#and they can check out the original story

[revolupine]

[Image ID:

The four moves: Use the SIFT Method to help evaluate information found online.

Stop: You found something that may or may not be true! STOP yourself from sharing it right away and follow the next steps.

Investigate the source: Figure out where the information is coming from. A reporter? A scientist? A random person on the internet?

Find better coverage: Are there credible sources talking about this claim or issue? See what they are saying about it.

Trace to original context: Find where the information was originally published. There might be context that was removed by the cucle of sharing on the internet.

Reminders: Bad things can happen AND there could be false stories about it. Both can happen at the same time. Not sure if it's credible? Don't share it!

References: Adapted from library.nwacc.edu/lateralreading/sift

End ID.]

Additions from the notes and me:

Use removepaywall or 12ft to bypass article paywalls.

Get a public library card and it will get you access to major news publications that are paywalled. It's a little clunky because you will have to access the site through your library's gateway first (usually in their list of electronic publications/subscriptions/databases), but you can save your library card info in your browser. (This also gives your library the all important metrics to help keep these services funded.) (via @oberstein)

Ground News, a subscription service that provides news with USA media bias information.

OptOut News, a free media aggregator.

I think the main thing is remembering that opinion and commentary is not news. Talk shows that do commentary or satire (based) on real news are still not news and should not be considered news, for example. Before reading an article it's important to check if it's labeled as opinion, commentary, or such. (via @unfamiliar-ghostly-system)

A list of UK media biases.

Wikipedia reliable sources list.

The effects of the Sinclair Broadcast Group on local reporting.

Various recommended outlets (I didn't check each for reliability, so use at your own risk):

Democracy Now!

Reuters

Al Jazeera English

at some point we gotta acknowledge that getting the majority of your news and takes and general opinions from tumblr is not meaningfully different than getting it from tiktok even though on here it's in textual form. understanding the world through the lens of viral videos vs understanding it through breathless unsourced text posts written by dykeastarion69

[couch-house]

If you've been following me for a while you already know I'm going to tell you to vote for @themetalvirus's Egghog AU in @sonic-au-collision. You know I love drawing those funny little guys. But I think it might be a good idea to actually get into why I find them so compelling! I think any good AU is in conversation with canon,and egghogs is a certified Yapper.

Let's start with our hero, Amy!

Our canon Amy can be characterized by her deep compassion and optimism. As well as how Sonic has inspired her hero crush and motivated her to go out and put that compassion to work herself!* Egghog Amy has that same compassion, but what if she had no choice in being the hero? She had no one to look up to and inspire her, just the crushing weight of necessity. An Amy put in canon Sonic's position, who relies on unceasing and perhaps inappropriate optimism, but is still worn down by the weight of the world. I like this take on her, an exploration of where "toxic positivity" can get you.

*I think the classic IDW Amy characterization is a good example of this. As well as Fleetway Amys origin story heehee

Despite the stress of it all, she still has the optimism to see the best in people and believe they can change for the better. Like, for example, her crush: Egghog Sonic.

Just like canon Sonic, Eggy is a headstrong hedgehog defined by his own moral compass and his need to have a pretty good time. But while canon Sonic is defined by his love of freedom, independence, and by his "coolness," Egghog Sonic has been raised in Eggman's trap of control. He's just as headstrong, but in the opposite direction. His adoptive family is just as important to him as canon Sonic's friends, but in opposition to the good of the world. Where canon Sonic is personally reckless to protect others, Eggy is careless with the safety of others in service to his and his family's needs. Canon Sonic is capricious and relaxed, even in the face of danger, while Eggy is restrained, emotionally stunted, and stressed at all times.

Personally, I think that Egghog Sonic's fighting style being based in ballet--associated with control, restraint, and exclusivity by wealth--opposed to canon Sonic's fighting evoking breakdancing--a sport associated with creativity, play, and its origins as an urban art--does a great job on its own of juxtaposing the two Sonics.

But as I mentioned, even with his morals and freedom in opposition to canon, Egghog Sonic still has that essential connection to the people he cares about: his close-knit (read: highly controlled) family.

Egghog Sonic's younger brother Silver has all of canon Silver's accidental dickishness and ruthlessness, but without the humbling experience of surviving in a ruined future to keep him in check. Born and raised with a silver (ha) spoon in his mouth, Eggy Silver would be killed instantly by canon Silver's upbringing. All his worst qualities have been encouraged (as opposed to canon silver facing consequences for and learning from his flaws) and Eggy Silver is a huge fucking bitch. You know when Silver mugged Tails in Rivals? Okay now imagine if he was raised to do that as a child soldier. Now imagine he gets anything he wants whenever he asks. Thats Egghog Silver. When Silver defects from the Eggpire, we see that appreciation for the world and its history grow back where it belongs. It gives a better appreciation to what motivates canon Silver's view of the world, and recreates it in a new way.

Also the irony of Mr. I Must Fight For The Future's fucked up AU version of himself being part of the cause of the ruined future.... its delicious.

Finally, the oldest brother (by like a couple months...). We all know canon Shadow's had a rough time of it RE: mind control, manipulation, having a whole game where he is asked to be everyones gofer... This is Egghog Shadow's life for a full 15 years. Gerald doesn't finish cooking Egghog, and Eggman is the one to dump him out of the tube and raise him to be the perfect chaos-weilding soldier. He makes liberal use of his ability to physically manipulate Shadow's artificial mind to keep him in line as an endlessly obedient servant. Of course, any Shadow meaningfully based in canon won't stay that way. Just as his canon counterpart breaks free from the demands of those around him to forge his own path, so does Eggy Shadow. Even in the fucking miseries, even without a Maria, Shadow is still will make the choice to walk his own path.

Well, not just his own path. Because while Shadow (esp post-06 Shadow) can be uncompromisingly independent at times, he is still often defined by his friendships. Specifically, his relationship to Rouge is given focus in this AU, being his one reprieve from the empire and ultimately his way out. Canon Shadow had Rouge and Omega by his side during some of his darkest moments and arguably that made all the difference to his arc. Their presence (yes, Omega is here too) during Eggy Shadow's suffering is all the more essential and highlights their roles in canon.

But of course, with greater miseries comes greater struggle to heal. Canon Shadow's neat freak nature gets reinterpreted as a trauma response--maladaptive perfectionism and OCD. (tbc, in the same way fan works often recognize that canon Shadow likely lives with PTSD as a result of his experiences, Egghog Shadow's OCD is presented as an appropriate consequence of the stressful environment he's been raised in.) I like this as an exploration of how Shadow handles stress and trauma, how it might change in different circumstances.

All that to say, Egghog AU is just done in such a compelling way that really grabs me and facilitates Rambling about The Parallels and such. And that I think makes for a GREAT AU. The exploration of Sonic's strong personal morals and headstrong...ness, the benefits and flaws of Amy's intense optimism and compassion, Silver's ruthlessness and meaner side, and Shadow's tendency to introspection and overcorrection... Again I say, a good AU is one that is in conversation with canon, and Egghogs is constantly talking about the fascinating conflicts created by these characters. And thats why you should vote #Egghogs4Eggver

[housederiva]

Is it just me or is there way less fanart being made for this game than the previous ones? Kind of makes me sad, I remember with dai I could check the tags every few hours and find something new weeks after launch, now I only can get away with only looking a few times and week and miss nothing.

I don't think that's Veilguard exclusive.

Things I and my mutuals draw now are getting less notes/reblogs than they did even one year ago, regardless of the fandom. Fanfiction is getting less comments and kudos on ao3 too (not that they were getting many comments in the first place) Less gifs are being made because gif makers weren't getting reblogs. Hell, most of the post I make have a huge discrepancy between likes and reblogs and add polls into that? A thousand people voted on something and only a dozen people reblog it. It's a hollowing feeling when you realise you're calling out to an empty void, I don't blame people for creating less art because of that.

I don't see a vast majority of the people who follow me in my notes because I have likes disabled. Multiple times someone has sent me an ask apologizing for spamming me with likes and I don't understand it? That is not a bad thing And unless you reblogged anything along the way, I didn't even realise you were doing it in the first place. And the people whose notes I do see are not annoying in the slightest, I love the tags you add and I'm sure the original poster does even more so

I'm not trying to shame anyone Into interacting with the fandom spaces they're in but the whole point of Tumblr and what makes it a blogging platform and not social media is that this is a show and tell website. You're supposed to look at something you think is cool and then wave it around for your followers to see and then they pick it up and do the same regardless of how old it is

When you reblog an ask game from someone it used to be common courtesy to send that person one of the asks from it. Folks used to leave comments analysing paragraphs from stories people wrote and theorising about what would happen next on every chapter. We used to send each other asks just asking about our ocs unprompted

If there's no interaction or community when you create something, then what's the point of creating it? It sucks that fandom is morphing into something to be consumed and thrown away the second it's more than a week old unless you're one of a handful of blogs that got lucky and picked up traction at just the right moment

I'm sorry for the rant but I get emotional when I think about the decay of fandom spaces for too long. And this goes without saying, but you guys can reblog anything on my dash if the button isn't disabled on it

[flwrstqr]

hi, i want to bring attention to something really upsetting. sav (@/ourhees) made a post about a youtube channel stealing fics, so i decided to check it out myself, and to my shock, they’ve taken TWO of my fics. one of them is secret (a lee heeseung au) and the other is love on the spot (my sunghoon long au).

what’s worse is that i noticed they have a scheduled video set to upload on jan 19, and the synopsis is exactly same to one of my individual fics with the same member. it hasn’t been uploaded yet, but i have a strong feeling it’s my fic as well.

(LOVE ON THE SPOT) : LINK OF YOUTUBE | LINK OF ORIGINAL

(SECRET) : LINK OF YOUTUBE | LINK OF ORIGINAL

(ONE WIN, ONE DATE) : LINK OF YOUTUBE | LINK OF ORIGINAL

i feel so disgusted that someone would take my work and repost it without my permission. i put so much time and effort into creating these stories, and seeing them stolen like this is devastating ://

please, if you can, report and block the account.

tagging: @tzyunaes, @junislqve, @cupidhoons, @neo127, @miumura, @onlyjjong, @weoris, @jjunae, @elysianiki, @ourhees, @bywons,

[australet789]

First of all hi!

Second! I dont remember if it was fully your post or not. I did blocked yours because it was the last out of several i saw about this, specially the use of the term "gaslight" which is overused out of the context the word should be used to, but i digress.

I admit i was very high on medicine when i made the post so maybe i thought you op were defending Hamilton, so i apologize for that. What i mostly remember are the comments there, of people mocking others, them saying that they wanted to make fun of a girl who told them they found the Odyssey romantic. It was the pedantic nature of those comments (and again, some others i have seen before) what made me call them assholes.

About book 10: i dont remember reading the word "madness" in the version i did so i have to re-check it. The interpretation of Circe's island being an easy way out because it's full of luxury it's interesting and honestly on point!

Again, the Telegony point is because i have seen several other posts going "how do we tell Epic fans about Telemachus marrying Circe?" "Do they know about Telegonus?" "Lmao do they know?" and it's honestly tiresome. It's like i said in my original post, they only have it as a "gotcha", when there are other versions of even Odysseus having twins with Calypso and they are never mentioned (i have only seen one art here on tumblr about it).

So yeah, it wasnt against you op specifically, but the several amount of others who were doing these "analysis" out of bad faith and to ragebait The Odyssey and Epic fans to farm likes and comments. I apologize once again because i made my post look like it was only one person (you) doing it when it wasn't the case and it's definitely not you the illiterate one. There's a lot of things to talk about the story, being it Homer's or Epic's and i love discussing these stuff with others who are willing to listen and point things with the intend of actually understand the issue at hand (reiterating my wish on studying literature so i could go on on these topics, but dang the lack of money, time and health rn).

Not bad feelings from my part against you but i would understand anything against me because i can be very abrassive in my way of speaking and saying things. It was nice to have this conversation at least!

Some assholes on Instagram saying that Epic fans are "gaslighting" themselves about Odysseus being faithful to Penelope because of the Circe part and being pretentious about it and how we are stupid for considering The Odyssey romantic

Motherfucker

1. The Odyssey is an epic poem we all fucking know that? That it's a tragedy, technically comedy (comedy in ancient literature used to mean "happy ending", not funny stuff)

2. The Circe bit can be interpreted in different ways, as if it was fully consensual or not or just a transaction. There was still a difference in power dynamics, which was 100% mentioned by Calypso in the beginning, but if you choose to ignore that part if the same as saying some of Zeus' kids were ok to be conceived because the women agreeded to what A GOD wanted.

3. Obviously Epic!Odysseus is differente from Homer!Odysseus, but trying to say Homer! Odysseus is a horrible person that fully wanted to cheat on Penelope just because you want to defend ALEXANDER HAMILTON, i have bad news about you.

4. "The crew had to beg to go back!" I read the Odyssey too. As a child and a few days ago. They stayed on Circe's island to rest so Odysseus job as a captain was literally wait until his crew told him they were ready to leave, specially after what they have lived. Odysseus didnt force anyone to stay in that island, when the crew went "oh, sir, we miss our families, please lets go back now, yes?" Odysseus immediately said "ok". It literally felt like a father waiting for the kids to stop playing in the playground.

5. Homer!Odysseus is not perfect, at all (man killed his disloyal maids because he didnt want to deal with shit anymore, even if they also were coerced/raped by the suitors), but come with a better gotcha than Circe. You are just fixiated on the Telegony and it shows.

6. Idk what to tell you, but if you think renouncing a life with two inmortal godesses (one of whom offered you immortality), traveling for 10 years defying a God's rage, killing 108 men who wanted to marry your wife (and ruined your house), almost killed yourself when said wife rejected you only for her to go "haha i was just testing you, silly :)", have your literally marriage have a word created for you two specifically is not romantic... Idk go read Bridgerton

[isthebootylogical]

comrades I am once again thinking about the alternate timeline I am unwell here’s what i’ve got:

imagine how the trial would play out in this reality, jayce would never defend himself after killing a child. he accepts banishment willingly. here’s the kicker for me - jayce tries to kill himself in the original timeline because his life’s work is being destroyed, he has no prospects, and no one believes he can change the world among other things. when he’s (sorta) directly responsible for the death of a child, I think he would specifically Especially not attempt suicide Because Because Because - when he feels he’s to blame for something, we’ve seen him go to the ends of the earth to atone for it a few times in the show. the relevant instance being when a child dies at the shimmer facility he’s ready and willing to destroy the mercury hammer (and possibly all of their hextech work) to make things right. he hesitates on the hexcore because it could save viktor but otherwise I think he would destroy that too. when he has a child’s blood on his hands in the alternate universe and his work is already being destroyed, I think he would probably choose to live in order to right his wrongs, even if only indirectly. maybe he finds a way to help the kids somehow in whatever village he ends up in post banishment. builds them tools or toys, teaches them stuff idk but something to try to cosmically make up for what he took did.

okay that’s what he’s doing over there. now think of viktor at the trial. in the original timeline he hears jayce’s defense of his work and is intrigued enough to go after him. in this alternate world the trial isn’t what hooks vik but I think he’s still a curious (and nosy) mf and would absolutely go through jayce’s work before it was destroyed. the mention of magic intrigues him but he checks for himself that jayce has actual merit to his theories in the original timeline. I think he’s slower to get on board in the alternate world but after seeing jayce’s work we know he can see the potential there.

now i’m picturing all of this happening and viktor needing jayce to help continue the work, probably illegally but we know vik has no qualms with that. cue the letters to jayce imploring him to join vik in continuing their research and jayce’s vehement refusal because the work only amounted to bloodshed. now cue vik showing up on his doorstep like hey bitch I brought the science to you let’s do this together. jayce being the gracious host ximena raised him to be doesn’t immediately kick him out and gets convinced eventually.

who knows where that story ends but can you imagine?? if I could write anything half decent this would be a 350k partners to lovers alternate universe hurt comfort angst with a happy ending NOVEL. anyways.

[azumasoroshi]

some of yall gotta lock tf in cuz i was reading a fic today where the author marked their fic as completed when it wasn’t and so the first chapter ended on a hella cliffhanger

and one of the comments was like “omg this is so good is there gonna be a part 2??? cuz that is an illegal cliffhanger” and the author was like “omg yes thank you there’ll be a part 2!! i only marked it as completed because people avoid unfinished fics”

like. should you not mark unfinished fics as completed? yeah no dont do that. should yall motherfuckers ALSO be reading unfinished fics so that this isn’t a problem? YEAHHHHH MAYBE

i fucking LOVE reading unfinished fics cuz that means i get to write comments about how much i loved the latest chapter without irrationally worrying that something i say will be disproven in the next already existing chapter LMFAO like it’s fun!!! all you gotta do is:

write a short summary of what happened in your bookmarks and note down what chapter it’s on out of how many, eg. gojo gets hit with suguru coffee blast meet cute 1/?

if it’s really short atm eg. <2k words 1 chapter, just put like some random word eg. explosion 1/? and you can just relive the experience blindly again when you come back to enjoy it. have fun with this one by the way, ive done some really obscure ass words/memes where i dont know what the hell they have to do with the story when i come back to it and then i read it again and im like OHHH I GET IT NOW. and sometimes i never understand what past me had in mind when writing it which is really funny it’s like a time capsule

^pro tip you can also do this for fics that are finished. literally anything. have FUN with your BOOKMARKS they’re so easily customizable and if you get self conscious you can always just make them private lol

subscribe OR just periodically scroll through your bookmarks OR mark it for later OR use original tags to mark it as unfinished or like. literally anything idfk

if you feel like being a real chad and leaving a comment it’s super easy too you can just be like omg love x scene that happened in this chapter it was so angsty/cute/crazy/unexpected/insert adjective and i loved it/im rolling on the floor/im dying/im in the ambulance, cant wait for next chapter xoxo heart emoji like it’s THAAAT easy. said by someone with dogshit social anxiety and a tendency to overthink every action ive ever made, IT’S THAT EASY!!

and like. boom. that’s it. you get new content from fics you love delivered straight to your door!! hello??? even if they never update again are you really gonna mourn the loss of like 10 seconds of your time. cmon you’re already on ao3 for hours at a time like. lock INNNNNNN

me personally i get so much fuckin shit in my emails that i can’t turn off notifs for. so when i get a notification that some fic i dont even remember updated i get hyped as SHIT because finally some good fucking FOOD!! even if i dont remember it right now i must’ve liked it enough to subscribe to it and i know my taste better than anyone else so it must be good shit lmfao…and if it’s a fic i REMEMBER then it’s like YEAHHHHH BABY. do you even comprehend how many times ive checked my phone at the bus stop and gotten a notif from either a fic or author i’ve subscribed to and just. instantly start grinning like a maniac because YESSSSSSS

can personally attest that this has happened multiple times from ao3 user hollow_lime_green (Hanatamago) and many other authors. do ittt. brighten up your day. pspspspsp do itttttttttt

[phoebepheebsphibs]

UPDATED AND REDESIGNED CHARACTER SHEETS FOR THE FUTURE AND A ROBOT CHARACTERS!!

The Future and a Robot is my original series that I plan to animate soon/eventually.

The series follows two kids — er, one kid and one robot — who by accident activate a strange device which portals them into a distant land of archaic culture, odd lore, and major historical events — the 90’s! The two meet a young boy and his family, and lodge with them until they can figure out how to return home… but that’s a story for another time. And now, to (re)introduce the main cast!

First up, Lloyd the Android!

Lloyd is… well, a robot. An android, to be specific (he gets very particular about that distinction)! Lloyd is sweet, goofy, incredibly innocent and unfortunately as naive as a newborn baby. Lloyd’s name is actually an acronym: Life-Like- Optimized Youth Droid. Designated as Julia’s companion and protector, Lloyd finds himself suddenly in a new (or rather, old) century with people that he comes to love just as much as his creator. However, what with being a highly advanced piece of technology, Lloyd is now made to keep his mechanical origins a secret. Only Julia, Harris and the Smith family know that he’s not actually a human. But can he keep up the charade?

Coming in hot — Julia Gonzales!

Meet Julia Gonzales, a preteen genius with some minor anger issues and misguided goals. But don’t let her salty demeanor fool you, she’s just a kid burdened with a heavy backstory… plus a silly android that she has to wrangle out of danger far more often than she’d like to. Julia prefers to maintain the edgy punk motif, but in reality she’s a chaotic and nerdy gamer with way too much time on her hands. She loves all things technology — programming, engineering, coding, building, inventing, etc. However, the 90’s prove to challenge her patience as she struggles to rediscover herself while also finding a way back home… After all, she still has a mission to finish.

Put your hands together for Harris Smith!

Harris Smith is a young lad who lives in the quiet and unassuming town of Westfield. However, his quiet life is upturned in the most fantastic of ways when he finds Julia and Lloyd! Instantly enamored and amazed, Harris convinces everyone to let the two quirky kids stay at the Smith home until they can find a way to send Julia and Lloyd back to the year 2485. Harris, a hickish boy with a mullet, very few friends, and an interest in computers, immediately befriends the time travelers and begins the start of his new life of adventure and amazement! Harris loves having Julia show him her cool futuristic tech, and he will often take the time to help teach Lloyd what being a human is like.

Last but never least, we present Imogen Love Davies!

Imogen Love is a sweet young girl who befriends Lloyd and the rest, though she and Lloyd are the closest of the group. She has no idea that Lloyd is an android, nor that he is absolutely 100% head-over-heels in love with her. Imogen is very artistic, she loves to draw and tries to inspire Lloyd just as much as he inspires her. She carries around a small fanny-pack-purse-thing that somehow always has whatever she needs inside. Drawing supplies? Check. Water? Check. A bungee cord? Why not. It’s Batman’s utility belt, Milo Murphy’s backpack, Wander’s hat, you get the idea. Imogen Love truly lives up to her name, showing kindness to everyone. And maybe a lil’ extra for a certain someone she’s quite fond of…

There are plenty more characters within the story — Mr. and Mrs. Smith, several kids from school, an antagonistic businesswoman and her faithful engineering partner, etc. Maybe I’ll share the rest some other day (like when I finish their turnarounds, lol), but for now I think a small taste is best and I cannot wait for the day when I get to introduce the rest of the story!!

[elektricangel]

All valid points! I sincerely hope we can enact stricter regulation around gen AI, especially when it comes to the spread of falsified or misleading information. I have deep concerns about people no longer being able to tell the difference between what is real and what is artificial, and what that would do (and has already done) to our society.

I suppose I’m simply more pessimistic. At least in capitalist systems, the incentive has always been to replace people with cheaper alternatives, and I see no reason why that would change with gen AI. It genuinely seems to be the dawn of a new sort of industrial revolution, poised to leave a lot more workers ground up in the gears of the corporate machine. (Which is not to discount the many ways the technology can improve our lives, especially in specialized fields like medicine.) Sure, we have more workers’ rights now, but regulations still tend to encourage competition over cooperation. I just don’t see governments restricting the use of a technology simply because it allows companies to downsize their work forces and gain a competitive advantage. And I say that in all empathy with everyone out here struggling in the current labor market—I’m right here with you.

I take some solace in the fact that gen AI is currently restrained by its own technological limits. If AI-generated content is all that’s out there, then gen AI becomes a snake eating its own tail and the quality of its output begins to degrade. In an isolated system, entropy can only increase. Gen AI needs human input to keep improving, and perhaps it always will. Perhaps it simply can’t replace us all. Or perhaps that’s wishful thinking.

AI theft is another issue, one I am currently of two minds on. As a fellow creator, I also take umbrage with artists and writers not being fairly compensated for use of their work. However, I have yet to hear a compelling argument that makes a clear distinction between human and machine learning. Human writers read a lot of other writers’ work to improve their craft. Human artists observe and study a lot of other artists’ work to hone their skills. Gen AI basically does the same thing. If it’s used to reproduce a creator’s existing work, that is blatant theft and plagiarism. But if it has learned from a multitude of creators whose work is openly accessible in order to produce something “new,” that doesn’t seem like theft to me. That seems like a totally normal thing that human creators do, too. Every creator is influenced and inspired by (i.e. "trained on") other creators' work. (What is actually new or original is a whole other debate, one creators have been having since long before gen AI. Are there really only 7 stories that we just keep retelling a little differently? Is there anything new under the sun? It’s a very human quandary.)

I suppose what I’m missing is the legal argument for theft, and if anyone has a clear grasp of it, I’d be interested to hear it or to check out some recommended sources. (I haven’t actually read the relevant court cases yet.) My understanding is that a human writer doesn’t need my permission to read a story I posted publicly, and learn something from it that they then apply in their own writing. Why, then, would a machine need my permission to do that? Honest question! Not to mention, as a fanfic writer, transformative works are a legal grey area that I thrive in, and I am leery of more restrictive regulations around IP that may have wider-reaching consequences beyond AI-generated works. Not to say that such regulations shouldn’t be put in place. Only that we should be very careful about them.

pls stop having ai profile pic

Since there’s a “pls” in here, I’m going to treat it as a polite discussion starter. If anyone else actually cares enough to voice an opinion. Here’s where I’m at on gen AI:

1) I’m not a visual artist and I don’t pretend to be. I didn’t replace a piece of commissioned art, either. What I am is a writer, and I think it’s neat that I can make a picture from words in a literal sense. That’s all.

2) As a writer, I share the fears of visual artists that gen AI will replace me someday. But I don’t think it’s pragmatic to believe we can turn back the clock on the technology. We can either adapt to it or get left in the dust. (Remember the Luddites?)

3) Not that it’s really anyone’s business, but I don’t have money to spare on commissioning art currently. Like a lot of people in the entertainment industry, I lost my job this year in the mass layoffs.

4) The argument I’m most sympathetic to is the environmental one. Gen AI needs to become more sustainable and energy efficient. That’s why I’ve only used it sparingly (3 times this year, to be precise.)

All that said, I’m always willing to hear respectful opposing arguments. If you’d actually like to make one, you’re more than welcome to.

[nobodywritingao3]

That hbomberguy video hit close to home

Anyway your love was inspired by a story I read and really liked but couldnt track down at time of writing my own. I've since found the story and linked it on AO3 but I don't think I did so on Tumblr so voila

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31146389

One of the most memorable stories I've ever read

Please read it and leave the author some love

[dandelion-roots]

[ID: a series of drawings featuring Riz Gukgak from D20 Fantasy High. In the first, Pok holds Riz's shoulders in heaven as says, smiling, when you work until the dead of night, your friends know you do it because you love them. In the second, Riz is having a group hug with his party and the text reads, but is it really love that drives you, Riz Gukgak... In the next, a desperate, pleading Riz clutches the shoulder of an indifferent, faceless person and the text continues, ...or is it fear? In the fourth, Riz is younger and digging through crystals with bleeding hands; the text reads, what use are you when you can no longer dig. In the fifth, Kalina, shrouded in darkness with only her eyes glowing, reaches towards the camera with a smile; the text reads, when you're too scared to think. Sixth, Riz is filling out Fig and Kristen's papers under the light of a lamp, serious and tired; the text reads, when you're too tired to work. Seventh, Riz is lying in bed, eyes hidden behind hair, hand on his father's picture; the text reads, too sad to keep the mood up. Eighth, Baron stares into the camera; the text reads, too lonely, too insecure, too weird. Ninth, Baron is holding a defeated Riz by the throat; the text reads, to keep moving? Tenth, Riz is standing in the distance, holding his briefcase, and behind him is a football/soccer ball; the text reads, what use is a ball that can no longer roll? The last drawing just says none in brackets on a dark background. End ID]

[fictionadventurer]

I got curious about the podcast you've been listening to, and I listened to the Snow White episode tonight. They got into this abstract discussion of motherhood, and I was surprised that no one brought up the fact that Snow White herself doesn't have a mother anymore (or a father, presumably), and the fact that she is an orphan contextualizes how she responds to others with motherliness. I just rewatched the movie, and it's notable what an especial compassion she has for anyone without parents. Before the huntsman makes his attempt, she's concerned about a little bird separated from its parents and helps them reunite. Later, she concludes that the inhabitants of the cottage must be seven children who are orphans, and it's clear that she's worried for them, and ready to step in to help them out--which in turn will help her out, because she's an orphan in need of care herself. No one has been taking care of this girl, and it says so much about her character that her response to this deprived upbringing is to make every effort to give others what has been denied to her.

I noticed the same thing during rewatch--Snow is constantly caring for others, especially children. I hadn't consciously connected it with her orphan status--I focused on the fact that she's a good mother contrasted with the evil queen as a bad mother--but you're so right. Snow White knows the pain of losing her parents and it gives her so much compassion for those in similar situations, and it's so impressive and says so much about her strength of character.

[dailyperkele]

(I'm once again thinking too much about Per'kele's torso and wings-

Especially because, as much as I love it, why is he bird-like? His base design is based off an illustration of the Devil/Lucifer from the Grand Grimoire and that checks out with the name and his "betrayal" towards the Moon God (literally a Celestial Deity). Even the jester motive fits because of having to pass as a servant of the "Trickster" God- and if not that there is the "Jester Privilige" that ironically makes the Jester the most free individual in a king's court- which fits him and the whole theme of "earn you freedom" imo.

But why the bird? More ties to Lucifer and fallen angels? The "birds of the air" from the bible which were seen as demons or as a negative symbol in general?

Even saying that it's because of Rher and His need to have servants themed after animals isn't enough of an explanation since he could've been anything else (I mean He already has a cat, a jellyfish, a cockroach- He surely doesn't have a limited choice pool). But no, he has that bird theme-

It's even more interesting that his wings are revealed alogside his exposed bloody ribcage- it'd make more sense for them to be two separated reveals (if we read them as "the marks of Sulfur and Rher" which I personally do) but instead you see both of them at the same moment, making me think they must be read together-

Where am I going with this rambling? Well- I may often call him "Chicken" when clowning on him but I also call him something else when I decide to take him seriously: "Pettirosso" ("Robin" in english buuut- for this one the italian word works best due to its direct meaning: "Petti = petto = chest" + "Rosso = red" = "Red Chest").

There is a christian story about how the Pettirosso got its name: when Christ was dying on the cross a bird flew up to him, either to soothe his pain by singing or to try and move away the thorns of his crown. Either way the bird ends up getting punctured in the chest / a drop of blood falls on its chest, forever staining it red.

A very popular theory is that the Sulfur god is a discarded part of Alll-Mer, who is heavily inspired by Christ- so Alll-Mer could be seen as the spiritual part of Christ, the one that reached godhood, while Sulfur is His corpse or carnal part, the one He left behind.

Putting those two things together I can't help but picture it-

Per'kele being the "bird" that approached Sulfur's forgotten remains- and offered the flesh off his chest to Him, forever staining himself in red.

We don't know if Per'kele was the one to start the cult but- ehh just let me be delusional with the religious imagery.

...yeah the fixation is going great. I love overanalyzing the most miniscule and useless details, thank you for noticing :>)

[inkbagel]

This collab I joined like eight months ago that I didn’t really enjoy being in finally got posted today but for some reason only on twitter and I don’t go there so I can’t even see the whole thing :/

[heyclickadee]

Quick break from the bad batch brainrot, but:

One of the hilarious side effects of the various attempts to give Scrooge McDuck a backstory in various comics is that the name gets even more ridiculous. He’s called “Scrooge McDuck” because Carl Barks needed an Ebenezer Scrooge stand-in for a Christmas issue of the Donald Duck comics. He needed a ducky antagonist, so he slapped that name on him and made him Donald Duck’s jerk-ass uncle who hates everyone.

Eeexcccceeeept that the comic readers liked the character, and Barks did too, so he kept coming back, got a more solid characterization after a few different iterations, and then eventually got his own comic series. Which ran for decades. They’re all almost one off episode stories, but Barks, Scarpa, and others kept inventing other characters (parents, siblings, various Duck relatives) connected to Scrooge and Donald as needed, later comic writers/artists on both sides of the Atlantic made attempts to tie it all together into different backstories, and so.

What you end up with.

Is this whole extended Duck-McDuck-Coot family full of people who either have perfectly normal-if-old-fashioned people names (Fergus, Matilda, Hortense, Molly, Elvira, Donald, Gladstone, Casey, etc) or bird pun names (Fethry, Downy, Eider, Roast, etc) aaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnd Scrooge.

Which isn’t a real name. It’s something Charles Dickens just made up and that Barks ran with. Because he named Scrooge according to his one-off antagonist naming conventions and then unexpectedly went and made him a main character. And, yes, the most sensible option here is to just ignore how silly it is in context, because it’s a collection of Disney comics about ducks.

The funnier option, though? The funnier option is to actually think about Fergus and Downy McDuck living in mid-century Scotland a couple decades after the publication of the only book in which the name “Scrooge” appears, having their first kid, and then deciding to name their kid that. Like it wasn’t tempting fate or asking for trouble. I’m too amused by this.

[doedipus]

a large amount of time I've been spending on -untitled undefined scope original fiction project- since the last time I posted about it has been trying to develop the protagonist concept I came up with last summer or whatever into like, a character that would feel real and era appropriate.

it's fun research to do. naturally a lot of the details I assigned to her are things that I already think are cool, so it's been a lot of fun trying to trace her traits back through the relatively recent past, getting reminded of how much things have changed, or where the gaps in my intuition are, and then doing a flurry of reading to get a sense for exactly how someone like her and the people around her could have happened and what her life was probably like leading up to her present day. hopefully this results in some good good verisimilitude.