#i'm glad there are negative articles about this company

[roo-bastmoon]

Off My Chest

Rant about Hybe under the cut. I give you my word I will try to post a majority of positive content, because the world (and my mental health) doesn't need more negativity, but sometimes you just gotta vent.

Folks, if you've known me for a hot second, you've realized I am a Jimin-biased Jikooker... but I am OT7, and I sincerely love and support BTS.

I believe Jimin is a grown man who can advocate for himself and I believe Jungkook absolutely supports and adores him, whatever their relationship status is.

I always try to accentuate the positive and avoid online drama and negativity as much as possible, but I need to get this off my chest.

I will never be gas-lit into believing that the way Jimin was treated in solo era was fair, or equitable, or even made any kind of business-sense. I've genuinely tried to entertain other people's points of view and listen to people who claim to have industry expertise, but...

I will never forget his mail being tampered with four times, his leaked insurance information, denial of more music videos, overlapped solo release, only 9 days of promotion, split title tracks, no radio or play-listing, no bio for his Spotify for months, no restock of his single CD for months, hundreds of thousands of frozen and deleted sales, millions of culled streams, shady articles in WeVerse and Billboard, insulting dialogue in In the Seom, failure to submit to RIAA certification for months, only a paywall documentary on WeVerse, zero official acknowledgement of his Hot 100 #1, 1 billion streams on Spotify, or wins for The Fact, MAMA, and two Webbys, plus broken in-ears, anemic little balloons and a sad background tarp as decorations for his fan events… and the company telling him how doing more would just be impossible.

I compare all that to the push that other members and other groups got, and I know it just isn't true. It wasn't impossible.

Hell, Jeon Jungkook put in more effort to promote Jimin’s work and showed more respect for Jimin as an artist during his at-home lives than that whole company did, which honestly makes no sense from a profit standpoint.

I will never forget it, and I will not entertain arguments that say I’m a solo or an anti or jealous about it. I have eyes.

I am not out to shade any other members nor put forth any conspiracy theories. I simply want all our boys to get everything they justly deserve.

And yes, other members have suffered mishaps and neglect, but nothing of this scale, this consistently. It baffles me, I cannot understand it, and I'm done trying. Something strange was going on behind the scenes and we may never be privy to the details.

In trying to put this awful feeling behind me, I will say I am elated that Jikook are serving together and can support each other. I am glad there will be a Jikook travel show. I'm continually impressed with all of Jimin's success (in the military and professionally) despite all odds. I will always love and support all of BTS with my full heart.

And I sincerely hope the company has been taking notes and course-corrects for PJM2, even if it rubs some higher ups the wrong way if they had a different vision. Considering Jimin’s unique talents and his amazing star power—even his ability to bring Paris and New York to a screaming standstill just for the opportunity to see him exit a car—I would hope the company will “do their best to promote all labels and artists without discrimination” going forward.

But what happened truly sucked, and I needed to get that off my chest. I am not interested in further discussion or debate. I am now going to do my best to shift my focus and energy on to the things I want to manifest, instead of the things that enrage me.

So let me end on a positive and hopeful note: I put all my trust in Jimin, who signed a new contract with Hybe and who unfailingly adores all his members. There can be no love without trust. I will always do my best to trust BTS.

But I'm watching carefully. For Jimin and all our boys.

Love, Roo

[dwindlinghaze]

a flight to paris

(remus lupin x reader)

summary: you and remus have been in an established relationship for years but one day you received an unexpected break up call from him.

contents: she/her pronouns, modern!au, angst (?), break up, inspired by a barbie movie, my horrible english, i wrote this out of boredom, oh and this is a multipart :)

　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

on most days you enjoy your summer holiday. you have a part time job in which you worked for a magazine, having your own personal workspace in the office headquarters and all.

your days are mostly surrounded by the latest style, magazine covers, hollywood gossip, and beautiful photoshoots of women. it was fun, really. that is if mr. wellins wasn't your boss.

he's a walking patriarchal figure. hate is not enough to describe your feelings towards that man.

"i don't think that's a good idea to put in there," you spoke during one of the meetings.

"what do you mean? it's a good one, everybody will be intrigued!" he scoffed.

you shifted uncomfortably in your seat, glancing at the others but they just gave you a warning look. no one dared to go against mr. wellins. "it just doesn't feel right y'know- to put that in there considering it's just an allegation and not confirmed?"

"but we focus on marketing here! who will pay your wage if it weren't for these nosy people who read and buy our magazines? we have to find a way to get our sales higher!" he said sternly, glaring at you with cold eyes.

"look here, if you put that article, surely our reputation will be stained. you don't want that to happen do you? we just need to find something else- something more positive and harmless but still eye catching. like the new box office movie that everyone has been talking about lately. it doesn't harm anyone, in fact it's supporting them. what do you think?"

every one of your co-workers nodded in agreement, waiting for the boss to reply.

he looked bored. "you know that flapping thing you just did with your mouth?"

"you mean- expressing my opinion on what's better for the sake of your company?"

"yeah that," he rolled his eyes. "stop doing that."

"i think y/n's right, makes me wish she were the boss," one of your co-workers mumbled under her breath.

he looked sharply at the girl, "i can easily fire you."

"oh no no, i feel like we just- need to discuss about this more you know?" you defended.

"oh get off this place. end of discussion!"

"we can talk like in the coffee shop, or the commissary-"

"not me getting off, you getting off. get out you're fired!" he slammed his fist.

"wha- what? fired?" you said breathlessly, eyes widen in shock.

you got to your car, speeding to get home and just curl up in the arms of your boyfriend- remus lupin. you needed him. his constant whispering of sweet nothings, his warm embrace, his smile that can rip away all negativity.

just like magic, your phone started ringing with remus in the other line. screen lighting up, his pretty face on the screen. you smiled, so big and decided to stop at one of the parking lots nearby.

"hello?" you heard the sweet voice of remus lupin.

"oh rem! i'm so glad you called!" you exclaimed, heart warming at his comforting voice.

"things aren't right with us and you know it. they haven't been for a while," he said. his ever-lovely voice that makes you feel safe was nowhere to be heard. your heart dropped, chest hurting all of a sudden.

"what?" you choked on the verge of sobbing. "remus come on."

"i'm breaking up with you... right now." he said it like you don't matter to him at all. you clenched your phone, eyes already hurting from the incoming tears.

"you're not... are you serious? what are you saying?" you thought your day couldn't get worse, but the universe said otherwise.

"it's over. and if you're smart, you'll forget i exist."

and just like that, the line disconnected. you couldn't stop the tears from falling out of your eyes. not only have you lost your job, you also have lost your remus.

you never thought he would ever break up with you. especially since you both were in a strong relationship of four years. no matter what problems appeared on the surface, they always got resolved.

wiping your tears away, you tried to drive safely to lily's house. your best friend. you needed someone to talk to. someone to pour your heart out.

"i lost my job and he broke up with me," you said in shame when she opened the door to see you with red rimmed eyes.

"he broke up with you because you lost your job?" lily gasped.

"no... separately," you sobbed. then you told her the whole story of how you've had lost your job and how he broke up with you on the phone in your car just then.

"what kind of guy does that!" lily said in disbelief. it's so not remus to break up with you like that. knowing how much he loves you since forever ago. you two are perfect for each other. nothing could ever compare to the bond you both had.

"i guess a guy with no real emotions," you huffed, reaching for lily's tissue.

lily suggested for you to call remus again, 'cause no way is someone like him said something like that to you. there was no response though, he's not answering.

"maybe you misunderstood. what did he actually say?" lily asked once more.

"he said that it was over, and if i were smart i'd forget he ever existed," his words ringing in your ears.

"does he speak another language where it means 'i love you'," lily tried, you shook your head.

"that's it," she picked up your phone. "i'm blocking him from your cell, e-mail, everything! you do not break up with anyone like that! when i'm done, we're gonna go somewhere that you love. a place where you feel happy and good about yourself."

"i wanna go far away," you mumbled.

"that's right, you should go far away and clear your head! forget about them. men are getting harder to like these days," lily agreed, snapping her fingers.

"i'll go far away... like aunt milicent's!" you said.

"aunt millicents?" lily asked.

"yeah she's a designer in paris. has a fashion house and everything. i always loved being there. tons of people, energy, fabrics, and dresses... and my aunt in the middle of it all! oh how i want to be like her when i grow up. that's it i'm going there!"

"super fun!" lily exclaimed, truly happy for you. "when are you going?"

"right now! i can spend the last weeks of summer vacation with her," you managed to crack a smile, "i don't need remus. what i need is to book a flight to paris."

"remmy, you can't help me with our summer project if you're on the phone all the time," jessica said, snatching remus' phone out of his hand.

"i just don't get it, i can't get through y/n at all!" remus said in exasperation, brows furrowing in confusion and worry clouding up his head.

"i'm sure she's fine," jessica said, fluttering her lashes.

remus was unconvinced, he couldn't focus the whole time. "it has been since yesterday."

"y/n is a busy person. she'll call when she gets the chance... in the meantime...," she jerked her head towards the script.

"do we have to tape that again... i'm not an actor, i probably sounded stupid," remus scoffed.

"you sounded beautiful," she said, smiling flirtatiously at him.

remus was too fogged up on the thought of you to notice her behaviour. you never ignore him like this. no matter how busy your lives were, you two always made time for each other.

"lils look!" marlene gasped, pointing at remus and jessica sitting together on the table across the room.

"oh no. don't tell me that boy dumped y/n for jessica," lily said in annoyance and disbelief.

the two of them walked over, crossing their arms. "are you kidding?" lily said coldly, shooting daggers at remus.

"lily, marlene! where's y/n?" remus asked, sitting up from his chair. he didn't know why they looked upset.

"why do you want to know?" marlene questioned.

"i can't reach her! i've called, i've texted, i've emailed. nothing worked. is she okay?" remus said desperately.

"y/n's fine. she wants nothing to do with the twat who dumped her over the phone!" lily scolded.

"wha- huh- dumped her?" remus asked in shock. he would never dump you. you're everything to him. "i would never do that, c'mon you guys know how much she means to me!"

"you know what uhh i actually need to run, see you," jessica said, slipping away from the table. nobody paid attention to her though.

"don't play dumb! she told us what you said 'it's over and if you're smart you'll forget i exist'."

"wait what?" remus exclaimed, eyes travelling towards jessica who was chuckling guiltily. "that line... a part of the script i read yesterday. don't say you recorded it and play it back to y/n," he said, eyes closing painfully.

"i'd be happy to tell you that," jessica said, batting her lashes. oh what a nerve. "it was a joke. i never thought she'd actually believed it. she must have serious doubts about the relationship."

remus ignored her, turning towards lily and marlene. "where's y/n? i need to see her now," he said, heart racing at the thought of you.

"uh- she's kind of..." lily slowly replied, eyeing marlene, urging her to finish the sentence.

"in paris."

"paris? paris, france? since when was she going to paris?" remus was panicking. he knew he messed up and he's willing to make it right again.

"uh a long story..."

"what should i do? i need to talk to her as soon as possible," he scrunched his hair, brows knitting.

"y/n went through a lot yesterday... you know what you can do to make her feel better? a grand romantic gesture! don't just call her. go book yourself a flight to paris, show up to her aunt milicent's doorstep, and prove how much you love her!" lily said.

"she'll love it!" marlene agreed.

"i'm on it," he opened his phone to search for a plane ticket. "i'll book the next flight out of london."

[moonsun2010]

Man seeing the CEO's reaction to Black Myth not winning GOTY, saying they came to the awards for nothing (they won Player's Choice), that he wrote the acceptance speech 2 years ago, and all that shit about feminists and wanting to assault the female members of the team, make me glad they lost. Despite me playing the game way more than the rest.

Wait what post had the thing about feminists and assaulting female members? If you mean the Weibo post CEO Yocar wrote on 14 Dec 2024, I don't find any mention of the sort there. If you've any citations/links to the Chinese non-translated posts or screenshots that would be good.

If you want to read an actual good translation/paraphrasing of Yocar's post, I recommend this article.

1) "saying they came to the awards for nothing" you mean "今年入围的游戏都很��色，可我真没搞明白这次年度游戏的评选标准是啥，我特么白来了！" which basically states that "the shortlisted works are all outstanding, but I really don't understand what's the selection standards". The last part is like similar to "goddamn waste of my time" but not exactly, like waste of his attendance?? Like "The competition was strong but I didn't understand the rules, so why the heck did I attend for no reason! (exasperated tone towards ownself)".

Additionally, is writing an acceptance speech 2 years ago something negative...? Are creators not allowed to be proud of their work? This is the portion of Yocar's post that the "acceptance speech 2 years ago" came from:

"从昨天到现在，我也从很多玩家的言论中看到了强烈的不满情绪，看到了不甘与不爽——大多用了幽默与解构的方式表达，笑死。

我完全能理解这些不甘，同感这些不爽，因为我知道这些情绪的背后，不是痛苦与恶意，而是自尊与自信。

如此自信却没得到他人的认可，有点脾气，很正常。

我其实……比你们更自信（参考我在知乎的第一个回答），年度游戏登台的演讲词两年前就写好了，居然没用上😭😭😭" meaning:

"From yesterday till today, I've seen a lot of severly dissatisfied reactions from my conversations with (Black Myth Wukong) players, discontent and irritated—most of who expressed themselves in humourous and yet structured ways, which I found hilarious.

I understand entirely the feelings of those who are dissatisfied and frustrated, because I know that these feelings are backed not by harmful or evil intent, but a sense of self-confidence and self-esteem.

If one were to have pride in themselves, only to fail to gain the same recognition from others, it's quite normal to feel slighted.

Actually I'm... even more confident than y'all (see my first answer on 知乎*), so much so that I wrote my Game of the Year acceptance speech 2 years ago, which I ended up not using 😭😭😭"

*知乎 is another forume-sque platform that's kinda like Quora for asking and answering questions.

It's at worst a display of arrogance that in fact, seems to be used in a self-denigrating manner in the post. I don't have the exact same emoji, but surely one doesn't need to speak Chinese to understand what its use there means right? All I see is a pretty normal statement from a game dev empathising with the fanbase's disappointment over not getting GOTY, and soothing those pains by being self-deprecating about this own confidence in his creation.

In fact the rest of that 2nd paragraph (post is split into 7 paragraphs) makes the fact that he's focusing on the fact that he just has pride in his game even clearer:

"在这款游戏的研发过程中，很多同事没有我这么乐观。他们可能因为玩过了太多的中间版本，难免觉得这个游戏还有太多的瑕疵，也不大可能按时上线。

我在公司的一个主要工作，就是不断安慰他们我们已经做得很好了，产品一直在进步。

是的，你不能只在已经赢的时候才自信。

那不是自信，是对结果的复读。

今天输了，明天还可能会输，可那又如何？

影响结果的因子太复杂，所以结果必然是不确定的。我们唯一能确定的是选择自己在做什么——

做具体的事，做困难的事，做相信的事。

在做这些，当然应该自信。" meaning:

"In the process of developing this game, many colleagues weren't as optimistic as me. Maybe they'd replayed the WIPs too many times, such that they'd inevitably think it had too many flaws and wouldn't be finished in time.

In this company I have a very important role: to continuously reassure staff that we've already done a very good job, and that the game is continuously improving.

Indeed, you cannot have self-confidence in yourself only when you win.

That is not confidence, but preparation for/repetition of the end.

You lose today, and you can lose again tomorrow—and so what?

The end is never certain, as after all, the factors involved in determining are too complicated. The only thing we can be certain of is our own actions—to do things with purpose, difficult things, things we believe in/confident actions.

To do these, of course we must believe in ourselves."

The other paragraphs continue in the same encouraging spirit—generalised summary:

3 talks about how Game Science persevered in developing BMW because they trust in their game to deliver a quality story rooted in Chinese culture

4 talks about how Yocar thinks a common proverb few know is from Journey to the West "世上无难事，只怕有心人。/Nothing is impossible to a willing heart" does not mean that overcoming difficulties is simply a matter of mental fortitude, but that he thinks "因为难，才好玩" aka its fun because its difficult but also alluding to a common sentiment in fanbases that form around a love for difficult games... like BMW (and yknow the whole genre of Souls-like and Bullet hells and games that you love because they are so painful).

5 talks about the origin of Game Science's name, 6 about how they're fortunate to even be able to work on games, 7 a lovely, lovely conclusion that I think deserves to be translated in full:

"最后，希望黑神话的这个故事，能够给到某些还在迷茫中的人一点勇气，让更多在还在黑暗中摸索的人看到了一点光亮，然后以平常心继续前行。

希望大家都能继续怀着自信与雄心，保持勇敢、诚实与善良，踏实做好每一件具体的小事，坦然接受不确定的结果，一直走在取经的路上，直到生命的最后一刻。

就像海明威说的那样：这个世界很美好，值得为之战斗。" meaning:

"In conclusion, I hope that the story of BMW (both the game and the story of the game's development?) can give those who are still lost some courage, give more of those still searching in the darkness some light, and progress with a peace of mind.

I hope everyone will continue to embrace confidence and ambition, to be brave, sincere and kind, to properly do everything with purpose, until life reaches its final end.

Just like what Hemingway said: "The world is a fine place and worth fighting for."

It's honestly a very earnest and sweet post?? If you can read Mandarin Chinese its way more poetic and kind of tear-inducing—even more so if you're a creative of any kind, or just someone who's ever put high expectations on themselves to produce good results, only to seemingly ""fail"" by not achieving the unrealistically fantastical ideal you've built in your head.

Anon, I'm glad that you've played the game, but I don't think your interpretation of Yocar's post is fair at all. Creators are allowed to have high expectations about their own work, and to be disappointed when they aren't met. The post he's made is just that—a joking expression of disappointment, yet determination to carry on producing more games he can be proud of, and will bring happiness to others. Nowhere in this is the unhinged bashing of TGA that Yocar is supposedly to have done. If this sort of encouraging statement is considered inflammatory, I... genuinely don't know what to say.

[13thdoctorposts]

RTD: Its really important I protect David from being accused of drag or for doing a disservice of drag by regenerating into Jodies gender neutral costume because David doesn't deserve to have to put up with the media writing articles about him in a negative way about gender neutral clothing that both a woman and a man in the show wore they will just say they are women's clothes so I'm going to burn it out of existence and make sure David is safe. Because people with Davids level of privilege and power need protection more than anyone, so I will protect David at all cost from having to do the thing everyone is expecting of the Doctor regenerating into the Doctors clothes. I'm just such a good caring guy protecting one of my leads.

Also RTD: Oh the Media are running with the narrative that my 19 year old female co lead was axed/dropped due to poor and unacceptable behaviour on set? That its weird and so must be true because companions usually do more then 1 series even though I've often only had them in 1 series, that not only was she axed they also announced my new companion while dragging the one who's first series still hasn't aired through the mud trying to ruin her career. Well I think we should just stay quiet, fuck her mental well being or career, lets not put out a press release refuting the claims or respond to any of the media's question's and just let her have to fend for herself when it comes time to do the media rounds for season 1, lets just leave this as her problem, I shouldn't have to deal with this even those it clearly leaked from my company or the BBC that she had a reduced role in season 2 and as show runner the buck stops with me, but fuck that, leave it as her problem. Why should I care if her face is planted across the internet, newsagents and super markets saying disparaging things about her?

If people can't see the misogyny in RTDs behaviour at this point they are choosing to be blind.

Also we can contrast this with Chibnall, in an interview he talked about how the media calls up trying to create stories and how they called him up and said they heard the the crew had walked off set because Jodie was making them work to 2am... he said his response was well I will call the journalist and tell them we were on night shoots people were schedule to work till 4 am they all love Jodie and we can send you the schedules to prove people were scheduled on. Thats how you protect people.

But let's all remember how RTD is he greatest person to ever live and Chibs is the bad guy. 🙄 So glad Jodie and Mandip got to work under Chibs and not RTD.

[historicity-was-already-taken]

hi! hope you're doing okay—I've got a holocaust-history-in-media question for you. I was talking to my brother the other day, and he mentioned how his 10-year-old son tried out "Anne Frank mode" on the meta VR headset. I was kind of horrified, because that sounds deeply exploitative and disrespectful—but he went on to say it's just a VR version of the Anne Frank house, and that it let my nephew explore history in a new way. He was able to touch things and move them around in a way he wouldn't be able to IRL, not to mention the accessibility of not having to travel.

My nephew's kind of an unusual kid, and he chose this "game" while at a friend's house. All the other kids got bored and left pretty much immediately, but he stayed to learn, and my brother says that at the end his takeaway was, "It's so sad. It's so sad and awful what human beings do to each other."

Part of me is just like "No, absolutely not, that is not for VR companies to profit off of in any way, this feels inherently exploitative." But idk. If it increases accessibility and education in a meaningful way, then perhaps that disquiet is simply reactionary.

Then I remembered I have access to an actual Holocaust historian, someone who even specializes in women's narratives and the media portrayals of same.

So, no worries if you're busy/don't have time to respond to this, but I thought it might be an interesting question for you. Do you think the VR Anne Frank house is a good thing?

Ooooooh this is an interesting one. It's also a question that I think I would have answered differently a few years ago. I mean, I've posted here about my issues with central role Anne Frank has been accorded within Holocaust memory, I've posted about the politics of people playing Pokemon Go at sites of atrocities and disasters...

But. Technology changes SO quickly. I read this fantastic article probably 10+ years ago now about how the millennial generation began to express collective nostalgia SO quickly and so young, because technology and the norms it introduces change so quickly. I'm 34 and while that's hardly ancient, the technological world inhabited by children and adolescents is effectively alien to me because of this massive, rapid, ongoing change.

Moreover, I think the pandemic gave us all an...unwanted but helpful bootcamp in what works wrt education over the phone/computer, and what doesn't. In my personal and professional life, I've met and spoken with STEM companies/individuals who specialize in working with museums, historical societies, etc. And they're not just in it to make a buck--they're there to work with museums etc in increasing access and keeping up with educational trends because they know it's important and smart people value STEAM education.

So, despite my acknowledged concerns issued in the first paragraph, and the kneejerk negative reaction I think you and I share, I think my conclusion is that this is a good thing. Like, as a Holocaust historian, pubic historian, educator, and now a Hebrew School teacher of 7-11 year olds, I think whatever gets kids interested and engaged is Good; whatever draws them and gets them thinking about it is Good; even if the tech and infrastructure involved is something that I previously took (philosophical) issue with.

This doesn't mean I don't still have concerns about the centrality of Anne Frank, but let's be real: I lost that battle a long time ago. I've said my piece, and if Anne Frank is going to be kids' gateway into learning about the Holocaust, I'm glad to see that it's being done responsibly, well, and in keeping with how kids engage with education and tech in 2024.

There are, obviously, many theoretical conversations to be had about the implications of this kind of thing, and I hope a grad student applies like, Walter Benjamin to it for a first year paper, but this is my answer purely in terms of access and education.

[windybunny]

When Tesla bought a decommissioned car factory in Fremont, California, Elon Musk transformed the old-fashioned, unionized plant into a much-vaunted "factory of the future", where giant robots named after X-Men shape and fold sheets of metal inside a gleaming white mecca of advanced manufacturing.

The appetite for Musk's electric cars, and his promise to disrupt the carbon-reliant automobile industry, has helped Tesla’s value exceed that of both Ford and, briefly, General Motors (GM). But some of the human workers who share the factory with their robotic counterparts complain of grueling work pressure they attribute to Musk’s aggressive production goals, and sometimes life-changing injuries.

Ambulances have been called more than 100 times since 2014 for workers experiencing fainting spells, dizziness, seizures, abnormal breathing and chest pains, according to incident reports obtained by the Guardian. Hundreds more were called for injuries and other medical issues.

In a phone interview about the conditions at the factory, which employs some 10,000 workers, the Tesla CEO conceded his workers had been "having a hard time, working long hours, and on hard jobs", but said he cared deeply about their health and wellbeing. His company says its factory safety record has significantly improved over the last year.

Musk also said that Tesla should not be compared to major US carmakers and that its market capitalization, now more than $50bn, is unwarranted. "I do believe this market cap is higher than we have any right to deserve," he said, pointing out his company produces just 1% of GM’s total output.

"We’re a money losing company," Musk added. "This is not some situation where, for example, we are just greedy capitalists who decided to skimp on safety in order to have more profits and dividends and that kind of thing. It’s just a question of how much money we lose. And how do we survive? How do we not die and have everyone lose their jobs?"

Musk’s account of the company’s approach differs from that of the 15 current and former factory workers who told the Guardian of a culture which they described as requiring working long hours under intense pressure, sometimes through pain and injury, in order to fulfill the CEO’s ambitious production goals.

"I’ve seen people pass out, hit the floor like a pancake and smash their face open," said Jonathan Galescu, a production technician at Tesla. "They just send us to work around him while he’s still laying on the floor."

He was one of several workers who said they had seen co-workers collapse or be taken away in ambulances. "We had an associate on my line, he just kept working, kept working, kept working, next thing you know — he just fell on the ground," said Mikey Catura, a worker on the battery pack line.

Richard Ortiz, another production worker, spoke admiringly of the high-tech shop floor. "It’s like you died and went to auto-worker heaven." But he added: "Everything feels like the future but us."

Tesla sits at the juncture between a tech startup, untethered from the rules of the old economy, and a manufacturer that needs to produce physical goods. Nowhere is that contradiction more apparent than at the Tesla factory, where Musk's bombastic projection that his company will make 500,000 cars in 2018 (a 495% increase from 2016) relies as much on the sweat and muscle of thousands of human workers as it does on futuristic robots.

"From what I’ve gathered, Elon Musk started Tesla kind of like an app startup and didn’t realize that it isn’t just nerds at a computer desk typing," said one production worker, one of several who asked not to be identified by name. "You really start losing the startup feel when you have thousands of people doing physical labor."

In February, Tesla worker Jose Moran published a blog post that detailed allegations of mandatory overtime, high rates of injury and low wages at the factory, and revealed that workers were seeking to unionize with the United Auto Workers.

Moran's post shone a spotlight on a workforce that is almost entirely absent from Tesla's official images of the factory.

Michael Sanchez once had two dreams: to be an artist and a car service technician. He said he was “ecstatic” when he was recruited five years ago to work at Tesla, a company he believed was "part of the future."

Now Sanchez has two herniated discs in his neck, is on disability leave from work, and can no longer grip a pencil without pain.

Tesla said that the employee’s injury occurred while he was installing a wheel, but Sanchez said it was caused by the years he spent working on Tesla's assembly line. The cars he worked on were suspended above the line, and his job required looking up and working with his hands above his head all day.

"You can make it through Monday," Sanchez said. "You can make it through Tuesday. Come Wednesday you start to feel something. Thursday is pain. Friday is agonizing. Saturday you’re just making it through the day."

Tesla's manufacturing practices appear to have been most dangerous in its earliest years of operations. The company does not dispute that its recordable incident rate (TRIR), an official measure of injuries and illnesses that is reported to workplace safety regulators, was above the industry average between 2013 and 2016.

Tesla declined to release data over those four years, saying such information "doesn’t reflect how the factory operates today."

The company did release more recent data, which indicates its record of safety incidents went from slightly above the industry average in late 2016, to a performance in the first few months of 2017 that was 32% better than average. The company said that its decision to add a third shift, introduce a dedicated team of ergonomics experts, and improvements to the factory’s "safety teams" account for the significant reduction in incidents since last year.

Musk said safety was paramount at the company. "It’s incredibly hurtful and I think false for anyone to claim that I don’t care." The CEO said his desk was "in the worst place in the factory, the most painful place", in keeping with his management philosophy. "It’s not some comfortable corner office."

In early 2016, he said, he slept on the factory floor in a sleeping bag "to make it the most painful thing possible." "I knew people were having a hard time, working long hours, and on hard jobs. I wanted to work harder than they did, to put even more hours in," he said. "Because that's what I think a manager should do."

He added: "We're doing this because we believe in a sustainable energy future, trying to accelerate the advent of clean transport and clean energy production, not because we think this is a way to get rich."

Tesla workers who spoke to the Guardian echoed this sense of pride and enthusiasm for the company's mission. "We’re changing the world," enthused Ortiz. "I can't wait for my granddaughter to one day go to class and say, 'My grandfather was in there.'"

But that pride did not erase what Ortiz described as a prevailing mood of "mass disappointment" over working conditions and what he alleged were avoidable work-related injuries.

He recently lost the strength in his right arm, a situation he said was "scaring" him. "I want to use my arm when I’m retired," he added.

Others described repetitive stress injuries they linked to working long hours. Before the company reduced the average time of a workday in October 2016, workers said they routinely worked 12-hour shifts, six days a week. Tesla said the change had been "a success", and resulted in a 50% decline in overtime hours.

Sanchez and other workers said they believed more injuries occurred because, for years, the company did not take worker safety seriously, with some managers belittling their complaints and pressuring them to work through pain.

When workers told managers about pain, Sanchez said they responded: "We all hurt. You can’t man up?" Alan Ochoa, another Tesla worker who is currently on a medical leave with an injury, alleged that superiors "put the production numbers ahead of the safety and wellbeing of the employees."

The company said that Ochoa and Sanchez are especially outspoken workers whose views do not represent the wider workforce. However, the Tesla spokesperson added: "In a factory of more than 10,000 employees, there will always be isolated incidents that we would like to avoid."

Complaints about working conditions at Tesla are not universal. "I’ve got benefits, I’ve got stocks, I’ve got [paid time off]," said a worker who has been at the company for about a year. "I thoroughly enjoy my work and I feel I’m treated fairly."

Another worker, a temporary employee, said that he sees some teams in the factory doing group stretches in the morning to prevent injuries.

However, some Tesla workers argue the company’s treatment of injured workers discourages them from reporting their injuries. If workers are assigned to "light duty" work because of an injury, they are paid a lower wage as well as supplemental benefits from workers' compensation insurance, a practice that Tesla said was in line with other employers and California law.

"I went from making $22 an hour to $10 an hour," said a production worker, who injured his back twice while working at Tesla. "It kind of forces people to go back to work."

"No one wants to get a pay cut because they’re injured, so everyone just forces themselves to work through it," added Adam Suarez, who has worked at the factory for about three years.

Tesla said it was determined to further improve its safety standards. "While some amount of injuries is inevitable, our goal at Tesla is to have as close to zero injuries as possible and to become the safest factory in the auto industry worldwide," the spokesperson said.

Musk has a well-documented tendency to promise Mars and deliver the moon. His electric car company was, by his own admission, a gamble. Musk said starting a car manufacturer from scratch was likely "the worst way to earn money, honestly", though he caveated that "maybe rockets are a bit worse". "On a risk adjusted return basis, an auto company has to be the dumbest thing you could possibly start."

The company has succeeded at increasing its production rate every quarter. In the first three months of 2017, the factory produced more than 25,000 cars – a Tesla record. To meet Musk's goal for 2018, they will have to quintuple that rate.

"I think one of the major problems is that people at the top are making unrealistic quarterly goals," said a worker on the battery pack line.

Three workers described a management tactic of assigning a monetary value to every delay on the assembly line. "One time the robot came down and [the supervisor] came back screaming at us, 'That’s $18,000, $20,0000, $30,0000, $50,000 because you guys can't get this done,'" Gelascu recalled.

Tesla argues the challenge in building vehicles from scratch with new production and manufacturing methods should not be underestimated, but that "nothing is more important" than protecting the health and safety of its workers.

"We’re trying to do good for the world and we believe in doing the right thing," Musk said. "And that extends to caring about the health and safety of everyone at the company."

It’s a more humanistic tone than the one he strikes with investors. "You really can't have people in the production line itself. Otherwise you’ll automatically drop to people speed," he told investors in an earnings call last year. "There's still a lot of people at the factory, but what they're doing is maintaining the machines, upgrading them, dealing with anomalies. But in the production process itself there essentially would be no people."

[enhas-bestie]

Idol Crush! [20]

► TWENTY: this was not happening (0.7k words + smau)

This was not happening.

You cursed as you fearfully scrolled through Twitter, your hands shaking as you tapped at the various articles linked to yours and Jungwon's names.

This was not fucking happening.

"We'll sort this out," Jia promises calmly from beside you, but you hear the tremor in her voice. Even she didn’t fully believe the words coming out of her mouth. 

Sort this out.

How was anybody supposed to "sort out" the fact that Koreaboo, Soompi, AllKpop and all of those other dumb tabloids were collectively putting out articles about you allegedly confessing to Yang Jungwon? 

Though, of course, it wasn’t alleged. You did confess to Jungwon.

But only IKONIC and Jungwon himself (and probably the other Enhypen members) knew about it.

So how the hell was this happening?

"This makes no sense," you whisper, a feeling of queasiness descending upon you as you read a particularly nasty comment about you, "Somebody, please… tell me this isn't happening."

Riyah shoots you a look of despair when she sees you’re on the verge of tears and Ami rushes to throw her arms around you. Through your blurred vision, you see both Sunwoo and Daiyu staring intensely at their phones while you hear the sound of Jia’s nails clicking loudly at her phone screen. She was presumably in a heated conversation with your manager over the fact that you were currently trending on Twitter for getting rejected by The leader of Enhypen: Yang Jungwon.

You let out a tearful groan as you sunk deeper into Ami’s embrace, “Please let me wake up from this fucking nightmare.”

“Don’t worry Y/n…Lots of Ikons are defending you,” Riyah says in a reassuring manner, but it doesn’t make you feel any better and you just look at her helplessly. Of course, a small part of you was glad to see your fans standing up for you. But you couldn't really focus on that when you saw all of the negative comments that they were defending you from.

“She really thought she had a chance?” (No, you didn’t, but you thought it wouldn’t hurt to let him know how you felt.)

“She’s not even close to his level, what was she even thinking??” (To be fair, even you didn't know what you were thinking when you decided to confess. You just knew you wanted to do it. )

“And she has the audacity to do still do a variety show with him? " (That wasn't even in your control. We're you not supposed to do your literal job even though you and Jungwon had happily reconciled like 4 months ago? )

Honestly, it felt like you were once again transported back to 3 years ago, contemplating whether or not you should go through with the confession. Only this time you were not alone in your self-criticism. Now you had the company of thousands of people joining in on beating you down with their harsh and unwanted opinions.

Wasn't that great?

"How the hell did word of this even get out?" Riyah asks, voicing the question that has been plaguing your mind ever since you opened Twitter, "Are you sure nobody else saw you confessing to Jungwon?"

You give Riyah a blank stare, though you doubt you look as annoyed as you are, given there were tears brimming the corner of your eyes, "Oh, I don't know Riyah... It's not exactly like I was keeping track of the people walking down the street while I was getting rejected."

At Riyah's crestfallen face, you immediately feel bad. You know she didn't mean any harm by asking - she simply wanted you to rack your brain for any possible reason as to how your little confession scene got leaked all over the media... But truthfully, you didn't know either, and it was frustrating the hell out of you.

"I'm sorry Ri, I'm just really as clueless as you are right now..."

"Dude, why are you even apologizing? It was stupid of me to even ask in the first place."

"Yeah," Ami chimes in, "You know Riyah unnie is always saying stupid things."

At that, Riyah's sympathetic face morphs into one of irritation, "You are literally such a brat-"

Their bickering makes everything feel normal again, and you let your guard down for just a second. In just that moment, you finally feel free again, like you can breathe.

And then that moment is shattered by the sound of your phone going off.

A notification from Yang Jungwon.

prev ⇥ TWENTY⇥ next

Idol Crush!💞 Masterlist

SYNOPSIS: Y/N knew that once she and her group, IKONIC, finally debuted, there'd be a chance that she'd run into YANG JUNGWON: The leader of the global rookie group ENHYPEN. But JUNGWON isn't just the leader of a famous 4th gen boy group... he's also the boy that she confessed to three years ago and got rejected by. The last thing Y/N needs to do is fall back in like with him, because even something as simple as an idol crush! could bring about some unwanted drama and Dispatch worthy headlines.

[TAGLIST #1] : @acciomylove @mitsukifilms @ncityy04 @ja4hyvn @navsnct @hwalllllllelujah @shit-idek-meself-at-this-point @lullabyinparis @masterofdoom @enhacolor @mochisnlix @hiqhkey @vlykai @pshwyfie @hyuka-luvbot @yvesismywife @one16core @en-boyz @moon-lys  @liliansun ​ @jungwoniie @spicynlong @ramenais @bigtoewinwin @catbitchh111 @c9tnoos @missmadwoman @haoreo @staysstrays @enhaswab @alyselenai @moasworld @chirokookie @yjwfav @kyutekyuala @giyyuzz @andromedawillburryyou @tlnyjoong @sarahxy537 @darlinluvsu @fairycheol @love-4-keum @ohmy-fandoms @yyunari @centheodd @mavlogist @jungwonnieee @emoworu

[CAN'T TAG #1 ] : @vlykai @pshwyfie @jungwoniie @spicynlong @darlinluvsu @itboyjungwon

[sasquapossum]

Supporting Journalism

I'm very ambivalent about online newspapers etc. constantly trying to get me to subscribe. On the one hand I do want to support the people who actually do the work to bring us news. Yes, real journalists do still exist, and care about the truth, and work hard. I do think that's worth paying for.

On the other hand, I've long felt like the major online newspapers have dropped the ball on creating a common payment platform. They've had decades to put something like that together. I don't even care if it's subscription based or per-article with micro-transactions. Just put something - anything! - together so that people like me who want to pay can do so easily, smoothly, without dozens of passwords to deal with and dozens of possibilities for credit-card details to get stolen when the all-too-frequent compromises happen.

Then on top of that they're so fucking greedy. The standard subscription amount seems to be US$10/month, "discounted" down to half that. Well, I'm sorry, but I read articles from a lot of sources. Even if I narrowed it down to a dozen at half price, that's still $60/month. Yes, I can afford it. Yes, it's still too damn much ... especially when the content I'm willing to pay for is commingled with content I very much am not. By contrast, the artists and such I support on Patreon mostly ask for just two to five dollars per month - more value (and more consistency) for less money. The newspapers and magazines are worse than the proliferation of video-streaming companies, supposedly replacing cable but in aggregate costing even more.

Between those two reasons, I've generally supported only a very few outlets that have a consistently high output of stuff that meets journalistic standards. Currently the list includes Washington Post (even though they also publish stuff that's truly execrable), New Yorker, and Atlantic. I should probably add Guardian, and maybe Vanity Fair. Who ever knew that Vanity Fair would be near the top of the heap? Rolling Stone and Cracked are also good more often than you might think, and that's flat out amazing. There are also local-news aggregators such as Patch and Wicked Local that seem worth supporting to keep that part of the business alive.

On the flip side, I have to give a special giant fuck you to two publications in particular. The first is New York Times. Why? Glad you asked. Two reasons mainly.

They have a strong and clearly self-interest-based hatred of anything tech, because tech has eaten their lunch. Part of me gets that, and might even accept it if it stayed on the opinion pages, but it constantly affects their so-called news as well.

They are the absolute worst when it comes to exaggerating anything negative about Democrats and minimizing anything negative about Republicans. They don't generally seem to hate leftist, liberal, progressives, or whatever. Just the Democrat party. Somebody once said that the only way their behavior makes sense is if you realize that they (and many other papers) just hate Democrats, and it's true. For whatever reason, they must want Democrats to lose. To that end they provide all the ammo the splitters and quitters need to fuck up the 2022 and 2024 elections. Again. We can't afford that.

Then there's the absolutely putrid Wall Street Journal. They actually do seem to hate everything to the left of Bill Koch or Sheldon Adelson, so in a way they're more honest than NYT ... but still, keep it on the opinion page. WSJ's characteristic failing is that even their "news" organization is egregiously, aggressively slanted. They're nothing but propaganda. BTW likewise for Forbes, Bloomberg, and practically anything else with a financial focus. Being too close to the finance industry simply corrupts people, which is neither an original observation nor one worth pursuing here except to say that it makes it literally impossible for a finance-focused publication to be a trustworthy news source. Like NYT (and their puppet Boston Globe), WSJ will never get any money from me. No how, no way.

So, there you have it: less than ten newspapers or magazines worth supporting, out of hundreds or perhaps thousands. The bad ones are more numerous (and more profoundly awful) than any that are at all good. Don't tell me podcasts or other online sources are any better BTW; the ratio there seems exactly the same. That's why I support only a few sites, use an array of browser extensions to strip paywalls from most others, and use archive.is for the remainder. If magazines and newspapers want my money, they need to earn it and few do.

[nowritingonthewall]

me, strutting up to that website with a whole PowerPoint Presentation: okay I don't know which version of the sequels you watched but don't worry I'm gonna fix it.

I really don't ever read articles about Poe (or Star Wars in general) for that reason. From my experience working in the business, companies are more likely to echo the smaller (but vocal) negative parts of the fandom and boost those voices because they know they'll get clicks - either from the negative more toxic side of the fanbase or the fans that disagree with what takes are being said.

Still, I'm very exasperated and tired of hearing these blatantly wrong 'takes' being shared as fact. Unless the writers are from a completely different universe and got their hands on a different version of the film...*shrugs*

in conclusion *tiredly shares a cup of cocoa with you* I'm very glad for the Tumblr community that's built up around Poe that's definitely more compassionate and has a lot more understanding for his character than most are willing to give.

Thank you so much, Tegan!

The visual of you marching in there giving a PowerPoint Presentation just made my whole year. It’s definitely right up there with the image of you stepping in front of Poe and fighting Kylo Ren with a broomstick 🤣

Usually, I am very good at ignoring those articles and comments, too, I don’t really know what came over me, this time 🥺

The Poe fans on tumblr are among the kindest people I have ever met 🥰

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful message in my ask box and thank you even more for being such a passionate defender of our beloved flyboy!

[merakiui]

hey!! i was lucky enough to stumble across your blog, & i'm enjoying your writing!! could i request something for a first date w/ sian? maybe something more casual, like a cafe!

(I’m glad you like it! Hopefully this is what you had in mind with your request! I went for a “friends to lovers” vibe in a modern setting if that’s okay. Please enjoy and thank you for such a fun request!)

Courtesy Coffee (Sian)

You met under unpleasant circumstances. Sian was in a rush to get to his destination, and you were staring down at your phone with a cup of iced coffee in your other hand. Like that banal trope in shoujo manga, the two of you crashed into one another, and your drink spilled all over his outfit. As complete strangers, it was obvious that the one who was drenched would be incredibly frustrated. That was an exact observation, only Sian didn’t feel the need to use a filter that day.

“Are you kidding me? Watch where you’re going!” he had yelled, gripping his soaked shirt and glaring daggers at you. “How am I supposed to show up to work looking like this?!”

Anyone would feel frightened with his exasperated tone of voice and the intimidating aura that surrounded him, but you weren’t one to surrender immediately.

Straightening your shoulders, you met his heated stare. “I’m sorry. At least it wasn’t hot, right?” Hoping to dispel his anger, you smiled a little. “I can buy you a clean shirt if it’ll make you feel better.”

He puffed his cheeks out, suddenly bashful as he avoided your gaze. “It’s the least you could do! Seriously, this is the worst. I smell just like your stupid coffee.”

“Hey, don’t diss my iced coffee. It’s delicious and you know it.”

“If it’s so good, why is it all over me?” he snapped, crossing his arms. “This’ll stain, you know!”

“I offered to get you another shirt.”

“It’s not just on my shirt, you moron! I can’t face my colleagues like this. You have no idea what they’ll say.”

“Suck it up then!”

“No!”

You sighed heavily, gripping your empty coffee cup. “There’s no need to be difficult. Just let me get you a clean polo and slacks. Unless you’d rather parade around in wet, coffee-smelling attire. You’re making a scene with all of your yelling.”

“You were just yelling, too. Fine, whatever. I guess you can do that.”

Even as you spied his blush, you couldn’t ignore your thoughts. Is he seriously embarrassed by the fact that I’m getting him clothes? Anyone would do this to repay the damage. 

“That’s all I needed to hear. Oh, and for the record you’re the one who should watch where you’re going.”

He didn’t take those words too well. Regardless, that was how you met the guy with a loud mouth and an even louder personality. You ran into him twice after that incident, and each time he seemed to stumble over himself. He tried to thank you for the clothes, but all he could manage was a huff and an angry comment about how the fabric was uncomfortable. Weeks later, that same boy just so happened to feel bad about starting a few shouting matches with you during those three times you interacted. He saw you in a café by chance and secretly covered your drink fee, making the barista promise not to reveal his identity. It was a sweet gesture, despite being anonymous and a bit of a shock on your end. You’d never experienced the magic that was receiving your drink for free, but it was great nonetheless.

You enter work that morning with a cheery disposition, passing by coworkers and even engaging in kind banter with those who aren’t the friendliest. You clock in and make your way towards the elevator while scrolling through an online article. Hearing a familiar ping, you glance up, urging whoever’s inside to hold the door. There are four other people crammed within the area, all of whom are silently waiting for the elevator to rise. You push the button for your floor and relax. Momentarily, you glance around the enclosed space to see if you can recognize anyone from your department. Your eyes sweep from one person to the next, and you spot polite Nine at the very back.

You’re compelled to greet him, but someone stands in your way. Someone who bears an uncanny resemblance to the guy who was showered in iced coffee two weeks ago. You gasp and turn away, hoping he won’t notice you.

No way! We work for the same company? What’re the odds? This must be a bad omen! I don’t want to start another fight with him, you think, having done your best to erase those memories.

The elevator pings, and you’re completely distracted. Though you don’t miss the hand that taps your shoulder. Your gaze follows his arm. It’s that guy again.

“Hey. This is your floor, isn’t it?”

The number doesn’t lie, but Sian’s memory might as he struggles to recall your familiar features. It clicks just as you bolt out of the elevator, the doors slipping shut and obscuring your backside for good. Sian blinks rapidly as his face heats up. That was...

Coffee idiot! he thinks. There’s no mistaking that stupid look on their face. He’s thrown into a bad mood at once, internally grumbling as he remembers that day. Even if he changed into new clothes, he still smelled of coffee. It was embarrassing, and his bothersome colleagues wouldn’t leave him alone. And now we work in the same building. Maybe I should just quit so I don’t have to face them.

"Can you believe it, Youssef?” you ask your deskmate, having ranted to him while typing up the progress of this week’s publication. At least that’s a monetary positive for the company. You can’t say the same for your mentality, though. “I do something nice in return and he yells at me. And then we meet again—twice—and he’s still rude.”

Youssef tilts his head, a childish gesture for someone his age. “Are you sure you’re not incorrectly reading his actions?”

“I’m positive. When have I ever been wrong?” You frown as your fingers slow their pace on the keyboard. “I just found out today that we work in the same building. This is totally unfair. Why do I have to bear the burden of knowing this information?”

“I’m sure he means well. What does he look like? I might know him.” You describe him to your helpful colleague, who nods and taps his chin in thought. His expression lights up with recognition. “If I remember correctly, his name is Sian, and he’s in the marketing department. We’ve only talked briefly, but I can assure you he’s quite diligent with his work.”

“Well, everyone’s got their own personality outside of their jobs.”

“I suppose, but it’s not polite to label someone based off of such little knowledge,” he advises lightly, turning his attention back to his computer screen. “Rather than using all of your energy painting a bad image of him, you should spend that time getting to know him. It’ll fix any negative impressions you may have.”

“Something tells me he wouldn’t like that...”

Since then, you haven’t run into Sian once. At first you made it your mission to keep an eye out for him, but now that you’ve been busy with this new project you can’t be bothered to let his image clutter your mind. So you brush him aside like a cobweb, certain you won’t bump into him again. Your floors are far enough apart, so it’s unlikely that that’ll happen. But you’re not always the luckiest, and fate tends to tease those who aren’t on good terms with one another.

You’re close to running late on a rainy day, having missed the train, so now you’re doing everything you can to catch a taxi. Cars speed by on the road, and you fail to flag down a vehicle. Dejected and soaked to the bone, you drag your feet along the slick sidewalk, wishing for your next paycheck so that you can put it towards a used car. Speaking of cars, one slides past you as it makes an effort to park along the walkway. In doing so, the tires kick up a huge puddle, effectively soaking your lower half. As if the day couldn’t have gotten any worse. The car almost moves out of the spot before it halts, and the window steadily rolls down to reveal the face of your greatest enemy.

Well, he’s not technically your greatest enemy, but it really feels like it in that moment.

“Do you need a ride?” As if correcting himself, he quickly adds, “I’m not doing this because it’s you! I’m just sympathizing.”

Does it matter? you wonder, bitter and cold and wet. Karma is so brutal.

“You’re Sian, right?” You approach his car, peering in at the flustered man. “From marketing.”

“Y-Yeah. So what?”

“I’m in publishing.” Awkwardly, you look up at the cloudy sky. “It’s really coming down. The forecast didn’t call for this much rain.”

“Are you getting in or not?”

“But you’re a stranger,” you jest, fixing him with a pout. “I don’t want scary Sian to kidnap me.”

He glowers at your joke. “I’m leaving now. I don’t have time for this.”

You hold back a chuckle, tearing open the door before he can drive off. “Wait! Sorry, I’ll get in. I can’t stand another minute in this rain.”

The window slides up, and he sets the car in motion after you’ve buckled up, easing back into the flow of traffic smoothly. Now that you’re sitting there with the AC blowing cool air at your face, you shudder. Oh, how wonderful it must feel to be in clothes that are warm and untouched by the rain. In his peripheral, Sian catches your shivering form, and he switches the AC from cold air to hot. You might not dry as quick as one would hope, but at least it’s something.

The silence is utterly tense. You almost expect him to bicker with you like he did in the past. Instead, he’s focused on the winding road ahead. Though you don’t miss the pink hue that tints his cheeks and gradually rises to his ears.

“So,” you say, if only to get a conversation going. “How’s work?”

“Fine, I guess. How did you know who I was?”

“My friend Youssef.”

“Oh.”

“You probably don’t know me. I’m (Name).”

“I already know.”

“Really? Stalker.”

“I’m not a stalker!” he exclaims, glaring hard at the windshield. “You’re kind of hard to miss.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re always so loud at our company parties. How can anyone ignore that?” Sian then proceeds to bless your ears with a story from this year’s holiday party. A few departments got together and went out for drinks and karaoke. Naturally, you had a drinking contest with your colleagues, which led to a tipsy night of bad singing and stumbling from one bar to the next. You were surprised Sian remembered that, mainly because you couldn’t recall seeing him there. And it’s been months since that rowdy night. “Do you see my point?”

“Don’t remind me. That hangover hurt my soul.”

He quirks a smile at that. “It’s not flattering when you sing high notes in the wrong key.”

“Like you could do any better.”

“I can because I was sober.”

“Yeah, yeah.” You roll your eyes, gazing out at the scenery that passes by in a blur of dull colors. Without meaning to, you eye Sian’s reflection in the window, taking note of his side profile. He’s actually quite handsome when he’s calm and not acting so stubborn. “I guess we’re even now.”

“Even?”

“I spilled coffee on you, and you splashed me when your tires hit that puddle.”

“Am I supposed to buy you clothes now?”

“If you’re offering...”

“I wasn’t offering!”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got a spare uniform in my locker.”

I wasn’t worried to begin with, you coffee idiot, Sian thinks, gripping the steering wheel. He keeps track of your occasional trembling, and he can’t help but feel troubled. You’ll catch a cold if you don’t dry off soon. Suddenly, he regrets pulling up beside you and accidentally sending water flying in your direction. This time it was definitely his fault, wasn’t it? Sian wants to make it up to you, but it’s impossible. He’ll die of embarrassment before he succeeds in performing a good deed in front of you.

Truthfully, he’s always noticed you. The very first instance was last year at the company’s drinking party. You were glued to Youssef’s side, engaging in idle chatter with him and another guy he wasn’t too familiar with. At the time, Sian thought your behavior was obnoxious. No one wants their younger coworker clinging to them. It just made you look like an attention-seeking puppy. Although you were definitely upbeat at that party. He had watched you chug an entire pint of beer like it was nothing and then join in on a pointless game of Ten Fingers with enough energy to put a child to shame.

He thought you were annoying at first, and yet there was something captivating about your personality. He’d never had the guts to approach you outright, so when he ran into you that day all of his frustrations just spilled over. He was angry at himself for not having the courage to talk to you at every company party, and now that he had a chance he couldn’t think of what to say. He hadn’t mentally prepared anything! So he said the first thing that came to his mind, which passed through his unfiltered lips in a very abrupt manner.

But you didn’t show any fear. You hardly flinched. Instead you met his words with a few of your own, and that’s what ruffled Sian’s feathers. You were so good at communication, and he was very much unskilled, usually relying on phrases he prepared in his head. It’s not like he couldn’t talk. He could when he was interested in a certain subject or whenever he was reading from a page, but in front of someone he admired... Sian knew he’d make a fool of himself.

Now that you’re sitting in the passenger seat of his car, he has every opportunity to say what he wants. Yet the words scramble in his brain, and he can’t calm his racing heart. Before he can think of anything witty, the building comes into view, and the parking garage has never seemed so dismal. Sian’s kicking himself as he parks, disappointed with how he handled that situation.

“Thanks for this. I’ll go on ahead.” You unbuckle, holding your briefcase and squeezing water from your blazer. “I’m sorry if I got your seat wet.”

“It’s...fine.”

You’re going to walk away and then he’ll become the coffee idiot. He opens his mouth to say something that’ll stop you, but you turn around at the right moment.

“Let’s get coffee sometime in the future. You deserve it after all the trouble I gave you,” you propose, smiling earnestly. And I feel guilty for my initial judgement. Youssef was right.

Sian’s eyes widen, and he struggles to remain stoic. “Oh, uh...”

“That’s okay with you, right?”

“I guess. Whatever works for you.” He shrugs.

“Great!” You retrieve a pen from your case and close the distance between the two of you. Humming, you snatch his hand, spreading his fingers so that his palm is wide open. And then you scribble something on it, grinning in satisfaction. Sian stares at you the entire time, his face blank and head filled with static. “Text me the days you’re available. See you later!” You tuck the pen away, hastily dashing in the direction of the elevator.

Sian stands there for a moment, slack-jawed. He forces himself to look down at his hand. Your number is written on his skin in smudged ink. His face erupts in a flurry of red. That coffee idiot...

------

“It’s not a date,” Sian mutters as he walks to the café. “It’s not. Stop thinking that way.”

But maybe it is a date, the voice in the back of his mind whispers, goading him into believing so. He dressed as casually as possible, but he still hopes it’ll impress you. There are plenty of fears that flood his head, and he almost turns around as soon as he gets to the entrance. But he’s come this far, and he’d regret it forever if he left now. This might be his only chance; he can’t afford to pass it up. So he pushes open the door in search of you. It doesn’t take long to locate your form amongst the few who are inside. Sian’s pulse rushes into overdrive, and he clenches his jaw.

It’s not a date. Act natural.

You look up from your phone just as he slides into the seat across from you. A warm smile blossoms across your face, and you tuck your mobile away. “Sian, you made it! I was worried you wouldn’t come.”

“It’d be rude if I didn’t show up after you made all those plans.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Well, thank you. Now I won’t have to feel bad about Monday morning.”

You had felt bad? Sian’s cheeks must be burning intensely bright now, but there’s nothing he can do. “It’s your fault for being an idiot.”

You chuckle. “That makes two of us. One idiot ignored the forecast, and the other wasn’t watching where he was going.”

“Whatever. Just so we’re clear, I’m not as stupid as you.” He crosses his arms and huffs. “And you don’t have any taste. I mean, iced coffee? Really?”

“It’s good!” you insist. “You’re missing out. Everyone knows iced coffee is better than hot coffee.”

“Is it now? I don’t agree with that statistic.”

“You’re allowed to have your own opinion, Mr. Sian,” you tease. “Give me your drink order. I’ll go get it.”

“What? No way. I’ll pay.”

“As if! I’m treating you.”

“You already bought me clothes.”

“And now I’m going to buy you coffee. It’s to say thanks for picking me up during that storm.”

“I would’ve left you on that sidewalk if I knew you were going to make it a hassle now!”

“Just accept my kindness!”

Sian shuts his mouth, giving into your demand. He grumbles his order, and you’re very happy as you make your way towards the register to get the two of you drinks and pastries. He watches as you pay, releasing a soft sigh. It’s hard to say no to someone you’ve admired for so long. Sian’s not sure when he started to like you, but he’s certain these recent interactions have only added fuel to the burning fire residing in his heart. It’s embarrassing to think he’s even on a romantic outing with you, but it’s not like the two of you are close friends. So then what does that make this?

When you return to the window table, setting down the drinks and a plate with two strawberry bread puddings, he’s shaken from his daydreams. This is actually happening. It’s not just another fantasy he’s imagined while witnessing you drink your sanity away at parties.

“I’m not sure if you like strawberries, but I—“

“I guess it’s okay,” he interrupts, trying to hide the fact that he actually likes it very much.

“Good!” You ease into your chair. “You’re not as bad as I thought you were.”

He raises an eyebrow as he takes a sip from his latte. “Huh.”

“You seemed really upset when I spilled my coffee on you. But anyone would be, so it’s completely understandable. I thought you hated me because of that. When we saw each other again, you were pretty sensitive.”

“I’m not sensitive!” he snaps, proving your point. “That was a white shirt you ruined.”

“Will you feel better if you dump coffee on me?”

“What? Why would I do that? I’m not going to do something as petty as that!”

“Aw, so you do care.”

“I don’t. Get lost.”

You break out into a laughing fit, genuinely amused at his coldness. Even if he doesn’t want to show it, he’s quite nice, and you’re relieved that he didn’t turn out to be a bully seeking revenge. Then again, it’s been weeks since that incident. 

“It’s not funny!”

“Sorry, sorry. You’re just so expressive. It’s hard not to laugh.”

A furious red darkens his face, and he decides to fumble with his fork in order to give his hands something to do. The bread pudding is surprisingly delicious. He fumes in his embarrassment while he eats.

Eventually, the two of you converse about work and that project your department took on. Sian listens to your rambling as you go on and on about how irksome it is when last-minute changes are made to a finalized draft. He enjoys every story you tell him, and by the time the plate is empty he feels as if he’s grown closer with you. Could this be the beginning of a friendship? He’s hit with a sudden wave of inspiration for lyrics that will never be sung. At least they can fester on a page in his notebook, where he’ll return on countless occasions to proofread and debate over the meaning of each line. Oh, how he’d love to share his music with you. It’ll take a while before he does something as bold as that, though.

“I just got an idea! There’s this awesome bar thirty minutes from work. I usually go with my friends because they’ve got a bunch of games you can play. Board games, card games—you name it. We should go one of these days.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah! You seem like a fun guy to hang out with. Card games might sound boring, but they’re actually really fun when you’re playing for money. And when you’ve got a few drinks in your system.”

Sian struggles to hide the giddy smile that threatens to split his lips. “No... It sounds perfect. I’m actually really good at Slapjack, so be prepared to lose miserably!”

“Is that a challenge? What should we wager?”

"How about a meal? Loser has to pay for the winner’s lunch.”

“All right. It’s a deal. I’ll keep you updated on my schedule so that we can choose a weekend to meet up.”

“Sure!” Sian’s face won’t stop heating up and he can’t slow his erratic heartbeat. “I mean, I’ll only do it so I can get a free lunch. It’s not like I’m agreeing for your sake.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever floats your boat.”

His chest feels airy and light, almost as if he’s in a dream. Your words weigh on his conflicted heart. How can anyone make plans so easily? If the roles were reversed, he’d be an absolute mess. It’d be so embarrassing; Sian would probably want to curl up and disappear if he ever tried to ask you out on his own volition. You probably don’t even feel the same way. After all, this is merely two coworkers having a normal conversation. But he can’t get stuck in the friend zone. That’d be the worst outcome to all of this. So in the meantime he’ll do his best to act cordial. He can hide his shy demeanor and fluffy feelings behind a blunt attitude.

“All of this planning makes it seem like we’re a couple,” you muse with flirtatious intent. Leaning back in your chair, you gauge Sian’s reaction. Just as you figured, he’s turning crimson. It’s honestly endearing to see him get so flustered. “What do you think, Sian?”

“I... I don’t know. Don’t say stupid things! It’s really annoying.”

No matter how sharp his words are, you know he doesn’t mean it. After all, his expression clearly refutes those claims.

“Sian and (Name), sitting in a tree—“

“Shut up!”

If this isn’t a date, then what’s with all the flirting?

Sian’s going to have to take a cold shower when he gets home to lower his body temperature. And to scrub away the embarrassment that’s washed over him like rain.

It’s not a date. It’s just coffee with an acquaintance. Yeah. Just courtesy coffee.

He couldn’t be any further from the truth.

[allsimspop]

Eunha Fans And Netisims Outraged at Eunha's Recent Events?

On January 24th of this year, it was reported that Soloist Jung Eunha of @belladonna-entertainment was in a car accident. While she obtained minimal injuries she was still left with a fracture on her arm putting her on rest for now. Sometime after, Eunha had recently dropped her newest song "7 sims" branching her career into the western music industry. Fans, while for the most part, were estatic at the release, yet they were also furious at the timing.

Having this music video drop without warnings lead fans to ponder if her company truly cared about Eunha's wellbeing as much as they claimed to in the article regarding the accident. While others speculated that there actually wasn't an accident at all?

Netisims are skeptical over the fact that Eunha's car accident was so coincidentally close to the release of the song. Some have started to accuse her company of faking the situation to circle some attention to the star for a moment. All in all the fans of Eunha hope she's taking care of herself.

What do you think about the situation?

                                   「NETISIMS COMMENTS」

[+801, -347] This song didn't give me Eunha vibes, but I still support her decisions for everything. She's smart and knows what she's doing. Overall, I'm worried about her wellbeing and I hope she winds down for a little to recover.

[+727, -459] Eunha is in recovery and she doesn't need all this negativity! I'm glad she's teying to branch herself out and be more known. Eunha, fighting!

[+712, -359] I believe this was filmed ahead of time, making netisims claims invalid, but why are we trying to appeal to westerners all of a sudden Eunha-ya?

[+542, -190] The timing was bad and the song sounded like such a try hard to please westerners... Unnie, next time pay attention to your real audience.

[+286, -540] Netisims complain about literally everything. Calm down for a sec and get a life.

[+102, -745] Eunha has always been a fake a*s bitch? I doubt the company has anything to do with it.

[roo-bastmoon]

With 17 versions to buy and 8 versions combined for 160 streams per Spotify account, plus Melon and FLO streams now counting, of course Jungkook’s Seven is charting high and sweeping awards. Firstly because it’s Jungkook of course, and secondly because it’s been given every possible advantage.

My (perhaps controversial) opinions about that are below the cut.

Honestly? I really can’t feel good about any “first” or “most” or “fastest” records achieved by this single—catchy as it is—which wasn’t written or conceived by Jungkook and has nothing much personal or deeply meaningful about it. It’s a fun feel-good summer pop song, for sure, but no more groundbreaking than, say, Bad Decisions (in my opinion… I have no musical expertise.)

But I can’t feel super great about all the records and awards because this many versions immediately restocked and shipped and auto play and promoted to radio and ads and leadership hyping only this while Jungkook says he wants to be the one and only artist to conquer kpop and pop for the next thousand years… it all just doesn’t really sit right with me.

When compared to the 10 months Jimin forewent sleep, food, and showers to have a hand in every aspect of his first (and deeply personal and symbolic) album, which was never sent to radio or restocked, got split tracks and delayed playlisting and shady articles, plus not one kudos or congratulations from leadership even after he made history for South Korea and stocks soared…

Forgive me, but it all leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It is ruining the song for me.

Some things like culled streams and sales are out of the company’s control. But the things I mentioned above were all possible for Jimin’s Hot 100 #1. Even if every Tannie has total say in their projects' sales and marketing, and everyone was on board with only Jungkook getting the Hybe America "red carpet" treatment, I can’t lie and say the stark difference feels fine. It doesn't, and I confess I leave the headphones in every time Seven comes up in the playlists now.

I’m not jealous. If anything, I have a warped sense of pride that Jimin has done so fantastically well despite so many, many obstacles stacked against him. I love to champion an underdog and I’m glad I never need to doubt his success was organic. I actually feel extra admiration for how humble and hardworking he continues to be—no resting on any laurels for the It Boy. I'm so glad he is my ult-bias.

*sigh*

Listen to me.

I know Jungkook and Jimin are both genuinely good people. I know they are sincerely talented and hard working. I know they truly love each other. I know all members are legitimately happy for each others' success.

I know what’s important to me may not be important to them, nor what they want for their careers. And even if I feel their company’s making shitty decisions, I know my place as a fan.

So I trust them. And I simply hang in. I hope lessons were learned for smoother, fairer future releases. Because neglecting assets makes zero business sense, and perceived favoritism can erode the group’s bonds and tear ARMY apart. It is, frankly, just plain stupid.

So I may dislike things about their solo era rollouts and I can't bring myself to sugar-coat it; but I mostly try to keep my negative thoughts to myself and find things I CAN celebrate with other fans on an open timeline.

I never want another Tannie to feel anguished and misunderstood the way Hobi did about JitB’s physicals.

Watching Jungkook’s face here on his London live when he talks about people hating him just haunts me. It guts me. I can't stand it. That kid was going through it and I don't believe he has a malicious bone in his body, so it just really upsets me seeing him like that.

There’s so, so much about this company, this industry, this culture that I just don’t understand. But I trust Park Jimin completely. As long as Park Jimin loves and supports his members, God knows, I will too.

So!! On that note...

We have Jungkook’s birthday to celebrate next week and Taehyung’s album to support the week after that. I’m going to do my best to rest up and gather some good energy for these things!

And of course, we must congratulate our Jimin, who made history again today, and no matter what, will always set the standard. I just know he's cooking up something else for us with all these weeks of silence, and I cannot wait to go BERSERK for it whenever it drops.

I’m not really sure I had a point to this post. It’s just that I have been mulling all this over for a long time, and finally felt well enough to sit up long enough to come online and type up my thoughts.

I guess what I mostly wanted to share with my friends here is that it’s okay to feel really disappointed and even enraged at the way some things play out over the (hopefully life-long) careers of BTS members. Don't let folks gaslight you. Call it like you see it. (Maybe keep sensitive things behind a cut or in the DMs--and of course, please change your mind if you get better insight. In the end, only the Tannies really know what's going on with the Tannies.)

But while I’m still side-eyeing the company so hard right now, I’ve decided to love and support the boys as people and artists. I'm trying to believe the best in everyone. I’m still an OT7 Jikooker.

You don’t have to agree with me, and if you need to unfollow, I understand. But I figured I should just tell you guys (especially the new followers) where I am at with all this.

Love, Roo

[lizacstuff]

Hey Liza, I'm curious if you watched the episode tonight? I know you haven't been watching so much, but since this is the "big episode" I didn't know if you'd decide to tune in and watch the trainwreck. If you did, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I read a few comments under the THR article that Lana retweeted that this is definitely the episode that'll win her her long overdo Emmy. Seems legit.

Yes. I decided to watch a) because I was home and @counttotwenty was available to watch at the same time b) Regina/Lana snarking material c) the ep seemed safe in regards to Rogers and potential love interests (it was)

Comments under the cut (be warned, there be negative opinions down below)

This was one of the slowest episodes of television I’ve ever watched. It was molasses.  At one point it felt like it had been on for about 84 years, I assumed we had to be at least past the 45 minute mark. I checked the time... nope! Only 19 minutes in. As Shelley said to me afterwards, “Can you even imagine a 2 hour episode???” No... no I can not imagine sitting through that.

Regina looked even more ridiculous in her warrior wannabe getup on screen than she did in the stills. What was the point? She didn’t do any fighting, any stunts, or really anything that would require a one-shouldered cape. (Her actions in no way put her in the league of Robin Wright’s character in Wonder Women, Lana is smoking crack with that one.) Also I find the whole EF set up where they call themselves the resistance and go on recon missions and patrols a little silly.  I swear, to A&E, Henry and company in the “EF” are the rebels on the forest moon of Endor getting ready to fight the Empire. They’re slipping and forgetting they’re not writing an OUAT/Star Wars AU.

Then we find out that Ivy is the big bad. And apparently the curse caster.  How original! The daughter of an abusive mother doesn’t know how to channel her feelings and destroys everyone’s lives... oh wait. That feels familiar. Where have we seen something like that before?  It’s almost like they can’t deviate from the prototypes of S1 at all.  The great news is that Regina teaches big bad Ivy everything she needs to know to wield her dark magic!  As it turns out everyone would have been better off if Regina had not stayed with Henry.  At least they got one thing right, Regina continually ruins everyone’s lives.  All I can say is thank goodness she is in that realm fucking up things and not in Storybrooke. 

One thing I liked, was the line from Regina to Rumple that went something like: "You lived a lifetime with Belle, for us it was the blink of an eye. It's difficult to comprehend."  Finally, the show acknowledges how convoluted it all is.  It certainly is difficult to comprehend, show.

Regal Believer. Gross. Not loving the “First person to ever love me.”  Glad the show is still pretending that Regina didn’t abuse and gaslight him for the first 10 years of his life and that’s why he ran away to find Emma. Emma who loved him from birth and loved him so much she gave him his best chance. Jane and Jerome pretty much erased every good thing they’ve ever done with that one line. 

Especially since in the adjacent scene we see Roni/Regina  start to manipulate and sabotage Henry (once again) so he doesn’t break the curse (once again) with a TLK with Jacinda.  First... lets back up, because they have done nothing to convince me that Shoe Believer has earned true love status. They have zero chemistry and are not working on any level for me. Second... Regina strikes again. Anyone close to her gets manipulated and hurt. At least the hero facade has started to fade. 

Lastly, poor Colin. This one pains me. A lot. But as Shelley said to me, the material is not doing him any favors. It feels like they’re giving him nothing and he’s ardently trying to turn garbage to gold, and it’s rough to watch. 

[sunilify]

Hi! After finding your page I've gotten more into zodiacs! I found out I am a libra sun, Pisces moon, and Scorpio rising. But I'm not sure what all of that means! I've know I'm a libra for a long time so I sorta get the gist of that, but what do the moon and rising things mean? What's the difference? Thank you!! I love your page!

Hi!! Sorry that I took so long to reply, I just saw this!!• also, I got all of these meanings/readings from Astromatrix.com. It's my favorite astrology based website. There's also an app that you can download to search up astrology placements/aspects. 💖💖I also used google & a more.com article :-)Libra sun: With a Libra Sun, you are adaptable, kind, well balanced, and with a love for order and harmony. Refined, courteous, filled with good taste, you find your beautiful temperament a great social asset. You desire the finer things in life - and usually get them. With a strong need for the company of others in order to feel at your best, friendships and partnerships mean a great deal to you. There is a need for constant physical and mental stimulation, although occasional solitude is required for balance. Loyalty and a need to please others ensures you love and affection. Although you possess a strong sense of fair play you may, at times, bend the rules a little for your own ends. On the negative side, you can be changeable, lazy, ostentatious, vain, sentimental and easily influenced. Although hesitant, when a decision is made you will stick to it. In personality development egoism and brooding need to be ruthlessly cut out. The mind needs to be encouraged to exercise its judicial function because this aptitude is your greatest asset for success in life.Pisces moon: The Moon in Pisces suggests a quiet, retiring, easy-going, super-sensitive, poetic and mild emotional nature. You can be restless, easily depressed, changeable, irresolute and easily discouraged by obstacles and opposition. To some degree you lack a matter-of-fact, practical and common-sense approach to life - by temperament, you are more emotional than intellectual. Psychic ability is indicated and you may be drawn to subjects such as religion, mysticism and spiritual growth. Music, poetry and romantic literature will have a soothing and therapeutic effect upon your inner self. Easily hurt, you seek emotional security through periods of peace and seclusion. You may need to learn how to respond constuctively to your own feelings and needs, to serve yourself rather than attempt to lose yourself in others. You need to be able to translate you visions into action.Scorpio rising: The rising sign with one of the worst reputations but one of the most abundant reservoirs of talent. Very private and intense, this is the sign of emotional extremes, the scope of which the people themselves do not consciously understand, except slowly through in-depth experience and bluntly honest self-analysis. They have a natural inclination toward discovering the hidden, the denied, and the repressed in others, but have trouble dealing with their own suppressed or neglected aspects of self. Good at detective work, research, healing, and dangerous, challenging tasks. If you want to know the most thorough information about something, contact a person with Scorpio attunement!Sun sign: Your sun sign determines your basic approach to life and your general nature.Moon sign: Your moon sign reveals your inner self. It can give insight into the way you handle your emotions and fears; it can also give insight into the way you love and feel. The moon also governs your moods.Rising sign: Your rising sign—also known as your ascendant—represents the way others see you, your general impression on people, and your spontaneous reactions. It reflects the Zodiacal sign that was ascending on the eastern horizon the moment you were born. Until the early twentieth century, the ascendant, rather than the sun sign, was the dominant indicator of one’s nature.Thank you so much!! & im so glad that you've learned information from my blog, that makes me so happy!!💜💚💜💚💜

[oditile]

Sentiment Analysis of “A Christmas Carol”

Sentiment Analysis of “A Christmas Carol”

Posted: 29 Nov 2017 03:16 PM PST

(This article was first published on  

R – rud.is , and kindly contributed to R-bloggers)

Our family has been reading, listening to and watching “A Christmas Carol” for just abt 30 years now. I got it into my crazy noggin to perform a sentiment analysis on it the other day and tweeted out the results, but a large chunk of the R community is not on Twitter and it would be good to get a holiday-themed post or two up for the season.

One reason I embarked on this endeavour is that @juliasilge & @drob made it so gosh darn easy to do so with:

(btw: That makes an excellent holiday gift for the data scientist[s] in your life.)

Let us begin!

STAVE I: hrbrmstr’s Code

We need the text of this book to work with and thankfully it’s long been in the public domain. As @drob noted, we can use the gutenbergr package to retrieve it. We’ll use an RStudio project structure for this and cache the results locally to avoid burning bandwidth:

library(rprojroot) library(gutenbergr) library(hrbrthemes) library(stringi) library(tidytext) library(tidyverse) rt <- find_rstudio_root_file() carol_rds <- file.path(rt, "data", "carol.rds") if (!file.exists(carol_rds)) {  carol_df <- gutenberg_download("46")  write_rds(carol_df, carol_rds) } else {  carol_df <- read_rds(carol_rds) }

How did I know to use 46? We can use gutenberg_works() to get to that info:

gutenberg_works(author=="Dickens, Charles") ## # A tibble: 74 x 8 ##    gutenberg_id                                                                                    title ##                                                                                               ##  1           46                             A Christmas Carol in Prose; Being a Ghost Story of Christmas ##  2           98                                                                     A Tale of Two Cities ##  3          564                                                               The Mystery of Edwin Drood ##  4          580                                                                      The Pickwick Papers ##  5          588                                                                  Master Humphrey's Clock ##  6          644                                                  The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain ##  7          650                                                                      Pictures from Italy ##  8          653 "The Chimes\r\nA Goblin Story of Some Bells That Rang an Old Year out and a New Year In" ##  9          675                                                                           American Notes ## 10          678                                          The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home ## # ... with 64 more rows, and 6 more variables: author , gutenberg_author_id , language , ## #   gutenberg_bookshelf , rights , has_text

STAVE II: The first of three wrangles

We’re eventually going to make a ggplot2 faceted chart of the sentiments by paragraphs in each stave (chapter). I wanted nicer titles for the facets so we’ll clean up the stave titles first:

#' Convenience only carol_txt <- carol_df$text # Just want the chapters (staves) carol_txt <- carol_txt[-(1:(which(grepl("STAVE I:", carol_txt)))-1)] #' We'll need this later to make prettier facet titles data_frame(  stave = 1:5,  title = sprintf("Stave %s: %s", stave, carol_txt[stri_detect_fixed(carol_txt, "STAVE")] %>%    stri_replace_first_regex("STAVE [[:alpha:]]{1,3}: ", "") %>%    stri_trans_totitle()) ) -> stave_titles

stri_trans_totitle() is a super-handy function and all we’re doing here is extracting the stave titles and doing a small transformation. There are scads of ways to do this, so don’t get stuck on this example. Try out other ways of doing this munging.

You’ll also see that I made sure we started at the first stave break vs include the title bits in the analysis.

Now, we need to prep the text for text analysis.

STAVE III: The second of three wrangles

There are other text mining packages and processes in R. I’m using tidytext because it takes care of so many details for you and does so elegantly. I was also at the rOpenSci Unconf where the idea was spawned & worked on and I’m glad it blossomed into such a great package and a book!

Since we (I) want to do the analysis by stave & paragraph, let’s break the text into those chunks. Note that I’m doing an extra break by sentence in the event folks out there want to replicate this work but do so on a more granular level.

#' Break the text up into chapters, paragraphs, sentences, and words, #' preserving the hierarchy so we can use it later. data_frame(txt = carol_txt) %>%  unnest_tokens(chapter, txt, token="regex", pattern="STAVE [[:alpha:]]{1,3}: [[:alpha:] [:punct:]]+") %>%  mutate(stave = 1:n()) %>%  unnest_tokens(paragraph, chapter, token = "paragraphs") %>%  group_by(stave) %>%  mutate(para = 1:n()) %>%  ungroup() %>%  unnest_tokens(sentence, paragraph, token="sentences") %>%  group_by(stave, para) %>%  mutate(sent = 1:n()) %>%  ungroup() %>%  unnest_tokens(word, sentence) -> carol_tokens carol_tokens ##  A tibble: 28,710 x 4 ##   stave  para  sent   word ##       ## 1     1     1     1 marley ## 2     1     1     1    was ## 3     1     1     1   dead ## 4     1     1     1     to ## 5     1     1     1  begin ## 6     1     1     1   with ## 7     1     1     1  there ## 8     1     1     1     is ## 9     1     1     1     no ## 0     1     1     1  doubt ##  ... with 28,700 more rows

By indexing each hierarchy level, we have the flexibility to do all sorts of structured analyses just by choosing grouping combinations.

STAVE IV: The third of three wrangles

Now, we need to layer in some sentiments and do some basic sentiment calculations. Many of these sentiment-al posts (including this one) take a naive approach with basic match and only looking at 1-grams. One reason I didn’t go further was to make the code accessible to new R folk (since I primarily blog for new R folk :-). I’m prepping some 2018 posts with more involved text analysis themes and will likely add some complexity then with other texts.

#' Retrieve sentiments and compute them. #' #' I left the `index` in vs just use `paragraph` since it'll make this easier to reuse #' this block (which I'm not doing but thought I might). inner_join(carol_tokens, get_sentiments("nrc"), "word") %>%  count(stave, index = para, sentiment) %>%  spread(sentiment, n, fill = 0) %>%  mutate(sentiment = positive - negative) %>%  left_join(stave_titles, "stave") -> carol_with_sent

STAVE V: The end of it

Now, we just need to do some really basic ggplot-ing to to get to our desired result:

ggplot(carol_with_sent) +  geom_segment(aes(index, sentiment, xend=index, yend=0, color=title), size=0.33) +  scale_x_comma(limits=range(carol_with_sent$index)) +  scale_y_comma() +  scale_color_ipsum() +  facet_wrap(~title, scales="free_x", ncol=5) +  labs(x=NULL, y="Sentiment",       title="Sentiment Analysis of A Christmas Carol",       subtitle="By stave & ¶",       caption="Humbug!") +  theme_ipsum_rc(grid="Y", axis_text_size = 8, strip_text_face = "italic", strip_text_size = 10.5) +  theme(legend.position="none")

You’ll want to tap/click on that to make it bigger.

Despite using a naive analysis, I think it tracks pretty well with the flow of the book.

Stave one is quite bleak. Marley is morose and frightening. There is no joy apart from Fred’s brief appearance.

The truly terrible (-10 sentiment) paragraph also makes sense:

Marley’s face. It was not in impenetrable shadow as the other objects in the yard were, but had a dismal light about it, like a bad lobster in a dark cellar. It was not angry or ferocious, but looked at Scrooge as Marley used to look: with ghostly spectacles turned up on its ghostly forehead. The hair was curiously stirred, as if by breath or hot air; and, though the eyes were wide open, they were perfectly motionless. That, and its livid colour, made it horrible; but its horror seemed to be in spite of the face and beyond its control, rather than a part of its own expression.

(I got to that via this snippet which you can use as a template for finding the other significant sentiment points:)

filter(  carol_tokens, stave == 1,  para == filter(carol_with_sent, stave==1) %>%    filter(sentiment == min(sentiment)) %>%    pull(index) )

Stave two (Christmas past) is all about Scrooge’s youth and includes details about Fezziwig’s party so the mostly-positive tone also makes sense.

Stave three (Christmas present) has the highest:

The Grocers’! oh, the Grocers’! nearly closed, with perhaps two shutters down, or one; but through those gaps such glimpses! It was not alone that the scales descending on the counter made a merry sound, or that the twine and roller parted company so briskly, or that the canisters were rattled up and down like juggling tricks, or even that the blended scents of tea and coffee were so grateful to the nose, or even that the raisins were so plentiful and rare, the almonds so extremely white, the sticks of cinnamon so long and straight, the other spices so delicious, the candied fruits so caked and spotted with molten sugar as to make the coldest lookers-on feel faint and subsequently bilious. Nor was it that the figs were moist and pulpy, or that the French plums blushed in modest tartness from their highly-decorated boxes, or that everything was good to eat and in its Christmas dress; but the customers were all so hurried and so eager in the hopeful promise of the day, that they tumbled up against each other at the door, crashing their wicker baskets wildly, and left their purchases upon the counter, and came running back to fetch them, and committed hundreds of the like mistakes, in the best humour possible; while the Grocer and his people were so frank and fresh that the polished hearts with which they fastened their aprons behind might have been their own, worn outside for general inspection, and for Christmas daws to peck at if they chose.

and lowest (sentiment) points of the entire book:

And now, without a word of warning from the Ghost, they stood upon a bleak and desert moor, where monstrous masses of rude stone were cast about, as though it were the burial-place of giants; and water spread itself wheresoever it listed, or would have done so, but for the frost that held it prisoner; and nothing grew but moss and furze, and coarse rank grass. Down in the west the setting sun had left a streak of fiery red, which glared upon the desolation for an instant, like a sullen eye, and frowning lower, lower, lower yet, was lost in the thick gloom of darkest night.

Stave four (Christmas yet to come) is fairly middling. I had expected to see lower marks here. The standout negative sentiment paragraph (and the one that follows) are pretty dark, though:

They left the busy scene, and went into an obscure part of the town, where Scrooge had never penetrated before, although he recognised its situation, and its bad repute. The ways were foul and narrow; the shops and houses wretched; the people half-naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly. Alleys and archways, like so many cesspools, disgorged their offences of smell, and dirt, and life, upon the straggling streets; and the whole quarter reeked with crime, with filth, and misery.

Finally, Stave five is both short and positive (whew!). Which I heartily agree with!

FIN

The code is up on GitHub and I hope that it will inspire more folks to experiment with this fun (& useful!) aspect of data science.

Make sure to send links to anything you create and shoot over PRs for anything you think I did that was awry.

For those who celebrate Christmas, I hope you keep Christmas as well as or even better than old Scrooge. “May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”