hiroshima and hibakusha

Hiroshima was the first city subjected to nuclear warfare on 6th August 1945 at 08:15am when the atomic bomb Little Boy was dropped by the US aircraft Enola Gay and detonated about 600m over the city with the force of 110 kilotons of TNT in a 1 mile blast radius and a firestorm that spread over 4.4 miles caused by heat, light and radiation.

The estimated population of Hiroshima was 250,000. Of that, 80,000 died instantly from the blast and another 70,000 injured. Burns, radiation and related diseases led to a death toll exceeding 90,000 by the end of 1945. Last year the toll was over 258,000 deaths. 69% of buildings were destroyed with 6.6% more severely damaged by the explosion.

Sixty-four years later, the city continues to campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

The hibakusha ('explosion-affected people') were those survivors of the nuclear incidents at both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They face discrimination due to ignorance about radiation sickness and it's related conditions, often being declined employment due to their status and some hibakusha prefer not to declare their status to receive benefits for fear of discovery of their status since there are erroneous beliefs about contamination through the blood.

The average age of the hibakusha is about 73. Their descendents are also considered hibakusha and their legacy of radiation-related conditions continue so the number of dead now exceeds the original population of Hiroshima. The recollections of Miyoko Matsubara, a hibakusha who refused to go to the States for surgery is a chilling account of the explosion. Others can be found on the web but all are not easy to take in.

Not all hibakusha were Japanese either. A surprising number of Korean and Chinese were also affected by the explosion - about one in seven of those killed as a result of the Hiroshima explosion were Korean. They faced difficulties in getting recognition for their suffering until recent lawsuits began to address this. Unlike people, the bomb didn't discriminate.

The Hiroshima Maidens were twenty-five young women among the hibakusha whose bodies were affected by the blast. The dark patterns on their clothes were burned into their skins, their faces twisted by keloid scarring and hands crooked into claws. Ten years later they travelled to the United States for extensive reconstructive surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York which helped to rebuild their bodies.

During this time their public appearances raised awareness of the impact of nuclear weaponry; one of the most shocking was the NBC show 'This Is Your Life' where two hibakusha were hidden behind screens 'to prevent embarrassment' and compere Ralph Edwards brought out Lt. Robert Lewis, co-pilot of the Enola Gay to give a brief speech. He later committed suicide after being institutionalised due to guilt and depression.

in dreams

A popular method of suspending the usual rules so that a different story can be told; dreams have a number of narrative purposes and provide a source of images, connections and messages that inspire and fascinate.

Adventure
As an environment to experience in itself dreams can offer a number of advantages over more conventional locations...

• Antagonists with fewer restraints. An example is Dreamscape where an assassin kills their target in a dream and it translates into reality. The proverbial example is of course Freddy Krueger and the Nightmare on Elm Street series.
  
• Symbolic associations. Dreams can often contain symbolic references to situations and events - Salvador Dali often used dreams to inspire his art. Care needs to be employed - symbols can mean very different things to different audiences.
  
• Unusual environments. From the baroque fantasy of H.P.Lovecraft's Dreamlands to the structured psychodramas of Werewolf: The Apocalypse, the realms of dream let you kick the jams and portray settings that juxtapose environments.
  

Foreshadowing
Prophetic dreams are a particular example of how dreams can provide information to characters which have direct application. One of the particular problems is saying enough without saying too much or being obtuse. Interpreting dreams is something which has always been of value, from shamanic visions to psychotherapy (more on that later).

Insight
Dreams not only offer foreshadowing but also insights into a situation or a character; this is close to the real world experiences of Einstein and Kekulé. Recurring insights often take the form of a message to be acted on - for example Stephen King's The Shining where the Torrance family are plagued by the ghosts of the Overlook and Jack Torrance's own demons.

Psychotherapy
A link found at H.P. Lovecraft & His Legacy discusses lucid dreaming in psychotherapy and this reminded me of the dreamscapes of Quiet sufferers in Mage: The Ascension. Getting into a shared dreamscape with an insane person may be risky (one example is The Cell) and possibly infectious. Walking in such places requires caution.

How have you used dreams to inspire game events or tell your stories?

toolkit: maslow's hierarchy of needs

Abraham Maslow described a model of behaviour based on a humanist point of view and was innovative in that it was one of the first models for positive mental health rather than for ill or aberrant personalities. This hierarchy of needs is prioritised by five levels of need.

1. Physiological (breathing, food/drink, environmental comfort, sex)
   
2. Safety (body, family, health, morality, property, resources)
   
3. Belonging/Love (family, friendship, intimacy)
   
4. Esteem (achievement, confidence, respect, self-esteem)
   
5. Self-Actualisation (acceptance, creativity, morality, problem solving, spontaneity)
   

People put things at the top of the hierarchy at a greater priority to the ones below. Also note the presence of morality in both self-actualisation and safety. The former shows a proactive approach, the latter more reactive and in context dealing with a situation where that morality comes under threat. his model can be applied into two obvious areas:

• Character Motive - These needs feature significantly in human behaviour and can be applied to your character (writing from an alien or non-humanist perspective can skew these priorities) and why they do what they do. It takes some significant threats for enemies to work together; any/all of the physiological needs will do so.
  
• Plot Hooks - Attracting the interest of your audience (who are usually human) means giving them something they can relate to. These hooks can prioritise perspective and even colour participation. The safety of family can cause someone to turn against a lover, especially if they're the ones threatening them.
  

The interface between plot and character can lead to that sweet spot of engagement with both character and plot. The hierarchy of needs provides a handy point of reference if you wonder if something is going to matter. Obviously like all tools, there are things it's good at and things where other methodologies apply. That said, most people work from a humanist perspective.

(Inspired by this blog post.)

observing the lustrum

The lustrum was a ceremonial sacrifice performed in ancient Rome. This was performed by one of the censors (a Roman magistrate) every five years after the census was taken. New senators were elected to office after the ceremony. After this rite, the magistrates would pledge to the gods that the people would repeat the offering in five years if they protected the people.

The rite itself was simple. The people would gather on a field dedicated to Mars in his aspect of fertility god. A sheep, a pig and a bull were chosen and led in a circuit around the people by individuals with 'blessed' names like Felix (lucky) or Dives (happy). After this circuit the animals were sacrificed to Mars and completely burned.

The lustrum was intended to cleanse the slate for the people, and it's use of people with blessed names to ward them against evil. Similar ceremonies can be found in Persia and Macedonia though Roman observance could be spotty; use of the lustrum lapsed for a period of 41 years until Octavian decreed it's restoration.

Such purification rites can be inserted into any story where populations with connections to the divine occur (few don't). Characters may have to officiate at such ceremonies (census taking offers it's own risks & rewards) or take part. The consequences of such a ceremony may offer respite from a curse or disease or even offer a very minor protective boon.

Those games featuring politics may use the lustrum as a method of purging the populace of any crimes it may have committed; purifying the people and their elected officials of any evil they may have brought upon themselves in doing state business. Such a performance may merely salve some consciences, others may have more practical or mystical consequences.