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madamepestilence · 1 year ago

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2024 US Election Information

We have roughly 1 year until the 2024 US election. I've put in some research, and here are my conclusions.

TLDR for those of you who don't have time or focus: Cornel West (Democratic Socialist running as People's Party -> Green Party) is the ideal candidate to vote for - normally I wouldn't advocate voting third party, but we may actually have a shot for once, and he has excellent policies. Jill Stein (Green Party) is a potential backup, though if West drops out, our best option for Democratic party is Marianne Williamson.

Please spread this information, especially to residents of Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada. Detailed information under the cut.

Current Fascist and Republican Candidates

Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Tim Scott, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Ryan Binkley, and Doug Burgum.

I'm not going to entertain their details, but I will note that the information I picked up while being exposed to alt-right communities from the inside via my fascist parents earlier this year shows strong evidence that Republicans are likely going to split between Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis (viewed as a betrayal by Trump supporters), and openly fascist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (I'll cover him later).

My guess is a 6/3/1 Republican vote split between Trump/DeSantis/Kennedy, Jr..

Current Democratic Candidates

Joe Biden, Marianne Williamson, and Dean Philips.

Biden has overall failed to complete the majority of his campaign promises, and has been directly supporting Israel during the genocide of Palestine, as well as deferring to Republicans to be "bipartisan" (I don't think I have to stress enough that a bipartisan democrat is not a democrat) - do not vote for him.

Williamson is a high-school educated 71-year-old author from Los Angeles, California. She is known for being Oprah Winfrey's, "spiritual advisor," (double red flag), and dropped out during the 2020 election (another red flag).

While she supports the reinstatement of Roe v. Wade, the decriminalization of cannabis and psychedelic drugs, the reduction of CO2, and moving to 100% renewable energy by 2035, her advocacy for the outright banning of assault and semi-assault weapons for civilians without military reform of the same is a slight red flag when combined with her relationship with Oprah Winfrey (an Obama supporter, the president who authorized quite a lot of drone strikes in West Asia) and drop-out makes her not a great candidate.

Philips is a Bachelor's (Brown University) and Master's Business (University of Minnesota) educated 54-year-old three-term congressman who is noted for criticizing Biden running for a second term on account of both political moderacy and medical concerns.

Philips unfortunately wants to increase police funding for some reason, but advocated for better training, including mental health training. He also advocates for what he calls, "comprehensive immigration reform," in the form of increased border security and streamlining legal entry (this ignores the problem outlined by the UN that people seeking asylum are likely to have to enter a country illegally before they can seek support), and the only real good stance he has is giving reproductive rights to patients, rather than politicians.

Philips is essentially a moderate Republican, and is a bad candidate. Do not vote for him.

Current Independent Candidates

Fascist (not his stated political stance, but it's what he is)

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a fascist that has openly quoted Nazi propaganda in his political campaigns, is an anti-vaccine activist, and has spread anti-science conspiracy theories such as vaccines causing autism and the non-existence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. I cannot stress this enough, do not fucking vote for Kennedy, Jr.

Democratic Socialist

Cornel West is a Bachelor's (Harvard University), Master's, and Ph.D. (both Princeton University) educated 70-year-old progressive activist that switched his running party from the People's Party to the Green Party, despite being a both public- and self-described democratic socialist.

When asked why he wasn't running as a Democrat against Biden, he stated that, "Neither party is speaking to the pressing needs of poor and working people."

His party plans are a wealth tax on the rich, a national $27 minimum wage, a federal Universal Basic Income, 6 months of paid family leave, a 4-day work week, national free Pre-K childcare, "Immediate cessation of all oil and gas leasing projects on federal lands and waters," "Federal moratorium on fracking, carbon capture, and direct air capture technologies, geoengineering, and other false climate solutions," putting abortion rights in the Constitution, and nationalized healthcare.

Here's where I want to lay out something important. I normally wouldn't advocate for voting for a third party candidate due to the Spoiler Effect, but

Considering the United States' Democratic majority, popular vote records showing a common Republican minority, the absolutely incredible policies West stands for,

The growing support for third parties in the United States, and his policies aligning with public opinion,

Cornel West is the ideal candidate to vote for. Spread this information like wildfire - we may have one shot at the first third party win in US history in the upcoming 2024 election, and

If successful the dominant parties will be Fascist vs. Socialist, denying most, if not all, future Republican wins.

Our target toss-up states are Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

Converting Texas to third party, or even just Democrat, will throw the Republican vote entirely and all but guarantee a Democrat, or hopefully third party, 2024 election win,

Which is absolutely possible, as Texas is majority Democrat and wins Republican votes via gerrymandering despite public opinion, which is why it swings occasionally.

Democrat states also need to be switched to majority third party votes, with particular emphasis on California, New York, and Illinois.

GET PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR CORNEL WEST!

Reference map of polling for the future 2024 election:

Libertarian (slightly Conservative to alt-right, really depends on the person)

Chase Oliver is a surprisingly progressive high school educated 38-year-old anti-war Libertarian that left the Democratic party after witnessing Obama's aggressive anti-West Asian war policies who has expressed desires for criminal justice reform and ending wars abroad, though hasn't elaborated on either.

Green Party

Jill Stein is a Bachelor's (Harvard University) and Medical (Harvard Medical University) 73-year-old Jewish doctor who previously ran for and represented the Green-Rainbow Party as the governor of Massachusetts.

Stein is notable for being an activist and protestor who has both protested outside buildings and testified before legislative and other government bodies against coal plants, mercury leaks, and unclean and unsafe groundwater.

Presumably, her stances will focus on environmental protections, trans rights, and Jewish protections, making her a potential alternative should West drop out.

Conclusions:

Again, don't fucking vote for Trump, Haley, Ramaswamy, Hutchinson, Scott, DeSantis, Christie, Binkley, Burgum, Biden, Philips, or Kennedy, Jr..

Our potential backup Democratic candidate is Williamson.

The ideal candidate is West, with Stein as a viable backup.

As absurd as it sounds, I want you to vote third party for Cornel West.

If you want a wealth tax on the rich, a national $27 minimum wage, a federal Universal Basic Income,

6 months of paid family leave, a 4-day work week, national free Pre-K childcare,

"Immediate cessation of all oil and gas leasing projects on federal lands and waters," "Federal moratorium on fracking, carbon capture, and direct air capture technologies, geoengineering, and other false climate solutions,"

putting abortion rights in the Constitution, and nationalized healthcare,

VOTE FOR CORNEL WEST AND GET OTHER PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME.

WE HAVE A CHANCE AT THE FIRST THIRD PARTY WIN IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE DENIAL OF FUTURE REPUBLICAN WINS.

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justanotherrpmeme · 6 months ago

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The Fall

I'm pretty sure it's the thought that counts. Come on, it's Saturday night. You should be out having fun. Maybe I should just accept the fact that I'm going to be alone. One of them had a micro-penis, but the rest were absolutely normal. There's a few things on my iPad you probably shouldn't see anyway. So why are you hanging out here on a Saturday night? I want a man who's there when I want him I will give you $20 if you get a dog and name it Oprah Winfrey. Are you guys having issues? I mean, more than usual? If you look past the icy exterior, and the layers of walls, there's actually an amazing [woman|man|person] in there. No, my reflexes are sharper when I'm high. Can I try the Uber Fudgey Brownie Batter again? I'm sorry, you guys are blocking a fire exit The doctor's reviewing your x-rays. He'll be right with you. Stop catastrophizing. I did not break my hip. What we want to worry about is tissue necrosis. I'm sorry, is surgery absolutely necessary? I don't want to have surgery. I've never had surgery. What, are you writing a book about me? When's the last time you had something to eat? You'll do better next time, but that was good. Are you in pain? What can I do? Can I get you some pudding, or Jell-O? You can leave. Why are you even here? I'll tell you what I'm doing great at is keeping my hands off your throat. Oh, look at you, all wise-cracking. You must be feeling better. I was on drugs! I'm here, aren't I? You want to be in this hospital alone? You can be a real asshole sometimes, you know that? I'm concerned that you hit your head when you fell after all. To rule out any brain trauma I'd like to do an MRI. Would you like me to get you some Ativan? I went to the cafeteria to get pudding. It's like I'm just some annoyance you're forced to put up with. I'm just like you… but with a better personality. I don't want to face this crappy part of my life alone. [name] just friended me on Facebook. It's kind of creepy. We need a girls' night. Just us girls.

#rp starter #rp ask #roleplay meme #rp meme #sentence meme

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jazlynriddle · 14 days ago

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Heavy Is The Crown Ch 3:

Summary:

In the wake of Solomon's death, Ominis decides that Sebastian cannot be trusted to make sound judgement and takes measures to ensure that Sebastian will present no danger to himself or others. Sebastian was lucky this time, the new fifth-year and Anne were willing to spare him, but the next time Sebastian crosses a line, Ominis might not be able to save him from death or Azkaban. Ominis has practically lost Anne, he cannot lose Sebastian too, and he will do whatever it takes to protect Sebastian. Even from himself.

Warnings: Sebastian x Ominis! Smut! Dubious consent (that is actually very consensual)! Post-canon! These idiots can't communicate to save their lives, but they'll get there by the end, I only write happy endings.

You can also read on AO3! (chapter specific warnings below)

Notes:

Warnings: Mindfuckery, torture, mental breakdown, PTSD, angsty sex. The “sex as coping mechanism” tag is here for this chapter lol

We're gonna rewind a bit at the start of this chapter, so ya'll get to see poor Ominis, leading up to him showing up at the end of the last chapter xD

Sweet Merlin, he hated the Minister. Ominis sighed as he waited outside the Ministry building for a carriage to return to the Gaunt estate, rubbing his fingers over his brow to soothe his headache.

Next chapter's the happy ending you've all been waiting for! =D

Edit: Hey, I found a nice quote for this chapter, Oprah though, wow, that's a surprisingly good line.

"The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth will set you free." ~ Oprah Winfrey

The man was so bloody selfish and lazy, Ominis didn't even need to do anything more than flash the creep a demure smile to convince the prick to steer wizarding Britain in the direction he wanted. Or at least, the direction that his father wanted.

Though, Ominis supposed that he was grateful, at least, that the Minister was a first generation half-blood, so his family didn't expect him to bend over for the man. If he'd been a mudblood, Marvolo would probably have just kidnapped the man for a week to break his mind and throw him back into the seat, a puppet.

Ominis paused and pinched the bridge of his nose as the carriage arrived, and the cabbie opened the door for him with a click. Muggleborn, not mudblood. Bloody hell.

“Are you alright, sir?” The cabbie asked.

“I'm fine.” Ominis snapped irritably.

“Of course, my apologies, sir.” The cabbie gave a flustered bow, scampering out of the way as Ominis stepped towards the carriage with a sigh.

Halting his stride and forcing down his pride, Ominis paused to face the cabbie.

“No, it is I who should apologise. I'm just having a bad day, here's a little extra in remuneration.” Shaking his head and slipping his free hand into his coat pocket, Ominis withdrew several coins to drop into the cabbie's hand.

“T- thank you, sir!” The cabbie exclaimed and Ominis stepped inside, sitting down before the carriage pulled out of the drive.

He really wished he could just apparate back to the estate, but his damn paranoid family had anti-apparition wards on the grounds and the bloody manor wasn't hooked up to the floo. At least the estate wasn't very far away, but anything that kept him away from Sebastian longer than necessary grated on his nerves.

He needed Sebastian. This job, these people, were driving him insane. Ominis ached to return to those years he'd spent living with Sebastian and Anne in Feldcroft, even if Solomon wasn't the nicest person, he was far better than Ominis’ own parents. After having had a taste of a life with warmth, returning to his place as a pureblood lord was agonising.

Now, the only thing he had to look forward to every damn day was coming back home to Sebastian, and coming in Sebastian, Ominis chuckled to himself. The brunet's terrible humour must be rubbing off on him.

At least his parents weren't pressuring him to come inside anyone else, worried that he might pass on his defects to any future heirs. He supposed that was something to be grateful to Marvolo for, if Ominis had been the only son, they'd probably expect him to carry on the family lineage anyway.

So, he could play with Sebastian as much as he wanted and remain loyal to his beloved, without worrying about much else besides upholding the ‘family honour’. He supposed, in the grand scheme of things, that he was lucky. He'd escaped his family for several years and brought home a souvenir, that was something, right?

A bitter voice in the back of his head reminded him that, even if he managed to build his own contacts and network, even if he left the family manor, even after his parents died, he would simply be forced to follow Marvolo's political dictation then.

Ominis would still be expected to tow the line, but at least Sebastian would be safe, even if he must suffer the shame of being a pretty mouthpiece for the Gaunt family. Even if he must bear the guilt of knowing how many people his manipulation was fucking over, even if the ease with which it came disgusted him.

As such thoughts plagued him, Ominis felt the wards around Sebastian's cell go off, and he sighed. He just had to choose to escape today, again. Not that there was ever a good time for Sebastian to escape, but still.

Leaning forward, Ominis raised his cane, the serpent eyes carved into its handle glowing red as he tapped it against the glass window between himself and the cabbie, to get his attention. “Excuse me, please hold the carriage for a moment.”

“Yes, sir!” The cabbie replied, bringing the carriage to a stop.

“Nobbs.” Ominis called, and a moment later, he heard the sound of a house elf's pop across from him.

“Yes, young master?” The elf asked politely.

“My pet has escaped again, find him and detain him till I return.” Ominis instructed simply.

“Yes, young master.” The elf answered promptly and popped away when Ominis waved a hand in dismissal.

Leaning across the gap again, Ominis called to the cabbie. “Thank you for halting, now please make all due haste to the estate. I need to be there urgently.”

“Yes, sir!” The cabbie nodded and cracked the whip, spurring the horses into a sprint.

Reclining once more against the back of his seat, Ominis sighed, hopefully the elves wouldn't have a hard time finding and detaining Sebastian. His wilful lover had managed to trip and injure his leg - while trying to dodge the elves’ magic - the last time he'd escaped, and Ominis didn't want to apologise to his parents if Sebastian managed to break something again.

It felt like forever before the carriage finally came to a stop outside the Gaunt manor and Ominis hurried inside, calling for Nobbs once more.

“My apologies, young master, but we haven't been able to find him.” The elf apologised and Ominis could practically hear him wringing his hands. “None of us saw him leave the manor so he must still be on the grounds, but we're not sure where he might be.”

Ominis was about to respond, when the sound of one of the vents opening nearby, came accompanied by soft hisses. “Younglings are all home, tis rare indeed.”

Frowning, Ominis hissed in parseltongue. “Esmerelda, have you seen my pet?”

“Younger youngling's spotted pet? Not today, but I smelled him near the low stairs.” The snake hissed in reply.

So, he'd left the dungeon... hang on, Ominis paused. “All younglings? Nobbs, has my brother returned from his trip?”

“Yes, young master. He returned this morning.” The elf confirmed and Ominis felt a spark of alarm.

“Esmerelda, did you smell my older brother there too?” Ominis hissed, hoping that she would say no.

Unfortunately, the snake answered with a simple. “Yes.”

Ominis felt his stomach turn to ice and he took off running, he checked his brother's room first, banging on the door and hearing nothing within, before hurrying down to the dungeons, trying desperately not to panic.

This was the absolute worst possible scenario.

The door to Sebastian's cell was still slightly ajar and he checked inside momentarily, before going to the other doors and opening them one at a time, poking his wand inside to scan for his beloved. Esmerelda and the elves hadn't found evidence that Sebastian had left the manor, so Marvolo couldn’t have stolen Sebastian away, but which cel-

A muffled scream came from further down the corridor and Ominis’ heart clenched in fear, following the cries till he found its source and with no time to waste, he threw the door open.

“Ominis...” Sebastian’s voice was hoarse from screaming and Ominis could hear the sob in his throat.

A fury unlike anything he'd ever felt before burned through him when his wand told him that, inside the room, was Sebastian, uncovered and strung up by his wrists, on his knees, while his older brother knelt behind him, those filthy hands on his Sebastian's bare and bleeding arse.

“Little brother! How nice of you to join us!” Marvolo laughed and Ominis had never wanted to commit fratricide so much. He ripped his wand from its cane sheath and pointed it at his brother, breath hissing through his teeth as Ominis seethed.

“Oh, now, now, don't do anything rash. I've got a knife here and my hand might just slip and...” Marvolo chuckled meaningfully and fear cut through Ominis’ rage like a blade of ice.

“Stop!” He shouted, feeling as helpless as he'd been as a child, being told to cast the Cruciatus curse. “Just give him back to me, he's mine!”

“Oh, of course my dear, I just wanted to know for sure.” Marvolo's smile was audible in his voice and Ominis wanted to rip it off his face. “You know, I was worried when you first came back, I thought you might be trying to get dirt on our family. Wouldn't want a traitor in our midst after all.”

“Just shut up and give him back.” Ominis pleaded.

He couldn't give less of a fuck what his brother thought of him right now, he could still hear Sebastian wheezing in pain as he hung in that awful position. He needed to go to Sebastian, needed to heal him, hold him and comfort him. He had no idea what his brother had already done to Sebastian and the thought turned his stomach.

“Come now, there's no need to rush, I just want to express how proud I am of you.” Marvolo's tone was disgustingly sweet, and it took several moments before Ominis could process what he'd said.

When it finally did sink in, Ominis was left no less confused and couldn't help but blurt out a bewildered. “What? What in Merlin's name are you on about?”

“Why, your ingenuity and exquisite taste, of course.” Marvolo laughed. “I never thought of getting a toy that needs to remain sane for love. He’ll never break and never stop fighting. Clever.”

Ominis bristled, deeply offended by the garbage his brother was spewing. Whatever, his brother could think what he liked about Ominis as long as it didn't affect him. “...are you done?”

“Not quite, please, tell me little brother, I'm absolutely dying to know, is his sister still alive?” The question sounded genuinely curious and Ominis stiffened, how did he know about Anne?

Marvolo seemed to take his surprise as hesitation, and he quickly followed up with. “Oh, right, sorry, wouldn't want to spoil your fun. Here, I'll knock him out. Stupefy.”

The spell hit Sebastian, and his chains rattled as he went limp.

Ominis’ mind raced, how should he answer? He wasn't even close to ready to move Sebastian out of his family's reach.

Should he lie? No, Marvolo would check, and he didn't doubt that his brother would be able to find Sebastian's identity, with enough time. His slimy brother would tell his parents and they would start scrutinising his activities even more than they already did. That would hinder his attempts to gain some independence from them.

The freedom to protect Sebastian.

If he told the truth... Marvolo would hold it over him. Ominis knew his brother. Marvolo would threaten to tell Sebastian the truth if Ominis didn't comply.

But even if Marvolo told Sebastian, that was fine, wasn't it? Sebastian loved him, if Ominis told him that Marvolo was lying, Sebastian would believe him.

Sebastian would trust him over his brother.

Sebastian loved him.

Ominis bit his lip, why did it still feel so terrible? “...she died last year.”

Marvolo burst into laughter. “Oh that is incredible! You must really hate this poor little thing.”

“What?” Ominis hissed, offended and confused in equal measure, and he was getting tired of feeling that ungodly mix. His patience was wearing thin and his strength draining by the moment.

“To hold him in a state of suspended anxiety and desperation, of course!” Marvolo cackled in delight. “Oh what glorious torture! I must rescind my title of ‘most cruel’ in the Gaunt house, my dear, that is positively evil!”

Evil? Me? Ominis’ eyes were wide, struck speechless by the very notion. Torture? What I've don-

He could hear Marvolo stepping closer. “Tell me, little brother, does it feel good to fuck him, knowing that she's already dead?”

“...!” Ominis choked, tasting bile on his tongue.

“You must let me watch if you ever tell him, ahhh, it'll be spectacular I'm sure, knowing that his jailer kept him on the edge of madness for years while fucking his pretty freckled arse.” That's not what I- “Speaking of which, do you want him to carry your children? Is that why you plug him up? I mean, I get that too.”

“That-” couldn’t be further from the truth, I don't want to bring more of our cursed bloodline into this world!

“I know a ritual, there's a high chance of death in childbirth, but if you want, I can give it to you. Your seed wouldn't go to waste then.” Shutupshutupshutup- “Though, in exchange, I must ask that you let me have a go at him if you do. I happen to have a thing for pregnan-”

“Crucio.” The spell slipped out of Ominis’ mouth easily, so easily, too easily. The pain that had been building in his chest, from the insane and vile, horrendous, nonsense that his brother was spewing.

The spell seemed to catch Marvolo off guard, and for a moment, there was blissful silence.

Then the screams began, they were nothing like the sounds that Ominis had heard in the Scriptorium, when they had been forced to cast the spell to escape. These were real shrieks of agony, all the pain he'd wanted to inflict on his brother after years of torture, torment and scorn, after what he'd done to Sebastian, to my Sebastian.

What Marvolo wanted to do to Sebastian, was inexcusable, unacceptable, he should suffer, it was right for him to suffer. For Marvolo to taste the fruits of his own making, for him to experience the same curse he'd cast on Ominis, the curse he'd forced Ominis to learn. This was what he deserved. This was justice. This was righteousness. This was-

Madness.

Ominis felt his face contort with horror when, mingled within the screams, he could hear laughter. His brother, under the Cruciatus curse... was laughing.

Shock and confusion disrupted his focus, his anger replaced with disgust and the spell broke free from Ominis’ grasp, the sound of harsh panting interspersed with giddy laughter filled the room.

“Ha... ha... ha... my my... brother, I didn't think- think you had that in you.” Marvolo's wheezes were tired and pained, but despite it all, his tone was still as cheerful as it had been, even as it trembled. “Alright, I- I get it, he's yours to torture. Didn't... hah... think you'd be so... territorial, but I suppose... you'd have to be pretty obsessed to play such- such a long game.”

He couldn’t take this any longer, Ominis gripped the sides of his head between his hands - he felt like he was losing his mind - and he shouted desperately. “Shut up! You don't know anything! We're in love!”

There was a long moment of silence following his declaration, stretching into the void, before it was finally broken.

“...pfffttt hahahaha!” He could hear Marvolo rolling on the floor with the force of his laughter, coughing and hacking for a moment, before propping himself up on his elbows with a satisfied sigh. “Good one, little brother!”

“Come on, are you really talking about love? In a relationship like this?” Marvolo's voice was snide and relaxed as he caught his breath. “I've yet to own a pet that doesn't bend over readily to keep me happy. Say anything I want to hear. And the fact that he keeps trying to escape, that he even has reason to seek escape from your grasp, means neither of you love each other.”

It felt like his words were touching something, something deep in the pit of Ominis’ stomach, something he'd buried a long time ago. Something he'd tried to forget, to ignore, digging it out to the surface and exposing its rotting carcass to the air.

Ominis shook his head frantically, trying, struggling to bury it again, as he choked out a weak. “You're wrong.”

“Ha! Call me evil, call me sick, but I'm not wrong, even I know that love doesn't look like this. Disarming and disempowering each other, you don't think mother and father love each other, do you?” Marvolo scoffed in amusement, getting to his feet in a rustle of cloth. “Maybe you haven't quite outgrown your naivete, but that's fine, you're heading in the right direction.”

Marvolo strolled over towards him, the leisurely taps of his shoes against stone echoing through the cell as he spoke, as though the man hadn't just been under the Cruciatus curse mere minutes ago.

“You're finally one of us. My holier-than-thou little brother, it's so satisfying to see you lose your wings.” His voice was disgustingly happy as it hissed in Ominis’ ear, his hand bitingly cold against Ominis’ shoulder. “I look forward to the day when you're just like me.”

“Have fun with your toy, little brother.” With that, the man left the cell, and devastation in his wake.

Ominis clutched at his head for several more minutes, breath shaky as he struggled to hold himself together, scrambling to put his pieces back together.

His brother was wrong. What did he know about Sebastian or Ominis. They'd been best friends since they were eleven, they'd been through thick and thin together. Their bond had been strong enough to survive everything from Anne's curse to Solomon's murder.

Sebastian had listened to him in the end, become quiet and obedient, after Solomon. Even before Ominis put him in chains, Sebastian had chosen to submit, to follow Ominis’ lead.

Because he trusted you.

Ominis shook his head. No, because Sebastian loved him, because Sebastian knew that everything Ominis did, he did for Sebastian.

Yet you betrayed his trust and kept him locked up when he wanted out.

He hadn't! He hadn't betrayed Sebastian, he'd done what was best for Sebastian.

Lied to him.

He- but- it was to protect Sebastian-

If you really believed in your bond... wouldn't it have survived Anne's death too?

A soft groan of discomfort came from Sebastian's unconscious form and Ominis jolted from his thoughts. What was he doing? Sebastian was still hanging from his chains, on his knees, bleeding, and here he was having a crisis in the bloody doorway.

Stumbling forward and crouching, Ominis removed his coat and set it on his knee for the moment. Before wrapping his arms around Sebastian, carrying the brunet's weight against his chest as Ominis flicked his wand and released the chains from the bar on the ceiling.

It was such a relief, to hold him, to feel his warmth, to have Sebastian safe in his arms again. He pressed his nose into Sebastian's hair and breathed in deep, cradling the brunet close for a soothing moment.

Wrapping his coat around Sebastian's body, Ominis carefully lifted the young man in his arms, his stomach tightening when he did so with ease. Uncertainty gnawed at Ominis’ insides as he stood and began carrying Sebastian back to his own room.

Would Sebastian have lost so much weight if he knew the truth? Was it just from disuse and being locked up in here, or was he the reason that Sebastian’s condition had been worsening over the years? Was he really torturing Sebastian emotionally? Would moving out with Sebastian, and giving him a better environment, really change nothing?

The clattering of Sebastian's chains dragging along the floor grated on his ears, reminding Ominis that his own chains - the chains he'd put on Sebastian - had been used by his brother to bind Sebastian.

To tie him up while Marvolo did whatever he wanted with his Sebastian.

The thought brought Ominis’ anger back as he set Sebastian down on his bed and shut the door behind him. It took nary a moment's thought, to wrap the chains around the bed frame and melt the ends together, before Ominis began to inspect Sebastian's injuries, finding three large gashes, a cut, and a puncture wound.

It felt disgusting to think that Marvolo's hands had been on Sebastian, touching his bare skin, and there was a moment of fear as Ominis checked between his legs. Before being quite overcome with relief, when he found the butt plug still in place and just to be certain, Ominis carefully eased it out and slipped a finger inside, finding to further relief, only the fading remnants of his own seed.

What else had his brother done to Sebastian? His Sebastian. That ugly feeling reared its head inside Ominis once again, his claim had been challenged, his ownership of his treasure's heart and body had been challenged. Sebastian was his.

Right?

Grinding his teeth together, Ominis slipped another finger in.

As he did so, Sebastian groaned again, flinching as he jolted into wakefulness, disoriented and confused, experiencing his own moment of fear when he felt someone between his legs and fingers in him. Was it Ominis? Or-

“Sebastian, it's okay. It's me.” Ominis murmured, and Sebastian relaxed, releasing a sob of relief and reaching out to cling to his shoulders. “Did he touch you in here?”

Sebastian shook his head immediately, pretty glad that he could say as such. “No, he- he just- just the plug.”

“What else did he touch?” Ominis demanded, removing his fingers and absently casting a vanishing spell, destroying the plug with a flick.

“That- er, my mouth, I guess.” Sebastian sounded confused, though when Ominis stiffened, he quickly followed up with. “With his hand! Not his- though he said he might later, but you got there so- unless he did something else after stunning me...”

He was audibly disturbed by the possibility, and Ominis moved to reassure him. “Nothing, he did nothing further to you.”

Sebastian released a shaky breath at his words, and pressed his forehead against Ominis’ shoulder, whispering a quiet. “Thank you...”

As Sebastian clung to him, Ominis reached into the bedside drawer and removed a vial of wiggenweld potion, pouring it into his mouth, before leaning back slightly. Taking Sebastian by the chin, Ominis pressed their lips together, feeding Sebastian the potion as he'd often done before, trying not to think about how routine this action had become.

Thank you.

Sebastian had thanked him, Sebastian was grateful to him, for protecting him, for taking care of him. He wasn't thinking about how it was Ominis’ fault that he was here to begin with, right? He didn't secretly hate Ominis, and only said what Ominis wanted to hear, right?

Sebastian loved him, right?

A whimper of pain came from Sebastian's throat, and Ominis realised that his hold on the brunet's chin had tightened without his notice. Loosening his grip, he parted their lips to rub his fingers over Sebastian's mouth, itching to erase any traces of contact his brother had made with the soft skin.

“Ominis?” Sebastian murmured.

“Sebastian, you love me, right?” Ominis asked after a moment.

“Wha-”

“Answer.” Ominis hissed, tightening his grip, before flinching and letting go as though burned, swallowing. “...please...”

“I- yes, I love you, Ominis.” Sebastian's voice was shaky and confused.

His heart sank, it wasn't going away.

“Again.” Ominis pleaded, on the edge of desperate tears. “Tell me again.”

“I love you.” Sebastian whispered, leaning forward to press their lips together sweetly. “Love you.”

“Again.” Tears rolled down Ominis’ cheeks, it wasn't working, that fear wasn't going away.

Ominis’ hand moved to grip Sebastian's hips, feeling the drying flakes of blood on his skin as he slipped his fingers inside Sebastian's body again and the brunet's grip tightened on his shoulders.

“Lo- love you, Ominis...” Sebastian gasped when he brushed across his prostate, before withdrawing.

“Again.” Ominis murmured, desperately chasing freedom from the guilt gnawing at his insides as he released Sebastian and straightened to loosen his belt.

“I love you.” Sebastian breathed, sitting up with a wince as the dried blood tore from his healing wounds, clinging to the fibres of Ominis’ coat. Before pressing his lips to the half-hard member that was revealed, mouthing eagerly at the tip, seeking his own distraction from that awful encounter with Marvolo.

Sighing at the sensation against his crown, Ominis threaded his fingers into Sebastian's hair and guided his hardening length into that hot waiting mouth. He would sooner kill his brother than let him - or anyone else - take Sebastian's mouth like this. His grip tightening at the thought, Ominis pressed himself in further and began to thrust, seeking reassurance that this was still his.

If words wouldn't work, he would get it from Sebastian's body. Surely.

Bracing a hand against the headboard he pushed in till he felt the back of Sebastian's throat. It was love, wasn't it? That was why Sebastian didn't resist, obediently letting Ominis use his mouth, letting Ominis take his pleasure from his body, right?

Merlin, it felt good, it always did, being inside any part of Sebastian. Ominis wrapped his fingers loosely around Sebastian's throat, feeling the skin stretch around his length, but it wasn't enough, this wasn't what he was looking for. Maybe he needed to hear Sebastian's pleasure, to remind himself that Sebastian wanted this too.

He could hear Sebastian gasp for air as he pulled out and Ominis gave him time to catch his breath as he removed his pants fully. Before retrieving lubricant from the bedside drawer and returning to kneel between Sebastian's legs once more.

“Tell me you love me?” Ominis murmured as he pressed kisses against his neck.

“I love you.” Sebastian sighed, wrapping his arms around Ominis’ shoulders and moaning softly as he spread oil along his insides. “I love you, Ominis.”

They were so sweet, those words, and Ominis wished they would stop leaving a bitter taste when they touched his tongue. Leaning down, he captured Sebastian's lips.

Hearing them was starting to hurt.

Pressing himself inside, he listened instead, to the way Sebastian's breath caught, the deep groan in his throat. Felt the shudder that shook Sebastian's body, moaning against Ominis’ lips and tightening around his length.

Holding Sebastian's thighs around his hips, Ominis thrust into him, pleasure dancing along his spine, and panting into Sebastian's mouth as he ground against his prostate.

The sound of Sebastian moaning and keening was exactly what Ominis needed, he wanted this, clearly. Wanted to be stuffed full of Ominis’ cock, nails digging into his shoulders and legs clamped tight around his hips. Begging him to go harder, faster, Sebastian wanted this. Surely.

That hot splatter of sticky fluid as he came against Ominis’ stomach, whining into his ear as Ominis continued thrusting, holding back his own orgasm with everything he had. He didn't want to stop.

Fear of returning to that sea of doubt, bereft of the escape that pleasure provided, drove him onwards, and Ominis lapped at the beads of sweat pooling in his collar, rocking in and out of Sebastian's oversensitive body, dragging wails from his throat. Unheeding of his whimpers of pain as Ominis coaxed another - now dry - orgasm from Sebastian, his nails leaving burning lines across Ominis’ back as he thrashed.

At which point, Ominis could no longer contain himself and emptied his heat into Sebastian's body, but it still wasn't enough. The fear began creeping back, even as Ominis panted against Sebastian's nape, and he attempted to distract himself. Running his hands along Sebastian's thighs, digging his nails into the healing gashes and suckling on the closing puncture wound on his collar, feeling Sebastian jolt and tremble in his arms.

He wanted to forget, wanted to forget the truth that he'd buried for five years, the truth that Marvolo had revealed. That he'd discarded the reason he'd locked Sebastian up to begin with. The truth, that he'd panicked when Sebastian confessed his love, that he'd surrendered to his fear of losing that love. That he'd gone from wanting to protect Sebastian's light, to desperate to keep Sebastian by his side, no matter what.

Ominis, please, let me go. I'm already yours, I promise, you won't lose me.

Sebastian's words that day... he hadn't been able to believe them, because deep down, he'd known, even then, that he couldn’t trust anything Sebastian said in here. Not while Ominis held power over him, over Sebastian's agency.

He bit down on Sebastian's heaving chest, feeling the brunet's length slowly hardening against his stomach again as Sebastian whined and clutched at his arms. So, he'd sought reassurance in Sebastian's body. The body could surely not lie. If Sebastian felt disgust or anger towards him, how could he produce such moans of delight? How could he offer Ominis his body so eagerly?

His own length almost hurt when Ominis resumed thrusting into Sebastian, his erection only barely recovered in the few minutes he'd spent... claiming? Cleansing? Reinstating his ownership of Sebastian's body?

Was there even any point in that? Marking Sebastian, claiming him, caging him. Fighting so hard to maintain the status quo, freezing their relationship in time, for fear that it wouldn't survive the grief of Anne's loss, that Sebastian would never recover. That he wouldn't be able to handle it if Sebastian needed to rely on him.

It was so much easier to provide for Sebastian in a material way, feed him, clothe him, fuck him. He knew how to handle an angry Sebastian, raging and railing against fate, but how could he carry a grieving and broken Sebastian when he couldn’t even carry himself? When he hadn't even managed to be with Anne in her last days, the pain in her voice too much to bear.

The thought of hearing her breath stop, of carrying that memory for the rest of his days, was too painful to even consider.

He'd robbed Sebastian of the chance to be with her in her final moments, even if she'd said she'd rather Sebastian not carry the vision of her passing. That it was enough that he'd borne the weight of their parents’ death, and it'd driven him mad with fear.

Ominis knew deep down that this was worse. If he hadn't chained Sebastian down, he'd have gone to her side, regardless of what she'd said.

Sebastian would have gotten some form of closure.

Ominis clutched tighter at his hips and thrust with abandon, trying to drown his guilt with painful pleasure. Heavy pants and whimpers in his ears as he wrung another dry orgasm from Sebastian, who then went limp, slumping on the bed in exhaustion, too worn out to cling to Ominis further.

When he was spent, Ominis replaced his soft length with his fingers, mouthing at freckled skin as the slick of his seed oozed around his digits, and Sebastian simply laid under him, moaning softly, letting Ominis use him till neither could think any more.

Notes:

I know some might argue that Ominis would not cast the Cruciatus curse ever again, but remember that this Ominis isn't the same 15 year old kid in the Scriptorium. Take into account his current mental state, and that unlike in the Scriptorium, Marvolo isn't a classmate or his best friend. We see from Ominis saying “Rookwood got what he deserved”, that he's not opposed to revenge or vigilante justice.

Hell, he thinks Sebastian should face some form of punishment for his actions, so, clearly, Ominis has a strong sense of personal justice. And here he's in a situation where he knows Marvolo will see no justice beyond Ominis’ own hand, and he's had five years of stress, living as a Gaunt, telling himself that he's doing a good thing for Sebastian, that he's selflessly sacrificing his own happiness for Sebastian, living the contradictory dichotomy of behaving like his family while telling himself he's a martyr.

When Ominis said “I'm as guilty as the worst of my family” in the Scriptorium, and that one “always has a choice”, he's referring to his choice to be selfish, to save himself pain by inflicting it on someone else, it's because the Cruciatus working, made it undeniable that he had made an active and conscious choice to hurt someone to save himself. It's not specifically the curse that he regrets, it's the genuine selfishness of choosing himself, for choosing to take his pain out on someone else. (Which is ridiculous to feel guilty for, kid, you're not Jesus, you were a child scared of pain. Selfishness here is completely understandable.)

If he meant the curse specifically, he'd have treated MC or Sebastian with the same disdain and bitterness that he regards his family with, after they cast it. If he really could never forgive casting the Cruciatus, he wouldn't have been able to forgive MC/Sebastian, but he doesn't, because he does understand that it's not that simple, that casting the Cruciatus doesn't make you cruel or evil.

He's convinced that Sebastian/MC will regret casting the Cruciatus, but not because he thinks they “should” regret it, but because Ominis himself regrets it. He's afraid that they will feel the same self-hate as he does, but they don't, because his self-hate here is irrational and a result of his C-PTSD, not the spell itself.

It's him beating himself up for becoming like his family, the one thing he is terrified of. He wants to see himself as not-like his family, people who hurt others for selfish reasons. He wants to avoid associating himself with anything that reminds him of what he considers a failing. And in this fic, he's had five years of not being able to look away.

I think all that stress could drive him insane enough to cast it.

Particularly when it's on one of the people who forced him to cast it the first time as a child too. The thing about hurting others, is that when it's been done to you a lot, you become accustomed to it and once you yourself have done it once, it gets easier. And the more stressed and angry and cornered a person feels, the easier it is for inhibitions to slip. That's why abuse victims have a higher chance of resorting to inflicting the same type of abuse they suffered, when having a breakdown.

Ominis knows what it feels like to regret a choice, that's why he avoids making any choice at all, that's why he pushes responsibility to others so hard, because he knows what it's like to regret so much that he hates himself.

Next thing I wanted to address is; just because someone is willing to forgive you for hurting them, stepping over their boundaries, or breaching consent with them, doesn't make it okay to keep doing it. That's something Sebastian learned during the game and that Ominis learns here. It's one of the few things that I was frustrated that Ominis didn't learn during the game.

Everyone talks about how much Sebastian hurt Ominis during the questline, but what about all the hurt that Ominis dealt Sebastian? Regardless of whether one thinks Sebastian was reasonable or not, it's undeniable that Ominis hurt Sebastian a lot with his lack of support and constant virtue-signalling that indicates a lack of faith in Sebastian's character and love, as both a friend and brother.

Treating Sebastian like you think he's stupid and wrong isn't going to stop him from doing shit. It'll just make him stop listening. Sebastian is driven by genuine and pure love, the desire to protect, and naive curiosity. Such feelings need to be held in check by caution and responsibility, but they're not malicious or negative in nature. When such innocent feelings are called wrong or framed as negative, it's hurtful and makes a person feel like you're not seeing them.

“If you start out being wrong about what my motivations and feelings even are, why should I believe that the conclusions you came to apply to me? If the values in your equation are wrong, your result must also be wrong.” That's the logic behind why Sebastian doesn't listen to Solomon and Ominis. Not understanding that some trends are strong enough that even if you change a few values, it still results in a similar conclusion.

But the inexperienced cannot understand this, sometimes one must touch the fire to realise it's hot, try again and get burned again, before deciding that maybe bare hands can't hold fire. (Though these people are usually the ones who eventually invent tongs or insulating gloves, so maybe the persistence to find a way to hold fire isn't a bad thing, hm?)

So, the best way to avoid burned hands, is to reach the kid by proving to them that you see them accurately, and understand them, then they'll be more likely to listen. Letting your own frustration make you push the kid away doesn't help anything Solomon you asshole.

Vander's talk with Vi in Arcane's episode 2 is a very good depiction of good guidance, because he doesn't condemn her desire to fight, he meets her with understanding, acceptance and reason, and because of that, when he tells her the dangers of what she wants to do, she listens to him. In fact, he tells her to never stop fighting, because Trying isn't the problem. It's how you try.

Even if it's objectively and factually bad to smoke and it's “for their own good” that a parent doesn't allow their kid to smoke. That still does NOT make it okay to tell the kid “you're wrong/bad/disrespectful/rude/stubborn for being curious and wanting to smoke”. You can guide a child without hurting them or making them feel bad for just being curious.

Naturally this also applies to friendships and romance. You can tell your friend or partner or kid that “you're panicking and rushing headlong into this, you need to stop and think, or you'll make a mistake and make things worse, let me help you” without using shitty prescriptive words like Solomon's “you don't know when to stop”.

MC does the first one on the mountain and it works. Sebastian calms down and then starts thinking. Going at someone who is already agitated with aggression and anger only makes them stop listening.

Sebastian does the right thing in this chapter too, he gives Ominis what Ominis needs. Sebastian's confused and Ominis isn't making sense to him, but he doesn't need to understand what's upsetting Ominis, it doesn't need to be rational. All you can do is help the upset person calm down and feel better first, then they can think.

In the game, Ominis is too upset with Sebastian endangering himself, taking Sebastian's recklessness personally, as though Sebastian's actions were because he didn't care about Ominis, rather than desperation to cure Anne and driven by Sebastian's own despair and anger. Both of them were too upset to talk or think straight and they just kept butting heads because of that. But it's because they care so much that they couldn't help but be upset, that means they just need a clear head and then they'd be able to reconcile.

Real friends are those who, when you've made a fool of yourself, don't think you've done a permanent job. And despite everything, Ominis and Sebastian are real friends. Real love understands that everyone has bad days/weeks/months or even years. We see in-game that Ominis understands this, when he said “poor Sebastian” before we speak with him to make the decision to turn Sebastian in or not.

While he is afraid that Sebastian won't be willing to change, and while he rightfully thinks it is not the best result for Sebastian to receive no consequences for his foolishness. He also understands that Sebastian is as much of a victim of the circumstances as Anne, that Sebastian was also suffering.

I think, if he can see that, if he can empathise with Sebastian, he can forgive Sebastian too, when he sees Sebastian try. He can believe that Sebastian hasn't done a permanent job of making a fool of himself.

#hogwarts legacy #sebastian x ominis #sebinis #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow #hogwarts legacy fandom #hogwarts legacy fanfic #hogwarts legacy fanfiction #fanfic #Jazlr Heavy Is The Crown #jazlr #lgbtqia

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learnfromoprah · 2 years ago

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How to Be a Billionaire Like Oprah (But Without Actually Doing Anything)

What's up, my fellow self-help enthusiasts? Today we're talking about one of the greatest self-made billionaires of all time - the queen of media herself, Oprah Winfrey. Now, I know what you're thinking - "But Yalla, Oprah is actually talented and hardworking! How can we ever hope to be like her?" Well, fear not my friends, because today I'm going to show you how to become a billionaire just like Oprah, without actually doing anything.

Step 1: Get Born into Poverty

First things first, if you want to be a billionaire like Oprah, you have to start from the bottom. And I mean really, really bottom. Oprah was born into poverty, and let's face it, you're probably not going to be able to replicate that. So, you're going to have to get creative. Maybe try spending all your money on avocado toast and fancy coffee, and then complain about not being able to afford a house. That'll show everyone just how tough your life is.

Step 2: Get Discovered

Once you've got the sympathy of the masses, it's time to get discovered. Oprah was discovered when she was just a teenager, but you're probably not going to be that lucky. So, instead, try posting some really deep and meaningful quotes on Instagram. Maybe throw in a few pictures of yourself looking pensive and mysterious. Who knows, maybe some producer will see them and offer you a talk show.

Step 3: Give Stuff Away

Once you're a big shot like Oprah, it's time to start giving stuff away. But here's the secret - you don't actually have to spend any money. Just partner up with some companies and get them to donate products or services. Then, give them away on your show and act like you're doing the world a huge favor. Trust me, people will love you for it.

And there you have it, folks - how to be a billionaire like Oprah without actually doing anything. Just remember, it's all about looking the part and acting like you're changing the world. Now go out there and make Oprah proud!

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rametarin · 7 months ago

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I hate it here.

Communicating when I don't feel well is absolutely pointless when I live with a fucking delusional narcissistic piece of shit. No matter what my symptoms or how I'm feeling unwell, it's always whatever stupid bullshit she has on her mind at the time.

"Oh you feel sick [in this way]? You must just be hot. Lets do something about the heat. Because clearly your problem is you're just hot. You don't have a problem, you're just hot. It's easily solved by spending no money and doing nothing, you just have to deal with the heat."

The air conditioner is on, it's only 70F in the house, and there's a fan blowing in my room, you fucking psychopath. I tell you I'm feeling unwell with breathing problems, you proceed to ignore my actual symptoms and then turn the AC off the dry setting.

And it has always been like this. It doesn't fucking matter what the illness or the problem is, it has to be whatever she wants it to be or it doesn't exist. She's quite sincerely one of those fucking assholes that saw Oprah Winfrey's "Power of Positive Thinking" and The Secret type bullshit and decided she could bend the universe backwards to make it whatever she wanted it to be, if only she gave into her delusions and tried to force reality to be whatever she wants. Just, trying to browbeat the universe.

I absolutely hate women like this, because only a sheltered being can think this way. To be a man that thinks this way, you have to have a certain degree of wealth and people working under you that feel the heat and friction and destruction before it gets to you, to insulate yourself from consequences. If you're a woman with men around you, you have people between you and the consequences of your actions that are socially obligated to do the shit you aren't on the hook to do. And that translates to someone in more of a moderator position that can try and stubbornly close their eyes and "BLAHBLAHBLAH UNIVERSE IT'S A CERTAIN WAY I CAN'T HEAR YOU" and think they're somehow beating back causality and entropy, while the men around them are burning alive.

We could stop spending money on frivolous shit and she could help me. She chooses instead to buy troves of bullshit that will rot in a week and refuses to buy or invest in anything else. But if I have any spending cash on me, suddenly my money goes into HER expenses. And there's fuckall I can do about it but go live by myself in a fucking gutter. I can't afford to leave, but I can't make any money staying. It is MARGINALLY safer than living in a ditch in any season but I can't make any progress while here.

And she refuses to stop buying enormous piles of shit for the simple reason she's too proud and indignant that SHE would have to help ME. From her perspective, she's supposed to have access to all my income and then if she spends it, I'm unable to escape. I can't make income in my condition until I'm well. She refuses to help me get well, for the simple fact that if I have to do it, then I'm on the hook for thousands of dollars of medical debt that I need a hole to live in to save money to pay off. Which she intends to pioritize herself first in my spending, so I'd be stuck paying TWO FORTUNES on minimum wage.

Despite my vocabulary and despite having nigh infinite space to write, I can't quite verbalize just how much I despise this cunt. I'll be happy after she dies of natural causes and she's no longer a pain in my ass. She has deliberately destroyed my life, my entire life, just for vanity and pride. Just, over and over again, chronic and sustained. Unfailingly. Choosing to be a fucking monster when she could just fucking stop at any point. But having absolute control and a noose around my neck and the fucking abyss if I try and just fucking leave is how she's decided to control my life. Threatening me with homelessness and implying she'll trump up stories about fake ass domestic abuse just to sic the state on me if I try and up and leave.

This worthless bitch uses denial as a weapon to manipulate everybody, including herself.

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coquetteprincesss · 1 year ago

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manifestation is bullcrap you little delulu girl

yea, right. all these proofs and manifestors are lying about everything. neville goddard, edward art, ariana grande, jim carrey, lady gaga, alexa demie, oprah winfrey, will smith, jason momoa, halsey, megan fox, etc, etc lied. yup, they lied.

you shit- oh my god. so dumb. well, yes, i'm dEluLu. and my delulus come true. we are not here just to waste our time. we have experienced it, that's why we share, thinking that our advice might be ideal to someone. we want others to live their desires and experience this beautiful reality, just like we did. if you don't believe, then. fucking. leave. it's already mentioned in my pinned post, you blind ass. if you don't believe, don't pay attention to manifestation, go live your dumb life.

manifestation you are bullcrap. don't send me anything like this again. i speak fluent sarcasm.

#fuck it

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janeaye · 1 year ago

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2024 Golden Globes

Hello!! I watched the Golden Globes tonight and like many others was underwhelmed and off-put by the monologue at the top of the show. Bored and reading too many Buzzfeed "Best Dressed" and "Check Out These Awkward Moments" posts after, I decided to take a sorry stab at a shortened, substitute monologue. I'm no comedy writer, but consider it award-show alternate universe fan fic. Enjoy :)

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Welcome to the Golden Globes!!!

The Golden Globes of course are a unique time where television and film combine for a night of joint celebration. Which differs from our more categorial counterparts in the Oscars for film and the Emmys for TV. And so for those of you looking to claim a Globe tonight for either medium, please know this does not make you one step closer to the EGOT. Okay? That G is for Grammy. Leave that to Taylor Swift & Billie Eilish. (Hi Taylor *smooch*. Billie *wink*.)

Tonight the Golden Globes competes with the likes of the final games of the regular season of the American National Football League. Thank God we’re only competing for ratings and not actually competing. Although these folks may portray the occasional superhero or athlete on screen, these are a bunch of theatre and improv kids, okay? Wouldn’t be pretty.

We also have a couple new awards this year. We have one for stand-up comedy. You’ll notice no current late-night show hosts are nominated in that category. That’s because they perform 80% of their comedy sitting down. Doesn’t qualify. Not a high enough threshold.

Another new award is for cinematic and box office success. Because if there’s one thing those nominees need more than all of the money they made at the box office is the acknowledgement of all of the money they made at the box office. In the form of solid gold handed to them on a glittering stage.

Amongst that gold, true Hollywood Royalty is here. We have Emma Stone. Margot Robbie. Oprah Winfrey. All people that exude the confidence and message and grace of Barbie. But perhaps not quite that of Poor Thing's.

The content nominated tonight really is magnificent. Killers of the Flower Moon is nominated tonight. Or what women used to be called in the olden days before menstrual cycles were truly understood.

The cast of Oppenheimer is here tonight. Oppenheimer has one of the most star-studded ensemble casts I’ve ever seen...From Matt Damon to Cilian Murphy to RDJ..It’s the stuff Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve dreams are made of. (Sorry Bradley Cooper.. Robert De Niro..)

Saltburn made it in under the wire for a nomination for the outstanding Barry Keoghan. Barry, somehow I was more comfortable when you portrayed a deranged joker at the end of The Batman than I was when I saw you in a mere bathtub.

Speaking Batman, William Dafoe is here tonight. He’s one of a select few nominees who have multiple projects up for awards tonight. William, of course, voiced the Noble Pelican in the English dubbed version of The Boy and the Heron. And yet Batman himself, Robert Pattison, was actually the voice of the eponymous heron and not William, which, if you’ve seen the film, I mean believe me you’d understand why I’m mentioning that tonight. Truly a shocking non-plot-related twist for us viewers.

And, finally, you know what, forgive me for the delay folks, Happy New Year! Welcome to 2024. It’s a big year. Big year for our industry following what our incredible writers and actors advocated for last year...Big year for world events too. Leap Year. The Olympics. The Election. Because at the end of the day, can’t we all agree that Paris & [insert US politician’s name here] don’t get enough attention as it is?…

#taylor swift #golden globes #barbie #oppenheimer #film #tv #award season #emma stone #margot robbie

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fandomshatepeopleofcolor · 1 year ago

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Hi, I have another post I wrote about the criticism over Oprah Winfrey and Hawaii, here's link:

#submission

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happydazy82 · 2 months ago

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Coffee Hour

SELF-CARE, 12/03/2024

"It is confidence in our bodies, minds, and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures, new directions to grow in, and new lessons to learn -- which is what life is all about." Oprah Winfrey

It takes more than confidence, Oprah. This is a fine philosophy for a first world potentate. The majority of humanity is simply trying to eke out a living. Like most of the natural order, "life" is about food, shelter, and procreation. I am better off than many, but I am far from comfortable. My body, mind, and spirit are all heading south, eroding with age, and that's OK. Adventures lie in the past; the only direction is downhill. Fortunately, I'm still learning new stuff, which profits naught for anyone but me (and ye who read here my thoughts). © keefderpoet, 2024

#coffee hour #recovery #self care #learning

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bitabi27 · 2 months ago

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The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. -Nelson Mandela

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. -Walt Disney

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. -Steve Jobs

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. -Eleanor Roosevelt

If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough. -Oprah Winfrey

If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success. -James Cameron

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one. -John Lennon

Here

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danelsashideout · 4 months ago

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Where do birds go?

Have you ever looked up at the sky and wondered where the birds went? Because I have. They are always flying into the sky and soar high. It's so amazing. After finding out about birds, I now know that birds go to different places depending on the time of day, season, and species. However, the details of their journey can be a mystery.

When I was a child. I always wondered what it would be like in other places. In this big world, there must be something beautiful that I never knew before. So I asked my dad about it, because he was an expert on it.

Dad started telling me everything he knew and gave me a book called "Atlas". From that book, I could see how the world looked like from a map, there were so many countries that I had just recognised. It makes me even more excited to read the book. In addition, I could also learn about the culture of each region in Indonesia and I was very happy about that. Then I started thinking that one day I would visit those places and see how beautiful they were with my own eyes. Could i?

One day there was a conflict in my extended family. Everything happened so fast that I couldn't understand the situation, keeping in mind that I was a child at the time and I never knew how the world worked in adult life. At that time, I just sat in the car and watched them fight with each other from the car window. I still remember the screams and the look on my friend's face. Had I been a bird, maybe I could have flown away from that place, so that I could avoid those loud shouts and mocking looks from my friends.

After the accident, my extended family was split into two parts. Then dad slowly started to turn into a serious person and rarely joked around, even he no longer said “sayang kata” to me. Sayang kata were strange words that I was most happy when I heard them - I hope I can hear that word someday, but I'm 25 years old now -because I could feel how dear dad was to me. Dad's sweet treatment also started to change into a more firm and unflappable treatment. No matter what the reason was, if he said no it meant no. That's why I started to feel scared to face him and started to become quiet.

From that moment on, i realised that my wings were starting to break. Therefore, I wondered, could I fly and see all the beautiful places with my own eyes if my wings started to break? Or would I always be in this place?

Now I'm an adult and I'm still here. Just watching everyone fly off and move somewhere else. A place where they can explore things. But that's okay, maybe this is my journey and everyone has their own story.

To the daughter girls in my life who believed they had broken wings. My hope for you is to not just fly but soar. - Oprah Winfrey

So, from now on I will try my best to heal my broken wings and fly high in the sky. Spread out my wings and soar high. Just like birds do.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

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breakingnewsbreakthrough · 4 months ago

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Monday, September 16, 2024

Football, Oprah, and P. Diddy

approx. 10:30 a.m. EDT: "Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey to hold livestream rally from Michigan"

I never realized Oprah was politically active. There's a certain image of her I've never been able to shake, whether it's a result of my age or the fact my mother watched a lot of daytime TV. Every time I see her, I just think of free cars and prizes under seats. Perhaps that's reductive, given her long career as a journalist, but I'm not sure "Oprah" and "political rally" belong in the same sentence.

12:31 p.m. EDT: "Michigan Football to start Alex Orji at quarterback on Saturday vs. USC"

I will never understand why The Detroit News considers every banal college and professional sports update to be breaking news. I promise I'm not signed up for any sports updates. I suppose I'm happy for him. Or sad. Whichever.

1:14 p.m. EDT: "Second man dies after Eastern Market shooting"

I hope it doesn't seem like I'm making light of this situation, but I don't think Detroit can have successful sports teams. Follow me for a second, if you will: Philadelphia is notorious for the destruction that follows sporting events. I once heard it said "Whether the Eagles win or lose, a car is being lit on fire." Detroit is becoming like that. Our teams were all garbage, so disappointment was all but assured, and no one had to get hurt about it. Gun violence isn't as common here as some think, yet the second our newly-decent football team loses, someone picks a deadly fight at a tailgate. I was also shocked that the TV news didn't consider the initial event to be important enough to cover at 7pm, about an hour after it happened.

3:32 p.m. EDT: "Jeep cuts production of Gladiators and Wranglers at Toledo plant"

Something something Motor City. I know a lot of people whose parents are employed by the Big Three, but I cannot bring myself to follow every corporate twitch of the automotive industry. This one is also novel for the pure fact that it mentions Ohio, one of the Michigan cardinal sins.

10:34 p.m. EDT: "Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces federal charges in New York, his lawyer says"

Send this man to jail. I don't care about anything he's ever made that people have ever liked, and if I have to hear one more person bring up his relationship to Biggie, I'm going to lose it. Being the protégé of a beloved man does not make you better, above reproach, or incapable of committing crimes. It might make you incapable of committing crimes in places not recorded by security cameras, but that also may just be a Diddy problem.

On a personal note:

I'm not sure what to write here. Journalism school has been frustrating in both familiar and completely new ways, and I've never felt worse about my writing. I skipped out on keeping a journal in my adolescence (unless the occasional embarrassing tumblr post counts), which is odd when you consider my general affect, both then and now. I've never felt the need to put my reflections in writing - I spend enough time in my own head - but perhaps getting these mundane thoughts out in a directed manner will stop me from taking a long walk off a bridge named after some hockey player.

Until tomorrow,

#september 2024

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assenavlp · 4 months ago

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Oprah and AI

I watched this primetime ABC propaganda sh¡tshow so you all don't have to.

AI AND THE FUTURE OF US AN OPRAH WINFREY SPECIAL

I hadn't heard or seen any press for this show, and just happened to see the listing as I was trying to find something to watch, a few nights ago, but I wasn't sure if I really wanted to watch it or not - lol - so I scheduled it to record, just in case. Finally bit the bullet, yesterday.

The recording caught the last bit of a political ad, before the show began. It warned that "Biden & Harris want to force you to buy an electric car". LMAO And awayyyy we go…

The show (and segment one, of five) cynically begins with a group of everymen/women expressing confusion, doubt, ambivalence, and suspicion. All the better to commence giving you the soft sell, my dears…

THE AGENDA

Oprah: "I was Bedazzled, Fascinated, Curious, and also Concerned. But there is no doubt, it is Here."

She began by breezing through a very basic timeline of the notion and progress of AI, over the last 70 years, and promised, a couple of times, that the show would be "not so technical".

It should be noted that in this hour and four minute-long programme, at no time do they speak of the mass theft of art, music, or literary works (let alone personal data and images shared on social media). 'Cuz who cares about them highfalutin artistic types? Gatekeeping snobs and weirdos, man. 'Ah don't know anything about art, but Ah know what Ah like.' They don't even touch on the issue of likeness theft. They do speak of it, in regards to fraud, later on, but not in regards to creative works, for which there was that whole actor's strike. I see you going to the SAG Awards, Ms. Winfrey. [Buh Gok!] Nor do they speak on the mass of false advertising. They also don't get into the massively detrimental environmental impact. Shocking.

Meta admits scraping every adult Australian’s public post to train AI, no opt-out https://www.diyphotography.net/meta-admits-scraping-every-adult-australians-public-post-to-train-ai-no-opt-out/

Without further ado, the woman who brought us all such greats [chuckle] as Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and the book, "A Million Little Pieces", now brings (to the general public) the so-called Effective Altruist*, OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman.

At about 7 minutes in, in the most earnest, pandering tone, he says, "the most important thing that will happen here is, everyone in the world will be able to create at a level that is still hard for us to imagine. This is gonna be an enabler of human ability to create, to flourish, to make new things, to create new companies and services like we've never seen, and we want eeeeverybody to get to do that, not just the white dudes", as he stares directly at Oprah. LOL

Oh, the sweet, sweet 'democratization of art', you bad, bad, racist and ableist anti-AI folks. [rolling eyes]

Of course they allow him to express concern as he pays lip service to safety and regulations, as fellow sociopaths Elon, Jeff, and Mark, all grace our screens, and he speaks of regularly working with the Executive Branch. Mm hmmm. The folks who love their corporate donors. Okay. Go on.

Oprah: "How do we know we can trust you?"

Sam: "The bar on this is clearly extremely high, um, the best thing that we can do is to put this technology in the hands of people, talk about what it is capable of, what it's not, what we think is gonna come, what we think might come, give our best advice about how society should decide to use this. Um, say when we think it's important to not release something, which we also might get wrong, and build up that trust over time. But it is clear that this is going to be a very impactful technology, and I think a lot of scrutiny is thus super warranted."

Oprah: "I actually saw a headline, that said you were the most powerful, and perhaps most dangerous man on the planet, and I'm wondering how that sits with you."

Sam (holding back tears - really): "I…. It's definitely strange to hear you say that. It doesn't… I don't feel like the most powerful person or anything even close to that, uh, like I feel the opportunity, the responsibility in a positive way to get to nudge this in a direction that I think can be really good for people. And that is, like, that's like a serious… exciting, somewhat nerve-racking thing, um, but it's something that I feel very deeply, and I, and I, and I, and I realise how I'll never get to touch anything this important again."

We really needed some violins, here.

Oprah goes on to express her "concern" over the "nefarious" ways some have already used the technology, but then goes on to gush how "calllm" and "relatablllle" he is, and thus, "it seems like everything is okay"…. And he, in turn, replies that he doesn't want to give anyone "a false sense of security", that "there will be bad, too", and that they'll "mitigate, as much as we can" [whewwww, lol] acknowledging full well that "this technology will be misused"… Then he quickly slips in another one for everyone's AI-Bro Bingo card: "like every technology before it…"

Oh, how they love that canard.

*Effective Altruism: letting billionaires amass their fortunes, untaxed and unregulated, so that they can 'benefit' society the way THEY, alone, see fit. Yeah, no.

Then there's a commercial break and they bring back the common folks, for segment two, gushing about their kids using AI to "draw" (yeah, no) dinosaurs, and using the simplified AI filters on TikTok (See? Folks are already using AI, no biggie, lol), using it to generate 'reference' material for sermons, but "never" actually using the raw product (no, of coooourse not), and their fears, shock of all shocks, are slowly being allayed. Apprehensions of "how it will eat you alive" now gone, by "talking to it". Who could have seen this miraculous reversal coming? LOL

HOLY S*** (Their asterisks, not mine.)

Next on the docket is Marques Brownlee, YouTube tech-expert, displaying the exponential improvement of fake videos, in just the past year - of course to Oprah's shock and disbelief - explaining how they're generated by referencing millions of photos. He did explain that "there really isn't any good set of rules" despite some embedding watermarks or meta data so that those who know how to look deeper will know it's fake. i.e. maybe 5% of the people looking at this crap, and at the moment, those folks can tell just by looking anyway.

Then Oprah plays at being the everyman, too, by expressing real concern, especially after he demonstrates a voice generator with his own voice, but of course, she gives him the opportunity to allay those fears; going back down the well-worn 'we've seen this before with new technology' trail that every tech-bro loves to travel, including Sam, in the previous segment. Am I sensing a pattern?

Marques: "I'll say I've seen this story before. Cars, in general, went through this; smartphones, of course, went through this; computers went through this; the Internet went through this; where at their very formative years, they're really, really confusing and potentially amazing but potentially horrible, and eventually, you know, humans sort themselves out, to lay the rules down in a way that we can actually trust that will be better than it is bad. So I've seen this story before and I'm hoping it plays out the way it's played out before."

Oh, that makes me feel so much better, because this all-encompassing technology is absolutely no different than any other technological advance we've seen throughout all of recorded history. No, not at all. [cough]

Next up are Tristan Harris, Technology Ethicist, and Aza Raskin, creator of the Infinite Scroll, talking about the incredible speed of the tech, the ills of "social media addiction, doom-scrolling, and polarization", and how he, Aza, "learned the hard way" that his "good intentions as an inventor just wasn't enough". Ya don't say. He did challenge the aforementioned "every tech" narrative by pointing out that the various problems of cars (eg. seatbelts) took decades to resolve. Of course he doesn't mention that cars, even still, are killing us every day, from their planned obsolescent over-production and resultant waste, to the continued fossil fuel dependency and pollution (or all the rare earth mineral mining devastation that electric alternatives will incur)….

Aza: "Once AI can do anything, people start to use it to do everything."

Tristan: "That's what's so confusing about AI, is it's going to give us all these benefits at the same time that it's undermining the foundations that we depend on, and you can't separate the promise from the peril, so I think instead of getting caught up in the question, "is AI gonna be good or is it gonna be bad", it's about, "is it happening at a pace that our society can respond appropriately."

Oprah: "But guys, it's here. It's why I started this programme by saying it is here."

Tristan: "Open AI's stated goal is to be able to build systems of AI that are even smarter than humans because there's trillions of dollars to be made on the other side…."

Oprah: "What do you want to see happen, now?"

Tristan: "OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, they need to be held accountable for the harms that they would create so that they're all incentivized to pull back, and go at the pace that they can help society be prepared and not be overwhelmed."

Oprah: "And who is holding them accountable?"

Tristan: "We need laws."

HA!

Back with some more everyfolks, segment three begins with the spectre of real life scams and the harm they cause.

BAD GUYS

FBI director Christopher Wray is trundled out to talk more about deepfakes and scams, and ch¡ldp0rn and sext0rt¡on using faked images.

Oprah: "Do you think we have the laws or regulations in place, now, to keep Americans safe from all that's coming, all the AI threats?"

Christopher: "I would probably leave legislating to the legislators, but what I will tell you from an FBI director's perspective, um, is that this is a type of technology that we see manifesting itself in more and more situations, more and more types of crimes, more and more types of threats, uh, and there's a degree to which, overall, our laws haven't kept pace with the technology."

Oprah: "Does that frustrate you?"

Christopher: "Sure, yeah, sure. What I worry about is the day, which is coming, it's not here but it's coming faster than we would like, where those, um, elite bad guys will find AI sophisticated enough to take their game to a-whole-nother level."

Oprah: "And the elite bad guys are doing what?"

Christopher: "So the elite bad guys are the ones, you know, for example, conducting the most sophisticated cyber intrusions. To me no country, no country represents a broader, more severe, more comprehensive threat to American innovation, American ideas, to our Economic Security, and ultimately our national security, than the Chinese government. China has a bigger hacking programme, already, than that of every major nation combined, and has stolen more of Americans' personal and corporate data than every nation, big or small combined. The scale of the threat is significant. If you took the FBI's programme, and just said forget Russia, forget Iran, just do nothing but China, the Chinese government's hacking programme, they would outnumber us 50 to 1.

Oprah: "We've got an election coming. Do you think this election cycle will be compromised by disinformation?"

Christopher: "I fully expect to see, um, disinformation by foreign adversaries. We are finding, all too often, that something on social media that looks like Bill from Topeka or Mary from Dayton is actually, you know, some Russian or Chinese intelligence officer on the outskirts of Beijing or Moscow."

Don't worry about the homegrown stuff. [shhhh]

Oprah: "What should we be on the lookout for?"

Christopher: "All Americans should try to be, you know, more discerning consumers of information. It is incumbent on everyone in America to bring an intensified sense of focus and caution to the use of AI, and how AI can be used by bad guys against all of us, but not to panic I don't think this is a time for panic."

So, in sum: Chinese and Russian AI, baaaaad. [furrows brow] American AI, goooood. [thumbs up] Nothing to see, here!

Back to the everypeople, and the fear of job losses, immediately followed by the old 'but there will be newwww jobs' cliché, and then the folks who were suspicious but they looove it, now, and the folks who aren't worried because they're "irreplaceable".

HEALTH, EDUCATION & JOBS

Oh! Bill Gates! Quell surprise.

Microsoft's Hypocrisy on AI https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/09/microsoft-ai-oil-contracts/679804/

Long story short: medicine is going to be sooo much better. And education, too!

Bill: "We can see it's already working pretty well."

Oh, really?

Kids who use ChatGPT as a study assistant do worse on tests Researchers compare math progress of almost 1,000 high school students. https://www.popsci.com/technology/kids-who-use-chatgpt-as-a-study-assistant-do-worse-on-tests/

And robots can do the blue collar jobs, too! (Including fruit-picking, on all that farmland he's been buying up.) Yayyyy, replicants! [facepalm]

Oprah: "What are the jobs that you believe are going to be undisturbed? What skills are going to persist in these, in this new world?"

Bill: "Yeah, that's very hard to make a prediction. I mean there'll be aspects of creativity, there'll be aspects of appreciating, uh, people [said as if under duress, lol], you know, social work, the teacher really engaging that student in the rich way. Even then I can't guarantee that software won't eventually get good at that, but you know, for the next generation, the more human, the more engaged you are with other people [so, not artists], that is a skillset that is in such short supply, whether it's mental health or education, that we can never have enough of that."

I dread to imagine what his visions for future mental health services are.

Oprah: "I mean I've expressed several of my concerns, but do you have none, do you have no…"

Bill: "I have significant fears about the risks. This is the first technology that is happening faster than even the insiders expected."

Oprah: "It's happening faster than you guys thought?"

Bill: "Absolutely."

Oprah: "Do you think that your company, that, that Microsoft, and other companies that are gonna make a lot of money off of AI have an obligation to help us manage and navigate through this change?"

Bill: "Absolutely. The fact that there will have to be regulation, that the way we think about taxes will have to change quite a bit. If the companies are working with the government, then at least we can craft something that's, that's not just profit-driven."

Regulations that you and your lobbyists craft? [chortle]

Oprah: "But what did we miss with the Internet and social media that we can use to apply now, to this moment of AI?"

Bill: "Well, I, I would say, speaking for myself, personally, and, I think, many others, that we were a bit naïve."

Ya don't say.

Stephen Fry: Musk and Zuckerberg have 'polluted culture' ""I’m the chump who thought social media could change the world," he told his audience at the Digital Futures Institute." https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ceq5q3jlnz3o

Bill: "We thought the Internet, the availability of information would make us all a lot more factual. The fact that people would seek out kind of a niche of misinformation, we were a bit naïve."

Okay, then.

Back to the everyones… and what it is to be "human". HA! "As a religious person, one of the things that I reflect on is "be careful about comfort because too much comfort is actually going to make your life worse, not better, because it'll decrease your over all capacity." (An actual good point.)

IRREPLACEABLE HUMANS

The final guest, Marilynne Robinson, novelist, is the lone 'creative' on the show.

Marilynne: "The impulse behind it seems to be to eliminate the human hand, the human eye in the making of the reality that we inhabit to the farthest extent possible. With the effect of, of, um, concentrating power in the sense of the control of this strange fantasy, uh, within very few people's hands and consolidating masses of capital, and masses of natural resources devoted to this very dubious project. It's just a human impulse to escape from its humanity, which is something that happens over and over again, historically. The impulse to say, uh, that there's nothing intrinsic about a human person, that cannot, in theory, be replicated by something that, frankly, works cheaper, works faster. I don't know why it is but it's part of our human lot to be uncomfortable with our humanity, and to mechanize it, you know, out of existence in some way. We're not enough in love with our own existence, and we're not enough in love with everyone else's existence, and I think that's very dangerous." [chef's kiss]

The same reason transhumanists are so obsessed with living longer and more artificially. They don't love - or respect - the time they have here. They want more, more, more.

Oprah: "What is the thing that concerns you the most?"

Marilynne: "I'm afraid that there will be so much investment of every kind into this project, that it will have its consequences before it really deserves them, and so there will be all kinds of cutting back on all kinds of employment and so on, anticipating this insurgence of, of AI, and then it will turn out that it's a, it's a bad project, you know, that it's more dangerous than it is valuable, and so on, and so we will have a disrupted economy on the one hand, and an unusable technology on the other."

Mic drop!

Oprah, ignoring the words of the preacher before the segment, persists…

Oprah: "But it's also going to, no question about it, it's going to make life a lot easier for a lot of people, so what's wrong with that?"

Marilynne: "American schools ask for a lot of written work from students, and that's a very good thing. It's an autonomy-creating exercise, you know. But what we don't do, we don't tell them that this is a discipline, like an athletic discipline that they have undertaken to strengthen themselves, not just to bring themselves over some arbitrary line of sufficiency."

Never mind the physical process of writing, learning cursive, etc., which too many deemed unnecessary, despite all the literature demonstrating otherwise.

Oprah: "That it's the discipline of doing the work and the thinking process."

Marilynne: "Exactly. And students say writing is difficult, which of course it is."

Oprah: "It is."

Marilynne: "But difficulty is the point."

Oprah: "And so if you were in charge of this whole AI movement, what would you be doing or what would you advise?"

Marilynne: "I would advise that it be used for, you know, the kind of research that produces drugs and immunizations and so on."

Sure. With MUCH oversight. But then again…

Revolution, interrupted One of the promises of machine learning was better drugs, faster. A decade in, AI has failed to live up to the hype https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-artificial-intelligence-drug-research-hype/

Marilynne: "I would, uh, I would make a fantastic library. I would use it very, very judiciously to replace work that is drudgery without the arrogance of replacing the work of people who, you know, who are of very great value, you know, just because they are the substance of our ordinary interactions with the world."

Oof. There's MY personal sticking point. "Eliminating the drudgery." She was careful to make a distinction but I fear that nuance will be lost on most of the people already sharing that hackneyed meme. Everyone wants a replicant to do the stuff they think they're above doing. Doesn't end well.

Oprah was still desperately trying to make the case, though, retreating to the same old "fear of the new" and "nostalgia" arguments, asking how this time is different. Sometimes I thought, maybe she's just playing Devil's Advocate, with some of these questions? It was interesting that she gave the final word to someone who had the most philosophical viewpoint. But nahhh. Marilynne then compared it to The Manhattan Project. HA! Another mic drop.

And then Oprah's final thoughts, on this peak Boomer TV:

"A special thank you to everyone who spoke with us, tonight. I hope that they have left you with a clearer picture of what is coming. Artificial intelligence is still beyond our control, and to a great extent our understanding, but it is here. We're going to be living with technology that can be our ally as well as our rival. It is something that no other generation has ever experienced. This moment requires a different level of alertness, awareness, about who we are, and where we're going, what's real, and what's not, what's artificial intelligence and what is human wisdom, authentic intelligence earned through study and experience. We are this planet's most adaptable creatures. We will adapt again but keep your eyes on what's real. The stakes for all of us could not…..

And then the recording cuts out. [GUFFAW]

-30-

#noai #no ai art #fuck ai art #fuck ai writing #fuck ai

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