#firstly i block people for a reason so respect that. secondly why does it matter to you

[gossippool]

guys please 😭 if we've never interacted before please don't just send me your posts with zero context/explanation expecting something of me. i am a person not someone to use for clout or engagement or whatever the fuck. or at least have the decency to tell me exactly what you want from me

[yingtan]

I promise I'm an unbiased party because I actually followed both you and the account at the center of discussion before any of this; but I don't know if you saw that they responded. They said they're still blocked so it might be difficult to get a response from you.

hi anon thanks for sending this in... yes we did see their response and to address @metamorphesque points:

firstly, we initially blocked them when we first saw they had reposted our stuff but realised since they had added a kofi link in their post and blocking won't stop that post from gaining traction (that not even the original gifsets the screenshots had been taken from had got) and to prevent them from doing this to another blog in our community in the future we decided to make a post about it. as we had blocked and then unblocked them when writing that post tumblr didn't register us mentioning them so we never were able to mention them and for that reason all the mention links direct straight to the direct post. so for that reason we were never able to mention you that's why you never got a mention notif.

secondly, we respect that you took the stuff down but do not appreciate how you said you didn't see it as reposting as you found them on search engines. that would mean your web weaving could be completely copied but since it was found on something like google that wouldn't count. it just does not make sense. as a fellow content creator you know that no matter where you get the material from if it's stolen it's stolen.

additionally, we were also sent malicious asks and continue to be sent malicious asks from your followers. we personally did not send any offensive asks and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

thirdly, we did not steal your work so please stop acting like we're the ones who engaged in something with you first. we did not steal your web weaving content, but you stole our gif content. you cannot compare the fact we're discrediting your work with you discrediting ours. your work is made up of our own content creations that we cropped, coloured and captioned ourselves. additionally, gif makers also translate captions in some cases so we understand the difficulty of translation. but again, we're not the ones who came after you and that stole your work.

furthermore, in previous web weaving kdrama posts we saw you gave credit to people you took screenshots from. therefore, we were even more confused that you didn't in this case. if you contacted us first and asked us we would have made it clear we do not allow reposting. this simple thing would have saved a lot of time from both our ends.

to conclude, we are thankful you decided to take down the post. we will not be answering any more asks about this and hope this issue has now come to an end now the post has been taken down.

[dindjarins04]

CHAPTER TWO

I AM NO JEDI MASTERLIST

You yawned and stretched as the sunlight seeped into your room. Groaning, you sat up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You waited for your eyes to adjust before slipping out of your nightwear and into your Jedi robes.

You attached your two lightsabers to your hip before walking out to be greeted with Padme. You gasped at the sight of her suddenly being right in front of you.

"Morning!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Morning...aren't you supposed to be at the Senate?" You ask tiredly as she loops her arm around yours.

"Yes, but I'm here today to be with my best friend!"

"Really?" You raise a brow as she leads you into the cantine where you pick up a tray of assorted foods.

"Okay...well...I actually need a Jedi for protection and I really want you to be there instead of some random Jedi," You chuckled and shake your head as you find a seat as she takes the opposite one.

"Padme, I highly doubt my Master will let me protect you. We have a lot of training to do-"

"Exactly, this can be a part of your training! Look, I really don't want to have protection but they are insisting it happens," She sighs and rubs her temples. "Please, I'll even have another Jedi there if it makes Qui-Gon happy," You chew on your food while tapping your foot, thinking about it before sighing.

"I suppose Qui-Gon has a lot of paperwork to do and if I say this will help with my training...he may let me do it,"

"Yay!" She squeals with joy as more Jedi come into the cantine for their breakfast.

"So what's the threat anyway?" You ask, drinking from your cup.

"Oh, someone is just trying to kill me," You choke on your drink and look at her with a confused expression.

"You say that like it's just another Tuesday," She nods at your statement.

"It was expected,"

"Expected?"

"In my position, many people would want me dead, it was only a matter of time before someone attempted to do so," You nod and then see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan enter the room. Following behind them is a young boy who looks familiar. He has a long braid and short fuzzy hair. You smile at him, he was fairly attractive. "Someone caught your eye?" Padme's voice says as she looks in your direction. "Staring at someone in particular? Let me guess...him!" She points at Obi-Wan and you shake your head.

"Padme, firstly, he is my Master's former padawan and secondly, I'm not looking at anyone," She rolls her eyes and turns back around to face you.

"Please convince him to let you protect me," She begs, her hand reaching out for yours. "I'll even stay to add my opinion,"

"I'll do it," You say as Obi-Wan and the cute boy sit at another table while Qui-Gon comes to you. "Master,"

"(Y/N)," He sits next to you and nods his head at Padme. "Senator," She smiles fondly.

"Padme is here to ask me to protect her from the threats," You begin.

"Obi-Wan and Anakin have already been assigned to that job," Padme sighs and her head drops while you try to remember the name Anakin. It sounds so familiar. "We have training,"

"Please Master, this will be a big part of my training! And Padme came to me...I'll even work with Obi-Wan and Anakin so you can get all that paperwork finished!" Qui-Gon sighs.

"She's right, I would rather have three Jedi protecting me than two...and I already know and trust (Y/N)...I would feel much more comfortable if she was here to protect me," She says in her politician's voice. Qui-Gon chews on his food thoughtfully before nodding.

"I suppose if the Senator wishes for this, I will have to accept," You smile widely and so does Padme. "(Y/N)...if you do this, the Jedi Council may see you in a better light," He says and you beam.

"Yes, Master," You grab your empty tray and Padme walks with you as you discard it.

"I now have a meeting with the Chancellor, it will be about the vote. Pack your things and meet me back at the Senate, I will inform them of you becoming my protector too," She kisses your cheek before running off. You sigh before walking to your room to pack some belongings you may need while being at the Senate.

‡★•~~~•★‡

You finish packing when a knock at your door startles you. You walk over and open the door to see Obi-Wan and the boy you saw earlier there.

"Hello, Master Kenobi and..."

"This my padawan, Anakin," He says as you step aside to let them in. Obi-Wan walks to your window while Anakin hangs back at the door. "We have been informed that you will be protecting Senator Amidala with us," You nod your head in agreement.

"She requested that I was there, she would feel more comfortable with someone she knows," You say as you finish zipping up your bag.

"Well, Anakin and I are about to head down to the Senate, do you wish to join us?" He asks.

"Sure," You respond before picking up your bag and following them out of the Temple.

‡★•~~~•★‡

It is evening when you exit the Temple with Obi-Wan and his padawan Anakin Skywalker. You drop back to walk next to Anakin.

"So, Anakin Skywalker...name sounds familiar," You begin.

"Of course it is, I'm the Chosen One," He says with a smug grin as you follow Obi-Wan to the speeder.

"Really now?" You say with a small giggle.

"Yep, I am said to bring balance to the force," He says with a smirk that you find attractive.

"Wait..." You stop in your tracks. "You're Obi-Wan's padawan...which makes you that little boy I met after Luminara died," You said, finally realising who he was; the boy who helped you recover from the death of your Master.

"So that would make you...(Y/N)?" He says and you nod. "Wow...it's been what...9 years?"

"10 years," You say and he nods.

"Wonder why we never saw each other," He mutters so you can't hear.

"You've grown...I like your hair," You comment.

"You've grown too..." He says as you climb onto the speeder next to Obi-Wan. "Um..."

"I've got the front seat," You say smugly.

"Exactly-"

"Anakin, just sit at the back," Obi-Wan said tiredly. You giggled as he grunted and moved to sit in the back.

‡★•~~~•★‡

You finally reach the Senate apartment blocks after half an hour of driving through the traffic of Coruscant. Anakin's string of complaints coming to an end as he jumps out and walks inside. You slowly get out and follow him. You see him waiting in an elevator and your heart flutters when he smiles. You don't know why but you cool yourself down before following him, Obi-Wan right behind you.

"So, (Y/N), how's training going?" Anakin asks as the elevator slowly moves.

"Very well, I just hope the council sees it," You say, sighing slightly.

"Don't worry, you're not the only one the council doesn't like," You raise a brow and turn to face him.

"You think the council doesn't like me?" Anakin laughs, shaking his head.

"The council doesn't like anyone who lost their Master at a young age or started their training too old," He points to himself. "I apparently started my training when I was too old and you lost your master when you were too young-"

"Anakin, that's not how the council works," Obi-Wan interjects.

"That's because you don't see what we do," He mumbles just so you hear. The elevator doors finally slide open and you are instantly greeted by a Gungan.

"Obi! Obi! Obi! Mesa sooo smilen to see'en yousa. Wahoooooo!" The Gungan says enthusiastically when seeing Obi-wan and he smiles in response as you all exit the elevator.

"It's Good to see you, too, Jar Jar," He responds politely and the Gungan then slaps his head.

"Oops! Wheresa mesa manners? Excuse me, Master Obi-Wan. I completely forgot myself for a moment there. I have had to learn Diplodiaclect... speak it like a native now. Don't really see the point, actually, but members of the Senate seem to prefer it..." You giggled and he finally notices you and Anakin, but his bulging eyes land on Anakin. "...and this, I take it, is your apprentice... Nooooooooo! Annie? Noooooooo! Little Bitty Annie?" He stares at Anakin. "Nooooooo! Yousa so biggen! Yiyiyiyyi! Annie!! Mesa no believen!"

"Hi Jar-Jar," He then looks at you.

"Nosa! litta(Y/N/N)! Me rememberen when yousa were a small child wit Lumarina trainen yousa! Yousa have grown tup so mui!" You smile, vaguely remembering this Gungan, he was probably the one who travelled to Tatooine with you, your master, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. It's all coming back to you now. You've tried so long to forget that painful time.

"Jar Jar Binks...I remember you...you were the one who kept saying my robes were too big for me,"

"Yousa were such a small Jedi!" He exclaims and you giggled.

"I'm perfectly average height," You then feel someone leaning against you. You cock your head to see Anakin resting his arm on your shoulder.

"No, Jar Jar is right, you're so small," He teases and you hit his arm causing him to laugh. Suddenly, Jar Jar pulls you both in a large hug.

"Mesa missed yous so mui," He exclaims. He then begins to lead you to where Padme is. You brush down your robes and Anakin looks at you oddly.

"What?" You ask.

"Getting cold feet in front of the politicians?"

"I want to look professional," He scoffs and waves his hand. "At least I don't look like a stray Loth Cat," He turns and sticks his tongue out before following Obi-Wan. You roll your eyes before entering, Captain Typho nodding in respect when seeing you while Padme beams at you, ending her conversation with Obi-Wan. She hikes up her skirts and pulls you into a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm so glad you came! I was beginning to worry it was just these two," She mumbles and you laugh, playfully pushing her off you. "I still believe all this protection is unnecessary,"

"I'm sure the Jedi council have their reasons," Obi-Wan negotiates. She sighs and then locks eyes with Anakin.

"Annie??" She stares "My goodness you've grown," You look down. So they have history. You keep your cool as they look at each other for a long moment. Anakin smirks and tries to play smooth.

"So have you... grown more beautiful, I mean... and much shorter... for a Senator, I mean," Obi-Wan looks disapprovingly at his apprentice. You narrow your eyes at Anakin's poor attempt at small talk. However, Padme laughs and shakes her head.

"Oh Annie, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine," You remember again. Everything begins to come back. The time you spent on Tatooine. You didn't spend much time out though. You were on the ship with Obi-Wan for most of it. But then the images of Darth Maul slaughtering your Master comes back. Her dull eyes, her blood-smeared hand caressing your face as she whispers her final words, telling you to trust in the Force. You release a shaky breath. You always tried to block out that part of your life. It makes you vulnerable, it makes you have feelings; fear of losing Qui-Gon, fear of losing Padme. Overall fear. Something that leads to anger that leads to revenge that leads to the dark side. You finally refocus on your group.

"I don't need more security, I need answers. I want to know who is trying to kill me," Obi-Wan and Anakin proceed to talk to her while Typhoo pulls you to the side.

"It's been a long time, (Y/N)," He says with a smile.

"It has, I barely remember anyone here, Typhoo,"

"I'm still sorry for what happened to your Master...all of this...all of these people must give you bitter memories," You look around at everyone; Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, Jar-Jar and the other Senators.

"Call it bittersweet," You say.

"Two sabers?" He notices and you nod.

"I'm glad you can count," He laughs fondly at that and you smile.

"I see your attitude did not perish," Your attention is then drawn back to the room.

"Why else do you think we were assigned to her, if not to find the killer? Protection is a job for local security... not Jedi. It's overkill, Master. Investigation is implied in our mandate," Anakin says with impatience.

"We will do as the council has instructed, and you will learn your place, young one," Obi-Wan scolds.

"Perhaps with merely your presence, the mysteries surrounding this threat will be revealed. Now if you will excuse me I will retire," She turns to you. "Come, (Y/N),"

"Yes, Senator," Everyone gives Padme a bow as you follow her out. Once in her room, she sighs angrily.

"Honestly, Obi-Wan doesn't even want to start an investigation," She rants, going behind a changing curtain to slip into her nightwear.

"The council did grant us permission to protect you, not to investigate," You say.

"Really, (Y/N), you too?"

"I...I really want the council to see me in a different light. Perhaps if I listen to them...maybe they'll like me," You say as you sit on her bed. She sighs and comes out in her nightclothes and brushing her hair.

"I understand,"

"But..." You smirk. "Maybe Anakin was right. To protect you...we need to know who we are going up against to know the best way to protect you," She too smirks.

"I like your thinking," She says.

"I'll bring in R2, he'll set out lasers on the floor so if any assassins come through, they'll trip the alarm," You say and she nods.

‡★•~~~•★‡

You and Anakin sit quietly in the living room. You are on a holopad while he looks at you.

"Why do you have two lightsabers?" He suddenly asks.

"I work better with two," You answer, responding to messages Qui-Gon sent you.

"The council allowed you to train with two?"

"No, Qui-Gon allowed me to train with two," You finally look up and you watch Anakin's face flush as you catch him staring at you. "See something you like?" You tease and he laughs, embarrassed.

"Shut up," You shake your head, laughing before looking down at your holopad.

Dammint. You think. Now is not the time to catch feelings!

[insomniacowl]

Neon Genesis Evangelion analysis chapter 15: Ayanami Rei, Unit – 00 Part 2 Trigger Warning: Languages that may depict rape and murder

Rei: …Who? Me? Myself inside of Eva?

No, there is someone else in here. Who are you?

Let’s begin this chapter with the scene from episode 23 when Armisael is “Penetrating” Unit – 00 and forced itself into Rei’s mind.

In this sequence, the other being that looked like Rei was the Armisael, yet Rei’s monologue is telling as she recounts that she was always aware of the other “being” that was inside of Unit – 00. Therefore, it is likely that there is a soul of someone in Unit – 00’s core who has a connection with Rei in a certain way. If the Soul in Unit – 00’s core was Naoko, Rei would not have felt the presence of a different “Self” in the core, thus there would have been a different way this was portrayed in this sequence.

There is another important scene in the game. As I have covered in the chapter for the unit – 03, there is a sequence in it where the pilots are confronted with the soul/s that are inside of their respective cores. For Shinji, Asuka, and Touji, they encounter their own mothers, but Rei encounters the younger Rei with distorted body proportion that we see in episode 14, with her name displayed as “???”.

Furthermore, in the game documents, the soul inside Unit – 00’s core is referred to as ‘Unknown being in the form of younger Rei’. With we extrapolate this and try to connect the game to the original series, we can see that it is the same being that we see in the game and in episode 14 through Shinji.

???: Why do you lie about your name and your body?

In the end, all we are let know is that the identity of the soul in Unit – 00 only looks like the first Rei when she died, therefore, it may not be correct to simply say that the identity of the soul is that of “The first Rei” as in this case, it becomes a contradiction of having two identical souls existing at the same time. 

So let us delve a little further to answer this question of the identity of the soul while not straying away from the canon.

The second rei we know, and love did not have such evil smile

To start off, I will tell you my conclusion. My belief in the identity of the soul in Unit – 00’s core is a “Piece” of Lilith’s soul. This is possible as we have seen this happen with Kyoko’s soul for Unit – 02. Furthermore, as Kyoko’s contact experiment was conducted before the creation of Unit – 00’s core, we can also say that there is a possibility that Kyoko’s experiment was set up to test the viability of splitting a soul.

This “Piece” of the soul is not that of the First Rei. It is a part of the soul that was split on purpose when First Rei’s soul was being salvaged. Seeing again from Kyoko’s case, splitting of the soul can result in parts of the personality being attached with a specific soul (For Kyoko, her motherly side was taken away). Thus my argument is that Gendou has removed the expressive and potentially dangerous element of Lilith’s personality and locked it up in Unit – 00’s core. The personality that was locked up is likely to be related to that of Jealousy, hatred, and sexual desires and I will come back to this when we start our discussion of Rei.

Also, let’s keep in mind that the First Rei was made in 2004 and killed in 2010. Second Rei was created shortly after and is active during the ongoing of the series, 2015. So we can observe that the “Age” is not related to their physical appearance. Furthermore, First Rei is superior in terms of the ability to communicate with other people.

Gendou: She’s not Shinji. Her name is Rei

In her conversation with Naoko, we can definitely see that the First Rei had a sadistic side to her that we do not see in Second or Third Rei. What she tells Naoko is not that of a child simply repeating to another adult what they heard, but we can see that she is enjoying the distress Naoko is feeling at that moment. This is in line with the personality of Lilith in European folklore. 

We can also see that Naoko was shown to be afraid of the image of “a jealous woman” that the First Rei has shown her.

Naoko: Rei-chan, is there something you want to say?

Rei: Don’t bother asking old lady. I can do what I want by myself

Naoko: You shouldn’t go around calling others an old lady. I’ll tell on you to commander Ikari

Rei: But you are an old lady. 

That old lady is uptight. The old lady is useless now. That what the commander said

*In original Japanese, Old lady (Baba) is more derogatory

In theorizing, many lean towards the idea that Gendou has made the First Rei say such lines. My belief is that Lilith has used her abilities to read the thoughts of Gendou and Naoko or have at the very least said what she said on her own free will. We can say this about her ability as we see Kaworu being able to tell that he is being watched by Misato and can float freely as he travels down to central dogma. Being a being of similar status, it is likely that Lilith too has similar abilities as Kaworu shows us. 

If the case of Kaworu’s ability stands, we can also make an argument of the same nature for the First Rei, and therefore also explain why the Second Rei never shows such abilities (as she is not a complete soul).

If Gendou has made the First Rei say such things to Naoko, that also means that he foretold Naoko’s murder of Rei and the suicide shortly after. Such foresight is in the realm of prophecy and I don’t think it's even written in the dead seas scroll.

It doesn’t matter if you die. You are replaceable…. Just like me.

Now let us shift our perspective to that of Gendou for a moment. Inside of the First Rei is the Soul of Lilith. And this soul is important in the project of instrumentality. But the situation he found himself after the death of the two he realized that there is a need for a safer way of containing this soul.

Since the First Rei have managed to kill Naoko if resurrected in the same way, what could she possibly do next to sabotage? This made Lilith’s soul difficult to deal with.

In this case, the best way forward for Gendou was to lock away the problematic part of Lilith’s soul in unit – 00 and create the Second rei with the remainder, teach her the emotions that she does not have (either as Lilith, or the part that was locked up) and right before the initiation of the HIP, fuse the two together to create the Third Rei,

Rei: This is… tears… crying… am I crying?

The emotions Rei picks up throughout the series is the “Love towards Gendou”, and right before her moment of death was “Loneliness” and “Sadness”. To put it in different words, creating a desire for the instrumentalization. To cement this desire, Gendou chooses this exact moment to unfreeze Unit – 01 and send out Shinji to turn that desire into that of “Love for Shinji” (Gendou’s problem was that this love developed a little too much). The Second rei that has completed her utility then died in Unit – 00’s self-destruction.

The two souls were salvaged and were fused into the Third Rei and in Gendou’s mind, Rei that was perfect for the Third impact was created. So to say the Third Rei is the same being as the First is inaccurate due to the difference there was between the Second and the First, and there would have been some danger in carrying out the instrumentality with the First as she was.

Kaworu: First children Ayanami Rei. You are just like me.

Rei: Who are you?

One more detail that supports my argument is in episode 24 when Kaworu refers to Rei as a being just like he is and just for a short period, the Third Rei was similar to the First Rei. This happens when Kaworu enters the central dogma when he blocks out everything from the outside by expanding his AT-field. Aoba report of a brief spike of a second AT-field and we see Rei floating in Central Dogma looking down at Kaworu and Shinji. It is also the Third Rei that appears at the final moment of End of Evangelion (This too will be covered in a later chapter in detail).

This means that because the Third Rei was existing inside of Lilith during the actual instrumentalization, Rei was able to become a higher being.

Shinji: Ayanami, why do you ride the Eva?

If we look back, other then the lack of emotions the Second Rei shows, we do not see her showing any extraordinary abilities. I have mentioned before the possibility of Second Rei not containing the soul of Lilith. It is often taken as though fact by many that ‘Rei = Lilith’ but we need to keep in mind that we do not have solid evidence that the soul of all Reis is identical.

This gives rise to the possibility that the Second Rei may not even be Lilith. It that is the case, it explains two observations that we can make. Firstly, the comparison between Kaworu who was able to pilot Unit – 02 (That was a part of his body) freely, and how Rei was unable to move Unit – 01 as freely. Secondly, how Gendou was confident enough to make Rei pilot Unit – 00 that was built using the Body of Adam. 

Yet this is not enough to disprove the ‘Rei = Lilith’ hypothesis thus my argument of partial nature of Second Rei’s soul.

The first Rei in episode 25: Look inside of you. There is a heart that no one can see neither understand

In episode 14, there is a piece of dialogue that is presented in a throwaway manner that says, “Ayanami herself only faintly feels her existence”. This describes Rei’s lack of social abilities and also points to the missing “piece” of her existence and is continuously presented to us when we see Rei is seen reflecting on her identity.

In other words, this missing “Piece” was inside of Unit – 00, and the absence of it has caused great pain and feeling of loneliness for the Second Rei. This is also the reason why she continues to pilot Unit – 00 as this is when she can feel herself to be whole. Thus why she describes the act of piloting Eva as “A way to stay linked to others”.

Rei: No. I don’t know. I’m probably the third.

One more point of note is that the Third Rei was aware (although not completely sure of it) that she is the Third.

This struck me as odd that she knew this since the Second never said anything about her being Second, neither would it be sensible for Gendou or Ritsuko to tell her this fact.

However, if we consider the idea of the Second rei having a missing “Piece” she was aware of, and if Lilith’s soul was able to understand that there was a period this “Piece” was removed, then returned, the Third Rei should be able to instinctively feel that there have been two “transformations” that has occurred before this.

I always wonder the reason why they used the word “Umbilical” cord to refer to the power supply cable.

The soul inside of Eva’s core has mostly been that of the pilot’s mother. This is likely due to the ease of synchronization between mothers and children. But let’s think of what the reason might be. My guess is that Eva imitates the situation when there are two souls in one body during pregnancy. Since there have been nine months of this had happened already before the child was born, they ‘return to the womb’ in the form of piloting the Eva.

In the case of Rei, the absence of a mother for her served as an obstacle in creating Unit – 00’s core, to create a representation of a mother-child relationship, the best course of action would have been to split the soul into two and place them respectively into the Eva and into the cloned body. 

My proposition here would suffice in explaining the relationship between all of our pilots and their Evas’ cores.

Let us now return to where we started and look again at the hints presented to us in the sequence of Unit – 00 going berserk. Through both cases of going out of control, Unit – 00 seemed to have shown its hatred of Rei, Gendou, and itself. There is no proof of Unit – 00 having any reason to desire to harm Ritsuko. My belief in her assumptions being shown to us was to highlight the guilt she might harbor regarding the Dummy system. On why it seemed like Unit – 00 was trying to kill Rei or itself, my argument is that it also desired to become one complete soul, and to make it happen, either one of them had to die.

The being that Shinji encounters when he is in Unit – 00 is therefore not exactly the soul of the first Rei. She is also Rei, but not completely Rei. Since there is no exact name that we can use to refer to this soul (that is only a part of the whole soul), it explains why the name in the game text is referred to as ???.

In episode 25 (End of Evangelion) we see that both the second Rei and the First exist together inside Third Rei and we are shown the first Rei talking to the Second in a demeaning and cruel attitude that feels like it is Lilith. This could be due to the soul has been in different locations being inserted into the Third Rei as they were salvaged.

1 + 1 = 1

If my hypothesis presented over the two chapters are correct, they would have required the technicalities on how to separate out only a specific part of Lilith. It should not be impossible due to the example of Kyoko existing, but I will say that this is what is referred to as the “Trouble faced during the creation of Core for Rei” that we are told in the game.

The analysis of Unit – 00’s core also leads directly to the analysis of Ayanami Rei herself. For example, her name “Rei” in Japanese can both mean “Zero” or “Spirit”, alluding to her being the pilot of Unit – 00, or to the identity of the importance of the Soul in her identity. It may also refer to two souls ( 0 and 0 ) existing both inside and outside of Unit – 00. 

There is still so much that we have left to discuss the identity of and Ayanami Rei as a character. All of this will be covered in the future.

I would like to thank you for stitching with me for the past five weeks covering the analysis of Evangelion Units for what they are, and this chapter concludes this discussion on their identity and the role of souls in piloting it. From the next chapter onwards, we shall be on a new topic of the organizations and angels starting with the discussion of Seele, Gehrin, and Nerv.

Thank you for reading

TBC Chapter 16 Seele, Gehrin, Nerv and…

[uoongs]

[translation] MXTX Interview - TGCF questions

this is rlly for everyone to love hc more TT // split by general/book1, book 3 spoilers, and book 5 spoilers via headings (though all are minor spoilers imo, except for the one in bk 5?)

there’s another question that pertains to TGCF’s comments, which I found interesting but have left out for now because it’s very very long. it’s half translated, so maybe i’ll finish it later

CW: domestic violence, Q.21 suicidal thoughts

the mdzs parts were prev translated here by @bigbadredpanda

original interview here

reposts and translations OK, but pls give credit!! twt @/uooongs, tumblr @uoongs, ig @/duoj1ao

GENERAL / BOOK 1 REFERENCES

Q14. TGCF characters’ heights?

Xie Lian 178cm (but can perfectly seem like 180), Hua Chen 190 (first appearance as a cute fresh youth was 185cm), Jun Wu 191, Feng Xin 188, Mu Qing 188, Mo Shui 189, Shi Wudu 187, Shi Qinxuan 186 (woman form 176), Pei Ming 188, Ling Wen 180, Quan Yizhen 184 (but has a very tall presence), Yin Yu 186 (but miraculously no matter how tall he is it’s hard to notice this person).

PS: Yu Shi [rain master?]’s cow is 150 without standing up

Q17. What was XL doing after his second time getting banished to the human realm? What was HC doing? Why couldn’t he find XL? HC previously swore to not let XL know he’s protecting him, so why did he decide to meet XL again after 800 years?

XL tried doing other jobs, but all didn’t go too well, and would bring sadness/strife to others, so could only collect trash by himself.

HC was looking for him while also working on his skills + earning money, expanding his power, and worked hard to become the strongest dude!

Really, it was because XL’s luck was so terrible and stuck to him so closely that he couldn’t meet HC. Actually, many times they almost saw each other, like in Banyue, and also when XL was Fangxin head priest, but both times they just missed each other. Finally XL ascended by himself and CEO Hua couldn’t contain himself and rushed over.

T/N:

strongest dude: the word here used is “jiahuo” 家伙 which is an informal, sometimes affectionate way of calling someone, kind of like “brat” ? but without the parental figure tone

CEO Hua: 花总 “hua zong” the zong here is used as a suffix of respect, usually used for business partners/ ppl holding business positions

Q18. When they first met again, why did HC not let XL touch him?

Because he loved and respected him. He was scared he’d get too excited and do something wrong. Later, the reason was that sometimes if he thought he made a mistake, like not protecting Dianxia well, he would not let himself touch his idol. Even if he wanted to a lot, he wouldn’t let himself touch, because it’s his own punishment for himself.

Q19. What did XL like doing as a kid? Did he whine like a kid?

He liked going on swings, calligraphy, drawing, reading books most people wouldn’t read, building and knocking over golden toy block houses. Whined a lot, and would insist on sleeping with his parents. So when he stopped whining like that the king didn’t find him as cute.

T/N: the “whine” here is the best English equivalent as far as I know, but perhaps you’re more familiar with the term “aegyo”? lol. Original word is 撒娇 “sa jiao”

Q20. Where did HC’s name and San Lang come from?

Why Hua Cheng, only he himself would know, since names are based on intuition and he didn’t tell me anything. San Lang was firstly because he was actually the third child at home, secondly because he fell during the third lap during the Offering to the Gods parade, thirdly because BLABLABLABLA many reasons to guess. Being the third seme of the novels is also an interesting Easter egg, but that wasn’t the main reason. Just as why Lan Wangji is Lan Er-Gege, or why Qiu Chi is called Si Shao, one can find many fitting explanations in the novel.

T/N:

BLABLABLABLA is actually what appeared in MXTX’s response lol

Qiu Chi 秋迟 is the name of a character (not sure MC or ML) for her next novel, and Si Shao 四少 means fourth, or fourth child/youth ?

“Offering to the Gods ceremony” translation is taken from Sakhyulations translation! https://www.sakhyulations.com/novel/heaven-officials-blessing/chapter-1/ bless them uwu

Q22. Why did HC not have confidence in his looks?

Because he was always told he was ugly, a monster, etc as a kid, so there was a deep “I’m ugly” impression of himself. Later he started suspecting that “maybe I’m kind of good looking”. But before the person he likes the most, he would still instinctively be self-deprecating, and sometimes will wonder if he’s an ugly person.

Q24. Why did XL give himself the surname “Hua”? 

Because he likes flowers, and used to be called the Flower Crown Martial God. Also, in the initial character sketch, when XL was banished he became a flower god, in charge of flowers’ blooming and wilting.

T/N: The word for “wilt”, amazingly, is 花谢 “hua xie” which is HC’s surname + XL’s surname (!!!). Also is the fake name XL used in Banyue, and the surname he gave to HC in the amnesia extra.

Q27. When will edits be made on TGCF?

Edits have already started, and when they’re done they will all be added with an announcement. Because it’s a long process, and because JJ has inconvenient limits on edits, Iwon’t know when. Not sure if it’ll be before or after the fourth novel. Also will depend on novel adaptations (of prev novels) and how the fourth book goes.

Q28. Will there be more extras for TGCF?

I’ve been wanting to write a human realm commoner storybook, a collection of short fairytales.

BOOK 3 SPOILERS

Q15. Where was Hualian’s first time? Does Hua Chen know that Xie Lian made the first move in kissing him in Qiandeng temple?

Huangji temple in Taicang mountain! HC didn’t know at first, but later Huahua teased it out + closely interrogated it out of XL.

Q16. What was the last mural and the lying down sculpture of XL in Wanshengku (hundred thousand-gods temple)?

It was that you know. That.

T/N: papapapapapa

Q21. Why did HC always have bandages on his face as a child? Why did he fall from the building? Why was he always getting bullied but still physically very strong/healthy?

He was always beaten up because his right eye is red. Others thought it was scary, and his face had a lot of scars that had to be covered;

One day he was beaten up so much that he wanted to kill himself, and also he’s a very bratty and petty kid, so when he heard there’s going to be a Offering to the Gods ceremony -- which if went wrong will bring strife to the whole country -- he especially chose that day to ruin the ceremony. As in, “if I’m unlucky and having a hard time, I want this entire country to die with me”. But he ended up climbing up there saw his wife and was shook, so he forgot to kill himself. But because he wanted to see more clearly, wanted to be closer so badly, he accidently fell off. 

He is just very tenaciously surviving! He’s strong like XL, won’t die even after getting beaten up hundreds of times, and forever will be able to hold onto a last breath and crawl back up again to return, against fate.

Q23. What did Mu Qing say when he drove HC away?

MQ just speaks like that...like, you brat are not even useful to Taizi Dianxia, you’ll only weigh him down, the army doesn’t need trash like you, don’t think you actually have talent! etc. Also because in the army the youths’ death rate is actually quite high, so MQ didn’t think he was doing anything wrong in driving HC away.

BOOK 5 SPOILERS

Q25. So is Shi Qinxuan a human now? Will his hands and leg ever recover? If he reincarnated, would he still have a hard life? Is Shi Wudu really gone? What did Mo Shui take the water master’s head for? What did he say to Shi Qinxuan on Moshui island at the end?

SQX is human. He can’t recover, and he doesn’t want to. Heavenly Officials won’t reincarnate. SWD is gone for good. The head was used for an oblation. He didn’t say anything in the end, because SQX was very out of it, so even if he said something SQX wouldn’t be able to understand.

T/N: To refer to SWD MXTX uses 15° (15 degrees) because phonetically it sounds like SWD’s name.

[wannabeabogwitch]

What I hate about BTS ARMYS

Firstly, I am an army myself and have been since late 2017. I don’t hate all armys, just the ones that do the things listed below. I don’t hate anyone, really, but some people are incredibly toxic. Thanks to the bad side of army, non-armys think we’re all bad, when we aren’t. It’s annoying. Let’s get to it, shall we?

- The ones who keep screaming: “ARMY HERE!!!” “OMG! ARMY!!!” “ANY ARMYS HERE!?” when the video or post has NOTHING to do with BTS or KPop in general. Like, I saw someone comment “Any armys here?” under a vid about someone’s dog dying. Seriously, that’s just messed up. 

-The ones who say their age in public. Now, I don’t mind people mentioning their age, but when it’s someone under the age of 16 doing it, then I have a problem. I’ll tell you why. Firstly, paedophiles will fucking love that. Seriously, you trying to bait the paedos or something? Secondly, some of you shouldn’t even be on the internet. I’m trying to sound like an arsehole and I’m not trying to sound condescending, but it honestly concerns me and annoys me at the same time. It’s not smart to tell people you’re 10 years old online... it’s just not. 

-Armys calling other armys ‘Fake’ because they haven’t been fans since pre-debut or debut and haven’t bought any of the merch. Like, first of all, not everyone can afford the merch or might not be allowed to buy any of it. Don’t shame people for not having any merch. Don’t be so obnoxious. Also, some people discover BTS later than others, like myself. No one is ‘fake’ and you don’t need to have the merch to be a fan of someone or something. Just liking something makes you a fan, tbh. Also, armys getting mad when another army likes both BTS and EXO. People can like multiple KPop groups and individual artists, so stop bashing on people for it. 

-Armys shitting on other fandoms and saying irrelevant shit. Like, chill, people. I get you might not like the music or maybe someone of another fandom was shitty towards you, doesn’t give you the right to generalise a group of people. Ignorance leads to hatred and hatred leads to regrets and do you want to have regrets? Didn’t think so... Also, armys who leave BTS related comments under a video or post about another KPop group or star, especially when the subject is something sad or tragic. It’s just asinine and insensitive. It’s time to stop! Also, stop with the retarded fan wars, please. Grow up.

-Armys correcting other armys when they pronounce a name wrong or don’t use block capitals when writing ‘bts’ or ‘army’.

-Armys getting triggered when someone says they aren’t a fan of bts. Like, not everyone likes the same thing. Everyone has different tastes. I have plenty of friends who aren’t into KPop in general, but I’m not going to hold it against them, because they are human beings with their own tastes and preferences and I respect that, as they respect mine. They’re my friends, so it would be stupid to fall out over a matter of preference. I admit, I get a little mad when someone just mindlessly bashes something I like without any particular reason, but if someone just isn’t a fan, then who am I to get mad at them? 

-Ship wars... *sigh* This is a thing that happens in almost every kind of fandom. But I’ve seen a lot of bts ship wars. First of all, none of your fucking ships are canon, and even so, why the fuck does it matter so much? Obviously, the only real canon ships are Suga x neck pillow, Tae x tea and Jimin’s unrequited love for jams. (lol) Look, you can ship who you like, but remember, BTS are REAL people, not fictional characters, so ship all you like, but be respectful. I admit, I’ve read some smutty x reader ff of bts, mostly for shits and giggles, but I respect them and if they are dating someone, it’s no one’s business but their own. Also, no one should be getting mad if they are dating a guy or girl. Let them be. They’re human beings, just like everyone else. 

-Sasaengs and antis. These crazy fucks need to chill and realise what they are doing is fucked up. This goes for crazy rabids and stalkers of any celebrity. I feel bad for most celebrities, constantly being followed by paparazzi and stalkers, not having even a moment of peace and quiet and privacy. Some people are so self-entitled that they think they can just barge into a person’s private life and threaten people. For the antis, get a fucking life and go focus on something positive. You claim to hate bts, but you’re still talking about them and must think about them a lot. Also, death threats are not okay. EVER. I swear, there are some disgusting fucks in this world...

That’s about all I can think of for now. Honestly, can’t people just get along and be respectful? Is it really that difficult for people? >.> 

[lewisdigitalcitizenship-blog]

Article 13 - THE END OF THE MEME?

You are probably wondering 1 of 3 things right now. Firstly, what do you mean this is the end of memes? Secondly, what is article 13? And thirdly, what is a meme? Just in case you are part of the small minority that doesn't know what a meme is,

Originally posted by desingyouruniverse

The Oxford Dictionary has 2 definitions. The one I will be talking about is: “An image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users, often with slight variations”. If you want some examples of memes check out this article post by Complex down below:

Link to memes: https://www.complex.com/life/best-memes-2018

 Now over to the main talking point. Article 13 is a proposal put forward in 2016 by the European Commission to change and implement new copyright laws. The reasoning behind this proposal was to update copyright laws to a more appropriate manor to combat the ever-changing environment. This blog post will talk about what is Article 13, its sister Article 11, the organisations and people affected. Also, the way in which it would change the way we use the internet with the EU.

 What are the effects on organisations and creative people?

The overall effects caused by the change to Article 13 and 11 have been described as “taking a step back” as quoted in an article by The Guardian. This article would influence most of the creative economy such as music artists, video creators, reviewers and news sites. One of the proposals is referred to as a “Link Tax” by most news reports and articles. This change would mean that the creator of the content shared on their page would get a percentage of the advertisement revenue. This means the company’s revenue would be eaten into by this new proposal. The other issues that would arise would be that the companies that host the information would be open to lawsuits for copyright infringement. This would mean that sites such as YouTube and Twitch, who’s sites primarily rely on user generated content to generate revenue from adds, would have to drastically change the way they operate.

This is one of the big reasons why there has been such an uproar, since larger companies would have to set up processes to scan all user uploaded content to check for any infringements. This would be costly to this organisation and would drive down traffic to their sites due to the lack of content that would be compliant with the new regulations if they were to be put in place.

 For these platforms to protect themselves people who upload content to the site would have to have agreements with the people who have produced the product to prevent them from being sued. This would be hard to do for large platforms like YouTube and Facebook as they have millions of videos and images posted by users that it would almost be impossible to have an agreement with every content owner.

This has started up large campaigns to prevent these legislation changes such as the one by YouTube called #Saveyourinternet. This campaign highlights the issues of this article and tries to make creators aware of its effects and impacts. They mention a lot of issues that would arise if this act in its current form was passed. In a video titled, “Article 13 – There’s a better way”, Matt from YouTube quotes, “YouTube would be forced to block millions of existing and new videos in the EU”. They continue to mention that the types of videos people could upload would be ‘limited’. Down below are some of the affected videos they name: 

If you would like to watch the full video it is down at the bottom of the blog post.

This is part of Youtube’s campaign to stop Article 13 being put in place. This shows the effects it would have on YouTube as they would be forced to block videos. Could you imagine if this happened to Youtube?

If you want to read more on the issue and to see YouTube’s campaigns here is a link to their site on the issue. Here you will also find videos from creators on the site to see where they stand on the matter.

Link to their campaign: https://www.youtube.com/saveyourinternet/

 Above is a demographic from EDiMA on all the sectors and business’s that would be harmed by the proposal of Article 13. You can see that there is a vast amount of companies on here that would affected and ultimately change the way these sites will operate due to the user created content being limited. There

 BBC News quoted that “many believe would be an excessive restriction on free speech”. The reasoning this is said is due to the fact that people would be stopped from making creative and opinionated videos such as movie reviews and parodies. The other impact Article 11 will have is that it is forcing news organisations such as the New York Times and The Guardian to take a percentage out of their ad revenue and give it to the owner of the content.

 To note these organisations aren’t dismissing change to the copyright law. Most people and organisations respect and want to achieve this change. Just with its current form, this would have a huge effect on how people would express themselves.

 Why does the European parliament want change?

The European union wants to “update EU copyright law for the age of Facebook and Google” as quoted by the Guardian. People who support the articles think it’s important to help support and give credit where is due to creatives online. With this overhaul of Article 13 and a similar overhaul to the similar sibling Article 11, the commission aims to make the creators of the work get paid for the work they have put in.

One of the proposals put in place is something referred to as a “link tax”. The idea of this is to take a cut of the revenue generated by the website, video, music or video and give it to the creator of the content through licensing the content for people to use. This includes sites putting snippets or links of their work to drive their own ad revenue up, having to give a proportion of this to the creator. 

One example of this would be that any of the above images that aren’t owned by Lad Bible would generate revenue for the owner of the property. This would mean that sites that use this would have to take more precaution and spend more time to create their own content to use on their sites.

How close is this to happening? Or will it ever happen?

Currently both Article 13 and 11 are still being hotly debated with a possible final vote to take place in March of this year. Compromise have been offered to try and push the bill through with MEP Axel Voss offering to exempt small to medium sized businesses. However, this proposes a new challenge as there would be 2 sets of copyright law. As said in a report by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) this would essential create a “two-tier Internet”. This would cause issues with companies as they may want to stay in medium to small business category so they wouldn’t have to split some of there revenue with the creator if they use their property online.

One of the things that would have to be considered in this is the effect on new online start-ups within the EU if there wasn’t a tired system is that small online businesses within the EU would be at a big disadvantage compared to online business based outside the EU as they will struggle to stand out and differentiate themselves from competitors.

 With the changes in copyright, I believe that everyone wants there to be change and respects the end goal of people getting revenue for when a site or person uses their work online. I just find that in its current state, the change would change the shape of how we use the internet for content in the EU. I feel that more time needs to be taken on changing the current laws for people properly online due to the world being more dependent on a digital life style.

Regarding the “link tax”, I feel that this a great concept as it gives credit to the creator for their work. I just think in practice this would be a very complicated system to put in place due to the sheer amount of content online.

Hopefully this opened you up and showed you a very present issue that could have large effects on how we go about our day to day life in a digital world. I also hope that there will never be a time where creativity is hindered and for there to be an end on Memes.

references  The guardian(June 2018) EU votes for copyright law that would make internet a 'tool for control available at : https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/20/eu-votes-for-copyright-law-that-would-make-internet-a-tool-for-control (accessed :22/1/2019)

The Guardian(September 2018) “ In punishing tech giants, the EU has made the internet worse for everyone” 

Does it scare you too? If so, click here to #SaveYourInternet → https://t.co/UzaIKzKpj1 pic.twitter.com/obaNTfKlQD

Available at:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/13/tech-giants-eu-internet-searches-copyright-law

 (accessed :22/1/2019)

The guardian(Sep018) Battle over EU copyright law heads for showdown https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/09/battle-over-eu-copyright-law-heads-for-showdownl (accessed :22/1/2019)

Oxford Dictionary, meme, available at:  https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/meme (accessed :22/1/2019)

Complex (2018) “The best memes of 2018″ Available at : https://www.complex.com/life/best-memes-2018/ (accessed :22/1/2019)

The law dictionary(2018) “What Happens If You Break Copyright Laws?” Available at: https://thelawdictionary.org/article/what-happens-if-you-break-copyright-laws/ (accessed :22/1/2019)

alphr (2017)”Article 13 approved: What are the EU copyright law amendments?” Available at:https://www.alphr.com/politics/1009470/article-13-EU-what-is-it-copyright

[americafuneral10-blog]

The lion rampant?

Editor’s note: We received this blog post from Mark and publish it as we feel it raises matters of great concern to funeral consumers and practitioners alike.

Out of courtesy, we provided the NAFD with an advance copy and invited them to comment.

We were advised that their legal team required several statements made by Mark in his original post to be removed, and he has obliged by doing so. His post below is amended accordingly.

We have been supplied with an official response from NAFD President Alison Crake which we are required to publish in full. This response can be found below Mark’s observations.

  Guest post by Mark Binnersley, Communications Consultant

‘The NAFD – what is its point?

I care deeply about the funeral profession. I care even more about how we treat bereaved people. So it is depressing to see the National Association of Funeral Directors in the midst of a protracted existential crisis.

From what I witnessed as an employee between spring 2016 and summer 2017, it seemed like it didn’t know whether it wanted to be a trade association or a regulator.

Any dreams the NAFD might have of becoming regulator in Scotland are unlikely to get out of the starting blocks. There’s no way the Scottish Government is going to allow funeral directors to mark their own homework. And quite right too.

Self-regulation often fails because industries have a tendency to put their own vested interests before public protection. It’s an indisputable fact.

The association should certainly think carefully before making any calls for regulation of the funeral profession in England and Wales.

I take the view that it is wiser to see how regulation in Scotland pans out before wishing it on English colleagues, and crucially to respect the vote against “regulation by Government” by members at the association’s annual conference in 2016.

Besides, has anyone asked officials in Whitehall whether they would like to regulate English or Welsh funeral directors?

No. And to my mind there is no appetite.

Anyone who thinks regulation of funeral directors might stand a chance of becoming Government business amid the shambles that is Brexit would have to be seriously deluded or suffering from a clinically-problematic overinflated ego.

If I were a small, independent member of the NAFD, I would also be wondering what the point of the association is and, with an inflation-busting 5 per cent subscription increase planned for 2018, would be considering the following three questions.

Firstly, is the NAFD going to help my business grow? Well, it’s not going to refer funerals to me, so that answer to that question has to be no.

Secondly, what protection does membership offer my business? It hasn’t managed to stop regulation in Scotland and it hasn’t halted the spread of local authority trading.

The reason it hasn’t been able to influence either of these developments is because it cannot afford to alienate its larger members. For your Co-operative Funeralcare, Dignity and Funeral Partners, regulation and local authority contracts represent an opportunity. Faced with a situation like this, the NAFD has little choice but to offer its support or make nuanced opposition at local level. Like a heroin addict, the association is hooked on the big boys’ subscription fees.

And thirdly, what is the NAFD doing to raise public awareness of the advantages of asking one of its members to conduct a friend’s or relative’s funeral?

The issue of public profile is being scarily overlooked as a result of the association’s obsession with regulation in Scotland.

Many members join the NAFD because they are led to believe that putting the lion logo in their shop window makes them look like they adhere to a set of standards.

However, just as many members know that the NAFD brand has near zero profile and the sticker means very little to your average bereaved member of the public. Indeed, an independent YouGov poll, commissioned by the NAFD, showed that only 7 per cent of people had heard of the association.

The NAFD really needs to develop a campaigning culture when it comes to public relations.

If it is to truly add value to its members, it should run a series of public information campaigns aimed at raising its profile and showing people the benefits of choosing an NAFD member over non members. It should be out and about at public events, talking to its members’ potential clients.

For some reason, it seems to prefer reactive PR, which is good for self-assurance but does diddly squat for one’s profile.

There’s no hope of this changing whilst the association obsesses over regulation. But if as a result of statutory regulations it is no longer to be seen as the upholder of industry standards – certainly in Scotland – then what is it for?

Other sectors – take for instance insurance – seem to find space for their trade association(s) to co-exist alongside regulation and continue to add value to members.

Another question members ought to be asking relates to staff resignations. Six employees have left or announced early retirement from the association since June this year.

The NAFD needs to be doing much more to promote its CPD and lobbying activity and show the public, through concerted campaigns, what a good funeral director looks like.

There are plenty of them in membership of the NAFD.

Sadly, their interests are being overlooked because the association doesn’t seem to know what it’s for at the moment.

I’ve written this blog in order to start a conversation, as someone who cares about the funeral world and more importantly the vulnerable people it serves.

I wonder what founder Henry Sherry would make of it all.’

  Response to above by Alison Crake, NAFD President

‘Mark Binnersley made many positive contributions to the work of the NAFD, during his short time in our employment, which makes his short sighted and poorly informed assessment of our work all the more surprising and disappointing.

He has dramatically overstated both his level of influence and access to information during his time with the NAFD in suggesting that, after working with the profession for only a year at a junior management level, he had assumed greater knowledge and strategic insight than funeral directors who are caring for bereaved people on a daily basis – many of whom have been in business for generations. He was certainly aware of some key developments which took place during his tenure and contributed his thoughts towards decision making, but he was by no means any kind of lone voice of reason and there were many discussions and decisions made, at a more senior level, which he simply was not party to.

In addition, given that Mark has not been in the NAFD offices since late June, almost four months ago, he is unaware of any significant or strategic developments during that time, rendering his views somewhat outdated.

Nevertheless, I would like to address some of the key points in Mr Binnersley’s blog post.

Far from being in the midst of an ‘existential crisis’, I am sure the bereaved families who look to the Good Funeral Guide (GFG) for guidance would be reassured to know that the NAFD, which oversees standards for 80% of the UK’s funeral directors, is quite clear and resolute about its core purpose but, equally, remains unafraid to talk to a wide community of stakeholders, in a time of change, to make absolutely certain that it is meeting the evolving needs of bereaved people, as well as the needs of the funeral directors that care for them. 

Equally, his assertions that the NAFD had ‘dreams’ of becoming a regulator in Scotland bear no resemblance to reality. Certainly we were, and remain, prepared to be a statutory regulator if ever the need arises, building on our current, respected, self-regulatory role. However, our main priority is to work with the Scottish Government as closely as possible on the implementation of regulation to ensure that it is proportionate, assists funeral directors in delivering high standards and acts in the public interest. Mr Binnersley is right, there is little appetite for regulation in Westminster at present and we’ve never called for it. However, in a YouGov survey in 2016, 80% of Britons said regulation of the funeral profession was important and therefore it would be remiss of us not to demonstrate our experience as an effective self-regulator to Government, highlight to our members the possibility that it might one day come, and work with them to ensure they maintain the highest possible standards of operation, irrespective of which organisation is overseeing their work.

I am sure GFG readers would also be reassured to know that, as a not-for-profit organisation, the 5% subscription increase that he refers to will be ploughed into additional education resources to train funeral directors to the highest standards, into our inspections and standards regime, and into planned initiatives that will provide even more information and support to the public when they experience a bereavement. For more than 90% of our members, the increase represents less than £1 a week extra for each funeral home they own and, as a result, the proposed increase was comprehensively backed, by members of all shapes and sizes, at our half year AGM last week.

We can always do more, but that is true of all organisations. However, the NAFD has been transparent in its commitment to evolve in the face of the changing needs of families, Government and our members, and I do not understand why Mr Binnersley feels this to be a bad thing? Although he was aware of these conversations during his time with the NAFD, he resigned without being involved in any level of decision-making about the way forward.

I do feel I should point out to Mr Binnersley that, in 112 years of the NAFD, its’ role has never been to ‘refer business’ to its members. We are not a sales promotions agency and this fundamental misunderstanding, on his part, of our role within the profession, only emphasises his lack of authority to speak on these matters. The NAFD’s role is to provide advice and support; to promote and monitor adherence to our Code of Practice and Code of Professional Conduct; to build relationships with Government and speak on members’ behalf; to use its collective buying power to help members run their businesses effectively and to signpost the public towards both sensible information and the details of all NAFD members in their local area. 

I am immensely proud to be President of such a progressive, determined and supportive organisation. The NAFD is also democratic, with our members all having one vote, irrespective of size and led by an Executive Committee, drawn from all sections of the profession, with small independent funeral firms representing 60% of the committee’s membership.

I am sorry that Mark has chosen to criticise from the outside, rather than shape the profession’s future from within. As a funeral director of 38 years, the ongoing wellbeing of the families I care for, across Teesside, are the reason I do this job and I know that this sense of duty is true of the vast majority of NAFD members. The fact that we choose to pool our collective experience, expertise and resources, under the umbrella of the National Association of Funeral Directors, in service to bereaved families across the UK, should give GFG readers confidence to know that they can turn to an NAFD member in their time of need and know they will be professionally and compassionately cared for.’

      The lion rampant? published first on YouTube

[jeromeschamp84]

The lion rampant?

Editor’s note: We received this blog post from Mark and publish it as we feel it raises matters of great concern to funeral consumers and practitioners alike.

Out of courtesy, we provided the NAFD with an advance copy and invited them to comment.

We were advised that their legal team required several statements made by Mark in his original post to be removed, and he has obliged by doing so. His post below is amended accordingly.

We have been supplied with an official response from NAFD President Alison Crake which we are required to publish in full. This response can be found below Mark’s observations.

  Guest post by Mark Binnersley, Communications Consultant

‘The NAFD – what is its point?

I care deeply about the funeral profession. I care even more about how we treat bereaved people. So it is depressing to see the National Association of Funeral Directors in the midst of a protracted existential crisis.

From what I witnessed as an employee between spring 2016 and summer 2017, it seemed like it didn’t know whether it wanted to be a trade association or a regulator.

Any dreams the NAFD might have of becoming regulator in Scotland are unlikely to get out of the starting blocks. There’s no way the Scottish Government is going to allow funeral directors to mark their own homework. And quite right too.

Self-regulation often fails because industries have a tendency to put their own vested interests before public protection. It’s an indisputable fact.

The association should certainly think carefully before making any calls for regulation of the funeral profession in England and Wales.

I take the view that it is wiser to see how regulation in Scotland pans out before wishing it on English colleagues, and crucially to respect the vote against “regulation by Government” by members at the association’s annual conference in 2016.

Besides, has anyone asked officials in Whitehall whether they would like to regulate English or Welsh funeral directors?

No. And to my mind there is no appetite.

Anyone who thinks regulation of funeral directors might stand a chance of becoming Government business amid the shambles that is Brexit would have to be seriously deluded or suffering from a clinically-problematic overinflated ego.

If I were a small, independent member of the NAFD, I would also be wondering what the point of the association is and, with an inflation-busting 5 per cent subscription increase planned for 2018, would be considering the following three questions.

Firstly, is the NAFD going to help my business grow? Well, it’s not going to refer funerals to me, so that answer to that question has to be no.

Secondly, what protection does membership offer my business? It hasn’t managed to stop regulation in Scotland and it hasn’t halted the spread of local authority trading.

The reason it hasn’t been able to influence either of these developments is because it cannot afford to alienate its larger members. For your Co-operative Funeralcare, Dignity and Funeral Partners, regulation and local authority contracts represent an opportunity. Faced with a situation like this, the NAFD has little choice but to offer its support or make nuanced opposition at local level. Like a heroin addict, the association is hooked on the big boys’ subscription fees.

And thirdly, what is the NAFD doing to raise public awareness of the advantages of asking one of its members to conduct a friend’s or relative’s funeral?

The issue of public profile is being scarily overlooked as a result of the association’s obsession with regulation in Scotland.

Many members join the NAFD because they are led to believe that putting the lion logo in their shop window makes them look like they adhere to a set of standards.

However, just as many members know that the NAFD brand has near zero profile and the sticker means very little to your average bereaved member of the public. Indeed, an independent YouGov poll, commissioned by the NAFD, showed that only 7 per cent of people had heard of the association.

The NAFD really needs to develop a campaigning culture when it comes to public relations.

If it is to truly add value to its members, it should run a series of public information campaigns aimed at raising its profile and showing people the benefits of choosing an NAFD member over non members. It should be out and about at public events, talking to its members’ potential clients.

For some reason, it seems to prefer reactive PR, which is good for self-assurance but does diddly squat for one’s profile.

There’s no hope of this changing whilst the association obsesses over regulation. But if as a result of statutory regulations it is no longer to be seen as the upholder of industry standards – certainly in Scotland – then what is it for?

Other sectors – take for instance insurance – seem to find space for their trade association(s) to co-exist alongside regulation and continue to add value to members.

Another question members ought to be asking relates to staff resignations. Six employees have left or announced early retirement from the association since June this year.

The NAFD needs to be doing much more to promote its CPD and lobbying activity and show the public, through concerted campaigns, what a good funeral director looks like.

There are plenty of them in membership of the NAFD.

Sadly, their interests are being overlooked because the association doesn’t seem to know what it’s for at the moment.

I’ve written this blog in order to start a conversation, as someone who cares about the funeral world and more importantly the vulnerable people it serves.

I wonder what founder Henry Sherry would make of it all.’

  Response to above by Alison Crake, NAFD President

‘Mark Binnersley made many positive contributions to the work of the NAFD, during his short time in our employment, which makes his short sighted and poorly informed assessment of our work all the more surprising and disappointing.

He has dramatically overstated both his level of influence and access to information during his time with the NAFD in suggesting that, after working with the profession for only a year at a junior management level, he had assumed greater knowledge and strategic insight than funeral directors who are caring for bereaved people on a daily basis – many of whom have been in business for generations. He was certainly aware of some key developments which took place during his tenure and contributed his thoughts towards decision making, but he was by no means any kind of lone voice of reason and there were many discussions and decisions made, at a more senior level, which he simply was not party to.

In addition, given that Mark has not been in the NAFD offices since late June, almost four months ago, he is unaware of any significant or strategic developments during that time, rendering his views somewhat outdated.

Nevertheless, I would like to address some of the key points in Mr Binnersley’s blog post.

Far from being in the midst of an ‘existential crisis’, I am sure the bereaved families who look to the Good Funeral Guide (GFG) for guidance would be reassured to know that the NAFD, which oversees standards for 80% of the UK’s funeral directors, is quite clear and resolute about its core purpose but, equally, remains unafraid to talk to a wide community of stakeholders, in a time of change, to make absolutely certain that it is meeting the evolving needs of bereaved people, as well as the needs of the funeral directors that care for them. 

Equally, his assertions that the NAFD had ‘dreams’ of becoming a regulator in Scotland bear no resemblance to reality. Certainly we were, and remain, prepared to be a statutory regulator if ever the need arises, building on our current, respected, self-regulatory role. However, our main priority is to work with the Scottish Government as closely as possible on the implementation of regulation to ensure that it is proportionate, assists funeral directors in delivering high standards and acts in the public interest. Mr Binnersley is right, there is little appetite for regulation in Westminster at present and we’ve never called for it. However, in a YouGov survey in 2016, 80% of Britons said regulation of the funeral profession was important and therefore it would be remiss of us not to demonstrate our experience as an effective self-regulator to Government, highlight to our members the possibility that it might one day come, and work with them to ensure they maintain the highest possible standards of operation, irrespective of which organisation is overseeing their work.

I am sure GFG readers would also be reassured to know that, as a not-for-profit organisation, the 5% subscription increase that he refers to will be ploughed into additional education resources to train funeral directors to the highest standards, into our inspections and standards regime, and into planned initiatives that will provide even more information and support to the public when they experience a bereavement. For more than 90% of our members, the increase represents less than £1 a week extra for each funeral home they own and, as a result, the proposed increase was comprehensively backed, by members of all shapes and sizes, at our half year AGM last week.

We can always do more, but that is true of all organisations. However, the NAFD has been transparent in its commitment to evolve in the face of the changing needs of families, Government and our members, and I do not understand why Mr Binnersley feels this to be a bad thing? Although he was aware of these conversations during his time with the NAFD, he resigned without being involved in any level of decision-making about the way forward.

I do feel I should point out to Mr Binnersley that, in 112 years of the NAFD, its’ role has never been to ‘refer business’ to its members. We are not a sales promotions agency and this fundamental misunderstanding, on his part, of our role within the profession, only emphasises his lack of authority to speak on these matters. The NAFD’s role is to provide advice and support; to promote and monitor adherence to our Code of Practice and Code of Professional Conduct; to build relationships with Government and speak on members’ behalf; to use its collective buying power to help members run their businesses effectively and to signpost the public towards both sensible information and the details of all NAFD members in their local area. 

I am immensely proud to be President of such a progressive, determined and supportive organisation. The NAFD is also democratic, with our members all having one vote, irrespective of size and led by an Executive Committee, drawn from all sections of the profession, with small independent funeral firms representing 60% of the committee’s membership.

I am sorry that Mark has chosen to criticise from the outside, rather than shape the profession’s future from within. As a funeral director of 38 years, the ongoing wellbeing of the families I care for, across Teesside, are the reason I do this job and I know that this sense of duty is true of the vast majority of NAFD members. The fact that we choose to pool our collective experience, expertise and resources, under the umbrella of the National Association of Funeral Directors, in service to bereaved families across the UK, should give GFG readers confidence to know that they can turn to an NAFD member in their time of need and know they will be professionally and compassionately cared for.’

      from Funeral http://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/2017/10/the-lion-rampant/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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Five Ways

We have all had a rainy afternoon, things simply don’t seem to want to go our way, no matter how hard we do. When cutting costs, a surprising number of people elect for advertising to be one of the very first, if not the very first on the chopping block. In fact, this is a misguided decision. Marketing exists to transfer in the person that delivers it to the individual. It is a firm’s best bet for a purchase and makes people aware of the item or service being available. There is no point in having the very best product on earth if nobody understands its existence.

Can it directly

First and foremost, advertising . The core idea revolves around hammering it outside , viewing its results, altering the approach based on past experiences and trying a plan. At the early phases, potential customers are studied for their respective habits, interests, needs etc.. A marketing effort based on this information is started targeted at various core classes in a organization’s user base, also making them aware of its availability and boosting what they want to see. Then it simply comes down to some simple case of wash and repeat. See? A circle.

1. Show them what you’ve got

Whatever your core groups are all, whatever the item or service getting pushed is, folks will need to be made aware of all the choices. Obviously, the figurehead of the organization will receive the most focus, this does not indicate that shot products will need to stay in its shadow. A marketing campaign would cut costs and make customers aware that your company has far more to offer and is more. Who knows, your off-shot product or service may even Wind up becoming the next big thing, looking at you

2. Crunch the numbers

There is a reason most companies thrive on client responses, both direct and indirect, it creates revenue. To put it simply, a good marketing campaign is always followed up with on how each wave of advertisements done, the conversion price of curious users, what they liked, what they didn’t enjoy, where they hunted from, how they hunted it…and the list goes on. All of this information can be sorted and provide a outline of exactly what works and what doesn’t. This helps cut back money from attempts that generated little to no response and helps boost plans that are successful even further.

3. Say cheese

Another facet of advertising is promotional content, this ranges from pamphlets to short videos. When implemented the right way, despite most people’s view on those pesky autoplay videos on sites, these videos can really be an wonderful asset to any company. These videos can be on how best to apply for work, how to best organize yourself for the support needed. A good illustration of this is any online teaching college. With a high number of tutorial videos that are short, they promote their company while offering information that is valuable for anybody interested in their solutions. This removes the need for employees or apartments’ purchase.

4. Make the website work for you

The benefit of having a site is its availability. With just the correct amount of buzz, most folks become aware of your site. Having advertising point into a webpage instead of your office doorstep functions in two ways: Firstly, it takes a load from your in-house employees and secondly, it allows for a more streamlined team by automating a while, if not the majority, of these processes. Imagine services like Amazon or AliExpress working without a site and you will get the idea. The beautiful thing about site advertising is that it is cheaper — doesn’t need specifics, that’s where the site comes from, get in touch with an and you have pretty much got a guaranteed purchase.

5. Reach out to colleagues

When looking to spend less, it is natural to fall in the safety net that’s your own colleagues. Consider it — of advertising especially targeting other people within the 18, when have we ever heard? I neither. However, libraries have been doing so for some time to boost business. The key idea here is cooperation. By gaining by openly sharing resources and actively forcing to make others aware of what you have, you affect your own earnings. A timeless scenario, and it works.

In conclusion

Marketing has been, is and always will be a highly effective tool to keep any business afloat. A good advertising effort can market a bucket with the bottom cut away if the angle is good enough. This is why underside was said by cutting costs within this department would be the equivalent of cutting off from the above bucket. The advantages of advertising are too large to ignore and, at the conclusion of the afternoon, your product can keep consumers but advertising is exactly what got them there.

from Beikecai – Cheap But Reliable SEO Services http://www.beikecai.com/five-ways/