#Adam and Eve invented farming

[demonictacobeard]

I HC Adam used to farm before he became an Angel. But heaven had other plans and didn’t need him to do that when he got there so he hasn’t gotten to farm in thousands of years. Months after he becomes a sinner he remembers he can do what the fuck he wants within reason at the hotel and takes it back up as a hobby instead of for survival

He’s like a fish in water, Adam scares the fuck out of Hell’s local fauna. Charlie supports this enthusiastically and over time Adam kind of lets her help because she keeps coming to fucking look at it anyway. However I think Lucifer is not allowed to help or even be within sixteen feet of the space unless he can prove to Adam he isn’t going to plant a god damn apple tree when Adam turns his back

#hazbin hotel adam #hazbin hotel #cw cursing #hazbin hotel lucifer #you can’t convince me otherwise #Where would Cain learn to farm from if not his parents #Adam and Eve invented farming #Eve is a western farmer type who’s proud of the crop #Adam farms like an angry old man with nothing to lose but his pride #Adam: I’m stuck in fucking hell and there’s a hill right behind this hotel that hill is mine now #Charlie: You’re taking an interest in something that is healthy??? Do you need things to farm? I can get things

[gaykarstaagforever]

"GOD MADE ADAM AND EVE NOT ADAM AND STEVE!"

No, God made Edna and Eve. But they spent so much time eating each-other out that they wouldn't go pick fruit and nearly starved to death.

So God said, "I need to make one of them really bad at sex and selfish about it so they don't spend all day doing it."

So God created the Adam's Apple filled with testosterone, and he tricked Edna into eating it and she immediately transitioned into Adam.

And him and Eve had sex for almost 2 minutes and Adam finished. When he awoke 2 hours later he wanted to go again and Eve was like, "Uh let's do some...farming, for awhile."

And when they were done with that Adam wanted sex again and Eve was like, "Uh hey let's try singing and making instruments for awhile."

And that was how everything was invented.

[God told me to write this post and that it cancels out the Book of Genesis. Ask him. He'll back me up. Unless he thinks you suck then he won't talk to you at all, so...]

#adam and eve #book of genesis #bible #adam and steve #gay #lesbian #evangelical

[queengenamedicietherton]

Medici 'MGM'  Las Ve-Gas/IRAQ/Oil are Medici Etherton Code: Queen gena Medici Etherton, my name is the origin of 'name' in the English langu-age. ge-name-dici   genamedici Medici Etherton Co-de is a 530+ year old Co-de invented by God & Leonardo da' Vinci, (Prince Leonardo da' Vinci de' Medici.) Additionally, my name and initials are documented in Medici Etherton Co-de: gena de' Medici Etherton ge: a-ge  langua-ge, brid-ge,  (Mona Lisa, Code-X,) Gen-ev-a Bible, ( Adam & Ev-e [gena] ) Greenlake, Pu-ge-t Sound, Tar-ge-t, Gold Nug-ge-t, ( Go-l-d "Gold is God is old,) ge: Los An-ge-les, gE, (General Electric) GE Gas & Electric, Ge-ography, g-am-e, Nuet-ro-gena (mining company,) Oran-ge-s, Kro-ge-r, GMC,   Carta-gena Co-lumbia, Washing-ton D.C. District of Co-lumbia, Medici-ne, Co-ffee,) MGM (Medici, Queen gena de' Medici Etherton, Medici,) MGM 'The Medici Lion' GEM S-ton-e (co-run-dum,) 3+5=8 letters. Medici Etherton Co-de: Capital G and a small g: God & Queen gena de' Medici Etherton Google, Ge-or-ge, Ge-or-gia,  Co-lumbia G-or-ge. (ge) backwards: Or-eg-on, San Di-eg-o, Las V-eg-as, All-eg-i-ant Stadi-um. ( Ve-Gas/IRAQ /Oil built Ve-Gas.) Las Ve-Gas /IRAQ/Oil are Medici Etherton Code, CodeX Leonardo da' Vinci Las Ve-gas is Pal-ace 's  in the De-sert, for a Ro-yal family. Las Vegas was well over 10 trillion dollars in historical numbers. LV Las Vegas LV: Leonardo da' Vinci 3+5=8 letters 5,8,13 are the Medici Etherton's numbers. E is the 5th letter in the Alpha-bet M is the 13th letter in the Alpha-bet. 3, 9 are God's numbers, As God is 3 letters 3*=9 Las Ve-Gas is Medici Etherton Co-de. Additionally, all of the Ca-sin-o/Hotels  in Las Vegas are (Me-dice) Medici  Etherton Co-de. Car-ds, g-am-e-s, M-usic, M-ovies  document the Medici Etherton Ro-yal family. Peacefully, gena is the cheek of a bird. GENA is G-eneral E-vent N-otification A-rchitecture ( Ether-net Ether-ton, the inter-net is Medici Etherton Code.) Queen gena de' Medici Etherton's 23" inch cranium proves (she) I have a gifted gene, a gift from God. This proves I am a Medici Etherton. Additionally, I have  the Queen gena de' Medici Etherton Clones Artist Colony that are Classically trained Virtuoso,  Guitarists, & Singers that prove I am a Medici Etherton. God, named all of God's and the Medici's Dis-coveries,  Inventions, Works of Art, M-usic, M-useums, Medi-a, Medici-ne and Architecture with Medici Etherton Co-de. Peacefully,  Queen gena de' Medici Etherton #god #jesus #people #america #instagram #facebook #seattle  #peoplemagazine  #cnn #nytimes   #wallstreetjournal #latimes #reuters #seattletimes #europe #medici   #metropolitan #cosimodemedici #francdemedici #lorenzodemedici #catherinedemedici #leonardodavinci #monalisa #abc #cbs #nbc #usatoday #rollingstone #fox 

Medici Etherton Co-de: M-ed-ici Co-at of Arms has 2 keys. 2 keys: Words have 2 meanings. 1st key: Alpha-bet (letters.)  2nd key: nu-mbers. The Medici's numbers are 5, 8, 13. Number, letters, and Alphabet are Medici Code. Alpha-bet has 8 letters 5+3=8 Medici Coat of Arms has 5 red balls for 5 (last) surnames. 8 Etherton's, and 13 Medici's in Medici Etherton Code. The Medici's 5 names: Medici, Etherton, Bergerud, Bell, Washington. The Medici's are now Etherton. Leonardo da'Vinci invented the English language he gave each letter a code/key. These words are Medici Etherton Code: A-Princes Angela de'Medici (America,) B-Bergerud (Bible, book, bank, brick,) C-King Cosimo de'Medici (City, Citibank, cement,) D-Prince Leonardo da'Vinci de' Medici (day, date,) E-Etherton (Evergreen,) F-Prince Franc de' Medici (farm, Fir, fish, food,) G-Queen gena de'Medici Etherton (Geneva Bible, green, Ge-or-ge, Ge-or-gia, Google, Giga, [Capitol G and small g: God, Queen gena de' Medici Etherton,]) H-horn ( Heaven,) I-Italian  (IRAQ,) J-Juan Etherton, K-King Cosimo de'Medici (key, Mon-key, Tur-key, Ken, )L-Prince Leonardo da'Vinci de' Medici (LoVe, lake,) M-Medici (The M in 'The Last Supper', Mayflower, Mu-se-um, Medici-ne, Music, Medina, map,) N - Prince Lorenzo de'Medici (number, organ, piano,) O-Opera, or-ange, P-Protect us ('God,' Pen, O-pen, Pu-ge-t Sound,) Q-Queen gena de'Medici Etherton ( IRAQ, NasdaQ,) R-ruby, S-Superior (Lake Superior, s-ton-e,) T-time (God,) u-under, V-Prince Leonardo da' Vinci de'Medici, W-Washington (White) X-Prince Leonardo da'Vinci de'Medici (Code-X) Y-Etherton (Yos-emit-e is time backwards) Z-Prince Lorenzo de'Medici ( Zoo, zoo-m, zero) Co-King Cosimo de'Medici (co-de, Co-deX, co-mputer, co-untry, co-mpass, Co-lumbia, co-okie, co-tton, Co-ffee, co-caine, cho-co-late, co-mmodity, co-lonial, co-lony, co-lon, co-lor, co-lle-ge) Pi-God ('The Pi-eta', pi-zza, hos-pi-tal, Ca-pi-tol, h-ip-pi-e, Pi-e, pi, pi-pe, Pi-ne, internet) ee-Princess Etherton's (coff-ee, gr-een) ll-Bell ( Wa-ll Street, ye-ll-ow,) gg-Queen gena de'Medici Etherton (e-gg, nu-gg-et Gold is 'God is old') Z- Prince Lorenzode' Medici (Zoo, Zoo-m, ze-ro,) El-Etherton- (El-ephant, El-evation,)  oo-Orchestra (school, book, zoo, zoom.)  Peacefully, Queen gena de'Medici Etherton #god #jesus  #nytimes #reuters #cnn #people #america #europe #medici #nbc #abc  #seattletimes  #peoplemagazine #cosimodemedici #lorenzodemedici #monalisa #instagram #facebook #seattle  #queencatherinedemedici #latimes #francdemedici #leonardodavinci #instagram #facebook  #europe #catholicchurch #catholic #pugetsound #usatoday #wallstreetjournal #metropolitan #smithsonian #apnews

[pastorcowboy]

Seriously, a new normal?

Seriously, a new normal?

The new normal is what? I have a feeling that politicians want us to go to sleep. It will be just like a magician using a stop watch in front of our faces. You’re getting very, very sleepy. Can you see the news since February? We have headlines like “the new normal”, “a changed world”, and “be prepared for big changes.” Then we had the fear factor that screamed to stay home, be safe, and keep your distance. Further to this, the leaders asked for special powers, more money to spend, and new political timelines. How can one person compute all this information? Especially when this is not normal. We have not experienced a world shut down in our lifetime.

So, is the new normal not voting? Is it letting the powers at be run stuff because they claim they are keeping us safe? What is safe? What are the real numbers? What exactly is the new normal? Now, let’s get real. Is the new normal being in fear of the next thing? Should we all have backups to the backups? It’s not how we generally roll, but that is not a bad idea. Should people put more money away for trouble? Will they then spend less? Is a smaller economy the new normal? Who would be working? Is social assistance, joblessness, and fear of the next beer bug the new normal?

Someone said that they don’t need movies, sports, or restaurants now. It’s the new normal. So, we don’t need those jobs to pay taxes? Who can afford government if were not paying taxes? Is this the new normal? We don’t need heroes in sport. We don’t need to get out once in a while to a restaurant? We don’t need to dream in movies? A hundred years ago they didn’t! Oh, really? There was no stage? There were no coliseums? There were no parades or rodeos? The old normal would not be our new normal would it?

What would God have to say? I can see Abraham sitting in his lawn chair in the U R of the Chaldees. They worshiped multiple Gods. He had a house, family, and a farm. I suspect he was influential. Everything Abraham did turned to gold. Then a voice told him that (this voice) was the only God. Abraham was asked to pull up his stakes and move to an unknown land. Did he? This God challenged Abraham to accept a new normal. That’s what God does to people. He gives us a new normal. We are to embrace it. Why? Because God is with us.

Still, if you follow this story, we find Abraham, his wife Sarah, and Lot his brother acting like the old normal. They brought their old ways to a new land. God took them to a new normal but the old ways conflicted with it. There we have it today. Something has changed in this world since the year 2000. There is a new land, a new normal, and new ways. God has instilled within us to be cleaner with the earth and with our health. I don’t like the term new normal. It sounds so cliché’. Yet, is it? Was it normal after WWI, WW2, or 9/11? We have been living within new normal for a long time.

So, how do we treat this new normal? The people of the past moved on. They invented crud to help us out in the new normal. People have always adapted. How should we treat this earth within an economy? How should our cities run within sanitation? God gave us this rock to take care of. It began with Adam and Eve tending Eden. Now we tend the earth. I am a closet tree hugger. I recycle, buy economical cars, and try and buy recyclable stuff. I’m trying. Yet, what about you? What are you going to do with this so called new normal? Will you complain, ignore it, or make a small difference? Exactly what is normal anyways?

#newnormal #covidart #bible #god #life

[thecoroutfitters]

I’ve got some news for you; prepping isn’t something new. In fact, prepping has existed ever since mankind crawled out of the trees and became hunter-gatherers, sometime back in prehistoric times.

Humans couldn’t have survived the winter in colder climates, if they hadn’t learned how to become preppers. They would have starved to death.

What makes prepping seem like something new is that since the start of the industrial revolution, we have moved farther and farther away from a survival mentality, and have instead adopted a luxury-based mentality.

The average person in western culture doesn’t think about what they need to have in order to survive, because those things are all readily available, as long as one has money to buy them.

But for most of human history, the economic base for society wasn’t industry, it was agriculture. Everyone needed to eat; and before the industrial revolution created the farm equipment of today, the vast majority of people were employed in agriculture, making sure that we could all eat.

This meant taking advantage of the growing season, so that there would be enough food to make it through the annual “disaster,” called winter. If your farm was successful and you had a good harvest, you could eat. If not, you’d better find another source of food; maybe your neighbor had better luck than you did.

Obviously, these farmers and the hunter-gatherers before them survived, or you and I wouldn’t be here today. So I’d say they must have known a thing or two about survival.

The question for us, is what did they know, which we could learn from them?

Teaching Your Children

The early survival lessons were hard learned. The school of hard knocks is a really tough task-master, with an extremely steep grading curve. You either learned, or you died. Survival was nothing more than a passing grade.

With lessons being so costly to learn, you can be sure that parents taught their children everything they knew. Fathers taught their sons and mothers taught their daughters in the only way they could, making their children work side-by-side with them, as they did the things they needed to do to survive. Failure to do so was costly, as the children would probably not survive.

This included a wide range of skills. They couldn’t just go to the store for things they needed and commerce probably hadn’t even reached the point of a stable barter system.

Basically, if you needed something, you had to make it yourself; so you’d better know how. That meant you’d better teach your children as well.

Hunting and Tracking

I’m not sure how it is in the rest of the country, but where I live, hunting consists of hiding in a blind and baiting deer (and other animals) into killing range with feed corn.

That’s not the way I learned to hunt as a child and I’m sure it’s not the way that our prehistoric ancestors hunted. For them, hunting meant tracking animals to find them and killing them with primitive weapons.

If the average hunter today was forced to track their game, they would probably starve to death. Most can’t even identify animal tracks and sign, let alone knowing how old they are or what other messages those tracks might be sending.

In addition to tracking animals, our prehistoric ancestors learned their habits. They didn’t have to follow game around for days, as they knew how to find where they slept, where they ate and where they went for water.

So they could stake out those areas, awaiting the arrival of their prey, a much more efficient way to hunt.

Making Weapons

Those prehistoric hunters had to make their own weapons as well. There are three weapons which have been passed through the ages; the knife, the spear and the bow.

While they have all gone through numerous design changes through the years, we find all three of these still in use today. That speaks volumes about their effectiveness.

Making weapons is an art, especially making them from natural materials, using only primitive tools to work with.

Being able to shape a bow out of a tree branch, with nothing more to work with than a stone knife and other rocks, can’t be easy.

Yet these hunters did just that, along with knapping arrowheads, spear points and knives.

While it is hard to imagine society falling to the point where the ability to make our own weapons, for both hunting and defense, is essential for survival; the possibility does exist.

An even greater possibility exists for having to make such weapons if we are suddenly thrust into a wilderness survival situation. Should that happen, our ability to make these weapons could very well spell the difference between life and death.

Finding Natural Shelter

I seriously doubt that mankind started out building houses, even the primitive sorts of houses made by indigenous tribes. Rather, what little evidence exists, shows that our earliest ancestors lived in caves, something they probably learned from wild animals.

Caves are actually excellent natural shelters, providing the essentials of protection from rain and wind, as well as doing a fairly good job of holding in heat.

Some prehistoric people groups, such as the Indians who populated Mesa Verde, improved upon their natural caves by using stones to make rooms, dividing large caves into private habitations for multiple families.

The idea of building homes came from these people migrating to areas where there were no natural caves to live in. So they were forced to use whatever materials were at hand to build an artificial cave. I imagine those first houses were rather primitive by today’s standards, but they did the job, protecting their owners from the elements.

Sadly, we don’t have any examples of what they looked like, so that we could learn their technique. But I would venture to guess, they were simply more primitive or rustic versions of the native houses we have seen.

Making Clothing from Animal Skins

According to the Book of Genesis, the first clothing was made by sewing fig leaves together. While that may have covered their bodies, I’m sure it didn’t wear well. God solved that problem for Adam and Eve by killing animals and making them clothes out of the animal’s skins.

One of the many ways that mankind is unique is our need for clothing. No other species on the face of the Earth needs to wear clothes; those that need it, have fur to keep them warm. But even the hairiest of humans doesn’t have enough hair to do much for retaining warmth.

Using the skins of animals that they had hunted is a logical solution to the problem of clothing. After all, those pelts kept the animals warm, so therefore, they should work to keep people warm as well. The amazing thing is that prehistoric man figured out how to tan leather, so that those skins would last and then figured out how to sew it together to make clothes.

But rare is the hunter today that has any idea of how to tan their own hides, making it into useful leather or pelts. Rather, we send it off to commercial operations which do that for us. If we were ever caught in a long-term survival situation, knowing how tan hides would be an extremely useful skill.

Edible Wild Plants

As preppers, it seems that we focus more on the hunter side of being hunter-gatherers. I personally don’t have an issue with this, since I’m a definite carnivore. But in a survival situation, knowing what plants are safe to eat is a real boon to the diet.

I’ve been at this survival stuff for a long time, over 40 years. But I am still weak on edible plant recognition. It’s not that I haven’t studied it, it’s that I don’t use that knowledge. So, I end up losing it and need to study it again.

If we aren’t eating the edible plants that nature provides, there is no way that we are going to retain that knowledge for a very long.

The Value of Medicinal Plants

Speaking of plants, early medicine was all herbal medicine. There wasn’t a pharmaceutical industry. Doctors, by whatever name, learned what plants could be used for treating various ailments and how to use them. This information was closely guarded and passed on to an apprentice by word of mouth.

Those early doctors had to gather their own plants and make their own medicines, which consisted mostly of poultices and teas. While I’m sure there are many things they couldn’t treat, they obviously had some success, because their knowledge developed into the modern Medical Industry.

Even today, there are people who are experts in natural medicine, deriving medicines from plants. But these people are largely ignored in modern society, mostly because doctors use products produced by pharmaceutical houses.

But that doesn’t negate the value of natural medicine, as many of the medicines we use today have their roots in those natural medicines. All the pharmaceutical companies do is find artificial ways of creating things that nature provides to us.

If a serious enough of a disaster were to occur, such as an EMP, pharmaceuticals would run out quickly, leaving us without any medicines, other than natural medicines. Having the knowledge of what plants can be used for medicines and how to use them would be an incredibly useful skill in such a situation.

Situational Awareness

I think the American Indians (who qualify as a prehistoric people because they don’t have a written history) and other warlike tribal peoples invented the whole idea of situational awareness. Life was dangerous for these people, full of not only dangers from nature, but from other tribes as well.

The ability to recognize danger, before it manifests is a critical skill; one that is truly lacking in the world today. The world around us, especially the animal kingdom, is sending us constant messages of reassurance or danger, yet we don’t recognize them. We merely hear the birds chirping and think how nice it sounds, not that it might actually mean something.

The Value of Community

Early man was tribal, with the village being the tribe. This was even true of migratory people who followed the animals they hunted. Banding together helped them in the hunt, in defense and in sharing other common tasks. Ultimately, this made survival easier for them and led to the establishment of cities and society.

This is probably another skill that prehistoric man learned from watching animals. Many species of animals live in groups or herds. Predators found it easier to hunt together in packs and their prey found it easier to survive by staying together and presenting a united front. While some always died, the herd itself survived, which was the important part.

As mankind banded together, individuals began to specialize in specific tasks, putting their energies into performing those tasks and becoming more adept at them. This led to the beginning of the barter system, where these skilled artisans would trade their handwork for other things they needed.

Specialization was an important stepping stone in the development of society, as it increased the efficiency of individuals’ work, while at the same time providing a platform for improvement and innovation. Those who specialized in making certain handicrafts developed the skills and interest necessary to find ways of improving their products.

Through this, new features improved the traditional weapons and tools that primitive man used. Over the course of time, this actually led to the industrial revolution.

Waste Not

Primitive man didn’t waste anything. We see this best, through examining the culture of the American Indians. They used every part of the animals the killed, letting nothing go to waste. Internal organs, which were not eaten, were often made into containers, sinew was turned into bow strings, bone became tools and weapon handles, and skins turned into clothing and housing.

You never found a waste dump located next to an Indian village. That’s because there wasn’t any garbage to throw away. Rather, they made use of pretty much everything in one way or another.

Should we find ourselves in a survival situation, we would need to do the same!

This article has been written by Bill White for Survivopedia.

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

#SHTF #TEOTWAWKI #MARTIALLAW #BUGOUT #PREPPERBAG #USAF #USSOCOM #ARMY #NAVY #SurvivalFirestarter #Sur

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Sun Myung Moon speaks: “Famous actresses gamble, lose money then fall into debt ... then are forced to sleep with men.”

▲ Ken Sudo is seated second from the left, and Sun Myung Moon is fourth.

Moon: “True Father brought 50,000 Japanese WFWP leaders to Cheju Island. Each brought $10,000 so the total was $500,000,000.”

▲ The 13th of the 25 workshops held on Cheju Island Oct. 6- Dec. 22, 1993.

__________________________________________

Sun Myung Moon  Hannam Dong, Seoul   December 30, 1993

These are unofficial notes.

Sun Myung Moon: “… When True Father started the U.S. tour David Koresh had committed suicide with 30 followers [in April 1993]. It was the worst time to start, when looked at horizontally. True Father’s attitude was “if you compare me with Koresh, we’ll see who is right.” Through True Father’s start True Mother got the confidence to go on and do a worldwide tour. …

Your nations are not the Fatherland, but Satanic nations. Now the battle of the New Testament Age is over, the Completed Testament Age has begun, centered on Adam’s family. The World under Satan’s domination is doomed. We have established a worldwide Adam’s Family tradition and culture. We need a homogenous race. Those first class nations have a tendency to look down on colored people. They are doomed if they keep that attitude. When the Unified World nation is established, your nations will become states of that nation. There will have to be a central authority. The Uruguay round is helping advanced nations. That must be changed. Also there must be no national immigration barriers. True Father told the Washington Times that AIDS sufferers should be isolated and also that they should speak against barriers to migration.

▲ Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han at their Hannam Dong mansion in Seoul.

True Father wants to establish tight control over the United Nations. The Inter Religious Federation for World Peace (IRFWP) is the religious U.N. (This is the mind.) The existing U.N. is the body. The Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP) represents women’s body. There are three U.N.s, True Father works with all of them to bring world peace.

Once True Father establishes a tight grip on the U.N. it’s much easier to control than any individual country. All big countries will have to come under that umbrella.

Eve took Cain and Abel and betrayed God. At the end of the New Testament Age, restored Eve must embrace restored Cain and Abel and bring them back to God. That’s why these three types of organization connected to the U.N. are so significant. They need Godism. Now that nationism is over, a block system is coming in (the European Union, NAFTA, South America).

In Europe there’s still a struggle between Protestantism and Catholicism – it’s reflected in North and South America. Once Protestantism and Catholicism are valued in Europe, those other areas will be affected. That time is coming soon. That’s why True Father needs the U.N. under his wing.

True Father wants you to understand the direction that True Father is leading you. So do your absolute best to promote the WFWP and True Mother in your country. Be desperate to build the kind of foundation where True Mother can rule your nation. By the year 2000 enough foundation must be made.

… The entire world must be under True Father’s wing. To do this we need the strongest possible WFWP organization all over the world. Politicians need support so go round to large organizations. First Ladies will go to the U.N. as their nation’s ambassadors. In one week they would agree to a religious committee.

The U.N. has a $2.5 billion debt. Also, it doesn’t have good manpower. Also U.N. colleges around the world are ignored as there is no U.N. university in the U.S. True Father wants to use the University of Bridgeport to educate the world elites, getting cooperation of Ivy League Universities. The Unified World is around the corner. So go back to challenge those in power in your nation. Drop all your old habits and have confidence that you’re the co-creator of God. Have guts. By watching True Parents performance of miracles, have confidence, go out and do God’s work.

True Father indemnified 4,000 years. Now is the time of liberation. Be on the same level as big shots in your country. We need many members. The time of individual level effort is over. 

Media is the key. So far True Father didn’t intervene. Now you’ll have to move around the world.

Students can be educated by video. Language is a problem. We must make one world language. Only the Unification Church can do that. The language must have religious power. Korean is number one for structure, grammar, etc. Scholars have shown this. Your second generation must learn Korean, wherever they are. … The time will come when English will be banned. English lacks levels of honor, it’s too horizontal.

People of the future will not want to work in factories, but to travel around as they wish. True Father invented the concept of the hobby industry. People come and enjoy their hobby and gambling, etc. But gambling is mostly controlled by organized crime. True Father will establish a tourist structure. One team to enjoy casino gambling at the end of the week, all share gains and losses, a team activity. A casino should return 50% of the profit back to the players in the form of lottery tickets, not actual money.

We can learn from gambling to the extent that gamblers feel if I only had $100 more, I could make $10,000,000. We need that kind of spirit. Once Mafia moves out we can make true hobby industries. True Father investigated and figured everything out – even to the extent that it takes $5 - 700 to sleep with one of the famous dancers. There are special companies that do that but they are underground. Famous actresses gamble, lose money are helped financially then fall into debt. Then to pay off they are forced to sleep with men. …

True Father is building boats, making nets, etc. Now he’s thinking about fish farming. It should become hobby farming. People will have smallholding hobby farms and do their own vegetable growing there. That will stop urban areas growing and take people back to the countryside.

True Father has 3,000 acres in Texas, but plans to buy ten’s of millions more. …

▲ Crawford Farms, Texas. The Han Corp. bought the trophy ranch in 1992 for $8.1 million and sold it in May 1999 for $6.5 million. The Moons hardly used the 3,029 acre ranch. Over seven years Moon himself visited it about five times.

While True Mother was speaking over 77 days True Father spoke to 51,000 Japanese sisters. Many Asian countries were amazed that True Father could do this. If True Father didn’t do it the Japanese Unification Movement would have declined. True Father helped them.

True Father brought 50,000 Japanese WFWP leaders to Cheju Island. Each brought $10,000 so the total was $500,000,000. Now the Korean newspapers reported about it and True Father established his reputation as the richest, most powerful man in Korea.

Promote this kind of campaign in your nations too! Now it’s a hot story in Korea. It’s in many women’s magazines.

Seven jumbo jets came at a time and all the buses on Cheju Island were mobilized.

Dong-A Ilbo magazine reported in a two page spread that the Unification Church showed its almost omnipotent power and potential which cannot be taken lightly.

Cheju Island is perfect for hunting, fishing, sports centers and casinos – it’s not too hot and not too cold. …

▲ Cheju Island is south of Korea and west of Japan.

True Father will establish a Headquarters to govern Japan from Osaka southwards, from Cheju Island.

True Father is investigating building a dock and establishing a place where 2,000 can fish at a time each day. …”

_____________________________________

Moon personally extracted $500 MILLION from FFWPU Japanese sisters in Oct-Dec 1993. He demanded that 50,000 sisters attend HIS workshops on Jeju Island and each had to pay a fee of $10,000.

Moon said “Japan would ruin if we failed to bring in the minimum of 50,000 sisters into this providential workshop.” 

LINK

_____________________________________

Rev. Moon and the United Nations (extract)

By Harold Paine and Birgit Gratzer   November 2001

_____________________________________

Sun Myung Moon: “Dr Yang knows so much about Las Vegas. … When I go to Las Vegas I do not lose money. Maybe I should train a few people.” July 12, 2010   East Garden

_____________________________________

“Rev. Sun Myung Moon: Emperor of the Universe” documentary:

Narrator: “Publicly Moon railed against gambling. But Nansook says he took her and the rest of his entourage to Las Vegas. An assistant would place bets for him. Did you say to him, ‘Father, I thought we were supposed not to gamble.’”

Nansook Hong: “No, of course not. Haha. If I wanted to die, maybe. No, no, we never raised any questions or doubts. We just had to be there accepting.”

LINK

_____________________________________

Moon sells Crawford Farms ranch in Texas in 1999 for a loss of $1.6 million. It was hardly used during 7 years.

Sun Myung Moon wanted to be Lord of 500 slot machines in Uruguay. He already had dozens of slot machines in the casino he owned in the Radisson Victoria Plaza hotel in Montevideo, below.

#chejudo #Cheju Island #Sun Myung Moon #United Nations #exploitation #Family Federation for World Peace and Unification #Unification Church #Women’s Federation for World Peace #Crawford Farms

[jam2289]

Ideas from the Last Few Months - Part 2 of ?

Here we go again. I just might complete the list in this post.

What if I included an entire public domain book inside of my book? I could do a frame story. A parent reading a book to a child maybe. Maybe a teacher or author reading a book to a group of students. Discussion of the book would be included. The book within the book could be fiction or non-fiction. Ooh, I like this idea. The bedtime story frame would work. Also, R. L. Stine, the horror book author, likes to do readings of his books at libraries for kids, so there's precedent for it.

DARPA has developed a psychopath hat. When you put it on it sends electrical signals through your brain and turns you into a temporary psychopath. It's based on the work of Chi and Snyder on brain stimulation. I heard about it from psychologist John Vervaeke. It's made for soldiers, obviously. It just sounds like something Philip K. Dick would write about in a dystopic science fiction story, but it's real.

Could I make happy tragedies and nice horror stories? It almost seems like it might be possible.

Eugenics is scary, and it always comes back around. Abortions after birth. It's a discussion in society right now. What about eugenics laws that require babies with deformities to be terminated? Wouldn't the organs be worth a lot of money? So, corruption would work its way in there. But, the most demand would be for older organs. So, why not grow the little humans until their organs can be harvested at the right age. Human organ farms.

There are twin girls in China that have been genetically modified using CRISPR to make enhanced brains. And... it seems to be working, reports state that they are mentally superior in a number of ways, including IQ and resistance to dementia. Well, to those that have, more shall be given, and to those who have not, everything will be taken away. It seems like a caste system might develop where the people that can afford it get genetically modified, and then they're just better. Maybe there's a genetic modification scholarship program?

Magic is a fun concept. Many stories explore the idea of magic dying. But, what about the birth of magic? Where did it come from in the first place?

The earth is changing, the earth is always changing. The last ten thousand years or so have been as stable as the earth has ever been. That means that in the future it will be both warmer than it is now and colder than it is now at various points. Narratives could be written exploring both options. Spoiler alert: global cooling is far worse for humans, (global warming might even be good).

Fiction is a form of play. Play is used to explore behavioral patterns in a reality that is both more real than ours, because only the important parts are included, and is safe. I could use a narrative structure to work out how the building of Theoconceptualism might work out.

The movie "Cast Away" starring Tom Hanks is a good story. You could do the same thing in space. Lol, I just realized that this is the exact same idea as the book and movie "The Martian".

Dividing lines are powerful. There are great pictures along the borders of countries that have different approaches to the environment where one side is a grassland or forest and the other side is desolate.

Also, thresholds are powerful. I wrote a tiny story in 20 minutes in a writing group one time about a boy walking through a door and not coming back. A month later a woman told me she was still thinking about that story.

What if heaven and hell were just different places with different rules? What if where you went was self-selected? You can't do anything in heaven that is against the rules even when you want to. Your body is essentially a slave. That sounds like a mental hell. Unless, of course, you never want to break the rules, then it's bliss. Maybe hell isn't just about punishment either. Maybe it's based on the idea that everyone deserves a second chance. Maybe there are individual rights in hell. Maybe that's the point, you have to learn to respect universal individual rights. Maybe the technique of restorative justice is used to make amends for errors in life. Maybe there's a three strike rule and people are then sent to purgatory for punishment.

There are a number of collections of stories that are framed within an overarching story: "The Tale of Tales", "The Canterbury Tales", "The Decameron", and "Arabian Nights". What if I did stories in seven sections, one for each night of the week? Four stories or so to a month, fifty-two stories for the year. I could release these stories in the week, month, and year units. I like it.

I was talking to one of my students one day, Liming. We were reading a book that talked about volcanoes. A crazy discussion led to me inventing lava people as children of the earth. It's basically an alien story, but instead of strangers from outer space, they are strangers from inner earth. The archetype of the stranger is important. Maybe they do something to keep the earth's crust stable, or to create gravity, or to create a stable magnetic field. Maybe the surface people destabilized something, so the lava people invade. Maybe the earth was made as a spaceship, or time capsule, or a safety zone from a previous intergalactic war. Adam and Eve as escaped, or exiled, lava people? At one time there was a spaceship earth movement led by Buckminster Fuller.

What if children that are born at night are different than children born during the day? What if it's just from the light? Maybe people choose up sides.

Antibiotics haven't been around that long, the last handful of decades or so. The diseases are now adapting to them and there are new strains of things like tuberculosis that can't be killed. It's just like the old days, you get it and you cough up your lungs unto death. Just carry this to a logical conclusion; massive human die off.

You could do a frame story around lucid dreaming. Well, that's kind of the idea that Lewis Carroll used. Meh, I'm not too enthusiastic about that one.

Doctor Frankenstein could've created many monsters, especially if he was using modern genetic modification. Maybe that's where dragons, and griffins, and chimeras all came from.

I think it's funny that you can spell right and wrong as Wright and Rong. It seems like those should be characters in something.

There's a Linkin Park song that talks about the moon not owing a debt to the sun for the light that the sun gives and the moon reflects. What if the sun did call in the debt?

- - - - - - -

I watch how the moon

sits in the sky in the dark night

Shining with the light from the sun

And the sun doesn't give light to the moon assuming

The moon's going to owe it one

- - - - - - -

Werewolves become activated in the moonlight. What about the opposite? A monster that becomes activated in the sunlight, or is only deactivated in the moonlight.

I still have a ton of ideas on this list. Maybe I'll finish it in the next article.

________________________________________________

You can find more of what I'm doing at http://www.JeffreyAlexanderMartin.com

[guldenboy-blog]

IMPORTANT PLZ READ!!!!!!!!1111!!1!!!!1!!

Everyone talks about the star wars or marvel expanded universe. but what about the most important The disney channel live action sitcom universe this is a shared Canon and confirmed shared universe of most disney channel shows (including cory in the house and wizards of waverly place.) here is a list to SCIENTIFICALLY P R O V E THAT THIS IS THE BEST SHARED UNIVERSE OF THEM ALL.TV series ( (Edit:Oh and also spiderman is there I'm preety sure the crossover with jessie wasn't canon but whatevs) That's So Raven Cory in the House The Suite Life of Zack and Cody The Suite Life on Deck Hannah Montana Wizards of Waverly Place Aaron Stone Zeke and Luther I'm In The Band Good Luck Charlie Pair of Kings Shake It Up Peter Punk A.N.T. Farm Kickin' It Jessie Bunkd Austin & Ally Lab Rats Violetta Liv and Maddie Best Friends Whenever Mighty Med Kirby Buckets Dog with a Blog Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors KC Undercover Boy Meets World Girl Meets World Clueless Perfect Strangers Family Matters Full House Fuller House Gilligan's Island Girlfriends The Game Hangin' with Mr. Cooper The Hughleys Meego Moesha The Parkers Sabrina the Teenage Witch Step by Step Teen Angel You Wish

List of crossvers: Does not include cameo characters:Austin & Jessie & Ally All Star New Year[edit] Main article: Austin & Jessie & Ally All Star New Year Austin & Ally and Jessie crossover in a New Year's hour-long special episode combining both shows titled Austin & Jessie & Ally All Star New Year! It aired December 7, 2012.[4] In the episode, Austin, Ally, Trish and Dez travel to Times Square where Austin is booked to perform on New Year's Eve. When they can't get through New York City's crowded streets, Jessie comes up with a plan to get them to the stage and to ultimately have Austin record one of her songs.

Charlie Shakes It Up[edit] Main article: List of Good Luck Charlie episodes Charlie Shakes It Up is a special episode of Good Luck Charlie which features crossover appearances from CeCe, Rocky, Flynn, Deuce and Gary Wilde of Shake It Up. The crossover aired on June 5, 2011.[5][6] In the episode, Teddy, Amy, and Charlie visit Chicago and are accidentally taken to the set of Shake It Up Chicago, where they are mistaken for a pair of dancers known as the Duncan sisters who are set to appear on the show. Meanwhile, back in Denver, PJ and Gabe hold a yard sale, while Bob becomes obsessed with a TV show.

Take This Job and Love It[edit] Main article: Hannah Montana (season 2) In Take This Job and Love It, Roxy becomes a bodyguard for the President of the United States (John D'Aquino's character in Cory in the House). Miley convinces Roxy to take the job, but realizes that Roxy is the best bodyguard ever. She goes to get her back and ends up disguising herself as Lola and is mistaken for the professional dog whisperer. She succeeds after being forced to eat dog food.

Weasels on Deck[edit] Main article: List of I'm in the Band episodes I'm in the Band features crossover appearances from Zack, Cody and Mr. Moseby of The Suite Life on Deck in the episode, "Weasels on Deck", which aired on October 11, 2010. The episode featured the titular band, Iron Weasel, trying to get a gig on the S.S. Tipton with the help of Zack and Cody.

The Manny with the Golden Bear[edit] Main article: List of Special Agent Oso episodes Special Agent Oso had a crossover with Handy Manny titled "The Manny with the Golden Bear". The episode is the very first Disney Junior crossover. In the episode, Handy Manny (with his tools) and Special Agent Oso help fix the flat tire on a bike for a young boy, then they help teach the boy how to ride it.

Good Luck Jessie: NYC Christmas[edit] In the crossover special of Good Luck Charlie and Jessie, Good Luck Jessie: NYC Christmas, Teddy and PJ fly to New York City for a university tour, but a snow storm prevents them from returning home in time for Christmas. After stumbling upon Jessie on the subway, the Duncan siblings partake in a Ross family holiday like none other. Back in Denver, Bob takes the Duncan kids to meet Santa, but Gabe is not in the holiday spirit. The crossover special aired on November 29, 2013.[7]

Halloween Night at the Museum[edit] Main article: List of Ultimate Spider-Man episodes The Ultimate Spider-Man episode "Halloween Night at the Museum" features crossover appearances of the animated versions of the cast of Jessie. The episode premiered on October 10, 2014 on Disney Channel.[8]

Jessie's Aloha-holidays with Parker and Joey[edit] Jessie's Aloha-holidays with Parker and Joey is a one-hour special episode of Jessie which features crossover appearances from Parker and Joey, two characters from Liv and Maddie. It also features an appearance from Maia Mitchell. Jessie's Aloha-holidays with Parker and Joey aired on November 28, 2014.[9]

Karate Kid-tastrophe[edit] Jessie featured Phill Lewis as Mr. Moseby, hailing from the Suite Life franchise.

Lab Rats vs. Mighty Med[edit] Lab Rats vs. Mighty Med is a special crossover episode of the two Disney XD series Lab Rats and Mighty Med. It aired on July 22, 2015. Lab Rats vs. Mighty Med drew a little under 1.25 million total viewers and was the third highest-rate original scripted cable TV series telecast for that week.[10]

In this crossover special, Donald Davenport and Chase create an invention, but Davenport tries to sell it without consulting Chase. In retaliation, Chase then unknowingly sells it to archvillain The Incapacitator who uses it for his evil plans. Meanwhile, Kaz and Oliver sneak into the Bionic Academy while trying to track down The Incapacitator. Chase gets hurt when they all try to stop The Incapacitator, but Kaz and Oliver transport Chase to Mighty Med Hospital in an attempt to save him. Meanwhile, Adam, Bree, Oliver and Skylar work together to try to find The Incapacitator and defeat him once and for all.

Multiple series crossovers[edit]

That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana[edit] Main article: That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana is a crossover special among the Disney Channel Original Series That's So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and Hannah Montana. The crossover, which aired as a 90-minute special consisting of episodes of the three series respectively, premiered on July 28, 2006.[11][12]

Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana[edit] Main article: Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana Wizards on Deck With Hannah Montana is a crossover between the Disney Channel Original Series Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life on Deck, and Hannah Montana. The crossover, which aired as successive episodes of the three series, premiered on July 17, 2009, and was highly watched, drawing 9.3 million viewers and breaking several ratings records at the time.[13][14]

Monstober Spooktacular Weekend[edit] On October 2 and 4, 2015, seven Disney Channel series featured crossover appearances with each other. The crossover appearances took place among Jessie, Girl Meets World, I Didn't Do It, K.C. Undercover, Best Friends Whenever, Austin & Ally, and Liv and Maddie. The unifying theme for the crossover appearances was a haunted house attraction that was part of New York City's Central Park Spooktacular celebration; it also involved the same mysterious masked character appearing on each of the programs. The crossovers involved two characters from each show appearing at the Central Park Spooktacular with the characters of the show that they were appearing on.[15]

Dale Davis[edit] Dale Davis, a character from Zeke & Luther, appeared in the Kickin' It episode "Wax On, Wax Off" as well as "An Ice Girl For Boomer" which is an episode of Pair of Kings.

Laughy Cat[edit] Principal Mitchell from Kirby Buckets has a cat named Laughy Cat. In Lab Rats episode "Bionic Dog", Bree was watching Laughy Cat, and in Mighty Med episode "Wallace & Clyde: A Grand Day Out", there was a Laughy Cat T-shirt.

Clutch[edit] Clutch has appeared in Lab Rats: Elite Force, Kirby Buckets, and Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything. In Lab Rats: Elite Force, he was an Olympian and Oliver's hero. In Kirby Buckets, he was one of Kirby's drawings. In Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything, he was a video game character. Share so everyone on Earth noes.

[likeappletrees]

some of my favorite short films (in no particular order)

So @slyindoorssmoke asked me for a few short film recommendations and the list ended up a bit bigger than either of us expected, so I thought I’d post them here. The films below range from disturbing to touchy-feely to  entirely style-over-substance, and I can’t really explain why I particularly like some of them. I might have forgotten some favorites, so a second version of this post may be made. 

Click on the title in bold to go straight to the film or trailer.

Michelle, I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Action

7.2 dir. Nida Manzoor (14 minutes): Cleo, a schoolgirl, regains consciousness to find herself lying on the ground with no memory of who she is, only to be confronted by Daisy, the school bully, who issues a cryptic ultimatum. (also very funny)

Hit TV dir. Saman Kesh (12 minutes): An illegal TV show appears every night posting murderous bounties. The organization running the show highjacks broadcast channels to air a haunting call-to-action where people are identified for murder and priced accordingly. (apparently this film is also called “The Prologue” although of what I'm not sure)

Comedy

1500 Words dir. Andrew Chaplin (9 minutes): When Stanley Franks is told he has 1500 words left to live, he faces a battle to keep both his marriage and himself alive using the fewest words possible.

The Black Hole dir. Philip Sansom and Olly Williams (2 minutes): A sleep-deprived office worker accidentally discovers a black hole. (hashtag Relatable)

JohnnyExpress dir. Kyungmin Woo (5 minutes): Johnny is a space delivery man who travels to different planets to deliver packages. However, things never go as planned.

Movie Mind Machine dir. Maureen Bharoocha (12 minutes): Two movie buffs invent a memory-erasing machine that allows them to watch their favorite movies over and over again like the first time. (who wouldn't?)

Sudden Death! dir. Adam Hall (19 minutes): Finally, a musical where everybody dies.

What Cheer? dir. Michael Slavens (17 minutes): After the sudden passing of his wife, Stan (Richard Kind) finds himself in a state of shock. He tries to ignore his pain but finds himself followed by inescapable grief. (I know what you're thinking, and I'm telling you, it's much better)

Drama

1985 dir. Yen Tan (9 minutes): A dying man seeks out a beauty consultant to hide his symptoms.

Goodbye Blue Sky dir. Brandon Zuck (17 minutes): Long after the end of the world, five strangers sharing an abandoned desert motel are forced to decide between love and survival. (bad acting, but in an endearing way)

Hala dir. Minhal Baig (14 minutes): A Muslim-American teenager struggles to reconcile desire with family obligations.

He Took His Skin Off for Me dir. Ben Aston (11 minutes): A simple, domestic love story about a man who takes his skin off for his girlfriend, and why it probably wasn't the best idea.

I Don’t Care dir. Harry Wootliff (24 minutes):  Luka Bartholomew cares for his bed-ridden mother in the run-down resort town of Porthpunnet. On his thirtieth birthday his mother hires a carer to give him a day off. (starring the loves of my life Iwan Rheon and David Leon)

SLAP dir. Nick Rowland (25 minutes): A teenage boxer searching for self-definition gives in to his true colours at the risk of losing everything.

Still In the Cage dir. Jonathan Desbiens (20 minutes): Three girls journey from the city to the jungle in search of an abandoned settlement in the hope of becoming “free spirits”. (essentially a Skrillex music video, but still pretty good)

The Wilding dir. Grant Scicluna (15 minutes): When juvenile inmate Malcolm is offered a chance at parole, he is torn between his chance for freedom and protecting the one he loves. (I could only find the link to the trailer, sorry!)

Horror

The Pig Child dir. Lucy Campbell (17 minutes): A scientist makes a reckless decision to carry on with an illegal surrogacy experiment, using her own body.

The Root of the Problem dir. Ryan Spindell (13 minutes): In the candy-colored world of 1950’s suburbia, a reluctant housewife suspects that the friendly neighborhood dentist is hiding a horrible secret... but is it just the anesthesia, or is something more sinister hiding just below the surface?

So Pretty dir. James Williams (9 minutes): Late at night, on the last train home, one girl's fantasy is about to become her greatest nightmare. (basically a Twilight parody)

Tonight It's You dir. Dominic Haxton (17 minutes): CJ ventures out for a late night hook up when things take a dark turn, leading him into something much more sinister than he could ever imagine.

Science fiction

ANA dir. Factory Fifteen (4 minutes): The sole human worker in a futuristic car manufacturing plant is tricked into relinquishing control to the A.I. that runs production.

The Awareness dir. Henry Dunham (18 minutes): On the eve of a technological breakthrough, an insignificant janitor and a prominent engineer are faced with a decision that will alter the course of humanity: the release of the first aware computer system into the world.

The Brain Hack dir. Joe White (19 minutes): Two students create a short-cut to induce hallucinogenic visions of God, and find themselves hunted by a deadly religious sect. (huge epilepsy warning)

Controller dir. Saman Kesh (8 minutes): A girl that can control everything perpetrates her own rescue by taking control of her boyfriend. (I don't know why she doesn't control her captors and the extent of her powers is never revealed, but it's incredibly stylish, so that's why it's on the list. Saman Kesh advises to play it loud and in full-screen)

The Landing dir. Josh Tanner (18 minutes): A man returns to the Midwestern farm of his childhood on a desperate mission to unearth the horrifying truth of what landed there in the summer of 1960.

Lost Memories dir. François Ferracci (3 minutes): A beautiful couple, a city over-saturated by holograms and digital stream. A Polaroid camera. Tomorrow will never be the same. (I don't particularly agree with the overall message conveyed in the film, but I can appreciate the perspective; has a sequel, Lost Memories 2.0)

The Narrow World dir. Brent Bonacorso (15 minutes): A giant alien creature comes to Earth. The reasons for its arrival, however, remain unknown as mankind fails to make contact with the visitor. (very similar to Arrival, but with the optimism of Pacific Rim)

Payload dir. Stuart Willis (18 minutes): A family of scavengers. A corrupt spaceport. A callous matriarch. A home in the shadow of a space elevator. After a brutal attack on his father, Simon Carter must sacrifice everything to save his family. (not particularly good, but it intrigued me for some inexplicable reason)

We Ate the Children Last dir. Andrew Cividino (12 minutes): What happens when society embraces a radical medical breakthrough without fully understanding its side effects?

Thriller

Bugcrush dir. Carter Smith (36 minutes): A small-town loner's fascination with the new kid in town leads him into something much more sinister than he could ever have imagined. (also just the trailer. Sorry!)

Prosopagnosia dir. Hugo Keijzer (18 minutes): Alfred finds his best friend Julia dead in her apartment and looks the perpetrator right in the eyes. He is unable to identify him, because of his extremely rare condition known as face blindness, or prosopagnosia.

#slyindoorssmoke #short films #my shit

[neberle-blog]

Tropes: Alien Tropes: A character of extraterrestrial origins. For tropes about what makes them alien, at least from a biological standpoint, see Bizarre Alien Biology. Tropes: Human Subspecies: Human Subspecies are variants of regular humans, in which humanity has been changed due to evolution or genetic modification. As a result, a new variant of Homo sapiens develops, or a completely new species of the genus Homo—or even a new genus altogether!—descended from us. There are generally three types of Subspecies: Those modified through genetic or technological engineering. This tends to be the most common. Those as a result of regular evolution (or at least as far as the author understands it). Those related to us via a common evolutionary ancestor. Not Quite Human: In Speculative Fiction, it is very common to have a character who is basically a normal human, except for the fact that they aren't. These tropes can be justified in that a species can superficially appear similar to another unrelated species. Humans are no exception. Green-Skinned Space Babe Space Elves Humanoid Aliens The Reptilians Angelic Aliens Fish People Insectoid Aliens Bee People Insect Queen Alien Animals Space Whale Big Creepy-Crawlies Sand Worm Plant Aliens Starfish Aliens Octopoid Aliens Silicon-Based Life Energy Beings Sufficiently Advanced Alien Eldritch Abomination Interspecies relations: Aliens Are Bastards Aliens Speaking English Humans Need Aliens Humans Through Alien Eyes Humorless Aliens Innocent Aliens Mistook the Dominant Lifeform The Right of a Superior Species Scary Dogmatic Aliens Servant Race Slave Race Superior Species What Measure Is a Humanoid? What Measure Is a Non-Human? Reproduction: Bizarre Alien Reproduction Bizarre Alien Sexes Interspecies Romance Genders: Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism Gender Equals Breed One-Gender Race General tropes and other features: Alien Catnip Alternative Number System Amusing Alien Bizarre Alien Biology Bizarre Alien Psychology Blue and Orange Morality Chest Burster Eldritch Starship Higher-Tech Species Imported Alien Phlebotinum Indo-European Alien Language Insufficiently Advanced Alien Mistaken for Aliens Multicultural Alien Planet Starfish Language Stronger with Age Two of Your Earth Minutes Unusual Ears Applied Phlebotinum Fantastic Flora Fantastic Sapient Species Tropes Barbarian Tribe: Uneducated and often chaotic, ranging from Always Chaotic Evil mooks to Proud Warrior Race Noble Savages. Born Under the Sail: A culture centered around sailing. Fantastic Caste System: A society divided into very different and distinct cultures, and nearly always lacking individual freedom to move between them. Fictional United Nations: A government of governments, mediating between nations. Lady Land: A land where women are in power and men are rare. Multicultural Alien Planet Proud Merchant Race: A race built around making money. Proud Scholar Race: A race built around learning and knowledge. Proud Warrior Race: A race built around warfare and honor. Scary Dogmatic Aliens: Evil aliens with an obvious dogma, usually a standin for real life ideologies. Space Nomads: Peoples who spend their time traveling space without a permanent home. Space Romans: A human or Human Alien culture that strongly resembles one from Earth's history. Cultures to base your fictional culture upon: Ancient Egypt Ancient Greece: Home of philosophy. Ancient Rome: Gladiators, Emperors, and an army that you don't want to mess with. Eagleland: American styled culture based around democracy, liberty, and freedom. For better or for worse. Far East: Glorious Mother Russia: Soviet-inspired military and ruthless politics. Injun Country: People commune with the forces of nature, living in tipis, and believe in totems. Cultures defined by their government: The Alliance: A group of smaller nations banded together for political strength, usually versus The Empire. The Empire: Evil, regimented, and intent upon world domination. The Federation: A generally good, generally democratic Reasonable Authority Figure. Hegemonic Empire: An empire which absorbs instead of conquers and makes people want to be a part of it. People's Republic of Tyranny: The Empire trying to pass itself off as The Federation. Includes in its name words referring to freedom and democracy. The Republic: Usually capitalist, democratic, and humanitarian heroic culture, more tight-knit than The Federation. Rising Empire: A proud race in an expansionist phase, usually led by The Conqueror. The Theocracy: A society in which the Church is the government. Vestigial Empire: An empire which has seen better days. Voluntary Vassal: A culture that has willingly sworn to The Empire and receives better treatment than those who have been subjugated. Cultural details that make a culture more fantastic: Bazaar of the Bizarre: A marketplace selling strange and wonderful things. Constellations: The creators create their own new constellations to fill up the sky. Fantastic Honorifics: This culture uses unusual manners of address to show status. Fantastic Racism: People in this culture are racist for unusual reasons. Fantastic Rank System: This culture's military uses a fictional system of ranks. One Man's Trash Is Another's Treasure: People in this culture find mundane things amazing or amazing things mundane. Fictional settings for these cultures: Americasia: A setting where the dominant culture is a blend of American and Asian culture. Arcadia: A gentle, utopic countryside where people are In Harmony with Nature. Land of One City: The setting (country, kingdom, planet...) has only one city, making it a City-State. The Savage South: The south is barbaric, inhospitable, and hot. Futuristic Tech Index Ranged Energy Attack Tropes Romanticism Versus Enlightenment Spacecraft Tropes in Space Absurdly Sharp Blade Abusive Precursors Adam and Eve Plot Aesoptinum The Ageless Alien Sea Alien Sky Aliens Speaking English Alternative Calendar Amazon Brigade Anti-Human Alliance Artificial Gravity Artificial Intelligence Artificial Limbs Asteroid Miners Being Human Sucks Benevolent A.I. Benevolent Precursors Bio-Augmentation Biological Weapons Solve Everything Bioluminescence Is Cool Bizarre Alien Biology Bizarre Alien Locomotion Bizarre Alien Psychology Bizarre Alien Reproduction Bizarre Alien Senses Bizarre Alien Sexes Bizarre Seasons Blood Sport Body Snatcher Burial in Space Casual Interplanetary Travel Casual Interstellar Travel Chest Burster Spawn Broodling City Planet Clone Army Clone Degeneration Colony Ship Computerized Judicial System Conveniently Close Planet Cosmic Chess Game Cross-Cultural Handshake Cryonics Failure Cryo Prison Cult Colony Culture Clash Cybernetics Eat Your Soul Cyborg Decontamination Chamber Deflector Shields Demihuman Depopulation Bomb Digitized Hacker Disintegrator Ray Distress Call Dominant Species Genes Drop Pod Drop Ship Dystopian Edict Earth That Was Eldritch Starship Emotion Bomb Emotions vs. Stoicism Endless Daytime Enforced Technology Levels Escape Pod Evolutionary Levels Evolutionary Stasis Explosions in Space Fantastic Angst Fantastic Arousal Fantastic Caste System Fantastic Drug Fantastic Fruits and Vegetables Fantastic Ghetto Fantastic Honorifics Fantastic Light Source Fantastic Racism Fantastic Rank System Fantastic Religious Weirdness Fantastic Slurs Faster-Than-Light Travel Fish People Five Races Flawed Prototype Forgotten Phlebotinum A Form You Are Comfortable With Future Badass Future Food Is Artificial Future Imperfect Future Music Future Slang Galactic Superpower Gendercide Genetic Memory Genius Breeding Act Gone Horribly Right Gone Horribly Wrong Government Drug Enforcement Grows on Trees Guilt-Free Extermination War Half-Human Hybrid Harmony Versus Discipline Higher-Tech Species Hive Caste System Hive Mind Hologram Hologram Projection Imperfection Holographic Terminal Homemade Inventions Homeworld Evacuation Horde of Alien Locusts Hostile Terraforming Hover Board Hover Skates Human Aliens Humanity Came From Space Humanity Is Advanced Humanity Is Superior Humanity Is Young Humanoid Aliens Humans Are Diplomats Humans Are Flawed Humans Are Psychic in the Future Humans Are Special Humans Need Aliens Human Subspecies Hyperspace Is a Scary Place Hyperspeed Ambush Hyperspeed Escape Imported Alien Phlebotinum Innocent Aliens Insectoid Aliens Interplanetary Voyage Interspecies Romance In the Future, Humans Will Be One Race Kill and Replace Landfill Beyond the Stars Language Drift Laser Blade Life Drinker Life Energy Lightning Gun Living Battery Lockdown Lost Colony Love Is A Crime Lovecraft Lite Low Culture, High Tech Machine Worship Made of Phlebotinum Mad Scientist Laboratory Manchurian Agent Matriarchy Mechanical Evolution Mega Corp. Metamorphosis Monster Mind Hive A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read Mini-Mecha Mistook the Dominant Lifeform More Predators Than Prey The Mothership Multicultural Alien Planet Nanomachines Neglectful Precursors Neural Implanting New Eden No Biochemical Barriers No Seat Belts Not So Extinct Ominous Floating Spaceship Only Fatal to Adults Opposite-Sex Clone Organic Technology Organ Theft Our Phlebotinum Child Our Wormholes Are Different Passion Is Evil People Farms People Zoo Perfect Pacifist People Person of Mass Destruction Planetary Parasite Planet Eater Plasma Cannon Population Control Possible War Precursors Precursor Worship Proud Merchant Race Proud Scholar Race Guy Proud Warrior ace Guy Psychic Children Psychic Link Psychic Powers Psychic Radar Radiation-Immune Mutants Really 700 Years Old Recursive Precursors Ridiculous Future Inflation Robot Maid Salvage Pirates Sand Is Water Sand Worm Scale of Scientific Sins Scary Dogmatic Aliens Science Marches On Sci-Fi Ghetto Sci-Fi Name Buzzwords Silicon-Based Life Single-Biome Planet Single Line of Descent Small Universe After All Society Marches On Solar Flare Disaster Space Base Space Battle Space Cadet Space Cadet Academy Space Clothes Space Cold War Space Elves Space Is Cold Space Is Noisy Space Madness Space Navy Space Pirates Space Police Space Romans Space Station Spontaneous Human Combustion Standard Human Spaceship Standardized Space Views Standard Sci-Fi Army Standard Sci-Fi Fleet Standard Sci-Fi History Standard Sci Fi Setting Standard Time Units Starfish Aliens Starfish Language Starship Luxurious Stealth in Space Sterility Plague Streaming Stars Subspace or Hyperspace Sufficiently Advanced Alien Super Breeding Program Super Cell Reception Super Soldier Super Supremacist The Symbiote Synthetic Plague Terminally Dependent Society Terra Deforming Terraform Theotech Thrown Out the Airlock Token Human Touch Telepathy Tracking Chip Tractor Beam Translator Collar Two of Your Earth Minutes Uneven Hybrid Universal Universe Time Unseen Prototype Unwitting Test Subject Virus and Cure Names Virus Victim Symptoms Volcanic Veins Weird Science We Will Have Euthanasia in the Future We Will Have Perfect Health in the Future We Will Use Manual Labor in the Future Why You Should Destroy the Planet Earth Brainstorm the basics. Your alien species will develop and change as you give it more of a backstory, but you have to set some basic parameters to get started. Use a written outline or a quick sketch to get ideas down.[1] Are the aliens going to be human-like or physically different? Will they have their own language? Do you want your aliens to be scientifically plausible? Do they come from a known planet, or are you inventing the planet as well? Define the role the aliens will play in your story. The aliens you create will have a specific function in your story, and that function may define parts of how the look and act. Think about what role the aliens will play in your story. Are your aliens going to be your main characters or supporting characters? Will they be good or evil? Will they be something in between? Will they be intelligent beings from an advanced society, or will they be primitive? Consider their physiology. Whether you build your story around your aliens’ features or you build your aliens around your story, their physical composition and storyline should work together.[2] Think about what your aliens need. What biological features do they need to survive in your story? If they come from a planet close to its star, for example, do they need thick or plated skin for protection? Will their physiology create meaningful challenges? For example, will a species with a tail be easier for alien head hunters to catch? Will the species have to find ways to adapt? Will their physiology create any unnecessary challenges? Look for features in your aliens’ physiology that might make for improbable scenarios, such as a species with gills invading a species on land. Find ways to rework those improbabilities. Remember, form follows function. A flying alien will probably be very slim and lightly built while a swimming one might be streamlined like a dolphin or shark. You can also "reverse engineer" an alien's habitat and lifestyle based on its looks. So a lanky alien with long arms might live in the trees like a monkey, or one with lots of fin-like crests might live somewhere wet like a lake or marsh. Do some sketches. Making a drawing can give your imagination a jump start if you're having trouble describing your alien. Even if you are not using images in your story, drawing may help you focus on your aliens’ details.Try a basic sketch depicting the physical features of your aliens. Once you have their standard look established, depict your aliens in a few scenes from your story. Seeing how the aliens fit into the events and physical surroundings of the story may help you refine what they look like or how they act. Building a Backstory Build the society. The actions of your alien are going to be informed by its social surroundings. You may opt not to create an entire history for the new species, but consider shared values and customs and how they relate to your alien characters.[3] Consider political structure. Is it governed by or separate from religion? Are they autocratic, democratic, or governed by different means? Are your inherently peaceful or inherently militant? They may be neither, but if they are meant to be truly peaceful or truly warmongering, it will impact how they act. Think about social stratification. Are there any sub-races within your race? Do certain individuals have greater status based on their families, jobs, wealth, or other factors? Do your aliens form strong social connections, such as friendship and love? Decide on communication. There are limitless ways in which your aliens can communicate. They might speak, use telepathy, communicate via scent or body language, or something else entirely. Establish how your aliens communicate with one another. Do they have their own language? Will they use the same language as the non-alien characters in your story? If they communicate by telepathy, consider how you will depict the experience. Will others hear a voice in their head, or will they emerge from interactions with an understanding that uses no words? Decide how your aliens will communicate with other species, if necessary. Will they use translators? Are they multilingual? Will they learn during the story? Develop transportation. If your aliens are going to an area that is not their home planet, you need to decide how they get there. If others are coming to their world, you need to decide how. What means do your aliens use to get to one another? If they use locomotion, what type? Do they teleport? Develop a means of long-distance transportation. How do your aliens get around their planet? How do they get to other planets? Are there specialized vehicles for different purposes? If your aliens will be visited by beings from other planets, decide how they will react to alien ships. Will they understand what they are, or will they be confused or frightened? If your aliens are on earth, develop how they got there. If it was by ship, is that ship still present and functional? Writing Your Story Create individual characters. Once you have your alien species developed, you are ready to create the characters that will drive your story.[4] Your alien characters will be informed by the information you worked out, but they need to be individuals. Each alien character should have a distinct purpose that drives the story forward, as well as their own character arch. Diversify your alien characters. Like people, they should operate in the parameters you set for your world, but they should each have their own personality. What is your character’s social status? What is their emotional range? Do they have any personal relationships? Find problems. Individual characters should have personal focus, as well as a focus on the overall story arc. Create problems for your characters that impact them on an individual level. Give your character personal quirks and challenges. All of your alien characters may be focused on saving their planet, but is one in particular also having trouble learning to read? Create dynamic characters that are different from one another. If there is a problem pertaining to the whole species, give your character a personal interest in that issue. For example, if the species is about to fight for their own defense, create conflict by having a character that opposes violent conflict but fears losing family or a loved one. Make your characters more relatable by giving them small problems outside of the overall story arc. Characters focused on one matter will come off as one-dimensional. Create consequence. Give your story depth by creating consequences for your alien characters. They may be positive or negative, but the actions of the alien characters should move the story forward. Consequences will naturally build your alien character’s story arch. If they invade another planet, for example, will they be welcomed home as a hero or exiled for their destruction? How will the consequences of their actions inform their future decisions? Create consequences that your audience might not see. Decide if there are major events in the history of your alien species that inform their actions and behavior. Try to use these events to create conflict and depth in your character. Do not divulge everything. You want to create a complete world so that you can make compelling alien characters, but your story should be clear and engaging for your audience. Provide detail that informs specific parts of your story. If, for example, an alien character is stranded on earth, establish how they got there and why. Avoid putting in too much detail that does not relate directly to the story. Use the details you created to inform your writing, but avoid including lengthy explanations of things that do not make sense of the story or move it along. You may decide, for example, that your aliens all glow blue in a mostly helium atmosphere. However, if they are never in a helium atmosphere during the story, there is likely no need to include that detail for your audience. Species/Race Name: Femetri Anatomy/Biology: Height: 7-9 ft, Has the ability to reproduce with any species, Has small two hearts,They store oxygen within their large lungs, All muscle, All have mammalian breasts,Very thick skin,Different shades of skin pigment depends on what family/tribe they are from.Has Four arms. Description: a general description of what an average person/creature looks like: Tall,Curvy,Unusual skin pigment,War markings/tattoos,Lots of hair Diet: (optional): Carnivore but can eat other food sources Female: Average height: Imperial, Metric, or both: 7 ft-9 ft Average weight: Imperial, Metric, or both: 115-125 Average build: average body type: Curvy but fit Average lifespan: how long do they live? (Usually in Earth years): Around 150 yrs Politics System: what kind of political system do they have? : Oligarchy - a government in which control is exercised by a small group of individuals whose authority generally is based on wealth or power Values: What does their society value? Family, money, religion, science, progress, etc.: Strength,Family,And Freedom Religion: even if your race doesn’t have a religion it is wise to list this so people know. If it is strange or unlike Earth/human religions describe it: They worship the energies of living things not a single deity. Settlements/colonies: Are they spacefaring? If so they most likely have colonies on other worlds.:They prefer to stay isolated on their home planet Diplomacy: how are their relations with the rest of the universe?: They are part of the Galactic Federation. Technology: Military: What kind of technology is available to the military?: Normal weapons such as blades (No guns) Civilian/Public: What kind of technology can civilians use? None really but simple things such as fire etc. Traditions: Even advanced societies have traditions of sorts: The Coming Of Age tradition where they send off the youngest off to space to spend the rest of their youth before coming back. Conflicts/Issues: In order to make your race/society seem realistic you must give them/it some issues:They are a single sex race therefore they must seek other species to reproduce but now some Femetri aren't abducting males like in the past. Species/Race Name Anatomy/Biology Description: a general description of what an average person/creature looks like:Lavender skin colored with pupil less magenta eyes,Dark hair(Normally Black or bluish purple),Pointed ears,Human like teeth,Furred tail. Diet: (optional): Chemivore Male: More Lighter Skinned Average height: Imperial, Metric, or both:4’6-5’0 Average weight: Imperial, Metric, or both:80-110 Average build: average body type:Lean and small Average lifespan: how long do they live? (Usually in Earth years): Around 1000 Female: More Darker Skinned Average height: Imperial, Metric, or both: 4’2-5’2 Average weight: Imperial, Metric, or both:90-120 Average build: average body type: Flat and lean Average lifespan: how long do they live? (Usually in Earth years): Around 1200 Politics System: what kind of political system do they have? Parliamentary monarchy - a state headed by a monarch who is not actively involved in policy formation or implementation (i.e., the exercise of sovereign powers by a monarch in a ceremonial capacity); true governmental leadership is carried out by a cabinet and its head - a prime minister, premier or chancellor - who are drawn from a legislature (parliament). Values: What does their society value? Intelligence And Love Religion: even if your race doesn’t have a religion it is wise to list this so people know. If it is strange or unlike Earth/human religions describe it: They are secular Settlements/colonies: Are they spacefaring? If so they most likely have colonies on other worlds:They have migrated into human colonies Diplomacy: how are their relations with the rest of the universe? To be honest most of the government hates them but keeps them around because they are good allies Technology: Military: What kind of technology is available to the military? Electrocharged guns and weapons Civilian/Public: What kind of technology can civilians use? Computers other human technology etc Overview: an overview or brief history of their technology and availability:They stole all their technology from the homo sapiens Traditions: Even advanced societies have traditions of sorts:The Hunting Day Conflicts/Issues: In order to make your race/society seem realistic you must give them/it some issues:Trying to quicker their modernism leads to conflicts of interests The rag-tag rebel army/fleet struggles valiantly to overthrow the Evil Empire. Scientists work feverishly to develop a cure for the Supervirus or a weapon to stop the Invincible Bad Guys. An alien: Is stranded on Earth; Befriends a human child or falls in love with an Earth gal; Makes teary farewell and returns to its home planet. People connect their brains directly to computers and get dependent on them. A complex computer system spontaneously becomes self-aware. A couple files an application to the government for permission to conceive a baby. A human falls in love with a robot. A robot falls in love with a human. Brain-controlling parasites attempt to wrest control of human race. Two hostile factions colonize a planet within walking distance of each other. The government ships criminals off to other planets. An android discovers emotions and loses control. A young researcher: Learns that the employer's latest discovery has a Nasty Side Effect or involves some obvious human rights abuses; Confronts the employer, who casually dismisses the researcher's concerns and chides her/him for not being a "team player"; Aliens invade Earth in order to eat humans. An AI turns on its creators. A person from the past goes into suspended animation and wakes up in modern times, or a person from modern times goes into suspended animation and wakes up in the future. A sexually selective plague kills off or sterilizes almost all of the men, or almost all of the women. A human discovers that the human race is being controlled by aliens. Humans are seen as a menace to galactic society, having developed technology over a few short centuries compared with the thousands it took the other races. An entire society is run by a computer. Maybe it goes berserk. An alien being is sent to Earth on a mission of assassination or genocide; it changes its mind after getting to know (and perhaps falling in love with) one or more humans. The crew's memories are wiped. As they recover, they discover that they are Unwitting Pawns, helping the guy who did it to them. An alien that is substantially like us doesn't understand love, and visits humans in order to learn. The lesson is completed after the alien gets a Dose of Good Luvin'. Section II: Overused Settings and Characterizations Aliens whose thinking is so different from ours that no communication is possible. Alien races that find our women attractive, while we find theirs to be repulsive. Alien races who differ from us only in skin color and/or facial features. Extra breasts on the alien women. Alien species depicted as having no ethnic, religious, cultural, philosophical or political variance, especially: Amazon babes Super-intelligent AIs that speak, behave, and act in a manner indistinguishable from the human characters. The incredibly competent man-of-action with more skills/degrees than you can shake a blaster at. The incredibly competent woman-of-action with large breasts, no sexual inhibitions, and more skills/degrees than you can shake a blaster at. Each and every character has a tainted history. A society consists of: A handful of ultra-powerful ultra-rich; Nonetheless, the society manages to remain at a high technological level. Heroes who are so emotionally stunted that they don't care about close friends/relatives that die as long as they complete some mission. Futuristic societies where only the ultra-rich can afford quality healthcare, and everyone else is reduced to selling their bodily organs. Beings of pure energy. Aliens whose sociology, values and beliefs are indistinguishable from those of an Earth culture, e.g., feudal Japan. Eccentric scientists. The assistant to the scientist who is either deformed or dating the scientist's daughter. Aliens that speak human languages without error, having taken no pains to learn how. An alien tongue is translated into perfect English; that is, except for profanity and units of measurement. Omnipotent pacifist aliens who impose their philosophy on us without bothering to protect us from the races they have left alone. Clones are inexplicably different from regular people in a particular manner (mentally unstable, don't mind being used as cannon fodder, etc.). Societies that are utopian in every regard except for one serious drawback that completely outweighs the utopian aspects, such as having the death penalty for some really minor offence. Sentient artificial intelligences that select a human figure to holographically represent themselves. Computers with voice synthesizers either use a sensuous female contralto, a threatening male baritone, or a nasally tinny neutral voice. Characters who are always ready for intimate relations. Alien vampires that feed on brainwaves/life-force/exotic biochemicals/psychic energies that can only be obtained from sentient life forms. Alien monsters that find humans edible, tasty, and non-toxic. Androids with intelligence equal to an IQ of around 1000 who can't seem to figure out human emotions, humor, or verbal contractions. The ancient spacefaring alien race that: Has existed for zillions of years; Went into hiding, left this universe/dimension, or went extinct so long ago that no current spacefaring race has ever met them; Aliens whose language is not pronounceable by humans, but who can still speak human languages with relative ease. All religious figures are: Intolerant hate mongers who make Hitler look like Jesus; All-tolerant lovemongers who make Jesus look like Hitler; A society of aliens and/or villains that are amazingly similar to an infamous human political movement. Societies wherein gender roles and attitudes are completely reversed. Most aliens breathe oxygen, just like humans do. Bored, omnipotent, immortal beings. An immortal being that wants to die. People with cyborg implants will needlessly exhibit the benefits of this hardware just to relieve boredom or show off. Children with access to the highest levels of military planning, scientific research, and governmental decision-making. The Free Love Utopia, populated only by fabulously good-looking people, that somehow remains free of sexually transmitted diseases, has no relationship turmoil, and is not inundated with hordes of people looking for easy sex. The untrained, average Joe who can take on and defeat highly trained and well-equipped operatives. The Wise Race of Ancients that secretly supports the protagonists. An interstellar realm is ruled by a handful of powerful families, each scheming to eliminate the rest, instead of forming alliances. Except for the distinguishing marks on aliens and bad guys, everyone has perfect skin. The city's main computer can be accessed from any of a number of public-access terminals located conveniently throughout the city. The less technologically advanced a culture is, the more spiritually advanced it is. Except for full-blown dictatorships, government officials of the future never abuse their powers. Entire cities whose buildings use the same architectural design. World governments are enlightened and efficient; nation-states are backward and primitive. In the future, everyone either supports their government fully, or is engaged in a terrorist campaign to overthrow it. In the future, government corruption has been eradicated. All alien females, galaxy-wide, use cosmetics the same way that Western women do. Although humans still have multiple languages, each alien race has only one language. Kindly enlightened races are native to beautiful planets with congenial climate; cruel, benighted races arise on ugly planets with brutal weather. The ship's computer is programmed to track the location of each and every person aboard, but is never programmed to report personnel in unauthorized areas, or those who suddenly disappear. The entire population of the planet lives in one city. In the future, all that remains of Earth's flora is a small garden, or even just one plant. All girlfriends are hotties. The Captain or other main heroic protagonist always grew up as a either the simple farm boy or some other variation of The All-American Boy. Urban characters, while not neccesarily depicted as unlikeable, are almost invariably written to be more cynical, snobbish, or dubious, and less charismatic than the wholesome protagonist. The ruling elders or wise ones of a society always dress in robes or toga-like garb, even if it's a futurisic society. Section III: Overused Story Events and Plot Devices Discussions, ending with a joke, about how bureaucracies are the same everywhere in the galaxy. Technological malfunction as a plot device. Aliens who are vastly more intelligent and advanced than we are, but we beat them anyway by "ingenuity," plain guts, or exploiting an Achilles' Heel. A teenage genius discovers an entire new field of science, and builds practical devices that use it, in his bedroom. The psychological trauma/attitude problem of female character is cured (or at least temporarily relieved) by a Dose of Good Luvin' from the hero. Persons of different species interbreed without difficulty. A conspiracy develops, involving lots of people, and remains secret for an extended period of time. A Big Surprise awaits the reader/viewer at the end of the tale: An ancient civilization was actually founded by space aliens. A major historical figure (Jesus, Einstein, Lincoln, Elvis) was really a space alien. Humans leave for the stars, forget all about Earth, and rediscover it later. An alien artifact imbues human(s) with incredible abilities. A war gets started over a stupid misunderstanding between two sides that otherwise have no reason to fight, and no effort is made to resolve the crisis diplomatically. The two opponents in a war have been fighting for so long that they've forgotten how the war got started in the first place, but no effort is made to resolve the crisis diplomatically. Humans have a special quality that makes us unique, so that even superbeings can learn something from us. Explorers are greeted as gods by the natives, who cling to this belief in spite of everything the explorers do and say. An alien custom throws humans into confusion, even though one or more human cultures share the custom and have followed it for centuries. A person's physical impairments vanish when they are possessed by the Alien Entity. A technologically advanced race conquers a technologically inferior race, and puts them to work doing things that the conqueror's machines can do far more efficiently. The gang of cute and/or misfit kids rescue the universe, where a large group of competent, organized and well-armed adults failed. The protagonists destroy the entire social structure and governmental system of the society they encounter, and only a few old fuddy-duddies complain. The human abdomen is an ideal incubator for Alien Eggs/Spawn, and this has no apparent effect on the host until the Alien Spawn erupts from their stomach in a messy fashion. A high-ranking matriarch, in a society that oppresses men, falls for the Hero's rugged charms. When the Heroes destroy the computer that runs an entire society, it's considered a good thing for the members of that society. A society of humans adopts an artificial means of reproduction (such as cloning), forgets about sex and intimacy, and has to learn about it at some later point. After a remonstration from the Good Guys, the Great Dictator confesses that he was merely trying to keep order, and reforms. The crewman in the leaky spacesuit is rescued with seconds of air to spare. The stranded heroes come across a crashed space vessel. The ship is returned to a serviceable condition after only a little bit of repair work. The characters in the distant future are interested in the period of Earth history during which the story was written. Cryogenically frozen people are never thawed on schedule. They are either revived way, way too early or way, way afterwards. Gravity assists being treated as something desperate and unprecedented. Suspended Animation being used as a method to contain incarcerated criminals. It never occurs to anyone that being able to sleep through your sentence is not quite the same punishing experience for criminals as would be the daily aspects of a life without freedom. Section IV: Silly Science Super-intelligent computers blow up when the hero confuses them. Computers get reprogrammed by someone who has no knowledge of the computer's operating system. An item of technology is quickly reverse-engineered by a far less advanced group of researchers. A group of aliens is smart enough to steal someone else's technology, but too stupid to make any improvements on it. After thirty years of crew members being tossed around like the balls in a bingo cage, the spacecraft still has no seatbelts. A clone grows to match the cloned person's state of physiological development in a small fraction of the time. Clones think, act, and speak in a manner indistinguishable from that of the cloned person. Clones come out of the cloning vat with the same haircut as the individual cloned. AI software has unique properties that prevent it from being copied or transmitted like any other data. Twentieth century firearms are abandoned, even though the high-tech replacement is significantly more complex to engineer, more costly to build, and is not appreciably deadlier, longer-ranged, or more accurate. When an extra or a minor character is shot, they fall over immediately dead; when a major character is shot, they either survive with a nasty-looking wound, or they linger long enough to utter some parting words. Lasers are visible when travelling through the vacuum of outer space. A tactical system that can only deal with targets visible to the naked eye is still considered worthwhile. Heroes/ships can dodge laser beams because the beams travel about as quickly as an arrow. Alien artifacts still work after being abandoned for a million years. Stars go shooting past the spaceship as it flies through space. A large dose of radiation causes an individual creature to "evolve" into a more advanced form. Robots that despite their size and function are designed with exactly the same features as a human (two arms and legs, ten fingers, two eyes, same joint system, etc.) The same energy beam which causes rocks, buildings and robots to violently explode produces only a puff of smoke and a bit of burnt flesh and clothing when used on a living being. Colored irregular crystals are the power source of the future. The artificial gravity is the last system of all to fail. The stolen alien technology is already compatible with our power systems and can be installed and used immediately. The alien forces are dependent on the mothership, such that destroying the mothership disables them. Every inhabited planet rotates around its axis about as quickly as Earth does, give or take a couple hours. When the alien's speech is translated for the crewmembers, the alien's lips move according to the language of the crew member. Additionally, we don't hear the alien's actual speech. When a spacecraft is found adrift in space, there is always enough power remaining in it to turn on the lights, artificial gravity, and life support. One or more of these systems is usually on when the heroes board the ship. Don't know the code for the lock? Just shoot the keypad. The door will open. A robot or other AI speaks progressively more slowly as it shuts down from some malfunction. Despite the informed attribute of a Universal Translator or similar plot device, nobody looks or sounds like a dubbed film. People who live all of their lives in space or on Earth's moon, for example, have no physiological consequences of living in an environment with gravity lower than Earth normal. These include such things as weaker bones and muscles and reduced physical strength. Science fiction brings to mind lots of stock images, from androids to spaceships, first contact with aliens and machines that let us travel through time. It's a vast and multilayered genre on par with Fantasy (which is why the two genres are often paired together in the acronym "SF&F"). But how do you tell a good science fiction story? We'd be amiss if we didn't first recommend checking out So You Want To Write A Story for advice on how to tell a good story above all else. Necessary Tropes First, you need science. Seems self-explanatory, but it's much, much trickier than you think. Science in fiction can range from hard to soft Example: a character is shown a machine for traveling into the past and asks, "How does it work?" In soft SF: "You sit in this seat, set the date you want, and pull that lever." In medium SF: "You sit in this seat, set the date you want, and drive to 88 mph." In hard SF: "A good question with an interesting answer. Please have a seat while I bring you up to speed on the latest ideas in quantum theory, after which I will spend a chapter detailing an elaborate, yet plausible-sounding connection between quantum states, the unified field theory, and the means by which the brain stores memory, all tied into theories from both Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking." In really hard SF: "It doesn't. Time travel to the past is impossible. Which leads us to the Scale. Science in Genre Only: The work is unambiguously set in the literary genre of Science Fiction, but scientific it is not. World Of Phlebotinum: The universe is full of Applied Phlebotinum with more to be found behind every star, but the Phlebotinum is dealt with in a fairly consistent fashion despite its lack of correspondence with reality and, in-world, is considered to lie within the realm of scientific inquiry. A subclass of this class (arguably 2.5 on the scale) contains stories that are generally sound, except the physics aren't our own. Physics Plus: Stories in this class once again have multiple forms of Applied Phlebotinum, but in contrast to the prior class, the author aims to justify these creations with real and invented natural laws — and these creations and others from the same laws will turn up again and again in new contexts. One Big Lie: Authors of works in this class invent one (or, at most, a very few) counterfactual physical laws and writes a story that explores the implications of these principles. This class also includes a subclass (4.5 on the scale) we call One Small Fib, containing stories that include only a single counterfactual device but for which the device is not a major element of the plot. Speculative Science: Stories in which there is no "big lie" — the science of the tale is (or was) genuine speculative science or engineering, and the goal of the author to make as few errors with respect to known fact as possible. A subclass of this (5.5 on the scale) is Futurology: stories which function almost like a prediction of the future, extrapolating from current technology rather than inventing major new technologies or discoveries. Real Life (aka Fiction in Genre Only): A Shared Universe which spawned its own genre, known as "Non-Fiction". Despite the various problems noted at Reality Is Unrealistic, it is almost universally agreed that there is no other universe known so thoroughly worked out from established scientific principles. Second, you need to address which scientific issue is at the root of your story. Most people think of outer space and aliens when they hear science fiction, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Choices, Choices Gadget-based SF is about the invention of a new technology. These days, Technobabble may result, but back in Asimov's day you were expected to actually know something about science, so many of those ideas were scientifically valid. Adventure-based SF is about how the new technology can be used—Applied Phlebotinum, in other words. I Social SF is when Reality Ensues and Misapplied Phlebotinum rears its ugly head. How are we going to solve the new problems created by the new technology? Adventure-SF is about how it can be used, but Social-SF is about how it should be used. Most science-fiction these days involves pieces of all three, though the latter two are by far the most predominant. In fact, the two of them together—what the technology is/was, and how it is/was used—have given rise to a whole mess of subgenres within the science-fiction proper. Cyberpunk: a dystopian future where information technology has allowed corporations to subvert the government. The almighty dollar rules all, Might Makes Right, and the protagonist is typically an oppressed commoner who still, somehow, has the skills and guts to make a change in the world (though not always a good one). Military Science-Fiction: Military fiction Recycled IN SPACE!. Typically focusing on a soldier and The Squad around him, it explores what war might be like in the future. Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic: fiction set After the End. The Apocalypse How can vary—disease, war, ecological disaster, astronomic impact, zombie plague—transhumans run amok—but this brand of fiction typically involves itself with Action Survivors struggling to rebuild, or at least survive, as everything comes crashing down around their ears. Space Opera: drama, or even melodrama, on a galactic scale. It typically takes place in a well-developed and well-populated universe (though the presence of aliens, Rubber Forehead or Starfish, is optional) and at least one interstellar nation, against which is pitted an opponent who can match it blow for blow. Space Western: the Western, Recycled IN SPACE!! While post-apocalyptic fiction takes place After the End, this genre happens Before The Beginning. Necessary Tropes Most stories have: One or more characters. A setting. Conflict or change. Plot. Whether you want it or not, your story will also have structure, theme/premise, mood/tone, and style. These become especially important if your story has no conflict, or if the plot is related in non-chronological order, or if you've otherwise decided to subvert one of the most basic assumptions about how stories work. Tropes: Admiring the Abomination: Character is fascinated by Eldritch Abominations rather than scared by them. Being Personal Isn't Professional: Character behaves antisocially while on the job. Born in the Wrong Century: Character wishes they lived in a different period. Challenge Seeker Character Depth Character Development: Character grows as they progress through the story. Creature of Habit Cuddle Bug Cuteness Proximity: Character turns into a bowl of mush at the sight of something cute. Dynamic Character Everyone Has Standards: Every character, regardless of moral alignment or clique, has at least some level of decency. Experienced Protagonist Jack-of-All-Trades Loony Friends Improve Your Personality Misery Builds Character: Having a character go through absolute hell as a way to strengthen them. Pastimes Prove Personality Rounded Character Sweet Tooth: Character who is shown to have a love of sweet foods. Principle Number One The main goal of developing a character’s personality - as already stated - is to make that character human. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the character needs to be a human being or act exactly like one. Exceptions where a character has an inhuman personality can only be made interesting if human nature is understood first. The importance of personality in a character is undeniable. Some fictional works are only considered interesting because of just one character’s personality. Good characters will make people care about everything else in your story. Furthermore, some fictional works are centered towards just one character. In fact, the personality is both the most complex and most important part of a character. A character’s personality is the main drive of most stories. It’s very likely you have heard people talking about having a “favorite character.” This character is more often than not the main reason people care about this fictional work at all. So, what is a human character? The answer is, one that has the essence of human nature. Avoiding Puppet characters It’s important to note that the following advice is to help make a fully human character. It is of course possible to develop personality without following all of this advice. However before effectively breaking the rules you need to know them first, otherwise you may have a puppet-character instead of a person. What is 'personality'? Personality is defined as “A dynamic and organized set of characteristics possessed by a person that uniquely influences his or her cognition, motivations, and behaviors in various situations.” In other words your character's personality will be the behavior your character has with themselves and with others. It’s important to note that even though all people have personalities, the person isn’t his/her personality. First it's important to differentiate between how a character behaves with other characters (the image they give of themselves onto others) and what they really are on the inside. In order to hide their inner feelings and secrets. For example the Alpha Bitch hiding the fact that she is a nerd on the inside. To be accepted by others. Characters can behave differently between certain people. For example The Bully may pretend to be a good person in front of a teacher. A guy with a raging libido may know not to hit on co workers so as to maintain a healthy work environment. To reflect different chemistry, dynamics, and even umwelt with different people. The average person is very different around drinking buddies, colleagues, and romantic partners. Even very combative people are unlikely to argue when criticized by a parent due to interpersonal dynamics going back to infancy. You can apply this knowledge to characters. While many authors like to make their characters without any “masks,” this trait could certainly give more depth to your characters. Because the struggles between the outside and the inside of your character are an important part of a character’s personality, the following questions will help you to define this aspect of your character’s personality. How is your character when alone? Does your character treat everyone the same? Is your character nicer/meaner/funnier/etc. with certain people? If so, why do they act differently? Are the feelings your character expresses on the outside really what your character feels? If your character could have unlimited power/anonymity, would your character remain the same person? Does your character have a burden/secrets that he/she isn’t able to share? What makes a person the way he/she is Identity and personality is made thanks to 3 important factors. Genetics. These factors are in the DNA of the person. They can’t be chosen or changed by the person. For example, sex and age. Free will (our choices). Regardless of circumstances, every human being is able to choose how to guide at least some aspects of their lives. These choices are a big factor in defining what we are. People in nearly identical circumstances can take different routes of actions. This category includes our history, past, present and theoretical future. The environment. In this category we can include all factors that influence a person but aren't directly dependent on the person itself. For example, how we interact with the people around us, how people changed our view of life, when and where we live, etc. What makes a character feel “human”? (Human nature) Autonomy. This concept means “the capability of making decisions without coercion.” In other words, you need to remember that your characters must have their own dreams and goals. You need to portray characters as how they would act if they were real, as you want them to act, but taking into account their own goals, not as what you want them to act for the sole purpose of shaping the plot. Autonomy is also the difference between a character that is just a puppet, an extension of your will, and a person. Characters that are true people will act as they want, not as you wish they acted. This doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to control your characters. You can make your character do whatever you want without losing characterization if you take care to not betray what makes your character autonomous. Individuality. All persons are unique and special. Even identical twins that share the same DNA aren’t exactly the same (regarding personality). it does mean however that you can’t make characters that are (in theory) different people but always or nearly always behave perfectly alike (unless it is justified by the plot), nor characters that always have exactly the same opinion or think exactly the same way. Even people that share the same goals tend to think differently on the means. Flaws (Human error). No human is perfect and no human is always right. Your character needs flaws in order to be a person. Ignoring the fact that the word “flaw” sounds like something “bad,” it is actually a very good thing for characterization. Characters that have the same flaws as the audience are considerably easier to identify with than their less flawed counterparts. Some flaws can make your audience identify with the struggles of your character. Other flaws will make your character unique and interesting. Making your characters outgrow some of their flaws can make interesting plot points. However, it is important to avoid giving a character just a single flaw or fake flaws. Characters will and should always have many flaws no matter what, even if those flaws are eventually overcome or controlled through Character Development. Humans are imperfect by nature and removing this trait (with very few exceptions) will make your character feel inhuman/unreal. Flaws are also able to be a great source of humor. After all, not all kind of flaws need to be “big.” Other flaws can be humorous and even become a very unique trait of a character. Flaws are also what makes a character’s virtues believable. It’s very easy to give character good traits, making a perfect character even. But without flaws those virtues are not going to be believed by the audience. That’s the reason flaws are fundamental for creating a well-developed character. There are two kinds of flaws (your character needs to have both): Skill flaws. Your character can’t be good at everything. Characters tend to have unique talents and interests. There are going to be things they aren’t very good at, even on things that they are skilled with. They can’t be perfect at them all the time. Characters need both strengths and weaknesses. Moral flaws. Your character can’t be always “right” or always “wrong.” Your character can’t always be “the moral standard of your work.” A villain can’t be completely devoid of redeeming qualities. All people have some good and some bad in them (with few counted exceptions). How much depends on each character. Multi-facet ability and Unpredictability Multi-facet ability consists of making complex, three dimensional characters that have a lot of conflicting motivations and internal conflict. This will result in more fleshed out, interesting characters. In return, this will give your character realism, conflict, and a way for your character to show many different sides of themselves. This will make the character interesting, surprising and "unpredictable." Contradiction between what the characters say and what they do. Contradiction between treatments of different people the character knows, like how a working man who is a father seems to have a completely different personality depending on who he is talking to: his child or his colleague. A character's varied treatment of different people is a good way of showing different portions of their personality. Making your character face situations that he/she has never experienced before. Goals and dreams All humans have dreams and desires. It doesn’t matter how “gifted” or “rich” a person is. Characters need to have goals; both in short and long term. Goals can be as simple as wanting a sandwich or as complex as wanting to save the world. Their motivations are very important factors linked to personality. All people desire things (even omnipotent characters tend to desire being able to desire something). These goals will be very important in order to define a character’s personality. What is your character's greatest desire?. How much would that character give to accomplish it? Who does your character love? (friends, family, lovers etc.) What does your character enjoy to do in his/her spare time? What are your character's hobbies/interests/likes/dislikes? Mutability People change by various factors. The most important of them is time. Characters that never learn from their mistakes nor mature are devoid of an important part of the character’s humanity. While this trait is often ignored in order to preserve the status quo, mutability isn’t an essential human trait for a fictional story. People's personalities always develop. In children and teenagers at great speed, in young adults at a moderate speed, in adults rather slowly, and in elders even slower unless dedication and special effort is put into it. Especially when writing young characters, their personalities should develop, and take influence from what is happening around them in the story. This makes not only for good realism but also adds depth and interest to the characters. Developing the personality There are a lot of adjectives that describe characters, in particular personality and behaviors. It is important to think about how strong these traits are and how strongly they affect the character's personality. Is the character very abrasive or just somewhat abrasive? How big of an emotional spectrum does the character have? How are these emotions expressed? When are they expressed? The bigger the spectrum is and the more detailed the answers to the other two questions are, the more complex the character tends to get. What is the character's default emotion? Backstory Backstory can be a great way to expand a character's personality — as well as explaining how they became what they are — but you have to make sure it meshes with their personality. After all, a character who was beaten and left for dead as people simply walked by probably isn't going to be the most idealistic person (without a good reason). On the opposite side, a person who has largely dealt with society's good side will be more likely to be an idealist. Developing the Personality Self-esteem and self-concept How much does your character love/appreciate themselves? What is the perception your character has of him/herself? This perception your character has of him/herself is going to dictate greatly how your character behaves. A character who acts arrogantly does not necessarily have a good concept of him/herself. As we discussed before, a character may try to hide self-loathing and insecurities behind a false mask of security. Narcissism isn't a synonym of "super high" self-esteem either. On the contrary, it’s a sign of a low self-esteem. People with high self-esteem accept themselves unconditionally, accepting realistically both their defects and their flaws. On the opposite side, a narcissist, instead of accepting him/herself just the way they are, try to exaggerate their own virtues in order to feel better with their own selves. Depending on the level of self-confidence your character will have we can classify various levels using Nathaniel Branden’s scale With high self-esteem, your character will feel “confident” and “capable”, “worthy” and right as a person. They firmly believe in their ideals, trust their own judgment, don’t feel guilty when others disagree with their judgment or ideals, trust in their own capabilities (but may ask for help when needed), and they consider themselves as valuable as everyone else (not superior or inferior, just different). Low self-esteem corresponds to feeling wrong as a person. Characters with low self-esteem tend to change by various factors, for instance: Heavy self-criticism, inability to accept criticism, indecisiveness (fear), excessive will to please, inability to say no, perfectionism, guilt of mistakes (exaggerates the magnitude of mistakes or offenses and complains about them indefinitely), floating hostility (irritability always on the verge of exploding even for unimportant things), pessimism, and a general lack of will to enjoy life. While your character's own self esteem will be defined by you as an author, it’s important to take care of your character’s background, because it will be the reason your character has their current self-esteem. Mechanisms Of Defense Defense mechanisms are unconscious (this means that your character won’t be aware of them) psychological strategies people use to cope with reality and to maintain self-image. These mechanics are normal for any person. For this reason knowing is a great way to give your character’s personality depth. Psychological defense mechanisms are an overlooked aspect in personality that are a major point in continuity and depth of a character. These parts of the personality are as overlooked as they are essential. They are best expressed by showing and not telling. Just like emotions they can be great tools to show how a character feels about a situation without directly implying it. Repression: when a feeling is hidden and forced from the consciousness to the unconscious because it is seen as socially unacceptable. Regression: falling back into an early state of mental/physical development seen as “less demanding and safer”. Projection: possessing a feeling that is deigned as socially unacceptable and instead of facing it, that feeling or “unconscious urge” is seen in the actions of other people. Reaction formation: acting the opposite way that the unconscious instructs a person to behave, “often exaggerated and obsessive.” Sublimation: seen as the most acceptable of the mechanisms, an expression of anxiety in socially acceptable ways. Otto F. Kernberg (1967) developed a theory of borderline personality organization of which one consequence may be borderline personality disorder. His theory is based on ego psychological object relations theory. Borderline personality organization develops when the child cannot integrate helpful and harmful mental objects together. Kernberg views the use of primitive defence mechanisms as central to this personality organization. Primitive psychological defences are projection, denial, dissociation or splitting and they are called borderline defence mechanisms. Also, devaluation and projective identification are seen as borderline defences.[17] In George Eman Vaillant's (1977) categorization, defences form a continuum related to their psychoanalytical developmental level.[18][non-primary source needed] They are classified into pathological, immature, neurotic and "mature" defences. Robert Plutchik's (1979) theory views defences as derivatives of basic emotions, which in turn relate to particular diagnostic structures. According to his theory, reaction formation relates to joy (and manic features), denial relates to acceptance (and histrionic features), repression to fear (and passivity), regression to surprise (and borderline traits), compensation to sadness (and depression), projection to disgust (and paranoia), displacement to anger (and hostility) and intellectualization to anticipation (and obsessionality).[19] The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) published by the American Psychiatric Association (1994) includes a tentative diagnostic axis for defence mechanisms.[20] This classification is largely based on Vaillant's hierarchical view of defences, but has some modifications. Examples include: denial, fantasy, rationalization, regression, isolation, projection, and displacement. Vaillant's categorization[edit] The psychiatrist George Eman Vaillant introduced a four-level classification of defence mechanisms:[21] Level I – pathological defences (psychotic denial, delusional projection) Level II – immature defences (fantasy, projection, passive aggression, acting out) Level III – neurotic defences (intellectualization, reaction formation, dissociation, displacement, repression) Level IV – mature defences (humour, sublimation, suppression, altruism, anticipation) Level 1: Pathological Conversion: The expression of an intrapsychic conflict as a physical symptom; some examples include blindness, deafness, paralysis, or numbness. This phenomenon is sometimes called hysteria. Delusional projection: Delusions about external reality, usually of a persecutory nature. Denial: Refusal to accept external reality because it is too threatening; arguing against an anxiety-provoking stimulus by stating it doesn't exist; resolution of emotional conflict and reduction of anxiety by refusing to perceive or consciously acknowledge the more unpleasant aspects of external reality. Distortion: A gross reshaping of external reality to meet internal needs. Extreme projection: The blatant denial of a moral or psychological deficiency, which is perceived as a deficiency in another individual or group. Splitting: A primitive defence. Both harmful and helpful impulses are split off and unintegrated, frequently projected onto someone else. The defended individual segregates experiences into all-good and all-bad categories, with no room for ambiguity and ambivalence. When "splitting" is combined with "projecting", the undesirable qualities that one unconsciously perceives oneself as possessing, one consciously attributes to another. Level 2: Immature Acting out: Direct expression of an unconscious wish or impulse in action, without conscious awareness of the emotion that drives that expressive behavior. Fantasy: Tendency to retreat into fantasy in order to resolve inner and outer conflicts. Idealization: Tending to perceive another individual as having more desirable qualities than he or she may actually have. Introjection: Identifying with some idea or object so deeply that it becomes a part of that person. For example, introjection occurs when we take on attributes of other people who seem better able to cope with the situation than we do. Passive aggression: Aggression towards others expressed indirectly or passively, often through procrastination. Projective identification: The object of projection invokes in that person a version of the thoughts, feelings or behaviours projected. Projection: A primitive form of paranoia. Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the undesirable impulses or desires without becoming consciously aware of them; attributing one's own unacknowledged unacceptable or unwanted thoughts and emotions to another; includes severe prejudice and jealousy, hypervigilance to external danger, and "injustice collecting", all with the aim of shifting one's unacceptable thoughts, feelings and impulses onto someone else, such that those same thoughts, feelings, beliefs and motivations are perceived as being possessed by the other. Somatization: The transformation of uncomfortable feelings towards others into uncomfortable feelings toward oneself: pain, illness, and anxiety. Wishful thinking: Making decisions according to what might be pleasing to imagine instead of by appealing to evidence, rationality, or reality. Level 3: Neurotic Displacement: defence mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses to a more acceptable or less threatening target; redirecting emotion to a safer outlet; separation of emotion from its real object and redirection of the intense emotion toward someone or something that is less offensive or threatening in order to avoid dealing directly with what is frightening or threatening. For example, a mother may yell at her child because she is angry with her husband. Dissociation: Temporary drastic modification of one's personal identity or character to avoid emotional distress; separation or postponement of a feeling that normally would accompany a situation or thought. Hypochondriasis: An excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness. Intellectualization: A form of isolation; concentrating on the intellectual components of a situation so as to distance oneself from the associated anxiety-provoking emotions; separation of emotion from ideas; thinking about wishes in formal, affectively bland terms and not acting on them; avoiding unacceptable emotions by focusing on the intellectual aspects (isolation, rationalization, ritual, undoing, compensation, and magical thinking). Isolation: Separation of feelings from ideas and events, for example, describing a murder with graphic details with no emotional response. Rationalization (making excuses): Convincing oneself that no wrong has been done and that all is or was all right through faulty and false reasoning. An indicator of this defence mechanism can be seen socially as the formulation of convenient excuses. Reaction formation: Converting unconscious wishes or impulses that are perceived to be dangerous or unacceptable into their opposites; behaviour that is completely the opposite of what one really wants or feels; taking the opposite belief because the true belief causes anxiety. Regression: Temporary reversion of the ego to an earlier stage of development rather than handling unacceptable impulses in a more adult way, for example, using whining as a method of communicating despite already having acquired the ability to speak with an appropriate level of maturity. Repression: The process of attempting to repel desires towards pleasurable instincts, caused by a threat of suffering if the desire is satisfied; the desire is moved to the unconscious in the attempt to prevent it from entering consciousness; seemingly unexplainable naivety, memory lapse or lack of awareness of one's own situation and condition; the emotion is conscious, but the idea behind it is absent. Undoing: A person tries to 'undo' an unhealthy, destructive or otherwise threatening thought by acting out the reverse of the unacceptable. Involves symbolically nullifying an unacceptable or guilt provoking thought, idea, or feeling by confession or atonement. Upward and downward social comparisons: A defensive tendency that is used as a means of self-evaluation. Individuals will look to another individual or comparison group who are considered to be worse off in order to dissociate themselves from perceived similarities and to make themselves feel better about themselves or their personal situation. Withdrawal: Withdrawal is a more severe form of defence. It entails removing oneself from events, stimuli, and interactions under the threat of being reminded of painful thoughts and feelings. Level 4: Mature Acceptance: A person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition (often a difficult or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it, protest, or exit. Religions and psychological treatments often suggest the path of acceptance when a situation is both disliked and unchangeable, or when change may be possible only at great cost or risk. Altruism: Constructive service to others that brings pleasure and personal satisfaction. Anticipation: Realistic planning for future discomfort. Courage: The mental ability and willingness to confront conflicts, fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, despair, obstacles, vicissitudes or intimidation. Physical courage often extends lives, while moral courage preserves the ideals of justice and fairness. Emotional self-regulation: The ability to respond to the ongoing demands of experience with the range of emotions in a manner that is socially tolerable. Emotional self-regulation refers to the processes people use to modify the type, intensity, duration, or expression of various emotions. Emotional self-sufficiency: Not being dependent on the validation (approval or disapproval) of others. Forgiveness: Cessation of resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offence, disagreement, or mistake, or ceasing to demand retribution or restitution. Gratitude: A feeling of thankfulness or appreciation involving appreciation of a wide range of people and events. Gratitude is likely to bring higher levels of happiness, and lower levels of depression and stress. Throughout history, gratitude has been given a central position in religious and philosophical theories. Humility: A mechanism by which a person, considering their own defects, has a humble self-opinion. Humility is intelligent self-respect which keeps one from thinking too highly or too meanly of oneself. Humour: Overt expression of ideas and feelings (especially those that are unpleasant to focus on or too terrible to talk about directly) that gives pleasure to others. The thoughts retain a portion of their innate distress, but they are "skirted around" by witticism, for example self-deprecation. Identification: The unconscious modelling of one's self upon another person's character and behaviour. Mercy: Compassionate behavior on the part of those in power. Mindfulness: Adopting a particular orientation toward one’s experiences in the present moment, an orientation that is characterised by curiosity, openness, and acceptance. Moderation: The process of eliminating or lessening extremes and staying within reasonable limits. It necessitates self-restraint which is imposed by oneself on one's own feelings, desires etc. Patience: Enduring difficult circumstances (delay, provocation, criticism, attack etc.) for some time before responding negatively. Patience is a recognized virtue in many religions. Respect: Willingness to show consideration or appreciation. Respect can be a specific feeling of regard for the actual qualities of a person or feeling being and also specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem. Relationships and contacts that are built without the presence of respect are seldom long term or sustainable. The lack of respect is at the very heart of most conflict in families, communities, and nations. Sublimation: Transformation of unhelpful emotions or instincts into healthy actions, behaviours, or emotions, for example, playing a heavy contact sport such as football or rugby can transform aggression into a game. Suppression: The conscious decision to delay paying attention to a thought, emotion, or need in order to cope with the present reality; making it possible later to access uncomfortable or distressing emotions whilst accepting them. Tolerance: The practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. Personality types. One of the most common divisions of personality is between extraversion and introversion. By reading this you may be wondering, "what's 'better', introversion or extraversion?" Neither, of course. It is often wrongfully assumed that extraversion is "good" while introversion is "bad." They are simply different and neither of them is superior. Both are able to develop very interesting, complex characters. Extraversion. These kind of characters are mostly identified by their happy and positive dispositions; they enjoy being around people. On the contrary, being alone is very unpleasant for them. This kind of character can be best described as "enthusiastic," "talkative," "assertive," and "sociable." They are hardly ever seen alone or without a smile, unless they're the type that likes to go be miserable with other people or just complain to a crowd. Introversion. They are mostly identified in a story by being very "reserved", "serious", "mysterious", "not very social", and "solitary." Introverts spend most of their time through reflection and solitary activities (in fact they feel more comfortable when alone). They prefer to concentrate on a single activity at a time and like to observe situations before they participate. They are more reserved and less outspoken in large groups. Being able to trust their companions is very important to them. Because of that they tend to be more "selective" when choosing their friends. How personality is expressed How is personality expressed? (Externally): This part of the personality is how a character expresses his or her feelings to the people around them. They aren’t necessarily the same feelings the character has on the inside. It should be noted that unless a character isn’t human or is affected by the plot, they must experience the full array of emotions. Whether or not those emotions are expressed will depend on how you develop your character. Expressions/Reactions Facial expressions Body language Movement Gestures Poses Manner of speech Habits Cultural tendencies Characters may also express their personalities indirectly through their appearance, their possessions, their living spaces etc. It might help flesh out a character's personality if you describe their home or workplace, and how their habits affect it. How is personality expressed? (Internally) Likes and dislikes What are the character's interests? What qualities endear the character to each subject? What are the character's hobbies? What qualities endear the character to each hobby? Is the character dynamic or static? Does the personality have room for change? Good characters struggle, learn and grow, which affect their personality. What are the characters short/long term motivation/goals/desires/temptations? Does the character struggle with inner/outer conflict? Inner conflict: An inner war between incompatible choices, about subjects like ideas, morals, needs, values, desires, and interests. They may be actual oppositions or just perceived as such. Outer conflict: An outer war between characters, society, nature, technology, and destiny. Showing how a character interacts is a good way of showing different portions of their personality. The emotions, thoughts and actions the character has need to harmonize and reinforce one another. What are the character's fears/regrets/doubts/ethics? Characterization through appearance can be important because they may reinforce the character's personality, like choice of attire and hairdo. Sex Sex-based differences An interesting character will be interesting regardless of sex. Take your favorite character and change his/her sex. Is that character still with an interesting personality? As you may note a character’s depth isn’t going to depend on sex at all. The issue of sex differences on personality is still a hot topic in psychology and in biology. Which personality traits (if any) are exclusive to female and male people is still a source of debate. However it can be safely assumed that physical differences between sexes are biological in nature and not psychological. Generally there's more variance within the sex itself than the patterns between them. People are people, first and foremost. Most differences that are perceived between men and women are social in nature. In other words the society is going to decide what is acceptable for a male or a female to do. (Environment) The rules and expectations the society where your character resides has for each gender. (Free-will) How much does your character follow the rules of that society? Does your character defy or follow what society expects of him/her? And how much to they follow/defy them? Realistic Female Characters The main issue when creating female characters is that they are, most of the time, defined by a stereotype or a role instead of a personality. When not protagonists of their own stories (and even then), they typically have the roles of girlfriends, wives, mothers, damsels in distress, or sex symbols. In other words, they are defined by what society expects of them instead of having a true personality. While it is true that some female characters will try to be what society expects of them, defining women solely by what society expects of them is a big mistake. Even women that do also have unique goals, desires and interests. One of the most common mistakes while portraying female characters is that they are depicted as an “army of cookie-cutter nice-girls or cookie-cutter beauty queens”. Girls are complex human beings (just as guys are). They have access to all the attributes (virtues, flaws) men do; beyond social rules and expectations, creating a female character is the same as creating a male one. When you portray women in a story there should be a diversity of personalities, ambitions, talents, strengths and even flaws. Don’t be afraid to portray any of these to diversify them. So you've decided to write a story. But you realize that no matter what genre you're writing, your epic plot of awesomeness won't amount to anything if the readers don't like or understand the characters.As characters are arguably the most important part of a story, here are a few tips to get you started on that. Before you have a Backstory, before you start fine-tuning your character's Flaws and Traits, you should have a strong idea about what your character generally is, a core concept that you will build everything else around. Think about why it will be interesting to read the character, or the basic traits that you think will make him stand out or appeal to the target demographic. If you can sum it up in a few sentences or draw it with a few broad strokes, it's all the better. The devil shouldn't only be in the details; the best characters should be instantly recognizable. Backstory This is what your character did before "getting here." After all, when you are writing a story, your characters exist before it, as does the rest of the world you are creating. Planning a sensible backstory for your characters helps strengthen their personality traits and establish their way of life. If your character's story and life is solid enough, they won't feel to the reader as "just a face" that was put there to fill a slot in the plot. In turn, having your character's backstory clearly influence their decisions (even if it is not clear to the audience what the backstory is) helps your readers relate to the character. When you build a backstory for your characters, you need to take care of two particular issues: first, backstory among characters should be consistent with the world you are creating, regardless of the fact that the characters may or may not have met each other before. Second, your characters' backstory should fit their lifetime, otherwise the backstory may seem to keep going and going or it's incredible how many things has your character done in a few years. Personality Personality is defined as the sum total of the physical, mental, emotional, and social characteristics of an individual, and the organized pattern of behavioral characteristics of the individual. Personality governs how the character responds to experiences, situations and other people.The personality is the single most important aspect of your character, you may disregard or have a bad quality on the other traits like appearance and backstory. If your character doesn't have an interesting personality, he or she won't be interesting at all even if the other traits are great. Physical appearance/ clothes Clothes and appearance can tell quite a bit about a character. Clothes can convey status, concern for hygiene, how characters want to appear to others and even reflect their personality. These appearances can be used to reveal a character or mislead your audience. Flaws, Traits and Bonding Most personalities involve traits—sloppy vs neat; shy vs outgoing; even-keeled vs. easy to upset; open-minded vs traditionalist etc. Some of those traits are typically described as "virtues" (heroism; selflessness; morality; loyalty) while others are described as "flaws" (selfishness; cowardice; lack of success with girls; insecurities). Typically, a character ought to have some of both. Characters that have the same flaws as the audience are considerably easier to identify with than their less flawed counterparts. For instance, a character that feels envy, anger or negative traits will simply feel more realistic, as if they were people you could meet in real life. Character Development You've built your characters, and given them a nice, balanced set of virtues and flaws. What now? Well hopefully, throughout your story character development will happen. In essence, character development is the road your characters will take through time to become what you want them to be. When done well, character development allows your characters to learn from their mistakes, the people around them, and the events of the plot, and through that learning, grow. It allows your characters to change. It also adds another layer of depth to your characters, and even flat stereotypes can become something different if developed well. Variety Among Characters The first step to building characters is interaction. If a group of people is traveling together, they need some similarity, for the most part. At the same time, you need some variety in how they act and think. The character's hobbies, as well as the qualities that endear the character to the hobby. The Character's goals. The Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: Just how idealistic is your character's worldview? All of your characters should be at some point in this spectrum. A Cynic in a group of Idealists may be funny; an Idealist in a Cynical group, decidedly less so. A plot is a sequence of events that ensue when there is conflict. Most stories have conflict: A character, usually The Protagonist... ...wants something badly... ...and is having trouble getting it. Typically, The Protagonist is opposed by an antagonistic character, or else to achieve their goal they must struggle against society, an object, a natural disaster, etc. Choices, Choices The Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: Where do you stand? Do you wish to portray a world in which karma works in favor of the virtuous, and villains get their comeuppance? You might choose this path to inspire your readers to do good in the world, or simply because it feels good to read a happy ending. Or would you prefer to portray a world in which random chance harms the good and helps the evil, all without any rhyme or reason — where it's better to be self-centered or even evil, because the good don't get rewarded for their goodness? The Sliding Scale of Silliness Versus Seriousness: Where do you stand? We started with this distinction between Comedy and Drama, and nowadays some of the strongest series are Dramedies, drama with a strong sense of comedy, the two forces working together, waxing and waning as appropriate to the story of the moment. Number of characters? Number of locations? Some of the greatest classics have drummed up a cast of dozens, even hundreds of characters, and ranged over a world almost as intricate and detailed as our own. That said: Don't bite off more than you can chew. It's best, in the beginning, to work with only a few major characters - perhaps half a dozen mains, half a dozen minors. By choosing a judicious number of characters that suits a (compact) plot, you can avoid a scattered tale with a dozen dangling plots that never seems to tie down all the loose ends. Similarly, save the globe-trotting for a time when you've already proven you can write. For now, stick to a few relevant locales. Suggested Plots In general there aren't really suggested plots in works outside "conventional genres". Just open your arms and let the plot come! One way to find plots is listening to people. Another tactic: Design your main character and center your story around what he or she does. Just remember: A plot happens when someone wants something badly and is having trouble getting it. If you decide that your characters' outfit must be described, or at least pointed out, you have to ask yourself the following questions before: Is it appropriate for the character? How can a real person in a similar situation move in this outfit? Can the attire in question be congruent with the historical period the story is placed? If not, is there a believable reason for that? Are the clothes really representative/appropriate/useful for my character, or I just cramming any kind of Author Appeal on them? Do the clothes say something about the character? What, exactly? Does the description of the clothing contribute somehow to the characterization or the plot? Does the public really have to read/watch a paragraph/2 minutes of zooms and pan/a large 2-pages spread depicting the cute fashionable dress/the kickass armor my protagonist is wearing? General tropes Alien Sea: The planet's sea has unusual features/appearance that visually sets it apart from the Earth that we know. Alien Sky: The sky looks very different from that of the Earth that we know. Binary Suns: This planet has more than one sun in its sky. Casual Interplanetary Travel: Interplanetary travel is quick and inexpensive. City Planet: A planet consists entirely of city landscape. Death World: This planet is such a highly dangerous place, that simply going there is considered taking your life into your own hands. Homeworld Evacuation: A planet has been struck with a disaster that forced (a portion of) the native population to leave for outer space. Interplanetary Voyage :A story where space travel is less concerned about the destination and much more concerned about the journey itself. Landfill Beyond the Stars : An entire planet is used as an interstellar landfill. Multicultural Alien Planet: This world is no Planet of Hats; its native population comprises several distinct ethnicities and cultures, each with its own traditions. New Eden: An exiled race discovers that their once ravaged homeworld has healed over. Planet Eater: A character that not just destroys planets, but eats them for nourishment. Planet Looters: A species or group has run out of a resource on their own planet, and now must steal it from others (usually Earth). Planet of Hats: An entire world/species is culturally uniform, with a single set of quirks being shared by all of its members. Planetary Nation: An entire planet is ruled by a single government. Planetary Parasite: A parasite that victimizes planets instead of the organisms living on them. Pleasure Planet: An entire planet that is dedicated to providing luxury and pleasure to its inhabitants/visitors. Shattered World: Once a planet, now broken into small pieces floating through space. Single-Biome Planet: This planet has no ecological diversity; rather, it's overwhelmingly dominated by a single environment type, often regardless of latitude. Terraform: A planet's enviroment is artificially changed to better suit a species, human-like or otherwise . Tropes about the Solar System's planets Colonized Solar System: Humanity has several space colonies across the Solar System. Tropes relating to outer space, spaceships, space travel and space colonies. Before deciding to put a trope in this index, please check the sub-indexes and see if any of them are applicable. Tropes : Ancient Astronauts Artificial Gravity Asteroid Miners Black Holes Burial in Space Cult Colony Deflector Shields Generation Ships Lost Colony No Seat Belts Salvage Pirates Solar Flare Disaster Space Cadet Space Cadet Academy Space Clothes Space Cold War Space Madness Space Marine Space Mines Space Navy Space Nomads Space Police Space Station Standard Starship Scuffle Starship Luxurious Streaming Stars After the End: A catastrophe - manmade or natural - has wiped out a large portion of the human civilization and/or population. Cockroaches Will Rule the Earth: Little vermin becomes the dominant life form. Ruins of the Modern Age: The Empire State Building is growing moss and most of its concrete is fading away. Scavenger World: The world has been ruined, and people rely on what they can salvage from the old world to survive. Robot War: Robots turn against the creators. Enforced Technology Levels: Only certain kinds of technology, or a certain level of technology, is allowed. By law, manmade or natural. The Future: 100 - 200 years into the future. Airstrip One: Where The Empire strips a conquered nation of its identity and assigns it a number. Ancient Tomb: Tombs, burial chambers, sepulchers, mausoleums, charnel houses, ossuaries, catacombs, crypts, sometimes even dungeons Beneath the Earth: People living under the crust. Their technology is primitive and they fear the outsiders. The Bridge: Where sci-fi guys go to get to know each other. Circle of Standing Stones: A ring of giant stones where important events often occur. The City Narrows Basically, your typical city slum, but even more dangerous. City of Canals A city where waterways are used as streets. Company Town: A town created by a company for its employees, where they're the law for all practical purposes. Cool Starship A starship, but with even more lasers than usual. Corpse Land: A devastated location where no one has cleaned up the bodies of the fallen (and maybe never will). Crystal Landscape: A setting filled with or completely composed of crystals, gemstones and jewels. Cult Colony: An isolated group of religious settlers. Dangerous Workplace Domed Hometown: City in a dome. Underwater optional. Enclosed Space: Hope you don't have claustrophobia! Garden of Evil: A place where most or all of the plants are poisonous, carnivorous, or otherwise dangerous. Genius Loci: A place that is intelligent and often in control of itself or the things living in it. Industrial Ghetto: A slum near or inside an industrial area, often made of scrap and filled with crime and pollution. Lady Land: Where women rule, and men are either subservient or absent. Layered Metropolis: A city with multiple, vertically-separated levels, usually with the rich on top. Martyrdom Culture: A culture that glorifies death in the name of some cause or belief. Mega City: A city with the size or population of a country. Merchant City: A trade city, ruled or mostly populated by merchants, bankers, and traders. The Outside World: Any place outside a place of confinement, isolation, or seclusion. Penal Colony: A remote land to exile criminals to to make sure they can't escape (in theory). Populated only by crooks & guards. Sometimes used to dump off the poor and other undesirables too. People Zoo: An alien zoo containing humans and other intelligent life as part of the exhibits. Pleasure Planet: An entire planet is dedicated to being a perfect leisure spot. May or may not be a trap. Polluted Wasteland: A land destroyed by pollution. Possessive Paradise:A paradise setting with an unfortunate tendency towards the yandere. PoW Camp: Populated by soldiers captured on the field of battle by their enemies. Tailor-Made Prison: A prison made specially to hold an individual a normal prison cannot. Frequently fails anyway. Red Light District: The part of town where all the brothels, bars, and other places of seedy night-time enjoyment can be found. Scavenged Punk: People rely on junk and other "found" technology rather than manufacturing their own, either due to it being After the End or due to living the shadow of human society. Shattered World: A planet broken into pieces and floating in space / the void but still inhabited. Shining City: The greatest and most beautiful city in the world. The home of righteousness, justice, and civilization. Soiled City on a Hill: The ruins of a failed Shining City. Space Amish: A space colony that gives up use of advanced technology after making the initial trip Space Cadet Academy: The Sci-Fi equivalent of a Wizarding School. Star Scraper: A sky scraper taller than modern technology can build. Swamps are out to kill you. Tidally Locked Planet: Natural satellite where one side always faces the body it orbits and the other always faces away. Tree Top Town: When adults make an entire town out of Treehouses of Fun. Don't expect safety railings. Uncanny Atmosphere: Some vague sense of wrongness in an area sets the heroes on edge. Undercity: A city that suffered some calamity has been built-over and forgotten — but it's still there. Underground City: A city Beneath the Earth which may have been buried, built by non-humans, and/or as a bunker to survive the apocalypse. Urban Segregation: Cities in fiction are very neatly divided between rich parts and poor parts with little patchwork or mixing. Vestigial Empire: The corrupt, declining remnant of a once mighty empire. White Void Room: A white featureless location, often an empty plane or void. Sometimes just meant to look futuristic. Wild Wilderness: The untouched wilderness is a place of adventure and is treated as almost another world. World in the Sky: All civilization is sky-based. Wretched Hive: A lawless land, populated almost entirely with cutthroats and other scum. Alien Space Bats Crapsack World Crapsaccharine World Dystopia False Utopia Lost Colony Matriarchy Single-Biome Planet: A desert planet, ice planet, ocean planet. Terminally Dependent Society Wainscot Society: The setting may look like our world to most of its inhabitants — but there's a whole secondary society in hiding. World Gone Mad World of Badass World of Pun World of Symbolism World of Weirdness

[frederickwiddowson]

Genesis 20:1-2 comments: Abraham and Sarah in Gerar

Genesis 20:1 ¶  And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. 2  And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

As proof that Sarah was still desirable to look at in an age where people lived longer and were more youthful looking longer and as further evidence of the customs of the time, the king of Gerar places Sarah in his harem. Abraham repeats his same, what we would call today cowardice, practice as in chapter 12 in Egypt in protecting himself from possible murder but not his wife from this humiliation.

This shows us the dangers of travel in those days particularly if you had a wife other men might desire. Abimelech king of Gerar is used here as Pharaoh king of Egypt is used in 41:46 and in other verses. The question then arises as to whether or not Abimelech is a Philistine title for a king or whether it is a name. Isaac will repeat this behavior in a few chapters and dwell in this same city for a time. In 26:8 this king of Gerar is called the king of the Philistines.

We see two characteristics of life in the ancient world. One, the molestation of visitors to a city as revealed in the story of Sodom and later in Judges 19 and, two, how ancient kings might forcibly take a man’s wife and kill him if they felt like it.

This also shows us the political powerlessness of women, used without their consent as commodities, sexual resources, or just instruments to produce progeny. The woman had no right to say no to any of this. Her value was in her usefulness to men, much like a farm animal, modified only by affection and a sense of moral custom. But, when God’s directive will was involved, by these cultural practices, women in the Bible were blessed by being part of God’s plan of producing the line that He came to earth through in His work of reconciliation of man to Himself. A woman’s lot in life, based on the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin and man’s prevailing cultural custom, was ameliorated only by the affection her husband might have toward her and the love of and for her children, sons of which might care for her in her old age if  She was widowed.

Keep in mind again that man invents culture and civilization and God permits him to do so by God’s permissive will. God alters and modifies to lead man’s effort to an end He has ordained. Imagine that while slave ships and ships for conquest went out a couple of hundred years ago missionaries went out as well. And while many missionaries were simply instruments of the conquering country or institutional church a minority simply went out as God’s instruments to save souls. We need to reorder history in our minds to see how God intervenes and directs. When you include God’s actions in the course of history and cease thinking of Him as simply a first cause or standing on the sidelines waiting for a prayer you get a different picture of history. Of course, you get a different picture of everything from biology to literature if you haven’t accepted the mental condition of modernity that removes God from every equation.

[thebeautyoftorah]

BALAK

bs'd

Shalom.

The thought of this week of my book 'Healing Anger'

"Nobody has complete control over anybody else. It is possible, however, to attain a strong level of control over ourselves, and to how we respond to what others do or say to us. This is a capacity that we all have. It’s a big mistake to believe that only few people on very high levels can attain self-control. We all have infinite potential to improve and perfect ourselves. No matter where a person is holding, there is always room for improvement.”

Buy my book at http://www.feldheim.com/healing-anger.html

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BALAK- Curses This parsha begins with the wicked king Balak trying to get the wicked mystic Bilaam to cast a curse upon the Jewish people.

Every time that Bilaam tried to curse Am Israel, Hashem made blessings come out of his mouth instead of curses. Had Bilaam been successful in his attempt to curse us, the Jewish people would have been destroyed, G-d forbid. When Bilaam saw on the mountaintop the Jews encamped down below he wanted to curse them (see Bemidbar 23:28), but Bilaam was moved to bless the Jewish people instead, and to say, Ma Tovu Oholecha Israel, 'How goodly are your tents, O Israel', a blessing referring specifically to our beautiful Bate Knesiot (Houses of Prayer) and Bate Midrashot (Houses of Study).

The Gemara[1] says that even though Bilaam's curses were changed to blessings at that time, they all eventually reverted to curses, except for the blessing of Bate Keneset and Bate Midrash. Although Bilaam' s curses were many, all of the other curses - save the one for Houses of Prayer and Study - eventually came to pass. The Temple was destroyed, and Israel was left with neither kings nor kingdom. Houses of Prayer and Study, however, are with us always.

The theme of reverting curses is fascinating. The Vilna Gaon (1720-1797) explains that all the curses that mankind was cursed after Adam and Eve sinned will be reverted at the end of time, except for the curse of the snake, who represents the evil force of Amalek, and whose curse will remain intact until his utter and total destruction.

The reason for this is because when the Mashiach will come the world will go back to its perfected state, the way things were before the Sin of Adam, so all the curses will have to be reverted and the world brought back to normal.

Amazingly, we see the Vilna Gaon's prediction coming true in our own times, as many of the curses mentioned in the Torah have already disappeared.

Adam was cursed, 'By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread' (see Bereshit 3:19), yet today most people no longer must labor and sweat tirelessly just to eat. Food is produced in abundance with machines that allow just a few people to operate massive farms with ease. And even people who don't work at all need not starve, as food banks and charities abound, and governments provide welfare.

At the same time, Chava's curses also seem to have been reverted. She was cursed to have pain during pregnancy, childbirth, and raising the children (see Bereshit3:16), yet, the pains of pregnancy and childbearing have been significantly eased in our times thanks to modern medicine, medications and inventions like the epidural anesthetic.

While in the past it was very common for women to die in labor, it is now very rare in modern hospitals. Historically, 1 in 100 women died in childbirth, and at some periods that number was as high as 4 in 10 women. Today, that number is 1 in nearly 50,000 in many Western countries!

Another curse that seems to have reverted back to normal is Noah's curse of his son Ham that his descendants (who lived in Africa) shall be slaves to the descendants of Shem and Japheth (who lived in Europe and Asia) - see Bereshit 9:25, as slavery in the modern area has been virtually abolished, and even racial discrimination has been greatly diminished thanks to the Civil Rights movement all around the world.

So we see that as we get closer and closer to the Messianic Era when the world will go back to a perfected state, curses are reverting all around us, just as the Vilna Gaon predicted.

But the Snake is still crawling around on his belly just as he was cursed to do (see Bereshit 3:14), and that is not going to change anytime soon. ________________________________ [1] Sanhedrin 105b.

Le Iluy nishmat Eliahu ben Simcha, Mordechai ben Shlomo, Perla bat Simcha, Abraham Meir ben Leah, Moshe ben Gila,Yaakov ben Gila, Sara bat Gila, Yitzchak ben Perla, Leah bat Chavah, Abraham Meir ben Leah,Itamar Ben Reb Yehuda, Yehuda Ben Shmuel Tzvi, Tova Chaya bat Dovid.

Refua Shelema of Mazal Tov bat Gila, Zahav Reuben ben Keyla, Yitzchak ben Mazal Tov, Mattitiahu Yered ben Miriam, Yaacov ben Miriam, Yehuda ben Simcha, Menachem Chaim ben Malka, Naftali Dovid ben Naomi Tzipora, Nechemia Efraim ben Beyla Mina, Mazal Tov Rifka bat Yitzchak, Rachel Simcha bat Yitzchak, Dvir ben Leah, Sender ben Sara, Eliezer Chaim ben Chaya Batya, Shlomo Yoel ben Chaya Leah and Dovid Yehoshua ben Leba Malka. Atzlacha and parnasa tova to Daniel ben Mazal Tov, Debora Leah Bat Henshe Rachel, Shmuel ben Mazal tov, Yitzchak ben Mazal Tov, Yehuda ben Mazal Sara and Zivug agun to Gila bat Mazal Tov, Naftali Dovid ben Naomi Tzipora, Yehudit bat Malka, Elisheva bat Malka. For pidyon hanefesh & yeshua of Yosef Itai ben Eliana Shufra.

[republicstandard]

A Citizens Primer on Propaganda: From the Third Reich to the Deep State

I saw an interesting comment earlier today, actually a quote by Joseph Goebbels, a name synonymous with the word propaganda. He said once;

"Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting of their own free will."

An exhortation, if any further were needed, to be profoundly suspicious of those who are unerringly confident to the point of the instant rejection of alternative points of view. In fact, I would say in most cases, people believe Goebbels invented or perfected propaganda as a tool for Adolf Hitler. And if you think that, you’d be wrong. In fact, if you believe that, you yourself are a victim of propaganda.

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While Goebbels was an excellent student of the art and he used it with great effectiveness in Hitler’s Germany, he was in no way the inventor of the idea.

What exactly IS propaganda?

The dictionary gives the following information:

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.: "he was charged with distributing enemy propaganda".

synonyms: information, promotion, advertising, publicity, spin, disinformation, counter-information, agitprop, info, hype, plugging, puff piece, the big lie

In thinking about early examples of propaganda I immediately thought of the Jewish leadership in the days of Jesus. Were their efforts of misinformation against Him, not propaganda? And then I thought of Adam and Eve in the garden. We know Satan as the “Father of Lies”- was his message to Eve not one of disinformation and enticement to act in a way she otherwise would not have acted? And I would be remiss if I did not remind you that Saul Alinsky dedicated his Rules For Radicals to Satan.

So, understanding that propaganda has been with us since the beginning perhaps we should have a better understanding of how it has been used in recent history and how we can combat its use against us.

To look at the modern use of propaganda we have to look before 1930s Germany. The use of posters is widely connected to early 20th-century propaganda, and this was certainly true in Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution.  Slogans and images were used to inspire the people and promote the efforts of the revolutionaries. Maybe this effort looks familiar, but more on that later.

In reality, what is propaganda if not advertising?

Born in Austria in 1891, Edward Bernays was the nephew of Sigmund Freud, a fact he used to his advantage whenever possible.  Brought to the US by his family at a very young age, he graduated from Cornell with a degree in agriculture.  Unfortunately for the world, he would not go into farming.

Bernays had great success in both the political and commercial realms.  While we will focus more on the political, his commercial successes were many.  He promoted smoking as a glamorous and even healthy act for women during the 1920s-  In a time of social change around women’s suffrage, it was portrayed as empowering “Torches of Freedom”, as Bernays dubbed them.  While he was making Lucky Strike cigarettes appealing to the nation’s women, he was extremely dismayed that his own wife chose to smoke, destroying her cigarettes anytime he found them.

There was a highly successful campaign with the American Dental Association for public water fluoridation.  We might find it hard to believe, but bacon used to be considered of little value, a cut of meat that was often discarded or the fat was rendered into lard.  He made bacon and eggs a desirable meal, the “All American Breakfast”.  A hairnet company hired Bernays to campaign for the “need” of hairnets and soon many government agencies required their use.  Dixie cups also benefited from his campaign of disposable cups being more healthy than washing and reusing a glass.  Proctor and Gamble profited from his touting the purity and floating of Ivory soap.

While we are used to advertisements that convince us we might “need” a product or service, what of government using the same methods to convince us we need and want certain behavior from our politicians and officials?  As we look at the re-election of Woodrow Wilson in 1916, the slogan “He kept us out of war” and “America First” were two that swept him back into office. Obviously, we did get into WWI, so how was that received after running on a platform of peace? Did you ever hear of Bernays idea, “Making The World Safe For Democracy”?  Americans were sold on the idea that it was in our best interest to become involved.

Bernays efforts would be very similar to what we might call branding today.  He turned the negative connotation of propaganda to what we now call public relations.  In his book Propaganda, he asserted that public relations were a necessity, not just a gimmick.

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, and our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of…. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind.”

Bernays was Jewish, so we might imagine what he thought when he learned that Joseph Goebbels was using his method and writings in Hitler’s plans for the Jews of Europe.  A foreign correspondent informed Bernays in 1933 of what the Nazis were doing with his work.  Bernays later recounted this in his autobiography in 1965:

“They were using my books as the basis for a destructive campaign against the Jews of Germany. This shocked me, but I knew any human activity can be used for social purposes or misused for antisocial ones.”

It clear from his work and personal comments that Bernays placed financial gain and personal ideology over benefits and/or harm to the people and nation.  It seems his object was simply to shape public opinion without regard to the end result.

What is interesting to me is that some of the most progressive thinkers on the 1940s saw the danger of Bernays.  SCOTUS Justice Felix Frankfurter warned FDR about using him in any sort of leadership role in relation to WWII, outlining how he and his colleagues were

“professional poisoners of the public mind, exploiters of foolishness, fanaticism, and self-interest.”

Joseph Goebbels was not his only student.

In 1961, Ronald Reagan warned of the propaganda that would be used to promote socialized medicine, old people dying, poor people kicked to the curb.  These were some of the arguments that brought about Social Security.  A few years later we were given Medicare, in 1993 the effort by Hillary Clinton to go to single-payer health care and again with Obamacare.  Rahm Emanuel was famous for his “Never let a crisis go to waste” comment and with good reason; a crisis is always a time when people are more susceptible to having their thoughts managed and directed in a desirable direction.

Today, we are bombarded from every direction by propaganda, and in many cases -as it was last century- some people are becoming exceedingly wealthy in the process of manufacturing reality.  For instance the Global Warming/Climate Change hoax/lie/fake news. “If you’ve done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide.”  How does this tie in with all the surveillance, data collection and data retention programs are in place to keep us safe and protect us from terrorism?

Charges of racism, homophobia, class warfare and misogyny are all terms of propaganda used and intended to marginalize and demean. It is impossible to have an honest discussion and debate on the issues when one side makes every effort to shut off the debate with false charges.

Was 9/11 a "crisis that should not be wasted"? It brought us FISA courts, The Patriot Act, NDAA added many provisions, TSA, Homeland Security -all put in place for our security and in most cases, we readily accepted it all.

If you think there is a significant difference between the left and right in American politics, you are a victim of propaganda.  Both want the government to control the people, they might disagree as to what degree, but neither believes in Constitutional liberty.  They’ll pay lip service to supposed wrongdoings, talk of rogue agencies and bureaucrats, yet neither side suggests arrest, indictment, and trial.  And we have not addressed the memes and such that permeate social media, often intended to inspire and motivate.  In this case, we do it to ourselves!

What is a citizen to do?  How can we combat this insidious cancer?

Education, if you dare.  If we don’t make an effort to learn, we will be treated like sheep and mushrooms, and deserve it.  Allow yourself to be open to reality, facts and truth.  We often are prevented from moving forward by confirmation bias...we only read and follow things that enforce our preconceived ideas.  Truth has no agenda, none of us is 100% right all the time.  Our bodies need physical nourishment, we don’t fast for extended periods of time, why do we fast from feeding our knowledge pool?

As you can see from the history of propaganda, we cannot simply read articles or reports and expect we have the full story, all the facts.  It would be nice if we could do as Detective Joe Friday of Dragnet did and ask for, “Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts”.  As a writer and researcher, I can attest that finding the truth is no easy task, but the search is well worth the effort.  I encourage each of you to search and learn as if the republic depended on it- because it does.

from Republic Standard | Conservative Thought & Culture Magazine http://ift.tt/2G0h4PN via IFTTT

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[billdecker]

2018.

 Here we are with the films list again. Bold = watched first time. 

Films.

The English Patient

The BFG

Anna Karenina [1967]

King Kong [2005]

54

Henry VIII and his Six Wives [1972]

The Disaster Artist

Napoleon Dynamite

The Addams Family

Kong: Skull Island

Justice League

The Addams Family Values

Johnny English

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Wayne’s World

Lady Bird

Westworld

Carol

Green Lantern 

England is Mine

Rush Hour

Pride and Prejudice [2005]

Call Me By Your Name

The Greatest Showman

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Dante’s Peak

Only Lovers Left Alive

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Blade Runner

Moonrise Kingdom

Clue

Get Smart

Darkest Hour

Blade Runner 2049

Lost in Translation

The Talented Mr. Ripley

The Lego Movie

Anchorman

The Shape of Water

Get Out

San Andreas

The Beguiled

Lady Chatterley’s Lover [1981]

Interview With a Vampire

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Song to Song

Atonement

La La Land

Drop Dead Fred

Attack the Block

Another Mother’s Son

I, Tonya

The Sense of an Ending

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Cold Mountain

Step Up

The Founder

The Fugitive

The Promise

Papadopoulos and Sons

Rob Roy

The Florida Project

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

Head in the Clouds

Crooked House

Miami Vice [2006]

Miss Sloane

Molly’s Game

Battle of the Sexes

Half of a Yellow Sun

A Quiet Passion

Lady Jane

Anne of a Thousand Days

Mars Attacks!

Zoolander

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Nina

Pele: Birth of a Legend

2001: A Space Odyssey

A Futile and Stupid Gesture 

The Mask

Phantom Thread

Black Panther

Eyes Wide Shut

The Death of Stalin

Baywatch

Paddington 2

Wonder Woman

Star Trek [2009]

Star Trek Into Darkness

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Star Trek Beyond

Denial

Chariots of Fire

Captain America: The First Avenger

Iron Man

The Incredible Hulk

Borg vs McEnroe

Iron Man 2

Thor

Avengers Assemble

Iron Man 3

Thor: The Dark World

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2

Ant-Man

Captain America: Civil War 

Doctor Strange

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Thor: Ragnarok

War Horse

God’s Own Country

In Bruges

The Big Sick

The Towering Inferno

Magnolia

Our Souls at Night 

Dog Day Afternoon

Willow

Roman Holiday

Sabrina

Annihilation 

North by Northwest

The Emoji Movie

Coco

Grease

Dirty Dancing

Captain Fantastic

The Wicker Man

This is Spinal Tap

Magic Mike XXL

Come Sunday

The Dark Tower

Bill

Avengers: Infinity War

Loving Vincent

Mansfield Park

Three Men and a Little Lady

Oliver!

Rough Night

Avatar

One Last Dance

Girls Trip

Alex and the List

The Dambusters

The Mummy [2017]

London

The Damned United

The Wedding Video

Deadpool

Enter the Dragon

Atomic Blonde

The Red Shoes

The Great Gatsby [2013]

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut

Morris: A Life With Bells On

Boss Baby

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Kenny

All About Eve

Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon 2

Final Portrait

The Little Mermaid

The Huntsman: Winter’s War

Men in Black 3

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life

Tomb Raider [2018]

Crocodile Dundee

Jabberwocky

Legend

Lethal Weapon 3

The Witches

Down With Love

Clash of the Titans [1981]

Clash of the Titans [2010]

I Give it a Year

Terminal

Where the Wild Things Are

The Handmaiden

The Muppet Movie [1979]

Brakes

Ready Player One

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

A Wrinkle in Time

Breathe

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Eagle vs Shark

Farenheit 451 [2018]

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Mission Impossible

Mission Impossible II

Mission Impossible III

The Saint [2017]

JFK

Ocean’s 8

Deadpool 2

Falling Down

Duck Butter

Peter Rabbit

44 Inch Chest

You Instead

The Deep Blue Sea

Not Another Happy Ending

Punch Drunk Love

The Fast and The Furious

2 Fast 2 Furious

The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift

Fast & Furious

Fast Five

Fast & Furious 6

Furious 7

The Fate of the Furious

Geostorm

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Escape to Victory

Porcupine Lake

The Snowman

The Incredibles

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Daphne

Ingrid Goes West

One Day

My Neighbor Totoro

There Will Be Blood

Rampage

Goodbye Christopher Robin

Incredibles 2

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Belle de Jour

Mission Impossible - Fallout

The Spy Who Dumped Me 

The Meg

Little Ashes

Meet Joe Black

The King of Comedy

Jason and the Argonauts

Flash Gordon

Odette

Strictly Ballroom

Into the Woods

Cars 3

The Book of Life

Murder on the Orient Express [2017]

Kath & Kimderella

Madame Bovary

X-Men: First Class

X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men: Apocalypse

All the Money in the World

Quincy

The Post

Becoming Bond

Early Man

Little Women [1994]

Dangerous Liaisons

The Party

Operation Finale 

Nappily Ever After

What’s New Pussycat?

Saved!

A Star is Born [1976]

Modern Life is Rubbish

Jaws

The Mercy

Swept from the Sea

Permission

Venom

A Star is Born [2018]

Far and Away

Heat

Jane Eyre

Braveheart

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool

Juliet, Naked

First Man

Christopher Robin

Vincent and Theo

Pollock

Bohemian Rhapsody

One More Time With Feeling

Interlude in Prague

The Mask of Zorro

The Legend of Zorro 

You, Me, and Him

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 

Crazy Rich Asians

Bobby [2016]

Outlaw King

Space Jam

They Shall Not Grow Old

The Grinch [2018]

The Big Lebowski 

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Mulan

The Battle of the River Plate

They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead

My Generation

Batman Begins

Being John Malkovich

Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - Part One

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - Part Two

Widows

Immortal Beloved

Basquiat 

Goya’s Ghosts

The Madness of King George

Charade

Star Wars: A New Hope

Stars Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Stars Wars: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: Rogue One

The Polar Express

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Dr. No

From Russia With Love 

Goldfinger

Thunderball

You Only Live Twice

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Diamonds Are Forever

Live and Let Die

The Man With the Golden Gun

The Spy Who Loved Me

Moonraker

For Your Eyes Only

Octopussy

A View to a Kill

The Living Daylights

Licence to Kill

Goldeneye

Tomorrow Never Dies

The World is Not Enough 

Die Another Day 

Casino Royale

Quantum of Solace

Skyfall

Spectre

Superbob

Greenfingers

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

A Christmas Prince

Aquaman

Love, Cecil

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding

The Man Who Invented Christmas

Copying Beethoven

The Party’s Just Beginning 

Point Break

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

The Sound of Music

The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppets

Cars 2

The Holiday

A Bad Moms Christmas

The Holiday Calendar

The Christmas Chronicles

Nativity

Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger

Arthur Christmas

Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager

Zootropolis

Mary Poppins

The Good Dinosaur

Trolls

Rise of the Guardians

Bros: After the Screaming Stops

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years

Get Carter [1971]

Bottle Rocket

Turbo

Closer

Nothing Like a Dame

Bolt

Make Us Dream

Die Hard

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Porridge

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Books.

A Book For Her - Bridget Christie

Hickory Dickory Dock - Agatha Christie

Bright Star - John Keats

The Oberon Book of Comic Monologues for Women - Katy Wix

The Oberon Book of Comic Monologues for Women: Volume 2 - Katy Wix

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut

Division Street - Helen Mort

The Victorian Guide to Sex - Fern Riddell

A Woman’s Work - Harriet Harman

Help - Simon Amstell

The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher

Selected Poems - Sylvia Plath

Ariel - Sylvia Plath

The ‘If You Prefer a Milder Comedian Please Ask For One’ EP - Stewart Lee

The Rachel Papers - Martin Amis

Parker Pyne Investigates - Agatha Christie

Bone - Yrsa Daley-Ward

Pages For You - Sylvia Brownrigg

The Sun and Her Flowers - Rupi Kaur

Different for Girls: A Girl’s Own True-Life Adventures in Pop - Louise Wener

A Single Man - Christopher Isherwood

A Room of One’s Own - Virginia Woolf

Repeal the 8th - Una Mullally

Why Not Socialism? - G.A. Cohen

The Chaos of Longing - K.Y. Robinson

High-Rise - J.G. Ballard

Animal Farm - George Orwell

Fully Coherent Plan - David Shrigley

The Lesser Bohemians - Eimear McBride

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4 - Sue Townsend

Hera Lindsay Bird - Hera Lindsay Bird

Submarine - Joe Dunthorne

In the Penal Colony - Franz Kafka

Babette’s Feast - Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) 

The Expelled - Samuel Beckett

Youth - Joseph Conrad

The Life of Rylan - Rylan Clark-Neal

Autumn - Ali Smith

The Cornet-Player Who Betrayed Ireland - Frank O’Connor

Two Gallants - James Joyce

Teaching my Mother How to Give Birth - Warsan Shire

Selected Poems - Edgar Allan Poe

Casino Royale - Ian Fleming

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

The Door in the Wall - H.G Wells

Terra Incognita - Vladimir Nabokov

Dirty Pretty Things - Michael Faudet

Women  & Power: A Manifesto - Mary Beard

Dear Illusion - Kingsley Amis

Bitter Sweet Love - Michael Faudet

Smoke & Mirrors - Michael Faudet

Girl Meets Boy - Ali Smith

Pre-Raphaelites - Heather Birchall

Conspiracy - Charlotte Greig

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

Sex and Rage - Eve Babitz

Scoop - Evelyn Waugh

The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh - edited by Mark Roskill

Role Models - John Waters

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

How Not To Be a Boy - Robert Webb

Animal - Sara Pascoe

Absolute Pandemonium - Brian Blessed

Eileen - Ottessa Moshfegh

A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness

A Handful of Dust - Evelyn Waugh

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters - Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters

Normal People - Sally Rooney

Feminists Don’t Wear Pink - Scarlet Curtis and Others. 

Parsnips, Buttered - Joe Lycett

The Humans - Matt Haig

The Machine Stops - E.M. Forster

Ivanhoe - Sir Walter Scott

Poems for a World Gone to Shit - Various

[consciousowl]

What Karl Marx Got Right

If you are looking at the American political scene from outside, you can’t escape the feeling that the United States is now deeply schizophrenic. It continuously alternates ever more conservative and ever more progressive candidates. Who can forget the juxtapositions of George Bush, Sr. to Bill Clinton to George Bush, Jr. to Barack Obama to Donald Trump?

Clearly, the U.S. is deeply divided, as indicated by Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote, only to lose the electoral vote, a throwback from the States Rights’ compromise that made possible the consensus behind the U.S. Constitution. Are we committed to tackling climate change? How many Administrations did it take to get us to the Paris Summit, only to have Donald Trump walk out?

What few people would suspect is that a debunked economist, really a social critic, foresaw it all, even though most of his predictions failed to materialize. Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto is the second most popular book ever to be written, next to the Bible, itself. What? How so?​

Why a Resurgence of Interest in Karl Marx?

Capitalism as we know it today is not true capitalism, and socialism is no longer true socialism. We measure the difference primarily between free market and planned economies, and libertarian and totalitarian civil liberties. Americans who take a close look at how much better Sweden and France care for their citizens will be deeply distressed, as Bernie Sanders pointed out. However, youth in America, France and Sweden are equally disenchanted.

Globalization has spread the free market to almost every single country, with a boost for civil liberties to varying degrees. Along with it, the safety net has continuously eroded. Nothing can mitigate that less than 1% of the world’s population control the wealth of the bottom half. A Wall Street executive can earn 6,000 times the wages of his lowest employee.

The millennials have grown up a deeply compromised generation. They have to go back to living with mom and dad after finishing school until they can afford a house, or even an apartment that they can call their own. The workplace has moved from farm to factory to office. Now Starbuck’s provides office space for a new generation of contractors and would be entrepreneurs, using their laptops and tablets, with broadband courtesy of Google.​

Why Karl Marx’s Dialectic Has Never Been More Relevant

Karl Marx brilliantly encapsulated the logic of our lives in his formula of Thesis – Antithesis – Synthesis. We live in a world where every action produces an equal, but opposite reaction. We live in a world of polarity, of constant flow. There are no straight lines, only curves.

When you take a progressive view, you inspire others to take a conservative view. A conflict of some kind invariably ensues. Out of the contest of ideas and insights, a higher view emerges, containing parts of the previous positions, but with a unique twist. Thesis – Antithesis – Synthesis.

Think of father and mother begetting a daughter, let’s say “Sandy,” who is like each of her parents, and yet somehow different. Sandy is her own person. She mates and produces a son. That son is like both her husband and herself, and yet somehow different. So with people. So with ideas. An evolutionary progression, a gradual enfoldment… forever.​

We now find ourselves in an era of ever accelerating change, much as Ray Kurzweil observed with his vision of the Singularity. A generation of 20 years is now reduced to 18 months with high technology. Living in Silicon Valley for most of your life is for technology the equivalent of living for centuries in ordinary life. The only thing we can count on is change, itself. Thesis – Antithesis – Synthesis.​

Related article:  Is There an Upside To Setbacks?​

How Reductionism Ruined Marxism

Karl Marx grew up in an age where industrialization made a huge footprint on European and American society. The steam engine had been invented way back in 1790, but already in the early 1820’s, the world witnessed the first railroads and steamboats. By the time that Marx with Friedrich Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto as a young man in 1848, the movement from farm to factory was irreversible. Child labor was the norm, as were 12-hour days, six days a week. Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol wasn’t that much of an exaggeration.

As a consequence, Marx developed a masculine perspective, without being a sexist. He was preoccupied with the nexus of politics, economics and society. Could it all be explained in terms of power? The golden thread in this was economics. He saw that the rich and the powerful were not about to give up their privilege; hence the need for revolution.

The real problem with Marx was that he got so enthralled with using the dialectic from an economic standpoint that he minimalized everything else. Religion was the opiate of the people. The things that make life truly worthwhile, the divine, the creative and the intellectual, were simply distractions from getting on with material progress. Ironically, Marx, himself, seemed conscientious as a person, a very good father and husband. Perhaps he saw a higher truth in his private life.​

Don’t Thank Marx; Thank Socrates

Socrates, the father of philosophy, pioneered the dialectic for humanity, being influenced by Heraclites’s observation that you never step into the same river twice. Everything is in flux in the world of appearance. Socrates postulated that the truth could be found only in the world of pure forms or ideas. He focused on debunking his fellow Athenians of their conventional thinking. He ended up being accused of corrupting the youth and was given the choice of banishment or drinking hemlock. Socrates chose hemlock.

George Friedrich Hegel in the early 19th century picked up on Socrates concept of the dialectic, and developed it from a historical perspective. He saw civilization emerge from the creative tension of ideas that found their way into forms and everyday events. He looked at history from a multidimensional perspective. Living in the early romantic period, Hegel was not caught up in a realistic perspective of fighting exploitation in the big cities.

Karl Marx popularized the dialectic, but wedded it with his personal perspective, dialectic materialism. He rejoiced in standing Hegel on his head, moving from idealism to realism.​

In principle, the only things that really counted for Marx was bread and butter. The worker must take off his or her chains and own the means of production. Strangely, with quantum physics, the solid “real world” has become increasingly abstract, more like ideas than things. Marx would have been shocked.

How the Dialectic Informs the Big Picture

When Adam and Eve plucked the Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden, it was sweet to the mouth and bitter to the stomach. They awoke from primal unity as food gatherers, to polarity, becoming hunters and ultimately famers. They realized that they would “certainly die” in the big world out there as they got increasingly caught up in the survival game.

As we look at social, economic and political development, we notice constant swings, as in conservative to liberal positions. In culture, we notice perpetual oscillations from classical to romantic and then back again. When we take a jet halfway across the world, we will likely to fly an arc over the poles, as that route is faster than a straight line on a 3D sphere, such as Planet Earth. Straight lines work on paper, not in nature. The only straight lines in geography are manmade. Follow any brook, stream or river and be convinced.​

Related article:  Dancing on the Edge of Uncertainty​

We can never really take things at face value. Nothing is as it appears. We live out a story within a great dream where we are both the dreamer and the characters. In order to have a good story, you must have suspense, sudden turns, reversals, and above all, surprises. The last thing we suppose about life is that it could be God having fun, that the entire universe is one gigantic celebration of pure being. The Hindus have a Sanskrit word for it, Lila, or divine play.​

How the Dialectic Plays Out in Our Private Lives

If you remember learning to walk, or ride the bike, you will notice that you move to one direction, and then to its opposite, and then back again. A jet plane and an oceanliner both are constantly adjusting their trajectories with gyroscopes to stay on course.

We go from infancy to elementary school to college to military service or career to mate to children to contribution and retirement. Each time we finish one phase, we have to start all over again, and learn it all on a higher level. If we are perceptive, we will notice a spiral, rather than a circle or a straight line.

We don’t go straightforward without obstacles, and we don’t perpetually go around in circles. We go through this spiral where the bottom of one cycle is higher than the top of a previous cycle.

We celebrate a great breakthrough, such as finding the perfect mate, only to lose our job, to finding a new career, to finding more fulfillment from starting a business, and so on. If we are smart, we begin to realize that there is always something to learn, that this is all really a form of play. True, consequences are built in, but what game is worth playing without a clearly defined sense of rules.

The journey is always the reward.

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How the Dialectic Can Bring You Peace of Mind

On Karl Marx’s deathbed, he reminded his friends that he was NOT A MARXIST. Neither should we be. Yet we all owe him, his atheism not withstanding. Marx had the courage to challenge the established order and suggest there was another way. He gave us progressive taxation and the impetus for social progress around the world.

The dialectic is the game plan, but the story is up to you. You were put here as creator to create. You know this is ultimately a playground, and yet it is still precious to you. You realize that you are no longer “a spec of protoplasm on a dirt ball hurdling through space,” as Werner Erhard once put it. You are all of it. You can define your life as a progression of love and enlightenment, as opposed to an endless pursuit of more for the sake of more. You can then see how it is, indeed, more blessed to give than to receive.

May we together redefine our world, both in the private arena and in the public domain.​

What Karl Marx Got Right appeared first on http://consciousowl.com.

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Books, Wefts, and Black Lives Matter at the Baltimore Museum of Art

Kiki Smith, “Tidal” (1998), on view as part of “Off the Shelf: Modern & Contemporary Artists’ Books” (2017), The Baltimore Museum of Art (photo by Mitro Hood)

Fog enveloped Phan-Xi-Pang, Indochina’s tallest peak, in an ocean of vanilla milkshakes. You could drink the air with a straw.

Touring Vietnam during the past two months, I eagerly anticipated painting and drawing the mountains I found pictured online. Unfortunately, clouds and fog often hid the range like the closed covers of a book, day after frustrating day. Frustrating, that is, until I embraced the mystery of what was there — Robert Ryman on swimmy steroids — rather than longing for what wasn’t.

Shortly before leaving the US, I had a related experience. I was at a press preview for a show called Off the Shelf: Modern & Contemporary Artists’ Books at the Baltimore Museum of Art, where being unable to see all that I wanted to see played first a troubling role, then an enticing one.

Artists’ books tend to be rare and fragile. They need to be protected. Hence the vitrines, which, along with closed covers and fixed, double-page spreads, prohibit a full read. It is, however, a treat to see any part of these inventive objects.

Of course, there are many works of art beset by obstacles that limit our viewing experience. We stand far below that colossal, every-page-visible-at-once picture book known as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Who wouldn’t like a more optimum look at the narratives muscling their way across a vaulted heaven? Who wouldn’t like to get up close and personal with Adam or Eve, or to bite into an apple from that tree in their garden? We can’t. But we take what we can get.

Compare this to the thwarted desire to leaf through the pages of the publisher Ambroise Vollard’s 1931 edition of The Unknown Masterpiece (Le Chef-d’Oeuvre Inconnu) by Honoré de Balzac, the first book I was drawn to upon entering Off the Shelf. Six of the etchings by Pablo Picasso that accompany this tragic literary classic about art and seeing, which hang directly above the book. The illustrations can be treasured independently, as can the French author’s words. But when a great story and great images merge, it’s magic.

Installation view of “Off the Shelf: Modern & Contemporary Artists’ Books” (2017), The Baltimore Museum of Art (photo by Mitro Hood)

With one exception (a promised gift), all the works in Off the Shelf are from the BMA’s collection. Rena Hoisington, Senior Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, curated wisely, as well as helped design the individual displays and overall galleries. On monitors in an adjoining room, viewers can scroll through numerous books from the exhibition, allowing for a more start-to-finish eyeballing (albeit virtual) experience. One of my scrolling favorites is Paul Verlaine’s once-banned, sapphic Side by Side (Parallèlement, 1900), sinuously illustrated by Pierre Bonnard. In what is considered by many to be the first modern livre d’artiste (artist’s book), the artist’s rose-sanguine marks echo the look and spirit of Verlaine’s words, which were printed on cream-colored pages in a fluid, Renaissance font designed by Claude Garamond.

Bonnard’s sprawling lithographs sometimes corral and always counter the boxy boundaries of italicized type. Often, it seems as if the women he portrays are being coaxed from, or are dissolving into, the paper’s humid sensuality, nude figures sparely drawn here, detailed there. Like a storm cloud, in a section entitled “Sappho,” a sweeping arc of dark, braiding hair from two embracing women further exhilarates their impassioned moment.

Double-page spread of “Side by Side (Parallelement)” (1900), words by Paul Verlaine, images by Pierre Bonnard

Off the Shelf is an intimate exhibit of small gems. The works spring from inspired painter/writer pairings of showstopper sensibilities, including Grace Hartigan/James Schuyler; David Hockney/The Brothers Grimm; Susan Rothenberg/Robert Creeley; and Jasper Johns/Samuel Beckett. With few exceptions, like the over-sized and weighty My Pretty Pony, a steel-covered undertaking by Barbara Kruger and Stephen King, these editions are not what, 30 years ago, my then-three-year old daughter would have referred to as “two-handed books.” But despite their mostly midsize proportions, these images and objects have a king-size impact, partly because creative combos are sharing the more private — but no less profound — sides of themselves. And we get to peek.

“Salute” (1960), Grace Hartigan, prints/James Schuyler, text, The Baltimore Museum of Art: Gift of Floriano Vecchi, New York, in memory of William Richard Miller (© Estate of Grace Hartigan)

Few of the more than 130 artists’ books and related prints in this show are ever seen in public, yet they are decidedly social in nature. Visual artists team up with other visual artists, as well as with poets, novelists, fairytale writers, book designers, typographers, typesetters, and publishers.

Hands down, the biggest social event of Off the Shelf takes the form of 1 Cent Life (1964), a celebration of art and poetry that brought together the disparate styles of abstraction and Pop. Walasse Ting and Sam Francis invited 28 blue-chip artists, ranging from Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol, to James Rosenquist, Joan Mitchell, and Tom Wesselmann. The boisterous affair included 172 pages filled with 62 lithographs and 62 poems (written by Ting).

Installation view of “Off the Shelf: Modern & Contemporary Artists’ Books” (2017), The Baltimore Museum of Art (photo by Mitro Hood)

In this exhibition, pages turn, hang, separate, and fold. When unfolded, the accordion books, Tidal (1998), by Kiki Smith, and Ed Ruscha’s Every Building on the Sunset Strip (1966), reveal elegant, elongated proportions with sleek, unique formats.

With computer screens replacing paper pages, a show like Off the Shelf is timelier than it would have been less than a decade ago. It remains to be seen whether tactile books become less important due to their cost and the diminishment of their practical necessity, or more important through their physicality and personality. Big money is on the former. I hope it’s the latter.

*   *   *

Louise Wheatley at her loom in her studio, Harford County, MD, 2016 (photo by Anita Jones)

Another show currently at the Baltimore Museum of Art is Timeless Weft: Ancient Tapestries and the Art of Louise B. Wheatley. Anita Jones, the museum’s Curator of Textiles, installed weavings from Wheatley’s more than 40-year career alongside a series of ancient Egyptian Coptic fabric works. The historical conversation that unfolds between the contemporary weaver’s works and the time-old textiles enriches them both.

Content, color, texture, and technique represent visible connections between the two bodies of work. And then there are invisible links that become an evocation of time. The Coptic weavings have missing — invisible — parts, which have been lost over the centuries. I’ve always been a sucker for fragments,  where the harsh blade and the delicate patina of centuries reconfigure shapes and dimensions, add subtlety to surface, and glaze the beauty of age across pristine colors. Fragments lead to fantasy. What could have been depicted in the no-longer-visible parts surrounding the stylized hares racing through several borders of an Egyptian 10th-11th-century silk and linen textile? The fragment adorns a wall not much more than a vitrine away from its contemporary counterpart, Wheatley’s “Rabbit” (2014). From threads to shreds and back again, in my imagination I complete the story.

Louise Wheatley, “Rabbit” (c. 2014), linen, wool, cotton, silk (courtesy the Artist and The Baltimore Museum of Art)

Although some of Wheatley’s finely crafted weavings are large, many are about the length of a long finger. But even the artist’s tiniest textiles deliver with the might of a fog that can erase a mountain, as we see in both her portrayal of a gangly insect, “Walking Stick” (c. 1995), and a biblical hero, “David” (c. 1991), as he kneels (in one panel of a pocket-size triptych) to look for the stone with which he will defeat Goliath.

One of the larger wall hangings, “Fruits of the Spirit” (c. 1991), struck me initially as being dominated by three vertical strips of flat black. The central strip backs a charming, light-toned portrait of a pear tree that grows on the artist’s farm in Maryland. Turns out, the dark strips aren’t black at all, or flat, for that matter, but rather — as a close inspection reveals — a blend of deep tones, textures, and colors.

This tapestry does with shade what another of her works, “Egg Collection” (2005) does with shine. Here, variations in the figure/ground relationships, the finely spun warm and cool off-white ovals, and the quivering grid containing the now-you-see-them-now-you-don’t eggs create a slow, playful bounce to this fragile yet solid work. It’s as if the artist took a bunch of eggs, shook them up, and not only did not a one of ‘em crack, they all seem to revel in the delicacy of the dance of their white-on-white invisibility.

Louise Wheatley, “Egg Collection” (2005), linen, wool, cotton, silk (courtesy the Artist and the Baltimore Museum of Art)

Wheatley’s range of subjects is impressive. With heft and weft, she is equally expressive — formally, psychologically, and spiritually — at addressing pear trees and eggs, darkness and light, bugs and the bible.

*   *   *

Adam Pendleton, “A Victim of American Democracy IV” (wall work), (2016), adhesive vinyl, installation at The Baltimore Museum of Art (photo by Mitro Hood. ©️ Adam Pendleton, courtesy Pace Gallery)

For merging words and images, these are red-letter days on Baltimore’s Art Museum Drive. In a third show at the BMA, Front Room: Adam Pendleton, the words are the images. In Pendleton’s case, his ABCs are white, gray, and black — not red — sometimes spanning the walls from floor to ceiling.

Several works feature variations of the rallying cry “Black Lives Matter,” which has a trenchant meaning in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Grey. Gestural, sprayed, dripped, printed, broken, cropped, layered, rotated, and wiped-away, the letters simultaneously weave information, emotion, frustration, and hope into a powerful humanistic, social, and political message.

Adam Pendleton, “what is . . . (study)” (2017), silkscreen ink on Mylar (courtesy the Artist and Pace Gallery)

Like the BMA’s books, Wheatley’s textiles and Pendelton’s mixed-media ventures pack a punch (actually, hers is more of a lingering touch). With her, you don’t see it coming; with him, you can feel the vibrations down the block. Her mists/his missiles, resounding, both.

Off the Shelf: Modern & Contemporary Artists’ Books continues through June 25; Timeless Weft: Ancient Tapestries and the Art of Louise B. Wheatley continues through July 30; and Front Room: Adam Pendleton continues through October 1.

All three exhibitions are located at the Baltimore Museum of Art (10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, Maryland).

The post Books, Wefts, and Black Lives Matter at the Baltimore Museum of Art appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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