#Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language

[zeichannnnn]

⚠️ In regards to the natlan controversy (and Sumeru by proxy)

Do NOT accuse people of being racist just because your skin colour cannot be found in a game. Learn to know that people don't live in the same situation as you.

Please read this fully for the reality of things I'm sorry for getting political, skip if you don't want to interact

I’m kinda sad at the fact that a lot of people are quick to hate, judge, and scrutinise Hoyo without understanding the situation.

With recent teaser of Natlan characters, people are rightfully upset at the fact that the characters shown to hail from Natlan… don’t exactly look the part. With characters lighter than my own skin tone (I’m a Chinese Southeast Asian by the way, heya) people are calling hoyo bullshit and accusing them of being a racist for failing time and time again at giving us characters with POC shades of skin. Now I’m not here to defend Mihoyo for their actions, or to tell you to stop being mad at the situation being the way they are. No, I’m here to shed you some light of how life is as a game company under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Xin Jin Ping (XJP cause I won’t be bothered to type his whole ass name)

I've highlighted points of each section

Any pages that requires translations, I recommend using DeepL instead of google translate because you can check the meanings of specific words and it's translation are better (imo)

Skip to the last part if you just want a summarised version

Before we get into the nitty gritty that is Genshin drama, I'll give you a run-down on what and how China works.

check the part "In relation to Genshin's design choices and how China's beauty standard influences it" if you want to go straight on to the point

People’s Republic of China

is a Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic. This means that China is under a one-party (Chinese Communist Party) rule with communism ideology on how they rule and govern the country and socialist standards for how they manage their economy and everything else. [.]

The CCP holds a very nationalistic view

[.] which is commonly used as propaganda [.] for them to garner either sympathy or control over the people of China. These nationalistic view, in its raw and most rudest form, simply states that Chinese people are pure by upholding traditional Chinese culture (that's not even traditionally Chinese, more or less more catered towards communism and the CCP's ideologies which are that they're great and everyone else is wrong) and not mixing themselves or tainting themselves with things that are not pure (i.e. anything that isn't Chinese, from China, belongs to China) This nationalistic views, which glorifies China and detests anything foreign (i.e. culture, language, people, etc.) have led to a lot of xenophobia being built and nurtured inside of China's society [1] [2] [3]

Aside from the CCP's nationalistic views,

China's society is very censored and monitored by the CCP

[.] Google, YouTube, or more specifically, the internet itself is heavily banned by the government, electing the people to use the CCP's private internet that allows them to be monitored 24/7 through IP location and private information. [1] [2] [3] [4] Aside from heavily monitored and controlled internet access, people in the real world are also actively being watched and monitored through CCTV with facial recognition features and an AI that can predict people's action (yes, exactly like the akasha, and yes, Sumeru arc is based on reality, I won't talk about it here but feel free to read between the lines and compare it with the sources and news articles I'm about to drop on you) [1] [2. Behind paywall] [3] [4] [5]

With its censorship in mind, let us talk about what brings us all here:

the gaming censorship in China.

In order for a game to be published in China, whether it's made by an indie or a multi-billion dollar company, the game has to go through a complicated preliminary test made and assigned by the CCP to play, test, and go through your game before publishing it anywhere in Chinese media [.] This test includes you company's paperwork, your game's paperwork, the things you're displaying in your game, and the story it's trying to tell. There are not that many rules on what should and should not appear inside of your game, such as: polyamory, the undead (in both graphic and non-graphic manner), etc. That should be considered tame and should cause no problem, however, we do have a problem with one of the rule given which is: Emphasizing Cultural Sensitivity.

Emphasizing Cultural Sensitivity

in the article I've mentioned before, describes it as "Games should impart “correct” information on politics, law, and history, as interpreted by the authorizing agency." Now what does "correct" information entail? Who fucking knows because truth is relative. Facts, when in the eyes of the CCP, are relative to what they believe is to be right and what they want us to believe is right.

Now with that out of the way, let us get into the main deal.

MiHoYo

(not to be confused with Hoyoverse/Cognosphere which is their international branch) is a is a Chinese video game development and publishing company, founded by three classmates from university Cai Haoyu, Liu Wei, and Luo Yuhao [.] That means that Genshin Impact's development, ever since it was at its infancy, first-established days, and updates until the near future, are all subjected onto that game censorship law that I mentioned earlier. Now you might all be wondering, what does all of those rules have to do with genshin characters having dark skins? To that I point you towards the fact that MiHoYo and the CCP are and have been actively working together ever since around September 2021. [1] [2]

Cooperation between MiHoYo and the CCP

Ever since Genshin Impact's massive hit both nationally and internationally, its massive fanbase has hit the internet no one has ever seen before. It is the first ever Chinese game that has gotten world wide acclaim and with that, new eyes begin to look upon China. It is no surprise to anyone that Genshin is very particular about showing and promoting Chinese culture to the outside world. Genshin has somehow become the face to Chinese culture in just a year, with limited events such as Lantern Rite and Moonchase festival to showcase China's cultural beauty. With world-wide acclaim comes a price, wherein the CCP no longer treats Genshin as "another game" but a tool that they can use to promote and advertise themselves into the global population.

Begin the censorship and micro-manipulation of things in Genshin

New gaming censorship dropped after the Genshin Impact became a hit in the industry, with even Venti and Gorou as examples of characters that should not appear in media published in China (effeminate man) [.] In additional to the list I've linked in the "the gaming censorship in China" section, a lot more additional rules have been added to that list, such as: queer representation, morally grey character, but I what I want you to look at more is the section where "historical elements, including characters, maps and clothing, should conform with mainstream accounts." in addition to that, a self-regulation pact was made between game companies and the CCP that bans any and all content that is deemed "politically harmful" and "historically nihilistic." Now focus more onto that "historically nihilistic" point, what does that mean?

Historical nihilism

is a term used by the CCP and many Chinese scholars to describe research or discussions deemed to contradict an official state version of history in a manner perceived to question or challenge the legitimacy of the CCP [.] TLDR; it's a term used for when what you're saying clashes or goes against what the CCP said. Why is this important you may ask? It's because that now, at this point, if anything Genshin does something—whether that'd be plotline, design etc.—that the CCP thinks shouldn't exist or be represented, they have the lawful right to block or stop it from reaching the final product. Now this, this is what happened to Genshin's Sumeru and Natlan cast.

In relation to Genshin's design choices and how China's beauty standard influences it

white has always been a predominant part of modern Chinese beauty culture, for some reason (I don't know and I'm not going to go that deep into it, research it on your own if you're curious) In fact, it's not only China but also Asian culture in general. White skin has always been hailed as pure and beautiful here in Asia, where the line "as pale as the moon" is a common compliment to give to someone. Skin colour that are tan or even darker are connected to being dirty or stinky. Despite the younger generation not really adhering to that view, the older generation (calling out the CCP here) upholds that standard till this day. Pin straight hair, round eyes, pale white skin, and a thin figure are the standards put upon those born as female. Their male counterpart are not that different, with lean and fit being the preferred body type rather than big muscles or bulky forms.

The reason behind why this is the case is because of Asia's strict social code in rules and appearances. We must appear prim and clean, that means no dyed hair, no tattoos, no piercings, and minimal make-up. Anyone that goes against those rules are regarded as delinquents or deviants that usually break the rules and do criminal activities (despite it not being the case) Having a bulky stature also applies to that list, regardless of what gender you are, and especially for men. You're regarded as dangerous, criminal, bad influence if you look like that in public (this is why we don't have that much bulky characters gang and why we were robbed of heavy muscles Itto orz) (he deffo was very bulky in the original design, probably similar to the Nobushi but it got nerfed in final product)

Given all of that in mind, it's no wonder that Sumeru's and and Natlan's casts are mostly white... but were they always that way?

The original skin colour design for Natlan cast might've been darker than what we have in the final product.

As a lot of people have mentioned (especially with the many beautiful edits I'm very fond of) the character designs for Natlan's new up-coming rosters looks better with darker skin tone. Take for examples this edit right here:

taken from @ rarepairz on twitter [source]

Their designs (with darker skin tones) seem to pop more, giving highlights onto their clothes and accessories in comparison to the original design. Here are more examples of this happening:

taken from @ Wabs_nabs on twitter [source]

It is especially clear to anyone with basic colour theory that the colour used for designing the clothes and accessories and highlights in the hair look better with darker skin colour. There is *intent* on making it this way in comparison to woeful ignorance of making them look white as hell. If they were to intentionally to make the characters look white, they would've chosen a better colour for the clothes, less bolder ones and eye-popping ones to contrast with the already luminescent light that's emitting from the skin.

And this is not the case for only Natlan, by the way! The same thing happened when the Sumeru cast was first leaked. Case in point this:

taken from @ animuswonder on twitter [source]

and my personal art of Cyno and Nari:

Look at how much contrast there is between their colour palette or how much resonance there is, with Cyno his more cold-colour attire and hair, in comparison to his deep dark warm skin or Tighnari that's the epitome of a "spring girl" like come on man. There's INTENT in those designs, to have more darker shades than they are in the game. Sadly, they just can't do it due to censorships. Why? Because, as I have mentioned before, darker shades of skin are represented as dirt here in Asia as we glorify pale skin more.

The representation of uniqueness and differences in Chinese game is not common due the fact that most Asian countries are homogenous, which means they prefer everyone and everything to be the same, to look the same, and follow and do the same things. They do not advocate for uniqueness, they do not advocate for individuality, they advocate for us to conform and to follow like a sheep in a herd. Because of that, most people spend their whole life trying to whiten up their skin, keeping them light, and those who are darker than most are shown prejudiced and scrutinised.

Mentioning again the fact that MiHoYo and the CCP are working closely together, Genshin Impact is currently being used as a cultural weapon by the government. With MiHoYo showing numerous time that they've donate and support Chinese cultural heritage, the CCP is using that fact and holding control over Genshin as a way to promote and advertise sympathy towards Chinese culture and the Communist regime by proxy. It's like how your parents are getting you to eat broccoli brownies in hopes that you'd eat normal broccolis and other vegetables by proxy. Everything and anything that Genshin shows in its game are now under close inspections of the CCP and colourism especially will not fly-by their radar.

In conclusion

Your anger and hatred towards the new characters’ designs are justified, however the person you aim those anger and hatred should not be towards Mihoyo, or Liu Wei, or any of the staff members but towards the situation and the laws and the local government MiHoYo has to adhere to.

We're already lucky to have MiHoYo even wanting to represent and shpw different cultures from different parts of the world, telling us engaging stories, and incentivising us to think more and to be be more of us instead of following the crowd and to judge those in power (if you are literate and have the ability of a 6th grader, you know the theme Genshin Impact is showing in its story). In a world where they aren't able to live as freely as people outside of mainland do, they shouldn't have to put their life at risk by creating a game that goes against the CCP's laws that will lead to a deduction to their social points (yes, those actually exist, WAKE UP). Yet they do, they update every month, telling stories, creating characters with many characteristics that goes against Chinese gaming laws, just for us to enjoy.

Do NOT accuse people of being racist just because your skin colour cannot be found in a game. Learn to know that people don't live in the same situation as you.

You are right to be mad, you are right to be upset, but do not condemn them for something they hold no power to. It's between their lives and your fantasies and if you choose to value your delusion over their livelihood then that just shows what kind of a person you are.

Where's this conviction towards other game companies aside from MiHoYo? Where's the rightful air when it comes to companies that breathe much fresher air? Do they not have the same responsibility? Or is it because you actually do not care and merely want to point your unbridled emotions towards something or someone? If so, you're pointing at the wrong person.

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

[marveliciousfanace]

I've said for the better part of two years, well before it was even announced, that a Misfits and Magic season 2 might kill me, and in fact it tried (in only the best ways)! And not only did it give me the gift of a new all-time favorite D20 episode (sorry, Neverafter's "Once Upon A Time," there's a new dealing-with-PC-death-in-the-most-perfect way episode, and it's "A Place of Knowing"), it also gave me something I've been waiting years for: little lineart symbols that perfectly match my usual tattoo aesthetic, so I can finally get the D20 tattoo I've been dreaming of, for my favorite campaign, no less.

Just one problem: I'm not much for social media, and having consumed all the MisMag season 2 content I can find, I still can't find anything that confirms what all six of the little creature symbols should be. So I figured I'd farm the question out to the internet, and see if anyone saw/heard something I missed. So: the index cards.

The warm half of our color wheel, as depicted by the Gowcentric Orrery, is straightforward. The symbols appear on Tabby in direct coordination with their names when the Pilot Program visits Galamanis, the Qohlye, and Weugan in episodes 2, 3, and 6. They also all look reasonably recognizable as their animals (I'd say the Qohlye the least, and Weugan the most, but there's still a winged goat, a lizard, and a dog in the shapes). So that was easy. The problem is, unless I missed something, we're not shown the other three island/creatures in as straightforward a way.

Across different episodes, we do see symbols that clearly represent Tabby, the knotted symbol for magic's rules, and, of course, Tabby's enemies to lovers best friends relationship with Jammer, but because they're recognizable, I discounted them from my research. But, in episode 4 (on Seegenpelater) we do see three other symbols, which are never formally explained on the show, appearing when the Pilot Program are conversing with text-Tabby. Without finding anything to confirm or deny it, I've assumed that these three other symbols are in fact the cool side of our color wheel, breaking Tabby's pictogram language into the six basic magic principals he was made to coordinate. Which leaves the problem of working out which symbol is which of our favorite little magic guys.

With limited understanding, the only clues I really could think to go off of were the general shape of the symbol, and the word they appear before on Tabby's tablet when he's doing his magic-eight-ball routine. I'm almost 100% certain the above symbol is Seegenpelater's. I'd say this looks about as close to a two-headed camel as the warm side of the wheel looks to their animals. It also was accompanied by the word "doubtful" on Tabby's screen, which I do think corresponds reasonably to Seegenpelater being the basis of illusory/enchantment magic (ie, magic that casts reality in doubt). That would make it the blue wedge, opposite Galamanis, and leaves us with purple (Miskoro) and green (Tadershecourt).

This is where I hit the snag. I don't think either of these especially resembles our boy Tad. I could honestly see an argument for either depicting an antlered creature. My best guess is that the one on the left is Miskoro and the one on the right is Tad: I'd say the left looks to me like a winged guy with a tail, and the right does have a vague skull shape to it. We also see both of these symbols used twice. The left symbol accompanies the phrase "likely," while the right is joined with "ask later." I don't find that particularly helpful, since both phrases to me could be associated with Miskoro's transformation magic, but given that Tad's is a magic of curtailing/lessening, I'd be more inclined to give him the latter (also, I think it looks like a power button, and it's fun to think about Tad's symbol literally being a kind of off switch).

Assuming I'm correct, and that these symbols do all correspond to the orrery (as opposed to us just not seeing some symbols because it didn't come up during gameplay), that would make our full, official Gowcentric Orrery look something like this (apologies for the quick, shitty sketch):

Does anyone know a confirmation one way or the other if this is right? If @quiddie or the Dimension 20 art team has released an official version? I've literally been thinking about this for the past two months, so if anyone else has an answer, or even just a theory, I'd really love to hear it!

[inc0mple]

Reiterating this on Tumblr. (These are my own thoughts and opinions that I am expressing for myself.)

You are allowed to be excited about a piece of media, and want to scream about it to the heavens. That's the mark of a good author.

You are also allowed to feel negatively towards media! It's your brain and your opinions!

But if your opinion is positive, I think it cultivates a better community environment to leave positive/affirming comments. Yes the new episode has us all feeling the feels, and I know hyperbole comments like "Author when I catch you author" are very common on Webtoon, especially with big plot events, and are written to be complimentary.

But sometimes threats and accusations towards the author, even meant in a positive way, can start to look like a slew of pure hate mail. You can, generally, say whatever you want on the internet without major retribution (a block or a deleted comment at most, usually). And if it's a well used/obvious hyperbole, like "OMGGGG HOW DARE YOU I'M NEVER GOING TO FORGIVE THIS" or "IM DROPPING THE COMIC" or even wishing misfortune onto the creator of a series (which is never okay to do online, by the way), there likely will not be repercussions because the understanding is that it isn't serious. However, in masses, these comments feel very heavy. I'm not saying you aren't allowed to scream in the comments (and to be fair I'm not allowed to make any rules, I'm just expressing my opinion and easing my own consciousness, but I ask you to at least hear it out), but simply keeping expressively negative language about hating the comic and telling the author to stop making it out of digital spaces can cultivate an equally excited community that feels much better to look at. You can type "AHHHHHHH SCREAMING ABOUT THE NEW EPISODE" without adding the /nrs toxic stuff, sucky words about hate and anger directed towards the comic or creator. This goes for more things than just Cinderella Boy.

And if you do dislike it you're allowed to do that. Just remember nobody owes you. We are reading this comic for free, and we are not entitled to the enjoyment of it. If you want to drop it, drop it; you're allowed to. If you have a grievance with it you can maintain that! But spamming public forums just because the plot didn't go your way isn't really cool. And if you are typing the types of comments y'all know I'm talking about and mean them, check yourself. Those are not okay things to say. Be a good person.

The internet doesn't take away the people behind the screen. I thought this was something we learned in elementary school. You are not just talking to a profile picture and a username. This also doesn't just go for statements directly towards Punko; let's all just be nice to each other and make sure we aren't stepping over people's conversational boundaries that they would have with any reasonable, human stranger - because most of us are strangers, or vague acquaintances. And you wouldn't be yelling at people like that if you were standing in front of you irl, unless they were your friends. And you do not have that level of familiarity with most people online.

How big of an issue this is in this fandom depends on who you ask - for the most part people are so nice here and it's so great - but I just wanted to make a blanket statement because it's something to keep in mind and I've been seeing a lot of it as the finale approaches. If you don't like a piece of media it's probably best to just disengage with it. Also, threats are not okay.

[coffeeallaloneandlord]

"Young women are also consistently on the bleeding edge of those linguistic changes that periodically sweep through media trend sections, from uptalk to the use of 'like' to introduce a quotation. The role that young women play as language disruptors is so clearly established at this point it's practically boring to linguists who study this topic: well-known socio-linguist William Labov estimated that women lead 90 percent of linguistic change in a paper he wrote in 1990. (I've attended more than a few talks at sociolinguistics conferences about a particular change in vocabulary, and it barely gets even a full sentence of explanation: 'And here, as expected, we can see that the women are more advanced on this change than the men. Next slide.') Men tend to follow a generation later: in other words, women tend to learn language from their peers; men learn it from their mothers."

- Gretchen McCulloch, Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language (2019) (Emphasis Mine)

[stormberry-12]

faceless // P3: yes sir. negative ~ charles leclerc x reader

pairing: charles leclerc x fem!driver!reader

includes/authors notes: language, lack of equal rights/ gender equality, readers an unknown figure in the races, fem!reader's gender assumed as male, use of "y/n". So sorry this took so long, I've had some mega writters block and no motivation really. But I hope it's still good and thank you so much for all the kind feedback, it means a lot! <3

Bold Italics are the past.

Normal Italics are thoughts.

summary: "There is a new mysterious driver on the grid. Nobody knows who he is, the only thing we know is that he races for Red Bull with the number 66. Other drivers call him the faceless driver for none have ever seen his face or heard him speak. The faceless driver is a legend in the making and even giving Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen a run for their money…”

"No fucking way mate," Lando choked out his words, "Holy fuck-" 

Lando's face had never looked so shocked, he scratched the inner corner of his left eye as if he thought he was seeing something. And when his eyes focused back on you, you could see his mind filling with questions. His eyes flickered from the helmet sitting on the ground to the tears brimming in your eyes.

"Oh my god," you sobbed into your hands as your mind began to race. 

Should you run away? 

'Oh, sorry Lando, no you must have seen my celebrity doppelganger in the suit earlier. It wasn't me-"

"No wait, don't cry-" he protested, rushing over and crouching down next to you on the ground, "You're my idol, I'm like obsessed with your driving, you're frickin' amazing-"

"Oh, shut up Lando!" you snapped, instantly feeling bad for yelling in his face. He was silent for a moment, not taken aback by your outburst though. "Sorry," you whispered.

You looked up to see him scanning your face intently. "You haven't told Charles yet," he said matter-of-factly like he could read your life all of a sudden.

You shook your head.

"Who else knows?"

"Just you and Christian-"

"Heh, I'm so special,"

"Lando stop!" you cried quietly, feeling more tears forming. "You weren't supposed to find out and I'm so going to get fired for this-"

"Why would you be fired?" he asked,  "You're the driver keeping Red Bull afloat right now while Max is shittin' the bed,"

"Because. It's part of my contract that no one knows who I am,"

"Who came up with that shit?"

You furrowed your eyebrows at him, "What shit?"

"Your contract rules," he said.

"We both did. I didn't want to be in the media, I've never liked it. And Christian just agreed I guess-"

"But you and Charles were just in a video together, you've been doing media anyway," He chuckled dryly.

True.

"And you and Charles love each other, I can see it in your eyes, I don't think the media content is going to stop anytime soon. Frankly, they will ask you to do more now that you've already agreed once."

Also true.

"I understand that privacy is important to you but..."

"Yeah, I know, I know... you're right," you said, wiping tears away from under your eyes, thinking back to the tweets you had just read, "After the video went out I was expecting so much worse but nothing happened, I might need to take a chill pill."

"Maybe..." he said slowly. "And why should-"

"-I care what people on the internet think of me?" you stole the words right out of Lando's mouth, a smile growing on his face. "Charles tells me that every time I don't help with his Twitch streams,"

"Right, you're thinking like a media-trained F1 driver already!" he grinned. "Except, I don't think you're getting enough credit for your racing because you keep that helmet on all the damn time. Just one guy's opinion though,"

You hummed in response, getting lost in your own mind again.

"I won't tell a soul, I promise," He crossed his hand over his heart, "Scouts honor,"

For some reason, you felt you could trust Lando. You gave him a small smile and let your shoulders relax, taking deep breaths to calm your nerves. He stood up and offered you his hand, you took it gladly and rose to your feet. "I think you should talk to Christian about it,"

"I will, thanks Lan,"

"No problem," he winked, slowly stepping away, "And for what it's worth I truly meant what I said before. You're amazing, don't let them push you around or tell you otherwise. You gotta pave the way for all the little girls out there."

That shook you to your core. 

You had never thought about your career that way and it bothered you how oblivious you had been.

How could you not realize the impact you could be making for the girls who dream of racing just like you had? Who cared what some old guy on the internet thought about women in motorsport, he needed to grow up. And you needed to make a difference. It was all sliding into place.

Also, since when had Lando been that well-spoken in his life?

After a quick 'See you on track,' you and Lando parted ways towards your respected garages. Pulling your helmet over your face, you stepped out of the alleyway and marched towards the blue and red signs of the Red Bull garage.

Christian gave you a look through your visor as you walked up to the car, you just nodded, he hated it when you were late. You climbed into the car and tried to shake the nerves out of your body, you could see a camera in your peripherals, panning the garage and landing on you. 

Pave the way Y/n.

This newfound purpose gave you anxiety but at the same time a different kind of drive to your craft. You could feel the car hum beneath you, grateful for the all-clear from the team, you exited the garage to start warming up your tires.

"Radio check, you ready for this?"

"Yep. Copy." 

Shit, that sounded forced didn't it? Why were you acting so weird? Be yourself Y/n.

"Ah, not going to humor me today? That's too bad mate," Rick chuckled.

"Don't know why but it smells like barbeque in the car,"

"You've got a problem, change your fucking carrrr,"

"No, you change your car because Checo has been saying the car is fucked-"

This had Ricky howling with laughter over the mic.

"Okay, that's enough lads." Christian stepped in, pulling the plug on you and Rick mocking him.

"Fun police..." Ricky sighed.

"I'm not a fun police, do your job Richard."

"You are a fun police, I have it on record. I hAvE it, I hAve iT pRiNteD oUt!"

"66."

"Sorry." you replied, giggling to yourself and waving back at Lando as you passed.

"Damn it!" Charles cursed stomping towards the Ferrari garage. He had just spun out two races in a row and had to, unfortunately, retire from the race.

Walking into the garage he could feel all eyes on him as he stuffed his gloves and balaclava into his helmet angrily. A few engineers and his trainer gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he walked past, but no one dared to interact with Charles while he was this livid.

He needed y/n.

She was who he always needed after a bad race, he walked to his driver's room remembering the spin-out from his previous race hoping that y/n would actually be there this time.

"Where's y/n?"

"I don't know mate, sorry. She disappeared a while ago," an engineer named Fred shrugged.

But of course, as he opened the door she was nowhere to be found once again. Thoughts ran through his mind a hundred miles per minute

Had she always left after he got into the car and never actually watched him race?

Is he not as important to her as she made it seem?

Was she just in this for the money like a few of the girls he had been with before?

No, y/n isn't like that. He told himself, but still, he felt that pang of uncertainty in his chest. It would certainly be the reason why whenever he asked for her opinion on his performance it was almost as if she didn't remember what happened, she would just nod, smile, and agree with whatever he said.

Charles sat down on the couch and shut the door to his room. The TV had the race on and he watched the 19 remaining cars complete lap after lap. 

He couldn't watch this anymore...

"Ohh! That was a nasty hit from Verstappen from behind- SOMEONE HAS SPUN INTO THE WALL AND IT LOOKS TO BE THE OTHER RED BULL!"

"Oh my, it is! I can tell you right now Crofty, Christian Horner is not going to be pleased about that,"

"The race has just been red-flagged and we are currently awaiting more news on the second Red Bull driver. Here's a replay, there's Max Verstappen in third and his teammate ahead of him in second."

"And Verstappen was told to hold position because both drivers were in the podium places, Max is slightly slower than his teammate with very worn tires, but he pushes them anyway and tries to go for the very forced overtake. And there it is! Now why does he swerve into his teammate?!? This is mind-boggling to me-"

Charles looked up from his phone and back to the television. A bright 66 is painted on the Red Bull that is in pieces on the edge of the track. And as the camera zooms into the smoking race car, the eerie silence in Charles's driver's room makes his chest tighten slightly.

"Oh dear, it seems we have no verbal conformation from the driver so as you can see the medical car has made it's way to the scene."

Charles watches the unconscious driver slowly get pulled from the car and layed on a stretcher right there on the side of the track. They lift the visor of his helmet and shine a light across the driver's face as their eyes flutter awake. Beautiful eyes that Charles had engraved in his brain from the moment he met her.

previous chapter // next chapter

[ihavesomethinginmygarage]

Have you ever wondered why the work of Russian artists is very easy to define. So much so that there is a concept of “Russian style” on the internet?

Then it's time to learn my theory on how the “Russian style” was formed, since I've been in the Russian community of artists for about 11 years and 6 years in the foreign one and I have a lot to say.

If you're too lazy to read, I'll keep it short: it's all because of harsh criticism and harassment in the past, a language barrier where most people don't know English (or any other popular language), own methods of learning to draw, and more. However, if you want to understand more about what it all means, read my story below.

I'll probably start by saying that the peak of artistic progress started around 2013-2018. Previously, most artists sat on a social network called Vk\Vkontakte. I can't say anything for sure about whether there was any development before 2010+, since most of the artists I meet on the internet are mostly my colleagues who were born between 2002 and 2007 :D. Many of the Russian artists came to the Internet being children 8-14 years old. (back then not many adults were mostly advanced with the understanding of the Internet, so parental control was simply excluded from the rules) + the Internet itself was very free. Mix the fact of having a free internet + having kids on it and you get a very aggressive environment. I still remember how sometimes we were harassed by adults (or another kids) to tell us how terrible our art was (however, I was also bullied by adults back then) + adults tried to find my parents' contacts to write them ridiculous things like “your child is sitting on the internet and drawing children's drawings!!! That's terrible!!!”. In general, the Internet of the past was very aggressive, which means that many of us had to develop as “fast” as possible in artistic terms, otherwise you could get into the “wall of shame” (in the past a public called dno-arts or for example in Fairies in Vkontakte, as it used to be called). However, because of that, by the way, some of us have a fear of showing our work in public, lol (at least I still have a fear of drawing human characters because of that) But by 2017, things started to change. Many of us at that point grew up and rebelled against all those “walls of shame” and as a consequence, they were completely destroyed and at that point a new stage of Russian artists started to emerge. This gave more opportunities for creativity, as idiotic rules like “you can't use very bright colors in art” were eliminated and no one cared anymore. However, by about 2020, a new era of development of Russian artists' work began because of tiktok and the deterioration of Vkontakte's policy. Many of the artists went partially or permanently to telegram after 2020. Before that, the foreign community (English-speaking internet let's say roughly) was closed to us and not everyone could afford to venture out into the English-speaking internet. In general, because of the language barrier it is still closed to many of us :D. A huge number of Russian artists are still hiding somewhere in the dark corners of the Internet. With the advent of tiktok and telegram also began to appear “new” generation of Russian artists. Basically, as I personally noticed - these artists are not afraid of criticism and tend to show themselves more in public. Also many of these artists began to lose their “Russian style” and began to have rather more of a “general” style (in general, despite what I consider to be an older generation of artists (?), my style seems to have lost my “Russian handwriting” and become general? I don't know). By common, I mean that most Russian artists started mixing anime\cartoonish\semi realism style with their usual style. Although the English-speaking internet was open to us after 2010, few people dared to start their creative accounts on the English-speaking internet. But after 2020, the information for us became much wider than before. As it seems to me personally, the development of Russian artists is now centered not only in their closed environment, but also in the environment of the open world. But it is precisely because of the closed nature of the artistic Russian community that we have developed a so-called “Russian style” that is visible in one way or another in our art (lol, even I can easily tell if someone is Russian by their art) I have a lot more to say about how the Russian community of artists is developing now according to my observations. But I'll tell you about it some other time.

If anything, it's not the most reliable source for how the Russian style came to be. It's just my personal observation based on what's been happening to me for 11 years. No one has done statistics and research on this and most of the data from the past has been destroyed

[toomanywatchers]

My Thoughts on WatcherTV

Hi, I am here to put away my meme-making skills to express my genuine thoughts on Watcher’s announcement; WatcherTV. Before I get into it, this is for any of those at Team Watcher who might be seeing this message: Just know we love and support everything you do for us. Y’all truly do not get the credit you rightfully deserve. I hope with this change to a separate streaming platform you guys can create the content you want to make, pull in creators that you’ve always wanted to work with, and share voices/topics that may have not had the chance to shine because of YouTube’s heinous algorithm. I know myself, and many others, are excited to see what WatcherTV brings. For instance, I already watched Road Files and the trailer for Travel Season on the new platform. And guess what? I love it! I just love BTS-centric shows and seeing the vibes established on Travel Season. Along with more Lizzie/possibly-more-sightings-of-other-Team-Watcher-peeps content?!? If this is what holds for the future of WatcherTV- oh boy, do you already have me more on board than I already was.

I also send my sincerest regards too. We all know that the internet can be a negative space with many sharing their uncensored thoughts, and I hope none of you take the hate to heart. I also hope you can take the weekend to breathe, drink some water, spend time with loved ones, and celebrate this huge step you all are embarking on. I am truly excited to see what is to come on WatcherTV will be there with each step to support.

Now to my fellow fans of Watcher. I understand the concern and it is okay to have concerns. It shows that you truly care for Watcher as a company and don’t want anything negative to come about with this decision. BUT on the other hand, spreading hateful messages? Not. Fucking. Cool. It is quite simple to express concern in an appropriate/respectful manner. Remember, this is a company full of living and breathing human beings. Trying to justify “who is to blame” and pointing fingers is just childish. Guess what? No one is to blame, it was a company-wide decision that they all made and spent months upon months to create.

Yes, it does suck to see content that was free for years be moved to a paywall, but remember they are independent artists that have to pay employees, freelancers, locations, and themselves! Have we not been advocating for fair pay among creative individuals when it comes to WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes and then AI art taking jobs away from artists? If this is what the company needs to do to survive while not sacrificing the high-quality content they make for us, then we should give it a shot! Plus with the current discount available, the subscription is not that pricey for the amount of shows they produce! Literally for January and a bit of February, they were uploading 2 podcasts and 2 separate shows… that’s a lot of content! If you have never sat down to produce, direct, write, perform, edit, and all other aspects it takes to make a fine-polished YouTube video, it takes a lot of work!

To add to this, Watcher already makes content that far expands past what is recognized as normal for YouTube. They build individual sets for each show that is produced, and they travel all over the place for Ghost Files and soon-to-be Travel Season. It costs money to produce content and YouTube?- It’s just not how it was years and years ago. Views on long-form content have been dipping and with the over-saturation of sponsorships, I am assuming they are not making enough profit to sustain the business on the current platform. Also, monetization on YouTube has been a killer for many channels because of vulgar language issues and just being demonetized for no rhyme or reason. By moving over to a streaming platform of their own they can continue to create what they want to create, and make it without any restrictions or rules holding them back. Too pricey? Find some friends who also like the content and split the pricing evenly. Only want to watch certain shows? Then make a monthly subscription for the time that show airs. There are many solutions that you guys see as a huge problem, and don’t get me wrong I have my concerns. I shared those concerns briefly in my theory post about them still being a young channel, but I’m also unaware of the actual analytics and revenue that is currently being brought in currently to the company from YouTube alone. 

It’s a huge step that has garnered negative feedback from those spreading hateful messages about the company and to other individuals for supporting the boys *cough cough I see your messages and comments cough cough* is truly uncalled for. I will be taking a bit of a break from my socials as I wait out the storm though if I have the energy, I might stream on Twitch again and talk through this with y’all if you can sit down and have a civil discussion. As for now, it’s your choice if you continue to support. My goal is to continue to make funny little memes, and if I am allowed to I will be working on a crack video pt.2 after Travel Season premieres. Remember to be kind and to put yourselves in their shows. Just the boys even though they are receiving the brunt of the hate, but for everyone at the company.

Your local memester watcherina - Fritz.

[stone2stars]

New Google acquired!

Hey you know how a computer works with codes that tell the machine what to do. But I've been thinking, if the code means something, what happened to that exactly code to mean that? Like who told some combinations may mean something or another? It makes no sense in my mind

-🦐

New Google acquired, huh? Well, since you asked sooo nicely:

You’re right in a way—code does mean something to a machine, but that “meaning” isn’t innate. A computer is just a glorified rock that we taught to flip tiny electrical switches really, really fast. It doesn’t “understand” anything. It just responds to structured voltage changes.

The reason 00110101 might trigger a certain behavior is because humans designed a set of rules—a language, really—where certain patterns map to specific functions. Think of it like this:

We built the machine. We built the code. We built the translation table. And then we taught the machine how to follow that table, like a trained dog.

Why does “print(‘Hello World’)” mean “show this phrase on the screen”?

Because the compiler knows how to translate human-readable code into machine instructions, and those instructions were written to control output behavior.

It's like asking: “Who decided the word ‘tree’ means tree?” Answer: No one. And everyone. Language is made-up. So is code. But when everyone agrees on the rules, the illusion becomes functional.

So yeah.

Computers run on layered nonsense stacked high enough that it starts making sense.

Welcome to the internet.

[ganymedeaguspluto]

how is NI still a colony in the modern day?

i’m not suggesting its not but i’m just curious what the reasoning is beyond it being a colony in the past. like how does british imperialism manifest?

you seem very well informed and i am very not :) (feel free to ignore if you don’t want to explain a complex situation to a random fucker on the internet)

i'll do my best to answer! thank you for asking so nicely

proving that the North of Ireland is a British colony is a bit like proving that the sea is blue: i'm not totally sure how to go about it, but - from living here and experiencing it - i know instinctively that it's true. it feels like a colony, and if you came here you'd know that as well

but seeing as "it just is" is a bad way to construct an argument, i'll point to some things and see how we go from there. unfortunately this is gonna include some history...

so the first thing is that after (partial) Irish independence in the early 1920s, and the partition of the six northeastern counties from the rest of the island, the statelet operated under an apartheid regime: Catholics had fewer civil rights than Protestants, their votes were worth less, very often (in mixed employment) they would be paid less, and the "Civil Authorities (Special Powers) Act 1922 (Northern Ireland) enabled the B Specials (and later the Royal Ulster Constabulary) to stop, search, and imprison people without warrant or trial - a power that was used almost exclusively against Catholics. the Act also gave State forces the ability to ban marches or parades (which was mostly used against Catholic civil rights marches). while this act was repealed in 1973 (when direct rule from Westminster was imposed on the North because of the whole civil war thing going on), the RUC continued to treat Catholics and republicans differently to Loyalists until it was abolished as a part of the Good Friday Agreement. So: used to be an open apartheid regime - pretty good evidence of being a colony

another thing I want to point to is the fact that in the North, association with Britain and Britishness is still association with power: when the Northern Irish executive collapses (as it often does), power is reverted to Westminster, not to Dublin. while the Irish (free) State is involved in Northern Irish politics, the instruments of power that prop up the regime in Stormont remain British. additionally, it is Britain who decides our minimum wage, controls taxation, and controls our natural resources: not either us or Ireland. and because many Catholics either don't vote in UK elections, or (understandably and correctly) vote for abstentionist parties, they have literally no say over what happens wrt these things

lastly, the pogroms last week: people were defending their houses by flying British Flags

the fact that Loyalist paramilitaries (including the SEA-UDA), who still regularly attack Catholics for their perceived "disloyalty" to the UK, continue to be tolerated by the State (during the peace process the UDA "put their weapons verifiably beyond use" in 2010, a whole five years after the Provisional IRA had fully decommissioned their arms and ended their armed campaign) and have power in society is pretty damning evidence for the North continuing to be a colony. the Orange Order, a Loyalist marching group (which still holds as a requirement that members have to be Protestant and expells people for attending masses), still holds immense power, and the Twelfth (a sectarian holiday where they celebrate the Battle of the Boyne) continues to be a national holiday in the North

additionally, there is a new round of controversy about the Irish language, which i won't get into, but people getting mad over a historically repressed language being given the same amount of space as English in a train station doesn't really happen anywhere that doesn't have a large amount of settlers who hate the natives (and the native culture)

and this is before i get into the whole "British Israelite", seige-mentality, "outpost of Ulster" thing as well...

again, though, like. come to the North of Ireland. you'll see what i mean.

[sovietpostcards]

Hey! Are you from Russia? If you are - how was your process with learning English? I've been learning Russian for a few years now and cases are kicking my ass to this day

I am Russian and I live in Russia. My process was quite long and not always effective. I started getting English lessons at grade 2 at school (I was 7 then). We had English all throughout school until the last, 11th grade. Although it was so many years, it didn't give me much in terms of actually knowing the language. We had a different teacher every year, we had no motivation and we weren't really required to speak in order to pass, you'd be OK if you learnt the words. I did learn all irregular verbs by heart at school, which eventually proved very handy.

By year 11 I decided I quite liked English and wanted to get into Linguistics in uni. (Spoiler: didn't happen.) My parents hired a private teacher for me and I spent a whole year taking lessons. She was a very methodical woman and gave me what I needed—a system. By the end of school I had a clear understanding of tenses, sentence structure, articles etc.

After that I was on my own. I always had a lot of interests and I put them to use for learning English. Like, in the year 1999 I would be on the dial-up internet looking for the Backstreet Boys lyrics and then translating them using a pen, a paper notebook and a heavy dictionary.

In 2000 I got my first pen pals from outside of Russia and started writing letters in English—a great way to put your language skills to work.

I've always read a lot—articles, forums, letters, books. A lot of my language comes from there. I will often use a tense or choose an article based on "it feels good, familiar" rather than because I know a rule.

I feel truly sorry for everyone who has to battle the Russian grammar, you're a hero for even trying! I'm glad I don't have to learn that if I'm honest. English grammar it so much simpler. But Russian offers a lot of fun ways to play with words and make your own! It's like lego, get some bricks and start building. :D There's also tons of stuff in Russian on the internet, find something that interests you and take a dive.

Good luck! Do come by sometimes to brag of new accomplishments. :)

[tangentburd]

(◐｡◐) -{ People I'd like to know better!

~ thanks to @aifastic for the tag! [ X ]

〜〜〜

❖ Last song: Crescent Cutlass (2019) – Nishikawa Takanori 西川貴教 — coworker: so what kind of music do you usually like to listen to? me: eh, anything with a high bpm so i can work/draw faster haha coworker: oh really! any examples? me:

❖ Last book: Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch (2019) — i 200% relate to this particular section on the unspoken conventions of keysmashing

❖ Last movie: Infernal Affairs 《無間道》 (2002) — obligatory rewatch after 20+ years because triads, spies and much better acting (and better-looking actors) than i remembered. i believe in Andy Lau supremacy thank you

❖ Last show: Mononoke 《モノノ怪》 (2006) — how the hell did i procrastinate on this one for SO LONG. the mystery stories and Japanese folklore themes and narrative style are great enough (the "Umibozu" arc especially made me wonder), but the art style is phenomenal and dazzling and terrifying all at once. recommended if you're fine with bright colours, spirits/monsters and tension/horror.

❖ Last thing I googled: "pentas propagation" — confession: i plant more than i art.

❖ Last activity: Trip planning and miscellaneous photoshoppery. — currently helping out the super talented and entertaining folks over at @hauntingthenarrativepod with some episode covers for their L&Co. podcast. i also believe in ghostie supremacy

❖ Favourite colour: {CadetBlue} — aka somewhere around #5f9ea0 because i can't decide between blue and green

❖ Sweet / savoury / spicy: Savoury hands down (optional: any humane amount of spice) — at a stage in life now where even a tiny taste of sugar makes me feel awful, which i'm gonna see as a good thing. also yes that excludes mala FIGHT ME

❖ Current obsessions: Conlangs, codes, ciphers. Riso art. Mystery stories. The life cycle of Lepidoptera. How Not to Kill Every Single Cutting I Take From my Plants. — excluding TF2 because that's obviously more forever than current. also i want to say sorry to my pentas :(

❖ Looking forward to: An upcoming overseas trip — no i haven't packed a thing yet. but i'll be bringing along my tiny plastic buddy and his buddy again yay

〜〜〜

I usually don't tag anyone else for these, but given the topic I'll tag @gonturan0 (no obligations as always).

Have fun and thanks for reading! \o/

[literaticat]

so I write mg & ya books and I love incorporating fun, unique elements into my book but sometimes I'll read a published book & I realized we have the same kind of things (eg. nicknames, certain plot points, even similar dialogues/fun insults etc.). It could be bcus we're all on the same internet & influenced the same but do I need to change my draft more since these are published books? Where is the line for when it seems like plagiarism or something?

There's nothing truly original under the sun, right? There are a LOT of books out there, and only so many plot points or nicknames or jokes or whatever that CAN exist, so chances are, some random small element from some other book might also exist in your book. (Especially if you and that other author share the same TikTok algorithm or taste in TV shows, etc -- we are all influenced by the things we take in, even subconsciously!)

This happens all the time with jokes online. I'll see a post and immediately think of some witty repartee to comment about it -- and then look at the comments and 30 other people have already made that joke or a very similar one. Because my brain thought I was hilarious and original, but actually... welp. My brain is just normal.

I don't think there's any way that you can make every single nickname, plotpoint, "fun insult" or whatever be wholly unique -- if the guy in your book is named Ted and you read another book with a guy named Ted so you change yours to Ned, chances are there's another book out there with a Ned, so....

(And obviously if his name is Ted his fun insult nickname should be Teddy Ruxpin, and if his name is Ned his fun insult nickname should be Nedward Scissorhands, I don't make the rules!)

Jkjk. My point is, I wouldn't stress about this overly. Sure, if you read something that feels too similar to your work in progress and it makes you uncomfy, change your thing. But chances are, it's not as similar as you think, really.

Unless your character's name is truly not a word or name in any language -- somebody else has that name. Probably lots of somebodies. And some of them are probably in books.

Likewise, utilizing a common theme or trope or plot device is not plagiarism. I've read approximately 300 novels where two people are forced to shelter from a [rainstorm/snowstorm/avalanche/raucous party/interfering family] together in a [groundskeeper's cabin/ski cottage/potting shed/grotto/orangerie] and nine out of ten times, there's only one bed, and/or, one of them has to strip out of their clothes so they don't get hypothermia . . . you see what I'm saying? These are not examples of plagiarism, these are examples of a common trope.

A joke or piece of banter or whatever might be similar because you copied it -- but more likely, it's similar because it's not unusual, actually. Shakespeare put a "yo momma" joke in Titus Andronicus, for goodness' sake -- is every playground yo momma joke ripped off from Shakespeare, or is this just a common sort of insult that was probably already well understood to be an insult even in Shakespeare's time? (The latter, obvs... at least, that's what your mom said last night!) ;-)

ANYWHOO, some very basic guidelines:

COPYING = straight up literally taking something word for word without adding anything original to it. That's a problem!

PLAGIARISM = taking something somebody else wrote but perhaps changing it a tiny bit with the intention of passing it off as your own original work. That's a problem!

ALLUSION = making reference to something somebody else wrote on purpose, with the intention that the reader will understand the reference. That's not a problem!

PARODY = making a joke/fake version of something that exists on purpose in order to comment on the first thing. That's not a problem!

INSPIRATION = taking the basic building blocks of a thing that exists on purpose and adding more to make something new out of them. That's not a problem! (But you should, since this is on purpose, be perfectly willing to say that you were inspired by such-and-such!)

TROPES = These can be plot devices (enemies to lovers, or "I overheard part of a conversation and misunderstood the context" or "there was only one bed") or character archetypes (reluctant hero, hooker with a heart of gold) that are common across many kinds of stories. People LIKE tropes, actually. Tropey stories are popular for a reason. Tropes can be cliche, which is maybe an artistic problem, but not a moral one -- part of your job as a writer is, if you are telling a tropey kind of story, to add the unique details and twists and whatnot that make your story stand alone and NOT be cliche. Tropes, in and of themselves, are just a kind of storytelling shortcut, and not a problem per se.

LITERARY TROPES = Turns of phrase like metaphors, puns, idioms, etc. Again, you might be guilty of cliche if you said a character was "strong as an ox" -- but you wouldn't be plagiarising anyone, you'd just be using an extremely common turn of phrase. Now, that could be on purpose -- normcore dad with obvious dad joke like "Grills just wanna have fun" on his BBQ apron sends a certain message to the reader -- ASSASSIN wearing a "Grills just wanna have fun" apron to dismember his target sends a different message! -- but if you are constantly using very overdone metaphors/idioms/etc with no message-sending intent, your writing probably reads as lazy/cliche.

[epersonae]

Tagged by @chocolatepot to list six books I want to read in 2025 (which: would be more than I read in all of 2024)

I started this one and set it down and that was like two months ago

Mildly embarrassed that I have not yet read @vandroid-helsing's novel despite pre-ordering

I started this a few years ago on loan from the library and did not finish on account of my brain getting swallowed by the Horrors, then bought a copy

Christmas gift from mom that I've been wanting to read for probably the entire decade plus since it came out

Last year's Christmas gift from mom 😅 (she always grabs something off my book list)

I loved these as a teen and have been thinking about rereading

Speaking of Peter Wimsey fans, first tag goes to @frommybookbook, then @chaotic-neutral-knitter @veeagainsttheday @krakenteacups @thegreatzeldini @insteading

[literatureloverx]

Hello,

I have an interest in Greek mythology as well, so I don’t mind the discussion in the slightest. It is cool that she is both an agricultural deity and a chthonic one: life and death. Seeing how her absence from Earth is associated with winter, I find it somewhat distantly related to your name “Snow White” as well.

You are not bothering people just by discussing your problems with them. If they are unable to support you or don’t care, it is on them to communicate that. Also, even though you believe your struggles are comparatively “not that bad,” that does not make them any less worthy of addressing if it bothers you. However, I am glad you seek support from your family and friends. Do you feel that being independent and primarily trying to solve issues on your own has been effective thus far? As someone who also does not typically seek others for help, oftentimes it can be lonely or inefficient.

I would say I don’t have nearly as much pride or impulsiveness as Anakin, but I find his intense fear of loss and subsequent obsession in regard to Padmé relatable. He is a fascinating character and somehow both extremely smart and childishly naïve in some aspects. In all honesty, I think I share more traits with Obi-Wan, only less morally upright and more inclined to bend or break rules.

I hear you are learning Russian (for the accent)? Knowing so many as many languages as you do is impressive. How do you typically approach learning new languages?

My (joking) guide to a Slavic accent:

1. Watch Victor Arcane clips.

2. Repeat "Glorious Evolution", "viral bronchitus", and "Victor Nation: how we feeling?" in his voice until you get it right.

I hope you feel better soon,

— 🫀 Cœur anon

(Also, I don’t find it creepy, it is clear that I look at your blog as well, after all. I am not a medical student - although I could have been/kind of wanted to be - but I do like organs. I am curious about what academic or professional fields you are in, if you are comfortable sharing.)

You have such a unique mind; I hope you’re aware of it. I was initially fixated on the pomegranate and apple symbolism, but you’ve drawn a much more thoughtful and logical connection with the winter parallel. Do you always think this way? Very impressive.

Thank you so much for caring—it truly means a lot to me.♥️ Most of the time, I’m able to work through things on my own if I can approach them logically and with a calm perspective. But when it comes to emotional struggles, it’s a different story. I often get stuck in analysis paralysis or feel completely overwhelmed, and I can’t always pull myself out of that on my own.

I also hesitate when it comes to trusting others’ advice because I’m not always convinced they fully understand the heart of the issue. So… it can feel a bit isolating at times. How is it for you, though?

I hope also that you have people in your life who can truly understand and support you during tough times. I can imagine you’d rather share those thoughts with someone closer to you than with a random stranger on the internet. But if you ever do feel like talking, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be honoured to listen to anything you want to share. (And no, this isn’t me mirroring your words, I promise—though I do hope it doesn’t come across that way, haha.) So yes, overall, I agree that it can feel lonely or inefficient.

I can see why you might find Obi-Wan relatable (does the humour factor in as well, by the way?). Personally, I feel I relate more to Qui-Gon Jinn. I’ll keep it gender-neutral here, as there aren’t many female characters in the prequels. Besides, the women in Star Wars often seem so self-assured and authoritative, which doesn’t feel particularly representative of me. That said, you’re always welcome to suggest another character if you think someone else might suit me better.

I actually started learning Russian because I wanted to read Russian works in their original language someday, but… it doesn’t seem like a realistic dream so far, unfortunately. I’ve been really inconsistent lately. At this rate, it might take me a couple of years, haha. Thank you very much for the compliment, but I don’t think I’m particularly gifted at learning new languages. I’ve just been watching a lot of movies in the language I’m trying to learn, which worked for me with French (though it didn’t help with my inconsistency… but anyway, I can at least understand conversations, right?). The same isn’t really possible with Russian, though, because there’s censorship and, generally, a lack of Russian media here in Germany due to the current situation. I hope that’s at least a little helpful.

The reason I’m trying to fake a Russian accent is simply because I find it attractive. I actually tried following your guide to a Slavic accent. Believe it or not, it works. Hahaha.

Regarding my academic field—yes, I’m comfortable sharing, and thank you again for being so sensible. I originally wanted to study psychology because I’ve always been passionate about it, and I hope to eventually become a psychologist. However, due to some issues with matriculation, I would have had to wait about four semesters to enroll. I could have attended another university, but that would have required moving, which wasn’t really an option for me. So, rather than doing nothing while waiting, I decided to matriculate in art history, as it made the most sense under the circumstances.

I’ve always had a strong interest in philosophy and art history as well, but psychology remains my primary focus. I’ll likely pursue it after completing my current studies. I’ll probably finish everything by the time I’m 30… so maybe finding a rich husband wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. No responsibilities—it does sound rather appealing, doesn’t it? Hahaha.

Edit: I don’t think I’ve said this before—in fact, I checked and I really haven’t—but I genuinely like this letter format. It feels like receiving real letters, haha. Not many people do that here. Also, I’m actually curious about things regarding you too, but I’m not sure if I should ask since you’re quite discreet about yourself (and I can totally understand why), which is why I’m holding back a bit.

[picnokinesis]

Have you any way of vetting the people who ask you for donations or do you just trust they’re authentic

Hi there!! So, from what I understand, most of the actual vetting is being done by palestinian-run blogs such as gazavetters and 90-ghost, who are better able to confirm and communicate with individuals who are asking for help. Gaza Vetters in particular have a list that you can check which is right here, so if you get people in your inbox and you want to check if they're a vetted campaign, you can check the list. A lot of people will also say on their blogs or in the ask that they send if they are on the list, and which number they are on the list.

If you want to try and vet something for yourself - another thing you can do is do a reverse image search of the photos that people are using in their campaigns, and see if those same photos are being used in other campaigns by people with different names, or check if campaigns are duplicated - although, be very aware that GoFundMe and other fundraising organisations are being pretty terrible about this and will shut down people's fundraisers without warning, which might mean someone has made a new fundraisers elsewhere. Also, people may have restarted fundraisers in a different currency, because there was an issue with conversion rates, and people donating what they thought was like, £10 or £5, but it was actually 10 or 5 units of a much weaker currency, which basically amounted to less than a penny. So people changed campaigns to be in pounds, dollars and euros instead of SEK, I think it was.

I think also try and remember what the people sending these asks are going through too, and the fact they will not be using their first language - so, when you're looking, please don't judge people for poor spelling, emotive language, or if they send multiple asks or it's a blatant copy-paste thing, or anything like that. Imagine if you were in their position, I guess - desperately trying to get enough money to get yourself and your surviving family members through extortionate border prices, and also have money for food and supplies and just to live - and you're already living in a horrific situation. So I never judge the 'validity' of an ask or campaign based on things like that. People are extremely desperate.

I personally don't share any campaign where I can't find out if it's been vetted or not. I have, unfortunately, not shared every campaign that I've received, and that is at least in part because I have a problem with my tumblr inbox where I actually can't see or interact with roughly half the asks that I receive, it looks like (case in point: right now, I have two asks in my inbox, but I can only see yours). I only realised this when I had a lot of asks in my inbox the other month, and when I got through them all I still had a ton of ghost asks left.

My main rule of thumb - it's up to your own discretion. If you don't feel comfortable donating to individual fundraisers, but you do want to donate, I strongly recommend checking out any of the organisations in this post here (which I will reblog after this ask as well) which is a list of Gazan mutual aid projects and non-profits. That is a very good thing to do. I know the PCRF does good work, and all the proceeds of the zine that I was involved in at the start of the year when to them. Alternatively, donating to crips for esims is another really good one, because enabling people in Palestine access to the internet is incredibly important.

Hope that's helpful! 💜I am by no means an expert, but this is what I've picked up upon going around.