#communication - consistency - trust - quality of writing - representation

[not-poignant]

Hi, Pia! I am thinking of going the same route as you - free chapters on AO3, then Patreon - for my historical m/m romance projects. Could you share a little about your journey, and how did you manage to gain visibility within the originals section of AO3 (I know it's not easy)?

Hi hi!

We've talked a little over at Subscriptions for Authors I think! *waves* :D

Okay firstly, i don't know if any of this is going to be very helpful, because to tl;dr it - I didn't set out to be a professional author when I started this, and I wasn't even trying to be a professional when I started my Patreon (though I did approach it seriously, like I wanted to treat my readers well). I didn't believe I could be one, my impostor syndrome was so epic I literally started an entirely new AO3 account and kept it secret from my main account because I believed all the people being nice to me about my writing were somehow just lying to me because they felt sorry for me.

That's...

That's a whole lot of impostor syndrome insanity. But I've always been pretty honest about having mental illness so....

Re: my journey...

I started out in fanfiction. I started writing Rise of the Guardians fanfiction (a two part serial called From the Darkness We Rise & Into Shadows We Fall) and it went viral (I did not expect this) and I put in several original characters to flesh out the world, because I added a Seelie/Unseelie Court element that wasn't in the original movie or the books.

Two of those original characters had roles as semi-significant ensemble characters. One was a terrible villain who is defeated by the other, who is the Seelie King (also defeated by the main characters of the fic but *coughs* anyway).

I started getting people asking me what was going to happen to those two characters, especially once people found out they had a relationship history together prior to the events in the fanfic. I mostly put those people off - I fully intended to keep just writing fanfiction - until finally I decided to write some fic of those two characters. It was like...revenge hatefucking, lmao. I wrote three chapters of that, and then more, and then finally realised I couldn't give them the tragic ending I'd planned to, and that I'd have to actually figure out how the hell to save them from their own machinated doom.

And that became the first book in my original Fae Tales series - Game Theory.

It was my amazing readers who asked me to make this Tumblr, my amazing readers who asked me to write that original story, and they were the ones who asked me to make a Patreon (and then a Ko-Fi), and so in a way, they were the ones who let me know when I was ready to try making this work in a (slightly) more official capacity. They were the ones who believed in me enough to keep me doing this, and they still are. *waves to you all*

They were the ones who gave me visibility, I don't know that I did anything specific to make that happen, except writing the stories, turning up, and listening to them.

It's a very weird way of doing it and I don't know that anyone else has ever done it quite that way like this. I feel like a massive outlier in that sense. I don't relate to anyone who is starting out in professional subscription with no readers because I could never do that, my lack of confidence wouldn't let me. But there's aspects I think any author can replicate: I reply to all my commenters (except the trolls), because they're great and I want to support connection, community, and conversation. I embrace fandom and love all transformative works, and also, like 99% of my writing is free on AO3. (You don't have to make everything free, but it certainly doesn't hurt on AO3).

I mostly finish my serials and folks can trust my happy/hopeful endings and they can trust my hurt/comfort. And I'm pretty communicative! As you can tell by how much I'm rambling right now x.x I intentionally provide a safe space for queer people and neurodivergent people as much as possible, and write a lot of representation for us. I set out to make a space I would personally feel comfortable in. That might not work for everyone, but it works for those who stay.

From there though, I'd say a lot of visibility came from word of mouth, writing chapter by chapter over time (serials naturally pick up readers simply because they're often at or near the top of a tag or fandom category on AO3 - there is NO algorithm there), sometimes sorting by kudos, and me just posting about random stuff on Tumblr with good tags.

I still write fanfiction on another account (my impostor syndrome account) that has also had some people trying my original fiction. There's quite a few people who came directly from fanfiction to the original fiction because the themes were the same!

I didn't have the confidence to intentionally try and be a professional writer. When I started writing that fanfic I was writing it because I was depressed, sad, and I'd quit an unsatisfying job as a professional artist (I loved the art and my clients, I could never make the income part work). I didn't want to be a professional writer. I was writing as hooky, as escape from my real life, and as 'oh god I just need some hurt/comfort and I can't find what I want so I'll write it.'

To this day, I still write fanfiction as an escape, it's partly why it's now on a separate account to my original stuff (but even plenty of my original fic is indulgent and self-escapist in nature, which is maybe why other people find it escapist and cathartic as well).

In writing, financially, it makes more sense to publish books, or do serials-into-books, and develop a backlist of novels alongside the serials. I don't do that. I should, I plan on starting soon. I can point out a lot of the things that I either did wrong, or that I can see a way of doing better, because I didn't set out to be a professional writer, and I still put 'keeping it fun' and 'the readers' ahead of 'making money.' I'm not very mercenary and I make financially not great decisions in favour of 'but I enjoy it more this way.'

(That's partly because I am really very ill, and I can't afford to make myself sick through my work, and not enjoying it is the fastest way to do that).

What I do know is how to help create a community, though. And how to encourage and try and care for that community of people. How to respond to what they want and sometimes don't want, alongside what I want and don't want. How to have boundaries in that space. Well, I'm still figuring it out but I think I'm more comfortable with it than I used to be!

I also don't want to make it sound like I didn't know about writing before this. Long before doing serials for 10 years, I did creative writing and scriptwriting (among other things) at university. I wrote very technically correct short stories with sad little tragic endings that won awards and sometimes decent cash prizes. I hated it, and it put me off writing for years afterwards. I felt trapped in trying to write the 'correct' way. I am entirely unsurprised that to this day I reject standard formulas for novel lengths, and that in order to write, I kind of have to break a lot of the rules I was taught.

But I was taught how to write 'correctly' by Australian standards back in the early 00s (very spare, evocative prose). These days I follow a lot of scriptwriting / television drama beats in serials and have always really enjoyed doing it that way. :D

I'm meant to be talking about some of this in the Subscriptions for Authors podcast tomorrow and it's going to be a mess, as you can tell, lmao.

(There's something to be said about the lightning-in-a-bottle moment where I just wrote a fanfic I thought everyone would hate in a popular fandom and people were just ready for that story and it took off. I had no idea how to deal with it and it was very overwhelming and I had a bit of a breakdown a year and a half later over it. It's no coincidence that a year into the Patreon I paused it for 1.5 years and walked away because I couldn't handle it. But then I did some growing up and came back and figured it out.

But yeah I didn't do any of this the right way, or in a super intentional way. The only part I know I did well was supporting a community, and communicating with the people who turned up. And I did that for very selfish reasons - I wanted to be in a community, and I enjoyed meeting people who had things in common with me. I sometimes feel a little like a gremlin who just stumbled into a community and was like 'oh, um, I'm here, I guess.'

It's really everyone else who made it magical, but it did help that I think I am (in retrospect) pretty good at writing a hooky, addictive serial for the right kinds of readers. I cannot understate this enough -> learning how to write serials and exploring episodic television drama can be very helpful).

[popup-qa]

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30. Power Rangers Samurai (Season 18)

Power Rangers Samurai bottoms this list and it's not even close. Right away something about this season feels really off. The acting is just flat and lethargic and the dialogue is terrible. You can tell it's the writing and direction because Jayden shows up in later seasons (we will get to that later on) and he sounds and acts like a normal human being which makes me question what the hell happened. It makes this season extremely painful to get through and that coupled with poor writing and characterization is what pushes it all the way down here. It's so SO hard to watch and was an absolute slog to get through.

The New Saban era is pretty rough overall and is probably the worst in regards to consistency and quality out of the 4 Ranger eras (of which I will get into more detail in later entries).

Antonio is an absolute delight and Power Rangers deserves props for portraying a homoerotic and queer character in a serious light, he's hands down the best character in this season. There's no actual confirmation of his sexual orientation in the show but there doesn't need to be. This seasons demographic is clearly a younger audience, the nuances of sexual identity is a complicated subject matter and it doesn't need to be explored thoroughly in this show in order to have good representation. He's a very flamboyant and at times androgenous character but he's taken seriously, the other characters aren't laughing at him and the rest of the team accepts him because he's a damn good Power Ranger and good person, even though he's "different". And this is all the way back in 2011, 4 whole years before Caitlyn Jenners influence would change society as a whole to be more accepting of the LGBT+ community, I got to give the writers props. Antonio has some of the best character moments in the show "Unexpected Arrival", "Room for One More", "The Blue and Gold", and "Boxed In" come to mind. This is queer representation done relatively well (in spite of the poor writing of this season).

You'll notice throughout the rest of these posts that I am generally not a fan of comic relief side characters that contribute next to nothing to the plot. There's one or two in every season. Sometimes they're genuinely charming, and other times they make me want to put my forehead through a window. Bulk and Spike are the former. They are both equally hilarious and charming and seeing Bulk again is both nostalgic as hell and a nice reminder that this season exists in the same world and continuity as the other seasons.

(It's already timestamped if you're on pc so you can just click play but if you're on mobile the theme starts at 16:59. For some reason if you're on mobile the embedded link doesn't care that I added a start time.)

The suits and overall aesthetic of this season are absolutely fantastic. I think the production teams absolutely nailed it in regards to the overall presentation of the show. It hits with just the right amount of nostalgia. The opening theme is also fantastic and hits nicely with some good nostalgia sprinkled throughout.

Jayden is a perfectly fine red ranger and over the course of the season gets the most development out of the Samurai rangers aside from Antonio. He goes from a closed off arrogant asshole and over time softens and learns to trust his team but never has any standout moments after the first couple of episodes. He's not the gold standard for Red Rangers by any means but he's just fine.

The team as characters overall are forgettable in this season. Each of them aside from Jayden gets maybe one episode if we're lucky of actual development, other than that they are the exact same person from the start up until, and including the end.

Where this seasons gets complicated is the villains. I don't understand why Cole Ev- I mean Deker, isn't the main baddie. He's a far more interesting villain than Master Xandred. The relationship between Deker and Xandred wasn't explored enough in either Samurai or Super Samurai even though it was very compelling. Props to the concept artists who came up with Dekers design. He is hands down one of the best looking villains in the franchise and I want a Death Battle between him and Yoshimitsu from Tekken so badly. But that's the problem, Deker isn't the bad guy. He's in 21 episodes across 2 seasons (12 in Samurai, 9 in Super Samurai). He's got a compelling look, ironically stands out because he has okay acting in a show where all of them feel like they have AI generated actors and lines. Xandred on the other hand is a one dimensional psychopath who just doesn't do anything. Samurai is a season that suffers from having goons be far more interesting than the main villain, given that this is the first season of the Saban Era, and the 18th season overall, it really should have learned from previous mistakes.

In closing, aside from the production quality, Deker, and Antonio, it wasn't hard picking Samurai as the bottom of the list. No team-up, a confusing and one dimensional main villain and a plot that feels like it's never moving forward, all work together to bog this show down. However it's the acting and writing that truly cement it at the bottom because it genuinely makes it unbearable to watch. If those two things were a lot better, Samurai's other mistakes would be a lot more forgivable and you would probably see this season shoot up a few places.

[choppedunknownwonderland]

Enhancing Your Spiritual Trip: Uncovering the very best Psychic Centers

Introduction

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[digitalzaa]

Elevate Your Brand: Instagram Content Creation Strategies for Business

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In recent years, Instagram has grown to become one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide. With over a billion active monthly users, Instagram offers businesses an opportunity to reach a vast audience and connect with potential customers. 

However, with so many businesses competing for attention on the platform, it's essential to have a well-planned content creation strategy that can help you stand out and make an impact. In this day and age, businesses need to be creative, engaging, and authentic to succeed on Instagram. In this regard, having a solid content creation strategy can be the key to elevating your brand and achieving your marketing goals on the platform.

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Writing Instagram content offers numerous benefits for businesses. First and foremost, it allows businesses to engage with their audience on a deeper level. Well-crafted captions can spark conversations, encourage interactions, and create a sense of community around the brand. Additionally, writing Instagram content helps businesses establish their brand identity and increase brand awareness. 

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[theonceandfutureking6481]

BBC's Merlin Season 1 Episode 3: The Mark of Nimue Analysis

*SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE SHOW*

First off I always look fondly on this episode, mainly for Morgana being hilarious and epic, I mean she has the best line in the whole episode:

Arthur: You could get hurt

Morgana: So could you.... if you don't get out of my way

This episode is also fun and interesting from the perspectives of plot, characters and themes. Sorry, this is extremely long, I have a lot of opinions about Merlin.

Gwen and Merlin

This episode is in many ways about Gwen and Merlin's friendship, it is the driving force behind all of Merlin's actions within this episode and is the stepping stone for this show considering how to find a balance between acting for the greater good without suggesting that the ends justify the means.

Merlin and Gwen are first off just very sweet, their friendship is really characteristic of this show's representation of friendship overall, just genuine love and consideration for others. It is also self-sacrificing, that's one thing about the relationships in this show they are so self-sacrificing.

When Merlin says to Gwen "I didn't like to see you upset." It reveals a wonderful fact of Merlin's characterisation that I would argue stays consistent for the whole show. His motivation is always grounded in how much he cares for the people around him. He cares deeply about his friends and they are largely his reason for doing the things he does. This line is a wonderful parallel to in season 3 when Merlin decides to let Morgana die (after he accidentally trips her down the stairs), but then in the end he heals her because he couldn't watch everyone's grief. Merlin cannot separate his actions from the people he's doing them for, and he can't stand to see people hurt when he has the power to fix it because the people he loves are his motivation, they are the reason he wants a better world. This show does establish (as I'll discuss further down) that what seems immediately right (healing Gwen's father etc) isn't necessarily the right decision to make for the greater good. This is some ways always questions the validity of Merlin's motivations and his actions, but I'd argue it more seeks to find a balance. Besides a Merlin who didn't act motivated by his love for others is not a Merlin that could have helped Arthur build Camelot.

Medievalism: duty and social obligation

Quick disclaimer cause I'm touching on a more scholarly issue here that I have limited knowledge of, so I will undoubtedly make mistakes and this is my opinion. Everything I write is my opinion, but that's more obvious when I'm commenting on the themes of a fictional world rather than making a comment on actual fields of study which is what I'm doing here.

BBC's Merlin is an example of medievalism, it is an engagement with the medieval era (or ideas/images associated with it) for modern times. I honestly don't know that much about medievalism, or the medieval era, certainly not enough to make an extensive commentary on its representation in Merlin. One thing I would argue is that Merlin's representation of friendship has its roots in idealised views of the virtues of the medieval era. For many people the Middle Ages represents a time of duty and social obligation, this on one hand does lead to a stringent class divide but it also finds its idealisation in the sort of friendship represented by Merlin. The premise in most societies that place great value on social obligation is that the needs of the community outweigh the needs of the individual, that people should sacrifice themselves for the community as a whole. Every society places emphasis on this in different ways and to greater or lesser extents and our view of it as being prevalent in the medieval era is largely an idealisation based in some historical reality but also our own desires about what this era represents. There is a kind of social responsibility in the relationships in Merlin, there is a great emphasis on loyalty which is part of this idealisation. However, Merlin makes it more personal than is often depicted. We idealise social responsibility and obligation, it is often tied into the social roles of people such as loyalty to a king, or paying back debts of honour which is a form of social obligation. Merlin is more about friendship, it takes our idealisation of medieval social obligation and makes it the obligation and loyalty we owe to people who love us and who we love. I will always say that fundamentally Merlin as a show is about love, and it emphasises what we owe to people in our lives in a way I believe echoes idealisation of medieval loyalty.

This idea can also be seen in Arthur's fundamental trust of others, his fundamental assumption that everyone around him is not seeking to harm him, and that people are generally good. This ties a bit into the idea of social obligation. Arthur's idealised world is one in which people have bonds of social obligation towards each other, that people are seeking to act in the interests of the community. It's an idealisation, both of the medieval era but also an idealisation in Arthur's own head of the world he lives in.

Morgana and Gwen

Their relationship is somewhat expanded on in this episode, and they are just so sweet. Gwen gives Morgana flowers to cheer her up and its just lovely. They have a very genuine and close relationship. Morgana also has great respect for Gwen, for the work she does, and she treats her with respect.

Morgana: "If she was a sorceress, why would she kneel on the cold stone floor every morning if she could make these things happen with a snap of her fingers, like an idle king."

Aside from being one of Morgana's many quality burns towards Uther, this also illustrates one of her greatest characteristics, her empathy and genuine respect and admiration for what Gwen does everyday. She doesn't see the class divide in the same way Uther sees it or Arthur pretends to see it.

Also interesting note I heard in a Merlin podcast (I can't remember which episode), it could have been the episode about this episode. It's called Destiny and Chicken (you can listen to it on Spotify and anywhere else you find podcasts- they even did an interview of Bradley James who plays Arthur at one point), and its very good. But, they said something interesting about the paralleling between the relationship between Merlin and Arthur and the relationship between Morgana and Gwen. Both are fundamentally important and genuinely caring relationships for the character. However, for Morgana and Gwen (unlike Merlin and Arthur) the class divide remains much more in place, Gwen treats Morgana like her friend but she also treats her like her mistress in a way Merlin just doesn't with Arthur (especially not so early in the show when he's not so admiring of Arthur). This isn't to say their relationship is bad or has problems, its just different whilst still acting as a parallel. I'm not sure exactly the extent to which I agree or what this says overall in themes but its definitely interesting to think about.

Uther: "A Good and Terrible King."

This episode shows Uther at both his best and his worst which is always fun because Uther is a genuinely interesting character. I got the line from my favourite Merlin fanfiction Coronation by rageprufrock, which you should definitely read, I'll link it down the bottom, it's not too long so you can read it in half an hour. It's a character study of Arthur more than anything else and its amazing, wonderful and deeply poetic. Uther is not a huge part of this fanfic, its about Arthur's character and his relationship with Merlin and his kingdom, I'm not even sure he actually appears. This line though perfectly tapped into how I always felt about Uther so it connected:

"He's been a good and terrible father, a good and terrible king."

I often think in characterising Uther we do tend to villainise him to an extent which I personally don't find accurate. This is obviously just my opinion, and I have a tendency to think the best of people so more intensely negative views of Uther are very jarring for me. He did terrible things and I truly believe he is the ultimate villain of the show but he is very human and he could be a good king and he loved his children more than anything else. We cheapen Merlin's point if we cast Uther as pure evil, everyone is capable of evil just as much as goodness. Uther is the tragedy (like Morgana) of a person who could have been good or at least halfway decent corrupted and destroyed by his own hate and ignorance. That's the point of the parallels between Uther and Morgana, we love Morgana and she was capable of so much good, but she corrupted herself with hate.

Onto this episode, Uther shows both his capability and goodness as a king in this episode as well as his hatred and ignorance. Uther's initial reaction to the fact that the plague is caused by magic is a concern about his own authority, which isn't entirely unfounded, but does reveal a huge priority of his which is control. He fears not being able to control, that's were his cruelty as a father comes from and to some extent his opposition to magic. This does not show Uther in the best light, but his actions later in regards to dealing with the plague show a decent king who cares about his people. This scene in which he tells Arthur to shut off the lower town perfectly illustrates this:

Arthur: But what about the people who live there

Uther: Don't you think I haven't considered it? What else can I do? I have to protect the rest of the city

In this situation Uther is right, there is very little other choice, he's making a hard call but it's one he has to make, and he seems genuinely distressed at having to make it. He does care about his people's well being, and he feels the burden of their protection, he can be a good King. Much of Arthur's story is in breaking away from the legacy of Uther, and rightly so, but Uther also taught him many things and one of those things is the duty Arthur has towards his people, it's a duty he takes even more seriously than Uther, but nonetheless he learnt it from him.

This however, as I've hinted, is not the whole story of this episode, Uther is also shown at his worst, and his worst is his ignorance and prejudice towards magic. He is willing to sacrifice justice and even sacrifices logical thought to his blind persistence that magic is evil.

Arthur: She's right Father. You hear the word magic you no longer listen.

Uther: You saw it for yourself, she used enchantments.

Arthur: Yes, maybe. To save her dying father, that doesn't make her guilty of creating a plague. One's the act of kindness, of love, the other of evil. I don't believe evil's in this girl's heart

Aside from what this says about Arthur. Arthur's comment about Uther hits right to the point of things "you hear the word magic you no longer listen". You no longer listen implies its a choice, and it is. Uther has made the choice for the last 20 years to choose to go on a dogmatic campaign of hate against magic because its easier than considering the alternative, that he was complicit in his wife's death. What Uther says immediately after "there are dark forces threatening this kingdom." is the argument used by so many people throughout history, used to justify so much hate. That there is an evil out there threatening the stability of life, that the world must be controlled and people have to live a certain way or risk destroying their own lives. It's an argument that justifies campaigns of hate and makes them personal to ordinary people who usually wouldn't care, and it is always a lie, that's not how the world works.

This episode thus shows Uther at his best and his worst, both a dutiful king and a stubborn tyrant. It's a tragedy of what he could of been, and shows how twisted up people can become when they justify their decisions with hate and fear.

Arthur

This is the first episode where Arthur really opposes Uther, he directly questions Uther's indiscriminate hatred of magic, and an episode where he realises to an extent he perhaps hadn't before some of the ways in which Uther has failed as a king. He also consciously acts in deception of Uther, because he can see Uther can't see sense. Arthur shows far more nuance of view than Uther does, understanding (even whilst still accepting as he will for a long time that magic is dangerous and it corrupts) that using magic doesn't make you automatically evil. To see the world the way Uther does is a conscious choice, you have to choose to be blind to the virtues of every apparent magic user you come across, you have to believe harmless spells are the signs of greater evil. Arthur is not someone who lets his own cowardice blind himself to reality, and so his worldview can see far more nuance than Uther can.

"One's the act of kindness, of love, the other of evil. I don't believe evil's in this girl's heart."

He further has a very positive view of others, Arthur will always see the good in people and that is a great strength in my view. In a lot of versions of the story Arthur's not just inspiring because he's good but because he assumes others are good too, he trusts people to do the right thing and I do believe that, that can inspire people to do the right thing. It's funny in Merlin Arthur's trust gets betrayed so many times but it never really hardens his heart, he continues to trust people no matter how many times he gets betrayed. This can be seen in his perception of Guinevere here, he will not assume she is evil because she has made a mistake, he can see the virtue in her actions, and he will assume goodness until proven otherwise. Innocent until proven guilty, in other words. It's its own form of justice, a justice Uther is forgetting, its a tenant of many legal systems and its a tenant Arthur clearly supports.

Arthur is also seeing his role as the king of Camelot in creating a Camelot that he would like to live in.

"Yes I am yet to be king, and I don't know what type of king I will be. But I do have a sense of the type of Camelot I would wish to live in. It would be where the punishment fits the crime."

It's not the Camelot he would wish to rule, its the Camelot he would wish to live in. Arthur wants to live in a just world, he wants his people to be treated with justice just as he would like to be treated with justice. This further illustrates that unlike Uther he is not letting anger or ignorance blind him to reality, he wants the world he lives in to be fair without exception.

Finding the Balance between The Greater Good and The Immediate Good

The Greater Good is a tricky concept, you can justify any amount of cruelty if it will lead to good later on, but do the ends justify the means? It's not really a question its ever possible to provide a definitive answer for. It's easy to say that they don't, that you should just do the right thing, the nice thing, the good thing in the moment but actions have consequences and doing the good thing all the time (especially in a position where thousands of lives depend on you) is not usually possible. Merlin tackles this theme, I believe, quite well, trying to find a balance between acting for the greater good and acting with what is immediately good, and this episode is a good example.

In a just and fair world you would be able to do good all the time, but this is not the case for everything, though you should never use the worlds not fair as an argument for not doing good things but I digress. Merlin's decision to save Gwen's father ultimately backfires on Gwen because the world is not fair, the world Uther has created mean even these acts of love are punishable with death. Because, for Uther, magic is magic, and magic is evil. Gaius was, in this situation, ultimately right, Merlin can't always do what is easy and what feels right because the consequences may not be good. In other matters like closing off the lower town, Arthur's initial response is concern for the people who live their, but Uther's right he has to make this one tough decision because otherwise he risks the whole city.

However, Uther's attitude to Gwen (aside from revealing his own stubbornness and prejudice) is an example of the greater good taken too far. He has absolutely no evidence that killing Gwen will stop this plague, but he's making that sacrifice anyway because it might, that is not justice or fair or anything resembling goodness. And he justifies his decisions with what I've already said is an age old argument- "These decisions must be made. There are dark forces threatening this kingdom." This is just another version of any easy choice, acting without regard to the greater good is an easy choice but so is ignoring what is immediately right in pursuit of some ambiguous goodness. He's confusing his own weakness and ignorance for strength.

The point Merlin is, I believe trying to make is that there must be a balance. Sometimes you have to pursue the greater good, but the ends don't really justify the means.

There is a reason Arthur and Merlin will create the Camelot of legend and Uther and Gaius don't, Merlin and Arthur aren't going to sacrifice their own goodness for the sake of the greater good. Merlin for one ensures Arthur never has to, its sad but Merlin in many ways makes the harsh and cruel decisions that Arthur never has to make. However, he also often doesn't make those decisions. He reaches a point where he wants to let people die, but he never actively attempts to kill Morgana or Mordred by himself unless it is an absolute in the moment choice between them and Arthur, and even though there is plenty of moral ambiguity about that and plenty of debates you can have about that. Fundamentally the point remains, Uther would have killed them and that's why he could never be the king Arthur would be or the influence for decency Merlin would be, the ends don't ever entirely justify the means. Besides if Merlin had thought that and killed Mordred and Morgana for their possible futures he would not have been the decent person he was and he could not have helped Arthur build a good Camelot, Camelot would not have existed if Merlin had acted entirely with the greater good in mind to ensure Camelot's future.

Other Stuff

Gwen's scene in the cell is so terribly sad, she's trying to be brave and her final request to Merlin is just so sad, "Remember me." She's so young and its the injustice and cruelty of Uther's kingdom that's condemning her, his own blindness to anything involving magic. We all want to be remembered don't we, especially when you die so young that you've barely had the chance to live. -----Also Guinevere will be remembered, she is a legend so there's something very bittersweet in this. She is not forgotten, then or ever

It's funny watching back to season 1, Merlin spends a lot of the time complaining about how Arthur will never recognise him for who he is. He wants recognition. But by the end of the show, yes of course he'd like recognition but he's learnt to just put up with never getting it. His priorities have changed so much.

There's this thing that happens a lot in season 1 and 2 (and I think a bit in season 3 but its less funny then) where Morgana persuades Arthur to do things by insulting him and its the funniest thing ever, and the first instance of it is here. I like to call these her 'epic sibling powers' cause they are just such siblings and its hilarious every time

"You are one side of the coin, Arthur is the other."- Kilgaharrah--> Just, yes.

Also when Arthur gets Merlin out of when Merlin confesses to being a sorcerer—> he's obviously making stuff up on the spot—> like he might sort of believe it (the stuff about Gwen) but fundamentally he's just trying to protect him without really knowing for sure why Merlin's lying

"One day people won't believe what an idiot you were."- Gaius--> Fun little nod to the audience who know Merlin of legend (as nothing like the BBC Merlin)

Also at this point we don't know why Uther really banned magic so there is an element of moral greyness to it all. We know magic's not evil, we know Uther went too far but at this point there is still a question about 'how too far' did he go?

Coronation by Rageprufrock (seriously read it. It's amazing): https://archiveofourown.org/works/5749

[rai-jin-andro-jin]

Intimacy: An Aromantic, Queer, Storyteller's Perspective on Raya and Namaari's Relationship in RatLD

Ok, I know people have lots of opinions about Raya and the Last Dragon. (Please go watch it if you're able to, it's fantastic.) I'm not here to step on any toes, nor am I here to deny that Disney has work to do on openly queer representation. But I wanted to give my opinion on the subject because I've already seen some thoughts flying, and I've got my own too.

Note: potential Raya and the Last Dragon spoilers ahead!

Now, I'm here for queer women. (I'm so here for queer women that I'm queer for them.) I love Raya's depth, design, and arc. I love Namaari's depth, design, and arc (and oh my god, her face shape). I love the way the narrative treated these warriors: like warriors! I could talk all day about how this movie is such a brilliant step toward treating women as people on screen.

But I'm here to talk about the queer aspects.

Any queer person watching that movie saw a couple of baby gays. Anyone saw the tension between Raya and Namaari as adults, their distrust for one another, but also their recollection of how close they once were, how close they could have been, how similar they actually are, but they both don't want to admit it for one reason or another. I think that tension is done beautifully.

I also want to take a second to remind everyone that romantic attraction is not necessary to make something queer.

Sure, maybe you could view their interactions as having romantic undertones. I don't think that's necessarily wrong, but I also don't think that the movie needed a romantic subplot to work. The subplot was platonic, even queerplatonic. The subplot was about Raya learning to realize how similar Namaari was to her, in all the uncomfortable ways Raya wasn't ready to admit. Raya wanted to remain focused inward; she wanted to protect her goal from destruction, she wanted to bring her Ba back. And she didn't want to trust anyone again. She didn't feel like she could, and she didn't want to try, especially not with Namaari.

And yet, during their interactions, there is a sense of intimacy. No doubt, over the six (6) years after the gem broke, Raya and Namaari have run into each other on several occasions. It seems like they still know each other well enough to banter mid battle. Raya knows Namaari well enough to be able to easily "push her buttons" and distract her. There is an intimacy here that strays easily into frienemy territory. It has the potential of being romantic. It also has the potential of not being romantic at all.

And, as someone on the aromantic spectrum, I want to reiterate that romantic queerness is not the only queerness. Aromantic affection, queerplatonic affection, allosexual aromantic affection — all of these are valid and real queer identities and queer expressions.

So, while I agree that "Disney is a coward" and that queer people deserve genuine, wholesome, and healthy representation in movies — I also want to emphasize that you can remove romanticism from the equation and still retain the queer narrative (or, what we the audience read as a queer narrative).

(I personally think there is nothing straight about these two characters, but I also respect the possibility that cultural norms and expectations can change how queerness manifests, or what is even considered queer. I'm a white person from the USA; the way I read or express queerness may not be the same as the way someone of Southeast Asian descent would read or express queerness. That topic in itself is worthy of an entirely different mega post. But that is very important to note.)

Furthermore, I want to add that while, again, seeing Disney explicitly tackle a queer relationship on screen would be so amazing, I also don't think this particular narrative had room for it.

Raya and the Last Dragon has a beautiful story filled with strong cultural tradition and Southeast Asian communal values. Love for one's community and family is especially important, as the writers have expressed, and this value was purposely woven into the narrative as a centerpiece.

Disney has a long history of making that centerpiece romantic love. Movies in general, Disney included, have a very long history of using romantic love as an easy subplot. It is such a common thing to do in the industry.

Stepping away from that norm is a breath of fresh air, in my opinion. And I'm not saying that because I'm aromantic and I "hate romance"—I don't, by the way, and I'll show you why.

I have written romance in fiction for a long-ass time. I love writing it. And in my (self-proclaimed) professional opinion, adding romance into Raya and the Last Dragon would have been really forced. I don't think the movie needed it. It would have been narratively unnecessary, and the catharsis we received regarding the mending of Raya and Namaari's relationship was more than enough. Any romance would have been extra, and, more importantly, would have been distracting from the actual main theme of the movie. Remember, the takeaway from this movie is communal trust: building bridges to unite families and communities of people. This narrative values familial and communal love first and foremost. (This is not to say that romantic love can't intersect with familial, communal, and platonic love, but I'm making the distinction here because the story writers intended to make this distinction, too.) Putting communal love first also does not devalue any romantic or queerplatonic love that might exist under that umbrella — but that's just it; communal love is the focus here, and I'm glad the writers made the decision to keep the focus of the narrative grounded and organized. It keeps the story from wandering off in too many directions and becoming confusing. It keeps us from having too many loose ends. And it keeps the runtime from being too long — or worse, it saves the narrative and all it's subplots from feeling cut short.

And here's where I jump into my main gripe. Yes, Raya and Namaari have chemistry. At the very least, when they met as kids, they formed a nice first bond: they had a lot in common, they related to each other on several things, and they had empathy for each other. That's a good foundation for a lot of things: friendship, queerplatonic relationships, romantic relationships, business partnerships... What I'm saying is, they had a good beginning. But it was just one day. And they were kids.

They were both kids who were vulnerable to the opinions and desires of the adults around them.

Namaari was influenced by her mother to betray Raya in order to gain the Dragon Gem (ultimately to give her people the prosperity they lacked). Before coming to Heart, Namaari likely saw Raya and the people of Heart like her mother/chief did: Heart was rich solely because they hoarded the magic of the Dragon Gem, and they would lie and say the Gem didn't give them prosperity only so they could continue to hoard the gem.

Raya was influenced by people in her village too, though we don't explicitly see those influences. When her father mentions that the other lands are on their way to Heart, Raya immediately believes they are coming with evil intent. When her father asks her what she knows about the other lands, Raya lists qualities about each land that portray them in a dangerous light. She views them explicitly as enemies and outsiders, people to fear and distrust in order to maintain her and Heart's safety and prosperity. Namaari included.

When Raya and Namaari meet, there is a lot going on under the surface of their interaction. Certainly, they are both kids; part of them likely has a natural urge to trust and connect with each other, as they eventually did that day! But clearly, especially for Namaari, there still exists a level of distrust and divide. Perhaps because Raya had the influence of her father, who encouraged her to see the other lands as friends rather than enemies, Raya's guard was lower than Namaari's. It's doubtful Namaari had that kind of influence, as her mother consistently displayed distrust for other lands, and focused more on the protection of Fang's people. Namaari clearly experienced quite a bit of internal conflict during the time before her betrayal of Raya, trying to balance her own desires for connection and friendship with her desire to please and protect Fang. Having a connection with Raya at all, especially a deeper connection (rather than a false pretense of connection), was likely not the intention of this subterfuge plan. Connecting with Raya likely felt good, but it also felt like a betrayal of Fang; a betrayal of Fang felt like a death sentence, especially since not obtaining the Gem would mean that Fang (according to Namaari's mother and the people of Fang) would likely perish. Namaari chose to resolve the conflict by returning to what was most familiar and comfortable: distrusting Heart for the good of Fang. For Namaari, it likely didn't dispel the discomfort of knowing that she betrayed a friend, someone who felt so close and genuine, someone who was just as obsessed with dragons as she was (which seems like it was rare for Namaari, and thus valuable). But her choice to betray Raya did, in Namaari's mind, save Fang, a strong value instilled in her from birth.

The betrayal hurts Raya a lot more openly. She sees Namaari firstly as a potential friend, a connection. Raya was taught by her father to value connection with others more than preemptively distrusting them in order to protect herself. This is likely why we see their interactions mostly from Raya's perspective. Namaari's behavior is very conflicted in intention, bouncing back and forth between deception and genuine connection, and trying to balance those two in a way that remains faithful to Fang and herself. Raya, on the other hand, is fully genuine for this interaction, save for maybe a couple moments of brief, minor hesitation. But, that hesitation is short-lived and the desire for friendship ultimately wins over for Raya. She fully trusts Namaari (to the level that she is able to, given that they just met that day), up to the moment the betrayal occurs. She is blindsided, and in response, she also returns to the comfort of her original views (before her father tried to teach her to trust the other lands). This decision to abandon the friendship is not comfortable at all for Raya; it is forced. She must do it to protect not only her land, but ostensibly the world. She is fighting between protecting her "clan" and protecting outsiders. She is struggling to view other lands as part of her clan/community, and Namaari's betrayal only solidifies Raya's eventual choice to mistrust others completely. Once her father dies, so does Raya's trust. To her, (misplaced) trust caused the downfall of the world, and more importantly, the death of her Ba. And to her, that betrayal is embodied and personified by Namaari. Namaari becomes a scapegoat and a punching bag for all that went wrong with the world, and this is a consistent mindset Raya has throughout the movie, until it is openly challenged by Namaari during the climax. Raya is comfortable in an "us versus them" mindset; it rids her of blame and responsibility for her actions, her role in problems. She, like Namaari, chooses to believe that everyone else is to blame for her downfall, while excluding herself entirely from that equation.

It goes without saying that these characters are well-written. Their emotions, motivations, and actions are complex and whole. I could (clearly) write analysis for days about these two. But here's my point.

Romance is only a potential part of their relationship at the start, no more. It is budding at best, and not fully realized or invoked. It is not ever made explicit or agreed upon. And the foundations of trust between these two, for a massive portion of the movie, are severely damaged. Any intimacy they had as children is put on hold, if not destroyed. They only trust each other as far as their blades reach, and as much as they've crossed paths during the six (6) year time-jump (enough to banter, manipulate each other, and predict each other's strategies to a degree), and and no further than that. Where they left off, they still have a connection, even while they don't trust each other with their deepest values. This foundation is clearly not enough for either of them to warrant a more intimate relationship, be it in the shade of romantic, queerplatonic, sexual, sensual, or otherwise. If it was enough, they would have done so already. Their closest intimacy is for the purpose of evading each other's attacks and maneuvers in order to get the upperhand. Their main goals are not each other, even though they both likely desire deeper connection, like they once had as kids. That childhood connection was genuine; no one is arguing otherwise.

But, by the climax of the movie, these two are not in a position of full, deep trust and connection. At the climax of the movie, when the Gem has finally been restored, their relationship is effectively back at the beginning, right where they left off as kids: budding and new, unsure yet hopeful, and with initial chemistry. That may read as potential romance, potential queerplatonics, potential you-name-it. But it is still potential, not active, not existent in the moment. They still have work to do in terms of building a deep relationship. Trust is a first step — one of many, many more steps. They're still working on the friendship and trust by the end — they just reunited as peoples from different lands, and as old ex-friends. They're relearning to see other lands as friends and not enemies, and that includes the way they see each other. They've come a long way, no doubt, and they still have a long way to go before they're remotely deep friends with established trust. They're effectively rebuilding that damaged trust by the end of the movie.

I mean, seriously. Expecting a full on romantic relationship, or even the explicit beginning of one is a massive stretch. Like, did you watch the movie? They have a lot of things to work through and talk about together! I don't care that they worked together and sacrificed themselves to save the world together. That's step one. Step one going well does not equal the kind of deep intimacy seen in romantic, queerplatonic, or deep platonic relationships, especially not the kind of romance that some audience members expressed they wanted to see from the movie. Did we forget that a genuine, hurtful betrayal happened? Did we forget that a betrayal happened very early on in the relationship? That sort of behavior doesn't scream "healthy relationship," and Raya and Namaari's subsequent reactions to said betrayal and following said event don't scream "consent to intimacy." Like, sure, they were both kids when it happened, especially Namaari, who was partially manipulated into that betrayal. But being young doesn't dilute or negate any of the very real trauma and pain felt by either of them, nor does it take away autonomy and responsibility for actions. She may have been manipulated and taught an incomplete view of the world, but Namaari also made that choice to betray Raya herself, no matter how mis- or un-informed she was about the world at the time. She still made a decision that hurt Raya, and in the process a lot of others. That can't be glossed over if we're talking about the formation of genuinely deep bonds. If the movie had made Raya and Namaari explicitly a couple of any kind, I strongly believe that any romantic, queerplatonic, or any other type of intimate social behavior would have made their relationship and conflict-resolution come across as forced, rushed, inauthentic, and unearned. Gestures of romantic intimacy especially tend to imply (in narratives that want to portray a healthy romantic relationship) a sense of depth, bond, and trust that is developed over long periods of time, marked by continuous and explicit efforts toward mutual trust. Raya and Namaari might have cultivated genuine trust for each other, but they lack a history of that trust that would realistically allow for a believable and genuine romantic/queerplatonic relationship at the level of harmony most "romance-lacking" audience-complaints demand. Raya and Namaari are not at that point yet. Rushing them there doesn't make that bond authentic, nor does it create healthy and realistic queer representation, much less healthy romantic/queerplatonic/intimate representation in general. Furthermore, rushing that sort of thing on-screen and portraying it as perfectly healthy perpetuates pre-existing, unrealistic, and unhealthy ideals of romance, human intimacy in general, and amatonormativity. Preliminary trust is not enough to give someone access to you in totality. We shouldn't portray that idea to kids, and this movie is careful not to. Trust is an ongoing process, and teaching kids that intimacy is developed over time and through consistent respect and communication is paramount. I seriously wish this movie had existed when I was a kid. I wish I had learned what this movie teaches. Romance isn't the answer to everything; it's not the highest form of love; and it's not the highest form of queer representation either. The highest form of love is the kind that is genuine and realistic and respectful.

Plus, on the subject of amatonormativity, I want to restress that queerness is not defined by romance. No one is made queer by their queer relationships, or even their visibly queer relationships. No one is suddenly not queer when they're single. Raya and Namaari can still be queer representation without ever having a romantic, sexual, or even queerplatonic relationship. Does Disney still have a record of cisheteronormative-flavored cowardice towards positively portraying explicitly queer people on screen? Absolutely. But I also don't think the answer to cisheteronormative amatonormativity is queer amatonormativity. Queer people are still queer, regardless of their relationship status, and especially regardless of their romantic orientation. Queer people are queer by virtue of existing.

TL;DR:

This should be more than clear: I'm of the strong opinion that both Raya and Namaari are queer. I don't think any of my regular readership will disagree. But forcing a romance (or any sort of deeper, unearned intimacy) onto this particular relationship and narrative only has the capacity to muddy and ruin this valuable and beautiful storyline and it's themes. Such a careless choice perpetuates some very harmful and prejudiced cultural norms regarding love and it's expression, and such a choice runs the risk of directly teaching children to view the world — to view their relationships — in a limiting, destructive, and isolating way.

I wouldn't change any part of the way this movie portrays Raya and Namaari's relationship. Every ounce of their interactions: from their words to their body language, facial expressions to actions, motivations to desires, conflict to resolution — they all make sense and are fully earned in this movie.

Yes, they'd look super cute together. Yes, it would likely be super cathartic for my gay little heart to see them kiss. Yes, they have the chemistry and potential for really meaningful and fulfilling growth and intimacy down the line. That is kind of the entire message of of the movie: potential; growth seen as a process made up of steps, the first being the catalyst towards making that potential a reality.

Raya and Namaari are a queer-coded microcosm for the rest of their world. They are one of many microcosms teaching a lesson about the importance of valuing and developing communal, cross-border trust.

Please stop yelling at Disney to make them kiss. They're together in a way that matters just as much, and they're together in a way that, for once, doesn't make romance the highest and truest form of intimacy. Write your fanfiction, enjoy them as a pairing, write letters to Disney and tell them we deserve explicit and normalized queer representation (because we do). Do what you wish, and do what makes you happy! Enjoy your queer pairings! I encourage you! I implore you!

But please, please, please don't discount the importance, validity, and power of the connection they do have. This connection is no less intimate and no less important than romance, sex, or anything else. They don't need romance to be queer, and they don't need any label at all to be a beautiful, realistic, and healthy portrayal of human relationships, queer or not.

And for the record, they are very, very gay, and nobody, not even Disney, can change my mind.

[ataswegianabroad]

Alone Amongst the Gum Trees Part 4 - Digital News Report: Australia - A Murdoch Review

NOTE - this article has been migrated to Medium. As of 2021, A Taswegian Abroad will be closed down, and all of my writing will be published on my Medium profile.

---

After seeing a significant public outcry to my story based on a response to Sally McManus on twitter - I recently spoke with the ABC on being an Aussie overseas and the challenges we’ve faced getting home. The failure once again of Morrison’s government to provide enough vaccines and a proper quarantine system (covered up by the Murdoch Press protection racket) is having real implications on everyday Australians.

I strongly believe that for this to change, the media needs to perform its function of holding both elected officials, and their peers in the press, accountable for such actions.

Until Australia has reestablished media fairness among the press, improved media literacy amongst its citizens, and have mostly removed the cancer of Murdoch’s News Corp dominating mainstream media, we will never break this cycle of government ineptitude, gaslighting, negligence, and outright corruption with little to almost zero accountability.

You don't need to look far for proof. The ones that immediately come to mind for me:

2020 Bushfires and consistent climate change denial - "I don't hold a hose mate"

Freedom of speech is threatened where internet comedians get arrested in their own homes for making jokes about a LNP Deputy Premier

Kate and the horrendous Christian Porter alleged rape case

The four stage plan to make a plan about having a plan for Covid, 18 months into the pandemic, with literally no dates or vaccination targets.

Back in March, I caught onto calls for a Murdoch Royal Commission by former prime minister Kevin Rudd, and since then I’ve been keeping a very sharp eye on the Australian media landscape.

Despite over 500,000 petition signatures and the ramping exposure by Rudd online (leading to a full senate enquiry), the Murdoch press is doing its best to discredit, misdirect, or, blatantly ignore the storm that’s brewing. A couple of major things have caught my attention since that date.

News Corp outlets are still consistently cowing their competitors at Nine, Seven, the ABC, and more into towing the pro-Coalition narrative THEY choose, or, risk facing character assassination. This applies to everyone who dares step out of line: reporters, ministers, producers, senators, editors, presenters, janitors… no one is safe.

This sort of behaviour and influence is not easy to show on graphs and charts, but if you read between the lines, you can see it. Let me show you.

The ABC Presents the Data

In April of 2021, the ABC published a fact-file article outlining the power of the Murdoch press - the first article from an at least somewhat reputable source addressing this that I’ve seen on this topic.

The biggest things I took from it are that despite there seeming to be a diverse ownership pool across many mediums, News Corp (Murdoch) newspapers significantly dominate the national market for print papers, and, have recently been crowned leaders of the #1 source of news for Australians: social media (via mostly viral, opinion, and video based content primarily from News.com.au and Sky News pages on Facebook and YouTube).

Remember this point - spoiler alert: it’s important.

At the recent senate enquiries, News Corp claims there is in fact diversity - focusing on different mediums such as online, social media, radio, television etc. available to represent “diversity”. This is response refers to medium diversity, and is quite frankly a misdirection based on a technicality to avoid the real question. Classic News Corp.

Rudd says “each story published online or broadcast over the airwaves finds its point of origin in a print story, often a Murdoch print story". The former PM is referring to content diversity where factual reporting reigns supreme, and different points of view are given equal time in the sun without the blurring of opinion and fact.

As Kevin likes to say: “pigs might fly”

While you might be thinking “so what? News Corp is strong in print and social, Nine is strong for television and online news, ABC is strong on radio and social, Seven is strong on radio and television etc” - I’d like to ask you a question: where then is the accountability for elected officials in the media?

The Murdoch press won’t say a word about the Coalition’s ever growing laundry list of corruption, negligence, ineptitude or incompetence, but if a Labor politician sneezes, they’re likely to be labelled a Covid super spreader on the front page of 15 national and state papers the next day.

How about this doozy from the Herald Sun in May 2021 after Dan Andrews quite literally broke his back and took medical leave:

I didn’t see one peep from the Murdoch reptiles about Morrison's three day actual disappearing act only last week after his bogus "AstraZeneca is OK for under 40’s / go to your GP” comments.

The key thing to point out here is that the news provider who ranks number one in Australia's largest news medium (social media) is a well known right wing protection racket that doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, and there's mountains of evidence that exists to prove they don’t play a fair game.

Let’s Go To the Numbers

To really drill down into how important online media control is, I found the Digital News Report: Australia 2021 (i.e “the report” for the rest of this article), recently published by the University of Canberra by way of the Reuters Digital News Report: 2021

Below I've outlined a number of key headers from the report, and more specifically tried to point out exactly where Murdoch and News Corp are exploiting and manipulating their way into control. The data shows us both what has been going on, and the direction it will likely continue in.

Having worked in digital marketing for the better part of the last four years, I couldn’t wait to dive into this data and explain just how much of a rort this all is for the sake of profit.

1: Local News

Replaced by Murdoch Sky News, Invests in Social Media

“For ‘hard news’ such as local politics, economy, crime and health, local news consumers continue to turn to traditional local news outlets, such as the newspaper or TV. However, for most other news and information, consumers are using internet search and other internet sites to get localised information.”

The report tells us that:

“2020 was a difficult year in Australian news sector, with news companies closing or suspended. This is in part a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it reflects a longer-term gradual decline in newspaper consumption that is replaced by online offerings”

So why did the BBC report in 2020 that Murdoch shuts 112 Australia print papers in major digital shift? CNN covered it too, as did the Guardian. I couldn’t find anything on a Murdoch owned site or outlet. That’s because Rupert is rolling out “Sky News Regional” to replace them all.

The report outlines:

“This year’s data highlights the important role of newspapers in generating a sense of community, particularly among older news consumers . Further, newspapers are perceived to be the best source of information about local government and politics, which is central to the functioning and accountability of local communities. It is important for industry and government to remember that the closure of a local newspaper not only leaves a gap in the provision of quality news, but also a loss of critical information that is connected to people’s sense of attachment to their community”

How on earth does one far-right Sydney run “news” channel represent hundreds of regional communities? Answer: It doesn’t - it’s designed to influence regional voters to think the way that suits the Murdoch press agenda.

2: Impartiality of News

Murdoch Cuts ABC Funding via Coalition, Ramps-Up Online Polarisation

The report tells us that 

“traditionally, values of independence, and impartiality — or ‘objectivity’ — have been central to journalism’s mission and deemed important to perceptions of trust in news. However, in the digital media environment, former demarcations between news, features, opinion, and advertising continue to blur.

“News audiences are becoming more polarised and are increasingly attracted to news brands that offer partisan perspectives.”

What you’re seeing here is that while the data reveals a strong desire for news outlets to attempt fairness, balance, and an impartial approach to reporting - the demographics more likely to use social media (the medium that Murdoch now leads, mostly containing Millennials and Gen Z) are less supportive of impartiality, neutrality and giving equal time. More on this in Part 8.

On the flip side: 

"news consumers who prefer impartiality are much more likely to say they distrust news on social media.”

“Both the 2020 and 2021 data highlight that these traditional journalism ideals are more strongly supported by older generations and those who use traditional sources of news."

You need not look further than the blatant defunding of the ABC to see how the Murdoch Cancer continues to take over.

So, if the majority of Australians believe the ABC is impartial and does a “good job”, why has the ABC had $783m in funding cut since 2014 by the Coalition government?

Seems to suit the Murdoch agenda pretty nicely.

3: News Representation

Low Media Literacy in Under-Represented Demographics

“Importantly, a large proportion of Australians say they don’t know if the amount of media coverage of ‘people like them’ is sufficient or fair. Those who have low education are much more likely to say they don’t know. This indicates a lack of engagement and adequate media literacy to identify misrepresentation and bias in the news.

“Combined with a lack of awareness about misinformation, lower interest in and consumption of news, these findings confirm the ongoing need for targeted media literacy interventions"

The only way the public can push back against misinformation is by knowing they’re witnessing it first hand. That does not suit what Murdoch is selling.

Misinformation breeds confusion, smoke and mirrors, and is aided by political spin, gaslighting and stone throwing to keep people moderately confused and ultimately giving up on understanding the “truth”, or, deciding their own convenient version of truth.

The closure of the Australian Alternative Press due to revoked funding by Nine and News Corp in 2020 should be enough to tell you the media landscape is gravitating consistently to the right.

4: News Access

People Losing Interest, Murdoch Keeps the Elderly Onside

As traditional mediums (television, radio, and print) are on the decline, social media and online news is on the rise with the aid of mobile device popularity (45% of Australians preferred news devices).

It's not a surprise to learn that during COVID-19, older Australians have increasingly turned to social media platforms to get news.

“The percentage of 75+ who use social media as their main source of news has more than tripled in two years from 3% to 10%. Among this age group, social media is now comparable to print use.” the report states.

While it’s hard to point this as a direct plot by News Corp, this is still great news for Murdoch. All News Corp had to do was weaken the traditional mediums that aren’t making them as much money, and push the audience toward social media. It worked.

75+ votes still count, and they are more likely to click the “clickbait” articles to make News Corp that sweet, sweet ad platform revenue.

5: Emerging New Habits 

Murdoch Funds the Fuel for the Fire

Despite people being somewhat varied on their social media usage for news specifically, the important statistic here is that more than half of Australians consume news videos.

The below statistics from the ABC should set alarm bells screaming. To put it plainly:

More people on social media than ever before

Murdoch ramps up social media content (Facebook posts / videos & YouTube videos mainly), then mega-funds paid advertising on said content

Drives subscribers and views through the roof

Overtakes ABC (yes, the one he’s got his politician friends/puppets actively defunding)

Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

The ABC outlines that: 

“Fact Check has analysed audience data for media accounts on what Canberra University found were the two most popular platforms: Facebook (used by 39 per cent of news consumers ) and YouTube (21 per cent).”

“Data from the analytics site Social Blade shows that Sky News Australia's YouTube channel had more than a million subscribers at the start of 2021, having doubled its following in just six months. Its subscriber base began to pull ahead of Channel 7 and Channel 9 from mid-2020, and by March 2021 Sky had overtaken ABC News”

The University of Canberra report aligns to these trends, and summaries that:

“Australian news consumers are accessing news online from a diverse range of sources including news videos, podcast apps, and numerous social media platforms alongside traditional branded news websites.”

“Although social (media) is the most common main pathway to news online it is common for consumers on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram to say they mostly see news incidentally while they are on those platforms for other reasons.”

6: Trust and Misinformation

Rupert’s Bread & Butter

“Tackling disinformation and misinformation is complex and won’t be solved by platforms alone. Responsibility must be shared across governments, digital platforms, users, news media and society to make sure Australians can access accurate and reliable news and information online, while ensuring rights to freedom of expression are protected.”

Creina Chapman, Deputy Chair, Australian Communications and Media Authority

This in part ties back to my earlier points in part 3 regarding media literacy - the report indicates that trust remains high where people use both multiple mediums AND multiple sources for news. This is further compounded by the evidence that low educated readers are less likely to know they’ve encountered misinformation.

The report confirms this by indicating:

“The differences between high and low educated Australian consumers in relation to concern about COVID-19 misinformation and their ability to discern it, points to an ongoing need to boost media and information literacy among socio-economically disadvantaged groups in Australia”

The ABC and SBS still continue to be the most trusted brands, however, it needs to be highlighted that “Local or Regional Newspaper” comes in third (62% trustworthy) - the vast majority of which Murdoch owns.

In 2020, survey participants were most concerned about Australian governments and politicians being sources of general misinformation (35%), followed by activists or activist groups (20%).

Despite this, 2021 shows that trust in news has increased in 2021 (43%), rebounding off trust associated with COVID-19 news reporting. The report breaks this down further:

“The data show(s) that concern about journalism as a source of misinformation about COVID-19 is very low (9%). In 2018, we asked about ‘fake news’ and 63% of news consumers said they were concerned about poor quality journalism as a source of ‘fake news’, and 40% said they had encountered it. This signals a possible positive shift in perception of journalism after 12 months of reporting expert health advice about the COVID-19 pandemic.”

"The data also highlight(s) ongoing low levels of trust in news found on social media (18%) compared to trust in news generally. Given much of the news encountered on digital platforms is the same as that which appears on the homepages and front pages of well-respected news brands, the findings suggest that the nature of the online environment itself is one the factors lowering perceptions of trust, rather than the news content."

Creina Chapman, Deputy Chair, Australian Communications and Media Authority states in the report that:

“In the context of online news, nearly two-thirds of Australians remain concerned about what is real and fake on the internet. And a variety of surveys over the past 12 months have shown a concerning portion of the population believe dangerous falsehoods about COVID-19 that have been circulating online.

"Any lack of trust in authoritative or reliable sources of news and information is particularly worrisome during a global pandemic, as it may drive people to spaces where misinformation is more prevalent. This, in turn, increases exposure to false conspiratorial narratives that can result in real-world harm to both individual users and broader societal institutions”

Where does Murdoch benefit here? Same as always: smoke, mirrors, confusion, and spin all wrapped into enormous volumes of social media content.

7: Paying for News and Funding Journalism

Conveniently Avoiding the Issue

“To ensure media diversity and plurality in Australia, a mix of substantive, fiscal measures is necessary to support, transition and stimulate existing news businesses and encourage new entrants”

Anna Draffin, Chief Executive Officer, Public Interest Journalism Initiative

Despite a fair and balanced media being a must-have for any democracy - this is not surprising, given the low amounts of trust for online media content. Overall, given that Australians are not concerned about the poor financial state of news outlets, it’s sad but not surprising that many feel the government should not step in to help.

What is the most dangerous here is the simple fact that when there’s no money to fund decent and ethical journalism, we end up with tabloids, opinion pieces, shock jocks, and anything that just gets you to first: SEE it (an “impression” in the marketing world) and second: CLICK on it. Both of these things make News Corp richer.

Here’s the report evidence:

“A quarter (25%) of left-wing news consumers and 27% of centre-leaning are supportive of government intervention (to assist struggling journalism). However, more than half of right-wing (58%) news consumers are opposed to government assistance for financially struggling news companies."

“This is consistent with the findings that left-wing news consumers are more likely to say they are concerned about the financial state of news businesses (41%) compared to centre (37%) or right-wing (34%) news consumers”.

News consumers who think their political views are represented fairly for online news are another win for Murdoch. This is compounded by the fact that those who think news should take a position are also more likely to pay for that news.

That means if the mainstream media is pro-right wing, for example, then more people look at right wing news and pay for right wing reporting, ultimately leaving the left without funding, and fighting a losing battle. All Murdoch needs to do is discredit who he deems as “left” and it’s game over.

But Murdoch doesn’t need subscriptions. That’s just pocket money for him. With the introduction of the News Media Bargaining Code, Rupert & News Corp continue to improve their financial revenue streams through digital marketing strategies (views and clicks) without needing people to pay for fact based, objective journalism.

8: Political Orientation

Stealing the Centre & Making Opinion the “News”

Of all the elements of this report, this one shocks and upsets me the most.

The majority of Australians (61%) identify with the centre-left of politics (30% political ‘centre’ and 31% identify as either ‘very left-wing’, ‘fairly left-wing’ or ‘slightly left of centre’).

Only 22% of Australians align themselves with the right wing, and 18% don’t know their political orientation.

Younger generations have historically been the drivers of progressive social change, and younger Australians are more concerned about the environment and the impacts of things like climate change and equality.

Clare Armstrong, National Political Reporter at the The Daily Telegraph outlines in the commentary that: 

“many young Australians may rightly feel their futures, livelihoods and social activities have been either jeopardised or overlooked by a centre-right government, and subsequently a larger cohort has been pushed toward the left”

To begin in closing, based on this - how do Conservative/Right Wing parties keep winning federal elections?

It’s by doing exactly what we’ve mentioned in the first 7 sections:

Flooding the online and social media landscape with non-factual spin and confusion

This is aided by the bedrock of owning the majority of national, capital city, and regional papers which in turn steer the daily political narrative on television/radio

This is all driven home by bullying competitors into following suit, or, suffering the consequences

There is no governing or peer run body with teeth (or guts) to hold Murdoch and News Corp responsible or accountable

According to the report; 

“Younger generations, who say they feel less attached to their local community, and who also access social media widely for general news, are more likely to seek local news and information from the internet and online platforms.”

As Clare Armstrong also states: 

“Social media has significantly fuelled political polarisation in the last decade as its algorithms, by design, show users more of what they want to see, rather than a broader mix of ideas presented in traditional media.”

In summary - this quote from the Political Orientation trends leaves a long-lasting impression on my psyche:

“Left-wing news consumers (61% of the country) are more comfortable with news that takes a position rather than maintaining neutrality.”

Rupert has them right where he wants them: thinking that opinion is news.

[tifarobles]

Most Inspirational Characters for My Life

Writing about Disney princesses and video games has made me take a look at what characters (specifically women) are the most inspirational to me personally. This includes not only the primary characters I related to as a child but ones I am glad the next generation has to look up to now. 

Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII): 

There are actually a number of Final Fantasy heroines that influenced me - Rinoa, Daggar (Princess Garnet), Aeris, and Terra to name some of the others - but I feel like it’s obvious who inspired me the most. 

Let’s start from the beginning. You meet Tifa as a hardcore member of the resistance group, AVALANCHE, and the owner of Seventh Heaven bar in the slums of Midgar. She clearly has her life figured out as an independent woman with strong convictions. Tifa is from the small town of Nibelheim and is seen as wearing a cowgirl hat in flashbacks. She moved to the big city with honorable motivations of changing the world for the better. 

She is beautiful and her flirtatious behavior with her childhood friend, Cloud, was relatable to me as a hopeless romantic. They grew up together, but it wasn’t until he was leaving for the war that she started to follow his story and realized that he was more complicated than she’d thought as a child. This is a realistic depiction of young love and wondering “what if” about a developmental time in your life. 

Tifa is compassionate towards others, always willing to put their needs before her own. In flashbacks, you learn that she wasn’t always this selfless, dealing with tragedy in childhood and learning to cope with her own issues before being able to help others. This past strengthens the complexity and empathy of her character. During a crucial thematic section of the game, you play as Tifa and see her be the primary influence in Cloud’s journey of finding himself during an episode of chronic depression. 

Tifa has a reputation on the internet due solely on her looks. To be honest, I appreciated that she wasn’t defined by her looks in the story at all. Yeah, she’s hot, but she is so much more than that. She proves that looks do not define you. She is an incredibly powerful fighter and often the smart and optimistic voice of the group. Throughout the plot of the game, Tifa’s ability to be a good friend and leader comes to the rescue. She was a fantastic friend to Aeris, despite their competing affections for Cloud, and she is the first person Barret trusts to take care of his daughter, Marlene. 

I hoped that I would grow up to be just like her. 

Belle (Beauty & The Beast):

I just wrote about my feelings for Belle as a feminist, but I couldn’t complete this list without her. Belle is an outspoken outcast in a small-minded community, something I can relate to. Often lost in her own imagination, she cares more about reading than socializing and would rather talk to animals than humans. Belle was definitely the smartest Princess for her time. She was also incredibly brave, making decisions for the good of her father and her strong sense of adventure. She wanted more from life and found just that with her own decisions and actions. 

Belle never lets others make her chooses for her and follows her curiosity wherever it takes her, unafraid of the unknown. This is an admirable quality. She is also in touch with her own emotions, crying when she is sad but quickly wiping her tears away to plan her next steps. Belle doesn’t let the Beast’s temper control her and she doesn’t allow Gaston’s forced advances to make her do anything she doesn’t want to do. 

For my generation of Princess movies, this was the one that moved me the most and inspired me to be a strong feminist, choosing my own love story and fate. 

Maria Posada (Book of Life):

Maria embodies all of the characteristics I hope to achieve in my own life. 

We first meet Maria as a rebellious young girl who decides to release a pin full of pigs, believing that slaughtering them is wrong. She cares deeply for animals, putting their safety above her expectations as a “lady”. Her father sends her away to boarding school, hoping to crush her tenacious spirit. She leaves her childhood friends behind, giving Manolo the advice to always play from his heart. This is a motto we should all consider more in our lives. 

Returning from school years later, it’s obvious that her schooling only blossomed her rejection of society’s expected role for her. She has a reputation for reading books for fun (gasp!) and displays her intelligence in many ways. Watching Manolo in his first bullfight, she is the only audience member to applaud when he proclaims that killing the bull is wrong. It was clear to me that she was falling for this sensitive musician. 

Standing up to her father, Manolo, and Jauquin, Maria continuously shows that she doesn’t need a man in order to be fulfilled in her life, making Manolo take time and effort to win her affection. She calls out sexism whenever she sees it and ensures to explain it in ways that they will understand. When the boys fight over her, she fights for herself, winning the battle with her own sword fighting techniques. She calls them out for their childish behaviors, refusing Jauquin’s engagement and Manolo’s attempt to kiss her. Her father’s attempts at arranging her marriage only work when her true love is thought to be dead and the town’s safety is at risk, and even then she isn’t happy about the situation. 

In the end, Maria helps to save the town, inspiring them to fight back against the villain. Luckily, once the town is rescued she gets to marry for love.

Harley Quinn: 

Harley Quinn is a complicated, important character. Her story explores the depths of abusive relationships, mental health issues, bisexuality, and overcoming a troubled past to live for oneself. 

Being a professional psychiatrist, she is obviously intelligent and obsessed with the complexities of mental health. It’s no wonder that someone as deeply manipulative as the Joker was able to take advantage of her interest in this area. Their relationship is a very real depiction of abusive relationships, with the power struggle, controlling nature of the relationship, constant attempts to tear her down with insults and win her back with grand gestures., The Joker perpetually tries to tell Harley that she is nothing without him and even attempts to kill her to show his dominance over her and display a lack of a need for her in his life. She proves him wrong, saving him many times and eventually becoming an anti-hero on her own, free from his control. This is a powerful representation for a real issue for women in our society and an inspiration for breaking out of bad habits for a better self and life. 

Joining the Gotham Girls, Harley oozes of woman empowerment. The friendship and the love interest between Ivy and Harley is a relationship worth exploring deeper. Yay for bisexual representation! 

Harley was originally a very modestly dressed character in her first appearance (in a children’s show, I’d like to point out). I have very mixed feelings about her becoming a sex symbol over the years. I feel like there are many depictions that took this too far, focusing more on her appearance as a source of sex appeal instead of using her appearance to bolster her inner strength.

I totally understand why there was an explosion of Harley Quinn cosplayers and fanart during this movement of a more inclusive industry. 

Rey (Star Wars):

Rey is the sci-fi hero that young girls have needed for generations. Rey consistently fights for what she feels is right, following her instincts regardless of how terrifying they might be. She works hard to channel the force and proves to be very powerful. 

Living independently and always making decisions for herself, Rey proves that women can lead without the aid of men, but she gladly helps anyone in need (men, droids, or Wookiee) while on her own path. She is skilled at fixing and piloting ships and I get the feeling she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to. Rey’s empathy is so strong, that she does all she can to try to help her own nemesis. This empathy is a powerful trait that I wish we all had more of and seeing that on the big screen is important. 

Rey made me care more about the Star Wars universe because I could finally see myself in that world. 

What characters influenced your life? What characters do you hope influence the next generation of nerds and geeks? 

[ebizfilingindia-blog]

Digital Marketing Company In India | Ebizfiling

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 A capably organized logo will be the main concern your clients see while taking a gander at your affiliation's materials, for example, presents, business cards, objections, and electronic entertainment profiles. It's critical that your logo is detectable in little sizes as well as enormous ones without mutilation or loss of huge worth. You can make custom typography for your logo or utilize stock text styles where conceivable. You can also add tone or use significantly separating for more effect or straightforwardness, reliant upon your objectives for utilizing logo designing services.

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Content writing services are an important aspect to any blog or website in the online market. It provides a coherent and informative message to the readers. In India, there are many content writing services available to meet the demand of clients. India has a many professional content writing services that provide high-quality articles at affordable prices.

  After some time, the requirement for content writing services in India has flourished. The premium for web content columnists, explicit substance creators, and innovative substance experts has climbed in light of the widening progressed showing industry. With Ebizfiling finish your substance-outlining relationship in a prompt, solid, sensible, and fast way. At Ebizfiling, we regard quality, imaginative brain, and uniqueness in blissful publicizing.

[simandhar--education]

US CPA Exam Syllabus

US CPA Exam Syllabus SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 CPA-Exam-Syllabus SHARE The Uniform Certified Public Accountant examination is a credentialing exam for professionals seeking to become CPAs. It is graded by AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) and administered with NASBA (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy).

CPA Exam Format:

The CPA exam consists of 4 sections.

Auditing and Attestation (AUD) Regulation (REG) Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) There are 3 types of questions in the CPA exam:

Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) vary from one sentence to paragraph length questions with 4 options. Task-Based Simulations (TBS) require candidates to type in answers and may include research questions, journal entries, reconciling accounts, filling out a form with MCQs, or filling out sections of reports. Written communication tasks test the candidate’s ability through writing; these are a must in the BEC section.

Each exam section is broken into 5 tests:

Auditing and Attestation (AUD)

Testlet Questions 1 36 MCQs 2 36 MCQs 3 2 TBS 4 3 TBS 5 3 TBS Regulation (REG)

Testlet Questions 1 38 MCQs 2 38 MCQs 3 2 TBS 4 3 TBS 5 3 TBS Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)

Testlet Questions 1 33 MCQs 2 33 MCQs 3 2 TBS 4 3 TBS 5 3 TBS Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)

Testlet Questions 1 31 MCQs 2 31 MCQs 3 2 TBS 4 2 TBS 5 3 Written Communication Questions CPA Exam by Sections and Question Type:

Sections Time MCQs TBS Written communication AUD 4 Hours 72 8 – REG 4 Hours 76 8 – FAR 4 Hours 66 8 – BEC 4 Hours 62 4 3 Skills Tested by Section:

Section Remembering & Understanding Analysis Application Evaluation AUD 30 to 40% 15 to 25% 30 to 40% 5 to 15% REG 25 to 35% 25 to 35% 35 to 45% – FAR 10 to 20% 25 to 35% 50 to 60% – BEC 15 to 25% 20 to 30% 50 to 60% – Related Article: US CPA Exam Score Release Dates 2021 CPA Exam Content Areas by Sections:

Auditing and Attestation (AUD):

Developing a Planned Response & Assessing Risk (20 to 30%) Debtor-creditor relationships Entity’s internal control Planning an engagement Assessing and identifying the risk of material misstatement Materiality Specific areas of engagement risk Professional Responsibilities, Ethics & General Principles (15 to 25%) Nature and scope Engagement documentation Ethics and professional conduct Communication with management Communication with component auditors A firm’s system of quality control Obtaining Evidence & Performing Further Procedures (30 to 40%) Sampling techniques Acquisition and disposition of assets Internal control deficiencies and misstatements Performing specific procedures to get evidence Subsequent events Written representation Reporting and Forming Conclusions (15 to 25%) Reports on attestation engagements Reporting on compliance Reports on auditing engagements Review service engagements Other reporting considerations Related Article: ALL ABOUT CPA-AUD EXAM Regulation (REG):

Federal Tax Procedures, Professional Responsibilities and Ethics (10 to 20%) Federal tax procedures Responsibilities in tax practice Legal duties Licensing and disciplinary systems Business Law (10 to 20%) Contracts Business structure Agency Government regulation of business Debtor-creditor relationships Federal Taxation of Property Transactions (12 to 22%) Estate and gift taxation Determination of taxable estate Acquisition and disposition of assets Gift tax deductions Gift tax annual exclusion Cost recovery Federal Taxation of Individuals (15 to 25%) Passive activity losses Computation of tax and credits Gross income Filing status Reporting items from pass-through entities Alternative Minimum Tax Computation of tax and credits Federal Taxation of Entities (28 to 38%) S corporations C corporations Liquidation of business entities & tax treatment of formation Trusts and estates Limited liability companies Partnerships Tax-exempt organizations Related Article: CPA Study Strategy of FAR, REG, BEC, AUD by Laxmikant Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)

Standard-Setting, Conceptual Framework, and Financial Reporting (25 to 35%) Public company reporting topics The standard setting for non-business entities Conceptual framework Special purpose framework Standard setting and conceptual framework for nonbusiness entities General-purpose financial statements Select Financial Statement Accounts (30 to 40%) Property, plant, and equipment Cash and cash equivalents Intangible assets Investments Long-term debt Income taxes Compensation benefits Inventory Select Transactions (20 to 30%) Business combinations Derivatives and hedge accounting Leases Research and development costs Subsequent events Differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP Accounting changes and error corrections Contingencies and commitments Foreign currency transaction and translation Nonreciprocal transfers Software costs Fair value measurements State and Local Governments (5 to 15%) Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) Specific types of transactions and events: calculation, measurement, presentation in a governmental entity, and valuation. State and local government concepts Government-wide financial statements Related Article: Tips to Clear CPA FAR Exam Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)

Corporate Governance (17 to 27%) ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) frameworks Internal control frameworks Regulatory frameworks and provisions Economic Concepts and Analysis (17 to 27%) Market influences on business Economic business cycles Financial risk management Financial Management (11 to 21%) Working capital Capital structure Financial valuation methods Information Technology (15 to 25%) Information security/availability IT governance Role of information technology business Processing integrity Systems development of maintenance Operations Management (15 to 25%) Cost accounting Planning techniques Performance management Process management Related Article: CPA-BEC Exam Study Strategies Conclusion:

CPAs have a huge demand in different fields like public accounting, business and industry, non-profit, government, and education. Check out the CPA exam syllabus given above to be aware of the subjects. Hope the detailed information provided in this article about the CPA exam syllabus has been helpful to you. Feel free to comment if you have any other doubts.

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Learn how to clear your CPA exams with extremely satisfying results by getting proper guidance and knowledge through our online courses and video tutorials taught by Industry Experts. We’re here to provide you with all the help that you need in order to ace your CPA, CMA exams. We are just a call away for any assistance. Simandhar Education is the leading training provider for the CPA Exam in India. Contact us@ 91 9390584166.

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[freebsdmadeeasy1]

Why Is Quality Assurance Tester Needed On A Software Development Team?

Many team members are involved in the development of software. Designers initiate the process and present a graphical representation of the software’s user interface. Next up are the software engineers who write the underlying code. Project managers coordinate the team’s effort and communicate within the organization and with essential stakeholders. Finally, the quality assurance engineers test the software, identify bugs, and give recommendations for improvements. Nowadays, project managers and clients overlook the importance of a dedicated quality assurance tester due to time constraints. They see them as a redundant option because they place their trust in the development team. However, quality assurance testing is vital to the software development life cycle as it saves valuable time and money with early bug detection and rectification.

Quality assurance can be a tedious process, but it is worth the effort to ensure that all requirements are met. It also ensures users receive maximum value and the software being developed has a long lifespan. A project manager and client should never overlook the necessity of dedicated quality assurance testers, as they play an integral role in software development. Software is a complex and expensive product to develop; therefore, companies need to develop the right software. QA testing ensures that the software is built according to the intended specifications and uncovers inconsistencies, redundancies, or flaws over time to provide value to end-users.

Role of a QA Tester

A QA tester is responsible for ensuring no bugs remain in the final release of a software or application. They communicate and build relationships with stakeholders, clients, database administrators, project managers & developers to ensure smooth product development while ensuring everything runs perfectly.

Quality assurance testers are the backbone of product development. They use various tools and testing techniques to identify flaws and errors in the latest software version and plan user testing. They also work closely with the software teams to create a bug-free final product for the customers.

Skills of a QA Tester

They are experts in verbal and written communication, problem-solving, writing clearly and concisely.

They have sufficient experience in software development and QA to identify issues and give recommendations.

They are aware of the recent advancements and latest technological trends.

They have an outstanding knowledge of QA processes, methodologies, and tools.

Technical Skills of a QA Tester

Create procedures and methods to identify the quality of a product.

Perform risk analysis.

Understand the business and technical objectives.

Determine the areas of enhancement and improvements.

Review the user interface for consistency.

Discover and research new technologies and testing processes.

We hope that you found this blog post informative. If you are interested in learning about coding, you can check this article on our website.

The post Why Is Quality Assurance Tester Needed On A Software Development Team? appeared first on Free BSD Made Easy - Stay Updated With Technological Trends.

source https://www.freebsdmadeeasy.com/why-is-quality-assurance-tester-needed-on-a-software-development-team/

[itraininginchandigarh]

Graphic Designing Company in Mohali

Graphic designers at Graphic Designing Company in Mohali and provide exceptional graphic design services to customers in most sectors of business; we work with corporates in IT, hospitality, event management, healthcare, and institutional clients. The work from team Graphic Designing Company in Mohali is versatile as our clients are varied. Our work centers on branding. Commencing from the logo, we promote complete branding solutions. Adapting branding to a full range of graphic design services, Graphic Designing Services in Mohali delivers graphic design work that has high influence and delivers results.

Graphic Designing Agency in Mohali collaborates with clients to create a specific message to a targeted audience through a comprehensive range of Graphic Designing Services in Mohali. Our Graphic Design Services are utilized for several artistic and professional disciplines that focus on visual communication and presentation such as:

Graphic design for posters, flyers, including advertisements. Our graphic designing services in Mohali continue to magazine cover design, product design. All our Visual Communication and Graphic Design Services employ creative ideas to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages.

Our attempts involve working with logos and other artwork, organized text, and pure design elements such as shapes and color which unify the piece. Composition and balance are some of the most prominent features of graphic design, especially when using pre-existing material or different elements.

The talented team of illustrators, animators, and programmers at Graphic Designing Company in Mohali; help you with all your graphic, design, animation, and imaging needs. Our inventive instincts, breadth of graphic design capabilities, depth of creative writing skills help achieve stunning results for our clients.

We develop graphics for print as well as UI design for digital forms such as banner ads, emailers, customized greeting cards, or logos. Our expert graphic designers can offer creative UI design solutions for a wide range of graphic design needs overnight. We can digitize and vectorize your existent logo for printing and web applications, in various formats including Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, Macro Media Flash, etc. We can graphically design or re-design your website to enhance its overall appearance.

About Graphic Design

A good graphic design actively shows a firm's vision on the company website, relevant company ads and company job opening ads as well as business cards, and the best graphic designing company in Mohali will do everything for you and make your company stand apart. Professional graphic designing services in Mohali will hand you over a clear to read, with smooth navigation and making purchase choices at peace so that it can drive maximum consumers for your business and would also like to share their good service experiences availed from you to others. Graphic designers from a well known Graphic Designing Company in Mohali are now well-equipped with in-depth industry knowledge and wants to always beat the competition improving every day in the world of digitization. They will not only be well-aware of the latest design technologies but also put every attempt into representing your business on a beautiful canvas with their visualization.

Why Do You Require Graphic Design For Your Business?

Graphic Designing Company in Mohali has tried to explain to you the significance of graphic design and how you can use it to transform your business completely. Here we give you some points which will demonstrate the requirement for a graphic design for your business:

interpreting Interpreting Professionalism

An adorned mission of your company with nice designs in the logo or webpages of the company website gives a professional impression of your establishment to the clients. An expert image goes consistently with your brand and gives you a separate identity. A good logo can efficiently represent your organization's values and it can be seen in the included ads or videos too.

communication Establishing Communication

People today have no time studying a company in detail. Rather, they use their mobile phones, PCs, or e-Magazines for knowing any information concerning a company’s services. Organizations have also accepted the fact they have only a few seconds to catch the attention of their viewers. Thus, the usage of images comes as the perfect solution in building communication between a brand and a consumer. Images should also be different and of high quality to get better optimization and search rankings on the web.

trust Building Trust

A known picture of a company can create credibility that is a vital factor in business growth. Trust is necessary for a business in establishing the buyers about the quality of products and services you are capable of delivering. A trustworthy organization with a good graphic design can give high visibility and also convert the audience into buyers and expanding company sales and revenue. It will also suggest an advanced edge of making the existing coming back to check new products or services on your website or to attract new customers for the same.

Process Of

Graphic Design

We Follow:

For delivering the best outcomes, we follow the same artistic process divided into multiple sub-steps that can give emergence to the most effective design. Our in-house designers go through the following five-step process while creating a new design and we will look at what we undergo:

Collecting Project Data:

Graphic Designing Company in Mohali set up a meeting with every client to understand their requirements, the range of their project, and their reach to their audience. Taking notes on the message the client desires to convey about their brand. It also involves whether the client wants to convey the message only digitally or in print or both.

Initial Wireframe:

Before the onset of a project, outlining the whole is a good practice. In this first wireframe, we include all the technical terms and business details for presenting it to the client if he would like to incorporate any changes in it. Formal communication is made with the client as a design and the design process starts when the customer gives it a thumbs up!

Creative Session

Once created, our team gets into the work of coming up with creative solutions. Our squad aims to always bring out something different and brand-new in the market. They create a brainstorming session with their design colleagues to discuss the design ideas, make a study, and try various shades, colors or shapes to give life to the original idea.

Project Sketch

The sketches crafted out are then assumed on software programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Indesign and after noting down the client’s feedback, we start executing the actual design and create two or three best design versions by mixing and matching terminology to build different design sets.

Output Delivery

The ended version of the design that best suits and fits all the business requirements is then delivered to the client after many revisions for giving it perfection. The client’s judgment matters a lot to us because he has trusted our services for getting the best. Graphic Designing Agency in Mohali will only try to give proficient solutions and make the most we can.

Why choose a

Graphic Designing Company

in Mohali?

• Our best graphic designs can attract your client's attention & give you business conversions. • A good artistic design is beyond technical skills and creativity. We actually do analysis & understanding of your business goals, services, your customer’s behavior, and the industry standard. • We are a graphic designing agency in Mohali having a proper understanding of the usage of elements that can bring success to your brand which is behind their “Good Looking”.

• We are in the list of best Graphic Design Companies who can recognize in deep to understand your business and create a graphic that resonates with your customer’s emotions. • We deliver you a product that wins over your competitors at affordable prices. • Our graphics designs are highly cooperative with printing and publishing.

[theatredirectors]

Wednesday Sue Derrico

Hometown? 

Mamaroneck, New York (Secretly born in New Jersey). 

Where are you now? 

Brooklyn, NY.

What's your current project? 

The Diana Tapes, by James Clements, produced by theater collective, What Will the Neighbors Say? at HERE Arts Center opening May 2018. We will then take the production to Stockwell Playhouse in London. This is the culmination of two years of touring productions. This play is unlike most projects that I generally work on. It is not a bio-play, or even a history play, though it draws on qualities of those genres. The Diana Tapes is an emotional, humanistic reexamining of a cursed woman with an incredible will and drive. Surprisingly, Diana's lack of engagement in dialogue during the play, leads the audience through the objectification of her by the media and the royal family. 

Why and how did you get into theatre?

Who knows what actually came first... my mother constantly reminding me that I am a Leo, or my desire to be center stage. My relationship to the theater has taken many unexpected turns. I constantly find myself drawn to the perspective of those whose voices are often left unheard.  I fell in love first with musical theater, I was an opera singer for many years, which led me to find my voice. Then I found Shakespeare and fell in love with the universal poetic language and musicality of his work. At a young age I witnessed the power of performance to bring diverse people together. My grandmother, who is my number one fan and best friend, would sit with me in a dark house and cry. Weeping together was unlike any experience I had had, at that point.; so adverse to my conservative, Irish-Catholic upbringing. To watch her surrender to her emotions like that, inspired me to affect that release in others. I fell into directing because of a consistent disappointment with the theater communities and structures that I experienced while I was acting. 

What is your directing dream project? 

I am currently dreaming of a film. It is three shorts that comprise a unit: The Mothers Trilogy. This is a culmination of several years of performative exploration and research of mothers. The pieces were each created through devising processes. I have always been told my work is cinematic, and I want to pursue that aesthetic fully. This project is also important to me because I am working closely with a trusted collaborator, Tatiana Baccari, so that I may retain elements of directorial vision throughout the process, and yet dive fully into the actor role on set, as many of these roles are played by myself.  

What kind of theatre excites you? 

Present, representational, raw contemporary work. I love abstraction steeped in reality. Magical realism; theater that is representational of contemporary situations and yet heightened. I love work that takes liberties and risks. 

What do you want to change about theatre today? 

I want to see more representational theater. I want to see more womyn, queer folk and people of color in leadership, creative roles- not just tokened as performers. I do not want to see any more irresponsible remountings- without thoughtful adaptations. I want to alter the hierarchical structures that limit communication and opportunity in the theater. 

What is your opinion on getting a directing MFA? 

This is an awesome question!I have been debating going back to school to get this degree recently. I have looked at very few programs, honestly only the top names. The thing that holds me back most greatly is the idea of leaving my career for several years to study. I have learned the most about directing through the work and life experience: practice. I definitely would benefit from an incubator-type experience, away from the city where I could just read and write. I am also conflicted about the education system in this country and the costs-- not ready to take out more loans! It does feel like everyone I see on Broadway and major theaters has these degrees though, and I feel like it is another form of academic elitism that is homogenizing the theater. 

Who are your theatrical heroes? 

Anya Pearson, Christina Haruna Lee, Laura Lundy, Tatiana Baccari, Sophia Heinecke, Jenni Bowman, Jessica Wasilewski, Bleu Zephra, Aliyah Hakim, the womyn and queers at WOW Cafe Theater, Alice Birch, Kori Rushton, Sophie Ameiva, Stephanie Larreire, Dee O'Brien, my mother, JB Smith, FORD

Any advice for directors just starting out? 

See as much work as you can. Communicate with living directors and read the books of those before us. Follow directors and playwrights that you are drawn to. Most of all, follow your instincts and do whatever you can to get in the room. To be successful as a director you must self-produce. Learn producing skills and stay close to artists that inspire you. Build a network of reliable designers, managers and actors who you trust. Pay close attention to the communication habits and tactics employed by yourself and others. Communication is key to directing and leadership, it is a constant evolutionary process. In the words of JB Smith: Stay Love Struck!

Plugs! www.experimentalbitchpresents.com @ExperimentalBitchPresents The Diana Tapes-May 24th - June 10th at HERE. Tuesday-Saturday at 7pm. Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2pm www.thedianatapes.com

[cpausaonliningtraining]

CPA EXAM SYLLABUS

Certified Public Accountant

 examination is a credentialing exam for professionals seeking to become CPAs. It is graded by AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) and administered with NASBA (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy). 

CPA Exam Format:

CPA exam consists of 4 sections.

Auditing and Attestation (AUD)

Regulation (REG)

Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)

Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)

There are 3 types of questions in the CPA exam:

Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)

 vary from one sentence to paragraph length questions with 4 options. 

Task-Based Simulations (TBS)

 which require candidates to type in answers, and may include research questions, journal entries, reconciling accounts, filling out a form with MCQs, or filling out sections of reports. 

Written communication

 tasks test the candidate’s ability through writing; these are a must in the BEC section.

Each exam section is broken into 5 testlets:

Auditing and Attestation (AUD)

Testlet 

Questions

136 MCQs

236 MCQs

32 TBS

43 TBS

53 TBS

Regulation (REG)

Testlet 

Questions

138 MCQs

238 MCQs

32 TBS

43 TBS

53 TBS

Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)

Testlet 

Questions

133 MCQs

233 MCQs

32 TBS

43 TBS

53 TBS

Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)

Testlet 

Questions

131 MCQs

231 MCQs

32 TBS

42 TBS

53 Written Communication Questions

CPA Exam by Sections and Question Type:

Sections

Time

MCQs

TBS

Written communication

AUD4 Hours728–

REG4 Hours768–

FAR4 Hours668–

BEC4 Hours6243

Skills Tested by Section:

Section

Remembering & Understanding

Analysis

Application

Evaluation

AUD30 to 40%15 to 25%30 to 40%5 to 15%

REG25 to 35%25 to 35%35 to 45%–

FAR10 to 20%25 to 35%50 to 60%–

BEC15 to 25%20 to 30%50 to 60%–

CPA Exam Content Areas by Sections:

Auditing and Attestation (AUD):

Developing a Planned Response & Assessing Risk (20 to 30%)Debtor-creditor relationships

Entity’s internal control

Planning an engagement

Assessing and identifying the risk of material misstatement

Materiality

Specific areas of engagement riskProfessional Responsibilities, Ethics & General Principles (15 to 25%)Nature and scope

Engagement documentation

Ethics and professional conduct

Communication with management

Communication with component auditors

A firm’s system of quality controlObtaining Evidence & Performing Further Procedures (30 to 40%)Sampling techniques

Acquisition and disposition of assets

Internal control deficiencies and misstatements

Performing specific procedures to get evidence

Subsequent events 

Written representationReporting and Forming Conclusions (15 to 25%)

Reports on attestation engagements

Reporting on compliance

Reports on auditing engagements

Review service engagements

Other reporting considerations

Regulation (REG):

Federal Tax Procedures, Professional Responsibilities and Ethics (10 to 20%)Federal tax procedures

Responsibilities in tax practice

Legal duties

Licensing and disciplinary systemsBusiness Law (10 to 20%)Contracts

Business structure

Agency

Government regulation of business

Debtor-creditor relationshipsFederal Taxation of Property Transactions (12 to 22%)Estate and gift taxation

Determination of taxable estate

Acquisition and disposition of assets

Gift tax deductions

Gift tax annual exclusion

Cost recoveryFederal Taxation of Individuals (15 to 25%)Passive activity losses

Computation of tax and credits

Gross income

Filing status

Reporting items from pass-through entities

Alternative Minimum Tax

Computation of tax and creditsFederal Taxation of Entities (28 to 38%)

S corporations

C corporations

Liquidation of business entities & tax treatment of formation

Trusts and estates

Limited liability companies

Partnerships

Tax-exempt organizations

Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)

Standard-Setting, Conceptual Framework, and Financial Reporting (25 to 35%)Public company reporting topics

Standard setting for non business entities

Conceptual framework

Special purpose framework

Standard setting and conceptual framework for nonbusiness entities

General purpose financial statementsSelect Financial Statement Accounts (30 to 40%)Property, plant, and equipment

Cash and cash equivalents

Intangible assets

Investments

Long-term debt

Income taxes

Compensation benefits

InventorySelect Transactions (20 to 30%)Business combinations

Derivatives and hedge accounting

Leases

Research and development costs

Subsequent events

Differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP

Accounting changes and error corrections

Contingencies and commitments

Foreign currency transaction and translation

Nonreciprocal transfers

Software costs

Fair value measurementsState and Local Governments (5 to 15%)

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR)

Specific types of transactions and events: calculation, measurement, presentation in governmental entity, and valuation.

State and local government concepts

Government-wide financial statements

Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)

Corporate Governance (17 to 27%)ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) frameworks

Internal control frameworks

Regulatory frameworks and provisionsEconomic Concepts and Analysis (17 to 27%)Market influences on business

Economic business cycles

Financial risk managementFinancial Management (11 to 21%)Working capital

Capital structure

Financial valuation methodsInformation Technology (15 to 25%)Information security/availability

IT governance

Role of information technology business

Processing integrity 

Systems development of maintenanceOperations Management (15 to 25%)

Cost accounting

Planning techniques

Performance management

Process management

Conclusion:

CPAs have a huge demand in different fields like public accounting, business and industry, non-profit, government, and education. Check out the CPA exam syllabus given above to be aware of the subjects. Hope the detailed information provided in this article about the CPA exam syllabus has been helpful to you. Feel free to comment if you have any other doubts.

SIMANDHAR EDUCATION

Simandhar is the official partner of Becker and AICPA – Largest Training provider for US CPA, US CMA , IFRS and EA, HRCI courses in India.

Learn how to clear your CPA exams with extremely satisfying results by getting proper guidance and knowledge through our online courses and video tutorials taught by industry Experts. We’re here to provide you with all the help that you need in order to ace your CPA, CMA exams. We are just a call away for any assistance. 

Simandhar Education

 is the leading training provider for the 

CPA Exam in India

. Contact us@ 91 9390584166.

Hurry up !!

CPA exam now in India and Simandhar Education will help you to achieve it.

[simandhar--education]

US CPA Exam Syllabus

The Uniform Certified Public Accountant examination is a credentialing exam for professionals seeking to become CPAs. It is graded by AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) and administered with NASBA (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy).

CPA Exam Format:

The CPA exam consists of 4 sections.

Auditing and Attestation (AUD) Regulation (REG) Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) There are 3 types of questions in the CPA exam:

Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) vary from one sentence to paragraph length questions with 4 options. Task-Based Simulations (TBS) require candidates to type in answers and may include research questions, journal entries, reconciling accounts, filling out a form with MCQs, or filling out sections of reports. Written communication tasks test the candidate’s ability through writing; these are a must in the BEC section.

Each exam section is broken into 5 tests:

Auditing and Attestation (AUD)

Testlet Questions 1 36 MCQs 2 36 MCQs 3 2 TBS 4 3 TBS 5 3 TBS Regulation (REG)

Testlet Questions 1 38 MCQs 2 38 MCQs 3 2 TBS 4 3 TBS 5 3 TBS Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)

Testlet Questions 1 33 MCQs 2 33 MCQs 3 2 TBS 4 3 TBS 5 3 TBS Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)

Testlet Questions 1 31 MCQs 2 31 MCQs 3 2 TBS 4 2 TBS 5 3 Written Communication Questions CPA Exam by Sections and Question Type:

Sections Time MCQs TBS Written communication AUD 4 Hours 72 8 – REG 4 Hours 76 8 – FAR 4 Hours 66 8 – BEC 4 Hours 62 4 3 Skills Tested by Section:

Section Remembering & Understanding Analysis Application Evaluation AUD 30 to 40% 15 to 25% 30 to 40% 5 to 15% REG 25 to 35% 25 to 35% 35 to 45% – FAR 10 to 20% 25 to 35% 50 to 60% – BEC 15 to 25% 20 to 30% 50 to 60% – Related Article: US CPA Exam Score Release Dates 2021 CPA Exam Content Areas by Sections:

Auditing and Attestation (AUD):

Developing a Planned Response & Assessing Risk (20 to 30%) Debtor-creditor relationships Entity’s internal control Planning an engagement Assessing and identifying the risk of material misstatement Materiality Specific areas of engagement risk Professional Responsibilities, Ethics & General Principles (15 to 25%) Nature and scope Engagement documentation Ethics and professional conduct Communication with management Communication with component auditors A firm’s system of quality control Obtaining Evidence & Performing Further Procedures (30 to 40%) Sampling techniques Acquisition and disposition of assets Internal control deficiencies and misstatements Performing specific procedures to get evidence Subsequent events Written representation Reporting and Forming Conclusions (15 to 25%) Reports on attestation engagements Reporting on compliance Reports on auditing engagements Review service engagements Other reporting considerations Related Article: ALL ABOUT CPA-AUD EXAM Regulation (REG):

Federal Tax Procedures, Professional Responsibilities and Ethics (10 to 20%) Federal tax procedures Responsibilities in tax practice Legal duties Licensing and disciplinary systems Business Law (10 to 20%) Contracts Business structure Agency Government regulation of business Debtor-creditor relationships Federal Taxation of Property Transactions (12 to 22%) Estate and gift taxation Determination of taxable estate Acquisition and disposition of assets Gift tax deductions Gift tax annual exclusion Cost recovery Federal Taxation of Individuals (15 to 25%) Passive activity losses Computation of tax and credits Gross income Filing status Reporting items from pass-through entities Alternative Minimum Tax Computation of tax and credits Federal Taxation of Entities (28 to 38%) S corporations C corporations Liquidation of business entities & tax treatment of formation Trusts and estates Limited liability companies Partnerships Tax-exempt organizations Related Article: CPA Study Strategy of FAR, REG, BEC, AUD by Laxmikant Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)

Standard-Setting, Conceptual Framework, and Financial Reporting (25 to 35%) Public company reporting topics The standard setting for non-business entities Conceptual framework Special purpose framework Standard setting and conceptual framework for nonbusiness entities General-purpose financial statements Select Financial Statement Accounts (30 to 40%) Property, plant, and equipment Cash and cash equivalents Intangible assets Investments Long-term debt Income taxes Compensation benefits Inventory Select Transactions (20 to 30%) Business combinations Derivatives and hedge accounting Leases Research and development costs Subsequent events Differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP Accounting changes and error corrections Contingencies and commitments Foreign currency transaction and translation Nonreciprocal transfers Software costs Fair value measurements State and Local Governments (5 to 15%) Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) Specific types of transactions and events: calculation, measurement, presentation in a governmental entity, and valuation. State and local government concepts Government-wide financial statements Related Article: Tips to Clear CPA FAR Exam Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)

Corporate Governance (17 to 27%) ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) frameworks Internal control frameworks Regulatory frameworks and provisions Economic Concepts and Analysis (17 to 27%) Market influences on business Economic business cycles Financial risk management Financial Management (11 to 21%) Working capital Capital structure Financial valuation methods Information Technology (15 to 25%) Information security/availability IT governance Role of information technology business Processing integrity Systems development of maintenance Operations Management (15 to 25%) Cost accounting Planning techniques Performance management Process management Related Article: CPA-BEC Exam Study Strategies Conclusion:

CPAs have a huge demand in different fields like public accounting, business and industry, non-profit, government, and education. Check out the CPA exam syllabus given above to be aware of the subjects. Hope the detailed information provided in this article about the CPA exam syllabus has been helpful to you. Feel free to comment if you have any other doubts.

SIMANDHAR EDUCATION Simandhar is the official partner of Becker and AICPA – The largest Training provider for US CPA, US CMA, IFRS and EA, HRCI courses in India.

Learn how to clear your CPA exams with extremely satisfying results by getting proper guidance and knowledge through our online courses and video tutorials taught by Industry Experts. We’re here to provide you with all the help that you need in order to ace your CPA, CMA exams. We are just a call away for any assistance. Simandhar Education is the leading training provider for the CPA Exam in India. Contact us@ 91 9390584166.

Hurry up !!

CPA exam is now in India and Simandhar Education will help you to achieve it.