#are we talking about training norms and ethics

[fjordfolk]

Honestly, the reason I very rarely get into actual training discussions is that I very rarely agree with the premise. I don't care to involve myself in how you, a professional or far-above-averagly engaged hobbyist dog trainer, approach your dogs. I may not necessarily agree with it, and it may not be aligned with what I would consider a harmonious household, but it's not actually my business. You can stack your dog with prongs and ecollars from sternum to axis and I'll just trust that your ethical barometer and situational reflexes are well tuned. It's not really an interesting topic for me to discuss.

But the vast vast majority of people who train, handle and own dogs aren't dedicated dog trainers. They're the people in front of and behind you in line at the grocery store. And if we can't agree that 1) a misplaced reward is probably a kinder failure than a misplaced correction and b) we owe it to the animals we brought into our lives for our own enjoyment to at least err on the side of kindness, and so the most generic public-facing baseline form of dog training should at least be reward-based, then I really don't know how to help.

[calumhoodgoss]

gosh that essay hit the nail on the head. I think you just put into words exactly what went wrong with the marketing for 1d back in the day (and to some extent 5sos but it was much easier to stay away from that side of things for them). and looking back after the year we’ve had it’s easy to see that damage was done. and while it’s impossible to know the what-ifs (how could it have been better? how could we enforce regulations to ensure this job is survivable?) hindsight really does show you all the ugliness that was so normalised back then. and gosh sometimes we need to talk about these things and use the information we have to question it, as fans we have the ability to notice where our faves are unhappy and use our critical thinking to decide not to support industries that exploit them or buy into their stories for us. and I think that’s a really good side of blogs like yours—like it’s mostly lighthearted but the hard conversations can be had and not shied away from and we really need that.

also touches on the ethics of being an australian fan too imo, like just statistically we’re way more likely to run into someone who knew them growing up and get hold of information that’s NOT publicly available. and should that happen, how much do we talk about with the fandom? it’s such a mess though cause it’s reminding me of the one time this (kinda) happened and all I got from it was even more proof of how this whole thing—them being sold as people we had a chance with—hurt some real women in their lives. and it’s different when it’s someone tangible and real in your community than just a picture on the internet. like our generation and this phenomenon has seen multiple women driven out of the music industry, and our faves go through so much trauma—I rattle on but truly every serious conversation or any analysis in this fandom comes back to this for me. idk I just hope those of us who have that curiosity can leverage our parasocialness and use it to take down some corporations, every working class girl’s dream

(ik that was fast and I did skimread, twice, but you’re so spot on)

thank youuuuu

tbh i dont think they'll ever make it truly surviveable like a normal job. it relies so much on media and technology and those fields are ever-changing, thus their social norms are almost permanently in a state of infancy in one way or another - first it was news reporters camping outside houses then paparazzi then social media and now im calling ai is gonna be the next privacy invader.

but im with you on hoping for a better future for them!! sorry this was in my drafts and ove completely lost my train of thought now, but i am with you still

[hrtechpub]

5 Major Difficulties in HR in 2025

As we move into 2025, Human Resources (HR) professionals face an evolving landscape filled with new challenges. With technological advancements, shifting workforce dynamics, and changing employee expectations, HR departments must stay agile to meet these demands. Here are five major difficulties HR professionals are expected to face in 2025:

1. Managing a Multigenerational Workforce

By 2025, the workforce will include five distinct generations, each with different work habits, values, and expectations. This diversity can create challenges in terms of communication, work-life balance preferences, and expectations for career progression. HR professionals will need to balance the needs of younger generations, such as Gen Z, with those of older generations like Baby Boomers and Gen X. Crafting policies that accommodate the preferences of all employees, while also maintaining cohesion and productivity, will be a key hurdle for HR.

2. Adapting to Automation and AI Integration

With automation and AI becoming increasingly common in the workplace, HR will face the challenge of managing the impact of these technologies on the workforce. Automation can lead to job displacement, requiring HR to handle transitions for affected employees through reskilling and upskilling programs. Furthermore, AI tools for recruitment, performance management, and employee engagement are gaining prominence, and HR teams must ensure that these tools are used ethically and effectively without replacing human judgment or causing biases.

3. Ensuring Mental Health and Wellbeing

Employee mental health and overall wellbeing are gaining more attention than ever, and by 2025, HR will need to focus even more on creating a supportive, healthy work environment. The pressure of always-on connectivity, increased job demands, and personal challenges have made mental health a critical area for HR to address. Companies will need to provide more robust mental health support systems, flexible work arrangements, and a culture that promotes work-life balance. HR will need to prioritize wellbeing as a core component of employee experience.

4. Building a Flexible and Remote Work Strategy

The COVID-19 pandemic revolutionized the way businesses view remote work, and by 2025, the hybrid or fully remote work model will likely be the norm for many organizations. HR departments must adapt their policies, practices, and technologies to accommodate remote workers, ensuring that they have the necessary tools to be productive and engaged from anywhere. This includes rethinking performance management, team building, and communication methods to keep employees connected and motivated despite physical distance.

5. Navigating Employee Expectations on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

In 2025, employees will expect organizations to do more than just talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—they will demand measurable, authentic actions. HR teams will face the challenge of building diverse teams, ensuring fair treatment for all employees, and creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. DEI will become an integral part of the corporate culture and business strategy, and HR will be tasked with driving real change through policies, training, and leadership accountability.

In conclusion, the HR landscape in 2025 is shaped by rapid technological advances, shifting work cultures, and evolving employee needs. To stay competitive, HR professionals will need to be adaptable, forward-thinking, and equipped with the right tools to address these challenges effectively.

To learn more, visit HR Tech Pub

[centizen]

The Changing Face of Tech Leadership in the Age of AI

AI is changing the game, and it’s not just about fancy chatbots like ChatGPT. We need to talk about how AI is shaking up how we run our organizations. Think back to the time when Information Technology departments were a novel idea – now, they’re a vital part of every business. Just like that, AI, especially AI development services, is shaking things up. Unlike previous technologies that followed strict rules, AI is a bit more human-like.

Imagine a simple Python program. It won’t work unless it’s properly set up and has all the data it needs. But ChatGPT? It can write songs and compare sports cars with just a short prompt. AI tools are even learning to work together, like a team of bots writing marketing content, checking it, and getting it ready for a website.

As we bring in more independent bots, our management teams need to pick up new skills. This could be the biggest change in the workforce in decades. Here are some skills and big changes to watch out for as robots play a bigger role:

Tech leaders becoming innovators

Tech leaders are used to dealing with new technologies, from complex AI systems to helping the CEO pick a smartwatch. With AI taking center stage, tech leaders are becoming strategic advisors. They’ll help their colleagues understand what AI can and can’t do. They might even run experiments to show how AI can be used. This way, they become the go-to experts on AI in their organizations.

AI isn’t just for tech teams anymore. AI tools, like ChatGPT, are so user-friendly that they seem like virtual workers that don’t need tech experts to manage them. But, there are still risks and tricky parts. To stay relevant, tech leaders should lead the way in adopting AI.

24/7 Work culture

You’ve probably heard complaints about how work never stops in the modern world. Global teams work round the clock to find opportunities and solve problems. While humans need rest, bots don’t. They work non-stop without needing a coffee break.

Sounds great, right? But someone has to watch over these super-productive bots. Humans can’t keep up with them. Leaders need to figure out how to balance human needs with machine efficiency. Also, bots churn out tons of data that humans must process. This implies an increased workload for your team.

AI’s human-like language

AI tools can mimic human creativity. They can come up with answers based on minimal input and learn from conversations. But here’s the thing – they don’t have human ethics or norms. They don’t care about right or wrong. They might give wrong answers without any guilt because of how they were trained.

Humans can explain their reasoning, show their sources, and correct their mistakes. AI tools like ChatGPT are more mysterious. They can’t be “debugged” like regular computer programs. Leaders need to be cautious, verify AI-generated information, and understand that AI has its limits.

The rise of “Bot Wranglers”

Just like IT departments emerged with the rise of computers, AI is creating new structures. Organizations will need teams to acquire, train, and manage bots. Some people will focus on dividing tasks and handling bot outputs.

Here’s the big change: anyone, even junior employees, can have a team of bots. These “bot wranglers” will need skills to manage these teams effectively. If you’re used to working alone, this might be a challenge.

Reimagining entry-level roles

AI tools are getting good at tasks that junior staff often do, like writing code and testing. So, do we still need junior roles? Well, yes. Junior staff today can be future tech leaders. Instead of hiring them for routine tasks that bots can do, think about how they can manage bots or collaborate with senior engineers on new ideas.

Don’t cut junior roles without a plan. You might need those junior talents later on.

Conclusion

AI is firmly established and is reshaping the landscape. The future might see humans managing teams of bots or a corporate “bot farm” controlled by a few humans. Either way, tech leaders have a chance to lead this transition. By understanding the impacts on organizations, staying updated on technology, and planning how human roles will change, tech leaders can steer their teams through this exciting shift and make the most of AI’s potential.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

was thinking like "billions sure seems to be For when you enjoy striking moments in whatever other media but not really the context/setup outside it that may have contributed to its impact" & also "imagine if billions with its own central theme of the personal motivations behind these power plays & conflicts but then also inevitably looking at how the power comes about & is thwarted & theoretically the opportunity to Interpret & Question all this. except that it's also like well obviously there'll be an intact hierarchy, just that the right people should be higher in it, including that well sure this person may Deserve power but except for the part where they have to be a jerk about it, but that's where Niceness Advisors might come in (hierarchy intact) ideally as your objectively hot wife (i.e. wendy rhoades & whomever looks like her b/c that's Respectably Attractive Woman style)"

but then having the michael wave like well besides that i don't like or respect either element lol more so the thematic [continuously falling down the stairs] execution than "i like the meaning & context actually" tastes, feels like these things are also Connected in how they require disconnection in plot & characters & whatever else is more would-be continuous across the series / beyond any given Epic Moment. like you need the disjointedness too to have these walls to run into real fast when it comes to examining & questioning power & even theoretically isolated interactions/dynamics, b/c well Normal kinds of dehumanization are unquestioned good, & then yes there should be the hierarchy favoring the Exceptionally Meritous but like not the freaks or weirdos who are mechanical savants about it actually vs the beautifully human intuition of those deemed appealing. & maybe not even every objectively appealing epic man is that meritous if he happens to not Truly be a benevolent god & needs even more checks & balances than the "epic men need their epic wife to be the ol [ethics?] ball & chain as per their emotional & nurturing womanly nature" can provide. & we can have a fun heist reveal about that takedown

like the way it's confusing & not exactly a favor to the supposedly referenceworthy material to like just throw down a quote with the Least / Most Tenuously Relevant connection to the moment, b/c it's like well who needs that context / meaning as a way to have actually Communicated more context / meaning in turn, when rather it can be a test about whether someone can be like oh i recognize that this is a reference from something i too experienced & was at least neutral about....in that style it's like hey yknow also it would be fun if characters didn't like apparently forget all about prior events that went into some Impactful or just nonzero relevant Moment & just reveal like oh yeah of course i reset about that for no reason & now if it's still relevant at all i feel completely differently for no reason also, b/c otherwise it'd get in the way / we don't want to do an epic moment working off of it. it'd be fun if characters didn't operate off simultaneous contradictory motivations where the only way we can possibly understand what was Meant to be character motivation there is to have that character Say their motivation which you Cannot Interpret b/c it is just your Factual key to accepting what's supposed to be the reason someone did anything. which might silently be reset for no reason later after we're done with That moment it served. which doesn't diminish these moments' even Isolated Impact when the pattern is that they get 5 seconds of setup that barely makes sense & will become irrelevant to the point of "oh yeah pretend that never happened" 5 seconds later. & all the [oh well Of Course it's like this] that doesn't even have to be Explained through "do not interpret this dialogue. it is Factual" which is just based on assuming everyone has the same Normativity Training that's like normativity, what are you talking about, this is just universal unquestioned normal stuff

& so anyway you also have to Not Interpret shit & embrace these situations where characters can really forget all about [significant events] & what was meaningful at one moment b/c ofc these are constructed plotlines that can be like yes of course wendy is unhindered by the consequences of her own actions while of course a weirdo like taylor is totally fine being kept on the backburner playing support to wendy & others, or more so being used by them, don't get too used to a perspective about Your acting vs [being acted upon. jk uh this is Neutral Omniscient Perspective. just how things go. & in our neutral omniscience we all see it's Good actually]. gotta be disjointed like well it's good when axe doesn't Follow The Rules b/c he's too epic vs when winston doesn't it's b/c he's inferior. well you see when wendy is Nice (?? lol) in a way that leaves the hierarchy intact (always does) it's badass but when ben & tuk, who can pretend to be gay & are a unit, are Nice it's b/c they're pussies & losers so they deserve to be stepped on forever. when winston is also nice & doesn't regard or treat people as though he should be above them / entitled to use them however, actually he's obviously such a dick & brings it all upon himself & his Worthiest Ally (sorry tuk you're a Loser) is nice enough to deign to personally abuse him instead of Always ignoring him as much as possible, & then also once winston's disposed of (with the Top Way to give him material being fodder for the power play of using him & violating any boundaries as much as billions deems sufficiently tasteful of the abusing party here, which billions also deems like that's who you relate to & you're like god i wish that were me b/c that was really fun & good or certainly okay & truly proves you are so epic) Everyone gets to forget he exists, such that for some reason characters he's only really been in the same room with before interact with him again for like one more cameo basically b/c it doesn't mean anything & apparently he teleported into that room & had no idea anyone he knows is around & they have no idea he's around, just so any Consequences can be avoided, like well that was Every Idea explored with winston, he exists to have his nerd numbers taken from him & be the punching bag for [he also does anything else, like exist as a person] like nice yeah. meanwhile alleged Winner Quant rian has nothing left to do after the honor of being "i guess you can wear pants but also makeup & be [Assumed Cis Assumed Available To Epic Man] Vagina Provider for truly an epitome of 'this is billions trying to analyze how power plays into things?'" b/c any motivations you'd think the character had based on a whole season of being on the show actually evaporated & Now whoops nothing for this epic character, just some axe capper, but who Doesn't care about being out of the loop w/taylor's goings on (b/c caring would get in the way) but Does care about uhh i'm too Nice to be here all of a sudden so i'm leaving to Follow My Epic Dreams & Find True Love We're Sure for no reason b/c billions will just drop it into things b/c well of course winners get divine rewards & taylor will care to & be able to teleport there for no reason b/c billions needs rian to have dialogue that we shouldn't interpret so she can explain that uh she had such a meaningful time (you see? thus it totally makes sense taylor is here) & is off to live the cool dream laugh (we don't do that) love (outlook not so good)

meanwhile like also that ofc winston Is often excluded amidst general or tmc goings on (like, say, s7. get him outta here, even as there's also no reason for rian to linger, there Is reasons for them both to leave earlier & in neither case is it really explored, & rian lingering just becomes Non Character who may as well not have existed prior to this season. or prior to winston leaving, due to forgetting he exists & that she even felt magnanimous sympathetic pity for him or whatever, & it was Nothing that winston learns she for no reason does help fuck him over b/c i guess it's all supposed to be a Correct lesson in his inferiority to everyone in general & rian in particular, You Deserve It. like put the abuse apologia more into character dialogue, just for fun, why don't you. but you don't need to b/c we get it, yeah, this is normal correct fun & we agree) but Conveniently like no characters have to Try to exclude him really & he's just generally Not Here, inexplicably, don't mind the times that he occasionally Is, also no particular explanation about why he was allowed in the meeting room / office this time. why did we even show rian still in the office just to Happen to walk off with perfect timing so as to not witness the taylaur firing/dumping disaster that later she disapproves of at all but like this conflict will go away (or i guess the conflict was that the whole time rian's arguing with taylor no problem she's going "if only i had the confidence to argue with taylor" & then for no reason wags is like "oh well Just Be Confident" which actually means "you should do research" & rian is like damn so true, why didn't i think of that. no reason) b/c billions doesn't wanna do anything with it, nice. really nice unquestioned reflection of reality that all winston's treatment is casual exclusion, being ignored if present, & then ofc it being A Problem if he Is as visible as more winning parties & thus the special occasion of Negative Interactions to put him in his place, which he brings upon himself by getting out of line, rudely & arrogantly. amazing to have winston even point out double standards only for it to presumably be like haha no it's just Standards b/c yeah it Is bad when you, inferior "person" that you are, do it, b/c you're an inferior person, axe's blessed metal tees, winston's barbarous golden girls tees....Really Interesting Too that billions puts in so many shots of winston Visibly Hurt at the end of a [pwning him, righteously] moment, even as the actual characters who pwned him have moved on & theoretically wouldn't see this, would be wild if this was betraying this Awareness of causing that hurt like but i'm so epic i don't even look at the explosion i know i caused, i'm too busy moving on to something else more important to destroy. & by "if" i mean "that" b/c like whoops the whole time these shots are for the Viewer to participate like yes yay pwning winston, speaking of how the moment may as well never have happened, he's also supposedly truly Fine afterwards no matter what, no resentment he's motivated by, no consequences in him even just acting differently in the face of these patterns of being shat on & by whom all the time; like yeah it Is about Knowing this person Was hurt. divinely punished i mean for being out of place, which is really, oh you know, about the sense of power / superiority for the person successfully hurting someone & getting to walk away without even looking back but of course they know it exploded & we get to look at it & be like wow same. that was sooo epic wags the way you definitely proved your superiority & also like that explosion won't have consequences. & it doesn't

& oh then meanwhile there's someone like dollar bill who is yknow like aw we don't approve, yeah he's kind of a jerk, but lord knows we don't Ignore him, we tolerate his shenanigans b/c he doesn't Really deserve being fired, we get another plotline with whatever tf he's up to today As Viewers even if a bunch of other characters don't have to be present or even aware of his nonsense, those who Do are just gonna have to deal & reset between episodes, & also probably have higher ups intervene to be like "sooo you're responsible for dollar bill's actions in general or against you specifically," & perhaps also intervene to make sure dollar bill doesn't shoot himself in the foot too much or Leave or anything like nooo come back for no reason. meanwhile the punching bag losers who don't have much cause to want to stay Do stay without anyone dropping everything to fix situations or pull others aside like fix this situation or else, it's on you now, & of course With being shat on & either being told like stay Or Else (nobody was Betrayed by dollar bill peacing out i guess. or mafee, if it was to work with dollar bill) & being told if they're having a bad time here it's their fault really for being pussies about it / not Proving their Winnerness, we're all just dying to Recognize it

anyway the tl;dr truly is like actually would prefer it One Epic Moment wasn't considered this isolated phenomenon such that anything before / after it is made Less meaningful to the point of so meaningless, perhaps to the point of contradiction with whatever Epicry we want to do, that like yeah pretend that never happened. or have this character consider & explain it in a completely different context for us, thanks so much. like yeah if it weren't fun enough for Plot Characters Themes in general, even more fun how like well turns out it's also helpful for "well, if the Really superior people were in their proper tiers of Power, & like, not jerks about it....perhaps their being Failed by girlbosses saving them from themselves if they are...." Just Unquestionable Normal Stuff hierarchies & true(tm) inferior parties, like yeah hm keeping those unquestioned norms & double standards & shit that is only a contradiction if you ignore the premise of "well the superior person doing anything is good, the inferior person doing anything is bad" which billions does employ just on the basis of well You Get It. well just look at them. well you know the Kind of person we mean, ugh, Those people. like yeah guess we'd hate to Not really isolate things & just sweep them under the rug vs actually consider their meaning & potential consequences & let's definitely not follow a thread too far. & meanwhile just as to my own tastes like i like when a reference links up With Any Context vs just yes i heard those words

[iankhanblogs]

Envisioning Tomorrow: Top Futurists and AI Experts Redefining the Future

In a world rapidly transformed by technology, the role of visionaries like futurists, AI experts, and augmented reality experts has never been more important. These thought leaders provide the insights, strategies, and foresight needed to navigate a future driven by innovation, controversial technology, and groundbreaking ideas. Whether you’re inspired by a futurist keynote speaker or captivated by the predictions of futurist authors, these experts are shaping the world of tomorrow.

Technology Futurists: Architects of Tomorrow

A technology futurist is someone who predicts and analyzes how technological advancements will impact industries, governments, and individuals. From artificial intelligence to augmented reality, their insights help businesses and societies prepare for what’s next. Technology futurist speakers often deliver compelling talks on emerging trends such as automation, the Metaverse, and blockchain, helping organizations adapt to change.

What sets a futurist keynote speaker apart is their ability to turn complex technological concepts into actionable strategies. They not only predict trends but also inspire audiences to think creatively about the future.

AI Experts and AI Futurists: Leading the Artificial Intelligence Revolution

Artificial intelligence has become a cornerstone of innovation, revolutionizing industries from healthcare to education. AI experts and AI futurist are at the forefront, working on cutting-edge projects that redefine what’s possible. These leaders not only develop AI technologies but also address their societal implications, including ethics and privacy.

Top rated AI expert are playing a critical role in shaping the conversation around AI’s potential and its challenges. Their expertise extends to fields like machine learning experts, who focus on creating intelligent systems that learn and improve over time.

The Power of Augmented Reality Experts

AR experts and augmented reality experts are unlocking new possibilities by blending the physical and digital worlds. AR is no longer limited to entertainment; it’s transforming industries such as retail, real estate, and education. From virtual shopping experiences to immersive training programs, AR is reshaping how we interact with our environment.

For example, futurists predict that augmented reality will play a key role in healthcare, enabling surgeons to use real-time visualizations during complex procedures. Augmented reality experts are already pushing these innovations forward, turning visionary ideas into practical applications.

Futurist Authors and Their Visionary Ideas

The work of futurist authors offers a glimpse into the future by exploring emerging technologies and their societal impact. Many of the best futurist authors have written groundbreaking books that inspire readers to think critically about what lies ahead.

Whether they’re forecasting advances in AI, AR, or climate technology, famous futurist use their expertise to shape public discourse. These authors often double as keynote experts, sharing their insights on global stages to inspire change and innovation.

Top 10 Futurists: Who’s Leading the Charge?

When discussing the future, the contributions of the top 10 futurists cannot be ignored. These experts are renowned for their ability to predict technological shifts and offer guidance on adapting to them. Whether it’s exploring controversial technology or paving the way for ethical AI, they are true trailblazers.

Controversial Technology: Innovation or Ethical Dilemma?

Every new innovation brings with it a wave of excitement — and controversy. Controversial technology, such as AI-driven surveillance or autonomous weapons, has sparked debates about its ethical implications.

While these advancements hold tremendous potential, they also challenge existing norms. This is where futurists, AI experts, and technology futurists step in. Their role is to guide businesses and policymakers in adopting these technologies responsibly, ensuring they benefit humanity as a whole.

Why We Need Futurist Keynote Speakers and Experts

The insights provided by futurist keynote speaker, technology futurist speakers, and AI experts are invaluable in today’s ever-changing world. These thought leaders bridge the gap between technological possibilities and real-world applications, helping individuals and businesses stay ahead of the curve.

Whether it’s through the expertise of AR experts, the foresight of futurist authors, or the groundbreaking work of top-rated AI experts, the future is being shaped by those willing to ask tough questions and explore bold ideas.

Final Thoughts

The future is not something to fear — it’s something to prepare for. By engaging with AI futurists, augmented reality experts, and machine learning experts, you can gain the insights needed to thrive in a world driven by innovation.

Whether you’re inspired by the work of famous futurists or seeking guidance from technology futurist speakers, the key is to embrace change and think forward. The future is being written today, and with the help of keynote experts and visionaries, it’s bound to be extraordinary.

Ready to Unlock Your Potential ?

Learn more about my work as a Futurist, Keynote Speaker and Author Here. (https://www.iankhan.com) Unleash your Future with the scientifically designed Theory of Future Readiness. Get your Personal Power Checklist Here (https://futuracy.eo.page/zs38h)

[mscudilove]

On Tyranny

Do Not Obey in Advance: Obedience is what they want. A lot of people are going to be scared, on their death bed, or wishing it.

Defend Institutions: They are the last line of defense for people. Or become the institution, give into the corporate interest as their employed.

Beware of One-Party State: If you believe in Democracy & true freedom you should allow dissent and question the institution & the majority sentiment.

Take Responsibility for the Face of the World: Hold yourself and people responsible for how the world works. The haves and have-nots are who we agree it is.

Remember Professional Ethics: Professional commitments to just practice are important. Humanity is one because we respect life.

Be Wary of Paramilitaries: Hitler had the SS, and these groups use lawlessness and chaos to attack people who aren't loyal.

Be Reflective if you Must Be Armed: Policemen & soldiers must be ready to say no to the murder of dissenters & those deemed enemies. Protect democracy don't cave into tyranny.

Stand Out: Someone has to challenge the norm. The spell of the status quo will be broken, and others will follow & resist.

Be Kind to Our Language: The challenge to bilingualism. Being able to code switch between languages is very important to our future. Culture survives through language and practice.

Believe in Truth: Locate culture, establish the truth that speaks to the culture of the county.

Investigate: Make friends, learn history and stories untold. Involve people in movements of history towards a future for all.

Make Eye Contact and Small Talk: Friendships made & cultivated can be key to survival. Continue to build bridges with new friends.

Practice Corporeal Politics: Get outside, train your body for new situations. Nothing is real that does not end on the streets. Solidarity movements are necessary for survival.

Establish a Private Life: Clear your history that can be traced to you. Learn to keep your life private so that nothing is used against you to hold over your head as a threat. They will attack what they know about you. Public exposure is used against you for control.

Contribute to Good Causes: Be active in organizations, donate to the cause, it will provide for the future you believe in.

Learn from Peers in Other Countries: Keep up friendships abroad. learn from their history & contemporary struggles. History repeats.

Listen for Dangerous Words: Be alert to extremism, terrorism, patriotic vocabulary and nationalistic ideals. Don't surrender freedom for security.

Be Calm when the Unthinkable Arrives: Modern tyranny is management of terror. Checks & balances are necessary to stay calm and keep our freedom. Do not surrender for supposed security.

Be a Patriot: Proud of our American ideals and not nationalist. Serve your country not just a nation that is unjust & not ideal. Be your best self and build a nation that you are proud of.

Be as Courageous as You Can: If none of us are prepared to die for freedom, then all of us are going to die under tyranny.

[canuckcleaners]

Vancouver cleaning

Consider these four factors as you search for a commercial cleaning service.

One of the most important but frequently disregarded duties of running a business is hiring a cleaning service to maintain the office looking beautiful at all times. Purchasing this service is a smart move if you care about how customers perceive your business. It's a vital responsibility that's often disregarded Vancouver cleaning However, not all cleaning service providers are made equal, making it difficult to choose the best office and commercial cleaning services. This is a standard feature of any credible cleaning service. This is essential information to have when interviewing potential commercial cleaning companies.

Because cleaning an office is very different from cleaning a house, you need make sure the company you hire has expertise doing both. If they don't, it's probably because they lack the skills necessary to complete the task. Hiring subpar workers can increase your workload, stress, and costs. This is because there will inevitably be more slip-ups on the part of the newcomers.

Read this first if you've never hired a cleaning service before, or if you want some peace of mind. We've selected four pieces of wisdom from industry veterans to assist you ease into a career in commercial cleaning. We think this is an excellent approach for newcomers to the field of industrial cleaning to get their feet wet. We're hoping you'll be able to learn something from this.

The first thing to do is to look for a cleaning company with an experienced management team.

You'll need to put in some work to find a reliable commercial and office cleaning service. It's not hard to find a cleaning service, but not every one of them will have experience in your field. It's not the same as cleaning a tiny office to clean a supermarket or restaurant. Compared to cleaning a huge commercial building, cleaning an office requires much less effort and time. In comparison to these other forms of organizational structure, traditional workplaces are typically simpler and smaller in scale. You should hire a local cleaning firm that has experience maintaining commercial buildings like yours commercial cleaning This is because cleaning an office building effectively calls for a certain set of abilities. Finding a cleaning team that has worked for other businesses like yours is an important part of your job.

The next step is to disseminate the knowledge you've gained about training techniques.

Please provide me with information on the company's training and development programs. How stringent are the requirements for commercial and office cleaners in terms of education and certification? Commercial cleaners, if they want to keep their work, need to clean according to their specific employer's guidelines. You shouldn't do business with a company if their standards are lower than yours.

Finally, the price is reasonable from a financial standpoint.

A fixed fee makes financial planning considerably simpler, as no unexpected costs will pop up. A fixed charge is the most reliable way to avoid unwelcome shocks because of the unpredictability of the company's level of efficiency and diligence.

A proven track record of achievement in one's field has the same weight.

The majority of businesses that use cleaning services do so at inconvenient hours. They must show that they run an ethical company in order to receive the transfer of this guarantee. It's crucial to find out how long a cleaning service has been in business, but you should also talk to some of their most recent clients. Both of these aspects play a role in how customers perceive a company. Investigate their history to see if they are worthy of your trust. This will give you an idea of how trustworthy they are. Before selecting a business to clean your industrial space, it is wise to look into the quality of their previous work.

Hiring a cleaning firm that is familiar with your organization's norms, processes, and time constraints will save you time and energy. Together, we know we can help Canuck Cleaners become the service it aspires to be: one whose clients are always thrilled with the work they receive. We promise to give your house the same level of service we give our commercial customers.

[asc27]

New jobs created by Artificial Intelligence

A few hundred years ago, being a marketing professional, web developer, or programming engineer seemed like something unimaginable. Until the invention of the computer and the internet, people had no idea that one day, people will sit all day and do their job with the help of a machine. Today, technology is advancing at an incredible pace, and it is perhaps becoming clear to everyone that the greatest innovation of our time is the artificial intelligence. Although it was invented several years ago and has been constantly developed, it has reached only now the stage where it became mainstream. More and more people learn about artificial intelligence, and more and more people are coming across the term itself. Unfortunately, many people who hear about it don't know what it means exactly. And the biggest problem is when they don't know what it means but start believing that artificial intelligence will 'come to life' and take their jobs. It is true that automation, which is the result of digitalization and AI, will mean that fewer people will need to do repetitive work, but on the other hand, it will create new jobs. Jobs that we are not able to imagine today, but in a few years, will become common and normal as, for example, an engineer. 

Artificial intelligence has only just entered the labor market, but it has already created new jobs:

These are the jobs that were created by AI:

Artificial Intelligence Ethical Advisor

Ethics experts are extremely useful for companies that would like to introduce AI. These consultants prepare the way to implement AI in an ethical way, respecting all ethical rules. As the use of this technology becomes more widespread, the need for ethics experts and consultants is growing. Companies do not want to risk their ethical reputation when they introduce the use of AI. Ethics advisors also have the responsibility to teach people about the right way of using AI with respect to social and ethical norms.

Artificial Intelligence Trainer 

An artificial intelligence trainer teaches artificial intelligence. This is because artificial intelligence will work much more efficiently, and with better results when it is trained for the right behavior and responses.

Especially for chatbots, learning is needed to give the most accurate and satisfying answers to customers. The goal is to make the conversation with chatbots as real as possible and to ensure that they can solve the problem of the person.  

Artificial Intelligence Auditor

There is also a need for AI auditors to check that the new technology being implemented is working properly and delivering the best performance. They also often monitor whether it is used correctly from a legal point of view and they pay attention to ethical issues as well. For example, it needs to be controlled if the AI respects the GDPR regulations and privacy rights. Especially privacy rights are a very important topic when talking about AI. That’s why auditors' job is important so they notice when AI is not respecting these rules and can suggest a change. It’s not only saving the company who are using AI in an inappropriate way from getting fines but also making sure that the company is respecting the legal and ethical rules. 

Data Annotation Specialist

Did you ever wonder how machine learning algorithms are getting smarter and smarter? That's because in the background many annotators are working on improving it. They make AI learn to recognize and understand what it sees. Annotators take the raw data and annotate it in order that AI recognizes what it is. For example, if AI is used for security, it should understand that on the video records of the safety camera, someone is doing something harmful. Unless, even when AI sees that a person is doing vandalism or stealing, can’t recognize the act itself. Therefore there is a need to tag each type of behavior so they will notice such behavior of the people in the future. We also have annotators at ASC27 who constantly improve our AI. Artificial intelligence needs to see many examples before it is able to recognize the behavior or the phenomenon next time, so we often need to create videos for annotation reasons, since usually it is hard to find these specific images elsewhere. Let’s see a practical example in order to imagine the job of the annotators. If we want to teach AI that stealing is wrong and it is something that needs to be noticed immediately, then annotators need to select in the video the person who is stealing, and first of all teach them to recognize suspicious behavior, like being nervous and looking around. Then the next thing is tagging the act of stealing when a person takes something from the shelves and puts it under his/her clothes or in his/her bag. It is not easy, because annotators need to teach AI that if a person is getting something off the shelves and puts it in a shopping cart or a basket it can be simply shopping and not stealing. So the two things need to be separated and recognized as two different activities.

Whether you need to annotate videos or any other form of annotation, there is a growing need for people who are capable of this activity.

More and more companies are looking for employees for the jobs listed above, so if you are interested in AI or want to work in AI in the future, you should start learning new skills to be able to work in these roles. 

Many online courses are available online, and even some universities offer courses in artificial intelligence. 

One thing is certain: many more new professions will emerge in the future that will be created by AI.

[against-forms-recognizable]

Prisons are a necessity of capitalism - or, of private property and the state specifically. When anarchists talk about police and prison abolition, we are generally discussing the dissolution of the monopoly on violence maintained by the state.

We say, instead, that's what community self defense and direct action are for. A liberated society must abandon the politics of safety and embrace violence as a form of self-defense and mutual aid. All of the de-escalation, firearm safety, hand to hand training provided to cops, given to each individual and regarded as important to existing within society as literacy is. For every possibility of a woman being sexually assaulted, a woman sharpening her knife in preparation.

The current systems hide the violence inherent to them from us, keeps the violence necessary to maintain our way of life relegated out of sight, in prisons, in third world countries, in the Omelas basements, in factory farms and slaughterhouses. By abstracting and alienating us from the ugliness required to maintain them they allow us to maintain a self-deceiving illusion of morality.

Ursula K. Le Guin said once, illustrating the anarchist's stance,

What is an anarchist? One who, choosing, accepts the responsibility of choice.

Prison abolition is not, generally, a stance that by getting rid of prisons we get rid of people doing horrible things to each other, or a stance that we can maintain society without doing violence to people who do not want to abide by certain norms. It is, instead, a stance that we must own up to that violence, that if we want the results of the violence, that we must be willing to do it ourselves - to look the person on the other end of it in the eye, to say what we want done in front of them, to do it ourselves and have to live with what that means, instead of relying on some outside class of enforcers like the police or military.

This would, of course, require letting the mask of all of the nice stories we tell ourselves about morality and ethics and goodness fall off the face of humanity. We will be forced to face some uncomfortable truths about ourselves. So what? Ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away. We won't be able to truly explore solutions to these issues until we can approach them authentically.

I’m watching a video on the philosophy of prison abolition and these two guys (one white. One black) are talking about how people really do want to see people punished for wrongdoing but no one admits to it

And I may well be biased but it’s feeling smug to me, like thevye caught people out having Bad Thoughts and are above it all

And I just… ok Mr Harvard professor, so what do YOU want to see happen to Donald Trump, then?

[grimmwulf-a]

healing magic, necromancy, and grimwalkers

healing magic as a fantasy staple has always been considered a ‘good’ magic, all the way down to staples like final fantasy writing it in as ‘white magic’ [versus the offensive/attacking based ‘black magic’]. healing magic is additionally often paired with a ‘holy’ or angelic kind of aesthetic, healers oftentimes being presented as soft, fragile, or dainty feminine characters. because of this, it wasn't usually examined further and still has a lot of missed potential imo.

foreward out of the way, all this to say healing magic scares the piss out of me as someone with a strong interest in medicine! there’s been posts made before that talk about just how horrifying the prospect of things like torn limbs, broken teeth, broken bones, etc would be if they were magically healed up in a matter of seconds. the interest of just how it’d feel coupled with the idea that, depending on the skill of the healer, nerves could also be numbed to not recognize that half your organs fell out and you’re running off sheer adrenaline and magic puppet strings. naturally, this train of thought leads to ‘well how far into extremes can this go?’

a good post that i really like that goes into a bit more detail is linked here :]

i’m not going to try and figure out the potential in-depth ethics behind how extreme healing magic can legally be taken in the boiling isles - all things considered under belos’ reign, i’d imagine there were very few limits that were ever actually imposed, if only in the sense they’d be kept under wraps and protected within the emperor’s coven. besides, the best of the best are above the law when they’re useful! accidentally break a few too many bones interrogating some wild witches? easy in-house fix.

with that in mind, the existence of the abomination magic adds some extra angles to this that interest me. this is working off the assumption abominations aren’t sentient and are only running off the whims of whatever magic initially charged their form and the magic user’s intents. because of this, it’d be easy to say that necromancy as a basic magic would fall under abomination magic’s domain, if only in the mechanic sense, not the sense that abominations [the ones we see at least] are made by specific recipes. i’m much more inclined to say that abomination magic is far closer to potion making than healing.

since necromancy doesn’t fit the function AND form of abomination magic, it wouldn’t fall under it. the only place left for it to go is under healing.

historically, i think necromancy would be frowned upon. in a world where mortal beings have this degree of free-floating power, death is a much more common place occurrence. because of this, it’d be generally more respected - people with healing magic would try their best to save you, but if you’re dead and there’s no life left to heal, that crosses into a boundary that’s outside of any respectable action. you have to properly mourn the dead, not strive for a return to how things were before.

of course in any world like the boiling isles, there are bound to be healers who do not hold that same form of respect, be it from just having the ability to Do It and acting on that skill regardless of consequence, or some altered form of respect imposed upon the dead outside of the norm. necromancy is not a solid science nor is it something done in a collective, yet knowledge of the subject is impossible to kill if it has a will to stick around. be it from obsession of a missed loved one, corpses were dragged from their graves and forced to return to life, soulless bodies puppeteered or given simple commands upon revival. they did not have many higher functions with only a rare few becoming genuine threats.

because of these rare acts, the legend of grimwalkers springs up; stories of the dead walking once again. they would be obscured creatures that wore the faces of your loved ones yet could not speak their same tongue - the details would prove to change from case to case and over time would morph into a basic but wild fantasy you’d tell your kids at night to make sure they stayed safe in bed. as time went on and society grew a bit more close knit and advanced, what would initially be called grimwalkers would instead be labeled necromancy and punished accordingly.

in the modern day, grimwalkers are considered legend [or extinct] because cases of revivals are so few and far in between - and after belos’ rise to power, they’re completely hidden from the general public if they do occur. speaking of belos-

the first few golden guards [at least before he’d get access to better tools] were. poorly made to say the least. being human and not used to channeling the degrees of magic necessary for proper necromancy, he’d have to mix and match things just to get a living specimen. results were varied. he never really fully figured it out, honestly - once the golden guards were ‘good enough’, he stopped caring. ‘grimwalkers’ as a title were placed upon them both out of lack of respect for the boiling isles’ own history and out of a refusal to view them as anything other than mindless tools.

which, uh. they weren’t mindless! due to the nature of mixing and matching various non-human and non-witch parts, these grimwalkers were more than vague duplicates of the ortet used. appearances were never perfect. voices were wrong. thought patterns were unpredictable. these grimwalkers had more than a single soul each - they had bits and pieces of many souls that were drawn and stitched together into a poor amalgamation of what belos imagined a human soul might be. this issue only compounded as more were created, some having parts that were replaced from the previous guards whenever one was needed quickly.

in essence, [faux] grimwalkers are a product of necromancy and one of the core components of healing - they’re brand new life formed in the shape of the old.

[hansolmates]

one more time (m)

pairing; (former) popular!jk x (former) normie!reader summary; it’s been two years since you’ve seen your former tryst jeon jungkook. you didn’t expect him to be applying for the internship you’re currently running, along with the rate your heart is running at the sight of him in a black suit. genre/warnings; self-deprecating language, your typical (future) co-workers!au, jungkook is a piner and so is oc, a lil bit of sneaking around, adulting, a mutual understanding of feelings (finally!!) smut in the form of—soft n’ dirty baybee, unprotected, cockwarming, overstimulation, minor praise and possession kink, cumplay, &you know that they gon have heart eyes the entire time w.c; 7.3k a/n; darn why am i so... emotional over this??? it started out as a meaningless drabble series but with all my lovely readers and moots it’s grown into such a fun, introspective series. thank u for loving this and joining me on this journey. for those of u who are new to this series feel free to read popular-ish first or as a standalone! [popular-ish masterlist]

if you’ve enjoyed this (whether as a standalone or as a series) please consider giving it a like and a share✨✨✨✨✨

“A mess, I’m a mess,” you sing-song to yourself, organizing the manuals on the clear glass by subject and size. The applications of all your new interns are alphabetized, not a form out of place. Everything’s perfect. “Alright Jessica, all twenty of the interns are accounted for.” 

“Actually, there’s twenty-three,” Jessica quips, and you let your shoulders slump. Being part of the recruiting team of your company has been simultaneously exciting and stressful. Stressful because of the constant travel, but otherwise exciting because you loved your internship at your current company. You remember how nervous you were two years ago, and how much support and help you got from your recruiters. Applying to this team was a natural turn of events. 

“A-are you sure, Jess?” you look through all the applications, count the amount of nametags, triple check the chairs. You’re sweating through your blazer, wondering where you went wrong. 

The head of your recruiting team glues one hand to her hip, while the other hand is holding her iPad, scrolling with her thumb. You swallow, intimidated by Jessica’s golden wavy locks and her black-trimmed white Chanel pantsuit. 

“Yep, but don’t be too hard on yourself. I just added three more recruits last night. I’ll get the chairs and the apps are being printed. No worries,” Jessica assures, gesturing for you to hurry up and get outside, “Call the babies in!” your team leader waves her finger around like a magic wand, commanding you to the front lines. 

Krystal puts a hand on her shoulder, as always looking impeccable. She has virtually nothing to worry about. She’s a woman who has connections, courtesy of her team leader. “Let’s go, newbie,” she teases, pulling you through the door. 

The recruits in the lobby are wide-eyed and vibrant, and you feel a little nostalgic as you watch them line up in front of you and Krystal as you sign them in. You would dwell on the feeling more if it wasn’t for your exhaustion, so you decide you’ll get a chance to take a road down memory lane when you get to the hotel. 

“Name?” 

“Xu Minghao.” 

“Congrats Minghao, here’s your nametag and I’ll see you inside,” with a firm handshake, one recruiter is free to go. 

“Name?” 

“Chou Tzuyu.” 

“Congrats Tzuyu, here’s your name tag and I’ll see you inside,” she doesn’t go in straight away, and moves to the side of the door. “Actually,” you pause mid-handshake with another recruit, staring at the woman in curiosity, “my boyfriend just got a call last night that he was accepted in this year’s batch. Do you have his name?” 

“Yes, three more recruits were added,” you chirp, as if you totally did not hear that bit of information five minutes ago, “What’s his name—Jungkook?” 

The both of you blink at each other. One hand on Tzuyu’s shoulder, eyes wide and mirroring yours. Your heart falls straight to your stomach, wanting to be eaten by acids and bacteria so you can stop any possibility of feeling any lingering affection for the boy you fooled around with in undergrad. Everything about him screams professional. He’s clean cut, a pinstripe black suit you never thought he’d own, and his hair is neatly trimmed and pulled behind his ears. His shoulders look tall and broad under the slight padding, his biceps comfortably stretching against the dark fabric. The golden complexion remains the same however, from the honest brown eyes to the coral pink lips that would always smile at you. 

“Oh, so you do have his name!” Tzuyu clasps her hands together, delighted. He has a girlfriend, too. It’s then you realize you’ll be stuck with not just him, but her for the week. “You guys are so efficient. C’mon Kookie, let’s find some seats!” 

“I still gotta get my nametag,” he replies goodnaturedly, gesturing to you, “save us some seats in the front?” 

Tzuyu thinks nothing of it, squeezing his bicep before skipping off to the front row. Your eyes linger on her form, and it’s only then you realize how tall and intimidatingly pretty she looks in that plaid teddy bear brown skirt suit. You did not look that good when you were a budding undergrad. 

By this time, Krystal has taken all your other recruits from your line, regarding you with a raised brow. She’s fast with her attendance, so you know you don’t have much time. 

“I applied last minute,” Jungkook says, scratching his head, “was running out of options before graduation. I didn’t know you’d be one of my recruiters, though. Lucky me.” 

Jungkook and you never ended up keeping in contact, at least as of recent. A check-in message a few months in, a happy birthday or holiday greeting late at night. But two years later and those messages are automatic, with no feeling or personality. You never thought you’d see him again, no less in the city. 

“You just graduated with your masters, congrats,” you smile at Jungkook, although you’re sure the feigned emotion fails to reach your eyes, “IT Management, right?” 

“You remembered,” Jungkook brightens, reaching over to squeeze your shoulder, “you look good.” 

“Oh please—”  you laugh to yourself, shaking your head, “I just got off a flight and I ran over in a two-day old suit, I don’t even have makeup on,” you didn’t feel this way in the morning, you just rushed to do the bare minimum to be enough and ran over to the convention hall. But now in the presence of Jungkook who looks so handsome and clean-cut, you can’t help but feel a little slighted at the sudden reunion. 

“You’re always beautiful,” Jungkook exhales, and you clutch your clipboard closer to your chest. 

You cough, an excuse for him to stop touching your shoulder, “You should go inside, it’s gonna start soon. We can catch up later.”

“Wait—” you make a scrunched up face that Jungkook can’t catch, but right in Krystal’s view. You can tell she’s laughing at you internally with her devious grin. “I just wanted to say, Tzuyu isn’t my girlfriend. We’re just…” 

“Fooling around?” you didn’t mean for it to sound so sharp, but you wanted this conversation over. You have a job to do and Jungkook is your emotional barrier. 

You and Jungkook used to fool around. 

Jungkook winces, looking younger in his monkey suit. “I mean if you give me a chance to explain later—”  

“Nametag, let’s go newbie.” Krystal slaps on the sticker herself, a little too hard if she asked. She doesn’t even bother to write his full name, just a bright green Jeon JK, IT Management tacked on his breast pocket, clashing with the gold pocket square. 

“Sorry,” Jungkook tucks his tail in for now, bowing at you and Krystal as he scurries inside. 

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in. Krystal doesn’t bother to comfort you or ask what’s up—not that you want her to, even though you do want a breather before you have to go up on that stage and explain the itinerary for a week. The only thing you can do is smooth out your skirt, brush away the flyaways on your hairstyle and plaster a company-paid smile on your face.

The autopilot switch is on throughout the rest of the morning. Not just because Jungkook’s around, but the new position has got you on livewire. You’re glad that you’re not wearing base makeup because you are absolutely melting with all the high beam lights all up in your face as you talk through the week’s activities. 

You could swear Jungkook clapped a little harder than most once you stopped talking, but maybe it’s because you’re not used to seeing Jungkook in the very front of a lecture. In fact, he was a very hard middle person, preferring not to show off his intelligence and let other people lead the discussion. Then again, it’s been two years, you don’t know how much he’s changed. 

Jessica caps off the seminar with a great kick-off, the happy hour. The recruitment team picks a four star restaurant under their hotel so the recruits can enjoy themselves before going off to the training facility for a week. 

And by training facility, you also mean yet another four-star hotel. You knew you made the right decision by joining this company because the benefits are impeccable, and value personal enjoyment just as much as they value work ethic. In the morning you and the recruits will be driving uptown to a private resort where there would be classes in the morning, and recoup in the evening. You’re very much looking forward to the infinity pool on the roof. 

The recruits are ushered out as soon as you’re done, and that’s when you step out of the shadows to clean up the chairs and the brochures left behind. Thankfully Jungkook is probably following the norm and going back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. Once the room is completely empty, you rip off your blazer and let yourself relax. 

It’s going to be a long week. 

Jeon: where u @?

You: hotel room

Jeon: why? Thought we were all gonna have dinner together

You: nahhh, this night is for the recruits! You’ll be tired of our faces by the end of the week, enjoy it while you can 😉  have a good night

You sigh in contentment, relaxing further into the silk sheets. You just finished your skincare routine, letting some mindless drama play as the essences and serums sink into your skin. All you want is one Jungkook-free night. Tomorrow you’ll be stuck training him and Tzuyu for the week and you want to take tonight to emotionally prepare yourself. 

Your phone rings once more. 

Big Baddie Jessica Jung: krystal and i ordered takeout in the restaurant downstairs. Can u bring it to our  room? Plsssssss 

Little Baddie Krystal Jung: it’ll be faster if you do it, we even got u a lil somethin🍰🍰🍰

Taking in your outfit, you grimace. You’re dressed for bed, a large nightie with your hair pulled back and a little pink bunny tie headband on top. Can’t they get room service to send it up? You admire your boss but you don’t understand why she needs to display her power over and over, she already knows you’ll follow her to the ends of the earth. 

Quickly slipping into a pair of sneakers you run down the expanse of the hotel. It’s easy to spot where the recruits are, livin’ it up in the large restaurant that takes up half the space of the ground floor. Most of them are pretty drunk, hoping to sleep off the hangover on the four-hour bus ride. You have absolutely no judgement, two years ago you were in the same position. 

Thankfully you don’t have to go far into the restaurant, as the hostess immediately knows Jessica’s order. While you wait for her to go into the kitchen and get it you drum your fingers against the counter, hoping no one notices you. It’s akin to when you’re a teacher in a mall, hoping none of your students gawk at you in the middle of Victoria’s Secret. 

“Ah, well Jungkook and I aren’t official yet—but very soon.” 

Your ears perk up at the sweet voice. Tzuyu is leaning across the open bar next to the counter, sipping on a mango mojito. She’s dumped the blazer for the night, showing off her soft skin and slender arms with a sleeveless cream blouse. 

“Then where is he?” another recruiter asks, gesturing to the expanse of the lobby. 

“He’s not much of a party person,” Tzuyu shrugs, tipping back her drink. 

You scoff, plastering on a smile to the hostess as you grab your bags and walk as fast as you can out of the lobby. You’ve never felt more like an old hag until now. Sure, most of the recruits are younger than you, but seeing Tzuyu talk so freely about her relationship with Jungkook has you in a bit of a spiral. The day of graduation, you told Jungkook not to wait for you. Heck, you’re only interested in the idea of what you could’ve had with Jungkook. 

These thoughts only cloud you further as you jab the elevator buttons all the way up to the suites where you and the Jungs reside. You relax a little when you see a strawberry cheesecake sitting prettily on the top of their order, your name written on the label with a little heart. Hanging their bag on the door handle of their room, you make your way back to your suite. 

You freeze when you see a floppy-haired Jungkook roaming the hallway, looking like a clueless child hobbling around in slippers and wide eyes at any sparkly item that decorates the area. It doesn’t even look like he tried attending the happy hour tonight, dressed in an impossibly big heather grey sweatsuit that swallows his form. 

“Are you lost?” you ask tentatively, as if you’re talking to a toddler lost at the mall. 

Jungkook relaxes considerably at the sound of your voice, and he replies, “Was tryna find your room since you didn’t reply to my texts.”

“So… you decided to check all the rooms?” 

“Yep,” he pops the p with a smack of his lips, “I figured the recruiters would be far away from the party so I started at the top. Thankfully I got to Jessica’s room first. Didn’t have to knock on too many doors. Only one old man got annoyed at me.” 

“You’re crazy,” you chuckle, slipping in your keycard to let Jungkook in. 

“Fuck, this room all to yourself?” 

Jungkook doesn’t hesitate to kick his slides to a corner of the wall, flopping atop your bed and clutching your baby blue koala plush in his arms. The king sized bed is enough for his legs to stretch comfortably without falling off the edge, and he eagerly pads his feet against the soft fabric. 

It warms you to think that Jungkook is comfy enough to lay on your bed and hug your stuffed animals, a semblance of friends that you’ve missed for such a long time. Last year the team you worked for was great, you loved the people and even now you consider some of them friends. This year the team is a little smaller, and since your two other co-workers are sisters, it’s a little harder to nudge yourself in the direction of friendship. 

As soon as you sit down against the headboard, Jungkook’s eyes soften. Everything feels so different and the same. The threadbare pajamas that either of you haven’t had the heart to throw away since they’re so damn comfy, yet  your bodies are a little more worn and your eyes a little more droopier than usual. 

“So,” Jungkook bites his lip, not in the sexy way, but the nervous way, “about Tzuyu—”

“Jungkook, you don’t have to explain yourself,” you slump on your corner of the bed, regarding Jungkook with guilty eyes. “I really shouldn’t be feeling the way I’m feeling. It isn’t fair and I don’t want to jeopardize your internship.”

“And… what are you feeling?” 

“Dumb things.” 

“Your feelings aren’t dumb.”

“This time they are.”

“I’ve always shared my feelings, it’s unfair that you never want to share yours,” Jungkook sits up, criss-cross applesauce, pensive. “Maybe it’s my fault for not making you feel comfortable enough to share, but I feel like the reason why we never worked out was because we never tried hard enough to have a proper conversation.” 

How could you have missed all the indicators, all the good words, all the kindness Jungkook has given you that last semester? “You’re absolutely right,” you let your insecurities, your apprehensiveness, get in the way. You think in two years you’d do better to eradicate this kind of behavior, but lately you haven’t had many friends to express your feelings to. “Tell you what, I’ll work harder to express how I feel. No exchanges, no nothings. I owe you this.” 

“You owe me nothing,” Jungkook smiles, “I just think it would be nice to y’know, talk. As friends.” 

“Right, friends.”

“So, will you hear me out about Tzuyu?” 

“Let me open my cake,” you pull out your bag with the cheesecake, which thankfully has two spoons, “it seems like we’ll be having that kind of conversation.” 

Everyone is more amicable because of food. According to Jungkook, Tzuyu has a hardcore, ten-year plan for her twenties. After a couple of dates with Jungkook, Tzuyu whips him into the plan. Mentions that she’s well-bred and has a family reputation to uphold. Says IT Management is something completely desirable in a partner, that he’s sensible and wonderful and would like to be committed full-time. 

“And she talked to her parents about me and said that I’m a good prospect for marriage. Like I’m another pillar in her plan!” Jungkook cries, taking a monstrously sized bite of your cheesecake, wallowing away.

This is akin to sleepovers you’ve always wanted to have in high school, down to the food gorging. You can’t help but be fascinated, “So are you wrapped up in an engagement? Is this a scary rendition of Crazy Rich Asians?” 

“You just can’t turn a one-eighty like that on a fifth date,” Jungkook shakes his head, reeling at the emotional whiplash, “she’s really nice. Really organized, really perfect. It really intimidates me.”

“Is she what you reaaaally want?” you can’t help but ask, rolling your eyes at the excessive use of the word, and tamp down the pain in your stomach by eating a forkful of creamy cheesecake. 

“I don’t know!” Jungkook replies exasperatedly, “Obviously I’m worried since she wants to put a ring on it. I told her she needs to back off. Right after the seminar I said she had no right telling other people we’re boyfriend and girlfriend. She didn’t say much, just frowned and walked away.” 

You roll your eyes, scraping the leftover graham cracker crust from the edge of the plastic plate. “According to her, I heard you two are planning to make it official very soon.” 

His eyes widen, “I really bring girl trouble wherever I go, don’t I?” 

“Since I’ve known you,” you half-joke, putting away the plastic cutlery on the nightstand. 

You two sit in silence for a few moments, letting the television fill the room with mindless static about some sappy Hallmark movie. Tentatively, you land a hand on Jungkook’s knee. He looks down at your tiny fingers, giving his skin an experimental squeeze of comfort. 

“I don’t want her,” he finally says. 

“Okay,” you reply, “you won’t even have to talk to her if you don’t want to. I can arrange the groups this week so you don’t have to be around—”

“Give me one week,” his eyes flash to yours, dark and sharp.

“Jungkook. You have your determined face on,” it makes you sweat.  

“Because I’m determined to win you over, once and for all,” you eyes widen, and Jungkook visibly freezes, “was that too much? I’m kind of on an emotional high today. I didn’t expect to see you today and it kind of threw me into a loop. I thought I might be running into you once I started my internship but I didn’t think you’d be my recruiter. And then you went on that stage all bad-ass talking about work and you looked so gorgeous in your suit and I was so proud knowing you made it and IrealizedhowmuchImissedyou—” 

“Jungkook, slower,” you’re feeling a little woozy as well, equally overwhelmed. “You’re just saying this because you didn’t expect to see me—” 

“You’re deflecting, again.” 

“I’m scared, okay?” you blurt, throwing your hands in the air. “You’re right, this is all so sudden. So can’t we just start being friends and see if it takes us somewhere? You don’t have to win me over, just support me like I’ll support you.” 

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook moves up the bed, so he’s leaning against the headboard as well. His long legs stretch farther than yours, and it feels oddly domestic as you talk it out and stare at the television screen. “I’m just, worried I’m running out of time.” 

“I'm not going anywhere this time.” 

“I know,” Jungkook shakes his head, ridding himself of his torrid thoughts. Conceding, he gestures to the television, pulling out the remote under your pillow, “wanna watch television, or catch up?” 

You last about an hour until you knock out. However, Jungkook keeps you entertained up until that moment, as you exchange your lives and stresses. Everything meshes together, you’re not sure if it’s the charm that comes with late night talks, but you feel like you can talk to Jungkook about anything if given the time. You melt when he strokes your hair till the last minute, wishing you a goodnight and a promise of more. 

“Okay, I’ve gone over most of the work ethics in the manual,” you smile nervously when you see your glazed over recruits, nearly falling off their chairs. Even Krystal is bored out of her mind, discreetly playing with her phone in the back under her manual. Of course you’d get stuck with teaching the boring classes. “Any last minute questions before we head off for dinner?” 

Tzuyu shoots her hand up, “Are romantic relationships allowed in the workplace?” 

Jungkook promptly chokes on his water bottle. He looks up at you, panicked. Ignoring his terror, you paint on a thin smile towards the young woman, “Like I mentioned earlier, romantic relationships between employees are not frowned upon, so long as you’re not working under or over someone in the same department.” 

“Right, just wanted to make sure,” Tzuyu is all chipper smiles as she thanks you.  

If you were still twenty-one, you’d gag at the pointed look she sends Jungkook. They’re sitting diagonal from each other, and Jungkook makes a point to pretend to be interested in your lecture until the very end. 

You’re halfway done with recruitment week, and while you’re not shocked at how fast the week has gone by, you’re fairly disappointed that Jungkook and you haven’t had time to meet up in private. So far it’s been easy enough to keep your friendship (and past sexual relationship) a secret, but something dark and eager tells you how much you want more. The recruiters are eager to leave, all twenty-three of them grouping off and talking about what they want to eat for dinner. Everyone except a certain dark-haired fellow, who’s hair is currently bouncing off it’s styled coiff, wanting to return to it’s normal non-gelled self. 

“Kookie,” you raise a brow at the interaction, Tzuyu leaning over her chair to Jungkook’s, “wanna get dinner tonight?” 

Jungkook’s taking an excruciatingly long time to pack his things, raising a brow at her, “I’ve told you already, I don’t want to be involved in whatever plans you have.” 

“Oh-kay,” Tzuyu rocks back and forth on her oxford heels, pursing her magenta pink lips, “then why don’t we at least walk back to the hotel together? I really want to talk about some things that might change your mind.”

“Nothing will change my mind,” Jungkook’s determined face has been staying strong for the week, from the way he makes sure he’s first in your class to the simple “good morning” and “good night” texts you exchange. “Besides, I have a date tonight. And I really want to talk to the recruiters about a personal work matter, so can you please leave?”  

You try not to snort at how blatant Jungkook was being. You pretend to organize your folders, throwing whatever random notes you have in your bag for later. 

“A date,” she twitches,  “with who?” 

“Someone that doesn’t treat me like a stepping stone in her career path,” Jungkook deadpans, and that’s all it takes for Tzuyu to huff and walk away from the hall. 

You think Tzuyu is like a bug, relatively harmless, but someone who gets on your nerves. 

“A date, huh?” Krystal quotes, finally looking up from her phone. Her sharp, cat-eyes linger at the door, wondering if Tzuyu is going to pop out and try to drag Jungkook by the reins. Finally, she plants her stare between you and Jungkook. “So, you two fucking?” 

“Former fucking,” Jungkook supplies helpfully, and you jump off your podium to elbow him in the ribs, “ow—what?” 

“You just don’t tell Krystal we’re fucking!” 

“Former fucking,” he chastises, but the eyes he sends you are a little sultry, and you wonder if he’s thinking of fucking in the future. You reel yourself back, focusing on the third party.

But you anticipate that Krystal couldn’t care less, and you’re grateful for that. While a smaller work team means a smaller possibility of close work relationships, you do like the drama-free environment. “Like you said,” Krystal shrugs, slinging her briefcase over her shoulder, “romantic relationships in the workplace are not frowned upon.” 

You wring your hands between your bag when Krystal finally makes her getaway, and you look up at Jungkook. “So,” you smile wryly, “you have a date tonight, huh?” 

“With a pretty working woman,” he sighs dramatically, putting a hand over his chest, “that is, if she’ll have me.” 

“Consider yourself taken.”  

Jungkook and you sneak away to your suite once again. To your surprise, the suite is decorated in rose petals and a bottle of champagne sits in an ice bath on your bedside. A large pizza pie sits beautifully on your coffee table, and the television is playing lo-fi hip-hop. 

You feed Jungkook champagne-dipped strawberries as you gorge on the joy that is baked bread and cheese. 

And when he kisses you, it’s slow and sweet, like you have all the time in the world. 

It’s the last day of recruitment week, and all classes ended at noon so the interns can use all the resort’s amenities to the fullest. Many of the interns, including yourself, Jessica and Krystal, are on the rooftop celebrating a successful workweek. Staff and interns alike are buzzing around, eager to top off their weekend with some relaxation and sun. 

Jungkook is with his new team, conversing with other IT employees. You try not to stare too hard at your reignited flame, tipping back a cutely decorated glass of fruit. His arms ripple as he tips back the liquid. He’s wearing a tank top and you could swear his biceps have gotten meatier. Unfortunately you hold yourself back, after all the internship isn’t quite over and you still are a professional. 

At the end of the weekend you really have nothing to worry about, you know that. 

But Tzuyu? She irritating. 

“I just don’t understand,” Tzuyu suspects nothing of your budding relationship with Jungkook. You’re thankful for that because towards the end of the week, it was getting harder and harder to be subtle when you two send each other heart eyes from three meters away. 

Tzuyu sounds like she’s talking to herself, the way she stares into the infinity pool, despite the fact that her friends are surrounding her with rapt attention. You’re a cabana away from her, sipping languidly at your drink while Jessica and Krystal nap next to you. Even though you can’t see Tzuyu, you can practically feel her pout emanating through the fabric that separates you two. Despite the fact that she’s been offered a great intern position given her degree and experience, she’s still upset. For her, is that not the most important part of this whole week? 

“Jungkook’s really not that great if he’s going to turn me down like that,” Tzuyu seethes. You should write up her nonsense in a book and publish it, really. “Why waste time when he has the whole package right in front of him?” 

It’s then you realize why you’ve been so torn, so strung up and wound tight all these years. Just like college, all shy and hesitant to take a step forward while Jungkook was ten steps ahead, you were worried. You let other people’s thoughts stop you from making the leap, girls like Tzuyu that never meant to intimidate you, but you let their presence get up in your head and control the nonexistent hierarchy. 

But two years later, and that doesn’t matter. It never mattered. Jungkook is no longer the all-star lacrosse player, but what remains is his heart, full and willing. 

Everything Tzuyu just said was… wrong. Irrevocably, inexplicably messed up. But the idea of “wasting time” does strike a chord within you. Are you wasting time? At this point, your feelings of each other are pretty clear. What are you two waiting for, again? 

You thought Krystal was sleeping, considering her sunhat sitting atop her face, but once she hears you packing away your bag she whistles, “Go get ‘em, tiger.” 

Sending a quick text to Jungkook, you make a beeline for your destination. You don’t even bother looking for him in the crowd. 

You: meet me by the elevator at the very end of the lobby. 

Not a minute passes by when Jungkook joins you at said elevator. He has two glasses of champagne in his hands, and offers one to you, “tired of the party?” he asks.  

You clink drinks, easily tipping yours back. “It’s not our thing,” you declare with a small smile. Jungkook's eyes soften, glancing back and forth between your face and the soft pleats of your marigold sundress. His hair is pushed back, sticky from sweat and chlorine, dark bangs hanging over the shaved sides of his head. You turn your head slightly as you wait for the elevator, biting your lip as you're sorely reminded of how sexy Jungkook looked at the dive pool half an hour ago. 

The elevator dings, and it’s wide enough for you to slip in at the same time. You put your champagne glass in the corner of the elevator for now, hoping you don’t accidentally step on it. In closed quarters, you can smell the slight tang of chlorine coming from Jungkook, combined with his own brand of musk. 

Jungkook looks younger tonight, happier. Having just finished graduate school and working towards a full-time gig, another chapter in his life has started. His hair is no longer in that tight-whipped coiff he struggled all week to maintain, loosened in its natural wave due to the pool water and heat. His cheeks are a little ruddied and plump, a sign he’s been enjoying the food this week. 

The door barely closes when you get it out, pulling at his hand to face you.

“Jungkook, I like you,” you blurt, and his eyes bug out considerably. Out of reflex, his hand sharply squeezes yours. “You don’t have to say anything, because you’ve been saying everything for the majority of our relationship. I really like you, I really liked you back then too. You’re still so sweet, and loving, and smart and I’ve just been too dumb and insecure to—” 

Jungkook seals your confession away with a desperate kiss, and you turn into a pile of mush at the contact. Relief seeps into your bones, sings into your system. When he pulls away, he looks serious. He doesn’t let you get far, and clutches your face between his two hands so you can’t turn your head. Your soft cheeks fill between his fingers, warm and cradled. 

“Never call yourself that,” Jungkook exhales, regarding you with firm eyes, “you’re beautiful, and intelligent, and the person I want.” 

“I don’t wanna take it slow anymore,” you mumble against his lips, leaning in so that you can barely nip at the pink skin. “Want you now, need you now.” 

“You have me now,” Jungkook agrees, and as soon as the elevator dings open to your floor, he scoops you up into his arms. 

By all means it’s not graceful, he’s clutching you like a baby with his hands over your butt as he jiggles you all the way to your front door. Clinging onto him like a koala, you press kisses to his cheeks as he leads you to your room. You laugh and giggle like teenagers, as he fumbles between your breast to grab the card key that’s nestled between your bra. It’s warm in his hand as he swipes it through the reader, pushing you inside. 

“Is it bad that I’m kinda turned on by the fact you got my key out of my boob?” you joke, although the contact of his rough fingers against your breast is a feeling well missed. 

“Is it bad that I’m always turned on when you lecture in seminars?” Jungkook retorts, kicking the door closed with his slipper-clad foot as he walks you to the bed. “Fuck, I can hear you talk about insurance benefits all day.” 

“Didn’t know my sex appeal extended that way—oh fuck—” 

Your vibrant marigold sundresses provides easy access to Jungkook as he throws you onto the mattress, your skirt billowing over your waist as he makes quick work to expose more of your skin. 

“No more talking, more loving,” he’s crazed, doesn’t hesitate to move your bikini bottoms to the side as he rubs lovingly at your long-lost bud, “need to fuck you, now. It’s been so fucking long.” 

“Kook,” his breath is warm against your already sopping cunt, and you lift your hand to run through the strands of his messy hair. It only takes one firm tug and you’re able to pull him up by the root of his hair, cranberry juice tinted lips with a faint sheen because he couldn’t help himself to have a little taste of you. “Baby, let me touch you. Let me show you how much I want you," you coo with a pout, hands trailing over the drawstrings of his trunks.

You can see how much Jungkook wants to say yes. His eyes glow with the possibility, bright and wanting in the afternoon sunlight. The image of him shoving his cock deep into your throat, so far that you can taste it in every crevice of your mouth. Your nails gripping into his ass as you go deeper, tears pricking your eyes as cum seeps out of your pretty lips. 

But he firmly shakes his head, fingers doing the devil’s work as he eases a digit in you. A little noise of protest bubbles in your throat, but it soon dies out as soon as he finds the right spot to reduce you to mush. 

“Next time,” he exhales against the juncture between your thigh and pelvis, picking up the pace and adding another finger, “if you touch me, I’ll cum right then n’there. This is enough for me, you’re enough.” 

So you let him have what he wants. You’ll make it up to him in the morning, and the day after, and the day after. You shed your clothes, the sundress extra forgiving as it slides off your body, revealing a swimsuit that hasn’t even touched the pool. You feel a little self-conscious as he drinks you in after so long, but he quickly shucks off his clothes to match your state of nakedness. 

You remember how you tiptoed around your first night with Jungkook, taking great care to make sure it was fleeting, how dark the room was as you let your pleasure take over your senses. Two years later and the sun is setting, gold bleeding through your sheets and illuminating the room. There's no need to hide.

“I must say, we’ve both kept it tight,” Jungkook teases with a wink, squeezing your hips so he can change positions. 

You silently agree, your fingers slipping across the washboard of his waist. 

“Mm, and still so fuckin’ cute,” Jungkook marvels as he pulls you up on his lap. Your whole body is flushed with want, one hand squeezing your breasts while the other plays with the curls of hair that lead to your sopping wetness. You glide your core over Jungkook’s stomach, sighing as you take note of the abs that clench under your heat and his hot member that rubs between your ass. 

It’s a tight fit when you finally sink down on him, but the burn only fuels your desire as he stretches you wide. His grip is helpful as he guides you through the motions. It’s been awhile since you’ve been this physical with someone, and it’s almost comical when you both sigh in contentment at the contact. 

“I’ve missed this,” you mumble, biting into his shoulder as he thrusts up. 

“Mm, it feels different, right?” Jungkook hums, keeping a slow pace. The drag is wonderful, and you know that he’s trying to prolong the moment. He reaches for your head, presses his forehead to yours as he speaks, “you’re mine now, right? For real.” 

“I’m all yours, Jungkook,” you press kisses everywhere. No need to hide anymore. You bleed love into every kiss, to his jawline, the little freckles across his chin, his lips. “This is romantic and all, but I really want you to dick me down. Which is why you need to go a little faster, you sap.” 

Jungkook scoffs, “A pillow princess is what you are.” 

He stops moving, and you two sink further into the mattress without its springs bringing you back up. The both of you are acutely aware of how wet you both are, your combined arousals seeping between your seams and dripping onto Jungkook’s thighs. But the young man simply relaxes against the headboard, baiting you. 

“Kook,” you whine, clenching against his member. Your hot walls have a mind of their own, unable to stifle their desire. Sweat lines Jungkook’s brow as he tries his hardest not to move, just simply be. 

“Tell me how much you want me, princess,” the pet name has you clenching harder, and you pout. 

“Baby,” you whine, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. There’s no one in the room, and you’re sure no one is on this floor because everyone’s on the rooftop, but the words you’re about to say are for Jungkook and Jungkook only, “please, I want you to pound me into this mattress until I can’t walk anymore. I want to cry out your name so everyone can hear I’m yours. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” you nip at his lobe, and let your thumb nick at the simple silver rings that adorn his ear. You hear a click of his teeth, indicating the clench of his jaw as his muscles flex around your body, "I want you to fill me with your cum until I’m eating it, and—and—oh Kook!” 

Your words aren’t enough to distract you from his large dick sitting prettily between your folds, and you’re suddenly cumming, all by the mere thought of what’s to happen. You’re shuddering in his arms, and Jungkook soothes you by running his fingers over the spine of your back, distracting you from the utter mess you’re making on the sheets. 

“Such a good girl,” Jungkook coddles you, stroking your hair, “can my good girl take it?” 

“Y-yes, Kook,” you nod eagerly, fighting the overstimulation as he nudges you off his lap. You’re pliable, as Jungkook sets up the pillows for you to rest comfortably as you get on your elbows and knees, “your good girl.” 

You shudder as your bare pussy starts to feel cold, immediately missing the warmth Jungkook can provide. You can practically feel his hot gaze burning in your back, his large palm squeezing your ass as he marvels at how ready and eager you are for him. 

“It’s so easy to slip inside,” Jungkook rubs your nectar across the head of his cock, swirling around your engorged skin as he slips right inside. You both moan at the stretch, “Finally, my adorable baby, you like this? You like getting pounded like the dirty girl you really are?” 

“Mm, yes!” you squeal, clutching onto the feather down pillows for dear life as Jungkook displays his strength, one hand gripping your hips as the other weaves itself into your hair. It’s a delicious mix of pleasure and pain, and the lewd sounds of each other’s juices and his balls against your ass echoing in the room. 

“Y-yeah,” despite his power, his thrusts are sloppy, and you know he’s almost at the edge, “and I like you, so so much. I want to make you cum everyday, make you happy and—mph—” he gives up on talking, focusing entirely on his destination. 

“Cum, baby,” you urge, melting when his one hand comes to thread with your own, “fill me up with you.” 

He flips you on your back, and you finally see how desperate Jungkook is to cum. His eyes are glassy, filled with emotion as he strokes himself to completion. Your hand reaches up to cup his damp face, and that’s when you feel him loosen. Hot, pearly strings cling to your pussy, decorating your skin in his essence. Your fingers immediately reach down to swirl the cum between your folds, and Jungkook groans at the picture, immediately throwing your hands to the side to kiss you senseless. 

There’s so much pouring between the two of you, affection, the feeling of being cherished, so much that you can feel the whole world reducing to the two of you. 

“All mine,” he whispers to himself, as if he still can’t believe it. And then, he puts up a poker face as he leans into you, resting his head gently on your breasts, “I knew I only needed a week.”

You narrow your eyes, flicking lightly at his forehead. You’re sticky, sweaty, and covered in cum and while you’re exhausted, the built in jacuzzi in your washroom looks very enticing right now. “Jungkook, this happened naturally. I said we would try as friends first and we did. We just so happened to escalate pretty fast.” 

“I don’t think it was that fast,” Jungkook nuzzles his face into your skin, “it’s been two years since college. Being popular did do a number on our relationship, but we caught up." 

“You were popular-ish,” you roll your eyes, teasing him. His face falls, and you can’t help yourself. Your hands reach over to cup his cheeks, and you happily squish the supple, pouty flesh. He’s adorable. “Kim Taehyung though? Park Jimin? Absolute heartthrobs I couldn’t stand to be near them—ah!” 

Jungkook seems to read your mind, lifting you bridal style to drag you over to the bathroom where the marble jacuzzi sits tauntingly. The stone is ice cold as he brings you both inside, immediately turning on the nozzles to fill it with steaming hot water. You find the tiny bottle of lavender suds, spilling the soap in an arc. His legs slip over yours, cradling you so that your back is pressed against Jungkook’s chest. 

“Being popular never mattered,” Jungkook shakes his head, pressing a kiss to your jaw, “I realized the only person who I really needed to notice me was you.” 

bonus. 

You wake Jungkook up the next morning with your lips wrapped around his cock, fresh cherry balm rubbing down the thick veins until he's cumming down your throat. 

"Wow," Jungkook whistles, licking his lips at the sight of you sucking the arousal from your thumb. He huffs against the pillow, eyes darting to the open organza window, letting in the early morning light. The rooftop of a multi-star hotel, white Egyptian cotton seats, a full time job on the way and waking up in the most blissful way possible. 

"I have a proposal," you crawl on top of him like a koala, hooking your thighs between his blanket clad body. 

"I do," he replies instantly, looking straight at you with droopy puppy eyes.

"Not that kind," you slap his chest, "where are you living once orientation is over?" 

"Mm, there's a boarding house near a local translation. It's probably an hour commute? Not too bad." 

"So, I just leased a townhouse last month," you bite your lip, tucking your head between his neck to hide your embarrassment, "I was gonna rent out the spare room and put an advert in the paper but…"

"I do."

"I said it isn't a marriage proposal."

"Asking you to live with me is basically a marriage proposal."

"There will be no benefits," you sit up, wagging a finger in his face, "you'll be paying rent and half the utilities. And you will be doing all the laundry." 

"Sure," Jungkook replies loftily, squeezing your ass, "you're benefit enough." 

[eightyonekilograms]

Huh, I finally read Susan Wolf’s moral saints paper, and it was kind of exciting to see that it builds up to a case for a certain kind of intuitionism. I’ve always had a thought in the back of my mind that intuitionism gets kind of a bum rap from doctrinaire utilitarians/Kantians/virtue ethicists/etc., but as a STEM-lord with no formal philosophical training, I was never sure how to put this into words without getting torn apart by people more qualified. But the point (if I have understood Wolf correctly) of “any normative ethical system says ‘doing X is good, more of X is better, therefore you should always seek to maximize X’, and yet taking X to the maximal limit always seems to produce unsatisfying humans and unsatisfying outcomes”, and therefore that there has to be some kind of intuitionist metaethics telling us when it’s ok to just chill a little on extracting more utility or obeying the categorical imperative every waking second, is one I didn’t realize I had been looking for. Even though on some level I think we all realize this! Everyone knows it would be freaky and weird to be maximally moral at all times, and so there has to be a tempering metaethical commandment, but every time we start talking about it we push that out of the way and go back to thinking that “more utility or better adherence to the CI is always better”.

[stillness-in-green]

Ahistorical, Absurd, and Unsustainable (Part Three)

An Examination of the Mass Arrest of the Paranormal Liberation Front

Introduction and Part One Part Two

PART THREE: Ethical Problems

Law Enforcement Conduct

The first thing that jumps out—the thing everyone talks about first and foremost about the raid—was Hawks’ murder of Twice. Murder is a controversial word in this context, I know, but I stand by it: regardless of his guilt or his intent, Bubaigawara Jin was a fleeing man who Hawks made a cold, rational decision to quite literally stab in the back. In that moment, Hawks appointed himself as an executioner of the state and murdered a man without due process—no trial, no judge, no nothing. It was an extrajudicial killing,[26] and while I know many people in the U.S. have gotten kind of jaded about that sort of thing, let me assure you that police brutality is still police brutality even when it’s being exercised against people who have committed crimes.

To illustrate this, allow me to share a few more excerpts from the Penal Code:

Assault and Cruelty by Specialized Public Employees: When a person performing or assisting in judicial, prosecutorial or police duties commits, in the performance of their duties, an act of assault or physical or mental cruelty upon the accused, suspect or any other person, imprisonment or imprisonment without work for not more than 7 years is imposed.

Abuse of Authority Causing Death or Injury by Specialized Public Employees: A person who commits a crime prescribed under the preceding Article and thereby causes the death or injury of another person is dealt with by the punishment for the crimes of injury or the punishment prescribed in the preceding Article, whichever is severer.

The punishments for Criminal Injury are imprisonment for not more than fifteen years or a fine of not more than 500,000 yen or, if the injury results in death, imprisonment for not less than three years. That’s really what Hawks ought to be looking at for Twice's murder, save that apparently heroes just aren't liable for this stuff, otherwise they'd be up against it all the time in the course of “fighting villains.” Certainly, Hawks doesn’t seem to have faced any repercussions thus far, beyond having to apologize in a press conference.

Now, again, many American readers of My Hero Academia are deeply embedded in a culture that normalizes police violence, and so there is a lot of callous handwaving about how Hawks did the right thing because Jin was a significant threat. In response to such dismissal, let me provide a few more numbers:

In the U.S. in 2019, law enforcement killed over a thousand people.

In the same year in Japan, law enforcement killed two. Two people.

In the U.S., a major factor in how police keep skating on these deaths is the legal doctrine of qualified immunity, which is nominally intended to protect officers from frivolous lawsuits in cases where they’re ruled to be acting in “good faith,” a vague ruling which has made successful prosecution of police brutality and negligence all but impossible.

Japan, and I cannot stress this enough, does not have this doctrine. The significance of law enforcement taking a life is not so casually brushed aside in other places in the world, so please don’t try to tell me that Horikoshi was trying to get across the idea that Hawks did the right thing, easy as that. The critical depiction of heroes and Hero Society dehumanizing their enemies is all over the manga.

When the Tartarus guards discuss what the government is doing about Gigantomachia, one of them complains that the higher-ups can’t use missiles—missiles!—on him because he’s quote-unquote-human.[27] During their battle at Kamino, All Might tells All For One that this time, he’s going to put him in a prison cell—he characterizes his attempt to kill All For One six years ago as a mistake. Even in the spin-off manga, Vigilantes, designated police representative Tsukauchi[28] looks absolutely aghast at Endeavor’s willingness to use lethal force against Pop Step, an innocent-until-proven-guilty minor, even though, at that time, they have all the evidence in the world that she is actively engaged in setting off bombs in populated areas.

Most prominent is the series’ treatment of the High End Noumu. The heroes rationalize them as corpses, monsters, inhuman, all in order to kill them guilt-free,[29] and this rationalization spills over to Shigaraki during the War Arc, as the chasm of understanding between heroes and villains reaches its most stark. Yet, that same arc was proceeded by the reveal of the truth about Kurogiri, which had Tsukauchi directly acknowledge that they may have misunderstood the Noumu as the series dangled the possibility that Kurogiri possesses lingering awareness from Shirakumo Oboro. Earlier, we had Ending, a man who wanted Endeavor to kill him and thought Endeavor would do it specifically because Endeavor killed the High End, and this act set him decisively apart from the non-murdery heroic norm. Even into the War Arc itself, we were getting new information on the Noumu: to wit, we were shown incontrovertible proof—in the form of Woman’s internal monologue in Chapter 268—that the High End Noumu do think.

Even if we assume the government has relaxed its prohibitions about public servants assaulting people in the course of carrying out their duty, it does not follow that Hawks’ extrajudicial execution was totally fine. Heroes are not supposed to kill because police are not supposed to kill, and in Japan, it isn’t assumed that they will the moment they run into resistance.

And look, this is not to say that Japanese police never get away with police brutality. Obviously, the country has its own problems with the issue, typically involving racism and ethnocentrism. But the way that some people in the fandom just brush off Jin’s death does a disservice to the way the series frames Hawks’ actions and what that framing is communicating to a Japanese reader.

Also, even putting aside the matter of his death, openly taunting a mentally ill man about how easy it was to fool him definitely pings me as an act of mental cruelty, though of course there’s no one to sue Hawks over that one, seeing as he murdered the victim and only witness. (Chapter 264)

That all said, there are other issues with the heroes’ actions during the raid. One is called out right in the text: Midnight acknowledges that the use of chemical agents is illegal, but calls upon Momo to engineer knock-out drugs to use against Gigantomachia anyway. Is that an action Momo will face any repercussions for at all? And if not, what does it imply about the setting that she won’t?

Here’s another big one: what’s the legality of heroes using their quirks against civilians? Because that’s what the vast majority of the PLF are, civilians. Oh, they’re suspects, sure, but throughout the manga, “heroes” aren’t set up as people who just fight any and every tiny crime they come across. From the very first chapter, heroes are set up as a specific counter to “evildoers” designated as “villains”—legally defined as people who use their quirks illegally two or more times.[30]

There is a very illuminating scene in the second chapter of Vigilantes in which Aizawa confronts Knuckleduster for his assault of a random businessman and, the moment he realizes Knuckleduster is quirkless, apologizes for the misunderstanding and walks away. If Knuckleduster doesn’t have a quirk, Knuckleduster by definition cannot be a villain, and thus, Aizawa is not authorized to throw down with him.[31] It’s somewhat unclear, not least because a lot of the evidence is in the more-interested-in-systemic-worldbuilding Vigilantes, but there is reason to believe that heroes are not allowed to use their quirks against people who are committing mundane crimes.[32] If anything, I should think that heroes only using their quirks on people who are using their quirks illegally is part of the philosophical scaffolding that gives heroes their moral authority—you see this argument from the first bearer of One For All, who loudly espouses that people not only should not use their quirks selfishly, but that quirks should only be used to help others. This kind of supposed selflessness is what MHA’s current society is built on.

To see the relevance here, consider Trumpet. Oh, he absolutely was using his quirk illegally, but can the system prove that?[33] After all, he only ever used it on allies—do you think they're in a big hurry to snitch on him? Do you think Mr. Compress is going to? And if the police can't prove Trumpet used his quirk illegally, then is he even a capital-V Villain? What about all those other rank and file types? Certainly we saw the ones at the villa fighting back with quirks, but what about those supporters at bases scattered around the country? Did they fight back, and if so, did they do it with quirks? If not, was it legal for them to be targeted by heroes?

More importantly, can they mount an argument on that, be it a legal or a moral one?

The Scope of the Operation

The next big ethical problem actually predates the raid itself, and it’s this: how did the Commission know where to target their raids? How did they obtain that information? Specifically, how many privacy violations were involved? It strains credulity well past my personal breaking point to imagine that Hawks and the Commission were able to get every name, every base of operations, especially given the limitations they were under—the fact that Hawks couldn’t communicate openly, the hard time limit before the PLF put their plan in motion, making sure they didn’t tip off someone in the massive secret organization that had people working in heroics, the government, the infrastructure, etc.—but let’s consider the sorts of avenues the HPSC did have available to them.

So to start with, they send in Hawks, who’s specifically trained to extract information from people without raising suspicion about his motives. Doubtlessly, he’s able to get all sorts of names,[34] starting with the higher-ups—not just Re-Destro and his inner circle, but also any of the advisors that e.g. run businesses that they invite him to patronize, MLA heroes, and so on. And with a decent crop of names in hand—let us assume for the sake of argument that Hawks had some way to communicate those names to his handlers—the HPSC can start doing background checks and digging in.

Where do these people come from? Where were they born, and, if they moved, where did they settle? Where do they work? What are their social pastimes? Trace the commonalities, look into publicly available records, use wiretaps…

Yes, the police in Japan can totally use wiretaps if they suspect organized criminal activity—it was one of the powers expanded significantly under that controversial 2017 law I footnoted earlier. One thing to note is that this does require a warrant, or at least the expectation that a judge will grant a warrant.[35] But how far does that go? Can they get a warrant for financial records? How about phone records? E-mail accounts?

Can they wiretap people for no reason save their association with a name Hawks provided? If a PLF member attends a Jazzercize class on Thursday mornings, does every member of that class start noticing a weird little reverb on their phone calls for a week? Does Re-Destro’s hometown have an influx of people poking around evaluating its potential as a place to live? If Slidin’ Go once snatched your dog out of traffic and you subsequently bought a Slidin’ Go keychain, are you and your family now under investigation?

Getting details on people like the CEO of Detnerat and the head of the Hearts & Minds Party is probably pretty straightforward; heck, investigating Kizuki Chitose’s publication history was probably a goldmine in and of itself. That sort of surveillance gets more complicated and difficult to justify—and to make credible to the reader—the further down the chain of command you go, though. Sooner or later, the HPSC would have had to make a call: knowing that they don’t have the time, freedom, and resources to perfectly get only and exactly everyone that’s a real threat, do they overcompensate or do they undercompensate?

You only have to look at Hero Society to know which answer they were going to go with.[36]

To be fair, undercompensating, while it clearly would have been easier on their strained resources, ran the risk of leaving threats out there to come back to bite them later. They likely thought that they’d done enough undercompensating for Shigaraki Tomura, compounded by the fact that apparently there hadn’t been enough done about Destro’s followers back in the day, either. I mean, better to grab everyone and then let the courts sort it out, right? Rather than risk innocents getting hurt?

Well, let’s talk about innocents. Innocents, and the costs of overcompensating.

Pictured: a man who was in daily close contact with the leader of the movement and who was at one point in time in possession of a copy of the movement's manifesto. (Chapter 218)

The problem with grabbing everyone in a group, even the most obviously PLF-aligned groups, is that there are always going to be both people who don’t seem to know anything because they’re very good at living double lives and aren’t particularly active on the recruitment front, and people who don’t seem to know anything because they legitimately don’t know anything.

The Gunga Villa is straightforward enough—on paper, it was probably reserved for a business retreat for four months, because you certainly wouldn’t want some random newlywed couple booked for a nice mountain honeymoon recognizing Shigaraki Tomura wandering around. Same story for the employees; the MLA wouldn’t have put the League up at the villa if there was a chance that anyone there would rat them out. So I think we can assume relatively fairly that anyone in the building the day of the conference is solidly implicated, whatever their claims might be otherwise.

Of course, plenty might well try to claim that they were just there for the vacation, or just started work last week and had no idea the place was a nest for conspiracy, but that was where Hawks spent most of his time, and most of the people at the villa presumably fought back against the heroes. It might be a complicated process, matching hero eyewitness testimony to every person there, but you can at least sort of see the path to it.

Other groups, however, are a lot less straightforward. Consider the following categories:

The Liberated Districts

As I discussed earlier, Deika was presumably a high watermark on societal saturation, but Deika still only counted 90% of the population as “Liberation Warriors, lying in wait.” That leaves 10% unaccounted for. So who are those 10%? Are they children?[37] Some children too young to know anything about the PLF, and some old enough to know but not yet old enough to be considered warriors for the cause? Are they instead elderly people, maybe remnants from when the MLA first started to infiltrate the town that have just never had enough close family or social life to get pulled into the Liberation Army by the usual vectors?

By far the worst option is if Trumpet’s 90% accounts for anyone even remotely connected to the MLA—that would mean one out of every ten people in Deika is legitimately completely ignorant of what the powers that be had brought in. How on earth are you supposed to tell those people apart from the other 90% when the heroes sweep in and arrest absolutely everyone? Or are we to believe that the HPSC had time to get in an agent to flash a covert L-sign at everyone in town and they only arrested people who visibly acknowledged it?

These problems only get worse for our hypothetical town that’s 70% PLF. That opens you up to far more people who have only recently started getting drawn in. Consider the disaffected twenty-something whose family has no idea what’s been keeping him out so late in the evenings. The young mother who met the nicest and most convincing people via the daycare, but whose husband is always out of town on business trips so she hasn’t had time to introduce him to anyone. The working parents who just joined up and whose kid, away at hero school, doesn’t know anything—yet.[38]

Evaluating these peoples’ social circles and financial history for other PLF attachments is going to turn up a ludicrous number of false positives unless the Commission can narrow down exactly when and where such people crossed paths with the ideology of Liberation. So many people would have been raised to it, people whose entire lives are suspect, but mistaking even one new recruit for a lifelong loyalist gives you exponentially more avenues to baselessly suspect people—and as established, the Commission just doesn’t have the time to be overly discerning.

Detnerat, Shoowaysha, and Feel Good Inc.

This is another line of attack that seems like it should be a bullseye, but is actually quite the opposite. Detnerat is a business that is run by the leader of the entire movement, yet the fact that not everyone who works there is a member of the MLA is one of the very first things we find out about them! Miyashita was something akin to a personal aide or secretary to Rikiya, someone Rikiya liked well enough that he was on the verge of introducing Miyashita to his other friends—and Miyashita didn’t know the first thing about his boss’s true affiliations. It’s patently obvious from that alone that not everyone at Detnerat is PLF, and it's likely that the numbers of the faithful are even thinner at Curious and Skeptic's outfits, where they're high-ranked executives but, crucially, not actually in charge.

This is, of course, complicated further by the fact that people who work at e.g. a publishing house are probably there because they agree with that publishing house’s politics, whether or not they know what’s going on behind the scenes. Ditto with Detnerat—certainly there would be people there who just needed a job and could charm their way through an interview without an inner passion for the work, but loads of people probably work there because they legitimately believe in the company’s ethos. So how do you tell people who have relatively radical personal politics without having any idea about the terrorism apart from the people who are absolutely PLF/ex-MLA but who are now lying about it because their organization's cover is blown and the response to that is, “Well, time to go back underground!”

The Hearts & Minds Party

Membership of this party would seem to be a good indicator, but using it that way too unquestioningly is also very flawed. This is because the HMP particularly is probably an excellent recruitment tool for the MLA/PLF. The note above about having radical political beliefs but still being ignorant about the planned acts of terror is especially true for the HMP. The Commission cannot just pull the voting records and arrest all of them because plenty of them are going to be totally ignorant of what was really going on with the heart of the party, only joining up because they believed in the kinds of things the HMP was platforming on—less repressive quirk use laws, prison reform, very possibly issues like the abolishment of the legal category “villain” or greater social safety nets. Just because someone votes for those things, doesn’t mean they know about or would support the MLA’s violent extremism or the PLF’s anarchic goals.

So at what level of initiation does the Commission call a cut-off? How long does someone have to have been voting straight-ticket HMP for them to be considered condemned by that association?

Over and over again, the question arises: how did the heroes and the police distinguish the initiated from the uninitiated? And given that Japan’s legal system at least nominally requires that guilt be proven, what are they going to do when huge numbers of those people claim innocence?

The Presupposition of Guilt

Let’s take a few minutes to circle back to what I talked about earlier, the presumption of guilt and how it relates to arrests, convictions, and the perception of arrestees in Japan. This is going to swerve hard back towards real-life Japan issues for a bit, but it is exceptionally relevant when examining what’s likely to happen to the people arrested in the raids, innocent and guilty alike, so thanks in advance for bearing with me.

In Japan, the rate of conviction is extraordinarily high—if you’re in anime fandom and active in social justice circles, you may have seen the tumblr posts about the country’s famed 99.9% conviction rate.[39] There are a range of explanations for this. Defenders argue that, compared to police in many other countries, police in Japan are very cautious and don't move to prosecute unless a case is all but airtight; thus, many who are arrested may well be released without charge if there is even the slightest doubt that the case will hold up in court. One can easily see truth to this by looking at the numbers on how many people are arrested in Japan versus how many are actually charged: Wikipedia notes (albeit without citation) that in the U.S., roughly 42% of arrests in felony cases result in prosecution, while in Japan the figure is only 17.5%.

Conversely, critics note that a major feature of convictions in Japan is the confession, and confessions can be coerced, particularly in the sorts of conditions that those imprisoned in pre-trial detention are kept—no legal representation, no contact with their families, loved ones or employers, no requirement that they be informed about what they’re being charged with, potential weeks upon weeks kept in isolation, sessions of questioning that can extend for most of the day.

There have also been cases in which confessions have been found to be falsified, for example by having the suspect sign a paper and then filling in or altering other details after the fact.

There are some other factors about confessions to be aware of here:

In Japan, it is not legally permissible for a suspect to be convicted solely based on their confession. The constitutional provision in this regard is something called himitsu no bakuro, the “revelation of secret.” The revelation of secret is something in the confession that is factually verifiable and which, at the time of the confession, only the suspect could have known. Common examples are things like the location of a previously undiscovered body or the time and location where a weapon used in the crime was purchased. The majority of verdicts that are overturned in Japan are overturned because of issues with a confession.

Sentencing is also very lenient compared to the U.S., particularly if the suspect was cooperative with police and admitted guilt (seen as showing remorse). Thus you wind up with a situation in which suspects believe that they’ll lose a case if they go to trial (because practically everyone does) and prosecutors—rather more aware of the weaknesses in a case than a confused and vulnerable layman—don’t want to bring a shaky case to trial, and thus both parties are invested in whatever will get the suspect out with a minimum of effort. The result of this is a high number of people released on “suspended prosecution,” which is an admission of guilt, but with a prosecutor's decision to show lenience while still establishing precedent for possible later offenses warranting more severe punishment. This is a particularly common result for first-time offenders, especially in non-violent crimes.

Note that suspended prosecution is not at all the same thing as being released for lack of evidence; a suspect is conceding their guilt by accepting the arrangement. However, many suspects who the police might not be confident in convicting are known to sign confessions and accept the arrangement regardless, because, along with fear for their livelihoods, it’s known that judges tend to view extended time in detention as a sign of guilt. Also too, if admitting guilt is seen as showing remorse, then maintaining one’s innocence is often perceived as a lack of remorse—leading to fears that fighting the charges will result not only in defeat, but also in harsher sentencing!

All of these factors combine into a problem with perception of guilt that feeds on itself endlessly at all levels. Let me use a run-on sentence to summarize: the general public views anyone who is even arrested as probably guilty, because the police are seen as generally only moving on those who are guilty, because police specifically only prosecute those who they can all but prove are guilty, but guilt can be “proven” by a sufficiently detailed confession, and while confessions are required to have some corroborating evidence, they can easily be falsified and may well be offered up with minimal resistance because the suspect is also convinced that judges will only be harsher on them if they put up a fight because suspects also believe that they will be convicted at trial because everyone knows the conviction rate is unbelievably high.

Japan likes to think of itself as a “safe” country, which is in large part why its deeply concerning arrest and detainment procedures have held up repeatedly in court. These things help keep people safe, after all, and who wouldn't want people to be safe?

Returning, then, to the matter of My Hero Academia and the Paranormal Liberation Front mass arrest, I don’t think it’s overstating things to claim that the dehumanization of villains and the glamorization of heroes has probably exacerbated these problems.

Cruel punishments are illegal under Article 36 of the Japanese constitution? But what if someone really, really deserves it, though? (Chapter 94)

You can see that willingness to shrug off civil rights violations as long as it means safety in the symbol All Might represents, a hero who is there to beat up baddies, not ask questions about why they're being bad. Ditto Tartarus, where the Bad People get put, regardless of whether their Bad really warrants so awful a punishment or whether the severity of such a punishment serves as an effective deterrent.[40]

As to the presupposition of guilt, if a hero thinks they saw someone Doing A Bad, and confidently testifies to that effect, who’s going to doubt them? It’s blunt to the point of headache-inducing that Midoriya Izuku, the boy who will be the greatest hero, who’s treated by the story as if he’s the first person in history to think about “saving” a “villain,” doesn’t even start to think about such a thing until he literally experiences a psychic impression of a five-year-old crying within the heart of Shigaraki Tomura.

At the press conference in Chapter 306, it’s illustrated numerous times that huge portions of society don’t particularly care about Dabi’s accusations. They don’t ask for Hawks to face justice for the murder he openly admits to committing; they don’t ask for apologies for the heroes’ wrongdoings. They ask for heroes to make them feel safe. Even if it means lying to them; even if it means asking Endeavor to go out there and “take down” his firstborn son. People are uneasy about the accusations, certainly, but what they want is not for heroes to take responsibility for their actions, to atone for them, but rather to deny that there’s any truth to the accusations at all.

This is not a society that, in the wake of Gigantomachia’s rampage, is going to be open to the possibility that some people caught up in the mass arrest are legitimately innocent and that everyone, even villains, deserves to be afforded the full extent of their rights.

The Dissolution of the HMP

Speaking of rights, let’s go over one that we can immediately see has been flagrantly violated in the manga compared to the state of real-life Japanese law—the overnight dissolution of the Hearts & Minds Party.

As discussed earlier, it's unlikely that every member is a dyed-in-the-wool terrorist. There are bound to be perfectly innocent people in the country who just so happen to agree with the HMP’s campaign platforms. Now, all of those people are going to turn on the evening news[41] and be blindsided with the news that their political party has just been dissolved and some enormous percentage of its membership arrested. This was not publicized or forewarned; it just happened, in a matter of hours. Do you think those people—people who are members of a party that specifically opposes the current status quo—are just going to nod and say, “Oh, wow, that sucks, but who am I to question the wisdom of the government and its agents? Time to find a new political party, I guess!” Would you?

I can assure you that you wouldn’t, because let me be clear: under current Japanese law, what we’re told happened to the HMP is unbelievably illegal—not only because they were dissolved at all, but particularly the speed with which that dissolution was carried out.

I mentioned earlier, in the section “Japan and Illegal Organizations,” that there were methods by which organizations can be dissolved. Now I’d like to look at that in more detail.

Any organization that’s been flagged as a potential threat—that “terroristic subversive activity” designation—can come under investigation from the Public Security Intelligence Agency. Their recommendations are then passed up for evaluation by a member of the Public Security Examination Commission,[42] who can pass a variety of prohibitions—the bans I mentioned earlier on printing activities, public assembly, and a few others. These prohibitions are issued in periods lasting up to six months, at which point they are re-evaluated and can be dismissed or renewed.

If the Public Security Examination Commission decides that the comparatively soft-pedal restrictions on freedom of the press or freedom of assembly are not sufficient to deter the organization in question from committing terroristic subversive activity continuously/repeatedly in the future, the Commission can elect to order the organization dissolved. This revokes their rights mentioned above entirely, and further stipulates that they liquidate their assets,[42] and that no member of or representative for the organization can take actions in the organization’s interest (e.g. things like opening bank accounts or buying property). The only exception to the latter restriction is a designated representative for the organization who is granted the right to manage its assets in the process of overseeing the dissolution.

Any of the designations above can be appealed, but dissolution is permanent until specifically overturned.

Now, it might well seem that the HMP could be targeted under the “advocating for subversive terroristic activity” criteria, but here’s the problem with that: that criteria is based on the organization engaging in/advocating for such terroristic subversiveness as an organizational activity—that is, the activity in question is a foundational, core aspect of the organization’s endeavors. And I simply don’t think that’s how the HMP operates. To reiterate, I believe they’re a recruitment tool, meant to siphon people into the MLA (later the PLF) proper, but otherwise a perfectly legitimate political party with real political aims, outreach, goals, and so on.

Of course, I can easily see the anger over all the destruction leading the Ministry of Justice to being heavy-handed in its response to the Paranormal Liberation Front and any organization even suspected of being associated with it, of which the HMP is the most prominent. I could also simply be wrong about what the HMP says at their rallies. Regardless of either of those possibilities, however, there is still the matter of the timetable.

There was a period in Japanese history that organizations—political parties especially—could be dissolved on the spot. The Meiji Constitution granted that right to the Minister of Home Affairs, a Cabinet position appointed by the Emperor, and indeed, any number of socialist, communist, or labor-oriented parties were banned and dissolved within scant months of their establishment for their alleged leftist or subversive leanings.[44] The Farmer-Labor Party of 1925 was dissolved three hours after its establishment! So clearly there’s some precedent—or at least, there was. Like many things, the power to summarily dissolve organizations did not survive the Meiji Constitution’s transformation into its modern-day incarnation after World War II.

The Subversive Activities Prevention Act, the same one that lays out the causes for dissolving an organization, also details a legally mandated process by which this dissolution is carried out. Most prominently, organizations cannot just be dissolved with no notice, no chance to defend themselves. Any disposition curtailing an organization's activities, from the bans on their printed material to complete dissolution, is required to be announced both via the government's official gazette[45] and, if the residence of a chief officer or representative of the organization is known, also via written notification. These notifications must be sent at least seven days before the hearing date—a hearing which, further, the organization has the legal right to send agents to in order to present statements and evidence in their own favor, as well as examine the evidence being presented against them.

This clearly did not happen. Bare minimum, Hanabata Koku, as leader of the Hearts & Minds Party, should have had an address the Commission could get ahold of, especially given all the snooping they so obviously must have been doing to unearth the extent of the PLF’s reach.

It’s instructive, in this regard, to look to history. To wit, I’ve said a lot about how gun-shy Japan is to dissolve organizations outright, thanks to its history of governmental repression—but how true is that really? If the government really wanted to, couldn’t it just decide to crack down on something and ride out the controversy? Has it done as much before?

To put all this into proper perspective: no. It hasn’t. The government has invoked the Subversive Activities Prevention Act against a group rather than individuals only once in all the time since the act was passed in 1952.

It was against Aum Shinrikyo, and it didn’t happen until seven months after the subway attacks. Even with nearly unanimous desire to prosecute, even though Aum had been under police surveillance prior to the attacks, even though lawsuits against them were and had been ongoing, meaning at least some measure of investigation was being done openly, it still took seven months to gather the evidence, submit it to the Public Safety Examination Commission, allow Aum their appeal, and enact the ruling. That’s because, in a society ordered by democratic processes, these things take time.[46]

But the HMP? No one who wasn’t a member knew about their affiliation with the League of Villains—much less an underground army!—until Hawks got the word out, and the Hero Public Safety Commission had to be rigorously careful that news of their investigations not leak because they knew they had their own moles to deal with. So far as we know, the Hearts & Minds Party remained a legit organization right up until the day of the raid. It is functionally impossible under current Japanese law for them to have been dissolved in the scant few hours between the commencement of the raid and the attack on Tartarus in which the two guards mention the dissolution.

Even if the relevant agency in the Ministry of Justice submitted their paperwork the absolute minimum of time in advance, there is no way the HMP and Trumpet—and therefore Re-Destro and the League and everyone else—shouldn’t have known that the government was moving against them. The only answer is that the Ministry of Justice was evading its legal obligation to notify both the public[47] and the HMP itself, or that the Japanese government, in the wake of the Advent of the Exceptional, throttled back on constitutionally guaranteed freedoms exactly the way human rights activists today are always warning about.

Stigma and Recidivism

In the same way that In Custody is not (or shouldn't be) a magic status effect preventing villains from escaping from police, In Jail is not an endgame state. Most people in prison are not there for life (or death) sentences, particularly not in Japan. Even if the majority of the PLF gets stuck in prison for decades, there will, eventually, be an “after” for them. So what happens “after”?

Well, like many countries, Japan has made efforts in the modern day to offer training classes and parole officers to help reacclimate ex-convicts into society once they’ve done their time, but it remains a difficult process, and the country has a relatively high recidivism rate. Given the stigma against criminals—present to a degree in all countries, but particularly exacerbated in Japan—it is frequently difficult for released prisoners to find stable housing or employment—both key factors helping to prevent recidivism.

So does MHA’s Japan have similar programs? Well, it’s hard to say, given that the only prison we’ve actually seen is Tartarus, which is obviously a poor model to base a lot of judgement on—save, of course, that any country that could develop a place like Tartarus is a country with an appalling deficit of care for criminals’ human rights, which doesn’t bode well for their other prisons.

Speaking of things that don’t bode well, though, we have two obvious examples in the canon of how convicted criminals fare: both Gentle Criminal and Twice are, it’s suggested, prosecuted for their foundational fuck-ups—Tobita for obstructing public duties[48] and Jin for his traffic infraction. It’s unclear whether they went to prison or not—given the relative lenience shown to first-time offenders, I’m inclined to think probably not—but even given these very mild offenses, their lives were turned completely upside-down, and no apparent efforts were made to help them through chaotic periods that saw Tobita apparently disowned and Jin losing his job.

Consider the harsh reactions they garnered and the apparent lack of assistance from any social structure despite the relative mildness of their wrongs, and things start to look very bad indeed for the PLF. Will there be any steps taken at all to deradicalize them? Does taking such steps seem likely, given what we've seen of MHA’s legal and carceral systems thus far? Further, if there is no plan for deradicalization, how exactly do the heroes propose to stop this from happening again (and again, and again and again and again)?

Here’s another alarming thought: what will be done with the children? There’s no way around the fact that the MLA, and therefore the PLF, included children[49]—and I don’t mean it in the tumblr sense of describing a sixteen-year-old as “a literal child,” though there would be some of those, too. No, I mean the grade-schoolers, the toddlers, the babies. Maybe some of them will have non-PLF family they could hypothetically go to, but as I have written about in the past, there’s a very real bias about orphans and other children separated from their parents in Japan, and even blood ties are not always enough to overcome that stigma. Alternative care is in a woefully sorry state as it is in Japan, and this would only be compounded for PLF kids—damned first for their criminal associations and again for being the children society doesn’t want.

However many thousands of them that may be.[50]

So here again, a question recurs. Where before it was, “How do you tell the guilty from the innocent?” here it’s, “How do you stop the societal backlash from ruining countless peoples’ lives both now and for decades into the future?” What kind of stigma will all these people—rank and file who come out of prison deradicalized and ready to rejoin society, children who were too young to understand why heroes took their parents away, ignorant family and friends who just lost loved ones to a massive government sweep, innocents swept up in the net and imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit—going to be facing? How long, then, before that stigma sees them radicalized in turn?

You cannot sweep 115,000 people under the rug and not expect there to be a stain—and given the narrative themes of the rest of My Hero Academia thus far, it’s absurd to think that’s even an option.

Next time: how scrapping the ex-MLA portions of the PLF undermines MHA's narrative integrity.

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Footnotes (Part Three)

[26] And in the legal sense, murder in the second degree.

[27] For the monstrous callousness of his comments in that conversation, said guard is immediately murdered by karma All For One. I very much hope we ever get Shishikura’s opinion on this, because I’m pretty sure the guard was his dad.

[28] Who, in Chapter 35 of that series, leads a group of police firing rubber bullets at an active villain, emphasizing that the police are trained in non-lethal tactics, and any escalation from that is not to be taken lightly.

[29] Indeed, you could make a fair argument that that’s exactly why the manga included the Noumu to begin with, though the lower-tier ones wind up captured as often as not.

[30] Vigilantes, Chapter 74.

[31] This sidesteps the matter of “rescue heroes,” those who focus on disaster response and evacuation. Note, however, that this is not a categorization that pits those heroes against non-quirk-abusing civilians. Non-quirk-abusing civilians are criminals for police to deal with, not heroes of any stripe.

[32] This would be in keeping with real-world de-escalation tactics. So for e.g. the purse-snatcher in Chapter 1, where we’re told he didn’t use his quirk until he’d been backed into a corner, I would bet that Kamuy Woods or whoever confronted the thief didn’t start actually using their quirk on the man until he went into giant mode. That is anyway a kinder interpretation than noting that he was a heteromorph and would have been using his quirk automatically just by virtue of existing in public.

[33] After digging him out from under the stairway it had a teenager drop on top of him, I mean. Did he even have much of a chance to use Incite at the villa, do you think?

[34] Though given that literally every member of the MLA we’ve met is addressed solely by their code name, I don’t for a second believe he could have gotten real names out of everyone he talked to.

[35] And judges virtually always grant warrants. It’s that presumption of guilt thing again.

[36] But that panel of the normally taciturn Edgeshot shouting at a bunch of high schoolers not to let a single person escape is pretty damn telling too.

[37] 14% of the Japanese populace is under 14 years old, so that’s not too far off, though I’d be inclined to think, based on everything we know about them, that the MLA was having more kids than Japan at large, not fewer.

[38] This should have been Uraraka, by the way.

[39] An exaggeration, but only by a handful of tenths of a percentage point.

[40] Though until recently, it’s served as a great check on recidivism, clearly.

[41] You know, assuming that they weren't all arrested in the middle of their workday or cleaning house or going to university or what have you.

[42] Both are among the agencies that make up the Ministry of Justice. I’d be willing to bet that, in-universe, the Hero Public Safety Commission is also under the Ministry of Justice umbrella.

[43] The funds are then remitted to the National Treasury.

[44] Though one thing to note for our current context is that, even when those parties were dissolved, it did not automatically follow that any duly elected representatives were expelled from office. Unless there was legal reason to remove them, any elected officials were simply rendered “Independents” rather than being affiliated with a political party. The constitution stipulates that Diet members can only be expelled by a two-thirds majority vote, though in such circumstances, most politicians choose to step down from their positions before it comes to such drastic measures.

[45] A newspaper or other bulletin officially authorized by the government to publish public and legal notices—in Japan these days, it’s an online site/newsletter.

[46] And they’re often still controversial with progressive activists, as the invocation against Aum was even contemporaneously! Incidentally, Aum’s dissolution lasted for a mere two years before the government panel ultimately declined to make it permanent.

[47] And if you don’t think the HMP had someone watching the official Japanese government website, you’re clearly not taking them seriously.

[48] And possibly more besides; the dialogue in question trails off in a way that suggests that the obstruction charge is only the first in a list.

[49] Start at Yotsubashi Rikiya being inducted when he was still in schoolboy shorts and continue right on up through the people we see in school uniforms in various mass battle scenes involving the MLA rank and file.

[50] And it easily could be thousands. If, say, even 10% of the PLF are minors, that’d be well over 10,000 kids, and thus we’re right back to overcrowding problems, except this time they’re about Japan’s child services programs, and the last thing they need is a new group of kids that numbers a full third of the number of children already in their care in real-life Japan. Naturally, the number only climbs if you think Re-Destro wasn’t counting kids in his initial reckoning of the MLA’s membership.

[bookwyrminspiration]

I wonder how many telepaths actually follow the “no mind reading without permission” rule. Like on one hand I know this is supposed to be a society where everyone’s an upstanding citizen except the 5 people in the neverseen, but at the same time this is also a society where the majority of the population gets pretty much everything handed to them on a silver platter and don’t really understand consequences that well. I could totally see some rich kid elf getting mad at their friend or something and snooping through for some blackmail they could use later. Or one of those people who work for the councilors reading the mind of some pedestrian because “they looked suspicious”. And I know that sometimes elves seem able to sense when someone’s in their mind, but that seems to be a rarity rather than the norm. I wonder how many telepaths just casually break that rule whenever they feel like it‘d suit them. (also yes, there is the guilt thing, but I think that only applies to super extreme guilt? Because a lot of the main elves have done a lot of pretty bad things, like Linh flooding that one town with the ogres and Fitz working with Cassius for a little bit, but they didn‘t even come close to shattering.)

okay okay so i actually find this question fascinating because the rules of using abilities are so hard to enforce, if that makes sense. a lot of it relies on personal ethics being taught at a young age (like all the rules sophie was put through at the start of her legitimate training, which Grady also said he went through), but aside from that it's really just whether or not the person follows through.

To bring in some examples from other abilties, Grady going down a dark path with his and abusing it for the smallest things like just motivating someone to get out of his way. He was full on ready to mesmerize Bronte into signing something when he was caught. i'm absolutely positive that doesn't follow the ethics of his ability, yet up until that point he wasn't guilty about it. It was just convenient.

Going back to the topic of Telepaths, i want to bring up a scene from Lodestar. When Keefe left that note in Sophie's room and her and Fitz went to go talk to him, Keefe lets Sophie into his mind to search his memories. But afterward we find out that Fitz also entered his mind--without permission--simply because it was "taking too long," (paraphrased). Fitz just casually broke the rules because he didn't want to wait and wanted to know what was going on in Keefe's head. And he didn't feel guilty about it--he was a little embarrassed because he knew he technically wasn't supposed to, but he justified it enough that the excuse enabled him to move past it without extreme guilt.

one thing i think is worth noting: when a telepath becomes an emissary/regent/essentially works for the council, they're allowed to break the rules of telepathy when they want based on their own decision making skills on assignments. Hello?? They're legally allowed to take advantage of their ability to invade others privacy if they're suspicious. Maybe it's just on my mind but that sounds a whole lot like the witchhunts in Salem and other places and the whole deal with the McCarthy era and the fear of communists. Like, just giving people the authority to do something like that doesn't sit quite right with me.

it's just...so casual. The rules aren't absolute, so I can imagine elves break them all the time as long as they aren't caught. For Grady, he was just fine going along using his ability whenever he wanted and not exactly following the rules up until the repercussions hit him. And even then his mind didn't break, he just stopped using his ability like that (and since it's not really an ability you can use often, he mostly stopped altogether). I think Bronte has a similar story he hasn't fully shared, we just know it ended in him inflicting on his mother, and that's when he learned the consequences and started pulling himself together.

so it seems for the bigger figures, they can get away with it for a while before it comes back to bite them, but for the people without huge responsibility or need to use it they'd have no sense of the consequences of their actions. Getting bits of info they want from others, blackmailing, just wanting to be included, etc. the possibilities are endless!!

to quickly touch on the guilt thing: it seems both severity and time of guilt has an impact. It has to be a lot of guilt, and even then only after a long period of time does it really start to affect people and cause problems, but then again I'm just basing this off Alden because we haven't seen any other examples. he ruined the Endal family, subjected Prentice to a mindless life, and deprived Wylie of his father. and all of that only caught up to him after like ten years. so maybe in ten years Linh will realize that she's actually responsible for the deaths of several ogres (and this is canon, as sophie mentions realizing she might see graves in Ravagog during Neverseen).

to summarize: elven guilt prevents them from realizing the effects of a lot of their actions, so they don't understand why breaking the rules is a bad thing. Hence, it's reasonable to conclude they frequently break the rules of telepathy and invade other's heads when it's convenient for them.

[sunmaylight]

TGCF Book 3 Reaction pt. 6 - We are going to Mt. Tonglu!

hahaha. So, funny thing. I got impatient and just breezed though the last two books and consumed all of the post-canon content I could find. But, even though I have finished TGCF, that doesn’t mean I didn’t leave notes that I want in big chunks like this. So I will continue working on this

Even though I read the novel, I will stay true to my notes to the best of my abilities.

Ch 138: Xie Lian remembering that he threw his meatballs like bullets without any spiritual strength, like how he went about the past 800 years

- Me: Why do people not realize that Xie Lian is buff. Buff Xie Lian art, where?

Qi Rong turns out to be a better chef than Xie Lian. Like possible House Husband material

- Me: Yo. WTF. I call hack! How did- *remembering Qi Rong’s backstory*... Okay, but how did he learn and hone his skills?

Heaven’s Eye cultivator group about to chow down on some hair when Xie Lian steps in with the pebble toss

- Me: Xie Lian saving cultivators from committing c*nn*bal*sm

Ch 139: Hua Cheng builds a little golden palace outside and then kicks it. The shady inn illusion crashes as well.

- Me: Can this get animated? 

Feng Xin mentioning of an ascension acceleration method with dead babies

- Me: Wait! What if Feng Xin’s ascension is the suspicious one instead of Mu Qing

Ch 140: Xie Lian finds Guzi to be sick and dehydrated. 

Mama Bear Xie Lian - Awaken

- Me: Oh shit. Xie Lian is pissed at his cousin.

Ch 141: Learning about who the father to the fetus spirit is. Learning that the fetus spirit is named Cuo Cuo. Secrets around Cuo Cuo’s birth abundant

- Me: WAIT! HE HAD S*X WITH LAN CHANG. HE F*KED?!

Xie Lian reassuring Hua Cheng, but Hua Cheng turning it around to saying that his actions are up to him. Xie Lian feels something.

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng had a moment when suddenly they see someone sitting at the table making tea

- Me: No! Is it Jun Wu?

Jun Wu is pouring three cups of tea

- Me: He saw the intimate scene between the two

Red flower that slips on the edge of the flower pot is about to fall when Xie Lian caught it like it’s the most precious thing in the world

- Me: Foreshadowing???

Xie Lian basically saying that Heaven will fall if the Heavenly Emperor is dead. Xie Lian basically saying that Heaven is floating in the sky because of the Heavenly Emperor

- Me: Man, I really hope that the Heavenly Emperor doesn’t die and make Heaven crash onto the ground, only to be upheld by the power of Xie Lian and then create a parallel of that scene in book 2, or Atlus holding up the world.

Ch 143: Heaven and the Ghost Kings have a mutual beneficial relationship

Hua Cheng using this fact to exploit Heaven singing him praises for a year.

- Me: Cunning bastard. I would have asked for praises sung to me and Xie Lian if I was in his shoes

Mt. Tonglu has the Klin and both places is that one poisonous jar where the last poisonous creature that is alive after x amount of time is emerged as the victor. 

- Me: Battle Royale to the death.

Xie Lian sneaks with Ghost as a Puppet Master

- Me: Oh, nice disguise

Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade says he can find if a ghost is suspicious

- Me: Okay, but what if you are the suspicious one?

Xie Lian crouches down to hid behind the 8-12 year old looking Hua Cheng

Hua Cheng as the “Puppet Master” disguise: “No one shall touch what I love except for me”

- Me: Impressive acting there

There is a cloaked figure that Hua Cheng says they are wearing a fake face

- Me: Is it Pei Ming?

Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade dies from one slash. Xie Lian making an observation that sounds like a joke 

- Me: lol

Ch 14-Mt. Tonglu gate

Some ghost ladies get hurt and the cloaked stranger immediately asks: “Are my ladies alright?”

- Me: I was right. It was Pei Ming

Pei Ming about to tease Hua Cheng when Ruoye whips out to hit Pei Ming

- Me: I don’t know if that was all Ruoye or influence from Mt. Tonglue, but go Ruoye. 

Pei Ming’s mysterious candy he got to disguise his spiritual powers is revealed to be shady candy made form Ghost City. Consuming the candy is the equivalent to rubbing skunk spray all over yourself.

- lol

E-Ming has been affected like Hua Cheng. It is now a small sword

- me: Cute

Pei Ming can sense the atmosphere around Hua Cheng and Xie Lian

The Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade turns out to be alive still. Both halves are moving freely

- Me: It’s still alive. how?!

Pei Ming is revealed to be the “General Who Snapped His Sword”

- Me: *Four Tales of Heaven Background Understanding Update*

Wine: 100% Understanding & Truth of Creation

Flower Crown: 100 50% Understanding of Creation & History -Second Ascension & Third Ascension are Unknown-

Princess: 15% Understanding of Identity & History

Sword: 25% & Growing...Processing backstory now

A giant savage, dark skinned burly man in broken armour appears

- Me: Wait. Do I know this character?

It is revealed to be Ke-Mo

Xie Lian pulls a trick on Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade/Ming’Guang and Pei Ming saw it work. The trick was actually the most vile swear word of the Banyue kingdom that is the most disrespectful insult ever.

- Me: What did the army teach you Xie Lian?

Xie Lian calls out for Banyue & Pei Su knowing that they are not at Mt. Tonglu as a tactic to distract Ke Mo

- Me: lol. What if they actually come after Xie Lian called them.

When things start to look good, Xie Lian calls out on it. It is immediately changes into a bad thing

Tiny E-Ming grows with praises from Xie Lian.

Pei Ming does a big brain and smashes E-Ming’s hit to Xie Lian’s lips. E-Ming grows to a very long scimar 

- Me: Pei Ming caught on what Xie Lian didn’t. Also E-Ming reflect’s Hua Cheng, so, affection makes E-Ming grow. Hua Cheng

As Ke Mo and Ming’Guang are abotu to beat Xie Lian and Pei Ming, Banyu and Pei Su do that badass entry of jumping down a cliff and kicking the opponents.

- Me: lol, Banyue and Pei Su actually appeared. 

Banyue throws a scorpion-snake at Ke Mo fully knowing what she is doing and the 200 years of mutual dislike is behind it.

- Me: Ultimate betrayal.

Banyue: We came here with Rain Master

- Me: Wait. Rain Master is here?

Ch 148: Xie Lian thinks that if he does the same things he did to E-Ming to help him grow, it will help Hua Cheng grow

- Me: Awe. So cute.

Ke Mo vs. Banyue & Pei Su - Round 2: Banyue is too embarrassed to throw her snakes again at Ke Mo. Pei Su swoops in and yeets a basket full at Ke Mo who screams at them

- Me: For some reason I find this scene really funny.\

Xie Lian: Moves into kiss Hua Cheng. He kisses the forehead and is sad about it. 

Pei Ming learns that Banyue is that Banyue while she backs away from Banyue as Pei Ming comes close to her

- Me: Oh wait. Does Pei Ming still smell of those Ghost Candies?

It is revealed that Banyue is weary of Pei Ming because of the candy scent

- Me: Lol, it was the candy

Rain Master is brought up

- Me: *random thought* Does Rain Master & Pei Ming have some history together?

Rain Master is at Mt. Tonglu because Qi Rong stole some of her farmers.

Pei Ming is revealed to be the opposing General of the Rain Master

- Me: Oh, they do have some history together.

Xie Lian & Readers learn about the ‘Tale of the General Who Snapped His Sword’

- Me: LORE! 

Sword: 75% Understanding

Ch 149: Pei Ming insults Banyue for not knowing how to cook like other females

- Me: General Pei, I understand that in your time that might have been a norm. But modern times that is different.

Xie Lian says he will teach Banyue how to cook

- Me: Oh no. Someone please stop them.

Banyue is holding a pot of food

- Me: Oh shoit. Did Banyue?

Ch 150: Banyue’s chicken meal is a black mass of questionable origins

- Me: *sob* it’s over. Banyue is now added to the list. But at least she took up her cooking skills after her adopted dad.

Pei Su takes the dubious food and eats it after watching Hua Cheng try some.

- Me: RIP Pei Su

Hua Cheng telling Xie Lian about the history of Mt. Tonglu while Pei Su is dying in the background. Banyue’s cooking somehow turned into a spirit or eldrich horror

- Me: *sob* please. You two are so adorable together, but someone (Pei Su) is literally dying from food poisoning. You are like that one pool meme

Pei Ming has given up on Pei Su to hang with the oblivious couple

Xie Lian has heard of Wuyoung before from his past while training to Ascension.

- Me: Oh. Interesting. 

Little Xie Lian learned how to recite the Ethic Sutras like nothing because he was a curious child about a forgotten kingdom and the Guoshi made him shut up through sutras.

- Guoshi, how are you real?

Xie Lian: Pei Su is talking weird. Is it because of the Scorpion-Snake?

Banyue: Pei Su has immunity from them

-Me: God you two are so oblivious.

Ch 151: What if Jun Wu is from Wuyoung? Nah. He has a 500 year difference from then.

- Me: *Remembers Qi Rong calling Jun Wu a faker and thinks there is some truth in those words* What if he became an immortal 500 years before his ascension and just loitered around for 500 years until he achieved ascension status.?

The group is Scooby-Doo investigation with Ace Attorney observation skills on the temples. of the Kingdom of Wuyoung to learn why it fell

- Me: intersting. I hope they find something interesting.

-----

Alright. Going to stop there cause the actual journey to the Klin starts and it is a long journey where there is actually more than what I commented on. Man, I just really picked and choose what to highlight while reading