#LET'S GO. LIVE!! PERSEVERE!! DEFY THE ODDS!!

[sotc]

ZEVANA MOMENT SPOTTED!!!!

IT'S HER. IT'S THEM. Sorry but I am so stuck on that last bit where it mentions she and Zevran have their own battles to fight. I was talking a bit ago about how Milana ends up finding her sense of self and purpose that she's struggled through most of the game and y'know... Milana has found herself bound and doomed to the duty and fate of a Grey Warden while Zevran, a man who has found his freedom through her, chose to remain by her side. The circumstances of that is ironic in and of itself (and I love how much irony plays in their story, esp with Zev) but I think as they continue their relationship after everything it only cements her new perspective in life. She didn't even realize it's been in front of her the whole time. What is Zev doing taking on the Crows not only an act to fight and preserve his personal freedom, but an act of love if it meant he can choose to stay beside his Warden? ("For the chance to be by your side I would storm the Dark City itself. Never doubt it." anyone?? 😭!) What is choosing to be beside her during her travels no matter if this chase to find the cure leads to a dead end if not an act of love?

I think she may have been a bit slower to the realization than Zev was about what she wanted out of her life after all that's happened. Yet here he was; he's been choosing her this whole time. And now with Milana searching for the Calling's cure... she would not resign herself to that terrible fate and what is that if not a defiant act of love? Fighting to persevere against all doomed odds if it meant being able to remain beside Zevran just as he does her? They saved each other. They are choosing each other. Every day, with every battle they face, together or apart.

You know the whole tropes of "I would die for you"? Nah, for to these two it's "I want to live for you." "I don't want to be doomed, I want to live." IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE BABY!!!

[adrianodiprato]

+ “I dwell in possibility.” Emily Dickinson

Hope: The Song that Sustains Us

In the depths of our souls, there exists a remarkable thing called hope. It is a delicate, feathered creature that perches within us, singing a tune that transcends words. Hope is resilient, enduring even in the fiercest storms, and it provides solace and warmth to those who seek it. American poet Emily Dickinson captured the essence of hope with her timeless words, reminding us of its unwavering presence. In a world that often challenges and doubts us, embracing hope becomes a profound act of courage and a catalyst for living our dreams.

What is it that you desire but deem impossible? How many times have you succumbed to the notion that certain dreams are unattainable? Often, the fear of failure and the weight of external opinions hold us back. Yet, hope beckons us to challenge these self-imposed limitations. It encourages us to view challenges as opportunities for growth and experiences worth embracing. By shifting our perspective from pressure to possibility, hope opens doors we never thought possible.

In the pursuit of our dreams, time is often seen as a scarce resource. We fall into the trap of prioritising distractions, allowing our circumstances to dictate our lives. This mediocrity stifles our potential and leaves us feeling hopeless. However, when we actively choose hope, we break free from the constraints of the ordinary. We recognise that life is not simply about completing tasks, but about living fully and authentically. Hope enables us to rise above the mundane and embrace a life of purpose and fulfillment.

What seems impossible and hopeless at first can transform into remarkable achievements. History is replete with examples of individuals who defied the odds and stood as beacons of hope. Nelson Mandela's fight against racism led to a peaceful transition in South Africa. Malala Yousafzai's unwavering determination secured her right to education and empowered countless girls around the world. Muhammad Ali's perseverance and integrity outside the boxing ring made him a voice for a generation. These individuals remind us that hope is not an abstract concept but a force that propels us toward extraordinary feats.

To harness the energy of hope, we must focus our conscious minds on stepping forward, even in the face of fear and distractions. Joy is not found in the mere completion of tasks but in the active engagement with life itself. When we prioritise being over having, we radiate hope from within. We realise that we hold the power to shape our own happiness and that of others. Investing in ourselves, nurturing our dreams, and embracing hope become the steppingstones to a fulfilling life.

In the vast universe of possibilities, we are each responsible for our own lives. Flying away from mediocrity, we embark on a journey of self-discovery and self-love. It is a courageous pursuit, fuelled by unconditional love and the profoundness of hope. Each choice we make becomes an adventure, leading us closer to our dreams. As David Bowie once said, going a little further into the water, stepping out of our comfort zones, and exploring the unknown is where excitement awaits.

“Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being, go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about at the right place to do something exciting.” ~ David Bowie

In times of hopelessness and uncertainty, we must remember that footprints on the moon bear witness to human triumph over impossible odds. Revolutionary ideas, profound changes, and personal growth are born from the seeds of hope. As we continue throughout this year, let us be filled with our own living hope. Let us believe in our own possibilities, recognising that we are enough. In the profoundness of hope, we discover the strength to face the world with unwavering resolve.

Hope is not a mere fleeting sentiment that comes and goes; it is the very essence that ignites our spirits and propels us forward. Like an echoing melody, Emily Dickinson's words resonate in our hearts, reminding us of hope's transformative power. It is not enough to simply acknowledge hope; we must fully embrace it, allowing it to permeate our souls and guide our actions.

Hope calls us to defy the limitations that society and our own fears impose upon us. It urges us to break free from the shackles of doubt and uncertainty, daring us to dream bigger, aim higher, and reach for the stars. In the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, hope stands as our unwavering companion, reminding us that impossibilities are merely opportunities in disguise.

So let us dare to dream, to embrace hope as the anthem of our lives. Let its profoundness guide our every step and fill our hearts with unwavering determination. In the symphony of hope, we shall soar to new heights, defying gravity and transcending the limitations that once held us back. Together, as we embark on this journey of hope, we will shape a world that is brighter, kinder, and filled with limitless possibilities. For hope is not a passive bystander but an active force that empowers us to create our own destiny and to leave an indelible mark on the tapestry of human existence.

Adriano Di Prato is a best-selling author, broadcaster and the Academic Operations Manager at LCI Melbourne, a progressive art + design private higher education institute.

[freenewsreport]

Michelle Larrett: A Journey of Resilience and Inspiration

Who is Michelle Larrett? Why does her name resonate with stories of determination and unwavering resilience? Michelle Larrett is not just a name; she represents a beacon of inspiration, a figure who has defied odds and emerged stronger. Her life journey has been filled with challenges, triumphs, and a deep-rooted sense of perseverance that motivates countless others. This article explores her incredible life story, the lessons we can learn from her, and the lasting impact she has made on those around her.

Who is Michelle Larrett?

Michelle Larrett’s story is one of grit and grace. From her humble beginnings, she faced numerous obstacles, but her perseverance saw her through every hurdle. Whether it was personal hardships, professional setbacks, or societal challenges, Michelle never gave up. In fact, every setback seemed to fuel her fire to keep moving forward.

It wasn’t always sunshine and roses, though. Like many of us, Michelle experienced moments of doubt and despair. But what made her stand out was her ability to dust herself off and keep going. Talk about rolling with the punches!

Lessons from Michelle Larrett’s Journey

What can we learn from someone like Michelle? Quite a lot, actually! Here are some key takeaways from her journey:

Perseverance Pays Off: Michelle’s life shows us that no matter how many times we fall, it’s about getting back up and moving forward.

Embrace Setbacks: Michelle viewed setbacks not as failures, but as stepping stones to success.

Keep the Faith: Through her darkest moments, Michelle held onto hope, believing that better days were ahead.

Help Others Along the Way: As Michelle gained strength, she never hesitated to uplift others, serving as a mentor and motivator for many.

Michelle Larrett’s Resilience: The Key to Success

You know what they say, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going," and Michelle Larrett is living proof of that! Her ability to remain resilient in the face of adversity sets her apart. Instead of crumbling under pressure, she thrived. She embraced the challenges thrown her way and used them to fuel her ambition. Isn’t that something we can all strive to do?

What Makes Michelle Larrett Different?

Many people encounter difficulties, but what sets Michelle apart is her outlook. Where others saw barriers, she saw opportunities. Her “never say die” attitude kept her focused on the bigger picture, even when things didn’t go as planned. And let’s face it—things rarely go as planned in life!

How Michelle Larrett Overcame Adversity

Michelle’s ability to bounce back from adversity wasn’t an overnight transformation. It took time, reflection, and a lot of inner strength. Instead of wallowing in her setbacks, she used them as fuel to drive her forward. Each stumble was merely a lesson that helped her grow.

But Michelle didn’t just overcome adversity; she learned how to embrace it. After all, it’s not about waiting for the storm to pass—it’s about learning to dance in the rain!

Michelle Larrett’s Impact on Others

It’s one thing to overcome your own challenges, but Michelle Larrett didn’t stop there. She used her story to uplift others, becoming a beacon of hope for those who faced similar struggles. She’s inspired countless individuals to keep pushing forward, no matter how hard life gets.

She’s living proof that your past doesn’t define you—how you rise from it does.

Why Michelle Larrett’s Story Matters Today

In today’s fast-paced world, where we often feel like we’re juggling a million things at once, Michelle’s story serves as a reminder to slow down, stay grounded, and keep moving forward, no matter what. Her resilience, determination, and compassion are qualities we can all admire and aim to cultivate in our own lives.

What Can We Learn from Michelle Larrett?

Here’s a short list of the key lessons Michelle Larrett’s life teaches us:

Never Give Up: No matter how many times life knocks you down, get back up and keep going.

Look for the Silver Lining: Every challenge has something to teach us—if we’re willing to learn.

Stay True to Yourself: No matter what others say or do, hold onto your beliefs and values.

Lift Others Up: Success isn’t just about what you achieve; it’s about how you help others along the way.

Michelle Larrett’s Vision for the Future

Michelle Larrett isn’t done yet! She continues to inspire those around her and remains committed to personal growth and making a difference. Whether through mentorship, public speaking, or community outreach, Michelle’s future looks just as bright as her past.

Her story proves that no matter where we are in life, we always have the power to rise, inspire, and leave a lasting impact. So, what’s stopping you?

Conclusion

Michelle Larrett’s story isn’t just about overcoming challenges—it’s about embracing them, learning from them, and using them as a springboard to success. Her life serves as a reminder that we all have the strength to rise above our struggles. The question is, will you take that leap of faith, just like Michelle did?

[adventuresportsandactivities]

Unlocking the Secrets of Entrepreneurial Success: Inspiring Stories of Triumph

Welcome to a world where dreams become realities and ordinary people achieve extraordinary feats. Join us on a journey through the captivating tales of entrepreneurial success, where vision, perseverance, and sheer determination pave the way to greatness. From humble beginnings to global empires, these stories are a testament to the power of passion, resilience, and unwavering commitment to one's dreams.

1. Introduction: The Power of Entrepreneurial Spirit

Step into the exhilarating world of entrepreneurship, where innovation knows no bounds and challenges are viewed as opportunities for growth. In this blog post, we delve into the inspiring stories of individuals who dared to defy the odds and carve their own paths to success. From Silicon Valley startups to local businesses making a global impact, these tales are sure to ignite the flames of inspiration within you.

2. From Garage to Glory: The Rise of Tech Titans

Explore the remarkable journeys of tech moguls who started with little more than a dream and a garage. Witness the meteoric rise of companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google, whose founders—Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Larry Page—overcame countless obstacles to revolutionize the way we live, work, and communicate. Their stories serve as a testament to the power of innovation and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

3. Small Business, Big Impact: Tales of Local Triumphs

Discover the heartwarming stories of entrepreneurs who turned their passion into thriving small businesses that make a big impact on their communities. From neighborhood cafes to boutique stores, these entrepreneurs prove that success knows no size. Meet the faces behind the businesses—the artisans, the dreamers, and the risk-takers—who are shaping the future one customer at a time.

4. From Rags to Riches: The Journey of Self-Made Titans

Prepare to be inspired by the rags-to-riches stories of self-made entrepreneurs who defied the odds and achieved phenomenal success against all odds. From Oprah Winfrey to Richard Branson, these individuals rose from humble beginnings to become titans of industry, their stories serving as a beacon of hope for aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere.

5. Lessons Learned: Nuggets of Wisdom from the Pros

Gain valuable insights from the experiences of seasoned entrepreneurs who have weathered the storms and emerged stronger than ever. Learn from their triumphs and tribulations, and discover the key principles that guided them on their path to success. From the importance of perseverance to the value of embracing failure, these lessons are invaluable for anyone embarking on their entrepreneurial journey.

6. Conclusion: Dare to Dream, Dare to Succeed

As we conclude our journey through the world of entrepreneurial success stories, remember that the road to success is rarely smooth, but the rewards are immeasurable for those who dare to chase their dreams. Let these stories serve as a source of inspiration and motivation as you embark on your own entrepreneurial journey. With passion, perseverance, and a willingness to embrace the unknown, anything is possible. So go forth, dream big, and dare to succeed!

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

"Get started on your journey towards Finess by visiting our website for expert guidance."

[xxgotthedevilinsidexx-archived]

@hostiae asked:

❛ people like us don’t get to decide when we’re done. ❜ ( shane to sherry )

She understands the weight behind his statement, realizing that it holds a deeper meaning beyond its surface level. It's not just about deciding when they're done; it's about resilience, determination, and pushing through even when life becomes challenging. As Sherry reflects on her own experiences, she recalls moments where she felt defeated or overwhelmed. There were times when she wanted to give up, to just let go. But Shane is the one thing that keeps her going, even if he doesn't realize it.

She realizes that people like them, who have faced adversity and struggled against the odds, possess an inner strength that others may not fully comprehend. They have fought battles that have shaped their character and molded them into resilient individuals. Sherry begins to see that it is precisely because of their unique journeys that they hold the power to persevere. They have overcome obstacles, defied expectations, and proven time and again that they are forces to be reckoned with.

" Maybe we don't but we've got every right to decide when enough is enough. "

Shane's eyes revealed a longing for something more as hers did, a yearning to break free from the confines of the Sanctuary. It was as if his gaze held a silent plea, begging for an escape from the monotonous routine that had become their lives. The Sanctuary, once a place of refuge and safety, now felt like a prison. Its walls seemed to close in on them with each passing day. 

She wanted to break free, to reclaim her life as her own but she couldn't do it with Shane.

[zhongliologist]

Oh my gosh! Visions! Lore!! I hope you don't mind me rambling about visions and the in-game lore, this is my favourite part about the games and I'm very excited that you brought this up XD

I think you might be onto something with the visions! I definitely agree with what you said about each vision being a gift of sorts from each elemental archon to those they seem "worthy". I think Zhongli also mentioned that the reason why there hasn't been any new elecro allogenes was because it was the will of the electro archon? So I guess from there we can kind of surmise that at the very least, the respective elemental archons have some kind of influence on who gets what vision.

That being said though, I've always wondered if each archon tends to favour particular kinds of people, or if they there is a certain criteria to obtain a particular element vision (like maybe they give visions to people who embody a particular value or something). I feel like I've found some common thread between each element vision holder?? These are just my theories thoughh, so I'd love to know what you think!

Starting with what I think is the most obvious, I think the Pyro archon values passion. All of the pyro allogenes have something that they're very very passionate about, be it music, bombs, cooking, or defending their hometown.

(everything goes downhill from here the pyro one is the only one I'm confident about lmao)

For Geo visions, I think the connecting thread is resilience? Diligence, strength, and resilience in the face of adversity. People with wills of rock.

Electro visions, I think are given to those who are protecting something. The only common thread I can find between the electro characters was that they were protecting something or someone when they got their visions (ex: Razor protecting lupical, Fischl protecting her dreams and fantasies). I'm not too sure about this one though XD

Hydro, again, I'm not too sure if it's mastery over something, or if it's clarity? Like these people all have a particular value system or ideology that they live by (ex: chivalry, heal others with music, fight yeah!!), and they will not sway from that and will not hide who they are. It's less passion about a field and more discovery of self, I think.

Cryo took me a long time to figure out (Chongyun kept throwing a wrench in my plans 😭), but I believe the value the tsaritsa looks for is rebellion: People who dare to defy their fate, their origins, their physical conditions, to do what they want. It fits what we know of the Tsaritsa as well, with her (spoilers!) "rebellion against the divine" and what not.

Anemo I cannot figure out. I have tried. I have failed. If you know the answer, please tell me because I just cannot figure it out 😭

But yeah!! These are just my two cents. What do you think? P.S. I'm sorry to make you read so much, I got way too excited. XD Hope you're doing well 💕

Yepp!!! You surmised it well!! I do like the Vision part of the game (i mean more than Celestia's bs lmaooo) bc it's pretty interesting!

I'm gonna discuss this through the characters' traits and not through the archons! This is only my own take tho!

I like to think about Vision elements the same way as astrology does! Since astrology is better studied and you can actually infer some ideas from it!

Let's start from elements that have close qualities!

You're right about Pyro allogenes! They're pretty passionate. They'll stop at nothing to go do what they want. They're pretty brash, sometimes impulsive and impatient. They don't really wanna get told what to do. They have their own thing and you gotta respect it otherwise, you're gonna get burned.

For Geo,, it's sort of similar with Pyro but Geo allogenes are more self disciplined. They also won't stop at nothing to get what they want but they're more patient. They're willing to go through the long haul. They're also more grounded and calm. Patience is the keyword here.

For Cryo, i think Cryo allogenes are those who will do anything to survive. I think Resilient is the word to describe them. They are usually befallen by some sort of misfortune, but they still persevere to go on and live. I think the Tsaritsa respects that sort of drive and bestows Visions to those people.

Now for these two, I am unsure bc the characters are really different and I'm only grasping on straws for these ones.

For Hydro allogenes...to me, it's kind of difficult to say bc we have a variety of characters like Barbara, Mona, Xingqiu and Childe who are definitely not alike. But as I read their character stories, I realized that what these people usually feel like something is missing in their lives. They have the drive to search for that "thing", and often goes through some sort of "coming of age" test. Why do I say this?

Barbara always feels like she's less than her sister Jean. She wants to be like her but doesn't know what to do. Until she finds her purpose after singing for that boy with a high fever until her voice was hoarse.

For Xingqiu, he wanted to be like the martial arts characters he would read in books. As a sheltered kid, he wanted to do something other than ride the coattails of his family's fortune. We aren't sure how he got his Vision but I do think his time with a dwindling Guhua clan was his test.

For Mona, she wanted to be like her master. To see the truth through the stars. Perhaps her test was when her master had died and the burden to carry astrological knowledge and pass it on fell on her shoulders. It also fits if she did inherit her Vision from her master.

For Childe, he wanted to be stronger, like a naive kid who wants to be a hero, but maybe he wasn't supposed to be that twisted? Maybe he's just some adrenaline junkie who got twisted when he fell into the abyss. That was his test tho,,, but i dunno, we're not sure how he got his vision.

Now for Electro allogenes. These ones, I am unsure of the most. I mean....Keqing, Beidou, Fischl, Razor....they're so different. Maybe it's being Unusual and going out of the norm. They usually oppose something or are very, very different in their opinions. Keqing opposes the Archon's control over Liyue. Beidou, against all odds, wanted to defeat the Haishan. Fischl is living in her own world of dreams, and wishes to maintain those dreams even if people find it weird. Razor was basically raised by wolves, and generally do not mingle with society.

For Anemo allogenes...these guys are also very different. And if they're not bound by their element, they could've gone to other elements just by their personalities. Venti is the only one who embodies the free spirit personality. Jean and Xiao both have strong motivations to protect their homes. Sucrose has a voracious appetite to learn and discover. Perhaps Venti is just embodying the free spirit and gives Visions to whoever he wants lmaooo

Maybe Jean and Xiao are people who wish to protect the freedom of the people so they were graned Anemo visions?? I dunno. I'm stumped on this one....

But this is what I think! I feel like I've made a few lore mistakes here and there bc I don't know everything and only went to the wiki ebdbhshs

[bangtansorciere]

ℌ𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔢 𝔍𝔦𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔶𝔰𝔲𝔰

.⋆*⋆ . noli timere crescentis lente, autem stare noli etiam; do not be afraid of growing slowly; be afraid of standing still .⋆*⋆ .

⤑ House Name: Jiminysus ⤑ Founder: Park Jimin ⤑ Mythical Creature: Siren ⤑ House Colours: Teal & Silver ⤑ Head of House: Naia ⤑ Traits: tempting, patient, sensitive

One would never think to connect the success and legacy of House Jiminysus (circa 1095) to someone of mortal descent. However, given the circumstances, Park Jimin greatly defied those odds.

Born to a mortal mother and a Wizarding father, Jimin could not have strayed further from his discovery of his wizardry, having lived with his extended family among the mortals, away from the world of sorcery. Blinded by the detrimental temptations of lust, festivities, wine, and difficulties of finding love and peace in a world full of chaos, there was not much that Jimin could offer the world he thought he belonged in. That is, until one night, where in the middle of his impulsivity, he discovers that his capabilities are far beyond that of an ordinary being.

House Jiminysus highlights the importance of perseverance and growth through all suns and storms. Students of Jiminysus are known to be dashingly alluring, but beneath the facade they hold patience and humility. Like Jimin, the youth of Jiminysus are the most jovial and most definitely underestimated for their power and potential, but do not make the mistake of trying to fit these beings into one specific stereotype. In the blink of an eye, even the greatest of them all can fall victim to temptation.

𝔓𝔯𝔬𝔣𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔬𝔯 𝕹𝖆𝖎𝖆

tenacious, hardworking, unusual

⤠ @opaljm​​​​​​ ⤠ Class: Herbology ⤠ Classroom: The Greenhouse, Left Courtyard ⤠  Astrology: Pisces ☉ | Cancer ☽ | Aries ⇡ ⤠ Alignment: True Neutral ⤠ Tarot Card: The Hanged Man ⤠ Magic Color: Mountbatten Pink ⤠ Biases: Jikook

.⋆*⋆ . let's not let go of each other's hands because we are each other's will - park jimin .⋆*⋆ .

Magnus Opus:

⥇ Legend of the Lamp » JJK ⥇ Blood Runs Pure » PJM

Sprouting from the roots of House Jiminysus is none other than Professor Naia. After long years of dedication to the greenery, Professor Naia guides her plantlings towards the light of all things botany. From these plants’ eye-catching beauty and bittersweet aroma, to their multiple uses towards potions and medicine, and finally to their magical effects that become more peculiar as the years come, each day in Herbology is subsequently a new day of discovering the roots of Bangtan Sorciere. The journey alongside these plants becomes more difficult and dangerous as the knowledge grows, but fear not, as with every poison ivy is a hidden flower as sweet as honey.

Other Legacies

[elsakorpi]

[004] Survival does not measure scholarship

This opinion piece was written for The Middlebury Campus but was not published because of how the faculty’s vote on the grading policy unfolded. 

Let’s recap: we evacuated our campus on a few days’ notice because of a global pandemic. Almost 12,000 people have died in New York State alone; 22 million Americans are currently unemployed. Most of us have not left our homes in weeks, and the end is nowhere in sight.

As it appears, some among us would like to annex their GPA to this list of tragedies.

On Thursday, The Campus published what is possibly the most tone-deaf take on the ongoing grading debate and the Covid-19 pandemic as a whole. Instead of building on the robust body of dialogue about grading and inequality that has taken place over the past month, the authors construct a narrative of our education that all hinges on a crucial error in reasoning: a false equivalence between grading and scholarship.

“We view grades as a fundamental underpinning of college scholarship,” the letter’s second thesis reads.

What a bizarre thing to reduce our education to. When I reflect upon my academic career at Middlebury, I am reminded of the times I sat in my former adviser’s office discussing one tangent after another, the conversations I’ve had in upstairs Proctor and the hours I spent in Davis reading something only remotely related to my coursework. All of these were at least as educational as the graded papers I churned out weekly.

Of course I enjoy the feeling of an A as much as the next person. Still, grades are hardly the substance of my semester; they’re more like commas that punctuate it. What does it say about Middlebury as an institution if our engagement indeed hinges on something as trivial as a grade at the end of a semester? Is our scholarship really built on a foundation as fragile as the authors make it out to be?

I sincerely hope it isn’t. As the authors note, Middlebury’s mission is to “develop students of rigor and wisdom,” yet as their letter continues with phrases like “prospect of reward” and “incentive,” it quickly becomes clear that “rigor” here does not mean intellectual curiosity or rigorous analysis. It means high-rated performance in a given task.

A second fallacy follows as the authors conflate this academic rigor with perseverance. Regardless of how romantic it sounds, this pandemic is not an opportunity to defy the odds and succeed, just as your scholarship is not measured by how well you overcome personal challenges.

All of this should go without saying, but the letter completely misses the mark on this connection as if by intention. The authors’ tone is so detached that one would hope it does not represent their genuine feelings about the state of the world, as they argue that the current opt-in system respects students’ “choice to try to overcome obstacles” which they may later reflect on “as a time in their lives in which they overcame difficulty.”

It is telling that at times the letter’s wording reads like a Common App prompt. Fears over the health of family and friends, housing insecurity and unemployment, among others, do not fall under the umbrella of obstacles that one simply “chooses” to overcome for the sake of maintaining a certain performance standard, nor are they quirky anecdotes that you collect for graduate school applications. Suggesting that in our current situation it’s an equally pressing inequality to receive the same mark as a classmate who may have “slacked off” borders on absurdity.

What shines through the thin veil of the letters’ theses is not genuine concern over the authors’ peers, but the prospect of personal gain: the fantasy of emerging from this semester as one of the privileged few whose transcripts were unimpacted by illness, a significant time difference or lack of resources. While sometimes biting your tongue and sucking it up is indeed the answer, now is not the Sunday after a night out when you would much rather be in bed than in the library writing a paper.

[jeidafei]

The Core Message of D.Gray-Man

In my opinion, every story has something to tell. So what is D.Gray-Man actually trying to show us beneath the layers of all this tragedy and deaths?

This is my wild guess!

P.S. This is just my opinion, everyone! Every story conveys several messages and we are all free to interpret what the core message is in each work of literature...or whether they have a message at all...(I believe they all do, though!)

What is the core message of a story? A very clear example would be Aesop’s fables, which all end with “The moral of this tale is...”.

Most stories don’t just shove the message right into our faces from the get-go. In fact, most stories didn’t set out to preach at all, and the authorーsometimes even unknowinglyーdevelops the core theme and message as the story progresses. And part of the fun for me as I read novels and manga is figuring out the core message stories are trying to convey.

As D.Gray-Man is still ongoing, there are possibilities of plot-twists and new revelations, so I’ll state my guess for the story as of now (Chapter 230). 

And most importantly, if you’re an optimist like me, this core message might have already ensured that D.Gray-Man will have a HAPPY ENDING.

Though it does not necessarily mean Allen will survive, though...

1. Denying the Fate of an Exorcist

The message is there from the very beginning.

Yes, the bomb dropped pretty fast. Too darned fast most peeps including me wouldn’t notice. I’m talking waaay back into the first volume. Over a decade ago. We folks might not recall much, but we'll definitely remember this signature quote from Allen:

"Fate has got nothing to do with this. This is the path I chose by my own free will."

Yes, folks! The BIG SPOILER BOMB has dropped. This whole manga is all about....

                                                Fate Versus Choice

In this scene, Allen is denying what the Grand Generals and Cross Marian have told him: that by being born with Innocence, his fate had been set in stone by God himself, and to fight to the death as an Exorcist is his destiny.

Allen, however, assures Mana that he walks this path for he himself had chosen it. To atone for Mana. To save the suffering souls only he could see.

He's not doing this because Godーbecause Fate forces him to. It’s his own choice.

Allen's choice to become an Exorcist is what sets him apart from most ーif not allーExorcists from the very beginning. Other Exorcists usually joined through pure necessity or by being forced to fight by the Black Order. It’s more like can’t help it and I’m born to do this rather than I chose this. And this, as Dumbledore would put it, makes all the difference in the world.

And though some of them, like Lenalee and Kanda, later embraced their fate bound by Innocence, it's only due to having no other choice; Lenalee knows she can't keep living her daydream of a world without Akuma, and finally accepts that the only way she could protect her world is to fight.

Meanwhile Kanda first accepts his Innocence solely in order to survive and find his lost love, then later to repay Allen for his kindness. After he's done with that, then he can finally get his long-overdue rest in peace. Krory destroys Akuma to make sure Eliade didn’t die in vain. Miranda can’t make herself useful otherwise. Timothy has to leave the orphanage due to the danger Innocence brought to those around him. And so on and so forth.

Allen, on the other hand, probably could have gone on living normally even with his arm activated; Cross had simply asked him whether he would like to be an Exorcist. Despite all his misfortunes, Allen had what the other Exorcists-to-be don’t: a choice. And he made it: He decided on his own to become one and atone for Mana, then later to save the Akuma, and eventually to fight alongside his friends. That is his sole purpose. Allen will not choose another path even if it is open to him, as I will talk about in the next point. 

Had they not possess Innocence, Lenalee would have chosen a normal life in China with Komui even after her parents had died. Kanda would have chosen to run away with Alma and Marie and start a new life. Lavi would have gone on training to be a Bookman. Krory stated himself that he would be content to stay locked up in that castle with Eliade forever. Miranda would have chosen anything else, any job she could do well. Timothy would have chosen to stay on at the orphanage with Mother Superior and Emilia, etc.

2. Denying the Fate of the Fallen One.

When Allen's left arm was destroyed, everyone thought his fate had been sealed. It's over. He's not an Exorcist anymore. He’s fallen. Bak Chang offered him many choices: he could walk a different path, become a Finder or some other support staff. I think he could even leave the Order, actually, seeing as nothing else binds him to the place, and be whatever he wants.

But Allen instead chooses to stubbornly walk forward on this road, even with no hope of regaining his arm, refusing to bow down to fate.

Later when he faces the destroyer of his arm, Tyki Mikk, once again in Noah’s Ark, he states that one does not cease to be an Exorcist when one’s Innocence is destroyed. He then demonstrates this by repairing his broken Innocence using nothing but his own willpower. Nothing, even destroying his arm, will stop him from pursuing his goal as an Exorcist. 

3. Denying the Fate of the Host

Yes, Allen never seems to get a friggin’ break. Right after the Invasion, he starts to learn that his beloved Mana might not be what he thought he was at all.

This is a very, very devastating blow to Allen’s personality and development. His whole life had been built around this illusion, this mask of Mana he cherishes.

He chose to walk this path primarily because he wants to atone for Mana, after all. He hates the idea of succumbing to fate, so he chose to be an Exorcist that fights with his own free will, instead of bowing down to the Innocence’s (or, in other words, God) will (that’s why he won’t let Suman’s Innocence kill its host).

Allen soon learns of his true fate: his fate is to disappear and make way for the 14th Noah to use his body to reincarnate.

But still he refuses to surrender and go quietly into the night. When Link brought him some porridge in jail and confesses to him about the Thirds, Allen said this one sentence that deeply moves Link:

“If only I knew, then I would be able to change something, wouldn’t I?”

Exactly, by trying to learn more about it all, Allen hopes to change his fate. Yet again he does not obediently accept his fate. He then leaves the Order to do so, vowing to Lenalee that no matter what fate throws at him, he will always remain an Exorcist, as he has finally found his home amongst his comrades in the Order. He also refuses to accept his fate and disappear even at Cross’s insistence, as he believes that if he continues to walk he might be able to change his fate, or at the least inspire those who walk the same path as him to fight.

Don’t stand still. Keep walking has always been the words Allen lived by, and may actually translates to Never stop fighting against fate. By coming to a stop on your path, you are accepting that fate no longer has a future laid out for you, and you simply await your end: your chance to change things is zero. By going on, walking on even when the end looms ahead, there is still hope for a better tomorrow.

And as Cross most wisely and beautifully put it: Our path is not laid out before us from the start; but the earth hardens and forms into our road after we have walked upon it. He is saying that there is no such thing as fate; our lives are decided solely by our own choices.

Really, the Hallow OP said it all:

「誰一人邪魔をさせるか。初めて自分で選んだ道だ」

I won’t let anyone stand in the way...of this path I first chose for myself.

4. Link’s confession to Kanda

This recent(?) piece of evidence is what seals the deal for me, actually. The penny drops in this scene Link confessed he fervently hopes Allen will be able to win against the fate of the host:

"There’s someone I want to save...

If heーif Allen Walker could really triumph against his fate as the host...then I want to be there to see him make it.

If it’s true that people could choose any future they want simply by following their hearts, then I want to know the source of their strength."

In my opinion, when Link said there's a person he wants to rescue, he is talking about Tewaku. He's hoping to see Allen win against such a hopeless fate, so he could finally believe in the power of choice himself, and use that inspiration to spur himself to save Tewaku and his remaining Third friends. Link, though he had started to have doubts about Lvellie, is still too weak-willed to openly defy his fate as Lvellie's dog, and relies on Allen to make him believe in himself. And if my noobie writer's sixth sense is to be trusted, THIS scene confirms that the core message of D.Gray-Man is indeed trumping fate, against all the odds. 

And this is why I say DGM would probably have a happyーor at least bittersweet ーending: Even though DGM has always been a very tragic manga, the message of friendship, love, sacrifice and perseverance in the face of impossible adversity is always portrayed as having an optimistic outcome. Characters may die or suffer a lot throughout the series, but every arc ends on a positive note.

This is what sets DGM apart from stories like Attack on Titan, whose message is cynical and pessimistic, and if any dude starts spouting idealistic crap you might as well just stick a death flag on his head, and not a single arc ends positively.

Hoshino-sensei herself said that no matter what happens, Allen will always have friends by his side. You won't see that kind of heartwarming note with AoT. So if the core message of DGM is winning against fate, you can be quite sure DGM won't betray it and will show Allen winning against fate in the end.

5. Even his personal motto confirms it.

The latest guidebook, Gray Log, has revealed Allen's personal motto: To wait for fate is to wait for death.

Exactly, Allen. Literally. 

6. Even his fate as the host is something he chose by himself

Yes, this is the real deal. This is why I say that there is no such thing as fate for Allen; even the so-called fate he is fighting to change right now is actually brought about by his own choice.

Other reincarnations of the Noah have been doomed by random; no-one knowingly becomes one (pretty much like the Exorcists, come to think of it!), but in the case of Allen (if that past!Allen really is him) he willingly chose to become one. Why? I’d guess that maybe he believed that by doing so he could help Neah save the world...help change fate.

The Allen of then already knew the Earl is the enemy of mankind, with his soul-sucking powers. His purpose has not changed, be it 35 years ago or now; he wants to save the world from the Earl, and now he’s going to learn why he brought this fate upon himself.

In the end, after he has learned the Truth, Allen may no longer be an Exorcist in the sense that he fights on behalf of the Order and dons the black coat, but in the sense that he fights to save Akuma and mankind alike, just as he had decided when he regained his Innocence.

Allen’s journey, from the time when he was Red the circus errand boy, has always been one of finding his true home and family. Now that he has found his second true home amongst his Exorcist comrades, he will not let his fickle fate tear it away from him.

(NEW!) 

7. The Mask of Allen and Red’s determination

I stumbled across this one while finishing my translation of Lost Fragment of Snow.  

As I mentioned earlier in Number Three, we now know that Allen’s current personality and motivations are mostly shaped by his determination to atone for Mana: The Mask of Mana. He doesn’t care that much for God or the Holy War or whether the Order wins this war; Remember, he refused to help the Order’s cause by being just any support staff; he just wants to save souls (and later humans) as an Exorcist. In this way, Allen’s worldview is perhaps just as particular and narrow as Lenalee, and that is why during his training to restore his arm, Lenalee’s question of “When you close your eyes and think of the world, what do you see?” constantly had him thinking hard, and finally adding humans to his world as well.

Back to the Mask of Mana. We now know that Cross despises that mask and torments Allen because 1) It’s payback for having him mopping up his two icky Ps and nursing him for months 2) He’s a d-head and d-bag 3) Because he likes his share of booze and boobs and 4) Because he wants Allen to drop that mask and be The Boy With A Red Arm once more. 

(Why do I not simply say Red? Because actually in the Japanese text of LFS and D.Gray-Man, Red is actually just “The Boy with A Red Arm”. It’s in BRACKETS. Yes. He has NO NAME AT ALL.  For the sake of convenience I’ll go back to calling him Red for now, but we must keep in mind that Red is not a proper name.)

In Lost Fragment of Snow, Red is initially a silent, traumatized yet unusually perceptive kid. But his true personality shines out when he starts befriending Mana after Allen the Dog’s death. Just like how Allen gets frustrated by the irresponsible, improbable Cross and yells at him occasionally, Red also loses his temper with and bossily mothers the distracted, naive, slightly amnesiac Mana. The more I read LFS, the more I notice the similarity between the rant-mode Allen to little Red, and normal Allen to Mana back then. 

But Allen’s mask has existed long before Allen turned Mana into an Akuma. His first mask was the Mask of Allen.

After a fiasco in the circus during which Red lost his temper with Mana and pummels him on the head with his dormant, Innocence-embedded arm, Mana became entirely amnesiac, forgetting even his purpose of searching for Neah, and even confusing Red for his dog. 

After an enraged Cross blames Red for Mana’s plight, an extremely guilty Red decides to play along as Mana’s dead dog Allen in order to payback to Mana and Allen for the simple love and happiness they showed him. That is how Red donned his first mask and adopted his first name: Allen Walker.

Why is all this important? 

Back when Red faced impending death, thrown into a lion cage, Red was thinking in frustration and despair about how his life is meaningless, his existence pointless, that he is helpless and powerless, simply waiting to be killed. During his childhood in the circus, Allen/Red repeatedly lamented having no power to change his own fate. He yearned to escape the hellish circus and make a better life somewhere, but with his disabled arm he was unable to do so. 

Evicted from the circus, and with the circus later destroyed by the Millennium Earl, for a while there Red had no clue how to proceed with his life. This is no different from the time Allen lost his arm and had no clue how to keep walking on. But then Red saw the amnesiac Mana and remembered how he destroyed him, and decided that atoning for Mana will be his new reason to live on.

Yes, Redーnow Allenーhas always lived to fight fate when it dropped him into terrible spots, to find meaning for his life. And that journey has led him through THREE turning points on his road, after all of which he still chooses to live to atone for Mana Walker. 

But then, along came Neah’s resurrection and the unfurling truth behind Mana. And now that (in the latest chapter) this Boy With The Red Arm has returned to Eddystone (which is actually Edinburgh according to lots of our dissatisfied readers XD), where he had first donned his mask of Allen Walker, he must question his reason for living and take action one last time to change his fateーand perhaps finally live for himself. 

After listening to the theme song for D.Gray-Man Hallow, I must say that though the anime’s quality (and decision to replace Ms. Kobayashi) might be up for debate, this is the best and most relevant theme song for Allen. 

Key-Bring it on, My Destiny mainly talks about the Path of One’s life, of choosing between crossroads and keep walking on with free will. Once I was researching suicide in Japanese culture, and I came across an interesting explanation of the importance of The Life Path for Japanese people. The Japanese of old seem to view life as one single path set out for them. Once they came to a standstill or hit a wall in their way, they feel as if their life is over, and thus many chose to end their lives. Unlike western culture, the Japanese do not seek an alternate path.

In my opinion, the concept of walking on one’s road and challenging that road is becoming more and more significant in D.Gray-Man. Allen has always been very fixated on one goal. He viewed his life as one road he cannot deviate from, and falls easily to despair whenever it seemed he could no longer live as he had chosen to. Cross reminds him that his life path is not straightforward but meandering. One’s fate and life goal can change during the course of one’s life. And understanding that, Allen finally sets out to face the truth behind Mana so he can decide what he should do next with his life. 

The concept of living on by yourself after the death of your loved one has always been another central theme, obviously, of D.Gray-Man. Allen early on said he came to understand that the tears of Akuma are not tears of hatred, but love and grief for the bereaved who could not find the strength to live on alone. But Allen himself is still unable to move on from Mana. In a sense, with Mana living inside of him as his Akuma eye, with Allen “wearing” Mana like a human suit, Allen is an Akuma himself. And thus his story might end with him exorcising himselfーby finally stepping out of Mana’s shadow, putting the past to rest, and freely choosing his own future.

End of uber long rant. Will add more when I could think of more XD

[learn-from-the-pain]

2017 best picture nominee aesthetics ; repost, don’t reblog. Bold whatever applies to your muse. Tag someone , feel free to add to the categories if you wish .

Tagged by: @suzumesoul Tagging:   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Arrival  

blurry memories. helicopters flying overhead. fog pouring over mountains. ominous feelings. stuttering voices. dark, cavernous chambers. protective suits. hazy skies. smooth and mysterious rock. in a relationship with death. defied gravity. a chirping bird in a cage. white, bleak emptiness. the soft hands of a child. a barrier between them and you. moaning voices of unknown creatures. odd languages. tentacles. flat landscapes. ink. the circle of time. silhouettes. a window overlooking a body of water. strange perceptions of time. moving from shadows to light. possible threats. the laugh of a child. déjà vu. government secrets. conversations without speaking. military uniforms. sickness. confessions. a lover friend once there and now gone. strange dreams. paranoia. disturbing the peace.

Fences

strained relations. exercising power. laundry hanging on the line. providing. tears streaming down hurt cheeks. masculinity. family. claustrophobic houses. youth and inexperience. the hollow sound when a baseball hits a bat. football jerseys. framed photos of relatives. throwing punches. second chances. muted colors. prison. unacknowledged sacrifices. post-war. streets framed by rusted metal. sitting on steps. sticking your fingers through the holes of a fence. cross necklaces. unflinchingly hard circumstances. railroad tracks. pride being suffocated by self-pity. being rooted in the same place for years. building a dream. maternal abandonment. pecking someone goodbye. bad timing. losing a dream. long-standing marriage. knitting. covering your ears with a pillow. infidelity. brick walls.

Hacksaw Ridge

bullets whizzing past your ears. dust. bodies littering the dirt. helmets. scraped up faces. hospitals. obligations. pacifism. taking someone in your arms. a photo tucked away in a bible. warfare. a cemetery full of plain white tombstones. smoke. saving lives. rough terrain. a rifle set aside. enemies. allies. underground tunnels. perseverance. water and blood streaming down one’s face. being the odd one out. staying true to what you believe. the smell of gunpowder. people crying out for mercy. spiritual transcendence. someone waiting. a cliff leading to nowhere. fire and brimstone. no man’s land. barbed wire. trust. white rock. faceless danger. carrying somebody on your back. heroes.

Hell or High Water

sleepy towns. a windmill turning.  pickup trucks. the cocking of a gun. cowboy hats. summer heat. doing things for family. robberies. stand-offs. locking eyes with somebody in a bar. dirt roads leading to nothingness. masked faces. badlands. justice. crosses painted on the sides of buildings. the west. dust bowls. the badge pinned to a cop’s shirt. hot tempers. burying past mistakes. guns on belts. slow drawls. shattered glass. piles of money. browns and beiges. gambling. hot and sprawling landscapes. a lack of moral salvation. tattoos hidden by sleeves. blinding sun. getting away. getting caught. generations of poverty. thunderstorms on the horizon. loose-fitting shirts. farms. not knowing if you’re going to heaven or hell or somewhere else.

Hidden Figures

junky cars. close friendships. vintage lamps. pursuing the impossible. rocket ships. satellites. running in heels. computers. chalk drawn on a whiteboard. mathematics. pulling up after being pushed down. kodachrome. files being slammed on desks. standing out among the rest. dark computing rooms. pencils moving on paper at high speeds. warm homes. being depended on. getting ahead and having the finish line moved. space age. meetings full of suits and ties. crowbars. grainy footage. crowds of women. black and white televisions. counting numbers. no windows. astronauts. a little girl walking through the trees. sepia. breaking boundaries. long hallways. watching through glass. making history.

La La Land

auditions gone wrong. neon streets. highways jammed with cars. vivid colors. piano keys. spotlights. dreaming of goals. christmas jingles. romances that sweep you off your feet. dancing. telescopes. old hollywood movies. lighthouses. parties. movie sets. jazz music. galaxies upon galaxies. fights over dinner. purple skies. blue skies. car radios blaring from vehicles. murals on the walls. arms spread wide. candy-colored fantasies. nostalgia. standing on a stage all alone. brightly colored clothes. lingering eye contact. theater seats. the seasons flying by. singing your heart out. elegance. losing love. jumping into a swimming pool. lamps lighting up dark streets. film burning out on the screen. coffee shops. kisses where the world ends. fireworks.

Lion

gut feelings you can’t shake. yellow butterflies. walking alongside the tracks of a train. a child running around freely. dangerous alleyways. elegant pinks. a family who you haven’t seen in a long time. falling apart. being lost. bright green grass by an ocean. foreign landscapes. looking for answers. being locked in a room. searching the internet. maps. crowds of unrecognizable people. noisy traffic. holding hands. catching a stray leaf floating in the wind. being chased down dark streets. no one understanding. rainbows appearing in the rain. dust-colored browns. trash dumps. florescent figures in a home. letting go. banks of a river. thumbtacks. home. rare but bright colors. standing in water. the train departing. the roughness of eroding brick. fruits. finding a way back.

Manchester by the Sea

boats on clear water. regret. shoveling snow. driving without a clear destination. florescent lights in a hospital. orphans. tears clinging to your eyelashes but never falling. aimlessness. hockey. small towns. running into someone from long ago. sidewalks. a house burning to the ground. funerals. dressing for the cold. jarring human memories. pointless conversations with some meaning. teenagers. empty pizza boxes. life going on. having people over. haunting beauty. bands playing bad music. trauma. bar fights. fishing nets. seagulls. depression. dreams you don’t know aren’t real. confronting the past. grief. tough love. unopened boxes. annoying relatives. depending on someone else to get by. punching glass and shattering it.

Moonlight.

violins. dusk. visiting an old friend. repressed emotions. searching for an identity. bullying. well-lit diners. running away. rich skin tones. alienation. the moon over glistening seas. burgeoning sexuality. darkness making your skin look blue. keeping your head above water. glints of light. dream-like senses of reality. flashy cars. pink hallways. screaming but there’s only silence. crystalline blues. avoiding home. bath tubs. palm trees. being scolded. dreams. moist skin. hotboxing. sun-drenched neighborhoods. struggling with addiction. first kisses. songs coming on the jukebox. reflections in the mirror.��high contrast. hands digging in the sand. forgiveness. bright mid-daylight. blowing smoke. true love.

[rickthaniel]

Avatar Aang, Feminist Icon?

“Who’s your favorite character?” I hear that question come up a lot over Avatar: The Last Airbender, a show particularly near and dear to me. Iroh and Toph get tossed around a lot. Zuko is very popular. Sokka has his fans. But something I’ve noticed? Aang very rarely gets the pick. When he comes up, it’s usually in that “Oh, and also…” kind of way. Which is strange, I think, considering he’s the main character, the titular airbender, of the entire show.

I never really thought much about it until a couple weeks ago when I finished my annual re-watch of the series and found myself, for the first time, specifically focused on Aang’s arc. Somehow, I never really paid that much attention to him before. I mean sure, he’s front and center in most episodes, fighting or practicing or learning big spiritual secrets, and yet, he always feels a little overshadowed. Katara takes care of the group. Sokka makes the plans. Zuko has the big, heroic Joseph Campbell journey. Aang…goofs around. He listens and follows and plays with Momo. And yes, at the end his story gets bigger and louder, but even then I feel like a lot of it dodges the spotlight. And here’s why:

Avatar casts the least traditionally-masculine hero you could possibly write as the star of a fantasy war story. Because of that, we don’t see Aang naturally for everything he is, so we look elsewhere.

To show what I mean, I want to talk about some of the show’s other characters, and I want to start with Zuko. Zuko is the hero we’re looking for. He’s tall and hot and complicated. He perseveres in the face of constant setbacks. He uses two swords and shoots fire out of his hands. He trains with a wise old man on ship decks and mountaintops. Occasionally he yells at the sky. He’s got the whole 180-degree moral turn beat for beat, right down to the scars and the sins-of-the-father confrontation scene. And if you were going into battle, some epic affair with battalions of armor-clad infantry, Zuko is the man you’d want leading the charge, Aragorn style. We love Zuko. Because Zuko does what he’s supposed to do.

Now let’s look at Katara. Katara doesn’t do what she’s supposed to do. She doesn’t care about your traditionally gender dynamics because she’s too busy fighting pirates and firebenders, planning military operations with the highest ranking generals in the Earth Kingdom, and dismantling the entire patriarchal structure of the Northern Water Tribe. Somewhere in her spare time she also manages to become one of the greatest waterbenders in the world, train the Avatar, defeat the princess of the Fire Nation in the middle of Sozin’s Comet and take care of the entire rest of the cast for an entire year living in tents and caves. Katara is a badass, and we love that.

So what about Aang? When we meet Aang, he is twelve years old. He is small and his voice hasn’t changed yet. His hobbies include dancing, baking and braiding necklaces with pink flowers. He loves animals. He doesn’t eat meat. He despises violence and spends nine tenths of every fight ducking and dodging. His only “weapon” is a blunt staff, used more for recreation than combat. Through the show, Aang receives most of his training from two young women – Katara and Toph – whom he gives absolute respect, even to the point of reverence. When he questions their instruction, it comes from a place of discomfort or anxiety, never superiority. He defers to women, young women, in matters of strategy and combat. Then he makes a joke at his own expense and goes off to feed his pet lemur.

Now there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for all this, and it’s the one that shielded Aang from the heroic limelight in my eyes for ten years. The reasoning goes like this: Aang is a child. He has no presumptuous authority complex, no masculinity anxiety, no self-consciousness about his preferred pastimes, because he’s twelve. He’s still the hero, but he’s the prepubescent hero, the hero who can’t lead the charge himself because he’s just not old enough. The problem is, that reasoning just doesn’t hold up when you look at him in the context of the rest of the show.

Let’s look at Azula. Aside from the Avatar himself, Zuko’s sister is arguably the strongest bender in the entire show. We could debate Toph and Ozai all day, but when you look at all Azula does, the evidence is pretty damning. Let’s make a list, shall we?

Azula completely mastered lightning, the highest level firebending technique, in her spare time on a boat, under the instruction of two old women who can’t even bend.

Azula led the drill assault on Ba Sing Sae, one of the most important Fire Nation operations of the entire war, and almost succeeded in conquering the whole Earth Kingdom.

Azula then bested the Kyoshi Warriors, one of the strongest non-bender fighting groups in the entire world, successfully infiltrated the Earth Kingdom in disguise, befriended its monarch, learned of the enemy’s most secret operation, emotionally manipulated her older brother, overthrew the captain of the secret police and did conquer the Earth Kingdom, something three Fire Lords, numerous technological monstrosities, and countless generals, including her uncle, failed to do in a century.

And she did this all when she was fourteen.

That last part is easy to forget. Azula seems so much her brother’s peer, we forget she’s the same age as Katara. And that means that when we first meet Azula, she’s only a year older than Aang is at the end of the series. So to dismiss Aang’s autonomy, maturity or capability because of his age is ridiculous, understanding that he and Azula could have been in the same preschool class.

We must then accept Aang for what he truly is: the hero of the story, the leader of the charge, who repeatedly displays restraint and meekness, not because of his age, not because of his upbringing, not because of some character flaw, but because he chooses too. We clamor for strong female characters, and for excellent reason. But nobody every calls for more weak male characters. Not weak in a negative sense, but weak in a sense that he listens when heroes talk. He negotiates when heroes fight. And when heroes are sharpening their blades, planning their strategies and stringing along their hetero love interests, Aang is making jewelry, feeding Appa, and wearing that flower crown he got from a travelling band of hippies. If all Aang’s hobbies and habits were transposed onto Toph or Katara, we’d see it as a weakening of their characters. But with Aang it’s cute, because he’s a child. Only it isn’t, because he’s not.

Even in his relationship with Katara, a landmark piece of any traditional protagonist’s identity, Aang defies expectations. From the moment he wakes up in episode one, he is infatuated with the young woman who would become his oldest teacher and closest friend. Throughout season one we see many examples of his puppy love expressing itself, usually to no avail. But there’s one episode in particular that I always thought a little odd, and that’s Jet.

In Jet, Katara has an infatuation of her own. The titular vigilante outlaw sweeps her off her feet, literally, with his stunning hair, his masterful swordsmanship and his apparent selflessness. You’d think this would elicit some kind of jealousy from Aang. There’s no way he’s ignorant of what’s happening, as Sokka sarcastically refers to Jet as Katara’s boyfriend directly in Aang’s presence, and she doesn’t even dispute it. But even then, we never see any kind of rivalry manifest in Aang. Rather, he seems in full support of it. He repeatedly praises Jet, impressed by his leadership and carefree attitude. Despite his overwhelming affection for Katara, he evaluates both her and Jet on their own merits as people. There is no sense of ownership or macho competition.

Contrast this with Zuko’s reaction to a similar scenario in season three’s The Beach. Zuko goes to a party with his girlfriend, and at that party he sees her talking to another guy. His reaction? Throwing the challenger into the wall, shattering a vase, yelling at Mai, and storming out. This may seem a little extreme, but it’s also what we’d expect to an extent. Zuko is being challenged. He feels threatened in his station as a man, and he responds physically, asserting his strength and dominance as best he can.

I could go on and on. I could talk about how the first time Aang trains with a dedicated waterbending master, he tries to quit because of sexist double standards, only changing his mind after Katara’s urging. I could talk about how Aang is cast as a woman in the Fire Nation’s propaganda theatre piece bashing him and his friends. Because in a patriarchal society, the worst thing a man can be is feminine. I could talk about the only times Aang causes any kind of real destruction in the Avatar state, it’s not even him, since he doesn’t gain control of the skill until the show’s closing moments. Every time he is powerless in his own power and guilt-ridden right after, until the very end when he finally gains control, and what does he do with all that potential? He raises the rivers, and puts the fires out.

Aang isn’t what he’s supposed to be. He rejects every masculine expectation placed on his role, and in doing so he dodges center stage of his own show. It’s shocking to think about how many times I just forgot about Aang. Even at the end, when his voice has dropped and his abs have filled in, we miss it. Zuko’s coronation comes and we cheer with the crowd, psyched to see our hero crowned. Then the Fire Lord shakes his head, gestures behind him and declares “the real hero is the Avatar.” It’s like he’s talking to us. “Don’t you get it?” he asks. “Did you miss it? This is his story. But you forgot that. Because he was small. And silly. And he hated fighting. And he loved to dance. Look at him,” Zuko seems to say. “He’s your hero. Avatar Aang, defier of gender norms, champion of self-identity, feminist icon.”

[cryptonewsmanuelakanji]

Review Yarloo ($yarl) Project.

Yarloo - The Ultimate Crypto Lottery

Changing the crypto space by giving back to our community

The anti-bear solution the entire crypto space deserves. We're a lottery platform full of products using NFT and DeFi technology as well as our very own RST.

https://yarloo.vercel.app/

#bsc #yarloo #yarl #ido #cryptocurrency #cryptocurrencies #RST $YARL

INTRODUCTION

Yarloo is a new take on the lottery gambling system well known to everyone around the globe. We felt that the current state of lottery is quite… lacking, to say the least. It’s not fun, the risks are too high and your chances are dim. Very. Here’s a quote from K5: “According to Lottery USA, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million and the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. Combine those two and the odds of winning both jackpots for more than a billion dollars comes out to 1 in 88 quadrillion. That’s the number 88 followed by 15 zeros.

But with the current advancement of the crypto space, we at Yarloo felt like there was so-mething that could be done to revolutionize the lottery system around the world, and to make it much more fun, give people significantly higher chances of winning, creating much more flexible jackpot pools, and introducing NFT card sets as the core function behind tickets. Also the fun aspect of making the entire theme of the project revolve around pirates!

Through this methodology, we believe that, while lottery gives people significantly small chances of winning, cryptofying that system, wrapping it with fun games and money making features for those who don’t want to risk too much would potentially change the shape of the entire lottery industry, and that’s the clear end-game for us at Yarloo.

RST — The Revolutionary Crypto Revenue Sharing System

The world’s economic nature has been shifting non-stop ever since the founding of cryptocurrencies, having started with Bitcoin, and now with over 4,000 cryptocurrencies existing, the total market cap of all crypto assets combined is at a whopping $2,000,000,000,000 market cap at the time of writing this article.

Ever since the rise of Decentralized Finance, Non Fungible Tokens, and so many more elements that changed the shape of this industry, this space became incredibly attractive to outsiders to the point where it’s now like moths being attracted to flames.

Unfortunately, however, while this space is significantly better than the current dated FIAT system, it’s not without its fair share of flaws. Most importantly, the fact that if you’re in this space as an investor or a trader, it’s quite likely that you’ll lose a percentage of funds, even if you ultimately profit. It’s bound to happen, and everyone has gone through this.

The problem is that people keep losing funds for holding, or trading at the wrong time, or just that they entered at the same time when whales decided to exit their positions, causing a crash and leaving retail in the dust.

But what if there was a method that could alter this system for retail’s benefits, in fact, what if there was an ecosystem that can allow both whales and retail to profit simultaneously without having to do any trading whatsoever? Could this be the factor needed to prevent bear markets entirely?

This is where RST, or rather Revenue Sharing Token systems come into play. As the name suggests, the method concentrates on sharing revenue like how stockholders receive dividends every set duration for their investment, albeit the dividends are usually quite minor in comparison to the investment they made, and the ROI is incredibly slow.

On the other hand, RST is the ability to allow a project’s token holders to receive a set percentage of the company’s revenue automatically just by holding their token, while receiving a proportionally fair share of what the project makes.

Here’s an example:

Project X generates $3,000,000 annually. The gross profit is about $2,500,000. Project X integrates RST into their ecosystem, for which they dedicate 40% of their revenue to be divided however they see fit across the community, so this could be holders, liquidity providers, a specific elite group of holders, whatever the conditions may be, and that group would be eligible to a 40% share of that amount of money, totaling at a whopping $1,000,000 split across the community, consistently, at whatever set amount of time the company decides, be it daily, weekly, monthly, etc.

Depending on how much each individual holds of the token, they’d be prone to earning a larger share of the profits, all for holding the token.

But how does this end the bear market?

Simple! A bear market is basically the crash of the majority of tokens and reaching a bottom zone where its value is quite low. However, if RST was to be implemented in most projects, they would never have to face this dilemma regardless of market sentiment and sell pressure, because using RST revolves around one core factor that is essential for it to succeed:

Holding the token and not selling it.

Earning more than you’d ever get from dividends by holding cryptocurrencies is quite lucrative, and would attract many investors to adopt the “HODLing” mindset — more importantly, projects can also allocate a certain percentage of their revenue to buyback programs where they can later burn the tokens they bought or put them back into the ecosystem, meaning the market value remains consistently safe at a healthy resistance zone with the potential of continuously meeting ATHs.

But there’s a catch.

RST isn’t perfect. There’s one problem that will make it not applicable to all projects, which is the fact that it would be a total failure if the project implementing it is generating minimal revenue. For instance, if a project only generates $100,000 annually, the RST share that holders receive will be fairly low, and not enticing enough for them to keep holding the token and would rather sell it later, meaning that most companies that would adopt this method will need to either:

Have a powerful business model that generates at least $1,000,000 annually.

Create a new revenue model around their project to generate enough funds for RST to work.

And lastly, they will need the power of their HODlers, the true frontline and heroes of any cryptocurrency’s economy, and a cornerstone for the RST ecosystem to work properly. A living proof of this is how HODLers stood their grounds when BTC was having its first major correction in 2021, and how they wouldn’t let it go back to the point of no return, instead, they enabled it to persevere until it was restored to a much more powerful foundation, so companies better have all the right incentives to get their HODlers together, and RST will most certainly help achieve that incentive.

As of now, the only RST company at the time of writing this article is Yarloo, a crypto lottery company that has a robust business model that allows users to steadily generate revenue for themselves and the company, allowing for substantially high revenue streams that would feed into the RST ecosystem they’d built.

Yarloo is the company behind the RST concept, and the original founder of how it works. We offer RST integrations and consultations to fellow crypto projects, and would love to play our part in allowing retail investors and traders to never feel exposed to market corrections ever again.

About Yarloo

Yarloo is one more translation of the lottery wagering structure outstanding to everyone all through the planet. We felt that the current status of lottery is very olacking, undoubtedly. It’s terrible, the risks are too high and your conceivable outcomes are weak. Regardless, with the current progress of the crypto space, we at Yarloo felt like there was mething so much that ought to be feasible to change the lottery structure all through the planet, and to make it extensively more fun, permit people basically higher chances of winning, making considerably more versatile treasure trove pools, and introducing NFT card sets as the middle limit behind tickets. Similarly the incredible piece of making the entire subject of the endeavor pivot around privateers!

Through this methodology, we acknowledge that, while lottery permits people basically little chances of winning, cryptofying that structure, wrapping it with fun games and worthwhile parts for individuals who might rather not peril a great deal of would potentially change the condition of the entire lottery industry, and that is the undeniable end-game for us at Yarloo.

How it Work

On Yarloo, you will really need to check out different fiscally supportive activities, including, anyway not limited to:

- Solo Lottery Jackpots

- Team Lottery Jackpots

- Fortune Spinners

- NFT Trading Center

- Yarloo Wallet (for checking and exchanging our tokens)

- Arcade Games

- DeFi Lending and Borrowing System

As can be seen, Yarloo is offering a wide scope of ways to deal with check out our original lottery system, and to benefit through different styles and approaches. Use our fortune spinners to check whether you could assemble another exceptional card that extends your possibilities. Is it exact to say that you are a finder who has amassed a gigantic number of critical cards as time goes on? The trading center is yours for the taking, and there are from a genuine perspective no risks at all as you’re simply selling your cards. In the event that you’re not as fortunate with cards and don’t want to confront high difficulties, then most certainly, stamping is your best methodology.

Different Us

What makes Yarloo unprecedented, regardless, is the means by which it utilizes the NFT system, making it the standard engine behind the entry tickets. Accepting you need to partake, you ought to enter by orchestrating out a specific game plan of cards that you own. Joining cards can regularly net you unprecedented characteristics, dependent upon the exceptionalness and sort of the card, and the likeness features it could have with various cards that you may guarantee. Cards are your passage ticket, and it’s the solitary way you can endeavor your shot at winning the huge stake.

To enter using cards, there’s a part charge that ought to be put away into the pool to add to the incredible prize, anyway by then you will be permitted to disseminate 5 cards just from your set, going along with them to have the best result which would fabricate your conceivable outcomes. If your strategy ends up extraordinary, you may have gotten yourself a gold mine, and congratulations would be all together.

Product and Features

Yarloo will be overflowing with cool arrangements that will be unfathomably useful for everybody, and as we acquire progress later on, we’ll start including more, and analyze them with our neighborhood we can see what else ought to be conceivable in Yarloo.

- RST : Yarloo is the world’s first assignment to execute a development known as “Pay Sharing Token”, which allows the neighborhood get 30% of Yarloo’s advantages to serve the organic framework whereupon it is manufactured.

- NFT : We’re also the essential lottery project in crypto history to utilize NFT cards as your guideline segment ticket system in any pool! This infers instead of buying tickets, your tickets are tended to by the cards you’re using in your lottery pools.

- DeFi : You’ll have the alternative to benefit fiscally from Yarloo as a result of its cross variety DeFi structure, fundamentally by allowing you to get 2% of a pool’s advantages on the off chance that you’re its creator, and by benefitting from our RST natural framework on the off chance that you’re holding enough $YARL.

RST ECOSYSTEM

Revenue Sharing Token, or RST for short, is the revolutionary backbone of Yarloo the first implementation of its kind in what will one day become just as recognized as NFT and DeFi technologies, RST is how Yarloo can be weaponized as an anti-bear project, one that could withstand any market sentiment. How it works is fairly simple, and it can be reconfigured based on each company’s preference, but we’ll be using Yarloo as the core example for how RST will be utilized given that we’re the original founders of this concept and its first integrators.

Seed & IDO Investors: 30%

Holders: 25%

Buyback: 20%

LP Providers: 15%

Wheel of Fortune/Rewards Pool: 10%

CARDS SYSTEM

Our card system isn’t really complicated. There will be 5 types of cards, ranking from bottom to top as:

These 5 types of cards have incredibly different functions and values. For example, petty cards only grant 1 ticket per card, due to their low value, and Bronze cards give out 2 tickets per card, but both of them have no special attributes and can’t be paired with any other card.

On the other hand, starting from Silver to Sapphire, cards give out much more tickets and all of them have special attributes. Silver cards give out 5 tickets per card, Gold gives out 10, and Sapphire grants 50 participation tickets.

Card sets will be consistently released in Yarloo, even after launch, as it will always be a vital part of the system of how everything works. There will be 3 types of card sets, so that users can know what to expect from each one of them:

Standard

Premium

Eccentric

ROADMAP

Q3 2021:

Funding Rounds Conclusion

3-5 Card Sets Launch

Wallet Alpha

Marketplace Alpha

Q4 2021:

Wheel of Fortune Release

Lottery Platform Launch

Bridging $YARL to new networks

First CEX listing

5-8 New Card Sets

Fusion System Testing

Governance features for $YARL holders

Updated Lightpaper

Q1 2022:

Venturing around the Seven Seas!

We’ll continue updating our roadmap depending on new introductions, the games we announce, and so much more. For the time being, only information surrounding Q3 and Q4 of this year are available.

For more information, please follow our social links below:

Website : https://yarloo.vercel.app/

Telegram : https://t.me/yarloochat

Telegram Channel : https://t.me/yarlannouncements

Twitter : https://twitter.com/yarloo_rst

Medium : https://medium.com/@yarloo

Reddit : https://www.reddit.com/r/yarloo

Author:

Forum Username: Manuel Akanji

Forum Profile Link: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=2954998

Telegram Username: @Manuelakanji777

BEP20 Wallet address: 0x00F321558065b1c9dca5e6EcbeECE9B01F73D6E1

[talabib]

How To Be More Adaptable In Life & Business

What do Allied defense departments battling Nazi Germany in the Second World War, the creators of the iconic Mini Cooper and Starbucks have in common? In a word, adaptability – the ability to change with the times and piggyback on technological and social changes to achieve success.

Adaptability is a skill that’s becoming indispensable in today’s frenetic world of business. Markets and consumer tastes are fickle, and nothing is as likely to land you in hot water as complacency.

In this post, we’ll analyze adaptability in action everywhere from a small Italian village battling post-financial crisis austerity measures, to the boardroom of a multinational coffee chain and the post-war British car industry.

Life is unpredictable even for the successful, which is why adaptability is so important.

In 2009, American golf star Tiger Woods’s position in the sport’s global rankings took a nosedive. By 2011 he’d slipped from number one to 58th place. It was an odd sight, especially since Woods had been known for his incredible consistency since bursting onto the scene in 1996. So what went wrong?

Well, it was a sign of the golfing god’s mortality. Life is unpredictable, and even the most successful people can’t always dodge the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. It turned out that Woods’s on-field performance problems had roots in his personal life.

In 2009, the media ran a story about him crashing his car outside his house. Neighbors told reporters they’d seen his wife chasing after him with a golf club in her hands. Rumors of substance abuse and infidelity began circulating and major sponsors including Gatorade and Gillette dropped their formerly prized sponsee.

Woods didn’t let any of that get to him, however. In fact, he demonstrated just how important adaptability is when you’re faced with setbacks. He continued working hard, even as his stats slipped, and learned how to deal with the media pressure he was under. His perseverance paid off. By March 2013, he was back at the top of world golf rankings.

That makes Woods a poster boy for what experts calls, “High adaptability, high achievement people,” or HAHAs for short. That’s a pretty fitting acronym: HAHAs are people who can laugh in the face of adversity and, over time, claw their way back to the top.

What sets them apart is their ability to focus on solutions rather than problems. They look on the bright side of life even as things seem to be falling apart around them, and they remain determined to achieve their goals. They’re also typically unafraid to ask for help and reach out to people who can support them in their struggle to reassert themselves.

Now that we’ve seen what adaptability looks like in practice, let’s take a look at how it works in business contexts.

Only companies that have perfected the art of adaptability will truly succeed.

At the height of the 2008 financial crisis, the US government offered to bail out car manufacturing giant Ford. Despite being up to its eyeballs in debt and looking like it might go under any day, the company ultimately turned down the proposal.

There was a good reason for this refusal. Chairman Bill Ford was convinced that companies that fail to adapt fail, period. Sure, an injection of government cash might have solved Ford’s short-term liquidity issues, but it wouldn’t have gotten to the root of the problem – its longstanding failure to adapt to the new realities of the automobile market.

The company’s board of directors and its managers decided on an alternative strategy and hatched a plan they called “The Way Forward.” At the heart of this roadmap was a reappraisal of Ford’s relationship with the environment, an issue it had long sidestepped. If the carmaker wanted to remain relevant to American consumers, it would have to move toward their views on environmental matters.

What followed was a pretty radical overhaul. Ford downsized by around 25 percent and implemented a system to produce cars more quickly. Most importantly, it shifted to manufacturing smaller and more fuel-efficient cars.

The carmaker dodged a bullet, but the company almost left it too late. A better idea than waiting it out and hoping for the best would’ve been to take a leaf out of Toyota’s book. The Japanese corporation is a master at adapting to changing market conditions, a characteristic that allowed it to increase its share of the global car market from 7.3 percent in 1995 to 15 percent in 2005.

So what’s the secret of its success? Well, the company has a solid reputation for quality products, but what really sets it apart is its constant search for improvements that satisfy changing consumer preferences. This allowed the company to stay ahead of the curve and anticipate changes in the market long before competitors like Ford saw them coming.

To take just a couple of examples, Toyota was already developing low-emission cars in 1992 and hybrid petrol and electricity-powered vehicles in 1995!

Sometimes adaptability means swimming against the current, and that can help the environment.

In the summer of 2011, the Italian government was facing financial issues. Deciding to cut back on expenditures, it introduced a reform to incorporate villages with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants into larger administrative units headed by a single mayor. But one small village called Filettino resisted these measures. It understood that adaptability sometimes means swimming against the current.

As far as the villagers were concerned, reacting to new developments didn’t mean rushing into old reforms or embracing change for change’s sake. In their view, one way of adapting was to defend the status quo, and that’s precisely what the mayor of Filettino decided to do.

Defying the government, he declared the village’s independence and issued its own currency. It was called the fiorito, meaning ‘flowering’ in Italian – a reference to the settlement’s belief that it would continue to flourish. The village looked to the past for inspiration, harking back to the age before unification when Italy was ruled by many small city-states, kingdoms and principalities. In the end, its act of resistance preserved Filettino’s independence and sense of community.

Headstrong Italian villagers aren’t the only beneficiaries of swimming against the current, however. Bucking trends and following one’s own path has also helped a number of companies thrive.

Take Levi Strauss as an example. Manufacturing jeans is traditionally a resource-intensive operation. The finishing process alone requires around ten separate washes and gallons of water. If the jeans have a special pattern or a fade effect, that requirement increases even further. That was accepted as a given until the American firm decided to shake things up.

Rather than simply going along with the idea that the only thing that matters in business is generating profits, Levi Strauss began factoring environmental considerations into their calculations. Soon enough the company had figured out a way of finishing jeans without using any water at all. By using stones to soften the fabric and rinsing them with a special type of resin, the company cut its water consumption by an incredible 96 percent!

Adaptability is an innate part of the way the brain functions.

It was a regular day in New York in 1985 when Pedro Bach-y-Rita, a Spanish teacher who’d lived a happy and successful life in the city for many years, suddenly collapsed. He’d suffered a massive stroke and was left paralyzed. The doctors treating Bach-y-Rita claimed there was nothing they could do for him. But they were wrong.

What they had underestimated was how adaptable humans are. Both of Bach-y-Rita’s sons were in medical school when their father fell ill. Unhappy with his doctors’ diagnoses, they decided to physically re-educate him from scratch, as though he were a baby. The first task they set themselves was teaching him to crawl using kneepads and the support of a wall.

Once he’d mastered that, they began setting more difficult tasks like catching balls, which were designed to train his motor systems. Bach-y-Rita made remarkable progress under their supervision. He was soon sitting and, a little later, walking. Astonishingly, within a year he was back at work teaching Spanish at the City College of New York, where he remained until his retirement.

So how did Bach-y-Rita regain control over his basic motor functions despite the serious brain damage he’d suffered during his stroke? It comes down to the plasticity of the human brain. Essentially, the undamaged parts of his brain took control of the damaged areas.

Bach-y-Rita’s son Paul returned to medical school after helping his father. He later became one of the first scientists to verify the theory of neural plasticity – the idea that the human brain’s capacities and functions aren’t set in stone but can adapt and change.

In one experiment, Paul demonstrated that blindfolded participants were able to catch balls thanks to a head-mounted camera which relayed images to their brains through sensory receptors on their tongues. That’s a shining example of how different neural pathways and neurons in the brain can adapt and tackle new tasks, like interpreting images.

Effective adaptation means learning from mistakes and resisting the urge to go back to square one.

When people first fail at a task, they tend to lower their expectations and claim that at least they learned something from their mistakes. The crucial question, though, is what past failures teach us: Do we learn how to fail, or how to improve so we don’t fail again?

Adaptability is, in large part, the art of learning from mistakes – ideally, the mistakes of others! Take the British automobile industry. In the 1950s, virtually every carmaker was set on developing ever more powerful – and fuel-guzzling – vehicles. They were so fixated on this goal that they overlooked a massive segment of the market: young, urban and environmentally-minded people.

The advantage thus passed to German competitors who were churning out popular, compact microcars like the Messerschmitt KR200. As a result, British brands were being crowded out altogether. Did that make them change their approach? Hardly. There was, however, one notable exception: a small team of auto engineers at the British Motor Company headed by designer Sir Alec Issigonis.

Observing their peers’ stubborn refusal to change with the times, the team decided to spearhead the production of a new style of car – the iconic Mini marketed by Morris Mini-Minor. Learning from the mistakes of others and adapting to new consumer preferences quickly led to success. Over the following decades, the British Motor Company went on to sell over five million Minis.

That said, you can take learning from mistakes too far, as PepsiCo found out in 2009 when it developed a new brand image for Tropicana orange juice. When the company’s massive marketing campaign backfired and sales plummeted by 20 percent, PepsiCo panicked.

Realizing that the branding made the product look anonymous and cheap rather than promoting awareness of its quality, they scrambled back to square one. Instead of making a few minor tweaks and fixing the mistake, they reverted to the old branding. The upshot? They blew $33 million to change absolutely nothing!

Successful companies understand that experimentation is crucial to adaptability.

In 1940, Adolf Hitler ordered the shutdown of all weapons development research programs expected to take longer than six months to reach completion. It was a costly miscalculation for Germany. Why? Because experimentation is the cornerstone of effective adaptation.

The mistake would haunt Nazi Germany as the tide gradually turned against it in the Second World War. While German scientists were shackled to short-term targets, their Allied counterparts were given free rein to experiment with new weapon technologies for as long as they pleased. When defense scientist William Butement came up with an idea to develop a proximity fuse, for example, he was encouraged to delve deeper.

A proximity fuse is a useful piece of gadgetry if you’re in the middle of a shooting war. A bomb fitted with the fuse’s radar technology will only detonate when it’s sufficiently close to its targets. Older bomb types, on the other hand, used standard timers that often exploded long before – or after – they’d reached their targets. Needless to say, the bombs with the proximity fuses did the most damage.

Crafting the perfect proximity fuse took time and dedication, and it was only after years of experimentation with prototypes that the finished article was ready for deployment. It came just in the nick of time. In 1944, a German counteroffensive caught the Allies off guard and the outcome of the Battle of the Bulge hung in the balance. Lucky that they had the perfect weapon to beat back the onslaught: artillery units equipped with lethally accurate proximity fuse shells.

Experimentation also has its uses in the metaphorical war between businesses. Take Apple, a company that has long been synonymous with a culture of experimentation. When its new products meet a negative reception, it shelves them and gets to work on a superior alternative. You may or may not remember Apple’s first handheld computer – the clunky, error-prone Newton. The Newton crashed and burned and Apple responded by going back to the drawing board. The result? Its designers used the prototype to develop the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Rushing to adapt can lead to a crash, and failing to think ahead isn’t any better.

Learning to drive is thrilling. The world suddenly becomes broader as exciting new possibilities come into focus. But you have to be careful. It’s easy to get carried away and put your foot down. That’s when things go wrong and you find yourself at risk.

The same thing happens to businesses when they push too hard: the wheels come off and they crash. Take Netflix. The company understood that the future of movie watching was streaming before any of its competitors, and it steamed ahead. What was the problem, then? It was too quick for its subscribers, who were still satisfied with the old offer which allowed them to rent DVDs and stream for $9.99 a month.

In 2011, Netflix decided to push its customers and split their offering into two separate components: rentals and streaming, now priced at $7.99 each – a pretty hefty price hike for people who wanted to continue using both services.

The decision didn’t go down well. Netflix hemorrhaged a million subscribers and the value of its shares fell by 25 percent. The service did eventually recover, of course, but if it hadn’t been so hasty it would have achieved its current success much sooner.

Failing to anticipate changes in the market is even more damaging, however, as Blockbuster found out. Founded in 1985, the movie rental business quickly grew over the following decades. By 2008, it had thousands of stores across the US. But despite its dominant position in the market, it was caught entirely unawares by the streaming revolution.

Even worse, it failed to launch its own streaming service while Netflix began establishing itself. That would have been simple enough – after all, Blockbuster held all the aces: it was a household name with a large customer base and plenty of capital.

But Blockbuster wasn’t nimble enough to adapt to new realities. It continued focusing on customer experience in its bricks-and-mortar stores even after a new CEO was hired in 2007. By 2010, the writing was on the wall. Blockbuster declared bankruptcy and was gobbled up by the American TV company Dish Network.

Radical leadership is often the only solution when companies lose sight of their goals.

It’s easy to look good when the economy’s booming and you’re backed by a reputation built up over decades. But success can breed complacency. The result of taking your eye off the ball? You lose sight of your goals.

Take Starbucks. Everything had been plain sailing for decades when it hit the rocks in 2007. The coffee chain’s chairman Howard Schultz had an idea about what had gone wrong: its dominant position had incubated an arrogant outlook and the company had stopped taking care of its customers.

He was right. Formerly loyal patrons weren’t happy and had started going elsewhere in search of their coffee fix. That same year, Starbucks closed over 900 stores and fired 1,000 of its employees. That was the end of the growth policy championed by the company’s CEO between 2002 and 2007, Jim Donald, who had become obsessed with opening more and more stores. The mad rush to expand had resulted in Starbucks losing touch with its founding values.

In the end, Starbucks scraped through this rough patch. So how did it turn things around? Well, it had a leader who was prepared to push through radical reforms: Howard Schultz. One of the first things he did after taking charge was to close 7,000 Starbucks stores in the US and give every barista extra training to help them up their coffee game. When a test revealed that McDonald’s had better-tasting coffee than Starbucks, Schultz introduced new roasting and grinding processes.

None of that was rocket science. Schultz simply understood that a coffee chain has to do two things to retain its customers’ loyalty: prepare a great cup of joe and offer a selection of delicious cakes and pastries. But sometimes it takes a radical visionary to do the commonsensical thing. By 2010, his policy had paid off. Starbucks had recovered and its revenue increased to $10.7 billion!

That just goes to show how important adaptability is when you’re struggling to get ahead or just treading water. While you shouldn’t rush change, it’s worth keeping an open mind, experimenting and seeing what incremental changes you can make to improve your situation.

Adaptability is all about looking ahead, reading the signs and using the prevailing winds to chart your course. Once you’ve mastered that art, you can plan ahead and avoid being caught off guard by sudden changes. That’s especially true in business. The most successful companies consistently demonstrate an ability to change with the times, experiment with new solutions and adapt themselves to customers’ changing desires and needs.

 Action plan: Believe in the impossible. What stops us adapting? Well, nothing throttles innovation like the belief that some things are simply impossible. Take it from American biologist George Church. He was convinced he could design a machine that could decode the entire human genome. Ignoring the naysayers, Church pressed ahead with his vision and constructed his device. While the procedure initially cost a staggering $3 billion, Church managed to reduce the price to just $5,000 over the years. Today, there’s a real chance that it might become affordable enough to be integrated into routine medical testing, opening up the possibility of all sorts of medical breakthroughs!

[jjillekkot]

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES (2017) AESTHETICS. repost, don’t reblog. bold whatever applies. tag whoever you want and feel free to add to the categories.

ARRIVAL.   blurry memories.   helicopters flying overhead.   fog pouring over mountains. ominous feelings.   stuttering voices.   dark, cavernous chambers.   protective suits.  hazy skies.  smooth and mysterious rock.   in a relationship with death.   defied gravity. a chirping bird in a cage.   white, bleak emptiness.   the soft hands of a child.   a barrier between them and you.   moaning voices of unknown creatures.   odd languages.  tentacles.   flat landscapes.   ink. the circle of time.   silhouettes.   a window overlooking a body of water.   strange perceptions of time.        moving from shadows to light.          possible threats.   the laugh of a child.   déjà vu.   government secrets.  conversations without speaking.   military uniforms.   sickness.  confessions.   a lover once there and now gone.     strange dreams.   paranoia.   disturbing the peace.

FENCES.   strained relations.   exercising power.   laundry hanging on the line.  providing. tears streaming down hurt cheeks.   masculinity.   family.   claustrophobic houses. youth and inexperience.  the hollow sound when a baseball bat hits a ball.  football jerseys.  framed photos of relatives.   throwing punches.   second chances.   muted colors. prison.  unacknowledged sacrifices.   post-war.   streets framed by rusted metal.   sitting on steps.  sticking your fingers through the holes of a fence.   cross necklaces. unflinchingly hard circumstances.   railroad tracks.   pride being suffocated by self-pity. being rooted in the same place for years.   building a dream.   maternal abandonment.   pecking someone goodbye.  bad timing.   losing a dream.   long-standing marriage. knitting.  covering your ears with a pillow.   infidelity.   brick walls.

HACKSAW RIDGE.   bullets whizzing past your ears.   dust.   bodies littering the dirt. helmets.  scraped up faces.   hospitals.   obligations.   pacifism.   taking someone in your arms. a photo tucked away in a bible.  warfare.  a cemetery full of plain white tombstones.  smoke.   saving lives.   rough terrain.   a rifle set aside.   enemies.   allies. underground tunnels.   perseverance.  water and blood streaming down one’s face.   being the odd one out.   staying true to what you believe.   the smell of gunpowder. people crying out for mercy.   spiritual transcendence.   someone waiting.   a cliff leading to nowhere. fire and brimstone.   no man’s land.   barbed wire.   trust.   white rock.   faceless danger.   carrying somebody on your back.   heroes.

HELL OR HIGH WATER.   sleepy towns.   a windmill turning.   pick-up trucks.   the cocking of a gun.  cowboy hats.   summer heat.   doing things for family.  robberies.  stand-offs.    locking eyes with somebody in a bar.  dirt roads leading to nothingness.  masked faces.   badlands.  justice.   crosses painted on the sides of buildings.   the west.   dust bowls.   the badge pinned to a cop��s shirt.   hot tempers.    burying past mistakes.   guns on belts.  slow drawls.   shattered glass.   piles of money.   browns and beiges.   gambling.  hot and sprawling landscapes.   a lack of moral salvation.   tattoos hidden by sleeves.   blinding sun. getting away.   getting caught.   generations of poverty.   thunderstorms on the horizon.   loose-fitting shirts.   farms.  not knowing if you’re going to heaven or hell or somewhere else.

HIDDEN FIGURES.   junky cars.   close friendships.   vintage lamps. pursuing the impossible.  rocket ships.   satellites.   running in heels.   computers.   chalk drawn on a whiteboard.   mathematics.   pulling up after being pushed down.   kodachrome.   files being slammed on desks.   standing out among the rest.    dark computing rooms.   pencils moving on paper at high speeds.  warm homes.   being depended on.  getting ahead and having the finish line moved.   space age.  meetings full of suits and ties.   crowbars.   grainy footage.   crowds of women.   black and white televisions.   counting numbers.  no windows.   astronauts.  a little girl walking through the trees.  sepia.   breaking boundaries.  long hallways.   watching through glass.  making history.

LA LA LAND.   auditions gone wrong.   neon streets.  highways jammed with cars.   vivid colors.   piano keys.   spotlights.   dreaming of goals.   christmas jingles.   romances that sweep you off your feet.   dancing.   telescopes.   old hollywood movies.  lighthouses.  parties.   movie sets.   jazz music.   galaxies upon galaxies.  fights over dinner.   purple skies.   blue skies.  car radios blaring from vehicles.   murals on the walls.   arms spread wide.   candy-colored fantasies.   nostalgia.   standing on a stage all alone.   brightly colored clothes.   lingering eye contact.   theater seats.   the seasons flying by.   singing your heart out.  elegance.   losing love.  jumping into a swimming pool.   lamps lighting up dark streets.   film burning out on the screen.   coffee shops.  kisses where the world stops.   fireworks.

LION.   gut feelings you can’t shake.   yellow butterflies.  walking alongside the tracks of a train.   a child running around freely.  dangerous alleyways.   elegant pinks.   a family who you haven’t seen in a long time.   falling apart.   being lost.   bright green grass by an ocean.   foreign landscapes.   looking for answers.  locked in a room.   searching the internet.  maps.   crowds of unrecognizable people.   noisy traffic.   holding hands.   catching a stray leaf floating in the wind.  being chased down dark streets.   no one understanding.   rainbows appearing in the rain.  dust-colored browns.  trash dumps.   fluorescent fixtures in a home.   letting go.   banks of a river.  thumbtacks.   home.  rare but bright colors. standing in water.  the train departing.  the roughness of eroding brick.  fruits.  finding a way back.

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA.   boats on clear water.   regret.   shoveling snow.  driving without a clear destination.  fluorescent lights of a hospital. orphans.   tears clinging to your eyes but never falling.  aimlessness.   hockey.   small towns.   running into someone from long ago.   sidewalks.   a house burning to the ground.   funerals. dressing for the cold.  jarring human memories.   pointless conversations with some meaning.  teenagers.   empty pizza boxes. life going on.  having people over.  haunting beauty.   bands playing bad music. trauma.   bar fights.   fishing nets.   seagulls.   depression.   dreams you don’t know aren’t real.   confronting the past.   grief.   tough love.   unopened boxes.   annoying relatives.  depending on someone else to get by.   punching glass and shattering it.

MOONLIGHT.   violins.   dusk.  visiting an old friend.  repressed emotions.   searching for an identity.   bullying.   well-lit diners.  running away.  rich skin tones.   alienation.   the moon over glistening seas.  burgeoning sexuality.   darkness making your skin look blue. keeping your head above water.   glints of light.   dream-like senses of reality.     flashy cars.   pink hallways.   screaming but there’s only silence.  crystalline blues.  avoiding home.  bath tubs.  palm trees.  being scolded.  dreams.  moist skin.   hotboxing.   sun-drenched neighborhoods.  struggling with addiction.   first kisses.   songs coming on the jukebox. reflections in the mirror.   high contrast.   flickering lights.  hands digging in the sand. forgiveness.   bright mid-daylight.   blowing smoke. true love.

tagged by: snagged from @arachnexdragoon !

tagging: @shockwavepulsar @aheartsblade @galbanaspired @shinrarufus @majimaaa @atempestuouslion @greatslaughter @reversegaia & you! 

[sararcdcr]

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES (2017) AESTHETICS. repost, don’t reblog. bold whatever applies. tag whoever you want and feel free to add to the categories.

tagged by: @allianceofficer

tagging: @greysistance @guidiinglight @kettsbain @misunne @zerodcwned @xaedificare @novasurfer @shadybstard @spiritualty @starcharted

ARRIVAL.   blurry memories.   helicopters flying overhead.   fog pouring over mountains.   ominous feelings.   stuttering voices.   dark, cavernous chambers.   protective suits.   hazy skies.  smooth and mysterious rock.   in a relationship with death.   defied gravity.   a chirping bird in a cage.   white, bleak emptiness.   the soft hands of a child.   a barrier between them and you.   moaning voices of unknown creatures.   odd languages.   tentacles.   flat landscapes.   ink.   the circle of time.   silhouettes.   a window overlooking a body of water.  strange perceptions of time.   moving from shadows to light.   possible threats.   the laugh of a child.   déjà vu.   government secrets.  conversations without speaking.   military uniforms.   sickness.  confessions.   a lover once there and now gone.  strange dreams.   paranoia.   disturbing the peace.

FENCES.   strained relations.   exercising power.   laundry hanging on the line.   providing.  tears streaming down hurt cheeks.   masculinity.   family.   claustrophobic houses.   youth and inexperience.  the hollow sound when a baseball bat hits a ball.  football jerseys.   framed photos of relatives.   throwing punches.   second chances.   muted colors.   prison.   unacknowledged sacrifices.   post-war.   streets framed by rusted metal.   sitting on steps.   sticking your fingers through the holes of a fence.   cross necklaces.   unflinchingly hard circumstances.   railroad tracks.   pride being suffocated by self-pity. being rooted in the same place for years.   building a dream.   maternal abandonment. pecking someone goodbye.  bad timing.   losing a dream.   long-standing marriage.   knitting.   covering your ears with a pillow.   infidelity.   brick walls.

HACKSAW RIDGE.   bullets whizzing past your ears.   dust.   bodies littering the dirt.   helmets.   scraped up faces.   hospitals.   obligations.   pacifism.   taking someone in your arms.   a photo tucked away in a bible.   warfare.   a cemetery full of plain white tombstones.   smoke.   saving lives.   rough terrain.   a rifle set aside.   enemies.   allies.  underground tunnels.   perseverance.   water and blood streaming down one’s face.   being the odd one out.   staying true to what you believe.   the smell of gunpowder.   people crying out for mercy.   spiritual transcendence.   someone waiting.   a cliff leading to nowhere.   fire and brimstone.   no man’s land.   barbed wire.   trust.   white rock.   faceless danger.   carrying somebody on your back.   heroes.

HELL OR HIGH WATER.   sleepy towns.   a windmill turning.   pick-up trucks.   the cocking of a gun.   cowboy hats.   summer heat.   doing things for family.  robberies.  stand-offs.   locking eyes with somebody in a bar.   dirt roads leading to nothingness.   masked faces.   badlands.   justice.   crosses painted on the sides of buildings.   the west.   dust bowls.   the badge pinned to a cop’s shirt.   hot tempers.  burying past mistakes.   guns on belts.  slow drawls.   shattered glass.   piles of money.   browns and beiges.   gambling.  hot and sprawling landscapes.   a lack of moral salvation.   tattoos hidden by sleeves.   blinding sun.  getting away.   getting caught.   generations of poverty.   thunderstorms on the horizon.   loose-fitting shirts.   farms.   not knowing if you’re going to heaven or hell or somewhere else.

HIDDEN FIGURES.   junky cars.   close friendships.   vintage lamps.   pursuing the impossible.  rocket ships.   satellites.   running in heels.   computers.   chalk drawn on a whiteboard.   mathematics.   pulling up after being pushed down.  kodachrome.   files being slammed on desks.   standing out among the rest.   dark computing rooms.   pencils moving on paper at high speeds.  warm homes.   being depended on.  getting ahead and having the finish line moved.   space age.   meetings full of suits and ties.   crowbars.   grainy footage.   crowds of women.   black and white televisions.   counting numbers.  no windows.   astronauts.   a little girl walking through the trees.   sepia.   breaking boundaries.   long hallways.   watching through glass.   making history.

LA LA LAND.   auditions gone wrong.   neon streets.   highways jammed with cars.   vivid colors.   piano keys.   spotlights.   dreaming of goals.   christmas jingles.   romances that sweep you off your feet.   dancing.   telescopes.   old hollywood movies.  lighthouses.   parties.   movie sets.   jazz music.   galaxies upon galaxies.   fights over dinner.   purple skies.   blue skies.  car radios blaring from vehicles.   murals on the walls.   arms spread wide.   candy-colored fantasies.   nostalgia.   standing on a stage all alone.   brightly colored clothes.   lingering eye contact.   theater seats.   the seasons flying by.   singing your heart out.   elegance.   losing love.  jumping into a swimming pool.   lamps lighting up dark streets.   film burning out on the screen.   coffee shops.  kisses where the world stops.   fireworks.

LION.   gut feelings you can’t shake.   yellow butterflies.   walking alongside the tracks of a train.   a child running around freely.   dangerous alleyways.   elegant pinks.   a family who you haven’t seen in a long time.   falling apart.   being lost.   bright green grass by an ocean.   foreign landscapes.   looking for answers.   locked in a room.   searching the internet.   maps.   crowds of unrecognizable people.   noisy traffic.   holding hands.   catching a stray leaf floating in the wind.   being chased down dark streets.   no one understanding.   rainbows appearing in the rain.  dust-colored browns.   trash dumps.   fluorescent fixtures in a home.   letting go.   banks of a river.   thumbtacks.   home.  rare but bright colors. standing in water.  the train departing.   the roughness of eroding brick.   fruits.   finding a way back.

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA.   boats on clear water.  regret.   shoveling snow.  driving without a clear destination.   fluorescent lights of a hospital.   orphans.   tears clinging to your eyes but never falling.  aimlessness.   hockey.   small towns.   running into someone from long ago.   sidewalks.   a house burning to the ground.   funerals.  dressing for the cold.   jarring human memories.   pointless conversations with some meaning.   teenagers.   empty pizza boxes.  life going on.  having people over.   haunting beauty.   bands playing bad music.   trauma.   bar fights.   fishing nets.   seagulls.   depression.   dreams you don’t know aren’t real.   confronting the past.   grief.   tough love.   unopened boxes.   annoying relatives.   depending on someone else to get by.   punching glass and shattering it.

MOONLIGHT.   violins.   dusk.  visiting an old friend.   repressed emotions.   searching for an identity.   bullying.   well-lit diners.   running away.   rich skin tones.   alienation.   the moon over glistening seas.  burgeoning sexuality.   darkness making your skin look blue.   keeping your head above water.   glints of light.   dream-like senses of reality.   flashy cars.   pink hallways.   screaming but there’s only silence.   crystalline blues. avoiding home.   bath tubs.   palm trees.   being scolded.   dreams.   moist skin.   hotboxing.   sun-drenched neighborhoods.   struggling with addiction.   first kisses.   songs coming on the jukebox.  reflections in the mirror.   high contrast.   flickering lights.  hands digging in the sand.   forgiveness.   bright mid-daylight.   blowing smoke.   true love.

[asimbelmyne]

A Forget-Me-Not in the Fork in the Road

Fandom: Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Pairing: Kylo Ren/Rey

A03 Link

Summary: He'd wait at the fork in the road almost everyday, tethering his horse to an old apple tree beyond the fence row, biding his time until he'd catch a glimpse of her hair in the distance, the swish of her pale dress, or the dying echo of her voice on the breeze, taunting his ears. She didn't expect anything less.

A/N: For SilverNyte, who wondered when I'd try my hand at something lengthier. This is my first attempt at a multi-chaptered story in a very, very long time. It won't be terribly long because I lack the patience required for such things, but my fondness for Reylo should keep me going. I'd like to thank everyone for giving me the courage to continue writing! Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. I hope that you'll love it as much as I will! 

Few people could boast of having heard Rey sing, and she was desperate to keep it that way. Her voice was soft and lilting, taking flight like a bird in search of the sky, ascending beyond sight until her body felt as empty as a cage. She sang for herself, crafting stories out of thin air, allowing each phrase to slip from her tongue like honey, thick with a sweetness so enthralling she often felt compelled to carry on out of sheer delight. Hoarse from overuse, she'd trip over her melodies, bypassing barbed notes as though they were nothing more than pebbles, musical obstacles that required little consideration. Rey's voice had become her constant companion, a tool she'd utilize as often as possible in the company of her own ears, imagining a life for herself she'd never lead. Her world had never been anything but grey, a kaleidoscope of subdued tones that reminded her of Plutt's steely eyes and pert lips, his voice a listless rumble in the cacophony of his cotton mill, drowning out every strained syllable he'd scream at her. His words had always been meaningless, floating in the space above her head like snow, hungry for something other than harsh words, bruised hands, and bloody lips, spilling across her shoulders in an attempt to linger there, weighing her down. Plutt embodied everything Rey hadn't been able to achieve on her own. She had been working for him for as long as she could remember, and it had begun to show.

He had never been a considerate man, callous where he should have been empathetic, abusing the lives of those he'd taken under his wing for the sake of a few more bucks. Many had fallen ill in the time she had spent there, lungs full of cotton, hearts full of sorrow, and faces the colour of ash, greyer than Plutt's standards. Rey sang in spite of it all. She sang to muffle the sounds of their suffering, Plutt's uninspired cruelty, and the ache that had found its way into her heart, quelling her voice and everything she'd woven into it. She didn't know how to move beyond his blissful ignorance without ruining herself in the process. She hated his heartlessness, how he lived according to his own set of rules, ignoring his responsibilities as an administrator under the assumption that he'd risen above them, a king in his own right, presiding over a world as white as the cotton he coveted so much. Rey's hatred for him burned hotter than any flame she'd managed to kindle on her own, yet she hated herself for having to rely on him. Plutt had never made much of an effort to disguise his satisfaction with her displeasure, and she hated him all the more for it. He had spent hours sabotaging her work in the name of pride, taking advantage of everything she'd accomplished in an effort to line his pockets with silver she'd never see. She had spent most of her life handling a workload too large for one person alone, a brand Plutt had intentionally seared across her skin, embodying everything he felt she owed to him. Rey belonged to Plutt, but in name only. He had yet to take away her voice.

Rey paused, leaning down to pluck a flower from its place in the middle of the road, defying all odds in its determination to survive. She understood its resilience more than she cared to admit. The flower was blue, a forget-me-not that seemed too small inside of her hand, curling in on itself in an attempt to whither away. She brought it up to her eyes, sad that she had stunted its growth, yet happy that life continued to persist in the face of adversity, mirroring everything she had been forced to experience on Plutt's behalf. With nimble fingers, Rey tucked the flower into her hair, securing it in place as carefully as she could manage without some sort of ribbon, hoping that it wouldn't slip and fall away before she could enjoy it. Pretty things had a habit of dying on her.

Rey looked up when she was finished, almost resigned, making her way towards a fork in the road a few yards ahead. She had grown to hate that fork more than Plutt, more than cotton, and more than anything else she had come to associate with him. Few people could boast of having heard her sing, but Benjamin Solo was not one of them. He had caught her in the act more than once, determined to hear her voice again, but she refused to entertain his desires out of sheer indignation alone. He was aristocratic and wealthy, the nephew of Luke Skywalker and the son of Lady Organa, a family rich in land and in name. He had decided to neglect his familial pursuits in an effort to pave his own way in life, allowing the weight of his ambition to take hold of almost everything he had once held dear. He was cold and entitled, lonely for a man who had often boasted of his connections in the company of better people, yet relatable in a way she was reluctant to acknowledge. She hated his eyes in particular. They were a deep brown in colour, the sheen of wet leaves in autumn after it had rained, saturated with feelings he refused to voice in the presence of anyone but himself. He thought her presumptuous, she was sure, but their acquaintance continued to persevere, strengthening over time like a fine wine, giving her small glimpses into the soul of the man he had hidden away. He should have known better, but he didn't seem to care a great deal about class. He'd wait at the fork in the road almost everyday, tethering his horse to an old apple tree beyond the fence row, biding his time until he'd catch a glimpse of her hair in the distance, the swish of her pale dress, or the dying echo of her voice on the breeze, taunting his ears. She didn't expect anything less.

She rounded the corner and there he was, leaning against the fence row, apple in hand. He had taken a bite out of it and was chewing thoughtfully, maintaining eye contact until she began to feel uncomfortable. He liked the fire in her eyes, how she'd straiten like a bowstring under his gaze, refusing to look away until his hold on her had vanished. She hated the severity of it, ignoring the magnitude of his presence in favour of other things, like the apple in his hand or the way her dress felt against her skin, scratchy and hot in afternoon sun, sticking to her legs instead of falling strait. It was a game she had never taken joy in, yet she continued to participate out of necessity rather than obligation, waiting for the day he'd finally let her walk home in peace. She took another step forward, ignoring how his eyes flitted across her face in curiosity, trailing down her neck, into the folds of her hair, and across the curves of her body. His eyes lingered in places they had no right to, but she had grown accustomed to his impropriety, especially in moments like this. When they were alone, living beyond the boundaries their social class had made between them, they had never been anything but themselves. He was impish and she was impassioned, arguing until her throat had gone dry, unafraid to voice her opinions in the presence of a man she considered beneath her notice. He must have thought her crazy at some point, but he had never brought it up. They were similar in some ways, yet completely different in others. He continued to linger and she continued to show up at the fork in the road without fail. She didn't want to know why.

"You've forgotten something," he told her, taking another bite out of his apple.

Rey narrowed her eyes, folding her fingers into the fabric of her dress in an attempt to stifle the scream making its way up her throat. The juice from his apple dribbled down his chin and he wiped it away with his other hand, watching the way her nose scrunched up in distaste, an obvious indicator of her feelings towards him.

"Ah, yes. I should have turned left instead of right," she said, ignoring how his eyes seemed to light up in amusement. "You're such a gentleman."

"That's a little harsh, even for you."

"Honesty hurts," she said, frowning as he tossed his apple into the bushes.

He turned around to face her, reaching out to touch her cheek, hooking his fingers under her chin so that he could look into her eyes. Her pupils widened in distress, mimicking her state of mind. She had never been this close to him before. His eyes were darker than she had originally thought, glinting in the space between them like a lacquer, the tint of soil, bark, and gravel after a rainstorm, rough, callous, and coarse. He continued to look at her until she had turned a different colour beneath his hands, flushing a dusky red in the afternoon light, staining the skin below his fingers like an apple, one he hadn't thrown away just yet. He looked resigned, stoic when he should have been rude, content to simply stare into her eyes instead of resuming their feud, memorizing every line and curve for his own perverse purposes. She wished he'd move away, remembering their roles in life and how inappropriate he had become in the span of a few minutes, ignoring every rule decorum had drilled into his brain. He had always been insistent, demanding her attention more than once in their shared history, but this was different. For the first time since meeting him, she was afraid of what he could do. He'd never hurt her, but the weight of his fingers on her skin spoke of a desire so restrained she could barely breathe without choking, meeting his eyes in silent admonition, praying he'd see reason.

"Since we're being honest, I sometimes wonder how much it would take to break you," he said, running his fingers along the length of her jaw, curling a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I don't know whether you're brave or stupid half the time, but you're something else."

His fingers brushed against the shell of her ear and she cringed, trying to ignore how she felt as he threaded his fingers through her hair. He smelled as sweet as the apple he had tossed away, a strange contrast that made her shiver in anticipation, wishing he'd relinquish his hold on her yet again. They were always coming together like this, drawn to one another like gravity, waiting for the inevitable collide. The way he touched her had become dangerous. She watched with bated breath as he leaned in a little closer, carding his fingers through her hair until he found the forget-me-not she'd placed in there earlier, shifting his hands so that he was holding it in front of her face, inches from her mouth. The amusement in his eyes was a palpable thing. She could feel it in the space he'd made between them, brushing against her skin as fervently as his breath, bombarding her with an onslaught of anger she could barely contain. He had the audacity to smile in response. The sight of it took her breath away.

"You owe me a song," he said, twirling the flower between his thumb and forefinger, refusing to break eye contact. "You keep forgetting."

Her mouth fell open and he laughed, tucking the flower behind his own ear in mockery of its previous location.

"My voice is of little concern to you," she stated coldly, reaching out to retrieve what he'd so rudely taken, but he grabbed her wrist in retaliation, hard enough to elicit a gasp, but loose enough to cause little pain.

"I expect no less from you at this point, but one day you'll crack. You know as well as I do that I always get what I want. You're no different."

"Ha! I'll never belong to you, or to anyone for that matter. I'm beyond your reach."

"Tell that to Unkar Plutt," he said, gripping her wrist a little tighter.

A part of her heart seemed to freeze in her chest, chilling her to the bone. His position in life had given him a great deal of power over others, requiring little effort on his part, but he had gone too far this time, crossing the line she'd made between them so long ago. Plutt saw value in almost everything. She had lived according to his rules for most of her life, acting under the assumption that she'd always return to his white world, a world where machinery mirrored her place in life. Ben was offering her freedom, freedom in the guise of a gilded cage. To forego one form of slavery in exchange for another was cruel, and she hated him for it. A life at his side would require too much sacrifice, destroying everything she had fought for in the span of a heartbeat, spoiling her sense of self. His reasons for wanting her were entirely selfish, yet not unwarranted. He had found something in her that he had lost within himself, something he craved for, and something she'd never completely understand. His feelings for her were complicated, bursting from behind his eyes like a forest fire, hot, intense, and scalding, but not as shallow as he had lead her to believe. He wore his anger like a mask, hiding behind false pretences in an attempt to distance himself from how he really felt, pretending that she was an object instead of a person out of shame, out of guilt, and out of frustration. They had spent so much time with one another that he could hardly say otherwise. He didn't care about her voice, as lovely as it was. He had wanted her and only her from the very start and she knew exactly why.

"You need to leave," she said, trying to tug her wrist from his grasp.

He released his hold on her, slipping the forget-me-not into the front of her dress as slowly as possible, gauging her reaction. His fingers strayed over her bodice hesitantly, as if he were afraid of what he could do if she'd let him, but he moved away instead, reaching for the reins of his horse. He pulled himself onto his saddle and began to ride away, leaving her standing beside the apple tree like a druid, frozen in place. His eyes continued to torment her long after he had gone, a dark smudge beyond the fork in the road that had started it all, ruining any hope of remaining true to the people they had been before their encounter. He had changed her.

Rey's hand shook as she grasped the flower like a lifeline, nearly crushing it.

Somehow she'd endure.