#I am no psychology expert but I am proud of the results! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

caelestis-composition · 3 years

Note

killshot anon! YEAH i totally agree w/ your view on kaeya. it's so weird to me that people will blame him for his role in a situation he was forced into as a child through no choice of his own. that itself had to be traumatic, not to mention everything that happened later. i hate when people say he's untrustworthy - like yeah, he's lied, so has everyone? it's clear he does it mostly to protect himself. not to mention that (& sadism) can be symptoms of trauma. kaeya deserves nothing but happiness

take a seat folks it’s time for a “brynn should’ve been an english major” lesson! today we’re gonna learn some literary theory; specifically, we’re gonna apply psychoanalytical trauma theory to kaeya’s backstory and current character. killshot anon i bet you never thought this would result in a whole ass essay.

disclaimer one! you are allowed to dislike kaeya! i am not saying you need to like him or his character, you’re entitled to your opinion and i’m not here to change your mind.

disclaimer two! i am in no way an expert and this is all for fun! this is just my silly little analysis of one of my favorite characters as someone who’s studied literary theory and rhetoric and can also apply personal experience. seriously analysis is like a hobby to me and this is just an excuse for me to ramble about kaeya.

disclaimer three! this contains lots of spoilers! basically for everything we know in-game, general knowledge as well as stuff from his voicelines and character story. don’t read this if you don’t want spoilers.

since this is going to be filled with spoilers and is about to get really long, everything will be under a cut. for those who wanna read my dumb super informal essay: enjoy!

final note: yeah this is over 2000 words long can you tell i like analysis

⭒

let’s start by getting a quick rundown of trauma theory out of the way. to begin, what is “trauma?” in this case, trauma is going to refer to an experience that greatly affects and changes one’s life; attitudes, memories, behaviors, mental state, etc. while not all changes may be bad, per se, the overall effect of trauma is generally a negative one, which is why it’s so significant. literary trauma theory, then, explores these changes and the impact of trauma in literature. it analyzes the psychological and social effects of trauma, explaining what those effects are and why they happen. in the context of a specific character, trauma theory breaks down said character’s behaviors, feelings, and general mentality in relation to their past experiences; trauma theory hopes to explain to others the reasons for why a character may act or feel the way they do, all based upon the character’s experiences, particularly traumatic ones. our character today is the lovely kaeya alberich, with the “literature” being genshin impact. i’ll be referencing kaeya’s wiki page to ensure i get all details correct for his character story and voicelines.

it would be good to review kaeya’s backstory before delving into the actual analysis. though we don’t know much about his life before living in mondstadt, we’re told he was sent as an agent of khaenri’ah. and by “sent,” i mean his biological father abandoned him in a completely unfamiliar land to serve khaenri’ah’s interests and fullfil his mission—what this entirely entails hasn’t been revealed. mondstadt, however, welcomed kaeya “with open arms when they found him.” crepus ragnvindr took him in as his adopted son, with diluc as his adopted brother. kaeya and diluc were “almost like twins,” so close they “[knew] each other’s thoughts and intentions without a word.” he’d began a new life in mondstadt, one surrounded by friends and family that loved him; one that was completely shattered by crepus’s death. kaeya arrived at the scene of the disaster, and was led to believe diluc was the one who killed their father to “set his father free” from the effects of his delusion. there’d always been one big question in kaeya’s life: if it came down to it, who would he support? the nation that abandoned him, but he still felt loyal to, or the nation and family that took him in and really loved him? overrun with guilt, kaeya confessed his purpose to diluc, sparking a fight between the two brothers. in this fight, kaeya receives his cryo vision. though both brothers stepped away alive, they’ve never been able to make peace with one another. now, kaeya is the eccentric and charming cavalry captain of the knights of favonius; a man who gets his way by using any means necessary, regardless of whether or not it seems right.

kaeya’s not evil; he’s morally ambiguous, and that stems from what appears to be a general distrust of others. his life is one shrouded in secrecy. from the moment he stepped foot into mondstadt, he was surrounded by secrets. even now, he doesn’t talk about a lot of things, namely his past, vision, and feelings. though he’s always willing to get information out of others, kaeya never reveals anything about himself. he repeatedly tells the player they can confide in him, but whenever you try and pry into his life, he deflects your questions with some sort of witty comment or flirty remark. anything he does reveal is vague, or spoken in some sort of “code.” for example, his “interesting things” voiceline. he tells us about the owl of dragonspine, how it “seems to look right through you, while letting go of none of its own secrets,” and then tacks on a “quite fascinating, don’t you think?” it seems like an awfully accurate parallel to himself; kaeya does all he can to get information from others, but never gives anything about himself. now, this whole thing—his relationship with diluc falling apart and his need for secrecy—could have probably been avoided if he had just come clean about his mission years ago. so why didn’t he? to start, kaeya was a literal child. not only are children unable to properly tell the difference between right and wrong, but they’ll also typically follow their parents’ orders blindly. kaeya had just been abandoned, and he wouldn’t want to risk being cast out by mondstadt as well if he came clean right away. you see, there’s this thing about trauma, something that trauma theory states. traumatized people feel a sort of shame or guilt regarding their traumatic experience; they’ll keep quiet because they don’t want to cause problems or bother others with their issues. of course kaeya wouldn’t tell the truth about his past, he doesn’t want to destroy the genuinely loving relationships he’d built in mondstadt. his fight with diluc only proves what he was afraid of: if he’s honest, he’ll be abandoned again. and if kaeya’s used to all the lies, why should he bother changing?

another thing, if he’s not going to tell the truth, then why would he have initially gone along with his father’s plans? again, he was a child. he really had no choice, and was forced into a very wrong and cruel situation. there’s a good explanation for this, too, which is also stated in trauma theory; traumatized people will still do their best to please their abusers. especially if said abuser is a parent, that will drive traumatized people to work even harder to please them. although his father hurt him by ruthlessly abandoning him, kaeya still sought to make him and his homeland proud. he was willing to be used as a tool for their gain; that is, until he found people who actually cared about him. he was an impressionable child, of course he’s going to obey orders. but as he gets older, he feels torn. does he serve those who abandoned him, or those that took him in? his father—and arguably, khaenri’ah as a whole—hurt him, sure, but he still feels some loyalty and connection to his former home. instead of revealing anything, he lets the situation play out. that way, he can’t be blamed when things fall apart.

the thing about claiming he’s untrustworthy is that hardly anyone in-game believes that. he’s adored by the older folks in mondstadt, and foes and allies alike find him easy to talk to. despite seeming lazy and uninterested in work, kaeya takes his job very seriously. in fact, his story states that crepus’s death was the “first and only time kaeya failed in his duty.” the “only time” is especially important, because it signifies kaeya still fulfills his duties successfully. he’s had a total of one slip-up, and hasn’t failed since. no, kaeya is not untrustworthy. rather, kaeya finds everyone else untrustworthy. it’s not unlikely that this is a direct consequence of being abandoned as a child. although it’s been established that kaeya and diluc were very close as children, when crepus dies, kaeya assumes diluc is the one that killed him. in order to jump to such an extreme conclusion against someone he was so close to, there had to be some underlying sense of distrust. furthermore, kaeya expresses feeling as though he doesn’t belong anywhere. he was abandoned by khaenri’ah, and then worried he wouldn’t be accepted by mondstadt. he is, but there’s still that worry. if you place him in your teapot as a companion, he tells you that your home feels like someplace he belongs, following it up with a “heh, who’d have thought…” kaeya still feels as though he doesn’t belong in mondstadt; despite the fact that he’s a high-ranking knight of favonius and rather popular, he still feels like an outsider. he doesn’t trust that anyone actually wants him around, and he finds joy in testing peoples’ trustworthiness. it’s noted in his story and through his voicelines that the beloved cavalry captain has a rather sadistic nature. he likes putting people into difficult situations, to see what decisions they will make. he does this to both opponents and allies, testing to see who’s going to back out and who’ll keep fighting; in the sake of allies, who can he trust? or who will turn tail and abandon their teammates at the slightest hint of danger? i mentioned it previously, but kaeya doesn’t care what measures he has to take so long as his job gets done and he gets the answers he wants. it’s a sort of self-preserving mindset, putting himself above the safety of others. kaeya’s trying to protect himself, which makes sense with all he’s been through. he doesn’t want to be hurt, and instead finds pleasure in threatening harm upon others. it’s twisted, sure, but it’s because he can only trust himself in a world that he believes is out to get him. he’s got as many enemies—if not more—as he does allies; of course kaeya focuses on protecting himself first, whether physically or through keeping his secrets, well, secret.

his most obvious traumatic effect is definitely his alcoholism. but he uses it as a distraction, not just to wallow in self-pity. this is seen again in his story, particularly in story 3. it’s found that when his favorite drink, death after noon, is out of season, mondstadt’s crime rate is decreased drastically. at face value, this just means kaeya spends more time working when death after noon is low in supply. but kaeya doesn’t skip work to go to taverns; it’s already been established he takes his job very seriously, so this means he actually patrols and tracks down threats while off work when he can’t indulge in his favorite alcoholic drink. he doesn’t get drunk simply because he’s depressed. if he did, there wouldn’t be a drop in incidents when death after noon is out of season. no, kaeya uses both the alcohol and fighting to distract himself. after all, it’s a little hard to think about feeling sad when you’re either drunk out of your mind or fighting for your life.

despite being so secretive, kaeya gives us glimpses of his true emotions from time to time. as previously mentioned, his flirty attitude is nothing more than a mask to hide how he really feels; and kaeya is terribly, terribly lonely. that may be why he seems so extroverted. constantly being around people should, logically, drive away that feeling, but it doesn’t work like that. when he talks with the player, he frequently expresses disappointment when you have to leave. each time, though, he dampens the weight of his words with playful or flirty language. he’s lonely, but doesn’t want you to know that, like he’s afraid of asking you to stay. he takes the seriousness of his feelings, and basically bends it into some sort of lighthearted joke. kaeya hides his true feelings—negative feelings, to be exact—so that he doesn’t bother anyone. which is, again, something that happens with traumatized people. he displays that hesitance to reveal his true feelings, because there’s a shame or guilt that comes with his past. he doesn’t want to bother others or hold them back, so he puts on a smile and amps up the charisma. one other very important thing—but very small detail—i would like to note is his feelings toward family. his fell apart not even once, but twice, and kaeya still holds familial relationships in high regard. we know he doesn’t exactly care how he goes about getting his work done. he doesn’t pay attention to what’s “right” or “wrong,” so long as he gets what he needs. but one of his informants, vile, notes that the cavalry captain has one exception: he won’t work with those who threaten others’ families. in fact, kaeya claims those who do should be hunted down and destroyed. even though his own families have caused him so much pain—and he ended up estranged from both—he still understands the importance of having people who love you in your life. because he didn’t get that.

kaeya’s not evil. ultimately, as a knight of favonius, his goal is to protect others, because no one was there to protect him. and because no one was there to protect him, because he’s been hurt time and time again by people who were supposed to love him, kaeya has taken to protecting himself. he hides any and all negative feelings with a charismatic, friendly façade, because he thinks it’ll drive away his persistent loneliness. any “bad” actions of his were hardly his fault; he was forced into a life of secrecy and lies, and then abandoned by the first people who truly loved him. kaeya’s a multi-faceted, tragic character, one that toes the line between good and evil, and that’s what makes him so interesting.

#brynn yells #brynn answers #killshot anon #brynn's writing #genshin #genshin impact #kaeya #kaeya alberich #genshin kaeya

226 notes · View notes

tanzmitmirsblog · 3 years

Text

How much do we control the management of our lives?

How much can you trust a person you do not know? When questioned how we may adopt someone we admire as a role model, the answer does not appear to be far away. Something in human nature may easily lead to deception. In Mark Twain's book What is Man, "I think the mind is a purely machine, a thoroughly independent machine, an automatic machine." says the old man. I agree with these words and I believe that this machine can change. One does not have to have the same ideas and the same body throughout his life. Sometimes they really would like to change some things. "The fact that man distinguishes right from wrong proves that he is mentally superior to other creatures; but that he can do wrong proves that he is morally inferior to any creature that cannot do wrong." he continues on the next pages. If human can choose the wrong while having a will, this clearly shows that a person lives according to external factors, not according to themselves. Losing weight and doing it because of emulating, which is a possible reason, and it's also a good reason to do it to feel good. It is significant to know how accurate it would be to state that it is in the leaven of human people and to blame the human will. We ought to speak about why someone desires to lose weight and why one favours an influencer when there is a healthier way.

The perception of importance to external appearance is an important reason that pushes people to lose weight. This aesthesis is poison ivy. A measure in the middle and thousands of people competing to fit that measure. Some aesthetic, some try to lose weight some try tons of methods, some just love themselves, maybe we are not very good at loving ourselves, we cannot prove it with our own eyes, but right now, effects or photoshop are enough to feel nice, we look at the camera we are not who we are, not only us, everyone thinks this but we have to accept that sometimes when you look in the mirror, you say “wow!”, sometimes in a photograph, sometimes in a dress, but when a person looks at your face, we have to keep in mind that the first thing that comes to mind is a beautiful face and weakness in the established standards. Allow that people to enjoy and adore our humour, craziness, amusing spirit, natural state, sincerity and sincere sentiments, appreciation of the present, patience, tolerance, empathy, loyalty, and respect. Beauty is a perception that changes with time. Smile, but like fashion, a new perception of beauty emerges that changes every year. We do not have to abide by it. You don't have to be on the side of thinness this summer. You cannot always follow the herd, sometimes it is important to leave the herd and make your own way When you look at your 15-year-old self, you realize how much we have changed. Accepting this is as important as realizing it, it is enough for you to accept it, you do not need someone else's approval, if you wake up in the morning, "How do you think I should live?" You should have asked them all. "How do you think my weight is? Do I look too fat? Am I too thin?" Asking that constantly does nothing but strengthen the standard of society. Losing weight should not be something you do for someone else; it should be something you do for yourself.

The second reason is that the influencers gain everyone's trust. It takes a lot of effort to build trust, and that is exactly what influencers do. They prioritize winning the confidence of their followers before using it to their advantage. They utilize effective phrases with care as examples "Thanks to this medicine, I dropped 15 kg and my life was transformed" and "Wow, what a difference in a week! Thanks to this herbal tea, I dropped 25 pounds in a month." This reminded me of honey television advertisements. To market a product, you must have strong persuasion skills, which you may do by crafting a product story. Using someone who was overweight but is now slim, for example, is a fantastic option. This shift, which everyone can see with their own eyes, is something that everyone can believe in. Nevertheless, there might be a ruse hidden behind it. Influencers may mislead individuals by advertising a weight reduction product to those who have never tried it or who have not benefitted from it. People who have become social media slaves will buy a product after seeing such commercials, regardless of how much it costs or whether it is harmful to their health.

This is how influencers make money and become famous. Many influencers have benefited from this advertising in terms of popularity and money. It has now evolved into a career. When he makes a lot of money, it becomes their source of income. They mould their lives around it and plan their career accordingly. Aside from the money, thousands of individuals who believe in them make them proud and feel good. However, it is unethical to endanger human life for the sake of profit. Their drive to profit from this company should not take precedence over human health. It should also be considered a crime if the products used by deceived people are unreliable and do not harm health, but do not meet their main purpose, because when people see that the products, they buy to lose weight do not work, they will collapse psychologically. Some influencers do this not for the sake of advertising, but to help those in need, and there are efficient techniques for doing so. Perhaps they choose to share the correct ways since they are guilty. Some influencers post this on a daily basis, increasing the reality share. Some people utilize natural techniques and do not promote. Nonetheless, everyone's metabolism is different, which is a reality that should be understood. Dietitians ensure that this is done properly. They design a program based on the body mass index of those who wish to lose weight and assist them in achieving their goals through a well-balanced diet. Influencers do not have the same level of expertise as doctors, and while they can provide right ways, they cannot create a healthy route. Their techniques may be harmful to other people's health. As a result, it should be done by experts who are familiar with the industry, rather than by influencers.

We can observe and understand how powerful willpower is and why people want to lose weight, and we can generate our own motivation rather than relying on others. No matter how compelling the arguments, we must not let those who seek to use this situation. Rather of being influenced by others or believing their advice without question, we should first establish why we want to reduce weight. We can take this road to make ourselves happy rather than to adhere to society's beauty standards. For our own benefit, we must learn to love ourselves a bit. What I am trying to express is not a simple mess. You will have the ability to shatter all judgements and impressions if you position yourself according to what you position and guide your decisions appropriately. If you want to do yourself a favour, you can fix it with assistance, but only from a professional. You would be doing yourself a huge kindness provided that you did not fall for these small manipulations.

-Tanzmitmirsblog

1 note · View note

heartwork · 3 years

Text

State Champions!

IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS

In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first to climb Mount Everest, a dream previously thought by many to be impossible. But Hillary and Norgay would not have achieved this dream were it not for the work and sacrifice of three decades of expert climbers who prepared the way.

I am the coach of the Fairview Knights, from Boulder Colorado. On Saturday, we completed an undefeated season and won the Colorado 5A State Championship. Over the past few days, I have taken a step back to allow parents, players and coaches to share their story of this unique accomplishment. And now I would like to share my story of this Championship, the story of the 2020/21 Fairview High School soccer team and Heartwork.

HISTORY Fairview High School has been around for nearly 60 years, and Boys Soccer has never won a State Championship, despite producing many exceptional players and teams. Winning a State Championship at Fairview has been a psychologically insurmountable feat, like the climbing of Mount Everest in 1953 or the running of the four-minute-mile prior to May 6, 1954. And just like climbing Mount Everest or running the four-minute-mile, we have finally proved that the dream of winning a State Championship is not impossible (for Fairview Boys Soccer). Led by coach Jeff Frykholm (2015-18) and Captains like Sajjan Singh, Myles Ellis, Cooper Harmon, Sam Siewerski, Carter Melton, Jake Ketchner, Alex Mercier, the players and coaches of the past few seasons have made a defining push to lead our program to become Champions, but unfortunately came up short (losing 2x in playoffs to the State Champs). In 2018, Fairview was undefeated, #1 in the state, and lost a heartbreaker to Arapahoe in the playoffs. Last year, my first year as Fairview’s coach, we lost another heartbreaker in penalties to Broomfield. Fairview needed to experience heartbreak to learn what is required to win. The desperation of watching seniors lose and never again wear the FHS jersey, the pain of coming up short in years where the stars were seemingly aligned. This team understands heartbreak. Our fight to avoid defeat comes from an intimate understanding of how devastating it is to lose.

OUR MISSION

Our mission this year was to focus on fighting through chaos with composure and technicality. We set out to build a culture that could withstand the pressure through intentional preparation, focus on our family, and playing with passion. Traits we looked to build into this team: * Hope, (not despair) * Composure, (not panic) * Focused grit (discipline), (not adrenaline) Winning the State Championship every year is not a competitively realistic objective, because player pools are determined by enrollment, not recruitment efforts. Therefore, there will be many years that are competitively maddening as the task of a coach will feel akin to playing chess with missing pieces. So then, why would high level coaches and players choose to participate in the high school game? What is the value of participating in the competition if you are at a competitive disadvantage most years? The reasons we have defined at Fairview High School are these: passion, family, discipline: “Heartwork”. At Fairview High School, we are committed to developing exceptional players, fiercely competitive teams, and leaving behind a legacy of brotherhood and love of the game.

OUR LEGACY

When faced with the pandemic shutdown, our team dedicated all efforts becoming Champions. When faced with the stress, isolation and uncertainty of Covid, our team decided to focus on what we could control; our daily thoughts and actions. We play in the toughest conference in the state, and we knew that our goal required an undefeated effort (a feat that has only been accomplished once or twice before in 5A), because the playoffs were restructured due to Covid (only top seeded teams advanced from each conference). We have had sessions via zoom, social distanced sessions in 100° heat with masks on. And just like every team who competed this year, we have had to deal with the chaos of Covid closures, season changes, uncertainty, and the stresses that came with a condensed season. This team has remained committed to each other, to the process, and to our culture. As a result, this year will forever be acknowledged with proof of our team’s character, determination and quality with a banner that reads “State Champions”. This accomplishment is a testament to the consistency of our program. Every player, coach, and family member who has supported Fairview Soccer over the years will enjoy this moment together.

I am proud of these boys and the City of Boulder is proud of these boys for fulfilling their vision.

1 note · View note

spycamp · 4 years

Text

MoonBase Recruiting Barack Obama and Neil Tyson Love Letter Season Episode 1 of 10 @neiltyson @usairforce Dear Neil Tyson, The sign says NEEDED: Ten Fingers, Ten Toes ASTROPHYSICIST no physical inspection required. That takes me back to days before my time on earth when it was expected that this conversation would include direct reference to slavery. Recruiting for The MoonBase Team is a major undertaking and it involves the agreement that I be your Captain. And the laws of the land require that you make this choice of free will and do so free from bondage free from the duress of slavery. And that is an amazing thing. We have an amazing freedom here in this great country and its important to me that we go back to the way it could have been if it had not been for President Abraham Lincoln making two important decisions: 1. To Free The Slaves and 2. To Charter The National Academy of Sciences and it is because of your impressive response to Tlhe Abraham Lincoln Library Foundation that I am so well versed on this situation.

Slavery is a very personal topic to me because my classical study of human nature has focused on human trafficking. The way my classical training works is a brain radio response system and The FBI challenged me stating that I was a Slave Owner and they wanted to know how I would act. Instead of calling them slaves I call them submissives and I regularly make the reminder that my submissives have the free will granted to them by The Constitution of The United States of America. To further my point I am developing an advanced psychology I call DSCS Domination Submissive Constrains Subjugated it is a relationship psychology that is far superior to the bdsm (bondage domination sado-masochism) culture that focuses intently on domination and the master slave relationship. My psychology is complex but it is free from the duress of psychoproductivity and includes free will, freedom, and the right to say No; and therefore I am very proud of my psychology as a future world leader. I am afraid of my psychology because in order for me to explain it quickly it requires I use the word slavery but only as an effort to identify and discard in order to consider the actual expectation of the challenging agreement required to advance the MoonBase Team.

I need an expert astrophysicist. In order to get the computers to program my demands I am going to need an astrophysicist. I am also going to need a former President which is why I am recruiting Barack Obama. And furthermore part of the result of slavery is that research will be completed for The Race on Planet Earth known as Black People first in regards to long life recipes and solutions.

Understand; I am recruiting you. You can say no to your recruiter. But eventually I would become your Captain and a Captain requires a third alternative when the answer is No. This is a lot to take in, I am looking forward to writing this series. Always With My Best, Alexander William Erickson

#AlexanderWilliamErickson

#alexanderwilliamerickson #spytraining #BarackObama #NeildeGrasseTyson #rrtt

6 notes · View notes

aspoonofsugar · 5 years

Note

What do you think of the Hunting Dogs? Specifically, what do you think of Tecchou and Jouno's role in the narrative (and Tachihara's)?

Hello anon!

I have briefly mentioned the Hunting Dogs here and here

These are some general thoughts on them I am quoting from the two metas I linked:

The Hunting Dogs are so obsessed by the idea of justice that they forget to balance it with empathy. All in all, if there are characters in the series who are “too correct” that would be them and not Yosano. They have failed to realize it so far, but it is possible they will have to rethink their ways.

After all, they are fighting against a group called the Decay of Angels. It has been said that this group wants to destroy the same society the Hunting Dogs want to protect and they are clearly using people’s ideals and biased concepts of right and wrong to manipulate them and turn them into accomplices of their scheme. All in all, they are the perfect enemies for the Hunting Dogs and the arc is clearly hinting at the fact that the Dogs will have to face their shortcomings (after all the current chapters are called Skyfall).

And again:

The Hunting Dogs are so convinced that they are the heroes who should punish criminals that they don’t even realize that the people they are trying to kill are innocent. They are so sure to be the right side that they can’t see that they have become pawns of that same criminal organization that they are supposed to stop.

I think that these two extracts highlight two ideas connected to the HD.

1) The danger of justice without empathy.

2) The hypocrisy behind some ideals people can embrace.

The first point can be easily summarized by using two words mentioned in Yosano’s story:

“Correctness” stands for justice, whereas “kindness” stands for empathy. In short, what is suggested is that judging a person only because of the results of their actions ignoring the feelings and the reasons why they took their choices is detrimental.

However, this is what the Hunting Dogs are doing:

Fukuchi is Fukuzawa’s childhood friend, but he has no hesitation in hunting and killing Fukuzawa’s subordinates even if it is implied he himself might not personally want it. He does so just because they have been identified as criminals.

In short they seem to be in the story to explore this idea:

Justice is a weapon. It can be used to cause harm, but it cannot protect or save others.

Dazai Osamu

The second point is interesting because it shows that deep down the HD are really no different from the stray dogs (both the mafia and the ADA) they despise so much.

Let’s consider this:

Here Tachihara is talking about the HD, but it is not by chance that his words could very well be true for the mafia as well:

This perfectly shows that ironically the HD are not much different from the mafiosi who are ready to kill others to maintain Mori’s idea of peace.

The HD are proud because they see themselves as heroes of justice. They are not stray dogs, but dogs selected and adopted by a master (aka the governement) and this makes them better than others. At least, this is probably what they force themselves to believe.

The ironic thing is of course that all of them are portrayed with attributes society would consider problematic.

Teruko is sadistic and violent, while Jouno enjoys psychologically torturing people. Finally Tachihara is in the HD simply because he wants to find a place to belong.

All in all, among the four subordinates, Tecchou is the one who probably genuinely believes in justice, but his idea is simplicistic and naive as it was explained in point one.

In short, the HD are imperfect humans just like everybody else and they have found a reason of living in their organization just like the members of the ADA and of the mafia did.

This is also why they are so easily manipulated. It is because in order to truly think about “right” and “wrong” in a constructive way, they should let go of the labels they use to read the world. However, they can’t because if they did they could very well lose themselves.

In the end the HD are foils of the detectives just like the mafiosi, but they are so in a different way.

The mafiosi are who the detectives could become if they were to completely lose themselves in their most violent and darkest parts, while the HD are who the detectives could become if they were to embrace simplicistic ideals over people. This is also why this arc has been particularly hard on Kunikida since among the members of the ADA he is the one who risks to do so the most.

I will now briefly discuss the connections between each HD and one member of the ADA they foil. Since the arc is not over, some of these ideas must be considered generally and we have to see how they will play out.

1) Fukuzawa ishares a past with Fukuchi exactly like he does with Mori:

Fukuchi is said to be a war hero and to have been granted a godly sword:

It is not known if the sword is supposed to have some special power, but from the way people talk about it, it seems also some kind of honorable gift. The director has received a similar gift at the beginning of the arc:

However, differently from Fukuchi, his role in the war is considered something which should stay hidden:

In short, the two men share a common past, have both built an organization and are proud of it. However, Fukuchi is a person society has completely accepted to the point he was given a title and a unit, whereas Fukuzawa has fought to leave his own past behind and to live a better life, but the moment he succeeds his past catches up with him:

2) Jouno has been clearly associated to Dazai:

Dazai himself comments they would go along pretty well because of their similarity. They are two cynics who have fun provoking their far more idealistic partners (Kunikida and Tecchou). What is more, they are both said to be experts at interrogating people.

This highlights the fact that both Dazai and Jouno are very good at reading others. Dazai is said multiple times to have eyes who can see everything, whereas Jouno claims that he can use his enhanced senses to perceive more things than others.

All in all the way Jouno is described during his official introduction is interesting:

Apart from his ability being called Priceless Tears which might suggest there is more to his eyes being kept closed, there is the fact that he is called the king of avidya.

I am not an expert of hinduism, but from what I understood thanks to @hamliet avidya can be seen as “ignorance” or “self-deception”.

The title fits Jouno who enjoys pointing out to others what they want to ignore about themselves:

However, the question is if Jouno himself can overcome his own ignorance and if he is being honest with himself. When it comes to this, I think his relationship with Tecchou might give us some interesing hints which could be developed in an interesting way.

In a sense, Jouno and Tecchou’s relationship seems similar to both Dazai and Kunikida’s partnership and potentially to soukoku too.

The soukoku’s similarities so far are superficial in the sense that both partnerships are made of a combination between a person who is extremely intelligent (Dazai and Jouno respectively) and one who is extremely strong (Chuuya and Tecchou). What is more, despite the fact that the two members are often coupled together, they don’t go along well.

However, despite these similarities, there is a key difference between Tecchou and Jouno’s partnership and Dazai’s one with both Chuuya and Kunikida and it is that so far Jouno has been far less successful than Dazai in going on his partner’s nerves.

So far, Tecchou has not been annoyed in the slightest by Jouno’s attempts to go in his way:

And he has also won their interrogation match:

This is interesting and it might have to do with the HD as a group having a far less nuanced idea of right and wrong than the agency does. All in all the agency deals with gray cases and some of his members like Dazai and Ranpo are not really interested in right and wrong, while others like Kenji seems to have a pretty vague idea of these two concepts. So it makes sense that in such an environment Kunikida is constantly challenged by his comrades. This is also something positive because Kunikida risks to become too rigid in following his ideals. At the same time he can inspire his comrades too:

All in all Kunikida’s ideals guide the agency and the agency keeps Kunikida in check and avoids that he goes too far in pursuing them.

However, the HD fight for justice and this is all:

So, it makes sense that Jouno’s attempts to challenge the dog who embodies justice the most fail.

However, this is interesting when it comes to Jouno. After all, why does Tecchou go on his nerves so much?

Jouno explains that Tecchou’s spirit lacks artistry. I think this is a way to say that Tecchou does not understand nuance and has a simplicistic vision of the world. This might be true, but why does Jouno care? Isn’t he a HD too? And if he is, shouldn’t he fight for justice too? It is possible that Jouno doesn’t actually like justice so much and might understand that it is an oversimplification. However, he doesn’t seem to care about people either and he enjoys seeing them suffer. In a sense, he might embody the darkest aspect of justice which is not interested in being fair, but simply in punishing someone and in seeing them fall apart.

3) As stated above, Tecchou’s foil is Kunikida:

This confrontation is interesting because it is really two different systems of ideals coming into conflict. This is also symbolized by their respective abilities.

On one hand Kunikida’s notebook is representative of his ideals and his power uses it to make them become concrete things. On the other hand Tecchou’s sword represents justice. The choice of having these two characters collide is interesting because one can easily see their conflict as a representation of the one between “the word” and “the sword”.

Kunikida’s ideals are made for people and what he wants is not to let people die in front of him. All in all, Kunikida is learning that ideals should bend and be flexible when it comes to people even if they must not be discarded. This is why in Moving Ahead Alone he doesn’t change his schedule to meet a person he admires, but he does so when it is about saving a little girl.

All in all Kunikida wants his ideals to spread and people to embrace them:

He might not go at it in the best way possible, but he still believes people can change and can be educated. After all he used to be a teacher.

Tecchou’s ideals are about justice and “fairness”:

He believes that bad deeds should be punished and good deeds should be rewarded and has decided to become a weapon to do so.

Let’s highlight that Tecchou seems to be extremely serious about this:

He is ready to be cut by his sword (aka justice) himself if he were to do something wrong and he is serious both about cutting criminals down, but also about protecting people he deems admirable. However, the problem is that it is not sufficient that he genuinely wishes to be fair to ensure that the world is. For example, he claims that he will not kill the members of the ADA and will give them a fair trial, but the whole reason why the detectives are running is that a fair trial is impossible:

So, Tecchou wants to establish justice, but he can’t because he is nothing more than an individual with a biased vision of the world exactly like all the others.

4) I don’t have many thoughts on Teruko, so I won’t write about her. We will see if she is given more focus later on. I find her power interesting, though.

5) Tachihara is a character linked to Yosano since the both of them are basically trying to overcome the death of the same person. I have briefly talked about it in the Yosano meta I linked above and I won’t repeat myself.

As for now, I think it is important to highlight that Tachihara foils Atsushi.

They have both been considered worthless by their guardians:

They both might have ended up becoming criminals:

But were found by an organization which gave them a new purpose and made them feel useful. Because of these two groups they have been usingtheir powers to help society.

Their foiling is made pretty obvious in the chapters centered on the Hunting Dogs since Tachihara is our main POV character there just like Atsushi is for the ADA.

What we learn about him in those chapters is that he really just wants to be recognized just like Atsushi (and Akutagawa):

At the same time he is using his job in the HD as an excuse to lash out on others when his brother is concerned:

All in all, hating Yosano for what happened is wrong since Yosano herself was a victim, but Tachihara still does so because he probably needs someone to blame. What his more, his role as a policeman gives him the perfect excuse to take revenge. In short, Tachihara has issues similar to Atsushi and shows very clearly that trying to overcome them by becoming “a good person” is something which won’t work:

Despite them being criminals he has grown to care for some people in the mafia and this goes against the coping mechanism he embraced and which might be overcome at one point because of these cracks.

At the same time, Tachihara also shows that killing other people to settle a score just ends up hurting others and solves nothing and this is something Akutagawa must learn:

Tachihara’s actions to avenge his brother hurt someone else’s little sister and it is probable that made Tachihara himself the target of revenge.

In conclusion, the HD exist to embody this concept:

Morality is a prison who gives people happiness because it makes them think that they are in the right and this gives them comfort. The Decay of Angels want to destroy this concept. However, they too are wrong because all in all morality together with other coping mechanisms are things humans come up with because they want to live. And to live it what everyone deep down wants:

In the end Gogol’s final scream of free will highlights exactly this. The HD are no different and they have just to accept it.

Thank you for the ask!

#bsd #bsd meta #hunting dogs #armed detective agency #ochi fukuchi #fukuzawa yukichi #dazai osamu #jouno saigiku #teccho suehiro #kunikida doppo #tachihara michizou #atsushi nakajima #asksfullofsugar #anonymous

202 notes · View notes

ottostherapy · 4 years

Text

How to not be an adult - Reunion

Severus Snape x OC

a/n: Still a Snape appreciation month story, cause Snape deserves some love. Excuse my language, not my mother tongue.

post-war au, where Snape survives and returns to teaching at Hogwarts. After disappearing for almost four month, he is to meet his new colleagues.

warnings: none

word count: 1358

Part 1

(gif’s not mine)

Soon the other teachers arrived, some of which Severus knew, some of which he couldn’t recall having met before. Filius Flitwick was late to the feast they had in the Great Hall, which was not to his surprise. The short wizard continuously had a hard time letting go of his wife, or the other way around, Severus didn’t know.

He, himself was sat next to Minerva and Horace Slughorn.

While his former potions professor had a lot to talk about, Severus kept to himself. He watched Septima Vector talking to a rather small, chubby witch, with puffy dark hair, standing to all directions, listened to a vivid conversation between Rolanda Hooch and Pomona Sprout about the effect of Fluxweed in brooms. Nearby sat Poppy Pomfrey, who had taken interest in a neatly dressed witch. All around the staff chattered, yet the air glimmered in a tense.

Minerva cleared her throat and stood up. “I want to welcome you all to this years’ Hogwarts staff!” The professors quickly silenced. “I hope you enjoyed our first meal together.”

Here and there Severus saw a nod. Rubeus Hagrid even managed to rasp an “Of course” between slugs out his massive cup.

“Since we are now a vast mixture of common and new members, I reckoned we get to know each other a bit better before the year starts.” A whisper went through the table of teachers.

Severus and his long-established colleagues vividly remembered the silly games Albus had made them play over and over again.

“I think a quick introduction, a few words about yourself will suffice for tonight.” Minerva paused. “Due to the recent events, I have permitted myself to take a few changes in structure and curriculum, so for the next year we are joined by mental-health experts.” She looked to the neat witch next to Poppy. “At Rolanda’s and Poppy’s request, I have also decided to include a teacher for the sportive students, who are less interested in performing Quidditch, whereas I do question their common sense.”

Severus smiled faintly at her words. Ever since he remembered the older witch, she had been overly-engaged in cheering for Gryffindor to win the Quidditch-Cup. Admittedly, he himself was competitive, ambitious, one could say and he was glad to have been able to smear the victory of his house into Minerva’s face for a few years. Of course, this had never felt as good as the year his friend Regulus Black, captain of the Slytherin team while Severus was still learning had beat the arrogant James Potter in Gryffindor team.

“I did include a little twist for our introductory round”, Minerva summoned a good amount of parchment snippets. “These are quotes I have collected from you throughout the years knowing you, for those whom I don’t know as long, I chose quotes that do not immediately give away they are taken from the interview.” She had the snippets fly to the staff, one for each of them. “Once you introduced yourself you read the quote and then it’s everyone’s turn to guess.”

Horace nudged Severus’ side. “Don’t give me away, Severus.” The elder wizard wiggled his eyebrows at his former student.

“I will be silent as the dead.”

Horace twitched. “Oh no, no. Please don’t say that, dear.” Severus felt his heart sting. For the past years, he had lived knowing he had to die, knowing he had to kill Albus, knowing there were few people who appreciated him. Not to mention his father or his bullies. He was aware Horace valued him as a wizard, he had not expected him to appreciate him as a human being.

“Can I go firs’, Minerva?”, Severus heard Hagrid holler in excitement, to which she nodded.

The giant Gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures-Professor nonchalantly stood up. “Erm, well. My name’s Rubeus Hagrid an’ I am proud to stand ‘ere as the schools Keeper of Keys an’ Grouns, all thanks to Albus Dumbledore. Err, an’ I am also teaching the kids the Care of Magical Creatures.” He raised a hand to scratch his chin underneath the feral beard.

“Thank you, Rubeus.” Minerva gave him an affirming smile. “The quote?”

“Oi!” Hagrid unfolded the paper. “It says: I was expec’ing to see more blood today.”

Severus could barely contain the sneer, that was crawling the muscles around his mouth. He glanced at the very red, laughing Poppy, remembering the remark she had given towards the Slytherin-Gryffindor match a few years ago.

Against his anticipation, the quote-guessing game was a rather fun occurrence.

He found out Filius had gotten an anonymous love-letter the year, that the annoying Lockard had been employed, Pomona regularly talked to random cats around the greenhouses, hoping them to be Minerva, Maia Reed, the witch right next to Poppy had specialised in psychology at a muggle university and even though she looked so strict was a huge nerd for karaoke. Upon the mention of her degree at the muggle university the new professor for Muggle Studies shot her an envious look.

He, Baldwin Sivit, reminded Severus of Arthur Weasley, except he was less red-headed and did probably not have numerous children, he did however, raise the same energy, being all-interested in Muggle artefacts and such. Severus already knew he was not going to deliberately make friends with this person.

“Look, this one even copied his name on the test, we are teaching a year of dunderheads.” Severus shifted. He took a large sip red-wine and tried to look as indifferent as possible. Of course, all of the common professors laughed, knowing exactly, there was only one person in the room to be making these kinds of remarks.

Much to his surprise the small witch with the puffy locks snorted, before she blushed furiously. She searched the other adults’ faces with a curious look. As she reached his dark eyes, Severus couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at her.

“Definitely him!”, she blurted out, pointing at Severus. Her voice was low, raspy, with a delicate accent, he could not match. And if he didn’t know better, he would say she had stuck his tongue out at him.

“Why would you insult a student like this?” Sivit glared at Severus.

Before Severus could speak – he had something along the lines of “It’s not an insult if it’s true” in mind – Minerva intervened. “Professor Snape slips sarcastic remarks every now and then.” She paused, inspecting both Sivit and Severus strictly.

What an understatement, he thought to himself, but Minerva quickly continued: “He however, beholds very high aspiration regarding his students, which usually results in very well-educated young adults.”

“Indeed, indeed. You have, to this day, excelled every student I taught. Besides, did I ever tell you? The students I took over, are without exception experts at basic-knowledge.” Horace nodded in excitement.

“Even Longbottom?”, Severus asked raising an eyebrow. He did not turn his head to face the Potions Master, but his eyes scanned the wizard to his side cautiously.

Horace didn’t answer, instead the witch, who outed him, started introducing herself. “My name is Lilou Frei, I am the new Transfiguration Professor, I have attended Hogwarts for my own education from 74 to 81, some of you might remember me”, she winked at Pomona Sprout, then searched Severus’ face for any emotion, but he kept a straight face. He did not remember Lilou, and he certainly was very displeased with her name. “After graduating, I spent my years in my mother’s hometown in Switzerland, studying the art of turning one thing into another and also turning myself into a duck, because honestly, who doesn’t like ducks, they are lovely!” She cupped her face with her hands, probably thinking of the ducks she was referring to. Severus could not recall having seen a lovely duck, ever. “Oh, and I have an undying love for bouncy castles.” She added straight-faced.

Severus couldn’t help but grin. Ducks, an undying love for bouncy-castles and that bubbly energy of hers. This year would be … interesting.

“My sentence says: You will not regret this; I can turn myself into a duck!” Lilou giggled. “Oh how very unfortunate. This is me!”

#Severus Snape #prosnape #snape appreciation month #snape fanfiction #snape fanfic #snapeloveposts #snape lives au #snapedom #snape x oc #hp

4 notes · View notes

timeblues · 4 years

Text

How to Stay Creative With an SEO-Driven Content Strategy

Posted by Caroline-Forsey

When I first joined HubSpot's blogging team in January 2018, I loved our writing process. Once a month, we all met in a conference room with a list of ideas on Google Docs which were pitched one-by-one (intricate, I know).

The process was extremely creative, iterative, and collaborative. Of course, it was also often a matter of guess-and-check. Plus, brainstorming can be a bit of a selfish process. The ideas I pitched in those meetings, I pitched in part because I wanted to write them and because I was interested in them as a reader. I could only hope our audience would be interested as well.

While we developed a pulse for understanding what our readers liked from reviewing top viewed posts from the past, our process didn't enable us to develop content that matched what our potential readers wanted from us.

So, just a few months into 2018, our team pivoted and created a brand new SEO-driven content strategy to address our inability to move forward. Take a look at the organic growth we've seen as a result of that strategy over the past two years:

How did we do it? To start, the blogging team partnered with the SEO team. The SEO team now delivers a fresh Search Insights Report (what we've come to affectionately call the "SIR") to us every quarter, which are packed with blog topics vetted for search potential. We diligently move down the list, assigning individual blog topics to be written or updated by writers on the team. From the graph above, you can see the almost immediate growth we expereinced as a result of this new strategy. Within two years, we more than doubled the keywords for which we rank on page one.

As Editor of HubSpot's Marketing Blog, this left me with a bit of a void. I was thrilled to see the results of the SIRs and recognized how they helped us reach new audiences and rekindle our organic traffic, but, from a personal perspective, I missed the creativity that came with pitching big-risk ideas and watching them pay off. (Believe it or not, articles like "What Is Semi-Structured Data?" wasn't exactly what I dreamt about publishing when obtaining my English degree.)

However, I've learned over the past year that there are ways to remain creative even within a grander, primarily SEO-driven strategy. Here, let's dive into six tips to ensure you don't have to sacrifice your own creative freedom for the sake of organic growth.

1. Enlist the help of experts to spark creativity while ensuring posts are still keyword-driven.

A few months ago, I tackled the topic of first versus third party APIs. While I am confident in writing about our product line, "Force quit" is about the extent of my software knowledge (option+command+esc, for those wondering), so I dreaded writing the post. It was both daunting and not particularly inspiring to me as a writer.

Of course, I could've written this post the way I've written about plenty of other dry topics — by sludging through it, chugging copious amounts of coffee, and listening to Spotify to make it a little more "fun".

However, when I began writing the post, I wasn't impressed with my work. Since I didn't fully grasp the concept, it was surface-level and ambiguous. If a marketer stumbled across it, they wouldn't learn much.

To solve for this issue, I reached out to a few IT specialists at HubSpot and ended up speaking to two developer support specialists. I even met with one of them via Zoom to further discuss the intricacies of APIs, and recorded the meeting to transcribe later on.

Suddenly, I felt like an investigative reporter. I collected quotes from experts in the field, drafted up a new post that made sense to both myself and the developer support specialists, and published it. I was incredibly proud of the piece because I felt I'd worked as a liaison between the developer world and the marketing world, making the whole concept of APIs a little clearer to my team while ensuring it remained accurate and tactical.

If you're feeling frustrated by a topic you don't feel comfortable writing about, don't hesitate to reach out to experts — even within your own company. Their passion for the subject will fuel your desire to write the piece from a more human angle. Remember, keyword-driven content still leaves plenty of room to angle the piece in a number of interesting directions, as long as the insight you're providing aligns with the intent of the keyword you're targeting.

2. Interview leaders in various industries and tell their stories.

Over the past year, I've spoken to happiness researcher and speaker Shawn Achor on how happiness leads to success, Harvard professor Amy Edmondson on psychological safety in the workplace, and leadership consultant Simon Hazeldine on using performance psychology to get ahead in the workplace, among many others.

These posts, which enabled me to synthesize complex psychological issues and translate them into tactical strategies for marketers, allowed me to exercise my creative muscle. I interviewed experts via email or on the phone, and used their responses to craft meaningful, coherent narratives. Ultimately, I never felt more "in the flow" than I did when writing these posts.

Your industry undoubtedly has leaders that interest you. If you're a marketer in the catering or hospitality industries, consider speaking to top chefs in the area. Alternatively, if you're a marketer for an e-commerce website, try reaching out to e-commerce consultants to get quotes about the future of the industry.

It's not impossible to align your own interests with business impact, even if those interests are outside the scope of traditional marketing. As someone who's personally interested in psychology, for instance, I was able to find the intersection between psychology and workplace performance, which helps our readers grow in their own roles.

Including feedback from experts can also give you a competitive advantage in the SERPs. For instance, we published "HubSpot Marketers Give 6 Tips for Fighting Burnout", on January 20, 2020, and within one month, it already had over 5,000 views. This piece, over time, will likely perform better than a more generic "how to fight burnout" piece without the expert angle.

Ultimately, it's important to consider who you're interested in speaking with and how that expert's experience might align with your audience's interests, and brainstorm ideas from there.

3. Find the human connection.

As marketers, we're often tasked with writing about less-than-thrilling topics, particularly if these topics are part of a keyword-driven strategy. For example, take a quick glimpse at some of the pieces we've seen on our SIR in the past:

These titles are helpful for our readers, but presenting the information in a creative way becomes difficult. I often tell new writers on the team that you can find an interesting human angle to any topic, no matter how boring it may seem, which makes writing about the topic more exciting and offers more ways for readers to connect with the piece.

The easiest way to find the human angle is to consider the reader's point of view when searching a topic on Google. Start by asking yourself, "why would I ever search for this topic?"

Searches don't happen in silos. Nowadays, Google is increasingly trying to continue a "searcher's journey" through People Also Ask boxes, People Also Search For panels, and Related Search links at the bottom of most SERPs. These features enable searchers to rethink their search and find similar, relevant answers to other questions they might have.

Ultimately, anyone searching for one keyword is searching for that keyword as part of a larger marketing and business strategy. As a content creator, it's critical you find the bigger picture element and use these new SERP features to tell more creative, holistic stories around the topic at hand.

For instance, recently I wrote a post on how to embed videos in emails. The body of the post itself, I knew, allowed for little creativity — it was essentially a brief step-by-step guide to embedding video. However, I could still find space for creativity in my introduction, and I knew that meant developing empathy for my reader.

I started by imagining the motivation behind any marketer searching "how to embed video in email". They are likely someone who's struggling to increase CTR or email subscriptions, so I introduced the topic with a brief, big-picture overview on why email is important for a business's bottom line (in case you wanted to know, it’s because 87% of businesses use video in their marketing tactics).

Then, I empathize with the reader, acknowledging that sprucing up your emails isn't always easy, and neither is embedding videos — particularly since major email clients don't support video embeds.

Suddenly, a topic I'd initially found boring became exciting to me because I could sense the urgency and real-world impact that publishing the piece and answering the reader's query would have. In essence, what they’re really asking is "How can I continue creating engaging content for my audience?"

That's a human angle to which I think we can all relate.

4. Use multimedia to freshen up old content.

If you're struggling with a particularly dry topic, you might evoke creativity by adding multimedia elements like podcasts, YouTube videos, images, or graphs — all of which open up new traffic opportunities since you can generate image traffic through the SERPs as well.

These designs can help you stay engaged when writing the piece, and can also help your post rank on Google, since search engines prefer multimedia components such as images or video.

For instance, we embedded a video in "How to Create An Incredibly Well-Written Executive Summary [+ Example]". Readers have the option of reading my post, but alternatively, they can watch the discussion take place on-screen.

Of course, multimedia depends on your budget. We aren't able to add a video to every post we produce. However, there are plenty of simpler forms of multimedia that are free, such as embedded images and graphs.

Additionally, if you're interested in other aspects of marketing besides writing, this is a good chance to expand your professional portfolio and learn a new skill as well.

5. Frame your content from a unique angle that differentiates it from other search results.

It's important to note: not all posts need to agree with what's already on the SERPs for you to rank.

For instance, my colleague Lestraundra wrote "10 Reasons Why You Don't Need a CRM". This article currently ranks on page one for the search query "you don't need a CRM" ... but the article actually explains why you do need a CRM, in a playfully sarcastic way.

We managed to rank well while also giving readers something they weren't expecting. You might consider similar provocative arguments you can make, as the uniqueness (and sometimes controversy) of your writing will enable you to rise up the ranks on the SERPs while providing fresh, interesting content to your audience.

6. Engage with your readers in real life whenever possible.

On one particularly uninspiring day, I set up a 30-minute chat with a customer to learn more about her personal marketing challenges.

As we spoke, I realized how out-of-touch I'd become with some of our readers’ primary struggles. For instance, she was a team of one, which meant while she understood the importance of blogging, she didn't always have time to develop an in-depth strategy since she was juggling content creation for social media, email marketing, and PR for her small business.

When I got back to my desk, I had no problem writing my assigned post about free social media analytics tools, because I understood the real-world importance of this post for that reader's daily life. Ultimately, she didn't have time to research the pros and cons of various tools, and she didn't have a budget for anything fancy. The inspiration and creativity I felt that day derived from my in-person interaction with my reader.

Of course, it's not always possible to set up a call with a customer, but there are plenty of other options for engaging with readers. For instance, you might consider creating a poll for your social media audience, engaging with readers in a Twitter chat, or sending a survey to your readers in an email newsletter to learn more about what they want from your brand.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it can be difficult to stay creative when your department is primarily focused on using technical SEO to achieve major goals. And, of course, you'd never want to entirely forgo SEO for the sake of creativity, since that prevents you from reaching a larger audience and ensuring your content is useful and actionable for your readers.

Nonetheless, if there's anything I've learned over the past two years as a result of our new strategy, it's that analytics and creativity can, indeed, work hand-in-hand. Ideally, with these six tips, you'll be able to inspire some creativity in your daily process. Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts — I'd love to hear them!

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

from The Moz Blog https://ift.tt/2YS8jnN More on https://seouk4.weebly.com/

1 note · View note

hello-thefatlosshabit-blr · 5 years

Text

This week’s challenge is to find pleasure in the process. Discipline is the ability to force ourselves to do what we should do when we should do it. It is something we all struggle with and must develop, but motivation can be a more powerful driver of action. What if you could find pleasure in the tasks you must do. If you can equate pleasure with the task, you’ll be a lot more successful. “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle

If you don’t enjoy what you do, you aren’t really successful. Finding pleasure in the job is our responsibility. Our attitude toward what we do is a choice we make each day. We are responsible for our own happiness. We are responsible for our attitude toward our work, toward our relationships, and toward our life. If we cannot find happiness in our daily routine, we aren’t really successful.

“If you love your work, if you enjoy it, you’re already a success.” – Jack Canfiel

Lasting happiness doesn’t come from our achievements. Happiness comes from finding pleasure in our daily routine. Happiness requires frequent refreshing. It is a tree that requires daily watering to grow and flourish. It is our responsibility to find these pleasures in our daily routines to be happy. So how do we find pleasure in performing work that on the surface isn’t enjoyable?

Our attitude is a choice.This choice begins with a decision. The decision is to decide what things mean. What meaning do you attach to the task? Everything we do has a purpose, a meaning. We must find out what that is. Arnold Schwarzenegger was asked why he smiled during his long, 5-hour workouts.

Arnold’s attitude toward his training separated him from the other bodybuilders. While they seem to dread the long grueling workouts that were required to achieve a massive physique, he enjoyed them. He said he enjoyed the heavy lifting. He looked forward to every heavy set because he knew that each set was bringing him one step closer to his goal of becoming the greatest bodybuilder of all time.

Arnold was able to connect what he was doing with his desired outcome. That is why his attitude was so much better than the other bodybuilders. His attitude towards his training made him one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.

Pain is weakness leaving the body. I heard this mantra numerous times at West Point and during my career in the military. I knew it was a tool to get us to push harder during physical training, but it wasn’t until years later that I truly understood the psychology behind the mantra. The mantra changed our neuro-association of pain with the pleasure of toughening the body and polishing the spirit. Pain becomes a pleasure.

CT Fletcher, former powerlifting champion, and fitness motivational speaker can often be heard in the gym saying, “I look for you pain.” He invites pain. He says it is his friend because he equates pain with growth. Muhammad Ali said, “I do not count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting. That is when I start counting because then it really counts.”

To achieve extraordinary results, you must have an extraordinary attitude toward your work. Discipline can only get you so far. Motivation is a greater catalyst for action. If you can find meaning and pleasure in what you do on a daily basis, you’ll achieve excellence. When you find pleasure in the daily disciplines that are required to be successful, success is all but assured.

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” – Jim Rohn

If you cannot find pleasure in what you do, I suggest you find something that you can. Our attitude affects our performance. Poor attitude, poor performance. Great attitude, great performance. Most people neglect to cultivate a great attitude. Don’t let that be you. Your attitude affects everything you do. It effects your effort. It affects your smile. It affects your handshake.

Success requires hard work, but it doesn’t have to be drudgery. When you love what you do, work isn’t agony, it’s a pleasure. We achieve more success when we enjoy what we do, but more importantly, you’ll live a more fulfilling life.

If you cannot find happiness in the process of achieving your goals, you aren’t really successful. Achievements that don’t produce sustained happiness produce an unsatisfying life. Most people don’t enjoy what they do. Most people say, “Thank God it’s Friday.” This poor attitude is normal, but you don’t have to be average. “Success is doing what the failures won’t” – Jim Rohn. We should all enjoy our weekends, but we should also enjoy our weekdays. We should enjoy our lives.

The average worker will tell you it is called work for a reason. The prevailing attitude is that work shouldn’t be pleasurable. I suggest that we take another approach to our work. If we want to achieve above average results, we have to cultivate an above average attitude towards our work. If we can make work more enjoyable, why shouldn’t we?

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

One thing that universally makes all of us happy is progress. When we are getting better, in any area of our lives, we feel great. We feel like a winner. “

Progress equals happiness. Progress is the game.” – Tony Robbins

Every small win, every item checked off our to-do list makes us feel great. It releases dopamine. Dopamine is the chemical most closely related to long-term happiness.When our dopamine system is activated,we are more positive, excited and eager to go after goals.

The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work explains how progress improves the inner work life of employees and teams. Improvements in inner work life drive higher levels of performance and engagement; which in turn leads to better progress and enhanced inner work life. The author calls these reinforcing benefits, the “progress loop.” As you make progress, you rack-up small wins. These small wins make us feel great about ourselves, which stimulates the release of dopamine. When we are making progress in any area of our life, it gives us a sense of accomplishment. It gives us a sense of worth.

Hopefully, we can all agree that we have the power to change how we feel about our work by changing our attitude toward it. Here are some simple strategies to take more pleasure in what you do:

1) Create a list, in your journal, of the reasons you LOVE doing something that the average person would find unpleasant. For example, I have formed the habit of starting each day with 30-minutes of technical reading, by creating a list of reasons. I love starting each day with technical reading because:

It will make me an expert in my field

It will make me more valuable to my company and to myself

It will help me get promoted

It will help me earn more money

It will prepare me for future opportunities

2) Create a system for tracking small wins. Small wins help us to sustain motivation. Creating a daily to-do list and crossing off items as they are accomplished makes us feel great about ourselves. If you really want to do well at work, make sure you start each day with your most important task. The more impactful the task, the more it will contribute to your success. Don’t mistake being busy with being productive.

3) Track your consistency. We are naturally more consistent when we track our consistency. If your goal is to make 10 cold calls a day. You could use a habit-forming app like Strides, Streaks, Fabulous, and Toodledo to track your consistency. Each time you record another successful day with the app, congratulate yourself. Celebrate this small victory. Say, “I am proud of myself today, good job!” Every small win activates our dopamine system and motivates us to go after our goals with greater vigor.

4) When you feel your enthusiasm starting to wane, listen to something inspiring. Cynical people deride motivation because it doesn’t last. Tell me what lasts? Bathing doesn’t last, so should we stop doing it? Brushing our teeth doesn’t last, so maybe we should quit doing it? Coaches give their teams motivational speeches on a regular basis. Why do you think that is? Because it is effective. Motivation is the desire to do. When our desire to do is waining, we need to take action. You can find a ton of great motivational videos on YouTube. These videos are FREE. It doesn’t get much easier than FREE. Download your favorite to your smartphone and reach for it every time your motivation begins to wane.

5) Force yourself to smile while you’re performing the task. Forcing yourself to smile, will improve your mood. Physiology has been shown to influence our psychology. Some have suggested that the paradigm we have been taught all our lives, that we smile when we are happy is backward. I don’t believe it is backward. I believe that it works both ways. I believe that our psychology and physiology are linked together in a push-pull relationship, with each affecting the other.

In the military, I was taught that false motivation was better than no motivation. I thought it was just a means of getting us to push ourselves harder during tough training, which it did, but I also discovered that it changed my attitude. Pretend motivation, leads to genuine motivation. Our mind seeks alignment between our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. The psychological term that describes a disharmony between attitude and behavior is called cognitive dissonance. When there is a lack of harmony between our attitudes and behaviors we seek to reduce that cognitive dissonance. When you force a smile, it signals to the mind that you are happy. Your body reduces levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol and increases levels of endorphins and dopamine.[i]

We should enjoy our work. As Steve Jobs said, it is going to fill a large part of our lives. We shouldn’t wait to enjoy our lives. We should enjoy each day, our workdays as well as our weekends. If we can’t find daily pleasure in our life, what is the point? If we achieve great results but don’t find any fulfillment in their accomplishment, are we truly successful?

I hope that you will take what you have learned this week and apply it. We are all responsible for our own happiness. Happiness is a choice we all make, and it begins with what we focus on each day. I hope you will choose to focus on what brings you pleasure.

Until next week, good luck, best wishes and best health!

Attitude is a habitual way of thinking. Change your habits, change your life!

If you enjoyed this article, please LIKE and SHARE. Our Book is NOW Available on Amazon!

Best wishes and Best Health!

Are you ready to reboot and reset your relationship with food and exercise? Most programs focus on the mechanics of weight loss but fail to adequately address the psychology of change required. Most people know more than enough about nutrition and exercise to lose weight, but fail to take action. This book takes a new approach to getting leaner, fitter, and stronger.

Book NOW Available on Amazon!

Book Introduction

The Fat Loss Habit: Creating Routines that Make Willpower and Fat Loss Automatic takes a new approach to getting leaner, fitter, and stronger. The program uses high-impact change strategies that make the process of adopting a healthy lifestyle easier. The nutrition and workout program, like the change techniques, have all been proven effective, and are all backed by research and scientific studies.

Our BOOK The Fat Loss Habit is NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!!! We would greatly appreciate a brief REVIEW. Your feedback is our best marketing tool, and it will help us to make a better product. Your review will help other people who want to make a positive change by helping them to find our book.

Book NOW Available on Amazon!

Book Introduction

#FatLoss #WeightLoss #NewYearsResolution #GetHealthy #HealthyLife #Fitness #FitnessAddict #Nutrition #GetFit #NoExcuses #TrainHard #GetStrong #WeightTraining #Workout #Motivation #Positive #Inspiration #Habit #Happiness #YouCanDoIt #Success #BodyTransformation

[i] JULIETTE SIEGFRIED, Want to Be Happier? Smile More!,

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” – Jim Rohn This week’s challenge is to find pleasure in the process. Discipline is the ability to force ourselves to do what we should do when we should do it.

#attitude #discipline #gratidue #habit #habits #happiness #pleasure #pleasure in the process #success

1 note · View note

architectnews · 3 years

Text

HLM Architects: Architecture Office

HLM Architects, Buildings Image, UK Architecture Studio, Projects, Design Office Photos

HLM Architects Office

Contemporary British Architecture Practice: UK Design Office News

HLM Architects News

HLM News, chronological:

26 November 2020 HLM Architects Head of Design Philip Watson elected as RIBA Fellow

Philip Watson, Director and Head of Design at HLM Architects, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

RIBA Fellow Membership is an honorary designation that recognises the achievements of Chartered Members who have made a significant contribution to architecture, the profession, and the community.

Philip Watson HLM Architects: photo courtesy of architects

Philip, who is responsible for driving design culture across HLM Architects’ five studios, leads the firm’s research and development programme which currently covers design for wellbeing, client engagement, modern methods of construction, special educational needs, and sustainability.

The RIBA panel noted that Philip led the team that designed two SEN schools in Barnsley as part of the Building Schools for the Future initiative. Notably, Springwell Academy for social, emotional and mental health issues (SEMH) was the subject of study visits by the British Council for School Environments (BCSE) and was highly commended in their 2013 Design Awards.

Philip later co-authored a paper exploring how the kinaesthetic educational approach promoted at Springwell and its physical manifestation helped deliver a step-change in student outcomes. Leeds City Council subsequently adopted the Springwell model of delivery for all its SEMH provisions and have recently completed a further three schools.

After initiating a study with Imperial College London to measure the impact of high quality, sustainable environments on people and ‘their performance’, Philip was granted funding to explore the creation of a new digital tool for engagement with building users. The resulting piece of work, ‘WellBriefing’, won the AJ100 Best Use of Technology Award in 2017 with the judges recognising that the tool attempted to ‘make the invisible, visible’.

In 2018, he was awarded ‘Visiting Professor’ at University of Leeds in recognition of his impact on students in bringing industry insight into an academic setting.

Earlier this year, Philip led the team that created the digital ‘Thoughtful Design Toolkit’ that seeks to define and deliver building occupant needs to support health and wellbeing. This was shortlisted in the BCIA Digital Initiative of the Year 2020 and in the Building Awards Digital Innovation category, also in 2020.

The panel commended Philip on his contributions to architecture, in particular the SEN school projects and their subsequent impact. They also noted his influence on the industry regarding thought leadership, practice and academia.

Commenting on the award, Philip said: “Being elected as a RIBA Fellow is not just a great honour; it’s a testament to my lifelong belief that architecture and design has the power to improve people’s lives. I look forward to continuing to champion positive change across our industry and society in my new ambassadorial role. And it’s not bad for a lad from a Council estate in Birmingham.”

24 Nov 2020 Design principles at SEN schools under the microscope in webinar

Special event to also explore challenges generated by pandemic

Tuesday, November 24 : HLM Architects and The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) will host a webinar this week exploring the principles of designing spaces for Special Education Needs (SEN) school projects.

Organised by HLM Architects in partnership with the RSUA, the ‘SEN Schools Today’ webinar will go live on Friday 27 November and will be chaired by RSUA Chairperson, Donal MacRandal. Key presenters will include Catherine Ward and Simon Bell (HLM Architects), Holly Passmore (Psychology + Spaces), and Conor Houston (Fleming Fulton Special School).

With this year demonstrating how critical the balance is between safe, nurturing yet stimulating environments, particularly in SEN Schools, the webinar will be a timely reminder of how thoughtful design has never been more important.

Recent statistics revealed that there are more than 67,000 children with special educational needs in Northern Ireland’s schools, with the Education Authority’s support for children with SEN across mainstream and special schools reaching £311m in 2019-20.* Figures last year also highlighted that there were 140 special schools catering for particular types of disability and special needs in the Republic of Ireland.

The webinar will also include a panel discussion after the presentations to generate further discussion on this important topic. Architects Arthur Sloan (Isherwood and Ellis) and Ciaran Mackel (ARdMackel Architects) will also take part in this expert Q&A panel discussion to dive deeper into the challenges that the current pandemic has generated in the context of designing learner spaces.

Commenting on the event, RSUA Chairperson Donal MacRandal said, “The pandemic has really brought into sharp focus the importance of providing education for our children, particularly in SEN schools, where stimulation and safety are crucial considerations. Investment in the quality of our educational environments is one which we know society recoups many times over.

“We are proud to partner with the organisers of this webinar which brings in a wide range of sector-specific expertise from both architects and clients who have delivered buildings which help ensure that every child can reach their full potential. I am confident the debate will help deliver even better spaces for our young people”.

Speaker Catherine Ward, an Associate Architect at HLM and the company’s SEN Lead has over twenty years’ experience in architectural practice, working predominantly on education projects throughout the UK including HE, FE, Schools and SEN. In her role at HLM, Catherine manages the development of HLM’s special education portfolio and profile nationally. Simon Bell, Director and Sustainability Sponsor at HLM, will also be joining Catherine to discuss how to approach SEN projects locally and the sustainability factors.

Commenting on the upcoming webinar, Catherine Ward (HLM Architects) said: “We are living in a time of flux, and more than ever we need to make the most out of essential spaces for learners. The focus now needs to be on what can be done with spaces to provide safety, while maintaining supportive and effective learning for young people. I look forward to debating how we can use these ideas to develop and further enhance future learning environments.”

Conor Houston is the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Fleming Fulton Special School and founder of civic initiative, Connected Citizens and works to promote active citizenship and is passionate about creating the space for citizens to co-design solutions for our society.

Holly Passmore, Researcher at Psychology + Spaces is particularly interested in exploring how Covid-19 will impact children and young people’s current and future health, well-being and opportunities.

The webinar is part of a series of online events being hosted by RSUA this autumn.

To register for the webinar please visit https://www.rsua.org.uk/events/continuous-professional-development/design-principles-at-sen-schools-under-the-microscope/

20 Nov 2020 Radisson Blu Hotel Sheffield, Heart of the City, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK image courtesy of architects Radisson Blu Hotel Sheffield Heart of the City Proposals to introduce sophisticated hotelier Radisson Blu to a key Sheffield city centre location have been approved by the Local Planning Authority. The project, designed by HLM Architects working with the Council’s Strategic Development Partner, Queensberry, is the latest to be approved as part of Sheffield’s transformational Heart of the City scheme.

24 Aug 2020 HLM named one of six in competition to find homes of the future

image courtesy of architects

24th of August 2020 – HLM Architects is delighted to announce that out of more than 200 entries it has been shortlisted to one of six for the second phase of the hotly contested RIBA Home of 2030 Design competition.

Announced yesterday (23 August 2020) by Housing Minister Christopher Pincher, the Home of 2030 competition has encouraged the best and brightest talents of the housing industry to design environmentally friendly homes that support people in leading independent, fulfilling lives as our society ages.

image courtesy of architects

The competition aims to attract the best and brightest talents of the housing industry to design the homes of the future. In the first phase of the competition, small businesses, designers and manufacturers were invited to come forward with ideas for new low carbon, age-friendly homes, meeting the highest standards of design whilst tackling the key challenges facing our society.

In developing its submission for the first phase of this competition, HLM Architects created the concept of a universal manufacturing platform that enables flexible, affordable, and sustainable ‘forever’ homes that are able to perpetuate a circular economy. These homes will be able to grow and shrink with their owners needs to create stable communities and a strong sense of place.

This concept was developed with support from the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with the ambition to solve the issue of capacity and compatibility of offsite housing construction through development of a design standard that enables any offsite manufactured system to deliver the same high quality, sustainable design, with parts that are interchangeable.

In the second phase of the competition HLM Architects and AMRC will be joined by Mid Group, a contractor that will help develop a platform that provides interchangeability with a varied ecosystem of components and suppliers. Completing the team are Hydrock, who will bring engineering excellence and Greenbuild, HLM Architect’s sustainability consultant partners.

HLM Director and Head of Design, Philip Watson said, ‘Our ambition is to use the power of design and technology to create homes that are flexible, sustainable and affordable. These will be homes that adapt to people’s needs over their lifetime so that they can put down strong roots, thus nurturing supportive communities. At a macro level we are also seeking to create a design platform that enables the entire construction and manufacturing industry to unite to solve our housing crisis.’

The team will now go on to develop their design concepts and present to the Evaluation Panel. Winners will then be introduced to Homes England development framework partners to explore the possibility of developing bids for a series of homes on Homes England land.

Background Information: The Home of 2030 competition is a cross Government initiative that brings together MHCLG (the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, responsible for housing supply, standards, planning and building safety), BEIS (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, responsible for innovation and business strategy) and DHSC (Department of Health and Social Care, responsible for health, wellbeing and issues arising from an ageing population).

Each of the departments is seeking a benefit: increased housing supply through greater diversity in the market, improved quality and standards in homes through innovation and technology, and social, environmental and economic benefits arising from better health outcomes. Homes England, the Government’s housing accelerator, are engaged in the initiative and are now leading a subsequent development phase subject to successful development bids by Homes England Delivery Panel and Winner consortia.

26 Sep 2019 HLM Architects continued growth extends into the Dublin market

September 26, 2019: Leading design and architecture company, HLM Architects, has strengthened its offering to its growing portfolio of clients as it extends into the Dublin market.

The Dublin base, located at Fitzwilliam Place, facilitates HLM Architects continued growth and success. The workspace located in central Dublin will enable HLM to access wider opportunities and develop activities across Ireland.

With studios across the UK and internationally, the award-winning firm responds creatively to the unique circumstances of each project. HLM’s studio in Belfast has undertaken several projects across Ireland for over 20 years.

Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown: photo courtesy of architects

The firm recently marked a milestone with the completion of the urgent care centre for Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, with work progressing on Children’s Health Ireland at Tallaght University Hospital.

HLM delivers thoughtful design, with spaces and places that improve lives central to its offering. The 180 strong team has completed projects across a range of sectors including education, healthcare, residential, hospitality and leisure, defence, workplace and culture.

HLM Architects Director Nick Beecroft: photo courtesy of architects

Commenting on the Dublin base, HLM Director Nick Beecroft, said “Through this expansion we have reinforced our commitment and offering to our ambitious clients in the Ireland market. The new HLM base ensures we are better suited than ever to create memorable places across Ireland, always understanding the needs of the people who use them.

“We are continually developing our already strong network in Dublin and are really excited to explore the opportunities across all our sectors.”

The firm has won multiple national and international awards for its expertise across many disciplines, such as Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Environmental and Masterplanning.

10 Sep 2019 Swanley Square Shopping Centre in Kent, Ashford, Kent, South East England, UK

A major regeneration scheme designed by HLM Architects, aimed at revitalising Swanley Square Shopping Centre in Kent, with new retail, community and residential accommodation including Private Rented Sector homes, has been given the green light.

The U+I project, which was approved following a Public Inquiry held locally, comprises 340 residential homes, 46,780 sq ft of mixed-use development including retail, restaurants, shops, new community multi-purpose space, and a new multi-storey car park.

Kent Architecture News

6 Sep 2019 Whitehorn Hall student accommodation at The University of St Andrews, Scotland Design: HLM Architects photo © David Barbour Photography Whitehorn Hall student accommodation Beating off stiff competition in the Architecture: Residential category, HLM was rewarded for the thoughtful and innovative design of Whitehorn Hall student accommodation at The University of St Andrews.

11 May 2019 Sudbourne Primary School Building, Hayter Road, Brixton, London SW2 5AP, England, UK image courtesy of HLM Architects Sudbourne Primary School Building This new education building provides an additional 360 pupil places with the creation of a split site school, expanding from 1.5FE to 3FE.

11 Dec 2018 HLM and Kier VolkerFitzpatrick Appointed to £160 million project at RAF Lakenheath

Design and architecture company HLM has been awarded the £160million project at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

The project includes building a F-35 flight simulator, maintenance unit, new hangars and storage facilities. HLM will be working alongside engineering and construction firm, Kier VolkerFitzpatrick, to design and deliver the new facilities. All HLM studios, including Glasgow, will be working closely together to ensure the successful delivery of the project.

photo courtesy of architects

The Suffolk airbase will be the first permanent international site for US Air Force F-35s in Europe. The flight simulator will have the capacity to link to other simulators used by pilots across the UK and beyond, allowing expertise to be shared and pilots from the UK and US to work together.

Mick Scherdel, Director at HLM, said: “At HLM, we are privileged to be awarded the RAF Lakenheath project. Since the Defence Academy 2000, HLM has been improving and enhancing training, living and learning across the UK Defence Estates. RAF Lakenheath will benefit further from our recent experience on Project Wellesley, DCLPA Worthy Down and Catterick Garrison.”

Managing Director of Aviation and Defence at Kier, James Hindes, said: “It builds on our extensive expertise in the defence sector, delivering first-class projects within secure environments including facilities at MoD Lyneham and RAF Shawbury.”

For more information on HLM visit: www.hlmarchitects.coms or follow @HLMArchitects on Twitter.

6 Jul 2018 Patrick Arends Appointed as Head of Hospitality, Leisure & Culture at HLM

Patrick Arends has joined HLM, a leading design and architecture practice with studios in the UK and internationally.

Patrick Arends HLM Architects: image courtesy of architects office

Patrick has been appointed as the Head of Hospitality, Leisure and Culture at the practice, bringing over 17 years of experience of delivering high quality and high value projects internationally. As sector lead, he will add to HLM’s acclaimed experience in the hospitality, leisure and culture sectors.

As winner of the RIBA West Midlands Emerging Architect of the Year award in 2014, Patrick possesses a strong skillset of innovation, quality and detail in his design work. He will bring this insight to the practice and to each design project.

Patrick has delivered numerous national and international projects across the UK and the Netherlands. These include libraries, sports halls, hotels, art centres, theatres and Grade II listed cultural heritage buildings.

Karen Mosley, HLM Managing Director, said, “We are pleased to welcome Patrick to the growing HLM team and to extend our scope further within the hospitality, leisure and culture sectors. We are looking forward to sharing his valuable knowledge and experience with both our clients and our 150-strong team across all HLM studios.”

Patrick commented, “I am delighted to join the highly-skilled, professional design and architecture team at HLM. As Head of Hospitality, Leisure and Culture, I am thrilled to begin delivering strong creative and visionary projects with a very talented team of colleagues.”

Patrick is currently leading the Staybridge Suites Hotel project in Cardiff Bay. As the first long stay hotel in Wales, this will include 75 suites with fully equipped kitchens. Also in Cardiff Bay, Patrick and the HLM team have been appointed to create a 1000m2 extension to science centre Techniquest’s current exhibition facility. The immersive space will be dedicated to engaging audiences with innovative, contemporary science and will highlight new research and developments across Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics sectors.

HLM has ambitious growth plans for its service areas of architecture, interiors, landscape architecture and urban design. It has also recently appointed 6 new directors to its Board, including internal promotions and a new appointment. Creating the next generation of leadership within the practice, the new directors will make further positive contributions to the direction and performance at HLM.

As an international practice, it serves Ireland and the UK with studios in Belfast, London, Sheffield, Glasgow, Cardiff and Manchester. It also has studios in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

11 October 2017 HLM Glasgow Wins Prestigious People Development Award

10 Oct – HLM, a leading design and architecture company, has won the coveted People Development category at the prestigious Glasgow Business Awards 2017.

HLM‘s people development efforts are widely known, from the HLM Academy to the company’s strong values, lifestyle packages and family friendly initiatives. The HLM Academy is a professional excellence programme which helps ensure all employees have the opportunity and resources to reach their full potential.

The unique programme consists of a thorough induction, as well as modules, webinars, coaching, graduate programmes and on-the-job structured training. The academy ensures training and development is a company priority and enables its team to work to the best of their ability.

HLM recognises that people development is vital for ensuring employees are engaged, with Deloitte’s 2017 Global Human Capital Trends revealing that 84% of employees in the UK rate it important or very important . The leading design and architecture company also recently recruited and trained over five apprentices this summer in its Glasgow studio. The scheme is one of the few in the Glasgow area which gives young people the experience they need to stand out in Scotland’s increasingly competitive jobs market.

Lorraine Robertson, who heads up HLM Scotland said: “We are very proud to be recognised for our people development efforts, especially in such a competitive category at the Glasgow Business Awards. People development is at the heart of everything we do and we strive to give our team the best opportunity to continue to grow and develop their careers. “I would like to thank the whole Glasgow team as this wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work they put in everyday and the positive contribution they make to our learning and development culture.” The awards, organised by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, recognise forward-thinking and innovative Glasgow-based organisations.

The People Development category aims to award businesses which successfully promote and implement a learning environment, which in turn ensures organisational and individual success. Successful nominees in this category had to demonstrate a strategic commitment to development throughout the organisation, recognising the importance of supporting the workforce in their careers and continually adding to their skills.

The HLM Glasgow team were presented with the award at the glittering Glasgow Business Awards 2017 ceremony on Thursday 5 October 2017 in the Hilton Glasgow. For more information on HLM or if you would like to get involved in the internship programme visit: www.hlmarchitects.coms or follow @HLMArchitects on Twitter.

HLM is an international practice, it serves the Ireland and the UK with offices Belfast, London, Sheffield, Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester and Plymouth. It also has offices in Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi.

7 Apr 2017 Plymouth Science Park by HLM

The stunning new £7 million building at Plymouth Science Park has now been shortlisted for a record four prestigious building and planning awards for its forward-thinking space-age design.

Standing at the entrance way to the park at Derriford, behind the city’s hospital, the new building is the most technologically advanced in the south west.

images from HLM Architects

1 Research Way has already been nominated for awards from the city’s Evening Herald newspaper and also the RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) and to that clutch it has now added two more nominations from the prestigious Mitchelmores Awards.

They are finalists in the Commercial Project of the Year and Building of the Year categories.

Christian Jenkins, Director of Operations at Plymouth Science Park, said: “Plymouth Science Park is delighted to be shortlisted in two categories for these prestigious awards.

“We were absolutely clear from the outset on what the look and feel of 1 Research Way should be and we are more than satisfied with the results. As well as its visually striking looks and architectural features, its internal functionality and flexible working space was very attractive to businesses with the result that the building was 60% occupied within a week of opening.

“The units can accommodate 10-60 staff making it suitable to a wide range of businesses. Supported by the best ICT infrastructure in the region and a full range of on-site services, 1 Research Way has become the go-to place for aspiring tech and science businesses.”

Marketing technology company Intelligent Optimisations (IO) has already taken the top floor of the building and educational website business The Key has moved about 40 staff into a large open plan office taking up about 60 per cent of level one.

images from HLM Architects

One Research Way has 20,000sq ft of office space, and mixes open-plan offices with break-out areas to encourage more collaboration.

The building is fully serviced, with all bills, bar electricity and additional IT, included in the rent. It also has kitchens, toilets and showers and the front of the building features a huge glazed area, known as “the knuckle”, illuminated at night.

It was built by BAM Construction, from a design by Royal William Yard-based architects HLM. It is clad with zinc-coloured aluminium, features exterior wall glass “pop outs”, which have space for people to sit in, and inside there is a huge open atrium, capable of hosting seminars and conferences.

Winners of the Herald Awards will be announced at a glittering ceremony in the city on 20th April, the RICS Awards winners will be revealed at a ceremony in Bristol on 11th May and the Mitchelmores Awards will take place on 15th June in Exeter.

12 Sep 2016

HLM Architects BIM News

HLM associate joins panel of industry experts at BIM conference in Edinburgh

With the Scottish Government aiming to adopt a BIM Level 2 approach across public sector projects by April 2017, Paul Tunstall, associate at architectural practice HLM joins a panel of industry experts, architects and technology leaders at the BIM in Scotland conference in Edinburgh this month to illustrate how BIM theory can give competitive advantages to companies in Scotland.

Tunstall will discuss HLM’s broad experience of BIM and expertise in using it through the project lifecycle, starting from the initial decision on which platform to use through to challenges encountered in a large multinational implementation. As part of his presentation, Tunstall will also explore how he envisages the HLM practice and the wider architectural industry developing.

Providing architectural, landscape architecture, interior design and environmental design services, in recent years HLM has expanded operations to six offices in the UK and two others internationally.

HLM has a one-team culture which creates a platform for all its UK and overseas offices to share both workload and resources. This poses a challenging environment for its BIM activities to ensure consistency in quality and timely delivery.

“HLM was one of the first architectural practices in the UK to achieve certification through the Building Research Establishment’s (BRE) Business Certification Scheme, firmly establishing it as a leading BIM Level 2 compliant organisation,” said Tunstall.

“My presentation will explore the concept of ‘Wide Area BIM’ and demonstrate some of the systems and tools that help make it possible.”

Tunstall has been an employee of HLM for over 18 years, implementing CAD and BIM systems across the group and providing training and support for its team of over 200 employees. He leads a team of Information Managers having the technical skills to support HLM’s many software tools and systems, under a group-wide Technology Team.

The UK Government implemented a mandate for BIM on all of its public-sector projects in April of this year and Tunstall was instrumental in ensuring that HLM had the preparation and knowledge to undertake any project required to deliver BIM Level 2, well in advance of the deadline by guiding the practice through the BRE Business Certification Scheme.

As a member of the BuildingSMART organisation in the UK, he represents HLM in workshops and discussions to maintain HLM’s alignment with BIM and associated initiatives, both in the UK and internationally.

The BIM in Scotland conference is free to attend and takes place in Edinburgh on Wednesday 21 September 2016.

15 Apr 2016 MOD Training Base in Winchester image from architect The £250m Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration (DCPLA) at Worthy Down in Hampshire has received planning approval through delegated powers from Winchester City Council, marking the second and final application for the scheme known as Project Wellesley.

25 Sep 2013

HLM Group Completes Sidell Gibson Architects Deal With the Support of Irwin Mitchell

New Deal Follows Strategic Investment In Llewelyn Davies Brand

Law firm Irwin Mitchell has advised HLM on its acquisition of architecture, urban design and interiors practice, Sidell Gibson.

HLM is architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, masterplanning, interior design and sustainability practice. In addition to its office in Sheffield, it has a presence in London, Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff and Plymouth in the UK, as well as Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi.

The newly acquired practice will trade as Sidell Gibson and be run independently of HLM, operating from new offices in central London. The team will continue to build on its expertise in high quality commercial buildings, housing and restoration projects.

HLM Architects – Key Projects

Major buildings / developments by HLM, alphabetical:

Altnagelvin Area Hospital – New South Wing, Derry, Northern Ireland 2004-08 images from HLM Architects Altnagelvin Area Hospital Derry The £45m New South Wing is the third phase of works, but the first phase of new build clinical accommodation in this significant hospital redevelopment. It will provide replacement facilities for key services, including maternity and neo-natal, oncology, cardiac care, adult acute inpatients and rehabilitation, as well as a new patient records department and staff changing facilities.

Arundel Great Court – offices, London –

The Business Academy, Yarnton Way, Bexley, southeast London –

Clackmannanshire Community Healthcare Facility, Scotland 2005-09 images from HLM Architects A new integrated Health Centre for the people of Clackmannanshire. The facility comprises of a Health Centre with pharmacy and community patient services, Inpatient and Day Hospital Building and Community Mental Health Resource Centre with consulting rooms and day hospital accommodation on the ground floor with non-patient staff office above. The purpose was to establish an integrated health facility that meets the needs of the residents of Alloa and the wider population of Clackmannanshire.

Cornwall Ecotown, St. Austell, Cornwall, south west England 2010- images from HLM Architects As one of the first four Eco-Towns to be selected out of 57 initial submissions by the government in 2009, we entered this competition in St. Austell, Cornwall following our success with Future Works Eco Home, winning entry in Wales and our winning scheme for Scotland Housing EXPO. Following our successful Stage 1 submission, we were shortlisted as 1 of 25 to submit our Stage 2 entry. The Stage 2 decision will be made in June 2010 where we hope to be selected as 1 of a number of architects to develop the initial pilot scheme sites in St. Austell with an opportunity to apply our scheme designs to the wider context.

Cowbridge Comprehensive School, Wales 2010 image from HLM Architects Cowbridge Comprehensive This building by HLM lies in a very rural location just outside the market town of Cowbridge. It is the first of three secondary schools to be developed by the Vale of Glamorgan Council with funding from the Welsh Assembly Government. The school will accommodate 1550 pupils including a large 6th form intake of 350 students. Construction began in January 2009 and was compled in time for the new academic year of 2010.

Ellesmere Nursing Home, Chelsea, London, UK 2007 image from HLM Architects Ellesmere Nursing Home This building by HLM is located on Fulham Road, Chelsea, London. It is adjacent the Chelsea Westminster Hospital, and replaces the derelict home that existing on the site up to 2003. The nursing home and day centre is a 3 level courtyard arrangement, and have a combined (approximate) gross internal area of 4950m2 – the rest of the development on the upper levels comprises private apartments for sale.

The New Victoria Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland 2004-09 images from HLM Architects The new Victoria Hospital treats around 400,000 patients annually by offering integrated diagnostic and treatment services including outpatient clinics, day surgery, rehabilitation, and specialised emergency services, thereby introducing an ambulatory model of one stop care in South Glasgow based on the following key principles:-

• Increased accessibility to ambulatory care for the local community • Prevention of emergency work adversely affecting the efficient delivery of elective care • Improved quality of patient focused care • Streamlining of the patient journey to provide a one stop service • Achieving compatibility between healthcare delivery and technology in a fit for purpose building

Sale Town Centre Redevelopment, Trafford, Greater Manchester (Cheshire), England –

Mid Argyll Community Hospital and Integrated Care Centre, Scotland – image from HLM Scottish Hospital building

New Victoria Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland – Scottish Building

Passive House – Scotland’s Housing Expo, near Inverness, Scotland, UK 2010 photo from HLM Scotland’s Housing Expo

Queen’s Centre for Oncology & Haematology, Hull, Humberside, eastern England 2003-08 images from HLM Architects New Regional Cancer Centre for Humberside and North Lincolnshire providing cancer and haematology services on one site at Castle Hill Hospital. The scheme encompasses 6 linear accelerators, together with Outpatients and a Day Hospital, 100 beds in 4 wards and Pathology, Pharmacy and Medical Physics facilities. The building is located in a rural setting on the edge of the main hospital site, set into the Northerly hillside maximising views out to the countryside from all patient areas.

Woodview Learning Community, Whitleigh, Plymouth, Cornwall, south west England 2006-08 images from HLM Architects The objective was to consolidate and improve the current provision of education and community facilities and extend the range by the introduction of the Woodlands Physical Disabilities School and Hostel combined with the relocation of the local Youth Centre and Community Education. The new facility combines teaching and support facilities into one ‘campus’, creating a fully inclusive, functionally operational, secure and protected learning environment. The pioneering new campus provides for the educational needs of children of all ages through the following facilities.

Woolwich Civic Offices, London 2007- £45m For London Borough of Greenwich Civic Headquarters Woolwich Civic Offices

More design projects by HLM Architects online soon

Location: London, England, UK

Architects Practice Information

Architect offices based in England and Scotland, UK

London Architect Offices

The New Victoria Hospital, Glasgow: image from HLM Architects

HLM : Glasgow architect offices

English Architecture

London Architect

London Architecture

Architecture Studios

Comments / photos for the HLM Architects page welcome

Website: www.hlmarchitects.com

The post HLM Architects: Architecture Office appeared first on e-architect.

#e-architect

0 notes