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sophieinwonderland · 9 months

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Have you seen the "Paromancy" blog and know about their guide? We checked them out today interested in how the anti-tulpa created system community was growing and found that an entire section of their guide was just a plagiarization of your tulpa foundations post.

https://rentry.org/ddrkqq

Huh. 🤷‍♀️

Honestly, I don't mind other people using my terms and models, even anti-tulpas. Credit would be nice, but I suppose isn't required.

Here's the Foundations post for reference.

Mine:

Theirs:

Not sure why they changed the name of Seeds to "Blank Slates." It adds confusion to needlessly change the labels in the model like that when the change doesn't really add anything. And if they're going that route, I kind of wish they'd have just called them "slates" in the interest of keeping to the one-word-starting-with-S theme I had going on. But it's no big deal.

(I actually considered calling them Slates at one point, but liked how Seeds and Splinters were both plant-related.)

The problem I really have here is the classification of awakened Imaginary Friends as Splinters.

I didn't explain this well in the original post, but Splinters and Sims are diametrically opposed Foundations.

A Splinter is usually a headmate that begins with autonomy but lacks a distinct identity. It's a part of someone who already exists, so it's not directly controlled. It's able to act autonomously. But it doesn't see itself as separate. Making a Headmate from a Splinter means identifying thoughts coming from the Splinter, making it more distinct and building its identity.

A Sim is a headmate that begins with a distinct identity but might lack full autonomy. It's generally at least somewhat under the control of the creator in the beginning when intentionally created, with all of its initial personality and characteristics mapped out in advance. Making a headmate from a Sim Foundation means building that autonomy over time. (Note: Some sims may be fully autonomous right from the start or gain autonomy so quickly that they practically do.)

Now, note how r/tulpas describes the difference between tulpas an imaginary friends.

Do you see the issue?

The typical profile for an imaginary friend is something that's controlled by the creator. It lacks the autonomy and free will of a full headmate, and even unseparated parts of self which are the building blocks of Splinters. But it DOES have identity. It has its own name, personality, style of behavior, etc. Often even its own pre-existing memories.

While I didn't specify it in the original post, the typical non-sentient imaginary friend is going to be a Sim, not a Splinter.

At a psychological level, most non-headmate Imaginary Friends have more in common with an OC introject than they do a conscience or inner critic.

While this might not seem that important, it changes what to look out for over the course of development. With the Splinter, you want to encourage deviation from the creator and independence. With a Sim, deviation is still valuable, but it's expected to deviate from its source or starting traits. You want to encourage more autonomy and look for signs that the tulpa has evolved to act outside of your conscious control.

And if the Imaginary Friend already possesses both a separate Identity AND autonomy, it's likely already a headmate. Or at least close enough that if it's missing anything at all, it would be self-awareness, which can often be achieved in a single Awakening conversation at that stage in development.

Here's a shorthand for determining foundations:

Seeds: Starts with no existing autobiographical memories predating their creation. These agents are separate unlike a Splinter but with no or little identity at creation to supply Foundation. Autonomy varies.

Splinters: Starts with autobiographical memories of being someone else, or part of someone else, in the system. Undeveloped Splinters should have high autonomy since they technically already existed but will have little identity of its own at the point of separation.

Sims: Starts with autobiographical memories or a sense of already existing with their own history predating their creation. Undeveloped Sims should have a complete identity with their own name, and feel like a non-self agent, but will often start with low levels of autonomy.

There are grey areas with how many traits you can start a Seed with before it becomes a Sim. There are also rapid-developing headmates where Foundations may not initially be clear. Especially with walk-ins that appear to already be fully-developed headmates at the time of their creation. But this model should give a general idea for determining a Headmate's Foundation and help you know what to pay attention to when creating a new tulpa.

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stevensaus · 1 year

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OK Cupid's Full-Face Photo Requirements And Bad Assumptions

It's been five years since I wrote about OKCupid making a big privacy mis-step by requiring (at least temporarily) the use of real names on profiles. Now they seem to be refusing to verify, removing photos, delisting, or even locking users out of their accounts if they do not wish to show their entire face to everyone, or wish to choose when to share their face with those they are communicating with. In addition to going over that, we're also going to take a look at the flawed assumptions in their so-called "Incognito Mode," and the inherent ableism in their help documentation.

Five years ago, I said, with dating sites (hell, dating at all), you want to reveal information about yourself at your own pace. That is still true. Things have also changed for the worse quite a bit since then, too. There's still the same concerns, primarily that if you know what someone looks like and, say, where they work, then that opens up the door to stalkers.[1] But if you add in the Dobbs decision (and its possible impact on one's right to privacy in the bedroom and relationships), or that discrimination can and does occur for people in LGBTQIA+ relationships or in heterosexual ethically non-monogamous ones [2], there are reasons why people on dating apps might want to not show their faces to everyone that may or may not "swipe" on them. And yet, in another (poorly-enforced) rule, OKCupid is deactivating (or at least shadowbanning) users whose profile photos have them wearing a mask because they are "not showing their full face". Yes, masks like the ones everyone had to wear during the pandemic.

A quick sidebar: The "incognito mode" offered by OKCupid -- where your profile and photos are only displayed if you have "liked" someone else's profile -- is a laughable band-aid. While it may help avoid random doxxing, literally everyone I know who has used a dating app has had an experience where they quickly changed their mind about someone after a few messages.

Worse, nearly every female-presenting person I know has at least story of a person -- usually male -- reacting with anger, cursing, and threats after even the most gentle of rejections, even if the initial interaction was civil. OK Cupid's "Incognito mode" forces users to guess if they will get that kind of reaction before they can have a conversation with that person.

The language used around this policy -- as well as its enforcement -- is confusing and contradictory, depending on what part of OKCupid's site/app you are looking at. At one point, OKCupid's photo rules say "Photos in your Profile Photos album must be clearly and recognizably of you, and must show your face," but another section of the same page contradicts itself and says that only one photo must be of your full face. This policy is enforced -- I know someone who was locked out of their account due to this policy this month -- but in the week after that occurred, I saw someone whose only profile picture is a T. Rex skull, and another verified person (which means a real OKCupid staffer checked the profile and image) whose primary profile picture included their grandchildren -- not their own kids -- which is also a profile pic no-no, according to OKCupid's policy. I have obviously obfuscated identifying details in these screenshots.

While OK Cupid's policy and its inconsistent enforcement creates new problems, I cannot figure out what actual problem OKCupid thinks that this policy solves, or why they would choose this ham-fisted way to approach it. Are they worried about spammers or catfishers? This policy will not stop either group in the slightest. It is easy to get a few photos of a real person. Are they worried about "verification?" Then have the verification photo be private, and able to be used for only that purpose. I've seen systems like that on sites smaller than OK Cupid, so I know it can be done.

As a second sidebar, can we address the implied ableism in a statement from OKCupid's photo rules page? Their page reads, "OkCupid is a place for making genuine connections, not a place to post anonymously. After all, it’s only fair that both people get to see what the other looks like."It seems that despite all the quizzes and scoring and marketing, OK Cupid actually believes that it's looks that matter and that "genuine connections" can only happen if you think someone is photogenic.

I have absolutely no problem with websites determining their policies surrounding profile photos, avatars, and usernames. However, when those policies serve no observable purpose, are poorly enforced, and potentially expose people to harassment, stalking, or worse because of what kinds of relationships they are seeking, then those policies are inherently harmful and need to be changed or eliminated entirely.I'll say it again: With dating sites (hell, dating at all), you should be able to reveal information about yourself at your own pace. OKCupid says that their site is a place "where you can talk to other humans about things that matter to you both," and that "in all interactions consent is key." Unless you don't feel safe showing your entire face when OKCupid thinks you should.

[1] This is not a hypothetical. I know someone this happened to after they politely turned down an extremely crass first message. Again, this is not. a. hypothetical. situation. [2] And that's before counting that the UCMJ allows for prosecuting "adultery" if the commander believes it "has been prejudicial to good order and discipline and/or a discredit to the unit," and that at least some Montana Republican lawmakers want to make anything they consider "adultery" into a felony, for example. Featured Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Read the full article

#dating #harassment #okcupid #privacy

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information2-legal · 2 years

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What is Data Protection Act in India?

Introduction

Data Protection Act in India is a law that provides for the protection of personal data. It was first introduced in 2007, and it has been revised multiple times since then. In this article, we will discuss what the proposed Data Protection Act in India includes and how it compares with GDPR.

Data Protection Act in India

The Data Protection Act, 2018 is the primary legislation governing data protection in India. It sets out the principles that organizations should follow to ensure that their personal information is handled with care and security.

The bill was passed by Parliament on March 27, 2018 and came into force on April 1, 2018.[1] It replaced the previous Personal Data Protection Bill, 2012 which had been in effect since July 1, 2012.[2] This second draft was made public by Home Minister Rajnath Singh after intense lobbying by civil society groups who felt it did not go far enough in protecting people's privacy rights.[3][4][5][6]

First Point of Focus is the Personal Data

Data protection act in India

A. What is personal data?

Data is any information that can be used to identify or contact an individual, such as name, address and email id. Personal information includes names, addresses and contact details of individuals; biometric data such as fingerprints and iris scans; financial information (such as credit card numbers); health records; genetic characteristics/proteins in blood samples etc., etc., which can be used for identification purposes by an individual or group of individuals. Sensitive personal data are those which relate to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions or religious beliefs of an individual; criminal history including mental illness or disability; sexual orientation/identity (e.g., gay/lesbian).

The second point of focus is the ‘Personal Information’

The second point of focus is the ‘Personal Information’. This means any information that specifically identifies an individual, such as his/her name, date of birth and address. It also includes anything else which can be used to identify an individual (e.g., fingerprints or facial features).

The term ‘sensitive personal data’ has been defined in Section 2(1)(b) as follows:

"Sensitive personal data" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person who can be directly or indirectly traced back to him/her by means of such information."

The third point of focus is on the “Sensitive Personal Data”

The third point of focus is on the “Sensitive Personal Data”. This is information about race, religion, caste, tribe, ethnic origin or political opinions. It also includes philosophical beliefs and union membership.

In India there are two types of sensitive personal data - namely genetic data (including DNA), biometric information such as fingerprints or iris scans etc., national identification numbers issued by a central authority such as Aadhaar card issued under Section 7(1) of Aadhaar Act 2016 which has been put in place by Government through its Rule making power under Article 239B(1) in order to establish an identity management system across various government departments and agencies including UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India). Therefore every authority must ensure that they comply with this law while collecting any kind of sensitive personal information from individuals who are involved in the process

The fourth point of focus is on the “Proprietary Data”

The fourth point of focus is on the “Proprietary Data”. This refers to any data that is not publicly available, but which can be used by an individual or organization.

Proprietary data may be personally identifiable information (e.g., name and address), financial information (e.g., credit card number), business process details (e.g., sales data), customer lists or similar types of information that can only be accessed by one party at a time for specific purposes such as marketing campaigns or product development etc

How does the proposed Data Protection Act in India compare with GDPR?

The proposed Data Protection Act in India is similar to GDPR in that it has a broad definition of personal data and sets out a number of principles for protecting the same. However, there are some key differences between these two pieces of legislation:

The proposed Data Protection Act excludes “sensitive data” from its scope (which would include ethnic origin and religious belief). While this may seem like an advantageous feature at first glance, it could actually prove problematic if you need access to sensitive information about your clients or employees. For example, if someone were being treated for cancer and needed their diagnosis recorded on their file as part of their treatment plan—and that information was deemed too important not just for them but also anyone who might come across it later on—your organization would likely be required by law to keep such details private so only those involved with treating them could access them safely.

Information about data protection in India provides some details about its GDPR elements.

Data Protection Act in India

The Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 defines the term ‘personal information’ as follows:

any information that can be used to identify a person, and which is recorded in any form or medium; or

any information which relates to an individual and is specified by law to be required to be maintained by an agency or body.

Conclusion

It is recommended that you must keep the data protection in mind while using the various internet resources. You need to be careful about what you are sharing on the internet, especially with public social media websites like facebook, twitter and instagram etc . The proposed Data Protection Act should provide a more secure ecosystem for users to use these services without fear of being affected by hackers or criminals.

#data protection #data processing #what is gdpr

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ladegaard59campbell · 4 months

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small seo tools for Dummies

Should you have entry to a compensated Ahrefs account, you’ll also be able to see significant search term metrics like search volume, CPC, and search phrase difficulty throughout the SERPs. Semrush is an extensive Search engine optimization System that gives a variety of options, such as key phrase investigation, web site audit, backlink Evaluation, and competitor Assessment. Semrush also provides strong analytics and reporting tools that provide insights into a website’s general performance. Search phrase research tools: The first objective of these tools is reporting about the research metrics of keyword phrases or serving to identify key terms to focus on. https://cuteseotools.com/webtools/jpg-to-pdf should not necessarily measure position performance for unique webpages or domains. Precisely what is it useful for? Displays Web site details, which includes conversion fees and earnings for every channel/marketing campaign. It is also an awesome a person-cease sitewide general performance optimization Device, with interior linking characteristics you can use to switch inner hyperlinks, increase one-way links to keywords, and deal with broken inbound links en masse. I also such as Internet pages to Refresh function, which implies… web pages that could use refreshing—specially, web pages which can be almost ranking, can be break up into many webpages, or cannibalize key terms. But Letterdrop's real standout attribute is its capacity to change movie information into weblog posts. Just fall a url into a YouTube or Loom movie or upload your own private video file, pick an applicable template, offer instruction, and boom: web site post. Letterdrop transcribes the video and finesses the duplicate into your decided on template composition. Look at our listing of the greatest free of charge Search engine optimization tools which can Increase your natural and organic rankings on Google & Bing and can lead to fast gains within your advertising and marketing currently. The Articles Fusion attribute means that you can both load an present URL or commence material from scratch by using a keyword. From there, you could make a quick for an additional author, then accessibility the content administration module. Acquiring your small business verified and listed by facts aggregators gives search engines like yahoo self confidence while in the precision Articles setting up is A vital Section of an Search engine optimization system. And MarketMuse offers an intelligent way to do it.

Discipline Details makes use of metrics gathered by the Chrome Person Working experience Report so you can see how your page performs with authentic buyers across the globe. Not every web site has knowledge, nevertheless it's super valuable when it does. Simply input the domain names you need to Test — all at the same time, and it will promptly tell you should they are offered. Beats the heck outside of typing them in one by one using Godaddy. Among the best items about Surfer Search engine optimisation is that it employs artificial intelligence to investigate your site and provide recommendations for optimizing your written content. By way of example, you might be restricted to one hundred links, and you will't look for by prefix or folder, nevertheless it's useful for those speedy url checks, or should you be undertaking Website positioning on a good spending plan.

#small seo tools #tools #seo #online

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archarina-crm-software · 5 months

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Six Customer Support Strategies for SMBs That Make a Big Impact

Running a small or medium-sized business (SMB) comes with its own set of challenges, and providing top-notch customer support is undoubtedly one of them. As an SMB owner, you might not have the resources of a corporate giant, but that doesn't mean you can't excel in customer service. In fact, with the right strategies, you can create a customer support experience that rivals even the biggest players in the market. Let's explore six customer support strategies tailored for SMBs that can make a big impact.

Embrace Multichannel Support

In the age of instant communication, customers expect businesses to be reachable through various channels. From social media and email to phone calls and live chat, providing multichannel support is essential for meeting diverse customer preferences. According to a report by Forrester Research, 72% of customers prefer using multiple channels to solve a customer service issue. By offering options, you not only cater to your customers' preferences but also demonstrate your commitment to being accessible and responsive.

Implement Efficient Ticketing Systems

Efficient ticketing systems streamline customer support processes, ensuring that no query slips through the cracks. A study by Gartner found that organizations using a ticketing system for customer support experienced a 15% increase in customer satisfaction. These systems help organize and prioritize customer inquiries, enabling your team to respond promptly and effectively. Choose a user-friendly ticketing platform that aligns with your business needs, making it easier for your team to collaborate and resolve issues efficiently.

Prioritize Customer Education

Empower your customers by providing resources that help them help themselves. A study by HubSpot Research revealed that 69% of customers prefer to use self-service options rather than speaking to a company representative. Create a comprehensive knowledge base, FAQ section, and tutorials that address common customer queries. Not only does this save your team time, but it also empowers your customers to find solutions independently, contributing to a positive overall experience.

Personalize Customer Interactions

Customers appreciate a personal touch, and tailoring your interactions can go a long way in building strong relationships. Research from Accenture found that 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that provide relevant offers and recommendations. Use customer data to personalize your communications and address customers by name. This not only makes customers feel valued but also enhances their overall satisfaction with your brand.

Leverage Customer Feedback

Customer feedback is a goldmine of insights that can help you identify areas for improvement and highlight what you're doing right. According to a survey by Zendesk, 62% of B2B and 42% of B2C customers purchased more after a good customer service experience. Encourage customers to provide feedback through surveys, reviews, and social media. Analyze this feedback to identify patterns, address recurring issues, and refine your customer support processes continuously.

Invest in Employee Training

Your customer support team is on the front lines of your business, and their skills directly impact the customer experience. A report by Aberdeen Group found that companies with a formalized training program for customer service agents achieved a 13.2% year-over-year improvement in customer satisfaction. Invest in ongoing training programs to keep your team updated on industry trends, product knowledge, and effective communication skills. A well-trained team is better equipped to handle customer queries efficiently, leading to higher satisfaction levels.

Providing exceptional customer support is not reserved for large enterprises with massive budgets. Small and medium-sized businesses can implement these six strategies to create a customer support experience that not only meets but exceeds customer expectations. By embracing multichannel support, implementing efficient ticketing systems, prioritizing customer education, personalizing interactions, leveraging customer feedback, and investing in employee training, SMBs can build strong customer relationships and stand out in today's competitive market.

Our Software Applications:

#customer support #ticketing system #employee tracking software #ticketing platform

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lo-kom · 6 months

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V & A Rapid Response collecting research

"reveal truths about how we live"- collecting as a methodology for displaying a range of lived experiences. Paradox of items in collections often being collected from individuals but as a means to understand who we are as a collective body. How many items are required to fulfill this task, or is it more an impossible task- gathering a large enough quantity/ a wide enough range to start to piece together the commonalities amongst us?? I think this collection really brings to life an idea we came across in one of our taught studio lessons which was that collecting is hoarding but with a vision for the future.

"each new acquisition raises a different question about economic, political and social change, globalisation, technology and the law"

Rapid Response collecting suggests that the way the world is unfolding in dynamic and unexpected ways, and that this approach has designed been designed in line with this. Rather than collecting being a slow and drawn-out act, this approach is perhaps more reactive,, selecting those items which are most essential. Knowing that these items have been collected as a 'response' to the times (the social, politicial, economic etc. climate) also which gives an added sense of gravity/ significance with which we view each item, which changes our relationshio with the items as viewer (perhaps thinking more closely about what these items might say about us as a society etc.)

Simple captioning systems lists 1. Name of specific item 2. What type of item it is 3. When it was made 4. Where it was made

Under this section there is a more in depth explanation of the significance of this item, as well as the sub-categories that the item fits under

Online vs. digital collections

Online website allows for casual browsing with the option to find out more about the object. I think the difference between this collection being online vs. how it might look if it were an in-person collection is quite striking here. Online we can't really get a full sense of scale (despite the dimensions being listed) and the final form that the items take online (ie. the difference between seeing an old phone with the Flappy Bird app installed vs. an image on a laptop of a phone displaying Flappy Bird) creates further layers of separation between the viewer and the item which in some cases makes the items more difficult to engage with on an immediate level, but does have teh significant benefit being able to more easily access a wider volume of items.

At the bottom of the website page I found this disclaimer which I thought was interesting. It encourages viewers of the collection/ archive to engage with helping shape the future of the collection by identifying historical language/ ideas present that could cause offense. I think the idea of censorship and redaction is interesting in cases such as these as the level of appropriate use of disclaimers or intervention is far from clear-cut. At best I think it's a good thing that the V&A is appealing to the wider public and encouraging discussion and debate to work through these complex scenarios and help shape understanding for collections to come. The wider the pool of participants in such debates, the greater the range of perspectives brought to the table and therefore the more informed decision-making can become on behalf of large institutions such as the V&A

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zerogps03 · 1 year

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How to Detect AI Written Content

Introduction:

AI Written Content is a fast-growing field, and it’s important to be aware of the ways that it could impact your business. If you want to keep up with the latest trends and stay ahead of the curve, you need to be sure that your content is AI-friendly. Here are some tips on how to detect Check For Ai content in your online presence:

What is AI and What Does It Mean for the Stock Market?

AI is an abbreviation for artificial intelligence. It refers to the field of computer science and cognitive science that deals with the development of intelligent agents, which are robots or other Automated Intelligence systems. AI has the potential to change a great deal in the future of the stock market, as it could help identify and analyze written content more quickly and accurately than ever before.

How to Detect AI Written Content.

There are a few ways to Detect Chat Gpt AI written content on the internet. One way is to use software like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox’s search bar, which can help you find articles that seem suspicious or out of place on the internet. Another way is to use social media platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn, where people often share tips and tricks about how to spot AI written content. Finally, you can also check website security tools like McAfee’s NetWitness or Greenbotics’ Web Security Checker to see if any websites are carrying out covert attacks against individual users or their data (i.e., stealing information).

Detecting AI Written Content in Stock Markets.

To detect AI written content in a stock market, you will need to first identify the AI author or authors. You can do this by using an AI-powered tool to scan through the text of articles and identify any keywords or phrases that may echo the name or work of the AI author. This information can then be used to determine whether or not the article contains content that is likely to be copyrighted by the AI author.

Detecting AI Written Content Can Help You Profit.

If you are able to detect AI written content in a stock market, it can help you make money. By understanding where and when it was created, you can sell or rent out related content for a lower price and earn more money than if you had only relied on copyrighted content. Additionally, by identifying and selling bots that plagiarize articles from other sources, you can make money off of copied content without having to worry about infringing on rights.

How to Protect Yourself from AI Written Content.

In order to protect yourself from being scammed by AI written content, there are a few things you should do:

I also, I have some tips for you if you ever feel like something feels fishy with your writing !!

Type “safeguard” into Google incognito whenever using your computer (or even in your browser) as well as any other website where you might store personal information such as your credit card number or social security number – this will help stop anyone else from mining for sensitive data inside those sites!

How to Detect AI Written Content and Profit from it.

AI written content can be detected by many different means, but the most common is through machine learning. By using AI-powered tools, you can detect and analyze written content to identify any potential threats to your business or individual.

Protect Yourself from AI Written Content and Profit.

To protect yourself from AI written content, you first need to understand how it works and how it could be used against you. In this section, we’ll discuss the basics of AI writing and how it could potentially harm your business or individual. We also provide a few tips on how to detect AI written content and avoid its negative effects.

Conclusion

AI and the stock market are something of a mystery. But with the right tools, you can detect AI written content in markets and make money from it. Protect yourself from AI written content by detecting it and Profit from it.

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hiringjournal · 2 years

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Are You Shortlisting the Best Python Developer Resume for Your Company?

Resume-based screening has always been significant in the recruitment process. What might seem like a piece of paper goes way beyond in detailing all the essential candidate-related information to recruiters and hiring managers. Picking the ideal resume from the applicant pool might seem as easy as walking in the park. But it’s not!

Statistics have revealed that it takes approximately 27.59 days to complete the hiring process, which means shortlisting one candidate's resume from hundreds of Python developer resumes. Finding the right candidate for an open job can be tedious and challenging whether you are a recruiter in an MNC, an SME, or a startup.

In the present market of economic challenges and the growing transition of remote work breaking geographical boundaries, an increasing number of IT professionals with various caliber, experience, and expertise are applying for a broad spectrum of roles. This has resulted in soaring unemployment levels putting higher pressure on the shortlisting, selection, and hiring process for recruiters. If you are facing the dilemma of how to recruit a Python developer, begin with the comprehension and awareness of what are the essential traits that a Python developer must have.

What Characteristics to check in a Python Developer Resume?

As a tech recruiter, it's indispensable for you to shortlist the best resume to have the best candidate for the most-in-demand programming language of 2022. To make a competent hire for your team, a Python developer resume must reflect the following essential characteristics:

Deep knowledge of the core Python concepts such as iterators, generators, exception handling, file handling, data types, variables, and more.

Sound understanding of the essential Python frameworks such as Django, Flask, and CherryPy.

Familiarity with ORM libraries is an essential skill set to look for when hiring Python developers.

Basic understanding and experience of working with front-end technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, etc

Proficiency in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, data analysis, and the extensive class of Python libraries.

Excellent interpersonal skills such as strong verbal and written communication, team cooperation and coordination, etc.

Logical thinking and problem-solving ability

A basic understanding of multi-process architecture makes it possible for a Python developer to solve problems in the core framework.

Good analytical and design skills to be competent.

Strong skills in debugging Python code and unit testing.

And many more

To screen these skills properly and impressively, a Python developer's resume detailing, structure, and format serves as a pre-requisite.

What does a Company Need in a Python Developer Resume?

Sometimes you have the exact Python developer you are looking to hire, but it takes longer for you to identify because the resume can not convey that effectively.

While evaluating CVs as a Python developer recruiter, it’s vital to keep these few things in mind to shortlist the ideal Python developer resumes from the pile:

Personal details of the applicant that are substantial such as contact number, email id, first name, last name, and LinkedIn profile

An impressive profile summary that lists their relevant work experience and job duties concisely.

A bullet section for professional work history that also includes a Python developer’s solid and relevant technical abilities and soft skills.

A resume optimized with Python developer-related keywords can narrow it down easily using the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software.

The highest degree attained, along with the mention of their interests, skills, and tool expertise.

Accomplishments with regards to recognitions, awards, and certifications.

Work portfolio links highlighting their professional projects.

And much more

The above-stated elements of an ideal Python developer resume can prove to be time-saving in your hiring process and, at the same time, can ensure a good hire in your company.

Is it Good to Shortlist a Long and Multi-colored Python Developer Resume?

When hiring Python developers in the present candidate-driven market with countless job applications received, there is very little time for you to review lengthy resumes in the shortlisting process. Overly long resumes are not appealing to recruiters or hiring managers because of the surplus details mentioned. A proven statistic is that long resumes make job seekers 72% less hireable.

Thus, shortlisting long and multi-colored Python developer resumes is never a preferred choice for recruiters. Most hiring managers favor one to two pager resumes summarizing all the vital candidate details with proper formatting and a professional template. If you are seeking proven tips to shortlist the best Python developer resume and hire a skilled talent, follow us at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareuplers/

#python #python developers #hire python developers #coding #developer #resume #Resume shortlist #Python Resume

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informationsorter · 3 years

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Should I name my alters?

Or: How much separation is too much separation?

The ISST-D treatment guidelines state: "It is countertherapeutic to suggest that the patient create additional alternate identities, to name identities when they have no names (although the patient may choose names if he or she wishes), or to suggest that identities function in a more elaborated and autonomous way than they already are functioning." - Source: www.isst-d.org

So what does this mean? Why does this matter?

"Countertherapeutic" means "Working against a therapy". It refers to something that goes directly against the way therapy should be approached, enacted, or provided.

Doing something countertherapeutic will make your healing journey harder, and in some cases can cause you even more harm.

Does this mean that you should never give your alters names?

No. The guidelines clearly state that it is ok to name alters, but that you should not name alters who do not have names.

A personal take on this, by a reddit user, is: "You're supposed to discover and accept differences, not push alters to be more separate than they already are."

Basically, if an alter has a name, or chooses a name, and wishes to be referred to by that name, then you should accept that. If an alter changes their name, you should also respect that - especially as a lot of alters choose or have names which are descriptive of their roles, purpose, or values. And as these roles or purposes might change, the alter in question may wish to change names with it.

Interestingly, "Got parts? : an insider’s guide to managing life successfully with dissociative identity disorder / by A.T.W." actually suggests that people with DID/OSDD MUST pick names for parts/alters who do not have names. This is found in the section titled "Getting to know you".

In this case, I believe that the purpose of naming alters who do not have names, is to identify them and link that alter's personality, triggers, traits, etc together more easily. It is my interpretation that you do not need to pick a name, but that you do need to pick an identifier for each alter in order to complete the task laid out in that section of the writing.

Identifiers.

An identifier is a word, name, or term, which helps distinguish one person or alter from another.

For instance, at school you and your friends might refer to a fellow schoolmate as "the red haired girl".

In a system, you might refer to a little alter as "the happy one", or perhaps "the 6 year old".

Identifiers like this can help make sure that everyone in the conversation knows who you are talking about. This can be particularly helpful in therapy for DID/OSDD, as it will make it easier to track an alter's thoughts and personality, as well as helping the therapist identify which alter is having a particular problem, reaction, or any negative learned behaviours that they may need help with.

Systems will often use labels as identifiers - eg "host", "little", "protector". I even know a system who refers to alters by numbers in a chronological order (that is, the first alter to become known is alter 1, the next is alter 2, and so on). This particular method is unusual, because most people would interpret this as a hierarchy, or a way of saying that some alters are more important than others.

The type of identifiers you use is up to you and your system. Make sure to remember that identifiers can change at any time - "the angry alter" may become less angry, and then a new identifier may be needed. If you do not allow identifiers to change, you may accidentally be forcing other alters to feel as though they have to act in a certain way - eg "the persecutor" may have started healing and growing, but if you insist on still calling them "the persecutor", they may be angry or feel helpless to control their actions.

When is a name or identifier bad? - See this separate post.

What is the problem with increasing separation between parts?

It is my interpretation that pushing alters to be more separate than they actually are, will likely increase or strengthen dissociative barriers between alters, which is contrary to the goal/s of treatment (whether you want fusion or healthy multiplicity). And can make communication and cooperation even harder.

However, the ISST-D guidelines (and the personal experiences of many systems) shows that some separation, or acknowledgement of separation, is good and healthy.

Why is this? Isn't this a contradiction?

No. To summarise, you should not force names/traits onto an alter. But you should also not refuse to acknowledge that they have a name/trait.

If you break an alter's trust by forcing something on them, or by refusing to allow them to be themselves, your healing journey will become more difficult. All of your alters (including whichever alter is reading this) are equal. You are all part of the same person. So you should accept your differences AND similarities.

" Taken together, all of the alternate identities make up the identity or personality of the human being with DID." - Source: www.isst-d.org

In conclusion:

- Do not forcibly pick a name, appearance, trait, etc, for any alter.

- Do not insist that any alter must keep a previously chosen name, previously displayed trait, or insist that their appearance or age cannot change.

- Do not refuse to allow an alter to choose (or self-report) their name, appearance, traits, etc.

- Be respectful of an alter's choices.

- Be open to helping an alter if their choice of name indicates a deeper issue, but do not push them about it.

And

- Be careful. If you decide to assign an identifier, appearance, or other indicator, to an alter: Be mindful, and watch out for signs of increased barriers, dissociation, or otherwise negative results. If you see that starting to happen, I'd suggest slowing down and reviewing what could be causing it. Talk to your therapist about it if possible.

#did #actuallydid #dissociative identity disorder #osdd #actuallyosdd #actually multiple #actually traumagenic #naming alters #information did

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kuiperblog · 3 years

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Deathloop sure is a video game

Every October, there's pop-up entertainment venues like "haunted houses" (or other haunted attractions) that attempt to artificially recreate the motifs common in horror movies, complete with live actors who are dressed as vampires or zombies or serial killers or whatever who leap out and scare the guests who squeal in delight, if only because it gives them an excuse to tightly cling to their partner. It's more exciting than going to a horror movie, because it's a more tactile experience, so you're mostly just there to experience the various horror motifs without being concerned about a plot.

The thing is, there are actual horror movies that are set in haunted attractions. And while this does make for some fun early reveals (like when the teenagers laugh at the knife-wielding man who they assume is an actor and part of the attraction, only to realize that he's actually a homicidal madman), the very idea of a horror movie set in a haunted house kind of feels like cheating. Haunted attractions are, in a way, a simulacrum of a horror movie, which I suppose is an odd thing to say considering that haunted attractions are real and the events in horror movies are not, but I think that is the main level on which most haunted attractions are designed: a haunted attraction is a "horror movie IRL," so to then make that the setting of your horror movie “horror movie IRL but in a movie” is like a simulacrum of a simulacrum. It’s shortcutting past the part where you would ordinarily come up with some kind of lore-based explanation for why the teenagers are hanging out in a creepy house and why there’s a demented killer or vampires or whatever who are trying to kill them.

I sort of feel this way about one of the first levels I played in Deathloop, which is a video game both in medium and form. It's a bit like Dishonored (one of Arkane's earlier titles) in the sense that the core objectives boil down to identifying an assassination target, and hunting them down in their mansion or laboratory or whatever. The first target I assassinated was a fellow by the name of Charlie Montague, who is obsessed with games, and has populated a section of the world where you can speed-run an obstacle course to be rewarded with a gun, because this is a first-person shooter video game that is set on murder island, where everyone's favorite hobby is killing each other because they’re in a timeloop where everyone will revive the next day. However, when I found Charlie Montague, he was in the middle of a LARP session. This is literally how the game describes it: Charlie is hosting a game where he invites guests to participate in a game somewhat akin to a murder mystery, or maybe more like Among Us. When I arrived, Charlie announced over the loudspeaker to all of his guests that the killer monster (me) had arrived, and the objective was now for them to hunt me down. (I, for my part, did my best to avoid the guests, but I had to gun down the entire party before finally getting to Charlie at the top floor.)

So, this is a video game level that felt very much like a video game level. Which I don't really mean as a knock against it -- it was a fun environment, I had fun hunting down the game designer Charlie Montague and murdering his LARPing buddies, and the environment was set up in a way that made the confrontation with Charlie himself interesting, since Charlie possesses the blink power that lets him teleport across gaps and between floors. But it kind of feels like cheating to have a video game level where the setting premise is, as explained by the game's fiction, literally a game created by a game designer (as opposed to trying to sell you on the idea that the level you're traipsing through is just some rich dude's mansion, or a military base, or whatever). It is the video game equivalent of setting your horror movie in a haunted house attraction.

As an Arkane Studios fan (who started with 2006's Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, and counts Dishonored among my personal top 10 games of all time), I quite enjoyed Deathloop. But it is by far the most video game video game that they've ever released.

Games like Dishonored and Prey (2017) exist in what is sometimes described as the "immersive sim" genre, where there's a big emphasis on player choice and giving the players a bunch of tools to approach objectives without giving them a prescribed route through the game. Dishonored pushes you in the direction of being stealthy and quiet (with a "chaos" system that causes the world to become more desolate if you kill too many enemies in each level), but there are many routes through the levels -- and sometimes, you'll find your way to an objective through what feels like it isn't a prescribed "route" at all. The objectives are often quite simple -- "infiltrate, kill a dude, exfiltrate" -- but a level that could be completed in just a few minutes might take an hour to complete the first time you play it as you spend time scoping out the target, gradually getting a feel for the environment and learning which parts of the level have lots of enemies and which parts are safe and easy to stealth your way through.

The immersive sim's emphasis on carving your own way through levels leads to a phenomenon where a lot of the progression that you make is "meta" progression that exists entirely outside of your avatar -- you might spend an hour prowling around a level, and your character hasn't gotten any stronger (apart from maybe finding a few optional collectibles), but you as a player have "leveled up" to the point that you now know the level like the back of your hand, which is how you have people who spend hours exploring a level in Hitman so that they can do a perfect 5-minute speedrun of that level.

Sometimes, this sense of "meta-progression" is further emphasized by making some of the collectibles information that you as a player can store. I remember a part in Dishonored where I found a locked safe, and I had to root around the game environment and find the code to the safe before I could come back and get the goodie inside. But if I wanted to, I could write that number down so that on any subsequent playthrough, I could just go right to the safe and open it right away -- which feels a bit like cheating, but it's no less cheating than sprinting through a specific route through a level because I know from previous playthroughs that the path I'm taking has no guards.

Deathloop isn't quite like that: the game is filled with combinations and whatnot (in one "puzzle" I had to insert specifically-labeled tapes into a machine in a specific order), but all of these are generated randomly: you can't take that information with you across playthroughs, and you can't look the number up in a walkthrough like some older immersive sims would let you do. But Deathloop takes this meta progression and makes it actual progression: it's a time-loop story, and your character (Colt) remembers everything that he encounters across playthrough, so when you find the combination to a door, Colt will make a mental note of it (no need to bust out your pen and paper), and the next time you come to a locked door that requires that combination, you don't even have to punch in the numbers: just hold the triangle button on your Playstation controller and Colt will automatically punch in the numbers that he learned during an earlier loop.

Deathloop is full of little things like this that, on first glance, almost just feel like QoL improvements. But there's something that feels very different about how things are done in Deathloop: in gameplay terms, it basically boils down to, "Go to this place and press square to read the password, then go to this other place and unlock the door," which is really not that different from "go to this place and press square to pick up the key, then go to this other place to unlock the door." The "passwords" that exist throughout this game are basically just keys that Colt can store in his brain and take with him whenever you advance to the next loop.

And to be clear, that's not necessarily a *bad* thing. In fact, immersive sims are kind of a niche genre that don't have a very big audience, so anything that helps streamline and make it more like, well, what you'd expect from a "video game," is probably going to make the game accessible to a lot more people. And they streamline a *lot* in this game. The game is all about planning the "perfect loop" where you manage to kill the 8 big baddies in a single day, and everything before that point is just preparing for that final loop. Even though that seems like an abstract thing that might require you to hold a bunch of disparate information in your head, the game is actually *really* good at making it so that Colt is already mentally mapping out the game plan as you go, to the point where you can just go into the quest book, select a thread, and then just follow the waypoints. Colt is planning for the "perfect loop" and collecting all the information he needs (including passwords, and memorizing information about how to get certain bosses to go to certain areas where they'll be vulnerable), and Colt is so good at remembering these things that the player never has to: you can play the entire game from start to finish just by traveling from waypoint to waypoint and stealthing or shooting your way past anything that stands in your way.

That is, of course, incredibly reductive. The process of getting from point A to point B in Deathloop is fun for the same reason that getting from point A to point B is fun in any other game. The guns feel good to shoot, the levels are interesting to navigate, and the game lets you earn the ability to take certain pieces of gear with you between loops so it always feels like there's forward progression. But I think that there's a critical thing that's missing:

Immersive sims aren't just about getting from point A to point B. Before you can get to point B, you have to discover where point B is. *Where* in this mansion is the assassination target? Better spend some time skulking around and listening to his staff gossip about his daily habits so you know which parts of the mansion he's likely to appear in. Oh wait, I don't want to just get in the same room with this guy, I want to get myself in the same room with him *when he's not surrounded by his guards*. How do I do that? Better do some more snooping. And in a sense, Deathloop *sort* of does this. Before you can follow the waypoint objective marker to your target, you have to find out where they are. But the "find out where they are" is often, "follow this *other* waypoint objective marker to find the slip of paper that tells you where they're going to be, at which point you can follow the waypoint objective marker to their exact location!"

And to be fair to Deathloop, it's not *all* like that. There are some times where the game sort of just points you in the right direction and leaves you to figure it out, like one dude who has hosted a masquerade party where he and his guests are all wearing the same masks, and so you have to figure out a way to ferret him out. (Or you can just murder everyone at the party to figure it out by process of elimination -- which is actually much easier said than done, because this is murder island and everybody is packing heat, and this is an exclusive party so his guests are the type of people who carry around heavy weapons.)

Another way that Deathloop takes the "meta progression" inherent to immersive sims and makes it explicit in-game progression is by having a time loop where you can encounter and kill the same targets over and over again. That's the kind of thing that tends to happen in immersive sims across multiple playthroughs -- Hitman doesn't *require* you to play each level multiple times, but you generally want to, because each level is filled with tons of different routes to explore and different ways to deal with each of the targets. But that's all on the player: it's not as if in the fiction of the Hitman universe, Agent 47 is repeatedly murdering a bunch of people who magically revive so that he can kill them again, whereas in Deathloop, that is very explicitly what is happening.

The thing is, because Deathloop is kind of designed with the assumption that you'll kill each target multiple times, the first time you encounter them and blow their head off, it doesn't feel like the grand emotional climax. In fact, in a way, it feels like the *start* of a relationship. "Goodbye, Charlie Montague. I hardly knew ye. But I'm sure I'll know you better by the third time I'm leaving your LARPing session with that slab upgrade you're carrying." I feel like that robs the kills of some of their impact, and maybe that's just inherent to what kind of game this is: in Dishonored, you feel as though over the course of a level, you get to know your target as you snoop through their quarters, overhear what their staff have to say about them, read the journals of their rivals while looking for possible weaknesses, and so on. Because it's a stealth game, it makes sense to hide in the background and learn about their life. Stalking a character through a level while waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike can actually feel incredibly intimate, because as the eponymous Visible Man in Chuck Klosterman’s novel says, to truly know who someone is, you have to see them when they’re alone at home; their behavior anywhere else is just a performance.

But when I'm chasing down Charlie Montague with an SMG in one hand and a pistol in the other, the only thing I really know about him is what he's announcing over the loudspeaker. (I don't really remember exactly what he said, but the subtext is that he's mentally unstable, and he's obsessed with games.) And even though Charlie Montague was shouting at me what kind of person he said, I feel like I never really got to *know* him like I got to know some targets in Dishonored. In fact, the moments when I got to know Charlie best weren't when he was yelling at my over the loudspeaker as I ran through his level as Shooty McFPS guy, but the moments when I got to read his notes or chat correspondence (which is *entirely optional*, because even if I don't learn the relevant facts from Charlie Montague's notes, Cole will -- and he'll verbally narrate the cliffsnotes version of them as I'm headed to the next objective)

Despite feeling like a clear descendant of Arkane’s earlier titles, Deathloop feels neither "immersive" nor "sim." It's constantly doing things that remind me that I'm playing a video game -- which, to be clear, is not a bad thing! It’s fun to be Shooty McFPS guy without worrying about hiding guards bodies or making noise. More than any other Arkane Studios game, it does everything it can to minimize player frustration, whether that means feeling lost, or feeling like you're not making forward progress, or feeling like your progress is being gated by a huge spike in difficulty.

Dishonored is a game that rewards patience. This is one of my favorite things about it, but the fact that it rewards patience so generously means that it also *asks* patience of the player in order to get its best moments, which means that some players will never experience them. Deathloop asks very little from the player. Deathloop is a very "even" and "smooth" experience, but that's both for better and for worse. The lows aren't as low, but the highs aren't nearly as high. Deathloop is a good game. And it will probably be a "good game" to a greater number of people than Arkane's previous titles, but it didn’t have nearly the same impact on me.

Anyway, more than anything, my time with Deathloop has convinced that I should go back and play Prey (2017).

#deathloop #arkane studios #I apologize for such a long letter #dishonored #prey 2017 #immersive sim #video games

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hellomynameisbisexual · 3 years

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Tackling Biphobia

This page provides information for criminal justice and other safety services, including police, councils, charities and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on addressing biphobic hate crime. Bisexual people can face prejudice and hate crime, which service providers have a duty to tackle. The information below aims to assist services understanding and serving the needs of bisexual people who experience hate crime.

Recognise Biphobia

Biphobia is a prejudicial attitude toward bisexual people based on negative stereotypes. It can include believing that bisexual people are:

• Deceitful, dangerous or perverse

• Greedy, promiscuous or exotic

• Confused, indecisive or ‘going through a phase’

• Spreaders of disease or damage lesbian and gay rights

Recognise the gap

Services are increasingly familiar with hate crime against lesbian and gay people, but bisexual people have their own distinct needs, which can be overlooked or underplayed. Build your knowledge, policies and systems to tackle this important issue.

Biphobia exists

When asked how many biphobic hate crimes they have come across, most police officers would say zero. However, many officers will have dealt with one without realising. This is partly because bisexual people themselves sometimes struggle to label experiences as hate crime, do not disclose their identity, or are assumed to be another sexuality. Additionally biphobia is often not well understood or recorded by services. Instead of assuming biphobia does not exist, acknowledge that it happens but that under-reporting makes it difficult to see.

What is Biphobic hate crime?

Any offence should be treated as a biphobic hate crime if the person who experienced it or anyone else feels it was an expression of biphobia. Biphobic hate crime can include verbal abuse and violence from neighbours or strangers. Because people’s bisexual identity is not always visible to strangers, biphobic abuse can often be concentrated in settings where the targeted person and perpetrator know each other. That can include verbal abuse or unwanted sexual touching from acquaintances and biphobic domestic abuse from family or partners. These crimes are less easy to recognise but it is equally important to record and address them in a manner that addresses their motivation of hostility. To qualify to be recorded as a hate incident, a report needn’t include biphobic language. It is enough for a reporting person to perceive that it was motivated by anti-bisexual prejudice.

Record Biphobic incidents

Below the level of criminal offences, people can face prejudicial comments about their identity. Police forces, councils and charities can record these as non-criminal hate incidents. It is especially important to utilise this to record biphobic hate incidents because prejudicial and offensive but non-criminal abuse makes up the bulk of some bisexual peoples negative experiences.

Tackle biphobia within LGBT communities

Bisexual people can face prejudice from lesbian and gay people, such as being refused entry to LGBT spaces or inappropriate treatment by LGBT services. Lesbians and gay men working as service providers can also sometimes oppose bisexual inclusion. This means bisexual people sometimes feel pressured to pass as gay or lesbian to avoid biphobia when accessing an LGBT related service. Those who do come out can face inappropriate assumptions, questions, stereotyping. It is therefore important for LGBT services to do specific work toward understanding and welcoming this large section of their community.

Bisexual people face homophobia

Homophobia is not an intolerance of gay and lesbian people, but of people attracted to people of the same gender. Therefore many bisexual people can regularly face it in addition to biphobia. That means someone reporting homophobic abuse is equally likely to be bisexual as gay or lesbian. Someone could also identify as heterosexual but receive homophobic or biphobic hostility. Sometimes there can be uncertainty over whether an apparently homophobic word or action was being used in an anti-bisexual way. Determining how it should be recorded should be done together with the service user.

Make a positive impact

For every biphobic incident or crime someone tells you about there will be many more unreported. Help people feel that telling you was worthwhile. An important but under-utilised way of doing that is by referral to bisexual and LGBT support, advice, advocacy and social groups. Though some people are able to get criminal justice outcomes, many do not. Enable people to consider a range of options including help from police, discrimination law, restorative justice, emotional support, or assistance complaining about biphobic attitudes from a provider of goods or services.

Bisexual people are diverse

Many people face hostility that they feel had multiple types of motivation, for instance both biphobic and racist. They are entitled to ask police and other safety services to record it under several hate incident categories. Ask open questions about motivation and support service users in determining their own account of events. Also, bear in mind that a crime or incident may have more than one hate motivation.

Be led by perception

It is the right of anyone reporting hostility to ask safety services to record something as biphobic. That is because police guidance states that any crime or non-criminal incident should be recorded as motivated by sexual orientation hatred (including biphobia and homophobia) if the person reporting it feels it was motivated that way. Though courts need evidence to record a hate crime, police and other services do not need proof to record an incident or crime as biphobic and/or other hostility.

Create a safe environment

Many bisexual people feel pressured to pass as straight or gay when talking to services. Some people believe that bisexual people who are not in open same sex relationships are lucky being able to pass as straight, but feeling pressured to keep your identity secret is stressful. It also prevents people from disclosing important information about incidents. Make efforts to enable service users to feel safe disclosing issues related to their identity.

Speak out

Demonstrate that you take biphobia seriously by speaking out against it. Explicitly name biphobia in promotional material. Leave bisexual inclusive literature and posters in public spaces. Invite a speaker from a local group to a team meeting. Send bisexual inclusion resources to colleagues. Challenge biphobic attitudes where you see them. Mark Bi Visibility Day on 23rd September. Include bisexual people in case studies. Invite bisexual speakers when organising events.

Change recording systems

Criminal law recognises hate crime motivated by sexual orientation, which includes biphobia and homophobia. However, most organisations only have one recording category to record both, which they normally label as ‘homophobic hate crime’. Ideally, recording systems should have a separate category for each, but failing that, ensure any biphobic motivation is specifically named on the narrative incident record.

Recognise bisexual diversity

People’s sexual identity does not always fit into a neat box. Under the bisexual umbrella you find people who feel a strong tie to bisexual communities and others who do not. Some people are polyamorous (have relationships with multiple consenting people), while others are in monogamous relationships. You also find pansexual people (gender doesn’t determine who they are attracted to) and people have a fluid attitude toward gender. Whatever terms someone uses about themselves, try to be flexible in understanding it.

Avoid assumptions

Ask open questions about service users identity and the gender of partners. Ask open questions about whether they felt there was any kind of prejudice motivating an incident. Do not presume that everyone who reports homophobia is gay or that everyone in a mixed sex relationship is straight. Be open to the possibility of an incident being biphobic, even if a service user has not identified themselves as bisexual.

Mind your language

Avoid slipping into language that can exclude people. Do not use the word ‘gay’ to refer to all LGBT people and issues. Refer to same sex relationships instead of gay relationships. Talk about mixed sex relationships instead of straight relationships. It is fine to talk about homophobia in specific cases, but when talking about LGBT communities as a whole, mention biphobia alongside homophobia and transphobia.

Reach out

Find out about local, regional or national bisexual groups and events. Start dialogue with bisexual communities to find out about their experiences and needs, while acknowledging that they are underresourced and have little capacity. Consult them on changes to your service. Ask for their expertise and support their work in exchange. Promote opportunities to get involved in your structures, such as independent advisory groups and management committees.

Create change internally

Aim to make bisexual people feel welcomed and accepted. Acknowledge that they have different needs to gay, lesbian and heterosexual people. Look into finding a way to officially record biphobic hate crimes and incidents. Get specific training on bisexual issues and needs. Ask questions about how your and other organisations are meeting their equality and human rights duties for bisexual people. Ask inclusive questions on forms. Ask a bisexual community group for their opinion about the accessibility of your service.

Be a good employer

Being a bisexual-positive employer is a legal duty, but also sends a message that you are serious about building inclusive services. Start by acknowledging that lack of inclusion of bisexual staff may be an issue. Work toward creating an environment where people can feel safe being out. Explicitly cover biphobic attitudes and behaviour within policies. Encourage LGBT staff and service user networks to provide a safe space for bisexual people.

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headcanonsandmore · 3 years

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“Fell In Love With A Girl”, Chapter Four

Summary: After Luna's shocking kidnap at the hotel, Ginny is desperate to save her girlfriend. But how will they find Luna in a place as large as the Amazon Delta?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tagging: @cheeseanonioncrisps @lytefoot

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read on FFN. Read on AO3.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ginny was gently led downstairs by Tonks, and sank into a chair.

Her eyes were all red and irritated from the tears she had cried. She felt exhausted, but she couldn’t focus on it. All she felt was terror for Luna.

Kidnapped. In the clutches of the crime syndicate they had been trying to stop.

‘Kid?’

Ginny turned. Sam had placed a hand on her shoulder.

‘Y-yeah?’

‘We’re gonna get her back,’ he said, gruffly. She could tell he wasn’t good with handling emotions, but she appreciated the effort. ‘Those bastards aren’t gonna know what hit them.’

Ginny smiled, despite her tears.

‘T-thanks, Sam.’

The scarred man shrugged.

‘We’ve got a DNA match.’

Ginny’s head whipped round to the side. Remus was stood by a computer across the room.

‘From the bedroom upstairs, you mean?’ Sam asked.

‘Yeah; forensics just got back to us,’ Remus replied, tapping the computer screen. ‘A fragment of skin was left on the windowsill. It matches a low-level criminal who we suspected of being a member of the crime syndicate. Now we’ve got proof.’

At that moment, Tonks burst into the room.

‘Found this in Luna and Ginny’s room,’ she said, holding a book aloft. ‘Thought it might be of use.’

‘T-that’s… that’s Luna’s journal’ Ginny mumbled. ‘It’s…’

She trailed off, before grabbing the book from Tonks and slamming in down on the table and riffling through the pages.

‘Ginny?’ Tonks asked. ‘What is it?’

‘The newest pages are missing,’ Ginny said, pointing at the frayed bits of paper sticking out at odd angles. ‘Luna must have been writing ideas down.’

‘Ideas like…’

‘Amazonian Octarine-Flame,’ Ginny said, her mind connecting the dots. ‘It has variations that grow both above ground and in underground cave systems. The syndicate were obsessed with it, which means that they couldn’t find it in the rainforest. But Luna must have known where it grows; why else would they wait until I left before grabbing her? They need her knowledge.’

‘And kill two birds with one stone,’ Tonks finished. ‘Try to scare us off, and get the Octarine-Flame.’

Sam smiled.

‘You’re good, kid. So, where do we go?’

Ginny’s enthusiasm suddenly vanished; she didn’t know. Luna hadn’t told her where the plant was.

However, her eyes then landed on the map.

‘Oh, it’s where all those reports were coming from!’ She exclaimed. ‘No wonder the locals noticed something was up; the syndicate have been combing that area the whole time! They just need an expert to pinpoint the exact location of that plant!’

Remus nodded.

‘That would also explain why this area seems to be such a target; the network of underground caves stretch out for miles underneath the rainforest. I’m surprised they didn’t just force one of the locals to show them where the plant was.’

Sam chuckled, darkly.

‘Knowing this lot, I imagine they probably didn’t think the locals knew. Typical colonialist nonsense.’

Tonks nodded.

‘The syndicates base must be in that area too,’ Remus said, typing frantically into the computer. ‘They’ve likely got a base of operations close to where the plants are. Somewhere far away from the government authorities.’

‘That’s the problem with these syndicates,’ Sam said, giving a wry grin. ‘They always think that setting up operations in the middle of nowhere will keep them out of attention. But all it does is send up a flare of exactly where they are!’

‘You can hide a bee in a beehive easily,’ Ginny continued. ‘But stick it in a library and it’s impossible to ignore.’

Sam slapped Ginny supportively on the shoulder.

‘Damn, you’re good, kid!’

Ginny smiled.

Evil organisation or not, no-one messed with her girlfriend.

Luna stumbled forward. The members of the crime syndicate glowered at her. She had been blindfolded ever since she had been kidnapped from the hotel in Rio. They had only removed the blindfold when they had wanted her to inspect a plant.

Amazonian Octarine-Flame. It was the only one they seemed to be desperate to find. Luna wasn’t sure why they hadn’t just forced one of the locals to do it, but she wasn’t about to argue with the rifles the syndicate members were all carrying.

Gritting her teeth, Luna bent down and inspected the plant.

‘Tell us,’ instructed one of them, tapping his rifle in warning. ‘Is that the plant?’

Luna sighed.

‘Yes, it is. It’s the variant that grows above ground.’

‘Good.’

Luna stood back up. The members of the syndicate moved around her, and promptly dug up the plant, placing it and the earth around its roots into a special container they had brought with them.

‘Now, we head back to HQ.’

One of the syndicate members stepped forward, and pulled a mask roughly over Luna’s face.

‘For goodness sake; how am I supposed to walk if I can’t see?’ Luna asked, becoming very aware of how uneven the forest floor was beneath her feet.

‘We’re directing you where you should walk,’ said the syndicate member nearest to her. ‘We can’t have you knowing where our base is.’

‘I’m a florist, not a spy!’ Luna snapped. ‘You’ve got what you want; let me go!’

The syndicate members ignored her, and began to nudge her forward, using the butt of the rifles to do so. They weren’t quite as rough as Luna had been expecting, but it didn’t make the situation any better.

Don’t worry, Luna told herself, Ginny will find me.

As she stumbled forward, Luna’s mind began to work. The syndicate clearly didn’t want anyone to know where their base was, but they’d kept her mask off until she’d identified the plant. That mean… the base was nearby.

They walked on for a good distance. Luna wasn’t sure for how long but, given how many steps she was taking, it couldn’t have been for more than a few miles. That meant that they were still within the area that Remus and Tonks had discussed with Sam the other day.

There was a crackle in front of her. One of the syndicate members had pulled their walkie-talkie out of their pocket.

‘Viper company at section omega with person-of-interest 49?’

They were here. The base entrance must be nearby. Oh, if only she could see!

Luna was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she wasn’t prepared for the push behind her. She crashed to the ground, awkwardly landing on her hands and knees.

‘Get her up,’ grumbled the syndicate member in front. ‘That’s the sixth time she’s fallen over. We should have carried her the way; the last thing we want is the locals noticing the weird foot-prints.’

As Luna was pulled to her feet and pushed forward, she was vaguely aware of her hair swinging into a low-hanging tree branch. Thinking fast, she bit her lip, and gave her head a quick jerk in the opposite direction. There was a sharp shot of pain in her scalp.

The syndicate members didn’t seem to notice this as they bustled her forwards. Before she knew quite what was happening, she could feel herself being led down a steep passageway, out of the sunlight reaching through the rainforest trees.

Ginny climbed out of the jeep.

They had driving for… she honestly couldn’t remember how long. It could have been ten minutes or ten hours. Ginny hadn’t noticed; she had been focusing too much on Luna. On finding her and getting her out of harms way.

Tonks and Remus climbed out of the jeep. Sam was already standing a few feet ahead, and they all walked to where he was stood.

The rainforest completely surrounded the long dirt road they had travelled along to this spot. Ginny’s t-shirt was already soaked through with sweat due to the humidity, but she didn’t care; she was used to sweat.

Nearby the trees were stood several Amazonian tribespeople. One of them walked over, an elderly woman with kind eyes. She was clearly a local leader of some kind.

‘Hello, Sam.’

The grizzled agent shook hands with the woman.

‘Thank you for agreeing to help us,’ he said. ‘I know the last thing you want is more Westerners intruding.’

‘True,’ she replied. ‘But, by the sounds of it, the redheaded girl has an idea of what the syndicate is after. Which means we know where they’ll be.’

Ginny nodded.

‘Don’t worry,’ the woman said, placing a hand on Ginny’s shoulder. ‘We’ll find your Luna.’

Ginny blinked, quickly.

‘T-thank you,’ Ginny said. ‘Er, what did you say your name was?’

‘I’m afraid you probably couldn’t pronounce it in my language,’ the elderly woman replied, smiling. ‘But, in English, I go by Sky.’

‘Thank you, Sky.’

Sam laid out a map on the bonnet of one of the jeeps. They had marked the area of syndicate activity in red ink; sure enough, it was laid out in a twenty mile perimeter. The end of the dirt track was tantalisingly close to it.

‘Ginny, we don’t blame you if you want to stay here with the jeep,’ Remus said, kindly. ‘We can keep some agents back here with you until it’s safe.’

‘No,’ Ginny replied, her mind set. ‘I promised Luna I’d keep her safe, and I’m not letting a criminal gang hurt her.’

Remus smiled.

‘Okay.’

Leaving the jeeps behind on the track with a few agents, they ventured into the rainforest, using an old well-worn path. Sky and the local activists with her were leading the way, making sure that the MI6 agents avoided any dangerous plants or bugs.

The Amazon was unlike anything Ginny had ever seen before, and it honestly took her breath away. Trees and foliage spread out in all directions, and she could hear the calls of various birds and animals in the canopies above them. If she hadn’t been so worried about Luna, she would have been transfixed.

‘Footprints.’

Sky was crouched down on the ground a few feet ahead.

‘Someone came this way very recently,’ she said, ‘A group of them, and wearing deep-soled boots. Except one, who was just wearing shoes.’

Tonks and Sky nodded at each other.

They continued along the path.

Eventually, they rounded a corner, and came across a large tree. And Ginny’s eyes immediately zeroed in on something.

Hair.

Blond hair.

Luna’s hair.

It was snagged on the low-hanging branch.

Ginny locked eyes with Tonks, who nodded.

The agent exchanged looks with Remus and Sky, and the agents around them began to move into position. Sky mouthed the phrase ‘underground cave network’. The base was below where they were standing.

Gotcha. Ginny thought. Don’t worry, Lu; I’m coming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you enjoyed it!

#harry potter fanfiction #'fell in love with a girl'#linny #linny au #florist au #florist!luna #basketball player!ginny #a linny au #luna/ginny #ginny/luna #ginny x luna #luna x ginny #sam vimes cameo #luna lovegood #ginny weasley #tonks #remus lupin #warning- strong language

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dr-nero-is-god · 3 years

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i felt the urge to riff on the hive streams for a little bit since discussion came up on the hive discord, namely, holding issue with the idea that the alpha stream is inconsistent in that it is about leadership when otto is the only leader, and that it’s also possible that the alphas are just kids with specialized skills, and not actually bonded by any particular unifying element.

and, in response, @vulpix-sinistre brought up a quote from the abridged hive fanfic, that goes something like: “there are four streams: main characters, stereotypical bullies, ?, and nerds.”

and i disagree with the first two ideas, but almost completely agree with the abridged fic quote. that is pretty much how the streams work, and it is IMPORTANT that that is how the streams work.

in the end, you may conclude that the streams system still doesn’t make sense. you won’t be like “well clearly dr. nero was just logically dividing the labor of his students to reflect a specialized training program” because it’s more complicated on that. i hate to do this to y’all, but a lot of everything streams-related requires an out-of-book explanation to get where you’re going, but i can promise that i will at least try to go

first, let’s think about why h.i.v.e. would have streams at all

on the one hand, it’s inescapable to consider that one primary reason that hive has streams is because harry potter had houses, and for the same reason that percy jackson had cabins, the 39 clues had branches, hunger games had sections (or counties, idk), divergent had factions, and so on and so on. the rise of fandom spaces on the internet was concurrent with a big ya/mg boom in the post-2005 world (after twilight was published), and within those fandom spaces it became important to identify with an aspect of the fantasy world as part of your personality. that became a very marketable thing for a while, and so separating children into streams would, to a publisher, seem like a pretty solid storytelling choice.

however! the alpha stream is not the same as gryffindor house. on the one hand, it seems easy to make an alpha/gryffindor and henchman/slytherin parallel, because one group is good (relatively) and one is bad (or at least antagonistic). but it doesn’t work because while slytherin has a reputation for constituents of poor moral character (which has been largely revised in fanon), being a henchman is where you go, according to the books, if you are unintelligent and burly. it’s not a really sexy stream, is what i’m trying to say. and though there are undoubtedly some readers who would look at the henchman stream and see themselves, i think the majority of readers would likely find the henchman stream a completely undesirable stream to be in.

and, given how little importance the role of streams have after the first book, i will go out on a limb and say that mark walden knows that the henchman stream is unsexy. we aren’t interested in the hopes and dreams and motivations of the henchman stream; as we learn in book two, the ideal henchman is weak-minded and easily led—so what dreams would they even have? this leads me to conclude that while mark walden might have sold h.i.v.e. on the “there are personality-based groups in the school!” idea, he had something completely else in mind when he started writing and that, I think, is actually far more interesting.

but really, why would h.i.v.e. have streams at all

a few things about mark walden: 1) he studied english lit in school, 2) he has a background as a video game producers, and 3) he likes james bond. i know the first two things because i have read his bio and i know the third thing because i have read his books in conjunction with seeing all the james bond films. so we will call 1-3 facts.

if you are wondering what a lit degree, video game production, and the james bond franchise all have in common, then let me connect those dots: all three of those things depend heavily on the study and understanding of repetitive structure in storytelling as an interpreter and creator of meaning. each one of these fields requires an understanding of how stories and words work to create meaning in order to be successful.

and, to quote mr. walden here directly (sourced from this here link):

“So, I was playing with this cat one day and it got me thinking that those old-school Bond villains always just seemed to appear out of thin air with very little back story and that got me thinking about how they became world- conquering megalomaniacs in the first place. It was only a short mental walk from there to HIVE.”

so, imagine you’re a writer trying to tell a story about a school for villains like those in james bond—you’ve studied storycraft and you have a lot of experience in a job finding believable and compelling obstacles for people to interact with in video games. you have noticed patterns. and you need to make those patterns work for you.

enter: streams

i have watched all the james bond movies (all of ‘em) (i mean it) (just not the unreleased one yet lol) and you know what?

there’s probably just about four kinds of villains in those movies.

henchmen include the likes of jaws, oddjob, and tee hee. often physically disabled in a cinematically interesting way, these guys are the muscles and the machines in every bond film. they are the ones who tail bond as he takes long train rides and who try to personally throw him into shark tanks. they are the hands and feet of their evil masters and they don’t have a lot of emotional depth or backstory.

politicians/financiers abound in the james bond franchise because he is a government employee who often hangs out with other government employees (he has no friends). these people are like colonel rosa klebb, georgi koskov, prince kamal khan. there are a lot more, as a matter of fact, because the whole point of james bond is that they are in the cold war and even people without titles have political and financial motivations for screwing around with stuff. these types of villains depend on being well and truly embedded in an existing infrastructure or hierarchy, somebody who worked their way up from being a foot soldier or clerk into a powerful leadership position that gives them a lot of state-sanctioned trust and authority.

technicians and inventors include folks like henry gupta and boris grishenko, who use technology as their primary weapon. they are often inventors or innovators and are really good at making high-tech stuff. however, i think this stream is also a direct result of the character Q, someone who is actually on James Bond’s team and who runs an entire department of people who test sometimes outlandish gadgets for Bond to use in the field. (but we love the gadgets. they are fun.) in other words, Bond arguably has a technical stream at his disposal in MI6, which means the idea isn’t necessarily evil, but, likewise, our James Bond School also needs Qs. it’s the rules. if you are familiar with Q from James Bond at all then you understand

and that leaves us with alphas... the “supervillains.” these are the famous ones. dr. no. mr. big. scaramanga. le chiffre. blofeld. max zorin. emilio largo. goldfinger. these are the ones with the master plan, the dreams to recreate the world as they see it, the passion to see their desires to fulfillment and the resources to make them happen. they are rich. they are fancy. they are larger than life. is it weird that karl stromberg tries to incite a nuclear war between Britain and the USSR so that a lot of people can die so that he can colonize the ocean? yes. but by god, it’s fancy and dramatic, and that’s what counts.

are there other kinds of villains? oh, definitely. lots more. but you have to understand, that those kinds of villains generally don’t appear in Bond. sometimes! but it’s not a staple. for example, not many people in the bond films are motivated by revenge because each movie is kind of designed to function as a one-shot. villains don’t come back and so there is no revenge. the villain who gets the most notable reprise, jaws, actually ends up finding his true love in space.

compare: every movie is going to have henchmen. every movie has government stooges making morally questionable decisions. (almost) every movie has Q, or some gadget stuff going on. and every movie has a big bad that has to be better than the last.

so that explains why the streams are what they are.

it was a jumping-off point for mark walden to figure out what this universe might look like and how different character types need to function. consider that while the core four are all alphas and are kind of insulated as a group, the teachers all kind of roughly align with one of these groups. colonel francisco, raven, and chief lewis are henchmen types, doing on-the-ground work to get stuff done. ms. tennenbaum and the contessa are political af, they are all about the corruption and infiltrating institutional power. ms. gonzales, ms. leon, and professor pike all have technical skills that help keep an organization moving forward. and over them all is the singular alpha, dr. nero, who is coordinating and monitoring it all for his own evil plan: to run a high school.

honestly, dr. nero’s hive idea operates just like a james bond villain plot! it works, or it does when pitching the idea. the problem is that the books continued after the pitch did, and with worldbuilding came some complications. namely, the fact that the megastructure of james bond villainy does not replicate well into a small friend group on which the narration focuses. so let’s return to the question presented at the beginning:

how can alphas really be alphas when not everyone on the field trip can be a mastermind?

i’m gonna give this to you in two ways. one, the way i personally interpret it as an in-universe explanation, given the background premises we have already established. and the other, why the stream system kind of ruins the structure it sets out to create.

so, for me, the alphas can be alphas because there is more to villainy than being a mastermind and there is more to being a mastermind than being in charge. as i think about it, this novelization is actually the backstory for every one of the students, who will go on to do great and scary things. they will manage big projects and come up with interesting ways to terrorize the British government, because that is what James Bond villains do (and James Bond does canonically exist in their universe). much like your actual teenage years, this is not the main event.

as students, the core four need to learn to do a little bit of everything. you gotta learn some lock-picking, that’s essential. everyone has to be able to climb a rock wall. it’s the rules. and everyone needs to be able to do some programming. that’s just the way school is. though everyone has a different personality and a different way of looking at the world, their education has to cover the basics because the fact of the matter is, none of them are villains yet. will they become one? that remains to be seen. but they are being given the tools to become the greatest villains if that is something they choose.

the main problem that remains when holding this attitude is that the specialized skills of otto and his friends might be better suited to other streams, in which case, what is an alpha anyways?

here’s the facts: if everyone were assigned to a stream by talent, then there wouldn’t be an alpha stream.

franz? political/financial stream.

nigel? laura? otto? technical stream.

shelby? wing? henchman stream.

you can debate me on the specifics of those assignments, but the point is this: all the other streams are based on hard skills. franz can manage a ledger and that is a financial skill. laura can build a computer from scratch and that is a technical skill. wing can do martial arts, and each martial art is a physical skill that can be taught and performed in a measurable level of proficiency.

the idea of being a “mastermind” is a much softer skill—which is to say, there’s no one recipe that will make it work. my manager at work has coached me by saying that leadership is often about having a “style,” and working at it that way. leadership requires interpersonal flexibility, being able to stay organized and to make important decisions rapidly, it is about being able to prioritize and delegate. and it’s very much open to interpretation, every day, all the time.

let me tell you something else about james bond: there is a lot of classism, racism, and sexism embedded into every aspect of those films, but that goes for double when it comes to the villains in the show. to vastly oversimplify that very concept, it shows up in the bond films like this: henchmen are working class folks, the villainous equivalent of “the help,” and the supervillains are (usually) rich and glamorous and powerful. henchmen are uneducated (read as: stupid) and ugly and poor. no one cares if they die. (there’s more complexities, as always, but this essay isn’t actually about james bond so we’ll fast forward through My Opinions to the end)

the problem with replicating james bond in your villain school universe is that some of the biases of the james bond universe get replicated in there, too. poor and uneducated folks get turned into disposable henchmen whose lives are irrelevant. people who are educated and talented get fast-tracked to a more glamorous and interesting stream that will catapult them to the top of the ladder as soon as they graduate. if you look at the dialect with which block and tackle are written, they are clearly meant to be seen as a different social class than otto, despite the fact that otto is coming from basically nothing. and we understand that when otto graduates, he will be able to do basically anything that he wants to at all.

so, if you’re asking why wing has a role in the alpha stream when he doesn’t seem as leader-y as otto, there’s a simple answer: because dr. nero believes that wing can be more.

the climax of book one is dr. nero explicitly telling otto, wing, laura, and shelby that they are in his school because he believes in them and he wants to see them grow. they are given an elite status other students do not have despite the fact that they have just literally tried to escape. as we see in the case of duncan cavendish, the main way to get on that highway to a guaranteed career is to convince him that you’ve “got it.” for those who are not believed in, there is no way to make up for the special grooming. you’re stuck with the stream you’re placed in, doomed (perhaps) to be a second-in-command at best.

is all this intentional? probably not. but it is implicit in the structure of the story and, alas, that’s the way it is.

all i can think to say in conclusion is that while the stream system tends to replicate some of the unfair and classist realities present in other media and the world we live in, i think part of the reason we read h.i.v.e. is because the alpha stream is so appealing. imagine! you are competent and you have a desirable, specialized skill as well as a proficiency in many general skills and you are certain you are going to do good things—and all because someone believes in you. to receive someone else’s support and confidence can be life-changing. the magic of h.i.v.e. is that yes—lives are changed and ordinary, boring people were elevated to the level of supervillains. we are only left to wonder, are they the only people who deserved that honor?

#meta #spoilers #streams #alpha #henchman #political/financial #technical stream #technical #james bond #hive #h.i.v.e.#higher institute of villainous education #the higher institute of villainous education #otto malpense #max nero #streams post #musings

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gascon-en-exil · 3 years

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Dark Deity Pre-Release Character Opinions

This isn't actually a tier list, but someone helpfully created a template for this game and it's as good a way as any to do a little visual showcase for this cast. Characters are listed by their class sets, which are fixed but offer a nice variety in terms of promotion options. My opinions on each are as follows, from left to right in each row. Most characters have introductory profiles written up on the DD subreddit, if you'd like to check them out yourself.

Warriors

Alexa

You know those buff female blacksmiths in Echoes and Three Houses that some people wish were playable characters? That's pretty much Alexa. Can't say I'm too hyped about her myself, but warrior + tomboyish female character will do that for me...or not do it, I suppose.

Benji

Seems to have been written to become a meme, and I still can't decide whether that's clever or stupid. Kind of like Raphael only with a bigger emphasis on training than on eating, and with brotherly devotion replaced with brotherly angst that might theoretically go somewhere if the character isn't reduced to being a goofy joke all the time.

Fenton

Doesn't have a character profile, so as far as I know he's just a generic dwarf because DD swaps out its inspiration's loli dragons and other vaguely fetishistic shapeshifters for the two most cliché non-human races in Western fantasy. I wonder whether his VA will voice him with a Scottish accent, to go all in on the (ironic?) laziness. There are a handful of elves in the playable cast, but Fenton is the only dwarf so for better or worse he's representing.

Helena

She's the embodiment of the FE exotic swordswoman archetype, but curiously DD seems to have turned that broad ethnic brush inward. Helena's last name is apparently a Japanese verb, her art shows her with a spear (as in the association of the naginata with women), and she studied and trained in a monastery that seems to blend elements of Buddhism and Shintoism. Not sure how all that fits into the larger setting yet, but at this point she's still got more background development than Petra.

Irving

Our Hero, the one front and center on the cover art. He sounds a bit on the blander side as far as lords or lord equivalents go, with his most promising hook for me being his established friendship with Garrick (see the ranger section). At best I can hope for a bit of a romantic friendship dynamic, although they sound a bit rougher overall as they're military academy schoolmates I wonder why DD went with that instead of lordlings of different territories.

Rogues

Brooke

Looks like Camilla; has a backstory like Niles. Cleavage aside though the sexual element of both is toned down here, and there might be some sapphic bodyguard shenanigans to be had as her current employers are a pair of highborn sisters further down this list.

Cia

For some reason she reminds me of Tressa from Octopath Traveler, only bustier and a bartender rather than a merchant. She's still just a small town girl with big city dreams, and this being a tactical war game following those dreams will inevitably involve stabbing people.

Corvan

Hard to judge him at the moment, as his profile was only the second written and so isn't terribly detailed. He's a moon elf with scholarly interests, apparently. Still, as of right now he's the only rogue who doesn't slot loosely into either a ninja/assassin or pirate aesthetic, so that's kind of neat. Also, he's one of several characters to have FEH-esque beach fanart made of them already, so clearly someone's into elf twinks.

Ford

A former officer at the military academy Irving attends and a smuggler who dotes on his niece, Ford has major dad energy. Per developer reveals he's also bi, and as I mentioned before I'm totally fine with that. More bear sex, please - but what guy in this cast would hop in the sack with Ford? Only time will tell. His personal skill makes him extra dodgy, which combined with the mug of booze in his art makes me think of WoW brewmasters who dodge-tank through the power of being wasted.

Wren

Like Brooke, he's an assassin from a foreign nation - in his case the same one as Helena so presumably he's a not!Japanese ninja. I'm not really feeling him at the moment. What is it about Hao'Fen (the city/territory he and Helena come from) and massive families? That comes up in both their backstories.

Rangers

Caius

I feel like this is the third or fourth character to grow up in some slum or other; at least they've all been in different towns so far. The relative rarity of noble characters is certainly different from FE, but it reduces the political stakes which leaves me wondering a bit about the story. Anyway, Caius is a small town desert hunter who learned how to make arrows out of animal bones. How aerodynamic is bone, I wonder?

Garrick

Irving's BFF and seemingly the Hector to Irving's Eliwood, only with more flirting (his intro doesn't specify that Garrick is flirting with women, but I'm not going so far as to say that indicates anything). He's the academy headmaster's son, with a strained relationship with his father for some of that hotheaded lead tension. Notably, his VA is the one I'm most familiar with in this cast, as he's the voice of Revali from Breath of the Wild as well as love interests in two different erotic gay dating sims I've played. In other words, I know what this guy sounds like making awkwardly simulated sex noises...and I have no idea what to do with that information.

Maeve

She's a half-elf with a very storied background, so much so that it's all rather hard to follow her exploits when little of what's being described has been fully revealed yet. I'm expecting her to be a mid/lategame recruit, unless she's dropped in early on to reveal that (sun) elves exist or something.

Rose

Imagine if Bernadetta were a commoner, although we can only hope they'll be less screaming. Alternatively, Neimi without an obvious boyfriend. She won the beach contest so now she has official swimsuit art, which I guess makes her a top-tier waifu in the eyes of players who care about such things.

Sophia

A ranger in the "has animal companions" sense, although whether that will come into play mechanically aside from her personal skill - Butter the ferret can attack with her! - remains to be seen. Her preference for the company of animals is explained by a lack of social graces, so prepare for klutz-related humor. Of note to those interested in F/F is that her introduction specifically brings up her connection with Sloane (see the mage section) and how close the two of them are.

Clerics

Faust

Doesn't have a profile yet, so not much to go off other than his decidedly unhinged look. The cleric class set does feature some darker-flavored options, so presumably he's more naturally aligned with those. His VA was announced to be the YouTuber behind So This is Basically Fire Emblem and other similar videos, so I'm picturing a kooky and somewhat demented Henry type.

Lincoln

Also lacks a profile at time of writing...clerics get so little love. The Discord has identified him a bland blond paladin sort, but as we know from the likes of Perceval and especially Dimitri that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be boring (or not gay).

Maren

The soft-spoken healer type, and also a childhood friend of Garrick although her intro sibling-zones him but then this game is inspired by FE so who knows if that'll stick. She may have some interesting thoughts on the theology of the setting, as there seem to be several faiths and she's said to have a complicated relationship with her own. I will be utterly shocked if she's not either Irving or Garrick's eventual love interest.

Samara

One of two princesses of the country of Aramor, which appears to be loosely inspired by the Middle East. Heaven help us if the Khalidstans ever get wind of this game. Unfortunately aside from her bond with her older sister (in the mage section) and the knowledge that Brooke has been hired as their bodyguard there's not much to Samara at the moment. Hopefully the clerics all do some comparative theology in their bond conversations, and this isn't like Sacred Stones where none of the clergy characters from different countries ever compare notes. The succession crisis involving Samara and her sister vs. their less-loved cousin the king's son might be a major plot hook? It's still too early to tell.

Vesta

Much like Maeve her backstory has entirely too much going on to really follow at the moment. Basically she's a human who grew up in a sun elf city because Reasons (seriously, I don't know what they are) and was called to a clerical vocation and also something about taking a journey. Has an unfortunate case of silly boob armor, which unlike a certain other character probably won't be rectified this close to release.

Mages

Alden

Maren's precocious younger brother, also basically Ricken up to and including the comically oversized hat. As a unit he follows the tradition of Donnel, Mozu, and Cyril of having a personal skill that buffs his stat gains, so it's safe to say he's a growth unit. At least he'll probably join early.

Liberty

Comes with dead brother angst and a connection to the "aspects" system that will hopefully make more sense once I've played the game and know how it functions both mechanically and from a storytelling perspective. Otherwise she looks to be a busty older - as in, not a teenage - mage in the vein of Calill.

Monroe

Got the first ever character profile, so it's really short. He's the son of a duke and sounds like a bit of a snob, albeit one that can make explosions happen to back up his haughtiness. He's got some scarring around his eye that surely must come with a story. Someone also made featured fanart of him in Heroes summer banner style, so I guess he's got somebody horny already.

Sara

Samara's half-sister, with comparable fantasy Middle Eastern flavoring. Has an interest in discovering magical artifacts and being a just ruler in the event she winds up on the throne (so, almost definitely), and she and Samara travel around with the assassin Brooke as their bodyguard. There's maybe some lesbian possibilities there? Either way, Sara has enough development where I could see her as a major supporting character.

Sloane

Comes with a genuinely fascinating backstory involving manipulative double-crossing parents, an education in the cruelties and deceptions of social life (reflected in her personal skill), and disinheritance - and yet it's all likely to be overshadowed because she may go down as DD's equivalent to Fates's face-touching. Her initial art is even more revealing than Camilla's, and while the developers later gave her a more modest redesign after negative feedback I get the feeling that this controversy may live on. Her introduction mentions her hunting for both heirs and heiresses and she's now been linked to Sophia, so safe to say she's another confirmed bi character.

Adepts

While the other class sets are standard fantasy fare adepts require a bit more explanation. They have innate magical abilities and appear to be feared and distrusted most places in the setting. Functionally they remind me of adepts from the Golden Sun series, if anyone is familiar with those games. The classes in the adept group tend more toward physical/magical hybridization than those of other sets, so that will probably be their mechanical niche. Oh, and their default weapon type is lances, which is a plus in my book.

Aurima

Along with Caius and the royal sisters, he's another one from the desert nation of Aramor. An arena fighter who got touched by a god in what I assume was a non-sexual way and came out of it with a new appearance and adept powers. Also, he's confirmed to be over 40 - how often do you see that in games like this?

Bianca

Looks like a more carefree Mathilda from Echoes. She's a ranking officer in the Delian army which sounds like it'd sit uneasily with her adept powers. Her profile describes Lincoln as her close friend, which is still about the most we know about him at this point.

Elias

This guy's writing plays more into the fairly standard coding that comes with adept powers, as we know they manifested shortly before he was going to confess his feelings to a male paramour and afterwards he was forced to flee his homeland and wander the world. He also spent time among dwarves, so insert short bear jokes here? In the present he's attached to Cia in what seems to be a platonic way; maybe she's a fruit fly, or maybe she just likes having a friend who can light drunken assholes on fire? Elias is definitely into guys, but I would still be a little surprised if he turned out to be totally gay as that's such a rarity in these sorts of things.

Iris

Oof, another lengthy and rough backstory. Iris had better parents than Sloane, but she also had to deal with permanent facial scarring (hence the mask) after a bandit kidnapping and the stigma of manifesting as an adept pretty much eliminating the prospects of her making a good political marriage. Also, she and Elias both come from Neullais, which is prominently featured on the continental map on the DD subreddit but doesn't seem to come up all too often in backstories. I think it's a not!France? Hard to tell.

Thae'lanel

A World of Warcraft blood elf, flowing anime hair and apostrophe'd name and all. I like WoW so that's not terribly grating, but as he has no profile yet there's little else I can say. Thae'lanel is mentioned in Maeve's introduction as a member of a sun elf group called the Exiled, which I'm guessing is tied to his adept status in some way. He and Maeve form yet another adventurer/bodyguard duo.

#Dark Deity #Fire Emblem #Well it's sort of FE

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talentedtrait · 3 years

Text

A List of Disabilities and Why You Need to Research Them/Ways To Not Make Every Sim The Same

***********I’m going to an a trigger warning now because I will mention mental disorders and maybe some physical disorders and illnesses. If this makes you uncomfortable or distressed I urge you to not read this post. Everything I list will be bolded so you don’t need to read that section.

I’m sorry if I don’t use the correct language/I misidentify something. If anything needs to be fixed, please come into my DMs or Ask Box and I’ll change it. If you think anything should be added, let me know and I can add it or we can work on adding it together.

Me getting as into The Sims as I am originated on Instagram and as much as I love simsta (amidst it’s immense issues), there are things I just can’t get over, and that’s representation and diversity.

Diversity is not just about race. Having a mix of black and white sims does not make you diverse. It doesn’t mean you have well rounded representation. Including Hispanic or Asian sims does not mean you have diversity.

You have representation of specific groups of people, but not the human race as a whole. Where are the sims that don’t have a small waist? Where’s the cellulite and the XL or XXL sized sims? Where are the big noses, the muffin tummies, the wheelchair bound sims? Where are the Indian, Arabic, Asian sims?

Having one of each does not make you diverse, give me two or give me three. Where are the Jewish sims and the sims with disabilites that you can’t see, even the ones you can? Where are the names you can’t pronounce and the use of different cultures?

Things that should be shown on any sims platform:

Plus sized sims (not sims with thick things and a small waist)

Physical disabilities (need a wheelchair, deaf, blind, alopecia, missing limb)

Medical disabilities (something other than cancer, albinism)

Mental disorders (researched)

All sexualities (give me asexuals, nonbinaries, give me sex repulsed)

Remember that having representation and diversity about physical disabilities is amazing and we need more of that everywhere, but don’t let it fall into the trap of becoming a trend. If you are going to include something, accurately portray it. Research it and learn everything you can, even if you don’t use half of it, because someone who identifies that will thank you for the representation. Allow people to see themselves in your work, that makes it meaningful, that makes it all worth it.

If you see somebody showing something that is inaccurate, work with them to change it, or modify it in a way that works. Have them point out to watchers/readers that the information they’re looking at may not accurately portray [blank].

Things you see on simsta that require more research:

(albinism, DID)

Albinism: Yes, this one is extremely popular on simsta. To create the look of an extremely unique sim. But people with Albinism are more likely to develop skin cancer. They can have an astigmatism in their eyes, maybe blurred vision/poor vision. They’ll have a sensitivity to the sun. There are many different types of Albinism but some of the more severe types can cause distress within the body.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): (****TW) Used to be known as Multiple Personality Disorder, DID is extremely difficult to convey through a story or sims platform. While I haven’t really seen this on simsta or simblr, I wanted to shed light on this because of how difficult it is to convey. This is just a PSA. From what I’ve listened to on the YouTube channel DissociaDID, DID does not start when you’re an adult. An intense amount of trauma has to happen to a child at a young age while their brain is still developing and they begin to gain a personality. Instead of becoming one whole personality, it splits into many different ones. One of these personalities is known as the more ‘aggressive’ personality. They are the protector of the entire personality ‘system’ each personality has a name, an appearance and things they like to each and do. The ‘protector’ of the system will NOT harm anyone. When part of the system is exposed to trauma, one of the protectors comes in order to handle whatever trauma that person is experiencing. The system can become triggered and the protector stands in place to protect the system. They will spiral into episodes of PTSD and may be unable to get themselves out easily, remembering past trauma. One of the most important things to remember is that a system will not hurt you, they do not want to hurt you, they are more likely to hurt themselves. Another thing not much talked about is the confusion when someone switches. They will be one person in one room, and maybe see a positive (or negative) trigger and go into another room or location. If they switch again, they will feel disoriented and not know where they are or how they got there. There’s also the fatigue and mental/ physical exhaustion. They will have extreme fatigue and be unable to move.

#the sims #the sims 4 #TS4 #sims 4 #sims edit #talentedtrait #I've been meaning to do this for a while and here it is!#message me if anything needs to be changed #or you have something to add #and please be nice :(

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