#i can see the general analytics of my posts and only like 3 people ever really looked at my pronoun navigation

[dream-sans-mogai]

Ok! Now that I've switched themes, time for the final poll then I promise y'all won't have to see one for abit.

On mogai-luigi, I had an on blog series of links that included every flag I had made and was made over on neopronoun-flags-archive so you could find every flag I made with a little link navigation. I know I was using it (to check and see if I had made certain pronoun flags) but I dont know if y'all were using it cause if you weren't, I'm not gonna irritate y'all with a billion posts to do it. It was a ton of work and I don't wanna waste mine or y'all's time.

So here's the choices:

1. I will remake the series of links so all my terms and flags can be found without having to rely on Tumblr's shitty search function.

2.I will not remake the series of links so all my terms and flags can't be found immediately and you will have to scroll/search for them.

(maybe I'll consider making a different account to house an archive blog so everything is backed up on it in the future. I won't delete any of my blogs but I'm terrified of getting termed again for no reason lol)

It's gonna be a lot of posting if I do this however and it will push back the posting of new content as well as reposting of lost content.

(if you will not use the links yourself, please click no. I appreciate if you'd want it for others but I'm not gonna do all that posting and linking and typing if people aren't gonna actually use it and people weren't actually using the last one.)

[the-demon-prodigy]

Dazai and the Meaning of Life

here's a little thing i cooked up recently about dazai's ultimate goal and how he views the meaning of life. i technically have more thoughts on this topic but i hope that this is at least sorta good anyway :3 this whole thing i tried to follow an essay formula and i tried to make it sound professional and under the impression that the viewer does not know much about bsd (bc we're going to do an essay unit at my school and i lowkey wanna show these to my teacher who doesnt know the series hehe)

also the conclusion of this post mentions that maybe the ada will come to understand dazai as well and btw i do think that the ada cares for and (partially) understands dazai when the story takes place just for clarifiation afsflfsfjk

neway lets get on with it!!

TW: Su1c1de mention (only briefly)

it'll be under the cut :] pls enjoy

Among the many intricate characters of Bungo Stray Dogs is Osamu Dazai. Sharing many similarities with his namesake, the real-life Osamu Dazai, he is heavily philosophical in his contemplation of the value of an ongoing existence. The Dazai of Bungo Stray Dogs is very dear to me, and so I wanted to detail his relationship with the meaning of life.

Dazai has sought the meaning of life since the age of 14, or even younger. He is a hyper-intelligent character and sees the world far differently than those around him, who fail to see the full picture in the same way that Dazai does. Dazai is immensely analytical and calculating, often crafting intricate plans to entrap his foes, further proving his intelligence. Although most people live their lives aware of death, Dazai understands its presence in a way that many others fail to. He understands that everyone dies someday, and in that inevitable state, none of the material things matter. Friends will leave somehow, money has no value in the afterlife, and intelligence means nothing once you’re dead. And because everything will die someday, living is just a pointless game of arbitrary constructs. So why live in a world like that? It’s pointless.

Due to Dazai’s immense intelligence, the intricacies of his philosophy slip away from even me. However, I know for certain that Dazai has spent much of his time reflecting and polishing his worldview to the point that it’s iron-clad. Nothing escapes him, and he capitalizes on this to create a set of concepts that none can reasonably argue. But… Why? 

It’s likely that Dazai finds comfort in his own mental health issues; he’s lived with them since he was a child and, when he is in the Port Mafia, it protects him from the grim criminal world that his teenage self is being forced to live in. If he continues to seek a goal even if he knows he won’t achieve it, it makes living in a pit of carnage and demons far easier. (That, and Dazai has a habit of letting his emotions override his brain when something is too hard for him to face, which is often, because Dazai has hardly ever had anyone that can help him mature emotionally.)

Speaking of Dazai’s goal that he partially had given up on, let’s cover that. Dazai is well aware of his alienation from the rest of society due to his intelligence and knows that others can easily find meaning in living. And so he wishes to study them. The fact of the matter is that Dazai generally values human life, but he doesn’t consider his own life to be that of a human being’s because he operates far differently from those around him. People wander and find meaning in life and regret things and experience things and Dazai believes that that is what it means to be human and that is what it means to live.

Dazai seems to believe that humans have a vicious, violent true self that exists in order to help them survive. He joins the mafia because he believes that those in the criminal underworld are stripped of societal constructs and so are their true selves. (Dazai also joins the mafia because he believes that by observing immense amounts of death up close, he will be able to get a more ‘full’ picture of what it means to live, which contributes to his goal of finding the meaning of life.) He believes that if he studies how humans live and why they want to live so easily, practically by nature, he will be able to ‘become human’ and wish to live as well.

Dazai believes that the meaning in life hides in the nature of human beings. Dazai wishes to understand humans so that he can understand life. Dazai thinks that his own life is pointless, that he will suffer for eternity, never understanding why others wish to live and never finding something worthwhile. Everything passes, including that which Dazai loves, and so he tries to cease living and cease loving. But he fails, because Dazai is not inclined to evil. He is a blank slate, but one who loves by nature and denies harsh truths and doesn’t want to be alone.

Dazai hates his differences with others and idolizes humans. He doesn’t want to hurt or kill others, because they wish to live, and that is what he wants for himself. That is what he admires. (Dazai also admires those who choose to be good despite being human, which Dazai believes is indicative of intrinsic cruelty, and he, again, believes himself to be incapable of being ‘good’.) 

Dazai has lived in a far emptier world than others for ages. Yet he is lonely. Still, he is but a child who has never been able to grow up but had never been allowed to be young. He’s existed in limbo for ages. After a year in the mafia, he’s given up. He’s concluded that he will not find anything in the mafia and possibly nowhere else. So he doesn’t even intend to leave the cesspool of systemic abuse that has broken his childhood self so horribly that he cannot face the sun nor the stars.

But someone proves him wrong. A person who is a friend to Dazai that understands him so heavily and simply fails to find the words to convince him to keep trying. In that person’s final moments, he tells Dazai to leave the side of darkness and become a good person.

Dazai will not find a reason that satisfies him; that’s just how he is. But if he works to be good, he will become that, and his life will light up with meaning because saving people, the same people that Dazai has never understood yet wished he could because he thought they were remarkable in their ability to find meaning in life, is beautiful. 

Even as a 22-year old who has left the Port Mafia, having defected to the Armed Detective Agency, Dazai has still failed to find the meaning of life that is the existential answer he so seeks. However, there exists something far more fulfilling than anything else in saving people and revelling in the small things. All while drinking tea at a cafe and pestering his coworkers, Dazai carries with him a melancholy so intense that others are often kept at arm’s length, and yet he is happy. Because perhaps his whole life will be a search, but things far more beautiful than any answer exist on the way.

And perhaps his coworkers, no, his friends, will be able to reach Dazai as well.

[aropride]

i have been deeply appreciating ur TGI posting and was wondering what ur fave songs off of it are !! - mare

HI MARE im free from academia for the day (FINALLY) so i can answer this yayayaayy

as of right now. and this is in album order And im about to list off like a good third of the album sorry in advance but: only girl living in la, dog years, letter to god 1974, letter to god 1983, darwinism, lonely is the muse, and life of the spider

first of all. only girl living in la is an INSANE way to start an album. Like i knew i was absolutely in for it seeing the track list and that we were Starting with a 6 minute long song i was like Oh she loves me specifically she knew id been tormented by songs that are 2 minutes long for too long. i dont think ive ever finished the first song on an album and been, like, scared to listen to the rest of it before (good thing)

dog years. i canteven say anything yet Like theres no words. probably one of my favorites out of my favorites

letter to god 1974 and letter to god 1983 are twins to me. (well triplets shoutout letter to god 1998 no disrespect to my girl its just the first two are my faves personally) Thank u halsey for addressing the "wanting to get really sick so people would pay attention to you" to "getting really sick and it turns out people kinda dont gaf if ur in ur 20s about it" pipeline

hometown- is anyone else trying so hard to escape their hometown or is it just me and halsey and gerard "i know im never getting out of belleville" way. also i love her voice on this one

darwinism- i was reading it as being about physical disability but apparently she said it was about neurodivergence either way is anybody else feeling ostracized from the rest of society or is it just me and halsey out here

lonely is the muse- INSANE FUCKING SONG vocally lyrically musically everything. when i found out there was gonna be a Whole Album and lonely is the muse was on it i realized i was going to die.and then i did. <3

life of the spider- i knew there was a tori amos song on the album and the one tori amos song im really familiar with is me and a gun so of course i was terrified .and i was right to be. love a song i cant listen to without having a panic attack one of my favorite genres. insanely haunting song i cant really listen to this one casually yet or possibly ever i have to like sit down and prepare. this morning i saw a spider in my bathroom and started crying. tomorrow more of the same. "favorite" not in the way where i listen to it a lot favorite in the way where i can barely listen to it at all

also one more thing i feel like in general the album is organized very well does that make sense. like the songs are in a specific order that is good and makes sense. only girl living in la -> ego -> dog years -> letter to god 1974 is an insane run of songs generally let alone first on the album but also it like. makes sense why theyre in that order. also darwinism -> lonely is the muse -> arsonist -> life of the spider i can say the same of. like yeah thats the exact order those songs should go in. this is really not a Shuffling Album to me at ALL theres a specific order they all go in and i really like that Bc half the time These Days it feels like everythings so focused on having 2 minute long songs with 15 second clips that blow up on tiktok that its always nice to have an album thats like. Ok thankgod they actually give a fuck about this and its not optimized for social media analytics

thank u for reading My essay ^___^<3 u sent this 5 hours ago when i was working on my school stuff and i waslike oh thank god i get to talk about music later. A little treat for meeee to rewind and such.And then immediately i wrote A lot of sentences but, like, for fun this time so it counts as Rewinding

[realultimatepower]

my friend @marchperi tagged me in one of those "what's your last X" posts, which is the first time anyone has ever tagged me across two accounts on here, so here we go.

Lockscreen

The Vault-Tec-esque style has always been dependable for me. Shit, I gotta plug this thing in.

Last Song Listened To

I was originally gonna say that I couldn't remember and that it was just some song off Yacht Rock Radio on SiriusXM (don't judge me, I'm white, you may as well ask me to stop breathing before I stop listening to Steely Dan) BUT I actually just finished watching the latest episode of The Penguin, and they played a song by SWANS over the end credits, so I'll put that here.

Last Photo I Took

This picture has a story attached to it that I don't feel comfortable sharing because it ended an argument that I still have some lingering frustrations over. Whatever.

Last Movie I Watched

Rewatched this for family movie night yesterday. First time I've seen it again since I was a kid. I liked it a normal amount back then, and I like it the same amount now even if some of my thoughts about it have changed as a result of being slightly more analytical about the movies I watch. I think my only gripe with it is how the romance between Kim & Edward is a little bit too easy. It's not rushed, it just seems to fall in place just because rather than any actual connection between the two. Maybe there's some commentary about how Edward represents a world unlike either of the ones Kim currently inhabits (the 90s rebellion of her generation against the 50s sensibilities of her neighborhood) and that's tempting to her, but idk. I usually write up these letterboxd reviews for the stuff I watch (no, I won't share my account on here) but since I got up for a few minutes to cook my dinner, I didn't wanna write up my thoughts based on a partial rewatch. I'll probably refer back to this post later, though.

Closest Thing to My Left

The remote to my ceiling fan. Lame, but that's the closest thing to me. I'm being fully honest with this.

Last Meme I Saved/Screenshot

This shitty little squirreljak, because the topic of that republican who adopted a wild squirrel came up in the politics channel of this server I'm in, and there's this other guy in the server who posts this pic so often that it's become an inside joke. My opinion on "Peanut"? I think this is a stupid thing for people to rally around, but that's the point. The right is always playing these dudebro games about not taking anything seriously so when anyone calls them out on it the Leftists trying to treat it that way end up looking even sillier. That said, I saw that tweet from some pundit about Trump "winning 48 states if he [puts on a squirrel suit]" and thought it was some gaga about securing the furry vote because I hadn't heard about the Peanut debacle prior to seeing it, and since I doubt that's what the guy intended when he made the post it makes it so I'm laughing at him instead of him laughing at me. All-in-all, I really hope the next time I hear about Trump after he loses in 2 days is about him dying, and then I'll never hear about him again.

Most Embarrassing Song You Have Saved

I don't have a Spotify because I can listen to music on youtube for free with Ublock (or on SiriusXM through my parents' account), but I do keep a playlist on youtube so I pulled the song for this prompt from on there. It took some searching, because i've got over 800 songs spread out over 3 separate playlists that while others may find me to be embarrassing to have in there, I feel no shame over because that's simply the person I was at the time and most of it is still objectively enjoyable (things like a PSG AMV set to the song Danger Days or a Mother Mother song I liked long before they became hip to dunk on). But, I eventually found a song that I thought was funny at the time, but now I think if people knew I ever liked it they'd think I was an actual fan of his.

Most Problematic Movie You Still Watch for Nostalgia

Originally I was gonna edit this to be the most problematic film I feel nostalgic for, because I don't actually rewatch movies that often when there's so many that I haven't seen yet and time is a precious commodity, BUT there actually is a somewhat problematic feature that I do rewatch at least once a year.

Well, "problematic" in the sense that soooo many fans of the original absolutely despise this remake and Matthew Broderick for "butchering" the role of Harold Hill. I still haven't seen the original to compare it against yet, but I have a feeling I'm still gonna prefer this one simply because I love the hokey mid-2000s acting in it as much as I do the musical performances. If you think this is a copout, just ask any theater major you still have contact with their opinions.

I don't know if there's usually a limit to how many people you can tag for this, so I'll pick 5: @visonoda @emosighcrylaugh @st4rm41d @theinsanewombat @thepleasuregoblin

[dinocanid]

30* Day Fictionkind Challenge (but in one post)

[Link to the original list]

All of the questions and answers will be below the cut since it'd be too long otherwise.

*Some days are skipped because either I haven't experienced it, I can't think of a relevant example, or I don't remember.

Day 1: What is your fictotype? Are you a specific character, a nonhuman species, or both? My fictotype is Beastpup, Pup for short, a monster wolf from UT (the game not, Utah lol).

Day 3: Who are you open about it with? I'm pretty open about it in online spaces, but not anywhere offline.

Day 4: Do you participate in the fandom of your source? How do you do so? I write fanfiction, but other than that no, aside from research purposes since I'm working on a fandom retrospective video. Day 5: Do you fictionflicker? Technically yes by definition, but I don't call it that. "Experience taking" maybe, but I'm not even 100% sure that's the right word.

Day 6: When did you realize you were fictionkin? How long have you been in the community? My fictotype didn't exist until around 2020, so about that long.

Day 11: Have you ever met other fictionkin? In real life or online? Online I've met plenty, but offline no.

Day 15: How do you deal with kin-for-fun? Individually I don't, since they usually don't listen/don't care and possibly throw around some ableist rhetoric for added flavor. I just try my best to inform in general that KFF and fictionkin are not the same.

Day 16: What are your thoughts on symbols, flags, etc.? Personally they feel overdone and I just sort of consider them spam. I've set up my filters to just block flags/symbols/coining posts or blogs entirely.

Day 17: Does fictionkinity connect to spirituality for you? It's heavily involved in my metaphysical experiences, and tangentially related to my rituals.

Day 20: How do you express your fictotype? Clothes, merch, cosplay, maybe even name? I have a Beastpup fursuit I made that I always wear to cons!

Day 21: What’s something about the fictionkind community that you wish was different? I wish it was more friendly towards fictionkin that aren't an existing/canon/AU character. Usually we get ignored in fictionkin spaces since people seem to only be interested in canon-relevant stuff and canonmates. I have lots to say about the world of my source, but not specific characters since I'm way older lol. In the time period I remember the most, a majority of the cast was either a baby or just not alive yet.

Day 23: How do you approach consuming your source? Analytically, obsessively, casually, reluctantly, etc… Analytically currently. See Day #4.

Day 27: What are some other characters/species that remind you of your fictotype? Beastpup's fur pattern is a black-phased wolf, just like my wolf kintype. I've also had a handful of people think I was a trico, but I don't see the resemblance tbh.

Day 28: Do you have a favorite piece of fanart? (Better to reblog for this day, do not repost someone’s art.) Not fanart technically, but I think my all-time fav is this shopkeeper edit I made a while ago:

Day 30: Talk about what it’s like to be your fictotype. I didn't want to leave out this one since it's question #30, but I'm not sure if I can describe it well. With my alterhumanity in general, I experience shifts in the sense that I more or less always feel like my kintypes (to the point where I don't use shifting terminology since it doesn't feel like it makes sense). Circling back around to Beastpup, that's the version of myself that my bodymap matches most often, it's what my brain defaults to when I'm not looking in a mirror. I also experience source homesickness sometimes.

[qqueenofhades]

I think this is a very useful analysis that helpfully puts into words some of the scattered thoughts I've had, but have not been able to centralize, articulate, or otherwise had the spoons to offer post-election.

The one thing Bernie has not gotten and never gotten, even with all his Champion of the Working Class cosplay crusading (as a wealthy Vermont millionaire who has accomplished very little during his long tenure in office aside from repeatedly fracturing the Democratic party), is that a lot of the American working class see billionaires (as pointed out above) as aspirational role models, not evil parasites. Scholars can and indeed have written many long sociological, political, and analytical papers about the "What's the Matter with Kansas?" problem, wherein working class and poor people vote against their own economic interests in order to elevate grifting xenophobic populists whose policies only benefit the already-rich. For one thing, this presupposes the "rational individual" economic-maximization model of human behavior, which was popularized in the free-market 1970s and 80s, and has never been true in any meaningful sense, but as pointed out above: America is addicted to the "hard work makes you rich and billionaires have clearly worked to earn their wealth" mindset. They are equally addicted to the "temporarily dispossessed millionaire" fallacy, wherein if they too just Pull Themselves Up By The Bootstraps, that is the only thing stopping them from being equally wealthy. It's not, but we're still absolutely throttled by the "Republicans Are Better For The Economy" myth that just played a huge part in Trump's second election win. What's empirically "real" or not matters less and less.

Bernie's brand of faux-leftist populism is so toxic in America precisely because it pairs this apparent destruction of the American Dream (hey why do you want to destroy my chance of becoming a billionaire?!) with virulent anti-American tankie-lite rhetoric spouted by the online left, who see America as the source of all evil in the world despite benefiting enormously from their upbringing in America and access to American privilege. We can (and again, have!) written many, many papers about the founding and continuing social ills embedded in America: its establishment on the back of slavery, racism, genocide, and so on. But when it comes to day-to-day electoral politics, the average mid-to-low-information American voter does not give a shit about complicated historical debates and generational injustices. They just don't. They care about how much things cost at the grocery store and what the vibes "feel" like to them. After a brief upsurge of social acceptance in 2020 with BLM/George Floyd, they've also lost interest in dealing with systemic racism, and are inclined to accept Trump's easy-scapegoating rhetoric. This is not limited to white people either; witness the major gains he made with Hispanics in particular. The ones who are able to vote in presidential elections are US citizens and see themselves as safely insulated from Trump's mass-deportation policies because they're not undocumented (even if they have friends and relatives who are and who are very much NOT safe). They want to preserve their own piece of the pie and are not acting in grand pan-Latino racial solidarity. Nobody says they have to -- they can focus on their own personal interests just as much as white voters -- but they're definitely one of the communities who are in the soonest for a rude wakeup call.

Looking at the election results shows that America is, as ever, an extremely divided country. This election was not a landslide for Trump. The Republicans benefited from an extremely favorable map to pick up WV, OH, MT, PA in the Senate, but added no House seats and still have a tiny majority of about 3 (which may shrink further with special elections and/or unexpected departure). Trump got 49.9% of the vote; Harris got around 48.5%. The American electorate is not left-wing; it is also not immutably right-wing. It is primarily transactional, "what have you done for me lately," and cursed with low information literacy, sophisticated disinformation campaigns, and short-term memory that is worse than a goldfish. Abortion passed everywhere except in FL (where it needed 60% and got 57%). As ever, the public liked Democratic policies, but voted for Republicans to punish Democrats for not implementing them fast enough. That is one of the most maddening paradoxes in all of American politics and it fucked us good this time, but that's the twist of the screw. The Republicans also benefited from the post-COVID anti-incumbency that kicked Trump out in 2020. A lot of the scary things that happened in the last four years -- rising prices, ongoing threats to democracy, Dobbs, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, etc -- were not necessarily Biden's fault, but they happened on his watch and contributed to the sense of visceral fear and threat that is always a better predictor of electoral behavior than the flawed idea of Rational Economic Maximization.

As such, despite the avalanche of "What Democrats Must Do Now" postmortems, we should definitely point out that Bernie instantly threw them under the bus for not being "pro-worker," when the Biden administration was the most pro-worker, pro-labor, and anti-corporate in recent history (and due to the electoral backlash it received as a result, quite possibly for a very long time). Bernie primarily conceives of the American working class as white people, often white men, engaged in customary trade-union pursuits, which is outdated and inadequate and reeks of the rancid "the left wasn't nice enough to fragile insecure white men" takes that are latently or openly misogynist. Biden did a hell of a lot to address their economic interests, and they punished him for it, because what is at stake, in their minds, isn't actually their economic interest (even if that's what is often used to describe it) but their position of unquestioned power as white men. They will happily give up the chance of better economic policies if it means continuing to assert their authority over other marginalized people; their lot might not be great, but at least they're still white. And indeed, still men. Bernie complaining that the Democrats didn't cater enough to White Men is, objectively, bullshit.

As such, I can tell you that one way that the Democrats can get back to electoral relevancy, which is definitely likely in 2026 and 2028 if we can get that far, is not by listening to Bernie. "Destroy the billionaires" paired with toxic tankie rhetoric driven by the online left competing with each other to be more extreme and unpleasant is electoral poison and that's why Bernie's chronic campaigning got him nowhere and fatally splintered the Democratic party in 2016, allowing Trump to win in the first place. It's a dud. The end. There is nothing positive or constructive in that vision, and while riding aggrieved populism can get you decently far, it also has to be a populism that's rooted in some idea of America, however shallow and lip-service. "Make America Great Again," despite how much Trump does to destroy America in every conceivable sense, works because MAGAts wave American flags and feel like a righteous and integral part of their country. The fact that in this election cycle, Democrats actually embraced love-of-country rhetoric, American flags, and appeals to fundamental "American" values, no matter how cringy and schmaltizily-nationalistic it feels to educated liberals, is an important part of getting that ground back. It promotes the idea that you can love America (however defined) and vote Democratic, and we can't give that up. Because then yeah, everyone waving the flag will be a jingoistic MAGA fascist, and people who like and respond to that imagery (which is a decent majority of ordinary Americans) will want to associate with them by default.

Likewise: a lot of online leftist/Bernie Bro rhetoric focuses on the magical revolution fantasy that America will just disappear and/or be Gloriously Overthrown and thus, somehow, all injustice from the tyrannical government will come to an end and we will live in a perfect utopia forevermore! (Uh, ask the Bolsheviks how that worked out for them.) America is an enormously flawed historical and geopolitical entity, but one thing it is not going to do is suddenly disappear overnight because of deranged Moral Purity Posting by so-called leftist keyboard warriors. It still matters how its massive power is used, and as anyone with a brain cell was well aware beforehand, Trump is only going to abuse it ever more egregiously. He will try to stay in office (if he doesn't die beforehand); he will pack SCOTUS with more corrupt toadies; he will do his best to wreck anything and everything that stymied him last time. He will undoubtedly succeed in at least some of that, and that is very scary. However, as I have said before, his total success is neither inevitable nor even very likely. If we are going to continue to hold the line and find victories where they come, we need to do a lot of things, but chief among them is not listen to Bernie F'n Sanders. He can, indeed, take several seats.

Bernie is wrong. He has always been wrong and is still wrong. The flaw in his theory is what he deems the “wealthy elite” versus what everyday Americans consider them to be. Voters don’t see all billionaires as the elites. They see college-educated liberals on the coasts, some of whom are billionaires, as elites.

Bernie-style populism didn’t land because billionaires figured out long ago they could undermine it by being socially right-wing, and the working class would forgive their wealth and privilege. That’s why this same demographic is willing to make it rain for grifters like Joel Osteen and Pat Robertson. That’s why they worship the wealthiest man on the planet like a God and consider him some real-life Tony Stark. People dismissed Donald Trump as a shameless attention-hungry New York oligarch until he called Mexicans rapists. Then he shot up to the top of the GOP primary polls. The working class didn’t think much of Elon Musk until he said “pronouns suck.” Then he became their hero. A scion of working-class Pennsylvania lost his US Senate seat last week to a hedge fund manager from Connecticut. West Virginia elected their richest man to the Senate after electing him governor – as a Democrat and later a Republican. Ohio tossed out their longtime Democratic senator, known for his strong support of labor rights, for – literally, no joke – a used-car salesman.

You can’t tell me the working class in America thinks being a billionaire alone is what makes one a “wealthy elite.” There are significant factors at play here Bernie is either oblivious to or purposely ignorant of.

In college, a professor once told me that Communism never succeeded in the United States because we are too religious and proud as a country. Religion, traditions, and culture were never widely discredited the way they were in Europe and Asia, where the clergy and nobility kept the bourgeoisie in figurative chains for centuries. The relative ease of social mobility made America unique compared to its Western counterparts. Historically, American progressivism has been focused on expanding social mobility – initially limited to only white men – to identity groups who had been denied it at the start: blacks, women, and immigrants. We have done it, with various amounts of success. While it may seem counterintuitive, Americans pride themselves in being the nation that pioneered the idea that wealth and status can be achieved through ingenuity and hard work and not just based on a lucky roll of the genetic dice, as it was in the Old World. It doesn’t mean we don’t have generational wealth in our country; we do, but since it isn’t the sole way to achieve wealth and power, we don’t care nearly as much about destroying all of it. Further, we will happily endorse it if the oligarchs and the aristocrats vow to promote and protect the social values we care about and the social hierarchy that benefits us.

It’s one of the reasons I believe Bernie could never beat Trump. If you ask working-class people what they want: an anti-immigrant, anti-intellectual billionaire or a Vermont socialist backed by kids from Harvard and UC Berkeley who hate our traditions and customs, the working class will always back the billionaire.

–Nick Rafter, "Bernie Sanders Can Take a Seat"

[media-geneous1]

What is social media marketing in online marketing?

What is Social Media Marketing in Online Marketing?

Kicking Off with Real Questions and Worries

Ever wondered how businesses manage to blow up overnight? How do some brands get so much traction while others seem to be shouting into the void? The answer, my friend, often lies in social media marketing. But what exactly is social media marketing in online marketing, and why should you care?

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing (SMM) is all about using social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to promote your brand, connect with your audience, and boost your online presence. It’s not just posting pretty pictures or catchy tweets. It's a strategic approach to leverage the vast user base and interactive features of these platforms to drive engagement and conversions.

The Core Elements of Social Media Marketing

Content Creation: Creating engaging, valuable content tailored to your audience's preferences.

Content Distribution: Sharing this content across various social media platforms.

Engagement: Interacting with your audience through comments, messages, and shares.

Analytics: Tracking and analyzing your performance to refine your strategy.

Why Social Media Marketing Matters

Here's the deal: everyone is on social media. If you're not leveraging these platforms, you're missing out on a massive audience. Social media marketing allows you to:

Increase Brand Awareness: More people recognize your brand.

Generate Leads and Sales: Direct traffic to your website and convert followers into customers.

Build Relationships: Engage with your audience, creating loyal customers.

Gain Insights: Understand your audience better through analytics and feedback.

FAQs About Social Media Marketing

How Does Social Media Marketing Fit into Online Marketing?

Online marketing is a broad term that includes any marketing efforts done online. This covers SEO, email marketing, PPC (pay-per-click) ads, and, of course, social media marketing. SMM is a critical component because it drives traffic, builds brand presence, and fosters community engagement, all of which enhance your overall online marketing strategy.

What Platforms Should I Focus On?

It depends on your target audience:

Facebook: Great for a broad audience.

Instagram: Perfect for visual content and younger demographics.

Twitter: Ideal for real-time updates and customer service.

LinkedIn: Best for B2B marketing and professional networking.

How Often Should I Post?

Consistency is key. A general rule of thumb is:

Facebook and LinkedIn: 3-5 times a week.

Instagram: Daily.

Twitter: Multiple times a day.

What Kind of Content Should I Create?

Variety is your friend. Mix up your content with:

Images and Videos: Visuals are more engaging.

Stories and Reels: Short, digestible content.

Blogs and Articles: In-depth information.

User-Generated Content: Build community trust.

How Do I Measure Success?

Look at:

Engagement Rates: Likes, shares, comments.

Reach and Impressions: How many people see your content.

Conversion Rates: How many actions (clicks, sign-ups) result from your posts.

Traffic to Your Website: Are people clicking through to your site?

Real Tips for Real Success

Be Authentic

People can smell BS from a mile away. Be genuine in your interactions. Show the human side of your brand.

Use Paid Advertising

Organic reach can only take you so far. Use targeted ads to reach specific demographics.

Collaborate with Influencers

Influencers already have the trust of your target audience. Partnering with them can boost your credibility and reach.

Stay Updated

Social media trends change faster than you can say “algorithm update.” Stay on top of trends and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Where to Start?

Ready to dive into social media marketing? Check out MediaGeneous.com, a top-notch solution for your social media marketing needs. They offer comprehensive services to get your brand noticed. Other great options include:

Hootsuite: Social media management platform.

Buffer: Scheduling and analytics tool.

Sprout Social: Social media management and optimization.

Conclusion

Social media marketing is a game-changer in online marketing. It’s where your audience hangs out, where they interact, and where they make purchasing decisions. Get on board, be strategic, and watch your brand grow. Remember, social media marketing isn’t just a tactic; it’s a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.

Ready to take your social media game to the next level? Start today and see the difference.

Keyword: Social media marketing is crucial in online marketing. Now, go out there and make your mark!

[eponymous-rose]

Feel like it's kinda making the rounds lately, so here's your reminder that academic publishing is garbage. So far I've published about 10 papers in prestigious ("non-predatory") journals, and they've each cost in the vicinity of $1000-$3000. Most recent article cost $1800. Yes, that's right, cost. Ain't nobody getting paid for this.

So far none of it has been out of my pocket (yet), but it's all come from either federal research grants or the startup funds I was given as a new tenure-track professor at a state-funded university. Which means your taxes are paying for this. Super important that taxes help fund important research, but why the hell are we subsidizing for-profit academic journals?

I purposely publish in journals that make their articles free to the general public after the first year because a lot of my work has operational relevance outside academia, but if I want them to be free immediately, it's an additional $800 (considered cheap given Nature's completely bonkers 5-figure open access fees). And while a grand total of one free open-access journal exists in my field (they only charge for web-hosting costs, which comes to like $50 per paper), the readership is so low that I may as well just post the research on arXiv and link it on Twitter.

Okay, you say, but academic journals provide peer review, an essential part of science. Yes! Absolutely, we need peer review for the scientific method to survive! In my field, each paper goes through a minimum of three reviewers, an editor, and sometimes an associate editor if it's an especially tricky case.

... none of those folks get paid. I've written peer reviews for multiple papers in 16 different journals (including the aforementioned Nature) and am currently an associate editor for three major journals in my field. I do it because it's been a spectacular way to get to know research and researchers in my field, and because it really is essential to the scientific method and to maintaining scientific integrity in my field. Each review takes 3-12 hours to complete. I have prevented some genuinely harmful and flawed research from reaching publication and I have helped champion unorthodox methods that might have had trouble getting published otherwise. The time it takes is a drop in the bucket compared to other commitments I have in my job, so might as well.

Most compensation I ever got was a $25 coupon to reduce my next publishing fee at something that turned out to be a predatory journal that would publish anything regardless of what the reviewers said. (I avoid them now, obviously.)

So if you want to contribute meaningfully to science at a journal that has a high reputation (which generally means the reviews are taken very seriously and every paper is highly vetted, along with press releases etc.) you are paying through the nose for "exposure". I can see the analytics on my papers and I know there's no way 1,500 people would read and download my very specialized paper in the first month if it weren't hosted by this particular journal. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Once I'm tenured, I'm going to do my best to publish any solo work in open access journals, but I know my students will still need the prestige.

So please, please know that every scientist is actively rooting for you to pirate their papers. Message us and we'll send it to you directly, complete with behind-the-scenes discussion and chatter about future work.

[rainbowsky]

1. Thank you being so informative.. analytic blogger. I love your writing.

2. Have you written a fan fiction? If yes, I would love to read.

3. This girl in my class is a shipping gg with an actress of one of his drama. Today we had a little talk and she said there’s no difference between turtles and other shippers of famous people. Only difference is that turtles haven’t seen their cp together for 3 years. It hurts a bit. How can I reply to her? I’m not good at words.

Hi, Anon, thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying my blog! 💛.

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

I've actually got a few stories in various stages of development, but who knows how long it will take me to finish them? I'm a very bursty writer, and will spend hours hammering out several pages and then not touch it again for weeks on end. If I ever have anything ready to share, I'll definitely post about it!

I'm sorry to hear that you've been hurt by the conversation with your classmate. It's never fun feeling misunderstood by someone whose regard we care about.

As I'm always saying, we can't control what other people say, do or think. The only thing we have any control over is how we respond to what other people do, say or think.

As I see it there are a couple of solid directions you can take with this (and I recommend a bit of both of these):

Change how you think about your classmate - It's not her behavior that has hurt you, it's the weight you give her words that has hurt you. Consider the source. Is her opinion really something you should be giving any weight to, particularly in terms of how you feel about your interests and how you feel about yourself? Does her opinion really hold so much credibility? NOOOOO. No. Come on, Anon, she's shipping GG with a woman. She's teasing you in hurtful ways. Perhaps she hasn't earned any real estate in your head.

Change how you think about being a turtle - This is something I feel all turtles who are suffering might want to take a closer look at, and that's what I'm going to focus on here.

I think it's always important to remember that to people who are not inside the fandom and have not seen all the evidence we've seen, we just look like a bunch of typical shippers.

I know some turtles feel bad knowing that other people don't see what they see, but it's actually a really good thing they don't. Keep in mind that GG and DD's relationship is under the radar. If it was as obvious to everyone else as it is to us, that would ultimately mean that their relationship is 'out', which would really harm their careers.

So it's in GG and DD's best interests that we seem crazy to other people. Wear it like a badge of pride. Every humiliating, snide, mocking remark from others is a reminder that we are supporting them while also protecting them. Better that we seem like lunatics to others, than that GG and DD are outed against their will to the broader world at large.

Embrace being a clown. It's a huge part of how we all stay sane as turtles. Next time your classmate starts saying stuff that feels diminishing of your feelings about GGDD, just laugh and say, "Yeah, I'm a clown for GGDD, and I'm so lucky to have them."

Don't waste your time trying to convince others that BJYXSZD. It's a fool's errand, and will only generate pain and conflict. SZD is everyone's personal path to take. Trying to become a lawyer for GGDD is the best possible way to ruin your experience of fandom.

Just enjoy GG and DD, enjoy their works, enjoy being a turtle and let everyone else be who/what they're going to be. It's their absolute right to be wrong about you. It's their absolute right to be uninformed about GGDD. It's their absolute right to ship whoever they want to ship, no matter how absurd.

And if clowning doesn't work for you, a little sympathy might. Humor her and let her enjoy her little corner of het romance. Someday she may need comforting from you. 😅

And on a more serious note: you never know what someone is getting out of their fandom. It's possible that shipping GG with a woman is giving her the strength to get through a difficult time, or maybe she's exploring her feelings about love and sex through the process of shipping, or maybe she's trying to process something from her past through fantasizing about GG and this woman. Or maybe she's just having fun and enjoying something that feels as sweet to her as GGDD feels to us.

Maybe hearing you talk about GG and DD put her ship on stormy seas, and she reacted by lashing out and trying to dismiss your feelings about GGDD. Maybe she really needs/wants to keep her ship steady in her mind. Maybe she's completely unconscious of how hostile her words felt to you.

We never know where someone is at, where they're coming from or what they're going through. It's always best and safest to be compassionate and give people the benefit of the doubt (while being wary and cautious around those who have said or done things that have hurt us, of course).

There's that old saying from Maya Angelou: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." To put that in my own words: never fail to be aware of and to learn from the information you get from how people treat you. This is so important. How people treat us defines our relationships with them - and our experience of life - on so many levels. It says a lot about their values, and about how much they value us and/or our needs.

It seems this classmate has some things in common with you - she's into C-ent, she's into GG, she has a ship she cares about - but in other ways it seems she's not at all in alignment with you. Her hurtful remark might seem like a small thing, but it's actually a fairly big sign that she might not be wholesome, safe company for you.

Maybe this person isn't someone you should be hanging your self-worth on. Maybe she isn't someone you should spend time with or talk to about things that are dear and close to your heart. Not because she's awful - she's probably a perfectly fine person - but rather because her behavior is at odds with your needs.

Find people who will be kind and supportive toward you, even when they don't share your views. Find people with a spirit of curiosity about your thoughts and feelings, who genuinely want to know and understand you and your interests without casting judgment on them. People who are compatible with what you need from friendship. People who you can trust to handle the soft, vulnerable things you share with them with tender loving care.

Often we are drawn to and stick with people who we think we have things in common with, but we fail to notice that we actually don't share the same values around feelings and friendship. Being into the same band might be fun, for example. It gives us someone to go to shows with and to talk with about the latest album. But focusing on shared interests can often blind us to the many other incompatibilities we have with someone.

Trust me, I've learned this the hard way so many times.

And to get back to your question - how can you reply to her? - I'd ask you to consider whether you really need to. What do you hope to gain from replying to her? If your hopes have anything to do with changing her or changing her mind or making her see things differently, my advice would be: don't waste your time. It would only become a painful battle and make matters worse.

Clowning is more fun, and less likely to end in tears.

Anyway, I hope any of this rambling nonsense has been helpful to you. You might also find my fandom survival guide helpful.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

Sept 2021 Wk 5

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Don’t Say No Ep 9 (Line) - It’s my corny af hurt/comfort soap opera that I watch at 1.5x and skip all the sex scenes and Fiat crying, but I like it that way, so there. Yes I am one of those people who only eats the outside of the peanut M&Ms, why do you ask? Episode recaps here. 

Bite Me Ep 5 (Viu & Viki) - sometimes I feel like this show is skipping all the important bits, or having them occur off screen intentionally, like some ancient Greek play. Still, the depth of the feeling understood between the two leads is clearly transferred to us despite that. Are they dating? Sure seems that way. Without anything being actually said about it. It’s oddly magical. I talked a bit about the north/south divide and food as a love language with regards to kao soi in this post. 

7 Project Ep 5 The Breakup Zone (iQiYi & YouTube) - another het installment, so I skipped it. Nash. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Peach of Time Ep 10 fin - A Korean BL (maybe not BL tho) featuring Thai talent that really went beyond a lot of tropes into interesting territory and allegory in a way only Korea does. I hope we get more collabs like this, perhaps happier than this one next time? RECOMMENDED only if you are prepared for The Sad. Because it is quite sad.  

x Friend or Lover (YouTube) Ep 6 - still waiting on the final of this Taiwanese indie series.  

Love is Science? (BL sub plot on Viki) Ep 14 (aired ep 15) - Taiwanese drama finally got subbed yesterday, so those of us who are waiting seem to be on a week’s delay. The BL couple actually has the most interesting story arc and the most unusual character growth. I’m enjoying how unpredictable these two are. Honestly, they could have gotten their own series with this much story - and now I really want that for after the baby comes. I’m a little sad we didn’t get the coming out in the skate park sequence (LOOK I love coming out drama, especially with sporty friends, it’s a THING), but I also get why the writers are doing what they are with these boys. And the actors sure can handle it. Taiwan at it’s finest.  

Love Is the series (YouTube) Ep 5 - continues to be fine for a V-BL but not all that actually good. 

See You After Quarantine? (Viki) Ep 6, 7 - Taiwanese gameboys with Japanese talent stuck in, what more could we ask? AND THEN they gave us some *thirsty boi* action, great kisses, and charmed the pants off... well... everyone. Taiwan, we don’t deserve you. Honestly, you spoil us. Turns out Aaron Lai is the best wingman any gay Japanese man in quarantine could ask for. Everyone should be watching this. It’s utterly charming. 

The Tasty Florida (Viki) Ep 3 & 4 - this Korean BL so fucking cute. Look it’s formless and too short but simultaneously aching and kinda special-sweet. But Korea has got to settle into something a bit longer for their BL for everyone’s sake. It’s time. Light On Me proved it was possible. I’m not asking for much, just 15 min+ of fresh content with at least a 10 ep arc. 

In Case You Missed It

Someone dropped K-BL movie cut of 2015′s The Lover series onto YouTube. The series was about 4 different couples all living in the same apartment complex, one of the 4 was a BL plot about a sunshine sweetie Japanese tourist who ends up roommates with a hot shy tsundere Korean boy. It’s 1.5 hours, proving Korea and stretch its BL when it wants to. 

Read more about it here. 

GOSSIP!

Rumors of OhmFluke to star in new Thai BL Oh! My Sunshine Night. It’s from Newsinfinity Entertainment who announced the casting and showed the couple in workshops. This is this (small) production house’s first BL and they aim to “appeal to to general audiences* with a “broader view of BL that everyone will watch.” Which is code for LOW heat, light gay, soft boys. If this happens I think we can expect this to be Thailand doing Korean-style BL. 

* GENERAL AUDIENCE? Let’s be clear no piece of media will EVER appeal to everyone. Here is the USA “general audience” is code for “families with socially conservative values and children who are still minors” AKA what used to be prime time TV watchers AKA suburbia. 

 The concept is analytically old fashioned and so fractured at this juncture (socially economically spatially politically) that “general audience” is actually impossible to target and it doesn’t really exist. But try telling that to the publicity department. 

We also call this the “Disney live action demo.” (Think Pirates of the Caribbean.) I occasionally refer to them as “the Simpsons.” And they’re about as realistic. All that to say I am VERY suspicious of Oh! My Sunshine Night‘s production house. 

To My Star does seem to be getting a second season, same director, same mains. Korea is much better about executing on its promises than Thailand, but until I see proof of filming or an honest trailer, my favorite boys are staying in the gossip section. I don’t wanna get my hopes up. (Honestly now, how many of you also want an alt reality with these two as a couple but Kim Kang Min playing his long suffering cardiologist intern character from Hospital Playlist? Just me?) 

I reported on Unforgotten Night a while ago. It seems to have been fully cast now, I still think the publicity stills make it look like a joke. But with this line-up I guess it’s even more of an alt answer to KinnPorsche. 

You know that thing that happens in media when suddenly we get multiples of the same style of movie or show at once? It’s now happening with BL. Love triangles. Restaurants. And now mafia. 

Cutie Pie (our arranged marriage Thai BL staring Zee) dropped some wardrobe fitting photo ops. Also... fancy pants sexy suits that fit, so that’s exciting. 

Starting Soon

My Mate Match from Starhunter should be starting on Line TV next Saturday. Usually, Line has subs relatively quickly and is available internationally. However the fact that the trailer is not subbed and the show is not listed on Line’s site has me nervous. No idea on length of run either. 

Starhunter studio doesn’t have a great track record in general for narrative arcs and this one is not based on a y-novel so could get waffly. This is a roommates love triangle BL about a boy who is looking for one roommate and ends up with two vying for his home and his heart. Stars Jet as the uke lead which I’m pretty happy about as he’s got great comedic timing and is accustomed to BL. He’s opposite two friends/co-actors from Gen Y and other projects, so we know they’re comfortable with each other. They could do great things... if they get a decent script. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International subs accessibility reasons.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

This week’s best moment?

[spark-circuit]

hey so because i am always mentally giving every agent oc in the LobCorp tag headpats, i thought about a cool idea if anyone’s up for it - how about an Agent Exchange Program!

i don’t wanna make it too serious or anything (this is more for fun!), but here’s what i was rotating in my head:

take an in-game screenshot of your best agent(s) (or whatever agent you feel comfy sharing)!

if you’re up for it, draw a photo or make a Picrew icon of them using some of the LobCorp Picrews! (i’ll reblog this with the one i used in the comments since tumblr hates links in posts in tags. thanks staff.)

give a brief backstory/explanation for them if they have one! (stuff like if they love/hate a certain Abnormality, what Sephirah/Department they usually work under, etc)

and then if anyone ever needs agents to recruit to their facility, they can come to this post and pick an agent! (maybe even randomly generate a number or something and pick whatever agent was that number?) and if anything crazy/awesome happens with the agent during a run, you can always share the stories with the agent’s original Manager!

feel free to add to this post whenever you want to share an agent! and if you don’t want to add to this post with an agent but feel like reblogging the post for references or to share other people’s ideas, you can do that too! no pressure! this is mainly just a way to put a spotlight on some of the tag’s favourite agents so the rest of the LobCorp fandom can see them and has an excuse to talk about their agent ocs/inserts more.

i’ll start with three of my Asiyah captains to give you an example! (i’ll place them under the cut so i don’t block the tag!) good luck with finding a new recruit to your facility!

Piper - Information Team Captain (Yesod)

Originally supposed to just manage Bald-Is-Awesome, Piper ended up becoming a lead agent due to being the only one with average enough stats in the whole facility to manage Alriune! Eventually went on to become an agent that could manage any Abnormality if the need arises, though he’s usually fine just getting Knight of Despair’s blessing and watching over the other agents. He’s even become my Twilight EGO agent!

Originally awkward and out of place when first joining the company, he’s become a more level-headed and analytical person over time, and leads most of the facility’s suppressions. (Most of the agents think it’s the shades that made him like that. So cool...)

Marinel - Safety Team Captain (Netzach)

After the previous Safety Team agent [Redacted] (believed to be her brother, according to Level 3 Access records) died during a performance for La Luna, Marinel managed to do the impossible and survive her performance on 1HP! Since then, she usually watches over the WAWs of the facility while running shield support with the EGO Moonlight’s ability.

Kind-hearted and confident. Out of the three agents listed from my facility, you’re more likely to have a proper conversation with her. Piper can hold a conversation fine for the most part, but prefers not to socialize. Rema is more air-headed and would probably get sidetracked mid-sentence.

Rema - Training Team Captain (Hod)

So empty-headed. Incredibly so. This man’s single brain cell bounces around his head like the DVD player logo trying to hit the corners. He got stabbed by the Snow Queen once and didn’t even notice, walking around with the ice shard stuck in him the rest of the day.

That being said, he was the first agent in my facility to handle not one, not two, but three different ALEPHs! With barely any issues! While it may look like he doesn’t pay much attention to what goes on around him, it’d be a mistake to assume he can’t handle himself if the situation gets tough. He’s even able to suppress most Ordeals by himself, though luckily that’s only had to happen a few times.

Usually team cheerleader/motivator for the other agents. To some agents, his overbearing nature and friendliness comes off as annoying - but according to Training Team Sephirah Hod and those who have known him for a while, he’s a rare ray of sunshine in the mostly dismal corporation.

(Also Red Riding Hooded Mercenary does not like him. After the incident where he wanted to wear Big and Will Be Bad Wolf’s EGO “because it was fluffy!” and Red promptly breached containment to chase him around the department, we’ve had to restrict his access to the EGO equipment unless Piper, Marinel or Hod is with him. Angela and Yesod have already given us an earful...) 

[potteresque-ire]

Hi I posted an ask regarding your view point on GGDD's safety by people shipping them openly by bus designs, digital hoardings in their country and various other ways. I am not sure if you have already replied because I can't seem to find it. If not, please notify in case you would be interested in posting, there is no pressure or complaints if the answer is not affirmative. Also, I am hoping to read your piece on current issue DD is facing in relation to Nike. I am sure a lot of people enjoy your straight, detailed and analytical thought process and information presentation. A lot of people especially ifans needs to understand the perspective and position an actor or any national level influencer/celebrity is in when they are a citizen of totalitarian regime.

I would love to read, if you decide to write.

Thank you for your blog. It is highly appreciated and welcomed.

Hello Anon! I sincerely apologise ~ my ask box has been very full, and I answer based on time availability (which isn’t much) and “urgency” of the matter (for example, the recent post on Dangai/WoH skipped the line because it’s current). My whim too, occasionally and admittedly; sometimes I’d like to take a breather and talk about something a little more fannish and fun (like window cleaning robots!) Above all, I prefer giving delayed but responsible, or even no answers over irresponsible ones, given some of the subject matter I touch upon. I’ll ... probably have to write up an ask box policy at some point.

Now, my thoughts about Dd’s current situation ... or maybe, my thoughts about the things around it ...

I should explain where my highly disorganised thoughts this time come from first. I’m a Hong Konger by birth, and I grew up at a time when it was still conventional for Hong Kongers to refer themselves as Chinese, following the tradition of referring to the (believed) origin of one’s paternal family as our own origin. I’ve never, however, sworn allegiance to the Chinese government; the two citizenships I’ve ever held are 1) United Kingdom (Hong Kong was still a British crown colony when I was there), and 2) United States.

The distinction between China, the country, and Chinese government, as the country’s rulership, has therefore always been clear to me. You can love, feel a bond with the country, its people and culture and its 5,000 year old history, without having feeling anything with its 71 years-young government with foreign (soviet) roots. To quote Hamilton: Oceans rise, empires fall, and just the central plains of China alone went through a total of 13 recorded dynasties, during which its border waxed and waned, often splitting what is now Chinese territory into multiple countries under different rulership that sometimes split along ethnic lines—China, in that sense, isn’t even historically a country as we define one today; it’s a piece of land in East Asia where different countries have taken over, risen and fallen. And the major ethnic group, Han, which also includes the vast majority of the current political elite, wasn’t always in control. The Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) was famously built by Mongolians; the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), Manchurians. Beijing, the current capital of China, began its illustrious history as The Capital City for the non-Han based, north-of-central-plain dynasties of Liao and Jin. Liao people were believed to be either Mongolic or Tungusic. Jin people were Tungusic, and would eventually become Manchurians. Xinjiang (新疆), meanwhile, was only under the influence of the ancient Chinese empires sporadically, and its formal conquest / incorporation by a Chinese dynasty didn’t happen until ~ 1760, and by the (Manchurian) Qing dynasty. Its late incorporation is also reflected in its name that means, literally, “New Territory”.

What does this all mean? It means: 1) Loving China =/= loving the Chinese Communist Party;  2) Chinese culture =/= Han culture; especially the Han culture infused with “Core Socialist Values” as defined by the Chinese Communist Party; 3) X dynasty’s territory (where X = one of the ancient Chinese dynasties) =/= What has to be People Republic of China’s territory.

And by writing down these three =/=, which I’d argue are simply conclusions from historical facts and logic, I’ve committed an act of subversion in the eyes of the current Chinese government. Remove the “/” in “=/=“, and you’ve got three of the most important talking points of Chinese propaganda.

The sacred, un-violatable rules the Chinese government tells its people.

Why do I mention them? Because the scrutiny, the attack on Dd read familiar to me, and is probably familiar too to all those who’ve kept even a brief eye on Hong Kong and Taiwanese entertainers who work in China. When a topic that violates one of these propaganda points makes news (for example, the HK protest, Hong Kong/Taiwan Independence), entertainers from Hong Kong / Taiwan—anyone who’ve achieved name recognition—are often placed under immediate scrutiny by Chinese netizens to see whether and when they’ll confirm their loyalty towards the Chinese government. The argument is that only those who display absolute loyalty to the Chinese government deserves to earn China’s money, and the main motivation behind this scrutiny, in this case, is mistrust: Hong Kong, after all, is crawling with British loyalists and rioters according to Chinese propaganda, with separatists who’re conspiring with foreign governments to overthrow the Chinese government; the democratic island nation of Taiwan, meanwhile, is supposedly a rogue child who has escaped its mother (China) ’s arms for the past 70+ years—the child who, by the way, shall be brought to their knees (along with into their mother’s arms) by military intervention. Both places, in other words, are serial violators of =/= 1) and 3), and not to be trusted. If their entertainers fail to affirm their loyalty towards the Chinese government, or if the timing of their patriotic display is perceived as off, vicious accusations—similar to those Dd has endured—will fly, and calls for boycott begin. 

Here’s a related observation, while I’m at it ... no one in c-ent is really allowed to keep their political views quiet, even if they’re not particularly well-known. No one can say, politics isn’t for me, it’s too ugly/too complicated/doesn’t fit my image and shove it under the proverbial carpet. Under an authoritarian government, control is exerted via politics, via propaganda that seeps into day-to-day language. It’s an oil slick that taints and swims in even the smallest crevice of life—there’s no where to hide.

And Dd is far more famous than almost all of these HK and Taiwan based entertainers. 表態 — a public announcement of his stance — is the only option left for him when he becomes the centre of a sensitive political issue such as this one. And there’s really only one stance he can take.

In that sense, what happened to Dd isn’t something I’m too worried about—this kind of attack under the guise of a “loyalty check” isn’t new; and the motivation behind the scrutiny of Dd is the safer to-take-down-his-career rather than political mistrust. I believe this storm shall pass soon, as long as his team doesn’t make an unexpected, big mistake. His non-fan fellow country people will probably view him with a more positive light as well: he walked the walk and did what he believed is patriotic — breaking a contract like this is no lip service when in China, performative patriotism is often lip service — reportedly even among the top Chinese Communist Party officials.

If I must find more defence for his stance ... please forgive me, Anon, but I don’t have much more to say than what I said last night, what I said before about China’s access to information—

—because, admittedly, following, talking about this incident is difficult for the Hong Konger in me, even if I’ve expected this kind of incidents from the moment I joined this fandom, even if I’ve expected, as I’ve learned from RL experience, that most people I adore in China will at some point support causes that I deeply disagree with. The online patriotic rally by c-motors and c-turtles under the associated Weibo tag, while impressive and good for Dd, is nonetheless heartbreaking/frightening for me to watch. Why? Because I know this can easily turn into a call to persecute all Hong Kongers involved in the democracy movements sometime in the future. Because I know the rally will probably be as impressive if this has been a call to persecute all Hong Kongers involved in the democracy movements. Frankly, I stopped thinking about Nike as I scrolled through the posts — I was thinking about the now impossibly wide gulf that separates most Chinese and a Hong Konger like myself; I was thinking about why a Gg / Dd performance can trend on Twitter in 10+ countries all over the world but makes almost no noise in Hong Kong or Taiwan, places that should’ve most easily fallen in love with Gg / Dd with their closeness in language and customs. 

As it turns out, the closeness has only driven HK and Taiwan away; the closeness only brings them more insight of the beast—the government that looms over, cast a long shadow over everything that lives under it, including Gg and Dd.

I was reminded of the fact that many young Hong Kongers probably see me as a traitor just for being a turtle — young Hong Kongers who are n>1 generation immigrants from China, who never spend years reconciling the conflicting viewpoints, the even more conflicting emotions when it comes to this ... almost irreconcilable difference now in political beliefs north and south of the China-HK border. Unlike the older generations who often have immigrants/refugees from China for immediate, un-severable family, who often don’t have the option to walk away from the conflicts, to simply point to the other side and call it evil.

And here are my even-more-conflicting emotions: 

While, over the years, I’ve learned to harbour no ill feelings to the vast majority of supporters of pro-CCP causes—I reserve blame for those who conceal the truth, who’re involved in its policy making, or people who live outside the Firewall and should know better (such as every HK entertainer who’ve expressed support)—I’ve also learned, over the same years, to be fully, painfully aware that every endorsement is still an endorsement for the regime to carry on its ways, and the damage is real, is significant even if the endorsers may not know about the true nature of their endorsements. 

A simple thought experiment: the sheer size of China’s population means it can easily control the narrative on English-speaking social media. The Chinese government already has a history of mobilising its people to scale the Great Firewall and spread its propaganda on, for example, Twitter. It has also mobilised fan circles for propaganda purpose. Again, as a thought experiment *only* (ie, SJD!), imagine the Chinese government mobilising Dd’s Weibo supertopic fans to spread misinformation about Xinjiang.

Dd’s supertopic has 5+ million members—all savvy social media users and many skilled in the art of comment control (a collective effort, performed by fans to bury critiques/dissent on message boards); the total number of Uyghurs in Xinjiang is ~12 million, but their communications are heavily scrutinised and they can’t really talk. Just for the sake of argument, we’ll add the ~ 70% pro-democracy HK population to Uyghur’s side: that’s another 5 million, but most of them aren’t good at raging a battle on social media.

Which side will control the narrative in the end?

And so: I understand why Dd’s statement is what it is. I don’t fault him for making it. Still, I can’t in good conscience say to anyone, myself included, that the statement is a personal opinion and doesn’t matter. It matters a lot. His announcement is another stab to the Uyghurs, and the knife is sharp because of Dd’s social influence.

(Today, I saw Dd’s name for the first time in a Hong Kong pro-democracy online news site.)

The statement carried this sentence:

國家尊嚴不容侵犯，堅決維護祖國利益 The dignity of the country is not to be violated; the interest of our motherland is to be resolutely defended. Firstly: it’s character-for-character propaganda language. Secondly: even if we do not consider the labor camps, this is the condition in Xinjiang’s city of Urumqi. Where’s the dignity of the people who’re living there and who’s preventing that from being violated? The interest of the motherland—what kind of motherland answers an allegation of human rights violation with “interest” (利=profit, advantage; 益=benefit)? What kind of motherland has “protects its interest” being synonymous with surveillance and abuse of its own people?

I have a motherland, but it’s not the one in this narrative.

The issues of Xinjiang and the Uyghurs have also become even closer to Hong Kongers since 2019, when the fates of Hong Kongers and the Uyghurs became intricately tied—as dual examples of Chinese government’s human rights violations and indeed, these two populations who previously had very little in common have shown solidarity with each other against all odds. Their connection being this one simple, awful fact: both having what they value most stripped away by the same government—the traditions, religion and culture for the Uyghurs, the promised freedoms and hopes for democracy for Hong Kongers. As an online meme goes: “Today’s Xinjiang; Tomorrow’s Hong Kong” — expressing the fear that Hong Kongers may soon be subjected to the same surveillance as the Uyghurs today, for the same reason of having put up a fight against who they saw as their oppressors (this article offers an objective summary of what led to the 2009 clash between the Uyghurs and the Chinese government, which precipitated the former’s treatment as will-be terrorists today)(Note the role the US played in this.). 

As such, I cannot look away from Xinjiang. As such, I cannot look at our two beautiful stars, Gg and Dd, without also seeing the flag with its blood red looming behind with its own five stars—the biggest of them symbolising the Chinese Communist Party.

How do I reconcile all the feelings? As I said, it’s a constant work-in-progress, possibly a lifelong one. Re: Gg and Dd, that’s what I tell myself at the moment: that my being an i-turtle shall not sway my view or silence me on any sociopolitical issues, that my being a fan of anything, anyone shall not mean any other human life is suddenly worth less to me, or its suffering, something I shall suddenly look away from. The moment this becomes true—that I find myself depreciating human lives, or ignoring the pain of others for the sake of my fannish pursuits—that’s when I must leave my fan identity until I find my discipline (I do understand the lure of a happy fandom bubble, and I’m far from immune to it). I’m a person before I’m a fan.

These are the rules of my world.

我的世界不退讓。

[felassan]

Article: ‘The Most Powerful Woman in Gaming Wants to Make EA Loved Again’

Laura Miele is helping direct the company toward a future where it’s more attuned with consumers.

One of the first things Laura Miele did when she became chief studios officer of Electronic Arts Inc. three years ago was to gather 19 video game influencers in a conference room. “What do you want me to hear? Lay it on me,” she recalls asking them. “One guy sitting at the corner of the table, he just said, ‘I don’t understand why you don’t give players what they’re asking for.’ ”

[rest of article under cut for length, pasted as Bloomberg has an article read limit]

One of the first things Laura Miele did when she became chief studios officer of Electronic Arts Inc. three years ago was to gather 19 video game influencers in a conference room. “What do you want me to hear? Lay it on me,” she recalls asking them. “One guy sitting at the corner of the table, he just said, ‘I don’t understand why you don’t give players what they’re asking for.’ ”

It’s something many gamers have wondered about EA for years. The $40 billion company, one of the biggest in gaming, is responsible for Battlefield, Madden NFL, and other megahit franchises. But many gamers have long seen EA as a necessary evil, resenting the direction in which it took some games and bristling at its aggressive attempts to extract money by charging extra for digital items in games that cost as much as $70 upfront. This dissatisfaction was no secret in 2018: Gamers spent their days filling up Reddit and other message boards with free advice for EA—but many felt its decision-makers weren’t listening.

EA’s leadership knows it has to improve that relationship, and Miele is a key player in its efforts to do so. Her focus group asked for new content for Star Wars Battlefront II and requested new types of games. Miele quickly assigned 70 people to the Battlefront development project, which dramatically improved its net promoter score, a measure of how likely people are to recommend the game. She also prompted EA to create a skateboarding game and committed to reintroducing its college football franchise, the two genres at the top of the influencers’ list.

In a sense, the guy at the meeting became a stand-in for all of EA’s long-suffering customers in Miele’s eyes. “I wanted to do right by this player,” she says.

As chief studios officer, Miele manages 6,000 staffers and thousands of contractors globally. She oversees EA’s 24 studios, where she makes personnel decisions and sets strategy, and she’s reshaped how the company uses analytics to create and market its games.

In the process she may have become the most powerful woman in gaming. In a 2019 International Game Developers Association survey, fewer than 30% of the more than 1,100 respondents were women, and few if any hold a more central role at such an important company. “It’s a tough place for a woman,” says Peter Moore, who was Miele’s boss when he was EA’s chief operating officer. “It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but she battled her way through.”

Proving good intentions is more important for EA than ever, as the business model of gaming continues to shift in ways that have the potential to alienate customers. Like its rivals, the company is increasing its focus on free-to-play games, making money through sales of digital products such as outfits and weapons for characters.

There are signs it’s succeeding. Apex Legends, EA’s free-to-play hero shooter game, has posted more than $1 billion in sales since it was first published in 2019, and it continues to grow. “The way to succeed with free-to-play games like that is to listen to and engage your customer base and earn their loyalty through incremental purchases,” says Doug Clinton, managing partner of the venture capital firm Loup Ventures, who says Miele deserves much of the credit for Apex Legends. “It feels like a proof point for her that the company is adapting well beyond traditional disk sales.”

Miele, 51, was born in San Francisco but grew up on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. She got her start in games—the kind that require a board—during family nights, when she pitted herself against her brother in Monopoly, Clue, Yahtzee, and backgammon. While attending the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, she worked at architectural companies. By the time she dropped out she’d moved on from receptionist positions to more senior roles, while gaining a reputation for organizing lunch-hour card games with her co-workers.

Miele landed a job as a project manager at Westwood Studios, a video game developer best known for Command and Conquer, in 1996. She eventually took over all marketing for its parent company, Virgin Interactive.

It wasn’t always a hospitable atmosphere: Miele remembers her colleagues expecting her to take notes at meetings, then clean up afterward. “That is just not something I would do today,” she says. “I adapted a lot because I was so passionate about what I was doing. I found my voice along the way.”

When EA acquired Westwood in 1998, she stayed on. At the time, the company did revenue forecasting by looking at sales data once a month and putting together spreadsheets by hand. Miele was tasked with developing more advanced analytics. She hired a group of data analysts, nicknamed “the Jedi,” and had them build EA’s first statistical regression models to examine sales trends, seasonality, and preorders. It took almost two years to put the system in place, but it overhauled the company’s business processes, and executives were soon using it to determine how to invest in advertising and promotions. “I loved how data and analytics can inform your judgment and your gut instinct,” Miele says.

Miele also decided to make one major break with EA’s existing business practices. In 2011 about 80% of game advertising budgets were spent on TV ads. But she saw how much time gamers spent online and decided to spend the bulk of the ad budget for Battlefield 3 on digital, downplaying other types of ads and cutting the TV ad budget to only 30%.

Messing around with the plan for Battlefield 3 was a good way to make people nervous. Miele remembers two executives calling her in for a meeting and demanding to know why they weren’t seeing billboards for the game as they drove in to the office. “It was scary for me, too, and I don’t blame our executives questioning me on that,” she says. But the game ended up being EA’s fastest-selling, moving more than 5 million copies in its first week. From that point, Miele’s marketing strategy became the standard for the company.

When EA signed a 10-year deal with Walt Disney Co. in 2013, Miele became Star Wars general manager. In 2014 she took over publishing operations, marketing, and other key areas, first in the North American region, then globally in 2016. At the time, the game industry was moving from physical disks to digital downloads, transforming its relationship with retail partners such as Walmart Inc. and Best Buy Co.

Miele was in charge of smoothing things over, explaining that EA would start competing with them for customers even as the retailers accounted for the largest portion of the revenue. “I never said to them, ‘Hey, see you later, we are moving on,’ ” she says. “It was, ‘How can we move forward together?’ ” EA began making physical cards with digital credits that its retail partners could sell at their stores, allowing them to share in the revenue from digital sales.

EA’s studios are spread around the globe, and Covid-19 altered Miele’s routine radically. “It was a very difficult year, and I’m really proud about how our company showed up,” she says. “I considered myself a wartime leader last year. You had to get in a bunker with everybody.”

Days became an endless progression of Zoom calls. To keep up with gamers, Miele started spending evenings listening to Clubhouse chats while answering work emails. Because she hasn’t been on the road, she’s also had more time to dine at home and play board games or Apex Legends and The Sims with her 16-year-old twins. As the pandemic retreats in the U.S., her schedule might change, but she still envisions providing more flexibility to her employees to work from home and office. “I do think we’re going to have a different work environment as we go forward,” she says.

Miele is itching to get back to the studio visits. She’s helping steer EA further toward smartphones. The company plans to release mobile versions of Apex Legends globally this year and spent $2.1 billion in April for Glu Mobile Inc., a mobile game publisher, while also preparing the next releases in its existing franchises. “I think the next Battlefield and the mobile shooter games, along with how successful the M&As come out will be key litmus tests of her management this year,” says Matt Kanterman, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. “Her scope is clearly rising.”

— With Dina Bass and Jason Schreier

[source]

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Hi! So, why BTS? And why now? I want to follow your blog, but may I speak openly?

Writing about BTS through the lens of various critical theory is amazing. You are so smart. I am going to be honest about my own biases here, so feel free to trash me for it. I am anonymous after all so trash away as is your right. I understand.

There is often a supposition from critics, both professional and amateur, that the fandom- frequently presented as an immature, undifferentiated mob of cultists- is unable to think critically and must have basic things explained to us so that we don't throw stones at the free speech warriors of truth and standards (not saying that this is your attitude). I find that a little alienating. This fandom has existed for eight years. We have seen blogs and empires rise and fall.

I also don't think that it is an accident that the desire to project these more critical ideas into the public sphere usually comes after a year of being a full on ARMY (judging from my friends experiences). I have read peices about BTS's work referencing Lacan, neo-marxism, post-structuralism and other such stuffs. (My friend used to have an analytic blog that she chose to shut down a few years ago). I am going to be a bit blunt again, so trash if you must, but I think what was being exposed in those pieces was not only "critical thinking" but an excess of emotional investment in BTS, and the desire to intellectualize or justify it.

BTS got a lot of people through 2020. Those long content dives kept people sane. But now, based on a lot of the dissapointed PTD criticism, it feels like some people are waking up hung over and kind of bitter. Emphasizing the three English singles and ignoring BE, an album they worked on for months, seems like a symptom of this. Removing BE from the narrative seems to advance theories of BTS's 'Americanization', lack of creative agency and homogenization into some inferior or less Korean form of pop. BE should not be dismissed as irrelevant to this discourse. Many western artists take an average of 2 years between albums. BTS put out a lot of work. Maybe some of the distrust of criticism that we plebes have comes from the suspicion that critics may use art and events to construct a story. As a person of Asian heritage, LGO going #1 on Billboard meant a lot, emotionally.

I hope none of this caused offense. If it did please just ignore. Thanks for your great thoughts. Wishing you success in your goals.

Hi! Your ask did not cause offense, I'm more than fine to talk about this.

There's a lot to unpack here, so I'm taking it one by one.

Why BTS and why now? I chose to write about BTS because it's been an interest of mine for quite long. I mean, I didn't expect more than a year later to be here. My past obsessions usually lasted between 2 to 3 months, max, and everything felt so intense, but then it faded for a few years. (The last band I really focused on was Pearl Jam back in my first year of college while I was going through a bit of a difficult period in my life).

Yes, I have become a fan during the pandemic. It was sort of inevitable for it to become such a huge focus (escapism from the world outside and from writing a thesis). If I had started this blog a year ago, then you're right in one way: it would have been emotional investment and my desire to intellectualize and justify it. Basically that's what I did in the first few months (when I was on my own, in no community whatsoever). In order to explain myself and others why I'm spending time on this, I used to read research articles. But that's not the full truth and that's because to me such practice comes naturally, just as when I was 16 I couldn't just watch and enjoy movies, I had to read about them every day, or how I'm surrounded by pop culture just as everyone else, but I want to read books about it so I'm willing to do that for months. It's how I'm wired, so in a way, of course it had to happen with BTS as well.

The reason why I decided to make a blog now it's not necessarily because I ''woke up'' or that suddenly I see ''the truth''. Perhaps you may have had that impression because of my first post where I talked about PTD and the recent talks about ''Americanization''. I touched on that subject because I was closely following it, but that is not to say it was my only purpose on making a blog. I feel that, a year later, I'm more secure with my general knowledge and that of BTS. I couldn't have done it before that. I also plan to talk about other topics as well, not just what's ''hot'' at the moment. If I didn't have any other ideas, I wouldn't have made a blog.

And I'm certainly not here to teach anyone or ''plebes'' as you said, anything. And I also know that I'm not going to be the last to have a blog, write a think piece or publish something about BTS. People are allowed to engage in all types of discourse, depending on what they like and what they feel comfortable with. There are countless blogs with countless topics and perspectives. Some last, some don't, that's just how it is. I don't have huge important plans to teach the fandom, my ego is not that big and this is just a hobby for me. It's also not the first time I'm publishing something, but it is the first time on my own blog, despite being on tumblr for 10 years now.

But you are right when you talk about people forgetting about BE and I may add, Film Out which is more recent. I too thought that LGO going #1 on Billboard was incredible. It was a song in Korean that really reflected how people felt during the pandemic. Not just LGO, but the entire album is a true reflection of current times on top of being just simply good music. The album was promoted as well, different versions of the MV, the logs that preceded it focusing on production, it really made me look forward to it and it did not disappoint. The last few months of 2020 have been really good for what BTS has delivered. To go back to your argument, I don't think it's about constructing a story. Yes, in a way people could be accused of ignoring BE, but what's the problem with focusing on what's been going on at present? We shouldn't be surprised about that, PTD was released not too long after Butter. It was full of promotional material ever since May.

I stated in my blog introduction that I'm in film studies, so I will end up making a lot of references because I can naturally make my point across. Let's say I'm a fan of Xavier Dolan. I've watched his first films, fell in love with his aesthetics and his stories. Then he releases something that I don't really like, doesn't work for me. Then another. And then another. I'm thinking, ok, this is the direction he's going with, it's not as daring as what he used to do before, but so what? He gets the awards at Cannes, but I'm still writing a negative review of his film Mommy. Doesn't mean I'm wrong, doesn't mean the Jury at Cannes is wrong, it certainly doesn't mean that I don't like Xavier Dolan anymore. We're just looking for different things.

We write about things that are happening at the moment and how see them now. We make judgments of value based on our current knowledge. Who's to say that in 10 years people won't look back and think: those critics had no idea what they were saying about BTS (Antonioni's L'Avventura was booed at Cannes when it was released in 1960 and now it's considered a masterpiece and even taught in schools). But that's just a possibility right now and if in 10 years I'll remember that I used to write about this, perhaps my opinions could/would change. Maybe less than10 years :)

[wildlyminiaturesandwich]

It’s time we talk about SimsDom again.

Most of you probably already know who and what Simsdom is but for those that don’t, Simsdom (or SimsDomination) claim to essentially be a CC finds website, which in essence I suppose they are... But don’t get your hopes up for a Lana replacement because they are SO much more than that. And not in a good way.

I know this is an old subject, and most people probably thought it was all over and done with, but Simsdom is still around and what’s worse is that I’ve noticed a growing trend among my fellow Game Changers who create content for Youtuber and Twitch/Mixer of promoting the site by using it to do CC shopping haul videos and streams, which is encouraging their viewers to use Simsdom. I’m not going to name names or point fingers but it made me realise that maybe some people don’t understand just how bad Simsdom is for the community in general, but especially for the amazingly dedicated CC creators of Simblr. And it’s just so disappointing to see people that some many in the community, including myself, look up to promoting this garbage site!

If you’re curious to know why this is a problem, I’ll explain under the cut. If not, keep scrolling... But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you visit the Simsdom website (which I’ve purposely not provided a link to because you absolutely shouldn’t visit it) you’ll notice a whole bunch of custom content is available there, more than likely you’ll even find quite a bit from some of your faves like @peacemaker-ic​, @nolan-sims​, @storylegacysims​, @crypticsim​, @renorasims​, @savvysweet​ and MANY more. My stuff is even on there as well and if you’re a creator, the chances are high your stuff is too; whether you want it to be or not.

But don’t be fooled, myself and most of the other creators whose content appears on their site did not give permission for our content to be shared on there. In fact, most of us have specifically asked Simsdom to remove our content from their site. I say “most” because there are some people who willing uploading their content there (god knows why). The easiest way to the tell the difference is to look at who posted the content. If you see this:

That content has been shared by a bot, without the creator’s permission and more than likely against their many requests that Simsdom NOT share their content. If it says the name of the actual creator instead of “Exchange”, that creator uploaded it themselves.

You might also ask why anyone would care if their content was shared on a CC finds blog, after all, it means more traffic to our blogs and content, right? First of all, whether it brings in more traffic or not, is beside point. These creators have specifically requested Simsdom not share their content and they have been ignored, disrespected, threatened, and harassed. Simsdom claims that their users make up 30-90% of Tumblr creators traffic, but I call bullshit. I check my Google analytics every single month for traffic coming in to both my Tumblr and Blogger from Simsdom and I can tell you that LESS THAN 1% of the COMBINED TOTAL traffic from BOTH BLOGS comes from there. And when you understand how they operate, you’ll understand why that is.

- UPDATE -

In reference to Simsdom’s response to this post, they linked 5 creators that they claim meet their crazy statement that their site provides creators with 30-90% of their traffic. So I just thought I’d point out some interesting facts I noticed while looking at those sites.

One of those sites is dead; literally, it doesn’t exist anymore, if it ever even did. Another, @simiracle​, is a fellow Game Changer who reblogged this post, so I’m guessing they don’t have support there. And the other 3 are alpha CC creators, none of whom have ever uploaded any of their CC to Simdom, nor have they ever mentioned Simsdom on their sites in any way. However, all three earn money on their own content via either adfly, adsense, patreon, or some combination of the three; my guess would be they wouldn’t be too happy to find out Simsdom is making money off them too.

You see, Simsdom might sometimes link back to the original creators site, but often times they don’t. I’ve noticed quite a bit of the content of my own on their site directly links to the file on SimFileShare, completely bypassing both my Tumblr and my Blogger. This might not seem like a big problem, but what about if the creator has put specific instructions, requirements, or notes on the original download page that if the downloader doesn’t read could result in broken/unusable CC, or worse, a broken game?

- UPDATE -

In reference to Simsdom’s response to this post, they linked to SimFileShare’s page on SimilarWeb and claimed that I was lying about direct-linking to my files there because their site does not appear in the list of referring sites. What they failed to mention is that that list only shows the TOP 5 sites that link to SimFileShare regularly. There are still 385 other sites that aren’t shown and can’t be seen without having an account with SimilarWeb. Convenient, huh?

I also said they only direct-linked SOME content. With my content it was only about 4 or 5 things out of the 15 or so they have on their site and I didn’t check anyone else’s stuff but I have heard other creators say the same thing. So of course they’re not going to show up in the top 5 if it’s only SOME links.

But wait, there’s more.

Anyone downloading from their website without an adblocker is forced to wade through potentially harmful ads as well. Notice the blue button that says “download” at the top? That’s not a real download button and if you click it, it will instantly begin shoving pop ups in your face claiming you have a system error or that your local law enforcement agency has detected illegal activity from your IP. Yes, I clicked it. There is nothing of importance left on my HDD (it’s all stored safely on an external drive that isn’t connected to the PC at all) because this drive has been slowly dying for weeks and I’m destroying it tomorrow and replacing it with a brand new one, so I decided to take a chance.

These ads, which are on pretty much every page of Simsdom, are what’s called “Ransomware”, and it’s whole purpose is to distract you with fake pop up “warnings” when you click on it so that you don’t realise it’s actually downloading a very harmful file to your computer in the background. It’s designed to be next to impossible to close the pop ups, so that even if you somehow became aware of the download happening, you couldn’t get past the pop ups to stop it before it’s had time to finish downloading and automatically begin running it’s payload when it’s done.

What payload? That’s the scariest part, you won’t know until it’s too late. It could be something as simple as a trojan that will force your PC to mine bitcoins, which is still harmful because these mining trojans are resource hogs and put a massive strain on your CPU. Or a trojan designed to target and encrypt specific files on your computer (usually sensitive ones) and demand you pay a literal ransom (usually either in bitcoin or pre-paid cash) and if you don’t, your files will either be complete erased or leaked.

Or worse still, it could be something even more sinister such as a key-logger; a piece of spyware that is designed to track and log EVERY. SINGLE. KEY. you touch on your keyboard. So every password you use, every online banking key code you enter, all the conversations you have via Discord, Twitter, Tumblr, or any other form of instant messaging, that fanfiction you’ve been working on that you are too scared to show anyone in case they think you’re a pervert, your credit card and bank account number you use to shop online, what porn you look for, even your Google search history (regardless of if you’re incognito); all of it will be no longer private and in the hands of someone who could use it to steal your identity, empty out your bank accounts, charge thousands of dollars worth of goods to your credit card, or expose every little strange thing you do on your computer that you thought no one would ever find out about, unless you pay their ransom.

Scary huh?

Also notice that those Get Famous recolours I made don’t say that they actually require Get Famous? Why is that a problem, you say? For most people it’s not, you see “Get Famous Recolours” and you automatically know you need Get Famous to use them, but what about people who are new to using CC and don’t know that for my recolours to work you need the pack they came from? Yeh, that’s a problem, because that particular download is one of those ones that leads straight to SimFileShare:

It leads directly to the merged file, which is NOT the only file available for download in that set, just the largest. But no one who finds my content on Simsdom will ever know that will they? Nor will they read the part of the download page that clearly states Get Famous is required to use the recolours.

I hear you saying “But adblockers are a thing”. Yes they are, but that doesn’t solve the issue of them linking straight to the file. And also, here’s what happens when you try to download something from Simsdom with an adblocker enabled:

You’re forced to wait 180 seconds before the download button appears. THREE WHOLE MINUTES in which you cannot move from that page or the counter will stop, and it will only restart when you go back to that page and stay there for the entire three minutes. Even Adfly isn’t that gross.

So, all of that isn’t enough to discourage you from using this vile site you say? Well, let me introduce you to the person/people who run the site. There are plenty of examples floating around Tumblr of how disrespectful, arrogant, immature, and disturbing the owner/s are (just search for “Simsdom” and you’ll see) but here’s just a few posts showing “receipts” of what happened to creators when they ask for their content to be removed from the site: Here,  here, and here.

They have threatened to doxx several creators, tried to blackmail others, threatened to shut down some people’s sites, and even actually refused to remove people’s content unless they say “please”; as though these creators are six year old children who need to learn a lesson for not wanting THEIR content on someone else’s website!

All of this was said AFTER they made a post on their Tumblr saying they would respect creators wishes to not have their content on their site. I myself had a run-in with them as well but I don’t have the receipts because as soon as they finally agreed to remove my content (after almost 4 days of arguing with them and being threatened several times) they blocked me... and they continue to share my content to this day. That’s part of the reason why my motivation to create has been so low lately; I know its just going to end up over there, locked behind a paywall making money for these disgusting people and tricking simmers into thinking they have to pay to access my stuff.

But back to the story! Once they realised 99% of Tumblr creators — the people they get most of their content from — were going to ask to have their creations removed however, they changed their mind and instead started refusing to remove content. In fact, if you go to their website and use the contact form and choose the option “Remove my Content” they literally ask if you are Tumblr creator or not, and if you say you are, this is what you get:

And that “Our Rights here” link? That leads to this nonsense that literally contradicts itself with almost every single sentence:

“Creations can’t be uploaded without the creators permission... but we do not need permission to share your creations” “Feel free to contact us to ask to remove your content... but actually don’t bother contacting us asking to remove your content because we won’t” “SimsDomination is a free website... We don’t steal any content... *literally has other people’s free content locked behind a paywall and charges people membership fees to remove said paywall*”

And as for the EA terms part... I have news for you Simsdom, YOU are the only one breaking EA’s terms of use by putting content behind paywalls. I’m an EA Game Changer, I have actually read the terms of use AND spoken at length on the topics of earning revenue from CC, and why paywalls/memberships/exclusives are against EA’s terms of use with the Sim Gurus, have you? Didn’t think so.

If you had, you’d realise that we are allowed to earn revenue from our CC by having ads on our blogs/sites provided they aren’t deceptive — you know, like that ad with the big blue button you have that shows up on every single page of your site — and don’t lead to anything malicious, which yours do. I clicked several of the ads on your site and they all either lead to disgusting 18+ websites, started producing ransomware pop ups like I described earlier, or tried to download a mysterious file called setup.exe to my computer (which was most likely a trojan as well). We are also allowed to earn revenue via donations and Patreon early access systems provided the content is also made available for free to the general public within 14 days.

We are not, however, allowed to lock content behind Patreon exclusives, memberships and paywalls such as Adfly; which is exactly what you are doing. Like Adfly, you are not only potentially exposing underage children to 18+ content and risking the safety of people’s PCs, but you are also forcing them to wait to click a link and charging membership fees to avoid having to wait to download said content that isn’t even yours; content that you have been asked REPEATEDLY to remove. That is the very definition of a paywall. It is NOT the same as Pinterest or Facebook AT ALL, they might have ads but they aren’t malicious and they do not force people to wait to view content.

- UPDATE - 

In reference to Simsdom’s response to this post, this is probably one of my most favourite Simsdom lies, because it never changes but it’s so easy to prove false! “Users don’t need to pay to download any content and don’t need to wait to download them” Oh really? Shall we take a look at your site on the old SimilarWeb that you love so much?

How strange. If you don’t make people wait, then why do you need adfly? And if no one has to pay, then why do you need premium memberships to get rid of the ads and wait time you don’t have? Odd.

Also, lets talk Adsense. I never said I had a problem with you having ads on your site; I said I had a problem with the TYPE of ads on your site. If you seriously don’t think your ads are in any way harmful, I’d suggest you take another look at your Adsense, because either it’s been hacked or you seriously don’t know what you’re doing. Oh, but that’s right, “Google will never display suspicious ADs“... Mmm hmm, you just go right on believe that. Yeh, it’s definitely not possible for Google to be hacked... Nope, definitely not.

Also, if you use your Adsense revenue to pay for your site.... what happens to the extra? Because based on your SimilarWeb page I can take a rough guess at how much you earn every month through Adsense alone and there’s no way your site costs that much to run. For that matter, where does all the extra revenue from Adfly, Short.st and this mysterious “other” go? And all the revenue you get from your premium subscriptions that you totally don’t charge people money for?...

Is that fish I smell?

You are not doing anyone any favours here, so stop pretending that you’re in this for anything other than money. Stop sharing content you’ve been asked REPEATEDLY to remove/not share and breaking EA’s and many creators TOUs!

If you’ve managed to make it this far, congrats lol I know this has been long and probably boring but thank you for taking the time to read the whole thing. All this post was meant to do was explain why people should not support Simsdom, and why I’m so disappointed in other Game Changers for promoting it, but it kind of got away from me a little.

Oh well, now you know what Simsdom is and why I will NEVER support them or willingly allow my content to be shared on their site. And if you do decide to still use their site, just... please be careful. My content will always be free and safe to download, just like the majority or CC creators here on Tumblr. Don’t pay for something you can get for free from the original source.

Also, if you’re looking for a Lana replacement (aka a good CC finds blogs that isn’t shady af like Simsdom) check out @maxismatchccworld!

- UPDATE -

This isn’t in relation to anything specific, just the situation as a whole. It seems Simsdom has just removed the search box from their website completely:

I’m sure it was totally legit reasons and not at all because they didn’t want anyone searching for their own content on the Simsdom website. Just like it wasn’t for that reason the last time too...

[goodbyekillingharmony]

My own interpretation of Qrow's character in V8

also, before we get really into this, of course, there will be spoilers. don’t say i didn’t warn you. also, probably don’t take this too seriously? i wrote this at like 3 in the morning last night and wanted to rework it into something more proper. i tried to make it flow more properly and fuck this may not even make any sense, so bare with me. this is mostly a headcanon i have to get myself through the travesty that is volume 8 and it did make it more enjoyable for me, so i guess that is a plus.

alright, i think i have bored you enough with the unnecessary parts, here we go boys. also, one final thing, this isn’t supposed to undermine shit like part 8 or f//r g//me, or anything of the sort, this was just made as a fun little headcanon that got serious real quick. okay, actually starting now.

I think most RWBY fans have noticed a sudden shift in behavior in Qrow. I don’t really know what the consensus is for this since I hardly, if ever, interact with this fandom, however, for me, until yesterday, it had bothered me heavily. I am a fairly harsh critic when it comes to the writing on the show, purely due to the fact I want to become a writer myself, so I tend to be overly analytical, which can lead to me finding flaws more easily. Nevertheless, even with my mostly neutral feelings regarding Volume 8 right now for various reasons, I persisted. It wasn’t until last night when I really started thinking about this, putting my more critical self aside, and started to look at the bigger picture. Then, an idea had popped into my mind.

Based on someone who has severe trust issues and immense paranoia, I had finally understood, well, at least, theoretically. What if the reason that Qrow is so hostile and, honestly, unreasonable this volume is because he suspected something like this. He suspected Ironwood to do something akin to this. Obviously, not to this severe of a degree, but he felt that like, sooner or later, that this would happen.

What do I mean by this? Well, me and a good friend of mine (@graegrape hi) had gone traversing the RWBY Wikia and found something that honestly kick started the entire thing. 

“ General Ironwood shows concern over Qrow's warning in his conversation with Ozpin in "Welcome to Beacon", which prompted him to bring his fleet to Vale in hopes of preventing conflict in the Vytal Festival. However, this action only served to infuriate Qrow. ’’

Naturally, this had caught my eye. So, we went digging for some screencaps.

When Qrow informed Ironwood and Co. about finding some of Salem's forces, Ironwood had deployed, essentially, his entire fleet, and Qrow was absolutely angered by this; how the hell could he have messed it up so badly?

-

However, at least in this point in time during Volume 3, Qrow doesn’t completely distrust Ironwood.

“ Qrow has commented that he wonders if Ironwood has a heart. Nonetheless, Qrow saves Ironwood from a Griffon in "Heroes and Monsters", knowing the general is innocent of the carnage caused by his automated forces. He shows his respect and loyalty by asking Ironwood for suggestions regarding their plan of action to deal with the invading Grimm, showing that while he may not respect his methods, Qrow does not completely hate him or view him as a threat. ‘’

What was the point of this part of the post, OP? Well, I am happy you asked. I wanted to show just exactly what their dynamic was back in those volumes, almost as a refresher. There is some amount of trust and respect, and there is some amount of comradery there, however, something underlying is starting to brew, specifically Qrow’s reaction to Ironwood’s course of action. My own interpretation of this part? This gave Qrow a proper look at how extreme Ironwood could get, letting it settle in his own mind for a while, making the seed of doubt of Ironwood’s self-destructive behavior plant itself.

══════════════════

The next part of this post will be way more hypothetical. While I will try to provide evidence, this is creeping into more headcanon-ish territory. You have been warned lol.

Well, that’s all of the Volume 2 - 3 stuff out of the way, time to move onto the elephant in the room. Alright, so Volume 7, a favorite for many and I am no exception.

However, even when I have rewatched the Volume at least 3 times at this point, there was a certain scene that had always stuck out to me, and that is relevant to the post at hand, so might as well get it out of the way. I’m sure we all know what I’m talking about here.

The hug.

So, when the hug happened, for Qrow, at least in my own interpretation, it felt like his entire world got shattered.

Ironwood had actually missed him; actually taking the time to tell him that he cared. You could see Qrow wasn’t as tense anymore, actually letting his guard down in front of someone that wasn’t his family. In my opinion, specifally with this frame,

Qrow had started to reflect. To reflect on not only their own relationship, but on himself as well. He, possibly, had his own seed of doubt regarding Ironwood slowly starting to disappear. Something akin to, “Maybe he does have a heart.” or whatever. 

And then, Ironwood, of all people, had betrayed him. It had happened again.

══════════════════

Suddenly, he was given a reason, at least in his mind, to justify his distrust of others, but of Ironwood especially. He was right in his mind. “Sooner or later, someone close to me would do this. And to imagine it being to such a severe situation too. He did it again.” Qrow was probably devastated. I’m not denying that he wasn’t sad about Clover, he clearly was and I am not going to deny that fact. However, that being his only reason does not sit well with me. His colleague, one of the remaining people in Ozpin’s group, had done this, after he had promised to ensure his safety, planting a false hope within him. Now, he was thrown away like a rag by one of the only remaining members of Ozpin's circle he could get into proper contact with.

Qrow’s sadness turning into anger is literally perfectly in character to him, so it would make complete sense, trying to deflect everything, because he, himself, wants to be right in his own mind; it was a long time coming, it only happened now.

He’s deflecting a lot of the things, pushing it in the back of his mind. He's scared. He has to be alone again. Just when he thought he was finally safe to trust people again, to seek comfort in someone like Clover, the first person he was willing to spill his heart out to, as well; he lost him. So, he uses everything he can to stop his mind from thinking about it. Anger, sadness, blissful ignorance; whatever he can do to ignore it, because he gave up drinking, so he can't use that for coping anymore.

The reason why he’s reacting so extremely is, in my opinion,is not just due to “Oh, well, I saw this coming.”, but also that he is going through withdrawl. He has to do cope using other methods, since he can’t use his former one anymore. He has to feel the full brunt of his own emotions, he can’t numb them down anymore, and to himself, he can’t justify his own feelings. In his mind, the best course of action is to redirect those extremes onto someone else.

It is quite possibly that Qrow had noticed Ironwood’s sudden shift in behavior, making him reflect on himself, too. He sees that Ironwood is walking down the same path that he himself was going down many years ago, but he can’t do anything. He thinks that Ironwood wouldn’t listen to him, considering what happened back in the Vytal festival. Ironwood did not back down in the slightest back then, so why would he now? That type of mentality. He doesn’t bother with it.

(This next part was written by my good friend and honestly? Great food for thought.) 

Qrow’s former emotions mirror those of Ironwood’s current ones. Qrow, back in the earlier volumes, had used alcohol to help ease his mind and block out things he didn’t want to think about. And now, current Ironwood, is only focusing on what’s directly in front of him and blocking out the entirety of Mantle.

In essense, Ironwood had become exactly what he hated about Qrow.

(I rewrote it a bit, but the main idea was all them. Thank you so much for this.)

He is deliberately using everything he can to not think about Ironwood, due to the fact that he can easily become irrational when he does, and he does need Robyn as an ally, so he buries it all down, possibly being self-aware about his own behavoir, but not know how to deal with it.

══════════════════

Well, that sure was long. There could be things I forgot to mention, and I’m not even sure if this is well structured or not, since I’m not used to writing essays, at least, not to this caliber, but I hoped it, at least, made you possibly think about Qrow in a more intiment sense. Qrow’s and Ironwood’s relationship had always been the most facsinating one in the entire show, so seeing it being thrown to the side did sting a bit. But, I hope that there was a good reason for it. I am still looking forward to what V8 has in store, especially with the heavily implied fight, I just hope it’s something more than just Qrow getting revenge for Clover. C’mon, CRWBY! I know you can do better.

If you made it this far, thank you. And please understand I made this out of pure love for the show. I have been a fan for a while now and I only want what’s best for the show. I promise this isn’t just me being a salty Ironqrow shipper lmao Anyway, let’s hope this volume turns out great.