#i guess similarly to german and swedish

[timomoe]

estonia for the bingo thing

Oh god, anon, you really opened the flood gates with this one. This is gonna be a massive post, and I'm so sorry to everyone in advance.

Note: these are all things that bother me personally. I am not attempting to make anyone feel like they should also feel mad about these things. I am not out to shame anyone who has hcs that are different than my own. I'm just breaking my thoughts down. Idc how anyone characterizes Estonia.

1. I Dont Trust The Fandom With Estonia, Ever

Estonia's fandom depictions range from elegant, eloquent, intelligent, calm, and collected to creepy basement dwelling discord mod neck beard with no friends and no personality. The latter characterization is - you guessed it - a leftover from Old Fandom and is slowly dying off. It doesn't stop people from continuing to make him into an internet-y, awkward loser, though, and that's really sad to me, ngl. A lot of people see him as a weak, lonely loser, when this is actually extremely removed from canon. Ofc, headcanons are fine, but I see a surprising amount of people who think this characterization is canon, when in reality, it's just fanon. Canonically speaking, Estonia is very good at making friends and is easily able to maintain good relations with most of the nations. He's perceptive and able to read the feelings of people around him. He has lots of hobbies that he's really good at, too. He's smart and good with money and business. According to Himaruya, he SMELLS LIKE MONEY (which I just think is funny).

Nowadays, the fandom is usually nice to him, but unfortunately I do still see ppl completely mischarachterizing him and his relationships, especially when it comes to the Nordics. I think people tend to forget that Estonia is on good terms with every Nordic except for Iceland, and it isn't for no reason. Estonia shares very strong history with Denmark, Sweden, and Finland - a majority of the Nordics - and Norway seems to like him - or at least tolerate him - too. In the series, Estonia sees Sweden as a mentor figure, and he deeply respects him and his opinions. Finland is Estonia's best friend. Denmark and Estonia are on good terms. Their relationship isn't expanded on much, but Denmark never so much as implies that he thinks Estonia is annoying or a try hard. Norway, notorious teaser and pain in the ass (affectionate) also never teases or takes a jab at Estonia on screen or in the manga.

He's friends with people like America - the two work on silly little projects together just for shits and giggles. Oddly, America seems to treat Estonia quite well; from the little we've seen of their friendship, it seems like the two have been friends for a while, at least since 2007, as "The Gentle Fight Between Russia and I" is based off the 2007 Russian cyber attacks on Estonia. That's around 16 years ago, now.

As mentioned previously, Estonia is also frequently viewed as being wimpy and weak, when this is not the case. People usually tend to point to Estonia's time in the Soviet Union or the first time that Sweden and Estonia meet to back that up, but I counter with this - Estonia was actively being colonized at both of those time periods. The strip "The Violent Mr. Sve of Northern Europe Takes a Swing," is set at the beginning of the Swedish Era in Estonia. It details just how Sweden got ahold of Estonia to begin with - by being generally terrifying on accident. Prior to this point in time, though, Estonia was being treated badly by literally everyone around him (Teutonic Knights, Baltic Germans, etc.), so of course he would assume that this new man was here to treat him similarly (especially if you consider Estonians and Swedes had squabbled in the past over various things, and Estonia ALSO burned down Sweden's first capital.)

As far as the Soviet Era is concerned, Russia was extremely abusive to all of the Baltic States, dishing out really nasty punishments to them - going so far as to kill Latvia (albeit on accident) - when they speak out or annoy him. Of course he would be afraid of him.

Now, though? Estonia is daring and confident. He isn't afraid of Russia and routinely mouths off to him, challenges, stands up to, and outsmarts him. Even if he was afraid before, he isn't now. He has, seemingly, come back into himself. Yay character progression!!

2. I Know Him Better Than The Creator, Yaas, Queen, Give Us Nothing, & If I Could Save Him From the Narrative, I Would.

I know I just wrote 6 whole paragraphs about why I like Estonia's canon depiction, but I have to be 100% honest, I'm also not the biggest fan of Himaruya's interpretation of Estonia. There are good things about him, and I enjoy a lot of what he's put out, but at the same time there are things about him in canon that really annoy me.

For one, despite Estonians being very fond of their country, its history, culture, and language, Estonia... Isn't. At all. He is obsessed with being a Nordic, does not really treat Latvia and Lithuania well (which is strange imo, bc due to shared oppression, history, and struggle, the Baltic States are pretty tight knit.) and doesn't seem to care that it hurts them to know he would rather be a Nordic than a Baltic, and he seems to think that becoming a Nordic will solve a lot of his problems. He talks more about how cool Finnish culture is than he does his own, and that's really disappointing to me because when it comes to history, culture, and language, for Estonia there's so much to talk about.

Like let's think about the Eesti Can't Into Nordic joke that's running in the series. I'd like to remind y'all (/lh) that the Estonian government proposed the idea of Estonia being Nordic only once. One time. And the reason it failed was two-way. Not only did the Nordic nations not care, but Estonians were generally against it.

As far as I know, it's got to do with previously stated attachment to the other Baltics, and also because of their flag. For those who don't know, the Estonian flag was a banned symbol in the USSR, and anyone caught with it could face some pretty hefty punishments. The only reason we still have the original Estonian flag is bc two college dudes were like "mine vittu, venelased!" *Spits on the ground and shoves the Estonian flag behind a chimney where it will stay safe.*

Also. The joke about Estonia wanting to join the Nordics seems silly, as there's been this neat little thing called the Nordic Baltic 8 that's been around since the 90s. There's already an entire organization made up of all the Nordics and Baltics with the point of it being mutual aid and cooperation. Meaning all of the things Estonia thought he'd get by becoming a Nordic have already come to fruition.

On top of that, it had been a symbol of Estonian endurance, freedom, and perseverance for decades by that point. People were so attached to it and adverse to making the tricolor into a Nordic cross, so the idea died.

Edit: was also reminded by an Estonian friend that some of the suggested designs for the first Estonian flag were in fact in a Nordic Cross pattern, but they all lost out to the tricolor, meaning that whole idea wasn't just rejected once, but twice.

There's also something about his name that annoys me a little. While I believe it was genuinely an accident, Eduard's name is surreal. Let me explain what I mean. Himaruya tends to legacy name his characters. England is named for king Arthur, Sweden's last name is taken from a Swedish writer, Finland is named after Väinämöinen, Latvia is named after a Latvian singer.

The only person in Estonian history of any note with the last name Von Bock was a Baltic German man who, among other things, hated ethnic Estonians and believed them to be subhuman. Bit of an oopsie to give him a name like that. Not even Eduard is an Estonian name, it is just the Estonianized spelling of a German name too. Eduard isn't so bad though, since it is actually a common Estonian name.

3. I Want To Protect Them, Babygirl MF, They're Like a Brother to Me, & They're So Cute When They're Bleeding.

Ok so the basics of this one are: I love Estonia, he's a weirdo, he's my favorite, I only ever want good things for him, and yet every single time I write anything involving him, it always winds up being angsty as shit and sad. I am not allowed to let this man be happy, IG.

[vancilocs]

All sfw plus the ones you’re willing to answer, damir and karol and kanzo and ipe, sorry im still in the outer rim headspace aaaaaaaa

it is the way

Who cooks?

If anyone then Damir, Karol just orders out. Might make breakfast sometimes though

Ipes has her food that Kenjiro helps himself to, mostly looking for the booze tho

Who’s the messiest? The cleanest?

They’re both pretty neat, some clothes and dishes and wrappers might be left laying around but they both contribute to keeping their home clean

Ipes probably has cleaners who know to keep their mouth shut, Kenzo’s home is... a mess

Who fixes the vehicle after a breakdown?

If Damir doesn’t know what to do about it it goes to the mechanic

Ipes wouldn’t dirty her hands, Kenzo doesn’t have a vehicle. If his leg or arm gets damaged he takes himself to the mechanic

Living space has a leak! Who fixes it?

A specialist

Not that Ipes would have leaks but a specialist, if there’s a leak at Kenzo’s place he goes ah shit and blocks it with chewing gum

Who buys the groceries?

Karol orders them directly because they rarely go out, Damir might go get some if he’s free

Ipes gets shit delivered, Kenzo survives on gas station hot dogs and canned food he may or may not have

Going out to eat: Who pays? Who orders the most food? And who has dessert?

Joint account, both can pay, Karol pays as a show of dominance. Damir could eat an entire horse and a duck on top, has dessert, Karol doesn’t eat too much but will take dessert too. Also will pick off Damir’s plate all they want

They don’t go out to eat, if Ipes wants she will have a charcuterie out or something for Kenzo to snack on. Costs more than his last month’s groceries

Would they go to the beach?

No opportunities at the Outer Rim but elsewhere sure, when Karol gets over their anxiety and agoraphobia

No

Who knows how to swim? Who doesn’t?

Both can, just a basic skill to have

I guess both can, at least Kenzo’s leg doesn’t sink him to the bottom

Is someone multilingual? Do they try to teach another language to the other? How does it go?

Damir speaks Russian, Karol speaks Polish, they understand each other a little. Teach each other swear words and pet names and speak their own language just to turn the other one on

Kenzo speaks only Trade, no Japanese unfortunately.

Any pets? Or plants?

Karol had a cat when Damir moved in, later they got another cat together. Some plants too, not much but some

Nothing mutual at least

Baths or showers? Together or separate? Any bubbles or bubble fights?

A shower or bath together will only end up one way so that’s something to keep in mind. Karol has a luxury tub though so sometimes Damir just enjoys being able to actually stretch out and relax in it by himself

Baths together sometimes, not necessarily even sexual, just chilling is fun. Have Chanel wash your hair and serve you champagne and maybe play the piano in the other room. Bubbles maybe, bubble fights no.

Can they stand silence? Who talks the most? Who talks the least?

Karol is pretty chatty, Damir as bartender is used to having chit-chat by the bar but he’s more quiet. Both are comfortable being quiet but unless very tired/Damir obviously not being talkative Karol will fill the silence

Silence is very fine, prefer that to chatter that might get awkward. And no talk about feelings, jeez. The way Kenzo shows affection is silent anyway, pet hair, pull blanket on her, kiss on shoulder blade when leaving, pet arm

Who stays up late? Who sleeps the most? Does the other have to force them to sleep/wake up?

Both enjoy their sleep but both also work night shift, no hurry to wake up early. Neither has huge trouble waking up, Damir is up earlier, will make breakfast ready and feed the cats

I guess both enjoy their sleep but if Ipes wants to throw Kenzo out he’ll leave without complaint, give him a second to dress up though

Who is the highest maintenance? Does the other mind?

Karol is incredibly high maintenance and the only time Damir minds is when they take an hour in the bathroom doing their makeup or can’t make up their mind on what shoes/dress/shirt/pants/wig/earrings they wanna put on when the restaurant reservation is in half a hour

Ipes is pretty high maintenance I wager, Kenzo doesn’t care one bit, just enjoys the show

Vacation ideas: who decides them? Where would they go, if anywhere?

Karol would love to be anywhere else than the Outer Rim but is too scared to leave, otherwise they’d love to travel around Europe and go back to Poland or go to Russia

They don’t do vacations

How often do they have sex, if at all?

Oh they fuck a lot

Whenever they meet at least at first, later it’s cool to just hang out. Listen Kenjiro is old he can’t keep up and if he’s been thrown out the window 8 hours ago he’s not up for anything rigorous

Who brings ideas? Who initiates?

Both can put their hands on the other at any time but it’s usually Karol with the new stuff

Kenzo lets Ipes initiate at least in the beginning but later he might sometimes. She can bring in whatever, be it ropes, a strap or an entire escort

Dom/top? Sub/bottom? Any switches?

Damir might have thunk he’s a top but now he’s a verse and he is getting tied up. They switch flawlessly though.

Ipes (sometimes also Chanel) holds the reins, but later she can let him on top if he’s not being too rowdy. More of a make love kind of situation instead of getting fucked

Open or closed relationship? Do they sometimes share?

Work and internet entertainment aside, their relationship is closed. Open to threesomes though, sounds fun

They hardly have a relationship. Chanel is a regular guest. Only reason why Kenzo doesn’t hire Chanel by themselves anymore is because they’re expensive and if he can get them for free alongside Ipes well that’s a win-win

[youreamonocoque]

The Laver Cup Makeover

The Laver Cup, a chance to see the best of Europe face the best that the rest of the world has to offer. Watch the best play the best. Exciting right? Who wouldn’t want to see Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal team up to take on the rest of the world? Who wouldn’t be interested in seeing the best players all at one event?

Er me?

Don’t get me wrong the first year in 2017 was very exciting! With Team Europe consisting of legends of the sport Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Exciting youngsters Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem and seasoned pros in Marin Cilic and Tomas Berdych. To top all of that off they were captained by Swedish icon Bjorn Borg. And what about Team World? Well captained by the ever-lively John McEnroe they had a whole heap of American talent in John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe. The Quartet were joined by the entertainer – Nick Kyrgios and up and coming Denis Shapovalov.

5 of the Worlds Top 10 in one place? Sign me up that sounds exhilarating! For the most part the matches were, most of them went to ranking but they were filled with high class points, and it was a fantastic showcase for the doubles where you got a ‘Fedal’ Team Up, thrilling stuff.

Team Europe won the event in 2017 (As you’d expect) 15 points to 9. While at the time it was very exciting, part of that was due to the newness of it all. You’ve got the best players in the world playing in one city in this ‘exclusive’ team event. However, did I mention that 5 of the Top 10 were all on one team? And given that I mentioned that Team Europe won the event can you take a wild stab at which team those 5 were on? Yeah…

What about 2018? Well Europe’s average world ranking was 7 and World’s was 19. Do you want to guess the winner? (Spoiler alert: Europe won 13-8). 2019 reads similarly, Europe average of 5 and World average of 57 (Jack Sock brings the average down by quite a bit, at the time he was ranked 210). Amazingly the 2019 edition was the closest yet with a notable upset being Jack Sock against Fabio Fognini. Furthermore 2 out of 3 of the doubles matches went to Team World. “Great it’s working then…why do we need a makeover?”

Well, you see we arrive in 2021 and as usual we have our teams and as per tradition Team Europe is packed with players in the Top 10. No Rafa or Roger or Novak but still 5 of the top 10 have snuck in. “Is this balanced out by some exciting lower ranked youngster being the sixth player?” Ah well, the sixth is an exciting youngster! Hooray! The Youngster just happens to be Casper Ruud who is currently ranked 11th in the world. “Oh.” Yeah…That gives us an average ranking of 6!

“Yeah, but you said only 5 of the top 10 are in Team Europe, what about Team World?”

They do have a top 10 player! They’ve got Denis Shapovalov who is ranked at 10! Yay! He’s also the only guy outside of ‘Europe’ ranked in the top 10.

“Wait why did you put ‘Europe’?”

Okay a question for you, dear reader, this time. Russia – Europe or Not? If you pop that question into Google, you end up with ‘Russia is a transcontinental country. 77% of Russia’s area is in Asia, the western 23% of the country is in Europe.’ (Source: nationsonline.org). I’m going to be honest; I have no idea what my answer to that question would be other than part of it is in Europe and part of it is not. The Laver Cup obviously considers the Russians as part of Europe as that is who Medvedev and Rublev are down to play for.

“That’s fine, isn’t it?”

Yep! Except this is where our make over begins! Move the Russians into Team World and you end up with 3 of the Top 10 in Team World and 3 of the Top 10 in Team Europe. Oh boy look at the balance! Now you’ll get exciting matches such as Daniil Medvedev against Stefanos Tsitsipas. World Number 2 against World Number 3. Not Medvedev against Isner for the fifteenth time…

Moving on! Hmm I think 3 top 10 players is okay for now, but we might come back to that…For now we’ll limit the teams to only being allowed three top 10 players. Now our teams look like this:

Stefanos Tsitsipas (3), Alexander Zverev (5), Matteo Berrettini (8) and Casper Ruud (11) for Team Europe. Two places to fill.

Daniil Medvedev (2), Andrey Rublev (7), Denis Shapovalov (10), Diego Schwartzman (14), Felix Auger-Aliassime (17) for Team World with one place to fill.

The ATP tour is all about the ‘Next Gen’ we’ve even got the Next Gen Finals that take place In Milan. How about we get some of those exciting Next Gen players in the Laver Cup? Start preparing our next superstars?

“Sounds good? Who?”

Well leading the race for Milan is Jannik Sinner, 20 years old, three titles to his name already (all won when he was 19), ranked 15 in the world, Incredible young talent. Oh, and he’s Italian so we’ll put him in Team Europe. After him is Auger-Aliassime who is already on Team World, so we move on to Sebastian Korda. American, 21 years old, 1 career title, ranking of 45. Let’s pop him in as the final member of Team World.

We have one place left in Team Europe. Would you like a Spanish guy or an Italian guy?

“Er got any more information?”

Sure! First up for your (well my…sorry you can have your say in the comments) consideration is Lorenzo Musetti of Italy. 19 years old, current ranking of 61 with a career high of 58, Reached the fourth round at the French Open this year, beat Diego Schwartzman in Acapulco earlier this year…Does that name ring a bell? Yeah, he’s on Team World!

“And the Spanish guy?”

Carlos Alcaraz, 18 years old and already has a title to his name with a career high ranking of 54, a third-round appearance at the French Open, no wins over the Top 10 yet but we’ll put that down to him being 18, shall we? Very exciting young player.

“I don’t have a say really?”

Nope so we’re going with Alcaraz because Team Europe is lacking in the Spanish department.

“We have our teams then great!”

Team Europe – Tsitsipas, Zverev, Berrettini, Ruud, Sinner and Alcaraz. Average ranking of 16.

Team World – Medvedev, Rublev, Shapovalov, Schwartzman, Auger-Aliassime and Korda. Average ranking of 15.

Oh, we are balanced! Look at that! Team World looking pretty good there, some tight matches, interesting doubles pairs. I’m fairly content with that but-

“Uh oh there’s a ‘but’”

Is Team World looking a bit…? North American? 3/6? I’m just saying that the other side of the globe is there…de Minaur? Nishikori? Kwon? Kyrgios? Ah we’ll leave it as it is for now. But there’s something up with Team Europe…A certain German…Let’s quietly remove him and bring in Pablo Carreno Busta. That does mess with the average ranking a little bit taking it down to 17. We could switch out Auger-Aliassime for Alex de Minaur bringing World’s average down to 16 but I don’t think a difference of two in average ranking is too much to be concerned about.

There we have our teams then. We don’t necessarily have star power like the Big 3 but we have 5 of the Top 10, an Olympic gold medallist, an Olympic bronze medallist and several entertaining youngsters. I suppose we could bring in the star power in some capacity…Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer as Co Captains? Agassi and McEnroe against them? I don’t know but we need some draw for the crowds that they’re going to get to see at least one of the Big 3.

I haven’t completely overhauled the teams, most players that are going to play in the actual Laver Cup have been included in my team lists but that is partly because Team World are yet to announce the rest of their team. I have a horrible feeling that it’ll be fleshed out with three Americans and Africa and Asia will once again be ignored. I’m not saying I fixed that by moving the Russians into Team World, but it would be nice if they could include Kei Nishikori or Yoshihito Nishioka from Japan or Lloyd Harris from South Africa. Personally, I’d also like it to be a mixed event with the best of the women’s tour coming to play but I think I might be asking for a bit much there.

I’ll leave you with my teams then:

Europe – Co Captained by Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg.

World – Co Captained by Andre Agassi and John McEnroe.

Stefanos Tsitispas (3)

Matteo Berrettini (8)

Casper Ruud (11)

Pablo Carreno Busta (12)

Jannik Sinner (15)

Carlos Alcaraz (54)

Bye!

Daniil Medvedev (2)

Andrey Rublev (7)

Denis Shapovalov (10)

Diego Schwartzman (14)

Felix Auger-Aliassime (17)

Sebastian Korda (45)

[ashandboneca]

The Gods and UPG

I should start out by saying that this is my own viewpoint, but I know a number of people who see things similarly to me. Theology, religion, and spirituality have always been an interest of mine. I'm drawn to it, because my scientific mind is always trying to make sense of the things I read, see, hear, and experience.

The questions we really need to ask are this: what are gods? Who are they? Why do they differ depending on culture, and why are there similarities in tandem with the differences? How do we define them in our modern age of reason?

To me, the gods can be many things. I have seen them described as an energy force, as living beings, as archetypes, as parts of a giant whole, as venerated ancestors. Depending on the culture and the other permeating beliefs, you see different parts of these more predominantly in some cultures than others. To the Egyptians, the gods represented the natural world - figures melded with animal parts, with recurrent themes of life, death, resurrection. To the Greeks (and Romans), the gods were tempestuous archetypes, mingled with sex and fear and anger, full of vengeance. To the Celtic, Germanic, and Scandinavian people, the gods were living beings, venerated ancestors or great kings and queens who were mortal and flawed but wise and eternal. In some cultures, the gods represented a physical feature - a hill, a mountain, the sea.

The ancient people were superstitious and wary. They did not have the scientific enlightenment we do now, but they had a very deep relationship with the land. Even the ancient kings and queens relied heavily on their farmers and serfs to provide food for their people. Everything that we know now - ph levels of the soil, herbicides to keep pests away - would have been considered magic back then. We have science and reason to explain things (and even so, we cannot explain everything), they had the gods. Whether the gods themselves existed before the people started praying to them, or the prayers brought the gods into being is a chicken/egg question. The people were seeking to please the gods, or work the will of the gods, or curry the favour of the gods. In the case of venerated ancestors, the same clause stands. You have someone who is renown for being brave, wise, and cunning - people admire, honour, and seek to emulate that person. Stories are told, embellished, and gods are born.

The gods, like most deities, are products of their time. Practices that would have been very common 2000 years ago are not something we would necessarily practice today - at least, not in it's original form. We may offer sacrifice, but it is doubtful we would use a human, or even an animal (without consuming the animal, at least). We do not necessarily fear the gods, as most cultures did then - we now seek to work with them and gain their favour, and we relish their attention. We live in an age of advanced science, where it is unlikely we are surrounded with likeminded believers. While we all recognize that each sect of pagan theology is gaining and maintaining followers and celebrants, we are not as populous or plentiful as we once were. To most modern day people, believing in any of the old gods seems silly and superstitious (and to some, outright stupid). It goes against the grain, and we are the minorities.

There are theories that the belief in something somehow makes it’s stronger - many people funnelling their energy and focus to one being gives that being more standing and power. Could it not be said that the opposite is also true? As people converted their belief from the pagan gods to the Christian god, would those beings not wane in power? The centres of power for these gods - the Parthenon, Gamla Uppsala, and Stonehenge, for example - have been christianized, left to ruin, or left to neglect.

Thus, I wholly believe that in order for the gods to survive, they need to adapt. They need to evolve and grow, as people and society have done, in order to remain in tact. I think that recognizing our roots, ancestry, and where we come from is very, very important. I think honouring those things is also important. However, I think that everyone experiences the gods in a different way, and I think these gods are wise enough to be able to choose with whom they cavort. People, especially in North America, are more diverse than we would have been 2000 years ago - how many of us can claim a vast cultural canvas as our genetic makeup? I myself have French, English, Scottish, German, Swedish and Danish (with bits of Dutch, Luxembourger, and Irish), but large parts of my family have been in Canada since the 1600’s. Which parts of our genetics should we tap into? Should the circumstances of our birth force us to turn our backs on what we are drawn to work with? What about those who are adopted, should they just guess, or choose the genetics of their adoptive families?

The gods, if they are as powerful as I believe they are, are not foolish. They know that to survive, they must adapt. It is a very scientific way of thinking - sort of like behavioural modernity. Just as we evolved to start making clothes out of animal hide or how we evolved lactase persistence (which allows modern humans to continue drinking milk past childhood), the gods have had to be less picky and learn new ways in which people worship. It’s not that they are settling or that it’s somehow lesser than it was - it’s more learning to work with new tools. Like moving to a new climate and having to adjust how you dress and travel.

This theory that I hold is why I am so vocal in supporting people working with whichever pantheon they are drawn to, and why I think UPG is so important.

UPG (unverified personal gnosis) is almost essential when you are working with gods or doing any manner of ecstatic practice. Wikipedia states

“…attempts at recreating or restarting ancient religions continue, the difficulty in telling the difference between historically attested sources and modern, personal interpretations grows. All myths and legends started at some point in the human past with one person or group's experience; thus it would be inappropriate to dismiss out-of-hand a new experience. UPG grew out of the need for a shorthand in differentiating the two.”

Dismissing someone’s experience simply because it is not something you experienced is like dismissing someone’s pain experience with a sunburn because you have never had one. All we have as human beings is experienced - we are constantly taking in information, and outputting thoughts and ideas. All of our innovations and inventions came from experiences that the inventors had that others hadn’t.

If someone’s personal experience isn’t the same as yours, it is not a slight. It’s simply something they have experienced that you haven’t that holds significance to them and not you. That is okay and perfectly normal.

I think if we constantly work in a state of historical accuracy, we are missing the mystic, and if constantly work in a state of UPG, we are missing the sage. There is wisdom in the lessons and words of others - we need those to ground us and centre us. There is enlightenment in personal experience - we need to think outside of the box. It is a beautiful marriage of both of these halves that gives us the enriching experience of working with magic, the gods, and the universe. We seek to emulate the gods, and so we should evolve as they do.

[dipulb3]

2021 Volvo V60 Cross Country is an automotive chef's kiss

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-volvo-v60-cross-country-is-an-automotive-chefs-kiss-2/

2021 Volvo V60 Cross Country is an automotive chef's kiss

Aside from additional exterior moldings compared to the standard V60, Cross Country models also feature a unique grille. 

Craig Cole/Roadshow

A car or truck doesn’t have to be the best in every measure to be highly desirable. The 2021 Volvo V60 Cross Country isn’t the most versatile vehicle available today, nor is it the quickest, fanciest or best equipped. But man, it’s a terrific all-around package, one that feels like more than the sum of its Scandinavian parts. 

Like

All-weather performance

Sound driving dynamics

Sumptuous interior

Don’t Like

Infotainment tech could be better

Some issues with Pilot Assist

Starchy ride quality

Riding about 2.5 inches taller than the V60 wagon (with a generous 8.3 inches of ground clearance) and fitted with standard all-wheel drive as well as hill-descent control, the Cross Country is designed for mild off-roading, to get you up that icy driveway or across a meadow to your favorite fishing spot. Special wheel-arch trim and exterior moldings provide a more robust look and are a nod to that enhanced capability. You might think these injection-molded add-ons would spoil a beautiful design, but the Cross Country is just as pretty and elegantly proportioned as the standard V60.

But unlike its lower-riding stablemante (which is available with a potent plug-in hybrid powertrain), the V60 Cross Country is only offered with one engine, a 2.0-liter turbo-four that belts out 250 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Smooth, servile and nearly silent, this little dynamo nonetheless provides plenty of giddy-up and an estimated 0-to-60-mph time of 6.4 seconds.

This Volvo’s engine is backed by an incisive eight-speed automatic transmission that’s as smooth as sandwich spread — except when it’s cold, then it’s a bit slow to shift. Fortunately, this sluggishness disappears once the drivetrain thaws out. Speaking of warmth, for what it’s worth, the V60 Cross Country has the quickest-acting steering-wheel heater I’ve ever experienced, and the butt-warmers are similarly effective.

Driven in frigid Midwestern weather with plenty of winter precipitation, this Volvo is a capable steed, never losing its footing or causing me to second-guess its poise. Get overzealous with the accelerator and it will go playfully sideways on snow or ice before the stability-control system gently intervenes to get you pointed in the right direction.

Among other things, the $2,800 Lounge Package gets you sumptuous Nappa leather for a super-premium feel.

Craig Cole/Roadshow

The V60 Cross Country’s steering is light to the touch but still reasonably precise. A bit more front-wheel feedback would be nice, as would softer springs. The ride is certainly well controlled, but I find it a lot stiffer than it needs to be. At least somewhat offsetting the stony ride is this Volvo’s posh cabin. The front seats are supremely comfortable and for an extra $500 can give you a gentle massage. The backseat also offers plenty of passenger space, at least for the outboard riders; anyone relegated to the middle position will have to contend with a large hump in the floor.

Aside from its annoyingly wide sills that streak your pant legs with dirt if you’re not careful when disembarking and the cheap-feeling, non-extending sun visors, the rest of this V60 Cross Country’s cabin is sumptuous. This example’s beautiful, brown Nappa leather and laminated, open-pore wood accents look richer than an aristocrat’s study. The $2,800 Lounge Package also gets you a stitched dashboard cover, four-zone climate control, ventilated front seats and a few other niceties. If things feel a bit too cozy, just retract the standard panoramic sunroof’s shade to let a little light shine in. This interior’s overall design is generally warmer and friendlier than what you get from German automakers these days, though some of the tech could be improved.

Volvo’s familiar Sensus Connect infotainment system is as intricate as it’s ever been. And even though it seems noticeably snappier on this Cross Country’s 9-inch touchscreen than I’ve come to expect, it’s still not my favorite multimedia array. Thankfully, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, though they do show up a bit small on the portrait display since it’s so tall and narrow. Augmenting that panel is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that’s reconfigurable but always seems a bit washed out.

The V60 Cross Country is damn nice.

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When it comes to safety and driver-assistance features, this is a Volvo, so, yeah, there’s plenty. The usual goodies like lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring are all standard and work pretty much seamlessly. Full-LED exterior lighting is also included at no extra charge. Beyond all that, this V60 Cross Country is also fitted with Pilot Assist, Volvo’s adaptive cruise-control system with lane centering. It comes bundled along with a head-up display, a 360-degree camera and a wireless phone charger in the $1,900 Advanced Package. This ever-attentive cruise-control system smoothly regulates the Cross Country’s speed relative to other traffic, though the lane-centering could be improved. Occasionally it gets confused and will tug back and forth on the steering wheel, which is a bit unnerving.

Stick to the highway where Pilot Assist is in its element and the V60 Cross Country should return 31 miles per gallon. Around town, it’s rated at 22 mpg and combined it should deliver 25. In mixed use, I’ve been averaging around 24 mpg, which is not too shabby considering the cold weather.

Even though Volvo is not the only automaker to offer a lifted station wagon, the V60 Cross Country is kind of in a class of its own. The lovely Audi A6 Allroad and new Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain are a riff on the same formula, though they’re bigger, more powerful and really a better rival to Volvo’s own V90 Cross Country. Still, it’s conceivable buyers might cross-shop these German offerings with the smaller V60 Cross Country, and if they do, they’ll find it significantly more affordable. As tested, this example checks out for $57,290 including $995 in delivery fees, a figure that also incorporates a smattering of options, by far the priciest of which is the $4,000 Bowers and Wilkins premium sound system. Eschew any extras and you can take one of these elevated station wagons home for less than $47,000, around 20 grand less than an entry-level Allroad or All-Terrain.

The 2021 Volvo V60 Cross Country may not excel in any particular area, but it’s still beautiful and upscale, offers plenty of features and is pleasant to drive. With ample comfort, enhanced versatility and Swedish good taste, it’s proof you don’t have to be the best to be a winner.