Apologies for the long post but I'm pretty much over medical personnel at the moment and I'm frustrated. I've had a severe cough that began in December. I've had it at least once a month since then. By severe I mean I have random coughing fits that result in me either urinating on myself or vomiting on myself. Lately it's been both. Seems to be brought on by the slightest cold. I have a daughter in daycare so while illness is not uncommon, this is a bit extreme. It's normally coupled with a sinus infection.
I went to urgent care in December and was told to ride it out and given an updated inhaler script. I eventually got better.
It came back in February and to urgent care I went again. My primary has retired and I didn't have another lined up so Urgent Care seemed an ok choic. Left with a script for promethazine. Nearly finished the bottle before I got better.
It came back in March to which I called my doctor's office and got the first available doctor for a consult since I knew urgent care wasn't gonna do anything for me. We spoke over the phone and he said I likey had pertussis so he prescribed a steroid and antibiotic. Worked within a day. I was much better instantly so I finished the round and figured we were good to go.
April was a let down as the cough returned. I quickly emailed the doctor and requested the same treatment. I had refills for the steroid so I just refilled but I needed him to prescribe the antibiotic. He refused. He said he can't prescribe it when the symptoms haven't been present that long. Uhm, what do you mean?! You knew my history already? He repeatedly told me there was nothing we could do, that I could try the steroid alone but it probably wouldn't do anything. I told him I refused to believe that there was nothing we could do and there had to be something, especially considering the antibiotic worked so quickly last time. He REFUSED to assist further and suggested if my symptoms were that bad to go to the ER for a chest X-ray. Fine.
Went to the ER and got a chest X-ray. Was there for literally 1.5 hours and walked away with a $2500 bill, a clear X-ray and a script for Tessalon Perles, a recommendation for Mucinex D, and oh look, the SAME ANTIBIOTICS I ASKED THE PRIMARY FOR, WHO SAID HE COULDN'T GIVE THEM TO ME. They knew my script history and had zero problem giving me the antibiotic. The ER doctor even laughed when I told him the primary said I had pertussis. His diagnosis- bronchitis. Told me to follow up with said doctor. No thank you.
The cocktail of antibiotics, Mucinex D and Tessalon Perles seemed to do the trick. For a while.
It's now May and the cough is back full force and more violent than ever. But instead of multiple coughing fits throughout the day, I get a few really violent ones with both vomiting and peeing. So I got that going for me, which is nice.
I called a pulmonologist today to get an appointment. I figured I'd start there. When the medical assistant asked me why I'm seeing the doctor, I ran down a TLDR of the above and was so very delighted to hear her response of, “So a cough?” Yeah girl. Put down a cough. I corrected her- “A severe cough.” I doubt she added the adjective. The next available isn't for 2 months.
So here I sit, being asked to ride it out and ingesting a cocktail of Mucinex D and ibuprofen with a little snack of Tessalon Perles during bed time. I'm almost positive this is gonna cause some long term repercussions but I have a 1 year old, a husband and a job to think of today. I'm still blown away that when I brought this up to the primary, that he's telling me there nothing he can do when I'm telling him I get random coughing fits in the car while driving my toddler around, I get a “Sorry. Try the ER.”
As you can probably tell, I'm at a loss on what to do. When I think my cocktail is working, I'm reminded it's not. Any suggestions other than, see a pulmonologist, would be greatly appreciated. Any reassurance that the primary isn't a complete moron, also appreciated. I would hate to think that a doctor would be that careless for no reason.
TLDR: Intermittent (monthly) sever cough since December, accompanied by sinusitis, vomiting and incontinence. Antibiotics helps but Dr. won't prescribe more than one round. Currently taking Mucinex D, 400 ibuprofen and Tessalon Perles at night for sleep. Appt with pulmonologist in 2 months but what to do until then?
Thanks for reading.

Hi there! I can't fully understand which is the best way to translate this line (from De Civitate Dei X 3,2)
"hunc eligentes vel potius religentes (amiseramus enim neglegentes) hunc ergo religentes, unde et religio dicta perhibetur [...]"
So, I suppose he is talking about a supposed etymology of the term religion which has something to do with choosing again God. However, I don't understand some part of this sentence, for example how to translate "dicta". Is it used as an adjective? Something like "religion, which has already been mentioned"?

Póvh ad vonyg ad o okuc cangov o ohyod thudca giga dugo.
/poʋx æð̞ ʋɒɲg æð̞ ɒ ɒˈkuc ˈcæ.ŋɒʋ ɒ ˈɒ.çɒð̞ ˈθuð̞.cæ ˈɰi.ɰæ ˈð̞u.ɰɒ/

Póvh ad vonyg ad o okuc cangov o ohyod thud -ca giga dug -o Dignity in right in and equal free and being human-ADJZ all be.born-PRS 

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

About

Yiyocthiv (endonym: Yiyocdiv /ji.jɒcˈð̞iʋ/) is a moribund languague isolate spoken by the Yiyocthiv people, the native inhabitants of Antarctica. Since foreign countries started establishing the first bases and research stations in Antarctica, bringing technology and infrastructure to the continent, the Yiyocthiv people have experienced a significant increase in their quality of life, with many of them deciding to live at or near research stations. Interaction with researchers has been mostly peaceful throughout history, but the fact that researchers are the ones bringing and controlling most resources in the continent meant that the Yiyocyhiv had to adapt to speaking their language. This processs meant the researchers languages (specially English and Spanish, due to the abundance of American, Argentine and Chilean research bases) gradually became more prestigious, used and important than Yiyocthiv, which has experienced a steady decline, to the point of currently being down to one last living speaker, an elderly woman.
Due to close contact with researchers from all around the globe, Yiyocthiv borrowed a plethora of words from other languages before going nearly extinct. Spanish and English are the largest "contributors". In real life, Yiyocthiv grammar was heavily inspired by another conlang. Can you guess which one?

Phonology

Yiyocthiv has 19 consonants and 7 vowels. Yiyocthiv is unusual in it's lack of two very common phonemes: the consonant /l/ and the vowel /a/. Syllable structure is (C)(C)(C)V(C)(C).
Consonants

	Labial	Dental	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labial-velar
Nasal	m	n		ɲ (ny)	ŋ (ng)
Stop	p	t		c	k
Fricative	f	θ (th)	s	ç (hy)	x (h)
Approximant	ʋ (v)	ð̞ (d)	ɹ (r)	j (y)	ɰ (g)	w

• /ʋ/ and /ð̞/ can be syllabic
• After a pause, after a nasal consonant, and at the beginning of an utterance, all approximants are pronounced as voiced stops at the same place of articulation (except /w/, which becomes [gʋ]).

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i (i)		ɯ (g) u (u)
Mid	e̞ (é)	ə (e)	o̞ (ó)
Open	æ (a)		ɒ (o)

• The only possible diphtongs are those envolving the semivowels /j/, /ɰ/ and /w/. Otherwise, any two vowels written next to each other are always pronounced as a hiatus.

Syntax

Yiyocthiv is also infamous for its unusual word order, which earned it the nickname of "backwards talk" among antarctic researchers of various nations.

• object-subject-verb-oblique (OSVX) (verbal phrases)
• place-time-manner (adpositional phrases)
• relative clause-noun-adjective-number-genitive/demonstrative-postposition (noun phrases)
• adjective-adverb
• verb-adverb
• main verb-auxiliary verb

Grammar

Once you get used to the unusual word order, you'll notice that the Yiyocthiv grammar is surprisingly simple.
ARTICLES, NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
Along with pronouns, articles are the only word class to have separate singular and plural forms:

• Singular: oc (definite), ed (indefinite)
• Plural: ca (definite)

Nouns are invariable, except for the feminine form, which applies the suffix -ad. Adjectives are completely invariable. The plural indefinite article is unmarked, therefore any noun without an article is assumed to be indefinite plural, unless context indicates otherwise. Example: Kavayo a tungo (horse 1SG.NOM have.PRS) - I have horses
Note: Kavayo is a loanword from Spanish, while tungo is not. The similarity to spanish "tengo" is just a (rather amusing) coincidence.
PRONOUNS
Personal

	Nominative	Accusative	Genitive
1st Singular	a	tho	thod (singular), thoda (plural)
2nd Singular	ge	go	god (singular), goda (plural
3rd Singular	ac	oac, hyo (reflexive)	hyod (singular), hyoda (pluarl)
1st Plural	dihy	odihy	div (singular), diva (plural)
2nd Plural	pihy	opihy	piv (singular), piva (plural)
3rd plural	aca	oaca, hyoa (reflexive)	civ (singular), civa (plural)

Other

	Singular	Plural
Proximal demonstrative	hag	haga
Distal demonstrative	hug	huga
Relative/Interrogative	nyo	nyoa

VERBS
Yiyocthiv has no verbal agreement, as verbs are only inflected for Tense-Aspect-Mood. Verbs are incredibly regular, as linguists are yet to find a defective verb that doesn't follow the conjugation below

Conjugation	Suffix	Example	Translation
Infinitive	-od	ohyod	to be
Past tense/participle	-oh	ohyoh	was/were/been
Present tense	-o	ohyo	is/am/are
Future tense	-vua	ohyvua	will be
Conditional	-vuahy	ohyvuavy	would be
Imperative	-∅	ohy!	be!
Present participle	-udg	ohyudg	being

Much like in English, ohyod (to be) can be added to any transitive verb to form the passive, while tungod (to have) forms the perfect aspect. In both cases, these auxiliary verbs are the ones who express the TAM while the main verb is conjugated in the past participle.

Thanks for reading! Now please tell me your thoughts. Criticism is very welcome

Let me tell you how we got a LOT of customers by sending cold emails.
And how you can do this too.
Quick story
Our goal was to get B2B customers. The method was cold emails. But.. our bottleneck was that we didn’t know how.
We would send emails to businesses. They would all get 20-30% open rates. We’d make some changes on the title, the open rate would increase. We would engage with the leads multiple times a month. But … we still couldn’t get responses, prospects showed disinterest.
It was clear, we didn’t know HOW to send GOOD cold emails.
We were in this situation until we contacted a mentor that was referred to us.
He sold his B2B company for millions a couple of years ago. After multiple conversations about our issues, he was like "you guys have no idea how to send emails, do you?" And then started telling us a bunch of his secrets on cold emailing.
He talked about many things - the title, body, CTA, Personalization etc.
We were skeptical at first, and we didn’t implement a lot of stuff.
But... we started with only 1 piece of advice -> Fix the title of the email.
After adding “his magic” we suddenly got 60-70% open rates. Where before we were getting 20%-30%.
Because of that we were like "ok lets implement all of it, this might actually work". So we did that. Then.. prospects started signing up on our site, even before getting on a demo call!
We were finally getting positive responses on emails, booked demo calls, and started getting conversions.
In the end, I realized, your prospects don’t write back because they’re not interested and it's YOUR job to make them curious. If you don't know know it's because you lack the skill of writing GOOD cold emails. The Title, Body, CTA, all of this stuff matters.
And that’s what I wanna share with you today. The know-how.
So... Where do you go from here?
1. Warm-up your email
I couldn’t stress this enough.
Remember this: Each email has a reputation score.
Why warm it up?
If you just bought your domain, and start blasting 100s of emails, you’ll get in spam in no time. So… you have to warm it up with certain tools.
How does warming emails work?
Your tool will send dummy emails to a list of reputable email accounts (from your tools network), from which you get replies. Getting replies constantly will increase your email reputation score.
How do you warm your email?
There are many tools to do this, unfortunately I won't write them here, because it would be considered promoting.
It's a google search away.
2. Validate emails
Why?
IF you send emails and the emails don't exist → your email reputation score will decrease, getting you into spam.
How do you validate them?
We used debounce. But you can use others.
A good tool will tell you which emails are valid & which aren't.
2.1 Title
The best one for us that got the most open rates was “Quick question, [name]"
We also tried “[our company]<> [their company name]” which worked pretty well.
3. Your email body
3.1 Hook them
Why would they read? Is there any reason? - Good content isn’t the only thing you need.
Think of this way, when you watch a great youtube short, the first 5-6 seconds are always some sort of question — to which you’ll know the answer ONLY in the END of finishing the video.
You have to do that in your email copy too.
How?
Start with “let me share a few things with you, the questions that pop in their mind are: “What things?” “Who are you”?
3.2 Always start with a compliment
WHY? People love genuine compliments.
It must be genuine though. Research the person online. Find something online and give a short compliment of how something THEY made helped YOU.
This can be: “I liked the fact that in your “X”, it helped me when [i acquired dot.com in 2019])
Compliment them after you hook them
3.3 Email Body Tips
It has to be super short. 2-3 sentences, maximum. — People are busy, they won’t read your stuff, especially if on email
Use simple, clear words. The language should be 5th or 6th grader level. Check your text’s reader level on heming way app
Try not to use ADJECTIVES. They don’t add value.
IF you have to add adjectives, make it short. eg. “don’t say “it was very beautiful” when you can say “it’s gorgeous”
3. Personalization
What is this?
Personalization = the act or process of tailoring something to meet an individual's specifications, needs, or preferences.
So you need to make the individual FEEL that your email was made for them and their company. They need to FEEL like they get attention from you.
Why?
Imagine this:

• you get sent an email blast from some indians - saying “you have a great website, and we build apps. Let’s build an app, because we think your website is beautiful”
• Is this appealing to you? Would you reply to this?
• Of course not, this is why you have to personalize.
• A personalized email from the same indian would be

"Hello [name],
Let me share a few things with you.
First, I loved your twitter thread on [x], made me think of [y].
Second, I noticed that you hit 300k in traffic last month. And since you target [x customers], i think that [give personalized industry insight]
Seeing that your customers are happy and recommend others, I believe a mobile app is necessary, because you get [benefit]. I specialize in building apps for [prospect / user type]
In fact I’ve made a demo app for you, here’s how it looks like and here’s the [benefit of app]
[loom video URL]
Does this make sense? Let me know!
"
Now, Would you reply to this email if you watched the demo, it was something outstanding and it benefited your business?
Of course you would. This is why personalization is important.
How do you personalize?
Research the person online. Find something online and give a short personal insight.
How do you personalize with loom?
Make it 60-70 seconds long.

• show that it costed you something to do this video for them. Eg. it costs you time to build them that custom app demo. (people appreciate more when they see that it costs you something)
• Must answer the question "why would they use your product/service", "how do you add value to their company"
• Your prospect has to see happy customers in the loom
• People judge you on the free stuff/demo that you make. They think your PAID value will match your free value. This is why YOU have to make your free stuff ( your Loom vid) exceptional.

Now -- How do you get people to act on what your offer in your email body?
Answer: CTAs.
CTAs
This is the thing that most people forget, they’re like:
ok, so here’s your personalized video, and end with
“Best regards,
Joe Smith
Co-founder & Head of International affairs & absolute title-ego-driven person at xcompany
“
Here’s a disclaimer: No one cares about your title, they care about how you can add value to them.
If you want people to act add SCARCITY & URGENCY
eg. [because we are limited by time and can’t build 100 apps a day]
—Figure out a reason , use chatgpt, just come up with one.
What now?
Let’s review the conclusion
Conclusion
Rules:
-warm your email before sending your cold emails — try not send it from your main domain. (you might get flagged into spam if ure a beginner)
-title must be quick question, [name] (open rates went from 30% to 60%-70%)
-email body must 2-3 sentences max. Personalize it.
-Always start with a compliment + short personal insight
-Talk about them. not you.
-Send a loom of you analyzing their site/ how it could benefit with your product or service, and show a few happy customers.(how u helped them achieve the same thing + include CTA))
-Last part of email: Does this make sense? Let me know!

• use rule of 100: send 30-60 cold emails a day. U can use multiple domains (eg. if ur site softwarefreedeal(io) you can buy softwarefreedeal(org)) and send even more
• If you do this for 8 weeks, you’ll have customers inevitably

But.. if you start personalizing from day 1, you’ll get Engaged Leads in less than 2 weeks.
The question is...
Is this it? No, i’ll make more content on this subject.
But… now you have to apply this knowledge.
Knowledge applied becomes a skill. If you don’t apply it, you’ll go into analysis paralysis & keep struggling.
About
If you need help, you can use the email from our website or message me.
But.. I can help only a few people, since I don’t have a lot of time on my hands! + We'll be super busy since middle of may!
Tips
Build an online profile for your company. WHY?
Because I can guarantee that your prospect will google you, before they reply to you.
How many cold emails to send?
As many as you can, but make them personalized. Aim for 25/day. (if you have a team do 100/day)
Use rule of 100.
If you're not getting prospects from cold emails, use this rule ->
Did I send 100 emails yet? If the answer is no, you have to work to do. After 200 emails sent with the know-how from this post, you'll get positive replies.

Let me tell you how we got a LOT of customers by sending cold emails.
And how you can do this too.
Quick story
Our goal was to get B2B customers. The method was cold emails. But.. our bottleneck was that we didn’t know how.
We would send emails to businesses. They would all get 20-30% open rates. We’d make some changes on the title, the open rate would increase. We would engage with the leads multiple times a month. But … we still couldn’t get responses, prospects showed disinterest.
It was clear, we didn’t know HOW to send GOOD cold emails.
We were in this situation until we contacted a mentor that was referred to us.
He sold his B2B company for millions a couple of years ago. After multiple conversations about our issues, he was like "you guys have no idea how to send emails, do you?" And then started telling us a bunch of his secrets on cold emailing.
He talked about many things - the title, body, CTA, Personalization etc.
We were skeptical at first, and we didn’t implement a lot of stuff.
But... we started with only 1 piece of advice -> Fix the title of the email.
After adding “his magic” we suddenly got 60-70% open rates. Where before we were getting 20%-30%.
Because of that we were like "ok lets implement all of it, this might actually work". So we did that. Then.. prospects started signing up on our site, even before getting on a demo call!
We were finally getting positive responses on emails, booked demo calls, and started getting conversions.
In the end, I realized, your prospects don’t write back because they’re not interested and it's YOUR job to make them curious. If you don't know know it's because you lack the skill of writing GOOD cold emails. The Title, Body, CTA, all of this stuff matters.
And that’s what I wanna share with you today. The know-how.
So... Where do you go from here?
1. Warm-up your email
I couldn’t stress this enough.
Remember this: Each email has a reputation score.
Why warm it up?
If you just bought your domain, and start blasting 100s of emails, you’ll get in spam in no time. So… you have to warm it up with certain tools.
How does warming emails work?
Your tool will send dummy emails to a list of reputable email accounts (from your tools network), from which you get replies. Getting replies constantly will increase your email reputation score.
How do you warm your email?
There are many tools to do this, unfortunately I won't write them here, because it would be considered promoting.
It's a google search away.
2. Validate emails
Why?
IF you send emails and the emails don't exist → your email reputation score will decrease, getting you into spam.
How do you validate them?
We used debounce. But you can use others.
A good tool will tell you which emails are valid & which aren't.
2.1 Title
The best one for us that got the most open rates was “Quick question, [name]"
We also tried “[our company]<> [their company name]” which worked pretty well.
3. Your email body
3.1 Hook them
Why would they read? Is there any reason? - Good content isn’t the only thing you need.
Think of this way, when you watch a great youtube short, the first 5-6 seconds are always some sort of question — to which you’ll know the answer ONLY in the END of finishing the video.
You have to do that in your email copy too.
How?
Start with “let me share a few things with you, the questions that pop in their mind are: “What things?” “Who are you”?
3.2 Always start with a compliment
WHY? People love genuine compliments.
It must be genuine though. Research the person online. Find something online and give a short compliment of how something THEY made helped YOU.
This can be: “I liked the fact that in your “X”, it helped me when [i acquired dot.com in 2019])
Compliment them after you hook them
3.3 Email Body Tips
It has to be super short. 2-3 sentences, maximum. — People are busy, they won’t read your stuff, especially if on email
Use simple, clear words. The language should be 5th or 6th grader level. Check your text’s reader level on heming way app
Try not to use ADJECTIVES. They don’t add value.
IF you have to add adjectives, make it short. eg. “don’t say “it was very beautiful” when you can say “it’s gorgeous”
3. Personalization
What is this?
Personalization = the act or process of tailoring something to meet an individual's specifications, needs, or preferences.
So you need to make the individual FEEL that your email was made for them and their company. They need to FEEL like they get attention from you.
Why?
Imagine this:

• you get sent an email blast from some indians - saying “you have a great website, and we build apps. Let’s build an app, because we think your website is beautiful”
  
• Is this appealing to you? Would you reply to this?
  
• Of course not, this is why you have to personalize.
  
• A personalized email from the same indian would be
  

"Hello [name],
Let me share a few things with you.
First, I loved your twitter thread on [x], made me think of [y].
Second, I noticed that you hit 300k in traffic last month. And since you target [x customers], i think that [give personalized industry insight]
Seeing that your customers are happy and recommend others, I believe a mobile app is necessary, because you get [benefit]. I specialize in building apps for [prospect / user type]
In fact I’ve made a demo app for you, here’s how it looks like and here’s the [benefit of app]
[loom video URL]
Does this make sense? Let me know!
"
Now, Would you reply to this email if you watched the demo, it was something outstanding and it benefited your business?
Of course you would. This is why personalization is important.
How do you personalize?
Research the person online. Find something online and give a short personal insight.
How do you personalize with loom?
Make it 60-70 seconds long.

• show that it costed you something to do this video for them. Eg. it costs you time to build them that custom app demo. (people appreciate more when they see that it costs you something)
  
• Must answer the question "why would they use your product/service", "how do you add value to their company"
  
• Your prospect has to see happy customers in the loom
  
• People judge you on the free stuff/demo that you make. They think your PAID value will match your free value. This is why YOU have to make your free stuff ( your Loom vid) exceptional.
  

Now -- How do you get people to act on what your offer in your email body?
Answer: CTAs.
CTAs
This is the thing that most people forget, they’re like:
ok, so here’s your personalized video, and end with
“Best regards,
Joe Smith
Co-founder & Head of International affairs & absolute title-ego-driven person at xcompany
“
Here’s a disclaimer: No one cares about your title, they care about how you can add value to them.
If you want people to act add SCARCITY & URGENCY
eg. [because we are limited by time and can’t build 100 apps a day]
—Figure out a reason , use chatgpt, just come up with one.
What now?
Let’s review the conclusion
Conclusion
Rules:
-warm your email before sending your cold emails — try not send it from your main domain. (you might get flagged into spam if ure a beginner)
-title must be quick question, [name] (open rates went from 30% to 60%-70%)
-email body must 2-3 sentences max. Personalize it.
-Always start with a compliment + short personal insight
-Talk about them. not you.
-Send a loom of you analyzing their site/ how it could benefit with your product or service, and show a few happy customers.(how u helped them achieve the same thing + include CTA))
-Last part of email: Does this make sense? Let me know!

• use rule of 100: send 30-60 cold emails a day. U can use multiple domains (eg. if ur site softwarefreedeal(io) you can buy softwarefreedeal(org)) and send even more
  
• If you do this for 8 weeks, you’ll have customers inevitably
  

But.. if you start personalizing from day 1, you’ll get Engaged Leads in less than 2 weeks.
The question is...
Is this it? No, i’ll make more content on this subject.
But… now you have to apply this knowledge.
Knowledge applied becomes a skill. If you don’t apply it, you’ll go into analysis paralysis & keep struggling.
About
If you need help, you can use the email from our website or message me.
But.. I can help only a few people, since I don’t have a lot of time on my hands! + We'll be super busy since middle of may!
Tips
Build an online profile for your company. WHY?
Because I can guarantee that your prospect will google you, before they reply to you.
How many cold emails to send?
As many as you can, but make them personalized. Aim for 25/day. (if you have a team do 100/day)
Use rule of 100.
If you're not getting prospects from cold emails, use this rule ->
Did I send 100 emails yet? If the answer is no, you have to work to do. After 200 emails sent with the know-how from this post, you'll get positive replies.

Today we will look at Telugu’s delabialization. In modern Telugu many words have underwent voiced delabialization. In Linguistic science, labials are the consonants pronounced by the lips like ప్ and బ్. Voiced means it requires a stress to pronounce the sound, so ప్ is unvoiced, బ్ is voiced.
Here are a couple Telugu words that have underwent voiced delabialization:

1. తిమ్మ (healthy) <— తింబ
   
2. అమ్మ (mother) <— అంబ
   
3. అమ్ము (arrow) <— అంబు
   
4. తమ్మి (younger brother) <— తంబి
   
5. బంగారము (gold) <— బంగారంబు
   

Note: x <— y denotes x came from y.
This change occurred after the era of our three great Telugu poets.
Fun Fact:
Telugu people today use either the Sanskrit word “ఆరోగ్యం” or the Telugu word “ఒల్లు” for health. “ఒల్లు” means body, but is also used for health as a secondary meaning. However, Telugu has a native distinct word for health and healthy: తిమ్మన and తిమ్మ.
According to Telugu grammar, certain adjectives become nouns by suffixing them with -న such as తియ్య (sweet) —> తియ్యన (sweetness), తిక్క (mad) —> తిక్కన (madness), తిమ్మ (healthy) —> తిమ్మన (health).
Unfortunately, this word fell out of use probably around 500 years ago well after the time of poets Nannayya and Tikkana as far as I know. Let me know if your dialect still uses this native word!

1 THE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF THE OTAKU
Given the topic of this book we cannot avoid a detailed inquiry into the nature of the otaku. They are, after all, the largest consumers of the beautiful fighting girls. What are the otaku thinking? What do they want and how do they get it? Are we right to speak of a “psychopathology of the otaku”? Or is that a bogus question? Or rather, don’t we know the answer already?
Otaku are immature human beings who have grown up without being able to let go of infantile transitional objects such as anime and monsters. They avoid contact with reality for fear that it will harm them and instead take refuge in a world of fiction. They are afraid of adult relationships, particularly sexual relationships, and find sexual stimulation only in fictional constructs. In psychiatric terms they would be classified as “schizothymic.”
These are a few of the most common stereotypical assumptions about otaku. Of course, being stereotypes does not mean they are necessarily incorrect. They may be accurate but still meaningless. These sorts of interpretations inevitably miss what is truly of interest about the otaku community.
The otaku are a strange and unique community that has come into existence as a result of the interactions between the modern media environment and the adolescent psyche in Japan. To my knowledge, however, sufficient thought has yet to be given to the otaku as a community. In this chapter I consider, sometimes from the perspective of a psychiatrist, and sometimes not, the psychopathology of the otaku.
Of course, when I say the “psychopathology of the otaku,” this does not mean that being an otaku in and of itself is a pathological phenomenon. Like the “psychopathology of adolescence” or the “psychopathology of high-school girls,” it is a provisional designation for the particular psychic disposition that might be imagined to be prevalent in a given group. It is also a convenient way to avoid expressions like psychology or psychic structure. This may be difficult to understand, but to put it in the most rigorous terms possible, I would say that psychopathology as I am using it here refers to the intentionality of “that which mediates the subject.” The problem, in other words, has to do with media.
I do not think that being an otaku in and of itself is a form of sickness, nor do I consider myself an otaku (otaku is not a self-designation in any case). It is from this standpoint that I propose to speak about the psychopathology of the otaku. This involves giving equal consideration to the degree to which the otaku community is well adapted and the degree to which it exhibits pathologies.
First, I want to say a few things about the particular challenges involved in speaking about the otaku. Otaku culture is by all accounts still in a state of immaturity (if one can expect “maturity” from it in the first place). Because it is still coming into being, one runs into fundamental difficulties in trying to view it in its entirety. For this reason, we have only a limited number of ways to discuss it. One way is to establish oneself as an otaku and speak as a complete insider, which is to say in a strategically uncritical manner (this is the stance taken by Okada Toshio). Alternatively, one can choose to take oneself out of the equation altogether and face the otaku with an attitude of revulsion and rejection. These two approaches may seem quite at odds, but in fact they are both versions of self-love and often amount to confessions of otakuphilia. When speaking of the otaku, it is crucial to begin by recognizing that these are only two approaches currently available to us.
But I am trying for a third way. Namely, to become an “otaku of otaku,” that is, an otaku whose love is directed toward otaku culture itself. This is not far from the kind of position that Okada advocates, although he calls himself an otaku of special effects and figurines. As for myself, I suppose I am a fan of special effects and monsters, although I have left my passion for Godzilla behind. (Not because I grew out of it but because Godzilla has regressed). I do not find any moe in most beautiful girl anime. I could not live without manga, but I hardly ever watch anime because I cannot stand the images and voice-overs. Even Miyazaki Hayao’s anime come close to the limit of what I can stand in terms of anime images. Yet despite all that, I remain riveted by the activities of the otaku themselves. For better or for worse, since finishing graduate school, I have been fortunate enough to have several extremely serious otaku among my circle. From an outsider’s perspective I found their activities utterly fascinating. And while I was thrilled to be able to observe them from close-up, I cannot deny that I was also sometimes perplexed by what can only be called their immaturity as members of society. Despite this, I believe I was able to maintain friendly relations with them. They all happened to be psychiatrists, psychiatry being the profession with perhaps the highest proportion of otaku among its members. I spare the reader the details of the endless conversations among the members of a certain psychiatry department during the Evangelion boom of 1997.
So what kind of person am I? At the moment I don’t have a good answer to this question. Psychoanalysis is after all premised on the impossibility of self-analysis (which is why analysts must undergo analysis themselves during their training). So allow me to refrain from useless navel-gazing and describe the contours of this unique community from a psychiatrist’s perspective.
Otaku and Maniacs
Nos that have made clear the limitations, and even the absurdity in some cases, of trying to understand otaku in terms of personality type, we can nonetheless abstract a few characteristics of the otaku. An otaku is

• a person with a strong affinity for fictional contexts.
• a person who makes use of fictionalization as a way to “possess” the object of his or her love.
• a person who inhabits not just two but multiple orientations.
• a person capable of finding sexual objects in fiction itself.

Before I try to explain each of these in turn, there are a few points I need to clarify. First, I defer all value judgments about otaku. Problems of adaption such as “fleeing from reality,” “taking refuge in fiction,” and “lacking common sense” may seem easy to spot in otaku, but they are not essential aspects. When value judgments become mixed up in the description they only create more confusion. If my descriptions are to be of any use at all, it will be because they are free of value judgments.
When describing a given type, it is often easier to grasp if one compares it with another similar type. The closest type to the otaku is surely the maniac.
Although they are still often confused with each other, the otaku and the maniac are clearly different in subtle but important ways. If the two were in fact synonymous, there would be no point in theorizing the meaning for us today of the “psychopathology of the otaku.” This is because the maniac is a universal type, while the otaku is historically specific. Understood as a kind of fetishism, mania has a history that may stretch back to the beginning of civilization.
Even if there are many areas of overlap, let us begin by discussing the differences between the two. To state my conclusion partly at the outset, I believe that today’s otaku derive from a group of maniacs who have reacted to the changes in the media environment by a proliferating set of adaptions. Just as the marsupials on the Australian continent mimicked the specialization of the mammals as a whole, the otaku mimicked the specialization of the class of maniacs within the isolation of the media environment.
The difference between these two communities is made clear through the kinds of objects to which they become attached. The following is a provisional list of the types of object each group might choose:
Otaku Objects:

• Anime, video games (mostly so-called girl games), young adult novels, voice actor idols, special effects, C-class idols, fan magazines (dojinshi), yaoi (see note 19), fighting girls.

Potential Crossover Objects:

• Trains, personal computers, film, manga, B-class idols, science fiction, American comics, the occult, amateur radio, police dramas, plastic models, figurines.

Maniac Objects:

• Philately, bibliomania, audio, cameras, astronomy, birdwatching, insect collecting, all forms of music, and all other forms of collecting.

These classifications are based on my personal impressions rather than any empirical data. So there may well be many exceptions and disagreements. If I were asked whether collectors of “anime figurines” were otaku or maniacs, for example, I would be hard-pressed to come up with a satisfying answer. But I do still believe these classifications accurately reflect the tendencies of each group. And they provide the starting point for the discussion of the difference between the otaku and the maniac that follows.
What strikes us most about these objects is what I call the “difference in level of fictional context.” Here we might think of the “fictional” as an abstraction of reality on the basis of some sort of bias. Of course, it is more complicated than that, but let us assume it is the case for now.
On the basis of this assumption, then, we can rank objects according to “degree of fictionality.” Documentaries based on interviews and primary sources, for example, would have a low level of fictionality. Through techniques such as citation and parody, “fiction” itself can be limitlessly abstracted and further fictionalized. Thus metafiction can be understood as having a higher level of fictionality than fiction. To put it a different way, the more forms of media that mediate the original information, the higher the level of fictionality. This is what we call the “difference in the level of fictional context.”
The term context here, following the work of Gregory Bateson and Edward T. Hall, is used in the general sense of the term, as that which determines the meaning of a given stimulus. It is important to keep in mind here that we cannot assume a straightforward ratio whereby the higher the level of “fictional context” is, the higher the level of fictionality will be. I return to this point again later.
The term maniac referred originally to a kind of person who is obsessed with something that yields no practical advantage. But compared with the otaku, the objects of maniacs can look quite concrete (not practical perhaps, but concrete). Looking back at the list of objects, we can see that those preferred by maniacs, such as audio equipment, stamps, antiques, and insect collections, are certainly for amusement and serve no practical function. But compared with those of the otaku, the objects of the maniac do have a concrete materiality. By concrete materiality I mean simply that one can pick them up in one’s hands and that they can be measured.
Generally speaking, maniacs compete with each other in terms of how effectively their hobbies translate into materiality. Collectors pride themselves on the size of their collections. And of course, this involves speculations about their value and rarity. Audio maniacs want faithful playback of sound with as little noise as possible. For insect collectors, it is not enough merely to know about rare bugs; their reputations as collectors depend on actually owning specimens of them. The unspoken rule of a naive “orientation toward material objects” is still very much in force here.
Otaku are lacking in this orientation toward the material and the practical. They know that the objects of their attachment have no material reality, that their vast knowledge has no use for other people in the world, and that this useless knowledge may even (especially after the Miyazaki Tsutomu incident) be viewed with contempt and suspicion. And knowing all of that, they still enjoy the gam of performing for each other their passion. The expression, “having a strong affinity for fictional contexts” is meant to clarify this sort of difference.
I just used the expression “performing their passion,” which requires a bit more explanation. The passion of the otaku is more performative than that of the maniac. Otaku are in communication with other otaku through code of “passion.” They are certainly not cool or disinterested, but neither do they completely lose themselves when indulging in their passion. This sort of slightly “canted stance toward passion” is very closely related to the essence of the otaku’s “affinity for fictional constructs.” Later we will see how perfectly the expression “X-moe” describes this.
Of course, we should consider the possibility that this has to do with how otaku deal with the society around them. Most of the objects to which otaku find themselves attracted are “embarrassing” in one way or another. They can be very easily ridiculed for their infatuation with anime at an age when most people have moved on. As a defense against this, it is perhaps inevitable that they might want to give the appearance to others that they are “only pretending to be obsessed.”
If we were to borrow a Benjaminian metaphor for what I have said so far, we could say that maniacs are enchanted by the aura of the original object, while the otaku fashion an original aura for their (fictional) reproductions.
The Problem of Possession
The next characteristic of the otaku is the way they go about possessing the objects of their attachment. We know that they enjoy animation. And they like special effects. But unlike stamps or audio systems, these are hard to collect. The fact is, moreover, that not all otaku are collectors in the first place. One might assume that anime fans are all interested in collecting actual cels from their favorite shows, but in fact this is surprisingly rare. Of course, such otaku do exist in fairly significant numbers, but this is not a necessary qualification for otaku identity. Part of this has to do with the fact that cels are not necessarily the material object-form of an anime. This may sound paradoxical, but cels are actually more like a by-product of an anime and occupy the same position as spin-off merchandise. So even if you owned every cel of an anime, this would not mean that you owned the anime itself. So how do the otaku make their objects their own?
Simply put, they do so through fictionalization.
What otaku enjoy is not making fiction into material form. Nor, as is often claimed, do they derive enjoyment from confusing reality and fiction. Their goal is simply to take fictions that are out there and promote them to fictions that are theirs alone. It is no coincidence that otaku like parodies. It may be that cosplay (kosupure) and fan magazines are best understood as examples of this process of fictionalization. Popular anime always attract so-called SS (“short” or “side” story) writers, who borrow the setting and characters from these works, write novels and scenarios in different versions, and then upload them to online forums. What is the motivation behind this form of expression that does not earn them a penny? Is it self-promotion? A service to other fans? If it were just that, surely parody or criticism would be more effective. I believe that “SS” is precisely how otaku manage to possess these works. They let the work “possess” them, weave a different story out of the same materials, and share it with the community. This process is a kind of “ritual of possession” practiced within the otaku community.
Even if they are not that serious, otaku are generally critics. All otaku have something that should probably be called a critical drive, including even cases like Miyazaki Tsutome. In fact, a fan who has forgotten his or her critical perspective is not an otaku. Otaku feel compelled to talk endlessly about a work and its creator. Their talk does not stop at the work itself but also extends to include their own relationship to it. When otaku engage in critique, their passion also merges with their enthusiasm for possession through the creation of new fictions. To put it very dramatically, the only way that otaku have of acquiring the objects they love is by fictionalizing them and turning them into their own works. This inevitably leads to the creation of new fictional contexts.
It was not his extraordinary intelligence or the accuracy of his information that made possible Okada Toshio’s status as the Otaku King. More than anything it was his production of a legendary animated film called Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise (oritsu uchugun: Oneamisu no tsubasa, 1987) as a rank amateur. He was also involved in producing the masterpiece of the OVA, Gunbuster (Toppu o nerae!). The careful and deliberate way in which he marketed these anime drew from his own experiences as an otaku and was itself a brilliant form of critique. The otaku business is one of those rare fields in which superb critical acumen can translate directly into highly creative work. If Okada is respected among otaku, it is because of his astounding ability to create fictions. For otaku, the kind of accuracy of information required by maniacs is nice, but not essential. And the fact is that Okada sometimes gets things wrong because of his own preoccupations. But this is tolerated as an aspect of his idiosyncratic style. This is a context in which even a mistake can be forgivable as long as it provides interesting fodder for fictionalization.
What is Fiction?
The concept of fiction as I have been using it thus far is also probably in need of some elucidation. As I mentioned earlier, a high level of fictional context does not necessarily imply a high level of fictionality. One can easily imagine a paradoxical situation in which an autobiography overflowing with empty rhetorical flourishes might seem less realistic than a piece of honest metafiction. But the problem is more complex even than that. It may be, for example, that the rhetorical flourishes of that autobiography actually say something very real about the desires of its author.
There is really no objective set of standards to measure the fictionality of a given work. This is why I have introduced the neutral concept of the “fictional context.” As I explained earlier, this is an “imaginary concept” determined by the number of forms of media necessary to mediate the creation of a work. I insist on the term imaginary for the following reason. We are not actually able to count the number of types of media involved. Only the recipient has the right to determine what is citation and what is parody. If a given citation is to be interpreted as the original, the fictional context for the recipient will be low. This involvement of the receiver’s subjective viewpoint makes things even more complicated.
Of course, it is easy to understand fictionality as long as one does not insist on too much rigor in the definition. One could simply say something along the lines of “What seems like a lie is fiction and what seems real is the thing itself.” Faced with such a clear statement, the rigorous examination of fictionality seems like a meaningless detour. But is it really? Let’s take a closer look. The statement “what seems like a lie is fiction and what seems real is the thing itself” is nothing more than a tautology. It is true enough, but it means nothing.
The discussion gets confusing because of the intervention of the adjective “real” (riaru). “Fictional” and “Real” are not opposites. If they were, an expression like “Real fiction” (riaru na kyoko) would be meaningless. Instead, it is fiction and reality that are opposites, which leaves us with the problem of how to define reality.
What is reality? A raw, unmediated experience? Is that what reality is? Since the Aum Shinrikyo incident this kind of simplistic equation no longer holds. Raw, real experiences are the most deceptive of all . The mystical experiences and altered states of consciousness that Aum members experienced during their training have made us all too aware of the fundamental fallacy in the idea that “actual experiences” equal reality. So we ask again: What is reality?
Indeed, it should go without saying that reality is itself a form of fiction. At least the word reality as we use it in general refers to the fiction that is “the everyday world we live in.” It is the fiction that is shared most widely. Some people might attach conditions to their belief in it, but our degree of adaption to society is judged according to whether or not we have accepted it. In this sense it is perhaps the most powerful of all fictions.
Psychoanalysis teaches us that we can never touch reality in its raw form. “Reality” is another name for the impossible, at least for Lacan. Let us review Lacan’s triad: the Real, the Symbolic, the Imaginary. These constitute a topological division of the human psyche, where, in my understanding, the emphasis falls on how people experience things. The Real, as I just mentioned, is “the realm of the impossible”: a paradoxical realm that exists because it is impossible to experience. The Symbolic is for the most part synonymous with the system of language. It is external to the subject and referred to as the “Other.” That language is other to us means that it is a transcendental entity positioned outside the subject. When we speak we experience its existence, but we cannot be completely conscious of that experience itself. The Imaginary is the realm of images and representations, and also of narcissism, since it is located inside the subject (*14). It is here that “meaning” and “experiences” are possible.
What does it mean for us to experience “fiction”? Experience, we have seen, becomes possible in the Imaginary. Whenever we have a conscious experience of anything, that experience happens in the Imaginary. In this sense there can be no essential distinction between “everyday reality” and “fiction.” (*15)
But, needless to say, that would be a mistake. It is a misreading of Lacan to suggest that one can grasp the Symbolic through the Imaginary. But this misreading is everywhere. Hiroki Azuma, for example, has claimed that in today’s society “the Symbolic stopped functioning.” He points to the deterioration of popular song lyrics as an example.
This is an interesting argument in itself, but it is based on the same misunderstanding.
Lacan’s tripartite model would be just a tool for meaningless speculation if we did not accept its universality. And psychoanalysis would be impossible without the assumption that we are and always will be “neurotics” from the moment that we attain language. And as long as we are neurotics, this tripartite division of the world, or at least the topological relations among its parts, will hold.
Let me make my own position clear. From this point on I will keep the focus on the interactions between media and the Imaginary, and I will not postulate any transformations or shifts in the Symbolic or the Real. This means that otaku can be discussed only in imaginary terms. In other words, we can postulate no structural difference between the non-otaku subject and the otaku subject, because both are neurotics and both stand in the same relation to the Symbolic. Therefore we can now reject completely the claim made by Osawa quoted above. Similarly, it is impossible to identify anything psychoanalytically unique about the otaku as a community. In fact, it is not uncommon to find certain pathologies among those who insist on the uniqueness of the otaku. I have abandoned the attempt to speak of the psychopathology of the otaku in structural terms. Instead, I will stick with descriptions on the level of the Imaginary. This is unavoidable as long as psychoanalysis is my primary method.
I never answered the question I posed earlier: How is it that we experience “everyday reality”? Distinguishing it from fiction is always a function of the Imaginary. In concrete terms, this has to do with our image of the degree to which experiences are mediated. Fiction can arise only out of the consciousness - and not the “fact” - that is experience is a mediated one(*17).
Thus the media have no other function vis-a-vis experience than to provide this kind of consciousness of being mediated. Or to put it the other way around, “everyday reality” is nothing more than a set of experiences that emerge from a consciousness of not being mediated. This difference between a consciousness of being and not being mediated, moreover, is only an imaginary one. Let me emphasize this once more. For us neurotics “everyday reality” has no essential privilege. This is also evident from the fact that patients suffering from dissociative disorder (a neurotic pathology) experience everyday reality as if it were fiction(*18).
[*14. The distinction I am making here between the inside and the outside of the subject is a provisional one meant only to aid the reader’s understanding. In strict psychoanalytic terms the distinction would be untenable.
*15. When I use the word “reality” in this book without any further specification I am referring to this kind of imaginary or everyday reality. When I mean reality in the psychoanalytic sense - that material realm that is impossible for us to experience - I use Lacan’s term “the Real,” with a capital “R.” That said, I have little occasion from here on to use the latter term. The focus in this book is on the relationship between the Imaginary and the Symbolic. Fighting girls are the product of neurotic desire and have nothing to do with psychosis, which of course makes it impossible to postulate the incursion of the Real when describing them. I am including this proviso because I realize that my earlier statement that “Reality is a form of fiction” might be misunderstood as a profession of belief in metaphysics or idealism.
*17. There are “media” (baikai) everywhere, starting with television, film, manga, and the Internet. And of course there are also more individualized media like the telephone, letters, and email. But these are not all. All relations with other people in daily life rely on some sort of media. This kind of media might be called “role consciousness.” Thus every individual takes on multiple interpersonal situations. For example, when I interview a patient as a psychiatrist, that experience is mediated by “doctor-role consciousness.” As a result, the treatment relation becomes fictionalized in a way. This provides a defense against the interview experience exercising too great an influence on the doctor’s daily life.
*18. Symptoms of dissociative illness cause people to complain of pain because of losing the sense of reality with regard to self and the external world, feeling that they are no longer themselves, or feeling that other people and landscapes are somehow unreal, as if seen through a membrane. These are seen often in cases of neurosis, depression, and schizophrenia. While in recent years it has been used to refer to cases in which patients feel as if another self is watching their body and movements from the outside, I use the term here in the former meaning.]
Otaku and Fiction
People who have an otaku mentality, with a high affinity for fiction, are likely to have a latent discomfort with reality whether or not they have actually been able to adapt to it. But this is not a serious issue; for them, it is more on the scale of, “Everyday reality is a drag!” At the very least we can say that this refusal to adapt does not lead in any simple way to the flight from reality and thence to refuge in a fictional world.
Hard-core otaku have their own unique stance toward fiction and are able to enjoy anime, for example, on multiple levels. To put this in the terms I used earlier, they are able to switch freely between levels of fictional context. As I mentioned earlier, they see reality as a kind of fiction. Since this means they do not necessarily privilege reality, it can easily be mistaken for an avoidance of reality. So while otaku do not in any way “confuse fiction with reality,” they are uninterested in setting fiction and reality up against each other. If anything they are able to find reality (riariti <lol>) equally in both fiction and reality (genjitsu).
In fact, otaku discover a multilayered reality (riariti) even in the fictionality of fiction. They see and enjoy reality (riariti) in terms of every standard by which fiction can be judged, including not just the quality of anime characters but also the script and character design, visual direction, marketing, criticism, and particular points of appreciation. This is the otaku’s special ability . When this is developed sufficiently, it becomes the three abilities that Okada describes as the “eye of the aesthete,” the “eye of the master,” and the “eye of the connoisseur.” Otaku do not just command a great deal of information, they must also be able to identify instantaneously these different standards of fictionality and shift to the appropriate level on which to appreciate them. This means not just falling in love and losing oneself in the world of a single work, but somehow staying sober while still indulging one’s feverish enthusiasm .
Total immersion in the world of the work on the object level has nothing to do with the essence of the otaku. Stephen King’s novel Misery, which was also made into a film, depicts a fan like this. She is in love with a certain series of novels and cannot tolerate its ending in a way that she does not like. So she makes the author a prisoner in her home and threatens him so that he will write the ending she wants. If such a woman actually existed, I would be happy to award her with the prize for confusing fiction and reality. But otaku try to stay as far away as possible from this kind of violence and crazed enthusiasm.
What would an otaku do if a story he liked ended badly? In fact, we have an excellent example of just such a case. Neon Genesis Evangelion (Sin seiki Evangerion), which I discuss in more detail later, created a whole social phenomenon as a result of its ending. Until the last half of the series it was a giant robot anime of unprecedented sophistication. But the problem came with the last episode, when the protagonist suddenly started to talk at great length about his own inner strugglers, leading to an ending in which he experienced inner salvation. Most of the fans were furious with this ending.
But did they criticize the creator Anno Hideaki directly? Of course, there were many who did. But at the same time huge numbers of fans began to write their own “eva” stories. And this was certainly the proper otaku response. They did not see the author as absolute. They were not just fans, but connoisseurs, critics, and authors themselves. This blurring of the distinction between producer and consumer is another characteristic of the otaku. In that sense, if we limit the discussion to how they relate to fiction, Osawa’s point is right after all. For otaku the place that is supposed to be taken by the transcendent author is extremely close to his or her own internal other.
The Psychopathology of the Otaku
Of course, the otaku do exist in reality, and it is important to recognize that. The Comic Market, which I mentioned earlier, for example, is a space in which the logic of the otaku predominates over “everyday reality.” But one cannot say it is not reality. It is a world in which fan magazines produced by serious otaku can generate revenues in the millions of yen. It is, in other words, a space in which the ability to produce enjoyable fictions is privileged above all else. And there we see on display only a small portion of the otaku’s ability to modify reality. Their ability to see reality as a kind of fiction is certainly a strength. The elite of the otaku are capable of changing reality to fit their tastes, just as Bill Gates and Michael Jackson did.
But while multiple orientation has the advantage of allowing people to shift perspectives flexibly, it also has a sort of pathological limitation. The more accurately the otaku shifts from one perspective to another, the more the framework of the experience as a whole cannot help but shift toward the fictional. And when multiple orientations are given equal weight, we lose the singularity that is the essential quality of reality. This is probably why otaku often complain of dissociative episodes and seem lost in the ordinary world. Thus multiple orientation can sometimes be viewed as an escape from reality. Yet even the expression “escape from reality” may be only a provisional one.
What provides the impetus for people to become otaku? To an outside observer it may appear to be caused by an episode of adaptational failure of some sort. But is it not possible for someone to become an otaku without that sort of trauma? Could it be that the more fundamental cause that makes people into otaku is to be found in the excessive immersion in the multiple orientations that we have been discussing? If so, why is it that otaku engage in this kind of immersion?
<…>
“The destining of revealing is in itself not just any danger, but danger as such.” from The Question Concerning Technology by Martin Heidegger.
For the great Persian scholar Avicenna, sensory phantasms were processed through five virtues or powers corresponding to five cavities in the cranium; phantasy or common sense, imagination, cogitative virtue, the estimative virtue, and finally the reminiscent virtue. According to Georgio Agamben in his work Stanzas: Word and Phantasm in Western Culture, Avicenna conceives of this gradation through the inner senses as a "progressive 'disrobing' (denudatio) of the phantasm from its material accidents."
<..>
I believe that this is where sexuality comes to have a very close relationship to all of this. We must recognize the fictionality and multilayered quality of sexuality. When people are sexually excited by the image of a woman in an anime, they may be taken aback at first, but they are already infected by the otaku bug. This is the crucial dividing point. How is it possible for a drawing of a woman to become a sexual object?
“What is it about this impossible object, this woman that I cannot even touch, that could possibly attract me?” This sort of question reverberates in the back of the otaku’s mind. A kind of analytic perspective on his or her own sexuality yields not an answer to this question but a determination of the fictionality and the communal nature of sex itself. “Sex” is broken down within the framework of fiction and then put back together again. In this respect one could say that the otaku undergoes hystericization: the otaku’s acts of narrative take the form of eternally unanswerable questions posed toward his or her own sexuality. And the narratives of hysterics cannot help but induce from us all manner of interpretations. This is of course what has led me to the present analysis.

The early deadline is May 22 for CBS EMBA Friday/Saturday – followed by the final deadline two weeks later on June 5. If you are just starting now – and especially if you still need to sort out your test score – do prioritize application quality over tossing something together to meet the earlier deadline. Otherwise, you are just accelerating the process of being dinged.
The EMBA program kind of operates like a PT program at CBS. There really isn’t any stated work experience minimum, which is UNIQUE. One of my clients got in at the age of 25 (he did have people management experience – however had just finished his online BA a month before applying!)
So, if you have the support of your employer, progression at work and a solid test score (or at least some evidence of quant skill) don’t let age or years of work experience keep you from applying.
APPLICATION TIPS
~Extracurricular activities~ – if this is a strength of yours, lucky you, they have 3 boxes for college and 3 boxes for post-college AND an unlimited text box to talk about your hobbies. This is unlimited for a reason – it’s more fun to be around people who are interested in a variety of different things. Rather than list your hobbies, also discuss how they have shaped you and why they are meaningful to you. If you have stuff to talk about here, this can be a game changer for overrepresented applicants.
~Short Answer Question~
~What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)~
Have a tight focus with regards to industry, role and geography. When you have those specifics down, you have enough information to take concrete actions that lead to a good outcome post-MBA. This is important as CBS is the only EMBA I know of that allows on-campus recruitment (OCR). They do look at your ROI equation and want you to feel it was worth it when you’re slogging through those loans or reflecting on the time spent.
~Essay 1~
Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words)
The goals need to make sense given the program format. They do offer OCR – but last I checked, not summer internships so if you state IB, where you need an internship, this would be a bit of a red flag. Like other EMBA programs, the goal of progression within your same company or industry is ideal. Hopefully, what you learn at CBS you can “apply on Monday” and progress faster. Having an altruistic-oriented long-term goal is a bonus if it makes sense with the rest of your narrative.
~What they are looking for:~ does this person have the right background for their near-term goals? How logical does this person seem? Does this person have realistic expectations of the program? Can we help this person? If this person spoke about their goals to a recruiting company, would they reflect well on CBS or not? How good is the fit between their goals and what separates CBS – if we picked this person would they likely enroll (yield protect.) Clubs, OCR, block classes, NYC-based Executives in Residence, and a need for a NYC-based program are all good differentiators.
~Essay 2~
Please describe a professional situation where you faced a particular challenge. What was the outcome and what did you learn from the experience about your own strengths and personal development needs? (500 words maximum)
Replace the word “strengths” for “skills” and if it’s a work example, this question is very similar to the “behavioral” question for the Kellogg EMBA application and could likely be repurposed with some modification.
I would recommend that you first list all the problems that you have solved at work within the past 3 years. If you are coming up blank, think about how your activities have generated value at work. Then rank each in terms of the result achieved or importance of the problem solved.
You absolutely must coordinate with your recommender on which stories they will tell so you don’t repeat one of those here.
Now we get to the skills part. You might want to Google “list of managerial skills” to draw inspiration and further brainstorm. Conflict resolution, strategic thinking, adaptability etc.
Regarding execution, STAR or CAR for sure. STAR is situation/task/action/result, but I reframe this as problem/goal/action/result.
~Situation/Problem~: you want to pick something that is not massively technical; it can be conveyed in few enough words to leave room for parts that help them get to know you. Do not cover a whole project – the essay will sound like a white paper. Rather, pick a specific obstacle within that project or a certain aspect of it.
~Task~: the goal – which is basically the opposite of the problem. This is not a work project type task. Sometimes the task can be something like becoming a more active listener.
~Action~: this shows them how your mind works. Given the task (goal) what path did you pursue? You want to SHOW DON’T TELL and each strength needs some storytelling. It’s OK to focus on just 1 or 2 things. Deep not wide wins every time.
~Result~: it’s nice when you can quantify the result – by a lot – but anecdotal results are passable in a pinch. Don’t chuck out a story that shows passion and purpose because there is no dashboard of metrics attached. One example might be illustrating how you turned around a gossipy work environment and through this, everyone had better morale and therefore X good thing became possible or happened.
The pressure test here is that they come away with a sense of how you lead, what your role might be in your study group, what makes you “you” in the workplace, the kind of problems you are known for solving. Help them get to know you above all things. Speak plainly, directly and succinctly.
~Optional Essay~
Is there something else you feel would be helpful for the Admissions Committee to know? An optional third essay will allow you to discuss any topics that do not fall within the purview of the required essays. These might include, but are not limited to:
• Adverse circumstances in your background
• An exciting side venture in which you are working
• Areas of concern in your academic record
• Or just a fun fact!
This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (500 words maximum)
Quite innovative - CBS has merged the getting-to-know-you book or movie essay with the optional essay. So, if you need to expand upon why your academic record is less than stellar, you can do that, but if not, it’s space to park almost anything else you haven’t included in the online application.
Expanding upon a leadership experience or passion project is great. Keep in mind they are looking for people who are what I call a social value-add – others enjoy the program more because of you. This is the only “personal” essay so I really urge you to use the opportunity.
Note: don’t avoid this essay because you think you are whining and making excuses for yourself. It’s a great opportunity to help adcom get to know you as a person, and the challenges that have shaped who you are. The more they understand you on a personal level the more they grow attached to you, campaign for you and the better your odds.
~Recommendation~
Take this seriously. For each question you want to have a claim – pointing to your USP – and then tell a detailed but accessible story to back up said claim. Recommendations are always important, but especially for EMBA because they want to know how others experience you (consider: you are the product they are selling to others). Also, it’s a way for CBS to gauge the kind of classroom contributions you would make. This is important for the EMBA where ideally students learn as much or more from each other as they do the professor.
Select your recommender based on the stories they can share – they are ideally an eyewitness to you solving problems, leading and being a strong team player. Prioritize this over title or status. Brainstorm with your recommender; coach and guide them. Choose a story together for each question. Have transparency over this part of the application. If they make statements that conflict with other parts of the application, you will be seen as too risky and likely be dinged.
~Common pitfalls~: recommender overly reliant on ChatGPT, pulls from review file without modifying, doesn’t answer the question squarely, doesn’t answer both the questions, doesn’t do any storytelling. Cramming and jamming a bunch of superficial stuff in there but nothing gets developed, the reader has no traction and so it has no impact. Uses industry jargon and acronyms, which prevents the reader from understanding anything. Use of conceptual superlatives and adjectives but nothing the reader can “see” or absorb.
Good luck to all!

Me(35F) and husband(35M) have 4 kids ages 12F, 10F, 7F, and 5M. I(35F) am one of 6 kids (I will label all my siblings #1 to #6) between my Mom and Dad, who are divorced and both remarried. This is about my Dad and Step mom who we are currently no contact/very low contact. I am feeling split about reconciliation and I want outside perspective.
This started at Christmas( December) 2022.
Names changed for privacy, and throw away account for same.
Step Mom message to group chat:
On #5 behalf, she and twin #6 had committed to do Christmas today which is probably why she couldn’t join you for brunch.
Plus she got tricked into visiting ( mom's side, other drama not needed for context here) last time she was here. Really your mother might miss # 5 today but she has 8 grandchildren there.
Furthermore, (mom) will always have grandkids. They won't be taught to treat her like a leper because she is part of your church. Have you ever paused to think about how Dad and I feel when we’re “allowed” to be around you. Think about it. Seriously.”
Sibling #1
(Step-Mom), this really hurts me very badly that you feel like we "allow" you to be around our kids. I think I'm going to need some time to process this.
I don't know what happened today exactly, but I do know that I messaged Katie privately and that you don't know all the ways that we support each other. We also all have our own relationships with our mother that we are navigating and to assume that we give her full immunity at all times is very, completely false.
I do appreciate your support of Sibling #5. I know you love and care about her very much. I didn't know you felt this way about a few things.
Step- Mom:
You have raised some good points.
It's impossible to prove what I'm talking about.
Maybe I'm nuts. But your Dad, and others, have seen it.
Sibling #1 ( lives out of state)
I'm definitely not down there, so I don't see everything.
So I guess I'm only speaking from my point of view.
And I did react and respond a little too quickly. Carrie has messaged me and we are having a really good conversation.
Sibling #5
I'm sorry you had a distressing experience today.
Step Mom:
You are such a wonderful person, #1. So is your hubby and children.
OP and husband are fun and such awesome parents
And #4 and spouse. Oh my gosh, you two are adorable. Their kiddos are growing up and showing such beautiful, and, erm, rascally personalities. So strong, too. Physically and mentally.
#6 offered excellent advice to me. Well, insight, really. So thank you again
Thank you guys for an awesome gift
So in a private I said a very short "you hurt me really bad and you really didn't need to comment about things you didn't know about, especially when its about my mom', and she responded saying "if she did “irreversible damage then (she) will grovel until (I) come around, take your time , we love you” already just expecting me to forgive her she just need to grovel and wait long enough, which to be fair has always happened in the past.
I responded with a private message:
That was a lot yesterday and I'm still hurting so I'm not going to reply much right now but I did want to say something and I really hope it's not to much but I really think its important.
Each of us kids have our own unique relationship with each other and with you together and separately. I love you but please stop trying to manage our relationships. You really don't know what's going on with my relationship with ( Mom) and (Step Dad) any more that you know of what Sibling #2 and my relationship or # 4 and and me etc., or # 5 and ( Mom) The opposite is true as well that I don’t want # 6 and #5 trying to manage my relationship with either you or Dad. And I certainly don’t let ( mom) and (Step dad) reprimand me for any aspect of my relationship with you or my siblings. Again I really love you both and we all have some growing up to do but I love that we can all grow together and learn together and have the awesome family we do.
Step mom Private message to me :
Wow. Managing relationships? You accuse me of managing your relationship because I reminded you guys that #5 already had plans with #6? Plus #5 said M( our half brother from Mom and Step dad) tricked her into having gumbo with them last time she was here for thanksgiving
I obviously should have kept my mouth shut.
Step Mom immediately posts to the GROUP CHAT
Hi again. YES I know I'm an idiot. I'm deeply sorry for yesterday. There is no joy in my life knowing I have angered some of you.
Please know that the love I have for you kids, and your kids, or kittens, is genuine. Today has been painful, knowing that some of you are still terribly angry at me. Makes me wonder if you guys will ever relinquish your angst.
The note from yesterday was not meant to be me "managing" your relationships. My comment about your Mom was sincere. I have always thought she was 100 x more lucky than me and Dad when it comes to seeing you guys because she is your Mom. And because she is well the church. Until last night I thought that made a difference. But it has been explained to me that the church has nothing to do with who you spend time with. My apologies for that confusion, things are clear now.
I swear I didn't mean to cause trouble.
Sister #5 was at my house yesterday morning and she was very stressed out. It made me sad to see her that way and as the day went on I decided to speak out. Obviously she didn't ask me to do that. Because she had been tricked into going over there last month during Thanksgiving there was something inside me which made me speak out yesterday
But I promise you, all of you, I wasn't trying to manage relationships. I really have no clue what that even means, nor how it became an issue.
Why I added the whiny bit about your Mom getting to see the kids more than me is shameful and I know it. I apologize. Sincerely. Whole heartedly.
#6
Our lives and relationships with each other has been long, winding and complex -- and will continue to be so
As we move forward, we'll keep making mistakes, BUT I hope we also make the effort to communicate, rectify and grow
(As I hope I see this time going as well)
#5
Complex is certainly what we all are.
And I want to say thanks to (step mom) for being protective-there are many times I just wave things off and say I’m ok when I’m actually not fine to avoid conflict. And for everyone being willing to listen- even if the conversations are uncomfortable or I may have been curt and short.
Step Mom:
You guys really break my heart
And no, I'm not in Galveston because there is no joy in my heart.
Knowing I'm at the Salem witch trials is hard
#1
I've been lazy and am just getting out of bed, but... Happy Birthday Carrie. We're going through a rough moment here, but I have Hope that we'll work through it. Sometimes hard things end up being very good things in the end.
My PRIVATE MESSAGE to Step Mom is Heated because she brought my private words to the group chat to try and pressure me to forgive her and have the other siblings pressure me to let it go like everyone else has but I just wasn’t going to this time. This is where I might be the AH.
OP:
Yeah you should have let #5 speak for herself, let #5 be a grown a** adult and communicate and not have you tell the rest of us what she is feeling. If she wanted us to know the she needs to be the one to do it and she WAS! She was text me(#3) and #4 about the situation separately and you decided to get in the middle and SPEAK FOR HER TO SIBLINGS Who WERENT EVEN INVOLVED. and that YOU weren't involved in either.
My mom and step dad don't speak for me or my siblings between us. Dad and you don't speak for us between siblings especially about things you have only heard one side about! You had no right and you are very much in the wrong to have tried to reprimand all of us siblings because you got hot headed over a situation you were not part of. So yeah stop trying to manage and just let #5 talk to you about things that upset her, I don't care if she does but you are not responsible to act on behalf of a 29 year old human being with thoughts, feelings and consequences of her own.
BACK TO Group Message
Dad:
I want to tell step-mom, "Happy Birthday", but I cannot.
To start with, I know I make mistakes. We all do. That's a given for all humans.
But, here's the deal:(Step-mom) will defend you against any perceived wrong or bullying.
Yes, bullying.
Coercive manipulation, emotional or otherwise, is one of the many reasons I chose the course I am now on.
Now, I know that (Step mom) makes mistakes,
I make mistakes,
#1 makes mistakes,
#2 makes mistakes,
#3 makes mistakes,
#4 makes mistakes,
#5 makes mistakes,
#6 makes mistakes.
None of us get a free pass.
WE ARE ALL GUILLTY OF HURTING SOMEBODY SOMETIMES!!!!
SO STOP THE EMOTIONAL BS!!!!
NOW!!!
(Step-mom) went on the defense for someone because she has always, always, always defended those who she believes are in need.
You don't need to ask for that defense because she's very much aware of how a bully makes you afraid of repercussions.
Consider the Russian attach on Ukraine.
In that conflict, the aggressor now complains that others "are getting involved when they should let us work it out ourselves"
This is complete Bull Shit.
OP (#3 just fyi), guess what? If you were being treated unfairly, what do you think (step-mom) would do?
SHE WOULD BE DEFENDING YOU. Even now, even today, even to the death, if that was necessary.
So, everybody.
Take a huge breath.
Step back and stand down.
And remember this: If you even appear, in her eyes, to be causing someone else some pain, she will always jump in and face you down.
You should always expect that, be it will always happen.
This is who she is.
And, if you were actually respectful of the others and they unfairly mis-informed her, guess what?
She will turn on them with a vengeance.
Step-Mom is all about being fair, and she will always, always, always come to your defense, even if things between are not "happy", she will do it just because you are family and that's what we do.
It's just one of the many, many reasons that I love Carrie.
All of this causing me a lot of grief right now. So much so that I can't even wish her a "Happy Birthday"; the words will fall flat.
Just remember, we are all guilty of hurting others (and this tirade may be one of mine, but that's on me), so just stop the judgements.
Please help me share this one important day with a woman who would take a bullet for anyone of you.
Today, I just want to be able to tell her "Happy Birthday", and let it ring true.
#6
If I may be so bold as to share this general infographic?
https://www.ucdenver.edu/docs/librariesprovider7/lunch-and-learn-fliers/intention-vs-impact-parts-1-and-2-handout-2020.pdf?sfvrsn=adeca0b9\_2
I think we could all benefit on stepping back, taking a breather, a little introspection, and revisit to resolve later?www.ucdenver.edu In the meantime, I do hope you find the heart to enjoy the beautiful weather @Carrie, you deserve the sunshine
So we let everything be and I had no intention of messaging again until after the new year, that is until Step Mom decided to text my husband privately. Which is very unusually and she only does if I am unreachable and only about needed information never a casual conversation. It is also about my now 10F child show was diagnosed dyslexic when she was 7-8 years old ( 2nd grade) and so this message is over a year after her original diagnosis.
Step-Mom to Husband of OP private message:
Please please please take this into consideration, and I beg you to keep this to yourself until you have had a chance to further evaluate this.
(10F daughter) has a genius level intellect which is being wasted. It is heartbreaking to see her held back and labeled dyslexic.
I beg you to evaluate her yourself. Yes yes the school slapped a label on her. That doesn’t mean you have to believe it. Please sit down with her and ask her to read a page from a book beyond her years. I've done that. You will be shocked.
Please note: this is the only time in my life that I have butted into your child raising. It's our philosophy to stay out of the way. In this case I must ask forgiveness as I beg you to evaluate ( 10F).
Then I sent this to the Group Chat
Sorry everyone for whatever aftermath this will cause but I'm going to set a personal boundary with Dad and (Step mom) and I'm doing this publicly because this is where they want to do it.
Here is the original two messages they are so mad about
(screenshots of our private messages above)
(screenshots of text messages to husband of OP above)
I just want to say very publicly that I am angry and not at all sorry about what I said because she has once again proved that she can't and won't stay out of relationships and situations she isn't part of.
Since this isn't the first time she has lashed out at us for things we haven't done, by her own actions and not words, I can see she has no desire to accept that what she did hurts . It is going to take more than half hearted apologies and flattery for me to forgive this time.
To Dad and (Step Mom): I will be taking a one month break from all communication from both of you.
I love you both but you have hurt me and now my family.
Step Mom (group message):
(OP). Really?
#6:
I thought we all agreed yesterday to back off and cool down. Even (Dad) before he removed his own comment.
Why then are you continuing to hound?
(Step-mom), you roped in the grandkids, KIDS into a situation that had nothing to do with them
I personally find that crossing a very hard line
Dad:
Deleted comment was an accident click on the snow icon, which would have incorrectly indicated happiness. Be care of yourself accusations.
#5
This is not about standing up for me anymore.
#6
Right it's still there, my apologies.
#5
Grandkids and spouses should not have been a part of this. I’m not ok with anyone pulling in those that are not directly connected
Dad:
This was Carrie making suggestions to a parent about their child - it's ip to them to consider it. It's not "hounding". It's not getting between anyone. It was trying to get a message through one way or the other. Knock it off, everyone.
#6
At the heels of this current argument it IS incredible inappropriate timing
#2 (who doesn’t usually get involved in things)
So, I have been largely silent in all of this, besides some reactions here and there, because I didn't deem myself largely involved.
But I can't any longer.
I have been closely observing all of this, from many angles, and I can easily say this:
My sisters have been logical, calm, and clear. Emotional, yes, but not once have they let it rule them. All reactions I have seen are justified.
All of the older generation, on the other hand, has been illogical, holier-than-thou, and manipulative.
Even now, you call out for careful accusations, Dad? Carrie's wild accusations are what started this!
I am normally proud of Dad and Carrie, but right now I am ashamed. You are hurting all of us, and then blaming us.
Dad talked about wanting to defend Katie? We have a phrase in LGBT+ circles for what she's done, and what you're doing: a bad or damaging ally. Allies like that are pushed out of LGBT+ circles.
You mentioned us defending Ukraine? Bad example. We asked Ukraine first how they wanted to be defended. We followed their lead. (Step-Mom), and now you, have done the opposite.
I need to go to work now, so I won't be able to respond right away, but my feelings are valid, and I needed to get them out there.
Dad:
Carrie has made no accusations and I have not been hot headed. We will ignore you all now, if that's preferable.
#6
Not here per say but I know we've all been talking directly/privately
All of this was settled into he group chat 2 days ago, at least I thought
I do know that each individual relationship with each other has had some deep seat issues exposed from this though
And it constantly being drug back the group chat is distressing, frustrating and ultimately ineffective
#6
And for the record, I'm not happy about Shay jumping in for Kate either and all this devolving inti much more deep-seated issues
#1
this has all spun wildly out of control so quickly. I KNOW we all love each other deeply, which means the hurt we are feeling is deep too. There have been misunderstandings, impulsive responses, misdirected intentions, and things boiling just under the surface that have exploded. Like Dad said, mistakes made. My heart is literally breaking right now. I feel like I'm watching us being torn apart, piece by piece. I will respect anyone's wishes to take a step back/take a break because I believe that will help in the long run. Acknowledging the hurt people are feeling is valid, not emotional BS. And I will continue to try and be humble and see things from other people's point of view and experiences before doling out any judgement. I hope I don't sound preachy. I really just love and care about all of you so much.
#6
That's why I keep saying WE need to back off, WE all need to be introspective and WE all need to find a way to approach this in a healthy way
(In that point Dad is right, like Amber said)
#2
I agree, but only to a point. How many times have we stepped back, have I held back, only for us to justify to ourselves that our emotions, our reactions, were invalid?
And so we buried them, we pushed them down, we bottled them. We called it emotional bs.
We put them in the closet.
I know from personal experience what happens when one does that. It's not good.
Some of the best relationships I currently have are because I was forthcoming with my emotions. It was messy. It was loud. It sucked.
And now they are some of my best friends. Some are amazing colleagues, who always have my back.
And looking at it, I'm more open with some of them than my own family.
So yes, let's contemplate for a little while, but let's also burn this tinder we've been storing away. Let's find the source and set it aflame.
And then let us hug in the afterglow of the embers.
It's going to be difficult. Honesty can really hurt. But it can also bring us closer together in the end Please, before the closet explodes and destroys the house.
#6
VERY good points, which is also why I added "finding a healthier approach"
Then Step-mom leaves the group and every other smaller group chat and changes her Facebook name and blocks everyone excpet #4's husband for some reason. they went to private messages only and no new group chats have been made to date _ per all the siblings-
I reached out at the month mark like I said I would and they didn't respond so I wrote them off until they sent a birthday card to my oldest in April and I had her respond a thank you to them. Then they sent a card( no note) and a gift card for my 7F child's birthday in August but it wasn’t until September and 10F childs ( the one with Dyslexia) birthday that they decided to write in the card a note that said a lot of I love you and miss you and then the manipulative “if we ever get to see you again.” which brought everything back tot he surface.
I didn’t give it to 10F, and I haven't told any of my kids what going on, except the older one has asked and she knows that we argued and we need space but that's it. They did forgot my youngest now 5M birthday both January’s now, and nothing for mine or husbands birthdays.
And at 10F birthday my Dad sent a text message
“ #3 We hope that charlotte has had a great birthday
I apologize for all the pain. maybe someday we can sit face to face and understand each other better
We love you all.
Step mom FB message still under a new name
Not sure if any messages are reaching you.
I'm very sorry for upsetting you so many times during our lives. I wish we could talk, or write. I'm sorry from the deepest part of my heart.
Happy birthday to charlotte ( A day late)
I really miss you guys
I'm sorry for being a jerk and any other adjective you wish to throw on top. I will apologize for all
I love you all.
Since all of this some of the sibling have gone back on their original thoughts/comments here in the message chain once they went back and read through everything after the holidays and we have collectively seen that this behavior is very manipulative and #6 and I are still not on great terms with dad and step mom but I'm on good terms with all my siblings.
I know they seem like they have apologized but this is not the first time things like this have happened, such as making snide comments about the way our Mom used the child support, telling at least 3 of us after minor car accidents that we were lying about what happen and how can we be so stupid. Shockingly none of us lied, it was just really random circumstances that each of them happened but we were automatically liars even though we all paid for our own cars, insurance, and gas so they didn't pay out a dime. ( we all started working when we were 16ish) threatening to take back a cat they helped #6 ( age 27 at the time) adopt from a neighbors litter of kittens because #6 was moving in with her long time boyfriend that step mom and Dad don’t like ( boyfriend dared to argue a scrabble rule in their house and didn’t give into Dad’s among other small push back type incidents but nothing major), accusing people of stealing, or berating #2 about his grades ( he's ADHD btw but they are hard core against meds), saying that I didn't need depression meds at 11 while Dad and mom were divorcing and I took it really hard and def need them. 3 siblings have stayed the religion of our mother and 3 haven't. The 3 religious siblings have kids and the others don't yet or never will, my Dad and Step mom are very much against religion, but us siblings really couldn't care less and we have our own group chat and monthly sibling video chat, especially since there have been more moving farther away. Step mom and Dad subtly take jabs at being religious and have over stepped boundaries about talking to grandkids about religions opinions.
At this point I feel like I need to reconcile since many of my other siblings have, but overall my life has been much less stressful without them. I have major guilt sometimes and feel like I over reacted, but then again most days I don’t so I want outside opinions.
My husband has agreed to whatever I want to do with my relationship with them, and just wants me to not do anything based on feeling obligated but he is also my husband and will take my side and siblings and friends are half and half about reconcile or not, so I just feel like I need some outside perspective, and whether I over reacted and if a year is more than plenty of time to cool off.
​
So reddit AITAH? and what do I do next?
TDLR:
Step mom starts drama in the family group chat then gets very passive aggressive and manipulative after I won't readily forgive her this time (no surprise this is about the 100th time she has done this). Dad defends step mom and belittles everyone's emotions/reactions. Step mom then messages my husband ( which she never does) about my 10F child being "to smart to have dyslexia, and we shouldn't just let the school label her like that". The dyslexia diagnosis was end of 2nd grade so child would have been 7-8 years old at the time and is now 10 and step mom is just now bringing this up after a big blow up and tried to play it off as her just being concerned. So I tell the group chat I will go no contact for a month and why, which causes Dad and step mom to freak out and bail from all communication from all 6 siblings. Now its been a year and I am split about resuming a relationship with them.

Getting my thoughts straight on the things I keep track of/tools while playing solo. If you get something out of this, great!
Types of locations

1. Settings (Usually on the scale of the entire premise; a zombie apocalypse, a space ship, etc)
2. Maps (Commonly Settlements, Wilderness, Roads and Dungeons. They contain multiple rooms)
3. Rooms (Each room often will contain dialogue scenes, combat/trap encounters, puzzle encounters, a challenge (ie a non-puzzle that implies some skill check like strength, dex, agility, etc. Running away from a boulder, a tightrope, a wall to climb...)
4. Interactables(?) (Choices in terms of clues & forks; A or B. A has dry air while B has a lot of croaking sounds. Opportunities; maybe there's a loose stalactite during an encounter to drop. Objects; A glowing obelisk, a small hill, walls & voids, a lone red button)

Types of ways to derive plots

1. Plot device chain (Plot devices force desire or reactions from players. Creates conflict. Chandler's law, a threatening person suddenly shows up. Being Hunted; bounty hunters, sheriff, vengeful individual keep the players on the move. Macguffin; valuable object that many characters want, ideal is protecting/delivering the macguffin as it establishes the hunted plot device. Significant Injury/Condition; Low resources/HP can force players to take risks to resolve this. Opportunity; to obtain A, must do B or Obtain A now, but pay price B)
2. Location Chain (Ie in adventurer, you start at some location (map), then draw a card for another location, then face encounters as you travel and arrive. Then draw for the next location. Its on you to make up the why)
3. Challenge Chain (Basically a set of obstacles which you must face, typically used with plot devices and desires. They often imply skill check and combat encounters. Combat scene, chase scene, travel scene, convincing scene...)
4. Desire Chain (You are basically a tourist, you find something you want to do. Go after it in however many stages, experience it then see the next thing and chase after that)

Types of Beats:

1. Exposition beat (Oftentimes description, also Q&A about what the fleshing out the nature of what something is,
2. Action-by-action beat (combat, skill checks, anything where you have to think about physical actions or immediate moves)
3. Montage/Narrative beat (The realm of yes, and. But therefore. Also anything that is more abstract than action-by-action. Nir thought that X would work, but then Y happens, so therefore Nir must choose between 3 choices. Nir walked from the village to the head of the bandit camp)
4. Dialogue beat (chit chat, skill-checks, gathering information/knowledge)

Types of generating content/exposition:

1. Evocative names (You approach a cave; the cave of the nightspill, the putrid split, the place of the fall of the elves... Maybe this means its like, corrupted, evil and dark with so-and-so details, monsters, and xyz. Helps with themeing)
2. The classic adjective/verb/noun oracles
3. Collage (For this cave, it will be based on darth vader crossed with a dwarven city crossed with a minecraft mineshaft. So it has these ancient wooden walkways above this giant drop, littered with these mysterious unmined red crystals...)
4. Purpose (This cave was made to create the ancient talisman of the enchirideon, but then xyz happened therefore this huge battle happened and yadda yadda)

kill me for liking specific genres…
Recommendations for Boom Bap songs that X made. This of course preferably to be added to a spotify playlist, but i’ll still give things a listen if somethings undeniable. Undeniable is an undeniable adjective that just so happens to be occupied by X. All his music is. However when he’s taking about world issues and or complex problems that a psychologist couldn’t deal with/or fix, i believe he cuts wayyyyyyyy deeper. kk send me yalls shit we replay ability and/or layers.
pce

Renfew on IE language theory:

“In my view, however, there should be a fundamental re-examination of the foundations of this theory. One important question is the extent to which it is legitimate to reconstruct a Proto-Indo-European language, drawing upon the cognate forms of the words in the various Indo-European languages that are known?
Certainly it is questionable whether the nouns (for linguistic palaeontologists make little use of verbs or adjectives) can legitimately be used in the way advocated by Pictet and by Schrader to create an inventory, as it were, of the Urheimat, the original homeland of these Proto-Indo-Europeans.
Nor does modern archaeology so readily accept that the appearance of a new pottery style over a wide area necessarily betokens the migration of a whole people or conquest by warrior nomads.
The whole assumption that in speaking of early Indo-Europeans we are necessarily dealing with nomads certainly merits re-examination. These issues lead on to more general and fundamental questions.
How are we to explain, in linguistic terms, the emergence of languages which are clearly related to each other, and which we can classify into language groups? And in what historical circumstances do we expect to find one language replaced by another in a particular area? Until we have clarified these points, we can hardly go on to consider what trace these processes may leave upon the archaeological record. There is a very real risk that in searching for the homeland of the Indo-Europeans, we are founding our arguments upon a circularity.”
— Colin Renfrew (A32/1987). Archaeology and Language (pg. 18)

Arvidsson on Renfew:

”According to Renfrew, there are many pitfalls in the attempt to create an ’inventory’ of Proto-Indo-European words.”
— Stefan Arvidsson (A45/2000), Aryan Idols (pg. 295)

References

• Renfrew, Colin. (A32/1987). Archaeology and Language: The Puzzle of Indo-European Origins (Inventory, pg. 18; also: pgs. 89-97). Publisher.
• Arvidsson, Stefan. (A45/2000). Aryan Idols: Indo-European Mythology as Ideology and Science (Ariska idoler: Den indoeuropeiska mytologin som ideologi och vetenskap) (translator: Sonia Wishmann) (pdf-file). Chicago, A51/2006.

​

https://www.nj.com/news/2024/04/sears-warranty-should-replace-broken-washing-machine-but-of-course-it-wasnt-that-simple.html

Sears warranty should replace broken washing machine. But, of course, it wasn’t that simple.
Updated: Apr. 23, 2024, 10:24 a.m.
Published: Apr. 23, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
By
Karin Price Mueller NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
When Carole and Fred DeMartino bought their Hackettstown home 19 years ago, they got new appliances from Sears.
The refrigerator, washer and dryer were installed by the company and covered under a warranty — a Sears Master Protection Agreement — that the couple has renewed every year.
In all, they’ve paid about $10,000 for the coverage, they said.
“One of the main reasons we purchased this guarantee was that Sears stated if the unit was irreparable or parts not available, the appliance would be replaced with a comparable instrument,” Carole DeMartino said.
But when their washing machine failed, it was a very different experience, she said.
DeMartino said she first asked for service on Oct. 30, 2023. A technician determined a part was needed, but weeks later, the company couldn’t find the part. More weeks passed, and the washer was declared irreparable.
Three months later, they were finally told they’d have a value $942.89 to use from the warranty for a replacement washer.
But finding a replacement wouldn’t be easy because of the space constraints and the need for a stackable unit.
Carole and Fred DeMartino paid for an appliance warranty from Sears for almost 20 years. But when their washing machine was busted, getting a replacement wasn't easy.
“I submitted photos and requested a team to come to my house and assess the location and situation,” she said. “I was refused on all requests.”
They finally found a unit that fit, and though they’d have to pay $45 for a hose, the unit would arrive on March 9, 161 long days since the machine failed.
“What a relief,” DeMartino said. “But, well, not so fast.”
When the installer arrived, he said the new unit would not fit and that he couldn’t stack it over the dryer, DeMartino said.
“In the meantime and many more calls, we discover the wrong washer was sent by mistake,” she said. “The correct one was ordered but the incorrect model was sent.”
She said she was told the correct unit would have to be reordered, but they’d have to pay an additional charge because the price went up. And this time, they’d have to pay for installation.
“I refuse to pay any extra fee for a Sears error,” she said. “I refuse to accept responsibility for an installation which is clearly covered in the contracts that have cost me over $10,000 over the past 19 years.”
DeMartino said she tried to compromise, requesting Sears send the $942.89 and the couple would find their own replacement, but that was refused.
She used a lot of adjectives to describe how she felt — angry, frustrated, stressed, scammed, overwhelmed, hopeless and “genuinely Bamboozled,” and she asked Bamboozled to help.
COVERAGE OR NOT?
After reviewing the warranty, the paperwork and a call log with the 22 representatives the couple spoke to over the months, we asked Sears to review the case.
A manager for Transformco, which purchased Sears in 2019, noted the washer was almost 20 years old. She confirmed it had coverage, but said a replacement would be a challenge because of its size and the need for stacking.
Because of design changes over the years and the need to use a “very specific model stacking kit,” installing any new washer not specifically designed to stack with the existing dryer would be a liability issue, Dana Shoulders said.
She also said the unit they ordered was indeed delivered, but the team couldn’t stack it.
Shoulders then addressed the couple’s request for a check.
“What they don’t seem to understand is that their contract entitles them to a direct replacement from Sears; not a check,” she said, adding that the company makes exceptions if Sears no longer sells a unit or if one isn’t readily available. But that’s not the case here, she said.
She instead offered a replacement washer that would be covered by the plan, plus 20% off a matching dryer so the units could safely be stacked. It would cost the couple about $500.
But the DeMartinos said they didn’t want to pay anything, especially because the existing dryer worked just fine.
DeMartino also said it was the warehouse that said the wrong unit was sent. When the company agreed to a redelivery, she was told the price went up so she’d have to pay the difference and this time, an install charge.
That’s when she asked for a check instead of a new unit, she said.
She argued that if a replacement unit wouldn’t work with an existing one, the warranty should have said so.
“Sears had no problem collecting our yearly maintenance fee and there was never a mention of a future situation that would render our coverage `not covered,’” she said. “Sears is not able to honor the contract for which we paid religiously every year.”
Still, the couple considered the offer, but first, they shopped around to see what it would cost to get a replacement set without Sears. They said they found some cheaper prices, but when you include the allotment from the warranty, it would still cost more to buy elsewhere.
So with reservations, they decided to accept the offer.
But Shoulders said it was off the table. The unit was no longer on sale, and the company was having trouble communicating with the delivery services because of a change to its inventory system, she said.
“So it has resulted in delays. Because of this, I feel we can authorize a check because of the extenuating circumstances,” she said, adding that after the couple signed some agreements, a check for $1,099 would be in the mail.
The DeMartinos agreed. A check is what they wanted before all the delivery issues happened.
“My feelings of somehow being a worthy adversary to Goliath and winning one for the `little guy’ has lost its luster,” DeMartino said. “The giant consumer has overpowered the little consumer once again.”
If you have a warranty for an older appliance, make sure it will cover what you’re expecting. Otherwise, you could be throwing your money away.
Stories by Karin Price Mueller
Sears warranty should replace broken washing machine. But, of course, it wasn’t that simple.
Some pregnancy centers are misleading women, N.J. official says
‘Skimming’ fraud for gov’t benefits highest in these 2 N.J. counties, leaving taxpayers on the hook
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.
Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on X at @KPMueller.
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Orthowhatsit? I know - it sounds pretty obnoxious. But it's a major thing in the Way of Wights, and in the end, I think it's easy to get... if not pronounce.

• Orthoskhesis ore-tho-SKEE-sis
• As an adjective, it's orthoskhetic ore-tho-SKEH-tick

It's like orthodoxy, the idea that you have to believe correctly (VERY common in Christian traditions), or orthopraxy, the idea that you have to do the thing right, which is common in a lot of neopagan traditions - doesn't really matter what you believe, but you'd better cast that circle right, be ethical with that love spell, etc.
Both of those depend on a particular world view, a nuance that really subtly defines the tradition. If its an orthodox tradition, things are pretty strict about what the beliefs are, and then how those beliefs impact the actions you take. An extreme example might be the Catholic "no condoms" because of the orthodox belief in "be fruitful and multiply".
And an orthoprax tradition is the same, but in reverse, where the practices kind of define the beliefs. Casting the circle right will protect you and so on, but the need for protection is not really defined as a belief. You have to cast the circle, but there's no belief before it that leads to the circle. In the neopagan traditions, this is really easy to see in its eclecticism - nobody really has the same belief, and that's okay, because they have the same practices.
Orthoskhesis, however, is from the Greek ortho- correct, right and skhesis the start of one thing in regard to another, i.e. relationship.
Here the important thing is that what counts as a "right relationship" is what the two People in the relationship consider correct, not anyone outside it. Of course there are unhealthy relationships of any kind, people can see bad things happening and try to help or counsel, but in the end, it's still up to the people in the relationship. For example, there are a lot of people in the US that would call my gay marriage unnatural and wrong and unhealthy - but their opinions don't define my relationships.
Obviously, this is complex - it's the hardest thing about this tradition, because relationships are constantly moving and changing. That's where community comes in - we all together work to ensure we're all healthy and okay, to take someone aside to say "this isn't looking awesome for you", and all the other things we do for the people around us. Sure - they can define their relationship with Wight X, but you also get to define your relationship with them.

(originally posted on JustSyncIntuit original post)
I warn you that this post will be long and in three parts. It's the transcription of an episode of serendipity that will take us, starting with Charles Lindbergh, then through Shakespeare and other points of interest, on the trail of a spirit.
TL;DR: Here's a 👁️‍🗨️ table of contents.
⚠️ This post was intended as a follow-up to Identity Crisis, which I published on Retconned on July 24, 2022. The wave of coincidences hadn't stopped with the publication of the post.
I had hoped to publish the post before August 2022, but it didn't work out as expected.
However, I persevered and took the necessary time to finish it, which ended up being 21 months! During that time, I made additional connections and the topic's content expanded.
First, I'll repost here what I already wrote in the Identity Crisis thread and then add the rest of the story:
​
^{⌄ original posts ⌄}

IDENTITY CRISIS

I would like to talk about an entertaining little experience triggered by the post: Charles Lindburg or Lindbergh? by Emilieduchatelet1706.

Doubtful ressemblance

Seeing images of Charles Lindbergh immediately came to mind a certain resemblance to Patrick McGoohan.
Charles Lindbergh vs Patrick McGoohan
Well, I readily admit that it's not obvious, and I don't even dare to defend my case, but it's the rest of the story that matters.
Patrick McGoohan, plane… immediately, there too, I had in mind the episode of Columbo, Identity Crisis (s05e03).
Patrick McGoohan plays Nelson Brenner, the killer, and Columbo discovers that he was an aviator in his life full of travels and experiences. Columbo calls him a hero, much like Charles Lindbergh.
I think it's even likely that the character of Nelson Brenner was inspired by Lindbergh.

Fun Fact

Fun fact: As I write these lines I mechanically typed on Google "charles lindbergh" hero, and on the first link I clicked on I see this.
In the image Lindbergh stands in front of his plane, the Spirit of St.Louis. The article talks about his multiple lives. The first line, which I have highlighted, says: “Who the hell was Charles Lindbergh, whose multiple avatars spanned the entire history of the 20th century?”
…and Columbo is there in the corner.
In this video that I had prepared and uploaded before starting to write my post (and therefore before coming across the article), Columbo asks Brenner if he is the one standing in front of a plane (a “T33… SilverStar”) in a photo in black and white.
And ends with “Yes I seem to remember reading about that”... I find it a bit funny in this new context.

Steinmetz

In the episode there is another shady character whose true identity remains a mystery, he's called Steinmetz.
Mechanically too, I had typed Steinmetz on Google and I came across Charles Proteus Steinmetz, American mathematician and electrical engineer. I notice that his real name is “Karl August Rudolph Steinmetz”.
August, that sounds familiar to me. I look at Charles Lindbergh's page and yes that's right, his name is "Charles Augustus Lindbergh".
-> Identity Crisis
 
These entertaining little coincidences…

TAPESTRY OF LIFE

Small personal theory

I'm beginnig to imagine a small personal theory (a small hypothesis to guide my thoughts). That of a new birth in adulthood (rather around 40 years old than 20 years old). In any case a threshold in life.
In this vision, the genetic heritage is replaced by the knowledge of life before, that is to say before the threshold, and wisdom.
The reborn person by groping their way, configures (and reconfigures), (re)connects the data of the previous life to adapt to the (true) life to come. In a better way of their formatting before in the previous matrix with its so-called genetic program and the teaching received. And it's as if there was an underlying program of knowledge and wisdom from the start that tutored their life. A better program.

Not so personal?

I'm not a Christian... but a quick quick look at Wikipedia shows that I may not be far from the concept of born again that we hear about here and there.

Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
"How can someone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked.
"Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit."
— Gospel of John, John chapter 3, verses 3–5, NIV[8]

Water and Spirit

In the previous image of the article -> Spirit of St.Louis is the name of the plane, and in front of the magazine cover with Columbo there is a magazine cover where it is written: La guerre de l'eau est déclarée (Water war is declared).

ALL IN ONE

Yesterday I was watching the first video again where Columbo looks at the picture on the wall. On the same wall I see a portrait that looks familiar, it seemed to me that it was supposed to represent Shakespeare (but maybe not, maybe it's Cervantes :D).
I've heard of a theory that Shakespeare didn't exist and that in fact Francis Bacon (the philosopher) was the author of his work. I have since associated the "idea" of Shakespeare with Francis Bacon.
Well, this theory is completely in line with the subject of Steinmetz in the Columbo episode. But we see that the portrait of Bacon does not at all resemble that of Shakespeare: Shakespeare vs Francis Bacon.
But Steinmetz himself? Francis Bacon vs Charles Steinmetz.
Wonderful! Bravo. Bravo.
​
^{⌄ follow-up ⌄}
⚠️ A note about the use of the word similarity in this post:
When the word 'similarity' is used in this post, it means that the elements being compared share the same idea, but are not necessarily identical copies. For example, something that moves from right to left can be seen as different from something that moves from left to right, but at the level of idea there may be a resemblance.

THE SIMPSONS

▶ The Simpsons - Steinmetz; Very soon after posting, doing a quick search on Steinmetz I come across a scene from The Simpsons episode "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield (s07e14)":

Homer as Steinmetz

Homer Simpson challenges Mister Burns to a game of golf. Burns as usual is mistaken about the identity of Homer Simpson. He calls him... Steinmetz!

Club sandwich

Homer says "Mmm... open-faced club sand wedge" and puts the word 'club' right before 'sand wedge'. The result is the phrase "club sandwich" (~ sand wedge). And one of the traditional ingredients in a club sandwich is bacon.

SHAKESPEARE

Interesting documentary

I don't know how I landed on the topic The Shakespeare Hole that I had already seen in the past but it was exactly the right time to remind myself of a documentary on Shakespeare that I had forgotten in a mental watch-later-list.
It is an interesting documentary, Cracking the Shakespeare Code (2017), about hidden codes in the work of Shakespeare with in particular the thesis that Sir Francis Bacon would be one of the authors. Viewable here.
This time I watched it! And... this lack of unfamiliarity... I don't remember ever watching it before but I didn't feel any sense of novelty. Hmmm...
For those interested, there are other hypotheses regarding Shakespeare's authorship.

Shakespeare the Bard

Shakespeare is known as "the Bard". The word bard, which means poet, also has other definitions, a piece of armor or ornament on a war horse and by analogy... bacon placed on game or meat before roasting.

COLUMBO

Sometimes the synchronicities come completely out of the blue, sometimes I have an intuition of where to focus my interest. Trivially I told myself that I was going to watch the episode of Columbo talking about Shakespeare, Dagger of the Mind.
In this episode several elements seem to gently taunt my flow of thoughts but it is obviously not the easiest things to explain. However I can relate a really curious series of synchronicities concerning golf and the Simpsons episode I mentioned above:

Welcome to the club

▶ Columbo in the club; Columbo while in London is invited to what I guess is called a gentlemen's club. There he makes two remarks:

• "When you said 'club', I thought you meant a country club or a health club."
  
• "When you said 'tea', I was afraid we were gonna get nothin’ but those tiny sandwiches."
  

Note the vocabulary used which, more or less subtly, refers to golf (while the episode has nothing to do with golf at all). A country club is commonly referred to simply as a golf club. And with ▶ the first video of The Simpsons freshly in mind, the words club, tea, and sandwich resonate like synchronicity. Especially with the formulation used by Columbo which adds a note of irony. Tea sounds exactly like tee, and sandwich for sand wedge.
▶ The Simpsons in the club; In the same episode of The Simpsons, the Simpson family is invited to a country club. Which echoes Columbo's words.
We will even notice that Homer and the kids remain at one entrance to the room while Marge is invited in among the other women. Which is the opposite of the Columbo video where the butler says: "Why do you think we keep the ladies out, sir?".

Pearls and balls

▶ Columbo - pearls; Note that in the scene a character throws a round white object which hits the head of another character who then lies on the ground in the middle of white pearls.
▶ The Simpsons - balls; Here a character hits a golf ball in the air which hits the head of another character who then lies on the ground before kneeling and finding himself in the middle of white balls.

Ruse

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: Skip this one if you don't want to know how Columbo confounded the culprits just yet.
▶ Columbo - subterfuge; Without formal proof, Columbo discreetly puts a white bead in an umbrella which allows the culprits to be confounded by their reactions.
Also note these three points:

• A character who verifies that the bead is genuine: "Why, it’s the same. Exactly the same."
  
• A character who accuses another of trickery: "He put it there. Can’t you see? Before we came. He put it there!"
  
• A private discussion between two characters with the idea of keeping the subterfuge secret: "Off the record, eh?"
  

▶ The Simpsons - cheating; Smithers puts a golf ball on the green near the hole to make Mr. Burns win.
And note the same three points:

• A character who verifies that the balls are genuine: "These aren't reptile eggs."
  
• A character who accuses another of trickery: "You've been cheating. No matter where Mr. Burns hits the ball you put a fresh one on the green."
  
• A private discussion between two characters with the idea of keeping the cheating secret: "If you would keep quiet about the alleged decades of cheating I'm sure he'd support your application for membership tonight."
  

"sir" scenes

▶ The Simpsons - sir; Homer says: "For once, maybe someone will call me "sir" without adding, "you're making a scene"."
▶ Columbo - sir; A character hears himself called "sir" and arguably, he's making a scene...

BACON

When you're in a synchronistic wave, the interest isn't just the thrill of the coincidences, but also the fact that you learn about areas you weren't so interested in. And I found out more than enough about bacon. So much so that I saw references to bacon everywhere. It was no longer of interest.

Bacon overload

I wanted to move on, which was immediately comically reflected in the synchronicities as I came across these two clips of the Simpsons (from other episodes) that say it all:
▶ The Simpsons - Butter your bacon: "So, you think you know better than this family, huh? Well, as long as you're in my house, you'll do what I do and believe what I believe. So, butter your bacon!" :-)
▶ The Simpsons - The bacon man: The clip I saw at the time on the Internet only included the part where Homer takes his order. So without any mention of Shakespeare. But already the fact that Homer presents the "portrait" of the omelette and says that we could add a "bacon nose", "bacon hair", "bacon mustache", etc... that made me chuckle. It gave me the impression that they were mimicking what I was doing just before with the portraits of Shakespeare, Francis Bacon and Charles Steinmetz.
It was more than a month later while writing this post and creating the video extract that I noticed that Shakespeare was mentioned just before! "I'm getting a sweatshirt with Shakespeare's face on it!". So we have a mention of a portrait of Shakespeare followed by a "portrait of bacon".

Bacon numbers

And the Internet bombarded me with bacon number this, bacon number that... what!? This profusion of bacon has even been prophesied; they made a law about that, the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon!
I quote:

In a January 1994 interview with Premiere magazine, Kevin Bacon mentioned while discussing the film The River Wild that "he had worked with everybody in Hollywood or someone who's worked with them."
Following this, a lengthy newsgroup thread which was headed "Kevin Bacon is the Center of the Universe" appeared.

→ L.O.L.

PROTEAN SPIRIT

PROTEUS

I overlooked something about Steinmetz the first time, he's called Charles PROTEUS Steinmetz:

Steinmetz Americanized his name to Charles Steinmetz. He chose Proteus as his middle name—the nickname his professors in Germany had affectionately bestowed upon him in recognition of the shape-shifting sea god. In Greek mythology, Proteus was a cave-dwelling prophetic old man who always returned to his human form—that of a hunchback. Steinmetz thoroughly enjoyed the comparison.
src: Charles Proteus Steinmetz, the Wizard of Schenectady

Shakespeare and Proteus

It's no surprise Shakespeare and Bacon, prolific writers, talked about Proteus. On the Proteus wikipedia page there is this quote:

I can add colours to the chameleon,
Change shapes with Proteus for advantages,
And set the murderous Machiavel to school.
Can I do this, and cannot get a crown?
Tut, were it farther off, I'll pluck it down.
— William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part Three, Act III, Scene ii

I wanted to know what the last line meant and a quick search led me to this Reddit post, What does Richard/Gloucester mean when he says "Tut, were it farther off, I’ll pluck it down.". This is a transcription of a scene from the film Richard III (1955).
In the video they refer to, the original monologue from the play Richard III is mixed with parts of a monologue by the same character (Richard III) from another play, Henry IV (the one in the Wikipedia quote):

[…]

And now, instead of mounting barded steeds
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,

[…]
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
[…]
I'll drown more sailors than the mermaid shall,
I'll slay more gazers than the basilisk;
I'll play the orator as well as Nestor,
Deceive more slyly than Ulysses could,
And, like a Sinon, take another Troy.

I can add colours to the chameleon,
Change shapes with Proteus for advantages,

And set the murd'rous Machiavel to school
Can I do this, and cannot get a crown?
Tut! were it further off, I'll pluck it down.

Bacon and Proteus

Francis Bacon also speaks of Proteus in "De sapientia veterum, liber", translated into English in "Of the Wisdom of the Ancients". It's short and interesting to read.

XIII. Proteus Or Matter

PROTEUS, the poets tell us, was herdsman to Neptune. He was an old man and a prophet; a prophet moreover of the very first order, and indeed thrice excellent; for he knew all three,—not the future only, but likewise the past and the present; insomuch that besides his power of divination, he was the messenger and interpreter of all antiquity and all secrets. His dwelling was under an immense cave. There it was his custom every day at noon to count his flock of seals and then go to sleep. And if any one wanted his help in any matter, the only way was first to secure his hands with handcuffs, and then to bind him with chains. Whereupon he on his part, in order to get free, would turn himself into all manner of strange shapes—fire, water, wild beasts, &c., till at last he returned again to his original shape.
The sense of this fable relates, it would seem, to the secrets of nature and the conditions of matter. For under the person of Proteus, Matter—the most ancient of all things, next to God—is meant to be represented. Now matter has its habitation under the vault of heaven, as under a cave. And it may be called the servant of Neptune, inasmuch as all the operation and dispensation of matter is effected principally in liquids.
[…]
src: https://www.bartleby.com/82/13.html

Spirit and Water

Consonant values

I noticed that the consonants of P-r-o-t-e-u-s are the same as those of S-p-i-r-i-t.

Matter of fact

The sense of this fable relates, it would seem, to the secrets of nature and the conditions of matter. For under the person of Proteus, Matter—the most ancient of all things, next to God—is meant to be represented. Now matter has its habitation under the vault of heaven, as under a cave. And it may be called the servant of Neptune, inasmuch as all the operation and dispensation of matter is effected principally in liquids.

Proteus, associated with matter, emerges from the sea^*️⃣ and sleeps in a cave, changing shape in between if one tries to capture him. The example of water is notoriously the first that comes to mind when we talk about the states of matter.
^*️⃣Note that in the video ▶ The Simpsons - The bacon man there is mention of returning to the ocean ("So, here for a snack before they roll you back into the ocean?"), in context I find that line a little ironic.

Capture the Serendipity

He can foretell the future, but, in a mytheme familiar to several cultures, will change his shape to avoid doing so; he answers only to those who are capable of capturing him.
src: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proteus

At this point I reflect on how easily connections come to us when we are in this particular position of observer, whether we like it or not. This is the principle of serendipity. Very strange word which I bet many have trouble pronouncing correctly and which for me has changed during my life (Mandela Effect). By the way, I had posted about this on Retconned in the past and when looking for my post I preferred to go through Google rather than the Reddit search engine.
This is where I get suggested a movie, Serendipity (2001), but it's a romantic comedy, I'm not too into that, I'm barely interested. But my instinct tells me it's not there by chance. If I don't watch the film, I will still look into the director's filmography.
Peter Chelsom; I'm looking at the list of movies he's directed. Not very funky at first glance but there are one or two key words, one or two imagery elements that have been involved in previous synchronicities for me that kept me from abandoning this lead in a hurry. I ended up clicking on the link of the movie The Mighty (1998).

The Old Man of the Sea

A young boy suffering from a debilitating disease causing deformities rides 👁️‍🗨️ on the shoulders of another, stronger boy. The young boy lends his insight while the other boy lends his strength.
It reminds me of the story of the Old Man of the Sea:

• In The Odyssey: Book IV, Homer (the other Homer) calls Proteus the wise Old Man of the Sea.
  
• The Old Man of the Sea in the tales of Sinbad the Sailor depicts 👁️‍🗨️ an old man clinging to a man on his shoulders.
  

While writing these lines

While writing these lines from my notes (more than a month later^*️⃣) I distractedly watched the Serendipity movie trailer... and there I see a golf scene that I hadn't noticed before (probably because I had not watched the entire video). I decide to watch the film.
^*️⃣Also while writing these lines I mentally played with the word "serendipity"; seren-dipidy, seren-pididy, etc. Which inevitably reminded me of ▶ this scene from a music video where Ben Stiller struggles to find the right name for rapper Puff Daddy. The plot coincidentally revolves around a golf ball...

SERENDIPITY

The plot of the film is a story of a character who seeks the identity of another, enough to entice him to pursue serendipity. Reminds me of the content of this post.
Moreover, there are several factual elements that suggest that resemblance:

Amazing likeness

Knockoff

▶ Serendipity - Prada:

• Purchase of a product (supposedly) from a luxury fashion house brand: "Ooh! Prada!" ... "I'll take it."
  
• Discussion about a knockoff product name: "Eve, that's a horrific knockoff. At least my fake says Prada. Yours says Prado."
  
• Discussion about altering the product a bit to make it more presentable: "Yeah? Well, I say for a dollar, I can buy a little magic marker and fix that."
  

▶ The Simpsons - Chanel:

• Purchase of a product (supposedly) from a luxury fashion house brand: "Oh, it's beautiful. Can it be a real Chanel?" ... "All right, I will buy it."
  
• Discussion about knockoff product names: "Don't be a sap, Dad. These are just crappy knock-offs." | "I know a genuine Panaphonics when I see it. And look, there's Magnetbox and Sorny."
  
• Discussion about altering the product a bit to make it more presentable: "Homer, please, I have to alter this suit so it looks different for tomorrow." | "Just slap some bumper stickers on it."
  

Golf

▶ The Simpsons - golf; To put into context, we had in the episode of The Simpsons:

• A character hit in the head by a golf club.
  
• A character hit in the head by a golf ball.
  
• A multitude of white balls scattered on the green.
  

[+]

• A character acknowledging a buried feeling: "I knew my kind wasn't welcome here."

▶ Serendipity - golf; The film Serendipity uses the synchronicity of golf as an factor of serendipity. And note these points:

• A character hit in the head by a golf ball.
  
• A character hit in the head by a golf club.
  
• A multitude of white balls scattered on a green floor.
  

[+] just a tiny bit of interpretation here:

• A character saying: "I think I swallowed a filling". Which I think is to be understood in the context of the film as "I think I swallowed a feeling".

Serpent and Destiny

Furthermore, the serpent is, in my humble opinion, an underlying theme in the film. I will avoid going too deep into the interpretations and just quickly relate a few noteworthy elements:

Serpent of old

▶ Serendipity - Cool Yule; The film opens with the song "Cool Yule" by Louis Armstrong with the Commanders. With these lyrics:

♪ And you gonna flip when Old Saint Nick ♪
♪ Plays a lick on a peppermint stick ♪

Old Nick could mean the Devil, Old Serpent, etc. An interesting discussion about the adjective "Old" in Old Nick.

Another one bites the dust

▶ Serendipity - crawling; A scene where the main character, Jonathan Trager (black jacket), is crawling on the ground.

In order, garter.

▶ Serenditpy - T-r-a-g-e-r; Jonathan Trager, T-r-a-g-e-r. Trager anagram of garter. Like a garter snake. But also a vocabulary used for a bride (which is in line with the apparent theme of the film).
Reminds me of something I jotted down somewhere...
...there it is:

Notably the pendant suspended on a ribbon from around Bacon’s neck, which in earlier portraits was deliberately concealed in such a way as to suggest a secret, is in this picture shown exposed, revealing itself as the Lesser George and thereby suggesting or indicating that Bacon was a secret Knight of the Garter, or had the right to be one.
src: https://www.fbrt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Portraits_of_Francis_Bacon.pdf#page=6

Some infos on The Order of the Garter.

Snake Club

The presence of the word snake in Beckinsale (the name of the main actress) is obvious. But, I was interested in the consonants of the word and I saw there the term Snake Club.
I explain, we remove the vowels and: b.c.k.n.s.l → s.n.k c.l.b
I do a Google search on "snake club". I come across a page on a movie site that talks about what looks like a Z movie titled "Snake Club: Revenge of the Snake Woman". I scroll down a bit and come across 👁️‍🗨️ this poster showing Kate Beckinsale herself in the first place of movie recommendations.

IN THE QUR'AN

CLUB AND SNAKE

At the time of the synchronicities with the Simpsons episode, I was interested in the symbolism of golf. The golf club is reminiscent of a farm tool, the hoe, I kept that in mind. With the intrusion of the serpent into my serendipity, I was instead led to think about the story of the staff of Musa (Moses) in the Qur'an. Especially in Surah 20, Ta-Ha:

20:17 And what is that in your right hand, O Moses?"
20:18 He said, "It is my staff; I lean upon it, and I bring down leaves for my sheep and I have therein other uses."
20:19 [Allah] said, "Throw it down, O Moses."
20:20 So he threw it down, and thereupon it was a snake, moving swiftly.
20:21 [Allah] said, "Seize it and fear not; We will return it to its former condition.
- Translation: Sahih International ⇠ I'll keep this translation throughout the topic.
src: Qur'an 20:[17-21]

This new perspective has taken the serendipity in a interesting direction. A scene described in this same surah caught my attention; Musa and Harun confront the magicians summoned by Pharaoh:

20:61 Moses said to the magicians summoned by Pharaoh, "Woe to you! Do not invent a lie against Allah or He will exterminate you with a punishment; and he has failed who invents [such falsehood]."
20:62 So they disputed over their affair among themselves and concealed their private conversation.
20:63 They said, "Indeed, these are two magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic and do away with your most exemplary way.
20:64 So resolve upon your plan and then come [forward] in line. And he has succeeded today who overcomes."
20:65 They said, "O Moses, either you throw or we will be the first to throw."
20:66 He said, "Rather, you throw." And suddenly their ropes and staffs seemed to him from their magic that they were moving [like snakes].
20:67 And he sensed within himself apprehension, did Moses.
20:68 Allah said, "Fear not. Indeed, it is you who are superior.
20:69 And throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have crafted. What they have crafted is but the trick of a magician, and the magician will not succeed wherever he is."
20:70 So the magicians fell down in prostration. They said, "We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses."
20:71 [Pharaoh] said, "You believed him before I gave you permission. Indeed, he is your leader who has taught you magic. So I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you on the trunks of palm trees, and you will surely know which of us is more severe in [giving] punishment and more enduring."
20:72 They said, "Never will we prefer you over what has come to us of clear proofs and [over] He who created us. So decree whatever you are to decree. You can only decree for this worldly life.
20:73 Indeed, we have believed in our Lord that He may forgive us our sins and what you compelled us [to do] of magic. And Allah is better and more enduring."
src: Qur'an 20:[61-73]

I spotted other similarities:

Intrigue and trick

➔ Qur'an 20:[61-63]; Note this:

• A secret confabulation: 20:62 "So they disputed over their affair among themselves and concealed their private conversation."
  
• Characters implying that other characters intend to use a trick: 20:63 "They said, "Indeed, these are two magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic and do away with your most exemplary way."^*️⃣
  

^*️⃣The magicians repeat here the words of Pharaoh a few ayat ("verses") before: "He said, "Have you come to us to drive us out of our land with your magic, O Moses?" Qur'an 20:57.
▶ Columbo - subterfuge (spoiler!); We have already mentioned these points in ALL IN ONE > COLUMBO > Ruse:

• A character who accuses another of trickery: "He put it there. Can’t you see? Before we came. He put it there!"
  
• A private discussion between two characters with the idea of keeping the subterfuge secret: "Off the record, eh?"
  

▶ The Simpsons - cheating; Same here:

• A character who accuses another of trickery: "You've been cheating. No matter where Mr. Burns hits the ball you put a fresh one on the green."
  
• A private discussion between two characters with the idea of keeping the cheating secret: "If you would keep quiet about the alleged decades of cheating I'm sure he'd support your application for membership tonight."
  

By hook or by crook

➔ Qur'an 20:[64-73]; Note this:

• An injunction to throw a staff...: 20:69 "And throw what is in your right hand; [...]"
  
• ...that will swallow up an illusion (objects that move like snakes; see 20:66): 20:69 "[...] it will swallow up what they have crafted. What they have crafted is but the trick of a magician, and the magician will not succeed wherever he is."
  
• Characters thrown down to prostration^1️⃣: 20:70 "So the magicians fell down in prostration. They said, "We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.""
  
• Characters acknowledging a hidden feeling: 20:73 "Indeed, we have believed in our Lord that He may forgive us our sins and what you compelled us^2️⃣ [to do] of magic. And Allah is better and more enduring.""
  

^1️⃣The magicians didn't just fell down, they were thrown down: fa-ul'qiya [So were thrown down] al-saharatu [the magicians] sujjadan [prostrating].Note that this is the same verb, in the passive form, as in the previous ayah in which Musa was asked to throw down his staff: wa-alqi [And throw] ma [what] fi [in] yaminika [your right hand]. This emphasizes the correlation between the two events.
^2️⃣The Arabic word "akrahtana" translated as "you compelled us" carries a notion of aversion. That is to say, to be compelled to something that generates aversion. Here the magicians finally admit their true feelings towards Pharaoh's orders.
▶ The Simpsons - golf; Notice the similarities:

• A character throws a golf club...
  
• ...which hits another character who then falls face down.
  
• The latter acknowledges a buried feeling: "I knew my kind wasn't welcome here."
  

▶ The Simpsons - cheating; ~ Swallowing fake snakes:
The club-thrower character puts a whole golf ball in his mouth, chews it, and proves that "these aren't reptile eggs".
▶ Serendipity - golf; Note the same similarities here:

• A character is hit by a golf club and then falls face down.
  
• The same character who says: "I think I swallowed a filling". Which I think is to be understood in the context of the film as "I think I swallowed a feeling"^*️⃣.
  

^*️⃣Note also the use of the verb "to swallow".

Destiny and Serpent

Divine measure

In Surah Ta-Ha Allah commands Musa to meet Pharaoh, reminding him of the divine interventions in the key stages of his existence on Earth:

20:36 [Allah] said, "You have been granted your request, O Moses.
20:37 And We had already conferred favor upon you another time,
20:38 When We inspired to your mother what We inspired,
20:39 [Saying], 'Cast him into the chest and cast it into the river, and the river will throw it onto the bank; there will take him an enemy to Me and an enemy to him.' And I bestowed upon you love from Me that you would be brought up under My eye.
20:40 [And We favored you] when your sister went and said, 'Shall I direct you to someone who will be responsible for him?' So We restored you to your mother that she might be content and not grieve. And you killed someone, but We saved you from retaliation and tried you with a [severe] trial. And you remained [some] years among the people of Madyan. Then you came [here] at the decreed time, O Moses.
20:41 And I produced you for Myself.
20:42 Go, you and your brother, with My signs and do not slacken in My remembrance.
20:43 Go, both of you, to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed.
src: Qur'an 20:[36-43]

All of these life events brought Musa to the ad hoc place and time: 20:40 "[...] Then you came [here] at the decreed time, O Moses.".

Tamed serpent

A sinuous life course alternating between threat and benevolence though not turning away from fate. Symbolized from the outset by the abandonment of the baby on the river, a river that snakes its way to destination. And marked at the appointed moment by the transformation of the staff into a serpent before it is returned to its former condition.
End of part 1/3.
The continuation is in On the trail of a spirit (2/3) →

I warn you that this post will be long and in three parts. It's the transcription of an episode of serendipity that will take us, starting with Charles Lindbergh, then through Shakespeare and other points of interest, on the trail of a spirit.
TL;DR: Here's a 👁️‍🗨️ table of contents.
⚠️ This post was intended as a follow-up to Identity Crisis, which I published on Retconned on July 24, 2022. The wave of coincidences hadn't stopped with the publication of the post.
I had hoped to publish the post before August 2022, but it didn't work out as expected.
However, I persevered and took the necessary time to finish it, which ended up being 21 months! During that time, I made additional connections and the topic's content expanded.
First, I'll repost here what I already wrote in the Identity Crisis thread and then add the rest of the story:
​
^{⌄ original posts ⌄}

IDENTITY CRISIS

I would like to talk about an entertaining little experience triggered by the post: Charles Lindburg or Lindbergh? by Emilieduchatelet1706.

Doubtful ressemblance

Seeing images of Charles Lindbergh immediately came to mind a certain resemblance to Patrick McGoohan.
Charles Lindbergh vs Patrick McGoohan
Well, I readily admit that it's not obvious, and I don't even dare to defend my case, but it's the rest of the story that matters.
Patrick McGoohan, plane… immediately, there too, I had in mind the episode of Columbo, Identity Crisis (s05e03).
Patrick McGoohan plays Nelson Brenner, the killer, and Columbo discovers that he was an aviator in his life full of travels and experiences. Columbo calls him a hero, much like Charles Lindbergh.
I think it's even likely that the character of Nelson Brenner was inspired by Lindbergh.

Fun Fact

Fun fact: As I write these lines I mechanically typed on Google "charles lindbergh" hero, and on the first link I clicked on I see this.
In the image Lindbergh stands in front of his plane, the Spirit of St.Louis. The article talks about his multiple lives. The first line, which I have highlighted, says: “Who the hell was Charles Lindbergh, whose multiple avatars spanned the entire history of the 20th century?”
…and Columbo is there in the corner.
In this video that I had prepared and uploaded before starting to write my post (and therefore before coming across the article), Columbo asks Brenner if he is the one standing in front of a plane (a “T33… SilverStar”) in a photo in black and white.
And ends with “Yes I seem to remember reading about that”... I find it a bit funny in this new context.

Steinmetz

In the episode there is another shady character whose true identity remains a mystery, he's called Steinmetz.
Mechanically too, I had typed Steinmetz on Google and I came across Charles Proteus Steinmetz, American mathematician and electrical engineer. I notice that his real name is “Karl August Rudolph Steinmetz”.
August, that sounds familiar to me. I look at Charles Lindbergh's page and yes that's right, his name is "Charles Augustus Lindbergh".
-> Identity Crisis
 
These entertaining little coincidences…

TAPESTRY OF LIFE

Small personal theory

I'm beginnig to imagine a small personal theory (a small hypothesis to guide my thoughts). That of a new birth in adulthood (rather around 40 years old than 20 years old). In any case a threshold in life.
In this vision, the genetic heritage is replaced by the knowledge of life before, that is to say before the threshold, and wisdom.
The reborn person by groping their way, configures (and reconfigures), (re)connects the data of the previous life to adapt to the (true) life to come. In a better way of their formatting before in the previous matrix with its so-called genetic program and the teaching received. And it's as if there was an underlying program of knowledge and wisdom from the start that tutored their life. A better program.

Not so personal?

I'm not a Christian... but a quick quick look at Wikipedia shows that I may not be far from the concept of born again that we hear about here and there.

Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
"How can someone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked.
"Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit."
— Gospel of John, John chapter 3, verses 3–5, NIV[8]

Water and Spirit

In the previous image of the article -> Spirit of St.Louis is the name of the plane, and in front of the magazine cover with Columbo there is a magazine cover where it is written: La guerre de l'eau est déclarée (Water war is declared).

ALL IN ONE

Yesterday I was watching the first video again where Columbo looks at the picture on the wall. On the same wall I see a portrait that looks familiar, it seemed to me that it was supposed to represent Shakespeare (but maybe not, maybe it's Cervantes :D).
I've heard of a theory that Shakespeare didn't exist and that in fact Francis Bacon (the philosopher) was the author of his work. I have since associated the "idea" of Shakespeare with Francis Bacon.
Well, this theory is completely in line with the subject of Steinmetz in the Columbo episode. But we see that the portrait of Bacon does not at all resemble that of Shakespeare: Shakespeare vs Francis Bacon.
But Steinmetz himself? Francis Bacon vs Charles Steinmetz.
Wonderful! Bravo. Bravo.
​
^{⌄ follow-up ⌄}
⚠️ A note about the use of the word similarity in this post:
When the word 'similarity' is used in this post, it means that the elements being compared share the same idea, but are not necessarily identical copies. For example, something that moves from right to left can be seen as different from something that moves from left to right, but at the level of idea there may be a resemblance.

THE SIMPSONS

▶ The Simpsons - Steinmetz; Very soon after posting, doing a quick search on Steinmetz I come across a scene from The Simpsons episode "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield (s07e14)":

Homer as Steinmetz

Homer Simpson challenges Mister Burns to a game of golf. Burns as usual is mistaken about the identity of Homer Simpson. He calls him... Steinmetz!

Club sandwich

Homer says "Mmm... open-faced club sand wedge" and puts the word 'club' right before 'sand wedge'. The result is the phrase "club sandwich" (~ sand wedge). And one of the traditional ingredients in a club sandwich is bacon.

SHAKESPEARE

Interesting documentary

I don't know how I landed on the topic The Shakespeare Hole that I had already seen in the past but it was exactly the right time to remind myself of a documentary on Shakespeare that I had forgotten in a mental watch-later-list.
It is an interesting documentary, Cracking the Shakespeare Code (2017), about hidden codes in the work of Shakespeare with in particular the thesis that Sir Francis Bacon would be one of the authors. Viewable here.
This time I watched it! And... this lack of unfamiliarity... I don't remember ever watching it before but I didn't feel any sense of novelty. Hmmm...
For those interested, there are other hypotheses regarding Shakespeare's authorship.

Shakespeare the Bard

Shakespeare is known as "the Bard". The word bard, which means poet, also has other definitions, a piece of armor or ornament on a war horse and by analogy... bacon placed on game or meat before roasting.

COLUMBO

Sometimes the synchronicities come completely out of the blue, sometimes I have an intuition of where to focus my interest. Trivially I told myself that I was going to watch the episode of Columbo talking about Shakespeare, Dagger of the Mind.
In this episode several elements seem to gently taunt my flow of thoughts but it is obviously not the easiest things to explain. However I can relate a really curious series of synchronicities concerning golf and the Simpsons episode I mentioned above:

Welcome to the club

▶ Columbo in the club; Columbo while in London is invited to what I guess is called a gentlemen's club. There he makes two remarks:

• "When you said 'club', I thought you meant a country club or a health club."
  
• "When you said 'tea', I was afraid we were gonna get nothin’ but those tiny sandwiches."
  

Note the vocabulary used which, more or less subtly, refers to golf (while the episode has nothing to do with golf at all). A country club is commonly referred to simply as a golf club. And with ▶ the first video of The Simpsons freshly in mind, the words club, tea, and sandwich resonate like synchronicity. Especially with the formulation used by Columbo which adds a note of irony. Tea sounds exactly like tee, and sandwich for sand wedge.
▶ The Simpsons in the club; In the same episode of The Simpsons, the Simpson family is invited to a country club. Which echoes Columbo's words.
We will even notice that Homer and the kids remain at one entrance to the room while Marge is invited in among the other women. Which is the opposite of the Columbo video where the butler says: "Why do you think we keep the ladies out, sir?".

Pearls and balls

▶ Columbo - pearls; Note that in the scene a character throws a round white object which hits the head of another character who then lies on the ground in the middle of white pearls.
▶ The Simpsons - balls; Here a character hits a golf ball in the air which hits the head of another character who then lies on the ground before kneeling and finding himself in the middle of white balls.

Ruse

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: Skip this one if you don't want to know how Columbo confounded the culprits just yet.
▶ Columbo - subterfuge; Without formal proof, Columbo discreetly puts a white bead in an umbrella which allows the culprits to be confounded by their reactions.
Also note these three points:

• A character who verifies that the bead is genuine: "Why, it’s the same. Exactly the same."
  
• A character who accuses another of trickery: "He put it there. Can’t you see? Before we came. He put it there!"
  
• A private discussion between two characters with the idea of keeping the subterfuge secret: "Off the record, eh?"
  

▶ The Simpsons - cheating; Smithers puts a golf ball on the green near the hole to make Mr. Burns win.
And note the same three points:

• A character who verifies that the balls are genuine: "These aren't reptile eggs."
  
• A character who accuses another of trickery: "You've been cheating. No matter where Mr. Burns hits the ball you put a fresh one on the green."
  
• A private discussion between two characters with the idea of keeping the cheating secret: "If you would keep quiet about the alleged decades of cheating I'm sure he'd support your application for membership tonight."
  

"sir" scenes

▶ The Simpsons - sir; Homer says: "For once, maybe someone will call me "sir" without adding, "you're making a scene"."
▶ Columbo - sir; A character hears himself called "sir" and arguably, he's making a scene...

BACON

When you're in a synchronistic wave, the interest isn't just the thrill of the coincidences, but also the fact that you learn about areas you weren't so interested in. And I found out more than enough about bacon. So much so that I saw references to bacon everywhere. It was no longer of interest.

Bacon overload

I wanted to move on, which was immediately comically reflected in the synchronicities as I came across these two clips of the Simpsons (from other episodes) that say it all:
▶ The Simpsons - Butter your bacon: "So, you think you know better than this family, huh? Well, as long as you're in my house, you'll do what I do and believe what I believe. So, butter your bacon!" :-)
▶ The Simpsons - The bacon man: The clip I saw at the time on the Internet only included the part where Homer takes his order. So without any mention of Shakespeare. But already the fact that Homer presents the "portrait" of the omelette and says that we could add a "bacon nose", "bacon hair", "bacon mustache", etc... that made me chuckle. It gave me the impression that they were mimicking what I was doing just before with the portraits of Shakespeare, Francis Bacon and Charles Steinmetz.
It was more than a month later while writing this post and creating the video extract that I noticed that Shakespeare was mentioned just before! "I'm getting a sweatshirt with Shakespeare's face on it!". So we have a mention of a portrait of Shakespeare followed by a "portrait of bacon".

Bacon numbers

And the Internet bombarded me with bacon number this, bacon number that... what!? This profusion of bacon has even been prophesied; they made a law about that, the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon!
I quote:

In a January 1994 interview with Premiere magazine, Kevin Bacon mentioned while discussing the film The River Wild that "he had worked with everybody in Hollywood or someone who's worked with them."
Following this, a lengthy newsgroup thread which was headed "Kevin Bacon is the Center of the Universe" appeared.

→ L.O.L.

PROTEAN SPIRIT

PROTEUS

I overlooked something about Steinmetz the first time, he's called Charles PROTEUS Steinmetz:

Steinmetz Americanized his name to Charles Steinmetz. He chose Proteus as his middle name—the nickname his professors in Germany had affectionately bestowed upon him in recognition of the shape-shifting sea god. In Greek mythology, Proteus was a cave-dwelling prophetic old man who always returned to his human form—that of a hunchback. Steinmetz thoroughly enjoyed the comparison.
src: Charles Proteus Steinmetz, the Wizard of Schenectady

Shakespeare and Proteus

It's no surprise Shakespeare and Bacon, prolific writers, talked about Proteus. On the Proteus wikipedia page there is this quote:

I can add colours to the chameleon,
Change shapes with Proteus for advantages,
And set the murderous Machiavel to school.
Can I do this, and cannot get a crown?
Tut, were it farther off, I'll pluck it down.
— William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part Three, Act III, Scene ii

I wanted to know what the last line meant and a quick search led me to this Reddit post, What does Richard/Gloucester mean when he says "Tut, were it farther off, I’ll pluck it down.". This is a transcription of a scene from the film Richard III (1955).
In the video they refer to, the original monologue from the play Richard III is mixed with parts of a monologue by the same character (Richard III) from another play, Henry IV (the one in the Wikipedia quote):

[…]

And now, instead of mounting barded steeds
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,

[…]
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
[…]
I'll drown more sailors than the mermaid shall,
I'll slay more gazers than the basilisk;
I'll play the orator as well as Nestor,
Deceive more slyly than Ulysses could,
And, like a Sinon, take another Troy.

I can add colours to the chameleon,
Change shapes with Proteus for advantages,

And set the murd'rous Machiavel to school
Can I do this, and cannot get a crown?
Tut! were it further off, I'll pluck it down.

Bacon and Proteus

Francis Bacon also speaks of Proteus in "De sapientia veterum, liber", translated into English in "Of the Wisdom of the Ancients". It's short and interesting to read.

XIII. Proteus Or Matter

PROTEUS, the poets tell us, was herdsman to Neptune. He was an old man and a prophet; a prophet moreover of the very first order, and indeed thrice excellent; for he knew all three,—not the future only, but likewise the past and the present; insomuch that besides his power of divination, he was the messenger and interpreter of all antiquity and all secrets. His dwelling was under an immense cave. There it was his custom every day at noon to count his flock of seals and then go to sleep. And if any one wanted his help in any matter, the only way was first to secure his hands with handcuffs, and then to bind him with chains. Whereupon he on his part, in order to get free, would turn himself into all manner of strange shapes—fire, water, wild beasts, &c., till at last he returned again to his original shape.
The sense of this fable relates, it would seem, to the secrets of nature and the conditions of matter. For under the person of Proteus, Matter—the most ancient of all things, next to God—is meant to be represented. Now matter has its habitation under the vault of heaven, as under a cave. And it may be called the servant of Neptune, inasmuch as all the operation and dispensation of matter is effected principally in liquids.
[…]
src: https://www.bartleby.com/82/13.html

Spirit and Water

Consonant values

I noticed that the consonants of P-r-o-t-e-u-s are the same as those of S-p-i-r-i-t.

Matter of fact

The sense of this fable relates, it would seem, to the secrets of nature and the conditions of matter. For under the person of Proteus, Matter—the most ancient of all things, next to God—is meant to be represented. Now matter has its habitation under the vault of heaven, as under a cave. And it may be called the servant of Neptune, inasmuch as all the operation and dispensation of matter is effected principally in liquids.

Proteus, associated with matter, emerges from the sea^*️⃣ and sleeps in a cave, changing shape in between if one tries to capture him. The example of water is notoriously the first that comes to mind when we talk about the states of matter.
^*️⃣Note that in the video ▶ The Simpsons - The bacon man there is mention of returning to the ocean ("So, here for a snack before they roll you back into the ocean?"), in context I find that line a little ironic.

Capture the Serendipity

He can foretell the future, but, in a mytheme familiar to several cultures, will change his shape to avoid doing so; he answers only to those who are capable of capturing him.
src: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proteus

At this point I reflect on how easily connections come to us when we are in this particular position of observer, whether we like it or not. This is the principle of serendipity. Very strange word which I bet many have trouble pronouncing correctly and which for me has changed during my life (Mandela Effect). By the way, I had posted about this on Retconned in the past and when looking for my post I preferred to go through Google rather than the Reddit search engine.
This is where I get suggested a movie, Serendipity (2001), but it's a romantic comedy, I'm not too into that, I'm barely interested. But my instinct tells me it's not there by chance. If I don't watch the film, I will still look into the director's filmography.
Peter Chelsom; I'm looking at the list of movies he's directed. Not very funky at first glance but there are one or two key words, one or two imagery elements that have been involved in previous synchronicities for me that kept me from abandoning this lead in a hurry. I ended up clicking on the link of the movie The Mighty (1998).

The Old Man of the Sea

A young boy suffering from a debilitating disease causing deformities rides 👁️‍🗨️ on the shoulders of another, stronger boy. The young boy lends his insight while the other boy lends his strength.
It reminds me of the story of the Old Man of the Sea:

• In The Odyssey: Book IV, Homer (the other Homer) calls Proteus the wise Old Man of the Sea.
  
• The Old Man of the Sea in the tales of Sinbad the Sailor depicts 👁️‍🗨️ an old man clinging to a man on his shoulders.
  

While writing these lines

While writing these lines from my notes (more than a month later^*️⃣) I distractedly watched the Serendipity movie trailer... and there I see a golf scene that I hadn't noticed before (probably because I had not watched the entire video). I decide to watch the film.
^*️⃣Also while writing these lines I mentally played with the word "serendipity"; seren-dipidy, seren-pididy, etc. Which inevitably reminded me of ▶ this scene from a music video where Ben Stiller struggles to find the right name for rapper Puff Daddy. The plot coincidentally revolves around a golf ball...

SERENDIPITY

The plot of the film is a story of a character who seeks the identity of another, enough to entice him to pursue serendipity. Reminds me of the content of this post.
Moreover, there are several factual elements that suggest that resemblance:

Amazing likeness

Knockoff

▶ Serendipity - Prada:

• Purchase of a product (supposedly) from a luxury fashion house brand: "Ooh! Prada!" ... "I'll take it."
  
• Discussion about a knockoff product name: "Eve, that's a horrific knockoff. At least my fake says Prada. Yours says Prado."
  
• Discussion about altering the product a bit to make it more presentable: "Yeah? Well, I say for a dollar, I can buy a little magic marker and fix that."
  

▶ The Simpsons - Chanel:

• Purchase of a product (supposedly) from a luxury fashion house brand: "Oh, it's beautiful. Can it be a real Chanel?" ... "All right, I will buy it."
  
• Discussion about knockoff product names: "Don't be a sap, Dad. These are just crappy knock-offs." | "I know a genuine Panaphonics when I see it. And look, there's Magnetbox and Sorny."
  
• Discussion about altering the product a bit to make it more presentable: "Homer, please, I have to alter this suit so it looks different for tomorrow." | "Just slap some bumper stickers on it."
  

Golf

▶ The Simpsons - golf; To put into context, we had in the episode of The Simpsons:

• A character hit in the head by a golf club.
  
• A character hit in the head by a golf ball.
  
• A multitude of white balls scattered on the green.
  

[+]

• A character acknowledging a buried feeling: "I knew my kind wasn't welcome here."

▶ Serendipity - golf; The film Serendipity uses the synchronicity of golf as an factor of serendipity. And note these points:

• A character hit in the head by a golf ball.
  
• A character hit in the head by a golf club.
  
• A multitude of white balls scattered on a green floor.
  

[+] just a tiny bit of interpretation here:

• A character saying: "I think I swallowed a filling". Which I think is to be understood in the context of the film as "I think I swallowed a feeling".

Serpent and Destiny

Furthermore, the serpent is, in my humble opinion, an underlying theme in the film. I will avoid going too deep into the interpretations and just quickly relate a few noteworthy elements:

Serpent of old

▶ Serendipity - Cool Yule; The film opens with the song "Cool Yule" by Louis Armstrong with the Commanders. With these lyrics:

♪ And you gonna flip when Old Saint Nick ♪
♪ Plays a lick on a peppermint stick ♪

Old Nick could mean the Devil, Old Serpent, etc. An interesting discussion about the adjective "Old" in Old Nick.

Another one bites the dust

▶ Serendipity - crawling; A scene where the main character, Jonathan Trager (black jacket), is crawling on the ground.

In order, garter.

▶ Serenditpy - T-r-a-g-e-r; Jonathan Trager, T-r-a-g-e-r. Trager anagram of garter. Like a garter snake. But also a vocabulary used for a bride (which is in line with the apparent theme of the film).
Reminds me of something I jotted down somewhere...
...there it is:

Notably the pendant suspended on a ribbon from around Bacon’s neck, which in earlier portraits was deliberately concealed in such a way as to suggest a secret, is in this picture shown exposed, revealing itself as the Lesser George and thereby suggesting or indicating that Bacon was a secret Knight of the Garter, or had the right to be one.
src: https://www.fbrt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Portraits_of_Francis_Bacon.pdf#page=6

Some infos on The Order of the Garter.

Snake Club

The presence of the word snake in Beckinsale (the name of the main actress) is obvious. But, I was interested in the consonants of the word and I saw there the term Snake Club.
I explain, we remove the vowels and: b.c.k.n.s.l → s.n.k c.l.b
I do a Google search on "snake club". I come across a page on a movie site that talks about what looks like a Z movie titled "Snake Club: Revenge of the Snake Woman". I scroll down a bit and come across 👁️‍🗨️ this poster showing Kate Beckinsale herself in the first place of movie recommendations.

IN THE QUR'AN

CLUB AND SNAKE

At the time of the synchronicities with the Simpsons episode, I was interested in the symbolism of golf. The golf club is reminiscent of a farm tool, the hoe, I kept that in mind. With the intrusion of the serpent into my serendipity, I was instead led to think about the story of the staff of Musa (Moses) in the Qur'an. Especially in Surah 20, Ta-Ha:

20:17 And what is that in your right hand, O Moses?"
20:18 He said, "It is my staff; I lean upon it, and I bring down leaves for my sheep and I have therein other uses."
20:19 [Allah] said, "Throw it down, O Moses."
20:20 So he threw it down, and thereupon it was a snake, moving swiftly.
20:21 [Allah] said, "Seize it and fear not; We will return it to its former condition.
- Translation: Sahih International ⇠ I'll keep this translation throughout the topic.
src: Qur'an 20:[17-21]

This new perspective has taken the serendipity in a interesting direction. A scene described in this same surah caught my attention; Musa and Harun confront the magicians summoned by Pharaoh:

20:61 Moses said to the magicians summoned by Pharaoh, "Woe to you! Do not invent a lie against Allah or He will exterminate you with a punishment; and he has failed who invents [such falsehood]."
20:62 So they disputed over their affair among themselves and concealed their private conversation.
20:63 They said, "Indeed, these are two magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic and do away with your most exemplary way.
20:64 So resolve upon your plan and then come [forward] in line. And he has succeeded today who overcomes."
20:65 They said, "O Moses, either you throw or we will be the first to throw."
20:66 He said, "Rather, you throw." And suddenly their ropes and staffs seemed to him from their magic that they were moving [like snakes].
20:67 And he sensed within himself apprehension, did Moses.
20:68 Allah said, "Fear not. Indeed, it is you who are superior.
20:69 And throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have crafted. What they have crafted is but the trick of a magician, and the magician will not succeed wherever he is."
20:70 So the magicians fell down in prostration. They said, "We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses."
20:71 [Pharaoh] said, "You believed him before I gave you permission. Indeed, he is your leader who has taught you magic. So I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you on the trunks of palm trees, and you will surely know which of us is more severe in [giving] punishment and more enduring."
20:72 They said, "Never will we prefer you over what has come to us of clear proofs and [over] He who created us. So decree whatever you are to decree. You can only decree for this worldly life.
20:73 Indeed, we have believed in our Lord that He may forgive us our sins and what you compelled us [to do] of magic. And Allah is better and more enduring."
src: Qur'an 20:[61-73]

I spotted other similarities:

Intrigue and trick

➔ Qur'an 20:[61-63]; Note this:

• A secret confabulation: 20:62 "So they disputed over their affair among themselves and concealed their private conversation."
  
• Characters implying that other characters intend to use a trick: 20:63 "They said, "Indeed, these are two magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic and do away with your most exemplary way."^*️⃣
  

^*️⃣The magicians repeat here the words of Pharaoh a few ayat ("verses") before: "He said, "Have you come to us to drive us out of our land with your magic, O Moses?" Qur'an 20:57.
▶ Columbo - subterfuge (spoiler!); We have already mentioned these points in ALL IN ONE > COLUMBO > Ruse:

• A character who accuses another of trickery: "He put it there. Can’t you see? Before we came. He put it there!"
  
• A private discussion between two characters with the idea of keeping the subterfuge secret: "Off the record, eh?"
  

▶ The Simpsons - cheating; Same here:

• A character who accuses another of trickery: "You've been cheating. No matter where Mr. Burns hits the ball you put a fresh one on the green."
  
• A private discussion between two characters with the idea of keeping the cheating secret: "If you would keep quiet about the alleged decades of cheating I'm sure he'd support your application for membership tonight."
  

By hook or by crook

➔ Qur'an 20:[64-73]; Note this:

• An injunction to throw a staff...: 20:69 "And throw what is in your right hand; [...]"
  
• ...that will swallow up an illusion (objects that move like snakes; see 20:66): 20:69 "[...] it will swallow up what they have crafted. What they have crafted is but the trick of a magician, and the magician will not succeed wherever he is."
  
• Characters thrown down to prostration^1️⃣: 20:70 "So the magicians fell down in prostration. They said, "We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.""
  
• Characters acknowledging a hidden feeling: 20:73 "Indeed, we have believed in our Lord that He may forgive us our sins and what you compelled us^2️⃣ [to do] of magic. And Allah is better and more enduring.""
  

^1️⃣The magicians didn't just fell down, they were thrown down: fa-ul'qiya [So were thrown down] al-saharatu [the magicians] sujjadan [prostrating].Note that this is the same verb, in the passive form, as in the previous ayah in which Musa was asked to throw down his staff: wa-alqi [And throw] ma [what] fi [in] yaminika [your right hand]. This emphasizes the correlation between the two events.
^2️⃣The Arabic word "akrahtana" translated as "you compelled us" carries a notion of aversion. That is to say, to be compelled to something that generates aversion. Here the magicians finally admit their true feelings towards Pharaoh's orders.
▶ The Simpsons - golf; Notice the similarities:

• A character throws a golf club...
  
• ...which hits another character who then falls face down.
  
• The latter acknowledges a buried feeling: "I knew my kind wasn't welcome here."
  

▶ The Simpsons - cheating; ~ Swallowing fake snakes:
The club-thrower character puts a whole golf ball in his mouth, chews it, and proves that "these aren't reptile eggs".
▶ Serendipity - golf; Note the same similarities here:

• A character is hit by a golf club and then falls face down.
  
• The same character who says: "I think I swallowed a filling". Which I think is to be understood in the context of the film as "I think I swallowed a feeling"^*️⃣.
  

^*️⃣Note also the use of the verb "to swallow".

Destiny and Serpent

Divine measure

In Surah Ta-Ha Allah commands Musa to meet Pharaoh, reminding him of the divine interventions in the key stages of his existence on Earth:

20:36 [Allah] said, "You have been granted your request, O Moses.
20:37 And We had already conferred favor upon you another time,
20:38 When We inspired to your mother what We inspired,
20:39 [Saying], 'Cast him into the chest and cast it into the river, and the river will throw it onto the bank; there will take him an enemy to Me and an enemy to him.' And I bestowed upon you love from Me that you would be brought up under My eye.
20:40 [And We favored you] when your sister went and said, 'Shall I direct you to someone who will be responsible for him?' So We restored you to your mother that she might be content and not grieve. And you killed someone, but We saved you from retaliation and tried you with a [severe] trial. And you remained [some] years among the people of Madyan. Then you came [here] at the decreed time, O Moses.
20:41 And I produced you for Myself.
20:42 Go, you and your brother, with My signs and do not slacken in My remembrance.
20:43 Go, both of you, to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed.
src: Qur'an 20:[36-43]

All of these life events brought Musa to the ad hoc place and time: 20:40 "[...] Then you came [here] at the decreed time, O Moses.".

Tamed serpent

A sinuous life course alternating between threat and benevolence though not turning away from fate. Symbolized from the outset by the abandonment of the baby on the river, a river that snakes its way to destination. And marked at the appointed moment by the transformation of the staff into a serpent before it is returned to its former condition.
End of part 1/3.
The continuation is in On the trail of a spirit (2/3) →

In response to this previous post, I have designed a template for sorting a vanity of cosmetics like a visual database, which is easy to view and search, colour-coded, and includes charts with spreadsheets.

This helps with knowing what you already own, so you do not buy duplicates by mistake, and also helps you know what you have a surplus of and what you are lacking.

The main sorting is focused on eye shadow, however, lips, blush, highlighter, liners, and other products are included.
The cosmetics are described by:
Finish: Matte, Sparkly-Matte, Shimmery, Pearly/Pearlescent, Metallic, Duochrome/colourshift/flip, Glitter, Sparkle Pinpoints/Sparkly, Multidimensional, Opalescent, Frosted
Temperature/Tone: Warm Toned, Neutral, Icy, Cool Toned
Saturation: Tinged, Faded, Soft, True, Neon, Primary, Vivid, Bright, Rich, Muted, Dusty, Smokey
Luminosity: Baby, Pastel, Pale, Light, Light-Medium, Medium, Medium-Dark, Burnt, Dark, Deep, Blackened
However, you could also optionally choose to add: Texture: Creamy (Cream to powder), Velvety (Packs down), Silky (Slides on easily), Satin (Doesn't fill fine lines), Powdery (Kickback), Dense (Tighly Packed), Emollient (Glue-like), Flakey (Foily)
As well as:
Coverage: Translucent, Sheer, Build-able, Highly Pigmented
and Longevity: Fades/Creases, X Hours of Wear, Waterproof, No-Budge, Semi-Permanent

Feel free to copy and use this template for yourself!

See the whole organised document here for ideas.

Tolkien’s Elves – both male and female – tend to be depicted in a certain way: tall, slender, beautiful, beardless, and with no significant sexual dimorphism in general (sexual dimorphism refers to the physical differences between male and female members of a species, such as size).
I have already written at length about male Elves wearing their hair long in the same way as female Elves do (https://www.reddit.com/tolkienfans/comments/x8arb5/hairstyles_and_hair_length_of_elves_and_men_in/). But I was interested in whether Elves are in fact as androgynous as they are depicted, and particularly in the differences between male Elves and men.
Beauty
One of the first things you are taught when you learn English as a foreign language is that “beautiful” the adjective used for women, while “handsome” is used for men. I was specifically taught not to use “beautiful” to describe men.
However, this is different for Elves in the Legendarium. Both male and female Elves are generally described as “beautiful” and “fair” (apart from Nerdanel, who “was not among the fairest of her people”, HoME X, p. 272). Of course Lúthien, Idril, Aredhel and Galadriel are repeatedly described as beautiful.
But male Elves are also called “beautiful” and “fair”, rather than “handsome”. (The word “handsome” doesn’t appear at all in the Silmarillion and is never used for Elves in LOTR.)
Here’s a list of some descriptions of male Elves as “beautiful” or “fair”:

• Maedhros: “he was of beautiful bodily form” (HoME XII, p. 353).
• Fëanor: “He was tall, and fair of face, and masterful, his eyes piercingly bright and his hair raven-dark; in the pursuit of all his purposes eager and steadfast.” (Sil, QS, ch. 6)
• Finrod Felagund: “Finrod was like his father in his fair face and golden hair” (HoME XII, p. 337).
• The epithet of Celegorm the Fair may refer to his looks (see my discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/tolkienfans/comments/y4md1w/cheatsheet_the_house_of_finwë_in_valino).
• Celeborn: “Very tall they were, and the Lady no less tall than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful.” (LOTR, p. 354)

(Túrin is also described as beautiful: “dark-haired and pale-skinned, with grey eyes, and his face more beautiful than any other among mortal Men, in the Elder Days”: Sil, QS, ch. 21. Túrin took after his mother Morwen, who had been the “proudest and most beautiful of mortal women in the days of old”, Sil, QS, ch. 22 – and Morwen was called “Eledhwen”, because she was so like an Elf, implying that her son, who is so much like her, is also quite Elf-like.)
No beards
Male Elves generally have no beards, just like female Elves (meanwhile, both male and female Dwarves have beards, see below).

• In a very late text (1972–1973), Tolkien wrote: “This [lack of beards], I said, I supposed not to be due to any custom of shaving, but a racial characteristic. None of the Eldar had any beards, and this was a general racial characteristic of all Elves in my ‘world’.” (NoME, p. 187)
• Some years earlier, Tolkien had written that “Elves did not have beards until they entered the third cycle of life. Nerdanel’s father […] was exceptional, being only early in his second.” (NoME, p. 189, fn. 2)

Whichever it is (Elves generally never grown beards, or Elves generally only ever grow beards when very old), beards aren’t generally part of the physical characteristics of male Elves.
Voices
There doesn’t seem to be a large difference between the voices of male and female Elves. Elven voices are clear, fair and musical, and the only Elf who is noted for their deep voice is Galadriel – none of the male Elves are said to have deep voices.

• Galadriel’s voice: “Her voice was clear and musical, but deeper than woman’s wont.” (LOTR, p. 355)
• Glorfindel’s voice: “His speech and clear ringing voice left no doubt in their hearts: the rider was of the Elven-folk. No others that dwelt in the wide world had voices so fair to hear.” (LOTR, p. 209)
• Fingon’s voice: “and his voice, strong and sweet, rang in the mournful hollows that had never heard before aught save cried of fear and woe” (HoME V, p. 251).

(In the earliest version of the Fall of Gondolin, the Elves have clearly never heard the voice of a Man like Tuor: “Then all who listened grew silent, and [Tuor’s] deep and rolling voice held them in amaze, for their own voices were fair as the plash of fountains.” (FoG, The Original Tale, p. 54) However, this is a very early text and the Elves were more “fairylike” at the time.)
Height
In general, the Elves, or at least the Noldor, were quite tall, both male Elves and female Elves.

• In Appendix F we are told that the Eldar “were tall, fair of skin and grey-eyed, though their locks were dark, save in the golden house of Finarfin; and their voices had more melodies than any mortal voice that now is heard.” (LOTR, p. 1137, fn omitted) A footnote specifies that this physical description “in fact applied only to the Noldor”, referring to HoME I (LOTR, p. 1137, fn. 1). Concerning this mix-up, Christopher Tolkien states: “Thus these words describing characters of face and hair were actually written of the Noldor only, and not of all the Eldar: indeed the Vanyar had golden hair […]. But I am unable to determine how this extraordinary perversion of meaning arose.” (HoME I, p. 44). Still, the Noldor at least were tall, and we see Vanyarin and Sindarin Elves being described as tall as well.
• “Fingolfin was his father’s son, tall, dark, and proud, as were most of the Ñoldor” (HoME XII, p. 336).
• Fëanor: “He was tall, and fair of face, and masterful, his eyes piercingly bright and his hair raven-dark; in the pursuit of all his purposes eager and steadfast.” (Sil, QS, ch. 6)
• Maedhros is known as “the tall” (Sil, QS, ch. 5).
• Indis is “golden-haired and tall, and in all ways unlike Míriel” (Sil, QS, ch. 6).
• Turgon: “tallest of all the Children of the World, save Thingol” (UT, p. 74).
• Aredhel: “when she was grown to full stature and beauty she was tall and strong, and loved to ride and hunt in the forests.” (Sil, QS, ch. 5)
• Galadriel and Celeborn: “Very tall they were, and the Lady no less tall than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful.” (LOTR, The Mirror of Galadriel, p. 354). Galadriel is “the tallest of all the women of the Eldar of whom tales tell” (UT, p. 370).

However, it appears that male Elves were generally taller than female Elves, Galadriel (a Noldo who had seen the Trees) and Celeborn (a Sinda, but whose name means either “Silver-Tall” or “Silver-Tree”, https://www.elfdict.com/w/celeborn/s?include_old=1, both of which refer to his height) notwithstanding:
“The Ouendi were in origin a tall people. The Eldar were those who accepted the invitation of the Valar to remove from Middle-earth and set forth on the Great March to the Western Shores of Middle-earth. They were in general the stronger and taller members of the Elvish folk at that time. In Eldarin tradition it was said that even their women were seldom less than 6 ft. in height; their full-grown elfmen no less than 6 ft. 6, while some of the great kings and leaders were taller.” (NoME, p. 194)
Strength
Both male and female Elves tend to be strong and fast: “Indeed in dire straits or desperate defence, the nissi fought valiantly, and there was less difference in strength and speed between elven-men and elven-women that had not borne child than is seen among mortals.” (HoME X, p. 213) So there is lower sexual dimorphism between male and female Elves (who haven’t had children yet) than between men and women.
And strength was clearly prized, so much so that Elves named their children for their physical strength: Celegorm’s father-name is “Turkafinwë ‘strong, powerful (in body)’” (HoME XII, p. 352).
But it appears that even the strongest male Elves are less strong than the strongest Men:

• Fingon would certainly be strong for an Elf, being a prince of the Noldor who had seen the Trees, the older brother of “tall and strong” Aredhel (Sil, QS, ch. 5), and known for his physical feats of daring; he seems to effortlessly duel Gothmog, who had just thrust Turgon and Húrin aside, and only dies because he’s attacked from behind by another Balrog during the duel (Sil, QS, ch. 20).
• However, when Maedhros gives Fingon the Dragon-helm, one of apparently many gifts exchanged between them, Fingon finds it too heavy to wear, while the strongest men in Hithlum are able to use it: “But in all Hithlum no head and shoulders were found stout enough to bear the dwarf-helm with ease, save those of Hador and his son Galdor.” (UT, p. 98) “Húrin did not wear the Dragon-helm with ease” either (UT, p. 98), but Túrin would of course later wear it and become famous for it. Túrin, grandson of Galdor, is of course one of the strongest Men in the Legendarium: “The blade scored it with a dreadful gash, but those hideous folds could not be pierced by any strength of men, not though Elf or Dwarf should forge the steel or the hand of Beren or of Túrin wield it.” (LOTR, p. 728)

The implication is that the strongest Men are stronger than the strongest male Elves.
What does this mean?
We know that both male and female Elves are tall and strong, although male Elves are taller, and that the strength difference between male and female Elves is less than that between men and women. How would this work? Simple: male Elves have less muscle mass than (male) Men, so that male and female Elves of the same height would have similar amounts of muscle mass.
This is also supported by a comment Tolkien made concerning depictions of Legolas. Christopher Tolkien writes that, “Ultimately, of course, the Elves shed all associations and qualities that would be now commonly considered ‘fairylike’, and those who remained in the Great Lands in Ages of the world at this time unconceived were to grow greatly in stature and in power: there was nothing filmy or transparent about the heroic or majestic Eldar of the Third Age of Middle-earth. Long afterwards my father would write, in a wrathtul comment on a ‘pretty’ or ‘ladylike’ pictorial rendering of Legolas: He was tall as a young tree, lithe, immensely strong, able swiftly to draw a great war-bow and shoot down a Nazgûl, endowed with the tremendous vitality of Elvish bodies, so hard and resistant to hurt that he went only in light shoes over rock or through snow, the most tireless of all the Fellowship.” (HoME II, p. 327)
So Legolas was tall and strong, as Elves generally are (see above) – but he was still lithe.
This is also confirmed by Niënor, a young human woman of the House of Hador, easily passing for a male Sindarin soldier: the Elven soldiers of Doriath accompanying Morwen to Nargothrond are “tall”, but Niënor is as tall or taller than most of them: “Tall and strong she seemed; for of great stature were those of Hador’s house, and thus clad in Elvish raiment she matched well with the guards, being smaller only than the greatest among them.” (CoH, p. 202)
A look at the Dwarves
Dwarves also have low (or practically non-existent) sexual dimorphism, but very differently than the Elves.

• “The Naugrim were ever, as they still remain, short and squat in stature; they were deep-breasted, strong in the arm, and stout in the leg, and their beards were long. Indeed this strangeness they have that no Man nor Elf has ever seen a beardless Dwarf – unless he were shaven in mockery, and would then be more like to die of shame than of many other hurts that to us would seem more deadly.” (HoME XI, p. 205)
• “It was said by Gimli that there are few dwarf-women, probably no more than a third of the whole people. They seldom walk abroad except at great need. They are in voice and appearance, and in garb if they must go on a journey, so like to the dwarf-men that the eyes and ears of other peoples cannot tell them apart. This has given rise to the foolish opinion among Men that there are no dwarf-women, and that the Dwarves ‘grow out of stone’.” (LOTR, App. A, p. 1080)
• If that wasn’t clear enough, Tolkien says explicitly that Dwarf-women have beards: “For the Naugrim have beards from the beginning of their lives, male and female alike; not indeed can their womenkind be discerned by those of other race, be it in feature or in gait to in voice, not in any wise save this: that they go not to war and seldom save at direst need issue from their deep bowers and halls.” (HoME XI, p. 205)

Sources:
The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien, HarperCollins 2007 (softcover) [cited as: LOTR].
The Silmarillion, JRR Tolkien, ed Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins, ebook edition February 2011, version 2019-01-09 [cited as: The Silmarillion].
Unfinished Tales of Númenor & Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien, ed Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2014 (softcover) [cited as: UT].
The Children of Húrin, JRR Tolkien, ed Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2014 (softcover) [cited as: CoH].
The Fall of Gondolin, JRR Tolkien, ed Christopher Tolkien, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2018 (hardcover) [cited as: FoG].
The Book of Lost Tales Part One, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME I].
The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME II].
The Lost Road and Other Writings, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME V].
Morgoth’s Ring, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME X].
The War of the Jewels, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME XI].
The Peoples of Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME XII].
The Nature of Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien, ed Carl F Hostetter, HarperCollins 2021 (hardcover) [cited as: NoME].

Under three weeks until Eurovision goes to Sweden for the 7th time, our countdown really starts to get to the meat and potatoes. We are now getting to the top half of the list, and with that we start to see more known ESC hits, which for me is very exciting! It has been a nice journey learning about the acts that have influenced each country at this contest, and may it continue into the top 30!

The Countries

Placement	Country	Score
28	Serbia	87081.981
29	Croatia	73990.339
30	Romania	73540.311
31	Bulgaria	71403.49
32	Armenia	69723.425

Sorry about the title, I meant to point to the fact that all of these countries end with -ia, and that they are all together results wise, which is pretty interesting. Just above Latvia (#33) is Armenia, who despite never winning, have steadily gotten results, as they have only NQ'ed 3 times in 15 attempts since they joined in 2006. Above Armenia is Bulgaria, who have quite the opposite results than Armenia, only qualifying 5 times since they debuted in 2005. But when they DO qualify, they have produced some of the best songs this contest has seen. Above Bulgaria (on this list and geographically) is neighbor Romania, who like their neighbor have left their mark on this competition, and even though they face financial difficulties today, at full strength they are a force to be reckoned with, with some top 3 placings to back it up. Inside the top 30 is Croatia, who don't have a top 3 in their history, but are only one of two countries here to host an ESC, and have one of my all time fav entries. They actually have only qualified 3 times in 11 years prior to this year's contest, but like with Bulgaria, cannot be counted out when they do qualify. And at the top here is the resident ESC winning country in Serbia***, whose history here is shorter than all the rest here, but have really impressed with their time, becoming a Eurovision darling with some of their entries and style.
** If you don't count the Croatian Yugoslav entries. ** Croatia hosted Yugoslavia's ESC in 1990.
*** Notice the gap between Serbia and the rest? Things will be REALLY serious soon.
Some Notable Artists: André (Armenia), Luminița Anghel (Romania), Monica Anghel (Romania), Aram Mp3 (Armenia), Maja Blagdan (Croatia), Danijela (Croatia), Bora Dugić (Serbia), Doris (Croatia), Equinox (Bulgaria), Alex Florea (Romania), Poli Genova (Bulgaria), Ilinca (Romania), Željko Joksimović (Serbia), Konstrakta (Serbia), Lado (Croatia), Lidija (Croatia), Kristian Kostov (Bulgaria), Magazin (Croatia), Iveta Mukuchyan (Armenia), Nicola (Romania), Nina (Serbia), Boris Novković (Croatia), Ovi (Romania), Marcel Pavel (Romania), Eva Rivas (Armenia), Paula Seling (Romania), Sistem (Romania), Jelena Tomašević (Serbia), Elitsa Todorova (Bulgaria), Marija Šerifović (Serbia), Sirusho (Armenia), Victoria (Bulgaria), Stoyan Yankoulov (Bulgaria)

The Worst Years

Romania 2023 Theodor Andrei - D.G.T. (Off and On)

Contest Ranking: DNQ (15th 2nd Semifinal) My Ranking: 36th (-1.9)
Yikes, what a disaster. Our first time talking about the most recent ESC, and it's because of Romania and their entry D.G.T (Off and On). But first, let's talk about the performer Theodor Andrei, who was able to turn this former duet of a song into one suitable to win the national final and compete in Eurovision. In some interviews, Andrei spoke out about how he wanted to send a song "never seen before" for Romania at ESC, as he wanted to mix several genres that both his countrymen and foreign listeners would enjoy. This man has the repertoire to pull it off, as he has a long history of acting and singing from an early age. Unfortunately, TVR (Romania's broadcaster), had different plans for Theo, as they not only rejected all of his ideas for staging, they also forced Theo to do a slower revamp of his song for Eurovision, as well as not give him any money for the staging at the contest. This contributed to a quite bizarre performance, one where he can be seen with a white... costume(?) flashing all over the screens. It's quite sad hearing about the troubles he had to deal with, because this song doesn't deserve to get ZERO points in his semifinal, joining the hall of "nil points" entries.

Bulgaria 2009 Krassimir Avramov - Illusion

Contest Ranking: DNQ (16th 1st Semifinal) My Ranking: 39th (0.627)
This one is a bit funny. After 4 years and only 1 qualification (finished 5th), Bulgaria would host a national final that had 14(!) events over the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009. At the end of all of the events, it would be a former pantomime, named Krassimir Avramov, that would represent the country in Moscow, quite controversially, I should add. It's funny that the offical ESC site says that Avramov has a "very rare and unique male voice", when so many people in Bulgaria took exception to his musical abilities when he won. They took SO much exception that there was a live debate on whether Krassimir should go to Eurovision or not! After all of that, Avramov and his "unique male voice" would preform his song in Moscow, and promptly exit after finishing third to last overall. I don't want to say the protestors were on to something, since I'm talking about this song in the Worst section, so I'm not going to, and I'll move on... ***
**Maybe they *were** onto something...

Croatia 2010 Feminnem - Lako je sve

Contest Ranking: DNQ (13th 2nd Semifinal) My Ranking: 33rd (1.553)
Now here's an act with some experience at ESC, with the girl group Feminnem representing Croatia in Eurovision with their song Lako je sve. They first competed in 2005 for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as both nationalities are represented in the group. That entry got 14th, a respectable finish, which lead to them trying to represent Croatia in 2007, to no avail. In 2009, they would try again to represent Croatia, but would fail again. It would only be in 2010 where the group would finally break through and get the chance to represent Croatia, a country whose performances were starting to slip as the 2000's were ending. With the chance to reverse their country's fortunes, they would... not qualify, kicking off a streak of 4 consequent NQ's. In fact, this entry would kickstart a bigger trend for the country, as mentioned earlier, they would only qualify 3 times in 11 years, and it all started with this song**.
** It should have started a year earlier, but Croatia's 2009 entry qualified through back up jurors despite finishing 13th in their semi.

Serbia 2013 Moje 3 - Ljubav je svuda (Љубав је свуда)

Contest Ranking: DNQ (11th 1st Semifinal) My Ranking: 29th (1.775)
Here we have another girl group making this list, this time it's Serbia with their 2013 entry. Serbia are quite efficient at winning this competition, as they have only failed to make the final 3 times like Armenia, so when they don't qualify, it's always a big shock. This group is made of a former ESC rep, as Nevena Božović was Serbia's Junior ESC participant in 2007. This group actually had to reunite, as before the competition the group broke up for their separate careers. And after this performance, they would break up again to resume said careers, due to the average age of this group was nineteen (19!). For a group that had an impressive individual resume, the only award they would receive that night would be a Barbara Dex award, and in the future another Serbian girl group would redeem Moje 3 with a storm...

Armenia 2011 Emmy - Boom Boom

Contest Ranking: DNQ (12th 1st Semifinal) My Ranking: 29th (1.799)
Of the three times Armenia didn't qualify to Grand Final, this one was the worst preforming of the bunch. For the contest in Germany, Armenia's broadcaster decided to internally select the performer this time, choosing what people consider one of the countries most popular singers in Emma Bejanyan, better known as Emmy. Emmy had a fast rise to stardom with her first song in the 90's, and she gained notoriety while touring with the all female quartet Hayer. The song she would sing is called "Boom Boom", which in theory would keep the Armenian "boom" in this contest, as they always made the Final prior to this year. In fact, they had never missed out on the top ten before this year, a feat in itself. Unfortunately, as Emmy came out onto the stage in a boxer's glove, this song would put a "boom" to Armenia's top ten and qualification streak, as this would be the nation's first non qualifier. Here's a fun fact: Armenia has only made the top 10 twice since this entry, so I guess this song was more of a "boom" than one would think... just not in a great way...

The Best Years

Croatia 1998 Danijela - Neka mi ne svane

Contest Ranking: 5th (131 pts) My Ranking: 5th (292.853)
For a country that technically has an ESC trophy (Yugoslavia 1989 was from Croatia), it is quite surprising to find that Croatia really haven't been able to replicate their 90's success. Their top three songs by (my) score are 1996 (197.392), 1999* (237.33), and this entry in 1998, "Neka mi ne svane", preformed by Danijela. We have ourselves a repeat performer! Danijela Martinović had her breakthrough in 1991, when she joined the band Magazin, who were a big band dating back to the Yugoslav days. In 1995, the band would represent Croatia's 3rd ever ESC entry, with the song "Nostalgija", which got the country their first top 10. One year later Danijela would leave the band to pursue her solo career, which lead her to win the Dora festival, which got her a ticket to the big dance in Birmingham for ESC '98!
I didn't know which song this was, but when I saw the black cloak over Danijela, I was like "Oh, it's THAT one." This song fits under the umbrella of the Balkan ballad, which for me always hit more than they miss. This one hits for me (shock)! I think that the quiet buildup at the beginning really pulls the viewer in, as it is only her voice that can be heard at the start. Then as the music swells and she hits the chorus, which feels like a nice reward for the viewer being invested for the beginning. I think the most iconic part of her preformance though was the costume change, as she discards her black robe for a clean white dress, which probably represents her moving on from her lover. Oh, I forgot to say this before, but this song is a love ballad (also shock). It's very interesting that Croatia sent in female ballads in their early days of ESC, and it's also very interesting that in back to back years, they would have two women in white dresses singing dramatic ballads**. It's also very intriguing that they would finish in similar positions, with less than 15 points separating them. Both of those songs represent a blooming time for Croatia, a time that they have struggled to get back to since, but maybe this year they can start to change that.

• MARIJA MAGDALENAAAAAAAAAAAAA ** Does "Marija Magdalena" count as a ballad?

Armenia 2008 Sirusho - Qélé, Qélé (Քելե, Քելե)

Contest Ranking: 4th (199 pts) My Ranking: 5th (300.409)
Armenia certainly came on to the ESC stage with some force! With their first five entries placing in the top ten, they already had a formula that translated very well. Of the first five, this was the one that placed the highest, finishing 4th, one of two times Armenia would enter the top five in their ESC history. What would be that entry? Probably one of the few highlights from an otherwise dull year in "Qélé, Qélé", preformed by Sirusho, also known as Siranush Harutyunyan, an Armenian born singer who, surprise surprise, blossomed onto the field when she was only nine! She already had awards for a Best Album, and for Best Female Performer, and was regarded as an Armenian icon when she was selected by AMPTV to represent the country in Moscow for Eurovision '09. The song she would sing was the overwhelming choice by the Armenian public, called "Qélé, Qélé", written by Siranush herself alongside Canadian producer Harout Arthur Der-Hovagimian.
Like I said earlier, 2008 was not the best year for Eurovision. The joke entries were at an all time high and not many songs from that year were memorable, even the winning song. But this song is not one of them! In fact I would say this song is one of the bright spots of Belgrade 2008, as it is very catchy and upbeat in its tone. I cannot help myself but to occasionally hum the chorus every once in a while, because it is one that really grows on you, and in a fun way as well! The energy of Siranush carries this song a long way, as she really belts out some of the lyrics. It also helps that she actually does what she says in the song, which is "Come qele, move qele". The whole choreography of the performance is very well done too, which is very important since there is not much in the background to occupy our eyes. I think what I'm trying to say is that this song is very well done, and it would have been a crime if it didn't finish in the top five! Despite the fact that according to my formula Armenia 2014 finished higher (4th), the points advantage ***just* goes to 2008 (by 3 points btw), and while I do like that entry, I think this one deserves its top spot at the top of the Armenian totem pole.
** Russia 2008 was a song that I did not like that much for a LONG time. So much so that I would agree that block voting was the only reason it won! Now today I don't think that, and the song has annoyingly grown on me, to a point where I wouldn't even call it a weak winner (barely).

Romania 2017 Ilinca feat. Alex Florea - Yodel It!

Contest Ranking: 7th (282 pts) My Ranking: 5th (431.229*)
Years that end in 7 were very good for three of these countries. This is the first of the "20X7" babies with Romania topping their 2010 entry** with "Yodel It!", probably one of the most... unique songs I've heard at Eurovision, and that is saying a LOT. Meet Ilinca, aka Maria Ilinca Băcilă, who is a professional singer and... yodeler. I only pause there because it's rare to see yodelers on the professional stage. In fact, she's the only yodeler in Romania! But anyway, Illinca started singing when she was only 7, and in her early teenage years participated in The X Factor and The Voice. She also has done some opera, which makes sense considering the yodeling is not that far from opera, now that I think about it. Maria would be joined on the stage by rapper and singer Alex Florea, who has also competed in The X Factor when he was younger. Apparently he is also an actor, which is also neat, I think.
Knowing that one of the singers is a professional yodeler is one thing, but hearing it for the first time is another. This song seems a bit generic at the start, but that goes out the window when Maria starts yodeling... and it was at that point where this song would enter the ESC hall of randomness. You know, those entries that make you go "huh?" or laugh due to the nature of it. If you need any visual reminders, here's this(same year lol),this,this,this, and especially this (Oh man 2008 was more rough than I thought). But this one joins it for good reasons! The message of the song is quite simple, but with Maria's yodeling throughout the duration, I don't think that it was the focus anyways. The yodeling itself is quite impressive, but you expect nothing less from a trained opera/yodeler. In fact, I'm pretty sure that it was the reason this entry landed so high in the standings at the end of the night. Is it Romania's best placing, no, that would go to 2010 and 2005. Is it their most iconic? Well that comes to preference, for me that would go to 2010 (barely). But this is certainly a highlight for a country that has produced a surprising amount of.

• This song is ranked 54th of all songs since 1975.

** Another one of those ones that grow on you the more you see it! "You and me, can't you see we're playing with fire..."

Serbia 2007 Marija Šerifović - Molitva (Молитва)

Contest Ranking: 1st (268 pts) My Ranking: 1st (536.023**)
For Serbia, their ESC time has been relatively short and also really long compared to the other countries here. Of course they were part of Yugoslavia, but when the country broke down in the 90's, Yugoslavia eventually became Serbia and Montenegro and took part in two contests in the early 2000's. But when Montenegro broke away from the country in 2006, Serbia and Montenegro became... Serbia and Montenegro, but now they are two separate countries instead of one! The first time Serbia would represent themselves as a single country for the first time in 2007 in Helsinki, and they came in with a bang! Meet Marija Šerifović, born in the 4th largest city in Serbia, she made her recording debut when she preformed with her mother n TV in 1998. She grinded out two albums in the early 2000's, and in 2007 she would compete in Beovizija which was the national final for Serbia, in which she would win and travel to Finland for ESC 2007.
Even though non-English music is starting to really flourish now in ESC, it was a completely different picture in the 2000's, which was a product of the language rules and the juries/public shifting preference towards English songs. Since 1988, when Switzerland won for the second and at this point most recent time, 5/18 of the winners prior to 2007 sung in English or mostly English, including the last 8 contests, the longest such streak in ESC history until after 2007 to 2016, which was 9 straight English songs. So really since 2000 and up until 2017, there was ONE non English ESC winning song, which for me is quite remarkable. The only way a non English song could win in these times is that the feeling of the song would have to transcend language. And that is what this song does to a tee. Just like with "Lane moje", "Molitva" is a song that you can really feel the emotion of, no matter that one cannot understand the language. The passion in which Marija and the Beauty Queens sing their parts is nothing short of amazing. And since there isn't much in the staging with the performance, the audience can just focus on the powerful voices on display. There's no gimmicks, unless you count the moment when the singers hold hands, revealing a heart from the paint on their hands, just a well composed song sung beautifully. This entry deserved to win, despite the fierce competition that went on right after this song **, and it's quite remarkable that this year is the connecting tissue to make sure there wasn't a near 20 year gap between non-English songs winning at this contest, which probably helped this contest in ways we don't understand. Even though they haven't got back to the mountaintop since then, it is quite amazing that Serbia pulled *this** off on their first try as an independent nation.
** This song is one of the Top 50 ESC songs since 1975.
*** I guess I can talk about it now, but to keep it brief, the more serious song, when done right to its abilities, will always trump the more silly goofy song at ESC in terms of voting, but both are needed at Eurovision due to the utility each adds.
*** And also because why not, Serbia 2022 is ranked 64th of all songs since 1975 ; Serbia 2012 is ranked 86th of all songs since 1975

Bulgaria 2017 Kristian Kostov - Beautiful Mess

Contest Ranking: 2nd (615 pts) My Ranking: 2nd (687.011**)
Up until 2017, Bulgaria had only qualified to the Grand Final twice, with both of those entries finishing in the top five. Talk about all or nothing! That is exactly the case with probably one of my favorite ESC songs ever, "Beautiful Mess" by Kristian Kostov. We finally have a non native person representing another country, as Kristian was born in Russia to a Bulgarian father and a Kazakh mother, with the latter being from a region bordering Kazakhstan. Kristian got a boost of fame from being on The Voice Kids Russia, where he was mentored by former ESC winner Dima Bilan. He would then go on to be in *The X Factor in Bulgaria, where he would finish as a runner up, but that was all that was needed to be signed to a record label, Virginia Records, release his debut single which would top the national airwaves, and release another single which would hit number one for over 3 months! So at only 17(!), he would get the chance to sing for Bulgaria in Kyiv, with his song "Beautiful Mess".
This song is an all time classic. It's one of those songs that would win easily in almost any other year, and it really comes down to how this song was produced and preformed (duh). The instrumental is probably the most underrated part of this song, setting the scene for a performance that feels emotional. When Kristian takes a break from singing, all of the horns (I think) flare up and it's so beautiful and great and wonderful and all of the other positive adjectives. The build up is great, the song feels like a ball of energy that releases after the first chorus, rebuilds, and then releases again in a ball of fire that engulfs everyone and everything, and it's so amazing. I haven't even talked about Kostov's voice, it's just magical. The range that he has, at only 17(!!) is incredible, and he is the bow on top of an sublime gift of an entry. I actually heard recently that the placing of the song was quite a letdown for Bulgaria, as many thought it would win. Apparently Kristian had a lot of pressure to win this competition, but Eurovision is not that straightforward. Even with that, this song probably WOULD have won if it wasn't for probably a once in a million (more like 1/49) song that managed to unite the juries AND the public, something that hasn't been replicated in this voting era. If this song came in 2016, it would have won*, if it came in 2018, it would have won, if it came in 2019, it would have won*. I feel like this song can stack up to MANY Eurovision winners, and in many of those cases it would come out on top****. Anyways, I don't think Kostov should be disappointed with this result, considering that it IS one of the Top 50 highest ranked songs of all time, and it is easily Bulgaria's best preforming entry ever. (It's incredible that a country could qualify so little times, but have bangers nearly every time it qualified!)
** This song is one of the Top 50 ESC songs since 1975.
*** Wow another reference to Russia 2008, one more and I get a free donut!
**** It would have been close, Australia, Russia and Ukraine with this Bulgarian song would have been an INCREDIBLE battle to watch that year.
***** I only say that because of 2007, where the more joking entry (Ukraine), finished second to the more emotional serious song (Serbia)
****** Easily. Arcade (Netherlands) didn't win ANY of the juries or the public's vote. And while I like Norway and North Macedonia that year, I think this one would have pulled it off. I do agree that it may be a bit closer.
******* Last one I promise. For any year prior to 2007, the eras are too different to compare. I think this song would beat 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2013(?).

Final Thoughts

So another five down, getting ever so closer to the top 10 ESC nations! Do you think that Bulgaria should have won in 2017? (I think not just because of Portugal) Do you think "Molitva" deserved to win over Ukraine that year? (Also yes but I'm glad both songs are remembered, though one song is remembered a LOT more than the other one) Do you think that Croatia will get their own ESC trophy someday? (Heart says yes, but then I look at their recent history)

Good old nostalgia
T́epat/Tépat/Тепат
A Ā Ä A̦ B C Ć C̦ CH D D́ DZ E Ē E̦ Ë É F G H I Ī I̦ J JZ K K̦ KH L LZ M N Ń O Ō Ŏ P PH Q R S Ś S̋ SH T T́ TW TH T̆H TZ U Ū V W X X̦ Y Y̆ Z̋ Z Ź ZH
Letters usage in grammar: C̦ is used instead of K when its between soft vowels but you can also use it normally. Y is used instead of J, when theres a hard consonant before or after, or if it's between vowels. Otherwise its normal usage. W is only used in the beginning of words (this doesnt apply to TW). CH is used instead of K when theres a soft vowel before it, if its not used instead then its a normal H. Ä is used instead of E if the E sound is next to a voiceless consonant, or it can be used normally as well. PH is used instead of F when you say a plural form of a word, but it can also be used normally or as a regular F sound. When theres a double Ć, D́, Ń, or T́ sound, then the first sound is written in its normal form, and the second in its variant form. For example: Jzźe (this also applies to TH and T̆H). CH marks the palatalization of the next vowel, but its also sometimes used as an H. A̦ is only used in loanwords, and cannot be pronounced as an /ɒ/ when the word contains A and/or its variations, However, if there is an A̦ then its pronounced as a regular A. Ë can only be used in a word with no vowels, and only between consonants, but if theres a double letter (for example: Dzakëma) then it can be used regardless.
Soft vowels: Ä ,A, E, I
Hard vowels: Ā, A̦, Ē, Ë, Ī, I̦, U, Ū, O, Ō, Ŏ, E̦
Soft consonants: P, C, F, KH, T, TZ, R, Z,
Hard consonants: Ć, C̦, CH D, D́, DZ, G, H, J, JZ, K, K̦, L, LZ, M, N, Ń, P, PH, Q, S, Ś, S̋, SH, T́, TW, TH, T̆H, V, W, X, X̦, Y, Y̆, Z̋, Ź, ZH
Rules: Pronounciation
Pronounciation of the alphabet: (in the order of the alphabet)
a aː æ ɒ b t͡s t͡ʃ k h/k d ɟ d͡z æ æː e/eː ə je f ɡ h i iː e j ɖ͡ʑ k cː kʰ l s m n ɲ o oː ø/øː p p͡h/f q ɾ s ʃ ʂ ʃ t c t͡ʷ θ ð t͡s u uː v w x s͡k i/j y/yː ʐ z ʒ ʒ
U becomes a VŎ if theres other vowels after it. For example:
"Uonne̦" is pronounced like "Vŏnne̦".
Ū becomes a long Ŏ.
For example:
"Palamūoki" is pronounced like "Palamŏki".
Long vowels between hard consonants aren't pronounced long. (But there are some exceptions)
For example: "Sēs" becomes "Ses".
In case of MN, only M is pronounced. In case of NM, inly N is pronounced.
H after a consonant isnt pronounced with some exceptions.
Between an L and P you pronounce an E between with some exceptions. (Same applies to L and T)
An S following a H is pronounced, but the H isnt.
An S following a soft vowel isnt pronounced, but there are exceptions.
If theres a vowel-consonant after a hard consonant at the end of a word, then the 2 letters arent pronounced, with some exceptions.
The following letters: U, O, E, I arent pronounced at the end of the word. (Except conjugation and exceptions)
E Ē and E̦ arent pronounced at the start of the word, but there are exceptions.
An S at the end of the word is pronounced as a Z, but if theres a hard vowel before it, then its pronounced normally with some exceptions.
PH is pronounced F when saying a plural form of a word, and its pronounced PH when the word is not conjugated.
an O before a consonant isnt pronounced with some exceptions.
Ä is always pronounced.
Long vowels at the start of the words arent always pronounced long.
Rules: Verbs.
Verb examples:

1. To talk:
   
   • Root: C̦alt
   • Past: C̦alte
   • Future: C̦altū
2. To eat:
   
   • Root: Māl
   • Past: Māle
   • Future: Mālū
3. To dance:
   
   • Root: Rajz
   • Past: Rajze
   • Future: Rajzū
4. To create:
   
   • Root: Falt
   • Past: Falte
   • Future: Faltū

Rules: Linking verbs
it: z̋as go/to go: źof am: ka with: iyiś foto: noba that/because of/and why: kett́a from (that something): tre̦yt̆ho it needs to be: t́aźiś If/then why: binu
If you are referring to a specific thing without naming it, then you can use "će̦pa".
Kett́a is used interchangeably, depending on context.
For "are/is/it is", you need to conjugate. For example: Gajtor(bad mood) - Gajtopkla (moody) Tēpe(mold) - Teypekla (moldy) Itver(wind/air) - Itvjerkla (windy)
The word "was" is the word "it" in a past form. The word "it" (Z̋as) and the Declaratibe mode of a word can be used interchangeably.
Nouns: there are 2 type of nouns: Imperative Mode: Used for giving commands or expressing requests. Declarative Mode: Simply stating information without emphasizing mood, also used for stating facts or making statements.
Nouns:

1. Imperative Mode:
   
   • Command: C̦alya (talk!)
   • Command: Mālya (eat!)
   • Command: Rayzya (dance!)
   • Command: Faltya (create!)
2. Declarative Mode:
   
   • Statement: C̦altē (it is talked)
   • Statement: Mālto (it is eaten)
   • Statement: Rayzē (it is danced)
   • Statement: Faltū (it is created)

Word Orders:

• Imperative Mode Word Order:
  
  1. C̦alya!: C̦al ja!
  2. Mālya!: Māl ja!
  3. Rayzya!: Rajz ja!
  4. Faltya!: Falt ja!
• Declarative Mode Word Order:
  
  1. C̦altē: ** Ē C̦alt**
  2. Mālto: O malt
  3. Rayzē: E rayz
  4. Faltū: U falt

Enhancement: If your using positive, you can just sinply use the "komc̦i̦ pa", but if your using a word otherwise then you will add a "CÄ" ending. For example: Mess: "S̋all" - Really messing: "S̋allcä"
There's also neutral mode, in which Declarative mode is completely disregarded. Neutral mode is used when talking about something, and Declarative is when talking to somebody. However, you need to use Declarative mode when ypu describe how you do something. (For example in English: shopping.)
You only need to conjugate if your talking to someone, or telling a story or an observation of some kind. Anything else you need to use the word order.
Demonymic conjugations
For example:
Albańa- Albanon Serbska- Serbskon Mad́ar- Mad́un Frenq- Frena Rasi- Rason Ukrāijy- Ukrajyon
Pronouns: Person 1:Singular: Jzźa (I/me)Plural: Jzźaśa (we) Person 2:Singular: Jzźe (you)Plural: Jzźaśe (you all) Person 3:Singular: Z (he/she/it)Plural: Zaśa (they)
Person 1: Jzźäś (my) Person 2: Jzźäć (yours) Person 3: Zäś (theirs)
Person 1: Plural: Jzźaśaej (ours) Person 2: Plural: Jzźaśēj (y'alls) Person 3: Plural: Zaśaej (their alls)
Plural: When the word ends with a consonant, an E sound is added. For example: Eśt(apple) - Eśtä(apples) When the word ends with double consonants, then the E becomes an E̦, and deletes the last two consonants. For example: Sond(hedgehog) - Soe̦(hedgehogs) If it ends with a vowel, then you add either a BA(if talking about things, adjectives, etc...) or a BE(when talking about names). For example: Cazett́ā(lamp) - Cazett́aba(lamps) Kriśtafon(Christopher) - Kriśtafonbe(Christophers)
Rules: If a word ends with a vowel, then it lengthens the consonant before it. For example:
"T̆home" is pronounced "t̆homm"
Affirmative & Negative: The ending -iyo is added for negative which sometimes changes the word.
Examples:
Bave(did) - Baviyo(didnt)
Chape̦re(cooking) Chaperiyo(not cooking)
Affirmative is simply just either Declarative and Operative mode.
Example text 1:
Chose, jzźa źofe noba o phuskäń iyiś jzźäś d́y̆verske̦ba. Z̋ase komc̦i̦ pa śte jzźaśa utīre nobohi twalzadzba.
Cyrillic:
Хёс, жа жофе ноба о фускен̆ йіш жэш ґўверскеба. Жасэ комке па штэ жаша утіре нобохі тв̆асадзба.
Less diacritical version:
Chose, jzzha zhofe noba o phuskeń iyish jzzhesh d́y̆verskiba. Zhase komke pa shte utiire nobohi twalzadzba.
Translation:
Today, i went to go for shopping with my friends. It was very great and we bought a lot of things.
Literal translation:
This day, i went to go foto shopping/buying things with my friends. It was good/great very and we bought much/lot/a lot/very much things/items.
Prepositions:
at: ūi (signaling actions and/or positions of certain things) in: ūpa (in something, in doing something) on: ūpi (on that something, something on something) by: zukxe (by eachother) of: āpi (of a something)
Articles:
Definite Articles:
Kle hog
Translation: The cucumber
Gerfuk̦ pin
Translation: this pen ("That" is "Gerfuklj")
Indefinite Article:
Zź cas
Translation: a vacuum
Tenses:
Progressive: Śī(nervous) - Sīnn(will be nervous)
The simple tense is the Neutral Mode. The past and present tenses are written in the "Verbs".
Example text 2:
Chose, jzźa d́ejze kett́a jzźē klaśt tre̦yt̆ho presidentze posic̦liōn. Gerfuk̦ d́ejzi z̋ase kakli̦kale, retwezhchae, śte āsi. Ūpa nomen āpi naciōn, jzźa ćerźerka.
Cyrillic:
Хёс, жа дежe кeтя же клашт трӭдо прeсідэнце посікліён. Гэрфут̆ дежі жасэ каклікале, ретв̆ежхя, штэ асі. Упа номен апі націён, жа чэржэрка.
Less diacritical version:
Chose, jzzha déjze kett́a jzzhee klasht tre̦yt̆ho presidentze posiklioon. Gerfuk̦ déjzi zhase kaklikale, retwezhchae, shte aasi. Uupa nomen aapi nacioon, jzzha ćerzherka.
Literal translation:
This day, i decided that i'll resign/give up from (the) presidental position. This decision was calculated, motivated/on point, and brave/humble. In (the) name of (the) nation, i apologize.
Example text 3:
Gerfuk̦ patu moklej saśam nońājēkla kett́a kturū pa ūpa spelzific̦ mony̆ćertze, śte wedrō komc̦i̦ pa.
Cyrillic:
Герфут̆ пату моклӭ сашам ноняекла кэтя ктуру па упа спэсіфік монўчерце, штэ в̆эдро комке па.
Less diacritical version:
Gerfutj patu moklej sasham nońaajeekla kett́a kturuu pa uupa specifik mony̆ćertze, shte wedroo komke pa.
Translation: The reason why i like winter is basically because it is very cold in those specific months, and the weather is very good.
Literal translation: the reason/reason foa reason for something like/think its good winter basically is that/because of/and why cold very in something/in that something specific months and (the) weather is good/great very.
Example text 4: Binu zź ppën keblu, binu Marko moklejū, kett́a z komc̦i̦ pa moklē gerfuklj c̦larolo. Jzźaśa skruyo z moklē komc̦i̦ pa, z bavē.
Cyrillic:
Біну зж пен кеблу, біну Марко моклӭӱ, кетя з комке па моклэ герфуклї клароло. Жаша скруë з моклэ комке па з баве.
Less diacritical version: Binu zzh ppen keblu, binu Marko moklejuu, kett́a z komke pa moklee gerfuklj klarolo. Jzzhasha skruyo z moklee komke p, z bavee.
Translation: If a pen is blue, then Marko will like it, because he really likes that color. We dont know why he likes it so much, he just does.
Literal translation: If/then why a pen (is) blue, if/then why Marko will like (it), that/because of/and why he/she/it good/great very likes that color. We dont know (why) he/she/it likes (it) good/great very, he/she/it (just) does.
T́epat/Tépat less diacritical version.
The less diacritical version uses other letters for the same sound, containing less diacritical marks, or other letters.
T́epat/Tépat cyrillic version
Alphabet: А Б Ц Ч Д Э Ӭ Е Ë Ф Г Ґ К Х І Ї Я И Й Л М Н Н̆ О П Р С Ш Т Т̆ У Ў Ӱ В В̆ З Ж
Pronunciation of the alphabet in order: a b t͡s t͡ʃ d e ej je jo f ɡ ɟ k h i j ja ji ij l m n ɲ o p ɾ s ʃ t c u y ju v w z ʒ
The alphabet follows most of the rules of the latin version.
Example text 5: Jzźäś internet profditwa s̋allcä iyiś jzźa gorä.
Cyrillic: Жеш інтернет профдітв̆а шаллцэ іиш жа горэ.
Less diacritical version: Jzzhesh internet profditwa shallce iyish jzzha gore.
Translation: My internet provider has been really messing with me these days.
Literal translation: My internet providegiver really messing with me (these) days.
Yes i know some diacritics are lagging :(