#Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

[b3aches]

Oh shit, DNSSEC KSK signing today:

[redgoldsparks]

I wrote a 12 page epilogue to my 2019 comic "Harry Potter and The Problematic Author" because I found, in 2023, that I had more to say. You can also find this comic on my website, and I have PDF copies available on etsy. I may sell print copies at some point in the future.

instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble

Full transcript below the cut.

PAGE 1

Part one: Ruddy Owls!

I was in fourth grade when the first Harry Potter Book was released in the US.

Panel 1: Sometimes our teacher would read it aloud in class. “Mr and Mrs Dursley of number 4 Privat Drive were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…”

Panel 2: I was 11 years old when Harry Potter finally broke through my dyslexia and turned me into a reader.

Panel 3: Every night in the summer before sixth grade I waited for the owl carrying my Hogwarts Letter. I cried when it didn’t come. “I have to go to Muggle school!”

PAGE 2

Part Two: Hats

I dedicated myself to being a fan.

Panel 1: I began collecting Harry Potter News article.

Panel 2: I asked my relatives to mail me ones from their local papers. I filled a thick binder with clippings.

Panel 3: I wrote my own trivia quiz

Panel 4: and participated in the one held annually at the county fair. “Next contestant!”

Panel 5: I usually got into one of. the top five spots. I won boxes of candy, posters, stationary, and once a baseball cap. (Hat reads: I survived the battle of Hogwarts).

Panel 6: In high school I sewed a black velvet cape and knitted many stripped scarves.

PAGE 3

Part Three: Double Trouble

Watching the last film in 2011 felt like the final note of my childhood. 

Panel 1: I remember driving home from the midnight showing thinking about the end of 13 years of waiting; wondering what would define the next chapter of my life. 

Panel 2: That same month I heard of something called Pottermore. “Okay, so there’s a sorting quiz… I already know my house! Patronus assignment? Mine’s a barn owl. Duh!" 

Panel 3: You can read the books again but with GIFs? Why? 

Panel 4: I lived in a place with very slow and limited internet at the time. Pottermore sounded inaccessible, but also boring. I never joined. 

Panel 5: "I’ll just read the actual books again, thanks." 

PAGE 4

Part Four: Sweets

In 2016, a series of short stories titled "History of Magic in North America” were released on Pottermore to pave the way for the first Fantastic Beasts Film. These stories display an extreme ignorance of American history, culture, and geography, but the worst parts are the casual misuse of indigenous beliefs and stories. Fans and critics immediately spoke up against this appropriation. Some of the most quoted voices included Nambe Pueblo scholar Dr. Debbie Reese who runs the site “American Indians In Children’s Literature”; Navajo writer Brian Young; Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), founder of A Tribe Called Geek; Dr Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation), a Professor at Brown University who runs the blog “Native Appropriations”, and writers N.K. Jemison and Paula Young Lee.

PAGE 5

Rowling is famous for responding to fans directly on twitter, yet she did not respond to anyone calling out the damaging aspects of “Magic in North America.” Her representatives refused to comment for March 9 2016 article in the Guardian. She has never apologized. All of this, plus the casting of Johnny Depp and the specific declarations of support by JKR, Warner Brothers, and director David Yates left a sour taste in my mouth.

For further thoughts on the new films read The Crimes of Grindelwald is a Mess by Alanna Bennett for Buzzfeed News, November 16, 2018.

PAGE 6

Excerpt from Colonialism in Wizarding American: JK Rowling’s History of Magic in North America Through an Indigenous Lens by Allison Mills, MFA, MAS/MLIS (Cree and Settler French Canadian)

Although Rowling is certainly not the first white author to misstep in her treatment of Indigenous cultures, she has an unprecedented level of visibility and fame, […] One of the most glaring problems with Rowling’s story is her treatment of the many Indigenous nations in North America as one monolithic group. […It] flattens out the diversity of languages, belief systems, and cultures that exist in Indigenous communities, allowing stereotyping to persist. […] It continues a long history of colonial texts which ignore that Indigenous peoples still exist. […] In the Wizarding world, as in the real world, Indigenous histories have been over-written and our cultures erased.

from The Looking Glass: New Perspectives in Children’s Literature Volumn 19, Issue 1

PAGE 7

Part 5: Music

Panel 1: Also in 2016 I discovered two podcasts which radically altered my experience of being an HP fan. The first was Witch Please created by two Canadian feminist literary scholars Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman.

Panel 2: “If it’s not in the text it doesn’t count!” “Close reading ONLY!”

Panel 3: They talk about Harry Potter at the level you’d expect in a college class with particular focus on gender, race, class, and the troubling fatphobia, fear of othered and queer coded bodies, violence against women, white feminism, gaslighting and failed pedagogy in the books. They bring up these issues not because they hate the series, but because they LOVE it.

PAGE 8

These passionate, joyful conversations went off like fireworks in my mind. I had never taken a feminist class before. I gained a whole new vocabulary to talk about the books- and the world.

PAGE 9

Panel 1: The second podcast I started that year was Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, created by two graduates of the Harvard Divinity School, Vanessa Zoltan and Casper Ter Kuile.

Panel 2: They read one chapter per episode through a theme such as love, control, curiosity, shame, responsibility, hospitality, destruction, or mystery. Like Witch Please, they are interested only in the information on the page, not thoughts from the author. The delights and failures of the text are examined in the context of the present day, and new meanings constantly arise.

PAGE 10

What does it mean to treat a text as sacred?

Trusting that the more time we give to it, the more blessings it has to give us.

Reading the text repeatedly with concentrated attention. Our effort is part of what makes it sacred. The text is not in and of itself sacred, but is made so by rigorously engaging in the ritual of reading.

Experiencing it in community.

“To me, the goal of treating the text as sacred is that we learn to treat each other as sacred.” -Vanessa Zoltan

PAGE 11

Part 6: Tooth and Claw

In October 2017, Rowling liked a tweet linking to an article arguing that trans women should be kept out of women’s bathrooms because of cisgender women’s fears. In March 2018, she liked a tweet about the problem of misogyny in the UK Labour Party which included the line “Men in dresses get brosocialist solidarity I never had.” The author of the tweet had previously posted many blatantly anti-trans statements.

Rowlings publicist claimed she had liked the posted by accident in a “clumsy and middle-aged moment.” Yet, in September 2018 she liked a link posted by Janice Turner to her column in the Times UK titled “Trans Rapists Are A Danger In Women’s Jails.”

Screencaps of these tweets can be found in the article “The Mysterious Case of JK Rowling and her Transphobic Twitter History”, January 10 2019 by Gwendolyn Smith (a trans journalist), LGBTQNation.com

PAGE 12

Excerpt from: Is JK Rowling Transphobic? A Trans Woman Investigates by Katelyn Burns

Ultimately, the answer is yes, she is transphobic […] I think it’s fair that she receives criticism from trans people, especially given her advocacy on behalf of queer people in general, but also because she has a huge platform. Many people look up to her for creating a singular piece of popular culture that holds deep meaning for fans from different walks of life, and she has a responsibility to handle that platform wisely. (Published on them.us March 28, 2018)

PAGE 13

Part 7: Home

At age 30, I’m still not over Harry Potter.

Panel 1: I’ve recently found a local bar that does HP trivia nights. “Poppy or Pomona?” “Poppy!”

Panel 2: I currently own an annual pass to Universal Studios so I can visit Hogsmeade.

Panel 3: I love talking to kids who are reading the books for the first time. “Who’s your favorite character?” “Ginny!”

Panel 4: And I’m planning a relisten to the audio books to next year to help me get through the election cycle. “Jim Dale, I’m going to need you more than ever…”

Spoiler from 2023: I did not do this. By mid-2020 JKR had posted her transphobic essay; we were in covid; I never visited Universal Studios again.

PAGE 14

But I do want to learn from her mistakes. I never want to repeat “Magic in North America.” As I write, I will do my research. I will consult experts and compensate them. If a reader from a different culture/background than me speaks up about my work, I will listen and apologize. I KNOW I WILL MAKE MISTAKES. But I will own up to them and I will do better.

PAGE 15

Excerpt from Diversity Is Not Enough: Race, Power and Publishing by Daniel José Older

We can love a thing and still critique it. In fact, that’s the only way to really love a thing. Let’s be critical lovers and loving critics and open ourselves to the truth about where we are and where we’ve been. Instead of holding tight to the same old, failed patriarchies, let’s walk a new road, speak new languages. Today, let’s imagine a literature, a literary world, that carries this struggle for equity in its very essence, so that tomorrow it can cease to be necessary, and disappear. (Buzzfeed, April 14, 2017) 

PAGE 16

Harry Potter is flawed, & JK Rowling is problematic. But the books helped me learn a lot: 

*One of the greatest dangers facing the modern world is the rise of fascism 

*The government cannot be trusted 

*Read and think critically

*Question the news: who paid the journalist? Who owns the paper? 

*Trust and support your friends through good times and bad

*Organize for resistance

*Educate and share resources with peers

*The revolution must be diverse and intersectional

* We are only as strong as we are united

*The weapon we have is love 

MK 2019

PAGE 17

PART 8: EPILOGUE

In 2021 I removed a Harry Potter patch I sewed to my book bag over a decade ago. I took 15 pieces of Harry Potter fanart off my walls. I got rid of my paperback book set, 2 board games, and 8 t-shirt. [images: a Hogwarts a patch with loose threads, a pair of scissors and a seam ripper]

Panel 1: Maia holding up a shirt with the Deathly Hallows logo on it. Maia thinks: “Damn, this really used to be my entire personality.”

Panel 2: The t-shirt gets thrown into the Goodwill box.

PAGE 18

I wrote my zine wrestling with JKR’s legacy in 2019, after her dismissive and racist reaction to indigenous fans and critics of “Magic in North America” and after she had liked a couple transphobic tweets. Since then, she has gotten so much worse.

A Brief Timeline (mostly from this Vox article)

June 2020- JKR posts a 3600 word essay making her anti-trans position clear

August 2020- The Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Org issues a statement about her transphobia, JKR doubles down on her position and returns an award they gave her

December 2020- JKR claims 90% of HP fans secretly agree with her anti-trans views

December 2021- JKR mocks Scottish Police for recognizing transgender identities

March 2022- JKR criticizes gender-inclusive language and legislation

December 2022- JKR retweets trans youtuber Jessie Earl’s critical review of Hogwarts Legacy, starting an onslaught of transphobic harassment towards Earl

December 2022- JKR removes her support from an Edinburgh center for survivors of sexual violence with a trans-inclusive policy and funds her own center which explicitly excludes trans sexual assault survivors

January 2023- JKR tweets “Deeply amused by those telling me I’ve lost their admiration due to disrespect I show violent, duplicitous rapists.” It got nearly 300K likes

March 2023- One the podcast “The Witch Trials of JK Rowling”, hosted by a former Westboro Baptist Church Member, JKR compares the trans rights movement to Death Eaters.

PAGE 19

What are The Witch Trials of JK Rowling?

Panel 1: Maia speaking. “It’s a 7 episode documentary style podcast hosted by Megan Phelps-Roper. Nearly every episode contains interviews with JKR as well as critics, journalists, historians, protestors and fans.

Panel 2: Maia speaking. “In episode 1, JKR speaks more candidly than she has previously about being in an abusive marriage. Her ex-husband hit her, stalked her, broke into her house overlapping with the time she was writing the first three HP books.”

Panel 3: Maia speaking. “What she went through genuinely sounds horrific. I have a lot of sympathy for the kind of life-long traumas those experiences leave.”

PAGE 20

HOWEVER.

It is clear from reading the June 2020 essay on her blog and listening to the podcast, that JKR still to this day feels unsafe. Despite her wealth and privilege she moves through the world with the mindset of a victim. And the group of people she finds most threatening are trans women.

Or rather, she is afraid that allowing trans women in women’s spaces invites the possibility of male predators entering those spaces.

Here’s a direct quote: The problem is male violence. All a predator wants is access and to open the doors of changing rooms, rape centers, domestic violence centers [...] to any male who says “I’m a woman and I have a right to be here” will constitute a risk to women and girls. - from The Witch Trials episode 4 as transcribed by therowlinglibrary.com, March 2023

Image: A stem of Belladonna with flowers and berries.

PAGE 21

Let me introduce here the term: TRANSMISOGYNY. The intersection of transphobia and misogyny, this term was coined by Julia Serano in 2007. Scout Tran, on tiktok as Queersneverdie said: “Transmisogyny occurs in people who have been previously hurt by traditional misogyny. Who have been driven to hate men or at the very least to be scared of men. They will sometimes take out that rage on trans women. (March 2023)

JKR claims to care for trans women and understand they are extremely vulnerable to assault and violence. In her 2020 Essay she wrote: “I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe.”

So she cares about trans women… just less than cis women, and she’s willing to throw all trans women under the bus because of her unfounded, prejudice fears.

PAGE 22

Panel 1: Maia speaking. “JKR claims to have seen data that proves trans women have presented physical threats to other women in intimate spaces, but never cites sources. She also uses “producer of the large gametes” as a definition of “woman”.

What about transmen and nonbinary folks?

Panel 2: Maia leaning on a stack of all seven HP books, the first four Cormorant Strike books and The Casual Vacancy, gesturing to a series of quotes with a tired and disgusted expression.

I’m concerned about the huge explosion of young women wishing to transition and also about the increasing numbers who seem to be detransitioning. * [...] If I’d been born 30 years later, I too might have tried to transition. The allure of escaping womanhood would have been huge. -June 10 2020 essay

I don’t believe a 14 year old can truly understand what the loss of their fertility is.

-Witch Trials episode 4

I haven’t yet found a study that hasn’t found that the majority of young people experiencing gender dysphoria grow out of it*. -Witch Trials episode 7

*No sources cited

PAGE 23

It’s hard to over emphasize how fixated JKR has become on these topics. As of the date I’m writing this, 14 out of her 20 most recent tweets (70%) are in some way anti-trans. She tweets against Mermaids (a UK based trans youth charity), against trans athletes, against gender neutral bathrooms, and in support of LBG Alliance- a UK org that denies trans rights while upholding gay rights. Here are some gems from her archive:

“People who menstruate.” I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? -June 2020

War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman. - December 2021

And in response to someone asking “How do you sleep at night knowing you lost a whole audience?”

I read my most recent royalty cheques and find the pain goes away pretty quickly. -October 2022

PAGE 24

Hashtag Ruthless Productions a queer nerd podcast company created a great guide on ethical engagement with HP. Image: the two hosts of Hashtag Ruthless productions, Jessie (They/she) and Lark (he/him).

Stop buying all official HP Products: books, movies, games, toys, etc, Universal Studios tickets, food, merch.* Boycott any new TV series or movies. Instead: buy the books and DVDs used. If you still want to wear HP merch, buy fan-made. Engage only with fan content: fic, podcasts, fanart, wizard rock, etc. Show transphobia is bad for business. None of this will change JKR’s mind. But the Fantastic Beast series was canceled and after record Pottermore sales in 2020, they fell in 2022 by 40%.

*She gets a portion of ALL tickets. In 2019, this was her largest income source. Read the full guide: hashtagruthless.com/resourceguide

PAGE 25

As late as 2019, I was still reading JKR’s murder mystery series. But by the fourth book my experience began to sour.

Panel 1: Maia holding a copy of Lethal White. “The only gay character in this book is a government official who gropes his staff?”

Panel 2: “The only genderqueer character is misgendered and portrayed as a whiny faker?”

Panel 3: “The only Muslim character is disowned by his family over gay rumors?”

Panel 4: “Even the women aren’t portrayed very well…”

Panel 5: “Why is the main female character defined by the rape in her past?”

Panel 6: “Wait, what happens in the rest of this series…?” Maia scrolls on eir phone.

Panel 7: “Is the series heading towards an employee/boss relationship?”

Panel 8: “And has a man wearing women’s clothes to commit assault?”

Panel 9: “Yeah, I’m done. I’m never reading a new JKR book ever again.”

PAGE 26

And as for JKR herself?

As tempting as it might be to tweet your frustrations at her, I don’t recommend it. In 2021, she tweeted, “Hundreds of trans activists have threatened to beat, rape, assassinate and bomb me.” Getting hate online feeds her sense of victimhood and she waves it as proof of her moral high ground. Instead I suggest you block her on twitter, then delete twitter, go to the library and try to find a new book that feels magical.

Stack of books: In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, Gifts by Ursula K Le Guin, Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik and Gideon the Ninth by Tamsin Muir.

PAGE 27

In “Emergent Strategy” adrienne maree brown writes: You do not have the right to traumatize abusive people, to attack them, personally or publicly, or to sabotage anyone else’s health. The behaviors of abuse are also survival-based, learned behaviors rooted in pain. If you can look through the lens of compassion, you will find hurt and trauma there. If you are the abused party, healing that hurt is not your responsibility and exacerbating that pain is not your justified right.

PAGE 28

Seeing anyone over age 12 wearing HP merch now makes me uncomfortable. Are they ignorant or actively a TERF? I hate wondering how much money JKR has probably poured into anti-trans legislation… This zine is a culmination of my slow breakup with a story that once brought me joy. Now it just makes me angry, tired and sad.

Image: Candle in a fancy holder burned down to less than an inch.

Maia Kobabe, 2023

[alessiamalfoyzabini]

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀 𝟎𝟏 | 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲

Pairing | Yandere Jungkook x Reader

Word Count | 3, 335

Warnings | +18, yandere, obsession, Stockholm syndrome, fluff, smut, fingering, penetrative sex, public sex, unprotected sex, creampie, marriage proposal, this is not for minors

This fanfiction is yandere, if you don't like the genre, don't read and if you are not of age, don't read.

I don't want to hear any complaints in the comments, thank you.

This does not reflect my way of thinking or living at all, it is just a work of fiction, it is like watching a horror movie, many of us love horror movies, but we would never dream of what we see in those movies happening in reality as well.

Simply put, this story was written for entertainment purposes, it should not be seen as a reflection of my values, opinions or morals. I absolutely do not condone such acts.

⤷ Summary | With their lives now intertwined, Jungkook was ready for the next step.

➢ Author's Note | Hi, guys! This is the first Extra from Happy Ending, I hope you can enjoy it ❤

Taglist: @katherine-kookie, @douknowbts, @aiiselle90210, @fewercascade , @mageprincess7, @m00njinnie, @get-that-brain-working, @whipwhoops

➢ Main Story

➢ Spin - Off | Dark Moon || PJM

Things with Jungkook were going swimmingly; every morning before going to work, the man would wake her up with a gentle kiss on her forehead, murmuring softly that he would be gone for a while but would be back as soon as possible to be with her. Y/N would always squint an eye to peek at the boy's attire already ready to go out, then smile lazily at her boyfriend's perfection.

Sometimes she missed college, but only because from her desk she had a spectacular view of Jungkook explaining or drawing on the blackboard, what she obviously did not miss was the sassy looks from the other girls, or the nastiness Yoozu gave her every morning.

But those were distant memories, almost vanished from her mind now addicted to the man who, for good measure, had kidnapped her from her old and dangerous apartment, drastically changing her life forever.

That morning, too, was no different from any other, Jungkook greeted her with his good morning kiss, leaving a soft trail of masculine scent in the room, the kind of smell that drove Y/N crazy with desire whenever she had him near her, the girl got up to do the things she usually did as soon as she woke up, made herself pretty in the bathroom for the man and tidied up the house a bit before his return, sometimes Jungkook would be gone even evenings, long evenings that made her heart ache.

She still did not know what exactly Jungkook did at night, he had explained to her that Seokjin, the school principal, had important tasks to assign to him, tasks that could only be done at night.

Y/N was not stupid, inside, the doubt that the boy was lying to her simmered in her stomach, but with a smile she accepted the boy's apology, the most important thing was that he would never abandon her.

She was baking a cake that day and her hands were smeared with dough when a message notification came to her.

Jungkook had given her a phone for her birthday, it was a special phone since the only contact number was Jungkook's, she could still surf the internet freely, but with some prohibitions. She could not talk to anyone on social media or establish friendships in the forums she used to read, but this was not a problem for her, she only had Jungkook on her mind, he was her partner, her best friend, she did not need anything else.

So she was not surprised when, wiping her hands to retrieve the object, she found her boyfriend's name on the display.

She smiled tenderly at the avalanche of hearts that overwhelmed the actual content of the message; the boy never failed to let her know how infinitely he loved her.

♥ Husband ♥

Dress nice and elegant,

I'll take you to a nice place today, my love.

I can't wait to see you, I ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ •3•

Y/N chuckled covering her lips, Jungkook had even emphasized that "I love you" with a totally different font, accompanied by an absolutely ridiculous as well as adorable little face, she imagined Jungkook's lips pouting really like that and laughed again.

In an instant she replied that she would not keep him waiting, glanced at the dough, deciding to put it in the refrigerator to finish that evening the preparation even if with some regret, since the man had granted her free use of the kitchen she had waited for nothing else, beginning to cook new recipes again and again to fill a part of her free time, something that as a college student she could only dream of.

She ran to the bedroom opening the closet she shared with the man, all their things were carefully put in order, although they were not yet married in truth it was as if they were, in more ways than one.

She bit her lip taking two dresses, one was calf-length, red with darker shades on the edge of the puffy sleeves, the other was short to mid-thigh, totally black.

Jungkook loved black, but Y/N knew that red gave him a strange effect when she wore it. She had said she had to look elegant and pretty for him, with a sly smile she put the little black dress back in the closet to give her priority to the red one, whose heart-shaped neckline stopped just in time above her breasts.

Yes, the boy was going to lose his mind.

She opted for low, dark heels with a strap around the ankle, she wanted to slender up given her paltry stature, but not even suffer all evening, god!

When she got to makeup she decided to prioritize her lips, without overdoing her eyes, she had never been a fan of make-up, it was bad enough if she did a minimum of skincare so as not to look like a freak, although Jungkook repeated to her how absolutely beautiful and adorable she looked even with a pimple on her chin, which made her feel embarrassed and a bit teased, although she didn't think that was the guy's goal, after all he really meant every single thing he said.

By the time she finished arranging her hair into soft, smooth, shiny locks, the clock read 6:45 p.m., by now Jungkook must have been on his way home and she felt a moment lost, he would have liked the way she looked, right?

Not even time to worry any further, that the front door opened, Y/N heard her boyfriend's greeting and with butterflies in her stomach she walked slowly up to him to give herself a more elegant look, although she must surely have read the torment on her face about her appearance.

Jungkook when he saw her widened his large dark eyes, suddenly turning them into two shiny marbles. He drank in the small figure of his girlfriend who looked somehow more mature. Not that she didn't usually look it, but dressed like that, with her swollen breasts barely hidden behind the thin scarlet fabric and her legs slender from those heels, the man's brain definitely went to shit.

Not to mention those lips he loved to kiss countless times, dyed a shade of red darker than the dress, begging him to lose control and possess them.

He swallowed hard, "I told you to make yourself pretty for me, not kill me," he whispered almost dreamily, the iron grip in the girl's stomach loosened, and a sly smile soon painted itself on his features.

She approached her fiancé one step at a time, stroking the man's strong, well-trained chest with longing; he was not dressed like that that morning. She remembered that he had come out in simple jeans and a T-shirt, that black shirt studded with crystals of the same color with those dark, soft pants were new.

"Where did you get these?" she asked with a mock pout, "Don't tell me you showed up in class like this."

Jungkook blinked slowly, still speechless.

"N-No, I bought everything later, I had forgotten the change," he explained, not taking his gaze off his fiancée's florid body, she brought her hand down to his toned and well-defined abdomen, feeling the stiffening of his body.

"Mm-mh," she hummed, "Jungkook, are you hard?" she asked innocently, clutching the bulge in his pants, feeling under her palm the rigid, pulsating length, she bit her lips harder as a rough, hot moan left her boyfriend's throat, who immediately squeezed her.

He stretched out his neck to kiss her roughly, but Y/N was quicker and put a hand in front of his mouth, Jungkook's offended expression made her laugh.

"Stop it, Jeon! You'll ruin my lipstick like that!" she scolded him as she moved away to retrieve her purse, Jungkook stared shamelessly at her butt, gritting his teeth.

"You're a witch" he grumbled, Y/N gave him an amused look, "A lustful and beautiful witch" he continued, shaking his head.

They arrived half an hour later at the place the boy chose, it was a very nice outdoor restaurant, different from the usual one he chose, and Y/N looked around excitedly. She didn't often see such places, Jungkook was almost always too busy to take her around, and she primarily didn't go out alone except to shop for groceries or buy things of interest to her.

Jungkook gently pulled her chair aside and with one hand resting on her back accompanied her to her seat, casting harsh glances at any male being who squared his woman too much, even the waiter had no chance.

"What would you like to order?" he asked politely, but casting an unflattering glance at Y/N's cleavage, Jungkook squinted, grim.

"I would appreciate it if you would look my fiancée in the eyes when you address her," he blurted out in fact, startling the other man, who had not expected such a biting reply.

Y/N smiled from behind her goblet of white wine, watching her fiancé glower at the boy who was apologizing to both of them in the meantime; she couldn't take her eyes off him, he was gorgeous.

The soft profile kissed her vision like manna from heaven, what she had done to deserve such a gift she could not yet comprehend even she could not understand.

"Did you choose?"

Jungkook asked her that question with sugar in his voice, as if he had not just finished a resounding rant in front of everyone.

The rest of the evening passed more quietly, behind them the view of the sea shrouded in night made the icy saltiness inhale into the air, the restaurant was now framed by small lights that ran through the entire structure, as well as the tables that lit them up, it was just a nice night to spend together.

"I'm happy to be here, with you," the man pointed out, brushing the girl's hand affectionately, Y/N returned the squeeze shyly.

"Although... at first it was not like that, now it is the same for me too, I am happy to be here with you, Jungkook" Jungkook's face became serious in a moment.

"That's exactly why I brought you here," he took a breath, "We've been so good the past few months, it felt like a wonderful dream, Y/N."

Y/N frowned, "What do you mean?"

Jungkook got up from his seat, inviting her to do the same with a wave of his hand, Y/N wordlessly followed him and they found themselves leaving the restaurant and going down to the beach, they took off their shoes, letting the fine sand make contact with their feet, Jungkook guided her further and further to the shore, until on contact with the water they shivered.

"Dance with me," he whispered, encircling her waist against his body.

At first, Y/N would have refused, partly out of shame and partly out of fear of the man who now held her as if he had the most precious thing in the world in his hands.

In that instant she accepted the boy's invitation, letting her arms wrap around his neck strong and secure, moving slowly inches from their lips, the woman was forced to stand on tiptoe to try to reach him.

"What did you want to say, Jungkook?"

The boy stared at her lips, before raising his eyes to hers, the atmosphere was intimate and close, she could feel his warm breath gently caressing her face.

"I need to feel you more mine," he said.

"I'm already yours," chuckled the girl, but Jungkook shook his head.

"No, more..." he sighed closer and closer, "Be my wife, Y/N and make me a complete man" he dissolved his emotion-filled desire into a breathtaking kiss, pressed his moist lips to those of the young woman, who opened her eyes wide in bewilderment.

For a moment she was unable to respond; behaving as husband and wife was one thing, becoming one effectively was another. It was ... much more serious, important, Y/N blinked a few times before finally letting go of the man's desperate touch, molding her soft lips and giving in to that sick passion, trilling with joy inside.

Jungkook slid her through the sand, heedless of the grains that stuck to their skin or on their clothes; he had been waiting for that moment for months, but he finally made up his mind to confess those words he had been holding in too long.

"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully, pulling away from her slightly, Y/N nodded with an excited smile.

She was looking forward to nothing more than officially being Mrs. Jeon, that boy had given her so much love, how could she not want him as her husband?

"I want to be your wife, Jungkook," she sighed shakily, "I was wondering when you would decide to ask me," she laughed breathlessly, leaving Jungkook to admire her impressed.

"Oh, my love..." the next kiss was immediately more erotic and physical than the previous one, the man lightly biting her scarlet lips before penetrating that warm and sweet cavern with his tongue, softly intertwining with the girl's, who entwined her own fingers in her boyfriend's wavy and gorgeous locks.

The man settled between the girl's legs, the skirt of her dress had long since curled around her hips, and it was not difficult for him to gently push his own bulge against the young woman's barely concealed intimacy.

"Say once more that you're mine," he sighed into her neck, kissing her soft skin carefully; it was something he asked for every time before making love, Y/N never flinched, knowing that those words would only make his cock get even harder.

"Yours...I'm only yours, love," she breathed raggedly with her panties trailing down her shapely thighs under the force of the man's eager hands, Jungkook moved on to gently torture with his teeth the hidden tips of her breasts barely covered by her dress, "I just want to be with you, I want...I just want your hands on me, oh!"

Jungkook's index finger slowly teased the swollen and sensitive pearl of her core after finding it with ease, by now he knew the woman's body as well as he knew his own and he felt his cock enlarge and throb at the sound of Y/N's hoarse moans, he tightened his lips around a turgid nipple poking out from under the fabric of her scarlet dress, something about the idea of fuck her on that beach fully clothed drove him crazy.

"And only my hands on you will you have, Y/N," he hissed with a dark note in his voice, something the woman couldn't quite interpret, too caught up in her man's fingers slipping shamelessly along her soft, tender folds, violating her entrance with a firm, deep lunge between her soft walls.

"Jungkook! Jungkook..." she repeated his name like a mantra, the tears in her eyes not allowing her to see the proud, focused expression on the man's face as he continued to move his fingers inside her while using his thumb to make tighter and tighter circles around her stiff, scarlet clit, now close to a fierce orgasm, "N-Not resisting..." she cried, shaking her head several times, trying to warn him.

Y/N's thighs tensed around the boy's pelvis, trembling intensely at the sweet and painful waves of pleasure and yearning she was experiencing there, under those intimate and forbidden caresses that anyone could have seen if only they had left the restaurant at that moment.

Jungkook's dark irises shone with possession, Y/N's lost and devastated expression discombobulating him in such a way that he could not hold back a growl from deep in his chest.

He lowered himself just enough to delve into her slit with the tip of his delicate tongue, finding her incredibly delicious and ready for him, "I'm going to get you here, Y/N," he hummed gently kissing her sensitive clit, "The only thing you'll have to do is just be a little quiet, it's not exactly isolated here," he chuckled with a bit of nastiness, remembering how much the girl liked to scream instead when he impaled her with the full length of his cock.

Y/N nodded without really understanding his words, too busy recovering from the previous peak of pleasure she had reached, not yet ready for his big cock that penetrated her narrow slit firmly, going to such a depth that Y/N felt it coming into her belly, with a choked groan she welcomed him into her trembling limbs, eyes widening, Jungkook thought she was wonderful.

He slid into her intimacy with his pants still on, only his cock had been pulled out just enough to catch her on the soft sand, in everyone's eyes they would have looked like a couple making out, unaware of the real pleasure invading their insides with each raw, searing lunge between the sensitive, moist walls.

Y/N felt his essence becoming more and more copious, helping Jungkook slide into her with greater speed, she rocked her pelvis against his so as not to miss the new violent wave that was about to sweep over her body, Jungkook kissed her violently trying to contain her sloppy, needy cries, his increasingly heavy balls slapped the girl's skin hard, "You're so perfect, sweet little thing," he gasped on her, his cock swelling every time he entered that perfect slit for him, vibrating with sharp, forbidden sensations that jolted both their bodies.

"I think I ... I ...!" the woman did not have time to finish her sentence, tensing in her man's arms as her pleasure exploded in her stomach, where Jungkook reached her, cumming copiously in her between tight, desperate movements of his hips.

"Fuck..." he blew on her lips, basking in the last flushes of pleasure, joining their mouths in a slow, languid kiss.

The girl whimpered slightly when the boy left her intimacy empty and the thick, white semen immediately leaked out dripping between her soft buttocks, Jungkook closed his eyes trying to control himself, his cock had a quiver that he did not want to listen to. They could not stay there any longer, someone would really see them otherwise.

He helped her adjust her panties and the skirt of her dress, accompanying each gesture with a kiss on her trembling skin, squeezing her immediately when she was in danger of collapsing on her own still weak legs.

He guided her toward the path made especially for visitors, their entwined hands not loosening even when they reached the car, too busy smiling, some from embarrassment and some from excitement, or both.

"Oh! What's this?" asked Jungkook in mock surprise, pointing to the girl's ring finger, where a marvelous precious solitaire, a symbol of eternal and unique love, was on display.

"Jungkook!" she exclaimed wordlessly, looking at her hand shocked, the diamond caught the reflected light of the moon, it was absolutely stunning, "When...?" she tried to ask him when he put it on her, but she was out of breath.

The proposal was already something special, but such a ring simply made her fiancé's intentions more truthful, he really wanted to lead her down the aisle.

Without realizing it she burst into tears, seeking comfort in his arms almost automatically, Jungkook smiled sweetly returning the squeeze, inhaled the scent of her hair now mixed with the saltiness of the sea, and basked contentedly in the idea that soon she would not be able to escape from him, even if she found out about his double life in Seokjin's service.

"What's important is that the ring is there, where it belongs, Y/N," he whispered on her forehead, causing her to lift her face to look at him, "Soon we'll have a family together, baby...and we'll be truly happy," he hummed with a lip-smacking kiss, Y/N nodded meekly with half-closed eyes, captivated by the words and the presence of the young man who was increasingly adept at making her fall into his inviting trap.

[wangxianficrecs]

An Unscheduled Stream by trippednfell

An Unscheduled Stream

by trippednfell (@trippednfell)

M, WIP, 29k, Wangxian

Summary: A viral video sweeps through the internet, which appears to show the 1st disciple of Yunmeng Jiang take on a full nest of evil beings in an attempt to protect five juniors from his sect. The unscheduled livestream captures everyone's attention, but there has to be more there than meets the eye. The Lan assign their own 1st disciple, Lan Wangji, to investigate. That investigation will take him years into the future and miles away from Gusu as he seeks to find the truth. When he does find it, it has a far greater impact on his life than he could ever imagine. Kay's comments: I just stumbled over this story and immediately binged it, because it ticked all the right boxes for me. The Wei-Wen found family vibes are impeccable and Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian just met in the most recent chapter after Lan Wangji has been obsessing over Wei Wuxian for the last years, so I'm really excited to see where the story goes next. Excerpt: The matter was closed. Lan Wangji had spent hours at his desk, typing and formatting the report for its inclusion in the Lan Archives. He needed to stretch, move his body, meditate and quiet his mind. But he hesitated, before shutting down his computer. The mystery of Wei Wuxian worried at him, pulling his focus. He navigated to the official cultivator rankings, and searched his name. There were zero hits. That was impossible. Every sect had to register their disciples, it was required. People who could wield power of any kind had to be identified and traced. He pulled up Yunmeng Jiang, and visually scanned through their listings. Jiang Wanyin was now listed as first disciple and heir in waiting, and Wei Wuxian’s name did not appear, not even in the “formerly affiliated” section. Yunmeng Jiang had erased any evidence of his existence. Lan Wangji then navigated to sites he typically avoided as much as possible. But needs must, and if all the official sites no longer contained any information on him, he would have to go to the fan sites. Immediately he found that he was not the only one looking into it. Yunmeng Jiang dominated the forums, with the number one thread being one titled: What the fuck happened with YMJ? Lan Wangji settled in to read.

pov alternating, canon divergence, modern setting, modern with magic, minor character death, rogue cultivator wei wuxian, demonic cultivator wei wuxian, bamf wei wuxian, lan wangji/wei wuxian get a happy ending, time skips, not yunmeng jiang sect friendly, families of choice, getting to know each other, developing relationship, slow burn

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[flammableengineering]

Most people probably don't know this, but .io domains aren't short for Input/Output. They're short for Indian Ocean, and the .io Top Level Domain (TLD) is officially allocated to the Chagos Islands, which are a British territory.

Source 1: MSN

Source 2: dataprovider.com

After a UN decision in 2019 that the United Kingdom should cede the territory to Mauritius, the UK is finally about to get around to it. The treaty hasn't been signed yet, but when it's signed, the British Indian Ocean territory will no longer exist, and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA, the people who manage assignment of domains) will retire the .io domain.

The timeline for retirement hasn't even been announced yet, since the treaty hasn't yet been signed, so don't freak out. IANA has a protocol for retiring domains that involves allowing affected parties ample time to migrate.

[scotianostra]

30th September 1985 saw the death in New York of Helen MacInnes, the Scottish-born author of espionage novels, some of which were made into films.

Helen Clark MacInnes was born on October 7th, 1907 in Glasgow to Donald MacInnes and Jessica McDiarmid, and had a traditional Scots Presbyterian upbringing. MacInnes graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1928 with an MA in French and German.

After a year of library work she entered the School of Librarianship of University College, London, in 1930, graduating the following year. In 1932 she married Gilbert Highet. Over the next several years they collaborated on a number of translations from German. In 1938, after Highet had taught for a year at Columbia University, he accepted a permanent post there, and the family settled in New York City.

A short time after moving to New York, MacInnes began her first book, Above Suspicion, a tale of espionage in Nazi Europe. It was an immediate success, widely praised for its suspense and humour, and it was made into a motion picture in 1943. Assignment in Brittany followed in 1942 and was also made into a movie the following year. While Still We Live and Horizon were both suspenseful tales of World War II. Friends and Lovers, a love story, was followed by a series of thrillers concerning international intrigue and Cold War tension, including Neither Five nor Three, Pray for a Brave Heart, Decision at Delphi , The Venetian Affair, Message from Málaga, and Prelude to Terror. Her final book, Ride a Pale Horse, appeared in 1984.

While MacInnes’ career was not dotted with many awards, although she did win the 1966 Iona University Columbia Prize for Literature. This is most directly related to her influence in the state of New York, seeing as her first sixteen novels (those written up to 1966) each spent time on the international best sellers’ list. Her books were frequently translated and reissued in several languages.

Critics and readers alike noted MacInnes’s skillful and credible portrayal of espionage and the characters involved in it. She credited her success to thorough research and her interest in international politics.

While researching MacInnes’s I noticed that according to IMDb, the Internet Movie Database, a remake of the 1966 film The Venetian Affair is in the offing, I wonder if it will be something like The Bourne movies and start a resurgence in her work?

[beardedmrbean]

Five people, including a teacher, were arrested and charged with attempting to sex traffic a child at a hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announced.

The people now in federal custody have been identified as 46-year-old Stacey Ray Lancaster of Hudson, NH; 42-year-old Arthur Picanco, of Bradford, Massachusetts; 38-year-old Ozeias Luiz Guilherme, of Haverhill, Massachusetts; 23-year-old Sharath Chandra Bollu, 23, of Chelmsford, Massachusetts; and Koteshwara Raju Jonnagodda, 24, of Chelmsford, and Lowell, Massachusetts.

All five are expected to appear in federal court on Monday. It wasn't immediately clear if any had obtained attorneys who could speak to the charges.

Lancaster is a West High School teacher in Manchester, he oversees the school's Naval Junior ROTC program and serves as a liaison between the U.S. Navy and the school district, according to the Superintendent of Manchester's School District, Jennifer Chmiel.

"These are serious and disturbing charges, and we are aware that Mr. Lancaster is in law enforcement custody," Chmiel said in a statement. "Mr. Lancaster has been placed on administrative leave, and the District is working closely with law enforcement agencies assigned to this case."

"Unfortunately, we do not have further information to provide at this time," Chmiel added.

According to prosecutors, on Thursday and Friday of last week, law enforcement agents posted and monitored an advertisement on a website commonly known to advertise commercial sex acts. The ad contained images of what appeared to be two minor females, and a contact phone number. Authorities used the phone number to communicate with potential sex buyers. Each defendant responded to the advertisement, and once at the hotel, met with an undercover agent and attempted to sex traffic one of the two fictitious children.

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from Manchester Police, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, and the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

[ariarose2222]

Is blogging still relevant in the age of TikToks and Instagram?

In this modern world, usage of social media is inevitable. Different types of social media cater to different needs of users where blogging websites offer users a place to create more long-form content while apps like TikTok and Instagram are often just rabbit holes for users to doomscroll their worries away. Before I dive into this topic for the sake of my university assignment, there needs to be a few fences set up to properly determine the scope of this topic, starting with the definitions.

Definitions

1. What is blogging?

A blog is a website where the author creates posts about whatever they want to talk about, whether it be their experiences, opinions or anything they want to share to their viewers. The type of content can range from though-provoking think pieces to just mundane documentation of their daily routine. It is essentially a public diary.

2. What is the “age of TikTok and Instagram”?

TikTok had 1 billion monthly active users in 2021 while Instagram has 2 billion in 2024. Meanwhile, there are only 519 million blogs on Tumblr in 2024. TikTok has almost double the amount of monthly active users than the cumulative sum of blogs on Tumblr. These numbers heavily suggest that Internet users are leaning towards social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram instead of more dated blog-focused one like Tumblr.

3. What defines relevancy?

This question is very broad and needs to be dissected and distilled into smaller parts to answer. Instead of defining relevancy directly, we can ask: Are there still significant platforms available for users to blog? Are a significant number of users using these platforms to blog? If the answer to these two questions is “Yes” then blogging is still considered relevant. These two questions are now our main burden as they provide the answer to the main question.

One might argue that if users are blogging but there is no significant benefit or impact then blogging would be considered irrelevant but I would like to counter that with that trends do not have to have huge cultural impact or benefits in order to be relevant. As long as enough people are following a trend, it would be considered relevant already.

Are there still significant platforms available for users to blog?

According to Statista (2024), the top 5 social media platforms used in 2024 are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp and TikTok. Facebook allows for long-form text and media in their posts. YouTube is video-focused which allows for vlogging, but they also have a “Community” tab which allows long-form text and other forms of media. Instagram is heavily media-focused with posts and their “Story” feature requiring either a photo or video to be posted along with their “Reels” emphasizing on videos. TikTok’s whole platform is similar to Instagram’s “Reels” feature with some allowance for photo-based posts.

Looking at these 5 platforms, they all have some sort of feature that allows for blogging. Although some of these platforms lean towards vlogging and some others do not have much room for long-form content, they would still fall under the umbrella of blogging. Anyone who wishes to blog can choose to do so on any of these popular platforms, therefore the answer to the question is: Yes, there are still significant platforms available for users to blog.

Are a significant number of users using these platforms to blog?

A report from Statista found that sharing content to an audience along with viewing photos and videos are the most common reasons for social media usage. This lines up with our definition of blogging and leads us to the answer that: Yes, a significant number of users are using these platforms to blog.

Conclusion

Yes, blogging is still very much relevant in this age of TikTok and Instagram because people are all still blogging in their own way. Users are using social media as a public diary and to view other users’ public diaries. It might not be the traditional long-form blogs but instead are more evolved forms of blogging such as vlogging and microblogging.

As said by Rettberg (2014), blogging is the root form of a lot of social media practices. Culture and technology are ever-changing and our etymology needs to adapt to keep up. If we confine our definition of “blogging” to a box even while everything else around it has long since abandoned the box, we will not be able to have a proper perspective on the topic. Blogging will never become irrelevant, it will only adapt to new platforms and user needs and we simply need to be able to recognise that change.

References

https://backlinko.com/instagram-users

https://www.demandsage.com/tumblr-statistics/

https://datareportal.com/essential-tiktok-stats

https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

Rettberg, Jill Walker 2014 Blogging: Second Edition Cambridge: Polity Press

[joongdokshitposting]

So uh remember when I said I wrote an essay on orv for my Communicative English assignment? Well here it is people, in all it's flawed (?) glory (cuz again English is not my first language (it is but it's a little more complex) so my vocab is weird sorta ig) (I literally just copy pasted my assignment btw so if it sounds like an assignment I wrote on at half past 2 in the night,, just look over it please 😭)

Communicative English - Speech Script

Topic: Review of the novel “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.”

I am somebody who has never read a web novel, I’ve only ever preferred regular novels. However, I do read webtoons often, and that is how I stumbled across this masterpiece of a story. What started off as curiosity quickly turned into obsession as I spent almost every moment not working on reading this seven thousand page monster of a book. And, see, truthfully, such a huge number would’ve absolutely had me running the opposite way. At least, that’s the case usually. But the prose and narration in this book is genuinely so intriguing that it had me hooked from chapter one. While it does have a slow beginning the wait is very much worth it as the plot constantly keeps moving forward without lagging anywhere. Not a moment is wasted, every single scene contributes to fleshing out the world and its characters and through it all we, the readers, find ourselves falling deeper into the thematic story beats.

But I’m getting carried away aren’t I? Let me step back a little. For starters, what is a web novel? As the name suggests, they are novels published directly onto the internet and can be both free to read or paid to read. The difference between regular/physical novels and web novels would be the publishing aspect. Web novels, unlike the usual novels, are written, edited and published by the authors themselves. Additionally, they can be both ongoing, where the author publishes a chapter on a timely basis, or fully published once completely written.

Now that that’s cleared, let’s move on. The book I’m currently so emotionally attached to, goes by the title “Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint” and is a Korean fantasy web novel. The story follows the life of a 28-year-old contract worker named Kim Dokja (Dokja, meaning both only-child and reader. This also contributes to the greater narrative of both the plot and the character.) whose only hobby is reading web novels.

The setting is as such: He’s lonely, he’s had a not-so-great childhood (as we find out eventually), and his current part-time job contract is ending, meaning he’s knee deep into leading a pathetic life where he has to work hard to survive and afford at least the bare minimum every single day. Through it all, the only salvation for this man is a web novel by the name “Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined world” (it has multiple abbreviations but the most agreed upon is TWSA) that had been running for ten whole years, him being it’s sole reader past the 120th chapter as most people gave up on such a lengthy (hitting an insane 3149 chapter count) and apparently terribly written novel (this further highlights his whole “reader” identity as we will see pretty quickly).

Now, our story begins when the web novel that Kim Dokja has been reading for ten years, becomes the new reality one day while he is riding the subway with his coworker. This dramatically shifts the supposed “genre” of Dokja’s life from “realism” (as stated by him directly) to “fantasy” thereby completely changing his life (and I mean, COMPLETELY) to the point where he becomes an irreplaceable aspect of the story and the characters we follow.

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (ORV for short), despite its dystopian and violent setting, is a book filled with love. And by that I don’t mean romance, god no. If anything, this book has absolutely nothing to do with that genre. No, this book? Oh no it’s not talking about rose tinted cheeks, shy confessions or tragic love declarations. Well, let’s keep that last part because it happens a lot actually. Just not the way we expect it. As mentioned, this book in itself is a love letter to readers and touches on the topic of interdependence between authors and readers. How inevitably one cannot exist without the other. This is most evident in the three main characters of ORV and their roles/powers.

Both thematically and as characters, they’re so intimately interwoven that one quite literally cannot exist without the other two. Kim Dokja the reader, Yoo Joonghyuk (the original hero of TWSA) the protagonist, and Han Sooyoung the writer. Part of what sells their need to depend on each other comes from the fact that all three of them cannot stand one another. At least, initially. Their dynamics are literally just verbal insults, attempts at murder and pathological lying. They genuinely cannot go a minute without feeling the urge to strangle each other. But guess what? While their fiery rivalry and banter remains, it slowly develops into one coming from a place of affection rather than weariness. In that sense, ORV is also a slow burn. The characters take their time opening up, and are more often than not, extremely human. Almost all the characters (and there’s a lot by the way, many surprisingly or not, non-human in nature) always have their very own completely valid and plausible reasons for doing what they’re doing. And sometimes we find ourselves sympathizing with them.

The core of this novel, from what I can understand, is about love. Both in terms of deserving and expressing it. Dokja, despite loving the characters/people in his life so much that he willingly sacrifices himself, not once, not twice, but multiple times, firmly believes he’s not worth saving. It’s heartbreaking, watching this 20 something year old who spent his entire life in isolation, deny himself of love he deserves just as much as anybody else just because he hasn’t received it for so long that he is accustomed to living a life without it. He constantly tries justifying him putting a wall between him and the world; he says it’s his job to be a “dokja”, a “reader”, someone omniscient, someone who supposedly exists outside the story, outside the narrative, and therefore should not be the point of focus at any given time.

Time and again the others tell him, they remind him of his humanity, saying how they wouldn’t have survived without him. But he counters by saying it’s the opposite and that he wouldn't have lived for thirty years if not for the characters and therefore he is only repaying. He speaks of how the ending of the story he wants to see is one where nobody dies. For that, and that alone, he dies again and again and again. And you, you have to sit there watch this mess of a man so unabashedly full of love throw himself death’s way and not be able to do anything because he won’t listen. You feel helpless, just like the other characters, including Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk, and only pray to all things divine that this man also gets the happy ending he’s so desperately fighting to give the others.

This book has genuinely impacted me in a way no other has. And that is saying something because it’s so easy for me to jump from one interest to another. It has been two weeks since I finished this book and yet it refuses to leave my mind and heart. It stays there adamantly with the same stubbornness with which Dokja denies his well deserved love. Every moment not spent working, I spend thinking about stories and readers and writers and heroes. I look to the stars and think of all the stories in the world I don’t know, stories written with such tender love that only certain readers can ever truly embrace them. I think of how, perhaps, this is how humans are too. I think of how maybe we’re all made of stories waiting to be read with love by others the way Dokja read TWSA thereby giving life to Yoo Joonghyuk and purpose to Han Sooyoung.

Sooooo is this still enough to encompass my thoughts on orv? Absolutely not :D

[aggressivenesswhilecrying]

It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to

Summery:

Martyn has no issue with getting older, none at all, but still, every year, when his birthday comes knocking, it's another dread to the list.

Tw!! Feelings of self doubt and hate, crying, isolation

Not beta read or edited!!

And like always, it's here again.

Martyn’s birthday.

If you were to know anything about martyn is he hates being touched when overwhelmed, but he still craves that touch. 

He also has to wear the same two coats everytime he leaves the house, and they both look exactly the same except one is bigger on him.

There's also assigned seating in his house. He always sits on the left end of the couch, next to the end table that has a lamp. And it really bothers him when someone else sits there.

He also puts his closet rainbow order. 

And he hates chocolate cuz it makes his mouth greasy.

And when he gets scared, he thinks he hurts his friends and cuts them off out of fear he's making things for them worse.

And he hates holidays.

Gods how he hates them.

Well...

OK. He doesn't hate holidays. He loves the idea of them, really!! But, in practice? The only he really ever takes joy in, is halloween. You can't fuck up halloween. He just, he can't remember having a happy holiday? Maybe it's childhood trauma, maybe he's being dramatic, but also every holiday he can remember, was tainted in some sort of way, by some just, awful event. 

And as you can probably assume. Martyn counts his birthday as a personal holiday.

Its 12:32am, and martyn is a year older, and martyn feels sick. The numb sort of sick, where you aren't necessarily connected to it, but you can still feel your stomach turning in knots. He's scared. He sits on the kitchen counter right by the sink. The light above the stove being the only light on besides his phone screen. 

12:33am. The numbers taunt him. 

He realizes he probably won't do anything about it. He has the day off from work. So his plan is probably just stay up too late, because he never gets the peace of mind to get good sleep, if any at all during holidays, natrually, sleep in, make something to eat, watch shitty TV, go grocery shopping, hop on the discord vc, hang out, talk with who ever is there, and then read until his eyes feel heavy. Just like every other day.

Martyn decides to update his discord status. The silly profile picture of a picrew greats him. The background is an ace and unlabeled flag, and martyn feels his heart sing for just a moment, before the rot in his stomach takes over again as he taps into his status. Erasing the song lyrics without hesitation.

'Lvl 25!!' 

Yeah. That'll work. 

It's 12:36am now. It's 12:36am, and martyn is scared.

He isnt sure what he's scared if. But he feels the frantic beating of his pulse. Martyn gave up on figuring out what he was so afraid of years ago.

It wasn't getting older, no, he'd been raised on the internet, a constant state of feeling like he should be older, and feeling like he shouldn't be this old yet.  An odd limbo, so it wasn't the fear of getting older. 

And it wasn't necessary the fear of the future, of course the future is scary and he had his fair share of issues with it.

It's more of, every year, is just a reminder, that he's going, absolutely no where. He has nothing to show for it. No friends with tales about him, no one to sit in his one bedroom apartment and tell him, they're happy he made it another year.

He knows in full certainty, it's kinda his fault. And a part of him wishes, as he stares at his phone, that someone, anyone. Sends him a text without him reminding them. It's 12:41am and martyn sees a tear hit his phone screen. 

Another year passes, his age just goes up another number, and he hates his birthday more then he hates any other holiday. And still.

He's insignificant at best.

Author notes

And once again, annual birthday post, and like always, I put my feelings about my birthday onto a character. If I post on February 26th, just assume it's a vent post. I'm not feeling awesome, but I will live, and post more later, I'm writing a few really fun aus right now actually!! :)))

[jcmarchi]

JVC PTZ Peace of Mind Support - Videoguys

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/jvc-ptz-peace-of-mind-support-videoguys/

JVC PTZ Peace of Mind Support - Videoguys

At JVC, support of our new PTZ cameras is the highest priority. That’s why JVC created the “Peace of Mind” program and have assigned their most experienced support members to it. Whether you have questions about the camera or workflow, their team of remote production experts will be there to guide you.

To ensure Peace of Mind with your PTZ purchase, JVC has created an in-warranty program unmatched by any others in the industry. Should your camera fail during the warranty period, JVC will send you an advance replacement within 48 – 72 hours.

Peace of Mind Advance Replacement Process:

Provide a credit card that will be authorized for the cost of the replacement camera*

JVC will ship via 2nd Day Air a replacement camera

JVC will supply a return shipping label for return of the defective camera

*Should the defective camera be missing components or not received within 30 days of receiving the replacement, JVC will charge the credit card for the replacement cost of each component at MSRP

Dwayne Kersey – Product Support Engineer Dwayne is the “youngest” associate with “only” 20 years at JVC Professional but maybe the most popular member of our team. Dwayne’s knowledge of studio systems, field camera operation, and video production is well known by our customers. Being the certified network specialist, Dwayne also supports complex REMI video streaming workflows. Give him a call if you have questions about NDI, SRT, Remote VPN, or cellular bonding.

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        Edgar Shane – General Manager, Engineering Edgar built his first audio amplifier in 1976 and after receiving his MSEE in 1986 joined the electronics industry full-time and is still enjoying his career. Over the last 25 years with JVC Edgar worked closely with our factory in Japan on the new products development, REMI video streaming workflows optimization, and ENG/Studio solutions. Edgar often demonstrates CONNECTED CAM and PTZ products in his live online webinars available on YouTube.

  JVC PTZ Products

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The HD KY-PZ200N and KY-PZ200 cameras provide optimal streaming image quality and performance for remote production over the internet and SRT streaming, H.265/H.264/MJPEG encoding and VITC (Vertical Interval Timecode) multi-camera synchronization technologies. The HD KY PZ200N and 200 models are available in black or white variations to best match the ambiance of the venue/project.

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UVC enables cameras to be used as a webcam

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4-color LED multi-screen display supports easy setup and operation

[j-graysonlibrary]

Fort Heaven Chapter 1

Title: Fort Heaven

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 69K

Genres: Suspense, investigative, drama, LGBT+

Available on: Kobo and my website

Synopsis: Some call it a hoax. Others claim it’s a cult. But, to Evon and his friend Yasmine, two online journalists, Fort Heaven is the subject of their latest story. Along for the assignment is cameraman and not-so-secret crush of Evon’s: Russet. With a drunken, murky night in their recent history, things are especially tense between them but, of course, personal matters take a backseat when the interviews start. The trio speaks to ex-members of Fort Heaven and, while some of the accounts are shocking, the job remains just that: A job. That is until one of the women they interviewed, along with her daughter, goes missing. It soon becomes clear that not only is Fort Heaven a real threat but Evon and his friends are being watched. And what started as a simple cash-grab article is now a matter of life and death.

Full Chapter 1 under the read more

Chapter 1

Blue light from the computer projected onto the face of Evon Sparks as he stared, blankly, at the digital clock waiting for the numbers to change. The second 2:23 turned to 2:24, he let out an exacerbated sigh. He’d been in his small, shared office space for three hours and still he was left with nothing—not even an inkling of an idea.

Genuine Tales was the name of a popular journaling company that came into fame because of its success on the internet with fad blogs and self indulging quizzes. Most writers in the company spent one or two weeks working on one piece and the more experienced writers worked on something new almost daily.

Evon had a deadline that he needed met. He needed at least an interesting topic to present by the end of the day and, depending on the topic, he’d get a week or more to complete it.

Under normal circumstances, he’d find this easy—even fun.

However, things had been stressful for Evon for some time now and it was clouding his creativity. He was sure his bosses were getting suspicious and possibly even thinking of firing him.

His eyes kept to the screen as another minute passed by. When he shifted focus, he could vaguely see his reflection and he could see the bags under his eyes. With a sigh, he looked to the side and shook his head a little forcefully in an effort to bring some sort of focus back.

For the past six months his older sister, Trinity, had been staying in his townhouse with him. He had nothing but love for his sister and while his stress was stemming from her, he still didn’t blame her or resent her. She needed him and he had faith in himself that he could juggle his work life and take care of her.

Trinity broke her foot quite some time ago and what seemed like an easy fix turned into a long stretch of doctor visits and ongoing lawsuits. Nothing was set in stone with the lawsuits though the legal aspect was out of Evon’s hands. It was too much for him to take on, his sister had told him.

With her jewelry store temporarily closed and medical bills piling up, Trinity had no choice but to move out of her apartment and stay with her brother.

Evon rubbed over his eyes before letting his body go limp, halfway sliding out of his chair. There he was again—thinking about personal issues instead of focusing on work.

The cycle had been relentless since he started to notice a decrease in his money. He was completely dependent on his stories being successful and—if he wasn’t writing anything good—he was losing money.

With a low grumble, Evon sunk further down making his jacket slip up and off of his back. His arms stayed up by the arm rests while most of his lower body was crumpling onto the floor.

He heard the sound of footsteps but made no effort to move. Anyone who worked with him would expect a scene like that.

“What in the hell are you doing?” The deep, almost raspy voice of his best friend and co-worker echoed through the small room.

Evon moved to look up and he met her eyes. Yasmine towered over him, casting a rather large shadow, and placed her hands on her hips. She’d always been taller than him but from that angle she seemed like a giant. She certainly had the power of one and wasn’t nearly as gentle as most hoped.

Luckily for Evon, Yasmine had a soft spot for him.

She reached her hands down and, slowly, he grabbed onto her. Despite holding on, he made absolutely no further effort to stand which led to him being pulled the rest of the way onto the floor and partially dragged.

“Oh, come on,” Yasmine scolded—or at least tried to. It was hard to take her seriously when she started to laugh.

“I don’t want to be an adult,” Evon said with a pout causing her to shake her head.

“Do I look like I want to?”

She raised a good point. Just a year older than him, Yasmine didn’t look much like a woman in her mid to late twenties. She didn’t look much like a teenager either though. Her height and build both showed her adulthood while her face and hair looked adolescent. There weren’t many workplace rules about appearance and she took full advantage of that and wore a new hair cut and color almost monthly.

This month she had shaved sides and a bright pink tuft of hair sweeping down just to meet her brow. She had a few piercings but rarely wore them all at once and that day was no different. Other than a nose ring and earrings, she was without any jewelry.

Evon envied her confidence in that area since he’d thought of doing something dramatic to his appearance since he was a teen but never had the courage to follow through with it. He didn’t even have a piercing despite constantly being told that they aren’t necessarily permanent.  Then, the one time he went into a parlor for a tattoo he ended up running away before the artist could even convince him of a design.

It was the idea of something irreversible that bothered him although, according to Yasmine, it was because he was a crybaby and couldn’t handle pain.

“Do you have anything…?” Evon asked once he actually cooperated with his friend and stood up. He let go of her hand and straightened out his clothes.

“Actually,” she started with a growing smirk, “I think I do.”

Her tone made him perk up—she sounded pretty sure of herself. “Oh? Tell me, tell me!”

Yasmine chuckled and raised a finger before retreating back into her side of the office. She didn’t go far before walking back with a small stack of papers in her hands.

“This.”

“What is it?” Evon asked and stepped closer.

“I found a conspiracy theory online,” she began and scanned over the page, “I think it’s a good foundation.”

“Conspiracy?” He reeled back, unsatisfied with the answer. “So you want to just rip off of other people’s material to make a story?”

Yasmine dramatically rolled her eyes before continuing, “No, it’s not ripping off of anyone’s story. There is only a small following behind the conspiracy and most people who have seen it think it’s completely off the wall crazy. So, if we do a paper breaking down everything about it—especially for those interested who want all the bulletin points in one article…”

It was clear she was excited by the idea but Evon wasn’t sold. He was hurting for ideas, sure, but he didn’t want to do anything that would cheapen his career. Even if most of his stories were ridiculous in nature, he still stayed away from gossip and pointless theories.

“What’s it about?” he asked despite his negative feelings.

“Okay so,” Yasmine took a breath and started to paraphrase the document, “You remember Ford Hyland? The scandal with his wife?”

“The weird cult stuff from five years ago?” Evon questioned with his confusion clear in his voice.

The musician Ford Hyland was well known as a rock star before the scandal five years ago. It almost entirely ruined his career and turned his name into an automatic association to a somewhat underground cult. When he and his wife divorced, his wife publicly made statements about the weird, religious organization that her husband was in and divulged into some rather odd stories.

She said there had been blackmail, imprisonment, and she even alluded to possible murder.

Some were empathetic to her tale but others saw it as just a way to stay in the spotlight after splitting with her famous husband.

For the most part, no one talked about that old, used up story so the fact Yasmine seemed so sure of it’s success was a little odd. Usually she was even more up to speed with the moment’s trend than he was.

“Yes!” The woman explained and waved the papers around.

Evon countered her excitement by calmly sitting back at his computer desk. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in her but he just was not feeling whatever it was that she was.

“And then Ford went on TV saying he didn’t have anything to do with Fort Heaven and it was just a stupid cult that losers from the eighties still clung to. Remember that?”

“Uh huh.” Evon looked to Yasmine with a curious expression but she ignored him in favor of divulging further. “The real Ford was ASSASSINATED and replaced with a doppelganger that people believe is named Gerald Walters—”

“Wait,” he stopped her mid-breath so she couldn’t get a chance to keep going, “how do these people know who the doppelganger is?”

Yasmine lowered the pages and her mouth remained ever so slightly agape as she searched her recent memories for answers. When she came out blank, she admitted, “I don’t know.”

“It’s clearly clickbait bullshit,” he remarked with a dry laugh before spinning around in his chair and returning to his laptop.

That didn’t stop Yasmine from following him and stepping into his line of sight again. “That doesn’t matter,” she said as she passed the papers over to him whether he liked it or not. “It’s interesting. It will get hits—and that’s what we need, man—HITS.”

“You don’t even buy into it, do you?” Evon asked as he glanced up at her. All of her energy was going toward the issue they both were stuck with. They needed money.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” she said and relaxed her shoulders. “If we can get some interesting anecdotes or an interview with Ford even…”

“Think he’d even agree to that?” Evon laughed as he asked, already imagining how well that would go over.

Yasmine shrugged as she leaned against his desk. “What the hell else does he have going on?”

He nodded slightly in agreement though he still didn’t believe the man would ever take an interview with them. Especially not about the event that ruined his career—even if it was to, ironically, revive his career.

But it was worth a shot.

“Better this than nothing,” Evon surrendered. As far away as the piece was from what he would like to do, it was still something.

His friend pumped her fist in the air. “Yuss!” She whipped out her phone, tapped the screen a few times before placing it on the desk.

Evon leaned forward and read the name ‘Gavin McKeen’ on the screen. He was their direct superior and, naturally, the person who approved of their pieces or denied them.

Gavin didn’t own the company but he was friends with the creators so talking to him was, sometimes, no different than talking to the CEOs. A lot of the writers—especially part time freelancers—were terrified of him for some reason. The man had a lot of reason to be smug and demeaning but he wasn’t and, rather, tended to encourage and root for newer writers.

“Heellllo?” Their boss drew out. The sound of wind was in the background, letting both Evon and Yasmine know that he was driving.

“Hey Gavin,” Yasmine took the lead, “I think Evon and I have got a pretty good joint piece…��

“Joint?” he questioned immediately.

“Yeah,” she replied, “if it’s approved it might take a little bit of time to complete. We’d have to conduct at least two interviews so…”

“You can’t just research?” Gavin asked, sounded a bit taxed.

“We could but the story would come out flat and pointless,” Evon answered, “there’s gotta be new information that only we can provide.”

He and Yasmine traded glances before they both looked back to the phone. Their boss was taking a suspiciously long time to answer.

“…Sir?” Yasmine called out after another second.

“Pitch it to me,” he got straight to the point.

Evon caught his friend’s gaze again and she looked as though she wanted him to explain. He shook his head and vigorously pointed to her and then to the phone. She let out a silent sigh and agreed while Evon continued to urge her to speak.

“Alright,” she said, “Not long ago, Ford Hyland was accused by his wife of being in an insane cult which he denied. He even smeared the ‘church’s’ name and some people suspect that the church had him killed and then replaced him. There are accounts showing the physical differences between the Ford then and the Ford now and his singing changes—everything.”

When she finished there was silence.

Evon didn’t look away from the phone and didn’t dare breathe. Whether he liked the plan or not, he still didn’t want to be rejected.

“Well…” Gavin finally spoke, “it’s a strange thing to write about…but many blogs and journalists are bringing back old topics and rehashing things. That’s the cool new thing to do and many of our readers and subscribers probably haven’t even heard of this story before.”

Both leaned in toward the phone and Yasmine asked, “So…is that an approval…?”

Another agonizing few seconds passed before their boss said, “Yes. I approve.”

“Yes!” she yelled and threw her arms up as Evon stood from his chair to high-five her.

“Don’t celebrate just yet,” Gavin interrupted them, “I’ll give you a week to convince me it’s going to be good and then we’ll talk real deadlines. If you two don’t get a good one this time…I may have to bump you down to part time.”

“We won’t disappoint,” Evon assured with a grin. “Promise.”

The man laughed. “Well alright. See you in a week.”

When the line went dead both Evon and Yasmine let out huge sighs of relief. Then, as Evon really soaked in what just happened, he froze.

“What?” Yasmine noticed right away.

“Why did I promise that?” he asked in a low voice, “Why did I promise that it was going to be good?”

“Cause it is,” she remarked and nudged him with her elbow. “You never break your promises, Evon.”

[rockinlibrarian]

For the writing ask game: 2, 6, & 7 ^_^

Yay! An ask from the actual AUTHOR of The Happy Fic Writer Ask Game reblogged here, who is famous for also once, see question 13, guessing my TUA Masked Author submission by title alone!

So let's start with 2. Talk about a favorite comment you received.

I think the one that jumps out at me is from a "Guest" who I believe I've since come to know as "hc-silver" on the Summerland Discord, on "Two (or Three) Mutant Freaks and the Strictly Scholarly Collaboration":

"Your dedication to the interpersonal relationships shows; I would go as far as to say its your strong suit! The interactions are true to the characters and not contrived. For me it makes your work a pleasure to read."

That just gave me all the warm fuzzies! Such a genuine compliment about something I always try hardest to get right!

Runner-ups to Lovely_Number_7's "Reread this is amazing" on "On Soul Mates and Nemeses" because it's what it says on the tin-- someone is REREADING this because they think it's AMAZING; and to this guy in @destinyandcoins's reply to the aforementioned Masked Author submission "How to Catch Up with your Therapist after a Couple of…Busy Months":

I just like looking at that guy, he makes me laugh.

6. Describe what you do and your feelings after posting a chapter.

Well. I link it in relevant social media locales, and then usually end up clicking through the link and rereading it immediately, just to get the experience of reading it like other people will be reading it. Then I refresh to see if anyone else has found it yet! They inevitably haven't, so I noodle around on the internet for awhile, then keep refreshing and/or checking gmail to see if anyone has commented yet! This probably still hasn't happened! But I keep doing it! Then the next morning at about 6:45 is when AO3 sends the "You've Got Kudos!" email notifications, so I attempt to keep my pants on until then. If no one has Kudoed it by that first morning, I get down, but then immediately start going through my other WIPs to decide which one is closest to being publishable so that I can hurry on to the NEXT source of potential validation!

7. What do you love most about being a fic writer for your fandom?

I don't know, I guess I just love playing with characters. It's like that scene in one of the Anne books, maybe Anne of Avonlea, where she's like "It's just a string of fancies! I enjoy writing such things, but editors insist on PLOTS!" which I have always identified with. It's ACCEPTABLE to write fanfic that's basically just "characters do stuff" without any world-stopping plot-building on my part!

Fandom-specifically, which the question seems to be leaning toward, I don't know, because I'm a multi-fandom writer anyway. Legion I am one of the ONLY writers for, so there I feel a bit, um, knowledgeable I guess? So, confident. But it makes me a little sad that "The Magic Man of Oz," possibly the coolest fic I have ever written, therefore has like no audience. And it also makes me sad that, being pretty much the only person in the fandom writing about the Summerland founders, I always have to write it in order to read it, which is why I requested it on the Yuletide exchange!

My fandom with the second-highest number of fics written (and highest number of fics READ), Umbrella Academy, I still feel kind of like the dork on the sidelines saying, "Hi, I'm here too!" And currently the only other fandom with more than one fic posted at all is the MCU, and two fics in the MCU, one of which is really more of a Wrinkle in Time fic anyway and which I swear has not been abandoned, is like one molecule of salt in the ocean.

I have been enjoying browsing all the requests for Yuletide, because there are so many ITTY BITTY fandoms that make me go wow, I never thought of fanfic for that, I can't wait to read it! One prompt was so brilliant I'm writing it as a Treat even though it's not my official assignment. My official assignment is actually for a fandom I was surprised is even eligible for Yuletide, but I'd better stop talking now. I'm very bad at writing surprises.

[upismediacenter]

FEATURE: The Struggles of Female Students

“Women are born with pain built-in,” Kristin Scott Thomas said once in the show Fleabag, pertaining to how, from a very young age, women are exposed to pain and hardships that will remain constant until they grow old. These struggles aren’t all biological like period pain and menopause, which are just nature running its course. While menstruation can indeed be an excruciating form of torture, it holds no candle to other sources of pain and struggle that women face every day. Outside factors like how society expects so much yet looks down on a girl’s capabilities, the never-ending objectification of women, and so much more contribute heavily to these struggles they face. But let’s take a look at a chapter in their lives that makes or breaks them; the challenges they encounter and are forced to overcome in their school years.

According to a survey conducted by Plan International, women encounter two main issues when it came to studying: internet connectivity and household chores. While internet problems are more universal, female students are usually expected to do more household work than boys. This is due to the perceived notion of gender roles. As a result, they become an integral part of running the household and are also expected to prioritize it above everything else. This is an incentive for parents to keep their daughters at home, especially those who put a degrading value on female education. Consequently, girls are also at a higher risk of dropping out of school to take the place of their family’s caregivers when they become unavailable due to illness, Covid-19-related work, or death.

This issue only worsened during the height of online classes, when schooling became much more inaccessible to students from the lower class. This is thanks to a new kind of school requirement: gadgets. Although students do not need high-end ones to attend classes and do their assigned tasks and projects, it is hard to find an up-to-par gadget that is worth P10,000 or below. For a lower-class family, it is much more reasonable for the student to stop schooling when that kind of money could be allocated to their basic needs instead. Female students especially are considered to be more valued around the household than in school —one of the main reasons why the Philippine Statistics Authority recorded last 2017 that 68.9% of out-of-school youth are females aged 6-24. But it does not end there, as gender expectations, educational expenses, and the risk of dropping out are just a fraction of what young female students concern themselves with when in school.

Another issue girls face in school is gender-based bullying. The Program for International Student Assessment reported that 65% of Filipino students are bullied, with 70.5% of those students being female. In the hopes of reducing bullying incidents in the country, Republic Act 10627, or the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, was enacted but unfortunately, incidents only sky-rocketed from 1,309 cases in 2013 to a whopping 11,637 cases in 2019-2020. The sad part about this is that the number wasn’t even final as last February 13, 2023, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairperson of the Committee on Basic Education, said that 11,000 reported cases did not make sense as this number is nowhere near 40-60% of the population of students. This expected figure set by “large-scale examinations” should have translated to 10 million - 12 million students, the discrepancy confirming the underreporting of bullying cases. Nonetheless, out of the 71,928 bullying cases tallied from 2013-2020, over 4,250 cases were reported to be gender-based in nature.

Even in the absence of in-person classes, female students still aren’t safe from harm. When the country converted to online learning back in 2020, it was reported that 68% or almost 7 out of 10 female students experienced online harassment according to a survey and interview by Plan International. Additionally, 8 of 10 girls have experienced sexual harassment through social media, with 68% of them falling victing to their own peers.

These instances of bullying, and other forms of discrimination are known to cause and worsen mental health problems. In a 2018 study by Jesus Alfonso D. Datu, it’s stated that discrimination can be linked to negative emotions and inhibited academic achievement. This is worsened by the stigma surrounding mental health; young girls are often described as “OA” and too sensitive, and are frequently asked the tiring question, “meron ka ngayon ‘no?” implying that the trauma these girls face is somehow connected to them being on their period. These comments do not only come from their peers; the majority of it comes from the older generations. The mindset that “trauma makes you stronger and it builds character” is one that has been popularized over the years but in fact, being tormented and invalidated do not make girls stronger, it just leaves them traumatized.

It’s sad to think that female students have to go through all these, just to be educated —a basic human right, and that giving up can feel like the easier option than fighting to learn. In spite of this, their struggle is one that cannot be neglected. After all, their successes not only benefit them individually, but the whole of society. Girls have a lot to offer, if only given the right opportunities and resources that they need to thrive. //by Cilque Casis and Daniella Garces

Sources:

Acosta, A. M. (2020, October 2). COVID-19 and Girls' Education: What We Know So Far and What We Expect. Center for Global Development. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.cgdev.org/blog/covid-19-and-girls-education-what-we-know-so-far-and-what-we-expect-happen

Ballesteros, K., Almeda, A. (2021, November 20). Safety First: discrimination at Philippine schools and work places — MentalHealthPH. MentalHealthPH. https://mentalhealthph.org/11-20/

Datu, Jesus Alfonso. (2018). Everyday discrimination, negative emotions, and academic achievement in Filipino secondary school students: Cross-sectional and cross-lagged panel investigations. Journal of School Psychology. 68. 10.1016/j.jsp.2018.04.001

De Guzman, P., Tomeo, A., Jaca, G. (2020, October). Plan International GYW Report CC 2017. plan-international.org. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://plan-international.org/uploads/sites/25/2022/02/through_her_lens_15oct2020.pdf

de la Fuente, J. K. (n.d.). Bullying and School-Related Gender-Based Violence in the Philippines. https://www.teacherph.com/bullying-school-related-gender-based-violence-philippines/?fbclid=IwAR33LS1-AuXZH4EJsaasIRmAFr_WTNosAVMtPBpflSjEA47wyVy2PBHlAUs

Gendered effects of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic (By J. E Mueller D. G Nathan). (2020, June 12). thelancet.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(20)31377-5.pdf

Harrison, E. (2019, March 19). Fleabag: Fans loved Kristin Scott Thomas' epic speech on womanhood. Radio Times. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/women-are-born-with-pain-built-in-kristin-scott-thomass-epic-speech-on-fleabag/

Macasero, R. (2023, February 13). Bullying in schools underreported, says chair of Senate education panel. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/bullying-schools-underreported-senate-hearing-february-13-2023/

Maderazo, J. J. (2023, February 14). School bullies: Unbearable scourge to Filipino families. Inquirer Opinion. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://opinion.inquirer.net/161057/school-bullies-unbearable-scourge-to-filipino-families

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2017, June 13). Republic of the Philippines. Philippine Statistics Authority | Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://psa.gov.ph/press-releases/id/119882

[theshampyon]

The "WiFi Pineapple" in question:

Just in case the name makes people think this is a joke explanation.

Link to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, the international non-government public body that governs IP addressing.

As the meme states, the "172.16.n.n" range is typically NOT used for local area networks, e.g. workplaces, coffee shops, hotels, homes. Technically you can use it, but it's almost unheard of. "192.168.n.n" is the near universal choice.

For the folks using screen readers: Transcript of two memes, reformated for legibility.

First: Surprised Joey meme. In the first panel Joey smiles at the text "The hotel's free WiFi is really fast." In the second he is shocked at the text "Your IP address starts with 172.16.42.x".

Second: Lain Ikuwara meme. Image shows Lain sitting in a chair in front of a computer, turned toward the viewer. The text reads:

Hey, guys. Lain Iwakura here to explain the joke.

You see, when a computer like your laptop or smartphone connects to wifi, the router assigns it a "local IP address" to distinguish it from other machines on the network.

Most routers use IPv4 for this, where an IP address is four numbers separated by periods. The first two or three numbers of your local IP address are usually the same for all machines on the LAN, and the most comm schemas for local IP addresses are 192.168.0.x or 10.0.0.x. Those are just common defaults - they can be set to anything in the router's configuration.

The address schema 172.16.42.x is not a common default for a normal router. It is the default for a device called a "WiFi Pineapple", which is a hacking tool primarily intended for "pentesting", i.e. finding exploitable vulnerabilities in a computing or networking system.

The WiFi Pineapple acts as a router from the perspective of the computers on the local network, but a malicious actor can use it to passively scan those computers for vulnerabilities, and can even spy on network traffic going through it.

Thus, the joke is that the person in the hotel, finding that their local IP address is under 172.16.42.x, realizes to their horror that the hotel's LAN has been pwned by a (likely malicious) rogue access point, possibly causing their computer to be cracked and their sensitive information to be stolen by cybercriminals.

In light of this breach, their panic is understandable, Always keep your software up to date and never connect to a suspicious or unsecured wifi network!

[scotianostra]

30th September 1985 saw the death in New York of Helen MacInnes, the Scottish-born author of espionage novels, some of which were made into films.

Helen Clark MacInnes was born on October 7th, 1907 in Glasgow to Donald MacInnes and Jessica McDiarmid, and had a traditional Scots Presbyterian upbringing. MacInnes graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1928 with an MA in French and German.

After a year of library work she entered the School of Librarianship of University College, London, in 1930, graduating the following year. In 1932 she married Gilbert Highet. Over the next several years they collaborated on a number of translations from German. In 1938, after Highet had taught for a year at Columbia University, he accepted a permanent post there, and the family settled in New York City.

A short time after moving to New York, MacInnes began her first book, Above Suspicion, a tale of espionage in Nazi Europe. It was an immediate success, widely praised for its suspense and humour, and it was made into a motion picture in 1943. Assignment in Brittany followed in 1942 and was also made into a movie the following year. While Still We Live and Horizon were both suspenseful tales of World War II. Friends and Lovers, a love story, was followed by a series of thrillers concerning international intrigue and Cold War tension, including Neither Five nor Three, Pray for a Brave Heart, Decision at Delphi , The Venetian Affair, Message from Málaga, and Prelude to Terror. Her final book, Ride a Pale Horse, appeared in 1984.

While MacInnes’ career was not dotted with many awards, although she did win the 1966 Iona University Columbia Prize for Literature. This is most directly related to her influence in the state of New York, seeing as her first sixteen novels (those written up to 1966) each spent time on the international best sellers’ list. Her books were frequently translated and reissued in several languages.

Critics and readers alike noted MacInnes’s skillful and credible portrayal of espionage and the characters involved in it. She credited her success to thorough research and her interest in international politics.

While researching MacInnes’s I noticed that according to IMDb, the Internet Movie Database, a remake of the 1966 film The Venetian Affair is in the offing, I wonder if it will be something like The Bourne movies and start a resurgence in her work?