#like i get that it's a very hot buzzword for many people to use for their own purposes

[thiefnessman]

re: last reblog: i hate how like, rotted by fandom discourse some proshipper types get to the point that they turn discussions of like, actual CSEM and CSA into being about "antis" before anything else. had an exchange in r/fanfiction a week or so ago where the topic of tumblr's CSEM issue (especially prior to the NSFW ban) came up and someone's response was "you mean CSAM or drawings?". and i was like "ok i cant speak for the commenter above but there was actual, literal CSEM on tumblr it was very much a problem it's literally been reported on, which is probably why they went with the nuclear option re: NSFW content" and their response was just like. "uwuwuwu antis were reporting people's works as CP". like i get this is r/fanfiction so antis are bound to come up but come on.

[shituationist]

assuaging my anxieties about machine learning over the last week, I learn that despite there being about ten years of doom-saying about the full automation of radiomics, there's actually a shortage of radiologists now (and, also, the machine learning algorithms that are supposed to be able to detect cancers better than human doctors are very often giving overconfident predictions). truck driving was supposed to be completely automated by now, but my grampa is still truckin' and will probably get to retire as a trucker. companies like GM are now throwing decreasing amounts of money at autonomous vehicle research after throwing billions at cars that can just barely ferry people around san francisco (and sometimes still fails), the most mapped and trained upon set of roads in the world. (imagine the cost to train these things for a city with dilapidated infrastructure, where the lines in the road have faded away, like, say, Shreveport, LA).

we now have transformer-based models that are able to provide contextually relevant responses, but the responses are often wrong, and often in subtle ways that require expertise to needle out. the possibility of giving a wrong response is always there - it's a stochastic next-word prediction algorithm based on statistical inferences gleaned from the training data, with no innate understanding of the symbols its producing. image generators are questionably legal (at least the way they were trained and how that effects the output of essentially copyrighted material). graphic designers, rather than being replaced by them, are already using them as a tool, and I've already seen local designers do this (which I find cheap and ugly - one taco place hired a local designer to make a graphic for them - the tacos looked like taco bell's, not the actual restaurant's, and you could see artefacts from the generation process everywhere). for the most part, what they produce is visually ugly and requires extensive touchups - if the model even gives you an output you can edit. the role of the designer as designer is still there - they are still the arbiter of good taste, and the value of a graphic designer is still based on whether or not they have a well developed aesthetic taste themself.

for the most part, everything is in tech demo phase, and this is after getting trained on nearly the sum total of available human produced data, which is already a problem for generalized performance. while a lot of these systems perform well on older, flawed, benchmarks, newer benchmarks show that these systems (including GPT-4 with plugins) consistently fail to compete with humans equipped with everyday knowledge.

there is also a huge problem with the benchmarks typically used to measure progress in machine learning that impact their real world use (and tell us we should probably be more cautious because the human use of these tools is bound to be reckless given the hype they've received). back to radiomics, some machine learning models barely generalize at all, and only perform slightly better than chance at identifying pneumonia in pediatric cases when it's exposed to external datasets (external to the hospital where the data it was trained on came from). other issues, like data leakage, make popular benchmarks often an overoptimistic measure of success.

very few researchers in machine learning are recognizing these limits. that probably has to do with the academic and commercial incentives towards publishing overconfident results. many papers are not even in principle reproducible, because the code, training data, etc., is simply not provided. "publish or perish", the bias journals have towards positive results, and the desire of tech companies to get continued funding while "AI" is the hot buzzword, all combined this year for the perfect storm of techno-hype.

which is not to say that machine learning is useless. their use as glorified statistical methods has been a boon for scientists, when those scientists understand what's going on under the hood. in a medical context, tempered use of machine learning has definitely saved lives already. some programmers swear that copilot has made them marginally more productive, by autocompleting sometimes tedious boilerplate code (although, hey, we've had code generators doing this for several decades). it's probably marginally faster to ask a service "how do I reverse a string" than to look through the docs (although, if you had read the docs to begin with would you even need to take the risk of the service getting it wrong?) people have a lot of fun with the image generators, because one-off memes don't require high quality aesthetics to get a chuckle before the user scrolls away (only psychopaths like me look at these images for artefacts). doctors will continue to use statistical tools in the wider machine learning tool set to augment their provision of care, if these were designed and implemented carefully, with a mind to their limitations.

anyway, i hope posting this will assuage my anxieties for another quarter at least.

[samueldays]

In light of the latest of many outbursts of violence in the Middle East, and the latest of many cries of "genocide", I'd like to bring up a little-known historical fact.

Operation Overlord, perhaps better known as the D-Day landings in WW2 and the associated campaign to secure an Allied foothold in Nazi-occupied France, killed somewhere between twenty thousand and forty thousand French civilians as collateral damage. Did the Allies commit genocide?

The question is rhetorical. The label does not change the fact of things.

If you say "Yes"; then you have stuck the label on a military action considered near-universally acceptable or outright heroic, and the moral weight of the label vanishes. The Allies can have a little genocide, as a treat. Genocide is an unfortunate fact of war. We try to avoid it, we shrug and move on when it happens anyway.

But if you say "No"; then it's hard to see a good reason why ten thousand dead Palestinians supposedly constitute a genocide but thirty thousand dead Frenchmen don't, both from populations in the millions. And it's easy to see a bad reason: anti-semitism.

Boring caveats below the cut.

For the record, this should not be read as support for Israel. This is a specific complaint about the people crying "genocide! genocide!" and "algorithmic genocide!" which seems to be the hot new buzzword when a computer was involved. They are polluting language; they are overdrawing the moral weight of the word "genocide" in an attempt to get people outraged about what used to be called "collateral damage" and the result is going to be people who have spent their metaphorical fucks on ten-thousand-dead collateral damage and have no fucks left to give about eventual ten-million-dead Genocide Classic.

My wider attitude to the whole unpleasantness in the Middle East is a pox on both their houses, and a pox on America too, for running this pox-ridden blood sport. Israel is an overt American client state, receiving billions of dollars and new weapons systems in aid. Palestine is a covert American client state, existing by the grace of America telling Israel to hold back.

This is getting to be a bit of a tangent from the genocide thing, but the Middle East is one tangled tangent after another by its nature, and it's relevant to the pox on all three houses to show why I think it is in fact three houses.

Israel vs Palestine, on their own, would be utterly one-sided. Think of the Six Day War, but with far fewer people on the Arab side, so maybe the Five Day War. Israel has military advantage, interest in war, a direct border, a shortage of compassion for Palestinians, and no internal reason to hold back from conquering and pacifying the shit out of Palestine.

Yet, Israel holds back.

Could it be because Palestine has powerful allies in the region perhaps? I don't think so, 1) see Six Day War again, 2) most of the Arab states only care about the Palestinians insofar as this can be used to dunk on Israel, see Egypt refusing Palestinians entry, see also Jordan going to war (kinda civil war) against the PLO.

So someone else, someone powerful, is implicitly guaranteeing Palestine's independence and/or holding Israel's leash, and it's hard to conclude that the someone is any other than the United States of America. There's very few other states who even hypothetically could; and I'm pretty sure China does not give a fuck.

[transmissionsfromthebattlefield]

“Take My Word For It”

Thank god for classes starting up again so that I can pivot my screen time away from people making me lose faith in humanity and towards PDFs of textbooks. The weather is hot and the AC in the library is pumping. Kent State once again brims with life. I tabled at our freshman orientation club fair yesterday—so many little babies, yet over half of the girls seem to be taller than me. (Thanks, genetics.) It really does make my heart swell to be back, though. I am SO pumped.

Aside from classes and Task Force and all my friends and the best burritos in the world, I’m also very excited for the return to basic principles of human interaction. I’ve been people watching a lot online lately. Too much, in fact, and I need to stop. But the emotions and the news are pertinent, and they must be processed. I’ve been seeing a lot of exchanges online lately that are basically negative recommendations. Someone says they don’t care for something for whatever streamlined reason, and someone else agrees with zero visible actual external research on the subject. Asking for recommendations nowadays always has to come with some disclaimer. Disclaimers have become a big part of internet culture in general, and it’s a real shame. Weighing positives and negatives after even just a simple article or two or accepting that a friend likes whatever seems to be a thing of the past, in the digital sphere at least, in favor of following a herd to keep those whom we perceive as our friends or want to be our friends with. Have conspiracy theorists tainted the concept of “doing one’s own research”? Or maybe COVID as a whole wrecked us—we got so used to isolating ourselves from absolutely everyone that it has become second nature to shun anything deemed hypercharged bad buzzword, or alternatively “slime”. It didn’t even take a generation.

You might as well be taking somebody’s world for it, not just their word—one must be in to-tall alignment with the politikal perspektives of their frendos, or else we might have an astrologist’s worst nightmare on a self-worth scale: the planets are out of wack! I’m an idiosyncronous, imperfect ball of flesh on the same planet as many more of the same despite their abject differences from me! Help!

My anxious psyche leads me to distrust humans in general, but I think society has gone too far in its stagnant polarization. We bitch and we fight, to quote crappy post-Roger Waters Pink Floyd (most society as it currently stands is basically “Learning To Fly” on repeat blaring very loud in my ears, I think), and most of the time it’s about how we perceive the influence and morals of actively powerful forces in the world. You can have a great, insightful, constructive conversation about that. But we resort to stereotype and self preservation. And as those gears keep on churning in the background, as they always do and always will, we get nothing done. We forget that we have more in common with one another than we think, while preaching that same concept. But how much do we truly believe the preprogrammed responses we’ve taught ourselves to repeat?

Do we really want a free exchange of ideas, or do we crave that overtone addendum, “but only if they’re the right ones”? Do we even want to be right, or do we always need some abstract, accessible boogeyman to jab at while the powers that be pulling the strings only grow stronger? Do we want to grow stronger ourselves to someday defeat them, or do we succumb to the overwhelming complexity of the world at large and retreat to where we feel safest? Do we seek change, or do we only call for it, not work towards it? We praise the sacrifice of others, but how comfortable would we be with sacrificing ourselves—in any capacity—for the same cause?

Yet when you meet people in person, even these people, they laugh. They actually have senses of humor. They invite, most of the time. And if they repel, they repel. The intention becomes obvious. The experience can be learned from. Another side comes into view, separate from the PR-primed pop star we all fashion ourselves to be, secretly. The blood and guts are there to spill. The humanity is on full display.

And that’s why a damn good conversation beats nameless, faceless, face full of constructed ideological perfection protection any day of the week, regardless of whether or not class is in session.

[thiswasnotmyintention]

This is largely unrelated to most things I post about but like

can we please talk about how fucked up social media is becoming as a place to just exist? and I'm saying this mostly in reference to the other apps, you know, the most popular ones

And I know the toxicity of most social media apps is super nuanced and has many layers and yada yada but I want to specifically focus on the extremely polarising views and "hot takes" that just go around in these waves and its like one second everyone loves user34533 and the next they're throwing rocks at them for something they don't even fully understand, and then in like two weeks everyone loves them again and is angrily posting "You guys owe user34533 an apology >:(" as if they weren't one of the first to jump at them??

Like

Hello???

Have we not learned anything at all? All this talk about cancel culture and media literacy is just turning into chaos and confusion and this constant overdramatisation of (often) trivial issues is exactly the thing that is screaming so loud that the voices you claim to want to amplify are going completely unheard

Because social media is so oversaturated with discourse and who-did-what-to-who and stitches and stitches until its a video of 25 people yelling over each other and all of them are completely missing the point and your entire app is just different people telling you to unfollow other people, who you never even followed to begin with, and then those same people are the subject of unfollow campaigns in like 24 hours

And I want to circle back to the point of how this actually completely defeats the purpose of amplifying the voices of the disenfranchised and underprivileged. Because its fucking important. Everyone on the Internet cares about all the important issues in theory

They all have a checklist of talking points, and they all regurgitate the same line someone said once and they all say the right buzzwords and complain about the right things

But when it comes down to it, they only care because they're trying to preserve their following and their presence

And this applies to like semi-famous individuals too, not just the big bad influencers

And so they focus so much on who said what and who phrased something badly and how this offends and insults a hypothetical group of marginalised people and who is more oppressed and who deserves who's apology and

Its

Just

Like

can we focus on the actually important stuff please??

if you're gonna be yelling at someone on the Internet please please do it for the right reasons and please please actually do something about the issues you use to defend your moral highground

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm so tired of the endless virtue signalling and the pandering to an audience that is, by default, out to get you just because the more dramatic it is the more views they're gonna get out of it

and I'm saying this as someone with a very limited presence on social media so like please nobody bite me but like

Hot take! If you're gonna use your platform to influence people's opinions, maybe don't just turn it into another toxic wasteland of cancelling and uncancelling the same 3 people over and over to make sure you're on the "right side" of the drama every time

Like

Maybe focus on something real? That can actually help people? In some way? Or just don't say anything if you have nothing new and useful to add to the conversation???? Please?

[gothicprep]

I might be grasping at straws here because I hate the phrase “toxic positivity”, namely because I hate the word toxic and have a very “say what you fucking mean” approach to language and would rather say people are being glib or being unhelpful instead of breaking out the T Buzzword. but I have another hot take level counterpoint to this…

wait for it…

I don’t think “look on the bright side” is always bad advice

an example that comes to mind is from a conversation I had with a good friend who is, unfortunately, kind of a revolving door rehab client. they were complaining to me yesterday about how they dont think twelve step is particularly helpful to them because of how punitive and miserable it is. and basically what I was telling them in response to their complaints was, “I think the best thing you can do for yourself is focusing on the benefits you’re getting from ditching drugs and alcohol instead of ruminating on all the cringey and embarrassing shit you did when you were wasted”. I personally don’t think this is bad advice, and I wouldn’t have said it to them if I thought it was. But this roughly translates to, you know, “look on the bright side”

and you could make the argument that this is a very specific example, but there are a lot of circumstances where we make decisions that scare us or feel shitty, but ultimately redound to our happiness. Like, maybe you’re leaving your shitty job for something that’s more catered to what you wanna do with your life, but it’s a risky decision. Or maybe a relationship with someone you really love has run its course and you know in your heart of hearts that it needs to end. if you don’t keep your focus on the benefits of making these choices, it’s harder to follow through on them.

um, like, obviously, if you’re having money troubles, or you wound up sick or injured, or a loved one or pet just died, and someone is telling you to think of the positives… that’s insensitive and you’re within your bounds to call them on it. but I also think that this definition of toxic positivity is, like so many other times that stupid fucking word is employed, is so goddamn reductive. like, the “look on the bright side” cliche wouldn’t be a cliche at all if it didn’t have /some/ utility.

[breezeinmonochromenight]

Bro how do you keep your inbox open with all these clowns 😭

Shinra is undoubtedly a representation of classism and elitism, and also acts as a representation/critique of capitalism, but to call Shinra, the concept, fascist? And to call people ‘fascists’ for liking or finding interesting certain concepts/characters pertaining to Shinra? Especially in a sci-fi/fantasy setting like FF7… doesn’t really make sense. Fiction is literally a vehicle to explore ideas that might be uncomfortable or at the very least unbelievable in real life. There’s nothing wrong with finding Rufus Shinra hot or wishing the Turks received more depth/characterization. They are characters. In a fictional setting. The story of FF7 itself couldn’t function without the concept of Shinra and all that that entails. It’s ridiculous to call people who might want to see more of that idea explored ‘fascists’ or whatever other buzzword they can come up with. Sorry for the paragraph, it just annoys me that you have to deal with these clowns (and by extension their bad takes reaching my eyes). I don’t even touch most Shinra-focused fan content, but to see a whole subset of the fandom (who are completely valid btw) called fascists isn’t just offensive, it’s plain ignorant. If you don’t like Shinra/it’s related characters, fine. Keep it to yourself. (Reminds me of that I-Hate-Zack anon, who just HAD to come spouting off in your, a known Zack enthusiast, inbox). It’s their opinion, fine, but honestly those kind of I-hate-x-part-of-the-fandom people have no business sending asks like that when a) they know what kind of blog you are and what your opinions on that kind of shit are, and b) they should know by now they’re going to get clowned so why???

Anyway, I hope you’re having a good night. Sorry again for the long rant, but it’s really not that difficult to control what kind of content you see, so any complaints those people had should have been directed at the block button, not you. I want to thank you for the content you do make. You’re a real bright spot in this fandom (god, especially on tumblr), and you definitely deserve my respect for all the circuses you put up with and/or orchestrate. Take care!

Clowns love me, but it’s unrequited. ):

Fwiw: I keep it open/allow Anon because I know some people would feel awkward sending prompts, even if I promised to manually censor the name before posting. So, in that regard, I feel like the good/fun of it all far outweighs a few dumb Anons here and there that are easy to clown on lol. Plus, 95% of the Anons I get like this, whether it’s FF7, Spardacest, or whatever dumb fuck take just get an IP block flat out anyway, and I don’t waste my time on a response. Only the ones I find spectacularly stupid and logic defying make it to post lol. So I’m not pressed at all by them tbh. Embarrassed for them, sure, but not pressed.

Far too many people on here and elsewhere use the term ‘fascist’ (or other buzzwords) to stigmatize something they don’t like without knowing what the word (or the actual political philosophy in this case) really means, and it does nothing but make the word lose all meaning in the long run.

I legit don’t know how people still miss that point of the story — ShinRa is literally a lesson in corporate greed and how it can destroy the world and the people within it. I’m also assuming that person is either a Remake only player or just missed the fucking point entirely — because Rufus’ whole Compilation arc is him seeing how bad ShinRa has fucked the planet and trying to do something to fix it. Like, they all but tell you he’s the one backing Reeve’s — also a former ShinRa exec’s — WRO.

The other thing that makes me laugh is like. Who are the characters I typically write about? Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth, Zack, and Cloud. Who do they all work for at some point? ShinRa. And while Cloud may not have, the other four have absolutely spilled blood for that company. So would this not technically make me one of those ‘fascist-lovers’ too? Or is it because that person liked one or more of those characters, that I’m excluded from that criticism? Like, I would have legitimately loved to have known their opinion — if me liking Noct n’ co. makes me a supporter of a real life autocracy, or if that’s fine because those are the protagonists. Lol.

People get so fucking pressed about this stuff they don’t enjoy and will piss and moan endlessly about shit they don’t like and it’s like. Holy shit. Just fucking block what you don’t like/are uncomfortable by and you’ll be so much happier than you would coming and making passive-aggressive comments in my (or anyone else’s) inbox. Like, I’ve blocked for everything from being an actual shitty human being and/or making content I find genuinely fucking gross, all the way down to being an annoying theorycrafter and/or just generally being annoying. Shit’s in the thousands at this point, and my skin is clear and I sleep very well at night because of it lol — you don’t see me starting like hate campaigns and going into people’s inboxes to be a cunt or w/e. I don’t know why ‘you can’t control what other people are like/are into, but you can absolutely control your online experience’ is such a difficult concept, but alas, here we are.

Anyway lol. I got no problem calling that shit out when it’s needed. It’s honestly pretty fun and I have a mean streak that needs to be let loose sometimes.

I hope you’re having a good day/evening as well! I appreciate everything you said. (:

[nctinfo]

[TRANS] WayV’s interview with ELLE Korea May 2020 issue!

— Kun

A suffering leader, everyone's Kun —  With a meticulous personality. The pros and cons would be: I think I am the leader thanks to my sense of responsibility and delicacy. [But] when there is too much to take care of, it is a bit cumbersome. There’s no member who gives me a hard time because they all pick on me one by one (laughs). If I had to introduce my hometown, Fujian Province, it's a quiet city with clean air and few people. Many people come to visit because the mountains and the lakes are beautiful. When I think about nature, I start missing my hometown. At school, I was the head of the student council's entertainment department. I might look like a serious person since the members are so active and mischievous, but I'm also a fun person. Times when I feel like we’re one team are when you know what the others are thinking just by the look in their eyes and, when we dance and the movements are 'synchronised'. WayV to me is the comfort of being able to share everything with each other. All the members worry a lot about music so a lot of ideas come out every time we hear new music. It is certainly an advantage that all seven have a lot of desire. I have a bright young voice, but my desire as a vocalist is to have a thicker and more mature voice these days. Wouldn't it suit dance songs that match our [team's] style more than ballads. I graduated in Practical Music. If there is a song I want to arrange: I'm still trying to look for my style while listening to various songs. I want to challenge not only the arrangement but also the composition. I am a good cook. The dishes I recently made for the members are the dishes that I learned from the main chef of the company while I practiced them [on the members]. The menu with the biggest reaction recently was DongPo Pork. When I can't sleep, I deliberately watch low-rated movies and these days, I watch a four-hour-long landscape video shot from a train driver's perspective. It makes me fall asleep really fast (laughs). The most memorable stage after debuting was as expected, MAMA 2019. When I was giving the award speech, my hand that was holding the microphone was shaking and it was all captured [on camera]. What I want to say to myself in hard times is to be confident! The moment you lose your confidence, everything becomes more difficult. The mindset I don't want to lose is to be grateful. Everything I do right now is impossible to do by myself. This is the most important. To Winwin: who has known me the longest among the members! I hope you always take on challenges with courage because I will always be there beside you to support you. Also, all the members know that you are cute.  

— Lucas

Healthy energy, hot Lucas — Between a boy and a man, I feel closer to 100% boy! I don't think I feel mature enough. [Maybe I’m just like] a baby who wants to be a man (laughs). The most impressive man to me is a responsible person. And also, a man who gives everything to his loved ones. Having an attractive rapping sound because of a low and husky voice. My desire to sing is big! I want to sing a sad song. I've heard from people around me that a calm song suits my voice. Like the calm songs of Paul Kim I normally listen to too. My favorite song is "Take Off, The killing point is the dance break, with the powerful guitar riff. Emotion is what is the most important on stage. I believe each song has its own soul, and it is important to immerse yourself. My role in the team is positive energy. Although always looking bright, surprisingly, I have a lot of thoughts. Yesterday too, I had a lot of thoughts before going to bed, so it took me a while to fall asleep. Not long ago, Kun hyung played me a song he had composed and so many ideas came up so I wrote them down and sent it to him. WayV to me is a friendship that feels really deep even though it’s been only a year since I made a debut with the people I love so much. So much that when we come back from a schedule, as we laugh and talk together, the stress will suddenly be gone. The most important thing in a team is to have sincere conversations with each other to understand each other's differences. Only then can we get along well because of the wider understanding. Having appeared in a number of familiar variety shows like the Chinese version of <Running Man> <Let's Run Season 3> I like that I can go to various places the most. It's also a special opportunity to meet people with other jobs and not only artists. I think I'm often called/casted [for these shows] because of my sincere youthful reactions. The mindset I don't want to lose is the promise I made when I debuted to be a good influence on people. That's what I always keep in mind. I want to be a person who always gives positive influence to people, family, and fans around me. To Yangyang: who I know is really smart, you're still a cute little brother to me (laughs)

— Winwin A quiet presence, Winwin — In the reality show <Dream Plan>, mingling well with the elders in the village was impressive. Special trick behind it was thanking them for looking out for me! Since they were all kind natured, I guess treating them with sincerity looked good. When Lucas and I visited their home, we got served a meal and received a warm welcome. A performance video of Ten and I has been released. As a dancer, Ten is a member whose strength is being versatile. He helps the members at dance practices a lot. I’ve learned dancing in a special dance school. At the time I was the shortest and least talkative kid until I grew taller in high school. I’ve spent most of the time practicing alone. Chinese dance is similar to modern dance mixed with ballet. Learning the choreography is fast and it’s an advantage to be skillful in tumbling. I would like to properly showcase a modern dance at a concert someday. When I’m on the stage what I care about the most is my gestures and facial expression. During ‘Take Off’ promotions, the gestures and facial expressions I did during my part varied from stage to stage. I hear that I’m ‘pure’ a lot. A new charm that I want to have: our fans call me ‘Baby Chick’. I want to showcase more of an ‘eagle’ image, so I cut my hair short. Isn’t it similar to Park Saeroy (laugh). Something that makes me angry, although I normally have a good temper is being unsatisfied with stage performance to the point I can’t sleep on that day. But it’s okay to just take a nap. I just need to do better. The most memorable moment in WayV promotions was receiving the Best New Asian Artist Award at the MAMAs, it was the first time we’ve gotten an award together so I was very happy. The reason why I went to Beijing on my own as a middle school student seems to be fate. I passed my exams without much determination, left my hometown and went to school in Beijing where I was noticed and then debuted. Coincidence became fate. To me WayV is a path that we’re talking together, a team with a lot of growth potential. I’d like it if the younger members came to me whenever they need someone. I feel our fans love and support the most when: I’m always amazed and grateful for our fans hearts. All of the people who always look out for us even when we’re not promoting any albums and who support us are an immense source of strength. Success to me is when more people get to know us and we get to perform in many different countries. I want to think about my personal success after my team’s success. To Kun: when members want advice, we reach out to Kun first before our families. He knows a lot, can do a lot, and is a person we can depend on.  

 — Ten

Ten who is curious about what's next rather than what’s now — The secret to adapting well everywhere is attending an international school. I had friends of various nationalities and I also traveled a lot. Wherever I went, I went to see the common [places] first. Learning an unfamiliar culture is fun. I’m learning Thai, English, Korean, Japanese and now working hard at learning Chinese. I memorize expressions that I can use while watching Chinese variety shows and dramas. Although it's still difficult to read the buzzwords and hanja. The most important thing as a performer, and what makes you an outstanding dancer, is to have your own style while not being trapped by masculinity and femininity. I am different now from a few years ago and I'm trying to challenge myself by being flexible in various aspects. What I've learned since debut is, in the case of WayV, that when you work with various genres the main concern is the vocal style and with SuperM, I learned about the importance of performance through the activities [we did]. 'It's important to dance well, but you must also have your own [style]', 'think about what you want to express in front of the camera, but you must be faithful to your feelings on every stage in order to develop [yourself]' is the advice I received from the Hyungs (Baekhyun, Kai, Taemin). For the dance video that I did together with Winwin, the concept, music, settings, and outfits were all decided by us together without the company's advice. I came to realize the difficulties of being a staff member (laughs). I can [now] see the wider picture and more details. I like poetry too. I think poetry expresses emotions. It helps me  understand the world and the society as a person and not as an artist. The lyrics of my 2nd solo song 'New Heroes' feel like an autobiography. If 'Dream in a Dream' was all about the performance then 'New Heroes' is a song about the time spent committing [to something] and I thought anyone can sympathize with that. The [original] lyrics were so great that I asked them not to change it and to just go with it. I want to write lyrics myself someday. The kind of person I want to be is [someone who] always tries to go with the flow as I think that making plans and setting expectations can make it more difficult on yourself. I hope I could be a person who can leave a good impact on others. WayV to me is just like a family who always does everything together and takes care of each other asking ‘have you already eaten?’. Everyone has an open mind to try and accept new challenges. During the 'Moonwalk' promotion period, I was kinda surprised how well we got along. Having received recognition for my skills since debut. The times when the expectations are high are: Art and languages too are ever-evolving disciplines, so it's not easy to keep up. Nevertheless, there are self-expectations and anticipations to show a new side of myself. I will work hard (laughs). I still play Pokemon Go and I'm waiting for the June update. I will catch a lot of new Pokemon again! To Xiaojun: with whom I saw Harry Potter together yesterday! Let's make an appearance in Harry Potter when there is a reboot.

— Hendery

Flexible midfielder, Hendery — Something I’ve gotten into recently is practicing playing drums. Kun hyung is cooking a lot lately so I’ve been reviewing the food too. The other day he made kimchi jjigae so good that it even got an approval from manager hyung. My favourite track is ‘Take Off’. We filmed the music video in Ukraine and spent loads of happy times together, so I feel happier whenever I listen to it. Something I’ve improved on since debut is that recording songs takes less time. When I hear a member of staff say ‘Is this really Hendery’s voice?’ I feel proud of myself. The charm of my vocal is: I’m still looking for it, but I feel like my rap sounds nice when I spice it up with a little melody. Good at giving advice to our members. A tip to giving good advice is: it’s important to have helping and not making decisions in mind. Talk about both bad and good points about the A and B. The secret to always looking like I’m at peace is my parents always telling me ‘Your happiness is the most important. You always have a home to come back to, so work as much as you can enjoy’, thanks to them I grew up as someone with little stress or worries. Mindset that I don’t want to lose is the excitement before going on stage. I think the most important thing for an artist is their greed for performing. When I get on stage the most important is interacting with fans. The most memorable stage was our Korean debut on <Show! Champion>. I couldn’t believe we’re performing Chinese songs in Korea. I was so overwhelmed to see our fans welcoming us so enthusiastically even though they didn’t understand what we were saying. I opened an instagram account recently. My posting plan is ‘This is where I am‘ ‘I am filming today’. I want to showcase my daily self. I hope our fans can smile for a brief moment when they see the pics I had the most fun taking. To me WayV is: I feel empty when I go away to see my family for a little. Every time that happens I facetime them to relieve the sadness. Lucas is the member who picks up the most (laugh). To Lucas: No matter how busy we get, even if we become grandpas, I’ll always be by your side. It’s something I want to say to all of the members, but Lucas is a friend I'm especially attached to so I really wanted to say this. 

— Yangyang

Infinite potential, bold maknae Yangyang — I speak Chinese, German, English Korean and Spanish. Great language skills are useful when you travel. Whenever I talk with friends of various nationalities, I think it's fortunate that I can speak many languages. In our team alone, it's full [with people who speak] Chinese, Thai, English, and Korean (laughs). My role in the team is being the happy virus! Although of course, the hyungs think I'm a maknae that requires a lot of energy from them. WayV to me is a high tension team that can deliver strong and positive energy. If someone shows a slight sign of exhaustion, we immediately stick together and somehow infect each other with energy. I think that such energy is conveyed to fans on stage. If I have learned anything from living together with the members [it would be] the habit I have developed to control my greed and to care for others. I'm used to looking at the other's feelings now before doing something. My favorite song is ‘King of Hearts’, because I participated in writing the lyrics. I also love 'Love Talk' from the 2nd mini album. It is a charming song that is sweet and sexy but has a way to make your body move. My ambition as a rapper is the flow. Because I think this is the aspect that determines the impression of a song from the listener's point of view. I want to be a multi-talented person who is good at not only rapping but also dancing, singing, and writing lyrics. I've always had a lot of ambition. The attractive part of writing lyrics is that I can tell my story, since from a long time ago, I wrote lyrics little by little and it's always fun work. I want to steadily keep doing it. I like Virgil Ablo and Demna Gvasalia, and the fashion icon who caught my eye these days is Mike Amirie. I am drawn to people who have a simple yet clear style. The same goes for musicians. I like people who have a clear style like Travis Scott and A$AP Rocky. I’ve said 'I like who I am' before. Instances when I am especially like myself is when I'm confident. When I have confidence and want to show off, I can show much more than my actual skills. I use SNS to check on NBA and fashion news. I see the news on sneakers I'm looking forward to fast. Surprisingly, I don't look up anything about me [but] when a stage or performance is over I do look up the reactions. Most of them are good, so every time I read, I get energized. To Hendery: hyung, you seem to really get into gaming, but don't try too hard (laughs). 

— Xiaojun

Warm voice, Xiaojun — Something I’m into these days is practicing the songs that will be included in the next album that we are preparing for. Before debuting, I only sang my favorite ballad song, but nowadays, I want to sing songs of other genres such as R&B. I've been uploading videos of me singing on my personal Instagram. My favorite song is ‘Face to Face’. My heart warms up every time I hear it. I really like the lyrics ‘You won’t be lonely because I’ll be your strength, I won’t let you cope with your wounds alone in silence’. The keywords that describe me are kind. Friendly. Positive. I often say ‘I wish my songs were healing different people’. The way I heal myself is: my heart calms down when I look at pictures with many memories sealed in them. I take a lot of pictures of the scenery and especially when I look at the pictures of my hometown in Guangdong I feel healed. The reason behind my strong sensitivity is the big influence of my dad who’s a singer and my older brother. Ever since I was little we would often watch movies together. I graduated with a musical major. My greed for musicals is: I’ll surely do it again later. I like starring in musicals but one day I’d like to make my own. A musical piece I’d like to recommend is <Dear Evan Hansen> who won at Tony Awards and Grammys. It’s a warm story about a lonely high school boy suffering from social anxiety disorder, who is working on his trauma and healing from the pain. My way of dealing with stress is quiet time on my own. Just like positive energy, negative energy is easily spread to others, so I’d rather be alone. A memory I really want to make is a trip, I promised to go on before debuting, with the members. The destination is still undecided. The kind of team member I want to be is a silent supporter. It would be nice if I can be 'my people/dearest' to others. Something I want to do this year is to have an event for the fans. I like to surprise friends or throw surprise birthday parties. I think fans will love it if we would do a guerilla performance. I told you here so I have to throw [that idea] away and I will prepare something else (laughs). To Ten: You are one of the 'Hyung-line', and you Korean is the best so there are many times you have to lead us. Don't carry everything on your own and sometimes lean on us! The same goes for Kun hyung.

t/n: Due to the structure of this interview there might be inaccuracies as many things only made sense in Korean but sounded kinda awkward in English (more so compared to other translations we did). We tried our best to convey what they meant, but please keep this in mind when reading this interview.

Translation: Alex, Esmee @ FY! NCT (NCTINFO) | Source: ELLE Korea Scans — Do not repost or take out without our permission!

[serpentstole]

Luciferian Challenge: Day 12+13 (And 22)

A few of these prompts ended up being very similar in theme, so I’ve combined them into a bit of a long reply.

Dogma is something we throw about…that we reject it. Where do you think we may fall short as Luciferians/Satanists when it comes to dogma? Do you think dogma has a certain value?

I don’t think dogma has any value really, no, as I don’t like the idea of rules or ideas that cannot be questioned on principle. Even as a child, I took issue with blind obedience. My mother once called me downstairs, and I asked why, and my father got angry and said that I shouldn’t bother to ask why and just do it, and that even if one of them told me to jump out of a window they probably had a good reason for it.

That memory is seared into my brain and still irks me.

I do think rules themselves can be important, but when we speak of rejecting dogma it’s typically in the sense of it being some authoritative status quo that cannot be discussed or challenged. I think my example above is a good example of that, as petty as it may seem: that parents should be obeyed without question and with the assumption they have our best interests at heart.

I do not believe there’s room for that sort of attitude in an empathetic and respectful society, even towards children. Respecting their natural curiosity and teaching them about bodily autonomy is something I think can only be a net good. The only thing growing up in a strict household taught me, where there was little room for negotiation or challenging of the way things were, was how to be a decent liar.

It harmed me in far more ways than it helped instill any positive values, and while I would not want to belittle the experiences of anyone in a similar boat, I consider myself one of the lucky ones. There are some families where a dogmatic stance, whether based in politics or religion, can lead to the alienation or outright abandonment of LGBT youth, of young women who wish control over their own bodies, of those with views that differ from their parents’, or any other black sheep.

I feel like this question and my thoughts on it really go hand in hand with the next one, so I’m going to actually combine them into one post and make up the difference later.

Do you think it’s dogma or silly to say what Luciferianism/Satanism is not?

I do not think it’s dogmatic to say what Luciferianism or Satanism is or isn’t. The reason I’ve kept both labels in these two prompts, when I’ve removed them in every other post, is because I spent a lot of time in a mixed Luciferian and Satanist community during the beginning of my religious journey. Despite our differences, especially in the case of Atheist Satanism versus Theistic Luciferianism, I saw a great deal of overlap in a lot of the values/ideals, inspirations, and talking points. 

I think outlining those ideals and values is important to just… having a label. Words mean things. Religious affiliations and ideas mean things. Even saying you belong to or adhere to a school of thought typically has some manner of definition or parameters. While Luciferianism and Satanism can be incredibly diverse when it comes to the details of one’s ethics and morals, practices, views of the divinity or lack there of, and other suck points, there’s a good deal that does unite us that’s reflected in the archetypal figures our religions are named after. I also believe that certain aspects of what is seen as the Standard Luciferian should be weighed more or less heavily. For example, I don’t see my irritation with hostility towards Christianity as something that makes me less of a Luciferian.

However, I want to combine these two prompts with one more to round out my view of this topic. 

What do you disagree with Luciferians/Satanists most?

In the goddamn dogma they cling to and perpetuate while claiming to be adversarial to or enlightened above such ideas. It’s become almost a meaningless buzzword. It barely still looks like a real word to me anymore. This is honestly where my post goes completely off the rails into a mini essay, so it’s under the cut.

The idea that all “Abrahamic” religions should be treated as inherently harmful and oppressive is a bad take. 

That Christianity, Judaism, and Islam should even be lumped together when discussing such issues betrays a shallow understanding of these religions that’s been regurgitated from one person to another, typically through a culturally Christian lens.

The idea that “only LaVeyan Satanism should be called Satanism because nothing else that calls itself Satanism is actually Satanism” is exhausting, and I will fist fight Anton myself in hell.

The principles of Might Makes Right and Social Darwanism that some Satanists perpetuate is dumb and bad and wrong, sorry, that’s the only rebuttal I’m dignifying that school of thought with. Once again, I will be fist fighting Anton in hell.

And that’s to say nothing of the Satanists and Luciferians out there that regurgitate the same racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other assorted bigotries that they’ll condemn religions like Christanity for while perpetuating it with a coat of black paint. Because I have absolutely seen this first hand, both as an observer and as the target of it.

Like... I can’t speak on Islam at all, because I have very very limited experience with it from both a research and real life experience point of view, and thus I’m not comfortable making any claims. On the other hand, I do know that to list all the ways that Judaism is not a dogmatic religion would deserve its own post written by someone far more knowledgeable than me, and it somehow still gets lumped into the Problematic n’ Dogmatic category of AbRaHaMiC ReLiGiOnS. For that reason, in the case of Islam, I can’t help but wonder if the assumption that it’s also dogmatic comes from the harmful assumption that it’s a religion that’s strict to the point of harshness that a lot of people have.

Even in the case of Christianity, which I would argue (as someone who I’d say was raised within the church) is hands down the most seemingly dogmatic of the three (particularly in North America), this is just not universally true. If it was, there probably wouldn’t be so many branches and denominations, many of which cannot stand each other and think the rest are misguided at best and heretical at worst. This is something that’s even brought up in the Satanic Bible; I’ve read the miserable thing. Have you ever seen someone say “Christians and Catholics”? That’s a pretty loaded example of how much disagreement exists within the religion when an entire core branch of it is considered tangentially related.

Not to mention, I was raised Lutheran. That came about because a German Catholic got incredibly steamed at his own religion so he made a more boring different version of it. While the existence of dogma has led to these schisms, historically speaking, the end result has been a religion so varied that it’s hard to say what is and isn’t treated as inarguable law. If you don’t believe me, try talking to a Protestant pastor about the Seven Deadly Sins and see how far you get. I tried during confirmation class and got shut down immediately... but on the flip side, my church was pretty accepting of LGBT folks, which I think some people would claim Christianity is dogmatically against by default.

Is there dogmatic thinking within specific churches or branches or communities? Absolutely, I wouldn’t argue that. I think it can arise in any community, religious or not, but that some religious communities seem to be particularly vulnerable to it. But the harm those specific cases could do should be where our focus goes, not the condemnation of these religions or the concept of religion as a whole, which I touched on in a previous prompt. 

I’m not some glorious enlightened mind. I would not want to give the impression that I think I hold in my hands the One True Way to do Luciferianism, or that I think the majority of this religious community are uncritical edgelords. This is, after all, my answer to the thing I take issue with the most, not my thoughts on Luciferianism or Satanism as a whole. I just don’t think it should be a particularly hot take that Religious Discrimination Is Bad Actually, or that maybe you can be rebellious and adversarial and hedonistic and enlightened while still genuinely giving a shit about people. Because otherwise what’s the point?

If we are hostile and rebellious with no actual end goal, no greater cause or purpose, we are simply being contrarian for the sake of it. If we blame the idea of organized religion instead of those who manipulate and abuse faith and scripture for selfish and malicious ends, we’ve missed the point, as I said in the aforementioned previous post. Not all of us have the ability to become an activist, obviously, and I would not ask you to. But I think as those who would claim to reject dogmatic thinking and strive to embody either the ideals of enlightenment or the adversary would do well to be ever questioning their preconceptions of the world around them, of other religions, and of less obvious unjust structures of power.

I don’t know why a community that believes in illumination and free thinking sees the world in such black and white ways.

While I will always strive for a greater understanding of the world, and I hold the concept of enlightenment very dear to my heart, I think it’s something that one spends a lifetime working towards. Alongside my favourite quotes from Paradise Lost, I hold the Socratic Paradox of “I know that I know nothing” as a personal motto, and I wish more people who I share this label with would do the same.

[cynical-roll]

I've been doing an extra credit short course for uni about career skills and employability, the first module of which is all about Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is about how well you recognise, understand, and therefore control/manage your own emotions and other people's, and it's a hugely useful skill to have for communication and building and maintaining relationships.

I've got the control aspect down pretty well, but I very much struggle with the empathy and interpersonal communication side of things. It's especially noticeable in terms of how I relate to my family, and learning about EI has really helped me realise how I unconsciously already practice it in daily life, but not always in the right way.

Learning about EI has made me wonder how many relationships (of any kind) fail because different people have different levels of it. I find it difficult to relate to my family, especially my mum and sister, because they have comparatively low levels of EI in terms of managing their emotions and not letting their emotions get the better of them. I think it's a big problem with relationships where one (or more) parties is more calm, and others are more hot-tempered, because people who tend to get angry more easily seem to view people who are calmer as patronising, because the calmer people are more in control of their emotions and actions, which only serves to show how much the hotter tempered ones aren't.

The worst part is, I can't even discuss this fact with them because they'll only see it as me spouting buzzwords, or lecturing them. Any time I try to point out she needs to be a bit calmer and more rational, mum just sneers and says "oh, you're so perfect, aren't you? Look at you, trying to be all therapist-speak and psychoanalyse me". I often feel like I'm the parent dealing with rowdy, uncooperative, immature children.

I just...I try and love my family, or at least like them, I really do, but they really don't make it easy at times.

[things2mustdo]

I doubt anyone needs to be reminded that the media is rotten to the core; even the most reluctant and closed-minded people are accepting this as a given now. But despite the media being widely condemned nowadays (my special thanks to Germans for bringing the word “Lügenpresse” back), few people know or understand what’s really going on in the journalistic kitchens, where the foul slop of lies that people are fed every day is cooked up. However, there is always a way in—through purposeful infiltration or, in my case, by accident.

I have an old friend—let’s call him Sven—whom I always knew as a kind-hearted and sincere man. However, these traits are also coupled with always assuming the best of people and being rather naive. Due to this, he keeps ending up in awkward and sometimes dangerous situations. One of them turned out to be a short stint as a journalist for a popular online newspaper. He barely maintained contact during his employment and eventually went completely off the grid. In about a month, he resurfaced a changed man, and not for the better. As he explained, he quit the job and then shut himself in for a while, armed with nothing but alcohol, to cope with the depression working as a journalist gave him.

Now, this probably sounds very soft to many of you, including myself. Men don’t sink into depressions or try to drink themselves out of problems. While I granted my friend the clemency of explaining his failures to him, I also recognized the usefulness of his experience and started questioning him about what he saw and heard at the job. I will relay his findings below; however, I will not disclose his true name or the name of his employer—given the “free” country we live in, this can land him in very hot water.

Whoever pays you, owns you

Sven joined the ranks of journalists to tell people the truth. To his credit, he believed he would be doing exactly that. His first assignment sounded so simple, after all—talk to a person, record the conversation, write an article, publish it. The reality turned out to be diametrically different—after our fresh-baked journalist returned from his first interview, he was immediately ordered to transcribe the recording and email it to the content manager. Half an hour later Sven received a heavily edited version of the transcript, with the parts he considered most crucial replaced with meaningless buzzwords or removed completely. When he went to the manager to voice his indignation, the manager simply replied: “This man did not pay us for an article that would disparage him. Get back to your desk.”

This was far from the only case of Sven witnessing how much pull money has in journalism. His numerous colleagues almost never produced independent content—they were too busy publishing one paid article after another. When Sven asked whether these articles should be marked as sponsored, the only reply he got was a bitter laugh. Very often the content manager would come over to his desk and say something along the lines of “Do you know the guy you are writing about is a close friend of our boss? Do not screw this article up.” Sven was also surprised to see that many interviewees (usually politicians) would not even bother to talk to him, instead referring him to their secretaries or assistants. One of them even went as far as to hand him a pre-written speech, tell him to work with it and walk away.

However, our Sven also happens to possess a burning sense of justice, which has several times led him to ignore the “recommendations” his content manager gave him, deviate from the official story and allow small snippets of truth to make their way into public view. For each of such occurrences he was called to the manager’s room, given a strict admonishment and had his paycheck for the month reduced. Any “unsanctioned” things that he wrote were quickly edited away afterwards—even if the article had already been read by thousands of people. And his was supposed to be a “neutral and objective” media outlet!

Standards? Never heard of ’em.

It was a big shock for Sven when he finally realized that his employers were beings without conscience who whored themselves out to the highest bidder. It was an even bigger shock when he discovered how nonchalantly his colleagues treated their responsibilities. Investigative journalists relied on information they got from Google searches and Twitter posts, editors and sub-editors used rumors and hearsay to write scathing op-eds, website managers just posted any content that caught their fancy as long as they could come up with a flashy enough headline for it to attract people. Fact-checking was almost unheard of, unless someone specifically paid for it.

When it came to choosing topics and writing articles, the guideline for the entire establishment was simple: do not make the people angry. Not the regular people, mind you—those were not even considered human beings, just a faceless mass that one threw articles at and got pageviews and money in return. No, the label “people” was reserved for people who mattered. This included representatives of the powers that be, well-known public figures, moneybags with fingers in the political pie and, of course, personal buddies of the outlet’s owner.

These were to be protected, coddled and praised at all costs, while everyone else was fair game. Needless to say, politics held as much sway in the outlet as money did—whenever something noteworthy happened, “protectors of truth and objectivity” immediately went to work spinning the events in a way desirable for those holding their leashes. Hit pieces against political opponents and undesirables were churned out, smokescreens were cast, facts were omitted, denied and misinterpreted. Sven confessed to me later that the day his outlet covered the parliamentary elections was the first day in his life when he spent the entire evening drinking. Journalistic ethics, a term that the media loves throwing left and right, turned out to be nothing but hot air.

In the media omelet, you are an egg

The title says it all. For top dogs in the media business, a rank-and-file worker is not just a pawn—he is a condom. Contrary to what many people think, a typical journalist’s existence is quite pathetic: underpaid, undervalued, thankless and constantly bossed around. Staff turnover in the “kitchen” is very high, and not because people are getting promoted. In this field, the term “veteran employee” frequently means a poor sod who has no alternatives and cannot quit.

According to Sven, plenty of his colleagues worked only for the sake of getting their paycheck, which explains their negligence. Grey faces, pinched mouths, shifty eyes and sour attitudes—whatever it takes to get through the day. In addition, the higher-ups avoided any responsibility for the published content: whenever an angry reader called the office and complained about an article, the guy who wrote it was immediately thrown under the bus, even if his work was reviewed and approved by the management before publication. After all, what does it take to find another office drone with half-decent writing skills?

However, Sven also describes those of his coworkers who enjoyed their job. They arrived at the office with a spring in their step, a smile snaking across their faces and a mischievous glint in their eyes. These were the “talented” favorites of the outlet’s boss—unfeeling, cold assholes who would sell their own mothers for a juicy piece of gossip that they would later smear all over the website. Whenever they got a chance to write a hit piece, spread a nasty rumor or ruin someone’s life, one could almost see them light up from within. Remember all these smug, holier-than-thou, oh-so-intellectual articles churned out by rags like Salon, Dagens Nyheter and Huffington Post? You can bet your pinky finger they were (and are) written by these people. Which brings us to the next topic.

No wrongthink allowed

As you have probably noticed long ago, the media field is a huge and accommodating Petri dish for all varieties of Kulturbolschewismus. In Sven’s case, it wasn’t just a fear-based company policy of snitching and self-censorship, but an actual agenda at work. He told me there was a flowchart hanging in the newsroom explaining what to do when reporting crimes and incidents. It went something like this: “Was the perpetrator native (white)? Y = report in detail, amplify, N = gloss the details over, downplay.”

Sven wrote an article about a national holiday once, but his content manager refused to approve it for publishing due to it being “too patriotic,” advising him instead to “write more inclusively about minorities’ participation in the festival.” Anything praising the country and its indigenous inhabitants was undesirable and omitted whenever possible, while any piece that brimmed with self-hate, praised inhabitants of other (read: African and Muslim) countries or attacked the natives and their way of life was a big hit and flew through approval like a bird.

Needless to say, the outlet’s newsroom was crammed full of women, their pet cucks and, of course, Jews. The former enjoyed absolute power regardless of their position—a simple complaint to HR was enough to fire anyone, no proof required. The cucks, represented by twig-armed, piercing-laden, wispy-bearded creatures in Che Guevara shirts, were very pleased with the way things were going, sipping lattes and snitching to HR on those who expressed ideas incompatible with the narrative. Jews were in their native element in the newsroom, doing their usual “arrogant intellectual” schtick and getting promotions out of nowhere. The majority of articles bashing natives, their culture and values came from them, as later study of the newspaper’s website showed me.

Liars for hire

So, to sum it all up: the media is not composed of good but misguided people, as many still think. On the contrary, it is a very purposeful and self-aware entity that positions itself somewhere between an unscrupulous opportunist and a loyal lapdog of the state. At best, it is faux-patriotic (“such a wonderful country we have, let’s invite more immigrants!”), while at worst, it is openly hostile towards the indigenous population of the country it exists in.

Moreover, it allows for consolidation and self-affirmation of globalist forces—the traitorous governments, the world Jewry, the multinationals, the entertainment industry and the like—against the increasingly disenfranchised and declining native population. And last but not least, the media is complicit in crimes committed in the West by non-White immigrants due to purposeful obfuscation of them and, if that fails, rabble-rousing to pressure the courts into letting the criminals off scot-free. To me, the latter reason alone is enough to send all the journalists and their owners to the gibbet.

The bottom line is to always remember that the media is not your friend in any way, shape or form, even if its lowest tier operatives fit the description of hapless victims rather than nation-wrecking enemies. The media must be opposed, exposed and boycotted at every turn until it starts bleeding money and choking on its own venom.

Read More: Is Washington Post Writer Adam Taylor A Shill Or Part Of Something Larger?

While reading  Roosh’s article about Adam Taylor and the Washington Post, I noticed quite a few things I would like to share with people here. The direct link between Adam Taylor and the Radio Free excerpt is an anomaly. Such blatant copying is a very rare thing to occur because it gives away a possible collusion between entities.

Looking for these open relationships is long and hard. The better way to analyze  the relations and motivations of certain publishers, policy makers and other manipulators  is to study the various themes they put out and where these themes repeat. While Roosh  might assume that Adam Taylor is the paid shill by himself, I’ve noticed that his writing changes to whoever publishes it. Therefore the Washington Post Worldviews section may be the one that is parroting US State Department themes not just Adam Taylor.

As is shown in Roosh’s article, the similarities between Adam Taylor’s piece and Radio Free Europe are quite telling. It is a possibility that it is a coincidence but a small one. People that try to influence public opinion go to great lengths to ensure things like this do not happen which is why I’m assuming that Adam Taylor is  part of larger machine and not a shill by himself.

Looking back at Adam Taylor’s writing for the Huffington Post, he wrote fluff pieces about gay dogs and other mass consumption items for that audience. His writing about geopolitical intrigue only takes the current form when he begins writing for the Washington Post. All his articles are the Who’s Who of what the US State Department doesn’t like. The roster includes Russia, China, Venezuela, Syria, and Zimbabwe. He writes nothing critical of any American allies.

Could this mean that his change in format indicate that someone turned him? I doubt it. Compare his work at the Washington Post to the rest of the “world views” section there, his writing is merely a contribution to a giant echo chamber and not unique to him.

As I said earlier, it’s very rare for open evidence of collusion such as the similar quotations to present themselves. A better technique to discern propaganda and collusion is to analyze trends and themes.You should look for such things as what the work attempts to convey, does it try to get you to think or act in a certain way, and does it try to get you to disregard other things.

In the Adam Taylor case, the pattern changes significantly from the Huffington Post to the Washington Post. You can also apply this trend analysis to pretty much any author. You can even apply to the contributors here at  Return of Kings and see what you get. Do the trends indicate that the publisher may dictate what the writers write about? Do the trends indicate whether or not the writers have freedom to write about whatever they want? To help you readers out on this exercise I’ll inform you there were two articles I did at the direction of the publisher. They were my article for fat shaming week and my article for #backtothekitchen.  Feel free to comment on any other trends you might notice and if they do not line up with the “about” page.

[multiscales]

The automatic association of not liking the way Gou is incorporated in the series with racism and homophobia is such a ludicrous statement. People come with many legit criticisms about the start of the new series but all you people have to respond to this is "hurrr durrr the implications!!!" as if ignoring every shortcoming (and that includes Ash) of PM2019 wasn't enough, you people have to go back to your delusional generalizations. Can't people just happen not to like the feel of this series ?

Woah there anon, just because I reblog a post doesn’t mean I agree with everything said, more or less that I can empathize with the heart of what’s been spoken. That being said I admittedly do get some implicitely subtle vibes from Pokémon fandom sometimes when it comes to characters and certain things. I’m not necessarily generalizing all criticisms of Gou or any characters as being malicious just that I can see where the posters who feel this way are coming from. Truth be told I’m not shocked. If you went on Bulbagarden or were active there you would know how much of a hot mess Gou/Go discussions are. BMFG has been getting flack for not shutting down this nonsense for a while, for example did you know they had a whole thread in which Gou/Go was labeled as a “Psycho / Sociopath.”

It took a constant ring of fighting and complaining to get it shutdown, forget Gou/Go but you want to be a bit more mindful in 2020 of throwing out labels like that. It did not shine a favorable light on Bulbagarden considering I’ve seen people on various sites discussing this. I can agree with the portion of whether justified or not, I’m kind of sick of the overly belligerent vitriol aimed at brown/dark-skinned characters as being THE WORST because of writing. Mallow/Mao seem to be everyone’s punching bag last series for being “useless” or “worthless.” I’ve seen post around bombarding Mallow with labels like that get dozens of likes and replies on BMFG. I’ve seen Iris for example get called by the N-word, “bitch,” “ugly,” “witch,” “animal,” seen her empathetic talent likened to “voodoo” (ew....) I’m of Native and African descent, it’s not hard for me to see the micro aggressions and think certain things.

As for Gou/Go I’ve see him referred to by transphobic names many a time than I care to admit. He’s not exactly the most “fanservice-y” male character (receding hairline, brown, prominent forehead, eyelashes). So I do think in general people are less tolerant of the actions of these characters than say “Serena” or “Hikari” or their good ole’ boy and hero Ash Ketchum. So I do have my feels about passive micro aggressions that are easier to get on board with about certain characters than others. Especially among pale-PokeGirl and Satoshi-fans (I say as a lover of various blonde, blue-eyes white girl characters like Korrina) That being said I’m not boxing all criticisms of Gou off as shady, I have my criticisms of his character and goal (inconsequential, not enough substance, kind of meh at times) but it does feel a bit overdone at times. There’s also the shipping implications I see with certain characters who are “nice” to Satoshi and “good waifus” to him versus ones like Koharu who are “mean, cold bitches” for “ignoring him” so I can understand why people side eye Gou hate as homophobia too.

Honestly, I can see why people are sick of it. Female characters shouldn’t have to act like “nice, well mannered waifus” to be treated decently by the fandom. Characters like Gou should be able to make mistakes without seeing so much demonization compared to characters like Paul/Shinji. The fandom needs to watch its language sometimes when it comes to what is said about characters like this because when you feel the need to constantly call characters by certain names it’s going to be hard for fans especially teen and young adult ones to not side eye you. Especially in a fandom like this one that doesn’t exactly hide its love of “waifus” and “lolis” and shipping (usually using Satoshi as a fandom bike). You do you man, but I’m just saying be self aware.

Kind of funny since I feel like one of the more bigger critics of certain aspects of PM from time to times so the idea I don’t want anyone to say anything bad abo it this series feels very tipsy turvy. When it comes right down to it we live in an age where people pay attention to stuff like this and I kind of don’t blame anyone for looking at certain patterns of behavior (I did myself as a child watching BW *Iris getting called N-word/B*tch once again on a YouTube video for example or her being othered and excluded from PokeGirl art/conversation/appreciation*) Hell even the fandom had a whole ass controversy about ambiguously brown-skinned character Nessa (the fandom certainly showed much of its antiblackness). Honestly, I really don’t think most people criticizing these characters are this way but like I said I do see why people side eye fandoms with this crap and I do see why it can get exhausting especially when it’s person attacks about appearance or gender or buzzwords like “bitch” or some mental health-related thing.

[omgjasminesimone]

The Hot Exchange Student Part 1

Logan x MC (Ellie)

Next Part: Part 2

Author’s Note: I have a Logan ficlet queued to post at 7 AM PST for Logan RoDAW day, but then I had this idea and couldn’t resist writing it up. At first it was going to be a one-shot, but now I realize it has to be a series. Even though I told myself my next series will be Colt x MC (I’m still going to write that one eventually). This is my first Choices AU, since I’ve been reading so many great AUs lately and now I’m inspired!

Summary: Logan is an exchange student from Detroit. He arrives at LAX to meet his hosts for the semester, Ellie Wheeler and her father, who just so happens to be a Detective who’s very protective of his only daughter.

Word Count: 2000

“….I didn’t think we’d be hosting a boy.” Detective Wheeler complains again, as he and Ellie wait by the luggage claim at LAX for the exchange student they’re hosting this Fall semester.

Ellie adjusts the sign she’s carrying so Logan can find them. The sign simply says Logan. His application didn’t include a last name, or a photo. The only info the Wheelers have is that Logan is a high school Junior, like Ellie, and he’s coming from South Detroit High School in Michigan.

"I think they usually try to pair the same gender, so there must have been more boys than girls this semester.” Ellie explains.

“Had I known they were going to place a teenage boy in my house, I wouldn’t have agreed to do this Ellie.”

Ellie rolls her eyes. “Dad, what are you worried about? You know you can trust me. I promise you Logan will not be sneaking into my room in the middle of the night.” Considering that Ellie has yet to go out on a date, or even kiss a boy, her dad’s fears are completely unwarranted.

“I do trust you Ellie. It’s him I don’t trust.”

“You haven’t even met him yet Dad. Don’t rush to judgement so quickly. And this is going to look really good on my college applications so please don’t make him want to go back home.”

Detective Wheeler sighs, “Fine, I’ll play nice.”

“Thank you.”

Many teenage boys exit through the automatic doors from the terminal, and each time Ellie holds her breath for a moment, wondering if it’s Logan. But they all pass, giving no attention to her homemade sign. The flow of people starts to trickle, and still no Logan. Ellie frowns, lowering the sign to the floor. She turns to her dad. “Do you think he missed his flight?”

Before Detective Wheeler can respond, another teenage boy comes out of the terminal. He’s carrying a backpack, rolling a yellow and black carry-on bag. He glances around for a moment, and then his brown eyes meet hers from across the room. She tentatively lifts the sign again, he reads it, and then he smiles at her.

Her heart literally skips a beat. Okay, maybe her dad was right to be concerned about this whole arrangement.

Logan is insanely hot. His hair is on the long side, and there’s really no word for his brown locks besides luscious. His eyes are piercing, his smile charming, his arms which are left exposed by his tight white t-shirt veiny and muscular. She can only assume there are more muscles under the t-shirt. Ellie prays her face isn’t as red as she thinks it must be as he approaches.

“The Wheelers?” Logan asks. Oh God, she even likes his voice.

Words fail her, so she just nods enthusiastically. Logan smiles at her again, or is that a smirk? Why is he so hot?!

Detective Wheeler offers his hand for a handshake, “Nice to meet you Logan. Detective Kyle Wheeler. And this is my daughter Ellie.”

Logan shakes the offered hand, “Nice to meet you both. Thanks for hosting me.”

Ellie clears her throat, hoping she can speak to him without stuttering. “Do we need to wait for your checked bag?”

“Nah, I didn’t check a bag. I don’t own a lot of stuff.” Logan answers, adjusting his backpack.

“Well, let’s get back to the house then. Welcome to Los Angeles.” Mr. Wheeler greets.

…

..

.

“And this will be your room.”  Ellie concludes the house tour, turning on the light in what had been their guest bedroom and then standing aside so Logan can pass.

Logan drops his backpack to the floor, leaving his carry on by the door as he walks around the room, surveying the space with his hands in his jean pockets. “This is really nice.” He’s making an observation, not complimenting the house, Ellie notes.

“Different than your room in Detroit?” Ellie asks to make conversation.

“Very.” He replies shortly.  

When he doesn’t offer anything else, Ellie figures she should let him settle in. “Well, I’ll let you get some sleep. You must be tired from the flight.”

 “I’m not that tired. It’s only a five-hour flight.” He sits on the mattress, bouncing a little to test it out. “This is so soft.” He notes, leaning back on his hands. His gaze suddenly turns to her. “So, what’s your deal?”

Ellie frowns, puzzled as she leans against the wall. “My deal?”

“Like, what made you want to host an exchange student? It’s kind of a weird thing to do, open up your home to some stranger from across the country.” Logan clarifies.

Ellie shrugs. “We have a big house. It’s just me and my dad. I thought it would be nice to have some more life in the house.” She doesn’t mention that since her mom died a couple of years ago, having all her dad’s focus on her makes her anxious, the house is too quiet, they sometimes sit at dinner together in an uncomfortable silence. Ellie also doesn’t mention her Langston college application, how this will show her ability to emphasize, mentor, and all those other buzzwords she’s planning to use in her admission essay.

Logan’s stare starts to unnerve her. Ellie clears her throat. “Why’d you want to come? Do you have dreams of Los Angeles stardom?”

Logan smirks at her. “Nah. They don’t actually let you pick the place you know. I just figured wherever they sent me, had to be better than my situation in Detroit.”

She’s about to ask him what his situation in Detroit is, but her dad appears in the open doorway. “What do you think Logan? Is the room up to your standards? Sorry it’s a little undecorated, Ellie and I weren’t sure what teenage boys like nowadays.”

Logan’s gaze flickers to Ellie for a split second before he looks around the room. “This is exactly what I like.”

…

..

.

“Hmmm….we have Spanish and P.E. together, but that’s it.” Ellie notes as she looks over Logan’s schedule after they collect it from the registration table outside the building.

Logan looks around the Mar Vista Prep parking lot, there are some really nice cars here. There most be a lot of spoiled rich kids at this school. “Probably because you’re smarter than me. I see a lot of AP classes on your schedule.” Logan responds as they head into the building.

Ellie blushes. “I’m not that smart you know. I just study a lot.”

“I’ve noticed.” Logan arrived in Los Angeles a week before the school year started. Ellie has been a great host, taking him to the beach, In N’ Out, Griffith Observatory, all the tourist hot spots during the day, but every night she studies. It’s kind of bizarre to him. He’s never met anyone like her before.

Logan follows Ellie through the halls. “This is your first period class Logan. We’re on block schedule, so I’ll meet you here in 2 hours and we can walk to 3rd period Spanish together.”

“Can’t wait.” Logan flirts, enjoying the rush of red that floods her cheeks. She’s fun to rile up. Ellie is cute, but not the kind of girl he usually goes for. In Detroit, he picks up girls at sideshows. Those girls don’t spend their Friday evenings studying for the PSATs. Additionally, he’s living with her and her father, so it would definitely be a bad idea to move past innocent flirtation. Despite this, his gaze falls to her pink lips anyway.

He’s making her nervous. He seems to have that effect on her. “Have a good day!” Ellie waves before covering her blushing face, hurrying off to her own class.

In third period Spanish, Logan meets Ingrid.

“You’re Ellie’s exchange student? I thought they weren’t supposed to mix genders! They gave me this awkward girl from Canada who never speaks, while Ellie gets a hottie like you.” Ingrid complains.

“Maybe if you were nicer to her, she’d speak to you Ingrid.” Ellie interrupts, drumming her fingers against her desk irritably.

Logan raises an eyebrow. Seems like those two have a whole thing.

Ingrid glares at Ellie, who she wasn’t speaking to. “They probably figured you were the safest to mix with Wheeler because obviously nothing is going to happen with a prude like you.” Ingrid retorts.

The classroom fills with snickers at Ellie expense, which Logan doesn’t like. But before he can say anything, Ingrid continues. “Hey Logan, Brent is throwing a back to school party this weekend at his house. His parents are in Europe. Brent throws the best parties, and it will be a good chance to meet people. I worry you won’t get the full LA high school experience being stuck with Ellie. Most of us actually do more than just study.”

“The best parties? Ellie, how are Brent’s parties?” Logan turns to look at her, and she freezes under his gaze.

“I wouldn’t know. I’m never invited.” She reveals.

Logan turns back to Ingrid. “Is Ellie invited?”

Ingrid sputters for a moment. “I mean….I don’t know why you’d even want her there, but sure. Brent’s parties are an open invitation kind of thing.”

Logan leans back in his seat, smiling charmingly at Ingrid. “We’ll think about it.”

…

..

.

Ellie sighs as she adjusts her black lace romper, putting her ombre hair into an Ariana Grande inspired high ponytail instead of her usual braid. She shouldn’t have let Logan talk her into going to this party. Parties aren’t her scene. Not that she’s ever been to a real high school party, but she’s seen them in movies. She assumes there will be loud music, and underage drinking, and maybe 7 minutes in heaven? That happens in some of the movies, that or spin the bottle. That’s not her scene. She’ll probably just stand awkwardly in the corner with Riya and Darius all night while Logan grinds on Ingrid.

A cheery knock sounds on her door, and she opens it for Logan. He’s dressed the same as usual, albeit darker jeans. But there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken. As always, Logan looks really good. He gives her a quick look over. “You look really nice Ellie.” God, he’s smiling at her again. She tries to fight down her blush that arises with such simple praise. She really needs to get a grip.

“My dad wants to talk to us before we leave.”

Logan nods, “Lead the way.”

Ellie and Logan head down to the living room and take a seat on the couch. Mr. Wheeler sits in the recliner across from the pair.

“You look nice Ellie.” Her dad comments, taking in her outfit.

“Thanks Dad.”

Mr. Wheeler turns his gaze to Logan. “Logan, you’ll look out for Ellie right? Make sure no one slips anything into her punch, that there aren’t strange boys around her, that-“

“Dad.” Ellie interrupts. “I’ll be fine.”

Logan nods. “I’ve got her Mr. Wheeler.”

“Okay, you guys need to be back by 10:00 PM”

Logan frowns. “You’re giving us a 10:00 PM curfew on a Friday night?”

Mr. Wheeler frowns back. “What’s your curfew at home Logan?”

“I don’t have one.” Logan answers.

“Well, I’m clearly not as lax as your parents. Nothing good happens after 10:00 PM, so I would prefer you both be home by then.”

“It’s already 8:00 now, and we have a 10:00 curfew?” Logan continues to challenge.

Mr. Wheeler’s eyes narrow, he’s not used to back talk. Ellie always does what he says. “10:30 then.” He replies.

Logan looks like he wants to argue more, but Ellie knows her dad much better than he does. Mr. Wheeler’s next move will be not letting them go at all. She places a hand on Logan’s knee to stop him from saying anything else. Her dad catches that, frowning, so Ellie quickly takes her hand off of Logan.

“10:30. We’ve got it.” Ellie agrees.

Riya’s distinctive honk sounds from outside, breaking the tension in the room. Ellie quickly gets up, Logan following after her. “Bye Dad, I love you!” Ellie calls as the pair head out the door.

Detective Wheeler just frowns as he watches them go.

…

..

.

Author’s Note: I’m aiming to put out part 2 on Logan RoDAW day, let me know if you’d liked to be tagged!

Taglist (Logan x MC/RoD, I think this is right, let me know if you want to be added or removed!): @choicesarehard @ifyouseekheart @brightpinkpeppercorn @regina-and-happiness @choicelogansbitch @flyawayboo @fairydustandsarcasm @alesana45 @umiumichan @maxwellsquidsuit @professorortegasstudent @god-save-the-keen @mrsmckenziesworld @paisleylovergirl @iplaydrake @sinclaire-made-me-sin @hazah @lovehugsandcandy @desiree-0816 @cora-nova @justdani14 @lady-dianelewis @emceesynonymroll

[justkimberley]

HSMTMTS Thoughts Episode 1

Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5

Ms. Jenn watching HSM in her car is a mood

Ricky seems so excited to “start over” (oof)

She sounded neutral, that’s good right”

Ok, here’s the thing though… announcing that you love someone FOR THE FIRST TIME should be a private thing, not posted for the world to see (in my opinion).

Oof, Ricky’s face, that baby is not sure how to deal with love

“oh,”

So here’s the thing, at this point the audience doesn’t know this yet, but as I am rewatching this, I know what’s going on and Ricky at this point has no frame of reference where “love” works. He thinks that his parents are still in love (or at least he hopes), but his mom has been going away for long periods of time, he knows that their marriage isn’t doing too hot, and he is in the middle of it. Of course he couldn’t say it.

“It was a BREAK it wasn’t a break UP.” “ I’m sorry Ricky, but it’s a break UP now.”

*strong independent Nini face**sad and confused Ricky face*

Ok so like, I love Courtney and she gets better as the season goes on but the “I’m dismantling the patriarchy this year, and I’m not afraid to start with you,” was just,,, I don’t know I guess it just reminds me of the people that I went to high school/worked with that were all talk and buzzwords and no actual sustenance

The “interviews” where Nini’s like: “everything is great” and Ricky is like; “everything is terrible, love is dead” is hilarious and I love it

I love Big Red 

Ugh… Miss Jenn is too much, (she might be my least favourite character I’m sorry) “triggered as a millenial” line also gross, thanks

Carlos - BABEY

Nini has some serious imposter syndrome

Carlos is NOT a HSM historian. You can’t have only seen the first movie all the way through and not seen the other ones.

BROADWAY

Mr. Mazzara, the epitome of my least favourite type of teacher

“We don’t call colleagues sweetie,” you know what? Point to you Mr. Mazzara, that is a thing we shouldn’t do. Very patronizing.

I feel like Mr. Mazarra would be more likable if he didn’t have a mustache? Weird thought but okay

“Looking this fabulous while also fighting for intersectional feminism IS my job” again, buzzwords and no sustenance

V hudge - uhhhh??? No one says that.

All the talented senior girls graduated last year” that is probably the most realistic line in the series

Yay finally good Courtney, actually showing us a little bit about who she is

EJ noticed Nini two years ago, why did he not talk to her until the summer?

I know what he does later is not good, but he does really like her and he cares about her, so at least that counts for something

Natalie! I forgot about her, I wish she had a bigger part in the rest of the show

Nini’s grandma and her moms!

Nini’s imposter syndrome returns

Ricky’s dad! He’s trying so hard to give Ricky’s mom space, and he’s stressed and obviously Ricky is aware, but at least his dad is trying to be reassuring “it’s gonna be fine bud”

Also why does nobody talk about how what Ricky’s mom is doing is kind of really shitty? Like she left her child for weeks at a time, without explaining what was going on?

“Shouldn’t he be fighting to save this?” *goes to fight to save his relationship*

“I’m actually bummed that we don’t have any competition here” - also a very realistic line but the cockiness needs to go (I’m guessing it might be a major point in his redemption. He’s definitely used to getting what he wants all the time, so it would be good to see him start to accept that that’s just not how life works)

Gina! - Sofia Wylie’s dancing, so good

Also, who is the guy with the grey/white hair? He’s one of my favourites.

Also how do they think that Gina should be Gabriella? She’s definitely more of a Sharpay, and if they want to go with a boy for Sharpay (we love Seb) then she should at least be Ryan (why not genderbend the both of them?). She should be someone who is super out there and has lots of musical numbers so she can dance and show off her talent and personality, Gabriella just isn’t that kind of character.

Also miss Jenn’s type casting is really not my thing (you look like a Taylor, you’re a Chad, etc. Should they not just choose who they want to audition for and then be put where they actually fit?)

“I dabble…” (Ashlyn, we love you) also why would Miss Darbus have a power ballad?

“This is my nightmare” *getcha head in the game on repeat *

That Armie Hammer comment is creepy, Miss Jenn

Once again, Gina is too much of a powershow for Gabriella. She’s not showing the vulnerability

Also a look into Gina’s home life that I forgot about. “If you’re not the best don’t do anything at all,” Yikes, total stage mom living vicariously through her daughter? Maybe?

That british accent thing is very strange and also never addressed again (so far) whyy? Why did they do it?? Does anyone in real life actually do this?

“That is why I love you” - *wide eyed flashback* also EJ, its been like one month, slow down tiger

“That’s a really big thing to post online” my thoughts too, Ricky

Okay so here’s my thoughts about Ricky calling the break. His mom has been away for a long time (because of the whole divorce thing) so in his mind, being far away from each other means that the love thing will kind of be messed up and also like his mom texts him right before and definitely reminds him.

It also gives us sight into what Ricky thinks will happen with his parents. He thinks as soon as his mom comes home for good that it will all be fine with his parents, and that’s not what happens (as we know from episode 4). This is also mirrored in Ricky and Nini’s relationship.

Also long distance for teenagers? (grade 10s going into grade 11 at that point) like that isn’t something they’ve ever been told could work

I’m not saying that Nini’s reaction isn’t valid, I’m just trying to explain what I think is going on with Ricky

Although Nini is the only person Ricky goes to for advice, so shouldn’t she kind of be aware of these issues? Although I guess Ricky’s not even very aware of what’s going on at this point either

“Troy would have arrived on time” incorrect - many people have mentioned this but like, Troy was always late. It’s a major plot point in all of the movies.

EJ’s “You got this babe,” is what caused Miss Jen to spill on the light thing and then made the lights go out → metaphor? EJ is actually stifling Nini by being so “supportive” (by accident)

“I’m not thrown,” queen! Literally 1. Boyfriend tells her he loves her causing slightly traumatic flashback 2. Ex boyfriend runs in to auditions for something he’s said he hates and 3. Lights get messed. We stan. Not thrown, what a legend. (and then proceeds to sing and face her dream fears)

Ricky! With the flashlight first, because he believes in her, EJ with his light because he needs to one up Ricky.\

RED! Coming to support his friend.

Temp -tress girl → then immediately improvises lines just to tell Nini that he loves her

“Was this in the movie?” Miss Jenn and Carlos → fake fans

“Cause that’s like not even a word your parents say to each other anymore” → he’s trying to explain his actions (or lack thereof). Also ow, that is a hard thing to hear.

I like Ricky’s version better than Nini’s oops

Also Nini is charmed by it, even though she doesn’t want to be → cue jealous EJ

Everyone subtly impressed, and also are like “awww”

“Don’t not love you” so quietly, this boy has emotional intimacy problems and he needs to talk to a therapist or something cause his parents are really messing him up with their divorce, or “legal separation” I guess. I don’t really know what the difference is.

Ricky’s face when Nini tells him he broke her heart → immediate regret

“I… don’t… not… love you,” oof

Nini and Ashlyn’s faces, my babies are so excited they got their parts!

Gina, shocked

“She thinks I’m a ChAd?”

Ricky looks so impressed with himself and he’s also like *play ball, let’s go boys*, Nini’s like *uh oh*, and EJ’s like *maybe I’ll slip him a rotten egg too*(oop ep. 4 spoilers)

[emperorren]

I know a lot of new shippers came along after tlj and don't know the true craziness of antis, but 2018 was still a frickin mess! For example, November(i think) last year, antis invaded the reylo tag with total bullshit. it's better now that tumblr have sorted out the tagging system, so posts stay were they're meant to, but last year wasn't all sunshine and roses. So shippers who say they're post tlj still should have been around for that shit show.

that’s just a fraction of what the overall discourse was in 2016 though. I mean, main tags can be avoided (I never go there, for example, because there’s too much trash to begin with, antis or not). But in 2016 my entire dashboard was like this. Half my mutuals were like this, general sw blogs couldn’t be trusted, Leia fans couldn’t be trusted, Anakin stans couldn’t be trusted, and bloggers I previously loved suddenly started paying lip service to anti rhetoric calling us sickos and abuse apologists and internalized racists and so on. And I had it relatively easy, compared to other shippers who got death threats and triggering content in their inbox.

The "let us all hold hands and sing the kumbaya" attitude from TLJ Reylos is extra annoying when you realize that many of them were casually liking and reblogging antis' vitriolic posts between TFA and TLJ. I have seen so many of them humorously admitting to it. "Haha I used to think Reylos were crazy but after TLJ I was like hot damn their chemistry is great!"

That’s true. I’m glad that at least some antis came around and fell in love with the reylo dynamic, and I believe in redemption arcs lol, but some OG reylos were actively bullied and doxxed and suicide baited and they 100% have a right to avoid contact with people who previously supported or tacitly tolerated that kind of behavior.

I was in a GC for another fandom last year, totally unrelated to SW, but when I offhand mentioned I was a Reylo it turned out a couple people in the same GC were antis and shit hit the fan. The highlight was prob someone who I thought was my friend bringing up a selfie I’d sent her of me and a male friend at a concert, and trying to use that as “evidence” in an argument that I was straight and he was my boyfriend. Because, you know, a Reylo has to be lying about being queer, because of Reylo

Oh anon, I’m so sorry this happened to you. It’s shitty. It’s literally doxxing, and a horrible betrayal of trust on your ex-friend part. Queer Reylo erasure was unfortunately very common in anti circles. Antis seem to think only white cishet normies can love Reylo---not because it makes any sense, of course, but because it’s the demographic they know they can relentlessly and remorselessly bully while still pretending they’re woke and fighting for a good cause or whatever. And when they’re presented with evidence that actually a lot of Reylos are queer, or non-white, they either assume it’s a lie or bend over backwards to prove that those Reylos have “internalized” -ism.

And what you said describes very well the atmosphere many of us found ourselves in---with people you thought were your friends, or at least nice mutuals, suddenly turning against you or supporting discourse that painted all of us with the same brush as racists, misogynists etc.

I'm so so glad new reylos don't have to deal with the toxicity now that was felt back then. I was new a few months before TLJ came out (mostly because I completely forgot SW was a thing & then I fell upon the wonderful OG reylos' meta), and even that brief amount of toxicity drove me to delete my Tumblr account. I made a new one since then, but I still feel too nervous to make any posts of my own. I tend to just reblog everyone else's thoughtful posts. Thank goodness for blocking buttons & tags. 

I think things changed not just because Reylo got objectively more mainstream and is practically canon now, but also because there’s much more honest discussion about the toxic aspects of this culture. And we Reylos had a part to play in this. We fought back (like other *problematic* shippers did), and we forced anti culture to reveal itself, rather than keep lurking and infiltrating fandom discourse in a underhanded way. We made block lists and recognized potentially toxic patterns in bloggers with a certain theme or certain buzzwords in their blog description. We engaged in public discussions and more and more people started coming out and denouncing how uncomfortable they were with anti arguments. When needed, we closed our ranks and made it clear antis’ feedback on our shipping activities was not welcome. In short, not only we created an environment where our ship could thrive, but we contributed to the rise of an anti-anti culture, which is strongly pro-inclusiveness, pro-intellectualism, pro-intersectionality, pro-nuanced meta analysis, whereas classic anti culture is getting old and relies on the same stifling, reactionary arguments from 5-6 years ago.

[nctinfo]

[TRANS] ViVi Magazine: NCT 127 on recently learned Japanese and buzzwords!

Please tell us your recommendations for places to go and foods to eat in Korea!

Doyoung: When you come to Korea, you should eat authentic galbi! It’s similar to Japanese yakiniku, but what makes Korean galbi special is that you eat it with a sweet sauce, and it tastes amazing! It’s delicious on its own or wrapped with Korean lettuce. Taeyong: I’ll introduce a dessert. Have you ever eaten the Korean hot dog popular with foreign tourists? I’ve heard that there are many different versions of it, and some are even filled with cheese. Johnny: Tteokbokki, a street food that the locals also eat! There are videos about it uploaded on YouTube as well, so check them before your trip. There are many tteokbokki stands near Myeongdong station too. I’m hooked on it recently as well, so I get it catered frequently (lol). Jaehyun: As a meat lover, I recommend black pork from Jeju Island. It’s juicy and really great! The Jeju way to eat it is with a sauce made of salted squid, so please try it. Mark: I’m sorry! I’m not very familiar with it…… (with Korean places and foods) How about the Han River? I’ve played some water sports with Taeil and Yuta at Han River before, and it was very healing. Jungwoo: My recommendation is Lotte World. When I think of an amusement park in Korea, Lotte World is what comes to mind! I’ve gone there a lot, ever since I was a child. There are thrilling rides as well as fun indoor rides, so if you ever go on a trip to Korea, please go there! Yuta: A place that I personally like is Insadong. Many old buildings remain there, and the atmosphere is similar to my favorite city, Kyoto. There are stylish cafes that have been renovated as well, and I think it can be an enjoyable stop for all-girl trips. Taeil: The food that I recommend is budae jjigae. It’s a hot pot dish with all sorts of toppings like ramen and rice cakes, and I love it too! Kimchi jjigae is popular, but I think there may be people who have never tried budae jjigae, so I wanted to recommend it. 

What’s a Japanese word you learned recently?

Taeyong: “Uchiage (Afterparty)”. It’s a favorite Japanese word of mine. “Alright, let’s go to the afterparty~!” Yuta: Because I’m always in Korea, I get less sensitive to Japanese buzzwords, and I only recently learned “Sodane~ (That’s right~)” and “Hanpa naitte (~is awesome)” (T/N: both are buzzwords from TV) Oh, also “Ossanzu rabu (Old guys love)”! (T/N: this is the title of a drama) Wait, is that already old? Isn’t “Agemizawa (Turnt up)” trending right now!? I need to look up its meaning (lol). Jungwoo: “Meccha umainenkedo, kuutemiru? (This is super delicious, wanna try it?)” and “Meccha kireinenkedo, dousuru? ([She’s/they’re] so pretty, what do I do?)”. (T/N: these are both in a Western Japanese dialect) I also like “This program is brought to you by the following sponsors”. And I can’t forget “Sekai ni itami wo. Shinra-tensei,” a Jutsu from the anime “Naruto”. Yuta taught me all of these phrases! Doyoung: This is also a phrase that I learned for the Japanese tour – “Kankokugo de hanashitemo iidesuka? (Can I speak in Korean?)” Sometimes, I have to speak in Korean because I don’t know Japanese. I learned this word to explain that. Taeil: “Tandoku tsuaa (Solo tour)”. This is a word that I learned while preparing for this tour. I think I’ll be using this word a lot in the future, and we are hoping to get to do many more solo tours in the future. Jaehyun: I learned “Moriagatte ikimashou~! (Let’s get turnt up!)” for the tour. I was wondering what I should say at the beginning of the show for everyone to get pumped up, and I learned this from Yuta. Mark: “Donoyouni? (How?)” I’m hooked on the pronunciation of the word and it’s so easy to say too. I keep wanting to repeat “Donoyouni? Do, do, do, do, donoyouni?” (lol). Johnny: “Madamada suteeji de minasan to isshoni icha damedesuka? (Can’t we be on the stage with you guys a little longer?)” I said this a lot during this tour. The response was great! Thank you everyone~!

Tell us a trending Korean word.

Mark: “Shilhwanya?” It means “Is it true?” Jungwoo: “Insa (insider)” and “Asa (outsider)” are two words I hear frequently. Insa are the people who are in the know, and asa are the opposite. We use it like “Taeil is very insa.” And in our group, “ Igeogeodeun gayaji” means that’s it, let’s go. Taeil: “Honkono”. It’s an abbreviation of “going to karaoke alone” = ”Honja koin noraebang”. My image is that young people use it a lot (lol). Yuta: A phrase that’s trending in our group is “Let’s kaja”. “Kaja” means “let’s go,” so to translate it, it would be “Alright, let’s go!”? Before our concert, we get in a circle and say “Let’s kaja” to get more energized. Doyoung: “Ddinggok”!! It’s a made-up word meaning “a hit song”. “Hit song” is actually “myeonggok (명곡),” but when written in Hangeul, aren’t 명 and 띵 similar? Purposefully mistaking it as “Ddinggok” is trending recently. Taeyong: Myeong, dding♪ The rhythm is nice too. Johnny: Ddinggok is really trending! It’s a buzzword you can hear in the city a lot! Doyoung: And I forgot the title, but in a drama, “teacher” was pronounced as “Susengnim” instead of “Seonsaengnim,” and everyone imitates it. I’m always watching dramas so I know a lot of trending words (lol). Jaehyun: If a Japanese person said these words we mentioned, everyone will be surprised!

How do you pass the time when you’re on the go?

Taeil: I usually sleep. Before long trips, I try my best not to sleep so that I can sleep when I get on the flight. I push my limits, so sometimes I fall asleep even before the plane is in the air (lol). Johnny: I’m the type to want to talk to the members, but before I know it, the member that I’m talking to would have fallen asleep, as well as myself (lol). Jungwoo: I sit silently and think about various things, eat airplane food and sleep, and also watch movies. Mark: I only listen to music; I really don’t do anything special. Doyoung: I love watching my favorite dramas. “Sky Castle” is a recent one that I enjoyed! Jaehyun: I gaze at the scenery outside the window, especially when we go overseas. Yuta: When we go on long trips, I need to prepare the day before! I download all the new popular songs and make a playlist for only myself. Also, recently, I like to read books. I like all sorts of genres, but I tend to read books on communication and self-enlightenment. Taeyong: We all sleep together!

If you were to switch bodies with another member for a day, who would you become and what would you do?

Mark: I’d like to be Jungwoo. Jungwoo is a very lovable airhead (lol). To better understand Jungwoo’s personality and what he’s always thinking, it might be easiest to become Jungwoo himself. Taeil: I want to be Jungwoo too. It’s the first time I met someone like him (lol). I want to experience Jungwoo’s thought process and find out what thought gets translated into each action. He really is an interesting member! Johnny: Everyone has their own charms so it’s hard to choose, but if I were to pick one, it’d be Yuta. I’m envious of his Japanese skills, and he’s just so cool when he’s playing soccer! If I were to be reborn, I want to be better at sports, especially soccer. Like, isn’t soccer so difficult? Yuta: I want to be Johnny! Being able to speak English is really admirable. And his communication skills are so high that he has his own “communication center”! I want to become Johnny, and talk to every single person all over the world that I come across. Taeyong: I want to be Taeil or Doyoung, and sing in a high pitch that I can’t reach. It probably feels good to sing in that range. The song that I want to sing? It’s definitely “Let It Go” from “Frozen”. In the original key, of course! Jaehyun: Honestly, I want to stay as myself (lol). If it was possible, I want to become a one-man Avenger with every member’s charms squeezed inside! Doyoung: I want to become Johnny, who is positive and humorous, and make the people around me happy. Jungwoo: Taeil? Because Taeil is an “Insa (a person in the know)”! But I also want to become Mark, the member that’s loved by everyone, and become Yuta and speak fluent Japanese and…… Hmm, can’t I be a different member every day?

Translation: Miu @ FY! NCT (NCTINFO) | Source: vivi.tv — Do not repost or take out without our permission!