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#please learn to consume media critically
rebeccathenaturalist · 7 months
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ETA: I wrote up a guide on clues that a foraging book was written by AI here!
[Original Tweet source here.]
[RANT AHEAD]
Okay, yeah. This is a very, very, very bad idea. I understand that there is a certain flavor of techbro who has ABSOLUTELY zero problem with this because "AI is the future, bro", and we're supposed to be reading their articles on how to use AI for side hustles and all that.
I get that ID apps have played into people's tendency to want quick and easy answers to everything (I'm not totally opposed to apps, but please read about how an app does not a Master Naturalist make.) But nature identification is serious stuff, ESPECIALLY when you are trying to identify whether something is safe to eat, handle, etc. You have to be absolutely, completely, 100000% sure of your ID, and then you ALSO have to absolutely verify that it is safely handled and consumed by humans.
As a foraging instructor, I cannot emphasize this enough. My classes, which are intended for a general audience, are very heavy on identification skills for this very reason. I have had (a small subsection of) students complain that I wasn't just spending 2-3 hours listing off bunches of edible plants and fungi, and honestly? They can complain all they want. I am doing MY due diligence to make very sure that the people who take my classes are prepared to go out and start identifying species and then figure out their edibility or lack thereof.
Because it isn't enough to be able to say "Oh, that's a dandelion, and I think this might be an oyster mushroom." It's also not enough to say "Well, such-and-such app says this is Queen Anne's lace and not poison hemlock." You HAVE to have incredibly keen observational skills. You HAVE to be patient enough to take thorough observations and run them through multiple forms of verification (field guides, websites, apps, other foragers/naturalists) to make sure you have a rock-solid identification. And then you ALSO have to be willing to read through multiple sources (NOT just Wikipedia) to determine whether that species is safely consumed by humans, and if so if it needs to be prepared in a particular way or if there are inedible/toxic parts that need to be removed.
AND--this phenomenon of AI-generated crapola emphasizes the fact that in addition to all of the above, you HAVE to have critical thinking skills when it comes to assessing your sources. Just because something is printed on a page doesn't mean it's true. You need to look at the quality of the information being presented. You need to look at the author's sources. You need to compare what this person is saying to other books and resources out there, and make sure there's a consensus.
You also need to look at the author themselves and make absolutely sure they are a real person. Find their website. Find their bio. Find their social media. Find any other manners in which they interact with the world, ESPECIALLY outside of the internet. Contact them. Ask questions. Don't be a jerk about it, because we're just people, but do at least make sure that a book you're interested in buying is by a real person. I guarantee you those of us who are serious about teaching this stuff and who are internet-savvy are going to make it very easy to find who we are (within reason), what we're doing, and why.
Because the OP in that Tweet is absolutely right--people are going to get seriously ill or dead if they try using AI-generated field guides. We have such a wealth of information, both on paper/pixels and in the brains of active, experienced foragers, that we can easily learn from the mistakes of people in the past who got poisoned, and avoid their fate. But it does mean that you MUST have the will and ability to be impeccably thorough in your research--and when in doubt, throw it out.
My inbox is always open. I'm easier caught via email than here, but I will answer. You can always ask me stuff about foraging, about nature identification, etc. And if there's a foraging instructor/author/etc. with a website, chances are they're also going to be more than willing to answer questions. I am happy to direct you to online groups on Facebook and elsewhere where you have a whole slew of people to compare notes with. I want people's foraging to be SAFE and FUN. And AI-generated books aren't the way to make that happen.
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those-badass-reeds · 1 year
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I'm begging people to please just learn to enjoy things, genuinely. Like yes, think critically while consuming media and stay alert, but also remember to allow yourself downtime.
I'm tired right now and probably won't be able to articulate this properly, but I just saw someone on Twitter complain that movies like The Menu and Glass Onion are shallow half-critiques that don't actually say anything radical about the rich/class systems, and I mean... Yeah? That's actually ok? They're entertainment products designed for mass appeal. And I'm not saying that something can't be entertaining as well as taking a clear, defined position, but I'm saying that not every piece of media has to be an in-depth takedown of social/political systems.
Both films had something to say, and do a good job of getting people thinking about our current society and it's issues. They aren't documentaries created for a niche group who have thoroughly studied these ideals, nor do they claim to be. Not everyone watching these movies will have the same knowledge of social systems, and most people certainly don't want to be flat out lectured by fictional characters.
Learn to enjoy things for what they are sometimes, without feeling the need to condemn them for every way they didn't live up to your personal standard
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A Terribly Organized Almost-Essay About Suzanne Collins and Why I Think She Writes
Lukewarm take because it's been years, but here it goes: if there's anything I've learned over the years, it's that Suzanne Collins is not a people pleaser. (The author, at least. I don't know her personally lol). And she be pleasing the people, that's not what I mean! I just kept hearing the same question being asked over and over again. "Why Snow? Why him?? Why not anybody else? Really?? A prequel about HIM??" It really made me think.
And don't get me wrong! I'd slash someone's tires for a Finnick prequel just like the next person (Suzanne please!), but that has never been the point of her writing. The Hunger Games novels, and by extension, the prequel book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, aren't just fun fiction reads. Yeah, they're gripping. The world-building is superb. Young people are at the center of it. And all these characteristics are great, but the thing that draws us in, that keeps us consuming her media like hungry little caterpillars, is that they are, time and time again, a captivating and accurate criticism, analysis, and deconstruction of the broken systems society experiences in the real world. I can only speak from my own experience as a Mexican American woman in the United States, so take all of this with a grain of salt.
The Capitol is colorful and fun and interesting and horrible and sadistic. And it is all those things because it is a symbol of our own real-world 1%, except our own glittering Capitol members here in the real world feed us the hope that we may reach their status if we only work hard enough for long enough. The Hunger Games system never makes that claim. In fact, they are fed the narrative that the system only works because they're stuck where they are. Suzanne Collins is taking everything one step further in her writing because it is a type of satire, a critique of the things we already know. So as an author, she blows it out of proportion so that her reader will say "look at this! How ridiculous! How would someone let the system treat them this way!" And it is ridiculous, it's downright laughable that an entire society, an entire country, would let itself be oppressed in such a cruel way by just a few people in charge instead of rising up and- oh wow, yeah, I see it. She wrote about us.
Suzanne Collins just organized everything neatly into boxes- well, districts. Because every district comes with some form of product that they manufacture, but much more importantly: a class. We go in order from 1-13. District 1 manufactures luxury items and District 2 makes weapons (but mostly trains Peacekeepers), so they have the most privilege and wealth. On the other end, Districts 11 and 12 are the agricultural and coal mining districts, respectively. That's back-breaking work. Not to mention District 11 puts kids as young as 12 to work, and District 12 is poverty-stricken and starving. "But what about District 13?" You may ask, "They make nuclear weapons! Why aren't they up there with 2?" Fantastic question. If we know, and the people of Panem know, that the hierarchy is very clearly set by literal number order, why would one of the most powerful and competent districts be given more power and be put at the top? Placing them at the end lets them believe that they aren't powerful or competent. I mean, jeez, look at 12 and they're before 13? I wouldn't believe I could make it on my own either. (We know now that's not how things go down, but it's a clever power move regardless.)
But after all this, would it hurt Suzanne to give us a single book just for fun?
Yes, I believe it would, that's the whole point. We're not meant to fall for the Peeta/Katniss/Gale love triangle. We're not meant to be interested in Finnick's secrets and early life. We're not meant to want to know the morbid details of how Haymitch won his Games (with double the contestants! Ooh. Aah.) We're meant to be horrified at every turn, at every story. We're meant to ask ourselves how things got so bad, how anyone let this happen. Suzanne Collins has written wonderfully fleshed out characters that grip us and make us want to know more, but the point has never been them or even their loved ones. It was never about Katniss or Prim or Peeta or Finnick or Annie. It's always been about the systems that let this story happen, and where Suzanne got her inspiration: the very real lives we lead. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes shows us the same thing.
So why Coriolanus Snow? Because he is the catalyst to a broken system that only serves the powerful. If Suzanne were to write a novel about any of our much more beloved characters, then she would be writing the exact same book over and over about the same oppression happening in the same system. She does not write for the sake of bringing her very well-written characters to life, but to flesh out the poverty, the starvation, the power struggles, the horrors they experience. We know this because she writes a lot of her characters as symbols. (Coin, for instance, as the symbol for a power-hungry figurehead, or Prim as the innocent during war.)
Snow is living in a slightly different biome than what we know from The Hunger Games series. He has to make sacrifices and decisions for him and his family, but it's different. It is a view and critique from the inside looking in. This is not Katniss getting to experience the Capitol for the first time and understanding just how terribly unfair everything is. This is someone who is very aware of the way things work and playing the game to stay in power and keep their privilege. Not only that, but it's someone who feels entitled to all of it. In this novel, Suzanne plays around with power and people's position in it. What if a mad scientist was in charge? What if the creator of the thing that brought a semblance of peace was just as horrified as the reader? How far is one person willing to go for power? What if we saw the dawn of a world we're already familiar with?
So I hope she keeps writing, because I love seeing our world through her eyes and the parallels she writes from our world to hers of the injustices happening every day. Even though we'll probably never get the stories we crave, but that's okay. Keep putting those kids through hell, Suzanne.
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intrulogical · 4 months
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remaining sasi fans i need to. holds on to u real quick. u have to listen to me, you need to learn how to consume media. you need to learn how to consume narratives. please for the love of god you cannot keep complaining about x character from sasi having "negative traits" because the point of the show is to give us a damn NARRATIVE.
narratives are LIKE THAT because you're supposed to THINK. thomas will not spoonfeed you everything about sasi's morals and arcs because you have. to have. critical thinking. you cannot view sasi as an ethical dilemma where you have to conclude which person is wrong— again, sasi is a damn NARRATIVE. treat it like a damn narrative
it's worse when sasi's literal PLOT and THEMES revolve around overcoming black and white thinking. it's about how a character's mental health is disenfranchised because of his upbringing teaching him how 2 not think for himself. please look at yourself before you consume this damn show, because i swear 2 god i cannot read any other stupid post about how "x character has no flaws" "insert stupid orange side theory" "x dark side is bad" like HEAR YOURSELVES. learn how to consume narratives!!!!
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annah-kitathryne · 18 days
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I don't trust Batfamily fans who will hate everything about one character all the time always. They refuse to admit that the character does anything good for the story, or has a valuable asset to whatever group, team, person, or case that they are working on.
I think a healthy dislike is okay. Everyone who has ever talked to me knows I'm pretty critical of Bruce. Everyone on Tumblr who has read any of my posts knows that Jason annoys me.
However, they are still compelling characters who can be really interesting narrative and character wise. I actually think Jason can be an interesting character to use in stories.
That being said, everyone should be critical about their favourites. I follow the anti-Tim Drake tag for a reason. Because one it makes me ask the question, "Is my perception of Tim in rose coloured glasses, does what the person says have any basis in canon, and is this information i should think over or more on from?" It also keeps my critical thinking skills up, and my ability to memorize information and peice together said information.
That also being said Anti Tags for all the Batfam is filled with mysogeny, racism, classism, homophobia, and ablism.
[Correction: some of the main anti tags aren't as bad anymore. Hope they stay that way. Avoid Redit it can be really bad.]
Selfishly it makes me feel better about my ability to consume and create media. Because I'm at least better than the bare minimum.
Anyway, here's the thing. Stop being crazy stans who can't take a single criticism and stop being crazy antis who can't take a single criticism. Learn to balance the adoration and dislike.
Please read source material before you say fuck canon, because how do you know what to change if you have never read the material before. You wouldn't want someone who had never learned to fix or handle a car to suddenly come in and try to upgrade it for you?
Source material is important. Don't know where to start. Click the search bar and type out
[favourite character] reading list
If it doesn't appear on Tumblr click the search engine you use [Firefox, Google, internet explorer, safari, bingo, yahoo etc.] And type the same thing.
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lurkingshan · 10 months
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Kinou nani tabeta/What Did You Eat Yesterday?
You should know that I attempted to start this write up about half a dozen times before I managed to get a single word down. Every time I tried I just ended up staring at the wall. I don’t think I’ve been this emotionally stunned by a show since I Told Sunset About You, and I don’t say that lightly!
So, is this a good show? My god, YES. What an understatement. Let me tell you, as my MDL can attest, I’ve watched nearly 300 dramas. I’m sure I’ve watched even more Western shows since I had a 30 year head start on those. And I can say confidently that I’ve never seen anything quite like this gem.
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Kinou nani tabeta, or What Did You Eat Yesterday?, is a drama about two middle aged gay men living their everyday lives, making and sharing food, reckoning with their identities and expectations, and figuring out how to be together in a long term relationship. That’s it, that’s the show. If that sounds boring to you, I gotta tell you: YOU ARE WRONG.
We meet Shiro and Kenji when they’re in their mid 40s and already a couple years into living together. Over the course of the show, we learn more about their relationship - how they got together, how they differ, where they struggle, where they shine, what they are still figuring out - and we see them work through it all, together. We see them at work, with friends, with their families, out in public, and in the privacy of their own home - we get a full and complete picture of their lives. And we are invited in to experience it with them and get up close and personal with their relationship in a way that feels both cozy and thrilling.
Now, I am not going to go into detail about everything that happens in this show, or attempt to provide deep analysis about its story, its characters, or the various cultures it depicts. This show was released in 2019, the manga began its run many years before that, and there are folks on this website - like @isaksbestpillow and @bengiyo - who have been at this a hell of a long time and thus have a broader context and lived experience from which to critically examine the show and its messages as they relate to Japanese familial values, life as a queer man from an older generation, and building community while living in a culture that is actively hostile to who you are. I implore you to go read their thoughts and learn from their wisdom. But what I will do is mention a couple (3… no 4, okay 5!) things that really made it stand out to me, a lifelong romance reader, avid media consumer, and drama enjoyer (I’m going to keep plot stuff vague because I hope if you’re reading this, you will be watching very soon!):
Let me repeat: this is a drama about a middle aged couple in a long term relationship, and the ongoing growth and deepening of their relationship is the main plot. Do I have to tell you how unique that is? The romance genre is rarely interested in what happens after the couple gets together, and even in other dramas featuring a couple in a LTR, the plot is usually about something else with the relationship in the background. And I’m fairly sure this is the only show of this nature in the entire bl genre (@absolutebl please fact check me if I’m wrong). In this show, the relationship is the point. It’s a rare look at what it actually takes to learn to deal with your baggage and share your life with someone, and I found it deeply moving.
My god these actors. With all due respect to the many fine actors in the bl industry, these two are on another level. We just never get to see seasoned actors of this caliber headlining ql dramas. If I have one tiny critique of this show, it’s that I found the moments when they let us listen in on the characters’ internal monologues mostly unnecessary - every emotional beat played out in their faces and body language. There’s this one scene I can’t stop thinking about, where the main pair are fighting, and one of them says something he doesn’t mean, and you see the regret on his face instantly, followed by a quick aborted movement as if to take it back, but his partner has already turned away and doesn’t see it. Just perfection. And the acting was so good in the finale (@waitmyturtles informed me my absolute fav moment was improvised for fucks sake) that it actually laid me out for like an hour, I was just sitting there in a crying daze.
The writing is so fucking smart. What’s absolutely brilliant about this show is that it’s structured like an episodic slice of life drama, but there is a deeper long term emotional arc at play and the writers forget nothing. Just like in life, in each episode something will happen, it won’t really get fully resolved, and the characters will move on. But on this show, it always comes back around, usually when your guard is down and they can inflict maximum damage by sucker punching you right in the solar plexus. I can hardly believe how many times this show managed to sneak attack me with emotional realness (official Shan cry count: 8/12 episodes caused me to burst into tears, sometimes more than once).
This show will take you through every possible destination on the spectrum of human emotion. I was so emotional while watching this show, in every sense. Crying both happy and sad tears. Swinging wildly between giddy delight, deep sadness, low key anger, and belly laughing. Sometimes the switch happens literally one scene to the next! And yet, there is an evenness to the tone and assuredness to the filmmaking that makes it all feel smooth. You never feel jerked around by the narrative. This is a credit to the writing, acting, and editing all coming together with perfect precision. The people who made this show are masters of their crafts.
OBVIOUSLY I MUST MENTION THE FOOD. Every episode of this show features at least one instance of a character making Japanese food that looks like the best thing you’ve never gotten the chance to eat. I do not recommended watching this without feeding yourself first, because it will have you salivating. And they don’t just show you the characters making the food (even narrating the recipes for you!), they always show you the characters actually eating and enjoying it. Some real foodies were involved in this production and as someone who loves to eat and absolutely was raised to view feeding people as a love language, I loved it.
So now that you are obviously dying to watch it, you must be wondering: where can I find this show? Let me point you to this post on @kinounaniresource, where the amazing Siiri has compiled all the video files and English subs you need. If you’re not familiar with how to use these, you’ll find instructions on her blog (if you get confused come ask me, please don’t bug her about it). I know sometimes shows being a little hard to access is a big deterrent to watching them, but please trust me that this is absolutely worth your time and effort, you will not regret it.
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tocomplainfriend · 20 days
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Responding to your post about fiction affecting reality: very well-written post and that’s something I agree with wholeheartedly!
Full disclosure: I am a Vivz supporter and don’t really interact with the critique community because of negative past experience (hence the anon), but I really liked your post as it was well-researched and brought up a lot of points that I did agree on. Mostly that, as you evidenced, “it’s just fiction” isn’t a great argument for poorly portraying a serious concept when there can be tangible consequences for that portrayal. And you gave some really striking examples.
In terms of Hazbin, it is not that I believe that Val’s portrayal as an abuser (and consequently Angel’s as a victim) lacks any impact, but instead that it adds a positive one. This isn’t something I’ve researched so the evidence I have of this is personal experience, but as you said in your post that media can affect real life I felt inspired to add to that conversation with how it personally affected me.
So I was aware rationally that a common result of abuse/SA is hypersexuality, like I’d seen that on psychology blogs and such but never really understood it. I’m ashamed to say I thought it was a little weird and very rare. Hazbin was what finally challenged that notion with me. Being able to see how abuse looks and attribute those events to Angel’s actions step-by-step made something click in my head. I even remember that shortly after seeing that episode, I apologized to one of my friends (a survivor themselves) over some judgmental comments I’d recently made over hypersexuality. Said friend also watched Hazbin with me and it’s the reason they talk more openly to me now and we’re a lot closer. Val’s “stupid” behavior in the show and mentioned in Vivz’s comments did not lessen the impact that episode had on me, or make it unbelievable to me that Val could be manipulative. If anything I understand more now that abusers don’t always appear as psychopathic masterminds. And I know my friend finds comments like the Mean Girls one funny and they tell me it’s empowering to make fun of Val’s incompetence.
That’s not the only positive influence Hazbin’s had on me, but the most relevant to your post, I believe. It’s the reason I’m often a skeptic on most criticisms, because my lived experience tends to go against them. You said the negative impact of Val was that people are drawing fetish art of him, but the only time I ever see that art is within critic’s posts. It never shows up in my regular feed, so it looks to me like he’s equally as fetishized as every other character; the unfortunate inevitability of the internet. I can’t say I’ve seen anyone post about stories like mine about learning to understand survivors, but I have heard positive stories from survivors themselves in person and online which lead me to believe that the positive impact outweighs the negative.
Fiction has real impact, very true. But consider that might be a good thing in this case.
Thanks for being respectful!
TW: Rape, SA
I'm a victim of SA myself and that's why I wrote all of this post. If you got something positive out of this piece of media, that's great. Same with victims that saw potion and were okay with it- that valid as much as the people that didn't like it at all. I recommend watching many others shows yourself (or movies, books, whatever) will help you out with sorts of topics in bigger ways. I understand you feel like you got something good out if (and I'm glad) but I do need to say, this is minimal in comparison to other media you could consume regarding the topic!
I personally suffer with Hypersexuality, and the treatment in the show (and merch and otherwise) I found completely wrong. Even if you got to a good understatement of the topic, please put research into it (also outside Tumblr for that matter! There are better places to find stuff about!). Thank you also for admitting your faults over your treatment of hypersexuality and apologizing for it. Many people will never let themselves grasp this concept, so thank you.
If you took Valentino's comparison to Mean Girls or Powerpuff Girl as a way of making fun of him, that's you. I found it, personally, terrible. Specially cause many comments regarding that (that I put on the post) were people actively disregarding the topic at hand. Saying that Valentino is just a karen, or He is Bubbles coded, feels so out of the realm of everything (the last one didn't feel like making fun of him). I don't like the comparison of an active sexual predator to a mean high school girl or a kinder garden girl that's regarded as bubblely or dumb. Feel like you should reach into his actions over It feels diminishing to me and other people (who also complained about this themselves).
People should be extremely careful of what they portray about this topic in media. Other stuff written in Hazbin or Helluva Boss regarding R-pe jokes also is extremely disgusting to me. Never forget that if you think this portrayal is ok, one episode apart it's a gang r-pe jokes towards Sir Pen... and an r-pe joke towards Moxxie in Spring Brakers. Which I find extremely disrespectful to do and adds to r-pe culture as much as any other r-pe jokes (general or towards men) in media. Especially when they want to portray it in a serious way with Angel, where was that energy then? (Don't say Viv didn't write that, she liked a tweet about the Sir pen joke, and the spring braker is written by Viv and Brandon.)
Also, about manipulation:
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The tweet right below says that "He isn't manipulating them" because he is too stupid to do so. Responding "The Vees are just meangirls" it's crazy to me.
About "You said the negative impact of Val was that people are drawing fetish art of him, but the only time I ever see that art is within critic’s posts. It never shows up in my regular feed"
Val has being fetishized by the crew itself! The person (who is not an SA/r-pe victim said by themselves, who has being open of shipping ValxAngel and being into r-pe porn) is the one that produce the whole poison part of the episode (also based on his previously non canon ValxAngel comic). You could also go throught the people Viv's responds and likes and it's mutuals with, and they also do the same thing as this crew-member (Raph). Congrats that it doesn't appear in your timeline, tho. If this art appears in a critic post, it is because it's being criticized or brought up to make a point.
[It's not on my blog yet, but I don't like receiving double ask in the inbox, specially of anons! Sorry. I don't know if it's the same person or not, and I don't want to end up receiving 5 asks in my inbox again.]
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lily-orchard · 4 months
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Since this appears to be the topic this month, what do you think about topics that artists should be allowed to cover? I see this a lot in how people should be allowed to write whatever they want, often bringing up Lolita as an example.
As one of my favourite creators once said: There is no right to be heard.
One problem with this kind of discourse is that regardless of whether you think they should or not, people are free to have whatever opinion about you that they like. More often than not discussions about what is wise to create or what is responsible to create gets twisted by some truly awful people into conversations about what is "allowed."
It's like how criticism gets rebuked with "let people enjoy things." We're not stopping you.
Someone saying "You writing about this is an endorsement of it" is not actually infringing on your rights in any way. You have the right to yell "Ban this sick filth" as much as you fucking please.
That having been said, it's always interesting when Lolita gets brought up in these arguments because Lolita is usually brought up to defend brazenly pornographic Lolicon shit, when it's a completely irrelevant comparison.
Lolita is not a love story. Lolita is a psychological examination of a self-pitying criminal and the consequences and human costs of his heinous crimes.
This isn't something you could stick beside AO3 fetish porn because the authors of AO3 fetish porn are the SUBJECT and VILLAIN of the book. It's like trying to put "Riding in Cars with Boys" next to a Republican propaganda film about the righteousness of teen mothers and shotgun weddings.
If it were released today it'd be branded by the people using it as a cudgel as 'hateful propaganda for the antis.'
You already have the right to write whatever you please, and I or any other critical voice can't take that from you no matter how much or little any of us might want to. So bear that in mind as I make my next point:
Dark material only works if you have something to say. You have to do something with it. You could do something with it and fail, but failure is something the rest of us learn from. Even bad art has a place in history, if only to serve as some 'how not to do it' guide.
But there's this recent trend that, as an artist myself, has always fucking irked me. And that's "let's watch them get worse." Where you take the darkest material that you can possibly think of ("you" being a white suburban woman whose idea of getting freaky involves fuzzy handcuffs you got at Dollar Tree) and then you just sit there with it and do nothing. You just watch things get worse and worse and the thing we're supposed to take away from it is... nothing. Because it was made to shock the normies.
I played a game like this for the upcoming video and the only thing about it that was actually shocking was the disparity between how it was marketed and sold vs the actual product. It was utterly artless from start to finish, with only one or two moments that provided anything more thought provoking than "Wow what a whack-a-doodle." But even with that 'refuge in audacity' it was still weirdly afraid of itself to the point that it would pass the Hayes Code if it were released 70 years ago.
I think in the script I actually describe the writing as the living embodiement of "Ha ha just kidding unless."
It establishes that its protagonist is not a good person, and then all but one of the people they kill also had it coming. For something that billed itself as 'edgy' that was just fucking sad.
But that's really where we're at. We have a large group of people who want edgy, taboo-defying media, but they also want that media to comfortably fit into the fandom cycle. And really edgy material doesn't do that because part of being edgy is having a point to make. And if your story has a theme, it doesn't fit into the fandom cycle.
This has always been the contradiction between people who want "serious art" and the reality of how those same people consume art in the first place. They want serious art, but the characters still have to be malleable for headcanons and shipping. The characters still have to be pristine and sexy for the simps. So any theme the work has will be blunted so hard that it suits the censorship standards of almost a century ago.
And that section of art, that I used to call "Adventure Fantasy" when it was just limited to animation but now I need to find a new name for it, is one I truly believe has no right to exist.
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moonastrogirl · 5 months
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Vedic astrology and Celebrities Part 2
Keith Lee VS Atlanta
I love me some Keith Lee omg this Atlanta´s food scene situation is so crazy. Let me break it down to y’all why this is happening based on Vedic astrology.
Keith Lee is an Ardra moon (Rahu ruled) in Vedic astrology. Ardra nakshatra is ruled by Rudra who is the god of storms and the hunter. Ardra nakshatra’s goal is to destroy through storms and clear the path of someone’s life from inconfortable/painful/bad situations.
Before Ardra nakshatra there is Rohini and Mrigashirsha nakshatras. Those two were stuck in family issues and situations that were no good for them, obstructing their path. Ardra then comes in their life and cuts those issues, helping them escape and be free to start on a new path.
That’s exactly what the Atlanta vs Keith Lee situation is all about. I also assume Keith Lee’s wife is a rohini native.
So the restaurant called «  the real milk and honey » created issues for her and then Keith Lee had to intervene to clear the path for her so she will never have to experience this situation ever again. The thing is ardra nakshatra cannot stop until it has cleared it out all. That’s why Keith Lee kept doing what he did cause he was doing it to help his wife and to help local people so they won’t have to go through what she went through.
The storms are blessings in disguise cause afterwards people can build new foundations and start fresh.
Now the most interesting is on Monday 30th October the moon was in Rohini nakshatra then the whole week the moon was transitioning in Gemini nakshatras and on the 2nd November the moon was in Ardra nakshatra.
In conclusion Keith Lee was victorious because he was doing his mission as a food critic for the greater good (aka how Rahu ruled people can excel), he was honest (one of the main amazing qualities of Ardra natives) and he cleared the path for people to have better and improved experiences in ATL restaurant scene. He is really the ultimate avenger Istg.
Btw The Real Milk and Honey saying they don’t know who Keith Lee is was beginning of the end on social media for them because Rahu ruled people are known and international. Plus Rahu ruled people dominate social media. They even had to release an apology statement please y’all couldn’t handle the heat after starting some bs with him 🙄
I also saw some videos saying some people threatened the safety of Keith Lee and his family in ATL. This is insane 😨
Based on numerology 2023 is a 7 year and this number is a Ketu ruled one. In the name Atlanta there is the energy of 7. Ketu energy can be a really dangerous one. Especially when Ketu’s bad behaviours are being exposed to the world. Just think when politicians or judges or humanitarian groups are being exposed, what we learn is always on another level. They can use their power to abuse people they were supposed to help or lead or provide a service to. For instance Oxfam workers/volunteers being sexually harassed by their group leaders in 2018… Ketu ruled institutions can act completely unhinged and even dangerously. People said on Tiktok ATL had that energy with or without Keith Lee. It’s like dark vibes. It’s ketu vibes. Ketu energy can be really threatening.
Rahu ruled people need to be more careful this year until it’s over ! I am an Ardra sun and I had been to several places ruled by ketu energy and I felt the dark energy this year. Tho it only made me stronger to stay in my power and not let it consume me. Thanks to my strong ketu mostly ong 😭
I hope y’all enjoyed my analysis of the situation let me know by liking, commenting or rebloging and thank you for reading me once again 💜
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kelvintimeline · 10 months
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maybe it's because i'm a true hater at heart and like... i'll hate on anything, even the things i like, but i do not get people who cannot admit flaws in the things they like.
like the people pointing out the copaganda in spiderverse by and large have not been saying "this is happening, therefore you cannot watch or enjoy the film, it is tainted beyond repair." they're pointing it out so that people who DO see the film do not end up internalizing the propaganda and have the tools to question it.
most media is flawed. some pieces are so flawed you cannot ethically enjoy it, at all, some so fucked you can't even it "enjoy it critically," but most media criticisms are not a call to not enjoy or consume a piece of media.
it's just... a criticism. like if i eat some soup and say "a lil bit salty," i'm not saying dump the pot out and everyone else should spit it out. i'm asking for future batches to be a bit less salty or maybe for a way to counteract the salt that's already there.
media criticisms are not inherently personal attacks on the viewers. often, they are just asking people to think a bit more about what they are consuming and learn to not internalize potentially bad messages or understandings of how things/people work.
"this film has copaganda in it" is basically saying "yeah, this film should not do this but if you watch it, please remember all cops are bastards and this film is presenting cops as something other than what they actually are. do not confuse this fiction with our reality."
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pongowayo · 1 month
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I just finished watching the ATLA live action series, and I had a lot of fun watching it. Was it a frame by frame of the original? Definitely not, but I didn't really think it was going to be. I had read that one of the producers had compared the live action to a remix of a beloved song, and that was fairly accurate. That's one of the challenges of taking 2D animation and translating it to live action, and I can't imagine how difficult it would have been. No matter what, not everyone was going to be pleased. The pacing was interesting, and it was surprising to see bits of Book 2 introduced so early, but then again, there were only 8 episodes, and there is no guarantee that Netflix will green-light a season 2. We all know how Netflix has a habit of adding to the chopping block anything that has predominantly POC in front of and behind the camera.
I understand all the criticism that I'm reading, but I think people just need to learn how to have fun when consuming media again.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
Suki was my favorite. The actress did so well, and I loved how awkward and cute she was. It totally reminded me of being that age and meeting a new, exciting person who you immediately develop a crush on and have no idea how to act. Only my girl Suki has levels of confidence that I could have never dreamed of at that age.
The Fire Nation Royal family - OH MY GOD! I am obsessed with the family dynamics and how the show delved deeper into the psyche of the Fire Nation Royal family. We're seeing the bits of trauma that Ozai is inflicting on BOTH of his children, but at the same time, I feel sorry for Ozai???? I hate Ozai so much so i was shocked by that realization but Daniel Dae Kim was excellent, and I understood how in his mind he is doing what is best for the Fire Nation by pitting his children against each other to ensure the strongest heir for the throne. Azula was well portrayed but no blue fire from Azula. When she was fighting the Earth Bender, I did notice a bit of blue creeping into her fire bending. If there is a season 2 (which I doubt there will be), I wonder if the writers will flesh out this part of Azula and give her her damn blue fire.
Zuko... Oh, Zuko. I didn't really like him in the beginning, but he grew on me, especially when his backstory was explained. I had tears in my eyes when Jee and the rest of the crew realized that Zuko had saved them from being sent to be slaughtered in the front lines. That was something I had never considered when watching the cartoon. How did Zuko end up with his crew? The live action answered that, and I love it for that reason.
I do think Katara was too docile. I wish that they had allowed her to be more angry, but the focus on her mother's death made it seem like she was constantly scared?
I didn't really feel the chemistry between Team Avatar, to be honest. Aang, Sokka, and Katara did well on their own, but when they were together, I felt that there was something missing. Again, I think this is solely a pacing issue since there wasn't time to have those bonding moments like in the original.
Gordon as Aang... such a cutie and any scene with Gyatso had me tearing up. He did so well, and I can't imagine the pressure he must have been under. I will say, WTF was the flying at the beginning? A choice was definitely made there, and I'm side-eyeing...
I have so many more thoughts on the show, but I think that is enough for now. The show was fun to watch! Definitely passes the rewatch test, and I really hope a season 2 is approved because I think it's important to have more media made by and starring POC.
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skwpr · 6 months
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10 Ways To Deal With Anxiety And Stress
Stop caring about other people’s opinions: Be it on social media or in real life, a lot of people give us a lot of opinions that are really uncalled for. While you can’t always stop their opinions, you can ensure that your skin is thick enough that their opinions don’t affect you. A great rule to follow in order to filter out these unsolicited opinions is to not accept criticism from people you wouldn’t take advice from. “Don’t pollute your moments with other people’s opinions.”
Laugh more: We all have heard this popular phrase “Laughter is the best medicine”. It indeed is! It is courage personified. Watch funny videos, engage in funny interactions and just laugh it out. Laughter helps in instantly boosting your mood, also helps in reducing the stress levels and releases “feel good hormones”.
Practise deep breathing: Breathing exercises help a lot in situations of anxiety and stress. They help in maintaining a level head while making decisions. This is very important as anxiety and stress may cause you to lose the ability to rationalise and think logically. This may lead to some rash decisions that are not properly thought out. So, Remember to breathe and calm yourself before making any sort of decisions.
Write it down: While writing your emotions is helpful to ease stress and trauma but it doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. So, practising gratitude is another effective way to help with anxiety and stress. Writing things you are grateful for is rather a positive approach to deal with your emotions. If not more, be grateful for at least one thing everyday.
Engage your senses: Instead of going about your day mindlessly, be more mindful of all the activities you do. One of the most popular techniques to do this is to find five things you can see, four things you hear, three things you feel (touch), two things you smell, and one thing you taste. This will help ground you and make sure you are well aware of your surroundings.
Let go of unrealistic expectations: We all tend to burden ourselves with a lot of unrealistic expectations which in the end only ends up causing a stress and anxiety. While it is nice to aim high, we must also remember that we are only human. So, forgive yourself and others. Remember that you don’t know what is going on in others’ lives just as others don’t know about yours. So go easy on yourself and others around you.
Stay close to nature: It’s true that nature is a healer. Studies have shown being close to nature or time spent in green spaces helps to reduce the stress hormone. Taking a quick 5 minute walk or just sitting in a park for a while may help you to stay calm and reflect on your life in a better way.
Let it go: Don’t let it overpower and consume you. Like everything else in life, learn to let it go and let it be. Engage in something else that shifts your focus. It’s definitely not easy to be able to forget everything that you are going through but at the end one has to move on.
Carpe Diem: Carpe Diem means live in the moment. Something that most people struggle with is anxiety about the future or the unknown. Anxiety about something that is coming up means you live through the same situation twice. Once (maybe even more) in your head, and then when the situation actually plays out. So, instead of stressing yourself out by trying to play it out in your head, just live in the moment.
Seek professional help: When things do get out of hand or if you feel the need, please reach out for help. We go to a doctor when we have a broken bone, instead of trying to fix it ourselves. Similarly, some mental health issues require a trained professional. Also, we don’t know who needs to hear this but seeking out help for mental health related issues is just as natural as reaching out for help when you have a fever or any other physical illness. Just because you think that someone else is worse off than you, it does not discredit your problems.
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doomsdayradio · 7 months
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heyo!
i consume all my interests critically and acknowledge when they or their creators have issues please for the love of god leave my blog if you think i cant watch/read/wtv something while also acknowledging its problematic elements🙏 i dont need you to come in my ask box and inform me a piece of media is problematic if im consuming it im probably well aware of the issues with it or the creators and i wont defend them
also the masses need to understand if i post anything related to shipping alastor hes still aroace in those my romance favorable aroace in a qpr ass is just having fun please be normal about aspec people in general
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➙ info about us
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⤍ current hyperfixations ; hazbin hotel, i'm the grim reaper
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⤍ radqueer, transid, shipcourse in general
⤍ (pro)tulpas, endos interact with caution (i interact with any syscourse stance, i only won't interact if they have my syscourse stanfe in their dni)
⤍ believe cdds can be nontraumagenic / want to demedicalize polyfragmentation
⤍ believe ramcoa isn't real
⤍ zionist / pro-israel
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bookshelfmonkey · 1 year
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So I've been having thoughts about Izzy Hands.
But first, a disclaimer: this is meant to be an insight into my thought process. I know that I'm not always the best at examining media from a fully detached, critical perspective (but are any of us, really). I'm taking what I would see as a fairly neutral standpoint, trying to see and understand both sides of the coin. I'm not tagging this as hate, because it isn't intended to be, but if you think I should add any further warnings, please do let me know. Also, if you want to share your opinions, in the comments, tags, reblogs or in messages/asks to me, please do, but any straight-up hate comments (towards other users) will be deleted and I will block you.
Now, a small essay.
Honestly, when I initially watched the show, I didn't like Izzy, and when I came on here and saw people defending his character, I was confused, but y'all have some good points. I might have been somewhat convinced.
Here's the thing: Izzy is not a good character. None of the characters are. They're pirates for christ's sake. They have to be bad/selfish people to survive. Stede is very unique in his generosity towards the crew and, many times, he nearly pays very dearly for that. Obviously Izzy is uneasy with this new guy coming in and assuming half of the control of the ship (also essentially demoting him). Yes, he wants power, but that isn't a trait unique to him, and it's probably not unreasonable given the amount of shit he's probably been through at Ed's side (how many jobs have been "outsourced" to him, I wonder). It's reasonable that he's pissed that he's been overlooked and it's very reasonable that he's wary of Stede, someone who (at least in his outward appearance) represents the British aristocracy, a force that was almost definitely hugely oppressive in his, and many other pirates' lives (you don't become a pirate if you already have all the wealth you need, Stede is very much an outlier in this case).
Secondly, Izzy doesn't necessarily see much (if any) of Stede and Ed's emotional bonding. He doesn't learn (as Ed does) that Stede can be trusted and (given Ed's reckless behaviour), doesn't immediately trust his judgement on Stede and immediately trust him. Not to mention that, to the best of his knowledge, Ed is simply failing to meet the goal that he set (killing Stede) and just seems to be procrastinating the whole thing. You could even go as far as to say that Izzy fundamentally believes that Stede needs to be killed (he is, after all, a rival captain) and is trying to protect Ed from the pain of getting to know him and love him then having to kill him.
There's also the element of Izzy's (potential, I can't remember any solid evidence of this, but my memory is unreliable at best, so please correct me) past relationship with Ed. He potentially still has feelings for Ed and here comes this new guy who, again, represents everything they've worked against, coming in and taking Ed from him, changing him into someone wholly unfamiliar.
But there is another side to this story. I think, definitely as the viewers, we're encouraged to get invested in Ed and Stede's romance from the beginning. We see them grow closer and learn to trust each other and Izzy gets in the way of them achieving this goal. It's natural, as consumers of media, to get frustrated about this and to dislike the "obstacle". We also see how Ed grows and changes as a person, becoming happier and generally more content in his life. To us, it can seem that Izzy is trying to get in the way of this for his own personal gain and, to be fair, there's very little chance that Izzy doesn't know what he's doing to some extent.
And, building on my earlier point about Stede representing the aristocracy, it does not help Izzy's case that he turns to the British navy for help.
Ultimately, everyone on this show is at least a little bit fucked up and morals are completely out of the window. It's all just emotions and shit, so watch your emotions as you respond to media and please don't harass others.
I'm still not too sure why people hold such strong opinions on this, but I guess I did just write multiple paragraphs on it.
Again, please do respond. I want to talk to people.
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yes imagine if you simply said “i do not like the song” instead of saying that it’s boring and lacks originality lol. also, literally no one asked you. you went onto a post with hundreds of likes, insulted the song, and now you’re shocked that people are calling you out for trying to be soooo different
I mainly blame Tik Tok for this, but it's honestly disheartening to see that the only comments about pieces of media that are now considered acceptable are "I love it because it makes me feel things and it's so reletable and cute!!!" or "I don't like it because it's personally not up my alley but it's still so great and please don't get offended I swear it's still so great!!!". I think that you can rationally and logically criticize anything, and we should all (myself included) learn how to go beyond "I like it" when reviewing a song/a movie/a book.
I also don't believe in "if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all". I agree with "if you have something mean to say then don't say it", sure, but, beyond that, criticizing in a well-reasoned way the media we consume is fundamental in order to grow as people.
Also also: we should all remember (myself included) that a critique to what we like is not a critique to our intelligence. I personally like ME! and I've come across the meanest comments about the song throughout the years: I never took them personally, because, again, it's just a comment about a song I like. It's not a comment on my intelligence in any way.
Also also also: I'm not trying to "be different". I enjoy watching Friends and The Office and I love cats and I adore sushi and I listen to Taylor Swift. I'm as bland as it comes. I simply do not like a song.
Also also also also I've had swifties come under my posts about Joe (a whole person) and leave mean comments back in April/May: so, yeah, I think I have the right to criticize a damn song.
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finrays · 8 months
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Horizon Tag Game?
Stole this one from @foibles-fables
1.ride or die ship (your otp): It may be abnormal, but I don’t really ship things except in like… an offhanded “Oh that might be cute” kind of way. Just not what comes into my head when I consume media. I’ve never been ride or die for a ship in my life.
2. most annoying ship: The Odyssey, because it brought the Zeniths back
3. second favourite ship: The one that rammed the Horus off of San Francisco
4. favourite platonic relationship: NOW we’re speaking my language; these games are SO GOOD about friendships, it’s hard to pick just one. I could talk about ALL of them for DAYS.
But I’ll focus in on one; I absolutely LOVE the Erend-Varl dynamic. They have such a feeling of “We’re both smart, capable men but when we’re together, we just discard all our brain cells and do stupid shit for fun,” and they both SORELY need it, I love it so much. And! They also have good talks about their feelings; Erend specifically mentions sitting down with Varl and having a beer and a good talk, and I love the shit out of it.
5. underrated ship: That’s all the ships I know of in this game… maybe there will be others in H3? The Skiff from Burning Shores is pretty fun, even if there ARE Waterwings that outclass it.
6. overrated ship: The ones that foundered on the way from the Quen homeland, probably, I bet they hyped those fuckers up and then they SANK the minute they hit a typhoon. Shameful.
7. one thing i would change in canon: So fucking much. I’ve written numerous posts about this before. And the cheap answer would be my ecology rants, lol. But…
I think I’m with Foibs on this one; Zeniths as the ultimate antagonists of H3. Imagine spending the entire time in FW learning about the Claw-Back. About how the world was reeled back from the brink of ecological collapse. And imagine, sprinkled throughout, we have the voices of the people who are currently returning on the Odyssey; Gerard, standing in the way of a coastal restoration project, because he could make money off of beachfront condos. Erik, being called in to break up a protest with vicious efficiency. Walter, being nonchalant about the radiation his rockets produce. All these people, putting selfishness and profit above people and planet. We get a chance to really dig our teeth into hating them for a reason. There are bits and pieces of this in the Canon As is of FW, but you have to HUNT them down. Imagine these people being front and center.
And then imagine we finally see the Zeniths at the end of the game. And we realize with a start…
…we’ve heard their voices before.
Thematically, the 1% coming back to take the planet after the hard work of restoring it is done, and Aloy and Co putting down their feet and going “NO” is much more satisfying a narrative to me than “Oh noooo, there’s a Big Bad AI coming” but I’m not in charge of the writing, I’m counting fish halfway across the world. So.
8. something canon did right: I’m literally spitting down HFW’s throat for this. I’m slamming its face into a bench covered in wet paint. I make NO apologies whatsoever for this brand of criticism because it’s one of my Pet Soapbox Issues. The ecology stuff is just for fun. This is Serious Times.
But the first game NAILED their scientist characters. All of them felt so much like people I’ve met in the field. Which is to say, HUMAN people, driven by passion, hope, fear, EMOTION. They really, really did well with it.
And then totally threw it out the window in the second game, but that’s another rant entirely.
9. a thing i'm proud of creating for the fandom PLEASE BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF I WANT TO SEE/READ YOUR ART: Here’s my AO3 if you want it.
10. a character who is perfect to me (wouldn't change a thing): I… don’t have one, actually. Even the characters I love dearly were, I think, mishandled in many ways that I don’t agree with. I think Alva comes closest. But even she, I have some notes for, as far as gameplay/story separation goes… they could have done a better job with everyone.
11. the character i relate to the most and why: Elisabet. 100%. She’s my favorite for a reason. When I was 16, I decided on my career trajectory for similar reasons to hers; I wanted to help. I wanted to make the world a better place. To see that actually represented in a character focused in the sciences is… shockingly rare. Additionally? Our personalities ended up being fairly similar as well. High anxiety, very strongly introverted, cares deeply but has weird/nonstandard ways of showing it, trouble connecting with people… I really feel like this is the closest I’ve seen to seeing myself represented onscreen, and it’s in a positive light this time! Mostly! I love it and I love her so much.
12. character(-s) i hate the most and why: I don’t think I outright hate any characters in this series outside the narrative sense? There are ones I don’t understand the appeal of. There are ones I’m puzzled by. But it’s not really personal. It’s not hatred. Like, even Ted, who’s SUPER fun to hate on, is well-fitted to his role. And that’s pretty cool.
13. something i've learned from the fandom: They will make it so much worse than you could have ever imagined (both affectionate and derogatory.)
14. three tags i seek out on ao3: I don’t browse AO3! I take fic recs from friends, mostly.
15. a song i strongly associate with my otp/favourite character: Crossing the Bar for Elisabet. It’s such a melancholy song that captures that moment where she left GAIA Prime so perfectly… I can’t listen to it without thinking about her, asking her friends not to say goodbye and to take care of each other. Knowing what was coming. Gives me the sads, man.
tagging: I feel that since I stole it, I should just tell you to steal it too.
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