iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 25/12/2025

I started eating before I remembered to take a picture. 😅 Anyway, that's what I cooked us for Christmas.

Chicken, roast potatoes, red cabbage, cranberry jelly, roast carrots, carrot and swede mash, half a chipolata wrapped in bacon, green beans, mange tout, tenderstem broccoli, chicken gravy, on a white plate.

150 5

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 28/11/2025

"It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this? It was only a kiss. It was only a kiss."

Stamer stands at a podium, head bent downwards, frowning slightly. The American flag and Union Jack are behind him. A subtitling text caption reads: "there's a famous slogan in the United Kingdom".

050 5

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 07/11/2025

My partner told me the blood donation service started doing this. When he's given blood it's gone all over the country - further afield that you might initially imagine. It's cool to know where my blood went!

A text message reads: Thank you so much for donating on 22/10/2025. Your donation has now been issued to Bradford Royal Infirmary. Every donation counts.

000 0

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 02/11/2025

I really hate how when there's mass violence now, the police have to make a point of saying the perpetrators are born in the UK. Because otherwise the default assumption is that it's going to be immigrants. And we all know that would be an excuse for the racists and xenophobes to attack us

A screenshot of a digital news headline reads: "Cambridgeshire train stabbing: suspects both British and 'nothing to suggest attack was terrorism, say police"

020 2

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 04/10/2025

This was true of Twitter. It's true of Bsky. It's the thing Bsky has never wanted responsibility for, and so continually fails to handle well. It's the main reason no one will wind up paying to use this place. No one should, because the moderation is inconsistent. www.theverge.com/2022/10/28/2...

A screenshot of text reads:

The essential truth of every social network is that the product is content moderation, and everyone hates the people who decide how content moderation works. Content moderation is what Twitter makes — it is the thing that defines the user experience. It’s what YouTube makes, it’s what Instagram makes, it’s what TikTok makes. They all try to incentivize good stuff, disincentivize bad stuff, and delete the really bad stuff.

141 4

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 18/09/2025

Good write up about American Christofascism. We can expect Farage and Reform to try to enact that in the UK, especially to justify their desire to do violence to immigrants, people of colour, gay folks, trans folks. www.milwaukeeindependent.com/column/chris...

A screenshot of text reads:

In describing the ideology as Christofascist, commentators typically highlight these tendencies:
Authoritarian Leadership: The portrayal of a strong, decisive leader who wields near-absolute authority, often claimed to be sanctioned by God.
Exclusionary Policies: A belief that the government should enforce a Christian moral code, marginalizing or punishing nonconformists or those of other faiths.
Nationalistic Mythology: The use of patriotic and biblical motifs to assert a divine right to sovereignty, casting dissenters as enemies of both church and nation.
Moral Absolutism: Complex policy questions are reduced to all-or-nothing, good-vs.-evil propositions that leave little room for compromise or nuance.

Critics fear these themes erode democratic ideals by conflating political dissent with moral or spiritual betrayal. They argue that once religion is used to consecrate political authority, it becomes difficult to hold leaders accountable through constitutional means, as opposition is framed as being against the will of God.

120 2

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 13/09/2025

What's a pic that belongs in the hall of fame? (Xiao Zhan edition) #XiaoZhan肖战

It's Xiao Zhan from the Harper's Bazaar photoshoot with him and Wang Yibo for The Untamed. Against a backdrop of dark green cloth, Xiao Zhan's head and shoulders, his hair pulled up and worn away from his face, a few strands trailing down beside one eye. His dark shirt is crowned by a ruff of long, thick, greyish fur. His raised hand is holding a small spray of green bamboo leaves, which he's peeking out from behind. His eyes are gazing at the viewer intently.

2125 12

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 11/09/2025

OMG I would have played an entire game just about these two! If you are also playing Road to Empress, don't forget to check out the video extras after the chapters, because you get so much more of their romance in those. Like almost an extra 10 mins of background and tragic, romantic love story. 😭

A screenshot from Road to Empress. The Prince, Li Chengqian stands over the shoulder of his soulmate, Chen Xin, who is playing the qin. Both men are staring at the musical instrument and have their hands together on the strings.

Chen Xin is sitting with his qin, and Li Chengqian is leaning down towards him at his side, with an open book in hand, probably writing down the music. The scene is backlit with a soft glow from the paper-covered windows behind them, and both men at smiling at each other.

Chen Xin holds a book as Li Chenqian plays a flute. Behind them, past a wooden railing are trees and a flower meadow.

Chen Xin stares up at the sky, his eyes tearful, as he sits on some stone steps. Li Chengqian is sitting beside him, and gazing at his face, moved.

110 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 08/09/2025

And on avoiding false equivalences:

A screenshot of text reads:

The new study challenges the argument that the experiences of some of the White British people in workhouses could be compared with what enslaved people endured.
Williams said: “There has been a false equivalence made between the horrors of chattel slavery and the harsh conditions endured by paupers in the British workhouse.
“In some quarters, the suffering of British paupers is used to dismiss notions of white privilege and downplay the need for slavery reparations. It is quite clear we shouldn’t make this false comparison.”

020 2

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 03/09/2025

Walked past this "Kier Starmer the OAP harmer" graffiti on a local wall, dating from the days Starmer cut winter fuel payments to pensioners.

Spray painted writing on a red brick wall reads: "Kier Starmer the OAP harmer". There's a halo painted over the "Kier".

010 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 15/08/2025

Stereotypes about the "decadent East" again.

It's a mobile phone. A woman is dialing it. The onscreen name of the person she's calling is Edward Saïd.

030 3

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 14/08/2025

Went for an evening walk with my partner. Then we played some shuffleboard.

The towers of York Minster cathedral, glimpse through the trees, against a soft, blue sunset sky.

040 4

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 02/08/2025

Ooooh. At least I was expensive to murder. 😂 The quiz is both fun and extremely informative, BTW.

Text reads: My Anglo-Saxon weregild. Anno Dimini 900-1100. 200 shillings. Modern Value: $26,600. Gender: Woman. Rank: Ealdorman. Manner of death: I was run through with a seax by your neighbor during a highway robbery.

010 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 11/07/2025

The face I'm submitting to Bluesky for verification.

Xiao Zhan as Zang Hai from the Legend of Zang Hai, after he's emerged from the tomb, wearing pale robes and a white headband, his clothes and hair dishevelled, blood and dirt on his face, arms and garments, a thousand yard stare in his tearful eyes.

010 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 10/07/2025

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me. There was a padlock and a chain upon the gate. Perhaps they shouldn't have fired their project manager after all.

Kevin McCloud wears a blue parka and stares pensively into space, while standing in front of the notorious, lighthouse-inspired Grand Designs home featured in the "saddest episode" of the show. It took 10 years and cost the owners millions. There's a rounded modern tower, lots of glass windows and an infinity pool. It does not spark joy.

040 4

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 03/07/2025

Youku app notifications are extremely weird. Like someone smashing together random tropes, but in a way that feels distinctly off.

A Youku app notification reads: "Love Empress has 5 husbands? Blossoming Romance💗Late-Night Waist-..." The acconpanying screenshot is of the head and torso of a young man in a black robe with blue piping, his arms crossed over his chest.

000 0

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 30/06/2025

My partner sent me this graphic of the Glastonbury site overlaid on York. It's huge.

The overlay covers a very large area, well beyond the boundaries of the city centre.

010 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 27/06/2025

What athlete's expression will stay with you for the rest of your life? Pretty much any of the Buster hugs, really. This is an especially nice one, because Tim Lincecum looks like a gleeful squirrel, as Buster hoists him up like a kid ecstatic at winning the biggest cuddly toy at a funfair. 😂

At the end of Tim Lincecum's first no hitter in 2013, Buster Posey has run up behind Timmy, and is hoisting him into the air, his arms wrapped around Lincecum's chest and midriff. Timmy has wrapped his own arms around his catcher's, with Timmy's yellow glove to the front. Buster is yelling, a huge grin on his face, and Timmy is all-smiles, gleeful smile-lines furrowing his cheeks.

010 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 14/06/2025

As far as animals with particular expressions go, I also really like the viscacha

It's a viscacha with a world weary look on its face as it sits on a rock in a teddy bear stance.

1101 10

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 06/06/2025

We went to see Shonen Knife in York today. As usual they were amazing. The set had new songs, old favourites and at least one or two tracks they don't play as often, so definitely something for everyone.

010 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 24/05/2025

(Mais pas avec un iPhone, parce que Charlie Stadtlander dit que ça c'est construit par les jeune femmes Chinoise avec ses petits mains)

Sad looking Celine Dion holds a phone to her face. Meme text reads: "Je téléphone à Edward Said".

141 4

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 18/05/2025

Take the fictional characters quiz and post the first four you know: openpsychometrics.org/tests/charac... OK. Yeah, I suppose so.

Willow Rosenberg from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

110 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 07/05/2025

If you see this, post a ship that makes you happy (Will probably never get over these two, and don't even want to! 😂)

162 6

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 03/05/2025

Ed Davey talking sense in this. Probably along with the Greens, the only real opposition to Reform. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Screenshotted text reads:

But in a warning shot to Starmer, Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said it was wrong to “pander” to Reform.

“The Labour government needs to take Nigel Farage head on, not pander to his attempts to divide our country,” Davey said. “We saw in Canada how Mark Carney turned the tide against populism by standing up to Trump and staying true to his values. In this week’s elections, we were the only party to hold back Reform with our focus on community values and pavement politics.”

031 3

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 26/04/2025

Went to see symphonic metal band, A Plague of Angels, playing in York Minster First there was an opening set by the organist, feat. music by Bach, Black Sabbath, Philip Glass, Deep Purple, etc Then after the interval, A Plague of Angels came on and performed with the organist and the Ebor Quartet.

An abstract projected pattern over the high vaulted ceiling and golden roof bosses inside the cathedral. Some stained glass windows can be seen to the side.

Purple light washes across the nave. The audience sits facing Plague of Angels performing in front of the carved wooden screen, the lead singer with her head raised as she sings. In front of the band, there's the organ console and the organist is playing music. In the background a wooden cross with a white cloth draped across the crosspiece rises in front of the massive pipes of the organ. Projected swirling light pattern run across the wooden screen and the vaulted ceiling.

A close up of the four keyboards of the organ console, the various organ stops, sheet music and set list.

A close up of the set list on the organ console reads:
A Great Awakening
Beyond Salvation
What Lies Beneath
Pangea
Perfect Strangers
Stigmata
Piano Piece
Black Requiem
Lazarene
Funeral Around My Heart
A Great Awakening (outro)

110 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 18/04/2025

As tracking of individuals becomes more draconian, the censor plans an exit.

Text reads:

At the end of 2019 and in early 2020, Covid-19 spreads. First, in Wuhan, and then to the whole world. Within a few years, several million people lose their lives. In China, Xi pushes his cruel Covid policies that transform the country into a huge prison. At the slightest pretext, cities with populations in the millions are completely locked down. No one can leave their homes without permission, even to buy food. This applies also to people with urgent medical conditions or pregnant women about to go into labour.

Liu decides to leave China because he can’t take any more of living like a prisoner. He is even more concerned about the censorship materials he has collected. The Chinese government begins to deploy QR codes to control the lives of Chinese people: tracking codes, venue codes, health codes. No matter where you go, QR codes must be scanned and reported to the government to detail your movements and location. One little error and you are subject to searches or even imprisonment. “If they look through my mobile phone, I’ll be finished,” Liu thinks. “I have to leave immediately.”

100 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 18/04/2025

When the author faces a ban, he finds a way to anonymously pass info to the author, via an intermediary, of who is responsible for the ban. The censors moves to another job also involving censorship, and begins to store info about that elsewhere, but always also needing to triage risks to himself.

Text reads:

After the wedding, a relative introduces Liu to a temporary job in a state-owned enterprise. Alice is carrying their first child. To earn more, Liu takes a job at a TV and film streaming service, where he is a quality control manager. The work has no connection to censorship, but he works alongside censors. Every day he sees new official censorship orders. Some of the orders are unbelievable. One variety show compere says he almost “died laughing”. In subtitles, the word “died” must be put inside double quotation marks, otherwise it is a breach of regulations. It’s as though viewers are considered not intelligent enough to understand an extremely simple phrase.

Liu begins to collate these orders. He copies censorship orders page by page, then uploads them to cloud servers outside China’s great firewall. After four years, he comes to believe the material is extraordinarily significant. He secretly vows that one day he will release it to the public.

Text reads:

As the censorship file grows, he becomes increasingly nervous. He has no illusions that what he is doing is more than enough for a three-year jail sentence at minimum. Five or six years is entirely possible, and eight or 10 years is not impossible. His son has just begun to walk and his daughter has just been born. If the police drag him away, the family will be destroyed.

Liu stays quiet. He refrains from making new friends and doesn’t share his true feelings with anyone. He walks around with his head lowered out of fear of attracting attention. In a city of 15 million people, not a single person knows that he is engaged in dangerous work.

100 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 18/04/2025

What it looks like as State censorship descends. Individuals are silenced. Culture is prohibited.

A screenshot of text reads:

Ordinary Fascist is tasked with following more than 300 Weibo users, mostly big Vs, the majority of whom are people brave enough to occasionally criticise the political system. In the official view, they are “factors of instability” and thus dangerous elements. Among them are journalists, professors, lawyers and even an occasional star of the big and small screens. Although most of their posts are tactful and restrained, likening the government to a violent husband or a pissant blowing their own trumpet, few realise that they are witnessing the pinnacle of freedom of speech in communist China, the golden age for a generation.

No matter how tactful, restrained and oblique the criticism, the Communist party still detests it. A lot of content is deleted, and accounts on Ordinary Fascist’s watchlist frequently disappear for no apparent reason. These people are banned from posting, their accounts are shut, and some of the individuals behind them are even arrested by the police.

Text reads:

Soon, however, an internal document called Seven Things Not to Talk About (七不讲) breaks their hearts. This document clearly shows Xi’s aspirations. It prohibits university-level teachers from discussing seven topics in class: universal values, freedom of the press, civil society, civil rights, historical mistakes of the Communist party, powerful bourgeoisie and judicial independence.

The day the document is leaked, I have a busy schedule. I give a public lecture at a library and then rush to a gathering. In the car on the way to this meeting, I write a short comment on Weibo. I suggest that the Seven Things Not to Talk About is just one thing: culture is prohibited.

Text reads:

The gathering is in a fancy restaurant in the centre of Beijing. There are a dozen or so of us – professors, lawyers, journalists and human rights activists. We drink a few bottles of wine, eat some expensive dishes and discuss the future of China. At this time, many are confident the Communist party’s rule cannot possibly last much longer. China will have a bright future. “The sky will soon be light,” a professor says to me. “We will definitely see it.”

None of the participants foresees that, in 10 years, half the people around the table will be in jail. Some, like me, will be living in exile. Those still in Beijing will have long been silenced and will not utter a word. The optimism that we share at this distinguished gathering will feel illusory and distant, like a fleeting dream.

121 2

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 14/04/2025

Have a 36 second snippet of Fire Escape in the Sea, which is Whirling-In-Rags with vocals, so I was happy.

110 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 14/04/2025

Fog machine was producing a lot of fog.

Sea Power on stage in Manchester at New Century. The fog machine is going and the band are lit mostly with a strong light beam from the side, so they're in silhouette rather than clearly visible. In the background of the stage, there are tree props whose branches are festooned with fairy lights that glow yellow in the fog.

100 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 14/04/2025

Set list for Sea Power's Soundtracks Live show (including music from Disco Elysium) in Manchester on April 13th.

The set list is on a sheet of A4 with dark duct tape on the top and bottom edges. It's held in two hands angled for the photo. The bottom edge of the paper is slightly ripped. The list reads:

True Adventures
Smallest Church
Land Beyond
Come Wander
Want To Be Free

Praise for Whatever
Fire Escape
Childhood Memories

Fear Eats The Soul
Lakeland Echo

Bear
North Hanging Rock

Louis_Lucifer
Once More Now ( no ending)

---

Cleaning Out The Rooms
Skua

100 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 12/04/2025

Look at that quote. It is accidentally, extremely apposite for the pressures people are going to have to face. Does the US have anything recent like that, media-wise, that is also popular with viewers? Where video creators will cut those kind of speeches together with tariff news? I don't think so 😂

A screenshot from the Wikipedia entry for War of Faith reads:

The drama garnered many critical reviews, positive responses, and discussions among viewers. One of the most famous quote from the main character, Wei Ruolai:

“There is an old saying in China that you can take advantage of the long wind and break through thousands of miles of waves. The barren land you see, as long as you give time and patience, will definitely grow into a good economic land that is enough to support the world.”

Were not only used for publicity by major cultural and tourism companies, but also used by China Nuclear Energy, Sinopec, China Energy Construction, China Shipbuilding Industry, China General Nuclear Power Corporation, China Three Gorges, China Grain Reserves, China Post, State-owned Assets, Xiaoxin Kirin Software, and other units.

100 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 10/04/2025

Erm. Not sure when this is from, but the details are pretty specific. www.americanmanufacturing.org/press-releas...

Screenshot of text reads:

Examples analyzed in detail in the report include:
• The United States is completely dependent on a single Chinese company for the chemical needed to produce the solid rocket fuel used to propel HELLFIRE missiles. As current U.S. supplies diminish, our military will be reliant on the Chinese supplier to provide this critical chemical—butanetriol—in the quantities needed to maintain this missile system. HELLFIRE missiles are a widely used, reliable, and effective weapon launched from attack helicopters and unmanned drones. They are a critical component in America’s arsenal.

Screenshot of text reads:

• The United States imports 91 percent of the rare earth element lanthanum, which is needed to make night-vision devices, from China. This near-total dependence creates a risk that China could withhold access to lanthanum to force up the price, inhibit a U.S. technological advantage, pressure the United States to resolve disputes on terms favorable to China, or worse, completely withhold supplies. Night-vision devices give U.S. warfighters a critical advantage in low-light operations, such as the night raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.

Screenshot of text reads:

• Production of high-tech magnets has migrated offshore, even though American research initially developed this important technology. Today, there is no domestic Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) magnet producer, and 75 percent of NdFeB magnets are fabricated in China. The disappearance of a U.S. magnet industry has eroded U.S. leadership in patents and our ability to design new applications.

000 0

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 10/04/2025

Huh. thehill.com/opinion/5090...

Screenshot of text reads:

The scale of the U.S. military’s dependence on China is staggering. Carriers, missiles, aircraft, missile defenses and tanks all rely on components or materials sourced from the People’s Republic. China is the largest foreign supplier of critical technologies for the Department of Defense, ahead of even close allies like the U.K. and Japan. Greg Hayes, the CEO of Raytheon, has stated that it would be impossible for him to decouple from China, as his company relies on thousands of suppliers there.

100 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 31/03/2025

My go-to GameDev example of how misogyny robs everyone creatively, is the way toxic studio culture affected the making of Season. Players could have had a working guitar in the game, but wound up with a ukulele instead because the main character is a woman, & www.gamesindustry.biz/scavengers-s...

Text reads: "Someone remarked in front of the group that the main character of Season playing the guitar "wasn't realistic" because it was too complicated for a woman".

120 2

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 29/03/2025

It's been a stressful week. But today I enjoyed watching Adderly Fong & Wang Yibo doing GT3 racing. Then I did more writing. Went for a walk & saw geese and flowers. Did some reading. Watched Giants baseball. So all told it's actually been a good day! Might even have time to watch some CDramas now.

A group of three greylag geese, two of them sleeping, one on guard duty, all sitting beside a road. Two are on the grassy verge. One is sitting on some stones.

In the foreground, white tulips blooming with green leaves against other small flowers.

A top down view into an unfurling red tulip reveals the stamen inside the flower.

Pink and white magnolia flowers on branches, against a moody, cloudy sky.

000 0

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 27/03/2025

LOL. My partner just noticed the error screen gives us Clayton Kershaw. Must be the postseason version of Kershaw! 😂 Also does it do this to mollify people? Do Yankees fans get a sad looking Red Sox team or something? 😂

The error message on the screen reads: Network Error. Please check your network connection and try again. This is superimposed over a photo of Clayton Kershaw blowing a pink bubblegum bubble in the Dodgers dugout.

100 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 24/03/2025

One is that Wei Wuxian while unable to cook well, can at least advise Lan Wangji on flavour and some details (eg: in the novels he says the soup restaurant's lotus roots should be pinker, the soup simmered longer.) And then Lan Wangji can try to get it right through trial and error.

A screenshot of text from The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation reads:

Wei Wuxian stirred his bowl with his own spoon. “You can’t use lotus roots that are too tough. The pinker ones are good. This shop is too conservative with their seasoning, and it hasn’t been simmered long enough to bring out the flavor. Anyway, it’s not as tasty as the stuff my shijie used to make.”

He was just casually chatting, expecting Lan Wangji to only listen attentively, and at most make noises of acknowledgment. Who would have thought he wouldn’t just listen but even ask questions?

“Then how does one choose the right ingredients? What should be done for the flavor to emerge?”

140 4

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 23/03/2025

Went for a walk with my partner. Passed by this pub, which I don't think I've seen on the cat trail before - but then I'm not usually in that part of York. Now I'm cooking a giant pot of Japanese chicken curry that we can have for dinner for a couple of days. 😋

Under an overcast sky, a two storey pub called "The Plough" features the figurines of two orange cats, sitting upright in the two upper windows of the building.

130 3

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 21/03/2025

... certainly not for the women he's objectifying because they're Asian, and therefore can be more easily exoticised (he talks about how "cute Asian girls" are an opposite to how he sees himself.) Hahaha. No. Anyway, I guess I finally get to use this Orientalism meme I saved 🤷‍♀️

010 1

Mae 美妍 @atfruitbat.myatproto.social · 21/03/2025

As if that element of the monologue passes below a conscious threshhold for most of the audience. To be precise, I think that lack of reaction is about attitudes to the stereotyping of *Asian women* in particular. I'll reference the Atlanta spa shootings again. stanforddaily.com/2021/03/29/e...