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hillbillyoracle · 2 months

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The Algorithm is AI Art

Last year, I used DALL-E to create a series of images for a digital tarot card deck I was making for my personal use. When I shared some of those images here on my blog, I got a massive amount of push back and even threats in my inbox. I'm still putting my thoughts together on that experience but it did make me realize that most people don't seem to realize they're supporting the AI art they hate so much - to the tune of millions and even billions of dollars per year depending on the platform - almost everyday through the algorithms they use.

So if you genuinely hate AI art, I'm here to tell you that you've got to do what you can to get rid of and not use the algorithms in your life. That kind of support is more materially complicit with AI's intrusion on art than someone making a few images for themself ever could be.

Yes It's Possible

For many platforms, especially when they're accessed on desktop, it is possible to greatly reduce your contact with the algorithm. I use browser extensions to cut out the AI curated feeds on YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit. I mostly use Instagram on desktop to answer messages.

I generally do not use Instagram, Facebook, and other apps that do not allow users to control their feed on mobile. I know Instagram is mobile only - when I use it on mobile, I download it, upload what I want, then delete the app again.

I am considering cutting these out entirely again once this phase of my experiment for a zine I'm writing is over because honestly, they're not worth it, but that's a different post...

I also really recommend either making a separate email account or getting ruthlessly organized in your current one, so that you can sign up for artist's newsletters and other forms of human centered curation. RSS readers like Feedly can also be a good alternative.

The point here isn't perfection - the point is doing what you can. Not because it will change companies - but because it's better for you and the artists you care about.

Why?

Algorithms in these spaces determine who's work gets shown and more importantly - who gets paid enough to continue making their art.

AI has consistently been shown to reproduce and even exaggerate biases already present in society. This video by Ann Reardon of How to Cook That talks about YouTube's lack of transparency about the potential for a sexist bias in YouTube's algorithm and shows that in the top views at least, there's a clear slant toward male creators. The only woman in the top 10 does not show her face in her videos - unlike most of the men in the top 10. This discrepancy is even larger the further down the list you go.

Who gets shown is who gets paid enough to keep making their content/art. Less pay means people can afford to put out less content/art and can't scale - meaning less diversity in content/art.

What art gets shown influences what inspires new art and content to be made. You are seeing art directly shaped by AI everyday - and more than that - by continuing to click on what it serves up to you, you support it.

This AI influence on real world art has become so normalized that people consider it as natural a force of nature as wind. It's not. This was designed - and it can be redesigned.

I want to be careful not to overstate the influence of a click either - your clicking on something you choose is not a form of activism. Your clicks cannot retrain the algorithm at scale. A lot of people have the misconception that you can train "your" algorithm but what the algorithm on your feeds is doing is actually comparing your clicks to it's database of similar user profiles and their behaviors to decide what to suggest to you. Your clicks don't retrain the AI as a whole, they just match you with a different user type.

The real reason I think those concerned about AI in art need to find ways to take control of their feeds is because it ensures you're able to support a diverse array of creators through your views and it ensures that what you're taking your inspiration from isn't what the AI decides is worthy of attention.

I realize there are those who are reading this who either might not have been old enough to remember or even weren't born when YouTube basically took your Subscriptions off the front page. It used to be they would pop up at the top of the front page. Then it got knocked down on the front page. When it got shoved into it's own sidebar link and then that link progressively minimized through redesigns - there was actually an outcry about it.

People warned that this would lead to a watering down effect, where smaller channels didn't get the chance to grow like already established ones would. Creators of marginalized identities saw their views drop dramatically. Similar things happened when Facebook and Instagram fully took away a user's ability to have a chronological feed (this was possible in the early days). I know of more than a few creators who fully had to step away from their work because of the change over. I miss their art.

And then the outcry petered out. The companies didn't lose users over it so nothing changed. Eventually people got used to it and the protests went away. These companies now know they're "too big to fail" and can ignore user outcry until people acclimate the new normal that serves them. This normal serves them because it does actually increase engagement and keeps you on the platform for longer - which means less time spent on your own creative activities, yet another way they impact what art gets made.

TL;DR: if you hate AI's impact on artists and their employment opportunities, take control of your feeds. Make your own. Choose what you click. Take back your time and make more art.

#AI #AI Art #social sobiety

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kadextra · 1 year

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Never thought I’d say this in a million years, but I miss the binary code entity.

It doesn’t really have a personality as a character, its 0s and 1s with a mission, so maybe it’d be more accurate to say I miss what they represent? like in terms of lore and the effect on the characters/audience

Why does it hate the Federation so much? Why do they want the residents to leave the island? there's still so many questions unanswered, that I want answers for!

And that feeling of those streams where we’d be on the edge of our seats, not knowing if any second it could appear with an attack and shift the mood entirely- I hated it, they were anxiety-inducing, but god were they so cool. That feeling of dread that sets in all of us when the sky changes or it starts raining. How we watch as the characters instantly mobilize from wherever they are in the island, to come together and protect the eggs as it attacks… literally nothing can top that. it’s epic.

I still think about that moment after the eggs' graduation, our horrified realization when it silently came into view hung on the side of q!Quackity’s house before attacking... cinematic. That's still one of its most large-scale moves till this day, so many eggs and players were online and it went crazy with spawning in the ghosts. The whole thing played out like a battle scene and was genuinely awesome

To conclude, I think the binary code entity is definitely gonna return, no doubt about it.

The Federation in their video tape saying the entity "wont harm you" is way too sus, and seems to imply they did something to it. Then there's the debate questions focusing on it, and the sky changing during debate night 2. Plus the lore message the entity left at the final page of the ARG, those unique codes which we received on that page apparently coming into use soon? q!Arin's computer being destroyed, when we know the two are connected? Not to mention q!Elquackity saying the Code's attack is "what they [the players] are most scared of, and I'm very aware of that."

Oh, it'll be back. The question is how and when.

#can't wait to see what happens >:D #qsmp #qsmp code entity #qsmp theory #edit: I summoned it back with this….

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talokanda-forever · 11 months

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THESE THOUGHTS HAVE BEEN PERCOLATING FOR A WHILE

This is a long one. My hope is to eventually distill this into a TikTok edit, but keeping things short and sweet is not my strong suit—obviously. But I also may not ultimately have the time. 😬 I must thank @cutelatinagirl for her recent “deep dive” posts. The way you’ve formatted them helped me gather my thoughts for this one.

When viewing the attacks and accusations made against Tenoch over the past few months ONLY within the context of his vocation as an actor, it doesn’t make much sense. It is illogical for the powers that be, with virtually unlimited influence and resources, to take time to not only insult him but degrade and dehumanize him on various social media platforms. He is an actor. Tenoch himself has stated he has no political power. He does not come from an influential family with a lot of money. And I know some tend to think because someone is an actor they must be ‘rich.’ I obviously have no visibility to Tenoch’s finances, but I’m going to hazard a guess that he doesn’t have a vault filled with gold coins that he swims in from time to time like Scrooge McDuck.

However, when viewing this coordinated smear campaign in the context of Tenoch’s social activism, it should not be surprising. Unfortunately, it should have been expected. We have seen this before in the US—most notably during the civil rights movement of the 60s and 70s.

I have often mused at how the conditions Tenoch so vividly conveys about racism/classism/colorism in Mexico seem to align with where we were in the US 60+ years ago. It is evident to me that he has actually studied our civil rights movement. Unlike today’s white-supremacy-denying politicians in the US who can only quote a couple of lines of Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech as evidence that he would not have agreed with the Black Lives Matter movement (GTFOH).

Revisionist historians would have us think MLK was a universally beloved figure while he was still alive. That could not be further from the truth. You’d think his assassination would be enough evidence to the contrary, but nah. So how do mischaracterizations of history such as this get a foothold? Because those in control of the narrative decide what information is shared with the masses, and what remains obscured— and they do so BY DESIGN. Sounds an awful lot like what’s happening with Tenoch.

What is not widely disseminated is that the FBI took an active role in discrediting civil rights leaders in order to silence their voices and prevent their messages from mobilizing the masses.

The screenshot below was pulled from the ACLU website at this link:

I highlighted those portions that seem to apply most to what Tenoch is experiencing. Although the breaking up marriages bit doesn’t fully apply since he’s been divorced for some time, the accusations that have been made could very well have an impact on any current or future relationships. And don’t come at me with, “Well, these tactics were used in the US years ago and has nothing to do with Mexico in 2023.” This is more about human nature. The objective of the FBI is no different than the objective of a piece of shit billionaire media mogul. RETENTION OF POWER. The goal of employing such dirty tricks to take out those who are a threat is not restricted by an artificial, man-made border. And guess what? The FBI and CIA have had a presence throughout Latin America longer than most of our parents and grandparents have been alive, so don’t think their dirty tricks weren’t passed along to those nations. They have been in practice ever since. The people in power today are the offspring of those who were in power yesterday, whether by blood or in spirit.

COINTELPRO involved not only wiretapping, but as the investigation showed, attempts to disrupt, discredit, and defame perceived political radicals. Hoover targeted few figures as relentlessly as Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (There is a similar fixation on Tenoch) The charge, Communist influence in the civil rights movement. FBI Director, Hoover:

Below is an excerpt of a transcript found on the NPR’s website about some of the activities by COINTELPRO specific to MLK. The full transcript can be found here:

(Soundbite of 1970s report)

Mr. J. EDGAR HOOVER (Former FBI Director): The Communist Party of America is doing everything in its power to steal the minds and the souls and the hearts of our young people. (Tenoch is constantly aiming in message to youth because the power to change the future lies with them)

CHIDEYA: In August of 1963, Reverend King gathered more than a quarter of a million Americans on the Mall in Washington to champion Civil Rights.

(Soundbite of 1970s report)

Rev. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. (Civil Rights leader): Free at last, free at last. Thank God, Almighty, we're free at last.

CHIDEYA: That march spurred Hoover to action. A little more than a month later, the FBI Director petitioned the Attorney General, then Robert F. Kennedy, to approve a wiretap on King's telephone. (High profile appearances by Tenoch are soon followed up with coordinated online attacks—see more on that below) Kennedy only agreed, according to his attorney Nicholas Katzenbach, in order to protect King.

(Soundbite of 1970s report)

Mr. NICHOLAS KATZENBACH (speaking as Robert F. Kennedy's attorney): He did not let Hoover tap King's wire. That would be used, really, as almost proof that King was being influenced by Communism. Bobby thought that if he tapped it he would find out that you were not.

CHIDEYA: And in fact, Kennedy was right. The Church Commission found that the wiretap showed that Dr. King did not support Communism. (Fabricated charges with no independently corroborated evidence) And that his two associates who may have been allied with the Communist party didn't influence King's views or his organization. (Associates (PP) are the offenders but Tenoch constantly gets pulled in by association and because of his visibility) But documents suggest that Hoover's campaign against King was as much personal as political. (Fixated on Tenoch like they’re chasing a white whale) And the rift between the two men deepened in 1964.

Although what’s going on with Tenoch shouldn’t be surprising, it doesn’t make it any less irrational. Why? Because it is rooted in FEAR of losing power. Actions rooted in fear many times don’t make sense on the surface. Those who have gained power through the covert and overt subjugation of marginalized communities must also find ways to maintain that power. Remember, those who owned plantations were outnumbered by the men and women they enslaved. But there was a SYSTEM in place that kept them terrorized, disoriented, and disorganized.

Tenoch is stirring the masses and he is doing so on an international level where Mexico’s cultural elites CANNOT CONTROL THE NARRATIVE.

As some have pointed out, like @cutelatinagirl in the Tweet below, the timing can’t be ignored. Neither can the reach of his message. Releasing statements on certain platforms only in English (MER’s response to Tenoch’s only public statement) and constantly @ing Disney speak to why they are so desperate to slander Tenoch in such a public manner. Truth and facts be damned. It doesn’t matter that they have no proof. They are willing to take the risk as long as they are successful in their primary objective of taking him down.

Also, let’s not forget about this year’s Festival Prieto. I recall comments linking Tenoch’s statements about Jesus being black with how Messiah-like he looked in the footage of him walking through the crowd to get to the stage (see the video below from a post by @luzsp9-1981 ). I tried to find the exact comment but couldn’t so I’m paraphrasing. For those of us who aren’t triggered by seeing Tenoch adored by fans—many of whom are part of marginalized communities—it was taken as a lighthearted comment. I audibly giggled. However, when someone has a fear of their power being challenged, or worse yet diminished or stripped, these same images become concerning and are no laughing matter in their eyes. And there is no question his activities and online responses are being monitored. Tenoch appeared at Festival Prieto on May 25th. MER shat her half-baked Tweet on June 9th. More than enough time to coordinate a new phase of the attack.

I know we are a generation that prides itself on being well-informed and media savvy. You can’t hoodwink and bamboozle us like our unfortunate predecessors who didn’t have a world of information at their fingertips in the form of smartphones, tablets, and wearables. No siree! However, bullshit wrapped in slick packaging, designed to look like what we perceive as credible information, is still just bullshit. We have ALL been duped at some point. It is exhausting at times to dig deeper and to NOT stifle our curiosity. But we have got to stop acting like asking questions when you don’t fully understand something is a character flaw. Or that remaining neutral when a SA accusation has been revealed BY CHOICE in a PUBLIC FORUM somehow demonstrates you are a heartless bastard/bitch who denies assaults ever happen at all. Sorry, but I’m not casting aside my critical thinking skills just so Tumblrland, Instaville, and the Twitterverse might recognize me as a caring human being for the millisecond that my post/reel/Tweet is retained by the reader.

@cutelatinagirl @cantstayawaycani @observers-journal @sarahivi @luzsp9-1981 @aolechan @oakzap425 @love-too-believe @soledadmiranda @venting402 @v4mpires0ap

#tenoch huerta #tenoch huerta mejia #jose tenoch huerta mejia

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securitywaiter · 7 months

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Disclaimer: Leave the discourse at the door.

After seeing that there’s been some confusion going around, I want to take it upon myself to clear something up.

I messaged this screenshot to a single mutual:

This comment claims that MatPat blocked this user on Twitter after they made a post about Securitywaiter and presumedly tagged him in it. I replied asking if they were being honest, but I am yet to receive a response, which is one of the reasons why I did not post about their comment, since I do not have proper evidence of their claims.

I made “national security” style jokes about this one-off comment I stumbled across, in which I said things like “state of emergency” and “national dreamtheory lockdown”. I thought that, considering the fact that we’re a bunch of young adults / teenagers on Tumblr and not an independent nation, my jokes would land.

Unfortunately, they didn’t, and the person who I messaged (who will stay anonymous, because it’s not like they misinterpreted me on purpose—i didn’t use any tone tags, which may have been part of the problem) felt the need to share my messages with a majority of other Securitywaiter shippers in a Discord server, where I wasn’t active at the time, as I don’t have Discord mobile, and also because I was just busy.

One of the things this person said is that I “spread misinformation”. I will be straightforward: I did not post about this reply or its implications anywhere on any account, as I did not want to cause a panic amongst our very, very small community. My reply, as you can see in the screenshot above, is the only acknowledgement I ever made about the original comment.

I treasure the little space we’ve made for ourselves online, and it breaks my heart to think that the community I helped grow could be one that may want to ostracize me.

We need to come to a consensus—we can either joke about MatPat knowing of our existence with no hard feelings involved, or we can deem it off-limits and not mention it until we get definitive proof that it has happened. The grey area we are currently in seems to be causing issues amongst those who are not in agreement with how they view this possibility, and that worries me.

I am not here for discourse, infighting, or pointing fingers. Most of you are over 18, but even if you're a minor, like me, you should still know not to jump to conclusions, no matter how sure you may be.

I leave you with this: always assume best intentions.

#admin post

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shdwtouch · 3 months

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While I absolutely agree with the sentiment and think oc positivity is sorely needed, comparing writing canon muses to fast fashion sounds a bit icky to me. I know you don't mean it in a bad way, but it does kinda sound like you're implying that people writing canon characters are putting less love, effort and creativity into their portrayals. Just because there are multiple people writing the same character doesn't cheapen their value, so I'd personally look for some other metaphor.

firstly, just want to say: I have so much anxiety about this message. like I know you're coming from a good place but its confrontation and alarm bells in my head so let me see if I can articulate. ; ; also, I'm posting this from mobile so I apologize for any weird formatting etc owo;

I'm going to stand by my statement (tho I deleted the tags [edit: I did take a screenshot for context sake]) honestly because I definitely was not implying that canon portrayals have less value, in fact I specifically stated that both canon and original characters have value, just like fast fashion and couture have their own values.

let me explain my thought process.

you walk into, say, Walmart and pick up a pair of Levi's. why ? because you've probably worn them before and like them, or heard of them from others and want to try them out. or because you're simply browsing and like the style and color and they're in the right size so why not ? canon muses have that ease of access, whether it be knowing the fandom or simply having a range of content and reviews to go off of as a "consumer".

original characters don't have that luxury; I don't know about other people, but for me sometimes engaging with original characters - and this is coming from someone who writes predominantly fandomless original characters and agonizes over how accessible their lore is - is, well, bottlenecked by my own energy and willingness to engage with the information and content the creator had provided. it's much easier for me, energy wise, to play a video game and then gravitate to muses from it because I'm already familiar with them, so I already have a foot in the door so to speak.

I fucking love reading original lore tho ! I also FUCKING LOVE canon divergence and headcanons ! but it isn't always easy to engage with or incorporate, and I think that's something that impacts a lot of people in how they view ocs compared to canons. original characters just often take more effort to engage with and understand, and that's not a bad thing ! but in a busy life it's understandable that folks want to go to what is comfortable and what they know, so they pick up a pair of Levi's instead of going to get a tailored pair of pants.

next, I should clarify that the characters are clothes, and we, as writers, are the ones who wear those clothes. which is to say, our own personal style and actions play into the overall appearance and feel of our portrayals. two people can take the same shirt and make completely different outfits with it ! maybe one of them decides to crop it, or bleach it, or cut it up and sew it into something new. and all of these things are valid ! and they all have value. you may be wearing the same shirt as someone else, but you still style it the way you want to. you still look different, still unique, still beautiful. there is nothing bad about liking fast fashion or canon characters. fast fashion is convenient, so are canon characters. some canon characters are poorly written and need to be dressed up or fixed to be worn, while others are quality and wonderfully made ! just like clothes ! and honestly, the same applies to original characters too !

the pants I'm wearing right now ? my favorite pair of pants. I've had them for like... four years. and they're still going strong. fast fashion isn't necessarily cheap, just like couture isn't necessarily haute. but again, it's about how you wear it. and everyone in the BG3 rpc wears their clothes, whether they be canon or original, in their own unique, beautiful way ! we all have our own style, and that style provides value to what we're trying to portray. neither canon nor original characters are better than the other, they BOTH have pros and cons. just like fast fashion and couture. they both have value, and their mode or means doesn't detract or add to the value of the final product.

I apologize if it seemed I was implying canon writers aren't as valuable as original writers, or somehow cheaper due to volume, in my tags. I definitely see where you are coming from and that's a valid perspective. However, that was not my intention and I hope I've managed to clarify my stance and explain myself a bit better. thank you for your message, I hope you're well ! sending lots of good vibes ♡

also, in case anyone was curious, my pants:

they are incredibly soft and flowy, very nice. I sleep in them and wear them out. I know they're winter themed but I think they're subtle enough to be worn outside the season, plus they have polar bears on them and I love polar bears !

also, if it's of any value, I have written my fair share of canon characters. I wrote extensively for assassins creed and marvel, in fact that's where I got my start in the rpc ! if I had to carry the metaphor, my "fast fashion" would be my (canon divergent) cli.nt bar.ton. I may have gotten him from marvel but I have since sliced him up and incorporated the pieces of my portrayal into my original projects ♡

#《 ° inbox 》 we just got a letter ! i wonder who its from ?#《 ° puffin.exe 》 im a puffin ! i dont do much #° mobile post !#and now ? now we hide. *scurries away* pls be gentle with me ; A ; i swear i have no bad intentions and never wanted to start discourse #ive just been watching crafting videos and the metaphor jumped out at me idk but yeah i love both oc and canons #i know how much love and effort goes into both writing canon and original characters ♡ they are both valuable #and if you ever feel devalued in the rpc because of what kind of character youre writing im sorry and you deserve better

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onepiece-oc-archives · 8 months

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Welcome to...

I'm Evie (she/they) and I'm so glad you found your way here!

If you're looking for resources to help create your OC, whether they are for the live action or the anime/manga, you've come to the right place.

For those on mobile, here is your masterpost!

Since the release of the Netflix adaptation this summer, I've seen a lot of new people enter the fandom, and with them, a lot of new OCs. Since the live action only offers a pretty limited view on the world of One Piece with its 1000+ chapters and diving into the wiki also means diving into huge amounts of spoilers, I decided to create this blog. Here you can get all the info you might want or need, 100% spoiler-free! I'll make sure to give examples in every post I make, usually using live actions characters or my own OCs (Cora for the live action and Inari and Luna for the anime) only - that way everything stays spoiler-free.

So much for the live action people, but what about the manga/anime fans? Not everyone is caught up, so maybe the spoiler argument also applies to you. Or maybe you are caught up and you just want a second opinion on whether something could work the way you imagined or you're still confused about when and how water actually affects devil fruit users (it's complicated). I might also be missing one really important topic you think all newer fans should know. Either way, you've come to the right place.

This blog is gonna have posts about topics I came up with, but it's also gonna heavily rely on what questions you might have or what you think newer fans should know, if you're a manga fan. So, my askbox is always open. I also would really like to connect with people and talking to someone can be a great way to develop a character, so you can also always send a DM. In short: Send those messages!

Last but not least, a quick disclaimer. None of the tips I give you on here are truly mandatory. Within fandom spaces, it's Shroedinger's canon, especially with OCs. The posts on here are supposed to help you get an understanding of how the One Piece world works and how to make your character fit into it as if they were canon. How far you take that is completely up to you.

With that being said, hope you enjoy your stay and I'd love to talk to you!

#one piece #one piece live action #one piece netflix #one piece oc #opla oc #blog intro #ocappreciation #fyeahonepieceocs

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mariacallous · 6 months

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Taylor Swift remains inescapable. Tales of her reign are legion, as are her fans. Next to Beyoncé, her power and influence have reached heights so unbridled it’s almost unfathomable. Her Eras Tour made nearly a billion dollars in 2023, and the concert film of that tour has brought in nearly $250 million worldwide. When rumors started swirling in the fall that she was dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, they upended American football. Still, when Time named her Person of the Year, conspiracy theorists saw only one explanation. They allege Swift is a psyop.

If you’ve lived on the internet long enough, you will have heard this kind of thing before. Back in 2016, when she was largely apolitical in her public life, Swift was a hero of the so-called alt-right who some believed was actually red-pilling America to further a racist, conservative agenda. When she piped up about politics in 2018, some people online (somewhat jokingly) theorized she’d been replaced by an NPC. The latest twist? “The regime has plans to weaponize her just in time for 2024,” the @EndWokeness account posted on X Wednesday, adding that if you didn’t find this plausible “you clearly have not been paying attention.”

@EndWokeness has 1.9 million followers, and, as of Monday morning, the post had more than 788,000 views. On Telegram, a QAnon influencer account posted that “we need to wake the next generation up to the occult forces colluding with their favorite celebrities.” Right-wing commentator Jack Posobiec posted on X that “the Taylor Swift girlboss psyop has been fully activated.”

Last week’s Person of the Year honor was also followed by resurfaced allegations that Swift is performing witchcraft to further her success and that the left is using her to influence the 2024 US presidential election. Stephen Miller, a senior adviser during Donald Trump’s presidency, posted a message on X saying that “what’s happening with Taylor Swift is not organic.”

All of this happened the same week WIRED reporter David Gilbert published an investigation into a pro-Russia campaign that used fake Swift quotes in a series of Facebook and X posts attempting to seed anti-Ukraine sentiment, reinforcing—in a totally different way—that celebrity is a powerful tool for manipulation. A few days later, Microsoft researchers revealed a similar effort by an unknown Russian group to alter Cameo videos by celebs like Elijah Wood and Mike Tyson to make it look like they were being critical of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Swift exists as a unique example of the intersection of celebrity and politics, and how it operates globally, says Jonathan Dean, a professor of politics at the University of Leeds. “An important feature of culture and politics over the past 10 years, certainly in the UK and the US and I think probably more broadly as well, is that there’s been a significant convergence in the grammar and style and mode, if you like, of pop culture fandom and political citizenship,” he says, referencing the similar ways fandoms and political parties can operate. “Taylor Swift is interesting in that sense because I think she’s a real embodiment of those convergences.”

Simone Driessen, an assistant professor of media and popular culture at Erasmus University Rotterdam, agrees, noting that as the message-spreading of fandom has merged with that of politics, support can be mobilized readily. As Driessen puts it, “fandom(s), particularly the practices of what fans do, can be weaponized.” What’s weird is that to those who believe these claims, Swift has risen to a level where she can be a powerful political pawn—all without her input. (Swift’s rep did not respond to an email seeking comment on whether or not the singer was part of a psyop.)

Well, maybe not entirely without her input. Swift herself knows how to plant seeds. Her lyrics are written to be decoded by listeners. Her fans have their own theories, like those espoused by Gaylors who decode every image and message from Swift through a queer lens, powered by their belief that the singer is trying to signal that she’s in some way into women. (She could be! But also, who cares?) Some people believe she showed up at Kelce’s game against the New York Jets just to alter Google Search results away from her use of private planes.

Swift’s name draws attention, and that’s power. It’s why the State of Israel often tags her in social media posts, and why #SwiftiesForPalestine have been asking for her to speak up about the Israel–Hamas war.

Celebrity has been used by political movements for centuries. Politicians are celebrities. Swifties are simultaneously like every fandom before them, but they’re also unique. By remaining largely apolitical for the first half of her career, her acolytes were able to project whatever values they held onto her. When she finally came out in support of women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and Joe Biden during the past few years, she alienated some and brought others to the fold.

Swift also created a vacuum in which anyone could claim she was an agent for any cause. It’s hard to imagine Swifties believing she said Ukrainians “behave like charlatans,” so the odds that a pro-Russia campaign could successfully weaponize her fame are slim. Where she stands on the 2024 US election may be more indecipherable. Perhaps that is the real psyop.

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fantasyinvader · 1 month

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On the one hand, I do want to give Fukuda credit on SEED Freedom. He seems to have listened to some of the criticisms levelled at Kira over the years and wanted to address some of them. He understood that he was always trying to make Kira out to be the strongest mofo in the Cosmic Era and how this desire of his undermined his supposed paragon, so he tried to make a faction that could theoretically take away Kira's status as “the strongest.” Kira isn't the “Ultimate Coordinator,” as there was a hidden goal to the project that Kira failed to meet, and even the Strike Freedom took a beating in the movie after being untouchable in Destiny.

Fukuda's answer of “Kira was doing things out of his belief that he was the only one strong enough to do them” does resonate throughout the entire SEED saga, since the very beginning where Kira criticized others for fighting when they weren't strong enough to win. Doesn't matter if your home is being invaded, if you can't win you shouldn't fight. Hell, Kira doesn't even try in combat when he views his opponents as easy to disable, but will go for a kill if pressured enough despite the fandom's belief that he doesn't kill. It makes it sound like Kira only spares his enemies because they're weaker than him and not worth the trouble, a very social Darwinist take, whereas those with the strength to challenge him may not survive.

But Fukuda's solution to this character flaw, that Kira needs to act out of his love for others, ignores a few things. It ignores that Kira did act based on his connection to others, as Shinn called him out for in Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 Kira fights to protect what's important to him. So trying to reframe Kira as doing things because he's powerful ignores that, but at the same time it makes Kira's actions look sinister. That Kira was using his power to shape the world as he saw fit because he was the one strong enough to do so, which in terms of Destiny means he rejects the Destiny plan because it takes away “freedom.”

But Kira doesn't just decide for himself, he decides for all of humanity to reject the plan that is supposed to solve issues and stop future conflicts. Fukuda actually talked about this, how the Destiny Plan was supposed to actually work despite the show not explaining it in the original airing, and therefore we were supposed to see Kira's actions as him choosing a harder path for humanity in order to maintain freedom. This is where the infamous quote that Kira and his cohorts may have strayed from the path of justice came from, because we were supposed to side with Kira (despite the show trying to say not to blindly follow leaders) but he came across far more negatively than intended.He's also said in recent interviews that Destiny was supposed to question SEED's moral of “why fighting is wrong and why we should never fight” by asking if fighting is always bad. Fukuda ackowledges that wars are going to happen in the world Kira fights for, but his ultimate solution is to keep fighting to maintain peace.

I think it's telling that 00, which deconstructed the idea of “fighting to end fighting” in it's first season ended with a quote by Albert Einstein; “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” 00 rejected Fukuda's thesis, that peace can be kept if we keep fighting for it.

Freedom doesn't want to say that Kira was wrong in doing so, it just wants to realign his character so that it's more like he was in SEED. He doesn't give a shit that Destiny had Kira as a violent terrorist who used mobile suits that were banned by treaty in order to push humanity down the path he believed in, because the message at the end is still the same. Wars are going to break out, fighting is going to continue, and Kira is still going to protect what is important to him. Like Destiny, it's still going to ignore the millions that have died as a consequence of his actions. They're just going to keep working to maintain the peace while the novelization ends with the reveal that the events of the movie inspired a resurgence in support for the anti-Coordinator terrorist group Blue Cosmos while also making Coordinator-supremacists angry the antagonists lost. It really feels that because of Kira's actions in Destiny, everything went back to the way they were at the start of SEED except now people have more powerful weapons.

Considering that Gundam is known for it's anti-war messages, the ending of Destiny feels so wrong. That it goes against a franchise that has held out the hope that past tragedies won't be repeated because people will find another means to resolve conflict. Sure, it says that sometimes you have to fight, but it doesn't treat fighting as the only solution. There's a reason Bellri and Loran survived by walking away from the conflict at the end of their shows, why the space flower in 00 exists after Setsuna is able to communicate with the aliens, why Tekkadan trying to get ahead with violence ends in their defeat... and so much more. Amuro gave his life to show humanity the possibility of the human spirit, he didn't save the world simply by killing Char, nor did the UC know lasting peace after the latest Zeon threat was defeated only for the Federation to go back to business as usual.

And I just have to ask, did this attempt to fix Kira actually come from Fukuda himself? He's admitted in the past that the anti-war themes of SEED, the messages he wanted to contest in Destiny, came from one of the producers. Considering that the script for the movie was made out of various scripts Fukuda's wife wrote before her death Frankensteined together before finally being accepted, this attempt could have been something mandated by Fukuda's higher-ups.

I acknowledge that Fukuda tried to fix the problem, something a lot of creators nowadays wouldn't dream of doing. Lot of people like what he did, but for me it's still that he didn't understand the problems and just repackaged them in a way people are more forgiving to. I'm still going to hold that the Cosmic Era is morally broken and the one AU I don't really like (and would be the one of the two I wouldn't be upset seeing hit with the Moonlight Butterfly, followed by Post Disaster because, really, there's no one really to root for. The show implies Kudelia is a pawn of the mafia ffs, putting Mars under their control), which is a shame because I actually did like the first SEED despite it's problems. But when Fukuda got more control of Destiny, possibly because of rejecting any script not written by his wife despite her holding up production with them being late, it was for the worst.

He's always talked about the old school robots as the “roots” he wanted to return Gundam to, when in reality they were the mold Gundam broke. But even then, those older shows were about giving a protagonist power with them learning to use it responsibly. Kira never learned the latter, he was just given power because he's supposedly a good guy and then given more power because he's a good guy. Fukuda didn't understand the shows he attempted to emulate, and the fact he's been given Grendizer is worrying to me. Hopefully, the rest of the staff can keep him under control.

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roo-bastmoon · 1 year

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BTS Tutorial: Night-Streaming

Our first day of supporting Set Me Free Pt. 2 is done! For those of you in my time zone on the east coast of the US, it's time for much-needed sleep!!

AND YET. Night-streaming is something we cannot neglect.

Billboard Hot 100 tallies sales and streams by WEEK. So our work isn't "over" for this single (or the album) -- far from it. However, we do get a bit of a break, because now that the first 24 hours are up, we can employ playlists instead of manually engaging (as much).

Here's a good sleeping playlist for Spotify that covers BTS' new solo songs and goes for 8.5 hours. You'll want to log into a new free trial premium account to start fresh for the day, then click to save this playlist. (After the first 20 times each of these songs play on that account, it won't count for Billboard, but whatever you stream after that will toward the artists' overall stream count.)

If you have a Stationhead account, consider joining a streaming party, as that will ensure your connected Spotify account avoids bot behavior by streaming without interaction.

For YouTube, you might try this sleeping playlist, which also supports other BTS' solo and milestone songs.

A little note: YouTube has an auto-pause feature you need to be aware of when streaming away from your device. A “Video paused. Continue watching?” message will surface on your screen if you're around 30 minutes of uninterrupted watching on mobile, 60 minutes on web, or 180 minutes on TV.

I engage a mouse jiggler to keep my computer awake when I'm away from my keyboard, but YouTube still registers my lack of interaction. So I just downloaded this Chrome browser extension called AutoTube--YouTube Nonstop and it's supposed to override the pause function. I'll let you know if it gives me issues. (There are other extensions you might want to try to override pause, but do NOT engage any that involve looping. Avoid looping if you're trying to chart something, always.)

And when you wake up, of course continue the same as always: vote for MCountdown, trend hashtags, spread the sound on other platforms, and stream while engaging every 90 minutes or so. Use free trials for premium streams on all your devices--when the time comes, prioritize the title track. Buy as much as you can of the single and albums, physical and digital; reach out to funding accounts for help if you need. And remember--this is a marathon, not a race. Everything we do this week is leading up to working out the best strategies for FACE.

I just want to end tonight with a note of sincere appreciation for your hard work and thanks for the positive community we are creating by supporting Jimin and BTS with everything we've got. I'm proud of you, puppykitties!

Good night.

Love, Roo

#jimin #park jimin #set me free pt.2 #face by jimin #jikook #BTS_Tutorial #Spotify

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lucysweatslove · 11 months

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We're halfway through disability pride month and I want to bring something up that many of us don't know or don't think about.

We know that the medical system, at least here in the US, is not very disability-friendly. Have you ever wondered where that starts? Why so many docs do this bullshit?

Medical education is incredibly hostile towards their own students with disabilities.

It's such a problem that the American Medical Association has written ethical discussions about this only two years ago. Schools may say they are inclusive/want to foster diversity via disability status, but in practice, most only do the bare minimum required legally. They also cultivate a culture that does not respect disabilities- including not just physical disabilities such as mobility limitations and limb differences but psychological and learning disabilities and chronic health conditions.

We, as medical students, are told indirectly through policies + para- and non-verbal communication that disabilities are burdensome and do not belong in medicine. Our accommodations are given in accordance to law, not out of desire to create an inclusive environment. Psychological disabilities are still heavily stigmatized to the point that when potential students apply, they are nearly universally advised against disclosure. Once accepted, accommodations for reasonable time off for adequate rest, access to private spaces for medical telehealth appointments, time off for required in-person appointments, and even during learning, accommodations like extra time on tests or taking exams in private areas to reduce distraction are seen as "unfair advantaged." Being able to act "abled" as much as possible may not be an outwardly spoken goal, but the subtext in conversation is that if there is something we as disabled students can do to make everybody else more comfortable around us and seem "less" disabled, we should do that.

Physical disabilities that are common enough that most people reasonably accommodate for them- such as being deaf or HOH or blind- are not viewed favorably even when assistive technology gets them up to technical standards. A deaf/HOH physician can use specialized stethoscopes to visualize sound patterns, or they may use an amplifier that can bluetooth to hearing aids or cochlear implants, but they are still experience push-back for not being able to use "regular" stethoscopes.

When disabilities cannot be accommodated, the language and tone used sends the message that the person with the disability is wrong or unfit. Programs do not take often accountability for having inaccessible facilities or policies.

The "hidden curriculum" in medical education is that people with disabilities are burdens. Difficult to accommodate. And that we should make ourselves and our needs as small as possible. For those of us with disabilities- we learn internalized ableism even if we didn't come in with much.

Why would doctors, trained in an ableist environment, trained to view disabilities as burdens and accommodations as unfair, treat YOU, their disabled patient, with dignity and respect?

Disability inclusion is needed at every single step to ensure fair and equitable treatment for all.

#disability #disability pride month #disability pride #ableism #medical ableism #internalized ableism #disabilities

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grumpybreakfastfriend · 2 months

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The discord screenshots are really not that damning, like esp the ones that people are posting from mid-late 2023 where he is legitimately -having- a mental health crisis. Weird af to me that people are using these screens of a r*pe survivor spiraling as some sort of gotcha.

How I see that "go defend me" stuff is that he was 15 years old when he went through the most horrific and brutal shit that i 100% think is way way worse than we will ever know, he saw so many faces in that court room on Brian's side and he felt completely and utterly alone, and then after Brian was put away, still barely anyone was on his side, people didn't believe him or even worse, blamed him. He was 15 going through all this -alone-, I don't agree with him doing this because it's not healthy but I understand the need to want to be defended, to want to be believed, people had been calling him a r*pist for 3 years and telling him that he was a p*do and he should off himself.

And during this time he was spiraling about all of this nobody knew that he was also dealing with the fact that all these memories about his trauma were coming back, I can't imagine how triggering shit got for him having to see that everyone everywhere was "against him" so to speak. I -get- that pain, I get that defensiveness, he was 15 and alone and in a lot of ways that hurt will never ever go away, not completely.

But now people know what happened to him and people are supporting him and on his side and it probably feels so validating and I get that too.

People claim to care about victims / survivors but I've seen a LOT of people attacking Alexa, Drake and anyone who shows them any kind of sympathy even if we are also pointing out that they are not perfect people, it feels like there's a checklist that people have to mark before they are "deserving" of sympathy, and if someone reacts to being abused like an abuse victim, such as Drake reacts in some of those messages, then they are deemed "unworthy" of sympathy and support.

It's really sad.

I do have a message for Drake and other survivors like him though, I know that need to be believed, to believe other people are on your side, and I want you to know that we are on your side and though I understand that urge / need to have people supporting you but you also need to take a step back and realize when things are out of line, talking to your discord like this and mobilizing them against attacks is not a healthy coping mechanism and I think it should be brought up in therapy. We do support you, but you also have to get to a point where it's okay if people aren't ever going to change their view on this, some people won't, just like the letter writers, some people will never come out and say it was wrong for them to support Brian Peck, and some of them will obviously be lying if they did, but thats the thing, you have to eventually be able to be "okay" with that.

My two cents? I don't think that Drake should be as involved w/ social media as he is because it can be antithetical to healing properly. My other two cents? I'm a r*pe survivor as well, and I can sympathize with his actions and outbursts in Discord because I have been in that headspace so many times, it's hard, but it's harder to be a survivor and have everyone police how we feel and how we're supposed to react to this.

People always bring up "there's no such thing as the perfect victim" but then they also hold survivors up to intense scrutiny when we ACT like we are traumatized and we lash out and we say stupid shit.

Thanks for sharing anon. This 100%.

The posts from 2023 are just sad to read. He's said in recent interviews how social media destroys his mental health and how he knows he needs to stop using it. But I understand the allure of finally having his story out there and wanting to read the (mostly) positive feedback, even though he'll inevitably come across hateful trolls. At least now he's in therapy and is hopefully working on healthier ways to navigate all of this attention.

I don't know what people even mean anymore when they say he has to take accountability. I think he's handling everything as well as he can and is trying to heal. But at this point a lot of people say "take accountability" when they actually seem to mean "shut up and stop acting traumatized". Also, fuck anybody who says this is some PR campaign. So what if he does want to get his career back? I hope he's able to thrive after this.

#drake bell

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blueberryjam1201 · 8 months

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Unexpected

Chapter 4

Genre: Drama, Romance

Summary: How the one week in separation will change their life?

This story wasn't suppose to be sweet and heartwarming from the first place...

Dear reader, are you ready for a new ark filled with sadness? But remember, after every rain the sun is shining. Will Kyungsoo find his sunshine in this storm?

"Was I always this vulnerable?

Was you my only strength?

Sharing with you my desires,

Telling you about my misery,

Like you are the best medicine,

...

Does it have a side effect?

Or Did I overdose?

The season has changed...

Why I'm still here?"

Kyungsoo breathed heavily while leaning on a desk in his office room at home. All the books were scattered under the shelves. Ripped pages next to them. The abandoned guitar's unfortunate place under the wall on the right side of the room was telling stories about the hysteria from a not long time ago. There was this unbearable lament bouncing off the walls...

In silence...

Chapter under the cut❤️

It was a sunny morning, past 6 a.m. This airport was living its own life like it was Saturday afternoon in the city center. Many flights landed. The light brown color of the floor tiles reflected the sunlight, jumping inside the building by the glass walls from the exit side. Kyungsoo was sitting on one of the bench seats inside.

He wore a light brown jacket and black trousers. While holding a mobile phone in his hand he smiled gently. It was YiSeul messaging about having fun the next couple of days without her.

"It's a work trip, how can it be fun?" He thought, and the phone started ringing.

- Chanyeol-ah! - Kyungsoo answered while looking around.

- Kyungsoo-yah!- laughed while imitating his friend - I'll be there in a second, just going to the toilet and grabbing a coffee, you're ok? You can wait near the entrance, I'll find you -

- Ok, hurry up - said Kyungsoo, and hung up. He then grabbed a grey backpack, wore it on his arms, and bucked his waist-belt. After that grabbed a large, black suitcase on wheels and casually proceeded to the exit.

Outside were small (compared to inside) crowds of arrived travelers. This was a street where many cars were parked to collect those travelers, and opposite the exit, a little further down, was a small park with trees and benches. He looked up in the sky. Even the noise around couldn't disturb his peaceful mind. "..ah...it's only one week...I hope she won't be bored alone....". These thoughts were swirling around his head, how great is to have her by his side...

Suddenly, he jumped to the side, barely staying on his feet, and raised his head to see who just pushed him so hard.... realizing he unconsciously caught this person, so she didn't fall on the ground...

It was a young woman. He thought: "Maybe 25, maybe 28, it's difficult to predict as girls these days are using many amazing cosmetics and ..."

She jumped back from his hands, waking him up from his internal analysis. Panicked, brushed her long dark brown hair with her fingers, shouted "Apologies!", grabbed her large, black suitcase, and ran away leaving him speechless. It was a long few seconds when he was watching her disappear.

- Kyungsoo! - Chanyeol jumped on him, scaring him slightly, so he swung clenched fist at his friend's stomach, but just touched to scare Chanyeol back in revenge.

- You done? - asked

- Yeah, let's go. Your coffee - Chanyeol handed the warm drink to KyungSoo and they headed to the nearest taxi.

The hotel where KyungSoo and Chanyeol were staying was in a classic 1970s style. Although the windows were modern, and looked a little bit out of context, in general, the view was pleasant, and looking at the interest in this place, none of the guests probably minded the mix of styles.

They checked-in in reception and hurried to their booked rooms to change clothes and prepare for a meeting.

Kyungsoo entered his room which was studio apartment size. From the small anteroom, he could enter all the rest of rooms which was: the toilet on the left, the kitchen opposite, and the bedroom on the right. Funny how the bedroom was connected to the kitchen from the inside. "This could have been just one room, what is the point in those walls separating the anteroom?" He smirked, after creating a reconstruction plan in his head. His mind is always absorbed by analyzing new experiences and places like it would change anything. But he can't fight with this part of his personality.

He went to the bedroom first and placed his backpack on the small brown bedside cabinet under the white wall. All the walls were white, and the carpet covered the floor on every inch, excluding the toilet where the white tiles were placed.

Then he put his suitcase on the bed and opened it to take some stuff important for the meeting...

"What is that...?" He stiffened and all the waters in his body started to boil from shock, out of fright, or all kinds of panic emotions you can feel at this kind of moment. His mind went blank. He tried to remember what happened before he arrived at the hotel..." That girl..." he whispered with a pale face. Hopefully, his laptop was in the backpack together with all the documents. He tried to calm down, took a deep breath a few times, sat on the bed and after long seconds of consideration he created a plan for a meeting. That was the most important now.

Then he looked into her suitcase and found a name tag, similar to the one that parents are sewing or just hang on their kid's clothes or bags when they go to primary school.

The message on the tag was as follows:

If found alone

Call Rose

01937xxxx

He was gazing at this tag for a long time in silence. It wasn't certain to him if his messed up state of mind was caused by this situation in general, the fact she swapped the suitcases by mistake or...that she was keeping this tag in her suitcase because it's probably the last thing that adult would think of before going on a trip alone...

He called the number.

The signal was on but no answer. Then tried again, 4 times to be precise.

After looking at the time on the phone, he hurried up and started preparing for a meeting.

The meeting place was a boardroom in one of the JJ ENTERTAINMENTS buildings. This spacious room had only the most important furniture which was a long, polished wood table and 11 stylish spinning chairs for all board members. The walls were in magnolia color, the floor was covered by navy, fluffy carpet. Doors were at the top of the left side, and the wall on the right was made from stone mosaic wall tiles in a light gray color, with the exception in the center where there was a place for a 90" size TV. Also, at the bottom of the wall, under the TV was a small chiller for drinks, filled with only water and a few cans of Coca-Cola, probably ordered by the members beforehand.

It was 9 a.m. when 11 attendees started gardening, including Manager Kim. Each one of them was in an expensive suit, mostly grey and black. Besides men, 5 women came, also in suits of the same colors. Then Kyungsoo was wearing the same clothes as before, which were a light brown jacket, and Chayeol in a retro-styled hooded jacket. They both sat just at the beginning of the table under the TV.

The man in his probably 60s sat just at the end of the table and patiently waited till everyone was settled down. He was the CEO of JJ Entertainment.

At some point, he said:

- Good morning, I hope everyone had a comfortable journey. We are here today to discuss the anniversary concert next 3 or 4 weeks. The date still hasn't been settled up, but we will get there eventually....- and waited for any reaction from other members. His facial expression reminded the one of the governor in prison. He smiled like an angel, but his gaze was a thread. He didn't have to say a word, his stare was creating a law that everyone had to obey without discussion.

- Let's begin, shall we? - and the angelic smile just appeared, bringing insecurity even to prepared for these meeting members....except two friends at the end. Kyungsoo was typing lyrics on his mobile and sending them to his email address while Chanyeol was absorbed by staring at the least favorite board members and laughing quietly at their frightened behavior.

The meeting was going smoothly. Each one of the employers was sharing their theories or presentations. Kim was sitting quietly until his time came.

- Woo Shik, what have you prepared for Creams? - the silence appeared in the room. Woo Shik was a young man, age max 30. Black curly hair cut short in the back, but fluffy bangs were almost covering his eyes. Long face, small eyes, and slightly damaged lips from biting.

-...um...- he started, but had difficulties to construct the sentences - they will be performing 5 songs...so I was thinking, we can choose the most popular 5 ...- he paused for a moment to look at their reactions, which were none so he continued- and...um...we can make the "candy" appearance, fans loves it....- he paused again. This time it looks like he ran out of ideas, so the pause was like a begging for someone else to speak up. Kim slowly looked at Kyungsoo who was still working on his phone hidden under the table.

- Doh, anything you wish to add? - ...silence. Kyungsoo raised his head and needed a few seconds to understand the situation. Then he leaned on his chair comfortably and said:

- I would use 4 of the most popular songs, 2 from the debut and two from the second album. Then I would give them 5 minutes to interact with the audience announce a new single, and sing the highlight from it. It would build excitement amongst fans. Also...- he looked at Woo Shik - I don't think the "CANDY" theme is the best. First of all, they are not newbies anymore, and together with the last scandals about them dating seems not in place. I would choose FAITH as the 4th song to emphasize that they are no longer children. That would help to make the audience understand that they are also human beings and will calm down the media a little... - he finished.

The silence in the room was shouting about admiration. Then suddenly, the silent applause could be heard. That was the CEO who was entertained with KyungSoo's speech.

- Manager Kim, what's your decision? - Kim needed a long second to answer:

- I'll go with KyungSoo's idea...- it seems his plan to embarrass Kyungsoo has failed. Was it this plan? Or maybe there was a different reason?

The meeting was carried out as planned till the end, and no one realized that KyungSoo's presentation was mostly created on a mobile phone while going by taxi and during the meeting itself.

Later in another room, there was a presentation again, this time led by one person for the audience consisting of employees. Large area, fully in white colors, hundreds of chairs, and a scene with a mini cinema screen behind. The presentation was about the stadium where the concert will take place and all the important details in this matter.

Kyungsoo was sitting with Chanyeol somewhere in the middle of the right side of the audience.

- How's our naughty YiSeul? - Chanyeol joked after looking at Kyungsoo scrolling the phone.

- Alright, I think. Stop talking like she's your girlfriend too -

- I always wanted to ask you this, because sometimes when speaking, she has this weird accent, where is she from? -

....

KyungSoo's eyes widened in a second.

Time has stopped, why is his mind blank suddenly? Where is she from? He was replaying all his memories in his head like an opened family photobook, like an archive in the basement or the attic. He was in every corner of his memory...where is she from?

- Oi! - Chanyeol woke him up from his trance - Don't tell me you don't know! - covered his laughing face to not make any loud sound - KyungSoo-yah, that's not good? Ask her, and let me know ok? -

Kyungsoo was barely hearing his friend as his mind just created another investigation in his head. What does he know about her past? They meet one year ago, he was always telling stories from his life, he complained to her about his dilemmas, she was supportive...was she? She was always there, right? But was he supportive? Has she ever told him about her difficulties?

This year passed so fast that he wasn't paying attention to many significant points. What does he know about her?

After another important presentation, the working day was finally over.

Kyungsoo came back to his room, looked at the phone, and threw it on the bed, then went to take a shower.

*buzz buzz*

The phone was ringing.

When he came back from the shower, while drying his hair with a towel, he grabbed the phone and stiffened.... 4 missed calls and one text message. He rushed to open it:

- Do you have my suitcase?! -

He breathed a sigh of relief and started typing:

- Yes, can we meet tomorrow morning? I need the equipment from inside ASAP -

Two seconds passed:

- OK then, tomorrow at 6 am at the airport, same place as today. See you! -

He opened his round eyes widely but smirked with satisfaction that everything was sorted. Now, only time for a dream after this long day.

YiSeul hasn't texted him, she's probably busy. "Good night" he typed with a heart emoticon at the end.

Good night, KyungSoo-yah...

The next day, same time as yesterday, Kyungsoo arrived at the airport. He was waiting at the entrance for women who swapped their identical suitcases. He still couldn't believe this story, but he accepted that, and told himself that many unexpected stories can happen, like his and YiSeul's example. He waited. "I think I came too early," he thought, but after looking at the phone, it was exactly 6 a.m., as agreed. He wore the same jacket, so she would recognize him. All of a sudden, he felt shivers, sometimes you feel this when someone is watching you, so he raised his head to look for the source of this unpleasant feeling.

Just opposite him was standing a short girl, with dark brown long hair lying on her arms. Her pale skin color and dark, upturned eyes together had something unique, fascinating, Kyungsoo couldn't explain it in words. Maybe it's that red lipstick? She was wearing a blue sweater and a long, white dress, almost hiding her feet.

Slowly, she came nearer to him while not losing an eye contact.

- Is that you? Do you have my suitcase? -

KyungSoo's chest flattened as the uncertainty was forcing him to be prepared for any defense if it wasn't her, if he just had long eye contact with a random person who would approach him without any reason. He smirked and said:

- I have no idea how we swapped our suitcases, but hopefully, you had this name tag. Are you always keeping it inside?- he couldn't wait to ask that question which had intrigued him since yesterday. She then grabbed her suitcase and left his next to him. Then she smiled gently, raised her head, and explained:

- I get what you mean, that's unbelievable, right? I can't believe it myself, but what happened is I was late for my meeting, hopefully, I had all the documents on my phone so just printed them off on site. I was running and looking at my phone, so it's my bad, apologies for running into you - the way she spoke made Kyungsoo surprised as she answered all his questions in one go, and for some reason, he was not even bothered anymore. What happened, happened. Hopefully, everything will be back to normal from now on.

- What's your name? - she was looking at her phone while asking. Kyungsoo, amazed by this question said:

- Doh Kyungsoo, but why are you asking? -

- No reason, I'm Rose. Nice to meet you. Apologies, but I need to check in, my flight is soon - then she moved to the entrance, raised her hand, and waved - See you, maybe someday! -

- Remove! my num..m..ber...- The last word he whispered slowly as she was gone already.

For some reason, this situation was fascinating for him and he smiled while turning around and headed to the first taxi.

He spoke with YiSeul later. She was in the hospital with her mom. Her health was not getting any better, and that made Kyungsoo upset but he needed to focus because today he had another busy day...and all week was the same. He was waking up and going to the JJ ENMT building, planning, writing, arranging, listening, recording, and planning again. He spoke with YiSeul every evening, In the daytime she was absorbed by work and her mom's condition.

He then arrived in Yeonhui.

"Finally at home," he thought. It was evening, so the skies were covered in dark ink, and because of a rainy time, the clouds were covering all the stars.

His fence and grass were in the same condition as he left. "She took care of this place". Then he opened the door, not even thinking about taking off his shoes, he just wanted to see her first.

She was in the kitchen wearing an apron, a little dirty after cooking but that didn't matter. Nothing matters, as far as she's here. Her hair was tied in a top knot. The only makeup on her face was probably mascara. She lifted her soiled in sweet cake icing finger and licked it while raising her eyes to look at him.

- Hey! - he ran to her and hugged her like he just found his long-lost treasure.

- How's the flight? - she asked while hugging him back and patting his arm.

- Easy, it's a short flight so I didn't even realize when we landed. How are things? All ok? How's mom? Sorry, that is the most important, is she feeling better?

YiSeul looked into his eyes, it seemed she was constructing the best sentence to describe the situation.

- She's back at home, it seems she just overworked, and her back is not standing this kind of pressure anymore -

Kyungsoo was speechless for a second.

- So it's not life-threatening? -

- No, she fell down the stairs while doing housework. It's OK now -

He asked himself, what was the reason for him to create the life-threatening sickness, was it something she said? Or he just added this part by himself, which is hard to accept, but now he can't remember what exactly she said about her mother's condition. Mom - hospital - bad well-being - this generated a story in his mind? Sounds like an absurd. Maybe he is just too sensitive, maybe he was asking for a situation where he can support YiSeul, the same as she was supporting him up until now? If that's the case, that is very selfish of him.But he still couldn't accept this possibily....

- I'm happy everything is fine now, was worried about your mom -

YiSeul smiled slightly, took his hand, and led him to the set table, filled with tasty dishes and a big cake in turquoise color.

- Wait! - he gave an order and ran straight to the shelf just above the sink, grabbed a red wine, and came back to the table with two wine glasses.

- Addition to the delicious food you have prepared - he hasn't tried it yet, obviously, but he missed her, and whatever she prepared he will appreciate. Then he gave her a kiss...going deeper as his deep feeling of longing. She put her hand on his back for a second, then suddenly she cut this precious moment with words: " Let's eat first, shall we? - smiled and sat down.

"What's that? " he thought while standing still and watching her. "What is this feeling?"

Why does her lips seems so unfamiliar today?

#kdrama #doh kyungsoo #do kyung soo #do kyungsoo #exo kyungsoo #kyungsoo #exo d.o #exo d.o.#exo do kyungsoo #exo do #fanfic #Fanwork #Romance #Comedy #Drama

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the-consortium · 11 months

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Mr. Saqqara? How's your lovelife with the Hound? What's the relationship dynamic? Does Mr. Bile know?

(OOC: Asks still don't work on desktop, but are now visible on mobile again. So I can "answer" with a placeholder and add the real text later. I won't type my texts on my phone, so this is an awkward workaround, but better than nothing! Give a big hand to returned ask posts!)

Saqqara snorts indignantly. Sets the datapad aside. „That‘s pretty personal!“

Arrian lowers the book he has just been reading with mediocre interest, slips in one of the dried leathery leaves of the large carnivorous vines from the arboretum as a bookmark, reaches across the table with the stacks of books and half-disassembled explosives and takes Saqqara‘s datapad.

The latter half-heartedly protests: „Hey! That‘s private correspondence!“ - „And this from the man who has made it a very fruitless hobby to steal the Chief Apothecary‘s ‚private correspondence‘?“ - „Only those which would upset him anyway and thus keep him from his work. I‘m practically doing him a favour.“ - „And to find out what of it would upset him, you read everything first?“ - „Yes, of course. How else am I supposed to make an informed decision?“ Saqqara‘s beaming smile as he says this leaves no questions. Arrian shakes his head. The nails rattle. Then he reads the message. His eyebrows move up, slightly distorted by his scars and ancient service studs. „Angron‘s spiky ass … that‘s really personal!“ - „Told you!“

The World Eater sighs and throws the datapad to Saqqara, who catches it with one hand and puts it back on the table. „I‘ve heard there are holo-shows in the Imperium that only deal with the love lives of some singers or actors. If you take that as a benchmark - we‘ve done it, we‘re apparently of public interest!“

Saqqara reaches for the datapad again, plays with the pen. Draws squiggles on the surface and wipes them away again. For Word Bearers, calligraphy and warm-up sketches are service to their Primarch and therefore an almost religious thing. Arrian has learned that the diabolist is then not really responsive until he emerges from this trance again. While he, like all Astartes, is aware of his surroundings and potential threats in a subliminal way, communication is then no longer desired.

Arrian doesn‘t really care what other people think about him or what he does or doesn‘t do. He doesn‘t have the Emperor‘s Children‘s craving for validation - which each of them vehemently denies - and doesn‘t have the Word Bearers‘ need for group affiliation. So this strange question to Saqqara doesn‘t bother him at all. He opens his book again, his mind halfway back to the torsion properties of the fibres of certain climbing plants. He glances sideways at Saqqara. The diabolist has begun to write. Arrian nods, adjusts the band that binds his nails at the nape of his neck and then sinks completely into botany.

Saqqara gnaws on his lower lip as his pen scurries across the pad and the little cogitor dutifully converts the elegant Colchisian runes into cold data.

„In the writings of the Primarch - may the gods steadily bless and preserve him - it is repeatedly pointed out that we do not exist as uninfluenced individuals in a selfish bubble, but only gain strength and resolve through our relationships with our brethren and the beings of the Immaterium.“

He pauses for a moment. Then adds, „And in light of this divine advice, I can say that I am aware of how the gods have blessed me. Arrian may view this more pragmatically, but he cannot deny the benefits and the positive impact our relationship has had on both our performance and abilities.“ He pauses. Crosses out the word „relationship“. Tries about five synonyms before returning to it after all.

Then he continues writing swiftly. „Which is probably something the Chief Apothecary is also aware of. He may in principle be absolutely uninterested in all things concerning the sparse private lives of his students and subordinates, but he punishes anything that leads to a deterioration of performance very mercilessly.

From this I can say with some certainty that Fabius is positively indifferent to our relationship. He wishes to know nothing of it - as little as he cares for the dance that Narvo Quin and Bellephus perform around Savona.

The Chief Apothecary regards any attachment with mild disgust. He is the most solitary being I have ever met. For an Astartes, positively unique. Quin suggests that he was no different before the Rebellion. Lord Fulgrim had to practically drag him out of his apothecarium by force once he needed him to work with other Emperor‘s Children.

To that extent, I can say with some authority that the Chief Apothecary is the last person in the galaxy who cares in the slightest about that relationship.“

He reads through everything again and nods with satisfaction. Taps „Send.“ Then looks over at Arrian, who is absently making notes in the form of chemical formulae. For a few heartbeats he allows himself a very gentle smile in the direction of the World Eater, who doesn‘t notice.

(Some Saqqara for purely decorative reasons)

And some additional observations: In my mind Astartes are not build to have too deep emotions. If you remove the fear-response, you have to get rid off a lot of other stuff, too - maybe unintentionally.

The Emperor's Children got all of it back and then some. Because of Slaanesh and their gene-seed reflecting Fulgrim. But the other Legions are very sparse in their emotions. Or, let's say: slow-burn.

And that's how I see Arrian and Saqqara. They don't talk much about anything concerning their feelings or their relationship. A bit like cats: "I don't love you. I'm just always in the same room you are purely on coincidence."

#Warhammer #Ask Post #YES! Workaround!#Saqqara #Arrian #fabius bile

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chacusha · 3 months

Text

Hi everyone! Time for a new sticky post. Here are some important, high-level things to note about me:

I am mostly inactive on Tumblr. I have uninstalled the Tumblr mobile app and use a siteblocker to limit how much time I spend on here. I do try to respond to personal messages and asks, but I'm pretty unreliable about everything else -- I mainly only use this blog for self-promo, sorry. See the bottom of this post for other places to find me.

Fandoms: Very many and change unpredictably. Star Trek is the main one at the moment, but I like various JRPGs (Mana, FF, KH, Bravely Default). Soulcalibur and ReBoot are some fandoms I find interesting and dabble in on Tumblr.

I am a proshipper. Not in the sense that I wade into fandom discourse (as I don't like it and so try to avoid it entirely) but that my opinions on fiction and fictional ships 100% aligns with the proshipper position and I avoid antis and people with anti opinions like the plague. More on what I mean by these terms below as there has been a lot of obfuscation (often purposeful) regarding these terms.

More detail on these under the cut.

Inactivity on Tumblr:

I have tried to make changes to make Tumblr more usable for me, but I still don't really have a healthy relationship to the site and still find it socially isolating, especially as a venue for artists who post art. I do respond to messages and asks, and I try to reply to replies and tags as well (sometimes they fall by the wayside, sorry...), and I reblog once in a blue moon, but I mainly use Tumblr for self-promo nowadays. Also, I don't really like talking about my personal life out in the open, so if you want personal updates on my life, I'm much more active on Dreamwidth, which has better privacy controls than Tumblr.

I tend to complain about Tumblr (while continuing to use the site) so much that I have a tag for it (#complaining about tumblr on tumblr). If that kind of negativity bothers you, you may want to unfollow me or filter that tag.

Some helpful links and resources related to my inactivity and frustrations with Tumblr as a platform:

Tips to new users to make Tumblr more usable

My Dreamwidth pitch (and the more readable Dreamwidth version).

Not mine, but here's a guide to using Dreamwidth for Tumblr users.

Here's also my pitch for why dA is not actually a terrible site for posting art compared to Tumblr (but Tumblr still has its advantages).

Some posts I made on why I find Tumblr socially isolating and why I don't tag dive on Tumblr, which are both largely still true.

Proship? Anti?

Most of the time, you can go through fandom without ever running into the proship/anti debate, and this has pretty much been my experience in my JRPG fandoms (Final Fantasy, the Mana series, Bravely Default, etc.). I have unfortunately not really had this experience in Star Trek fandom, sometimes being blindsided by people who seem chill in public then reveal themselves to have kind of unhinged views of fiction and immoral ships in private, so I have decided to just start proactively identifying as proship to ward those people away and will now only join Discord servers of people whom I know are not antis, or which have an explicitly proship moderation line.

Since it is often unclear what people mean by "anti" and "proship," I'll provide my own definition to make it clear what I'm talking about here.

Antis are people who oppose certain ships and the existence of certain types of fictional content because those ships/stories are immoral. While there is quite a bit of variety in where antis draw their moral lines, some common types ships/content that antis view immoral include incest, underage, rape/noncon, power differential, age gaps, etc. as well as being fans of dark (e.g. abusive, genocidal, villainous, etc.) characters, especially if this fannishness has a romantic/sexual attraction sort of element. The general anti approach to fannishness and fiction is to treat people who draw/write/consume fiction featuring these elements and themes as perpetuating harm (sometimes serious harm) through their fictional tastes. Such harm includes normalizing/endorsing/excusing abuse/rape, and grooming or normalizing/promoting pedophilia.

These are pretty weighty accusations, and needless to say, believing that (a) you can tell whether someone is an abuser/pedophile/groomer/etc. based solely on their fictional output or consumption (including what characters/ships they like), and therefore (b) your fandom is filled with literal abusers/pedophiles/groomers/etc. operating completely out in the open, led to people sending death threats, organizing campaigns to chase these "predators" out of fandom, and otherwise raising the cost of people existing in fandom while being a fan of "problematic" ships, whether through a private or public harassment campaign, by doxxing people, sending messages to their employer, etc. etc.

The proship stance/proshippers arose as a reaction to this harassing behavior of antis to basically establish an alternate approach to fandom that allows people to ship whatever relationships they like and which recognizes that fiction and reality do not map one-to-one, and which believes that treating fiction as if it is entirely equivalent to reality, treating fictional characters exactly how you would treat a real-life person, policing the immorality of fiction, etc. tends to lead to unhinged behavior like this (doxxing, harassment, etc.).

There was a very strong backlash to the anti movement and the anti approach to fandom has largely been discredited at this point by being portrayed as "fans taking fandom way too seriously," which is in some sense, accurate. But I don't think that this means that antis and their approach to fiction is entirely gone, just that they are merely more quiet/underground/cryptic about their anti positions. Also, I am a bit unusual in that I don't think that it was only the behavior that was wrong (doxxing, harassment, death threats, etc.), although it certainly was very wrong! But I also think that behavior was the natural consequence of a set of beliefs that generally equates fiction and reality; that is uncomfortable with the eroticization of the dark, immoral, and taboo; and that views the "point" or "main activity" of fandom and fannishness as being to write/consume/love "good" ships/content only. So long as people possess that particular approach to fiction, they are (in my mind) an anti at heart and their approach to fandom is probably antithetical to my own.

I take an approach to fiction that includes:

A recognition that there are plenty of reasons to want to write about certain characters having sex (even titillating, pornographic sex) that aren't "I am literally attracted to the characters and would still be attracted to the same characters if they were real."

Not harassing creators or other fans over shipping or creative output.

The view that "thoughtcrime" is not a legitimate concept.

Being against the idea that enjoyment of art can lead to moral contamination through association.

Art is not (and cannot be) the same thing to everyone. From "I couldn't enjoy this art for moral reasons," it is incorrect to conclude that, "If people enjoyed this art, that must mean they are immoral."

Just being chill about fandom, fans, and creators -- having a sense of perspective that fandom is a minor part of life and a minor part of pop culture, that fandom is a hobby filled with amateur, self-published creators who are learning their craft as they go, and often using fiction and art to explore their own sexuality.

I find this write-up to be a good outlining of the anti vs. proship debate and how antis tend to behave in fandom. People often also classify the anti phenomenon and approach to fiction as a kind of "purity culture" derived from an evangelical Christian upbringing (which views bad media to have a corrupting influence and the goal of reading/fictional consumption is to read "good" things only), but with the Christian social mores rejected and swapped out for non-Christian secular social justice values (consent, diversity and humanizing/"good" representation, etc.), and this seems to me a plausible theory and is largely how I understand the anti phenomenon as well.

Also, very tenuously related to anti/proship stuff, but I am generally someone with low tolerance for character/ship bashing, and for "I ship this problematic ship in the RIGHT way while other people ship it WRONG" type posting, and generally for making snide comments about other people's fic/art in public. Don't get me wrong -- I love a good rant about fandom, even a good public rant if it's not my fandom and I can eat some popcorn as I read. I have ships I can't stand and am happy to rant about them at the drop of a feather. But sometimes you have to pick the right audience for a rant, y'know?

Anyway, I generally try not to wade into fandom discourse (this is a self-imposed ban as I know if I let myself post about it, it will consume my brain), but I don't want my overall silence on this topic to be taken as neutrality or indifference in the whole anti/proship debate.

Oh yes, and if it wasn't apparent already, I am a very tl;dr person.

Where to find me:

Art Tumblr: https://denahi.tumblr.com/

Dreamwidth: https://chacusha.dreamwidth.org/

DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/chacusha

Discord: chacusha

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chacusha/profile

Communities I run:

Quodo discussion/fan community on Dreamwidth: https://quodo.dreamwidth.org/

Quodo fanart archive on DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/quark-x-odo/

My Discord for Quodo (18+ with a proship moderation line): https://discord.gg/VaCnMYvKu6

My Discord for the Mana series (all ages, also technically with a proship moderation line but the issue just never comes up in this fandom ¯\_(ツ)_/¯): https://discord.gg/6wFWwnRvJr

#about me #sticky post #proship #where to find me

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