#if i was more intelligent this would be a fanfic or a piece of art but unfortunately i’m stupid

[suika-suigetsu]

about suikarin, who do think was first to confess 👀👀👀 cuz I knowww they were bothering juugo with their obnoxious mutual pining. or maybe juugo just got used to it.

About Jugo, I think he thought they were a couple even before they actually got together. I crack up at those official art pieces where Jugo is like "😓 Can you guys stop flirting for a second so we can take a picture...?", LMAO.

He's sure they're already together, even if they deny it.

About confessing, I have two theories.

In both, I think they have a friendship with benefits, where they love each other, but prefer not to make it serious. Suigetsu is sure he's loved Karin since the end of the war, but she still denies her love to herself because she's too proud.

Anyway, the first theory is that Suigetsu took advantage of this moment to finally confess:

We notice that he doesn't make the same joke as always, wanting to know if she likes Sasuke:

He already knows that she likes him (very likely that she told him herself after the serious conversation about it), So from that moment on, he just wants to know if she's over Sasuke. There's no joke in that, he wants to know.

And if he was even remotely intelligent, he understood that she meant that she still loves Sasuke, but in a different way (just like she loves Sarada as a daughter, without her actually being her daughter). She loves Sasuke and will always love him, but her love is no longer romantic.

Anyway, the theory is that he confessed here and their relationship finally began. I find this theory more consistent and realistic.

The second theory is more of a hc/fanfic of mine, haha.

I think Karin said it first, but in a kind of... Out of time way, haha. I don't know if I'm making it clear here, but I don't think their relationship is that romantic. When I draw them being more affectionate, it's usually because someone asked for it.

So, in this one, she ends up confessing out of the blue, in the middle of a really intense s*x session... And that makes Suigetsu so happy that he confesses too. A beautiful scene that I will draw one day... Oh, so fanfic of me. But I just think Karin's kinky side would make it easier for her to confess during a moment like this. It would be funny and cute, haha.

That's it, I don't know which of the two theories I like more. 🤔

But regardless of what it is, they definitely get it on off the record, no doubts. 😭💕

[skadoosher77]

My Top 10 Books/Series I Read in 2024

#10 Blind Chaos by CrimCat

A fanfiction of Beneath the Dragoneye Moons that is just fucking delightful. Made me fall in love with that world again, I absolutely recommend it if you're familiar with the source.

#9 Sporemageddon Vol. 3 by RavensDagger

The third volume of a wonderfully revolutionary story about a little girl sticking it to the entire concept of industry. You can imagine why I like it so much.

#8 Hive Minds Give Good Hugs by Natalie "Thundamoo" Maher

The most dense and morally fascinating of Maher's books. It was the last I got around to (other than Are You Even Human?, which is still releasing serially and I couldn't put here in good conscious.) and the one I recommend most to newcomers to her work, even if they're all fucking fantastic.

#7 The Type Specialist by Incarnated Whisp

The Pokémon fanfiction that put the fire (or should I say acid?) in my belly to start writing my own fanfic. It's classic Pokémon adventure fun with the added depth and maturity of the written word, without dragging it out of the lighthearted root of the setting. The approach to adapting Pokémon to the format was what inspired me most, and for good reason. (Embarrassingly, I haven't finished it.)

#6 Judicator Jane (books 1-3) by Brian Rouleau

A LitRPG about morality. I've had plans for my own LitRPG series, and this one stole some of the thoughts right out of my head. It has heart and tenacity in spades. I love a book that gives me something to chew on after it's done, and this series was like a crate full of bubblegum.

#5 Ruri Dragon (After the hiatus) by Masaoki Shindo

I loved the Ruri Dragon oneshot, was enthralled when I found the chapters from its initial serialization, and I could not have been happier that it returned this year. It's a conversational, affable, contemporary, and deeply human piece of art. It has none of the bullshit that makes most manga so unreadable and all of the parts that cement the artform as something worthwhile. Every character feels like a whole and entire person that could be brought off the page any minute, and I would love to meet them all.

#4 Bioshifter (Vol. 1-3) By Natalie "Thundamoo" Maher

I let Maher off lightly in the recommendation for Hive Minds Give Good Hugs, but dude Thundamoo is for the freaks! This is a story that made me cry over and over again with grief, laugh over and over again with glee, shout over and over again in shock and excitement, and still my main takeaway was that I need more body horror in my life. The core theme of this series is something everyone should know about. These books fucked me sideways, and I literally came back to do it again.

#3 Worm by Wildbow

Where to start? I do not want to spoil a thing about this book. It is so fucking good and you should go and read the shit out of it right now. Yes, that's the praise I'm giving the #3 spot, the other two are even better. It's got superpowers and they're cool, but that is far from the main draw. Is it rough around the edges? Yes. Is it bad about certain things? Yes. Does any of that affect how much it grabbed my brain by the balls? Fuck no!

#2 Artificial Jelly (books 1 & 2) by Dustin Graham

Honestly, I didn't expect this to take this spot. Artificial Jelly, unlike my other favorite books and series this year, does not stick to one theme that pulses at its heart. Instead, Artificial Jelly has something effecting and important to say about every single one of the questions and ideas that have pervaded this year for me. It's a story about a general artificial intelligence born into a virtual cage, and what happens next. Read it.

#1 Vigor Mortis (Vol. 1-4) by Natalie "Thundamoo" Maher

These books are the reason that two other entries of this list are by Natalie "Thundamoo" Maher, they made me fall in love with her writing. I found them at a time I was in need of something to latch onto, and what a handhold I found. THEMES. I fucking love a good theme! Vigor Mortis is all about our monstrous natures, a theme I desperately needed tackled at the time. Every new horror of the body, mind, and/or soul didn't just elicit a girlish squeal of excitement and intrigue (and more than a few times arousal), but also a beautifully fucked up philosophy debate between me and the book. EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. is a challenge to your view of how morally right beings should act, and I would not have it any other way. Best of all, it does not feel preachy, it is an excellent experience the whole way through regardless of if you engage with it. I have two complaints, but they are not for this post, because I need you to go out and buy these fucking books. They will make your life better.

[greenerteacups]

hey GT!

this is a somewhat silly question, but as i admire your writing a lot, i thought id give it a shot.

i’ve relatively new to dramione and ao3 and writing fics in general, so i wanted to ask your experience with gaining audience, and how long this process took for you. popularity is definitely subjective, but my question is defining ao3 popularity as a dedicated readership that regularly engages with content. what is your experience with this? do you think you would write fanfics even without an audience?

Ah, yes! My experience with building a readership is as follows:

Write whatever the hell you want, and make it as weird as possible.

Try to do it good.

Get insanely lucky.

Popularity is usually an accident. It comes from random collisions of audience and art at the right place at the right time, or from someone cross-posting on a thread that happens to get a lot of views, or from someone recomending your fic to their audience. Popular creators surf the changeable waves of random networks of influence. In general, consistency helps; posting regularly tells people when to look for your work, which reminds them to return to it; the more you post, the more people see, and the more likely they are to recommend one of your pieces to others; but these are just tips, not rules. The most effective way to get people to pay attention is to write good stuff, and do it often. This is a horrible thing to say, because it seems to imply that if you don't have people paying attention, you're not writing good stuff. That's absolutely not the case. If A -> B =/= if B -> A. Writing good stuff won't make you popular automatically, but like, nothing will. What makes you popular is accidents. And consistency makes it more likely that an accident will happen to you.

When I started writing, I was fully confident that I might just have like two or three people who were really into this weird concept I'd come up with (Gryffindor Draco is not the most popular trope in the fandom, and I knew that going in!). Sometimes I glance at the stats — usually on accident, when I'm posting a new chapter — but what I really care about are people in the comments, who not only donate their time to reading my (fucking ginormous) work, but donate more of it by sitting down and typing out something kind and intelligent for the benefit of me and other readers. The fact that anyone does that, literally anyone at all, is a reason enough to keep on.

But would I keep writing fanfics without an audience? Absolutely, yeah — and I do! There are a lot of fanfics on my Drive that I haven't published, either because they're in some way unfinished/unpolished/not up to standard, or because I just don't really want to share them with anybody. Those fics have an audience of 1, and that 1 is Future Me, who gets to forget about them, come back, and find (to her delight) that an author who shares her exact preferences and style has written a fic about something she finds fascinating. That person is your first and most important reader.

[hxhhasmysoul]

So, fanfic ideas.... If JJK and HxH characters were in No Power world, what would their job be if not become Jujutsu Sorcerer or Hunter (in your opinion)? Why? Please pick your top 5 fav characters from each.....

HxH

I have written several no powers moder AUs for this fandom. There's a lot that can be done with these guys.

Gon

I often put Gon in some field researcher shoes, in some biology filed, I did entomology and marine biology. But any specialisation suits him as long as he can go and observe by himself. He could also do some pro sport, team sports are interesting for him because how his personality is kinda both suited for it and clashes with it. I have also pictured Gon as an investigator and an artist, as he's very curious by nature and also creative.

Killua

For me Killua always starts off trapped in the plans his parents make for him. He's following his parents clan plans, be it business, law, medicine, competitive sport. And you can either make him try to make it his own or try to break off into something else. He's analytical and good at handling things and planning ahead so administrative work actually suits XD what a horrible thing to say. But also jobs that would lean into his protective side.

Alluka

She gives me very strong creative vibes, so any art or design related job suits her. She would also be good with people, she lives with Nanika and such cohabitation requires a lot of people skills.

Nanika

She wants to be around others but also to heal, so I see her as a doctor.

Canary

I've written her as an engineer, as a journalist, doctor. She gives off a nerdy vibe but she also has very high integrity. She could also do well as a fixer, considering how well she handled Amane.

Leorio

Doctor is obvious, it's a normal job. But he could also be any form of activist or idealistic politician. He could work as a community organiser, or someone helping troubled youth. He has this strong drive for serious societal change.

____________

JJK

I've never written a modern AU for this fandom.

Yuuji

Gege said that Yuuji would be a firefighter if he wasn't a sorcerer and that's a very good job for him. But any first responder job suits him. He's also good with animals so he could work at a rescue or sanctuary. He could also do well in medical fields because he's kind and strong and listens to what others tell him. He would make a great nurse or physiotherapist. But also a surgeon, that requires a lot of stamina and strength. Though doctor would feel more like mum pushing him into things because he's not very bookish. But we know his mum is capable of steering his life and development.

Nobara

Model, actress, idol - she's got the drive for it and the interest in being seen, making her mark. But also engineer, mechanic, repair person and obviously a carpenter. Wood has a lot of personality and I think she'd appreciate that. I could see her making furniture.

Kenjaku

They are very versatile. They could be a researcher, human reproduction comes to mind first, but to be honest whatever would catch their fancy they would just go for it. They are clearly a jujutsu and barrier nerd, so that could translate to physics or mathematics or maybe psychology? They could also embrace a career in comedy. But I also see Kenjaku as doing spy stuff, running intelligence or counter intelligence operations. They are so good at plotting, putting pieces on the board exactly where they want it.

Sukuna

Any high powered job would suit him, anything that would let him look down on others - business, politics, organised crime. But also teaching, especially university teaching, omg he has the professor vibes. He knows so much and he judges others on not having studied enough. But he also wants his students to excel, it's just that they will excel through tears, cursing his name. He could also be a therapist, some people in jjk already think he is one.

Yorozu

Scientist and engineer suit her. Cybernetics would be good for her, or working exotic materials and states of matter. Entomology too but more as a hobby that informs her studies. But also a wedding planner, she absolutely knows what's up. She'd specialise in theme weddings.

[cheesy-che]

for tmnt 40th asks!: 3 (for 2003), 19, 28, 35 and 36? :0c

TMNT’s 40th anniversary ask game!

Hello you! :3

19.) Who is your favorite ally?

Definitely April! She’s resourceful, and I see her acting as a cool, young aunt for the turtles. Or just an older friend, tbh. She is extremely caring and intelligent,  nothing stops her. I feel like she is one of the few who realizes (and makes them realize) that the TMNT are going through A LOT for teenagers. She’s grounded but also has her silly moments that are fun to watch. The way she cares about family values is one of the factors that explains why she stayed, in my opinion. 2003 April beloved…

28.) What is one thing you would like to see explored more in TMNT art/fics? You know the answer to this. You wanted me exposed, is that it? :’) I am absolutely obsessed with the concept of fluffy feelings in a world that’s harsh. (You might say I love “contrasts” or something.) These turtles deserve love and happiness that is exponential to the levels of trauma and adventures they endure. I have to admit I’m not very good at remembering the titles of the few fanfics that I read… but the ones I enjoyed the most are the ones shining light on how they are able to find joy in the little things while dealing with angst/trauma. How they can heal when receiving love and understanding from their brothers, their friends or even when OCs are thrown into the mix.

Most of the time, I love when the things they are going through are unsaid but very clear at the same time. The ninja turtles do a lot of that in canon. They are all sensible in their own ways, but I love to see the explanation being deeper in fanfics… which brings me to the fic that YOU wrote that I love so much, NERD. (Frost) 

TLDR : Fluff and angst!

35.) Which character relationships are your favorite to write/draw?

I don’t draw as much as I want to because I’m so out of practice and busy… hhhhhhhhhhh. I wish I did though… eventually… maybe… if I have enough self-confidence to post…..

As for writing, I’m obviously obsessed with my Original Character in the TMNT universe. She’s literally my muse. Writing about her relationship with any of the turtles makes me happy, but especially when I write about her interactions with Leonardo because I ship them :’). (I am cringe, but I am free.) 

But I think it goes along with what I wrote for the previous question. My favorite things to write about are when the four turtle brothers understand each other with little to no communication. Some things are simply too difficult to talk about, but they can communicate with actions and just be there for each other. I did write a piece forever ago here inspired by @sassatello’s Vacation AU… it’s probably bad HAHA – I TRIED…

As always, I don’t produce content as much as I want to because vague gesture of the hand capitalism, depression and all that. And I have to admit that the courage I need to actually post something sometimes is immense to me lol.

BUT YEAH… TLDR : Things left unsaid but completely understood by two or more characters. These characters being my OC x any turtle or any turtle x any turtle. I love all my sons.

36.) Which character do you have the hardest time writing/drawing?

Drawing : All of them. I straight up do NOT practice enough lol. Hence why I don’t often post my art.

Writing : For some reason, Michelangelo is the one that I have the most trouble writing with! He is lots of fun to write because I can just be sillier and more laid-back with the way he presents himself, but who knows what’s going on in that head of his LMAO. 

I feel like the three other turtles have a tendency to suppress their feelings in some way, and while he does it too, it’s very different. He’s more “jokey” and about it. We’ve seen how, in canon, he expresses what he thinks in a way that’s so casual it’s almost creepy lmaooooo. For example, in Grudge Match, Leonardo and him have this conversation when Leo suggests he can help Mikey with his training :

L : [...] to be so focused, so ready, that nothing and no one will ever catch you off guard again.

M : Um, we still talking about me here?

So like.. you KNOW that Mikey understood that his brother was troubled. But the way he expresses his worry with a joke? Bro. I love him so much for this HAHA but I have trouble recreating this in my writing.  ~ ~ ~

Thank you for reading my ramblings… I really appreciate it ;_; <3 

[amplifyme]

I have an update on Acquainted With the Night! :DDD

Finished Part I (of III); and Nan's writing is stunning. Only watched the Pilot episode of the show (will watch more when I get my hands on the series), but she nails the atmosphere and ALL of the character voices and motivations and is so beautifully, intelligently capable of so many things on so many levels. Incredible. (Glad you sent me the wikipedia link to catch up-- never would have seen those plot twists and turns coming from a mile away.)

I love Diana, love her to death. It's interesting approaching her character through a (I presume) post-series lens as opposed to seeing and growing attached to Catherine's love story. She's already firmly attached to Vincent; but the love really blooms after slowly getting used to his life Below. And him and sunlight...???? Beauuuuuuuuuuuuutiful, uhhh.

I love the quiet, the dark, theatrical fairytale mixed with the brash-in-check, empathetic street smarts of an on-the-ground, workaholic cop. Mouse's backstory (I understand now why you love his character so much), Vincent's teen years (Winslow and Pascal-- Nan's writing made me remember their character names within paragraphs of meeting them) Diana's loft, the computer, the fire, the roses, the danger and injuries, the tunnels, the wedding, the Bowry... but most of all, Vincent and Diana's completely in-sync communication that doesn't require them to "speak" the same and yet understand each other's language: ex. she calls him babe and yet he never asks why until halfway through; she defines rape and sits, watching him come to his own conclusions for over an hour; she cops out his motives yet misses the nuances, but understands his flowery interpretations and translates them with her playful and crudely simple analogies; etc. His trauma and gradual acceptance of and outreach for touch was... touching (heh.)

I'm so hooked on this series. Aaaaaaaaaaand I found "To every craft, its proper mystery"! What a surprise~~~~. (I tried to type the phrase into my search engine to see if it was a quote from somewhere else, too; and thus far nothing-- the only search results that come up are your blog, unprompted, and a few other assorted sites.) There are so many quotable lines that happen every other sentence... and all of them are beautiful.

Again, I am delighted that you posted the excerpts you did; otherwise, I would have missed out on a brilliant, brilliant story.

Responding under the cut...

You have no idea how happy this makes me! One of my favorite things in the world is being able to share this magical world of BATB and Nan's AWTN series. I've long considered it one of the best pieces of fiction ever written - fan or otherwise. I have to pull out the zines every couple years or so for a re-read, just because it's that good. I just wish there were scans of the zines themselves so you could experience all the fan art, too.

Your presumption is right: this is written through a post-series lens, often referred to as 4th Season fanfic. I love that you loved Mouse's origin story! Cat and Mouse is one of my very favorites in the series.

Oh, I was gonna warn you about You, Darkness, since it's a rather dark (but truthful) portrayal of Vincent's otherness and drives home the fact that he's not just a man who looks like a lion, he is a beast, too. So many of the Classic fans (those who ignore or deny the 3rd season and only accept Vincent with Catherine) prefer to overlook that beastly aspect of Vincent and don't seem to understand the terrible toll all the killings he committed in Cathy's defense had on the part of him that is a man. In the episode The Outsiders, Cathy tells him that there are dark places in all of us. His response sums it up well: "But part of me feeds in that darkness, and I am lost in it."

The S2 ending trilogy of What Rough Beast, Ceremony of Innocence and The Rest Is Silence examines the damage that darkness did to Vincent. Nan novelized those eps in the official book Beyond Words, Beyond Silence, which is my second favorite of her works. It's on the web page I linked you to and well worth reading to get a better understanding of Vincent. One of my favorites in AWTN 1 is Dialogues, because it really drives home how damaged he is post-Catherine. It also explains why I came to love Diana so. She never wanted a watchdog or Vincent's protection. All she ever wanted was him, in all his aspects, no apologies, no excuses.

The entire 3rd season is set up as a sort of flip-side to the V & C story. In it, Diana is the one to find an injured V and bring him to her home to heal and grow stronger. She's his protector. And I love that about her.

"To every craft, its proper mystery." ❤️ That's the single line of Nan's that's stuck with me all these years. It just really struck a chord with me. Such a short phrase, but it packs a punch.

Anyway, I'll stop before this becomes novel-length. Enjoy your journey, and keep me updated. You get to meet Devin, Vincent's brother, in AWTN 2. Oh, and As On a Darkling Plain is so, so good! I'll give you the backstory on that one once you get through it. I sure hope you're able to find a way to watch the entire series soon!

[tedlyanderson]

The original poster has put out some more thoughts on image generation and its relationship to existing forms/modes/models of art and artists, and it's sparked further thoughts in me. Nothing that alters my original conclusion (that generative AI cannot be considered "art" as such because art requires a conscious mind making choices, rather than an algorithm with a theoretically repeatable output given identical input), but worth chewing on further.

One of their contentions is that AI image generators are "learning" in the same way that a human being learns: they take in vast amounts of information, distill it, and then create based on what they've absorbed. An artist's work (and, for that matter, the artist as an individual) has been shaped by all the art they have seen in the life, in addition to the socio-political, environmental, material, etc. forces that shape us all.

Which constitutes objection number one: a human being is infinitely more complex than a generative AI, at least at the moment. You could quibble about how much art a person can "absorb" versus an AI, and the AI would probably win by orders of magnitude, but an artist isn't just the art they've seen: it's their personal experiences, their existence as a social creature, their quirks of biology and chance. All of those things feed into their art (unless we're doing a particularly extreme version of "death of the author", I guess). James Joyce doesn't write Ulysses without having grown up in Dublin, Tim O'Brian doesn't write The Things They Carried without having been sent to fight in Vietnam, H.R. Giger doesn't design the xenomorph without having engaged in a particular sexual act (supposedly). An AI, by definition, doesn't have any of that; all they have is another person's art, and thus all it can do is remix the art of others without the underlying experience. This also neatly obviates the objection of "what about fanfic and fanart?" All art is, in a way, fanart or fanfic, as it's based on human experience, not just other works of art, and you don't get the Inferno without Dante being pissed at specific politicians.

(Quick sidenote: George Steiner, in his book Real Presences, argues that every work of art is a response to another work of art, consciously or not, and thus art criticism is largely unnecessary, as art as a whole is its own criticism. I think there's something to this, though Steiner was also a devout Catholic and argued that every piece of art was a reflection of God or something. Idk, religion isn't my bag. But still, it's a compelling notion.)

Objection number two: the poster made a separate post where they gave a remarkable amount of detail on how a program "thinks" versus how a person thinks, and how generative AI is our best attempt at making a purely mathematical system act as though it has intuition. Which pretty much gives the game away: it can't have intuition. It is, as they themselves described, purely mathematical. If you enter the same query, you will receive the same answer. If you provide the same inputs, you will get exactly the same output. There is no actual "choice" on the part of the AI, only statistics and quasi-random numbers.

(Another sidenote: this is why we shouldn't even call it "AI," as that bestows upon it a level of sophistication it doesn't deserve. Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age has people use the term "artificial heuristics" instead, as it's more accurate, and I've always liked that. If you can understand the work that went into one of these image generators, if the code is available for dissection and you can, in theory, chart the entire process of generating a single image in the form of calculations, in what way is that "intelligent" and not simply "a more powerful calculator"?)

So by the writer's own admission, a generative AI doesn't learn like a person, because it cannot. Ascribing to it the same process whereby a person develops an individual art style, saying that an AI using a quasi-random number seed to generate an image is "pretty much" the same as a human being learning how to draw, is just a rhetorical sleight-of-hand, a simplification that completely removes the necessary complexity.

I also saw some thoughts on how, if we are discounting the use of generative AI because a person was not involved in it, we are ignoring the programmers who made it. Which, again, elides the actual work of the AI, which is rooted solely in mathematics. The rules it uses to generate its works were designed by a person, to be sure, but the result isn't dependent on the individual programmer so much as the artist(s) whose works were scraped to produce the database. The AI is a tool like any other, and you wouldn't credit Old Holland for producing the paints you used in your watercolor landscape.

(Are there gray areas? Yeah, sure. Gary Gygax should probably be given some credit for his work on the system you use in your actual-play podcast. Scott McCloud should be acknowledged for designing the format of your 24-hour comic. Osamu Tezuka is credited on the cover of Pluto along with Naoki Urasawa. Some elements in some works are more prominent than others. But again, which elements and how prominent are the results of choices by the artist.)

Writing all this out also made me realize that I made a misstatement at least once in the earlier posts of this chain: I said that human-made art bears the marks of conscious choice on the part of the artist, and I think that's pretty obviously untrue. Any work of art is, at least in part, the result of unconscious choices as well; nobody is fully aware of the factors in their life that lead them to make the choices they make. (Source: Sigmund Freud.) This obviously holds true for art as well, so my partial definition needs some updating.

(One last interesting sidenote about intuition and the creative process: I remember reading a paper, years ago, about the works of Jackson Pollock, whose "drip paintings" look like completely random messes to the untrained eye, but which actually possess a remarkable fractal complexity. The really fascinating part is that exactly how complex the patterns in his paintings were changed over the course of his career, to the point where fractal analysis could be used to not only verify a legitimate Pollock but roughly date when he made it. In particular, there was one painting which Pollock disliked at the time he made it, but later apparently came around on it; fractal analysis showed that its level of complexity was abnormally high for the time when he made it, but comparable to his later works. I need to find that paper again.)

Anyway. This is more of me rambling to nobody in particular. Venting is a handy way of organizing my thoughts. If you've enjoyed this stream-of-consciousness single-player debate, why not purchase one of my fine books?

(Joking but not joking.)

Reading posts from someone I follow on why image generators are a legitimate form of art and their use should be normalized, and it's refreshing to encounter some pro-generative-AI arguments more nuanced than "I don't want to pay artists." I still think they're fundamentally wrong, but it's been extremely helpful, because it's forced me to examine my own thoughts on the matter and determine why, exactly, I believe what I do. Something something mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone, idk, I didn't watch Thame of Groans.

(Of course I'm not going to mention the person by name or tag them or anything, and for that matter I'd appreciate it if people didn't reblog this. I'm not writing this to get into an argument; I'm mostly just consolidating my own thoughts into a semi-coherent form.)

There are a number of arguments that have been leveled against generative AI, some of which I find more persuasive than others. The energy usage and financial waste, for instance, are significant, but not relevant in the case of one person using a locally hosted image generator and not selling the results. The question of the quality of the work is similarly unimportant to the bigger question; AI-generated images are going to continue to get better-looking as the technology improves, and "good" versus "bad" art is impossible to define in a meaningful way for the purposes of this argument.

The copyright argument is much more important, particularly to me as a creator. Another user pointed out that copyright cases against LLMs (on behalf of creators whose works were included in the learning sets) could have a potentially deleterious effect on fair use and transformative artworks. I'm not hooked into the legal scholarship on this, so I can't respond to that point. I do think it's somewhat short-sighted of that user to say "AI is a tool like any other, its use can be good or evil, our true enemy is capitalism," and then turn around and attack copyright as some kind of uniquely evil legal technology, rather than a technology that can also be used for good (making sure artists are recognized and paid for their work) or evil (large corporations shutting down parodies). And yeah, the revolution would fix all this, but how long do we have to wait for that? And what can we do in the meantime?

Anyway, the one argument that made me genuinely examine my own beliefs was "what is art anyway, and can you define it in a way that does not disqualify large swaths of what is widely recognized as human creative work and also excludes generative AI?" Because that's the meat of all this—not whether image generators suck up too much energy (because it's not about the specifics of the technology, which will change and improve over time, just as new types of paint do not fundamentally alter the nature of painting) nor copyright (which is a whole other legal mess), but whether we can call this "art" at all. For that, you need a definition, and that's the sticking point.

The original poster named a couple common ways of defining art/not-art (the "smell test," i.e. I Know It When I See It, and the "quality test," i.e. Can You Hang It In A Museum, which are largely the same but from different perspectives), and points out that they and other definitions would exclude quite a lot of human endeavors that most people would describe as art (graffiti, calligraphy) as well as fields that are more difficult to define but could constitute art (mathematics, programming).

(They also ascribed to anyone who attempted to make such a definition the motivation of not just gatekeeping but unadulterated fascism, which is an argument I think holds no water and wins them no friends, but. Let's just leave the paranoia aside and concentrate on the argument itself.)

So what is art? How do we define it, and why do I fundamentally disagree that anything that comes out of an image generator can be considered "art"?

I don't think this is sufficient for a full definition, but after talking it over with friends, I think, in part, art requires a perspective, which is to say that it must be the result of individual human decisions about non-trivial components. Another way to state this would be that the artist (if indeed they are an artist) must be able to make conscious choices about the work that are beyond what is strictly necessary for its completion.

Should the background be blue or green? Would this sentence be improved by an adjective? How large of a flourish should this letter have? What if I carve the gargoyle's snarl more deeply? What color should the hair of my halfling rogue be? These choices are indicative of a product that would be widely recognized as belonging to the category of "art."

Obviously, there are still gray areas. Certain fields have both a creator and a performer; can we say that one is "more of" an artist than the other? What about commissioned works? What if the artist is creating something within a strict limit or form—for instance, the 14-line sonnet, or a novel without the letter 'e'? What about Duchamp's Fountain, or John Cage's "4'33""? What about works with a large number of creators, such as films or collaborative writings? What about works where there is a level of interactivity with the audience, such as video games or certain theater pieces? Those and other questions are certainly open to debate, and should be debated! But to my mind, they do not challenge the fundamental principle, which is that the artist is an artist because they exercise choice in the process of creation.

Thus, by my (admittedly partial and underdeveloped) definition, I don't regard AI-generated images as art. The algorithm does not choose in a meaningful way; it merely calculates the most statistically likely next word/pixel/frame/etc. based on the database and the prompt with which is has been provided. (If you want to claim that this constitutes a choice, please submit a 5,000-word essay on whether free will exists and how we could possibly know if it does.) The remixer samples a specific beat; the collage artist cuts a particular image out of a magazine; the parodist deliberately draws in a specific way. The computer computes. It uses a mathematical operation—which, by definition, is repeatable and will produce the exact same outputs, given the same inputs. (Yes, the results have elements of randomization. We all know that true randomness is impossible for a computer, so they produce quasi-random numbers using things like the system time and so forth. I don't want to split hairs on this specific point. You get what I'm gesturing to. Don't look at the finger, look at the moon.) A prompt limits the database to certain specific sets, which the algorithm assembles according to its internal logic. The input is disconnected from the outputs; anyone could input the same prompt and receive the same art. (Even The Policeman's Beard is Half Constructed required an editor.) Generative AI is no more "creating" a piece of visual art than turning a radio dial to a specific station is "composing" the music that plays. The purely mathematical nature of its generative process makes it no qualitatively different from assembling a Lego set according to the directions.

The first obvious challenge to my partial definition is to say that it just restates the premise and shifts the goalposts: art is something that must be made by a person, and thus cannot be made by a computer. Which is fair! This is a verbalization of a belief I've always held about art, and which caused me to immediately (instinctively, unthinkingly) reject the idea that an AI-generated image could be "art." That's how I got into this discursive mess! It's why my brain recoiled when I heard someone call these images "art"!

But it also helps me understand why I instinctively categorize other acts and works as either "art" or "not art." A photograph was taken by a person at a specific time and a specific place, its elements arranged and its moment chosen according to the photographer's visual logic; it is therefore art. A hamburger put together by an underpaid worker at McDonald's is not art; a recipe by a chef that combines existing ingredients in a new way or using a new method is; a meal created by a person who tweaked a recipe might be. (That one might actually run counter to current copyright law, I'm not sure.) A mechanism assembled by a worker on an assembly line, identical in every way to another mechanism made by a different worker, is not art, because there was no choice on the part of the worker. (Could it be art because the designer of the mechanism exercised choice? Depends on the nature of the mechanism and the industry! Venmo me $20 for a debate.) A dance choreographed to produce a specific visual effect is art; an exercise designed to stretch certain muscles in the most efficient and painless way is not art. And so forth.

AI-generated images are not art. (They are also not a medium, which I saw several other commentators claim; an image is an image, regardless of where it comes from. I'm already knee-deep in linguistic debate, let's not cloud the matter any further.) Generative AI is a tool, and there are and can be creative and ethical uses for it! But to claim that it is capable of making art is giving agency to a thing that cannot have it, and claiming that someone who writes "sexy anime girl" in a prompt field is an artist is to expand the meaning of that word to the point of nonsense.

More than one person has brought up Jorge Luis Borges' "The Library of Babel" when talking about the potential of AI-generated works. It's got some bearing on the question, sure, but I feel like the more apropos point of comparison is his story "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote." In that work, Pierre Menard is a friend of the author's who is attempting to become the author of Don Quixote—not in the sense that he is trying to plagiarize the work, or time-travel and replace Cervantes in history, but that he is trying to make himself into a version of himself that could have independently written Don Quixote. It's partly a critique of elements of literary criticism, in that Quixote would become a far more interesting book (according to the narrator) if it had been written by a 20th-century Frenchman rather than a 17th-century Spaniard (it was written some 28 years before Barthes' "The Death of the Author," for context). But in the context of the current argument of generative AI, and specifically to my fumbling attempts to defining what is and is not art, it's an illustrative example of what I think it all boils down to: any work of art is the work of an artist, who inevitably brings to the work perspective/knowledge/experience/an individual understanding of the world. Ascribing any such perspective to an algorithm is just fetishism. (And not the kind that generative AI is most often used for.)

Or, to put this way more succinctly and directly:

[booksandabeer]

can I get 💯 and 💘 and 😭 for the fanfic rec game? please and thank you 😘

Hello there & thanks for sending this in! 😊 Here we go:

💯 A fic that makes you think #writergoals

Ok I'm going to go with something a little unexpected here:

The Art of the Possible by @burberrycanary & @village-skeptic | 8K, Mature

This is tagged as Sharon/Bucky (and it is), but really it is more of character study of Sharon, spanning the years 2016-2024. In it, she confronts herself and the reader with some really ugly truths about some of our most beloved characters, and what it really means to work for a US Intelligence agency. And. It. Is. Brilliant. It is so smart, and so well-written, and the way the narrative is constructed is so clever and interesting. Down to the individual sentences--almost every line a piece of art. I’m really in awe of this story.

To quote my own comment on this fic because I can’t put it any better than this: I don't even go here. I have (had?) no real interest in Sharon Carter and know next to nothing about her other than what we got to see in the MCU and that was...not great, to put it kindly. You know how people often say “this is the story I never knew I wanted?” Well, this truly is the story I never knew I wanted. But oh, am I glad I got it! I would happily read another 50K of this.

💘 A fic you couldn't stop reading once you started

To prove that I don’t only read sad shit all the time, let’s go with something fluffy (I’m full of surprises!):

summer slipped us underneath her tongue by cydonic | 10K, Mature

This is just a really sweet and funny Modern AU, in which Bucky is a Romanian tourguide and Steve is an artistic frat boy. Together they travel through Europe in the summer and fall in love. That’s it, that’s the fic. It’s a lovely bit of escapism that you can read in one go, and that will make you forget everything else around you because you will be so enchanted by these two adorable dorks.

😭 A fic that ripped your heart out (but it hurt so good)

Haha, I have so many candidates for this one, I don’t know where to start. Ok, let’s focus on the ‘hurt so good’ part, so it’s gotta be a fic that brings the angst, but also comes with a 100% happy ending (so nothing sad or ambiguous):

Demobilization by @743ish | 41K, Explicit

A No-Powers AU where Steve never became Captain America and Bucky comes home from the war in 1945. This is one of those fics that just seems like it was made for me--it pushes ALL my buttons in all the exact right ways. And on top of that, the writing is simply GORGEOUS. I’ve reread this several times already and I still cannot get enough of it. 

Now, this story will hurt you. It will break your heart, and make you ugly-cry multiple times, but it will also give you an ending that is so beautiful, so cathartic, and so goddamn romantic. It’s perfection.

(This fic also includes one of my all-time favorite Stucky moments in any fic. I’m not going to spoil it here, but it’s the scene when they are riding the subway...and let’s just say I think about that one A LOT).

[dreamingsnowflake2013]

Throughout S2, Nakyum's appeared in an elavated position during their intimate moments as the power in this relationship gradually shifted. Now, the role reversal is complete in chapter 71 as Seungho deliberately places Nakyum above himself both literally and figuratively. It's Nakyum who ultimately becomes the more powerful in this relationship because he owns SH's heart and holds it in the palm of his hand. It's a heart SH gave him willingly.

While Seungho realized the hard way his feelings for NK and confessed them to him on multiple occassions, Nakyum is still very much in denial. He tries so hard to avoid admitting that he is in love, finding so many excuses  that his feelings are only the result of random coincidences. He was hurt so much by his one-sided love for Inhun that he tries hard not to fall in love even though it's already way too late because he's fallen for Seungho a long time ago.  He's deluding himself and this inability to admit genuine affection out loud to SH might become a source of conflict between them in the future as SH gets hurt more and more by the notion that Nakyum might not love him not matter what he does and how hard he tries.  Right now, there is a huge conflict inside Nakyum between what he feels and what he thinks he feels and unless he solves these conflicted emotions, it will bring him and SH only pain.

This is the moment Nakyum's two braincells exploded and his brain turned to mush - the mighty Lord Yoon telling him that he will listen to his wishes and needs.The moment Seungho places NK's foot on his cock underwater might be fleeting but the meaning behind it is huge. It may seem kinky, but it's SH once again putting himself into a submissive and vulnerable position literally lying himself by NK's feet and making NK the dominant one. When Seungho places Nakyum's foot on his cock, he is saying: "Look how hard you've made me. I desire you", making it clear how much he wants NK, but at the same time he asks NK for permission and gives him a choice to say no.  It's a heady combination for NK.

The picture of Seungho kneeling and lying himself bare, heart, body and soul, his eyes imploring and pleading, by Nakyum's feet shown via NK's POV and his narration perfectly encapsuletes and symbolizes the current state of their relationship and its power dynamic.

Chapter 1 of S2 contained the foreshadowing of what's going to happen. There is always a piece of truth in the rumours and it's as if the gossips came true as Seugho finally treats Nakyum as his real fianceé - with respect, love and care, carrying him in his robe.

Seungho kisses Nakyum at every opportunity, he can't bear not to kiss him. He is giving Nakyum all the kisses his lovers asked for previously but which SH denied him when he thought NK ran away. He loves to kiss Nakyum and gains pleasure from NK's pleasure. It's obvious that Seungho is making this all about Nakyum and his pleasure,but he is also getting pleasure of his own - it's in the way he kisses NK whenever he can, how he swallow everything drop of his cum, how he savours the taste of his skin and insides,...

Swallowing his partner's cum is obviously something Seungho doesn't usually do nor did previously enjoy, but now he is swallowing Nakyum's as if it were the most delicious treat. That's why Nakyum is so shocked.  The journey on which Seungho starts off as a selfish man whose enjoyment, hurt feelings and pride are more important than his partner's happiness and pleasure only to become a selfless and giving lover is so satisfying, rewarding and riveting to watch.

 Also,  Yoon Seungho really went there and gave Nakyum a blowjob straight from his own personal textbook. Only the best for his lover. The man is a legend and extra af.

It's the memory of Seungho's voice and eyes looking at him together with his loving mouth sucking him that make Nakyum ultimately cum. Seungho is Nakyum's ultimate aphrodisiac.

Nakyum touches Seungho's body and cock not because he'd feel required to but because he wants to touch SH, to explore his body and give back.  When Seungho looks at Nakyum after he touches his cock, Nakyum doesn't look away or take his hand away in shame or doubt. He might be blushing but there is only excitement, desire, love and anticipation in his eyes. He is the picture of shy bravery and confidence.

It's Seungho who's breathless, flinching, surprised, barely holding onto his control and more affected. A shy touch from Nakyum makes Seungho powerless. His blush might not be as pronouced as Nakyum's but his ears are red. One of the reasons why Seungho takes Nakyum's hand away is that the moment he would allow him to touch him he would lose even the last bits of control, succumbing to NK's innocent and adorable seduction.

Not only does Seungho admit that he's wronged Nakyum in many ways, he vows to make amends but most importantly,  even though he says a noble can't bow to a lowborn, he purposefully places NK on the furniture and literally kneels before him, worshipping his body.

It's hilarious how the POTN fans were writing fanfics and expecting Nakyum to start calling SH "Seungho-ya", only for Seungho to say "hold my soju" and go "Lord Nakyum" on all of us, basically elevating his lover to nobility. Seungho most likely never called any of his former lovers, who were all actual lords, by the "lord" title which shows how special and important NK is to SH that he would even throw away his pride that was instilled in him since birht, making NK one of a kind.

Not only does Seungho call NK "Lord Nakyum", he also uses the formally polite speech (hasipsio-che) which is a higher level of politeness used, among other things, by lowborns to speak to nobles. You typically hear it in sageuk kdramas and it's these two characters "니다" =nida.

For all his flaws, Seungho has always been the best choice for Nakyum due to his intelligence, lack of respect for traditions and his rebellion against social rules because those qualities allow him to treat him and love him Nakyum deserves. The way SH's treated NK until now (calling the doctor,allowing him to eat with him,...) has been him instinctively trying to treat NK as his equal,his real and proper lover so him calling NK a lord and listening to his wishes is the culmination of that.

Painter of the Night features twin moments which echo each other-parallels,visual and narrative,that show NK's and SH's relationship at its worst & how it gradually grows and blossoms. Seungho dresses NK in the same cloak he wore months ago, symbolizing the role reversal and change. Back then he was angry that Nakyum tried to run away from him with Inhun and mad from jealousy. He mistreated him and used his body to stake his claim which ultimately led to Nakyum falling ill. Whereas now, he is worshipping NK's body, making amends for wrongly accusing NK of leaving him and later punishing him for it, asking for forgiveness and making Nakyum's welbeing and pleasure his priority. Both scenes look like a mirror image of each other but at the same time everything is different and that's one of the many things which make Byeonduck such an incredible artist and storyteller -her singular ability to tell stories and convey her characters' emotions with her art.

Does it ever drive you crazy just how fast the night changes?

[amalthiaph]

Thanks for the tag @talesfrommedinastation!

Your favorite member of TBB is:

Tech and Hunter.

Because:

For Tech, it's because I really, really like smart guys. Idk there's something about intelligence and geeking out about something that I find extremely sexy. Like yes, sir, tell me more.

And for Hunter, his Joel Miller vibes fills the void my father made when he left me when I was two months old.

2. You identify the most with:

Crosshair.

Because:

I am moody, considered the black sheep of the family, and I enjoy sniping enemies with 1 HP left to them with Kai'sa's second skill, giving way for my friends to nickname me 'sniper Kai'sa' though I still manage to be shit at FPS games.

3. Your favorite minor character from the show:

Okay, I'm gonna break the rules for this one because I have three: Phee Genoa, Benni Baro, and Fennec Shand.

Because:

Phee Genoa because we all love Wanda Sykes.

Benni Baro because I like Yuri Lowenthal's voice. I once rewatched the episode just to hear his voice.

Fennec Shand because Space Mulan. I mean, that's just Mulan without Mushu and instead with a rifle. She deserves that star on the Walk of Fame. I love her so much.

4. A TBB-centric piece or post of yours that you are most proud of:

The Bad Batch Characters According to Doug

Because:

BECAUSE REDNECK DOUG RULES!

Link so that we can appreciate it:

Have fun!

5. A TBB-centric piece of art that slaps so hard you enjoy (and why):

I hope this is allowed but basically EVERYTHING these artists create: - @zaana - @echojedis - @madsayo - @vimse - @wrenkenstein

Please do check them out, leave some love, and reblog (because it makes everyone's little hearts happy).

6. A TBB-centric fanfic that gives you life you enjoy (and why):

It's the one where the Batch accidentally taught Omega bad words.

Link:

LOL I'm so sorry I read it so long ago, I can't find the link anymore. Dear author, if you're reading this, I'm so sorry I forgot to bookmark it but please remember that I LOVE IT so, so much.

7. A TBB headcanon or trope that is 100% canon to you:

Tech is alive.

Also, in the episode 'Retrieval', Omega and Benni had a crush on one another. I made an art of this btw.

I also like to think that Tech is avoiding Phee in S2 Ep14 because they had wild sex the previous night.

8. Color(s) you think would suit if Crosshair gets "Mercenary" armor:

Adding an orange strip to his current design would be nice. You can never go wrong with black.

9. One thing you NEED to see happen in Season 3:

I just need to see Tech alive. If he isn't, we could always kidnap Filoni. It would help if Dave hasn't seen Misery (1990).

No-Pressure-Tags: @eclec-tech @notavalidusername @illustratingari @autistic-artistech

Fellow Zealots of The Bad Batch, Unite!

Please share your answers to these questions and pass them on to some of your Bad Batch-loving buds!

Your favorite member of TBB is:

Because:

You identify the most with:

Because:

Your favorite minor character from the show:

Because:

A TBB-centric piece or post of yours that you are most proud of:

Because:

Link so that we can appreciate it:

A TBB-centric piece of art that slaps so hard you enjoy (and why):

Link:

A TBB-centric fanfic that gives you life you enjoy (and why):

Link:

A TBB headcanon or trope that is 100% canon to you:

Color(s) you think would suit if Crosshair gets "Mercenary" armor:

One thing you NEED to see happen in Season 3:

@wwheeljack @wrenkenstein @floundrickthewayfarer @raevulsix @enigmatist17 @slenderboo @echojedis @nika6q @zaana @wiseowl18 @toastyrobos @eclec-tech @jigget @destril @niobiumao3

[rayalltheway]

“Why did she choose you?”

I am not a fanfic writer (no really I swear) but I was inspired to write this short little fic as a continuation to a short thing @starsfic wrote based on my “Red Son is Red Boy but his mom wiped his memories” art piece. So yeah enjoy your Macaque and Red Son uncle/nephew crumbs and a heaping helping of angst to go with it:)))

———————

“Congrats, calf. You got it.” Macaque said with his usual flippant smirk, though his words weren’t exactly biting as they normally would be. Maybe he was too tired.

Red Son looked tired too, only casting an annoyed look at the dark furred monkey as they both sat together in an isolated part of the ship, Macaque lying on the rail and Red Son sitting next to him on the deck.

The demon boy took one more long look at his family necklace, before putting it back in his pocket, standing up to lean against the rail.

“That spell really had to display everything when it broke didn’t it?” He said dryly, referring to the magic that previously enchanted the necklace.

“It was either that or you’d stay in blissful ignorance. And it’s too late to go back now, kiddo.” Macaque looked at Red Son with a toothy grin.

“I mean sure, there’s the memory of you being put into time out over a metric ton of swords, but I’d say the horns are worth keeping for it.”

Red Son glared in annoyance again. “Is this some attempt to try and make me feel better? Because it’s not working.”

Macaque shrugged. Maybe it was. “Well, I dunno what else you want me to tell you, calf.”

That made Red Son uncharacteristically quiet for a moment, but just when Macaque thought he was going to get to sit in wonderful silence-

“Why did she choose you?”

“Huh?” Macaque cracked open an eye, confused by the question.

“Why did my mother choose you to be my guardian?” Red Son continued, on the verge of a grimace. “That’s one thing I still don’t get. Even after everything that happened with Sun Wukong, somehow she was fine with you being around me. Protecting me.” His frown deepened bitterly. “Making sure I never caught onto the truth. Why?”

Macaque blinked, before scoffing. “…That’s what you’re racking your overstuffed head about?” He said as he quickly put up a casual front, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back against the rail. “You’re gonna hurt your brain by this point, calf-“

“You were a part of this lie that has been my entire life up to this point.” Red Son interrupted. He could tell the boy’s already low sense of patience had become an even shorter fuse with the recent events. “You owe me whatever answer I want to know.”

Macaque’s smirk dropped, actually meeting Red Son’s glare. It was true, and Red Son had already learned too much for there to be any point hiding things from him anymore, though Macaque still felt his stomach turn at the feeling of obligation. He did his best to ignore it as he sighed and sat up, thinking over his next words.

“Our history played a part in it. But as you’ve recently learned, family only goes so far.”

“Why then?”

Macaque sighed again in resignation at the continued prodding. He really was in it for the long haul on this one.

“Back in those days, defeat at the hands of the Sun Wukong didn’t just leave you scarred - “

Macaque unconsciously scratched at his right brow as he spoke.

“ - For some, it knocked you down to rock bottom. Her husband was gone. Her son had already been taken from her once. And getting you back was a stupid risk that put her in an even more vulnerable position. She had the intelligence and the patience, but not enough power or influence. Not anymore. But you know her - she wasn’t just going to sit around playing a desperate grieving widow.”

“Not a widow.” Red Son interjected. 


“You get what I mean, kid. Everyone she was formerly allied with back then had either not enough to gain or too much to lose from helping her, or would sell her out for a shot up in the clouds in a heartbeat.”

Macaque found his tone becoming bitter at that last part. He let it hang in the air, looking at Red Son for the first time since he started talking. The young demon was looking at the ground, contemplating, but a soft change in his expression and his eyes flicking back up to meet Macaque’s made it clear that he was getting it.

“Everyone…except for you.”

Macaque didn’t respond to that, shifting his position, leaning an elbow on his knee. Talking about this was serving to remind him of just how old he really was.

Even Macaque recognized this was a terrible time to try and tell Red Son this, but in many ways, he was just like his mother. At least, from when she was young. While not constantly as tightly strung up as her son ended up being, she was utterly ambitious and determined. She was always ready with another plan, always fighting to earn her place, always with something to prove. Nothing had ever come easy for her. She had told him that once, centuries ago. It was something they understood each other for.

Maybe that’s why he agreed all those years ago, when she gave him the assignment of keeping her son safe and in the dark. She was tired and sad and with no real idea of what she’d do next, other than she’d need to make do with whatever she could from now on.

Because he understood.

“If she felt she had any other option, she would have taken it. But when you don’t trust anything anymore…” Macaque turned his gaze to the horizon. “…It helps to take the option where you don’t have to.”

Red Son didn’t answer. He was still, as if in shock. But Macaque could hear his heartbeat racing, his breaths came in and out shakily, like he was attempting to calm himself.

“I trusted her. Because I thought she was all I had.” He finally said, more to himself than to Macaque.

It was the other way round, calf.

Macaque thought it, but didn’t say it.

“I…I don’t even know how I’ll ever be able to look at her again.” Red Son’s voice quavered, but not with anger or bitterness but…sadness. Maybe even heartbreak.

He turned to Macaque again, his expression breaking as tears threatened to fill his eyes. Macaque could almost swear he knew that expression on Red Son’s face, from when the demon was 500 years younger.

“I don’t even know how I’m looking at you.”

That was all he could muster before he spun around and walked away quickly towards the cabins, wanting to hide himself before Macaque, or the world, saw his weakness.

Macaque watched his nephew leave, the same feeling from that meeting with Princess Iron Fan returning, forming like a lump in his throat.

“…Me neither, calf.”

[baronfulmen]

Conefession: Discworld is one of the fandoms that I stumbled across fic for without ever having read the source material. And I still haven’t gotten around to doing so. Although I’ve read a ton of fics. As such, my perception of Discworld is entirely shaped by fanfic fanon. And, believe it or not, Vimes/Vetinari is the most popular ship in fanfic. It’s number 1 on AO3, Vimes/Sybil is number 2, and the OT3 Vimes/Sybil/Vetinari is number 3. All of which I enjoy.

After your post, I can’t help but be reminded that I just LOVE fandom and all of its randomness. I love that people will take a single piece of art and using that as a base they can make a billion different random artistic things with it like they’re just throwing paint at a wall and seeing what kind of Rorschach Test-esque work of beauty they can make of it. Like “does it make sense in canon, I got no clue, but I know it makes for some beautiful art and some fun fics that can make me smile, so Why not?. Y’know? Why not?” 😄😄😄😄

It's beautiful, isn't it? Yeah, for sure I love that people will just latch onto whatever and run with it and make more art whether or not they know what's going on or if it makes sense or anything.

I'm a little surprised that Vimes/Vetinari is so popular because as I said I just... I can't wrap my head around it. On paper you could have some fun friction there because one is the self-proclaimed tyrant and the other has an anti-authoritarian streak a mile wide. Sure, that dynamic could be fun. It's fun in the books, to the extent it's explored.

But in the actual books they don't spend a lot of time together - Vimes gets called into Vetinari's office at the start and end of most of the books with him in them but it's basically this:

Vetinari: "Vimes, I need you to do this thing that sounds simple when I say it but which we both know is actually very complicated. Don't get into trouble, don't anger anyone important." Vimes: "Sir yes sir, I would certainly never want to upset (insert super thinly veiled insult towards the aforementioned important people)" Vetinari: "See that you don't." ... Vetinari: "Well, you seem to have caused widespread panic and destruction of physical property and everyone is demanding I have you executed." Vimes: "Yessir. But I did that simple thing you asked me to do." Vetinari: "I suppose I'll have to take your word for it since everyone involved has fled the city." (quietly checks everything Vimes did off his 'to-do' list since he's a chessmaster that always planned for all this to happen)

It's fun! But as a relationship of some kind? Vimes isn't smart enough. Don't get me wrong, he's very intelligent and even devious when he wants to be - but Vetinari can't be in a relationship with anyone that's not also a mastermind. It would instantly be a super unhealthy relationship, because how do you have a healthy relationship with someone you can manipulate so easily? Vimes less easily than most, sure, but he still knows exactly where to apply pressure. Worse, Vimes is smart enough that he'd be watching for it! Every time something went Vetinari's way would he be thinking "wait, did I agree to go out to dinner because I want to, or because he made me THINK that I want to?"

Honestly, that would maybe be an interesting fic. Write it from Vetinari's point of view, and have the whole thing be him realizing that even when he decides NOT to manipulate Vimes he's already planning sneaky ways to let Vimes know that he's not being manipulated which is, itself, manipulative.

Anyway.

So as I said, no judgement to anyone even if it's something I have trouble picturing. Just threw me for a loop.

And if you DO start reading Discworld, good luck dealing with the many many conflicting guides to where to start.

[loving-villanelle]

No matter how hard I try I can’t stop thinking about villanelle. She was so special and I know I’ll never find another like her. But the thing that has been bothering me the most is that even after all these seasons I still feel like there is a big piece missing on who villanelle is. We saw villanelle in s1, she was cold , closed off and Completely inaccessible but had so much potential to be explored. S2 villanelle we had little glimpses of of her showing us that maybe there is more to her than what we see, maybe she isn’t heartless. Then in s3 they decide to (in my opinion) do a complete 180 in her development. Making her nothing but a vessel for sadness and trauma. And s4 villanelle.. well there was nothing to villanelle in this season. Just more pain, more trauma and more rejection only until the last few minutes of her life did she feel REAL happiness then just for it all to be taken in such a cruel and depressing way. The writers want us to except that villanelle was just a killer, just a weapon but not to me. Not to us. She was so much more than a disposable asset. She was intelligent, strong, beautiful and that’s how I’ll always remember her.

Jodie and Sandra said the most beautiful thing they could have in the pre-season interviews and that was that once the show is over, Villanelle and Eve become ours. We shouldn't have to do the show's work for them, but since they proved to be so completely inept at it, we have to. And Jodie and Sandra knew that long before we did. It's unfortunate that this is the reality that we've been left with, but who Villanelle and Eve and Villaneve are to the fandom, that's something the show can't take away. It's the writers who completely misunderstood and mistreated these characters, not us. It's the writers who were completely incapable of honoring these character's truths and journeys, not us. It was these writers who claimed to love and cherish these characters but then inflicted pain and trauma on them endlessly, right up until the very end, not us. So I won't let this show tarnish what this couple and what these characters meant to me. That doesn't mean I'll ever be able to watch the series again, because quite honestly I don't think I ever will be able to do that. What it means is that they will live on through fanfic and fan art and fan videos and fan edits and they will be ours, not the travesty or the cautionary tale that the show wanted us to think they were.

Villanelle was intelligent and strong and beautiful and unapologetic and full of life and love and hope. She never stopped hoping that she could do more and be more and she should have had that opportunity. She should have had a choice. For the first time in her life she should have been able to choose what her life was going to be, how she was going to spend her days, and who she would have spent those days with. This show didn't have to deliver us a happy ending, but they could've at least delivered an ambiguous once. They sent a very clear message about how strongly they resent their audience and we can send a strong one back by reclaiming what they tried to take from us. So you should remember Villanelle that way, because that IS who she was. Vibrant, wicked smart, hilarious and full of life. That's how I'll always remember her

[yashirooo]

Today I come to recommend and make my review of this new game for mobile devices that I like called "The Summ" which is from the Otome game company, Cheritz.

This game has the particularity of being a messenger game just like its predecessor "Mystic Messenger" and has an approximate duration of 200 days, having said that I start with the summary prologue to give a general idea and to be able to start with the points for the which I recommend this game.

Upon entering, we are told that this is a dating application and that artificial intelligence finds the most appropriate person for us, having said this, the conversation begins with the protagonist whose name is Teo, who will turn the plot when we barely know him. allowing us to know their history and aspirations while we gain their friendship and trust. That said, I come up with my review based on what I have seen in the game, aspects such as gameplay and history.

❥︎The game's humor is so funny! 10/10, we begin to see it from the prologue with Piu-Piu's conversation making more than one person smile. Hahaha! His humor never leaves the game, moving away from how repetitive certain routines can be when there are so many days as well as making the gameplay more fun, but it also teaches us that he knows how to handle the tension at the required moments; Like when Teo and the player have relationship problems, thus starting fights that can culminate in different results depending on the option you decide, it generates so much curiosity that you even want to be bad to see what happens. o.o

❥︎The art of the game is beautiful! Becoming a fusion of realism and anime style, thus making a fun but incredible combination to see, not only that, but the quality never drops despite the multiple images that you can get; I already have more than 100 with just 27 days and none of the images disappoints, thus demonstrating the love with which this game was made. 💕

I like that the achievements increase although I would like to know if in other visual novels my actions have a reward in the game or an achievement due to its mysterious nature, the rewards increase and it gives us the curiosity to know what things we can discover and what achievements we can unlock. And not only but we can also have comfortable schedules and greater freedom since they will be arranged for our time in the 5 moments of the day which would be; wake up, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sleep. An example is that if I choose that my bedtime is at 8, the game will let me play the chat at 7:30, thus giving me time to complete it, even more so if I can add a piece of advice, it is that you set the bedtime for one hour. before the actual time for convenience. ^^

Last but not least, the planets and emotions! This new system allows for more direct interaction in the international fandom and is no longer limited only to groups of a single language, favoring coexistence among all these groups as on the planets where people mostly meet to talk based on: anecdotes, what they think, theories, fanfics, and spoilers. And you can invite for self-reflection and recognition of the gratitude we have, these planets will be unlocked with the emotions that we collect in the incubator and will serve to be able to publish, react and comment on publicaciones. 😸💖

I invite everyone who has read this far to try this new game! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and give yourself the pleasure of trying it, here is the link to the application:

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/mx/app/the-ssum-forbidden-lab/id1465547736?l=en

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Cheritz.TheSsum.ForbiddenLab

#TheSsum

[dracosaurusrex]

Notebook - Draco Malfoy x reader

Here’s Part 2!

Summary: In which admiration takes the form of notebooks, handwriting, and smiles

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Gryffindor!reader

A/N: I caved into an attempt to write this after reading so many fanfics haha. That being said, this is my first fic. Tbh, I’m not exactly satisfied, but I hope it brings you joy anyway. Feedback is very much appreciated! Thank you!

Draco Malfoy was known for many things. To the vast majority, it was his menacing behavior, characterized by his high pride and brash comments. You were aware of this. You even witnessed him in action when he and Harry would clash. Did you approve of it? Definitely not. However, you also took notice of small moments where slivers of kindness were shown by the platinum-haired boy, and for a short instance you saw a warm heart behind his notorious reputation. Because of that, you couldn’t help but reserve a soft spot for him in your heart.

With the exception of being paired for several assignments in the classes you shared, you weren’t particularly close to Draco. This, however, didn’t stop you from admiring him from afar. It was a known fact that he was one of the most attractive guys in Hogwarts. Despite his questionable personality, he actually had quite the number of admirers. How could he not? His chiseled features were emphasized by his alluring eyes and a handsome smile to match. You would consider yourself lucky to be present whenever a rare laugh left his lips. It made your heart skip as you catch yourself smiling privately in response. 

This was the case for potions today: Crabbe had mixed up several of his ingredients, resulting in the concoction exploding in front of him. No injuries occurred, but the incident drew attention to him as a thick layer of soot covered his shocked expression. After a pause, you turned at the sound of Draco and Blaise releasing a laugh as the rest of the class followed. You couldn’t help but laugh out loud yourself once the situation had registered completely. Your gaze, which was initially focused on Crabbe shifted to the blonde boy behind him. Your eyes locked. He stopped laughing, but his smile remained plastered on his face as he kept his sight focused on you. The class eventually calmed down, but you felt your heart beating rapidly against your chest as the connection lingered on for a few more seconds. 

Your good friend, Hermoine, took notice of your dazed expression, and waved her hand in front of your face. 

“Y/N! Earth to Y/N! Are you okay? What are you even looking at?” She turned her head so it was directed toward the same angle as yours. You snapped your head forward as you tried to hide the blush that spread across your cheeks.

“It’s nothing! Let’s get back to work, shall we?” You frantically said as you took her shoulders to turn her around. You didn’t want her to know about the feelings you had managed to keep well-hidden.

Your attention went back to completing the potion at hand, hoping that she didn’t catch on to your behavior. However, you couldn’t stop thinking about the boy and the slight interaction you both shared.

‘It was nothing. That was insignificant.’

You were constantly reminding yourself to keep your emotions in control, oblivious to the fact that the sound of your own laughter and the sight of your sparkling eyes had tickled Draco’s heart as well.

The scene continued to rewind itself as you tried to carry on with your day. After your classes, you found yourself studying in a secluded part of the library, trying to refine your notes for potions. You could keep up with the class just fine, but it took you more effort to do so in contrast to your other subjects. At least it was interesting and challenging enough to make you enjoy it.

You were 20 minutes into your study and your mind was desperately trying to make sense of the text in front of you. Your senses became overloaded. Your knee bounced up and down, you began to twirl your quill in between your fingers, and your eyebrows furrowed in hopes that it would make your brain do a better job in processing the information. The feeling of frustration soon built up, and to add to that, you couldn’t seem to get Draco out of your head. Controlling your feelings had never been this difficult before.

Throwing the thought of him to the back of your mind proved futile, as you heard a chair screeching beside you.

“Too much tension in your face is going to give you wrinkles, Y/L/N.” Your eyes widened at the familiarity of the voice. When you looked up, you were met with platinum blonde and the scent of mint. Draco was smirking at you. 

“Draco. Can I help you?” You spoke out, trying to sound annoyed while you allowed yourself to submerge your face into your hands. The beating in your chest was quickening just as it did in potions. ‘Why is he here?’ you thought to yourself.

He shrugged, “Probably not. Besides, I don’t think I’m the one who needs help.” His eyes scanned your workspace. Pieces of parchment were scattered everywhere, and your book was filled with make-shift tabs along with paragraphs decorated with desperate markings and annotations. It takes you a second to realize what he was talking about as you lifted your head to follow his line of sight.

You rolled your eyes and sighed. “If you’re here to pick on me, right now is not the time.” You mentally slapped yourself as the words rolled with harshness out of your mouth. In your defense, you really were trying to make sense of everything. The conflict between your feelings and your studying was not helping you at all. You proceeded to cover your face with your hands again.

Suddenly, a green notebook was plopped on top of your scattered mess. You peeked in between your fingers to examine the object.

“I don’t care whether you use it or not. Just give it back before our next class.” You looked up to see him walk off, stunned that he gave you any attention at all.

Once he disappeared from your sight, you picked the notebook up gingerly, running your fingers across his name, which was debossed on the cover. Draco was also known to be exceptionally intelligent, only falling short of Hermione. This thought made your heart race even more all while the heat began to fill your senses again. You couldn’t help but feel relieved, happy, and intimidated all at the same time. ‘Oh great. I’m swooning again.’

Your features softened as your fingers traced its edges, keeping the thought of the owner in mind. ‘This is his notebook.’ You smiled as you mentally embedded the recent scenes into your memory. With a grateful heart, you began to flip through the pages. You were surprised with the neatness of his penmanship, even more so with how thorough and organized the information was. More relief overtook you as you came to the pages that had the content you were frustrated with. You began comparing the content in your textbook to the notes in front of you, finally making sense of the topic. 

“Oh!!” You exclaimed in triumph, happily writing down your newfound understanding into your own notes. The feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment had replaced the frustration you felt earlier as you finished up your studying to head to dinner. As you packed up your belongings, you glanced at the green notebook before picking it up. Suddenly, an image of his focused expression filled your mind as you pictured him writing on the surface of the paper. You envisioned his piercing silver eyes and slightly furrowed brows, accompanied by slightly parted lips. His perfect posture, you pictured, was emphasized by the sleekness of the familiar black suit. His fingers were slender, wrapping themselves delicately around a quill. You silently thanked his mother for giving birth to the work of art that is him. Another blush rushes in and thoughts of Draco started to invade your mind again, but this time you happily granted permission for them to engulf you. With another smile, you placed his notebook in your bag.

Once you were gone, Draco came out from one of the shelves, closing the book he was using to hide his face. He glanced at your retreating figure then turned his gaze back to the table you were sitting at. He took a seat and placed his hand against his chest, feeling himself fall for you more as he recalled the loving expression that was plastered on your face when you caressed the notebook. He couldn’t wait for the next time you had potions.

Part 2

A/N: I originally had 3/4 of the fic written out, but after reading it, I just wasn’t satisfied with the way things were going. I felt that this was a nice stop for now, so that I can think of something more...sufficient for the vibe. Thanks for reading! Once again, feedback is very much appreciated! <3

[noididntdude]

How i got into the cissamione ship, an elaboration 😅:

- i used to be a fleurmione shipper but i felt like there's always something missing. even when i've read a lot of fanfics, for me there's just something lacking there

- there's also the famous bellamione ship but just nope, nope, it's not for me. i mean if u ship it that's cool, u're cool. i tried but i just... can't get into it

- during these times i had brief glances of the cissamione tags but was never curious enough. i found out that it's the ship between hermione and narcissa malfoy, draco's mom, and i thought 'huh?' coz the narcissa i knew was the one in the movie

- then this pandemic happened and i was so bored. i already read and re-read the fleurmione fanfics that i liked, i even tried the hermione x ginny and the pansmione but they're not enough and not my taste, so i decided to try and delve into the mysterious hermione x narcissa ship and wow! was it one of the best things that happened to me this year!

- i read the short fics first and boom! i was hooked. so i researched about narcissa malfoy nee black and i. fell. in. love. what an amazing character, the way she was described in the book- blonde, unlike her sisters; elegant and prissy, the picture of a royal pure-blood; protective and caring, as a mother; and oh so mysterious, in a most alluring way. like, you can do a lot with a character like her and the awesome writers of the cissamione fandom deliver. the long fics are beautiful pieces of art. they really sell the dynamics between the heroines and as i read the fanfics, i knew; this is what i was looking for.

Why i ship this lovely pairing:

- first, let's look at hermione granger- this wonderful, sublime, and intelligent young woman can show both some of the positives and negatives of youth. the pros of youth u can see in hermione: energy, vibrancy, curiousity, spontaneity, innocence, wittiness, endless possibilities as she have a lot of room to grow. now the cons: brashness, self-righteousness, ignorance(she still doesn't know much since she lack experience), tends to be emotional or moody, misplaced judgements, can be harsh with punishments, prone to depression

*now, narcissa malfoy nee black, this beautiful, enigmatic, and cunning woman can show some of the good and bad sides of being someone of her age. the good ones: maturity, being at her prime (she's a witch), levelheadedness, wisdom(from her family and her experiences), balance, politeness, awareness. the bad ones: can be quite controlling, compares her time with the now, rigidness, have a lot of things to look back to that she tends to forget to focus on the present and look forward to the future, likely to overthink, can be dependent to wine, regretfulness

- next, the house they belong to.

*hermione, the gryffindor is- chivalrous, noble, brave and determined but can be reckless, stubborn, and tactless

*while narcissa, the slytherin is- subtle, resourceful, reasonable and a good leader (she led her family out of the mess that Lucius put them in) but she can be pessismistic, secretive, vengeful and resentful

-there's also their aesthetics

*hermione granger's descriptions in the books and fanfics always makes me picture vivid colors. They can be bright or dark hues but they are definitely vivid. She's like this bursts of colors everywhere she goes, not just because of her physical appearance but mostly because of her personality.

*narcissa black's descriptions in the books and in the fanfics always leaves me with the impression of soft colors with underlying shades. narcissa's outward appearance is always said to be pleasing to the eyes but the usual expressions on her face are not good for the heart. her fairness is both an advantage and disadvantage for her. that's why she definitely trained herself to seem delicate when it is needed and look impenetrable when it is necessary. in the books during the war u can see her being soft colors as she preferred to be in the background, but when it comes to protecting her family u will notice her shades.

- lastly, the way they love.

when u're looking for a life partner, unconciously the one that you really examine is the way they care for others. it can be because u want to experience that special care for ur own or u want to learn how to care like that (like that person can or will inspire u to love like them) or u want both.

*hermione granger, being an only child, is a bit open with her love. her strong desire to prove herself used to get in the way but as the years go by she learned what she and others are comfortable with so she was able to spread her love more. people around her soon understand that hermione is open with her compassion. she is also fierce and expressive in showing them. she's also loyal and true despite the bits of betrayal. and she always put others before herself. hermione loves in a splendid way though it can be tough towards herself since she is the sacrificing type.

*narcissa black's character made an impact in the harry potter story due to her extreme love for her son which caused voldemort's defeat. from this, we can conclude that narcissa loves tightly. with the family she grew up in, that seems to be the best choice. their family obviously have their prejudice since it's their ancestors that suffered in the hands of muggles. their motto of remaining pure in their blood was definitely installed to the black children's minds. that's why narcissa held it in her heart that family first before eveything. she had to hold on to those who are already there for her and she had to choose wisely and carefully those who can enter into her personal bubble. She was taught that the outside world is not safe, they are people who will be against her and her family. she can't be too open with her affections or her enemies will use it to destroy her. so narcissa is very protective and can be overbearing. it can be tough for the people around her since she is quite selfish but it is still a precious way to love.

When u combine these elements together, u get a couple that has this endless chemistry, deep and strong connection, great story, and exquisite future.

their trope is that of needing to wanting and wanting to needing

from hermione's part it can go like this:

she will need narcissa since she will never have that closure from bellatrix and after the war the only capable and mentally stable witness of her torture would be narcissa, since draco have his issues too since he's young like hermione.

she will go from needing to meet with narcissa to wanting to be with narcissa, after getting to know the youngest black sister better.

from narcissa's part it will be like this:

narcissa, who for the duration of the first and second war only did what was necessary, can now do the things she wants to do after the war. one of those would be apologizing to the people who suffered inside their manor, specially hermione granger.

she will go from wanting to meet with hermione to needing to be with hermione, after getting to know gryffindor's golden girl better.

With regards to their canon partners this is what i can say,

hermione and ron have their differences but they don't really compliment each other that much. like, they can't and won't bring the best out of each other.

the same goes for narcissa and lucius. the latter obviously sabotage their family even though that's not his intention. these two slytherins have their similarities but it's as if they're just together for formality's sake.

hermione and ron, narcissa and lucius are like parallel lines when they're together. their similarities are only on the surface but they will never really touch each other.

while hermione and narcissa are like perpendicular lines. they touch, they intersect at the right angle. yes, they came from the opposite sides but when they finally meet they build something beneficial like a cartesian plane. this dynamic is what makes cissamione the best ship for me.

thanks for reading.