#and more people should be aware >8I

[macabrecabra]

do you have a topic or game or something that you're super passionate about? like that you can write like 50 pages about without stopping? if so, literally please write it, its literally one of my favorite things reading and listening to people talk about things they're into

OH so many things honestly XD

First one that comes to mind: Eyeshield 21 is an underrated masterpiece of a manga >8I It is a sports manga about American Football...so I think people dismiss it. It also came out around the time One Piece, Naruto, ect were coming out so it got buried...but it was SO FUCKING GOOD >8I

Like everything I learned about how to write interesting, likeable characters with compelling character growth that doesn't rely soley on cheap reasoning and shoe-horned romantic subplots I learned in this manga >8I It was the first series I wrote fanfiction for actually...so it means A LOT to me 83

(Read more for the full rant XD)

So yes, Eyeshield 21 is about football and about a group of highschoolers wanting to get to the big bowl game and play before they graduate, so there is big stakes in it....but AH it is SO much more than that! Like when not playing football, the training and interactions with the characters are SO GOOD! Each one you can just watch slowly going through transformations that are believable and well paced. That they are coming to grips with struggles I have gone through: Parents not liking a hobby, wanting to be good at one thing but having talent elsewhere and giving up on a dream, of being in the shadow of a more successful sibling.... just some real shit. The characters, even the minor ones, all have really great quirks that make them memorable within moments, then each gets so much depth in so few panels and lines, like you really just can understand quickly each character, their motivations, without any monologues! Flashbacks are kept to a minimal and for impact, not just for "tragic backstory". Not to mention even the villains, the people whom you are coded to dislike...are GIVEN CHANCES TO GROW! Like Agon comes off as generally despicable, but then you realize he has always been talented/gotten what he wanted and people just fed into that all his life. When he is forced to confront how awful and wrong that behavior is, how it is affecting his brother....he changes! It forces him to reflect and you see it play out in that football game! He pays for his behavior BUT also learns to do better! THAT is character development! The Haha brothers also went from being your typical Japanese gang bullies to coming into their own, no longer bullies but actively helping the team, wanting to grow, opening up about their past and hobbies and just....realizing they were called losers by their own parents and that want to be "someone" caused them to be bullies, but football/the team showed them they could be appreciated without being jackasses just SO FUCKING GOOOOOODDDD!

Also... NO ROMANCES. There are no couples established, no romantic scenes. It keeps the drama on how the team builds. Not to say it isn't clear certain characters don't grow to care for each other, but they don't focus on it like a laser or make a single character's trait as "love interest". This means the lady characters DO get to really shine. Even minor characters who are the girlfriends of some of the players have enough quirk and bite that you just love em. Just the focus on the interpersonal between everyone, rivals and comrades, the whole Sakuraba growth from idol to throwing that away to pursue what he wants.... *chef kiss* If you haven't read Eyeshield 21, I would highly recommend it! You don't have to know American Football to understand it and the manga is really good about making the sport easy to follow for the story. Not to mention top-notch art (drawn by the guy doing One Punch Man now) and again, just a very well paced story that will make you hyped on emotions every damn game and moment in between. Every struggle and just won't be a character you forget! (There is an anime but it isn't ...very good which makes me upset as the actual manga is SO GOOD >8I)

[manchasama]

I need a better name for this AU other than "Anti Mob AU" lol.  Especially since this Hisui stuff doesn't really work with that any more.  @_@  But okay!  Some more thoughts and scenes about Ingo's time in Hisui, mostly trauma.  8I  

—

When the rift appears over Hisui, the first thing Kamodo does is imprison Ingo.  He claims that as an outsider and an all around weird dude who has unheard of mastery over pokemon and a threatening aura besides, he must be the reason the bad things are happening.  Emphasis on outsider, anything that parallels with Rei (gonna go with him for this AU I think).  

Ingo does agree to be imprisoned if it gives the town some peace of mind. He's always tried not to make waves, to comply with the Pearl clan's beliefs, to make himself fit in as best as possible.  And if him being incarcerated makes people feel better, he can endure it.  However…Kamado's words make him suspicious.  So he warns Kamado.

Ingo let himself get locked up, with the promise that if Kamado dares to harm a child over this, if Rei appears in the prison as well, Ingo will not forgive him.  Implying quite strongly that Ingo being in jail is by his own choice, not Kamado's.  Kamado had justified it by saying people were scared, and Ingo feels that if being locked up makes people feel better, he can endure.  Let them smear his name if that's what's needed to keep the peace, but he will keep Rei safe however he can. 

(But oh, left alone in a dark cramped place does things to him.  He has to be quiet.  He doesn't know why, but he has to be small, and quiet, and still.)

Kamado acts unaffected, but he doesn't want to risk it either.  So he banishes Rei instead.  (If Ingo had known, nothing would have kept him in place.  But he was trying to help.  If him being in the small, dark room helped, he'd do it.  He'd stay.)

The stay in the prison messes Ingo up something fierce.  He can't remember why the small enclosed space makes him want to scream, there should be no reason why the dark makes it hard to breath, why the isolation makes him feel like dying.  There's no reprieve either.  People are busy and fearful, and most people don't even know he's been restrained.  The occasional visit by Kamodo breaks the monotony to deliver food and the like, but Kamodo refuses to talk to him, and Ingo doesn't try more than once.  He disassociates more and more, less and less aware of the world around him.  He just knows something is missing, and he doesn't want to be here (alone).  

By the time Rei has fixed the sky, Ingo is NOT in a good mental place  Non-verbal, and as silent as he can be.  He doesn't know why.  (Keep quiet when in the closet PTSD).

Kamado isn't sorry for what he's done (locking up ingo, and though ingo doesn't know it yet, banishing Rei).  When he comes to release Ingo he says as much.  Still believes he's right somewhat, since the issue was fixed after Rei was banished/Rei did fix it in the end.  Still, Kamado is letting Ingo go, mentioning the festival and all that, let bygones be bygones it all worked out in the end.  

Ingo doesn't respond.  Doesn't respond to any of Kamado's justification, no reaction to the fact that things are back to normal, not even a word about his own release.  He just stands up silently when Kamado opens the door for him, moving forward robotically.  His face is shaded by his hat brim, frown unchanged.  With every step tho, he moves just a little faster, until he's walking as fast as he can as he exits the building, before eventually just breaking into a run.

(Because of this I'm very tempted that Ingo didn't retrieve his pokemon from Kamado.  Kamado was going to take him to the office to retrieve them, but nope Ingo was off like a shot.)

When Ingo is able to stop running and become more aware of his surroundings, he does come to realize he is alone in the cold mountains with no pokemon, and in the throws of a bad panic attack.  He's shaking too much to be able to play the tune on his flute, and finally in a desperate attempt just blows twice into it.  Lady Sneasler does find him because of this.  She tries to take care of him, but he's not going to be a great patient.

He's crouched down, maybe hands over his ears, maybe just hugging his knees, not really responding to her attempts to get him to move.  She tries to put him in the basket, but as soon as he becomes aware he's being lowered into a small cramped space, he starts thrashing, kicking the basket away, forcing her to let go, etc.  When they do finally get moving, Sneasler notices how silent he's moving.  It's eerie.  He does not want to go back to humans, so she decides to take him to her den.

At some point they get to a cliff they have to climb.  Sneasler is trying to figure out what to do, since she barely got him to follow her walking, when he steps forward and starts climbing on his own.  She climbs beside him, saving him once from a fall.  New cut in the fabric from her claws where she had to grab him and hold him against the wall.  He can't bring himself to go into the cave far, and she Deals with it.  Gets some sneaslettes to pile on and keep him warm.  Somewhere in here she gets to give him a hug.  He needs one :<

Rei will find out about the imprisonment, probably at just the wrong time.  Like during the celebration, when Kamado returns looking more sour than before.  Somehow part of the story comes out at least, leaving Rei furious.  Even if they hadn't been directly part of it, the town had allowed it to happen.  It broke some of the trust Rei had for them

It doesn't take long for Rei to figure out where Ingo is, nor to go to him.  Recovery for him is slow but better up here, surrounded by little sneasels and Rei and open, free space.  It doesn't take very long for him to get back to status quo, and to return to his duties in the town.  But he does drift off a lot more these days, looking more haunted than usual.  Despite people liking him, most people want to spend even less time around him (his aura got worse/gets worse when he's feeling bad).

Afterward, after Rei has fixed the rift and all, things get better around town.  Rei hasn't forgotten the betrayal, but is still willing to play nice and finish their work.  However, somewhere along the line, Ingo finds out about the banishment.  And he is…indescribably furious.  Some buried instinct has him stripping his coat and hat.  (An old habit.  Emmet and Ingo would always be sure not to wear their uniform when they were in fights, because fighting is not something a subway boss does).  As he moves, one hand smooths down the front of his pearl top.  And he pulls that off too.  (Because some part of him knows a Warden shouldn't do this, a member of Pearl shouldn't break the peace.)  

He goes to Kamado as just Ingo, and doesn't even give him warning before throwing down.  I need to look up some fighter vs sumo type fights to see how it could go, but it boils down to Ingo is faster/stronger than Kamado realized, but Kamado's technique works well to neutralize Ingo's fighting style.  Ingo gets one good hit in.  I'm tempted to say Kamado tries to flip him, but Ingo contorts himself to get his feet under him instead of his back, then uses Rage Strength to throw Kamado instead.  Real BS stuff but it's fun.  

By this point, other Galaxy members are around trying to stop it.  Ingo is possibly held back as he shouts (SHOUTS) at Kamado how he lied.  Kamado, wiping blood from his mouth as he stands up from whatever wreckage Ingo threw him into, counters that he did not lock up Rei.  Ingo rages that it was twisting the truth/ideals of what Ingo said, and Kamado knows that.  Kamado is angry, and manages to get some good verbal points in that hit a little too close to home for Ingo.  Maybe about how it worked in the end, the rift did go away because of Rei and all.  Not sure 100% what, but I think the final blow is implying that Ingo is mad/crazy/out of control, and a menace.  

Because Ingo tries so hard to fit in and not be intimidating, and he knows logically that he is out of control right now and ruining a lot of things.  But he's still so so mad.  Still, he frees himself and strides away, his strides turning into a run as he leaves the village.  (I think he does scoop up his coat and hat, but not the pearl uniform.  But it's possible he does not.)  He retreats to the mountains, blinded by feelings that he has no context to, anger, betrayal, fear, and a desperate longing that is tearing his heart apart.  Ends up at Sneasler's den, whether she finds him and brings him there or not.  (Note the litwick powers also help keep him warm.  Inner candle and all.  Drains him tho.)

I think Irida definitely seeks Ingo out at this point.  She would have received word of what happened, and needs to talk to him.  She needs to try and figure out wtf happened and do damage control.  Ingo apologizes (and apologizes and apologizes), trying to say that he's shamed himself and can't possibly continue to be a warden, they wouldn't want a warden like him.  Irida has to talk him down, being firm that him being warden is so much more than a single temper tantrum.  She gets the gist of what happened, that Ingo was mad for Rei’s sake, though she still is lost as to /why/ he snapped like he did.  Yes it was a terrible thing Kamado did, but Ingo had always been so calm before.  Ingo can't find the words to explain.  He himself doesn't understand it.  

Without a solid explanation, Irida has her hands full trying to keep the peace.  But she also trusts Ingo, and will defend his choices.  They all agree it's better if Ingo remains scarce for a while, though.  Let Irida work on repairing the strained connections.

I'm warming up to Emmet and Elesa going back to Hisu in this.  The epic tale of Emmet hunting down several legendaires, but none can help him because he doesn't know where he needs to go.  ("Take me to my brother" doesn't work if no one knows where his brother is.)  Until finally he beats down with Dialga, almost literally fist fighting him and busting through time into the past.  Somehow Emmet must have gotten a clue at this point as to when Ingo is at least.  Dialga isn't going to want to help at first, so a battle must be had.  Vague vision of many of Emmet's pokemon doing a coordinated meteor of an attack down on time dragon, beating it down in unison, and Emmet is there pressing a pokeball right against its head in the final blow.  This is as they are smashing into hisui ofc.  Takes him a minute to notice.

Side idea, Arceus appears to Rei ahead of time, borrowing their pokeball(s) with the space/time dragons.  Is kinda vague about why, but the real reason is that their past selves can't know about the future self's arrival.  Rei is mildly skeptical about all this (sort of a humorous poke at Arceus trying to be all godly, and Rei seeing right through them.)  This also leads to future Dialga wondering why they don't remember this happening, Rei tells them about Arceus hiding them away, and time dragon grumbling about this as it leaves for the future.  

(Emmet WILL fist fight all legendaries to get Ingo back)

Anyway, all that aside.  It would leave open the idea that Emmet has to come face to face with the person who locked Ingo up.

These ideas are a bit disjointed, so apologies for the back and forth.

I have no specifics for the reunion yet.  Need to let the percolate.  But I do think I'm pretty set on Emmet going back to Hisui, so there's that at least.

Needless to say though, in this case Emmet will not let Ingo out of his sight once they are reunited.  Emmet is Not Okay, when he and Ingo reunite.  He tries, for everyone's sake he tries, but.  He is terrified that Ingo will vanish again.  He can't seem to let go of Ingo for more than a few minutes before the panic sets in.  Ingo had vanished right in front of him, after all.  So long as Emmet is holding him, there's no way they can be separated again.  (I think we're getting into no game no life levels of must be in my sight).  

He's also angry.  He's so so angry, and there's no outlet for it.  He can't fight anyone to make up for lost time, for the trauma.  There's no one to fight to get his brother back.  There's no one he can blame this on, that he can reach at least.  He won't take it out on innocents.  He won't even try to outlet it in a "healthier" manner, because he doesn't think he can do so safely (no pokemon fights, no fist fights, etc.)  He feels on the knife edge of being out of control.

I think Elesa knows this, and is wracking her brain for something to help him.  IDK yet what she comes up with, but I'd like her to be able to help him.  And in this case, I want Elesa and Sneaseler to bond over taking care of these poor sad trainmen.  

Ingo still has episodes, when the memories of his incarceration flare up.  And if he's recovered memories, probably doubly so about the childhood closet and his other kidnapping.  The first time it happens, Emmet reacts before Rei even realizes there's an issue.  

Perhaps they are in Sneaslers den, still the safest and most comfortable place for Ingo now.  Elesa and Rei are chatting on the makeshift bedding, Ingo nearby stirring a pot where their meal is cooking, Emmet fussing with the pokemon.  Ingo maybe is talking, maybe is just listening, but slowly trails off, slowly stops moving, his eyes unfocusing, posture slumping.  He doesn't mean to get lost in his head, but sometimes the darkness swallows him, pulls his mind away from his family.  

Emmet is by his side, carefully taking the spoon out of a slack grip, guiding his brother to the nest of bedding/blankets.  Emmet wraps himself around his brother, comforting him but not trying to disturb him.  Ingo will return when he can, he knows.  Rei has leapt to their feet, hovering between trying to help (because they had been the one to do this for Ingo, and they dont want to NOT do anything), and Elesa who has vacated it to allow the brothers down.  She is humming quietly, filling the silence (there's no TV here to turn on as background noise, so she makes do), and makes sure that their is plenty of light around.

Rei hasn't dared approach, they feel like an outsider, which hurts because all they want is to be close to Ingo right now, and they don't know if it's alright.  Elesa is the one to usher them forward, pressing them to sit on the floor and hold one of Ingo's hands.  Elesa contents herself with sitting next to Emmet, pressing as much as she can against him for comfort (give and take).

The signs may be different, less panicky and jittery, but they know.  Once Ingo is asleep, stretched out on the bedding, head in Emmet's lap and blanket on his shoulders, Emmet's hands running soothingly through his hair, only then does Emmet demand answers.  Who hurt his brother?  Who locked him away?

Rei wonders how Emmet knew.  But Emmet can see the signs.  This isn't like what Ingo went through before he left.  This is more severe.  Something new had to have happened.  And Emmet once again hadn't been there for his brother.  Emmet really wants to punch someone over this.

What's worse, is that Ingo's action DO have consequences.  Tensions are rising, since a high ranking member of the Pearl clan attacked the commander of team Galaxy.  The peace has been threatened, and it's looking more and more like things will devolve back into a sort of civil war.  The group knows this, do doubt.  Part of why Emmet /can't/ do anything, even though he desperately wants to.

Once it's explained, as little as Rei knew about it at least, Emmet is FURIOUS and can't let it out in any healthy manner.  He can't fight anyone (the situation with kamado is already delicate, and while he had to be restrained, he eventually concedes for Ingo's sake.).  He can't even pokemon battle properly, no one here is any sort of a challenge.  If he could pry himself off Ingo long enough to battle even.  So he's spiraling terribly because he needs to be there for Ingo but he himself is just one thread away from snapping in a bad way.  

I think this is where Elesa gets the idea, probably with the help of Sneasler, to basically pile a bunch of baby sneasels on him.  Or eggs, or otherwise.  Elesa is basically tapping into Emmet's old habits from breeding, where he had to be gentle and delicate.  And reminding him of the quiet joys he had there.  Bringing him back from raging against the injustice of the world by reminding him of the good in it.  Raising babies always calmed Emmet down, lets him redirect his energy and all.  It also helps with some of the separation anxiety, as things go along.

After things with Emmet's arrival settle down, there's still tension in the area.  A civil war brewing.  Because the Pearl clan did attack Team Galaxy, and it's unclear why.  Adaman goes to Irida first to try and figure out what the heck happened, because he really does not want to go back to their clans fighting.  They are trying so hard to keep the peace.  Irida /needs/ something more concrete, but she doesn't have it.  However she is loyal to her warden, and supports his choice even though she doesn't understand it.  (She doesn't let on she has no idea what went down other than Ingo attacking Kamado.)

Ingo though realizes what his actions have caused, and needs to fix it.  Emmet doesn't fully understand the situation, but is there to support him no matter what.  (Emmet can't let go of Ingo.  He just can't.  Not when Ingo was taken from him literally a few feet away.  So long as Emmet is holding on, it's safe.  Ingo doesn't even think about trying to stop it.)  Ingo believes that explaining his own actions and mindset is the only way to explain to Irida, that he owes her that for what he's caused.  (He has remembered by now.)

Irida does tell him he doesn't have to, but is relieved all the same.  However once she hears what happens, she's more than a bit angry.  I'm thinking Adaman is here too.

Because Ingo explains.  How he was imprisoned.  (Irida is livid, how dare they take one of hers without informing her!)  How it messed with him.  He explains haltingly that it triggered a bad mental space.  That he'd been kidnapped and kept in a small dark place before.  And though he could not remember, he still felt the fear and it affected how he reacted.  

And he wants to explain that there was more to the deep seated fear, but he can't say it out loud.  But Emmet can.  And does.  When they were kids, there was only enough to have one of them.  So Emmet was hid away, always.  But Ingo didn't think it was fair, so he insisted they switched.  Emmet was fine, it was what he knew.  Ingo was not fine.  In the dark.  You have to be quiet, you have to be invisible.  (Elesa would be devastated and furious.  Learning about this part of the twin's past like this would hurt.)  (Irida and Adaman don't fully understand of course, they are too detached from the world Ingo and Emmet come from, but it's still horrifying.)

Adaman definitely agrees.  Ingo was put into a traumatic situation, and his actions could be explained for that.  It didn't matter that neither party knew just how deep the imprisonment would affect Ingo.  Ugh I can't phrase this right now, i hope future me can get it with more thought.  They consider it a justified attack basically, and are united in the defense of ingo and the fact that he was baited into attacking.  

To prevent the unrest, they go to Kamado to discuss and come to an agreement.  Kamado believes it is going to be an apology, so they could go back to being neutral parties and all.  He is mistaken.  Adaman was definitely going the more diplomatic route, saying fair’s fair and all parties should let it go.  Irida tho.  She insists.  She says she can't ally with the Galaxy Team if Kamado is in charge.  He's proven he can and will be aggressive toward the clans.  If he steps down form his position of power, she will continue the alliance.  (Digs at him, she won't even ask him to be banished.  He can keep his home.  She just can't have him in charge.)

When the unfairness of this pointed out, she adds that Ingo too will step down from his position, and from the Pearl clan.  To him she explains, she knows he needs to return to his own home.  He is not being sent away, but let go so that he can leave without guilt.  Bonus that it lets her bargain Kamado out of power.

Because as much as Irida loves and values him as one of her clan, they all know he doesn’t fit in here.  That he /needs/ to be with his family, needs to return to the home he dedicated his life to saving.  It is the kindest thing she can do for him, taking the choice out of his hands.

[doomburgerdoodles]

Just thinking of some things I would love to get into more detail about if/when i do my rewrite for my own mental health LMAO

Obv I’d change all the garbage. id love to explore a unique avenue for a ��revolution’ that doesn’t just lift directly from history and is its own thing without comparing fictional robots to real life people suffering like wow fuck off no thanks. More intimate personal stories, a much better development time period for deviancy rising, GAYS. SO MANY GAYS. TRANS ANDROIDS FFS.

I just have this general feeling too that like... being forced to repress any feelings or not even being aware of them because of software or whatnot and suddenly having that start to break down and feeling things needs so much more exploration? Like idk maybe its because I have a really volatile and generally confused relationship with my own emotions but I feel like it should be 1000% more tumultuous and scary and confusing for all of them and it’d be way more interesting. to me anyway 8I

Id definitely really wanna explore Markus’ creativity and emotional side. He’s so passionate and thoughtful I need MORE. Imagine his thoughtful moments in quiet being spent drawing or painting on whatever he can find or just exploring outlets for the intense emotions he feels. Imagine him growing this interest without Carl coaxing him, Carl just kind of helping him let it flourish and giving him safe space to explore. It’s gotta be overwhelming just starting out understanding your emotions, for all of them honestly, but I feel like Markus could have to most beautiful exploration of that. And then being surrounded by so many androids dying around him like geez wow bby. ;-;

Also totally probably projecting but like... Connor talking about testing himself regularly reminded me hardcore of growing up as a queer kid and not having the knowledge to understand what was happening to me yet. I literally used to lay awake at night testing myself for hours to see if I was gay, like I was so terrified. It’d be so interesting to explore Connor having some intensifying paranoia and unrealized fear about his budding emotions and deviancy, especially having like... another ‘consciousness’ literally in your head checking on you constantly. Like damn. Not to mention being autistic and the utter confusion of possible alexithymia probably super intensified by being in denial of them for so long. 

I’d love to develop that moment Connor has when he watches Markus’ broadcast, where you can see something is going on in his head and Hank asks him but it never gets more attention until he actually meets Markus and suddenly we’re supposed to believe Markus can convince him right on the spot to deviate XD  GROWING ADMIRATION OVER TIME CONFLICTING WITH HIS MISSION IN A MORE APPARENT WAY. Much more interesting 8I

And like of course the obvious problems with the game that I would trash and burn in a garbage heap.

Kara I feel like... she got the most emotional development, so I have less I’d want to change for her I guess. Id be interested in exploring her having an interest in family more obviously, seeing mothers out and about, children playing, maybe an interest in books and fictional worlds as an outlet for being cut off from that etc (she does have a huge children’s library right in her brain!!!). obv id change the major bs like the constant victimization, racism and horrifying concentration camp disgustingness. But that too is part of the trash fire lmao. Also way more romance development with Luther, and more development for Luther in general because Luther is fucking amazing we need more.

idk i have a lot of thoughts 8I

[trendingnewsb]

CGI Influencers Like Lil Miquela Are About to Flood Your Feeds

It doesn’t get more 2018 than this: In mid-April, a Trump-supporting Instagram influencer named Bermuda hacked the account of fellow influencer Lil Miquela, who has over a million followers. Wait, no, there’s more: Bermuda refused to return the account unless Miquela promised to “tell the world the truth”—the truth being that Miquela is not a human being. And in case you haven’t caught on yet, neither is Bermuda. Both are CGI creations.

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Lil Miquela has been a source of fascination for many on Instagram since not long after her account launched in April 2016, but for her first two years of existence, no one could definitively say who or what was behind the operation. The Bermuda hack-slash-PR-stunt solved at least part of the mystery, linking Miquela to Brud, a Los Angeles-based startup that specializes in “robotics, artificial intelligence and their applications to media businesses”—but the entire saga remains a master class in postmodern performance art, with Miquela announcing that she was “no longer working with [her] managers at Brud.” (For those who are curious about the nitty-gritty, The Cut has a good tick-tock of exactly how the hack and subsequent “reveals” played out.)

The entire charade will likely continue on for some time, if not indefinitely, and the exact operational logistics behind Lil Miquela’s account may never become clear. What is clear, however, is Miquela’s influence—and the fact that when it comes to confusing encounters with hyper-realistic CGI humans, she’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The Rise of the Brandfluencatars

Miquela isn’t just a flashy stunt: She has serious money-making potential. Already, the virtual influencer has partnered with Giphy and Prada and posed wearing Diesel and Moncler. In February, Miquela said she had never been paid to model a piece of fashion on her feed, but that could change at any moment. (Lil Miquela’s PR representatives did not respond to queries about whether she has posted any sponsored content since that statement.)

The demand from brands is certainly there. Just look at what happened to Shudu, a CGI “supermodel” created by fashion photographer Cameron-James Wilson. Her account went viral when Fenty Beauty reposted a “photo” of Shudu “wearing” the brand’s Mattemoiselle lipstick; since then, Wilson says, he’s gotten offers from a bounty of brands in the fashion and tech worlds, all hoping to work with the CGI model.

But virtual models and influencers like Lil Miquela and Shudu raise thorny questions. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission updated its endorsement guides to require influencers to disclose their marketing relationships and identify paid posts with a hashtag like #ad or #sponsored—but it’s not clear how those rules would apply to influencers who aren't human, and whose backers, like Lil Miquela’s, are shrouding themselves in mystery. “If this influencer doesn’t disclose that a post is paid for, who is the FTC going to go after?” asks Adam Rivietz, cofounder and CSO of the influencer marketing company #paid.

Beyond that, Rivietz says, virtual influencers like Lil Miquela raise other concerns. After all, why should followers trust the opinion of someone who doesn’t exist? “Virtual influencers aren’t trying on a clothing brand," Rivietz points out. "They can’t tell you, ‘This shirt is softer than another and that’s one of the reasons you should buy it.’ They’re not real people, so they can’t give a totally authentic endorsement.” (Then again, according to Ryan Detert, CEO of the influencer marketplace Influential, those are the very traits that make virtual influencers so attractive to companies: “They’re much easier to control.”)

In the near future, Rivietz thinks, many companies may begin building their own digital influencers, simply because it’s a more efficient way of controlling the message that reaches their target audiences. Human influencers, too, might begin embracing CGI alter egos to protect their relationships with their existing sponsors. “They could make a duplicate version where it’s like, ‘This is my real-life feed where I post certain things, but then here’s my avatar of myself where maybe I work with different brands or do more risqué things,’” Rivietz says.

Wilson, the creator of Shudu, suspects that digital doppelgangers will extend beyond even the world of influencers, and sees Shudu in part as a way of acclimating a mainstream audience to the idea of digital humans. “I think it’s only natural that we will have avatars of ourselves eventually, or characters,” he says. “The reason I want to get people into it now is because that is going to explode.”

More Human Than Human

There are already a number of startups working on commercial applications for what they call “digital” or “virtual” humans. Some, like the New Zealand-based Soul Machines, are focusing on using these virtual humans for customer service applications; already, the company has partnered with the software company Autodesk, Daimler Financial Services, and National Westminster Bank to create hyper-lifelike digital assistants. Others, like 8i and Quantum Capture, are working on creating digital humans for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality applications.

And those startups’ technologies, though still in their early stages, make Lil Miquela and her cohort look positively low-res. “[Lil Miquela] is just scratching the surface of what these virtual humans can do and can be,” says Quantum Capture CEO and president Morgan Young. “It’s pre-rendered, computer-generated snapshots—images that look great, but that’s about as far as it’s going to go, as far as I can tell, with their tech. We’re concentrating on a high level of visual quality and also on making these characters come to life.”

Quantum Capture is focused on VR and AR, but the Toronto-based company is also aware that those might see relatively slow adoption—and so it’s currently leveraging its 3D-scanning and motion-capture technologies for real-world applications today. The startup is currently piloting one use case for a luxury hotel, where a “virtual human” concierge greets guests in the lobby via a touch screen or kiosk and helps them check in; guests can then access that same virtual human concierge from their rooms and ask for anything from restaurant recommendations to help adjusting the lighting or opening the curtains.

An example of Quantum Capture's interactive, photo-real humans, which are powered by chatbots and AI.

Quantum Capture

Down the line, Quantum Capture’s Young thinks that, just as it might become commonplace for Instagram influencers to have CGI alter egos, celebrities may start creating digital doubles. “There’s a really interesting revenue model built around that, wherein you might not get access to the talent themselves, but you might get access to their digital avatar, and the actual human being will make money off of the use of their avatar,” says Young.

If that latter sort of use case sounds familiar, it’s because it’s exactly the plot of the 2013 movie The Congress, in which Robin Wright, playing herself, agrees to sell off the film rights to her digital image. In that movie, things go predictably and dystopically wrong—and indeed, Young says he doesn’t see 3D-scanned celebrity doppelgangers taking off until questions around rights management can be firmly locked down.

But it’s not hard to see a dystopian tinge even in today’s rising ranks of virtual humans. Lil Miquela commands a following of 1.1 million followers—more than double the number she boasted in December—and though the influencer has used her power for good, encouraging her followers (known as “Miquelites”) to donate to Black Girls Code and be better allies to transgender people, it’s not hard to imagine another CGI account using its influence to spread hate or political discord. It’s easy to eye-roll at a headline about two feuding CGI celebs. But they won’t be the last—and their successors might not be so immediately easy to spot as fakes.

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IOS 10.3: Six new functions to attempt right away

Apple has simply launched the legitimate version of iOS 10.three for everyone, the final fundamental software program update for iPhones, iPads, and iPods before the large iOS eleven rolls out in June.

Do not assume apparent modifications on this version of iOS, but there are some subtle tweaks that can be worth the improve.

1. Apple Identity Profile

Click for your profile to access your iCloud, iTunes, App Store and Own family Sharing information in a single place and scroll down to see a list of all of the Apple gadgets linked to these debts.

You’ll nevertheless want to log in to the Find my iPhone app on your phone or internet browser to access all of them, but it’ll prevent from having to dig via the settings to get entry to every account.

2. ICloud storage breakdown

In case you pay for added storage on Apple’s iCloud, this subsequent one might be mainly useful. You can now see exactly how you are the use of your iCloud garage by clicking on the iCloud alternative in this new profile segment. Faucet the graph on the top of this segment to determine out exactly what the storage hogs are. This offers you a tool and software-precise breakdown detailing what number of gigs of the garage are being used by every.

If you haven’t activated the two-aspect authentication in your account (that you should), You’ll be aware a new “suggestion” section right beneath your profile in the essential settings page. Apple may additionally use this space to present you other suggestions to enhance your tool’s overall performance, however, for now, this is the best idea that seemed on my cell phone.

3. Weather in Maps

In case you’re a fan of Apple’s proprietary Maps app, you will now have a glimpse of the Climate wherever you go. The state-of-the-art update adds a tiny Climate worm to the lowest right-hand nook of the screen showing the present day Climate situations in that vicinity. For a seven-day breakdown of the Weather, just three-D Touch the Weather computer virus or maintain retaining to open the Climate app in a new display.

4. Discover my AirPods

Register on your Discover my iPhone app and you ought to now see the AirPods as one of the devices related to your account. Click on to see the remaining known place of the ‘Pods after they were paired with your phone or ping them to make them ring. just ensure you’re no longer sporting them In case you need to preserve your listening to intact.

Apple has not disclosed the reliable release date for iOS 10.three, which means that those functions are still a problem to change. And the final version of the update may additionally still turn out to be inclusive of the “theater mode” or another features Apple desires to debut earlier than WWDC in June.

5. App compatibility status

Chances are, you will be conserving on to 3 apps which have stopped receiving updates, which may be making your phone gradual and buggy.

IOS 10.3 makes it clear to identify the culprits right from the Settings menu. Click at the Approximately choice in your Widespread settings and watch for the information to load. When you have any non-well-suited apps lying around, you ought to see an arrow appear subsequent to the range next to Applications. Some other Click must then take you to the App Compatibility page listing the offenders.

A higher way to Save your files

One of an essential modifications in iOS 10.3 is one you can not truly see or attempt. Apple is taking the first step in switching all of its devices to a greater advanced record system referred to as the Apple report system (APFS).

Apple’s new file device replaces the prevailing Hierarchical file system (HFS+) and has more potent encryption, garage optimization among different upgrades.

What does this suggest for you? What You’ll notice proper away is an extended setup time and a small bump in garage space. however, over time, this will simply progress overall performance over time, efficient garage and an extra solid platform.

Reading for 1Z0-0.5: Oracle Database 11g: New capabilities for 9i OCPs

In case your latest Oracle DBA certification is for 9i, then it’s miles starting to get a bit dusty. There are still agencies jogging release 9i of Oracle for his or her database, but that variety is steadily shrinking. Whilst Oracle 12c is launched, that fashion will in all likelihood accelerate. Past that, taking new features tests maintains you privy to the modern competencies of the Oracle database. Even as Reading for the improve certifications I’ve often determined new additions which might be useful to me in the process. facts Technology specialists who do now not replace their capabilities as Generation modifications will quickly be left in the back of. That stated If you are reading this article then you are possibly planning to take the 1Z0-half examination. In it, I will attempt to provide some insight into the test to assist manual your examine plan.

All of the goals in order to be included in the 1Z0-0.5 examination are listed at the Oracle Education website. There is a full-size range of functions that have been added both in Oracle 10G or 11G that aren’t on that list. There could be no take a look at questions for these features. The subject lists from Oracle Education are constantly whole. The brand new features for 9i OCPs exam has 80-four questions that should be replied in two hours. The questions are split into seventeen problem areas. each topic will generally have one or two questions asked.

Most people of the test is on functions that have been introduced in 11G. There are more than one regions with 10G-precise upgrades — specifically Records Pump (which became a prime new characteristic of 10G) and a few Backup and Recuperation upgrades that were delivered with 10G. The automated garage Control situation location is mainly big due to the fact ASM turned into delivered in 10G and had massive improvements in 11G. Likewise, the Square Tuning location is huge at the exam due to sizeable changes in both releases.

Whilst you are Analyzing, Don’t get stuck up inside the wrong information. New capabilities exams will not be testing whether You can administer an Oracle database. The most effective candidates taking this exam should already be Oracle Licensed DBAs and so your capacity to administer the database is taken as a given. The styles of questions that you are probably to peer on the examination include:

Z0-050 may be testing your information of records instead of revel in-based totally questions. that is a need for upgrade exams given the nature of the fabric. analyzing the relevant portions of The new features documentation to be had with the Oracle 10G and Oracle 11G is one vicinity to begin Studying, however, will now not be enough to bypass the examination. In case you are the use of the manuals as your observe supply, you’ll additionally want to use the management manual, set up manual, the Backup and Recovery guide, and the ASM guide (among others) to Discover the information you need. before you schedule the check, you have to be familiar with All the objectives. Good fortune at the examination.

Matthew is an experienced DBA and developer. He holds Oracle DBA Certifications for releases 7, 8i, 9i, 10G and 11G; and Oracle Expert Certifications for Sq. and alertness Express; and is an Oracle PL/Sq. Developer Certified Companion. He’s the writer of numerous Oracle certification publications, which include one for 1Z0-1/2. His web site, www.Oraclecertificationprep.Com, is dedicated to imparting hyperlinks to assets for Oracle certification preparation.