One day, when they ask why anyone teaching writing began slowly loosing their grip on reality in the mid 2020s, I’m going to point to this and mumble nonsensically about the maddening uncanny valley effect of AI generated writing.

Yeah, I feel like we need an ad hoc training network to catch early faculty and say: Here are proactive strategies that you can use when you’re mostly handling this on your own! I could say more but I feel awk about saying more using this account. 😬

Sigh. I wish this was the world of higher education we still worked in. In my experience though, a lot of them just act like it’s a game of hot potato and refuse to touch it/help you.

Totally! HBO Max is dipping a toe in & going for a lower cost distribution deal. Netflix is doing similar things when it (very selectively) distributes Asian BL dramas. I’m waiting to see if we get to a tipping point where these companies actually feel pressured to compete with Viki, IQIYI, etc.

Ultimately, the more important question for me is: how is the overall atmosphere of fear and desire to avoid friction impacting teaching/learning right now? How are teachers holding back on honest feedback/assessment, cutting/censoring course content, etc. out of fear that these things might happen?

So faculty are left unprotected and vulnerable to the threat of public controversy and legal disputes, while administrators gets to looks dismayed by the whole situation from a distance.

Rather than a faculty member getting informed guidance that comes with a promise of administrative support/reinforcement, it’s left to a (often junior) faculty to interpret purposefully vague policies & try to cross-align them with their awareness of pedagogy, academic freedom, and student rights.

Also, people keep asking me if it’s converted fic or not. The thing is, I don’t think determining that really matters. The commercial m/m romance market has been deeply entangled with and influenced by fic for decades now. All commercial m/m is influenced by fic, even if it’s an indirect influence.

Watching this has been interesting. It’s def both sexy & building a romance. It’s working to please several different queer romance audiences simultaneously. I think it’s working? I’m more interested in what comes next though, & if it leads to more content from other N American streaming services.

That’s a thought!

Lol. Yeah, this is one of those moments where I would love to have grad students. :D