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Diversity - Blog Posts
Okay question for y'all (because my best friend hates me and won't answer đ) if Tomura Shigaraki, Ocean O'Connell Rosenburg, and Chappell Roan were the only candidates in the presidential race, who would you vote for? Not who you think would win, but who you would vote for. Also yes these people are connected but I'm not explaining unless you ask because it's silly.
I don't think I should have a vote because I am biased: I love Shigaraki, feel mediocre about Ocean, and dislike Chappell Roan (it's a whole thing that I'm not going to get into, I'm sure she's a sweet woman!)
Shigaraki would probably wreck the justice system OR do great things for it, possibly demolish cops which I mean can't blame him ACAB â he also is not a bigot (Friends with Magne and Toga who are lgbt, Spinner who is oppressed/a minority, people of many races, and mentally ill people, as well as minors in general) he'd also probably do decent things for the fostercare system... Once he's done banning heros that is.
It's been a minute since I've seen ride the cyclone so if I say anything wrong please forgive me. Ocean is a dead teenage girl (already off to a not great start) I believe she is religious but I may be misremembering, I also am pretty sure she did not believe Noel about being gay but I could be misremembering. She also supports democracy.
I dislike Chappell Roan so I feel like I shouldn't list pros or cons for her, anyways- She's lgbtq friendly, however I think she'd get upset with the publicity coming with being the literal president (no hate to her, I get it) I could see it being a Biden situation where people are super excited for her to be president but then hate her when she is. Plus how will she juggle being a pop-singer and president? Concerts in the Whitehouse perhaps?
FYI: I want to like Chappell but I'm struggling to, you are welcome to try to change my mind!
TLDR: All have pros and cons, my vote goes to Shigaraki because I'm biased.
I hate that a lot of people, especially from older generations, don't bother searching information.
No, reading in the dark won't worsen your vision. Staring at the same object for a long time (doesn't matter if it's a phone, a book or a wall) will.
No, eating ice cream when you have a cold won't kill you or worsen your state. In fact, it can be used to help with sore throat.
No, abortions (when done in proper conditions by professionals) won't make you infertile. Abortion is healthcare.
No, the humanity won't disappear because more and more people decide to stay child-free. Our planet is overpopulated.
No, teaching children that gay/trans people exist and they shouldn't be bullied won't turn them gay/trans. It's like saying "Oh no, this school talked about Asian people, now my son is Japanese!!!"
No, capitalism isn't "the best system we can have", it's awful and should be replaced.
No, diversity in movies, cartoons and books isn't a bad thing. Some corporations just suck at creating it.
Stop believing stupid crap and spreading misinformation.
I spent my entire childhood believing I was ugly/misshapen because I had fat on the inside of my legs - there was no gap between my thighs like most other girls I knew. I would sit in cars wedged between 3 - 4 other girls from my soccer team, staring down at my legs and horrified by how chubby...
i think more male characters should have a little boob window actually
âPerhaps the universe is constructed according to a principle of maximum diversity. The principle of maximum diversity says that the laws of nature, and the initial conditions at the beginning of time, are such as to make the universe as interesting as possible.â - Theoretical Physicist and Mathematician, Freeman Dyson (1923-2020)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/03/science/freeman-dyson-institute-for-advanced-study.html
A look at some Indigenous characters in comics and animation.
A look at the top 10 highest-grossing superhero movies starring people of color, from "Black Panther" to "Big Hero 6."
I look at the 10 highest-grossing animated movies starring people of color, from "Coco" to "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."
Immensely grateful to the lovely souls who gave these little winged ones and trapped Sanya a chance. @tofuxoxo, @lideyna123, @luna11celeste and a blogger who provided feedback.
Drop a message at any time if you spot any issue.
A reminder to fellow writers:
Don't feel too guilty about loving a heroine you painstakingly created just because she's not a paragon of virtue. That's especially if you've thrown curses into the blazing Sun for her, and cried by her side at the edge of a dusk-lit world.
Ilera's Mink Membrane Network
None upon a time, a clerk named Sunshine was so utterly repulsed by his soul-sucking job, which was barely funding his occasional time travel jaunts, he tried many methods to jazz it upâtask gamification, plugging in to groovy music, sprinkling more decorations over his dedicated workspace (before the grand comeback of hot desking). Finally, he wondered if it would help, counterintuitively, to reduce the jarring contrast between his work hours and non-work hours and pioneered the hobby of adminpunkâremaking bureaucratic mouthpieces into pop songs, common email refrains into romantic dance shorts and his best public deliverables into glowwave art pieces. Sunshine became so engrossed with adminpunk he bemoaned he did not have more publicly disclosable material to work with. And so, he started to sieve through history for pinnacles of human success he could reverse-engineer into meteoritins, hyperspread bulletins that marked moments of great dreams or great devastation or both. That was where he became fascinated with the intriguing figure Ilera's legacy. The following was a meteoritin Sunshine typed up:
"The Inter-Time Ethics Agency (hereafter 'the Agency') has imposed temporal ethics courses and non-disclosure agreements in relation to technology transfer on time travelers and tight quotas on time travel journeys to minimize butterfly effects capable of reversing births across generations. These reversals are now regarded as a form of death to otherwise existing individuals. While it is acknowledged that much controversy surrounds the preventive measures, which carry their own downsides such as temporal inequality and epistemic bystanderism, the Agency has come to the consensus that the wipe-offs of existing lives on the timeline is the greatest of all harms.
Nevertheless, heeding the calls of campaigners behind the All-Time Freedom of Movement, the Agency has conducted public consultations to seek a greater balance between birth reversal prevention and mobility rights. One of the outcomes of the consultations is the construction of the Mink Membrane Network, a brainchild of Her Excellency Ilera from the Extratemporal Serenetics Habitat. The commencement of network operation as a mode of time travel is scheduled to take place concomitantly with the abolishment of time travel mechanisms involving moa/antimoa manipulation.
Aspiring time travelers wishing to proceed with their journeys despite exhaustion of quotas for the year shall utilize the network and, in so doing, agree to having their age group and gender swapped to whatever are more disadvantageous at their geotemporal destinations. If their own age group and gender are the relatively disadvantaged demographics at those destinations, the travelers shall have their skin converted to a wood-like appearance on arrival. These changes are excellent learning opportunities and will be undone on return.
Since mental alterations are seen as unacceptably invasive, in the absence of overwhelming neurological need and even with free consent, at the time of this decision, nothing in the network is to modify any time traveler's gender identity (including any pre-existing transgenderness or agenderedness) or religion. Because gender psychologies remain the same such that declared or apparent gender identity can be deceiving, unlike the case of natural transgenderness, physically gender-swapped time travelers must adhere to etiquette codes explained by local culture coaches stationed at their arrival points and enforced by time patrols.
To honor Her Excellency Ilera's triumphs against the many adversities that marked her life as a non-hearing, self-taught slave who escaped from her time to pioneer the field of tempochemical science and engineering as well as the above-mentioned habitat for time refugees, members of organizations which percentages of employees from demographic groups marginalized in their times match or exceed the percentages of these groups among their respective general populations shall enjoy priority in the processing of applications for time travel."
100% Human-written. A lengthy epilogue for Confession 91-02
"No hearing is sharper than that which can hear silent soul-quakes and muted battle cries.
No sight is more acute than that which can see a real tomorrow where a beggar's child and a president's child have the same odds of receiving a maximally uplifting and productive education."
âHer Excellency Ilera, non-hearing founder of the Extratemporal Serenetics Habitat
100% Human-written. Not quite the last we're seeing of Ilera.
Confession 91-02
This is a tale of three time-defying knights, but we shall start with humdrum glory.
16 years felt like half an eternity within the high walls of a mansion with seemingly as many rooms as there were visible stars in the night sky. Is there a better half elsewhere? Ilera often pondered. Born to parents who were slaves themselves in this aristocratic household, she spent her days hauling up trash, scrubbing off grime and wringing wet rags while other slave girls giggled among themselves when they could, sharing gossip about its master, who was always hanging out with a Somaku game buddy who practically lived in a house of ill repute. Hear no evil. That was the natural gift of her complete hearing loss. Why not finish the work quickly so that all of us could have time to teach ourselves to read and live second lives in the worlds of books, where we may travel anywhere we want?
Determined to dissuade her husband from spending time with his friend anyway, her mistress was busy mastering the board game herself. Fascinated by the strategy plays, Ilera would watch the piece patterns shift and shape between the couple, bringing life into the once blank numbness of her servitude. Back in the servants' quarters, she would picture the board on the tattered walls and test out move sequences while lying on her pallet.
One fateful night, the master teasingly left a difficult game situation for the lady to solve. As the frustrated lady went for a bathroom break, Ilera toyed with the pieces and found the correct move. Just then, the lady returned and saw Ilera's solution. Enraged, she accused Ilera of trying to seduce the master with her smart aleckiness, gave her a hard slap and tortured her with a burning iron. Ilera felt like she was in a world of fiery torment, her body writhing and wracking in anguish and her mind reeling, trying to escape the torture she was being put through.
As Ilera cried out in pain, two identical knights whose armor glowed with a bluish energy suddenly appeared in the room to save her. Their footsteps were muffled by the pads that lined their boots, and their swords were made of a glossy black material, their sharp edges glistening in the dim light. The knights moved with grace and precision, their movements carefully calculated as they stepped forward to whisk away Ilera. The shocked aristocrat lady could only nod in fear as they admonished her on the girl's rights. Ilera thanked the knights and gestured for their names and addresses so that she could repay them someday.
"Hold up. There's something you should know," one of the knights suddenly spoke up. "We may look like two people, but in fact, we are actually just a single man, a professional bodyguard from the temporal cluster 91-02. We have traveled back in time using a mechanism that caused us to emerge as multiple individuals in order to ensure moa-antimoa balance across spacetime according to the understanding of physics in our time."
"You mean to say that you're actually just one person?" Ilera wondered to herself, completely bewildered as she read his lips. But as they spoke on, she could tell that they were telling the truth.
Her mind blown by this incredible feat, Ilera spent years studying and eventually figured out how to travel to the time zone referred to as temporal cluster 91-02. However, upon her arrival, she realized that a person traveling forward in time would turn up at their destination invisible. Not used to speaking, she could not verbalize her existence either, for fear of startling the bodyguard. Being touched by an invisible entity or seeing writing or the like appear from nowhere would also make meeting again a one-time acquaintance he did not plan to see anymore eerie.
So Ilera merely watched in silence as the bodyguard went about his everyday life, shielding him from danger without him knowing. Sometimes, it involved diverting human and cyborg enemies with noise in a different direction. Sometimes, it involved altering the trajectory of an optoelectronic dart. Sometimes, she blocked off blows with her thin body, taking the hit for him. At night, she traded her imaginary game board for an imaginary map of hazard zones in his next work day's mission, and her shabby pallet for cold pavements.
On one mission, attack from assassins was so intense Ilera frenetically but astutely pulled off a spectacular series of stunts she picked up in the cluster. Just when she defeated the last assassin, a container of glistening rejuvenation capsules overhead toppled over, the translucent pills of liquid blinking with icy golden hues on contact with her body. Touched by the shimmering silhouette of her fighting pose, the bodyguard was finally certain someone invisible had been protecting him. He expressed his thanks out loud and invited Ilera to dinner.
As Ilera sat down at the dinner table, she was surrounded by a sea of colors and shapes, each formed by light bouncing around in seemingly endless layers of reflections and refractions. She reached out to touch the shining crystals forming the table, which rippled outwards as ripples in a pond, bending the light and creating a brilliant display of optical phenomena. The bodyguard gently smiled. As she explored this new world of physics and light, she couldn't help but find herself utterly transfixed. Bokeh spots then danced around, sharpened into focus and arranged themselves into words: I have traversed grand and unforgettable ancient millennia / But now I only want a future with you / No matter your age or gender.
Blushing in her surprise, Ilera never considered this before but at least had the assurance to type out her story on an airbound screen for him now. However, when the bodyguard learned Ilera's true identity, he choked in disbelief.
"Is this what it is? I am a highly trained professional, yet I ⊠(laughs) I rely on the assistance of a deaf peasant girl from an ignorant, oh okay, bygone era to protect myself and my job? And I cultivated feelings for a mockery of me!" He pointed at her with a fat finger on impulse.
Ilera was shaken as his mouth trembled in rage. Repaying a kind deed was all that was previously on her mind. Never had she been in love with him. In the end, her fellow exponents, no matter the field of practice, place or time, saw her only as a rival or potential object of desire. We forever voyage on Atlantic trade ships propelled by our threatened primitive interests and our lurking thirst for power, every one of us bound by each other's history, ravaged by rich seas of little. Another light shone. With determined steps, the former slave girl disappeared into the mists of time. The cosmos was now her board, and she would be its game architect.
Credits
Plot + scifi terminology: Human
Prose: Human + 3 AI services
Atlantic trade note: Human's musing on Liu Cixin's afterword in the English edition of The Three-Body Problem
Nuclear Wasteland
The nuclear war had been over for two years, but the world was still a very different place. The few remaining cities were overcrowded and chaotic, and resources were scarce. Soot from all the firestorms still blocked out sunlight, while enemies might strike again at any time.
In one of these cities, a man named Adam was trying to board a lorry to get necessities for his parents and children, all of them on the autism spectrum like himself. He had been finding transportation for hours, and he was starting to get frustrated.
"I'm an autistic caregiver," he said to the soldiers guarding the lorry. "I need to get on board to get food and medicine for my parents and children, who are autistic too."
The soldiers looked bored. "We have many families with autistic children in this city," one of them replied.
"Please, I mean I am also an autistic person myself. My sensory issues mean I need to stay warm more than others as I fetch necessities for my family. I cannot be trekking in this frozen wasteland for too long."
"Ah, I hear you correctly now. But what's a person with special needs doing out in the open right now? Hunker down in your bunker and tell your family to run their own errands."
"No, no, you heard me correctly. They are also autistic."
"So your kids are the ones who're autistic?"
"I am, too."
The soldiers still didn't understand. "How can an autistic person be a caregiver?"
"It is difficult but necessary," Adam said. "Autism often runs in the family."
"Poor thing. The mother didn't survive the bombings? Get the kids' grandparents to help out."
"Like I've said before, they're autistic themselves. Their symptoms have been worsening with age. They're practically deaf to vehicle horns, and their bodies feel like rumpled bags of broken bones."
The soldiers shook their heads. "Come up with a more believable multigenerational sad-sack story, dude. I don't even know autistic people have girlfriends in peacetime, let alone in war and breeding till now. At most, you're either just autistic or just a caregiver and neither would make you so special," one of them said.
"Get your facts right before you cosplay autism. Autistic guys live in their own heads. They don't run all over the place for parents or kids," another chimed in.
"You can't get on board. Period."
Adam was starting to lose his temper. "I need to get on board!" he shouted. "My family is depending on me!"
The soldiers raised their guns. "Back off!" they ordered.
Soldiers further away, who were not even paying attention to them or Adam before, turned their heads and threw accusatory glances at him.
Adam knew that he couldn't argue with them. He turned and walked away.
Later that night, he was so worn out and frostbitten he huddled among trash bags in an alley behind a dilapidated power station, his chest heaving against the supplies. A string of fairy lights peeked out from one of the bags, its extinguished bulbs emptied of dreams.
Adam started to imagine the fairy lights powered on, glowing underwater and on the tiers of a musical fountain buttressed by statues of mythical guardians, but quickly punched himself in the head, the way his class monitor, flanked by bootlicking underlings, repeatedly did to him all those years ago. Why couldn't his identity be neat and simple? Be either the stereotypical autistic tech genius or a typical family man. Have either so-called autistic interests in some scientific or mathematical field or the skill to deceive himself and abandon his passion for interior design from the beginning. What sort of rational person would care about art and decoration when radiation was in your only meal of the day while tank guns pointed everywhere?
If he could just switch his interests and match them with economic logic as readily as nerds in old clips solved Rubik's Cube in a split second, he would be the one launching the stealth planes that must be gliding overhead right now, not a pathetic hitchhiker of a military lorry. His family would be cloistered away in one of those underground enclaves for the super wealthy, with all the aides and sitters they needed.
The red hazard sign on the drab wall opposite seemed to be glaring at Adam: We told you so. No, rewind that a second. How marvelous his aesthetic mind still had the luxury to judge the appeal of the power station, as if a red sign on some royal blue background could order food to automatically march into stomachs.
Adam's train of thoughts came to a halt. He had a brainwave.
Years later, a group of journalists felt like they were stepping into a dream as they navigated an office space filled with art and soothing music. There were little bulbs in shades of purple everywhere, glowing in the low-light conditions its creative employees preferred to work in. In the depths of the office were laboratories and showrooms with magenta lights in various stylistic arrangements. Below the lights were lettuces, cabbages, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and many other crops, some of which looked healthier than those grown under the sunlight of the pre-apocalypse years. The chlorophyll hungrily absorbed the different combinations of red and blue light tailored for the plants. The greatest value a design firm could bring to indoor agriculture, though, was optimization of lighting and area usage under the varying and challenging space conditions of post-apocalypse dwellings. Adam was feeding stomachs one fairy light at a time.
The old question popped up. "What's the secret to your success?"
"I don't have a convenient, pared-down identity," Adam replied simply.
Credits
Story concept: Human
Story setting: FierceOcean @ Character.ai
Text: Mostly Human + some AI input
Images: Mostly Character.ai + some Human input
References
Liang, Y., Kang, C., Kaiser, E. et al. Red/blue light ratios induce morphology and physiology alterations differently in cucumber and tomato. Sci. Hortic. 281, 109995 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2021.109995
Sabzalian, M.R., Heydarizadeh, P., Zahedi, M. et al. High performance of vegetables, flowers, and medicinal plants in a red-blue LED incubator for indoor plant production. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 34, 879â886 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-014-0209-6
Winstead, D.J., Jacobson, M.G. Food resilience in a dark catastrophe: A new way of looking at tropical wild edible plants. Ambio 51, 1949â1962 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-022-01715-1
Xia, L., Robock, A., Scherrer, K. et al. Global food insecurity and famine from reduced crop, marine fishery and livestock production due to climate disruption from nuclear war soot injection. Nat Food 3, 586â596 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00573-0
More sculptures of dance attacks inspired by Ban Ji-eum's moves and the show's spotlight on Min Bok-jin's sculpture.
Human was shaking head as usual at the two-headed, three-legged zombies overpopulating their AI junkyard when it suddenly dawned on them that our perceptions of aestheticality and anatomy are not always valid. Oversized lumps and truncated limbs, for instance, are very much a part of our own reality. Although this insect artist did not intend to represent disability or real-life physical "deformities," some of the outcomes are all the same motivation to think about dancers who do not quite fit the mold.
Diffabled (Human is more uncomfortable with the adjective "disabled") arts practitioners would tell you that they are not some helpless, lowly class of denizens doomed to live on donations and empty kind words. They see the freedom to be more talented than even their "normal" colleagues they love and appreciate and can be more ebullient than anyone else, not least those not resolute in deciding for themselves what to do with their "complete" bodies.
Check out the previously inspired sculptures here if you've missed them.
Vampire Psychologist For Hire
Human recruiter filling position for psychologist:
You left your gender checkbox blank. It's our fault that the system controls were not fully in place, but I do expect meticulousness from my psychologists.
Vampire graduate who majored in human psychology:
My pronouns are they/them.
Human recruiter:
Ah! I really have to tell the technical team to update the form. I have absolutely no problem with your gender identity or your species. But you only have textbook and secondhand insights into human psychology.
Unlike human psychologists, you don't know what it feels on the inside to be human. Observations and textbook knowledge don't tell you everything. Many things are left unspoken.
Vampire graduate:
While I cannot pretend to know exactly how it feels to be a human, I am willing to work as hard as I can to try to understand the complexities of the human mind and heart, perhaps even harder than the average human candidate. Through studying human literature, observing my own relationships with humans, and developing a strong emotional bond with my human friends and classmates, I have already developed a deep appreciation and understanding of the human psyche that goes beyond mere textbook knowledge or casual observations. While there are certain aspects of the human experience that I do not share, I am confident that my empathy and dedication to the field of psychology more than make up for any lack of firsthand experience.
Human recruiter:
Why should I recruit you when I can just recruit a human top scorer with the same grades?
Vampire graduate:
While a human with the same qualifications may also have a great understanding of humans, they are likely to be inherently biased by their own perspective. I, however, also have the advantage of being able to objectively analyze humans' strengths, weaknesses, and motivations from an outsider perspective.
Additionally, as a member of a paranormal race, I have the ability to manipulate human minds and feelings to improve mental well-being.
Human recruiter:
Mind manipulation? By now, you're stark raving bonkers! How do I know you won't put it to bad use?
Vampire graduate:
As a vampire, I understand the importance of being self-aware and responsible when it comes to my ability to manipulate the emotions and actions of others. I take care to only use this power in situations where it is necessary or beneficial, and to never misuse it for personal gain or at the expense of others. I also make sure to seek consent before using my ability on individuals, and I always prioritize their safety, comfort, and well-being.
Human recruiter:
That's what you'd say of course. I have no reason to trust you.
Vampire graduate:
I understand your skepticism and reticence. In a world dominated by humans, it is often difficult for vampires like myself to be seen as anything other than predators or manipulative. However, while it may be challenging, this does not mean that it is impossible for you to trust me. In the end, trust is built through communication and understanding, which is why I have been open and honest with you about my ability to manipulate minds and my intentions in using this ability.
Trust is also earned over time. I think if you give me a chance to prove myself on the job, with ample supervision at the start, you will be able to put aside your hesitations about working with a vampire by and by. The best way to find out if i'm good at my job is not through urban legends, groundless hearsay or unscientific mob opinion but to give me a shot and see how things work out.
I can even agree to a contract outlining specific guidelines for how I will use my vampire abilities, and what steps we can take to ensure that my mind manipulation is always used in a beneficial way.
Human recruiter:
Hmmm. Excellent pitch. But it sounds too good to be true. For one thing, I need to review the clinical evidence and adverse effects records later. And why should I be the first to hire a vampire as a psychologist? I prefer someone tried and tested.
Vampire graduate:
If you would like to work with experienced practitioners, that is certainly your prerogative. However, it is often beneficial to have a fresh perspective on a problem, and working with a vampire psychologist can provide that. Please consider what I have to offer.
Human recruiter:
It's true. We have clients who remain unyielding to all the therapy regimes out there. Psychology has improved by leaps and bounds but is still an inexact science. We do need fresh ideas.
Vampire graduate:
Please also remember other positive traits of the vampire race. For example, I can live for millennia in the absence of mishaps. During my long lifespan, I can examine numerous times more clients than human colleagues are capable of. The synergistic effect of that extensive experience and my unique perspective will empower me to generate breakthroughs in therapeutic innovations.
Human recruiter:
Cool, but the manner in which you're comparing yourself against your human colleagues before you even start your job is concerning. Psychologists are not melodramatic lone heroes. We often need to engage in teamwork with one another in order to serve clients in a therapeutic setting. This can be in the form of team discussions about a client's treatment plan or case, collaboration on the research of a particular issue or hypothesis, or even simply supporting each other as we help clients through treatment. Are you sure you'll be a good team player?
Vampire graduate:
That is a valid point. I apologize for the misimpression. While professional independence is important, collaboration and teamwork are equally essential. I don't view my vampire heritage as something that makes me better or worse than my colleagues, it's simply a part of who I am and a source of unique strengths and flaws. As a member of the greater psychological community, I am committed to collaborating with my colleagues to help our clients in the best possible way. Thank you for the reminder to be a supportive team player.
Human recruiter:
OK. A critical question: HOW do I know you won't succumb to the temptation of your overworked co-workers' and vulnerable clients' blood? You may have excellent grades for your degrees in human psychology, but what about vampire psychology? I can risk neither the life of whichever assessor I assign for your probationary period nor those of all the appointees you see in the reception area outside, who have entrusted their welfare to our practice.
Vampire graduate:
I can understand that the possibility of a vampire drinking human blood is a concern, especially in a field like psychology that works so closely with humans. However, you have nothing to worry about in that regard. I have testimonials from my professorsâ
Human recruiter:
Ah, yes. But the academic world is nothing like the messy real world of full-time working adults. Our educational system in Typingland is so infantile it requires hardly any practical experience like internships to earn a PsyD. Your self-control may be stretched to its limits by manipulative patients, vitriolic parents and unsuccessfully forestalled suicides, although I must say most clients in our practice are incredibly sweet in spite of their personal difficulties.
Vampire graduate:
The work of psychologists is indeed strenuous. Nevertheless, my lifestyle has given me a strong foundation for coping with the stress.
Human recruiter:
The lifestyle of a vampire?
Vampire graduate:
As a vampire, I understand that I have certain physical and psychological needs, but I have taken many steps to ensure that these are met in a safe and ethical way that don't involve living humans. My physical needs can be met through a diet of donated blood, while my emotional needs can be met through strong professional boundaries, self-care practices, and maintaining a strong support network.
I regularly engage in personal wellness practices such as meditation and physical activity to maintain my emotional and mental vitality. I also check in with my psychologist for vampires at least once a month, adjusting the frequency with the stress I experience and the intensity of the blood thirst at any given time. This helps to provide a safe space for me to express and process my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It also gives me the opportunity to practice managing my blood thirst through a variety of behavioral and mindfulness techniques.
If you would like, I can arrange for my psychologist to send you an evaluation report.
Human recruiter:
I'm deeply impressed. (Claps and shakes head in awe.) I must say that I've never met a candidate, human or vampire, with your level of dedication. Quite a number of the psychologists I know have undergone depression themselves in the course of this emotionally draining and underpaid work but were late in seeking professional intervention. They need to learn a thing or two from newbies like you.
Vampire graduate:
Oh, why, thank you!
Human recruiter:
HoweverâI'm afraid our clientele and the public won't share my sentiments.
You may think I've been demanding and prejudiced, but the others? They won't even sit down like this to sift through your personal history or examine your well-crafted arguments. Public attention to the fanciful layers and facets, okay, just layers and facets, to marginalized demographics like yours has been fleeting to start with and pretty much vaporized in a Tiktokified economy. Social media?? It's a wasteland made up of countless virtual enclaves out there. Every phone zombie just scrolls past news and advocacy messages that don't amuse them or address their own problems. And algorithms?? Gawd! Don't. Even. Get. Me. Started. On. Algorithms.
What people out there will get with their precious microseconds for us, though, is that our practice is employing a dangerous and powerful person, if they would even see you as a person at all, to work on fragile humans in despair.
Look, we don't need bloody fangs and the bat wing stuff to further complicate the ongoing uphill battle of getting psychological condition sufferers to walk through our doors.
Welp . . . I'm sorry for my bluntness. I tend to let down my guard when I'm not in front of clients. You're a fine young vampire who deserves better.
Vampire graduate:
(Momentary silence.)
(Soars over to fan human recruiter with their bat wings while slightly frowning to themselves.)
Those are indeed tough challenges. How about this? Let's start by offering virtual sessions for clients who would feel more comfortable initially meeting with me through a video conference. This can help to gradually introduce me to them in a non-threatening environment and allow them to get to know me better before they agree to meet in person.
We can complement that with an on-site "try-out" session for clients who remain hesitant to work with me or lack technological access or digital literacy. A try-out session could involve a brief, low-stakes meeting where clients can meet me, ask questions, and get a sense of my approach before deciding whether to continue with therapy. This can help to build trust and rapport with them, and give them a chance to see that I am interested in helping them and can provide effective treatment.
As we graduate to proper therapy sessions and make good progress on cases, we can highlight statistics, success stories and testimonials from past clients who have worked with me, and emphasize my ability to provide effective treatment. That is, with their consent and proper anonymization of course. Given your practice's reputation for integrity, the credibility of anonymized feedback should not be a problem.
Perhaps, I can even make up for the reputation risk at the beginning by offering fun, one-of-a-kind indoor levitation experiences that are a soother of the nerves and a break from the mundaneness of everyday life. The experiences would also attract potential clients otherwise resistant to treatment because of public perceptions of psychotherapists as rigid doctrine-driven professionals, who they think won't understand their unique struggles and decision rationale, like reasons for investing all their time in an unstable line of work or sticking with a violent spouse. They are stress relievers no one can find in self-help books or chat responses from even the best of AI technology!
Human recruiter:
Wâow. I'm tempted to try that levitation myself. I have to think about your proposals and discuss them with the others.
There's just one last thing that I don't understand, and anyone, whatever the temperature of their blood, can sense this coming from miles away.
Vampire graduate:
Please go ahead.
Human recruiter:
Why a career in human psychology? Wouldn't you face less discrimination and be more at home with vampire psychology?
Vampire graduate:
I've always been fascinated by humans and their unique abilities to adapt and survive without paranormal powers, especially the human capacity for empathy. It's been my dream since I was young to study the human mind, to explore the depths of their emotions and figure out what truly motivates them.
Many people think that clinical counselling is about entering broken minds, but it is simultaneously about tapping the power of the marvelous human stores of mental resilience, mental flexibility and boundless optimism.
The wonders and possibilities of human psychology energize me. They keep me going every day despite the uncertainties of my chosen career path and the suspicion and taunts I get. I am one of those who believe that you can flourish in the long term only if you are emotionally invested in what you do.
Human recruiter:
Even if you don't end up on our team, I have no regrets taking time to interview you. It's been a great pleasure exploring the awe-inspiring sides and possible futures of our field with you. This sounds cliché but I sincerely mean it: I wish you the very best in your psychologist career.
Cast
Human recruiter Human (with two AI -dubbed lines)
Vampire graduate AI (with human stand-ins in various instances)
This brief commentary was written after the conclusion of Beautiful Mind.
What have been pumping up The Asian Drama Philosopher (A-Philosopher)âs Chair all this while are writings and dramas that take their audiences in weird and wonderful directions. W â Two Worlds (available on Viki) tops all dramas in this category so far with twin universes where a faraway river surreally floats up to you in a restroom, taking the metaphorical red pill freezes everyone else and leaves you terrifyingly alone in your expansive, fabricated world, and going on rampage is a literally faceless killer who can take any form (including a vehicle!) and teleport anywhere at anytime without any reason to take down a target so long as Creator wants him to. But now that its webtoon protagonist and his killer have both become self-aware, the former asks why he should be an alcoholic artist's alternate self or a starry-eyed fangirl's plaything while the latter, flashing with pixels of anger, demands an identity. There are elements of shows like Stranger than Fiction, Pleasantville, Dollhouse and, of course, The Matrix here, but the overall setup is rare enough, particularly when it comes to nonwhite lead characters, that it still feels remarkably refreshing.
W is not just a flashy show. Among other topics, it poses hard questions about the psychology of fiction creation. Thought policing can be repulsive and is as yet difficult to perform consistently with precision. Yet, in a strange turn of events, this freedom of thought also accommodates contemplation of the aesthetics of thought, for better or worse. With regards to such aesthetics in storytelling, W wonders if it is pathetic to live vicariously through a character who has everythingâyouth, success, strength of characterâyou do not have and if it is repugnant to, for the sake of dramatic tension and venting personal emotions, make a character go through traumatic experiences you would never wish for or be capable of enduring yourself.
Some viewers may not be used to the plot's bizarreness and sensational and slightly complicated twists, but, with sincere respect to fellow commentators who have expressed those views, if we cannot tolerate ideas that challenge the mind and defy conventions in an imaginary reality, how bleak is the prospect of us treating with civility someone who is "different" in our inescapable, physical reality? Fortunately, perhaps thanks to its intense cross-universe romance, W has been the rare mind-bending Korean drama in recent years to attain healthy ratings. All the best to it retaining the champion position for its time slot for the remaining episodes. Fanart creators would be happy to draw in a gigantic medal, and probably few would denounce this as vile.
#ClimateStrikeOnline Itâs International Day for Biological Diversity 2020 today, so letâs take a minute to reflect on how important biodiversity is! . . . #FridaysForFuture #BiodiversityDay #biodiversity #naturalbeauty #naturelovers #diversity #bio #birdlover #biodiversity2020 https://www.instagram.com/p/CAgCTK_Dejy/?igshid=nk8sbgjrkin9
Please think before you comment on people's physical traits/appearance! There is NO NEED WHATSOEVER to shame, belittle or otherwise mess with someone's feelings because of something as superficial and unimportant than looks!! It's dumb, it's insensitive, it's unnecessary, uncalled for and oftentimes simply cruel.
Care for some examples?
I was walking my dogs once and stopped at a local dogpark where an elder woman started chatting to me. She was nice enough, but all of a sudden she asked why I didn't get my teeth fix. Yeah, I am 100% aware that I have crooked front teeth. I don't really care, I accept them the way they are, back then I also was not generally in a good mental state and such a comment felt downright mean and utterly out of place. Luckily, I was able to tell her as much by coolly stating that this was none of her business and that it's extremely impolite and rude to say something like that...
I've also had several occassions in my life where people told me negative things about my hair which is not only rude, but also plain racist. European, white people telling me, a PoC, that I should get another hairstyle 'cuz it would look "much better"?! I mean, do they even know what they are suggesting?! Yeah, get over it; not everybody needs to have fair, straight hair. I like my hair the way it is naturally: curly, sometimes a little messy, and whenever I dye it, I do it because I enjoy being colorful (I had it pink for quite some time), but that's my decision and no one else's business and maybe these people should take a long hard look at themselves and understand how utterly brainwashed they have been to believe that there is exactly ONE way of being beautiful/handsome/pretty.
Also, do not comment on people's weight!! Seriously?! Why is this even still a thing?! You know NOTHING about a person's history, about their eating habits, their routines, you don't know whether they are struggling with an eating disorder and you certainly don't get to decide what their body has to look like for them to like and celebrate themselves!! It's just not okay to tell someone "Oh, you used to be so thin, what happened?" or "You have lost way too much weight, it doesn't suit you at all!" or "You've grown fat since I last saw you" - CUT THAT SH*T!!
Also, you don't have to comment on other people's fashion preferences; if you don't want to wear skinny jeans or leoprints or bright neon colors or cheap shoes or wheaver, well, you are not obliged to do so, but let other people wear whatever they want and just LEAVE THEM ALONE.
OC POSTING đ„đ„
This is Amber! (Full name: Amber Sol Ballesta) Sheâs my Picos school OC! (First image is a Picrew thingy, second image is my art, THIRD IMAGE IS ART MY BF MADE @glitchylol11, and last image is Gacha yes)
**Character info: (FEEL FREE TO ASK HER QUESTIONS!!) âąSheâs 18 years old
âąEthnicity is Afro-Latina (black + Mexican)
âąSheâs bisexual lol (pronouns She/Her)
âąHer fav bands are Alice In Chains and Acid Bath
âąShe plays basketball and guitar (+drums)
âąHer favorite color is Orange
âąHer love interest is Alucard teheheheh
âąHer hair is naturally curly, but is usually in dreads most of the time
white people go like âis anyone going to redesign this nonhuman evil character as a poc?â and not wait for an answer
Ok not to be controversial cuz I really do like her original design from the show, BUT HEAR ME OUT
I was inspired by Halle Baileyâs recent instagram pic with her gorgeous locs and couldnât help but think of Holly OâHair. Her design in EAH is adorable, but it doesnât really do anything groundbreaking in terms of Rapunzel adaptations besides her ginger hair.
As a child, seeing a black Rapunzel with long beautiful locs wouldâve literally blown my tiny mind, so this is low key just a self-indulgent gift to little me :)
Also, I absolutely adore eah and all its characters but can we talk about how Justine Dancer was the ONLY black royal/princess in the entire series?âŠ. And we only got her several years in and toward the end of the series?? AND she got almost zero screen time in the specials and only one webisode appearance before the show was cancelled???? Justice for my girl Justine.
Not only that but the so called feminists that write it. Feminism is about equality, just because you have been hurt does not give you the right to hurt others. If we are constantly saying that men are trash and women are powerful then we are just making a new problem. We can't call for equality then raise our gender so high above the other. That's not equality and no real feminist wants that because real feminism is about equality. Equal pay, equal opportunity, equal respect. The "men are trash" mindset is bullshit that set our society farther back with every bogus post.
Hey so âall men are trashâ posts help terfs
Iâll explain if one of you want
Shout out to me for writing diverse characters even back when I was anti-lgbt
For example, I wrote a bi nonbinary character and had them correcting everyone who got their pronouns wrong. I didnât even know what any of that was when I wrote it, I just thought it made for an interesting character quirk.
Denver Pathway Landscape
beauty in variety: a study in conscious color