#(and the acquisition thereof)

[fmet]

Rereading No Home and it’s so obvious that all of Haejoon’s experiences and recollection of his home life mirrors the perception of someone with a mentally ill family who later inherits that same mental illness, whether due to biology or upbringing or a mixture both. Everything that he’s went through, and everything that he thinks towards himself, the world around him, and his family connections (or lack thereof) are things that I have thought exactly as a mentally ill child of mentally ill parents. I think it’s fine to simply interpret his and his mom’s ESP on surface level and no way deeper, but deciding to observe his motifs in the context of mental illness makes much of his behavior and his later development sooo much more impactful at least for me personally.

His mother, having acquired something immutable early in her childhood and living with it up until her death. Nothing about this acquisition being palatable to her other family members or social circle, with them ultimately leaving her alone with a son. She makes peace with this loneliness and her abnormality but that peace ultimately paralyzes any progress she could have made to rectify what she can change, allowing her son to be raised and live in the shadow of her abnormality. And eventually, whether due to hereditary factors or environment, he is led to acquiring that same symptom.

He’s ashamed of it, and it only hurts him more now knowing that the vitriol people hold for his mother would be held the same for him if they knew, and consequently decides to ignore or deny any relation he may have to what he and his mother experience. Following his mothers death, he considers himself completely alone in his symptoms, with no one to confide in and no one to tell him it’s normal to experience what he does. Thus, he runs away to an environment where he believes he not only doesn’t have to confront his guilt towards his mothers death, but in order to escape from the framework where most of his symptoms took place, where they were acknowledged, where they were accepted. By removing himself from the spatial and emotional framework of where his ESP developed, he believes it will disappear, the same way trauma victims or depressed people do when given the opportunity to venture forth from their home life (oftentimes the source of their disorder).

But it didn’t. In fact, as a result of his refusal to accept his experiences as real, they only proliferate into actual metaphysical manifestation: hallucinations, insomnia, paranoia, depression, violent thoughts and actions. He quite literally loses his mind due to the denial of what he and his mother shared with each other. His hostile relationship with Eunyung, in turn, exasperates these metaphysical manifestations of his familial fractures (I could write a book on the way Eunyung and Haejoon treat each other as extensions of both their mothers, but that’s neither here nor there).

The ghosts in his life are both literal and figurative: his dead mother, long gone, no remnants left of her beyond himself and the memories he holds dear. Miyung, a reminder of his mother and home life’s idiosyncrasies that, while inextricable from the more negative associations and experiences he holds, is still held fondly. An allegory to how many mentally disordered people would not be themselves without that disorder, and consequently, any children they have seeing their symptoms as much “them” as any other behavior. His “mother’s ghost”, a symbol of nostalgia and escapism that encourages him to kill himself rather than reconstruct the social support he lost with her death. The dorm he and Eunyung live in at the beginning, laden with reminders and new developments originating from both their traumas. There’s a reason ghost sightings only subside when more people move into the house.

It’s in no way subtle. I think that even if this theme is storied under a practically translucent allegory in contrast to the more heavy handed themes in other arcs it’s still something that No Home fans should consider about Haejoon’s character. Considering what symbolic purpose the ghosts and other paranormal aspects of No Home contribute to the overall question of “what makes a home?” that the narrative proposes makes me love Haejoon so much more beyond surface level.

#no home #no home manhwa #haejoon goh #Haejoon my best friend haejoon

[anneapocalypse]

DAI Companion Styles: Sera

Dragon Age Companion Styles series

The fashion in the Dragon Age universe (in keeping with the overall aesthetics of the games) has undergone an interesting kind of evolution over the course of the three games, various side media, and fourteen real-world years this franchise has been around. And disjointed as some of it may be, it’s something that interests me, both in terms of its real-world influences and in terms of the in-universe implications for worldbuilding and characters. It’s an element for which I would love to see even more discussion and analysis, I thought it would be fun to dive into it by taking a look at the different base outfits companions wear in Inquisition, and talking about how they fit with the characters and the world they inhabit. I don't know how many of these I will end up doing, but I'd like to do some and I think it will be fun.

Disclaimer: I am not a fashion expert, dress historian, or professional designer! I'm just a gamer who likes to sew and has a casual interest in historical fashion, and a great interest in fantasy worldbuilding and the implications thereof, and that's where I'm coming from on these posts. I'd also love to hear thoughts from fans who have a more in-depth background in historical dress, textiles, etc. Also I'm going to be talking about clothing and not armor because I know a lot less about armor.

I’m going to start with Sera, of course, because it's me. ;)

So I've mentioned before that I really like the concept of Sera's outfit. The upper silhouette in particular seems directly drawn from the Fereldan commoner fashions of Dragon Age: Origins, the styles of Sera's youth in Denerim. For example, here's Kaitlyn in Origins, wearing some typical commoner clothing:

Note the plaid, the bare shoulders, the underarm straps (which have always looked incredibly uncomfortable to me)! We see several variations on this style in Origins, including leather vests and even some floral fabrics, but the off-the-shoulder look is nearly ubiquitous on commoner women:

Noble-born women in Origins seem to forego the cold shoulders, but we still see similar shapes in the upper silhouette, including those dang shoulder straps that go under the arms:

The commoner styles of Ferelden in 9:30 Dragon even reappear a decade later in Inquisition! Which doesn’t surprise me much, as trends move a lot more slowly for rural commoners than for wealthy aristocrats.

We even have the weird leather neckerchief thing, a staple of the early 9:30s in Ferelden (and convenient way to hide the neck seams on those character models)! Like the collars in Origins, Sera's does not tie at the back, and a close-up view of hers reveals side seams and presumably a closure of some sort.

So let’s talk about the breeches!

I'm going to call these "breeches" both because it's a word Sera uses and it's what I think they most closely resemble, especially given that they end below the knee but do not extend to the ankle. (Trousers or pants would be full-length.) First of all, it's notable that Sera is wearing breeches because it's a break with the Fereldan silhouettes we saw above, which are pretty universally long straight skirts hitting about mid-calf.

The waist of Sera's breeches is covered by her tunic, but I would guess that they might close with lacing (which can be seen on some of the Inquisitor’s Skyhold outfits) or a buttoned fall (a front panel with buttons on each side, which I think I've seen in some Orlesian noble concept art).

My guess is that Sera's breeches are newer than her tunic, because of the slim cut; they more closely resemble the Orlesian men's fashions of the present in Inquisition than the sort of looser trousers we see in Ferelden circa 9:31 Dragon. Going by the plaid alone I would have called them Fereldan, but based on the cut I have to call these breeches Orlesian, and possibly a more recent acquisition for Sera. While plaideweave does not appear to be currently on trend in Inquisition, Val Royeaux is a center of high fashion and constantly-changing trends among the upper classes and I don't have trouble believing that plaideweave might have been fashionable sometime in the years Sera has lived there.

A detail I love about these breeches is that they are cut on the bias! Synthetic elastic fabrics and machine-knits don't exist in the non-industrialized south of Thedas so far as we know, but woven fabrics have a bit of stretch and give when cut diagonally across the weave, and this would be appropriate for a pair of snug-fitting woven breeches, for someone of means. (They would have been expensive, because diagonally into a bolt of cloth means you need more fabric to start with.) We also see plenty of wrinkles and bunches in Sera's breeches, especially where her knees bend, demonstrating that this isn't a perfectly smooth, skintight fabric like a pair of synthetic leggings.

Notably, Sera's breeches have been patched—and patched skillfully, using the same fabric and with perfect pattern-matching. I think the patching had to have been done by a previous owner; Sera might have the skill (she does mention sewing in her journal), but she likely wouldn't have had access to a matching fabric or the patience or desire to pattern-match. This suggests to me that these breeches were owned by someone of lesser means; a noble would not wear visibly-patched clothing however skillfully done, but based on the bright colors I think this garment could have belonged to a noble at one point, before being cast aside. The servants we see in the Winter Palace wear neutral, muted colors in order to draw little attention, so I don't think this is part of a servant's uniform, but it could have been worn by a servant on their off time or by a member of their family. My guess is that these breeches were a once-fashionable garment, discarded by their high-class owner and taken by someone in their employ (maybe even their own tailor, who might still have access to scraps of the original fabric) to be repaired and reused by themselves or a friend or family member. I judge the large, visible stitching on both the patches and the side seams to have been added later, likely by Sera herself when the original stitching began to give out, further extending the life of this garment.

So, the breeches are great. We love the breeches.

I do have some issues with the tunic, but let's start with what's good about it.

I've already mentioned how it's consistent with Fereldan fashions a decade out of date. Based on the style and the fabric, I would say this garment was originally owned by someone in Ferelden of decent but not extravagant means, and Sera either stole it outright or swiped it from a rubbish heap. The wear on the tunic is consistent with its age: it's much more visibly tattered and falling apart than the breeches. However its construction also appears high-quality to me. If we look at the large tatters, we aren't seeing Sera's skin through them, and at the cuff where Sera has rolled up one sleeve we see the same contrasting fabric as the shoulder straps and trim. This tunic has a lining, and this also explains how it's still holding together on Sera's body with so much damage to its outer layer. The asymmetry at the bottom is jagged in a way that suggests part of it was torn off, rather than the garment being intentionally constructed that way.

My big problem with the tunic is its tightness and drape. This is a woven fabric (Highever Weave), and we can see the directionality of the weave very clearly because of the tatters; this garment was not cut on the bias. Even with the spiral-laced closure (love that they used spiral lacing instead of cross-lacing, by the way, just because it's a form of historical lacing that's often overlooked in media), this garment simply would not hang on Sera's figure the way it does in the game. (To be fair, neither would some of the Origins tunics. I have no idea what those are doing.) The form-fitting cut overall just doesn't make sense for a woven fabric, and it doesn't drape like one either—something that I'm sure has frustrated many a cosplayer trying to make this tunic with a comparable material. Without some stretch in the fabric, it's not happening. Even a moderately looser cut would make a lot more sense—compare with how Varric's tunic of the same weave hangs on him. Bottom line, Sera's tunic fits and drapes like a modern machine-knit, and if I wanted to make a cosplay that actually creates the same silhouette, that's what I'd use. Though personally I'd probably discard the silhouette and try to make something with a woven fabric that simply fits more realistically, and if I were to redesign Sera's base look, this is the one change I'd make.

The shape of the tunic is what really gives away the contemporary influence on Sera's outfit design. Leggings and skinny jeans came into fashion in a big way in the mid-2000s, often paired with a longer drapey top, and they hung on through the mid-2010s when Dragon Age: Inquisition was released, and were an obvious influence on the design of all the female companions as well as the female Inquisitor armor styles. Cold-shoulder tops were also a popular trend in the early 2010s. (I guess Dragon Age: Origins was on the cutting edge there.) Asymmetry and shredded clothing were also 2010s trends.

I also want to take a moment to look at Sera's shoes! Her base outfit includes what appears to be some kind of black slip-on shoe. These shoes are interesting to me because I think that like the breeches, they might be men's shoes. There's a similarity to the shoes in this concept art:

I think this is pretty neat because while the real-world influences on Sera's look can be clearly tied to trends in women's fashion, in-universe her clothing is probably two-thirds menswear. I think that's pretty cool and maybe something to consider with regard to Sera's personal gender presentation as a lesbian in the context of the society she lives in.

I suspect Sera's shoes to be a bit older and out of fashion, since they bear a distinctly rounded toe and the Orlesian high fashion of the moment favors a pointed toe. Like the rest of her clothing, I would guess the shoes to be salvaged or stolen.

So overall, despite a few quibbles, I think Sera's base style is pretty great and very appropriate to her character. Her look is proudly lower-class in a highly-stratified society, visibly Fereldan while living in the Orlesian capital, and gender-non-conforming amidst a highly-gendered aristocratic culture.

It's pretty cool! I like it a lot.

#sera dragon age #dragon age sera #sera #dragon age inquisition #dragon age #thedas fashion #dragon age companion styles #blunders of thedas

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

I don’t care about his haters I want to hear about buggy’s qualities 😭😭😭

i let this one sit in my inbox for a while because your phrasing kept making me laugh. i hope you don’t mind the delayed response.

buggy’s qualities! (note i did not specify good qualities or bad qualities.) let’s get into them.

already established in that post:

greedy (obviously)

selfish (obviously)

two-faced (very obviously)

loyal (limited applications)

self-preserving (a strong instinct)

untrustworthy (almost comically obviously so)

trusting (to the point of naïveté)

an interesting, contradictory lineup. what else is there to buggy?

he has very romantic notions of piracy.

despite saying the only thing that matters to him is treasure & the acquisition thereof, the way he acts says otherwise. he parties at the drop of a hat (improving crew morale). when his crew, thinking he’s dead, has moved on, even going so far as to adopt a new captain and flag (after… how long have they been apart, exactly? weeks? days?), he rescues them, no questions asked. he weeps to hear how badly he was missed after his arrest, how proud his crew was to hear of his involvement at the paramount war, and he returns both sentiments instantly. the captain-crew bond means something to him. (small wonder why.)

he turns up his nose at crocodile’s deeply unromantic “piracy is a business” mindset—buggy doesn’t care about building capital, he wants to find the one piece! who needs a five-year plan when you can just find the biggest, best treasure that ever existed right now?!

oh, hey, related to that:

he’s impulsive.

why make a plan when you can just do things?! who needs to learn anything from these soft-hearted pirates—buggy’s got a treasure map and a devil fruit worth more money than he’s ever seen in his life! he’s gonna head out on his own ASAP! that should be no problem at all… for this pre-teen… on the grand line. mm hm.

he wants to get back on the grand line and find the one piece—or captain john’s treasure—or any other treasure he finds a map for, really. how? well, he’ll follow the map, obviously! …and when that leads him into danger?

he can be inattentive.

more specifically, he gets fixated on his goal—treasure, killing luffy, silently panicking, yelling at shanks, whatever—to the point that he somehow misses everything else going on around him. does not notice shanks walking up behind him—twice. does not notice smoker or his officers surrounding his men until it’s too late. walks into a cave that’s actively being mined because he thinks treasure might be there. walks into a well-appointed navy garrison because he thinks treasure might be there!

he doesn’t notice he’s standing next to whitebeard—you know, the nearly twenty-two foot tall man—until he hears the guy call him by an insulting name.

buggy makes rash decisions and has a short temper—a dangerous combination.

he hears insults where none are intended, and lashes out violently—maybe lethally?—and sometimes when insults are intended, he doesn’t bother to wonder who’s offered the insult until after he’s fired one back. at which point he may wilt like a daisy, if the person he’s insulted turns out to be, say, whitebeard.

(why yes, i do think that moment is hysterical. not least because i suspect whitebeard cannot remember buggy’s name, and calls him red-nose because that’s all he does remember about him.)

but even at his most weak-kneed, fawn response, pathetic little guy, we have to keep in mind:

he’s charismatic and inspirational.

and i’m not just talking about the impel down guys! his original crew were just as impressed by him—though maybe impressed and terrified in equal measure?—at the start of the orange town arc. they were confident in his victory over these three weirdos to the point of cockiness, just laughing when zoro cut buggy down. they’re really shaken when luffy, after a few minutes of devil fruit v devil fruit combat, totally curb-stomps buggy. they prefer to believe he’s just not taking the fight seriously yet.

they’re fully convinced of his strength, cleverness, and power!

…now i’m not saying their impression of him is based in reality.

buggy’s an excellent bullshitter.

but it’s not enough to just tell a good lie, you also have to be convincing about it. (usopp, early on, is more entertaining than convincing—a good liar of a different flavor. storyteller, not self-promoter.) and while there are plenty of characters who can see through buggy’s act (to name a few: alvida, galdino, luffy (sometimes), most of luffy’s crew, most of the named characters who broke out of impel down…), there are plenty who can’t.

buggy’s “who am i?!”/“captain buggy!” chanting with his crew is not super original, maybe, but it sure gets his men pumped up. his “let’s go after the one piece!” rant in ch 1082 doesn’t impress crocodile or mihawk, but when he airs it to cross guild as a whole it sets things in motion such that the two of them can’t do shit to stop it.

…and that’s buggy as i see him, more or less! let me know if you think i’ve forgotten something! i certainly may have, or i may have lumped the trait you’re thinking of in under one of these other headings, but you won’t know unless you ask.

#asked and answered #one piece #buggy #*buggy’s insecurities

[oleanderblume]

ATTENTION MY AUTHOR AND WRITERLY FRIENDS WHO DISTRIBUTE THROUGH FINDAWAY VOICES OR SPOTIFY

Findaway Voices has been bought by Spotify and the new acquisition has caused a change in the terms and service for anyone producing audio through Findaway Voices

As you can see here the new ToS is stating that Findaway Voices, is claiming "IRREVOCABLE, royalty free, fully paid, non exclusive, transferrable, sublicensable, worldwide license to produce, make availiable, perform and display, TRANSLATE, MODIFY, CREATE DERIVITIVE WORKS AND DISTRIBUTE any of the user content -> audiobooks and files, through ANY medium, whether alone or in combination with OTHER user works.

IN ANY MANNER OR BY ANY MEANS, METHOD OR TECHNOLOGY WHETHER KNOWN OR HEREAFTER CREATED including PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, IMPROVEMENT, TRAINING, TESTING, MODELING AND IMPLEMENTATION with Spotify [and by extension Findaway Voices]

This terms of service agreement also requires you to WAIVE your rights to object to derrogatory treatment.

Meaning you can't legally, per this new terms of service object to unwillful manipulation or use of your intellectual property by spotify or uts subsidiaries.

This terms of service agreement is intended to take effect on March, 15th, 2024.

What is not included in the screen capture is a continued agreement to arbitration.

If you aren't familiar with arbitration agreements, they are usually stipulations in corporate contracts that require those seeking legal dispute use lawyers and court officials provided by the company being sued in the dispute. This makes it very hard to create a substantial single person lawsuit because of inherently imbalanced court procedures.

Why am i sharing this? Because this TOS message was sent out also stating that by users agreeing to previous TOS, they are *automatically* agreeing to THIS NEW TOS.

Please note the wording of the new contract, Spotify and its subsidiaries are functionally claiming the right to unquestionably manipulate the works of the creators using their distribution platforms for exclusively their own profit— note the royalty free, fully paid.

They are also saying through this wording that they maintain the right/ability to use the works they distribute to train, test, and implement product management, create derifitive works thereof, and distribute translations of the creator's works. WITHOUT COMPENSATION.

I would like to further focus on the verbiage, "testing" and "training", followed by the using of any means current or hereafter created— this is a clause that is functionally saying in legaleze "we want the right to train your works on generative AI and any new technoligy that comes after it too, just in case."

Followed, again, by the wholesale waiving of the creator's moral or equitable rights to dispute the potential misuse of their works without their express permission.

This TOS agreement is sneaky, in two ways.

1. They aren't letting you agree to it manually. They are siting your agreement to their original TOS as an automatic agreement to this newer version.

2. They are hiding this language in a vague way under the pretense of the agreement being used exclusively for advertisement purposes.

NOWHERE

Does it say that this waiving of licensing control or rights to dispute the use of said licensing is exclusive to advertisement. It gives advertisements as an example, but not an exclusive use. Meaning they are not difinitively saying anything other than, "here's just ☆ONE☆ of the ways we're planning to use your work"

My conclusion after reading the TOS is that this is wholesale a way that Spotify is trying to scrape the audiobooks they distribute to train and create derivative works via generative AI. And they are trying to sneak this past authors, narrators, and other people who use Findaway Voices to distribute their works.

If you distribute through Findaway Voices, I strongly recommend you try to pull your books and send them an email requesting the removal of them from their platform.

#AI #generative ai #audiobooks #Findawayvoices #books #authors #important #news #ai discourse #ai news #please spread this

[violant-apologia]

i'm sure it's been pointed out before, but here's a neat thing i noticed with incarnadine fur robes - mild spoilers for late ambition: nemesis! (i think. i've never played nemesis actually)

mr mirrors and mr cups both use the same addage when you go to them for a second time!

mr mirrors:

"For you see you have interrupted my clearing out! A collection is only worth its lowliest piece, and as any good collector knows, one discovers better and rarer finds as the years pass! Indeed, one grows to live for the acquisition thereof!"

mr cups:

"We tamed the winds. But no longer. A foul reminder. Remove it from me, Mr Sacks. A collection is only as good as its lowliest piece, and there are some lost things I do not wish to claim."

which is a pretty fun hint to what's going on with them, i think.

#yes i have spent obscene amounts of fate on master-gifts #no i do not regret it #mr mirrors #mr cups #ambition: nemesis #fallen london

[morganali-art]

Year of the OTP 2023 - May Pet/Child Acquisition

Little bit quicker off the mark for this one. I looked at this month's prompts and have been rotating them in my brain like a microwave ever since.

I don't think Cessalie or Artoirel are especially adverse to children, but they both have their various hang ups about the conception thereof. Artoirel obviously is very hesitant to repeat the mistakes his father made, and likely does not want any child of his to be raised in the kind of strained household he grew up in.

Cessalie being an orphan with a troubled childhood didn't really have any real experience with "normal" family life. It's not something she can study for and doesn't involve enacting incredible violence, so she feels unusually unsettled. Once she takes a few days to process the news, she'll be the type to make plans upon plans upon plans. She's going to hit up Ameliance for advice. She's going to work with a chirurgeon so she knows exactly what to expect.

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

~ Grandpa senses activate ~

#year of the otp #pet/child acquisition #cessalie sombreterre #artoirel de fortemps #wol x artoirel #ffxiv #edmont is here too #tfw you're the chirurgeon that has to tell the warrior of light she's pregnant #ma'am you've killed an elder dragon I'm sure you can handle this

[snow-lavender]

Attrition, Incomplete Acquisition, and F!Will

(or, I Use My Degree to Rant About Block Men)

So because I am a loser who finds writing essays enjoyable, I'm going to use my Linguistics Major brain to rant about the implications of a Minecraft RP's con-lang. However, I am not so much of a loser that I enjoy formatting said essays. This post is just based on what I remember from past classes, particularly a class on Bilingualism that I took last semester. I might get some things a little bit wrong. And there's no bibliography. I'm not writing citations for this. You can't make me.

Willowmvp's Fable SMP character stands in an interesting linguistic situation. He hails from a dimension that speaks a different language than the main realms of the story's world. This dimension uses Vo'lete, a conlang that cc!Will created for Fable, if I remember correctly. However, at some time before the current story, the Aether fell and Will fled to the main dimension of world, which speaks English. He would have had to rapidly adapt to a society that did not speak his L1 at all. However, he is now attempting to re-learn Vo'lete.

The purpose of this post is to spitball the ways in which that scenario would have impacted f!Will's fluency in Vo'lete, and explore different ways his resulting bilingualism (or lack thereof) would manifest. Gear up mothers and fuckers, this is gonna be a long post.

Firstly, some explanations of the terms I'm going to be using:

L1 and L2

L1 denotes a person's first language(s). These are acquired from a very early age, and therefore result in high proficiency. It comes down to age; consistent, quality exposure to a language before roughly the age of 2 leads to L1 acquisition. However, this fluency can decline through a person's life, due to a number of factors.

L2 refers to languages acquired later in life. Again, they can be multiple. L2 is multidimensional. There is more than one type, because of the many ways to learn a language later. "Second language" applies to Canadian kids learning French in school, and a 40 year old immigrant from Ethiopia learning Swedish through immersion. L2 does not have to be (and often is not) acquired to a native-like proficiency level. 

Language dominance

On a societal level, a dominant language is the language that is most common and/or has the most power in a situation. This can happen naturally or by force. Which language is dominant in a person's life can also vary depending on the situation they're in. A Mexican-American may live in a Spanish-dominant home, but got to an English-dominant school in an English-dominant society.

On an individual level, it is the language most dominant in a particular person’s life. It is not necessarily the L1.

Critical period hypothesis

This is the theory that there are periods in which language learning is easy, and then it gets more difficult as one ages. Specific ages are disputed, and would vary induviually, but the jist of it is, young kids can easily acquire language, while it is more difficult for teens and adults.

Different types of Bilingualism

Simultaneous: constant exposure (maybe not balanced) to two languages from before age three. No L2, two L1s

Early child: exposure to L2 starts between 3 and 7, middle difficulty, but native-like proficiency is probably going to happen

Late child: between 7 and 12, starts to get dicey, native-like is still possible

After that, Adult L2 acquisition, very hard, likely not going to lose things like accent even if thoroughly have a grasp on grammar

How do these ideas and age cut offs relate to f!Will? Well, his acquisition of both Vo'lete and English could be very different depending on what age he was when the Aether fell. The best lead to figure this out is to guess at how long the War of the Realms was based on character's ages (and try to ignore any funky time stuff introduced by the resets because that makes my brain hurt).

Will appears to be in his late 20s, while Athena is in the 17-18 ballpark. This put Will at about a decade older than Athena. We know that Athena was created near the end of the war, and that Will must have been born before it, as the Aether's falling was the catalyst. This means, at most, Will was around 10 years old when the war began. However, a war does not devastate three realms in a matter of months. More likely, it was at least a few years long, meaning Will would have fled to the Overworld at a maximum of 7 or so years old.

On the other extreme, the Aether likely didn't fall 10 years prior to the end of the war. We have no indication that anyone was immediately there to care for Will when he went through the portal. The fact that he didn't die of exposure implies he was older than an infant. Realistically, our extremes for Will's introduction into a English dominant society are around ages 4 and 7.

(As a quick side-bar, Will might have been raised as a simultaneous bilingual in English, Vo'lete, and Ender. We see in the fragment of Alerion's temple in the Overworld that the books welcoming souls there are written in all the languages that the world's inhabitants might speak. It is entirely possible that the Aether was a bilingual society.)

We know that current adult Will is not fluent in Vo'lete. He is having to re-learn it. This is not unusual for people who have high exposure to their L1 in early childhood that then tapers off. Like muscles, languages atrophy if not used regularly. I propose two scenarios that would have led to Will losing his grasp on Vo'lete.

Firstly, we could have a scenario incomplete acquisition. If Will was on the younger end of the spectrum when the Aether fell, he may have never been a fluent Vo'lete speaker at all. Young children take time to fully grasp a language. If a toddler is suddenly thrust into a scenario with no exposure to their L1, not only does their acquisition freeze due to lack of input, the language is not as solidified in their brain. The language would be vulnerable to loss. Will could have had a very rudimentary understanding of Vo'lete, and then forget almost all of it due to age and lack of use.

However, fully acquiring a language does not mean the fluency is permanent. If Will was closer to the 7 end of our age range, he would have had a near complete knowledge of the sound, structure, and grammar of Vo'lete. His only shortcomings would be in the vocabulary department. In this case, we would have a situation of attrition (loss of a language from a starting point of native fluency). Attrition is common amongst immigrants and their children. When the new, dominant L2 is already the only language used at work and school, it is very easy for it to become the default in the home as well. This would absolutely be the case for f!Will, as no one in the Overworld seems to be familiar with Vo'lete.

However, not all aspects of language are affected equally by language loss. Phonology, for example, is very difficult to lose. Even people who have a language spoken in the home that they never learn pick up some of that language's sounds. I don't know how much Vo'lete's phonology varies from English's. It can be hard to make out exact sounds when the only character who speaks Vo'lete aloud has a voice filter. But Will would have kept any sounds and sound-changing-processes in the back of his mind, even up to where we are now in the story.

Lexicon, on the other hand, is one of the first things to be lost to attrition. The first signs of attrition are consistently forgetting words from your L1, only being able to describe them in L2. Thankfully, it is one of the easier parts of language to re-learn, and Will seems well on his way to doing that, given his limited resources.

So yeah, there's some ideas relating f!Will to real-life manifestations of Bilingualism. I don't really have a neat ending for this. Sorry if there are any typos in here. I don't have time to proof-read it, as I have a class to get to in an hour. But I hope my unorganized ramblings were at least a little entertaining! Can't wait to get home this evening and have half of this post rendered irrelevant /lh.

#i should not have put off writing this #i had to crunch so hard to get this out before the stream this afternoon renders it obsolete #fable smp #willowmvp #linguistics

[livemeofficial]

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[xviruserrorx]

Title: "No Harm In Being Forgotten"

Once again a fill for @flashfictionfridayofficial but it's Wednesday, but hey everyday's Friday if you want it to be... Right? Anyways here is my fill for this prompt but also @abradner1 asked for more of my Britchell thing i did last week (I think it was last week?) so... Ask and you shall receive 😁 Enjoy!

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Fandom(s): The Almighty Johnson's, Being Human (UK)

Prompt(s): "The Devil You Forgot"

Relationship(s): Anders Johnson/John Mitchell, Anders Johnson & Bernie (Being Human UK)

Character(s): Anders Johnson, John Mitchell, Bernie (Being human UK)

Important Tag(s): Canon Divergence, Crossover Pairing, Accidental Kid Acquisition, No Beta We Die Like Bernie Didn't... Sorta

Rating: Teen and Up

Warning(s): No Archive Warnings Apply, Profanity (they say fuck like three times)

Word Count: 1,119

"You what!?" "It's really not all that bad." "Not all that bad!" Mitchell exclaimed. "You texted me s.o.s and then started this call with 'I forgot Bernie at my brother's'." Or Left alone to look after Bernie, Anders has a little slip up... Just a little.

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"You what!?" Mitchell turned around and slammed the door to the supply room shut to block off the rest of the hospital from the disaster of a phone call he could already feel was coming. 

"It's really not all that bad," came Anders voice down the line, trying to be convincing.

"Not all that bad!" Mitchell exclaimed. "You texted me s.o.s and then started this call with 'I forgot Bernie at my brother's'."

"Look, I'm in the car, breaking every traffic law, and heading straight over there as we speak."

As if on cue he heard a car horn that made him grimace for the safety of Anders but more for the safety of the public. 

He shook his head. "Why did you even leave him in the first place?"

"I was at Mike's, talking to him about something, then Dawn called about one of our clients and normally she'd handle them but it was one of our more difficult and not to mention well paying clients. So I asked Mike to look after him for a moment while I popped down to meet the client. Then one thing led to another and—"

"You forgot him."

"At least I didn't lose him," Anders quickly countered. "That counts for something right?"

Mitchell pressed his lips. "What happened to, oh don't worry Mitchell he'll be safe here, nothing will happen to him Mitchell." 

"Hey. One; I don't sound like that." 

He rolled his eyes.

"And two," Anders continued. "I know where he is and it's somewhere safe, it's not like I forgot him at some serial killer's house."

He scoffed. "No, you just forgot him at your brother's bar which is a common hot spot for a bunch of Norse gods, some of whom have tried to kill you and your family."

"It's really not all as bad as it sounds."

"He's a child!" Mitchell finally yelled into the phone.

"And Mike's great with kids!" Anders tried to reason. "He raised me and my brothers and we turned out alright!"

"Your alright and my alright are two very separate things, Anders."

"He kept us alive, yeah?"

He could hear the smug smile Anders normally wore when he was trying to be convincing about something. 

"That doesn't make me feel better," he supplied.

Anders huffed. "Contrary to all the shit I talk about my brother, he was the best thing we had to a stable parent figure. The kid's probably more safe with him than he'll ever be with me."

A part of him wished Anders was playing around with him, but he knew from that tone of voice meaning messed up childhood trauma he'd rather not talk about that it was more than Mike's capable parental abilities but rather Anders lack thereof.

He sighed and brought his hand to rub at his forehead.

"Mitchell?"

He turned towards the door that a skeptical George was peeking around. He jabbed a finger at the phone and swatted his hand at George.

"Oh, oh, it's the—right, got it, I'll just…" George pointed over his shoulder before awkwardly excusing himself from the room.

Mitchell let his head fall again as he pressed his eyes shut.

"Was that someone?" Anders asked.

"Hm? No, no. But I, uh… I have to go. Just text me when you get there, yeah?"

"You're in luck, Vlad. Just pulled up and—" 

He heard the car door open and slam shut. 

"Ah, see? There he is, fangs and all, and still cute as a button." He paused. "Can't say the same for Mike," he mumbled into the speaker.

Mitchell scoffed a laugh before lowering himself down on one of the nearest extra beds in the room. His hand with his phone resting on his knee as he let the other side of the conversation play out.

"Hey, kid." Anders started. "You have fun with Mike?"

There was an answer that he couldn't make out, but could recognize as Bernie's voice. Another voice joined in with a pointed tone at Anders as Anders continued to talk under his breath. The line crackled softly before a voice spoke directly into it.

"Hello?" Bernie said.

He quickly pulled the phone back to his ear. "Hey, Bernie." He put on a happy tone. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I got to meet one of Anders' brothers."

"I heard. That's uh…" he swallowed. The situation wasn't necessarily a good one to say but Bernie didn't know that. "That's good."

"When are you coming back?"

He bit his lip. "I'm—I'm not sure, soon… hopefully."

"Okay…" his voice fell.

He grimaced but pushed the worry aside as something to deal with later. "Alright, put Anders back on the phone for me."

He waited as he did just that.

"What'd I tell you?" Anders snarked. "I promised you he'd be safe, remember?"

"Yeah…" he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I'm just stressed, and worried, and pretty fucking terrified to be honest."

He heard the car door slam shut but still heard the soft whistle of the wind passing the speaker.

"Well, I think we're doing a terrific job considering the circumstances"

"I'm serious, Anders."

"If it makes you feel any better I'm pretty fucking terrified myself," Anders said. "Settling down, a partner, kids. It's never exactly been something I pictured for myself…. Then here it all is, in my lap, at once." He smacked his lips. "It hasn't even been a week and I've already fucked up more than once."

"I think you should remember who fucked up in the first place."

Anders hummed. "I'd say it was a good fuck up, no?"

"Is that a soft spot I'm hearing?" He teased.

"I'm a god, I don't have soft spots."

"Said that about me too," he countered.

"You're the exception."

"Are vampire kids the exception too?"

"Kid. Singular," Anders articulated. "Don't pull anything else on me, Mitchell."

He finally heard the car door open and rustling down the line as Anders got in the car.

"Get home safe, with Bernie this time."

"I will apply all my safe driving skills that will hopefully make up for the drive over here."

"Alright." He took a breath before speaking again. "I love you."

"Oh?" Anders replied. "Are we the type of people that end every call with that now?"

"Maybe we are, just this once… for my sanity."

"Just because I gave you a scare." The faint rustling stopped. "I love you too," he softly spoke. "Now stop ditching work."

"I'm not—" The line beeped as Anders hung up on him.

He rolled his eyes at Anders once again before pocketing his phone, waiting for the inevitable next call or text that was to come.

#the almighty johnsons #being human uk #john mitchell #anders johnson #britchell #bernie being human #fanfiction #crossover pairings #crossover #virusfanfic #these two are so fun to write for like its not everyday you get to write fanfiction about a norse god and a vampire and its so fun #but you can if you like this ship XD #also i originally was going to write this with bernie lanham the boy from being human US version because i always found it sad that he died #because bernie from the UK version is happy in canon and with his mom but bernie from us is very dead so... #i dont know if i should change it but i know some people dont like the US version so... idk #if anyone sees this and has a opinion on it please let me know what you think 😊

[lovebeingwu]

FotFot IG updates

NATURAL FRUITS. The natural production of trees, bushes, and other plants, for the use of men and animals, and for the reproduction of such trees, bushes or plants.

Section 148. Fruit

By fruit of a thing is a natural fruit and legal fruit. Natural fruit denotes that which is a natural offspring of and is obtained from a thing in the normal possession or in the use thereof; and it is capable of acquisition at the time when it is severed from the thing.

Legal fruit denotes a thing or other interest obtained periodically by the owner from another person for the use of the thing; it is calculated and may be acquired day by day or according to a period of time fixed.

#fourth nattawat #fotfot

[styxnbones]

7 9 29 38, and also A and D abt cass!! <3 (also this is the not-couples ask meme if it wasn't obvi c':)

7.What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling? Cass kinda has a weird relationship to nostalgia- I think I've mentioned before that she has the Eidetic Memory merit, so time doesn't cloud the less pleasant parts of her memories, it's all fresh in her mind like the day it happened. So to them, "nostalgia" is often a sort of uneasy or uncomfortable thing, and generally specific places are most likely to trigger it- like, for example, she might have to drive past her old middle school on the way to somewhere and be like "fucked up that this is a place that still exists"

9.Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word? lmao. as evidenced above- yes Cass swears, and they do it quite a lot. They started pretty damn young too- they picked it up from their grandma, who used to vaguely keep an eye on them as a little kid since their mom couldn't afford daycare, and whose favourite word in the whole world is "fuckdamn" (or "damn fuck/fucking" or any combination thereof)

29.Do they usually live up to their own ideals? Cass' ideological framework can be summed up with a very simple and all-encompassing "I Do What I Want." and on a nightly-basis she does a pretty good job of sticking to that. There have been more than a few egregious breaches in the past, (the life of a fledgling is not one filled with a great many choices, and neither is the life of a human child), but they do their best to leave those behind them and not dwell on it.

38.What memory do they revisit the most often?  At any given time, the memory she's going over is probably whatever is most pertinent to her job- their incredible ability to perfectly recall anything they encounter allows them to operate their business on the guarantee of "no trace left behind" both in regards to the information gathered as well as ancillary communication and records keeping (unless of course a client wishes to pay an extra fee for the acquisition of original documents) But, as far as "fond personal memories" go, probably the first time they left the apartment after their embrace. Sitting at the very top of the building's roof in the dead of night, staring out at the moon and the busy city around them, breathing air as fresh as it gets in LA even though they haven't needed to for years.

A) Why are you excited about this character? Mostly I'm excited to just be giving them a new lease on life. I'm not usually the sort of person who will like "maintain" old ocs- like I played her, and that game ended so her story was Over, and in situations like that I rarely think about those characters much ever again. But, in Cass' case, I stumbled across her old character sheet and backstory and some of my notes from the chronicle and realized that there was still a lot of good stuff there, and a lot more good stuff that I remember wanting to include in her story that I wasn't able to at the time, and I wanted to see what she would have been like if I could have. So now, even though I'm not in any active chronicles, I get to have the fun of reinventing her to show off to all my cool vtm mutuals.

D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look? Basically the only thing that's really changed about her visually since I rebooted her was that I now imagine her as just sort of like an average weight for her height, instead of the rail-thin anime-character looking physique I drew her with when I was 12

#cass oc

[lokabrenna13]

And We have another rune!

Just moments after posting this week's rune pull, I shut my eyes for a few moments. In front of me was the main altar, and above all the statues and artwork, I saw Loki's name spelled in runes. Beneath His name, I saw the rune Ansuz. Loki and Ansuz remained in my inner vision after I opened my eyes. I currently have a few gold candles lit for Loki, and I'm working on this near one of the altars.

Ansuz. Ansuz is the god rune -- the rune of breath, knowledge, wisdom, intellect, learning, communication, language, speech/voice, and inspiration. There are more meanings, most associated with knowledge and wisdom (and the acquisition of thereof) and language and communication). This rune is often associated with Odin, but some associate Ansuz with Loki as well.

The name of the rune Ansuz often brings to mind the word "answers", in part because of the pronunciation, and because of the association with knowledge and wisdom. So answers regarding some concerns should be forthcoming soon, possibly arriving in the form of communication (conversation, message, letter, etc.). Communication seems to be an emphasis here. So be mindful of any anomalies that surface during conversation, messages, or communication of any kind. And Loki does tend to affect communication, including comm devices. And He loves to talk. A lot.

Also, something to keep in mind... Words are powerful, and knowing how to truly use them... invaluable. Choosing your words carefully would be beneficial.

Hail Loki! I love You!

#divination #ansuz #runes #visions #loki #godspouse #lokabrenna #hailloki #breath #communication #voice #inspiration #language #speech #pagan #northerntradition #norsepagan #futhark #elderfuthark

#pagan #northern tradition #loki #northern tradition pagan #lokabrenna #hail loki #godspouse #ansuz #language #communication #knowledge #wisdom #voice #runes #divine messages #divination #breath #elder futhark #futhark

[90363462]

Elon Musk Now Owns Twitter and 6 Other Weird Facts – Is He The IRL Tony Stark?

Amy LamareOctober 28, 2022

*This article was updated on October 28, 2022.

It’s true. The unthinkable has happened:Elon Musk officially owns Twitter. Welcome to the wild, wild west of social media. The internet is exploding with the news and what will happen to one of the most popular social media platforms. 

Elon Musk is everywhere lately. Twitter owner after a very drawn out, public, and complicated deal, SpaceX’s most recent rocket is in orbit, and he recently welcomed twins with an executive at one of his companies, just weeks after he welcomed a second child with his ex-girlfriend Grimes. 

That’s a lot in one lifetime, but this is only a few months in the life of the Tesla co-founder. 

RELATED: Elon Musk: The Life Story of the Boy Who Changed the Future

Even Musk’s dad made headlines for secretly fathering a second child with his stepdaughter (whom he raised from when she was four). Suffice it to say, it’s impossible to escape Elon Musk or the Musk name. Musk certainly knows how to make news and has a legion of devoted fans to prove it.

Musk has often been called the real-life Tony Stark. Love him, hate him, or even if you’re ambivalent towards him, he’s built an impressive resume during his 51 years as co-founder of PayPal, founder of space exploration company SpaceX, the head of luxury electric car company Tesla Motors, and now Twitter owner. He is a fascinating man who is unapologetically himself. 

Elon Musk Buys Twitter

The Life of Elon Musk | Life Stories by Goalcast

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Musk’s first tweet after the purchase was, “The bird is freed!”

Musk, a free speech enthusiast has been vocal against what he considers “censorship that goes far beyond the law” and Twitter’s “left-wing bias.” Previously Twitter regulated tweets and banned users that were considered spreading hate speech or disinformation. 

Other goals to “improve Twitter” include getting rid of bots and making the algorithm for how Twitter shows news available to everyone. No word yet on how these goals will be implemented. 

Get ready for some changes, they are happening fast! In Musk’s first few hours as owner, he has fired Twitter’s company’s chief executive, Parag Agarwal; chief financial officer Ned Segal; general counsel Sean Edgett; and Vijaya Gadde, the head of legal policy, trust, and safety. 

Elon Musk joined Twitter as @elonmusk in 2009 and is an active member of the social media platform. He’s at times amusing, at other times enigmatic, and at still other times, controversial. He frequently posts memes, trolls other users, promotes his various business endeavors, and comments on pop culture and politics. Musk’s Twitter bio reads: Mars & Cars, Chips & Dip. He has more than 100 million followers as of this writing.

The $44 billion dollar acquisition was a long time in the making. Musk talked about buying Twitter as early as 2017. He got serious about that plan in January 2022, when he started buying up shares of Twitter’s stock, amassing a 5% stake in the company in March. By the following month, he had a 9.13% share in the company, which made him the company’s largest shareholder. It looked like he might attempt a takeover of the company. When he revealed his position as Twitter’s largest shareholder, the company’s stock surged to the largest amount in one day since its IPO in 2013. 

Musk began publicly debating Twitter’s freedom of speech (or in Musk’s eyes, lack thereof). He mused that he might start a rival site. By this time, he owned 7.5% of the company. Then on April 13, 2022, Musk offered $44 billion and launched a takeover bid to try and buy all of Twitter’s stock.

Twitter retaliated by putting a shareholder’s rights plan in place to make it harder for any one individual to own more than 15% of the company without approval from its board of directors. Musk offered $46.5 billion for Twitter. Immediately following that news, Tesla’s stock sank by more than $125 billion, causing Musk to lose $30 billion of his net worth. 

RELATED: Elon Musk Says This One Habit Is the Secret to Becoming Successful

About a month after he made his intentions to take over Twitter clear, he put the deal on hold, claiming that too many of the site’s daily active users were spam accounts. This caused Twitter’s share price to fall by more than 10%.

In July 2022, Musk sent a notice of his termination of the deal to purchase Twitter. The company’s board of directors remain committed to holding Musk to his deal as of this writing and have filed a lawsuit against Musk in Delaware, citing his breach of a legally binding agreement to buy Twitter

Elon Musk’s Family and Education

Elon Reeve Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1971 during the era of apartheid. His mother, Maye Musk, is a Canadian-born model. His father, Errol Musk, is an entrepreneur who, among other endeavors, was half-owner of a diamond mine in Zambia. Elon has a younger brother, Kimbal, a sister, Tosca, as well as a stepsister, half-sister, and half-brother on his father’s side. His parents divorced in 1980, and after living with his father for a few years in his teens, became estranged from him.

Musk became interested in computers and video games as a kid. When he was 12, he created a videogame called Blastar and sold the code (he wrote it in BASIC) for $500. After high school, he applied to emigrate to his mother’s native Canada. While he waited, he enrolled at the University of Pretoria for a semester so that he could avoid mandatory service in the South African military. 

RELATED: Elon Musk Says This Surprising Thing Helped Him Become A Billionaire, Offers Unusual Parenting Lesson In The Process

Musk moved to Canada in 1989 to attend Queen’s University in Ontario for two years. He then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a BA in physics and a BS in economics. 

During the summer before his senior year, he worked two internships in California’s Silicon Valley. One was at a startup called Pinnacle Research Institute which was in the field of energy storage, and one was at Rocket Science Games. After graduating from Penn, he enrolled in Stanford University’s Ph.D. program in materials science. He dropped out after two days and decided he’d be better off taking advantage of this new thing called the internet and launching a startup. 

Elon Musk’s Early Career

Elon Musk borrowed money from his father and founded Zip2, a software company, with his brother and friend Greg Kouri in 1995. Zip2 put together and sold an internet city guide for the newspaper industry, including yellow pages, maps, and directions. At this point in his life, Elon was broke and slept on the couch in his offices and showered at the local YMCA rather than renting an apartment, Vanity Fair reported. 

RELATED: 3 Incredible Times Elon Musk Failed and Still Came out on Top

In 1999, the company Musk co-founded sold to Compaq for $307 million in cash. Musk owned seven percent of Zip2’s stock which was equal to $22 million. He was on his way to becoming the richest person in the world, and he was 28 years old. 

Elon Musk’s Involvement With the PayPal Mafia

After the sale of Zip2 in 1999, Elon Musk immediately co-founded an online financial service and payment by email company called X.com. The company was one of the first online banks to be federally insured. In 2000, X.com merged with another online bank called Confinity to reduce competition. 

Confinity was founded by Peter Thiel and Max Levchin and had its own money-transfer service, called PayPal and Musk was the CEO. However, by September 2000, the board of directors replaced Musk with Thiel as CEO. 

RELATED: How to be Successful: 16 Habits to Help You Succeed in Life

In September 2001 the company was renamed PayPal. eBay acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion in stock in 2002. Musk was once again the largest shareholder and his 11.72% of shares in PayPal were worth $175.8 million. Musk, Levchin, and Thiel are commonly referred to as the PayPal Mafia as all three went on to further and even greater successes. 

How Did Elon Musk Get So Rich With SpaceX?

Elon Musk is a serial entrepreneur who is not only brilliant but also had the fortune of being in the right place at the right time (several times). Musk was fresh out of college when the first dot-com boom took place and Zip2 and PayPal were part of that. 

After PayPal sold to eBay, Musk’s net worth was nearly $200 million. From there, he dove into his interest in space exploration and founded SpaceX in 2003. He identified and took advantage of the opportunities his life and career put him in the path of, including Tesla Motors. 

The company was founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in 2003. Musk joined the company not long after, investing $6.5 million of his own money into the company, which made him the majority shareholder. As a result, Elon Musk was made the Chairman of the board of directors. 

RELATED: What Is ‘BDE’ and What Are the Signs You Have It?

Musk is also the founder of several other companies including the neurotechnology startup company Neuralink, which aims to artificial intelligence chips that can be embedded in human brains to make it easier for people to merge with machines. He also founded The Boring Company, in 2017 to construct tunnels to improve heavy vehicular traffic.

We cannot talk about the facts about Elon Musk without mentioning his incredible $198 billion net worth. According to Celebrity Net Worth, this makes Elon Musk the richest person in the world. Musk owns 48% of SpaceX, valued at $46 billion, and 22% of Tesla, and in 2020 his net worth skyrocketed, increasing $142 billion that year. 

Elon Musk Joins Tesla Motors

When Elon Musk was first Chairman of Tesla’s board of directors, he was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the company. However, conflicts between Martin Eberhard and the board of directors, coupled with the 2008 financial crisis, led to Eberhard being fired from the company he co-founded. 

RELATED: Why Being Financially Organized Can Help Your Motivation and Emotional Well-Being

Musk was made the CEO in 2008. As Tesla CEO he oversaw the development of the Tesla model called the Roadster, an all-electric sports car in 2008. In 2017, the mass market sedan, the Model 2 was released and became the best-selling plug-in electric car in the world. Elon Musk is the longest-tenured CEO of a car company in the world. 

Tesla made its IPO in 2010 and by 2020, was the most valuable carmaker in the world. In October 2021, Tesla had a market cap of $1 trillion, becoming just the sixth US-based company to reach that milestone. At Tesla Musk is changing the way the world perceives electric cars.

Elon Musk’s Relationships and Children

No look at facts about Elon Musk would be complete without a look at his relationships, marriages, and children. Musk met his first wife, Justine Musk (nee Wilson) while studying at Queen’s University in Canada. They married in 2002. Elon and Justine had six children. Their first child died at 10 weeks old of sudden infant death syndrome. In 2004 they had twins and in 2006 triplets via IVF. Elon and Justine divorced in 2008. 

That same year, Elon began dating actress Talulah Riley. They married in 2010. In 2012, they divorced. The following year, in 2013, they remarried each other. In December 2014 he filed for divorce a second time, but that request was removed. Elon and Talulah divorced for the second and final time in 2016. He moved on to actress Amber Heard, whom he dated for a few months in 2017.

RELATED: Elon Musk Has a New Girlfriend, and the Quirky Way They Met Shows He’s a True Sapiosexual

In 2018, Musk revealed that he’d been dating musician Grimes. The couple’s first son, a son they named X AEA-XII, was born in 2020. In December 2021, the couple had a daughter named Exa Dark Sidrael via surrogate. Grimes and Musk broke up a few months before their daughter was born. Then, in July 2022, Insider published legal documents that revealed Musk and Neuralink executive, Shivon Zils, had twins together. 

As of this writing, Elon Musk has nine children with three different women. 

Lessons We Can Learn From Elon Musk’s Success

Elon Musk is incredibly successful. He knows his strength, what his value and interests are, and relentlessly pursues projects that he can dive into, grow the value of, and sell at a huge profit. Some people say he marches to the beat of his own drum, but that’s true of any truly successful person, especially creative ones. Musk may be an engineer at heart, but he’s also highly creative in the way he applies his strengths to his endeavors. 

KEEP READING:

Elon Musk Shared the Most Refreshing, No-BS Productivity Tips with Tesla Employees

[theprincesslibrary]

1. The Blind Date

Elena had a vast knowledge of blind dates. She had arranged a few dozen of them at her previous boss's request (Varis Galvus) and canceled at least half of those at his son’s demand (the very man said dates were intended for). Zenos yae Galvus, 32, Garlemald's most eligible Bachelor, heir to the biggest tech company, disgustingly rich, devilishly handsome, smart… and an insufferable asshole — also, her current boss.

One may wonder, ‘Why are you the one arranging those dates, Elena ? That’s not part of your job description.’ Well, let’s just say the Galvuses men took the personal in personal assistant a bit too literally. Meaning she managed every aspect of their life from ordering wedding anniversary gifts to reviewing notes on an acquisition deal. She had done so when she was Varis Galvus’ PA and continued to do so for his son. She was thus in a precarious position, between the father — freshly retired with too much time on his hands who desperately wanted to marry off his son — and the son, who was content fucking models and refused to get hitched. In short: her life was a shitshow, she was overworked, exhausted, and contemplating murder (which Galvus man would die was yet to be determined). But really, what was a lifetime in prison if she could sleep and eat on her own time?

This is why Elena had also been on countless blind dates — not hers, but Zenos’. She either:

canceled the dates (and got a ‘champagne facial’ more than once — jilted women, especially the rich and spoiled ones, seldom enjoyed being disregarded by a man who didn't even bother to show)

been his reason for a quick escape (‘Oh look at that, my PA is here, something must have happened at the office’ — insert looks that could kill from said spoiled women)

or worked on papers while his potential life partners talked about mergers, combined power, world domination, evil deeds… Whatever one talks about when two prominent families try to become one through the eternal (minus a few divorces) and financially beneficial (careful about those costly divorces, better to sign a prenup) bonds of marriage.  

But tonight was her first blind date. It was not as bad as she feared. Robert (‘Call me Bob’) was nice in a completely inoffensive way. He had picked a lovely place for dinner; they had a good table, the food was delicious, he was considerate and polite, and didn’t cut her off when she talked. He was… perfectly adequate. But he was, well, Bob. No offense to the Bobs of the world, but she could hardly picture herself screaming his name in ecstasy. Also, he worked in accounting and enjoyed it (which made her doubt his ability to bring her to ecstasy). The evening had thus been uneventful boring until Bob excused himself to take a call from his mother and was replaced by Zenos. Handsome, rude, thoughtless, completely inadequate, Zenos.

That was a name she could picture herself screaming, partly because she had done so in the privacy of her room — out of anger and frustration, mind you — but also because whenever he said her name it rolled off his tongue most lasciviously, setting her ablaze with three little syllables. He did it on purpose, she knew he did. He had been edging on an HR complaint since he first marched into her office with a smirk on his face and the most ridiculous demands about the Leveneur acquisition deal.

Galvus senior had been a demanding boss, and he did treat her more like his personal valet than his personal assistant, but his son was a different beast entirely. Zenos was ruthless. They called him ‘The Reaper’ for his ability to make tough calls. He took the decisions everyone else was too scared to make. Sometimes that meant reducing the workforce of the off-branch location by 27%, but that also meant he was the reason why the other 73% still had a job. It wasn’t so much his methods she loathed, it wasn’t the long hours or even the stupid coffee order, it was his work ethic. Or lack thereof. It was the endless stream of conquest parading in front of her desk at every hour of the day; the never-ending procession of glamazons, marching into his office like some Victoria's Secret fashion. The noises they made — of course, he fucked them in his office — were not just completely inappropriate, not to mention a violation of at least 12 HR regulations; they were a constant reminder of the arid state of her own sex life. How could she have time for a one-night stand, let alone a relationship, when she spent all her waking hours chained to her desk? She was quite certain he was doing it to get a rise out of her. Disgusting, horrid, insufferable lech.

So although she was taken aback by his presence, she also wasn’t. He had a way of finding himself where she’d least expect him. That is, where he’d most annoy her, which he was doing right now, by silently staring at her, his piercing blue eyes finding her softest places. He was making her uncomfortable and enjoyed every second of it. He wanted to watch her squirm and she had to restrain herself from nervously smoothing the tablecloth, the wrinkles and breadcrumbs completely incongruous next to his perfectly tailored suit.

“Why are you here, Elena?” “I'm on a date.” “A date.” His voice might have been casual, but his stare was anything but. He looked predatory, dangerous. “With Kingsley? From accounting? That’s where fun goes to die, Elena.” “We can’t all date lingerie models.”

He chuckled. Was he seriously judging her choice of date? And was she really being defensive of Bob from accounting? Four (five?) glasses of wine may have helped her endure that tedious date, but it was clearly affecting her self-control, which was already severely eroded by the aggravating man sitting across from her.

“Jealous are we, Elena,” he almost purred, her name dripping from his lips like honey. “Stop doing that,” she snapped. “Doing what?" “Saying my name.”

His smirk turned wolfish, he leaned forward in his chair, his eyes fixed on her lips, and she felt a blush creep up her face. His eyes glittered, and she knew he was enjoying the power he had over her.

“Is there something wrong with your name? Elena.” His voice was low, much too low; her name but a murmur, the promise of something wicked. She inhaled sharply, and leaned back in her chair, away from the table, away from him. “Why are you here M. Galvus?”. Not Zenos, never Zenos. “Work meeting.” “Lie.” “Is it?” “There was no meeting tonight, professional or otherwise. I would know, I plan every second of your life.”

He was enjoying himself, she could feel the grin spread from his mouth to his eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest, another barrier between them.

“While this has been lovely, I’d appreciate it if you left, my date will be here any second now.” “No, he won’t. I told him I’d take you home, to which he replied ‘ yes, Sir ’ before running away like a true romance hero.” “Fucking Bob.” She slurred. “You’re adorable when you're drunk.” “I am not.” She refuted with a petulant scowl. “Drunk or adorable?” “Either. And I can uber myself home, thank you very much.” “You could, but it would be unwise. You’re drunk, and men are pigs.”

She scoffed at him.

“And what does that make you?” “Your knight in shining armor of course.” “Fine.” She lifted her head and he walked to her side of the table and held out his hand, “but you’re paying for dinner.” “Kingsley might be a coward but he’s not a boor. He took care of that when he left.”

Her mouth round in a silent ‘O’, and all she could do was nod as she stood, stumbling slightly in her drunkenness. His arm snaked its way quickly around her waist, his body steady and strong against hers. Fire ran through her veins and she couldn't suppress the sigh that escaped her lips. If he heard it, he was gentlemanly enough not to tease her about it. Instead, he carefully led her outside the restaurant, where a valet waited next to his sports car.

“Of course, you drive a Garlond.”

He shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. He might have called her ‘adorable’ again, but she was too numb with alcohol to be sure, not drunk really, just floating. He opened her door, as a gentleman would, and eased her into the passenger seat, before sitting behind the wheel.

“To Park avenue…” “I know where you live, Elena,” he interrupted her.

Her name again, so warm in his mouth and soft on her skin, sent sparks of electricity down to her core. She sighed and rested her forehead against the cool glass of the window, trying to clear the fog that was engulfing her brain. Outside, the city lights danced in the night, blurring into colored streaks as the car picked up speed.

“I thought I told you to stop that.” “You did.” “You're an asshole,” she finally stated matter-of-factly. He chuckled, the sound warming the inside of the car. “Most days,” he conceded. “And I hate you.” Another small laugh. “No, you don't.” “No,” she admitted softly, like a secret whispered in sleep, “I don’t.”

#zenos yae galvus #zenos #Zenos/WoL #zenos galvus #FFXIV #ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv fic #OC: Elena #My writing #blind date #power imbalance #prompt

[askmalal]

ARCHIVE M: Transmission 1

No: 3531

SECURITY STATUS: Restricted

CLASSIFICATION: Audio-Visual Equipment

RECOVERY: M35,20,1:6

ACQUIRED BY: Saul/DUP/.omicron, Mechanicus

ACQUISITION CONDITIONS: Archaeotech Dig

PROVENANCE: Albia, Terra, M1,19.

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR OBSERVATIONS:

Collected artifact/item/device from Albia:Brittanicum:North Europa. Archaeotech Dig investigated M1,19 urban site (Londinium Tertius.)

Item is a pict-capture device, monochromatic,photogram,manual. Very early type, using photographic plates. Metal, wood, and rubber construction. Arcane Machine Spirit.

Words “Goulston Street” etched with dull blade/edge of metal tool in precisely eleven locations scattered around the surface of the device.

There is a mounting point for a tripod; the tripod is missing.

Remarkable condition, otherwise.

OBSERVED DEVIANCE:

Subject appears to function as a standard archaic pict-capture machine. However, upon use as such, images developed using Subject are imprinted with hand scrawled graffiti that reads as follows, unaltered:

“The Juwes are the men who will not be blamed for nothing.”

This graffito/inscription/epigraphy appears to have been taken from another photograph, a sort of layering. Writing in primitive pigment, ink, or painting. Handwriting style hurried, frenetic. Likely male hand, human. Does not correspond in any way to words “Goulston Street” carved on exterior of device casing. Writers of the two are different individuals, in our estimation.

A) This was initially believed to be a problem within the inner glass/silicate/ reflective lenses, but replacing these portions of Subject did nothing to appease the Machine Spirit.

B) Acolytes removed each part still present within Subject and replaced them with replicated pieces of the originals. These did nothing to change presence of graffito/inscription/epigraphy.

C) Acolytes attempted replacement of parts with new designs intended to serve same role, accommodate archaeotech design. In no instance did this have any effect upon the presence of graffito/inscription/epigraphy.

Indeed, in all cases, when at least one portion of the original device was present, no matter how insignificant (connective screws, lense caps, etc.), the same graffito/inscriptive/epigraphy appears.

Meaning/Intent/Purpose unclear. Preservation/Archive/Isolation recommended.

ADDENDUM 1

ADDED, ARCHIVE M - Orator/SIM/.psi

ADDENDUM 2

Investigative Notes, Legion Relictory.

Research Notes 1, K.:

We have been able to replicate the same results, and can tell you that the notes by the Martian investigators remain applicable. ANY portion of the original device, when attached to Subject, seems to replicate effect.

One could, of course, completely reconstruct the device in entirety, and this would in theory remove the observed manifestation.

Research Notes 2,K:

Attempted reconstruction using entirely replicated parts. No repeated effect, except for a lovely if utterly arcane and somewhat useless pict-capture device.

Research Notes 3, A:

At request of Krateros, tests were conducted using replicated pict-capture device (hereafter: "Camera"), with portions of Subject within varying ranges (5, 50, 500 meters) of Camera. Camera unaffected by presence of Subject or portions thereof. We hesitate to replicate markings seen on original. Recommend redirection to Librarius for further analysis.

ADDENDUM 3

Remarks by Epistolary-Sergeant Tyche:

Under controlled conditions, markings were reproduced in "Camera." Analogous effect failed to manifest. No Warp energy detected within "Camera."

Remarks by Epistolary-Centurion Monroe:

This thing fairly reeks of Warp energy, but we cannot determine source. No apparent corruption of individuals handling or exposed to Subject. Recommend redirection to Epistolary Primus.

ADDENDUM 4

Remarks by Legionary-Archivist Kalinekos:

Epistolary Primus has asked us to investigate the history of these devices and referenced inscription. Nothing unusual stands out beyond the provenance of the name "Goulston Street," which seems to refer to a series of notorious homicides sometime in M1,19. "Goulston Street Graffito" referenced by archival materials. Subject's connection unclear.

Remarks by Legionary-Archivist Bolobeo:

Looked further into "Goulston Street Graffito" at request, Epistolary Primus. Regret records quite fragmentary. M30 period reconstruction of archives suggests series of murders, unsolved.

Remarks by Legionary-Archivist Kalinekos:

We had a look at this. A very close look. We are completely stumped here. Requesting further instructions from Legionary Epistolary-Primus.

TRANSMISSION ENDS

ENCRYPTED...

....

....

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

"To the Strongest."

- The Emperor (Alexander the Great), M-1

#askmalal #malice #malal #warhammer40k #chaos gods #ask me questions #the warp #warhammer roleplay #archive m #whitechapel murders

[corporate-tax-expanding-scope]

UAE Corporate Tax: Expanding Scope of Business Restructuring Relief

In the wake of the UAE's robust economic growth and the implementation of a competitive corporate tax framework, significant transformations are underway across various sectors. We are witnessing a notable surge in mergers, acquisitions, and hive-offs, reflecting a dynamic shift in the business landscape.

At a granular level, individual entrepreneurs are transitioning their sole establishments into incorporated entities. Moreover, multinational corporations are actively considering the conversion of their UAE branches into limited liability companies (LLCs). Notably, the UAE's corporate tax system promotes tax neutrality through what is termed as "business restructuring relief," particularly in scenarios involving the transfer of existing businesses or independent segments thereof.

Under the business restructuring relief mechanism, the transferring entity is exempted from corporate tax on any gains or losses arising from the transfer. This entails that assets and liabilities are treated as transferred at net book value, thereby resulting in a neutral financial impact.

Recently, the Federal Tax Authority issued comprehensive guidance outlining the conditions, procedural requisites, and repercussions of non-compliance pertaining to business restructuring relief.

Eligibility Criteria: To qualify for this relief, both the transferor and transferee must be resident juridical persons or UAE-based permanent establishments of foreign entities. Furthermore, they should not fall under the category of exempt persons or qualifying free zone entities. Alignment in financial year and adherence to accounting standards are also prerequisites. Importantly, the business transfer should be driven by legitimate commercial or non-fiscal motives that reflect economic realities.

Scope of Relief: The scope of business restructuring relief encompasses transfers of businesses for consideration, primarily in the form of shares or ownership interests. Cash consideration should not surpass the lower of the net book value of transferred assets and liabilities or 10% of the nominal value of shares/ownership interests issued.

This relief mechanism covers a spectrum of transactions including the conversion of sole proprietorships into LLCs, business transfers, mergers, demergers, and hive-downs in exchange for shares. Additionally, it facilitates transfers between non-resident entities with permanent establishments in the UAE.

However, it's crucial to note that certain transactions such as subsidiaries merging with their parent companies resulting in dissolution and share cancellation, asset/liability transfers during liquidation, and transfers between group entities without share transfer do not qualify for relief due to the absence of share transfer.

For further details on eligibility criteria, procedural guidelines, and the scope of relief, please refer to the guidance issued by the Federal Tax Authority.

Stay informed with MAC and Ross Chartered Accountants for the latest updates on regulatory developments and tax strategies shaping the UAE business landscape.