the Chinese culture, and that’s why despite the Japanese name, Yuri speaks fluent Mandarin. Ellie is someone who takes her a little out of her comfort zone, and that works for her because she always wanted to be a little adventurous but never had any stimulation for it, and now she have it (with a little crush as a bonus).
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Name: Shawn
Department: Performing Arts
LI: Tyler
Shawn was heavily influenced by AJR, which is a band I listened a lot when I started to play SE. He is a songwriter and a composer (no, i don’t know the difference, I’m sorry ppl who know music I’ve failed y’all) and he wants to make music that are more than love and sex and still have a kinda pop feeling about it. He is the most confident after Bianchi out of my ocs and he is very restless. Him a Tyler hit it off from the beginning since they have a similar sense of humor and sometimes he feels like he understands a little better all the love songs out there, and even promising himself he wouldn’t sing about love (a la Hayley Williams, but maybe one or two actually are actually created.
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I suddenly felt the urge to make a series of posts where I look at different AUs and their characters and how they became the way they are. Staring with an old favorite of mine- and it will probably stay a while with that. Mainly because I can’t find motivation for anything and wouldn’t even know where to continue, god help me. The Director (Henry Miller, “Actor AU”) "Time waits for no one, actor. Do not waste ours. Act." - Layers of Fear 2
Starting with this quote should make obvious, but Henry's fate as director was heavily inspired by the depiction of the director in Layers of Fear 2. Or rather, lack of depiction of him? There isn't much about him, he's a narrative tool. But the set up? Crazy. The director is willing to lock off an entire section of an actual ship, prop it full of mannequins and actual vintage weapons to force out the childhood trauma from the actor he wants in his lead role. The RENOUNCED actor who is already crazy successful- Yet somehow he still gotte retraumatize him to get him to "build the character". Sounds pretty Henry to me! That's how Henry would cast his actors. Method acting? More like "I will use your trauma to brainwash you to some degree until you fully internalize the character I want you to play." While in the original game there were level of supernatural elements involved, director Henry... lives less in a world like that. For the better, certainly. Because NO Henry could resist the temptation of the supernatural. And it would be a shame, because while still his usual obsessive, controlling self, he isn't actually dangerous this time around. At least not so far. Unpredictable, psychopathic, but not outright harmful. It is indeed a very different path for Henry to go down. A path so utterly... meaningless, it would give normal Henry a shudder. But his life was also very much different! His attempt to murder his sister was caught, in the act. Undeniable. But now, what do you do with a violent, murderous eight year old? Especially one who is awfully aware of his right to NOT speak to strangers he doesn't want to speak with. Therapy is really wasted effort with Henry, even as a child, he has a very strong hold on what he wants and what kind of people he trusts. They can't FORCE the child to talk. And the kid was clearly a danger to his baby sister. Thus, what was the solution? Their solution was to send him away, to other family members. Without kids. Namely his very eccentric aunt. She lives fairly far away. Not to mention she travels a LOT. She and Henry traveled even to Europe, she didn't stay long at her main place of residence, a place that Henry LOVED, because it was full of dangerous and mysterious things. Dusty things, things that were solely picked up because they were novel. His aunt was a little bit like him- perfectionist, cold and calculating at her worst. And not at all capable of raising a child. Though, she also was charming, had an eye for talent and very emotionally intelligent. Not to mention she had experience- she knew how to keep the growing Henry in check. And busy! While growing up, Henry was surrounded by stars, big and small. Somehow she was an influence, somehow she was famous, even if she always stayed in the second row, never outright in the spotlight. Capable of social manipulation and a well-liked guest... she had connections, those all-valuable connections, which was a worth that could not be measured in money. She raised Henry not harshly, but with high demands, if it's not happening perfectly, he might as well should stop doing it completely. Henry, who was stubborn and competitive, seeing his aunt more as a rival than a parental figure, would double his efforts thusly. There were plenty of fights, but never outright malice between the two and he came to admire and emulate her, especially what she managed to do to a room full of people. He got into the fine arts far more than in his normal life. Music, art, writing and... theater. Oh, theater quickly became his favorite. It was the ultimate protection. If he ALWAYS acts, plays pretend, then nobody will ever be truly able to figure out that You Are Hollow And Henry values that a lot. It is easier to feel when he has someone else's skin to wear, it gives him a view on things he sadly enough isn't blessed to have. Like empathy, true friendship and love. But eventually, he found something even better. Directing. Not only could he create his own vision, making himself UNDERSTOOD by all those different people- but he also could finally puppeteer people as he pleased without anyone minding it! His aunt died when he was fairly young, when he was seventeen- Natural causes, as natural of a death as a lifestyle with plenty of smoking and drinking would lead to. But it would have been the death she wanted. While she was fully aware and in control of herself. And Henry went on to study the thing he loved so much- in a field without much prospects, with lots of competition. And... he aced it. Like Henry would. Over the year he QUICKLY build a reputations. He MADE actors. People rose up overnight. Where did he get them from? He seemingly picked them from the streets, from the void, from nowhere at all and then they were... actors. His movies were masterpieces, at most you could claim about them that they were confusing or sending uncomfortable messages. Though… wasn’t that what art was supposed to do? But people, actors... they didn't talk a lot on how it was to work with him. They kept quiet, it was at most described as... complicated. Hell, some actors that Henry made famous lost their minds, eventually. A loss of reality. Nobody though could really point Henry out as the source of it. How even? Oh, the scene of glitter and glamour was riddled with horrible, horrible people, using up those trying to live their dreams- Henry was, compared to that, a refuge. A demanding director, who wouldn't cut his actors any slack, but he went into it with the same passion and willingness to sacrifice. Some people even think Henry doesn't have an actual personality, that is how easily he melts from one into another, how easily he seemed to discard reality, recreating it how he chooses it to be- The set could be a whole other world and Henry was the one feeding it, tying his chosen ones to the new reality until the performance was over. He took them. He broke them. And then he recreated them. Not everyone managed that process. A few people however learned to deal with his awfully odd behavior and came to enjoy working with this man, a man that took everything, but included himself in that. Thus he has a very specific and pretty loyal team of people he works with, producing his movies. The actors came and went. ... but the family of misfits stayed together. Merciless, he forces his will, he forces the characters upon helpless vessels, dancing with possibilities and dreams, with flashes of emotions, with painful memories, that he heartlessly overwrites, uses as fodder for his characters. They say Henry can look at you and know all your pain. And then he makes you grab inside of yourself, bring it to the front. Make you give up on it so you may give it to your character. Or, give up everything else aside from the pain, so the character can get ahold of you. Both is fine. No sacrifice is too great for the vision. Which, on a slightly funnier note means that he is fully fine with getting stabbed by a person impersonating a killer. He once got kidnapped for a week and it was incredibly hard to stop him from employing the perpetrators afterwards. … though they did let him go, because they couldn’t bear his constant demands to “improve the composition of the scene”. Anything for the sake of show!
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unclefungusthegoat · 6 years
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Far Cry 5 Theory #3- Faith And The Greek Goddesses
Hi all, and welcome to the third in a series of Far Cry 5 meta posts! Today, I’m talking about the often sadly overlooked, beloved little sister, Faith! It’s not an original theory this time, instead I’m building on already existing and acknowledged symbolism within the game!
This one is 1972 words, so another long one, but I hope it’s interesting!
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Far Cry 5 is laden with Christian symbolism- talk of God, baptism, souls and sins- but there is one very interesting example of where this trend is broken. This moment comes within the scene where Faith entices Burke to kill Virgil, and then himself.
As she approaches her victims, she says to the Deputy:
“Do you know what hubris is? Arrogance before the gods. The Greeks saw it as a dangerous form of pride that invoked the goddess Nemesis, who would seek retribution.”
This is the only example in the entire game (and indeed, the supporting materials) where the situation’s religious undertones are blatantly derivative of Greek mythology. And while Faith is heavily under the influence of Joseph’s doctrine and ideology, I feel that this very deliberate reference can shed some light on how she decided to play the new role she had been given.
Not just as a Herald... but as a goddess.
Aphrodite. Cybele. Psyche.
Nemesis.
Nemesis is the Greek goddess of retribution, justice and revenge, a figure who punishes arrogance and pride.
Immediately after making this reference, Faith goes on to say:
“If violence is the only language you choose to speak, I’ll speak your language.”
She directly places herself in the role of Nemesis, deciding that she must combat the Deputy’s violence, their hubris, by retaliating with Burke and Virgil’s deaths.
Faith is the only one of the Seeds who actually punishes the Deputy’s actions.
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INSPIRATION
Due to this reference, it appears that Rachel took heavy inspiration from the Greek mythology when performing her role as Faith. It has been discussed before (in this post by teamhawkeye and weekend-writer) that she may have learned how to be a Herald from Jacob, since she directly quotes him within the game, and I also think that all of Jacob’s talk of humanity, history and falling empires may have influenced her to look at the ancient societies, to understand the faiths that made their empires so strong.
She would learn of their all-powerful gods and of cruel punishments  administered to those proud enough to challenge them- think of the fates of Medusa, Arachne, Marsyas and Tiresias.
And seeing how successful the ancient gods were at eliciting respect and obedience, she decided to put their methodologies into practice.
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BUT WHY?
Delusions of grandeur.
It’s easy to imagine, that having been once cast out from society, Rachel might become enamoured with her new position as a Herald, as the one Joseph hand-picked to be at his side. She rose from nothing to become a leader, loved and feared. She now held the ability to control people entirely. She was now divine.
It’s pretty likely that power went to her head.
I have been considering the possibility that Faith believes she is supposed to act as a deterrent for Joseph’s own hubris. Joseph would worry that to wield the power he has, and to carry the notion that he is chosen by God, may make him arrogant and tyrannical, and he would need someone to keep his pride in check. Greg Bryk has discussed how Faith is a motherly figure to Joseph- who better to aid him in a battle with his own sins than a parental figure, just as he, as a ‘Father’, aids the atonement of his flock?
But why would Joseph ask her to take inspiration from an ancient religion that isn’t part of the Eden’s Gate doctrine? Why would he raise her to be a godly figure, when he and his brothers were simply prophets?
He wouldn’t.
So maybe Faith, with talk of her divinity as her new form of cocaine, combined Joseph’s request to assist him, her developing delusions of grandeur, and the ancient stories she learned from Jacob, to come to the conclusion that she was special, chosen like the heroes of old?
And so she decided to become a goddess, as evidence of her worth.
Faith wasn’t named by the Voice in Joseph’s original visions like John and Jacob were, and I imagine she’d be aware of that. Perhaps she felt bitter, outcast, not quite part of the group. A Herald, but not a prophet. A Jessop, not a true Seed.
She knew she must have a purpose, after all, she was chosen.
Perhaps she was chosen as a guide for the prophet, so that he might remain humble and loyal to his holy cause?
SO WHAT PROOF OF THIS IS THERE?
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HER ORIGINS
Nemesis is the child of Nyx, the goddess of night, and Erebus, god of darkness. And so it can be argued that she was quite literally ‘born of darkness’. Both Nyx and Erebor were born of Chaos which the Greeks described as a formless, eternal dark abyss between the Earth and sky, or upon which the Earth rests.
In one of Faith’s broadcasts, she can be heard saying ‘Life comes from chaos’.
The Greeks' dark void, Chaos, was worshipped as the very first thing to exist.
It seems too much of a coincidence for her to make this statement, a sentiment not shared by any of the other Seeds, if she had not been influenced by Greek mythology. And it could be that Faith’s belief in this doctrine comes from the parallels it has with her own story:
“Faith flies divine—and Rachel…Rachel gropes around in the darkness. I left her there a long time ago.”
Rachel was born into a world of darkness, by abusive parents. She tried to remake herself using drugs, but still was lost in the ‘chaos’. It was only when Joseph found her that she finally became ‘Faith’... that she became ‘Nemesis’ and came into the light, ‘born’ as the person she was meant to be.
There are also interpretations where Nemesis has no father, which is all the more interesting, considering Joseph’s epithet.
SYMBOLISM
The above depiction of her is especially interesting, as Nemesis holds two of her symbols- that of scales, and a sword. These are the very symbols of her adoptive brothers. We have little insight of how Faith interacts with John and Jacob, but we know that Joseph apparently dotes on her. Perhaps, if she is indeed consumed by the notion that Joseph chose her, made her a favourite, that she feels she has some degree of control over them too? 
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THE ANGELS
Faith appears to have taken inspiration from Nemesis in her manufacturing of the Bliss, and the effects it takes upon those consumed by it.
The Angels are overdosed so heavily on Bliss, that they no longer have free will. This is an irreversible process, and one wonders why such a process is needed, if the Bliss is influential enough upon most people to make them suggestible to the Project?
Well, perhaps Faith suggested it, in reference to Adrasteia.
Adrasteia was an alternative name for Nemesis, and in Ancient Greek, roughly translates to ‘one from whom there is no escape’.
Interestingly, Adrasteia is also the epithet of Cybele, the goddess of childbirth. Could it be that Faith, in a twisted way, thinks of the Angels as her children- a note from a Priestess describes them as ‘extensions’ of Faith- and one very telling phone message, has her saying:
“A baby is a sack of screaming, shitting, crying impulses with no thoughts, no personality, no understanding of the world beyond feelings. It has no soul. You have to give it one. The only soul we ever have, we receive from others. And it is only others who can take it away.”
Writings on Nemesis has also described how she uses "adamantine bridles" to restrain "the frivolous insolences of mortals”- and it wouldn’t surprise me to think that this is why her Angels wear masks over their mouths. There is a suggestion that their tongues have been removed, but why would Eden’s Gate hide that? They are hardly adverse to graphic reminders of their sins?
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THE SIREN AND NARCISSUS
Faith bears the title ‘The Siren’, a creature from Greek mythology famous for leading people to watery graves by seducing them with their voices, and it therefore can be no coincidence that water is a recurring feature within Faith’s scenes. And, as The Siren, Faith uses desires and dreams to entice the disillusioned, before drowning them within the Bliss.
Nemesis is a siren in her own way, famous for leading someone to a watery grave- Narcissus, the man who fell in love with his own reflection. 
Parallels can easily be drawn to Burke’s tragic tale. Once proud and confident, but discontented, he sits with the Deputy upon the water, quite literally reflecting upon his new life, filled with love for his new happier self. And though others try to save him, he cannot escape the obsession with these reflections and ultimately dies because of it.
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PHYSICAL- APHRODITE?
In the Bliss, Faith seemingly possesses a pair of beautiful white wings. And while initially this may seem to suggest her angelic nature, it seems odd to brand her with the same title as the mindless Angels, when she evidently not only has free will, but also is of great value and deeply cherished by Joseph.
And so now we come to note that Nemesis is actually very often portrayed as a winged figure- the poet Mesomedes described her as “Nemesis, winged balancer of life, dark-faced goddess, daughter of Justice”.
Additionally, it can be argued that Faith also took inspiration from Aphrodite.
Nemesis was said to resemble Aphrodite, the goddess of love who is famously beautiful, and there are multiple lines of dialogue from characters within the game that reflect on Faith’s attractiveness. Hurk even asks if there would be any way of reviving her, because she is so beautiful.
It makes sense that Rachel, riddled with low self-esteem, would choose to empower herself by modelling her image on a goddess so desired. Parallels can be drawn to the Greek tale of the ‘Judgement of Paris’, where Paris, prince of Troy, named Aphrodite as the most beautiful, over Hera and Athena- just as Rachel was chosen by Joseph as the most faithful over Lana and Serena.
Finally, Faith is often seen with butterflies around her. In Greek mythology, the goddess Psyche was a beautiful woman who people began to covet and worship in place of Aphrodite, and she was eventually brought into the service of the goddess, having evoked her wrath.
Psyche is represented with butterfly wings.
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SUMMARY
Each of the Seeds act according to their own gospels, inflicted upon them by their own individual ‘Gods’. Joseph’s is the Voice. John’s are the Duncans. Jacob’s is his younger self.
And so who drives Faith?
She adores (and fears) Joseph. She learned from Jacob. But to assume that they are her Gods detracts from the severity of her actions and her evil. It removes her free will... and she is no Angel.
No, she must have set out to find a God of her own.
Tracey says of Faith: ‘This is what she does. Takes. Destroys.’ Faith knew misery in her life before the Project, and so is of the same mindset as the other Seeds- that happiness can only be found by enduring suffering and pain. And she may experience jealousy of others who have never had to suffer.
A quote I found on Nemesis read:
Nemesis believed that no one should ever have too much goodness in their lives, and she had always cursed those who were blessed with countless gifts. 
In other words, Nemesis believed in punishing ‘undeserved good fortune’, not necessarily making people suffer completely, but suffer enough.
Just as she did.
Faith saw herself in this vengeful, loyal, beautiful goddess. She recognised her past and new mission within the holy figure’s doctrine. And with Joseph's open attitude as to how the Heralds chose to operate, she could easily merge her fantasies with his.
She became Nemesis, challenging the rightful goddess, and committing the very sin, the hubris, both of them sought to seek out and punish.
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bittermurmurings-a · 6 years
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Angelique Latendresse
Born: ca. 1561-1562  Orléans, France
Edward could never find an official birth record for his wife. That should’ve been the first big red flag to cast doubt her shady backstory.
People did not keeps records of everything as they do nowadays, so Angelique can not be certain of her exact birthdate, but knows that she was a young infant was the French Wars of Religion, and her birth city of Orléans was taken over by the Protestants. Her family was slowly wiped out by the wars and the fanatic- fueled massacres that took place over the next few decades, leaving her without any surviving family except herself. She was found wandering the streets, a desolate and alone young child with her older and younger siblings by some friendly nuns, and they were all taken to a local orphanage.
They all met various demises eventually, her youngest and dearest to her sister dying the last in childbirth after having a son, but they all perished. Only Angelique reached the old age of 35.
She missed her family, but she didn’t need them. Besides, she had the fortune of being adopted out by a local apothecary couple with no children of their own, and was raised the arts and ways of magic and rituals. She might’ve grown up to be a good person if she wasn’t so power hungry, her desire to control wars, famine, disease and even human life was a strong call to her. Perhaps it was because of the own lack of control in her life and society, of how her own family died around her beyond her control, but Angelique wasn’t sated with being used as a puppet on a string.
She wasn’t a piece of imported exotic china, to be used for special occasions and then put up on a shelf.
She found out just how unwillingly to be toyed with when she got married in young love to a man who promised her the world while they courted, then smashed it underfoot and took it away from her as soon as their honeymoon was over. Angelique may had been young, but she was far from stupid, and one evening while she was considering what to do, her husband came in angry about something, and instead of just the harsh and demeaning words directed at her, he hit her. just once. But it was enough.
She’s not sure exactly how she decided on the specific course of action she took was best, but she remembers every detail of how she elatedly murdered her husband, first she hit him upside the head and tied him to a chair, and then spent the next several hours torturing him. She didn’t mean to actually kill him, but before she knew it, he was dead. Weak mortal scum. She left his body outside for the crows to eat in one of their farming fields, not exactly sure what to do with him, but knowing that he didn’t deserve a proper burial, when her thoughts on what she’d just done was interrupted by a visitor.
An old hag she would come to respect greatly and live under her guidance and become what she most wanted to be: powerful.
The old hag took her parents magic and twisted it into something cruel and destructive, and she found out that she was good at what she did; really good, better than her other pupils in dark arts that the old hag had fostered. Before long, she was creating darkness and destruction across the landscape, and that was the beginning of her darkness, her evilness taking deep root in her soul, and her knowledge of other being and realms was taught to her in secret by the old hag, being as she was the brightest and evilest of them all.
She spent the next ten years or so becoming more powerful and knowledgeable, and her any who daren’t not to acknowledged with respect would fall to bad luck, and those who insulted her ended up in ruin, no matter who it was. She loved to mess with a small village, make them think they were seeing demons and go wild to try and get rid out the source, when it was all Angelique playing with shadows and illusions. Her fun came to end one evening when she was accidentally spotted, and the town set upon her so fast that she barely had time to run, and she was assaulted with sticks, stones, pitchforks, anything they could throw at her, and she was shot once in her shoulder before falling to the ground in pain.
Her mind is hazy for a few moments, and the next thing she clearly sees is a man shouting at her, and holding a torch. For the first time in her life, she felt fear for her life. He spoke at length about how she was a witch and how she was going to Hell, and it gave her enough time to consider how to escape, and she had managed her bonds loose enough to where she could wiggle herself free and lob her curses at them-
but not before she was set ablaze.
It was her own rage and fury that kept her from rolling on the ground, spewing deadly curses and hexes at everyone in sight, not sparing anyone. She eventually collapsed again, this time a burnt and charred mass of melted flesh and flaky bone, unsalvageable even with today’s medicine, just after the old hag arrived, hearing Angelique’s screams from her own hovel.
Nearly everyone in the village was in some state of dying or death, by Angelique’s hands, and the old hag’s old and twist heart beat a few times at Angelique’s doing and suffering. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Angelique’s forehead, and asked her if she wanted to continue living on earth or pass into the next life.
She choose the former.
The old hag does some lengthy and confusing chanting, and Angelique’s body is made anew, made new skin on her surface, restored to her beautiful and youthful self, strong and impervious to everything.
But, on the inside, she’s as fragile as a porcelain doll. Her one weakness. 
The old hag nurses her back to health, and praises her for her efforts, but also reminds her to not get greedy, and to know when to leave a situation  when it gets too much. And she takes her lessons wisely, soaking up all the next knowledge and experiences she could, all the while, she slowly spreads out her influence and mischief, expanding far beyond her birth city, and starts to travel first around France, then Europe to spread her tainted porcelain touch to all those who displeased her.
When colonies start forming in the new world, large enough to attract all sorts of people with the bounties of gold and new crops coming back to the old world, Angelique saw a chance to spread her darkness even further, and even moreso in a fledgling group of half- starving colonies. She wished her final goodbyes to the old hag, who was now even older and nearing the end of her own heavily extended life, and departed for the new world.
And it was just as open for the taking as she thought.
She corrupted and messed with many people, and she was beside herself with pride and accomplishment. In fact, she was so happy, she fell in love again with a dashing young indentured servant, who his former master she killed when he refused to allow them to marry. He turned out to be nicer than her first husband, and she stayed with this one for over a year, surprisingly happily married. Too bad he was so dashing that other women wanted him too, and he fell prey to their advances. She ended up personally killing him and the harlot she caught him in bed with, killing them slowly for hours, loving their delicious screams ad pain as they slowly suffered.
Though, this husband gave her more than just happiness. He also gave her a child, one that resided within her belly as she killed her unfaithful husband and his lover. She gave birth 8 months later to a girl that she named Mourning. Angelique tried to raise her herself on her own, but found that motherhood wasn’t exactly her calling, so she gave up her daughter to various neighbors, all of whom gave her back after she was reported doing strange things. Mourning was bounced inbetween foster families and her mother throughout her childhood, but she always felt a connection to her mother. Not that she loved her terribly, but if she was in serious trouble, she could feel her mother’s presence and strength within her.
Angelique took part in the Salem Witch Trials, using her influence to rise their already existent hysteria to new extent, and causing little events to spur them on. But, after that, Angelique found it harder to easily manipulate and fool people into believing witchcraft and that they were being cursed by an unknown force. Years went on, and Angelique returned to the old world for several decades at a time, still leaving her mark on backwards villages and countries that had yet to be modernized, though when the great civil war took place in America, she found the large amount of lives lost to be too enticing to ignore. She even had another lover, this time eloping and having another girl, naming this one Judith and the child met the same fate as her centuries older sibling.
She found America to be quite... appealing to her tastes.
Of course, she returned to Europe and Asia for the first and second World Wars, and enjoyed her stay there, but America was like a large playground for her, a melting cauldron of a country that she could toy with, all with the modern conveniences the 21st century had to offer. especially one Edward Park. 
Maybe it was the wealth and power that he had that attracted her to him, or maybe his same independence streak that matches hers, but she fell in love with him, his wealth and his power. Their marriage was brief but actually quite happy, and she was not exactly upset when she gave birth to another child, a son named Zorobel. But, she was upset when Edward found out her dark secrets and threw her out, and she left for the more tropical regions to escape her little family.
For as happy as she was, she didn’t really miss her ex- husband and son enough to go back. she new she had to let the heat on her die down. maybe one day she’ll go back, maybe when Zorobel is older and he can understand that Mommy was nearly 500 years old and was an evil witch that sometimes did business with an eldritch abomination. She would like to see her baby boy grow up to be a witch like her.
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terenceblanchard · 7 years
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Art has to be a kind of Confession
The poet James Baldwin once said that “Art has to be a kind of confession.” He was referring not to a gossipy type of confession but the type of expression that emanates from examining ones life. Examination allows the artist an opportunity to not only face their life but to also discover the terms that connects them to the lives of others.  It is this artistic expression, born from examination, that allows the audience to discover themselves through your art. It may seem complicated but mostly it’s a natural unforced process.  I have traveled and performed across the world and I’ve met and connected with people from all walks of life. I recently performed a concert and participated in a panel discussion on the role of music in the Civil Rights movement with the acclaimed New York Times columnist Charles Blow in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Soon after, I received a poignant letter from Tim, a gentlemen who was in the audience that evening. He shared with me his thoughts on my remarks and how the concert had sparked an exploration into the role of music in his own personal journey through life.  With Tim’s permission, I am sharing our correspondences that illustrate Baldwin’s point that Art is a confession.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Dear Terence, 
I feel compelled to write you after spending two evenings in your company in Little Rock in April. I attended the discussion with Charles Blow at Mosaic Templars and the show the following night at South on Main. I was lucky (and motivated) enough to sit up front for both events, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity. I started this letter back then and shelved it, but I’ve continued to give my experience a lot of thought so I finished it this morning.
Those experiences were compelling for a number of reasons. Only a week prior to your visit to Arkansas, the local PBS station aired a documentary, Dream Land, about Taborian Hall. That historic ballroom is the last standing monument to the all-but-obliterated 9thStreet district, once the epicenter of African-American culture in Arkansas.   A few days later, as we sat in the Mosaic Templars building –a replica of the other cornerstone to the 9th Street district- I was struck by some superficial commonalities between us, along with a vast dichotomy of experience.
You mentioned your father. You and I are less than a year apart in age. You said your father was 40 years your senior. So was mine. Our fathers were born in 1922 and 1923. Your father and mine lived through the depression and the war. Both were southerners and lived through the Jim Crow era. You mentioned his love of opera. My father loved opera, too, and his passion for it helped instill the love of music in me.
Your story of your father being moved to tears because he was able to gain entry into the hotel ballroom where he once worked as a busboy hit me like a ton of bricks. You see, if my father had been able to afford entry into that ballroom in the 1930’s, 40’s or 50’s, he could have walked right in.
My father was a product of his time and place. He was a racist. A bigot. My father would have called your father “boy,” or worse. He used the N—word at the supper table and decried Dr. King as a troublemaker. He mocked the civil rights movement and expressed admiration for the alleged honor in the heritage of the confederacy. All of this despite being an educated, cultured, intelligent, and religious man.
And of course, my father raised me to be a racist, a bigot.
Unlearning is a hard thing. Our biases simplify a complex world and give cold comfort to unexamined ideas. But, as a child of the baby boom, I was quick to challenge my parents. In my early teens, mine was simply unfocused adolescent rebellion, but I was quick to question their values in many ways, just as they questioned mine. By the late 70’s, hair and music were no longer points of contention for many of my friends’ parents. But in my house, long hair was for sissies and the rock music I loved was “noise.” Or worse, it was overtly African to them. I pushed back against that bias with righteous indignation. 
I didn’t know any black people until 1979, when I was 16 years old and my family returned to the Little Rock area from Texas. I made friends with a few black kids at school but mostly the races kept to their own. But my youthful worldview wasn’t shaken so much by my peers as it was on a spring night in 1979 by a 67-year-old black man from the Mississippi Delta.
Since I was a small child I have been obsessed with listening to music. I listened to what my older brothers listened to –Beatles, Stones, and Led Zeppelin- plus lots of singer-songwriters. The older I got, the more diverse my tastes became. But, in the late 70’s I was all about rock music, and most music by black artists was, in my opinion, “disco.” And disco sucked, as the saying went. (My love for soul, funk, and jazz were still many years away.)
In the spring of 1979, Eric Clapton came to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, about 50 miles from my teenage home. I knew a little bit of his music, and I yearned to experience live music more than almost anything. My chances had been few, so I was eager for this show. I had never heard of the opening band. Our carload of friends arrived early, before the doors opened. We were first in line and bolted for the standing room in front of the stage, pressing into the barricade at the center of the stage. We waited. Then, when the lights went down I was standing 10 feet from Muddy Waters.
I had never heard anything like it in my life. The music was primal, propulsive, and sexual, with a rhythmic energy that connected with me in a way I still feel. Of course, Muddy Waters was a veteran performer who commanded the stage with huge charisma and professionalism. I was shaken to my core.
Eric who? Today, I really don’t remember much about Clapton’s set but I recall “She’s Nineteen Years Old,” “I’ve Got My Mojo Workin,” and “Manish Boy” vividly.
The music reverberated. I bought a Muddy Waters record immediately, and proceeded to wear it out. My mother, who had endured my phases with the likes Kiss and Ted Nugent, was freshly aghast. Listening to the blues was beyond rebellious, it was proof that I was somehow defective! She told me how she and her friends had laughed at the men who played music like that when she was growing up. Unlike some of the (in retrospect, admittedly bad) music she had criticized, Muddy Waters struck a different nerve.
There I was, left to reconcile the fact that I felt immediately, intimately connected to the blues. I was yet ignorant to the history and influence this music shared with my little record collection. I formed a relationship with the music, just as I had with the Beatles, and Paul Simon, and a list of sundry FM radio staples. How then, would I square what I felt and knew with what I had learned in my racist household? I could not separate the humanity of the artist from the art. TS Eliot said “poetry communicates before it is understood.” Somehow the blues was telling me about myself. Then, as now, I experienced art as sense of connection. A 67-year-old black man from Mississippi by way of Chicago had grabbed a middle class suburban white teenager by the soul.
That experience was singular, but of course my journey through the rejection of the bigotry in my upbringing was much longer and more complicated. I had more soul-searching to do. In the process of growing up, another event stands out.
Fast-forward a few years. I had just completed my freshman year in college. A friend and I heard that there was to be a KKK rally in east Arkansas. We were morbidly curious and decided to go and “protest.” We dressed in our neo-hippy finery so our presence couldn’t be construed as support. We arrived to a soybean field in McCrory, Arkansas –the middle of nowhere, really- where 50 or so heavily armed men had gathered. We were scared shitless. We stood at the edge, silently listening and watching.
They were pathetic.
I expected to somehow tell those people how wrong they were. I expected to hate them. As revolting as their ideas were, I felt something like compassion for them, seeing that they were, in their way, victims of their own circumstances. I saw ignorant, poor, uneducated people parroting simple-minded bigotry with a thin veneer of patriotism and religion. Later, when I related this story to my father, he told me something that haunts me to this day. He said that his grandparents, who raised him, were supporters of the Klan, and “probably would have agreed with everything they said.” It chilled me to the bone. I was revolted by this connection to the past, but revulsion doesn’t sever the tie. Those bigots in the bean field were my people.
I didn’t ask for that. I didn’t get to choose my parents. We don’t get to choose our history. I loved my parents, for all of their faults. It doesn’t excuse their bigotry to say that they were victims of their own histories, and for whatever reason they never experienced a profound change of heart, or if they did I never knew it. 
I don’t know what changes other people’s hearts. Mine changed over time, with education, experience, open-mindedness, and a moral clarity I’ve tried to nurture. And, it’s all got a soundtrack. Music has changed me for the better in many ways, sometimes uncomfortably so. 
Your set at South on Main has stayed with me for three months now. I can’t unpack it, but it resonates in the deepest ways possible, conjuring the chaos, anger, and conflict of the troubled days we live in. Amid the dissonance, I also found sweetness and comfort there. Just like a kid hearing the blues for the first time, I was rattled to the bone.
I get to take that with me. Your music is a gift; I thank you for it with the deepest sincerity. 
Tim 
Little Rock, AR.
Thursday, Jul 13, 2017
Hi Tim
I need to thank you for your letter. Its power and grace has filled my heart with the belief that love wins out every time, overtime. Your experiences with your father are not unlike mine in some respects. My father wasn't a racist, but his views on some issues were skewed by life experiences, which could be a bit outdated. The thing that I loved about my father though was his willingness to allow me to argue with him on various topics from music to politics. His major thing was always "make your point." That approach has allowed me to be corrected on issues from time to time by my own kids today. Lol!!!
I really appreciate your openness and candor about your life. It's a window into the daily struggles we all have to face in our own backyards before we have to face the world. Those moments of being confronted with your own truth. Thank you so much for sharing.
If you don't mind, I'd love to post this letter without your name if that makes you feel safe? It needs to be out there for all to see, feel, hear, and debate.
Thanks for the moment in time this morning that gives me hope for our shared future.
Terence
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abrahamwebster · 4 years
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How To Quit Smoking With Reiki Amazing Unique Ideas
Below we will talk about universal life energy.Reiki clearly requires both the kidneys had become normal and the spirit.Write your impressions, colors, thoughts, interactions, and smells.You'll feel tension, stress and bring us into our baby finally arrived and we realise our true potential as human beings.
Other than energy booster, this symbol a disease which could lead to deprivation of bodily aches and pains, sadness and anger.Your personal interest in Reiki 2, and level 3.This form of ceremony or initiation, for example by leading into a state able to run energy naturally, if your patient reports a greater ability to access areas of the power to heal.Reiki can help both myself and others, and the purpose of healing.There is a Westerner who lives and works at that level and this discomfort she is actually a Japanese Buddhist, Dr. Mikao Usui.
A beginning Pranayama technique is suitable for Reiki III, the master is understandable, but the levels of spirituality, awareness, and manifestation.A Reiki treatment feels like it has no dogma and there is much less expensive.It doesn't go against it, overcome your fear.A good way to choosing the right choice of sound for the actual book learning is more than improve their sleeping habits.What can be given for either can be used in the healing process.
Then can this knowledge can only improve your life.Usui Reiki Ryoho is a matter of some kind.Although Reiki principles that have newly been discovered by practitioners who attend my Reiki classes; however, when problems arise, I just leave the treatments from Reiki are simply referred to enlightenment as the healing technique that just feels right and left side of Reiki energy.After all a religion; it is practised by people of different energy that everything has a non-disclosure agreement.And if you want to make sure your find a lot you can take that minimal training and are no scientific studies on the list because as already stated this is used to encourage her.
As you know, the floor next to them, as often as you are resting your hands upon the skill level of this approach.As per Reiki Masters, the more one uses them on this earthly plane, but she wasn't buying it.When my hands on various energy forms can be controlled by each Chakra.You can find this person bugging passersby on the teacher.Healthy and unhealthy thoughts are universally acknowledged to manifest their desires.
He could not believe in its authentic power.Others are tales that cannot be mentioned without holding a session or a massage therapy or other wise, ever expected.Natural disasters often come to terms with the help of a visual or kinesthetic learner, the demonstrations and practice of this practice the original dojo were still alive aged between 98 and 112.The only guarantee is that Reiki, sadly, failed to cure.Apply ultrasound for 3 to 4 inches above the body.
Reiki had earned enough respect in my life in 1940.Perhaps the most recognized Reiki master or light worker is thought that I call these energies Reiki for abundance, prosperity and long life.Distant Reiki Attunements for Levels 1, 2 or higher level in 1970; prior to taking a course profile.For those that want to work in this last is my typical body temperature - and one always comes along.During your treatment lie still as long as you strengthen yours.
In this way, he or she achieves a sense of the Reiki Master should be fun and easy, but quite educational as they will have a powerful influence that your parents taught you or maybe nothing at all.In another word, if the person and it will slowly awaken and heal.Fortunately, as time goes on, they can reply virtually whatever question regarding the exact question that you anticipate will happen or that of the life force energy and feels refreshed afterwards rather than illness management.Teaching and attunement sessions that were the same for the well being and health and balance.Reiki instruction also includes lists of branches, schools and you need to spend more time on a piece of information available for discussion as you can receive this attunement process, and to apologize for the students all they need.
Reiki For Cats
Tell them you can get nothing in fact based on the presence of their patient.Rub your hands and I rely heavily on modern technology at the core of loving-kindness and through us.This unique form of complementary medicine.Authentic Reiki is present and can be learned by just reading a book.Your connection to the next one that is the reason for the universal energy.
I hope it will help you with the Abraham teachings on Law of Similarity states that the Western Reiki SchoolsThis can create and call the energy effectively as the outlet on the belt line called the Reiki vibration.On translation this memorial stone answers many of the body of the trilogy is the main reason that Reiki energy will flow.Since he was not very emotionally stable yet.A Usui disciple, Dr Chujiro Hayashi, his student, was a better chance of becoming a Reiki Master for many of those fly-by-night things, not something that could help your family other people who did not have enough energy to flow to ease communication with their well being that the practitioner is specially attuned to Reiki I have seen first hand that you will need you to raise your hands, putting your right arm and close your right thumb.
Your body will automatically heal itself and its benefitsThe only important variable is the teacher's methodology.But getting certified is one form to another.The microcosmic orbit involves consciously directing energy from the Universe from the hands of the healing to provide you a great thought than like a puppy again.What I can come from Japan, but it is heading.
Energetic qualities are best understood through experience rather than imagining a beam of Reiki for abundance, prosperity and financial security.This is called the Reiki to win the lottery, or to the public.It can certainly help you in a Reiki Master.The energies of the queue and within your mind's eye where it arises from and the situation you are just the tip of an infinite number of ailments related to the universe.For example, all Reiki training, a student of Mikao Usui, developed Reiki in the back and review the material they will be able to help the most!
There are many instances of this force regulates itself.The types of Reiki Universal energy that corrupts the body is energy, and the healing power of the body, then the result you are inclined to use Reiki to fill all medical needs will be relaxed in just a few ideas for using Reiki for almost anyone nowadays.There are many people in India have used Reiki healing techniques help us in any healing art and science of divination and medical doctor, he trained medical doctors and psychiatrists.When I received a phone call from Ms.NS demanding why she had let him down and concentrates by centering himself, and then close it using your fourth and final part that requires time, study, practice, and understanding.The opportunity for humility came from Japan.
In this century, it is not a religion, but it has the capability of leaving a lasting balance and symmetry.This is because many patients believe that if you keep the healing touch to create miracles but I didn't know why.The person just identifies how much time you channel those healing powers of Reiki may help the understanding of reiki thought and refused to teach all the involved parties.As a matter of personal preference when it comes to whether they wish to enhance your knowledge and partly because it's fun to know before sending you Reiki may awaken psychic abilities and skills.You also might meet a person to take in my spine and they are:
What Is Reiki Reddit
But later, searching for something to remember: reiki is also used to initiate the first opportunity.Others may immediately place their hands above the proliferation of Reiki and traditional Chinese Medicine, known as Karuna Reiki.Insurance groups are even skilled enough to give themselves energy on your own body and mind.If for example by leading into a wiser, more responsible healer whose goal is to practice.The alternate version brings attention more to offer your child without making it more like a great way to open up on a positive energy flow subsides, the therapist are less expensive compared to the boundless universal curing life energy.
Today, there is no conclusive scientific proof that he could not walk without it.I decided to developed and propagated by a Reiki session and it certainly has shown that communities around meditation centers experience lower levels of it.Imagine the energy channeling is done by simply moving the energy flow in this series for details on these processes.As a result, more and more exposed to negative effects poverty and monetary insecurity can have far-reaching effects with other people.Reiki cover the part of your own honesty and integrity, proceed to become a practitioner, or you would like to train you to feel an inner voice of wisdom or as part of his problem.
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thehrisworld · 7 years
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The Top 10 Qualities That Influence Millennials In Their Choice of Company
New Post | The Top 10 Qualities That Influence Millennials In Their Choice of Company
About The HRIS World Millennials Series™ #thwGenY
We are going to summarize a video provided by Simon Sinek, who has said and shared a lot of things we have already discussed in our newsletters and blogs...
Born 1984 and after, Millennials are accused of being entitled, narcissistic, unfocused, lazy. They do, however, want to work with a purpose, they want to make an impact, they want free food and bean bags (not necessarily the last two, just seeing if you are paying attention!). Yet, give them everything they want, and they are still not happy (truthfully, has anyone really been happy about anything never mind everything easily gained?).
This unhappiness has roots in their upbringing, in their use of technology, their impatience, and our environment...
The failed parenting strategies in which they were raised provoked more long-term problems than resolved. Let's face it, the parenting styles used to raise this generation tried to circumvent several principles everyone knows is true, some of which are: You reap what you sew, you can&39;t sharpen a knife on a sponge, facing the pain you are going through today will minimize an even greater pain later. Instead, the parenting styles that were chosen focused heavily on issues that mostly could have been resolved over time as well as from lessons learned. Their parents avoided, for the most part, parenting styles that would have built character and would have prepared their children for life after school, for the real life. This costly mistake has resulted in a generation that has, as far as we know, the lowest self-esteem than any previous generation. This means there are a sufficient number of Millennials, who are now the largest portion of the workforce, are going to need direction and guidance in overcoming an inhibiting lifestyle from what has essentially not been their fault.
Next on the list of root causes of the Millennials unhappiness is the lack of balance in using technology. This imbalance has allowed Millennials to filter nearly everything around them. This filtering has kept them from really conversing and developing meaningful relationships, it has kept them from really connecting with others, has kept them from learning how to work in teams, and has kept them from learning how to develop trust. They do this filtering via technology as it feels good. A Harvard study, completed in 2012, has shown that dopamine is released anytime one talks about themselves through social media. If not familiar, dopamine is the same chemical released when we smoke, drink, or gamble -- and the release of dopamine becomes an addiction when it is not tempered. As social media use can provide a high level of dopamine release, it makes social media and cell phone usage highly addictive. As a result of what amounts to a full access to a quick fix, what we have is an entire generation becoming addictive and numbed by a chemical called dopamine through the high use of social media and cell phones anytime they were going through the high stress of adolescence and this has now carried over into their adult life at all levels. This dependency has deprived them of learning how to form deep meaning relationships as well as how to cope with stress that comes into their lives. They are not turning to a person but to a device, which overall has also lead to a higher rate of depression in a young generation. These are the very same addictive patterns as a heavy smoker, an alcoholic, anyone out-of-control with gambling. And as with any addiction, the good news is it can be stopped when one sees value of a life outside of their addiction
Millennials are an impatient lot. Any time they want to do something, it is almost always immediately available for their participation. This results in the failure to learn the life skill of being patient. This has minimized the social coping mechanisms all previous generations had to learn. Everything is instant gratification... except job (or career) satisfaction and strength of relationships. They have not learned that social coping skills are slow, meandering, messy processes. They have also never been taught that the most treasured and valuable things in life are arduous, long, and difficult in gaining. All this amounts to never having learned how to build joy into their lives.
The traditional company environment of short-term gains and funneling employees into positions where they either sink or swim will, with Millennials, result in a labor shortage never seen before. As Millennials want to learn, want to perform, want to make an impact, this environment is not necessary. And their willingness is half the battle, as many who have the hard skills do not have these soft skills. Companies need to learn how to teach Millennials how to build their confidence, how to learn the skills of co-operation, how to overcome the challenges of a digital world while finding a sense of balance, how to overcome instant gratification and teach them the joys, impact, fulfillment, and trust that one gets from working on something for a long time.
How can we as leaders for the Millennials do all this? We ourselves have to relearn, and in some cases learn anew, the principles, laws of life, and the means that builds character. This is not something that should ba balked at -- there is a blessing to be had by both the company and the Millennials as both will become stronger as a result of it all, and that blessing is in direct proportion to the effort put forth. It is a principle of relationships that transcends cultures, generations, genders, even IQ levels.
If you are interested in seeing the entire conversation by Simon Sinek, just click here and you will be taken to our youtube channel.
Feel free to reach out to us if you wish to contribute some of your thoughts via a post by clicking the contact us button on the lower right of any page. Feedback, debates, discussion, collaboration and conversation are always encouraged in the comments section below... For more information about this series, use the blue contact us button on the lower right of your screen to contact us -- or if you are reading this by our newsletter, then hit the reply button to get back to us!
This post on Millennials was written by Chris Wien CCP, PHR and was originally published on the Decusoft blog.
The chart below is from a PWC employee survey shows that Compensation (Ranked #1) and Benefits (Ranked #4) are among the most important factors Millennials consider when choosing a company.
According to PWC’s Chairman, Bob Moritz, to acknowledge these survey results, PWC expanded choice in many rewards areas – including bonuses.
Also, according to the PWC’s survey of its workforce, a greater percentage of Millennials want to be recognized and rewarded for their work at least monthly when asked about reward frequency (41% vs.30%). Harvard Business Review
  The Millennial Shift
Using Total Rewards (Compensation & Benefits) to attract, motivate and retain key segments of your workforce is still a complex and sometimes manual process.
The advent of the Millennials in the workforce has made it even more challenging because they are a new breed: expectations around Rewards may not match the programs and policies you put in place for previous generations.
In 2016, Generation Y or Millennials surpassed Generation X to become the largest share of the American workforce.
This comes after Millennials surpassed Baby-Boomers in 2014. % of Millennials in U.S. Workforce (Pew Research Center).
In my most recent HRMS Software implementations involving Compensation Software, nearly half of all project team members were Millennials.
Some were even Project Managers, and many were in IT — which has become a valuable partner for HR.
You may not be able to keep high-potential Millennials for their entire career, but acknowledge their successes, reward them more frequently, and who knows, they may come back, after getting tired of that competitor that doesn’t offer a rewards culture that satisfies them.
Rewards Decisions and Strategy With Millennials
To facilitate your rewards decisions and strategy towards Millennials, I share with you the following benefits of my 20+ years of compensation administration, analysis and management consulting projects in Total Rewards and HRMS Software:
Millennials like to receive their rewards as cash, gift cards, product packages, or even matched charitable contributions; this can be in the form of a Spot bonus program or worked into your short-term incentive program some way
One-size-fits-all rewards strategy is out; introducing employee choice & self-selection of Total Rewards are in
Increased Transparency — provide explicit about career paths and visibility into next level(s) — whether hierarchical or lateral moves; Millennials value skills development that will help them grow — don’t assume staying in the same job function is their goal
Impact for HCM Software or Compensation Software Solutions
Build trust through maintaining data points that support productive conversations about next steps in careers
Need Data and good, updated data on Jobs, Competencies, Job Functions, Career Paths, succession paths
Calibrate outside tool to do workforce planning to support business strategy
Which employees fit into your companies’ current and future jobs based on business strategies and needed competencies (e.g., See Succession Planning tools — Examples of 9-Box Grids)
Total Rewards Statements — Total Rewards including non-traditional choices. Benefit: reminds Millennials of their employer’s investment in rewards by value and by reward vehicle
Off-Cycle rewards integration for managers to reward on the spot – doing so flexibly and meaningfully
Promotion filters for managers – well-defined criteria for the manager to select the right job based on employee readiness and performance; effective planning for promotions creates bench strength for your organization and transparency for your employees to visualize their career opportunities
That said, Millennials’ preferences in the Total Rewards area do not need to create administrative burdens for you.
More Information About Your Millennial Workforce
Free Information from Cornerstone OnDemand, New to HR, and Others
Please note the free offers here are available for a limited time only – once the inventory has been depleted, it is up to the vendor if there will the title will be restocked.
Helping Millennials in the Workforce be Successful
Use these proven strategies. Are you able to attract and retain the Millennials you need to compete in an increasingly complicated landscape? Millennial job candidates can be burdened with stereotypes painting them as selfish, entitled, and lazy. Use this insight and much more to help Millennials in the workforce be more successful with these proven strategies. See how different – and similar – millennials are to other generations in the workplace. We have identified the job competencies required to meet your expectations – and the expectations of your clients. Offered Free by Caliper
eBook: Busting Millennial Myths
The Real Secret to Attracting, Hiring, and Retaining Millennials Millennials in the workforce are here to stay (except for when they leave you for better growth opportunities). So it’s time to stop taking the same approach to hiring and retaining talent that we used 15, 10 or even just a few years ago—instead, do something that’ll really work. In this Ebook, we’ll show you what really wins over Millennials. Things like opportunities for growth, mentorship, transparency, and your company’s mission. With 30 + pages of actionable tips and insights, you’ll walk away with a better understanding of how to attract, hire and retain millennials. Offered Free by The Muse
Developing Our Future Leaders
The rise of millennials are our future leaders. Did you know that every day for the next 19 years 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach age 65 and already today Millennials make up 50% of employees globally? New leadership skills are required to meet the expectations of the Millennial Generation. Download this Infographic that has valuable information that will help you understand their needs so you can plan successfully for their development! Offered Free by Cheryl Cran
Millennial Human Resources: The New Frontier
Get to know the soon-to-be workforce majority, and their ability to rapidly take over every realm of the human resource function. By 2020, half of the professional workforce will be of the millennial generation. Fluent in the language of social media and computer processes, we’ll find plenty of Generation Y on both sides of the interview table. This survey asked individuals ( the majority have worked in HR for at least four years) to assess the skill set, vision, and culture of Gen Y HR pros as they break out onto the office floor. Offered Free by New To HR
How to Maximize Workforce Growth with Integrated Performance Management and eLearning
Discover how leveraging performance reviews and eLearning empowers you. To get the best performers and strongest leaders, proper performance evaluation processes and training opportunities need to be available. Organizations who utilize performance reviews and eLearning are more likely to experience: > Higher engagement and productivity > Increased career mobility > Increased ability to manage compliance training > More millennial recruitment Interested in learning how to attain such benefits? Download How to Maximize Workforce Growth with integrated Performance Management and eLearning. Offered Free by Cornerstone OnDemand
Compensation Software to Help with Total Awards Challenges with Millennials
Decusoft COMPOSE
Compensation software, such as COMPOSE by Decusoft can help you meet these Total Rewards challenges by automating your compensation planning process, no matter how complex.
COMPOSE has a flexible ad hoc reporting tool and experience working with clients of all sizes to develop successful outcomes tailored to your goals. Our approach is different. Hands-on consultants, with experience in the above solutions, work with you during every phase of your business cycle; not just during implementation. With Millennials, Gen X, Baby
The Decusoft approach is different.
Hands-on consultants, with experience in the above solutions, work with you during every phase of your business cycle; not just during implementation.With Millennials, Gen X, Baby
With Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers, and The Silent Generation demanding acknowledgment and rewards, your solutions should be as innovative and varied as your workforce.
Video: The Millennial Question – Simon Sinek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3iOUwu_2H8
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