#based on my mother’s experiences in her hometown <3

[rosaeio]

On this earth what is worth living

~Mahmoud Darwish

[joelsgreys]

more hearts than mine

Frankie Morales x Female Reader

summary: Frankie promises you he’s not going anywhere.

warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI. no physical description of reader, no mention of her age, reader has both of her parents, reader has a little sister (15 and unnamed), reader has a close relationship with her family (cannot say i am writing this from experience oop), reader is from a small, unnamed town somewhere in the midwest (state not specified), established relationship, mention of ex-boyfriend, mentions of alcohol consumption, reassurance, fluff, smutty themes towards the end but no smut.

word count: 2k

a/n: this was not planned and very spur of the moment. i think i needed a palette cleanse from writing so much joel. it’s my first time writing for frankie but i like the way it turned out. <3 i it’s 3 am, i wrote this in an hour and it is not proofread, so please excuse any errors. this is based on a song called more hearts than mine by ingrid andress.

“It’s late,” you worry. “Where could they be?”

Amused, your mother watches you anxiously pace back and forth in front of the dining room table. “My darling, can you please relax? They probably hit some traffic on their way back home from the lake. I bet you anything those two will be walking through the front door any second now,” she assures you. At that precise moment, her cell phone vibrates on the table, the loud buzzing noise garnering her attention. She picks it up and raises her eyebrows in complete surprise. “Oh. Or maybe not. Your father just texted me and said they’re stopping for a couple of drinks at the bar. He says not to wait up for them.”

Halting mid pace, you whirl around and stare at her. 

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope.” She shows you the text. “See?”

“Jesus,” you mutter. Shaking your head, you drop down into the chair across from hers.

“That’s a pretty good sign. Don’t you think so, honey?”

It is because your father taking your boyfriend out on a fishing trip and then taking him to his favorite bar for drinks afterwards means that their time alone together has gone well. But, even though your father had clearly taken a liking to him, he won’t ever show it. Sure, he’ll buy him dinner and he’ll buy him drinks, he’ll check his tires and take a look underneath the hood of his pickup truck to make sure everything looks good, but he’ll do it with a scowl on his face and a standoffish attitude.

“He hates me, baby. Your old man hates me,” Frankie declared after his first dinner with your family. You had both arrived in your hometown that same evening after a gruelling, sixteen hour drive to the midwest. Despite being exhausted from the trip, he’d put his best foot forward for them—he’d charmed your mother and your little sister, had them both wrapped around his finger by the time dessert had been served. But your father, oh he had been much harder for him to win over. “He barely said two words to me all night.”

“My dad doesn’t hate you,” you swore to him, rubbing a soft, soothing circle into his broad back. “Do you want to know how I know that?”

“How?”

“Because he poured you a drink.”

He’d snorted. “What, and that means he likes me?”

“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” you joked with a giggle. “It’s still too early to tell if he likes you. But one thing is for sure, he doesn’t hate you. He doesn’t break out a bottle of whiskey for someone he hates, Frankie.”

Sighing, you lift your legs, pulling your knees up to your chest.

Poor Frankie. He’s probably spent the better part of the whole day just trying to figure him out.

“I like him,” your mother says after a minute. “I like him a lot.”

“What a coincidence,” you grin. “I like him a lot too.”

She laughs. “I’m serious! He’s incredible, darling. He is so handsome. He’s sweet. Seems like he’s got a really good head on his shoulders—”

“Are we talking about Francisco?” Your sister walks into the dining room with can of Dr. Pepper in one hand and her cell phone in the other.

“As a matter of fact, we are.” Your mother smiles. “Isn’t he great?”

“He’s kinda perfect, actually.” She takes a casual sip of her soda and raises an eyebrow at you. “I have to admit though, I’m afraid to get attached to Frankie. You know, after what happened with Jake—”

You wince at the mention of your ex-boyfriend’s name.

Your mother hisses her name, angrily.

“I’m just saying! When he broke up with you, it’s like he broke up with all of us. It sucked.” She shrugs, adding, “I mean, even dad was sad about it for months. Wasn’t he, mom?”

“Don’t you have a paper to write?” Your mother glares at her.

Your sister starts towards the staircase, but stops and glances over her shoulder. “I like Frankie,” she tells you, smiling wryly. “And I really hope he sticks around.” With that, she disappears upstairs.

Sighing heavily, your mom turns to you. “Don’t listen to her. She’s only fifteen, she doesn’t know any better. She doesn’t understand what happened—”

Pushing away from the table, you stand up. 

“I’m going to take a walk,” you murmur. “I need some fresh air.”

“Hermosa?”

You stir at the sound of Frankie’s voice.

“Baby. Hey. Wake up.”

“Mm?” you mumble sleepily. “Frankie, what are—ow!”

You groan when he switches on the lamp on the beside table. Rolling over, you bury your face into your pillow.

“Sorry,” he apologizes, chuckling softly. The twin sized mattress squeaks, dipping as he somehow squeezes himself beside you on your childhood bed. He’s staying in the guest room down the hallway—you parents, who were incredibly old school, had insisted the two of you sleep in separate bedrooms during your stay. Draping his arm around you, he leans down and nuzzles into the side of your face. Even with your nose buried in your pillow, you pick up the scent of sunscreen mingled with beer. “Just wanted to tell you I’m back home.”

Lifting your head, you blink furiously until your blurred vision stabilizes.

“What—what time is it?”

“Eleven.” Frankie’s cheeks and nose are red, sunburned from having been out on your dad’s boat all afternoon. You’re willing to bet he’d forgotten to put the sunscreen on his face. Even though you’d warned him a hundred times not to forget.

“What?” You sit up, prompting him to do the same. “It’s eleven and you only now just got back?”

“Your old man took me to Gordon’s,” Frankie explains, referring to one of the only few bars your small town had to offer. It was the place where you would meet with your old high school friends to catch up with each other whenever you were home visiting. At some point this week, you would be sitting in a booth at that old bar with them, introducing Frankie, and squirming when they began to tell him embarrassing stories of all those crazy nights from your senior year. “We went in with plans to have a couple beers before coming home, but then we ran into some of his buddies there. He introduced me, they bought us more drinks, and we played a game of pool. Your dad whooped my ass, of course.”

“How did fishing go?”

“Great. Y’know, once he stopped looking at me like he wanted to throw me overboard.”

You let out an amused huff. “He would never.”

“I don’t know. That man is pretty hard to read.” Frankie reaches for your hand, lacing your fingers together. “One minute we’d be talking, shooting the shit while we waited for the fish to bite, and the next he would look at me like he was seriously thinking about pushing me off his boat and into the water.” He squeezes your hand, a deep laugh rumbling through his chest. “I spent all goddamn day with him and I still can’t tell if he likes me yet or not.”

Lifting his hand, you press a tender kiss to the back of it, a sweet token of affection.

“He likes you, Frankie,” you murmur against his skin. “I know it. My whole family likes you. Except my mom—”

He stiffens. “What?”

“She loves you.”

Frankie turns to you. Despite your smile, he can see the hint of concern in your eyes. “Baby, what’s the matter?”

You hesitate.

After what your sister had said earlier that evening, you couldn’t help but wonder if you’d made a mistake and brought him home too soon. You and Frankie had been together for about six months now, and besides having a drawer of your things at his place for when you stayed overnight, you two hadn’t really sat down to talk about what the next step in your relationship would be—you and Frankie hadn’t discussed the possibility of a future together. Truth be told, you had never felt the need to question him about where this was heading. You’d been perfectly content in allowing things to unfold between you without putting any kind of pressure on yourself, or on him. At least, up until now, you had been content.

You’d been silly to think bringing Frankie home to meet your family wouldn’t be all that big of a deal, that it wouldn’t make you consider what came next. But you had forgotten how easily your mother falls in love, how quickly your little sister can form an attachment, and how your father, despite being rough around the edges, feels every heartache you go through as if it’s his own.

You think back to when your previous relationship went down in flames, you remember the helpless look on your father’s face whenever he would see you crying. “I never liked him,” he’d said, pouring himself a glass of whiskey over ice. But that had been a lie. He’d seen him as the son he never had. He lost something, too. Your whole family had to heal from that loss along with you.

Part of you is afraid that it could happen again.

“Amor?”

Frankie’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

You glance down at your hand in his. “Frankie, the last thing I want to do is scare you off,” you start to say, a nervous edge to your tone. “Or put any kind of pressure on you to give me anything more than what you have already given me. But now that you’ve met my family, I can’t help but worry a little bit.”

He frowns. “What are you worried about?”

Sighing, you confess, “My last relationship—it didn’t end very well, Frankie. My family loved him, adored him the way I can see they’re already starting to adore you. When he broke up with me, he broke more hearts than just mine.” You force yourself to look up, and meet his gaze with a wistful smile. “I guess there’s a part of me that’s scared it’ll happen again.”

Frankie’s dark brown eyes soften. “Oh baby, there’s no need to be scared. That’s never gonna happen.”

“How can you be so sure it’ll never happen?”

“Easy, because I love you. And I know you love me.” He reaches over with his free hand and he cups the side of your face, his thumb grazing over the soft skin of your cheekbone. “I’m in this for the long haul. I wouldn’t have driven sixteen hours across the country with you to come meet your family if I wasn’t. I’m serious about you—I’m serious about us, baby.”

Frankie leans in, gently pressing his mouth to yours in a chaste, but sweet kiss.

“Do you wanna know what I see when I look at you?” he mumbles against your lips.

“What do you see?”

“Mi futuro,” he tells you. “I see my future.”

Warmth blossoms in your chest. “You do?”

“I do. Believe me, I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, and so is your family,” Frankie grins. “Your dad is gonna have plenty of opportunities to contemplate throwing me off his boat and into the lake.”

You giggle as he kisses you again before trailing his lips down to your neck. “Frankie,” you say his name warningly as he pushes you onto your back. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” he says innocently, positioning himself on top of you. He plants his hands on either side of your head and dips his head, nipping lightly at the tender flesh over your pulse point. “How thin are these walls?”

“Francisco Morales, no, you are not fucking me in my parent’s house, not in my childhood bedroom—”

His bulge brushes against your thigh and you gasp.

“Guess I’ll head back to the guest room, then,” Frankie murmurs, feathering one last kiss onto your neck.

He starts to climb off of you and your hands shoot out, curling around fistfuls of his shirt to stop him.

“I can be quiet,” you whisper, biting your bottom lip. You take one of his hands and guide it underneath the hem of the oversized t-shirt you’re wearing to the apex of your thighs. “Can you?”

“Hermosa,” Frankie groans, running a finger along the damp cotton of your panties. He slips it beneath the fabric, his blood rushing south when he meets your slick folds. “God, I fucking hope so, or else I’ll actually end up at the bottom of that fucking lake.”

divider credit to @saradika 🤍

[carangel]

G-Give me an antiharem fic:

Where the reader was friends with the skelebro’s until the antagonist girl changed their perception of you.

But instead of lamenting over it you cut your losses and go off on your own, only asking that they call you when they want to talk again.

3 years pass.

The guys are still with that girl, toxic af but love makes you wear rose glasses, even if they’re cracking right about now.

And the rest of the aus are pulled there- I don’t care who’s the line up.

But one of them is really into this one singer.

Who is that singer??

Mother fukkin you

Most of your songs are based on your experiences. The places you’ve been, the people you met, heck- maybe even the food you’ve eaten.

You’ve made a name for yourself and I can’t say that I’m not jealous.

And lookit that you’re having a concert back in your hometown! So ofc that skele really wants to go and see it.

I imagine he either doesn’t say your name or you have a stage name but either way he dragged the rest of the graveyard + toxic antag with him.

Go all out, get good seats, vip tickets, meet and greet passes.

This skele really likes your music-

Insert shock for og Sans and Pap and ig the toxic antag when you walk out stage after the opening song- maybe from mettaton.

Cause you’re just that fukkin big.

And then, at the end of the concert you announce that you’re staying at hometown for some pet/orphan fundraiser that’s for 5 months.

Cause you’re just that good of a person.

BOOM

Stage set up- dooble shock for when they show up for the meet and greet and while you’re weary around toxic antag you are so SWEET with the rest of them.

One of them- maybe toxic antag offers for you to stay in their house “just like old times”

But you shut her down fast and polite-

MY BRAIN IN RUNNING I-

[wontonsoupho]

THEN GOD

MADE THEM BLUE

© Artist the Author 2022

SYNOPSIS

This series was inspired by GOD HIMSELF , my personal life , my own spiritual experience , and journey of self. The people , places , and events that occur are loosely based from things I have witnessed or partook in; or are inspired by the lives of those whom surround me in which I love dearly. I wrote this series to have conversations about those uncomfortable and controversial topics , in hopes of bringing darkness to the light so that people can heal their hidden traumas. I’d kindly advise you NOT to steal any of my work as it is protected legally binding underneath Copyright Law with THE ARTIVERSE PRODUCTIONS and Wattpad Corp. — Artist the Author

GENRE : URBAN DRAMA / FICTION

LEADS : DAVE EAST X SHANNON THORNTON

SETTING : MACABRE , GEORGIA (fictional city in the belly of ATL)

“YOU DROVE ME AWAY and then they TOOK ME , only GOD can save me now.”

THEN GOD

MADE THEM BLUE

Has anyone ever heard of the saying ,

‘FATE HAS A FUNNY WAY OF WORKING ITS SELF OUT?’

On the dreary morning of October 14th , 1999 , sixteen year old Prodigy of The Arts , Goapele Scott was officially declared missing fourty-eighty hours after she was nowhere to be found within her self acclaimed hometown of Macabre , Georgia. Sources say that she was last spotted in a heated disagreement with longtime family friend Georgia State University's Star Basketball Player seventeen year old Xodus Casanova.

The two not only knew each other very well , but also allegedly concocted a plan to run away together which led authorities to believe that the Elite Division I Power Forward had involvement in Goapele's disappearance-however , that could not be any further from the case. Twenty long years , never ending pain , severe strife , and many tears later she mysteriously returns opening Pandora's box.

Two worlds collide after demons from their pasts force them both into a whirlwind of mayhem. Goapele and Xodus were two traumatized souls , but by the power of truth , God made them BLUE.

The question is , WILL THEY SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH TO WATCH IT COME INTO FRUITION ?

STARRING | LEADS

SHANNON THORNTON (circa 2019-present) as GOAPELE SCOTT

THE ANGELOU FROM HEAVEN

“I bet you NEVER thought you’d SEE ME AGAIN huh?”

DATE OF BIRTH : SEPTEMBER 22ND , 1985

HOMETOWN : BROOKLYN , NEW YORK

PHYSIQUE : 5 FT. 3 IN. — 127 LBS

DAVE EAST (circa 2016-present) as XODUS CASANOVA

GOLIATH REINCARNATED

“Our lives are like the fucking LIVING TESTAMENT Xo , can’t be surprised that it’s so damn treacherous.”

DATE OF BIRTH : MAY 23RD , 1984

HOMETOWN : QUEENS , NEW YORK

PHYSIQUE : 6 FT. 7 IN. — 253 LBS

FEATURING | SIDES

lela rochon as MAYOR CASANOVA

missy elliot MAMA QASIM

sonía braga as MAMA SOSA

jazzy amra as KAGOME

ava mcclure as NANI

faith jaggernauth as CHITTY

amil whitehead as MOTHER MACABRE

bia as PRINCESS

lola brooke as FLOJO

demetrius flenory jr. as KASPER

skepta as MAC 3

bandhunta izzy as DRAEKO

sebastian mikael as CHÖSEN

VISUAL AESTHETICS & CLOSING REMARKS | CINEMATOGRAPHY & AUTHOR’S NOTE

Hello my favorite heauxs!—and to those of you who don’t already know me I hope you’re enjoying your experience in the Artiverse. I want to start off by saying that my name is Artist Oriental , and I’m just an anomalous child of The Most High here baring gifts and fruits to give to the collective. For the past decade and a half I have been perfecting the craft of storytelling , and I’m at a point in my practice where I’m focused on broadening my horizons and expanding the audience I’ve been blessed to entertain and edify. From filling up notebooks all day long in class to hundreds and thousands of reads on Wattpad , my love for the art of literacy has never faded. Throughout the years I’ve been a breathing witness to the evolution of Artist as a person , creator , and soul—and may I say she’s come a mighty long way. As I grow older and enter my quarter century milestone , I find more and more that my work is often a reflection of my peculiar perception with the perfect blend of my eccentric imagination. With that being said; GOD WILL BE PRESENT IN ALL OF ARTIST THE AUTHOR’S CONTENT. I will not denounce the reality that I know to be true , experience , and choose to express. If that is unsettling for you my world may not be tailored to your liking , therefore feel free to roam at YOUR OWN DISCRETION. You can expect that the majority of work coming from me is more than likely to have some sort of spiritual aspect in it. There will also be lots of poetic vibes and a great deal of strong adult themes that usually hold HEAVY CONTROVERSY. At times my writing can get crude and dark , I tend to hound in on the gruesome details because I want readers to feel every raw emotion , but don’t be alarmed you’ll always be forewarned. Within The World of Artist have the opportunity to find all types of experiences from different genres like Urban Fiction all the way to Sci-Fi , so it’ll be hard not to get immersed. I chose this series as my debut piece because of how much it means to me at a soul level , and it further exhibits the growth I’ve had since deciding to master the element of literature. It’s also in hindsight my first ever official screenwriting piece which makes me all the more excited as I am intimated. Please take your time trekking through the universe I’ve created , and know that when you’re here things normally are vague and obscure at a first glance; sometimes it may feel a bit riddling to latch onto—but I promise you all there is a method to my madman ways. I’m gonna finish off with saying a big thank you to GOD for invoking divine favor upon everything that I am , Nothing would exist to be if it weren’t for my Guide and I’m standing under that irrefutable truth. All praise goes to The Most High , forever and ever. Remember that everything you need or desire is already within you; Create the World that’s Yours. Until next time my little Jezebels , be the influence not the influenced. — Artist the Author

Copyrights © Artist the Author 2022

[aimikistudio]

2/7 is the birthday of Fukui Prefecture and "Hometown Day". On this day, I received the Cultural Encouragement Award from Fukui Prefecture. It said "the award is given to a designer who has

to develop community-based activities by utilizing her skills and experience as a designer.

And also to communicate the appeal of Fukui Prefecture through excellent design, such as by winning internationally prestigious awards."

I am very grateful to have received this recognition and encouragement from my hometown for my future activities, and I am very encouraged by it! I am truly grateful to all of you who have always supported me. I would like to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude. And thanks to my family, who always support me, that I am able to devote my energies to my work. I especially want to thank my mom, for whom I can't thank her enough. Last year, I took my father to an award ceremony in London to make memories, and my mother was willing to take care of my son and our pets. So this spring, I would like to make a trip with my mother, my son, and myself as a token of my gratitude.　

I'm telling myself today...

always be creative. Always remember to enjoy life,

always be humble. Never forget to be grateful.

I want to live until I burn out❤️‍🔥✨.

#aimiki

2月7日は福井県の誕生日で「ふるさとの日」です。この日福井県より、文化奨励賞を受賞いたしました。

「デザイナーとしての技術や経験を活かして地域密着型の活動を展開するとともに、国際的に権威のある賞を受賞するなど、優れたデザインを通じて本県の魅力発信に貢献している。」と評価をいただき、これからの活動を奨励していただけたこと・・・本当にありがたく、私ごときが・・・大変恐縮なのですが、とても励みになります！

本当に、いつも応援してくださっている皆様のおかげ様です。

謹んで深く感謝申し上げます。そして、私が仕事に力を尽くせるのは、いつもサポートしてくれている家族のおかげです。特に母には感謝感謝 x 10,000で頭上がりません。昨年は父をロンドンでの授賞式に連れて行き思い出作りしましたが、その時も母はうちの息子の世話、生き物係を快く引き受けてくれました。なので、この春には、感謝を込めて、母と息子と私の3人旅を実現させたいと思っています。　

いつでも、クリエイティブに。人生を楽しむことを忘れずに、

いつでも謙虚に。感謝の心を忘れずに。

燃え尽きるまで生きたいです❤️‍🔥✨。

#越前市 #福井県 #文化奨励賞

[arafatssss1267]

The most profitable track in the private sector? 3 secrets for doubling performance in the private sector of health care products

 Build trust

Over the years, the health care product market HE Tuber has been a mixed bag. Many health care product companies have falsely promoted and exaggerated the functions of health care products, resulting in consumers having a bad first impression of health care products. They are either "IQ taxed" or "cut off leeks".

Therefore, health product users have an extremely strong need for trust. As a merchant, quickly establishing trust with customers can determine the final transaction to a large extent.

Generally speaking, "establishing IP" is the most effective way to establish trust in private domain scenarios. Different IPs can be created based on the enterprise's user portrait and actual business needs.

For example: for the health care category of children's nutrition products, you can create the IP image of "child nutritionist"; for the health care product category for the elderly, you can create the IP image of "health consultant".

For example, we previously worked on IP for a well-known health care product company and created the IP of a "body manager".

In order to make this image more real and full, we set her up as a fitness instructor with rich fitness experience. At the same time, she is also a fashion expert, good at sociability, and likes to share her experience in weight loss and exercise.

Of course, IP also needs specific content to support it. Good content is also the key to building trust, which involves how to write specific copy.

Here is a copywriting formula reference for you:

Product + Scenario + Problem Solving

For example, the copywriting about "energy bars": I drove back to my hometown today. The food in the service area on the way was too bad. Besides, I was in a hurry to go back to see my mother. Keep more energy bars, not only to control your weight, but also to fight hunger. It is enough to prepare 6 pieces. The taste is good, I like the sesame flavor.

This type of copy not only introduces the product, but also reflects your own life. It is best to add pictures to make it appear more authentic and credible. It would be better if you could add "I haven't seen my mother for several years, so I bought her a gift."

There are also a few key points to note in daily operations:

1) When communicating with users, don’t put too much pressure on them, just express sincerity. Nowadays, everyone has several health care products sellers on their mobile phones. The most annoying thing is harassment. If you are sincere and neither humble nor overbearing, you will win the respect of customers.

2) When doing sales and activities, do not send all content to customers in bulk, but send it in a targeted manner. Remember not to send private messages all the time. It is just disturbing to customers. If customers feel that the things you send have nothing to do with me and are useless, they will not follow you in the future.

3) In daily operations, you must interact with customers more, like and comment. There must be normal greetings during holidays, and gifts must be arranged according to the user's "importance" to make the user feel warm.

Small tips: Make sure every customer has needs and believe that your products will definitely help your friends, so it is very important to eat them in person. If your friends think you don’t even eat your own food, why would you let me buy it?

02 Create refined services

In people's traditional concepts, the elderly have relatively low health levels and poor resistance, and are the main consumer group of health care products. However, as people's pace of life accelerates, health care products are no longer exclusive to the elderly and silver-haired people. More and more young people who are anxious about their health are joining the health care army.

Data shows that there are more than 15,000 types of health food products in my country, and the penetration rate among people aged 34 and under is over 30%. On average, each permanent urban resident spends more than 1,000 yuan per year on health and wellness, and young consumers aged 18-35 account for as high as 83.7%.

Therefore, there are now more and more types of health care products, and the target groups are becoming more and more refined. In the past, health care products targeting middle-aged and elderly people are outdated, so companies need to create different services and conversion strategies based on your different users.

How to do it specifically? Divided into three steps.

The first step is to establish the brand style.

First, understand what your user group is and create a corresponding brand image and style.

For example, many brands have launched "healthy snacks" for health foods aimed at young people. It no longer requires steaming, boiling, stewing, or stewing health-preserving ingredients before eating. Instead, young people are more interested in "ready-to-eat" food.

The appearance of the products has also changed into gummies, jelly, drinks, etc., and the taste is similar, making young people feel as burdenless as eating snacks.

There are even brands that are starting to look for idol stars to endorse their products, which is aimed at young people and breaks the impression that traditional health products prefer middle-aged stars.

The second step is to label your users and improve their user portraits.

If we can understand the user's consumption habits, product usage and consumption, it can be easier to judge the user's current needs and reduce unnecessary marketing interruptions.

The best way is to tag. Make use of more tools to enrich user tags as much as possible.

Take the DTC nutrition brand "LemonBox" as an example. This is how they do it: after entering the private domain applet, users need to take a 3-5 minute "Personal Nutrition Questionnaire" survey form to comprehensively enrich user tags.

From the four dimensions of basic information, nutritional goals, living habits, and physical condition, we can grasp the user's health status and clarify the user's physical improvement needs in order to provide more scientific solutions.

After the survey is completed, in addition to a detailed report, the brand will also formulate a nutritional plan for users as a nutritionist to facilitate conversions directly within the mini program.

The third step is to formulate a conversion strategy for stratification.

Users can be divided into three categories: low price sensitivity (high consumption), high price sensitivity (strong demand for discounts), and medium price sensitivity (strong demand for efficacy).

Then formulate speech strategies for these three types of users, such as:

Low price sensitivity group: The key is to control the time of return visit. The content mainly focuses on professional content output, service value output, and emotional value provision; for groups with high price sensitivity: price comes first, and discounts come first. Feedback to operational actions is to reduce the frequency of operations and ensure immediate notification after the launch of the event. The content focuses on completing the value-perception packaging at a preferential value; medium price-sensitive groups: it is also necessary to control the return visit time and establish a relationship for them. Brand and category awareness, long-term induction of conversion.

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and your enemy and you will never be defeated." When facing different users, of course we must make efforts to understand them and provide them with the right medicine to help them, in order to build trust and long-term relationships.

03 Create a fission retention system

Many health care product brands have encountered this dilemma:

Due to category restrictions, health products cannot be promoted through many channels, and customer flow relies heavily on offline stores or online platforms. And for merchants who lack customer management, they will suffer serious user losses and it will be difficult to retain them, which will increase operating costs.

Since we must do a good job in the private domain, we must also pay attention to the public domain. Only when the public domain continuously provides traffic can the private domain continue to operate.

Brands can set up touchpoints to attract traffic around multiple platforms such as official accounts, video accounts, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, etc., covering all platforms (if possible), and establish strong link relationships with users through these touchpoints.

After introducing users to the private domain, how to attract customers at low cost in the next step? What about long-term retention? The more commonly used method is fission, which can bring in a large number of new customers in a short period of time.

Taking LemonBox as an example, two fission activities are designed within the mini program.

1) Invite with courtesy: Encourage old customers through discounts and encourage new customers to complete their first order conversion. After an old customer sends an invitation, the invitee will receive a 20% discount coupon for the first order. After a successful order is placed, the inviter will receive a 30 yuan cashback.

2) Gift-giving activities: Regular customers can directly send LemonBox brand related products, or they can give customized products by filling in a health questionnaire. The health information of the gift recipient can be filled in by the gift-giver, or the questionnaire can be forwarded for the recipient to fill in in person. , creating more touch points for gift recipients and brands.

In addition, there are different forms of fission gameplay such as group buying, bargaining, distribution, lottery, etc., which can also have a good drainage effect in the private domain, but it requires a good path design, a clear budget, and a good consideration of risks.

When building a private domain, user precipitation and retention are also very important. Therefore, LemonBox uses membership points gameplay and enterprise and micro after-sales services to improve user retention rates.

On the one hand, a 30-day taking check-in activity is launched, and users can set a daily reminder time. Nutritional tips after each check-in also allow users to continuously enrich their knowledge and feel the brand's intentions.

After completing the check-in task, you can receive "lemon value" point rewards. More "Lemon Values" can also unlock membership benefits such as exclusive discounts, freight discounts, and priority shipping. These gameplay methods can be directly referenced by brands.

write at the end

The above are some key points about the private sector in the health care products industry, from building trust, to formulating refined operational services, to fission and retention systems. The core is to start from the user's health needs and grasp the user's appeal.

[lydiaholden]

Week 5: Body shapes & Emoji generator task.

For this week’s task I had to create and draw a character based on 3 random emojis. My 3 random emojis were:

Almost immediately I knew I wanted to do a tall, anthropomorphised cat person. Although most cats aren’t big swimmers, this cat has found his sea legs and become a pirate. This idea came to me because of the pearl emoji, which made me think of the sea, piracy, and treasure.

After drawing some initial sketches and experimenting with body shapes, catlike poses and sword fighting I settles on a design and flashed out his backstory.

I give you Freddie Fishlegs!

Frederick Fiscerton was born in a small fishing port surrounded by the sea. Having grown up with 12 brothers and sisters, he often struggled finding his identity and where he fit in his small hometown. His mother made her living weaving fabrics and creating sails for the ships in port. Freddie loved helping his mother with deliveries to the port and hearing tales of the sea from sailors and even pirates.

Though many of Freddie’s siblings left to further themselves, Freddie stayed and worked for his mother. He hoped that one day his calling would find him, but fate had other plans. In an unfortunate turn of events Freddie’s leg was ripped clean off in one of his mother’s weaving machines. Shaken and weak from this experience, Freddie found comfort knowing his mother would always be there for him as he had been for her, though he did find it odd she hadn’t yet come to visit him at the local infirmary.  

Upon returning to his mother’s shop, he found a cold shell of a woman who had no use for a son who couldn’t work. His things were packed, his ties severed, and feeling lost young Freddie headed for the port to sit and stare out to sea. Dangling his now wooden leg in the water he noticed a strange reflection staring back at him. Behind him loomed a huge black cat, wearing a tattered hat with what appeared to be a skull on it. “Ye look lost, lil man” he growled. At that moment a fish bit Freddies wooden leg. He yelped pulling away from the water. The huge black cat bellowed a thunderous laugh. Pressing his hat on Freddie’s head he said, “Follow me Fishlegs!”. Patting Freddie’s shoulder he gestures to a huge, weathered ship. After boarding, Freddie glances back toward the town as the ship pulls away from port. He straightens his hat and moves his gaze to the horizon. “Hehe, Fishlegs” he chuckles to himself.

11/03/2022

[kuekyuuq]

Gloria, Jet-lags and Imps [6x11]

Let’s jump right in:

Kinda love how Kara lamp-shaded addressed the fact she didn't tell the gang about her adventures in the PZ. She’s not wrong, tho.

...what do I want to say about Mxy using what's basically a well-known gay-anthem to tell his tale? I mean, it didn’t lead anywhere. The original song is about freeing oneself, liberation, stepping out of a (gone bad) relationship and moving on, stronger for it - empowerment. The only connection I could make, is that originally it was Nyxly’s aim to just do that (freeing herself and her kind from an oppressor), but in the way Mxy performed it, that part of the parallel was long over before he even reached the chorus. It’s also a popular Karaoke song, tho, so... he chose it because it’s catchy? I’ll try not to overthink it for now. At least, the Superfriend’s reactions were fun.

Nia exiting the elevator, "And what's this Old Stone?" I love it when ppl enter a room / situation and pick up on words that they couldn't have possibly heard. I think cinema sins ding such... Are we to assume, she dreamed Mxy's rendition of ‘I will survive’? Or is the elevator not sound-proof at all? (If it’s the latter, Nia later apparently telling Brainy “in private” between scenes / during the elevator ride about her Nyxly adventures, was a silly thing to do.)

So, "Jared" created the ring Old Stone to rule them all, it got shattered into the Paragons totems? Nyxly needs the totems and to get them she needs a crystal which also belonged to "Jared" - who happens to be Mxy's ancestor, which is why she needs Mxy / his blood, too.

I have one important and incredibly relevant question here, tho... 

With the introduced imps and their names... Why’s dude named Jared of all things?!

Really, did I mishear that? If so, I’ll leave it as is and never edit, bc that would be hilarious in its own right 😋

...

Not sure what to make about Supergirl paraphrasing a Dirty Dancing quote.  "Nobody puts Mxy into a power crystal on my watch."  ...is he Baby now? (Seriously, though: Which of the writers thought that was a fitting quote to use in that particular context?)

...now, is the exposition section of the episode over yet?

Sensitive Brainy sensed something was up with Nia. He can relate... Nia doubting Kara would understand, too, is ridiculous. But I get it... insecurities and all. But, I mean, just 5 minutes later Kara announces she wants to save Nyxly despite her wrongdoings. And yet Nia still remains convinced, Kara wouldn’t forgive her own personal mini-me... After having witnessed Kara forgiving Lena for a whole season of the writers being stupid messing up to the nth degree. But I digress, Lena’s Lena.

...how old is Nia meant to be again? Just asking out of completely unrelated curiosity.

F*ck. They really went with NewFoundland...

Imma assume it was an executive choice after realizing they couldn’t find enough actors and actresses with a convincing Irish accent... maybe. Again, no offense to Newfoundland! Just... we got the insinuations of Ireland, not Newfoundland... And truthfully, when I think of magic, Ireland is an easy association. Whereas I only due to this whole debacle learned Newfoundland has Irish ancestry. So, okay, the show forced me to learn something new... I give ‘em that.

An easy journey, she said.

Lena's been off-screen for two whole episodes, Kara announcing at the beginning of ‘Dreamweaver’ [6x09] Lena being “back east” (at least insinuating Lena’s left the west-coast already), which span over at least one full day (feat. a scene at night), and ‘I still rise’ [6x10] at least another a whole day (the whole Nia’s mom back for a day deal). And, now, after at least 48 hours she barely just arrived.

Lemme check how long a regular plane would need to fly from California to NFL......... ... .. .. So... approx. 10 hours with at least one layover. 

Yeah, using a private jet made it easier, but apparently also much, much slower...

Or, Lena randomly went some other places / did some sight-seeing in NFL before she decided to finally visit her mother’s hometown...  [Either that or the timelines don’t match up and Lena’s scenes are flashbacks of sorts.]

Optimistic and relaxed Lena is a sight to behold. I rewound 3 times, just to enjoy it for as long as possible. We all knew it was going to be short-lived... 

Let’s check off a few more items...

OMG, Kara hiding behind Alex at the mere sight of the PZ-projector broke my heart!  😢

"Elisabeth Walsh" is the new 'the one you shall not name'. ...poor Lena. 😭

Oh, so Mxy wants to be Patrick Swayze instead of Baby... gotcha.

...is this going anywhere?

KITTY!!! Okay, this must be the best opponent in the history of CWSG. 

Despite the horrible CGI, SG using her heat-vision to project a laser-beam to distract the cat had me in (happy-) tears! 🤣

Gotta love the civilians of National City quickly returning to business as usual once the giant cat is gone. Even the police officers looked rather chill...

Nyxly did look fabulous this episode ^^ 

Andrea being Lena's rock is both great and annoying. I can't fault Andrea. It's just, that we still have to see an on-screen interaction between Lena and Kara and that bugs the heck out of me. I can’t help it. I’m sorry, Andrea.

Nia: "...is my fault." Kara: "Nu, is MY fault!" J'onn: "Stop fighting, kids!" Space-dad has spoken.

Mxy used an LuthorCorp copy machine... and of cos it's faulty. It's not an L-Corp product.

Kara forgiving Nia came as a surprise to her... Oooookay. I mean, the show has been writing Kara a bit inconsistently the past two seasons... so, yeah, maybe being unsure which of her traits apply this week was not such a far stretch...

Maybe it's the hair, but I wished, Florence was played by Alex Kingston.

So, not-Alex-Kingston shows Lena herself with a funny wig and tells her how her mother was still watching her...

If it wasn't for Katie's acting skills (I love her.) I would have already hit my head against the wall repeatedly. Something about these scenes had me constantly cringe and I made it through 5.5 seasons of this show already... Can’t quite put my finger on it, but it was highly distracting from the story that explained Lena’s mom was special even to another witch, where there was domestic abuse, and an accidental murder. Y’know, important stuff, deep-cutting stuff! 

At least, poor widddle Lena got some closure there. Elisabeth was a good cookie. And filled with magic. And Lena’s gotta have that ‘spark’, too... 

....so... Lena’s gonna stay in NFL for how much longer, to train becoming a witch?  Please, just hand her a how-to manual and send her back home, to figure it out on her own, please... (Yes, that would be horrible decision-making, but I need her back with the team!)

On to the finish line: 

So... Mxy IS Nyxly's brother? Wait, that doesn’t sound right... then Nyxly would have the same blood... Did I miss something? Can someone explain, please? Or is he her ex, and that’s where his rendition of “I will survive” makes sense?

Hnn... I can't help, but think Kara's speech for Nyxly was 85% based on her experiences with Lena in s05.

Awww... he said "stronger together"... Mxy... I hope, you'll be okay!

Lena believes in magic now. And I absolutely love how Lena wants to science magic XD

...but apparently magic isn’t science that hasn’t been explained yet, but parallel... powers? concepts? ether strings?

Nyxly has a loyal henchman now. Which was a bit heavy-handed. Took way too much of screen-time, so it better leads to something interesting.

And Kara is on a warpath now. Wooooot! Girl’s got enough.

...what else? 

Did I miss a third Patrick Swayze hint / quote / mention?  I learned, these things come in threes... Y’know, basic writing rules... 

I guess, for once the episode title was meant to be taken literally, Mxy popping up between characters, to try and help. (I need in-show footage, of Mxy sneaking up on ppl, without his powers, on all fours / crouched, just to get the desired effect.) I mean, I’ve never really watched Malcom, but wasn’t he like what Mxy usually is? A bit of a trouble-maker, prankster, chaos-ensuing wherever he goes? ...well, in that case, the episode title didn’t hold up, as Mxy’s scenes were not fun or really goofy. Yes, there was some superficial humor, but just to serve Mxy dealing with not being able to use his powers, which in turn was only barely scratched at (although it turned out to be his final character development crisis, appreciating not having powers and - in turn - facing consequences for once). Again, a whole lot going on in the episode, so a lot of that may have ended up on the cutting-room floor.

...where’s Kelly? Secretly adopting a kid, maybe?

...Kara’s still a reporter, right? I mean, whenever it serves the immediate plot, yes? ...Not even a throw-away line, that she has to pop up at CatCo for appearances sake? Since Andrea is already upset with her AND looking into her friends’ identities? At least, Kara should take a peek to make sure Andrea hasn’t uncovered anything yet... No?

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. Kue out.

[sourwormsaresour]

Writing Prompt: First Reaction to Snow

I decided to make it a writing prompt and hoooo boy- this was fun! I’m going to assume that seeing snow means seeing them in person rather than seeing photos or videos of it. 

Writing this also made me learn that Italy does get snow fall, although it’s mostly in the northern parts of the country near the mountain areas. Snow also falls in cities such as Rome and Venezia, but not as frequent. South Italy probably never gets snow compared to its northern counterpart, so I decided to play around with that idea and incorporate some of my backstory headcanons into this too. 

Sorbet’s father had a Christmas bonus and thought a vacation in the Swiss Alps is a good way to spend it. At 13, he wasn’t as excited to play in the snow, finding it too cold for his liking, but Sorbet kept those thoughts to himself. His father spared no expense buying time slots for ski lessons and letting the family dine on the best fondue- to name a few things he spent on the trip. What Sorbet did love about the trip was how his mother smiled the whole time, how her eyes lit up seeing the mountains covered in white and the snow dancing in the wind. He remembered her small body behind the rather bulky video camera she insisted on bringing to the trip, recording every moment in the snow, even the times where he fell during his ski lessons. His father planned this vacation just for her; it didn’t take long for the little boy to notice that the itinerary was based on comments she made about what she wanted to do if she ever visited Switzerland. Seeing the snow falling around her with some specks of it clinging onto her black raven hair was one of the few good things in life burned in his memory. How he miss this version of her so. 

One rather quiet evening after a mission with Sorbet, it was snowing. Never did Gelato encounter a usually bustling street to be dead and covered in white, tiny whirlwinds of snow sporadically appearing as he walked and muttered at how his shoes were getting wet. One of the other people on the mission, a 15-year-old boy wanting to earn some cash to raise his siblings, died in the line of fire. Gelato couldn’t help but feel a pang in his heart after the mission; he too had younger siblings relying on him for income and related to the now-dead teenager. By now, the 27-year-old and his once enemy turned into a friend and soon-to-be lover were walking down the streets, red blood smeared on their clothes to contrast against the white backdrop. The realization that he and Sorbet are the longest survivors of La Squadra hit him. Seeing everyone he has gotten to know and bond with dying one by one, feeling like a failed mentor to some of them, Gelato broke down and expected Sorbet to jeer or awkwardly ignore him. Yet Sorbet brought him close, crying with him as their tears slowly froze and the wind picks up and pelt them with snow. That evening, Gelato vowed that he was going to do what he can to make sure his teammates got the best as mafiosos- even if that meant going against Passione.

Formaggio and Pesci saw snow for the first time together. As a very sheltered 12-year-old who never left his hometown until he joined La Squadra and as a former 22-year-old factory worker who also never left his city, the two of them found the opportunity to do so when Prosciutto had a mission in Rome during the winter and needed some backup. It was 3 in the morning when they finished their mission, but Prosciutto decided to take the two men out to the streets and the unexpected snowfall greeted them. Pesci was used to the cold due to his experience working at his family’s fishing business, much to everyone’s surprise at his reaction to the flurries that circled him. Compared to the packs of ice that the fish would rest on, snow was softer, lighter, and not fish-smelling, and he loves it. Meanwhile, Formaggio couldn’t help but constantly talk about it, saying how he can’t believe stuff like that fell from the sky and how it weirdly looks like cocaine. He quickly realized that picking up snow with your bare hands is not a good idea and defeatedly put on gloves that Prosciutto insisted he wears before seeing the snow. It didn’t take long for the two of them to start throwing piles of snow everywhere, filling the night air with laughter coming from two men chasing each other in the cold, while the third man watched on. Prosciutto usually didn’t condone such behavior- they’re not kids for Christ’s sake- but he let it slide. He waits for another 15 minutes before telling them they need to head back to Naples. 

Illuso’s logic was simple: why would you want to be in a place where the weather is unbearable, hot or cold? He never cared for places where there’s snow, let alone anything below freezing. But the 26-year-old loved hearing Clara talk about it when she was alive. He remembered her saying she wanted to take a trip to Norway one day with Sheila- to see the northern lights contrast against the white-covered ground in person. He could her talk about her love for the Auroras, and seeing both hers and Sheila’s eyes light up every time they see a photo of it. Photos couldn’t do justice. That’s what Illuso thought when he used some of his life savings to take a round trip to Norway one cold March day. All his complaints about how wet and cold walking around the countryside was going away when he looked up at the clear night sky full of dancing colors. He suddenly felt warm, not feverish, looking in awe at not only the phenomenon but also the beauty that contrasted it: the snow itself. He felt Clara smiling as he stared at the lights before him, the snowflakes dancing among them with grace he never thought was possible. Yet, here he is witnessing it all the world offered to him- and it offered him everything.

Prosciutto was sitting out in the snow as he waited for his mother to come out of the rundown building behind him, shivering from the lack of warmth his rather expensive-looking coat gave. By age 11, he already knows the routine he and his mother had: she would go off to get her fix-up of whatever she was craving- drugs, alcohol, sex- under the pretense that she was talking to some people to help him in the acting career. He knew she was living through her, yet he wasn’t sure what to do at this point besides wait on her once more. Seeing everything covered in white on that day was unsettling for him. As he pretended the air was smoke, he noticed an aging she-wolf walking in the middle of the road with two pups. Her greying fur contrasted her energy as she tried to run and carry her pups with her. Gunshots from animal control were faster, shooting her down and proceeding to pick up the crying babies before declaring the streets safer to walk on again. Prosciutto couldn’t stop staring at the mother, at her children nipping at her ears to wake up. At least the incoming blizzard hid his tears while the formerly terrified locals cheered at her death. 

20-year-old Melone didn’t want to be where he was when he saw snow for the first time: in the middle of nowhere at a Ski Resort, he could have never afforded by himself and surrounded by his drunken superiors from work. But the company he was interning at was giving everyone a partially paid trip for New Year's weekend. He might as well take advantage of an expensive vacation at a cheap price. While grabbing coffee at a café nearby the resort, he noticed a girl sitting outside in the cold constantly looking around and then at her watch. He was smart enough to figure out that she had been stood up and was probably going to shiver in the incoming blizzard that was starting to form. Despite her initial refusal, she eventually accepted Melone’s offer to sit with him inside, at least until her supposed date would arrive. The date never came, but the two of them ended up enjoying each other’s company while the flurry of snow danced behind the safety of the window they sat next to. There was something wonderful about witnessing snow without experiencing its harshness, especially witnessing it with a new friend. He offered her a snowboarding lesson the company subsidized for two people; she gave him her phone number in return.

Ghiaccio didn’t know if he wanted to be a figure skater at all. But Ghiaccio’s father, step-father technically, decided from the get-go that the 4-year-old was going to be an Olympic athlete somehow and in some way. He was still too young to understand what was going on, not knowing that the “ice-skating gig” was just his father wanting to live through him; he only knew he should be diligently gliding across the freezing ice. His first ever personal coach, a stern Russian man Ghiaccio slightly despised for his strictness, was discussing with his father about areas of improvement, away from earshot, when Ghiaccio pretended to be a skater thinking he was performing all the tricks he saw on recorded VHS tapes when he noticed something falling above him. He thought it was dust when he looked up. But it felt too cold, too soft, too pretty to be such a disgusting thing. The little boy’s eyes widen and his mouth dropped at such a scene. Each snowflake danced around him, melting as soon as it touched his skin; the snow was small enough for no one else but him to see. While Album decided to play with its Stand user for the first time. 

When Risotto was 8, he saw snow for the first time. His family was on the way home from a road trip in Northern Italy when snowfall caused the car to briefly skid. Initially staring at the sprinkling snowflakes outside and drawing silly pictures on the fogged-up windows, the skid took the family by surprise. As native Sicilians, they rarely experienced snow or the troubles that come along with it. Risotto’s uncle managed to stop the car safely and no one was hurt, but the little boy’s attention turned to his scared 3-year-old cousin. His natural “big brother” instinct went to reassure the younger boy that snow wasn’t scary- snow is wonderful! Sure enough, both boys learned to love the snow; every year Risotto’s uncle and aunt make it an effort to make their vacations at least somewhere that had enough snowfall to make them happy. The boys enjoyed making snowmen, playing snowball fights, and even making their igloos to hide in when they were supposed to come inside. Risotto remembered that on his cousin’s 9th birthday, the younger boy wished every day could be as cold as snow. Risotto wondered how someone or something can make every day feel cold- he got his answer when he found himself cradling what’s left of his cousin at 14.

[kicksaddictny]

Kicksaddict Sneakerhead PROFILES Interview Series: @CakedaGawd

After a long Hiatus, we’ve returned! Our popular Profile series has been requested almost on a daily basis (Thanks for the tweets, dms and emails). We were even threatened! (Thanks by the way).

Cake The Gawd! This one was so much fun. Tap in.

Where are you from? Brooklyn, NY born in Crown Heights raised in East Flatbush.

How long have you been collecting sneakers? I was introduced to sneakers in 1991 but I started collecting for myself in 98.

What’s your favorite sneaker and why? Air Jordan 6 Infrared. It's the shoe Michael was wearing when he won his first championship, and to me just it’s just the most beautiful Jordan shoe to date! The silhouette is unmatched, it is timeless, and no matter how many times it is retroed I will buy it!

Besides your hometown, what is the best city for sneakerheads that you know of? Why? I would say LA 100% !! It is a vibe out there. I am part of a sneaker group and 75% of the people in there are from LA. They really about the culture they know their shit and they are fresh as fuck too.

Do you collect just for collecting or do you collect and rock? I collect and rock. That is why I double up on certain shoes.. Some kicks you gotta have for store and show but some you just have to rock them!

What sneaker got you into the sneaker game? I cannot pinpoint one thing, it is so many things. It was Music, my parents introducing me to Nike, my older cousin, basketball, the dope boys around the way, and my 3rd grade crush and her cousin who both had Aqua 8's. (LOL) I cannot just say 1 thing because they all had a significant part in it.

What are your thoughts on these fake celebrity sneakerheads? I hate them all! All of these dudes just get perks, some of them do not even know the shoes. That shit really gets under my skin. Showing off shoes that they get and not even knowing the name or numbers of the shoes, creating their own names. Shit is sickening. S/O to the Sneaker Gawd Wale !

How do you feel about the Off white collabs? I liked the first round of the collabs. With the Presto's, Air maxes, Blazers, and Jordan 1's. I think after that it should've been left alone. But I can respect what they are doing over there. I just won my first pair of Off-White's with the Lot 50 joint.

If you could wear only one sneaker for the rest of your life, what would it be? Air Jordan 3 Black Cement. Yes 6's are my favorite of all time but the Black Cement 3's just go with EVERYTHING!

What advice would you give as far as storing and preservation of your sneakers? Wear your kicks man. I store and rock! I get it, wanting to save shoes but putting them away and never rocking them, when you finally do ya it’s separating and crumbling. In order for your kicks to last they gotta be worn anyway. Unless you're truly just on some collecting only for show vibes.

What is the most you’ve ever spent on a pair of sneakers? $900... I was able to land Black and Red and Royal 1's from 2001 together. A friend of mine had them and said he couldn't think of anyone else. I had literally just started my new job. A chunk of my first check went to that pick up.

Have you ever waited in line for a pair of kicks? I waited in line once in my life for shoes and swore I would never do it again. It was for the 2001 True Blue 3's. I waited online at like 7 in the morning at Kings Plaza. LMAO I said this will never happen again. I didn't have the patience for it. I do not know how ppl used to do that shit or camp for kicks. I was there for 1 hour and I was like this is ridiculous.

You're also a photographer, how long have you been taking photos? I have been taking photos since 2011 but officially became a photographer in 2013.

How do sneakers play a role in your photography? That is a great question because I didn't want the 2 to mix at all. Because I'm a scenery and landscape photographer. But I got into photography because of sneakers. No offense to anyone but a bunch of these  "influencers" get on IG with their DSLR cameras, take some on foot shots and call themselves "Photographers". 90% of them do not even understand lighting. I didn't wanna be one of those guys because I actually live this and study it. But recently I just started letting it be that and owning it. I am nice with this photography shit when it comes to sneakers. I have a deep connection with shoes and I love incorporating that into my art. I thank my wife for that. I told her I don't wanna be just another sneaker photographer and she said to me who said you have to be ?! I took that and ran with it. Off-White just recently featured some of my pictures on their Instagram.

I remember you saying you're a sneaker enthusiast, what is the difference between that and a sneakerhead? An enthusiast really studies sneakers. Sneakerheads just love sneakers like it ain't really about the history and all that for them. They just love shoes because it is cool and makes them feel good. Us Enthusiasts are invested. Things matter like knowing years of a shoe. For example, an enthusiast would look at a pair of Jordan's like Taxi 12's, We know Michael wore those in the 1996 - 97 season, but we also know that Martin gave away a pair on his show for the Christmas episode to the kid who had holes in shoes. They are tied to iconic moments. A sneakerhead may love Bordeaux 7's because they are dope looking shoes. Where for me it's that Michael Jordan wore those in a video with Michael Jackson and Kris Kross in the 92 Jam video. MJ and MJ in a video with Kris Kross, do you know what that did to my childhood?! Give you one more example that is not even Michael Jordan related. Piggy backing off of Kris Kross,The Patrick Ewing’s were one of my favorite kicks growing up besides seeing Pat play in them one of my favorite Hip Hop covers of all time is "Totally Krossed Out" and Kris Kross is wearing both colorways. So you see what I mean there is so much tied to it with being an enthusiast. This is just my opinion though some may not agree so don't shoot me! (Ha)

From the time you started collecting up until now, would you say that the sneaker game changed for the best or the worst? I have been collecting for 20 plus years now. I have seen the game at it's best, I have seen it die, I have seen it revive, and now I am witnessing the death of it again. The sneaker game is disgusting right now, and I honestly do not think it will ever recover. It really saddens me. It is a popularity and money contest right now.

Does pricing affect your collection? Hell No! And I hate that some people are trying to make this the norm. IDGAF if you paid $500 - $2000 for a pair, It doesn't mean shit.  The narrative is getting outta hand.

What does the word “Hypebeast” mean to you? Hypebeast is a person that only buys shit for status and popularity. They cannot form their own opinion about shit. They have to wear and cop items based on what every celeb is wearing or whatever these Social Media "Influencers" are saying is hot! It is not only sneaker related either. N*ggaz were hypebeasting for PS5 last year..

What are your thoughts on the females in the sneaker game? They are the best! I wish we had a Sneaker union and it was only run by females! The men in this game are annoying and so over the top. It is so bad that they feel the need to compete with women. The men get shoes just to show off to one another. Like what type of shit is that? The females are cool. I had a dude on twitter tell me women don't know the value of a shoe let alone about the shoe. The men feel like they always gotta try to shit on the women. The women are just trying to be part of the culture and enjoy it. And they shouldn't have to try to be part of something that is open to anyone who is willing to be invested and understand the culture.

Any advice for a young kid coming up in the sneaker game? Wear what you like! Respect the game and the people who have been doing it before you. Because this new generation of sneakerheads are little entitled dicks. No respect whatsoever!! I don't care about Travis Scott shoes. Without Jordan being who he is Travis wouldn't have a Jordan silhouette to collaborate with! Same with Off-White. These silhouettes were here before these guys. Say know your history and pay homage!! BUT STAY humble.

See I follow you and I'm loving the way you include your daughter in your work, what does that mean to you? Man, it is beautiful!!!! Without even trying she is invested in the culture. Both photography and shoes. Myself and my wife are both heavy into photography, art, music, sneakers, and clothes. My daughter is into all the same things but we are letting it be her own experience. We are not forcing anything on her. We want her to enjoy being a child and whatever things she picks up from us along the way is just a bonus. But I love shooting her, and I love when she asks myself and her mother "do we like her fit". It is truly a blessing man!

All photos by CAKEDAGAWD

Follow : https://twitter.com/CakedaGawd 

https://www.instagram.com/whatsinthesyrup/

[emersonfreepress]

okay so is there content that you had planned for the ROs and story in general but then scrapped cause there wasn’t a good place in the story to stick it in? and if so, can you share what it was? 👀 👀 👀

yes, definitely. *rubs hands together* oh man, you done asked THE question today xD I can't wait to get into this 😁

Academics. I almost decided to have classes and grades be a minor part of gameplay, but the more time I spent designing it the more I realized I wanted nothing to do with it 😂 I haven’t really enjoyed academic gameplay in other interactive fiction because I 1) hate having to choose between studying and interacting with awesome characters, 2) have terrible short term memory, and 3) hate school in general!! So instead I just opted to have the MC be really good at school, point blank period so I could focus on social drama and relationships instead! 😆

Physical skills. I spent literal months crafting the catering scene around setting up stats for stamina/endurance, dexterity, and strength instead of just magnetism, confidence, and persuasion. They had their own backstories with the MC’s parents being overly invested sports parents instead and I think the background choices were like... martial arts, gymnastics, and track? But yeah, I ended up scrapping it all because I was spending hours on research about those individual sports so I could integrate them into the MC’s narrative organically but like... when I tried to think of what use they would be in the actual story, I came up blank. Best decision yet, esp since it means a lot less coding!

Skin tone customization. For one, I noticed that a lot of my favorite IFs don’t offer that customization and it hasn’t impacted my experience at all. For two, I originally realized I might as well not implement it since I am striving real hard not to introduce any customization that won’t actually be mentioned in interesting or meaningful ways in-story. I don’t think it’s really all that common for real life friends (esp in high school?) to comment or compliment each other’s skin and like... when it comes from someone who doesn’t share a similar complexion or ethnic background, that type of commentary gets... d i c e y. So then I wanted to be sensitive to that but what’s the pay-off? An RO mentioning how they love your skin tone once? Awkward sentences with the MC referring to their own skin color? Idk, just wasn’t vibing with it. I’m open to revisiting it in beta or something but for now it’s scrapped.

Singing, Rapping, and Gaming as Hobbies/Talents. I feel bad about scrapping these, honestly 😂 They’re great and I really wanted to incorporate them but it just came down to already having a lot of stuff to code. Plus, I know I can write the Hobbies/Talents I stuck with far better. And for Book 2 purposes, as well!

Leo. as @sourandflightypeaches ​​ asked me about a long while ago, I had to scrap an entire RO 😢 His name is Leo, he was the nephew of wealthy west African diplomats residing in Emerson, and I love him dearly! His backstory was largely based on my mother’s childhood and the circumstances she lived through after immigrating to America. and... ok, i’m about to go on one hell of a tangent so buckle up and bear with me if you can 😅

my intention with this story, aside from writing things that I personally enjoy (graphic violence, spooky woods, social drama, romance, conspiracies 😚), is to explore greed, wealth, and how the ways people and families interact with those two things influence young people and who they grow up to be. here i go sounding pretentious af 😝 and here’s where I apply a cut for those who want to preserve a little mystery to the main characters!

With Gabe, we’ve got someone who grew up with very little stability or financial security but who has found unscrupulous methods to gain status and money, with both noble and selfish motivations.

Kile has some of that childhood experience in common with Gabe, having been in the foster care system since infancy, but they lucked out when they were adopted into massive wealth by a caring, loving couple—a couple that uses their wealth and privilege to be far more lenient and protective of Kile than is actually reasonable or responsible.

Jack comes from a prestigious wealthy family on his dad’s side who he loves dearly but there’s no getting around the fact that they love him back as much as they despise his working class mom.

Jessie is a spoiled sweet heiress (being the baby of her family and the only girl) and while she lives blissfully ignorant of the harmful source and impact of her father's income and career, she bears the weight of the expectation to fulfill very traditional gender roles, including her behavior and appearance, but also extending to her career and life plans.

Rain's wealth led to them growing up sheltered and isolated but also extremely accommodated, giving them maximum freedom and opportunity to discover and develop their personal talents and interests. However, they have almost no positive relationship with their parents who have essentially decided to give up on a kid that couldn't be exactly the accessory they tried to mold them to be—both in terms of their identity and personality.

Rupan/Rohan, at their very core, rejects everything about conformity, self-importance, and excessive luxury—which means they have never, ever truly fit in with their peers. Going full non-conformist, however, has resulted in them becoming alienated from much of their family, as well, despite them all loving each other very much. Their history with false friends and betrayals has led them to over-indulge in their vices and reckless behavior to compensate for that isolation. Sometimes, they just get in over their head and many times, they know better. Every time, it's just that the feeling of finally belonging is utterly intoxicating.

Vivian/Vincent has two extremely successful parents who didn't inherit but instead built up their wealth and they aspire to be just like them, to a degree that is well and truly unhealthy. Their mother specifically is an over-achiever and applies mountainous pressure for them to follow in her footsteps, especially academically. Vi is completely capable of achieving what their mom expects of them, but they were already an extremely sensitive perfectionist so this has made them intensely critical of themself. This is a large part of why they are such a rigid, no-nonsense person and that in turn has made them one of the most disliked people among their peers—which is a huge personal failure to them since their father is a very well-liked and socially successful person in town.

And the Emersons are peak privilege: inherent high social status, brains, looks, charisma, athleticism, and massive wealth. They could never have been anything less than extremely popular, just by virtue of their last name and the nature of the town's social dynamics and politics. And they do enjoy that privilege (esp Curt lol). However, it should go without saying that being so high profile, even (or maybe especially) just in the isolated scope of your hometown, isn't always a boon. Their family's and their own perceived failings are widely discussed and privately mocked and/or celebrated. Real friends are scarce while fake ones and snakes are plentiful. Plus their dad is a gigantic dickhead who sees his kids as extensions of his own status and reputation and not much else. Public shortcomings make for an unbearable time at home and the world outside the estate is at once overly accommodating, full of assumptions, and even subtly hostile at times—all unrelated to their own actions or character.

And with the MC, I think the narrative will make it clear there are several ways that story can go. You start off with irresponsible parents that have lost their wealth due to their own mismanagement and material ambitions—how that affects any individual MC should differ based on choices and consequences!

So why bring any of that up when I was supposed to be talking about my cut OC? 😂😂

Leo was going to be the unwelcome recent addition to his uncle’s household, the son of a brother his aunt hates for (petty af) Reasons, and she took that resentment out on him directly by restricting his access to nearly every aspect of the family's wealth. Especially material goods and living conditions. He was basically treated like the help, tasked with playing nanny for his many younger cousins and burdened with doing the homework and providing academic cover for his dumb as rocks cousin in the same grade as you all. To sum it up, he was basically a victim of trafficking at the hands of his own family with his uncle out of town enough to feign ignorance to how bad his wife was treating his nephew and his aunt going out of her way to keep him busy, at home, and isolated. This is sadly a super common form of trafficking in Francophone African cultures (although I don't think most people view it as trafficking. and I’m sure the same is true of other cultures but I don’t want to speak outside of my purview). And like I mentioned above, it’s how my own mom's (and idek how many cousins') child/teenhood went.

It’s a perspective on modern wealth, privilege and greed that I really, really wanted to tell. I am confident in saying it hasn't been explored in interactive fiction yet (though correct me—and direct me 👀—if I'm wrong) and out of all the wealth/greed explorations I came up with, it's the one I have the closest personal ties to and the strongest feelings about. The characters and plans I had for it were detailed and I'm proud of them but at the end of the day... I just couldn't find a place for Leo in the story at large.

Leo was, in fact, the last main character I came up with, when I had already designed and fleshed out the larger story and started crafting the timeline of major events. I think the worst thing I could have done for a story and perspective that I care about this much is shove it into a plot that didn't have room for it at the very base level, regardless of how well the character or his story is written. Shoe-horned characters always stick out. I didn’t want to disservice Leo by having him be the character that did nothing or could be removed from the main plot without affecting it at all, y’know? That’s so much worse than just forgoing the indulgence, imo :((

ugh.... Leooooo 😭 I'm so sorry bb, I failed youuu 😥

[star-maiden]

2, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25!!! Lol!

Hey! Thank you for asking. ☺️ Ok! Here we go! I’ll try to keep this short and sweet, but no promises. 😁 (Post edit: I made a valiant effort at not writing a short novel with my responses. I’m not sure that I succeeded. Haha! Thank you so much for playing the tarot ask game! I enjoyed answering these!)

2. Where or how did you start learning Tarot?

I started teaching myself tarot when I was 12 years old after spotting a beautiful tarot deck in my local bookstore and begging my mother to buy it for me. She wasn’t too keen on the idea because she was convinced that tarot cards were going to invite evil into our home or something ridiculous like that. Eventually she caved after I kept pleading with her so much that other people were starting to stare at us. I was a bit of a brat, tbh. 😂 But it lead me to where I am today, so I can’t complain too much. Tarot has been a powerful tool in my life so far, much like a dear friend. Combined, I’ve been reading/studying tarot for about 15 years, but I’ve only read tarot professionally (for other people) for a little over 8 years.

19. Do you have any weird or interesting experience with tarot?

I can tell you about the time I was pretty sure the Tower card was following me. This happened awhile ago, in the Summer. In every reading I did, no matter if it was for myself or a client, the Tower card would show up. Even while using multiple decks, there it was. The Tower. Every time. You’d think I would have noticed this as something significant, but as it turns out, I am very good at ignoring things I’d rather not deal with. Later that Summer, we had terrible wildfires that swept through the mountains and my hometown. Nearly 900 homes and businesses lost. I still swear to this day that the Tower card had been a warning.

21. 5 things you have learned from practicing tarot (about yourself, people, tarot, etc)?

Oh, this is an interesting one. Let me see...I think I’ll try to get a good variety of answers here.

Tarot is both very structured and completely subjective at the same time. Because of this, no two readers will interpret the cards in the exact same way, even if they share the same foundation of meanings.

Many times, when people seek a tarot reading, they are looking for an affirmation or some words of confidence. They already know what to do, and so the reading simply reflects their truth back at them. This isn’t always the case of course, but I find that a good percentage of the folks I work with are this way. This is why I think it’s important for a tarot reader to have strong empathy skills. A reader should strive to deliver the truth of a reading, but always with kindness.

If you seek an answer to a question that fills you with fear, the only thing you will see in the cards is that fear staring back at you. Guidance must be divined from a still mind and calm demeanor. This is why it is sometimes said that a reader shouldn’t read for themselves. (You can read for yourself, for the record. But for more emotionally charged situations, you may need some mental distance).

If you ask the same question over and over again, too many times, then the cards will eventually not respond. The reading will become muddy and nothing will make sense. This is true for self-readings, as well as those who ask the same question of multiple readers. Getting a different perspective is ok, but typically you should wait at least a month before consulting the cards again ok the same topic. Longer if the issue at hand is slow moving.

I, and likely many other readers, change my interpretations based on the deck I am using. The images and symbolism of the cards can really influence my readings. Even if I am looking at the same cards from different decks, I will interpret them all a bit differently. For this reason, I have some decks that are dedicated to specific themes.

22. Message/Tips for beginners OR querents?

For beginners to tarot: Take some time to learn your foundation of meaning. Yes, you can read intuitively, but your readings will be stronger if you know the relationship between each card and their traditional meanings. Knowing the traditional meanings also gives you something to fall back on if you find it difficult to tap into your intuition on command. They can act as a jump start for your brain. There are all sorts of activities that aren’t rote memorization that can help you learn the traditional meanings. I’ll list some for question 24.

For querents/clients: The more information you share with your reader, the better the reading will be. If you tell us what you already know about your situation, then we can focus our attention on what you want to know. Tarot is more of an art than a science. I don’t really mind either way, but I’d hate for you to be disappointed if your reading is only about things you’re already well aware of.

23. Your tarot journal/grimoire

Oh dear. 🙈 Both my tarot journal AND grimoire are such a mess. I scribble and write in Spanglish so it’s hardly even legible. I have 2 tarot journals, over 300 pages each. I don’t know that I will share photos of my writing (since it’s awful), but maybe I can share pics of the actual journals themselves at a later date. I keep all my readings for clients in a big, spiral notebook though. I’d like to say that this one is more organized, but it really isn’t. I write while not looking because I’m focused on the cards.

24. Recommendation (tarot readers, websites, videos, books, etc)?

If you are learning tarot and are having a hard time memorizing meanings, try the Tarot Coloring Book by Theresa Reed. It’s fun, it walks you through the meaning behind the traditional symbolism of the RWS deck, and you will likely remember the cards a lot better. Even experienced readers would enjoy working with this book, I think. It’s a great refresher, and who doesn’t love a coloring book?

25. What other interests do you have?

I love to read! Not just witchy things, but novels and fan fiction as well. I have 3 floor to ceiling bookshelves in my home and they’re all full of books. I also enjoy meditation, and I work with crystals a lot.

[vavuska]

FRESH OFF THE BOAT, POSTERS AND ART

Season 1, 2 and 3 are HERE:

Season 4, 2017

In 2017, the cast of Fresh Off The Boat re-created the painting "Whistler's Mother" (1871) by James McNeill Whistler for a poster to promote the forth season of the show. Constance Wu posed as Whistler's mother, Anna McNeill Whistler.

Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1, best known under its colloquial name Whistler's Mother, is a painting in oils on canvas created by the American-born painter James McNeill Whistler in 1871. The subject of the painting is Whistler's mother, Anna McNeill Whistler. The painting is 56.81 by 63.94 inches (1,443 mm × 1,624 mm), displayed in a frame of Whistler's own design. It is held by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, having been bought by the French state in 1891. It is one of the most famous works by an American artist outside the United States. It has been variously described as an American icon and a Victorian Mona Lisa.

Anna McNeill Whistler posed for the painting while living in London with her son at Cheyne Walk, Chelsea.

Several unverifiable stories relate to the painting of the work; one is that Anna Whistler acted as a replacement for another model who could not make the appointment. It is also said that Whistler originally envisioned painting the model standing up, but that his mother was too uncomfortable to pose standing for an extended period.

The image has been used since the Victorian era as an icon for motherhood, affection for parents, and "family values" in general, especially in the United States.

For example, the painting was used in "Fight for Her", a World War I recruitment poster from Canada, urging men to enlist with the Irish Canadian Rangers and to fight for the women in their lives. It appeals to notions of motherhood and family values that were popular at the time, and often attributed to this painting.

The painting become the subject of a 1934 three cent U. S. postage stamp "in memory and in honor of the mothers of America".

In 1938 the painting was used as model for Mothers' Memorial, a statue in Ashland, Pennsylvania. The Ashland Boys’ Association (A.B.A.), an organization of men and boys born in Ashland, raised the funds for the fabrication and erection of this monument.

The A.B.A. was formed in the early 20th century in response to the widespread job loss and dispersion of coal miners as mines began to fail. It was a homecoming organization that welcomed former Ashland residents back to their hometown. Men from all parts of Pennsylvania, as well as several other states, participated in these annual celebrations. The A.B.A. was the archetype of a poignant Pennsylvania story: how successive waves of industrialization and economic development create then destroy industries and communities, leaving large groups of people longing for the associations and comforts of family, friends and home. The Mother’s Memorial stands as a symbol of this sentiment.

The seven foot high three-dimensional sculpture was designed by Emil Siebern and sculpted by Julius Loester. Both artists were sculptors from New York who specialized in public art – funerary decoration, memorials, park statuary, etc. At the base of the statue you can read the words "a mother is the holiest thing alive".

Season 5, 2018

In 2018, the cast of Fresh Off The Boat posed for a Pop-Art poster, that recall the most famous of Andy Warhol seriography.

Andy Warhol was a neurotic and fragile child. Growing up in Depression-era Pittsburgh, he developed Sydenham chorea, a neurological disorder that left him confined to the house for months at a time. During his convalescence, he stoked an obsession with movie stars: he pored over fan magazines and even convinced his older brother, Paul, to write fan letters to the celebrities on his behalf. In exchange, the studios sent him dozens of headshots—autographed glossies of stars like Veronica Lake, Mae West, Marjorie Reynolds and, his all-time favourite, Shirley Temple, who misspelled his name in her personalized message. He painstakingly pasted each one into a cardboard scrapbook, arranging them in orderly grids.

That scuffed album is the key to understanding Andy Warhol: a whimsical career devoted to the reverence and ridicule of celebrity commodification. (Even his fluffy platinum-blond wig looked like a distorted tribute to Hollywood glamour.)

Born to a poor but close-knit Byzantine Catholic family, young Andy Warhol absorbed images of both the saintly icons on the altar of his local church and the glamorous stars he saw in the movies at his neighborhood cinema. Both would influence his life and art.

Warhol was an obsessive collection continued also in adult age: in the 1970s, when Hollywood studios were emptying their vaults, Warhol attended auctions to find photographic treasures. He purchased many photographs depicting celebrities past and present from the great collector John Kobal, and received others as gifts or discovered them at antique stores and flea markets.

After graduating, Andy Warhol moved to New York to become a commercial illustrator.

He was good at it too, creating magazine ads with a particular inky style that was very popular for a time.

Getting his art into the galleries, however, wasn’t so easy. Back then there was a clear line between fine art and commercial art, and Warhol had become a well-known commercial illustrator.

But Andy Warhol decided to use that to his advantage. He began to experiment with the stuff of commercialism itself—logos, trademarks, icons—things that had no fine art qualities at all.

Calling his studio "a factory", Warhol was interested in mass production, in commerce, and in the business of making money. Using repetition of similar or identical ready-made objects as a formal structure, he referred to himself as "a machine".

The use of repetition in the work of Andy Warhol is perhaps the most interesting and challenging components of his Pop Art.

In his works Warhol simultaneously celebrated and criticized consumption choices and mass (re)production, effectively turning his work into a repetitive whirlwind and establishing the grounds for the most successful Post–World War II art movement.

In the obsessive repetitions of Warhol, repetition produces a harmony which frees the shape from the contents.

Warhol's pop art can be seen as a relation to Minimal art in the sense that it attempts to portray objects in their most simple, immediately recognizable form.

On the occasion of Marilyn Monroe’s suicide in August 1962, Warhol used this image for his screenprinting. It was a publicity shot by Gene Korman for the film Niagara, made in 1953.

"In August 62 I started doing silkscreens. I wanted something stronger that gave more of an assembly line effect. With silkscreening you pick a photograph, blow it up, transfer it in glue onto silk, and then roll ink across it so the ink goes through the silk but not through the glue. That way you get the same image, slightly different each time. It was all so simple quick and chancy. I was thrilled with it. When Marilyn Monroe happened to die that month, I got the idea to make screens of her beautiful face – the first Marilyns."

Each print is vibrantly colored to reflect her vivacious personality. In many of the prints, her iconic lips are boldly colored a deep red. Many of the prints also emphasize her platinum blonde hair by adding variants of yellow. The colors ultimately bring to life Marilyn Monroe’s iconic status and celebrity glamour. By creating repetitive imagery, Warhol evokes her ubiquitous celebrity status.

Marylin Monroe is not a person anymore, she is become a commodity good, endlessly consumed by her public. (About how Marilyn Monroe become a sex symbol: LINK)

Season 6, 2019

In 2019, the cast of Fresh Off The Boat re-created the photo "Lunch atop a Skyscraper" (1932) by Charles C. Ebbets for a poster to promote the last season of the show.

The photo appeared the first in the Sunday photo supplement of the New York Herald Tribune on October 2, 1932.

The photograph was taken on September 20, 1932, on the 69th floor of the RCA Building during the last months of construction. According to archivists, the photograph was in fact prearranged. Although the photograph shows real ironworkers, it is believed that the moment was staged by Rockefeller Center to promote its new skyscraper.

Formerly attributed to "unknown", and often misattributed to Lewis Hine, it was credited to Charles C. Ebbets in 2003. Evidence confirming his authorship held in the Ebbets' Estate archives include original work orders showing invoices to Rockefeller Center for the time period surrounding the photo, letters of recommendation from his work at Rockefeller Center when the photo was taken, a copy of the original article from the NY Herald Tribune when the photo first appeared in 1932 in his own scrapbook of his work, photos from his office in NY taken in 1932 showing the image on a bulletin board display of his work, and a negative of him at work on the site that day.

The movie Men at Lunch traces some of the men to possible Irish origin, and the director reported in 2013 that he planned to follow up other claims from Swedish relatives. The film confirms the identities of two men: Joseph Eckner, third from the left, and Joe Curtis, third from the right, by cross referencing with other pictures taken the same day, on which they were named at the time. The first man from the right has been identified as Slovak worker Gustáv (Gusti) Popovič from the village of Vyšný Slavkov in the Levoča District. Popovič was originally a lumberjack and carpenter. In 1932 he sent his wife Mária (Mariška) a postcard with this photograph on which he wrote, "Don´t you worry, my dear Mariška, as you can see I'm still with bottle. Your Gusti."

Gustáv and Mária's joint grave in the Vyšný Slavkov cemetery is decorated with the picture.

[dzaneena]

2020 Recap, Onwards 2021!

New year always makes us think of how our previous year has been. It’s been a heck of a ride and I think it would be sort of a good way to remind ourselves of the hardships, lessons learned, and growth there’s been in the past year. Here’s how mine turned out. January

Oh, new year, new hope. I thought this would be the year I could make it mine. Get the things I’ve always wanted and spoil myself with every little thing I could not have when I was younger. Job is going well, financially stable and able, everything was fine. This month, I’ve purchased my first Macbook. Yes, apparently I’ve been sucked up into the apple ecosystem and now I want to experience all of it if I can. I did and I’m happy about this. It’s been a dream for someone who always had to save each meal into two so I could have it for my next meal just so I can save money.

February

Oh, the month of love! Yes, yes. I had the chance to travel to Thailand, being the temporary adopted child of a friend’s family. I was thrilled to be there and experience this one-of-a-kind experience. At this time, the virus was not that rampant with everything and there were no restrictions for travel. We thought everything was fine and would be fine. 

March

A week after arriving from our trip to Thailand, I got a text from one of my closest friends asking if I would like to spend a weekend in Vietnam with her. Well, of course I did! At this time, finances were a-ok! I could afford it. Plus, the food there was really good at a low price! We didn’t spend much on this trip. We just hung out and took photos here and there.  We arrived one day before the city announced General Community Quarantine. We were lucky to arrive at that exact day or we would have been stranded in another country for God knows how long. :( Work was feeling the effects of the pandemic already. 50% of our workmates were laid off. This was a sad, sad time. I couldn’t help but think of all our workmates who had to think of how to survive without work through this pandemic under the quarantine with little to no mobility. 

April

Work has been... work. Everyone had to cut their hours and get back to basic pay. I am thankful to still have work but this took a big hit with my finances, of course. I live alone. Recently paying off the house I’ve invested in from last year. 

This was also the month my friends practically forced me to play mobile games. Thank goodness they did! This was where all my rage/frustration was spent. 

May

Remember that house I invested in? Yeah, that went down the drain, literally lol. I’ve been having problems with leaks and puddles of water coming through the walls of the house which caused a chain of serious issues, health-wise and safety-wise. This was a hazardous house to live in. I guess it’s true what they say about things being “too good to be true”. I’ve tried to settle this with the landlord but I didn’t get not one penny back, not even my deposit. I’ve been paying this for over a year. Much, much regrets. There’s a whole lot that happened during this time. I had to move out and decided to just cut further losses and be done with it. I couldn’t sleep at night for no idea how many weeks/months because of all that money I’ve invested that just vanished. I still feel a weird kind of sadness every time it rains. It always flooded in that house whenever it rained. So you can see how much I relate to that movie “Parasite”. 

June

Lucky I have a house to still come home to. This was the previous house I lived in before purchasing that God-forsaken flooded house. I was adjusting and trying to make the best of what I could for the time being. I had a small renovation project as well. 

July

Renovation project going well and it was my joy to see how clients were happy about it. This was also the first time I was seeing my mother since January and it was only for a few hours because she had to go back to our hometown within 24 hours or else she would have to be quarantined. Traveling was such a pain during this time. We can’t even go visit our hometown to see our family.

On the bright side, I got to try out a lot of food (all home-cooked, of course). And I got to learn to cook some Korean food as well. I was well into the k-drama world for this whole time.

August

Kittens were growing up well. My cat gave birth in May but a lot of things happened then. I had 3 cats pregnant almost at the same time. Needless to say, we had to castrate our lover boy cat, Brutus. Though he had one last go before we did this and got another round of our cats getting pregnant. I can’t even. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

Had the opportunity to do a product photoshoot for a local ice cream business. It was an amazing experience and it’s cool to think that people actually believe in my photography skills if I had any. LOL. 

September

My birth month. I found out that I wasn’t even worth one minute of people’s time to text me. LOL. Well, life goes on. (Insert BTS’ Life Goes On)

On the positive side, my boyfriend’s family decided to do a Korean dinner (Samgyeupsal, Kimchi Jjiggae, Tteokbokki) for my birthday. It was really sweet of them. 😭🥰 I couldn’t spend my birthday with any of my family but they spent it with me. I’m tearing up just writing this down hehehe thankful for this second family.

October

One of my closest friends was getting married. I kid you not, we were waiting for this day to happen ever since college. We travelled to the city where he was getting married with the Friendship Pause crew. (That’s a whole other story LOL) It was nice getting a nice moment down from all the crap we’ve been facing. 

I was also able to get back to my hometown for my mother’s birthday. Despite all the travel restrictions, we managed to push through. My eldest brother and I are the only ones not living in our hometown. 

November

Ahh, yes. The year is almost over but it still feels like we’re stuck in March. During the span of the year lately, I’ve been actively looking for a second job for extra income. And thankfully, because I’m such a “never give up, never surrender” kind of person, I’ve landed a few jobs project-based for this year. I’ve been a graphic designer, personal assistant, transcriptionist, food photographer, social media manager assistant, etc.  I’ve also landed my latest job from a start-up company. It’s amazing how some people can see your grit and potential. I pray we all get to do what we want to do in life so it won’t be such a chore to do. My first (online) job is the very first job that I actually enjoy and everyday, I am really excited to get work done. Hoping that this company recovers from the economic hit of the pandemic fast. 

December

Ahh, the last month for this challenging year. What could be in store for us? I think this pandemic has hit us physically, emotionally, mentally, psychologically, and financially. It also makes you realize things. I realized that I’m no one’s go-to friend. I’m just that extra friend right there when you need me to be. Not a particular someone you call when something’s up. That’s okay, I guess. We can’t be everybody to...well, everybody! Haha! 

I’ve been into tech lately and with all the gaming I was doing, I created a gaming page somewhere along in those past months. Streaming games was one of my stress relievers. Hopefully, if I can have a stable source of income, I’ll be able to do this full-time seeing that traveling is still out of the picture.  All in all, this was such a shitty year. There are a lot of in-betweens that happened this year and I had to just highlight some things but basically, it’s just been so hard. I know I’m probably not the only one struggling and trying to survive on a daily basis. I am thankful that I have a job (3 actually, 4 if you count our online business on hiatus) and I am still able to put food into my stomach. But sometimes, we just need a good cry and some ice cream maybe.

If you’ve read this far, thank you! Thank you for actually caring to read my thoughts and random stuff I have in mind. We may not see each other but please know that I really appreciate your effort. 

On a lighter note, I hope everyone will be happier this coming 2021. Stay safe!

[theuniverseisforgetting]

Anime Recommendation List

My Little Monster

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Episodes: 13 + OVA

Information: My Little Monster focuses on the relationship between Shizuku Mizutani, who has absolutely no interests except in studying and her plans for the future, and a boy named Haru Yoshida, who sits next to Shizuku in class but rarely attends school.

Devilman Crybaby

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Episodes: 10

Information: Akira's best friend tells him that ancient demons have returned to take back the world from humans and suggests that he unite with a demon. Akira successfully does that, transforming into Devilman, a being with a demon's powers but who retains the soul of a human. This sends Akira into a brutal, degenerate war against evil. With fear of demons gripping the world, humanity devolves into paranoia and violence and Akira sets out to save other demon-human hybrids like himself.

Yano Of The Dawn

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

Episodes: 24 + 3 OVA

Information: This story follows the redemption of Yona, the sole princess to the Kingdom of Kouka. Yona lives the carefree life of a princess in Hiryuu Castle, being sheltered by her pacifistic father, King Il, and protected by her bodyguard and childhood friend Hak.

Hyouka

Genre: Mystery, Slice of Life

Episodes: 22 + OVA

Information: At the request of his older sister, student Hotaro Oreki joins Kamiyama High School's Classic Literature Club to stop it from being abolished. They begin to solve various mysteries, both to help with their club and at Eru's requests.

Carole & Tuesday

Genre: Music

Episodes: 24

Information: Tuesday Simmons runs away from her affluent lifestyle as the daughter of a politician and makes her way to Alba City where she crosses paths with Carole Stanley and the two decide to team up as a singer-songwriter duo under the name Carole & Tuesday.

Golden Boy

Genre: Comedy

Episodes: 6

Information: Golden Boy depicts the life of Kintaro Oe, a free spirit, roaming Japan from town to town, job to job. During his travels, Kintaro meets several women whose lives he dramatically changes, despite poor first impressions.

Kill La Kill

Genre: Action, Comedy, Magical Girl

Episodes: 24

Information: follows vagrant schoolgirl Ryuko Matoi on her search for her father's killer, which brings her into violent conflict with Satsuki Kiryuin, the iron-willed student council president of Honnouji Academy, and her mother's fashion empire.

Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon

Genre: Fantasy

Episodes: 25 + 2OVA

Information: The story follows the exploits of Bell Cranel, a 14-year-old solo adventurer under the goddess Hestia. As the only member of the Hestia Familia, he works hard every day in the dungeon to make ends meet while seeking to improve himself.

No.6

Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction

Episodes: 11

Information: Shion, a boy raised in the elite and privileged environment of his home, gives shelter to another boy, who only gives his name as "Nezumi" (or "Rat") on the former's twelfth birthday. What Shion soon discovers is how drastically life will change after meeting with the mysterious Nezumi, with whom he had shared one unforgettable, stormy night.

The Devil Is A Part Timer

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy

Episodes: 13

Information: The story is about a demon king named Sadao Maou seeking to conquer the world of Ente Isla, but when confronted by the Hero Emilia, he is forced to retreat through a gate that transports him to modern day Tokyo, Japan. To survive and find a way to return to Ente Isla, Satan gains part-time employment at a fast food restaurant called MgRonald.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Genre: Apocalyptic, Mecha, Psychological Drama

Episodes: 26

Information: Evangelion is set fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm, particularly in the futuristic fortified city of Tokyo-3. The protagonist is Shinji, a teenage boy who was recruited by his father Gendo to the shadowy organization Nerv to pilot a giant bio-machine mecha called an "Evangelion" into combat with alien beings called "Angels".

Fooly Cooly

Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction

Episodes: 6

Information: A boy's humdrum life turns upside-down when he encounters a maniacal girl who causes strange things to grow out of his forehead and draws him into conflict with a mysterious, otherworldly organization.

My Hero Academia

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Superhero

Episodes: 88

Information: The story follows Izuku's entrance into U.A. High School, a school for training the next generation of superheroes. Izuku and his new friends try to balance their Hero training with ordinary school duties. However, the League of Villains, an evil organization established by All Might's archenemy All For One, has plans to destroy all Heroes and take control of society.

One Piece

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Episodes: 917

Information: The story follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy whose body gained the properties of rubber after unintentionally eating a Devil Fruit. With his crew of pirates, named the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy explores the Grand Line in search of the world's ultimate treasure known as "One Piece" in order to become the next King of the Pirates.

Snow White With The Red Hair

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Episodes: 24 + OVA

Information: Shirayuki is a herbalist with red hair. However, her hair gets noticed by Prince Raj, who wishes for her to wed him. Refusing his orders, she escapes to the neighboring kingdom of Clarines, where she meets and befriends Prince Zen and his two aides Mitsuhide and Kiki, who turn her life around. Shirayuki passes an exam for a position to train in the palace as a herbalist.

Relife

Genre: High School Drama, Slice of Life, Romance

Episodes: 13 + 4 OVA

Information: One day, a mysterious man named Ryō Yoake offers 27-year-old Arata Kaizaki, who has been unemployed for several years, a job opportunity; but first, Kaizaki needs to become a tester for ReLife: a scientific experiment to make him appear 10 years younger and send him back to high school as a student.

Seven Deadly Sins

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Episodes: 24 + 2 OVA

Information: Follows the adventures of a princess in the Kingdom of Liones as she sets out to find the seven deadly knights to save her empire from their repression.

Terrorist In Resonance

Genre: Psychological, Thriller

Episodes: 11

Information: In an alternative iteration of the present, Tokyo has been hit by a terrorist attack that has devastated the city. The only evidence of the culprits is a cryptic video uploaded to the Internet, which sparks paranoia across Japan.

Parasyte

Genre: Body Horror, Horror, Science Fiction

Episodes: 24

Information: Teenager Shinichi Izumi is a high-school student who lives in a quiet Tokyo neighborhood with his parents. His life changes when wormlike creatures, called Parasites, appear on Earth, bent on taking over the brains of human hosts by entering their ears or noses.

Free!

Genre: Sports, Swimming

Episodes: 37 + 2 OVA

Information: Free is set in the town of Iwatobi, Japan. The story is centered on high school student Haruka Nanase, a gifted swimmer. After encountering his childhood rival, Rin Matsuoka from Samezuka Academy, he and his friends revitalize Iwatobi High School's swim team.

Yuri On Ice!!!

Genre: Sports, Figure Skating

Episodes: 12

Information: Yuri Katsuki makes his way to the Grand Prix ice skating competition as Japan’s top representative with his eyes on the prize. However, instead of celebrating, Yuri walks away defeated and ready to retire for good. But a run-in with champion Viktor Nikiforov and rising star Yuri Plisetsky ignites a new fire within him. With the two of them close by his side, Yuri will take to the ice once more.

Charlotte

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Supernatural

Episodes: 13

Information: In a very small number of young boys and girls, the onset of puberty brings with it special abilities beyond mortal ken. Yu Otosaka has one such ability and he uses his power to live a fairly normal, average school life. Suddenly in front of Yu a girl named Nao Tomori appeared and due to this chance meeting the fate of special power-users will be exposed.

Fruits Basket (2001)

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Episodes: 26

Information: The Sohma family has been cursed for generations. When a member of the clan is embraced by a person of the opposite sex, they transform into an animal from the Chinese Zodiac! After keeping their secret hidden for years, their unusual household is turned upside down when young Tohru stumbles into their life. She must promise to keep their secret as one of her own—or face the consequences!

Assassination Classroom

Genre: Action, Comedy, School, Sci-Fi, Offbeat

Episodes: 47

Information: A powerful creature claims that within a year, Earth will be destroyed by him, but he offers mankind a chance by becoming a homeroom teacher where he teaches his students about how to kill him. An assassination classroom begins!

Attack On Titan

Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror

Episodes: 59

Information: After his hometown is destroyed and his mother is killed, young Eren Yeager vows to cleanse the earth of the giant humanoid Titans that have brought humanity to the brink of extinction.

Banana Fish

Genre:  Action, Drama, Mystery

Episodes:

Information: Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; nurture made him a cold ruthless killer. A runaway brought up as the adopted heir and sex toy of "Papa" Dino Golzine, Ash, now at the rebellious age of seventeen, forsakes the kingdom held out by the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash's older brother mad in Vietnam has suddenly fallen into Papa's insatiably ambitious hands--and it's exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to make Ash Lynx's acquaintance

Junji Ito Collection

Genre: Horror

Episodes: 14

Information: A collection of animated horror stories based on the works of Japanese artist Junji Ito.

Bungo Stray Dogs

Genre: Action, Mystery, Supernatural

Episodes: 36 + OVA

Information: After young man Atsushi Nakajima saves a man from his wish of suicide, he and his friends join the "Arms Detective Company," a league of literary figures that also harness special powers.

Kamisama Kiss

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice Of Life, Kids

Episodes: 25

Information: Nanami Momozono is alone and homeless after her dad skips town to evade his gambling debts and the debt collectors kick her out of her apartment. So when a man she's just saved from a dog offers her his home, she jumps at the opportunity. But it turns out that his place is a shrine, and Nanami has unwittingly taken over his job as a local deity!

How NOT To Summon A Demon Lord

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Episodes: 12

Information: Takuma Sakamoto is famously known as Diablo throughout the MMORPG Cross Reverie. And although he’s a magical prodigy in-game, in reality, he’s a total social outcast. One day, in his video game body, Takuma is summoned to another world by two girls seeking to control him.

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun

Genre: Comedy, Supernatural, Romance

Episodes: 12

Information: It is said that "Hanako-san" lives in the girl's toilet on the 3rd floor in the old school building and will grant anyone a wish for a price. Yashiro Nene goes looking for "Hanako-san" in the hopes for a successful love encounter, but the one that she meets is completely different from what she imagined.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Genre: Action, Drama, Magical Girl, School

Episodes: 12

Information: In this world, there exists strange creatures who have the power to grant one wish to a chosen girl. However, in exchange, that girl must then become a magical girl and use her powers to fight against witches, evil creatures born from darkness that are responsible for murders and suicides. Madoka Kaname is one such candidate. Will she choose the path to become a magical girl? This is her story.

Stars Align

Genre: School, Sports

Episodes: 12

Information: The teen adolescence story revolves around the coming-of-age of boys in a junior high school's soft tennis club, which is on the verge of shutting down. Touma Shinjou asks Maki Katsuragi to join the team for his vaunted abilities, and mentions a summer competition. Katsuragi asks for money in return for joining the team.

Case File No 221: Kabukicho

Genre: Action, Mystery

Episodes: 24

Information: Shinjuku ward east side... The center of the street with most chaos, There's a Kabukicho full of neon lights. When the light is stronger, the shadow is deeper. The story begins when certain bizarre murder happens one night!

22/7

Genre: Drama, Slice Of Life

Episodes: 12

Information:

Miu Takigawa is a shy, introverted girl who one day receives an invitation from a talent agency. What doors might this invitation open for Miu?

The Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat

Genre: Comedy, Harem, Romance, Super Power, School

Episodes: 12

Information: It is said that a stony cat standing in a hill can make our dream come true. Asking for their wishes, the protagonists come to a hill and ask for their wishes to the cat. Then, for some reason or other, a high school boy loses the face he wears in public and his nickname becomes a pervert prince. A cute girl is deprived of her true feelings... The cat makes mischief to their relationship better and worse. What will become of them?

Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist

Genre: Comedy, Fan Service, Harem, School, Off Beat

Episodes: 12

Information: It's 16 years since the "Law for Public Order and Morals in Healthy Child-Raising" banned coarse language in the country. When Tanukichi Okuma enrolls in the country's leading elite public morals school he is soon "invited" (see - blackmailed) into the Anti-Societal Organization (SOX) by its founder, Ayame Kajo. As a result Tanukichi is forced into taking part in obscene acts of terrorism against the talented student council president (AKA - the girl he has a major crush on).

Haikyuu!!!

Genre: Sports, Volleyball, School, Comedy

Episodes: 85 + 4 OVA

Information: Inspired by a small-statured pro volleyball player, Hinata creates a volleyball team in his last year of middle school. Unfortunately the team is matched up against the "King of the Court" Tobio Kageyama's team in their first tournament and inevitably lose. After the crushing defeat, Hinata vows to surpass Kageyama after entering high school, Hinata joins the volleyball team only to find that Tobio has also joined.

The Promised Neverland

Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery

Episodes: 12

Information:  Emma, Norman, and Ray are the three most brilliant children the Grace Field House has produced in decades. Unlike in a typical orphanage, they, and their fellow children, eat well and are given an intensive education. However, despite living in a peaceful environment with fun games and a caring mother, there's something not quite right. When six year old Connie is "adopted" by foster parents, she forgets her favorite stuffed rabbit, and Emma and Norman sneak out to return it to her. When they arrive at the scene, the two realize exactly why they had always been isolated from the outside world.

Gamers!

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Episodes: 12

Information:  Keita Amano is a lonely young man who loves video games; Karen Tendō is the beautiful president of the video game club; Chiaki Hoshinomori constantly fights with Keita; and Tasuku Uehara puts on a facade of being satisfied with his life in the real world, but he in truth loves video games.

Kiznaiver

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Psychological, Romance, Science Fiction

Episodes: 12

Information:  The fictional Japanese city named Sugomori City is built on reclaimed land. But as the years go by, the city's population is decreasing. One day, Sonosaki tells her classmate Katsuhira: "You have been selected to be a Kiznaiver." The Kizuna System, which allows Katsuhira to share his wounds, connects him to the classmates whose lives and personalities completely differ from his. The Kizuna System is an incomplete system for the implementation of world peace that connects people through wounds. All those who are connected to this system are called Kiznaivers. When one Kiznaiver is wounded, the system divides and transmits the wound among the other Kiznaivers.

[madamhatter]

act 0. observer’s notes your name is….. finding place in exile, the ramifications of war, and the scars it makes (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)

Discussion on PTSD and its play in writing Sophie in the Topaxi verse. A general (mental) profile of the Sorceress in this setting would be included.  Includes connecting recurring imagery and rifts spotted in-character writing in the Topaxi verse. (Kind of spoilers!)

READ AT YOUR OWN CAUTION.

The story of displacement is a common tale for many of the Roles in Topaxi. Be it if you’re of those surviving past the war, having escaped the clutches of social prejudice of your home country, or even in rift from self-persecution, the belongingness that was once felt is adrift and lost to the ever-revolving and never-stopping world we live in.  As of the latest conquest conducted by the Topaxi Advancement Forces (TAF), the continent of Gaea has had several of its countries turned territories or effaced within the past seven to eight years. It has been over two years since the invasion and TAF is on standby as the last emperor had suddenly and mysteriously passed away. 

One of the last countries to be taken by the Empire was a smaller region towards the north of the continent with one coast belonging to the open sea. Such a place, which was incredibly small and considered nameless by then, was the home of the Sorceress.

In the wake of post-war life, most have found their living in making a living, while a rare few live to make a change. So ends up Sophie Hatter, the confirmed one of eight survivors from her hometown, to Topaxi with no remnants of family with her as they are located elsewhere in the Topaxi empire. (A complicated situation. It is connected to Sophie’s mother and it is the reason why Sophie is the last Hatter to leave her home country). She is holding herself together with only the clothes on her body and whatever items survived the destruction in a small messenger bag she found in the debris of her late childhood home.  So, where does Sophie find herself...? What is she like now? 

Similar to discussed cases in Topaxi with certain roles being exposed to and/or participating in the war, Sophie Hatter is one of those cases. She developed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that is comorbid with general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and major depressive disorder. NOTE: Major depressive disorder would be a differential diagnosis. However, the symptoms exhibited by Sophie by the time she is 19, and after the course for acute stress disorder to be diagnosed (~3 days to a month), does reflects does include symptoms for “PTSD Criterion B or C symptoms” and  “PTSD Criterion D or E” (p 279, DSM-5). Meaning that comorbidity is possible diagnosis or this disorder soon developed because of the traumatic event in place. 

Sophie struggles with creating herself as she was before; there is an intrusion that exists within her and she is acutely aware of it and believes that she must do something about it. This nuisance she classifies, however, cannot be as easily undone as she realizes and her understanding of it is very limited, given the fact that the world of Topaxi has limited resources and research committed to psychology.

While the city-state of Topaxi can be considered modern and ahead of its time with the presence of UCAT, their progression and developments are not concurrent (yet) with the going-ons of today. While its history may not have been dedicated to vulnerable populations and certain experiences they might have faced, changes are being made with new projects, but there is still a way’s to go. 

Sophie Hatter, externally, is a persistently active figure, working with the newly made community in her apartment and living day-to-day with newly found relationships. However, she remains within arms’ distance with others while providing help, working to her best to keep stability around her as much as she can. Her schedule, during the day, is extremely limited and refined by her to avoid as many external variables that may affect her and she does not want to even imagine or experience how she’ll respond. 

Internally, however, Sophie Hatter is still a young woman who is grasping with the reality of what has happened to her during the invasion. Preceding the conquest, she already exhibited behaviors of a childhood that left her perception of the world altered and her self-perception low (to the point of being uncaring to her own safety). However, the inclusion of adversity from events during the war and the continuous exposure from her curse to her escape has heightened and created characteristics, responses, and coping mechanisms to handle what the mind is still attempting to fully comprehend/accept has happened.

Be note, that there are two events in the war that affected her: (1) discovering her decimated town/facing the its destruction and (2) her time before her “escape.” 

Following DSM-5 and the Diagnostic Criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (figure 43.10), Sophie has the following symptoms and tendencies underneath these particular categories:  (Numbers denote which event is tied to what.)

A  “Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation in one (or more) of the following ways” [EVENT] 

Directly experiencing the traumatic event - (1) The travel through the desolated country and seeing first-hand accounts of dead bodies, murder, and other atrocities ; (2) Detainment and what happened during then.

Witnessing, in person, the event(s) as it occurred to others - (1) The final bombings and scourge that swept over the valley ; (2) Was forced to watch mutilation and unethical experiments

B  “Presence of one (or more) of the following intrusion symptoms associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning after the traumatic event(s) occurred” [INTRUSION]

Recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive distressing memories of the traumatic event(s) - (1) & (2) happens a lot but does not come out through direct and perfect images of what has happened. Usually plays out that she sees the dead bodies and imagines fire around her if moving too quickly or in areas that she avoids because of stimuli that can trigger her.  

Intense or prolonged psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event(s) - Will enter a state of intrusive thoughts that will repeatedly tell her to leave and push her to go away. Would end up apologizing repeatedly and would begin her move as soon as possible. 

Marked physiological reactions to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event(s) - Turns blank in the face and stares out whenever stimuli (or a combination) is in contact with her ; memories will begin resurfacing mainly through smell, but she has routinely removed herself ASAP. Flight or fight response will be immensely present and it DOES depend on her hypervigilance and whether she is moonlighting as Simeon as not. if moonlighting, the “fight” reaction WILL be used and will devolve into violence. If not, Sophie’s immediate response will be to leave and leave as soon as possible, no matter what it is she is doing. Would end up shallowly breathing like there’s smoke in the air, holding herself, and bowing her head as if avoiding seeing something before her. 

C “Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidenced by one or both of the following” [AVOIDANCE]

Avoidance of or efforts to avoid distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic event(s) - (1) Continued rejection and avoidance of topics relating to latest conquests and usually avoids districts that are heavy with TAF occupation (bases, ports, air fields, etc.) ; 

Avoidance of or efforts to avoid external reminders (people, places, conversations, activities, objects, situations) that arouse distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic event(s) - (2) Adamant refusal to enter or get close to medical facilities and certain smells like ammonia will make her hostile and intense (first mentioned in Headcanon Dump #1)

D “Negative alterations in cognitions and mood associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidenced by two (or more) of the following” [NEGATIVE ALTERNATIONS IN COGNITIONS AND MOOD ASSOCIATED WITH THE EVENT]

Inability to remember an important aspect of the traumatic event(s) (typically due to dissociative amnesia and not to other factors such as head injury, alcohol, or drugs) - Confirmed for dissociative amnesia where the events of (1) and (2) meld together and the timeline is mixed together ; there are very specific images that do not reflect the real scene or are reduced from the original signifier (I.E., the specific image of draping/pouring red)  

Persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about oneself, others, or the world (e.g., “I am bad,” “No one can be trusted,” “The world is completely dangerous,” “My whole nervous system is permanently ruined”) - Consistent and returning thoughts of worthlessness for self (’Why am I still here versus....?” ; others are seen to be temporary in her life and cannot be held onto for long ( “they need something from me, that’s why they’re here..”)

Persistent, distorted cognitions about the cause or consequences of the traumatic event(s) that lead the individual to blame himself/herself or others - Consistent blame on herself for (2) but (1) is vehemently targeted towards both herself when it comes to the deaths of her community -AND- people she distinguishes as responsible for the outcome (Topaxi officials and, at times, associates of TAF ) and authority figures from her country 

Persistent negative emotional state (e.g., fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame) - Amplified when Simeon and the persona is seen as an outlet to let out these emotions she believe she needs to keep in line ; usually guilt, anger, and shame meshed together, which leads to fueling reckless behavior and decisions that may hurt herself (which she dubs as necessary)

E “Marked alterations in arousal and reactivity associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidenced by two (or more) of the following”  [MARKED ALTERNATION IN AROUSAL AND REACTIVITY] 

Irritable behavior (with little to no provocation) towards objects and people - Most visible when moonlighting as Simeon. 

Reckless or self-destructive behavior - Refer to purpose of Simeon persona and her views on her livelihood and how she actively “punishes” herself. 

Hypervigilance. - Already present in Sophie, worsened from war. Contributing to this would be her consistency to keep her and her night persona separated; add on need to keep herself on a low-profile and not recognizable in certain locations with medical personnel and researchers. 

Sleep disturbance (e.g., difficulty falling or staying asleep or restless sleep) - Already present in Sophie, worsened from war. 

F “Duration of the disturbance (Criteria B, C, D, and E) is more than 1 month.”

Has been persistent throughout the ~2 years she has been living in Topaxi.

G “The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.”

Confirmed. 

H “The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., medication, alcohol) or another medical condition.”

Not able to be found in context of the comorbidity exhibited by Sophie. Many new symptoms took form after the experiences she had in war. To note, she has been showing signs of a new comorbidity (substance reliance, alcohol). 

SPECIFICATION: Depersonalization with delayed expression (taken a year for these symptoms to begin). 

 - - - 

Sophie Hatter, as previously described, is someone who is coping with trauma through the best way she knows and has done before with her other trauma: ignoring it and shunning herself. However, she has particular outlets that may come of casual consumption of alcohol which happens concerningly frequent throughout certain days if stimuli are present. 

Additionally, while Simeon is throughout the criteria, they were not originally made as a result of what occurred. The original creation of Simeon was meant to be a persona she could use to live a “double life” as she needed to make more money and dangerous work paid well.  Having them as separate lives, in her eyes, keeps her safe from anyone targeting or her family (but, it is clear that her sisters and stepmother are not on the island).

Instead, they have became a violent outlet for her internalized dread, anguish, and anger. Having the “informant” as an extension of herself, excusing bad decisions and feeling out of her body while the world around her happens, has proven detrimental to the process of the awareness, acknowledgement, assistance, and acceptance of her condition. 

Here are several examples of Sophie’s PTSD appearing:

Self-harm/demanding herself to be hurt/trying to mark herself and punish herself

Haggardly, Simeon grimaces while their vest was shed off and resting on the tower hanger, alongside their binder beside it. Their dress shirt was half-way unbuttoned. Over their exposed shoulders and underneath their breasts were imprints.

Scarred fingertip digs into their collarbone. A sharp jab into their clavicle, feeling a minor ache as they push further.  Bruise, damn it. Make some mark. Make color, be red.

-- EXCERPT FROM THIS DRABBLE (SOPHIE’S DISPOSITION).

Association with red and the bleeding of traumatic events (1) and (2) joining together, causing her to respond blankly to the situation before being distracted by Yunuen speaking

Red skies, red sparks, red flow, red blossoms in the sky, red stained on metal, red dyeing gowns, red fringes framing a scratched off face that hovers over your pinned body, red hot pain searing into your body, red, red, red red-

-- EXCEPT FROM THIS THREAD (FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH YUNUEN). 

Survivor’s guilt and persistent negativity directed at herself because of her survival (The marks are related to (2) and the thought is related to (1)): 

On her right hip, roughly the same size as the other, but longer as it had dragged along said hip, the scar was horizontal and deeper than its neighbor, visible from its crinkled appearance. Reminders of life’s misplaced luck, she concludes, not used wisely by Fate this time around. How silly of them to pick me.

-- EXCERPT FROM SILVER STIGMATA (PHYSICAL SURVEY)

Hypervigilance and abundance of stimuli that make her extremely uncomfortable/distrusting of situation: 

A heaviness swells in their chest, an unshakable pressure tightening their rib cage, and yet, this was only normal symptoms of living a life like this. Industrial foulness mixed with fresh market fragrances from the decadent and wealthy market by the mouth of the alley; all the more gag-inducing for the young informant.

However, they clutch onto the empty box in their hands, making out the plastic ridges against the faintest callouses on the tip of their fingers They weren’t ignorant to the truth; how these sounds that place them on edge, instead soothed others. After all, this was home for many. But, for Simeon – rather, the one beneath the mask, it was not. And it never would be.

-- EXCERPT FROM THREAD (discontinued as person is inactive in verse)

One of the first instances of Sophie’s PTSD affecting her and being active in a thread would be her firstt, but short-lived, interaction with Tatyana. The avoidance nature and immediate removal from the situation happens in this case when Tatyana revs up the engine on her motorcycle, shouting from a stranger from the apartments joins in, and the heavy and direct smell and vision of smog. 

Here’s the break down: 

Physiological numbness in the moment; mind is still active, but taking a backseat and removing herself from situation (recognizing self as powerless in moment):

The shouting began as Sophie turns her face away, feeling her skin crawl to a coldness. The words that left his mouth were no less understandable but the ferocity and indignation in his tone was far too recognizable. If she considered it, she could’ve spoken back and defused the situation. The gift of tongues came with the ability to grant passage for others who can’t be brought together by difference of languages.

Physiological response and addition of stimuli that directly relate back to the image of hometown [INTRUSION]: 

Sophie Hatter’s eyes are now but a distant gaze over towards the taller blonde, only wishing like she did when she was younger. To disappear, to toil and fade away, to crawl back to whence she came from. Roaring engines, the smell of smoke, it was sickening. It was inespacable in the floating island, but it smelled too much like what remained of home. Add onto the shouting and it was already enough to make her head ache.

(Unknowingly) reenacting particular body language used during trauma; feeling of helplessness in situation that is out of her control: 

Some of her body was already numbing at the fingertips and she was pulling the black collar of her turtleneck over her mouth and nose. It wouldn’t work to cushion and black the sounds, their volume growing louder and louder like the pain in her head.

Active avoidance, mind begins flight-or-fight situation with altered perceptive of reality: 

“I need somewhere quiet.” She feebly comments, glancing back to the apartment buildings, and believing that there were more people creeping by the windows. The silver-haired woman promptly steps aside. Now, she was ready to shuffle away and avoid the incoming shouts on the block if it continued.

She wasn’t a fan of the memories it brought.

Sudden and abrupt removal from situation, signal of struggling to keep body language together as she wants to avoid an episode: 

“Good luck,” she waves a hand, glancing back to the stranger, before balling her hands into  the pockets of her sweater. She began her quiet leave.

- - - 

More is to be written about Sophie in how she is greatly affected by this. Some drabbles have been scrapped and were planned to express how deep the trauma works. Though, it can be already seen in how Sophie views death, treats her body, a persistently negative view on certain parties and the outcome of life, etc. 

Drabbles that were scrapped but would be considered “canon” that relay back to Sophie’s trauma would include:

As Simeon at Lunazul, she ends up getting to a brawl with someone after the table next to hers is repeatedly mentioning the conquests and graphic detail of what has happened to unnamed people (unnamed nationalistic person). Ends up intensely cold, getting up from her seat, and nearly beating the man unconscious with far too much wrath in her body; she rushes out of the bar and has a sobbing breakdown several blocks away.

A confrontation of “Red” that she remembers time and time again; a consistent night terror that follows her nd makes her unable to sleep some nights; actively ‘speaks’ to it while in sleep paralysis and it acknowledges her well. Scene usually ends up with “Red” above her, face reveals to be face heavily mutilated and gouged, screaming loudly and repeatedly at Sophie.

A shutdown in public when there are large amounts of traffic near her because a detour led her to the highway; leading her to hide somewhere and refusing to come out until “they drive away,” which makes her miss the day she’s meant to be working at Miya’s detective office. 

A short meeting with one of her neighbor’s children, a young 26-year-old working at a hospital in Central and professor at UCAT, still wearing their scrubs and the heavy smell of ammonia on them. The image itself leaves Sophie cutting conversation short and retreating to her apartment. 

- - -

Sophie Hatter is a 20-year-old facing the aftermath of exile from her own country and self and the trauma coming with displacement and surviving the horrors of the world. She is by no means a hopeless case or a lost cause. 

But, she is someone who is going to go through development as someone who struggles constantly: as someone who is unsure of what to do with her life, as much as she wants to live normally, her stability and infrastructure has been destroyed her very eyes. She attempts to reconstruct herself but fails to realize how that’d harm her because she is actively avoiding what has happened to her and denies herself that all of this happened. 

She believes she can “make up” for something she calls an inadequacy and blames herself for. She “makes up” for it by being a community figure in a place that she would never feel right in or safe in; she "makes up” for it by being a reputable person who would never turn down anyone and offers help whenever she can; she “makes up” by continuously lying to herself and hurting herself. 

Part of her screams, another part weeps; one part wants to take vengeance, tear apart everything, and the other wants to curl up and lose herself to the numbness. But, she persists in her hurt with a solution that even worsens these parts that want comfort and healing. 

It is a difficult reality she must navigate, which is difficult because she is alone.

No matter how anyone looks at it, the path of exile is a lonesome one when you do not recognize there are someone else’s footprints on the dirt road. Her feet are long tired, dirtied, and bloodied by how far she dragged herself across this time to figure herself out.... But, with each passing day, it seems she’s getting further and further out from anyone’s reach, and before she knows it, she’ll be going down a path of destruction that’d engulf those around her in ash, fire, and death.