#Research and Analysis Wing
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Parag Jain Takes Charge as R&AW Chief: Quiet Force Behind India's Boldest Intelligence Strikes
By A Correspondent New Delhi: India‘s top external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), has a new chief: Parag Jain. From Punjab‘s militancy to Pakistan‘s terror camps, the new R&AW chief’s silent precision has shaped India’s sharpest responses. Known for his calm demeanour and razor-sharp strategic mind, Jain steps into the role after the retirement of Ravi Sinha on June…
#Aviation Research Centre#Intelligence Operative#Operation Sindoor#Parag Jain#R&AW#R&AW Chief#RAW#RAW Chief#Research and Analysis Wing#Spy Master
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CIA, मोसाद और RAW सहित दुनिया की शीर्ष 10 जासूसी एजेंसियां, जानें काम करने का तरीका और अन्य विवरण
Top 10 spy agencies of the world: भारत की RAW, अमेरिका की CIA, इजराइल की Mossad, यूनाइटेड किंगडम की M16 रूस की FSB, चीन की MSS, फ्रांस की DGSE सहित कई अन्य विश्व के देशों की टॉप जासूसी एजेंसियां हैं। जानें विस्तृत विवरण। Top 10 spy agencies of the world जासूसी या खुफिया एजेंसी उस संगठन को कहते हैं जो किसी देश की सुरक्षा, रणनीतिक,राजनीतिक या आर्थिक रूप से सुरक्षा के लिए गुप्त रूप से काम करती हैं।…
#Central Intelligence Agency#Federal Intelligence Service#General Directorate for External Security#Inter-Services Intelligence#Main Intelligence Directorate#Mossad#Research and Analysis Wing
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In a move further straining India and Canada relations,, the Indian government suspends issuing of visas to Canadian citizens with effect from 21 September 2023 “till further notice.”
#canadian citizens#india and canada#indian government#visa suspension#international dispute#bls international#suspension of visa#anti-india activities#trudeau news#justin trudeau#Trudeau#research and analysis wing#khalistani terrorists#khalistani activists#khalistani#Citizens in Canada#students in canada#indians in canada
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wildfire (cs) | fifteen.

—spotify playlist | series masterlist
—summary: assistant professor in bioengineering, incredibly attractive, lonely and divorced; that’s how most people describe san. but despite the events that have happened in his life, san has a lot going for himself. he’s a successful, sought out professor due to his brilliant contributions to science at just an early age of 32. he worked hard to get where he was now; head deep into his research, his publications, building his lab and creating a name for himself. everything was good and smooth sailing— until it wasn’t. because when he meets you, a bioengineering grad student interested in rotating in his lab, he finds himself ready to risk all the blood, sweat and tears he put in throughout the years just to keep you close— his need for you spiraling out of control like a wildfire.
—pairing: asst. professor!choi san x grad student!f. reader
—genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, grad school au | fluff, angst, smut
—word count: 6.6k
—chapter content/warnings: cussing/mature language, changes are happening??, namjoon again to the rescue, a bit of distant san 😔, a bit of yearning san ❤️🩹, alcohol consumption & intoxication, a very small kiss that was accidental and meant absolutely nothing, these two just 😞 over each other, some crying

—on rotation: next to you - bryson tiller | i'll be alright (tonight) - mura masa

Two months have passed, closer to 3, and you've been busy working your ass off in Namjoon's lab. You've brainstormed and came up with a project that Namjoon approved, giving you all the resources and space you needed to get started. You've also been working alongside a few people in the lab since their project was relatable to yours, finding guidance and a little bit of training and support to carry your project forward. It's been busy, and it's been a good busy.
It's been good enough to keep your mind off of San.
For the most part.
You could only avoid him so many times, and it's not like the ache you felt deep in your chest, your stomach, went away. It still lingers, and it still hits you from time to time.
And it doesn't make it any easier when you get reminders.
Like meeting San's eyes across campus— only for him to break loose and shift his attention elsewhere.
The shift is a harsh, cold reminder that this may actually be over for good.
—FLASHBACK
"Hey." Sunwoo says, gently nudging you. "You okay? Haven't seen you in awhile?" You nod, half smiling before looking down at your laptop.
"Was busy." You chuckle a bit. "Was working on the fine details of my rotation presentation, along with all the data analysis we worked on." You give him a small smile. "I came to clean out the last bits of my stuff."
"It'll all blow over." He says with a reassuring smile. "For the record, I don't think it really matters but I know Professor Kim is just trying to keep everything together before it all blows up again."
"Guessing the whole world knows now?" He shrugs.
"Maybe, maybe not. I haven't heard much lately, but you know me, I don't like to meddle in things like that in general. I keep outta that shit."
"People must think greatly of me." He chuckles.
"It doesn't matter what they think. In any case, you are a good person, you're super sweet and super smart. If they choose to fix on that, that's their issue."
"Thanks, Sunwoo." You look at him. "I'm sorry I won't be able to help you after this."
"That's okay. We'll still hang out and I'm sure we'll cross paths more before I finish up here. Plus, I love Professor Choi but having Professor Kim take you under his wing is fucking sick." You laugh, playfully shoving him.
"I don't know where this will take me, but I hope it works out."
"Are you two.. still a thing? Secret's safe with me. For real."
"I know. But, no."
"I don't know the ins and outs of what happened between you and Professor Choi, but I'm sure he did it for good reason. To also protect you."
"Yeah, maybe. Who knows anymore." You sigh. "Anyway. Gotta head out to do my rotation presentation."
"Goodluck. It'll be all good." Sunwoo gives you a small smile. "Text or call me? Let's get lunch on a weekly basis or something to catch up."
"Yeah, I will. Thanks for everything, Sunwoo."
"Nah, thank you. You really helped my ass out." You laugh and playfully ruffle his hair.
"I'll see you around." You gather your things and let out a shaky sigh as you head out. You're hauling your main bag, and another tote bag that has the rest of your things from your desk. You head over to the small auditorium that Namjoon booked for your rotation presentation, giving yourself some wiggle room to set up and get situated before the three would arrive.
Too bad someone else also had the same plan.
You waltz into the room and head straight for the podium, setting your things down onto a chair in the front row. You grab your laptop and settle at the front, eyes shooting up at the door when you hear footsteps approach the entrance.
And of course it would be San.
He slowly trails in with Namjoon next to him; except, Namjoon turns to speak with a student that stopped him right by the entrance. San is in his black dress pants, white shirt and a black leather jacket. His boots are leaving sounds with every step he takes, watch gleaming on his wrist. He meets your eyes and you instantly freeze— shifting your attention back to your laptop because you don't know what the hell else to do. He doesn't say anything as he heads down the aisle and to the front row, his greeting almost sounding dull.
Forced, even.
"Y/N."
"Professor Choi." The awkwardness and the tension fills the room, and you can't help but notice how awfully clammy your hands are getting. How nervous you feel yourself getting. "How are you?"
"Good." Is all he says before plopping into seat in front while you continue to work with the AV system to get your presentation up on the screen.
"That's good." You reply without looking at him. He feels cold and so standoff-ish— it's hard to tell if he's doing this because he has to or because he actually means it. Was he really done with you? "Hope the presentation's okay." You mumble lightly. San catches on, but he continues to scroll through his phone to distract himself until Namjoon finally walks in.
"Sure you'll be fine." And it sucks. Maybe he does mean it. He doesn't say anything else, and he doesn't reassure you the way he usually does. For San, it's a front. He has to distance himself or else he'll cave. For you, it hurts nonetheless.
"Sorry! Got caught up. The dean's on his way." Namjoon pops in and sits next to San in the front row. "All good, Y/N? Do you need help with setting anything else up?"
"No, I think I got it. Thank you." You smile at him and he nods.
"Course."
"Alright, let's get this going. Sorry for the small wait." The dean comes in last, taking a seat by the two. "Hi Y/N, hope you're doing okay."
"Think so." You chuckle a bit. "Well, I'll get started if there aren't any objections?" They shake their heads. "Great." You nervously respond while Namjoon and the dean give you a small smile.
San doesn't even maintain eye contact with you.
But, it's only because it's the hardest thing to suppress his feelings for you whenever you're in front of him and he can't exactly have you like he used to.
—END
"Yo!" Jiung waves, shifting your attention towards him across the lawn. You give him a small smile, stopping in your motions to wait for him to cross over. To your left is San, patiently waiting for Zara to walk over to him. You can't help but watch; the two only a couple of feet away, their voices slightly echoing around the courtyard.
His hand hovering the small of her back as they enter the Harvey Building together.
To this day, you can still feel your heart physically drop to your gut. You're not sure when it'll pass, but you hope it's soon. You're so tired of feeling this way.
So, so tired.
"Hey." You give Jiung a tiny smile as you hug your books against your chest.
"Whattup?" It took awhile for you and Jiung to get back to normal. You always knew you would, but you needed a little more time to understand his side of things. For awhile, you were angry and hurt. All you could see was red. All you could see was Jiung openly going behind your back to talk to Professor Kim about something he didn't know anything about.
You saw the surface level.
But, as time went on, and as your hurt continued to settle into something you just needed to accept, you understood Jiung a little more. You knew he had always cared about you and you knew he was always protective of you. You knew there wasn't any ill intention behind his actions. And when you two finally came together to talk about it more maturely, you've seen that Jiung had been more understanding of your side, too. He apologized for having gotten in the middle, but he did everything out of care for you and protection. It's clearer now that the relationship you had with San wasn't just any relationship— he saw you cry, and cry, and cry. Wondering where you went wrong or what you could've done to be more careful, to prevent this from happening. He saw the look in your eyes, the way your body physically called and yearned for San's touch and love; he knew this wasn't any of those cases of power imbalance or a one-sided relationship. He felt stupid having needed time to marinate on the whole thing when he should've known you better. But, he could truly say he acted in fear and felt better to err on the side of caution.
He just wished it didn't have to end like this; with you, sad and alone. Feeling like all of it was just too good to be true, a fleeting moment.
A quick chapter in your book.
He gets that now.
When he sees San walking around, he almost feels the same energy, aura, that he feels when he sees you. It's just too bad he can't help. Even if he did, he finds it better to no longer meddle.
Maybe it'll bring you two back together again. When the time is right.
"Nothing. I just need to get some stuff together before I meet with Professor Kim in a bit."
"Nervous?"
"No, not really." You shake your head. "Things have been going well for the most part, minus little hiccups. He wanted to talk about other programs and opportunities he found fitting for me."
"Huh." Jiung cocks a brow up. "More collaborations he wants you involved in, I'm assuming." You shrug.
"If it is, I'm for it. Just hope it doesn't take up my entire schedule completely." You chuckle.
"It'll be good either way!"
"Yeah, I know. It's been good. I have no complaints." You shiver from the breeze that's picking up, digging your face deeper into the scarf you have on.
"Did you hear? There's supposed to be a random storm coming soon. Spring weather, amirite?"
"I heard."
"Are you gonna head home? You should try and head home if you can. Who knows what it'll bring here."
"I don't know. I do need to catch up on some data analysis or else I'll be behind." You pause. "Dunno if I trust myself to work productively at home. We have backup generators, right?"
"I mean, yeah. But, what if it goes out? Then, what?"
"Yeah, I don't know. Let's hope that's not one of these cases." You stop in front of the Panama Building and turn to Jiung.
"Lunch later?" You nod.
"Might be a little late. I'll text you when I'm wrapping up?"
"Sounds good. We'll wait for you."
"See you later." You wave before heading inside the building, shimmying off the cold once you step inside and try to warm yourself up. You head down to the lab, setting your things down on your desk before immediately getting started on your work for the day. You try to pace yourself and plan out your tasks well so that you're able to step out for your meeting with Professor Kim and grab lunch with your friends in a few hours.
It's busy, and time flies. Busy is good. At least your mind is occupied with other pressing matters.
Time slips by so quickly you're almost running late to your meeting with Professor Kim. You put a pause in your current run for behavior, grabbing your laptop and a notebook before darting up to Professor Kim's office. You power-walk down the familiar hallway before finally reaching his open door, finding him occupied at his desk.
"Hey!" Namjoon smiles when you walk into his office and plop down in the chair. "Give me a second, just finishing up this email."
"All good." You chuckle. "Sorry I'm a few minutes late. Was running behavior."
"No worries, I figured. Get comfortable." You plop onto the seat in front of his desk, watching as his fingers move swiftly on the keyboard before he navigates to the mouse and clears his throat. "Okay! All good." He laughs a bit. "How's it going?"
"Good! Pretty busy per usual."
"Good busy, I suppose?"
"Yes, good busy. It's been productive. Days are going by quick. I've got some really promising data for this cohort and I think you might be happy with it."
"I'm happy with any progress." You laugh. "That sounds great! Any other ideas? Any other plans at the moment?"
"Well, I'm not sure yet. As long as I'm on the right path, I think there are other avenues I can explore if the results continue to trend upwards."
"Then, let's explore when we get there. I know you'll continue to do great work, and the results look promising. It all looks promising."
"Thank you, Professor Kim."
"There is something else I wanted to talk to you about." You cock a brow up and tilt your head to the side.
"Sure. I'm all ears."
"Professor Qi from the Mirae Biomedical Institute contacted me the other day. She was really impressed by your symposium presentation and the work you've done in Professor Choi's lab and mine. She thinks you'd be a great asset in their program, especially since she's starting a new clinical research study that I also agree you'd contribute well to. It's a study examining neural activity and behavioral patterns in individuals with conditions like bipolar disorder, anxiety, and OCD, etc. You get the gist. A lot of your work is relatable and can be used to push this study forward."
"Oh my god, wow." You respond in disbelief, shock, even. You didn't think anyone was really paying attention to your work like that, especially with what has happened. You kinda felt like a lost cause even though nothing entirely catastrophic has happened. "I was not expecting that."
"Why not?" Namjoon laughs. "You deserve the credit. What do you think about it?"
"I'm really honored, truly. I think it's a great opportunity."
"It is. Not a lot of people get recruited this way, especially with a research assistant position included in the package." You nod silently, still trying to take it in. "Now, if you do want to move forward, it does mean we'll have to get your transfer application in ASAP. They do offer housing assistance should you need it, and they're willing to help cover any other expenses until you settle."
"Right, transferring." You look down at your palms. Truthfully, Mirae wasn't that far from here; it'd be about 2 hours out, but you could easily get there by a drive down the less busier highway or the bullet train.
You'd have to make that effort to see your friends, meet halfway.
San comes into your head.
"I know it's a bit scary, you've already gotten accustomed to things here even if it's just been your first year. But, luckily, it's not that far away and you can always meet your friends halfway. The train can connect you to campus and back." He tries to reassure you because he really wants you to take this. Of course, he can't force you, but he knows this would be beneficial to your growth.
"Yeah, I know. It's not that bad."
"It's not. Plus, you guys all drive, right?" You nod.
"When do I have to get my transfer application in?" Namjoon pulls up the information on his desktop and lets out a small sigh.
"In two weeks. We can get that done. I can write up a letter of recommendation for you and have Professors Choi and Bahng do one each." He looks at you. "Do you feel comfortable asking Professor Jeong for one since you TA'd for him? It's not entirely necessary, but wanted to see how you felt."
"Um, to be honest, not really." He nods.
"That's fine. We don't need it. Us three should be more than enough." He gives you a tiny smile. "Think you can get a personal statement and everything else together by then?"
"Yeah, I think so. Shouldn't be too much of a hassle."
"I can help with official transcripts, too."
"That sounds great." Your expression is blank and Namjoon tilts his head to try and get a read from you.
"Why the face?"
"I truthfully didn't think I was qualified or that anyone was really paying attention." Namjoon chuckles a bit.
"Listen, your grades are fantastic. The work you do is incredible. I fully think you are capable of handling all the ins and outs of this transfer and transitioning over." Namjoon smiles. "The program isn't too different from ours, but it will definitely offer you a lot of different options and pathways with the clinical study picking up."
"It's alot, and I'm grateful you believe in me. I just don't know if I can handle it. The changes."
"Don't second-guess yourself, okay? You are more than capable. It won't be much different from what you're already doing. Just a 'lil more umph. More seasoning, if you will."
"You think so?" He nods.
"You'll still focus on research, but you'll be split between classes and eventually, the hospital. Unfortunately, that does probably mean there is some weekend work in store for you." You let out a breath, eyes still on Professor Kim. He lets out another laugh [of endearment] and nods, clasping his hands together. "I know that look. I've been there before, but trust me. You'll do amazing, and you'll excel, no doubt. You shouldn't restrict yourself just because you assume you won't do well. Your work and ethic has proved otherwise."
"Thank you, Professor Kim. I think I do wanna move forward with this."
"Cool, then we can work together and get you set up. I'll loop you into an email with her so we can all chat and finalize this. Hopefully before the week ends." You nod.
"And I mean it, by the way." You pause. "Thank you for everything. For supporting me and pushing me forward regardless of everything that's happened."
"You're welcome. I would never let that define you." You give him a small smile, fiddling with your laptop sleeve— dying to ask him about the one person that has been occupying your mind the most. "You okay otherwise?"
"Yeah, I think so. Just thought about some things, but nothing important."
"He's doing okay." Namjoon gives you a tiny smile.
"I— huh? How'd you know I was—"
"Because I just do. He asks about you, too."
"Oh." Is all you say, swallowing the thick lump forming in your throat. "Well, I'm glad he's okay."
"Him and Professor Choi #2 received approval for their joint program, so they'll be getting the real estate they wanted in the new building."
"That's amazing. I'm glad it all worked out." Namjoon nods.
"Anything else I can do for you in the meantime?"
"No, that's it. For now. I'm sure more things will come up when we meet next."
"Sounds good. Well, you let me know if anything comes up or if I can do anything else for you."
"Thanks, Professor Kim." You give him one last smile before grabbing your things and heading out the door.
And the rest of your day is pretty eventful, but not as eventful as San's turns out to be.
While you busy yourself with your new classes, lab work and hanging out with your friends, San is having to force himself to go out with his own group. For awhile, he kinda sulked. Stayed home, did his own thing. Kept quiet. But, it got old to Jongho [and the rest of them] quick— hence, now he's being forced to leave the comfort of his home.
He guesses he could use the fresh air, the night out. It is Mingi's birthday, so he doesn't think he could've said no otherwise.
"Ayo!" Jongho calls out as he enters San's house, twirling the key around his finger as he waits for San's response.
"I told you I'd be fine driving." San slowly comes down his steps, dressed in a simple tee, jeans and a bomber jacket.
"Okay, miss attitude." Jongho laughs. "I'm trying to make it easier so you don't have to worry about parking and what not." San sighs.
"Thanks." He shrugs. "Do I look okay? Not that it matters."
"Can you at least try to be somewhat happy? Especially when we see Mingi later?"
"I'm sorry, I really am trying. Just kinda hard to."
"I know, and I truly think you could use this night to get your mind off of things. It's been some time, give yourself a little break." Jongho nudges him.
"Yeah, yeah. You're right." San gives him a small smile.
"Things will get better, but you gotta stop sulking about it or else you'll just keep enforcing this negativity to come for you."
"Wow, that's the deepest shit I've ever heard from you."
"And it won't come again, so fucking take it or leave it." San laughs a bit and shakes his head.
"Can we go? Before I change my mind and tell Mingi I'm sick or something."
"Hell no." Jongho starts power-walking to his car, making San take his time as he checks around the living room and kitchen once more before locking up and slipping into the passenger's seat. San slouches in his seat while Jongho drives off towards the busy downtown area, scrolling through the new group chat created for Mingi's birthday to catch up.
"They're all there already."
"Yeah, well. They wanted a head start."
"I thought Zara wasn't coming."
"She wasn't, but I think her initial plans ended up getting canceled."
"I see." San sighs and rests his head back against the head rest. The bar is ways away from campus, thankfully. It's a new bar that just opened a month ago, and Mingi's birthday was the perfect excuse for everyone to get together for a night and relieve some stress. When Jongho arrives at their destination, he's having to park down the block due to how crazy busy the area is tonight. It's a chilly night, and San has to tuck his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket to try and keep himself warm on the walk. When they enter, they see familiar faces near the back wall of the bar, Mingi's loud voice radiating towards the entrance.
"My fucking boys!" He says, already intoxicated. He pulls San and Jongho into a hug before the two start greeting the group properly.
"Hey. I didn't think you were coming." San says, pulling Zara into a hug. She's got on a jeans, high heeled boots and an off-the shoulder sweater on. She's got a bit more makeup on tonight— she's gone for the natural blush kinda look. San is not gonna lie, she looks good.
But, she will never be you.
"Yeah, plans got canceled and I was already dressed so, figured I'd make use of the outfit somehow." San chuckles a bit.
"Glad you were able to." He gives her a small smile before greeting the rest of the crew that was there, including Namjoon.
The night starts off pretty chill for San. He's taken a few shots to try and keep up with Mingi, no longer wanting to hear him complain about how no one wanted to take shots for his birthday. After the third, he tries to slow it down and cashes in for a small can of beer while Mingi continues on with spreading the love throughout the group by passing out more shots. The music is right up everyone's ally, making most of their group bounce along to the beats and sing along loudly. San's got himself next to Zara at the booth— both of them sipping on their poison for the rest of the night.
"So, San." She turns to him, her chin resting on the palm of her hand. "How's everything going?" San looks at her and despite the blush she's wearing, he can tell her cheeks are naturally flushing red at the question, at being tipsy. At the fact that she has him alone.
Because you aren't around.
"Good. Super busy, but good." San is pretty drunk, not gonna lie. He doesn't normally drink like this, but he figured he'd just enjoy himself while around his bestfriends. The beer obviously isn't helping his case, but he believes he'll be fine. He doesn't think anything will come out of this anyway. "Heard you've secured some new funding and you've got three more grad students."
"I did, yeah."
"Congrats." San smiles at her before gently tapping his beer can against her cocktail glass.
"What's new with you? We haven't been able to catch up for a bit."
"Yeah, sorry. It's just— it's been a rollercoaster."
"I bet." Zara sips on her drink. There's a slight pause before she's tracing the rim of her glass, then speaking up again. "I'm sorry about everything that's happened." San looks at her. They're sitting in close proximity; enough for San to feel her arm rub against him whenever she moves, her body heat.
"You don't have to be sorry for anything." He gives her a small smile. "It is what it is. Things are pretty stable now."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"So, are you not seeing her anymore?" San takes a big gulp of his beer while keeping his eyes trained on the crowd in front of him. Her.
You always come back in the picture.
"No."
"I'm sorry."
"All good. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be." Zara looks up at him and they meet eyes for a moment. To her, the tension feels thick. But to San, he's just going with the motions. He's drunk, she's pretty, he's chillin'. Nothing more to it. But, she looks at him in a certain way and it has him slightly furrowing his brows when he tilts his head to look at her a little more, a little deeper.
"I'm sure it hasn't been easy." Her eyes are moving down to his nose, to his lips. San is following her gaze and he knows all too well where this could lead. He should've known to break contact, but before he could even think about it, Zara is the first to lean in and make her move— lips pressing against San's that he's instantly in shock and can't process right away.
But, what he does know is that this doesn't feel right, and his body is already rejecting the action because it isn't you.
"Zara—" San gently pushes Zara back with a frown on his face. "Zara, I can't. I— this can't happen. I'm sorry if I ever misled you, but—"
"Oh." She almost looks confused. "No, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, how embarrassing." She shies away. "I should've known."
"I'm sorry—" He tries to repeat again, but she's shaking her head and walking off towards the bathroom. "Fuck." He runs his hand through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh. He feels terrible that it happened. One, it shouldn't have happened. Two, he didn't mean to hurt his friend.
Three, it wasn't you.
It sounds so fucked up, but even after all of that, his mind still takes him to you and he can't help but drunkly panic as if you were around to see it. It should've never happened, it should've never happened.
He didn't want that to happen.
They had been hanging out for awhile, but the last thing he wanted was to lead her on unintentionally. And he doesn't think he did, knowing she had feelings for him from the get-go. He was there for her and enjoyed her company, but kept enough distance to make sure it didn't cross any boundaries.
He didn't want that to happen.
He pushes his way through the crowd and finds his way outside, letting the cool air hit his skin. If he hadn't made his way out of the bar, he might've [quite frankly] yacked from the slight nausea and anxiety he's feeling. He pulls his phone out of his back pocket, quickly scrolling through his call log to find your name.
You don't answer when he calls.
So, he texts.
san: i'm sorry
san: i miss you so badly
san: i miss us
san: zara kissed me and you're probably gonna hate me for it
san: i'm so sorry baby, pls come back to me i miss you. i don't fucking care anymore, i just need you.
you: san stop
you: get home safely okay?
san: no i want you with me though
you: san, please stop making this harder than it already is.
And then he calls again. Because for some reason, he feels like you already hate him and want nothing to do with him over a dumb 'lil mistake that he had no intention of making.
He calls again.
And again. Even when he's got his back pressed against the wall, crouching near the ground until he can hear your voice clearly on the other line. Zara steps out to get a breather, but she sees that he's already on the phone and it must be with you. She doesn't know why she expected anything out of that stupid, silly little kiss.
He was always gonna run back to you.
It was always gonna be you.
You finally answer, but it's because you think something's wrong and you don't want anything to happen to San.
You don't even know if you can stomach hearing him right now.
"Baby." He drunkly murmurs on the phone and it causes you to swallow the lump forming in your throat— shut your eyes to prevent any more tears from falling. "Sweetheart, you there?"
"San, stop this. That's all I'm asking from you." You shakily respond.
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? You shouldn't be calling ne as if things are okay."
"But, they can be, angel. We can make it okay again."
"Please don't call me that." You barely say above a whisper, tears sting your eyes, throat aching. "If you need a ride, I can call you a cab."
"No. Mm'fine. I just wanted to hear your voice because I miss you so damn much."
"You're making this way too hard. Please just go home and get sleep, okay?"
"You're gonna hate me more than you already do."
"I don't hate you. But, whatever your business is with her, is your business with her. None of this pertains to me."
"I don't have business with her. I want you. I just want you. It's always you." You purse your lips tightly when you remember his text— of course Zara would take the opportunity, and now he's confessing his love to you.
All of this was so fucked up.
"I love you."
"San."
"You don't feel the same anymore?" You feel the burn in your throat when you take a moment to pause.
"Can you just put Jongho on the phone, please?"
"Why?" He whines.
"Because I need to make sure you get home safely." He clicks his teeth.
"Fine." He whines some more before he's calling out to Jongho and telling him his girl would like to have a word. "Think my girl is mad. C-can you tell her we can work this out? I-I don't want her mad anymore." In which Jongho follows with a quick 'yeah, ok' before snatching up his phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi. I'm sorry to trouble you with this, but can you please make sure he gets home in one piece? I think it's best he stops calling me, too."
"Of course. I'll stay with him."
"Thank you, Professor—"
"Jongho."
"Thank you, Jongho." You hang up the call and instantly toss your phone to the side before your tears start overflowing. You let the sheets swallow you whole before you cry.
And you just.. cry.
Until you tire yourself and fall asleep, even though you tried to stay up to make sure nothing else came in from San.
Nothing does, anyway.
Jongho throws San into the car and tells him to chill while he says his final goodbyes to everyone. Mingi, Yeosang and the rest of the group are laughing it off, assuming San is just drunk and slumped for the night. And he kinda is, but he's sad. He's completely heartbroken. He doesn't wanna be alone for the night, and Jongho says he'll take the guest room so he doesn't have to wallow in his drunkenness alone.
Yet, he still feels like he is.
When he gets home, he lazily kicks off his shoes and runs a quick shower. The world is still spinning more than he'd like, so he downs a whole water bottle before finishing up his routine and slipping under the sheets. Jongho has left him to his peace, also getting ready for bed in the guest bathroom and bedroom.
San can barely get comfortable because he can't even close his eyes and feel still for a second. He lies on his tummy, sprawled out across his bed since there's no use in leaving space for two.
He wishes he could.
Your side remains empty.
"You good?" Jongho pokes his head in to see a shirtless San facing the opposite way.
"Mhm." He mumbles. "Thanks."
"Yeah. Well, you know where to find me if you need anything." San stays silent, making Jongho shut his door gently before retreating to the bedroom.
San does know what he needs, though.
It's unfortunate your side remains empty.

Monday comes, and San is hoping he doesn't run into you.
He's hoping he doesn't run into you because he's not sure how to explain himself, and it's not like he can, anyway. But, it'll also make everything real for him— too real for his liking.
It'll be too real that he drunk texted you and called you, confessing his love after an incident that should've never happened in the first place.
It'll be too real that you aren't his.
It'll be too real that you never came to be by his side and that your side of the bed remains empty.
San sighs to himself as he quickly rushes into the Harvey Building, hurrying down to the basement and unlocking his office door. He sets his bags down and plops onto his chair, getting settled for the day. He couldn't sleep last night, so he decided to get up before the sun rose to workout in the faculty gym. He might've pushed himself a little harder than usual, his arms already feeling the soreness from the upper body workout he did. He'll be extra tired today, but at least his day will fly by with the shit he has to do.
He just hopes he doesn't run into you.
Because somehow, when he sees you, time stops and he feels frozen.
He lets out a sigh and starts working on a few progress reports that are literally due tomorrow. He's gotten through most of it and thankfully, just needs to add a few more details before sending it off. He also just got word that he won an award, and the foundation has been asking for a bunch of material to get ready for the award ceremony in a few months.
He hopes he can still share that news with you at some point.
Until then, he'll gather some childhood and school photos, candids he has from being in the classroom and doing lectures, other award photos; you know the deal. He's gotta write an acceptance speech that's 500-600 words and lasts about 2-3 minutes, plus answer a bunch of questions on a sheet they sent him.
It takes up a good chunk of his early morning that he's grabbing coffee right before his meeting with Namjoon and Jongho about the new program and real estate. He mutters a quick 'oh shit' to himself when he looks down at his watch, wrapping up his last thoughts before switching his desktop computer to sleep mode and gathering his phone and badge. When he slips out of his office, he finds the basement office more packed than usual. Lots of his lab members are meeting with people from other labs to collaborate or get guidance on a project. Sunwoo is busying himself with the data on his computer, working on his next data presentation for the lab meeting next week. He's noticed that him and Belle don't talk anymore, and he wonders why; he has an inkling it has to do with you, but he won't pry unless he hears about it somehow.
They all toss their 'hello's' his way while he rushes out to grab his coffee before making his way to the electrical engineering building.
Luckily, the walk is quiet.
San sips on his coffee and makes his way into a room that Jongho booked for their meeting. He's not here yet, but Namjoon isn't either, so San sits at the table by himself— mindlessly scrolling through his phone. He hasn't deleted your text thread [call him crazy], and he still has all your photos in his album. He hasn't changed the 'Baby 💕' listed as your contact name, he hasn't changed his home wallpaper that consists of a shot from behind you looking out at the beach view.
It's all equally tearing him apart and getting him by at the same time.
He can't seem to get his mind off of you and it makes him think that the universe is playing some kind of sick, twisted game with him.
Or, maybe it's a sign that he just has to accept his feelings for you. That you were always gonna be the one for him no matter how hard he tried to convince himself it couldn't work—
"Ayo." Namjoon pulls him out of his thoughts when he walks in and plops down on a seat next to him.
"Sup."
"I see Jongho's running a bit late." San checks his texts to see the unread 'running a few mins late - be there soon' text from the man himself.
"Yeah. I almost forgot myself. Was too busy getting the award materials together." Namjoon smiles.
"That's a big one. Definitely deserved."
"Thanks, boss."
"How's everything else?"
"Good, I guess." But Namjoon can see it's deeper than that, and San isn't all that great at hiding his true feelings.
"You guess?"
"Yeah, why?" He looks at Namjoon.
"She's doing great."
"Is she?"
"Yeah, really."
"That's good to hear."
"Qi Jaemi from Mirae reached out and is recruiting Y/N into their program. She started a clinical study not too long ago that's moving fast, and the work that Y/N has done in our labs is incredibly beneficial and relates well to what she's focused on. She offered to support her and give her a research assistant position while she's studying for extra financial support." Namjoon meets San's eyes. "I think she'd flourish and do amazing in it. Can't let her talents go to waste."
"I agree." San shifts in his seat. "So, she'll be transferring?"
"Yeah, sounds like. It's promising and I told her she has my support. I think she's gonna take it and not backtrack."
"T-that's great. I hope she does." San says.
"I'll need your help with writing a rec letter for her transfer application. If that's okay."
"Yeah, of course. Anything." He is truly happy for you and thinks it's the best move, especially for a very well known professor like Professor Qi. After everything, he's glad your work is still being recognized and that you're opening new doors to different opportunities.
He hopes you do move forward with it.
Selfishly enough, he hopes you take it and this will eventually lead you two back together. To a time where you don't have to hide your relationship and be loved undercover.
To a time where you two could just be happy without any outside noise.
"You miss her?"
"I do." San barely responds. "I really do, and I don't know how I'm supposed to get past this. I tried, Joon. I can't let her go." He sighs.
"Listen, I can't tell you what to do anymore. My job doesn't include policing you down to the T. Things have settled and brushed over, but it doesn't mean the dean isn't watching you or her. Luckily, if she takes this, it won't be as big of a deal as it is now while she's a student here. He'd still wanna make sure you aren't getting distracted, though."
"Okay.. but that's great, right? Things have settled for the both of us." Namjoon sighs. "If she takes the opportunity, it changes everything."
"Yes, which is why.. whatever you do, please just remember not to mess this up for her or you. The both of you are on great paths right now."
"It was never my intention to do so in the first place. I wanna add value to her life, not take away from it."
"So, what are you trying to say?"
"I love her."

—taglist: @asjkdk @interweab @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs @persphonesorchid @mxnsxngie @jycas @cowboydk @vcutparis @chngbnwf @struggling101 @sanhwalvr @angelqueendom @barbielibra @brown88 @choisansplushie @yunhoswrldddd @hyukssunflower @vickykazuya @lucid-galaxys-world @jaytheatiny @pommelex @thechaotictheoryy @vixensss @santineez @nopension @domfikeluva @in-somnias-world @my-atiny-kookie-rkive @mountiiny @naoristerling @onmymymyway @thecutiepieme @wyrated @randajjjad
#san fanfic#san series#choi san series#choi san fanfic#san#choi san#ateez#san x reader#ateez x reader#kpop imagines#kpop#kpop smut#san x y/n#choi san x y/n#san angst#san smut#san fluff#choi san angst#choi san smut#choi san fluff#ateez fluff#ateez angst#ateez smut#hwaslayer: wildfire
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While right-wing media yell about “able-bodied men,” in truth Medicaid work requirements would hit caregivers the most — and they are disproportionately women
Written by John Knefel
Research contributions from Sophie Lawton
Published 05/22/25 12:20 PM EDT
Right-wing media figures are telling their audiences that proposed work requirements for Medicaid will be targeted at men who are unwilling to look for a job, when the actual population most likely to be affected is poor, rural women who are taking care of elderly parents or adult children.
The discussion comes as congressional Republicans negotiate a budget bill that is widely predicted to deliver massive tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations while gutting social safety net programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. The House passed its version of the bill on May 22, which included what Axios described as ���the biggest Medicaid rewrite in the history of the safety-net program, which will likely result in millions of Americans losing their health insurance coverage.”
One of the ways the House's legislation reduces Medicaid costs is by introducing arduous and unnecessary work requirements for beneficiaries that would begin at the end of 2026. The Congressional Budget Office, which provides nonpartisan economic analysis to lawmakers, estimated that 10.3 million people would lose their Medicaid by 2034 if the bill was passed in its May 14 form. The New York Times cited the same figure in its coverage of the House bill’s passage. (The bill also adds work requirements to SNAP, which could put almost 11 million people at risk of losing some of their food assistance.)
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Chrysos Heirs
people who play both hi3 and hsr are WINNING rn
anyway. i've determined likely flamechaser parallels for a majority of the chrysos heirs. most of them do not actually look like their flamechaser counterparts, which makes me think they're not direct expies but merely parallels.
I also sprinkled some minor analysis of what little lore we have on these guys. Amphoreus is massively inspired by greek mythology.
watch this before reading!
Aglaea = Eden (both associated with gold)
Eden owned the Elysian Realm previously, but at that time it was called the Golden Courtyard
Eden is also called the Bearer of the Gold Signet
Aglaea is called the Goldweaver
You're not going to believe this-- Aglaea is named after the Charis called Aglaea.
The mythological Aglaea basically runs errands for Aphrodite, which would explain why HSR Aglaea bears the Coreflame of Romance.
HSR Aglaea is from the city of Okhema. In greek thought (plato I think?), Okhema is an intermediary between the body and the soul. I did as much research as I could and the best I could figure out is "it carries the soul through rebirth". SORRY IF THAT'S WRONG-
HSR Aglaea has the "divine authority of mnestia". After lots of research, I think mnestia can be loosely translated to Remembrance, so perhaps that's the Amphorean way of saying she's a pathstrider of Remembrance?
Aglaea's drip marketing references the myth of Prometheus, where Prometheus stole fire from the gods and returned/gave it to humanity.

Tribbie = Vill-V (multiple 'selves') [edit: i now think it's mobius]
Tribbie is called the "three-faced messenger"
We see Tribbie adopt multiple personas in the video. She can even take multiple forms at once
Vill-V has partitioned her personality into 8 different segments
EDIT, it's probably mobius. mobius has the signet of infinity; tribbie's divine authority is the gate of infinity
tribbie is from Janusopolis and her divine authority is also called Janus, which is absolutely perfect for someone connected to messengers/passage. Janus is the roman god of beginnings, endings, transitions, doorways, etc.

Anaxa = Su (both associated with knowledge/enlightenment)
Anaxa is said to have "enough knowledge to refute faith, and to stir up a torrent capable of slaying gods."
Su is called the Enlightened of Bodhi, Enlightened One, and other similar titles.
These two have lots of physical similarity
Anaxa's namesake has some interesting connections with Nous actually

Hyacine = Griseo (both Asleep)
In the video, when Hyacine is on-screen it says "let the sky become the slumbering cot from which she wakes".
Due to the 8th Honkai Eruption, Griseo fell into a deep sleep.
Could be named after Hyacinthus

Mydei = Kalpas (fire in battle)
In the video, Mydei is seen in a post-battle poise surrounded by fire.
Kalpas is constantly surrounded by fire during battle.
Both characters constantly seek out fighting/strife.
Mydei is likely related to the greek god Deimos
He is from the city Castrum Kremnos. Castrum = a fortified military base; Kremnos = a steep place or precipice. so picture a fort on a cliff ig
His divine authority is "Lance of Fury, Nikador". My thought is Nikador is related to Nike, goddess of victory?

One of the unnamed people has a mask too though, but these guys are too similar in aesthetic and personality
Cipher = Pardofelis (...come on.)
Cat girls.
Same eye and hair color

Castorice = Aponia? (butterfly theming)
Castorice is pictured with butterflies both in the video and in the twitter art. These butterflies look highly similar to the butterfly motif in Aponia's design
Aponia is very strongly associated with butterflies. Her dress is patterned like one and she has butterfly wings in her ult
Both seem to have devastating levels of power
IDK about the greek origins for this one. Castor? Kratos (who is actually a child of the Styx)?

Phainon = Kevin (deliverance)
Yeah they're both related to deliverance. They literally outright said deliverance in the video, and Kevin bears the Deliverance Signet.
Also they look EXACTLY THE SAME
Also both seem to be the 'leader'
In mythology, Phainon is the star of Cronus/Saturn (cuz they thought saturn was a star)

Cyrene = Elysia (...COME ON.)
They look identical and have almost the exact same personality

i have yet to figure out the two unnamed ones, Hysilens, and Cerydra. nor can i find their name origins... the closest i found, after ages of digging, is this for Hysilens
the remaining flame-chasers are Kosma, Sakura, Fu Hua, and Mobius. only one of the unknown people seems to be male ("unknown 2"), so that one's probably Kosma.
And yeah that's the culmination of me losing my mind for the past 6 hours. lucky you, you didn't have to watch me try and fail to decipher what the 12 titans might be connected to. (greek titans, 12 olympians, and HSR aeons all didn't line up easily waaaaaa)
here's the failed attempt to figure out the aeons if anyone else gets ideas from this
OK thanks for reading. normally I post my loredumps in discord servers with my friends. this is my first time posting it anywhere abfiushdliueh
EDIT: after recent drip marketing, it's clear that tribbie is actually connected to mobius. as mobius has the signet of infinity, and tribbie's divine authority is called "janus, gate of infinity".
I also added a small amount of info to both tribbie and mydei about their greek/roman inspos
#hsr#hsr lore#coreflame#chrysos heir#i need to do my work#but this has been on my mind all day#and i can't rest until i write this out#hsr aglaea#hsr mydei#hsr phainon#hsr castorice#hsr anaxa#hsr tribbie#hsr cyrene#hsr amphoreus
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A little analysis of Ratio's owl symbolism. He's absolutely covered (and surrounded) with stylized images of owls. Here are just some examples (feel free to study him to find more). He was even (apparently) supposed to wear an owl mask in an older version of his design. But why.


1. In western culture, owls are traditionally associated with knowledge and wisdom, which indicates his connection with Erudition, as a scientist. That's the most obvious explanation for his owl imagery, and probably the only one intended by the designers. But why stop here. Why not overanalyze it.
2. Owls are known as highly specialized and effective predators. So basically, an embodiment of the Hunt.
Dr. Ratio (about the phase flame): Do you know what to do with cornered prey? Hunt it to the death.
Btw, considering that paths are not just a gameplay convention but the actual in-universe things characters recognize in themselves and others, it's even more ironic that the character who dedicated his whole life to science and education belongs to the Hunt. Because gameplay-wise, the Hunt is the opposite of Erudition. The poor guy couldn't have been further away from Nous even if he tried.
3. Owls are good at being unnoticed. They hunt by hiding, observing, and waiting for the right time to strike. It reminds me of that mission at Herta Station, where we first met him. Most people on the station didn't even know that he was there, even though he personally saved these researchers.
Screwllum (about Ratio's involvement in that mission): …and pulling the strings from behind the curtain is akin to laying down the gauntlet to a genius.
There is a theory that more or less the same thing is happening on Penacony, with most characters probably not knowing that he's even there.
4. The special structure of an owl's wings and feathers makes their flight practically noiseless, so they can approach their prey unnoticed. In addition to point 3, with him moving through Herta station unnoticed, it also reminds me of how he silently disappeared a couple of times in the middle of his conversation with Aventurine.
5. They gave him vertical pupils, probably in an attempt to make his eyes more owl-like. The problem is, I wasn't able to find a single photo of an owl with vertical pupils. They are round. So, if anything, it makes him look more like a cat.
6. And the last point, it's most likely not true, it's my little conspiracy/crack-theory.
But he's sometimes referred to as a Professor; he's as much of an Owl as Aventurine is a peacock. Game, please don't tell me he has nothing to do with Penacony's Professor Owl the origami birds often mention, whoever it is.
In fact, if he wasn't too young for that, I wouldn't be surprised if he had something to do with the creation of Dreaworld. Because he mentioned before that taking a bath helps him with going to sleep, and on Penacony you take a bath to go to sleep (what are the chances), and then you enter a world filled with images of owls. It's probably actually nothing, but what a coincidence.
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Caleb Character Analysis part 1: The Ever Experiments
(This is mostly lifted from a video I posted on tiktok, with some slight changes/clarifications)
The first and most important thing to keep in mind here is that, according to his anecdote 'Pathless Realm', Caleb has suffered from dissociative amnesia throughout his life. I'm obviously not a psychologist, but based on some light research this basically seems to mean that he has mentally blocked out a lot of the traumatic memories of what happened during the experiments, so while he is definitely aware of them he doesn't remember exactly what happened.
This isn't the same as MC, who loses all or most of her memories every time she is killed and resurrected, but it's worth noting they both have issues with their memories & remembering the details of their trauma, and neither can give us the full picture of what happened in their childhoods.
We can also make note that Caleb was recorded to be 9-10 years old while the experiments were happening. This adds an interesting layer to the fact that Caleb constantly tries to take blows for MC and endures trauma so that she doesn't have to. Throughout all of this he was barely less of a child than MC was, but because he is the slightest bit older (and also because it seems that Josephine often left her under his care growing up while she was working) he sees himself as responsible for her wellbeing. This, in some sense, causes Caleb to see himself as older and more mature than he actually is. He was forced to become a caretaker/guardian figure and take on a lot of adult responsibilities at a very young age, which is why he's also so averse to showing vulnerability like we see in 'Hidden Waves'. He feels that if he can't be the mature, unwavering "pillar of strength" that he thinks MC needs him to be, he is failing to be good enough to protect the person he loves the most.
Now let's get into the actual contents of the experiments. We already know what happened to MC from World Underneath, but for anyone needing a refresher she was used for the Aether Core in her heart and her Resonance Evol, and was repeatedly killed so that the researchers could observe her coming back to life with the intention of using her to unlock the secret to immortality. However, things aren't quite as clear cut for Caleb. The only main sources we have are from his first trailer, which says that "They are the optimal weapon for destroying one another" and a few passages from his anecdote, such as:
"He knows he's always been good at destroying delicate things. The people behind the observation window say that the test subject will become a force comparable to a black hole given time. Not even light could escape it."
From these sources we can gather that Caleb was also used for his Evol with the aim of creating black holes (something we know he is able to do as of 'Homecoming Wings') and that he and MC were made to be able to counter each other, likely as a safeguard. Since they were both extremely powerful, the idea of them being optimal for destroying each other perhaps suggests that they were designed so that if MC's power became too dangerous Caleb could be used to destroy her and vice versa.
We can also gather that Caleb was labelled/labels himself as inherently destructive and dangerous. This seems to have had a long term effect on his self image, as the line from his anecdote establishes that this is something "he knows" and believes to be true, affecting the way that he sees himself especially in comparison to MC. I have a video going slightly more into this on my tiktok page, but essentially Caleb seems to see himself as inherently destructive and bad, while MC is an embodiment of goodness and warmth: the "black hole" that even light can't escape VS the "Unicorn" that brings eternal life. This is potentially why he takes on the role of protecting MC so intensely, as he thinks he deserves the suffering more than she does and is willing to take abuse on her behalf to protect her.
It becomes even more interesting if we consider the religious themes of their storyline with all the references to Adam & Eve, paradise and sin. Caleb views himself as inherently "sinful", just like the original sin described in the Bible that all humans are born with because of Adam & Eve. The only way to cleanse oneself of original sin is to submit to God, the embodiment of goodness and purity, and so Caleb, in a way, submits himself to MC. We have seen how highly he thinks of her, as he frequently describes her as "the best of the best", says that he thinks the world doesn't deserve her, and on multiple occasions comments that he thinks that anything that stands against her shouldn't exist or should disappear.
In short Caleb doesn't just love MC, he reveres her in a way that borders on religious and is willing to devote himself entirely to her service. That's why even from a young age he has taken on the role of protecting & serving MC, giving her almost anything she asks for, doing almost anything she wants, and making sure that no matter what she always feels like she is safe and happy and that he will always be there for her. I think he feels that by doing this, he is atoning for his "original sin" of simply existing as himself. He feels that if he can adequately "serve" MC, if someone as good and pure and warm as her can love or even just approve of him, it can make up for all of his feelings of guilt and sin and destructiveness. She is his salvation.
This is already a lot on his shoulders, but if we go back to the experiments I think there is one more thing at the source of Caleb's guilt, one big example of his destructiveness that serves as the main reason he sees himself the way he does: the Chronorift Catastrophe.
As we've already established, Caleb's Evol is capable of creating black holes/wormholes, so it's not unreasonable to think that he could have been used to open the Deepspace Tunnel (intentionally or not). However this would take a lot of power, more than I think a 9 year old boy would be able to achieve, unless we consider the fact that MC may have used Resonance to boost his power to the necessary level (and likely killing herself in the process). This then is their shared sin, like the sin shared between Adam & Eve when they both bit the apple, and it's one that neither seems to remember due to their respective memory loss issues. If this is the case, it gives us yet another reason for Caleb's inherent feelings of guilt: whether he knows it or not, he was directly responsible for the event that almost destroyed humanity and caused MC, the person he cherishes most, some of her deepest lasting traumas. It's yet another thing he feels the need to make up for by protecting her.
It's also how they both manage to escape the labs before later reuniting at the shelter (although I have seen speculation that the "shelter" actually was the experiment facility and that Caleb is lying to MC about it, but I'm not sure whether I agree with this based on what we've seen). When they do reunite MC doesn't remember who Caleb is, marking just one of many times that he has to reintroduce himself to her. This is another one of the "duties" he takes on for her, promising to always be there to remind her who they both are and swearing to be by her side forever. I think this is another reason that Caleb is so obsessed with having MC by his side: not just because that's what he promised her, but because he's afraid that if he's not there to remind her who he is she might one day forget him forever.
He also chooses never to remind MC of what happened to them during the experiments, or at least what he remembers of it himself. The reasoning of this is obvious, Caleb doesn't want her to be upset or in any way traumatised by it, so if there's a way to let her forget all about it he'll let her. However, I think it's significant that from a young age he chooses to take on this burden by himself for the both of them, as this will become a running them as I cover more of his cards & storylines.
#love and deepspace#lads caleb#lnds caleb#love and deepspace caleb#caleb lads#caleb xia#xia yizhou#caleb#lnds
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The Tomb of Prince with a Pink Granite False Door Unearthed in Saqqara
The newfound tomb of an Egyptian prince has a false door, which ancient people viewed as an "entry" and "exit" for souls in the afterlife, researchers say.
Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered the 4,400-year-old tomb of a prince whose burial has a giant "false" pink door to enable souls to enter and exit.
The tomb belongs to Prince Userefre, also spelled Waser-If-Re, the son of King Userkaf, also spelled Wserkaf a pharaoh who reigned around 2465 to 2458 B.C. during Egypt's fifth dynasty (circa 2465 to 2323 B.C.).
The newly discovered false door has inscriptions that say that he was a "hereditary prince," as well as a "judge," a "minister," a "governor" of two regions, and a "chanting priest," the statement said.
"Previous to this discovery, we didn't even know he existed," Ronald Leprohon, professor emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Toronto who was not involved with the excavation, said in an email. Leprohon noted that the prince's name may have meant "Re is powerful." Re (also spelled Ra) was a sun god in ancient Egypt.
The giant false door, which is made of pink granite, is about 14.8 feet (4.5 meters) high and 3.8 feet (1.2 m) wide, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement. In ancient Egypt, false doors are commonly seen in tombs, as the Egyptians believed that the souls of the deceased could enter and exit through them, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
The door's immense size and construction from pink granite is remarkable, experts said.
"This is the first time that a false door like this was found in Saqqara" Zahi Hawass, a former antiquities minister who is leading excavations at the tomb, said in an email. The man's status as a prince with important titles explains why a false door like this was built for him, Hawass said.
Melanie Pitkin, a senior curator at the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney who was not involved with the excavation, said in an email that "at this time, false doors are most commonly made from limestone, which was a ubiquitous resource in Egypt. Since pink and red granite was quarried and transported from Aswan [about 400 miles or 644 km south], it was more expensive and reserved for royalty and the high elite."
A red granite offering table was found near the false door. Leprohon noted that in ancient Egypt, people sometimes left food offerings on offering tables and believed that the deceased could "magically" eat "the offerings deposited on the so-called offering table in front of it." In reality, it was the funerary priests and their families that actually ate the food, he noted.


Statue of an old king
The tomb appears to have been reused at some point during the 26th dynasty (circa 688 to 525 B.C.). At this time, a statue depicting King Djoser (reign circa 2630 to 2611 B.C.) along with his wife and children was placed within it, the statement said. Djoser ruled during the third dynasty (circa 2649 to 2575 B.C.) and built ancient Egypt's first known pyramid, the step pyramid at Saqqara. Analysis of the statue and its design indicates that the statue was made during king Djoser's rule and may have been from the step pyramid itself or a building near it. Why it was moved into the tomb at that time is unclear, the statement said.
The statue shows a seated Djoser putting his right "hand with love on one of his daughters," while his queen is to his left and "is also putting her hand on one of her daughters," Hawass said. In front of them is a black granite statue that also dates to the third dynasty, Hawass said.

Ann Macy Roth, a clinical professor of Egyptology at New York University who was not involved with the excavation, said that the sculptures from the third dynasty are remarkable as "there is very little sculpture from that era." Roth noted that prior to this discovery, "I can only think of one piece that represents a woman," so the statue depicting Djoser's wife and daughters is extraordinary.
Excavations are ongoing, and the prince's burial chamber has not yet been found. "We only found a part of the tomb," Hawass noted.
Lara Weiss, the CEO of the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum in Germany who was not involved with the excavation, said that the discovery of the tomb "adds to the growing evidence that Saqqara remained a prestigious burial site during the Fifth Dynasty, even as royal tombs moved to Abusir."
She said in an email that "it's "a nice puzzle piece for understanding a transformative moment in ancient Egypt's political and religious history — between the centralized power of the Fourth Dynasty and the perhaps more diversified elite power structures of the Fifth."
By Owen Jarus.



#The Tomb of Prince with a Pink Granite False Door Unearthed in Saqqara#Prince Userefre#Waser-If-Re#Saqqara#ancient tomb#ancient grave#ancient artifacts#archeology#history#history news#ancient history#ancient culture#ancient civilizations#ancient egypt#egyptian history
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*Takes deep breath* Okay.
- Predictions and analysis of the 4 new chapters -
(If you're reading this in the future, this was made before the chapters were actually released, because I have brainrot)
"Death and Rebirth"

Just like we have "Under Deepspace", "Long-Awaited Revelry", "Prologue to Tomorrow" and "Homecoming Wings", this is going to be the name of the new main story, which will contain 4 chapters, and I'm guessing each of them will have 9-10 episodes of actual story, with some battles sprinkled in.
1 - Absurdity Unfolds

The Gaia Research Center is where Josephine worked as a researcher, and where MC (and Caleb) were being experimented on as kids.
If you remember, ruins of research centers were in the N109 Zone, so although we have no confirmation of this specific one, this is probably a Sylus chapter.
I'm guessing MC is trying to uncover more of her past, and that's why she decides to sneak into this 'laser-surrounded' place. I wonder if we'll get info about Caleb as well.
As for the 'Zoion Hunt'... Hmm... I wonder if that has to do with the little cube we saw Sylus and MC holding in the trailer. It seems to be some sort of game. Perhaps the people chasing them are trying to win the game too by snatching the cube from them, or perhaps they're guards who took notice of MC's breaking into the research center.
The last part, about the arena, seems to connect directly to the next chapter, as we can see by the next picture (it looks like a futuristic football field lol).
2 - All From Deepspace

Now, I'm not sure what's up with the arena itself. So I'm gonna leave that in the air and let y'all speculate.
Let's just focus on the text itself.
MC successfully gets into the lab where they experimented on her, and either finds records of what happened there, or has flashbacks about it. That's where the quote at the bottom comes in.
I'm also thinking that the car chase sequence might be at the end of this chapter instead, once she has gathered all the info she needs and has to escape from the Ever guards, she calls Sylus to come pick her up.
As for the thing that Sylus destroys... There's no confirmation from the voiceline itself that it's the cube (sometimes they mix voicelines and scenes that don't correspond) but whatever it is, I'm pretty sure he destroyed it because it had a tracking device or something like that. And MC gets mad because she thinks he destroyed it for no reason, and wanted to take it back to Unicorns to analyze it. OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT IDK
3 - Cosmic Speck

Immediately the fact that there's snow already tells us that this is a Zayne chapter. I'm guessing this happens a day or two after the previous two chapters, not immediately after.
And. Btw. 'Unsettling figures lurk in the darkness', that's about Dawnbreaker. If they were just talking about those 'Alterum' they wouldn't mention them in the next sentence, or they wouldn't use that first sentence. It's a nudge towards Dawnbreaker + the Alterum at the same time.
I'm really worried though. Because, you remember when Zayne's branch was announced and we saw him wearing Dawnbreaker's clothes so we assumed it was him, and then it wasn't...? I'm worried they'll pull the same stunt and it won't actually be Dawnbreaker.
So if it is... How did he get here? Or how did we go there? They're talking about Linkon City, not about Chansia, so... It means he came here... But how...?
About the Alterum, they seem to be people that are being taken by Protocore Syndrome, but not quite yet turned into Wanderers. Still, kinda monstrous, maybe? (Half-Wanderers, just between you and me)
The fountain of Atei is Ever's ultimate project. About reaching immortality. As for how the Alterum and the project are connected... The greater number of Alterum probably mean more people that Ever has used as test subjects, which means they're getting closer to their goal if they're using more resources on their experiments.
As for the plot in this chapter exactly... I'm not sure about the sequence of events. It seems like it's gonna take place around the city, helping/killing Alterum with Zayne/DB. Maybe that'll lead him and MC to break into another research center...? ...Xander? (Which leads us to the next chapter)
4 - Snow Fades at Dawn

Yet again nudging us with that chapter title huh.
Just like I said in the previous chapter, more Protocore Syndrome, more subjects, more Alterum, etc.
But it also adds something new. It seems like some of these patients, before they even turn into Alterum, are choosing to be treated by Xander Sciences using their Life Pods (I'm assuming that's what the 'cocoon' part is referring to, since yknow Ever owns Xander), to try and stop the illness, but by doing so they become willing test subjects (and maybe that's when, if the experiments fail, they turn into Alterum).
I'm also wondering if Ever is manipulating the Protocore Syndrome odds so more people will turn to them...
And then that last line. I can assure you with 100% certainty that it's said by Carter. Remember he wanted MC as a patient to test on her, but she kept refusing.
Hmm... I wonder if the situation is that he manages to trap MC and gives an evil monologue, says that, and then Zayne comes to save her? Perhaps that's when the whole trailer scene happens. Hmmm.
Final thoughts
I'm gonna be honest, I don't know if Sylus and Zayne are actually going to appear in chapters 1 and 3, but I'm 100% sure of their presence in chapters 2 and 4. (Not together. You know what I mean. Sylus in 2 and Zayne in 4)
I'm really hyped for this update, and some things it may bring: Hints about 6th LI, possibly more 3D models for important characters (Carter pls pls pls pls), Zayne and Sylus interaction if we dare dream (no way lmao), etc etc...
What do y'all think?
#if i get anything right i'm gonna assume i'm some sort of sleeper agent that actually works for infold without knowing#thoughtful hampter; theories#oracle hampter; predictions#love and deepspace#lads#lnds#feathered hampter; sylus#dr hampter; zayne#lads sylus#lads zayne
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This is a gift article.
The truth is, it’s getting harder to describe the extent to which a meaningful percentage of Americans have dissociated from reality. As Hurricane Milton churned across the Gulf of Mexico last night, I saw an onslaught of outright conspiracy theorizing and utter nonsense racking up millions of views across the internet. The posts would be laughable if they weren’t taken by many people as gospel. Among them: Infowars’ Alex Jones, who claimed that Hurricanes Milton and Helene were “weather weapons” unleashed on the East Coast by the U.S. government, and “truth seeker” accounts on X that posted photos of condensation trails in the sky to baselessly allege that the government was “spraying Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton” in order to ensure maximum rainfall, “just like they did over Asheville!”
As Milton made landfall, causing a series of tornados, a verified account on X reposted a TikTok video of a massive funnel cloud with the caption “WHAT IS HAPPENING TO FLORIDA?!” The clip, which was eventually removed but had been viewed 662,000 times as of yesterday evening, turned out to be from a video of a CGI tornado that was originally published months ago. Scrolling through these platforms, watching them fill with false information, harebrained theories, and doctored images—all while panicked residents boarded up their houses, struggled to evacuate, and prayed that their worldly possessions wouldn’t be obliterated overnight—offered a portrait of American discourse almost too bleak to reckon with head-on.
Even in a decade marred by online grifters, shameless politicians, and an alternative right-wing-media complex pushing anti-science fringe theories, the events of the past few weeks stand out for their depravity and nihilism. As two catastrophic storms upended American cities, a patchwork network of influencers and fake-news peddlers have done their best to sow distrust, stoke resentment, and interfere with relief efforts. But this is more than just a misinformation crisis. To watch as real information is overwhelmed by crank theories and public servants battle death threats is to confront two alarming facts: first, that a durable ecosystem exists to ensconce citizens in an alternate reality, and second, that the people consuming and amplifying those lies are not helpless dupes but willing participants.
Some of the lies and obfuscation are politically motivated, such as the claim that FEMA is offering only $750 in total to hurricane victims who have lost their home. (In reality, FEMA offers $750 as immediate “Serious Needs Assistance” to help people get basic supplies such as food and water.) Donald Trump, J. D. Vance, and Fox News have all repeated that lie. Trump also posted (and later deleted) on Truth Social that FEMA money was given to undocumented migrants, which is untrue. Elon Musk, who owns X, claimed—without evidence—that FEMA was “actively blocking shipments and seizing goods and services locally and locking them away to state they are their own. It’s very real and scary how much they have taken control to stop people helping.” That post has been viewed more than 40 million times. Other influencers, such as the Trump sycophant Laura Loomer, have urged their followers to disrupt the disaster agency’s efforts to help hurricane victims. “Do not comply with FEMA,” she posted on X. “This is a matter of survival.”
The result of this fearmongering is what you might expect. Angry, embittered citizens have been harassing government officials in North Carolina, as well as FEMA employees. According to an analysis by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an extremism-research group, “Falsehoods around hurricane response have spawned credible threats and incitement to violence directed at the federal government,” including “calls to send militias to face down FEMA.” The study also found that 30 percent of the X posts analyzed by ISD “contained overt antisemitic hate, including abuse directed at public officials such as the Mayor of Asheville, North Carolina; the FEMA Director of Public Affairs; and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.” The posts received a collective 17.1 million views as of October 7.
Online, first responders are pleading with residents, asking for their help to combat the flood of lies and conspiracy theories. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said that the volume of misinformation could hamper relief efforts. “If it creates so much fear that my staff doesn’t want to go out in the field, then we’re not going to be in a position where we can help people,” she said in a news conference on Tuesday. In Pensacola, North Carolina, Assistant Fire Chief Bradley Boone vented his frustrations on Facebook: “I’m trying to rescue my community,” he said in a livestream. “I ain’t got time. I ain’t got time to chase down every Facebook rumor … We’ve been through enough.”
It is difficult to capture the nihilism of the current moment. The pandemic saw Americans, distrustful of authority, trying to discredit effective vaccines, spreading conspiracy theories, and attacking public-health officials. But what feels novel in the aftermath of this month’s hurricanes is how the people doing the lying aren’t even trying to hide the provenance of their bullshit. Similarly, those sharing the lies are happy to admit that they do not care whether what they’re pushing is real or not. Such was the case last week, when Republican politicians shared an AI-generated viral image of a little girl holding a puppy while supposedly fleeing Helene. Though the image was clearly fake and quickly debunked, some politicians remained defiant. “Y’all, I don’t know where this photo came from and honestly, it doesn’t matter,” Amy Kremer, who represents Georgia on the Republican National Committee, wrote after sharing the fake image. “I’m leaving it because it is emblematic of the trauma and pain people are living through right now.”
Kremer wasn’t alone. The journalist Parker Molloy compiled screenshots of people “acknowledging that this image is AI but still insisting that it’s real on some deeper level”—proof, Molloy noted, that we’re “living in the post-reality.” The technology writer Jason Koebler argued that we’ve entered the “‘Fuck It’ Era” of AI slop and political messaging, with AI-generated images being used to convey whatever partisan message suits the moment, regardless of truth.
This has all been building for more than a decade. On The Colbert Report, back in 2005, Stephen Colbert coined the word truthiness, which he defined as “the belief in what you feel to be true rather than what the facts will support.” This reality-fracturing is the result of an information ecosystem that is dominated by platforms that offer financial and attentional incentives to lie and enrage, and to turn every tragedy and large event into a shameless content-creation opportunity. This collides with a swath of people who would rather live in an alternate reality built on distrust and grievance than change their fundamental beliefs about the world. But the misinformation crisis is not always what we think it is.
So much of the conversation around misinformation suggests that its primary job is to persuade. But as Michael Caulfield, an information researcher at the University of Washington, has argued, “The primary use of ‘misinformation’ is not to change the beliefs of other people at all. Instead, the vast majority of misinformation is offered as a service for people to maintain their beliefs in face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.” This distinction is important, in part because it assigns agency to those who consume and share obviously fake information. What is clear from comments such as Kremer’s is that she is not a dupe; although she may come off as deeply incurious and shameless, she is publicly admitting to being an active participant in the far right’s world-building project, where feel is always greater than real.
What we’re witnessing online during and in the aftermath of these hurricanes is a group of people desperate to protect the dark, fictitious world they’ve built. Rather than deal with the realities of a warming planet hurling once-in-a-generation storms at them every few weeks, they’d rather malign and threaten meteorologists, who, in their minds, are “nothing but a trained subversive liar programmed to spew stupid shit to support the global warming bullshit,” as one X user put it. It is a strategy designed to silence voices of reason, because those voices threaten to expose the cracks in their current worldview. But their efforts are doomed, futile. As one dispirited meteorologist wrote on X this week, “Murdering meteorologists won’t stop hurricanes.” She followed with: “I can’t believe I just had to type that.”
What is clear is that a new framework is needed to describe this fracturing. Misinformation is too technical, too freighted, and, after almost a decade of Trump, too political. Nor does it explain what is really happening, which is nothing less than a cultural assault on any person or institution that operates in reality. If you are a weatherperson, you’re a target. The same goes for journalists, election workers, scientists, doctors, and first responders. These jobs are different, but the thing they share is that they all must attend to and describe the world as it is. This makes them dangerous to people who cannot abide by the agonizing constraints of reality, as well as those who have financial and political interests in keeping up the charade.
In one sense, these attacks—and their increased desperation—make sense. The world feels dark; for many people, it’s tempting to meet that with a retreat into the delusion that they’ve got everything figured out, that the powers that be have conspired against them directly. But in turning away, they exacerbate a crisis that has characterized the Trump era, one that will reverberate to Election Day and beyond. Americans are divided not just by political beliefs but by whether they believe in a shared reality—or desire one at all.
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Some thoughts from LCB Regular Checkup. Spoilers below.
I'm a big fan of how Pride's theme of self-deception played a part in Hohenheim's dungeon; his initial seeming control over himself and ability to simply hurry the Sinners through the dungeon giving way to the realization that no, his censorship of his memories and of the facts therein is simply a greater part of the theme; his refusal to acknowledge the pain he's in and desire to simply paper it over and play up his own arrogance to avoid thinking about his humanity.
Absolutely hilarious to see Faust have someone that she genuinely dislikes. Faust's constant need to point out that he's not better than her really re-iterates that despite her growing fondness for the Sinners and new willingness to step away from Gesellschaft's knowledge, she still does find a great degree of pride in her abilities.
We finally get an explanation for the comment of the Sinners getting weaker upon joining! Due to the nature of the Golden Boughs, all of the Sinners are reduced to the level of the weakest among them, i.e. Sinclair (or now, Yi Sang).
Once again, Outis attempts to establish a pecking order with her at the top due to individual strength... which then gets toppled by the reminder that Don Quixote can, if not rival, then at least tire out Vergilius.
It's interesting to see that Hohenheim is also aware of the "flow" of the world, and even more interesting that Faust (or, more likely, Gesellschaft) censored him when he began talking about how it was the "flow" that willed Dante to be unharmed. (Is Dante protected by fate or something?)
Also, the consideration of how powerful Dante was prior to their amnesia, and the dismissal of the idea that they could be strong, is kinda disappointing given my belief in @calmariah's "Dante is Bari" theory.
Limbus Company assisting an up-and-coming potential Wing with their goals to overthrow and replace W Corp is kind of neat, especially now that it gives us an excuse to traverse the entire City through the gateways without needing the whole song and dance of another WARP Train.
Gregor's body making weird noises, and the comment from Hohenheim excluding him from the lineup of power levels due to his body's "potential"... it seems we're really bringing back stuff from the first few Cantos.
The particulars of which Sinner groups face which Peccatulum probably merits an analysis, along with Hohenheim's descriptor of what each Sin means (Hong Lu and Sinclair with Wrath, Gregor, Faust, and Meursault with Sloth, Yi Sang and Don Quixote with Envy, Ryoshu and Ishmael with Pride and Lust, and Outis, Heathcliff, and Rodion with Gluttony and Gloom).
Hey, Hong Lu? What did you mean by your passion and rage being extinguished?
Hey, Outis? Why are you so concerned about things like setting off a Wing war and getting a threat level from the Hana Association?
While I'm still not entirely sure, I feel like having an Intervallo dedicated to a guy who used to be a researcher at Lobotomy Corporation and not having Faust be mentioned in connection to it makes me feel like the "Faust has a past with Lobotomy Corporation" theory is probably not gonna come to pass.
It's kind of sad, but also probably for the best, that the compounded thirst and curse means that Don Quixote can't just take of Rocinante and solve problems via the Second Kindred's sheer power.
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Former Trump official warns ex-president is gearing up to claim 'rigged' election again
Donald Trump and his allies are preparing to make claims of election and voter fraud if he loses in November - according to election experts and a number of old-school Republicans.
Mesa, Arizona Mayor John Giles, a Republican who has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, said that if Trump loses, he and his associates “will throw everything at the wall and see what sticks,” according to The Guardian.
“They’ll claim everything went wrong if they lose. I’d be surprised if Trump doesn’t try to incite insurrection if he loses the election,” the mayor said.
Both Trump and his allies are pushing the same lies as they did in 2020 about voting machines and drop boxes, but they’re now also attacking prosecutors on the state and federal levels who have charged the former president for trying to overturn the election. They have claimed that the charges against Trump amount to “election interference” and “lawfare” in attempts to paint the former president’s legal woes as political prosecution.
David Becker at the Center for Election Innovation and Research told The Guardian that “A lot of false claims are masquerading as efforts to change policy to improve election integrity when in actuality they’re just designed to sow distrust in our system if Trump loses.”
“This is all designed to manufacture claims that if Trump loses, the election was stolen and to sow discord, chaos, and potential violence,” he added.
The right-wing organization Turning Point USA claims to be spending tens of millions on getting out the vote for Trump in important battleground states, also hosting several large rallies where false allegations that the 2020 election was rigged are still being shared.
Both in 2016 and 2020, Trump was unclear if he would accept the election results. Similarly, at the presidential debate with President Joe Biden on June 27, he said that he would accept the results if the election is “fair and legal.” That response came after he was asked three times about accepting the results and shortly afterward he yet again claimed that American elections are fraudulent.
In April, Trump hosted House Speaker Mike Johnson at Mar-a-Lago for an event prompting the lower chamber to pass legislation making it illegal for noncitizens to vote – something that was already outlawed and in the past has happened on a very small scale.
The group True the Vote sent out a fundraising request in March pointing to their attempts to put together “arguments for litigation” as well as other measures to take aim at what they claim will be “chaos” around the election because of “illegal voter registrations.”
Both election experts and Republican stalwarts have told The Guardian that Trump and his allies are preparing to claim that November’s election has been rigged if the former president loses the election.
Former Republican Michigan Representative Dave Trott told the paper that “Trump continues to encourage his supporters like Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA to question the integrity of our elections.”
“He has no evidence or basis for claiming fraud and is only perpetuating these lies so he has a plan B to disrupt democracy in the event he loses,” he added.
Former Republican Pennsylvania Representative Charlie Dent told The Guardian that he believes Trump will claim fraud again if he loses in November.
“I expect he will do the same thing in 2024,” he said. “If he loses he will raise Cain in state capitals and he will descend on state capitals with his allies to make the case for fraud.”
The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary, and analysis for the independently minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently-minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.
#politics#donald trump#democrats#joe biden#potus#trump#democracy#republicans#scotus#heritage foundation#traitor trump#fuck trump#trump 2024#president trump#maga 2024#jd vance#biden#maga#defeat trump#trump is a coward#vote harris walz#kamala harris#vote harris#harris walz 2024#kamala#election#walz#democrat#usa news#usa
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Book review: McCartney Legacy Vols. 1 & 2
I recently finished both of these (giant) books and thought people might like a review. They're definitely worth reading, even if they are long I found the narrative interesting and well-paced. They really benefit from being a collaboration - both authors bringing depth of research and Kozinn especially applying his skills as a long time NYT writer to give the text a fluency and depth that can be lacking from such densely researched tomes.
With that said, this is mostly a relatively surface-level look at what Paul was doing in the years 1969-1980 - the authors generally avoid in-depth psychological analysis. I don't think this is a a bad thing - providing a properly-cited scaffold of what the guy was doing (and it is a LOT) in that period is essential for any future biographies or psychological studies. The detail about every recording session might not be for everyone (I loved it) but it's good that it's included, as making music is the central axis around which everything revolves.
A few key themes that stood out:
Paul's working methods. The main takeaway is SPEED. Countless stories of him going to a gig, talking to someone, reading a book, and then a song coming from it literally within days (sometimes hours). Very move fast, move on. With that said, there's as many stories of him obsessively overdubbing track after track and fiddling endlessly in the studio, driving everyone mad. He seems to create quickly but finish slowly. There's also a lot of material that supports George Martin's quote that 'he doesn't know what his best songs are'. Sometimes he'll work on something minor for weeks, then bash out a classic in days.
Jet-setting lifestyle. While he and Linda had a more homespun image than most, they were always at parties, gigs, foreign holidays, award ceremonies, general fancy things, not to mention travelling to exotic locales to record albums (France, Nigeria, Nashville, LA, New Orleans, British Virgin Islands etc). Nothing unusual about that but maybe not expected because of their version of the Ballad.
MARIJUANA DEPENDENCY. The book doesn't editorialise on this but the sheer volume of smoking going on explains so much about some seemingly inexplicable decisions P&L made during this period. Their level of blaséness about being arrested multiple times is really striking, even for the 70s. I'm not saying it was at the same level as harder drug addiction, but I'm confident in labelling it dependency, probably even more on her part than his. If the story on @menlove 's page recently about P&L spending $1,200 a WEEK on weed is true, they definitely had a problem. Glyn Johns walked out of the RRS sessions because everyone was getting high all the time. I think some parts of Wings' output was negatively affected by stoner brain. Robert Christgau could be a real arsehole but his review that Wings was 'music for potheads' - while overly sweeping and not true of much of it - did contain a germ of truth.
The dichotomy between Paul's genuine efforts to build a new band of equals and the inevitable conflict that arose between them. I don't think he actually wanted a bunch of yes-men, but many factors including his own controlling tendencies, the fact that others would defer by default, and other members' drug and drink addictions made a band impossible to sustain long-term. Also a recurring theme of conflict with other members is Linda's lack of ability, which did improve later tbf, but was never at professional level. The book doesn't provide explanations as to why he insisted on her being in the band (other than what they said themselves about wanting to be together); perhaps it was simply stubbornness and above-mentioned stoner logic. Denny L seems to have lasted as long as he did because he was a bit of a yes-man.
Hostility from critics. Man the press were vicious! Especially the English press. I get not liking some Wings records (I'll never accept Mull of Kintyre, that song is an abomination) but many of the reviews got so personal and bitchy, with the exception of BOTR. As an aside: I've never been able to understand what makes BOTR so qualitatively different to its predecessors. Don't get me wrong, it's a great album, but as far as I can see it has the same strengths and weaknesses as many other Wings albums. I honestly think it was simply the song BOTR that people liked, and that coloured their assessment of the whole album. Similarly, I think part of the reason critics hated Ram was because the single Another Day came out with it (even though its not on the album) and critics hated the 'ditty' single, so wrote off the whole album as 'ditties'. Critics and journalists are very lazy: often when they praise or shit on a work, they're only thinking of the one or two parts that they like or dislike. Anyway, the extensive quotes from angry, bitchy reviews made for some uncomfortable reading. It definitely wasn't just about the music. You can understand why Paul could be so prickly and defensive at times.
Because it's written by men, there isn't much explanation of how they (Linda, really) managed family life on tour. There's lots of examples of the band recording in studio till 4am or P&L going to some event and I'm like WHO'S WATCHING THE KIDS. It seems to have sometimes been the housekeeper Rose, sometimes a friend or two, but I think there must have been more formal or informal 'staff' involved in the kids' rearing than they let on.* I was a bit disturbed by how casual P&L were about taking the kids out of school for long periods, commenting that education 'wasn't so important'. Probably it was better not to be separated, but I don't love the idea of breaking up kids' education in that way. (I know they had tutors but it's not the same). Another thing that can be chalked up to "stoner logic + 1970s", I guess.
There's not a huge amount about the other Beatles but they pop up regularly, especially John. The 1974-75 meetups and rapprochements are covered, no real new detail (except it's suggested that P&L got John's addresses in LA and NYC directly from Yoko, implying that she wasn't necessarily impeding them seeing each other at this time).
The authors don't usually look into the meanings of songs but sometimes they do. The criteria by which they decide to examine a song more deeply, both musically and lyrically, seems arbitrary and based on which songs the authors personally like. Which is fine! You won't get any McLennon here, though they concede Dear Friend and Call Me Back Again as being about John (without going into detail). Again, this is fine, the fact that they usually steer clear of song interpretation is probably a good thing, especially as the detailed timeline allows the reader to identify exactly when certain songs arose and lets them read for themselves about what Paul was doing/reading/listening to when inspiration struck. (No smoking guns in that regard, but interesting from a general perspective into the creative process).
The above-mentioned studio sessions are really well described, and they give a whole new appreciation for the different overdubs and layers involved in building up a song.
There's much more to be said, these are just my overarching impressions. I'd recommend these two books and don't be put off by the size, they're not difficult to read. I got my copies via inter-library loan which I was very glad to as the hardbacks are expensive.
*since writing this review I've seen the below linked account by a coupe of fans of meeting 9yo Heather minding her sisters with seemingly no adult supervision, which raises the possibility that maybe there were times on tour where nobody was watching the kids - not fun to think about :(
http://www.meetthebeatlesforreal.com/2014/11/babysitting-mary.html
#beatles#beatles books#paul mccartney#mccartney legacy#kozinn and sinclair#wings#paul and linda#beatles book reviews#john lennon#marijuana is a helluva drug
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homura akemi & birds: black swans, crows, & ravens (analysis)
i feel like i've noticed that homura has some interesting similarities/coincidences (?) w birds, specifically crows, ravens, and black swans. and since i haven't seen anyone rly mention it yet, i decided i might as well and have a crack at it :)
i hope you enjoy !!
- black swans.
now, the easiest comparison u can make first is the fact that homura's entire devil outfit seems to be made entirely out of dark feathers, or at least replicating the appearance of them. she even has wings made of black feathers and bone (i had no idea the white part was bone, deadass thought that was just for aesthetic purposes only. isn't that cool and morbid as hell???) as well.
i feel like this is a very obvious reference to the black swan from swan lake, aka odile, often presented as odette's (the white swan, aka madoka/ultimate madoka in this scenario) double or opposite, causing them to create yin and yang together.
(an image of the black swan, aka odile, and the white swan, aka odette, from the 2010 "black swan" movie)
homura believes herself to be the devil, the very embodiment of all that is evil, wicked, unlovable, etc. bc of her very black-and-white mindset caused by repeated trauma; this makes her the opposite of madoka in her eyes, who embodies hope, love, selfishness, etc.
just as odette's outfit is pure white, so is ultimate madoka's attire.
on top of that, when i did some research on black swans, and there is apparently a metaphor called the "black swan theory" that characterizes an event that has a huge outcome, occurs as a surprise, and often used incorrectly when someone wants to or tries to rationalize/make sense of their actions after they know the outcome of them.
in a more broad sense, it can be used to highlight or represent how we have the tendency to underestimate or overlook the possibility of events that are unpredictable and rare.
sounds exactly like devil homura, doesn't it? her taking the power of the law of cycles (or at least part of it) was a huge shock to everyone, including the audience, and the way she tries to (incorrectly) rationalize her actions by proclaiming herself the devil and all that is evil and cruel after she has done it, when that clearly isn’t true.
the term itself comes from the idea that people thought that all swans were white, so when black swans were discovered, it challenged their beliefs.
kinda like how homura believes herself to be/calls herself the devil, even though she is technically a goddess, like ultimate madoka is. referring to/seeing herself as a goddess in any capacity would surely challenge her black-and-white mindset, bc how could she be anything like madoka when she's oh-so-terrible and madoka is anything but?
- crows.
in different cultures, crows symbolically represent transformation, death and the afterlife, fortune telling and the prophecy (such as warnings and good omens), intelligence. even more so, seeing a crow in your dream is apparently a sign of change that is coming into your life.
without saying much else, you can probably see the similarities to homura very easily. not only did she transform into a supposed "devil", but she also had a transformation when she went from moemura, aka her glasses and braids self, to the more cold, closed-off persona and demeanor she portrays.
homura is clearly very intelligent, and she served as the embodiment of a warning and a good omen since her introduction, albeit quite ominously and cryptically. her constant warnings and protection towards madoka and her telling madoka the truth about who she is and what her goals are in ep. 10 are both parts of what directly allows madoka to make the ultimate wish and sacrifice she made in ep. 12 to begin with, besides the fact that she was directly affecting madoka's karmic destiny.
not to mention, madoka had a dream about homura the night before she transferred to her class, and her life promptly changed tremendously right after that.
when the research about crows i researched mentioned death and the afterlife, i instantly thought of homulily's design.
- ravems.
ravens basically say the same thing !! but unlike crows, the research.i found mentions that ravens have symbolic connections to the spiritual and moral world, and be able to move across them as messengers.
ironically enough, homura's clara dolls, which represent the way she sees herself, call themselves the "troupe of the mortal world"... very interesting.

even more so... doesn't homura's hair kind of look like dark bird wings because of how they're parted due to her constantly wearing braids before moving them, especially when it blows in the wind? (i sadly don't have any gifs of that but hopefully, you know what i'm talking abt lol)
look at how even more bird-like and dramatic it becomes when she's devil homura.
before

and after
anyways, that's my analysis !! hope u guys enjoyed and thanks for reading :)
#homura akemi#mahou shoujo madoka magica#madoka magica#madoka magica homura#pmmm homura#puella magi madoka magica#akemi homura rebellion#akuma homura#devil homura#madokami#god madoka#madoka kaname#kaname madoka#pmmm rebellion#madoka magica rebellion#puella magi madoka magica rebellion#mahou shoujo madoka magica rebellion#rebellion#analysis#character analysis#meta#show analysis#media analysis#meta analysis#ultimate madoka#bird symbolism#crow symbolism#raven symbolism#black swan symbolism#clara dolls
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I don't want to go back and discuss the "bad teammate" and "crash happy" narrative that most F1 media outlets and journalists love pandering but the recent article/articles talking Haas' rules of engagement with their drivers wherein the journalists makes statements on "Ocon's checkered history with teammates" whilst not adding any context to the incidents, making it seem that Esteban was the main problem irks me so much.
Mind you, all Komatsu said were standard rules given by all teams to their drivers. He did not once single out Esteban in his comments nor did he ever say or imply that it was rules specifically made for Esteban. Let's also not forget when Komatsu was specifically asked about the teammate incidents this is what he said, "If I was worried about that, I wouldn't sign him."
F1 journalists found a driver they can easily villainize and they are sticking to the narrative, no matter how false and unfair it is, because it earns them easy clicks and engagement.
I had planned to make a post talking about Esteban and his teammates clashes with a bit more background and now I have more reason to finish writing it. I'm not going to discuss all the crashes/clashes individually (on that matter you may refer to this post) but I will be showing some information/opinions that people may not have seen or remembered or purposefully ignored.
Perez
Ben Hunt wrote a good summary so i'll just include it here:
"He initially had a good partnership with Sergio Perez at Force India but their relationship deteriorated. However, if we are being honest, Ocon was not entirely to blame. The two fell out in Canada in 2017 when Perez failed to follow a team request to allow Ocon pass. They made contact at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and blamed each other. The two made contact again at Hungary and then Perez accepted the responsibility at the Belgian Grand Prix for clashing into Eau Rouge and then later again at the same spot in the race, costing Ocon his front wing as the Mexican suffered a tyre puncture. And they also crashed at the Singapore GP in 2018- that time Perez sent Ocon into the wall and out of the race." (Source: autosport.com)
Let's breakdown his summary and include articles/statements said at the time of the incidents:
Canada 2017 - Perez failed to follow a team request to allow Ocon to pass
Based on my research, it wasn't so much a team order but more indecision from the pitwall to issue an actual team order. The team did make a couple of poor attempts to "suggest" that Checo move aside to allow a "faster" Esteban through to try and attack Daniel. Reading the analysis on how Force India fumbled their podium chances was interesting. You can read them here if you're interested: Motorsport.com and ESPN.
Baku 2017 - They made contact at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and blamed each other
"Perez was furious with Ocon's driving after the race and ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix said his young teammate needs to "understand what racing means". Ocon said the team believed both of them were equally to blame for the incident. "After the race I took a plane to go to Silverstone to review [the incident] with the team," said Ocon. "They prepared some notes with what they thought and we came to the conclusion that it was a 50/50. "It was not only my fault, not only Sergio's fault but it was both of our fault. There were things he did that were not right, there are things I did which were not right so overall it makes a race incident and 50/50." (Source: ESPN)
Hungary 2017 - The two made contact again at Hungary
"Sergio Perez he defended his behavior, justifying it with the chaos on the track at the time: “I had Vandoorne next to me and I had to avoid him, there was no room for three cars. We had a little contact, I damaged my front wing a bit but we managed to continue. We have given our opinions and everything is fine. I couldn't go anywhere." (Source: Motorionline)
Spa 2017 - Perez accepted the responsibility at the Belgian Grand Prix for clashing in Eau Rouge and then later again at the same spot in the race
"Perez said: "First-lap incident was 100% my fault. I didn't have the the right engine mode selected so I had 50% of the power. "My incident. The second one I think Esteban was too optimistic. There was no need to touch there. He could have lifted and then we could carry on." (Source: BBC)
I'll also include what Jacques Villeneuve views on the 2nd incident.
"It doesn't matter that it's his team-mate," he said. Team-mate, no team-mate, it should not have happened between two drivers. You're not so supposed to put anyone in danger. You can brake too late, make a mistake, fine, but down the straight you don't weave and squish, you just don't do that. It's ridiculous. "A piece of carbon went outside of the track. You can hurt someone from the public. This has to be stopped. "That kind of move from Perez is not racing, it's pure blocking. You don't do that. It's aggressive. It's dirty." Villeneuve was surprised the stewards did not to take any action against Perez. "This is the most dangerous thing you can do in racing and they never penalise that in F1," he said. "Sometimes, people crash into each other because they messed up their braking and they fighting. That should not be penalised but they penalise that because there was an accident. "This was embarrassing. They don't give a penalty for it, especially when the FIA is pushing so much the safety. "Even a four-year-old could see it. It's ridiculous." (Source: Autosport)
Another thing, I discovered that Vijay Mallya, the Force India Team Principal and Owner, retweeted Esteban's infamous tweet at that time. In my opinion we can guess whose side he was on regarding the Spa crashes based of this.
Singapore 2018 - They also crashed at the Singapore GP in 2018 - that time Perez sent Ocon into the wall and out of the race
Sergio Perez apologized to his Force India team for the contact with Esteban Ocon that saw his teammate retire on the opening lap of the Singapore Grand Prix. Ocon was attempting to pass Perez around the outside of Turn 3 when the pair touched on the exit of the corner, resulting in Ocon crashing into the wall. Perez later struggled to pass Sergey Sirotkin and also hit the Williams as his chance of points disappeared, and he insists he was unaware of where his teammate was at the start. “It was a very unfortunate incident, one of those that is very hard to avoid,” Perez said. “As I was picking up the power I felt a clip from one car, not even realizing that was Esteban and then, as I get a message from the team, I was very sorry for that. (Source: Racer.com)
Here is what Otmar Szafnauer had to say about the incident:
And it seems Szafnauer has put the blame on Perez, believing the Mexican should have had the awareness to ensure enough room was given to his team mate. “You say to him that is unacceptable. There’s enough room on the left-hand side that I could see. You’ve got to give your team mate enough room. (Source: Formula1.com)
Alonso
From the same Ben Hunt article:
Then there was Ocon's partnership with Fernando Alonso, someone who himself has often faced questions about his role as a team player. The two tangled during their time with Alpine, but again, the responsibility for the bad blood cannot always be pinned 100% on Ocon. (Source: autosport.com)
I could discuss their multiple first lap battles, battles during races or their only crash (Brazil GP 2022) wherein Fernando was deemed wholly responsible for but Alonso himself summed it up well enough:
“OK, I take the penalty, I take the blame for that, but the races are on Sunday and anything can happen, as we saw. In two years I think we had one mistake; it was [on Saturday], we [both] got a lot of blame. We’ll take it, but I think we try to help the team every time we jump in the car, as we saw [in the race]. “It has been two years [of racing] clean. Some first laps we had some fights, because we start always together, we qualify very close. So in two years, we had one contact. OK, people want to do a big thing about that. But we have one contact in two years and [on Sunday] we recover everything we did [in the Sprint]. So we try to do the best for the team.” (Source: Racer.com)
I'll also include what Fernando had to say about Esteban after the Miami GP 2024. I know they weren't teammates anymore but I think with Fernando, he is more truthful when he doesn't have an agenda.
Regarding the battles during the race, specifically against Ocon, he recalled to AS: “It was entertaining. A tough but safe fight, with respect. Esteban makes it difficult for you but you have fun with him because he is a driver who usually respects you. (Source: as.com)
I always thought Esteban and Fernando were good teammates, on and off track. This was, of course, before Fernando started an agenda against him but besides that they did work well together. I could mention a lot of situations but my favourite (and one barely even talked about) on-track teamwork from them was during Brazil GP 2021. Here is a summary of what they did. This instagram user explained quite well:

Gasly
Spare me the narrative that it was only Esteban who was aggressive when it came to racing each other. Both of them had their moments but while Esteban didn't complain, Pierre was the opposite. Call me biased or whatever but based on my own observation he was quite quick in putting down his teammate and vocalizing any perceived slight in public when it suited him.
People love to point out every mistake and/or aggressive driving maneuvers done by Esteban but they seem to be conveniently blind when it comes to Pierre's. So I may as well mention some other races wherein Pierre wasn't so innocent like in Austin GP 2023, Japan GP 2024 and Miami GP 2024.
Australia 2023
Palmer's Analysis on the Australia incident:
The other big losers from this restart were Alpine, particularly Gasly, and again Gasly could kind of blame himself into this first corner because we picked them up again, science and Gasly, the instigators at the front for some drama. Gasly goes in way too deep, he's not got the tight-up on the front, he's out-braked himself and he's going to potentially go into the rear of Alonso, just about avoids him and can breathe a sigh of relief as he bounces over the grass, Alonso gets tipped by science and now Gasly's rejoining off the road into the path of Ocon, everyone sweeps around and then Ocon fancies a little look to the outside of Gasly and we're going to get the contact. So we jump on board with Esteban Ocon and you can see how the starts would play out behind. It was a lot more measured for these guys, Ocon running in the points and they're on the brakes, Hulkenberg ahead, Norris ahead, these guys are under control, you've got a chancy Yuki Tsunoda on the right-hand side there and they all make it through, Alonso there is spinning out and now Ocon sees a chance to go to the outside of Gasly. There is space here for Ocon to go around the outside of Gasly, Pierre has just been on the grass, he's bouncing back on and he's going to come across the width of the track and Ocon is here, he's got an overlap, he has the space here, he should have the space but I wonder if Gasly either doesn't see him because again the light is pretty bad to look in front, it's even harder to look in your mirrors at this point so that could be an extenuating circumstance for Gasly coming all the way across the track or he's just so caught out by the grass, he's flustered, he's not looking in his mirrors because he doesn't appear to be but he just comes across and Ocon loses the space here and they have contact, it's a big whack both Alpines into the wall, that is really, really heavy contact so no points, major repairs, the cost of that is not going to be pleasing anyone at Alpine. and it's a really costly one. Teammates coming together is worst case. It's also particularly not good for these two when people were already wondering if they'd get on or not before this season. Race three and they've come to major blows. But I'm gonna put this one down to Pierre, fundamentally as well, because not only has he gone in too deep at turn one, but he's then come back on, come across the width of the track, and effectively he's put his teammate in the wall. Now at Alpine, they went to the stewards and they obviously had a game plan to make sure that neither driver got penalty points and Gasly didn't get a race ban for picking up penalty points. So in that case, you both just go in and you say, it was my fault, sir, my fault, sir, and you get away with it. The stewards can't pin the blame on anyone if both drivers take the fault. But I think this is on Gasly. He comes through and now he's gotta just leave enough space for a car that's got an overlap on his outside. And he doesn't. He just drifts out towards the right-hand side. He's already had the contact there. But at this point, it's just drifting, letting the car move to the outside. You've got to be aware on the first start, particularly when you're coming back from the grass, that there could be a driver there. I think he's very lucky to get away with, first of all, the not hitting along. So second of all, this major wipeout with his teammate, Alpine lose out majorly with that. (Source: Formula 1 Youtube Channel)
If he was such a terrible teammate, Gasly would have gotten a race ban for what happened instead Esteban took half the blame to help him avoid it. Remember Fernando was given a penalty for the crash in Brazil 2022 when it is quite rare for drivers to be penalised for incidents with their teammates. Esteban can be unforgiving when he wants to be.
Monaco 2024
Overtaking in Monaco is so difficult, as shown by Sunday’s race. Track position is critical and both Alpine drivers knew that whoever had the advantage at the end of Lap 1 would be prioritised throughout the rest of the race. It makes sense for teams to race that way in Monaco, because protecting a decent position is easily achievable with two cars, whilst a lone car can be undone by strategy more easily. I think there are two aspects to consider with Ocon’s lunge. If you take away the team mate context, this was actually a sensible enough attempt to overtake in Monaco and not worthy of punishment by the stewards in my opinion. Ocon committed hard down the inside, had a small lockup as Gasly started to close the space on the entry, but managed to get himself slowed down and was under control at the apex, ahead of his team mate. In most circumstances that would be job done for an overtake and in Monaco being able to execute this sort of pass should be applauded. Lap 1 is a driver’s best chance in the race to move forward, when the cars are bunched together and all have low tyre temperatures. Had Gasly been anybody aside from Ocon’s team mate I think we’d all be thinking that this was a decent, plucky attempt, that didn’t quite come off because of the way the barrier juts out on the exit. (Source: Formula 1.com)
I'll share two post I made at that time, the first sharing different opinions of F1 journalist of the incident and the aftermath and the second one on my opinion on the public overreaction on what happened.
#this blog summary is basically just for me to compile all the info i've collected thru the years#but hopefully this will help in giving more context to the incidents...which seems like most F1 journalist seem so incapable of doing#esteban ocon#eo31
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