#a business actually listening to its users and their opinions?

[chaoswrites]

holy shit tumblr changed their app icon back ?? honestly good for them

[syscourse-confessions]

I am (diagnosed by a trauma specialist) traumagenic. I have DID.

I feel like being traumagenic comes with so much pressure. You cant support non-traumagen systems, it feels like. That's the reason i havent said anything on my blog. it feels like a hot take in traumagen world.

Tulpamancy is a bad word, I listen to what people say about it, specifically people who are from the groups having their culture appropriated... but non-traumagenic systems aren't all bad. I can acknowledge the parts of the whole community that can be improved while still being a bit of a fan of them.

You know what all of this reminds me of? Neopronouns. Bear with me.

I used to be disgusted by neopronoun users, when i was way younger. Before i used them, obviously. I bought all the rhetoric! "They make trans people look bad", "they make nonbinary people look bad!" "they're making a mockery out of us" "they have so many excuses!" "they aren't really nonbinary, they need to find a different word for it."

Sound familiar? I don't think i need to spell it out. Replace some words with others and you get anti-NTG syscourse.

I know pointing out similarities in discourse is not mind-blowing. You can do this with lots of things. But i feel like if you take a closer look, think about *posts* that you are *casually reading* EVEN IF ITS NOT ESSAYS OR ADVERTISEMENTS and even if you aren't boosting them, then you'll notice a good amount of syscourse boils down to kneejerk reactions, bad analysis of good facts, fair points that propose insane solutions.

You cringe at them, look at the science for traumagenic systems and say "they aren't like us, but they're using OUR resources and OUR words!" not even realising that they *also* need our resources and our words. They aren't appropriating our language, they're using it. Getting top surgery as a trans person isn't depriving breast cancer survivors, to use an analogy of a recent ask from an anon. The science doesn't even matter, and if they're trying to justify their experiences by proving they can be the same as us just sans trauma, that's because YOU have made them feel like they have to in order to exist. You make fair points about cultural appropriation, really good points actually, points that I can't contest and do not want to. You make good points about singlets and normies looking at NTGs as freaks and then dismissing our whole community. But then a lot of you decide that means all NTGs are ill-willed and that the opinions of fucking *singlets* should scare us into hating completely innocent people. You hate them.

I guess I'm unique in this discussion. I can't hate anybody as much as my abusers. All of my hate is away from syscourse, busy with other things. I'm not made of the stuff, it's a finite resource of mine. I guess I spare some for people who post videos of their children, people who are attracted to kids, etc. But those are obviously extreme people that I don't find myself encountering so often. I can't hate NTG systems because they aren't the types of people who would've caused any of my trauma. I guess it's my fault for setting that as the bar? You tell me. But I can't hate them, and the more that others do, the more sympathy I feel. The more I start to actually kinda like them, as a community. They don't seem like the types to tell me my trauma didn't happen, and that I'm not a system. They would never be the doctor who said I don't have DID just because I didn't know what dissociating was. They would never tell me I'm not traumatised based on my good grades. They just wouldn't, I've met a lot of them outside of tumblr. They're decent people, and they don't hate traumagenic systems. And yet I can think of traumagenic systems that have told me I'm not traumatised enough. Getting molested as a little kid and surveilled and shit wasn't traumatising enough! They had it worse :rolling_eyes:. I can easily picture a traumagenic system doing any of the bad things I just said NTGs wouldn't.

I hope someone out there considers all of this. At least enough to look at supporters and refrain from harrassing them and being disgusted by them (I've been bullied about it before. My heart goes out to NTGs that have to put up with bullying.)

By the way, are people allowed to submit things un-anonymously?

.

(Answering your question: You can post non-anonymously! Whatever your preference is.)

[govindhtech]

Google’s Citizen-Centric Tech for Government Innovation

Google Public Sector gives government citizen-centric tech

Google is a remarkable technological business because of its unwavering commitment to the customer. It is what has caused billions of users to engage daily with services and products like Search, Maps, and Gmail. And that’s what prompted my decision to join Google Public Sector soon after it was established in July 2022.

Artificial intelligence and security underpin Google’s goods and services, which provide a simple, individualized user experience. Our consumers are always receiving fantastic experiences from AI in a safe and large-scale manner throughout the globe. It is what we now refer to as “Google magic.”

The objective of the government is to alter how individuals interact with public services and how agencies run, and Google Public Sector is bringing the Google magic evolving cloud and AI technologies, security, and scale to this endeavor. For the last 20 years, we have used AI to organize the information on the planet and make it usable for individuals, companies, and governmental agencies.

We want to provide our government employees and military service members access to that power and its mission-critical capabilities.

introducing Google innovation to the government

Imagine if personnel in the public sector adopted this same “innovation” approach and relentlessly prioritized the end-user experience. The majority of people in our post-pandemic society anticipate more technology usage and want better digital services from their government. Governments, however, have yet to live up to citizens’ aspirations.

When it comes to funding investments in revolutionary technology, government agencies encounter procurement challenges. Both residents and government employees are becoming more and more irritated as a result. According to one report, the United States has unclaimed government benefits of up to $140 billion.

The “time tax,” or the amount of work needed to complete applications, put together documentation, and arrange government visits, is what the White House’s Office of Management and Budget points to as the cause of this bottleneck. Additionally, the opportunity to execute procedures online is the state service reform that 92% of individuals say would have the most positive influence on their opinion of the government.

In order to reach clients where they are, Google Public Sector collaborates with a large network of partners. In order to better serve their citizens, local, state, and federal agencies work with our partners to define their technical requirements and choose solutions that make the most of already made technological investments while also opening up new business prospects.

For instance, in Dearborn, Michigan, we assisted the local government in setting up a contact center so that citizens could access municipal services at any time and from any location in a variety of languages. Recently, we collaborated with the Defense Innovation Unit of the DoD to create AI models that would help augmented reality microscopes (ARM) identify cancer, enabling earlier and more precise diagnosis. That impacts the actual world.

Enabling military and security companies to achieve their missions

For many enterprises, moving to the cloud has the potential to be transformative since it modernizes infrastructure and speeds up large-scale data analyses. he listened to speakers from the Joint Warfare Cloud Capability (JWCC) PMO and the Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO) of the U.S. Department of Defense discuss the need of innovation and cloud adoption to accomplish their mission goals at Next ’23.

However, the military and security agencies of our nation need the greatest standards of data confidentiality and privacy, as well as a dependable network and tools that are simple to use in mission-critical situations.

For many years, Google has been a security innovator and thought leader. We are thrilled to provide these capabilities to our military and national security clients. Google Distributed Cloud Hosted (GDCH) delivers a private, disconnected cloud network with client-side encryption and the capacity to serve sensitive workloads from the corporate level to the tactical edge for customers with the highest security requirements.

While staying air-gapped and unconnected from the general internet, it provides cutting-edge cloud services, including many of our data and machine learning capabilities.

fostering a shared digital future

Customers want their governments to provide safe, individualized services on par with those provided by for-profit businesses. To meet consumers where they are and assist them in bringing the magic of Google to their public services, is all that we have promised to the public sector.

We can collaborate to assure mission success in a safe, responsible, and scalable manner that leaves the doors open for future innovation thanks to our industry experience, our sizable partner network, and our technology.

Google Public Sector’s new 10-step guide to learn how Gen AI might enhance citizen participation and services in the future.

[jinactusconsulting]

What makes Konnect Insights stand out as a powerful tool for both social listening and business intelligence needs?

Konnect Insights was primarily known for its social listening capabilities, and I don't have information on any developments that might have occurred after that date. However, I can provide some general aspects that could make a tool like Konnect Insights stand out as a powerful tool for both social listening and business intelligence needs:

Comprehensive Data Collection: A powerful tool should be able to collect data from a wide range of sources, including various social media platforms, blogs, forums, news sites, and more. The ability to aggregate data from diverse sources ensures a more holistic view of online conversations and trends.

Real-time Monitoring: Real-time monitoring allows businesses to stay up to date with the latest discussions and trends as they unfold. This is crucial for timely decision-making and responding to emerging issues.

Advanced Sentiment Analysis: Accurate sentiment analysis helps businesses understand public perception and sentiment surrounding their brand, products, and industry. Advanced sentiment analysis can provide nuanced insights into emotions and opinions.

Customizable Dashboards: A powerful tool should allow users to create custom dashboards tailored to their specific needs. These dashboards can display relevant metrics, KPIs, and visualizations for effective data analysis and reporting.

Cross-platform Analysis: Being able to monitor and analyze data from multiple social media platforms in one place simplifies the process of comparing performance and identifying trends across different channels.

Competitor Analysis: Tools that offer competitor analysis capabilities allow businesses to benchmark their performance against industry rivals, identify gaps, and seize opportunities.

Audience Insights: Deep insights into the demographics, behaviors, and preferences of the target audience can inform marketing strategies, content creation, and product development.

Integration with Business Data: Integration with other business data sources, such as CRM, sales, and marketing data, provides a holistic view of the impact of social media activities on overall business performance.

Customizable Alerts: The ability to set up customizable alerts for specific keywords, mentions, or events helps businesses proactively manage their brand reputation and respond to critical situations.

User-Friendly Interface: A user-friendly interface makes the tool accessible to a wider range of users, from marketing professionals to executives, enabling efficient data interpretation and decision-making.

Advanced Analytics: Tools that offer advanced analytics, such as predictive modeling or trend forecasting, empower businesses to anticipate future trends and plan strategies accordingly.

Data Privacy and Security: Robust data privacy and security measures are essential to protect sensitive business and customer information.

Keep in mind that the actual features and capabilities of Konnect Insights, as well as its standing in the market, might have evolved since my last update. I recommend visiting their official website, reading user reviews, and contacting their sales or support teams for the most current information on how Konnect Insights stands out as a tool for both social listening and business intelligence needs.

[peiyunhe]

blog1

The week began with an introduction to the course Design Thinking, which helped me to understand what it is: Design Thinking is a human-centred approach to innovation that draws from the designer's toolkit, combining human needs, technical possibilities and the requirements of commercial success. (Brown, 2008)

The way we think when we encounter a problem is.

1. EMPHATHISE, first to understand the client

2. DEFINE, think about the user's needs from their point of view

3. IDEATE, think as hard as you can, think wildly about the solution to the customer's needs

4. PROTOTYPE, build a draft prototype that shows your idea and meets the client's needs

5. TEST, no solution should be tested without actual testing, with the user at the centre of the problem.

Design thinking exists everywhere in the world and Japan, as the lesson goes, is a design thinking country where transport is so well built that a three year old can go out to the shops on his own and come home without his parents picking him up, compared to Singapore and China where it is impossible for such a young child to go out on his own, where urban planning is not good enough and the dangers of children going out are far higher than in Japan. The Forbidden City in China is the design thinking of ancient designers. The emperors and nobles had supreme power and they wanted to live in a gilded palace and to meet their demands the craftsmen designed this beautiful palace.、

Now the most popular Apple mobile phone is also a product that uses design thinking very well. Apple only launches one new phone a year, compared to Samsung and other brands, a single variety, but why it can be the most popular in each new product launch? There are five steps in design thinking that Apple does very well. They understand their customers' needs well, develop their phones from their needs, and use various ways to try to innovate and come up with a variety of solutions. Their phones and computers are a different system to other brands and don't need to be cleaned of computer viruses, which is an advantage that makes them stand out, and although the system will cost a bit more, many people are willing to pay for it. Apple is very close to its users, and their user surveys are very attentive, with constant testing and a great willingness to listen to users' opinions, and offline shops where they can experience new products for free, stimulating customer spending. Apple's success is also dependent on design thinking.

The most popular coffee chain in China is now Luckin Coffee, which has beaten Starbucks to become the most widely distributed coffee brand in the country. Incredibly, it has come back from the dead after having been delisted two years ago due to financial problems. In the process, it first closed its loss-making shops and then captured people's coffee palate. It launched 113 new products in a year and developed 2,486 new products that didn't go online to satisfy different customer tastes. They also worked hard on marketing, asking various celebrities to endorse them, and the celebrity's feelings were a draft prototype. Communication with customers is also very close, and they are very open to suggestions from customers to optimise what they don't like. Design thinking has also helped Luckin Coffee to rise to success to some extent.

（A failed attempt at a cherry blossom flavoured coffee, still recommend the raw coconut coffee.）

1.Brown, T. (2008, June). Design Thinking. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2008/06/design-thinking

[peekbackstage]

There's been some pretty vicious attacks from certain segments of solo fans in the past few months, blaming one party or the other for having a hand in, or organising, the attack against XZ and 227. What are your thoughts on the "black smear" side of the entertainment business - do you think it's reasonable to place blame on GGDD for smear campaigns or even Yuehua or WJJW, or is this just an easy way for solos to fight one another and bring down the CP in turn? And thoughts on reuters/stalkers?

This is one of those rare times that I hope what I have to say somehow gets translated and makes its way to China, since none of the actual parties involved can say anything about it.

From a strictly legal perspective, none of the actual stakeholders (artists, companies, publishers, etc.) are responsible for the actions of fans and should not actually be held liable for the actions of a third party. While this may not be the overall cultural belief, given the fact that XZ Studios was forced to issue an apology to Weibo due to their inability to properly “guide” the fans and properly “influence” them, at the end of the day, the blame truly resides with the fans and antis themselves for their own shitty behavior. The blame also actually resides with Weibo, seeing as it is their platform. Weibo user accounts are the property of Weibo, and therefore any shitty behavior that continues out of hand on Weibo’s platform should have been addressed by Weibo.

The very fact that XZ Studios actually was forced to apologize to Weibo due to mounting sociopolitical pressure was actually outrageous. Weibo is the party responsible for monitoring and moderating the content that appears on their own website. Weibo is also the party that should be properly managing the community and its users. To believe that a small management company would be able to somehow manage and oversee millions and millions of accounts that they are not even legally responsible for is completely unacceptable and beyond ludicrous. This is the equivalent of if Twitter or Facebook were to say that Donald Trump is legally responsible for the actions of his cultish following and must apologize for their shitty, violent behavior. 

Entertainment stakeholders have no legal power over fans. What they can actually do is limited to PR statements, legal action, and reporting any sort of activity they see that targets their own accounts. While it is true that XZ has immense cultural power over his fans, there is also only so much he can do as an artist. And not everyone is necessarily going to listen, even if he does put out a statement.

What I’m about to say next is not going to be a popular opinion, and I will probably catch some flack for it, but I’m saying this as someone who has unfortunately had to manage a few pretty significant PR crises in the past with several different idols, so this is definitely in my professional wheelhouse. From a PR point of view, XZ Studio is honestly abysmal at handling PR crises and at communications in general. They need to replace whoever runs their PR and marketing with someone who is more adept at communications, social media management, and crisis management. While I don’t think this individual is to blame for the shitty actions of fans or antis, I do think that their failure to act was definitely a contributing factor of escalating drama. 

In terms of Yuehua, seeing as WYB was not the target of the crisis, there is nothing Yuehua could have done, or should have done. They were wise to not get involved at all, seeing as their artist wasn’t the one losing contracts. Not commenting on the matter was the right choice here.  

As for the “black smear” side of the industry and toxic fans/antis - I think that all of it is incredibly shameful and morally repugnant. I do not know how any of these individuals were raised or what kind of values they have. It’s as though they never had any proper schooling on how to appropriately behave in society and they should all be ashamed of themselves, especially if they are grown ass adults behaving so amorally and unethically without any thought of the very real consequences of their malicious actions. I’m pretty happy that WYB is actually taking legal action against these pieces of human shit, and truly hope that XZ also does the same. All of these people should be fined heavily and/or face criminal action for extreme defamation and harassment.

If this were the United States, Weibo would also be penalized heavily for allowing this sort of defamation and harassment to continue on their platform with literally no checks or balances. But unfortunately, this is China and not the United States, and there are no such protections in place for anyone who is not a government official.

[mariaiscrafting]

ahhhh ty ty ty <3

ok, so I think that what makes Dream act this way (iykyk) is how dreamwastaken became so big so quickly. and by quick I mean fucking lightning speed.

he didn't have enough time to learn enough about cc etiquette, especially in these three aspects: influence, boundaries and fanbase/stans/whatever you call it. I'll try to explain it:

• Influence: Does he know the influence he has? Like, when he hears that he is the myct with the largest fanbase, does he really process that? I remember he talked about not being able to control all of his fanbase and there's bad apples everywhere -- which is true, and that only like 1% of his fanbase breaks his boundaries (that include sending hate for him, harassing, doxing, etc. yk, basic twitter culture lol) but, honey, with your big ass fanbase, 1% is still a lot of people. As a content creator you *have* to be aware of that.

let's take the hbomb situation. First off, as a streamer, it's you that set the mood of the stream. Even if he was only messing around with his pals, even if they did say to do not send hate to hbomb, dt dunking on him created a toxic environment, which caused his fans being toxic towards hbomb and you know what happens next. Hell, when this happened, I was watching Tapl and he was watching them and he was crying laughing over them screaming bc they were just. so loud and so aggressive that it was kinda ??? Sirs, this is literally a Minecraft Stream lmaooo

my point is, that was not the road that dreamwastaken, 21M fans, should've taken. he don't condone his fans actions but he knows his fans are diehard and will always be on his side, he should be more careful before stating negative opinions, especially if its towards another person.

• Boundaries and Fanbase: He posted a list of his boundaries a while ago, idk if you know or seen it (btw please george copy your bestie for the love of god <3) but I'm not talking about those boundaries, I'm talking about the basic boundaries between cc and viewer. boundaries that, in my opinion, should exist between cc and viewer. I get that Dream is an open person, an oversharing type of open person if I may add, but I think he should take a step back regardless. When I heard that he was taking a time from twitter, I genuinely got so glad, not because he couldn't start any drama then, but because it would do so so good for his mental health. I'm not even that fond of him, it's just that for me, any cc taking a break or outright leaving twitter is a win for me. I know how RSD is hard to deal and honestly letting shit out it's better but dream you have dt you have bbh so please don't make things worse online 😭 I know how good can be to feel validation from millions of people but. it's not a good idea, especially in the state that his fanbase is on rn (this topic is kinda sensitive to talk abt for me bc people be outright ableist and hide it as criticism like. say that shit's not helping his reputation and whatever without acting like he's fucking. manipulating his fanbase for being affected by his rsd💀 or, on the other hand, don't say that hes just being adhd🤪 when he's just being an asshole like damn that's a Him thing bro lol)

(omg it's so big I'm so sorry and theres a part two I'm so sorry tumblr user messed-up-gal ToT) - morango 1/2

pt. 2:

Dream is the proof that the people who loves you can be your downfall. istg. Have you noticed that every drama that Dream enters, people usually get more mad abt how his fanbase reacts (85% they'll react in a bad way) than Dream himself? it's not always, but its definitely more likely. I'm not saying Dream is saint, he Is petty and his ego does him dirty and made him choke multiple times before,, But! i dont think hes a bad guy. he's literally just a dude. ok, he's a 21yr old white gamer man that has a trumpie past (maybe?? idk. I think hes cured now ig lol) so he's bound to do some shitty things but he still tries to get better and hopefully he'll mature. 21 is old enough but it's still so young, yk? I kind of lost my mind during the end and my eyes are literally begging to be closed so tl;dr: Its gonna be hard for him to become a better cc bc his fans don't let him be criticized (by infantilizing his adhd symptoms or the mob mentality as soon as someone says anything abt him), the honest criticism get lost between lies from antis that don't know shit, he still has a lot of growing up to do and overall he became famous too fast and he needs to learn things even faster bc as soon as there's not a single one dream hater on sight they'll turn their back and attack him instead lmao I hate twitter i definitely have more to say but I'm tired and my memory is shit. just-- hate dream if you want, love dream if you want, nobody is obligated to have an opinion but I wanted to express mine. have a lovely day! -morango 2/2

Aight, there's a lot to unpack here, so Imma try to only go into the points I have something to add to (here's what I talk about in each paragraph, if you want to jump to a specific point):

Speed of Dream's rise to fame

The "bad apples" in the Dream fanbase

Post-MCC HBomb stream

Not condoning versus actually condemning his fans

Manipulation & RSD

Criticism of Dream, his fanbase, and his brand

The “just a dude” argument, flipped

First, I agree that one of the many factors that has resulted in the current image Dream has set up for himself, the way his fanbase functions, the ways people hate on him, and the way the Dream brand functions, is the speed of his rise to fame. It's unique, and there are probably a hundred social/psychological angles that could be used to examine the exact effects of that speed upon all of these facets of the Dream Name; did rapid fame beget the rapid rise of unrighteous hatred, did those waves of hatred then instigate the rise of a surprisingly overdefensive fanbase, did that rapid fame get to his head and/or result in an inability to appropriately handle all the after-effects of rapid fame, etc.? That point you bring up, about how the speed of his rise to fame requires him to learn even more quickly, is so interesting to me. I think that maybe Dream expected to get pretty famous pretty quickly, hence the preparedness in regards to some mechanics of influencer fame- merchandise, business-building, networking, knowing how to manage his fanbase to best benefit him. But I don't think he expected to get this famous this quickly. This is all speculation of course, as are this entire post and your ask, but I think that he just couldn't anticipate having to learn how to handle enmasse controversy, waves of antis, or every Youtuber speculating/knowing about him; and yeah, that results in him having to learn all of these things very quickly, lest he allow his whole brand and fandom to fall apart.

Second, I disagree with the frequent argument that Dream's fanbase is only marginally toxic. Personally, I think that the circumstances of Dream's fame, his personality and management of his fanbase, and his brand of content have resulted in the very specific kind of stan that Dream stans are. I don't think this is simply a case of "all fandoms have a small percentage of assholes who take it too far;" rather, the nature of the community itself breeds the kind of mentality of "an asshole who takes it too far." I only even know this because I was a Dream fan (kinda a stan, I'm ngl). At one time, I watched every single Dreamwastaken & Dream Team video multiple times; I listened to the Manhunts on repeat, as though they were podcasts; I followed mostly smiletwt and dttwt accounts on mcyttwt; I had upwards of 10 tabs for AO3 DNF fics open on my phone at a time; I watched DNF and Dream Team Being A Family-esque compilations on repeat; I watched every George and Sapnap alt stream I possibly could; I went out of my way to defend Dream against Redditors and Twitter antis regarding the cheating scandal. For the latter half of 2020, and a couple months of 2021, I lived and breathed this part of the fandom; so when I say that Dream stans are a whole other breed than any other kind of mcyttwt stan, I say that because I used to be like that, too. I usually use parasocial very loosely or ironically, but Dream stans are genuinely one of the most parasocial fanbases I have ever seen or been a part of. The level of investment Dream stans have in this man's life, the lengths they will go to to defend him, the amount of psychonalysis and digging they do on his life and character, the amount of emotion he can evoke in them- it's taken to another level, man. This isn't just characteristic of a fraction of his fanbase; this is what the fanbase is like as a whole.

Third, I partially disagree with your take on the HBomb thing, but not in the way one might think? I actually empathize with the way they reacted much more than I thought I would, simply because I suspect I have RSD (also suspect I have ADHD, have for several months now) and I can see myself getting insanely frustrated because of something like that. Like yeah, it was "just a MC stream" or "just an MC game," but that's kinda disregarding the fact that something that might seem like "just a [insert inconsequential thing]" to a rational mind might have a major emotional consequence/take a major emotional toll on someone with RSD, or really anyone who gets easily impatient/angry about video games (Sapnap reminds me of many of my friends, in that way). The issues I, personally, had with the way they handled the HBomb situation is that these are simply explanations and reasons for my empathy; they are not excuses. I have no excuse when I get irrationally angry about something inconsequential in my own life, for a couple of reasons. One, because I am an adult and I need to learn how to handle my reactions and manage my own anger. Two, because as someone with many mental problems, it is my responsibility to learn coping mechanisms to ensure my own emotional stability and livelihood; this includes learning whatever I need to handle RSD- whether that be isolating myself from others when I know I will become violently/passionately angry about something, creating and sustaining a support system that can get me through bouts of extreme emotion, finding healthy emotional outlets for my negative emotions that won't harm myself or others, or a combination thereof. I don't think what they said about HBomb post-MCC was an irreversibly horrible thing, or anything. I think there were errors committed by two men who should be fully capable of foreseeing and preventing those errors, but I don't unconditionally hate Dream or Sapnap for the post-MCC stream or comments. I just wish they had made amends quickly, publicly, and sufficiently, because the greatest consequences from the whole thing weren't even from those two criticizing HBomb themselves; they were from the waves of backlash because of their immense influence on the MCYT fandom, which could've been prevented, if they had acted maturedly and responsibly after the stream.

Fourth, you’re right, that he doesn’t seem to condone his fans’ behavior. I detest the frequent anti argument that one of the reasons Dream should be criticized is because he explicitly uses his fanbase to attack others, or something of the sort. Personally, I think he created his fanbase in a very specific way and interacts with them in such a way so as to benefit him as much as possible, yes, but he never actually tells his fanbase to go and yell at or harrass anyone. Still, there is a significant difference between not condoning something and condemning something. It might seem unfair, and it might be annoying of me to say this, but I truly think that someone with this large a fanbase, especially one as overzealous as Dream’s, needs to be condemned every single time it goes on some kind of rampage/harrassment campaign. Either that, or Dream needs to make a definitive, permanent statement against any kind of harrassment of others on his behalf. I know he’ll occassionally make the odd tweet or serious stream addressing something his fanbase did, but one of the many reasons his fanbase keeps doing the same damn thing is because he’s so lukewarm and spotty about this condemnation. A fanbase like his needs to be given explicit guidance and boundaries for the numerous things they do in his defense- harrassing/doxing antis, harrassing people who criticize him who aren’t antis (respectful criticism, other CCs, other MCYT stans, etc.), harrassing the people he critcizes (i.e., HBomb), speculating about his personal life (his relationship with his gf, his mental health/ADHD, his romantic life, his childhood, etc.), and speculating about his relationships with his friends and colleagues.  My personal ideology is that, if you have significant influence over someone or a group of people, you are at least somewhat responsible for the things those people do or don’t do, if it at all relates back to you. I’m so fucking tired of the argument that CCs aren’t responsible for what their fans do. Obviously they aren’t responsible for every single one of their fans, and obviously they can’t fully control their fans at the end of the day. But I think there are certain things that reach such a level of extremity that does make those CCs responsible. This can be measured by either scale or intensity; that is to say, if a CC’s fanbase does things on an extremely large scale, or one person from/a fraction of the fanbase does something really extreme, then the CC is made all the more responsible. Another CC I’ve always had trouble discussing with other people on this subject is Pewdiepie, in particular, about the extremists in his fanbase. Because the things a small handful of his fans have done in reference to him and/or in his name were so fucking extreme, I thought Pewdiepie had to take at least some responsibilty. Along a similar vein, because the things Dream’s general fanbase does are so widespread and on such a massive scale, Dream has to take at least some responsibility.

Fifth, okay. Hmmm. I want to tackle this point you made about the ableism he faces in some criticism of him carefully and with empathy, but not coddling. One, I do think a lot of the criticism he receives for the ways he handles criticism (post-cheating Tweets, reactions to John Swan, post-MCC HBomb stream, etc.), disregard his RSD and can be oftentimes ableist. I’ve actually encountered people irl who criticize this aspect of Dream’s character, and have had to explain to them their disregard for how ADHD/RSD affect neurodivergent people’s reactions to criticism. But - and this is a big, and very controversial but - I think mentally ill/disordered people can 100% leverage their mental illness/disorders for the sake of manipulation. This is actually something I’ve learned from a psychiatrist, regarding the ways people I know and I handle our anxiety and depression. This manipulation can be unwitting or intentional, but it is entirely possible, and the possibility shouldn’t be entirely dismissed as ableist. Living with a mental illness or disorder that others know about/that you are very public about puts you in an interesting position to receive frequent sympathy, empathy, and/or pity. I’m not saying that empathy for Dream having ADHD/RSD is entirely unjustified; on the contrary, I have frequently expressed how I can relate to his ADHD symptoms and have defended him for expressing those symptoms, both on mcytblr and in real life. I am saying that Dream fans tend to use his ADHD as a kind of shield for a lot of criticism levied against him, including the supposition that he could be manipulating his fanbase to defend him because of his public expressions of RSD. So yes, my theory is that Dream knows how to levy every aspect of his life for his personal gain and for the growth of his brand, and that includes his ADHD. I think he has courage for his openess about his ADHD, I think his openness has contributed to the rise in awareness of mental health and empathy for neurodivergent people within Gen Z, and I think at least some of his expressions of RSD publicly/online weren’t intentionally made public. All that being said, I also think he has to know just how much his fanbase cares about defending him for his ADHD, and I think he has to know that some of the things he does related to his neurodivergence endear him to his audience, in a coddling, baby-ing, mildly ableist sorta way.  Maybe this is all incredibly presumptuous of me. Of course, I can never know the real intentions behind any Dream video, Tweet, or stream. Maybe I’m just projecting, because I can see myself doing just this, if I had the maturity I had circa 2018-2019. Idfk know, man.

Sixth, I actually agree with you here, people probably do get more mad at his fanbase than him. Dream puts out content pretty seldomly, considering the frequency of content output for other Youtubers/streamers in his field/at his brand size. And yet, he has received masses of criticism. Considering that the things Dream himself does/says do not entirely correlate with the amount of criticism he receives, I think it’s a logical assumption that a lot of that criticism actually goes back to the size of his presence online, rather than the man himself. That is to say, because of the massive community he’s amassed, the exponential growth of his fanbase, their presence on every single social media site and in virtually every single Internet space/fandom, and the size of his metaphysical presence in his fields, Dream is much bigger than the man himself, so the criticism he receives will, at least in part, be a direct or indirect result of all these other aspects of the Dream brand.  Something I don’t think many Dream fans/stans, or even most MCYT fans in general, understand, is that Dream isn’t just “one guy” in the eyes of the Internet- at least, not anymore. He hasn’t been for nearly a year. Like Pewdiepie, Mr. Beast, and other CCs who have amassed similar levels of fame and wealth via Internet content creation, Dream is a brand now, and most people will treat him as such. He isn’t just some uwu soft boy playing Minecraft anymore. He is on a whole other level from any other MCYT in his friend circle or colleague interaction bubble. His words will never again live in a vaccum or private bubble, his friend circle will never again be under anything less than intense scrutiny, his past actions will never again be simple mistakes or silly errors, his words will never again be casual tweets or streams for laughs among a couple thousand followers. Dream’s name represents something much bigger than just the one man. As such, all aspects of his brand, including his fanbase, will tie back to him and, ultimately, to any general criticism of him.

I’m not saying I like any of this, and I actually think the evolution of influencers from people to a marketable brand with similar mechanisms, responsibilities, and liabilities as a corporation is some kind of late capitalism nightmare fuel; I’m just stating my own observations and theories as to why so much anti-Dream criticism seems to be directed at his fanbase, rather than him.

Seventh, he’s just a guy, you’re right, but I think a lot of the antis on Tumblr understand this more than you know. As I’ve seen it, the sentiment among much of the “DSMP stans DNI” crowd seems to be that of “Dream/other MCYTs are such ‘bad’ people, so why do their fans stick to these mediocre, racist men, when there are so many better people to watch/better content to consume?” We know this argument is flawed for many of the obvious reasons - the conflation of all MCYTs’ actions regardless of individual identity, the equating of a CC’s fanbase’s morality to that of the CC they enjoy watching, the exxageration of any error MCYT CCs have committed as bigotry/racism, the fundamental misunderstanding and misinformation that led antis to believe this exxageration of the facts, etc. But I want to focus on the general, underlying sentiment of, “why not watch someone better, when your creator is problematic?” Sometimes, I ask this of Dream stans. Yes, being mildly ignorant, getting involved in the scandals Dream has, and being a right-leaning/libertarian centrist in the recent past all seem like harmless things, all things considered. One could say Dream isn’t nearly as bad as many antis who are misinformed seem to believe, and that there are much worse CCs Dream stans could be watching and creating fan content for. But I think what Tumblr antis wonder is, aren’t there also much better MCYTs/CCs people could be watching and stanning? Because he’s just some guy, right? Is his content truly so exceptional or is he really so exceptional a person, that people have to stick by him, despite the things that spike up regarding his current or past actions? I think that’s what made me finally decide to stop watching Dream. I realized he was just Some Guy. The Dream Team was a comforting dynamic to indulge in, DNF was a cute ship to read and speculate about, and Manhunts were fun videos to watch; however, once the Reddit posts came out and I read them in-depth, the cost-benefit analysis tipped over to the “not worth it” side for me. I realized Dream’s content, while fun and comforting, was not entirely unique, and wasn’t worth sticking around for, given what I then knew about his past political leanings. If he is just Some Guy, then there are a hundred more like him out there. There a hundred more ships, a hundred more found family dynamics, a hundred more entertaining and skilled Minecraft players. So while I agree with you on the point of people being allowed to love him regardless because he is just a guy, at the end of the day, I think that, if we are to believe that sentiment or use that argument in such a manner, we should also understand the flip side- that, if he is just some guy, why is it worth sticking around? To that I say, maybe because people just enjoy the simple things they enjoy.

Anyways, I wholly agree with your tl;dr. Thanks for that insanely long ask, this was a fun thing to keep me occupied while I’ve been at work, facilitating Zoom sessions this whole morning.

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

I listened to the TAZ Grad finale!

Fellas is it gay to become imbued with the essence of the sea after influence from your water genasi teammate, pester said teammate afterwards to name a boat after you, and sail away with them into the sunset to run a cruise line scam and become morally righteous pirates?

Ive been looking at people’s reactions on the finale and yeah I loved the chaos magic parts! The whole issue with the mishandling of D&D mechanics was never really a problem with me, although I know some people feel more strongly about that than I do.

Personally, I’ve always listened to TAZ for the story and not the actual D&D so I never really took issue with any of the DM-ing mistakes Travis did. Parts of the actual story had problems (the centaurs, Ranier, other points where Travis tried to be inclusive but implemented it where it wasn’t relevant) but overall I think the enjoyable parts far outweighed the bad.

And the McElroys in general are funny as hell so even though Grad wasn’t as profound as Balance or as sad as Amnesty I still enjoyed it a lot! I would probably put Grad above Amnesty but below Balance, but of course Balance holds a special place in my heart.

A problem people had with the finale that I didn’t notice while listening was that of all their talk of “destroying capitalism,” the trio settled down to comply with capitalist society at the end. And while I do agree that the “this system is bad but let’s slowly make change from within” message has been done to death, I don’t think that the ending was necessarily performative and disingenuous on the McElroy’s part.

The first point is that even though the trio decided to participate in Nua’s society in stereotypically “exploitative” careers, (particularly in Fitzroy and Firbolg/Gary’s case) they did so explicitly to keep people from being exploited by the system. Not to mention their paths fit their character arcs pretty well. 

Fitzroy’s “who will protect the weak from the strong” speech doesn’t indicate a sleazy lawyer willing to exploit the law to make a quick buck. One person described him as one of those pro-bono lawyers and I agree with that comparison. Fitzroy is a morally good person at his core, and he initially thought the hero society would help him do good, and after becoming disillusioned with hero society, he decided to carve out his own system to allow him to do good, both by being a lawyer and by being a pirate that only attacks rich assholes. (I really like that he clarified he would only attack rich assholes my chaotic good lawyer boi <3)

Firbolg’s whole character arc of being conscientious of resources to help the community instead of hoarding things to himself, in my opinion, culminates neatly with his decision of becoming a financial advisor. He has learned that both the “share all your resources without regard for the future” ideals of the Firlbolg and the “hoard all your resources for your own benefit” ideal of Nua’s society are both flawed extremes, and has dedicated his career to helping communities find a balance between the two.

Argo’s cruise seems more of a small business to me than a capitalistic venture, but I have never taken an econ class in my life so I digress. His character arc was about finding something to live for other than the past and I think it’s a good conclusion to his arc that he commemorates his mother and friends with the cruise line but still seeks out his own future outside of that by becoming a pirate. His original plan was to go with the establishment and work with one of the most powerful heroes in the world until he gets revenge, so it’s nice to see him grow to find his own self sustaining outside of the establishment.

The second point is that TAZ Grad was never about destroying capitalism. That was a joke that Travis laid the foundation to, but it was the players who made that joke and rolled with it. Tumblr user @fitzroythecreator wrote a really good analysis of how the main theme of Grad was self reliance which I agree with. While that is one of the main themes, I will be focusing on the theme of capitalism that a lot of people tend to focus on.

The characters’ goal was to destroy the HOG, which was an allegory for how organizations function under capitalism, but never a direct parallel with capitalism as an ideology or functional system itself.

When they first joked about “ending capitalism” by blowing up the HOG I was concerned because that’s not how anything works. The HOG was just one cog (heh) in the capitalist machine that was Nua’s society, and while destroying it would cause significant damage and change, it wouldn’t immediately shift everyone’s worldviews to discard their capitalist society as a whole. If the boys carried out the mission and all of a sudden the whole world was fixed, it would be even more disingenuous to present a utopian solution to a pressing, real world problem that simply cannot be solved this way.

I’m glad that they didn’t end capitalism. Social issues like this can never realistically be resolved by three spunky heroes on an adventure. You would need action from an entire population. Often violent action. There were already issues with too many NPCs in the spotlight so describing and entire population’s uprising would have exacerbated the problems even more. As four white men, the McElroys neither had the answers for how to end capitalism, nor would their medium of a D&D podcast have allowed them to present them effectively.

From my perspective, the way they would have actually ended capitalism was to go to war like Chaos and Order wanted. In this case, the entire social order and way of life for Nua would have been overturned. The main characters, Fitzroy most vocally, reject this option because of the human toll (or elves, or dwarves...whatever the term for that is for D&D races). Instead, they disturb the system to expose its flaws and let society recognize said flaws in the background. (Again, they couldn’t focus too much on it as it would take away from focus on the main characters.) Then, they choose to find their own place in the system and fix it from within.

I’m not surprised that the McElroys would pick the “change the flawed system from within” route over the “use continuous and possibly violent action to force rapid social change” route in the end. While the second stance could work if written correctly, there’s a lot more room for the message conveyed to be catastrophically bad if the writing doesn’t work. I’m personally glad that the McElroys, who don’t have a solution, presented the tamer first take instead of trying to give a solution with the second take and failing spectacularly.

TAZ: Grad was social commentary on the problems of late stage capitalistic society, but it never tries to present a clear answer on how to end this society. Rather, it recognizes that this is a problem that can’t be solved by one small group of people. It presents several possible solutions to navigate this society to bring yourself happiness within this soul crushing system while slowly changing the attitude of the society. After all, if everyone quietly changed societal attitudes for the better, then perhaps one day the population will be united enough to bring about the drastic social change that we all hope for.

[steves-strapcollection]

On Tragedy vs. Bad Endings

[Image ID: user @frostyfrogz​ replied to your post “my mag171 #thots: I fully agree with. I love jonmartin I want nothing but the best for them. I know my answer today was an obvious twisting of dialogue but its just frustrating sometimes because it seems like people dont understand some sort of tragedy will indeed happen. I have never and will never suggest that something will happen to Jon and Martin’s relationship I’ve just been saying the shows not going to end well no matter what.]

So I have a lot of thoughts about this very subject, and too much for the replies on my post, so allow me to try to articulate what I mean, and what a lot of us mean when we say “it does not make sense for either Jon or Martin to turn evil in the end,” even in a show that has been advertised from day one as a tragedy.

First of all, no one thinks this is going to end happy. The few who do are usually unaware that this show is billed as a tragedy, and are quick to be corrected. I didn’t know it was a tragedy until I was on season 3 and someone told me. It’s overall just best to assume that the OP knows it’s not going to be a happy ending, because “reminding” people or “explaining” to people that the ending is going to be sad is a fast way from people to get annoyed and defensive.

Anyway! It appears, above all, that people have either fundamentally different ideas of what a tragedy is or accomplishes, or that people have a fundamentally flawed understanding of tragedy and it’s place as a narrative device/theme.

My thoughts are that tragedies hurt, and tragedies can be devastating, but they have to have a message and they should not be cruel to the audience.

A cruel ending would involve leading the audience to believe one thing for the entire book, show, movie, podcast, what have you, just to rip it away at the last minute like a big “fuck you” to the audience. Those sorts of endings are inherently mocking of the audience, and ultimately disrespectful. The only people in the audience that “benefit” from this sort of writing are the cynics who spent the entire show talking down to everyone for seeing the silver lining in the impending tragedy, even if, up until the finale, the silver lining was always part of the narrative. Like it took actual twisting and outright ignoring of the narrative as it’s written to be cynical and sceptical all the way until the end.

That is, plain and simple, bad writing. Jonny Sims is not a bad writer.

Now tragedies often have “happy endings,” they just also have an element of sadness colouring that ending. A good, tragic ending should, in my opinion, feel bittersweet. We should see it coming, we should know it will hurt, but it should be for the greater good and should further the narrative that has been told from the beginning.

I said a few weeks ago that a tragic ending without a silver lining is just torture porn, and I stand by it.

Now, if Jon or Martin are revealed to be Actually Evil in the end, where is the silver lining in that? What narrative has even possibly hinted at this outcome, without putting on cynic glasses?

Every single plot point and plot “twist” in TMA has been clearly detailed, never relegated to pure subtext that you would have to comb through a single interraction and analyzing the tone in which it was said (which could easily be actor shortcomings or error). They have always been obvious, at least in hindsight. This is why, for a while, I subscribed to the Web!Martin theory, but due to recent episodes I’m more inclined to believe those “obvious things” were red herrings.

Throughout The Magnus Archives, the common theme in every. Single. Season finale is that “we are stronger together.” What do I mean by that? Well, here’s the general idea:

Season 1: The one time someone gets separated by the group for any significant length of time, like I mean the main group, she gets killed by the NotThem and replaced.

Season 2: Jon is alone, due to his intense paranoia and his reluctance to reach out for help. This leads to a disastrous series of events that leaves him a suspect of murder, and his friends even more doubtful of his character.

Season 3: In the episode just before they deal with the Unknowing, Jon literally says that isolation was his downfall, and he was going to work on trusting his friends more. When they got separated during the Unknowing, things went to shit. When they found each other again, they were able to rally and they “succeeded.” Conversely, they are also teamed up with Melanie and Martin who hung back to bring down Elias. They were successful, working as teams on separate objectives, etc.

Season 4: This is, by far, their most “successful” feats while simultaneously their least. The whole season was again showing the downfalls of isolation. In the season finale, Jon has Basira and Daisy’s help, and while bolstering himself with their strength, and the strength in his conviction to save Martin to be with Martin, Jon was successful in stopping Peter Lukas and saving Martin. Conversely, Martin and Jon’s isolation in Scotland could be, theoretically, implicated in how Jonah Magnus was able to succeed in the end like that.

Now evidence of this same train of thought in season 5? Jon literally says it: Gertrude would not have done well in this post-apocalyptic world, because she had no friendships, no anchors, no reason to stay human. And then Jon says “you are my reason” to Martin.

It is in the text of the story that the only way to succeed, or win, or survive, is through trust, friendship, and love. One of the main factors in so many of the statements, on why the statement givers succumbed to the fear in their story, for even a moment, had to do with very little personal ties to anyone else. Many of the statements feature isolation and, as Jon put it, “lack of corroboration.” On the flipside, many of the statements that ended with the statement giver escaping successfully, and surviving long enough to be reached out to for follow-up questions, involved them having close personal ties to someone else that kept them safe, somehow. Like the girl from Italy; remembering her mom saved her from the Lonely. Or, more ridiculously, the guy and his dog that escaped the spiral because he was so distracted by his dog and had to be home for dinner. In MAG170, it was Martin’s love for Jon, and his trust in the love from Jon and his friends, that saved him from the Lonely again. Jon’s incredible amount of love, and respect, and trust in his friends is what’s kept him from becoming another Jared Hopworth or Jude Perry. In MAG155, Cost of Living, he expresses open disgust in how that particular avatar of The End justified her actions, killing and killing and killing again because she viewed herself as more worthy of life than that person. In that same episode, he talks of not blinding himself because he hopes to use his powers to protect his friends, that without them they’re too vulnerable. Honestly, this is the same reason Peter Lukas is unsuccessful, because Martin only helped him at all to protect his friends. The fact that he didn’t see his failure coming was hilarious.

Gerry said in Family Business that there is no “entities of love”, and that might be true, but love and trust is literally what saves you from fear. How many of us deal with things that are scary in our lives, if only because we have some level of trust in the people or things around us. How many of us have been brought out of a panic attack by someone we love and trust?

So all of this has been presented to us, over and over and over again, which is what I, and others, mean when we say “it does not make sense for one of them to be evil.” That’s what we mean when we say “it would be Bad Writing to make one of them evil in the end.” The entire show has driven home the message that we need love, we need personal connections to survive fear. To rip that away from the main characters at the last minute and call it “tragedy” would be a spit in the face of every single listener who took the story at face value, without picking it apart and reading lines out of context. And Jonny Sims and Alex J. Newall have both said they hate lazy writing.

Now, none of the JonMartin fans I follow are deluding themselves to think this show will have a happy ending outside of very self-indulgent fix-it au fanfics.

The way I see this going down is that Jon and Martin will figure out how to put the world back to the way it was, but Jon will not be able to be part of the new world with Martin. That’s the tragedy; that the world gets saved, and Jon helps save it, but he doesn’t get to benefit from his efforts in any way. The tragedy is Jon loves Martin so much, and they deserve their happy ending, but they don’t get it. But, they still saved the world so others can have their happy endings.

Idk about you, but between the “Jon turns evil in the end” and “Jon stays good and sacrifices himself to save the world” endings, only one of them has me in tears right now as I type this out, and it’s not the former.

I’m not against sad endings,I’m against bad endings that punish the audience for having even a bittersweet hope. I’m against sad endings that are just sad for the sake of being sad, with zero pay-off or reason to happen, especially when those endings throw out 5 years of hard work.

And hey, I might just be forced to eat my words in the end, but not before I fly all the way to England and make Jonny Sims eat a knuckle sandwich.

This was a lot longer than I meant for it to be, but I just have a lot of feelings.

[cat-sapphics]

Hey!

I follow the" aroace lesbian" tag and your recent posts have come up in my feed so I just wanted to say that being arospec, acespec (demiromatic graysexual, both labels in the aromantic and asexual spectrums) & lesbian is completely OKAY and you should not let anyone tell you the contrary. Especially uneducated people so 😚🤍

Many aroaces use the term aroace to encompass being in both aromantic and asexual spectrums; this means you experience little to no romantic/sexual attraction and that's more than valid. You can be both arospec and aspec! 🔥 Or arospec and asexual. Aromantic and acespec 🥺🤝

The way YOU experience romantic and sexual attraction is just different to the average allo person, & that doesn't make it any less valid. Attraction is an abstract concept and we shouldn't be putting ourselves into boxes but letting feelings be that, feelings.

Your experiences are necessary and important to our diverse & big aro/ace communities as an aroace lesbian! An aspec person is that who experiences little to no romantic attraction. That's it. THAT'S OKAY 🥰

And being an aspec lesbian is more than valid too, it's not a contradictory term because the little and fluctuating romantic & sexual attraction you DO experience, is ONLY towards women/nb so; I don't see why lesbian isn't a term you can't use. A lesbian is a women/nb female aligned person who experiences romantic, sexual and/or emotional attraction towards women/nb female aligned people. Check, check & check ✅

All in all, ace lesbians, aro lesbians and aroace lesbians are ALL part of the lesbian community & our unique experiences with romance and sex are necessary and valid for it 💓

Sorry if this got long, hope I made my point clear. Aroace lesbians have always been lesbians so don't let any exclusionists steal your peace 🧡🤍💖

thank you!! thank ya thank ya thank ya!! i really appreciate it <3

i will say, i think some of the anons i got did make some valid points (obviously not everywhere you look but they at least gave me something to think about in general) but it really took me by surprise how condescending and disapproving they all were. super uneducated too, i said i experience attraction differently or at least less frequently than average allo people and like ?? that doesn't mean i'm secretly a self-hating lesbophobe ?? you don't get to determine that for me if i'm genuinely happy even though i participate in lesbian discourse and am passionate about keeping the definition specific and closed ?? lol i didn't redefine lesbian or take away its initial meaning so it really had me peeved

i think most of their comments reflect on how they don't believe in aromanticism and asexuality being a spectrum, which i guess i invited by my own doing since i have some conservative and exclusionary views on the lgbt community and that affects my following/audience, but my response to that is that i use these labels because they bring me personal comfort. when i say i'm demiromantic i don't mean that alloromantics have zero standards when it comes to a potential partner or are completely mesmerized by the idea of hook-ups, just that the connection they need to start crushing comes within a decent time period with a personal connection, but not a super strong and deep and loving one that makes it exceptionally hard to fall in love despite however much we may desire to. the label doesn't exist to imply something bad about """normal""" people, it exists to name an experience many people have but to an intense degree. so, yes, it's a pointless social construct, it probably means nothing to you and that's fine, but it still means something to me. i'm not crying oppression or marginalization, and i'm not claiming that i'm lgbt on the basis of being demiromantic/greyasexual, but through being a nonbinary lesbian. that's the difference between mspec lesbians and aspec lesbians, is one is actively harmful to multiple groups and actually Does spawn from a place of internalized lesbophobia and/or biphobia, and the other is just "mmk this is just for me and affects nothing at all, it doesn't drag you into anything at all, i still qualify for lesbian the way you (should!) see it as technically even if you do believe it's redundant, so just... leave me alone" cause it reflects more on them than me when they make it their business by unfairly assuming things about me

same applies to me being greyasexual. still trying to figure out if it means that i experience sexual/physical attraction less frequently, less intensely, or both, but does that matter?? genuinely?? this is also redundant but i didn’t wanna leave it out of the paragraph about me being demiro fk;ljslkgbdvhbs. the aro disapproval part isn’t acceptable at all but i can at least see it since romance is so normalized and is a core part of, y’know, lgb relationships; the greyace disapproval however....... i don’t wanna label it as acephobia because i don’t really believe in aphobia being a thing, but it still kinda rubs me wrong to claim that sexual/physical attraction is a requirement ykyk... NOTHING WRONG WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEX OF COURSE (i myself kinda wanna try someday if that works out) i just think frowning upon someone who doesn’t UNLESS they try to claim they’re lgbt on that basis is.................. not really cool. i really hope people who read this understand what i’m trying to say and don’t label me as an ace inclus who thinks aphobia and oppression are real, i was just trying to make a point about my personal experiences oops lmao

and then it became "aroace means NO ATTRACTION AT ALL" okay... so i'm angled aroace, that's a sub-term since aroace is literally an umbrella term, actually (unlike lesbian, shit's complicated ykyk). "YOU'RE NOT AROACE THEN"....... they don't even like the idea of oriented aroace now either, so like, what then, are aroace people just never allowed to feel love or positive feelings from other people ever? jesus christ. i'm not even getting into this, i consider aro/ace identities to be secondary to describe one's attraction so this debate should not be as important as, say, discourse centering the L, G, B, or T. it's just dumb all around tbh

hope i addressed all the arguments against it, but i can't really care at this point if i missed something :/ i'll probably get a mean anon about it so don't worry!! /s jslgjgjkshkj;lhfp

speaking of, i've had to delete so many anons and even turn off the option to ask anonymously because of this discourse. it's so pointless in my opinion, so i've just stopped giving them my time unless i think it's worth answering - but even then, i try to keep it fairly short. i genuinely was not expecting my take on (cishet) ace discourse to turn into myself failing to be seen as a "real lesbian" despite literally meeting its definitive qualifications and then it just kept building up ?? stan behavior tbh, especially since plenty of them obviously come from the same users

i apologize for the rant. i just never really felt like i'd be listened to if i tried to explain my identity, so i gave up and just tried to ignore my way out of it. so i really genuinely appreciate your ask, especially since i can identify you. it really feels like i actually have someone on my side now, so even if you ever disagree i'd know you wouldn't harass me about it. it really means a lot, i really needed this from you and i don't wanna dump more shit but i feel that you deserve to know. so thank you again <3

[internetassociationaofirs]

What are Research Skills and why are they important?

Most jobs actually require some level of problem-solving. You may come across an impediment and come up with a question that you must answer in order to proceed. To answer this question, you will almost certainly need to conduct some research. People with research skills can identify a problem, gather informational resources that can help address the problem, assess the quality and relevance of these resources, and come up with an effective solution to the problem.

What is Research?

Internet Research is the practice of conducting research using Internet information, particularly free information on Internet-based resources (such as Internet discussion forums).

Simply put, research is the process of discovering new knowledge. This knowledge can be either the development of new concepts or the advancement of existing knowledge and theories, leading to a new understanding that was not previously known.

Internet research can provide quick and immediate access to information worldwide, although the results may be impacted by unknown bias, difficulties in verifying the credentials of the writer, (and therefore the accuracy and relevance of the information obtained), and whether the search engine has the capacity to draw significant results from the abundance of available material. Recovered initial resources may not be the most appropriate means to address a certain question. In the structuring of internet search results, popularity is often used, however popular information is not always the right one or represents the wide knowledge and opinion about a subject.

In fact, almost every profession or job necessitates some level of research and research skills. As long as you encounter a question, which is a natural occurrence in almost everything, you should encounter an opportunity to conduct research. When there is a need for research, strong research skills come in handy.

What are Research Skills?

Research skills enable you to focus on a specific goal, gather relevant information, and communicate your findings to others. We are taught from a young age to develop research skills, and for good reason.

Teachers in academia required answers to a series of topic-related questions in an essay. Similarly, your boss may eventually request that you investigate a work-related topic or figure out how to solve a problem.

Why are Research Skills Important?

Research skills are important in the workplace for a variety of reasons, including the ability for individuals and businesses to:

Develop new processes and outcomes. You don't have to be involved in research and development to improve the way your team works. Any sensible employer will value your efforts in researching new processes that will make your job (and those of your team) more efficient.

Personal Growth. People who have a knack and a passion for research are never satisfied with doing things the same way they've always done them. Organizations require independent thinkers who will seek their own answers and continually improve their skills. These employees will also learn new technologies more quickly.

Customer relationship management. In almost every industry, being able to conduct research on your customer base is critical. It's difficult to move products or sell services if you don't know what people want. It is a valuable responsibility to research your customer base's interests, needs, and pain points.

Cost Effective. Whether your organization is launching a new product or simply trying to cut costs, research is critical for identifying wasted resources and redirecting them to more worthy causes. Anyone who goes out of their way to find ways for the company to save money will be praised by their boss.

Competitor Analysis. Knowing what your top competitors are up to is crucial for any company. If a company wants to stay functioning, it must research what works for its competitors, what they do better than you, and where it may improve its standing with the least amount of resources.

Types of Research Skills

Experienced researchers understand that conducting a worthwhile investigation necessitates a wide range of abilities. Consider which research abilities you have naturally and which you could improve.

Goal Setting

You must first know what you're looking for before you can conduct any form of productive research. Setting goals is a skill just like any other. It will be lot easier to construct a path there if you can imagine the conclusion you're aiming to attain by investing effort into research. Goal-setting skills include:

Specificity

Time-Management

Vision

Realistic

Planning ahead

Organization

Accountable

Data Collection

The collection of data is often the first thing to remember when thinking about the research process.Itis a systematic process to collect and measure information on variables of interest that allows one to respond to research questions, to test hypothesis and to assess results.

Simply collecting facts and information on the internet can meet your needs for some purposes. More direct and popular research may be needed by others. You will be more impressive with your experience in different methods of data collection. Methods of data collection are:

Interviews

Questionnaires and surveys

Observations

Documents and records

Focus groups

Oral histories

Evaluate and Analyze Information and Sources

In research, it is important to find reliable information suitable for your task. Some tasks may require the use of certain types of sources, such as primary or secondary sources or certain types of journals, like scientific journals. You may need to restrict the numbers sources you use for other assignments.

In all cases, the information contained in your assignments should always be assessed. Knowing how to assess information helps you with research tasks and with your life's bigger decisions. Knowing where to go for information that is relevant, credible, and accurate can assist you in making informed decisions about graduate school, a new car purchase, financial aid opportunities, daycare options, and other topics.

Published books

Encyclopedias

Magazines

Databases

Scholarly journals

Newspapers

Library catalogs

Using the internet to gather information

Search engines are used to find the majority of information on the Internet. A search engine is an online service that employs web robots to query millions of web pages and compile an index of the results. Internet users can then utilize these services to search the web for information. While it is beneficial to consult different sources, today's research is driven by good online research skills.

One of the greatest things about the internet is how much information it holds; unfortunately, getting to the data you need requires sifting through a lot of rubbish. Employers value the ability to efficiently utilise the large reservoir of knowledge available on the internet without getting lost in the clutter. The following are some examples of internet research skills:

Source checking

Searching relevant questions

Exploring deeper than the first options

Avoiding distraction

Giving credit

Organizing findings

Due to the sheer size of the World Wide Web, and with the rapid growth of indexed web pages, finding relevant and reliable information demands specialized training and Internet research skills. We provide a centralized virtual platform for knowledge professionals that use the Internet as a primary source of information. This AofIRS is more than just a virtual collaboration and networking platform for researchers and knowledge professionals. The website is filled with free, up-to-date content and reference material that is ideal for research.

Interviewing

Some research projects may demand a more hands-on approach than relying just on online resources. In the research process, being prepared with great interviewing skills can be really beneficial. Interviews can be a good way to get first-hand knowledge for your research, and knowing how to conduct an effective interview can help you improve your research skills. Interviewing abilities include:

A plan of action

Specific, pointed questions

Respectfulness

Considering the interview setting

Actively Listening

Taking notes

Gratitude for participation

Report Writing

Report writing skills can help you in both your employment and your academic studies. In any case, the overall goal of a report is to transmit specific facts to its audience.

Communication is crucial for effective report writing. Your supervisor, professor, or general reader should comprehend your findings and conclusions clearly. Skills in report writing include:

Formatting is important.

Including a synopsis

Keeping your focus on your main goal

Developing a plan

Proofreading\sDirectness

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking skills can help you a lot in the research process and in general as an employee. Your data analysis skills are referred to as critical thinking. When you're conducting research, you'll need to be able to interpret your findings and make rational judgments based on them. The following are examples of critical thinking skills:

Observation

Analysis

Assessing issues

Problem-solving

Creativity

Communication

Planning and Scheduling

The development of baseline productivity and success standards is one of the most significant components of planning and scheduling. You won't know if you're meeting goals until you have a particular strategy in place with a specific desired outcome defined by a completion date.

It also makes time management considerably easy. Employers value planning and scheduling abilities because they suggest a well-prepared employee. Skills in planning and scheduling include:

Setting objectives

Identifying tasks

Prioritizing

Delegating if needed

Vision

Communication

Clarity

Time-management

Note-taking

Research involves sifting through and taking in lots of information. Taking thorough notes ensures that you do not overlook any findings and allows you to communicate these findings to your coworkers. Being able to take good notes aids in the summarization of research. Here are some examples of note-taking abilities:

Focus

Organization

Using short-hand

Keeping your goal in mind

Neatness

Emphasizing important points

Reviewing notes afterward

Time Management

Unfortunately, we only have 24 measly hours in a day. In a professional setting, the ability to effectively manage this time is extremely valuable. Hiring managers look for candidates who can complete tasks within a specific time frame.

Strong time management skills imply that you can organize a strategy for breaking down larger tasks in a project and completing them by a deadline. Improving your time management skills can significantly boost the productivity of your research. Time management abilities include the following:

Scheduling

Creating task outlines

Thinking strategically

Stress-management

Delegation

Communication

Utilizing resources

Setting reasonable expectations

Meeting deadlines

Other Helpful Research Skills

The definition of research skills is broad, and there are many traits that could help you in the research process. Consider some of the additional research skills below.

Attention to detail

Reading and writing skills

Patience

Considering keywords

Networking

Competitor comparison

Multitasking

Summarization

Presentation

How to Improve Your Research Skills

The great thing about research skills is that many of us use them on a daily basis. When you use a search engine to find information on a topic, you are conducting research. However, there are more proactive ways to begin improving your research skills today:

Make a distinction between source quality. A researcher's worst source determines how good they are. Start paying attention to the quality of the sources you're using, and be wary of anything you read until you've double-checked the attributions and works cited. Examine the author's bias, the author's research's alignment with the greater body of confirmed research in the subject, and the journal that sponsored or published the research.

Verify information from several sources. It gets increasingly trustworthy when you can verify information from a variety of sources. If you want to strengthen your belief in one source, check if you can locate another that agrees with it. When you run into contradictions and conflicts in your study, you know you need to keep going until you reach a more definitive conclusion.

Don't be influenced by confirmation bias. Confirmation bias occurs when a researcher expects a specific result and then searches for data to support that hypothesis, ignoring any sources that contradict or invalidate the researcher's initial idea. Be ready for unexpected responses and keep an open mind. Also, keep in mind that you might not be able to discover a definitive answer. It's preferable to provide the important points of your research to someone (such as your employer) and explain that it didn't lead to a concrete plan of action than to alter your data and give the answer you or your boss want to hear.

Stay organized. You'll encounter a lot of material during the data gathering process, from webpages to PDFs to videos. To avoid losing something or not being able to properly mention something, it's critical that you maintain all of this information organized in some way. There are numerous methods for keeping your research project structured, but here are a few of the most common: Bookmarks in your browser, index cards, and an annotated bibliography that you update as you go are all useful tools.

Develop your research skills. Professional certification will help you improve your research skills. CIRS™ (Certified Internet Research Specialist), is by far the only professional credential that meets this challenge. Professional researchers owe it to themselves to seek structured certification programs and stay in touch with new materials and tools that are available to transform research problems from very difficult or impossible to quick and simple tasks. We have developed a CIRS Certification (Certified Internet Research Specialist) to educate and train Online Researchers that now form a significantly large group of people involved in digital information research work.

Get specific as you go. There's nothing wrong with commencing your investigation in a broad sense. After all, it's critical to become acquainted with the vocabulary and substance of the researcher's results before delving into the details. Orienting yourself to a new topic is an important step that will prevent you from being discouraged and working backwards.

Learn how to spot a reliable source. Because not all sources are trustworthy, it's critical to be able to distinguish between the good and the bad. To find a trustworthy source, utilize your critical thinking and analytical skills to ask yourself the following questions: Is this source consistent with other sources I've discovered? Is the author a subject matter expert? Is there a conflict of interest in the author's point of view on this subject?

[jojosbabe]

Broke: sadao kujo is a deadbeat dad.

Woke: jotaro's father is a busy man,being a musician is difficult. Plus he's trying his best to provide for his family while doing what he loves. He does spend time with his family when he can. Plus he isn't a stand user so telling him things wouldn't be very good. Plus it would worry him unneccessaly during the events of sdc. He loves holly,jotaro and his family. He is a chill guy who loves jazz. He as much as Joseph and him may clash. He loves him too. Tbh y'all just horrible for thinking the worst thing ever. And may need to look at your own problems in your own life instead of projecting horrible stereotypes onto fictional characters that are actually quite harmful.

So in conclusion.....

Sadao kujo,jotaro's father. Is a dope guy. And deserves the respect he deserves. Same goes with holly kujo,jotaro's mother.

In fact y'all better love his parents. If you love jotaro. You better love his family and parents. So help me god. I will put my size 10 and a half foot up your hind. *clocks glock*

Im tired of the disrespect to his parents.

But anyways in all seriousness. Please stop using the deadbeat dad trope. It's harmful.

Not to say that it don't happen. It does. But to use it constantly.

That is putting a bad light on the men that do stay and are loving fathers. Hell even single dads. But definitely loving fathers and step fathers. Just dont.

Coming from personal experience. I know this feeling. But damn man. There are good fathers out there,and no parents are truly perfect. But god damn it people. Stop writing this trope! Its not funny. Its not thought provoking. Its horrible. And sad. And should be used extremely sparingly.

Give our young men,boys,and anyone else who uses a masculine pronoun. Someone to look up to you know?! Like damn.

I wanna see their eyes light up and say. "Hey yeah,that's the guy i wanna be. That caring father figure. That man who helps others. Etc"

Like let them dream too.

But back to jojos.

I just wish there was loving family time. Where jotaro is just i dunno a normalish guy with a funny,weird family. Like a non crisis type fic.

Holly,sadao,and joot have a family game night with reader/listener. Like jesus. Its not that hard to write. Even if you have the shittiest family ever irl. Write the family you want or dream. Like i know life sucks sometimes but jesus christ. You have the power at your fingertips to make things happy and give yourself all that love you deserve.

Like i know im blunt. And im sorry for that. I can't help it. (As someone who might be thinking they also are nurodivergent of some kind. As well as someone who suffers from anxiety disorder) but i deeply believe that the male readers too deserve something nice too.

Im not the greatest when it comes to writing that. But i know that they too,deserve a happy fictional dad figure. Everyone does. By damn it im gonna write sadao and holly in a happy marriage because fuck these people who say otherwise.

Sorry for the derail. But thats just my thoughts.

Again. This is just my personal opinions and thoughts.

You at the end can do whatever you want. But please i beg of you. Stop writing harmful stereotypes of fathers and father figures. Or parents or parental figures general. Hell Give people some advice too at the end of the fic if you need. But please. Leave the deadbeat father/mother trope shit where it belongs. In the garbage can.

Thank you.

[onyxiana-is-obsessed]

The Big 3 Plus 1 | The Big 3 x Powerful!Reader

AN: This is platonic! I did another one that was romantic, but I’m posting this one instead.

Warnings: Mentions of depression; OP reader >.<

Length: 3.5k

Summary: You meet The Big 3 for the first time and it doesn’t go all that well because you know you’re better than them.

Name: (f/n) (l/n) Quirk: Energy Manipulation; user can control the energy in/around living and nonliving things Age: 17 Hero Name: (h/n) 

(f/n) stood up and bowed to Nezu and then walked out of his office. She was supposed to meet the big three in a few days, how exciting. The big 3. The strongest hero students in Japan, destined to become top pro heroes when they graduated. Nezu thought she could work well together and maybe join the trio.

   The girl was opposed to joining them, she was used to working alone and that's how she preferred it. With her quirk, it was quite hard to have allies around. Yes, like The Big 3, she worked hard over the years to get a handle on it, but unlike a normal quirk, hers was always evolving. Her abilities were sometimes too much, ever for her.

   She pretended to be happy and excited to see them, but in reality, she didn't want to. She didn't care. She could be like Eraserhead. The pro-hero who works alone and isn't in front of the cameras the entire time. As the girl walked the hallways, she felt her quirk hit. She groaned as she leaned against the wall, her hand on her chest, her eyes shut tight. She took a few deep breaths and opened her eyes.

   (F/c) energy surrounded her and started to fill up the area she was in. She gritted her teeth and breathed in and out as she felt the shivers hit. No matter how much she breathed, it felt like it wasn't enough. She needed just a bit more but she couldn't have it. Her hand moved to her throat where she felt her quirk tighten. She slid down to the ground and clenched her fist, continuing her breathing. She raised her arms and waved them around in a practiced manner and finally felt the pressure leave her chest.

It took a few moments, but everything returned to normal. At times like this, she wasn't even sure if what she dealt with was real or not. Nothing hurt, but during the "attack", everything hurt. Her whole body ached and cried out in pain and she could do nothing about it. However, when it ended, it was like it never happened. She calmed herself, before fixing her hair and uniform, even though nothing was out of place.

   The girl continued to walk the corridor until she heard voices up ahead. A condescending smile made its way onto her face as she realized who they were. The big 3. Guess she was meeting them earlier than expected, if they even knew they were going to meet her. They were heading in the direction of Nezu's office, so maybe they didn't know yet. Either way, she was going to "introduce" herself.

   They were busy talking to each other as she approached them, stopping, blocking them as well. Tamaki shied away while the other two looked at her with bright smiles.

   "Wow, must be my lucky day. The Big 3. Japan's top hero students, considered to be at pro level already!" Her eyes traveled to Mirio. "One of them even a candidate for replacing All Might. It's an honor to meet you." Sarcasm dripped off of every word she spoke, but they ignored it. Mirio gave her a bright smile as he introduced himself.

   "I'm Mirio Togata! It's really nice to meet you."

   "I'm Nejire Hado! A pleasure to meet you!" The three looked at Tamaki who jumped a little, but they gave him a moment. (f/n) squinted as her piercing (e/c) traveled up and down his frame.

   "I-I'm"

   "Tamaki Amajiki." She finished in a sharp tone. "Suneater; quirk: manifest." His head was down as he stared at the ground. He heard her footsteps approach him and his eyes widened as he met her eyes. She had leaned in closer to see his face. "You're much more intimidating in your hero costume." Standing up straight, she looked at the trio again. "Nejire Hado; quirk: wave motion. Last but not least, Mirio Togata. Quirk: permeation."

   "What's your name?" Mirio inquired with a smile, the two moving closer to the girl. She was silent, but they watched as she blinked once and her (e/c) were now glowing. It only lasted a second, because when she blinked again, it disappeared.

   "I'm surprised. I thought The Big 3 would recognize their competition when they see it. Guess I gave you too much credit."

   "There isn't any competition-" Nejire was cut off by the girl.

   "You're right. I'm already better than all of you combined. Excuse me." With that, she pushed through Nejire and Tamaki, bumping into them roughly as she walked passed. The three turned and watched her with a frown. She walked with such confidence, her hips swaying as her (figure) figure retreated into the distance.

   "She... who is she?" Nejire inquired.

   "I don't know," Mirio responded slowly. The three stood there for another moment before they continued on their way, somewhat shaken by the girl they just met.

~**~ 3 Days Later ~**~

   (f/n) was laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes were glowing a bright (e/c) as it scanned everything in her room. (Dark/light) (f/c) energy filled her room, swirling around. She raised her arm and watched as the energy moved closer and turned into a large ball around her hand. She blinked, her eyes returning to normal and everything disappeared, but she could still feel the energy everywhere.

   She lowered her arm and felt the energy let go as she sat up with a sigh. Tomorrow she formally met The Big 3. She was supposed to hang around them and officially join their little group. What if she didn't want to? She didn't get that choice. What if she wanted to make friends? She didn't get that choice. What if she didn't want to be a pro-hero? She didn't get that choice.

   Everything was predetermined for the girl and all she could do was follow like a leashed dog. Her quirk was already too much, even she couldn't handle it. There were times where she had accidentally used her quirk, unable to control it at a younger age. Things didn't go so well. So she was put through brutal training to be able to control it.

   It helped quite a bit. Now she had a grasp on it and instead of quirk controlling her, she commanded it herself. However, every now and then, she had a slip-up. She'd lose control and the energy around her would start to suffocate everything. She wasn't pro hero material. She acted confident, but deep down inside, she was nothing like that at all. She was nothing.

   This was her life, her destiny. She was to follow everyone else, bend to their rules, do as they say. She didn't matter, her opinions didn't matter, her choices didn't matter. No one wanted her, they wanted her quirk. It was the same with everyone. Hero, villain, or family. They just wanted her quirk.

   That or they were too scared of it. Her quirk was nothing short of dangerous and no matter what, she'd always be feared to some degree. She could never be like All Might, someone who could put smiles on faces and relieve fear. No, she instilled fear, she was fear. No hero trembled yet, but when she'd be as powerful as the number 1 hero... then they'd fear her. Then she'd be punished for something she didn't even want in the first place.

   The girl let out another audible sigh before she fell back on her bed and covered her face with her hands. Whatever... she'd just deal with it as she dealt with everything else.

~The Next Day~

   The girl arrived in the classroom, where she was supposed to meet The Big 3. When she entered, she noticed it was empty. She sighed as she rolled her eyes and sat down in a desk.

   "I must be early." She checked her phone and indeed she was early, by ten minutes. She sat there (playing games/reading/checking social) on her phone. After about twenty minutes of waiting, she let out and groan. "Can't even be on time." It had taken about five more minutes after that, but the door opened and in walked Nezu with the three behind them. Both Nejire and Mirio were chattering away but they both silenced immediately as they noticed the girl.

   "This is (f/n) (l/n), (f/n), this is-"

   "We've met actually." Her voice was as sweet as honey, but she was clearly disinterested. The three joined her as Aizawa entered the room not a moment later. He explained how the three would be talking to the new first years. (f/n) already didn't care, but once again, she was given a command and like the helpless puppy she was, she followed.

~**~

   The four waited outside the classroom and entered when told. They faced the class and listened as Aizawa introduced them. He introduced the three as their title, but avoided talking about (f/n), the girl not caring in the slightest.

   "Get to it. Introduce yourselves briefly. Let's start with Amajiki." (f/n) turned her head and looked at him as he looked up, his stare intense, freaking out the entire classroom. It was kind of impressive.

   "It's no good." His voice came out, pulling the attention of his friends. "You three go. I just can't." (f/n) raised an eyebrow as she realized he was shaking. "Even if I try to imagine them like potatoes, I can see their human bodies. I know that they're still people. No words are coming out, my mind's blank, and my mouth is dry. I can't say anything. I wanna go home." He finished, turning around and facing the wall. (f/n)'s face blanked as she was no longer impressed but disappointed.

   Nejire giggled and commented on how he needed to be a lion, not a kitten, then proceeded to introduce him as a kitten then herself. As she went on a tangent, (f/n) rolled her eyes and stepped in front of Tamaki, blocking his body from view.

   Although a simple gesture, knowing that the class could no longer see Tamaki, consoled him. He was no longer shaking and he felt his anxiety melt away a little bit. Everyone had noticed, but were too busy with Nejire asking questions to bother asking (f/n).

   However, Midoriya's voice broke through after Nejire finished talking and before Mirio could. He raised his hand and spoke.

   "Um... who's she? Are you another member of The Big 3? Are you guys The Big 4?" Both Nejire and Mirio looked at (f/n) whose answer was unexpected to Aizawa and the three.

   "No. I'm (f/n) (l/n), they're still the Big 3. I'm not a part of them." The first years gave an understanding nod and Mirio took over. It wasn't long after before Mirio challenged the first  years to a fight, with Eraserhead saying:

   "Do whatever you want."

~**~

   Here they were, in the training room. Mirio standing across from the first years, stretching. As he did, Tamaki, from the wall, spoke up.

   "Mirio, you're impossible. It would've been simple enough for us to just tell them. This is what it's like, it's what we've learned from it. Not everyone has your level of drive. Plus, think of how bad it would look if some of them can't recover after fighting you. No one wants to spend the next few years in a hospital bed." That caught everyone's attention, even (f/n)'s, who had already observed them.

   The first years were overconfident but Nejire interrupted them with an excited squeal. She jumped up and pointed at (f/n).

   "Why don't we see her fight?" They were all silent and Mirio looked at the (h/c) haired girl.

   "Would you like to?"

   "I don't care." She responded. It was decided, she would fight them, then Mirio. The girl walked towards the front and stared at everyone, placing her hands on her hips. The class examined her, some more than others. She had (h/l) (h/c) hair, (figure) figure, piercing (e/c) eyes, and a disinterested look on her face. The class prepped really quick and she spoke out. "Ready when you are." Even Tamaki turned around to watch the fight. They watched her blink and her eyes start glowing.

   The class ran at her, but within seconds they were on the floor, immobile. No, not immobile, struggling. They were struggling to move but they couldn't. She hadn't even moved but her eyes were glowing brighter. The Big 3 watched with wide eyes as she waited for about three minutes and blinked. The glow from her eyes was gone, but she waved her hand and class 1-A breathed in relief.

   "Done." She said, as she walked off to the side, signaling that Mirio could go next. The class stood up, the pain was gone. Well, it never hurt, they just couldn't move, it was as if she had placed a platform on them and pressed down. They weren't able to get up, but nothing hurt.

   So Mirio was up next. The second he activated his quirk, his clothes fell off and (f/n) shut her eyes, but not before she caught sight of... mini Mirio. She groaned and stared at the floor, but kept an eye on the fight itself.

   Safe to say, he wiped the floor with them. In the end, the group stood up and (f/n) heard a voice say:

   "I wish I had (f/n)'s quirk! She lucked out." The girl turned to the group and spoke.

   "As the wallflower over here said," She said gesturing to Tamaki behind her, "It's not my quirk you should be jealous of. It's our skills."

   "Oh yeah?" She heard another voice. "What's so wrong with it?" Midoriya looked up and spoke as well, but in a more inquiring tone.

   "Mine breaks my bones." She scoffed.

   "I wish my quirk would break my bones. Mine tries to kill me." They all perked up, except Aizawa who was well aware of the girl's situation.

   "What?"

   "My quirk is Energy Manipulation. Everything has energy, living or dead. When I do this," She blinked and her eyes started to glow. "I can see it. It's all around us, but right now it's centered around all of you since you're all grouped together. I can control that energy, within you and around you. That's why you found it hard to get up, I was forcing you down. I can also do this." She held her arm out and they watched as energy started to surround it, (dark/light) (f/c) energy. She aimed it at the large rock formation and released it. They watched as it barreled towards the rock formation and completely obliterated it.

   "That's amazing!" They complimented, but she shook her head as she blinked the glow in her eyes away.

   "Not when you wake up in the middle of the night to your own energy suffocating you." She watched the impressed looks melt into those of horrors. "Sleep is dangerous for me, sometimes my own energy starts to crush my body or my insides. Other times, it tries to suffocate me when I'm awake. It's like tying a rope around my throat and choking me. I can't breathe, my body aches, and my quirk is activated by force.

After that, the energy surrounds me the way it just surrounded by hand. When it does that, I have no control over it and if it blows up, it'll kill me too. Also, when my eyes glow and I look at the energy, I can only do it for a short period of time. I mostly use it to see where the energy is residing for a second or two. If I stare too long, I risk losing my eyesight. I usually have to take time out of the day to physically control my own energy, moving it around and away from me. I do the same at night, I wake up multiple times every single night to make sure my own energy isn't trying to kill me."

   "H-how do you handle it?" Someone asked.

   "Practice. Years and years of brutal training allows me to stand here in front of you without killing myself or blowing up the school. You don't want my quirk. Hell, I don't want my quirk, I'm just stuck with it." Her pessimistic side was coming out but she didn't care too much for it. Once it was obvious she was done talking, Mirio added onto what she was saying, telling the class how difficult it was for him to master his quirk and how much work it took.

~**~

   As (f/n) walked out of the class, she was stopped by the trio. She turned with an exasperated sigh and looked at them.

   "Yes?"

   "Thank you," Tamaki spoke out.

   "For?" He was going to force his words out, but she interrupted him. "Oh, that. It's nothing." She then leaned in. "You know, you're cute. It'd be much better if I could see your face and your pretty eyes." He almost died right then and there. A ghost of a chuckle escaped her lips and she turned to leave when Mirio spoke up.

   "I wanna spar with you!" She turned to face him and saw a bright smile and a determined look on his face. How could she say no?

   "When?"

   "Whenever."

   "Sure." He expected to be turned down but wasn't, which gave him and the group hope of her maybe wanting to be friends with them.

   "(l/n)?" Nejire started. "Will you join us?" She smiled.

   "No, you're good as The Big 3. I don't mind hanging around you though. Color me impressed." Although they were a bit disappointed the trio wouldn't have another member, they were still happy to be friends with her. Tamaki, included. Just her small gesture of letting him hide behind her made him want to get to know her. No one had done that for him before, so why turn down a girl who did. One who didn't even seem to like him. He wanted to know more. They all did, all three of them wanted to get to know her. They wanted to get to know (h/n), but they also wanted to get to know (y/f/n), the girl with such an amazing quirk.

   "We should all spar! Us against you!" The blue-haired girl cheered, causing (f/n) to laugh and shake her head. A smile suited her, they noted. This was the first time she laughed and they liked it, wanting to hear more of it.

   "I already told you, I'm better than all of you combined." Mirio slung his arm around her shoulder with a laugh of his own; she made no effort to push him away.

   "We'll see about that!"

   "Oh yeah?" She challenged. "Don't forget, I can control all of you. Sounds fun though. I'm expecting a challenge, so don't disappoint."

   "Oh, we won't!" Nejire added, skipping along next to Mirio. When Tamaki caught up, he was next to (f/n). The four went off to lunch together and all three of them knew she belonged with them, in their group. They weren't the only powerful students in Japan, because there was another one. One stronger than them.

~**~

The group did seem like they fit together well, but (f/n) refused to join them officially. Still, they were the best of friends after that. Everyone heard of the stories, The Big 3 plus 1. That's how she always introduced them.

"We're The Big 3 plus 1." She was quite close to the 3 and maybe it was them projecting a bit, but she watched as her ideas and morals morphed. At first, being number 1 hero wasn't her goal. Being a hero, in general, wasn't her goal, but now it was. She wanted to be a hero with her best friends, stand next to them and fight. So she did.

The number 1 pro-hero (h/n) and The Big 3, together, protected Japan from all villains, no matter how strong or dangerous. Their bond had only strengthened and when she looked back on the first day she met them, she regretted the way she introduced herself to them. However, she also used it as the day her life changed. When she met The Big 3.

[herohotline]

Bean Boy (Midoriya x You)

A/N: Future/Coffee Shop!AU where Midoriya is the number one hero getting coffee in your run of the mill cafe. 

Pairing: Izuku Midoriya x Reader

In modern society, heroes came in all shapes and colors and they were actually fairly common. How they came about is still a mystery- especially to you since you never studied the subject- but they were an everyday occurrence and common idol now. And, well, you were no hero. Just a barista in a family-owned shop. But, you’d argue, working in customer service was sort of a heroic act of its own. Maybe your hero name would be “Bean Boy” or something.

Scratch that, that was a terrible name.

Working in a coffee shop wasn’t all that bad. The fact that it was family-owned sort of made it better- you weren’t family but you may as well be at this point with how well you knew the staff and owners and how kind they were to you. It was definitely better than working at a chain or somewhere so busy that you'd never get time to relax.

Rush hour for your little shop ended about an hour ago- so it was right before noon. Even rush hour was pretty small, it wasn’t something that two workers couldn’t handle. Your co-worker, Aiko, actually just left for her lunch break, leaving you alone in the shop for now. You had been idly washing dishes and keeping things tidy when the distinct sound of the shop bell rang. It was either a customer or it was Aiko with her lunch and your drink you gave her money for.

(You hope for the latter- you’re sick of just drinking coffee and bubble tea when you're thirsty at work)

Looking up, it definitely wasn’t Aiko. Instead, it was a tall, beautiful man with unruly green locks and charming emerald eyes.

Looking down at his t-shirt, it reads “sweater”. You want to laugh. What sort of humor does this guy have?

“Welcome, sir. I’ll take your order when you’re ready.” You notice he’s staring at the menu and you don’t want to rush him, so you continue to work on things behind the counter once he gives you a small smile.

His smile is too cute.

The wait isn’t long until he tells you he’s ready to order and you’re not surprised- there’s not a lot on the menu to look at other than your lunch and snack options. You go toward the iPad on the counter and smile at him.

“Great! What can I get you?”

“A medium mocha and… you serve soba?”

You laugh. “Yes, surprisingly enough. I know it’s odd for a cafe, but you can really get creative if you’re a small shop.” You think for a moment before you add- “it’s only cold soba, though, so if you want it hot I can… microwave it?”

The green-haired wonder actually laughs- you can’t believe your weak joke made him laugh. He smiles so easily- so happily- you feel like you’re going to melt. “Cold soba is actually perfect. It’s how my friend prefers it.”

“Wonderful. I’m assuming this is a to-go order, then?”

“You’d be right.”

“Alright. That’s a total of 1,300 yen.”

He hands you the money, a little extra in his hand, and you quickly make the change and offer it to him before he stops you. “Keep it. For making me laugh.”

You blush. “Oh- thank you, sir!” You certainly won’t say no to a personal, nice tip. “You can sit anywhere you’d like- since I’m making a new batch of soba, it will be 10 or so minutes. I’ll bring out your drink first, of course,” you can’t believe how much you’re flustering around him. You’re so weak…  “Is that alright?”

“Absolutely.”

He takes his seat and you get to work. You brew the coffee first, as you said, and once you deliver it to him you quickly get to work on the noodles. The kitchen isn’t exactly private- the cute boy can easily see you as you work since there isn’t a separating wall from the dining area and the kitchen. The only thing that separates it is the small counter where the iPad and baked goods are at.

The television on the wall plays as you work, and it seems to have your customer's attention. Right now all that’s on is a news channel, and when you try to listen in, you think they’re talking about heroes. When are they not, though?

“What’s your opinion on heroes?” The customer asks you suddenly. You're surprised he’s making conversation- not a lot of them do. You hum as you strain the cold noodles.

“I think they’re great. I mean, who doesn’t? There’s the whole Stain group, but even those people like heroes. They just like different ideals for them, I guess.”

“That’s true,” he says. “Have you ever thought about being one?”

You laugh sarcastically. “Maybe when I was a kid. But when I grew up, I thought about the world a bit more realistically.” You start to put the meal in a to-go container- not forgetting the dipping sauce. “Being a hero is a dangerous job. It’s an uncertain job- you never really know what you’re gonna get. I guess I like a bit more stability. Plus, I’m working at a tiny cafe. I think you can tell I’m not very suited for celebrity life.”

You put the box together and place it on his table. “Your soba,” you say and smile at him. “Plus, sometimes I like to think I’m a special type of hero. I mean- Hero work is basically a fancy and glittery version of customer service. I’m halfway there if you think about it.” Oh god oh god shut your mouth.

He laughs again and you laugh along with him, your heart soaring. You like him- why wouldn’t you like someone who’s so cute and likes your jokes? “You’re right- thank you for the meal, hero! What’s your name?”

“Bean Boy,” You blurt without thinking and he laughs even louder, his head thrown back. Your cheeks burn as you frown. “What?! It’s catchy!” Oh god oh god OH GOD.

“It’s memorable, that’s for sure,” he stood from his seat, taking the coffee and noodles in his hand. “I’ll definitely remember you, Bean Boy.” The damn guy actually winks at you. You’re positively flushed by now, you know it.

He leaves the store after that, and while you’re reeling from the experience- your heart sinks an inch. You never got to catch his name.

Now you sort of wish you did work at a busier place that took names with orders.

—-

Eventually, he does come by again, this time with a familiar face beside him. Color you impressed, fucking Shoto the number 2 hero is in your cafe!

“I didn’t know you were a big shot who hung out with heroes!” You greet the familiar man with an impressed eyebrow. He grins.

Shoto looks surprised and looks down at his friend. They’re exchanging some sort of secret conversation in their eyes- what could it be?

They break it up quickly and Shoto approaches the counter with the nameless wonder. You notice that today, his white t-shirt reads "turtleneck". How many of these shirts does he have? “He really liked your soba and wanted to come here himself.”

“Really? I didn’t think our dish was that good…”

Shoto hums with a nod. “It was nice. I’d like to get it again.”

“Of course,” you take the order on the iPad. “Anything for you- uh,” god, you don’t know his name. “What is your name, anyway? It’s driving me nuts.”

He smiles and actually takes a second to think about his answer- you have a feeling he’s not going to give you his real name at all. “Midoriya.”

The now-named Midoriya snorts at the look Shoto gives him.

“Right. Anything for you, Midoriya?”

“I’d love another mocha, Bean Boy.”

“God.” You groan. “I hate you. That’s not my name.” You flash your name badge and he deliberately ignores it. You hate him. Groaning again, you give him the same price as before and he gives you the same amount- same tip.

Once you get to work, Shoto and Midoriya seat themselves at a table and the ice and fire user speaks. “I’m surprised they don’t know you.”

“I kind of love it.” Midoriya shrugs. “No special treatment. It’s nice.”

“To be fair, though… they didn't really react to me at all.”

“Yeah, true.” He speaks louder for you to hear. “You don’t really freak out around celebrities or heroes, do you?”

You answer from the kitchen. “Not really. I don’t want to be annoying and just say the same shit I know everyone has heard before.” You finish the drink and walk over to the two, setting it in front of your green-haired acquaintance. You look towards Shoto. “Unless you want me to grovel for you?”

Shoto snorts with a smile. “You were right. They are funny.”

“It’s my one redeeming quality,” you go back to the kitchen.

“So if that’s the case- why not tell them? It might be interesting to see if they’d get embarrassed or not,” Shoto whispers to his friend. Midoriya just shakes his head.

“Just wait.”

Soon enough, you come out with Shoto’s cold soba. He smiles brighter than you’ve ever seen him smile before as he thanks you genuinely and then digs in. You're about to ask if they want anything else before Midoriya speaks up.

“Huh. Would you look at that.” He’s pointing towards the television. Interest piqued, you take a look and don’t notice the eye roll Shoto makes at his friend across the table.

There, on the modest-sized TV on the wall, is the number one hero. He’s dressed in full costume- rabbit mask over his head. You don’t see anything special about it other than the fact that he saved a good amount of people again. “What?” You ask. “Is he your favorite or something?”

Shoto chokes on his noodles.

“Oh my god, are you alright?!”

Midoriya is grinning ear to ear. “He’s fine, just a little shocked. I am too- I mean, do you not like him?”

“I don’t not like him,” you continue to worriedly eye Shoto. He gives you a soft wave as he coughs to try as if to tell you, yes, he’s fine, but you’re not convinced. Why would he suddenly choke like that? “He is the number one hero, after all. I guess I’m just confused why he made his suit into a bunny.” You look back at the television screen. “Hey, since you’re Mr.Big Shot and you hang out with heroes, why don’t you tell him to get a fluffy tail? It’d pull the outfit together.” When you look back down at him, you're surprised.

Midoriya stares up at you with an emotion that’s akin to wonder. “I will absolutely do that for you,” he wheezes and you realize he’s shaking. Holding back laughter? You squint your eyes at him with a suspicious frown.

“...Thanks.”

——

You’re at home, lounging on the couch and watching the news with a cool drink in your hand when it happens. There’s an interview being held with Deku- someone you’ve been keeping an eye on since your request to Midoriya. There hasn’t been a costume update yet, and you haven’t seen the familiar mop of green hair since he and his friend left the cafe cackling. They were an odd pair, that's for sure.

“-I heard that you were thinking about a costume change, why is that?” Oh, fuck yes. You lean forward as you watch, the camera switching to Deku who’s been sitting down this entire time. Is- is it there…?

“Well, I was talking to a fellow hero I know, and they mentioned that getting the update might be beneficial. It’s not as much a fighting thing as it is an aesthetic choice. Would you like to see?”

“Oh- it’s already on?”

Deku grins from behind his mask. “Yes.”

And then he stands, turns around, and there it is. A fluffy, perfectly cute bunny tail. The camera pans up to Deku’s face and he winks. “This is for my favorite hero, Bean Boy.”

...oh my god. Oh my GOD.

You were so stupid! Midoriya was Deku! God- he was just- staring at you and waiting for you to make the connection but little did he know- you were an idiot. You can’t believe he actually got the tail?!

You quickly shut off the TV and curl into yourself, stewing in your embarrassment. If Midoriya was the kind of person you thought he was- he would definitely make an appearance at the shop tomorrow. He’s going to rub this in.

God, who knew that great hero Deku could be such a little shit?

——

You see him from the glass windows as he approaches the shop, confirming your suspicions. He’s here to rub it in. You grip the paper towel roll in your hand tighter.

The door opens and you throw with all your strength. Which isn’t a lot, but you’ve got good aim, and it hits him right on the head. “You’re a little shit, you know that?!” You yell and he immediately begins to giggle, throwing his arm over his head in defense. He grabs the towel roll with his free hand as he keeps laughing. “Stop laughing!” He doesn’t.

“I thought you’d figure it out the last time I came,” Midoriya lowers his arm once he realizes you aren’t going to throw anything else and he grins at you.

“And I can’t believe you told the whole world about Bean Boy. How dare you. Bean Boy is an undercover vigilante and you’ve ruined their career.”

“Have you seen the rumors?” He tosses the roll to you and you catch it easily with a loud groan.

“Of course I’ve seen the rumors. ‘Who is Bean Boy?’ ‘Deku’s secret affair with Bean Boy!’ It’s all I see on my phone.”

“You’re officially a hero! Your name is up there!”

“I told you I don’t want to be a hero,” you roll your eyes. Midoriya- if that was even his name- leans on the cashier counter and looks up at you with those gorgeous eyes of his. Sure, he's a little tease, but you can't deny how beautiful he is. Maybe that's why you didn't piece it together right away- you were to busy looking at Midoriya that you couldn't think about anyone else.

You don't know why you're attracted to someone who would wear a white tee that says "flannel shirt", but it is what it is.

“Then what do you want to be?”

You purse your lips. “I’m not looking for a sugar daddy if that’s what you’re implying- like a ‘make your wish come true if you ride me’ situation.”

A shocked laugh leaves him, his face tinging red as he smiles. You relax your shoulders a bit- because you were a little honestly worried that might be the case. Why was he talking to you still? You really don’t know. “Of course not. I just want to know more about you.”

“Why?”

“Come on, I thought you treated heroes like people,” he leans off the counter. “I think you’re interesting, like a person talking to another person. I want to know more about you.”

“Yeah, but you’re also a stranger,” you reason. “So there’s your reason for wariness. Plus, you’ve proved that you can be a dick- but whatever. I want to animate or something like it.”

His interest is piqued. “Yeah?”

“I just- want to contribute to animated movies. Be that storyboarding, or designing characters, or making the models- I want to make stories and help develop them. I’ve been drawing since I was a kid.”

“I actually drew a bit in middle school and high school,” Midoriya smiles. “I wasn’t very good. But it helped me with my hero studies.”

You hum. Abruptly, you change the subject. “So is Midoriya something people actually call you?”

He smiles. “Yes. It’s my family name.”

You can’t believe he actually gave you a bit of personal information. Whoever Midoriya is, he’s kind of a mystery. His actions are borderline unpredictable so far.

“Well, Midoriya. You want to be friends? I’ll bite. We can talk more when I’m not working, though. Plus, you don’t want to be talking to me and then have a customer come in and totally ogle you.”

“You’re right,” he nods. “When do you get off work tonight?”

You raise your eyebrows with a smirk. “Am I that interesting to you, Midoriya?”

His eyes sparkle as he grins. “Fascinating.”

Needless to say, you meet him that night at 6 o'clock.

[gamecold662]

Seatguru Thai 777

Airline CodeTGWebsiteReservations1-800-426-5204

Seatguru Thai 777-300

Seatguru Thai 777er

There are 6 Boeing 777-300s in the Thai fleet of 87 aircraft. These planes have a total seating capacity of 388 passengers in a two-class layout. Thai Airways Airbus A330-300. Thai Airways Airbus A330-300 (Version 3302) Thai Airways Airbus A340-500 (Version 3452) Thai Airways Airbus A340-600 (Version 3461) Thai Airways ATR-72. Thai Airways Boeing 747-400 (Version 7442) Thai Airways Boeing 747-400 (Version 7443) Thai Airways Boeing 777-200 (Version 7723) Thai Airways Boeing 777-200ER.

User Photos

100+ Travelers Photos

Airline Overview

Founded in 1960, THAI is the country of Thailand's flag carrier. The airline is headquartered in Bangkok and operates from a hub at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). THAI's focus cities are Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX), Phuket International Airport (HKT) and Incheon International Airport (ICN). The airline also owns a subsidiary, Thai Smile (WE). THAI flies to about 80 destinations in 34 countries across Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Europe and North America. Of these, more than a dozen are domestic destinations. A member of the Star Alliance, THAI also has codeshare agreements with 22 other carriers. It has a fleet of 82 Airbus and Boeing planes.

KEYWidebody Jets

Infants

Food

Internet

AC Power

Video

Audio

Airbus A330-300 (333) Layout 1 Seats:263 Economy36 Royal Silk Business

Airbus A330-300 (333) Layout 2 Seats:263 Economy31 Royal Silk Business

Airbus A350-900 (359) Seats:289 Economy32 Royal Silk Business

Airbus A380-800 (388) Seats:435 Economy12 Royal First60 Royal Silk Business

Boeing 747-400 (744) Seats:325 Economy14 Royal First50 Royal Silk Business

Boeing 777-200 (772) Seats:279 Economy30 Royal Silk Business

Boeing 777-200ER (772) Seats:262 Economy30 Royal Silk Business

Boeing 777-300 (773) Seats:330 Economy34 Royal Silk Business

Boeing 777-300ER (77W) Seats:306 Economy42 Royal Silk Business

Boeing 787-9 (789) Seats:268 Economy30 Royal Silk

KEYNarrowbody Jets

Infants

Food

Internet

AC Power

Video

Audio

Airbus A320 (320) Seats:156 Economy16 Plus Smile

Popular Destinations

Cheap Flights to Orlando

Cheap Flights to Las Vegas

Cheap Flights to Honolulu

Cheap Flights to Toronto

Cheap Flights to New York City

I would prefer the old 747 all times. I was seated on 71B (there are 72 in all) so it was in the back. The chairs feels smaller. I can not say in what way. I looking in seatmap guide they actually are wider. But feels smaller than old 747 anyway. The seat pitch is less too than 747. I think the difference is 2 inch less. All this together makes me feel that the all together seat comfort was better in 747. And not to forget, the seat recline is really bad! It was much more loud in the back of the plane than in the middle when I was walking around. Otherwiase the food was same thai airways style as always. The cognac is still some unknown brand that tastes shit. Same for the other liqour brands. They are all some unknown brands except the gin. But hard to complain if it is for free, But I would gladly pay for a cognac brand that is drinkable. The service is as always very good on the thai flights. There was a lot of heavy turbulens on the flight as well. I have never had that before when flying with 747. Can this be related to the aircraft?? OK, every seat has its own screen. I can not say anything about the movies i only listen to music and that was OK I guess. Not so many known artist there though so after I while I took out my ipod anyway.

Seatguru Thai 777-300

In my opinion, the buying of 777 is a step down. The screen opinion is maybe nice for families with kids but nothing for me. Who want to see James Bond on a badly 10 inch screen? Not me anyway. Better try to sleep.

Seatguru Thai 777er

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[unfamiliarize]

"The I in the Internet" - various quotes from Jia Tolentino's essay in Trick Mirror

The first essay from Trick Mirror, "The In in the Internet," resonated with me so deeply that I saved a ton of quotes. Rather than posting them separately for posterity here, I'll just do a mass collection of them this time.

On the transition from the old days of blogging to now:

The dream of a better, truer self on the internet was slipping away. Where we had once been free to be ourselves online, we were now chained to ourselves online, and this made us self-conscious. Platforms that promised connection began inducing mass alienation.

On the way that social media prioritizes time and attention toward delivering the *right take* for some vague worldwide audience instead of involvement and service IRL:

These deranged takes, and their unnerving proximity to online monetization, are case studies in the way that our world—digitally mediated, utterly consumed by capitalism—makes communication about morality very easy but makes actual moral living very hard. You don’t end up using a news story about a dead toddler as a peg for white entitlement without a society in which the discourse of righteousness occupies far more public attention than the conditions that necessitate righteousness in the first place.

The internet can feel like an astonishingly direct line to reality—click if you want something and it'll show up at your door two hours later; a series of tweets goes viral after a tragedy and soon there’s a nationwide high school walkout—but it can also feel like a shunt diverting our energy away from action, leaving the real-world sphere to the people who already control it, keeping us busy figuring out the precisely correct way of explaining our lives.

The internet has moved seamlessly into the interstices of this situation, redistributing our minimum of free time into unsatisfying micro-installments, spread throughout the day. In the absence of time to physically and politically engage with our community the way many of us want to, the internet provides a cheap substitute: it gives us brief moments of pleasure and connection, tied up in the opportunity to constantly listen and speak. Under these circumstances, opinion stops being a first step toward something and starts seeming like an end in itself.

On the shouting class:

The phenomenon in which people take more comfort in a sense of injury than a sense of freedom governs many situations where people are objectively not being victimized on a systematic basis.

On life in the algorithms:

The idea was that social media would give us a fine-tuned sort of control over what we looked at. What resulted was a situation where we—first as individuals, and then inevitably as a collective—are essentially unable to exercise control at all. Facebook’s goal of showing people only what they were interested in seeing resulted, within a decade, in the effective end of shared civic reality. And this choice, combined with the company’s financial incentive to continually trigger heightened emotional responses in its users, ultimately solidified the current norm in news media consumption: today we mostly consume news that corresponds with our ideological alignment, which has been fine-tuned to make us feel self-righteous and also mad.

In front of the timeline, as many critics have noted, we exhibit classic reward-seeking lab-rat behavior, the sort that's observed when lab rats are put in front of an unpredictable food dispenser. Rats will eventually stop pressing the lever if their device dispenses food regularly or not at all. But if the lever’s rewards are rare and irregular, the rats will never stop pressing it. In other words, it is essential that social media is mostly unsatisfying. That is what keeps us scrolling, scrolling, pressing our lever over and over in the hopes of getting some fleeting sensation—some momentary rush of recognition, flattery, or rage.

On abyss gaze:

There was no limit to the amount of misfortune a person could take in via the internet, I wrote, and there was no way to calibrate this information correctly—no guidebook for how to expand our hearts to accommodate these simultaneous scales of human experience, no way to teach ourselves to separate the banal from the profound. The internet was dramatically increasing our ability to know about things, while our ability to change things stayed the same, or possibly shrank right in front of us.