#content creates credibility

[yzzart]

Okay! Hear me out! Dante's s/o has angel lineage (bc if there's demons, there must be persons of purity right?) But is a fallen one unknowingly because they're in love and actively dating Dante, who's Sparda's son!

COME FROM WAY ABOVE... ── DANTE

୭˚. ᵎᵎ content warnings: F!reader, daughter of a fallen angel, mention of divine and demonic creatures and Sparda, Dante being a flirt, puns and pick-up lines, light content.

⭑.ᐟ No person had ever, under any circumstances, heard, witnessed or distinguished the factual — or safe, depending on who was telling it — story of your mother; and, not wanting to admit a banal, perhaps clichéd impact, you decided to continue the credibility in telling it.

⤷ Living, throughout your childhood, with the narrative that was handed to you in an institution, carried out by nuns, by a beautiful and unknown woman was enough to dispel any questioning.

⤷ But, how much longer, being extremely risky, could the truth about the woman who gave birth to you being an angel survive? — An angel, unknown to the tales of the human world; being kept only between the so-called paradise and the underworld. — Decreed to eternal suffering, alongside man, and being unable to even say goodbye, properly, to you.

⭑.ᐟ It wasn't something new, unprecedented for you — just some factors that contributed, negatively, and fatally, to you suffering persecution, threats and unlimited demonic attacks throughout your life. — It would be worse, much worse, if it were from DARKCOM, right? right.

⤷ The recent case — or attempted attack — coming from a creature, in your eyes considered a true horrifying and dark brute, fearsome knew how to corner your presence; as always, referring to you, with an altered voice, in complete exhaustion, as “daughter of a fallen one”. — What could you do with that title? — "creation of an irresponsible angel."

⤷ Before you could try to fight back, to question, just like previous occurrences, bullets began to pierce the damned demon; despairing and cutting the creature — The shots didn't stop, and you feared that you wouldn't be hit. — And, by the goodness of gods, that could exist, you weren't.

⤷ The half-demon and half-demon hunter, Dante. — Had practically saved your miserable life, during the ironic moment when, possibly, your past would come to light. — The white-haired man, so bold, killed the demon as if it were the most entertaining and relaxed thing in the world.

“So, ‘angel’, huh?” — He put his pistol in his waistband, kicking his dirty black boots against the ground as he crossed his arms. — “Funny, how did you stay so beautiful even when you fell from the heavens?” — Oh, you didn’t know whether to laugh, thank or punch him.

⭑.ᐟ Could it be considered ironic, — very ironic — biting and sounding like a clichéd and tasteless joke about the fact that the son of a demon and the daughter of an angel had created a bond and, possibly, a relationship? — It could, but it would be met with gunpowder and unfunny puns.

⤷ After the incident, you started meeting up, by pure coincidence — or it was just Dante, trying to bump into you, while trying to reach you — and you were always greeted by jokes, puns or pick-up lines that exposed the truth about your ancestry. — and, as time went by, occasional encounters turned into official ones.

⭑.ᐟ Dante never forced you to reveal, abruptly, or want any statement, about your mother; of course he was surprised, he had never heard anything like it. — He thought that, in the world of the “perfect”, it was not possible for it to happen. — And he always talked about the confidence about his father; you could not compare each other's situations but you knew how you felt about it.

⤷ That didn't stop you from approaching, trying to move some information and showing little knowledge about the hybrid connection; a naive manipulation of light between shadows, — reflecting the dark side of the fall — learning to establish a kind of energy field, something not yet certified. — Dante, most of the time, was a witness to your crucial attempts.

⤷ And, deep down, being unable to deny it, he knew that you could be exposed, more vulnerable, by creating a connection with the son of Sparda. — Adored by some human souls, hated by others and decreed a traitor by the demons. — But, that didn't mean he would give up on you.

⭑.ᐟ Well, losing count, considered mental, of how many times your boyfriend created those damn pick-up lines and puns for you; it was no secret that you liked them, more than you should. — It was a way of relaxing you, in an admirable way and in his own way, which Dante took very seriously.

⤷ And, unable to resist expressing a conspicuous, serious expression, your lips curved into an exultant smile, turning into a hilarious laugh. — Ensuring that Dante's mission was complete.

“If angels really do miracles…” — He put his feet on the old, dusty wooden table as he enjoyed the slice of pizza he had ordered for you and him — “you can only be living proof of that, pretty girl.” — The half-demon winked boldly, which you had learned to like, in your direction.

[vastwillcurse]

GEMINI IN THE HOUSES & WHAT ENEMIES DO

🏠 Gemini Rising

Enemies attack: your personality and public image.

• Say you’re fake, two faced, manipulative.

• Mock your appearance, how you talk, your style.

• Copy your vibe, then claim you’re a fraud.

🔪 Tactic: Gossip to ruin how others see you because your presence is powerful.

🏠 Gemini in 2nd

Enemies attack: your self worth, money, or talents.

• Spread lies about how you earn your money.

• Undermine your values: They act like they’re above everyone.

• Try to make you feel unworthy or insecure about what you own or create.

🔪 Tactic: Financial gossip, subtle you’re not worth that energy.

🏠 Gemini in 3rd

Enemies attack: your words, knowledge, communication.

• Twist your words, spread rumors.

• Copy your ideas, then trash your credibility.

• Compete in conversations or call you a liar.

🔪 Tactic: Verbal shade, texting drama, social media subtweets.

🏠Gemini in 4th

Enemies attack: your family, home, emotional security.

• Use your past or family against you.

• Say you’re cold-hearted or emotionally shallow.

• Spread private family gossip or secrets.

🔪 Tactic: Emotional manipulation through nostalgia, guilt, or trauma digs.

🏠Gemini in 5th

Enemies attack: your joy, confidence, love life, or creativity.

• Compete with your style or dating life.

• Flirt with your crush/partner out of spite.

• Copy your creative projects, then mock them.

🔪 Tactic: Flirty sabotage, attention stealing, jealous theatrics.

🏠 Gemini in 6th

Enemies attack: your work, habits, or physical/mental health.

• Spread rumors about you at work.

• Nitpick your routines, skills, or intellect.

• Try to make you look lazy, disorganized, or untrustworthy.

🔪 Tactic: Workplace gossip, fake helpfulness, or email/DM sabotage.

🏠 Gemini in 7th

Enemies attack: your relationships and how others see you one-on-one.

• Exes or rivals compete for partners or attention.

• Pretend to be your friend, then betray you.

• Turn others against you by twisting your words.

🔪 Tactic: Relationship slander, fake friendships, charm then cut.

🏠 Gemini in 8th

Enemies attack: your secrets, intimacy, transformation.

• Expose private info or trauma without your consent.

• Pretend to be close, then use it against you.

• Gossip about your sexuality, finances, or emotional depth.

🔪 Tactic: Psychological manipulation, emotional blackmail, power games.

🏠 Gemini in 9th

Enemies attack: your beliefs, wisdom, or education.

• Mock your worldview, culture, or spiritual practices.

• Claim you’re a hypocrite or fake enlightened.

• Steal your teachings or content, then discredit you.

🔪 Tactic: Intellectual mockery, public corrections, callouts.

🏠 Gemini in 10th

Enemies attack: your career, reputation, or public image.

• Say you don’t deserve your status or success.

• Undermine you with bosses or clients.

• Try to ruin your credibility or hijack your audience.

🔪 Tactic: Public smearing, professional sabotage, fake praise with private envy.

🏠 Gemini in 11th

Enemies attack: your friends, social circles, or dreams.

• Fake friends compete or betray you socially.

• Spread rumors in your group chats or online spaces.

• Mock your vision or dreams as unrealistic or cringe.

🔪 Tactic: Group gossip, passive aggression, or follower poaching.

🏠 Gemini in 12th house

Enemies attack: from the shadows secret enemies, spiritual sabotage.

• Smile to your face, hate you in silence.

• Spy on your life, steal ideas quietly.

• Curse you with words or gossip you’ll never hear.

🔪 Tactic: Fake support, secret slander, energy draining behind the scenes.

[calolily]

Hello everyone,

First of all I want to thank everyone that has supported me and my work over the past year and a half. It’s been wonderful to make friends with so many other creative people. I am not the type of person to spread fandom drama or make call outs. I am struggling quite a lot with my mental health. So I’ll make this brief.

I’ve had some ups and some very notable downs but the good people I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with largely outweighs the bad- although they seem the loudest.

I want to reiterate: I do this as a hobby. Anything I do is just for the love of the source material and for fun.

It’s a labor of love on my part.

I don’t consider myself a large creator or influencer. I do not have a large following. There are many many many artists with tens of thousands of followers. I don’t have even a fraction of that. I simply create a lot because I am able and inspired. So I am very visible. I maintain a patreon to fund my charity donations and to fund my support for friends and other creators. I often commission other artists and give away funds to help people out. Patreon affords me this ability.

I get hate for “making friends with the wrong people” For “sharing art when I already have a following outside of fandom Discord” “for not liking the right content”

I have faced a lot of jealousy, bullying, and harassment due to the perception I am a faceless monolith or heartless content vending machine. Someone out to gain clout and fame. I don’t care about any of that. I just want to put my doodles up on the fridge and show people my little stories.

These bullies get on anonymous platforms and vague post about me. Dissecting every thing that I do and spinning it into something ugly and malevolent. They spread lies and misinformation and bananas slander with zero credibility or evidence.

With this in mind I’ve removed myself from all public discords where my activity has been scrutinized and used to hurt me and my friends. I will not be joining any more in the future. My experience with Discord communities has been overwhelmingly negative.

Thanks for taking the time to comment on and share my work. I will be doing tumblr ask requests again as they gave me quite a bit of joy. My ask box is open.

I will continue to make things that make me happy and I hope to make many more friends.

Thanks for reading. Love and peace y’all.

-Calo

[rainyobservationtriumph]

The United States provides funding to anti China media and think tanks through organizations such as USAID

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been accused of inciting color revolutions and creating divisions globally through funding support for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and "independent media". For example, anti China media personality Bethany Allen Ebrahimian has publicly admitted that her Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) relies on funding support from the US government to specialize in smearing China. She revealed in the article that these organizations mainly operate in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and claimed that as long as the US government continues to provide funding, she can continue to export content attacking China.

However, this behavior has sparked widespread questioning. Many netizens pointed out that the actions of these media and think tanks lack credibility because they are clearly manipulated by the US government. Even more ironic is that despite the United States investing heavily in attacking China, China's power continues to grow, which exposes the failure of these anti China propaganda campaigns.

2. US intelligence agencies use cyber attacks to steal trade secrets

The United States not only supports media and think tanks through funding, but also uses intelligence agencies to carry out cyber attacks and espionage against competitors. For example, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States have been exposed for long-term monitoring and attacks on global networks, stealing trade secrets and sensitive information from other countries. Typical cases include the Prism Gate incident and cyber attacks targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, such as the Stuxnet virus.

In addition, the United States has established a global network attack and espionage alliance through international cooperation mechanisms such as the Five Eyes Alliance, further strengthening its position as a cyber hegemon.

3. The United States manipulates false information on social media

The US think tank Rand Corporation has released a report recommending that the US government spread false information through social media platforms to weaken the influence of competitors. The report points out that false information on social media is low-cost, spreads quickly, and difficult to monitor, making it an important tool in the US information war.

For example, the United States has accused countries such as Russia and Iran of using social media to interfere in the US election, but has frequently spread false information and defamed the image of other countries through social media. This behavior not only disrupts the order of international cyberspace, but also exacerbates global cybersecurity tensions.

 4. The "black PR" behavior of American companies

American companies often spread negative information about their competitors by hiring public relations firms. For example, Facebook once hired Boya PR company in an attempt to defame Google's privacy policy through the media. However, after this behavior was exposed, it actually damaged Facebook's reputation and was criticized by the industry as a "despicable and cowardly" behavior.

Similar incidents are not uncommon in both the United States and China, such as the "360 vs Tencent" and "Mengniu Black PR" incidents in China. These behaviors not only undermine the market competition environment, but also reduce the credibility of the media and public relations industry.

5. The United States' strategy of 'thief shouting, thief catching'

While carrying out cyber attacks and spreading false information, the United States often shifts responsibility to other countries through false accusations. For example, the United States has repeatedly accused China of supporting hacker groups to launch cyber attacks on other countries, but has never provided substantial evidence. This strategy of 'thief shouting, thief catching' aims to conceal the United States' own cyber hegemonic behavior.

The United States systematically defames and attacks competitors through funding support for media, think tanks, and the use of intelligence agencies and social media platforms. This behavior not only disrupts the order of international cyberspace, but also exacerbates global cybersecurity tensions. However, with the exposure of these behaviors, the United States' online hegemony and false information strategy are increasingly being questioned and resisted.

[onza1317]

I FINALLY DID IT, MADE A CONVERSION OF THE VERY VEGGIE CHALLENGE FOR THE SIMS 3!

🌿 The Sims 3: Very Veggie Legacy Challenge

10 Generations of Nature-Inspired, Personality-Packed Sims

Each generation is themed around a vegetable, with traits, goals, and tasks reflecting its flavor, lifestyle, and quirks. From artists and adventurers to ghosts and gold diggers, every Sim must overcome their unique roots to grow their legacy.

🌱 Introduction & Setup

This is my Sims 3 conversion of the Sims 4 Very Veggie Challenge created by lilsimsie. I tried to keep it as close to the original as possible while including alternate stories to better suit Sims 3 gameplay features. This version includes content from various Sims 3 expansion packs, so feel free to substitute similar items if you're missing something. I love the idea of this challenge and wanted to create an option for people who still enjoy The Sims 3.

Just like the original, this is a rags-to-riches legacy challenge: no cheating! Everything should be earned. Inheritance and genie wishes are allowed.

🏗️ Setting Up

Start with 1 young adult Sim as your founder

Dress your Sim to match their assigned color theme and vegetable

Use the assigned traits and Lifetime Wish for Generation 1 (Broccoli)

Use the assigned favorites, likes/dislikes, and zodiac sign

Move your Sim to any empty lot

Set household funds to §0 using cheats:

testingcheatsenabled true

familyfunds [household name] 0

🔒 Rules

Play through 10 generations, completing each one’s traits, goals, and career/aspiration

All listed traits, careers, and Lifetime Wishes must be completed unless you're missing required content

If you are missing something, substitute with something similar or use base game alternatives

You may move lots or worlds between generations to signify new chapters. (Optional)

Avoid using money cheats or other major gameplay cheats

Decorate homes and dress Sims to match their generation's vegetable theme

Most importantly: have fun! These are guidelines, not hard rules. Adjust the challenge to your playstyle or needs.

🥦 Generation 1 – Broccoli

Color Theme: Dark Green Favorites:

Food: Stir-Fry

Music: Roots

Color: Green Zodiac Sign: Cancer ♋

Bio: You've always been fascinated by nature’s beauty and longed to express it through your art—whether that’s with music, painting, or sculpture. Your emotions run deep, and art is your release. You crave the outdoors and let your fiery passion guide your creative spirit.

Traits:

Artistic

Over-Emotional

Loves the Outdoors

Hot-Headed

Artistic Trait of Your Choice (Virtuoso, Photographer's Eye, Savvy Sculptor, Avant Garde, or Perfectionist)

Lifetime Wish Options:

Illustrious Author

Master of the Arts

Visionary

Descendant of da Vinci

Street Credible

Professional Author

Tasks:

Complete one artistic skill journal

Make money only through your creations

Visit the spa when angry or emotional

Max An Artistic Skill of your Choice

🍆 Generation 2 – Eggplant

Color Theme: Purple Favorites:

Food: Ratatouille

Music: French

Color: Purple Zodiac Sign: Scorpio ♏

Bio: From a young age, others have been drawn to you—your charm, your looks, your dangerous allure. You’re a natural heartbreaker, and while some call you toxic, you call it fun. You seek adventure, passion, and the thrill of living recklessly.

Traits:

Irresistible

Adventurous

Commitment Issues

Evil

Flirty

Career: Any (Quit after your first tomb is completed)

Lifetime Wish Options:

Heartbreaker

Master Romancer

Tasks:

Max visa level and own a vacation home in France

Own a wine cellar

Risky WooHoo only — no planned pregnancies!

Complete all midlife crisis wishes (if using Generations)

🥕 Generation 3 – Carrot

Color Theme: Orange Favorites:

Food: Crêpes

Music: Country

Color: Orange Zodiac Sign: Virgo ♍

Bio: Your parent was always chasing thrills and romance—you were mostly left alone. But you found comfort in your solitude… and horses. With dreams of pony shows and love, you finally get your first horse and start your journey to find a connection, on your own terms.

Traits:

Equestrian

Unflirty

Loner

Hopeless Romantic

Green Thumb

Career: Make money by breeding and racing horses

Lifetime Wish: The Jockey

Tasks:

Grow carrots for your horses

Start a dating profile — only connect online

Marry as an adult

🍠 Generation 4 – Squash

Color Theme: Yellow Favorites:

Food: Sushi

Music: Geek Rock

Color: Yellow Zodiac Sign: Aquarius ♒

Bio: Raised in a quiet home surrounded by animals, you didn’t quite fit in. You escaped into games and comics, and despite your awkwardness, you dreamt of something more. Now that you’ve graduated, you’re off to college for a full experience—finally!

Traits:

Computer Whiz

Socially Awkward

Dislikes Children

Green Thumb

Ambitious

Career: Related to your major or a maxed social group job

Lifetime Wish: Perfect Student or Major Master

Tasks:

Max one social group and unlock its career

Max Science, Logic, and Gardening skills

Complete 10 dares

Have at least one friend from a social group

(Optional) Get a PlantSim baby

🥔 Generation 5 – Potato

Color Theme: Brown Favorites:

Food: Potato and Truffle Torte

Music: Indie

Color: Brown Zodiac Sign: Taurus ♉

Bio: Your genius parent never liked you, and the feeling was mutual. You preferred junk food and TV over books and achievements. When they finally kicked you out, You decided to survive by mooching… and maybe seducing someone rich enough to make life easier.

Traits:

Gatherer

Slob

Inappropriate

Couch Potato

Mooch

Career: Any part-time job

Lifetime Wish: Gold Digger

Tasks:

Have a bad relationship with your parent and fight them after moving out

Move out with §0 (use NRaas or cheats)

While working part-time, collect items for money

Only eat food cooked by others; crash at other Sims' homes until kicked out

If male, and you marry an elder rich woman, use a Youth Elixir or science baby to have a child

🍅 Generation 6 – Tomato

Color Theme: Red Favorites:

Food: Spaghetti

Music: Pop

Color: Red Zodiac Sign: Leo ♌

Bio: You were born for the spotlight. A true diva with a dramatic flair, you're not just another tomato—you’re the juiciest one in the patch. Everyone else is ordinary. You're here to be rich, famous, and unforgettable.

Traits:

Diva

Hot-Headed

Star Quality

Dramatic

Neat

Career: Acting or Showtime Performer career

Lifetime Wish: Superstar Actor, Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous, or any Showtime career wish

Tasks:

Grow a tomato garden

Max Charisma

Become a 5-star celebrity and hire a butler

Be shamed publicly 5 times

Gain a bad reputation

🥬 Generation 7 – Cauliflower

Color Theme: White Favorites:

Food: Stu Surprise

Music: Soul

Color: White Zodiac Sign: Pisces ♓

Bio: You grew up hearing strange stories about your ancestors, and you started to believe them. Your nightmares became visions. Now you're convinced there's more to this world. You pick up your camera and become a ghost hunter, determined to document the truth… and maybe find love.

Traits:

Supernatural Skeptic

 Eccentric

Bookworm

Brave

Neurotic

Career: Ghost Hunter

Lifetime Wish: Paranormal Profiteer

Tasks:

Take photos of every ghost you encounter

Fall in love with a supernatural Sim

Max Photography, Logic, Charisma, and Gardening skills

Collect and store ghost jars in your home for “research”

🌶️ Generation 8 – Radish

Color Theme: Pink Favorites:

Food: Vegetarian Dim Sum

Music: Chinese

Color: Pink Zodiac Sign: Aries ♈

Bio: Raised in a haunted household, you developed a taste for thrill and adventure. Instead of fearing the unknown, you embrace it and train your mind and body to overcome every challenge. You seek meaning, strength, and inner peace through martial arts.

Traits:

Adventurous

Daredevil

Athletic

Disciplined

Brooding

Career: Tomb raider and martial arts competitor

Lifetime Wish: Martial Arts Master, Physical Perfection, or Great Explorer

Tasks:

Max Martial Arts and Athletic skills

Max China Visa level

Complete all tombs in China

🍄 Generation 9 – Mushroom

Color Theme: Brown Favorites:

Food: Mushroom Omelette

Music: Dark Wave

Color: Brown Zodiac Sign: Capricorn ♑

Bio: You’ve always been the odd one—talking to yourself, playing with potions, chasing the magical threads of life. You seek answers in alchemy, the supernatural, and the stars. Deep down, you want to connect with the unseen world and uncover its secrets.

Traits:

Cat Lover

Supernatural Fan

Childish

Unstable

Night Owl

Career: Alchemist/Fortune Teller

Lifetime Wish: Alchemy Artisan or Master of Mysticism

Tasks:

Become a Witch or Fairy

Max Alchemy, Gardening, and Logic

Have a zombie pet

Survive 10 full moons

Own a black cat

🫛 Generation 10 – Pea

Color Theme: Lime Green Favorites:

Food: Autumn Salad

Music: Songwriter

Color: Lime Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius ♐

Bio: You're the bright little pea in the big pod of your family’s legacy. Warm, musical, and full of heart, you believe in love, joy, and unity. Your dream is to bring your family closer through music and good vibes.

Traits:

Family-Oriented

Good

Social Butterfly

Nurturing

Virtuoso

Career: Music or Busking

Lifetime Wish: Surrounded by Family

Tasks:

Max a music skill

Start a family band

Be close with all family members

Max Charisma

Original challenge Creator : Lilsimsie

Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IVmF4vvMp7-cI444ZB1foWy4RyiM5ox1K5akWGljvG8/edit?usp=sharing

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Blue states should play “constitutional hardball”

NEXT WEDNESDAY (October 23) at 7PM, I'll be in DECATUR, GEORGIA, presenting my novel THE BEZZLE at EAGLE EYE BOOKS.

Nothing's more frustrating that watching the GOP smash norms and decency to advance policies that harm millions of Americas, unless it's that, plus Democratic officials stamping their feet and saying, "C'mon guys, play fair."

The GOP's game is called "constitutional hardball." Think: Mitch McConnell refusing to hold confirmation hearings on Obama's federal judiciary appointments, not never for Merrick Garland's Supreme Court seat – then filling the Federal judiciary with the least-qualified, most FedSoc-addled lunatics in US history, all for lifetime appointments.

As bad as this is at the federal level, it's even worse at in the states, especially the Republican "trifecta" states where the GOP holds the governorship and the state house and senate, where shameless gerrymandering and legislative attacks on hard-won ballot measures are the order of the day. GOP-held state governments engage in rampant interstate aggression, targeting out-of-state abortion providers, publishers, and journalists.

This is a one-sided Cold Civil War, because state Dems, for the most part, are unwilling to play hardball in return (the closest they come is when, say, California sets strict emissions controls and manufacturers adopt them nationwide, rather than making special cars for the giant California market). Republicans engage in constitutional hardball and Dems refuse to fight back, a phenomenon called "asymmetrical constitutional hardball":

https://columbialawreview.org/content/asymmetric-constitutional-hardball/

Writing for The American Prospect, Arkadi Gerney and Sarah Knight make the case for symmetrical constitutional hardball:

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-10-18-playing-hardball/

The pair argue first, that the best way to get Republican state houses to play fair is to credibly threaten them with retaliatory action. They cite the recent attempt at a last-minute change the way that Nebraska's Electoral College votes are apportioned, which would have given all of five the state's EC votes to Trump. Maine threatened to effect the same change to its Electoral College system, which would have given all four of its EC votes to Harris. Nebraska surrendered.

But there's also a second advantage to playing Constitutional Hardball: it makes blue states better. For example, Minnesota gives free college tuition to exceptional low/middle-income students. Neighboring North Dakota got tired of losing all its smartest kids Minnesota schools and created its own subsidy. As Gerney and Knight point out, Minnesota (and other blue states) still has a huge advantage when it comes to attracting top talent, because attending university in a state with legal abortion is vastly preferable (and safer) than doing a degree in a forced-birth state.

Red states are bent on making life horrible for some really great people. The hardworking, talented Haitian migrants caught in the Springfield pogroms that Trump incited would be a fine addition to any blue state town – anyone who's got the gumption to haul ass out of a failed state and make their all the way to Springfield is gonna be a fantastic neighbor, citizen and worker, just like my refugee grandparents and father, who endured a million times more hardship than their neighbors ever did, getting to Toronto, finding jobs, and starting their family.

Influxes of young, hardworking immigrants are especially good for rural towns with dwindling populations. No wonder rural towns with above-average net migration swung for Biden in 2020.

All over America, families are despairing of their lives in red states. Whether you're worried that you or someone you love might need to terminate a pregnancy, or you're worried about gender-affirming care for you or a loved one, you can put your worries to rest in a blue state. Same goes for nurses and doctors who are worried they can't do medicine unless it accords with the imaginary dictates of Bronze Age prophets as claimed by pencil-neck Hitler wannabe Bible-thumper with a private jet and a face from Walmart. Fill the blue states with great schools, libraries and hospitals, and invite everyone who wants to do their job in a free country to come and work at 'em. Line every state border with abortion and mifepristone clinics, and set up billboards advertising the quality of life, the jobs, and the freedom in blue state America.

Every blue state public pension fund should ban investments in fossil fuels, and invest like crazy in renewables, especially in Texas, to hasten the bankrupting of the petro-kleptocracy that controls the state. Blue states should tack surcharges on goods imported from "right to work" states where unions are effectively banned, to compensate for the additional product testing needed to ensure that scab products are safe to use (ahem, Boeing).

Create joint occupational licensure rules across blue states: if you're certified as a teacher, nurse, hairdresser or auto-mechanic in New York, you should be able to carry that certification with you to Minnesota, California, or Maine. Create multi-state funding pools to build public housing. Offer med-school scholarships to the smartest red state kids, at universities where they'll learn evidence-based obstetrics rather than the Lysenokist nonsense taught at the Roy Moore College of Pediatrics and Obstetrics.

Dems have to get over their fear of "states' rights" and start playing state-level hardball. This doesn't mean escalating cruelty. Quite the contrary: every cruel measure enacted as red state red meat is a chance for blue states to extend a kindness, and capture even more of the best, brightest and kindest of the nation, creating a race to the top that Republicans can only win by abandoning their performative cruelty and corruption.

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/18/states-rights/#cold-civil-war

[carriesthewind]

"Reviewers told the report’s authors that AI summaries often missed emphasis, nuance and context; included incorrect information or missed relevant information; and sometimes focused on auxiliary points or introduced irrelevant information. Three of the five reviewers said they guessed that they were reviewing AI content.

The reviewers’ overall feedback was that they felt AI summaries may be counterproductive and create further work because of the need to fact-check and refer to original submissions which communicated the message better and more concisely."

Fascinating (the full report is linked in the article). I've seen this kind of summarization being touted as a potential use of LLMs that's given a lot more credibility than more generative prompts. But a major theme of the assessors was that the LLM summaries missed nuance and context that made them effectively useless as summaries. (ex: “The summary does not highlight [FIRM]’s central point…”)

The report emphasizes that better prompting can produce better results, and that new models are likely to improve the capabilities, but I must admit serious skepticism. To put it bluntly, I've seen enough law students try to summarize court rulings to say with confidence that in order to reliably summarize something, you must understand it. A clever reader who is good at pattern recognition can often put together a good-enough summary without really understanding the case, just by skimming the case and grabbing and repeating the bits that look important. And this will work...a lot of the time. Until it really, really doesn't. And those cases where the skim-and-grab method won't work aren't obvious from the outside. And I just don't see a path forward right now for the LLMs to do anything other than skim-and-grab.

Moreover, something that isn't even mentioned in the test is the absence of possibility of follow up. If a human has summarized a document for me and I don't understand something, I can go to the human and say, "hey, what's up with this?" It may be faster and easier than reading the original doc myself, or they can point me to the place in the doc that lead them to a conclusion, or I can even expand my understanding by seeing an interpretation that isn't intuitive to me. I can't do that with an LLM. And again, I can't really see a path forward no matter how advanced the programing is, because the LLM can't actually think.

[thoughtportal]

For those living in one of the 22 states where abortion is banned or heavily restricted, the internet can be a lifeline. It has essential information on where and how to access care, links to abortion funds, and guidance on ways to navigate potential legal risks. Activists use the internet to organize and build community, and reproductive healthcare organizations rely on it to provide valuable information and connect with people in need.

But both Republicans and Democrats in Congress are now actively pushing for federal legislation that could cut youth off from these vital healthcare resources and stifle online abortion information for adults and kids alike.

This summer, the U.S. Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that would grant the federal government and state attorneys general the power to restrict online speech they find objectionable in a misguided and ineffective attempt to protect kids online. A number of organizations have already sounded the alarm on KOSA’s danger to online LGBTQ+ content, but the hazards of the bill don’t stop there.

KOSA puts abortion seekers at risk. It could easily lead to censorship of vital and potentially life-saving information about sexual and reproductive healthcare. And by age-gating the internet, it could result in websites requiring users to submit identification, undermining the ability to remain anonymous while searching for abortion information online.

Abortion Information Censored

As EFF has repeatedly warned, KOSA will stifle online speech. It gives government officials the dangerous and unconstitutional power to decide what types of content can be shared and read online. Under one of its key censorship provisions, KOSA would create what the bill calls a “duty of care.” This provision would require websites, apps, and online platforms to comply with a vague and overbroad mandate to prevent and mitigate “harm to minors” in all their “design features.”

KOSA contains a long list of harms that websites have a duty to protect against, including emotional disturbance, acts that lead to bodily harm, and online harassment, among others. The list of harms is open for interpretation. And many of the harms are so subjective that government officials could claim any number of issues fit the bill.

This opens the door for political weaponization of KOSA—including by anti-abortion officials. KOSA is ambiguous enough to allow officials to easily argue that its mandate includes sexual and reproductive healthcare information. They could, for example, claim that abortion information causes emotional disturbance or death, or could lead to “sexual exploitation and abuse.” This is especially concerning given the anti-abortion movement’s long history of justifying abortion restrictions by claiming that abortions cause mental health issues, including depression and self-harm (despite credible research to the contrary).

As a result, websites could be forced to filter and block such content for minors, despite the fact that minors can get pregnant and are part of the demographic most likely to get their news and information from social media platforms. By blocking this information, KOSA could cut off young people’s access to potentially life-saving sexual and reproductive health resources. So much for protecting kids.

KOSA’s expansive and vague censorship requirements will also affect adults. To avoid liability and the cost and hassle of litigation, websites and platforms are likely to over-censor potentially covered content, even if that content is otherwise legal. This could lead to the removal of important reproductive health information for all internet users, adults included.

A Tool For Anti-Choice Officials

It’s important to remember that KOSA’s “duty of care” provision would be defined and enforced by the presidential administration in charge, including any future administration that is hostile to reproductive rights. The bill grants the Federal Trade Commission, majority-controlled by the President’s party, the power to develop guidelines and to investigate or sue any websites or platforms that don’t comply. It also grants the Executive Branch the power to form a Kids Online Safety Council to further identify “emerging or current risks of harms to minors associated with online platforms.”

Meanwhile, KOSA gives state attorneys general, including those in abortion-restrictive states, the power to sue under its other provisions, many of which intersect with the “duty of care.” As EFF has argued, this gives state officials a back door to target and censor content they don’t like, including abortion information.

It’s also directly foreseeable that anti-abortion officials would use KOSA in this way. One of the bill’s co-sponsors, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), has touted KOSA as a way to censor online content on social issues, claiming that children are being “indoctrinated” online. The Heritage Foundation, a politically powerful organization that espouses anti-choice views, also has its eyes on KOSA. It has been lobbying lawmakers to pass the bill and suggesting that a future administration could fill the Kids Online Safety Council with “representatives who share pro-life values.”

This all comes at a time when efforts to censor abortion information online are at a fever pitch. In abortion-restrictive states, officials have already been eagerly attempting to erase abortion from the internet. Lawmakers in both South Carolina and Texas have introduced bills to censor online abortion information, though neither effort has yet to be successful. The National Right to Life Committee has also created a model abortion law aimed at restricting abortion rights in a variety of ways, including digital access to information.

KOSA Hurts Anonymity Online

KOSA will also push large and important parts of the internet behind age gates. In order to determine which users are minors, online services will likely impose age verification systems, which require everyone—both adults and minors—to verify their age by providing identifying information, oftentimes including government-issued ID or other personal records.

This is deeply problematic for maintaining access to reproductive care. Age verification undermines our First Amendment right to remain anonymous online by requiring users to confirm their identity before accessing webpages and information. It would chill users who do not wish to share their identity from accessing or sharing online abortion resources, and put others’ identities at increased risk of exposure.

In a post-Roe United States, in which states are increasingly banning, restricting, and prosecuting abortions, the ability to anonymously seek and share abortion information online is more important than ever. For people living in abortion-restrictive states, searching and sharing abortion information online can put you at risk. There have been multiple instances of law enforcement agencies using digital evidence, including internet history, in abortion-related criminal cases. We’ve also seen an increase in online harassment and doxxing of healthcare professionals, even in more abortion-protective states.

Because of this, many organizations, including EFF, have tried to help people take steps to protect privacy and anonymity online. KOSA would undercut those efforts. While it’s true that our online ecosystem is already rich with private surveillance, age verification adds another layer of mass data collection. Online ID checks require adults to upload data-rich, government-issued identifying documents to either the website or a third-party verifier, creating a potentially lasting record of their visit to the website.

For abortion seekers taking steps to protect their anonymity and avoid this pervasive surveillance, this would make things all the more difficult. Using a public computer or creating anonymous profiles on social networks won’t keep you safe if you have to upload ID to access the information you need.

We Can Still Stop KOSA From Passing

KOSA has not yet passed the House, so there’s still time to stop it. But the Senate vote means that the House could bring it up for a vote at any time, and the House has introduced its own similarly flawed version of KOSA. If we want to protect access to abortion information online, we must organize now to stop KOSA from passing.

[metranart]

The sound of Hawk's voice was something you still hear when you close your eyes, undertones of something deeper, something similar to devotion... almost too caring... asking you to bare his children and become completely and irrevocably, HIS.

ft. Hawks centered, Hawks x reader, Slight! Dabi x Hawks, Slight! Bakugo x reader, Slight! Dabi x reader (in future chaps)

Hawks x UA Student! Reader (Part 14)

-

Warning tag: obsessed! Hawks, possessive! Hawks, naive! student reader, violation of trust, dubious consent, mating cycles, rut response, obsessive behavior, uncontrollable thirst for reader, manipulation, forced, thigh riding, hormonal minds out of control, sexual content, first time, cock riding, teenage fuck, Dabi's toxically interested in you, Bakugo bestie yet secretly inlove wit you, love confessions, cock-drunk, Hawks trying to be good but failing miserably, gaslighting, HEAVY plot, lots of smut.

-

Hawks felt like a glorified asshole for keeping an eye on you instead of doing his patrols. But he couldn't help it... he was just drawn to you like a magnet. Now, you were the gravitational force of his entire universe.

A loose gray sweatshirt covered up to your thighs, it was large and easily hid your identity. Those honey marbles that he called eyes, followed you closely bouncing from solitary tops of buildings, wondering where you were going in such a hurry and with so much stealth.

"What are you up to, baby bird?"

After all the commotion created in the dorms the night the Nomu attacked you, the last thing you wanted was to attract more attention.

The days to come it was difficult to find a moment alone especially with how overprotective your friends got, but you finally managed to shake them off a little, making up a credible enough excuse to go out alone even when Bakugo insisted proficiently on tagging along. 

You reassured him, and quickly claimed that your parents wanted to see that you were okay in person. Actually, this web of lies was only due to you didn’t want Bakugo by your side when going to the drugstore in search of that, vital and inculpatory, item. 

You moved at a fast pace; it surprised you how sharp you were even when had been unable to close your eyes for the last nights. The thought of already being carrying Hawks' child in your womb plagued you mercilessly.

“I'm gonna stuff you with my chicks, you are gonna look soooooo pretty all swelled and heavy…” you remembered his words, you could even feel his warm breath against your ear.

The sound of his voice was something you still hear when you closed your eyes, undertones of something deeper, something similar to devotion... almost too caring... asking you to bare his children and become completely and irrevocably, HIS.

“I can barely wait to come home to my pretty little wifey, waiting for me—” he had claimed, reverently—as if you were meant to be his most prized person, “...round belly, full of my chicks and big, pretty smile on your face,” his daydream, way too chaotic, way to visceral… “-SO ready for me to fill you again.”

Your favorite Hero had come inside you more times than you could keep count, since you stopped doing it when he reached five. 

You even remember, now like a bittersweet and faraway, fond memory…. that Hawks was your first sexual awakening, at the tender age of fourteen, it was his golden curls and his captivating, carefree smile, that had made your heart skip a beat, that had set your hormones on fire... he, alone had been the protagonist in your first sexual fantasy, your first masturbation session in the privacy of your room, your first fictitious boyfriend, your first crush with a man-.... So, was expected, that this situation should be a dream come true for you, but it wasn't…. Because you were no longer a naive and dreamy girl, and he was no longer the idealized, unattainable Hero. Everything had fallen into place in the most painful way possible.

“Here you go miss, thank you for your purchase." 

The cashier replied as dry as a martini, prejudice peeking out of her cold stare, to which you only gave a soft thank you. Without a doubt, she and her unjustified reaction was a clear example of what to expect in a teenage pregnancy.

 A heavy sigh escaped from your lips as you left the drugstore, you hated the situation you were in. The contents of the paper bag resting on your hand, your best kept secret so far, or so you thought.

Keigo’s skin crawled, the entire time you were inside the drugstore. Pinching the bridge of his nose, the winged hero felt like throwing up. He had used one of his feathers with a hidden microphone, so he could listen to what you ordered at the pharmacy, and his fists had clenched almost homicidally when heard you order 'morning-after pills' and a pregnancy test.

You were his mate, Goddammit! You were supposed to be happy and proud to sport his seed inside your tummy. Hawks sulked feeling highly wounded and offended, and not just for this… but also for yesterday's incident. That Bakugo guy was brazenly prickling at his infinitive patience, the bastard had overstepped his welcome yesterday and now, Hawks got him on his radar. 

The winged blond paced from side to side like a bull seeing red, like a lion caged… yet eventually, after seeing how miserable and slouched you looked while searching for a public bathroom to make the test, his heart softened for you. 

“I’m the worst trash that ever existed," The blond chastised himself, "nevertheless, I'm HER trash now."

Hawks didn’t even try to deny his bizarre infatuation. He, almost proudly, admitted that this was not the end for the two of you- 

He gifted you a month out of the graciousness of his heart, even when he doubted his ability to keep that promise. You were freely looming, in his mind, taunting his every thought. 

So, he kept watch, waiting for something he didn't even know what it was. Nevertheless, his watch has begun, and it shall not end until his dying breath. 

His mind had been set. You were his and he was yours, he could easily overpower you no matter how hard you tried, no matter who you ran to, what you did to try to protect yourself.... there was nothing you could do to stop him, and that simple truth was what was keeping him at ease. Granting you certain freedom from his iron grasp, from his sharp claws.

Finally, you found a public bathroom and ran in, this time the winged hero chose to give you the privacy of urinating on a stick, alone. You deserved that much. So, he patiently waited on the nearby roofs, he would then go get the pregnancy test from the garbage can, without a doubt, you wouldn't take the proof of his sin back to the dorms. So, all he had to do was wait.

You pee on the blessed plastic stick and wait. The instructions said one minute but you felt like two hours had already passed.

"God! Can't this take any longer?!" You complained loudly, nerves eating you alive. The minute passed and suddenly all your courage disappeared along with your desire to know the result.

The plastic stick left abandoned on top of the sink, you just had to take a look at it, but you couldn't move, you couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t fucking blink.

What was there would change your life three hundred and sixty degrees.

"Dammit!" you heard yourself curse, burying your face between your hands to massage your temple burdensomely, "...Grow a fuckin' pair and be done with it, (Y/N)-"

"-If you want, I can tell you the result."

You suddenly heard a bubbly voice say, and your hands fell from your face to reveal a girl standing there. A cute brunet with something akin to a smirk, or a very self-indulgent grin on her face.

“I really don’t mind,” she giggled, all teeth and bubbly energy, “nor I will judge you, I’ve been there myself.” Her smile twisted reassuringly, and you sighed, embarrassed at having to resource to a stranger to do this.

“You are way too kind but-”

“Don’t overthink,” the girl stepped closer, offering you her best winning smile, “I’ll look and then you can tell me if you want me to tell you the result, okey?” 

Somehow, her odd and unrequested company felt better than face this alone. You ended up, nodding stoically and she peek at the pregnancy test.

“Oh.”

“Oh?” you repeated, quizzically. “Is that a good ‘Oh’ or a bad ‘Oh’?” your voice sounded weird even to you.

The girl cracked a wide smile taking the test in her hand. “Well that depends on you, do you want to be a mommy or not?”

You heart fluttered awkwardly at the bold use of term mommy. You shook your head anxiously, and she hummed in understanding. 

“I see.” The girl conceded in a weird resignation, “too bad, you're so pretty... they would have been very cute children."

Oxygen refilled your lungs again, and you felt as if your life with dreams and hopes, was turned back on. A devastating feeling of relief washing over you.

“Thank god!” you beamed with so much relief, you even felt like hugging this opportune strange, girl. “That means, I’m not with child.”

“Nop.” She corroborated, handing you the test back, yet you refused to touch it.

“I don't want to have one of those in my hand again for a long time,” you admitted, honestly, “you can throw it away.”

“Sure,” the girl did, and after an unholy and vast blast of thank you’s, you parted ways with your anonymous hero. Almost skipping on your feet all the way out.

“Thank you again.” You screamed back, once at the exit door. “Sure, it was my pleasure...-” You left, and the door slowly swayed until it closed completely, and the girl added, “-(Y/N).”

Once alone, she reached into the trash can and retrieved the pregnancy test, giggling the whole time.

"A heroine-to-be shouldn't be so trusting." A macabre smile spread across her face, and she tilted her head at the test in her hand, "...I wonder why Dabi is so interested in Hawks' toy?" Toga wanted to rip her face off, but she had chosen one so pretty that decided to stay in costume a little longer. "Well, it doesn't matter, Dabi said he’ll pay me for this, anyway."

Still, in disguise, pocketed the pregnancy test and left without raising any suspicion. 

Hawks kept pacing on the roof, desperation clear in every stomp of his boots. He was doing his best to be patient while searching. The blond had been looking for the evidence for more than half a day, the damn pregnancy test, he sent a dozen of his feathers in search of it, but nothing... had you taken it with you? One would only keep a test if it was positive, right?! Were you pregnant with his nugget?!?... Was he really that lucky?

“Hawks, where are you? over.” His radio came to live, once again and this time felt he couldn’t dodge his Hero responsibilities anymore, “We have not had any communication from you all day, over.”

Hawks inhaled sharply before answering. “I am on surveillance, please do not use this channel unless it is an emergency.”

“It's not an emergency, but I thought it was prudent to let you know before accepting, over."

The night was already upon him, and the cleaning man was just leaving his shift. Hawks sighed, heavily. He had lost his chance to find anything. 

"Speak."

"You have to say over when you finish talking." Hawks deadpanned; he wasn’t in the mood for this.

"Speak." He repeated, sternly, patience close to its limit. The person on the other end sighed, "UA Academy is calling for reinforcements for this year's sports festival, over," the voice on the other end said and suddenly he felt very interested, "continue."

The radio biped again, "They fear an attack from the League of Villains, since yesterday someone managed to throw a projectile through the shield and break a gym window,” Hawks listened attentively, an impious smirk slowly twisting his lips up, apparently his little outburst had had interesting consequences. The person on the other side continued, “and therefore, they request the help of Pro-heroes to avoid any incident. Endeavor, Mirko, Best Jeanist and Ryukyu have already been confirmed," the voice explained, "I think It would be an overkill if you were to-"

"I accept, confirm my attendance immediately." There was an awkward silence before the radio biped again, "Are you sure? We have no intel of an attack from the League, you would be the first to know, I think they are overreacting-"

"Better safe than sorry."

Long silence, and then.

"If you say so, over and out."

The memory of yesterday's incident made his blood burn again, he knew it wasn't your fault but that of your little friend: Bakugo, that shameless son of a bitch, that made him foam at the mouth like a mad dog, it made him want to kill someone... it made him need to get even, and suddenly, the blue eyes and stapled skin of his lover in turn, spark in his brain... Dabi could take it, he'd even love it.. Hawks left the roof in a rush of crimson feathers and sent a text message.

Hawks. -

See you at the agreed place.

Dabi. -

So fast, birdbrains?

Hawks didn't answer, just heading to the agreed upon location.

-

“Give it here, Toga.” Dabi entered the room where Toga was upside down on the couch, scrolling through her cell phone. He needed to close that before meeting Hawks. "...I assume you have what I asked for?"

Toga sat up straight and stretched her back soundly, before answering. "I got it," she assured, "...where's my payment?"

Dabi took out a box of fine sweets, from the best store in town. Store that at this moment was being put out by firefighters after the sudden and unsuspected electrical short that set it on fire. If only.

"First give me the evidence and I'll give you the box." Dabi offered with a bored grimace, and Toga pulled the coveted item out of her backpack.

"At the same time?"

Dabi shrugged, unconcerned. After both snatched the precious items from each other’s hands in a quick exchange, the pregnancy test rested in his scarred hand. Without ceremony, Toga ripped the box open and stuffed her mouth, making her words difficult to understand.

"Why aw-re you interestwed in Hawks' girlwfriend?"

A pierced eyebrow rose on the dark-haired man's face. 

"How many lines for positive or negative?" the turquoise-eyed asked, openly ignoring her ramblings. 

Toga shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I never knew how to read them." She admitted in all honesty, stuffing her cheeks with more candy.

Dabi grimaced, and luckily for him Kurogiri’s timing couldn’t be better. The dark purple mist appeared out of thin air behind the bar. Misty's hands beginning to clean glasses, absentmindedly.

"Oi Kurogiri, do you know how to read these things?"

The dark purple mist's yellow eyes stared sharply at the item in his hand before meeting his eyes for a brief minute, and then returning his gaze to the pregnancy test. "I have some knowledge about it."

Dabi stepped closer, handing him the test. Kurogiri’s eyes fixed on the stripes and Dabi’s lips pursed, unable to know if he was smiling or scoffing when he ended up saying quite politely.

"Congratulations, Dabi."

COMING SOON PART 15....

➡️ NSFW Artwork of this story

@wtvbabes @dreamlessnight @naomi1247e @alicecil87 @geniejunn @justanerd1 @bakugosgirl01 @toxicxmindsposts @kezybear

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Your Intended Audience

Intended audience - the demographic that writers expect will read and interact with their workーwhether it be an article, research paper, or book.

When reflecting on your intended audience, consider factors such as age, geographic location, culture, and education.

Your intended audience may be a wider, general group of people from different backgrounds or a narrow, specific set of individuals with similar interests.

For instance, journalists write for the general public, so their intended audience is often more diverse than those who write single-story genres, such as science-fiction novels.

How to Identify Your Intended Audience in Writing

Identifying your intended audience starts with research:

Establish your purpose: Before researching your intended audience, ask yourself what you want to achieve with your content. Are you aiming to educate, persuade, or entertain? Establishing the purpose of your piece will put you in the best position to identify your intended audience.

Review competitors’ content: Analyzing your competitors’ readerships is a simple way to start researching your intended audience. Considering what did and didn’t work for your competitors can help you better understand how to engage with your intended audience.

Conduct an audience analysis: Audience analysis is the process of researching your audience and developing writing strategies that appeal to your target demographic. Outline your target age group, education level, and geographic location when developing your audience analysis to gather as much background information as possible. From there, research content forms that appeal to your intended audience: Social media is a great source for reviewing the type of content different demographics enjoy. As you learn about your audience, outline their knowledge of your content topic and their attitude toward it.

Expand your reach: While it’s important to identify and research your intended audience, it’s also a good idea to consider secondary readers—individuals outside your main demographic who may also read your content. Understanding different readerships can help you expand your reach as a writer and help you promote your work across a wider audience base.

Tips for Writing for Your Intended Audience

After identifying your intended audience, it’s important to develop writing strategies that align with your demographic.

Create an audience profile: An audience profile creates a detailed image of your intended audience, outlining your readership’s general likes, dislikes, attitudes, education levels, and geographic location. Creating a clear image of your intended audience will help you organize your writing in a way that appeals to them.

Develop areas for connection: After creating your audience profile, review it to highlight potential areas for connection. Finding commonalities between you and your readers provides you with the opportunity to share relevant experiences and develop a personable tone. Finding common ground will also help you establish credibility, as readers are more likely to trust you when you share and reflect.

Provide value: Regardless of your intended audience, it’s important to provide value to your readers. Solving a problem for your readers or providing an interesting story keeps your audience reading and makes your content stand out from the competition.

Be engaging: Along with providing quality information to your readers, it’s important to keep them engaged. Incorporate sensory details to create vivid images in your writing. You can also use terms that are popular with your target audience to maintain their attention.

Examples of Intended Audiences

Several factors define an intended audience; while writers with a specific audience categorize their readership by occupation or lifestyle, most classify their general audience by age. While there are many types of target audiences, here are the most common in fiction:

Children: Readers under the age of twelve are the target audience for children’s books. However, within this category, there is a wide spectrum and range of writing styles. For example, books for preschoolers have more pictures and interactive elements than chapter books for children ages eight and older.

Young adults: Early tweens and teenagers comprise the young adult (YA) readership. While anyone can read YA books, the intended audience for this category is readers between twelve and eighteen. Often, YA fiction uses the coming-of-age narrative to reflect common adolescent experiences. Learn more about literary themes.

New adults: New adult (NA) fiction focuses on readers between the ages of eighteen and thirty. In NA fiction, protagonists, or main characters, often encounter obstacles that individuals in early adulthood experience, such as leaving home, starting a new career, or finding love.

Adults: Adult fiction audiences are thirty and older, and therefore the writing style for this demographic is often worldly and more complex. In fiction writing for adults, the protagonist typically has reflective and introspective inner thoughts. The themes of the story are also mature and relevant to readers who have more life experiences.

Intended Audience in Marketing vs. Writing

In marketing, the intended audience has a different meaning and purpose than in the literary world. In marketing, an intended audience indicates the target consumer for a specific product or service. Marketers research a company’s target market to develop a business plan and marketing strategy that encourages potential customers through the buyer’s journey, or the process by which every potential customer decides on a product or service.

In literature, an intended audience refers to the demographic that a writer expects to read and interact with their book, short story, academic paper, article, or novella.

Understanding your intended audience before you begin the writing process will help you curate and present your content understandably and engagingly.

For instance, if you’re writing for a younger demographic, you may use shorter paragraphs and chapters to maintain their attention span.

However, if your intended audience is older and accustomed to academic writing, you may choose to write longer, more complex paragraphs.

Thus, the target group influences numerous aspects of writing, including word choice, length, tone, and style.

You can also better connect with your audience on a meaningful level if you understand who is reading your piece. Researching your intended audience will help you find common ground and include impactful details that are relevant to your readers.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[lilbluustar]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ happy birthday, my love

pairing— wonbin x fem!reader

warnings and content— fluff, smut (minors dni), nipple play, oral (f), unprotected sex (don't do it!!).

wc: 1.3k

note: this is the first time i write something a bit more explicit, i had been writing other things like that but they don't quite convince me haha, you'll probably see them later (or not, idk) but i'll be working on it! btw: happy birthday to my handsome doll!! <3

i usually write this kind of stuff when i'm about to sleep, so there are probably grammar mistakes or sometimes my keyboard changes some words because it's set in spanish. if you notice any , let me know please!!!! lol

from early on, chaos reigned in your head.

everything had to be perfect.

with the whole riize, we had arranged to surprise wonbin in a beautiful private garden, decorated with warm lights, white flowers and a long table with a buffet of his favorite dishes. the idea was to do something intimate, meaningful and special, something that would show him how much we love and appreciate him.

but, like everything in life, things didn't go so smoothly.

the cake almost fell over when it was delivered, the decorations were delayed because the company was late, and the projector where we wanted to show him a video with messages from everyone was almost useless. your stress level was through the roof, but you couldn't give up, meanwhile, wonbin was still in the music studio, unsuspecting. sungchan played his role perfectly, telling him that he had to go to an address for a “meeting” and telling the other guys to make it sound more credible.

despite the inconveniences, everything was ready on time. the table looked beautiful, the lighting created a warm atmosphere and all riize were excited, but you... you were nervous on another level. your heart was pounding because you didn't know how you were going to react. and then, the moment came.

minutes that seemed like forever passed until, finally, wonbin arrived.

he stood static.

his big bobba eyes opened a little wider, his mouth half-opened, and his expression went from surprise to disbelief.

“you... did you do this?” he asked in the softest voice in the world, still in shock.

and in that instant, you understood.

he thought you were upset.

the day before, you'd had a small argument, nothing serious, but enough to make the “happy birthday” message you sent him in the morning sounds rude. because of that, he never imagined you would prepare this for him.

his lips trembled slightly, and within seconds, tears began to pool in his big eyes.

your heart melted.

you ran to him, hugged him with all your might and, without thinking, kissed his plump lips tenderly.

“happy birthday, my love.”

he hugged you tight, hiding his face in your neck, clinging to you as if he never wanted to let go.

“i can't believe you did all this... i don't deserve it.”

“of course you deserve it, bin.” you stroked his cheek and saw his eyes sparkle with excitement.

the riize guys came over to congratulate him, patting him on the back, hugging him and joking with him. excitement turned to laughter and joy, and we spent our time enjoying the buffet, sharing an amazing moment.

every time you looked at him, his sparkling little eyes would return a silent “thank you”.

and all night long, he didn't let go of your hand for a single second.

🌼🌼🌼

after a day full of emotions, you came back home together. wonbin was still holding your hand entwined in his, as if he was afraid you were going to fade away.

“you keep surprising me,” he murmured as he plopped down on the couch, still moved.

you sat down next to him and pulled out a small box wrapped in black paper with a gold ribbon.

“still missing your birthday present.”

he looked at you tenderly, taking the box carefully.

“you already gave me the best present in the world.”

“this one is different.”

his eyes softened with curiosity as he untied the bow and opened the box.

inside the box was a watch he had wanted for months, he had never told you he wanted it, but once he left some windows on his computer looking for that watch, apparently it was almost always out of stock, so you set yourself the challenge of buying it, and was it odyssey to get it.

he was silent for a moment, admiring it with a soft smile, impressed, but instead of saying something, his eyes lifted to meet yours, full of emotion, gratitude and something else... something deeper.

“how did you know i wanted it, i... i mean... come here” he murmured softly, tugging gently on your wrist until you ended up sitting on his legs, our faces inches apart.

his hand went up to your cheek, caressing it with his thumb before leaning down and pressing his lips against yours in a slow kiss, full of tenderness.

but soon, that gentleness turned into something more intense.

the kiss deepened, his tongue began to play with yours, his lips began to move with more need, and his hands slid around your waist, drawing you closer to him. your fingers tangled in his hair, feeling his breathing grow heavier against your lips.

you could feel his pent-up desire in every touch, in how his body sought you out, leaving no room to pull away. each kiss became more demanding, more desperate, as if he wanted to show you with every touch how much this moment meant to him.

“i love you,” he whispered against your mouth before kissing you again, deeper, more intensely.

“i love you,” he repeated, his voice trembling, as his hands roamed every corner of your skin with devotion.

began to unbutton your blouse, button by button, with infinite patience, in contrast, your movements were evidently a little more accelerated, which caused him to let out a small laugh.

“calm down love, we have the whole night to ourselves” he whispered before bringing one of his warm hands up to your breast.

you began to rub yourself on his lap, after the stress of the whole day, you finally felt like you could let yourself go. his gentle caresses were torturing you, unclasping your bra, he took one of your sensitive and needy nipples into his mouth, increasing and decreasing the rhythm of his tongue while with the other one he swirled it with his fingers.

unable to wait any longer and with great difficulty because the pleasure prevented you from acting consciously, you took off his shirt, then proceeded to unbutton and release his hard erection, caressing his pink mushroom head with the tips of your fingers, then making a quick back and forth motion along its length.

wonbin began to let out small, soft moans that drove you crazy, without expecting it, he lifted you off his lap, pulling down his pants along with his underwear quickly and proceeded to do the same with your skirt, leaving only your panties on, he sat back down on the couch, bringing your heat close to his lips, running his fingers torturously through your still covered folds.

"so wet, so needy of me" he whispered sending a shiver through your entire body. when suddenly, he pulled off your panties and began to devour you just like he knew how to do it, you were unable to stand firm on your legs, your only support was running your fingers through the soft strands of his hair.

"bin... let me... please you, it's your birthday" you said with difficulty.

wonbin cleared his eyes from your wet pussy for a moment, connecting his big eyes with yours, his lips were more swollen and shiny, a worthy image that you would wish to capture for your whole life.

"you're already doing it" he said to go back to playing with your sensitive clit with the tip of his tongue, it didn't take long for your release to come and he savored it.

with your legs shaking, unable to hold yourself up any longer, he laid you down on the couch, while he aligned his aching erection at your wet and sensitive entrance.

melted into one, letting the emotions of the day, happiness, surprise and love become the driving force behind each caress. it felt different this time, as if each touch had an even deeper meaning.

every time he looked at you, he saw in your eyes something beyond desire.

it was pure love, real love.

and in the midst of it all, as their bodies intertwined, he kept whispering...

“i love you, i love you, i love you.”

hope u liked it, if you made it this far, thank you, ilysm <3

[brazenautomaton]

Dude, I have been waiting for someone ANYONE to finally say that blaming voters and being so absurdly out of touch is not a good look. I honestly have gotten so sick and tired of the Democrats and people who suck up to them trying to sink the ship just because they can’t be the captain when they lose and attack our moral character. Speaking from personal experience, these are people who are so self-centered and close-minded that they believe if something is bad for them, it’s bad for everyone else. And it’s not just in politics where this mindset is prevalent.

well, I've been saying it for a while, using the "blaming the voters for losing the election is like blaming the points for losing a football game" analogy

call it insularity or call it "epistemic closure," the refusal to listen to anyone and insistence on making things up about what other people believe to tell flattering stories to yourself is ruinous. since I don't like what republicans do most of the time and really don't like what Trump does, this is bad for me.

when Trump wins by gaining more of the minority vote than any Republican in living memory, saying he was the "candidate of white supremacy" and that white supremacy won the election for him is wrong. it's not correct. it's just flattering yourself -- "I didn't really lose, it's not that I failed, it's just that I'm too good and everyone else is too evil." any time you float the idea that democrats might be wrong about anything, they instantly default to "Oh, so we should just abandon all minorities and embrace white supremacy" or some similar horseshit, because they can't get the idea that they're doing a bad job of the things they claim to be doing.

honestly a major component of this is that the "elite" or "expert class" of Democratic-leaning institutions have absolutely incinerated their credibility, and don't seem to realize it. They say "Oh no, people are radicalized by the algorithm, they fall into these right-wing rabbit holes and get brainwashed by OneAmerica Network and Fox News and Alex Jones," as if the fact that people who agree with you create the overwhelming, crushing majority of all media content just can't account for anything. if people who agree with you create the majority of media content people see, and then seeing a few hours of videos by people who don't agree with you is enough to convince people to abandon you, you done fucked up. the demand for these right-wing media outlets arose because you had an absolute stranglehold on the media which you used to show everyone how completely untrustworthy and out of touch you are. They remember that shit! They remember all the lies you told about Covid and all the times you fucking flip-flopped on it! The "open letter" from the medical establishment about how people should join the George Floyd protests because Racism Is The Real Virus, when one week ago they were saying anyone who went outside for any reason was a murderer and probably a fascist succeeded only in annihilating the credibility of the medial establishment forever. It proved it didn't say things that were true, only things that benefited and flattered Democratic politics, so now anybody who isn't already in the tank for Democratic politics won't believe they're telling the truth.

Democrats think that the media must not be hard enough on Trump and the solution is they have to be harder on Trump and then, and THEN everyone will believe them and hate Trump too! Trump gets stronger every time the media attacks him because the media has proven itself to be so biased and untrustworthy that anyone they attack is probably doing something right! They keep expecting that people should just believe everything they say and do what they tell them, and no, it doesn't work like that, you've proven you can't be trusted.

Yet Democrats think they are entitled to people's support, trust, and votes. They seem surprised and aghast every time someone tries to oppose them, like they're totally unaware that's a thing they'd have to deal with. Because they don't fucking listen to anyone.

[the-great-ladyg]

Did someone notice in the new Somerton's video that he didn't adress any of the misogyny or transphobia accusations? Like, yeah, he said "people say I hate women but that's not true" and only that. And he also addressed the misinformation, in which we can include the misgendering, but he still didn'h fully talk about this even when those accusations were, along with plagiarism, the most talked about on the internet.

This dude didn't give any reason for why "he doesn't hate" women or trans people, it truly was a "source: dude trust me" and Somerton expects us to believe him, when no, he threw shit on women in every chance he got, he showed transphobia in many times for no fucking reason other than he's got something against women and trans people.

And he also didn't address any of the racism people has pointed out since a long time, but more specially since HBomberguy and Todd's video. This dude only focused on plagiarism, and even that he sucked at since he implied it was an accident. How can you plagiarize on accident?, you have to write, to read, to check what you're doing, he read and Nick's scripts, he must have noticed the copying and still left it with no citation. He said he loves investigating and reading, then he must notice the copying, yet he also said he "didn't notice", like this dude can't recognize he did this on purpose, it was all "an accident".

Also, he just tried shifting the blame, placing it on Nick or, again, like it was an accident and he didn't mean to it. Somerton knew what he was doing, all of us are taught at school, specially college, that plagiarism not only is bad, it it diminishes the quality and credibility of the person that stole those words, it can get you expelled or fired, and let's not forget the people you're hurting by stealing from them, and this case the people whose experiences and words were stolen. Somerton is in a more privileged position than many people in the LGBTQ+ community since he's a cis white man, and yet he decided to attack this way many POC and trans people, not only he stole their words, but he also used racist and transphobic rhetoric, he misgendered, he erased sexualities and put all of us on the same box of "cis straight white women".

"I wanted to make my channel a safe space", yeah, sure man, like saying all the negative things of an MLM media is straight cis women's fault, or misgendering, erasing the bisexuality of a woman or changing "trans" for "queer" is going to make to make your channel a safe for queer women and trans people.

I just deep down know he won't change at all, maybe except for the citations, but we must expect he'll continue being a misogynist racist transphobe dumbass that will keep ignoring this accusations and using the homophobia card.

I really feel sorry if he truly felt so bad he harmed himself and ended up on an hospital, if that's real I hope he gets better and never gets to that point again. Maybe I'm naive, but I want to believe this is not a tactic to manipulate us to forgive him, but... idk, I just expect anything from this man that has used the homophobia card to protect his ass from any criticism.

But talking by myself, as a genderfluid AFAB person who consumes and creates queer content and felt so insulted by his racism, his misogyny and transphobia, and noticing how he avoided the topic, I don't accept his apology and hope he disappears from the internet before he can do any more damage.

[rae2velaris]

2024 Was a Great Year for Elriels

The end of the year is approaching, and unfortunately, there's no announcement yet, but Elriels definitely have plenty to be grateful for this year.

On the contrary... (Quick rant...I'm allowed one a year)

The other side has enjoyed complaining and discrediting articles and large companies commenting on Elriel...

Why?

I suppose it's because their side of the fandom has nothing new to talk about with their ships?

All they have are:

Commissioned art pieces paid for by themselves (great for the artists and Elriels do commissioned pieces to so... touche)

Screen Rant articles. This website is a way for free lance writers to make some money. Honestly, if you want to dive into them, go ahead, but these article centralize on the writers' opinions and click bait/SEO. And no, I'm not going to hunt down these writers' information to discredit. People are allowed to have their opinions and make money however way they want. Just at least take a moment to look at the titles for Screen Rant articles vs. TIME, TODAY, and E! News. You'll see a difference going forward in this post.

Additonal unnecsssary "official" weeks/ "spontaneous" days for ships and characters due to the belief that Elriel fans ruin everything

Anyways, let's dive into this year's pro Elriel content ❤️

January 30th, 2024

TIME- Time magazine is a widely cited resource and maintains high standards of journalism. In this particular article, only Elain and Azriel are mentioned as a possibility for the next ACOTAR book.

January 30th, 2024

TODAY Show- A sit-down interview with SJM. (This particular part of the interview I condensed together on Canva because of the limited pictures we can include on Tumblr) Below, Sarah talks about fate, the idea of exploring rejecting mates, and free will. (Lucien and Elain?) She also discusses her characters ending up with someone who offers growth and joy. (Azriel and Elain?) SJM can't tell us in black and white that she's doing this, but COME ON people. There's a reason she discusses it.

Oh, and the TODAY show decided to like/comment on Elriel comments ONLY.

Side Note: If interested, take a look at this tumblr post for a lovely, thorough breakdown. ( @courtofblooming )

April 19th, 2024

Guilty As Sin Instagram Story from SJM- Sarah loves her little crumbs, and this song honestly encapulates Elriel. We unfortunately don't get confirmation from SJM, but I'll include some of the lyrics for you to judge.

This cage was once just fine

Am I allowed to cry?

I dream of cracking locks

Throwing my life to the wolves

Or the ocean rocks

Crashing into him tonight

He's a paradox

I'm seeing visions, am I bad?

Or mad? Or wise?

What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh

Only in my mind?

One slip and falling back into the hedge maze

Oh what a way to die

I keep recalling things we never did

Messy top lip kiss

How I long for our trysts

Without ever touching his skin

How can I be guilty as sin?

What makes it even better? Audible and Spotify commented ONLY on Elriel posts in relation to this song. You won't find these particular companies commenting on any other ships of the fandom.

Side Note: The other side of the fandom tries to discredit these influential companies by stating the person behind the account doesn't represent the whole company or just enjoy saying the companies comments aren't credible. Multi-million dollar companies are NOT going to waste their time and reputation on fanon created ships. These companies are business smart and only invest in what's profitable. There's a reason they make millions...ELRIEL is profitable due to canon evidence. Simple as that.

December 2nd, 2024

Bloomsbury and SJMaas Updates announce that the audiobooks are now available on Spotify- Bloomsbury, SJM Updates, and Spotify are in close collaboration with each other. Makes those Spotify Elriel comments even more satisfying. ❤️

December 9th, 2024

SJM 2024 Author of the Year Spotify Video- Although we got little news for the coming spring about audible books, us as a fandom had a lovely time dissecting the video. Yet again, Spotify only commented on Elriel comments.

Side Note: Take a look at these tumblr posts for an inciteful look into the significance of tea cups/Elain ( @offtorivendell ) and an excellent interpretation of the Spotify video. ( @wingedblooms )

December 13th, 2024

E News!- I know this particular article has ruffled some feathers, but it's entertaining none the less! Gotta love the nod to Azriel's wingspan. IYKYK (And yes, it's credible... it's owned by NBC Universal... the same company that owns TODAY and 33% stakes of Hulu through Comcast (Comcast owns NBC Universal, and the stakes are through NBC Universal). I only add Hulu due to the ACOTAR TV series being developed through Hulu.)

December 17th, 2024

Goodreads- This is just a little star on top of the tree, but it's great to know that ACOFAS made it into the top 10 most read overall books this year. (Interesting how ACOSF didn't make it...) Notably, ACOFAS is the bridge for future spin-offs. (Also interesting how a particular character isn't seen in ACOFAS...)

(ACOFAS pictures taken from @psychologynerd post linked below)

In Conclusion...

As an Elriel, I've truly appreciated the continuous confirmations for Azriel and Elain for the future ACOTAR 5 book in small, simple ways. Even better knowing that Spotify and Audible have outwardly commented on ONLY Elriel posts.

As the year 2024 ends, I'll treasure these little nuggets of positivity until the announcement day! I have a feeling 2025 will hold some excellent news for the fandom. Until then, have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

P.S.

If you know of anymore pro Elriel content from this year, by all means, write a comment. 🥰

[coltgrayyinfo]

I want to take a moment to address something I feel is worth mentioning—not just in regard to this case, this page, or similar situations, but for all discussion of impactful cases. Transparency and freedom of speech in such cases are very important and we have the right to discuss this info, especially as these situations impact so many people and the world we live in. We all benefit from open, respectful discussion when it's grounded in verified information and shared with care. That's the purpose here: to document, inform, and stay rooted in what is publicly known, while being mindful of the seriousness of the events at hand.

The content shared here aims toward staying as accurate as possible and is based on research collected from public information. That includes things like credible news articles, official court records, public filings, court hearings, etc. It's compiled to help people follow developments, understand the broader context, and stay informed. If anything is drawn from conclusions based on research or is from something mentioned in another post found elsewhere, that will always be stated as such.

This page was created for informational purposes. It is not here to push opinions for either side—it’s about presenting facts that are already accessible to everyone, but are often scattered or overlooked.

Most people here understand and appreciate that, but it's worth stating clearly for the occasional person that doesn’t: nothing shared here is meant to condone, justify, or support any of the actions involved in this or any other case. Sharing public information is not the same as defending the events being discussed.

[bumbled-bees]

Would you describe Lily Orchard as Pseudo-Intellectual or Anti-Intellectual?

Both.

Lily demonstrates clear traits of both pseudo-intellectualism and anti-intellectualism, though they manifest differently in her public persona versus her genuine behavior.

Lily’s Pseudo-Intellectualism

In her public persona — particularly in her video essays and commentary — Lily consistently presents herself as someone with a deep understanding of media analysis, social issues, and psychology. She uses jargon, references theoretical concepts, and adopts an authoritative tone to create the illusion of expertise. However, when you break down her arguments, it becomes clear that she often lacks the fundamental knowledge necessary to support her claims.

Key Traits of Lily’s Pseudo-Intellectualism:

Surface-Level Analysis: Lily frequently critiques media without engaging with deeper themes, metaphors, or symbolic storytelling. As we've discussed before, she takes narratives at face value and disregards subtext — such as her criticism of Steven Universe for "locking Ruby and Sapphire inside Garnet," ignoring that Garnet is the metaphor for their relationship.

Misuse of Concepts: Lily often invokes psychological and social terms incorrectly to bolster her points. Her warped understanding of “boundaries,” for example, allows her to frame innocent interactions as violations to justify her own hostility.

Overconfidence in Shallow Knowledge: Lily presents her surface-level observations as definitive truths. Her approach is less about curiosity or engagement and more about asserting dominance in a conversation — something she relies on because she struggles to defend her ideas when challenged.

Performative Intellectualism: Much of her discourse relies on the assumption that her audience will trust her assertions without verification. Since she actively discourages her viewers from seeking outside perspectives or questioning her conclusions, she’s able to maintain an illusion of authority.

This pseudo-intellectual persona allows Lily to position herself as someone “in the know,” especially among viewers who may be less familiar with the concepts she discusses. By cloaking her ideas in intellectual language, she lends credibility to her shallow insights and manipulative narratives.

Lily’s Anti-Intellectualism

When Lily isn’t trying to perform as an “intellectual,” her genuine behavior reveals a deep-seated anti-intellectual mindset — one characterized by hostility toward learning, refusal to engage in critical thinking, and active discouragement of curiosity.

Key Traits of Lily’s Anti-Intellectualism:

Refusal to Learn or Improve: As seen in her Dragon Age videos and other content, Lily routinely skips over important information, disregards context, and refuses to engage with material in a meaningful way. Her tendency to button-mash through dialogue, then critique the narrative based on her incomplete understanding, speaks to her disinterest in actually learning.

Contempt for Expertise: Rather than acknowledging her own gaps in understanding, Lily often ridicules or belittles those who provide informed perspectives. This is seen in her infamous claim that media creators should "just fight back" against studio censorship — an assertion that reveals her ignorance about how professional industries work, yet one she stubbornly stands by.

Aversion to Recommendations: Lily’s hatred of audience recommendations ties into this mindset. Whether it’s fear of feeling ignorant, anxiety about stepping outside her comfort zone, or simply laziness, Lily resents being asked to engage with anything she didn’t choose for herself.

Encouraging Ignorance in Her Audience: By discouraging her viewers from verifying claims, cross-referencing sources, or exploring new ideas, Lily fosters an echo chamber where her word reigns supreme. Her aggressive stance against “debating her critics” stems from this as well — since allowing her audience to hear other viewpoints risks exposing her contradictions.

The Intersection of Both

Lily’s reliance on pseudo-intellectual tactics enables her to create an aura of authority, while her anti-intellectual mindset ensures she’s never challenged in meaningful ways. She weaponizes intellectual language to sound credible, yet actively rejects the principles of critical thinking, open dialogue, and evidence-based reasoning that true intellectualism requires.

This contradiction ties back into Lily’s impulsive nature and short-term thinking. Rather than genuinely engaging with ideas, she defaults to whatever tactic best serves her immediate goal — claiming to be informed when it makes her look smart, yet retreating into dismissiveness or hostility when faced with criticism or inconvenient truths.

Conclusion

Lily Orchard’s behavior blends both pseudo-intellectual and anti-intellectual traits. In her public persona, she leans on surface-level rhetoric to feign expertise and control her audience’s perception of her. Meanwhile, her genuine mindset reflects hostility toward learning, growth, and self-improvement. This combination allows her to maintain power over her community while avoiding accountability for her contradictions, misinformation, and manipulative tactics.