#god I love being a tool and not a person it's so fun and great for my mental health specifically

[probablynotcaptainbritain]

So, I think this is an interesting take, but one that misses a fundamental problem with AI. OP mentions this idea of desiring an artistic output without a particular amount of toil, and thats fair. Many people want to have written a novel or painted a painting without putting time or pain in.

But here's the thing. If you have an AI generate an output of work, you don't have an output of work! *The AI does.* This is, in my opinion less like using a new art software to help smooth out the edges, and more like paying an artist for a commission. It can on some level convey your ideas (more on that in a second), but ultimately it is doing this creation. Using AI for background assistance or the like *is* using an artistic tool! And these features have existed for years! But having an AI generate something whole-cloth is not making art. In fact, I'd argue that claiming you made it is tantamount to plagiarism!(Note: Before I get yelled at, this is not a condemnation of commissioned art! I love commissions a great deal! But Im also not under the illusion that I made them!)

In a similar vein to the commission idea, using AI to express your ideas is inherently going to put a filter over your ideas! You may be attempting to create something that conveys the most powerful ideas, but ultimately your interpretation is not what's being conveyed. Art is personal. Its not just about the ideas in it, but the interpretation coming through. Two people are unlikely to express an idea the same way.

But with an AI you dont know whose perspective its drawing from, or even what imagery its using! A piece intended for queer liberation may feature homophobic imagery you never intended, because you didnt make it!

Even slop made by a person has traces of the creator in it! Maybe its just a paycheck, and you can see it in ragged lines that aren't on the works that excite them. Maybe to them art is just disposable entertainment, who knows? Its still slop, but by the gods its slop that is theirs. AI Slop cannot be said to be made by anyone, as its just regurgitated ideas that dont even have cynicism or weariness.

I also think there are ideas about differences between Commercial and Private art swirling around this conversation that I dont have the energy or knowledge base to unpack, but still wanted to acknowledge are present.

To Circle Back To the idea of an Artistic Output Without Toil And People Not Deserving to Make Art: I think its absolutely possible to make meaningful art without significant amount of toil. I think a small doodle that took someone 3 minutes, or a poem on the back of a napkin can be beautiful, soulful art.

One of my favorite pieces of art is a silly Wonder Woman sketch my partner drew me. It didn't take the same level of toil that say The Wave of Kanegawa, or New Mutants 18 or Look Back took. But it was theirs, and they made it with the things that make them theirself. Im sorry to say this, but an AI couldn't do that! Couldn't make me grin like an idiot seeing it, or tear up right now thinking about it. Art is very personal whether you realize it or not! A big part of the beauty of art is the pieces of the people who make it embedded in the work.

I also think AI feeds into people's expectation that art has to look certain ways! The problem is rarely the artist, and more often the preconceived notions weighing them down. When you dont feel like you're capable of making the art you want, you're more likely to make someone or something else do it for you.

But once you push past expectations, there's a world of art you *can* make! If its a matter of technical ability, and you not being able to make exactly what you envision: Try other tools, or even another medium! If you don't know how to draw it, try making it as a collage! Making art is fun when you free yourself from the expectation of how it should look! You may even surprise yourself with how it turns out!

I believe that every single person on earth is capable of great art if they only give themselves the chance to make it. I just want to see you all flourish. :)

(Sorry if this is rambly, but the above post gave me a lot of thoughts and feelings!)

atp i hope it's clear that my stance is not that everyone needs to like and be okay with generative ai art, my stance is that i am not going to take your reasons for disliking generative ai art seriously if they are rooted in the idea that it's bad because it can't produce art with a soul. or that the very act of desiring an artistic output without putting in Enough Work To Deserve It is threatening the fabric of society.

It's an obscenely conservative way to think about art and i'm not going to give it any legitimacy at all. i don't believe in a human soul and i don't believe the value of art comes from the amount of toil it required. i think that, right now and for the rest of human existence there will be creatives who continue to use the tools at their disposal to express meaningful ideas into the world. i don't think the idea that one of those tools could theoretically be an AI image generator is that unreasonable.

most ai generated content is slop but plenty of stuff crafted by human hands is slop too. the way to separate good art from bad art is not by drawing hard lines about what is 'allowed' to count as art, or saying there is an irreplaceable quality to a work that it gets imbued with when created by an Ensouled Being. the way to separate good art from bad art is to earnestly engage with the things you see in the world around you to develop and refine your own tastes about what sort of things you find meaningful and valuable.

it's like such a bizarre simultaneous devaluing and sanctifying of art at the same time to me. like art is so important and special and species-defining and the people who make it possess some sort of unique spiritual quality that can not be artificially replicated. but also Art is somehow a fragile and narrow enough thing that it's at risk of being irreparably bastardized or eradicated because of a machine. i don't get it. i don't get it!

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being the Justice League’s computer intelligence

Justice League x reader

warnings:

a/n: THANKS BABE. this is such an old request i am so freaking sorry

prompt: anonymous: “Hello! I would like to request a Justice League (DC Extended Universe) + Reader who is sort of their 'Person in the Chair' - helping behind the scenes to keep their weapons/powers/skillset in tact, but is not afraid to fight back if necessary? I would like these to be a set of headcanons, please? Thank you and Happy Writing! P.S. You're writing is incredible!”

you and alfred got along well

“glad i’m not the only one doing the grunt work anymore” -alfred

“and i was under the impression you loved this job” -you, sarcastically

you could frequently be found switching between important sites that actually helped during missions and reddit

“alfred hang on i want your opinion on this: ‘am i the asshole for trying on my bosses suit? i (25m) work with some pretty famous people and my boss (45m) has a really cool suit. it’s a little stiff but i think i like it. anyways, there’s a matching hat (if you will) and it smells AWFUL, so i sprayed it with febreeze but it only made it worse—’” -you

“hang on. this cant be…” -alfred

“HOW DID YOU FIND MY REDDIT ACCOUNT?!” -barry, over comms

“your name is scarletspeedster, and we’ve been trying to wash that febreeze smell from the cowl for weeks.” -you

“my god, barry. next time, just use an old suit” -alfred

“really?!” -barry

“no” -you and alfred

you do a lot of gadget/weapon design with JL members

“it’s acceptable” -bruce

“wow, thanks” -you

“it’s…it’s good work. i mean it” -bruce

diana sits with you and tells you stories, sometimes theyre very informational

“so if you ever do end up fighting, you’re going to want to craft a very nice sword for yourself. i know you’re good at that, you’ll do just fine” -diana

barry nerds out with you sometimes

he gets real excited when he sees you designing stuff on the computer

and tries to be helpful

“wind resistance might be a problem with this design, you should go sleeker” -barry

“hey, barry? if you don’t let me do my job im gonna design a tool specifically to shut you up” -you

“harsh!” -barry

“sorry, maybe a little too far. but let me work” -you

arthur wanted cooler clothes

“can i get you some material from atlantis so you can make me a nicer suit?” -arthur

“only if you bring me extra so i can have fun with it” -you

“not a problem for the king, its a deal” -arthur

clark didn’t really need/want much

but he was a great help when testing new weapons and suits

“can you just…laser vision that target right ahead. new suit material” -you

“yeah, stand back” -clark

it held for a good 20 seconds

“better than i thought” -you

you were their eyes in the sky on missions

directions, lookout, enemies, obstacles, detours, you name it

and yeah, maybe victor could also do a great deal of this stuff, but you got to do it behind the scenes and you actually got paid pretty well for it

but occasionally you did ask him for tech support

“victor, the batcomputer froze” -you

“i know, i did that on purpose” -vic

“can you unfreeze it so i can see what’s going on?” -you

“what’s the password?” -vic

*sigh* “ilovevicstone123” -you

diana let you spar with her sometimes

which honestly scared you every time bc you know she could kill you if she wanted to (but you knew she would never)

(but she could)

you’d never be apart of the justice league, which was very okay with you because you loved being behind the scenes and not being shot at

and so long and you had tea with alfred while the rest of them were kicking ass, you’d manage

taglist: @locke-writes // @captainshazamerica // @summersimmerus // @deanzboyfriend // @zoeyserpentluck // @mr-mxyzptlk-1940 //

[theshepherdshound]

34 and 35 of the Narinder ask?

Absolutely love the way you draw and characterize him. Beautiful little wet rag of an Eldritch horror.

tytyty that makes me very happy- he's so much fun to draw and think about as a character. i started a new file and was thinking how lovely it is to have the random characterisations for characters it makes me excited to see who all the bishops will be

34. What was his first impression of the lamb?

fuzzy, he knows kind of what is happening but i think it is more interesting to me if he doesn't have a direct lens outside of the void. he is ultimately meant to be trapped there so the only context he can receive in terms of what is happening is through the dead and speaking to vessels but like- this is it, the last lamb. it's either all or nothing for him if the prophecy is true. whether or not he think the lamb will be a good vessel and his opinion of them he knows is largely irrelevant

SO- i think at one point he describes them as mouldable, though i do think he's wrong in doing/thinking/narrating so. hollow yes and they most certainly broke, but they don't believe in him. which makes it pretty hard to make them do stuff they don't want to do in a way he would understand ultimately the hollow are hallow for they are vessels to be filled is how he thinks of them; a thing, an object, a tool the lamb sees it as they making a deal neither of them has another option of taking, which i think of as a more accurate representation of their relationship. if they want to survive- they have to say yes, if he want to escape- he has to give away his power they both kind of have to trust that they'll keep up their end of the deal- the lamb survives and the god is freed and why would it matter what happens to them- it's not like mortals are people

35. When did he realize the lamb might turn against him? Was he blind to it until it happened or did he have a gut feeling long before then?

i don't think so not because he didn't think they could betray him but because the nature of the deal was never godhood and thus his confusion is why they would do it at all to be clear though he didn't intend to, not ever state, that they would survive beyond the sojourning of their life- they both knew this, both agreed to it, and at no point did the lamb seem to want it at all it's not like he didn't know it was possible, or even unlikely. he can see a lot of versions of the lamb based off the knowledge he has of them. whether or not this information is 'true' in the sense of the choices that will be made is largely irrelevant. there are versions of the lamb that betray him, there are versions that don't

he does start to realise the funnel of possibilities isn't looking great when they tell him they never bow to his siblings. this could be a lie though- he can't know as he can see many possibilities but not what is actually happening their stoicism begins to bother him despite it being a constant trait, i don't think of the two of them speaking much at this period though what would have mattered if they had anyways, it's not like gods are people

this is a really fun way to do some style practice and also i am eternally grateful that clip studio just makes chains?? THANK YOU??? my QoL is improved by this, but it is fun to muck around and use colours

but yeah- in my mind i don't think either of them really thinks on the other as being a person at this point. the lamb's (reluctant) decision to (arguably) betray him is based off of the fact they learned narinder's name

and people have names

[ndostairlyrium]

OC Tag Game (part two)

I was tagged thrice, so maybe there will be three parts? lol nobody can't stop me from oversharing about my children

As for tagging: @melisusthewee @sparatus and @arcandoria 💛

Name: Ellero Cloris Ingellvar

Alias: Rook, Ellie, "Oh, no"

Gender: Cis male

Age: Mid twenties during Veilguard

Place of Birth: Unknown, but he will say he's risen from the grave if you ask - which technically is true

Spoken Languages: Other than Nevarran (mother tongue), he's fluent in Trade and he can read Orlesian and Tevene decently. Besides, he can recognize terms involving magic in other languages due to his studies. I imagine that the Mourn Watch has an extensive library with tomes written in different languages so there could be tools available, like vademecums on basic grammar. ALSO! I wouldn't call the MW cypher you can find in the Necropolis a proper language, with a grammar foundation and such, but it is a way to communicate among watchers so I guess that should be considered a language as well?

Sexual Orientation: He doesn't like labels and I don't even know what shape I'd give to his umbrella or what I'd put below. He just isn't straight, that's for sure :'D

Occupation: Mourn Watcher, and even if he can't watch over the Necropolis full time, he runs back home swiftly when summoned. I'd say "former" but a Mourn Watch never really leaves <3 Former Veilguard, when the Gods are defeated he helps rebuilding what's to be rebuilded by offering to escort people and move materials swiftly through the Crossroads. He would lend his expertise but he's not that much of an expert on anything except necromancy :'

FAVORITE:

Color: Sage green, royal purple, but also anything phthalo or metallic

Entertainment: Back at the Necropolis he would help fetch bones and "dress them up" with paint and jewels according to some wisps preferences. It wouldn't be really allowed by his superiors due to the fact that it could be considered disrespectful for the dead, but according to him, wisps like compliments and he's a great fashion designer

Food: He has extreme tastes, like cavity inducing sweet or extra sour aliments for example. He's partial to spices as well

Drink: Mint tea, sweet berry juices (like elderberry), mulled wine, and as of late: steamy hot chocolate with whipped cream and hazelnut syrup as a topping. He turns into a pumpkin spice latte girlie in Umbralis

Books: Anything the book club suggests him for the month, but he usually picks up manuals and essays for himself, along with newspapers. Not really a fan of fiction. Don't tell Varric, but he finds his books very long and very dispersive with a scandalous lack of pictures

HAVE THEY:

Passed University: Since the MW are an elite, I'd say the minimum requirement for having access to them is a solid academic preparation. So yeah, 110 cum laude and a pat on his back - with thesis discussion on degenerative stages of haunting and the sociologic correlation with the environment the spirit operates in. No phantoms were harmed in the process, but someone in the audience has fainted

Had Sex: Yes

Had Public Sex: Yes, and he says that sex inside caskets is not as cool as it sounds especially if you're bottoming

Gotten Tattoos: So many! He acquired the one on his back when he got his first salary

Gotten Piercings: Lobes only, but I would love to give him more :'

Had a Broken Heart: Romantically, just once in his teenage years, but the person he was with didn't have their priorities straight and hurt everyone in the process. Platonically, many times, because he tends to trust people on the get go

Been in Love: Yes, he's been in love multiple times, with Harding being the perfect match for him because love is not alone, there is more to their relationship

ARE THEY:

A Cuddler: Yes, he loves to just lay on people like an oversize cat until they give up whatever they're doing and pay attention to him <3

Scared Easily: No, but he pretends to be with spirits, so they can have fun at his expenses and be playful around him

Jealous Easily: Romantically, not really, but he can get real pissed when someones he's with doesn't respect his romantic boundaries. But! He gets comically jealous when his pets prefer other prople, there is that

Trustworthy: He tries his best, and please do trust him! He's just clumsy and sometimes lacks the spoons to act like a person but his heart is in the right place

FAMILY:

Siblings / Parents: The Watchers, basically. They gave him an education, food, and shelter. It's more than enough to call them family

Children: One, Hrildan "Hilda" Davrin. She's shaped like a Star Trek villain and has the energy of a cat when the 3am zoomies hit

Pets: Many cats and many chicken stolen from the Cullavellans but the main threat is what Cullen calls "EEEK" and it's just an undead skeletal cat with a cute lil bell on its neck - and an appetite for souls

-

Blank Template:

GENERAL

Name: Alias(es): Gender: Age: Place of birth: Spoken languages: Sexual orientation: Occupation:

FAVOURITE

Colour: Entertainment: Pastime: Food: Drink: Books:

HAVE THEY

Passed university: Had sex: Had sex in public: Gotten tattoos: Gotten piercings: Had a broken heart: Been in love:

ARE THEY

A cuddler: Scared easily: Jealous easily: Trustworthy:

FAMILY

Sibling(s): Parents: Children: Pets:

[symbiotic-slime]

Hi I heard you really like Flash and I've been meaning to learn more about his character for a personal story I'm writing, do you have any reading recs for Flash?

hi!! sorry it took me a couple days to get around to this but omg I’m so happy that I’m known as the guy who really likes Flash and yes I would love to talk about it!!

not sure how much you know so I’ll just give you a quick rundown of what Flash is like in the comics! he starts as Peter’s high school bully before becoming friends with him in university. he then joins the US army and fights in the Vietnam war, goes back to being a civilian, then joins the army again and loses his legs overseas. after losing his legs, he bonds with the Venom Symbiote and becomes Agent Venom. he stays in the army for a bit and then goes to space to fight with the guardians of the galaxy (pretty insane lmfao). after that, the Symbiote goes back to Eddie and Flash becomes Agent Anti-Venom. he dies fighting the red goblin but then gets revived during the King in Black run. honestly I haven’t kept up with much after that— he’s still Agent Anti-Venom but I honestly couldn’t tell you what he’s up to right now lmfao.

I’m not the most informed on Flash pre-Venom so imma tag my friend @kitausuret who’s definitely more of a Flash expert than me to tag in and fill in some of the gaps in my recs :D

if you’re specifically interested in Flash as Agent Venom, the Agent Venom run (Venom Vol. 2 #1-41) is a pretty great place to start! it follows Flash through his first bonding with the symbiote and working as a covert agent for the US government. the symbiote isn’t much of a character and is more so a tool (much to my dismay) but the run really handles Flash’s character, relationships, and alcoholism incredibly. The first half is mostly focused on him in the army/running from the army and the second half is him trying to live a quiet life in Philadelphia. he pseudo-adopts an edgy teenager named Andi Benton and she becomes his sidekick.

The Space Knight comics are also really well done! it follows Flash and the Symbiote fucking around in the galaxy and doing little side quests for a bit before the real plot kicks in. I really love how Flash and the Symbiote’s relationship and also Flash’s disability! they don’t tackle it head on iirc but they do show him using mobility aids casually and not just relying on the Symbiote to create legs for him which is nice to see. the concept is a bit nuts— Flash and the Symbiote are agents of the cosmos (basically symbiote good guys™️) and are doing odd jobs to help the citizens of the galaxy and making a little ragtag group of friends as they go— but it’s a really fun read!

for more Flash as Agent Anti-Venom, the smaller part of Costa’s Venom run Venom Inc. (Venom Inc. Alpha, Anazing Spider-man #792, Venom #159, Amazing Spider-man #793, Venom #160, Venom Inc. Omega) is very cool! it’s how he gets the Anti-Venom Symbiote in the first place and it develops his relationship with Eddie. they move from like actively hating each other to being mildly okay with the other person.

there’s also Venom Vol. 4, which is also called the King in Black run due to its heavy focus on Knull, the evil symbiote god. as a Venom fan, I can’t recommend this for how it handles the symbiote and Eddie, but Flash is a pretty big part of it and I like how he’s characterized. they try to do a brothers-in-arms dynamic between Eddie and Flash, Flash turns into a dragon at one point, it’s decent from a Flash fan perspective (I’m aware that this run sounds insane— it is lmfao).

I haven’t read a whole lot after KiB— from what I know he got involved with the Venom War stuff and is human again (he’s been debatably not human since KiB)? but yeah. hopefully there’s some useful info in my ramblings about the comics Flash is in :D

[bonefall]

How do you feel about "character joins bloodclan" aus? Im curious about ur thoughts since youre really in tune with the themes of the series but personally i just hate them bc its ALWAYS aimed at 'unfortunate' characters and always ALWAYS ignores the fact that bloodclan is a horrible place in-canon and that they're just reflavoring the abuse and trauma the characters qent through to be more emo or goth themed.

Ravenpaw is ALWAYS a prime target for this and its like. Great. You took the character being abused by their mentor figure and is being harmed from the violent culture the clan has generated... and giving them an EMO mentor figure who will inevitably abuse them and harm them as a result of the violent culture the emo clan has generated. Sasha is another one I've noticed- you've put the woman who lost her kit and is struggling to survive with the others while being controlled and abused by someone who sees her as an outsider (aka alone and easy to isolate), and are gonna put her in a faction who specifically separates kin from one another to easily control them and who have canonically tried murdering those who stick with their family. What was gained here.

Like i know bloodclan is revamped in ur au (thank god for it) but in canon bloodclan is HORRIBLE. People ignore that in favor of putting their favs into bloodclan bc bloodclan is cool and killed tigerstar that one time bc of revenge. Ravenpaw becomes Scourge AUS are SO SO SO much worse bc of this too- sure you manage to point out how scourge and raven has roughly similar stories in their youth but you could also do something interesting and make an au where raven and scourge are FOILS and do a firestar/scourge thing, while pointing this comparison out!! Instead you just went "Ravenpaw emo now and is sad about beating up Firestar his friend" and basically kept everything the same.

Sorry im basically venting here but i just dont like how people forget that scourge in canon does NOT look out for the 'little guy', he's a murderer and abuser who wants to keep his subjects afraid and separated so that he alone has power over them. Bloodclan is not the cool strong goth group, its the group where two cats slaughter eachother over a piece of twoleg scraps, only for the survivor to die bc the food was poisonous to cats and no one knew bc theres no cohesive group that can pass that knowledge around. its a fucking horrible place to live. Im not saying that you cant do interesting "character in bloodclan" aus (a Rusty who lives in bloodclan who STILL wants to do good but is shaped by the horrid reality of bloodclan would be fun imo) but its so often used with already traumatized characters as a 'solution' or 'fix-it with some emotional issues involved' that i just foam at the mouth and howl like a rabid animal on principle at this point.

Hmm... I think for me, it doesn't tend to read that way for me when the fandom makes AUs for it. I'm coming at BloodClan from a point of really deep critique and frustration.

BloodClan's not a REAL place, and what that means is, every speck of how horrible it was is a choice the writers made to justify its treatment. It was something they actively decided, because, BloodClan was a tool to suddenly invalidate the previous 5 books of TPB so that the series could comfortably conclude there was no need to upset the status quo.

If you haven't read it before, I recommend this post I made on how Darkest Hour Is A Personal Disappointment, but anyway;

We spend a whole series on how Fireheart challenges a broken society, because he is different. Their xenophobia, how isolationism and glory get people killed, the way that Tigerstar's greatest asset is how respected he is... these are bad things. They're things that Fireheart fights for several books.

But then, in the LAST book, in the 11th inning, they introduce BloodClan. They're just evil. They have no nuance. The narrative bends over backwards to stress that this group of evil foreigners LOVES murder, hates friendship, and doesn't believe in our good god.

Suddenly, the Clan cats have to be EXTRA xenophobic and glorious to kill these filthy, murderous foreign hordes. Clan cat belief in their good god makes them stronger than the bloodthirsty barbarians. Firestar kills Scourge and we can feel happy and triumphant about it, when Tigerstar was killed a few chapters ago and given a tragic sendoff.

So, I encourage you to step back from an emotional response to how Filthy and Murderous this group was portrayed, and look at it as a writing choice.

When Tigerstar, known cat-racist and murderer of mixed-race people, is killed by Scourge in self-defense, he is grieved by Firestar and commended for his "good qualities". (and then they retconned in that it was actually secretly revenge all along, not just self defense, so this killing is extra evil)

When Scourge is killed, Firestar just thinks about how it's cool he's not going to heaven, and how all of the previously ferocious BloodClan warriors look so inferior to the forest Clans.

And so, with all that said,

I'm 100% in favor of how the fandom widely looks at this, says, "fuck that" and just makes them the Cool Goth Group. I'd argue pretty strongly that the least nuanced idea of that is still infinitely better than canon.

There was nothing there. It was literally just Xenophobia-Is-JustifiedClan. They literally hated love and friendship and banned families so that Clan cats would look good in comparison. Banned families. You don't get this level of stupid evil from anything else but an 80s cartoon.

Maybe I just don't see the AUs you tend to see (I curate my Tumblr experience very well and generally hang out in more adult-oriented spaces, I can imagine a place like Amino being mostly kids who tend to be immature. Edgelord Angstpiddle is just a normal part of growing up), but every project I see that gives me a glimpse of BloodClan Ravenpaws and Sashas come with such tweaks already assumed.

Like, these are examples I've seen,

They'll have Raven be involved with the formation of BloodClan

Scourge will actually be a character with some pity and mercy, like how he was in Rise of Scourge when his abusive siblings begged him for food, and he fed them before sending them away.

no ban on love and friendship. Lol. Lmao, even.

More of the social structure will be based around acquiring food for people in a 'harsh' environment, leading to that battle, instead of just Evil Foreign Greed (which canon!scourge only had after being almost killed by tigerstar, because he said "actually, in light of new information that you are a murderer, i need to reconsider our deal.")

BloodClan will be overhauled completely. I've seen this a few ways. Connecting them to SkyClan, or the Oakstar raids on Chelford, or even as a positive entity; a surprise ally. (VERY common with BloodClan Ravenpaw AUs I've seen).

Anyways... (Shrug), I dunno dude, it doesn't bother me that much.

[darkfictionjude]

So, Hi! How do you do?

It's been a while.

Anyhow, I saw someone's ask about IFs that should have non human MCs, and I agree. I understand those may be hard to write, but the concept is just so much fun.

That said, I must admit I enjoy the idea of supernatural immortal beings having to survive as a human way too fascinating to get rid of it entirely. The same goes for the opposite (a human turning immortal/supernatural/mechanic).

I think that's why I enjoy The Passenger so much. The idea of an eldritch monster adapting to a human identity so much it completely alters its sense of self is just so good to me I cannot get enough of it.

But I also like the opposite idea. I haven't found an IF with something like this, but I have read some Detroit Become Human fics where either one of the androids (mainly Connor) and one of the humans (surprisingly, mainly Gavin) turn into the other species (can androids be considered a species?). By multiple methods, although those are irrelevant. Imagine being a machine, and suddenly being human. Having flesh, blood, actual needs. Being mortal, because your memories cannot be restored on a different yet identical body if your current one is destroyed.

But also, being human and suddenly being the type machine you hated. The one that people saw, and maybe still see, as human shaped tools. Suddenly you are controlled by code, not neurons. Suddenly you don't have blood, your body is ultimately made by replaceable parts. You can become the ship of Theseus, but alive. Are you even alive?

And similar concepts could arise with monsters or gods.

I think my favorite book from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles is The Tale of the Body Thief justly because it contains the idea of an immortal being experiencing humanity once again. Lestat idolized humanity and human life so much, only to hate the experience. He is weak, can be sick, his sense and skills are dull. He can die so easily now. Is just such a fascinating idea, to be confronted with the inconvenience of living after existing without for so long.

I think that's why I dislike the ending, but I'm not going to discuss it here, just in case some people want to read the book.

I think the idea of an irreversible transition into becoming another type of being is so fascinating, even if what the MC becomes is a human person.

Like sure, being a dragon would be really fun to read. But a dragon turned human? The loss it would carry? The adaptation into being so different? To be cut of everything you knew in such a fundamental manner? That's just so interesting. I would love to explore it, either as a reader or as writer.

I don't know, maybe I'm just too passionate about the topic. What do you think?

I don’t mind the trope in of itself I think it can be well done as you said the passenger is really great

But I don’t like the notion that being human versus being anything else is somehow superior? I guess it’s almost like cultural relativism. In these stories in which non human beings become human the lesson is always that being human is better because of emotion. I like emotion but I also think it’s not the be all of everything

A species that feels none and rely on logic isn’t inherently evil or worse for it nor is humanity inherently more interesting for emotion, it’s just a different way of living

I guess these stories are more prevalent because like gods we like creating in our own imagine and so either have monsters that are human like (vampires, werewolves, sirens, etc.,) or make them human

[moonlitlex]

i have so much to say abt chalice of the gods so im just gonna copy paste my review from goodreads here. you can also read it on goodreads

ok. i promised i would hate this book. and i do. i hate this book. i also hate rick riordan. in addition, i hate capitalism. i promise that’s relevant.

let’s talk about the book now. i’ll cover the things i love first. i love percy jackson. i love grover. i love annabeth. i love sally. i love paul. i love percy annabeth and grover together. all of these things are very obvious and self-explanatory. percy is hands down THE main character of all time. i have nothing bad to say about him. his literal fatal flaw is loyalty. he’s actually perfect and has no flaws. this is expected from the son of sally jackson, the perfect person. paul is sweet and kind to sally and that’s really all that matters. annabeth is awesome and supportive and so is grover and they’re all besties forever. you get it. you’ve read percy jackson.

the jokes are better than before. there are definitely some legitimately funny jokes in this book, which i was really missing from the last few rick riordan installments. and i don’t think this is because rick suddenly got funnier. i think it’s because this style of joke works for percy. of all of rick’s protagonists, percy seems the most natural fit for these jokes.

sally is great. grover and annabeth are generally on form. so is percy, as much as can be expected from rick riordan at this point. i will elaborate on this later.

now to complain. this is the stupidest premise i’ve ever heard of. percy is a high school senior. he is going to go to new rome university. he needs 3 divine recommendations. this is already a stupid premise but don’t worry, it gets worse. poseidon reveals that the reason percy needs these recommendations is that it’s a special requirement for him specifically made by zeus. and the reason he gets to have this stupid requirement is that he’s a child of the big three and shouldn’t exist.

hello. zeus. yes, lord zeus, it’s me. alexis.

what the absolute FUCK are you saying.

this doesn’t MAKE SENSE. the only reason percy shouldn’t have existed was that the gods had a stupid pact to not have any kids because of a stupid prophecy. two things here. one - that prophecy is OVER. everything turned out fine. thanks to percy jackson. you’re welcome, gods of olympus. two - percy has literally saved olympus TWICE now. two times. this is genuinely such a dumb and made up reason to send percy on a quest that i can’t even turn my brain off and enjoy it. it’s not fun. leave percy alone. LEAVE HIM ALONE.

it’s literally insane how stupid this setup is. rick keeps writing books about how the gods are horrible and take advantage of the demigods and the demigods live terrible lives. in this book, percy has LITERALLY saved olympus TWICE and motherfucking zeus (literally) had to be talked down from making him get 25 letters of recommendation to 3. this is AFTER percy spent 3 years in pjo almost being killed and got his memory wiped for 6-8 months depending on which book you read in hoo and then got sent on a quest to save the entire world AGAIN. this CHILD got like a 2-4 month break (depending on which book you’re reading) and he woke up with no fucking memory and had to spend like 2 more months fighting monsters and the literal primordial earth goddess. and now he has to go on literally pointless quests that someone who didn’t just get back home from saving the actual world could ALSO just do. because he needs to get some fucking letters of recommendation.

look. genuinely. percy jackson should snap at this point in the story. this boy should’ve snapped like at least 5 books ago. at minimum. rick wrote the perfect setup to show us percy’s instant descent into madness. he should LOSE it. all the gods have done for the ENTIRE time he’s known he’s a demigod is treat demigods like disposable tools. this is the point in the story where percy goes. wow. luke was right. you guys are all assholes who don’t care about us even a little bit. i am NOT saying what needs to follow is a fanfic-esque dark!percy story where he successfully destroys olympus or something. what i AM saying. is at bare minimum this is where percy goes you know what fuck you i hate you guys and washes his hands of being a demigod at least temporarily. at the very least he should sit back and think yeah, i don’t really want to go to new rome university. it’s not worth it. i will just go to a different university. look. it’s percy jackson. he can literally one shot all but the most fearsome monsters (typhon, the giants, a drakon, etc). he is literally going to be 100% completely fine going to mortal university AND he wont have to deal with zeus’s annoying ass.

listen. MY percy jackson wanted to kill smelly gabe as a 12 year old because he abused his mother. MY percy jackson doesn’t like bullies. MY percy jackson challenged ares to a fight just on the basis that ares was a fucking asshole.

MY percy jackson is not going on useless fucking quests to go to new rome university of all places.

which reminds me. why DOES he want to go to new rome university. this is percy jackson. he LOVES new york. why is percy “what did they do to my city” jackson going to university ACROSS THE COUNTRY from the city he loves. why is he doing that. and hey look. sally and paul (and soon estelle) are ALSO going to be in new york. so like WHY is he leaving for real. percy my fatal flaw is loyalty jackson. IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE OK! it’s percy he is seriously not going to have issues with common monsters attacking him. we literally saw him fight off titans and giants a fucking hellhound isn’t gonna get his ass. WHY is he leaving. it does NOT make sense.

there’s this scene ok. where sally tells them she’s pregnant. and percy’s like oh my god…. i’m going to be in california…. and my sister is going to be here…. and i was just sitting there going. yeah bro. why are you going to california. i literally do not understand. you literally are from nyc. you live here. your family is here. your friends from chb are like a short pegasus ride away. there are like 50 universities in new york. just go here. why are you leaving. you are percy jackson. being a new yorker is literally one of your defining traits. stay here. WHY AR EYOU LEAVING I DO NOT UNDERSTAND PERSEUS

and listen. if your argument is that annabeth is going to be in nru. why the FUCK is ANNABETH going to nru!!!!! WHY WOULD SHE DO THAT!!!! EXPLAIN IT!!!! percy LITERALLY says annabeth is such an overachiever she’s already run out of ap classes to take. he literally says that. why the fuck is this girl going to nru where let’s be real her admission is guaranteed. annabeth is 100% someone who would want to go to an ivy. and would you fucking believe it there’s an ivy right here in nyc. like let’s be fucking realistic here. annabeth started her architecture career at SIXTEEN designing the city the fucking GODS live in. so like. don’t you think she’d want to be a bit more challenged. don’t you think she’d want to go to a university that is actually recognizable to mortals. annabeth did NOT love new rome that much like did richard forget what he wrote. this girl was freaking out about new rome until percy said he only likes it because they could live together there. she literally does not care about new rome and she is WAY too ambitious and academically inclined to be happy with going to some small as uni 99% of employers have never heard of.

this isn’t even the worst character assassination in the book. that award goes to the way rick wrote percy. percy. my darling percy. my beloved percy. perseus jackson. light of my life. as i said before, he is MOSTLY on form. the him really wanting to cali thing is definitely ooc for him but it is NOTHING compared to the sheer amount of times rick portrays percy as stupid in this accursed novel. his internal monologue is constantly shit like i’m always so behind annabeth and omg i’m being so dumb right now and annabeth calls me seaweed brain because i’m an idiot and blah blah fucking blah.

dick riordan has forgotten that perseus jackson is, in fact, not stupid at all. he is INCREDIBLY clever. he is just not particularly academically inclined/not very book smart and it would also be perfectly understandable given the fucking books that riordan wrote to interpret that as percy being very discouraged from engaging with his studies. he genuinely enjoys chiron’s class at yancy because chiron is an engaging teacher and encourages him. he spends 90% of his time in pjo deducing what’s going on with extremely limited information because rick decided none of the characters can tell him anything because of plot and exposition reasons. in son of neptune he literally just coasts on having sherlockian (not bbc that’s a whole other angry review) powers of deduction. to the point where the characters around him are amazed at how he’s figuring stuff out. literally in house of hades annabeth’s pov’s are constantly her commenting on how she gives percy shit for being a dumbass but he’s actually really clever.

it genuinely feels like at some point during the writing of mark of athena rick decided to just slowly start making various fanon ideas canon. percy being stupid is very commonly accepted fanon because he doesn’t realize how smart he is (and fans don’t realize he’s an unreliable narrator) and the fans also love to infantilize characters with more in your face adhd (leo is another victim of this phenomenon). we’ve spent 5 books in percy’s head and he doesn’t think he’s particularly clever so it makes sense to ignore the mountains of evidence pointing towards his quick and creative thought process in favour of haha percy is dumb jokes.

the wild thing is, percy isn’t even that hard on himself in pjo. he obviously doesn’t see himself in the same way we later come to find out other people see him (mainly thinking about hazel and frank in son of neptune, which is the only time in hoo he genuinely feels like the same character as pjo percy) but he’s not really dealing with crazy self doubt and self esteem issues. he does have his down on himself moments but they’re all extremely understandable given the context because he literally faces impossible odds in every single pjo book. at one point he’s disappointed he couldn’t tell that ares and luke manipulated him… like yes bestie that’s a very valid thing to feel upset and betrayed about. it doesn’t mean that he’s actually stupid though and genuinely he comes across more as humble and not realizing just how awesome and cool and interesting he is than anything else. percy consistently shows that he is really clever. half of pjo is percy figuring out a new and interesting way of defeating his enemies and the other half is percy figuring out how to bait his enemies into a duel to improve his odds. it’s horrible what rick does to percy in his internal monologue.

it’s to an insane degree. yes i realize i have already written 500 words about percy not being stupid alone but i must stress how egregious this is. it’s literally characters who have previously acknowledged percy’s intelligence who start remarking about how he’s stupid. in house of hades percy and annabeth get out of fucking TARTARUS and reyna makes a jab about how percy wouldn’t be able to find his way out of a paper bag without annabeth. that is an INSANE thing to say for reyna and for rick. rick has not written a stupid character so it’s weird to make that something a character does without really trying to show them being wrong. from reyna’s perspective, this is a guy she was complimenting a few short weeks ago. this is a guy she immediately wanted to make a leader at the camp that she loves and is her home. this is guy she barely knows and she pretty much immediately proposes to him. WHY would she suddenly start making jokes about how dumb he is? it’s not like she actually knows him better now. he came to the battle with reinforcements and basically immediately dipped after the feast. how are we to accept reyna treating our beloved perseus in this horrific manner? we simply cannot. it is unnacceptable. this is inaccurate.

it’s so WRONG to do this to percy. yES I UNDERSTAND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR TOO LONG. I DON’T CARE. PERCY JACKSON IS MY BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE AND I NEED TO DEFEND HIM FROM THIS SLANDER. I AM ONLY PARTIALLY JOKING. listen. liSTEN. this is the guy whose signature move is manipulate your enemy into dueling with you when you’re outnumbered or outmatched. he very coolly manipulated bob into killing his own brother (btw this was very hot and sexy and clever and attractive perseus is king of gaslight gatekeep girlboss). he is NOT stupid. he is impulsive. he is extremely oblivious about some things. he is NOT stupid. i watched perseus jackson grow up for 5 books and he is not stupid. i always say this. i always say that percy is not stupid and richard riordan refuses to listen to me.

there are such horrendous lines as “i am a guy of limited talents. if i can’t kill it with water, a sword, or sarcasm, i’m basically defenseless.” richard how DARE you say this about my beloved perseus. he is NEVER like this. he literally would never say that. even at absolute worst percy’s internal monologue was “this plan is stupid and will get us killed. but it’s the plan i have.” he’s NOT a being defenseless guy. what hte fuck are you saying. richard did you read your own books. RICHARD. DID YOU. at one point he says that he is constantly several steps behind annabeth’s thought process. he has literally never thought this before and it is also untrue. richard. i hate you. read your own fucking books oh my god.

ok. i think i have sufficiently harped on the fact that percy is not stupid. now i will complain about another thing. and this was just in one part but it bothered me and this is my review so i get to talk about whatever i want. if you don’t like it read someone else’s review. don’t hate read my review. i didn't charge you money to read it

at one point, percy has to wrestle a god who hercules once wrestled. and annabeth says something about hercules brute forcing it. and look. i GET that hercules was freakishly strong. i get that. i understand it. but when annabeth says hercules just brute forced it they’re both like ah shit i can’t do that. perseus. beloved. you ripped the minotaurs horn off its head with your bare hands as a 12 year old with no training. you are literally insanely strong as is. that is an insane thing for a 12 year old to be able to do. hell, that would be an insane thing for a grown adult to do. i don’t think rick realizes how op percy is. he was so caught up in making percy cool (which is, you know, extremely understandable and right and correct percy jackson is the coolest man in fiction for a reason i get it) that he forgot that he made percy extremely unbelievably powerful too. with the curse of achilles he was potentially matching minor gods in power level. he fights while sustaining mini-hurricanes and explodes glaciers and shit.

some more things. the prose is… acceptable. the plot reads like a fever dream. there is a smoothie shop called himbo juice that annabeth percy and grover are evidently regulars at. and there are. himbos. that serve. juice. so you can imagine what this fever dream looks like. like the last couple rick riordan releases, this one reads like published fanfiction too, just with better quality of writing than the sun and the star.

there are some WEIRD continuity errors in here. one of them is fairly minor but i still noticed it - percy says his father compared his mother to a princess. this is not true. poseidon compared sally to a queen. specifically, he called her “a queen among women”. i know this because i am sally jackson’s number 1 fan.

more egregiously, however, is annabeth’s yankees cap heebie jeebies. percy puts on annabeths’s cap and gets the heebie jeebies while using it. and then he goes wow annabeth. you never told me that using the cap is like this. and annabeth is like yeah well. power is like that. richard. riordan. did you fucking FORGET that percy has, in fact, worn annabeth’s cap before. and it was literally completely. once again, richard, did you read your own books.

one more good thing - when percy fights geras/gary, who is the god/personification of old age, the way he does it is by imagining him and his friends getting older and embracing it. this was a genuinely good and sweet moment and it was very touching. the trio’s talks about this after the fact are also absolutely a return to form from riordan. for like, a few paragraphs. but still.

the biggest problem is just how obvious it is that this book is a cash grab. we had pjo. then we had a sequel series. then we had ANOTHER sequel series. and now we’re getting random standalone novels that are extremely unnecessary and don’t add anything. rick riordan has dollar signs in his eyes. these are not stories that make sense. these are not stories rick genuinely wanted to tell. these are stories that are being told because the purpose of publishing books now is to maximize profit. (sidebar - i told you the capitalism thing would be relevant. you should believe me more often. smh) the only reason rick is still writing these books is that they make money. they feel extremely empty and hollow.

percy is trapped as a teenager forever because rick refuses to let him age up. percy accepting old age would make FAR more sense for a percy who’s in his 20’s and just now realizing that he lived past all the shit he thought was going to kill him and he has a real life that he likes and he could actually grow old now. but percy must be a child for marketing purposes, so he stays a child. the world itself is trapped in a cycle of the gods promising they’ll be better and the gods literally not changing at all. and for the sake of the book series, it can’t change. if we had real change in the world, that would actually mean something, silly. we can’t have consequences. we have to reset every 5 years like a fucking comic book so that we can make infinite money. this is the infinite money glitch irl. just make trash that doesn’t need to be made. the end point of capitalism is making trash no one asked for that has no artistic merit just because you can make money off of it.

by the way, dr emily wilson’s iliad translation, which was also out on the same day, is LESS expensive than this book. this cashgrab nonsense novel is MORE expensive than a book a professor in classics who has a phd spent 4 years on. this is just wrong. the fun and stupid cashgrab book should NOT be more expensive than a book that someone spent 4 years meticulously translating from ancient greek. it’s just so clear and in your face. trials of apollo absolutely felt like a cashgrab but at least there was SOME semblance of effort there. this is literally just the most plain and simple cashgrab novel you can make.

hey. you know the infinite monkey theorem? the infinite monkey theorem is that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type any given text including shakespeare. richard riordan is a monkey with a typewriter. you get it. you’ve read percy jackson.

rick riordan struck gold with pjo. it’s genuinely to this day one of my favourite things i’ve ever read, flaws and all. it’s FUN. it’s COOL. it’s THEMATICALLY COHESIVE. the characters grow and change. they feel like real people with personalities. it literally doesn’t even matter how op percy is because THAT’S how good of a character he is. he is so compelling that you want to read about him anyway even though you can tell right from the minotaur fight that this kid can decimate whatever opponent he has. the books are funny and moving because you can genuinely connect to these characters. the more i read rick riordan’s work, the more certain i am that pjo was a fluke. i don’t think he knows what he’s doing. i think he should retire from writing.

unfortunately for me, richard riordan seems to have no intention of retiring. he has announced another percy jackson book that will be released next year. i assume there will be at least 2 more books based on the setup in this one.

rick. listen. i know you’re listening because what else will you do with your time. rick, why are you doing this. hasn’t percy been through enough. when will it end. give it a rest. stop it. get some help. at the very least, read your own books before writing percy. i am right about him and you are wrong about him. you are the author and i’m killing you right now. i am strangling you and i am hitting you with weapons. all at once. i am very proficient at causing deaths. (this is a metaphor referring to roland barthes’ death of the author. i wish no bodily harm to richard riordan).

this book is… alright. percy is my smart king. sally jackson is queen of my heart. it’s a fun read but you do have to turn your brain off completely and read through some serious percy defamation.

[edit: i am downgrading this book to one star (was at 2). the more i think about it, the more angry i am. there is literally a paragraph tailor made to rub jason's death in our faces. it's about how he looks forward to getting old being married to piper and having grandchildren. it's a very low blow. jason is literally rick riordan's biggest missed opportunity and he's rubbing in how poorly he treated jason even after killing him off for apollo's character development.

annabeth still keeps putting percy down because rick doesn't realize how mean she is i guess. she's still scared of him. canonically. which is a really weird and fucked up thing to write imo. this relationship doesn't seem healthy in canon (they are healthy in my head, however, because i know what women are like) but rick refuses to address it or let them break up. i LOVE annabeth. i love her. but she is an extremely flawed character and rick never treats her as such. and it just makes it exhausting to read about her.

percy IS on form but it genuinely feels like he's tlt percy, not post hoo percy. his inner voice sounds way more immature than it has for most of pjo and in son. riordan also repurposes the "look, i didn't want to be a half-blood" line from tlt to make a dumb little joke about how high school is hard. it was a GOOD opening line. it immediately set the tone and told us so much about percy in literally just a handful of words. now it's a joke about how being a senior in high school sucks. it's this mcu-esque allergy to being sincere that pjo never had.

there is BARELY any grover in this book. i love grover so much that i was cheering any time he was there, but there is very little of him. he's in like 2 or 3 scenes and has his own side plot going on with juniper and being bad at understanding what his girlfriend wants or whatever. extremely unnecessary and not what i want for grover. this book kind of ends up feeling like it's about annabeth but from percy's perspective. she gets good moments at percy's expense. percy spends the book monologuing about how annabeth is way smarter than him and all he has is his sick ass water powers and the best swordfighting skill in 300 years, both of which are very downplayed. percy explodes a river and it's treated like this crazy freaky scary thing but two years ago in universe he made a volcano erupt and everyone was like yeah this makes sense percy is that powerful. in son he explodes a glacier and it's just a normal tuesday for him. he literally doesn't even react to it. and now we're supposed to believe his exploding and purifying a river feat is some unbelievable feat.]

in conclusion, i want a refund. no i did not purchase this book. however, i would like to be reimbursed about $5000 in emotional damages. i will also be suing richard riordan for defamation on percy’s behalf. good night new york city. and my beloved perseus jackson who lives in new york city.

[madam-o]

The Many Different Lydias in Media

Ngl, I found the Lydia from the BJ movie scripts to be fairly average and boring. She's a stereotypically edgy city teen in the first draft of the original Beetlejuice script, and seriously lacking in personality in "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian". In the first movie she's got some style and dark interests, but still seems overall to be a normal everygirl. The only reason she works so well on screen is due to great costume/makeup design, plus Winona Ryder's natural charisma and gothy cheekiness. And as I recall from the cartoon, she was much more cheerful but still one-dimensional, a fun-loving and typically moral mc who just enjoys creepy things and hanging out with dead people. She IS more feisty than movie Lydia tends to be, though.

I think this is why I've latched so strongly onto Musical Lydia. She's angry, twisted, mouthy, and not afraid of a little violence. She's passionate and pretty messed up, a good opponent/companion for Musical BJ. She'd think Movie BJ is a typical creepy Boomer asshole and not gel with him at all. And I'll tell you one thing, she would NOT put up with any of the bullshit in "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian".

God, the amount of shit that Lydia just puts up with silently in that script. For instance, her parents are even worse people than in the first film, but Lydia says absolutely nothing to them about how horrible they're being. She just plots behind their backs with some surf "beatniks" (which is that script's weird descriptive word for the wacky young people of "today"...in the first draft of Beetlejuice 1 it was "deathrockers".) BJ dances the lambada (the Forbidden Dance!) with her and is very handsy and gross about it and she doesn't even try to push him away. Man, did I not like that script.

In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Lydia is again, overall a fairly average, typical everyperson... it's just that she can see dead people and she's being tormented by a trickster demon (her words btw). She's not as entertainingly dramatic and morbid as she was as a teen, and I get it. She's a grown up now, and the allure of death and horror no longer does anything for her, especially since she's seen literally seen it every day for decades. She's been beaten down by life a bit. She's got a teen daughter who hates her for reasons she can't control. She's been through the wars romance-wise and is now in a bad relationship with a manipulative tool, and she's not doing anything about it because it's easier to just let him take care of everything. Many of us have been there.

Burton's Lydia has always represented himself, so she reflects his view of the world. He's just a kind of subdued guy who has a quirky view of people. It's the rest of the world that's truly weird, not him. He's just quietly hanging out and doing his thing while everyone else is running around being a bunch of colorful, self-centered clowns.

I dunno. I think she's going to be misjudged in this movie. We expect a lot of movie Lydia because so many of us grew up identifying with her, but she's never been a terribly dynamic character, we just want her to be. She's clever enough, but she's not a person who generally fights for control of her life. In fact, I think she feels that there are many things she can never control so she just has to roll with it. All she can do is try to be there for others and give her family the support that they need. Personally I definitely identify with that.

[oc-smash-or-pass]

"Another of my dweebs from my original fantasy setting, Tamaz is one of a whopping 12 siblings born to King Arash Izrati II and Queen Avela Israti. Tamaz, at 29, is a prodigy of the anvil... but that's really the bare minimum expected of their bloodline, or so goes the royal line. A truly legendary enchanter and smith, Tamaz is nonetheless destined for a life of limited power among their family, so long is the line of heirs to the throne ahead of them.

The Israti city-state, Israma, is a sprawling 'utopia' some thirty-thousand people strong, and one of the most modern cities on the planet... but it comes at an incredible cost. Deep in the heart of the city dwells an ancient and powerful Demon Lord, Uzuna, who drinks deeply of the souls of prisoners, slaves and debtors being worked to death in the silver mines below Israma and spewing out magical electricity that feeds the city's grid. (Demon Lords are simply wild, malevolent spirits that have grown sapient and exceptionally powerful after consuming great amounts of negative energy. Uzuna is basically a huge ball of horrible light.)

Few know this; only the King, his immediate heir, the Queen, and a few powerful mages that the King keeps close. Tamaz, unaware and bitter at the state of their family and the city's diplomacy with surrounding populations of other species (a trait among the old human kingdoms which share some common ancestors, of which the Isratis are one of the last holdouts to be deposed) has set off to complete a religious trial and earn the 'blueprint' of the 'magical engine' that powers their city, so that they may spread it to others and shake the kingdom's position in the region.

Tamaz sets out to complete the Trial of Six Waters for the foreboding and strange God of Smithies, Tools and Waters, Thamania. Using their skills as a smith and enchanter, Tamaz seeks to construct six artifacts that will majorly shift fate in some way--positively, as they envision, but not necessarily, as they will come to learn--and cast them into six consecrated bodies of water.

Little does Tamaz know that they will do more than simply rattle their kingdom in the end, as what Tamaz will learn to forge at the end of their arduous and painful journey will reap what the kingdom has sewn, one way or another.

Personality wise, Tamaz generally seems cool and calculating. They have a relaxed charm about them, and happily engage in conversation with strangers. They, however, readily show a judgmental and arrogant side, and struggle with a need for control and occasional cruel impulses. They are, at heart, passionate and well-intentioned. They're very quick-witted and incisive, paired with a monotone ease. Lot of big sister vibes.

Sorry to go a little long, but Tamaz is one of my favorites and I wanted to give them a good showing! Some fun little details:

Uses a kickass enchanted crystalline longsword called Veilbane with which they are very skilled. It is depicted on their arm tattoo!

Has three cats named Fish (Lykoi), Lenore (Russian Blue) and Vlad (Siamese) which they love dearly.

Paints a lot. Lot of creepy industrial scenes with depthless shadows being loomed over by baleful red lights. Normal?

The 'pit' in their back is merely a magical tattoo, but the armatures for the wings do indeed move, and the glow deep within faintly roils!

Okay that's all thank you! :D

OWNED BY: Anonymous

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2025-01-06

Damn that last Monday of the week really barely got in under the wire.

Listening: Among other things kind of going through a bunch of popular songs and albums from the past year to see like. What I missed, which has included me introducing my partner to Guess from Brat by Charli xcx.

Brat is a good album, despite Brat Summer not actually being a real thing.

Watching: Ended up going to Nosferatu (2024) with the partner and a friend after their other movie companion bailed. Damn they really did file the serial numbers off Dracula with this thing huh. I have never seen Original Nosferatu.

This is a very good looking movie, and it manages to mostly retain some of my favourite bits of Dracula-ness like the protagonists generally getting along remarkably well given the situation. Friedrich is a little antsy for much of it but it's for a good reason and it pays off well with his Mina situation.

The shots in this movie are all... weirdly smooth. Every single shot feels like it's on an ultra-filtered dolly-crane move. It turns out it was shot on film so I guess it probably was, no one wants to handhold a film camera. It lends it a slightly strange air, lots of big long dramatic camera moves but also in situations where you'd really expect a shaky handheld shot it holds rock solid, to the point that I genuinely burst out laughing at a perfectly stable shot of knock-off Jonathan hoofing it down a street.

The steady camera doesn't do the composited backgrounds and effects any favours, some of the backgrounds are really obviously painted in. Weird choice! Some interesting BTS stories about shooting though. And it was shot around Prague, so that's fun.

It's good! You should check it out. Very different opinions on how sexy Nosferatu is from me and my friend. I would fuck that old man (bill skarsgard in so so so much makeup and a huge moustache).

Playing: Nothing really! Been busy unpacking and [REDACTED]

Reading: Finished The Apocalypse of Herschel Schoen by @nostalgebraist which is one of those things that gets its hooks into you. I think it makes its case well, which is basically "even if GenAI is going to take over the world, that might actually be great for the abstract moral state of the universe". I love an extremely disconnected look at humanity.

I do adore Miriam's chapters. She's meant to be this everyman narrator with no personality but she's so weird.

I gotta go read The Northern Caves and Almost Nowhere. I read Floornight a while ago and then just. forgot I guess.

the On Raven chapter intro to Herschel really heavily informs how I saw him for the rest of the book. He's kind of someone who thinks anything should be possible because anything else would be too sad to imagine. You can kind of take this two ways I think, one more literal that is explored more heavily in the story, and another as sort of. I guess the feeling of what it must be like to be a noise diffusion algorithm. You start out with this infinite possibility of random noise and it is slowly hacked up into likely meaning.

It's on AO3! Go read it!

Making: Nothing really! See Playing.

Tools and Equipment: Do Not Fucking Use CentOS Stream In Applications Where You Very Clearly Want RedHat Compatiblity, For The Love Of God.

[kindheart525]

What are your thoughts on Gds Blunders?

Oh man thank you so much for asking, as a disabled person working towards a degree in disability I had a lot of fun analyzing it. I might go back for a second watch later but on my first watch, I was really impressed by the commentary on how real disabled people are treated. Special education has historically been (and still often is) a tool for subjugating those who simply do not fit the norm, or “behave” as the administration wants them to, regardless of their individual strengths and intelligence. Not that I am against “special education” in the sense of accommodations and/or specialized curricula for those who truly would benefit from it, but what happened in this episode wasn’t that. The special ed classroom was just a way to keep Tommy and his classmates in line and away from those who were (subjectively by Moralton ideals) “smarter.” Basically, in an ableist society, there is only one definition of intelligence and that is being an unquestioning Protestant. In our mainstream U.S. that definition is obviously different but it is still very narrow. I know Tommy and his classmates were portrayed as not actually “deserving” of that treatment because they were not disabled, just atheists/agnostics, but I think the metaphors carry over well into how actually disabled people are treated. They/we don’t deserve that treatment either.

There were just so many great details. The mind-numbing nature of the special ed classroom really wasn’t far off from how they are and have been in real life. The idea that disabled people are “blunders” because how could God create something so imperfect? What message does that send to people considered deviant to be told that not even their creator loves and respects them? Yet disabled people are told all the time that they are mistakes, often that they are a product of their parents’ sins or that they themselves have done something to deserve the “impairment” and subsequent exclusion. The “we’re playing missionary” rock-throwing bit was really telling of how Christians take it upon themselves to change the “abnormal” through what is really straight abuse. The real kicker was Orel’s “we should pity them” speech. That is LITERALLY how a lot of Christians think, and they think their pity is kindness. Many disabled people could tell stories of being prayed over or showered with patronizing, pitying comments from “well meaning” people. It goes to show how ableism presents the only choices for disabled people as either being outright harshly abused or patronized and restricted, with no option for real justice.

Overall, this was a thought-provoking episode and I also liked the little jokes in other episodes taking jabs at nondisabled people who use disabled parking spots. Just as they are with many other social issues, it is clear to me that the Moral Orel writing team did a decent amount of critical thinking about disability.

[egg-emperor]

Does Eggman go after big burly men/monsters because he enjoys the thrill of making them submit or is it possible that in very rare instances he's fine with temporarily letting someone else be in control long as his own pleasure comes first?

I like to imagine it's both. For just big burly men in general, I imagine he was "fascinated" like all his life but didn't want to outright admit it to himself for a while besides his statues on the Egg Carrier but he could create various, still very gay, excuses for having them lol. But he'd finally get experience with big strong guys for real like Zavok (or Bowser but non canon) and he wouldn't be able to deny it any longer when he just has to jump on that 👀

As for the monsters, it started as just loving the thrill of making them submit for sure, since he primarily gets involved with them for his plans, feeling they'll be useful. Then through it he realizes he's really into the process of making them submit and serve and not just in his typical desire for control and domination way, he realizes it's a full on kink and it goes to very interesting places

The best example is Eggman with the Deadly Six in Lost World, ESPECIALLY Zavok. He had way too much fun bringing them to their knees in submission and was clearly really getting his kicks out of the sadistic aspect of the pain too. He's so playing up the master and slave dynamic here and Zavok doesn't understand that even if he only sarcastically calls him master, he's setting up the perfect opportunity for him to put him in his place and enjoy it

Making him bow at his feet, wagging his finger at him. Yeahhh 🥴

And the way he finds even the smallest reasons to punish them (though it's due to his very high standards too of course) and takes every opportunity to force them to obey with the conch

And the prequel comic made it even more blatantly kinky it was gold

Like hello he literally steps on him and tilts his chin with the conch shajgsnjgksng god me next pls

It's literally canon that he's into it in some form, I don't even have to exaggerate, I mean look at that sadistic smile on his face the two times he does it

The second smirk being quick and sneaky because he wants to appear serious and threatening yet smiles for a split second like he just can't contain himself hehe I love it

All I'm doing is speculating that he gets another kind of excitement from it too lol

And Zavok being a muscle monster dude and how he repeatedly goes after monsters and his hall of muscular guy statues in Hot Shelter, it all checks out. Zavok was the jackpot and best of both in one for him

While the rest doesn't have such confirmation lol, I like to think he discovered he also very secretly likes to be on the receiving end. Typically he'll stay dominant through it first, being the one to order and control them. I can see him always starting with a more dominant power bottom position, where he's still in control and likes to use it in a way to demean them some more, by treating them as not just a tool for his plans but also his personal pleasure

But there'll be temptation to be a little more submissive and when he finally is, he looks at it as being the one being serviced, it's for his own pleasure that comes first rather than what they get. It makes a lot of sense for him to want to just take, in fact it makes a lot of sense for him to not give at all. He has a great case for being a total pillow princess with his entire personality so viewing it through that lense, there is kinda official stuff to support it and it's just *gestures to his entire character* XD

When he is practically just giving himself to them, he constantly has this inner conflict of "why am I letting this happen, if this got out it'd ruin my image" but he likes it too much. It feels nice to just give up control for a little while, relax and have fun. And to feel like the one that's the full center of attention and priority as he lets them work on pleasing him, as it's still always in pursuit of his own pleasure and always his only priority, of course! He'll make sure they still know he's the real dominant one in control after and just enjoy it for now ;)

[echthr0s]

Playing Heretical was great fun but I understand now why I struggled with it at the same time. From what I've come to understand, the nature of a Heretical person in the context of this universe -- or, at least, the one you're being made to play in Rogue Trader -- is casual cruelty. The heretic cares nothing for the Imperium, naturally, but it also cares nothing for the people that make up (or are subjugated by) the Imperium, nothing for the many worlds and the life on those many worlds, nothing for anything but fleeting amusements. The heretic lacks interiority; they are all base instinct and puerile emotionality. They are an emptiness that Chaos is more than happy to fill, but Chaos expressed through the limits of an emotionally-stunted human loses a lot of depth.

(And, again, I think this may just be a limitation of Rogue Trader specifically. The Dogmatic player character is also represented this way; Heretical and Dogmatic have hilariously similar dialogue options and reactions to me, which may or may not be a commentary on fanaticism. It is probably true that Owlcat just loves Iconoclast best, and has, possibly intentionally, flanderised the other two alignments in service of that love.)

To live in Ana-Dimitri's skin, I had to exist at a remove from this universe. I could not afford to form attachments, to be invested, because at any moment I may be faced with a Heretical choice like "casually blow up this planet" or "casually make an absolute ruin of this person's life". However… this is not what it's like to live in Ana-Dimitri's skin, and it was very disorienting to play sometimes as a result. Some things did align, of course: the slow corruption of companions like Idira, for example, and also the casual presentation of oneself as a god (subjugating Vladaym was a high point, absolutely loved that dialogue). But ingame!Ana-Dimitri is a puppet, in service to Powers that are called Ruinous for a reason. Real!Ana-Dimitri is no one's puppet -- not the Imperium's, not the Chaos gods'. She is her own thing, and her own thing is being ruled by her passions -- not her base instincts or petty fleeting moods, but a deep and insatiable hunger. For sensation, for adoration, for freedom, for love.

You don't get adoration, or freedom, or love from blowing things up or killing indiscriminately. Mercy is a valuable tool here. Tyranny does not interest her, because who loves a tyrant? Isn't it so much more gratifying to watch the masses drop to their knees and accept your corruption with adoring eyes and open mouths?

I digress, though -- not only did playing Ana-Dimitri's savefile mean I had to actually play as someone less interesting than Ana-Dimitri, but it also meant that I had to temper my own passions. I couldn't be interested in Yrliet, because Yrliet will be leaving my party shortly due to my 400+ Heretical points. The horror of Commorragh was nothing to me, emotionally, and therefore Commorragh was less interesting. I didn't know a single thing about like 5 of my companions because I didn't take them anywhere because either 1) they would just yell at me for everything I did and I got sick of suffering their judgement or 2) I didn't want them to become sudden casualties in some Heretical gambit. I had to play my natural passionate curiosity as a distant, scheming curiosity instead. Intriguing conversations would be cut short because I'd have to say or do some cartoonishly evil shit. In the end, I feel like I missed a full third of the game because a lot of paths become unavailable to you when you're, well, being cartoonishly evil.

Playing Noah's savefile is like really coming home to the universe. Living in Noah's skin has always been incredibly easy, because games tend to like and reward characters like Noah. I am experiencing so many new and interesting things -- small things, like learning Foulstone becomes a Colony when you don't just blow the place up or whatever, and big things, like finally getting to do Argenta's personal quest and Yrliet's romance. I get to feel the horrors of Commorragh now, really immerse myself in the sheer awfulness! It's delightful (<- things only a true lover of sensation and emotion would say)! And the irony is… Noah and Ana-Dimitri are made from the same blueprint, sired by the same entity. They're the same. They just took different roads to fulfilling their deepest hunger. Ana-Dimitri is like her dread father, and chooses corruption. Noah is like his human mother, and chooses compassion. But what drives them is exactly the same: to feel deeply, to be loved, to be unfettered by anyone's dogma. To love as they will, and reap the rewards.

[annah-kitathryne]

Helena Bertenelli for the charecter ask game?

Helena Bertinelli

Three facts about them from my personal headcanons

1. Helps with a summer reading program at the closest library where she helps younger kids break down books and look at narrative tools.

2. Visits the graves of the children she was unable to save. Late at night when she can afford a moment or two.

3. She still keeps snacks in her pantry that she doesn't like but knows other people like. Whether it's for when Dinah, or Babs comes over, or when other vigilantes need a close place to crash.

A reason they suck

She doesn't go to therapy, but will recommend it to others.

A reason they are great

Despite everyone trying to change and control her, she continues to be herself and only changes when she wants to change. Also, the slow healing she goes through but still backslide.

A reason I relate to them

Her anger and rage at what she has been through and the treatment she faces. Her grudges and the way that even when she has been wronged, she will still help because she is still a good person.

(What I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for the character

I don't really ship her endgame with anyone? I like her ships in context. The BoP polycule is super fun, but I only see it in the context of the comic and can't see it in any other AUverse. I like Helena and Dick in the context of this is the best divorceable ship ever. I haven't read enough of either Question to have a big opinion.

Five things that have never happened to this character that I believe should have happened

1. Even if briefly, experience the dynamic of having a sidekick.

2. Save her class of students while as a civilian.

3. Bonding experience with Cass. Could go good or bad but they will bond in some way.

4. A team-up or team with no strings attached. Where she doesn't end up being in the role of being controlled.

5. A spin-off series with her and Artemis. They had such a fun dynamic in the gods of Gotham story and I would have loved to see more of it.

Five people that character has never fallen in love with and why?

1. Dick. She could never fall in love with someone who keeps so many secrets and never fully trusts her. She never saw it as being long-term and already knew that a relationship between the two of them would never last long.

2. Babs. She could never fall in love with someone who seeks to control her. She never wants to end up in the position where she is unable to leave, unable to make her own choices without feeling that string of control.

3. Dinah. She could never fall in love with someone while knowing that the person's heart belongs to another. That the love she could hold would always be second to another. Knowing that the other would go back to another.

4. The people she has to flirt with while on the job. She could never fall in love with someone who would know only one part of herself and someone whose first connection is to the mask.

5. Herself. She can never truly love herself because she sees so many flaws and passes too much judgment onto herself. She knows her own past and knows the toll it has taken on her to live with it but also the toll that being Huntress can take on her. She knows what she is doing to herself, and for that, she can't fully love herself.

[docholligay]

Shamash Day Points: Misc Nominations

The question was to pick any line of mine from a fic post whatever that was your favorite this year! Only five answers, which, on the one hand, OUCH, on the other hand, well, I gave each of you five points just for playing so suck it everyone else.

responses below! There is one person I can't tag so make sure you check.

Euri! (I don't know your tumblr name so you'll have to watch close in case you win, since I can't tag you.

"Ah see, so your little game of condescension was unnecessary after all . When you put it all your effort, still, you could not prevail. So perhaps we shall find ourselves learning something about our own arrogance, hm?"

Ah Michiru, how much fun you are to write. With no other character do I get the chance to really flex my actual knowledge of insane vocab and grammar bullshit because everyone else is a human person ahaha.

@seolh

You know I love your writing. Your descriptions and imagery are fantastic. I mean. "The flat darkness was turning to one she could feel, plush, soft, like one of Michiru’s winter dresses, or the pillows on the couch at the country club. Something so thick it could suffocate you in its luxury." Come ON who describes darkness that way? (More people should because it is evocative and legitimately sensory.)

But I am a slut for my blorbos and so: "but it was another thing to know that Angela had known Fareeha was the one when she, with military precision, had cupped a moth flying inside, and simply released it out an open window." MY HEART

I was SO HOPING you would read that. You know how I'm forever saying there are things you need to know about your characters, that your audience does not need to know, necessarily? I have known that Angela knew about Fareeha at this moment for PROBABLY FIVE YEARS AT LEAST. But there was never a reason to bring it up, because it's not material. But! When I'm me, in the story, I can just say that shit! That in this moment, Angela knew she was not only dedicated and detailed and reliable and all that shit, but under all of it, she was merciful to creatures she did not have to be. That she was not, exactly, tender or soft, but she was kind. Strong like a steel bridge, built to bear in the service of others. Not unlike Angela in some ways. Perfect for her.

@katrani

I'm still catching up on being away from the blogs I like so I don't have much! So nothing poignant but I love the idea you swung of Mustang and Hawkeye getting a call to confirm Ed's identity and denying it for the lulz. Absolutely, amazingly in-character for all you've seen them for maybe 30 minutes.

Roy and Hawkeye are my absolute favorite part of FMA so far and I probably never will given everything in my life including my real struggle with writing, but if I were going to write fanfiction ever it would be about them.

@automatuck9

From the May Choose Your Own Adventure: “ People didn’t take the power of belief seriously enough. If you could get people to believe something, anything could happen. You marched armies based on the power of belief, people died and killed for it. People love to believe, all you need to know is what they need to believe in.” I think it’s very nicely phrased, it’s great character stuff for Mina, and it’s a good opener for the connecting idea between the POV switches in the chapter.

On a less serious side I keep coming back and laughing to the FMA post when they first meet Tucker and hear his chimera died: "It turned out God could not suffer such a thing to live! Anyway, I've got some analogy study guides you'll want to work on for the exam"

I love Mina because she's in competition for Worst Person, and part of that is because she is so smart when it comes to people. People are her gift, and her tool, and she knows how to wield them. I think she's probably the most naturally manipulative character I write. Love that for her, love that for me.

And humor is totally allowed! The tonal break of that moment is so funny to me.

@madegeeky

"She was a red pen made flesh, and it was an unstoppable flaw, that she could not simply be kind. There always had to be a post-script to any kind word." I love this line for so many reasons. The imagery is great and it does such a good job describing a character. But the more I've thought about it, I also like it for how much it also describes Minako, but in a completely opposite way.

Both can't stop themselves from adding extra into the thing being said. But Fareeha adds to it at the end of her thought, a "but" disguised as a post-script, that changes the entire feel of what she's just stated. Minako, meanwhile, scatters her extra thoughts throughout the things she said, footnotes to her words, asides that are kept secret between her and her audience.

The meaning, the extra, the technically not needed, is there whether they want it to be or not.

And I keep thinking about how Fareeha's current situation, where she's trying to keep herself from writing that post-script, is a direct result of Minako losing her ability to keep her true thoughts in the footnotes, the asides suddenly heard by the entire rest of the cast.

Yes! The saving grace of Fareeha, if we're going to call it that, is that she is only as critical of other people as she is of herself. That being said, she is insane. And she KNOWS this, she KNOWS she is a hyper critical person, and she still cannot stop herself from pointing out where someone could stop fucking something up. She's the queen of saying, "I appreciate this/you did well/I care about you BUT, which, as you say, has a tendency to erase every word before it.

Fareeha is correcting, Minako is annotating.