#using code words to discuss inappropriate things

[hualianisms]

Not father & son, not master & disciple, but a secret third thing

First of all, let me preface this by being clear that everyone is free to headcanon anything they want and like/dislike anything they like/dislike! That being said, sometimes I see international fans interpret FDB as LLH's son, or their dynamic as parent-child or otherwise familial, and as a native chinese speaker, I just wanted to share some reasons why I personally did not interpret them as familial.

Granted, at the start of the show, FDB is kept in the dark and also not up to LLH's level of skill in solving cases. However, FDB quickly catches up in crime-solving skills, intellect and maturity by the 2nd half of the show, after a well-written growth arc. I think the beauty of the characters and relationships in this show is that they grow & evolve, and are meant to do so. The dynamic that LLH & FDB had in episode 1 is quite different from their dynamic at the end of the show. By the later episodes, they are 2 adults who are very much equals.

Why I don't read them as father & son:

LLH & FDB act and speak in a manner that is far too informal & familiar with one another, which would be extremely inappropriate for any kind of parent & child, even a surrogate one. Several times, FDB calls LLH by just his first name "Lianhua", and sometimes even calls him "Damn Lianhua" when he is angry/upset at LLH. This would be extremely rude for a disciple to call a master, or a son to call a father. No son talks to his father the way FDB talks to LLH, and no disciple talks to their master like that. Unless the son/disciple hates the father/master, and is outright rejecting his father/master altogether. As we see in the show, not only does FDB not hate LLH at all, he instead cares deeply for LLH and would do anything to save him. Why, then would someone scold/curse someone they care about? Does the trope of the upset spouse/partner sound familiar?

For comparison, see FDB's interactions with He Xiaohui, who he is close to - he is informal & affectionate with her, but never calls her anything other than "娘 niang" ("mother"). I can't emphasize enough how taboo it is in Chinese culture to ever call your parent or parental figure by their name under any circumstance.

2. In ep 31, FDB himself explicitly rejects the idea of LLH as his shifu and himself as LLH's disciple, responding that he is too old to be LLH's disciple and it was merely a joke. He clearly sees LLH as an equal, and rejects the notion of their relationship being anything other than that of 2 adult equals. LLH also tells his shiniang that FDB is not his disciple, and a few episodes ago LLH told FDB that he has never understimated FDB.

Coding/hints as something other than platonic:

Zhiji/zhijiao - FDB calls LLH his 知交 zhijiao in ep 19, and 知己 zhiji in ep 34. "In this life, I, Fang Duobing, recognize you as my only zhiji." is practically a love declaration. And this bond is reciprocated by LLH, bc in a deleted line in ep 19, translated by forayuarchive on twitter, LLH is the one who first calls FDB his zhijiao.

To clarify, Zhiji is not specifically a romantic term, but it's what was used in both The Untamed and Word of Honor - both dramas based on danmei novels with canon gay main pairings - to bypass censorship, to code the bond between the main duo as deeper than your typical platonic male friendship. (See this post for a detailed explanation of the significance/history behind the term zhiji, and see this twitter thread for an explanation of the meaning of zhijiao in MLC - especially how zhijiao is specifically mutual, reciprocated).

2. Married bickering - forayuarchive on twitter has discussed in these twitter threads how the tone of many of LLH & FDB's interactions (especially FDB) is similar to how married couples or romantic partners speak to one another bc of the level of familiarity, tone and language. For my fav example, see this note (translation by forayuarchive) that FDB left LLH in ep 35, which reads pretty much like a note that a spouse/partner might write when leaving their shared house in a hurry.

3. "Xiaobao" - Personally as a native Chinese speaker, LLH calling FDB "xiaobao" in front of everyone is a level of intimacy that genuinely would make me feel embarrassed to hear as a third party. 小宝 xiao bao (literal meaning = "little treasure") is usually something you call actual babies/children AND is FDB's family nickname for him, so if you're calling a grown man that in front of everyone including his colleagues, family and even strangers, then one might assume he is likely either your biological family or your romantic partner. (For comparison, just imagine calling your s/o their parent's special childhood nickname for them at work.)

4. Deleted lines where FDB calls LLH "xiaohua'er". 小花儿 Xiaohua'er ("little flower") is very intimate and feels like something someone might call a lover. Or, at least, definitely not a platonic shifu, even less so a parental figure. (For meta on the names that LLH & FDB use for one another, see forayuarchive's twitter thread.)

5. More deleted scenes (translated by forayuarchive on twitter), perhaps cut due to censorship, which make apparent LLH's high regard and deep care for FDB. For e.g., a line of internal monologue by LLH in ep 40, translated here by forhenjun, shows that LLH thinks of FDB as the only person in his two lifetimes who has always treated him as a human being rather than putting him on an unfair pedestal.

6. Official MLC accounts act like as if they ship them.

As murderedbyhomework mentioned, there is a song in the official soundtrack of MLC called "Fanghua's Day-to-Day Life" (yes, the exact same words as their ship name). Sounds like a couple's daily domestic life, doesn't it?

The official iQiYi Romance youtube channel lists clips of LLH & FDB under the romance category.

The official MLC douyin account posts MVs with emotional captions (e.g. this one translated here by forayuarchive) that emphasize how much both LLH and FDB mean to one another. Another official MLC douyin calls LLH & FDB the person each other trusts the most.

The MLC clips posted by the official Guangdong TV weibo account also has captions such as these (translated by rice_jpg) that straight up describe FDB's feelings towards LLH as "when you like someone" (very similar CN phrasing as the phrasing used to describe romantic crushes).

7. They are subtly paralleled with a canon straight romantic couple (see fanqxiaobao's twitter thread on the parallels btwn LXY/QWM scenes and certain LLH/FDB scenes). MLC also made a distinct change from the novel by not having FDB get married to Princess Zhaoling, even though the drama could have easily given FDB a romance with her.

8. If you're familiar with chinese romantic tropes or the danmei genre, LLH & FDB fit many common romantic tropes e.g. sharing a drink on the rooftop under the moonlight, forgotten first meeting in childhood (and then meeting again properly as adults), power couple fighting side by side (they even held hands!), nianxia, protective younger ml, sickly older mc - just to name a few. Danmei even has many stories of shizun/shifu & disciple pairings who fall in love as adult equals.

There's honestly lots more but these are just some off the top of my head. Again everyone is free to interpret anything! This is just me explaining why as a native chinese speaker I personally did not read their dynamic as that of a father and son.

[im-writing-extra]

Hey! Here’s the first chapter of what has the potential to be a very long fic. I have a million bits and pieces already written that I am now doing my best to put together into a cohesive story. I hope you enjoy, and feedback is always appreciated.

table of contents

chapter 1 - in all chaos, there is calculation

“You have to stay still,” you say.

“I am,” says Yord. “Is your hand shaking? Maybe this was a bad-”

He’s cut off by your hand on his mouth.

“Stop moving,” you say. “Three, two-”

Yord yelps.

“Don’t be a baby.” You pat the side of his face as he sits up. “It looks good! What do you think, Dalph?”

Dalphri Ameras flips her salmon-pink lekku over her shoulder as she hands Yord a mirror. “It’s too cool. It’s too… un-Yord.”

Yord meanwhile is turning his head back and forth, watching the tiny hoop in his ear catch the dim light of Dalphri’s room. 

“I disagree,” chimes in Imanu Venez, feeling the back of his neck; newly free from his Padawan braid and unsure what to do with his hands. “I think it makes him more Yord. It makes sense.”

“I still don’t understand why this is necessary,” Yord says. 

You and Dalphri share a look. “It’s called bonding, Yord,” she says. “Venez is finally one of us and we’ve been talking about doing this since we were padawans. And Jedi don’t break their word.”

A gold hoop dangles from the tip of her right lekku, matching the one in your cartilage. The two of you had spent extensive time in the Archives and the medical center researching exactly how to pierce it without raising suspicion. Imanu’s earring is in the same place as Yord’s, and he received it with much less complaining.

The four of you make an unlikely quartet; two humans, a Twi’lek, and a Mirialan, very different in temperament and execution of the Jedi code. And yet you’ve been inseparable since you were younglings. Dalphri’s interests are more of the medical variety, Venez prefers piloting, Yord studies diplomacy like it’s a religion, and you spend far too much time practicing with your lightsaber.

But it works. The Order is the only family you have ever known, and none of you would trade it for anything.

“It’s a good thing you got knighted yesterday,” you say to Venez, as the group of you files out of the room. “It’d be sad if Yord and I missed it while we’re on Jelucan.”

The living halls are strangely busy for the evening, but the four of you expertly navigate padawans and chattering younglings. There’s no need to discuss where you’re going; dinner before and after missions is a long-standing tradition since you came back from your very first assignment as a padawan.

Dalphri asks, “What time do you leave?” and you grimace.

“Very early,” Yord chimes in. “And I am not going to be happy if I have to drag you from your bed.”

“It’s just routine, though, right?” says Venez. “I heard Master Rwoh say it shouldn’t take more than a couple days.” His hand is on the back of his neck again.

You shrug as you push the door open to the dining commons, nodding to a few Jedi. Venez grabs a piece of fruit off a Bith youngling’s plate with a wink. The group of children giggle and start to toss fruit at him, which he suspends in midair before catching in his mouth. He always was a favorite of the younglings.

Yord shakes his head. “That is an improper use of the Force,” he says with a frown.

“Lighten up, Yord,” Dalphri and Venez chorus.

“Yeah, lighten up, Yord,” the younglings echo. Yord silences them with a glare.

“The Force is powerful, and not to be used for paltry tricks,” he says. “It’s meant to be taught appropriately. Catching fruit is inappropriate and teaches irreverence.”

You’re only half-listening as you pile food onto a tray. It’s nothing Yord hasn’t said before, and it’s nothing he won’t say again. You wonder how the mission will go. It’s diplomatic, a small squabble among miners deep in the mountains but it’s the first time just you and Yord are sent on your own.

Yord’s still talking as he takes the tray from you, but no one is listening. He waxes on about the Force and its binding nature as your group makes its way to the Atrium.

He’s leading the way now, barely stopping for breath as he pushes open the doors for you with his boot.

“…I just think it’s best if the Force is treated with proper respect,” he finishes as you sit down under a tree.

“No one’s disagreeing,” you say soothingly, patting his hand. 

Yord grunts and hands you a pastry. “Here. There was only one of these left.”

You smile. It’s your favorite. “Last real meal before ration packs,” Venez reminds you. He’s grinning with far too much glee at the thought of the two of you suffering on nutrient-rich cardboard squares.

You’re not nervous. You’ll be back under this tree in a few days.

—

“At peace, are you?” Master Yoda asks, early in the morning. You shrug.

“As at peace as I’ll ever be, I suppose. I’ve never been to Jelucan but this certainly isn’t the most difficult assignment you’ve ever sent me on.”

“About the assignment, I was not speaking,” Yoda says.

Of course. Yord. 

“Master, I promise I won’t kill him. I’ve been putting up with him since we were younglings. I’m used to it.”

Yoda smiles. “Remember I do, the assignments when my padawan, you were. Complained you did.”

You reflect on the times you’d spent pacing around some starship as a patient Master Yoda listened to you gripe about Yord’s inflexibility, or Dalphri’s proclivity for involuntary examinations, or Venez’s inability to remain serious for longer than three milliseconds. And each time he turned you inward toward your reactions, using it as a lesson. 

Yoda was a coveted Jedi Master. Padawans bent over backwards in their attempts to impress him, to be chosen by him. There was a part of you that wished you hadn’t cared, you had just been yourself and that alone had gotten his attention but in truth- 

You had tried your absolute hardest to be the type of padawan Master Yoda would want.

And it worked.

“It will be fine, Master. I am at peace.” 

Yoda tilts his head up at you. “Find me when you get back, you must. Entertained I am by your stories.”

next chapter

[utterdrip]

alright, i’m making another post about lae’zel. this is gonna be much wordier but hopefully helps give a more nuanced approach towards lae’zel.

i’ll preface by saying this is all MY opinion, and it is not accusatory in any way to anyone that may feel differently than me. i can only speak for myself and from my own experiences. but i got shit to say!

i stand by my initial post 100% but some brought up (fairly! people are more than welcome to share how they feel and why) how she is “rude, sexually aggressive and inappropriate, and racist” but i wanted to talk about why that may be.

lae’zel is a githyanki. she has only ever been around githyanki. she has only ever learned from githyanki. everything she knows about the other races of faerûn are from githyanki slates (that she says in act one that are completely different than what she was experiencing). she only knows (in all matters of the word, in an all-encompassing way) githyanki.

and then she is suddenly given the worst death sentence possible for her people. she is going to become the very thing she has been trained since age 6 to hunt. she knows (to the best of her current knowledge) how she may survive this infection and purify herself. but then she becomes stranded in a land she knows NOTHING about. yes, she’s read the githyanki slates. and there is such a disparity with reading about something that may be biased and being thrust into this brand new world.

and i wanna talk about this thing called ethnocentrism. basically, it’s an anthropological concept that we use when discussing possible biases when observing a culture different from our own. it means that we (the viewers) are judging a culture that is different from ours through our OWN viewpoint of OUR culture as opposed to viewing that community/culture as its own entity with its own set of rules, code of ethics, etc. we are applying OUR ethics and morals unto a different civilization.

i say this because lae’zel does this as well as many bg3 players towards lae’zel. like i mentioned, lae’zel ONLY knew githyanki and their customs before being abducted. she may have learned about faerûn from the slates but there will still be a dissonance between what she learned (which she said was remarkably different from what she was experiencing) vs being put into that new culture. so she judges things in faerûn under her own narrow viewpoint as a githyanki; threatens people, would rather just kill weaklings, be sexually explicit without any notice. that is HER normal and i am not saying it is “right” or “wrong” but it IS all she knows. and as the game progresses, there is a very distinct evolution in how lae’zel talks to the people around her as well as a sort of acceptance of the new feelings she is experiencing. it really reads like she is able to “deprogram” herself essentially from her teachings under vlaakith and come to terms with her OWN definition of culture: different from what she learned with the githyanki, different from what she experiences in faerûn, but wholly hers.

and i say many bg3 players are guilty of this as well. again, i am not saying this is right or wrong or trying to preach morality about a video game character. but it feels like it would be a disservice to lae’zel’s story and arc to be judging her based on OUR (the players) view of how she should be behaving vs. how she acts in accordance to HER (at the time) beliefs. and if you interact with any other githyanki other than her, it becomes apparent just how nice she is in comparison.

i know this post is much longer and more “serious” than my other lae’zel post but. i just love this woman a lot. i want to reiterate this is all MY opinion and take on her character and the negative opinions about her. there is always nuance when it comes to things like this so there will obviously be points i missed or mentioned only slightly but. hopefully this post makes sense lol

[cy-cyborg]

I'm seeing a lot of people here and on other platforms getting angry at people who have come from Tik Tok (and youtube to a lesser extent) who refuse to say words like death, racism and anything relating to heavy topics. Sometimes they won't even say the names of minorities either.

Any I get why this is frustrating and just not a good practice. The people criticising these folks are absolutely right, we need to get comfortable saying these words and discussing these topics. Not to mention the fact that self-censorship can cause issues for people who are legitimatly triggered by those topics (e.g. due to trauma), But as someone who spent a lot of time on Tik Tok and youtube before coming here, I think there's some vital context missing here.

I'd say a good 75% of the people on tik tok, and by extention, people who have moved elsewhere from Tik Tok, using words like "unalive," "r#pe," "sewerslide" or whatever else aren't using it because they're uncomfortable with the topic. In fact, it's quite the opposite. They want to talk about it, but Tik Tok's content moderation is so wildly strict that they can't. Even saying the words would get you flagged by the algorithm, ESPECIALLY if you had captions enabled or the actual word written in text from the in-app editor. This was especially true for people from minorities trying to talk about issues affecting their community or even just themselves (hence the hesitation to even say the minorities name sometimes).

This isn't just some conspiracy theory either. Tik Tok staff admitted to doing this intentionally on several occasions as a way to "keep the peace". I remeber when I first joined, it came out that they intentionally limited views on videos of visibly disabled people, both to prevent bullying but also because "some users find that content disturbung." I couldn't even show my stumps in videos without my videos getting stuck on 0 views at best or account warnings for "inappropriate content" at worst. I got DMs from several people after my video about disability pride month in July asking why their comments wishing me a happy disability pride month got removed, when I went into check the filtered comments, they'd all been hidden for "bullying". The same thing was happening with people commenting and saying the word "autism." And that's just the disabled community. I know similar stuff was happening in other communities too.

Most of the time, you had to speak in coded language to get your point out there. It's not that they're uncomfortable with it, it's because the videos would be dead in the water if they didn't. Getting the message out using these "toned down" replacements was better than not getting it out at all.

"OK, but this isnt tik tok, they shouldn't do that here" yeah, I agree, but for a lot of kids, Tik Tok was their first real experiance with social media, it makes sense that they're going to assume other platforms will be the same. YouTube is just as bad, if not worse, in some respects. Tumblr even has its fair share of censorship issues, too (e.g. queer people's posts being flagged as mature for seemingly no reason). It's not a stretch to make the assumption they'd need to continue the practice of self-censorship here, too.

This isn't to say that NO ONE is using the censored words to avoid hard topics/because it makes them uncomfy, but in my experiance, those people assume this is the best thing to do because everyone else was using it. They don't stop to ask why. They just repeat it, which in turn contributes to making them umcomfey with the real word.

I'm not saying don't pick people up on this stuff. We NEED those words, and we need to be more comfortable with them so stuff like the above situation doesn't happen and become a self-perpetuating cycle. But it started from a real, genuine need to censor ourselves to even get the message out, and I think it's important to keep that in mind. It's not just kids being "too sensitive."

[coochiequeens]

Its not just about fast fashion

Posted by Coralie Alison 24718sc on February 09, 2024

Earlier this week a supporter sent us a screenshot of a sponsored post on Facebook where giant e-commerce platform SHEIN was pushing thigh-high fishnet stockings for infants. "This is a massive red flag for me" she said. 

We discussed it as a team and our Movement Director, Melinda Tankard Reist said "This major online e-commerce platform thinks it’s ok to sexualise even babies by flogging thigh-high black fishnet stockings. Shein has linked babies with an item of clothing commonly associated with the sex trade. We have documented other examples of Shien’s exploitation and adultification of children including padded bras and see-through costumes. The company must be called out for pedo whistling."

So we decided to share the image on Facebook, Instagram, X(Twitter) and LinkedIn calling on all our supporters to contact SHEIN and demand they remove the item from their site. 

Clearly this campaign struck a chord with many as we had hundreds of comments on our social media platforms. 

"I have grave concerns about the mind of the person who thought these a good idea - I think they need help of some sort."

"What the actual! That’s disgusting"

"Appalling"

"Yuck!! 🤮 This is all kinds of wrong. Actually makes me feel physically sick."

"Words fail at this sickness"

"SHEIN this is not a good look….."

"Shame on you SHEIN"

"SHEIN this is disgusting. I will be spreading this info to everyone I know so that your company is boycotted."

"I wrote a book about pornification of reality and this is the worst thing I've ever seen."

"This is not the first time. SHEIN have a history of sexualising girls. We must call this out!"

This also came at the same time that SHEIN was also under fire publicly for other items that adultified children. 

Not only are the fishnet stockings inappropriate for its ties to the sex trade but they would also be incredibly impractical for a baby. The sponsored ad says “Kids will love these” - yeah two huge bows on your knees when you’re learning to crawl. Slippery feet when you’re trying to stand and take first steps. Let kids be kids!

We then inboxed Peter Pernot-Day on LinkedIn who is head of Corporate Strategy and bought the issue to his attention. The beauty of social media is that we can contact people in senior management. 

When we checked the website link later that day the item could not be found. 

This is the power of using your voice. Together we rallied our community to collectively speak out and say "This is not okay!" Kids need the adults in their lives to protect them, to advocate for them and to take action when something in our society is going to harm them. If you're not already a part of our campaign movement please sign up today to be notified about future campaigns. (It's free and we promise we will never spam you.) 

It is great that the item has now been removed but why do we need to have these campaigns in the first place? Kids deserve better than SHEIN’s sexualisation and adultification.

But our campaign against SHEIN doesn’t end here. Unfortunately the corporate sells a range of highly sexualised and adultified items. We’ll say more on this soon.

See also:

SHEIN fetishises ‘school girls’ for profit

SHEIN flogs see-through g-strings for toddler girls

SHEIN’s ‘highly sexualised’ image found in breach of ad code of ethics

[dreafime]

Coining A Terminology

ft. G6 Mikaela Guerra

LOCKER ROOM SYNDROME

a. Which factors led you to coming up with this term?

The factors that led us to create the term is the emerging manifestation of "locker room talk" for boys. This is essentially code for inappropriate talk that some boys could have in private with other guys, often the not, these topics are offensive and insensitive but since it's between only them, they're able to let it slide. Now, everyone has done a dumb thing at least once when they were little, and it's easy to feel pressured to join in with whatever the other kids are talking about in order to fit in with the crowd. The problem arises when you don't grow out of that mindset and carry it to your adulthood. This could lead to a boy (although it could be anyone) becoming a misogynistic and rude person when they grow up because that's all they've been taught to talk about.

b. Why did you choose the words you chose for the term?

We chose "Locker Room Syndrome" because it calls back to offensive conversations in private that serve as a breeding ground for the development and reinforcement of negative attitudes and behaviors towards others. The private nature of these conversations can make it easier for individuals to express opinions and attitudes that they would not express in public, and can reinforce negative beliefs and stereotypes. Additionally, the term itself calls back to the idea that you're still 'locked' in a room of your own underdeveloped and misguided mindset.

c. How do you formally define your coined terminology?

A manifestation of toxic masculinity and misogyny commonly observed in locker room talk or discussions among boys, characterized by derogatory comments, objectification of women, and a general lack of respect for women's rights and dignity. It also refers to a phenomenon where individuals, usually male, engage in derogatory or objectifying conversations about women in a locker room setting or similar environment, perpetuating a culture of misogyny and sexism.

[coridallasmultipass]

Just did this and added more to the letter after skimming the bill's text.

Here's what I added since it's always good to personalize the things you send legislators.

Pre-written text: [I’m writing to urge you to reject the Kids Online Safety Act, a misguided bill that would put vulnerable young people at risk.

KOSA would fail to address the root issues related to kid’s safety online. Instead, it would endanger some of the most vulnerable people in our society while undermining human rights and children’s privacy. The bill would result in widespread internet censorship by pressuring platforms to use incredibly broad “content filters” and giving state Attorneys General the power to decide what content kids should and shouldn’t have access to online. This power could be abused in a number of ways and be politicized to censor information and resources.

KOSA would also likely lead to the greater surveillance of children online by requiring platforms to gather data to verify user identity.

There is a way to protect kids and all people online from egregious data abuse and harmful content targeting: passing a strong Federal data privacy law that prevents tech companies from collecting so much sensitive data about all of us in the first place, and gives individuals the ability to sue companies that misuse their data.

KOSA, although well-meaning, must not move forward. Please protect privacy and stop the spread of censorship online by opposing KOSA.]

My addition:

I would also like to add a personal anecdote about censorship online causing more harm than good. In 2019, one blogging website I use changed their terms to broadly disallow mature topics from being depicted in images on their site. This resulted in me losing a large following I had built over years due to people leaving the site when the site began removing content that was previously allowed and censoring accounts that posted or shared "too much" of this content that was previously allowed. This was a large following that I needed for visibility for the varied content I create. Not only that, but due to the restrictions on images, the website's tagging feature is now problematic. If I wanted to make a post discussing important sex education topics, tagging it with terms like "#sex" would automatically flag the post and hide it, even if it was purely medical information. This hindrance has led to people posting about mature topics and simply not tagging them any more - meaning, people who don't want to see posts discussing, for example, sex ed, will now have to see it untagged (meaning it cannot be filtered out of their social media feed), because there's simply no other way to share content to your audience without being censored completely.

You also see this with creators who use video platforms saying words like "unalived" to mean "killed" to get around auto-censors detecting a "mature" word (regardless of the context - someone could be discussing "killing" a task their computer was running and still be censored). Tagging a post or speaking normally blocks the post from getting any visibility, negating the purpose of even tagging it for safety to begin with. The direction people are being forced to go means that kids are more likely to see these mature topics being discussed using code words like "unalived" because creators can't tag their content straightforwardly any more without being hidden or flagged as inappropriate or mature.

Censorship such as this, and what would be reinforced or worsened if KOSA is passed, is what is actually going to harm children, because adult creators trying to reach other adults in their audience have no choice but to try and get around the inhuman and sloppily automated methods of censorship being used today; and without being able to tag or say these so-called "mature" words in a way that they could be filtered out for minors only, instead, these mature discussions are had through the use of code words or left untagged where kids could find them.

Not only that, but it also prevents people (adults and children), ESPECIALLY those who identify as LGBT, from seeking resources and education they might not be able to access from in-person sources. This is particularly concerning to me, because as a young adult, I learned about a lot of important safety tips on social media regarding things like sex ed and mental health for queer people, or helpful medically informational anecdotes and images that would be censored in today's internet. These are things I would have never thought to research on my own elsewhere, and definitely never would have been able to learn about in person, living in a rural area with hardly any queer population, let alone queer youth.

Seeing the downfall of a site I'd used for well over a decade has taught me that legislation concerning censorship can only do more harm than good. Not only for myself, losing a large audience when I'm already a 'starving artist,' but also because of the ways people are going to find to get around the censorship being forced upon them, which will end up affecting children. Strict censorship is not the answer to protecting children from online harm. This is a nuanced issue that can't be fixed with a sweeping erasure of mature topics online. Children do need to be protected, but KOSA is not going to do that. It's only going to harm the artists, writers, creators, who are already threatened by current censorship requirements and the growing threat of AI content replacing their important work. It's going to harm the queer youth that have no other place to turn to in order to find health information or community. It's going to harm the mentally ill youth that can't access or discuss the relevant topics because they've been censored. It's going to harm the children that share an online space with creators that have to skirt around censorship in order to exist online at all. It's going to empower social media companies to collect more personal data about people.

While I agree that children should be protected online, I do not belive KOSA will help. I believe further censorship and data collection will only make things worse.

I urge you to reject KOSA as this is a situation that cannot be fixed with a one-size-fits-all piece of legislation.

-

I wish the site said which legislators exactly it was going to, if it's just the senators or the representatives as well. I've done this for different topics before, and the representative usually responds back by email to agree or disagree. I usually get crickets from the senators.

Honestly, it probably doesn't make much of a difference in my case, but if enough people send personalized letters, y'know... Might put them on the spot to reconsider their stance.

...watcn tho, this reblog is gonna get hidden for using the word 'sex' or 'killed' on here. Yeah, that was me talking about Tumblr. Oh, I'm gonna be pissed if this gets hidden lmao, should've reconsidered posting my addition. I'll reblog the post as vanilla after this, just in case.

The 'Kids Online Safety Act' [KOSA] continues to move forward

Microsoft now endorses this legislation, which will likely help garner political support. Help counter this bill!

HELP STOP KOSA

Contact your representatives

KOSA is a bipartisan bill introduced to censor content on the internet deemed 'inappropriate' for minors. This bill is intended to target the LGBTQIA+ community and otherwise cause harm to minors.

Access to any supportive resources like queer-youth support groups, suicide hotlines, and important health information can be targeted.

[technicalblogs]

Education enhancement through ChatGPT

Introduction

Artificial Intelligence is the science of making an Intelligent machine which behaves like humans.ChatGPT is based on State of the Art (SOA), like Deep Learning (DL), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Machine Learning (ML). ChatGPT is bringing up a revolutionary change in fields of education which is going to provide a more scalable approach to tutors and students. ChatGPT generates a  response by reading a text, such as a phrase or a prompt, and then understanding the problem statement. ChatGPT language model has the power to perform various tasks such as summarizing the content, creating, editing and many more. It focuses on a large dataset of online content such as webpages, books, research articles, social media content and chatter. Open AI developed "ChatGPT" which is an artificial Intelligence chatbot. ‘‘Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT)’’ is a processing model trained on massive data to come up with better results that resemble the skills of humans. It builds on Natural Language Processing model. ChatGPT functions as a virtual assistant which response to our enquiries. ChatGPT uses deep learning algorithms to generate human-machine natural language discussions. As ChatGPT is designed to connect quickly and respond with appropriate output leads to focus on the areas which genuinely require time. It gives aspects to several areas of education writing and creating content and can reach accurate results. Content developed by students can be checked for grammatical errors, a spell which will focus on a core area of content and bring impressive writing.

Research

ChatGPT can bring transformation in learning and teaching. It has hands not only in writing but can provide you with content in technical fields like writing code and developing websites. As it can interact with humans through its application and can bring more fruitful conversation. The objective of this article is to bring to light how we can bring innovation in the field of education through ChatGPT.Many technologies have emerged and vanished in these fields. ChatGPT provides explanations via visual representations and examples. ChatGPT has come up with the best instructor and student.

ChatGPT handles a large dataset with facts. It can be a great virtual assistant and can come up with large data by offering clarifications and examples. It personalized your lesson plans and provides you with case studies with hands-on sessions and can construct interactive classes and lectures. Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) is a technique that is used to train a big language model. It comprehends the context and meaning of words and provides answers. ChatGPT uses a third generation model to produce human resembles answers. When we want to search any topic the first thing is to portray the query in a better manner so that it can reasonably gather the information and provide the solution. ChatGPT has been developed including automated customer service, virtual assistants, narrative creation and summarization algorithms. In business, ChatGPT can decrease the number of customer support agents and can lead to cutting down on overhead expenses. ChatGPT has the potential to be a valuable educational tool which can create course materials, provide tasks and respond to student inquiries. The quality of its responses and the speed at which it interacts with the user are astonishing. Virtual teaching assistants allow students to ask questions to understand complex problems with straightforward responses.  ChatGPT will enhance the learning environment and can communicate in different languages. ChatGPT will improve exam preparations and can minimize the time for the instructor. The use of ChatGPT can summarise large documents and can come up as a research tool as well.

Limitations of ChatGPT

If we talk about limitations it will be accessible to every person around the globe which can lead to inappropriate use, like students can copy assignments and can lead to unethical manner. It offers users a complete source of information, it is up to the individual to make the most of this technology and exercise prudence when using the knowledge. For a large number of people, it is a matter of worry because the use of ChatGPT can minimize job opportunities and can lead to unemployment. There is a higher probability that produces inappropriate material, leaks private information, or be influenced.

Future scope

ChatGPT can be used as a web search to do in-depth market research online. It is a highly recommended  Al tool that can provide limitless service and information following our desires and might be considered the future of Al in the world.

Conclusion

ChatGPT is beneficial in education as it can do language translation, discussion, text production and many more. Students may also use ChatGPT to get clarification on different topics which is explained to them multiple times. ChatGPT can produce conversational text for chatbot applications. ChatGPT is getting more intelligent day by day in managing complicated jobs as AI advances.

[violet-jessica19]

Social Media Ethics

When discussing ethics and social media it is good to first understand what the word ethics actually means. From the textbook, the term 'ethics' is defined as: a set of moral guidelines and principles that influence our behavior and interactions. (6) Each person has their own internal compass with a set of morals taught throughout their childhood (hopefully). As times have grown with technology, we now as citizens have to be even more aware and observant of these moral guidelines when dealing with social media. Over the years, growing concern has been displayed with how much information is actually shared or public once it is posted online, leaving lots of questions with what are the ethical policies regarding our most used sites.

When searching for social media's ethical policies, I was able to quickly locate Facebook's mission page with their attached privacy policy, as the largest concern with users in most recent years has been how private is their information that is posted online to ads and others. In their "Corporate Human Rights Policy," you will find their goal as a site is to "give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. We build social technologies to enable the best of what people can do together. Our principles are: give people a voice; serve everyone; promote economic opportunity; build connection and community; keep people safe and protect privacy." (1) So this is a very clear example of how we should expect the site to perform, so when algorithms were exposed about Facebook using search data (2), or that profiles were accessed for an entire university without consent (3), it puts lots of questions and a sense of fear into our mind when it comes to the code of ethics.

Another issue as a user on social media, there are also many ethical issues regarding TikTok and content that is posted. Tiktok alone is already dealing with Congress about whether their information is protected and private from the Chinese-owned app, but another rising concern is the content that is being shared to users regularly. One example, is the "getting arrested trend", where white males were glorifying the idea of being arrested with the popular Rihanna song "Diamonds" playing in the background (4). Especially after the very heated George Floyd case that grew tumultuously throughout the whole the country, the idea of sharing getting arrested or any police related content is morally not the best choice. Many followers were angered with the idea that this trend was rising, and had many asking the question as to how do we regulate inappropriate content without going against the First Amendment.

These type of ethical trends that we must follow with our social media sites, is just the beginning of some ethical issues that as a professional and user have noticed. When working on social media it is very important to keep a certain set of standards to follow, especially to control how you are perceived online. One of my core concepts for using social media is to: keep it appropriate. Businesses can use your social media background when interviewing and unfortunately those posts from ten years ago never really disappear from the meta. I also like to follow the rule of: not discussing work online. It is pretty common today that you will see famous socialites in trouble for things that they post on social media as it goes against strict guidelines, or includes speech that is inappropriate. Which brings me to my next core concept of: no bullying or hate speech! Memes and viral posts tend to become topics of interest and become very sharable, but unfortunately some of those posts may go against certain stereotypes and could make you look racist, sexist, or a bigot; I always try to remind myself if I saw someone else post that how would I feel, or if my boss saw that what would they say? My fourth core concept is: stay up to date on trends. I try to stay with most news forums on data that is trending regarding big issues, and trendy topics, especially when it comes to social media. I feel it is good to know how certain sites are adapting their policies, and how it could potentially affect me. Lastly, my final concept is to remember that: nothing is private. Although I have some haunting photos that I have untagged myself in, and tried to get deleted, I always remember that deep down in the data field it is circulating somewhere. That is why it is always good to monitor what is posted about you or on your page and linked to you in some way.

When it comes to brands that are handling their code of ethics in a successful way, my results led to show that the brand Adidas and Best Buy were up on the top of most lists. Adidas has an easy-to-read and very concise policy on how their employees should conduct material on social media, with examples provided. (5) Best Buy was also listed as another big company name that gives clear examples of scenarios with how employers should interact with users online or in person and how to represent themselves and the company in the best way possible. (5) When looking at strengths and weaknesses from companies with good codes of ethics, it was made clear that policies should be concise, and provide real-life scenarios of how employers should tackle their online presence daily. I personally feel companies that allow their users and employers to speak freely on the brand, while maintaining a positive atmosphere online, do better with their social media branding, as it engages more people to get involved in the conversation.

Overall, ethics is something we must face in our day to day life, but now primarily when we are behind a screen or phone. There are times that people feel the internet will protect them from consequences, but if behavior and lines are crossed on social media it could not only hurt your online reputation, but your workplace or future endeavors. The golden rule should always be applied when discussing ethics and that is how I will end with: treat others they way you would like to be treated.

(1) Facebook Meta. (n.d.). Corporate H U M a n Rig H TS policy 02 - about Facebook. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://about.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Facebooks-Corporate-Human-Rights-Policy.pdf

(2) White, C. L., & Boatwright, B. (2020, October 20). Social Media Ethics in the Data Economy: Issues of social responsibility for using facebook for public relations. Public Relations Review. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0363811120301077

(3) Zimmer, M. (2010, June 4). "but the data is already public": On the ethics of research in Facebook - Ethics and Information Technology. SpringerLink. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10676-010-9227-5

(4) Coburn, C., & Jelinek, J. (2022, September 19). The ethics of Tiktok Trends. Center for Media Engagement. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://mediaengagement.org/research/the-ethics-of-tiktok-trends/

(5) 21 social media policy examples to learn from. Swaybase. (2022). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.swaybase.com/social-media-policy/examples

(6) Freberg, K. J. (2022). 2: Ethical and Legal Fundamentals in Social Media. In Social Media for Strategic Communication: Creative Strategies and research-based applications. essay, SAGE Publications, Inc.

[zhongwans]

Really sorry to bother but do you mind explaining what happened during the 15th? The story is in fragments on twt and I'm having a hard time following 😅

Lots of things happened on the 15th but I guess you're specifically interested in the livestream? It was a hot mess. Before all that even began a weird tag went up to hotsearch #一部剧收入1亿多9000万买收视率 which was likely bought and intended to smear Li Laoshi, taking his words from an interview out of context to make it look like he bought the ratings for his show. People immediately saw right through it though.

The livestream was scheduled on the evening of December 15th and it included Li Laoshi and four other speakers, all legal professionals. It was supposed to be hosted on bilibili but they shut it down for some reason. The reason was (allegedly) because the stream violated bilibili's rules, although I don't know what it is about a discussion between a group of lawyers that's so inappropriate. So videos full of misinformation are allowed, but a recorded discussion between lawyers isn't? The tag #李学政洪范所b站直播被歹 "Li Xuezheng Hongfan Bilibili live was shut down" appeared but was quickly taken down by weibo before it could gain traction.

After bilibili shut down the live, they attempted to host it on two other platforms but to no avail. Finally they switched to weibo and it resumed, this time hosted on Hongfan Law Insititute's 洪范法律与经济研究所 weibo account. But then after the live began, it was taken down. Then put back up. Then taken down again. Then put back up. This happened multiple times (I think a total of 9-10 times) and oddly enough, it all happened when the topic shifted specifically to CAPA and antitrust laws. The stream kept on getting taken down during these parts. Finally, weibo shut it all down completely by taking down the post with the live and even going as far as muting Hongfan Law's weibo account.

tl: "this account is temporarily muted because of rule violations"

I heard a tag talking about Hongfan Law being muted appeared, but it was taken down again before I could even see it. 3.8 million viewers were tuning in (or trying to because we all kept trying to get back in whenever it got shut down, thanks weibo) during the live so naturally a lot of people knew about weibo's bullshit and got really pissed. The obviously bought tag that was intended to smear Li Laoshi was still up high on the hotsearch ranking, but after the live was shut down and Hongfan law got muted, angry people started using the tag to post about it and expose what weibo did. The tag, which was going strong just moments ago quickly fell off the rankings and disappeared the moment it was filled with posts about the live. Weibo at that moment was glorious 😂 So many angry posts from pissed lawyers.

The next day water army and professional antis started a smear campaign against the founders of Hongfan Law institute, 江平 Jiang Ping and吴敬琏 Wu JingLian. I actually have no fucking clue what goes on in the heads of the people who participated in this because Jiang Ping is the one who drafted a lot of the fundamental laws in the country including the Property Law and the Administrative Procedure Law (APL). He was one of the civil law scholars involved in the fourth draft of the Civil Code of China. He's a staunch advocate of Rule of Law and he devoted much of his work to advancing civil law and private rights in the country. Smearing another person is always a shitty thing to do no matter what, but to do it to someone like Jiang Ping is just.....a whole other level of insane. A lot of the rights those antis enjoy today is thanks to Jiang Ping's work.

tl;dr Hongfan Law hosted a legal roundtable with Li Xuezheng and four law professors. Bili2 shut the livestream down due to rule violations. They moved it to weibo but it was taken down around 10 times when they were discussing CAPA. Weibo then shut the stream down for good and muted Hongfan Law's account for rule violations. The next day a smear campaign was launched against one its founders, Jiang Ping, who happens to be one of the most well respected legal professionals in China.

[luna-rainbow]

I have such conflicting feelings about the code words for the WS because on one hand I like anything that helps to support the argument that Bucky isn't to blame for anything that he did as the WS, but on the other I felt like they were very plot device-y, weren't used to their full potential, and, honestly, shouldn't even be necessary. The codewords were literally just used by the writers to justify having a "WS rampage" moment in CACW and to give a reason why Bucky would have given Zemo the information about the Siberia base and why he needed to be frozen at the end of the movie, once they fulfilled that use, they instantly removed them from the picture, not even showing us the how of how the code words were removed, was it a brain surgery, was it psychotherapies?

In a better world where people were less ableist, the codewords wouldn't have been needed for people to understand that Bucky was a victim without any control over his actions. I think back to when I first watched CAWS, before we knew that the codewords were a thing, and I thought it was pretty clear just from the bank scene that Bucky was a victim, but maybe that's just me?

I also feel like there's some ableism baked into the whole codewords thing towards dissociative disorders (maybe this is bc I've read a lot of Bucky fics that discuss dissociation as a part of the WS that are really good). Idk sorry if this doesn't make much sense, I just wish that this--like most parts of his storyline--were better written.

Thanks for the ask!

Make no mistake, the code words - like many parts of CACW - were definitely a plot device, and not there to help people understand Bucky had no control. It was the easiest "switch" for Zemo to gain control of Bucky and direct him to do his bidding. Bucky's rampage was necessary to set off the airport fight, because - this line seems to get overlooked a bit - Tony insinuates that he killed people in that rampage, which was why the Avengers were called upon to bring him in.

I...really cannot think of a real life equivalent for the code words, and the amount of reading required to confirm this is too much because reliable evidence on hypnotherapy is so scarce D= The whole activation sequence and Bucky's "consciousness" disappearing comes across like a hypnosis to me.

But my other thought is that the Winter Soldier seems fairly capable of making quick (straightforward/concrete) decisions about fighting, and combined with what Seb says about Bucky "being in a trance-like state", I wonder if it's almost like a sleepwalking/parasomnia situation. Interestingly, one of the theories about parasomnias is the inappropriate disinhibition of the basal ganglia during (non-REM) sleep.

I can't recall the exact line Melina says about the Winter Soldier program, but it was definitely the basal ganglia that she experimented on to get the pigs to obey her commands. TBH I don't think the scriptwriter was aiming for this - basal ganglia does a lot of stuff with motor control that's unrelated to sleep.

Can you induce a parasomnia state? Yes, zopiclone was notorious for doing this when it first came out, and some other toxins can do it too. I have not heard of hypnosis doing it, but...hey, this is Hydra.

I know this is getting long already, but I thought it's useful to talk over the components of consent:

- You have to have available all the relevant information about the risks/benefits, potential outcomes, and any other major concerns that might influence your choice - You have to have understood the information - You have to be able to synthesise the information and form a judgement that takes into account the possible outcomes - Finally there's a component about communicating the decision which doesn't apply here.

In Bucky's case - he definitely does not get given the full picture when he goes on missions, especially when you consider that they wipe his memory to take away his knowledge of the situation. It's also doubtful whether he would be able to understand complex contextual and abstract information, or form a judgement based on that (I tend to lean no).

So regardless of whether Bucky is in a dissociative, hypnotic or parasomniac state, he still did not consent to participate in killing his targets, and he should not be held responsible.

[puzzle-paradigm]

How to appropriately use the word "Jew"

I've had a lot, and I mean a lot of people ask me if "Jew" is a slur. The answer to that is actually more complicated than a simple "yes" or "no", but I think it's important and that we should be talking about it, so hold onto your kishkes, because it's education time. Let's start with some simple guidelines: Jew should NEVER be a verb. Some examples of using "Jew" as a verb are as follows:

"They Jewed me out of my money"

"I can't believe they Jewed her out of her bonus"

Both of these use "Jew" to denote a greedy, selfish, or conniving individual. This perpetuates harmful stereotypes that have caused great harm to Jews throughout history. In this situation "Jew" is certainly a derogatory word, though I do not think it can be defined as a slur.

Jew should NOT be used as an adjective, unless you are specifying that something has the quality of being Jewish.

A bad usage: "It's awfully Jewish of you to be a doctor."

A good usage: "Yes, that is a Jewish organization. It was founded by Jewish immigrants to the country."

The first example makes assumptions on a person based on two unrelated facts: they are Jewish, and they are a doctor. This perpetuates harmful stereotypes (all Jews are wealthy, all Jews fall into certain professions, etc.) and is inappropriate.

The second example uses the word "Jew" to denote two simple facts: the organization is a Jewish one (such as a charity, shul, or hospital), and was founded by immigrants who were Jewish (relevant to the previous part of the quote). NOTE: using "Jew" in this manner is NOT acceptable when discussing conspiracy theories ("did you know all of the wealthiest media heads are Jewish?").

"Jew" is SOMETIMES ACCEPTABLE as a noun. This one depends on many things, such as context and tone of voice. "Jew" on its own can usually be replaced with "Jewish" or "Jewish person".

"Don't be such a Jew"

"I am a Jew"

"They are a Jew"

Example one once again implies an inherent negativity to being a Jew. It says "Being a Jew is bad. It is something you do not want to be".

Example two shows an individual self-identifying as a Jew. This is them stating a fact about themself and has a positive or neutral connotation.

Example three is ambiguous, because it depends on the tone of the speaker. If the speaker shows other signs of antisemitism, or is using a derisive or otherwise negative tone, "Jew" is not acceptable and is being used in a derogatory manner. If they are not, it is more likely that they are using it appropriately. Context is an important clue.

Finally, why do people think calling someone a Jew is a slur, but have no issues with calling someone "Jewish"? I think the answer comes from several causes, but two are especially prominent in my mind.

The antisemitism ingrained in many cultures leads to people internalizing it as an insult. This makes the most sense when looking at phrases like "Jew down" or "Being Jewed".

The systematic appropriation of Jewishness by antisemitic entities. This is something that is more complex that I may have to go into more detail on later, but in essence antisemitic groups frequently attempt to co-opt Jewish language and identity as dogwhistles and code, working to stigmatize our own language while simultaneously attempting to cause us harm. By perpetuating the idea that our word for ourselves is a slur, they can change our name itself into a forbidden word. Might have to make a separate post on this because it's a thing and it is Bad.

[creacherkeeper]

hey same anon from before!! and yeah i meant general headcanons/ aelwyn + the bad kids dynamics/ honestly whatever fh headcanons you have so lmao you’re good. if you have any more know i would LOVE to read them but no pressure of course!!

oh okay dope ^^ thank you for clarifying. but ...... while we’re here ...... MIGHT AS WELL TALK ABOUT SOME ND HEADCANONS EHH??

of course disclaimer that these are just my own reading and everyone is entitled to read it differently, but i’ll try to back up my takes as much as i can

-

adaine (autism & panic disorder) - detail-oriented problem solver, thrives under the structure of school but doesnt do well with overwhelm, organized, seems sensitive to noises (like if the bad kids are being loud or rowdy), extremely earnest and forward even in situations where its inappropriate and doesnt always understand when its actually hurting her goals (see: every time an npc has to go “whats your deal? can i help you?” to adaine), tends to fumble some spontaneous speech (come backs in fights or like. the WHOLE thing with the innkeeper), very knowledgeable and skilled in a specific area of interest (divination magic), thrives with an emotional support animal, possibly ace (for sure not all autistic people are but we tend to be in much higher numbers), vibes with ayda almost immediately (by like. just straight up asking if she wants to be friends), very direct when talking, strong sense of justice and morality and gets very frustrated when things dont work how she thinks they should

riz (autistic) - hyperfixates on cases (both in the ‘losing track of time’ and ‘has trouble thinking of other things while out and about’ way), odd sense of fashion, has trouble making friends and understanding relationship dynamics (him thinking he was friends with the popular kids in ep1, being obsessed with finding penny who was his babysitter but then they dont really hang out after, being very verbal about fabian being his best friend even though fabian is embarrassed), ace, detail-oriented problem solver, sleeping issues, CAN lie but tends to be very direct to the point of being rude and abrasive at times, very defined moral code and strong sense of justice, easily frustrated in certain situations, intimidated by social interactions (especially with people he doesnt know), struggles with self-care and self-maintenance, i dont know exactly how to categorize the hissing but im throwing that in here too, doesnt always have “average” emotional reactions (like being really excited about the video of his dad instead of upset), very mature interests for his age

gorgug (autistic) - trouble with communication (putting his thoughts into words, tends to speak very slowly with a lot of pauses, doesnt always know what to say or what the average person in his situation would say), has a hard time making friends, struggles with emotional regulation (you can read barbarian rage as this in general but im also thinking of him getting mad at the high elves and just having to run around to calm down), very emotionally intelligent but doesnt always come across that way because of communication struggles, understands the value of having things explained in a simple and accessible way and does so without judgement or embarrassment if others need him to, thinks in a different way and comes to conclusions others dont seem to (sometimes he’s completely correct and other times .... dad!?), uses sensory input to regulate emotions (mostly music/drumming), screams when overwhelmed, doesn’t always ‘get the point’, is a very good friend but is so with great intention and care

fabian (adhd + dyslexia) - doesnt enjoy school, has some Very Bad Rolls when it comes to books and reading, doesnt think he’s as smart as his friends, struggles with a disconnect of identity (how he sees himself and his family vs how other people see him), very physical and physically active, tends to default to loud and “rowdy” (as adaine put it), struggles with emotional regulation, very sensitive but would NOT admit that, doesn’t always understand social cues or when he’s being rude, struggles with impulse control

fig (adhd + autism) - sensory seeking (especially music & the physical element of playing music which can be read as stimming, as well as smoking cloves), disconnect between how she sees herself (mysterious closed book) and how others see her (incredibly open and earnest), feels like a social chameleon and slips into roles very easily but has trouble feeling like and understanding herself; very excitable, engaged, reactive, and verbal; runs away when she feels uncomfortable or overwhelmed, tends to wander from the group a lot, admits several times that she wasn’t paying attention or doesnt remember key info about the plot, builds an identity around deviation from societal norms, big emotions, lots of energy, cares very deeply but actively works on understanding boundaries, doesnt always pick up on social cues

kristen (cptsd) - discussed in this post but can be summed up as issues with affect and emotional regulation, cognitive/executive functioning issues, difficulty with boundaries, struggles with impulse control, goes from VERY self-restrictive to VERY loose with sexual activity, drugs, alcohol, tattoos, etc; struggles with self-concept, doubt, and trust issues; possibly has dissociative and/or depersonalization tendencies with her cleric abilities 

so 8))))) yeah. bad kids neurodivergence headcanons ahoy

[robininthelabyrinth]

NMJ is in Cloud Recesses while LWJ is being punished for visiting WWX at Burial Mounds. LXC tells him what happened, and the 2 decide to go there to see with their own eyes exactly what is going on. A-Yuan has them wrapped around his little finger in .5 seconds, and NMJ is not inclined to put him down. Also, WQ takes one look at him and tells him he's deviating and he's gonna die in less than a year if it's not cured. He might just be in love.

“Your brother is being punished?” Nie Mingjue asked, more than a little surprised. “Your brother? Did we switch brothers again?”

Lan Xichen had to press his lips together to stop from laughing at the reminder of that time when they’d tried to swap the two babies (well, baby and toddler) while their elders had been distracted during a discussion conference – Nie Mingjue’s father was always complaining about how weak and low-energy his new son was, while Lan Qiren scowled about how much noise Lan Zhan made, and they’d thought it was a perfect solution to both problems. It hadn’t worked, of course, given the difference a year made for very young children, and they’d both been punished (while their elders coughed badly-suppressed laughter into their sleeves), but all in all it’d been an interesting first meeting.

“He visited the Burial Mounds without permission,” he explained. “Uncle was very upset.”

“Your uncle isn’t sect leader,” Nie Mingjue said, a little sharply. He’d had some struggles for control and respect when he became sect leader himself, given how young he’d been – at the time Lan Xichen had thought they were being ridiculous, though in retrospect he realized with a pang exactly how much of his friend’s childhood had been lost to a responsibility exceeding that of even most adults – and it remained a sensitive subject. “And merely visiting a place isn’t against your family rules…you approved the punishment, then?”

Lan Xichen hesitated, because he hadn’t. Approval wasn’t considered as necessary in the Lan sect as it was in the Nie; elders were allowed to discipline juniors without consulting the Sect Leader even when it was outside the family rules – the two of them often argued whether such a system left openings for abuse (Nie Mingjue’s position) or encouraged trust (Lan Xichen’s view). 

“Well, he went without permission,” he temporized.

Nie Mingjue snorted, seeing through the excuse at once. “He hasn’t needed to get permission to go places even before he fought in a war, Xichen,” he pointed out. “He was a very good general.”

That was very high praise, from Nie Mingjue, with particular emphasis on Lan Wangji’s reliable judgment; otherwise, he would have used different words.

“It’s the Burial Mounds,” Lan Xichen insisted, still trying to defend his uncle’s judgment. “Wei Wuxian is dangerous –”

“So is night-hunting.”

“You’re just being contrary for the sake of arguing with me,” Lan Xichen said. Nie Mingjue didn’t deny it, though he wouldn’t: it was a measure of his trust in Lan Xichen that he would break etiquette enough to casually pick a fight like this. “Fine, have it your way: I’ll put an end to the punishment now, and we’ll go ourselves to Yiling. If it’s more dangerous than night-hunting, the punishment resumes; if it’s less, it’s absolved, and I will apologize to Wangji myself. Agreed?”

“How did I get roped into this?” Nie Mingjue pretended to complain. “What business is it of mine how your Lan sect teaches its disciples…? But since you insist, I will of course accompany you.”

“Your acquiescence is appreciated – even if a less polite man than I might speculate that you just don’t want to meet with all the minor sect leaders that routinely take advantage of your visits to come by with requests.”

Nie Mingjue didn’t smile – he never did, anymore, which was a pity – but his brow wasn’t furrowed in anger for once, and that was very nearly the same.

Lan Xichen was just as inclined to avoid the inevitable pestering as Nie Mingjue, so he put his plan into action at once and headed out before his uncle could notice what was going on outside his door – not that it was a problem if his uncle objected, of course, he was the sect leader now, but still, why start trouble that could be avoided? Especially since Lan Xichen was going with Nie Mingjue, which significantly lessened the chance of danger; there was little that could stand up against the two of them together. Including Wei Wuxian’s defensive arrays, brilliant as they were, which shattered after a few gestures - after all, it wouldn’t be much of an evaluation if there was time for the Yiling Patriarch to cover things up while they were waiting for permission to enter.

Not that there seemed to be much to cover up.

The Burial Mounds weren’t anything at all like what Lan Xichen had heard, and judging by the increasingly black look on Nie Mingjue’s face, the same was true for him; the ragged collection of farmers tending to an even more ragged collection of crops was far away from the roving army of fierce corpses Wei Wuxian was reputed to be raising here.

“He’s not raising people,” Lan Xichen murmured.

“Well, one,” Nie Mingjue said. Lan Xichen turned to look, but it appeared that what Nie Mingjue was referring to was a small child, buried waist deep into the mud and beaming about it. Lan Xichen gave Nie Mingjue a look, because now was not the appropriate moment for his friend’s deeply buried sense of humor to re-emerge as if greeting the spring…great, now he was making planting jokes, even if only within his own mind. “Xichen, there are hardly any cultivators here.”

“The remnants of the Wen sect?” Lan Xichen guessed, politely ignoring the piece of spiced meat Nie Mingjue had taken out from his pocket to give to the child, who was trying to wiggle his way out of the dirt in order to demand a ride on Nie Mingjue’s shoulders. “I hadn’t realized they were quite so reduced. Rumor seems to have blown things quite out of proportion…”

“Don’t touch him!” a woman snapped, and they both turned; her clothing was faded, but still recognizable as the colors of the Wen sect, and Lan Xichen could feel the way Nie Mingjue tensed, the way Baxia, on his back, began to quiver in anticipation. “A-Yuan, come here, quick.”

“No!” the child said, clinging to Nie Mingjue’s leg. “I wanna ride!”

“I don’t give rides to radishes,” Nie Mingjue said, his eyes still fixed on the approaching woman – Wen Qing, if Lan Xichen is recalling her name correctly. A doctor, once. “Didn’t you say you were a radish?”

“I’m human! I’m human!”

“If you’re a human, you need to listen to your seniors. Get her permission first.”

“You don’t have it,” Wen Qing snapped. “Get away from him at once, A-Yuan. That man is dangerous.”

“We don’t mean any harm,” Lan Xichen interjected quickly before things went south.

“You may not,” she said. “But the one next to you is halfway down the road to a qi deviation; I wouldn’t trust him with any child, least of all one of blood that he despises.”

There was no way to salvage this, but Lan Xichen was determined to try regardless. “Lady Wen –”

“If I recall correctly, her title was Supervisory Office Leader.” Nie Mingjue’s voice was cold and biting. “In Yiling, no less. If I recall correctly, Office Leader Wen Qing refused to dirty her hands by raising a sword directly, and, valued as she was by Wen Ruohan, he did not force her. And so Yiling became a place to keep prisoners – isn’t that right?”

“I was a doctor,” she said, voice equally stiff. “I cared for all sick and injured without distinction –”

“Until they were well enough to be executed –”

“We are guests here, Mingjue-xiong,” Lan Xichen reminded him desperately. “And the war is over, and Lady Wen is a civilian now.”

“She’s still a cultivator,” Nie Mingjue said through gritted teeth. “I do not generally permit cultivators of any sect to say that I harm children; would you prefer I challenge her to defend her words against my saber? I am willing – Office Leader Wen can name the time and place. Unless she prefers to continue to hide behind the cloak of the powerful?”

This was a disaster.

“No one is fighting anyone,” Lan Xichen said firmly. “Lady Wen will apologize for the implication, said in a moment of anger and out of concern for her…for her young relative; in return, we will apologize for arriving without an invitation or forewarning, and then we will all limit ourselves to saying only polite things.”

Both of them open their mouths to protest, and he adds sharply, “Now, if you please.”

He shot Nie Mingjue a look, urging him to recall that he was here at Lan Xichen’s invitation, and his friend scowled but begrudgingly nodded his agreement. Lan Xichen turned his stare onto Wen Qing next – her lips were pressed tightly together, unwilling to yield, but after a few seconds, she finally gave in.

“The implication was wrongly said, and inappropriate,” she said begrudgingly. “Sect Leader Nie’s strict discipline and ethical code are well-known. Even in battle, I’ve never heard of you attacking children…your qi is unsettled, though.”

“That isn’t any of your business,” he said, and she shrugged.

“You’re right, it isn’t, except that you’ve challenged me as a monster when I believe myself to be a doctor,” she said, and now it was her turn to cross her arms. “My own ethical code demands that I treat any injury in those I see; if I fail to do so, then my forbearance during all those years of war will be rendered meaningless and I’d be as guilty as you say I am.”

“I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts as a doctor,” Lan Xichen said, deciding to ignore the way the two of them were still glaring daggers at each other. “I’ve read your works before; they were highly innovative.”

They both looked at him as though he was absolutely crazy, pretending that there hadn’t been a war since the last time one of Wen Qing’s medical texts had been passed around at a discussion conference, but Lan Xichen was determined to ignore the awkwardness until it passed and he smiled that determination right at the two of them until they both gave in.

“You may as well come in for lunch,” she finally said. “We don’t have much, but we’ll share it.”

“We can share our provisions as well,” Lan Xichen said. “Thank you for the invitation…is Wei Wuxian not here? I would have thought he’d have come running with all the noise we’re making.”

“No, he’s down the mountain,” Wen Qing said, rubbing at her nose and turning to lead them further into their camp – there were some tables set out, clearly made by those lacking experience in carpentry. “His shijie’s wedding is coming up soon…he’s trying to find materials for a gift.”

Lan Xichen hummed agreeably, and elbowed Nie Mingjue. His friend scowled further, but obediently picked up the line of polite conversation. Or, his view of it, anyway. “What are you planning on sending?”

Wen Qing stopped and turned to look at him. “What? Me? Why would I send anything? I don’t know her.”

Nie Mingjue looked at her in disbelief. “Your benefactor’s shijie is marrying, and you’re not sending anything? Do you want to be accepted by the cultivation world or not?”

“I don’t think a wedding present is going to be the thing that helps convince the cultivation world that we’re not all blood-sucking demons.”

“Why not?” Nie Mingjue said. “My ancestors were butchers; you think the gentlemen cultivators of the other sect, whether yours or Xichen’s, accepted them as a legitimate sect at the start? The only way to win legitimacy is to force everyone to accept you as you are.”

Wen Qing had an expression on her face that suggested she hadn’t thought of that.

“They call Wei Wuxian the Yiling Patriatch,” Lan Xichen said thoughtfully. “A patriarch should have a sect beneath him, shouldn’t he? And it’s the sect leader’s right hand’s duty to send gifts on behalf of the sect, in addition to any personal gifts sent on behalf of the sect leader himself.”

“…even if I wanted to send something on behalf of - of Yiling Wei, or whatever, we don’t have anything.”

Lan Xichen smiled. “Neither did the Cloud Recesses, during the years of war. You’re very fortunate: etiquette covers that precise situation, and suggests you reach out to another sect to borrow something. That helps bind your sects closer together as allies in the future – and before you say you don’t have anyone to ask, you have two Sect Leaders right here.”

Wen Qing appeared dumbstruck. “Would you share?”

Nie Mingjue huffed. “We’re not so poor that we can’t afford to lend out wedding gifts,” he said. “Even to a criminal. If you’re a sect, you’re a sect - this would hardly be the first sect that hosts someone I want to see dead.”

“I’m pretty sure that would be most of them,” Lan Xichen laughed. “I’ve seen you at parties.”

Maybe this wouldn’t be a complete disaster after all.

[utterlyinevitable]

Pre 1, 3, 7

General 2, 5, 9

Domestic 2,4,8

Love 3,6,8

For ya girl Becca and Ethan!

Oh anon, thank you so much!💕

>  ship questions < 

PRE RELATIONSHIP

1. How did they first meet?

Her intern year of residency during an emergency tracheotomy. 

3. Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

Naveen and Alan were team E&B from the beginning. These two dad’s saw how she brought the stoic attending back to life. Harper was worried at the beginning but once she got to understand their dynamic she was really supportive. 

Sienna has wanted these two together since first year of residency - tbh some of her hype was also because of how attractive she found Ethan to be, and the girl wanted to vicariously live through her lucky friend. 

Becca’s mom advised against it. She wanted her daughter to find happiness... but with her boss? 10 years older than her? Are we sure it’s not some teenage crush culminating into lust? Live in sin. Sleep with the man but don’t get tied down. Focus on yourself and your career. 

7. What would their lives be like if they had never met?

my default was to write about hannah my bryce mc

If Becca had never met Ethan... which would mean Becca didn’t get matched to Edenbrook... She would still buy tickets to his speaking events that were within reach; he’s her medical hero after all. Romantically, she’d get involved with another resident but keep it casual. She wants to travel the world and does a few tours with Doctors Without Borders. She takes a research fellowship in another country. She starts a life and likes living it but there’s this sort of restlessness so she doesn’t stay in one place longer than four years. When her research gets published in a book deal she takes that opportunity to take a sabbatical and move closer to her mom. When she’s home she runs into an old flame and debates settling down. He works in tech start ups and she’s a doctor. They both have a lot of pride in their work and in one another. They don’t have children but do get a dog. It’s a nice life and they both retire relatively young. 

Ethan would continue to live a solitary life. He’d go into a deep depression after Naveen died and step away from his role for a while. He’d run away, probably with the WHO for a few long tours to help him make sense of his failures. He’d be beaten down and would devote whatever was left of his life to solving Naveen’s case and honoring his legacy. He’d be half-assed involved with a few women but none would stay. No one could get into his heart like Becca was able to infiltrate it.  

GENERAL

2. Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

If you ask Becca, she’d say their first date was when he asked her if she’d like to join him for a late-dinner in his office and discuss Naveen’s case. Even though they were still in the hospital, and even if they were eating out of plastic containers, she wouldn’t have expected anything else. They also spoke about every but the case at hand. Really, Becca can’t even recall if Naveen’s file was even in sight that evening. 

Ethan would say their first date was the one at the middle of second-year when he finally asked her to a proper restaurant. It was expensive, romantic and had a dress code - to which he wanted to not make dinner and tear the dress right off of her. Conversation and wine flowed freely, and they made a little challenge to order for the other. And they both got the orders right. A few tables over a couple got engaged and Becca made a joke about this place being too romantic of a place to bring colleagues. They hadn’t defined what they’re doing at that point. 

Their real first date wasn’t official. It was a few weeks after the gala and Ethan’s grand romantic gesture. He off handedly invited her over for dinner. He cooked, they ate, cuddled on the couch watching a documentary, then she went home. Well, went to go home. He asked her to stay, so she did. 

5. What’s their height difference? Age difference?

Ethan is 6′6 and Becca is 5′9. 

They’re 10 years and 2 months apart. 

9. Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear?

Ethan is by far the one to whisper it - to put the words out in the open for anyone to hear in his gruff baritone. 

Becca is unabashedly text the things to him all day. Multiples times throughout the day. Sometimes she’ll send visual help. 

Slowly but surely Ethan’s come around to like texting. 

DOMESTIC

2. What’s the wedding like? Who attends?

They were going to have a big wedding. She always dreamed of having everyone she loves in one place - she’s always liked family reunions and what’s a happier time than to get all dressed up and see everyone? But things didn’t pan out that way. 

They had a huge fight about how it was all getting to be too grand and too much for Ethan to deal with. And so he left. Left Becca alone in the apartment with her binders strewn all over the dinning room. He came back a few hours later and packed a bag. 

Made her pack one too. 

They got married, just the two of them, at city hall in New York the next afternoon. 

They didn’t tell anyone. They still planned their big show wedding and no one was the wiser. Except for the ordained minister who they told when explaining why they didn’t actually need someone ordained to perform the ceremony.  

4. Do they have any pets?

They have a labradoodle named Jenner. When Jenner passes they don’t get another dog until their son is five. They adopt a rescue boxer named Laila.  

8. How do they celebrate holidays?

Ethan hates the holidays, but he makes an exception for Becca. They willingly work Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve/Day and New Years day - they’re on shift together and these days never held much weight for them. The weekend before Christmas they see Becca’s mom and family for their annual gathering. Then they spend Boxing Day with Alan and Naveen. All holidays are always low-key and surrounded by loved ones. 

When they have kids they’re established in their careers enough to take any and all holidays off to celebrate with their babies. 

LOVE

3. Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

Becca. She makes sure they’re extra cheesy and she only starts using them once they’re already seeing one another. 

I’m fairly certain Ethan doesn’t know what a pick up line is 🤣

6. Who’s the big and little spoon?

Becca’s the little spoon. Ethan is always the big spoon; he cannot fall asleep unless she’s laying on his arm and one of his hands is cupping her boob. 

8. Who’s better at comforting the other?

They’re both kinda terrible at it since they’re both stubborn, emotionally stunted beans. Though it would be Becca. Just because her form of comfort is touch - hugging, holding his hand or squeezing his thigh, rubbing his back, kiss to the temple, just being there things. 

Ethan’s go-to is to make the situation better. So instead of comfort he goes into strategic mode. Over the years he’s gotten better at it and now knows when she needs solutions and when she just needs hugs and support. 

[askagamedev]

Lightning Mailbag: Mail Order

It is once again time for short answers to questions I’ve received. Let’s get to it.

I understand that censorship and localization vary to fit into the cultural context of a region, but one thing I want to ask is why don't game studios let players have the option to access both censored and uncensored versions of a game in the options menu or through a hidden code ? Wouldn't that satisfy both sides?

No it wouldn’t. Censorship - the real censorship - is when the government legally mandates “you cannot say or show this”. Some regions, like China and Russia, have real legal censorship where we are not legally allowed to show or say certain things. If we allow players to bypass those laws, our games will be banned and so will our companies.

Is there anyway that you can warn others against a group of developers calked Big Bang Group who have a game called Big Bang Pongs on google play who promise you paypal money for watching ads but never pay? The have the game on early development so comments are private so you cannot warn other players against this scam of a game.

You should report them to Google. There’s a “flag as inappropriate” option in the Google play store.

What is the Nintendo Seal of Quality, and how does it work?

It means the associated product has gone through Nintendo’s [certification process]. One of the results of passing cert is limited permission to use certain Nintendo logos and trademarks for promoting your game, like the Nintendo Seal of Quality.

In the professional video game field, what does "quality control" mean? Is it making sure it's a game that people will like and enjoy? Or is it something else entirely?

Quality Control is a synonym for Quality Assurance. In the game industry, that generally means the testers who catch and report the many bugs in the games they work on in order for the rest of us to fix them.

Which languages are the most pain to localise to? I imagine Arabic and Chinese/Japanese would be high up in that list.

Any localization will have its own cultural context that changes the reception of certain content like jokes or social importance. I haven’t worked extensively on a loc team, so I can’t really speak to that. My work on loc has been primarily technical - getting text to fit on screen, getting region-specific textures to display, getting cinematic timing to work with the different spoken languages, etc.

In my experience, German tends to be the most aggravating from a technical perspective because the German language has compound words that end up being very very long. These words are created by mashing several smaller words together. The single word length makes trying to fit lines of text on screen rather difficult.

Monetization question. With these discussions surrounding mtx, one solution I see frequently is a spending cap. If it were to be implemented, how would they decide what an appropriate spending cap is?

If people could agree on what the spending cap should be, they’d probably be more popular. If it were up to me, in the west I’d probably default it to $200 USD per month with settings per-account to allow players to adjust their preferences and a UI popup notice with a link to the settings once they hit it.

When and how does modding hit legal ground?

If you make and distribute changes to a copyrighted work without permission to do so, you've probably hit legal ground. If you attract the wrath of a publisher’s legal department, chances are good (depending on which publisher) that you may receive a cease and desist letter.

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