Bucking the Patriarchy in the Most Flagrant Way Possible: Julia Serano’s new book Outspoken.

In Current, Feminism, Intervention by indulgencezine@gmail.com

By Angelina Eimannsberger

Gender theorist and feminist Julia Serano is one of our biggest inspirations at Indulgence. Her first book, Whipping Girl, is a brilliant intervention in the discourse of feminism, misogyny, and femininity from the perspective of a trans woman. Alongside Janet Mock’s Redefining Realness, it is one of the most important recent manifesto-memoirs of trans women. Whipping Girl provided a critical framework for rethinking what it means to be a woman in society. Serano’s new book, Outspoken, continues the work of Whipping Girl while also chronicling the past 12 years of feminism and trans activism through the lens of Serano’s previously unpublished writing, making this book a collection of essays loosely grouped into five parts by topic and time. Serano’s cherishing of femininity, her analysis of cis people’s lack of acceptance of the validity and realness of trans people’s bodies, and her critique of  health care access for trans people are among the most outstanding contributions of this essay collection.

While Serano has earned a Phd in Biology from Columbia University, we know her as an activist, public speaker, and proliferate writer about feminism, trans people, and social justice activism. She is a performance artist, a public intellectual, and continues to do research in the natural sciences. Her writing takes personal experience and makes it into theory and social activism in ways reminiscent of Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider. Both Lorde and Serano speak with unique and urgent voices from places of multiple exclusion and treat the mundane as political; they also both carve space in public discourse for women who are not meant to be there or speak because of their compound identities such as being a black lesbian cis woman or a white bisexual trans woman.

Serano’s most crucial insight may be that while trans people have slowly gained more mainstream acceptance and public visibility, their gender identities, and all queer gender identities, are still considered as less valid than those of cis women and men. While public visibility of trans people has increased and overt discrimination decreased, Serano documents how many people still question the validity of trans people’s gender identities. Recent comments by author and acclaimed feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about trans women not being women confirm Serano’s observation, and the ramification of this have been discussed in a Medium essay by Serano as well as here on Indulgence. To create acceptance of various gender identities, Serano speaks of her body and the experiences she has with it. Reporting on her experience of being in the world, on having sex, on how she is perceived by others is a crucial tool for Serano to share with her readers the validity, authenticity, and realness of her body.

Serano uses spoken word as well as nonfiction to speak of the realness and validity of her body. Giving a rare printed taste of her spoken word performance, Serano turns to impotence and its implications for trans women in Small Blue Thing (24-5), showing her sex positive feminism at its very strongest. After describing what it is like to be a woman with a penis and have sex with other women, how after meeting a “kick-ass girl” she “did what any self-respecting semblance of a man would do: I set out to score some Viagra” (25), Serano ties up the poem saying, “So here comes the happy ending: I married the kick-ass girl, transitioned to female, and we were together for ten years, living as lesbians” (25). Serano’s penis becomes part of a lesbian relationship, her experience of sex is one of empowerment. Through her writing, we can experience Serano’s body as entirely valid beyond any reasonable doubt of an open-minded reader.

Serano’s cheerful and enthusiastic championing of femininity is another feature that sets her apart as a thinker: we aren’t used to femininity as a strength, a goal, as something to yearn for. Instead, we are conditioned to think of femininity as a weakness, as a public prejudice to overcome. Serano, growing up as a trans woman, comes to embrace her femininity while being forbidden to be feminine by the world around her, and so “[g]rowing up in a society that is fueled by male homophobic hysteria, it took [Serano] many years to figure out that there is no act more brave than proudly embracing one’s femme self” (78). The embrace of femininity as empowerment and pleasure is not something most feminists or women talk about even though it is a crucial for liberation. Serano owns her bold feminine identity knowing that her “femme expression is not meant for any man, any boy, or any butch. It is not a performance, or an artificial construct designed to entice, allure, or appease anybody. I am femme solely for me” (78). By extension, any woman’s femininity is just as valid, as strong, and as much of an achievement in the face of society’s derision as Serano’s. That is valuable insight for feminism that all too often finds itself scrambling for clear solutions such as a pay equality while the real structural challenges and the compounded operations of misogyny go far beyond that and are much harder, but also much more rewarding, to solve.

Serano has to live with complicated realities that are attended to poorly by a limited feminism constrained by small mindedness and lack of diversity in sexuality and gender identity (both of much interest to Serano) as well as other intersections (she throughout acknowledges her lack of experience and attention when it comes to being women of color, being poor, and other aspects of identity). While focused on the specificity of her bodily and personal situation, Serano shows us that accepting our complex reality is liberating. She doesn’t “have the luxury of seeing [her] penis in black-and-white, cut-and-dried terms. For [her], the penis does not represent power or privilege, because [she is] regularly marginalized for having one. It is both [her] center of sexual pleasure and a signifier of something that [she doesn’t] identify with” (103). Bodies are real just the way they are, and phallocentrism is based on an idea of male anatomy and superiority that simply doesn’t match with reality: centuries of Greco-Judeo penis obsessions are revealed as myths about men and power but that do not attend to real bodies or real lived experience.

Another excellent part of Outspoken is Serano’s engagement with healthcare for trans people. A trained biologist who knows science and its results when she see and lives them, Serano discusses with great erudition the revisions and implications of how being trans is understood in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). She explains that if a trans person wants to access health care they must allow their gender to be pathologized. This affects Serano personally as “for insurance purposes, my therapist uses Adjustment Disorder as my diagnosis […] I was very disturbed about the fact that I needed to be diagnosed with GID [Gender Identity Disorder] in order to transition” (128). While accepting the diagnosis ‘adjustment disorder’–after all, she does adjust to many new beginnings in her life–Serano is understandably irritated at being diagnosed as ‘disordered.’ Serano brilliantly performs the shock for her reader to experience: after having spent more than a hundred pages being impressed by her mind and insights, we are now forced to accept the truth that the US state considers Serano sick and in need of mental treatment.

As her reader, we can feel the invalidation and the unfairness, as well as the wrongness of this judgement. Serano responds to being considered ‘disordered’ by saying that the invalidation of trans people as being confused “is the opposite of what I actually experienced: The feeling that I had had since childhood that there was something wrong with me being male, and that I should be female, was very real and very unalterable, whereas my physical body has proven to be quite malleable in comparison. But their belief that my external, anatomical sex is most relevant and immutable essentially rendered my inner experience, my mental state, as irrelevant and unstable” (131/132). Her ‘anatomical sex’ is valued by the state and health care providers above ‘what she actually experience.’ However, Serano is not deterred by this official invalidation. She knows that she ‘should be female’ even though being male, and being the gender one is assigned at birth, is what is valued and accepted in society. By living as a woman she contradicts patriarchy in the most flagrant way possible: while men are posited as powerful and gender as immutable by our culture, Serano chooses to be a trans woman even if it means lack of access to health care, power, privilege. It does mean the achievement of femininity, of being herself, of living the reality of her body. It also means being resilient and attractive and revolutionary: “Trans women are sexy because we have bucked the patriarchy in the most flagrant way possible. Trans women are hot because, unlike our cis counterparts, we have chosen to be women and we have gone to incredible lengths, and overcome incommensurable obstacles, in order to make that reality possible.” (214).

Go read Outspoken if you have any interest in women, in trans people, in being a person. Serano is a wise, generous writer who has put in a lot of time to thinking and researching and discussing with others, like minded as well as contrarian. Engaging with her work, your thinking will be clearer, your capacity for empathy stronger, and your knowledge of the world more profound.

–All quotes are taken from Julia Serano, Outspoken: A Decade of Transgender Activism and Trans Feminism,  Switch Hitter Press 2016.


Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf Abdullah called on friendly and brotherly countries to contribute to ending the aggression and lifting the siege imposed on Yemen since 26 March 2015.
The recent terrorist attacks in London has instigated multiple surveys into the roots and causes of terrorism in UK and across the Europe.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and UAE have severed diplomatic ties with Qatar amid a simmering row among US allies in the region.


Feminism or Extremism by Mahum Sohail

Wednesday, March 15, 2017 KELS 0 Comments Category :

Feminism, what does it mean?
It is an ideology , a movement started to give women all around the globe the respect and rights they deserve. Men and women are moulded by Allah with the same clay. He didn’t change the formula or the ratio of ingredients while creating mankind. Women should be fed , brought up and educated in the same way that men are. They have the right of freedom of speech. They should be able to express themselves without the fear of being struck down and rejected on the basis of their gender. Equal opportunities should be presented to both men and women. This is what a woman should fight for, her right to live her life freely and with dignity.

Going back in time, for centuries women were deprived of the basic human rights. They were disrespected and overpowered by men. Killed and abused because they were thought to be feeble and spineless. But then came Islam, the religion that gave women the respect and honour they deserve. Islam highlighted a woman’s importance as a mother, sister, wife and daughter.
Islam also defined her obligations and though men and women are equal as human beings, it is clearly stated in the holy verses of Quran that men were made stronger, sharper, more decisive and superior to women because it is their duty to provide for, and protect their families. As it is stated :-
Surah 4:34
This means men have a right over women but in no ways does it mean that they are allowed to abuse their rights.
Men without women and women without men can never form a progressive society. They complement each other and maintain a balance.
The founder of our nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah addressed the crowd in Aligarh :
No nation can rise to the height of glory unless their men and women are side by side. We are the victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut within the four walls of their houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live.

But is the world fighting for women or diverting them from their path ?
Is it okay to undermine men’s authority where it is given to them by Allah, under the disguise of feminism?
Is it okay for women to forget their purpose and priorities just to be called a feminist?
To forgo their families and self respect just to have a successful career.?
Should men be condemned for showing courtesy towards women by calling it sexist?
There is nothing wrong with being an active member of society, to learn and implement your knowledge. But to what extent?
When a job become more than a job and your life revolves around your career, is it wrong to take a step back and look at the big picture?
To see what being a career oriented woman turned your life into?
How many trustworthy people are in your life?
Being able to stand on your own feet doesn’t mean you have to be alone. Being dependent on others at times is not humiliating nor does it lower your value or self respect, it means you have more friends than most.
So why not maintain a balance and not turn the good word feminism into the evil of extremism.
Give each gender the respect and honour they deserve and instead of stepping on each others toes, know your duty and do it well.


The criminal justice system is designed in such a way that makes it almost impossible for someone outside the areas of criminal law to effectively defend themselves against a criminal charge. Because no criminal case is the same only an experienced criminal defense lawyer trained in what to look for in your specific case can spot certain weaknesses and prepare an effective argument that could mitigate or even negate the charges. In the end obtaining the services of seasoned criminal defense lawyer can be invaluable in protecting your rights as well as your freedom.

As an experienced criminal defense attorney, Andrew Wiener knows what to look for in the details of your case and will ensure the police have not committed an error or violated the law. The police are human and make mistakes just like everyone else. The role of a criminal defense attorney is not to judge, but to ensure the rights of the accused have not been violated and that you are treated fairly.

Our firm handles a variety of criminal defense cases including:

  • First-offense DWI
  • Repeat-offense DWI
  • Traffic Violations
  • Disorderly Conduct
  • Assault
  • Theft and burglary
  • Weapon charges
  • Domestic violence


Write algorithm for post-order traversal, Data Structure & Algorithms

Post-order Traversal : This can be done by both iteratively and recursively. The iterative solution would require a modification or alteration of the in-order traversal algorithm.

Refer: http://www.expertsmind.com/questions/in-order-traversal-3016324.aspx

Posted Date: 7/9/2012 10:11:58 PM | Location : United States

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Jennifer Lawrence finds herself with a pair of unwanted house guests in the new trailer for Mother! The psychological horror is directed by none other than Darren Aronofsky, the man behind award-winning classics like Requiem For a Dream, The Wrestler and Black Swan.

The trailer seems unassuming at first, with Lawrence and her husband (played by Javier Bardem) enjoy a seemingly peaceful life at their country home. But soon their lives are interrupted when a mysterious couple (Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer) show up and plan to stay as guests. Lawrence's character quickly realizes there is something more to this couple and finds herself in the midst of paranoia-inducing terror.

Look out for Mother! in theaters on Sept. 15. But before then, keep the thrills going by watching TV stars of Atlanta, Gotham and more reveal their weird fears with Fuse below:


Biochimica et biophysica acta

Frequency decoding of calcium oscillations.

PMID 24269537

Calcium (Ca(2+)) oscillations are ubiquitous signals present in all cells that provide efficient means to transmit intracellular biological information. Either spontaneously or upon receptor ligand binding, the otherwise stable cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration starts to oscillate. The resulting specific oscillatory pattern is interpreted by intracellular downstream effectors that subsequently activate different cellular processes. This signal transduction can occur through frequency modulation (FM) or amplitude modulation (AM), much similar to a radio signal. The decoding of the oscillatory signal is typically performed by enzymes with multiple Ca(2+) binding residues that diversely can regulate its total phosphorylation, thereby activating cellular program. To date, NFAT, NF-κB, CaMKII, MAPK and calpain have been reported to have frequency decoding properties. The basic principles and recent discoveries reporting frequency decoding of FM Ca(2+) oscillations are reviewed here. A limited number of cellular frequency decoding molecules of Ca(2+) oscillations have yet been reported. Interestingly, their responsiveness to Ca(2+) oscillatory frequencies shows little overlap, suggesting their specific roles in cells. Frequency modulation of Ca(2+) oscillations provides an efficient means to differentiate biological responses in the cell, both in health and in disease. Thus, it is crucial to identify and characterize all cellular frequency decoding molecules to understand how cells control important cell programs.


Lamiophlomis rotata, an orally available Tibetan herbal painkiller, specifically reduces pain hypersensitivity states through the activation of spinal glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors.

PMID 25247855

Lamiophlomis rotata is an orally available Tibetan herb prescribed for the management of pain, with shanzhiside methylester (SM) and 8-O-acetyl-SM as quality control ingredients. This study aimed to evaluate the antinociceptive properties of L. rotata, determine whether SM and 8-O-acetyl-SM are principle effective ingredients, and explore whether L. rotata produces antinociception through activation of spinal glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors (GLP-1Rs). Formalin test, neuropathic pain, and bone cancer pain models were used, and the animal sample size was 5 to 6 in each group. Hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage was also assayed. The L. rotata aqueous extract blocked formalin-induced tonic hyperalgesia and peripheral nerve injury- and bone cancer-induced mechanical allodynia by 50 to 80%, with half-effective doses of 130 to 250 mg/kg, close to the human dosage. The herb was not effective in alleviating acute nociceptive pain. A 7-day gavage with L. rotata aqueous extract did not lead to antiallodynic tolerance. Total iridoid glycosides, rather than total flavonoids, were identified by the activity-tracking method as effective ingredients for antihyperalgesia, whereas both SM and 8-O-acetyl-SM were principal components. Further demonstrations using the GLP-1R antagonist and gene silencer against GLP-1R at both the spinal and the cellular levels indicated that L. rotata inhibited pain hyperactivity by activation of spinal GLP-1Rs, and SM and 8-O-acetyl-SM appeared to be orthosteric, reversible, and fully intrinsic agonists of both rat and human GLP-1Rs. Results support the notion that the activation of spinal GLP-1Rs leads to specific antinociception in pain hypersensitivity and further suggest that GLP-1R is a human-validated target molecule for the treatment of chronic pain.


Japan’s food for the brains

By on January 2, 2013
Japan is one of the advanced countries that produces the world’s best and brightest mathematicians and scientists. In a 2011 study by Trends in International Mathematics and Science,  the Japanese elementary grade school children scored 585 points in math, an increase by 17 points from the last survey and a record score of 559 points in science, up by 11 points, far higher than the international average score of 500 points. A close look at what the kids in Japan are eating may be the clue to why that is.  Like a machine that needs greasing, so too does the human brain. One fifth of the oxygen and food in our body are pumped into the brains. Inside it are fats, liquid and loads of neurons made up of cells that receive and transmit information.  Through a process called neurogenesis, new neurons are produced that grow the brain and boost power. So feeding children regularly with proteins, carbohydrates, good fats, micronutrients and lots of water enhance the production of new neurons that help boost intelligence in children as well as adults.

Facts : The oil found in fatty fish is good fat. It contains Omega-3 fatty acids that are not produced by the body. The fat helps in powering the brains up and water storage. New research suggests mothers who consume a lot of fish in their diet have higher levels of mercury which protect children from heart disease. Most importantly, kids whose mothers’ weekly oil fish consumption exceeds 340 grams per week outperform those whose mothers do not.

Facts : Henrique con Gersdorff, a European scientist at the Vollum Institute co-authored a study on retina cells.  The study suggests that the GABA receptors in the brain need high consumption of vitamin C in order to function properly.  A diet poor in vitamin C leads to depression. Japan’s fruits are of high quality and although the price of a perfect fruit found in the market used as gifts may surprise foreigners, it is possible to find reasonably priced ones in most stores.

Facts :  Soybeans are an indispensable part of the traditional Japanese diet. The total consumption of soybean in Japan alone far exceeds its production of 400,000 tons a year. In a Sino-Japanese joint study, it was learned that peptides found in soybeans improves the body’s immune functions, stress condition, and brain circulation.

About TF Tribe


Perspective (again)

I've been seeing some tweets and Facebook messages about how lenses affect perspective and the drawing of the human face. My argument is that the lens doesn't cause the different look, but rather the distance from camera to subject does. The lens focal length just determines the angle of view or what fits into the frame. I could refer you to my previous blog post from this year on this. Or the one before that in 2009. Or even a post from 2007. But no, I'm going to write it all up again for your enjoyment.

I'm not saying that you should photograph everything with a short lens and then crop later to get your composition. But I am saying that you should determine your camera to subject distance to set your perspective and the relationship between items in the photograph and then select the lens focal length that fills the frame appropriately. Don't blame your lens(es) for perspective distortion (expansion or compression of the scene).

Here is a set of 3 images. I'm using a mannequin here instead of human so that there would be no movement between the photographs. One was taken with a 200mm lens, one with a 35mm lens, and one with a 16mm lens. The fourth image takes the 200mm and the 16mm images and combines them in separate layers in Photoshop. I then set the blending mode to "difference" to show how the two images compare. The pixel and noise structure of the two images accounts for the variations inside the facial area. But if you look at the outline of the face, you will see that it is exactly the same in both images. Changing the focal length did not change the perspective. Can you tell which image was taken with which focal length lens?

200mm and 16mm images overlayed on each other in Photoshop's "Difference" blending mode. The facial shape and features are the same.

Here are the full frame originals to show the size differences due to the various lens focal lengths...

200mm lens from 8' away

35mm lens from 8' away

16mm lens from 8' away. Notice that the relationship between objects in the scene are the same even with the widely varied focal lengths used.

And to round out the comparison, here are three photos taken with the 200, 35, and 16mm lenses where the camera to subject distance was changed to try to maintain the approximate same size of the face in the frame.

200mm lens from 8' away. Facial features

are flattened. Nose, eyes, and ears are

all similar in size. The face appears slightly

wider than "normal"

35mm lens from about 2' away. Facial features are more pronounced. The nose is larger than the ears. The face is narrower than "normal"

16mm lens from a few inches away. Facial features are even more distorted. The nose comes forward, the ears are much smaller. The face is much narrower than "normal"

Once again, I'm not suggesting that you take your portraits with a short lens from far away and then crop. I just want to show and help understand that camera to subject distance is what affects the perspective in a photograph. Too often the lens gets blamed for this. Select the appropriate lens for the situation.

Remember, a shorter lens doesn't cause the perspective change. But it does allow you to move in closer so that you get that distortion. And a long lens doesn't compress depth. Blow up the center section and you will find they match (like in the first three images above).

Photographs taken with different focal length lenses, but from the same camera position, show exactly the same perspective in the section of the scene that is common to all the different angles of view of the various lenses.

Thanks for putting up with this again!


About Costa Rica

Costa Rica covers an area of approximately 20,000 square miles (51,800 Km2 ). It is located on the southern tip of Central America, between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, placing the country in a privileged spot.

The average temperature in most regions fluctuates between 20°C and 26°C degrees year round. The rainy or “green season” runs from May until November; during daytime it is mostly sunny and when it rains it is not for long periods of time. Dry season, the equivalent of summer, begins around the middle of November and ends in April.

Costa Rica estimated population of 4,500,000 persons are mostly Caucasians of European descend, mainly from Spaniards who arrived in the early XVI century. There is also a minority group of Jamaican descend, of about 50,000, and an indigenous population of about 10,000.

The official language is Spanish, though English is widely spoken. The official religion is Roman Catholic Apostolic, with freedom to practice any other religion. Costa Rica’s currency is the Colón.

Depending on your citizenship you might need a visa to enter the country, please check in your country of origin. Travelers must have a passport with at least 6 months validity  prior to the date of entry in Costa Rica.

Please verify if you may need the Yellow Fever Vaccine to enter the country. An inoculation certificate is required for some countries.

Voltage: The electrical current in Costa Rica is 110V, with a US-standard two-prong plug.

The country’s area code for international calls is 506, followed by the telephone number you are calling.

Costa Rica’s exceptional rich flora and fauna are due not only to its variety in climates and environmental conditions, but also to the fact that the country has a combination of vegetation and animals from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The country has more than 600 species of plants, 230 species of animals, 760 species of birds (more than the US and Canada combined), more than 1300 species of trees, 800 species of ferns, more than 1000 species of orchids, and 10% of the world’s butterflies, all protected by Costa Rica’s National Park System. This tiny nation has international standing in the conservation community for its commitment to the preservation of forest and wildlife.

The food in Costa Rica is tasty and simply seasoned. It is mostly made of local products: fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, and seafood. Vegetables are plentiful and varied, only to be surpassed by the selection of fruit. Typical dishes are: “Gallo Pinto”, a mixture of rice, beans, bell pepper, and onions, and “Casado”, a dish that offers white rice, beans, a small green salad, fried plantains, and either beef, chicken, fish or egg.

Crafts are available in wood, pottery, leather, coffee products, metal, and bamboo. The choice is wide and there is something for every budget.


Name: Damion

Gender: Male

Usage: Damion is a popular first name. It is more often used as a boy (male) name.

People having the name Damion are in general originating from Greece, United Kingdom, United States of America.

Variants: For another variant of the name Damion across the world, see Damian.

Meaning: To tame

The Growth number corresponding to this first name is 11.

Qualities: Charismatic, Inspiring
Ruling planet: Moon
Colors: Green, Cream
Gemstones: Pearl, Jade, Moonstone

Learn more with our free

The name Damion is ranked on the 2,841st position of the most used names. It means that this name is commonly used.

We estimate that there are at least 128300 persons in the world having this name which is around 0.002% of the population. The name Damion has six characters. It means that it is relatively medium-length, compared to the other names in our database.

The graph below represents the number of people who were given the name Damion for each year since 1900 in the U.S.A.:

We do not have a name day for Damion.

For other names check our


Time sheets can’t match timekeeping software

////Time sheets can’t match timekeeping software

Over the years, many employers have become more meticulous about tracking their employees' hours using timekeeping software.

When employees enter their time into the program, supervisors are allowed to approve or reject it, making the tracking process faster and making it easier to schedule tasks. Stand alone software is often used to record timesheets and generate reports, according to wiseGEEK. In larger companies, this software can be integrated into an accounting system, working with data that is directly fed into company accounts.

In other situations, the software is used to track the employee productivity. Time tracking is beneficial for those working on multiple projects, according to HRCrossing. Email reminders to employee to enter in hours can also be beneficial. The record keeping keeps the information more accurately and objectively than entering hours by hand or using time sheets.

Time tracking software helps companies to easily store files. It also lowers the operating costs of the business, makes payroll processing more efficient, ensures labor costs are more visible and it automates the billing.

Ultimately, time sheets are not as efficient or as accurate as timekeeping software. The software saves money and business resources while ensuring that employees receive the correct amount for the hours they've worked.


Ava Ire
First appearance "Page 0001"
Latest appearance "Page 1827"
Full name
Other names
Age 15
Gender Female
Sexuality Bisexual
Species Human
Demon Wrathia Bellarmina
Sin Wrath
Symbols and themes Lava
Weapons Ava's battle-axe
Affiliations Wrathia Bellarmina

Ava Ire is a 15 year old girl and the protagonist of the story, currently pacted with the demon Wrathia Bellarmina. She speaks with dark red text and an orange speech bubble. Her first appearance is on page 0001.

The name "Ava Ire" can have the meaning bird, desired, and life, all of which seem to relate to Ava Ire’s aspirations for herself as shown when making the pact. Michelle Czajkowski has also stated that she liked the name Ava Ire "...because it sounded vaguely like Alice and was hoping to give the feel of a standard young heroine." Her last name "Ire" means "intense anger or wrath" , which is another association with her demon. Ava Ire also has a resemblance to "Lava Fire", but without the first letters.

At the beginning of the comic, Ava has dirty blonde hair, fair skin, dark red eyes, red circles for pupils, and white sclera. Her appearance changes when Wrathia takes control of her; her eyes become burgundy with yellow sclerae, and her skin reddens. After making a pact with Wrathia, her entire coloration becomes more red shaded. Her brown hair becomes ruddier, and her skin appears slightly feverish when she is calm, but begins to glow red looking more like Wrathia's former appearance when angry or very emotional. When she is angry, her sclerae turns red and her pupils become yellow, like Wrathia's. Her skin becomes livid orange and yellow spots appear on her face and extremities, giving the appearance of magma. This is likely because when she is manifesting her demon's associated sin, she takes on the qualities of her demon. When she becomes upset or nervous, her sclera appears yellow.

Ava looks young for a 15-year-old. According to Odin, she looks twelve.

It is hinted that all hosts share traits of their demon, e.g. Maggie's green hair and her plant-related abilities. Thus, Ava has acquired a red and orange glow on her skin and red eyes, because her demon's powers are related to fire and heat.

It is also suggested that when a demon attaches to a host, their eyes seem to glow.

She currently has dark, brown-red eyes and bright red, circular pupils.

On her arms, Ava has scars that go over her shoulder. These were acquired during Wrathia's attempts to kill her.

In more recent appearences Ava, after drinking the vial she was given by Wrathia, becomes a Vengess. Ava's features change to red-orange skin, red hair, pointed ears, fangs, claws, and clawed feet. She also has more prominent red eyes with orange pupils.

Ava has a lot of difficulty associating herself with those around her. This mainly has to do with Wrathia scaring away everyone that ever cared about her or everyone she ever cared about. She has a very hard time in crowded areas and tight spaces as well. Despite her social anxiety, however, she shows bravery when doing things she feels passionate about, such as going after Odin after he abducted Maggie during her unconscious state, as well as threatening Wrathia for tricking her.

While Ava is a generally kind character, her kindness is not something that should be taken lightly. Ava can be quite harsh to those who have wronged her or hurt her in the past, including Wrathia and Odin. Even in her rage, however, she can sometimes catch herself in her words when she hurts someone else's feelings, often later claiming she was 'just mad'. Wrathia is an exception, though, as Ava hasn't seemed to feel any remorse for insults towards Wrathia, rather understandably so.

She also enjoys daydreaming, stargazing, rainy days, and sleeping. Her favourite animals are rabbits and she is quite fond of classical music. Her favorite movie genre is Fantasy and she also enjoys reading scary stories.

Ava's associated shape is a circle, representing her ability to roll with the punches and malleability. The circle is also interpreted as a closed shape, similar to how Ava Ire is closed off from others.

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Spoiler warning!

This article contains plot details. Do not continue reading if the content of the comic is important to you! You have been warned!

Ava Ire as a child with Wrathia

Little is known about Ava's childhood before the events of the story. When Wrathia died, her soul attached to Ava Ire due to the cursed wine and they have been together since. However, Ava did not understand Wrathia's initial request to make a "pact" as a young child, so the demon took to tormenting her in an attempt to isolate and depress her. On more than one occasion, Wrathia attempted to make Ava commit suicide. Due to the presence of her demon, Ava often appeared crazy to others and it is likely that Maggie Lacivi was one of her only friends when they were younger. This is in addition to an unnamed girl, seen in a photograph in possession of Maggie.

First Appearance of Ava Ire in the story

On 1/3/3031, Ava shouts out in class due to Wrathia's harassment. She is sent to the principal's office, and while she is being reprimanded, Wrathia temporarily takes control of Ava's body and makes her give the principal the middle finger and call him a "paper pushing moron". She is expelled immediately and prepared to be sent to a Galactic Child Containment Planet for special needs children. Before she can be sent away, Maggie and Odin Arrow arrive in the office over a stalking accusation. During the commotion in the office, scavengers break through the wall. Odin picks up and carries away an unconscious Maggie. Ava follows as Wrathia attempts to discourage her. After a close encounter with the scavengers she manages to sneak onto Odin's spaceship - and as the ship takes off, she witnesses the destruction of her planet. Still undetected by Odin, Wrathia guides Ava to pick up a wrench and attempt to knock him out while he hovers over Maggie. He notices her, however, and ends up tying her up next to Maggie. He tells her that he is going to drop her off at the next planet, to which she protests. Maggie awakens next to her. After quickly surveying her surroundings she gestures for Ava to be silent, and using her vine-like arm extensions, takes Odin by surprise. She ties him up using the vines, demanding that he gives an explanation and turns the ship around. After Odin refuses and insults her, she destroys the controls of the ship in a fit of rage, leaving Ava and Odin to die. She claims that she knows the crash won't kill her.

Ava Ire being hit by the TITAN statue sword

The ship crashes in a forested area, sending the passengers and parts of the ship flying. Ava is impaled through the torso by a statue of TITAN wielding a sword and dies upon impact. As a ghost, she converses with Wrathia, explaining that she has been waiting to die with dignity instead of by the demon's suicide attempts. This triggers the origin story and intentions of the Wrathia, formerly "one of the most powerful beings in the universe." To save her dying empire from TITAN, she brewed a cursed wine for her and all her best warriors. It would attach their souls to the next newest life form in the hopes of becoming a more powerful being- powerful enough to defeat TITAN. She poisoned her and her husband Pedri Nanegazi's share and drank. She ended up with Ava.

Wrathia then explains the meaning of the "pact" she had been trying to tell Ava about for nearly her entire life. The two would both need to have strong desires that they work together to fulfill.

Ava Ire making a pact with Wrathia

Right before she is about to disappear, Ava admits that she wants a new life and a second chance. She agrees to make a pact with Wrathia in order to get her wish. They shake hands and their souls combine, giving Ava's physical body all of Wrathia's previous powers and abilities. After awakening, Ava melts the sword that has killed her with her bare hands and falls to the ground, unconscious, where her body is later discovered by Gil Marverde. Wrathia and Ava share a mind, which appears as giant cabinet drawers and children's toys. After meeting with Wrathia, she reveals that Ava's part of the pact is complete, giving her a "new life" and a "second chance" rather than an entirely "different life." The area starts to flood with lava as Ava, enraged, rips off a nearby cabinet handle and points it at Wrathia's neck. She threatens to ruin the pact if Wrathia does not fulfill her true desire. She eventually gives in with a deal - she'd give Ava her different new life after they kill TITAN, and cannot leave until Ava gets her new life. As per Ava's request, she gives a piece of her soul to Ava in the form of a key. Ava wakes up after taking Wrathia's heart key as collateral. Gil, who was talking to his own demon, notices that Ava is awake and gives her water after apologizing for "talking to himself." He remarks that she had a high fever and touches her forehead, which is burning up. He introduces himself and Ava tells him her name, accidentally vomiting lava in the process. She runs to the bathroom, setting a sleeping Maggie's hair on fire along the way. In the bathroom, she tells her reflection in the mirror that she hates her. Ava then notices the key sticking out of the wrappings on her chest. Upon removing the bandages, she sees a drawer embedded into her chest with the key in a keyhole. Inside the drawer is a book, Wrathia's Plan, filled with "bad drawings," as Ava Ire describes them. Ava Ire cannot understand the symbols and becomes exasperated. Wrathia then calls her on a small phone that appears in Ava Ire's chest drawer. She explains that the drawings are images of her best warriors and that Ava Ire must use the specs hidden in the book to see spirits and ask them where TITAN lives, so they can kill him. When Ava Ire learns that Wrathia does not even know where TITAN lives, she despairs and her old insecurities return. She believes it is crazy and impossible for her to convince undead warriors to ally with her when she does not even believe in herself. Wrathia encourages her gently, instead of getting angry.

Ava Ire after putting on the Limbo Lenses

Ava tries on the Limbo Lenses and sees the world between living and dead. Gil then begins knocking at the door and telling `Odin, who notices the key and lock on her chest and remarks that it must be painful. He picks her up and she angrily tells her to release her, calling herself a "dangerous alien." Odin then hangs her on a tree branch and tries to take a picture of the drawer, but Ava kicks his camera out of his hands. She then attacks him, angry that he kidnapped and saved only Maggie and that he was planning to desert her on a barren moon to die. Odin defends himself while Ava Ire kicked her legs around, causing the branch to break and fall with her. Odin removes the branch from her dress and gives her his coat to cover the drawer in her chest- Ava sees this as a friendly gesture and stays. She then notices Odin's ring nearby and tries it on. When he asks for it back she returns it sheepishly and apologizes. His friendly demeanor is gone, and he sarcastically comments that she "had business to take care of," to which Ava retorts that she was "mentally preparing herself." He remarks that she looks twelve instead of fifteen, and she angrily walks away to find a shipyard to leave the planet. Odin tells her that there are miles of dense forest between any possible ports and that even a "dangerous alien" like her would not survive. Ava becomes angry and says that she is more than just a dangerous alien, stating haughtily that she is Ava Ire and then says that she cannot die. He believes her, saying that it is plain on her face, which is glowing red, and her eyes, which have glowing yellow irises like Wrathia. She calms down after this and her eyes return to normal, though her skin remains feverish. He asks her if she knew of Maggie's powers, to which Ava replies she didn't.

Ava Ire suspecting Maggie might have a demon

Gil arrives and invites Ava and Odin to accompany him to TITAN's headquarters. Seeing an opportunity to find out where TITAN resides, Ava quickly agrees. She may or may not have taken a liking to Gil, and accepts his invitation. Gil leaves the two at the ship to retrieve a book from his house. Ava sees Maggie asleep and puts on her Limbo Lenses, discovering that Maggie is actually pacted with a plant-like demon named Tuls Tenebrose, one of the warriors in Wrathia's book. The sign of Maggie and Tuls' pact is a door on her stomach covered in plant themes, the same way Ava Ire's chest drawer is designed with what is presumably Wrathia's smiling face and flames. Ava Ire says that Tuls seems less frightening than both Wrathia and Maggie, although she is worries of how she's supposed to convince Maggie to join her in trying to kill TITAN when Maggie so obviously dislikes her.

Ava Ire realizing Maggie has made a pact with a demon

Odin suddenly comes in and notices Ava looking up Maggie's shirt. Ava tells him that it's "not what it looks like", but he continues teasing her, asking if the glasses were x-ray glasses for seeing up peoples shirt. This causes Ava to nearly vomit up lava again, but she is able to swallow it back down after Gil comes in and asks if everyone's ready to go. While the ship starts heading for TITAN HQ Ava asks Gil where TITAN exactly lives, in which Gil responds telling her that TITAN lives in Paradise. Ava then questions if anyone comes back from Paradise and Gil says no, and that Ava's question was stupid. Ava then states that no one actually knows if Paradise exists, which offends Gil. Odin backs Ava up by asking him how he could know if it exists if no one has ever come back to provide proof- inciting him more. Ava mentions that he must really like TITAN after Gil angrily proclaims he feels he was being interrogated. She starts to try to suggest that her opinion upon TITAN, but worriedly stops and tells him that she lost her train of thought. She then listens to Odin as he tells Gil that Paradise is probably not even real and that TITAN uses that tale to lure lifeforms in to work for him. Gil tells Ava and Odin that when he reaches Paradise after all his hard work, he will send them lots of "photographic evidence". After glancing at Odin and then to Gil, Ava, possibly feeling rather down, begins to hold Maggie's hand, but then stops, and somberly watches Maggie while she sleeps, knowing that she also has a demon.

Ava Ire falling into the gorge in her dream

Later, Ava eventually falls asleep and once again meets Wrathia in her mind for the second time. Ava tells Wrathia about finding Tuls (commenting that he seems rather powerful), but Wrathia is dissatisfied, telling Ava that Tuls is only powerful when he is in a good mood, and that rarely happens. She suggests Ava find a better warrior, such as Nevy Nervine or Pedri Nanezgani. When Ava notices a yellow flower growing behind one of the drawers she comments bitterly of Wrathia has taken up gardening, to which Wrathia says that gardening is for servants. She then goes over to study the flower and finds herself in a hallway like area leading down to a green clearing filled with trees and flowers. She comments that the place is far to pretty to be her mind. As she looks around she finds Maggie, who angrily asks what she was doing there and if she was another of Tuls' twisted creations, and proceeds to hit her and tell her to get out. When Ava questions Maggie about getting out of her 'own mind', Maggie chokes her, talking about Tuls wasting his magic on illusions. Underneath them a large crack opens up into a gorge filled with lava. The two of them take on the appearances of their childhood selves. Ava Ire tries to convince Maggie that she's real and that she also has a demon with a pact that needs completing and that they could help each other complete them. Maggie spitefully asks what Ava knew about helping her and drops her into the gorge.

Pedri appears at Ava Ire's back

Ava wakes up on the floor of the ship, the landing abruptly waking her. Gil tells her and Odin to wait by the guards. The guards at TITAN HQ take note of her, Maggie's and Odin's faces. Odin tells Ava that they should escape on Gil's ship but she runs after Gil instead, who follows as well. Gil leads them to a refugee center before leaving with Maggie. Ava resigns herself to her fate, but Odin pries open the doors and runs away, dragging her along with him until they come to a stop behind the refugee center. Ava calls him crazy and argues with him loudly, mostly insulting him. Once they stop, he tells her that she would have been cycled back into the system and asks that she come with him to his home planet. Ava refuses at first and he walks away, but changes her mind when she sees bottles of injections and syringes on the crate she is sitting on. She runs after Odin.

She tells Odin that she will come with him, on the condition that he helps her persuade Maggie to come along as well. Odin is skeptical, saying that Maggie deserves whatever she has coming to her, but Ava defends her friend and starts glowing orange, ultimately convincing Odin to agree. However, if Maggie attracts too much attention, Odin says that they leave without her. He additionally warns her to stop glowing or the guards might get suspicious. He then nervously asks if he really does smell bad, to which Ava replies that he smells like smoke and pine trees and actually smells good, which leaves them both flustered and embarrassed, so Odin suggests that they leave immediately. Ava, who slipped on her Limbo Lenses to cover her embarrassment, notices glowing red runes leading to and imprinted on Odin, who remains oblivious to what Ava is looking at and keeps explaining his plan to run. Eventually he notices that Ava isn't listening to him and calls her a pervert. Pedri, Odin's demon, appears behind Ava and catches a lock of her hair as she stalks forward angrily, saying that she is not a pervert and placing her Lenses back in her chest drawer. Odin says that she reminds him of his sisters after she sticks her tongue out at him. When Ava asks Odin about his sisters he starts to change the subject.

A representation of Ava Ire's anxiety disorder

When the two enter into the building where Maggie is, Ava Ire is revealed to dislike crowds and starts to panic. Odin tries to calm her down. He explains that the building just has one door, which would be their only entrance or exit. He gives his hand to Ava, saying that with it she won't be lost in the crowd, Ava initially refuses, so Odin takes her hand without caring about what she says. A spiritual form of Ava starts to form at her back; a representative of her social anxiety disorder. Ava sees Gil and Maggie, and asks Odin to stop. When they try to go after the two children, Ava stumbles into a guard, who asks what they are trying to do. Odin tries to justify them, saying that they are trying to leave the building. The guard says them that the two can't leave because Strategos Six is about to speak. Ava starts to cry.

The two head back to the crowd and Odin says to Ava that they maybe will find Maggie close to the stage. Unfortunately Raven and Crow "steal" Odin from Ava. When she draws close to the stage, she notices that Odin is missing,. Strategos Six is announced, as Ava tries to ask if there's a way to get out. A follower orders her to stay silent, and Six comes to the stage. As Ava watches Six talk, she becomes nervous when The Gate to Paradise is shown. She begs a guard to let her go, but Six takes notice and calls her up to use the machine.

Ava Ire is pushed to The Gate to Paradise

While she tries to escape, a guard forces Ava to the stage. After mentioning that she is new there, Six replies that The Gate will be able to fix her, and that she will be a follower in no time. Ava refuses once again, claiming she likes how she looks, and arguing that everybody has sad thoughts. Six harshly begins an attempt to convince Ava that she needs to change, but Ava refuses to yield. Six gets tired of it and orders Prudith Loone to "prep" Ava Ire, and so the follower grabs Ava's arm, orders her to look at a monitor, and puts her hand on a screen. Prudith then orders Ava to enter The Gate to Paradise. However, Ava continues to resist. Prudith calls her ungrateful, and Ava tries to convince her to pick someone else. Prudith says that the procedure isn't optional and pushes Ava into the machine, but in the process, ends up inside with her. Prudith orders Ava to stay inside the gate and calls Ava Ire a "Stupid brat"; she then tries to escape the machine. However, the door is closed and Prudith is trapped. She tries shouting at the door, but Six cannot hear her and begins designing Ava's new appearance.

After realizing that nobody can hear her, Prudith becomes angry and turns back to Ava, saying that she must be very proud of herself for ruining the presentation. Ava becomes even more frightened as Prudith continues her tirade, complaining that she is sick of stupid followers like Ava; she talks about how she worked hard for TITAN, attempting to get into the Paradise. She states that when they get out of there, Ava will continue living her mediocre life, which will end in "hell" or "heaven". Prudith then asks Ava if she knows where Prudith will be; Ava Ire gingerly replies that Prudith will be in Paradise, and the follower mockingly congratulates Ava for giving the right answer, saying that she will be looking at all failures (like Ava) from Paradise.

Ava Ire Ire after drinking the Red Bottle

However, the machine proves to have terrifying affects for Prudith. Her body is rapidly cracked into pieces, and the machine only keeps her brain, eyes, and nervous system. Ava watches in horror at how Prudith's body is discarded in the process. The machine then creates a new body around what remains of Prudith, complete with bones, muscle tissue, and skin. Ava begins to panic at Prudith's new body, which looks like another Ava, and calls to Wrathia for help. Ava receives a call from Wrathia asking where "he" is. Ava says that she doesn't know what Wrathia is talking about and asks for help, as she explains that she is at TITAN HQ, trapped in the machine. Wrathia is pleased, and completely unworried that Ava is in danger. After Ava begs for help, Wrathia says that she already has the help she needs, and sends Ava one of her bottles from the book. Upon drinking the red bottle, Ava starts to cough lava from her mouth, growing fangs and horns, assuming an appearance similar to Wrathia. Otherworldly clothing begins to mold unto her body. She starts to speak maniacally, and objects around her are set alight. Before long, Ava destroys the door of The Gate to Paradise and throws Prudith Loone's burning body out of it. She proceeds to decapitate all the guards in the room with some sort of energy stream, and gleefully assaults Strategos Six as they try to call for backup. Six is incapacitated as she slams them to the ground, having cut their communications. She demands that Six be silent, stating that she has the stage now.

After incapacitating Strategos Six, Ava says that she will show her appreciation of TITAN through a theatrical production of her own design; Ava then throws Six off the stage and pulls a battle-axe resembling her key out of her drawer. Ava starts to move on to the next 'scene'; while lifting her axe, Ava tells the audience members that are still alive to do her a favor and scream. Ava swings her axe and causes an explosion, killing everyone in the main stage area and damaging the surrounding rooms. She then talks, dramatically, about a "spectacular performance" and the "star of today's grand finale"- noticing Gil and Maggie yelling at her and recognizing her as Ava, replying with an upbeat "Bingo!"

Ava Ire's reaction to Gil and Maggie recognising her

Six is still alive, hiding behind a piece of nearby rubble. After pulling a long, white sword out of the orb on their chest, they reveal themselves, aggressively charging at Ava with their weapon. "You're just in time to see the sun shine," she remarks as she readies her own axe and jumps towards Six.

She and Six then engage in battle, though it soon become obvious that Six is no match for Ava's newfound power. She easily overpowers Six, performing intricate incantations and summoning bodies of fire to drag Six into the lava, presumably killing them.

After her triumph, Titan HQ colds to ashes and Ava climbs the Titan statue to rest. She notices Odin walking in her direction, and immediately berates Odin passive aggressively for leaving her behind. She ignores Odin's confusion and continues toying with him, noting that she still feels something fierce left in her. With the last bit of her power, Ava Ire sets the Titan statue ablaze and promptly passes out, leaving Odin to take care of her.

Ava Ire passes out

After finding one of Maggie's leaves, Odin picks up Ava and decides to find Maggie, hoping there will be a way to escape from Titan HQ.

When Maggie and Gil get inside a cargo vessel, Odin is shown running to the cargo vessel while holding an unconscious Ava Ire in his arms. Maggie attempts to keep them out, but Odin leaps (with Ava still in his arms) in front of the door.

Ava lays unconscious throughout Odin, Maggie, and Gil's argument, being only mentioned once or twice through it.

Maggie Lacivi

Magnolia and Ava Ire were very good friends when they were younger. However, something in their past happened that led to a severe falling out. Ever since then, Maggie became much more reckless and hostile, utterly despising her former friend. Ava Ire blames herself for the change in Maggie's personality and greatly regrets what she did.

Interestingly, inside Maggie's cabinet is a small photograph of her younger self and a young Ava Ire lying in the grass. This may hint that Maggie still subconsciously care about Ava Ire deep down, despite the hatred she aims at her. After Ava Ire’s potion-induced revenge, Maggie comments on how, even though she hates Ava Ire and sees her as nothing but a negative effect on her life, Maggie does not believe Ava Ire is pure evil, and says that she is certain Ava Ire would not do something like commit mass homicide out of her own free will.

Wrathia Bellarmina

Due to Wrathia constantly possessing her body as a young child in order to try and convince her to form a pact, Ava Ire always viewed the demoness with hatred and fear. As Ava Ire grew older, she was told that Wrathia was only a figment of her imagination[1]. Consequently, she resisted the demoness to such a degree that Wrathia could no longer control her. Losing hope to form a pact, Wrathia did her best to coerce Ava Ire into killing herself[2].

Once they finally form a pact, Wrathia isn't quite so hostile to Ava Ire. Bound to sharing one mind, the two act more like allies, however grudgingly. Even so, Ava Ire still harbors great anger towards Wrathia for all the misery she put her through throughout her entire life.

Odin Arrow

Although the two haven't known each other for long, Ava Ire doesn't seem to have a very high opinion of Odin. However, when they find themselves stuck in Titan's Headquarters, she becomes more trusting of him when he offers to help her escape. Odin seems to care at least a little for Ava Ire, since he appears to be genuinely sorry for leaving her alone in the crowd.

Gil Marverde

Ava Ire and Gil, despite interacting very little, seem to have a friendly relationship. She's grateful that he did his best to bandage her wounds, amazed that a total stranger would be willing to care for her. Nevertheless, she's skeptical of Gil's strong faith in Titan. Although annoyed at her skepticism, he seems very genuine in wanting to help her and Odin. However, after witnessing the carnage caused by Ava Ire during her potion-induced rage, Gil grows to fear Ava Ire and begins questioning how a seemingly innocent girl could cause so much damage. It is implied he also feels somewhat at fault for the massacre, since he was the one who brought her to Titan HQ.

  • Ava's surname, Ire, means anger[3]. It may also be a reference to the French word ire, which means wrath.
  • Ava's limbo lenses were coated with space dust by Wrathia to condition her eyes to see the dead. The Limbo Lenses therefore only work with Ava [citation needed].
  • Michelle Czajkowski has said that if Ava were to wear a Halloween costume it would be a rabbit [citation needed]. *Rabbits are her favorite animal.
  • Out of all the hosts so far, Ava is confirmed to be the second worst dancer, with Odin being the first.
  • It has been stated by the author that Ava enjoys singing and is quite good at it. If she were to have a canon singing voice, it would probably sound something like Ingrid Michaelson's [citation needed].
  • The Chest Drawers in Ava's mind essentially hold her thoughts, feelings, and memories [citation needed].
  • Ava's favorite color is red[4].
  • Ava's pastimes consist of reading scary stories, listening to classical music, planning her escape from school, folding paper animals, and collecting flowers from the boarding school garden[5].
  • Ava likes stargazing, rainy days, cold weather, sleeping, and peace and quiet[6].
  • She dislikes crowds, loud noises, and socializing[7].
  • Michelle stated in the formspring that Ava Ire's favorite movie genre is fantasy.
  • Her birthday is May 31st, 3016[8].
  • Ava's character and her story makes many allusions to Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland:
    • The scene where she chases Odin and Maggie is meant to be evocative of Alice chasing the white rabbit (though in the official Ava Ire in Wonderland AU, Odin is given the role of the March Hare). [citation needed]
    • The small potion bottles Wrathia gives Ava Ire are also a reference to the "drink me" bottles that made Alice grow and shrink [citation needed].
    • The flowers in Maggie's mind is a reference to the talking flowers [citation needed].
    • It was confirmed that there will continue to be references to both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass throughout the story [citation needed].
  • Michelle has stated that Ava Ire is bisexual [citation needed].

Ava s demon by robotmichelle-d5okc3l

Gallery of Ava Ire

  1. Ava's Demon Page 0187
  2. Ava's Demon Page 0189
  3. Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Ire
  4. Ava's Interest Page
  5. Ava's Interest Page
  6. Ava's Interest Page
  7. Ava's Interest Page
  8. Ava's Interest Page

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Home > China News
Commentary: CPC strives to build world's strongest party

BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- 2017 is an eventful year for China, with several marquee activities on the political calendar, including the upcoming 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 90th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army early this week.

The world's attention has once again shifted to China with the CPC as the center of that attention.

Tasked with leading the country to rejuvenation, the CPC also has its own mission: to be the strongest party in the world.

The mission is determined by China's national conditions. The country's vast population, unbalanced economy, and the pressure of its two centennial goals require the leadership of a stronger CPC.

The mission is also the CPC's response to the international community. Under the CPC's leadership and endeavors of the generations of Party members, China's progress in social development has made the Party an example to all and the world looks forward to its contribution to global governance.

Over the years, the CPC has established an efficient organizational structure and strict party discipline, which helped it survive wars and revolutions and to continue to thrive after almost a century.

But the Party never rests on its laurels. The leadership has repeatedly warned that the biggest threat to the Party is corruption and the CPC must better serve the people and lead the second largest economy in the world.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, an anti-corruption campaign has swept across the country, putting at least 240 senior officials under investigation.

The campaign has reinforced people's confidence in the Party. In a survey conducted by Pew Research Center in 2016, 64 percent of the interviewees believed that corruption would lessen over the next five years.

Grassroots Party members and organizations are crucial to the strength of the Party. The CPC is setting up a better appraisal mechanism to allow more mobility within its organizational structure, so that any capable candidate from its 89 million members has a chance to shine.

Over the past year, the catchphrase of the Party has been "staying true to our founding mission", which is to serve the people.

"We won't have the support of the people if we cannot strive for the people's benefit," said Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China, in 1934.

Considering the achievements of China, the CPC is fulfilling its promise.

More than 700 million people have been lifted out of poverty since 1978. In the past more than four years alone, China has seen over 55 million reach a reasonable standard of living.

Under the leadership of the Party, China is sharing the benefits of its economic boom with the people.

Antaeus, the giant in Greek mythology, can absorb inexhaustible power from the earth. Similarly, as long as the CPC stays close to the people, it will never lose its vitality.

Throughout its history, the CPC has debunked and defanged so many prejudices and stereotypes. Now, as China finds itself at a critical point of its revival, the world is waiting to see how the CPC continues to impress.

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Digging for life in the deadest desert CNN

Life is hard. For some, it’s almost impossible. Specialized microorganisms called extremophiles thrive in nuclear waste, volcanic vents, boiling geothermal geysers and even deep inside rocks. Their unique biology allows them to feast on chemicals and radiation that would kill most organisms. But there is a place on Earth so hostile to life that even extremophiles perish: Chile’s Atacama Desert.


3rd Class Science Living and Non-living Things Breathing

Category : 3rd Class

*   Breathing in Living Things

In breathing process, living organism, takes in oxygen and gives out carbon dioxide gas. There are special organs in the living body which perform these functions. These organs are called breathing organs. Different types of organisms have different kinds of breathing organs. The following table shows the organisms and their breathing organs.

Look at the following flow chart of breathing organs in different living organism:

Animals obtain oxygen through breathing process, which produces energy by oxidizing digested food. Like animals, plants also take in oxygen for breathing and give out carbon dioxide all the time.

      Which one of the following doesn't breathe?

       (a)                                                (b)                                         (c)                                               (d)                                      (e) None of these

Answer: (d)

All living organisms, plants and animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Book is non living thing, hence does not breathe. Therefore, option (d) is correct and rest of the options is incorrect.

     Which one of the following animals has two types of respiratory organs?

(a) Human

(b) Insects

(c) Tiger

(d) Frog

(e) Dolphin

Answer: (d)

Frog is an amphibian which can live both on the land and in water. It breathes through its lungs when it is outside the water and with moist skin when it is inside water. Therefore, option (d) is correct and rest of the options is incorrect.

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Tier: 10-B

Name: Gwen Cooper

Origin: Torchwood

Gender: Female

Age: 30-40

Classification: Human

Powers and Abilities: None

Attack Potency: Human level

Speed: Normal Human

Lifting Strength: Average Human

Striking Strength: Human Class

Durability: Human level

Stamina: Average

Range: Several meters with her equipment

Standard Equipment: Gun, other Torchwood equipment

Intelligence: Average

Weaknesses: None notable.

Notable Victories:

Notable Losses:

Inconclusive Matches:


Don’t Let Anxiety Rule Your Life! Try These Tips!

Are you unable to live the life you want to because of your anxiety? Find decent stress management techniques. Some individuals use breathing exercises or take medications. Read through this article and see how you can learn how to manage your stress in different ways.

If you are the victim of the common condition of chronic anxiety, it is time to consider medical advice from a doctor. With all the medical advances and treatments out there, you have a lot of choices and options for dealing with this health condition. Given that, make time to see your physician and explore the possibilities to find the one right for you.

Limit time you spend on reading or watching the news if your anxiety is caused by external triggers. You can still keep up with current events, but don’t spend all your time fixated on bad news.

People who suffer from stress-related anxiety usually do not take time to relax. Make it a required part of each day to take a relaxation break, where you can enjoy some tea, read or just nap. 20 minutes of relaxation a day can really help decrease anxiety levels over time.

Exercising can alter your brain chemicals. Low serotonin often brings on anxiety which can be combated with exercise. Jogging, working in the garden or hitting the gym will stimulate your brain to make more dopamine and serotonin, two of your body’s “feel good” chemicals. This not only helps with anxiety, but it helps with depression too.

Create a list of the things that stress you out every day. Place things that you have control over, or can change, on one side and put the things you cannot change on the other side. Focus on the changes you can make, and let the ones you can’t go.

Try watching an enjoyable comedy when you feel anxious. Viewing this type of movie will not only help you to laugh and put things in perspective, but it also allows you to forget what was making you feel anxious in the first place.

Cut down on nicotine and alcohol use. Even though many think these substances can help you relax, they will not. The truth is that they cause greater anxiety than if they were not used at all. Practice healthy habits such as exercise, relaxation techniques, diet and healthy social activities.

When you feel stress encroaching on your life in the future, try out some of these ideas and judge their effectiveness. Some techniques may be more effective than others, and you may find efforts to control your anxiety a little difficult in the beginning. Try to be patient and keep in mind that being able to control stress will be you reward.


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Home » Blog » Knowledge » Common Mode Noise Impact in AC drive Applications

Common Mode Noise Impact in AC drive Applications

Radiated noise from an AC drive cable is a source of interference with adjacent systems that is often easier to identify and rectify than common mode noise. In the latter, high levels of noise across a broad frequency range, often from 60 Hz to 30 MHz, can capacitatively couple from the windings of the motor to the motor frame, and then to ground.

Common-mode noise can also capacitatively couple from unshielded motor leads in a conduit to ground via conduit ground straps, supports or other adjacent, unintentional grounding paths. This common-mode ground current is particularly troublesome because digital systems are susceptible to the high-frequency noise generated by AC drives.

Signals susceptible to common-mode noise include those from proximity sensors, and signals from thermocouples or encoders, as well as low-level communication signals in general. Because this type of noise takes the path of least resistance, it finds unpredictable grounding paths that become intermittent as humidity, temperature, and load change over time.
One way to control common-mode noise is to provide a known path to ground for noise captured at the motor's frame. A low-impedance path, such as a properly designed cable ground/shield system, can provide the noise with an easier way to get back to the AC drive than using the building ground grid, steel, equipment, etc.

In the study presented in this paper, tests were conducted on the five cable types to determine the ground path impedance of the shield and grounding system of each cable. The tests were conducted across a broad frequency spectrum. Results are outlined in the Figure. Lower impedance implies a more robust ground path, and therefore relatively lower noise coupled to the building ground. Lower building ground noise means a reduced need for troubleshooting of nearby adjacent systems and components.

A cable should never be the weak link in an AC drive system. It must be able to stand up to the operating conditions, and maintain the life of other components in the system. Selecting an appropriate AC drive cable can improve overall AC drive system longevity and reliability by mitigating the impact of reflected waves.

Special attention should be paid to the cable's insulation type, impedance, and shield/ground system.

Cables employing a heavy wall of thermoset insulation are recommended because of the proven electrical benefits and improved high temperature stability it offers. Shielding systems, including copper tape, combination foil/braid, and continuous armoring types, are the most appropriate for AC drive applications because of the low impedance path they provide for common-mode noise to return to the AC drive.

When AC drive cables are installed in close proximity to low-level communications cables and other susceptible devices, shielded instrumentation cable should be used. It would also be prudent to limit the run length of AC drive cable parallel to instrumentation cables to 10 ft. or less to reduce the likelihood of radiated noise issues.

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Peter Turner

Peter Turner, born 26/10/87 lives in West Yorkshire, England. Peter became interested in magic at the age of five, making the transition into mentalism at the age of fifteen and has been performing professionally for several years. His first book titled Devious Realities was published by the “Wizard” Kenton Knepper, who openly admitted he was fooled and impressed by Peter’s material and thinking.
Since then Peter has published several more books, has consulted for various performers around Europe and is ready to start his string of lectures/ workshops.
Peter is quickly becoming known for his unique thinking and over the last few months as created quite a stir in the mentalism community.


Right upfront, let's make one thing clear...Fair Trade Safaris does not disapprove of all forms of hunting. Clearly, for some communities, hunting is a means of survival. Several indigenous African tribes hunt animals for food and for other items that they need - without jeopardizing the survival of the species being hunted. And we do not have an issue with that kind of hunting.

So, we leverage our Travelanthropy programs and partnerships to support wildlife conservation, habitat preservation, and environmental protection efforts throughout Eastern and Southern Africa.


The Year without a Summer?

In 1816, average global temperatures fell. A strange fog drifted across the Northern Hemisphere. Sunlight dimmed. Crops died due to unusual amounts of dust. What caused “The Year without a Summer?”

What was the Year without a Summer?

“The Year without a Summer” was indeed a strange year. It was most apparent in the northeastern United States, Atlantic Canada, and western Europe. These regions experienced a heavy summer frost which killed off crops, summer snow, persistent fog which reduced and reddened the sunlight, icy lakes and rivers, and rapid temperature changes. In turn, these factors led to rising food prices, famine, riots, arson, looting, disease, and death.

What caused the Year without a Summer?

The Year without a Summer lasted past 1816, into 1817, and possibly into 1818 as well. What could’ve caused such an extended period of climate change?

Well, most scientists attribute the event to the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia. Incidentally, Mount Tambora was the largest eruption of the last 1,300 years and one of the three largest eruptions of the last 2,000 years. Along with four other significant eruptions between 1812 and 1814, Mount Tambora kicked up huge amounts of volcanic dust into the upper atmosphere, which served to block incoming sunlight. Making matters worse, this occurred during a period of significantly reduced solar activity.

Guerrilla Explorer’s Analysis

The Year without a Summer was one of the most horrible ones in recent history. But even in bad times, good things can sometimes arise. The volcanic dust in the upper atmosphere led to a period of incredible sunsets, which were immortalized in J.M.W. Turner’s paintings (including the one at the beginning of this post). The vast crop failures also caused American families to seek out better growing conditions. This led to the settling of western and central New York as well as the Upper Midwest.

Joseph Smith’s family was one of those who left New England. His move to Palmyra, NY was an essential step in his founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (it should be noted that past periods of violent climate change have often resulted in the growth of new religions). Also, large amounts of rain in Switzerland led Mary Shelley and John William Polidori to stay indoors for most of the summer. During that time, Shelley wrote Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus while Polidori wrote The Vampyre.

Still, the event must be remembered for the awe-inspiring destruction it wrought throughout the world. In many ways, it’s reminiscent of the Black Death, which may have been caused by the loading of cometary dust into the upper atmosphere. “The Year without a Summer” serves as a reminder of how much we depend on nature for our survival…and how easily it can be taken away.

Posted in Dark History, Man vs. Nature, Mysteries of History, Strange Science and tagged , , , , , , .


Allure2: A GUI for your code tests

Allure2 Adapter for pytest

Issue the following command to install the adapter:

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Testing your code with pytest

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Python: Shadowing

  1. It’s fine to use shadowing.
  3. You should avoid shadowing by using functions.

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Python: Scope

Scope is the term used to define the location(s) in which Python searches for a name to object mapping (e.g a variable).

As described in this StackOverflow post, Python uses the LEGB Rule to locate a definition. LEGB stands for:

  • L, Local — Names assigned in any way within a function ( def or lambda)), and not declared global in that function.
  • E, Enclosing-function locals — Name in the local scope of any and all statically enclosing functions ( def or lambda), from inner to outer.
  • G, Global (module) — Names assigned at the top-level of a module file, or by executing a global statement in a def within the file.
  • B, Built-in (Python) — Names preassigned in the built-in names module open,range,SyntaxError,...

In a nutshell, Python will first look at the local scope for a name to object mapping (e.g people = 5). If it cannot find one, it will continue going up the hierarchy until it finds one. If it doesn’t find a mapping, it will raise an exception.

To shed some more light on this let’s take a step back and analyse each of the points listed above. I’ll do so in reverse order because that is the way we write Python code, as you’ll see in a moment.

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Python: Everything is an Object & First Class Citizens

A lot of Python books often mention that “everything in Python is an object”, and “objects are first class citizens”, but they don’t always explain what that these things actually mean. Let’s try to fix that up now.

Everything in Python is an Object

Dive Into Python gives a great explanation:

Different programming languages define “object” in different ways. In some, it means that all objects must have attributes and methods; in others, it means that all objects are subclassable. In Python, the definition is looser; some objects have neither attributes nor methods (more on this in Chapter 3), and not all objects are subclassable (more on this in Chapter 5). But everything is an object in the sense that it can be assigned to a variable or passed as an argument to a function (more in this in Chapter 4).

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Python: if __name__ == “__main__”

There are plenty of articles on the internet that attempt to explain what  if __name__ == "__main__" is and what it does, but (in my humble opinion), the examples are too complex more often than not. With that in mind, this post is aimed at being the most simplest explanation on the planet! :)

What does it do?

This statement is used when you want your code to be used as both a standalone script, as well as a module that can be imported and used by other scripts.

For example, if it is run as a standalone script, you may want to provide a menu to ensure users input all of the necessary information. On the other hand, if it is being imported as a module, perhaps you’d like to avoid the menu all together and instead only use the functions contained the script (e.g func1 in the example below).

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Installing Git on Windows

Installing Git on Windows is very similar to installing it on Linux. That might not come as a surprise though because the tools we’ll be using in this post are specifically designed to allow Windows users to utilise Linux packages without needing to install a VM.

The first thing you’ll need to do is download Git for Windows. Once you have done that, install it using all of the default settings. After completing the installation, you will find that you’ve now got three Git applications:

  • Git Bash
  • Git CMD
  • Git GUI

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What does a Compiler do?

If you’ve used Linux before and/or have coded using a language such as C, you will have come across a compiler. Though because they’re so easy to use, you might not have actually understood what it is they do.

In a nutshell, compilers simply (I say simply because what they do is actually very complex under the hood) check for syntax correctness, convert source code from “high level” languages to a low level (native) language which your CPU understands and perform optimisation among other things. Due to the conversion and optimisation of code, compiled applications run much faster than when other methods are used. The result of a compilation is a standalone executable application (e.g an .exe file in Windows) which does not depend on any other application in order to run.

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Python: A Strong, Dynamically Typed Language

You’ve probably already heard that Python is a strong, dynamically typed language. But what does that actually mean? Let’s jump in and take a look.

Dynamically vs Statically Typed Languages

This StackOverflow Q&A gives us an idea on the difference between Statically and Dynamically Typed languages:

A language is statically typed if the type of a variable is known at compile time. For some languages this means that you as the programmer must specify what type each variable is (e.g.: Java, C, C++)

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The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up

Tidying Guru Marie Kondo Visited The Clutter Dungeon That Is Anthropologie

Marie “KonMari” Kondo, professional de-clutterer and author of bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, made it in and out of Anthropologie alive and without purchasing any regretful dust-collectors. How did…

Claire Hannum | April 28, 2015 - 11:30 am


Acceleration of a Pulley by a Weight

A simplifying assumption often made is that a pulley has no mass or moment of inertia. This is of course false. A uniform disc of radiushas moment of inertiaabout an axis through the centre of the disc perpendicular to the plane of the disc.

If a massis tied to a string which is then wound around the pulley, then let loose, and the pulley is free to turn, then the massapplies a torqueto the system.

The moment of inertia of the whole system is

The angular accelerationis given by

Another way to show this is using energy.

The kinetic energy of the system is

This will be equal to the gravitational potential energy lost by the massas it falls a distanceEquating these – gives

Now useSince the system starts from rest

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Jeremy MacDonald

Jeremy MacDonald is taking a break from his career in education to focus on writing. He hopes to help bridge the gap between abstract concepts and modern science, and help people to embrace a more positive, humble, and meaningful existence. As he likes to say, “You are never fully awake; your soul is always a work in progress.”


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Observing individuals who lead a creative life, we can identify elements of expertise, grit, an understanding, and passion. What’s easy to overlook is the inner system within an individual—the set of principles that govern their mind and behaviour. When failure ensues or the need to adapt is necessary, how does one respond? What do they tell themselves? In other words, what’s their philosophy?

  1. How can we lead a fulfilling, happy life?
  2. How can we become better human beings?

Our guides to Stoicism today will be its three renowned leaders: Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca.

Epictetus was born a slave at about A.D. 55 in Hierapolis, Phrygia, located in the eastern borders of the Roman Empire. Early in his life he had a passion for philosophy, and with permission from his owner, he studied Stoic philosophy under the master Gaius Musonius Rufus. After Nero’s death—the fifth Roman emperor who ruled with tyranny and cruelty—Epictetus began to teach philosophy in Rome and then later in Greece where he founded a philosophical school teaching Stoicism—among his students was the future emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius.

Marcus Aurelius was born in A.D. 121, considered one of the greatest Roman emperors to have ever lived, and wrote in his journal during the dull moments of a war campaign. In his journal, which inadvertently became the book Meditations, served as reminders for Stoic principles that focused on humility, self-awareness, service, death, nature, and more.

Seneca was also a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, a tutor and advisor to Nero. His work involves dozens of essays and 124 letters that involve topics like education, friendship, civil duty, moral obligation, humility, self-awareness, self-denial, and more. He had many admirers like Montaigne, Tom Wolfe, Emerson, and John Stuart Mill.

I’m going to share some of my favorite principles from the Stoic school of philosophy, most of them pertaining to these three thinkers. If embraced and exercised regularly, Stoic tenets will champion your creativity, facilitate your workflow, and improve your overall state of mind and life. Creative work requires us to be vulnerable, committed, adaptive, and courageous, and that requires a mindset that can readily negate distractions or negative impulses while focusing our hearts and minds on what’s important. It’s a tough balancing act.

Without a philosophy to guide our work and life, we will relentlessly succumb to our excuses and distractions. We will make the comfortable mistake of acting on our moods (“I’m just not feeling it today”) and not on our principles.

1. Acknowledge that all emotions come from within

“Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions not outside.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Many of us want to place blame and responsibility on external objects because it’s easy to do, but the truth remains that all conflicts start internally, in our minds. When we flee from reality—a deadline, an urgent email—we are doing nothing but harming ourselves and undermining our self-discipline.

2. Find someone you respect, and use them to stay honest

“Choose someone whose way of life as well as words, and whose very face as mirroring the character that lies behind it, have won your approval. Be always pointing him out to yourself either as your guardian or as your model. This is a need, in my view, for someone as a standard against which our characters can measure themselves. Without a ruler to do it against you won’t make the crooked straight.” Seneca, Letters From a Stoic

When I first started my blog and called myself a writer, who could I look up to? The courses at my university were irrelevant to my aspirations and desires. Luckily, the Internet provided access to great writers, their stories, work, and admonishments. I can point to someone I respect and say, “Ah, look at the value they provide, their work ethic, their platform—that is worth learning from.”

Whatever you do—create apps, draw portraits, write books, or make animation films—there are individuals that you can learn from. You can study their story, works, techniques, successes and failures. You can listen to interviews or even reach out to them by sending an email. You can discover patterns of success and apply it to your life.

What’s important to realize is that this isn’t an exercise of comparison. If you don’t get a book deal in eight months or if your product doesn’t hit #1 in the first week, like your role model, that doesn’t make you a failure. Instead, how can you learn from your heroes? How are their teachings and principles helping you grow, learn, and create? Everyone, no matter how successful they are, has heroes/mentors to look towards.

3. Recognize there is life after failure

You can spend months or even years on a project, only to watch it be criticized, or worse, ignored. I once worked on a project thinking that it would do fairly well. I spent an entire year on it, and it was my most vulnerable work to date.

No failure, no growth.

4. Read purposefully, and apply your knowledge

Reading books on marketing or business or creativity will supply endless dots that have potential for connection to develop a more in-depth awareness, but what will ultimately make you effective at that craft is by applying it. Reading prepares your mind, even helps you avoid foolish mistakes, but at the end of it all there must be the result of some action: a failure, maybe a success, or a lesson.

The purpose of education is to internalize knowledge but ultimately spark action and facilitate wiser decisions. Reading self-help books will, in that moment, make you feel inspired for a change. But are you following your principles when you have a troll, rude customer, or angry stranger in your face?

 5. Challenge yourself to be brutally honest

“‘A consciousness of wrongdoing is the first step to salvation.’ This remark of Epicurus’ is to me a very good one. For a person who is not aware that he is doing anything wrong has no desire to be put right. You have to catch yourself doing it before you can reform. Some people boast about their failings: can you imagine someone who counts his faults as merits ever giving thought to their cure? So—to the best of your ability—demonstrate your own guilt, conduct inquiries of your own into all the evidence against yourself. Play the first part of prosecutor, then of judge and finally of pleader in mitigation. Be harsh with yourself at times.” Seneca, Letters From a Stoic

It’s hard to change habits if you aren’t aware as to why you didn’t do your work today and chose to watch Netflix instead.

It’s important to be mindful of the urges that obstruct us from showing up, engaging, committing, and being present. “Why, exactly, am I feeling this way?” Get to the bottom of that. Investigate it. Dissect it. When you feel resistance, use that as a cue to go forward. The challenge, of course, is training yourself to think that way.

This isn’t about talent or some unconscious reflex. The practice of self-awareness—to think about your thinking—in how you think, feel, and behave is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes.

6. Reflect on what you spend the most time on

That troll on your Twitter feed? It’s probably best to not respond. You don’t need to tell them where the unfollow button is located; I’m positive they know. That email? I know it’s fun connecting, but can it wait?

In my own observations, people who do excellent work, who master their craft, do so because of their ability to prioritize. They honor every hour of their day. If we put cameras behind our heroes, would our work ethic compare? Our focus? Our determination to get things done?

The other day I was genuinely shocked at how much time I spent spectating on Instagram, watching other people live their lives and eat boats of sushi. Although these little breaks throughout our days are okay, we must be mindful of how we interact with our distractions (or is that addictions?).

A lot of spectating and flicking our finger on Guerrilla Glass is time that could be spent creating the stuff that people want to see.

7. Remind yourself: you weren’t meant to procrastinate.

Whenever I have trouble waking up or getting started, I read this passage:

—But its nicer here

—But we have to sleep sometime

8. Put the phone away and be present

It’s not that we live in an age of distractions, but rather an age where we are failing to teach and embrace mindful motives. To me, a child in a restaurant playing a game on her iPad is no different than an adult flicking through Instagram when friends are around. Both scenarios are moments of connection (to the people around you, not through your screen), communication, and enjoyment.

To be present as well as learning to be alone is a habit. Some people are really good at it because they make time to do it—in fact, they need it or else they would go mad.

Throughout your day find a moment, however fleeting, to just sit and be still. Doesn’t matter where you are. Take a few deep breathes, put your phone on vibrate so there’s no chance of interruption, and just reflect on the series of events that took place throughout your day. When you’re working, be ruthlessly present. Let your mind focus on the task at hand, what you’re trying to accomplish, and do it with diligence, patience, attentiveness, and care. Sooner or later, you’ll realize how much of an asset this is to your creativity and overall quality of life.

When you’re working, be ruthlessly present.

9. Remind yourself that time is our most precious resource

This makes our self-respect, work ethic, generosity, self-awareness, attention, and growth evermore important. The last thing any of us wants to do is die with regret, hence why following principles of Stoicism puts your life into perspective. It humbles you and should also deeply motivate you.

The way we lead our lives and do our work must embody the principles that we practice. Less comparing, criticizing, and consuming; more creating, learning, and living.

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