#Artificial Intuition

[ontonix]

Ontonix Celebrates Its First 20 Years

Twenty years ago, in 2005, Ontonix started operations in Sondrio, in the heart of the Italian Alps. Since then, our unusual QCM technology has continued to evolve in various directions, in search of new applications and novel ways of interpreting and understanding its broad potential and depth. We have come to discover how much a simple equation can harbour. The evolution of QCM brought about…

[reallytoosublime]

In the realm of modern technology, few innovations have captured the collective imagination and stirred as much curiosity as Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is a field that transcends mere programming; it embodies the quest for replicating human-like intelligence and cognition within machines. Yet, the true extent of AI's capabilities often remains shrouded in mystery, prompting both wonder and concern about its potential impact on society, the economy, and humanity as a whole.

At its core, AI seeks to enable machines to mimic and perform tasks that traditionally require human intelligence. This encompasses a broad spectrum of applications ranging from simple automation to complex decision-making processes. From self-driving cars navigating through busy city streets to virtual assistants managing our daily schedules, AI has already permeated various facets of our lives, often without us even realizing it.

One of the most remarkable aspects of AI lies in its ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data at speeds far surpassing human capacity. Through advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, AI systems can identify patterns, make predictions, and derive insights from data sets with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency. This capability has revolutionized industries such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and transportation, unlocking new possibilities for innovation and optimization.

In healthcare, AI-powered diagnostic tools can assist physicians in detecting diseases earlier, personalizing treatment plans, and improving patient outcomes. Similarly, in finance, AI algorithms can analyze market trends, assess risks, and optimize investment strategies with remarkable precision, reshaping the landscape of wealth management and trading.

Moreover, AI is increasingly being leveraged to address complex societal challenges, from climate change mitigation to urban planning and disaster response. For instance, predictive models powered by AI can forecast natural disasters, enabling authorities to allocate resources and plan evacuations proactively. Additionally, AI-driven solutions are being deployed to optimize energy consumption, reduce pollution, and enhance sustainability across various industries.

However, amid the excitement surrounding AI's potential, there are also legitimate concerns about its ethical implications and societal impact. Issues such as algorithmic bias, privacy infringement, job displacement, and the concentration of power in the hands of a few tech giants have sparked debates about the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies.

What Is AI Really Capable Of? Learn From Experts!

[youtubemarketing1234]

In the realm of modern technology, few innovations have captured the collective imagination and stirred as much curiosity as Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is a field that transcends mere programming; it embodies the quest for replicating human-like intelligence and cognition within machines. Yet, the true extent of AI's capabilities often remains shrouded in mystery, prompting both wonder and concern about its potential impact on society, the economy, and humanity as a whole.

At its core, AI seeks to enable machines to mimic and perform tasks that traditionally require human intelligence. This encompasses a broad spectrum of applications ranging from simple automation to complex decision-making processes. From self-driving cars navigating through busy city streets to virtual assistants managing our daily schedules, AI has already permeated various facets of our lives, often without us even realizing it.

One of the most remarkable aspects of AI lies in its ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data at speeds far surpassing human capacity. Through advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, AI systems can identify patterns, make predictions, and derive insights from data sets with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency. This capability has revolutionized industries such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and transportation, unlocking new possibilities for innovation and optimization.

In healthcare, AI-powered diagnostic tools can assist physicians in detecting diseases earlier, personalizing treatment plans, and improving patient outcomes. Similarly, in finance, AI algorithms can analyze market trends, assess risks, and optimize investment strategies with remarkable precision, reshaping the landscape of wealth management and trading.

Moreover, AI is increasingly being leveraged to address complex societal challenges, from climate change mitigation to urban planning and disaster response. For instance, predictive models powered by AI can forecast natural disasters, enabling authorities to allocate resources and plan evacuations proactively. Additionally, AI-driven solutions are being deployed to optimize energy consumption, reduce pollution, and enhance sustainability across various industries.

Beyond its practical applications, AI has also sparked fascinating developments in the realm of creativity and expression. From generating art and music to crafting literature and designing architecture, AI algorithms are challenging the boundaries of human creativity and redefining the concept of authorship. This intersection of technology and art not only raises philosophical questions about the nature of creativity but also opens up new avenues for collaboration and exploration in the creative arts.

What Is AI Really Capable Of? Learn From Experts!

[sketchzecri]

Tell me Abt choco pretty please. R they a cereal mascot

Worse.

Choco is a very pathetic sopping wet cat of a man (ive comissioned molty for him twice!! :3)

Literally where do i begin.

So. Necromancy in my world is very complicated magic. And verrry forbidden because instead of just making a corpse move it drags their spirit back to their body repairing the damage if done right. But thats HARD to do. Like super duper hard. In fact, the only way to consistently and effortlessly revive people like that is to have it in your bloodline.

Obviously this kind of magic is scary and weird. So it becomes punishable by death, (some places killing you just for having that magic in you at all. Fucked up)

But they never caught my girl FREYJA AYYYYYYYYYYY

Freyja is Choco's mom. She escaped the law by leaving the city walls and living in the woods :3 She has Choco first then later Cloud. Both of them inheriting her magic. (They also have a skeleton cat named Keke but shes largely there to be cute)

One day, while fucking around in the forest, our young Choco runs into Kaveah, who had ran away to explore the woods. After freaking out about seeing another person, the two hit it off quite well! Choco shows Freyja his new friend and Freyja is like what the fuck that is literally the princess what. Kaveah promises to not tell anyone because she would also get in heeps of trouble for sneaking out.

Womp womp her dad finds out

And he is FREAKING OUT.

Mars has like. A whole onion of issues but tldr he freaks, attacks their family, kaveah defends them, she loses her eye in the process oopsies

After calming down (and realizing he just nearly killed his daughter oops) he stops sucking and is like you know what you mean a lot to my daughter and youve cared for her so much so for as long as i remain king i will keep you and your family safe (to freyja) and they cool now

Womp womp fire

So remember how i mentioned cloud? Yeah that's choco's dipshit brother from hell. He lights the cabin on fire with the intent of killing Freyja and Choco (he's like. Maybe 7 here i think i cant remember.) But dumbass gets HIMSELF killed instead! And freyja

Choco gets out of there

And my boy is NOT doing too hot pun unintended

From then on he lives in the palace with Kaveah then they grow up get married yadda yadda have a son hisbname is Taffy (picked it out himself (hes trans))

So heres where it gets messy. Im not gonna try to come up with anything on the spot but Taffy gets impossibly sick so he calls upon a spirit of some kind to fix him it works YAY

Something happens so he goes to do it again but GUESS WHO ITS CLOUD BITCH KABLAMO and so cloud switches places with Choco. Stealing his body and sending Choco to afterlife hell (its not really hell its complicated not gonna talk abt it here)

And thats kinda it for choco. Theres a few plotpoints that he helps in with other characters but in terms of big events thats it.

There is something here about multiverse travel but thats post-story fluff and roleplay physics

[nando161mando]

Maker of TurboTax Fires 1,800 Workers, Says It’s Pivoting to AI

[filmcourage]

10 Ways To Generate Ideas (Without Using AI) - Shannan E. Johnson via FilmCourage.com.

[claudigitools]

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[neturbizenterprises]

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[janmisali]

what do you think of tone indicators in general?

unfortunately my thoughts on tone indicators are somewhat nuanced. fortunately, this is tumblr not twitter, so I can just write out my full thoughts in one post and be as verbose about it as feels necessary.

speaking as an autistic person (and I know there are other autistic people who don't hold this same view, this is just my perspective), I think as an accessibility tool, the extended set tone indicators in current popular use is fundamentally misguided.

the oldest ones, /s for sarcasm and /j for jokes, make sense. their notation isn't the most intuitive thing ("does /s mean sarcastic or serious?") but it's not too difficult to explain what they mean. I've had to spend my whole life learning by brute force what different tones of voice mean and what they change about how I'm supposed to interpret something, so I already know what "read this in a sarcastic voice" and "read this as a joke" are supposed to mean. my existing skills can be translated into the new form without too much effort.

the same thing applies to emoji and emoticons. I know what facial expressions mean, because I had to learn what they mean. figuring out if :) is sincere or not from context is a skill I've already needed to develop. it doesn't come naturally for me, but it's something I already at least somewhat know how to do.

most of the tone indicators in current use uh. don't work like this.

tone indicators like /ref or /nbh don't correspond to specific tones of voice. I don't have a "I'm making a reference" voice or a "I'm not talking about a person who's here" voice that I can picture the sentence being read in. these do not indicate tones, they're purely disambiguators. they clarify what something means without necessarily changing how it would be read out loud.

and on paper, that's fine, right? like, it's theoretically a good thing to take an otherwise ambiguous statement and add something to it that clarifies what you meant by it. the problem is that these non-tone tone indicators are not even remotely self-explanatory. it's up to me, the person who is being clarified to, to know what all these acronyms are supposed to mean, and how they change the way I'm supposed to interpret what something means.

it's, quite literally, a newly-invented second set of social cues that I'm expected to learn separately from the set that I've already spent my whole life figuring out, and it works completely differently.

sure, these rules are (in principle) less arbitrary than the rules of facial expressions and tones of voice and how long you're supposed to wait before it's your turn to speak, but they're also fully artificial and recently invented, which means they're currently in a constant state of flux. tone indicators go in and out of fashion all the time, and the "comprehensive lists" are never helpful.

in theory, I appreciate the idea of people going out of their way to clarify what they mean by potentially ambiguous things they post online. if it worked, that would be a really nice thing to do.

however, sometimes I imagine what the internet would be like without them. what if instead of using /s, the expectation was that if you're sarcastic online there's no guarantee that strangers reading your post will know what you meant? what if instead of inventing more and more acronyms to cover every possible potentially confusing situation, we just... expected one another to speak less ambiguously in the first place?

so, I on paper like the idea of tone indicators. I think it's good that some people are trying to be considerate by being extra clear about what they mean by things. but if tone indicators didn't exist, and people who wanted to be considerate in this way instead just made a point of phrasing things more clearly to begin with, I think that would be vastly preferable to even the most well-implemented tone indicator system.

also /pos sucks because there's something deeply and profoundly wrong for an abbreviation that means "I don't mean this as an insult, don't worry" to be spelled the same way as an acronym that's an insult

[ontonix]

State of Health: Processing Telemetry Data with Artificial Intuition

“Telemetry is the in situ collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring. The word is derived from the Greek roots tele, ‘far off’, and metron, ‘measure’. Systems that need external instructions and data to operate require the counterpart of telemetry: telecommand.” Wikipedia. The goal of…

[msmysticfail]

Pluto in Aquarius

I'll give you a dose But it will never come close To the rage built up inside of me Fist in the air, in the land of hypocrisy

✶November 19, 2024 to January 19, 2044✶

Aquarius/Uranus rules: rebellion, innovation, thinking outside the box, youth, young adults, community, contribution to the community, groups, breaking conventions, dreams, ideas, surprises, accomplishments, social networks, social causes, social problems, dissatisfaction, uniqueness, agitation, fighting for ideals, fighting for ideas, new, future, future plans, technology, artificial intelligence, online groups, internet, unpredictability, rebellion, innovation, revolt, radicalism, chaos, revolution, turbulence, dissatisfaction, future, astrology, astronomy, gender equity, outer space, UFOs, programming, camaraderie, visionary, questioning, recycling, social responsibility.

Maybe we will feel like a new chapter is beginning because it is, however I would like to say that it is not yet the definitive end of an Era, that will only happen when Pluto enters Pisces and then begins its cycle again with Aries (2068–2098). Only then will we have the beginning of a new Era for humanity. That’s why it’s important for us to pay close attention to how we handle the pending social issues of this Era, such as: global warming, water resources, non-renewable energy sources (oil), gender inequality, humanitarian crises, hyperconnection, artificial intelligence, fake news, deep fakes.

I believe with all my being, with all my intuition, that if we do not take care of our planet now, when we are about to feel the force of Pluto in Aquarius acting on the collective (Earth), future generations—my children, your children, our grandchildren—will suffer greatly from the scenario that Pluto in Taurus (2097–2129) will bring. This generation will certainly pay for all the irreversible damage we have caused to the Earth. This is my intuition and my premonition, and I believe in it with my life. We must take care of this planet while there is still time.

Aquarius is also the opposite (opposition) of Leo, so leonine figures, as well as leonine themes, will go through certain challenges—this is a time of change.

When Pluto was last in Aquarius (1777–1798)

Lenormand was alive;

Yes, the creator of the Lenormand tarot was alive when Pluto was last in Aquarius, with the gift of vision running through her veins. Pluto in Aquarius guided this incredible seer through the paths of divination. Moreover, Marie Anne was part of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era.

French Revolution;

Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen by Olympe de Gouges;

Creation of the guillotine;

The “fall” of the monarchy;

The “fall” of absolutism;

Creation of the United States of America as an independent country;

The Enlightenment as the “predominant form” of thought.

Predictions

Return of Cicada 3301

This is a more personal prediction. I feel that with Uranus entering Gemini and Pluto in Aquarius, we will see a boom in all matters related to the internet. Pluto rules sects and secret groups, which is exactly what Cicada 3301 is.

More violent protests

Protests will become more violent due to Pluto’s influence, which acts as an “amplifier” (similar to Jupiter), but Pluto intensifies extreme emotions. Therefore, if the collective is very dissatisfied, this dissatisfaction will be tripled, and as a result, the protests will become more intense.

Advancement or colonization of Mars

Elon (Mars in Aquarius in the 8th house) and his team will certainly make great progress when it comes to advancing the colonization of Mars, as outer space is ruled by Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius. Thus, I believe that we, as humanity, will move forward toward space-related achievements.

Changes regarding misogyny in India (Parts of Asia)

There is still a dramatic scenario in 2024 occurring in parts of India and East Asia, where baby girls are abandoned or killed simply for being girls. Korean women still face a great deal of gender disparity in the workplace.

Behavioral shift in South Korea

South Korea still has a social landscape that does not favor gender equality.

New social network emerging

Yes, a new social network (or more) is on the horizon, as Uranus in Gemini (Air) and Pluto in Aquarius (Air) have joined forces to bring many innovations.

Social network ceasing to exist

Pluto speaks about death, and in this case, since it rules the internet, apps, and social networks, a certain social network has a high probability of ceasing to exist.

Change in beauty standards

Pluto in Aquarius will make a direct opposition to Leo, which, like Libra, dictates beauty standards and trends. The Aquarius-Leo axis deals with fashion, trends, individual tastes, and collective style.

Growth of astrology

Aquarius literally rules astrology, predictions, and our starry sky full of planets. With Pluto in Aquarius, the market is likely to see a boom in books, courses, and debates about astrology. Its importance will grow significantly.

Growth in the quality of electronic music

DJs, in particular, will be producing music and melodies that will “touch” the audience on a deeper level. As a result, we will have higher-quality music and new electronic hits emerging.

Hollywood will undergo a drastic transformation

Hollywood is literally one of the biggest symbols of Leo (with a strong influence from Neptune, as Neptune rules cinema and cinematic art). With Pluto in Aquarius making a direct opposition to this sign, we will see major transformations in aspects I can’t yet predict concerning Hollywood and its actors and actresses.

Aquarian figures gaining power and fame

Whether they have personal planets in Aquarius or simply embody this archetype.

Gigantic growth of AI

We will end Pluto in Aquarius with so many innovations and machines compared to what we have now. The question arises: could AI ever gain self-awareness? (...who knows?)

The masses will be more dissatisfied/questioning

We will be unconsciously reevaluating the rules imposed by society. As a result, feelings of dissatisfaction may arise at various times, leading to rebellion, strikes, and protests.

Greater contact with Space

Aquarius rules the starry sky, space, and everything strange to Earth. With Pluto in Aquarius, we will be more inclined to explore space, and we may even finally receive confirmations regarding extraterrestrial life.

Places most affected:

Argentina – Moon in Aquarius 27°03’

São Paulo – Sun in Aquarius 14°51’

China – Ascendant in Aquarius 5°56’

United States – Moon in Aquarius 26°58’

Brazil – Ascendant in Aquarius 28°10’

Cuba – Ascendant in Aquarius 17°30’

India – Midheaven in Aquarius 14°49’

South Korea – Sun in Leo 21°40’ (opposition to Pluto in Aquarius)

Los Angeles – Midheaven in Leo 1°26’ (opposition to Pluto in Aquarius)

Tokyo – Moon in Leo 6°06’ (opposition to Pluto in Aquarius)

India – Sun in Leo 21°07’ (opposition to Pluto in Aquarius)

Mexico City – Sun in Leo 3°11’ (opposition to Pluto in Aquarius)

To conclude, I want to make it very clear that I feel a significant event of large proportions will occur when Pluto in Aquarius, at its final degrees, opposes Uranus in Leo, starting around 2038 or 2039. This movement will greatly impact society.

“Ideas are bulletproof!”

— V for Vendetta

[drdemonprince]

the asks and responses you've been posting about this ex-abuser friend and abuse as a skill set are so so interesting to me. it's more related to your responses, but I've been thinking for a long time about autistic forced passiveness teaching manipulation tactics. personally, since I've been trained out of advocating for what I want (or even noticing I want something), I've noticed I fall back on tactics anywhere from asking very leading questions to gradually pushing people's boundaries to get what I want, and a bunch of other behaviors that aren't supporting anyone. it doesn't help that a life of masking has given me a very analytical brain for social interactions. this is something I'm working on, obviously, but I imagine that there must be other autistic people who subconsciously find themselves unable to ask for what they want but also still...wanting things and having to figure out (unfortunate) ways to get them.

This is SUCH a great message, thank you for sending it. And yet another of the reasons why I hate the victim-perpetrator binary. Most Autistic people have been victims of immense boundary violation and disrespect. We're a highly marginalized, disenfranchised group! And we ALSO develop ineffective or manipulative coping strategies to deal with this reality a lot of the time, and have been taught to use them by our families and communities!

I have fallen back on many of the exact same strategies you've mentioned here, and more. I've taken on responsibility for other people's problems in a codependent way, hoping they'd magically notice all that I was doing for them and intuit what they should do for me; i've tried fixing other people's interpersonal problems for them and passed "benevolent" (I thought) gossip behind their backs; I've tried controlling people's behavior ""for their own good"" hoping that if they needed me, they'd love me; I've made passive aggressive remarks, aggressive remarks, and given people the cold shoulder. I've played "the game" with friends and partners and been artificially chilly so that I never seemed like I liked or needed them "too much", I've cried and beaten myself up when criticized in a way that has silenced or scared other people, I've directed my meltdown energy at the wrong people, and on and on.

And I've seen a LOT of Autistic people pull this kind of manipulative, incommunicative, triangulating, controlling shit, and even outright abuse one another with such tactics, and it's so tragic, and it cannot be easily explained by one person having an "abusive personality" or belonging to a "dangerous group" and another person not having those attributes. Shit is complex and contextual. And we use the tools we have been taught to use and seen treated as typical in our communities. That means we can also learn our way out of using them -- but that has to be a social process too. No one just becomes a better person through guilt or sheer force of will.

[occamstfs]

Gacha Bro

Jk here's an actual video game TF haha! Bit of a trade with @artificial-transmutations ! Hope you enjoy this spin on a barbarian TF! -Occam

Erik wouldn’t label himself a gamer really, sure he threw on a stream every so often and tried to at least keep abreast of what’s popular, but he just never really found a game to care all that much about. He is fairly confident that the game his friend Jack just sent him Achillean Dreams was sure to be another in a laundry list of mediocre games he’s had a go at. It looks like a standard Gacha game which he’s never really cared for, they’re quite pay-to-win and predatory. Though he supposes that a few of his friends quite enjoy Genshin Impact? Maybe it’ll be a little fun?

Jack says he needs Erik to download the app and start playing so he can get a free pull, and after grumbling that this is precisely why he hates gacha games he downloads the app from Jack’s link and starts at it. He’s greeted with a grandiose generic animation sweeping through some fantastical setting before being deposited at his first draw. Rolling his eyes that this is just a lottery app he clicks and watches as he grows slightly curious to what, or who rather, he would pull. The screen flashes a few times before light bursts from the screen before he hears a burly voice shout “Graugh! Let’s Go!”  as a barbarian burst onto his screen swinging an axe. It zooms into his face through a mist of sweat to land on his rage filled eyes and a barbaric smirk as text reads Congratulations! You Pulled Enki the Barbarian! The screen changes once more, this time showing Enki’s model just standing and posing with his axe, flexing at the camera as if to challenge the player. Erik blushes before grimacing.

On the rare occasion he does decide to game he would never choose to play any kind of melee fighter type guy.  He taps through the menus to get to the gameplay so he can get this over with. Jack didn’t say exactly how much he needs to play but Erik is sure it’ll be clear. He starts maneuvering Enki through the world of the game, finding the controls incredibly intuitive as he finishes the tutorial and levels up. Doing so gives him a slight high, just enough of a rush to keep going. Might as well play a little longer considering he’s sure to never pick this game back up once he puts it down.

Entering the true starting area he goes around killing slimes and large spiders to get some experience points and level up. Each time he does so he finds himself growing more and more invested in the game, he can see why people like this after all, with each kill of some weak monster his warrior only grows more powerful which in turn helps him level up faster. He looks hungrily at his muscular character as he hears the chime of another level up and sees what new aspects and skills he has new access to.

In no time at all Enki is already level five and Erik uncharacteristically pumps the air in excitement before he shakes his head in shock at himself. He blushes as he sees Enki’s figure stretch in impatience on the level up screen. Man though, no wonder Jack wanted another pull in this game, it’s already quite addictive. He then hears his stomach grumble and is taken aback. He just ate didn’t he? He looks to the clock to confirm as the hunger overtakes him regardless of when his last meal was. He gets up to go grab food and finds himself shockingly sore. Jesus he needs to exercise more, or is he dehydrated? Just like Enki he stretches as he begins to make his way over to make a sandwich. 

He feels tensions familiar and new as he feels the pleasure in stretching his body to its limits. The hem of his shirt sits just a bit higher on him, exposing his thin waist and small treasure trail as his stomach grumbles once more. Alright already, he thinks as he throws together a meal and starts playing the game once more, just walking around and seeing what all the game has to offer. On the horizon he sees villages and castles that pique his interest as he struggles within his mind not to get too invested, he doesn’t want to throw money at this game.

Beginning his mindless grind for XP once more as he levels up his soreness starts to arise once more as he grumbles and adjusts his position. The couch creaks as his weight ever so slightly begins to increase, before once more his stomach demands his attention. “Jesus Christ! Why am I so hungry!?” He finds his blood starts to race as the irritation starts to rise. Perhaps he should give the game a rest. Deciding against having another meal he opts for junk and grabs a pint of ice cream. He’ll just hit the gym tomorrow.

Picking up a book he is taken aback as he realizes that thought just pushed itself into his mind. He has no gym membership, he’s never had one? He must have meant he’ll go for an, uh, hike or something? To distract his mind from that oddity he turns to start his book, quickly finishing his pint of ice cream as he struggles to sink his teeth into this book he thought he liked? He was quite invested last time he picked it up but at the moment he finds himself picking up and checking his phone an inordinate amount. His mind keeps thinking back to Enki’s muscular body as he impatiently taps his foot. He can’t seem to sit comfortably on the couch, be it the soreness or a rising anxiety in his body at sitting and reading this boring book. Ah, this book he quite liked, rather. He groans in irritation, and closes his eyes as he tries to work out what is going on with him.

Soon enough though, distraction arrives as Jack calls. “Dude you’ve gotta play more to get me my pull.” Erik opens his mouth to answer before noticing Jack sounds off, he asks, “Do you have a cold?”

He scoffs, “Erik, c’mon bro you just gotta get to level ten so we can both get good!” Erik again pauses as he listens closer to the other line, Jack is clearly amped about something more than this stupid little game, he then hears a familiar slapping sound and a deep grunt come from his friend and he calls out, “Jack dude! What? Are you mast-” Jack quickly interrupts him, “Chill bro of course not! Just, just uh. Here watch this level up thing and you’ll do it super fast, trust.”

The line goes dark as Jack apparently hangs up before sending a link to an ad for Erik to watch. Refusing to engage with the fact he was pretty sure his friend was masturbating just now he plays the ad and is shocked to find out it's for a partnership with a local gym!? His head sears with pain as he struggles to think of how weird this paired with him thinking about the gym earlier, but he is unable to make that leap as his eyes drink in muscular men pumping iron at the gym. It ends with a message saying players get a month trial. “God that’s bizarre.” 

He grimaces once more as he changes into pajamas and jumps into bed before taking advantage of his level up boost. He starts completing missions and defeating mobs as he approaches level ten at a rapid pace. He doesn't notice as his pajamas catch weird on his body as he lies there, his feet suddenly sticking out from beyond the blankets as he flexes his toes, not feeling as they surge a bit larger. As soon as he hits the milestone he lets out something between a yawn and a groan as he stretches, not noticing as he echoes deeper than he has ever sounded before. He finds no comfort in rest as he quickly drifts to sleep, his body tossing and turning in bed as he accidentally leaves his phone on, leaving Enki to accrue passive experience as continues to level up well into the night.

The root of Erik’s soreness makes itself apparent as he shifts in his bed, muscle starting to make itself known through his increasingly tight pajamas. He sweats completely through his clothes and leaves a deep pile of drool on his pillow as, unaware to him, he starts getting hard in his sleep as his cock grows larger than he has ever seen it before, his balls growing larger and hanging lower as he dreams of open fields and intense fights.

After no time at all however he wakes up with a start rocketing sweat into the room and tearing his pajama top. He is absolutely raring with energy that he needs to make use of. Before that though he sees a notification on his phone. Oh yeah, he didn’t use his pull did he. He smirks as he wonders what kind of hero he is to get next as he clicks through to roll hsi new character. As the light glimmers once more he hears a familiar grunt though as Enki once more dervishes with an ax through villains.

There is a slight disappointment in him as he sees he has somehow gotten this standard barbarian once more. Though seeing his stats improve as he now apparently has two starts sets him right as rain. His pulse races with excitement as he imagines how much better he will be. He quickly jumps out of bed, not noticing his pajama pants now rest at his mid-calf, and throws on some clothes to race to the gym to get his apparent free membership.

He neglects to take an uber or a bus however as he instead just starts to jog to the gym, not pulling up directions either as he somehow is able to intuit his way. In a lingering act of curiosity at what other heroes he could have pulled he clicks through the mages and thieves and smirks as he is suddenly glad he didn’t get such weak looking characters. He feels his shoes tighten as his feet surge larger once more carrying him to his destination. Besides denigrating the classes he usually enjoys playing he finds his eyes also catch on one named “Sir Gilgar” some kinda kingly paladin type who is apparently close with Enki. He tilts his head with interest at this man as he arrives at the gym.

Standing still he suddenly notices that he forgot to put on deodorant at home. He sniffs at his pits wondering how much of an issue it is to be, he definitely smells worse than usual, though it’s definitely not worth the trip back home. He is called over by the man at the front desk who bears an odd resemblance to the bear of a blacksmith from the game. “Yo bro! You play A.D.?” Erik nods his head as the receptionist continues, “Enki yeah?” Erik stumbles back in confusion, “Uh Erik actually?” to which the man just laughs “hah, oh yeah that’s what I meant. You’re friend told me you might be in.”

There is then an arm around Erik's shoulder, though heavier and higher than any of his friends could possibly have. Before he can turn to see however he notices that his less than pleasant musk is immediately overshadowed by the stink coming from this pit right next to his face, and finds himself taken aback once more as he is jealous, at the stink, whispering “what the fuck?” as he turns to this mammoth of a man. 

The man before him is, familiar? He squints his eyes as he sees the chiseled chin and long wavy hair. Ah that’s why, he looks just like that paladin Erik just saw in game doesn’t he what was his name? “Gilgar?”

The man smiles and laughs heartily, a deep rumble that makes Erik blush as he looks down and pats him on the back. “Huhuh no bro,it’s me Jack! Thanks for downloadin’ the game dude it’s really helped me get uh, bigger? Yeah, huhuh! I was playin’ it all night.” Erik continues to stare the man up and down, struggling to find anything to reconcile that this is his friend Jack. As he does so though his memories quickly change as he hungrily stares at his defined chest and weighty biceps, this is actually what Sir Jack’s always looked like though? He then shakes his head to respond, “yeah I can tell dude, you certainly didn’t shower.” 

“Huh” Jack grunts as he raises his arm to smell his pit, exposing a deep bush that Erik can’t help but stare in to with a hungry jealousy. He laughs once more, this time though there is something more sinister in it as Erik realizes that he has been staring down back at him the entire time, with something ulterior in his eyes. Before he can start to inquire or investigate what that is though Jack messes with his hair and heads for the showers, “why don’t you go and get started Erik, gonna need a lotta work to catch up with me huhuh!” 

He turns and leaves Erik alone, as he feels a fire burn in his chest. He should use this. Erik puts the game away as he throws on a workout playlist and he starts going all out lifting weights and going at the machines. He doesn't wonder how he so perfectly knows how to carry his body and expertly perform flawless exercise at every turn. He smirks as his pulse continues to race as he goes all out to try and sculpt his body like Gilgar, er Jack did. There is an itch on Erik’s chest as he does so, hope it’s not a rash he thinks as he continues about the workout. He scratches at it as below his shirt hair begins to push out in the middle of his pecs. It swirls around aiming to cover them entirely as a similar itch starts winding his way up his stomach as his treasure trail expands thicker and darker, rising higher to connect his pubes to his increasingly expansive chest hair. The music on his phone changes without his notice to the songs from the game. Enki’s theme starts to rise in pitch as his grunts deepen with every thrust and pull of his workout. The deepest itch yet starts to emerge in his pits as he throws weights down to scratch at them  His hands absolutely rank with his pit sweat as he brings his hand to his nose and smirks as he looks down to his darker hair, smirking as he already feels more like a man.

Erik then has the brilliant idea that if he switches to the treadmill where he’ll be able to play the game while still getting his blood pumping. Once he sets the treadmill going and pulls out the app, ignoring a picture sent from his friend, he sees that after starting his membership he has gotten another pull in game. He crosses his fingers this time desiring nothing more than to get himself, no, his Enki once more. He could not care about the improbability of it all as after the bright flash he hears the familiar grunt of Enki as he whispers under his breath along, still racing faster than he’s ever run before on this treadmill.

As he elevates his hero to three stars he finds himself running even faster on the treadmill. His stomps growing heavier as he continues to race faster and faster on the machine without lifting a finger or pushing a button to speed it up. He exhales through his nose like a bull as he feels his blood course through him, spreading a heat through the whole of his body. He clenches the arms of the treadmill just to exert further force upon it as his vision begins to grow red as he begins to outpace the fastest setting on the treadmill. Tears appear in his shoes and his thighs burst larger, absolutely tearing his shorts to shreds as he slams step after step into the track of the machine. He grasps at the knob of the treadmill trying to ratchet it faster than it’s max to little avail. 

His blood burns in his veins as he twists the button off the shoddy machine and every muscle in his body tenses and surges larger as he feels rage become impossible to control, displacing every thought in his mind. His shirt strains and then bursts as his chest flexes larger exposing the newly hairy curls on his still growing pecs as each expansive breath surges deeper and heavier. 

He strains to restrain himself  from enacting violence in the middle of the gym as he sees his phone fall to the floor, somehow midway through yet another pull without his input. He feels spit on his chin dripping through a beard he didn’t even notice he started growing as he breathes through his clenched teeth. It begins to push out even further, his jaw itching deeply from every angle as his stubble becomes a dense beard, thicker than he would have thought ever possible as Enki’s familiar theme begins to blare from the phone dropped on the floor. 

He pants as he struggles to hold back his rage though as the seconds pass he starts to wonder why he would ever do so, he is En- no he is Erik. He is a formidable, ugh. He clenches at his head as his legs push him higher into the air. He sees thick veins surge down his arms as they force themselves larger, hair darkening them up from his wrist and spreading up his biceps as his chest hair spreads to connect to his dense pits. His body begins to shake with the rage barely restrained.

At this moment there is once more a friendly arm around his shoulder and a familiar musk immediately breaks through his mindless anger as he turns to see his friend. His rival? It is not worth interrogating, he closes his eyes and smells the musk of his long companion Sir Gilgar. He turns to look him directly in the eyes, finding himself directly at eye level despite being well below it when he first stepped into the gym. There is a cocky smirk plastered on his face as if he were used to being the most impressive man in the room. Erik finds himself readily agreeing with this assessment, as long as of course Enki himself does not hold the position, shaking his head as he flexes groans as his body struggles to expand even further. 

Erik shakes back to reality as he sees that Sir Gilgar has been talking to him, his eyes inscrutibly somewhere between a haughtiness and a hunger as he continues, “Sorry Enki are you not listening?” Erik feels his check burn and he groans as he responds, “I, I am Erik not ugh.” He feels his mind grow confused as he sees his friend, his bedfellow in front of him. Thoughts fly through his head from two worlds and he struggles to remember who, Erik is.

Seeing Erik’s eyes grow blank as drool begins to pool in his mouth Gilgar kneels to grab the phone and begins tapping through the menus of the game. Taking a moment to stare and smirk at his own reflection in the screen before navigating to a purchase menu for Erik. He sees the bulge in Erik’s shredded pants begin to grow heavier as he hands his phone to him and asks, “Why not get this over with Enki, just embrace it. Don’t you want to be with me? All you need to do is hit one button.”

Erik’s eyes blast back to focus as he grunts and his cock surges even larger in his underwear at the thought of being with the man in front of him. Without a thought he purchases one last pull and doesn’t even watch as he knows what is to occur. He feels his pulse begin to race as an itch spreads through his veins, every tendon and muscle in his body warms as he almost vibrates with energy. Gilgar leads him to the locker room as he continues to convulse and grow.

Memories of his life before this game fade without contest as he recalls life as Enki, the barbarian, the warrior. Pride surges through him as he remembers countless victories and the beyond countless days of training to ensure this. He recalls being the pride of his village, of his people, of Sir Gilgar’s eye. He remembers the fateful day they met and the wrestling match that ensued, the contest that locked them together ever more, and the subsequent wrestling matches that devolved into something even more primal.

These memories continue to surge into his head as he continues to follow his companion into the locker room. His suddenly confused at why he is in such a bizarre place, he is a warrior is he not? Enki scratches at his pit and sniffs the musty air before deciding not to care, thinking was more his friend’s purview. The only thing he is truly concerned about at the moment is the increasing weight in his crotch. Seeing Gilgar start to disrobe in the corner of this tiled room Enki’s lust grows beyond any ability to fight it as he pounces, not even thinking to remove his underwear as his cock pushes beyond the bounds anyway. The two then begin wrestling as they often do before it turns into the frotting that it always does these days.

Enki does not know or care for the game that he awoke obsessed with this morning. Nor will he ever again. In fact there are few things at all as he prefers to do anything but think. Though somewhere beyond his rage, beyond his lust, he will be grateful for that link sent by his companion for it has allowed him to experience truly mindless pleasure evermore.

[nando161mando]

Intuit’s AI gamble: Mass layoff of 1,800 paired with hiring spree | Intuit CEO: "Companies that aren’t prepared to take advantage of [AI] will fall behind."

[notbecauseofvictories]

50/50

Well, 2024 sure did...happen.

Anyway! I didn't set any sort of goal to watch 50 films and read 50 books this year, but that's where I ended up. Neither number is exactly accurate, and I'm leaving out television, revisiting what I've already read/watched, and all the ridiculous novels I pick up when I'm hungover, but still. I'm kind of impressed with myself. I didn't get to 50 books last year, and I don't think I've watched 50 movies in a year ever---but the more I watch them, the more I explore what they can do and communicate, the more I want to see. As a lifelong reader, it's interesting to explore a new kind of art, to try and intuit your way in through a strikingly different form of communicating the exact same humanness.

TOP FIVE 2024

FILMS

The Florida Project (2017)

Crimes of the Future (2022)

M (1931)

Something in the Dirt (2022)

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021)

It's been months and months since I saw The Florida Project, and I still think about it. The bright and artificial sherbet coloring of it; the dank and mold and shadows that linger around the edges....Actually, I think of all these films in terms of their aesthetics first. Not that there wasn't a story there, but because they all represent such a marriage with form. Consider Crimes of the Future with its fading decay, its browns and rust; M with its stylized, refined cityscape even in the greyscale of 30s cinema; Something in the Dirt where every shot is mundane, or fantastical or both; and We're All Going to the World's Fair, with the particular blue-grey loneliness of the internet age. Surely the benefit of watching a movie (as opposed to anything else) is being presented with something to watch, and I like when directors and creative teams understand that.

Honorable mention to American Psycho (2000) since I'm still a little insane about it---or maybe Corsage (2022) because whether or not it was a good movie, it was nevertheless the most uncompromising, brutal portrait of a historical figure I've seen.

BOOKS

The Rehearsal, Eleanor Catton

Big Swiss, Jen Beagin

Vintner's Luck, Elizabeth Knox

Wylding Hall, Elizabeth Hand

Diavola, Jennifer Thorne

Some people may try to tell you that horror is a discrete genre---I am here to tell you that it's not. All great novels are horror stories, and those listed above especially. From The Rehearsal's self-important artistes, to the therapy-speak Millennials of Big Swiss, to the musicians of Wylding Hall (who miss every sign that Something Is Happening) and the Pace family of Diavola (who deny that the signs mean anything, even after fleeing their vacation home in the night)....all these novels are a study in people experiencing something painful, even terrible. And yet, that provides incredibly fertile territory for their authors to explore the things that come with horror---complicity, desire for closeness, narration and performance, the open wound of family, the thin netting of modernity that keeps us from plunging into something older and darker than we can comprehend.

The only exception might be Vintner's Luck. Not because it's not there as a theme, but because the novel itself spans the narrator's life. By the time he's middle-aged he's committed so many errors, he can't judge too harshly when others do. In this respect it's almost an answer to the questions horror poses---not just how do you survive this? but how do you go on, having survived that?

Honorable mention to Dead Inside, by Chandler Morrison, because it was stomach-turning in the very best way. Echoes of Cipher by Kathe Koja---when an author really knows, really understands, how to wield grossness without shirking or apologizing for it, the result is delightful.

Books of 2020 | Books of 2021 | Books of 2022 | Books of 2023

[heartfullofleeches]

Night Gallery Yans in response to a Painting "Reader" taking over Night Guard Reader's life-

I plan on doing a full fic with this, but i wanna map it out a bit by who knows right off the bat and who is throwing hands with the fake-

Fooled for a millisecond: Rosebud, The Scavenger, Soleil

Knows something is wrong with Reader off first glance, but can't put their finger on it: Anri, The Faceless Angel, Julian

"You are not my Y/n - Die.": Julian, The Lady in Red, The Painter, Rosebud's Rose

-

Rosebud

"Someone's in a chipper mood today....Are you feeling well, Rosetta?"

Initially writes off Reader's strange behavior as them coming down with a cold. Their roses, on the other hand - can smell a dirty, no good fake from miles away. Hisses at "Reader", bites them if they get too close, turns increasing agitated and violent until the real Reader returns. Their temper tantrums are quite common these days, but the rosed love reader almost as much as Rosebud.

Something must be wrong.

The Scavenger

They could potentially be in the secondary category - if it wasn't for "Reader" throwing the painting off their trail by leaving items belonging to the real Reader lying about for it to steal. The fatal error painting reader makes is by giving the Scavenger something that belongs to them instead of the Reader Scavenger knows and cherishes.

Soleil

Possibly the easiest to trick. The clock is must too busy gathering its lost dogs and bolts to notice anyway. They're so caught up making themselves perfect for Reader they barely realize they're speaking to a fake when their paths cross

Anri

"You don't look to good, Y/n. Take a break and lemme know when you feel better, alright?"

Almost seems...frightened of "Reader" Comes up with an excuse to run off or straight up flees whenever they're near. Can be found throughout the night until the real Reader is back searching for something....or someone.

The Faceless Angel

Night Guard Reader has always been kind to them, but for some reason their kindness feels.... artificial. Stalks "Reader" from the shadows for more clues. Oblivious as to why a hole grows in their chest when they see the human who once and still meant heaven and earth to them. Cries for reasons it does not understand.

Julian

Similar to the angel, Julian can tell something is off. Reader's nice sure, but they have enough of a backbone to tell the other security off when he's being a dick. It's one of the things he fines cute about them. Soon as "Reader's" true identity is revealed Julian is back to his art destroying ways. Whilst attacking "Reader" he never slashes their face which is where he strikes first with other paintings he's killed.

The Painter

"Wicked beast! Demon! How dare you steal the face of my muse - transforming their beauty into this, this- Travesty! Remove their face at once so I may strike you down like the blemish you are!

Painting Reader mistake when it comes to taking Reader's image is removing all aspects it deems imperfections. Scars, birthmarks, acne- It tries to be the perfect Reader and that's where it fails as Painter finds every part of Reader to be a masterpiece.

The Lady in Red

"That does no belong to you. Give it back."

A proper lady would be able to tell her spouse from a fake. Call it intuition or something. She only gives painting Reader a chance to speak if they plan to tell her the whereabouts of her real lover. As opposed to Julian, in slaying painting Reader Red aims solely for their face as punishment for thinking she'd ever fall for a fraud.