The War Of The Aesir And The Vanir - 935 Words

Jordan Root Ms.Takash Mythology 3rd Hour April 4th, 2016 The War of the Aesir and the Vanir In Norse mythology, gods and goddesses usually belong to one of two tribes: the Aesir and the Vanir. Throughout most of the Norse tales, deities from the two tribes get along fairly easily, and it’s hard to pin down firm distinctions between the two groups. But there was a time when that wasn’t the case. The War of the Gods The Vanir goddess Freya was always the foremost practitioner of the art of seidr, a form of magic principally concerned with discerning and altering the course of destiny. Like historical seidr practitioners, she wandered from town to town plying her craft for hire. Under the name Heià °r (â€Å"Bright†), she eventually came to Asgard, the home of the Aesir. The Aesir were quite taken by her powers and zealously sought her services. But soon they realized that their values of honor, kin loyalty, and obedience to the law were being pushed aside by the selfish desires they sought to fulfill with the witch’s magic. Blaming Freya for their own shortcomings, the Aesir called her â€Å"Gullveig† (â€Å"Gold-greed†) and attempted to murder her. Three times they tried to burn her, and three times she was reborn from the ashes. Because of this, the Aesir and Vanir came to hate and fear one another, and these hostilities erupted into war. The Aesir fought by the rules of plain combat, with weapons and brute force, while the Vanir used the subtler means of magic. The war went on for someShow MoreRelatedNorse Mythology vs. Greek Mythology Essay1069 Words   |  5 Pagesnon-human creatures: the Aesir and Vanir (gods), the Jotnar (giants), the à lfar (à lfar), Svartà ¡lfar (dark à lfar), and the Valkyries. The Aesir and the Vanir are your basic extraordinary immortals, though in Norse mythology the gods were thought to be mortal, only kept immortal by eating the apples of Idun. However, they could be slain even if they ate the apples. The Jotnar were giants or the Norse equivalent to the Greek titans, but the Jotnar did not fight with the gods in a war like the titans didRead MoreHow Asatru Is A Religion That Has Close Ties With Norse Mythology1060 Words   |  5 PagesModern Asatru is a folk or trib al religion. In the 20th century an Icelandic sheep farmer named Sveinbjà ¶rn Beinteinsson created an Asatru organization. The proper term for it is, à slenska à satrà ºarfà ©lagià ° which translates to Icelandic fellowship of Aesir faith. Beinteinsson even petitioned for Asatru to be a recognized religion in the early 1970s. After about a year of petitioning, Asatru became a known religion in Iceland. 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The Aesir and the Vanir are your basic extraordinary immortals, though in Norse mythology the gods were thought to be mortal, only kept immortal by eating the apples of Idun. However, they could be slain even if they ate the apples. The Jotnar were giants or the Norse equivalent to the Greek titans, but the Jotnar did not fight with the gods in a war like the titans didRead MoreNorse Mythology : Norse Myth Essay1711 Words   |  7 Pagesin turn could receive nutrients by licking the salt in the ice. While continuously licking the ice, Audhumbla slowly uncovered the first god of the Aesir, known as Buri. Buri had a son named Bor, who then went on to have three children with Bestla, the daughter o f another giant. These three half-god, half-giant children were Odin; chief of the Aesir gods, Vili, and Ve (Schomp 28). The three brothers decided to kill Ymir and use pieces of his corpse to create the world. His blood became the oceansRead MoreThe Gods Of The Norse2093 Words   |  9 Pagestongue. Next, a handsome man and his son appeared. The son, Borr, married a jotun maiden, Bestla. Together they had three sons who were so fair that they lit up the darkness around them. These three sons- Odin, Hoenir and Lodur were the first of the Aesir gods. They had the power to create a world. To do this the brothers had to kill Ymir first. Successfully, the brothers killed Ymir and pushed his body into Ginnungagap. Brine flowed from his wounds and flooded over the rim, creating the sea and killingRead MoreMisconception of the God of Lighting Marvels Version1610 Words   |  7 Pagesdestruction (Norse Mythology UXL Encyclopedia of World Mythology). The world of Norse Mythology was nine worlds all connected by the World Tree Yggdrasill. Each world had different families resided in each of them- Asgard (World of Aesirs), Vanaheimr (World of Vanirs), Helheim (World of the Dead), Midgard (World of Man), Svartalfahemir (World of Dwarves), Jotunheimr (World of Giants), Alfehmir (World of Elves), Niflhemir (Primordial Ice World of the Frost Giants), and Muspellshiemr (Primordial FireRead MoreHistorical And Textual Data Of The Mesopotamian Religion1973 Words   |  8 Pagesorganized colleges for the priests, appointed the leader of rites and the priests, and made up a calendar of festivals. There were three high gods that included Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus. Jupiter was the god of thunder and the sky, MArs was the god of war and Quirinus was the legendary founder of Rome. Then there was Janus who originally was the god of the home’s doorway, later became identified with the power of the state. 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An Abstract on the Hubble Telescope - 792 Words

A Brief Examination of the Hubble Telescope Abstract The Hubble Telescope is a piece of technology that has affected human history. This paper will offer concise description of the telescopes history, function, and contribution to society. The Hubble Telescope is due to land within the next decade, approximately. We can only imagine what scientists will discover once the telescope is back on Earth and they prepare for the next generation of telescopic, deep-space gathering. Technology has made vast gains since 1990, the year the Hubble Telescope launched. The paper will be a brief, yet comprehensive discussion of the Hubble Telescope. Keywords: Hubble Telescope, Edwin Hubble, Goddard Space Flight Center, astronomy, astrophysics, telescope, photography A Brief Examination of the Hubble Telescope The Hubble Telescope, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, has been in orbit over Earth for over thirty years. The telescoped launched in 1990. 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Bloodlines Chapter Eighteen Free Essays

â€Å"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘MISSING’?† I asked. â€Å"She was supposed to meet us a couple hours ago,† Eddie said, exchanging glances with Micah. â€Å"I thought maybe she was with you. We will write a custom essay sample on Bloodlines Chapter Eighteen or any similar topic only for you Order Now † â€Å"I haven’t seen her since PE.† I was trying hard not to kick into panic mode yet. There were too many variables at play and not enough evidence to start thinking crazy Moroi dissidents had kidnapped her. â€Å"This is a really big place – I mean, three campuses. Are you sure she isn’t just holed up studying somewhere?† â€Å"We’ve done a pretty exhaustive search,† said the security officer. â€Å"And teachers and workers are on alert looking for her. No sightings yet.† â€Å"And she isn’t answering her cell phone,† added Eddie. I finally let true fear overtake me, and my face must have shown it. The officer’s expression softened. â€Å"Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll turn up.† It was the kind of conciliatory thing people in his profession had to say to family members. â€Å"But do you have any other ideas of where she might be?† â€Å"What about your other brothers?† asked Micah. I’d been afraid it would come to that. I was almost one hundred percent sure she wasn’t with Keith, but he should still probably be notified about her disappearance. It wasn’t something I looked forward to because I knew there’d be a lecture in it for me. It would also be a sign of my failure in the eyes of other Alchemists. I should have stayed by Jill’s side. That was my job, right? Instead, I’d – foolishly – been helping someone run errands. Not just anyone – a vampire. That’s how the Alchemists would see it. Vamp lover. â€Å"I was just with Adrian,† I said slowly. â€Å"I suppose she could’ve somehow gotten to Clarence’s and waited for him. I didn’t actually go inside.† â€Å"I tried Adrian too,† said Eddie. â€Å"No answer.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said. â€Å"We were doing his interviews, so he must have turned his phone off. Do you want to try him again?† I certainly didn’t want to. Eddie stepped aside to call Adrian while I talked with Mrs. Weathers and the officer. Micah paced around, looking worried, and I felt guilty for always wanting to keep him from Jill. The race thing was a problem, but he really did care about her. I told the officer all the places Jill liked to frequent on campus. They confirmed that they’d already checked them all. â€Å"You got ahold of him?† I asked when Eddie returned. He nodded. â€Å"She’s not there. I feel kind of bad, though. He’s pretty worried now. Maybe we should’ve waited to tell him.† â€Å"No†¦ actually, it might be a good thing.† I met Eddie’s eyes and saw a spark of understanding. Adrian’s emotions seemed to intrude on Jill when they were running strong. If he was panicked enough, she’d hopefully realize people were concerned and show back up. That was assuming she was just hiding out or had gone somewhere we couldn’t find. I tried not to consider the alternative: that something had happened where she couldn’t contact us. â€Å"Sometimes students just sneak off,† said the officer. â€Å"It’s inevitable. Usually they try to sneak back in before curfew. Hopefully that’s just the case now. If she doesn’t show up then – well, then we’ll call the police.† He walked off to radio the rest of security for a status check, and we thanked him for his help. Mrs. Weathers returned to the front desk, but it was clear she was worried and agitated. She came across as gruff sometimes, but I had the feeling she actually cared about her students. Micah left us to find a few friends of his who worked on campus, in case they’d seen anything. That left Eddie and me. Without conferring, we turned toward some chairs in the lobby. Like me, I think he wanted to stake out the door in order to see Jill the instant she showed up. â€Å"I shouldn’t have left her,† he said. â€Å"You had to,† I said reasonably. â€Å"You can’t be with her in classes or her room.† â€Å"This place was a bad idea. It’s too big. Too hard to secure.† He sighed. â€Å"I can’t believe this.† â€Å"No†¦ it was a good idea. Jill needs some semblance of a normal life. You could’ve locked her in a room somewhere and cut her off from all interaction, but what good would that do? She needs to go to school and be with people.† â€Å"She hasn’t done much of that, though.† â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"She’s had a rough time with it. I kept hoping it’d get better.† â€Å"I just wanted her to be happy.† â€Å"Me too.† I straightened up as something alarming hit me. â€Å"You don’t think†¦ you don’t think she would’ve run away and gone back to her mom, do you? Or Court or somewhere?† His face grew even more bleak. â€Å"I hope not. Do you think things have been that bad?† I thought about our fight after the shower incident. â€Å"I don’t know. Maybe.† Eddie buried his face in his hands. â€Å"I can’t believe this,† he repeated. â€Å"I failed.† When it came to Jill, Eddie was usually all fierceness and anger. I’d never seen him so close to depression. I’d been living with the fear of my own failure since coming to Palm Springs but only now realized that Eddie had just as much on the line. I recalled Adrian’s words about Eddie and his friend Mason, how Eddie felt responsible. If Jill didn’t come back, would this be history repeating itself? Would she be someone else he’d lost? I’d thought this mission might be redemption for him. Instead, it could turn into Mason all over again. â€Å"You didn’t fail,† I said. â€Å"You’ve been in charge of protecting her, and you’ve done that. You can’t control her happiness. If anything, I’m to blame. I gave her a lecture for the shower incident.† â€Å"Yeah, but I destroyed her hopes when I told her the modeling idea Lee had wouldn’t work.† â€Å"But you were right about – Lee!† I gasped. â€Å"That’s it. That’s where she is. She’s with Lee, I’m certain of it. Do you have his number?† Eddie groaned. â€Å"I’m such an idiot,† he said, taking out his cell phone and scanning for the number. â€Å"I should’ve thought of that.† I touched the cross around my neck, saying a silent prayer that this would all be solved easily. As long as it meant Jill was alive and well, I could’ve handled her and Lee eloping. â€Å"Hey, Lee? It’s Eddie. Is Jill with you?† There was a pause as Lee responded. Eddie’s body language answered the question before I heard another word. His posture relaxed, and relief flooded his features. â€Å"Okay,† said Eddie a few moments later. â€Å"Well, get her back here. Now. Everyone’s looking for her.† Another pause. Eddie’s face hardened. â€Å"We can talk about that later.† He disconnected and turned to me. â€Å"She’s okay.† â€Å"Thank God,† I breathed. I stood up, only then realizing how tense I’d been. â€Å"I’ll be right back.† I found Mrs. Weathers and the security officer and relayed the news. The officer immediately spread the word to his colleagues and soon left. To my surprise, Mrs. Weathers almost looked like she was on the verge of tears. â€Å"Are you okay?† I asked. â€Å"Yes, yes.† She turned flustered, embarrassed at being so emotional. â€Å"I was just so worried. I – I didn’t want to say anything and scare you all, but every time a student’s missing†¦ well, a few years ago, another girl disappeared. We thought she’d just sneaked off – like Matt said, it happens. But it turned out†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mrs. Weathers grimaced and looked away. â€Å"I shouldn’t be telling you this.† As if she could stop with that kind of intro. â€Å"No, please. Tell me.† She sighed. â€Å"The police found her a couple days later – dead. She’d been abducted and killed. It was terrible, and they never caught her killer. Now I just think of that whenever someone disappears. It’s never happened again, of course. But something like that scars you.† I could imagine so. And as I returned to Eddie, I thought about him and Mason again. It seemed like everyone was carrying baggage from past events. I certainly was. Now that Jill’s safety wasn’t a concern, all I kept thinking was: What will the Alchemists say? What will my father say? Eddie was just hanging up his phone again when I approached. â€Å"I called Micah to tell him everything’s okay,† he explained. â€Å"He was really worried.† All signs of Mrs. Weathers’s past trauma vanished the instant that Jill and Lee walked through the door. Jill actually looked upbeat until she saw all of our faces. She came to a halt. Beside her, Lee already looked grim. I think he knew what was coming. Eddie and I hurried forward but didn’t have a chance to speak right away. Mrs. Weathers immediately demanded to know where they’d been. Rather than cover it up, Jill confessed and told the truth: she and Lee had gone off campus, into Palm Springs. She was careful to make sure Lee didn’t get accused of any kidnapping charges, swearing he didn’t know she could only leave with approved family members. I confirmed this – though Lee was hardly off the hook in my opinion. â€Å"Will you wait outside?† I asked him politely. â€Å"I’d like to speak to you privately later.† Lee started to obey, flashing Jill a look of apology. He lightly brushed her hand in farewell and turned away. It was Mrs. Weathers who stopped him. â€Å"Wait,† she said, peering at him curiously. â€Å"Do I know you?† Lee looked startled. â€Å"I don’t think so. I’ve never been here before.† â€Å"There’s something familiar about you,† she insisted. Her frown deepened a few moments more. At last, she shrugged. â€Å"It can’t be. I must be mistaken.† Lee nodded, met Jill’s eyes in sympathy again, and left. Mrs. Weathers wasn’t done with Jill. She launched into a lecture about how dangerous and irresponsible they’d been. â€Å"If you were going to sneak off and break rules, you could’ve at least confided in your siblings. They’ve been scared to death for you.† It was almost funny, her advising on â€Å"responsible† rule-breaking. Considering how panicked I’d been, I couldn’t find anything amusing just then. She also told Jill that she’d be written up and punished. â€Å"For now,† said Mrs. Weathers, â€Å"you are confined to your room for the rest of the night. Come see me after breakfast, and we’ll find out if the principal thinks this warrants suspension.† â€Å"Excuse me,† said Eddie. â€Å"Can we have a few minutes alone here with her before she goes upstairs? I’d like to talk to her.† Mrs. Weathers hesitated, apparently wanting Jill’s punishment immediately enforced. Then she gave Eddie a double take. The look on his face was hard and angry, and I think Mrs. Weathers knew there was punishment of a different sort coming from Jill’s big brother. â€Å"Five minutes,† said Mrs. Weathers, tapping her watch. â€Å"Then up you go.† â€Å"Don’t,† said Jill, the instant we were alone. Her face was a mixture of fear and defiance. â€Å"I know what I did was wrong. I don’t need a lecture from you guys.† â€Å"Don’t you?† I asked. â€Å"Because if you knew it was wrong, you wouldn’t have done it!† Jill crossed her arms over her chest. â€Å"I had to get out of here. On my own terms. And not with you guys.† The comment rolled right off of me. It sounded young and petty. But to my surprise, Eddie actually looked hurt. â€Å"What’s that supposed to mean?† he asked. â€Å"It means that I just wanted to be away from this place without you always telling me what I’m doing wrong.† That was directed to me. â€Å"And you jumping at every shadow.† That, of course, was to Eddie. â€Å"I just want to protect you,† he said, looking hurt. â€Å"I’m not trying to smother you, but I can’t have anything happen to you. Not again.† â€Å"I’m in more danger from Laurel than any assassins!† Jill exclaimed. â€Å"Do you know what she did today? We were working in the computer lab, and she ‘accidentally’ tripped over my power cord. I lost half my work and didn’t finish in time, so now I’m going to get a lower grade.† A lesson on backing up work probably wouldn’t be useful just then. â€Å"Look, that’s really terrible,† I said. â€Å"But it’s not in the same category as getting yourself killed. Not by a long shot. Where exactly did you go?† For a moment, she looked as though she wasn’t going to give up the info. Finally, she said, â€Å"Lee took me to Salton Sea.† Seeing our blank looks, she added, â€Å"It’s a lake outside of town. It was wonderful.† An almost-dreamy expression crossed her features. â€Å"I haven’t been around that much water in so long. Then we went downtown and just walked around, shopping and eating ice cream. He took me to that boutique, with the designer who’s looking for models and – â€Å" â€Å"Jill,† I interrupted. â€Å"I don’t care how awesome your day was. You scared us. Don’t you get that?† â€Å"Lee shouldn’t have done this,† growled Eddie. â€Å"Don’t blame him,† said Jill. â€Å"I talked him into it – I made him think you guys wouldn’t mind. And he doesn’t know the real reason I’m here or the danger.† â€Å"Maybe dating was a bad idea,† I muttered. â€Å"Lee’s the best thing that’s happened to me here!† she said angrily. â€Å"I deserve to be able to go out and have fun like you guys.† ‘†Fun’? That’s kind of an exaggeration,† I said, recalling my afternoon with Adrian. Jill needed a target for her frustration, and I won the honor. â€Å"Doesn’t seem like it to me. You’re always gone. And when you aren’t, you just tell me what I’m doing wrong. It’s like you’re my mom.† I’d been wading through all of this calmly, but suddenly, something about that comment made me snap. My finely tuned control shattered. â€Å"You know what? I kind of feel that way too. Because as far as I can tell, I am the only one in this group behaving like an adult. You think I’m out there having fun? All I’m doing is babysitting you guys and cleaning up your messes. I spent my afternoon – wasted my afternoon – driving Adrian around so that he could blow off the interviews that I set up. Then I get here and have to deal with the aftermath of your ‘field trip.’ I get that Laurel’s a pain – although maybe if Micah had been warned off from the beginning, these problems with her never would’ve happened.† I directed that last comment at Eddie. â€Å"I don’t get why I’m the only one who sees how serious everything is. Vampire-human dating. Your lives on the line. These aren’t the kinds of things you can screw around with! And yet†¦ somehow, you all still do. You leave me to do the hard stuff, to pick up after you†¦ and all the while, I’ve got Keith and the other Alchemists breathing down my neck, waiting for me to screw up because no one trusts me since helping your pal Rose. You think this is fun? You want to live my life? Then do it. Step right up, and you start taking responsibility for a change.† I hadn’t yelled, but my volume had certainly gone up. I’d pretty much delivered my speech without taking a breath and now paused for some oxygen. Eddie and Jill stared at me, wide-eyed, as though they didn’t recognize me. Mrs. Weathers returned to us just then. â€Å"That’s enough for tonight. You need to go upstairs now,† she told Jill. Jill nodded, still a little stunned, and hurried away without saying goodbye to any of us. Mrs. Weathers walked her to the stairs, and Eddie turned to me. His face was pale and solemn. â€Å"You’re right,† he said. â€Å"I haven’t been pulling my share.† I sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. â€Å"You’re not as bad as they are.† He shook his head. â€Å"Still. You might be right about Micah. Maybe he’ll keep some distance if I talk to him, and then Laurel will lay off Jill. I’ll ask him tonight. But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He frowned, choosing his words carefully. â€Å"Try not to be too hard on Adrian and Jill. This is stressful for her, and sometimes I think a little of Adrian’s personality is leaking into her through the bond. I’m sure that’s why she ran off today. It’s something he’d do in her situation.† â€Å"No one forced her to do it,† I said. â€Å"Least of all Adrian. The fact that she coaxed Lee and didn’t tell us shows that she knew it was wrong. That’s free will. And Adrian has no such excuses.† â€Å"Yeah†¦ but he’s Adrian,† said Eddie lamely. â€Å"Sometimes I don’t know how much of what he does is him and how much is spirit.† â€Å"Spirit users can take antidepressants, can’t they? If he’s worried about it becoming a problem, then he needs to step up and take charge. He has a choice. He’s not helpless. There are no victims here.† Eddie studied me for several seconds. â€Å"And I thought I had a harsh view on life.† â€Å"You have a harsh life,† I corrected. â€Å"But yours is built around the idea that you always have to take care of other people. I was raised to believe that’s necessary sometimes but that everyone still needs to try to take care of themselves.† â€Å"And yet here you are.† â€Å"Tell me about it. You want to come talk to Lee with me?† All apology vanished from Eddie’s face. â€Å"Yes,† he said fiercely. We found Lee sitting on a bench outside, looking miserable. He jumped up when we approached. â€Å"You guys, I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have done it. She just sounded so sad and so lost that I wanted to – â€Å" â€Å"You know how protective we are of her,† I said. â€Å"How could you have not thought that this would worry us?† â€Å"And she’s a minor,† said Eddie. â€Å"You can’t just take her away and do whatever you want with her!† I admit, I was a little surprised that the threat to Jill’s virtue was what he chose to bring up. Don’t get me wrong – I was also conscious of her age. But after he saw her literally die, it seemed like Eddie would be worried about more than making out. Lee’s gray eyes went wide. â€Å"Nothing happened! I would never do anything like that to her. I promise! I’d never take advantage of someone so trusting. I can’t ruin this. She means more to me than any other girl I’ve dated. I want us to be together forever.† I thought being â€Å"together forever† was extreme at their ages, but there was a sincerity in his eyes that was touching. It still didn’t excuse what he’d done. He took our lecturing seriously and promised there would never be a repeat. â€Å"But please†¦ can I still see her when you’re around? Can we still do group things?† Eddie and I exchanged glances. â€Å"If she’s even allowed to leave campus after this,† I said. â€Å"I really don’t know what’s going to happen.† Lee left after a few more apologies, and Eddie also returned to his dorm. I was walking upstairs when my phone rang. Glancing down, I was startled to see my parents’ number in Salt Lake City on the caller ID. â€Å"Hello?† I asked. For a frantic moment, I hoped it was Zoe. â€Å"Sydney.† My father. My stomach filled with dread. â€Å"We need to talk about what’s happened.† Panic shot through me. How had he found out about Jill’s disappearance already? Keith jumped out as the obvious culprit. But how had Keith found out? Had he been at Clarence’s when Eddie called Adrian? Despite his flaws, I couldn’t imagine Adrian telling Keith what had happened. â€Å"Talk about what?† I asked, playing for time. â€Å"Your behavior. Keith called me last night, and I must say, I’m very disappointed.† â€Å"Last night?† This wasn’t about Jill’s disappearance. So what was it about? â€Å"You’re supposed to be coordinating efforts for that Moroi girl to blend in. You aren’t supposed to be out socializing with them and having a good time! I could hardly believe it when Keith said you took them out bowling.† â€Å"It was mini-golf, and Keith okayed it! I asked him first.† â€Å"And then I hear you’re helping all these other vampires run errands and whatnot. Your duty is only to the girl, and that is to do only what’s necessary for her survival – which I also hear you aren’t doing. Keith tells me there was an incident where you didn’t properly handle her difficulties in the sun?† â€Å"I reported that immediately!† I cried. I’d known Keith was planning to use that against me. â€Å"Keith – † I paused, thinking about the best way to handle this. â€Å"Misunderstood my initial report.† Keith had blown off my initial report, but telling my father his protege had lied would just put my father’s defenses up. He wouldn’t believe me. â€Å"And Keith’s one to talk! He’s always hanging out with Clarence and won’t say why.† â€Å"Probably to make sure he remains stable. I understand the old man isn’t all there.† â€Å"He’s obsessed with vampire hunters,† I explained. â€Å"He thinks there are humans out there that killed his niece.† â€Å"Well,† said my father, â€Å"there are some humans out there who catch on to the vampire world, those whom we can’t dissuade. Hardly hunters. Keith’s doing his duty by enlightening Clarence. You, however, are misguided.† â€Å"That’s not a fair comparison!† â€Å"Honestly, I blame myself,† he said. Somehow I doubted that. â€Å"I shouldn’t have let you go. You weren’t ready – not after what you went through. Being with these vampires is confusing you. That’s why I’m recalling you.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"If I had my way, it’d be right now. Unfortunately, Zoe won’t be ready for another two weeks. The Alchemists want her to undergo some testing before she gets her tattoo. Once she does, we’ll send her in your place and get you†¦ some help.† â€Å"Dad! This is crazy. I’m doing fine here. Please, don’t send Zoe – â€Å" â€Å"I’m sorry, Sydney,† he said. â€Å"You’ve left me no choice. Please don’t get into trouble in your remaining time.† He disconnected, and I stood in the hall, my heart sinking. Two weeks! Two weeks and they were sending Zoe. And me†¦ where were they sending me? I didn’t want to think about it, but I knew. I needed to stop this from happening. Wheels were already in motion. The tattoos, I suddenly thought. If I could finish my tests on the stolen substances and find out info about the blood supplier, I would earn the Alchemists’ regard – hopefully enough to take away the taint that Keith had put on me. And why had he done it? Why now? I knew he’d never wanted me along. Maybe he had just been biding his time, building up evidence against me until he could get me ousted in one fell swoop. I wouldn’t let him, though. I’d bust open this tattoo case and prove who the stellar Alchemist was. I had enough evidence now to get their attention and would simply turn in what I had if nothing new came to light within a week. The decision filled me with resolve, but I still had trouble sleeping when I went to bed later. My father’s threat hung over me, as did my fear of the reeducation centers. After about an hour of tossing and turning I finally dozed off. But even that was fitful and troubled. I woke up after only a few hours and then had to fall asleep all over again. This time, I dreamed. In the dream, I stood in Clarence’s living room. Everything was neat and in place, the dark wood and antique furniture giving the space its usual ominous feel. The details were surprisingly vivid, and it was like I could even smell the dusty books and leather on the furniture. â€Å"Huh. It worked. Wasn’t sure if it would with a human.† I spun around and found Adrian leaning against the wall. He hadn’t been there a moment ago, and I had a flash of that childhood fear of vampires appearing out of nowhere. Then I remembered this was a dream, and these kinds of things happened. â€Å"What weren’t you sure about?† I asked. He gestured around him. â€Å"If I could reach you. Bring you here into this dream.† I didn’t quite follow what he meant and said nothing. He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"You don’t know, do you? Where you are?† â€Å"At Clarence’s,† I said reasonably. â€Å"Well, in reality I’m asleep in my bed. This is just a dream.† â€Å"You’re half right,† he said. â€Å"This is a spirit dream. This is real.† I frowned. A spirit dream. Since most of our information about spirit was sketchy, we had hardly anything on spirit dreams. I’d learned most of what I knew about them from Rose, who had been frequently visited by Adrian in them. According to her, the dreamer and the spirit user were actually together, in a meeting of the minds, communicating across long distances. It was hard for me to fully grasp that, but I’d seen Rose wake up with information she wouldn’t have otherwise had. Still, I had no evidence to suggest I was really in a spirit dream now. â€Å"This is just a regular dream,† I countered. â€Å"Are you sure?† he asked. â€Å"Look around. Concentrate. Doesn’t it feel different? Like a dream†¦ but not like a dream. Not quite like real life either. Call it what you want, but the next time we see each other in the waking world, I’ll be able to tell you exactly what happened here.† I looked around the room, studying it as he’d suggested. Again, I was struck by the vividness of even the smallest details. It certainly felt real, but dreams often did†¦ right? You usually never knew you were dreaming until you woke up. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to still my mind. And like that, I felt it. I understood what he meant. Not quite like a dream. Not quite like real life. My eyes flew open. â€Å"Stop it,† I cried, backing away from him. â€Å"Make it end. Get me out of here.† Because in accepting that this really was a spirit dream, I’d had to acknowledge something else: I was surrounded in vampire magic. My mind was ensnared in it. I felt claustrophobic. The magic was pressing on me, crushing the air. â€Å"Please.† My voice grew more and more frantic. â€Å"Please let me go.† Adrian straightened up, looking surprised. â€Å"Whoa, Sage. Calm down. You’re okay.† â€Å"No. I’m not. I don’t want this. I don’t want the magic touching me.† â€Å"It won’t hurt you,† he said. â€Å"It’s nothing.† â€Å"It’s wrong,† I whispered. â€Å"Adrian, stop it.† He reached out a hand, like he might try to comfort me, and then thought better of it. â€Å"It won’t hurt you,† he repeated. â€Å"Just hear me out, and then I’ll dissolve it. I promise.† Even in the dream, my pulse was racing. I wrapped my arms around myself and backed up against the wall, trying to make myself small. â€Å"Okay,† I whispered. â€Å"Hurry.† â€Å"I just wanted to say†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced away uncomfortably before looking at me again. Were his eyes greener here than in real life? Or was it just my imagination? â€Å"I wanted to†¦ I wanted to apologize.† â€Å"For what?† I asked. I couldn’t process anything beyond my own terror. â€Å"For what I did. You were right. I wasted your time and your work today.† I forced my mind to dredge up memories from this afternoon. â€Å"Thank you,† I said simply. â€Å"I don’t know why I do these things,† he added. â€Å"I just can’t help it.† I was still terrified, still suffocating in the magic surrounding me. Somehow, I managed to echo my earlier conversation with Eddie. â€Å"You can take control of yourself,† I said. â€Å"You aren’t a victim.† Adrian had been gazing off, troubled by his thoughts. He suddenly jerked his gaze back to me. â€Å"Just like Rose.† â€Å"What?† Adrian held out his hand, and a thorny red rose suddenly materialized there. I gasped and tried to back up farther. He twirled the stem around, careful not to prick his fingers. â€Å"She said that. That I was playing the victim. Am I really that pathetic?† The rose wilted and crumpled before my eyes, turning to dust and then vanishing altogether. I made the sign against evil on my shoulder and tried to remember what we were talking about. â€Å"Pathetic’s not the word I’d use,† I said. â€Å"What word would you use?† My mind was blanking. â€Å"I don’t know. Confused?† He smiled. â€Å"That’s an understatement.† â€Å"I’ll check a dictionary when I wake up and get back to you. Can you please end this?† The smile faded to an expression of amazement. â€Å"You really are that scared, aren’t you?† I let my silence answer for me. â€Å"Okay, one more thing, then. I thought of another way I can get out of Clarence’s and get some money. I was reading about college and financial aid. If I took classes somewhere, do you think I could get enough to live on?† This was a concrete question I could deal with. â€Å"It’s possible. But I think it’s too late. Classes have started everywhere.† â€Å"I found a place on the internet. Carlton. A college on the other side of town that hasn’t started yet. But I’d still have to act fast, and†¦ that’s what I don’t know how to do. The paperwork. The procedures. But that’s your specialty, right?† â€Å"Sad but true,† I said. Some part of me thought Carlton sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. He took a deep breath. â€Å"Will you help me? I know it’s making you babysit again, but I don’t know where to start. I promise I’ll meet you halfway, though. Tell me what I need to do, and I will.† Babysit. He’d been talking to Jill or Eddie or both. That was reasonable, though. He’d want to know that she was okay. I could only imagine how my tirade had been paraphrased. â€Å"You were in college before,† I said, recalling his record. I’d scoured it when putting together the ill-fated resume. â€Å"You dropped out.† Adrian nodded. â€Å"I did.† â€Å"How do I know you won’t this time? How do I know you aren’t just wasting my time again?† â€Å"You don’t know, Sage,† he admitted. â€Å"And I don’t blame you. All I can ask is that you give me another chance. That you try to believe me when I say I’ll follow through. That you believe I’m serious. That you trust me.† Long moments stretched out between us. I’d relaxed slightly, without even realizing it, though I remained up against the wall. I studied him, wishing I was better at reading people. His eyes were that green in real life, I decided. I just usually didn’t look at them so closely. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"I trust you.† Total shock filled his features. â€Å"You do?† I was no better at reading people than I had been ten seconds ago, but in that moment, I suddenly gained a flash of understanding into the mystery that was Adrian Ivashkov. People didn’t believe in him very often. They had low expectations of him, so he did as well. Even Eddie had sort of written him off: He’s Adrian. As though there was nothing to be done for it. I also suddenly realized that, as unlikely as it seemed, Adrian and I had a lot in common. Both of us were constantly boxed in by others’ expectations. It didn’t matter that people expected everything of me and nothing of him. We were still the same, both of us constantly trying to break out of the lines that others had defined for us and be our own person. Adrian Ivashkov – flippant, vampire party boy – was more like me than anyone else I knew. The thought was so startling that I couldn’t even answer him right away. â€Å"I do,† I said at last. â€Å"I’ll help you.† I shivered. The fear of the dream returned, and I just wanted this to be over. I would’ve agreed to anything to be back in my non-magical bed. â€Å"But not here. Please – will you send me back? Or end this? Or whatever it is?† He nodded slowly, still looking stunned. The room began to fade, its colors and lines melting like a painting left in the rain. Soon, all dimmed to black, and I found myself waking up in my dorm room bed. As I did, I just barely caught the sound of his voice in my mind: Thank you, Sage. How to cite Bloodlines Chapter Eighteen, Essay examples

Rapid Application Development free essay sample

Thesis statement. In a rapid changing environment, software systems must be delivered quickly in order to meet business delivery schedules. Spending months and years developing systems to high standards is fruitless if over time requirements change beyond recognition. Software development must serve its customers. Simple value-for-money systems that work are better than expensive and complex ones delivered late, over-budgeted and difficult to maintain. Abstract. Rapid Application Development (RAD) has long been promised to be a boon to the computing community. The idea is to develop a method of designing software so that the whole process is quick, painless and nearly effortless. RAD appears to have first become topical with the publication of a text by James Martin with the same title (Martin, 1992). In his publication Martin defines the main objectives of RAD as: high quality systems, fast development and delivery and low costs. RAD is an object-oriented approach to system development that includes a method of development as well as software tools. We will write a custom essay sample on Rapid Application Development or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page RAD is very similar to prototyping. Conceptually, their main purpose is to shorten the time in a traditional SDLC (system development life cycle) between the design and implementation. RAD is a helpful approach in new e-commerce web- based environments to make the difference by delivering an application to the web before their competitors. ? Hierarchical Structure of Topics: 1. History. 2. Essential aspects of RAD. 3. When to use RAD. 4. Disadvantages. 5. Conclusion. ? 1. History: Traditional lifecycles devised in the 1970s, and still widely used today (cascading, one-way steps of Stage wise or Waterfall), are based upon a structured step-by-step approach to developing systems. These old methods required revision and approval from the user before continuing with the next phase of development. This process can take too long and the customer’s requirements can change during the development cycle. Also it takes a long time before the user can see the results and is able to use the final product. In response to these rigid models of development Barry Boehm, Chief SW Engineer at TRW, introduced his Spiral Model. Through his model, Boehm first implemented software prototyping as a way of reducing risk. Other pioneer, Tom Gilb created another approach called Evolutionary Life Cycle. This one is based on an evolutionary prototyping rationale where the prototype is grown and refined into the final product. The work of Boehm and Gilb paved the way for the formulation of the methodology called Rapid Iterative Production Prototyping (RIPP) at DuPont in the mid-to-late 1980s. Then James Martin extended the work done at DuPont and elsewhere into a larger, more formalized process, which has become known as Rapid Application Development (RAD). ? Rapid Application Development is a term originally used to describe a software development process introduced by Martin in 1991. Martins methodology involves iterative development and the construction of prototypes. RAD compresses the step-by-step development of conventional methods into an iterative process. The RAD approach thus includes developing and refining the data models, process models, and prototype in parallel using an iterative process. More recently, the term and its acronym have come to be used in a broader, generic sense that encompasses a variety of techniques aimed at speeding application development, such as the use of web application frameworks and other types of software frameworks. . Essential aspects of RAD. RAD is normally seen with three or four phases and users are involved in all the phases. The first Phase The planning phase. Users and analysts need to identify the objectives of the application or system to identify information requirements arising from those objectives. This phase requires intense involvement from both groups not just signing a proposal. It may involve users from di fferent levels of the organization. The orientation in this phase is to solve business problems and the main purpose is to reach business goals. The second phase The design workshop. It is a design and refine phase. This phase is normally hands-on for all the participants. During the design workshop users respond to actual working prototypes and analysts refine the design models based on the user responses. If during this process, experienced users and analyst are part of the process, there is no doubt that this meeting can propel development forward at an accelerated rate. The third phase The implementation phase. In this phase, analysts and users are working together intensively to design the business or non-technical aspects of the system. When these aspects are agreed on, the systems are built and refined, the new systems or part of them are tested and introduced to the organization. The cutover phase If your team follows Martin’s approach normally because your team is replacing and old system with your RAD you will see this phase. In the cutover phase the new application is run in parallel with the old one in order to be tested, train the users and make any changes to the organizational procedures before the replacement of the old system occurs. If your project is implementing a completely new system you won’t have this phase there is no old system to run in parallel That’s why sometimes you only see three phases in RAD. Martin’s phases of RAD General Phases of RAD and the outputs of each phase Rapid Application Deployment Key Deliverables / Outputs RAD Development Phases RequirementsDesign / DevelopTest / Implement ?System Architecture / Preliminary Design Document ?Final Design Document ?System Code ?Test Plan / Scenarios ?Test Results ?User Documentation? Training Classes ?Final Service Level Agreement ?Operational Readiness USER IRM Sign-Off ?Project Closure Sign-Off Software tools for RAD The RAD methodology uses both computerized tools and human techniques to achieve the goals of high-speed and high quality. The success of any Rapid Application Development project is primarily dependent on the tools used. The power tools utilized in RAD are Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE) tools. CASE tools have come a long way over the last two decades, helping us to overcome a lot of the software development problems through process innovations such as Rapid Application Development. Powerfully integrated CASE software is now available, as well as software that goes beyond traditional CASE limitations. CASE Maker’s Totem 5. 0 is one such product. Also software tools for RAD are often newer and often they are object-oriented tools, they include familiar programs such as: Microsoft Access, Microsoft Visual Basics, Microsoft Visual C++, and Microsoft Net. Most RAD applications have stayed on the small, PC-based side, although their true power may be for client/server applications that need to run across multiple platforms. The tools used should be easy to learn, powerful and allow the designers to interface their freshly minted application with other applications, databases and file types. Key objectives The key objectives of RAD are high quality systems, fast development and delivery and low costs. These objectives can be summed up in one sentence: the commercial need to deliver working business applications in shorter timescales and for less investment. A number of people see RAD as a complete approach to information systems development in that it covers the entire lifecycle, from initiation through to delivery. 3. When to use Rapid Application Development (RAD) Corporations have found that work organized stepwise incurs in unavoidable delays and errors as paper is handed off from person to person. Information Technology is one of the most powerful tools for breaking with traditional assumptions and rules about today’s business. One of the most innovative and successful change in IT business practices today is RAD. This new process takes advantage of automated tools and techniques to restructure the process of building information systems. RAD replaces hand-design and coding processes. These two processes depend a lot on the skills of isolated individuals. This slows down the process of development plus if the communication between these individuals is not good this will enormously affect the outcome of the team. Rapid Application Development is a better process, as it is much faster and less error prone than hand coding. Now days most organizations are faced with a large backlog of new systems to be developed. Over 65% of the typical Information System’s budget is spent on the maintenance of existing systems. Most of the time, these systems have little to no documentation and were developed with programming languages and database systems that are difficult and time consuming to change. There are two options for these companies upgrading their aging systems or building new applications. Conventional development lifecycles, however, are too slow and rigid to meet the business demands of today’s e-commerce. A new methodology must be implemented, one that allows organizations to build software applications faster, better, and cheaper. As an analyst, you will learn that certain applications and systems work will call for certain methodologies and that there is not a one size fits all. You can consider using RAD when: 1. Your team includes programmers and analysts who are experienced with RAD. 2. The project has pressing business reasons for speeding up a portion of an application development. 3. Your team is working with a novel e-commerce application and your development team believes that the customer’s business can sufficiently benefit over their competitors if as an innovator his application is among the first to appear on the Web. 4. The users are sophisticated and highly engaged with the organizational goals of the company. RAD enables analysts and developers the use of powerful CASE software which makes it possible for developers to create systems much faster than ever before. These new integrated CASE toolsets are breaking out of the bubble of traditional software development thought. They take application development beyond generation coding, just as generation, many years ago, surpassed textual coding. These tools enable a developer to drag-and-drop previously generated code, saving that developer the time and effort of individually hand-coding the text of the application. Common components The following appear to be the common components of RAD approaches: joint application design (JAD). RAD seems to be characterized by small development teams of typically four to eight persons. Such teams are made up of both developers and users who are empowered to make design decisions. This means that all RAD team members must be skilled both socially and in terms of the business. JAD workshops are usually expected to take place away from the business and developer environments in ‘clean’ rooms, that is, places free from everyday work interruptions and full of requisite support facilities such as flip charts, post-its, coffee, computers, etc. The emphasis is on highly focused problem solving. RAD projects seem to be typically of relatively small-scale and of short duration. Also, two to six months is frequently discussed as being a normal project length. The main rationale being that any project taking more than six months to complete is likely to be overtaken by business developments. Project control is seen to involve scoping the project by prioritizing development and defining delivery deadlines or’ time-boxes’. If the projects start to slip, the emphasis will be on reducing the requirements to fit the time-box. RAD is frequently discussed in terms of incremental prototyping and phased deliverables. Prototyping is essentially the process of building a system in an iterative way. Mostly these projects are conducted on applications that are highly interactive, have a clearly defined user group and are not computationally complex. 4. Disadvantages of RAD. RAD is a useful tool for analysts and developers but like everything in life, it also has Pros (advantages) and Cons (disadvantages). It is a faster way of producing applications since the users are involved from the beginning; therefore, the system is created faster. Those are good things for fast-paced businesses but it also has Cons. Some of these might make you think if RAD is actually as good as it looks and sounds. Some analysts still believed RAD is not as good as it sounds because the method may not be useful for large or highly complex projects. It also requires a very motivated team, capable of work cohesively together. The cost of the project is hard to estimate at the beginning of the project. It also requires a lot of commitment from the users involved in the project and that might be very difficult for important users to commit (managers, VP’s and so) which is necessary for the success of the project. Among other concerns some are: 1. For large (but scalable) projects, RAD requires sufficient resources to create the right number of RAD teams. 2. RAD projects will fail if there is no commitment by the developers or the clients to rapid-fire activities necessary to get a system complete in a much abbreviated time frame. 3. If a system cannot be properly modularized, building components for RAD will be problematic. 4. Agile methods produce very little written documentation and require a significant amount of post-project documentation. 5. The client may create an unrealistic product vision and request extensive gold-plating, leading the team to over- or under-develop functionality. 6. Product may lose its competitive edge because of insufficient core functionality and may exhibit poor overall quality. Other major concerns with RAD include the costs of maintaining clean rooms and of funding the extensive user involvement required for prototyping. Many organizations have found that the culture changes required for RAD are sometimes impossible to achieve either within the business as a whole or within project teams. Software engineers, too, are reluctant to embrace a development ethos that necessitates leaving their comfort zones and subjecting themselves to the intense periods of activity and accountability required for RAD . Conclusion Since 1992, when James Martin developed the idea of RAD, this new approach is been gaining momentum and is one of the tools in today’s tool box for analysts and developers. RAD and prototyping are pushing together to move the field forward on creating high quality applications on a short period of time. Today’s computer business has the option of being at the edge of their competitive market because they don’t have to wait for years to implement new technology to increase productivity. It all looks so good but after reviewing all the literature there is still a lot of places for improvement. For example: Some developers understand RAD to mean incrementally speeding up each stage of the traditional software life cycle. To others, RAD is primarily about automation and the extensive use of software development productivity tools. Many believe RAD is only suitable for small, relatively low-key projects. Others argue that RAD principles and techniques (joint Application Development, time-boxing, prototyping, and clean rooms, to name a few) can be applied to any software project but still RAD is accused of being anti-quality. It is commonly believed speed and quality are incompatible in software development. You can have one or the other but not both at the same time. In my opinion RAD is good for small projects where the users have the capability of commit their time with the developing team.