#and then have to come up with a workaround

[subjectsix]

Very genuinely I appreciate all the people offering fixes (I really mean this, I hope it helps people finding this post and its showed me a few more Windows debloat options).

At the same time, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m sick of workarounds for something that never needed workarounds. Things that should be basic features on hardware you own. I even have a Linux machine with a Mint distro on it and have been messing around with it, but switching to Linux shouldn’t have to be the answer.

So many people are pointing out that they have to use a personal smartphone for work or for banking. I needed one to get the app to buzz in my office building’s locked door.

Things that should be tools (AI, photo editors, software on computers) have been weaponized against users. Social media is homogenized and difficult to truly personalize or control. Everything wants your phone number. Google asked me to add my home address to my email. Cars don’t come with knobs, but touch screens. It’s harder and harder to buy appliances that aren’t connected to wifi.

I am unbelievably grateful for those that have workarounds— who make programmers to strip bloatware, reprogram OSes for things like iPods and the Car Thing, who program raspberry pis to block ads, make forums and browser games and communities online as alternatives. We have gotta keep doing it. It can’t be about quick fixes and begrudging compromises anymore. Not everyone can ditch their smartphone or use Linux. But we can not shut up about stupid crap and make changes ourselves.

I don’t mean that to sound like a wearying call to action demanding you stop talking to that friend you only have contact with on Facebook, etc. But I do think it’s good to evaluate what you’re willing to put up with on your computer and what you can change for your own personal benefit, just like you should be able to do in the first place. And to not shut up and make your distaste for crap features known.

In the wise words of the angry guy in the Windows support forum:

I don't know I'm not done talking about it. It's insane that I can't just uninstall Edge or Copilot. That websites require my phone number to sign up. That people share their contacts to find their friends on social media.

I wouldn't use an adblocker if ads were just banners on the side funding a website I enjoy using and want to support. Ads pop up invasively and fill my whole screen, I misclick and get warped away to another page just for trying to read an article or get a recipe.

Every app shouldn't be like every other app. Instagram didn't need reels and a shop. TikTok doesn't need a store. Instagram doesn't need to be connected to Facebook. I don't want my apps to do everything, I want a hub for a specific thing, and I'll go to that place accordingly.

I love discord, but so much information gets lost to it. I don't want to join to view things. I want to lurk on forums. I want to be a user who can log in and join a conversation by replying to a thread, even if that conversation was two days ago. I know discord has threads, it's not the same. I don't want to have to verify my account with a phone number. I understand safety and digital concerns, but I'm concerned about information like that with leaks everywhere, even with password managers.

I shouldn't have to pay subscriptions to use services and get locked out of old versions. My old disk copy of photoshop should work. I should want to upgrade eventually because I like photoshop and supporting the business. Adobe is a whole other can of worms here.

Streaming is so splintered across everything. Shows release so fast. Things don't get physical releases. I can't stream a movie I own digitally to friends because the share-screen blocks it, even though I own two digital copies, even though I own a physical copy.

I have an iPod, and I had to install a third party OS to easily put my music on it without having to tangle with iTunes. Spotify bricked hardware I purchased because they were unwillingly to upkeep it. They don't pay their artists. iTunes isn't even iTunes anymore and Apple struggles to upkeep it.

My TV shows me ads on the home screen. My dad lost access to eBook he purchased because they were digital and got revoked by the company distributing them. Hitman 1-3 only runs online most of the time. Flash died and is staying alive because people love it and made efforts to keep it up.

I have to click "not now" and can't click "no". I don't just get emails, they want to text me to purchase things online too. My windows start search bar searches online, not just my computer. Everything is blindly called an app now. Everything wants me to upload to the cloud. These are good tools! But why am I forced to use them! Why am I not allowed to own or control them?

No more!!!!! I love my iPod with so much storage and FLAC files. I love having all my fics on my harddrive. I love having USBs and backups. I love running scripts to gut suck stuff out of my Windows computer I don't want that spies on me. I love having forums. I love sending letters. I love neocities and webpages and webrings. I will not be scanning QR codes. Please hand me a physical menu. If I didn't need a smartphone for work I'd get a "dumb" phone so fast. I want things to have buttons. I want to use a mouse. I want replaceable batteries. I want the right to repair. I grew up online and I won't forget how it was!

[muirmarie]

ever since I wrote the thing where spock tells mccoy that the ozh'esta can be platonic, in the back of my head I keep thinking about a fic where the entire basis is that spock does know he's into mccoy, and he (don't do this) basically lulls him into vulcan dating without telling him? like finger kissing sure sure sure, but other things as well that, like, up the ante a LOT. and because i'm not a particularly kind person, I was trying to think how kirk could also be doing that, but of course he doesn't have the same leeway as spock, as mccoy obviously knows what human gestures of affection/romance are - so i think the best workaround would be for kirk to convince mccoy to try a chill/casual friends with benefits thing with him, except kirk keeps, like, doing super intense romantic things, and (i'm exaggerating for comedic affect) gaslighting him that they're really just what every friends with benefits situation is like, and because mccoy's never had a fwb, he's just like......"that sounds wrong but I don't know enough about them to prove you wrong" and goes along with it.

point being that he is routinely getting to idk vulcan third base with spock, but spock is just like "odd that you think this is romantic and/or sexual, this is just vulcan friendship, doctor," and meanwhile he's supposed to be having quickies with kirk to blow off steam, but kirk keeps doing the most romantic shit and being like, "yeah, giving you roses is my kink, why are you being so weird about it" and mccoy's just. listen. he's dated around okay, he's not some shy blushing virgin, but he has made the tragic mistake of trusting his two best friends, and by george are they gonna abuse that trust (don't do this) in their attempts to win him over lmao.

I mostly keep thinking about other vulcans coming on board and them subtly realizing and reacting to spock's ~claim~ on mccoy, and spock being disgustingly smug about it, and meanwhile someone hits on mccoy and kirk swoops in and, like, tenderly cups mccoy's cheek and kisses him and then leaves, and mccoy's like, yeah, no, we're just friends?, and everyone around him is???? babe??? no you aren't???

is it possible to write this without mccoy coming off TOO oblivious and/or spock and kirk coming off TOO lacking of boundaries, I just don't know, but it does make me giggle now and again when I think about it

also the fact that he is going to genuinely murder them when he realizes what they've been doing, and they can't even complain, because they both know they absolutely deserve it.

[red-wop]

Right but as I am writing the Wall E AU I keep finding plotholes in both the film and in my interpretation and god its driving me up the bend

Like- yk how all of earths population is living in space at that point? Thats alot of bloody ships and now I've gotta come up with an explanation for it because they dont properly explain it in the film but then I was doing some research on it and then I found out that in film canon there was a climate disaster which wiped out over half of the worlds population and thats why theres not as many ships,

BUT I CANT BLOODY WRITE THAT PLOTPOINT BECAUSE THE WALL E'S IN MY FIC ARE HUMAN SO THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT TOO IF THERE WAS A CLIMATE DISASTER

godddd why've I decided to make this fic more complicated than it needs to be its literally Silly Red dwarf guys but Silly Wall E robots, I dont know why ive done this to myself wtf

Anyway I'm probably gonna try and ignore that plothole and let it sit in a corner while I continue to write lolll

[reineydraws]

i have this fic series i'm still working on where mihawk sort of becomes rayleigh's kid and spends ages 11-17ish on the oro jackson.

shanks and buggy imprint on him (bugs considers him a sort of older brother figure/sparring inspiration and shanks has a crush that eventually turns into full-blown love) and this is how i imagine they're like on the day mihawk sets off on his own haha.

[quixotin]

hot take but the gatekeeping and purism in these replies makes it so evident that some people haven't even bothered to see how ChatGPT works.

If you've ever used it, you'd know it is an excellent tool, but ultimately, it does not replace an editor, or in this case, a beta reader. In short, when you use the GPT, you have to invest time into teaching it what you need it to do. This is part of prompt engineering, and it takes some level of skill. You can't just ask it to do shit as if it were the genie in the lamp, contrary to popular belief. If you are trying to use it as a quick workaround from a beta reader that focuses on developmental issues, it is simply not going to work. You need to coach it. Full stop.

That being said, and pushing the ideological point aside for a moment, as someone that has written fanfic, original fiction, and corporate documents (though only have used AI on my own original work), I do think it is a better tool for developing original work of any kind than for transformative fiction because in transformative fiction, you already have a set of parameters you need to follow and there is only so much the GPT will be able to help you with if it knows you are working with someone else's intellectual property. Basicslly, you already have the tools you need to get yourself unstuck from a plot hole, since the actual story, the base parameters you must follow in order for it to be considered derivative fiction, has already been written for you by the original, canon author.

GPT is probably best as a brainstorming and iteration tool, i.e. when you are stuck on something and want to see your options or be reminded of a bird eye's view of your work (something that is not precisely the strongsuit of a discussion with a peer, as these usually are rich in details, and notably, also unintentionally biased). This is more useful if you are coming up with something from scratch imo, because as an author you are continuously developing those parameters readers will later on use as the starting point for their own derivatives, i.e. fanfic.

So, it is not whether or not AI has a place in fandom, it's just that it is simply not as useful as it could be when it comes to developmental work (not line editing).

That being said, to shun AI as nothing short of a sin speaks of closemindedness, bordering on willful ignorance.

AI can't replace the input of a colleague because the AI will give you the answer that is logical, not necessarily the pleasing or aesthetic one. Not the one a human would enjoy reading, in any case. That is inalienable. It is up to you as a creative to exercise your discernment. The usefulness of ChatGPT is directly tied to your ability for critical thinking and your mastery over your topic. If you can't do much of that, then it simply won't be that useful.

On the matter of whether it constitutes the end of fandom community as we know it, and that no one that uses it can call themself a writer, I think it is a very gatekeepy thing to say. We say that as though there aren't any cliques and egos and jealousies and dynamics of influence that people, especially newcomers, have to navigate in order to find their niche in these communities. We say that as though everyone has all the best intentions at all times and we all have all the time and energy in the world. Sometimes, people do not have beta readers, not for a lack of trying, but simply because they are ignored, rejected, or simply too new or too shy in their communities. Here is when AI can actually make a difference to an extent (because again, if you are new to writing, you really should be striving to learn by practicing instead of asking the chat). If you are a writer with some skill, you know it cannot replace the interaction with like-minded peers because all the AI does is speed up your own creative process, but it cannot write the thing for you, not really. It cannot say, "My heart skipped a beat when I read this".

Under capable hands, it is a tremendous help, but it simply isn't a replacement.

Fanfic is ultimately a subversion of capitalism. It is labor with absolutely no purpose other than enjoyment. A core tenet of fanfic is to use other people's ideas as a playground and to just. waste time and have fun. Whether you need AI for that or not... well, that is up to you to reflect on.

just saw a fanfic on ao3 have a dedication for chatgpt... that section is meant for your horny perverted mutual who proofread your work, you violated sacred law and you will be torn apart and laid bare btw

[bayonettas-tits]

I'm Caroline from Gaza. Am sorry for sending you this request without your permission. My house was destroyed in the war, and my family lost everything. We've been displaced multiple times, but there's no safe place here. I'm battling Type 1 Diabetes and can't afford insulin, and my mother needs treatment for kidney failure outside Gaza. Any donation, no matter how small, can help us survive and get my mother the care she needs. A friend outside Gaza is helping with the donation program. Please reach out if you need more details.

Damn, your name is Doreen, Mary Ann, Ruth, AND Caroline? You sure have a lot of names. Also somehow is able to use Paypal, despite it not working in Palestine. (Update since this is still getting attention. While Paypal can be a red flag, I do want to make it clear that there are workarounds to this, and not every fundraiser that uses it is a scam)

On top of all your blog activity being around the same time (which is a major red flag)

[danielnelsen]

things aren’t going well with peach. while i think my dad’s very right to be concerned that she hasn’t eaten anything in nearly 60 hours (obviously i am too), im becoming increasingly concerned that she hasn’t slept at all in around 36 hours and prior to that she was under anaesthetic, which isn’t exactly restful, so it’s closer to 48 hrs

like dad took her back to the vet today and we’ve got injections for her painkillers now because she’s not eating, and also injections for fluids (because she doesn’t drink; she only gets water from her food), so the not eating is Bad but also kinda under management, but if she doesn’t sleep soon i’m extremely worried. dad was like ‘if she doesn’t eat by tomorrow afternoon we’ll take her back because the injections will run out’ but like. if she doesn’t sleep tonight we have GOT to take her back first thing in the morning so they can sedate her or something

[krumbaphant]

what do you MEAN i have to suffer through another 6 days of work. and then do it again. and again. and again. and ag-

[y-rhywbeth2]

Next step on the journey of self-indulgent ghoul-Durge headcanons which I'm bizarrely invested in is: 'Replace Doresain as God-King of the Ghouls.'

Vel's sort of an elf, and half-murder god so that's a step closer than working from scratch. It'd be simple enough to start a cult following and get deliberately muddled up with Doresain as an identity and use that as a jumping point from which to steal his portfolio/domain...

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Nothing pisses me off more than when people talk about my friendships with mid-support needs autistics and other people with differently-wired brains as if I am descending to help them because I’ve taken them on as a charity case. That is NOT true. Oh they’re a burden because they’re neurodivergent? WELL GUESS FUCKING WHAT: SO AM I! THE REASON I HAVE SO MANY FRIENDS WITH SO MUCH SHIT WRONG WITH THEM IS BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF SHIT WRONG WITH ME. WE ATTRACT EACH OTHER! WE LIKE EACH OTHER! IT’S NOT THAT FUCKING HARD TO UNDERSTAND!

[generallemarc]

Random hot take

JJK would unironically have been better if Gojo beat Sukuna. Just make it a mutual kill or have Gojo just barely survive and be unable to fight and now you're free to have all the other characters show their stuff against Kenjaku without locking in the ruination of the series. Also, the series' worldbuilding died forever when it showed Gojo having killed the council behind the screens who run the jujutsu world. If he could've just done that whenever, that invalidates basically all the problems that came about due to friction between him and the conservative faction. The electric guitar principle was always able to work with him despite being a tsundere about it, so why not just put him in charge by virtue of all his colleagues being dead? Why even have the plot point about Itadori being under a suspended death sentence when Gojo not wanting him to die was all it took to ensure that never came to pass?

[shoplifting]

Laois's party would see post-Shibuya Incident Tokyo as another dungeon. Tokyo Jujutsu Tech students would see the island's dungeon as a vacation.

[julie-su]

Save your canvas every time you find yourself thinking "Wow, I do NOT want to redraw that ever again"

[bookwyrminspiration]

i am standing at the kitchen counter deseeding a pomegranate (my favorite fruit) and I am carefully going through every seed (because I forgot about it) (because it's started to turn) and they are dull red instead of vibrant and taut (it's started to turn). I discard almost half the pomegranate (my favorite fruit) seeds because they're mushy (I forgot about it). and I remember how every day I saw the pomegranate on the counter (I remember things when I see them) and thought that I should deseed it (because it would start to turn) and then I'd turn away and I'd forget (because I couldn't see it) (because I didn't want to remember that I was forgetting). and now all these seeds (mushy, dull red) are being discarded because I forgot (even though it's my favorite fruit). and I can remember (because I'm seeing it) (because I'm holding it) (because the juice is on my hands) that I forgot it day after day. and I wonder if my distress, the frustration will be enough (so I won't forget it next time). and I know it won't be (because I'm going to turn away when I'm done) (because I won't see it anymore) and that I am going to forget, again, to deseed the pomegranates (my favorite fruit). I will be here again (again). i discard another seed. i am standing at the kitchen counter deseeding a pomegranate

[tacit-semantics]

My hands are Killing me in a way that they shouldn’t be when it’s also this hot out like man what’re you doin all that for??? We don’t believe in overtime here

[ailinu]

blasting into a discord with my 750,000 simulated dice rolls and stem background to argue about the rules of a game with the designer