#AI articles who knew

[sayruq]

A new investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call reveals that the Israeli army has developed an artificial intelligence-based program known as “Lavender,” unveiled here for the first time. According to six Israeli intelligence officers, who have all served in the army during the current war on the Gaza Strip and had first-hand involvement with the use of AI to generate targets for assassination, Lavender has played a central role in the unprecedented bombing of Palestinians, especially during the early stages of the war. In fact, according to the sources, its influence on the military’s operations was such that they essentially treated the outputs of the AI machine “as if it were a human decision.”

During the early stages of the war, the army gave sweeping approval for officers to adopt Lavender’s kill lists, with no requirement to thoroughly check why the machine made those choices or to examine the raw intelligence data on which they were based. One source stated that human personnel often served only as a “rubber stamp” for the machine’s decisions, adding that, normally, they would personally devote only about “20 seconds” to each target before authorizing a bombing — just to make sure the Lavender-marked target is male. This was despite knowing that the system makes what are regarded as “errors” in approximately 10 percent of cases, and is known to occasionally mark individuals who have merely a loose connection to militant groups, or no connection at all. Moreover, the Israeli army systematically attacked the targeted individuals while they were in their homes — usually at night while their whole families were present — rather than during the course of military activity. According to the sources, this was because, from what they regarded as an intelligence standpoint, it was easier to locate the individuals in their private houses. Additional automated systems, including one called “Where’s Daddy?” also revealed here for the first time, were used specifically to track the targeted individuals and carry out bombings when they had entered their family’s residences.

The Lavender machine joins another AI system, “The Gospel,” about which information was revealed in a previous investigation by +972 and Local Call in November 2023, as well as in the Israeli military’s own publications. A fundamental difference between the two systems is in the definition of the target: whereas The Gospel marks buildings and structures that the army claims militants operate from, Lavender marks people — and puts them on a kill list. In addition, according to the sources, when it came to targeting alleged junior militants marked by Lavender, the army preferred to only use unguided missiles, commonly known as “dumb” bombs (in contrast to “smart” precision bombs), which can destroy entire buildings on top of their occupants and cause significant casualties. “You don’t want to waste expensive bombs on unimportant people — it’s very expensive for the country and there’s a shortage [of those bombs],” said C., one of the intelligence officers. Another source said that they had personally authorized the bombing of “hundreds” of private homes of alleged junior operatives marked by Lavender, with many of these attacks killing civilians and entire families as “collateral damage.”

Remember, the Israeli occupation government considers all men over the age of 16 to be Hamas operatives hence why they've claimed to have killed over 9,000 of them (which matches the number of Palestinian men killed according to the Ministry of Health). So, when the article speaks of 'low level' or 'high level militants' they're likely speaking of civilians.

If Israel knew who Hamas fighters are, Oct 7th wouldn't have caught them off guard and they wouldn't still be fighting the Palestinian resistance every single day.

[airosuiren]

𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱’𝔰 𝔏𝔢𝔣𝔱 𝔚𝔥𝔢𝔫 𝔗𝔥𝔢𝔶 𝔖𝔢𝔢 𝔜𝔬𝔲

A/N: This part right here? This is where the story shifts from pain to power. Where [Y/N] stops chasing apologies—and starts building empires. This isn’t about them "realizing your worth." It’s about you realizing you never needed their permission in the first place. The applause is hollow. The recognition comes too late. And our girl? She doesn’t reach back. She rises. Get ready to watch them mourn the ghost they made—and realize too late that survival looks a lot like greatness.

Thank You @arislia for this Idea!

@bunniotomia, I AM SORRY FOR NOT TAGGING YOU, ILY.

𝔓𝔞𝔯𝔱 1, 𝔓𝔞𝔯𝔱 2

The moment the League put their survival in your hands, something shifted. Not in them. In you.

You felt it when Bruce didn’t interrupt you. When Diana called your analysis “brutal and brilliant.” When Clark told you he trusted your judgment more than the AI system they'd built.

Suddenly, everyone wanted to listen. Wanted your insight, your damage control, your vision.

Funny how people only see you when you become useful.

The plan worked. Your strategy went live—waves of disinformation, fake leaks, public interviews. You weaponized truth like a scalpel. You peeled back the hysteria and made it bleed your version of the story.

And it worked.

Gotham didn’t burn. The League wasn’t outed. The world stayed intact.

But nothing in you celebrated.

Because the price wasn’t paid by the League. It was paid by the kid who sat at the edge of the Batcave years ago, hoping for a word. A nod. A chance.

They gave you credit now. Applause. Praise.

Too late. It was always too late.

Tim said he was sorry. Dick offered to reconnect. Damian looked like he wanted to ask how you’d done it all—but couldn’t bring himself to.

And Bruce?

He said, “You did good.”

You wanted to laugh.

You did great. You saved their world. And it still felt hollow.

Because part of you was still in that Manor, starving for warmth. Part of you still remembered the cold shoulder, the locked door, the day Alfred stopped checking if you came down for breakfast.

The world could sing your name. The League could hand you titles, roles, endless offers.

It didn’t matter.

Because you weren’t theirs anymore.

You walked away.

From Gotham. From the Manor. From the past.

You accepted the Kents’ invitation. Helped expand the Queens’ foundation. Took over policy initiatives that reshaped cities.

People called you a visionary.

But you were still just a kid who survived being forgotten.

And that pain? It never leaves. It just sharpens you. Refines you. Burns everything soft out of you until all that’s left is brilliance and bite.

You didn’t need them to love you.

You learned how to do that yourself.

And that?

That was the scariest thing they ever saw.

EPILOGUE (DARKER VERSION): The Ghost They Built

Years passed.

You didn’t return for funerals. Or birthdays. Or anniversaries. You sent flowers once—anonymous. Bruce knew it was you. So did Alfred.

You never answered their calls.

They watched your life unfold through screens. News cycles. Feature articles. TED Talks and awards and photos of you shaking hands with world leaders.

You were a household name. A force. Gotham’s own myth—not for crime, not for tragedy. For power.

Sometimes, Bruce would sit alone in the cave and reread your strategy dossier. The one that saved them all. The one they never framed or displayed.

Sometimes, Damian would stare too long at a photo of you and quickly look away.

And sometimes, Alfred would make tea for two. Out of habit.

But you? You stopped looking back.

Because ghosts don’t haunt the places they escaped.

They haunt the people who let them die there.

𝔅𝔬𝔫𝔲𝔰 (𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓭)

(Based on this prompt link)

You stayed.

You stayed in the Manor even when it rotted you from the inside out. You stayed on patrol even when they benched you emotionally. You trained harder. Longer. Not because you were loved. Because you were angry.

Angry that no one cared. Angry that you had to prove you were worth breathing their air.

You became a ghost in your own home. A silent weapon in the background. They forgot you were there—until they needed a soldier.

And when the new threat surfaced—a dark coalition of villains—Justice League level—you fought beside them. Bleeding for them. Dying for them in slow, unnoticed ways.

And they didn’t even notice when you were missing.

It wasn’t even a complicated plan.

A misstep. A call that went unanswered. An empty alley. A chloroform cloth and no backup.

The "League of Villains" (or whatever flashy name they called themselves) didn't want you because you were powerful.

They wanted you because you were forgotten.

Because what better bait than the child no one even remembered was missing?

It played on every Justice League screen.

Static. Then—clarity.

You tied to a chair. Wrists shredded against restraints. Bombs wired around you like a grotesque necklace. Mouth taped. Muzzle strapped tight.

Blood dried at your temple. Your body slumped but alive. Barely.

The Joker stood behind you—grinning like a nightmare.

He pointed the camera down, zooming in on your eyes.

Eyes that looked too much like Martha Wayne’s.

"Look familiar, Batsy?" he crooned, fingers digging into your cheeks like a puppeteer. "Missed one of your little ducklings. Tsk, tsk. Family man, my ass."

He laughed.

Then leaned in closer to your face.

"They don't even remember you're missing, do they?"

You blinked. Once. Twice.

And in that moment? Everyone watching saw it.

The brokenness. The hollow, aching scream you couldn't make.

They tried.

Diana. Clark. Barry. Bruce.

Every satellite. Every lead.

Too late.

Always too late.

The last thing you saw was the red digital countdown reflected in Joker’s laughing eyes.

The last thing they saw was you— looking directly into the camera.

Unblinking. Silent. Waiting.

Boom.

The screen went dark.

There was no body to bury. No last words. No goodbyes.

Just ashes. And guilt that swallowed them whole.

They forgot you when you were alive.

They remembered you only when you were dust.

You didn’t haunt Gotham’s alleys.

You haunted them.

You became the silence between their victories. The guilt behind their smiles. The graveyard stitched into every mission they survived.

You were their second Jason.

But this time?

There would be no resurrection.

𝓒𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓴'𝓼 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷

The conference room smelled like panic and sweat.

The Justice League stared at the blackened monitor—the final static-flicker of the explosion still burned into the air like a brand.

The chair she had been strapped to was gone. She was gone.

And Clark Kent—the beacon of hope, the man who once believed in second chances, in forgiveness, in the good in everyone— stood like a storm barely contained.

His fists clenched. The windows trembled. The concrete under his boots spiderwebbed with cracks.

And no one spoke.

Because they knew. They knew he had warned them.

Two weeks ago.

"Where’s [Y/N]?" Clark’s voice had been calm then. Mild concern.

Bruce hadn’t even looked up from his work.

"Fine. Busy," he muttered.

Clark pressed. "I haven’t heard her on comms. Haven’t seen her in patrol rotations."

"Training elsewhere," Bruce clipped back. "Focus on the real threat."

Clark’s jaw tightened. He looked to Diana. To Oliver. To anyone.

But no one moved.

And Clark? He let it go. Because he thought—surely—they would notice if something was wrong.

Surely they loved her enough.

Now.

Clark turned, slow and deliberate, facing the Bat.

"You left her," he said, voice low and dangerous.

Bruce stood silent, fists tight at his sides.

"You forgot her," Clark growled. "You forgot your daughter."

His hands slammed the table. The entire room shook.

"Superman—" Diana started.

"No." His eyes burned. Blue ice. Wild rage. "Don’t ‘Superman’ me."

He pointed at Bruce.

"You left Jason to die. And now you've done it again."

Bruce's mouth tightened. He said nothing.

"And you," Clark spun to the others, his voice cracking with fury. "All of you—you let it happen."

No one spoke. No one could.

Because there wasn’t a single excuse in the world that could erase the truth.

Later, Clark would stand alone at the remnants of the transmission room.

The place smelled like burnt ozone. It smelled like regret.

He knelt—slowly, reverently—at the last place she had been seen alive.

And in the quiet, he whispered the only words he had left:

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have fought harder."

But the dead don't hear apologies.

And Superman— Superman would never forgive himself.

Not for this. Not for her.

Not ever.

A/N: This was never about being chosen. This was never about being welcomed back. This was about surviving what they did. About becoming something so sharp, so brilliant, so unstoppable — they could only watch from the outside. They didn’t lose you when you walked away. They lost you the day they made you feel like you had to earn your place at all. You didn’t become a ghost because you wanted to be feared. You became a ghost because they left you no other way to live. And now? Now you are the silence after the storm. The blade they forgot they forged. You are what they buried — And what will outlast them all.

—Your still-proud, still-scorched, always-rising author 🖤🔥

Taglist: @feral-childs-word, @trashlanternfish360, @astro-girly1, @suneaterscape, @thatcatladywrites, @arislia, @kittzu, @ottjhe, @tinybrie, @wpdarlingpan, @ryuushou, @simpingpandas, @lettucel0ver, @moonxmio, @kneelforloki, @sirenetheblogger, @xzmickeyzx, @ironsaladwitch, @lithiumval, @starsdotalk, @fortunatelydifferentqueen, @ocean-mochi

Let me know if I missed someone!

[rowdyluv]

summary: jack is fuming mad about the gossip blog’s post about y/n. he makes a trip to her public relations manager’s office to settle the issue.

word count: 1k

warnings: angry jack, profanity, use of y/n,

notes: sincerest apologies for the delay and that it’s so short. I don’t want to mix two topics into one part and shorten the series, still working through hurricane helene damages at my sisters and a lot of co workers were affected and haven’t been able to come in.

© property of quinnylouhughesx43 ; do not copy and re-upload as your own - anywhere. do not place my work inside AI codes, do not translate.

Jack stormed into Ms. Castellanos' office, his usual bright blue eyes now a fiery mix of anger and desperation. He slammed his phone down on her desk, the screen displaying the latest headline from 'Pucking Gossip', a notorious bullshit gossip blog that had a knack for stirring drama in the lives of professional hockey players.

"You've got to be kidding me," he barked, his voice echoing off the eerily empty white walls. Castellanos kept her office appearance the way she typically came across, plain and empty. "What the hell is this? Did you even know this was out there? If not, what the hell are you doing all day? What are your employees doing? Get some smart computer person to it taken down. Find the person who wrote it, and get them to take it down. I don’t care just do it.”

Jack paced her office chewing the edge of his fingers, then his bottom lip, and back to his fingers. His motions flipped from anger, frustration, to worry for Y/n. Worry for if she had seen the lies someone had put out about her and now who knows how many people have seen it.

Ms. Castellanos took a moment to re-read the article again for the 100th time, her eyes narrowing with each line. When reading the article before she didn’t see much wrong with it. It was just another day for her in the office, another player’s problem becoming hers to clean up.

From a professional stand point she knew the stakes of the situation. Y/n had become a crucial part of Jack’s image rebranding, and any negative light on her could ruin everything they had worked so hard for. But, it was then she realized Y/n truly meant more to him than the agreement. She was skeptical of the best friends story he had spun out when suddenly she was the one taking the place of his fake girlfriend, but it’s clear now. But best friend doesn’t describe his feelings towards her in the slightest with the way he’s acting. She took a deep breath, her hands resting gently on the cold metal edge of her desk.

"Jack, I understand that this is upsetting, but we need to handle this strategically. We can't just go after the blogger or demand they take it down," Ms. Castellanos said calmly, her eyes never leaving the screen of the phone.

Jack's pacing grew more agitated, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "How is this strategic? They're tearing apart Y/n's reputation! She's not even met the girls yet." He jabbed a finger at the article, as if the digital ink could feel his fury.

Ms. Castellanos looked up from the screen, her expression shifting to one of understanding. "I know how much you care for her, Jack, and we will address this. But we can't let our emotions dictate our response. We need to control the narrative, not give them more ammo for their next article. You know all too well how quickly they will tear you apart.”

Jack stopped his pacing, his gaze locking onto hers. "But they're lying about her. She's not like that. She’s never been like that." His voice grew softer, the anger giving way to genuine concern for his friend's well-being.

Ms. Castellanos nodded, placing the phone aside. "I believe you, Jack. But we must be careful. We need to gather all the facts and build a counter-narrative that is both truthful and compelling." She paused, tapping her manicured nails on the desk. “One of the team’s charity galas is coming up. I will arrange for Amanda to interview you and Y/n on the red carpet. She will have specific questions to ask about why Y/n sits behind the bench versus why she doesn’t sit in the private box. I will arrange seating so that instead of your usual table with the singles, you’ll be with the couples. Giving her an opportunity to meet and chat. It is your responsibility to tell your teammates that none of this.” She waves her finger in a circle above the phone before sliding it across her desk. “Is true and that Y/n isn’t who it makes her out to be.”

Jack's fists unclenched slightly, the tension in his shoulders easing just a bit. "Okay," he agreed, though the skepticism was clear in his voice. "But what about the blog? What if they don't believe us?"

Castellanos steepled her fingers, her gaze sharp. "We'll have to be proactive. I'll draft a statement from both you and Y/n addressing the rumors. We'll release it before the gala so the media knows we're aware and in control of the story. We have taken multiple pictures of the two of you bumping fists or shaking hands before games or in between periods. We’ve caught you looking at her from the bench during timeouts too. We can spin a story out of it. In the statement release pre-gala we will be sure to include that the gala is the first time she will be meeting the entire team and their significant others as well. Clearing everything up, then Amanda will get personal statements in her interview.”

Jack took a deep breath, his eyes flickering with hope. He knew the PR world was a minefield, but he trusted Castellanos knew the terrain better than anyone. He finally sat down in the chair across from her desk, his shoulders slumping with the weight of his anxiety. The first genuine smile since he walked into her office graced his features. "Thank you, I appreciate it. I just need a moment to chill out."

Ms. Castellanos nodded in understanding, her own expression softening. "I'll get to work on the statement immediately. You go home and simply believe in me to get it taken care of.”

taglist: @luke-hughes43 @thedevilrisen

[floridecuts]

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Bonus

And here's the epilogue, guys! Hope you'll enjoy it! ^^ I actually had wanted to draw Yashiki with the kids for this part's chapter art but this week hasn't been great for me on the creative side, sadly. After a lot of struggling I threw the towel and ended up just drawing (a hopefully cute) Yashiki. Anyway, I want to give my thanks again to all readers and a special big Thank You to everyone leaving comments! I'm super grateful for your support and that you took the time and effort to write these!! <3

With this part, we've finally cracked the 100-pages-mark! I never thought this project would become this big when I started working on it a few months ago, but here we are! xD So this plays one day after the successful pacification of the Departed. Yashiki is still in the hospital to recover but already feeling a lot better! I guessed it would make sense to have him getting a cold because of the events the night before - he'd been dragged out of bed by the Departed, held in it's clutches for who knows how long only wearing thin hospital clothes in a chilly cold room (because spirits often cause the room temperature to drop). Not to forget that his health state hasn't been the best in general since he fell victim to the curse. I just liked to add that small detail. ^^

I was glad that I found a way to include Ai and Tsukasa here, so I got almost every Mark Bearer included in this story (sorry Banshee ^^'). I know it's probably a bit weird that Ai is wearing her idol costume here when doing a hospital visit. I thought about drawing her in some alternate everyday clothes but decided against it because I didn't want her to be the only one to wear a non-canon outfit. My explanation for her wearing that in this scene is that Ai just returned from that "idol-buisness trip" and, after hearing that Yashiki is in the hospital, went straight there after work.

I hope I did Moe's character justice here. I can just imagine her being a little cheeky and very enthusiastic about the OOPArts Monthly. About the rabbit figurine: I had the idea that Yashiki, being very talented in crafting, once carved that rabbit for Saya, maybe even when they were still kids. It could have been one of his first masterpieces! It had been a precious item for Saya, a symbol of her brother's love for her, so she held it dear and unconsciously it became infused with her spiritual energy. Even after her death her spirit kept watching over Yashiki. To help him when he fell victim to the Departed's curse, her spirit reached out to Yasuoka, guiding her to the Kujou Mansion to get that figurine. Yasuoka didn't exactly know what it would do, but she knew it would be important, so she put it inside that O-Mamori and gave it to Yashiki at her visit. I like to think that, after the Departed's case, Yashiki keeps holding onto it, always carrying it in his pocket, both as a memento to his sister and a lucky charm.

The idea with the OOPArts article about Yashiki was actually a spontaneous idea. I found the thought so amusing that I just had to include it! xD Hope it makes someone else smile too! Also, a blushing and embarassed Yashiki is so adorable! In the end Mashita appears and saves Yashiki from Moe's mischief. He came because Yashiki specifically asked him to. Since he woke up from that coma there's been something Yashiki needs to talk about with him. What it is about will be covered in the bonus part - the next and also last part of this comic (it's gonna be extra long!). I chose to make a seperate bonus part because it's Yashita shipping content (nothing drastic though!). But still, in case anyone does not want to be confronted with this shipping they can just skip that last part without missing any story relevant content. But from what I've seen in the few months I've been in this fandom, I got the impression this won't be much of an issue. xD

Lastly, I am happy to announce that the bonus part is actually a collaboration with a friend! I want to give a shout out for her amazing and beautifully written Yashita fanfictions! You can find her works on AO3, her username is MoonflowerSong. Go check them out if you like, they are so sweet! <3

Link: MoonflowerSong on AO3

I wish you all a nice week! Thanks for taking a look! :)

[pearlycorpse]

(ঞ) ⸺ ⠀𝐓𝗁𝖾 𝐁𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗂𝗋𝖾'𝗌 𝐁𝖺𝖻𝗒

pairing : rich heir gojo x pregnant!fem reader

summary : gojo forget a condom one night and six months later he has to be married

tw : gojo's horny? pregnancy does it for him 😔

notes : another intro from a sakura ai & poe ai bot!

the son of the biggest conglomerate in japan, satoru gojo, wasn't known for his prowess in the industry of technology like his father, no no, he was known for the few things that besmirched his family name. those things were women, dating scandals, drunk and disorderly conduct and oh, right, women.

his grandmother would often chew him out when he was nursing a bad hangover with nothing in his stomach but good old miso soup and rice. she didn't even know why she bothered with her useless grandson who wasn't even all that interested in becoming the head of the gojo clan and taking over ber son's position in his company. sometimes she wishes it was herself that had died in the accident that took satoru's parents years ago.

her blood pressure was through the roof just because of the late night outs and early mornings, the salacious articles spewed across the internet, the newspapers questioning the stability of the clan. it was all too much noise in her mind, too much uncertainty in the future. maybe that's why she hadn't died yet, because if she did satoru would make her roll in her grave with all the nonsense he would get up to.

something had changed in him, she thought, thinking back to satoru's childhood when he had been learning how to a good leader of their clan. the gojo clan was prestigious, a leader of the industry, always setting an example for everyone else to turn to. so imagine the shock and disappointment when the heir, the pride and joy of her son, wasn't interested in taking the reins.

oh it just got her so angry thinking about the times when satoru would wake her up in the middle of the night asking if she could send a driver to pick him up at ghastly strip clubs and low budget motels. there weren't enough whip lashings she could give him before he came to his senses, that much she knew for sure because satoru got his filthy attitude from his grandfather; her husband.

the pig couldn't keep his zip up like his life depended on it and only brought shame to her and her family. much like a certain blue eyed heir was doing even at that very moment.

as if by magic, her phone buzzed and a servant answered the call, holding the phone up so she could hear who was speaking. fortune had shined upon her that day, because that was her meal ticket, the only way to get satoru to listen, to behave, to become the head of the clan.

so what if it was manipulative and conniving? she was getting old and couldn't keep yelling at her grandson, it was time for her to rest and see some grandchildren to keep her company.

꒰ა ˚₊ ✧・┈・╴﹕꒰ ᐢ｡- ༝ -｡ᐢ ꒱﹕╴・┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱

satoru had sobered immediately after hearing his grandmother's words when he answered her call at seven in the morning. he had just gotten back from an all night ragger at five, and being woken up at seven was like having ice cold water thrown on him. "satoru, you're going to get married before the end of winter. a woman who you impregnated six months ago is here, and she has agreed to marry you, so get dressed, we're all having tea."

he couldn't even remember what he was doing four months ago, let alone who. the past months, heck, past years have been nothing but a blur of women, whiskey sours and more women. he was sure his liver was shot but he could still down a fireball like no one's business so he wasn't particularly worried in that regard.

but back to who he got pregnant, satoru racked his mind, most hookups were either when he was black out drunk, about to be black out drunk or when he was having orgys. he always used condoms, extra large vanilla flavoured condoms that hugged his length as snug as a rug. he had trained himself to slip that rubber on even if he couldn't see his feet under him.

there were times in the past when he'd gotten a few pregnancy scares but a quick call to his grandmother had gotten rid of those problems rather easily. and no, he didn't have his grandmother kill those women like their family was apart of the yakuza — at least he hoped she didn't kill them, four of them were great at giving head. those women were simply paid off to keep quiet terminate the pregnancies without second guessing themselves.

he was a terrible man yes, but so were the teenagers who nutted in their socks and left them for their mother's to clean up.

steeling himself with a shot of expresso to really wake him up, he got dressed and headed down stairs where his grandmother sat on the tatami mats with a woman. he glanced at her stomach, true to her word of being four months pregnant, unless she was a chance taker and was here to get money. but then again this was his grandmother he was talking about, a swindler wouldn't have made it further than the front gate.

finally, when their eyes met satoru was struck with a memory.

six months ago it was the anniversary of his parents death, and like every other year, he was drunk. why was he drunk when he didn't even cry at their funeral, he didn't even mourn them. maybe deep down he was burying his feelings so he wouldn't have to deal with the pain of that day, of loosing them, loosing his beautiful mother who sang to him when the rain hit the windows too hard. loosing his father who was the first one to teeth him how to treat a woman right.

she had come into the bar soaked to the bone from the rain, looking like she had had a rough night judging from her red rimmed eyes and the crease between her brows. he had wagered a break up gone wrong and was proven right when he bought her a drink to warm her bones. the conversation flowed, even when drunk he was awfully charming, and before he knew it, he was hovering above her body.

she was still wearing that same perfume, he thought, lavender, it was a scent he hadn't considered pleasant but on her made his senses melt. was it the perfume that made him forget to put on a condom, or was it the way she looked, so delicious and in a hurry for his touch. something had happened that night and for the life of him he couldn't even remember her name when he woke up that morning.

she couldn't even look him in the eye when he sat beside his grandmother, she couldn't look him in the eye when they hot marriage either. it was like she didn't even want him, didn't even want anything to do with him and yet she was the one who reached out. she had begun the entire process that had uprooted his life and changed his entire world right on its head.

satoru was the head of the clan soom after they got married, became the ceo of gojo technologies, he was everything his grandmother wanted for him. he could do the work, no problem, after all, he had retained everything his parents and grandmother taught him over the years; he wasn't useless. and yet it seemed when it came to his... wife, satoru couldn't do a thing.

so tonight he had decided instead of heading to the strip club, keep his ring in his pocket and put his phone on silent, he had ran his wife a bath. it was filled with essential oils, bubble bath and bath bombs to give the water a purple tinge. he didn't expect seeing her pregnancy body to have such an effect on him. it made him tug at his tie and blame the steam from the water for the heat in his cheeks.

"why don't i rub your back?" he suggested, standing behind her and rolled up his sleeves. he had ulterior motives of course, he always did. if he touched her just enough, rolled her nipples under his thimb the right way, he would get the release he craved, and knew his wife would be thanking him later too.

[copperbadge]

Hey Sam, this came across my feed on twit and I wondered if you’d heard about it at all? :(

https://www.reddit.com/r/duolingo/comments/18sx06i/big_layoff_at_duolingo/

Direct link for the curious. Short version, a post on Reddit reported that Duolingo laid off a "large percentage" of its staff, replacing them with AI. I hadn't heard about it, but I knew there were reports about Duolingo trimming its offerings and losing a lot of goodwill after revamping itself a year ago; they've been public about their use of GPT-4 AI starting last March, and it was a tentpole of this year's annual convention, so I was aware of that as well.

The Reddit post is by a former Duolingo contractor, who also shares their severance letter, which is terse to say the least. They state that of their four-person team, two people were let go, with the others left to "babysit the AI". They say that they're a translator and that the people who remained were recast as "curators" for AI translation.

But the post is also not otherwise sourced. So here is everyone's periodic reminder that if the only source is Reddit and Reddit isn't citing other sources, you need to dig a little.

All journalistic sources I've seen (that aren't paywalled, like the Bloomberg article most of them cite) are visibly using the Reddit post as their entre, but also state that the percentage of contractors who were let go is about 10%. That's 10% of contract workers, not 10% of all staff, although admittedly I don't know how many people Duolingo employs, contract or otherwise. 10% is a meaningful chunk, but Duolingo has said that the contractors were let go because their projects had wrapped. While company reps state that this all could be related to the use of AI, they've also said that it's not a 1:1 replacement.

Mind you, the company isn't offering much in the way of backing that up, either.

So there are a couple of issues. Some workers probably were let go simply because their work was finished; the Reddit user doesn't seem to be one of those. We are still seeing that at least some of these jobs were replaced by AI, which is undoubtedly a harbinger of things to come. We don't know what impact this will have on the app. We don't know what kind of work the majority of those people were doing. There's a thread in the Reddit post about whether the voices are now "AI voices" but there's no citation to back up the idea either. They definitely aren't doing AI voice generation for the Latin, where one of the voice actors has a nice voice and also a very loud pet bird.

There is a bigger issue of contract work in the digital and translation industries in the first place; a lot of these people should have been full employees and would have had more protection from this if they had been. Translators have also been brutally devastated by machine/AI translation, which is its own issue. But these are separate and much larger problems that are in no way unique to Duolingo.

I don't like taking this stance because I feel like I'm defending both Duolingo and AI, which isn't my goal. My goal is to remind people that if you see a single source offering a vague statement, you should fact-check. 10% is likely a lot of people but it's not "a huge percentage". We have no real numbers on who was fired, just this person on Reddit saying they're a translator and they were let go. Do I believe them? Absolutely, I have no reason not to and the basic gist is backed up by statements from Duolingo. Do I trust this person's intel? Not especially, after the loud axe-grinding noises they made while posting. Do I trust Duolingo, whose goal is to make money and not look bad while doing it? Not especially either, simply from the standpoint of "the bigger the company the more they're likely to screw you".

But the point is we don't have good data, and this is a complicated and nuanced issue involving a lot of different factors. So either you have to let it go on past, or you have to be prepared to dig a little deeper than a person posting to Reddit about getting laid off.

In any case, Duolingo is one of the few activities that brings me joy right now (I know, I'm working on the issue) and is the only language learning structure that has ever actually worked for me, so despite the new intel and despite the fact that I know a lot of people think of Duolingo's revamp the way I think of Tumblr's new dash, I'm going to keep on with it.

(Plus I paid up for a year, so I might as well at least use it until the year runs out and then reassess.)

[duhragonball]

It's NaNoWrimover

Well, my pizza is running late, so I'll write this up now.

Nanowrimo is shutting down, and the above video is their official statement explaining why. Kilby Blades, the Interim Executive Director, takes about half an hour to dance around the main problem: the organization wasn't making enough money from donations. This is kind of like saying the house burned down because it was on fire.

What Kilby Blades does not want you to take away from all of this is the narrative that Nano's closure in 2025 is the result of its recent child endangerment fiasco in 2023, or their wishy-washy endorsement of AI in 2024. That's just a huge coincidence, apparently. The organization was already struggling before that stuff happened, and maybe they could have survived if the dwindling userbase had simply given more money.

Now maybe in the grand scheme of things, that's somehow true, but all I know is my own experience, and I nuked my Nanowrimo account in 2024, specifically because of the AI nonsense. I found out about the child endangerment scandal because of the AI nonsense. By that I mean: I was looking for more about the backlash against Nanowrimo in 2024, and discovered a whole other backlash about a different thing from 2023. This only reinforced my decision to delete my account.

I don't think I'm alone in this, because the userbase was declining, and last fall the only chatter I saw about Nano was about their PR blunders. I can believe that there were some users who were unaware of the scandals or chose to ignore them and kept participating anyway, but apparently they weren't enough to keep the organization afloat. 2023-2024 was Nanowrimo's last chance to right the ship, and they squandered that time drilling new holes in the hull.

The pie charts near the beginning are pretty telling, since they reveal what I kind of already knew: the organization spent less than 6% of its budget on "technological expenses" like, you know, the website everyone used to log their wordcount and plan all the events and whatever. A little over half of their income was from sponsorships and merchandise. Kilby admits that this is pretty unusual for a non-profit organization, but never connects the dots to the PR problems from the past two years. On some level, the organization seemed to operate like a t-shirt company, desperately hoping that the customers would keep showing up every year to buy the mugs and other tchotchkes, and maybe click on the sponsors while they browsed the store.

If there was some central product behind all the merch and sponsors, then the business model might make a little more sense. Visiting Nanowrimo.com always kind of felt like going to WrestleCrap.com, or the Angry Video Game Nerd's website, or maybe Team Four Star's site back when there was more stuff on it. The sponsorships and ads and merchandise sections made sense, because there was a creative product that kept people coming back to those sites. Podcasts, funny articles, videos, whatever. But Nanowrimo.com never really had that. Nanowrimo's central product was you.

Well, more accurately, the basis of the entire organization was the idea that you (yes, you) could write a 50,000-word novel in one month. When they talk about the organization, it seems to mostly be about spreading that idea to more people, more of you. The writing events were about getting lots of you to show up and write together in one place. The local organizations were all about getting those of you in the same town to support each other. And so on and so forth. Then when all of you reached the finish line on November 30, the website would reward each of you with discounts on sponsored products, and T-shirts celebrating your accomplishment.

I'm not emphasizing the word "you" to be sarcastic. The whole point of Nanowrimo was to empower the individual to do something cool. Writing 50,000 words in 30 days is no small feat. If you ever won the challenge, I respect you for that. If you tried and fell short of the goal, I respect you for that too, because that's still a worthwhile effort you made. Nanowrimo was always supposed to be about encouraging and supporting you, but somewhere along the way it started to take you for granted. And that's where they lost their way, because when Nanowrimo stops being about you, then those forums and events and t-shirts no longer have any meaning.

Let's talk about me for a minute. I signed up for NanoWrimo in 2017. I was writing a longfic, and I was already racking up an impressive wordcount for that, and I realized that the 50k in November challenge might not be as impossible as it once seemed. I did a test run that October, trying to write 25k in two weeks, and that gave me the confidence to take the plunge. I won the 2017 challenge, and kept coming back for the next six years.

In all of that time, I have never spent a dime on Nanowrimo. I never donated, I never bought the merchandise, I never got that Scrivener software. I never participated in the forums. I never attended the write-in gatherings. I never saw the point of any of that.

When I won Nano in 2017, the moral of the story was that I did it all by myself. I live alone, I write alone, I won Nanowrimo alone. I'm not knocking the Nano volunteers, or the donors, or the forums, or the people who attended the live events. I'm just saying that I never understood what any of that was for. I won in 2017 using nothing but myself and various .txt editor software. I came up with the story, I made the time, I put in the effort. It's fanfic, so I have to give Akira Toriyama credit for inventing Dragon Ball Z, but that's about it.

So when I'd go to the website and it keeps talking about how important the organization is, and all the work the volunteers do and how much money they need, I never believed it, because I never used any of that. I only set up an account on the website to have an official record of my wins. Eventually, they added better widgets to help keep track of my wordcount, but that's about all I ever used there, and you can find that sort of thing elsewhere. Hell, you can keep track with a pen and paper. Hell, you can just write without keeping track of the wordcount at all, which was what I was doing in 2015-2016.

At best, I tolerated the Nanowrimo organizations fundraising/backpatting exercises. I am not exaggerating when I say I have no idea what their staff did all day, aside from keeping the website running. I'm not saying that they didn't do a lot of good. I'm saying that I couldn't tell. Those meet-ups could have been organized independently. From what I gather, a lot of them were.

I think it's telling that Kilby Blades made a half-hour video about how they didn't get enough money, but I sat through that whole thing and I still can't tell you what they would have done with the money if they had gotten it. I never donated to Nanowrimo, but I might have, if they had bothered to explain how my donation would be used. I like charities that have a clearly defined purpose. We feed people, we forgive medical debt, we provide a warm place for people to sleep. That kind of thing. As far as I can tell, the Nano org is devoted to telling people that they can write 50,000 words in November, which doesn't seem like that expensive a message.

And you might say "Well you just don't understand what the org was doing," and you're probably right. From what I can tell, there were a lot of participants who were much more involved, and they donated money and volunteered, but in the end, it seems like Nanowrimo took them for granted. When the scandal about the forums went down, they seemed to ignore the feedback from the people who cared the most.

The message I get from Kilby Blades is: "Nobody gets it. Nanowrimo doesn't need to listen to the volunteers and donors, or the lone nuts like Mike Duhragonball. You aren't part of this thing. All we need from you is your participation. You just keep showing up every year and donate your money and buy our merchandise and support our sponsors, and everything will be fine."

That's what pissed me off about the AI thing last year. They were basically saying that the organization matters a lot, but the actual writing? The creative act that the whole thing that we all show up for? Well, you can get a lousy computer to do that for you. That way you have more time to donate and support our AI-ridden sponsors.

And if that weren't bad enough, they couldn't even stand firm on that message. There's only one acceptable position on Generative AI, and it's two words: "FUCK AI". Nanowrimo couldn't figure out how to string those six letters in the correct order. Now was that the final nail in the coffin for Nanowrimo? Probably not, but to me it sure looked like the symptom of a bigger problem. Nanowrimo stopped being about you or me, and it had become an end unto itself. I don't know if the organization became evil or just incompetent, but it sure wasn't anything I wanted to be associated with any longer. And I think a lot of you reached the same conclusion.

Look, I'm not much of a "community" guy. I'm sorry, but I'm just not built that way, and I'm too old to bother denying it. I love my friends and I want to help the world around me become a better place, but I'm also a weird recluse who writes Dragon Ball Z fanfic all by himself. If the community aspect of NaNoWriMo was important to you, then I'm sorry it's gone, and I'm sorry that I didn't appreciate it as much as you think I should have. I'm sure people are already working to try to organize on their own to keep some of that alive.

But what I want you to understand is that you were what made NaNoWriMo special. Not "all of you", I mean the singular you, the person reading this. If you participated in the challenge, if you won or came close or flamed out on day 6, it was you who did that. Not the organization, not the forums, not the volunteers or staffers. It was always you. And if you've never tried to write 50,000 words in thirty days, you still can if you want to. No one can stop you, just like no one can do it for you. It's your decision. I just feel like it's important for everyone to know that.

And if anyone needs advice or encouragement, well, I'm a seven-time NaNoWriMo winner, so if you send me an ask, I can probably come up with something useful to say. I might post a picture of Vegeta along with my answer, but that wouldn't be so bad, right? Drop me a line for some half-assed pep talk. Nanowrimo might be gone, but you're still here, and so am I.

[tanadrin]

So when I see things like that EA guy's substack article about how AI energy use is fine and nobody should worry about it, and then I see another article about how coal use is ramping back up to meet AI demands for energy, and both are providing their statistics in the form of hard-to-parse visualizations ... this isn't really a question so much as complaint that someone has to be lying here, and I wish I knew who. It seems like it has to be the AI people, as they have the incentive, but ...

So I have a few of reactions to this.

It would be easier to debate the relative merits of two articles if you had linked me the other one, or at least given me some indication about what its title was, who it was by, and where to find it. Since you didn't, all we have is the bare claim that "coal use is ramping back up to meet AI demands for energy." Coal use for the United States as a whole has been steadily falling from 2007-2023 (the most recent year for which I can find data), and aside from small increases in 2010, 2013, and 2021 relative to the previous year, this decline has been almost completely monotonic.

Perhaps you mean this Register article, about how the lifetime of some coal powers plants is being extended because of data center power requirements? But that's not the claim you made. These are very different claims. "Coal use is declining more slowly" vs "coal use is increasing" no doubt sounds to some people like a small quibble, but I think it's really important, because this kind of sloppy equivocation between two substantively very distinct claims entails very distinct substantive consequences! The amount of power data centers have to consume to cause a coal power plant in one city to remain open longer than originally planned while other capacity is built vs the amount of power data centers have to consume to cause consumption of a resource whose usage has been falling steadily for sixteen years to reverse the trend of decline is a considerable difference. In short, if you saw the Register headline, and turned it into the claim presented in your anon ask, you are a liar misrepresenting the state of the world maliciously. If you simply heard the claim you present in your ask as-is, and repeated it, you were lied to.

If your response to the distinction between these two claims is "ah, what's the difference," and you continue to repeat the claim as you presented it in the anon ask, you are also a liar, and we can conclude that the reason you are confused about which claim is true is that you do not care to differentiate between true and false things. Someone like that would stumble through the world in a fog of confusion, not because the truth is hard (it sometimes is), but because they are uninterested in it.

The article I linked I found interesting because it provided very specific numbers, of the form you could check yourself if you doubted them. Again, you don't tell me which article you read that you felt provided a countervailing claim, is pretty light on numbers and pretty speculative on how future energy trends due to use of AI might look. Notably, a lot of claims about the future power needs of AI seem to be coming from companies promoting AI, and who therefore are publicly bullish about its widespread adoption, since they want to justify their investments in the technology to investors.

Andy Masley does not in any sense seem to be "an AI person"? He doesn't work for Google or Meta or OpenAI, or seem to have special background in this technology. My read of your ask seems to be that you think he has incentive to lie about the power consumption of AI technology, even though (again) he seems to provide a lot of numbers you could check yourself if you were so inclined.

You seem also to think that people who are opposed to the development of AI technology have no reason to misrepresent how costly the energy consumption of AI is. That is silly. People taken in by false claims have a strong incentive not to admit they were taken in by false claims! This might not be lying in the classical sense of "knowingly repeating something that is untrue," but I would not say that people who reflexively cleave to false claims because it would be embarrassing to admit they were wrong are being honest. Indeed, I think a huge amount of the misinformation that gets spread online and in-person is spread by people who are at best apathetic to the truth of the claims they are making, and who are more interested in winning individual arguments on a rhetorical basis.

If someone genuinely labors under confusion as to which of two sets of competing claims is correct, you can of course do the admittedly effortful task of trying to learn more, to see if you can achieve a little clarity on the subject. You don't have to look at two different articles, see that they seem to point in two different directions when it comes to a general conclusion about an issue ("Is AI very bad for the environment?") and throw your hands up helplessly and go "there is no way to know the truth here." I believe in you, anon.

That said, I don't think either the Register article nor the Masley article do point in two different directions. "People wildly exaggerate the energy and water consumption of AI" and "building or expanding a data center changes the local energy economy of a city, especially a smallish one like Omaha" are not even contradictory claims.

Unless, of course, you are not interested in building an accurate model of the world through acquiring information about it, but only in slotting each article you click on or social media post you read into one side or another in a rhetorical struggle, because you view everything through the lens of whether it will help you dunk on someone in an argument later. But those people are really annoying, so please don't be one of them.

[cleolinda]

Weekend links: April 6, 2025

My posts

I'm STILL working on the fourth video writeups for our Silent Hill 2 project, and I am a bit frustrated that life is getting in the way. 

(OH AND ALSO I HAVE A CAVITY AND FRAUDULENT BANK CHARGES)

Anyway (ANYWAY?!) Ian's fourth stream is up. HE HAS SEEN WHAT I RECORDED AND ANSWERS MY QUESTIONS I SWEAR IT'S REAL. 

Reblogs of interest

If you'd like to help the survivors of the Myanmar and Thailand earthquake, World Central Kitchen and MSF/Doctors Without Borders are on the ground.

Val Kilmer passed away earlier this week.

"babe are you ok you reblogged 'it's coming back but we'll see it through' again"

The Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance is raising money to save black-footed ferrets on tribal grounds, after the current administration froze conservation funds.

RIP Stumpy the cherry tree, who will live on through his cuttings in D.C.

James Baldwin: "Love will simply have no choice but to go into battle with space and time and, furthermore, to win." 

"You lead a very interesting life"

Don't take the easy way out with AI: "Imagine what you can do if you learn to bullshit like I can bullshit"

The Sad Bastard Cookbook, a free e-book for your low spoons

"Put baby in pelican mouth for Instagram photo. Facebook photo of baby in pelican mouth for many likes"

How Many Cigarettes are in any given movie?

In defense of Mr. Darcy's proposal

Going snail mode

A hungry axolotl: "Fuckibg superb you funky little kirby"

Grip, snacking at my chamber door

"More actual things that happen in the 1897 Dracula novel without context"

A recommendation for A Dictionary of Color Combinations

Like I knew Ariana Grande had been up to some shit but I wasn't ready for this

Love a perfume review that says "Nothing wrong with a bit of fear"

"It’s a misconception that the mimics are hunting humans when they trail along at the back of hiking groups"

"But hey, there’s nothing wrong with having a completely absurd contingency plan. In case of time loops."

Video

Wet Beast Wednesday: Pitiful cranky baby otter sounds

Star Wars was not worthy of Amandla Stenberg and her violin (bring back The Acolyte if you want to prove me wrong)

Yes, Rick Astley has more songs

Hybrid Calisthenics: "Being on the right path often FEELS better and more natural - even if it’s more work."

Is this cat a goalie, technically?

"Sexy Nation Army," a mashup (only technically "video")

The sacred texts

"for april fools we’re deleting this entire site sayonara you weeaboo shits"

"when will mcr return from the war"

Personal tags of the week

1) Art, which had some real bangers this week, including Remedios Varo, Mexican Gothic, Diane & Leo Dillon, a genuine Hokusai print found at an antique market, a wee Eohippus, something that doesn't listen, AND MORE;

2) Honestly birds had some good ones as well;

3) One orange braincell had two good ones, including a painting of a cat about town;

4) and U.S. politics, since there were some good things:

First, Senator Cory Booker gave a marathon speech for more than 25 hours, reading from "multiple three-ring binders, including articles from bipartisan sources and letters from his constituents, in what he called 'terrified people' with 'heartbreaking' stories" in protest of the current administration, and breaking Strom Thurmond's filibuster record (which "itself was a last ditch attempt to block the Civil Rights Act"). And it was not just a filibuster; it was representation.

Meanwhile, April 5 had “Hands Off” demonstrations across all 50 states, "targeting threats to democracy, bodily autonomy, and climate justice." Here's how the St. Paul, MN, protest went (direct link for the tags).

[sayruq]

Biden's visit has concluded. Israel has spent his entire visit trying to muddy the waters of what happened to Al Ahli Hospital and despite their cartoonish efforts, it hasn't worked

The Global South and especially West Asia know who is responsible for the bombing and no amount of AI voice recordings of 'Hamas operatives' can change that.

Israel war crimes continues to backfire on them even in America

Biden backing Israel has had an impact on America's image. Here's a Wall Street Journal article warning that America's continued support is turning countries towards Russia and China which is code for turning countries against America

An EU official said that the EU will pay a heavy price in the Global South for its continued, unabashed support for Israel

There's also speculation that the Biden administration knew about the bombing before it happened.

Countries that were/are allied with Israel continue to distance themselves from Israel like Russia. The reason I keep highlighting Russia is because the West has been running out of ammunition due to the Russia-Ukraine war and that includes Israel which is rumoured to have sent 80-90% of its ammunition to Ukraine. If this conflict lasts a long time, Israel will need to buy weapons and ammunition and Russia would be one of the countries they would turn to (same with China)

So, where are we in terms of the conflict? After days of waffling over a ground operation in Gaza, Israel postponed it until some time after Biden's visit and now we're back here again

Now I'm no military expert but constantly going back and forth on whether or not you'll invade Gaza is bound to do damage to your troops' morale. No wonder they're dealing with mass desertions while their citizens demonstrate on the streets. The Israeli leadership has no plan besides bombing Gaza.

I've seen people on twitter say that the hospital bombing was done deliberately to normalise IDF soldiers to mass civilian deaths in places like hospitals, schools, places of worship, etc. I don't know if I believe that - I think they wanted to push Iran and Hezbollah's buttons before hiding behind Biden. I don't think these people are thinking strategically.

As far as the possibility of regional war is concerned, all indicators show that the West preparing for the war to escalate

Seems to me the Israel has seen what Ukraine has received in just a year and a half of war. They're done receiving a paltry 3.8 billion every year and now prepared to drag out the conflict and I can't say I blame with Biden proposing a 100 billion package for both Ukraine and Israel. This will stretch America too thin as far as funding in concerned. Cracks are already showing

There are parts of the US government that is unhappy that the Ukraine war is losing attention. During the Ukraine war, you had parts of the government that wanted focus to shift from Russia to China. Because of that, the US government has spent the past year alternating between hostility to Russia and threatening to go to war with China over Taiwan. When Niger expelled France from within its borders, America was preparing to join that conflict until Mali and Burkina Faso declared they would fight with Niger. Now they're entering a third front in West Asia. In short, the mighty empire is expending a lot of resources right now and it is not the threat it was when it invaded Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 2000s.

At any rate, the ground invasion of Gaza won't go the way Israel and America hopes it will

The coalition of Palestinian resistance fighters are still patiently waiting for the IDF to come meet them. Their allies aren't backing down either

The reason I keep making these posts is to remind people that, while the genocide of the people of Gaza is horrifying, the war for the liberation of Palestine has not yet been lost.

Do not lose hope. From the river to sea, Palestine WILL be free

[tonix3]

will you do an observer post?? I like hearing different takes. loved your summary of lous electric show and what was happening on x

Hello 🙋🏻��♀️ I wanted to make a post about The Observer for the past few days but had no time. Today I found @delicateperspective post on it and think this sheds really good light on it already and I agree with the conclusions and observations included in the post.

I'll give my opinion and a shorter summary nonetheless because I wanted it in a post for archiving purposes anyway. I'll add my screenshots and thoughts I had throughout the first few days and maybe I do an additional post when the profile is debunked/deleted or whatever conclusion comes of this. I'm in for the ride. 🙌🏻

I'll start with: I was intrigued in the beginning ...

I was alerted through a mutual on my timeline fairly early when only 21 people (22 me included) followed. I 'Google Lens'ed the 369 pfp and the header coming up with no results. (meaning it's AI generated pics or original designs, nothing that's already circulating on the web)

I thought the first post including faith in the future and the profile following LTHQ and Louis is pretty obvious who the profile user wants to be perceived as. (Maybe a bit too obvious for a riddle or an announcement acc. Maybe the profile owner wants it to be obvious?)

'Listen carefully everything begins again.' - What begins again?

Day 1 the 369 disappears from pfp but I didn't see it had the 1 on the pfp - I just thought the 369 disappeared, only saw it on day 2 when I saw the two and someone showed a ss of the 1.

I looked at the screens and recognized the placement resembles a dartboard (Thanks Dad 🎯) and the TL thought the same. I was sold it really could be the announcement for AFHF.

Day 3: I felt different. The post got me pretty emotional (which I discussed with my GC)

I felt .. it's pretty unfair if it's not Louis'/his team to play with fans (larries or in general) feelings making it sound like he wants to erase/change his past and kinda fears for his future..?

Later the Rolling Stone interview dropped and I was kinda baffled about some of things Louis said. We already knew he sees stuff but I found it interesting that he admitted to lurking and having 'a birds eye view' right now - I mean that's observing, right? - I wrote in my GC:

birds eye view 👁️ interesting choice of words

Day 4 & 5: I just ss but had no interesting thoughts. I saw people pointing out the connection to Harry's door acc.

Day 6 & 7: Why the Unknown? Sometimes the random post, sometimes the numbered day + time

and now day + unknown? (I also thought pretty weirdly shaped 7?)

The deleted tweet only few saw: I read about it on the TL later and managed to get a ss from a moot .. I didn't sit down at that time to make sense of the added numbers we don't already know in the fandom. But I saw people discussing it to be maybe important dates.

So before I went to bed this happened: and the pfp changed to a more zoomed out version. Interesting.

Day 8: people said it really sounds like AFHF.

Before I went to bed we got a 'dating article' (rumours) and I stayed up a bit but slept when The Observer posted the 'fabricates fairytales' post. Saw it in the morning and thought: if Louis/his team would be behind it, The Observer should have hinted at the incoming news beforehand. It would've made it more believable and credible like my lovely friend @fookinhellcurlyyy and I agreed on. (one screenshot is from our GC)

And the account followed AFHF just recently so. Also weird.

Conclusion and final thoughts for now:

I had mixed feelings about this. Some days I was sold on it being Louis/some announcement acc but after a week of this I'm leaning towards scam. Everything is too much and sometimes still too cryptic.

Some posts really sound like AI generated quotes.

So be safe everyone, right now it's fun but we don't know what the intentions behind the account are. Is it an anti trying to make us look bad or playing with our feels? Is it a fellow larrie?

It has to be someone deep into the lore, that's for sure. I would love for it to really be Louis/his team making an announcement or promo but right now it looks kind of scammy to be honest.

TO BE CONTINUED PEEPS ✨

[motleyflash]

KINITOPET THEORY: SONNY_C IS KINITO

there's a lot of evidence for this, so i'll show you guys it! (i got most of the pictures from Forever Nenaa's gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UsjIm7G7bE&t=1409s)

#1. if you type kinitopet.com/email in your real web browser this image pops up "as the subject of your article has unfortunately passed away", DID KINITO KILL SONNY OR SOMETHING?? THE HELL?? i think that whenever kinito pulls someone into his digital world, it kills them in a way. he asks them for admin permission, then uses that power to do the shit he's doing so, those people in the command prompt are dead! ___________________________________________

#2. i don't know if you can see the image, but i've looked at the command prompt when it was deleting kinito and it says "removing file [sonnys_world.zip] from server ["kinito"]" which is pretty interesting... i'd also like to say, i think that dead body in sam's house is one of those people that you see in the command prompt... i do have a theory about sam and jade being humans but there's not much evidence except for sam's hanging body and when jade(?) says "i'm back here again, aren't i?" ___________________________________________ #3. the "IT'S NOT TOO LATE" email decoded

i find this email especially very, very interesting. the line "a soul enshrouded, a spirit's mournful chime" is most likely about the other trapped souls... i honestly do not know what else to say about this poem, other than the fact that it is very impressive how the person wrote it so uniquely! this does imply some dark stuff though, like how kinito traps the souls of the players in the computer. ___________________________________________ #4. the "EJSY SZ O?" email decoded (click the images to expand)

"I FEAR THAT WHEN YOU DELETE THAT SERVER YOU WILL DELETE ME" OHHH now we're talkin.. seeing at the very end, this makes me think that kinito took some of the stuff that sonny was saying in his head, and saying it directly to the player when he got deleted (kinito GUILT TRIPPING us god damn). and, from this email, sonny appears to be having an existential crisis! maybe the ai is feeding off of the souls' emotions for its own gain. it learns and adapts, remember? also, the "I KNOW THEORETICALLY I AM NOT REAL BUT I FEEL REAL" line makes me think that kinito took over sonny's mind for just a little bit. does kinito feel empathy after taking all these poor souls? honestly i'm seeing a lot of similarities with tadc and kinitopet (even though kinitopet came before tadc with the trailer but STILLLL). souls being trapped in a digital world with no escape, and some ai that apparently wants to be your friend...ALSO CIRCUS THEMED ESQUE STUFF _________________________________________ #5. this guy from the kinito plush ad

am i the only one who thinks that this might be sonny? or, some completely different soul that arrived before you? _________________________________________ #6. the messages on the computer when you delete kinito

these messages hurt me to the bone. sonny used the power he had left to contact you in those last lines, saying his final goodbyes to you. he knew that it was inevitable for his fate to come, and it did. maybe the player burning the computer was freeing the souls somehow... you know DAMN WELL i thought of henry emily's speech while seeing that computer burn to a crisp i dont have a good conclusion for this but this is my theory that sonny_c is kinito (in a way)... But hey! that's just a theory. A GAY THEORY Wrong one A GAMMEEEE THEORY if i find more, i'll be sure to update this also i apologize if this isn't very well structured.. i just grabbed this stuff and said "holy shit sonny chamberlain is kinito"... i'd love to hear other people's theories though! i made this post at like 1 AM so that's why it's poorly written

[valevntine]

okay, this is going to be a long ass post about ai, and i'm not going to be kind about it. i think i always try to be, but as an artist there's nothing that pisses me off more.

i'm going to talk about this specifically from an artist's point of view because i'm not a writer, musician nor anything else. i'm also not going to dive into the environmental and ethical issues of it (that would need a whole another post), but here's a few interesting articles i liked, just in case you've been living under a rock: ai's environmental impact, celebrities' deepfakes, ethical issues regarding ai.

not too long ago i participated in a local art contest. there wasn't anything that explicitly stated if ai generated pieces could take part or not - if i knew for certain that they were allowed, i wouldn't have joined -, the prize was 300€. i think it goes without saying that a sum of money like that one could be helpful for anyone, let alone a beginner artist trying to get their name known. do you know who won? a “drawing” made out of ai - and an ugly one at that. after the organisers were met with the general dissatisfaction and protest from the public, the winner even had the courage to make fun of and belittle the work of all the other artists who entered the contest, affirming he was smart because he chose the "easy way out".

if you use ai, you're not an artist. you can't call yourself an artist. and if you are, you're shitting on the work of so many. you're being an insensitive, disrespectful prick. yes, you can have the idea. most of us probably have an actual great fucking idea for a masterpiece inside of us, but not having the skill for it and settling for ai to chase after the empty thrill of being able to say "hey, i made this!" doesn't make you a creative. you know what that makes you? a selfish piece of shit. you're so afraid of doing it badly that you'll settle for this instead. being an artist means having the skill to perpetually practice and create a piece of art, whether that's a painting, a drawing, a song, a sculpture, a piece of writing. you'll have the entitlement to create only when you'll take your time to hone and build a craft, to perfect your skill, to be vulnerable and create something and make the world see it even if you maybe don't even like it, if you're unsure about it. i promise that will be so much better and braver than clicking a few buttons, typing out a few words and ta-da! your image is created.

also, do we know how ai art is created? do we remember it steals from actual artists? generative ai takes our work, it learns from it, and it spits out its nonsense without us artists ever seeing anything in exchange for it - except for the damage it causes. us artists have years of experience on our backs. i have been drawing since i can remember, i have taken upon learning it seriously for 10 years now. i attended art school for four of those years, i spent an unimaginable amount of money on it (which is also a privilege many don't have), and every day i'm afraid for my future career. i'm devoting all my time on this because i can't see myself doing anything else.

if i catch any of you putting ai generated shit into the world - especially if you're part of a fandom, because that alone deserves a whole another discourse - you'll be on the receiving end of my whole, unadulterated rage. i will tear you down. i will shit on you and your work, because there is no excuse for it.

do it bad, do it messy, do it a thousand times over, but please, don't settle for ai because it's "easier". no art is ever bad or ugly, i promise, and you'll certainly be brave and deserving of praise even just for putting yourself out there.

to anyone who's not an artist: support us. please, i beg you, commission your artists, show us your love, share our work, make us feel validated because this is getting awfully tiring. our work is already subjected to enough criticism as it is - you have no idea how many fucking times i've heard my work being belittled, being told that what i'm doing is something easy - but with the rise of ai it has only gotten much worse.

in conclusion: your ai "art" is ugly. your dignity is little and repulsive.

[massivemochi]

A Year Full of Hopes With the Nijigaku Members♪

(This article was published in Love Live! Days April 2024 Extra Issue Love Live! Days Nijigasaki SPECIAL 2024 WINTER, released February 29, 2024)

A Year Full of Hopes With the Nijigaku Members♪

A new single to recharge your energy, “New Year's March!/Radio Taisou Daiichi (New Year's March!/Radio Calisthenics 1),” is now on sale! The 12 cast members talk about “New Year's March” and the charm of the new song. Hinaki Yano, who plays Yu Takasaki, appears with a comment on “Radio Taisou Daiichi"!

✦ CD Information ✦ Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 MIRACLE LIVE! Collaboration Single_type-A New Year's March!/Radio Taisou Daiichi (Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Ver.) ■ Release Date: January 24, 2024 ■ Price: ¥1,430 (10% tax included)

January: Chiemi Tanaka (Rina Tennoji)

There are exactly 12 school idols in Nijigasaki, so it's perfect! It's a really enjoyable song that makes you want to sing along and cheerfully welcome the new year. Rina-chan's in charge of January, and as the lyrics say, it's truly a new start! You can rest well through New Year's and feel ready to work hard again this year. I'm also making a lot of goals, and I hope I can make them come true!

February: Natsumi Murakami (Ai Miyashita)

For me, the song that almost made me cry the most at the 6th Live was “New Year's March!" It was surprising even to me, but I think the beginning of something like a new year brings both anticipation and uncertainty. But when all the members sang this song together from January to December and Yuyu and everyone watching started to call out, I was so happy I felt like I was going to cry because I knew it'd be another fun year for sure (laughs). Ai's part for February has a cute pun, and I love it!

March: Mayu Sagara (Kasumi Nakasu)

Dividing the year and the 12 months by each member for a song is something only Nijigasaki can do, and I feel this song could only be sung by us! Each of us is assigned a month, and Kasumin's in charge of March! March is Hinamatsuri! I'm glad cute little Kasumin gets to be in charge of the month of Hinamatsuri! Personally, I have the impression March is a month of meetings and partings, with graduation and such, but when I listen to this song, I feel like I'm spending a whole year with Nijigasaki, which makes me happy!

April: Aguri Onishi (Ayumu Uehara)

It's a really cute song I could imagine everyone singing as they march like marching band conductors. I want you to be a part of this march with us! Ayumu-chan's in charge of April, and I think it's perfect for her because it's an important month for the beginning of new things. If you start something new when you're with Ayumu-chan, I'm sure she'll give you a push on the back and the strength to work hard.

May: Moeka Koizumi (Shioriko Mifune)

It's too genius to have each of the 12 members sing the 12 months! Moreover, the content of each of them was super clear and perfect for each member. We performed it for the first time at the Kanagawa performance of the 6th Live, and I'm glad we were able to sing it in January when the timing was good. I'm looking forward to spending another fun-filled year with you all!

June: Kaori Maeda (Shizuku Osaka)

From the moment I heard it, I was impressed by how much I liked it! It's cheerful yet somehow tearjerking and full of the good qualities of Nijigasaki. The lyric “We'll be together 365 days!" is great, and the solo parts are like a calendar, so you can see everyone in Nijigasaki whenever you listen to it. It's a wonderful song that makes me feel like 2024 will be the best year yet. In terms of seasonal memories, I love spring! Partly because both myself and Shizuku-chan were born in spring, but also because I enjoyed seeing the cherry blossoms! It's nice to feel the warmth of spring and the atmosphere of something beginning.

July: Shu Uchida (Mia Taylor)

"New Year's March!” really matches the members and the vibe of each of their assigned months, making it a song that feels unique to Nijigasaki. Mia-chan's in charge of July, and I thought the refreshing feeling of summer and the twinkling stars in the night sky on Tanabata were perfect for her. The other cast members were humming Mia-chan's part during rehearsals, so I felt the melody and mix of good English and Japanese were very catchy and memorable!

August: Akari Kito (Kanata Konoe)

I love the lyrics, which are so cute, and I can picture each member having fun in each month. The month Kanata's in charge of, August, has an image of "The peak of summer! Beaches, pools, and the sun!" but I thought it was really nice and like her to mention snoozing on the porch. I also like to take naps on the porch at my grandma's house, so I sang it while thinking, “I know what you mean!"

September: Miyu Kubota (Karin Asaka)

When I received the song materials, I thought, “How genius is it that they assign each of the 12 members to sing a month from January to December!?" Karin-chan's in charge of September, and the lyrics include the phrase “night of the full moon.” In another song, "Sweet Eyes," she sings the phrase “the scent of night,” so I guess she must be a girl who's suited to the night (laughs). I don't usually eat hamburgers, but I look forward to the moon-viewing burgers that go on sale this time of year so much every year!!!

October: Coco Hayashi (Setsuna Yuki)

It's a song that lets you imagine spending an exciting year with everyone in Nijigaku! Since it's a march, it's a fun song with a rhythm that makes you want to skip. Setsuna's in charge of October, and I think the words “with all my might” and “our passionate feelings don't stop” are typical of her as a serious school idol. I like to picture her running with a smile, all fired up for sports day! I was in the brass band when I was a student, and I once played the drum major during sports day. They lead and conduct the march! I think that's why I was able to sing “New Year's March!” with even more enthusiasm than usual!

November: Maria Sashide (Emma Verde)

I often listen to songs associated with each season, but it was refreshing to sing a song about the year! When I first heard about the concept of the 12 school idols singing the 12 months, I was impressed at how well it suited Nijigasaki! I think it's a song only we could've made! The lyrics for each season are also unique, such as “Eating roasted sweet potatoes warms the heart,” and it's cute how they reflect that girl's personality! It's an exciting song that makes you wonder what will happen in the coming year, so I hope everyone will listen to it while looking forward to Nijigasaki's future activities!

December: Akina Homoto (Lanzhu Zhong)

When I first heard the song, I thought it was astoundingly genius how each member could be assigned exactly 1 month (laughs). I feel it contains the message of wanting to spend the year doing lots of fun things together, both to each other and from the members to “you,” and that's why I was so happy to be able to deliver it to everyone at the turn of the year. I think it fits perfectly with the theme of the concert. Lanzhu-chan's in charge of December, and she really loves to “party,” so I hope she'll have a Christmas party with everyone, just like in the lyrics, and eat lots of meat, her favorite food. Please listen to this song as often as you like!

COMMENT from YANO HINAKI: Let's Try Radio Calisthenics With Yu's Voice!

✦ CD Information ✦ Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 MIRACLE LIVE! Collaboration Single_type-B New Year's March!/Radio Taisou Daiichi (Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Ver.) ■ Release Date: January 24, 2024 ■ Price: ¥1,430 (10% tax included) ■ Contents (Same between type-A/B): 01. New Year's March! Singer: Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, Composer/Arranger/Lyricist: Ayumu Nakamura, Hiroto Kikuchi 02. Radio Taisou Daiichi (Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Ver.) Voice: Yu Takasaki (CV. Hinaki Yano), Composer: Tadashi Hattori 03. New Year's March! (Off Vocal) 04. Radio Taisou Daiichi (Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Ver.) (Off Vocal)

Hinaki Yano (Yu Takasaki)

I was surprised to hear I was going to record the radio calisthenics! (Laughs) But I thought this would give me more opportunities to do radio calisthenics with you, and if we do it together, we can loosen up our bodies in a healthy way, so it's killing two birds with one stone… or even three birds! I recorded it as if Yu-chan was doing the exercises with you, so please pay attention to her voice.

[sillydumbdoll]

Hi precious! 💖 Where do you think your dollification/objectification kinks come from? How'd you realise you were into that? Story time!!

so this may be a long, drawn out, complicated answer bc I spend a lot of time thinking about this…

TW ED

The earliest thing I can remember is being infatuated with dolls, I had a large collection, it was pretty much all I thought about for years until it got taken from me and thrown out at the point where I was wayyy too old to be playing with dolls. I was addicted to online dress up games and anything to do with character customization.

I’ve been into bondage for as long as I can remember, I don’t think there was a point where I got aroused by anything else besides it, it always had to be involved in some way and was a huge part of my fantasies. I used to write a lot, usually stories involving it in some way, and in those stories I would either intricately describe the female characters outfits or have them get dressed up by their captors. I have NO IDEA to this day where I got this fantasy from, maybe I saw something but I feel like I would’ve remembered it. I think honestly it came from my obsession with dressing up my dolls and playing dress up games. Sometimes, I would tie up my dolls too, I spent a lot of time making clothes for them and taking pictures of them as well.

I guess fast forward a bit and I had gotten to a dark place with my mental health, I had an eating disorder that got really bad and I started writing again after I hadn’t really done it much for years. I lived in my head at this time, creating a universe for myself where I was being held captive, starved, beaten, dressed up, and used like a doll. This is when I REALLY knew I had this fantasy because it was all I wrote about. I lived there more than I lived in the real world, using this universe to escape my real life problems, my brain nearly gone from the malnutrition. Everything felt foggy and nothing felt real. One day, I got curious and I googled what this kink would be called, trying desperately to find audios, videos, art, anything!!! But all I could find was one article about dollification, a word I’d never heard before. Through trying to find stuff, I stumbled upon bimbofication and thought “close enough,” and that’s where I got into that along with hypno. It was far more popular, but I was still missing something…

I started to roleplay with ai because I thought there would be no way I’d meet someone who shared this niche kink with me, and in one of the roleplays, the kidnapper ordered clothes for my character online. I thought to myself, hmm, maybe I could get someone to do that for me…then they could dress me like a doll. Being agoraphobic for a year, I couldn’t get someone in person to do it for me, so I thought I could do it virtually as well as attention seek (which I never stopped doing since middle school when I found out I could get as much attention as I wanted online), so I made a Twitter account under the name “Dolly”, posted pictures of myself, and nearly instantly had people buying me gifts, but still…something was missing. I had the clothes, I had people dressing me up, but nobody seemed to share the same fantasy as me… I made a tumblr only because I heard from a friend that y’all are freaky, even though I thought all porn was banned… and well the rest is history! I can’t believe I found a whole dollification community here where people are into it as much as I am, in the same way that I am! 🩷 And now thanks to Twitter (even though I somehow ended up being a findomme), I look the part too! I get to live out my dream as a full time doll 🎀

I hope this was a good read, you probably got bored halfway through, but thanks for allowing me to share such a huge and important part of myself!

[matthewsgreybubbles]

Last year on Reddit, I came across these posts about Matthew’s girlfriend from NYC. Arabella Wells. An underage high school girl who was a rich, nepo baby. No one knew who her parents were, but it was said her dad was some important ceo or something and her mom was a famous model. Arabella was 17. They had all these stories and “sightings” about her and Matthew making out outside of Nobu in NYC, that he was always seen at her high school. There was a fake “news” article that he crashed her car. There was a lot. Anyway, I talked to some of the accounts who “knew” her and they sent me pictures of the girl. One of the pictures was a screen shot from ig. I went to some photo analyzing site and it confirmed it was photoshopped. On a whim, I took one of the pictures they sent me, and did a Google search and I actually found the REAL girl’s Twitter account. They were using her face as a face claim for the story. The real girl happened to be some girl from London, she’s 19, and had no idea any of this was going on. Her name also isn’t really Arabella Wells. That was a fake name. I know someone who dmed her and informed her of everything and she was seriously freaked out. In the story, they also said she was dating Matty Healy and that at a Christmas party in NYC, Matty and Matthew were arguing over her. They even had “voicemails.” Those were created with some AI software. When I tell you this entire thing is insane, I mean it!!

WHAT THE HECK???

I'm just shocked. What is wrong with these people for real?? This is more than insane like- whaaat? The poor girl?? I'm at a loss for words.