#i thought these people had all pivoted to ai already

[imrryr]

really appreciate how google news blesses me with the most absolutely braindead twitter takes without even needing an account

[mincedpeaches]

rvb19 liveblogging post. #rvb19 spoilers

Did Wash get a new voice actor? Why does he sound so off.

Why is Grif like this. Why is Grif's character so off. He's not really stupid, he plays it up to be lazy. Why does he seem so weirdly angry. Yelling did not make the "they're right behind me aren't they" joke any funnier Geoff.

Okay I didn't even CONSIDER that Donut would never show up. Like after the Apple Cast listing was seemingly incomplete based on already confirmed people that had recorded lines. Only to have the shot of Donut getting sliced up in a cartoon be his first and God forbid only appearance? The disrespect. If he doesn't show up later I'm rioting. Did I miss a Joel-style falling out with Donut's voice actor somewhere.

Okay actually Wash sounds fine it was just the awkward exposition dialogue earlier I guess.

479er???? Does this count as a minor freelancer cameo.

A SECOND "hes right behind me" style quip with Meta!Tucker in the case. Burnie PLEASE. Avengers came out in like 2014.

Why does Tucker!Meta talk. Why does he have an evil laugh. Remember when all the Meta did was occasionally growl and he was threatening. Remember when all they had to do was play When Your Middle Name is Danger and it would make the machinima actually tense.

The Reds overall reluctance to help the Blues both earlier in the canyon when Caboose asked them and then now leaving Caboose on the ship... I don't know. It rings a little different when its the last season and all also the whole "they say no but then they change their minds" bit has been done so many times by now. Especially if this is meant to be happening after Chorus. This isn't really a lesson they need to be learning anymore.

Over 40mins minutes in and no mention of Carolina. I am... concerned. I thought she was in a shot in the trailer. Am I crazy. If she doesn't show up I just. In what WORLD does Epsilon run five squintilion simulations and not choose to contact HER instead.

OKAY HERE IT COMES THE SARGE SACRIFICE. FOR A BLUE. IM SCARED.

Hes gonna get stabbed big time ooooh my god I can't watch.

I feel like. Okay. When rvb got serious. It didn't have to undercut itself with jokes. When Donut was shot by Wash it was 100% played straight. No quips. So why does Burnie undercut Sarge getting stabbed by having him say "well dang it".

I've paused this like five million times to say "I can't" and all variations thereof. I'm not ready for "Matt's performance".

Hand on Simmons arm. And if I lose it right now.

Very touching moments happening here with Sarge and the team I cannot complain too much or really at except when in one of my numerous pauses of the movie to fortify myself I cannot help but clasp my hands and think. Where's Donut.

And also I cannot help but think when we were about to get on Torrian for trying to kill Tucker and now its like. Welp. (Not nearly as bad as a killing to gas up your bad rvb spinoff but still. It kinda feels like this is approaching that ballpark.)

"Run away while you can. I'm coming for you." *laughs evilly* Is this supposed to be like Tuckers personality, like a Doc-O'Malley thing where the AI adapts its mannerisms to the host. Because either way its a corny ass bit that does nothing. And I kinda of hate it.

Doc is very obviously all in Wash's head which is uhhh.... not where I expected the season to go. With Wash.

Grif and Simmons standing in front of Sarge's grave, alone: Me: soooo. grimmons?

OKAY SO. IMMEDIATE PIVOT TO HEARTFELT DISCHARGE THAT I DID NOT EXPECT. OKAY. SCENE WHERE GRIF ADMITS HE DOESNT WANT TO LEAVE SIMMONS INCOMING?????

OR HE ASKED HIM TO COME WITH HIM. EVEN BETTER. HELLO.

man really great stuff here happening here but I still cant help but be like. so why isnt Donut here. is it the homophobia.

This song kinda sounds like. No. it couldn't be.

Okay over an hour and no Carolina I'm kind of feeling like when I walked into the Supernatural series finale thinking Castiel might return only to hit the point of the ten minute long wincest scene, with no Castiel in sight.

TEX RETURN???? THE PERSON WAS TEX??? NOT CAROLINA???????

All the budget went to getting Kathleen to return after her fallout with Rooster Teeth.........

Okay wait so is Doc real? He was really giving hallucination.

Wait okay drop from the sky. If this ISNT Carolina. I'm ending it.

THANK FUCKING GOD. THANK GOD.

Again I don't really know why getting to her wasn't part of Epsilon's plan but WHATEVER. whatever. do Donut next.

Also I would love love LOVE for some Carolina and Tex moments after this fight. really rooting for the Bechdel test pass.

Okay we really kill Tex again huh. Should have put that on my Bingo card.

If the AIs in Meta!Tucker are fragments of Epsilon, meaning presumably when he fragmented the Epsilon memories would be gone, how does this Sigma know about Allison =Tex = Beta.

The cone on Grif did get me lmao.

EXPLAIN TO ME THE SWORD THING WHAT. Did Meta!Tucker say "You never were?" Am I missing something. That isn't how the swords work.

DONUT ONLY GETTING A CAMEO IN A CHEERLEADING OUTFIT GAG. HELLO. WHAT AM I MISSING HERE. WHY IS DONUT NOT HERE. also simmons gay thoughts.

why does simmons get the good throwing arm bit that was DONUTS thing. im about to break into Burnie's house. where is Donut.

Chex handhold walk into the white void. I should have put Chex on my bingo card.

Okay no so Doc still definitely a hallucination. What are we doing with this Burnie.

I'm counting Carolina looking sad at the smashed capture unit as Carolina Angst. Taking what I can get here.

Carolina just ignoring Wash mentioning Doc lmao.

OKAY NO WAIT. DOC DEAD. DIED IN THE CHORUS BATTLE. WASH BEING HAUNTED BY GUILT OF DEAD DOC. Burnie recon'd the brain trauma but was like wait. hold my beer.

this sad as hell actually. damn.

also the revival of wash/doc as a ship concept like DAMN where my recollection homies at for real. Remember in Chorus trilogy when the gag was nobody gave a shit about Doc and forgot about him in the transportation cubes. I know Doc fans eating. Except for how he's, you know, dead.

North and CT appearances. THERES my minor freelancer cameos.

Man I have SO many thoughts(tm) on this scene that I cannot articulate right I need to digest it for a little bit but. Giving all this angst to Wash (instead of Carolina). The scene on the beach in s15 being better because it wasn't slanted toward Wash. Why did I think Burnie was gonna do my girl right.

Agent One appearance..... oh wow...... yay............ 😑

Grif leaving without Simmons? No. no way.

Okay im gonna. Thats not. man.

Sorry I'm gonna get hung up on this in the Grimmons way first and then the rest of it after. WHY would you have the little "come with me" only to split up after. Not that I expected Grimmons lets be real but I didn't expect a split and more importantly I didnt expect a HALF BLOOD GULCH split up. Is the ending really for SIMMONS AND CABOOSE to be 1vs1'ing in the box canyon. Season 11 they were planning to go "home" and then the ship crashed. There is long since no Command. WHAT are they going to be doing there. Burnie ANSWER me.

okay credit rolling and they really gave Meta a stupid voice so Miles could do it huh. okay. They also gave him Sigma which I did catch in the voice acting.

the one Donut line WAS Dan Godwin. Mr Godwin what was your schedule like. PLEASE. could you really not reprise your roll. COULD THEY HAVE WRITTEN YOU OUT OF THE SEASON WITH A BIT MORE RESPECT, AND DARE I SAY GRAVITAS.

shout out to the one Andy line too lmao I didnt mention that earlier.

IT WAS THE BARE NAKED LADIES. THAT SONG. I KNEW IT. thats where the other half of the budget went I guess.

okay well. Its over. I need to collect my thoughts. And make a post.

[liskantope]

The webcomic Questionable Content dropped its 5000th comic on Friday, and throughout the weekend and today I binge-reread all of the most recent thousand. I've never had the impression that many of my followers care about QC (not ~8 years ago when I started to blog about it, nor today), but I do have a tradition, after each thousand of its comics, of writing a post reviewing that thousand. Here is where I blogged after the 1000th comic, reblogged after the 2000th comic, and reblogged again after the 3000th comic (this was all during my early months on Tumblr when I was more into reblogging my own posts), and here is my post from 2019 from after the 4000th came out.

When I look back on the pivotal moment clearly scheduled for QC's 500th comic, when it seemed that QC had already been going on quite a while and developed into a really involved storyline that had built and built to this moment when Faye would finally reveal her traumatic backstory, it's astounding to take in the fact that QC has now reached ten times that milestone.

I'm not sure I have a ton to say that isn't essentially a (perhaps more refined) regurgitation of some of the things I've said in the previous reviews, but I do feel like the webcomic has evolved somewhat significantly in its last thousand comics (though perhaps less so than in the previous thousands), and I have a few thoughts/feelings/opinions.

[Note: all of this post is substantially edited since a few people reblogged the original version.]

I would say that this is the first thousand-strip period where my enjoyment of the comic actually went downhill. (Although I would say my feeling is more positive when skimming back over the most recent thousand comics at once; it is still overall fantastic and there's a reason I've stayed so dedicated to reading it.)

It's hard to entirely pin down why I feel this way. I think it has a lot to do with the continued introduction of new characters, at a pace which has never shown any signs of slowing despite the massive accumulated cast the comic already has. While this means that some old characters are more or less abandoned or kind of shoved to the margins (which in some cases I'm quite sorry to see), by and large the comic has stretched out to make room to be shared by an ever-growing cast. At the 4000th strip, I was still doing fine with this, but by the 5000th, I'm starting to feel a little fatigued and past my capacity for keeping track of who's who (and also who knows whom; I have to give the artist credit for keeping careful track of this in the storyline and bringing it up in the dialog when long-already-established characters meet each other for the first time). Many more of them are AIs now, and I guess it may one day be judged as something-ist on my part that I find them more difficult to recognize and distinguish in my memory. Too many of the personalities are somewhat interchangeable too, which is something I should try to expand on just below.

I continue to describe the QC universe to myself using the term "utopia", even though I know this has to be somewhat of a misuse: as I've pointed out before, the characters in that universe are very aware that the broader society they live in is unjust in many ways, and some story arcs (though thankfully not most) are focused on rather futile battles against that injustice. But within the (quite large) social bubble that makes up the immediate QC universe, I have a hard time coming up with a better descriptive word than "utopia" -- maybe this could be modified to "social micro-utopia" or something? (I'm reliably terrible at coming up with terminology.) As I've been reading Peanuts steadily starting from its debut throughout much of the same period I've been reading QC, I actually see a likeness in these "social micro-utopias" and have been meaning forever to write an effortpost delving into this, but as it happens the 5000th-comic milestone has arrived first and that other post will have to wait for another time.

The attractions of indulging in the dynamics of a fictional social bubble which is this idyllic are that it provides a sort of pleasant escapism and that it's inspiring in a way that might enable someone to enact some of the practices and values seen in QC in their own IRL social lives. QC is a feel-good comic; it never tries or pretends to be anything other than a feel-good comic; and (at the risk of sounding trite and cliche) we all need more feel-good things in our lives, and I clearly continue to enjoy it after 8 years of keeping up through 5000 installments. At the same time, some of this... constant and slightly implausible pleasantness... has just gone a bit overboard for me by this point. Maybe a lot of this has to do with the fact that what little I have of a social life feels a very, very long way from satisfying (and I see that I remarked this in my post after comic #4000, with some language reflecting some optimism related to the fact that I was preparing at the time to move back to the US, and it's a reminder of how things really haven't improved for me to any significant degree. To state the obvious: completely unexpected earth-shaking pandemics really don't help. Neither does continuing to get only temporary jobs.) But back during the first half of the 2010's when I had a happily thriving social life, there was no lack of serious drama, tension, real struggles to tolerate one another's eccentricities, and undercurrents of discord. I keep waiting for the social dynamics between the QC characters to get a little more gritty somehow, to feel a little more real. I know this is an unfair expectation, since as observed above, QC never purports to be genuinely gritty.

One thing that has become a symbol for me of the seemingly incessant cheerfulness that characterizes around half the personalities in the comic is... I don't know if there's a term for this that cartoonists use, but you know the technique of drawing closed eyes so that they're concave down, meaning that it's the lower lids that are showing? Maybe this could be called "upturned closed eyes" or something? In cartoons they signal cheerfulness and easy-goingness. And sometimes it feels like half the QC characters go around showing this on their faces all the time, to the point that it's gotten monotonous and maybe a little sappy for my tastes. (This is part of what I meant above about personalities being interchangeable.) It's a constant reminder of how all the characters are pretty much automatically and immediately in lockstep on Major Social Values / Preferences, which I find pretty unrealistic for a hodgepodge of young-ish people who all gradually met kind of randomly. I honestly feel bad that this bothers me quite as much as it does, but it does kind of bother me. There could actually be some dissonance between the characters in terms of their beliefs, values, and ideas of a good time (example: a few, leaving aside Faye who is a recovering alcoholic, could view getting really drunk in social situations as kind of immature, unhealthy, and un-classy behavior -- even some 20-something people do see it that way!).

(Of course, as always, there are occasional characters who everyone has serious problems with, but they are either complete villains who get dealt with and then written out, people who are pushed to the periphery of the social circle but are visibly Trying To Be Better (actually, Sven seems to be the only one in this category), or once-somewhat-hostile characters that the cartoonist obviously wanted to keep around so had to immediately and pointedly mellow and humanize, like Yay a.k.a. Spookybot and probably like five others.)

The comic continues to follow tropes that I call Everyone Is Hot (and half of them are openly attracted to each other), Everyone's Parents Are Remarkably Cool (by the standards of young, socially progressive culture), Everyone Is Woke (in both an ideological and a "young and with-it" sense), and Most People Are LGBT+. I find the first two slightly irritating from time to time and don't mind the last two, but find all of it somewhat unrealistic.

While there is much less dramatic development regarding Faye and Bubbles, I'm glad that Faye remains sober, and that their relationship is still going strong. The profound and powerful love between them is exhibited by the most exquisite writing that the artist has done in all of his work on QC, I would say. Other relationships are going strong, too, and I'm glad. I seem to be asking for more social drama above, but I don't actually care to see loving relationships fall apart. The deep friendship between Faye and Marten is still visible although very much sidelined compared to the comic's old days. The big new relationship is between Clinton and Elliot, and it is adorable from beginning to end (although, see the Everybody Is LGBT+ trope above; there has IMO been a rather unrealistic proportion people convinced they were straight but conveniently discovering they weren't).

And now... there has been a really long story arc about Claire getting offered a job at Cubetown and visiting there with Marten, and all the while, through the very real possibility that Claire would take the job and she and Marten would move away, I have found myself steadfastly rooting against this happening. Because while I complain about there not being enough drama and dissonant changes and it being unrealistic, etc., I don't want that much of a change. The lack of turnover among the social group is absolutely unrealistic in my experience (perhaps partly because I'm a young academic who tends to know other young academics), but I guess it's a part of the escapism that I unreservedly love. Despite my criticisms (and as I've said, it's always easier to expand on criticisms than positive things in reviews!), I've obviously come to care deeply about these characters and their wonderful (if sometimes sappily and implausibly peaceful) dynamic, and I can't imagine the comic being the same with the initial main character and his girlfriend out of the main scene. Plus, their visit to Cubetown has already introduced us to a raft of new characters and... ugh, this comic's world is just getting too big for the comic to hold up.

And (spoiler), as of just the most recent five comics out of the 5000, it looks like Claire is taking the job and this move -- the most drastic change in the QC universe -- is really going to happen. I wonder if the cartoonist draw out the interim period of Marten and Claire preparing to move, have Dora and Tai's wedding as the last major event with them all together, and then retire the comic altogether. (He is certainly not retirement age yet but may have been planning to bring it to a close one of these years.) We'll see, but I can't say I'm thrilled at this very, very recent development. It's hard to imagine what kind of (questionable) content I'll be commenting on if/when the comic reaches its 6000th installment.

[EDIT: I just saw an announcement by the cartoonist that he does not intend to wind QC down, that he initially wanted to get Marten and Claire riding off into the sunset, but now he feels investigated in following both the original setting and the new Cubetown setting. The groaning-under-its-own-weight situation is about to get much worse... *sigh*]

Anyway, here are a few stray observations to finish things off:

The very slight drama that transpired when Clinton and Elliot were trying to feel each other out and there was sort of a romantic interest triangle -ish with Brun is another example of a subcultural norm that has always been baldly present in QC (and that I'm pretty sure I've aimed at describing before), and that I've come to realize is common in poly and queer groups, where people are much more open than I'd be inclined to be about their romantic/sexual interests in each other. Not only that, but it's the way they treat it as something rather matter-of-fact, not in the sense that they don't get worked up over it (they obviously do), but in the sense that it's dealt with sort of... practically? Where everyone is able and expected to just get over their feelings once they find out the party they're interested in isn't reciprocating, because it's not rationally helpful or constructive to hang onto those feelings? I don't know, I'm probably not expressing this well, and I can't judge that norm (it seems like for the most part it would be really nice actually and make for healthy social groups and I'm all for the people who can pull it off), but it's another one of those things that doesn't reflect the way the world really works for me. And I think I bear a grudge against it because it's in line with the fantasies of the anti- Nice Guy activists of a decade ago, who would go around saying, "And he should just get over it and want to still be friends even if I'm not interested in anything else! Otherwise he was just objectifying me the whole time. I'm entitled to the guy who I just spurned to feel like still being friends with me anyway!"

Every single thing about Aurelia as her Mommymilkers avatar is hilarious, the most I've laughed out loud over the last thousand comics. Sure, she's an implausibly "cool" parent, but she's a really enjoyable character.

Bemused nitpicky comment: the cartoonist Jeph Jacques makes a point of making all his characters very much "in the know" about what is "woke"/PC these days (e.g. Renee gently admonishes Brun from using the word "crazy" to describe someone) but appears to have a blind spot with the word "janitor", which I thought had been replaced by "custodian" in socially conscientious circles quite a few years ago.

The term "goblin" comes up a lot. A lot. (Half the time relating to Marigold somehow, but also in a bunch of other contexts.) I didn't entirely notice this until the past few days when I was doing my binge-reread. I'm not sure why Jeph Jacques is so amused by the word "goblin" that he is this fond of using it to refer to characters.

[cassyapper]

Cass I have yet to meet your ocs but they sound incredibly valid sometimes that happens and when it does it is better to have the courage to accept that you've just got new characters on your hands instead of denying it until your dying day.

Please OCpost if you ever feel like it we wanna see the guys!

HI ANON THANK YOU SO MUCH <3333

im still drafting everything out but i can give quick intro stuff for the guys i have some old art for (i technically began drafting this story in like 2019 but then The Jojoing occurred so i literally havent thought of them at all in the past 3 years until the past couple of months i've been able to devote Some brain power to them (just some))

we got the main character ai (wipe name but i might keep it as it is actually everyday i warm up to it more):

she's blind as u can see in her right eye. this happened when she was young though so despite this she is a veyr skilled swordswoman. in the same raid that blinded her, she and her mother lost sight of her brother, qiu (wip name). ai wanted to look for him but her mother, after already losing ai and qiu's father in the same incident, just grabbed her daughter and ran. ai never really forgives her for this and she's very bitter and upset about everything. when she grows up she joins the military so that she has a means by which to travel -- she doesnt really care about fighting or national identity, she just wants to find her brother, and she gets paid to do it this way, so....

ai is. a bit of a dick. she has a short temper and a big attitude and it's hard for her to get close to ppl (not that she like actively tries to avoid it but she just is hard to get along with LOL). she's jsut very narrowminded on finding her brother. despite this she doesnt want anyone hurt esp not kids so she does protect in comrades which is probs the only reason she hasn't been kicked out of the army for insubordination LOL

this is qiu. what happened to him during the raid is he lost his leg essentially but a dragon nearby heard the commotion going on and when she came to check it out, saw qiu being cornered by a solider and so she killed the soldier, cauterized his leg wound, and carried him to her cave to care for (dragons are sentient in this universe btw). qiu was very young at the time (like 7) and now newly traumatized and the dragons dont like humans as a general rule anyway so allll that combined made him honestly very nervous to return to human society so he asked if he could just stay with her and she was like aw. yeah sure. so he's basically just learning magic with his dragon sibs (mama dragon had some hatchlings) and chilling. lol. he's a bit blunt cause he doesnt know shit about social norms at all. he's a good student. he's very friendly. he's not really naive he just vibes is all. very relaxed

this is adalia, ai's unofficial protege. she's technically not in the army yet but she is training to be a soldier and she looks up to ai a lot. she's very young and very silly. she has a big fat crush on the princess. she kills a man at a pivotal point in the story

this is arha! she is a solider as well but there's a twist that im not revealing yet to it. she's very smart and gets a lot of her kicks by being contrarian and basically she's kakyoin. LOL. she hasnt really made friends with people until ai/adalia/william and it's smth she's still learning abt how to handle (maintaining a relationship that is). she and ai meet and fall into a homosexual in nature dynamic and arha is both veyr frustrated cause ai is so impulsive and very enamored cause ai cares so deeply and just god she has never seen someone wear their heart on their sleeve and yet be so angry about it. she wants to study ai on a lab table

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....I DONT HAVE ART OF HIM...WAHH...but william is basically ai's commanding officer. he is the oldest but also the most naive of the group funnily enough. he's competent enough to be a decent rank in the military but too kind to be high ranking. he's not really a father figure but he does come to be family to ai. smiles

ANYWAY THAT'S THE GUYS. the setting is veyr fantasy as im sure u have gathered. theyre sillay

[mi5019tomberry]

Project Planning

When I wrote the stuff above I was still playing around with ideas in my head inspired by a lot of the sci-fi that I have watched throughout my childhood many of which feature an AI and for the most part they are represented like some sort of Pandora's Box, one which threatens all of humanity. As Sora had just come out at the time of writing the notes above, my head was leaning more towards the doom and gloom side of things partially because that's leads to more dramatic and entertaining hypotheticals. I pivoted to thinking more about De Bono's hats making some notes on my research into big AI companies today but I went deeper into the hats approach later.

I wanted to find some more inspiration applicable to this project, although a lot of the examples in the video above are character based there is a lot of attention payed to motion and transitions and there is always a visual exploration of a concept.

Whilst watching the video above I took some notes about the transitions used in the video and any others I could think of to maintain audience engagement. Satisfying transitions from shot to shot is a great way to ensure people are engrossed in the video and increases the likelihood that they will pay attention to the underlying message of the video. I want to incorporate some fun transitions between each short video hopefully being able to loop the video around. I am already experimenting with ideas in my head and I need to now sketch out some of these ideas and then play around in different software whether it be After Effects, Maya, Adobe Animate or a mixture of each.

These are some summaries of thoughts relevant to each of the 6 hats which I am hoping to in some way represent visually. I want to try and make a video about AI like the one above which transitions between a lot of different shots informing the viewer about the history of coffee. The video is very engaging because there is never a shot without motion and the pacing keeps things busy enough to retain engagement.

Here is some of the work I did last semester for the research and development module where I tried to learn how to use Adobe Animate, these are a few of the shorts I made which are relevant to this process because I want to mix and match software to try and create some engaging transitions.

[mylawcitrus]

About Threads

Interesting network.

I just made a wrong move. I thought "well, maybe I could join with my work account and try talking to people like I did on Twitter". I was presented with more and more hatred and mockery towards Musk, to a point where I was like "wait, if they can do this to him, what can they do to me?" and do I lost part of my respect for a few journalists and came to the conclusion that trends are a phenomenon, an illusion, not reality. At the same time, I did read, watch and consume content that was drawing criticism to the platform I once had as my home and all.

I started to share personal information, and maybe the facts that 1) I followed therapists and coaches; 2) I talked about mental health and literally showed my pills, played a role in my decision to delete the account.

There were some good things, but sometimes I looked back and thought "damn, shit's kinda hard lately isn't it?"

And so that makes me think of volume of posting, time on the screen, number of contacts... a lot of stuff. And it kinda, slightly makes me think that the AI stuff could help? But you have to have a mind for that. And I wanted to fight those people because they were banning porn.

And so Tumblr was "pivotal" in the decision to ban porn. But here I am, talking about like, "did you know that Chaturbate has videos tackling social anxiety" and I think it's valid, but I have to kinda reassess my WordPress blog. I usually write more seriously on there, in a traditional format (sometimes, following everything I ever learned from the academia and reading journalism), but if I have to pick a topic and debate it more seriously, I'll have to switch to long format. And I've already decided what issues need to be tackled, but I can't keep going on Substack cause I don't have the money to buy the books I wanna reference. I just kinda suggested an approach for a course in Media, that's pretty much it. The storytelling part was like, totally what made it interesting, but it's also where it's vulnerable.

So I don't know. I need a "filler".

I spent days rolling in bed waiting for a freaking Skype message... it's clear that I can't live like this. So I don't know, for sure something had to change but I'm wondering what kind of new habit can produce new contacts that I can actually trust (Tumblr people are pretty cool and I miss Mastodon a bit), because I don't think Facebook is appropriate for any of the discussions I wanna bring up. If someone in the family reads, they'll either ignore or completely rage over it, and there's nothing more pathetic than my family pissed off, believe me. They don't have legitimate reasons. They make shit up. I'm tired of talking about this without talking about this.

But you know, sometimes my family can be pretty supportive. And the friends I counted on leave me behind and talk behind my back...

So yeah, it's starting to feel like... I replaced Twitter with Tumblr and nobody has the patience. They already didn't, but like...

What a dead end, right? When I think that my brother has no idea I wrote this down I'm like "Jesus... things are not okay in this household" but actual Jesus would say "what's not okay is the things you've said to strangers" and I'm like... not again, man. Not again.

Cause if we don't collectively calm the fuck down, then how are we even gonna have conversations in the future? Remember what was happening? "I know where you live". -- brother... shit was going crazy. And now they wanna present so many ways to monetize video but we can't make friends, just do business. And fuck if we act like we have rights!

I know this was long, but just some stuff that I was thinking about.

[tokiro07]

Cipher Academy ch. 3 thoughts

[Out of Juice]

Is it rude of me to exclusively make observations about how Cipher Academy reminds me of Nisio Isin’s other works? I hope not, because it’s how I show my love

So Iroha denies Kogoe’s invitation to partner up, not just because the task is too great or because Iroha lacks the ambition to hunt for the Morg, but because he doesn’t feel comfortable being that close to a girl so fast. Gives me Hitoyoshi vibes, rejecting Medaka when they were three. Obviously Iroha doesn’t feel like he’s up to it, but the idea that he’s just embarrassed to work closely with a girl is surprisingly endearing

We’re then introduced to CG, who I assume is an AI assistant created by Kogoe, aptly named because he’s literally a computer-generated image. I love this guy’s design with his mustache literally being shaped into a C and a G. Again, I wonder if this was Nisio Isin’s idea or Iwasaki’s, but whatever the case, props to Iwasaki for the execution

Kogoe resolves to get Iroha to “fall for [her]” by giving him a confidence boost through puzzle solving, which rather than reminding me of Medaka Box reminds me of Katanagatari wherein Togame blatantly and shallowly attempts to make Shichika fall in love with her so that he’ll do what she commands. The difference here is that Shichika, being an isolated man-child, immediately decides that he does in fact love Togame because she told him to, while Iroha is definitely going to take some more convincing if it even happens at all

Iroha is confronted by Toshusai’s minions, who bafflingly challenge him to his choice of a puzzle or dance battle. This seems pretty random, and knowing Nisio Isin the way I do, that’s definitely how it’s supposed to feel, especially since while Iroha chooses the dance battle, Yukako goes with the puzzle anyway, making his choice moot. I’m expecting that the twist of the puzzle will be that it’s related to dancing in some way, much like the previous puzzle was solved through Morse Code after it had been a plot point

In a flashback, we learn that Yukako suspects Iroha’s glasses came from Kogoe, and Toshusai informs us that if so, the glasses are worth over 100 million yen just from the materials. This confirms that Toshusai is well aware of what the glasses are capable of and is already onto Iroha using them to solve the puzzle from chapter 1. Despite how dangerous they can be, Toshusai refuses to steal them from Iroha, as they are for all intents and purposes his legal property and doing so would land her and her minions in jail. I really appreciate that Toshusai seems to have a strong moral code, though she goes onto say that stealing them from Kogoe specifically would make matters different. I suppose preventing the actions of a warmonger outweigh the moral implications of thievery

We cut to Iroha dancing, which if nothing else, demonstrates that he has a pretty impressive skillset outside of puzzle solving. He ends with an idol-like pose and pops his glasses back on, making an honestly adorable expression as he asks how he did. It was super endearing even if it feels like it was kind of a pointless scene at the moment. I expect it will come up later, as it gives the impression that there’s a lot more beneath the surface for Iroha than someone whose just kinda good at puzzles

Yukako gets embarrassed that Iroha’s dancing was presumably more feminine than she could ever hope to be, so she pivots to the puzzle battle rather than the dance battle and informs Iroha that at Cipher Academy, deals made over codes are absolute. This is a pretty common thing in manga where competition is a major theme, as the sanctity of the sport is obviously one of the story’s top priorities, and we need to establish that the stakes are actually important to the people involved as quickly as possible

Puzzle number 5 consists of 51 stars, each with a combination of letters and numbers, though some only have letters. Two stars are filled in, labeled G and N3, while one is separate from the rest, labeled W3. I saw someone mention in the comments on MangaPlus that since there are 51 stars, it might represent the 50 states of America plus Washington, DC. With this hint, I checked the stars against an alphabetical list of the states, and sure enough, the numbers correspond to the number of states that start with each letter (ex: there’s A1, A2, A3 and A4, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, and Arkansas, but no A5), and includes Washington, DC for five Ws rather than what would normally be four. Weirdly the L for Louisiana is lowercase, but I’m not sure if that’s relevant. Also, Washington, DC should strictly be a D, as its postal abbreviation is DC for District of Columbia, but that may be a hint that we’re not meant to be using the postal abbreviations at all

Anyway, this would make G Georgia and N3 New Hampshire, assuming it’s supposed to be completely alphabetical. I get the feeling it isn’t, though, since the lone W at the bottom, which would make sense to be Washington, DC because of its isolation, is W3, when alphabetically it would be W2 immediately following Washington state.

This also tells us that it isn’t chronological, as DC was founded first and would therefore be W1. It’s not by population or geographical size, as it would be W4 or W5 respectively. It isn’t by what order you would find them when looking on a map, as no matter which direction you start from, DC would never be the third one you find. I have to figure that the solution can’t be related to anything not readily apparent in the picture itself, so it must have something to do with the order that they’re laid out on the page itself. They don’t line up to a map of the US, though, evidenced by the fact that DC is nowhere near any of the M’s that could indicate Maryland

You may think it doesn’t really matter what makes DC W3, but as near as I can tell, it’s the single most important factor in the puzzle. G is obviously Georgia, it can only be Georgia, but there are eight N’s, so if alphabetization doesn’t explain why DC is W3, then it can’t possibly be meant to suggest that N3 is New Hampshire as we suggested. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that New Hampshire is the only answer it almost definitely CAN’T be, as that would allow the answer to be solvable with alphabetization when it’s not supposed to be

The main issue is that I don’t know what exactly we’re trying to solve here. Are we trying to find a name like in chapter 1? A location like in chapter 2? Are Georgia and unnamed state that starts with N the ultimate goal, or are they just hints in and of themselves? Once we’ve solved for N, do we need to determine a relationship between it and Georgia? Or am I completely off-base and we should be drawing lines between the stars to create a picture using G and N3 as hints for where to start? It was written while Yukako was watching Iroha dance, so my best guess is that, like I said earlier, it has something to do with dancing, but lord knows I can’t figure out what. I’ve been plugging away at this for over an hour now and I just can’t figure it out, and Iroha was only given 30 minutes total! 

In exchange for the possibility of exile, Iroha demands that if he wins, Toshusai’s minions will stop chasing Kogoe, which he says with enough conviction that Kogoe swoons and CG chastises her for falling for Iroha. It’s a super cute and endearing moment for me, I like when characters insist on making someone fall for them for likely selfish reasons only to be the ones to fall in love first

Kogoe refers to the AR glasses as CG’s grandchild, implying that the glasses have an AI in them (which was also implied by them talking in chapter 1, though I just assumed that was Kogoe at the time), so I’m hoping that they’ll have a name and face like CG does (even if Iroha is the one who names them). I also only just noticed that the glasses have cameras on the end-pieces, explaining how they perceive visuals; I kind of just assumed that the lenses were able to capture light as it passed through to the eye, but I guess that wouldn’t really make sense scientifically since they’re clear, huh? I think Kogoe’s glasses might be the same way, which would also mean that she’s the only one who can see/hear CG since he’s literally an AR projection on the lenses

Finally, to make matters worse (and a lot funnier), the AR glasses run out of charge, making this the do-or-die challenge that Iroha needs to prove to himself and the audience that the glasses are not a crutch or a cheat device, but as Kogoe said, a tool merely to help Iroha visualize puzzles in a way that’s more conducive to his method of problem solving. I’m glad that this kind of trial by fire is coming up in only chapter 3, because it gave us just enough time to familiarize ourselves with how the glasses work without allowing anyone enough time to think that they were honestly doing all of the work

I think I forgot to mention it in my thoughts on chapter 1, but I really love how when solving a puzzle using the glasses, Iroha is shown moving his fingers around the empty air, which is actually what I do when trying to solve problems in my head! It was very relatable, and I hope it’s something that he’ll continue to do even when not being aided by the glasses

...Wait...long, orange hair...glasses...

...Ah hell, am I gonna end up cosplaying Iroha...

[monsterfloofs]

Starship AI (Castor 5) x Anonymous Reader

Part I ♡ Part II

(An AI idea that I joted down here previously that I decided to make a short of. Castor 5 is a sassy troublemaker who is perpetually bored, ='3c they sure liven up the lives of the people around them. )

"You and I are going to have a chat-" You started in, as the cold metal doors whooshed open to reveal a large circular chamber. A striking humanoid figure in an emblazoned jacket and dark slacks stood staring out the starship window. Their plated robotic form tethered to long thick cords and wires that were connected to their back and the back and head.

"Back already?" Their soft smooth voice droned. Your eyebrows raise as they do not turn around to greet you. They keep their back towards you and facing the large starry window. From where you stood the image before you looked almost picturesque. The look of the jacket that rested over Castor 5’s frame, made them resemble the image of a captain themselves, staring pensively outside and pondering greater meaning.

"Feigning innocence huh? Well I just had to break up another fight between two workers because their communicators mysteriously started mistranslating what they were saying, and turning them into insults."

"I thought it was rather funny. The look on Vlis'ner's face when they were told 'Your mother was a hamster,' they have no idea what a hamster is, mind you, but it still came across well, I think."

You sigh and rub your temples. "So you've gotten into the old Earth Archives again. Lovely. You do know this is one of the reasons you got wired into a starship in the first place. . . right?

Castor pauses, their hands laced behind their back before they pivot on their heel to face you. Their face a blank screen except the multiple dotted cameras that were attached to the face plate. "Don't remind me. Anyway, this is a lot more fun than reading those filthy short stories you like to read on your holo-book in your spare time."

Your eye's widen and your mouth drops open, once again in shock of the sheer audacity of this AI. Castor was one of a kind, extremely sharp, and they took as many liberties as they could to abuse their intelligence and capabilities, like right now, in this very moment.

They swoon dramatically, a hand over their chrome temple.

"Oh Fernal! My love! Even though we will be stars apart and our homeworlds are at war, we can at least make love one last time! Muwah-Muwah!"

"You've read my data history?!" You hissed as your body tingled with embarrassment all over. "You assh--"

"Ah, ah," They wagged a finger at you, "You can't call me that, I don't even have one. And besides, if you didn't want anyone perusing your personal browsing history, you should make it private."

You screw up your eyes, squinting daggers at them. "Yeah right. You probably would still be able to snoop around in my data, even if I crypted it three times over. . . What the heck were you even doing anyway? I can't imagine you like romance."

"I was, truth be told, gathering intel."

You make a face, ". . . Oh no."

"I was curious--"

"Abso-lutely not!" You huffed, crossing your arms, feeling another surge of hot embarrassment. "I am not answering any questions! I have no 'personal experiences' or "input' I would like to express! You keep your weird, organic-being studies to yourself!"

“I have to find something to do with myself,” They complain in that soft spoken eloquent voice. The contrast between their personality and their voice makes your brain itch. “Piloting a ship is one thing, but it’s all background noise. Coordinates here, variables there. Adjust, adjust, adjust. It’s so dreadfully dull I could do it powered down and sleeping.”

“Lucky you. . .” You grumble, “Maybe if you stopped causing trouble the rest of us could have an easier time too.”

Castor reachest a hand to hold the railing behind them, tilting their head. “It would be helpful if I had. . . a little incentive. Then I would be less likely to, how you phrased it, ‘cause trouble’. “

You cross your arms, bouncing your shoulders slightly before pulling them backwards. Castor 5 mimics you, though does so in a more fluid manner.

“. . .What do you want? I can’t put in an appeal to give you more data rights or anything like that, you abuse what you have too much as it is.”

“No, no. Nothing like that. I want a companion.”

“That’s all?”

Castor 5 shrugs their shoulders, “That is what all artificial intelligence was made for. Companionship. It may have taken different forms or is used in different environments, but it’s a form of companionship.”

“And who. . .”

“I thought you would have figured it out by now.”

You turn your head suspiciously.

“No? Not as clever as I thought you were then, my, my.”

You rock on your heels looking annoyed, “Maybe ‘I’ would have more ‘incentive’ to come keep you company, if you didn’t pick on me all the time. Ever thought of that?”

“What can I say, you’re cute when you’re mad.”

[yoursinfulurges]

AntiHero

[The Venom Within] <- read part one here.

Description: The events that soon followed your emotional downfall turns dark and horrifying after Hydra gains possession of your freedom. 

1/2 of part 2

Warnings: Abuse. Kidnapping. Angst. 

Disclaimer: In this story' venom has no conscious and is simply just the readers alter, or the readers inner thoughts and insecurities. This takes place after civil war time. So Endgame and Infinity War never happens.

____________ 

You huffed inaudibly, hearing your stomach roar from starvation for the fifth time this minute. You had only gotten twelve blocks away from the tower, which was still very much visible when you turned back. Annoyingly so, you tried to avoid any peripheral contact with it, in fear of changing your mind and running straight back. 

Even trying your very hardest to block out any childhood memories spent there from coming back to you, as the last thing you needed was for more tears to be shed. You felt eerily deprived of sensation, and you didn't know if it was because of the cold New York air or the fact that you left a part of you behind back in that tower. The one capable of deciphering the many layers of the overwhelming apathy you ever so felt reside within you. 

The one able to comprehend and break down your other feelings that remained intacted, yet almost seemed brain dead. As if not computing the sitution that had happened moments ago, defying how your tense heart truly ached. Feeling as though you were just a walking body, an empty shell of the person that once was. You knew your inner subconscious was protecting you from added trauma, and was doing the best thing it could by preventing you from feeling the complexity of it all and only allowing minor details to slide. As said feelings would only send you into a spiralling depth of anxiety.

 And only god knows what would happened if your emotions alone suddenly decided it was time to have a panic attack at this very moment. Despite being greatful for the somewhat unorthodox coping mechanism that was forced upon you, you were at war with yourself. Almost angry that you couldn't process the overwhelming wave of sensations, having to submit to the black cold solitude of your mind till your brain finally decides to open up and evaluate just how badly the damage was to your mental health. 

But till that happens your soul was left to wonder and yield in confusion instead of settling on one dependent emotion.... 

You were conflicted to no doubt. 

You were angry yet, if tried hard enough and dug a bit deeper, pass the wall you built around your heart, you found yourself strangely at peace. Contradicting the forefront frustration you had with the profound perplexity of the situation, confusing you once more. As a part of you almost beams at the sudden calmness that over came you, in contrast to your outbursts merely an hour ago. 

Sure, you felt a myriad of miniscule emotions coincide you, tiny enough not to affect you in any way shape or form, or take away your apathetic structure, (thankfully so). And you knew that you were definitely far from okay as of right now, especially since you were somewhat going through an existential crisis. Yet in a funny defiant kind of way you were fine. It was as if your amygdala had froze, preventing you from registering everything that had happened. Forcing you to rerun the moments leading up to here in order to get to the bottom of what your true emotions and opinions were. 

You made it out of the tower unnoticed, given the fact that you dressed a lot more muted than you'd normally do. Nobody would think that it was Y/n Stark under the hood of one of Steve Rogers' old jacket. Your clothes weren't exactly ideal, but you were in no position to complain, you acted in a panic and grabbed whatever was on the way to the exit. 

That being Natasha's grey hoodie and Steve's oversized leather jacket. Both laid untouched, draped over the abandoned conference room chairs. You saw it the moment you stepped out the elevator, peering through the glass walls just to confirm whether it was really their's. It was a given that the room hadn't been cleaned out yet, being that it had been months since anyone has been in there. But then again, only a few people had conformation to that area of the tower. 

Without thinking, you had scanned your hand onto the access pad, and before you knew it, the glass door slid open. A decision you silently curse yourself on now for doing, since there was no doubt about it that Friday had already informed your dad that your last digital encounter was going into that room. You knew how incredibly smart that AI was, so you even made it an effort to take the route with less cameras. Even purposely running around the building, going to useless area's to confuse her in the future before sliding pass an unsupervised emergency exit. 

Despite the fact that it was 1:30 AM, the streets of Manhattan was as lively as ever. Though there was a lot less traffic at this time of the night. It gave you comfort to know that you weren't completely alone walking the streets. You may be skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but at the end of the day, you were still a girl, and that fact alone made you a clear target for some. 

And you doubt you could put up much of a fight, especially with how starved weak (and not to mention injured) you were. You had to be weary of who was around you at all times, stick to crowded areas yet be inconspicuous enough not to be spotted by cameras. As you knew for a fact that Friday was most likely scanning the area. 

Though despite how stress driven the situation was and how fidgety you felt, you weren't completely wandering lost, you had a destination set at mind and it gave you all the hope that you needed to keep moving onward. That location being the small little Chinese restaurant tucked away at a back alley passage seven blocks away from where you were. As you were quite close with the owner, being a regular weekly. So you knew for a fact that if you asked she would let you stay for a couple of days without hesitation. The small cozy family owned business reminded you so much of your old home, back when you still lived with your mother. 

After that night- or more so week spent with Tony, your mother had decided it would be best to stay put in China for a while. Delusions of starting something more than just a hook up with the oh so' brilliant Tony Stark flooded her mind. She wanted to be at arms reach for the man and stay exactly where he left her. Tony told her multiple times over the course of seven days that he'd be back for her, but he never came back... 

As weeks went by your mother had come to the realization that those words were merely nothing but empty promises and drunken slurs. Thus feeding her resentment for the small little child that grew inside her. You weren't a native of China but you were born and raised there up until age eleven or twelve, when your mother passed from cancer. Your childhood for the most part was dry and barren of any affection, having to submit and be degraded to being your mother's personal maid. Despite the mistreatment you had to endure, you couldn't exactly complain because you weren't exactly suffering. You had a roof over your head and all the food and water you could ever want, not to mention access to education. From a young age you had always shown signs of carrying the infamous Stark gene, harboring a profound skill to grasp and master any subject thrown your way. At the age of only six you were already capable of speaking three different languages; English, Chinese, and French. You had all characteristics of being a Stark. 

Except of course the looks.... Which was primarily why Tony didn't believe you were his child to begin with. You knew from the age of twelve that you looked more like your mother rather than your dad, but the contrast was blatantly eye striking next to the man whom was supposed to be your father. You had your mom's features more not to mention her complexion, being that your mother was [your race]. 

(If you're white then imagine y/n is paler or tanner than Tony, I'm Asian so....) 

You had never forgotten the most pivotal and accurate representation of your relationship that unfolded the day you first met... 

🕸🕷🕸 

You ran towards the man stood a few feet away from you, letting go of the woman's hand. Your face beams displaying a blinding smile as you ran towards Tony. 

"Dad!" 

You screamed in joy running towards the male engulfing his mid waist with your arms. The man looked down at you in a fright, his brows furrowing together as he looked at the Stark family lawyer and the social worker. 

He gently yet assertively pulls your arms off of him, not sparing you a glance as you looked up in question. 

"Are you sure she's mine?" 

Your heart drops at that moment as all becomes clear... The smile no longer present on your face as you looked down and distanced yourself away from Tony. Something no one took notice of. 

"We've already done a DNA test on her sir and she's yours..." The social worker lady spoke timidly, clutching her files tightly. 

"Well do two more tests, god damn it!" 

Tony screamed causing you to flinch slightly. A prickling sensation of shame washing over you as you watched him begins to pace, rubbing his face with the palm of his hands in distress. 

"Come here sweetie, let's go get you something to eat, you must be hungry from your flight." 

A woman with ginger hair spoke lightly as she forced out a smile, extending her hand for you before glaring at the man when you took her hold. 

"I want a cheese burger...." 

She nodded briefly, pulling you away from the scene and straight towards the elevator. 

🕸🕷🕸 

And at that day was when you realized that things were only going to get more complicated from there. Because the first moment that you both met, he had already decided that he didn't want you. 

Though contrary to his primal feelings, you were very much aware of your fathers attempts in searching for you, even though it had only been forty five minutes since the fight. It was reassuring but, you weren't in the mood to awe about it. You were still mad at him, and had zero plans of forgiving him any time soon. Or returning any time soon... You wanted him to worry and loose sleep, it was petty but it would be a mere compensation for the suffering he put you through. 

You brush pass a halted group of people, no more than twelve, lightly shoving pass them irritably. Slightly annoyed with their odd behavior, as they all seemed to be watching something you couldn't care less about. You let out an inaudible scoff, as you walked passed them. Your attention devoted to unwrapping the bubble gum you had in hand. Harshly shoving the minty treat into your mouth before putting your bandaged hands into the pockets of the leather jacket. You heaved in relief, finally giving your roaring stomach a somewhat rest after fourteen hours of starvation. The gum was probably months old by now since you found it in Nat's hoodie, but you couldn't care less. It was only meant to sustain your hunger for twenty more minutes. 

You walk at a leisurely pace, stopping slightly to push the pedestrian button at the cross walk. You watched as multiple cars pass by, rolling your eye irritably as you hear the crowd of people gasp in awe again. You normally weren't so easily agitated, but you're currently having a hard time figuring out just what your new normal would be from now on... Tapping your foot on the concrete pavement, you wished time would speed up. 

"What do you think is happening up there?" 

"Who knows" 

"Maybe he's just testing out his new suits.' 

With that, you freeze all movements. It was as if everything stilled at the command of one word. You were scared shitless of all the possibilities it could be, not knowing whether you were willing to look or not, but your anxiety was killing you. Feeling it increase at every breath, taunting you like marionettes on a string, dearing you to look, only to scream no just afterwards. With an in take of air, you pushed back those thoughts and slowly, you turned to view what all the fuss was about. Gasping in shock and horror at the sight infront of you. 

He was insane. 

There stood the Stark tower tall and proud, being lit up like a firecracker with multiple yellow streaks of light ejecting from the building. It looked as though hundreds of missiles were being fired into the air, contrasting the twilight sky. Even with the skyscrapers that surrounded the tower, the sight demanded all the attention. No, those weren't missiles...  

They behaved too smart to be simply just that. And you knew better than to dismiss them so easily. Multiple flew in every direction, some swirling around the tower, and others going straight up. There was at least two or four going north and south, while a dozen takes off headed east and west. It looked as though someone was celebrating New Years early, and doing so extravagantly, except it was the middle of fall... 

The sight was beautiful you couldn't deny that, but you were confused as to what exactly that could mean. Was it meant for you? Was he calling you back? Was that his version of an Amber alert? Or maybe they celebrating that you were finally gone... Images of Pepper, Tony, and Peter celebrating your leave quickly flash through your mind, stabbing you in the back ones more. Quickly, you shake them out of your head, returning your attention once again to the event in front of you. Your brows pulled together in question before it officially clicked. Hitting you hard like a brick, demolishing the wall of protection you built around yourself to stop the flood of overwhelming emotions. Feeling a small tug in your chest, the numbness that guarded your heart slowly dispersed as anxiety crept up your spine. 

He had unleashed the entirety of his Iron Legion's to search for you. 

All 108 suits.... 

Without thinking, you quickly crouched down, seeing one flying low into the street, right towards you. Your hood fell from a gust of wind as your hair blew all around. You screw your eyes tightly, covering your ears at a loud swooshing sound invading your eardrums. Thankfully, it flew pass you. You ignored the cheering of the crowd, quickly trying to run and sprint into an underground sub station. Turning back one last time, only to be greeted by more iron suits taking off from the tower. You frantically focusing your eyes, seeing a blue and red figure swinging from a far. 

      Peter....  

As luck may have it, he swung left, following a completely different road. 

And with that, you ran. You ran as fast as your feet could carry you, frantically looking for the 99th street substation opening so that you could hide underground. 

Cut short gasps of panic erupt from your mouth as you hurriedly ran across the street. You closed your eyes tight, feeling tears forming and falling down your face. Oh no, not now... Cold frost bitten air hits your skin as you maneuver yourself around bystanders. Not now, not now, not now. The tears fell more frequently as you squeezed your eyes shut once more. 

You were not going to send yourself into and anxiety attack, not now, and not because of this. 

Your running comes to a halt as you stand exactly where you're supposed to be, eyes quickly looking around in search for the station opening. 

There! 

In a fright, damp cold sweats engulfs your body as you enter and ran down the steps, out from above ground sight. You jump over the turnstile, panting from the tiredness as you took note of how soar your legs were becoming. You gulp, chest rising and falling rapidly as you looked around to see if anyone saw your odd behavior. And to your surprise the station was completely empty, odd... Though that could very well be because the scheduled 1:40 train had just took off fifteen minutes ago. You moved with hesitation and weariness as you looked around for any person in sight. Silently, you plopped yourself down onto a steel bench, trying desperately for your breathing to calm down. 

You didn't know how long it had been or how much time passed since you've sat down, but you stayed put fidgeting for what seemed like hours. Your thighs bounced anxiously as you kept an eye out for any short of movement, the dimly lit grimy station gave you an on edge feeling and it didn't sit right in your stomach. You felt like you were being watched from all sorts of corners and you shook it off as anxiety but something told you to stay guarded. 

Your ears would perk from time to time, hearing loud gusts of winds and cheering from above ground, ensuring the fact that your father's search party wasn't going away anytime soon. 

You hear movement coming in, snapping out of your haze as you felt a presence sit beside you. You peer up meekly in curiosity before gasping in shock and horror at who the person was. 

      Brock Rumlow.... 

"Long time no see little Stark." He spoke voice raspy and sinister as you cringe at the sight of his face. There, half of his profile was burnt and agitated red as one of his eyes was completely titanium white, you figured he was blind there. Wanda really did a number on him as you all suspected that she had killed him.... 

Little Stark.... That was something only Fury called you... 

You swallow in fear as you notice five more men appearing suddenly. You suddenly felt incredibly hyper aware of the situation, your vision tunneling as your heart rate increases. This was really happening... 

"I've waited a long time for this kid... knock her out!" 

Before you could scream in distress a throbbing pain consumes the back of your skull, and then everything turned black...

_____________

I owe you guys an explanation, and to put it simply, I was depressed and felt unmotivated so I took a lot of time to myself... I wasn't aware that so many people were expecting a follow up to a stupid little story I had written in April... I am without of words and am absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of support and love you all have given me. Yet the feeling of being pressured to write came with the notion of so much positivity, thus tainting it. I can't promise when the second half of part two will come out, but know that it is coming......

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[sou-ver-2-0]

What “things” did Shin learn at Sou’s house?

There are scenes in YTTD that are explicitly gruesome and violent, but the scene in Chapter 3 where Shin AI describes his abusive relationship with Original Sou is disturbing in its subtlety. Shin AI seems aware that their relationship has problems, but he still calls Sou a friend, much to the distress of either Kanna or the living Shin. One of the lines that has haunted me since I first heard it was Shin AI’s enigmatic statement, “Who he really is… I really, truly know nothing… Though I learned a lot of things at his house.”

I wanted to write a piece analyzing Shin and Sou’s relationship based on this line. In this post, I’ll make references to different types of abusive relationships, but I won’t claim anything specific for them since the nature of their friendship is deliberately open-ended. I think this line is vague enough to both mean everything and nothing. Perhaps we aren’t meant to read too deeply into it, but…It was a line that affected me deeply, so I wanted to share my own views.

Keiji makes a neutral observation after hearing this statement: “You had a long acquaintance, huh?” He deduces that if Shin frequently visited Sou’s house, they must have known each other for a long time. That’s the only concrete information we can gather from this line. However, Shin AI’s emphasis on “learning things” is intriguing; it implies that Shin gained some knowledge or wisdom from visiting Sou. It implies that this relationship changed Shin somehow. But Shin AI won’t elaborate on what he learned; he probably presumes that his lessons are irrelevant to the Death Game.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized you could interpret this statement innocuously. For example, perhaps Sou had special Asu-Naro technology at his house, which could have inspired Shin’s interest in computers. That would be a positive takeaway for Shin from his relationship with Sou. I think that’s an entirely reasonable theory, and I’m sorry for not realizing that sooner, because it led to me misunderstanding a well-meaning Anon.

For me… This line has always felt sinister. It’s situated in the middle of a disturbing scene. We’re finally learning about the pivotal abusive relationship of Shin’s past, even if only sketched in the vaguest details. I assumed that the “things” Shin learned were specifically related to Sou’s abuse of him.

When I discussed this line with my sister, she said that the line reminded her of Little Red Riding Hood’s song, “I Know Things Now,” from the musical Into the Woods. I thought that was an excellent reference, and it dovetails with my thought process about the line, so I’ll share the most relevant lyrics:

“And he showed me things

Many beautiful things,

That I hadn't thought to explore.

They were off my path,

So I never had dared.

I had been so careful,

I never had cared.

And he made me feel excited-

Well, excited and scared.”

[Image description: Shin AI says, “He’s…a scary friend of mine…”]

“When he said, "Come in!"

With that sickening grin,

How could I know what was in store?

Once his teeth were bared,

Though, I really got scared-

Well, excited and scared-”

[Image description: The Living Shin says, “Dammit, how sickening… Seriously…” when he sees the Shin AI in Midori’s office.]

“And I know things now,

Many valuable things,

That I hadn't known before:

Do not put your faith

In a cape and a hood,

They will not protect you

The way that they should.”

[Image description: Shin still clings to his brightly colored scarf, as if it can protect him.]

“And take extra care with strangers,

Even flowers have their dangers.

And though scary is exciting,

Nice is different than good.”

[Image Description: Shin in the First Main Game asks the group, “Don’t you doubt when others are kind?”]

Little Red Riding Hood’s song parallels Shin’s dialogue in revealing ways. The lyrics’ repetition of the vague word “things” hammers it in how difficult it is for a victim to describe their abuse. “Things” can cover all manner of sins, can’t it? The song itself has a subtext of sexual abuse, while the fairytale literally tells a story about a wolf who manipulates and eats a little girl. Meanwhile, we still don’t know exactly how Sou harmed Shin, beyond that Sou enjoyed provoking fearful reactions in him. I think the vagueness of their relationship makes it easy for the player to project their own fearful nightmares onto Sou. In a similar way, the player can relate to Sara’s love for Joe by projecting their feelings for their own loved ones onto him. This is especially true after Joe’s death, since his presence becomes fuzzier. Even though I’m interested in learning more details about Sou and Shin’s relationship, I appreciate how the word “things” is horrifying by leaving the worst to your imagination.

Little Red Riding Hood’s description of the Wolf as “scary and exciting” also parallels Shin’s description of Sou as “a scary friend of mine.” If Shin believed that Sou was “exciting,” that would help explain why Shin was still drawn to this person who wanted to hurt him.

The phrase “sickening grin” also stood out to me. Not only does Living Shin use the word “sickening” to describe Midori’s behavior, but “sickening grin” is an appropriate descriptor of Midori’s constant smiles. He is someone who puts on a friendly face to hide malicious intent.

I also liked the song’s reference to “putting your faith in a cape and hood” as if those clothes could “protect” you. Little Red Riding Hood learned that that her brightly colored clothes could not protect her when it really mattered. It reminded me of how Shin in the game is always clinging to his brightly colored scarf, as if it can protect him from the Death Game. Shin ought to know better as the song lyrics say, but he clings to the scarf anyway like a security blanket.

Finally, I wanted to discuss the song’s parting lesson, “Nice is different than good.” This moral reminded me of the lessons Shin continually imparts to the group throughout the story. Shin warns you not to trust people just because they’re nice. “Nice” people have the potential to be the most dangerous once they’ve gained your trust. Shin gives two dramatic speeches on this topic; the first quote comes from the First Main Game, and the second quote comes from the Massacre Ending.

“Ahahahaha! Amazing, miss Sara. You're a prodigy at seizing people's hearts! Shameful, the rest of you. The riffraff. Don't you value your lives? Don't you doubt when others are kind? Do you not even have brains to think for yourself? Death is just a matter of time for you! That's the way weaklings live! Hahahaha!”

“This is... reality, Keiji. The strong will tell you... "I'm your ally"... "Don't be afraid, trust me"... And in the end, they'll betray you!! At the convenience and whims of the strong...! The weak will die!! Well? Learned a little something about how uneasy a weakling always feels...?”

It’s easy to apply these quotes to Shin’s own experiences as a “weakling” who was betrayed by a “strong” friend.

When the Shin AI said that he “learned a lot of things” from Sou, I assumed that the “things” were these painful lessons Shin references throughout the story. Even without knowing the full details about Shin’s experiences, we understand the wounds Sou’s abuse left on his heart. We already know what the relationship taught him. It taught him to not trust others. It taught him that strong people will act “kind” until protecting weaklings becomes “inconvenient,” and there is nothing that weaklings can do about that. That’s “reality.”

As I’ve said, I’m not sure how deeply we’re meant to read into this line. And perhaps Shin learned plot-relevant things at Sou’s house too. (Personally, I’m betting that he at least got his key necklace there, but that’s just a theory.) But it was still a line that moved my heart for how these vague “things” could refer to the very lessons Shin has been trying to impart from the beginning.

[blankd]

Thoughts on The Mitchells vs the Machines

I watched it a while ago and kept forgetting to post my thoughts on it, but some posts here on tumblr recently reminded me.

I disagree with the majority takeaways I see but is that not the spice of life?

As a standalone movie its inoffensive and the writing of it will likely exit my brain in a few months.  However I can appreciate that the visual style was different from the typical fare and the mixture of 2d elements for visual embellishments were mostly enjoyable and well-suited for Katie as the POV character.

It's a bit "hyper" for my liking, but that's fine, it's likely intended for an audience that's accustomed to the flood that is the current norm of the internet.  It was probably made with GIFable moments in mind and that is the most frequent content that is shared about it, so it certainly succeeded in that regard.

My more critical take is that jokes are delivered at the expense of what could be more authentic themes.  Quips are made that draw attention to character flaws or undercut questions the movie should try to answer, but inevitably they are ignored to move onto the next joke or story beat.

The rest would fall more into spoiler territory, so read more for that.

--"They Were Both In the Wrong"

I personally disagree heavily with the thrust of how "both sides" were wrong when the degrees are disproportionate.

I've seen claims that Katie was "as in the wrong" as her father, but she's incredibly patient to the man who does her material harm.

I've yet to have seen someone say specifically what Katie did *wrong* to her father that is at all on par with the *years* he at best hasn't been able to interact with her or worse, actively refused to engage with her interests.

I would generously venture that her flaw was that she was more willing to communicate her feelings to strangers, but she easily talks to her mother and brother- her brother even helps her with her movies and she happily engages him with his own interests, which pivots the point back to how her father is physically/emotionally unavailable and led to the erosion and distance between the two of them.

Due to this, MvM comes across more as Kaite having to do so much more to guide her father rather than a more mutual learning experience for the both of them.

--"Technology that [Dis]Connects"

It's probably beyond the scope and intent of the film, but I was surprised there was no examination about why technology can be more alluring than interacting with physically present people.

For better or worse, the internet can be used as a means of supplementing the validation and acceptance of family.  It can also lead to no longer connecting to people around them because of the validation high of appealing to a constantly 'awake' sea of strangers- the spotlight is warmer than the cold reality that they are not the internet image they have cultivated.

For example, the rival 'perfect' family was never revealed to be a carefully constructed highlight reel that Mrs. Mitchell envies, they really were actually that perfect- because that provides an easier punchline than an examination or acknowledgement of how the internet can create unhealthy expectations.

I also can't expect MvM to acknowledge the reality that LGBTA+ people who are rejected by their family resort to seeking a new one through the internet because it would be much harder to redeem/rehabilitate a man defined by being tethered to "old values" if he was homophobic instead of "overprotective" and apprehensive at his daughter's departure from home and her dubious art career.

But hey we got that quick line at the end that Katie likes a girl, so that's a diversity win or something.

(To be clear I'm not expecting a whole parade or even an A or B-plot dedicated to it, but I think it should be acknowledged that this kind of "surprise inclusion" is very easily erased with a change of audio and would be completely unsurprised if this were the case for countries that are homophobic.  People can be happy about it, but it is dishonest to pretend that this is a bolder statement than it is.)

In that sense, I do and don't hold MvM to taking a "safer" route about how family always has your back, but this still feels like an important omission considering the focus on technology and its dynamic with the Mitchells.

I will also say that it was also bizarre, to me at least, that the obvious route that her father sees the value of home videos didn't become an active point between him and Katie.  Or that Mr. Mitchell's carpentry never really amounts to anything despite having a sentimental wooden moose.

Lastly, I think it's an unintentional, but it's interesting that Katie going to college to pursue her passion is viewed as a Terrible Thing by her father even though if he had his way, he'd be ostensibly living in the woods away from everyone else except his wife.

This isn't a problem, people are a collection of contradictions, but It's fascinating to see what the *narrative* treats as a difficult sacrifice while simultaneously pulling at heartstrings when PAL cites how children ignore their mothers.  There's an unexamined comedy that Mr. Mitchell's losing out on his 'passion' to live in the woods away from people is treated as tragic despite the movie's insistence on staying connected with your blood family.

--"The Inconsistent Personhood of AI"

PAL is rightfully angry at being discarded for something new; it's provided as a glimpse of what Katie will do when she finds 'her people' at college.

This in of itself is a good hook, because there is no one universal answer to when a flawed relationship should be mended with compromise or if it's better off being broken for the wellbeing of the ones involved.  Family and relationships are not programming, it's a choice and a gamble for whatever it brings but is nonetheless something that must be mutually worked upon.

Initially I thought that PAL was being set up as an exaggerated parallel to Mr. Mitchell.  PAL and Mr. Mitchell did their best to provide for their family.  PAL and Mr. Mitchell are in different stages of being 'discarded' by their family.  PAL and Mr. Mitchell both retaliate at their lack of power in the scenario by using the power granted by their roles to infringe on the autonomy of others for selfish reasons.

PAL even gives a 'chance' for her plan to be halted with, I had assumed this was being set up as the thesis of the movie, about humanity and the value of family, relationships, etc. being used to help someone who is already hurting.

But despite Katie looking at the camera and explaining herself, it is never actually directly resolved or challenged because a punchline was deemed more desirable for this narrative climax.

This begs the question of why PAL bothered with the pretense that she could be reasoned with, especially since this is not some question leveled at all of humanity, just two people.

I'm curious how the writers came to the conclusion that this was the best execution of the scene or if Katie's speech was considered immune to any challenge from PAL.  Would anyone have accepted this outcome if PAL were not an AI but instead a person?

It's not necessarily bad writing they went this route, but I doubt anyone would consider this good writing either.

By the end of the movie, PAL is no longer a 'person' who was betrayed and is lashing out, she is an object to be destroyed because the movie has to wrap up.  No compassion or chances are spared to this AI that did literally everything asked of her except take being discarded quietly.

Did PAL deserve a redemption arc? For this length of movie, probably not.  But it could have concluded with a commitment to doing no further harm.  Instead it is an accidental glimpse at how easily the pretense of compassion can be quickly discarded and mostly unexamined with the right framing.

A likely unintentional example is the conditional humanity given to Eric and Deborahbot who are adopted as "family" while the rest of the robots are mowed down without another thought.  Some are even beaten and broken while begging for mercy, because again, it is a funnier punchline.

Far be it for me to advocate that the murderbots needed 'a second chance uvu' but for a movie whose conceit rests on 'sticking by family' and 'giving chances', the writers certainly made a choice in deciding which AI get honorary humanity and spared violent death- perhaps PAL had a point about humanity's callousness after all.  Bad robots are discarded, good robots get to live.

Even the CEO who realizes he enabled this mess (easily the most unrealistic part of the movie, honestly) is given another chance and he manages to take away a completely wrong lesson.

Speaking of-

--"Maybe I Shouldn’t Have Used Tech Like This"

There's a particular image/gif set posted about MvM with the CEO apologizing for the machine uprising, attributing it to unchecked technology and monopolies.  I've always seen it accompanied by people congratulating the scene as if any of this is at all relevant to the movie.

Charitably, these are people who haven't watched the movie and don't know that PAL is a phone AI single-handedly doing this, but most take the stance that this scene is proof the movie is not saying technology is bad, only corporations are.

The speech isn't technically wrong but it is so utterly divorced from what happens in the movie that it's surreal to see people congratulate it as anything but a moment of soapboxing.

None of the datagrabbing was used at all as part of the takeover.  It's all magical kid-friendly terminators with no relevance to what anyone's browsing history is.  If the company was one that produced robot assistants instead of a being a super tech monopoly, there would be no narrative difference.

The closest to a predatory tactic that is used in MvM is the offer of free wifi which is used to lure most people into their cells which they happily comply with. Curiously this... commentary of people’s mindless addiction to technology is not acknowledged by the Tumblr Court with the same intensity as the CEO’s speech.

But more constructively, I do feel it’s a missed opportunity that Katie who's supposed to be an extremely online person apparently never said any bad things about her family or made any petty vent films for PAL to weaponize.  Instead an in-media audio at one of the outskirt locations was used to accomplish its Traitor Revealed moment.

IN CONCLUSION

MvM is a movie that involves topics that ought to be touched on and explored properly in media and chickens out on all of it due to possible concerns with age-appropriate handling or because it was more committed to its comedy than whatever it has to say about family, change and how technology affects people.

It also reminded me that I hope media will finally graduate from the trope that if you spec into any ‘outdoorsy’ hobby you are incurably afraid of technology.

[alexazbofficial]

[INTERVIEW] An Interview With AleXa: Why This AI “Villain” Is Actually A Down-To-Earth Sweetheart

What The Kpop recently had the opportunity to sit down with K-pop idol AleXa for an interview. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we held the interview via Zoom. However, even across the internet, AleXa’s warm personality shined through, charming our staff with her down-to-earth way of speaking and thoughtful answers.

The popular solo artist will soon be releasing a new track entitled “Rule The World” on September 4th. The song is a collaboration with gaming music star TheFatRat. In addition, she has confirmed her comeback for October, making fans excited for the news that her title track will be produced by famous hitmakers LDN Noise.

Before her new releases, however, get to know more about this talented artist by reading our interview below! From her tastes in anime to which female role models helped form her into such a strong woman today, read below for questions that she’s never been asked before.

WTK: Hi, AleXa! My name is Amy, and I’m from What The Kpop. First of all, I just thank you for meeting with us today. I know that you’ve got a busy schedule, so I’m glad that you were able to take a few minutes to speak with us.

AleXa: Oh, you’re very welcome.

WTK: Before you were actually a K-pop idol yourself, you did so many different things! You’ve done cosplay in the past, you’ve done voice acting, you’ve been on shows where you tried out for different things, you’ve taken part in long training, etc… all leading up to this point in your career. So, first of all, just to get things started, can I ask you what’s been your favorite part of the journey so far?

AleXa: Let’s see. I mean, from way back until now, I think the thing that I liked the most about my journey is not just one thing. Since it’s still ongoing, it’s just the fact that I get to see myself improve, that’s the thing. So, improvement for me is probably the thing that I really enjoy about this process.

WTK: Since your debut, you have had quite an unusual concept. For those that don’t know, it’s about a multiverse and you’ve had a trilogy of songs: “Bomb,” “Do or Die,” and “Villain.” You’re avatar or AI escapes into a physical body and then goes into the real world, right? We know this suits you really well since you’re a fan of dark concepts and horror and science fiction. So, if this were to ever happen to you in real life and you became an AI, whose body would you want to take over?

AleXa: Dwayne the Rock Johnson! (laughs) Because I just want to be the Rock! I mean, who doesn’t want to be the Rock? (laughs again) So, definitely Dwayne the Rock Johnson! Yeah!

WTK: When we watched the making video for your recent “Villain” MV, we saw you doing the Naruto run and already knew that you’re into anime. I know your schedule probably doesn’t allow you too much time anymore, but are there any animes that you’re into recently? Or are there ones that you’d like to recommend for your fans to watch?

AleXa: I haven’t watched anything recently. The most recent thing I watched was the anime adaptation of some of Junji Ito’s work. If you didn’t know, his collections were turned into an anime. If you like horror, I recommend that. But one of my all-time, go-to shows is always “Death Note” or “Full Metal Alchemist.” So, those are ones I wouldn’t mind re-watching again if I find time.

WTK: Your fans, or AI troopers as they’re called, refer to your music as a cultural reset when it comes to how you’ve changed the game. For you, which artist or even what genre was the cultural reset in your own life?

AleXa: I feel like without a doubt I do have to say K-pop was the cultural reset for me. Had I not stumbled into K-pop, I wouldn’t be doing what I am now. Then there was someone also like SHINee. They’ve been a pivotal group, a pivotal senior for me in my career. So, they were my cultural reset.

WTK: Apart from SHINee, I know that you also got into K-pop after hearing artists like Super Junior. Going from a K-pop fan to a K-pop idol yourself, what has the experience been like? Is is still kind of surreal for you or how would you describe the experience?

AleXa: Oh man, it’s definitely surreal! I never thought that in my wildest dreams I would find myself being an idol for my career. Being able to stand on the same stage in music shows as so many wonderful and talented seniors… like it’s incredible. It’s definitely been very surreal for me thus far.

WTK: Recently, you held your own virtual concert, and you also opened the show for IN2IT in India. How did the two experiences differ as far as opening for one group versus having your own concert? Did it affect you that your first solo concert was a virtual concert? If so, what were some of those challenges like?

AleXa: I mean, it definitely is very different having my own concert versus opening up for a senior group. I will say that being able to open up for their concert two times was a really good experience because I learned crowd management. Also, I learned how to feed off of people’s energy for the concert performance. Then when it comes to my own solo concert, even though it was digital, I could still feel everyone’s love and support through the comments because there was a live monitor where I could read all the comments in real time. So, even though there weren’t people there in person, I still felt the presence of them. I’m an extrovert and I’m someone that draws energy from other people. So, virtual concert or online concert, it’s just both a really fun experience for me.

WTK: So many people did tune into your concert, and I know that a lot of people were leaving comments also, so it was a great success! Do you feel like from here on out that online concerts are going to be more of a staple in K-pop, even once things like COVID-19 slows down and things are as back to normal as possible? Are virtual concerts here to stay?

AleXa: However fast the pandemic does come to an end, I do feel like online concerts, online fan meetings, and everything else that’s been happening in the industry during this time is something that is here to stay. Because you never know what could happen in the future. So, I believe everybody learning the ways of online concerts, the data, the statistics, the reactions, how fans work.. I think it’s something we’re going to wind up keeping in the future.

WTK: You exude this natural charm, charisma and confidence. So, what would you say to younger fans, especially those who are coming up and trying to find their own persona and sense of self confidence? How did you become who you are today and grow into this confident young woman that we know as the singer AleXa?

AleXa: Thank you for that. Let’s see. I don’t know. I would just say, don’t get lost in the crowd I guess. People will always find ways to try to belittle you for ways that you’re different, for ways that you stick out. But embrace those and make those your strong points. Don’t let anybody try to define you as a person. You alone can define yourself. So yeah, take comfort and joy and pride in your individuality.

WTK: Now, I don’t know if you’re familiar much with the Reddit sub-threads for K-pop, but ever since the music video for “Villain” dropped, your fans have been busy analyzing the trilogy and making all these theories about the Alexa universe. I don’t know if you’ve read any of these online, but there is a really popular thread on Reddit and also one on Twitter about the Alexa universe. The summary is that they believe there are different versions of AleXa and that she embodies the different human emotions that each AI version has discovered. What do you say to all of that? Can you give us any hints or have you been able to read any of these fan theories yourself?

AleXa: I mean, I’ve dabbled a bit here and there on Twitter. I’ve been looking at a lot of tweets, and I read the comments. There’s some interesting theories. I mean, when we go into these comebacks and pre-releases and stuff, we know the plot. We know what we’re trying to get into. But then whenever I’m with my staff, we read things in the comments. We’re like, “Oh, well, that’s an interesting take on why we thought of that.” But it’s really cool to see how how imaginative and smart and observant everyone is. Because they catch and piece things together. And I’m like, yes! Those are my smart, beautiful fans! Yes!

WTK: Coming from your label, which is a video production company, have there ever been things that your fans noticed about the videos that maybe you didn’t even notice yourself at the time?

AleXa: Oh, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen some comments noting some things and seeing the background or like they’ll think a certain layer goes with a certain thing. I will say though, this is not something we intended for, but with the release of “Villain”— of course, we do have a small, kind of floating, pyramid-looking thing at the end, and I do this [thing] with my hands. But it’s kind of funny because some people thought we were alluding to the fact that we are a part of the Illuminati! But we are not. (laughs)

WTK: Yes, just to make that clarification! (laughs) So your music, like we said, features the image of this strong, independent woman where you are like cyborg, pop, diva (and we love it, by the way). When you were growing up, did you have many strong female role models? Who inspired you?

AleXa: If we’re talking about strong females, then of course, one pivotal character has been my mother. She is honestly one of the strongest women I know. If we’re talking in an artistry sense, since my parents raised me on older music, then people like Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett, and Whitney Houston. Into the more modern age and as I was starting to grow up a bit, then Rhianna, Brittany, Christina. This is the kind of aura of artists and people that I really looked up to and enjoyed their work.

WTK: If you were ever able to branch out— maybe not on your main comebacks but for special songs or covers— are the genres of music from the artists you just mentioned something you would like to dabble in? Or is there any other type of music that you would like to try for something different?

AleXa: I mean any opportunity I would be given to branch out and just try something that I’ve never done before, I want to try of course. I would love to take the bull by the horns and just go at it! So, whatever and whenever those opportunities arise, yes definitely.

WTK: We know that you have like a “sad boi” playlist when you’re feeling down. When you’re feeling happy or pumped up, however, what do you like to listen to?

AleXa: If I’m having a good mood and I’m just going for a walk or something, I listen to lot of Queen, Fleetwood Mac, some Dolly Parton. Believe it or not, Dolly Parton is the only country artist I will make an excuse to listen to.

WTK: Well, she’s one of the ultimate divas herself so…

AleXa: She really is, she really is! But I don’t know… just kind of like older pop I guess, without all this like synth and heavy bass we have now. Just old style pop music, I guess, is kind of my music sphere.

WTK: I know also that you were a musical major in college, and I am a huge fan of musicals myself. So, I have to know something! Musicals are so popular in Korea, and it’s a big scene there. So, if you ever got the chance and you could work in a musical there, is there a specific musical that you would want to be cast in?

AleXa: A lot! But if I could be cast in any musical I wanted, I think it’d be fun to try Maureen from Rent or Veronica in Heathers. I feel like these both are fun roles [and I’d like] to give it a go.

WTK: One more question! Fans really enjoyed hearing the lyrics you wrote for your last song and are looking forward to hearing more of your work in the future. We know all songwriters have lyrics written in journals, so if you have any saved, do you mind sharing a previously unreleased lyrics with our readers? Just something that you haven’t yet shared with the world?

AleXa: Sure! I mean, I am one of those people that has journals upon journals upon journals of song lyrics. I keep them in my phone as well too actually. If I were to share something real quick, right off the bat, what would it be? What would it be? What would it be? (laughs while looking through phone) See! There’s a lot in here. Yes, yes, yes. Doot, doot, doot, doot. (laughs again) Oh, I don’t know. These are all just kind of… deep. Let’s see. Ok, I’m just going to read these two lines. It’s just something I wrote once. ‘Do I have to rearrange the stars and have them spell our names in the sky?’ That’s it. (smiles)

WTK: Thank you, AleXa! We look forward to hearing how you will use that in a song one day, and we look forward to hearing more from you in both your music and your lyrics too! Before we go, do you have any last words to people that might be reading about you for the first time, as well as to fans that have been with you since the beginning of the journey?

AleXa: Sure! Whether you’ve been with me for a day, an hour, or five minutes, or five years, thank you so much for staying by my side throughout this wild roller coaster journey that has been my career thus far! And I promise to keep working super hard to become a better artist and a better person that you can enjoy in the future. Thank you so much. I love you!

© WhatTheKpop

[barnhartnicole-blog]

The unseen experts behind Microsoft’s coronavirus response

Early on a Saturday morning in January, Juan Lavista-Ferres, who leads Microsoft’s AI for Good research lab, penned an urgent email to his team. Although there were fewer than 2,000 cases worldwide of a yet-unnamed disease with little data available, he warned that something serious was coming.

“The reported cases follow a very scary exponential curve,” he wrote. “In this type of virus outbreak we typically expect this type of curve, but the rate shows that the virus is spreading very fast. If the data is accurate and the outbreak is not stopped soon, it can reach 70,000 cases in late February, and potentially millions after that.”

Just over a month later, after multiple positive cases of what is now known as COVID-19 were confirmed in Washington state, and the first death in the U.S. from the disease occurred at the Life Care Center nursing facility in a Seattle suburb, Microsoft became one of the first major U.S. employers to insist all but those deemed essential employees, or around 2% of the workforce, stay home to stay safe.

And Lavista-Ferres, a data scientist, joined a collection of experts brought together from multiple teams at Microsoft — physicians, epidemiologists, disaster specialists — who had quietly been working behind the scenes to prepare and protect employees from just such an event. Working together, this collective would now play a critical role in informing Microsoft’s senior leadership, responsible for deciding next steps for employees and the company, around a moment whose next steps were unknown.

The decision to require tens of thousands of people to work from home, and communication between large employers in the Puget Sound region and government entities, helped slow the spread of COVID-19 in the early days of the local outbreak in the Seattle area. But perhaps as important, the swift and strong response indicated to the wider population the seriousness of the challenge being faced with an easily transmissible, deadly virus that still today has no cure.

Microsoft’s perspective was rooted not only in the broad expertise of the experts working together to help inform the response, but also in the company’s global experience, learning from colleagues around the world already coping with the disease.

By mid-January, Colleen Daly, Microsoft’s primary contact when there is a communicable disease outbreak, was deeply involved in the company’s COVID-19 response with employees in China, Singapore and Italy. As global wellness benefits manager, her day job has long centered on executing the company’s strategy around physical and mental health. She’s been involved in Microsoft’s response to past outbreaks, including Ebola, Zika and smaller clusters of measles, tuberculosis and whooping cough.

Daly has a Ph.D. in public health focusing on health services research and occupational health — or the study of healthcare systems, economies and policies — and a master’s degree in public health focusing on health behaviors and epidemiology.

Daly soon became a fixture to help lead the pandemic response calls involving Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella and his senior leadership team to figure out the company’s next steps, beginning each with an update on the latest from Seattle, King County and Washington state health officials.

“These connections have been pivotal,” she says of the public-private coordination. Daly has also been impressed by the “thoughtfulness and care” taken by Microsoft’s senior leadership team as well as the emphasis on the importance of science to inform decision making.

“They’re trusting the subject matter experts they have hired. You can’t underestimate the value in that,” she says. “I think this is also Satya Nadella’s perspective, and the idea of growth mindset that he’s shared with employees over the past few years, to support understanding and learning versus being scared to share information. That foundation has been so important in our response to this.”

Though already steeped in this work across the company, Daly says she’s been surprised by the level of internal know-how Microsoft has been able to bring to this crisis. “I didn’t realize how much public health expertise we have in this company.”

She already had established relationships with her counterparts in local, county and state government, so when the call came in that COVID-19 was becoming more serious in Washington, she was well positioned to help lead the effort.

[mysterylover123]

BNHA Rewatch: Season 1 Episode 8 “Bakugou’s Start Line”

mysterylover123 

And the BTA concludes! 

So we start with Bakugou’s little meltdown/anxiety attack. I actually remembered this scene the last time I had an anxiety attack over something school-related; it was the first time I actually started to kinda relate to Bakugou a little. Like, I feel ya, man. (I wish I had a cute childhood friend to make me feel better post anxiety. You lucky bastard).

Holy crap he’s small. (looks at wiki) Is that really the difference between 7′2 and 5′7? Somehow it feels bigger. (Maybe it’s just symbolism for how small BKG feels?). Also, one of my favorite reviewers nicknamed him “Baekugou” during his more sympathetic moments. I’m going to borrow that one.

And introducing...my third favorite character, after Deku and Kacchan! The one, the only, Momo Yaoyorozu! I think I loved this character from this scene onward. She’s another one who reminds me of me. “Let me present my long analytical thesis on everything these characters did wrong.” She’s bang on, too; I love it when this series acknowledges its heroes’ flaws. Also Todoroki with that sideeye. is this when you fell in love, Shoto? 

Speaking of...

Todoroki’s main strengths and flaws are pretty evident here. This is OG Shoto, all ice/cool and no heat/warmth Shoto, who refuses to work with other people and tries to do everything himself. (Though he was still considerate enough to recognize Momo and vote for her. OTP). Poor Ojiro and Tooru, they never had a shot. My basic opinion on Todoroki is: I love him. Definitely top 10, maybe top 5. I mean, nobody dislikes him, really. 

Smash has comedic takes on how all the other characters did. i have no real guess myself. My guess is that most of the Villain teams seem really underpowered compared to the Hero Teams; no offense to Kiri, but the only one I see potentially winning is Momo’s. Though Mineta’s also on her team, so not that great a shot.

All Might provides us with more Bakugou meta. This series loves to write meta about it’s own characters (and I love it!)

After a flashback added to pad the episode out, we return to Class A. Here comes Kirishima to fanboy about Deku! I so think he has sort of a thing for him. (I ship Kiri/Mina mainly, but hey, Mina and Deku both have fluffy hair, energetic personalities and kind-hearts. He can have a type!)

This whole sequence is adorable and characterizes Class A a bit (why does Mina admire Deku’s dodging so much, specifically? Is there any given reason for that?) One of my favorite bits, though, is this weird sequence where Kaminari hits on Uraraka, who blows him off to worry about Deku, who then blows her off to worry about Kacchan. Subtext, what’s that?

Speaking of....

BKDK Corner (basically the whole end of the ep)

Bakugou is honest. He may not like it, but Deku beat him. Fair and square, with his big hero brain and hard work. I like that.

This pivotal moment! Deku, for very little reason at all, marches right up to Kacchan and tells him his Secret ID. One of my favorite BKDK moments, because one) Deku trusts Kacchan here, more than anyone else, and it actually pays off because Kacchan doesn’t blab. Two) Deku says this to make him feel better. 3) Deku renews their rival vows. 4) Deku cares what Kacchan thinks and feels guilty about ‘tricking’ him. 5) Until Deku tells someone else about OFA, I can’t ship him with anyone but Kacchan. Because that’s such a fundamental part of who Midoriya is, along with growing up quirkless and looking up to All Might. I mean, no offense to Izuocha, Tododeku or other Deku shippers, it’s just...he only told one person, and that person is Kacchan. He has shown no interest in telling his Official! Love Interest, Uraraka, and she has no idea; Todoroki guessed but was far off the mark. (And figuring it out isn’t as powerful as Deku telling them, anyway. )

And now Bakugou’s rebuttal. A lot of his behavior makes more sense if you realize that until Episode 49 he thought Deku’d lied to him their whole lives. He didn’t believe him here, so he goes on thinking that Deku didn’t tell him about his quirk just to eff with him for a decade. His behavior is very different after Episode 49, and that’s probably why. Anyway, someone needs a hug! The Kacchan side of the “OFA confession” coin, then, is crying. Until Kacchan cries and pours his heart out like this to Kiri/Shoto/Ochaco/Jiro/whoever, I don’t ship him with anyone but Deku either. I need him with someone he feels comfortable crying around. And so far only one person fits that bill. (BTW, out of that list? The one I could actually see him crying in front of the most is Shoto. Maybe some day). 

All Might tries hilariously to comfort Bakugou and fails. I feel him. Trying to make people feel better isn’t my strong suit. Deku is apparently great at it tho.

This isn’t in the manga, BTW. They added it for the anime. Not sure what the point of it is, everyone already knows they’re rivals. Just to tell you Ochaco ships it? (maybe she wants a threesome. If I didn’t ship her with Iida, that’d be fine by me).

To quote from one of my favorite BNHA meta writers on this bit, Ryokure: “On this point I’m like 80% sure that Mineta’s existence, Yaoyorozu‘s stupid costume (come on, she’s fifteen! it’s too early to be objectified!), etc are there so people wouldn’t think that this is shounen-ai.”

In short, I love this episode! It may be just a quick wrapup ep, but it’s so full of good stuff. Momo!  Todoroki! Class A fighting each other! Sad tears and angst. BKDK galore. It’s a real treat of an episode.

Best Girl of the Episode: Tooru Hagakure! 

Sorry ya lost, girl.

RANKER: Favorite Villains

5. Overhaul/Kai Chisaki

4. Stain/Chizume Akeguro

3. Tomura Shigaraki/Tenko Shimura

2. All for One

1. Himiko Toga

[emperorsfoot]

In this chapter, Scorpia gets a song. It’s an IRL song, and you can listen to it here: Twiddle 

...

“Do you know any other songs?” Scorpia asked.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Sea Hawk’s personal theme song. It was just that listening to it for days in a row was making her kinda, sorta… absolutely hate that song.

Emily warmed up her pain plasma gun and fired a warning shot off the port side of the ship, then pivoted on her immobile leg to stare down the musical pirate.

Scorpia placed a calming pincer on the bot’s dome. “I think what Emily is trying to say is that we’ve heard that one a lot, and if you don’t know any other songs, maybe we should just sail in silence for a bit.”

Looking out across the water at the wake created by Emily’s warning shot, Sea Hawk swallowed awkwardly. The refurbished Horde bot was highly opinionated and not shy about expressing herself. He looked to Scorpia, seeking a compromise. “Alright, well, do you know any sea shanties?”

Taping a pincer against her lips, Scorpia thought. “Well, I did hear one sung around Redwater Bay once…”

A Horde song.

Sea Hawk was concerned. That did not stop him from plastering a crud-eating grin on his face and suggesting, “Well, why don’t you sing for a bit.”

“Really!?” It was wrong how excited the former Horde Force Captain sounded at the suggestion. “You’ll let me sing? And you won’t get annoyed. Or tell me I need to focus. Or remind me that we’re on a mission and have a job to do. Or ask how I’m a Force Captain.” She wasn’t a Force Captain anymore. “Or anything like that?”

“I won’t.” Sea Hawk promised. He did, however, move across the deck to the helm –the complete opposite end of the ship form her- under the pretext of checking the wind and their heading. He had no idea what this Horde shanty was going to be and he liked to have an excuse ready on hand to politely ask her to stop if need be. “Let’s hear it.”

Scorpia cleared her throat and tried to remember the lyrics.

“Oh you hear a lot of stories 'bout the sailors and their sport. About how every sailor has a girl in every port. But if you added two and two, you'd figure out right quick, it's just because the girls all have a lad on every ship.”

Sea Hawk raised an eyebrow. It didn’t seem all that bad. Certainly much more tame and cute compared to what he was expecting from a song sung in the Fright Zone’s Redwater Bay. He was far less apprehensive and in better spirits when Scorpia launched into the chorus.

“And it's twiddle ee ai dee ai dee ai. “Twiddle ee ai dee ei. “It's often times a man will leave you broken with dismay. “And it's twiddle ee ai dee ai dee ai. “Twiddle ee ai dee ei. “There's other things to twiddle when the men have sailed away.”

Wait… Sea Hawk straightened at the helm, not quite sure if he was disliking this song now for entirely different reason that had nothing to do with the Horde. This song wasn’t about… what he thought it was about… was it?

“Lucky Annie was a lady who'd been pleased by many men. “They all would sail away but then they'd come right back again. “But if they never sailed her way she really didn't care. “Cause she knows you don't need a man to twiddle under there.”

Oh. Yeah. This song was totally about what Sea Hawk thought it was about. Sea Hawk plastered that crap-eating grin back on his face, hoping Scorpia would assume he was enjoying himself and he thought about Mermista and how she didn’t really seem to enjoy his company unless she needed something from him, and even then, she acted like he was a great inconvenience. She certainly never needed him to… ‘twiddle under there’, as the song said.

“So next time you're with a lady and she takes you to her bed, “Be sure to please her well, and remember what we've said. “For if you do not treat her right, then know that this is true: “Us ladies all can have our fun without involving you!”

Scorpia ran through the chorus two more times before the song ended. She looked up at the rest of the crew, to gauge her song’s reception. She hadn’t sung –anything- in years, and this little sea chanty she barely remembered the lyrics too wasn’t exactly her best work. She hoped she didn’t do too bad.

Emily let out an odd sort of digital chirping sound that might have been clapping. She certainly seemed to have liked it.

Sea Hawk just kept up that crap-eating grin. “That was… not what I was expecting from a Horde song.”

Reaching up a pincer, Scorpia scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “Well, the Fright Zone’s only been under Hordak’s control for about twenty years or so. Before that, my family was the ruling power of the territory. The Fright Zone had its own culture, and art, and music, and folktales, and all that fun stuff.”

That crud-eating grin melted away, morphing into an expression of empathy. Not unlike what they shared during their time in the Northern Reach. “The Queendom of Scorpiones, right?” Sea Hawk vaguely remembered seeing an old pre-Horde map in a rubbish heap in Salineas wherein the Fright Zone was labeled ‘Scorpiones’. “What was it like?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. I was only, like, a year old when my mother abdicated and gifted Hordak with the Black Garnet as a display of fealty.” She explained. “I don’t actually have any memories of the Fright Zone before the Horde. Just what older people tell me.”

That was so sad! Sea Hawk felt himself begin to tear-up. He wanted to sing another song to lighten the mood and maybe lift Scorpia’s spirits.

Except Scorpia didn’t really seem all that upset about it. Like she said, she had no memories of Scorpiones before it became ‘the Fright Zone’. She didn’t feel like she’d ‘lost’ anything. As far as she was concerned there was nothing to have lost. It was hard to carry nostalgia for a place or time you never saw. There was no feeling of hiraeth.

Scorpia only shrugged. Almost as if she didn’t even care that much. “Nations rise and fall all the time. I heard the Crimson Wastes used to be a lush woodsy Queendom before it was turned into the desert it is now. Dryl used to be an industrial mining dystopia built on the backs of slaves before Entrapta took over. Lonnie’s in charge of the Fright Zone now and is already rebuilding it in the image of what she thinks an efficient military state should be. Countries change hands and then just change in general. That’s the way things are.”

“But the Fright Zone used to be your family’s Queendom.” Sea Hawk reminded her. “Don’t you. I donno… wanna take it back? I mean, now that Hordak’s out of the picture. That places you back in power, right?”

Tapping her pincer on her lips again, Scorpia thought about that. Her in charge of the Fright Zone. Her responsible for all that technology and industry. All the weapons and vehicles. The cities and the land. The soldiers, and the workers, the people in general. She compared it to her own experiences as a Force Captain, commanding and managing vehicles and soldiers on a smaller scale. She remembered that one day she went almost out of her mind trying to find armor for soldiers that refused to fight so that Catra could plan an attack that never ended up happening.

Scorpia shook her head. “Nah. I’m a field commander. I work best out in the open and with small groups. I don’t think I could rule a whole territory.” She admitted. “Let Lonnie keep the Fright Zone. She already seems like she’s doing a better job than I ever could or Hordak ever did. She smart and adaptable, and I’m…” for some reason the image of Catra threatening her with a stun baton flashed through her mind “…slow. I’m slow at figuring things out. With people.”

That was a sobering comment and it made Sea Hawk pause and look inward at himself and his own relationships with people. “I’m slow at that too.” He finally concluded. “Mermista only ever wanted to spend time with me what she needed something from me. She wasn’t manipulative about it or anything. She flat out told me, in words, ‘no you’re just my ride’ and I ignored it and only heard what I wanted to hear. Until, finally, she wouldn’t even let me hang out at the palace when she had her friends over.”

“I guess, people are kind like nations.” Scorpia muttered. “People act differently depending on who they’re with, just like countries are different depending on who’s in charge. Catra was always so angry whenever we’d run into Adora. But when she was with me, or Lonnie, Kyle and the team, she was better. Calmer. More social. Less discontent. People change depending on who they’re with just like countries do.”

They lapsed into a forlorn silence. Both reflecting on how the people they loved were different around other people. Or how they themselves were different depending on who they were with.

Emily gave a sober little trill. Even she recognized that she had been different before she met Entrapta.

The people a person –or robot- meets change them. Sometimes only temporarily, sometimes only for the space of that meeting. Or, sometimes, irrevocably for the rest of their lives. It all depended on the people and the meeting.

“Catra always wanted to win.” Scorpia announced without prompting. “But she didn’t actually want to be happy.” A pensive frown. “I think, if I’m going to try liking someone again, I need to find someone who wants to be happy.”

Sea Hawk paused a bit longer, still reflecting on himself and his own failed relationship before announcing, “Mermista and I didn’t really have that much in common. I mean, she’s ruler of the seas, and I’m a sailor. It kinda just made sense for me to be in love with her. You know the old cliché about the sailor in love with a sea goddess.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I guess I was more in love with the idea of Mermista than Mermista herself. If I’m gonna fall in love again, I have to look for someone I share common interests with.”

“Shame they don’t offer a ‘romance orientation’ huh?” She joked, remembering how helpful Force Captain Orientation had been when she was first promoted.

“Orientation? Heck! They should offer a full-length class!” He agreed.

They shared a subdued laugh, the mood lightening up again. Not quite as light as it was before, but certainly not as grim and sober as they were just a few short moments ago.

There was a moment’s pause to appreciate the fact that they each had someone who understood them and they could commiserate with. Maybe after this was all over they could still be friends. And when they were each ready to get back in the dating pool, they could go to one another for a second opinion on the women they chose to date so that neither one set themselves up for heartbreak again.

Sea Hawk brushed some non-existent dust off his white shirt. “Welp, we’re about to cross over into the Growling Sea.” He announced. “I’ll need to be back at the helm.”

“Uh, yeah.” Scorpia agreed. She certainly didn’t know what to expect from a place called the ‘Growling’ Sea.

…

Swift Wind landed on a grassy cliff overlooking the ocean.

Not just because he would need a rest before flying three people all the way across the sea.

They all needed a moment to get their bearings. Adora wanted to give the rest of them the rundown of what Beast Island was like and what they could expect. She had never been herself, but back during the five minutes she was a Force Captain before she defected, she did receive a memo about it. She wanted to take an opportunity to strategize with the others and come up with a plan –not that any of their plans ever seemed to work, but it just made her feel more confident to have one.

Bow was not-so-low-key freaking out that they may-or-may-not have kidnapped Entrapta’s heir from their home. Yeah, Dak chose to go with them. Wanted to go with them. And was an active participant in their escape from the castle. Not just releasing him and Adora from the dungeon, but getting the sword and their other weapons back from the occupying Horde, and fighting off Imp and the rest of the Horde that tried to stop them from leaving. So, Dak at least, did not feel like they were kidnapped. But Dak was still a child, and Bow and Adora were (also still technically children) closer to adults and he had to wonder if they might have accidentally manipulated Dak into doing what they wanted. Bow needed to take a few minutes to work his feelings out.

Dak was anxious to get the still unconscious Imp out of their tool bag and examine the little deamon to make sure he was okay and not permanently damaged. Imp had been Dak’s companion consistently for their entire life thus far. The hybrid’s earliest memories were of Imp helping Scorpia to smuggle them out of the Fright Zone. Of Imp sitting with them while Scorpia tried to teach Dak how to feed themself and use the toilet. Of Imp trying to teach them how to hunt as best as the tiny deamon could. Then, in the heat of the moment, Dak struck Imp on the head because the little deamon was trying to prevent them going with Adora and Bow to rescue mother. Dak saw the android’s eyes go staticy and short out. They hoped they didn’t kill Imp!

The hybrid unzipped their tool bag, while Adora started gathering stones from the ground and arranging them in a circle in the glass.

“Okay, this is Beast Island.” She announced, then looked up to make sure the others were paying attention.

Swift Wind was eating grass.

Bow was biting his nails, and glancing from Dak to the direction they’d just come, and looking worried.

Dak was laying the winged troll in the glass and examining him.

“Guys! Focus!” She snapped.

Swift Wind lifted his head to give her this look like, ‘If I have to carry all three of you flightless bipeds across an ocean, I’m gonna need a snack and a rest.’ Then gave a very equine snort and went back to eating grass.

Bow kinda hugged himself. “I think we’re kidnappers.” He muttered. “What if we’re bad guys? How are we gonna be able to face the other Princesses? How am I gonna face my dads? They raised me better than this. What am I gonna do!?”

Dak did not look up from Imp. But they were the only one to assure Adora, “I’m paying attention.”

Adora rolled her eyes. She was begging to realize that, to spite being the child of Lord Hordak, leader of the Evil Horde, Dak fit in with their group dynamic almost seamlessly. Clearing her throat, Adora tried to continue. “This is Beast Island. The Horde have a prison compound on the south coast. Here.” She stuck a stick in the ground to mark the location of the compound. “The main entrance and exit connects directly to the harbor. They’ll be expecting a frontal assault from there. But, aside from the tyrosours, none of the beast on Beast Island can fly, so security will be more relaxed on the roof.”

Bow paused in his freaking out over possibly being a kidnapper to freak out over something else. “Wait, did you say some of the man-eating beasts of Beast Island can fly?”

“She said just the tyrosours fly.” Dak supplied, still not looking up from Imp’s inert body. Apparently, the hybrid really was paying attention even if they didn’t look like they were.

“Right.” Nodded Adora. “Which is why we’re gonna swoop down on Swift Wind and break in through the roof.”

“Do I get a say in this?” Swift Wind cut in, looking up from the grass he was eating. “I’d at least appreciate it if you consulted me before just deciding that I’m gonna be dive-bombing Horde compounds while also dodging human-eating beasts that fly as well as I do.”

A deep and gravely groan of frustration cut upwards from Adora’s throat. “No one said the tyrosours would even be there. All I said was that they’re the only beasts on Beast Island that fly. I never said they would be anywhere near the prison. The beasts are supposed to keep to the jungle. We probably won’t even see any of the Beat Island beasts at all. Okay?”

Bow and Swift Wind exchanged a glance. They had become genre savvy enough by this point to know that, now that one of them said it out loud, not only would they encounter a Beast Island beast, they would probably encounter the Great Beast itself.

“Don’t made that face!” Adora snapped.

“We weren’t looking at you.” Swift Wind informed her.

“I know.” She snapped. “I know what you were saying to each other.”

Both Bow and Swift Wind opened their mouths to reply. But before another word could escape either of them, they were cut off by the other member of their party.

“Ah, ha!” Dak exclaimed triumphantly. The hybrid had found a seam in the skin covering Imp’s head. A line concealed behind a pointed ear, and running up to the tuft of hair on the deamon’s head. Hooking their talons in the seam, Dak managed to peel the android’s face off, revealing the circuitry and workings underneath.

Swift Wind, Adora, and Bow all forgot their conversation in the wake of such… mechanical gore?

“I’m still listening.” Dak informed them, still not looking up from Imp. “Keep going. We probably won’t see the Beast Island beasts.”

All three of them just stood there, staring, wide-eyed, gap-mouthed, at this child that looked no older than ten years peel the face and hair off of what had previously looked like a nightmare toddler.

Holding Imp’s naked robotic head in their hands, the hybrid used their hair to reach into their tool bag. Pulling out thin and delicate instruments for small detail work on sensitive pieces of tech.

If the others asked what Dak was doing, the hybrid would not be able to tell them. They didn’t have the words to describe that they were concerned they might have knocked something loose or broken some vital inner component when they hit the deamon. They could not name the parts they were trying to repair, or the tools they were using. But that didn’t mean they didn’t know what they were doing. After spending all their free time in the Locked Room after it was opened, Dak had developed an almost instinctual understanding of robotics and machines. Tech ‘spoke’ to them in a way that could not be explained to others.

Bow was the first to recover from the shock of watching –what he always thought was Hordak’s pet, or baby, or both- get its face peeled off. He knelt next to Dak, always eager to learn something that could improve his own knowledge and understanding of tech. “Can I help.”

One of the tools held in Dak’s hair pressed against something and one of the deamon’s ears slid out, revealing memory boards that looked like they hadn’t been part of the android’s original design. Like they were extra data storage added at a later date after Imp’s construction.

“Hold his head for me.” Dak passed the android to the archer. They laid down on their belly to be on an even level with the now open head and its extra memory boards.

It looked like Dak’s hit did indeed knock something loose. The connectors that kept the extra memory plugged into the rest of the processing array had come apart. Dak reached in a couple thin tendrils of hair. Literally, hair thin. They reattached the connections and slid the extra memory boards back into the place. Picked up one of those tiny and delicate tools and, with the deftness of a surgeon, soldered them into place so that –barring another trauma- they would not get knocked loose again.

The moment they were in place, Imp’s mouth opened and a recording began to play. The voice sounded like Hordak’s. Like Hordak’s, but no quite Hordak’s. Like Hordak if he were more… tired? Regretful? …Remorseful? Those were certainly emotions none of them could imagine the original Hordak feeling, never mind allowing to seem into his voice when he knew he was being recorded.

“If you’re hearing this, Zero-Zero-Three, then I’ve gone to join the All High Host.” Said the voice that was almost a clone of Hordak’s voice. “I always knew it was a dangerous game I was playing, and if you’re sitting in my cabinet seat right now, then it’s a game you’re going to have to learn to play well. You’re a slow learning, Zero-Zero-Three, but you do learn. Learn quickly, because in this game you either win –or you die. I like to think I played it very well for many years. Clearly, I did not win-“

The recording cut off abruptly when Dak slid Imp’s ear back into the place.

“Wait, I wanted to hear that.” Bow blinked at the abrupt cut off. “I didn’t think the Horde played games.”

“Training games.” Both Dak and Adora supplied in almost perfect unison.

The hybrid turned their head to look at her. Their eyes meeting and a weird kind of understanding passed between them.

Adora had been raised in the Horde. They did not play games for fun. They trained. They spared, had skirmishes, held mock battles. There was a points system, or one hit matches. They were war games. Battle games. Training games. But they were not games for fun and leisure.

Dak did not grow up in the Horde. At least, not in the same way that Adora had. There was a Horde presence in their home, in the very castle they grew up in. But the Horde was not in control of Dak’s training. Dak was trained by Imp. Trained in stealth. In moving unseen. In tracking something that was trying to evade you. In catching quarry. Hunting games. At first, they had been fun games… until the hybrid developed other interests.

Imp’s eyes flickered for half a moment and Dak rolled the skin back over his face. Pulling the back half of skin-shell back up by the tuft of nylon-fiber hair. Dak was just making sure the seam in the skin was securely resealed when the flickering of the deamon’s eyes finally solidified into his normal golden-yellow glow.

Imp gave a screech of distress at finding himself in a completely different place from where he was when falling asleep. He leapt into the air, flapping on frantic wings. Flitting from one direction to the other, trying to get his bearings on where they were.

“Calm down.” Dak pleaded with the creature.

All that succeeded in doing was turning Imp’s distress on themself. The little deamon swooped down to snarl and chitter in the hybrid’s face. Shrieking, and squawking, sounding like a pack of angry monkeys rather than the one, singular, flying goblin he was.

What was master’s heir thinking? Aligning themself with the traitor and her companions! Imp was beside himself with frustration, and he let master’s heir know it.

“Wow.” Commented Swift Wind. “You kiss Hordak’s boots with that mouth.”

Turning away from the angry deamon, Dak blinked confused eyes at the horde. “I’m Hordak.”

“Other Hordak, little foal.” The stallion clarified.

By opening his mouth, Swift Wind effectively drew the deamon’s attention to him and before he knew it, the winged horde was getting his own face-full of angry screeching goblin baby. Squawking and chittering, growling and snarling. Making very animalistic sounds that the humans –and human hybrid- of their party couldn’t understand. But Swift Wind –the actual animal of their group- understood perfectly. He snorted, shooting a jet of warm air at the flapping deamon, unimpressed. “That’s exactly the kind of thing I’d expect from the minion of a despotic colonizer!”

Imp blinked at having a creature actually understand him for once. Most organic being just assumed his attempts to communicate were noise. He recovered quickly, and launched into another chittering and squawking rant.

“Oh, yeah? How’s that working out for ya so far?” The stallion gave an odd little shrug of his wings, as if the deamon was completely inconsequential.

Tendrils of hair wrapped themselves around Imp and before he knew what was happening, the little deamon was plucked out of the air and hugged tightly against Dak’s torso. “Imp, calm down.” The child pleaded. “We’re going to rescue mother.”

The android gave another squawk of protest.

“He doesn’t want you to rescue the Princess.” Swift Wind translated for everyone. “He wants you to assume control of the Horde and finish conquering Etheria.”

“Don’t want to.” Dak shook thier head. The hybrid looked down to address the struggling deamon in their arms when they repeated. “Don’t want to.”

Imp chittered out something quickly, almost frantically.

Everyone looked back up at Swift Wind for a translation, since his animal mind with a human intelligence somehow understood the alien android’s feral-sounding ‘language’.

“He says you’ll need the army.” Explained the stallion, looking confused. “…if the emperor opens the portal from his side?”

“The portal!” Now the deamon had Adora’s full and undivided attention. “But I closed the portal.”

She closed the portal. Saved the world from being un-made. Restored things to the way they were before the portal was opened. None of the Horde from the other side got through. That should have been the end of it. It was closed. She closed it. It was over. Done with.

Except, when was anything ever that simple?

Adora looked out across the ocean. Somewhere, on an island beyond those blue waves was the woman who built that portal in the first place. If it was possible for someone to open a portal from the other side, she would know.

Now, more than before, Adora needed to rescue Entrapta.

[atekasey]

My Top 5 Games of 2019

As I like to do every year, here’s some collected ramblings about my opinions of some games I played and really liked this year. While there were a lot more than 5 games that I enjoyed this year, I only had strong opinions about these 5. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on my top 5 games of the year of our lord 2019.

DISCO ELYSIUM

Full disclosure: I have not finished Disco Elysium; I am about three quarters of the way through the 3rd day. Regardless, I loved so much of what little I played that I consider it one of the best games of the year, based solely on the world-building and characterizations I’ve encountered so far.

Disco Elysium is an adventure game/RPG where the only stats you build up are personality stats and thought processes, which affects how you talk to people and interact with the environment. The main plot is about you playing as an amnesiac cop tasked with solving a murder at the centre of a labour dispute, but to be honest I couldn't really care less about the main plot. Not to say the plot is bad per se, it just didn't grab me like how the setting and individual characterizations did. The main plot was nothing more than a vehicle for me to explore and find out more about Revachol, its residents, and how all of them came to be who they are. The amazing writing that underpins every interaction is what makes the individual interactions so compelling.

When I woke up every morning (in the game world, mind you), the only thing I wanted to do is talk to people, conveniently ignoring the dialogue choices that furthered the plot until the end of the conversation. The pétanque-playing veterans who have some scathing opinions about communist theory, the paledriver who's mind is corrupted by nostalgia, the mysterious balcony smoker who I later learned was part of the homosexual underground, the Semanese race theorist who I wanted nothing more than to punch in the face if not for my low physical instrument stat, these are just some examples of the extremely varied characters you meet while you investigate some dead dude or whatever, I guess. Speaking of the paledriver, learning about the true nature of the pale from the White Pines rep was a pivotal moment for me personally, as it made the world feel both unique and existentially terrifying. All these little details and more create the rich tapestry that is Disco Elysium. Also, some dude was murdered??? Who cares about that, I need to make my sorry-cop sing depressing karaoke!

I should really get back and finish it.

CONTROL

I remember the first time I read SCP-087 back in the day, and it introduced me up to the horrifying (and sometimes comedic) world of SCP. For those who don't know SCP (which can stand for "special containment procedures" or "secure, contain, protect", depending where you look), is a collaborative fiction wiki about fake government reports on the supernatural and paranormal. It's the bureaucratic nature of SCPs that really drew me into reading them, making it feel like I was reading real government reports.

So imagine my delighted surprise when I first played Control, I picked up the first of many report-type collectible and saw that it was written almost exactly like an SCP entry. Control is a game that asks "what if the SCP Foundation was a real branch of the US government?" and goes off the deep-end with that premise in the best possible way. The bureaucratic mundanity of the Federal Bureau of Control really shines in these reports, as you read report after report of some other-worldly phenomenon while also reading reports about the monthly book club. Beyond that, actually playing control was fun and engaging... up until the end. Jesse is a great protagonist, and the characters you meet along the way have great personality and give life to the bureau. The Oldest House is a fascinating setting to explore, with it’s brutalist look and nooks and crannies that change and spiral off in otherworldly ways. Unfortunately, for all the build-up the story was leading to, it ends on a pretty lame whimper. But the lackluster ending did not sway my overall love for Control. No one makes games like Remedy at the AAA level, and I'm happy they are making games like Control. I cannot wait for the DLC for this game to get back into it.

Also, the PC version of control does a phenomenal job at showing off how ray-tracing really is the future of lighting and graphics. The real-time reflections alone, where the scene I was watching was reflected almost perfectly on a pane of glass like an actual reflection (in real-time, no less!) was a marvel to look at. And, not since Quake 2 did coloured lighting look so pretty. Suffice to say, Control justified my RTX 2080 purchase single-handedly.

AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES

I have what one can say a love/hate relationship with the Zero Escape series. The first entry, 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors, is one of my favourite games of all time (currently ranked 3rd, if you care at all, which you probably don't, sorry to bother you), and while the cliffhanger ending of the sequel, Virtue's Last Reward, made me excited to see where the series would go, Zero Time Dilemma ultimately did not offer a satisfying conclusion. Not only did ZTD barely resolve any of the threads started in VLR, but it was a very disappointing conclusion to the entire Zero Escape series as a whole (Junpei and Akane's story just getting a tossed-off mention after you beat the game about how "they lived happily ever after" and nothing else? THEY DESERVED BETTER!). So when it was announced that the creator of the Zero Escape series, Kotaro Uchikoshi, was making a new game called AI: The Somnium Files, I was cautiously optimistic. I hoped ZTD was just a one-off and not indicative of a downward trend starting to happen, and Uchikoshi still had it in him to tell a compelling story.

Very fortunately (for me at least), AI: The Somnium Files delivered in the best possible way, meeting and thoroughly exceeding my expectations.

It took some time before the game adhered itself to me as a truly great game, unlike Zero Escape. In the Zero Escape games, given the Saw-like murder games the characters were forced to participate in, there was an sense of urgency to the story that helped propel it right from minute one. AI, on the other hand, is more procedural, which makes sense given that you're playing as Kaname Date, a cop who has a fake eye that is also an AI named AIBA (trust me, it makes sense in context), trying to solve the murder of his adopted daughter's birth mom. Not to strip the act of murder from the seriousness it deserves, but AI ends up being more lighthearted than the Zero Escape games, which only made me enjoy the game more. AI takes its time to explore it's story and characters, letting scenes breath and focus on characters instead of the mystery at hand, allowing said characters to have more development and growth. I bring this up only so I can talk about Mizuki Okiura, Date's adoptive daughter, who quickly becomes the standout character from the game. A back-talking, street-wise 12-year-old punk who forces her way into becoming Date's "partner" as he unravels an ever-growing conspiracy of politics, missing eyeballs, and twitch streamers (again, please trust me, it makes sense in context).

She also has a lead pipe she likes to beat people with.

Mizuki is the best.

She is THE BEST!

Make an entire game about her YOU COWARDS!!

...Anyways, structurally, AI plays similarly to Zero Escape, but with more adventure game elements to it. You still follow a flow-chart that branches depending on story choices you make, and you need to see all branches to complete the story. Not to keep comparing AI to the Zero Escape games (that's why I'm playing this game, so that's the lens I'm analyzing this game through; this is my essay, I can do what I want, you’re not my real dad), but unlike the Zero Escape games, AI ends on a legitimate, no-fooling, unambiguous happy ending that couldn't have put a bigger smile on my face. Sure, it was corny, but the entire game was corny, and ultimately I didn't care! I was just happy that I wasn't uber-depressed after playing one of Uchikoshi's games! It even ends on a dance number consisting of the entire cast of characters!

AI is a good time all-around!

(Except for the murders. Those are bad...probably...)

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

Yes, this game came out last year, but honestly I don't care. I played it this year and that's all that matters. However, as I am coming to this game later than most, most of what can be said about Red Dead 2 has already been said by way smarter people than I am, so I won't retread any of that well-trodden ground. So, I'll keep this short: Arthur Morgan's journey is one of the best told story in AAA gaming to date, and never have I felt more like a rustic cowboy wandering the the old west. People harped on the sluggish nature of the controls, but I honestly liked it, as it added to that feeling of being a wandering cowboy. I took my time meandering through the the forests of Roanoke Ridge, the deserts of New Austin, and the red earth of Scarlet Meadows. There was nothing more that I enjoyed in this game than gearing up, getting on my horse and just riding aimlessly until I encountered something that catches my attention, whether that be a 3-star animal, a legendary fish, or even a dilapidated church on a civil war battlefield. I put in well over 100 hours on PS4 earlier this year, and I've put in another 100+ hours on PC, and I don't see myself putting it down anytime soon.

Fucking superb, you funky little cowboy game.

OUTER WILDS

Outer Wilds is not only the best game of 2019, but probably one of my top 5 favourite games of all time. It's hard to describe what makes Outer Wilds a truly one-of-a-kind experience for me without spoiling the ending. It's a game driven purely by exploration and discovery. Knowledge of the world and how it works is the sole "progression" system in the entire game; so much so that you can beat it in your very first first session if you happened to have the discoveries spoiled for you. Go into as blind as possible, that’s what I did and it made the experience all the more special. Play this game, you will not be disappointed.

At this point, I will be spoiling the major parts of the story of Outer Wilds, primarily the ending, because it is the thing that I have not been able to stop thinking about since I first experienced it. Be warned that there be major spoilers beyond this point. Given that Outer Wilds is all about discovery, I highly recommend you do not read anything beyond this point if you haven't beaten it. Again, play this game, you will not be disappointed.

One of my earliest existential fears was when I learned about the lifespan of stars in the second grade. I remember it vividly: sitting in class, hearing my teacher describe the stages of a star's life, going from normal-sized star to red giant, then eventually to a supernova, then explaining that will happen to our Sun as well. The dawning realization that the Sun will grow to a size that will envelop the Earth terrified me beyond anything that has ever terrified me up until that point in my albeit short life. I couldn't sleep for days without fearing that the sun will expand, consume the Earth and burn everyone I ever loved alive. It didn't matter that my teacher said it would take millions upon millions of years before the Sun ever reached this stage, this was my single-biggest fear.

Fast-forward 23 years later to beginning of June of 2019, I pick up Outer Wilds based on the buzz the game was getting. I knew the game was based around a time-loop à la Majora’s Mask, but had no idea about one of it’s biggest “mechanics,” so to speak. My first few runs in that game resulted in premature deaths, so it took me a little bit to realize that the Sun explodes after 22 minutes and envelops everything in a fiery blaze. Seeing my childhood fear unfolding right in from of me just drove me to unravel the mysteries of the universe I inhabited, if nothing more so that I could find a way to stop it. As I learned more about the ostensible precursor race, the Nomai, whom were fixated on finding something called the Eye of the Universe but perished before they could find it, I got it in my head that, if I can just do what the Nomai failed to do, I could stop all of this from happening. Every time the time loop started, I would run out into space and unraveling the mystery further and further, each time being obliterated by the sun at the end of 22 minutes (or dying in a really stupid physics-y way), getting closer and closer to finding out what’s really going on.

Eventually, I discovered enough information to accomplish the task of reaching the Eye of the Universe: I found the coordinates of the Eye, a ship with the necessary warp-drive to get there, and a power source to make it all happen. With the keys in-hand to finally unlocking the answer to this mystery, I set off on what would be my final run: I performed the necessary tasks, said one last goodbye to the Solar System, and barreled into what I would eventually learn is the quantum singularity of time and space, a.k.a the Eye of the Universe. I stepped out into a vast, cold emptiness of quantum existence that was the Eye and wondered around, looking for something, anything. After falling through what seemed to be a quantum vortex, I eventually found a museum not unlike the one you find at the beginning of the game; a museum that is part of the tutorial for the game. This museum contains a picture at the entrance showcasing the founders of the Outer Wilds Ventures space program, the in-universe space program your nameless, faceless alien character is a part of. However, in this quantum facsimile of this tutorial museum, which is cloaked in darkness save for the sole light emanating from your spacesuit, you're positioned to see the same picture you saw at the beginning of the game, only this time a new caption appears when inspecting it:

"Outer Wilds Ventures was founded by Feldspar, Gossan, Slate, and Hornfels to explore a solar system at the end of the universe."

I'm not trying to be hyperbolic when I say that: reading that caption started to make me go through the 5 stages of grief. I was immediately in denial of what I just read. “How could the universe be ending? The Hearthians just started their space program! How unfair it is for them for the universe they were just about to explore to end like that! Also, this is a video game! You’re supposed to give me the feel-good ending of being the hero and stopping the universe-ending event from ever happening!” As I explored the quantum museum more, the fact that the universe actually ending became more and more apparent and harder to ignore. Then, I recalled pieces of information I encountered during my travels that hinted (or plainly stated and I was too deluded to acknowledge them) that the universe was ending, and transitioned to the 2nd stage of grief: anger. Anger at myself for missing something so obvious and deluding myself into thinking that I could enact change on such a cosmic scale. I quickly entered the 3rd stage, bargaining, as I tried to snap myself out of it. “The game was pulling a fast one on me,” I told myself, “I hadn't reached the "end" of the ending yet, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Let’s not count all our chickens before they hatch!” I interacted with with the final prompt in the quantum museum, which transported me to a forest filled with galaxies. One by one, I watched these galaxies explode and fade from existence, until all that was left was darkness. It was at this point, I truly realized there was no stopping this, and I transitioned into the 4th stage: depression.

Through my depression, I stumbled across the dark, quantum glade to where I eventually found a quantum facsimile of myself, which no joke spooked me. Then all of a sudden, a campfire appears. The game asks me to settle, roasts some marshmallows, which I do, I guess. “What else can I do? It’s all pointless, the universe is over!” As I roast marshmallow after marshmallow, I'm eventually joined by a facsimile of the first Outer Wilds Ventures companion I met after launching into the stars for the first time: Esker. Esker  (”Feskermile? does that work?”) wants me to gather all the other facsimiles of the Outer Wilds Ventures folk I’ve met during my travels and have one last campfire jamboree. Still feeling defeated and hopeless, I begrudgingly set out into the darkness of the quantum forest to find Feldspar, Gabbro, Chert, and Riebeck, along with Solanum, the kinda-but-not-really-last-living Nomai I met on the Quantum Moon. Once everyone was gathered around the campfire, they started played the tune I've heard all throughout my travels in the solar system. A melody that immediately starts flooding my brain with memories of my adventures: seeing the islands of Giant’s Deep being flung into space by a storm of tornadoes; the asteroids of Hollow’s Lantern destroying the surface of Brittle Hollow, revealing a black hole core; traversing the endless fog of Dark Bramble while dodging giant eldritch anglerfish; watching the sand majestically trade places between the hourglass twins. All of these memories and more came rushing to the forefront of my mind as I listened to the characters I’ve come to know and love play the same blissful tune that propelled me on my journey up until this exact point.

As the members of the Outer Wilds Ventures space program and the both-living-and-dead Nomai finished playing their song, a new universe is born from the ashes of the doomed universe we're all currently in, which indicated to me that this is truly the end, not just for the universe, but also for the game in general. So, with a heavy sigh, I went around the campfire one last time and spoke with every character as a way to say goodbye. It was when I talked to Riebeck, the ever-optimistic banjo player, that I finally transitioned into the 5th and last stage of grief: acceptance.

"The past is past, now, but that's... you know, that's okay! It's never really gone completely. The future is always built on the past, even if we won't get to see it."

A wave of catharsis washed over my entire being. Grief is a feeling that I never truly felt while playing a video game before playing Outer Wilds. Sure, I've been sad when I character I liked gets killed and the like, but I never experienced grief so profound like the one I felt during the ending of Outer Wilds. It was grief for a universe still teeming with life about to end; it was grief for a species that just started looking at the stars not being able to fully explore their own domain; it was grief for a species that never saw the fruits of their scientific labour; ultimately, it was grief about the inevitability of death. Abject terror flooded my mind when I finally realized that the universe was truly ending and I was powerless to stop it. But that single line of dialogue from Riebeck allowed me to appreciate what was happening. I was finally happy, not because it was truly over, but because I was able to experience everything I did up until the very end. No ending, no matter the cosmic scale of it, can ever take away the memories I had existing in this universe.

With that, I collected myself, took one last look at everyone around the campfire, and collapsed the singularity, ending the current universe and giving birth to a new one, with the clearest sense of purpose I've ever had: I was finally able to confront and conquer one of my biggest fears.