#i'm not qualified to speak on future past

[iturbide]

Not sure if you're interested in an alternate potential explanation of Naga's treatment of Robin (since iirc you've had a lot of Naga-related asks on this blog in the past and got into some complex character development with them, right?) But I think it's interesting that you and many others see Naga as being cold or even outright rude to Robin, when I personally always thought she was trying to be respectful to them. (1/3)

That's a fascinating way to look at it! I always love hearing different takes and explanations that people have for canon events, and this is an interesting angle.

I think a big part of the reason I interpret it as disrespectful is the sheer weight of history between Naga and Grima. Naga gave her blood to the First Exalt with the specific intent of killing Grima -- or, in this case, sealing them away, and she states in Chapter 24 after the Awakening ritual that "[Grima] seeks only to add to his power, and set ruin upon the world." Her insistence that Grima's only purpose is destruction gives the implication that Naga views Grima in a negative light; on top of that, she doesn't just tell Chrom how to use the Exalted Falchion's power, she physically accompanies them to the final battlefield, which has always led me to believe that Naga doesn't view Grima as a natural part of the world's order, like necessary destruction to balance ongoing creation, but instead considers them to be a threat to that order that must be quelled or eliminated. She may admit that neither of them are gods, and don't possess the power to destroy one another, but that doesn't equate to respect in my mind.

With that coming at the close of Chapter 24, coming straight into Chapter 25 to see Naga calling Robin 'Fellblood' to their face does feel like a slap in the face. If Naga has a negative opinion of Grima, it stands to reason that addressing Robin by their lineage rather than their name -- a lineage she just said was tied to a dragon who sought only ruin -- comes across to me as a barely veiled insult. Robin seems pretty insecure about their connection to Grima at this point, given that they now know that in another timeline they killed their dearest companion, so rubbing that in feels pretty callous from where I sit in the audience, having been close to Robin throughout 25+ chapters and multiple hours of gameplay.

I also think it's worth considering that not all forms of address are equal. 'Awakener' is very clearly a title given out of respect, proof that Chrom was worthy of the Exalted Falchion by virtue of surviving the Rite of Awakening. It's something like a knighthood, where he was tested and rewarded with a title in addition to the sword. 'Fellblood' doesn't appear anywhere else in the game, but it's never struck me as a respectful address given the generally negative view of Grima held by Naga's worshippers. The connotation strikes me as similar to someone calling Soren 'Branded' rather than his name in Path of Radiance.

[ursie]

Brennan’s statement on Palestine :

[ ID: Statement from Brennan Lee Mulligan, on Instagram. It consists of three black squares with plain white text. The text reads as follows:

"I'm calling on my government officials to immediately demand a ceasefire and de-escalation in Gaza.

I applaud anyone and everyone calling for peace, with the understanding that real peace only exists if it deeply and honestly accounts for and fully ends violence in all its forms. Real peace addresses and corrects wrong-doing in the past and guards against it in the future. It goes hand in hand with justice and requires truth, restoration, reconciliation, reparation.

Peace cannot co-exist with collective punishment, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. It cannot co-exist with blockades, embargoes, or with 2.2 million people, half of which are children, trapped with no hope of escape or political recourse. it cannot co-exist with murdered journalists, bombed hospitals, or years of protesters being shot and killed at the border. it cannot co-exist with illegal settlements, segregated roads, and the silent, imperial chill that settles over the gaps in the violence - the unspoken geopolitical consensus that a group of people need to unflinchingly accept permanent subjugation and occupation.

My hear breaks for every Israeli person who lost loved ones during the attacks of October 7th. It breaks for every Ukrainian person who has lost their loved ones. It breaks for every Congolese person who has lost their loved ones. I do not speak on behalf of Palestinians now because some lives are worth more than others. I speak on their behalf because I, and all Americans, have a responsibility to pressure our government because we are responsible for this. Some have said that this situation is complicated. The Unites States government clearly disagrees. It has definitively, categorically, militarily chosen a side, and I do not agree with that decision.

In wiring this, I have been wrestling with what I am sure many people like me wrestle with: There is a powerful narrative surrounding violence in the Middle East that asserts and ever-moving goalpost of self-education and study in order to even be qualified to have an opinion. As someone with a love of research, I have at times in my life fallen into the trap that I am not educated enough clever enough, or aware enough to have a worthwhile perspective, and that three more articles and two more lectures and one more book will do the trick. Unfortunately, democracy doesn't work that way - we, the citizens of any democracy, cannot possibly be experts on every aspect of the policies of our governments, and yet if we do not constantly weigh in an make our voices heard, the entire experiment falls apart. Not only do people constantly doubt themselves and the things they can see with their own two eyes, but old shortcuts for political action can fall apart as well: This specific issue exists along a raw, charged and unique faultline in American Politics. Nobody I grew up with has ever challenged me on my support for abortion rights, LGBT rights, Black Lives Matter, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, none of it. The people in my country who would despise me for those positions are, for all intents and purposes, strangers to me. But there are people who I've broken bread with and shared honest affection with who will see the words I've written here and incorrectly conclude that I do not wish for the security, dignity and happiness of them and their loved ones, and that breaks my fucking heart. Full-throatedly condemning the actions of the Israeli government while battling rampant anti-semitism at home is an urgent moral necessity, and doing so is made unnecessarily challenging for the average person to navigate by the pointed obfuscations of cynical opportunists, bigots, and demagogues on all sides of the political spectrum who see some advantage in sowing that incredibly dangerous confusion.

So, I'm calling my representatives. I'm having hard conversations with friends and family. I'm here, talking to you. I should have done it sooner. If you're Israeli and hurt by this statement, know that I want freedom, dignity, security and peace for you, and that every ounce of my political awareness believes whole-heartedly that the actions of your government are not only destroying innocent lives, but doing so to the detriment of you and your loved ones' safety. If you're American and feel lost and confused - I understand and empathize. This, the whole country, only works when we get involved. I am constantly haunted by the specter that maybe I missed some crucial piece of information on this, or any, important world event. I'll just have to make my peace with that self-doubt and trust my gut by going with Jewish Voice for Peace, Amnesty International, the Geneva Conventions, the United Nations, etc. And if you're Palestinian and reading this: I unreservedly support your right to life, to freedom, to happiness and human flourishing, to full enfranchisement and equal rights, to opportunity, prosperity and abundance, to the restoration of stolen property and land, and to a Free Palestine." End ID ]

[pokedawriter]

Nymph!Reader x Sumeru!Men

- gn!reader

- Kaveh & Tighnari (I can do Alhaithem and Cyno later if people want)

- The Sumeru men stumble upon you... how to they react?

Idk what I'm doing man

Kaveh

He was scouting out a location one of his clients wanted, surveying the land to figure out what could go where and if a building was even possible

Of course, with his terrible luck, he slips and falls down a hill, bumping his head and falling unconscious

When he comes to, the most beautiful being he's ever seen is looking down at him, his head in your lap

As he gets up, he realizes you've tended to his cuts and bruises, putting a strange paste on the and then some leaves

You ask him a few questions on his health and he asks you where he is

After a bit of conversation, he realizes you are 1) a nymph and 2) will die if this grotto is destroyed

he'll go back to the city and have a hard time convincing his clients to move elsewhere, but he'll manage

He tries his best to visit you while also keeping you a secret, though his friends learn pretty quickly

Alhaithem learn anyways though because he sees Kaveh's notes on you

Tighnari learns because Kaveh asks him about how to take care of nymphs

Cyno learns when Kaveh asks him about protected areas of the forest and what qualify

They all follow him and meet you, much to Kaveh's annoyance and dismay

His friends help him make your grotto a protected area of the forest, preventing any future construction in it

Kaveh will try to visit you all the time, even after this

you're Kaveh's muse and he can't help but be enamored by your beauty. You inspire him and you're so kind and he hates leaving your side

You even make a little place for him in the roots of a huge tree

he brings you trinkets from the city and he can't help but smile when he sees your wonderment with the little toys

Perhaps he could live here instead of with Alhaithem

Tighnari

He was exploring a little further than usual when he found your grotto. How your little sanctuary has remained undiscovered for so long is genuinely a mystery to him

He tries to take a flower but you appear and bap his hand

Flora person? An aranara? No, you're too human looking to possibly be one

You don't attack him but you don't let him pick anything either

He comes back repeatly over the next few months to study you and you study him with equal intensity... he thinks?

While he writes notes on you, you draw him with different colored flowers and make little figurines of him out of wood

Eventually, one day you start speaking to him (which surprises him greatly, because he had been talking with you this entire time and you never responded, just gave him various head tilts and hand motions)

You can casually banter with each other and you teach him about the plants in your grotto

Coming to see you is his favorite part of the day and he eventually brings Cyno (with your permission). Cyno cracks his puns much to Tighnari's dismay

However, Tighnari likes the moment when you are alone together best

"I could study you forever. You're so beautiful and fascinating"

[bobbile-blog]

Okay so I've finally gotten to Jessicalter's Oprec and now feel qualified to talk about Come Catastrophes or Wakes of Vultures. holy shit. This went straight into my list of top Arknights events. Fantastic event, spoilers will be under the cut so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND reading the event first. It's really good and worth your while.

Anyway, what follows is a scattered mess of thoughts about this event and things that stuck out to me.

First off, plot stuff! I'll probably cover this when I do my next plotline recap post, but what I took away from the end is that Clip Cliff seems to want to make Blacksteel independent, or at least more self-determining than it is now. He seems to be gathering resources and assets like mobile city plates and investing in long-term infrastructure like merc training, so he definitely has a long game he's pushing for. I don't think we know enough go speculate about his goals, but we'll definitely be coming back here again. After all, Tila has an infection monitor in her art, which probably means she's going to be playable at some point in the future.

Next, having looked into this a little on my own, I was interested in some of the previous places Raythean has shown up. Specifically, the ones that stood out were the drones in the Kazimierz Major and arming Silverash's forces in Kjerag, which might be referring to the Tschäggättä. It's not just notable for their apparent level of technology, but also as a faint connecting thread between three separate capitalism plotlines. I don't know if that's going to be meaningful in the future, but I found it interesting enough that I thought I'd bring it up.

Now on to more narrative things. While I love Liskarm and Franka, I do think it was the right choice to give them less screen time in this event. They're both (for the most part) fully-realized characters who understand their own motivations and morals. This is above all else an event about Jessica learning to stand on her own as an adult, so it makes sense that they're more here to support her than they are to play their own roles in the story.

Speaking of said roles, I liked the event's commentary on cops. It pointed out an interesting distinction that I wouldn't really have ever thought of, that between mercenaries and cops. To start: cops exist to protect property, not people. The police exist to protect things and do not have an obligation to err on the side of people over things, and in fact are supposed to do the opposite. This event understands that, and that role os the core of how the bank treats the Blacksteel mercs. CV, however, raises an interesting point that mercenaries are bound by the letter of a contract and not the larger obligation to property cops are, so they can actually raise moral objections and point to their contracts, sort of a Lawful Evil/Lawful Neutral to cops' Neutral Evil. The independence of their position with respect to cops allows for more of an independent morality than you'd get in a cop story and I like that, I think it's a really smart direction to take your writing in.

On a (mostly) separate note, holy shit Arknights is really good at writing cowboy stories. Between this and chapter 9 (and I would argue An Obscure Wanderer), Arknights has repeatedly made it clear that they Do Not Fuck Around with their cowboy stories and I'm surprised I haven't heard more people talking about it. It kinda has everything:

- It takes place in a rural, working-class setting undergoing a larger imminent societal shift that can inform the larger narrative, and deals with a semi-mythologized past that is rapidly disappearing.

- It has a protagonist and an antagonist that serve as foils, both very heavily affected and defined by the (same) violence in their past that they've both had different reactions to. Our protagonist has come to terms with the violence as a tool to maintain order, while our antagonist has used it for personal gain and in some ways lost control of it.

- It's a story about community, and heavily emphasizes local and personal community over larger artificial corporate "community". That's my reading of the recurring motif of the cold btw, warmth represents the close, personal community Davistown used to have and the cold that now pervades it comes from how the bank has systematically dismantled that community.

- And, I'd argue most importantly, it understands the narrative power of a bullet. The Showdown at the end of a cowboy story is powerful because we've spent the entire runtime of our story with these characters, and they are now facing each other down with the intent to end one of their collective two stories. The entire weight of the narrative so far comes to rest on a single moment of tension. It's really hard to gather up the kind of narrative momentum you need to make that hit like it does in CV. For example, it requires a really light hand with actual action in the story, so that it really does feel like it's an even standoff between our protagonist and antagonist. On the other hand, though, you do actually have to establish the relative skill of both parties and actually sell the danger of the moment to the audience. It's really hard to toe the line between tension and actual action in a way that makes for a satisfying resolution, and CV does it extremely well.

Honestly, Arknights just seems really good at getting the vibes of American media right. This is something I noticed in DV and Lonetrail too, and I haven't really been able to put my finger on what it is about them, but the vibes are just really on-point. I want to write more about this at a later point once I actually figure out what it is that I'm feeling, but maybe it's the setting, maybe it's the cast, maybe it's the plot points, maybe it's something in between — it just seems to understand the spirit of period cowboy stories in a way that I can't describe. Good shit.

Finally, I wanna end this with where Jessica is now. The events of CV take place In between the events of Loneterail and Ideal City, so the current "now" of the story is a few months ahead. Jessica left for the frontier along with Woody, Helena, and Miles. They live together in a small new settlement, building the place from the ground up with Woody and Jessica acting as town sherrifs. At the point we're at now, rhe town is fairly well-established and Woody has temporarily left on other business, leaving Jessica the sole sherrif of their new settlement. However, she's risen to her new station, and is growing into a stronger person than she ever was before.

[thatshirleylee]

brennan's statement on instagram

I'm calling on my government officials to immediately demand a ceasefire and de-escalation in Gaza.

I applaud anyone and everyone calling for peace, with the understanding that real peace only exists if it deeply and honestly accounts for and fully ends violence in all its forms. Real peace addresses and corrects wrong-doing in the past and guards against it in the future. It goes hand in hand with justice and requires truth, restoration, reconciliation, reparation.

Peace cannot co-exist with collective punishment, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. It cannot co-exist with blockades, embargoes, or with 2.2 million people, half of which are children, trapped with no hope of escape or political recourse. It cannot co-exist with murdered journalists, bombed hospitals, or years of protesters being shot and killed at the border. It cannot co-exist with illegal settlements segregated roads, and the silent, imperial chill that settles over the gaps in the yiolence - the unspoken geopolitical consensus that a group of people need to unflinchingly accept permanent subjugation and occupation.

My heart breaks for every Israeli person who lost loved ones during the attacks of October 7th. It breaks for every Ukrainian person who has lost their loved ones. It breaks for every Congolese person who has lost their loved ones. I do not speak on behalf of Palestinians now because some lives are worth more than others. I speak on their behalf because, as an American, my government is actively championing and financially funding their mass slaughter and forced displacement.I speak on their behalf because l, and all Americans, have a responsibility to pressure our government because we are responsible for this. Some have said that this situation is complicated. The United States government clearly disagrees. It has definitively, categorically, militarily chosen a side, and I do not agree with that decision.

In writing this, I have been wrestling with what I am sure many people like me wrestle with: There is a powerful narrative surrounding violence in the Middle East that asserts an ever-moving goalpost of self-education and study in order to even be qualified to have an opinion. As someone with a love of research, I have at times in my life fallen into the trap that I am not educated enough, clever enough or aware enough to have a worthwhile perspective, and that three more articles and two more lectures and one more book will do the trick. Unfortunately, democracy doesn't work that way - we, the citizens of any democracy, cannot possibly be experts on every aspect of the policies of our governments, and yet if we do not weigh in and make our voices heard, the entire experiment falls apart. Not only do people constantly doubt themselves and the things they can see with their own two eyes, but old shortcuts for political action can fall apart as well: This specific issue exists along a raw, charged and unique faultline in American politics. Nobody I grew up with has ever challenged me on my support for abortion rights, LGBT rights, Black Lives Matter, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, none of it. The people in my country who would despise me for those positions are, for all intents and purposes, strangers to me. But there are people who l've broken bread with and shared honest affection with who will see the words l've written here and incorrectly conclude that I do not wish for the security, dignity and happiness of them and their loved ones, and that breaks my fucking heart. Full-throatedly condemning the actions of the Israeli government while battling rampant anti-semitism at home is an urgent moral necessity, and doing so is made unnecessarily challenging for the average person to navigate by the pointed obfuscations of cynical opportunists, bigots, and demagogues on all sides of the political spectrum who see some advantage in sowing that incredibly dangerous confusion.

So, I'm calling my representatives. I'm having hard conversations with friends and family. I'm here, talking to you. I should have done it sooner. If you're Israeli and hurt by this statement, know that I want freedom, dignity, security and peace for you, and that every ounce of my political awareness believes whole-heartedly that the actions of your government are not only destroying innocent lives, but doing so to the detriment of you and your loved ones' safety. If you're American and feel lost and confused - I understand and empathize. This, the whole country, only works when we get involved. I am constantly haunted by the specter that maybe I have missed some crucial piece of information on this, or any, important world event: I'Il just have to make my peace with that self-doubt and trust my gut by going with Jewish Voice for Peace, Amnesty International, the Geneva Conventions, the United Nations, etc. And if you're Palestinian and reading this: I unreservedly support your right to life, to freedom, to happiness and human flourishing, to full enfranchisement and equal rights, to opportunity, prosperity and abundance, to the restoration of stolen property and land, and to a Free Palestine.

[lotusflowerbreakingthesurface]

PingXie Moments Compilation

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝟖𝟏𝟕 𝐃𝐚𝐨𝐦𝐢 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥!! 🎉

On this special day, let's reminisce about PingXie moments in the book∼ Fanfictions are indeed tasty, but the canon moments are also delicious, right? (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

Truthfully, I planned to compile all of them in one post, but I realized that there are too many PingXie moments, I'm afraid if I post them all, I will become a PingXie Bot, thus I picked some moments (and some jokes) that I thought were quite memorable and interesting. It's only 40 moments, it doesn't follow the timeline, perhaps only 80% of them.

Warning: Spoilers! Very long post! CP-oriented post! It's a compilation of PingXie moments in the book, naturally, there are spoilers. I added a little notes/meta/comments/related interviews as supplementary files. And I'm not an expert in the Chinese language (as you already know, I use mtl) so I put the source below, just in case you want to check the Chinese raw or other translations yourself. I apologize in advance if there is any mistake m(_ _)m

(Since there is a limit to insert images, I went with quoting them.)

Sources: Chinese Raw | MereBear's Translation | 瓶邪bot

1. Daomu Biji Vol. 1: Seven Star Lu Palace Chapter 2

As I was talking, I saw a young man walking out of the front door with a long thing on his back that was tightly wrapped in cloth. I knew at first glance that it was an ancient weapon. This thing was indeed very valuable, and if it sold well, the price could go for more than ten times its worth.

Note: In the book, it was their first meeting. But in an old Daomu Biji mobile game, NPSS added this line (it seems that he forgot about it later though):

“The first meeting with Zhang Qiling was not downstairs of Uncle Three's house, but at Wu Xie's full-month celebration, but they both forgot it.” ☆

2. Daomu Biji Vol. 4: Snake Marsh Ghost City (Part II) Chapter 18 | Chapter 47 (MereBear)

He continued, "I am a person without a past and a future. All I do is to find find my connection with this world. Where did I come from and why am I here?" He looked at his hands and said calmly, "Can you imagine that if someone like me disappears from this world, no one will find out, as if I have never existed in this world, without leaving any trace? Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I often doubt whether I really exist or am just a phantom of a person."

I was speechless and thought for a while before saying, "It's not as exaggerated as you say. If you disappear, at least I will find out."

3. Daomu Biji Vol. 6: Ancient Building Under the Dark Mountain Chapter 39

Pangzi gestured for me to ask Men You Ping. I looked at him and heard him say, "About five hours ago, you appeared where you are now, in a deep coma, barely conscious. We gave you a simple first aid, and then five hours later, you woke up."

I waited for Men You Ping to continue speaking, but he shut up.

"That’s it?" I asked in surprise.

"That’s it." He said in a muffled voice.

[....]

Pangzi nodded and said, "Xiaoge and I have been in another cave, which is relatively dry, but I will come here to get water every once in a while. When I found that there was suddenly another person in the cave, I was scared to death, but I recognized you immediately, called Xiaoge, and rescued you together. You were already dead, so if you really need to find someone to save your life, I, Pangye, was still qualified to make a guest appearance. Later, we were afraid that you might have broken bones, so we didn't dare to move and just waited here for you to wake up."

Note: Xiaoge gives Wu Xie mouth-to-mouth resuscitation here. Someone analyzed it and NPSS confirmed it. Here is the analysis:

“If you want to perform CPR on a person who is not breathing without moving the body, the most basic and important thing is artificial respiration. Judging from Pangzi's tone, the whole rescue process was completed by him and Men You Ping. But there is a key word here: "guest appearance". Pangzi did not play the main role in the rescue process. So who played this main role? I think everyone should understand.” ☆

4. Daomu Biji Vol. 6: Ancient Building Under the Dark Mountain Chapter 49

He leaned against the stone wall behind him and said calmly: "He and I can't leave."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" I cursed.

He suddenly smiled at me and said: "Fortunately, I didn't kill you..."

I was stunned. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

"You--" My head buzzed.

He still smiled at me, his head slowly lowered, and sat there, as if he was just taking a rest. However, the surroundings were completely silent.

Note: There once was a typo in the first draft, but it was edited later.

Edited version: “还好，我没有害死你……”

Unedited version: “一汀烟雨杏花寒好， 还好， 我没有害死你......”

“一汀烟雨杏花寒” comes from an ancient poem “戴叔伦：燕子不归春事晚，一汀烟雨杏花寒”, it describes the scenery of late spring and expresses the feelings of melancholy and separation. ☆

5. Daomu Biji Vol. 7: Stone Shadow in Qiong Cave Chapter 18

Men You Ping did not answer her. Instead, he turned to me and said, "Take me home." Then he walked out without looking back.

6. Daomu Biji Vol 8: The Finale Book 2 Chapter 3 | Part 2 Chapter 54 (MereBear)

I was stunned for a moment, and then froze. At that moment, my mind became blank.

I couldn’t describe the emptiness in my heart. I suddenly didn’t know what I should do.

Dead? You’ve got to be kidding me.

Is he really dead? Hey, what kind of international joke is this?

"Wake up. Let's go home." I patted his face, suddenly finding it all very funny. I turned to Pangzi and laughed. "Look at Xiaoge."

"I know." Pangzi said on the side, his voice was very low.

Then, my hands began to tremble uncontrollably. I looked at my hands and found that there was no sadness in my heart. My consciousness did not react, but my body instinctively felt despair.

I thought to myself, he’s really fucking sitting there, he’s really fucking dead. Men You Ping is really fucking dead!

There were actually such things in this world, and Men You Ping could actually die.

[....]

My instincts were collapsing under the pressure, but all kinds of uncomfortable feelings were still leaking out of the "pressure cooker" of emotions. I felt that I couldn't let my emotions run wild, because if I got sad, I might die here. I feel very strange in my heart, not just sad. I don’t know if others can understand my complicated feelings. First there was despair, then more of a distrust of what I saw. My mind went blank for a long time before all the emotions in my heart came to the surface.

I have always wondered how I would feel if Men You Ping died. I thought that maybe I was extremely sad, or maybe I had thought about it too much and done too much mental preparation, so I became numb and felt that I could totally bear it. Now that it has really happened, it has turned into a strange mood that I can’t even deal with.

After that, I was in a dilemma, not knowing whether I should be sad or pretend to be calm and endure the pain. In the end, the former gradually prevailed. I did nothing beside his body, just stared blankly.

But just when I felt that tears were about to fall, I suddenly saw Men You Ping's hand move and scratch the floor!

Comment: I feel like "Wake up. Let's go home." is the answer to Xiaoge's "Take me home." in the previous moment, don't you think so? And here is the description of Wu Xie's feelings when he thought that Xiaoge died. It's quite long and depressing... T_T

7. Daomu Biji Vol. 8: The Finale Book 2 Chapter 25 | Part 2 Chapter 76 (MereBear)

"I came to say goodbye to you." He said, "It's all over. I thought about my connection with this world, and it seems that the only one I can find now is you."

Comment: Is this the kind of connection that Xiaoge was looking for in Daomu Biji Vol. 4?

Note: In the Live Broadcast Interview on June 11, 2021, there was a question about what "嫩牛五方" Nenniu Wufang (Iron Triangle + HeiHua) think of Wu Xie, and this is Xiaoge's part:

NPSS: For Zhang Qiling, Wu Xie is his only connection with the human world. He can live without any connection with the human world. After so many years, Wu Xie was the opportunity that made him willing to connect with the human world, which was also something that required courage for him, because connecting with Wu Xie means connecting with other people. At the beginning, Wu Xie was just one of the many people he had saved, but Wu Xie reached a state of transcendence through his own qualities. He was able to attract another person who was not a mortal. There is such a person, when you look him in the eye, you will have this feeling-

Host: This is that person, this is the person I am looking for.

NPSS: Yes. ☆

8. Daomu Biji Vol. 8: The Finale Book 2 Chapter 27 | Part 2 Chapter 78 (MereBear)

That night, we found a relatively dry place and lit a fire. Sitting in front of the fire, he silently looked at me for the first time.

I also stared at him for a long time. Since he kept looking at me like this, I began to wonder whether the focus of his gaze was actually on me. When I found that he was really looking at me, however, I felt very strange. I said, "Is something wrong with me? Is there a monster behind me?" I asked him several times, but he didn't respond. I thought this person was not very normal at ordinary times. Now in this situation, I definitely couldn't understand and didn't need to understand. But after a while, he suddenly asked me for a cigarette.

9. Daomu Biji Vol. 8: The Finale Book 2 Chapter 28 | Part 2 Chapter 79 (MereBear)

I screamed as I rolled all the way down the hillside. I knew it was a very steep cliff with a drop of at least thirty meters, so even if there was snow below, I would never be safe.

[....]

Just when I was about to despair, I suddenly heard a movement outside. Then, my flailing hands were grabbed by someone, and I was pulled out of the snow pit. I gasped for breath, and saw Men You Ping grabbed the back of my collar and pulled me out of the snow with force.

My eyes still saw a pink color, which was quite blurry. I looked at him, and I was so angry that I asked him: "Why did you come back again?"

He looked at me, then at the cliff above his head, and said to me, "I heard your cry for help."

Note: This is one of the famous PingXie moments, which later someone brought up this scene again in the comment section of the online version of Sand Sea 3 Chapter 5 (Chapter 116 on MereBear's site: Like a Red Bean in the Exquisite Dice, My Love for You is Deep in My Bones) in 2014. Here is the famous comment that is still circulating around in the DMBJ fandom:

“The moment I fell, holding my neck, I thought I couldn't speak anymore. The sky of Motuo was still empty, just like the Changbai Mountain. But this time, no one would jump down thirty meters to pull me up. I asked him why he came, and he said he heard my voice.” ☆

However, people still doubt where this quote actually comes from. As someone said, what I've mentioned before is the most likely source since it is the earliest one that can be found. The site was closed down, so I can't check it myself.

10. Daomu Biji Vol. 8: The Finale Book 2 Chapter 28 | Part 2 Chapter 79 (MereBear)

"That’s fine, do whatever you want. If you really knock me out, I have nothing to say, but I hope you know that if you need someone to accompany you to the end, I won’t refuse." I said, "I want to accompany you. This is my own decision, so don't worry about it."

Top comment: One is a confession that travels thousands of miles away, and the other is a stumbling pursuit. ☆

11. Daomu Biji Vol. 8: The Finale Book 2 Chapter 29 | Part 2 Chapter 80 (MereBear)

Men You Ping nodded, and I asked him: "If this is not the case, according to the promise, who should be the next in line for the Old Nine Gates?"

"You." Men You Ping said.

Me? I was stunned for a moment: "You mean, I was supposed to stay behind this bronze door for ten years?"

Men You Ping nodded, and just as I was about to ask him to clarify, Men You Ping suddenly reached out and pressed the back of my neck, and I lost consciousness."

12. Excerpt from 《与邪共予起灵书》 or see more here

I saw Menyouping standing in the dazzling light of the bronze door, as if waiting for me. It turns out that not everyone has left me. He is right here, behind this mysterious bronze door, looking forward to meeting me again just like me. Ten years, it sounds like a long time that cannot be passed, but when that moment comes, we will definitely feel the brevity of time. Its brevity may just be because you are looking forward to a reunion. You use your ten years to exchange my lifelong innocence, then I will use the next ten years and more ten years to exchange your ten years.

The passage above is related to the famous quote “用我一生换你十年的天真无邪” (I'll give you my whole life in exchange for your ten years of innocence).

According to this post, this sentence first appeared in a forum interview in 2010. When NPSS talked with readers about the final ending of the characters in the main story (Daomu Biji Vol. 1-8), he used the sentence "用自己的一生，再换你十年的天真无邪" (I'll give you my whole life in exchange for another ten years of your innocence) to summarize the ending of Zhang Qiling and Wu Xie in the main story.

NPSS's interview with Nangong Ling, the owner of PingXie Bar on Baidu Post Bar or Tieba (a popular Chinese forum) at that time: The Long-Delayed New Year Interview on March 11, 2010 ☆

Q: Is Wu Xie the most miserable person in the whole book? Is it true that one of him and Pingzi (Xiaoge) will die in the end?

A: Wu Xie is the most miserable, his life is a doomed tragedy, but Lao Zhang is not easy either.

Q: Then?

A: It delayed the occurrence of the whole tragedy.

Q: Then they suffered a tragedy together?

A: I use my life to exchange for your ten years of innocence.

And there is a follow-up. On November 1, 2011, NPSS participated in a symposium at Shenzhen University and interpreted the meaning of this sentence. ☆

Q: How do you understand "用我一生换你十年天真无邪" (I will give you my whole life for your ten years of innocence)?

A: On a very quiet night, I was sitting in front of my computer, chatting with an online friend who was my reader. She asked me if I could describe the whole story in one sentence. Then I thought about it and realized that the story could be described in one sentence: "用我一生换你十年的天真无邪" (I will give you my whole life for your ten years of innocence). It is not a very equal exchange. It is an infinite sacrifice of one person for another in exchange for a limited benefit.

13. Tibetan Sea Flower Part 1 Chapter 39

I said, "I don't know. I always feel that it's safer to be around Xiaoge. If he's not around, at least having his statue is better than having no statue at all."

14. Sand Sea 2 Chapter 53 | Chapter 92 (MereBear)

"Are you really willing to bear it?"

"I have no choice."

"You have a choice, you just can't see it."

"That means there is no choice."

Sigh

"Then will you tell him all this?"

"No."

"Then what will you tell him?"

"I will tell him that he is just a patient, and from now on, he can rest."

"They won't let you say these words."

"I won't allow them to stop me."

15. Sand Sea Part 3 Chapter 5 | Chapter 116 (MereBear)

玲珑骰子安红豆，入骨相思知不知

A dainty die with red beans engraved in it, don't you know, is a love yearning that penetrates to the bone?

(—Rediscovering Wen Tingyun by Mou, Huaichuan)

Note: As we know, this candy is only a title, but it has a deep meaning. “玲珑骰子安红豆，入骨相思知不知” is a passage from a poem by Tang Dynasty poet, Wen Tingyun (温庭筠), it's the second poem of two love poems in his collection of poems 《新添声杨柳枝词二首》/《南歌子词二首》.

井底点灯深烛伊，共郎长行莫围棋

玲珑骰子安红豆，入骨相思知不知

The poem is written in the voice of a woman, expressing her attachment to her lover, in the first line, it means she earnestly asked her husband not to miss the return date when he travelled far away. It is the woman's deep longing for her husband and the strong love she has for him that is hard to let go. The second line means the lovesickness that goes deep into the bones, revealing -once again- the woman's strong love that is hard to let go. And the words "Don’t you know?" (知不知) vividly expresses the woman's long separation, the difficulty of reunion, the deep pain of missing him, and even the fact that she wants to talk to no one. It can be said that the ending is natural and the aftertaste is endless. What the readers feel is the sincere and passionate love in the woman's heart —Baidu Encyclopedia

Since there is no way for me, a complete novice, to explain it through semantic and syntactic analysis, please visit here or here for more explanation.

In WeChat interview on August 6, 2013, NPSS said the reason why he chose that title:

Q: Sanshu, I would like to ask you, in Sand Sea series, when Wu Xie was slashed in the throat by the man in white, why was the chapter titled "玲珑骰子安红豆，入骨相思知不知"?

A: I chose that chapter title because that was the emotion I felt at the time. ☆

16. 2014 Chinese New Year Special "Fantasy" Chapter 27 (Epilogue) | Chapter 2.31 (MereBear)

When the sun absorbed the fog and dispersed it, the black fog completely dissipated. I turned my head to see where Men You Ping was, but saw the sunset shining in from the window next to me.

It was over, I was stunned for a moment and realized.

I was back in the small power station.

My hands and feet slowly revived, and the severe pain in my nasal cavity began to attack. The throat was full of the smell of blood, and all the blood turned into a paste in my throat.

In all the moments of coming back, I always felt a very sad emotion in my heart, which would make me silent for a moment.

Don't make the illusion too beautiful because it will eventually disappear. You think you have obtained and grasped it, but in fact there is nothing. This kind of memory is no different from my real memory. People themselves cannot really own anything.

17. Ten Years Chapter 31

This was written for me, he knew I would fulfill my promise. He hid the clue in Chen Pi Ah Si's nose, which really gave me face.

I clenched my fists, and a sense of security that I hadn't felt for many years suddenly rose from the bottom of my heart.

Note: The bolded sentence is an additional sentence in the physical book of Ten Years.

18. Ten Years Chapter 36

In the past ten years, I have had many dreams. I dreamed of him when he was young and I met him when I was young.

19. Ten Years Physical Book

"Not only that, if you can truly believe that you can do this, you can do anything." The voice in my heart answered me, "But, believing in yourself may be the most difficult thing in the world."

"What's so difficult about believing in yourself?" I asked.

"Just like you can't believe that you can walk on the water, only a very few people can truly believe in themselves." The voice in my heart answered me, "You can't even believe that you really entered here and heard these words."

A vast pool of water suddenly appeared in front of me, and the water surface was as calm as a mirror.

I looked at the surface of the pool and touched it with my feet. It was cold water. The waves spread and quickly disappeared at the end of the visible range. I saw a figure appearing very, very far away.

It was a familiar back, it was Xiaoge.

I stepped on it and fell into the water.

Then, I woke up. I looked up at the bronze door.

It was a dream, the door was still closed tightly.

I looked at my hand, and the wound was not cracked.

Comment: I really like the implication here, Wu Xie trusts Xiaoge more than himself...

20. Ten Years Chapter 41

"The people in that village make a dessert from glutinous rice and brown sugar. Since there’s plenty of rain in the village, a special weed called Yuzai ginseng grows there. The petals of this weed are put into the dessert, and are said to help with memory. Of course, it’s only a local legend."

I kept yawning as I spoke. My consciousness began to blur, but I didn’t stop talking.

I don’t know how long I stayed up, but in my hazy state, I suddenly felt someone slowly sit down beside me.

I hesitated for a moment, turned my head to look, and the other person also turned his head to look at me.

Pangzi slowly woke up and looked at us.I saw a familiar face, indifferent eyes, reflecting the light of the campfire.

People say that when you forget someone, the first thing you forget is their voice. But when he spoke, it wasn’t unfamiliar at all.

"You are old." He said

The music was still flowing, in this place closest to hell.

Pangzi came up, hooked his arm around Men You Ping's shoulder, and caused him to stumble: "How can we compare with you, Xiaoge? And you were willing to come out!!"

Men You Ping swayed from all the jostling.I pulled down my sleeve, covered the scars on my arm, and stood up.

He smiled at me and I lifted my bag: 'Let’s go."We just…haven’t seen you for a long time.

....

I live at the North Sea and you at the South Sea,

I asked the wild goose to pass a letter but was told they could not.

Each of us held a cup of wine and talked amid spring wind with peach and plum blossom,

For ten years we missed each other before lamps during night rain outside.

Note: About the poem, MereBear has already explained here. This is the Chinese version:

我居北海君南海，寄雁传书谢不能；

桃李春风一杯酒，江湖夜雨十年灯。

In short, it's about friendship, a happy gathering and how deeply they missed each other after they parted.

There is an interesting meta about Xiaoge's "you're old", read here.

Top comment: So when Xiaoge explained the amnesia brought by the heavenly gift in Sea of Lights, he looked into Wu Xie's eyes and said "there will be a little left", which means that Xiaoge faced endless darkness in the door, lost his perception of time, and had to use his remaining memory to try to recall Wu Xie's appearance. The words "you are old" in the past ten years contains Xiaoge's deep and heavy longing for Wu Xie.

21. Daomu Biji Extra: 2019 Mid-Autumn Festival

If Men You Ping said something, then it was fine, but he wouldn’t say anything. Instead, Zhang Haike kept telling me that as an outsider follower of Zhang Qiling, I should take care of these things. Fuck that shit, I thought to myself. I’m a guardian, not an outsider follower. He said that if I did well, I could start the special procedures that would give me the surname Zhang. I could be called Zhang Xie or Zhang Wu Xie in the future. Of course, I could also follow my master and be called Zhang Qixie.

I was so angry that day that I thought my liver was going to burst.

22. Daomu Biji Extra: The Other Shore | The Other Shore (MereBear)

It was too cold here, so after I died, I wouldn't be degraded. I would exist here for thousands and millions of years. I could sit here and let the wind and snow freeze me. According to my experience, hundreds of years later, Men You Ping would see the moment he was seeing now.

I seemed to be seriously ill and chose this ending myself. I was surprisingly calm and had no regrets. Although I could not be truly eternal like him, I found a way to coexist in the same time and space as him.

[....]

I didn't expect it to be so romantic. In this world, there was no other person who could use death as a romantic condiment so naturally.

Note: I think almost the whole short story is candy with a knife, but I can't possibly put it all here. There is a good PV about this short story, you can see it here or here.

Top comment:

”When we first begin to truly love someone, our greatest fear is that the person we love no longer loves us. What we should be afraid of is that even though they are dead, we still can’t stop loving them.”

23. A joke that is written by NPSS and posted on the official blog on Weibo

I hope this letter finds you well, I have heard that Wu Xie is well-informed, has a strong memory, is wise in all things, knows everything about the world like a little snow falls on a red stove and melts immediately, and often stays by the side of the patriarch as the two musical instruments strike the same note. I will come on the moon to meet you.

I looked at the letter, and Pangzi also looked at it, looking at me with an awkward look. I touched my nose and said, "What is this, Chu Liuxiang?"

Note: This joke was about the Zhang family sending a letter to Xiaoge and Wu Xie. “笙磬同音” (the two musical instruments strike the same note) is a metaphor for harmonious relationship as a family, but is often used in wedding congratulations. ☆☆

24. Thousand Faces Part 1-001 | Part 1-Introduction 2 (MereBear)

She looked at me and said, "Wu Xie, what is the secret in your heart? Is there anything you will never let anyone know until you die?"

I looked up at him, and a thought moved in my heart. She tilted her head and caught it: "Ah, you have it in your heart."

I smiled awkwardly. Yes, my thoughts moved just now.

I did have one.

I asked Ah Tuo: "Isn't this embarrassing?"

"That's something only you know." Ah Tou looked at some group photos I had hanging in my study room. "If I tell you a secret that I think is the most incredible. You have to tell me the thought you just had."

[....]

She looked at me, "Let me guess first, do you want... to live forever?"

[....]

"I do, but this is not my secret." I said to Ah Tou, "If there is no afterlife, then I want to live forever. I still have a lot of things I want to do with my friends, but I am not afraid of death. The richness of my life is second to none. I have enough. However, I agree to your conditions."

Note: In the second line, "我抬眼看着他" (I looked up at him), if it was referring to Ah Tou, "他" should be "她". I don't know whether it's a typo or not, some say it's not, and I check the Chinese raw, it still hasn't changed. If it's not a typo, "him" in "I looked up at him" can actually refer to Xiaoge, someone explained it on MereBear's site. Nevertheless, it doesn't change the meaning of "if there is no afterlife, then I want to live forever". Later, in Notes in Rain Village: Courtyard Chapter 12 or Notes in Rain Village: Part 2 Chapter 17, it was emphasized again:

Maybe I don’t believe in the afterlife.

Moreover, the afterlife is meaningless to me. I will not have a more thrilling life than this one.

On the ancient road, I met the ancient soul.

25. Restart Part 1-Not a Chapter | Restart Part 1 Chapter 112,5 (MereBear)

I drank to my heart's content that night. In the past ten or twenty years, I spent my days alone imagining things, panicking and being cowardly. At this moment, I understood the meaning of all of this.

I said to Bai Haotian, "I always hope not to disappoint others. Although it is difficult, I have finally reached the point in my life where I will be satisfied if I can just not disappoint one person."

[....]

I dreamed of the Tibetan Lama Temple, the floating ribbons in my dream, and I dreamed of everything, where I belonged, where my life belonged to, but I dared not touch, emphasize, or solidify it. I was afraid that I was not worthy of those memories, those times. Even though I had done so many things and controlled so many other people, I still did not dare to say any beautiful words.

26. Restart Part 1 Chapter 141 | Part 1 Chapter 141 (MereBear)

What was so important about me? I was a person who would have to say goodbye to Men You Ping one day in his life. I was a person who delayed Pangzi for getting rich and getting married. I made Xiaohua bankrupt, separated Xiuxiu from her closest relatives, and made my parents live in fear that I would follow Uncle Three’s path. I was far from worthy of the name "innocent (无邪)" my grandfather had given me. But in my confused first half of life, I lived an incredibly wonderful life. I had seen countless wonders in the world. I had the most amazing partner with the most stories in the world. We sang loudly on the cliffs, chanted the sutras on the snow-capped mountains, drank wine in the Gobi Desert, and watched the moon on the sea.

I've had enough in this life.

In Sina Weibo micro interview on August 03, 2018, NPSS talked about the bolded sentence:

Q: In the past ten years, Wu Xie's inner demon was Xiaoge. Ten years later, is Wu Xie's inner demon the life span? In the Reboot, he mentioned it many times. I feel depressed when I think of "I am a person who will have to say goodbye to Men You Ping one day in his life".

A: Most people in life will eventually say goodbye. For the one who leaves first, everything will return to peace. The one who leaves later will feel a little painful. It's not that scary. It's just unwilling to accept it.

27. Restart Part 1 Chapter 204 & Chapter 208

"...You have to understand what love is. Love is like a ghost. You can't see it when it comes, and it makes no sound when it leaves. Even if it's there, it's moving around. This thing doesn't make sense, it's fucking haunted. When you see it, it'll just pat its butt and leave. You ask it if it wants to leave or not. If it doesn’t go, you’ll have to light three pillars of incense. If it goes away, you can't find it back even if you burn down the house..."

[....]

"I just want to know what's behind the bronze door. If I'm about to die, can you please whisper something in my ear?" I said in the direction of Men You Ping.

There was no response from the other end, so I said, "If I am about to die, just say something in my ear, and then I will leave with peace of mind. Otherwise, you can't send me away even with three pillars of incense.

28. Restart Part 2 Chapter 12 | Chapter 12 (MereBear)

...But when I saw the look in Men You Ping's eyes when he looked at the rain, I didn't know what year or century he was thinking about.

It was so annoying to partner with a god.

29. Notes in Rain Village Chapter 5

Men You Ping looked at the snow. The wind was blowing in the wrong direction, and the snowflakes kept drifting in. His hair quickly turned white.

I wonder what he would look like with white hair.

30. Notes in Rain Village Chapter 15

"If I were your child*, would you not allow me to smoke?"

"Ah, I don't know, but you fell into a crack in the ground in the middle of the night. I don't have a daughter with night blindness." I glanced at Men You Ping, who was leaning against the door and looking at the two of us. His expression seemed to say, "You two both fell into a crack in the ground, what's there to discuss?"

Note: "If I were your child" is “如果我是你生的” in Chinese raw. There is a comment saying:

“The sentence "if I was born by you (如果我是你生的)" is very interesting. Children usually only use the word "birth (生)" to their mothers, and should say "if I were your child (如果我是你的孩子)" to their fathers. Xu Lei (NPSS) used the word "birth (生)" to Wu Xie through the girl's mouth, and I dare not think about it too much.” ☆

Comment: It's not the first time NPSS used the "birth" joke to Wu Xie, and I still remember how Wu Xie's word in Restart "我他妈能生四个" (I can give birth to four) is like a well-known joke in the fandom. So, I can only blame NPSS for how normal I feel about PingXie Mpreg fics and how many there are.. (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

31. Notes in Rain Village Chapter 17

Men You Ping walked towards us, one step, two steps, three steps, six or seven steps.

He walked to our side, and I looked back at where he was just now, and he was no longer there.

Don't worry about it, I thought to myself, we couldn’t go up, so he walked down.

32. Notes in Rain Village Chapter 23

The two dismantled caissons were finally put up with a simple scaffolding. Men You Ping was so damn cool, I had no idea how he dismantled it. Apart from the movements, I found his extreme concentration and skill really enviable.

33. Notes in Rain Village Chapter 24

I felt a little dizzy after drinking and had a very long dream that night. I dreamed of snow-capped mountains and my own ending.

It was the first time I had this kind of dream, but I knew that I would often dream about this moment from now on.

In this world, everyone was a circle and Men You Ping was the only eternal straight line. We were strung on this straight line like Buddhist prayer beads, heading for the other side that Buddha could see. It was just that the other side was an infinite time and space.

34. Notes in Rain Village: Courtyard Chapter 4 | Chapter 9 (MereBear)

At about 9 o'clock, I was looking at the yard from the window and saw Men You Ping tidying up the moss in the yard alone. I leaned on the windowsill, he sorted it out for more than two hours, and I watched him for more than two hours.

I didn't know if he liked my plan or not, but I thought if Pangzi liked it very much, he might like it a little.

35. Notes in Rain Village: Travel Chapter (Physical Book Version)

That night I had a dream. I dreamed that all the happiness here turned into little elves, flying around people. There was also one behind Deren. His face was constantly changing, but the elf was still shining.

"Don't worry, it's okay." In the dream, Men You Ping said to me. The elf behind him hid in his hair and looked at me shyly.

36. Notes in Rain Village 3: Travel Chapter 43

It just happened to be the last moment of sunset, and the sunset glow on the sea turned colorful. We parked the car and unloaded the poultry and livestock. Pangzi went in to prepare dinner with his friends, and Men You Ping and I sat on the embankment by the sea.

Source: Here

37. Notes in Rain Village 4: Pastoral Chapter 8

Then I saw a very magical place: there was a place far away in the starry sky, where the stars were very dense, and those stars were like waterfalls sliding down from the sky, rushing all the way to the clouds below the train.

"The stars are falling," I said to Men You Ping, sounding like a nonsensical child. "Falling, falling down."

38. Notes in Rain Village 4: Pastoral Chapter 33

When I was halfway up, even though I was wearing a raincoat, I was completely soaked and looked very miserable. I knew I would not give up, but I still felt a little desperate. As if I had sensed something, I suddenly stopped and looked back.

Men You Ping was standing behind me.

I didn't know when he came, but it was just like ten thousand times before.

39. Looking for the Dead in the Sea of Lights Chapter 24

As soon as I walked out of the circle of light from the bonfire, Men You Ping rushed out from the darkness on the other side of the camp, in the opposite direction from me. He jumped on his horse, leaped over the bonfire, rushed behind me, and lifted me onto the horse with one hand. Then, two men and one horse rushed towards Pangzi.

40. Queen Mother's Ghost Banquet Chapter 82

"I, I, I..." I tried to describe it, but I couldn't see clearly with my eyes squinting. I murmured, "I need Xiaoge. I really need him this time."

That's it. Obviously, it's not all of them, but I'm spent haha. People in the Chinese fandom often said that PingXie is a Chinese-style cp and pure love “纯爱” type of ship, which I think it's indeed true. Their heartfelt moments are often hidden between allusions and metaphors, and the strong bond between them mostly relies on the emotional attachment rather than just physical touches or skinships. To me, it makes them so unique and interesting. What's more the taste of pure love that people often associate with this cp/ship is actually pretty rare itself. In the end, they did care for each other regardless of what people used to define their relationship (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*+♡

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝟖𝟏𝟕!ヾ⁠(⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠*⁠)⁠ﾉ

[chibrary]

source: sportweek format: interview season: 2021, f2

What was your relationship like before you met at Ferrari, and how is it changing?

LECLERC: "I didn't know Carlos very well, because we had little time to hang out. One evening, in Singapore, he was watching the circuit from the swimming pool on top of the Marina Bay Sand skyscraper and I was there too, so we started talking. Now, the relationship is getting stronger and stronger. We share similar ages and interests, we laugh a lot together and we get along really well."

SAINZ: "I had followed Charles in Formula 2, for his talent, but the first real conversation we had was in Singapore in 2018, when he arrived in Formula 1. From there the relationship got closer also because I I started asking him a lot of questions about Ferrari every time I met him".

What did you discover about your teammate that you never expected?

L: "Perhaps the fact that you speak Italian so well".

S: "I was surprised that he has an artist's disposition. He likes painting, music, playing the piano. All uncommon passions for a driver".

What do you usually joke about?

L: "Overall, like two ordinary guys. We don't just talk about the races, but also about our life, about what happens to us every day. We have a lot of fun".

S: "We spend a lot of time together, even when we eat or do interviews, so we have moments for joking. We laugh a lot. Otherwise it would be boring".

Who is better at cooking?

L: "Him. We recently decided to organize a dinner first at his house and then at mine. The menu he proposed seemed interesting, while mine was pasta in white sauce".

S: "I'm not a great chef, but certainly better than Charles…".

[Rough translation of full interview below]

The red house has a new tenant: Carlos Sainz, son of a rally legend. He and Charles Leclerc-- who took the keys to Maranello from former captain Sebastian Vettel-- form the second youngest Ferrari couple in history after Jacky Ickx and Chris Amon (1968). They arrive at the start of the F1 World Championship in Bahrain full of expectations and hopes, with the same book in their suitcase: My terrible joys, the biography of Enzo Ferrari. Because there is no future without the past.

What was your relationship like before you met at Ferrari, and how is it changing?

LECLERC: "I didn't know Carlos very well, because we had little time to hang out. One evening, in Singapore, he was watching the circuit from the swimming pool on top of the Marina Bay Sand skyscraper and I was there too, so we started talking. Now, the relationship is getting stronger and stronger. We share similar ages and interests, we laugh a lot together and we get along really well."

SAINZ: "I had followed Charles in Formula 2, for his talent, but the first real conversation we had was in Singapore in 2018, when he arrived in Formula 1. From there the relationship got closer also because I I started asking him a lot of questions about Ferrari every time I met him".

What did you discover about your teammate that you never expected?

L: "Perhaps the fact that you speak Italian so well".

S: "I was surprised that he has an artist's disposition. He likes painting, music, playing the piano. All uncommon passions for a driver".

Carlos/Charles' best driving skill?

L: "Consistency, it's very continuous."

S: "The speed, he's very strong in qualifying and in the race, managing to take the car to the limit".

Will it be tough to beat him?

L: "Sure. Carlos is a very strong driver and so far he hasn't had the winning car to prove it. I expect him too to fight for victories when we have the right car".

S: "Especially at the beginning, I will face a very difficult challenge. Charles knows the team better than me and is perhaps the most talented rider on the grid. But I will stay calm and give myself some time to reach his level with the Ferrari".

If there was a misunderstanding between you in the races, how would you react?

L: "It can always happen, but I have the ability to distinguish between the race and what happens outside. I am convinced that Carlos is very similar to me in this respect. So, if there is some misunderstanding, we'll talk about it frankly. Considering our relationship, we won't have any problems."

S: "It depends on the situation. Usually there is always one driver who is more to blame than the other. I hope we will be mature enough to admit it, if it happens. But I think we will not get to that point. We are clear that the priority is to report Ferrari up above, not our personal battles".

What can two young people give to Ferrari?

L: "Motivation first of all, we want to do our best and everyone in the factory has seen this. In addition, we work well together by directing our efforts in the same direction, there is a continuous exchange of information and the needs are the same. The team , therefore, knows exactly where to focus".

S: "We are motivated by the desire to bring Ferrari back to winning ways, a drive that few drivers have. I feel that the team is already on the right path. Furthermore, we are not in a hurry, as can happen to more mature drivers".

What do you usually joke about?

L: "Overall, like two ordinary guys. We don't just talk about the races, but also about our life, about what happens to us every day. We have a lot of fun".

S: "We spend a lot of time together, even when we eat or do interviews, so we have moments for joking. We laugh a lot. Otherwise it would be boring".

Who speaks Italian better?

L: "Carlos told me that I have to teach him some vocabulary. But he stands up to me."

S: "Sometimes I understand some words, similar to the Spanish ones, which instead escape him. But Charles has a higher level than mine".

Who is better at cooking?

L: "Him. We recently decided to organize a dinner first at his house and then at mine. The menu he proposed seemed interesting, while mine was pasta in white sauce".

S: "I'm not a great chef, but certainly better than Charles…".

Who is better working with the engineers?

L: "We have different ways of describing the sensations in the car, but we both try hard."

S: "I apply myself a lot, I'm hard to beat in this, all my teammates have always admitted it".

How important is the family?

L: "When you arrive in Formula 1 you become a magnet, a lot of people approach you for reasons of interest and not because they appreciate you as a person. It's essential to have solid foundations. Therefore family is very important, like the friends you've known since childhood".

S: "Most important of all. Knowing that my loved ones are well, healthy, makes me calm".

The love?

L: "Equally important. I have a girlfriend, I'm fine with her. Sometimes you need to disconnect from motorsport and have someone you're happy with next to you".

S: "One can be happy in life even without love. But better with…".

Money?

L: "It's important for everyone, but it doesn't make you happy. I do this sport because I like driving, for the thrill of winning, not for the money".

S: "Having it is better than not having it, but money doesn't bring happiness."

Victory?

L: "That's what made me fall in love with motor racing. I couldn't live without competition, in whatever I do. I grew up like this, with the desire to always compare myself with others. Therefore, winning is the best".

S: "Very important, perhaps even too much."

Biggest person out of racing?

L: "My mom".

S: "My father Carlos, without him it would have been much more difficult to get here."

What do you think of Stefano Domenicali's idea that he would like pilots as role models for young people?

L: "That's right. We have pursued a passion from an early age and worked to achieve goals: our example can serve to show young people that they too can do it. We are normal people who have managed to live their dream".

S: "I completely agree, especially now that ten-year-olds follow you on Instagram and on social media. Everything you say and do can influence them, so it's important to set correct examples".

Is the salary cap for pilots right or wrong?

L: "We'll talk about it between the FIA ​​and the drivers".

S: "Wrong."

What did you know about Ferrari before arriving in Maranello?

L: "I lived Ferrari as a passion, but I didn't know the history of the brand, there was simply something magical around this name. For me, it has always been the Red Machine. In my wildest fantasies, the team for which I wanted to drive one day was always Ferrari".

S: "I knew everything about the last twenty years, a little less about past history. Now I'm reading the biography of Enzo Ferrari: it was given to me by the president John Elkann, who I asked to show me a book about him".

Would you have liked to meet Ferrari?

L: "Very much. I'm reading his biography too, right now, and I consider him a figure to inspire for many reasons".

S: "Who wouldn't like it? I'm struck by the fact that Ferrari represents Italy. When you join this team, you're racing for an entire nation. It's like playing football and wearing the Spanish national team shirt. Responsibilities and l 'pride".

Which part of the Maranello factory fascinates you the most?

L: "Enzo Ferrari's house inside the Fiorano circuit. One day Carlos and I met in his office and we began to imagine the scenes: "Look, this is where he signed some important contracts...". Thinking this fascinates me so much."

S: "I like the gym, it's the place where I can find my moments of peace, to recover mentally after hard days driving the simulator".

Which of the Ferrari drivers of the past excites you the most between Lauda, ​​Villeneuve, Schumacher or others?

L: "Michael, for all the triumphs he has obtained and for his ability to drag the team along. Gilles, for the madness of certain maneuvers he did on the track with which he gave emotions".

S: "I could say Lauda, ​​Schumacher or Alonso. Instead I say Villeneuve, less known by the general public".

What type is Mattia Binotto?

L: "At first he's reserved, but then he opens up more and more and now we have a very good relationship, where we can be honest, an attitude that helps the team".

S: "I got on well with him from the first minute, he's easy to work with. He seems to me a leader with an ambition and a project that will soon bear fruit".

A goal for this year?

L: "Doing the best possible every time I get in the car. After the first race we will know where we are compared to the rivals".

S: "To take a good step forward, it must be a better season than 2020. I would like the fans to regain faith in Ferrari and believe in us".

Can Ferrari win again in 2022 with the new rules?

L: "I think it's an opportunity for us, or rather an opportunity, to win again."

S: "Why not? I think so. We need more years to become a dominant team, but returning to victory can happen even sooner, above all because 2022 will be a strange year for everyone and we will start from scratch. When was the last change of regulation, in 2017, Ferrari started with the fastest car. I believe in this team".

What would you like to achieve with Ferrari?

L: "I would like to win a world championship. It was already a special milestone when I arrived in Maranello, but succeeding after going through these difficult years would be even more valuable and would give us more satisfaction".

S: "I would like to stay in Maranello for many years. Obviously, Ferrari is in a hurry to get back to winning ways, and we want it to happen as soon as possible, but I have the patience to work in perspective to bring the red back to success".

[didalexiabreakupwitholgayet]

you just forgot to mention lucy bronze is racist lol

hey, anons - that's why i qualified my original lucy bronze post by saying it's about her as a footballer. (also, i've never heard that saying/idiom about belly buttons, but i'm going to use it in the future!)

and one more point about fandom. i think we are in a place where we are scared to criticise our favourite players or acknowledge the grey areas of their lives. jenni hermoso is one of my favourite players ever. did she fuck up when she mocked the haka in new zealand with other players? yes she did and i will openly admit that. the team publicly apologised to māori elders, and i hope they all learned from that.

okay, so there are a lot of reasons why lucy bronze is a polarising figure. some barça fans were initially wary of her because of her past support for real madrid but also because of some of the mistakes she's made as rb (like the pajor goal in the uwcl final). for arsenal fans, i'm not an expert (maybe it's her age or the fact that she used to play for man city?...not sure).

but the bigger thing: i won't sugarcoat or make excuses for lucy's past and her support of mark sampson (who used racist language against two black england players). as someone who has suffered racist abuse myself, i know how harmful that is, and bias (whether conscious or subconscious) should be called out. i can only hope that lucy has grown and learned from her mistakes and is a different person now than she has been in the past.

(and for comparison this happened in 2017. meanwhile megan rapinoe started kneeling in 2016 in protest of racial inequality and police brutality and briefly lost her uswnt roster spot as a result.)

related to this, there have been a number of ignorant statements made by female players over the last few years on the issue of racism in football, and everyone needs to do better. no excuses.

for more background:

(and please don't argue that aluko deserved it because of her political views. racist abuse is racist abuse, period.)

[spooky-all-year-round]

Confession (Hips part 2)

Reading the first part is recommended. Garreth has realized other people are eyeing you and now has to get the courage to ask you out! I took a bit of liberty with the floo network since as far as I remember we never see/hear a fully qualified wizard/witch use it I'm going to assume it can become non-verbal just like spells. Also I borrowed the Diggory name because it's a pure blood family that I don't see used often. Thank you too @fandomnerdworld for the ask! All characters are 18+!!!

TW: fluff, spicy thoughts, mentioned of past masturbation, people talk about the reader (in a good way), mention of future children together (brief), mutual pining, jealous Garreth protective Garreth, insecure Garreth/Reader, dramatic Garreth/reader, anxiety attack, fainting, angst? But not really. So self made angst

It had been weeks since Garreth's interesting night, where he eventually locked himself in a bathroom and masturbated until he was overstimulated and exhausted. THe still didn't know what to do about it all. He knew he had a crush on you long before this. But this sudden and overwhelming hold you had on him was something else. Before he noticed your intoxicating changes, he was able to put his thoughts of you to the side at least long enough to brew his experiments, and normally he could finish most of his homework without thinking of you several times.

But now you were all he could think about. Not just your body in a sexual sense. Things linke when you smiled at him, he imagined what it would be like to see you walking down the aisle with that smile. Listening to you speak made him wonder what it would sound like to hear you say "I do". Hearing your laugh made him think of you, him and a mini version of one of you playing games. How something in your eyes made him want to never stop looking into yours. Or of how funny you were, how you lend your friends a helping hand without a thought, that cute look you got when you were focused. His thoughts of you even floated into his dreams. If you were anywhere near him all he could think of was how to impress you, how to keep your attention, how to make you laugh. It did not help that others were noticing how much you filled out as well.

He had heard several other boys talking about how talented you were, how beautiful, how great of a wife you would be. He also heard not so innocent whispers about you. How you might feel, how you might sound, how your body was the perfect shape for having kids. He would never admit that the last one was his fault for bringing it up without thinking. But others were very quickly coming to the same conclusion he was. That you would be a wonderful girlfriend/eventual wife, and he was terrified. What if you didn't like him back? You always seemed so friendly with him he never really thought about you not returning his feelings. What if you did like him but he took to long so you said yes to someone else?! He couldn't let that happen, but he couldn't ever seem to catch up to you these days.

NEWTS were coming up fast so he was having a hard time keeping up with his work as it was, trying to find you on top of that was impossible. He tried calling out for you to wait up but you either didn't hear him or told him you would see him later. Which unfortunately for him you were always in a group when he saw you later. He tried following you hoping to catch you alone, but you were so good with non-verbal magic at this point you didn't need to announce to the floo powder where you wanted to go. You were also able to apparate freely when you left the school grounds.

It didn't help how jealous he was becoming hearing guys talk about how they planned to ask you out. Or how they knew you were going to say yes to them because you were obviously interested in them. Look how you were always so nice to them. How you helped them out with this and that. The ones he hated the most were the ones that boosted about how they were going to woo you with gifts. This was because they barely knew anything about you and they thought you were easily won over by a few simple gifts, like flowers or chocolates. They didn't know how wonderful you are and how you deserve the world, and because of that they would never make you truely happy and it irked him that they would even try.

But the ones that frightened him were the ones that talked about how they could make you smile and laugh. Which (in their words) meant they were a shoe in. He feared them because that's what he prided himself in, sure you two were close in many ways, but what if he was just the same as them? What if he was delusional about even having a chance with you? What if you just found him funny but thought nothing more? Maybe you didn't currently like anyone. Maybe you hadn't thought about him like that, but his confession would open up the idea and he could win your heart!

One dat he overheard you talking to Natty as everyone left charms. He kept a few feet behind you both hoping to not draw attention and maybe get some helpful information. What he heard made his heart soar and his stomach drop simultaneously. She was trying to convince you that if you asked "him" out that all these other guys would back off. "Him"? So you did like someone! Oh Merlin, you did like someone, that someone couldn't be him right? What if it was him you two were talking about? Maybe you were madly in love with him too! But it could very well be someone else. His face turned into a pout as he continued listening, praying one of you would say a name.

"I know Natty, but what am I supposed to say? 'Hey cutie, nice day right? Just so you know, I've had a huge crush on you since we met! All I can think about is playing with your hair that looks too soft, looking into your gorgeous eyes, and holding your hand while we stroll down the street! Your laugh makes me physically weak, and everytime you touch me I feel like I'm going to actually melt into a puddle. Please marry me!' Like that won't make him run for the hills and never speak to me again!" Your rant went by like a bludger, he almost thought your mouth might fly off with how quick you said it.

Natty did her best to give you an unimpressed look while trying to hide her smile at your dramatic imaginary confession. "I am sure he likes you. I have seen the way he looks at you and I have an outside perspective on how he treats you compared to others. I know he has fallen just as hard if not more so. I just don't think he knows how to outright say it. So he acts out to keep your attention, probably hoping that you'll confess to him first." She rested her hand on your shoulder with a comforting look before it turned into a grin. "Now! Go tell him before he thinks you're not interested. You're a Gryffindor, you have bravery in your blood! You'll both feel so much better once one of you admits to the other about your shared feelings." She gave your shoulder a gentle shake in encouragement.

Acting out? Who did he know that acted out for attention? Sallow for sure. Diggory was another one to make an ass out of himself before winking at you. Larson acted all self important but would that be considered the same? Gaunt certainly acted differently towards you compared to how he did most, but that wasn't the same as acting "out". Right?

Natty and you both stopped to turn towards each other fully. Garreth quickly hid behind the corner, terrified at almost getting caught. His hands were sweating, his chest hurt, the corridor felt like it was spinning. You had to like one of them. Not him. He lost you without even having you. Maybe telling you would help. Maybe it would change your mind and you would choose him! No, then he would just lose you as a friend. What could he do? Yours and Natty's voices sounded like he was hearing them underwater. Merlin, there was no fixing this was there?

He started stepping out from around the corner, hoping to pass by without notice. But you and Natty immediately noticed, in fact you nearly leaped out of your skin in fear that he had heard everything. It was obvious to both of you that something was wrong, he was paler than normal causing his adorable freckles to stand out even more. He was sweating profusely and his eyes were unfocused as he took uneven steps. You reached out to touch his shoulder asking him if he was feeling alright when he suddenly collapsed.

"GARRETH!" Your shout echoed around you as you did your best to catch him, leading both of you to being on the ground. You were kneeling while doing your best to prop him up and keep his head from hitting the floor. Natty used her wonderfully quick wit to come up with an idea. In an impressive bit of magic she conjured a stretcher out of nothing. Carefully you both lifted him onto it, making sure we wasn't going to somehow fall off. With her levitating the stretcher and you guiding it you both rushed him to the hospital wing. You could feel tears prick in your eyes. You could only hope it was just him being sick and nothing serious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were sitting by his bedside gently running your fingers through his hair when you heard him mutter your name. You brushed it off as you hearing things. But a few moments later you heard it again, instinctively his face turned so it rested in your palm. Your heart was fluttering so fast you thought it might fly away. His hand slowly reached up and brushed against your wrist.

Natty had left about half an hour ago, swearing she "had so much homework" she needed to do. You were well aware she was one of the few students that could keep up with her homework, but it was so sweet that she wanted to give you alone time with Garreth that you didn't argue. You simply wished her luck with a knowing smile and a squeeze of her hand. She had squeezed back affectionately before taking her leave.

Not long later Garreth's eyes fluttered open, first he was looking at the wall in your direction. His hand ran absent mindedly up and down your wrist before his face scrunched up in confusion. He pulled his head away from your hand to look at it before his eyes glided up your arm, shoulder, and neck before landing on your face. A blush sprung up to his face as he pulled away sitting up as if your hand was made of open flames. He mentally slapped himself at the look of shock and hurt that crossed your face at his actions.

His sudden movements shocked you and you pulled your hand back just as fast. It hurt seeing him pull away so quickly. You had ran your fingers through his hair a few times before. Maybe he didn't actually enjoy it and was just being nice all those times. As you went to place your hand in your lap he grabbed it.

"I'm sorry I was just shocked. Please keep playing with my hair." He looked at you hopefully and he payed back down. He placed your hand back in his hair to show you it was really okay. Timidly you started playing with his hair, but you quickly fell back into the motions you had before he woke up. He sighed happily closing his eyes. For a few moments he completely forgot about what lead him here. He was just content with this quiet moment between the two of you. But once the question peeked it's head into his thoughts he couldn't help but ask. "How did I end up in the hospital wing?" His strikingly green eyes curiosity met your own.

"You fainted." He gave himself another mental slap turning his gaze away from you. Fainted? And in front of you? He wanted to disappear into the black lake. Maybe he could befriend the giant squid who could protect him from everything else in there. "You were all pale and you looked lost. I was so worried." The sadness and concern in your voice both cut him and warmed him. On one hand he accidentally upset you, on the other you cared about him so much that you not only worried but you stayed by his bedside. "Natty and I brought you up, you've been out for around an hour."

Natty. Natty and you. Natty and you talking about your crush who wasn't him. He felt sick again the clammy feeling returning to his hands. You must have noticed something because your wrist went to his forehead. "I was worried you caught a fever, but Madam Blainey said it was probably just stress from NEWTS." Stress. He could work with that.

You slowly pulled your hand away from his head. He looked back over to you only to find how sheepish you looked. "I actually have been meaning to tell you something. I know right now might not be the best time given you just fainted, but I don't know the next time we will both have a moment to spare." You sounded so nervous and you weren't looking at him. Did you somehow know he likes you and didn't know how to tell him you didn't like him back? Were you about to tell him about your crush on this other guy? Oh Merlin, that was it, and now he was going to have to sit here and reassure you that this guy liked you and that you should go for it.

You shifted before continuing, "I don't know how to say this. All the ways I've thought of have now just disappeared from my thoughts. I...I like you Garreth." Time froze for both of you. He was trying to process that he was the one you liked. All feelings of anxiety and being sick left his body. Unfortunately it seemed to only transfer to you as the silence went on. "I'm so sorry Garreth. We can forget I said anything. Honestly, I don't want to ruin our friendship over this." You stood to leave but he caught your hand again, this time pulling you to meet him on the bed.

You were now sitting next to him, enveloped in his warm embrace. You could not only feel your own heart racing, but his as well. You stuttered not sure what you wanted to say but trying to get some form of answer. He pulled away and grabbed both of your hands kissing them both over and over again. "I like you too, I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you. You practically live in my thoughts. I am wholely dedicated to making you happy. Anything to make you smile, to laugh, to even just look at me." He was now understanding what Natty meant by your crush acting out for your attention. "I would find anything if it meant you would give me even a moment of your attention, I would do anything if it meant you would give me even a pinch of your affection. I heard what you were telling Natty before I came around that corner and I am the happiest man alive knowing you feel all of that towards me." Your face went from confused, to relieved, before becoming shocked and embarrassed, untill finally it landed on a huge smile.

He grinned back bringing one of your hands to his face. "May I kiss you?" With your nod he leaned in quickly. He was eager to get to the kiss but was soft and slow when he got there. It was almost like he was scared you would disappear or change your mind if he seemed too excited. But both of your hearts were acting the same, soaring and free knowing that not only did you both have feelings for each other, but they seemed to be on the same level of infatuation. You both pulled away small smiles full of affection as you stared at each other's eyes. "Please be mine?" You answered with another kiss that he returned in full.

[billionairebabes]

I'm Back!! Kinda...

I know it's been a while since I posted my own content or writing but I wrote this a few years back and never shared it but I know this would be helpful to a lot of you girlies now that the job market has once again taken a downturn. I originally wrote this after landing my first full-time job post-2020.

Like many, I graduated into a pandemic and found myself looking for my first job in the midst of a nationwide hiring freeze. The process was grueling but in failure, there are also many lessons learned and luckily, my search ended in success at one of the biggest tech companies in the world. In the past few years, I’ve worked at some of the biggest and best companies in the world making it past several rounds of interviews, impressing my future colleagues, managers, and even VPs so it’s safe to say I know a thing or two about landing a job. Here goes!

B's Guide to Landing Your DREAM JOB PART 1!

If you’re still in college there are a few things I would suggest a few things. 

Start interning as soon as possible. The sooner you start practicing interviewing at companies you’re interested in, the better. Also, a few internships on your resume prior to your graduation will help A LOT. Trust me. You’ll have experiences to speak about in all those behavioral interviews as well. 

Become friendly with the professors in your field. They can become a good reference for you later. Even if only one to three times a semester go to your professor’s office and chat. They can also put in a good word for you for programs. This brings me to my next point. 

In most industries, there are conferences each year that either offer discounts (or free tickets) to college students and/or are directly aimed at college students. If you’re a POC, find programs aimed at diversifying that industry. These conferences often have recruiting opportunities with large companies and most times the interview process won’t be as rigorous compared to an applicant who may have applied online. I would recommend compiling a list at the beginning of each school year with these program names as well as their application due dates. 

Don’t join clubs just to have them on your resume. Aim for leadership roles or redirect your time to other personal projects that interest you. It’ll make for a better conversation with your recruiters and hiring managers to say “I built XYZ because I was interested in ABC” rather than “I was just a member of that club and went to the meetings once a month.” 

This varies across industries but for the most part, your GPA isn’t all that important especially after you land your first job after college so breathe. 

Perfect your resume and this part couldn’t be more critical. In the age of ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) and fierce competition, it’s become vital that your resume can stand out and communicate very clearly how you’re qualified for the job. Here are my resume tips: 

My favorite program to create resumes on is Canva. They have a ton of great templates and are super customizable and not to mention, it’s FREE. 

Use quantifiable measurements to show your results if possible. 

Use action verbs at the beginning of your bullet points. Personally, I believe each description should have at least 3-4 bullet points but never only 1. Here are some of the words on my resume: Constructed, Spearheaded, Managed, Collaborated, and Lead. All of your descriptions should state what you did, how you did it (programs used, methods, etc.), and the outcome.  

I personally think every resume should include your: Experience, Skills, Leadership/ Professional Development (for college students this could mean conferences attended, programs, boot camps, etc.), Projects (shows independence and initiative), Contact, and Education. Make sure your LinkedIn is included in your ‘Contact’ section. You should have a personalized LinkedIn link, that’s free. 

Your LinkedIn needs to be at 100% completion. This is a place where you can really show off because there are no space limits. This can showcase every job or internship you’ve ever had, every program or project you’ve had an impact on, etc. The better your LinkedIn, the better chance you have a recruiter finding you and inviting you to interview for a role they think would be a good fit. 

Your profile picture ideally is a professional one but if not possibly find time to take one in natural daylight with a quality camera and a plain background. I’ve also seen people using AI to now turn regular pics into professional ones. 

Interact with posts, comment, and share. This will help get your name and profile circulating. 

Announce that you’re looking for a job to your network. Include your resume and what you’re looking for in that post. You never know who might see it. 

Grow your network and the easiest place to start is with people you’ve gone to school with and current or previous coworkers. 

Put your resume on your LinkedIn profile (You can do this by attaching a media file) 

Know your elevator pitch and know it well because every single person you interview with will probably ask you this. My elevator pitch sounds something like this: 

I’m Britt and in  June, I graduated from Icy University with a degree in Math and a minor in Sociology. Throughout college, I completed a number of internships doing _______ and have developed skills in _______. When I was a senior I learned about (or developed an interest in) _____  and did _____ to grow my skills or learn more about it. Now that I’ve graduated I’m looking for a role in ______ where I can continue to ______. (My elevator pitch is now different now that I’ve had two full-time roles but you get the point)

Now we apply. 

LinkedIn is your friend here and my favorite job posting platform. Set up Job Alerts for companies you’re interested in so that you have a better chance of being an early applicant. 

As annoying as this is, you will have to edit your resume for almost every position you apply to. Use the words they use to describe your roles in your work history and remember to always save your resume as a PDF. This definitely will help you get past the ATS system. Remember to adjust the words used in your ‘Skills’ section too but don’t lie. These days, many companies with decent salaries are giving applicants take-home assignments. This applies to your cover letters as well. (I no longer write cover letters though, no one reads them).  I saved every version of my cover letter and could eventually just mix and match paragraphs according to the type of job I was applying to. Of course, you will still have to change some words to best match the position’s job posting. 

The LinkedIn stalking begins. Find someone at the company you’ve applied for and invite them to connect but ALWAYS include a note.  In this note, you will give a very brief introduction and your reason for messaging. Mine usually looked something like this: Hi ___, I’m Britt and I recently applied for the ____ position. I’d love to learn more about the department, the team, and the company. Would you have 15 minutes to chat sometime this week or next? Thanks in advance, Britt. 

My tip is that you find a manager on the team rather than a recruiter for the company. I find that they never accept invitations but managers usually will. 

On this call, you’ll discuss exactly what you mentioned in your opening note, and remember to have prepared questions for them. If you make a good impression, most managers will be willing to forward your resume to the recruiting team. 

Let me know if you all want a part 2 on how I prepare for my interviews. I’d say I have an interview success rate of about 90% in the past 2 years! 

[genericpuff]

Guess it's time for me to give the people what they asked for- (FP spoilers ahead)

Hey y'all, thanks for waiting while I got my ducks in a row to put this lil' essay together. Life's been doing a lot of 180's and I haven't had as many spoons to allocate to LO crit and all that good shit. And honestly, half the struggle of putting these essays together is finding screenshots to back up my claims, the episodes are so cluttered with nonsensically-woven events that it often has me scrolling through multiple episodes wondering if I'm crazy and if the panels I remember even exist.

BUT I just got back from work, Halloween's right around the corner, and I'm feeling like talking about one of the witchiest LO characters of all.

Yep, we're talking Daphne.

(note: there are FastPass spoilers in this essay!)

Now I know - some of y'all in the UnpopularLO and LO crit communities really like Daphne because of her willingness to hold Thanatos accountable. But if you'll give me a few paragraphs, ima tell you why she's just as if not more problematic than some of the go-to problematic characters in LO (AND ima blow your mind with something I don't think y'all have even realized but once you see it, you can't unsee it).

Daphne, like many characters in LO, started off relatively strong. Though her inclusion was a little random, I liked it as a way to show Persephone's past friends from the Mortal Realm (and also it just went to show how obsessed Apollo was with Persephone prior to the whole overthrowing-Zeus retcon).

But that's about where my compliments end because as her inclusion in the plot went on, I came to realize that Daphne is 1.) yet another character in the plot whose only purpose is to be a victim, 2.) unable to practice what she preaches and forces onto other characters, and 3.) yet another character who's used as a Therapy Speak stand-in for Rachel to try and project herself onto.

Let's get the obvious aside - yes, she's basically just another Persephone clone. And by extension that does, in a really messed up way, make her another Rachel clone, but instead of serving the DDLG function of satisfying Rachel's weird but obvious hyperfixation on being a sugar baby (i.e. Persephone) she instead serves the function of being a holier than thou "I'm gonna recite self-help advice that doesn't actually apply to your situation" person, in the same vein as people who use Twitter as their handbook for catch-all moral behavior. Y'know the word... virtue signalling.

I think where Daphne first started to fall apart for me was her first serious interaction with Thanatos, and this is one that gets called out a lot. Daphne is talking about her issues trying to get Apollo's validation, and Thanatos is mentioning how upset he is over Persephone getting special treatment from Hades, when we get THIS little schpeel:

I'm sorry to break it to y'all, but she is NOT being insightful here. She's basically telling Thanatos what Rachel wants to say to her audience - "stop caring so much that Hades is a creepy old man taking advantage of a 19 year old girl in a corporate setting where there's obvious special treatment at play - you're supposed to ship them dammit!"

Neither do we, Thanatos, neither do we.

But think about it. Thanatos is an employee of Hades, one we've found out through both previous and future interactions is often berated and mistreated by Hades (retconned to be Daddy Issues, okay Rachel...) whose job is literally affected by internships, the same way it is in most corporate settings. Internships are incredibly competitive positions, ESPECIALLY in massive mega-corporate settings like the one run by the King of the Dead. There were undoubtedly more people way more qualified for the job. Especially considering little miss Persephone doesn't even know how to operate a computer.

No, you're not required to already 'know' everything during an internship, but there's a reason most internships are only open to students with some kind of transcript showing they're familiar with the work that's being expected of them. Persephone has NONE of that here, AFAIK she's in school for biochem, she has no experience managing shades or even turning on a bloody computer, and here she is, hired to work a job that she has no connection to or interest in besides Hera telling her to (which idk why Hera's even able to do that considering it's not her domain) and the money. Which she shouldn't even be receiving but does because of Hades favoring her for being cute.

I've seen a myriad of Daphne-like defenses of this, stating "well Thanatos is the God of the Dead, his job isn't necessarily affected by Persephone so he shouldn't give a shit."

Except he literally sits next to her.

If you've ever worked in a corporate setting or any kind of industry that utilizes internship programs, you very likely also know what it's like to get an intern who's clearly been hired due to favoritism or nepotism or some other bullshit reason that has nothing to do with the job itself. Intern or not, the skill level of other employees can and will affect your own job. If Persephone fucks up, that could mean problems for Thanatos, Minthe, and other employees under Hades' care. And Thanatos/Minthe/etc. should NOT have to be responsible for carrying her weight or teaching her how to do a job that she should have been qualified for when she got picked.

And, by the way, we can give further credit to Thanatos being bothered by this because we know that Thanatos has been working for Hades for centuries and he's witnesses Hades hire not one, not two, but three employees simply due to being cute or because of some made-up superfluous reason that Hades came up with on the spot. That we know of. Needless to say, HADES HAS A HISTORY OF HIRING PEOPLE ON THE SPOT WITH ZERO REAL QUALIFICATIONS.

(there are some obvious parallels between Persephone and Minthe but we're not gonna get into that in this essay)

Needless to say, if you had a boss who treated you like a doormat despite ABSOLUTELY NEEDING YOU TO MAKE MONEY AT ALL (remember that Thanatos is LITERALLY the god of the dead and Hades is the equivalent of the dead's accountant, Thanatos is not someone who is considered subservient to Hades, if anyone is working for anyone, it's the other way around) and had a history of hiring and firing women for no reason other than wanting to bone them? You'd be pretty pissed too.

And yet here comes Daphne with the oh-so-insightful "wHy dO yOu cArE" schpeel straight from the Twitter Handbook of Life Advice as if Thanatos doesn't stand to have his own job or life compromised by Hades' shitty behavior. Thanatos is fully in the right for raising an eyebrow at his boss - and later established, his father figure - constantly hiring unqualified hot young women to help manage the Underworld.

So that alone had me kind of rolling my eyes at Daphne. She's trying to take some kind of moral high ground without taking a moment in the SLIGHTEST to understand where he's coming from or the context of his situation, even though it's literally what he does for her.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. We ain't done, folks.

Shortly after this, Daphne shows a clear interest in Thanatos but makes it clear she doesn't wanna date him to "fix" him, she wants him to "get his shit together."

This on its own was fine, I'm all for having more female characters who don't date the first guy who gives them empathy.

But then almost IMMEDIATELY afterwards, basically by the time we see her next, she's dating him anyways and goes ahead and says this shit:

Daphne, which is it exactly? Do you have self-respect, or are you seriously gonna try and 'fix' him when you literally just said to him that you weren't gonna be responsible for that? Pick a lane, for the love of god.

Now, once was bad enough, but she literally does it again in Episode 217. When Hades shows up to speak to Thanatos (in an attempt to find Hypnos) and Thanatos obviously IMMEDIATELY writes him off (as he should!) and Daphne just ?? stomps on Thanatos' boundaries entirely? ??

AND THEN SHE HAS THE NERVE

TO TWITTER SPEAK AT HADES

TELLING HIM TO LISTEN AND VALUE THANATOS' FEELINGS

AS IF SHE'S NOT COMPLETELY DISMISSING THANATOS' FEELINGS JUST TO TAKE SOME SUPERFLUOUS MORAL HIGHGROUND-

Man, seriously, fuck Daphne. If Persephone is Rachel's messed up way of having some kink fantasy self-insert, then Daphne is Rachel's equally messed up way of having her moral high ground talk-at-the-audience self-insert.

But hoo boy, that brings us to Persephone, Hades, and the inversion of their relationship juxtaposed against Daphne and Thanatos. This is that "once you see it" thing y'all have been waiting for.

And that begins once you ask yourself, who do Daphne and Thanatos remind you of?

Oh. Right.

Pink nymph-like character from the Mortal Realm with flowing hair who acts like they're better than everyone else and constantly gets away with shitty behavior? Check.

Blue/grey cthonic god with dominion over the dead, mommy/daddy issues, and banging Minthe? Check.

Obvious gap in how the two people in the relationship are presented, treated, and behave in LO's class system compared to everyone around them? Check.

Borderline toxic relationship dynamic in which one plays the Daddy Dom role and another plays the Little Girl role? Oh yeah, check.

But in Daphne and Thanatos' case, it's inverted.

Persephone is presented as a naive, in-over-her-head character who gets into a relationship with someone who speaks on her behalf and makes a lot of decisions for her.

And here we have Thanatos, a naive, in-over-his-head character who gets into a relationship with someone who speaks on his behalf and makes decisions for him- oop.

Daphne and Thanatos may as well just be Rachel's excuse to keep drawing Persephone x Hades fluff without it being Persephone x Hades fluff.

Same petty, tone deaf virtue-signaling dialogue. Same pink x blue aesthetic. Same roles in the comic's established class system. Same character arc that's reduced to being nothing more than a #metoo victim of assault from a man (the same man no less) all just to push their love interests' character arc and make them look better by comparison. Same creepy, toxic DDLG undertones projected from a creator who's proven to be into these power-imbalanced controlling relationship dynamics.

Daphne isn't 'empowering'. She's not 'mature.' She's yet another Rachel projection - Persephone but not Persephone - to talk at the audience with generic Therapy Speak while refusing to uphold the very virtues she's signaling. It's not a good thing that her greatest contribution to the plot was being another victim of Apollo.

The proof is all there. If you've still got a hint of doubt, look no further than the newest FastPass preview for Episode 219.

That's all I'm gonna say on that.

[darkfictionjude]

Etymology nonnie here!

Now I've come to speak about O, your heavenly stars! (OYHS).

First thing first, I didn't expect for you to release the demo while I was living my cursed fic writer experience realness (although I only have published a one shot in ao3, so I don't know if I qualify). Although I should have expected it, since you did release EC quite soon after it's announcement. But, ce la vie! Nothing can be done about it.

Also, I didn't expect for my Skylark to die before I even got to name him. Yet I don't mind, since I really enjoy the idea of having our neighbor discover everything about us after we die. It does give the IF some ambiguity that is always delightful to play with in fiction. After all, we always will have some doubt about how things truly happened, or if they happened at all.

Speaking of ambiguity, while I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to decide how Skylark was as a neighbor, I also appreciate how clever it is. After all, by establishing that Skylark was a recluse it does allow for some speculation from our part, as well as freedom for the future characterization of the character.

For example, I immediately conceived the idea of my Skylark ending up alone either because the romance with one of the RO's didn't work out (so far I'm debating if going for Greer or Jack); or because it did work out, but the RO died some years ago, and Skylark is so heartbroken he is just going by the motions until the day he dies.

Also, I do like the name ideas you provided. I was thinking about going with one of my own. Either Alonzo (nickname Lonnie), since it was surprisingly common name at the time and it reminds me of both Imre and an old crush I had years ago; or Philip (nickname Pip), because it's a princely name, the nickname is cute, and it does fit the surname Skylark very nicely (In my opinion). Yet, from the options given, I ended up choosing Richard for the moment, since it's I name I do like (even more so after reading Fallen Hero, even if there it's Ricardo instead of Richard), but also because the nickname Dick feels oddly accurate to a gay man (and it makes me think of Nightwing, even if it does have nothing to do with this IF... One day we'll get the Superhero IF, I hope). I'm still not sure if I'll stick with Richard, since I really do like the options I was considering, but that's for me to resolve. In this case I didn't have to worry much about etymology anyway, since for the most part I just went with what was popular the decade Skylark was born in the US (and I don't feel the need to fit as with the elaborate and unusual names of the Crowns, or the Italian based ones of the EC IF).

Finally, my question is about this: why did you choose the frame of the story to be a fan telling a neighbor about Skylark's life? Did you consider doing some sort of documentary/biography instead? Was it always your plan to begin with a Prologue that involves the death of Skylark, or did you consider a more chronological approach at some point?

So yeah the reason I made Sky a recluse is inspired by the real stars of the golden age. So many stories of these stars from an era gone by who leave the public eye completely and barely leave their home. I guess why that is. Maybe they are tired of being spectacles or maybe they don’t want to face a world that’s forgotten them. I wonder what sky’s reason is…

So initially I wanted the game to start with sky’s childhood but it felt so… common? And then I started thinking about how we enlarge and deify and mythologize great stars of the past but we stop seeing them as normal people who just happened to become famous. What calliope knows they know from movies, interviews and rumour. It’s distorted and perhaps at times exaggerated. It contradicts what you can see as you play

I didn’t want to do a biography because most of the things that happened, Sky wouldn’t want to be known, especially things concerning their birth. It wouldn’t be a true biography and I like the mystery surrounding them within the game. Plus the super fan telling a neighbor what’s up, seemed so intimate and just nice to me. It’s just two people, no agenda, talking about someone they both didn’t really know. Also I wanted Sky to be dead already as a way to differentiate it from the other two games, one starts with an ancestor and the other one Luce might or might not be dead

[thenewfuture]

Worthiness...

(Part 1)

Future Foundation HQ, Science Lab...

Haaaaaaaahhhh.... *Seiko is seen mixing chemicals in a beaker upon a countertop...*

Okay..... Test number....E-Eighteen.... C-careful now... *Seiko slowly turns the beaker to pour a drop onto a glass cylinder on the counter containing another type of liquid it seems...*

*Dwoop*

.............

*......Fizzzzzz......*

Hhheeeeennngghhh....! Noooo, no no no no....! *The drop Seiko poured appeared to spread around the cylinder, but then was overcome by the preexisting liquid in the glass. Completely consuming it...*

Hhhaaaahhhh...Hhhhhhaaaaaaaaahhhh! N-Not again....! Wh-Why can't I figure this ooooouuuut...!

The poison...it keeps completely overtaking it. Can I....r-really do this....?

Will I just continue to....s-screw up again....?

------------------------------------

*Flashback....1 Year into the Tragedy....*

........

...........

........................

*BeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeep!*

Hhhwaaaahh...! NO! No no no no no, come ooooon!

*Pant, pant, pant* Live, LIVE, LIIIIIVE! YOU HAVE TOOOOO....! PLEEEEASE!

*Seiko is seen to be a small hospital tent, tending to a small boy. His heartbeat is monitored to be extremely rapid, and although Seiko tries to resuscitate him....*

*.............Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep*

Hhhhaaaaaaaa.......Uuuurrrrrggghhhhhh.....

.......I'm sorry, Seiko.....

Wooooow Seiko. Sure living up to your talent, aren't you? Can't even save a kid like that.

Uuuuurrrggghhhh....

Ruruka! Have some tact! He just died, don't speak ill of the porr thing like that!

Oh you misunderstand. It truly is a depressing thing. I'm not speaking ill of him....

Mmmmm.... *Ruruka is seen nearby sitting in a chair, with Sonosuke beside her as she feeds him sweets*

I'm just saying I'm disappointed in Seiko for failing like that. I mean the Foundation expects a lot of their Branch Heads.

And it seems like Seiko just isn't up to snuff. Maybe she should step back and quit. I mean she wasn't very confident in her own talent evaluation back then that she had to sabotage mine after all.

I.....*pant*.....told you.....*pant*....I didn't......*pant*...cause that....

Seiko, dear. Don't speak. Rest up for now, you've done a lot these past few hours.

Back to you Ruruka. The Foundation also expects us to get along and work together during times like these. How can you expect us to stop these outbreaks and despair if you keep fighting your allies instead?

Hey hey hey, chill out, Blueberry. I'm right there with ya on stopping these no-good Remnants punks. But even you have to admit that this Foundation is really fishy in certain areas.

Like you've seen the new recruit Tenten. Acting all high and mighty while being a short-stack. And she's not even qualified for her own Branch as far as talent is concerned. There couldn't be a better mismatch! I have a feeling some foul play was issued to get her involved here.

You think she paid her way in?

No, but given her height I definitely think she's at the very least offered Kyosuke a-

AAAAAAHHH!

Hm?! *SHING!* *Sonosuke jumps up brandishes his weapons at Tenten*

....For the record if you're gonna kill me, aim the knife at my neck, I can counter head strikes easily with this thing.

Tenten! Wh-When did you show up...?

Just now. Kyosuke asked me to come in here and check the status of the antiserum, plus I needed to get an exact number on the victims in this incident just in case.

[xiaq]

(this can be answered publicly) Hey X, pardon me if you’ve answered this before, but I was just curious on how you ended up transitioning from academia to tech and what role you started with in tech? Also, so you have any advice for someone looking to break into tech from a non-STEM background? Thank you!

Hey! I haven't answered it publicly but it's a popular question, so I will now (warning, long answer is long).

So I was so fed up with academia for sundry reasons I won't get into here but I wanted a career that would allow me to A. retire some day (something that paid generally well), B. would allow me some measure of work/life balance without high stress, and C. Would ideally let me use my communication/writing/speaking/presenting skills in some way.

My parents and my partner all work in tech and were like, "did you know that we desperately need people with your skillsets in the tech world?" and my partner, who works in technical sales was like, "You would kill at my job, I am not lying." And I was like, every job listing in technical sales that I see requires either a degree I don't have or past experience I don't have, or both, and my mother was like "Do you know how many mediocre resumes from unqualified men come across my desk? Apply for the damn positions anyway." So I reworked my resume to focus on applicable skills/experiences and wrote a cover letter for each position I applied to saying "hey, I know I'm an odd candidate but let me tell you why that's a good thing." And I got a lot of positive responses!

I was interviewing at 2 different tech places when I accepted the offer for my job now. I had an initial screening call interview with HR, then a zoom interview with the hiring manager, and then I was given access to a limited demo environment and had a week to teach myself the software and put together a demo for a fake customer which I did for the hiring manager (my future boss), one of my current peers, and the VP of the org. I was offered the job the same night I did my fake demo. So in total it was a 2 week interview process, and I started working 2 weeks later. **

I'm a pre-sales solutions consultant, which basically means I'm paired with a sales guy who does all the money and business value talk with customers, while I get to learn about a customer's data problems and then demo for them how our products can address those problems.

The learning curve was (and still is) steep. But it was basically like going back to school, and I've always loved learning new things. The job is super fun. It fulfills all of my wants I listed above with the added bonus of being completely remote (aside from occasional travel to meet with customers for in-person demos). The people I work with are supportive, management is communicative and constantly giving me feedback/talking about my trajectory. I've won internal awards, already received two raises and one promotion and I haven't even been there a year. I'm making more than double what I did as a professor and the concept of retirement doesn't feel like a laughable pipe dream anymore. I miss teaching a lot, but I'm healthier, happier, and better prepared for the future now. And my work is genuinely fulfiling because I'm showing people how they can fix problems. Also, playing with data management software and putting together custom demos is neat. It's like all the best parts of a college project--research, making a preso, knocking everyone's socks off while giving the preso, but I'm getting paid for it. I'm glad I followed my mom's advice.

So I guess my advice is the same as hers: even if you're not "qualified," apply for the position anyway. Make custom cover letters for each position and if there's not a way to include the letter with the app, do some googling and find the hiring manager on LinkedIn and message/email them. The person who hired me said that my cover letter was what got me the initial interview. So that shit works. If you have friends or family working somewhere with open positions, use those connections. Having an internal referral will go a long way to getting your resume looked at. I know we're all like, boo nepo babies, but networking is a huge part of any industry. Use it to your advantage if you have the advantage (no, I'm not working for my parent's companies, but if there'd been an open position I was interested in, I would have applied for it. No shame).

**I also, on the side, applied for the Austin Fire Department because why not. After a whole lot of mental and physical prep, I was accepted to the academy (in the first class, no less, holla) right before I was offered my current job. But I had to be realistic and say that probably wasn't a good long-term career option for someone who is 110lbs and was barely meeting the physical testing requirements who also has issues with getting overwhelmed in high-input sensory situations. So. Into the tech world I went. This side note just to say, I was keeping my options very open and there's nothing wrong with that either, lol.

I hope this helps!

[blingblong55]

Can I ask why you dont like her? (Brittany)

(Please ignore this if you dont feel comfortable)

this is my opinion, my views and if you dont like it, you can happily leave :) It's long...I know

I just sent this exact reason to a friend so I’m copying and pasting what I texted her but with more context

Alr here it goes, to me she’s become a hypocrite. Sometime ago she had said that people should talk about any cause that deserves attention. (BLM or what is happening in Palestine for example) When she was asked to speak about what is happening in Palestine, she made a comment on her close friends that left me annoyed with her. It annoyed me bc I was such a huge fan of her and the way she said that her voice as a white woman wouldn’t matter to the conversation of Gaza made me mad. Just educating someone about something as tragic as what is happening is so important, she has a huge platform and her voice could reach more people, it can help. She can't claim to be an activist when she picks what she can and can't talk about, white privilege shit. She set the standard for herself, this is not me just hating. She said she cares about what is happening but associated with people like that Ethan guy from the H3 podcast, he's a zionist! It's so sad to know that someone I supported is just putting an act, she's performing for us and her so called activism.

She always says that how dare we or anyone that has a platform for that matter, stay silent or not use our platforms to speak about what is happening, the injustice that we see or that others are going through. I'm not making it up. She cries and rants on camera about human rights, she preaches about this but doesn't say shit when we need her to speak up? be for real girl

I know you or others could be fans of her and hate me for my opinions but know this; If a man would stay silent during women's suffrage, like in America with abortion getting banned, would we not be mad at him? would we understand that he isn't qualified because he is a man? we as women would be mad, upset and disappointed that he didn't back us up, so why let her stay silent? a man doesn't know shit about women's reproductive health, and maybe she doesn't know much about what is happening to Palestinians, but why are we allowing her to just sit back and not speak up about this?

The war doesn't affect her but it affects people who are her fans, strangers, children, mothers, fathers and the future of that country, so why stay silent?

Maybe to her or any person who doesn't go through social injustice doesn't see the importance in this. But the next time you see a father or mother carry their dead child, the one that should've seen more of life, think about those who stayed silent and didn't make this a bigger deal, that because of them, we can't do much because our voices are smaller compared to theirs.

On another note, she, to me is the kind of person to speak nicely to you but hate you to others. The Tana and Brittany thing, I get it, tana is controversial but so is that Ethan guy and that other Theo dude. She keeps appearances when it comes to sitting down and talking with other women who yes, tana is an ableist and all but look at those two other men. Ethan, a zionist, Theo a misogynist. The only reason why she posted on her TikTok about the whole Palestine thing, which I'm sure she wasn't happy about, is because someone recorded her close friends and people saw it, got mad at her and she had to backpedal like Watcher. (their shit isn't as serious as her imo)

Hate me all you want but don't you dare say I'm not a girls girl. I am but I also don't support women or men who are hypocrites.

Remember she said this when she was asked to speak about the genocide, "It's dystopian that I have to speak on this", yeah...no thank you girl

I'll end my rant with this, "If you have a platform, and you have people's ear, you have their attention, how dare you not speak about the things that matter." Brittany Broski

[spotsupstuff]

Hmm that White “Lady” sure is giving the place an Aftertaste of Disdain.

It’s interesting that you’ve got two kinds of ‘spirits staying in the world’, with echos being unable to leave it behind after the void bath, and ghosts also not being able to leave behind things from life.

👉👉 eyyyy

the Void stuff is so extremely unnatural to the world, the supernatural is connected to the spiritual and the oc stuff is taking place in Europe (with thoughts given to the rich amount of culture and folklore here)- that's three or four strikes for "oh this place is in dire need of some fucked up ghost and folklore stuff, me thinks" gjlskdgjlk

the Echoes give me a vibe of some extreme and specific ghost situation. by all means, they could qualify as ghosts and referring to them as such i think is correct no matter the interpretation, sounds canonical. but i feel like a big part of them is that they are spiritually torn apart and that is what keeps them in the world

while a Ghost is a whole spirit chained to the world by unfinished business, an Echo is a shredded portion of a spirit stuck in all times and space at the same time. it's not the whole individual, not the whole sound of it, it's just that reverbation, a trace in the dirt, shoe lost in river's mud

i imagine that the Void does actually send an Ancient into Nirvana, but the purity of them still matters a lot because that which is impure cannot be send there alongside them so it lingers. doesn't mean that the individual that passes on is some sort of idealized pure version of the original living person, the bad is still part of them. it's like when someone gets their heart torn out- it doesn't Kill them immediately, they are left gaping at the hole or the displaced organ, unable to comprehend or panicking. the other part of the Echoes are stuck in this state of confused, hurt incompleteness. so just a bad deal for every piece of the guy

oh! the "scattered across time and space" is why i'm planning to make all Echoes speak like this

past, present, future, it's all the same to them while a ghost is connected to present but is disconnected from the ongoing life of the living, sometimes going into something like a coma, that the ghost feels/sounds like it's still stuck in the past

☝ Ko knows he's in a different time than the one he originally lived in, that his story is a legend because all characters of it have been dead for a while now, but he has no idea how long it's been or what the Fuck this sentient toaster next to him actually is (he's just settling for "a very weird complicated person stuck in a box damn i guess i kinda relate. might be on some sort of overcomplicated life support??? maybe.")