Mao Mao

Mao Mao's Test & Stash Zone

SHINING PATH Shining Path, a socialist revolutionary movement, took inspiration from the Old World's revolutionary movements to protest the Stellar Confederacy. At the start of its foundation, their goal was to get the attention of the Confederate Parliament and accept the Six Demands. The first, and most important, demand called for the restoration of selected laws and bills scrapped by corporations. The second demand called for anti-monopoly and corporate tax laws to be enacted. The third called for the resignation and arrest of wealthy individuals and politicians that played a part in the transfer of powers to corporations. The fourth requested an independent committee investigate alleged brutality against protesters (and bystanders) from the police, military forces, and PMCs bought over by corporations. The fifth ordered an amnesty for arrested protesters and the sixth, and final, demand called for the abolishment of the Confederacy in favor of independence. Unsurprisingly, their demands were avoided and resulted in a surprising attack that killed twenty-two people. Shining Path kept on protesting for months while doing whatever peaceful options were available that brought attention from the media. While in the background, several members started talking about stockpiling supplies and weaponry for a possible attack against Airwave, a drone company responsible for producing drones for the Confederacy and PMCs. Leadership knew of the matter and decided against stopping them but did condemn the idea of attacking Airwave. Then, the news reached Frontier Post. Earth ended in a nuclear war, bringing the Stellar Confederacy down with them. Everyone on Frontier Post was horrified and sadden by the news even the Shining Path. But, several members saw this moment as their only chance to strike while everyone was still caught off-guard. That triggered the leadership into an emergency session, where they voted whether to strike or not. Four of the two leading members voted in favor of attacking, starting with Airwave to find out if their Frontier Post headquarters secretly housed an underground factory used to produce military-grade drones for the former Confederacy. Persons of Interest Zhan Yijun - Leader of the Shining Path. Marie-Hélène Leloup - Lead Correspondent of Pandora's Lantern and spokepwerson for Shining Path. Sadiki Saliba - Organizer of the Elliot Square protest and its upcoming occupation. Amalia Hart - General of Shining Path forces and owner of Amalia's Armory. Isabel Barceló - Director of Intelligence and active agent for Shining Path. Carol Morris - Chief Engineer and Technical of the Shining Path Resources Much of their supplies come in the form of donations from other protesters, anonymous sources, or supportive citizens.

Strengths Hardened Protestors - Shining Path has always been fighting the hard fight since their creation. Their members had been pepper sprayed, tear gassed, and brtually beaten by counterprotesters, the authorities, and PMCs hired by corporations. Yet, that has never stopped them for protesting their demands. Those within leadership also had their fair share of scars from the protests and riots. Liberation Square - Known as Elliot Square by the locals, Liberation Square is planned to become the starting grounds of the resistance due to its strategic location. It's close to the several high-rising buildings that overlook the downtown district. And in addition, the Airwave headquarters is next to the square along with a police station. Blinding Light - A secret weapon that has been worked on for months by Amalia in her armory. It was a powerful flashbang and thermite capable of melting through metals while blinding anyone nearby. Weaknesses Frontier Post - The first trading post established when humanity ventured out beyond the Solar System. Frontier Post was their first attempt at establishing a colony far away from Earth and it worked. Eventually, it became the most populated megacity in the Confederacy making them influential within the political and corporate world. Despite the Confederate being wiped out and several major corporations hurt economically, their presence is still stronger than anywhere else within the galaxy—that also includes their military. Vilified - The media in Frontier Post was already brought out by corporations with right-leaning biases. It should come as no surprise that they are going to vilify the Shining Path even more as the liberation movement begins. That's why Pandora's Lantern has been established: to fight back against any false information about them. Surrounded on All Sides - Once the resistance begins, there's no doubt in mind that the military will respond accordingly. It would depend on the strength that the movement manages to gain during the confusion especially if the Airwave is successfully occupied. Otherwise, the might of the former Confederacy military are more than ready to take on resistance fighters.

Mao Mao's Test & Stash Zone

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PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

"为人民服务" (Serve the People!)

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History

Pre-Visitation

The People's Republic of China rose into power after Chairman Mao Zedong's forces won against the Chinese Nationalist forces, who fled to Taiwan. Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding on 1 October 1949 and then led efforts against the capitalist system, launching land reforms and jumpstarting the industrialization program. Campaigns, like the Great Leap Forward, bought change to the country for the better or worst while relations with the Soviet Union improved. Then, the Visitation happened.

Visitation

With fears that the American backed Kuomintang forces would invade the mainland after the Korean War, China was more than prepared to protect its citizens. But, they didn't expect the invader to take place within. And with the problems coming from the Great Leap Forward, China was hit hard with the New-Langium Compound. The first case of the New-Langium Compounds was reported when parts of the Yellow River started to drain affecting villages and cities that relied on the river. Then, the newly built industrial factories began to break down across the coastline leaving former farmers to starve with a lack of work. And finally, adding insult to injury, the dozens of dead sparrows were reported to have come back to life and attacked people.

Regardless, Chairman Mao vowed that the people's party will triumph before dying along with several members of the National Congress after inspecting a piece of Langium infecting the Yellow River. After his death, Hua Guofeng rose into the position and began a series of moderate reforms in response to the Great Leap Forward and the efforts of the New-Langium Compounds. He did his best to contain crisis after crisis before he was outed over his support of maintaining the Maoist line in 1978.

Recent History

Chairman Xue Xuefeng was voted by the National Congress shortly after Chairman Hua was outed. His first action was to deal with the crisis upon the Yellow River by sealing off the infected parts with temporary dams so the Langium could be mined. Then, he led a series of dramatic reforms and campaigns that altered China. One of the most important campaigns, the Sino-Soviet Peoples' Partnership, pushed to reestablish positive relations with the Soviets. And while the United States of America was still dealing with the effects of Visitation, China led an invasion into Taiwan after bombardments were resumed in 1982.

Without the backing of NATO and the United States, The Kuomintang surrendered to the Chinese invasion forces after sieging the capital of Taipei. Then, after the peace treaty was signed, the People's Party shifted their focus onto the Korean Peninsula. Chairman Xue met with Kim Il-sung, Chairman of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and came to an agreement for annexation to take on the NATO-backed South Korea. And like Taiwan, they lacked foreign military support and caused them to be overwhelmed by Chinese forces.

And when Seoul was taken hours after the invasion began, President Park Chung-hee met up with Chairman Xue and Kim Il-sung to discuss peace. In the end, it was agreed that a United Korea would exist under Chinese protection from foreign capitalist influences. Thus, Na Mi-Kyung was selected by Chairman Xue personally to lead the peninsula towards a better future while the leaders of old vanished from history. With its goals of uniting with the mainland satisfied (for now), China shifted its focus towards its citizens by fulfilling their first promise: fixing the Yellow River.

Pressing Issues

Even know China is better off than where it was in 1963, Chairman Xue still has a lot on his plate. For example, his efforts to improve the literacy and poverty rate only began shortly after Chairman Hua was outed. In addition, the effects of the Great Leap Forward and the Visitation are still impacting the mainland specifically villages and cities along the Yellow River. The National Congress and Chairman Xue vowed to restore them to their former glory, but both the reunification of Taiwan and the invasion of the Korean Peninsula occupied their focus. It wasn't until recently that their focus shifted back towards its people.

Taiwan, not as hard hit by Langium as the mainland, is still facing unrest for the anti-communist resistance fighters. Terror attacks on Chinese citizens and military forces are a common occurrence despite retaliation with raids of possible hideouts and arrest of suspected conspirators. Meanwhile, in Korea, President Na Mi-Kyung recently petitioned the National Congress to allow foreign companies to operate in her country. The matter is still being debate with rumors spreading that the trading city of Daegu will be testing grounds for the idea.

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Budget

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Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

I will forever laugh at CDPR (and or to a certain extent, Cyberpunk 2077 defenders) simps for defending an international corporation instead of human beings.

The Official RPG Writer's Club!

I would like to take a look at this group too.

Red Dawn 🇷🇺

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RODNELL SUTTON

_{August 10th // 14:34}

ZERO HOUR

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_{Las Vegas Boulevard // Paradise}

Rodnell Sutton didn't believe that parachutes and the occasional fighter jet filled the skies of Las Vegas. At first, he thought it was some sort of stunt pulled off by a group of pranksters. That was until several of them landed in the middle of the busy road dressed like soldiers and holding assault rifles. But, strangely enough, they didn't appear to be hostile as they ran past everyone. Rodnell didn't know where they were going, but he knew better than to follow them. Instead, he reached for his phone and tried to call his friends, who left the city yesterday.

But, it went straight to voicemail. In fact, Rodenell's phone was out of service. And then, the Strip lost power in an instant. Rodnell didn't know what the hell was going on especially when several APCs landed on a parking lot across the street. Some of the soldiers began making their way across the street calmly before addressing him and everyone else watching. One of them spoke in broken English with a thick German accent, "Please remain indoors. We wish no harm to civilians. We fear that fighting will intensify in the coming hours. Return to your rooms until stated otherwise."

Rodnell looked over at the airport and saw smoke rising from the airfield. He tried to ask the foreign soldier about it but was interrupted when one of them shouted and pointed at three police cars speeding towards them. Everyone in the parking lot started retreating to the hotel as fighting between them began with gunshots. Rodnell followed them back to the lobby and desperately tried to call his friends and family. His phone kept on going straight to voicemail. And with the sound of gunfire and explosions still going on, he wasn't unable to relax for hours until it was night.

By nighttime, the fighting was reduced significantly in the surrounding areas for the most part. Some people decided to venture outside for different reasons. Rodnell was one of them because he thought it was a good time to leave the city via Interstate 15. But, unfortunately, his car was riddled with bullets, making it undrivable. Instead, he started making his way deeper into the Boulevard in the hopes of finding a ride out of here. However, the roads were filled with desperate people having the same idea. And judging by the traffic jam, he didn't need to check to know that the Interstate was undrivable.

Rodnell didn't know what to do but figure out a different plan. He needed to go back home and see if his family and friends were alright. But, Los Angeles was far away and he didn't have a car anymore. While he was thinking, Rodnell headed to a nearby pizzeria and asked for a drink. Then, he went back out to take a breather while watching firefighters and some foreign soldiers putting out a fire that started on the upper levels of a hotel. And of course, he checked to see if his phone finally had a signal, but it still didn't.

'What a fucked up day.' Rodnell told himself.

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Star Wars - Jedi Exile

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SENATOR JEH LAIRK

_{19 BBY}

THE MEETING

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_{500 Republica // Galactic City}

It felt strange to see the Jedi Temple, which Jeh always saw in the distance from his balcony, still on fire. He always had respect for the Jedi Order, even if he didn't publicly show it. Perhaps, it was good that he kept it a secret or not... And yet, he wasn't able to stop thinking about the survivors inside. Jeh didn't believe that the Republic triumphantly eradicated the order because they were the Jedi. He heard the stories about how they won battle after battle against the droids across the galaxy. There was no way that they would've been caught off-guard by the clone army.

And no reason to betray the Republic... unless...

Jeh was interrupted by the sound of his doorbell going off, which made him investigate the door. Upon opening it, some of the twenty had arrived when they got the message. It included Senator Alavar, Bancii, Bendon, Zar, and Mothma. He felt relieved and quickly let them inside his home, but was confused that they would've risked coming to his apartment. So, Jeh asked one of the senators about it, "What happened to the usual meeting place?"

"We haven't been able to contact Senator Amidala since the Chancellor's speech." Senator Mothma answered.

"Well, that's unfortunate." Jeh replied with a hint of concern yet understood he needed to step up until she returned. "But, this meeting needs to happen, especially after what the Chancellor said. Let's wait for more senators before we start. I will prepare some drinks for everyone in the meantime."

A few minutes later, more Senators arrived, including Senator Danu, Breemu, Tills, and Bronk. And they were the only senators to come to the meeting spot. Jeh was disappointed but understood why the remaining twenty didn't come. They were afraid that the newly founded Empire just began watching them. After all, they did sign the Petition of 2000. Regardless, Senator Lairk introduced his guest with some drinks before starting the meeting.

"I thank you all for coming here at such short notice. I understand that everyone knows why I called this meeting."

"The Chancellor." Senator Zar said with disgust.

"Yes." Jeh responded. "He has virtually killed democracy in favor of the Empire. I am concerned about what he has planned for the Senate next."

Senator Alavar stood up from the couch and tried to comfort the senators by revealing her plan. "Our alliance in the Senate may have failed, but it isn't over. Tomorrow, a few other Senators and I will confront the Chancellor over his latest attempt to seize absolute power."

"Are you sure it will work?" Senator Bronk asked.

"We have to try. I believe the Senate still has the chance to stop his plans." The Lorrdian answered honestly but remained confident in front of her fellow senators. There was a moment of silence before the Kedorzhan indicated he would join them with a hint of fear in his voice. Then, the room went quiet again until Senator Breemu spoke up and pledged her support. Then, she turned to Jeh and then asked him a simple question.

"Will you also support us, Senator Lairk?"

Jeh didn't know how to answer that question. On the one hand, he knew that the Chancellor must answer for what he announced today. But on the other, he had absolute power to do whatever necessary for the "Empire." This might be the last chance to get the Chancellor to return the powers and resign. But if Jeh were to go with the other senators, he feared that all of them would be arrested. Maybe the entire Delegation of 2000, including him, will be arrested soon; however, selfishly, he still wanted to remain a free man—for as long as possible.

"I can't join you... I'm afraid that the Chancellor will straight-up order for your arrest even if you request a meeting." Jeh answered truthfully to the senator, which was met with disappointing looks. Senator Danu, meanwhile, finally looked up for his drink and interrupted with a horrifying likelihood that made everyone, especially Jeh, freeze with fear and despair.

"He might even abolish the Senate..."

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Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

To people that are planning on still playing Cyberpunk 2077, be aware that there are reports that animations and flashing lights in the game can cause seizures. And I think it didn't originally come with an epilepsy warning that you'd usually see in some games.

Red Dawn 🇷🇺

Rodnell Sutton

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_{N A M E}

Rodnell Sutton

_{A G E}

Twenty-three

_{B I O}

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Rodnell Sutton lived a semi-normal life with him following his mother's footsteps in getting a degree in fine arts. He worked as a web designer with a flexible schedule to spend time with his friends. One of his friends invited him to celebrate in Las Vegas for his promotion at his work. While his friends left early, Rodnell decided to spend one more night in Sin City before he would've to work again. He was supposed to leave on the day of the invasion.

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Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

<Snipped quote by Mao Mao>
Yeah, let's talk over the comfortability and wishes of the actual trans person. But you do you, I guess.

@TGM

I only cited that thread because the writer made great points that highlight the problems facing CDRP and Cyberpunk 2077. I don't care much about how unreasonable a gaming forum is. I just care about how transgenders are being treated across all media. And it isn't just about some cosplayer and the usual twitter drama, it's about how the transgender community has and will always be disregarded by people that don't care about them. Based on the reviews published, that's what CDPR did with them not having any trans characters that are humanized. Hell, I would've been fine with the in-game poster if the developers did a better job. Like, not having the main character's pronouns not being tied to their voice or allow players to select they/them pronouns.

While I may not deeply understand CDPR's impact on their home country and the LGBT+ community there, they are a gaming development company at the end of the day. They are as deserving of criticism as any other left-leaning company across the world. I only mentioned the problems that the company had in recent years because of the impact it had on everyone that's following the game alone its development. Nothing else.

And I don't talk about my gender as much but I'm non-binary. So I know how these problems are incredibly harmful and highlight issues that transpeople face. That is why it's important for cis people that lack the context and/or knowledge of said issue to be notified about it. Even if it's painful to talk about them.

I want to wish and hope that your family and friends are safe in Poland.

I am sorry for upsetting you in any way, shape, or form.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

Let's! After all, trans people deserve to be treated like everyone else. Plus, I'm talking about the valid criticism of a highly anticipated game coming out this week. I think it fits fine with the thread. I highly suggest that everyone read these articles that talk about the problem that the game has with trans representation:

CD Projekt Red catered to its edgiest fans with Cyberpunk 2077's marketing

CDPR’s marketing arm already had a history of transphobic incidents before the poster got revealed. In September 2018, Cyberpunk’s official Twitter account, back in its edgiest, earliest stage of public existence, tweeted a tired “Did you just assume my gender?” joke in response to an innocuous compliment. A month later, the Twitter account for the digital storefront GOG (owned by CD Projekt, parent company of CD Projekt Red) hijacked a trans-positive hashtag to make a joke about PC games. Earlier in 2018, that account had tweeted a gravestone marked “Games Journalism, Dead By Suicide,” with the date of death corresponding with the launch of GamerGate. After criticism, the account deleted that post and apologized.

Stacey Henley

Because of all of that, Mix It Up has arguably become the single most divisive, most controversial moment in the entirety of Cyberpunk 2077’s marketing, yet it’s the one they’ve decided to build around. Since then, the game’s official Twitter account has joked about canceling their FIFA 78 pre-order due to the lack of vagina options, a joke which pokes fun at their own potentially progressive non-gendered character creator, again tying any positive representation of trans people to mockery, exploitation, and humiliation. CDPR also included a cisgender cosplayer as the Mix It Up girl among their cosplay contest finalists. Even if you buy the company line that the poster represents how queer bodies have been appropriated for marketing, their entire argument is negated when they have a cis person dress up in that queer body as part of their own video game marketing.

If you’re thinking perhaps the model was well-meaning, attempting to create a trans-positive cosplay, trying to further highlight queer commodification CDPR spoke of originally, or just a misguided ally who got it wrong this time around, I have bad (yet predictable) news for you. Yugoro Forge, the cosplayer in question, tweeted that her costumes are “beyond politics,” and when pushed on the fact her Cyberpunk 2077 costume dehumanized trans people who are already subject to violence so frequently, she replied, “many cis men and women face acts of harassment and violence on a daily basis as well.”

Stacey Henley

Defenders of Cyberpunk 2077 may point to its character creator— one of the most heavily showcased features in pre-release — which doesn’t tie gender to genitalia. It’s true that this means the game provides the opportunity to create a transgender protagonist. However, gender in the game is still tied to voice, meaning if you want to be referred to as a woman, you need to select the voice actor with a typically feminine voice. For me — and in my experience, many other trans people — voice is far more important than genitalia. No one sees what’s in my pants, but everyone hears my voice. To truly create a character who is trans like me, I would want a more typically “male” voice in a more typically “female” body. The junk, especially in a first-person game, isn’t that important to me. The fact that Cyberpunk has fixated on the junk as the ultimate feature of a trans person, yet given no consideration for voice, and then repeatedly joked about customizable genitals in its marketing efforts, shows the complete lack of a trans perspective in both the design and in the advertising of the game. It’s also worth noting, that for a character creator which prides itself of inclusivity and depth of customization, there’s been nothing said of a non-binary option.

Stacey Henley

Cyberpunk 2077 is dad rock, not new wave

Thankfully, your character’s gender is not tied to your choice of genitals. You can create a dude with a vagina or a lady with a penis, that’s no problem. But because of everything else about how the game handles trans identity, this hardly feels like the progressive step it should be. Rather than just letting you pick your pronouns independently of all your other character creation choices, your pronouns are assigned based on your selection of voice: Pick the “feminine” voice and your pronouns are she/her, and vice versa. (There are no nonbinary pronoun options.) As a trans woman with a voice that many would not describe as “feminine,” this direct linking of gender identity to having a voice that sounds “masculine” or “feminine” feels weirdly essentializing.

I could have forgiven it if the rest of the game took strides to humanize trans identities, but boy, it sure doesn’t. Ubiquitous throughout Night City are ads for a beverage called Chromanticure that feature a female-coded model with a penis visible through her skintight clothing, making it clear that in Cyberpunk 2077, trans bodies are objectified and commodified. Some cis bodies are, too, of course, but the crucial difference is that, as V, we constantly meet, interact with, and form relationships with cis characters who have far more dimension than the surface of any sexualized image on a billboard. The same can’t be said of trans characters. Even if you opt to play as a trans V, she’s not particularly well-defined. The game is about what you see through her eyes and what she goes through, not about who she is as a person.

In my 40-plus hours in Night City, I never met a single character of any significance whom the game made clear was trans, and one of the only queer-coded characters I encountered was an extremely unsavory cybernetic surgeon who does extremely unsavory things. I did spot a trans flag on one character’s vehicle, though that hardly counts as positive trans representation and doesn’t even necessarily mean the character is trans. It felt more like a way for Cyberpunk 2077’s creators to say they had included positive trans representation without actually putting thought into it or making trans people a visible part of the makeup of Night City.

I get that Cyberpunk’s dark future is intended not as a goal, but as something for humanity to avoid. As Mike Pondsmith, creator of the Cyberpunk tabletop game, has put it, “The Cyberpunk future is a warning; not an aspiration.” There’s real potential for a grim world like the one Cyberpunk 2077 offers to serve as a lens through which our own world is critiqued, but the developers at CD Projekt Red failed to do anything with the trans options and identities they incorporated into the game to make them function in this way, and as V, you never have the option to say or do anything about it. The objectification of trans people is just background texture, nothing more.

For elements like the inescapable dehumanization of trans people on imagery throughout the city to function as any kind of critique of transphobia, the game itself would need to create tension around those images by showing us humanized trans people navigating that world. But it doesn’t. The result is a game in which transphobic players (of which there will be many) can just laugh at us by using the character creator to generate models they consider worthy of mockery and derision and by gagging at the Chromanticure ads they see everywhere, or perhaps by fetishizing the model while continuing to see trans people as objects of desire but not as full human beings. Meanwhile, we trans players are left wanting in its world for depictions that humanize us.

Here in 2020, people boldly and bravely hack gender all the time. And yes, I know that Cyberpunk 2077 takes place on a separate timeline in which the year 2020 looked very different than it does for us, but it’s still a world in which people push their bodies to the extreme of technological modification, sometimes swapping out eyes or limbs like they’re changing clothes. You’d think transgressing gender norms would be pretty commonplace, too, and that as a result, a fundamentally different understanding of gender and of trans identity would have taken root in the world.

Carolyn Petit

I also suggest that everyone read this thread: CDPR is a transphobic company. It's time we stop making excuses for them, which includes this post that highlights more articles that talk about other valid criticism of the game.