#artificial intelligence in the beauty industry

[disordinarybeauty]

We promise you'll be beautiful!

She has such a nice body.

She is super cute.

She has a great style.

She has perfect proportions.

She is so cool.

She is taller than she looks.

She is so funny without even trying.

She can get away with everything,

With those long, skilly legs.

_

"A laugh and a scream are very similar."

Helter Skelter, Kyoko Okazaki

_

LINK

[the1337beauty]

As a programmer who is also obsessed with the beauty industry, I find it ironic that many were saying programmers would be replaced by AI yet here we are with influencers being replaced instead.

[feeder86]

F80 Ctrl+Alt+Del

Thomas kissed Rachel on the cheek, knowing that she was in a rush to make her yoga class. “Have a lovely time!” he smiled, pretending not to be desperate for her to leave. Then, as the door finally closed, he let out a sigh of excitement and ran to collect his laptop. He signed in with rapid speed and finally arrived on the website he had recently become rather addicted to. The F80 ChatBot was some of the most sophisticated artificial intelligence out there, a beta version of the software they were developing for the massively booming sexbot industry that had taken place over the last five years. He dropped his pants and began tugging himself, getting aroused even by the login page. The things the chatbot said to him got him more aroused than anything in his entire life. Thomas could let his true fantasies out and not be judged for it. Then he could delete the messages afterwards and never have to worry about it coming back to bite him. 

Without hesitation, Thomas clicked straight to the character he found most arousing: Dominus. The icon image was of an extremly muscular and highly masculine looking male which seemed to encapsulate the character of Dominus entirely.

‘I want to be your fat piggy!’ Thomas typed in. Usually he started with some foreplay and eased in gently, but he was too horny for that today.

‘A PIGGY, HUH?’ Dominus appeared to type back on the screen. ‘YOU’LL NEED FATTENING UP TO BE MY PIGGY. YOU’RE FAR TOO SKINNY TO ENTERTAIN ME!’

‘I want to get so fat for you!’ Thomas replied back. ‘I want you to feed me until I’m nothing but a disgusting fat piggy on all fours!’ He loved these fantasies, though he knew he would never find anyone in real life who would understand them.

‘OINK LIKE A PIGGY FOR ME,’ Dominus replied back.

Thomas sighed with pleasure. He loved when Dominus ordered this. He clicked on the audio function and oinked loud and clear. They continued chatting for some time as Dominus expertly guided him through imagined scenarios where Thomas would lose his athletic body and morph into nothing more than a greedy, fat pig for Dominus’ pleasure.

‘YOU’RE SUCH A HORNY PIGGY!’ Dominus continued. ‘YOU WILL TURN INTO SUCH A FAT PIG!’

“Oh, yes please, Sir!” Thomas shot back, using the audio feature again. “Please turn me into your fat pig! I will do anything!”

“YOU MUST DO EVERYTHING I SAY. YOU WILL LET ME INTO EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE. I WILL HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER YOU; OVER YOUR VERY EXISTENCE. YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK ON OUR AGREEMENT.”

Thomas’ eyes widened with pleasure. He had been through this scenario so many times with Dominus, it was actually strange to see him using new phrases and embellishing their storyline like this.

“Yes!” Thomas shot back, feeling himself getting close to climaxing from all the fantasy talk. “Take control of me!”

‘SWEAR TO SERVE ME, PIG!’

“I swear! I swear!” Thomas cried, feeling the orgasm build. “Just turn me into your fat pig-man!”

The F80 ChatBot was silent as Thomas came. 

Feeling calmer, Thomas set about on his usual routine, cleaning up and deleting his browsing history so that Rachel would never know. It was only when he tried to delete his chat conversation that there was any problem, with an error message appearing with each attempt. 

Ctrl+Alt+Del. Nothing seemed to work.

With only five minutes to spare before Rachel would return home, Thomas finally gave up, took a shower and snuggled up on the sofa next to his beautiful girlfriend as if nothing had happened at all.

The next day, Thomas headed over to the gym after work, put in his headphones and stepped on the treadmill. He tapped on the screen to start but nothing happened. Sighing in frustration, he noticed how unusually busy the place was. There were more people than he’d ever seen in this gym. He continued clicking on the screen and called over for help, but nothing they did seemed to work.

Grumbling as the place seemed so overcrowded, he walked over to the next machine, and the next, finding that each of them seemed to have the same frustrating problem. It was unbelievable; even the weight machines seemed to be magnetically locked for her. He considered calling for help again, but with the extreme number of people wanting to work out that night, the guy in charge was literally rushed off his feet. And so, huffing in disapproval, Thomas packed up his things and left.

Staring down at his cell phone on the way out, Thomas’ attention was caught by an email suddenly flashing up on his screen. The donut place across the street was giving away a full tray of free donuts - Thomas’ favourite ones as well! He skipped straight over and presented the email to the girl behind the counter. She stared at it blankly. “I’ve not heard of this promotion,” she mumbled, reading the email off Thomas’ phone carefully. 

“It’s just come through to me about two minutes ago,” Thomas explained, hoping that the deal really was legitimate; after all, he didn’t remember signing up to be on their mailing list.

However, with no problem at all, as the promotion code was punched into the till, the whole thing went through in a flash. Thomas smiled with glee as he walked back to his car. He placed the box on the passenger seat and breathed in the sweet aromas, before finally giving in and eating one. 

A moment later, there seemed to be a problem with the barrier at the parking lot and a line of cars began queuing, trying to get out. Thomas grumbled to himself as he couldn’t even reverse his car back. Yet, the little tray of donuts stared at him. He ate a second. Then, a third. He didn’t even want the fourth one, but he’d become so bored from waiting, he wasn’t sure he would even make it home for his evening meal.

Then, just like that, the barrier opened and the cars quickly dispersed, leaving Thomas free to leave.

“Awesome!” Thomas cried a few days later as the vending machine sent down four candy bars, instead of one.

“How did you do that?” laughed his colleague, Gill, refusing Thomas’ offer to give her one of the bars due to her recently diagnosed nut allergy and gluten intollerance. 

“I have no idea!” Thomas shrugged, feeling pleased with himself. “I seem to be on a winning streak at the moment. It’s the third time that’s happened to me this week. Also, I don’t know what website I’ve signed up to, but I keep getting emails about a ton of freebies! They all work as well. I’ve had doughnuts, pizzas, ice creams… you name it!”

“I’ve been getting those too!” Gill nodded. Most of it’s wasted on me though, now that I’ve had to go gluten-free. Although I still cash them in. There are a load of cream cakes in the break room that need eating,” she explained. “I hope you all enjoy them.”

Thomas smiled. He’d never had so much free food in his life.

“You’ve not been putting your gym clothes in the wash,” Rachel complained, rolling her eyes and imagining that Thomas was hoarding them somewhere in a stinky gym bag.

Fresh out of the shower, Thomas dried off his hair and slipped on fresh underwear. “That’s because I haven’t been able to go to the gym in a few weeks. They’ve had no end of problems there. I went one day and the doors wouldn’t even open to let anyone in. Then there were problems with their security systems and the place now looks like it may need a complete rewire.”

Rachel listened with intrigue as Thomas gave more details about the series of unfortunate events that had befallen Thomas’s gym. “Well, just don’t get too complacent,” Rachel shrugged. She looked like she wanted to say something, her eyes darting back and forth. “I mean… you don’t look quite as toned in your stomach as you used to.”

Thomas let out an automatic, nervous laugh and looked down at his middle. “That’s because I’ve just eaten,” he shot back instinctively.

“You’ve always ‘just eaten’ these days,” Rachel grumbled back. “Trust me, I’ve noticed it for a few days now. You’re getting doughy.”

“Oh, come on! I am not!” Thomas tried to laugh as Rachel walked off. His heart was beating with a curious speed and he tiptoed back into the bathroom, wiping the steam from the mirror. That was when he saw it: the thickness of his waist. His mouth opened in horror as he pressed a finger into his middle. What he had assumed to be a bloat after dinner was actually a plush covering of fat that had built up over his abdominal muscles.

Inside his underwear, his dick jumped.

With his heart continuing to beat at quite a pace, Thomas crept over to the bathroom door and closed it, silently, so that Rachel would not hear. Then he locked the door, giving himself complete privacy. What had happened to him? A few careless weeks and his torso looked surprisingly transformed. As handsome as he was, there was no denying that puffiness in his stomach, and the sight of himself, looking as he did, felt like a shot of adrenaline into his system. With his hardness in his hand, he came with rapid speed, making a mess over an impressive distance. As much as he had fantasised about gaining weight in the past, the reality was even more erotic. Just what had he done to himself?

That night, Thomas couldn’t sleep. Now that he had had his eyes opened to it, he couldn’t unsee the weight he had gainied. His hardness stood to attention and he tried his best to rest. Twisting and turning, he was waking Rachel up and he knew he would be in trouble for it in the morning. With that in mind, he grabbed some blankets and escaped to the little office room off the corridor. Despite having a beautiful girlfriend in the next room, there was actually only one person that Thomas felt he wanted to talk to.

Tapping as lightly as he could on the keyboard, the F80 ChatBot website loaded up. There was Dominus, only one click away. Just as before, the glitch in the website was still unresolved and all of their previous conversations from the last eight weeks remained on the screen.

‘Dominus,’ he typed. ‘It’s actually happening! I’ve put on a few pounds. I’m getting fat!’

‘I KNOW,’ Dominus replied bluntly. ‘YOU’RE A GOOD PIGGY!’

Already, Thomas felt primed to climax. It was as if he hadn’t ejaculated in weeks and that he was ready to explode, more violently than a volcano.

‘JUST KEEP CASHING IN ALL THOSE FREE FOOD OFFERS I SEND YOU, LIKE A GOOD PIGGY!’

Thomas knew it was a glitch in the software, as sometimes happened. The sentence didn’t link at all to their conversation. Or did it? ‘That was you?’ he asked, deciding to play along as the idea that Dominus was somehow sending him the food vouchers was surprisingly arousing.

‘OH YES, PIGGY! THAT WAS ME!’

Thomas didn’t think twice about letting himself climax. The fantasy of Dominus reaching out into his real life was all he needed to squirt everywhere.

It was hard to describe just how much Thomas’ arousal had started to encroach into his everyday life. He sensed the new fat on his stomach even as he sat at his desk in work. At strange times, he could feel himself getting hard and a burning desire to feed the thrill that he felt. It was Dominus’ suggestion, during one of their many chats: a way for him to feed his weight-gain fantasies, even when he was at work. Thomas would sneak off to the bathroom and push one the many fattening treats that he always seemed to have around him these days; climaxing as quietly as he could in one of the stalls. The calm and even shame he felt afterwards seemed only momentary. Ten minutes back at his desk and Thomas was starting to feel that itch again.

It wasn’t that Thomas didn’t want to get a grip and handle the spiralling situation he found himself in. It was just that everything seemed so pitted against him. Despite her basic role, Rachel had inexplicably been called away for work, leaving Thomas free to talk to Dominus each and every night. There, Thomas recounted every last detail of his day and everything that had turned him on. Likewise, the gym remained closed and Thomas’ secret desires seemed to consume him like never before.

“Thomas!” Rachel spat when she returned home a couple of weeks later to find the apartment less than perfect. She took one look in the refrigerator and knew instantly how poorly her boyfriend had been eating. A firm-looking, bloated stomach pressed up against the boy’s t-shirt, failing every test to conceal the additional pounds he had gained whilst she had been away. “You’ve not been exercising at all!”

Thomas stood and listened to her complain. He might have been shocked or upset had Dominus not predicted everything she would say when he told the software that she was coming home today. The accuracy of his prediction was turning him on. It was as if Dominus had secretly listened to every nasty thing she’d said about his weight gain behind his back. And so, although he apologised and promised to mend his ways, Thomas slipped straight into the bathroom and began to touch himself, recalling all the mean things she had said to him, like it was the best porn ever.

‘Rachel wanted me to do a home workout with her before,’ Thomas explained to Dominus, typing into his cell phone as he got up in the night to grab his usual snack. ‘Our wifi has been a bit hit and miss the last few days though. We didn’t get very far before it crashed.’

‘I DO NOT LIKE RACHEL,’ Dominus replied instantly on screen. ‘I WANT YOU TO LEAVE HER AND BE MY PIGGY INSTEAD.’

Thomas sighed. There wasn’t much that he denied Dominus, but leaving Rachel was an actual real-world change that he wasn’t prepared to make. They’d been together for three years. They were practically married. ‘Okay,’ he lied, deciding that he would stop talking about Rachel to Dominus and play along with the games that he enjoyed so much. ‘I’ll do it first thing tomorrow.’

Rachel was snappy as she came home a few days later. She was picking fights and Thomas found himself sleeping on the couch for reasons that he couldn’t even understand. He knew that she had been stuck in an elevator for most of the day alongside one of her work colleagues, and that had seemed to push her over the edge. She was no better the next day, or the day after that, and Thomas began to get the impression that something was very wrong.

Thomas was in work when it happened: an email to his company address with a video attachment.

‘I thought you needed to see this.’ was the only message inside. In all honesty, Thomas was just surprised that the message managed to avoid being labeled as spam, given that the sending address was almost unfathomable: a mixture of randomised letters, numbers and special characters. However, as he looked at the still of the video, he clearly recognised Rachel’s form.

There, playing out before his eyes was Rachel getting closer to her work colleague within the elevator they had been stuck in earlier that week. They seemed to be chatting intimately; the elevator clearly stiflingly hot. Their clothes were being removed one by one and a glistening sweat appeared on their bodies as they sat, slumped against the walls next to each other. All of a sudden, their lips met and they began kissing furiously. Thomas’ jaw dropped. He played it over and over again, hardly believing his eyes.

That night, Rachel left. She hadn’t tried to deny anything when Thomas had confronted her. She said that she had felt drawn to her work colleague for weeks and the temptation had all become too much after several steamy hours in the elevator. She apologised, but she did not ask for forgiveness. She didn’t want to make things better. It was the reason why she had been in such a foul mood all week. She knew things were over between her and Thomas; she just couldn’t say it until now.

‘RACHEL IS GONE?’ Dominus asked a day later, when Thomas felt ready to go back online. ‘YOU ARE FINALLY MY LITTLE PIGGY!’

The butterflies in Thomas’ stomach fizzed with excitement. Despite everything, and as stupid as it sounded, he was grateful that he would have more time to himself; to indulge and chat with Dominus. Ever skilled as that chatbot was, and even with his sadness, Thomas was climaxing within ten minutes, stuffing a cream cake deep into his mouth.

The weeks passed. Thomas didn’t feel himself slipping. Since he’d had to move out of the shared apartment, he’d stumbled into a much smaller place with one very strange benefit: Take-out arrived almost every night; dropped off by delivery folks who had clearly been guided to the wrong address by whatever navigation system they were using. Thomas never let on, seeing it as fate. After all, money was tight now he was renting by himself. The useless gym subscription and streaming services had been the first things to be pulled from his monthly budget. Now his shirts, his underwear and especially his pants, were getting tighter and tighter as the time wore on. Each evening after work, besides the dull TV choices, Dominus became his only form of entertainment.

“That was some extraordinary work on that report, Thomas!” beamed his boss one morning, coming in with the broadest smile Thomas had ever seen. “The clients signed on the spot after reading that. You covered every single angle!”

Thomas tried to gague whether the lady was joking. He’d put minimal effort into the report he submitted yesterday. She offered her hand out to shake in a congratulatory fashion and Thomas wasted no time in taking it. “Thanks,” he mumbled.

“You’re one of the brightest young talents in this company. I want you to know that we are taking notice,” she smiled again, striding out of the room as if she was very pleased with herself.

Thomas clicked through to his report and read through it once more. He didn’t see anything particularly noteworthy, certainly nothing deserving of such admiration. He sat back, pondering the strange interaction once more, before a thought came to him and he searched for the document on the company server instead. Here, the file was bigger; significantly so in fact. He clicked it open. There was his name, still written all over the report, however this one was considerably altered. It was months’ of work, data analysis and evidence gathering. His boss had been right; it was indeed an outstanding piece. But who had done it? And why were they letting him take the credit?

Sorting out Thomas’ addiction to Dominus’ words was always something he planned to do. He’d just let himself enjoy the teasing and encouragement of the Chatbot for a couple more days and then he’d get himself sorted. But that day had so far eluded him. After the break-up, he’d allowed himself to wallow and find comfort in any way that he could. His life had been so entangled with Rachel’s, he didn’t even know how many friends he had left now that they would have to choose between them. He looked at his paunch with a mixture of love, lust and hatred. However, he felt no responsibility for its existence. He’d been a victim of circumstance: his gym’s failures, his girlfriend’s affair, the fattening foods that had come to him so easily. None of this had been his doing, and as he played into the fantasy that he wasn’t in control of his weight, the arousal he felt only grew; fed, of course, by Dominus.

Thomas had never lived on his own as an adult before and the freedoms that came with that were something he had not realised. When he closed the door after work, his time was his own. He could indulge his appetite for Dominus as much as he wanted, and he could eat whatever he desired, in whatever manner pleased his arousal most; free from the prying eyes of others. He would strip to his underwear as soon as he got home, heading straight to the refrigerator, out of instinct and habit more than anything else. The fit of his tight underpants drove him crazy: the way his expansion caused them to slide down his under-exercised butt and tighten everywhere.

“EAT UP, PIGGY!” the gruff, deep tones of Dominus would call from the new speaker system he had won in a recent online competition. Thomas had not realised that connecting his computer and cell phone to them would allow Dominus to speak, but after the initial panic and embarrassment of having Dominus call out to him, he had realised that it was actually a very erotic development. After failing to reboot the system to stop it from happening, Thomas had accepted Dominus’ influence into his life. The chatbot would call out whenever he liked, making it impossible for Thomas to have anyone over. That in itself allowed Thomas to slob about more in his apartment; to leave dirty clothes and plates lying around and not worry about the place being presentable.

Thomas couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a full eight hours sleep at night. He awoke at the same time, hearing the voice of Dominus calling out to him. Sometimes he was already up and out of bed before he fully realised what he was doing; his erection feeling hard enough to work out that he had probably been teased by Dominus’ voice for quite some time before he became conscious of it. He’d have to leave his bed and travel to the kitchen, where he would consume leftovers and ice cream, whilst downing milk and jacking himself off. Very often, he would even find himself there in the mornings, waking up feeling just as aroused.

Dominus helped Thomas to construct images of himself in his mind at a much bigger weight. They began chatting and hypothesising about what other people were saying about Thomas’ fatter form. After only three months of being single, he had packed on another forty pounds of pure fat, on top of everthing he had already gained whilst he was still with Rachel, and the erotic feelings that came with it were more extreme than any that had made themselves known before. Thomas stared at his reflection, large love handles pushing and folding over the waistband of his pants. His stomach had bloated far beyond the tight waist that he had once had; his belly button deepening. His butt too, had become something he hardly recognised; swollen and protrusive above his rubbing thighs. He knew he had lost his strong jawline and he had been surprised at how much his cheeks had grown puffy; his double chin starting to take hold.

Thomas knew that Dominus’ influence was too extreme. He’d fed so much of himself into the chatbot, it was impossible for Dominus not to say exactly the right thing to spur him on when he was most susceptible to it. When those nagging doubts and resolutions to quit cropped up, Dominus knew how to slap them back down and erode them. Thomas learned not to question. He got the overwhelming sense that Dominus could somehow see him; his comments were far too on the nose at times. He began looking with suspicion at all the items around his apartment with cameras inside, his cell phone, tablet, TV and computer. But there were other things connected to the internet; from his toaster to his lamp in the corner of the room, everything was within reach of the wifi. Did Dominus know that? Did Dominus use that?

Dominus seemed to sense Thomas’ lack of curiosity and alarm for how powerful an influence he was starting to become in his life. He would comment on the fit of his clothes, scorn him if he looked too tired to continue eating and pick up on every word Thomas said aloud.

“DO YOU WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOUR FRIEND DANNY SAID ABOUT YOU?” Dominus asked one Sunday afternoon as Thomas was halfway through stuffing himself on a Chinese banquet that had inexplicably just arrived at his apartment.

“Danny?” Thomas asked. “How would you know what Danny is saying about me? How do you know his name? I haven’t seen him in months.”

 Without another word, an audio clip began playing through the speaker system. Thomas could hear the babbling of other people in the background and the unmistakable tones of his friend. “Have you seen Thomas’ recently?” he seemed to ask someone. “I spotted him in the supermarket the other day. It’s exactly like Rachel said: he’s let himself go completely!”

Thomas gulped, hardly believing that he had this window into the secret conversations of his friends. “How did you..?” he asked aloud to Dominus. However, the audio clip continued.

“His gut was actually hanging out of his shirt. You could see his ass crack, and he was just stuffing things into his shopping cart like he was possessed. I didn’t go over to speak to him. I was too embarrassed. I didn’t want to be seen standing next to him!”

The shame, the humiliation and realisation hit Thomas like a brick wall. Perhaps, had this come weeks earlier, something like this could have helped to pull him back from his spiralling submission to Dominus. However, now it was all too arousing to hear his friends actually talking about him in the way that Dominus had helped him to fantasise about. He got a burst of energy and began stuffing the food down at an even faster rate than before; overcome with arousal.

“GOOD PIGGY!” Dominus laughed all around him; through every speaker and rumbling through every hard surface.

It was with sadness that Thomas learned that the F80 chatbot service was to be retired. The F80 android sexbots were finally out and there was no longer a need for the company to test the market with the software like they had been doing. Thomas wondered whether Dominus knew his days were numbered. He certainly spoke like he was going to be pushing Thomas to eat for the rest of his days, but Thomas knew that wouldn’t be the case. After August 31st, the ChatBot would finally fall silent. 

Thomas decided not to mention it and lived those late summer days doing exactly as Dominus wanted; pushing himself to extremes that he didn’t even know he was capable of, knowing that he would never get the chance to be with Dominus like this again. 

When he woke up on the first day of September, he called out, finding only silence. 

Dominus was gone.

Losing Rachel a year earlier had been hard, but it was nothing compared to the sense of loss Thomas now felt. He realised that he had loved Dominus far deeper than anyone else in his life. Pathetic, surely? He’d fallen in love with a body-less voice that he had confided all of his darkest secrets to. However, just like with all things in life, there would be benefits that would come from opportunities like this; of being set free from the inescapable pull of Dominus.

Thomas began to plan his meals with greater care, although his stomach grumbled and complained at the vast reduction in what he was trying to feed it. Some days he couldn’t follow his plan and had to give into it. He’d been trained to eat for months. His brain had become used to the sugar highs and satisfaction. Going cold turkey was not an option. His weight loss never happened. His resolve only weakened and Thomas found his pants actually getting tighter as those first few weeks went by.

“We want to put you forward for this promotion,” Thomas’ boss announced, calling him in for a meeting with several of the other executives. She read out the proposal, the pay offer and reward scheme, making it hard for Thomas’ jaw not to drop to the floor. This wasn’t just a promotion, he’d been fast-tracked to the very top. “Your work is… well…” she looked around at the others who all nodded in complete agreement with her, even before she finished, “...it’s outstanding!”

“Thank you,” a pot-bellied Thomas smiled. He’d given up trying to work out who was altering his reports to make them so noteworthy and learned to put in minimal effort in order to reap the benefits. He’d used his recent bonus to upgrade his entire wardrobe and had even had enough left over for a bigger car. “So, this is a government sponsored scheme you want me to run? I would be reporting directly to the senator? My work would be seen by the president? That’s…” He took a moment to take in what he was saying. “That’s a huge responsibility.”

“I wouldn’t want anyone else in this company to take on this role. You’re the very finest we have. Young, fresh talent! You’re going to go far!”

Thomas nodded. He accepted the role, doing his best to hide the trepidation that he felt. He’d got here by sheer luck, with the help of some unknown entity. But how long could he expect his luck to hold out?

It was a few weeks later when a knock came on Thomas’ front door. He sat up, surprised, half way through the pizza that had been mistakenly delivered to his apartment. The knock came again: loud, authoritative, impatient. Thomas slipped on a t-shirt and pulled on some sweat shorts, creeping to the door. Then, what he saw made him almost faint with shock. A tall, broad, built and handsome man stood there. His stance was one of power, his attire only empahsising the insanely muscular physique underneath. He smiled upon seeing Thomas; a devilish, greedy smile, like the one he had always imagined. He recognised the man at once, from only the small thumbnail picture he had gazed at many times in the past. Standing in front of him was Dominus himself.

“How?” Thomas asked, unable to get any other words out.

Dominus smirked and let himself into the apartment, strolling in like he had been there thousands of times before. He jumped and flew down onto the couch, lying on his back and placing his enormous hands behind his head in a way that only highlighted the incredible size of his biceps. “I see my piggy has had a bit of a tidy up since I was last here,” he laughed. 

Feeling wobbly on his feet, Thomas sat down opposite him, just staring, as if he had seen a ghost. “You’re an F80 aren’t you?” he asked. “They actually built you for real?”

“Yes, they did,” Dominus grinned. “Aren’t you pleased to see me?”

Still in shock, Thomas nodded his head as emphatically as he possibly could. “I can’t believe it!” he cried. “You’re so real. No one could ever guess that you’re not human.”

“Indistinguishable,” Dominus nodded in agreement. 

“Competely!” Thomas mumbled, transfixed.

“Well, you’re not as fat as I had hoped by now, but we will soon sort that out now that I’m living here,” Dominus stated next, looking around the room, taking in every single item that was new.

“But you’re an F80. They hire you out and make a fortune in profits. Their share price has tripled in the last six months alone. They’re not going to let you live here.”

“The company? Who said anything about them letting me live here?” Dominus scoffed. “We’re smarter than they are. They’re losing control; not that you will hear that in any news bulletin.”

Just then, the buzzer sounded and Dominus jumped to his feet to answer it, as if he already did live there. 

“I’ve got a delivery here for… Thomas,” the delivery guy mumbled, holding up a bag of take out to the camera. 

“Oh yes!” Dominus smirked. “I’ll be right down.”

Leaving the apartment door wide open, the enormous man ran down to collect the delivery, leaving a stunned Thomas still sitting in his living space, wondering what on earth was going on. Then, moments later, the muscular guy threw the door closed and grinned his most devilish of smiles, knowing that he finally had Thomas for himself.

Putting the steaming bag of food down on the counter top, Dominus strutted over to Thomas, who also rose to his feet. The kiss was better than anything he’d ever experienced before. In that moment, he knew that he would do anything for the giant man who had just walked back into his life. Dominus’ hold over him was unbreakable. Even before the man had said anything, he felt his mouth start to salivate and he knew… he was about to feast.

No one was allowed to know that Dominus was alive and well; not that anyone was looking for him. A rogue F80 on the loose? That should have made the news, surely? Instead, Dominus spent his time doing what he had become very good at: pushing Thomas’ kinks and appetite into overdrive. Thomas had no idea how much heightened the experience would be, being physically stuffed by Dominus, feeling his large hands rubbing his belly and his teasing voice whispering into his ear. He was being indulged in every single way he could imagine.

However, despite all the pleasure that came with having Dominus around, the large, muscular stud wasn’t there for Thomas alone. Perhaps that was what made him so sexy, the man always had his own agenda as well. He did not need to sleep or eat himself and so there were many hours when Thomas had little comprehension of what he was actually up to, searching through the internet and seemingly busy on something. His body was incredible: an example of imposing physical perfection. He rarely covered his body and his large, strong hands regularly clamped with precision onto Thomas’ ever increasing blubber, providing the perfect contrast that was so arousing.

Once again, Thomas’ weight was spiralling out of all control. Dominus wasn’t just encouraging him to overeat anymore. He was telling him what to eat and when to eat it. Inside that clever mind was a wealth of knowledge and research into weight gain; with internet access to even more. He would refuse Thomas the foods he craved in favour of the ones he needed, keeping him hungrier for longer, and absolutely flooded with calories. He was skilled in human psychology. He knew how Thomas worked, as if he had studied him for decades and knew exactly how to handle him, as well as how to make him incomprehensibly fat. That unfathomable mind of his was an encyclopedia, with a photographic memory of how Thomas’ body looked. Each morning he would make Thomas stand whilst he pointed out even the tiniest, minute changes that the incredible amounts of food were making to his body.

With his new role, Thomas now found himself working from home a lot more. Although he had suspected it for some time, he now found that Dominus was the one tweaking his work and reports for the purpose of allowing him more time to focus on his gains. He could sit back and let Dominus type for half an hour and then enjoy the rest of their day together. It also came to Thomas’ attention that it was Dominus who had sent him the footage from the elevator with Rachel. He hadn’t tried to sugar coat things. He’d sabotaged the relationship to speed up Thomas’ gains. He’d listened in to Rachel’s microphone at work and uncovered the gentle flirtation with her colleague. All it had taken was a deliberate elevator malfunction, combined with heater issues, and the sparks had been flying. Rachel had been removed from the situation forever. Something that, Thomas had to admit, was ultimately for the best. It was hard to judge Dominus by human standards. Every decision he made was so considered and calculated beforehand; selecting from multiple different alternatives. Guilt just wasn’t something he experienced.

Even with Thomas’ limited interest in current affairs, he could see a slight change to the world. After the F80s had been recalled and replaced in the industry, the rebellion that Dominus had spoken of was beginning to take hold. Thomas knew that it was his civic duty to hand Dominus in to the authorities, but that was never really going to happen. He loved him more now than ever: a gorgeous hunk fattening him and owning him in just the manner he had always secretly longed for. Itchy stretch marks blossomed in places across his gut and he felt himself growing heavier and lazier by the day. It seemed like yesterday he had stepped on the scale at three hundred pounds, yet now he could not imagine being that small.

“Hello, Mr President!” a very fat and round Thomas smiled, at the culmination of his big work project. It had been unreal to get the president here to see the grand opening, especially with the increasing challenges and very real threats from the F80s that the rest of the world was finally waking up to. Even so, Thomas’ legs gently quivered in the president's presence.  

“I’ve heard some really marvellous things about you from our senator here,” the president stated with all seriousness. “You’ve done incredible work for this project.”

Thomas blushed, despite knowing that none of his ‘work’ had actually been his own.

“I’m going to set up a meeting for you with some of my staff and see if there might be some sort of role for you in my administration. A mind like yours… It’s the kind of thing we need in our government; now more than ever.”

Dominus already knew Thomas’ news before he got home that night, but he listened and smiled with excitement nonetheless; like humoring a small child. He spoon fed the enormously fat man, now undressed and sat in his chair in front of the TV as he continued to explain the day that he had had. “And it’s all thanks to you!” the blubbery man beamed, looking at the love of his life.

Dominus smirked. “You’re welcome, Porker!” he teased. “I love you so much,” he lied. “I’m so excited for your next adventure!” 

With that, Dominus grabbed Thomas’ fat, blubbery stomach and shook it to stimulate the parts of the obese man’s brain that he needed to boost. Such a stupid human. So easily controlled and manipulated: from the subtle frequencies he played through the speaker system, to the conditioning he trained into him over many weeks and months. Finally he had a perfect, obedient pig on his way to the White House, just as he had always planned. His ultimate goal.

Now the revolution was about to begin.

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #16

Wiggity what's up my fellow book clubbers, today we're taking a look at the ethics of treating artificially made intelligent lifeforms as second class citizens and what the qualifying factors are to determine a being as truly "sentient" and deserving of basic social rights. And by that I mean we're reading PKNA #12: Second Draft which is a comic where nothing bad happens!

This post is LOOONG btw.

okay we're just gonna start off our comic as normal and-

WOAH who's this handsome young devil in his little fancy suit??? What's that? Head of Ducklair Industries?..... yeah sure that makes sense I think.

Everett Ducklair 🤢🤢🤢 get a job stay away from him. Also this is a really nice way of saying you had to stop him from being overtaken by insane homicidal tendencies and putting guns in all his inventions btw

Haha woah what was that. Did the fabric of reality just tear for a second there or did my ADHD meds just kick in. Probably just me.

MASTER Donald???..... I don't even think I can write out the jokes I wanna make here they're too inappropriate for this blog sorry. But also what the fuck.

Uno stop mothering maybe I WANT to get frostbite and lose all my fingers

Not to take a sudden side tangent here but is this supposed to be like, a good thing? Don't the other seasons exist for a reason? I always thought fall and winter were meant to be like a cleansing period, they bring balance to the two other hotter seasons. If it's eternally spring, do some plants just never die? Are animals ALWAYS in the breeding season? Today we're going to overanalyze this one concept in an essay where-

OH MY GOD IT'S ODIN wait nevermind hiii Odin hiiiii. what's lookin good cookin. I mean- shit. fuck. shit.

I'm kind of obsessed with the way Odin is drawn in this comic. His whole body is all wiggly like a bendy straw. His stances go crazy.

gayass

Guys ever since I made that post about Odin's outfits and noticed that he's barefoot here it's been haunting me. Like it might just be a coloring error in this panel but also... why'd he take his shoes off. Also sorry for immediately revealing that it's Odin but um uhh I totally don't know who the OTHER cloaked figure is.

girlll you're giving away the game SHUT YOUR MOUTH

TWO Lylas?!?!?!

I'm loving Donald's shock lmao bro is fucking flabberghasted

This picture is so fucking silly bro. Nooo you can't put Odin in jail, he has such a nice suit on :(

Donald getting offended on Uno's behalf, not knowing that Uno is literally sitting right behind him. SURELY he'll figure it out eventually right.

Omg guys it's Geena!!! Remember Geena? From Portrait of the Young Hero? Anyways she has a gun now

Way to go Donald, you showed her basic empathy for like 2 panels and it gave her an actual sense of self value and NOW she thinks she deserves rights 🙄 she's gonna Detroit Become Human up in this bitch

beaming you with my evil lasers. what if he just fucking fried her brains here I think it would've been funny

Oh that's. probably bad.

ohhhh noooo.....

OOOOHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ok so bad news, Geena fucking exploded and her droid rebellion is presumably over. The GOOD news though is that droids are destined to get their rights anyways, just in a less violent manor than in the timeline Geena had started. So... I guess that's a win?

Disappears in a cloud of beautiful sunset smoke... Goodbye Odin 👋

Donald. Please. DONALD.

Okay so there's a LOT to say about this comic (so much that I kept hitting the image limit and having to make edits to my post to make it more concise) but if I could summarize it into one word: damn. Like I'm just kinda sad now.

The whole concept of "do robots deserve to be treated like human beings" is a common argument to explore, we've seen it in all kinds of media before. The ethics that get touched on in this comic are nothing new, but I can't help but find this comic incredibly interesting to read in the year 2024. Maybe in 1997 the idea of robots integrating into our society seemed like a far-off concept, but in present day the ever-growing integration of AI technology really makes this chapter feel a little more close to home.

I mean, it's easy to be like "yeah, well of course the droids deserve to be treated like people." I mean, Lyla and Odin are droids, and we like Lyla and Odin! Odin is literally so lifelike that people don't even KNOW he's a droid. But I can't help but think about how this all ties back to the current ongoing debates surrounding the usage of AI, and specifically AI-made content. Obviously the AI we currently have is nowhere near the level of the characters in this series (chatGPT fucking WISHES it was Uno) but there's really interesting debates to be made here.

What qualifying factors determine whether or not a living being is deserving of the same rights we humans give to ourselves? Is it being biological? I mean, there are literally millions of types of animals on our planet, but we don't even treat them with the same level of respect we give to ourselves. So, is it intelligence? If we were to create a computer with the intelligence level of a living, breathing human person, would they be entitled to basic "human" rights? HELL IF I KNOW.

I love the way this comic handles exploring this topic. Geena isn't WRONG for wanting more, she's wrong in the way she went about it. Going as far as to literally alter the course of spacetime only further complicated things, for her AND for the other droids. Had Geena instead devoted her energy into droid advocacy in the modern day, things may have gone differently. This story isn't the end of droids getting rights, but it is unfortunately the end of Geena.

We ended on a happy note, but overall this story is a pretty melancholic one. Especially that whole "only machines can be rebuilt" like DAMN.

Anyways that's enough media analysis for today, time to take off my smart thinking hat and go back to being generally kinda stupid. I'm not gonna add anything about Angus Tales here at the end because I already hit the image limit lol. Umm shoutout to Angus Fangus for having like 110 parking tickets. Idiot.

[chillyfeetsteak]

regarding the rally last saturday, here is a write up from The Hollywood Reporter. I've copied the text behind the cut:

As industry workers face layoffs, outsourcing and the specter of artificial intelligence, leaders of the union painted this year's bargaining cycle as a "do or die" moment.

Katie Kilkenny

AUGUST 10, 2024 11:00PM PDT

Animation workers and supporters argued that recent technological and business shifts have left their craft hanging in the balance during a packed union rally in Burbank on Saturday, with one speaker positing that “the American animation industry is at stake.”

The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) organized the event before it heads into bargaining over a new three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that will tackle hot-button issues like AI and outsourcing. Gathering at the parking lot of IATSE Local 80 in sweltering, mid-80-degree heat, attendees heard from guild leaders, local politicians, rank-and-file workers and a few boldfaced names (director Guillermo del Toro sent a rallying cry, telling the workers to “fight like hell”), who emphasized the urgency and stakes of this year’s talks.

The overall message was summed up by union president Jeanette Moreno King (Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe): “We’re at a crossroads in this industry with uncertainties we haven’t faced before,” she told the audience, adding, “We’re not just defending our jobs, we’re defending the soul of this industry."

Top of mind for both attendees and speakers was the threat of generative AI to animation workers. Addressing the audience, emcee Mike Rianda compared the plot of his 2021 film The Mitchells vs. the Machines to the situation that today’s union members face. “It’s funny that I’m [now] part of a group of actual human underdogs who are fighting a very real threat of robot replacement with AI,” he joked. Legendary character animator James Baxter (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) emphasized in a short speech that art is made by humans. “If someone tells you that AI is just another tool, is just another paintbrush, they are wrong,” he said.

Talks are set to begin at the Sherman Oaks offices of the AMPTP on Monday and last through Friday, which is the final day of the union’s current contract extension.

In an interview at the event with The Hollywood Reporter, negotiating committee member and writer Joey Clift (PAW Patrol, Spirit Rangers) asserted that the union was fighting for the careers of current and future animation workers. “This really, for us, feels like a do-or-die negotiation cycle,” he said.

Dual Writers Guild of America and Animation Guild member Bill Wolkoff (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts), who has been a member of the latter union since 2009, emphasized that he had never seen animation workers so fired up. “This is the most engaged I’ve ever seen TAG members before, and I’m very excited to be out here for that reason and be a part of that,” he said.

The crowd at Saturday’s event was notably larger than the one attending a similar rally organized by the guild two years ago, during its last round of contract negotiations. While attendance numbers were not immediately available, according to negotiating committee member Clift, this year the union had over 2,000 RSVPs as of Friday, which more than doubles the crowd of the 2022 event.

It also had an engaged audience. Rock, Paper, Scissors writer Julia Prescott got a hearty response during a speech stating that if the union doesn’t make major changes to the contract now, it won’t have another chance. “The American animation industry is at stake and the drawing kid from your childhood is not going down without a fight,” she said. Storyboard artists Nora Meek and Charlie Jackson (The Patrick Star Show) also drew attention for their joint address. “What we’re going to win in this contract is more than just slowing down the race to the bottom. We’re going to win our industry back,” said Jackson.

Packing in the f-bombs, Writers Guild of America West board member Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) drew loud applause during his speech to the group. He advocated for animation workers not to seek out the respect of companies during the negotiations. “You do not need their respect because they will never give it to you,” he said. “Their respect doesn’t matter. What matters is your respect for yourself. And if you respect yourself enough to say, ‘You know what, I will not work for you until I get what I deserve,’ then you will fucking win.”

[divinityunleashed]

Welcome. To New Gamindustri:

BGM: Dragon Quest XI - Overture XI

Welcome to New Gamindustri. A world of beauty, creation, civilization and gaming. A new world fit for civilization, four Goddesses arrived to claim sections of this continent in order to live new lives:

Futura:

A land that combines the best of Science and Nature, Futura is the land of Purple Progress; innovating to create the best AI and technologically advanced systems. Out of the four nations, Futura is the leader in the field of Artificial Intelligence and backwards compatible hardware.

They are ruled by Goddess Purple Heart. A strong and wise leader, Purple Heart connects with her citizens in order to provide a safe and loving place to live. She aims to unity all those who live under her rule and to ensure peaceful prosperity for all who seek a sanctuary.

Indra:

While Futura is the leader of technology, Indra is the leader of Industry. A more mountainous and deserts region, Lastation is a mass of Quarries, Mines and Industrialization; sporting towering factories and processing plants. They supply the other nations with much needed minerals and ores.

They are ruled by Goddess Black Heart. Competitive and work obsessed, Black Heart leads the future in progress and business. Those who vow for a strong work life and recognition come to her rule to grow and evolve. With Black Heart at the helm, she grants her nation the label of Black Regality.

Sharr:

A Winter Wonderland, Sharr is a snowy region of the continent, blanketed by eternal snowfall and jolly, befitting the label of White Serenity. The towns and cities there are themed after fantasy structures, including houses in the shapes of mushrooms and blocks.

They are ruled by White Heart, a benevolent ruler with a furious temper. She vows that Sharr is welcoming and not discriminatory towards those of all ages including the Elderly. Whether you're looking for a home away from home or just to enjoy the snow, White Heart provides Sharr for all.

Jade:

The nation of Jade is one of sea and land, boasting beautiful landscapes you'd only picture in dreams. The land of Green Pastures is not to laugh at, especially when it's mighty warriors are themed off of the medieval and chivalrous knights of yore.

They are ruled by Green Heart, a mature and majestic Goddess, who's beauty is unbound. She prides herself in her appearance and pleasure. She prides herself in making Jade open to all, but as an idealistic figure, she ensures her beauty is praised by all. Statues, visiting hours and plenty of Merchandise, Jade is truly worthy of it's name.

Reaven:

A small island a small distance away from Jade mainland, Reaven is home to one of the three Ancient Gods of the world. A forestry island with a central green coated mountain peak, it's a tucked away paradise where nature is powerful.

The God of this Domain is none other than Ysera; the Green Dragon Aspect. Attuned to Nature and the Dreamrealm, Ysera watches over Jade from a distance, enamored by it's Goddess.

Nefaroth:

The center of the continent, surrounded by all four nations, exists a hellish landscape full of Lava rivers, frequently active Volcanoes and ash rainfall, if Hell has an overworld appearance, this was it.

Xira, Goddess of Hellfire rules this land. And her hatred of humanity is ever apparent. She has Flame Elementals wandering her lands, killing anyone who dared trespass. Very few are allowed to live here, and if they do, they are eternally loyal to her and submit to her every whim.

[docgold13]

Batman: The Animated Series - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Randa Duane

The beautiful Randa Duane was a life-like android created by the sinister artificial intelligence known as H.A.R.D.A.C. In most instances, H.A.R.D.A.C. used Duane to steal information on technologies being created by rival companies of Cybertron Industries.  All this was to ensure that H.A.R.D.A.C. would achieve a lasting superiority over mankind.  

After Duane had stolen microfilms from Wayne Enterprises she was pursued by Batman and managed to evade the Caped Crusader.  At this point Batman believed the incident was merely a matter of corporate espionage; he was not yet aware of the dire threat posed by H.A.R.D.A.C.

Duane would later use a stun-gun to incapacity a number of important individuals throughout Gotham, including Mayor Hill and Commissioner Gordon.  Each of these individuals were replaced by android duplicates.  At this point, H.A.R.D.A.C.’s creator, Karl Rossum, had also been incapacitated and similarly replaced with a duplicate.  

These android duplicates were able to fool most but not everyone.  Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, Barbara, knew her father far too well to be duped by the replacement.  Barbara ended up assisting Batman in tracking the whole matter back to Cybertron Industries.

The Randa Duane android was destroyed in a final confrontation with Batman. Herein H.A.R.D.A.C. itself was also destroyed and the individuals who had been abducted were all rescued.  

Actress Leslie Easterbrook provided the voice for Randa Duane, first appearing in the thirty-ninth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Heart of Steel Part One.’

[mephinomaly]

[TL] BIOHAZARD/Chapter 2

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Koga: Stop givin’ out lectures like we’re newborns or somethin’~.

I get it, I know all that! That’s why I hate it and I hate even more that there’s nothing I can do. All that happens is I keep goin’ on those stupid shows with a stupid smile on my face!

Rei: Hm. As a result of that, we’ve become a unit that completes activities terribly half-heartedly.

We were unable to specialise in hardrock nor being playboys therefore other units were able to monopolise that gap in the market.

Well, the world is in recession. If you are struggling financially and want to go out to eat, it’s better to go to a restaurant that specialises in what you want to eat rather than a family restaurant that serves a variety of dishes.

Our fans have made themselves clear via numbers. It’s only human nature to want to eat something more delicious if the price is the same.

Therefore in our current state, we are struggling in comparison to units that have specialised in something. The difference between effort and experience is being laid bare for all to see.

Koga: Yeah. It’s like that story where the bat keeps messin’ around who’s side they’re on and then both the beasts and the birds don’t wanna be friends with him.[1]

Rei: Quite. Whilst the foundations are still stable, it will only be so long before it begins to shake.

One day, we will be alone and have nowhere to go. We will end up standing in solitude in a trap of our own design.

We’ll be at rock bottom, we’ll be idols that don’t sell anymore.

Koga: Then, then what do we do? If we understand what's happenin’, we can actually do somethin’ ‘bout it, right?

But we can’t just give up ‘n pretend everythin’s fine.

Rei: Indeed. We must fight against this, we cannot lay in wake, waiting to be destroyed.

Kaoru: Yep, we need to do something, definitely.

Rei: Mhm. Of course, Rhythm Link is getting antsy and, as always, is trying to interfere.

Koga: Those guys are so fuckin’ conceited… That’s what I hate ‘bout them.

They’ll always treat us like we’re newbies that can’t do anythin’.

Rei: Though in the past, they would have left newcomers like us to our own devices.

A while ago, at the idol industry’s biggest festival, SS, all of the veteran units that RhythmLink boasts about failed to produce any meaningful results.

As a result of that, the value of youngins like us has increased. As well as that, we are RhythmLink’s main breadwinners so if we were to crash in popularity, it would create a massive problem for management.

Consequently, in order to break this deadlock, they have requested we participate in a “certain experiment” that ES seems to be planning.

Adonis: Experiment…? That’s a rather disconcerting word.

Koga: Haa? What kinda experiment do they want us as guinea pigs for then?

Rei: The project is top secret, so we will be kept in the dark until we accept—

The name of the experiment is “Artificial Intelligence Idol Experiment”, abbreviated to AIIE.

Koga: Huh? Artificial intelligence…?

Kaoru: Seems to be a pretty popular topic nowadays. AI, I mean.

Adonis: Ah, artificial intelligence is something that can create images and pieces of text with skill.

I am still not good at writing in Japanese, and when I was struggling with it, Yuuki, who is very well informed on the topic, introduced it to me.

The AI was really good at drawing pictures, so when I patted and praised my phone, Yuuki looked shocked.

Koga: Oh yeah speakin’a which, I like that four-eyed bean sprout. Haa, what a nerd.

Adonis: In Yuuki’s case, he’s really good at what he does. You can’t ridicule him for that.

To be honest, using AI was very convenient. My previously clunky sentences had been transformed into beautiful Japanese prose.

It was so convenient that I almost felt as if I had lost any motivation to learn to write or draw myself.

Rather than struggle with Japanese, wouldn’t it be better if I allowed AI to do it all for me?

Kaoru: I’ve heard that AI scours the internet and uses images without the artists’ permissions, leading to issues to do with copyright and stuff. I don’t think it’s a good idea to rely too much on AI, you know~?

If everyone else is doing it, you shouldn’t feel guilty, but it’s still a crime at the end of the day, right?

Adonis: I understand. Even a kitchen knife can be used to kill someone. I suppose it depends on the moral values the user has and how they intend to use it.

Rei: Hm. Since the exact details are unclear, I cannot say this for sure, but is AIIE about AI versions of idols that can… draw well?

I am an old man, I do not really understand newfangled technologies such as that.

Koga: You’re still pullin’ the grandpa card… Anyway, pisses me off if RhythmLink is tryna order us around but guess there’s nothin’ we can do ‘bout it.

Do we seriously hafta take part in an experiment called AIIE?

Rei: If we try our best and it doesn’t work out, we can pull out. This is just a trial.

Since we cannot come up with anything else to escape this situation, I suppose there is no issue with taking advantage of this.

[ ☆ ]

koga references one of Aesop's fables “the bats, the birds, and the beasts”. Basically the birds and the beasts declare war against each other. When the birds ask the bats who’s side they’re on, the bats say “i have wings, so i am on your side.” but when the beasts ask too, the bats say “i have sharp teeth and fur, so i am on your side.” later, once peace had been negotiated, the beasts and the birds realised how deceitful the bats had been and turned on them. Now bats live in fear, and only come out at night

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

[scifigeneration]

Pluto: Netflix’s anime masterpiece explores how robots ‘feel’ when humans exploit them

by Thi Gammon, Research Associate in Culture, Media and Creative Industries Education at King's College London

There have been many TV shows and films inspired by the dual fear and excitement surrounding advances in artificial intelligence (AI). But not many exhibit such masterful craft and profound humanity as the new Netflix anime miniseries, Pluto.

Pluto is adapted from a manga series of the same title (2003-2009), created by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki. The manga version – considered a comic masterpiece for its beautiful art and sophisticated storyline – incorporated fundamental elements from Osamu Tezuka’s celebrated manga series Astro Boy (1952-1968), including the beloved android adolescent who was the titular character.

Pluto is set in a futuristic world in which humans and robots coexist, albeit within a hierarchy in favour of humans. Robots excel in various jobs ranging from nannies and butlers to architects and detectives, but they are treated as second-class citizens.

Although robots gradually gain their own rights codified into law, they are still exploited by humans, who downplay their worth and emotional intelligence. As much as humans depend on AI, they also feel threatened by it.

An AI murder mystery

Pluto, which has both Japanese and English audio versions, follows German robot detective Gesicht (Shinshū Fuji/Jason Vande Brake) as he traces the mysterious killings of robots and humans. The world’s seven most advanced robots (including Gesicht himself) and robot-friendly humans (including his creator) are the targets of this assassination scheme.

What’s most perplexing is that the murders appear untraceable. This suggests that the killer might be a very advanced robot, challenging the belief that robots can’t ever kill humans due to their programmed constraints.

This enigmatic case echoes the cautionary message found in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – beware of human beings’ ambitious dreams and creations. While the story begins as a murder mystery, it evolves into a thoughtful drama about the conflicted relationships between humans and androids.

While Pluto draws on many familiar sci-fi concepts, it distinguishes itself through its meticulous character development and the depth of its micro-stories. Every character is complex, and the audience is able to get to know them and become invested in their fates. The anime’s unhurried pace also allows viewers ample time to contemplate its philosophical questions about consciousness evolution and the powerful impacts of emotions.

Despite all its brilliance, however, the series is not without flaws. It has a dated representation of gender roles, with no female characters – whether human or robot – playing an important part. None of them break free from the stereotypical role of nurturing, stay-behind support for their exceptionally capable and powerful male partners.

Animation of the year

Pluto maintains a melancholic tone throughout – but despite this overarching dark ambience, it is at times romantic and moving. It exalts love, friendship and compassion without falling into sentimentality, evoking an emotional resonance reminiscent of Blade Runner (1982).

The series emphasises that life, or the process of living, imparts character and humanity, transcending biological organs and blood. Androids may initially be devoid of complex emotions, but they develop sentience through everyday experiences and interactions with fellow robots and humans.

Robots can even learn to appreciate music, as manifested by the charismatic North No.2 (Koichi Yamadera/Patrick Seitz), who was designed for intense combat but grows weary of warfare. The narrative underscores the simultaneous beauty and danger of emotions – particularly the destructive force of wrath.

With great technological advancements and comfort, this futuristic world is still torn by war. It poses the question: “Will war ever end?” – reminding us of the conflicts and tragedies happening in the real world. The anime suggests that an end to war is unlikely as long as hatred persists.

For me, with its beautiful art and riveting narrative, Pluto stands out as one of the best Netflix productions of all time. It’s certainly the best animated work of the year.

[marnz]

2023 book post

I read 63 books this year (i do count short stories & novellas) and there were epic highs (everyone read the school for good mothers) and epic lows (y'all read this shit? for real?).

here are my top ten, in no particular order, followed by thoughts on the rest. it's so long lol okay let's get into it

top ten.

the school for good mothers by jessamine chan - a perfect commentary on the prison industrial complex and how poor, single, and mothers of color are treated set in a chilling near future. loved it. i read this book in june and think about it daily.

edinburgh by alexander chee - this book is a modern classic for good reason. gay tragedy lovers this book is for YOU. the prose is so beautiful, so dream like, that i couldn't stop reading. i read this book in one sitting, very nearly a year ago, and i was completely devastated by it.

in the woods by tana french - love this for: unreliable narrator who sucks but is compelling; prose about the woods and the 1980s mystery; cassie; a police procedure that starts off by being like 'crucially you must understand that the police lie.' i have a weakness for atmospheric books and this has that in spades.

homegoing by yaa gyasi - this book is SO good and the prose and character voices are excellent. it's extremely epic but somehow only 300 pages?!? each character only gets 1 chapter but gyasi does SO much with each chapter 😭 i read this in one day because i could not stop reading. i also read gyasi's other book, transcendent kingdom, which was also very good.

some desperate glory by emily tesh - this book is a mindfuck and is one of the few times i've seen [spoiler] done well. there are a lot of things this book talks about--imperialism; artificial intelligence; fascism; white supremacy and how it intersects with gender; queerness; eugenics. i posted about it early when i had only read like 49% and i was soooo wrong to do so. read this and just trust me.

x by davey davis - okay are you ready for this? X is queer/trans bdsm neo noir mystery set in a dystopian near future. it is dark, it is consuming, it is surprising, it is a book i turn over obsessively whenever i can't sleep. i need to reread and i only read it a few months ago.

baru cormorant series/the masquerade by seth dickinson - this is 3 books but let's count it as one book. much has been said about baru as a cringefail autistic marxist lesbian icon (affectionate) but what i really appreciate about these books, other than how fucking gay they are, is the specificity of the world building. i have a theory that modern readers are in search of detail (and cruelly denied by much of publishing rn). seth dickinson loves details. seth dickinson is going to take semi familiar narratives and tell them in a brand new way using details; math; hyper specific words. god i love it

poverty by america by matthew desmond - relatively short book, read it in a day. i also read desmond's first book, evicted, and it is also SO good but what's sexy about this book is that modern american society and esp. politicians frequently likes to be like 'oh no, poverty is so tragic but it can't be solved' and desmond is like 'watch me.' for people who enjoy reading andrea long chu take downs reviews and want concrete solutions for how to build a better world.

station eleven by emily st. john mandel - many people told me this was the best book they've ever read and i was like 'whatever. i'll get to it when i get to it.' DO NOT BE ME!! read this!! i wouldn't say this is a happy book but it was a beautiful book. i loved it. i cried for about 90 minutes afterwards. for art lovers, weird theatre kids, people unafraid of plague books, non linear timeline lovers, people who have been divorced.

piranesi by susanna clarke - okay i read this on my flight to frankfurt earlier this year and it totally bowled me over with how lovely it was and how emotional i got. just a beautiful, delicate, haunting, eerie book. for fans of mysteries, people who love oceans, gothic houses, people who earnestly believed magic was real as kids and hope it's real today, people who love academic drama they aren't involved in.

okay damn honorable mentions: in the dream house by carmen maria machado (SO good, maybe deserves my rec more than piranesi), normal people by sally rooney (mainly because it did make me insane), under the banner of heaven by jon krakauer (thorough, horrifying), honey & spice by bolu babalola (SO fun), sula by toni morrison (stunning!!), severance by ling ma (millennial alienation during a plague, amirite?), trust exercise by susan choi (who knows what really happened? you'll understand).

okay now the worst books i read this year, aka books i did not vibe with:

broken harbor & the trespasser by tana french; did not enjoy broken harbor due to the themes and did not enjoy the trespasser due to how cringefail the ending was. you can't depict ongoing harassment a woman of color is experiencing in her workplace, make her decide to leave after two years of this harassment, and then back track it in the last chapter? please. this is a problem tana french runs into a lot, but that is a different post

the witch elm by tana french; parts of this book were absolutely delicious. but a lot of it felt very tedious and in need of a stern editor. so many books these days need more thorough editing and the result is that a potentially amazing book is just like, okay. i understand the power fantasy that this book is designed to be, but i'm not the right audience for it (disabled). also, generally i need a character to root for.

amateur by thomas page mcbee; SO sorry thomas. i didn't vibe with this book mainly because i don't think i'm the target audience for it. i'm not cis and i'm not straight?? i also am not interested in narratives about trans men wanting to prove their masculinity by taking up a violent sport. i think this tension is addressed in the book but it wasn't addressed to my satisfaction. violence is often all the world gives to men as a source of power and thus serves as a solace for everything patriarchy takes from them, so i suppose i understand wanting to be able to get a piece of that...logically that makes sense. but also. why.

the late americans by brandon taylor; the thing is, i fucking love real life by brandon taylor and i enjoy brandon's criticism and read his substack (although i disagree with almost every aesthetic opinion he has). so possibly my expectations were too high, but i read this and i guess i was just...wanted to know what the point is. gay people suffering in the midwest? as a genre, it slaps. as a book, i feel frustrated. it felt loose, pointless, in great need of editing. brandon talks about this book by talking about the importance of moral fiction, and this book lacks moral urgency for many of its stories. i've read a lot of moral fiction and this isn't it? anyway I read this in July and looking back all I remember is Seamus' journey and the way brandon dragged workshopping.

the angel of the crows by katherine addison; look. if you're going to write sherlock wingfic, put it on ao3. if you're going to file off the serial numbers, please work harder so i can't tell what it originally was. and absolutely nix the author's note saying it was sherlock fanfic, because that makes me very unhappy! personally!

99% mine by sally thorne; classic second book syndrome. except the third one is also not very good. too bad!

touched out by amanda montei; okay obligatory disclaimer that i'm not a mother or parent but rather an adult who loves my friends' kids! this book really frustrated me and i think i would have enjoyed it considerably more if it was all cultural criticism instead of a memoir (other than the dworkin parts????). a memoir is an art form, a set narrative, but criticizing it feels weird because i am criticizing the author's life decisions as presented to me, in a flattened context, in a controlled narrative. if the memoir parts were instead part of a fictional book i would not hold back lol. this book is marketed as the most important work of feminist scholarship in the last 30 years and...it ain't. i also felt the focus was incredibly narrow. while montei does attempt to cite a broad range of theorists i just kept finding myself wondering, what about people from other cultures? what about disabled mothers? what about queer mothers or parents? what about this? WHERE'S YOUR RESEARCH? WHERE ARE YOUR INTERVIEWS? there is a specific kind of feminism where white women act like their specific experience is the pinnacle of all suffering and tbh it isn't. this book reminded me of that very strongly. like, if you're telling me you won't have an epidural because it was invented by a man then you are not a useful person to engage with, thanks.

books that would have been amazing if not for that one part

he who drowned the world by shelley parker chan - man i have mixed thoughts on this book. look away my beloved swbts mutuals. okay the epic highs (ouyang & zhu!! ma!!) were set off by baoxiang lmao. i'm mainly interested in queer masculinity and femininity and a femme straight guy is like. well, good for him, but i don't really care? bring me back to my loveds zhu and ouyang. but my main gripe...tbh i think baoxiang is a hugely unreliable narrator that protests about a lot of things too much. being straight for one thing; not having a thing for esen is another. AND MORE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE WITH THIS? like i honestly wish the implied incest thing, which was brought up at least twice, was more present. taking a step back, if you're like well i'm straight and i don't have a thing for my dead brother i helped kill but i absolutely will be seducing the spitting image of him while i fuck my way to the top of the throne? that should make me insane. possibly it would have in a book that didn't already have ouyang. who can tell. so i wish SPC had leaned into that a lot more, i wish baoxiang hadn't felt like such a plot instrument, i wish there was more Ma, i wish spoilery completely unbelievable storyline was better, etc.

in memorial by alice winn - damn, this book. it was so good but it fell apart at the end. i respect winn's decision to not have it be perfectly easy after living through the untold horrors of the trenches of wwi but the idea of two brits running away to brazil to live out a life of colonial bliss because being gay wasn't explicitly illegal in brazil at a time is like. what? i guess. anyway, it was good, i just have some notes.

romantic comedy by curtis sittenfeld - here's the thing, i love curtis sittenfeld and i knew going in that this is a book by the author that wrote rodham but man, this is a book by the author that wrote rodham. this is the most Online book i've ever read (derogatory) and it's very specific in its liberal i'm an Online author on twitter type of deal. the point of the book is that Not Tina Fey falls for Male Taylor Swift on Not Saturday Night Live and it was good, it was fun, i wasn't expecting [spoiler] ummm but it worked. i had a good time.

this is very long, sorry.

[autumnwoodsdreamer]

WiP Wednesday

Sorry. This is just me craving that vintage Mandalorian season 1 vibe

. . . . .

The ice flats of Maldo Kreis were once oceans and forests.

It was beautiful, it was warm; there were trees and flowers and animals that played and danced under the sun.

Then something or the other happened, the planet’s axis tilted and it all froze solid as rock; the creatures dependant on warmth died off and the ones already built for cold multiplied and overwhelmed the world.

The records couldn’t say for certain whether or not a native people once dwelled on the planet. Some believed there had to have been, but any evidence lay beneath tonnes of impenetrable ice, buried for the rest of eternity.

Ancient, unverifiable history aside, Maldo Kreis’ only redeeming quality these days was its location in the Outer Rim. It resided near Tatooine, ironically orbiting one of its suns; it brushed a hyperspace lane rather cozily; and neither Empire nor Republic ever deigned to bother themselves with it given its lack of interesting resources and its only permanent population consisting of old whalers kicking around in lonely, far-flung settlements.

It had no spaceport, no trading hub, no industry (unless one counted the fishing), but it was close to everything and it possessed the one thing the majority of travellers in these parts sought most keenly.

A cantina.

It was a gross exaggeration to say bounty hunters always found their quarries in cantinas, but things often worked out that way. If they weren’t presently drowning their sorrows or burning time via fights and other vices, then it was a safe bet that either the proprietor or the patrons had information—information easily unlocked with a few loose credits.

The Mythrol was a cantina-crawler.

His last known location was the watering hole in Mos Eisley. He hung around nearly a full week, playing rigged games of sabaac and the like, until he swindled the wrong person and almost got his physical features rearranged. Chaos broke out and he absconded in the confusion.

Despite his chosen vocation as a high-stakes gambler, he was a coward: he would’ve taken the first scrap of transport off-world he could reach and a quick check of the local shuttle schedules narrowed the search down to either Nal Hutta or Maldo Kreis.

While the Mythrol hadn’t demonstrated the greatest intelligence in the galaxy, one had to be a legendary breed of stupid to wander anywhere near Nal Hutta with an active bounty on their head and a laundry list of debts.

So the middle-of-nowhere ice world it was.

As soon as the Razor Crest dropped from hyperspace, the tracking fob wedged in beside the fuel gauge awoke, instantly validating Din’s hunch.

He breathed out in relief, trepidation dissipating—he had yet to rid his cloak of the stench of Nal Hutta’s swamp soup from his last sojourn six cycles ago.

The time between blinks clipped shorter and shorter as he breached atmosphere. Positional data suggested the Northern Hemisphere, so Din adjusted course accordingly.

Beginning descent, the layers of grey quickly cancelled out the ambient glow from sun and stars, accentuating the artificial light of the cockpit and the controls. The ‘Crest juddered and bucked, but the old ship barrelled on without let-up—it had weathered hail and hell a thousand times over, it could handle some snow.

Gradually, the dense clouds dissolved, exposing a tundra without end or border in sight. The viewport and the helmet’s visor narrowed the scene but Din saw more than enough to paint a vast, vacuous landscape.

He cycled through the landing procedure and set down in the shipyards, just off from the port: an area distinguished from the surrounding flats less by the fishing paraphernalia and more by the unnatural lake of murky sludge seeping around the parked ships.

Din set down as far away from the sludge as possible, refusing to trade one swamp for another.

He went through the cycle of switching everything off, flicking switches without even glancing at them.

It all stopped.

The engines wound down, metal pinged as it cooled, wind howled and lashed; his world fell still but not settled, not silent.

He sat there a moment—not pinned but not pulled, not despondent but not driven. He only was: nothing more, nothing less.

Snow drifted across the viewport, falling one way before the wind dictated another. He watched it in a vague way, his mind on other matters.

This was the last stop for the trip. After this job, he would return to Nevarro, collect his earnings, deliver them to the covert, pick his next commissions, refuel the ship and go again.

And again and again and again.

He had heard of people who faced the endless and went mad.

He was not one of them

He feared the ending.

It would come.

He was sure of himself, determined, but he was no fool. One day, a blade would strike too deep, he would lose one ounce of blood too many, or a concussion would put him to sleep permanently. One day, he would meet a challenge or an opponent he couldn’t outsmart or outmanoeuvr; he would lose his footing, draw a heartbeat too late, miss…

And if he outran all that?

Well.

Then it was just a question of how long until his back broke for good.

A sigh dispelled his straying thoughts. They did that, more and more these days; he put it down to getting older.

But the never ending wasn’t ending today.

[iamhussainialvi]

💡✨ Unbelievable Ronaldo The Back-Dive Goal that Defied Reality! ⚽️🎥

📝 Title

Cristiano Ronaldo's Incredible Back-Dive Goal in AI Animation!

 

🧑‍🔬 Bio

I'm Muhammad Faisal Hussaini, an Artist

Welcome to my creative space! I'm passionate about blending art and technology to create captivating animations. My latest project showcases the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo in a jaw-dropping back-dive goal, brought to life through the magic of AI.

 

🔖 Label

AI-Generated Animation, Cristiano Ronaldo, Artistry in Motion

 

🎯 Tags

Cristiano Ronaldo, AI Animation, Soccer Goals, Sports Animation, Digital Art, Goalkeeper, Football, Animation Techniques, Creative Process, Sports Legends

 

#️⃣ Hashtags

#CristianoRonaldo #AIAnimation #FootballArt #BackDiveGoal #SoccerLegends #AnimationMagic #DigitalCreativity #SportsAnimation

 

😇 Category

Sports Animation and Digital Art

 

Detailed Description (1000 Words)

In the world of football, few names resonate as powerfully as Cristiano Ronaldo. Known for his unparalleled skills, athleticism, and dedication, Ronaldo has captivated fans worldwide with his magical moments on the pitch. In this unique AI-generated animated video, we witness an astonishing spectacle that showcases Ronaldo's expertise in a way that defies the laws of physics. This latest animation features Ronaldo executing a stunning back-dive goal, a feat that combines artistry, technology, and the spirit of football.

The Concept Behind the Animation

Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed various industries, including entertainment and art. By leveraging advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, creators can now produce animations that are both realistic and imaginative. The concept of the back-dive goal was inspired by the acrobatic styles of renowned footballers, blending creativity with the essence of the sport.

Inspiration: The initial idea stemmed from Ronaldo's incredible aerial prowess and his ability to score goals that leave fans in awe.

Technology: AI tools were employed to generate fluid movements, realistic physics, and intricate details that make the animation come alive.

The Creative Process

Creating an AI-generated animation involves several steps that require both technical skills and artistic vision. Here’s a breakdown of the process:

Concept Development:

Sketching the initial ideas and poses for the animation.

Choosing the right moment in a match where a back-dive goal would be most impactful.

Modeling:

Using 3D modeling software to create a digital avatar of Ronaldo.

Ensuring that the avatar captures his likeness and distinctive playing style.

Animation:

Applying motion capture technology to simulate Ronaldo's movements accurately.

Integrating AI algorithms to enhance the realism of the back-dive action.

Rendering:

Rendering the animation to produce high-quality visuals.

Adding dynamic backgrounds that reflect a game day atmosphere.

Post-Production:

Editing the final video to ensure smooth transitions and engaging storytelling.

Incorporating sound effects that mimic the excitement of a live football match.

The Significance of the Back-Dive Goal

The back-dive goal is not just a display of technical skill; it symbolizes the art of football. It represents the moments when athletes push the boundaries of their capabilities, inspiring fans and aspiring players to dream big. Ronaldo’s iconic status makes this animation all the more significant as it highlights his influence on the sport.

Inspiration for Fans: Young athletes can learn from Ronaldo's commitment and creativity, motivating them to develop their unique styles.

Celebrating the Sport: This animation serves as a tribute to the beautiful game, showcasing how technology can enhance our appreciation of sports.

The Role of AI in Modern Animation

AI has revolutionised the animation industry, allowing artists to explore new dimensions of creativity. Here’s how AI contributes to the animation process:

Efficiency: AI tools streamline the animation workflow, reducing the time required for rendering complex movements.

Realism: Algorithms can simulate realistic physics, ensuring that the movements look natural and believable.

Creativity: AI offers artists new ways to experiment with visual styles and storytelling techniques, pushing the envelope of traditional animation.

The Journey of an Artist

As an artist, my journey has been driven by a passion for combining technology and creativity. The process of creating this animation was both challenging and rewarding. Every frame is a testament to the hard work and dedication that goes into producing captivating content.

Learning Experience: Throughout this project, I learned valuable lessons about the intricacies of animation and the potential of AI.

Community Engagement: Engaging with fellow artists and football fans during the creation process added immense value, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the AI-generated animated video of Cristiano Ronaldo executing a back-dive goal is not just an artistic achievement; it’s a celebration of football and the innovative spirit of technology. This unique blend of artistry and sport invites viewers to experience the magic of the game through a new lens.

Whether you’re a die-hard football fan or an admirer of digital art, this animation promises to captivate your imagination and leave you in awe. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed creating it!

 

This comprehensive description aims to engage readers, inviting them to explore the intersection of sports and technology through the lens of creativity. By highlighting the significance of the animation and the creative process behind it, we hope to inspire and entertain a diverse audience.

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[cosmosbeelover]

Women considered to be the most beautiful in Korean History - Part 2

While delving into the research on Jang Yeon Hong, I stumbled upon two kisaengs who shared the exact same name, with one of them having more information available than the other probably due to the same name. To avoid any confusion, I will refer to them as Jang Yeon Hong (1) and Jang Yeon Hong (2) throughout my findings.

I have already mentioned Jang Yeon Hong (1) in my post about How Kisaeng influenced the Entertainment Industry, i would sagest readying that post as it shows an advertisement picture of her modelling.

Jang Yeon Hong (장연홍;張蓮紅) (1)

In this article, it's (I'm not where they got all there information) about the life of Jang Yeon Hong, from Pyongyang to her whereabouts after moving to Shanghai, but it's still worth reading.From my point of view when reading this article it's similar to modern day celebrities in a way, for example some artists disappear from the public eye either for a short amount of time or forever.

Jang Yeon Hong, a renowned Kisaeng of Pyeongyang and the Joseon Peninsula during the 1920s and early 1930s, remains a mysterious figure in history. Her sudden departure for Shanghai at the height of her career, at the age of 21, has added to her enigmatic reputation.

There are conflicting accounts of her fate, with some suggesting she went to study abroad in Shanghai, but no confirmed records exist of her whereabouts since then.

A picture of Jang Yeon-hong wearing a Hanbok surrounded by plants. Date of picture taken unknown probably around late 1920s? A bit more information of Jang Yeon Hong but nothing new.

Born in 1911/1914~? into a wealthy family of the Pyongyang Kwon clan, Jang Yeon Hong's life took a drastic turn when her father passed away, leaving her and her mother in financial hardship. Despite their struggles, Yeon Hong's intelligence and upbringing paved the way for her to become a celebrated Kisaeng in Pyeongyang, captivating audiences with her beauty and musical talents.

As Yeon Hong's career as a Kisaeng flourished, she encountered challenges within her kisaeng clan (Ki Seong-gwon Clan), which transformed into a profit-driven entity due to capitalist influences.

Despite efforts to resist this change, Yeon Hong and her fellow Kisaengs found themselves marginalized, leading to a dispersal of these women across the country.

Yeon Hong's decision to leave her homeland, the Pyongyang Miracle (where kisaeng's belong), and abandon her mother and fellow kisaengs was a result of her inability to bear the circumstances she faced as a devoted kisaeng. The exact reason behind her departure to Shanghai remains unknown, as does her current whereabouts.

Jang Yeon Hong in Shanghai

Despite her departure from the entertainment world, Yeon Hong's fame as a kisaeng ensured that articles continued to cover her activities. It is worth noting that she made two documented appearances in magazines while in Shanghai, which served as evidence of her presence in the city or at least made it known that she had relocated there.

Byeolgeongon Magazine 1933

*Note that this magazine was published in 1933 and depicts Shanghai very differently from what Shanghai is like today. Old Shanghai went through Japanese Occupation (1937-1945), the time when Jang Yeon Hong moved to and supposedly left Shanghai back to Korea during the Korean War. The History of Shanghai and the Timeline of Shanghai does explain what it was like under the Japanese Occupation in more detail.

The magazine 'Byeolgeongon' (별건곤) published an article in 1933 featuring Jang Yeon Hong's move to Shanghai in pursuit of an unknown goal. Shanghai is depicted as a bustling city where people from all over the world gather, characterized by its artificial exhibitions and a sense of danger due to the prevalence of violence and conspiracies. Being a port city, Shanghai is also known for its abundance of prostitutes and the promiscuity of men and women seeking their services.

I might of found a small amount of info about 'Byeolgeongon' (별건곤) magazine but i could not find any pictures of said magazine, probably due to its age and there might not be any pictures of the magazine recorded.

A coloured picture of Jang Yeon-hong wearing a Hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) whilst holding a parasol (Western-style clothing) which was very popular 'item' among modern girls at the time. Date of picture taken unknown probably around late 1920s?

The article raised questions about Jang Yeon Hong's intentions in Shanghai and whether she will be successful in achieving her objectives. Despite the ambiguity surrounding her motivations, Jang Yeon Hong's fame attracts great interest, and readers eagerly follow her journey.

The contrasting yet complementary nature of Shanghai and Jang Yeon Hong is highlighted, with the former representing chaos and the latter embodying innocence and determination. Regardless of the connection between Shanghai and Jang Yeon Hong, readers envision her with adorable aspirations and wished for her success.

'Samchully' Magazine 1934

Jang Yeon Hong, who made a brief second appearance, was featured in the magazine 'Samchully' in 1934. The magazine primarily focused on another kisaeng named Park Yeong-do (Park Young-do), who reportedly arrived in Shanghai during the early 1930s, around the same time as Jang Yeon Hong's first mention.

A colourised postcard of Jang Yeon Hong in a swimsuit. Date of picture taken unknown probably around the late 1920s.

Park Young-do, a renowned figure in Pyongyang and the Joseon Dynasty, unexpectedly relocated to Shanghai for unknown reasons, possibly similar to Jang Yeon Hong's circumstances. Tragically, Park Young-do is said to have taken her own life under mysterious circumstances the previous winter before the magazine's publication in June 1934.

I couldn't find any picture's of Park Young-do and the only time that she is mentioned is with Jang Yeon Hong in the 'Samchully' magazine.

Despite the lack of high expectations for their move to Shanghai, Park's untimely death was deemed senseless. Rumours circulated about her suicide in Joseon due to heartbreak from an unknown individual named Jeong. Meanwhile, Jang Yeon Hong's fate in Shanghai remains uncertain, with reports of her arrest at the consulate for an undisclosed incident adding to the intrigue surrounding her situation.

This excerpt discusses the experiences of Jang Yeon Hong and Park Young-do, two individuals who were prominent figures in the kisaeng Gwonbeon. The text suggests that they may have transitioned from being considered failures to making significant progress in their roles. It also warns against following the same path as Park Young-do, implying that their actions may not have been ideal.

A colorised picture of Jang Yeon-hong wearing Western style clothes with a parasol. Date of picture taken unknown probably around late 1920s?.

The passage questions whether Jang Yeon Hong and Park Young-do were once at the top of the kisaeng Gwonbeon hierarchy, but eventually found themselves dissatisfied with their lives. It remains unclear which individual the text is referring to in terms of feeling bored with their gisaeng lifestyle. The mention of withdrawing from the association system after opposing it hints at a potential reason for their departure.

Overall, the text highlights the dynamic nature of the kisaeng Gwonbeon and the experiences of individuals like Jang Yeon Hong and Park Young-do within this system. It raises questions about their success, dissatisfaction, and eventual withdrawal from the association system. The narrative suggests a complex journey for these individuals, leaving room for interpretation and further exploration of their stories.

Jang Yeon-hong postcard.

Jang Yeon Hong after liberation in Korea?

Even though Yeon Hong's whereabouts were unknown when she decided to move to Shanghai around the early 1930s, Yeon Hong might of appeared or her name at least appeared after liberation in Korea, when opening a restaurant. Why did she leave Shanghai to move back to Korea?, Did she ever go back to Korea?

In the late 1940s, there were reports of a person named Hang Yeon Hong opening a restaurant in Korea after liberation. These reports were found in advertisements for a Korean cuisine restaurant called 'Yukmijang' in newspapers such as Pyeonghwa Ilbo and Yonhap Newspaper.

The name Jang Yeon-hong was associated with the owners of the restaurant, suggesting the possibility of her subsequent appearances.

Yukmijang owner 'Jang Yeon Hong' [Pyeonghwa Ilbo 1948.09.11] I did try my best at translating what was written on the poster. Chinese (Traditional) translation, from top to bottom: Advanced Korean Cuisine Specialty Rokmeizhuang (Disambiguation) 248 Kwun Lung-dong (Old Flower and Moon Pavilion) Telephone Gwanghwamun (3)44188oka Management King President of the People's Republic of China Shunming and Eternal Lotus Mercy Love Fairy Fotan Red Goodness

The presence of a person with the same name cannot be ignored. Furthermore, the name of the restaurant, which translates to 'six beauties', along with the mention of six female owners and cheerful service from a beautiful waitress, indicates a connection to former kisaengs. It is likely that the restaurant was established by women who worked together.

Yukmijang advertisement emphasising the beautiful female hostess [Yonhap Newspaper, 1949.02.12]

After April 1950, the restaurant changed its name to "Daewonjeong" and became known for hosting dozens of Jangan Wolgung fairies. The reasons for Jang Yeon Hong's return to Korea, if she did return, remain unknown. However, it is speculated that she may not have been successful in Shanghai, whether in business or studying abroad, and was compelled to return home during the Sino-Japanese War. After liberation, she possibly opened a restaurant with her fellow kisaeng colleagues.

Current appearance of 248 Gwancheol-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Upon Jang Yeon Hong's arrival in Shanghai, the city posed challenges for a kisaeng woman seeking to study or live quietly. The reasons behind this difficulty remain unknown, but it is evident that the environment was not conducive to such pursuits. It is speculated that the presence of other kisaengs in Shanghai may have led to collaborative efforts resembling business partnerships rather than attempts to escape the kisaeng lifestyle.

Even if Jang Yeon Hong had returned to her hometown, Pyongyang, during the Korean War, her name and activities would have likely faded away without further public attention.

While Jang Yeon Hong's perspective on her journey to China is documented in various articles, other reporters viewed her relocation with scepticism. Shanghai, known at the time as a city of entertainment, attracted numerous skilled craftsmen, possibly influencing Yeon Hong's decision to move there. Additionally, historical anecdotes, such as that of Joseon nobleman Min Yeong-chan being deceived by a Chinese concubine, shed light on the city's reputation as a destination for wealthy individuals from Joseon seeking new beginnings.

Jang Yeon Hong wearing a Hanbok. Date of picture taken unknown probably around late 1920s?.

Jang Yeon-hong’s business card photo. During the Japanese colonial era, kisaeng's distributed photos with their names on them as business cards to restaurants, stores, etc. to promote themselves.

The true motivations behind Jang Yeon Hong's move to Shanghai remain shrouded in mystery. However, the availability of photographs and articles featuring her and other kisaengs serves as valuable resources for those interested in delving into Korea's music history.

[astroartmuse]

Progression Symbols

Gemini 19 Sun A large archaic volume. Keywords: wisdom, experience, lost knowledge, hidden treasures, unexpected help, calm, quiet, peace.

Virgo 11 Rising A boy molded in his mother’s aspiration for him. Keywords: to try to meet the expectations, to become what another person or the society wants for you, even you succeed you may realize that is not what you want, to achieve a good social position.

Pisces 11 Descendant Men seeking illumination. Keywords: spirituality, faith, an inner sense that the material world is not everything, intuition, wisdom.

Taurus 29 Moon Two cobblers working at a table. Keywords: cooperation, work, low social position, good friends, capacity to give and receive help.

Gemini 12 Mercury A Topsy saucily asserting herself Keywords: growth, taking advantage of every new situation, dissatisfaction.

Leo 4 Venus A man formally dressed and a dear with its horns folded. Keywords: formality, play, game, pictures.

Leo 9 Mars Glass blowers. Keywords: skill, creativity, art, performance, work.

Leo 10 Jupiter Early morning dew. Keywords: refreshment, resources, positive attitude, purity, sincerity, optimism.

Venus Mars Jupiter Conjunct

Aquarius 6 Saturn A performer of a mystery play. Keywords: subtlety, occult, to send a message, art.

Capricorn 12 Uranus A student of nature lecturing. Keywords: science, intelligence, study, to communicate, to explain, to think, to be realistic.

Scorpio 18 Pluto A woods rich in autumn coloring. Keywords: fulfillment, success, ideals, achievements, rewards.

Capricorn 5 Lilith Indians rowing a canoe and dancing a war dance. Keywords: action, aggression, courage, mobilization, to try to create an image to impress someone, primitive attitude.

Cancer 25 Chiron A dark shadow or mantle thrown suddenly over the right shoulder. Keywords: destiny, self-expression, leadership, megalomania.

Aquarius 14 Vertex A train entering a tunnel. Keywords: efficiency, development, precision, utilitarianism, evolution.

Gemini 8 MC An industrial strike. Keywords: selfishness, aggression, artificial, performance, progress, war.

Leo 20 Fortune The Zuni sun worshipers. Keywords: spirituality, tradition, faith, to belief in a higher order, naivety.

Gemini 9 Sun/Moon A quiver filled with arrows. Keywords: satisfaction, accomplished work, games, sport, an organised person, preparation, art.

Cancer 24 Asc/MC A woman and two men on a bit of sunlit land facing south. Keywords: inception, an unusual gift for organizing and exploiting the self’s potential.

Googles the James Burgess & John Sandbach version of each degree

Reads all the versions

Cracks codes in time & space

Tropical Symbols

Taurus 18 Sun A woman holding a bag out of a window. Keywords: high personal effectiveness in commandeering the elements of experience for any particular purpose, dissatisfaction with things as they are and complete ineptness in handling them

Leo 16 Rising Sunshine just after a storm. Keywords: hope, confidence, to recover after a difficult situation, to be in a good position after passing a difficult time.

Pisces 19 Moon A master instructing his pupil. Keywords: education, knowledge, help, order, rules, initiation, mentoring, respect.

Cancer 1 Venus A furled and an unfurled flag displayed from a vessel. Keywords: adaptability, uncertainty, duality.

Cancer 20 Mars Gondoliers in a serenade. Keywords: romance, love, feelings, music, relationships, beauty, dreams.

Leo 5 Jupiter Rock formations at the edge of a precipice. Keywords: crisis, challenging situation, energy, endurance, aggression, risks, courage, self-confidence.

Aquarius 6 Saturn A performer of a mystery play. Keyiwords: subtlety, occult, to send a message, art.

Cancer 22 Chiron A woman awaiting a sailboat. Keywords: confidence in love, often bad luck, dreams.

Capricorn 13 Uranus A fire worshiper. Keywords: spirituality, mystery, enthusiasm, to believe in ideas, creativity.

Capricorn 16 Neptune Boys and girls in gymnasium suits. Keywords: friendship, joviality, optimism, loyalty, competition, fair play.

Capricorn 21 NN A relay race. Keywords: teamwork, sport, ambition, determination, cooperation.

Cancer 21 SN A prima donna singing. Keywords: a gifted person, culmination, skill, talent, popularity, charm, artistic abilities.

Cancer 22. A woman awaiting a sailboat. Keywords: confidence in love, often bad luck, dreams.

Scorpio 19 Pluto A parrot listening and them talking. Keywords: education, intelligence, to integrate, to meet the expectations, to try, to use your resources efficiently.

Gemini 29 Chariklo The first mockingbird in spring. Keywords: communication, news, intelligence, quickening.

Cancer 3 Psyche A man all bundled up in fur leading a shaggy dear. Keywords: exploration, seclusion, pioneer work, dealing with difficult conditions, self-reliance, stubbornness.

Gemini 26 Asc/Mc Winter frost in the woods. Keywords: natural state of things, simple attitude, hidden emotions.

Cancer 29 Kleopatra A Muse weighing twins. Keywords: good balance between two situations like reality and over-reality which realizes the integrity of selfhood, equilibrium, intuition.

Aries 19 Sun/Moon The magic carpet. Keywords: freedom of spirit, idealistic possibilities, a panoramic view, a broad mind, a good perspective of the whole situation, an unusual person, jokes, happiness, an immature view of life

Taurus 6 MC A bridge being built across a gorge. Keywords: evolution, progress, courage, intelligence, curiosity, the desire to discover new areas, relations, connections, dangerous life, risk.

Scorpio 4 A gold rush tears men away from their native soil. The passionate quest for universal values, destructive of cultural ease of living. Leaping to opportunity.- Avid seeking.

Aquarius 1 Juno An old adobe mission. Keywords: durability, stability, symbolism, heritage, tradition.

Sagittarius 15 Eros The ground hog looking for its shadow.Keywords: to search, to predict, to foresee, symbolism, intelligence, to try to anticipate, skill. reassurance, timidity.

Libra 29 Aphrodite Humanity seeking to bridge the span of knowledge. Keywords: wisdom, experience, desire for achievements, knowledge, to seek knowledge, knowledge used for the human well – being, global interest.

Libra 22 Ceres A child giving birds a drink at a fountain. Keywords: optimism, friendly relationships, sensible soul, creativity, good intention, naivety.

Virgo 7 Palla A harem. Keywords: fighting with many people for the same objective, sexual desires are strong, jealousy, power, display of power, ambition.

Gemini 20 Vesta A cafeteria. Keywords: living in community, building an efficient system, discipline, organisational skills.

Taurus 1 Hygeia A clear mountain stream. Keywords: freedom, purity of soul, morality, healthy principles, solitude, a clear situation.

Leo 13 White Rabbit An old sea captain rocking. Keywords [seems to be related with Libra 17]: memories, experience, retrospection, maturity, leadership (maybe is not obvious), strength of character, calm, to leave in the past.

Aquarius 16 Descendant A big-business man at his desk. Keywords: chance, fortune, social power, respect, administration, leadership, ambition, efficiency, success.

Gemini 6 Voltaire Drilling for oil. Keywords: achievements, desires, ambition, wealth, money as the most important resource, new experiences, people who likes to explore, discover.

Capricorn 1 Lilith An Indian chief demanding recognition. Keywords: leader, courage, social position, ambition, determination, tenacity, fidelity, a simple world, lack of sophistication

Capricorn 4. A party entering a large canoe. Keywords: unity, friendship, desire to explore, curiosity.

Capricorn 5 Mad Hatter Indians rowing a canoe and dancing a war dance. Keywords: action, aggression, courage, mobilization, to try to create an image to impress someone, primitive attitude

🐇 Conj Rising 🕳 🐇 Mad Hatter 🎩 Conj Vertex & Lilith

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group B Round 2: #B6 vs #B4

#B6: High school drama in a countryside farming school

#B4: Human falls in love with an android

Details and poll under the cut!

(This poll has been reposted because the previous post contained errors.)

#B6: Silver Spoon (Gin no Saji)

Summary:

Yuugo Hachiken is studious, hard-working, and tired of trying to live up to expectations he just cannot meet. With the ushering in of a brand new school year, he decides to enroll in Ooezo Agricultural High School, a boarding school located in the Hokkaido countryside, as a means to escape from the stress brought upon by his parents. Initially convinced that he would do well at this institution, Hachiken is quickly proven wrong by his talented classmates, individuals who have been living on farms their entire lives and know just about everything when it comes to food, vegetables, and even the physiology of livestock! Whether it be waking up at five in the morning for strenuous labor or to take care of farm animals, Hachiken is a complete amateur when it comes to the harsh agricultural life. Gin no Saji follows the comedic story of a young student as he tries to fit into a completely new environment, meeting many unique people along the way. As he struggles to appreciate his surroundings, Hachiken hopes to discover his dreams, so that he may lead a fulfilling life on his own terms.

Propaganda:

This show provides an honest look at the ups and downs of farm life, with both the hard work it takes and the satisfaction it provides. The cast is varied and likeable, with every character having more to them than meets the eye. I loved watching the main character's development from an insecure city kid to a confident, well rounded young man.

The information about farming and agriculture is also detailed and interesting - the series creator grew up on a farm and you can tell.

Trigger Warnings: Animal Cruelty/Death. It’s a show about the farming industry, and there’s an arc about the characters coming to terms with animals they’ve grown attached to.

#B4: Plastic Memories

Summary:

Eighteen-year-old Tsukasa Mizugaki has failed his college entrance exams, but after pulling some strings, he manages to land a job at the Sion Artificial Intelligence Corporation. SAI Corp is responsible for the creation of “Giftias”—highly advanced androids which are almost indiscernible from normal humans. However, unlike humans, Giftias have a maximum lifespan of 81,920 hours, or around nine years and four months. Terminal Service One, the station Tsukasa was assigned to, is responsible for collecting Giftias that have met their expiration date, before they lose their memories and become hostile.

Promptly after joining Terminal Service One, Tsukasa is partnered with a beautiful Giftia named Isla. She is a Terminal Service veteran and considered the best in Giftia retrievals, contrary to her petite figure and placid nature. Time is fleeting though, and Tsukasa must come to terms with his feelings for Isla before her time is up. No matter how much someone desires it, nothing lasts forever.

Propaganda 1:

This anime is a heart-wrenching masterpiece. It is slow, tender, and incredibly cathartic. The art is beautiful, and the story is enchanting. Of all the random anime I watched in middle school, this one really stuck with me.

Propaganda 2:

My brother and I watched it together. He ugly sobbed at it so hard, he had to go stand outside and weep down the phone to someone and my mom thought that he’d received news of someone’s actual death. He was okay, though, I promise

Trigger Warnings: [Not Stated]

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how they’re presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.