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babykisses · 9 months

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Complete Guide : How to looksmax & drastically improve your appearance

Looksmaxing refers to the practice of enhancing one's physical appearance through various methods like grooming, skincare, fitness, etc. It's about YOU and feeling the need to constantly remind yourself that you can be better. In this guide, I’m sharing with you ridiculously specific tips to drastically improve your appearance.

body language

Being beautiful is not only about having big lips and a striking jawline. No, it's about the feeling you give to other people, about your energy. Furthermore, it's about how you have embodied your energy. The only way you can embody this truly, is by accepting your authentic energy.

· make eye contact

· keep your head up

· don’t play with your jewelry

· be extremely, obnoxiously confident

· stand up straight, push your shoulders back slightly and open up your chest

· smile more often, it will make you look more charismatic & happy, so you will appear more attractive, as many say “be happy and you will be beautiful”

diet

Proper nutrition plays a crucial role in transforming your skin from the inside out. By eating a balanced diet that is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, you can help to maintain healthy, glowing skin. You will not only look your best, but also feel your best. Your diet should look like this :

· low carb

· low sugar

· 3L of water daily

· lots of veggies & fruit

· high protein, fibre & potassium

· only eat organic grass-fed meat (for meat)

· 3 Brazilian nuts a day, they improve your skin health & hair health

· ginger shots, a combination of ginger, freshly squeezed lemon juice & water or coconut water. The health benefits of ginger shots include : decreasing inflammation, calming indigestion, and boosting immunity. Keep in mind that ginger shots are meant to be drunk all at once as a quick shot. Be careful not to drink more than one shot a day since too much ginger can cause heartburn.

makeup

· keep it natural, don’t overdo it and remember, less is more

· curl your lashes & mascara (Dior iconic overcurl is my fave mascara!!)

· contour & bronze cheeks (Chanel bronzer 395)

· wear skin tint, NOT foundation. Less is more.

· sublte white highlight on the inner corner (I recommend dior glow palette) DO NOT grab a white pencil and think it does the job. It doesn’t. It will make you look tacky.

· black or brown liner on the upper waterline

· blend your skin tint in with your hand, then go in bak with a damp beauty blender for a flawless finish

· for a natural eye lift effect, draw a line (with a skin coloured pencil) from your outer crease all the way to the temple & blend in a sculpted effect

lashes & brows

Facial harmony is important to the face, and your eyebrows need to work well with all of your face.

For face harmony ask the eyebrow tech this: the eyebrow arch of the eyebrow should be aligned with the upper orbital rim of your eye, reaching it’s highest point slightly lateral to the outer edge of the iris.

For the length the eyebrow should start at a point above the inner corner of the eye and end diagonally from the outer corner of the eye, extending slightly past it.

Also the thickness of the eyebrows should be balanced and in proportion to your facial features.

Ask to maintain thick eyebrows if you do and ask to get it if you don't. Thick eyebrows are good because thicker eyebrows are preferred for a more youthful appearance like you're still in your 20s. Think of an example as Brooke Shields.

Also the distance between the eyebrows should be approximately equal to the width of one eye.

Furthermore the overall shape of the eyebrows should complement your face natural contours, and tell them to take into account your facial structure and features.

Also, your tech needs to be well skilled and knowledgeable to even know these. So I highly recommend going to a very qualified professional in order to get your brows done. At the end of the day, it’s like you’re giving your beauty in their hands. You alternatively do it at home, remember to be precise.

· get fuller brows : brow serum, micro blading, brow pencil, etc.

· grow out your eyelashes with a mix of aloe vera & castor oil (apply as a serum) or use a lash serum (I recommend Latisse)

· dark brows & lashes are more attractive, in order to darken them here’s some advice :

solutions to darken brows & lashes

· brow tint & eyelash tint

· hybrid dye : lasts up to 7 weeks on the hairs & 10 days on the skin

· tint : lasts up to 4 weeks on the hairs & 3 days on the skin

· brow pommade & brow pencil

skin

· in order to achieve your perfect skin tone, eat more carotenoids.

what are carotenoids?

Carotenoids are yellow, orange & red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, corn, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, salmon, shrimp, kale, broccoli, cantaloupe, papaya, mangoes, oranges, bell peppers, watermelon, apricots, tangerines.

(In summary they are brightly colored fruits and vegetables)

So make sure to include these foods into your diet. If you want a shorter list of the foods that are the highest in carotenoids :

spinach, kale, corn, oranges, bell peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, broccoli, carrots.

· get custom spray tan

· get laser hair removal (don’t forget to shave before your appointment)

· smile line removal : volufiline

· for clear skin, STOP eating sugar & dairy

· drink CELERY JUICE everyday for glowing skin

· a rich moisturizer, spf & a good diet is all you need

· it is better to get a real tan, not fake tanner

· laser mole removal

· to prevent ageing, you should SPF every single day, never use tanning beds, never smoke, use a retinoid nightly, wash your makeup off & maintain a skincare routine

· stay hydrated: drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated help maintain healthy, hydrated & plump skin

lips

Brushing your lips with a toothbrush. Brushing lips with a toothbrush each day can temporarily increase lip fullness. The brushing may stimulate blood circulation in the lips, leading to temporary redness and slight swelling. This increased blood flow can create the appearance of fuller lips for a short period. Brushing the lips with a toothbrush can help exfoliate the surface layer of dead skin cells, promoting smoother and potentially plumper looking lips, removing the buildup of dead skin cells.

· lip liner (love the Charlotte Tilbury liner & MAC lip pencil)

· ombré lips effect

· keep them plump & glossy

· if you want to whiten your teeth I suggest you get professional teeth whitening or use whitening teeth strips (if you have sensitive teeth, make sure to buy the right kind because you risk damaging the area)

get rid of face fat & bloating

Bloating significantly impacts your appeal by concealing the underlying bone structure, which plays a crucial role in defining the contours of your face.

Without well-defined bone structure, your facial features appear less distinct & with a rounder appearance, and it becomes challenging to achieve the desired prominent cheek bone effect.

This is probably the simplest way to get the perfect jawline ; all you have to do is massage your face regularly. A good massage will boost blood circulation and tone your facial structure. Make sure to start massaging from the bottom to the top, to prevent sagging. In case you’re asking yourself if this really works, believe it does. Stay consistent.

Even though you will hear many people say that 5-6 hours of sleep is sufficient for them, it isn’t enough to look your best. Without 8-10 hours of sleep, your body will start looking tired, and your face will look bloated and fluffy.

· avoid SALT & SUGAR & CARBS

Why? Because salt, sugar & carbohydrates each have distinct effects on your body that contribute to bloating. Refined carbohydrates, as well as excessive sugar intake (particularly added sugars that convert into glucose), can cause blood sugar spikes and subsequently lead to bloating. These substances, such as sugar (glucose), have the ability to draw water from your body or hinder its proper absorption.

· eat POTASSIUM (spinach, kale, sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, spinach, tomatoes, watermelon)

· do intermittent fasting

· rub an ice cube on your skin in the morning, as ice tightens your skin and helps reduce puffiness.

· drink 3L of water daily

It is very important to prioritize the consumption of a substantial amount of water every day. Water plays a vital role in flushing out sodium from the body, effectively reducing sodium levels. Also, water intake helps regulate the body's water balance, preventing unnecessary water retention that can lead to facial bloating and puffiness.

· do face massages

· contour & bronze your cheeks

· mewing : smile with closed mouth and swallow, don’t force your tongue. It’s about keeping your tongue in the correct position at all times. There is also a bunch of videos on YouTube.

IN SUMMARY

· working out

· intermidate fasting and calorie deficit

· drink a ton of water

· try to eat less salt, sugar, carbs

· eat more potassium (bananas, potatoes...)

· rub an ice cube on your skin

hair

· Kerastase shampoo & conditioner and dyson for styling

· when doing a high ponytail or bun, don’t forget to slick back your baby hairs around your ears

· rinse your conditioner with cold water

(locks in the moisture, makes your hair look smooth, shiny & reduces frizz)

· use a scalp massager 5 minutes

(stimulates & exfoliates the scalp)

· do Aloe Vera hair masks

· use homemade rosemary oil

· microfibre towel - dries your hair x2 faster plus it is so much better than a regular towel! Why? Microfibre treats your hair with care to help prevent frizziness

· add coffee to your shampoo (stimulates and exfoliates the scalp). It’s a great alternative to scalp scrubs

· rice water rinse twice a week

body

The ideal waist to hip ratio backed by science is 0.6. The target 0.6 ratio is ideal and is genetic, so don't blame yourself if your natural physique doesn't fit it. Enhancing it to 0.6 requires hard work & surgery, implants if you're not naturally gifted. 0.6 is ideal and 0.7 is average. It's bone structure / genetic, if you're already slim and don't have 0.6 it's not your fault. You can only get the desired (0.6) by surgery or possibly by extreme diet if you don't have it genetically.

Our bodies as women influences the type of men we attract. You attract and get chased by higher quality, financially well and genetically attractive men. It's because slimness is associated with elegance, higher class and higher social status. It also signals good health and youthfulness and that you respect your body enough to keep it healthy.

Capture body images

Take photos from the front, side, and back angles, along with a face selfie. This step is crucial and can serve as a powerful source of inspiration in the future when you feel demotivated or lose interest.

Measure your weight

I strongly recommend stepping on the scale on day one, the day you genuinely embark on your weight loss journey. This will be another significant step as it helps establish your starting point and, as you make progress, serves as motivation to keep going.

Develop a plan

Whether your plan is to follow a diet (ketogenic diet & intermittent fasting), to get a gym membership or to buy a scale : reflect on your goals and determine what you want to achieve such as how much you want to lose weight. You need to make a plan that you can fully commit to. And get it done.

Portion control

Although what you eat does matter, its about how much of it you eat. You’re going to consume smaller portions of whatever food, but make sure your plate is smaller because it’s all about calorie deficit. Also try to limit snacking as such as you can, because it’s not a little bar that’s going to make you any fuller. For 15 minutes maybe, but at at what cost? Eat proper meals (in smaller plates). But if you really have trouble with restricting yourself to a smaller plate I advise you to eat foods that are voluminous but low in calories. For example one cookie (15g) is small & thin, filled with 150 calories. But on the other hand, 1 kg of lettuce is 150 calories. See the difference? Same calories but different amount.

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bettyshoweduptotheparty · 7 months

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what's your wildest clown theory right now? ;)

What qualifies as 'wild'? 😉

If you mean, what theory keeps my brain twisting in knots the most, then it's the current possibility of 1989tv being some sort of double album drop. With the constant colour alternation of blue and black recently, I know most people assume it's reputation. And that would be the most obvious conclusion, but I have so many more questions, it literally keeps me up at night.

Like, why the heck is 1989 on this wall twice, once in white and once in black??

The only other thing that's on there twice is obviously Karma, and notably also in two different colours. One of them being orange, the very same colour that Taylor randomly changed her lover nail on tour to:

March to June: pink ⬇ July-August: orange ⬇

You can't tell me she just ran out of pink nail polish, everything is for a reason with this woman, especially when she's meticulously painted her nails the eras colours for EVERY single show, except 7/7 when they were all purple for Speak Now tv release. WHY TAYLOR??

Reputation on the wall also has the number 2024 in it, so if it was coming as a double drop before the end of the year, was that just a red herring? It would also break the 112 day pattern... so while I see all the rep hints and snakes, I think something is off with it just being reputation sooner than we think.

But if we think back to when this Karma album theory started, it was right in between 1989 and reputation era. The big supposed hint was the TS6 plane in the LWYMMD mv that gets grounded and then spray painted to be reputation instead. So, if anything, Karma was going to be some form of TS6, so why the hell did she change her 7th finger to orange and not the 6th one?? I really have no idea, but it brings me to my other big rumination of this year, which is the visuals from the Eras tour, and there is one other overlap of that karma origin era of 2016 with the lover era and that is when she burns the lover house during the 1989 set. I did a whole theory post on it, but basically, the lover house gets a bit charred during the lover set, and then she brings it back hours later during the final song of the 1989 set to be completely obliterated by blue flames. BUT, while the house burns with blue flames first, it then suddenly changes to red/orange fire before it collapses:

So the most iconic thing to come out of the Lover era gets destroyed by 1989...The blue flames were definitely a choice. But then why not just let it burn down in blue flames? The colour change is also a choice. The final death of the lover house is orange...whatever that means. But it does somewhat support the double drop theory: 1989 (blue) unexpectedly changes to orange. So could the double album be 1989 and karma? Tbh, I don't think karma was ever a full 'lost' album. We got reputation only a year later, that wouldn't have been enough time to write a whole new album, so I think some of these songs are actually on reputation, in one form or another. I've often joked with a friend that karma is just reputation but with all female pronouns to make our Karlie stan album what it deserves to be 😆😁 (for the record, I don't think that's it either but it wouldn't surprise me if Taylor tried to put some of these songs out with female pronouns and was told no. There's a reason that the last ever song she recorded with Big Machine was getaway car...And fun fact: the first ever song released under her new label was what? ME! out now, on...you guessed it, Lesbian Visibility Day 😉).

I know we now have a song called karma and believe me, that little giggle when she announced that song title in MMWM will haunt me forever, that woman is enjoying playing with us! So do I think the karma album theory is dead? Not sure, but maybe we will get some more of those songs as vault tracks on 1989 and rep tv, that was, after all, the time they originated from. Or, if I'm totally wrong with all of this, we may get a 1989/rep tv double drop after all and karma will be TS11, just like karma is track 11 on midnights. Who knows...? What I am excited about is that we're now crossing over to the left side of the Man wall and that's certainly looking juicy. Can't wait for rep tv, whenever it's coming. The reality of a new cover makes me nervous though and I think given the lore around the rep cover, it would make sense if she just dropped it without announcing it two months in advance. It would mirror the OG rep release and also avoid giving us two months to dissect the new cover to find which one of Karlie's body parts she has 'borrowed' this time, because she must be aware that that's what people will be looking for as soon as the cover art drops. So 1989, rep, karma, I think all is on the table, and luckily we won't have to wait that much longer to find out. 🤞

#gaylor #kaylor #1989 tv #reputation tv #anon ask #wild theories

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lobpoints · 7 months

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honestly i’ve recently been brainworming about how even though carmen’s colour is obviously red, in LC her speech box is blue??? both the memories of carmen and angela are just his interpretation of her… i love how on the surface its a hint for the player that they are connected but if you dig deeper it is one of the main reasons he failed w angela!! he only ever knew the version of carmen that existed in his own head, he could never replicate her in her entirety, angela is blue just like his carmen, but his carmen is flawed by design…….

SORRY IF I ANSWER LATE SINCE THIS ASK MAKE ME SIT DOWN AND THINK(TM) A BIT but here are my thoughts on them though it super long and super incoherent since I dont know how to necessary connect points smoothly

On the topic of color coding I actually did talk with my friends a lot on how Carmen's color or at least one that has big impression on Ayin or an indication to their relationship or connection are all red but I didn't know if I was reading too deep in it

For example:

• her eyes

•The red hairband that is said in the artbook to be a present from A

• Bloodbath

And to specifically talk about Bloodbath it is also how Angela offered the manager champagne which resembles the color of her eyes after one of your employee presumably died which is an obvious call back to that one specific passage in Bloodbath but the alcohol that was used in the past scenario was red wine which is the color of Carmen's eyes. I personally interpret this scene as Angela venting her own frustration and despair at the presumingly oblivious manager in the form of her mocking his own sad little story as well

That along with you can see how each sephirot and even including Angela has their own specific color coded letter box that fits their own respective theme while Carmen's is blue which like you said signify her connection to Carmen despite her character color theme have little to do with it and Ayin's color box is red despite his primary color being black and white (additionally I thinks that the way the characters are color coded in LC have to do with their association with respective sephirot in the tree of life in Kabbalah as well but I have not read many researches on this so I cant say for sure im qualified to speak on this topic)

And another thing of the fact that after Angela escaped from her role from lc in lor you actually don't get to see any red accessories or clothing pieces on main her design anymore being not only the red hair band is gone but also the red tie and the red shoes is also a very interesting detail to me and again as seen

I'm still warping my head around what this all mean in full extent and my personal contemplating have me agreeing it does play into Ayin and to an extent Angela's own perception of Carmen that heavily associated with their traumatic association with her seen by how most of the examples I given you here are all extremely emotionally distressing moments or sweet moment that turned distressing/become a bad symbol after bad trauma. Along side with calling to their side of characters that actually resemble and connect to her own. There are parallel to be drawn between Ayin Carmen Angela all together like you once said there are so much Carmen in Angela and Carmen in Ayin and Ayin in Angela and vice versa also literally this

Into the question of Ayin failed with Angela in like, if I understand your question right, is on his attempt to actually create an AI of Carmen out of nothing I personally think that no matter what kind of perception Ayin had of Carmen (though I do agree that it played a part in it) he would still end up with the same type of failed sentient AI because what stopping him from making said AI was not only his own comprehension of Carmen's character but also because he personally view the act itself as something inherently disgusting and morally reprehensible. Abram talking about the making of Sephirot which is the closest to an Angela's creation something only a sick twisted person would do in the main story and Ayin's monolog in Snow Queen saying that Carmen would have been disgusted by him knowing he would do this which indicate that he personally see the act itself as disgusting too. Despite him saying him feeling no guilt here player with full context of the game can immediately deduce like yeah, he was like actively lying to himself about the fact that he feels no guilt in the narration because the whole game is him lying making up scenario for himself in favor of an ultra realization for completion of Carmen's life dream and him being unsure and lying about everything he feels which I personally think would effect his decision in making Angela as well as literally everything he does

(Literally examples for his "I lied, lmao" moment)

And in one QnA where the writer did straight up say that "Ayin simply couldnt and wouldn't make anything resemble Carmen" which can be interpret in a multitude of ways but at the same time PM have not been consistent with their lore answer in QnA in comparison to their plot development as well so take it with a pinch of salt as well. There are many reasons for Ayin to make Angela like That and I have my own personal interpretation of How Ayin Views Carmen personally since many things be affecting his view on her I agree with you but also don't know if you can pinpoint it as the Exact Main Reason to why he failed since not only was he flawed in perceiving Carmen he is flawed in being like, a Committed person along with him being actually very emotionally perceptive of people that he rather just look away from them for his own personal comfort by actively lying to himself about the reality in which he experience along with many other thing

#Im sorry since I feel like Im just speaking in circle tbh since just there are a lot to talk about when it come to #character perceiving other character in LC #it is especially driven to the point of one of the earliest twist in LC and one that persist even after the reveal was that #the way the manager perceive reality is inherently different from how everyone else in the corp perceive in #esp when it come to abc + angela like it makes me feel like #to talk about this I must first talk about this and this make a connection to this and this explain this character which explain this other #character #and then I will just end up talking about LC plot in general all over again #SORRY UNREBLOGGABLE SINCE IM SELF CONSCIOUS

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daphnedauphinoise · 2 years

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Hello Daphne!

How are you? I hope everything is alright. I was invited to an Apple interview for a job and I'm super nervous. What are some resources I could use to prepare?

Hello my love,

First of all congratulations and second of all, lets get into it.

What you need to take? What should you wear?

One of the best ways to combat nervousness is preparation. I am presuming your interview will either be face to face or online and I presume you know the setup. If you don't, learn asap. Look at how you will get there, on time, and check google maps to make sure you know where you are going. I would advise to turn up 30 minutes before your interview. If the building is big, you will need time to find the place and set yourself up. I like to arrive early, find my interviewing place and then go into the bathroom for final check. If the interview is online, make sure you know how to set up the meeting and you have taken measures to make sure you laptop/computer doesn't crash. Also make sure your microphone and camera works.

Prepare you bag, your outfit and your route in advance. Your interview request email should have the names of any documents or proof they require so pack those. Make sure you have a snack, water and mints or gum. And do all this a couple of days in advance.

Again, your interview request should say what they expect you to wear. If you are not sure, pop them an email and ask. What you wear to an interview is dependant on the company and the sector. You wouldn't wear bright colourful prints to a financial office interview as you would for an interview at your local indie art studio. It is always better to be smarter than it is to be casual though. Whatever you wear, make sure you feel good in it as well. Not all white blouses are made equally. I perfer to wear natural makeup and I still to minimal jewellery and clean nails for interviews.

On the day make sure you have some food in you. Listen to some hype music, pamper yourself the day before and even do a power pose for 30 secs to get you into that confidence zone. If you any specific anxities, google up solutions. Deep breathes and affirmations work wonders as well.

The ERIQ way

Your interview research is important. The only time I haven't recieved a job or a placement offer was when I was dragged after school to a 5* hotel for an interview and I was promptly rejected :) . Do not make this mistake I follow the ERIQ rule that I was taught.

The Employer

You need to research the business you are applying to and you need to know beyond the basics. This will demonstrate your interest in the company you are applying to. You need to know what kind of company are they? What have they achieved (major and recent) ? Who are their competitors ? What is the history of the company? What are the value and culture of the company? Any good employee would know this about the company and you want to show them that you are the best potential at being their good employee.

The Role

You need to understand your role. Go back to the job application form and look at the requirements. Make sure you actually do know everything they have asked for you to know. You need to make sure you understand exactly what they need from as a canditate so you can answer interview questions well. Being able to talk about your accomplishments and qualifications (What they are? How you got them? How they help you? etc) is crucial as interviewers want to whether you are a good fit or not. If you are not fully qualified, that is okay. Make sure to highlight your egarness to learn and maybe perhaps show that you have taken the initiative to fix your weak areas.

I want you this a step further. I want you to look into what the company's competitors require for their canditates. Cross check between various jobs and compare what they are all looking for. Make sure you know the ins and outs of your role. I like to write out make a spider-diagram for this. I reccomend you to do this more-so for your own benefit. By looking at various jobs you will not only see if your company is asking too much or too little but it gives an insight to other skills for your role that you can consider learning. I also like going on GlassDoor.com to check salaries and reviews left by previous employees.

The Interviwer

People like flattery and people like talking about themselves and people love being made feel important. Find out as much as you can about your interviewers and this will help create a postive impression of you. The email that asked you to come to the interview should have their names somewhere. Then hop onto LinkedIn and stalk look into them. Try and find as much as you can about them. The company websites usually have mini bios on their employee which can you read to find their personal and professional interests. You will use this information in your interview to get them to like you. Now you do not want to pander because that is messy and uncomfortable, everything you do has to sutble. For example, your interviewer John Apple-Smith asks you, 'When was the last time you were challegened?' but you know from your mini-detective work that John Apple-Smith really likes extreme sports.. it says so on the company website. So you wear a pensive look on your face, you will look slighty to the left ( that is where you look when you are thinking- body language 101 ) and after couple seconds pause you reply that 'last winter your friendship group held a mini winter olympics with where each week you guys would try out a new winter sport. Now you are very afraid of speed so freestyle skiing was very challenging ( Tip! When answering, use words from the question ) because you were very scared. You still haven't gotten over your fear but you did like it and you are looking forward to going up a little bit higher this winter :)'

The Questions

You will need to prepare how will you answer the questions and also equally important, you need to prepare questions for your interviewers. This tiktoker is really good with interview question prep. I highly suggest you look through his tiktoks and make notes. Make sure you have prepared for both generic questions like ' what are your strengths' and out of the blue questions like ' what would you pack for a universe trip?' . You can easily find company specific questions online as well, espcecially for a company is big as Apple. Just search what kind of questions will be asked and work on from there.

This stage is crucial because your interviwers are trying scope out if you are the kind of person they would enjoy working with and in general how would you be as a worker in the company. You will also be asked questions on your qualifications and your previous work related experiences.

You need to be prepare your own questions. As much as it is them interviewing you, by the time you leave that interview you should know whether you actually even want to work there. You can ask about salary or the after work culture.

Tip! Take time to digest the question and if you don't understand the question, be brave and ask for clarification! Let say John Apple-Smith asks you 'When was the last time you were challenged?' and you are not sure if he means in a work enviroment or in your personal life, ask!

If you are lacking confidence your uni/college or a employablity service should have people that can help you practice your interview techniques. If not, grab a friend and roleplay.

Making a good impression

Be on time! I cannot stress this enough. Be on time! Infact this is more for you than it is for the interview. Being late makes you feel panicky and you are more likely to be stressed and flustered.

Be polites and cordial. Be nice to everyone you meet as you enter the front door. Smile, make good contact and remember your manners.

Watch your body language. Straighten up your posture, hold you head high. When giving handshakes, make sure it a firm but gentle shake. Do not figdet and do not rush your words.

Keep your answers clear and concise. When asked about your personal life, stray away from gossip and any personal details. Don't go off on tangents and keep things simple.

After the interview

As soon as an interview finishes, I wap out my phone and type into my notes app how it went. I write down questions that took me off guard or questions I answered particularly well. I also note down what I thought of the company and if I would like to work there. On my way back home, I like to draft a thank you email which I send before 24 hrs after my interview.

There are only really three outcomes from an interview:

Acception - Yay! Congrats! Well done for getting in. Take some time before signing the job and make sure you can talk and clarified any issues like salary.

Rejection- In my head there is no rejection. I either get accpeted or I learn. Rejection is redirection. It is okay to be rejected. Send them a thank you email (again) and ask for feedback so you can imporve for your next interview.

Futher Steps- Usually the interview is the last step but for some companies they might ask for interview round 2 or test so prepare for those.

I really hope this helps. There is this masterlist as well if you need any more guidance and remember google is free. Search up any tiny questions you have, whatever pust you to ease. I hope it goes well for you, come back and tell us. You've got this babygirl!

Daphne xoxo

#you ask for daphne's answer #levelling up #level up #levelling up journey #hypergamy #hypergamblr #daphne's tips

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corinne-eaglebridge-sso · 4 months

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🐴👥👕 for the character asks!

🐴 [HORSE] -> Since Jorvik is the 'Island of Horses', does your Original Character own/ride a horse? Do they even know how to ride, or could they not care less about horses? If they own a horse, what breed and name?

Corinne owns several horses, and has soulbonded with several of them! Her "main" soul horse, if she had to qualify that, would be Masha, a senior NSH mare.

Zoe owns Kieron, a Jorvik Wild stallion! They just immediately clicked, although the road to him becoming a perfect ranger horse was a long one.

Justin matched Athena to Paladin, a Jorvik Warmblood gelding!

Elaina owns Velvet, an older English Thoroughbred mare.

Feya owns Lunabelle, a Jorvik Warmblood mare.

Everlee owns Memoria, a Friesian mare!

Alou does not own a horse - they don't have the funds or time to keep one, especially since they keep travelling around. They do keep snacks for other's horses around though!

👥 [TWO PEOPLE] -> Has your Original Character formed any special bonds on Jorvik? Be it romantic, platonic, or a third secret option. Who have they bonded with?

Oh boy oh boy let me introduce you to the OC polycule!

Corinne, Elaina, Everlee, Zoe, Feya - and in the future, Athena - are all in a polycule together with a big range of different relationship types! Corinne is queerplatonic with all of them, but getting into detail on each of them would take. A lot. (and also I haven't got a full grip on it yet - I need to make a relationship web I think)

They are, of course, also all soulbonded to their horses. That counts as a special bond, right?

Alou is not currently in a relationship, but they do have their eye on a certain miscreants merch stallholder...

👕 [SHIRT] -> What does your Original Characters style of clothing look like? Does their closet show what group they belong to - e.g. how the BobCats all wear their signature pink club clothing.

Ok so I don't have a full grip on it yet so I'll make this quick and it's likely to fluctuate at points.

Corinne just kind of dresses like I do, I guess. Which is very different depending on the amount of effort she wants to put in. Preference for long skirts and highwaisted pants though.

Athena - very very feminine. Soft colours, tends to favour pastels (especially pink) and white. Looks like she jumped out of an aesthetic moodboard.

Zoe - earth tones, darker jewel tones. Often just whatever is on hand and comfortable. Tends to lean more androgynous to masc, but honestly does not put much effort into presenting a certain way, it just kind of happens. Also often seen in a ranger uniform.

Elaina - warm colours! Comfy, often knitted fabrics. The person you're always looking at and going "are you not overheating?" in summer.

Feya - take Elaina. Now make it opposite. Cool colours. Still comfy, but prefers more flowy fabrics. This is the person you're looking at in winter and going "why are you in a thin top and shorts when it is snowing"

Alou - honestly just very casual. Doesn't really stand out much. Mostly earth tones with maybe some pastel accents. Goes over the top in jewelry though. They have a jewelry business, it's allowed!

#sso #my posts #ssoblr #playing games #asks #corinne eaglebridge #athena peacecry #zoe silverborn #feya elfchild #elaina hawkwatcher #everlee songbird #oc alou

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mr-independent · 1 year

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'this isn't your usual time' yeah well i thought I'd get up early and do something for myself before work for once, sue me. Also my cat is finally at my new place and wants me to be anywhere he's not at the moment so...

S2e2, the real start of Jamie's glow up

-- 'were lucky to have loser: Jamie' 'oi, I'm not just a loser, I'm The Loser'

-- low fat custard that doesn't make you sad really does sound too good to be true

-- does. Does Ted have fancy custom-made Richmond pumas????

-- Nate saying 'dont make changes that could throw off a players headspace' like. Ok most of Nate's decisions are supposed to seem nitpicky and unnecessary but like. Nah he's right on that one. Someone changed the grip colour on my racquet once and i kept getting distracted by it. Sports are mental games as much as physical ones.

-- Ted on the mower!!

-- 'closest thing he can find to a Dodge Ram' I love you Roy

-- Ricky Bell... Is he talking about the singer of the New Editions or the dead running back with the made for TV movie?

-- Ted's favourite book is The Fountainhead? Damn man that's a tome.

-- Ted and Rebecca are so emotionally stunted when theyre together is almost funny

-- 'must be nice to just burn cash' Roy.....you're probably the richest person on ten square blocks. You were a star football player for nearly 20 years. You're the richest football mom there is

-- Keeley rubbing one out to Roy crying on live TV......i mean i get it girl. Emotionally available men are Hot

-- Jamie named the soldier after Ted Danson. Me too, Jamie, me too

-- 'old people are like tall yodas' Jamie should write a fucking book

-- 'my father was a lot harder on himself than he ever was on me' and Jamie saying 'youre lucky' fucking YIKES man. Like yes nobody knows bc he's never said, but still. Yikes.

-- Sharon getting closer and closer is fucking funny as hell. She's got a great sense of humour and it's really showing

-- i make a habit of looking up all the Ted references i don't get and he mentioned Bernie Mac and i had no idea the dealer from oceans 11 was a comedian

-- Sam's dad saying Ted is safe hands 🥰

-- Roy loves white orchids? The depths to this man. Also his ringtone is Bad To The Bone and i find the juxtaposition funny

-- i also like how Roy's sitting next to his former gaffer on the stage

-- the two most awkward people in the entire show sharing an office. What could go wrong?

-- Sharon's finally starting to respect Ted, it warms my tiny little heart

-- Prince of Tides (Sharon's fav book) is, for those of you who haven't read it, is about an American football coach who's struggling to keep his family together after the attempted suicide of his sister. So either she's uniquely qualified to help Ted or she senses something and answered that way to prompt his to read it. Given her entire...her, it's probably a toss up

#ted lasso #teddy rewatches ted

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tay0la · 1 year

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Eurovision 23

As always me sharing my thoughts about the final Eurovision songs. Although no one asked me about it.🥰

Austria

It's a fan favourite. I do enjoy it but the staging was a bit off? Also, I don't know if the colours (black, red, white) were good ones to take.

Still very catchy. ✒/10

Portugal

So happy they made to the final. Would have been a great opening, I suppose.

💃/10

Switzerland

I listened to the German cover of it and that lifted my expectations for the original. Unfortunately, my expectations were not reached. Still ok.

Therefore: 🔫/10.

Poland

Every country that ends up behind them in the final deserves a hug. 🫂

🤡/10

Serbia

Not my cup of tea but appreciated.

🎮/10

France

French flag in the background. Is that fine?

🇨🇵/10

Cyprus

Personally, I like the song. Not that original but professional. He has a great voice. & Greece has someone to vote for. :)

💔/10

Spain

She's an angel. Or maybe I'm just bi. Love the song. Spain really delivered.

7/10

Sweden

Loreen is back but it's the ✨typically✨ swedish song and not better than Euphoria. But I love to see her again.

💅/10

Albania

It's good. I like the family power.

🇦🇱/10

Italy

Another comeback.🥰 The clip that had been shown at the semifinal didn't really catch me but at least it is in Italian.

5/10

Estonia

This is my surprise qualifier. It seems to be so flat. But I would love to have a self playing piano too. Maybe I am just jealous because she has one.

🎹/10

Finland

OHHH MY GOD AN ABSOLUTE BANGER. I like it.

🐸/10

Czechia

YAAAAASSSS. Love it Love it Love it. Love the energy, love the song, love the clothes I don't know what they're singing.

👯‍♀️👯‍♀️👯‍♀️/10

Australia

100% one of the best performances in the second semifinal.

🚘/10

Belgium

SOME GROOVE. KILLED IT WITH THE DANCING.

🕺/10

Armenia

Why isn't the full song in Armenian? I feel like there was a lot going on during the performance, which didn't help the song, but it's fine.

5/10

Moldova

A comeback. Woooohooo. Kidding. Love the energy. Although nothing beats last year's performance/song.

⚜/10

Ukraine

The duo is so cool. The song is a bit ordinary but maybe that's because Ukraine delivered absolute bangers for the past years.

🤍/10

Norway

Probably my most heard song of this year. Not that it is something HUGE but I do enjoy listen and dance weirdly to it.

👑/10

Germany

Not the worst big five entry this year. I like that they covered some songs and introduced the other acts on their Instagram account. Also the staging didn't look that bad

🩸/10

Lithuania

Their qualification surprised me, positively.

👀/10

Israel

??? The song is actually quite good but what was that staging ???

🦄/10

Slovenia

🥰/10

Croatia

I have no idea what is going on and to be honest, I feel like I don't have to know it.

🚀/10

United Kingdom

Yeah.

🎶/10

What's left to say:

I really don't know what I should think about the "rest of the world" voting

Hope Ukraine will be able to host the contest in the future. Alone. In their country.

Welcome back, Luxembourg. 😊

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femmespoiled · 2 years

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personally as a trans person i appreciate when ppl put cis in their bio so i know the context of any posts they make-- it's the same reason i would want someone to put their race in their bio, so they have to deal with not being considered default and having to openly reckon with their identity if they say certain things. their identity informs everything they say about trans people-- the only way i’m able to tell between a t4t person and a fetishist concretely is when they publicly make their identity known. i hate when cis people shy away from their identity because it's privilege in itself to be feel disengaged from identifying yourself as cis or trans. to feel like cis identity and privilege doesn't inform what you do or who you are. i can understand why you don’t want cis ppl to differentiate themselves but for me it's a necessity to trust ppl and for cis ppl to be able to reckon with transphobia. i don't want to see a post that could be interpreted badly if the person isn't trans and have to look through their blog to find out if they're trans because they get to skip out on even worrying abt a cis/trans dichotomy because they’re the "default". same w white ppl who don’t see race and feel its not important to note when literally it changes the context of everything they say and they only feel its not important bc it doesn't affect them

I see your point, but as a nonbinary person of colour I don't agree with it from my perspective and from how I've been treated specially as a POC that has been othered, I see your point but I've also seen trans people having internalised transphobia and I've also seen poc having internalised racism. I don't want to be othered, I want people to be decent without having to add a qualifier. Let's just normalise being decent.

#ask #I'm not an authority in the subject I'm just speaking from my own experience and place in the world

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chiropractors-in-reading-blog · 1 year

Link

#food #foodasmedicine #functionalhealth #nutrition

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magnetothemagnificent · 2 years

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I feel like people say they'd never become a Nazi, but they don't actually know what Nazis are, what their ideology is, and why their ideology was so effective.

See, Nazi ideology and the Holocaust was a result of two kinds of antisemitism - one is the age-old Christian antisemitism, the classic "Jews killed Jesus" or "Jews are just unenlightened proto-Christians". The second one is race science, which is a bit more complicated to explain.

See, around the 19th century race science was an emerging field, and in a very general science it recognized four races and defined them by their desirability.

Now, from here on I'm going to be discussing really awful racist ideologies and terms, so be warned.

The four races were "white", "yellow", "red", and "black". I know. I know, it's horrible. "White" people were European people, "Yellow" people were Asian people, "Red" people were Indigenous American people, and "Black" were African and Australian Aboriginal people. See, the concept of race was predominantly created as a way of classifying people based on superficial characteristics and culture.

The ideology that sprang out of these "race sciences" is the idea that these races must remain seperate and not intermingle, and that people who were not able to be classified as one race as result of race-mixing were race-traitors and viewed with suspicion. See, people like it when people fit into neat little boxes, no matter how ridiculous and arbitrary those boxes are.

And here come Jews.

See, Jews are an ethnoreligious group indigenous to the Levant, but they have numerous historic diasporic communities across Afro-Eurasia. As a result, there are many different hair textures, skin tones, eye colours, etc that Jews can display, and even Ashkenazi Jews often do not look or act "White" as defined by those terms.

It's important to note that like Jews, Romani people were subjected to the same racist and discriminatory ideas due to their "state of racial limbo" and diasporic nature. However, I do not feel qualified enough to talk about the specific experiences of Romani people being that I am not Romani, and thus I will be focusing mainly on Jewish people.

Okay, so I mentioned earlier that there lots of diasporic groups in Judaism, right? So that's where the convergence of Christian antisemitism and "race science" come in.

All diasporic groups in any place often face suspicion and persecution at some point in their history, as people often like to accuse them of having "dual loyalties" due to their cultural and often religious connections to their mother countries and lands.

Jews especially face this added suspicion due to Christian antisemitism painting them as "Jesus killers" and "unenlightened proto-Christians". History has also shown Jews to be very resistent to assimilation efforts, and people don't like it when people refuse to change for them. And when "race science" comes in and classifies Jews as "racial mutts", well, essentially that paints Jews as strange people with a strange set of beliefs, with dual loyalties, who refuse to be like the dominant culture, and whose race remains ambiguous and mixed. This is bound to arise suspicion and hatred.

And of course, conspiracy theories and libels were already nothing new by the time Hitler came around. Blood libels painting Jews as "Satanic baby killers who drink Christian baby blood" had been around four over a thousand years at this point, and the idea that "Jews are money hungry scoundrels" is just as old.

So, all Hitler and the Nazis had to do was play on the beliefs already embedded in the dominant culture of the time, and act on them.

This is where it's important to remember that the majority of the German people were complacent in and part of the Holocaust. Germans were not blissfully ignorant of the atrocities committed against their Jewish neighbours - even if they didn't outright say it, many were happy to see Jews gone, and were happy to take their clothes and jewelry and money and homes after they were expelled.

It's important to remember that Western and especially Christian culture is ingrained with antisemitism, and that many people hold these beliefs without realizing what they are.

It's important that people within this dominant group hold themselves accountable. Yes, even if you're queer. Even if you're an atheist. Even if you're progressive.

And another thing ... antisemitism didn't end with the Holocaust. Soviet antisemitism borrowed heavily from Nazi antisemitism, especially. Antisemitism is still pervasive in every country in the world. Holocaust denial is still very much a thing. Poland, for example, a country whose people were very complacent in and part of executing the Holocaust, has ruled it illegal to teach the truth about the Holocaust.

Antisemitism didn't start nor end with the Holocaust, and we still haven't recovered from the Holocaust.

#race science #yom hashoah #holocaust #antisemitism #racism #judaism #christianity is inherently antisemitic #christianity tw #christian hegemony #eugenics #Nazis #holocaust education #history

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imtoohotmilk · 3 years

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I had a dream and the basic premise was Thomas opened a interactive museum (although my mind forgot ab the interactive part halfway through)

that feature the sides rooms.

Me and my sister wanted to check it out so we went while it was still under construction (all the rooms wernt finished).

We started with Janus's room witch was HUGE. A bunch of people in fancy Victorian era outfits were there as guests. Everyone had to have a top hat on to enter the room.

There were a bunch of features such as chess, swimming (???), and snake judging. I asked out loud if "is anyone really qualified to judge snakes here" to witch Thomas Sanders walked up to me and said with a dead look in his eye "No" and walked away.

The next room to tour was Logan's.

(my brain gave up on the interactive part here)

I don't remember exactly what it looked like but it was very blue and very bland. It was a a basic Hotel room and nothing more.

Patton's was next.

It was my kitchen but sqished so there was no walking room and you had to crawl on top of the counters instead of walking.

The counters were also detached from the walls so you could see 4 small doors witch is how you got out. We opened the cabinets and this is what I found.

- go gurt pouches (apple flavoured)

- various bags of chips

- red vines

- too many hot chocolate pouches

- a stuffed animal (cat)

after that we got out of the room via the weird behind-the-counter doors.

We went to the middle of the lobby where there were two big dogs who were there for protection. One of the dogs name was buckaroo

At this point we saw the under construction sign for Romans room and left to come back another day.

The next time I came back without my sister.

Roman's room.

Roman's room was more of a story.

He had an outdoor room that was a lot more of a wooden ramp than it was a room. If you know jungle wood planks from Minecraft that's what it was. I walked up the ramp where I found Roman (?)

It was open air and there was a Street near by where a car drove up and out stepped someone who looked like the human version of the king from SpongeBob and a kinda princess.

Roman and I met them halfway down the ramp and the King (who was Roman's father) addresses him as "-- Bifvord"

And I started laughing bc that means Roman's and Remus's last name was Bifvord and I found that funny (?).

Roman kissed the princess's hand and the King started saying stuff like "it's time for you to marry here I've found you a bride" and Roman Looked Horrified. This was a good a time as any to leave so I'm gone.

I then spent a while looking for Remus's room witch was next to Virgil's.

It looked like one of those Pinterest rooms but very messy. Fanart of himself was on the wall and it actually looked like a normal bedroom.

(side note: up to this point Logans was the only room to have a bed)

Remus's bed had white really fluffy sheets and there were fairy lights sparked about.

On the wall was fanart of him in the sides dress. It was an off the shoulder with a corset top? It was kinda light green (sage?) and very floral.

he was surrounded by pink petals.

I then got excited at the idea maybe he put my fanart up in here? So I walked around and at the top of his bed coverd by a little cloth was my fanart of roman.

(I looked through my entire Tumblr this morning because it actually looked like something I drew but couldn't find it)

He also had a drawer witch just had a bunch of colourful socks.

Then it was time to leave the museum.

I guess I didn't want to see Virgil's bc it was already in the show and didn't feel like it'd be any different? though I got a weird sense it would be hello Kitty themed for some reason??

I think it's a good time mentioning that went we left the museum the first time I woke up check the time and fell back asleep.

#was super weird and stuck with me for awhile #mostly remus's room #dream #sanders sides #virgil sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #Janus sanders #Thomas sanders #long post #found in my drafts

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aroclawthornes · 3 years

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Blooming Brilliant, an Aroace Willow Park Manifesto

[id: a gif of a heart locket opening. One half of the locket displays a picture of Willow Park from The Owl House, winking and making peace signs with her fingers. Blue and yellow stars surround her. The other half reads "willow park my beloved." /end id.]

Greetings! It’s me, User Aroclawthornes, and instead of working on all the time-sensitive homework I have I sat down and wrote an essay explaining why I think Willow Park OwlHouse could plausibly be read as aroace, and why it would be a thematically enriching interpretation. I’ve never written anything like this before, so it’s oddly formal, a little pretentious, and contains a lot of qualifying language, but I'm confident that it gets my point across. I’m not intending to speak over other interpretations of Willow or assert that it's the only true way to read her, but it's a headcanon I find interesting, and I think there’s a lot of evidence to back it up, between certain elements that Willow’s arc employs to some good old overanalysed symbolism. If you're aspec, I hope this is validating; if you're not, I hope it's interesting; if you don't care, scrolling past it is quick, free, and easy.

Some disclaimers on terminology: I’m speaking from an aroace perspective, and so when I say “aspec coding” I’m generally referring to both orientations as a catch-all - a lot of the coding surrounding Willow could go either way. I’m also going to be talking about commonly accepted “aspec” narratives, but I’m aware of the limitations of this insofar as my experiences are only a single facet of the diverse range of aspec people in this world, so anyone who wants to add or argue anything - respectfully - is encouraged to.

Analysis below the cut!

The Thing About Plants

I’m not going to pretend that an association with plants is historically indicative of aspec coding, because, frankly, there haven’t been enough aspec characters to establish it as a convention, and it’s also a fairly wide-reaching branch of symbolism. However, I am going to propose that lighthearted comparisons between asexual people and plants (however misguided on functions of plant reproduction they are) are fairly common elements of budding ace teenage humour, as are related quips about photosynthesis.

[id: a screenshot of Willow from "I Was A Teenage Abomination", depicting her sitting on the ground while casting a spell over a small, pink flower. /end id.]

I’m also not going to claim that the colour green Belongs To Aromantics, and therefore that All Plants Are Belong To Us, but in tandem with everything else I’m about to cover, the connection between Willow and plants seems like a fairly plausible nudge to a relatively common element of aspec humour.

“Half-a-witch” Willow and the Late Bloomer Experience

[id: a screenshot of Willow with glowing green eyes, from "I Was A Teenage Abomination", depicting her summoning a mess of thorned vines. /end id]

Willow is literally nicknamed “half-a-witch”, in reference to her supposedly incomplete state - this is a sentiment eerily reminiscent of the pressure to find one’s “other half”, which affects aspec - especially aromantic - people particularly profoundly. She’s considered a late bloomer, someone who hasn’t reached the societal milestones of growth at the expected age, and who is derided and considered immature as a result of this perceived failure. However, we quickly discover that Willow is, in fact, an exceptionally competent and powerful witch - taken out of the restricting frame of the Abominations track, she’s able to grow into her own, “complete” person, therefore proving that she was never really lacking in anything in the first place. Like real-life aroace people, she was perceived as limited and immature based on the expectations and judgements of other people, but Willow was never deficient in anything, least of all herself.

[id: a screenshot of Willow and Luz from "I Was A Teenage Abomination". They are holding hands - the former is laughing with her eyes closed, and the latter is grinning, while covered in abomination goop. /end id]

As far as symbolism goes...the track Willow is initially put in literally requires her to conjure up another humanoid entity, with the expectation that she will therefore prove herself to be a whole and mature person. Only with this ability, she’s told, will she be successful and happy as an adult. The shapelessness of her attempts at conjuring an abomination reinforces this connection in my mind - if I may reference this quote from Ducktales 2017‘s (absolutely stellar) A Nightmare On Killmotor Hill, in which the protagonists explore their own subconscious fears via. the dream realm, for a second:

“I think that’s supposed to be my romantic interest, but I’m too threatened by the concept, so it never takes shape.”

A lot of young aroace people find themselves in situations where they attempt to convince themself of their interest in someone in an attempt to be “normal,” or end up lying in response to family members or friends’ questions about crushes. While Willow’s abominations, first and foremost, represent the expectations from her school, classmates, and family to be a successful, “complete” witch with a profitable future, I think that with an aroace interpretation of Willow they could also very easily be read as representing some latent insecurities over a lack of attraction, or pressure to find a significant other.

(I’m not condemning Willow’s dads, by the way - they seem like perfectly lovely fellas, and I’m confident that they were doing what they thought was best for her. They’re certainly very quick to drop everything to assure her future in Escaping Expulsion, so obviously they care about their daughter very much.)

Greens, Blues, and Yellows: Colour-Coding Willow Park

A while back, I made this post comparing Willow’s palette to the aromantic and aroace flags:

[id: a screenshot of a post depicting the aromantic and aromantic asexual flags, colour-picked from images of Willow in her Hexside uniform and casual dress respectively - these are overlaid on top of the flags. The caption reads "observations on willow park". /end id.]

The grey-and-green aromantic flag has long been the accepted mainstream symbol of aromanticism, and, as the above post - and many others - demonstrate, Willow’s palette reflects it near-perfectly. This could easily be a coincidence, owing to the palette of the standard Hexside Plant Track uniform, as well as her hair and eye colours - which are obviously supposed to be reflective of her plant-related abilities. However, given how fond of employing hidden meanings The Owl House has shown itself to be, I don’t think it’s far-fetched to claim that there’s at least a chance that her palette was constructed with the flag in mind.

The latter is...a bit more problematic for me, although it’s fun to joke about. The blue-and-yellow aroace flag was only created in December 2018, relatively late into The Owl House’s initial production, and it’s still relatively obscure, although on the rise in popularity as the accepted aroace flag (I only recently started using it myself), so I don’t know if Willow’s casual wear is enough to verify the presence of any deliberate subtext. I think it’s a fun coincidence, however, and (as was pointed out in this post) it’s cool that these blue and yellow stars surrounding Willow occur in the same frame as Luz’s bisexual decor:

[id: a photograph of Luz, Gus, and Willow, all surrounding a disgruntled-looking Principal Bump. Luz has flowers in the colours of the bisexual flag decorating her hair, while Willow is surrounded by bright blue and yellow stars. /end id.]

also seen above: powerful bi/aspec solidarity

Conclusion:

Do I genuinely believe that Willow is being deliberately written this way? If you’d asked me, say, two months ago, I’d have said probably not - as far as queer representation in kids’ cartoons has come, it has a ways to go, and focusing on transgender characters seems like a more obvious (and equally invaluable) route to go down. I can name maybe five explicitly aspec characters off the top of my head, two of whom have been written as alloromantic and/or sexual in adaptations or continuations of the source material (I have...some grievances with 2005 Doctor Who). But the emergence of Raine, an explicitly nonbinary character on Disney Channel, has given me a little spark of hope, and so, even if it’s never confirmed, it’s comforting to be able to see a character with such strong elements of aspec coding and think to myself, just maybe, that there might be some intent behind it.

I also...really want to see interesting things done with Willow. We’re halfway through Season 2, and despite some promising setup for her arc in the Season 1 finale, she’s sort of been left by the wayside lately in favour of developing the more “plot-relevant” characters, such as Luz, Amity, Eda, and Hunter. Frankly, I think it’s a disservice to her Season 1 development, despite how much I adore all the characters I just listed - beyond any personal motivation, the prospect that Willow could be aroace adds a lot of sorely-sought depth to her, and, as detailed, a lot of this has already been set up in her earlier episodes. I just...I think it’d be neat. Rarely do you get a kids’ show so brazenly queer in its themes as Owl House, and aspec people deserve to be included in that.

Willow would also be great aroace representation because, well - those five or so aspec characters I mentioned being aware of are all white or “raceless” (...also written as white, basically), and so an aspec Asian character would be a really lovely step forward in this area. Additionally, all the characters I referred to are also conventionally skinny, and Willow is not only fat, but written in a way that doesn’t treat this feature as a caricature. People who are more knowledgeable on these topics than I are absolutely free to make additions, as is anyone who feels like I’ve left certain details out.

tl;dr: Willow’s association with plants could be read as a cool nod to aspec humour, her “late bloomer” narrative is eerily reminiscent of some common aspec experiences, her palette speaks for itself, and it’d be really cool if we could diversify the so-far fairly bland sphere of aspec representation.

I’m going to conclude this by linking Rose by The Oh Hellos, because they’re my favourite band, they share The Owl House’s initials, and I also think it’s a good Willow song. Peace out.

youtube

#the owl house #willow park #pspspspsps you will read my 1.5k word aroace willow essay #hooting #meta #willow #aroace willow manifesto #fuck it. this is getting posted

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marisol993 · 3 years

Text

For some time now I've seen, over and over again, that the Qunari in the Dragon Age Universe are apparently some kind of racist caricature of black people, muslims and other types of poc's, bipoc's, minorities, ....

From a personal perspective I never saw them as such, but since a personal view of things isn't very objective and can be skewed by ones life-experiances I was completely willing to admit, that I might have been wrong about that and had an opportunity to learn something new here.

The more I thought about it and critically examined this statement though, the less I agreed with any of it. Especially since a lot of arguments in favor of this view seemed to boil down to "this person of [insert relevant minority here] said so". I.e. another "personal viewpoint".

So let's get into a critical analysis of the Qunari and why I think that they are so very far removed from any kind of "minorty" (from a western point of view) coding that you couldn't even see it with the power of the Hubble and James Webb space-telescopes combined:

First of all, who are the Qunari? The Qunari are tall, medium to heavily built, horned (or unhorned, if you only played Origins) humanoids, that come in varying shades of grey skin, with whiteish hair. They are more intensly sexually dimorphic than the Dwarves, Elves and Humans of Thedas, with the males being sometimes nearly twice as wide (especially in the shoulders) and much more muscled than the females. They call themselves the Qunari as they are followers of the Qun (their guide to life and society), though the word is more of an umbrella-term, since anybody of any race is called a Qunari if they "convert" to the teachings of the Qun.

Here's a picture:

At this point some people might already remark, that the Qunari are very obviously "black-coded" since apparently nowadays any deviation from natural, real-life human skintones automatically has to mean, that the fantasy-race in question is meant to reflect black or brown people (even if they are green or bright purple), unless you literally give them a complete and utterly snow-white skintone. If that is the argument you want to go with, I would like to redirect your eyes to the picture above, as it already disproves this. As it is shown there (and in the DA:I Character-Creator), the Qunari can come in a complete spectrum of skintones (from very light grey to nearly ebony), just like all the different races of Thedas (even the dwarves for some reason, which doesn't make much sense for a race that lived underground for most of their history, but what can you do..). This basically means, that yes there are dark-skinned (or "black") Qunari, but there are also those that could be better described as "light-skinned", so the coding-qualifier goes away.

Then there are the people, who might want to say, that because they are tall and "burly", together with the unnatural skintone makes them "black-coded" which is something I never really understood, since the tallest people in the world by ethnicity are the Dutch and if you look at heights in correlation with body-weight the Russians take first place. Both countries not really know for their large populations of darkskinned-humanoids. Another coding-qualifier that goes away.

And then there are the people (who I would seriously suggest should maybe review their own "racial" views, if "black and brown people" is the first thing they think about when it comes to this), who say, that they are a stereotype of the "savages and natives", which is something that is actively contradicted in canon. One of the most prominent traits of the Qunari is that they are efficiant to a T, use every resorce at the disposal to it's maximum (including their people) and that they are more technically and scientifically advanced than many other race in Thedas (except maybe the dwarves) . This is shown through their mastery of gunpowder (which they call gaatlok) and the fact that they can use chemicals and drugs to literally warp the mind of people without needing magic. They are in no way presented as "savage" and if they are named such, it's usually by people who they are actively at war with, who want to insult them. They are also not "natives" of Thedas. Even their so called "homeland" in Thedas, which is called Par Vollen, was colonised by them, when they landed at it's shores in 6:30 Steel-Age and started converting the original population of Tevinter humans and elves, with whom they have been at war with ever since. Let me say that again: The Qunari are active colonisers and at war with the Tevinter-Imperium, who's people are the original population of the land. Not exactly a typical "native or black" stereotype in western media.

So who do I think the Qunari are actually modeled after?

Well let's summarise:

The Qunari came from across the ocean in their ships filled with cannons and guns, to colonise the land and convert the native population towards their beliefs. They are currently fighting a war against the Tevinter-Imperium, an old and powerful empire, that engages in widespread slavery and practices blood-magic by sacrificing said slaves, sometimes also to one of their many gods.

(If you can't guess who I think they are supposed to be modeled after by now, I would recommend to maybe picking up a 7th-grade history textbook again)

Yes, you can make a very strong case for the Qunari actually being these guys:

The Conquistadors (heck, if you cross out a few letters you can even anagram the word "Qunari" out of the word Conquistador). Who also came from across the sea with ships, cannons and guns to colonise the land (south- and middle-america) and convert the native population (to christianity) and fought an ancient and powerful empire with slaves and blood-sacrifices (the Aztec-Kingdoms).

So after pissing of one half of tumblr with that, let's start with the other half by talking about the apparent "muslim-coding" and how I disagree with that too.

Let's start with a rough definition of what a muslim is and how I think that that alone shows how the Qunari are in no way coded to be them:

I would define a muslim as somebody who is an active member of the religion of Islam. Islam is defined by it's holybook (the Qur'An), which was revealed to the prophet Muhammad by an all-knowing and omnipresent abrahamic god.

This in and of itself basically already disqualifies the Qunari from being "muslim-coded" since first and foremost the Qunari are not a religion. They do not have a god and they don't pray to any, the Qun is not a "holy-book" and Ashkaari Koslun (the guy who wrote it) was not a prophet, who wrote down the word of god, but a philosopher who basically crafted a "guide to life and society" with his works.

If you really wanted to find something that is slightly "muslim-coded" in the world of Thedas, you might actually have more luck with the chantry-stuff, since they do have a prophet (Andraste) who could talk to god (the Maker), they have a holy book based of her teachings (the Chant of Light) and they believe that the whole world should follow those teachings, so god will return to them (singing the Chant from all four corners of the world). They even have their own flavour of jihadist religious warfare with the Exhalted Marches (though all in all I do think that the Chantry can be better viewed as a take on christian religions since the split between the Imperial Chantry and the original one is similar to the split of the (western) christian church into catholics and protestants).

So what do I think is a better representation for the Qun in the real world?

Well lets look at it in the simplest way possible that the canon gives us:

The Qun is a guide for the life of the Qunari (the people of the Qun) that ecompasses everything from laws, legislative guides, too how society should be struktured and how everyone has to fit into and function in that society, from the most mundane and simplest tasks and jobs to it's highest administrative bodies. Everyone in this society is evaluated, so that they can be put into a position that is best suited to them and their skill-sets. There they will then each work according to their abilities and each be provided for according to their needs (see what I did there). Yes, the Qun can in my opinion be best described as a take on an authoritarian-socialist guide to life, written by somebody with a similar philosophie as Karl Marx.

So all in all, I don't think that the Qunari are in any way black-, brown-, bipoc- or muslim-coded, but a fantasy take on the Conquistadors, if instead of a bible they had all carried around "A Guide to Life, Luck and Community, written by Karl Marx (during one of his more productive weekends)", visually represented by giant Minotaur-People of many colours.

Also I find this obsession with finding every and any kind of reflexion of our real world in some random fantasy setting, by people who are most of the time actively looking to get offended by at least something and mostly every- and anything, quite contrived most of the time and that the day people on tumblr learned the word "codeing" a significant part of the internets critical-thinking skills and will just shrivelled up and died.

Thank you for coming to my TED-talk.

#dragon age #dragon age origins #dragon age 2 #dragon age inquisition #qunari #the qun #thedas #tevinter imperium

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letters-from-x · 2 years

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Helloo, would you mind sharing a bit more about asexuality? Is it (or should it be) defined as 'lack of sexual attraction' or as 'attraction to neither sex'? Do you classify it as a sexuality like LGB and straight, or is it more like a modifier? I believe it's possible to not want sex and also to not be attracted to anyone, but it's probably not a common experience, right? I hope this isn't rude, I would like to form more of an opinion on this topic so I thought I'd ask an ace radfem for an explanation ☺️ Feel free to ignore this ofc!

Hi anon! Sure. The definition of an asexual person is someone who does not experience sexual attraction. Defining it as "not attracted to either sex" is technically accurate but I think it sometimes leaves people assuming you are sexually attracted to something other than people, which is why I avoid it. I classify it as a sexuality, for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it can't act as a modifier for any of the other sexualities since it has nothing in common with any of them. I've heard some people say it should be a modifier for straight, but that implies that the definition of straight would be something like "not same sex attracted" rather than "attracted to the opposite sex", which I do not support. Likewise, people have argued that it should be a modifier for bi defined as "equal amount of attraction to both sexes" (in the asexual's case of course being zero attraction to both sexes) but I don't think that's fair to bisexual people, either. So I don't see what it can modify without changing the definition of another sexual orientation.

Secondly, it's a sexual orientation in the sense that it explains who you're sexually attracted to (nobody). I know people get mad about this because they think it should not qualify as a sexuality without any sexual attraction being involved, but I think it makes sense from a linguistic perspective. Like, we categorise black and white as colours even though they aren't colourful, because they still tell you what colour something is. That's how I think of it.

I don't want sex and I'm not attracted to anyone, so I'm pretty convinced that it's possible (lol). I don't know anyone else like me. It's not rude! I'm always happy to talk about this stuff since I want more people to understand it. Let me know if you have any other questions 😊

#ask #anon #asexual #asexuality

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crusherthedoctor · 3 years

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Can you list anything you unironically like in the games (and cartoons and comics) that you don't like?

I won't bother mentioning music, since that goes without saying and is to be expected for a Sonic game... unless you're Chronicles.

Sonic Adventure 2 (mixed gameplay-wise, annoying story-wise) - While I prefer Sonic's SA1 levels for a number of reasons, I still think his and Shadow's gameplay in SA2 is fun on its own merit. I also don't mind the treasure hunting gameplay returning or how big the levels are this time around, since Knuckles and Rouge are still fast and not '06 levels of slow. It's mainly the gimped radar that creates the unfortunate domino effect of making them a problem.

- Introduced Rouge, one of my favourite characters for how playful she is and how she's a lot more nuanced and intelligent than you'd expect.

- Some genuinely good scenes, like Eggman's trap on the A.R.K and Sonic escaping from the G.U.N. helicopter.

- Had some good ideas going for it, like the Pyramid Base and the Biolizard as a scientific monster instead of an ancient one.

- Despite my thoughts on the backstory itself (or rather, its execution), Shadow has enough depth and subtle qualities and occasional unintended hilarity to stand out from the typical dark rival characters you see in media.

- The Last Scene's music in particular is one of my favourite cutscene tracks in the series.

Sonic Heroes (mixed gameplay-wise, loathed story-wise) - The gameplay is fun when you're not being screwed over by repetitive combat, overly long levels and/or ice physics.

- Boasts some of the most consistently Genesis-worthy environments in the 3D games, up there with SA1's and Colours'.

- The in-game dialogue that isn't the same tutorial drivel repeated ad nauseam can be interesting, funny, etc.

- Reintroduced the Chaotix, which provided me with another character I quite like in the form of Vector.

- Bringing Metal Sonic back in full force and front and center in the plot after a long absence (not counting cameos and the like) is a perfectly fine idea. Just... not like this.

Sonic Battle (decent yet repetitive gameplay, mixed story-wise) - Emerl's arc is compelling, and it earns the emotional weight of having to put him down at the end.

- While some characters are iffy (read: Amy), other characters are extremely well-handled. Shadow is probably the prime example.

- Gamma's belly dance healing animation is fucking hilarious.

- When I was young, and the game was first announced, I was really excited about being able to play as Chaos. This proved to be my downfall when it turned out he was arguably one of the worst characters in the game due to being slower than me during the writing process, but I still recall that excitement fondly.

Shadow the Hedgehog (comedy classic) - The sheer amount of legendary stupidity this game has going for it makes it practically impossible to actually hate. It helps that it's not quite as white-knighted on the same level as '06... usually. You know you're in for a unique experience when you hear a gunshot every time you click something in the menu.

- By extension, Black Doom never gained an unironic fanbase like Mephiles/Scourge/Eggman Nega did, which means I'm a lot more willing to take Doom's dumbass brand of villainy in stride. He even has a unique design... a terrible one that rips off Wizeman granted, but alas, even that is a step-up from Fridge Shadow and Bumblebee Eggman.

- Despite being... well, Shadow the Hedgehog, some of the environments would fit right in with any other Sonic game, like with Circus Park, Lava Shelter, and Digital Circuit. Even the Black Comet levels look pretty cool.

- This game understands amnesia better than IDW does.

Sonic '06 (what do you think?) - The obvious one: Shadow's character was handled pretty well, even if it came at the cost of everyone else being a dummy and being forced to interact with Mephiles.

- Like SA2, there are some good moments, like the Last Story ending sequence with Sonic and Elise.

- In the greatest form of irony ever, I like Solaris as a concept and design(s), and its backstory has potential to serve as a parallel with Chaos without being a complete ripoff. Iblis sucks, Mephiles sucks, but I'm fine with Solaris.

- Introduced legendary characters like Sonic Man, Pele the Beloved Dog, Hatsun the Pigeon, and Pacha from The Emperor's New Groove.

The Rivals duology (apathetic outside of Nega-related grumbling) - There were some cool zone ideas in both games that were sadly let down by the restrictive and limiting gameplay. I particularly like Colosseum Highway for thus far being the only full-on Roman level in the series instead of merely having a couple minor hints of Roman, and Meteor Base for the unique scenario of the space station being built into an asteroid. These level concepts and others deserve a second chance IMO. (At least Frontier Canyon got a second chance in the form of Mirage Saloon, amirite?)

- Ifrit has a better design than Iblis. Not saying it's amazing, but the Firebird motif it has going on is a lot more interesting for a fire monster than the Not-Chaos schtick they had with Iblis.

Sonic and the Secret Rings (a very frustrating gaming experience) - Erazor Djinn, A.K.A. Qui-Gon Djinn, A.K.A. Dr. N. Djinn, A.K.A. I'll Take It On The Djinn, A.K.A. Not From The Hairs On My Djinny Djinn Djinn, is one of the best villains not associated with Eggman in the series. He's a Mephiles-type character done right, and there's actual weight and reason to his actions, however sinister or petty.

- I don't have strong opinions either way on Shahra as a character, but the Sonic/Shahra friendship is sweet and well-handled.

- The ending is one of Sonic's greatest moments. The sheer contrast between how ruthlessly he deals with Erazor and how comforting he is towards Shahra speaks volumes... Still gonna make fun of the mountain of handkerchiefs though. (Before anyone lectures me, I understand the significance of it and can even appreciate it from that angle... doesn't mean I'm not allowed to poke fun at it. :P)

- Another game with some redeeming environments. I love the aesthetic of Night Palace, and Sand Oasis looks gorgeous too.

Sonic Chronicles (my personal least favourite game in the series) - Uh...

- Um...

- Er...

- I like Shade's design?

Sonic Unleashed (overrated game and story IMO) - The obvious two: the opening sequence and the Egg Dragoon fight deserve all the praise they get.

- Seeing Eggmanland come to life was an impressive moment to be sure. While part of me does feel it didn't quite measure up to what I had in mind (ironically, the Interstellar Amusement Park ended up being closer to what I had in mind), it still looks badass and works well for what it is. I also don't mind the idea of it being a one-level gauntlet... key word being idea.

- Obviously, the game looks great. Not a fan of the real world focus (real world inspiration is fine, but copy-pasting the real world and shoving loops in it is just unimaginative), but it can't be denied that the environments look good.

- This game pulled off dialogue options a lot better than Chronicles did, since they didn't rely on making Sonic OoC.

Sonic and the Black Knight (just kind of boring all around) - Despite my gripes with the story (Merlina wasn't nearly as fleshed out as her unique anti-villain status deserved, which ends up severely undermining the ambition of the plot in more ways than one, and the other characters go from being useless yes men for King Arthur to being useless yes men for Sonic), I will admit it provides interesting insight into Sonic's character.

- Like '06 and Secret Rings, the ending is very nice... well, aside from Amy being an unreasonable bitch ala Sonic X at the very end.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (apathetic) - The admittedly few new concepts sprinkled within had promise. They may not have been as fleshed out as they could have been, but level concepts like Sylvania Castle and White Park, bosses like Egg Serpentleaf and the Egg Heart, and story beats like the Death Egg mk.II being powered by Little Planet, all could have been brilliant had they been better executed.

SatAM (apathetic outside of SatAM Robotnik-related grumbling) - I'm not a fan of the environments on the whole due to them looking too bland or samey, but there are some exceptions that look pleasant or interesting, like the Void.

Sonic Underground (apathetic) - The character designs make me feel better about myself.

- Does "large quantities of unintentional meme material" count as a positive?

Sonic X (mostly apathetic outside of Eggman's handling) - Helen was a better human character and audience surrogate in her one focus episode than Chris was throughout his entire runtime.

- Actually, most of the human characters not named Chris were legitimately likable. Including everyone in Chris' own family not named Chris. Hilarious.

- Despite arguably having the most Chris in it, I actually don't mind the first season that much, partly due to slight nostalgia from seeing it on TV when it was new, but mostly because Eggman actually acted like a villain for the most part, and certain other characters weren't quite as flanderized yet. It's season 2 and onwards where things started going off the rails IMO. (Incidentally, Helen's episode was part of season 1...)

The Boom franchise (apathetic) - Along with Chronicles, the games provide yet more proof that just because someone isn't SEGA/Sonic Team, that doesn't mean they're automatically more qualified to handle the series.

- The show had some good episodes here and there, and Tails' characterization was probably the most consistently on-point out of the cast.

- Despite not exactly being favourite portrayals for either character, even I'll admit that many of Knuckles and Eggman's lines in the show on their own were genuinely funny.

Archie Sonic (pre-reboot is mostly terrible, post-reboot is mostly... bland) - Whenever I doubt myself as a writer, I think back to Ken Penders, and suddenly I'm filled with a lot more confidence.

Sonic the Comic (apathetic) - Fleetway isn't a comic I tend to recall much of aside from how much of a loathesome cunt Sonic is, but IIRC, Robotnik's portrayal is pretty good. Different, but good.

IDW Sonic (stop pissing me off, comic) - Putting their handling aside (and being too obviously "inspired" by MGS in the latter's case), Tangle and Whisper are good characters IMO.

- Same goes for Starline, before he was killed off-screen and replaced with Toothpaste Snively.

- Execution aside (noticing a pattern?), the zombot virus was a fine concept on its own and an interesting new scheme for Eggman.

- I get to remind myself that I've never drawn scat edits and posted them publicly on Twitter.

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