#being bombarded from all sides about political issues i already had filtered so i had ONE place to get way from it

[bittersweetblasphemy]

hey so i really dont appreciate being confronted with graphic depictions of something that i know is a trigger for me. like. i have a dozen tags and key words blocked around this one thing because i know it's my responsibility to curate my own online experience.

but if you're going to post this thing, which is vastly different from your regular content. with absolutely no appropriate tags. is extremely graphic. all for the sake of guilting me into caring about a current event i already care about but have fuckall control over as a poor cripple who lives oceans away. i really don't appreciate it.

[clarenecessities]

so shit’s fucked

here is a timeline

09/03/2019.

two people in a 70 person server discuss the SU movie in the general chat channel, using spoiler tags because it had just recently been released. this lasts five posts.

09/07/2019.

alyson comes into the general chat channel and says man, isn’t it a bummer that SU is n*zi apologia and racist and actively harmful?

Donnie says yes, it’s harmful, but drop the n*zi comment because RS is jewish (alyson does not, then or the other two times donnie asks, despite donnie being jewish himself). He later says he doesn’t care about SU at all

Synth says it’s understandable that people would drop the show because of poor handling or the racism issues, but agrees that n*zi is too far when there’s genuine propaganda out there

Beta says yes, the writers could have handled things better, but reducing the message of the show to “n*zi good” is a deliberate misinterpretation

A fourth person comes in briefly to say they also don’t care about SU and that this should probably be in the discourse channel.

About halfway through the conversation, after his second request to stop calling SU apologia was met with a sourceless insistence that other jewish people criticized it (though alyson did not specify whether they used the term n*zi apologia), Donnie told her she was taking this very personally, which Alyson met with “Am I? I said a thing, said it was unpopular, and left it. and then got swarmed?”

At this point she held ~46% of the conversation.

She then abruptly left, saying, “like. Hooooboy, there's so much assuming and passion and defensiveness going on here, so I guess I'll leave since I've seen this all before and know for a fact that no one is going to let it rest.“

She held 41% of the final conversation. Everyone who weighed in was either explicitly open to criticizing SU or completely indifferent, and were simply asking her not to refer to the work of a Jewish nb woman as n*zi apologia.

09/10/2019

Alyson writes a post. The introduction is more or less “if you uncritically like SU, unfollow me” and goes on to say she underestimated how few people in the neopets fandom recognize its harmfulness. She says she’d been thinking about leaving the Neolodge discord for a while, but her mind was made up on the 3rd when she saw "a lot of hype and support" (5 posts), four full days before she posted in the general chat. She says she "was swarmed by questions asked by people who didn't want to hear [her] answers." (there were two questions asked of her: “did you just kind of want to get mad at us for enjoying steven universe?” and “were you venting?")

She says that SU is her “litmus test” of sorts, implying--possibly by accident--that she was then testing the Neolodge by dangling some SU-discoursey bait. 

The post was tagged #the problem isn’t liking a thing and #it's denying anyone from not-liking it for very valid reasons

Except the problem was demonstrated to be specifically that she was asked not to use a particular term to describe that not-like

7 months later, 4/16/2019

There is a Neolodge board on our own neopets.gov. Alyson shows up and is polite & sociable until more people that she recognizes filter in. She neomails hollis to broach the subject of what had happened in september, saying “from what i remember it was mostly synth who was very reactionary and aggressively posting at me because i criticised steven universe“ which, if you’ll review the logs, is both not about synth, who only posted twice (probably an honest mistake), but also grossly mischaracterizes the nature of the incident. Over the next day or so she and Hollis discuss the nature of the lodge and what transpired in September. Hollis emphasizes that the Neolodge has never been a place for bigots or their sympathizers, and Alyson goes radio silent.

4/24/2019

Alyson writes a new post. It tells a different narrative than we see play out in the logs. Her summary of events is as follows:

So, when wondering on the chat if anyone else was critical of the franchise, instead the chat suddenly sped up and i was swarmed by a bunch of anti-criticism fans who almost immediately -instead of reading my beginning attempts to elaborate on where i was coming from- posted over and over again that rebecca sugar is a marginalized voice and as such, immune to criticism, and how dare I insinuate a jewish woman of writing nazi apologia.

To reiterate, she began a discussion. Every person who responded was either openly critical of SU or indifferent. They were not suggesting RS is immune to criticism because she’s marginalized; they were in fact largely agreeing with the criticisms that Alyson raised, but asking her to be more conscious of the impact her choice of terms could have (and in fact was having).

I (a neurodivergent, mentally ill, pansexual aromantic woman, aka also a marginalized voice) was talked over and treated as if i ate babies. Obviously, I left the neolodge discord after that.

Again, she held 41% of the conversation--and by her own admission had already been planning to leave the Neolodge, and had thrown down this final ‘litmus test’ despite not wanting to engage with the results.

Now, obviously marginalization isn’t a contest. There’s no “I have more problems” or “I have worse problems” that will ever get us anywhere constructive. As I said in my own reply to her post, this was not a matter of RS being untouchable because she’s marginalized, but of Alyson’s behavior when asked not to draw the comparison between RS’s work and literal N*zi apologia.

Hollis refused to read and think about what i had said and the information i linked to, despite apparently going back in the discord chat and viewing the whole mess, where i had also laid out information to back up my observations.  Instead, my voice talked over, my words and concerns discarded, I was treated as if I had committed some heinous act, and if i had changed as a person then maybe they might let me back in to the neolodge.

Now being privy to the entire conversation, I can assure anyone reading this that Hollis read & thought about everything Alyson said very seriously. We had an in-depth and nuanced discussion, and ultimately realized that this was not simply a matter of whether or not SU is a poorly handled cartoon or full-on apologia. It was a matter of Alyson’s unwillingness to engage in a discussion she herself began, her repeated refusals to respect the comfort and wishes of our Jewish members, and her later misconstruals of the conversation as a ‘bombardment’.

Alyson insists she did not call RS a n*zi, and that critiquing the show is not equivalent to doing so, but unfortunately ended that thought with this:

Words mean things: look up apologia.

Now, I’ve already pointed this out, but apologia means “a formal written defense of one’s opinions or conduct.” Thus, every time Alyson has insisted SU is actual, literal N*zi apologia, she means that a Jewish nonbinary woman conceived of and executed an explicit defense of fascism, n*zis, the H*locaust, regardless of how involved she was or wasn’t in the production of the show itself.

Personally, I choose to believe that Alyson herself is unaware of the definition, and instead meant that SU makes excuses for fascism, or alludes to n*zis, or much gentler (if still harmful) language. I choose to believe that she’s conflating it with an apology, and simply didn’t follow her own advice.

The Neolodge is home to actual children/minors/underage people and most of the people in the incident were younger than 21. That is children.  I was getting annoyed at young non-adults. 

This is blatantly false. The Neolodge has always been a minor-free space, and there’s been discussion of upping the minimum age to 20. That Alyson herself is 30 may have skewed her perception, but as you can see in our response to this angry anon, we have always been concerned with the protection of minors & the promotion of a safe, comfortable atmosphere.

Alyson goes on to say that she had liked & trusted Hollis, and this came with no prior warning--presumably because Hollis had been polite and even friendly when she came to our board, and they hadn’t interacted much over the previous months since her exit from the discord.

So if you’re like me, and don’t put up with bullshit, and refuse to lie down and let bigotry get further footholds into western culture and be lauded for it, consider staying away from the neolodge and users like hollis and synthaphone

I still don’t quite understand how we got here, tbh. People standing up against a stark refusal to respect someone’s comfort as a Jewish person has somehow been skewed to mean they’re the bigots, and “western culture” is in danger, specifically from this gay nb & their nefarious lesbian pal, who spoke the least of anyone in the conversation.

I can’t speak to what’s going through her head right now. I don’t even know if she read the replies enough to know she was spreading misinformation about the Lodge’s age restrictions, let alone her (hopefully accidentally) drawing an obliquely antisemetic portrait of RS. I’m not even mad at her at the moment so much as confused. I genuinely don’t understand her rationale or what she thinks would motivate us to do the things she says we’ve done. I don’t think she’s a bad person, or even that her actions would be unfair if the situation were what she’s purported it to be.

But the fact of the matter is, it isn’t. She tried to start a fight seven months ago and has been hanging onto it since, convinced that she was in the right, never considering the express opinions of the people she claimed were so passionate about the show she so loathes. She’s attempting to drag Hollis’s name through the mud because they were kind enough to give her a chance to explain her side of things & she squandered it by instead parroting the talking points of the video we had all watched back in September, when she originally posted it.

She’s throwing Synth in for good measure, because they’re the only person she could be bothered to identify.

It’s not a true account of events, she made no effort to have a good-faith conversation at any point (particularly about her own behavior), and frankly it’s unfair. It’s easy to dump snippets of DMs and announce that you’re blocking anyone who disagrees with you, sure--it can even be good for you. But in this case it’s more of what we saw all those months ago in the discord, when she tried to stir the pot and left after scarcely 30 posts had gone by; it’s cowardice. It’s a way to frame the narrative in such a way that she can maintain her illusion of moral superiority, secure in the knowledge that everyone who has criticized her or her behavior is a bigot and and writes n*zi "apologia” apologia.

She’s isolating herself from the community one group at a time, and I still don’t know why, because she won’t talk to me about it. She won’t talk to any of us about anything that isn’t SU, and I don’t care about SU. I care about her & her motivations, and I’m starting to accept I’m never going to truly know either.

[spottedlekkudancer]

Same Heart

Chapter 3 - Fray

Sum: You are a colonel from the Battlecruiser Absolution now aboard Finalizer in an attempt to close a banking deal for the Order abroad. Not much has ever given you cause to seek a significant other before, however, when several people on the ship start taking a personal interest in you things may change. (Kylo/MattxReaderxHux)

Word Count: 2.5k+

Warnings: Language, Violence

Disclaimer: I am ignorant when it comes to the military. So if you notice any errors please inform me. If the BS doesn't bother you, all the better

@tachibubu @lowlyapprentice @moonlightreetops

Hux’s office felt colder than the rest of the ship. It’s even black doonium walls closing in on either side of your consciousness. The vastness of space out the viewing port behind the ginger’s head was beckoning you, threatening to swallow you whole.

“(F/N)”

Biliousness hit you hard in your discomposure; you couldn’t remember the last time Hux had used your first name standing alone. Or if he had ever. Dread. The next words from him were ones not to be coveted: of this you were sure.

The general's lips were drawn into a tight, unforgiving line. He was the epitome of the Order’s refined system in every aspect. From the way he could make the most casual of clothes look like a uniform to the habit he had of bringing a sensation of foreboding into every private meeting. “Do you know why you are here?”

It was meant to be rhetorical. Like when a cop is stopping you in traffic. You both knew full well why you were sitting across from one another having THIS conversation.

“Shields are charged Ma’am! Bringing them online now.” From the control deck below a voice projected.

“No! Keep them down.” Your reply was swift and firm.

Mitaka stuck close to your side, doubting everyone of your calls. His nerves, considering Hux wasn’t around, were hanging on a thin wire. “I don’t know what you think those pilots are capable of, but they can't perform miracles. We are being fired upon. Whatever it is you are trying to do (L/N) it isn’t going to work.”

“Have a little faith, Lieutenant. I’m your superior for a reason.” The words were spoken with venom, you were getting quite tired of his admonishment of you.

Hux’s hands were folded over his desk, and he leaned in toward you over them. “You took a huge risk, (F/N). You completely ignored protocol. The justifications of which do not outweigh the cause.” His voice was too even. As if instead of being angry with you he was holding onto regret.

You gazed down at your lap, it was easier than looking him in the eye. “I know.”

This fleet was more than a mobile weapons platform, one just needed to know how to use it to its full potential. If you were successful, the lives of both sides would be spared. You waited, trusting your pilots to stick to the orders you issued. Zeta and Epsilon Tie squads were keeping a tight formation around Finalizer, fending off any approaching X-Wing fire. Your Bombers and Tie Defender were in pursuit of the rebel captain's ship. Not to destroy, but to capture. It wasn’t a large spacecraft by any means and you had to wonder why such a small envoy would drop from hyper space to attack now. The planet of Jakku beneath your orbit was a wasteland, and as such held no value.

They were nearing; F-005 had lured the rebels into a mindset of retreat. Z-938 blocking their route of escape just moments before. They couldn’t jump to safety now, not with your battlecruiser in their way and only one working engine. They were being herded into you like Nerf.

Once surrounded you ordered the end of the battle. The rebels would submit now with no other choice. It was time to show why you had left your shields down, and hopefully Mitaka’s insufferable whining would cease.“Engage Tractor beme.” You directed to one of the officers below, then engaged the Comm for flight control. “Good work men, bring them in.”

“Honestly (F/N), It’s calls like this that got you removed from the Navy in the first place. Taking charge when Ren and I were detained can be overlooked considering, however, recklessly leaving us open for attack will not be.”

“With all do respect General, damage sustained was minimal and there were no casualties. Now that we have them in custody -

Hux cut you off. “You apprehended one ship, on a hunch no less. A hypothesis that there is something they want on Jakku. To which now we have reports of two resistance X-Wing pilots landing planetside. If you had followed protocol: all would be eliminated, and there would no longer be a need to send out a ground squad to clean up after you.”

You hadn’t anticipated the absconder’s actions and understood the detriment that put on not only your name but Hux’s aswell. “Yes Sir, but now we can find out why they were here.”

“If a good reason at all. Perhaps they were passing through. This is difficult space to navigate.”

“Sir, If that was the case Protocol dictates that we need to imprison and interrogate any unidentified craft in our territory regardless. They gave no clearance codes. Moreover, they fired onto us first. That is a classic distraction tactic Sir! Does that not seem suspicious to you? If there is something on Jakku they want we need to obtain it first.” You nearly ran out of breath desperately trying to explain yourself. Taking a breath you sat back down in your seat, just now realizing you rose out of it for your vocal bombardment. “I stand by my decision, Armitage. I understand that you have to suspend me during the investigation, but you’ll soon see- I. Am. Right.”

Hux stiffened: jaw muscles tightening, eyes shifting from you to the door. You followed his gaze. Kylo was a silhouette in the gaping arch way. “For your sake Colonel, you best hope you are. Dismissed.”

You gave Hux a curt nod before leaving the two men in peace.

For days you waited. Not once seeing anything outside the bunk you were assigned to. An officer brought you your meals and a Stormtrooper stood outside your door at all times. Stars! If you didn’t know better you would have assumed you were the one under arrest. You soon discovered it was also pointless to ask questions to the little people you had contact with. They would either know nothing or keep their rumors to themselves. There were two possibilities for you now. One) You'd be dragged off ship to Court Martial without a word. Or Two) You’d be dragged back into Hux’s office without a word. The latter of which would be better. At least then you could return as a Colonel to Absolution.

You pondered vaguely what Hux’s excuse was to the banking clan. Would he pull in someone closer of equal rank to sit through the meeting? Would he have Zack sign in your place? Or was he just apologizing and asking them to wait for your “arrival”?  Whatever the case, it didn’t really matter. What did matter was  when they did come for you, several standard day cycles into your isolation, they did not ship you off of Finalizer.

Hux was far more tense during this meeting. Something you would have thought impossible before you witnessed it. After several minutes of formalities in explaining your release from suspension, what happened with the bank, and what would happen now that you were cleared from court martial he said something else that surprised you. You were right. Not that you doubted your assumptions at any time. An admission of Hux being in the wrong BY Hux was just so unlike him.

“Ren proved useful for once and managed to not only get where the x-wing pilots were headed, but took them down as well. According to Ren they are after a map of some sorts. The supreme leader is sure there will be another attempt to retrieve it, and wants us ready for that day.”  Hux elaborated on his point instead of apologizing. Apologies were not his style.

You didn’t gloat. Pride overfilled your ego, but your face you kept neutral.

“And if it suits you Colonel, I’d like you to stay aboard Finalizer.” Hux cleared his throat, unfolding his hands and placing them on his lap in a more casual way. “Permanently. Someone will need to run this ship when I transfer to Starkiller. I can think of no one better but you.”

A knot of uncertainty rooted itself in your stomach. “Sir, as much as I’d love command over a dreadnought such as this one day. I don’t think I’m comfortable with that.” Only a week aboard and you had already experienced as many tumultuous situations as you would in a whole quarter aboard Absolution.

“I will grant you rank of Admiral.”  It was a flat statement.

Eyebrows now knitted you considered his offer again. He would be putting you back into the Navy. This is what you wanted most. Admirals held less political pull than you did now, however, in all technicalities it was a parallel  movement of power.

“Take the night to think about it (F/N).” Hux’s odd behavior had yet to cease but you nodded at his last statement before seeing yourself out.

As you exited the general's office you were greeted by a tall chrome clad warrior. “Evening Captain.” You nodded at her rigged form.

“And to you. Congratulations.” Phasma’s voice was filtered through the helmet she was never seen without.

You stopped short of continuing down the main corridor. “Congratulations?” You turned your body to face her more. Hux had told her before you of his plans? You hadn’t guessed they were that close.

“Did you not agree to the transfer then?” There was no genuine curiosity in her voice. From what you remembered of the Parnassoian she never gave much attention to anything she wasn’t directly involved in. She trained older stormtroopers, led ground commands, and spent her down time training or fiddling with electronics.

You brushed off the inconvenience of her knowing. She was not the type to gossip about it. “I haven’t decided.”

“You will accept.” Always so sure of herself. That bugged you. Could your decisions be that easily assumed? *** That morning you were awoken by a com call. Hux was wasting no time in hunting down your answer. When he said he would give you the night to think about it he truly meant just that. One night. One sleepless, tumultuous night. Your checked the time before replying; your body had only given into the soundness of peace a little over two hours ago. With a grone you picked up the com. “This is (L/N).”

“(F/N) be in my office at 0500 hrs.” Per usual his voice was like thick ice. Straight and unfeeling despite the use of your first name.

“Good morning to you too.” You scoffed away from the mic.

“(F/N).”

“Copy boss,” You interrupted yourself with a yawn. “I’m getting up now.”

Even though you had spent the whole night thinking of nothing else you had yet to come to a decision. Did you really want to stay on this ship with Hux and Ren for gods know how long just to propel yourself into a position you probably weren’t prepared for, or at the very least didn’t deserve?  And why after all these years of animosity was Hux so eager to have you stick around? The whole situation didn’t sit right with you. However, there was this nagging pull in your gut pleading with you to stay. These instincts are the only thing that kept you alive  for so long and you hesitated to ignore it.

A thought struck you while you were in the refresher. Why were you worrying so hard about being around those two? Neither of there were pleasant, sure, but they also had never harmed you directly. Moreover, they were LEAVING! It would only be a few months at most until Hux took charge of Star Killer, and Kylo was gone on missions around the galaxy so often you doubted you would see much of him. What could go wrong in that inturm? The sense of doom you were getting on the ship couldn’t be from them in particular. After all this would be YOUR ship. A Resurgent-class Star Destroyer! You couldn’t dream of having  a better station. Well you could. There were a few ships better equipt or at least bigger than Finalizer, however, you doubted you would ever have the political pull to grasp one of those.

You threw on your last teal uniform and flew out the door. You would arrive early, confident in your new found prerogative.  You. An Admiral. You had been daydreaming about this day for a decade. Not Captain. Not Vice Admiral. Admiral (L/N), command in prompt to Finalizer. *** The meeting with Hux went just as expected. As did the following week. Zach was promoted in your absence and after a short deal close was sent back to Absolution with instructions to have your things sent to you. You hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Matt or Kylo in the wake of it all and that seemed odd to you. It felt as if in your first few days that you couldn't escape them. And now they were both MIA. Avoiding me probably, you figured. You haven’t exactly left good impressions since your arrival nearly two weeks ago. In fact you noted that most of the bridge crew refused to make eye contact with you and whispered about you in the corners. You felt ostracized. But better to be tiptoed around then to face a mutiny. Or be walked over! That’s what your old Admiral use to tell you anyways.

He had called you the night of your promotion. A bittersweet moment. He obviously did not want you to leave his charge; nor did you truly want to say goodbye to him. Admiral Broste then demanded that when their paths cross again you would take his position on Absolution. Come his retirement he wanted to be sure his ship was left in good hands. You chuckled at this and agreed, brushing off the fact that for years Broste claimed he would never retire. “I’ll die in this chair, (F/N). Mark my bloody words.” He’d say to you every so often: grin and drink painting his face red with glee. You knew then that he meant it. He had no other life to go to outside of the military. That’s why you felt he joined the Order after the Empire’s fall.

Your firm opinion of this was soon to change. As Stirling and your other things were brought back to you, you found a note for the Admiral himself. Calligraphy with a stylus on flimsiplast no less. An extremely rare commodity, often considered a lost art by the wealthy and a waste of resources by the masses. You read it aloud to yourself and sterling in the private of your new chambers.

Tears welled in the corners of your eyes. You had no idea he was in such poor health and it made your heartbreak. Guilt clung to your stomach. Broste wasn’t your father, grandfather, or in anyway related to you. However, in you most private and meaningful moments the two of you shared names of endearment. He did practically raise you after all; in and out of the academy. Moreover, he had protected you for years. How could you have left him in such a time of need?

[artificialqueens]

don't play the fool now (multi) — chapter five - Roza

[ summary ] : detox is feeling the pressure setting in as she completes the first day of her new mission though a distraction is paving her progress and bianca simply can't catch a break between a cute detective, katya and her own issues.

[ author's note ] : literally it's been so long I CANNOT, I am so so so so sorry omg... most of this was written about november so I am sorry if it's not up to par ): — lily xx

(´∩｡• ᵕ •｡∩`) / AO3 / My Tumblr

— *.✧

"Welcome to the place you'll be spending the next few months!"

Detox dropped the two boxes she was carrying in from the minute she had stepped into the elevator with Tatianna who had been showing her around the offices and police force building: this was by far the most idiotic and yet stressful mission the blonde had to deal with thus far.

Become an entirely different person

Pretend you're a transfer from another department

Get close to the captain of the unit

Murder or get information. Or both.

The details hadn't been worked out yet but Bianca had made it clear that Detox was not there to play around and flirt, she would be doing all the undercover work.

It was nothing but peachy keen to Detox. A frustration building in her bones. She had to spend the next few days, weeks, months acting like she was up to date with whatever the detectives and police force would make her out to be. Thank god she knew her narcotics, weapons and the basics: murder, how to get rid of fingerprints, stains, bruises, the stench off a dead body, all the things that being a professional had taught her.

She couldn't possibly be that useless.

Changing her hair was the worst part. No question.

Going from royal blue to a blonde bombshell wasn't exactly her style even if it definitely would cover up the overstated hair color and make her seem at least a tiny bit less suspicious with her long, flowing hair now blonde and curled thanks to Aquaria's whimsical hairstyling techniques.

"Welcome to me…" the words leaving her lips in an immensely hushed tone as she stared right back at the detective who gave a smile, eager to see another new worker around in their new and improved NYPD unit.

"You're gonna do great Heather, no doubt's honey."

She decided last minute to use her sister's name as her own for the time being, knowing Detox was a bit of a rough risk and besides: what better way to pay respects to the person and lawyer she had been closest to before going off to prison for substance abuse, smuggling of illegal substances and all the other things she had managed to hide from her transcript.

Bianca I fucking hate you, I really have to pull strings here and by myself.

The older girl butt in to her as the blonde had begun to set up her laptop and trinkets around, praying no more people would bombarde her for today. "You should totally get settled in but I know for a fact that Trinity wants to meet any of our new recruits! She's the unit's captain and I promise you, she's a bit hard hitting but super closested sweetheart."

Trinity .

So this was the person she had to play guessing games with the next few months and woe over in one way or another, to follow and pry her fingernails under.

"I'll definitely check her out."

"Thank you!"

She pulled out first a picture frame that held a sepia filtered photo of Detox, Alaska and Roxxy at their senior graduation together: all dolled up even from the beginning, it was odd to keep such sentiments from the pure and clean days before rotting in crime but what could she say? They were all still together, still best friends even if Alaska sometimes worried more for herself than anyone else, a bit colder than she used to be.

Once she had organized her things she stepped out of the door and made her way around the office, her acrylics hugging the file she had to give to one of her new co-workers for examination. They had spent hours working over the loophole with paperwork but luckily after careful examination and some strings pulled with Katya, they had come up with a solution and now she was Heather Sanderson, born in Maryland and a former employee of the local police department.

"Are you Heather?" A voice spoke behind her gently yet firm as Detox stared at the empty chair confused before wincing and turning quickly seeing a tall blonde with about her hair length and piercing eyes staring at her with intent for a reply back, her ID placed around lanyard which was littered with Canadian flags and text that reads Toronto across the fabric.

"Yes! Are you Brooke?" Nervously extending her hand she was met with a curious recluctentance before the Canadian smiled sweetly, sitting back in her seat once she parked her iced tea on the coaster she had sitting on her desk.

"I am, I know you have the files Tatianna was telling me about if I can look at them. Just the usual medical and background things I have to handle."

Detox looked over Brooke's shoulder, ignoring whatever the detective had to say towards her even though she was sure it was the usual welcome she had become so accustomed to since this morning. She had stepped through the doors starting her new mission, angry that Bianca had to assign her to such a damn cup out: go undercover and pretend you're a decent human being for a few months so we can get a deeper insight and information on the police and detective department.

Peering over her shoulders, she noticed a police officer of average height. Sporting the signature uniform as well as long brunette hair that curled at the ends—lighter highlights cascading from her roots: she had a great upkeep and hairstylist clearly though her dark brown eyes and perfect made over face was the focal point.

Fuck, she's gorgeous.

The same girl had taken off her jacket and threw it on her chair, continuing to chat with the person right near her point of vision, blinking as her makeup shined under the dimly lit up computer screen she was staring at meticulously. Her body hugging her tight fitting blouse and her badge shining.

Brooke tapped the older woman's shoulder with a laugh, "Stop staring with your mouth open, you'll catch flies." Detox rolled her eyes, not about to take shit from her new "peers" as if she were to become close to anyone she had to work within the next few months of the missions allocation.

"That's Trinity Taylor, she's our police unit's captain."

The sirens flared off in her head instantaneously once she fit the last piece of the puzzle: this was the girl, thegirl she had to woe and become close to and get information out of for Bianca, for the team.

Trinity was why she was getting paid and doing this entire mission.

"She's very pretty."

Brooke laughed, rolling her eyes at how dense the new rookie was being. "Yes, she's also got really thick skin, a cold hearted exterior and is surprisingly hilarious as ironic as that may sound." The Canadian shook her head, "She's single but I wouldn't try it, especially since she's your squadron leader and will absolutely give you the beat down no matter the call."

This mission definitely just got interesting.

"Oh don't worry about that, just seeing what I'll have to work with is all."

The brunette caught the eye of the gaggling stares, Detox immediately snapping from it and looking away completely embarrassed though she heard a slight snicker under Brooke's breathe, wanting to slap her. Hearing the thud of the boots under the tiles she simply stood her ground and was prepared to act as casual as possible.

"Morning Trinity." The Canadian hummed aloud, typing across her floral tape covered keyboard pretending to analyze the files while not so secretly deciding to eavesdrop and see where this conversation goes.

"Good morning Brooke Lynn." Trinity crossed her arms and took a look up and down Detox who stood with a permanent paralyzed fear in her eyes, she felt so damn fearless all the time and yet one glimpse of this girl had completely tore her down piece by piece and left her distraught. It was pathetically hilarious.  

"Jesus, I'm not gonna kill you for staring, not like I can blame you." She flipped her hair as Brooke coughed to hide the obvious smirk across her lips as she took a long sip of her iced tea that Adore had brought her from Starbucks. Going vigorously through the files she had managed to find her medical records and began her less than exciting examination.

"Hey, you're the one member of our unit, right?"

Finally feeling enough willpower to respond she bit her lip and nodded, "Yeah, Heather." Trinity gave a broad handshake, firmly holding her hand as the blonde licked her lips feeling a bit out of place already and obviously.

"Trinity Taylor."

"It's nice to meet the person everyone told me to go and scout out in the first place."

Trinity tilted her head to the side and chuckled. She was definitely amused that Detox was so reluctant to smile, to breathe since it was her first day: the atmosphere was always tense but that was just the job. The Floridian could only hope she wasn't threatening in her status and by her looks alone or else the training and all that came after would be a complete and utter disaster.

Detox wanted to slap herself, every time she glanced over or they made basic, polite eye contact her entire body jolted awake and she could tell by her change in expressions that she was utterly terrified. Which was extremely odd considering how calm she felt at her actual profession which was twice was horrifying and awful in danger, stress, you name it.

"Well, your first assignment with me is just a refresher, I'm sure you know basic training coming from another unit?"

"Absolutely."

She ran her nails through her blonde hair as Trinity handed back her files with her eyes gleaming and a smile slipping through, "See you soon, my office is down the hall." A flush crept up on Detox's face as she turned and gave a goodbye to Brooke Lynn who waved back and turned with an immediate sigh, taking one more sip from her iced tea.

"You're hopeless."

— *.✧

Bianca sat aimlessly in her chair, scrolling through the constant masses of emails she had to sort and help with, the requests and the actual patrons and then those who simply knew her as their boss. She had never given most of her own girl's and team her personal phone number to the fact she knew it be taken advantage off. Only three people had her number on this damn circuit: Sharon, Jinkx & Bob.

However, despite this there was still an influx of text messages that read off requests from the other girls to which Bianca would bitterly reply with them to email her and not have Sharon, Jinkx or Bob become the scapegoat for their needs and wants or better yet: just don't bother Bianca!

Well that wasn't entirely the truth however it was close enough.

She understood the tasks she had to take on as a leader even if it meant countless requests and permissions granted.

The older woman's phone buzzed and the corner of her lips curled into a smile, hoping it be Adore whom had been quite a good company even just through the phone the past couple days. Her humour, her personality, fashion sense, job— she was everything Bianca wasn't and it made every exchange the more exciting and yet, opened twice the bigger grey area between them.

From: Katya (3 Unread Messages)

"Oh just this fucking whore."

Relieved she didn't have to think about two hours for a reply Adore sent, She slid open her phone with her fingerprint and sighed before her eyes grazed over the messages plainly.

Bianca! девушка !

I believe we should go and see Trixie since you told me you need to make some transactions...

I can tell you that I would be glad to tag along and contribute ;) xx

Her fingers slid across the keyboard as she typed up a reply.

If you're driving.

You're more than welcome to come with.

She assumed the notification she got almost immediately after her texts was an indication that Katya was already on her way and that she should get ready for her.

I'm outside whenever you're ready, you know where I park.

Blatantly staring at her phone she got up and only took a small blue clutch purse and tied her hair up feeling nothing but discontent towards wanting a development between her and a fucking detective . She could almost slap herself, she actually wanted Adore to text her back and it felt fucking disgusting to actually enjoy human interaction that wasn't the usual rundown about missions, jobs or sewing.

Though the sewing usually only applying to Aquaria who would come and see her on the rare downtime they had. The younger girl always asking about her hems, a new sewing trick or what fabric to use for what kind of silhouette.

She locked her office and gave a quick holler to Jinkx who sat in the common area, reading a book and drinking what must've been her third or fourth cup of coffee judging by the dried stains that splattered across the white cup. Bianca interrupted simply letting her know she'd be with Katya to finish some needed exchange and business.

"Have fun, tell Katya and Trixie hello from me."

Bianca didn't care too much about getting money from Trixie, she was sweet and kept a secret well enough considering her position. Though half of that underlying sweetness was probably from the paralyzing fear that if she ever told anyone she'd be blown out on the spot, no hesitation by Bianca herself.

Approaching the blue BMW Bianca's eyes wandered through her backwoods garage, undeniably pressed that she had to even go to the bank and be in public. She kept her image hidden well, no one would ever suspect Bianca Del Rio as the most known menace and wanted mafia boss in New York. All they would see is a blonde, thick Russian accent and leather jacket on with her friend; black hair, thick mascara and quite the fashionable woman.

At least that's what Bianca had hoped for as a first impression.

Katya's grin sat permanently pursed across her lips as she took the car out of park, turning out of the secluded garage and looking to Bianca for any last minute changes, any final looks of reclusiveness. The older woman cleared her throat, her fingers running through the hair that stranded from her face as she put on her sunglasses with a hard roll of the eyes.

"Let's get this shit over with."

[cstesttaken]

Do You Operate in a Social Media Bubble? 3 Questions to Ask

In Lewis Carroll’s fantastical tale Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, the eponymous heroine discovers a very different world on the other side of a mirror, occupied by people and creatures she never imagined could exist.

Yet, were we to look into the same looking glass, we would see ourselves reflected. Any different realities, ideas, and viewpoints of another world would remain out of view.

Welcome to the world of social media filter bubbles — where what you see is very definitely NOT what you get.

“Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast”

I can’t trust my social media feeds anymore. My various streams, timelines, and news feeds made it easy to believe it was impossible that the United Kingdom would vote to leave the European Union; that Australia would re-elect the Liberal government; and that Donald Trump would become the Republican nominee.

In reality, the EU referendum was decided by a very narrow margin, reflecting a far more polarized and divided country than most people realized. Meanwhile, the Australian election was so close that at the time of writing, I still don’t know who will be the new Australian prime minister. As for the U.S. presidential race, well, I’m clearly missing something.

I don’t rely on social media for my news and current affairs, so I was aware from other sources that the EU referendum and Australian election were going to be much tighter than any social media commentary might suggest. Yet many demographics increasingly get most of their news and opinion from social, without always clicking to read the detailed analysis behind the slogans and headlines. No wonder so many Remain voters were shocked and surprised by the outcome of the EU referendum. These trends also make filter bubbles open to politically motivated manipulation.

There are always at least two sides to any debate. Yet instead of providing a window onto the world, social media has become a massively distorted and personalized fantasy. Our own social media access increasingly reflects our own views, values, and opinions, strengthening our resolve and justifying our beliefs, while hiding or distorting any objective appreciation of the alternatives.

“What I tell you three times is true”

We are bombarded with so much content and information every day that conscious or unconscious filters are not only inevitable but also necessary to help us make sense of it all.

Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, we are less likely to follow, read, and engage with those with whom we disagree. Be honest — whether you vote Republican or Democrat, Leave or Remain, Left or Right — are you more or less likely to follow someone with polar opposite views?

While we may have some alternative voices in our networks, chances are that they are far fewer and often tolerated only up to a point. If you’ve ever blocked, unfollowed, or hidden someone’s posts from your newsfeed because you don’t want to see any more of their objectionable-to-you views, then you’re already guilty of reinforcing your filter bubble in the name of comfort.

Echo chambers are nothing new. We’ve always had a choice of which news sources or media pundits to follow ��� Fox News or CNN, Glenn Beck or John Oliver. Each choice usually has a clear bias. The one-way broadcast nature of mass media, however, is very different from the free-for-all, shout fest of social.

Social media has allowed us all to become media pundits, shouting loudly about whatever beliefs are most important to us right this moment to a much wider audience than we may realize.

Social media algorithms also have the potential to further reinforce and amplify filter bubbles by tracking our behavior to give us more of what we like and less of what we don’t. If we regularly click “like” on news stories that align with our views, we’ll see an increase in similar stories from similar sources.

And filter bubbles aren’t confined to political beliefs. They can be shaped by religion, science, even our individual sense of humor — whatever our beliefs and values are. For example, my wife’s social media environment is starkly different from my own, even though we share many of the same beliefs. Our individual social media environments have become personalized far more than broadcast mass media ever could.

 “You know very well you’re not real”

What can marketers learn from this? Can filter bubbles prevent your content or message from getting through to the very people you hope to reach? The short answer is “yes,” and it’s probably only going to get harder as increasing social media dependencies, algorithms, and the sheer amount of competing content further change the landscape.

Marketers can learn from the ways in which the EU referendum played out in social media.

1. Are you trapped in your own filter bubble?

Businesses and marketers can be just as blinded by filter bubbles as anyone else — particularly when guessing at the beliefs, wants, and behaviors of their target customers or audiences.

One clear example was the excruciatingly painful social media campaign by the Stronger In Europe camp that targeted young voters. The #Votin campaign (“Vote In”, get it?) worked on the not-very-deep-nor-accurate insight that young people sometimes drop their “g” when talking. A video was pushed in social that combined grating third-rate electronica beats with fast edits of “yoof” stuff like partying and graffiti, overlaid with chunky captions such as WORKIN, EARNIN, RAVIN, CHATTIN, SHARIN, LIVIN, GOIN, etc.

Source

Not exactly cutting to the heart of the political debate. Instead, this embarrassment of a campaign seemed to carry the simplistic message that votin’ was sorta cool and hip, yeah? This was a view of youth as seen from inside a very different filter bubble.

I’ve certainly worked with and for a few companies over the years that developed similarly distorted and unrealistic views of what the customer experience should be, because the decision-makers within the business lived inside a different social media filter bubble to the rest of us. This can lead to products, content, and customer experiences that might seem logical internally but leave customers cold.

HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Social Media Mistakes: What Brands Should Do to Avoid Epic Fails

2. Will your information even be trusted inside someone else’s filter bubble?

What might make perfect logical sense in one filter bubble might seem like nonsense in another, particularly when it draws upon differing assumptions.

A strong theme among Leave voters in the EU referendum was a deep distrust of economists, experts, and elite politicians, summed up by Leave campaigner Michael Gove’s infamous statement that “people in this country have had enough of experts.” Yet, the Stronger In Europe campaign continued to rely on those same economists, experts, and elite politicians without first addressing the reasons for that distrust.

What sources of information will your audience trust? Can you use influencers to gain authority?

3. Are you addressing the right issues?

Different audiences may have very different ideas of the key issues in a particular debate. For some, the EU referendum was about immigration. For others, it was about business. For yet others, it was about sticking it to the bureaucrats. Each required a very different approach to address those concerns.

Similarly, your perception of customer needs, expectations, and values may be very different from what your intended audience perceives from the other side of the looking glass.

Most marketers already use customer personas to gain some understanding of these differences. However, many merely note which social networks each persona uses so they can plan where, when, and how to distribute their content.

Instead, consider the different ways in which each persona will form distinct filter bubbles within those networks, shaping their attitudes and opinions. Will your content be welcomed or ridiculed? Will it even reach them at all or might it be filtered out for not appealing to the opinions and themes of that particular bubble?

Before we can understand the filter bubbles of our customers, we have to recognize and admit to our own. We are all trapped in filter bubbles of our own making and they’ll only become stronger and more distorted by algorithms and personal preference over time.

Yet, by using data and detailed analysis, we might be able to see the world through different eyes. In the end, there is no true reality. There’s just how each one of us perceives the world, recalling the final line of Through the Looking Glass, “Life, what is it but a dream?”

This article originally appeared in the of Chief Content Officer. to receive your free subscription to our bimonthly print magazine.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

Source

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/11/social-media-questions/