#Creative Concern

[downthetubes]

Manchester’s first Creatives for Change event announces Rewriting Extinction’s Paul Goodenough, artists Sayra Begum, Venessa Scott as guests

Creative Concern are hosting their first Creatives for Change “Mixer” event in Manchester next month, the creative agency that has been an integral part of promoting the Lakes International Comic Art Festival for a number of years

Creative Concern are hosting their first Creatives for Change “Mixer” event in Manchester next month, the creative agency that has been an integral part of promoting the Lakes International Comic Art Festival for a number of years. Creatives for Change is a not-for-profit initiative hosted by Creative Concern. Tickets for this free Mixer event on Tuesday 14th November at GRUB in Manchester are…

[storiesconsumemysoul]

Look I'm still processing my own feelings around the Siuan Sanche decision and execution but I gotta get this out of my system real quick. Firstly, some of y'all are way too comfortable swatting down, mocking, and condescending to fans (BIPOC fans in particular) who are upset. I'd recommend reigning that shit in. You can disagree and push back without resorting to all of that. Many such examples abound already within this discussion itself. Maybe try to emulate that approach instead of just bulldozing through an emotionally and politically charged discourse for minority fans.

Secondly, try engaging with this backlash with the larger context of the show in mind. Or even just S3. Look at how many characters (with speaking roles) died this season and how many of them were black. Think about the unnecessary death of Child Valda (Eamon Valda) this early in the series. The actor, Abdul Salis, devoured his introduction scene (and every scene since) so goddamn thoroughly that he instantly made the White Cloaks a terrifying presence that has resonated throughout the rest of the show. This brilliance gets rewarded with an anticlimactic quick death, with no buildup, by the hands of characters we haven't had the time to get to know properly, and who didn't even share a single scene with him prior. Right when Perrin, who does have a real established connection with him, is set up to spend a whole lot of time with the White Cloaks. Why not keep him for longer, doing what he does best, so that when the girls kill him down the line we'd have spent enough time building up to their confrontation to make for a proper earned send off worthy of such a towering talent?

And Ryma, played magnificently by Nyokabi Gethaiga, who absolutely electrifies from the get-go and through (2x6) in particular (along with her warder Basan played by Bentley Kalu). Ryma whose scream and anguished face as she is being collared by the Seanchan has haunted us for the last two years. Who left such an impression of her kindness, her strength, her faith in her sisters, her bottomless love for her warder, and with so little on-screen time. Gets one singular scene this season. With no acknowledgment, explanation, or addressing of any part of her role last season. How was she freed? When? Why was she not part of the effort to uncover Black Ajah in the tower when we saw her so deeply pained and shaken even by just the realization that one of her sisters could betray their sisterhood? She was written into such an afterthought background character this season that so many audience members seem to have straight up not even recognized her as the same character from S2, as Ryma, at all.

And Ihvon, originally played by Emmanuel Imani and recast this season to be played by Anthony Kaye, who dies in ep.(1) and, to the show's credit, haunts Alanna and Maksim's storyline so strongly that we feel his presence throughout the season. But we see none of that reflected in the tower. With Stepin (Peter Franzén) in S1, we get such a beautiful display of the warder's brotherhood, cultural ties to each other, and most importantly, how deeply loved Stepin was by his fellow warders. S1 makes us feel the loss of him reverberate through them all so devastatingly. Where is that grief for Ihvon? Where is his community? We spend so much time in the tower immediately in the aftermath of his death, and yet there is no one to mourn or honor him in the absence of Alanna and Maksim? We couldn't have had some of our characters pass by or even just hear about the other warders holding a funeral for him? Or just remembering him in some way?

I could go on for a good while still honestly. And sure, we could make legitimate arguments and have readings that justify these choices individually. But regardless, what this shows in aggregate, is a pattern of clumsiness in handling dark-skinned black characters/actors in particular. While at the same time, playing around with extremely politically, historically, and emotionally charged images of black bodies. Be it Ryma being collared and never addressing it again, Child Valda's whole thing, etc. etc. ... and now Siuan Sanche bruised black and blue, bloody, stripped to her shifts, bodily dragged across the hall, and decapitated. These are incredibly powerful and visceral images.

And no, before someone tries to make this point, I am not saying you can't graphically kill, write off, or deprioritize black characters/actors for perfectly legitimate artistic or practical reasons under any circumstances. I am saying that those choices don't exist in a vacuum. The context of the text at large and the real world are inevitably going to be part of how those decisions are received. It's not enough to have good faith diverse casting. And it is not unreasonable to expect a continued treatment of care and thoughtfulness past the casting stage and into every other facet of their presence and exit from the story.

[chimaeraonwards]

no ai generated content will ever compare to the absolutely cartoonishly evil plot to cut down trees to prevent workers from striking to get livable wage.

[philosophybits]

Nothing is more free than the imagination of man; and though it cannot exceed that original stock of ideas furnished by the internal and external senses, it has unlimited power of mixing, compounding, separating, and dividing these ideas, in all the varieties of fiction and vision.

David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

[yet-another-haven-of-dollya]

That one time Lya tried to cut her hair oh-so-short So that nobody could grab or pull at it without her consent...

Ref from my fav artist

[lune-moon-nuit]

Does our future depend on technology?

Since the Industrial Revolution, technology has established itself as a major driver of human progress, profoundly transforming our lifestyles, knowledge, and relationship to the world. From medical breakthroughs to information technologies, through automation, technology seems to guide the major directions of our future. But can we truly say that our future depends on technology? Does this mean that technology determines our destiny, as an unavoidable, even uncontrollable force? Or should we understand that, while humanity's future is shaped by technology, it still relies on other dimensions — ethical, political, spiritual — that technology cannot encompass?

Thus, we shall ask: Is technology the necessary and sufficient condition for our future, or is it merely one means among others, subordinate to more fundamental human choices?

We will first examine how technology appears to be the primary engine of human evolution and thus of our future. Then, we will show that it does not necessarily guarantee a desirable future and that it cannot by itself guide humanity. Finally, we will argue that if our future does depend on technology, it is insofar as we choose how to use it — which brings us back to our ethical and political responsibility.

I. Technology as the decisive engine of human development

Technology, understood as the set of means invented by humans to transform their environment, is one of the fundamental traits of humanity. Since prehistoric times, the use of tools has distinguished Homo habilis from its ancestors: technology appears as consubstantial to our species, as Henri Bergson points out in Creative Evolution: “Man is the being who makes tools.”

Since then, every technological advance has marked a major turning point in history: writing, printing, the steam engine, electricity, the Internet… all these inventions have radically changed our societies, our modes of production, communication, and thought. Today, innovations in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, robotics, or energy heavily shape economic models, public policies, and ecological prospects for tomorrow.

In this sense, the future seems to depend on our ability to invent new technologies, to respond with technical means to the challenges of our time: climate crisis, pandemics, aging populations, resource scarcity. From a deterministic perspective, technology appears not only as a driving force but as a condition for humanity’s survival. This is what Heidegger discusses in The Question Concerning Technology, when he asserts that modern technology is no longer merely a tool, but a “challenging” of nature — a way of extracting all its available resources. It shapes our worldview, and therefore, our future.

II. But a future governed solely by technology is dangerous and illusory

However, to consider that our future depends exclusively on technology is to forget that it does not think for itself. It is a means, not an end. It is at the service of human intentions — for better or for worse. History abounds in examples of technology being used for destructive purposes: nuclear weapons, mass surveillance, uncontrolled genetic manipulation. As Hans Jonas warns, technological progress does not necessarily imply moral progress.

Technology can therefore both serve the future and harm it, depending on how it is used. It is a power that is fundamentally ambivalent. The atomic bomb and radiation therapy both use nuclear energy, but their aims are radically different. Far from automatically ensuring a better future, technology raises fundamental ethical questions: how far should we go in manipulating life? Are we still free in a world dominated by algorithms? Who truly benefits from technological innovation?

Consequently, reducing the future to a technical dependency would be to deny humanity’s capacity to choose, to exercise free will. It would mean abandoning our future to a logic of efficiency and profitability that ignores essential values such as justice, freedom, or human dignity.

III. Our future depends on technology, insofar as we remain its masters

Rather than viewing technology as a fatality, we must acknowledge that our future depends on how we design, regulate, and direct it. Humans remain the originators of technology: it is the fruit of our inventive mind, but also of our collective choices. In this sense, our future depends on technology only insofar as we integrate it within a broader political, philosophical, and ethical vision.

Hannah Arendt, in The Human Condition, emphasizes the distinction between labor, work, and action. While technology belongs to the domain of “work” — that is, fabrication — “action” involves freedom and responsibility. It is through political action, democratic debate, education, and critical reflection that humanity can direct the use of technology toward a desirable future.

Moreover, some of the most crucial questions for our future — such as the meaning of life, social justice, the relationship to others or to nature — cannot be answered by technology. These questions concern our deepest humanity. Technology can offer solutions to problems, but it does not define what a good life is, what a just world is, or what a harmonious society looks like. These concerns belong to philosophy, culture, and ethics.

Therefore, our future does not depend on technology per se, but on our ability to inscribe it within a vision of the world that is both humane and responsible.

Conclusion

It would be unrealistic to deny that technology plays a fundamental role in shaping our future: it transforms our ways of living, addresses major challenges, and opens unprecedented possibilities. But it is not neutral, nor self-sufficient. The future cannot rely solely on a means, without reflection on the ends.

Thus, our future does depend on technology, not as a fatality, but as a choice — the choice to use it for the common good, in accordance with human values. The real question is not whether technology will shape our future, but whether we will be able to shape technology toward a truly human future.

[sesamenom]

the man in the moon went on too many sidequests

hilarious how the Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late / Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon implies that tilion once wandered off, got drunk, and after being dragged back he fell out of the Moon and got stuck in a fishing net

[jubshead]

Hello guysss

So as some of you (very few) know, I’ll be taking a very important test in February 2nd and unfortunately I have decided to go on hiatus and uninstall tumblr until it has passed

I’m also at the end of my college semester, so everything is pilling up and tumblr is distracting me immensely

I promise I’ll be back with more fics as soon as I can!! And until then, wish me luck y’all!!

Ohhh and I’ll probably not read my notifications when I’m back, cause it’s gonna be a month piled up, so if there’s something important you want to say, ask or request (whatever), my inbox will me open!!

[tokkibean]

its not even that i dont have writing motivation I HAVE TRUCKFULS AND OCEANFULS OF IT EXCEPT THE WORDS ARE NOT PROPERLY WORD-ING

[ezrabjork]

My Current Concern as a Writer/Artist:

Posting my work on AO3 after a hiatus, hoping it's good and satisfying enough for the wait

[clarkthetimed]

Birthday present for @uncontrol-freak!!! A cutesy little fanart of their tentacled outsider au 🥰 (an au that has permanently altered my brain chemistry btw)

Making this into a keychain as well, with plans to send it your way soon, Voidkeeper! Simplified png for the 3d print including my hand-painting plans below the cut:

[meezer]

outline for our upcoming booktok slop

I think that romantasy is where the biggest jackpot is, so let's aim for that. let's set it in ambiguous medieval times.

of COURSE we need a love triangle and yes of COURSE the endgame romance will be with the shadow daddy while the other guy never even stood a chance (though the narrative insists they're on equal footing vis a vis the female main character's affection). I also think the love interest should be able to shapeshift into some kind of ferocious but still normie-appealing mythical creature. think dragon. let's make him have a balrog-esque form.

the romance should be pretty easy to write, there are so many examples of exactly the dynamic that sells best. it's very important that the man is an irredeemable piece of shit and that the protagonist is head over heels in love with him anyway, only occasionally paying lip service to "oh he's so dangerous 🥵..." but never actually letting herself be dissuaded by how much this guy fucking sucks.

the characters will have a lot of sex. this must be the selling point of the book and the basis of their relationship basically, but the brain-off reader must never feel like the love interest is only using our protagonist for sex! this is a fuckbuddy situation masquerading as a genuine love bond, and the narrative and characters will all validate this as true, fated love. if the lovers ever have a tender moment between the two of them, it MUST include a phrase or trope from our repository. see "who did this to you?!" (loud gag. sorry. sorry. couldn't keep it in), see "I'd tear down the world just for you" etc etc.

our female main character must be enough of a blank slate for each reader to project onto her and live vicariously through her steamy encounters. but she must have some defined personality traits (quirky, sassy, naturally beautiful but never vain). the narrative will at times imply she is smart but her actions rarely back this up with actual intuition or investigation or curiosity about the world around her.

we absolutely need to do false advertising on tiktok for this. don't outright lie about what the book is, of course, we still need to reach our audience, but you can straight up make tiktoks about scenes that don't actually exist in the book and you can get away with it. AA of lightl*rk fame did it, we should too.

[soupedepates]

I fell in love with The coffin of Andy and LeyLey

I am an incestuous SA survivor with issues yk. And it was with a sibling. I thought I was pregnant for 9 months.

But looking at those freaks enabling and making the other worse through murders, cannibalism, theft and demon invocation?

That. That is brilliant.

That's fucking cathartic and brilliant.

Because it's destroying them both and you see it, you SEE it.

If you can't handle a bit of problematic media grow the fuck up. This isn't romanticized. This is gruesome, and that's what makes it wonderful.

And come on, you can handle cannibalism, murder, body desacretion and parricide, but you draw the line at incest? You're full of shit.

The narrative ain't positive here darling. It's fine if you prefer cozy games, but don't annoy the hell of the ones that want to be disturbed, distraught and anguished by a video game.

[ghostdnfie]

wait why do some ppl on twt seem to think dream’s stance on this was ‘fuck artists and writers’ and brushing off their worries 😭 he never said anything remotely related to supporting generative ai replacing creativity

[faunalregion]

[shorthaltsjester]

“it’s their show” and “it’s an adaptation” don’t both get to be used to defend tlovm’s weaker choices btw. either it’s just their show (that the cast has explicitly said one of their favourite parts of tlovm is doing it for the fans and seeing reactions — notably different than the campaigns which are For Them) or it’s a story they are trying to tell in a different medium while maintaining the things that made it poignant and significant to an audience in the first place. and, uh, i think the problems i see in tlovm is literally that the show seems to be trying to thread the needle of both of these and it’s failing. truly. i need you to choose one and commit to it. make it just your show and write the version of the story you most want to see or start making more compelling and consistent writing choices. one. i might suggest in a show committed to 7 main characters, is giving all of them depth, given that every person i’ve spoken to who hasn’t seen the campaign and watched the show has told me how they think the characters aren’t always strongly written and the pace is weird and that there are many things that get touched on with characters and their arcs that are interesting but do not have enough depth. i think tlovm has great entertainment value. i think it’s depth as a cohesive story about a party of adventures turned found family is a bit more questionable (which is unfortunate given its title). i don’t need the campaign in animated form, but if interviews are going to consistently reference wanting to appeal to og fans while bringing in new ones, paying attention to what actually kept people watching 4 hours of occasionally meandering plots and long dnd initiatives every week might be a better guiding point than the shock and surprise they have frequently cited in interviews. and obviously that varies from person to person, but one of the most significant strengths of a table of actors playing dnd was, surprise surprise, the characters and their interactions.