#AI plants will get called real

[blaze-rocket]

Myself, and all the working artists I know don't mind AI when it's being used as what it is: A tool. The issue comes when it's trained on data that the original creators were not compensated for. The issue comes when it's used in PLACE of artists, instead of BY artists.

People like to get all up in arms, oh, you don't even know what AI is, you probably would have hated all new tech, you're just reactionary, weh weh wehhh. And like. No. Actually. AI, as a tool is something that has been in place, being used, for longer than you think. Being used as a tool, there's no real issue.

But the AI that have been released on the internet, to scrape and steal, that ""artists"" like to claim is fair game, and 'PEOPLE don't steal art, ai steals art' are the ones fundamentally missing the point. AI that corporations think they can use to replace artists, strong arming people into training it for them through the inherent threat of capitalisim... that needs to be addressed.

[genericpuff]

On this week's episode of "Webtoon Controversies That Could Have Been Avoided If Only They Had Some Damn Quality Control"-

Oh boy, prepare yourselves, there's some TEA on this one.

Quantum Entanglement, a new Webtoon Originals series from creator Arts Angel (aka Sarah Ellerton) is uh... a teeny weeny painfully obvious that it was made with AI.

AI is getting better, but when it comes to comics, there are still a lot of "tells" you can pick up on once you know where to look. Hands are certainly one of them.

Not knowing how to draw hands efficiently and consistently is definitely an Artist Problem(tm) but it becomes a lot more obvious it was made by AI when you get weird little off-putting mistakes like a fingernail being just a little too long or missing joints (hot dog fingers, eyo) or the distinction between fingers not being clear.

But there's also hair and other detailed parts that are often lost in the translation process between prompt to final piece. Jewelry, text on a screen, phones, that sort of thing. The insinuation of a 'thing' is there, but it's like looking at it through a fishbowl.

And ultimately, a lot of AI art tends to just be a little too 'perfect'. Everything is just a little too smooth for it to look like it was naturally made by a person. Faces end up veering into the uncanny valley territory and there are inconsistencies between the eyes and the rest of the body. Backgrounds become lost in what I like to call "AI goop", becoming nothing more than weird blurred/filtered out insinuations of what's supposed to be behind the character.

Basically, at this point, it's undeniably clear that AI is being used to create this comic. While there are also plenty of signs in the handiwork that show a human was involved in some parts, there are other places that are undeniably filled in with the use of AI. So it's not necessarily a 100% made-by-AI comic, but it's absolutely AI assisted.

But what's REALLY absurd about this whole situation? The creator denies it. To the point of including a disclaimer in the first episode trying to "get ahead" of people who are assuming it's AI by saying, "No, it's not made with AI, here's the proof! Don't look at the blood on my hands or the body in the trunk of my car!"

Now, first off, the absolute absurdity of making yourself look guiltier by trying to prove your innocence before people have even started to suspect you... I'd like to think that this was edited into the first episode after the initial accusations started rolling in but considering it's an Originals series, it's hard to know if it was, as creators typically don't get as much control over just editing their episodes on the fly like Canvas creators do. Typically it's their editors who do that sort of thing for them. And even if it was edited in afterwards, it's still there for people who have no idea going into the comic blind and might not automatically assume it was made with AI, so it just looks like you're bringing up the potential of AI being used completely unprovoked. By planting the idea in your audience's brain that AI is even a question, you're making them suspect everything.

It's kind of like when Dream was suspected of cheating in a way-too-lucky-to-be-real speedrun of Minecraft a couple years back, so he went to all these painstaking efforts of hiring a quantum physicist to "prove" his innocence with a straight up THESIS documenting all of the reasons he couldn't have cheated through math and figures and jargon. Ironically, this just made Dream look guiltier, and sure enough, he eventually admitted he had cheated.

That said, did you notice something in that "art process" pic?

That finished panel isn't even what showed up in the final comic.

So the absurdity of this all, again, just makes Arts Angel look a lot more guilty of actually using AI, especially when it's basically undeniable in so many of those panels above. People don't paint like that.

But that brings us to talking about Sarah Ellerton, aka "Arts Angel", the creator. Many long-time readers of her work are defending this, claiming that she has, in fact, "always drawn like this".

What's insane? She actually is who she says she is. This isn't like some kid who came out of the woodwork with AI and claiming that they had 20 years of experience, Sarah Ellerton's main site, The Seraph-Inn, has been live and crawled by Wayback Machine as far back as 2005.

And you can see the art evolution over the years, starting with Inverloch-

-into Phoenix-

-and all the way to Immaterial-

But here's the thing about that last comic. The main protagonist is, apparently, the same girl from Quantum Entanglement, the newest installment in this series where it becomes abundantly clear the creator has started using AI.

You can see the effects of this being parsed through AI, because she's gone from being a unique character with two-toned hair and darker skin, to being turned into a generic Instagram anime girl. And lemme tell you, AI used in comics has NOT gotten better at depicting darker-skinned characters (I actually tested an AI-coloring tool WT was planning on putting out a year or two ago, it was uh... not great.)

But the most damning thing about Sarah?

She works in IT.

That on its own wouldn't be so telling if it weren't for the 20 years she clearly spent actually honing her craft, only to suddenly switch to using AI as a crutch.

Quantum Entanglement was picked up for Originals in July 2023. It launched two days ago, with four free to read episodes and 6 more under the FastPass paywall. Three months after it got picked up. That turnaround speed is insane for an Originals series. Now, I'm more inclined to believe that maybe she's using the exact same pages she used in the Canvas version (there's unfortunately no way of checking through Wayback, it never crawled the Canvas version, so unless someone has backups of the Canvas pages they're willing to share, we'll never know) but that short turnaround time is insane for a comic that's this insanely detailed. It likely means they didn't need much pre-production time to get a strong buffer going, and that it doesn't take them as long to produce these episodes on a weekly basis so they could be under way less crunch than creators who do this by hand.

By comparison, the winners of the Call to Action contest from last year are STILL working on their pre-production. Many other greenlit Canvas series are known for getting picked up and stuck in pre-production for several months and even a year or more simply due to how the company operates with when it chooses to launch these series and how much pre-production is necessary. Some creators have literally said that their pre-production was done, but WT still kept them waiting to launch. So three months for a freshly greenlit Canvas series to launch is NOT the norm.

All that said, I feel for the people who are trying to defend her. But it's so undeniably AI with the creator herself providing fake proof that it makes it really sad to think that this person was honing their craft for 20 years just to wind up utilizing AI. Being a good artist does not make you immune to the temptation of using cheap methods or developing bad habits. Going through "the struggle" does not make you immune to taking shortcuts that wind up cheapening your work or taking advantage of the work of others.

Now, maybe Sarah trained AI around her art. If this didn't play out the way it did, I'd be willing to give her benefit of the doubt and assume that. Training AI off your own work, while still up for debate as to how ethical that is, at least doesn't hurt other artists, because it's your own work the AI is "stealing". There are definitely ways AI could be used to make life easier for artists without replacing the art process entirely, the same way artists have learned to use 3D assets and digital art filters to make their process more efficient and boost the quality of their art up to the next level.

But the fact that she's being so cagey over it, claiming she's not using AI period when she very clearly is, providing "proof" that actually proves she definitely used AI, while operating under a penname that's strangely similar to a name Grimes - former tech wife of Elon Musk and staunch supporter of AI - used for one of her studio albums-

- that's what makes it a lot more clear she's using it maliciously.

The AI is very likely trained off another artist's work. Maybe someone whose art style is similar enough to hers that she could integrate it into her own and pass it off as legitimate. Someone whose art style is cartoonish but still modern, like if Disney made anime. Someone who's so prolific and consistent in their stylization that training an AI off it would seem like a no brainer to those who want to replicate that style quickly and easily.

Damn. What a disappointment. Do better, Sarah.

And for god's sakes, Webtoons, pay more fucking attention. I've been steadily picking away at moving the entirety of my comics over to other platforms on a weekly schedule, but at this point I kinda just wanna dump the last 30 or so chapters onto ComicFury all at once so I can ditch this platform for good, especially if it turns out AI comics getting greenlit is a feature, not a bug. The ratings for Quantum Entanglement have dropped significantly overnight, now sitting around 5.09 and still dropping, but is Webtoons going to do anything about it? That remains to be seen.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Hi! I love your Nathan stuff and i always come back to read them whenever i’m in my nathan phase.

i was wondering if you’d be down to do #q and #3 for the kiss prompts with nathan. i was reading over them and i thought of a dumb scenario where he’s been trying to get a kiss all day but it’s just dumb little pecks every time. i just know he’d get so sassy about it.

if you don’t feel like it or don’t think it works with nathan then don’t worry about it! thank you!!

I'm guessing that q was meant to be 1. If it wasn't and I wrote it wrong....soz

Prompts: Small kisses littered across the other’s face; A breathy demand: “Kiss me” - and what the other person does to respond.

It's no secret to the world that you and Nathan are a couple, but on the average day-to-day, you don't go out of your way to advertise that fact.

When you're busy, you're more focused on pushing the company forward, not pushing your relationship forward. Nathan does it, too, and on hectic days, you don't take offense. The two of you are busy, and for as much as you love one another, you don't always make your romantic relationship a priority.

Come to think of it, the two of you hardly ever make it a priority.

Friday morning is no different.

You're on a call. You're listening closely to the feedback from your Chief Marketing Officer—the feedback from your annual summit is less favorable than you'd like. Your user base is concerned about the increased reliance on AI, but you're not relying on it—you're developing it, leaning into it, into the ways that your users have been accessing it—otherwise why the fuck else would you have developed it?

You nearly miss the sound of the knock on your door, but you glance up, doing a double-take when you spot him lingering in your doorway. He raises his finger to his lips, and you know that he wants you to avoid mentioning that he's listening in or has joined you in the room. He does this sometimes—like an Undercover Boss situation without the cameras and shitty wigs and fake buck teeth. You nod and wave him further into your office, adding, "Go on, I'm listening," When the product manager on the other side of the call goes quiet.

Nathan creeps further into the office as your product officer goes on, planting his palms on your desk and leaning in. You hardly turn your head, pressing a kiss to his cheek before waving him away.

--

You catch sight of him again in the elevator, but you're distracted again, eyes and mind focused on your phone, on the email that you're answering. You lean over, pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips before stepping off of the elevator at your floor.

--

It happens in a crowded hall. You hardly catch sight of him, but you know that it's him, somehow—in the way that the others go quiet and stuff, and the hush of their otherwise free conversation. You reach out as he reaches for you, catching hold of his hand and giving it a squeeze before you push onto your meeting.

--

It's been a normal day. So why is Nathan beating the shit out of his punching bag? You lean in the doorway of his home gym, watching him rain blows down on the bag in front of him. You eye the sweat gleaming on his biceps and forehead, the steady pounding of his gloved fists against the vinyl.

"...Let up, he's already dead," You finally tease.

Nathan's punches slow before he ultimately reaches out, slowing the bag. You're surprised by the heated look that he points toward you as he turns in your direction, taking slow, measured steps toward you.

"Did you eat already?" You ask—but he doesn't answer. You watch him plant on his hands on his hips, drawing in deep breaths to steady himself.

"Kiss me."

"...What?" You frown.

"Give me a kiss—a fucking real one this time."

"I gave you real ones—"

"A real goddamn kiss, not those stupid little pecks I got all day."

You roll your eyes, straightening up and beginning to turn away. "Alright. I'm going to go make my dinner. Come and find me when you've moved on from being so fucking dramatic—"

You aren't able to turn fully away from him before he grasps your hips, pushing you back against the door jamb. Your breath catches in your throat, and you hardly get the chance to get a good look at him before Nathan's lips are descending greedily against yours. Your eyelids flutter, but you let them close and settle as he presses his body flush against yours. You sigh quietly, allowing your arms to loop around his shoulders, fingers slipping through the beads of sweat that have gathered at his nape.

Nathan draws away just enough for you to draw your breath, his tongue teasing against the seam of your lips.

"I ask you for a kiss again," He murmurs, "That's what I fuckin' want. Understood?"

You smile, hardly holding back a giggle.

"You're the boss."

Tag list:

@missredherring ; @fantasticcopeaglepasta ; @massivecolorspygiant ; @blueeyesatnight ; @amneris21 ; 

@ew-erin ; @youngkenobilove ; @carbonated-beverage ;  @moonlightburned ; @milf-trinity ; 

@millllenniawrites ; @chattychell ; @dihra-vesa​ ; @videogamesandpoorlifechoices​ ; 

@thembosapphicclown ; @brandyllyn ; @wildmoonflower ; @buckybarneshairpullingkink ; @mad-girl-without-a-box 

@winchestershiresauce ; @lorecraft ; @kmc1989 ; @foxilayde

@writefightandflightclub ; @thedukeofcaladan

[cin3maa]

☆Everything seems to be in order...☆

✽ ᡣ𐭩ˋ°•*⁀➷ 🌸

Ah! Welcome, may I see your authorization? 🌷

✰✰✰ Everything seems to check out! Now, what was it you said you were here for again..? Right! My name is Cinema, but you can just call me Cinna or Cin. Please keep all personal belongings put away and we can begin with the tour of The Greenhouse! ✰✰✰

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚

As FishCity's botanist, I am set with the wondrous task of ensuring habitability and tending to the many plants. No, no.. They aren't for sale. Anyway! Feel free to explore on your own now if you'd like!

quick disclaimers and important info:

-i can and will draw selfship with my wife rise!donnie so if you dont want to see that, unfollow/block OR block the tag #selfship and you wont see any of it!

-my art requests are open

-interact with me! i swear i dont bite..(,,¬﹏¬,,)

Additional stuff to check out:

My pronouns and what to call me! 🌸 What's playing in my headphones? 🎧 700 DTIYS 🎨 #rottmnc - more coming! 🐈 #tmnt cin - me! 🎬 Donnie with other purple characters! 💜

Important people to know in FishCity:

The Mayor

The Train Conductor

Friend tags! (More TBA)

#corrupted file 📄- @mr-urple (big bro!!!) #ocean documentary 🪸 - @atomic-rattz (little bro...) #sweet n sour 🍋 - @hahawasabi #alien sighting 🛸 - @reddbug27

Navigation:

#rolling 🎥 (my art) #backstage 🎭 (my refs) #previews 🎞️ (ask replies) #talking during the movie {yapping) #5 stars 🌟 (reblogs) ------ #gifts 💌

boundaries and other stuff! ⇩(PLEASE READ BOUNDARIES BEFORE INTERACTING)

-> requests

i probably wont draw your oc

i wont do canon x YN requests unless i specify otherwise - i will deny/ignore you if you request it anyway. i understand you like the characters (i really do) but i just dont want to draw this kind of content as of now and i ask that you respect that.

...please dont beg or be pushy/send multiple asks with your request

if i havent responded to your request, i probably just dont want to do it or i do and am getting to it when i feel motivated

id prefer requests be primarily (rot)tmnt but if you want to request something related to any of my OTHER interests i wont mind（• ∇ ＜)

i am very obviously not going to be doing nsfw.

my commissions arent set up at the moment

the way that i personally do requests is that i get to them when i get to them. im most likely not ignoring you!!! i work at my own pace.

-> art usage

feel free to use my art as a pfp/banner etc (credit appreciated<3)

i dont mind if you repost as long as you credit me

do not edit/modify my art

do not use my art in edits

um.. i dont think this should be an issue but dont sell my art?

you can draw any of my designs but id prefer you didnt claim them as your own haha..please @ me if you do use anything id love to see it <3

-> boundaries

t/cest in/cest & proshippers fuck off. seriously, block me. this includes casey jr x turtles. dont joke about this shit either

^I do not count april but i probably wont draw any april x turtles anyway (he's married to me)

vivziepop (hazbin/helluva etc)

if you send me your art in my inbox and it doesnt pertain to me (like it just has nothing to do with me, just using me for clout?? idk its happened) i will probably answer privately. i love ur art but you cant just use me as a way to post it! if you want to show me something(again, if its just something unrelated and you want to show me)id prefer you tag me

i do not support ai art. if you support it or are neutral please block me. if you want to start making real art but dont know where to begin or need free resources, check out this post. (or this resource post)

if we're not close be mindful of what you send in my ask box lol. i am a minor. it makes me uncomfortable if youre sending me suggestive images or something like that (especially if i dont know you very well)

DO NOT VENT IN MY ASK BOX. i dont really know how to respond.. im witewawwy just a girl im not your thewapist im sowwy💔💔

i frequently call rise donnie my wife/bf & draw selfship (sometimes) so if that bothers you im sorry ;w; when i do draw selfship i try to tag it properly so it can be filtered !!!

im still an inexperienced artist, so i probably wont be able to give very good advice if you ask (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

feel free to tag me!

dms are open

-> other interests!

project sekai (if you want to play just ask for my id<3 im almost always up to it! i main jp but i do have en.)

vocaloid/utau/synthv & jpop

^ i am kakizaki yutas #1 fan !!!! listen to his music right now

hoyoverse (genshin, star rail, zzz, hi3)

little nightmares

skullgirls

YTTD

osomatsu san

metal family

bee and puppycat

jshk/tbhk

tadc

psych

ddlc

ptp

mitm

sotl

breaking bad

heathers the musical

...and more but this list is already getting long

stuff in here is subject to change! thank you so much for reading! (youd be surprised how many people dont)

[probablyasocialecologist]

The cryptocurrency hype of the past few years already started to introduce people to these problems. Despite producing little to no tangible benefits — unless you count letting rich people make money off speculation and scams — Bitcoin consumed more energy and computer parts than medium-sized countries and crypto miners were so voracious in their energy needs that they turned shuttered coal plants back on to process crypto transactions. Even after the crypto crash, Bitcoin still used more energy in 2023 than the previous year, but some miners found a new opportunity: powering the generative AI boom. The AI tools being pushed by OpenAI, Google, and their peers are far more energy intensive than the products they aim to displace. In the days after ChatGPT’s release in late 2022, Sam Altman called its computing costs “eye-watering” and several months later Alphabet chairman John Hennessy told Reuters that getting a response from Google’s chatbot would “likely cost 10 times more” than using its traditional search tools. Instead of reassessing their plans, major tech companies are doubling down and planning a massive expansion of the computing infrastructure available to them.

[...]

As the cloud took over, more computation fell into the hands of a few dominant tech companies and they made the move to what are called “hyperscale” data centers. Those facilities are usually over 10,000 square feet and hold more than 5,000 servers, but those being built today are often many times larger than that. For example, Amazon says its data centers can have up to 50,000 servers each, while Microsoft has a campus of 20 data centers in Quincy, Washington with almost half a million servers between them. By the end of 2020, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google controlled half of the 597 hyperscale data centres in the world, but what’s even more concerning is how rapidly that number is increasing. By mid-2023, the number of hyperscale data centres stood at 926 and Synergy Research estimates another 427 will be built in the coming years to keep up with the expansion of resource-intensive AI tools and other demands for increased computation. All those data centers come with an increasingly significant resource footprint. A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the global energy demand of data centers, AI, and crypto could more than double by 2026, increasing from 460 TWh in 2022 to up to 1,050 TWh — similar to the energy consumption of Japan. Meanwhile, in the United States, data center energy use could triple from 130 TWh in 2022 — about 2.5% of the country’s total — to 390 TWh by the end of the decade, accounting for a 7.5% share of total energy, according to Boston Consulting Group. That’s nothing compared to Ireland, where the IEA estimates data centers, AI, and crypto could consume a third of all power in 2026, up from 17% in 2022. Water use is going up too: Google reported it used 5.2 billion gallons of water in its data centers in 2022, a jump of 20% from the previous year, while Microsoft used 1.7 billion gallons in its data centers, an increase of 34% on 2021. University of California, Riverside researcher Shaolei Ren told Fortune, “It’s fair to say the majority of the growth is due to AI.” But these are not just large abstract numbers; they have real material consequences that a lot of communities are getting fed up with just as the companies seek to massively expand their data center footprints.

9 February 2024

[teaboot]

Since I've seen many posts about people missing how common asks used to be, I have been trying to send to more asks to engage more. I really don't want to bother anyone though so I'd love to know if you enjoy receiving asks and if so what kind of asks. Detailed? Vague? Work? Fandom? Movies? Books? Childhood? Gardening? Thoughts? OTPs? OCs? I'm sure there are way more categories, I'm not limiting you to these listed options. Perhaps if it's an easier question what types of asks do you not like?

pPAAASGGFYGGJIK THANK YOU?

Detailed asks good yes

Vague asks??? Do not understand but open to the concept

Fandom: My first Fandom was X-Men, then Lord of the Rings, then Homestuck, Transformers, Fullmetal Alchemist, Teen Wolf, Avengers (first movie, when it came out), Batman, Overwatch briefly, Mass Effect, Gravity Falls, Trigun, and now my sister's getting me into Call of Duty! Feel free to ask about any!!

Movies: Yes movies are a great topic I have SO MANY

Oh lord I haven't consistently been up to date on books in FOREVER but yes books are good, you can ask book questions, I'm reading a lot of old classics and recently finished Pride & Prejudice, am now on The One That Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Childhood- oh my god bud you have no idea

Gardening- My house is full of plastic plants on account of how good I am at killing things

Thoughts- Always

OTPs YO YES

OCs? YO YEAH GO FOR IT I NEVER TALK ABOUT THEM aaaaah I need to start writing again- I've been working on an urban fantasy for like. God like 7-8 years now

If I don't like an ask I'll just ignore or delete it but not much is off the table. I will not answer where exactly I live, who I am, if I'm a specific person you met, etc. for safety reasons.

I've worked in sex education so I can answer questions on that topic but if you get too personal or abrasive I will not respond.

I'm regularly flooded with donation requests and it's often too hard to figure out which are real and which are scams using stolen legit posts so as a general rule I do not spread those, I'm sorry.

And if you pop in to sexually harass me or use abusive language towards myself or others then I'm just gonna block you and delete the message.

If you want to warn me that a post I shared came from a bad source I do appreciate that, but if I do my research and can't find a legitimate reason to block someone then I probably won't.

I consider Legitimate Reasons to block someone on recommendation to be abusive language and behaviour, threats, bigotry, propagation of misinformation, production of AI content, and encouragement of dangerous behaviors that pose genuine harm to self or others. I'm not gonna block a random cause they enjoy Steven Universe and you think it's annoying. We all like stuff.

Womp-womp.

Thanks for asking!!! I probably shoulda talked about some of this myself, lol

EDIT: Terfs and radfems are block on sight, it's not your fault you're dumb but I am not capable of educating all of you

[buggywiththefolkmagic]

Buggy's Book Reviews: The Old Mountain Spellbook

Well well well, look who has returned after a long hiatus while life kicked my ass from here to Sunday. Let's get started with a bang shall we? TW: Slavery mentions, appropriation, generalized frustration at the writing space currently with the rise of ghost writers and AI.

This is: The Old Mountain Spellbook by Alda Dagny

Rating: 1/10 

Buckle up. This is gonna be a bumpy ride. Prepare to be shocked, horrified, and gobsmacked.

For context the cover art of this book caught my eye and then I read the small blurb of a subtitle for it and cringed so incredibly hard that the moment it showed up in my Spotify audio book list, I had to give it a listen for a measly 3 and a half hours of my life while at work. 

I regret this decision so very hard.

For further context:

This “author” Alda Dagny has also written books on…”The Secrets of the Nile” a three part series called “The Old Norse Spellbook:”, and “Secrets of Mesoamerica”. 

My head hurts from thinking about the gall to “write” on such a wide variety of topics in a seniority form. But before I get ahead of myself let me go back into my proper format for these reviews.

Pros: SOME of the information is right. The mentions of planting by the signs and how the signs works was very accurate. The generalized description of grannies, while very surface level and focused far too heavily on the midwife aspect, which don’t get me wrong is super mega ulta important! Was right if not very generalized. That’s about all I’ve got. 

It does mention that Hoodoo is a closed practice that stems from African Dispora/the Trans-Atlantic slave trade which good for this “author”. You will understand why that term is in parenthesis later! 

This book also included a Bell Witch mention twice which made my Tennessee heart hopeful for like two seconds.

Cons: Gods help me. For starters, I know this was likely not a choice this “author” made, but why in the seven hells did the publisher pick an AUSTRALIAN PERSON to do the narration for this book? The mispronunciation of Appalachia and Asfidy are now burned into my brain for life. I do not appreciate it. The MINIMUM a narrator should do is glance through for proper pronunciations. 

My gripes with the audiobook out of the way let’s get into the meat of this review: The book’s contents and why I believe this was ghost written/stolen from other places and put forward by an ai generated “author”. 

The second entire chapter of this book, a whopping 40 minutes of the audiobook, is all about Hoodoo. The real thing that got me was it SAYS that Hoodoo is a CLOSED PRACTICE stemming from Africa Diaspora. And what does this book do anyway? Break Hoodoo down into stupid candle magic and mojo bags and tell you how to do “it”. I was surprised it got the origin of Hoodoo right! It was RIGHT! And then it shits on itself. 

Examples: Hoodoo shares similarities with wicca. Tarot is incredibly important to the practice. And it is a religion and not a practice. The practice is “rootwork”. Did I mention that Hoodoo focuses on “doing no harm”? Oh and the third eye is important too, especially to Hoodoo despite it being a Hindu concept. I cannot make this up.

The wording of this book is also incredibly strange. I don’t have a ebook version to double check but I am positive the words Furthermore and However are included at least 50 times. EACH. The book also repeats itself numerous times. A good example is with the Furnace Ghost story it tells in the 4th chapter I believe? Where it repeats the same end of sentence with just slightly different beginnings within the same paragraph. There’s also other phrases used at the end of chapters to usher in the next that just read…weirdly? Examples: “Let me set the stage” “You are not going to want to miss this.” What are you writing a script or a book? 

Now for the proper “Appalachian Magic” side of the book. It consistently uses the term Granny Witch, and states numerous times that witchcraft was just fine! Appalachia did not care and the “fear” of witches never penetrated the mountains. But yet a “granny witch” would use faith not as a proper form of healing, oh no! It was “to keep doubters at bay”. So faith healing was a cover up and not the actual practice itself. 

This book also has two whole chapters on legends and myths, which is fine, if it didn’t focus on the ones everyone knows like Bigfoot and Mothman only. Like it doesn’t cover any of the smaller localized things or spirits at all. Just the things you could easily find if you googled “appalachia spooky”. Hmmmmmm. Strange isn’t it? 

This book also stated that tarot and black tourmaline was ULTRA important to Appalachian magic. Like where does that come from? There’s another chapter dedicated to the phases of the moon and “spells”  which they mean in a modern new-age witchcraft way and definitely not Appalachian, although I will give it props for saying the moon phases and astrology are different here. Because they are.

Tiktok was mentioned twice; it appropriates dreamcatchers and other Hoodoo items in the “non-Hoodoo” sections of the book. Hell, it even said, accurately mind you, that Mothman has even “spawned fanfiction”. It even got the information on where Roanoke was…wrong.  Roanoke is in Virginia. This book claims it is in North Carolina. 

The most damning thing however, and I use that however in a very sarcastic tone, is the “author” herself. I painstakingly typed in some text from the book and was surprised to see it come back as “human written”. I don’t think that’s quite true, if it is then they text portions must be stolen from other sources and shoved into a book form. Because this author? A bot.

Her profile image used on Amazon, which is the ONLY SOURCE of information on her, no socials, no google, nothing. Is AI generated. Proof is here: 

And a blurb from the book I wanted to include as well. The first of many furthermores used.

The author's Biography, which again is the ONLY SOURCE OF INFORMATION on this supposed person, says as follows: "Alda Dagny has always been drawn to history. Growing up in Scandinavia, history has always been all around her, gods and goddesses, pagan rituals and spells. Ancient ruins that dot her homeland captivated her from an early age, giving her a lifelong love of all things history. " That's all I can find. That's it. Just AI and or ghost writing/theft has officially found itself in the AFM space. I hate this society.

[aiartshaming]

What's your problem? What will you gain by doing this? You don't have to like or rb, but encouraging others to block is shameful. 😡

So, obviously I feel zero shame about encouraging people to block content thieves, and it's extremely funny to get lectured by one about what constitutes shameful behavior. But "what do I gain by doing this" is an interesting question.

When I was traveling recently I got to do some gardening, which was really nice and something I don't get to do often. Most of that time was spent digging and pulling out weeds by hand. It was kind of exhausting, hurt my hands after a while, and honestly a lot of those damn roots broke off, so I know the weeds will come back eventually. So what did I gain by doing it? Removing a few weeds from a corner of a garden to make room to plant something else to grow, until the weeds come back and we need to do it all over again?

The thing is, before we started that garden, the soil there was dead. No worms, no bugs, not much growing aside from this awful grass that choked everything else out. But after 15 years of work, a little at a time, that garden is FULL of worms and snails and spiders and bees etc etc etc. It's bursting with life because we kept at it, pulling up those weeds and planting things that would help the soil become more alive. Bugs came back, and birds, and bigger animals that like to sneak in and eat the flowers when our backs are turned. We gained a thriving ecosystem. We gained mornings drinking coffee, watching the garden fill with life like a garden is meant to be.

That's what I'm doing when I call out spammers, ai posters, and content thieves so people can block them. These kinds of blogs spoil the ecosystem here by flooding it with fake and stolen art, taking attention away from real creators who are strugging to find an audience. I only have a few followers, my posts aren't going to purge tumblr of this kind of content anymore than I can fully remove every weed in a garden.

But maybe by pulling enough weeds in my little corner, I can make room for a few real artists to thrive. By encouraging people to block stolen and fake content, I'm reducing the amount of garbage in their feeds. I'm reminding them that real art is made by actual people. I'm asking them to look for real art instead, to find the sources of the art they like and support those creators. I'm trying to direct some attention toward people who rely on their art for a living and hopefully grow their audiences a little. What I gain is making life more livable here in the hopes that artists will keep coming here and posting their work and connecting with people who love what they do. That makes tumblr a nicer place for all of us.

tl;dr I'm making my little corner of the internet a better place, and I wish more people were trying to do that instead of stealing and spamming to get as many like and reblogs as possible.

[deathandnonexistentialdread]

I need a fic where Kim Gaon's bruises (and possible concssions) from the multiple times he was literally thrown or manhandled onto the nearest hard surface acknowledged.

Like Gaon gets drugged and kidnapped by a viglantee group as a dissent against the mockery of justice that the live court promotes and the curroouption in the police force as a whole. When he wakes up while still being looped up he is told that he is being held for ransom until their demands are met whatever those demands are.

And then one of the vigilantees points out the suspicious bruises on his neck and Kim Gaon is all like,'they usually heal faster'. And after some probing on the origin of the bruises he says something like, 'The Sir threw me against the bookshelf a few days ago'.

Cue concerned individual is asking if he is in an abusive relationship and Kim Gaon is all like, 'it's not that bad' and another points out that the bruises could be caused by really kinky sex.

Gaon: No he just throws me around

Vigilantees: this is bad

And when someone asks why doesn't he leave the house:

Kim Gaon thinking about his makeshift family of Yohan, Elijah, Mrs. Ji and Kkomi: It feels like home there.

Vigilantees internally panicking: This is worse than we thought. He's being gaslit

The vigilantees decided to shift the conversation to other things. One of them talks about the motorcycle that they have and Gaon muses about his old motorcycle and when asked about it he tells them that his Professor destroyed it out of concern. Plus points for a throwaway line about Soohyun's controlling but concerned nature.

Visibly Panicking Vigilantees: The gaslighting is so bad he is on fire.

Kim Gaon is not sure why these guys are concerned or where he is but he sure that Kang Yohan would find him and bring him home safe.

Kim Gaon out loud: Sir will find me and bring me back. He always does.

Vigilantees: Panik and Concern.

The vigilantees think about calling the police to inform about the Associate Judges' seemingly horrible home life before remembering that they are protesting against the corruption in the police force and that calling them would be a surefire way for the police to find them. They wonder if they should just return the Associate Judge to his own house.

When asked about his own house Kim Gaon mentions his plant children and how The Sir moved them all to his house so Gaon does not have to make the commute to and fro often.

Kim Gaon about Kang Yohan: He is very awkward about showing how much he cares but he does it in his own way

Vigilantees: Kim Gaon is being trapped and it's worse than we thought

They discuss about just dropping the judge some distance away and let him take a taxi when they notice that his phone ran out of charge ages ago and the warehouse that they're in does not have any outlets. Kim Gaon is not that concerned.

Kim Gaon: My clothes are bugged. It's normal

The Vigilantees: No it isn't you need help

One of the vigilantees gives Kim Gaon a divorce attorney's card.

Kim Gaon: I'm not in a relationship with him.

The Vigilantees: concerned silence.

Kim Gaon then checks the time.

Kim Gaon: It's almost dinner time and I haven't even meal prepped.

The Vigilantees: You cook the guy dinner!?

Kim Gaon: Otherwise they'll eat nothing but packaged ramyun

The Vigilantees: He needs help

In the end everything gets resolved and Gaon makes new friends that won't manipulated him at all and a future support system for the Kangs leave him forever to rebuilt a broken system all by himself.

Bonus points if the Kang Revolution Group TM listens to everything through the bug and their reactions range from sideyeing Kang Yohan real hard to reevaluating every interaction they had with Kim Gaon to questioning how on earth does Kang Yohan not trust this guy but eats his homemade food.

Elijah has a long conversation that Yohan wishes he could unremember and Yohan ends up asking the ai butler to order a book on anger management.

Yohan and Gaon talk everything out and no betrayals happen and Gaon lives with the Kangs in Switzerland happily ever after

[greenesmyfavcolor]

Guys, stand up so you can sit back down because I just found something crazy.

I was looking up Audrey II on Google and the first thing that pops up is a AI overview that states that it came from the planet Kepler-186f? Is this supposed to be common knowledge because I had no idea about this until just this second??

The funny thing is, is that it’s an actual real planet and not something completely made up.

So here’s where Audrey II and all the other little Audrey II’s are from I guess.

But here’s the thing, the planet wasn’t even discovered until 2014 and of course little shop came out way before that. So where did this information even come from cause it certainly didn’t come from the show or heck, even the original 60’s film.

The whole thing came from an AI overview which is of course suspicious but it had to of gotten that statement from somewhere, it couldn’t have just made that up on its own.

So I clicked on the link at the bottom of the overview to find the reference it used and it took me to this website called “Carnivorous Plant Resource” where is described the origins of the Audrey II and its biology and everything. Basically talking about it like it’s a real plant (although you never know)

Like seriously, you can’t make this stuff up.

Still doesn’t explain where the heck they got Kepler-186f from but ok.

So yeah, if you’re to get anything out of this, it’s that the Audrey II species is from Kepler-186f in the Plantae kingdom of the Milky Way galaxy thank you and goodnight.

[void-of-unparalled-chaos]

A song came up on my shuffle that reminded me of Subject 16 and now I'm thinking about Clay Kaczmarek again.

I have played a LOT of Assassin's Creed and to this day, Clay is one of my all time favorite characters. I actually might like him even more than Desmond (don't kill me please). Everything about him is just so utterly tragic and I don't think the AC fandom (however tiny it is) appreciates him enough.

Like just think about this for a second and put yourself into his situation:

(TW for self harm and suicide. Honestly Clay should just be a TW in general)

Now for the sake of time, let's just breeze past the whole desperately searching for parental approval from someone who won't give it to you to the point that you give up on your dreams. Clay's childhood is lesser known since all of that is in The Lost Archive DLC, but regardless it's still pretty depressing.

So you're in college for something you don't want to do to appease a man that just makes you feel horrible. Then out of nowhere this guy comes up to you and says you can do something greater with your life, serve a good cause with bigger purpose. You join the Assassin Brotherhood and things are going good, great even! For once you're finally happy with your life.

But now you have to do the biggest, most important mission you've ever been sent on. You have to infiltrate the enemy in deep cover for an extended period of time. It will be fine. You've done infiltration missions before. There's already a mole planted. She will get you out. It will be fine. Lucy will get you out.

You allow yourself to be captured. Your kidnappers strap you into a machine that forces you to relive your ancestors memories for hours at a time. There will be long term effects. Your captors don't care. You aren't a person to them, just a number. Just 16. They put you back into the machine.

One day after being removed from the machine something feels off. Like you're not where you're supposed to be. You're supposed to be taller aren't you? Or are you supposed to be shorter? The buildings outside the window look wrong. It doesn't matter. You're out of the machine. You can finally be you instead of someone else, if not for just a little while.

But it gets worse.

Even outside of the machine you still aren't you. You experience memories that aren't yours even when you aren't strapped in. You can't remember the year. You catch yourself thinking its 1480 instead of 2012. You swear a horse almost ran you over but you're in a skyscraper forty stories up.

You're scared.

But it's okay. You have what you came for. Lucy will get you out.

Except she won't. She defected to the enemy side. No one knows to come for you. You're trapped, doomed to be forced into a machine that destroys your mind. You're alone with dead people who feel like they're you. But there is someone... something? A being calling herself Juno.

She might not be real.

She says the end of the world is coming.

She says you are going to die.

You believe her, when you're lucid enough to listen.

You are trapped. If not in the memories of someone else then in this infernal room. There's no point in fighting any more. You won't escape. You can't warn the brotherhood. But you could give whoever comes next a fighting chance. Lucy won't help Subject 17, but you can make sure they aren't alone like you. You can do it. You can stave off the bleeding effect and cling to your remaining sanity long enough to do this one thing. Juno says the world depends on it.

You code an AI of yourself into the machine, split it into encrypted glyphs for 17 to find. You aren't sure how coherent your messages are. Especially not the last ones. You barely remember your own name. It will be okay, though. All 17 has to do is unite the glyphs. You won't be here to help 17, exactly, but your digital memory will. Now you just need to make sure they know to look for them.

There isn't a quick way to do it. They want to keep you alive, even if they don't care about your wellbeing beyond that. You managed to steal a pen. The pen will have to do. Cutting your wrists with the ballpoint hurts, but it's a necessary sacrifice. You'll write your message on the walls and floors. Even after they clean it up 17 will be able to see it. 17 will have the eyes.

"She sees me... raise the knife..."

[hyrulehobbit]

RECOGNISING AI GENERATED IMAGES

(Disclaimer: This is not a foolproof guide as these softwares are constantly changing, but it is intended to help you learn things to possibly look out for.)

We've all heard "count the fingers, count the teeth" for AI generated images of people, but more and more frequently I see people sharing images of objects and scenery that are AI generated without realising it. These people are often vocally anti-AI but still get caught out. This post is not intended to shame or make anyone feel bad for not recognising AI imagery. Usually, AI images posted on platforms like tumblr are not tagged as AI; the OP is often fully intending to trick you just to gain some quick numbers, so it's not your fault that their tactics work. They're designed to be pretty at a glance and betting on you not looking any closer.

So, that out of the way: How can I spot and avoid AI Generated images?

Here's some things I've learned to pick up on, and now I can spot them pretty much on sight.

Full guide under the cut. Contains AI images as examples.

1. Source

Your first easy step is to check if there's a source. Remember when everything on tumblr was just credited to weheartit?? This is the new worse version of that. If the image has no source in the description describing an artist, photographer, brand, location etc... check the original post.

If there's nothing in the tags to indicate that it is art or a piece of photography or an advertisement, it could be AI. Sometimes the caption is just something generic or aesthetic like ~witchy cottage life~ etc. The tags above for the image below of the room with the tree are largely nonsense.

Important note: A watermark does not always indicate a photographer or artist: if you think it might be AI but it has a watermark, that will most likely lead you to the socials for the person who created the image using AI.

2. Visual Soup

Zoom. In. It sucks to feel like you have to get into the habit of pausing and closely checking the details of images on platforms designed for infinite scroll and quick engagement, but if you get into the habit of this, soon you'll be learning to spot AI at a quick scroll glance.

Generally, when you zoom in on a photograph, the details and divisions of where one object ends and another begins still stays the same, just out of focus. Zooming in on an AI image, the details become... soup. Why is that plant morphing into the countertops? Why is the tap floating? Why are there five thousand burner dials???

The same applies to art. Zooming in on art reveals things like brush strokes, pencil lines, pixels, imperfections and intentional small details. If zooming in reveals soupy details that don't look like intentional stylistic choices it could be AI.

3. Interior Design Disasters

One thing AI doesn't seem to be good at is separating the depth and layers of rooms full of furniture, and making things sit properly in their 3D space. Window frames are wonky. Chairs and tables are fused to each other, or to walls. Bookcases get narrower at one end when they really shouldn't. A little wonkiness is fine and expected in artwork, but when the whole thing isn't sitting right, it could be AI.

(Compare the white image on the right to these real photographs of a similar house, and notice how messy and nonsensical the AI image seems).

(Edit 03/06/2023: See also this abstract furniture that still has a proper sense of depth and doesn't merge into the background)

4. Toothpaste

I don't know what else to call this but midjourney effing loves it. I most commonly see this on things like AI generated objects, outfits and garments rather than scenery. It looks like the software has applied all the details with a piping bag. Weird, greebly swirls like it's hoping you won't notice if it adds enough visual noise. Notice it. It's AI. And it looks super fucking weird.

Midjourney also loves adding weird concentric circles to everything, which can be seen in the image example for Lighting below.

5. Giblets

What is that bowl of stuff?? What is on that shelf?? What's that pile of...things?? They're giblets. This is another prominent midjourney feature and another example of visual noise. Stuff it with details, and maybe the viewer won't notice that what they're actually looking at is a lumpy pile of nonsense that definitely shouldn't exist. Spot the giblets!

6. Lighting

This one is hardest to describe and to spot, but I often find that the lighting in AI images of scenery and objects has a flat, dream-like quality. Once you study it, it begins to feel distinctly unreal.

7. Names

Lastly, some people do state that an image is AI in their descriptions or tags, but might not do so in those exact words. If you aren't already familiar, here's the names of the most prominant AI generators as of May 2023:

Midjourney

Dall-E or Dall-E 2

Stable Diffusion

Deep Dream

Artbreeder

WOMBO

NightCafe

Lensa

Stablecog

BigSleep

Brands such as Bing, Google, Shutterstock and Canva are also bringing out generators

8. Multiple Angles (added 03/06/2023)

I forgot to add this earlier, but it's another very simple tell! If the images are objects, garments or rooms... are there multiple images in the post of the same object or location from different angles? No? Then it could be AI. The shoes used as Toothpaste examples above were part of a set of lots of different shoes, but of each design there was only one image. AI is Not Good at creating the same thing twice consistently.

(See these photographs of hair pins. The post contains a source link to the photographer's flikr account, where there are multiple images of each pin in different angles and lighting, confirming that they're real.)

If I think of anything else or some new tell starts to appear, I will come back and update this post, but for now, thank you for reading. My hope for this is that people will either share AI generated images less, or if they do, at least learn to spot and tag them so that those who don't want to see them (aka me!) can filter and avoid.

[cin3maa]

☆Welcome to Fish City's greenhouse!☆

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚

☆ you can call me cinema/cinna/cin or just anything you like! i am 15!! in fact a minor (she/her only please) pronouns page <-

☆ i work as a sort of botanist for FishCity! I take care of the marine plants here (and also am tasked the burden of dealing with tomi's problematic little clones.. they keep multiplying!!!!) i am but a wee sea bunny doing my part to ensure FishCity's habitability!

☆ i really like (rot)tmnt! specifically donnie (in every iteration..smitten swoon)

☆ i can and will draw selfship with my wife r!donnie so if you dont want to see that just block the tag #selfship

☆ i like yapping!!! interact with me i swear i dont bite (,,¬﹏¬,,)

☆ i am a huge vocaloid/jpop/pjsk nerd so um yeah!!!!

☆ art requests are closed! if you send any i WILL get you!/threat

please read about my boundaries before sending any requests if open. (under the cut)

☆ 700 DTIYS (#cin3maa dtiys)

☆ donnie with other purple characters

☆ #tmnc (teenage mutant ninja cats) <- there will be more!!!

☆ #tmnt cin (my turtlesona or self insert stuff)

mooties!!! (more tba<3)

#corrupted file 📄: @urplepurplegurgleturgle

#ocean documentary 🪸: @atomic-rattz

#alien sighting 🛸: @reddbug27

#sweet n sour 🍋: @hahawasabi

☆ main tags:

#rolling 🎥 (my art)

#backstage 🎭 (my refs)

#previews 🎞️ (ask replies)

#talking during the movie {yapping)

#5 stars 🌟 (reblogs)

playlist ˚₊ · »-♡→

boundaries and other stuff! ⇩(PLEASE READ)

-> requests

i probably wont draw your oc

i wont do canon x YN requests unless i specify otherwise - i will deny/ignore you if you request it anyway. i understand you like the characters (i really do) but i just dont want to draw this kind of content as of now and i ask that you respect that.

...please dont beg or be pushy/send multiple asks with your request

if i havent responded to your request, i probably just dont want to do it or i do and am getting to it when i feel motivated

id prefer requests be primarily (rot)tmnt but if you want to request something related to any of my OTHER interests i wont mind（• ∇ ＜)

i am very obviously not going to be doing nsfw.

my commissions arent set up at the moment

the way that i personally do requests is that i get to them when i get to them. im most likely not ignoring you!!! i work at my own pace.

-> art usage

feel free to use my art as a pfp/banner etc (credit appreciated<3)

i dont mind if you repost as long as you credit me

do not edit/modify my art

do not use my art in edits

um.. i dont think this should be an issue but dont sell my art?

you can draw any of my designs but id prefer you didnt claim them as your own haha..please @ me if you do use anything id love to see it <3

-> boundaries

t/cest in/cest & proshippers fuck off. seriously, block me. this includes casey jr x turtles

^I do not count april but i probably wont draw any april x turtles anyway (he's married to me)

vivziepop (hazbin/helluva etc) generally makes me uncomfortable but i wont block you if you enjoy her works or post about them.

i do not support ai art. if you support it or are neutral please block me. if you want to start making real art but dont know where to begin or need free resources, check out this post. (or this resource post)

if we're not close be mindful of what you send in my ask box lol. i am a minor. it makes me uncomfortable if youre sending me suggestive images or something like that (especially if i dont know you very well)

DO NOT VENT IN MY ASK BOX. i dont really know how to respond.. im witewawwy just a girl im not your thewapist im sowwy💔💔

i frequently call rise donnie my wife/bf & draw selfship (sometimes) so if that bothers you im sorry ;w; when i do draw selfship i try to tag it properly so it can be filtered !!!

im still an inexperienced artist, so i probably wont be able to give very good advice if you ask (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

feel free to tag me!

dms are open

-> other interests!

project sekai (if you want to play just ask for my id<3 im almost always up to it! i main jp but i do have en.)

vocaloid/utau/synthv & jpop

^ i am kakizaki yutas #1 fan !!!! listen to his music right now

hoyoverse (genshin, star rail, zzz, hi3)

little nightmares

skullgirls

YTTD

osomatsu san

metal family

bee and puppycat

jshk/tbhk

tadc

psych

ddlc

ptp

mitm

breaking bad

heathers the musical

...and more but this list is already getting long

stuff in here is subject to change, thanks for reading!!! :3 like actually thank you so much!!! i really appreciate it

[quitealotofsodapop]

Canon!MK thinks his PIF is showing the wood block paintings of Baby Red Son to spread the memories/embarrassment but it's actually a pact of an elaborate and subtle plan to plant future baby ideas into his head.

After all; look at how cute Red Son was! If only you could have seen it for real... Say! Did you know kids can be mirror copies of their parents? This could be useful to know... For no reason....

Referencing: this.

Absolutely. No matter how distractingly adorable the Eclipse Twins are, canon!PIF isn't giving up her goals of having adorable grandcalves anytime soon. She just gets sneakier about it.

PIF, showing off Red's baby paintings: "This one we managed to get Red Son's signature - or at least his little hoofprint." MK, oblivious to PIF's goals: "Awww!! His feet were so tiny! Did he even wear baby shoes!?" (∩˃ω˂∩) PIF: "He'd rip them off the second we tried." *sly smile intensifies* "But I do have a few of his baby doudous hidden away if you wish to see?" MK: "Sure!" :D Red, wiser to his mother's scheming: "Noodle boy no! It's a trap!!"

MK is thankfully so stubborn that he isn't even effected baby fever-wise. Odds are him and Red Son are gonna be together for a couple of years before randomly dropping news on the grandparents like;

Red: "Oh yeah the bull clone upgrades are going great, been teaching them how to bypass ai tests. Me and Xiaotian are having a baby. And I finally fixed that weird noise in the food truck that was driving the pig insane." DBK: "Ah thats good... EXCUSE ME?!" ( ✧Д✧)

And Red just says bye and leaves the room. Same thing when MK mentions it to the noodle fam and the monkeys. Best just to admit it and dip to get some peace and quiet before the flood of calls come in.

[infinitelycynical]

aizamatsu 6, 12, 13, 14, and 15!!!!!

yes, yes, and yes! five numbers, and for my otp? i will do you justice i promise 🫡

6. how they decorated their bedroom. neither strike me as guys that are into decor, they keep things simple. block colour bedsheets (i'm thinking dark red), a wooden chest of drawers for clothes and matching wooden cupboard. matsuda buys a fake plant for the corner of the bedroom, the exchange goes like this:

matsuda: bought this for our room, so it looks a little less sad!

aizawa: good thing it's fake, it'd be dead in a week in your care if it was real

aizawa is smacked on the shoulder (lightly) for his snark.

12. what they do for their anniversary. for the first one, maybe a restaurant, where they reminisce about the first year of their relationship (spoilers for my wip? yeah...). for anniversaries beyond that, they go camping together or travel to the beach to swim or do some activity while traveling. throughout the year they don't do much reminiscing and that kind of thing, so they like to do it on their anniversaries. aizawa will get a bouquet for matsuda (and for the house) and matsuda will be flustered every. single. time.

13. which makes a bigger deal of birthdays? matsuda. a million times matsuda. he will attempt (and fail) to make a cake, give considerate gifts, make breakfast, be extra considerate and say happy birthday to aizawa the very moment he wakes up. aizawa, however? gives him gifts he really wants (this man KNOWS how to give a gift), a kiss on the forehead with a "happy birthday hon" and takes him out to dinner!

14. what nicknames they call each other. matsuda calls aizawa "ai", especially in the first few years, with any honorific that's suitable for where they are. i especially like this because it's like a double entendre of sorts, "ai" is short for aizawa but it also means love in japanese (aka 愛) which i think is quite charming. he also calls him endearments like sweetheart or babe, i can see matsuda really loving these. he's quite the romantic, i think, and he likes giving people nicknames!

the only nicknames aizawa really uses are sunshine or sweetheart, because i am a sucker for comparisons between matsuda and the sun. he doesn't use these a lot though, usually he just calls matsuda by his first name.

15. what they would change about each other. this question could be interpreted two ways: what they would choose to change in the other, or what they do change in the other. i'm choosing to interpret it as the latter.

aizawa learns to manage his temper better, to suppress the urge to comment on really minor things that irk him or to immediately snap at small irritants. especially if matsuda is really interested or invested in the topic, when matsuda is shot down on something he just deflates, he gets an embarrassed expression and suddenly goes very quiet. the quickest way for aizawa to feel guilty or sheepish is when this happens.

matsuda learns to manage his time better (couldn't think of anything really). to go to bed earlier, to know how long to struggle with something before asking for help, to dedicate an hour to something and really stick with it. i headcanon that he has adhd, so he struggles with this a lot. it doesn't entirely get better, but aizawa inspires a more structured routine to his life, which really helps him out.

thank you for the ask <3

[aprocessionofthoughts]

It's cold inside

ai-less whumptober2023 day 17- you look a little pale fandom- batman TW- none Summary- Tim suffers from cuddle pollen

ao3 ailesswhumptober masterlist

Tim was so cold. He was currently lying in bed at his apartment huddled under a pile of blankets. His phone had fallen out of his blanket pile a while ago, and he hadn’t been willing to leave the small comfort of the blankets to retrieve it.

He knew, logically, that the blankets wouldn’t really make a difference.

He hated Ivy.

Everything sucked. He hadn’t even been able to catch her. She’d just made sure some of her plants sprayed him with pollen before vanishing, and leaving poor Tim to deal with the aftermath. 

Seriously, why did she have to take her frustration out on him? It wasn’t his fault she had fought with Harley.

He groaned, curling into a tighter ball. He wrapped his arms around himself, hoping the self-hug would work. It didn’t. 

He wanted Dick’s warm hugs, and Bruce’s head pats. He wanted Jason’s brusque worrying and Steph’s teasing.

He closed his eyes. There was no point thinking of any of them.

They were all busy.

Jason was crime bossing in Crime Alley, Dick was in Bludhaven. Bruce was at an important WE meeting. Cass was still in Hong Kong and Steph had mentioned she’d be studying for her exams today. And Time would never ask Damian. He shuddered at the mere thought of asking the little gremlin.

His shaking got worse.

He shuddered. Everything ached. 

His phone range. He ignored it.

It rang again.

He was not getting out of his blanket pile to grab it.

It rang again.

Ugghh. He covered his ears and ignored it.

Three more times it rang.

What did they want!? 

Tim was unavailable.

They could figure something else out.

But what if they really needed help?

Okay, if it rang one more time, Tim would answer.

He waited, praying to all the deities he’d heard about. Surely, one of them must be real. It stayed silent. Yes! Thank you unknown deity!

Then someone knocked.

On his window.

He was not going to get up! If it was a murderer they’d have to stab him through all his blanket layers.

He heard the window open. If only he had his phone so he could bet Steph on which brother it would be.

“Are you dead?”

Jason. Tim sighed, but didn’t respond. Jason would find him soon enough.

“Timberly? Is that you or did you just leave all your blankets on the bed?”

Tim grunted.

The blankets shifted, and Tim let out an involuntary whine as they were shoved off him. Above him, Jason froze. Tim curled into himself. With an actual person so close, the trembling had increased.

“Shit, Timbit, what’s wrong with you? You look a little pale.”

“Ivy.” Tim managed through chattering teeth. 

“Then what the hell are you doing here? You know blankets don’t work with cuddle pollen.” 

Tim ignored him. 

Jason sighed. “Do you want me to call, Dick?”

“He’s busy.”

“And he’d totally drop everything to come cuddle with you.”

Tim wished Jason would hug him. He wished Jason would leave.

“Fine.” Jason said. “Mover over.” “What–” 

Then Jason was shoving him to the side of the bed, and Tim didn’t have time to be annoyed because then he was laying down next to him and slinging an arm over Tim’s chest.

Time melted against him.

Tim could hear Jason on his phone, but he didn’t bother trying to figure out what he was doing. He finally felt warm. 

He was just starting to fully relax when he heard his window slide open again.

“Tim!,” Dick said, coming into the room. “Jason said you got hit with cuddle pollen. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“He thought you were too busy to come.” Jason grunted.

Dick’s expression crumbled, “I’ll always come if you need me, babybird. You too, Little Wing.”

Tim closed his eyes, and Jason shifted behind him.

Then there was someone gently shoving him back into Jason, and laying down in front of him.

He opened his eyes to see Dick settling in front of him wrapping his arm around him and Jason.

The last of the cold left him, and Tim finally was able to fall asleep snuggled between two of his brothers.