#Online coding platform for kids

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Tech’s benevolent-dictator-for-life to authoritarian pipeline

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/2024/12/10/bdfl/#high-on-your-own-supply

Silicon Valley's "authoritarian turn" is hard to miss: tech bosses have come out for autocrats like Trump, Orban, Milei, Bolsonaro, et al, and want to turn San Francisco into a militia-patrolled apartheid state operated for the benefit of tech bros:

https://newrepublic.com/article/180487/balaji-srinivasan-network-state-plutocrat

Smart people have written well about what this means, and have gotten me thinking, too:

https://www.programmablemutter.com/p/why-did-silicon-valley-turn-right

Regular readers will know that I make a kind of hobby of collecting definitions of right-wing thought:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/09/29/jubilance/#tolerable-racism

One of these – a hoary old cliche – is that "a conservative is a liberal who's been mugged." I don't give this one much credence, but it takes on an interesting sheen when combined with this anonymous gem: "Conservatives say they long for the simpler times of their childhood, but what they miss is that the reason they lived simpler lives back then wasn't that the times were simpler; rather, it's because they were children."

If you're a tech founder who once lived in a world where your workers were also your pals and didn't shout at you about labor relations, perhaps that's not because workers got "woke," but rather, because when you were all scrapping at a startup, you were all on an equal footing and there weren't any labor relations to speak of. And if you're a once-right-on tech founder who used to abstractly favor "social justice" but now find yourself beset by people demanding that you confront your privilege, perhaps what's changed isn't those people, but rather the amount of privilege you have.

In other words, "a reactionary tech boss is a liberal tech boss who hired a bunch of pals only to have them turn around and start a union." And also: "Tech founders say things were simpler when they were running startups, but what they miss is that the reason no one asked their startup to seriously engage with the social harms it caused is the because the startup was largely irrelevant to society, while the large company it turned into is destroying millions of peoples' lives today."

The oft-repeated reactionary excuse that "I didn't leave the progressive movement, they left me," can be both technically true and also profoundly wrong: if progressives in your circle never bothered you about your commercial affairs, perhaps that's because those affairs didn't matter when you were grinding out code in your hacker house, but they matter a lot now that you have millions of users and thousands of employees.

I've been in tech circles since before the dawn of the dotcoms; I was part of a movement of people who would come over to your house with a stack of floppies and install TCP/IP and PPP networking software on your computer and show you how to connect to a BBS or ISP, because we wanted everyone to have as much fun as we were having.

Some of us channeled that excitement into starting companies that let people get online, create digital presences of their own, and connect with other people. Some of us were more .ORG than .COM and gave our lives over to activism and nonprofits, missing out on the stock options and big paydays. But even though we ended up in different places, we mostly started in the same place, as spittle-flecked, excited kids talking a mile a minute about how cool this internet thing would be and helping you, a normie, jump into it.

Many of my peers from the .ORG and .COM worlds went on to set up institutions – both companies and nonprofits – that have since grown to be critical pieces of internet infrastructure: classified ad platforms, online encyclopedias, CMSes and personal publishing services, critical free/open source projects, standards bodies, server-to-server utilities, and more.

These all started out as benevolent autocracies: personal projects started by people who pitched in to help their virtual neighbors with the new, digital problems we were all facing. These good people, with good impulses, did good: their projects filled an important need, and grew, and grew, and became structurally important to the digital world. What started off as "Our pal's project that we all pitch in on," became, "Our pal's important mission that we help with, but that also has paid staff and important stakeholders, which they oversee as 'benevolent dictator for life.'"

Which was fine. The people who kicked off these projects had nurtured them all the way from a napkin doodle to infrastructure. They understood them better than anyone else, had sacrificed much for them, and it made sense for them to be installed as stewards.

But what they did next, how they used their powers as "BFDLs," made a huge difference. Because we are all imperfect, we are all capable of rationalizing our way into bad choices, we are all riven with insecurities that can push us to do things we later regret. When our actions are checked – by our peers' social approval or approbation; by the need to keep our volunteers happy; by the possibility of a mass exodus of our users or a fork of our code – these imperfections are balanced by consequences.

Dictators aren't necessarily any more prone to these lapses in judgment than anyone else. Benevolent dictators actually exist, people who only retain power because they genuinely want to use that power for good. Those people aren't more likely to fly off the handle or talk themselves into bad places than you or me – but to be a dictator (benevolent or otherwise) is to exist without the consequences that prevent you from giving in to those impulses. Worse: if you are the dictator – again, benevolent or otherwise – of a big, structurally important company or nonprofit that millions of people rely on, the consequences of these lapses are extremely consequential.

This is how BDFL arrangements turn sour: by removing themselves from formal constraint, the people whose screwups matter the most end up with the fewest guardrails to prevent themselves from screwing up.

No wonder people who set out to do good, to help others find safe and satisfying digital homes online, find themselves feeling furious and beset. Given those feelings, can we really be surprised when "benevolent" dictators discover that they have sympathy for real-world autocrats whose core ethos is, "I know what needs to be done and I could do it, if only the rest of you would stop nagging me about petty bullshit that you just made up 10 minutes ago but now insist is the most important thing in the world?"

That all said, it's interesting to look at the process by which some BDFLs transitioned to community-run projects with checks and balances. I often think about how Wikipedia's BDFL, the self-avowed libertarian Jimmy Wales, decided (correctly, and to his everlasting credit), that the project he raised from a weird idea into a world-historic phenomenon should not be ruled over by one guy, not even him.

(Jimmy is one of those libertarians who believes that we don't need governments to make us be kind and take care of one another because he is kind and takes care of other people – see also John Gilmore and Penn Jillette:)

https://www.cracked.com/article_40871_penn-jillette-wants-to-talk-it-all-out.html

Jimmy's handover to the Wikimedia Foundation gives me hope for our other BDFLs. He's proof that you can find yourself in the hotseat without being so overwhelmed with personal grievance that you find yourself in sympathy with actual fascists, but rather, have the maturity and self-awareness to know that the reason people are demanding so much of you is that you have – deliberately and with great effort – created a situation in which you owe the world a superhuman degree of care and attention, and the only way to resolve that situation equitably and secure your own posterity is to share that power around, not demand that you be allowed to wield it without reproach.

[dreamdolldeveloper]

back to basics

mostly free resources to help you learn the basics that i've gathered for myself so far that i think are cool

everyday

gcfglobal - about the internet, online safety and for kids, life skills like applying for jobs, career planning, resume writing, online learning, today's skills like 3d printing, photoshop, smartphone basics, microsoft office apps, and mac friendly. they have core skills like reading, math, science, language learning - some topics are sparse so hopefully they keep adding things on. great site to start off on learning.

handsonbanking - learn about finances. after highschool, credit, banking, investing, money management, debt, goal setting, loans, cars, small businesses, military, insurance, retirement, etc.

bbc - learning for all ages. primary to adult. arts, history, science, math, reading, english, french, all the way to functional and vocational skills for adults as well, great site!

education.ket - workplace essential skills

general education

mathsgenie - GCSE revision, grade 1-9, math stages 1-14, provides more resources! completely free.

khan academy - pre-k to college, life skills, test prep (sats, mcat, etc), get ready courses, AP, partner courses like NASA, etc. so much more!

aleks - k-12 + higher ed learning program. adapts to each student.

biology4kids - learn biology

cosmos4kids - learn astronomy basics

chem4kids - learn chemistry

physics4kids - learn physics

numbernut - math basics (arithmetic, fractions and decimals, roots and exponents, prealgebra)

education.ket - primary to adult. includes highschool equivalent test prep, the core skills. they have a free resource library and they sell workbooks. they have one on work-life essentials (high demand career sectors + soft skills)

youtube channels

the organic chemistry tutor

khanacademy

crashcourse

tabletclassmath

2minmaths

kevinmathscience

professor leonard

greenemath

mathantics

3blue1brown

literacy

readworks - reading comprehension, build background knowledge, grow your vocabulary, strengthen strategic reading

chompchomp - grammar knowledge

tutors

not the "free resource" part of this post but sometimes we forget we can be tutored especially as an adult. just because we don't have formal education does not mean we can't get 1:1 teaching! please do you research and don't be afraid to try out different tutors. and remember you're not dumb just because someone's teaching style doesn't match up with your learning style.

cambridge coaching - medical school, mba and business, law school, graduate, college academics, high school and college process, middle school and high school admissions

preply - language tutoring. affordable!

revolutionprep - math, science, english, history, computer science (ap, html/css, java, python c++), foreign languages (german, korean, french, italian, spanish, japanese, chinese, esl)

varsity tutors - k-5 subjects, ap, test prep, languages, math, science & engineering, coding, homeschool, college essays, essay editing, etc

chegg - biology, business, engineering/computer science, math, homework help, textbook support, rent and buying books

learn to be - k-12 subjects

for languages

lingq - app. created by steve kaufmann, a polygot (fluent in 20+ languages) an amazing language learning platform that compiles content in 20+ languages like podcasts, graded readers, story times, vlogs, radio, books, the feature to put in your own books! immersion, comprehensible input.

flexiclasses - option to study abroad, resources to learn, mandarin, cantonese, japanese, vietnamese, korean, italian, russian, taiwanese hokkien, shanghainese.

fluentin3months - bootcamp, consultation available, languages: spanish, french, korean, german, chinese, japanese, russian, italian.

fluenz - spanish immersion both online and in person - intensive.

pimsleur - not tutoring** online learning using apps and their method. up to 50 languages, free trial available.

incase time has passed since i last posted this, check on the original post (not the reblogs) to see if i updated link or added new resources. i think i want to add laguage resources at some point too but until then, happy learning!!

[anotheroceanid]

People who think that AO3 should be censored in any shape or form don’t get it they whatever content they don’t want to see will not vanish.

Ao3 is literally the safest platform to read fics, because you can literally block everything that you find triggering or simply don’t like.

When I first started reading fics at a vERY young age, the site I found to do it had NO tagging system. The only thing we could filter was the ship, and that because the authors would put it either in the title or the synopsis so we scrolled down what we didn’t like (mind you, without attacking anyone because we didn’t like the ship). While there was a rating system (not rated, 10yo, 12yo, 16yo and 18+, if I’m not mistaken), there is a HUGE difference from a story tagged as 18 to a actually triggering story.

But you wouldn’t know until you read it. We had no control whatsoever about what we’d find within those stories and that was it.

If we start censoring AO3 out of whatever content you don’t like (because there won’t ever be a consensus over what can or cannot be there, yall be complaining about same age ships claiming their “sibling coded” as if it means anything), then these stories will go somewhere else and we have no guarantee it’ll be properly tagged and THEN unaware kids will get into this stories much easier.

The thing is my siblings in Christ: this content will always exist, because the internet is an ever growing black hole and there will always be a spot for fanfiction (yk, where there is a screen there is a way). You sound like those crazy people claiming video games cause violence. Just like video games, fanfiction don’t affect real life. Thats it.

The triggering topics didn’t start in fanfiction, they started in the real world, as real life problem that affect real life people, and if we start censoring them out of ao3… THEY WILL STILL BE A PROBLEM ON REAL WORD!!! They only exist on ao3 as a collateral effect.

You aren’t doing ANYTHING. You are not helping ANYONE. But while no one is being harmed in fanfiction (because I’m sorry to inform you, your favourite characters with whom you have a parasocial relationship to the point you cannot differentiate reality from fiction anymore) DON’T EXIST. You cannot harm someone who doesn’t exist.

Besides, all these themes also exist in very well known published media. That some of yall pay for. That sometimes is in the actual original source a fic is based on… but OMG, prOteCt tHe KIdS there is a non-profit story about it now.

Curate your own experience online, don’t consume things you don’t like, block tags before you even start scrolling for a fic. Don’t tell people how they can or cannot enjoy FICTION.

And for god’s sake: put that phone down a bit and talk to real people and live in the real world with real problems!!!!! You’re frying your own brain at this point.

Don’t like, don’t read.

[lanalosty0uu]

⋆.˚ chapter iv: take on me ᝰ.ᐟ

previously on: 🕰️ BACK TO THE FUTURE 🕰️

"Don't worry," he says with an easy confidence. "We'll figure this out. But first, let's make sure you don't look like you're from outer space."

⋆.˚. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚.⊹₊ˎˊ˗

main masterlist | general masterlist

pairing: steve harrington x fem! reader

⋆.˚. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚.⊹₊ˎˊ˗ ⋆.˚. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊˚.⊹₊ˎˊ˗ ⋆.˚. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁༉‧₊

The next morning, Steve takes you to Melvald’s General Store, their first stop on your journey to adapt to 1985. The whole vibe of the store amazes you, it was all retro-y, filled with posters and neon lights all over, just like what you’ve always imagined.

“You’re gonna drool over if you kept your mouth open.” You didn’t realize that you’ve been keeping your mouth open in awe at the store.

You can tell Robin and Dustin was looking at you weirdly, knowing that this is just some regular clothing store. But not for you. For you, there is nothing more magical than being in an 80s clothing store, filled with retro and disco like clothes hanging all over.

The jingling of the old-fashioned cash register catches you off-guard, and she marvels at the analog setup. There was even no card scanner! Or a QR code for cashless payment.

Steve raises an eyebrow, clearly amused when you slightly walked over to the cash register. “Welcome to the world of cold, hard cash,” he teases, handing her a few bills for small essentials.

From there, they head to another local thrift store, where Robin joins them, ready to make an event of it. The air is filled with the scent of worn leather and old fabric as Robin rummages through the racks, dramatically holding up an oversized blazer with shoulder pads. “Future girl, this screams power suit,” she jokes, earning a giggle from you.

Even Steve and Dustin helped to find you a nice pair of clothing for you to wear today, and at least a few days to come since they know it won’t be easy to fix that watch.

After much trial and error, some of it clearly for Robin’s amusement, you settle on high-waisted jeans, a striped crop top, and a denim jacket. Steve insists on adding a pair of white sneakers to complete the look.

“You’re officially a Hawkins local,” he declares with a grin as you twirl in front of the mirror, amazed of yourself. Sure, in 2025 people still dress like this. But this… All this felt so different for you. The whole vibe, the people, everything just felt like what you’ve always dreamed of.

˗ˏˋ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⊹₊ ⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆.˚ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ˎˊ˗

“Okay, so… since you’re from the future, I’m guessing you already know stuff that happened in the 80s, correct?” Dustin asked. We were just chatting on the backseat of Steve’s car, whilst Steve was driving to to the arcade, Robin sitting on the seat next to Steve. Dustin requested to take you to the arcade, wanting to show you the amazing stuff that happens on the 80a.

“Like… what, exactly?”

“Music! You know what I mean?”

“Like… Madonna and shit? Blondie? The Runaways?”

“Yeah, yeah! Like that!” Dustin was amazed when you said all those famous names.

“I’ve listened those on Spotify, kid. So… I’m not that stupid for a person who’s a maniac about the 80s.”

He looked at me confused when you said ‘Spotify’, as if asking for explanation about it without telling you.

“It’s like a music platform, you know? In this.” You showed my phone to him, unlocking it, and opened Spotify. You began searching for my downloaded playlists since you got no internet service here and played Take On Me by a-ha.

“Whoa…” Dustin let out an amused laugh. You even caught Robin’s attention. “I thought you said that’s a phone?”

“Yeah, it is! Except it’s not just for calling, and sending messages. You can listen to songs, watch movies, call people and see them through the phone, read books and magazines online, and many more!”

Your explanation about your phone caught all their attentions, including Steve, while you remind him to keep his eyes on the road.

“You’ve played Pac-Man?!” Dustin exclaimed. You tried to explain to him that you also played it on your phone.

“Oh you’ll never beat Steve. See that? That’s the highest score. And who does that belong to? Steve Harrington.”

“Oh, so the sailor likes to play Pac-Man…” You teased Steve who just entered the arcade after parking his car.

“Well, good luck on trying to beat that, future girl.” Steve challenged you, making you raise your eyebrows.

“Might as well let me try to beat your ass, Harrington.” You pulled up your jacket sleeves and began playing Pac-Man, just like what you always knew. You have to make Pac-Man eat up all the yellow stuff and make sure not to get caught by the ghosts.

On the first try, your Pac-Man was cornered by the ghosts already, and the screen immediately flashes GAME OVER.

Steve smirks. "Not as easy as it looks, huh?"

"Let me try again!" you insist, and to Steve's surprise, she improves quickly.

By your third try, you beats his high score, and the group gathers around, cheering her on.

"Looks like the newbie's got skills," Dustin says, impressed.

“Fun fact, there will be a Pac-Man movie in 2015. It’ll be called ‘Pixels’.” You said, smirking at Steve who seemed to be annoyed.

Steve, pretending to be annoyed, mutters, "Beginner's luck." But there's a glint of pride in his eyes as he watches your grin in triumph.

˗ˏˋ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⊹₊ ⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆.˚ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ˎˊ˗

As the night falls, the rink lights dim slightly as the disco ball spins, casting a cascade of shimmering lights across the floor. Dustin and Robin let Steve be your guide for tonight in the skating rink, since Steve is such a good skater deep down. Meanwhile, you and Steve sit side by side on the edge of the rink after their dramatic fall, catching their breath between fits of laughter.

The faint buzz of 80s pop hits fills the air, but you are hyper-aware of Steve’s shoulder brushing against hers and the way his smile lingers as he glances her way.

“You okay there, klutz?” he asks, nudging her lightly.

“Oh, I’m the klutz?” you retort, raising an eyebrow. “You’re the one who dragged me into that spin of death.”

Steve chuckles and raises his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, you almost nailed it. I’d give it a solid six out of ten.”

“Wow, generous,” you mutter, rolling your eyes but smiling all the same.

Steve leans back on his elbows, looking out at the rink. “You’re actually not bad, though. For someone who didn’t even know how to skate, you’ve got potential.”

You tilt your head, watching him curiously. “Well that’s encouraging.” You gave him a sarcastic look.

You’re about to press him further when he stands up, brushing imaginary dust off his jeans.

“Come on,” he says, holding out a hand. “We’ve got time for one last lap before they kick us out.” You hesitate, staring at his outstretched hand. Your eyes moved to his, watching those brown eyes carefully. There’s something in his eyes, a warmth, a quiet sincerity that makes her heart skip a beat. Slowly, you place your hand in his, and he pulls you to your feet, steadying you when you wobble.

Both of you step back onto the rink, and this time, you feel a little steadier. Steve skates alongside yourself, pacing slow but steady as the music shifts to a softer, dreamier track. The glow of the disco ball reflects in his eyes, and for a moment, the rest of the rink seems to blur away, it was like you’re the only ones left in that rink.

“You know,” you say quietly, breaking the comfortable silence between them, “I never really had nights like this. Back home, I mean.”

Steve glances at you, intrigued. “What do you mean?”

You shrug, looking down at your purple skates. “I was always so focused on everything… school, responsibilities, the future. I never let myself just… be a teenager. Not to mention the strict parents.” You sighed, looking at his eyes. “It’s not as fun to live in the future like they said.”

He nods, a knowing look crossing his face. “Yeah, I get that. I used to be so caught up in trying to impress people, be the king of Hawkins High or whatever. But looking back? None of that stuff really mattered. This…” He gestures around them, his gaze landing back on you. “this is the kind of stuff that sticks. The moments you don’t plan.”

His words hang in the air, and you feel a pang of something you can’t quite name. Nostalgia for a time you only just started experiencing, maybe, or the bittersweet knowledge that moments like this are fleeting.

“I think you’re right,” you admits, your voice soft.

You skate in silence for a while, the music wrapping around them like a warm blanket. Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper playing vividly. You find yourself stealing glances at Steve, noticing the way his jaw clenches in concentration as he avoids an oncoming skater or the faint curve of his smile when he catches you looking.

At one point, Steve slows to a stop in the middle of the rink and turns to face you. “Alright, future girl. Let’s try one more spin.”

You groan at his request. “You’re relentless.”

“Come on, it’s your redemption arc,” he teases, his grin widening.

With a sigh, you let him take your hands, and attempt another spin. This time, it’s less of a disaster, though you still stumble into him at the end, your hands clutching his jacket for balance.

“See?” he says, his voice low. “Told you you’d get it.”

Your faces are close now, closer than you’ve been all night. You can feel the warmth of his breath, the faint scent of cologne lingering in the air between them. Your heart pound in your chest, but you can’t bring yourself to look away.

“Thanks,” you whisper, your voice barely audible over the music.

“For what?” Steve asks, his expression softening.

“For this. For making me feel like I belong here,” you said.

He smiles, a genuine, almost shy smile that catches you off guard. “You do belong here. More than you think.”

The moment stretches out, the world around them fading into the background. You aren’t sure what’s supposed to come next, but you knows one thing.

For the first time since you arrived in 1985, you don’t feel like a stranger.

note: another chapter, yay! you really can see what i meant by the next chapters will be interesting, yeah? so happy i can finally finish this chapter ^^ hope u guys enjoyed it and stay tuned for the next ones <3

taglist: @xprloki @pupwrites @gorlillaglue25 @lovestrucklyuniverse @keerysfolklore @www-interludeshadow-com @pleasantsoulcolor @mochminnie @steviespookie @damon-loves-pie @imjustdreamingig @starkleila @2602moon @negomi123 @currentresidentinhell @ucannotcompare @lilgreensunshine

if there's anyone who wants to be tag as well, feel free to ask <3

[vilevexedvixen]

I remember being really insensed as a kid by tech bros and companies insisting that "app games are the future" and going out of their way to shut down flash and buy out kids social platforms like Club Penguin, Bin Weavels, Moshi Monsters, Webkins, etc. (your era of internet will vary the list, so habbo hotel, neopets, etc. I see you!).

In a similar but different vain, I also find the bizarre censorship of most platforms to be "family friendly" irritating. Not only is it ineffective for genuinely sex repulsed users, but it also (more importantly) functions as an excuse to control information and expression in an age of rising fascism.

All this has meant there's basically no dedicated online spaces for kids to just be kids, and all users of all ages now have to walk on egg shells if they are even remotely pg. Love how PornHub hosting lectures on stuff like coding, or other random sfw stuff effectively creates an uncensored safe haven of free expression outside of meta.

Obviously just because the old kid sites were designed with kids in mind, that didn't bar predators from entry - partly because our understanding of cybersecurity and online age restrictive measures were more limited back then, but I feel like they could be filtered better today than in the early 2010s.

As things stand currently, no one really benefits from this widespread attempt to sanitise and commercialise the internet - except shareholders.

[ravenn1]

Okay so like—maybe I snapped. Maybe I had one too many matcha lattes and accidentally opened the comments section. My bad. But why is the internet so obsessed with turning every female creator into a public property with a user manual? I swear, the moment a girl dares to glow up, speak up, clap back, or—God forbid—get a boob job, people act like she burned the constitution. And I’m just sitting here, with my emotional support hoodie and a rage migraine, wondering: when did we decide that personal growth is betrayal? When did female autonomy become public offense? Why is every girl online either a saint or a sellout? No in-between. I’m so over this. Like fully, aggressively, “make-an-essay-and-quote-it-on-Tumblr” over this. So here. Enjoy the thesis, besties.

On Clara Dao:

The Clara Dao discourse reveals more about the public’s unresolved projection complex than it does about Clara herself. To dissect the backlash through a lens of socio-psychological behavior, it becomes evident that many individuals tethered their own body image recovery journey to her personal choices—creating a parasocial dependence wherein her perceived authenticity was conflated with collective healing. Her decision to undergo a breast augmentation is not a betrayal of self-love or naturalism; it is, in fact, an embodiment of bodily autonomy. One can embrace radical acceptance and still wish to edit aspects of themselves—not out of internalized hatred, but nuanced self-direction. Growth, as both a scientific and emotional phenomenon, is non-linear. To accuse her of being a hypocrite is to deny her personhood and human complexity. Clara was never a brand; she is a breathing person. And persons are allowed to evolve.

Moreover, this demand for moral constancy—this insatiable appetite to freeze influencers in the era they first rose to fame—suggests a subconscious resistance to female transformation. Particularly transformations that involve power, visibility, and desire. Clara’s aesthetic change becomes threatening not because she lied (she didn’t), but because she dared to want more. Her platform may have helped others love their bodies, but that never meant she signed a social contract to remain unchanged for the sake of public comfort. This expectation is both emotionally parasitic and ethically absurd. The truth is, Clara Dao owes no one the stagnation of her former self. She owes only herself the permission to evolve.

On Lala Sadi:

The vitriol toward Lala Sadi reeks of performative moralism disguised as cultural critique. What people call “inauthentic” or “too much” is actually a coded rejection of female enthusiasm, exuberance, and non-linear emotional narratives. We live in a digital ecosystem where a woman being loud, passionate, or dramatic is criminalized under the pretense of “annoyance” or “dishonesty”—as if performativity isn’t the nature of content creation itself. Lala’s content has matured. Her voice now holds more depth, more self-awareness, and yet she remains unapologetically herself—which, ironically, is exactly what everyone demanded of her. But when real emotion doesn’t align with the public’s projection of what “real” should look like, they call it fake. She was never a liar. People just don't know what it means to be a full, layered, chaotic woman on the internet.

On Apoorva Mukhija:

Apoorva Mukhija, or “The Rebel Kid,” is not the villain of her narrative—she is its most brutal casualty. What occurred on that stage was not “banter” or “harmless teasing.” It was a microcosm of a deeply embedded misogynistic power dynamic, where a woman reacting at all becomes a moral infraction. The way her assertiveness was reframed into aggression reveals society’s deeply conditioned fear of the angry woman—a woman who speaks up, who doesn’t laugh off humiliation, who doesn’t self-deprecate to cushion male egos. The threats she received—death, rape, acid—are not just online “hate.” They are gendered terrorism. They are meant to frighten women into silence and submission. This isn't drama. This is the digital enactment of patriarchal control.

Furthermore, the hypocrisy here is bone-deep. When men clap back or “roast” others on the internet, they’re crowned as clever and bold. When women do it, especially in response to something violating, they’re painted as vindictive and attention-seeking. Apoorva didn’t attack someone for the sake of virality—she defended herself when disrespected publicly. And yet somehow, her defense became the crime. This is moral distortion at its finest. It’s the public convincing itself that women must earn the right to be angry. That women must be pleasantly oppressed. What people wanted wasn’t an apology—they wanted to punish her for not making herself smaller in a moment that demanded strength.

Finally, let us speak of the silence. The influencers, the male creators, the audience that laughed or stayed quiet or rebranded their complicity as neutrality. Their indifference was not passive—it was violently loud. Apoorva stood alone. She was devoured for breaking character in a play that demands women smile through pain. But she didn’t. And that, more than anything, was her crime. That she refused to be a good girl. That she raised her voice, stood her ground, and exposed an entire system with one moment of unapologetic fire.

[botgal]

California Bills To Watch For

I'm sure by now that many people are aware of the dangers posed by AB 3080 (discussed in my post here), but for those unaware, there are yet other bills in California that pose a danger to free use of the internet which we should also keep on the forefront of our minds. 3 of the 4 bills I will mention here will be going up for a hearing in the California Senate Committee on Appropriations, one of the bills is currently being held in suspense file until the suspense file is read and thus will not be up for discussion in the same way as the rest. So that one will remain more on the back burner but still good to call your representatives about nonetheless. (A link on how you can find your reps here).

CA SB 976: Protecting Our Kids From Social Media Addiction Act (Senator Skinner et al)

Building on the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, this bill seeks to make it unlawful for the operator of an addictive 'internet-based service or application' to provide an 'addictive feed' to a user unless the operator doesn't have actual knowledge the user is a minor, has reasonably determined the user isn't a minor, or has obtained verifiable parental consent to provide an addictive feed to a minor user.

Essentially a very complicated and roundabout bill which would be difficult to enforce and would necessitate the usage of age verification for nearly all users. Especially when the alternative is that parents would have to also give up their identifiable information to allow a child to use an online platform. And also limits the ability of a minor user to receive notifications from a service or application during times assumed to be for school attendance or for late night usage. Great potentials for privacy violations and potential dangers for minors in abusive households where parents can exercise greater control over them and what they do. Also does not limit this specifically to social media platforms.

Overall a very unnecessarily complex bill that attempts to solve issues with perceived addictive social media features in inefficient and privacy violating ways.

Currently set for Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on May 13th.

CA SB 1228: User Identity Authentication (Senator Steve Padilla)

Requires social media platforms to verify the identities of people with large social media followings and influence in a tiered system. Nominally to minimize the spread of misinformation during an election year.

"Influential users" are defined as people who either has content that has been seen by more than 50,000 users within a seven-day period across all accounts the user controls on the platform, those with accounts over 15,000 followers, or ranks in the top 6% of users by amount of content viewed by users on the platform within a seven-day period across all their accounts on that platform. These users would be required to provide the platform with their name, telephone number, and email address in order to be considered authenticated.

"Highly influential users" are defined as people whose content has been seen by more than 100,000 users within a seven-day period across all accounts the user controls on the platform, those with accounts over 30,000 followers, or ranks in the top 3% of users by amount of content viewed by users on the platform within a seven-day period across all their accounts on that platform. These users would be required to provide the platform with their name, telephone number, email address, and government-issued identification in order to be considered authenticated.

Supposedly there would be safeguards and rules saying that any information taken to authenticate a user would not be stored or used for anything besides authentication. And they would be marked as authenticated, with the option to block non-authenticated users. But also allows social media companies the option of requiring either of these things even for those who aren't considered influential or highly influential.

Essentially another identity verification measure which should not be allowed to pass, and unnecessarily complicated and unlikely to work in its attempts to prevent misinformation.

Currently set for Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on May 13th.

CA SB 1444: Let Parents Choose Protection Act of 2024 (Senator Stern)

Requires large social media platform providers to create, maintain, and make available third-party safety providers through which parents or guardians are able to control what appears on their child's social media feed.

Another bill which by its sheer existence would put the identities and information of users at risk, both adults and minors. And would likely lead to further age or identity verification measures which would be wholly unnecessary and highly invasive.

CA AB 1949: California Consumer Privacy Act of 2020: collection of personal information of a consumer less than 18 years of age (Assembly Member Lowenthal)

Would remove the conditions that an online business have actual knowledge that the consumer is less than 16 years of age, and would prohibit a business from selling or sharing information of a consumer less than 18 years of age unless the consumer or their parent/guardian has authorized the sale of the personal information. Also requires businesses to inform the consumers of what information is being collected and sold and will not collect additional information. Allows consumers the right to opt out of any sale of personal information, but by default none under 18 may have their information sold.

Also runs the risk of invasive age verification becoming the norm for internet websites, rather than wholesale allowing the opting in and out of sale of personal information to be default for all.

Currently set to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Suspension File.

With all that said, while I know it may seem like a lot, please look into these bills as much as you can, and send messages to your representatives letting them know you're in opposition to all of them and what they could potentially mean for our internet freedom, privacy, and safety.

[maria021015]

Here are some of my Stiles Stilinski Headcanons.

1. General Headcanons

2. Post-Void Headcanons

3. Stiles x Zaida (oc) Headcanons

General:

- Stiles has mainstream social media accounts (Instagram, TikTok, etc) but he barely uses them. He would have a few posts of himself with his friends and significant other, but he would not be regularly active. He’d mainly use those apps to scroll and send videos and memes to his friends.

- Stiles would be more active on other platforms where he joins conspiracy theory groups/pages and also geeks out about his interests.

- Stiles is a skateboarder. We saw a big image of a skateboarder on his bedroom wall in the early Teen Wolf seasons, so I believe Stiles has always been into skateboarding. When he was a kid he’d skateboard at the front of the house on the street and he’d come home all banged up from tricks he attempted. He would keep trying until he learned them. He kept skateboarding into his teen years until the supernatural took over and he didn’t have time anymore.

- Stiles would also be a huge gamer. He’d love combat games but also mystery and adventure games. He would also play horror games. He and Scott used to stay up gaming online with one another before the supernatural took over. They still do play sometimes when they get time and it’s a way to wind down and de-stress.

- Stiles would totally play Dungeons and Dragons. In season two he told Allison he was part of an online gaming community that battled mythical creatures - D&D would be right up his ally.

- Stiles loves bright and sunny days with a cool breeze. He was a really active kid and those were the best days to get out of the house. He remembers outings he went on with his Mom before she got sick, family days they’d spend at parks or walking through the Preserve. After his Mom got sick, he’d spend those days with Scott, playing on the street. Then after his Mom passed away and he moved into his teen years, he’d spend them running around town, skating, and messing around with Scott.

- Stiles doesn’t get a lot of sleep. He used to find it hard to sleep as a kid, and his Mom would read him comic books to get him to fall asleep. Sometimes it would work, other times it wouldn’t. Eventually, she got him a new pillow and told him it was a magic pillow that would help him sleep. After his Mom passed away he would get pretty bad nightmares, but his magic pillow helped. As he got older he knew the pillow wasn’t magic, but it reminded him of his Mom, and that was enough to help him get to sleep. He now can’t sleep without it.

- Stiles has always been morally grey. He breaks the law frequently, he advocates for resolving things with violence (even murder on occasion), he has always been a rule breaker. Part of it is a game/challenge to him - to see how far he can take it, to see what he is capable of. The other part is that he runs on his own personal moral code. His morals lie in loyalty to his friends. He would do anything to protect them.

- Stiles has ADHD and Generalised anxiety disorder. He later developes PTSD (post-void).

- Due to his ADHD, he was often labelled a trouble-child or a bad student, or the class clown. His parents were his biggest advocates, but Stiles saw their struggles. He feels like he was a difficult kid and that he was a burden to his parents.

- This feeling only worsens when his Mom gets sick and then passes away. He feels like he could have had more time with her if he wasn’t so difficult and didn’t stress her out with all of his problems. This is why in season 2 he hallucinates his father telling him it was his fault his mother died and that he would end up killing the Sheriff too.

- It’s because of this that he is so adamant on taking care of his father. He worried about losing his dad too, but he also doesn’t want to be a burden.

- This weighs heavily on him when he gets involved with the supernatural and it starts affecting his father’s job.

- Stiles is big on nostalgia. He loves anything and everything that reminds him of his Mom and of his childhood before she got sick. It’s why he loves the Jeep that Claudia used to drive him around in.

- It’s also why he loves 80’s music. His Mom used to put it on when they drove around or on road trips, or when she cooked. She would sing and dance. She’d pester Noah until he gave in and sung and danced with her and Stiles would watch and smile because he loved seeing how in love his parents were. Eventually they’d pull him in to dance too.

- Stiles loves 80’s music. He loves listening to it in the car and on late night drives and road trips. He plays the music full blast.

- He sings along (very loudly and rather badly) and headbangs and plays air guitar during guitar solos. He also will bang on anything - like it’s a drum kit - along to the beat.

- He loves AC/DC and Bon Jovi, but his guilty pleasures are the 80’s girlies like Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar, etc.

- He also loves ABBA

-His love of the 80’s doesn’t stop at music. He’s a huge film buff. We already know he loves Star Wars, but he would be totally into The Goonies, Toy Soldiers, Gremlins, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Back to the Future, Stand By Me, The Breakfast Club, Top Gun, Beetlejuice, Ghost Busters, Princess Bride, E.T, Dirty Dancing (romance movies are also his guilty pleasure), Die Hard, The Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, Indiana Jones, Predator, The Terminator, Friday the 13th, The Shining, etc

- He’s a superhero nerd and prefers DC to Marvel. He would very passionately join online debates about which superhero cinematic universe is better.

- When he was a kid he would dress up as a superhero every Halloween (usually Batman). His Mom and Melissa would take him and Scott trick or treating and make their costumes. Scott would usually be Superman.

- Stiles plays the drums, and he plays them very well. He and Scott tried to start a band when they were in their early teen years, but no one wanted to join. Scott would play guitar, obviously. Noah and Melissa still have some embarrassingly cute home videos of their performances in the Stilinskis’ garage.

- Claudia and Melissa were great friends and knew each other from school. It’s how Scott and Stiles met.

- Stiles cannot cook for the life of him, and neither can Noah. Claudia was a great cook, and had a book of recipes passed down from her family. Neither Noah or Stiles can ever follow them correctly, so they always end up ordering out. This is why we see them eating so much fast food in the show.

- Stiles loves horror movies, especially older ones. But he loves that they scare Scott more. When the boys would have sleepovers as kids and it was Stiles’ turn to choose the movie, he’d always choose a horror movie because he found it hilarious when Scott would try to hide that he was hiding behind a pillow. Or that he wanted to sleep with the light on afterwards.

- Stiles has always been one to sleep in. Once he is asleep, it is very hard to wake him up.

Post-Void Headcanons:

- Stiles struggled a lot with nightmares and panic attacks after the events of season 3B.

- Sleep becomes even harder for him. Sometimes, when his nightmares get really bad, he wakes up in a panic thinking that the Nogitsune is back or that he never really went away.

- He carries a lot of guilt for his actions, and he always will.

- Deaton said that sacrificing themselves to find the Nemeton would darken their souls, but Stiles felt it the worst out of the three. After Void, he never felt the same. A part of him died. That happy, hyperactive kid with the buzz cut was gone after that. He lost his childhood innocence completely.

- Stiles blames himself for Allison and Aiden’s deaths. He feels responsible.

- Void was the beginning of the deterioration of Stiles and Scott’s friendship.

- Stiles pulls away from Scott because he thinks Scott is resentful/blames him for losing Allison. He knows Scott looks at him differently/sees him differently now.

- Stiles deals with his trauma alone. He doesn’t want to burden the rest of the gang but he also feels like none of them would understand.

- Stiles’ trauma causes him to become more distrusting, especially because he sees Scott fall victim to being too trusting time and time again. This only adds to the tension between them in season 5.

- Scott holds onto a lot of PTSD from the events of 3B (getting stabbed, losing Allison, Aiden dying, the chaos and death). It’s not conscious but he does think and feel differently about Stiles after that. He saw how easy it was for Stiles to be a villain - and an effective villain. He knows if Stiles snaps or turns it would be bad news. He knows what Stiles is capable of. He’s wary. He knows Stiles has always been morally grey and he is so wary about that that can lead to. He holds onto this until season 5, and that is why it’s so easy for Theo to play on that to turn Scott against Stiles. It’s only after season 5 and before season 6 that Scott and Stiles talk about all of this unresolved trauma and get their friendship back on track.

Stiles headcanons with my OC from my ‘Rising Tides’ fanfic:

- Stiles loves that Zaida is significantly shorter than him. He adores resting his head on top of hers when he hugs her and when they cuddle. He also loves teasing her about her height because it annoys her, but she secretly loves how tall he is too. She loves feeling safe and protected when he wraps his arms around her.

- Stiles also loves that Zaida is a bigger girl. He finds her body really attractive and loves all of her soft curves (he’s totally an ass AND boob man). Zaida knows this and she is very confident in flaunting it (and using it to get her way)

- Zaida loves that Stiles can always make her laugh. She seriously thinks he’s the funniest person on the planet, and Stiles loves making her laugh.

- Staida love having movie nights. They are both geeks and film buffs. Zaida shares Stiles’ love for 80’s films and other franchises like Star Wars. She introduced him to more modern fandoms like Harry Potter and T.V shows, whilst he shares with her some of the older stuff like Indiana Jones.

- They occasionally game together. Things like Mario Kart, Mario bros, Zelda, FNAF.

- There are some games Zaida doesn’t like as much, like the combat games he plays with Scott. So when he plays those Zaida reads her books.

- Zaida is a great cook. She often will come over to the Stilinski House and cook for Stiles and Noah, even before she and Stiles started dating. They love her food, and they love having home cooked meals again. It reminds them both of when Claudia was still alive.

- After Stiles and Zaida get together, she finds Claudia’s recipe book and cooks something for them. Noah and Stiles both start crying and she’s worried she ruined the food but they tell her it’s actually because it’s a comfort food Claudia used to make and it tastes the same.

- Stiles and Zaida love to cook together. Stiles will often put on some music and abandon the food to pull Zaida into a dance, just like he loves watching his parents do. They have a habit of burning the food.

- Zaida hates driving. Whenever they’re in the car together, Stiles will drive.

- Zaida has a habit of falling asleep during car rides, but when she’s not asleep, she’s blasting music and jamming out with Stiles.

- Noah really loves Zaida. He thinks she’s perfect for Stiles and loves how happy she makes his son. He sees a bit of himself in her, just like he sees a lot of Claudia in Stiles. Their relationship reminds him of himself and Claudia. But he does know that Stiles and Zaida encourage each others meddling and investigative spirits, so in that case he thinks she and Stiles are a bad influence on each other. He’s very worried about how his grandchildren will turn out - but in the best way.

- When Stiles sleeps with Zaida, he doesn’t need his pillow. He loves to lay his head on her (on her shoulder, or chest, or stomach, or lap) and it’s comforting enough to help him sleep anywhere and everywhere.

- Stiles and Zaida both hate early mornings, so they love to sleep in together. They have lazy weekends where they stay up until all hours of the night watching films or shows, or gaming, and then they sleep well into the day. They spend the rest of the day lounging around in their sweats and catching up on work before cooking together.

- The only exception is when they get up early to go watch the sunrise and have breakfast dates. They both love watching the sun rise and set, and they both love being out in nature - although they avoid anything particularly strenuous. Neither of them are big on exercise.

- During the week, they’re both the kind of people who would wake up at the last possible minute and hurry to get ready before rushing out of the house.

- They both need several alarms to wake up.

- Neither of them are big coffee drinkers. It’s too bitter for them. They prefer hot chocolate.

- Stiles likes quick and easy showers, but Zaida prefers to take baths. She could spend hours in the water, relaxing with a book and a glass of wine or some chocolate. Stiles isn’t a big fan of baths - unless Zaida is also in the bath with him. He gets bored and fidgety easily, so it’s not his thing.

- When he knows Zaida has had a particularly long day, he will run her a bath and get her book and wine ready for her for when she gets home. He’ll also often give her massages (which usually turns into something more).

- Stiles is definitely very attentive and big on foreplay and aftercare. He takes his time and is very thorough

- As a couple they are quite explorative in their intimate life and would totally take advantage of the fact that Stiles’ dad is a cop (*cough* handcuffs *cough*).

- Zaida loves to tease Stiles by wearing something lacy beneath her clothes and letting it flash throughout the day to get him all hot and bothered.

- Stiles is big on leaving and receiving marks - he’s proud of his girl so he wants to show off that she’s his and he is hers

[air-rising]

Ellie Carpenter calls out online abuse but shrugs off her own

“The bigger you get, the more criticism you get.”

Ellie Carpenter is authorised to speak on this subject. Mainly because her football career has got real big, real quick – she is 23, has been playing for global powerhouse Lyon for three years, and been the Matildas’ undisputed starting right-back for even longer.

But also because the peak of that career – playing in a World Cup semi-final in her home country – brought with it criticism which would more accurately be described as abhorrent social media trolling.

It happened in August, when Carpenter failed to clear a long ball that resulted in England’s second goal of the Lionesses’ 3-1 win. It was a mistake that left her visibly “heartbroken” after the match, but it did not warrant what former Socceroos captain Craig Foster described at the time as “vile, misogynistic garbage”.

The abuse forced her to limit replies on social media, which were also flooded with supportive messages from fans, friends and teammates, including captain Sam Kerr, who told media she was “mentally one of the toughest kids I’ve ever met in my life”.

Sometimes it is hard for an outsider to know how much this “outside noise” – as many sports people, including Carpenter, call it – affects the individual at its centre. For some, it can devastate mental health and on-field performance. If that is the case with Carpenter, you wouldn’t know it.

Two months after the World Cup, she has been back in the thick of it with Lyon, who are once more top of France’s Division 1 Feminine table, and is now back in Australia answering questions about online abuse she would probably rather not be answering.

“To be honest, I don’t really read or look into that,” she says in Perth, where the Matildas are preparing to play three Olympic qualifiers.

“It doesn’t really affect me at all, because I do a job for my team and myself. I don’t really listen to outside noise. I had a great support system around me during that time, and just during the whole World Cup really.

“It [online abuse] is everywhere these days, and that just shows that the bigger you are, or the bigger you get, the more criticism you get. That comes with being a professional athlete as well.

“You see it everywhere in different leagues, different sport codes. So obviously it’s a problem, and I know a lot of people are trying to make apps and platforms to try and stop abuse and things like that, so that’s good that people are aware of it and are trying to change it.”

Carpenter is an old, independent soul for her 23 years. When she contested the World Cup, she did so after recovering from an ACL rupture, in another country, and opting for little personal support except from her partner and teammate, Dutch international Daniëlle van de Donk.

“You have to grow up very quickly,” she says. “I moved out of home when I was 15 and was living by myself, so you grow up automatically.

“I didn’t really get much downtime [after the World Cup]. You just kind of go straight into a new season, so you don’t really have time to reflect or stop for a second.

“But it’s been incredible to see the aftermath of the World Cup and what we’ve done in football and Australia, and for women as well. I can definitely be proud of that.”

Carpenter is allowing herself to enjoy her time in Perth. She was released early by her club and arrived over the weekend, so enjoyed a couple of extra days to recover from jet lag.

[sarkos]

PublicSquare, an online marketplace that brands itself as the “anti-woke platform,” was designed to connect like-minded consumers with businesses that oppose progressive priorities like reproductive rights and diversity initiatives. To be listed on the site, businesses must affirm their commitment to “family values and God-given liberty,” according to PublicSquare’s website, and agree not to support causes at odds with its ideology. But as President Donald Trump prepares to mark his 100th day back at the White House amid mounting criticism of his new administration and sinking poll numbers, opponents are flipping around PublicSquare's purpose. Across social media, posts about PublicSquare have gone viral – and just not as a tool to support Trump-aligned businesses. One such critic is Janet Koenig, who told HuffPost that she was “horrified” to discover one of her regular coffee shops popped up on the list.“I was like, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Koenig said. “I just assumed they were one of the good guys. I’ll be sure to tell all my friends not to go.” She now regularly checks PublicSquare before shopping for products, the publication pointed out. “I just feel like I have to do something. Because businesses now control our votes, you know?” Koenig said. “I feel like, you know what, if they control our votes, I’ll do whatever I can do to only support the ones that vote the way I want. It’s about disgust, honestly. I’m disgusted by the way our votes can be bought by business[es].” She added: “I sleep well at night knowing I’m not accidentally donating to the bad guys.” Launched in 2022, PublicSquare allows users to search for business by ZIP code, making it easy for Trump supporters – and now the MAGA leader's opponents – to identify political affiliations behind local and national companies.

'Not donating to the bad guys': Critics use 'anti-woke platform' to boycott MAGA firms - Raw Story

[ember-not-amber]

I bought the dvd of “The Princess Twins of Legendale” on Amazon a while ago and I just watched it for the first time since I was a kid—bc I was waiting for my sister to be available to watch it with me—and I have so many thoughts omg.

Yes, the animation is bad and so are the sound effects but I still really enjoyed it because of the nostalgia. If anything it made it more enjoyable bc it made me laugh at how awkward the characters’ faces looked and how sometimes there weren’t any pauses in between dialogue with 2 characters.

There’s like, 3 songs in the entire soundtrack which is kind of disappointing but whatever.

There are voice actors from MLP and Barbie movies in this movie!!!! Nicole Oliver plays Queen Luna AND Queen Dume and at the beginning of the movie I immediately clocked Queen Dume as Nightmare Moon bc she sounded so much like her! Lalainia Lindbjerg plays Princess Dawn and Princess Eve, Garry Chalk plays King Soltar, and Scott McNeil plays Lettam, Jibber, Caasi, and the Henchmen.

The sparkle effects look like they’re straight from Blingee😭

I would honestly love to see this movie re-made in either better quality CGI or live action.

THIS WAS MADE BY THE SAME COMPANY THAT MADE LALALOOPSY?!?!! No wonder there were Lalaloopsy trailers playing before the main menu when I played the dvd!

Queen Dume is so cunty, I’d like to see some edits of her.

I could immediately tell there was a lot of fairytale inspiration that went into this movie like Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Snow White, and maybe Cinderella. Queen Dume is very Maleficent-coded.

Lettam is the funniest character, I had a specific yet hidden memory of one of his lines which was when he whispered to Queen Dume, “There’s been a breach to the wall” and then yelled it again at her, “I SAID, ‘THERE’S BEEN A BREACH TO THE WALL’!!!” He has such a funny voice omg😭

I would love to see moodboards, gifs, memes, and edits of this movie but I guess it’s just so hard to find online because it’s on 2 streaming platforms and I can only find it on YouTube in 360p. I wonder if there’s a way for me to use the dvd to upload it to YouTube in higher quality or something.

[charlesrich]

Digital Malcolm X: By Any Means Digital

“We want freedom by any means necessary. We want justice by any means necessary. We want equality by any means necessary.” Malcolm X spoke those words in 1964, but their power echoes louder than ever in the digital age. I’m not here to start a revolution with fists or fire. My revolution is online — one blog post, one resource, one connection at a time. I’m here for the ex-con hustling for a second chance, the single mother stretching every dollar of government aid, and the homeless man staring down another night on the street, wondering if tomorrow will be any different. This is for everyone the system forgot, everyone who’s been told to wait their turn, everyone who’s been handed scraps and told to be grateful.

Building Bridges, Not Walls

By any means digital, I’m building bridges where society put up walls. I remember what it’s like to have doors slammed in your face, to fill out job applications knowing your record will haunt you, to feel invisible in a world that only sees your mistakes.

I see you, ex-con, fighting to prove you’re more than your past. I see you, single mother, juggling bills, work, and the hope your kids might have it better. I see you, brother on the corner, down but not out, carrying dreams nobody else bothers to ask about. The digital world is the new frontier, and it doesn’t care where you started. It cares what you can create, how hard you hustle, and how loud you’re willing to shout for your place at the table.

Hope in Action: The Digital Comeback

I’ve watched people flip their lives with nothing but a smartphone and stubborn hope. I’ve seen single moms retrain in digital marketing and pull their families out of poverty. I’ve seen ex-cons launch businesses, mentor others, and build legacies from the ashes of their old lives. I’ve seen men who slept in shelters become digital entrepreneurs, using every free resource the internet could offer until they could stand on their own.

That’s the spirit of “by any means necessary” — not just fighting for yourself, but reaching back for the next person in line.

Take It. Build It. Connect.

Nobody’s going to hand us freedom, justice, or dignity. Like Malcolm X said, “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.” In this era, we take it by learning digital skills, building online businesses, connecting with supportive communities, and refusing to be left behind. We use every tool, every platform, every ounce of grit we have. We help each other — because no algorithm, no government check, no charity will ever replace the power of a community that refuses to give up.

Your Call to Arms: Rise Together

So to the ex-con, the single mother, the homeless man, and anyone who’s been counted out: this is your call to arms. By any means digital, we claim our place. We build our future. We rise — together.

CharlesRICH: Reporting live from struggle and hope digitally.

Related Resources for Empowerment:

Defy Ventures: Entrepreneurship for Formerly Incarcerated

Single Mothers Outreach

Code for America: Tech Solutions for Social Good

If this spoke to you, share it. The digital world is waiting — it’s time to take what’s yours. And if you need a boost, drop a comment or reach out. Let’s rise together.

If this spoke to you, share it. The digital world is waiting — it’s time to take what’s

[killervelveteenrabbit]

Reaction to “Climatiqueen” (S6, E1)

We finally get the true first episode of Season 6, and as I’ll note later certain parts of it were spoiled by the out-of-sequence airdates.

According to the Miraculous Ladybug Wiki, somebody’s created a new social media platform in-universe called Zoo, with communities named after each of the French Miraculous. Somehow, no one banned Chloe from joining the Bee Community despite her past abuse of the Bee Miraculous and the little business of the coup attempt. Anyway, that’s what she’s talking about when she says no foxes, turtles, etc.—she’s excluding anyone from those communities from participating. Not that she still bears a grudge or anything.

What Adrien is experiencing could be described as anomie: a feeling of alienation, instability, and lack of purpose caused by losing his role as a teen model (even though he didn’t want it) and not knowing what to do with the rest of his life. He tries out various hobbies and activities, trying to find something that makes him feel, and he just doesn’t. Everything he’s ever tried (outside of soccer) comes naturally to him. There’s no challenge, no mystery, and no skill required, except… well, we’ll discuss that later.

The seeds of the events of “Revelator” begin to sprout in this episode. Vincent Asshole--sorry, Asa--even makes a brief appearance. As noted in my review of that ep, Marinette has already made a name for herself as a designer and graphic artist, but Adrien is still several orders of magnitude more famous than her.

Blink and you’ll miss it, but Zoe’s ex-BFF Ray appears in this episode, briefly appearing at #2 in the rankings in Chloe’s contest.

Why is Aglae here? Just to suffer? Kidding aside, she goes through the wringer in her first appearance. She tries to help Aurore but inadvertently inspires her to do something terrible. Then the two people who’ve whisked her off to safety promptly run out on her.

Ondine appears wearing something besides a swimsuit… although if she’d shown up at my high school wearing that shoulderless blouse, she would have been dress-coded to hell and back

Speaking of Aurore, all three of her possessions have an X factor: the fear of unpopularity. She first became Stormy Weather after her humiliating loss in the KIDZ+ weather girl contest. She became SW again when she feared her slumping grades might cause her to lose that position. And here, her perceived unpopularity online creates a vulnerability that Chrysalis exploits.

FTR, it’s been established Adrien already speaks some Japanese; he briefly converses with Tomoe in the language in “Animaestro”.

Observant viewers will notice several callbacks to LB and CN’s first battle with SW: the akuma in the parasol, side-runs up buildings, yo-yo as a grabber, and mass-transit vehicles as blunt objects… there’s even a bit with CN spinning his tail around while bantering with the villain.

Finally, Adrien remembers he has a passion after all: superheroing. He stayed with this gig, for better or worse, because the powers and the anonymity allowed him to experience the uninhibited joy that eluded him as a celebrity and dutiful son. Adrien once dismissed the idea of becoming a full-time superhero because he figured he wouldn't be needed once Hawkmoth was defeated. But as the New York movie demonstrated, plenty of people are working in that profession full-time. Perhaps we just received a glimpse into Adrien’s future?

If you’re an akumatized villain and you don’t at some point imperil the Eiffel Tower, are you even doing it right? Fun fact: pretty much the only thing that saved the Eiffel Tower from demolition after the expiration of the land grant Gustave Eiffel received for the Paris Exposition Universalle was the installation of a radio antenna on top of it. 

Fridge logic moment: since Aurore and Max attend the same school, couldn’t she have asked him for an autographed copy of his mother’s book? Or bought the book with her own money and asked him for his mother's autograph?

Now that’s how you make an apology video: admit what you did was wrong, explain why you did it while still taking full responsibility, and demonstrate your commitment to setting things right as proof of change. Apologize, acknowledge, advance.

If we hadn’t seen “Sublimation” already, we might regard this new girl who offered to become Adrien’s running partner as a romantic rival. Airing the eps out of order, especially showing “Sublimation” before “Climatiqueen”, ruined the suspense.

[winternimbus]

Question about KOSA: what can a minor do to help? I’m unsure about calling/giving my info online but I want to stop the bill

take what i say with a grain of salt, i am not the end all-be all expert on this. with that disclaimer out of the way, if you're unsure about giving your info out online but you still want to stop the bill, spreading resources and information is always a viable option--spreading awareness about the bill and how to fight it is paramount here. the more people that are aware of the bill, means that there's more people willing to take action against it. that's how i did it as a kid over a decade ago when the internet censorship nightmare threat at the time was SOPA! i don't have a phone (surprisingly i just never HAD a mobile phone )--but both sites that i've linked in the post do not require you to include your mobile phone number to add your name to the list. emailing your reps is also another good option for those who do not have phones! however, i believe that pitching in your address and ZIP code to the sites, and the sites of your representatives in order to contact them is required, unfortunately. that being said, if you're interested in emailing your representative--this is a helpful script that i used, painstakingly copied from a script from another post that i do not have on-hand talking about KOSA: --

My name is [INSERT NAME HERE], and I am one of your constituents. I'm messaging you to vote NO on KOSA -- The Kids Online Safety Act. This bill's sponsors claims that it will protect kids online by placing a duty of care on online platforms to prevent anything that could be harmful.

The power to decide what's harmful has been ceded to the FTC. FTC leadership is made by presidential appointment. Current president Lina Khan may proceed fairly, but what happens when the next Donald Trump is in the Oval Office? What if it's Trump himself? Do you trust a Trump appointee not to abuse this power?

KOSA claims to protect kids, but it's poorly designed and, given time, it will absolutely and without question harm LGBTQ+ children, adults, and anyone who needs information on reproductive health and abortion.

KOSA author, Senator Martha Blackburn, said she introduced KOSA in part -- and I quote -- "to protect minor children from the transgender in our society." The Heritage Foundation proudly said that they'll apply pressure through KOSA to block information about abortion, reproduction health, & LGBTQ+ issues. Vote NO on KOSA.

[alondrasthoughts]

Blog Post #6 (DUE: 03/13/2025)

How is the idea of the cyborg going to affect future generations?  

A cyborg is the combination of organism and machine, it’s a mix of fiction and social reality (A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century, D. Haraway, p. 354). This concept is groundbreaking because online platforms has allowed us to become cyborgs. In a way, we are all cyborgs because we are always connected to a machine, for example, our phones, tablets, laptops, medical devices, etc. It’s became so normal for us and even more for the young generation. The concept “i-pad” kid is branch of the cyborg, there’s a large generation who grew up or are currently growing up with a device whom carry a device constantly. The older generation who integrated technology at a later age might have an easier adjustment to boundaries. But those who grew up with this captivating technology will have a harder time placing boundaries between social interactions and technological usages. Habits are hard to break if it’s been developed at a young age.  

Are cyborgs dangerous? What are the consequences of a cyborg?  

The creation of the cyborg is man-made, it’s something that we as humans have created and incorporated into our lives. The cyborg is not innocent and has high skills that can be sinful ( A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century, D. Haraway, p. 357). The cyborg allows for us humans to turn into machines that can cause harm. For example, when we are on social media we are acting as machines commenting, posting, and reporting information. We turn into a different species in a way, this transition can make us feel powerful. Online bullies are powerful because they are behind a screen acting on these machines and committing hurtful actions. The cyborg is dangerous since we have yet to create boundaries to how far we can take it and impact each other.  

Is modern technology truly “user friendly?”  

Many technological companies use this marketing strategy “user friendly” to imply that their products are diverse. But the reality there is this gendering of technology and the dynamics of technology/gender/sexuality (Gender, Technology, and  Visual Cyberculture Virtually Women, K. O’Riordan, p. 245). There is a lot of imbedded biases in technology that limits user and their access to get the full experience.  As we discussed in the class, technology has a history of racism and sexism ideals in the coding. This slogan is very misleading when the product doesn’t match up and sets back people.  

How can certain depictions of women online affect real women and their mindset? 

Female characters in movies like cartoons have certain depictions of women with certain characteristics. These can be skinny, light-skinned, long-hair, curvy which creates the “ideal” women. The reality is that the character may be fictional, but it has a body which causes it to be informational (Gender, Technology, and Visual Cyberculture Virtually Women, K. O’Riordan, p. 247). When thinking about how cartoons represent women it’s important to look at how it affects women. These depictions can cause insecurities for many women who want to look like a certain character. I know a lot of women around me that when Halloween comes around, they get nervous because the character they want to dress up seems unrealistic. In the cartoon, the women look “perfect” and they feel like their body doesn’t match up which causes disruptions to their life.  

[khadgarbignaturals]

i know tumblr has a strong anti-tiktok bias which is entirely fair but bear with me on this

with the continued genocide of palestinian people, like every social media platform has a ton of people trying to boost content to raise money for families escaping gaza, tiktok is much the same. there’s a sight problem though; tiktok does not like people trying to boost content like that, so tiktokers have been finding ways around it. the main one is content creators starting fake beef with each other to get people hooked in for some juicy tea (which tiktok’s algorithm likes) and then hit ‘em with the go fund me link to the family they’re helping. also the watermelon 🍉 emoji has become a symbol of being pro palestine.

i think this is really cool! but it’s brought smth up that i’ve been thinking for a while in relation to how people on tumblr view tiktok. this is not hate, this is not criticism, this is just something to think about

i’ve been on tiktok since 2018 so i’ve seen a lot of shit including how the app has transformed over the years. one of these things is the growing censorship of “controversial topics” like racism/homophobia/etc. there wasn’t really much restriction on content for a while but in 2020 that changed. the black lives matter protests spread like wildfire on tiktok because news outlets we not reporting what was actually happening, or not acknowledging it at all beyond surface level shit. during that time i got information and news about the protests through tiktok users on site at and participating in protests because we just couldn’t trust any major news outlet (and honestly even some tiktok users with large accounts).

the censorship started to really take off because tiktok didn’t want those kinds of videos gaining traction, and did not want people organizing through the app. there are any number of reasons for this, but it’s not really relevant. regardless of why, tiktok started suppressing or removing videos that have the “problem words” in them (including comments). some of these “problem words” are: death, kill, names of any drug, boost, comments mentioning boosting the video to raise awareness of something, etc.

over the years tiktokers have adapted to this, from substituting letters, using similar but disinfected words (like the famous “unalive”), and even speaking in code to get around the increasingly strict content moderations. some examples are: “gardening” instead of smoking weed, k!ll, di3 (and other l33tspeak), 🔗🌲 instead of linktree, etc.

the problem most people have with tiktok users is when they’re outside tiktok. a lot of the criticism of these people is definitely valid, but the extent has always given me a little pause. a lot of these tiktokers that people make fun of the behavior of are children and teenagers. they tend to be chronically online, have very little conception of privacy and online barriers, form parasocial relationships, etc. this stuff is all true, but why?

these kids have spent a huge chunk of their formative years interacting mostly online because of covid. theyve been dunked headfirst into the internet in a way that has really damaged their social skills, hence them being called “chronically online.”

my point here is to just get people thinking about tiktok itself in addition to its users. its users are the way they are because of the platform they’re on, and tiktok as a platform itself fucking sucks. we all know twitter (i’m not calling it x) is a dumpster fire, tumblr staff sucks, facebook is, well, facebook, you get my point. the absurdity of the censorship on tiktok shouldn’t be overlooked.