#non gg boards

[humansofstarshollow]

S-, an adventurer

[sgiandubh]

June's delight and July's flavor

I was making coffee, a couple of minutes ago, in my sunny corner of the world, and I just had an aha moment.

Am I willing to ever write about S's Fitness Harem, this apparently never ending merry-go-round of chicks that pop up from nowhere, on promo season?

The answer is NO, and non-negotiable, because it's always the same-same-but-different (got a T-shirt from Bangkok with this, but that's another story) pattern:

I follow you on IG/you follow me on IG/news are being sent to thirsty inboxes/innuendo ensues somehow/people go ballistic with speculation/if we are lucky, a picture of a dog, or a cucumber, or a dog and a cucumber are conveniently brought up for consumption/ describe and discuss dog/ describe and discuss cucumber/ describe and discuss dog AND cucumber /class dismissed.

I know all of this. You know all of this. And yet, somehow, we still fall for it. Every single time. Muffled wailings are heard in Shipperville on every hiatus because KE, GG, ABC, do-re-mi...see? I can make shit up too with letters and sounds, because I am that good.

What brought us all here, ladies? A dog and a cucumber, or Life imitating Art? What the hell happened to us since, that we feel the need to keep tabs, timelines and probably also Excel files on June's delight and July's flavor? And don't get me started about August, this dreaded duck up and cover era of our calendars.

This is disingenuous and should be strictly none of our business. This is beneath us. Not a fraction of a second of my time is going to be devoted to give any traction to this childish seasonal rigmarole. Not a single one.

I will leave the ouija board experts to their own devices. That drinking game never ends well. I know what my gut keeps on telling me and it is more than enough. And it should be for you, too.

[flouqic-jaye]

⊹₊⟡ INTRODUCTION TO ME !

INTRODUCTION — 𝐉𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄

Hello tumblr!! My name is Jazmine and you can either call me

Jaz

Jazmine

JJ

Valerie (If we’re close)

Jaye 💙

Jiji

𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐂 — 𝐉𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐒

Music 🎵 I like:

Rap, Hip hop, K-pop, R&b, Jazz, 2000’s, Hyperpop, Electro, Alt etc

Artists I like: Bryson Tiller, HER, Summer Walker, PartyNextDoor, SZA, Giveon, dhruv, Chris Brown, 702, TLC, Destiny’s Child, 2pac, Biggie, Pop Smoke, A Boogie with a Hoodie, Lil Uzi Vert, Vacations, Arctic Monkeys, 50 Cent, Aaliyah, Gwen Stefani, Kanye West, Cassie, Britney Spears, Amerie, Blu Cantrell, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, Alicia Keys, Madonna, Juice WRLD, XXXTENTACION, Lil Peep, Amy Winehouse, Mary J Blige, Fat Joe, Terror Squad, Drake, J. Cole, Future, Metro Boomin, T-Pain, Lloyd, Kendrick Lamar, Chase Atlantic, Sean Paul, Pingmas, CLASS:Y, Stray Kids, Enhypen, Txt, P1harmony, Ateez, Aespa Boynextdoor, Bts, Riize, NEWJEANS ‼️🤞 etc (I’m too lazy.)

𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 — 𝐉𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

Personally, I’ve never struggled really with shifting as it just came naturally to me bc I was into spirituality before shifting and manifestation etc etc. When I found out about shifting I just knew it would be easy so it was & I minishifted on my first try 🤷‍♀️ My tips for shifters are to just let go, babe, you know you are going to shift and you ALREADY have shifted so why put shifting on a pedestal? Your mind shifts and as soon as you decide that you’ve shifted ! Easy as that.

𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝟐.𝟎 — 𝐉𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

I have a lot of drs, but most of them I’ve shifted to them a few times

Skz DR (40-45x ??)

Enhypen DR (20-25x)

Ateez DR (5x)

KUARTZ DR ft.@s4ku-sh1ftz (3x)

True beauty DR (8-9x)

TXT DR (1x)

P1h DR (2x)

Sweet Home (1x)

Alice In Borderland (1x)

All Of Us Are Dead (0x)

Alone In The World (0x)

Garfield (0x PLEASE LET ME SEE THIS DR I NEED IT)

EL3VATION (3x)

ru next? (10-12x)

Life in Korea (0x)

Life in China (0x)

Life in Japan (0x)

And the rest of my (0x) DRS

-Supacell

-NYX (Own co-ed group)

-Nexz

-Idol School x AOUAD ft.@s4ku-sh1ftz

-Katseye

-Grown Ups

-Better Cr

-Twice

-Aespa

-Newjeans

-BlackPink

-Cobra Kai

-Chase Atlantic

-Fast & Furious

-Spiderverse

-Call Of Duty

-MAVE (Own gg)

-Bloodhounds

-Strong Girl Nam-soon

-Day Shift

-Jumanji

-Ult K-pop Fan

-Boarding School

-Hierarchy

-Str!pper

-K-pop Mafia

𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝟑.𝟎 — 𝐉𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒

This is lowkey just a promo section but I make shifting script templates and you can check them out on the Linktree (byo) and on my TikTok @ezoxtica please consider dropping temp suggestions if you like the theme of my temps or want a specific theme for a temp I made! <3

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 — 𝐉𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄

I’m also a writer and upload my works here on tumblr!! I’ll try my best to write a variety of one shot smuts, 100k fics, slow burns etc etc. Send in all the requests you have for these PUHLEASEEE. I need ideas for posting and I love doing peoples reqs. There are obviously some lines that I won’t cross with smuts but if I’m not comfy, I’ll either not reply, or let you know.

𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 — 𝐉𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐅𝐒

I’m a heavy Law Of Assumption user and I believe I have mastered it, I believe in non-dualism & eiypo but my beliefs can change daily and idrc if y’all start yapping about how I switch my beliefs every day #suckonit. I also don’t give af abt no drama on shifttok so if u race change or age down or whatever tf people don’t like on shifttok ur welcome here lol. I really do not gaf

[pomemeraki]

This is NOT an rp, aesthetic or delusion. My blog is entirely about non-fiction, its astral projection and shifting. No hate will be tolerated and I block freely. If you are here to spread hate or negativy I ask you to leave and block me.

All my 53 drs ! (๑╹ω╹๑ )

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

A.

— Attack on titan.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

B.

— Banana fish.

— Band dr.

— Better cr.

— BNHA.

— Boarding School.

— Bungou Stray Dogs.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

C.

— Cardcaptor Sakura.

— Chucky.

— Comfort.

— Coraline.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

D.

— DCEU.

— Demon slayer.

— Descendants.

— Doom Patrol.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

E.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

F.

— Fame Dr.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

G.

— Genshin Impact.

— Good Omens.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

H.

— Harry potter. (I don't support JK)

— Helluva boss.

— Hunter x Hunter.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

I.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

J.

— Jujutsu Kaisen.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

K.

— Kpop Soloist.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

L.

— Lord Of The Rings.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

M.

— Marauders. (I don't support JK)

— Miraculous Ladybug.

— Model dr.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

N.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

O.

— Omori.

— Own bg.

— Own gg.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

P.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

Q.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

R.

— Resident Evil.

— Rick & Morty.

— Riverdale.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

S.

— Sam & Cat.

— Shameless.

— SK8.

— South Park.

— Spiderman into the Spiderverse.

— Stardew Valley.

— Stranger Things.

— Stranger Things 2.

— Streamer ENG.

— Streamer PT.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

T.

— Teen fame.

— The Bigbang Theory.

— The Goldbergs.

— The Sandman.

— The Sandman 2.

— The Walking Dead.

— Titans.

— Titans 2.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

U.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

V.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

W.

— Waiting Room.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

X.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

Y.

— Youtuber dr.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

Z.

ʚ‎‏ ͜ ̩͙ ︵ ̩͙ ୨ ♡ ୧ ̩͙ ‏︵ ̩͙ ͜ ɞ

━━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━━━

[strideofpride]

random ask for when you’re in the mood: if you had both the opportunity and inclination to readapt the original gossip girl for today’s audience, what elements of the core characters would you alter, and which ones would you make sure to preserve? are there aspects of certain characters you’d want to give more or less emphasis as compared to the way they were presented in the original show?

(for context, this thought experiment came to me because i was thinking about how if anyone ever did reboot the original gossip girl today and weren’t writing dan as gg, they’d have to figure out how to present the non-gossip-girl-dan to an audience that’s primed to be skeptical/distrustful of him based on the choices of the cw series - in a way that the cw series obviously didn’t have to contend with when adapting the novels. this made me think more broadly about how characterization choices in newer adaptions of old material end up being influenced by the way pop culture has come to conceptualize a character - even if that’s contrary to the original intention of the text)

Hmmmmm. Honestly, I don't think you actually need to change much tbh? Like I think there's a reason people are still so obsessed with the OG Gossip Girl and that's cause the character archetypes of everyone really hold up and stand the test of time. I really would just update some cultural references maybe like:

Jenny is on fashion tiktok and always doing OOTDs and that kind of stuff, has a big following already as a freshman

Serena was super instafamous before going dark when she disappeared off to boarding school

Thanks to social media, Blair is an *excellent* anonymous hater/cyberbully lol. Like if GG is on insta like in the reboot, she probably has like five different accounts to comment mean stuff under gg posts lol

Vanessa is on Film Twitter and has a ton of letterboxd followers

Chuck definitely posts revenge porn cause he still sucks :(

Nate also has a large insta following but he mainly just posts blurry selfies and earnest stories congratulating his favorite sports teams lol

Dan probably is super online, maybe he has his own substack where his only followers are his dad and Vanessa, and then when he starts dating Serena, it takes off.

If I was making this version of GG, I would keep the focus mainly on Serena, Blair, and Dan, like they originally started with. Although I would like to see a real attempt made at the Blairernate triangle made as well, cause I know it's such an important aspect of the books. I would keep Chuck a villain, kinda like Georgina, where he just brings chaos. You could still do 107-113 c/hair, just none of the soapy melodrama from the later seasons. Based off the way most of the Euphoria audience reacted to Nate Jacobs, I'm hopeful that people would be less likely to romanticize this version of Chuck. Hell, maybe it's even like the guy from Do Revenge, where he does performative feminism now to try to get girls idk.

And then re: the whole Dan being GG thing...I don't really care what the audience thinks because in my version no one is GG and it will never be revealed lol. I honestly think it's a no win situation too, because the OG writers have straight up admitted they didn't decide on Dan as GG until s6 and there are so many instances in the show where it's literally impossible for Dan to be GG but yet there are still people who take it seriously so...

[solradguy]

hey Sol! noob GG player here, saw your post about taking your controller apart to fix it so i thought you might know- is there any safe, easy way to adjust the joysticks so they’re “tighter”, so to speak? like, so it takes more force to press it in a direction. i have a hard time doing quarter circle/half circle inputs because my joystick is so touchy it’s hard to do precise inputs with it...

My controller is a Hori Commander Octa, which has a "short throw" joystick that works kinda like that. If you're using one of the stock ps4/5 or Xbox controllers you might be able to buy 3rd party short throw sticks to mod in there? That'd probably be cheaper than buying an entirely new controller, though I'm not sure how hard it'd be to find them. Etsy or eBay are probably good places to look. The Octa was $60usd off Amazon and I've beat the hell out of it and it still works great (the Dpad issue was just some dust and cat hair lol). I really recommend it if you've got the budget for a specialized controller.

Alternatively, you might be able to slip a piece of thick board between the stick and the contact under it and that might do something? I had to do that to a 360 controller once ages ago because the stick got loose and it somehow worked.

I've also never taken apart a ps5 or non-Xbox 360 controller either, but the ps4 controller is pretty easy to take apart and get back together.

[chubby-aphrodite]

Fun fact and profile rundown of my fantrolls. Because i havent posted about them in so long. feel free to ask questions.

Stygas Xillck (twilightCognizance [TC])

(Nightblood [Mutant]/Derse/Mage of Rage) [They/He]

Technically doesn't have a real lusus

what he likes to think is his lusus is actually just a giant salamander

Likes welding and making scrap metal art

Secretly going to explode at all times

Is actually an eldritch nightmare zipped into a bag of flesh (unaware of this fact)

Vesper Blusif (clandestineAchromic [CA])

(Silverblood [Mutant]/Prospit/Sylph of Space) [They/Them]

Does tarot and fights with it like yugioh

bitingly sarcastic but in such a way it wraps around to being sincere

(is very sincere)

knows morse

is actually an eldritch daydream zipped into a bag of flesh (is also unaware of this fact)

Venusu Hansol (cinnabarGravedigger [CG])

(Rustblood/Prospit/Thief of Heart) [He/Him]

is a butler (and hates it)

smokes (and also hates it)

committed domestic terrorism at least once

odd combination of abrasive and ass-kissing

i like to describe is pinterest board as "broken heart lovecore"

Alsyna Nimari (gritzyCamelus [GC])

(Bronzeblood/Derse/Witch of Hope) [She/Her]

scavenges for scrap in the desert and sells it

has an extremely high voltage double sided extendable cattle prod as a weapon

her girlfriend is in another ocean

she can be almost motherly at times

takes no shit

Colkis Safrin (goldenAutomaton [GA] (formerly goldenApothecary))

(Goldblood/Derse/Knight of Void) [She/Her]

very sweet on the outside

driven by guilt on the inside

she's all right now! (missing her left arm and leg)

pick you poison (or don't. she might not have your order in until tuesday anyway.)

plagued by visions (does not care very much)

Xeonii Gelgle (alaryAvian [AA])

(Oliveblood/Prospit/Page of Life) [They/Them]

acerbic in only the way they can be

got an avian lusus? going somewhere without them? have i got the birdsitter for you!

can't afford to refill their cocoon with slime

has a pet bird named archduke franz birdinand

plagued by visions (cares too much. may or may not be a cosmic plaything.)

Eraria Nekses (asterionsCrochet [AC])

(Jadeblood/Derse/Maid of Breath) [She/Her]

she drinks... wine. (she made it herself!)

nobody gets past her minotaur dad and lives to tell the tale. unless it's colkis or alsyna.

believes in second chances. and third. and fourth. and fifth.

she crochets in her spare time

missing an eye and part of her horn

Phaida Gliess (tremulousAria [TA])

(Tealblood/Prospit/Heir of Light) [She/Her]

works in the propaganda office (does not like it)

sad failgirl who inexplicably attracts peoples

it takes a lot to push her to extremes but when she's there she's there

the stupid hat is non-negotiable

self loathing up the wazoo

Drakoh Slygra (controlledChaos [CC])

(Ceruleanblood/Prospit/Prince of Doom) [He/Him]

asshole but he has a nice ass

violent and confrontational but somehow charming enough to pull it off

contractually obligated by the government to cause mayhem

hypocrite of the highest order

flirty to a fault (a really big fault. this man is in some kind of cheating mobius strip.)

Perisi Tarene (testyTrifler [TT])

(Purpleblood/Derse/Seer of Time) [She/Her]

she goes to church every week to start theological arguments

extremely blind without her glasses

likes to find meaning in numbers (thinks being good at math is a personality)

really short

might bite you

Sybell Myrrki (ghastlyGashes [GG])

(Purpleblood/Prospit/Prince of Blood) [She/Her]

if you touch perisi you will die a painful death by her hand

is the sole reason nobody has killed perisi for blasphemy yet

the bangs aren't just fashionable, they're functional! (covers her blind eye)

woman of few words

swings both ways. violently. with a bat.

Nemosa Laevis (commandeeredTrireme [CT])

(Violetblood/Derse/Bard of Doom) [She/Her]

doesn't do anything half assed

scourge of the seas, enforcing the rule of the empire without scrutiny

her girlfriend is in another desert

doesn't question much in life

if she puts on her jacket shit just got real

Amphia Reynas (abyssalTristesse [AT])

(Fuschiablood/Derse/Rogue of Mind) [She/Her]

well meaning, but sheltered and out of touch

gee amphi how come the author let you have TWO lusii?

Smart in a book smarts kind of way but dumb in the social interactions and real world wisdom kind of way

if you get between her and whatever she has her spear pointed at you are dead dead dead dead dead

bubbly

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] GG News Bureau Jodhpur, 27th Oct. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed students at the 10th convocation of IIT Jodhpur, highlighting that foreign languages should not be an “unbreachable barrier” for those studying sciences, medicine, and technology. Praising IIT Jodhpur for being the first Indian institution to offer engineering courses in regional languages, he underscored the importance of embracing a “harmonious blend of gyaan (knowledge) and vigyan (science).” Under the National Education Policy (NEP), Dhankhar noted that students are now encouraged to pursue diverse, non-traditional academic combinations, with the aim of nurturing versatile problem solvers prepared for interdisciplinary challenges. Focusing on India’s digital and economic progress, Dhankhar emphasized that India has set a global template in digital payments, with Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processing an average of 466 million transactions daily. He also highlighted India’s emergence as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, which he noted now reaches well beyond major cities into smaller towns and institutions like IIT Jodhpur, where over 300 startups are currently incubated. Dhankhar further spoke of India’s ambitions to break the middle-income trap by the centennial of India’s independence in 2047. He projected an eightfold increase in per capita income as achievable, alongside creating high-value employment opportunities that will contribute to the nation’s overall economic growth. On the international front, Dhankhar recognized the trend of “friendshoring,” as global partners seek to anchor their supply chains in India, signaling confidence in India’s economic landscape. Expanding on India’s space and blue economy sectors, Dhankhar highlighted the potential of Green Hydrogen and space exploration, aiming for an exponential increase in India’s space economy by 2030. He encouraged the nation’s youth to overcome pessimism and leverage their strengths to power a prosperous and self-reliant India. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Dr. Ram Madhav, IIT Jodhpur’s board chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar, and the institute’s director Prof. Avinash Kumar Agarwal were also in attendance. The post “Language Should Not Block Access to Science and Tech,” says VP Dhankhar appeared first on Global Governance News- Asia's First Bilingual News portal for Global News and Updates. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] GG News Bureau Jodhpur, 27th Oct. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed students at the 10th convocation of IIT Jodhpur, highlighting that foreign languages should not be an “unbreachable barrier” for those studying sciences, medicine, and technology. Praising IIT Jodhpur for being the first Indian institution to offer engineering courses in regional languages, he underscored the importance of embracing a “harmonious blend of gyaan (knowledge) and vigyan (science).” Under the National Education Policy (NEP), Dhankhar noted that students are now encouraged to pursue diverse, non-traditional academic combinations, with the aim of nurturing versatile problem solvers prepared for interdisciplinary challenges. Focusing on India’s digital and economic progress, Dhankhar emphasized that India has set a global template in digital payments, with Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processing an average of 466 million transactions daily. He also highlighted India’s emergence as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, which he noted now reaches well beyond major cities into smaller towns and institutions like IIT Jodhpur, where over 300 startups are currently incubated. Dhankhar further spoke of India’s ambitions to break the middle-income trap by the centennial of India’s independence in 2047. He projected an eightfold increase in per capita income as achievable, alongside creating high-value employment opportunities that will contribute to the nation’s overall economic growth. On the international front, Dhankhar recognized the trend of “friendshoring,” as global partners seek to anchor their supply chains in India, signaling confidence in India’s economic landscape. Expanding on India’s space and blue economy sectors, Dhankhar highlighted the potential of Green Hydrogen and space exploration, aiming for an exponential increase in India’s space economy by 2030. He encouraged the nation’s youth to overcome pessimism and leverage their strengths to power a prosperous and self-reliant India. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Dr. Ram Madhav, IIT Jodhpur’s board chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar, and the institute’s director Prof. Avinash Kumar Agarwal were also in attendance. The post “Language Should Not Block Access to Science and Tech,” says VP Dhankhar appeared first on Global Governance News- Asia's First Bilingual News portal for Global News and Updates. [ad_2] Source link

[alphabetsoup-blogposts]

I have no idea...

...why you would want that particular little nugget. Anyway, I dug it up from a document of almost 200 pages. I haven't used the "version history" function—it's too cumbersome. But I can tell you that it's a recollection from a meeting about the necessity of incorporation in c. 2013, which I finally wrote up in my diary in 2021.

Y'know, when you say "lies", I literally cannot think what they might be telling you about this, or the pension/benefits, or the £450k other than the truth. If I understood I would probably try some myth busting but I just cannot imagine.

So, yes, obviously incorporation was all done over my strenuous objections and anxieties. I had nothing to gain and everything... but everything to lose. I went from pillar to post to beg anyone I could think of to intervene, including B who clearly was close to the ground but tight-lipped in his usual way. GG—who I did not beg for help, not wishing to muddy any personal/professional boundaries and not thinking anyone would listen to him—may even remember that I was anxious about it in May 2013 because I briefly referred to it—but I am a reasonably well-trained social actor and give out less than I feel.

Some members of the Board were closely involved back in 2013 because they were also members of the Plenary Committee, others only became closely involved over the process of registration in 2015. Mr Parlours sent that letter I excerpted and the Chair took it to Plenary. B spoke up to give a firm view--in plenary, I think, but perhaps in private—and suggested that incorporation was inevitable, would be relatively easy, should be welcomed (really) and could be managed by a small subcommittee of people. I think he also may have said he would respectfully nominate persons to serve on that ad hoc group. The Chair—and likely the plenary committee—was persuaded to follow his plan. DG was one of those who got involved in the subcommittee. EM (not now a member) was also involved. I think there was a third but I am not wholly sure who that might have been.

R (not then a member but a very close friend of B's—the Duo) also got involved but not in the subcommittee. The mechanism by which R got involved was that we were both self-employed at the same shop, on the outside and he offered to help. I had been left not only to suffer the consequences of the mandated spin-off and loss of everything I held to be of value, but to write the articles of incorporation on top of my job qua self-employed person. The combination was daunting—incorporating a company, acting as your own draftsman, running a think tank and working for paid clients was just impossible and I lost more than the battle with Mr Parlours at the time. Anyway, as I mentioned, R and I had frequent coffees at his invitation and he offered to help with the drafting. In offering to help he articulated the view that there should be no corporate members (ie no shareholders other than Board members, because that might be tricky somehow) and that the Board should comprise only the senior lawyers on the Plenary Committee (not the bankers because they might be seen as agenda-driven lobbyists--ha, oh the irony!) and that is how we ended up with the Board you see on the filings... one that—as I have said many times—remained in situ for the best part of a decade despite my efforts to roll it over for the sake of my own sanity. (The original Board also included Mr GC Banks, who held one of the two nominal shares, if I recall correctly—which is interesting if you think about it.)

As for Mr Parlours, he produced a new arms length service agreement and we pretty much swallowed it whole. The meeting with the diss above, between Mr Parlours, me and the subcommittee representatives, was just part of that whole process. The question of invoices, donations, non-charitable purpose trusts, resulting trusts, management accounts, audits, taxable income blah blah and the exact amount that should be transferred to the new company arose at this time and stretched past incorporation in the Autumn but had begun to surface in late 2012 when I queried the management accounts with the HoD of Financial Control.

Two years later, of course, R was fully plugged in and one of the drivers of the thinking on registration. K was also involved in developing that thinking.

[humansofstarshollow]

Name: Kay

Gender identity: nonbinary

Age: 37

One fact: I'm a bisexual, autistic writer and doctorate student with 4 dogs, 5 cats, and a parrot who loves making tiny doll houses roleplaying, and watching stuff like Good Omens, Merlin, Lord of the Rings.

Kay, a happily busy one

[coinnewz]

Earn Bitcoin in Minecraft, BGA’s 50/50 gender split

Minecraft gets the Bitcoin treatment It seems like Minecraft has been around since the invention of computers, and there is a reason for that. Along with its official free updates, which provide extra content, the Minecraft ecosystem has an incredibly active community, helping it stay up to date. Thanks to the game’s open-ended gameplay, there is tons of community-built content available to enjoy. Have you finished the standard content of the game? Then why not relive the industrial revolution with custom-built mods? Or enter a competition to see who can build a construction first against hundreds of others? There is a server for that. Pokemon in Minecraft? Pixelmon! And if you want to earn Bitcoin in Minecraft? Welp, you can even do that now. Players can earn Bitcoin in Minecraft with the partnership between Zebedee and Satlantis. (Zebedee) A community-operated Minecraft server by the name of “Satlantis” has integrated Zebedee’s gaming tech that lets players earn Bitcoin by completing in-game quests inspired by real-life BTC mining. Players in the server can join in-game mining pools, collect ASICs (popular hardware tailored for Bitcoin mining) and increase their hash rate to win block rewards. What a cool way to educate traditional gamers on the basics of Bitcoin! Players can withdraw their earnings to Zebedee’s app, where they can spend their gains on other games made by the company or move them to exchanges that support Bitcoin’s layer-2 Lightning Network. Don’t get your hopes up for buying a Lambo with your earnings from building pixelated wonders. The server will give out a total of 1 million satoshis — equal to one hundred millionth of a BTC — per week. That’s around $300 per week divided by God-only-knows how many people. While it isn’t much, it’s a start that could become a trend. The Bitcoin-friendly integration is an unofficial one, and neither Satlantis nor Zebedee is affiliated with the Minecraft developer Mojang Studios. The studio itself is pretty down on Web3, having previously banned Minecraft NFT integrations. Time will show how this integration fairs against the ban. Blockchain Game Alliance ramps up diversity efforts Diversity is a surprisingly new topic in the world of video games. Most major publishers had not even released a diversity report as recently as 2021. In 2022 Activision Blizzard gave itself five long years to meet its goal of 50% women and non-binary employees. Members of the Blockchain Game Alliance, a key organization promoting Web3 and blockchain gaming, voted to install a gender-balanced board, with three men and three women. And the newly elected BGA board of 2023 is made up of all new faces. Blockchain Game Alliance 2023 board members. (BGA) They are Leah Callon-Butler, director of consulting firm Emfarsis; Yasmina Kazitani, chief marketing and partnerships officer at Interverse; Christina Macedo, co-founder and chief operating officer at Ready gg; Hideaki Uehara, director of business development at Square Enix; Mariano Rubinstein, CEO and co-founder at Sura Gaming; and Alex Kosloff, head of business development at Altura. Read also Features How the crypto workforce changed in the pandemic Features The risks and benefits of VCs for crypto communities As an avid gamer, I will be watching with interest to see if the make-up of the new board can help progress and innovation across the Web3 gaming space. Sega not a fan of P2E but developing a blockchain game The makers of all-time favorite franchises Sonic and Yakuza have had an on-again, off-again relationship with blockchain technology. Sega announced plans for NFTs as play-to-earn (P2E) rewards last year. Later, they stepped off the gas after a backlash from fans, who considered the initiative a money grab. This year, Sega is also walking both sides of the street. Shuji Utsumi, co-chief operating officer at Sega, called blockchain games “boring” and said the Japanese gaming giant wouldn’t be using its biggest titles in blockchain gaming projects. However, Sega has announced a partnership with Line Next to bring its classic games to GAME DOSI, a Web3-friendly blockchain gaming platform. In light of this announcement, Utsumi clarified that investing in Web3 projects is within the company’s strategy but that they don’t intend to be a Web3 company but rather a “Web 2.5” one. LINE NEXT partners with SEGA to license and bring a classic game to the Web3 gaming platform GAME DOSI. (LINE) As everyone’s aware, the mainstream gaming community is unenthusiastic about blockchain games and sees them as a temporary trend fueled by hype and speculation. Players are concerned about money grabs and the short lifespans of Web3 games, so it’s understandable Sega doesn’t want to put its big titles in an area where it has little-to-no experience. While some skepticism is warranted, it doesn’t mean blockchain technology won’t ever find its footing in the gaming industry. Multi-billion-dollar tech companies are aware of the possibilities Web3 gaming brings and know the importance of getting in on the ground floor. Sega’s decision to test the water with its smaller IPs is a thoughtful and measured approach that respects its legacy while navigating the uncharted terrain of Web3 gaming. Studio’s $15M funding from Binance Labs for Web3 dino game Binance’s venture capital and incubator arm Binance Labs has invested $15 million in Web3 gaming startup Xterio. The company labels itself as a “free-to-play-and-own” game developer and publisher, meaning the games are free to play, and players are able to earn and keep NFTs. In August last year, it raised $40 million in funding from investors, including FunPlus, XPLA and now-extinct FTX Ventures. Xterio seems to have a lot of experience on the gaming front, with Web2 gaming industry veterans on its founding executive team from companies including Ubisoft, Krafton and NetEase. There are 11 games in its repertoire, ranging from Age of Dino — a massively multiplayer online 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) strategy game that features dinosaurs — to Overworld, a cross-platform sandbox RPG with anime-inspired graphics. Xterio is developing an “emotion engine for AI,” with an aim to enhance player immersion by equipping game characters with realistic and dynamic emotional responses — The Matrix and the whole AI takes-control scenario were way ahead of their time. Overworld promotional art. (Xterio) The company uses AI very actively as they host an AI toolkit for developers and are creating a digital companion game called AIpal which is entering its beta phase later this year. Hot take — Oath of Peak The undeniable success of Genshin Impact — a Chinese MMORPG with cute graphics and fast-paced action that was released on virtually every platform except Casio Scientific Calculator — sparked off a trend of introducing every possible bit of Chinese mythology to Western audiences among developers. Oath of Peak promotional art. (Oath of Peak) Oath of Peak, an action MMORPG game that diversifies with its Web3 elements, seems to capitalize on that itch. Available on iOS and Android platforms as a free download, the game offers an epic world that’s easy to get familiar with, thanks to its cute graphics. Similar to other massively multiplayer games, players can pick from five different classes with fully customizable avatars. The game offers melee, assassin, ranger, mage and support characters �� nothing groundbreaking. With the recently-added English language support, it wasn’t hard to find my way around the colorful island. After completing some quests, I realized one cool thing about the game: it doesn’t shove its Web3 features at the player. Sure, the game has NFT monsters and a utility token that’s exchangeable with in-game currency, but it doesn’t become prominent until after players are invested in the game in terms of time and effort. Read also Features ZK-rollups are ‘the endgame’ for scaling blockchains: Polygon Miden founder Features Tokenomics not Ponzi-nomics: Influencing behavior, making money If you are in the market to check some new games with familiar mechanics, it’s worth taking a look at Oath of Peak, now available globally via app stores or its APK. It’ll only take 15-20 minutes for you to understand whether it’s a game for you or not anyway. More from Web3 gaming space: — Eyeball Games, led by the team behind Miniclip’s 8 Ball Pool, has announced the launch of their blockchain-based mobile game, Eyeball Pool, on the Immutable platform in early 2024. — Polygon Labs’ president, Ryan Wyatt, is transitioning to an advisory role after over a year with the company. Polygon’s chief legal officer, Marc Boiron, will succeed Wyatt as the new CEO. — MetaGalaxy Land introduced the pre-alpha version of its metaverse platform, which utilizes Unreal Engine 5. — Major League Baseball became one of the first professional sports leagues to own a virtual world. Improbable, a metaverse tech firm, announced the new virtual space called “MLB virtual ballpark.” — Immutable has introduced OBS, its first Web3 racing game, as the latest addition to its game lineup. — Telescope Labs launched a comprehensive range of AI-driven solutions tailored for Web3 gaming, empowering gaming enterprises with the necessary resources to construct robust virtual economies. — Sweat Economy, a move-to-earn initiative, has revealed the introduction of Sweat Hero, an in-app game and NFT experience within their platform. Subscribe The most engaging reads in blockchain. Delivered once a week. Erhan Kahraman Based in Istanbul, Erhan started his career as a gaming journalist. He now works as a freelance writer and content creator with a focus on cutting-edge technology and video games. He enjoys playing Elden Ring, Street Fighter 6 and Persona 5. Source link Read the full article

[potteresque-ire]

For those who are curious, the Gg event to be broadcast on February 2nd, 中國網絡視聽年度盛典 (The Chinese Internet Audio-Visual Annual Ceremony), is a yearly-held event supervised by the National Radio & Television Administration (NRTA 國家廣播電視總局, aka, China’s TV censorship board), and co-produced by eight major online platforms. It’s therefore a state production.

(Under the Cut: Main Melody, Chinese Dream, 20th National Congress — a glimpse of the sociopolitical tensions of 2022) 

The purpose of the ceremony is to present the China’s online audio-visual content (including TV series, which are also distributed online) that belongs to the 主旋律 (主 = Major, 旋律 = Melody) genre. In mainland China, 主旋律 is also defined as “the main theme or spirit of an artistic work”, and while this main theme / spirit is never officially defined, it has been popularly understood as patriotism, as pro-Socialist Core Values. Dramas of the 主旋律 genre therefore have patriotic, pro-Socialist / Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agenda as their focus, their main message.

Hence, a photo from Ace Troops being used for the event’s promo poster (you can see it here on @accio-victuuri‘s blog — always the place to go to for the latest, freshest GgDd news!) and Gg’s name appearing in an ensemble of 10 actors from the series. On paper, at least, it’s the series, not the individual actors, that is the star of this event.

Notable too, and that’s what I’ll dedicate the rest of this meta to, is the pro-President Xi-ness in the publicity of the event. IMHO, this is quite representative of what to expect, as c-ent fans, in 2022. Some turtles may have noticed the trend already: those who’ve been following c-ent news, or caught some parts of the NYE celebrations on, say, Hunan TV, may already have observed their content / programming being significantly Redder — Communist Redder — than just a year ago. 

Let’s begin with the theme of 2022′s Chinese Internet Audio-Visual Annual Ceremony: 中國夢•我的夢 (Chinese Dream. My Dream.) 

Chinese Dream may sound a little ... garden variety, or reminiscent of the American Dream, but it’s based on the seminal quote by President Xi in 2012 that defined what this dream was, and would guide much of the policymaking in the Xi era:

現在，大家都在討論中國夢，我以為，實現中華民族偉大復興，就是中華民族近代以來最偉大的夢想。

Nowadays, everyone is talking about the Chinese dream. I think, to realise the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, is the greatest dream of the Chinese nation. 

The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is not unlike ... Make China great again — as in, make China return to its former glory pre-Industrial Revolution, when the imperial dynasties on the same piece of land were indisputably the world’s superpower. Hence, Chinese dream has translated to the Xi regime’s aggressive, nationalistic “wolf warrior” foreign policies, its military expansionism, and, some critics claim, its neo-colonialism, especially in Africa. Chinese dream is also about controlling the narrative on all matters domestic and international, whether it’s about the origin of COVID, or the treatment of Uyghurs; its overarching philosophy being: anything told loudly, forcefully and repeatedly, becomes the truth. 

Last month (December 2021), as an answer to the Summit for Democracy to be hosted by the US and taking advantage of the Western voters’ disillusionment of their own political systems, the Chinese government published a white paper that ... re-defined democracy. It coined the term “whole-process People’s democracy” 全過程民主, and called itself one—with the Chinese foreign ministry quipping that ‘Democracy isn’t Coca-Cola’, i.e. United States (and the West, by extension) doesn’t get to define what democracy is.

(An example of “Whole-Process People’s Democracy” at work: in July 2021, 47 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong — almost the entire opposition camp — were charged with “conspiracy to commit subversion”, i.e. treason. Their “sin”: having participated in an unofficial, non-binding and independently-organised primary vote to select candidates for the upcoming election of the city’s legislative arm, the Legislative Council. After the mass arrests, the government introduced a new slogan for the “improved” election: 愛國者治港 Patriots administrating Hong Kong.)

So, that’s what the Chinese Dream is.

Back to the The Chinese Internet Audio-Visual Annual Ceremony. The Chinese Dream in its title presents the likely flavour of Chinese propaganda of 2022: pro-CCP, but more importantly, pro-President Xi. Remember a while back, I posted about the four most popular satellite TV stations in China being reprimanded by the state for being “too entertaining”? The notice pointed to this development as well: the stations shall focus on, and promote The New Era 新時代 — a term synonymous with Xi’s reign.

But why? Some may ask. Isn’t President Xi already ... President Xi? Why does he need the promotion now? What has the government upended c-ent, taken all sorts of measures to suppress the popularity of its genres, or its people via the Clear & Bright campaign, such that President Xi shall be the undisputed Idol of the Year?

The initial description of The Chinese Internet Audio-Visual Annual Ceremony by the NRTA provides an explanation:

... 激勵全行業奮發有為以優異成績迎接黨的二十大勝利召開和「中國夢」提出十週年。

... To encourage the industry to be diligent and productive, with excellent outcomes to welcome the victorious commencement of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and the 10th anniversary of the Chinese Dream.

The Chinese Dream is mentioned again! But first, it mentioned the 20th National Congress, an event that won’t “victoriously commence” until autumn this year. 

Why the early preview? What’s so special about it?

You see, for President Xi, the 20th National Congress is a Super Big Deal.

The National Congress 中國共產黨全國代表大會, held every 5 years, is The Event that votes on the roster of Chinese leadership. This, in itself, already makes The National Congress a big deal. Gg thinks so too:

Gg’s Vlog, 2017/10/22, in which he mentioned catching up with the news of the 19th National Congress.

In authoritarian dictatorships, the transition from one leader to the next is particularly significant politically, more so than in a (traditionally defined) democratic country. This is because the new leader can easily reverse the political course of their predecessor: their word matters more than the laws’. Such a change may be accompanied by political earthquakes: the new leader’s opposition, which may include those who previously served their predecessor, is often removed from their position, sentenced for some unrelated crimes (China’s favourite: corruption) that signify their political, if not physical death. 

(For those who’re curious about how opposition removal can play out in China, I invite you to read about Bo Xilai 薄熙来, former mayor of Chongqing and rival of Xi. Here’s a timeline of the very wild, very twisted story of his downfall.)

The 20th National Congress is Super Big Deal, for China and particularly its current President, because the event will likely crown President Xi Jinping as China’s new dictator-for-life. In 1982, Deng Xiaoping 鄧小平, China’s leader after the death of Chairman Mao, introduced the 10-year term limit for the Chinese President, in light of the sociopolitical and economical turmoil the country had suffered under Mao’s 30-year rule. If this term limit is upheld, Xi will have to hand over his power during the 20th National Congress — he has served since 2012. However, Xi abolished the limit in 2018, which means he can now refuse to retire and rule until his death ...

The question, then, is: will he? Or, will he encounter opposition from other members in the upper echelons of power, who may be waiting for their turn, and/or who disagree with his unchecked power, his policies? 

How much opposition is there? What will this opposition do?

More precisely, what is this opposition doing? The National Congress is a rubber-stamp entity — ie, by the time the Congress is held, by the time the vote on the next president is cast in front of the cameras, the next leader of Communist China will already have been decided behind closed doors. The power struggle will have to happen before the Congress.

Before — as in, now.

What is Xi doing to the opposition? How is he fighting back?

Rumours abound, none of them substantiated. But the speculations, the suspicions and anticipation, the tension is there.

Even outside politics, while things have largely been quiet in our fandom, the country, overall, has been tense — and this tension, again, can only be described as a strong undercurrent, with what’s going on and public opinion being so veiled in the country. 

Certain causes of this tension, these nerves, people outside China know somethings about ... 

The most immediate cause is arguably this: the country’s Zero COVID policy, which requires the caseload to be suppressed to zero, has become increasingly difficult to sustain. Along with that, the upcoming Winter Olympics and Chinese New Year have brought about much fear and concern to the populace: what if the athletes bring in the virus, and / or those traveling home for the New Year’s spread the virus all over the country? What if the transmissions lead to massive lockdowns of multiple cities? Bearing in mind that in China, a lockdown can take only a handful of cases to trigger, and means citizens are completely confined to their homes — no grocery shopping, no throwing out trash, etc etc. In December, the lockdown of Xi’An led to multiple tragedies due to logistic issues of delivering food, necessities and medical care to the city’s 13 million residents. 

Workers for the 2022 Winter Olympics, in hazmat suits, receiving Olympic delegations at the Beijing Capital International Airport (source). Beijing citizens have received instructions on how to avoid contact with foreign athletes, such as, not leaving their vehicles even in the event of traffic accidents with vehicles dedicated for the Games. Foreign athletes are staying in a “close-loop” bubble in Beijing, in which meals are delivered by robots. The state media has consistently asserted that even packages from overseas, including the packaging of frozen fish and meats, are capable of spreading COVID.

Lockdowns of such scale will, too, do further damage to the country’s economy. 

While in Western news, Chinese economy has been described as having slowed but not necessarily doing badly, corners of Chinese social media have been whispering a different, unhappier picture. After all, multiple, previously lucrative Industries were thrown into disarray over the past year, if not in shambles. Reports have surfaced that the local governments — the "middle management” between the people and the powerful central government — are so indebted and cash-strapped that they’ve failed to pay wages to the government workers, including teachers and doctors, and/or have to introduce substantial pay cuts or outrageous fees to make ends meet. Their difficulty is two-fold: Xi’s takedown of the real estate market has led to a significant loss of the local governments’ revenue, while Xi’s Common Prosperity 共同富裕 Campaign has demanded them to be fiscally responsible for the tax cuts, the social welfare programs the central government has promised.

The private sector may not be faring much better. Several weeks ago, Tsinghua University 清華大學 — the country’s equivalent of Harvard, or Cambridge — released a career report of their graduates, which showed that nearly 70% of them have taken government posts. The famous economist Xiang Songzuo 向松祚 bemoaned the fact — these graduates should become China’s next entrepreneurs, he said, or scientists, or philosophers, or artists. The tag “年輕人偏愛體制內有錯嗎” (Is it wrong for young people to favour the establishment?) went on Weibo’s hot search as netizens fired back: the private sectors, they opined, were far worse as career options go, plagued with long hours ("996″: working 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week), little benefits and job security — people are often fired when they get sick, or they reach the age of 35 — while the wages are not much higher.

(Today, 3 days later, the tag has already been censored on Weibo.) (Censored too, since August 2021, are any online “malicious” critic on the Chinese economy and financial system.)

For the general population, the 3-child policy is promising to consolidate into laws that further add to the economic stress for ordinary families. While Xi’s overhaul (destruction) of the private education sector in the summer of 2021 had intended to ease the economic burden for families with children (”no more private tutoring for your kids!”), this “Double Reduction” policy 雙減政策 — which also includes the restriction of homework load in public schools — were met with widespread frustration. For better or worse, the Chinese parents’ reputation of being “Tiger Parents” isn’t entirely baseless, and with the country’s economy that, by many’s account, is faltering, the parents’ desire to send their children to the best universities (the “985″s) is stronger than ever. Some have taken their grievances online, grumbling that the “Double Reduction” policy not only produces “stupid kids”, but makes the competition even steeper and more unfair — an ultra-expensive black market for private tutors have already sprung up. In Shanghai, the parents panic-bought English textbooks, for fear that they would no longer be approved for sell. 

In other stress-inducing, and perhaps, head-scratch-inviting developments related to the 3-child policy, while laws have yet to be passed that make multiple childbearing mandatory (CCP members have been encouraged, but not forced to have more children), laws have already been enacted that make divorce difficult, that lay out rules on how to bring up children — laws that have led to netizens mumbling they now have even less urge to get married and procreate. 

The 2020/10/18 episode of TTXS had a short segment (starting at 18:43) advertising the divorce cooling-off period 離婚冷靜期, designed to deter spur-of-the-moment divorce decisions. A year after its enactment starting January 1st, 2021, the government touted its success — a jaw-dropping 44% decline in divorce cases. Critics have remarked that judges are simply not granting divorces — the first application is always rejected — even when domestic violence is involved. The will of the husband usually decides whether a contested divorce request shall be granted.

Young women, in particular, have been on constant lookout for news and discussions related to marriage and childbearing. With the crackdown of online feminist groups in Spring, 2021 — attacked and reported by the “Little Pinks” (Nationalist online trolls) as “separatists” and “traitors” — they’ve been speaking out for themselves, vocally defending their chosen lifestyles (single, dink 丁克 etc) whenever the topics are brought up.  

So far, their efforts haven’t caused them trouble. Some may even say they’ve been fruitful. For example, the economist Ren Zeping 任澤平 was recently banned on Weibo after proposing a 2 trillion RMB fertility fund that, by Ren’s estimation, would pump out 50 million extra babies in the next decade. It remains unclear whether the ban was due to the backlash from the women, or because the Chinese government disapproved the proposal. Nonetheless, Ren’s silencing was considered a sigh of relief, if not a small victory, for the women.

To offer a sense of the stress, the nerves this kind of news can trigger—the following is an excerpt from Ren’s post:

一定要抓住75-85年還能生的時間窗口，抓緊出台鼓勵生育基金，再不出台就晚了，不要指望90後00後。。。。原因也很簡單，就是75年-85年的這批人還有多子多福的生育觀念，而90後和00後不要說生二胎或者三胎，很多人甚至連結婚都不願意。

We must grab this time window of remaining fertility of those born between 1975 and 1985. We must grab it to introduce the birth-promoting fund. If we don’t introduce it now, it’ll be too late. Don’t put hopes on those born in the 1990s or 2000s ... The reason is simple, those who’re born between 1975-85 still have this concept of fertility, that more sons equate more fortune. Meanwhile, those born in the 1990s or 2000s, before we even mention their having their second or third child, many of them even refuse to get married. 

(As a woman of childbearing age, I feel I’ve been ... grabbed by the uterus.)

Other adrenaline-raising inconveniences, if not emergencies, have upended the lives of Chinese citizens in 2021, many of which attributable to questionable policy planning and/or execution. Example: China has just come off from a major, country-wide power crisis — the kind that caused electricity to be randomly cut off from homes in very cold provinces. The immediate cause was coal shortage, but a major cause of the coal shortage was this: the Chinese government had unofficially banned the import of Australian coal, which the country had traditionally relied on, after Australia had demanded an international inquiry on China handling of the initial COVID outbreak in Wuhan. 

(News of this ban, as well as its later reversal, were censored in China; i.e. most people were unaware that it had been a diplomatic spat that had kept them freezing).

... These are just a couple of reasons for the tension in mainland China I can think of, but hopefully, a common feature among them has become clear: the people in China have been increasingly asked, or coerced, to make significant sacrifices for the country’s, or more specifically, the CCP’s “greater good”. And with the sweeping, often sudden nature of new laws and policies under Xi, the tension comes from having to expect the unexpected — when will the next sacrifice happen? What will be the sacrifice and how severe will it be? More importantly, perhaps, who will be making the sacrifice?

And ... here’s the thing about democracy that authoritarian, totalitarian regimes tend to forget. While democracy may strip power from them, may them look bad occasionally with its freedoms of press and speech, it also buoys its leaders from a hard landing should their policies fail (and more leaders’ policies fail than not). Elections give the voters (false?) hopes that they can change things for the better with their next ballot choices, thereby making them more forgiving to past mistakes. The critiques, the mockery, the memes and insults from free press and free speech often serve as highly effective vents for the people. People complain; then, they move on.

In China, elections, freedom of press and freedom of speech are all in short supply. If Xi’s Chinese Dream fail — especially with the state media frequently touting their President 親自部署、親自指揮 (personally planning, personally directing) each policy — the blame will be laid on Xi. There’s no one else to lay the blame on but on Xi. 

Hence, the necessity of Xi promotion ahead of the 20th National Congress. The government has no other means of diffusing the dissatisfaction of the people, other than to make them fall in love like they fall in love with idols — what are the things people say about fans? Fans are forgiving. Fans are blind to the shortcomings of their favourite idols. Fans won’t even let other people say not-so-good things about their favourite idols ...

(Cult of personality has always been associated with authoritarianism.)

What was I going to say after all this? * ponders * Right, what I meant to say is  — for 2022, we’ll likely see a lot more of these “Main Melody”, pro-CCP + pro-Xi media projects, whether they’re ceremonies, variety shows, songs, TV series, films etc. Capital — the Big Tech such as Alibaba and Tencent, for example, who own the social media and media distribution platforms, who invest in and in some cases, produce the media projects — have already been under immense political pressure to supply them. These projects are also safe bets for the investors, in that they’re less likely to get axed by the censors. The banning of Dangai, of idol development programmes and the cancelling of multiple artists with unaired projects have all meant significant loss of profit and revenue for the companies involved, on top of the financial woes the industry as a whole had already been suffered since 2018 and exacerbated by COVID. Last month (December 2021), iQIYI, the production and distribution company behind both Luo Yang and Ace Troops, was reported to have to slash between 20-40% of its workforce. 

Top stars — yes, that include Gg and Dd — will likely appear in these Main Melody projects much more frequently as well. There are practical reasons, in addition to ideological ones. Safety for the investors translate to better production values for these projects. With the country waiting for the 20th National Congress with bated breath, with the tension permeating every corner of the Chinese society, advertisers are also more likely to play it safe and sponsor these projects — even if the Main Melody genre hasn’t been the most money making. This means more and better promotions. 

If the media product is a film, or a TV series, less butchering on the censorship board, and the need to make sure the themes are properly communicated, can also mean a better planned out, more complete storyline — when the script is often criticised as the weakest link in Chinese productions. Many of the most critically acclaimed, and popular series or films in China have belonged to the Main Melody genre for this reason.

Above all, participation in these projects is considered an honour, and good for the career of those involved — especially those who still have an “idol” and/or “traffic star” label attached to them entering 2022, when the Clear & Bright Campaign still in progress. Just like the stars choose the projects they want to participate in, the people behind the projects choose their stars too, and their necessarily safe choices — because of the genre, because of the money poured in — reflect the identity of those in good standing in the eyes of the Chinese government.

As i-turtles, we may not be the most excited about the nature or message of these projects. We may think these projects ... aren’t what we signed up for when we became fans. But they’re good things for Gg and Dd.

Really.

Okay, this meta is getting way too long again (sorry 😊). What should I end this meta with? Hmm. Maybe ... this video from about a week ago (2022/01/24), which shows the promotion of President Xi is truly everywhere, not just in c-ent. In this video, Team China was taking an oath for their 出征 expedition to the Winter Olympics in Tiananmen Square, and the words of the oath were as follows:

為了祖國，衝衝衝！ 不負人民，拼拼拼！ For the motherland, Hassle, Hassle, Hassle! Live up to the people’s expectations, Toil, Toil, Toil! 報答領袖豁出去 永爭第一不認慫 Repay Our Leader, Go ahead regardless Fight forever for Number 1, Never admit defeat 跟著總書記一起向未來  Follow the General Secretary to the future 中國必勝！祖國萬歲！中國冰雪，加油！加油！加油！ China will win! Long live the motherland!  China ice, GO! GO! GO!

(In addition to the references of the Leader, the General Secretary — of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, another position President Xi holds — 不負人民 Live up to the people’s expectations is also from a famous quote by President Xi.)

Um. Yeah. That’s totally the Olympic spirit. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂🤦🏻‍♀️😂🤦🏻‍♀️😂

[spinaroos-47]

Part two of three of my commentary about ASIAS!

This one will have screenshots! Not the most good looking ones, still new at it, but still screenshots!

Flying derby looks so much more fun than grudgby in my opinion, I guess I just like non ball sports

THEM

I LOVE THIS IMAGE SO MUCH ILL CHERISH IT FOREVER ITS ALL I COULD HAVE ASKED FOR THIS HAS MADE UP FOR ME WAKING UP AT 5AM BECAUSE OF THE EPISODE

They befriended, this is so lovely :,3

(And all of their outfits are great)

Emerald entrails is not really that subtle but its also a great name, AND THEY STILL KEPT THE NAME AT THE END OF THE EPISODE

Fucking donkey

Interestingly enough, the lack of the cape did make the dissonance I got from his GG outfit in Separate Tides and the first half-ish of Hunting Palismen not happen. I guess seeing his hair and ears helps on avoiding that djjsdfjd (also the little staff twirl he did here was really nicely animated)

Steve is a fucking mvp, I think him going “Steve is beggining to regret his choices” is a good segway to the promo screenshot we got of him in a motorbike. Him and Hunter being buddies was great, I love that it’s not just Lilith that appreciates him

“I think Hunter is too” Almost made me scream and I would have if it wasn’t 6am when i was watching this. I’m so sure this is the start of his big turning point, these friendships he made are being SO important for him

The initiations he mentioned more than once are making me think that this will return in Labyrinth Runners in some way. I don’t know how but I hope he appears on there too then. Belos taking the palismen away also make me ponder why Lilith didn’t lose hers (thank god she didn’t, I love that little guy). 

(Also great commentary/criticism of the military)

That slight paralel to Hunting Palismen, with Hunter now sneaking into the flying ship was sooooo good

Pain and suffering and pain and suffering AND LILITH (i love how you can see her finger on the photo dsnjdnjnjd. and the small comeback Alador did fdjsdjnd also I don’t know how to feel about Alador looking so much like my dad)

Also this is a funny frame to have paused on jfdjdfsndfs

Willow, you made me tear up some three times on this episode, I just want the best for you, you deserve so much better

Darius change of behaviour was really surprising, and weirdly really sweet, he also kinda reexamined his own bias against Hunter which was good. He sewed better the sigil on his cape and im assuming got him a scroll to make a penstagram account to interact with more kids his age and thats really nice.

“Are you going to tell him about your secret palisman?” And now I’m scared again for Flapjack. But its good that Darius isn’t going to tell about all this to Belos, thats also really nice

This really settled for me the theory that he and Eber will join Raine and do *something*. I was already on board with the theory but didn’t know how that would happen, from what little we had about Darius before this episode. And we might get more, seeing how Reaching Out will be about abominations a lot, with Amity and Alador and what not.

This episode was really good for Darius, gave him even more nuance than he had before, even with him not appearing that much compared to the other characters. (Also his abomination sweater. Glorious)

A little less related to the plot of the episode, I feel like the animation looks a bit different on 2B but i don’t know how to explain it

I still will make the part three about the Lumity c plot but I’ll round out my thoughts about the main plots of the episodes here

It was my favorite episode of 2B for now, I loved how it was kinda low stakes but kinda high stakes too and how the a plot (willow’s) and b plot (hunter’s) merged into one basically, and also how lumity didn’t really steal the spotlight from this episode like in TTLGR, which is a criticism I have about season 2, and also I haven’t seen much of the fandom reaction and most the ones I follow already are focused on Hunter too but it’s nice that in the show it wasn’t like that again

This was really fun!

[memoirsofasim]

Retirement 101: Ep 4 Pt2

In which Grandpa George and Grandma Josephine take a vacation at Mt Komorebi.

Part 2 - Days 2 & 3

During the night the temperature at Mt Komorebi dropped dramatically and a light drizzle of snow continued to fall. Predicted forecast, Freezing.  

Grandma Josephine cooked up some scrambled eggs with bacon for breakfast and they ate in front of the crackling fire.

“Josie, delicious breakfast my love, thank you.” 

“Just what we need to give us the energy for another day on the slopes!” said Grandma Josephine.

But Grandpa George wasn’t so sure he wanted to get back on the slopes. His muscles were aching and he could feel aches where he never knew you could get aches.

Suddenly a spark flew out from the fireplace onto the rug under their table. Grandpa George looked down at his feet and saw that the rug was on fire. They both jumped up from their seats, Grandma Josephine ran into the kitchen and grabbed the two fire hydrants from underneath the sink.

Thankfully neither of them were hurt but unfortunately the rug had turned to a pile of ashes. 

“They’d better not charge us for this! Who puts a rug so close to a fireplace anyway!” yelled Grandma Josephine.

Once they tidied up the mess the fire had caused they both ventured outside into the freezing temperatures heading for the slopes. 

“JJ-Josie, I cc-can’t ff-feel my ff-fingers.” Grandpa George didn’t realize until now that they’d forgotten to purchase gloves with the snow gear they bought when preparing for their trip. 

“Mmm-my god. It’s ff-freezing GG-George. Lets gg-get inss-side nn-now!” said Grandma Josephine. 

Despite the freezing temperatures the slopes remained open but both Grandpa George and Grandma Josephine opted to spend the day at the Onsen Bathhouse instead. The Spa was empty so they had it all to themselves, though that might have been due to the hot springs being dirty and in need of a clean.

After their very long soak in the dirty hot springs they drove down the mountain and visited a local restaurant for lunch.

Grandpa George inspected the menu while Grandma Josephine coloured in the paper placemat. 

“You look confused George, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t see anything familiar on here.”

“Of course not George. It will all be written in their native language.”

The restaurant was bustling and none of the customer’s had been served their orders. Finally, several hours later Grandpa George was served his meal but Grandma Josephine’s meal seemed to be non existent. 

“Josie, you should share this fried shrimp with me. It’s actually pretty good!” 

Before heading back to their lodging for the night they walked a short distance over to the Hanamigawa Koen Park and snuggled on a vacant bench under the starry sky and the amazing view of the snowy mountain.

The next morning and their last day, they drove back down the mountain again. The trails were what Grandpa George was really interested in so they chose to spend their last full day hiking them.

The Bamboo Forest was first on their list and it was just as amazing as Grandpa George thought it would be. He hoped to see some critters which were mentioned in a brochure back at the lodging but they didn’t run into any.

They hiked to the Temple, passing the ancient cemetery on the way.  

Once they reached the temple and after Grandma Josephine had taken many photos of it, they both wrote down a wish on the Ema Board. 

“What did you wish for Josie?” 

“George, you aren’t supposed to tell!”

“I know, was just teasing you.”

They walked and walked and walked. They couldn’t have asked for better weather and with a light scattering of clouds in the sky they did some cloud gazing when they felt they needed to rest. 

They walked over bright red bridges and were both in awe of the beautiful open landscape that surrounded them on their walk.

After a long time walking on a path that looked like it might end up in the middle of nowhere steps and then a cave finally came into view. It was a cave shrine and at the entrance many offerings had been left. 

“COO-EE!” they yelled at the same time into the entrance of the cave and then listened eagerly for their echo.

It was certainly a full day of hiking and it was dark by the time they returned to the small neighborhood of Senbamachi. Grandma Josephine grabbed some ingredients from a local grocer and then cooked up some chicken skewers on the grill. 

Despite having a great day hiking and spending all their time in the fresh air George was feeling very homesick. As he pulled back the sheets he suddenly felt quite sad. He missed his usual comforts of their home, he missed his crickets and his guitar. 

The next morning after breakfast they packed up their little yellow truck and took one last walk, this time on the mountain and through the snow covered ground.

“Josie, this has been a magic trip away. Despite my aches from the first day I’ve had a great time.” Grandpa George didn’t mentioned how he was feeling homesick. It was their last day anyway and very soon they would be on the road driving back home.

“Oh George, it really has been wonderful hasn’t it? We should do it again next year!” said Grandma Josephine.

Visiting another cave, but this one with statues in front of the entrance. Grandpa George was very fascinated by the statues and took many photos of them.

On their way back to their lodging they built a not so good looking snowpal and after admiring it Grandpa George pulled his wife in close and they kissed under a snow covered pine tree. 

Grandpa George tightly gripped the steering wheel of their old yellow truck as they drove down the highway toward Brindleton Bay. The wind was strong and rain was heavy, there were lightening strikes in the distance.

Finally pulling into their driveway they both made a mad dash to the front door of their home. 

“Oh George, it’s so nice to be home!” Grandma Josephine said breathing a sigh of relief. “Best we get the fire going, it’s chilly in here!”

“Sure is Josie, I’ve missed home.” Said Grandpa George with a big smile. “Once the rain settles I’ll unpack the truck. Now, how about a pot of tea?”

_____________________________________________

End note: And that’s the end of their snow escape! ;p I feel like they were a bit unlucky on their vacation. A fire in the lodging, dirty hot springs, terrible service at the restaurant, what more could have happened. Well, more did I just didn’t take shots of it BUT G’ma Josephine actually died at the restaurant. :( 

Long story short I tried to kill off (get rid of) a celebrity in there and well somehow it end up being Josie. Luckily G’pa George pleaded with the Reaper and he brought her back to life. Note to self: never try to kill off a sim with death by killer bunny option, lol! One good thing from this though, Josie now thinks of George as her hero. <3 Out takes to follow soon.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed their short but eventful vacation. :) 

[strideofpride]

you keep posting in the tags of those Eric x Damien sets about how they should have been hooking up and I completely agree so if you're looking for an excuse to talk about it more I'm here to give you one (bc I know I'd love to read it)

(also I think it's a fascinating exploration of Eric and Jenny but if I remember right (and it's been a while) Damien seemed like he was in love with Serena so there's also that layer)

Okay, well, first of all, yes Damien seemed to have a thing for Serena (especially in their boarding school days) but I think "in love with" is a very strong turn of phrase lol.

But yes! Liz put in her own tags that Eric/Damien should've been like a Dan/Georgina or Blair/Carter arc and I so agree! A toxic fling that isn't going to end well but shows another side to Eric. Especially cause like...Eric's previous boyfriends are so boring? Like the only things I could tell you about Jonathan and Eliot off the top of my head are that they both date Eric and Eliot was bi I think? And that's really the fault of the writers, because they were clearly not invested in writing gay relationships. But because Damien wasn't written into the show to be Eric's love interest, he had an actual personality which would've made it all so much more interesting.

And also! Much like Carter, Damien's not exactly a "good guy". But neither of them are nearly as bad as many, many of the other men on the show are. So that adds an interesting parallel to me too.

And then also I think it would've made that whole storyline make so much more sense? Like after everything he saw firsthand with Jenny, why would Eric get involved with Damien just to help him deal drugs??? But if Eric got involved with Damien because there was an attraction there and then got roped into Damien's side hustle...yeah.

And yes, the Eric & Jenny of it all! I don't really see Jenny caring that much about the ex-boyfriend of it all, but I def see her being like "what the fuck Eric, did you not learn anything from me last year" and really being the one who gets him to snap out of it all (it would be extra cool if we got a non romantic version of the Nate/Blair scene in 219 too!!!!). We were robbed.

Idk this is really reminding me of how hard it is to rank GG eps, because while I love the dair stuff in s4/5 everything else surrounding them is just...complete and total hot garbage lol.