#please sell this to the writers I need to see this happen

[davrinassan]

what is your onion of the taash questline if you are comfortable sharing?

ok so ive found out i actually havent finished the ENTIRE questline. just the main part of it, i think ? i finished up to taash's mother dying .

so... i

i rate it poorly. i need like more time.. to digest it . i also.. have a very hard time with this because while i am nonbinary i am just a white british person . i dont have a mixed heritage or culture . i am just white british and not even a cool british like gaelic i am English ...... as plain boring white bread as u can get.

so commentin on the heritage vs culture choice u are given is hard for me beyond that it makes me feel uncomfortable to have to pick for someone. that is not my place. it feels very wrong of me to have this power over someone . when i first was given a choice i said embrace being multicultural. cuz like that feels.. obvious. its beautiful to come from multiple cultures and being pieces of them . thats so cool and awesome to me. and then being forced to pick was so not cool and very not awesome.

in terms of the nonbinary stuff ... the more it got mentioned and brought up the more i disliked it. i don't know how much people will agree with me here so bare with me. it felt very on the nose, unnatural, even the word nonbinary didnt seem like it fit. i feel like they were lazy. i feel like they should have made a new word , maybe even a new concept , to work within the dragon age setting. that maybe was specific to rivaini culture that taash heard from another lord of fortune and it felt right . idk. they could have integrated it better to the world of thedas. i felt.. pandered to . i felt like they were saying hey look, hey. hey thats you right. doesnt this make u feel seen and happy . please ignore the weird racism and focus on this

i could have loved taash i think. but i don't. i barely like taash. i feel like taash is a scapegoat. a mouthpiece. that sometimes taash says and does things that don't feel natural to the character cuz taash isnt talking, bioware is. this gets even worse when you take into account lord of fortune things like selling back cultural artifacts to the people they belong to and bioware going "dw its ethical and ok! trust us!" but they have taash say it and it feels wrong, off and weird. like.. out of character? idk it's strange.

taash is a strange character. i dont think bioware actually respected them as much ... i think they used bioware to push this weird anti qunari narrative and to pander to queer people while being weird and racist and idk. idkdidkdikdksoldfgjzsdlff

i need someone who isnt white and who is smarter than me and better at articulating than me to write a think piece on this. while i am the right person for the nonbinary stuff. theres pieces here i am not the right person for. and i dont wanna speak over anyone. or be the voice for anyone when i shouldnt be. but i will say ...

if i can see how gross this shit comes across , how on earth are the people of colour who are actually effected by this bullshit feeling? they shouldnt be exposed to this bullshit . bioware should do better. hire some diverse writers man . get ur shit checked and looked over by poc before u push it out. ur game shouldnt be hurting minorities . they deserve better than this shit STILL happening . ive got too many friends and mutuals pained over taashs story and angry about it. that aint right. it just aint right man

and yeah like i said i havent 100% finished it, it seems, but i dont see the majority of this changing or any of it . i am uhh "burnt" as it were, i do not think bioware can fix this feeling inside of me

this got rambly i hope it makes sense

[emeryleewho]

I keep seeing posts talking about the WGA/Sag-Aftra strike, which yes, good, but in all this "support writers" sentiment I'm seeing no one talk about book writers, which I think is something people should know more about right now.

We are at an all-time high for book bans, namely targeting queer & PoC-authored books. This means that a lot of schools and libraries are no longer stocking diverse YA books, and if you're not in publishing, you may not realize this but school & libraries are by far one of the biggest markets for diverse YA books.

This means that in 2023, YA book sales are down. This is also in part because Barnes & Noble (the largest physical book retailer in the U.S.) is no longer really stocking YA hardcovers. This means that marginalized authors and debut authors are struggling to sell books.

But it's a LOT worse than that. In the past couple of years, marginalized authors are *really* struggling to get new book deals. Most books are acquired by a publisher about 2 years before they release to the public, so this isn't all that noticeable yet, but a LOT of marginalized authors I've spoken to (myself included) have been unable to sell a new YA book since 2020. So while I had a book out last year, even if I sell one right now, you won't see it until 2025-2026. That's three to four years without a new release or the income I get from publishing those books.

On top of that, Big 5 publishers have started closing imprints (namely their diverse imprints) and have started telling their marginalized YA authors to just go. I've had multiple authors tell me their publisher basically said, "eh, we don't care to put in the work for you anymore. You can just go somewhere else". Of the authors who *are* getting offered new contracts, we're being offered pay far below the cost of living and we're being handed contracts that split our payments 4 or 5 ways and require we sign over our work to be used to train AI so they can replace us a few years down the road.

Authors are freelancers who own our IPs, which means we can't unionize the way Hollywood writers can, and despite authors showing up in droves to support HarperCollins employees when they went on strike for fair wages, we're being hung out to dry when it comes to our own rights.

If you enjoy diverse books, especially diverse YA, please understand that many of the authors you loved over the past 3-5 years are being forced out of the industry. We're being exploited, and we have no way to defend ourselves. Our books sales are drying up thanks to anti-queer legislation, our rights are being eaten up by AI, and our publishers are degrading us while profiting of us and refusing to share those profits with us.

Within the publishing industry, we've all been watching this decline happen over the last decade, but outside of it, I know most people have no idea what's going on so please spread the word. And if you care about diverse books especially in YA, please support marginalized authors in any way you can. The industry needs to be reminded that it needs us before we're all eliminated from it.

[yourmidnightlover]

forever?

pairing: mob!bucky x reader

summary: after being forced into a marriage you didn’t want, you become very cautious of your new husband out of fear of what he’s capable of when one of his employees makes a move at a dinner meeting.

warnings: anxious reader, threat of domestic violence (reader is just worried abt it), groping, please let me know if i missed something or need to add anything!

a/n: reader is very timid in this. i know a lot of people like a reader who doesn’t take shit and stands up for herself, but i often find myself in situations where i just shut down and don’t know how to respond… so this is kinda inspired by that feeling

pt 2 -> control

two months out of forever.

two months of what seemed like wedded bliss from the outside.

in reality, that “bliss” included sleeping in separate rooms, never even seeing each other unless necessary to make appearances for either of your parents. 

the ones who arranged for this to happen in the first place. 

you were just glad you were able to have your time for yourself. you thought you would use the time to continue writing for your book, but you’ve hit a serious case of writers block. so lovely. 

on the bright side, he wasn’t as controlling as your few friends had made it seem he would be. 

they had painted this picture of a monster in your head. a man who would loom over your presence during every waking second. a man who was controlling and wouldn’t let you have a personal life or secrets.

so far, he’s been the opposite. 

for some reason, that still leaves you unsteady. 

because they also painted him in a very violent, angry, red light. 

but maybe he had a mistress. if that were the case, he truly didn’t respect you or your family. it didn’t seem like bucky to do that, though. he wouldn’t ruin a business deal that benefitted him so much. 

the reason you married him was because your father’s finance business was going under, drowned in debts while the only options were to sell to the barnes’ or the rumlow’s. the barnes’ seemed the lesser of two evils.

the only way to smoothly transition your father’s business to be under the barnes’ control without raising any question of your father’s capability was to marry. if any questions were asked about why your father sold his company, the not so good side of the finance industry would trample after your entire family. the barnes’ would get a new company and their many clients, while your family wouldn’t become entirely blacklisted by the entire country, would be putting your family under the barnes’ protection, and there would be less questions asked as to why the company had been merged.

you had a few months of “leaking” images of you and bucky together into the tabloids to prepare the public for the news of such a big marriage. some were photos of you and bucky holding hands while walking. a couple of you at a restaurant smiling. a few staged kissing photos… those may or may not have been your favorite.

those times spent with him, in all honesty, weren’t bad at all. going for walks together at sunset, dinner dates, feeling his lips against yours…

you had gotten to know more about his childhood that the tabloids didn’t feel was important to cover. his favorite subject in school and how he actually lost his arm so many years ago. you learned each others’ fears and worries in life. your favorite thing to learn about him, however, was what he truly wanted in life. 

peace.

a couple weeks after the wedding, a few photos of the reception were once again “leaked” in order to sell the “too in love to wait” bit that everyone had started assuming upon seeing the first few photos of you and bucky together. 

but all of your history with him flew to the back of your mind as bucky knocked on your office door. 

“come in,” you replied hesitantly, not sure what he wanted from you for the first time since your wedding. he stepped through the threshold and stood at the doorframe. 

“there’s a work meeting tomorrow,” his hand remained on the doorknob, so stiff you’d think he might rip it off the precious white wood in seconds. “the men are meeting at the house. i wanted to let you know. the men in this business, they expect marriages to be of the… traditional values.”

you nodded with understanding, turning to face him with a forced grin. “so i should play the part of the doting housewife, huh?” no smile in return, so you bit back your humor in turn for matching his serious tone. “what food should i prepare, then? and uh, how many guests will we be expecting?”

“whatever’s easiest for you,” he shrugged lightly. “there will be 9 of us there.” with one final look in your direction, he left the office and didn’t return to say goodnight. 

-

the next morning you got to work setting the house up for the 6pm meeting your loving husband was hosting. 

you had decided to set up a buffet-style table outside of the main dining room where the meeting would take place. for the menu, you settled on simple grilled chicken with quite a few side options. roast potatoes, asparagus, sauteed carrots, green beans, and rolls. 

you were putting the rolls in the oven when bucky got home, seemingly entranced by the smell of all the food, heading straight to the kitchen.

“it smells amazing in here,” bucky called from the archway of the kitchen. you jumped slightly from the surprise, but swallowed down the shock and another weak smile. 

“thanks,” you nodded to the edge of the island where a large chalkboard sat, your handwriting neatly displayed on the board that listed all the food to be had. “the menu. i figured a variety would be nice, and who doesn’t like chicken, right?”

“vegetarians,” if you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was telling a joke. but you knew better than that. “the men are coming in a little less than an hour. do you maybe want to change before they get here?”

you looked down at what you were wearing, a pair of blue jeans and a loose t-shirt clearly not worthy of someone who had married a barnes man. “right, of course. i’m sorry,” you finished setting the timer on the oven and ran upstairs to get yourself put together before bucky saw the tears trying to seep past your waterline. 

you settled on a black cocktail dress you had worn to one of your dad’s company events before the downfall… quickly swiping some makeup on to cover the exhaustion in your eyes and pulling your hair up to a more respectable updo rather than your typical messy bun. 

luckily you had become an expert at quickly getting ready from your time in university, as you were back in time to pull the rolls from the oven, but not before pulling on your apron. you’d be dammed if you got this stunning dress dirty right before this prestigious meeting. 

t-5 minutes before the meeting was supposed to begin and you could already hear lots of rustling from the formal dining room. you knocked on the closed doors before bucky opened the door for you. 

the men went silent as their gaze rested on you in the doorway. 

“the foods ready. buffet style?” your eyes didn’t leave bucky’s pretty blues, too scared to do anything wrong in front of his men. 

“that’s perfect, my love,” his hands gravitated to your waist before pulling your body taut against his, one hand moving a stray hair behind your ear before leaning in to whisper. “you look ravishing…”

as he pulled back, you were sure your blush was evident across your cheeks. you tried to hide it behind a smile, shrugging with a shy ‘thanks’ leaving your lips. 

“what do you say to my stunning wife, boys?” his hand squeezed your waist once more before turning to the other men, ‘thank you’s being echoed throughout the room as they stood and made their way to the kitchen to make their plates. 

in a matter of minutes, all the food was gone. you figured it was best they liked the food, even if you didn’t get to try any of it yourself like you had planned. 

you got started on cleaning everything up with earbuds in your ears, starting with the dishes already in the sink from when you were cooking. then, you were sure to place the dishes that the food was in inside the sink for you to clean before starting on wiping the counters, then sweeping, then mopping, and then back to the dishes. 

you didn’t realize that bucky had called for a break in the meeting, however. you were in for quite the rude awakening when you felt a pair of hands on your waist, but not the ones you were semi-familiar with. 

you turned around with a gasp, shock evident on your face as you tried to piece together whoever this man was. blond hair, blue eyes… definitely not steve though. you knew steve well and had seen him often. 

you pulled your earbuds from your ears in attempt to better understand what was going on. his hands were still gripping your sides, but you couldn’t necessarily escape his touch. you were backed against the sink. even if you could fight him, you’d likely lose to his strong grip. 

“is the meeting-is it over already?” your voice was so much more cowardly than you’d ever expected yourself to be. 

“no, no,” he shook his head. “just a little break, some of the guys were getting antsy.” you leaned back further, trying to create some semblance of space between you. “i figured i’d say a special thank you, on behalf of all of us guys in there.” he let one hand cup the side of your face and neck, his other hand trailing down from your waist, firmly grasping your ass with a sqeeze before you jumped at the invasion.

“i don’t-i’ve got it…”

“john,” he smiled grossly, as if he could convince you to go to bed with him.

“no need for a thanks,” you tried to remind him. “i did this for bucky. for my husband.” your eyebrows rose, trying to emphasize that his boss was also your husband. 

“i’m sure he won’t mind you getting a little bit of extra special attention, don’t you?”

then, a growling voice cut through the fear running through your veins. 

“i think he might mind.”

you turned to face bucky with wide eyes before facing john, wishing the tears welling in your eyes would just go away. 

his hands slowly retracted, stepping back with a chuckle.

“sorry, sir,” he smiled before turning to face your husband. “she was just telling me how she wanted some extra attention, weren’t you, toots?” he tilted his head expectantly.

your mouth opened, nothing leaving in spite of your brain screaming at you. what would bucky do? would he take his side? would he believe you? would he hurt you? 

you’ve embarrassed him now… humiliated him in his own home. surely he’ll take action against you for this. 

your mind replayed stories your old friends had told you about him. how he would lash out at men that betrayed him. how he never took shit from anyone who showed him any disrespect. how he was the kind of man to shoot first and ask quesitons later.

and now, in a way, you’ve both betrayed and disrespected him. or at least, that’s what he’ll think. 

you didn’t even realize tears were flowing down your face until your sobs were interrupted. 

“enough!” you finally looked at bucky before his eyes softened for a second before walking closer to you. “go to the room.” he ordered sternly. 

“but the dish-”

“i’ll take care of it,” he interrupted gravely, “go. to. the. room.” 

“yes, sir,” you nodded and swiftly left the room entirely, collapsing against the door once you had shut it, sobs wracking your body. you held your knees against your chest before trying to regulate your breathing.

he won’t hurt you.

he has to protect his image.

you’ve embarrassed him.

you’re his wife.

you’re his business deal.

you’ve humiliated him.

he’ll hurt you.

you didn’t know how long it had been since the incident. 

your sobs had subsided. you had, at some point, moved to your bed. you were still rocking your body back and forth, trying to self sooth. 

and then there was a knock at the door. 

your body instinctively jumped at the sudden noise, although it wasn’t harsh in any manner, at least not one that you were expecting. 

he twisted the knob, slowly opening the door with slow movements. 

“i-i’m so sorry,” you began apologizing as soon as he stepped through the threshold into your room. “i swear-i swear i didn’t tell him that. i didn’t even realize he was there, i promise. i wouldn’t lie to you. i’m so sorry, i’m so sorry. please believe me.” your body was still rocking and you didn’t even notice he was as close to you as he was until you saw his hand moving by your head.

automatically, you assumed the absolute worst, your head ducking into your body like a fucking turtle, the meekest squeal leaving your lips mixed with a sob. your arms went over your head protectively, as if a bomb were about to go off.

“sweetheart,” his voice sounded so broken, so torn, so unexpectedly soft. 

you finally looked at him for the first time since he came in your room. his flesh hand was holding his metal one as if it were something that could kill. in ways, it was. 

“you-there’s no need to…” after looking at him for a second longer, you noticed that his eyes had tears that almost mirrored your own. “i would never, ever lay a hand on you. i’m so sorry for scaring you. i can’t…” he sighed. “i can’t believe i made you believe i’d ever hurt you.”

“i’m sorry,” you pleaded with him once again. 

“you have nothing to apologize for,” he hesitated to reach for your hands before settling on simply grabbing a spare pillow. “i came up here to apologize. for my tone earlier… i know john. he never knows his boundaries. i should’ve… you never should’ve been put in that situation. that’s my fault. that’s on me. and i will spend the rest of forever to make it up to you.” 

“you don’t have to-”

“no, my love,” he shook his head. “can i-can i hold your hands? please?” you, without hesitation, grabbed his hands yourself. “i need to make it up to you. you’re mine. you’re my wife. it’s my job to protect you, to keep you safe. and to have someone ruin that? to touch what’s mine in my own home? i’m so sorry.” he brought your hands to his lips, pressing at least ten kisses to each hand. he was so gentle and careful it was a good thing you knew better than to think it actually meant anything.

you were surprised, to say the least, at how tender he was being with you. 

how could you have ever thought he would hurt you? that he would raise his hand and swing? that he would cause you harm? he was here declaring that he would make up this incident for the rest of eternity when it wasn’t even his doing… 

“will you stay with me tonight?” his eyes lit up at the request.

“are you sure you want that?” he became a touch more reserved. “i don’t know if it’s a good idea since you were worried i would…” his voice trailed off.

“i’m sure,” you nodded before scooting over in the bed. 

sure, your marriage was arranged and didn’t stem from true love. you may not have talked outside of when absolutely necessary. you might have even been terrified of him at one point. 

but now, the thought of forever with bucky barnes didn’t seem half bad. 

[graendoll]

A number of fanfiction authors are pulling their fics from Ao3 because people are illegally selling bound copies of these fics on etsy.

Pretty sure this hasn't happened to any of my stories. And I have given permission to folks to bind copies for personal use, which is perfectly legal and just and this post does not apply to those situations.

But this needs to be said:

If you are the kind of person who would download something from Ao3....bind it....and sell it on Etsy...you're dead to me.

The fact that people have the balls to take creative works that aren't theirs, that are provided for free to the world because of the joy it brings authors to share their stories with people who love the characters as much as we do, and turn around and sell them for HUNDREDS of dollars is gross and morally corrupt.

And the people who buy these copies, knowing they are putting the entire world of fanfic at risk, are just as bad.

It is ILLEGAL to sell fanfiction. It is immoral to buy it.

Fanfic exists in a liminal space where writers are protected because no money exchanges hands. The greed of a few is going to fuck it up for the rest of us. If you see bound fics for sale, please report the sellers.

[lemonsprite]

Hello can I ask for BG3 Halsin x reader?

Usually people depict the reader as ageless but I was wondering if you can do anything with a reader that's also up in their 300s? They could probably relate on many thing that come with a long lifespan and stuff

Thanks and have a nice day (I know this is like probably brainless time from me but the summer heat is getting me my brain left me)

Thank you guys for all the Halsin ideas I luv my bear husband TT

𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 || 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐆𝐍! 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Summary: Halsin can’t remember the last time he’s met someone like you

Word Count:

Warnings: NOT BETA READ!!! nothing!! Just pure silliness

A/N: I had SUCH bad writers block with this one so I apologize if it’s actual doodoo TT but I love writing the bg3 party dynamic sm ugh

Halsin was used to being a pile of dust when compared to all his friends and companions. Despite only being in the middle stages of his life for an elf, he’d lived much longer than those around him.

Part of that knowledge made his heart ache in a weird bittersweet mixture of emotions. Living as long as he did caused him to see the rise of fall of friends and lovers and there was nothing he could do about it. It seemed like a cycle he was doomed too, one that would unfold the same as always.

Halsin knew almost no elves the same absurdly old age as him.

“Karlach I don’t think the camp really needs another cantaloue… we haven’t even finished the other two Wyll bought three days ago…” chided Halsin, placing a hand on top of Karlach’s and slowly guiding the round fruit in her hands back into the market stall.

“Yeah but mate, what’s gonna happen when shadowheart gets her midnight cravings and eats both cantaloupes in one night?” Pouted Karlach, gripping tightly to the fruit. “What will I eat then…? If you think about it… this purchase is just a tactical strategy…”

Halsin gave her a look, one he was all too familiar with when dealing with those much younger and less wise than him.

Karlach sighed and dropped the cantaloupe, making her way to another stall that sold hand made yarn woven weapon sheaths. (Not the best in terms of practicality but very aesthetically pleasing)

“Do you have this in a size Large?” Asked a voice and before Halsin could catch himself, he found his gaze landing on the stranger beside him. Also an elf from what he could tell with their pointed ears.

“The smithy by the Rivington general store sells the same armour for a cheaper price.” Suggested Halsin, moving slightly closer to the new bystander.

“I could…” he coughed, clearing his throat. “Show you the way if you need?”

Halsin had no idea what he was doing. One second, the elf was scolding Karlach and the next he was flirting with a complete stranger. Something in your eyes, the way you held yourself made him want to know you better, hear you speak his name.

“That would be nice…” you smiled, politely putting the not purchased armour back on the market stand and turning to Halsin.

A large crash resounded behind Halsin and he whipped around to find Karlach standing above a pile of shattered porcelain. Like a large dog unaware of how big she was.

“Hey you gotta pay for that!” Angrily shouted the storekeeper as he looked incredulously from Karlach to the shattered pottery.

“That one yours?” You asked, nodding your head in the direction of the destructive tiefling.

Halsin nodded, watching as Karlach tearfully handed over the little money she had.

“I’ve got nine of them back at camp.” He said wistfully, thinking back to the ruckus and chaos of camp.

“I’ve been on my own for awhile now…” you hummed, walking with Halsin as he began to lead you to the nearby smithy, Karlach jogging to reach up with the two of you.

“I’m Halsin.” He smiled. “And this is my friend Karlach.”

“Oh I know you! I spent a century with the emerald enclave, they spoke very highly of you.” You grinned, stuffing your hands in the pockets of your tunic as you walked.

Karlach smiled brightly, nodding her head eagerly. “You should see when he wildshapes! The bear is quite cute.”

“You were apart of the emerald enclave?” Halsin asked, pleasantly bemused as the city surroundings grew less and less frequent and more bursting countryside surrounded him.

“Not apart.” You explained, giving Halsin a sheepish smile. “Just lived with them a good while, even during that big battle with Ketheric Thorm back in the day, helped as much as I could.”

“I can’t remember the last time I’d met an elf who can recall such a time.” Halsin smiled gently. “Say… would you like to join us for dinner at our camp?”

Karlach gave Halsin a knowing smirk.

“That sounds amazing.” You grinned. “I’d love too.”

Despite the scene of utter chaos unfolding around him, Halsin couldn’t bring himself to tear his eyes from your thoughtful gaze.

Shadowheart and Lae’zel were currently arm wrestling for dominance while Gale fought back Astarion, telling him dinner wasn’t quite ready yet.

Halsin had brought you to a quite hill nearby, overlooking all the drama as you two had a quite chat.

“Can’t remember the last time I had a dinner like this.” You quipped, causing the grass to rustle as you leaned back.

“Would you… want to stay…?” Halsin asked shyly, weirdly awkward for a man of his calibre. He hadn’t felt like this in a long time, his usual confident and wise facade slowly melting. You made him feel like a dumb kid again, and he couldn’t get enough of it.

“It would be nice to have someone older with a little more wisdom join the party… I don’t think me and Jaeheria can last another day…” he added with a soft laugh, joining you in the grass.

“Jaeheria’s here?” You asked, raising an eyebrow. “I haven’t seen her in two hundred years.”

“You should stay.” He urged. “I also… just really want to know you better.”

Halsin gently placed his hand on top of yours in the grass, giving you enough time to pull away if you need.

“Yeah… yeah I’d like that.” You smiled, running your thumb over his knuckles and lifting your face to meet his rich hazel gaze.

[youkaiyume]

So, Rise of the Beasts!!

I saw it twice of the weekend, and I want to put down my honest thoughts.

Overall, I had a great time and I definitely think it's worth watching. Ignore the critic reviews for some reason they are offended that a Transformers movie exists to sell toys. You know, their sole purpose since the very beginning of inception. But OF COURSE I have THOUGHTS so...

Spoilers under the cut!

I liked the human characters for the most part. Noah's sudden onboard motives for going with the autobots to Peru was not as convincing but adventure needs to happen so I gave it a pass.

Mirage is like, DTF with Noah. Like he is SO ready for that tiny bf bff. It's obvious that Bee spoke so much about Charlie (cuz it seemed he was the only one who did talk positively about humans in their group) that Mirage was just. HIS BODY WAS READY.

CHARLIE WAS MENTIONED!!! AHHHHH!!! That was the one tiny smidgeon of a crumb that I wanted and they gave it to me. Granted it was implied when Optimus says "I know one was good to you, Bee" But I was told that the Latin America dub had him say Charlie's actual name. There was a SCENE that was cut out according to the Hollywood Reporter--that Bumblebee had also pulled out a polaroid pic that Charlie took of them together from the first movie here to show OP. HE'S BEEN CARRYING AROUND HER PICTURE ALL THESE YEARS I DIE WHY DID YOU CUT THIS OUT!!!

Mirage's abilities seem very arbitrary. And I do not like this. He can turn into several alt modes which seems to be only a thing that he can do... he can mass shift--which I know mass shifting is a thing but when he turns into a truck to sneak past the museum security I was like??? I was always under the impression that the bots could turn into a vehicle relative to their own actual size so this just confuses me. There is supposedly an earlier cut of the film where it was more clear that the trailer was another illusion. which I wish they kept in. Also when he becomes Noah's symbiote suit at the end?? Like, as a shipper and rule of cool I am into it, but as a person who wants rules to ground my science fiction I don't like how Mirage is just a swiss army knife for the writer's convenience. It feels lazy instead of taking the time to actually worldbuild. Nobody else can do these things.

The arbitrary mass shifting of him being as big or as small as he wants (like when he becomes Noah's exosuit) really falls apart when they keep insisting that they need the humans because only they can fit into small spaces. Well, clearly not cuz you can just do it yourself. AGAIN, PLEASE BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR RULES.

Airazor x Elena. Anyone else????

speaking of which, I am very upset about what happens to Airazor. And we never even got to see her transform. tragic.

Optimus sure was a negative nancy which--I understand why but I hope they ease up on edgy "i will rip everyone's faces off" Optimus because it feels disingenuous to his character to keep it going for too long. Like I get it, they killed your fave child so I will forgive you but also I want more of "Be strong enough to be gentle" Optimus. Not the edgelord Bayverse Optimus that they are clearly going for cuz the know certain :ahem: fans like that.

Beeeee. They put him out of commission which again, according to interviews they did just so they could make sure he doesn't steal the spotlight and give a chance for the other characters to shine lmao. He is too powerful. But also because we shots of him in the trailers, I was not too worried about Bee staying out of commission. But goddamn when if I still wasn't hyped as hell when he made his comeback. 10/10 he proves he's still the GOAT.

I hate Pablo/Wheeljack. No, after seeing the movie my opinion of him did not improve in fact it got so much worse. His design was the LEAST of his problems. Every moment he was on screen was deeply cringe. And he barely did anything!! He could have not been in the movie at all and it wouldn't have made a difference and I genuinely believe it would have been a better film. All this hullaballoo over Pablo and this is what we got. Wheeljack fans lost hard after all that defense I'm sorry this ain't it.

Hey speaking of bots that barely got any lines or screentime, wtf was up with Rhinox and Cheetor? My boys got shafted :(

There was a moment where OP is asking the bots if they detected the terrorcons and Arcee WHO IS SITTING in the pablo van was like "lol nope" and I was like GURL how could you, you're in a van. And it made no sense because don't you also have an altmode??? Shouldn't you be scouting outside to cover more ground???

I firmly believe the only had Arcee sitting in there like a dumb duck because they wanted Wheeljack to make a dumb joke in the original cut about how it was a long time since she was inside him. UGHUGHUGH.

Did I mention how glad I am that they cut the majority of Wheeljack's screentime since it was so awful especially his and Arcee's implied romance? Especially since they killed off the other femmes so the only one we got now has to have a mandatory romance. No thanks. Glad that nonsense is gone.

The Maximals' robot modes were very minimal. and they went by so fast I never got a good look at their designs.

I loved how the Maximals were harmoniously living with the native tribe--and speaking their language!

Scourge's face reveal seemed to be treated like it was a big deal but when we saw him it was just... guy without his wig on. Literally the surprise is that he is bald.

Noah x Mirage is very strong good. I have no doubt the fandom will be all over it since they seem to eat up BL romance much more readily and I am all for it. They also have all the great ingredients for it--flirting, drift compatibility, self sacrifice for the other. Another human x transformer ship for the books.

I'm sure there are some ppl who like the ending. but I.... did not. I do not want to see G.I.Joes in my transformers I'm sorry. I don't want the return of military propaganda or more introductions to several human characters that take away from the transformers. I don't want to see them exploited or used for our own human affairs--even if it's a fictional cult-- when they could be literally fighting Decepticons or Unicron or whatever. People might have wanted them in Bayverse cuz it was heavily skewed Military in those films but I don't want to see it again. It was a terrible, dark time. the Joes might be presented as good guys but I don't trust the military in general and I don't see their motives as altruistic--especially if their goal is to use them for their own purposes. Why would they help them get home? They wouldn't, if just to keep their best weapons--and Noah is bait. He is bait and he will fall for it hook line and sinker because they are bribing him with his brother's healthcare and the fact that he is struggling to find work elsewhere.I hope if they are to be involved at all it will be relegated to characters here and there but they stay in their own movies if they have to ride on Transformers coattails to revive an irrelevant struggling franchise.

There was minimal human injuries/death and I appreciate that. They did the DBZ thing where they took their fight to remote locations. This probably won't keep up if they introduce the Joes :/

Overall, 8/10. I had a fun time. I didn't love it as much as Bumblebee but it was definitely miles better than Bayverse (a low bar I know). The action was clear, the characters likable, the CGI mostly stellar. I have hope that they will bring back Charlie maybe. But hey, I took my parents to it the second time around and my Mom liked Mirage and my Dad did not fall asleep so I will consider that a stamp of approval.

[cha-lii]

Ah for the Bad Things happen bingo apologies as I am always in a Sanji mood, but to maybe request Leave me Alone and/or Traumatic Touch Aversion for Sanji. Something that always gets me is when he needs comfort but pushes people who want to comfort him away and I would love to see your take. Or tortured for information? Sanji not selling out the Straw Hats or even Germa. If any of those tickle your fancy

And if you're not feeling those, perhpss Sanji cauterizing a wound on Zoro? Some good trusting nakama after bad stuff.

Thank you if you do and no worries if not!

(blue prompts are taken, yellow completed – the rest are free)

Hellooo @finalgale, my love I did not ignore you, I am just a Tragically Slow Writer – please enjoy this angsty word vomit that I mostly wrote tonight in a frenzy of inspiration that will likely not strike again for many moons!

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52234756/chapters/148709830#workskin

and over i go

Chapter 2

Dinner that night was tense. Sanji could tell that everyone wanted to talk about what had happened, but no one seemed to know what to say. Instead they sat in near silence at the galley table, watching Sanji bustle around the kitchen as he hastened to add the finishing touches to the myriad dishes he had prepared for them in the short time since they’d left that place behind them. The food he’d prepared for them was just as extravagant as always, and as he laid the dishes out on the table he made sure to present them with the same flourishes and smiles that he normally would, but any attempt at taking a conversation with him further than polite chatter was swiftly and smoothly shut down.

He doubted he would be able to carry a normal conversation anyway. Not with how his mind was still buzzing from his earlier meltdown. He kept getting flashes of hostile faces and scared shouts; spittle on his face and a hand on his arm, pulling him – and then, not far behind, chasing his every thought like a pack of hungry dogs, his brothers’ faces would come to mind. Twisted, mocking, cruel – Sanji shook his head sharply, and served his nakama dinner.

Most of them seemed willing to let the matter drop in favour of digging into the feast in front of them, but Sanji quickly noticed Luffy watching him closely in between bites. He knew that his captain didn’t believe any of his nonchalance for even a second; knew he could see the lingering redness around his eyes, and the tousled hair he’d forgotten to flatten after he’d pulled at it, and the way he just couldn’t seem to get his hands to stop shaking. When he caught glimpses of the others’ faces, he could tell that they weren’t buying into it either.

He kept trying anyway.

Bringing out the last dish, Sanji realised he now had no other option but to join the rest of the crew at the table. Idiot. He swallowed back a sigh, and sat in his chair with tired resignation. Luffy was following his movements, watching and waiting for any sign of upset, and Sanji had no choice but to fill his plate and eat the food, even though it was tasteless in his mouth and swallowing each bite took a ridiculous amount of effort.

Even though he could hear Yonji’s voice in his head telling him it was shit, he was shit, and everyone could tell, that’s why they were all staring at him and whispering about him and hating him–

Sanji ate, and hoped it would be enough to ward off his captain’s concern. But when all the food was eaten, one look at Luffy’s face told Sanji there was no avoiding the elephant in the room. Sure enough, the moment Luffy clocked that there was nothing left for him to gorge himself on, he sat back and fixed his gaze solidly on Sanji’s across the table.

“Sanji,” his voice wasn’t loud, not really, but it cut through the small conversations that had managed to find their footing around the table like a hot knife through butter. Sanji swallowed down the anxiety bubbling at the back of his throat, and tried to silence the voices in his head, and wished he could bring himself to look away from those warm, steely eyes. “I’m sorry.” He blinked.

“You’re – what?”

“I’m sorry,” his captain repeated, and Sanji began to understand that the hardness in Luffy’s gaze had nothing to do with rage or resentment or disappointment, but rather regret. He shook his head, but Luffy continued on, “I didn’t listen to you when you said you wanted to leave. And now you’re hurt. I’m sorry.”

“Luffy, no,” Sanji’s words were strained, and he could feel his panic rising again. See? It whispered to him in his brother’s voice, see what you do? “It wasn’t your fault – you know that. I told you that.”

“It wasn’t yours either,” Robin said, watching Sanji closely with a horrible sort of empathy in her deep eyes. “You understand that, don’t you, Sanji?” He tried to nod, wanted to nod, but he couldn’t. It felt like too much of a lie.

“It was just–” he tried, struggling through the tumult in his brain to find the words needed to end this conversation as quickly as possible. “It was just – unfortunate.” He cringed at the words even as he said them, and cringed again at the answering scoffs from Nami and Zoro. “I mean – it was just shitty timing, that’s all. Maybe if we’d gotten there a few weeks from now, or even months… maybe then it would have been easier for me to – to avoid it. For those people to… tolerate me.” Several of his friends bristled at his choice of words, and he quickly continued before any of them could voice their protestations. “But – I don’t know. It’s fine, though. I’m fine.” Nami scoffed again, her concern a thing with sharp edges.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, and from the way her voice seemed tight and just a little bit higher than was normal, he could tell she was barely holding back tears. “You’re ‘fine’. You spent, like, an hour having a panic attack before making us dinner, because a bunch of strangers took one look at you and wanted you dead. And you can barely even look any of us in the eyes – but yeah – ‘fine’.”

A few of the others shuffled uncomfortably in their seats, and none of them seemed quite so willing anymore to try staring him down. Sanji was aware of Luffy saying Nami’s name in that same quiet voice, but he couldn’t quite hear it over the blood rushing in his ears. Weakling. He clenched his hands under the table, wishing that he could steady them enough to start clearing away dishes, just to give himself something to do. Anything to get away from that table, and those eyes. Anything to distract himself from those voices whispering away in his head.

“I’m fine,” he said again, when he was sure his voice wasn’t going to betray him. “Maybe I was a bit upset before, but I’m fine now. You think what happened back there is enough to rattle me, Nami-san? I’ve heard far worse. So, yes. I am fine.” His voice was harder than he’d intended, and he’d perhaps said more than he’d meant to, but Nami didn’t say anything else, and he could only feel disgustingly relieved at her silence. Sanji cut a quick glance around the table, found everyone’s expressions suddenly unbearable, and stood to begin clearing away the dishes regardless of the fact he was still shaking.

He carried the tall stack of plates to the sink, and was glad when the rush of the tap drowned out the whispers behind him. He sighed, and ignored the familiar feeling of dread pooling in his stomach, and tried to breathe around the weight on his chest.

They regret saving you, Ichiji was telling him. They’re realising what a stain you are on their reputations, and they regret even meeting you in the first place.

“Sanji,” Luffy said, suddenly standing right behind him. He was still so quiet, like he was trying to soothe a cornered animal. “Talk to us.” He wants rid of you, idiot.

“I’ve already said my piece, Luffy.”

“You lied, though,” Sanji couldn’t help but flinch at the accusation, opening his mouth instinctively to argue back, but his captain wasn’t finished. “I know when you’re lying, Sanji. I could tell then, and I can tell now. Stop being stupid, you know better by now.” He’s wrong, it was Niji now, his voice carrying that same humiliating laughter that haunted Sanji’s entire childhood. You’re too stupid to know better – too much of a failure to learn from your mistakes. Same as ever– Sanji snorted, the anxiety inside him bubbling over.

“You are the absolute last person who has any right to call me ‘stupid’, Luffy,” he said tightly, hating himself more and more even as the words came tumbling out. He was suddenly desperate for a cigarette, but realised with a pang that his pack was in the pocket of his jacket, currently slung over his chair at the table. The table where everyone was still sitting, watching their interaction attentively. Listening to Sanji venting his frustrations on their captain.

Cigarettes weren’t an option, then. He settled for biting his lip, swallowing down any more biting remarks before he said something else he regretted.

“Stop deflecting, cook,” As though sensing his tenuous hold on his temper and wanting nothing more than to break it, Zoro spoke up. “We can all tell you’re not fine, you’re wound up even tighter than usual.”

“Fuck off, marimo,” Sanji bit out around his lip. He remembered the swordsman’s hand on his shoulder, his worried eyes, and the feeling of cloth against his face as Nami used his bandana to clean away the spit on his cheek. Even the mosshead pities you, Niji whispered gleefully. Even he can see it.

Sanji couldn’t catch his breath anymore, and he was shaking so much that the plate in his hand rattled as he put it in the drying rack. He was biting down so hard on his bottom lip he could taste blood, only that was all in his head because his skin was too hard for him to even bite through anymore, because he was a monster now  –  he was falling apart. He knew he was falling apart, and he knew that the others could see it clear as day, which only made him feel even more vulnerable and exposed.

He also knew that they were just trying to help. They always were. But they didn’t seem to understand – he just needed some room to fucking breathe.

“Sanji-kun,” and now Nami was starting again, her voice softer than before. Now she sounded cautious, like if she said the wrong thing he was going to lash out at her. Just like I did, right? Niji hissed at him. She’s scared that you’re going to hurt her, just like I hurt your little chef. Sanji bit down harder on his lip, and grabbed another plate from the stack. Nami didn’t even know about what happened to poor Cosette, he reminded himself. Nami was just concerned about him – she would never be scared of him – her face flashed before his eyes: tearful, screaming – terrified. Begging him to stopstopSTOP hitting their captain–

The water was too hot – he could tell because there was steam billowing into his face, and his skin was red – but he could barely even feel it. He tried to pretend it was because his anxiety was making the very tips of his fingers numb, and not because he was becoming so fucking inhuman that he couldn’t even feel pain anymore. Nami was still talking behind him, “– and you know we only want to help. We care about you – we love you. Just talk to us, please–”

“Sanji?” Sanji’s shoulders were heaving with every difficult breath he managed to take, and he had such a tight grip on the plate he was holding he was scared it might shatter, and Luffy’s voice behind him sounded confused now, even more worried than before–

Careful, Sanji, Ichiji whispered to him, you’re being pathetic again, they’ll see–

Ha, Sanji’s crying again, look at him–

Stupid, worthless–

There was a hand on the small of his back, and another on his shoulder, and something – something landed on his head, falling low, covering his eyes – and there was absolutely nothing that Sanji could do to stop himself from crying out, or to brace himself when he flinched so hard that the plate he still held went crashing to the floor.

Some vague part of his mind was aware of the sudden commotion behind him, and of the shell shocked look on his captain’s face – but the other part of his mind, the part that had been spewing poison all evening, that part was screaming at him to get it off. He tore at whatever had been secured around his head, but only managed to yank it forward a few scant inches before he met resistance at the back of his neck – it was stuck – and he could barely breathe already but now he really couldn’t breathe–

Another pair of hands – warm, calloused but soft, firm but gentle, and nothing at all like what his brain wanted him to expect – took hold of his and guided him until he managed to free himself from whatever the fuck was–

“Your hat,” he whispered hoarsely, blinking at Luffy. His captain, his friend, his saviour. Standing before him looking scared. “It’s – your hat.” Luffy searched his face, still holding Sanji’s shaking hands securely between his own. He nodded.

“Yeah, Sanji,” he said, his voice still carrying that faint tone of confusion, now undercut with something deeper, intenser. Something that Sanji has seen him topple governments over. “It’s just – it was just my hat. What else would it have been?” Sanji shook his head.

“S-Sanji,” and that was Chopper’s voice, timid and frightened and tearful. Sanji’s head jerked toward the sound, and he saw them all where they’d leapt up from their seats, confused and alarmed but ready for action, ready to fight whatever they needed to fight to stop their cook from looking like that.

Or maybe they wanted a better look at the crybaby, huh? Sanji flinched, and Luffy’s grip on his hands tightened in response.

“Sanji,” he said again, “what else would it have been?”

“I-I–” Sanji couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe, and they were all watching him, waiting for an answer, for an explanation, for a reason, as if Sanji hadn’t been searching for that his entire fucking life–

“Sanji, breathe,” Usopp was rounding the galley island to stand by his side, hesitating only slightly before resting one hand on his shoulder and splaying the other flat on his chest. Luffy didn’t let go of his hands. “Just breathe. C’mon, we’ve – you’ve been through this with me before. Just breathe.” Sanji tried to meet Usopp’s gaze, then realised he was scared of what he’d find in it and decided to just close his eyes instead. “That’s fine – just breathe with me. It’s – you’re okay. It’s okay. It’s okay, right?”

“Of course it’s okay,” Luffy’s voice rang out, louder now than it had been. He was clearly affronted by this whole situation. “You’re with us. And you’re on Sunny – everything is okay, Sanji. Sanji!” He shook their joined hands until Sanji opened his eyes to look at him. “You’re – what else would it have been?” Usopp shushed him, but Luffy ignored it. He seemed genuinely confused. He looked guilty, and Sanji hated that he looked guilty. Hated that he’d made his captain feel guilty over something that Sanji had thought he’d gotten over, something that had nothing at all to do with his captain, with any of them–

Poor Sanji, still hung up on his helmet, Yonji was mocking him.

Poor Sanji, still nothing more than a worthless little crybaby, Niji was joining in.

Poor, useless Sanji – he’ll never really escape, Ichiji was hissing at him.

Poor, poor Sanji–

“Sanji–”

“Th-the helmet,” he gasped out, breathless and hoarse. “I th-thought it was the h-helmet.” Luffy blinked at him. He looked to Usopp, who shook his head, also at a loss. He looked to the rest of the crew, and didn’t find answers there either. Sanji closed his eyes again, trying to focus on the hands holding him together.

“What – Sanji, I don’t know what you mean,” Luffy said, and Sanji almost laughed, because of course Luffy didn’t. Even at his most exposed, Sanji had never told Luffy or Nami or any of them about the helmet. Or the cell. Or those endless, endless days when he’d been convinced that he was going to die down there, alone and unloved and unwanted. Or the endless, endless nights when he’d wanted to. He had planned on taking those secrets to the grave – but, of course, he was too weak to even manage that much. “Sanji,” Luffy shook him again, a sort of urgency bleeding into his tone, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Was it–” Nami’s voice broke, and she took a breath before trying again. “Was it – Judge. Was it the V– was it them?” She sounded close to tears. She also sounded like she already knew the answer. From the way his captain’s grip became bruising – silly Sanji, monsters like us don’t bruise – Sanji could tell Luffy had come to the same realisation as his navigator.

“I-I–”

“Was it?” Luffy sounded angry now. “Was it them? Did they do something to you?” Sanji shook his head again, and tried to breathe. He finally managed to get some air back into his lungs, and if he tried hard enough he could focus on the feeling of Luffy’s hands holding his; of Usopp’s hand still pressed securely against his heaving chest; of the rough texture of his captain’s treasure still clutched in his own trembling grip. If he tried hard enough he could focus on all of these things, and pretend that they were enough to drown out his brothers.

“It was – a long time ago,” he managed, opening his eyes.

He looked at Luffy, at the way his jaw clenched and lip curled furiously. He looked at Usopp, at the hard line of his furrowed brow as he tried to make sense of what Sanji was saying. He looked at his nakama, still standing around the table. Nami’s face was red, a mixture of sorrow and anger. And Chopper was in Brook’s arms, and he and Franky were crying. Jinbei looked angry, and Robin and Zoro looked murderous. And Sanji didn’t know what he’d done to deserve them–

Nothing.

“What was a long time ago?”

You’ve done nothing to deserve them.

“Sanji.”

You don’t deserve them.

“Sanji! What was a long time ago?” Luffy was getting louder with every word. Sanji swallowed thickly, and licked his lips, and tried for the first time in his life to find words to describe the abuse that had scarred him worse than any words or beatings or starvation ever could.

“The – the helmet. He – they made me wear a – a helmet. He did – Judge did. He made me wear it. He made me. He–”

“Why?”

“Because I was dead,” Sanji whispered, the words cutting through the heavy silence in the room with the force of a bullet. “I was dead – and he didn’t want anyone to see me. I was dead. But he couldn’t – he couldn’t actually kill me. So he – he – he made me wear the – and he locked me down there. He–”

Sanji couldn’t breathe again, and Luffy’s grip was too tight, and he could feel Usopp shaking. He heard Chopper crying, and Nami’s wounded noise. He heard Zoro’s low, “And why exactly aren’t they fucking dead right now?” and he heard Robin and Brook’s noises of assent. He wanted to turn to them, to explain to them that it was behind him, had been behind him for years – but he couldn’t fucking breathe anymore, and his vision was going black around the edges.

His hands were released, and warm arms wrapped around his shoulders. His head was pushed into the crook of Luffy’s neck, and firmly held there. Usopp’s hand was still on his chest, crushed between them, but the sharpshooter made absolutely no move to free it, instead slinging his other arm around Sanji’s shoulders. A weight settled against his legs, and Sanji almost startled before he realised it was only Chopper. The little reindeer pressed himself against Sanji’s calves, rubbing his face against his slacks.

“They were wrong,” Luffy whispered to him, and Sanji shook his head, forehead rubbing against his shoulder.

“Please don’t, Luffy. Please don’t.”

“They were so wrong,” his captain continued, ignoring his pleas and whimpers. “They were wrong about you, Sanji. You’re better than them. You’re so good, Sanji. You’re so good.” The noises coming out of Sanji’s mouth were almost foreign to him; noises he hadn’t made since he was eight years old. Noises he hadn’t thought himself capable of anymore.

They were always in there, silly little Sanji.

“You’re so kind, Sanji.”

You’ve always been a scared little boy.

“You’re so much stronger than you realise. So much stronger than them.”

You’ll never be anything more than a scared little boy.

“You’re amazing, Sanji. Sanji.”

Sanji.

Luffy squeezed the back of his head, holding onto him tightly even though Sanji was getting tears and snot all over his t-shirt. Even though the precious straw-hat was pressed tightly between them. Even though he could see him for all that he was. “Sanji, you’re my nakama. I love you, okay? I love you so much, Sanji. Okay? Okay, Sanji?”

You’re worthless.

“Okay, Luffy,” he whispered, and wished his captain would never let him go.

[campbell-rose]

Helluva Fucking Rant: S2 E6 

OKay I’m a big fat liar and my pants are burning my ass rn, I know I said I’d do Rwby designs next but then the whole leaked episode drama happened and now it’s out and I need to complain. 

*Off the bat, I’m not going to talk pacing mainly because I have little experience with dealing with pacing (having never written anything more than comic strips lol). The episode didn’t feel too fast but anyway 

I’m going to organize this based on gripes I have per character. 

Fizzarolli: He is my baby. He's like kind of babygirl if that makes any sense. “Maybe I could burn the milk this time” 

I adore Fizz as a character. He’s not babified or infantilized like a lot of Viv’s other gay men. So far. Who knows, the writers have proven how adept they are at contradicting and retconning characters. But uhhhh what the fuck was he doing in Greed? Am I stupid? Like, it’s never spelled out. Is it for pr? Is it a deal with Mammon type thing? Is he promoting something? If he had somewhere to be why did he let his dogs run him all over creation??? Like, bit of an issue there as it’s only vaguely mentioned that he was practicing something. 

His backstory is like... acceptable I suppose. Not what I was expecting. I was expecting like, what we got, and a combination of some other theories I had personally. See, my issue is the fire and how imps have been shown in previous episodes to be, ya know, IMMUNE TO FIRE. Imagine if, and bear with me here huge stretch I know, imps are immune to fire and hellfire – but not holy fire. Like, shit straight from the angel’s burning halo type fire. That would make sense, since hellfire is a thing in pop culture and biblically accurate angels are all gold and flames! 

I do like the idea that fizz’s entire body is white from scars, however I think his scars need texture for the idea to sell. Maybe in full costume it’s covered with makeup, but come on people he was lit on fire, you ever seen a healed burn? Fizz being scared of the flames legit made me sad, I love him so much. However they’re trying to show he’s got like ptsd (maybe not exactly but still) from it, but it feels inconsistent to me for some reason. On a final note, he never should’ve forgiven Blitzo in any way, shape or form tbh, I would’ve preferred what Barbie did just straight up, I don’t like you, I can’t forgive you please leave me alone.  

Asmodeus: This cemented for me how much I fucking hate his design. His stupid head is so tiny and his body is built like a brick shithouse like, it’s so unbalanced and weird looking. I like his character here I suppose. No noticeable inconsistencies from his first appearance. His va is killing it tbh, love him so much what a king. 

I’m fine with his character, what I’m not fine with is the weird consent angle their going with. Like... he is the SIN of LUST??? Valentino is more of what I’d expect as the sin of Lust compared to Asmodeus. Also, the WEAKEST and most NON THREATENING SIN??? KESHADOG IS RIGHT THERE 

Crimson: He should’ve been hired by Mammon to get back at Asmodeus. Maybe Asmodeus has an unpaid debt with Mammon and has been shirking him so Mammon is like ‘i have your fucktoy now, give me my money or you won’t get him back’ 

Like his little video chat could’ve been context, like “You don’t know me, but you may know my employer – Mammon?” 

The paperwork would make sense then, Mammon is sending over contracts and bullshit Asmodeus has to sign. The importance of reading the fine print would be even more present because Asmodeus is dealing with someone on his level who can actually fuck him up, not some nobody imp he could kill with a glance! Crimson’s motive could be that Mammon offered him a share of Ozzie’s stock and would let him run some shit because Crimson has become a prominent member of higher society despite being an imp, which is the only reason Striker is partnered with him. 

Striker: Striker baby doll, please just fucking kill Fizz. Like, stop fucking standing there, kill the fucker. Omg I was so annoyed with his lack of action this episode. Both Fizz and Striker are incredible agile and snake like characters, this whole distraction song should’ve been a mix of striker trying to kill Fizz/Fizz avoiding him and Crim’s gang being just flabbergasted by the bullshit they’re witnessing. It’s been shown before that Crimson ony ever sits on the sidelines while his goons get killed so like????  

Anyway, Viv can try as hard as she wants to paint Striker as in the wrong and a bigot, but it won’t work on me. He’s completely in the right because imps are literally the slave/working class in this caste system. Fizz is (to imps in the slums and less fortunate) probably the epitome of a pampered lapdog plaything of the upper class. ANd that could’ve been something interesting to explore. Why not show the perspective of other imps that think like Striker, maybe have them be antagonistic to Fizz because he’s Asmodeus and Mammon’s pet, or maybe Fizz finds out that’s what people think of him and he’s horrified and that’s why he’s mad Blitzo calls him a whore. But no, because Striker is an evil bigot who sides with the evil woman Stella so nobody else thinks like he does. 

Also, his new va has the sexiest voice i've heard since live action Buggy or sub Crocodile so I'm not complaining about him taking up screen time

Him all disheveled is straight up working for me

Blitzo: Once again he gets away with being shitty and stupid and awful because he’s a woobie. Why the fuck was the crux of their hatred based on a birthday cake and the miscommunication trope??? I hate this so much.  

Was Blitzo in love with Fizz? Is that what that blink and you’ll miss it letter was? I’m getting very tired of this show having blink and you’ll miss it plot beats. That isn’t showing not telling, it’s like sweeping shit under a rug. Its like they think just because it was on screen for a frame the audience will catch it and be like ‘omg it happened’ or feel smart for catching something. Stolitz making up through text shouldn’t be a pause the video and read moment for fuckssake. 

I’m finding it very ahrd to tolerate Blitzo. On the topic of him though, I saw the leaked episode. WHY was Barbie taken out of the final flashback???

What the actual fuck???? Like... once again the women in this show are just shoved away and forgotten this is like Naruto level female character writing guys. Naruto had one good female character and she was still sidelined half the damn time. 

Also i fucking hate how this show can't be serious for more than five seconds like when Fizz and Blitzo hug and Blitzo is like 'haha wanna make out' i hate this but it isn't as egregious as having dildos during an abuse scene

Conclusion: Animation was amazing (also one of my fav animators KittenSneeze is an animator for Spindlehorse now like i love them so good for them), plot was whatever, characters are where the story falls, this won and I can’t anymore. 

Actually no, not conclusion. You know what really makes me hate Helluva Boss? It isn’t fair. I know that sounds childish and stupid, but who cares I’m childish and I’m stupid. Why is it that someone like Viv, who consistently doesn’t take criticism and is just a shit person all around gets rewarded for doing dogshit all the time. Yeah it’s a bit step for indie animation or whatever but she literally has Alex Brightman in her fucking pocket I don’t wanna hear it. Lackadaisy has earned it’s time in the goddamn spotlight, not Viv and her stupid creations. It’s so unfair. She got popular off of happenstance for her kesha sparkledogs and now she’s off bastardizing demonology and writing borderline backwards gay and female characters and she’s getting praised as the patron saint of queer rep and indie animation. Like, she doesn’t deserve it. Genuinely. I wish I could just post my demon story and people would just flock to it like flies to shit and shower me in praise and protect me from any criticism. But that’s not how real life works, but for some reason it is for Viv. Its just... I hate it. 

Anyway, baby rant over. This episode was like 7/10 tbh. It wasn't amazing but for Helluva Boss it was good. Sarcastic Chorus made a video about it that I'm gonna watch because honestly his takes could convince me this show is on Arcane's level lmao. Bye bye <3 

[spookygingerr]

what season or arc do you like with the most and why? 💫

Hi Alex!

This is actually such a hard question because I feel like a lot of the arcs I enjoy aren't fully explored on the show and that's what intrigues me so much. But then there are also arcs on the show that I enjoy that I feel are done well. Plus you asked which season I like most as well. I am going to answer all 3 because, like I said, I'm ready to yap.

Favourite unexplored arc:

Mickey and the Milkovich's. Yes I know he is a main character and the Milkovich's appear a lot but there's so much we don't know. First of all, who is his mum? Is she dead or did she run out? Why did he say that Rachel (the woman that Terry left a box for in season 11) 'could be his mum' when he knew who his mum was in season 1 when she was throwing a party for Iggy returning from juvie? Was that Iggy's mum and Mickeys step mum? Why did Mickey say his mum ran out in season 10 (when handcuffed to the washer before the wedding and talking about Terry selling the Christmas gifts his mum got them) but Ian said to Mandy in an earlier season 'you're lucky your mums dead'? Aside from the issue of who birthed Mick and where she is now, I just want to know more about Mickey's life away from Ian and the Gallaghers. He has so much personal growth but I want to see this happening, not just in relation to Ian. Of course Shameless is mainly about the Gallaghers but Mickey is a main character in the UK shameless too so it'd be great to have his life more fleshed out. Thankfully there are amazing writers filling in the blanks and giving us amazing head-canons. I am loving motherhood and what comes of it by @em-harlsnow. Side note, please share your fave Milkovich fanfics!!!

Favourite explored arc:

EMT Ian. I absolutely loved this career for Ian and I'm so glad that we got to see a fair bit of him at work. Of course it is incredibly sad that he wasn't able to do it for long but I hope that he gets to be an EMT again in the future. Helping others and being a part of a team is so important to Ian, and whilst I'm sure the business with Mickey is fun for a while I think he'd try to go back into being an EMT or something similar. They need some time apart and Ian needs to feel useful. He's always been that way. Plus he looked great in the uniform.

Favourite season:

Season 4/5! (I can't pick because the story line overlaps!) Cam and Noel did an incredible job with showing us Ian's bipolar and the strain it had on their relationship and how amazing Mickey was throughout 'he's got me'. I think my favourite scene from the entire show is when Mickey comes to the Gallaghers after Ian got home from the hospital and says 'sorry I'm late'. We finally see Mickey kick the last of his walls down. I also adore Svet, Mick and Ian living together and co-parenting Yev. It's the only time we get to see Mickey have any healing around that horrendous situation. Plus it showcases once again what an amazing care taker Ian is, taking Yev under his wing instantly and him pushing him around in the pram with Liam.

Hope you're not all yapped out sorry! What is your fave season/arc?

[do-you-ship-this-comic-ship]

Hi, I really like your blog! It's always fun to see all these ships and to realise what people likes/dislikes and how some comics are known/unknown!!

So I just wanted to know what's your own favourite ships?

And what's your favourite comics? (I need recommendations)

Have a good day/night ✨️

Oh boy I get to advertise Infinity Inc. again which I always love doing, for which personally I ship Hank with Sanderson Hawkins and complexly with Todd. I do think Beth and Yolanda were/should be canon also but who knows what's going to happen with that after the writer change. I wish the comic was more read in DC fandom but I guess that JSA is already a pretty niche category so their kids are an even harder sell.

Sticking with Infinity I think Rick and Al has an interesting amount of drama because Rick is soooooo upset Al tried to stomp him in Black Reign, so it gives childhood friends to enemies to lovers.

Speaking of JSA! I am pioneering in old man yaoi (the old men are all gay with each other naturally), but I like John/Wes, Ted/Al, Other Ted/Wes.

Hank Pym and Clint Barton probably deserve a bit more love, but I also guess I get why they do not. Uhhhhhh Scott Summers/Bobby Drake, and also Scott and Warren.

Hal Jordan/John Stewart and also a lot of Hal ships, but mostly only ones that are not the two most popular ones. I like a lot of his Earth villain ships because I am Geoffrey Johns personal enemy. They have not shown up since 2005 but I remember how they used to chain Hal up and call him "My Enemy" in the homoerotic fashion.

Okay I guess my ships in general are not normal and are generally incredibly niche.

Anyway comics I read and have liked:

Infinity Inc. (1984)

Justice League International

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps

West Coast Avengers (1985)

Avengers Inc. did a thing but if you read it please read West Coast Avengers first

Gotham Academy

Starman (1994)

JSA (1999)

Avengers Academy

I do generally like X-Men but I cannot name a run at the moment

More people need to read Fence

More people need to read Something is Killing the Children

I am actually reading Cinderella Boy and School Bus Graveyard now, I am thinking about Logan x Tyler for SBG

[ani-coolgirl]

Man's Best Friends with Benefits (08x15) is hilarious and dumb right off the bat and I think it's great.

This is cheating because I've seen the episode before, but after James has his nightmare it cuts to him in bed... with his dog familiar... who can also appear as a human woman. But she sleeps in his bed as a dog. Which they're both okay with even though they're having intimate relations. Okay!!! Interesting dynamic!!!

Dean complaining about going out of their way to help someone who saved their life (apparently; happened off screen, it's real, shut up) is the funniest character growth of all time. Season!One Dean insisted they spend a week in prison for some guy that their dad knew, and now he's inconvenienced by someone they literally owe a life debt to. Amazing.

Sam immediately gets played by a dog doing nothing more than showing her belly. People shouldn't have this much trouble killing the Winchesters, send in a skinwalker and Sam would open the door to it right away and get his face bitten off.

Sam also immediately freaking out when Dean comes back with the food and the dog's in the room. What's Dean gonna do, idiot!! Ground you?? I love you.

Sam and Dean objectifying the dog woman giving them a dressing down two minutes after meeting her. What the actual hell. Dean, I can see it, but Sam, I'm surprised with you.

This is the first episode with good witches (though there's an argument to be made with Cordelia and Spike in Shut Up, Dr. Phil) and right away sets them up as a fancy-pants club with cool powers. The whole witch mythos really starts spiraling here because you can just, a) become a witch, or b) you sell your soul to become a witch, or c) are just naturally a witch which is different from being a psychic... somehow. It's such a mess. Also, this witch club is silly. How many goddamn witches are there in St. Louis that they need a whole-ass club?

The only people James have are the Winchesters? The fact that he's never been in any episode before this makes this whole exchange ridiculous. And kinda sad.

Portia storming away from an argument as a dog is great. I wish I could to that. I wish to be literally that bitchy.

Dean breaks out chains to keep James locked down. I know they have handcuffs! What the hell!!

"Witch killing spell," oh my gaaaawwwd, somebody shoot me. Witches aren't a different fucking species, somebody please explain who felt the need to write this into the lore! Chuck!! I see you!!

Aww, Dean can only trust himself which is a terrible decision.

Why would you choose Dean to go with you to the secret witch club? Ah, yes, so he can call a woman a pet and get a lecture about it so we can get more LOOOOOOOORE (/matpat voice)

You know, considering all the spellwork we see later on in the show, the idea that a witch controlling another via magic is basically unheard of is just silly.

Okay, we finally get to address the the elephant in the room--that a white guy "owns" a black woman that he's sleeping with, whom she calls "master." I just wish I could be a fly on the wall in that writer's room when that finally clicked. "You know, the optics on this aren't great." "Shit, you're right. What if... she chains him up while they're having sex. It's like symbolic of how their relationship is actually equal!" "BRILLIANT!" What a shit-show.

I love that the boys were just going to Molotov James in his bed. While he was awake. Amazing.

Dean awkwardly implying bestiality is great. Dean, they don't fuck when she's a dog, for crissakes. I mean, probably not.

WHY IS DEAN STILL THINKING ABOUT BESTIALITY?? Also, Dean asking a Black woman about her identity... stay classy, Dean.

Why is there a spell specifically for implanting images into a witch's mind? Why is it not for everyone? WHY ARE WITCHES JUST SUDDENLY A DIFFERENT SPECIES?!

But Sam is proud that Dean hasn't made an explicit bestiality joke. Fuck, my fic's gonna be about dog sex, isn't it? But I was saving that for Dog Dean Afternoon!

"What, like phone sex?" Dean. Dean. You're an idiot.

"He was always spineless. Now, literally." B-but there was a cracking sound effect when his neck broke... that very much implies the presence of a spine...

Evil guy chooses to torment the boys with images of the Cage for Sam and Mary dying and being in Hell for Dean. Those are some choices. I approve.

Actual biggest character growth in the series--Dean going from not liking dogs to owning a dog in the last episode.

"I saw Mom, when she died." Waitaminute. Dean never actually witnessed that. He was four and in the hallway. How was that in his head?

Sam coughing up blood at the end?? Like some frail Victorian maiden?? Right after Dean says he trusts him?? Beautiful, no notes.

Okay, look, this episode is certainly... flawed. But I honestly think James & Portia would have made much better spin-off material than that stupid Bloodlines crap they tried to sell us next season. Think about it. You get the forbidden love angle without the tired Romeo and Juliet crap Bloodlines was going for, and James is a cop so you could have them start up a supernatural detective agency or something, which would be a much better way to expand on witch and monster lore without being restricted to the five family politics. Would it be a good show? Probably not, but it's not like Bloodlines was going to be high art either, and at least James & Portia wouldn't have committed the crime of trying to pitch a show that basically already existed on the network (The Originals).

[imogenleewriter]

Heyy, do you have any fic recommendations? I need something to read while I patiently wait for you to update :)

I do! Well, I'm really just going to give you a list of some of my favourites. A lot of them are quite well-known, but hopefully, there is something here you haven't read yet! I definitely have some strong trope preferences. But if you like my fic(s), I'm guessing you have similar preferences. (I've put some rambling notes at the end).

Take my hand (and my heart and soul) - by bananaandboots (@anylessreal) Ex-friends to lovers. Amnesia. Harry loses his memory and doesn't know why he doesn't talk to his best friend anymore.

Stranger Stars - by shaylea (@sunshineandhisrainbows) Strangers to lovers. A trip around Africa. Louis is a tour guide around Africa, and Harry is a songwriter going on a tour. The fact that it's in my top however many this is and doesn't fit into any of my top tropes, shows how good it is.

Mine Would Be You - by crinkle-eyed-boo (KimmieRocks) (@crinkle-eyed-boo) Exes to lovers. Artist/writer. Louis returns to NYC and gets pulled back into his ex's life.

Our Lives, Non-Fiction - by indiaalphawhiskey (@indiaalphawhiskey) Enemies to lovers. Authors. Louis and Harry are forced on a book tour together. Harry loves Louis' writing, and Louis insults fanfiction.

Given a Chance - Fabby (@fabby1d) Exes to lovers. Canon compliant. Harry and Louis run into each other in a small town in the US and... keep running into each other.

For As Long As I Can Remember (It's Been December) - by green_feelings (@greenfeelings) Exes to lovers. Amnesia. Harry moves to London after an accident that causes memory loss. He thinks it's love at first sight when he sees Louis for the first time... but it's not.

got the sunshine on my shoulders - by hattalove (@hattalove) Exes to lovers. Famous Harry/Non-Famous Louis. Loosely based on Sweet Home Alabama.

Wild and Unruly - by gloria_andrews (@gloriaandrews), 100percentsassy (@100percentsassy) , Enemies to lovers. Rural romance with baby cows. Louis is a paralegal who tries to convince Harry to sell his land.

Walk That Mile - by purpledaisy (@daisyharry) Enemies to lovers. Road trip. Louis needs transport along Route 66, and Niall happens to know someone going that way.

Flash Back To Me - by akatomlinson (@akatomlinson) Exes (kind of) to lovers. Amnesia. Louis has temporary memory loss and doesn't remember his boyfriend or have any idea why he would have dated him in the first place.

So I clearly have a very strong preference for enemies to lovers, exes to lovers, and amnesia fics (which isn't that surprising because The Vow is my favourite movie). I do have some other fics that I love, but I personally feel like they need really strong trigger warnings, and I don't want to do that to someone else fic in a public post, so you can message me if you want (although they're all fairly well-known).

Anyway, hopefully you haven't read them all and find something that you like!!

I spent two hours on this earlier today, and just before I posted it, Tumblr crashed, and I wanted to cry. I tried to find all the right Tumblr accounts but if I didn't please let me know!

Also, shout out to the writers for writing some of my favourite fics!!!

[pastafossa]

Hey Pasta! i was so glad to read that things have been starting to look up for you recently & i hope it only gets better ♡

have you heard about the fic binding legal scandals happening bc of etsy sellers binding & selling hard copies of fics? i saw some authors are reccomending putting disclaimers on their fics to hopefully avoid legal action being taken against them & was wondering if you were planning to do something like that? id hate to see your works being taken down/deleted bc of peoples ignorance

art like yours deserves a place in the world

Thank you so much anon! Things are definitely looking up a little, and I've got my fingers crossed that my mood will continue to follow it. 😅 Honestly if I could just have a six month period or so where things were chill I'd be SUPER relieved.

And I have seen it yeah, and I've been watching it fairly closely since this has the potential to alter the fanfic legal landscape that we writers post in regardless of whether or not one of our own fics were being sold. I'm well aware TRT isn't as big as some of the fics at the center of the current legal/ethical scuffle over it, but TRT is popular enough in the fandom that I've kept an eye out on etsy for bound copies just in case. I'm still supportive of people binding TRT for personal, non-commercial use only where no money changes hands, I have no issue with that. That being said, I am considering slapping a general, 'please don't do this commercially' on the fic. I honestly have no idea whether it would actually protect the fic or not, and whether or not that would protect me from legal blowback (my life for a lawyer matt boyfriend to explain this shit). But it wouldn't hurt to remind people that this sort of thing is how you get fics taken down. 99.999% of fic authors do not have the funds to fight someone like the Mouse even if they'd eventually win. So, as much as I joke about wanting Feige to notice TRT and hire me to write Jane into Daredevil, if allllll of us want TRT finished, we need to all play by the rules, especially as Born Again will likely give the fandom (and potentially TRT) a boost in popularity.

[treadmilltreats]

Getting taken in by a con man

October is domestic violence month and so I decided to start this month off with this subject. Since so many women will get taken in by con man.

If you noticed recently, there have been a bunch of documentaries about these con artists. They have been showing how these men are scamming women all over the world. It may be on a show like CatFish or a documentary on dating apps, but it seems like there is always someone out there trying to get over on someone else.

As we watch these shows, many of us wonder how does a person get conned? It seems like so many of these women are intelligent, so how does that happen? Let me tell you, it's not about how intelligent you are and it's not about your economic background.

I have seen it happen to women from all walks of life. White, Black, Asian, Spanish. College graduate, or high school dropout. Came from a “good family” or the wrong side of the tracks. It doesn't matter, any and all of these women have been taken advantage of. I have met doctors, professors, and judges who have been in domestic violence relationships. It doesn't matter how smart or where you come from.

It's really about your mental state. Your vulnerable, you've been hurt, or you've had a fucked up childhood. These are chinks in your armor that most people don't see but these con men definitely know what to look for. And then they use this against you.

They tell you all you want to hear. They love bomb you, coming on hard and strong. They make you believe them and trust me, you want to believe them. You want this pretty package they are offering to you. You just don't see or refuse to see the strings that are attached to it.

This is how they get in and once in they use your hurt, and your brokenness to their advantage. They play on your emotions or your inner hurt to get you to do what they want. These women are far from stupid, they are just vulnerable and these men know this and use it.

So today my friends don't judge us, you have no idea what it's like to be so broken that you believe what you are hearing. There are many women who are so desperate to have a man to love, that any man that comes along will do. Some are looking for a daddy figure. Some women have only seen these types of men in their lives, like their fathers or uncles. Some have always let men treat them badly and this is what they expect. Some are just caught at a vulnerable point in their lives but each has a story that we can learn from. There are all types of reasons that a women gets taken in by a smooth talker

but we all need to look for and be aware of the signs of a con man.

“Be the change you want to see”

@TreadmillTreatsCheck out my daily blogs @ https://treadmilltreats.blogspot.com/?m=1

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[nnnn99999]

More crazy ideas for gmmtv 2025 because why not.

There was this one chinese horror bl novel I read where the mc had split personalities, the main one being the brain and the other being the brawn, and the two personalities were boyfriends. So the mc's main goal was surviving horror instances and gaining points so that he could craft a body for his other personality/boyfriend. I really want to see gun play a role like that. Ever since I watched gun in nmts, I have been thinking that gun could really pull off a crazy plot like that.

Also, free the gmmtv boys from the shackles of their branded pairs and just let them explore. You don't have to break the official pairs either. Just let them kiss other people once in a while okay. Wouldn't it be so much fun to see new dynamics on screen? I have only been here for a few months and I am already so over the fixed pair system. Despite being the jd stan that I am, I have a list of like 10 people that I think would be interesting as a romantic interest for each of them. I have a similar list for ohm pawat, gun, mix and first, theirs is longer.

Also why gmmtv does not have a proper sports bl is totally beyond me. Like you're telling me they are willing to host an annual company wide sports event but they won't make a series about sports? Where is the logic? What is the reason? I don't get it. Make it an ensemble. Put in everyone. Stuff in as many pairings as you wish. I really don't care. Just give me an anime style sports bl okay? Surely that is not too much to ask for?

Also I want to see gmmtv make a show deeply rooted in thai culture. It could be about traditional thai practices in modern society, or it could be set in the past.

I want an action series from gmmtv. Full on action with good choreography. Where the action is the main selling point of the show. You have so many buff men just roaming around on a daily basis. Let them fight each other. Make it bloody. Make it intense.

I want gmmtv to explore more genres. Break the stereotypes. Be more creative. It pains me because they have the resources to make it work. It's risky, yes. But there are certain pairings with extremely dedicated fanbases who will watch literally anything their favs are in. Use that dedication to try new things. These people have sat through trash for their favs. Surely they will sit through experimental projects too? Maybe I'm being too optimistic but I genuinely feel that now is the time for gmmtv to start experimenting and break the moulds they have created for themselves.

Honestly a lot of these are not specifically for gmmtv 2025, but things I want from gmmtv in general. It'd be nice to have some in 2025. But yeah I just want these to happen at some point.

Also please gmmtv for the love of everything that is good in this world, please please please hire more staff. Get more managers and assistants. Get more security. Get more medical professionals. Get more writers. Get more directors. Get more translators. You are not Ash, and actors are not pokemons, you really don't have to collect them all. Just treat the existing artists better and focus more on hiring more people for behind the scenes okay? You are a mess and I can see that even though I've only been here for a few months. Just get your shit together and you'll be fine. You have the resources. Use it where it needs to be used.

[luwha]

LET’S TALK ABOUT AI.

Before all, i’d like to say that AI is more complicated than it seems. It’s more than it’s taking jobs. Please read, and please share.

“AI democratizes art.”

It does the OPPOSITE. Art is ALREADY FREE. Anyone can create art, and there’s thousands of mediums to do so. AI wants to make INDUSTRY LEVEL ART. It wants not you to express yourself, but to be able to cheaply replace artists on one of the most lucrative industries on the history of mankind.

AI art takes from you your LEARNING capabilities. It will let you create without understand art and it’s fundaments. It willingly and desirably so crates ART ILLITERACY.

Less people will now pick a pencil. Less will learn. More will need the tool. It deprimes you from actually making it accessible.

“Now Industry is for Everyone.”

That’s misleading on purpose. The AI that needs you to make inputs is on it's baby steps, and it will no longer need you. You’re just helping it to be trained better. The art it makes isn’t suitable for most of places, but will become the status que, lowering the artistry of the industry, creating Netflix level blandness shows, games, series, books, etc.

But it’s cheaper. And bland ass shows and art still sell. They care not.

“It allows me to express myself.”

That’s misleading, and in a evil corp way. It wants you to express yourself through a tool that needs to be paid for. The output is a comercially made, bland product that didn’t allow you to engage meaningfully to it, nor to take your time to self express. 

It DELIBERATLY takes from you your expression, in favor of easy-to-sell images. Under AI, there will be no mona lisa, no the scream and many other arts in which the artist engages with it.

It takes the artist, even you, art soothsayer, from the expression part of it.

-Anecdotal:

I saw on the Artstation protests few artists who, unable to find a seat on industry and moved to other ventures, praising AI. They were putting their own work there to have an input, something they dreamt of making.

Some of them going to the extent to say they no longer needed to sit hours to learn a new skill, or to master their own craft. Ai is taking from them, through glass and mirrors, the chance to ever learn to be a better artist.

The art it makes isn’t what you think

I won’t lie. Ai art is ART, sadly. the art produced there is a small step, and there is ventures wishing to replace writers for shows, things that already happen in lesser extents (Disney and Netflix using algorithms to determine what’s trending to make a show that pleases everyone.)

This isn’t freedom, this is bowing your head down to the lack of art. The lack of art makes movies that can’t be remembered. Why does the 90′s and even the 00′s had so many movies that changed history, but in the 2010′s and forward, you’ll barely name one?

Art is challenging by default, art is expression, is questioning. AI art doesn’t want that. It won’t ever dare to breakthrough, and even when taught to do so, a surface level engagement will make a product palatable, but unworthy of being art.

AI wants to replace the boring “working for hours” and jump to finished piece.

It does indeed, because working with art demands you to be either a person who studies art, or a person who’s sensitive and/or studied to engage with it.

But this is misleading. This is propaganda to convince you that drawing for hours is boring. This is ANTI ARTIST.

AI IS ANTI ARTIST.

First of all, i want to say that we artists would love to welcome EVERYONE to make art, and we do so. The smear campaign against artist aka “art is banana taped to a wall” serves interest of the bigger companies that have ever existed.

It is on their interest to make artists on a bad light, because that allows them, with the non-artists approval, to explore the class of artists. See the VFX art and modern art.

It is infuriating to see the said banana taped to a wall to be worth thousands while we work for years to make half of it. It’s rage, it’s unfair. But the same doesn’t happen when an Ai does the same. Or when Elon musk does the same by making the worst acr ever made. Because the propaganda doesn’t want them to be in bad light.

Understand that we artists are too pissed with the banana. We too think it’s bogus too, but there is a centuries old ANTI ART and ANTI INTELECTUALISM campaign going on, that feeds to interests.

AI ART IS ANTI-HUMAN.

AI seeks to atomate not the boring jobs that makes you work 16h, because if so, automating the dangerous textile industry, human-trauma-machine social media monitoring and even animation would be the first t go. It doesn’t want to replace that, because it’s CHEAPER no to.

They want you to engage less with art, because art makes you a better human being.

ART MAKES YOU HARD TO CONTROL, LESS SUBMISSIVE. Books being burnt isn’t a coincidence, cults not lettings their children engage with card games, movies, series and toys is part of that. Being creative frees you, and AI art, and big money behind... Want none of that.

AI ART WILL NO LONGER NEED YOU.

It needed art to use as samples. Then to use as guidelines, and now fully produce, without referencing other works, a new thing, that stands on it’s own. It’s no longer a complicated photobash. It no longer need artists to feed it on a daily basis.

It will no longer need you in 4 months. It didn’t create the job you think. It will not need you soon enough.

HEAR THE ARTISTS.

We are tired and angry, but please understand. Be patient with us, and please do talk to us. We occupy jobs in which our value and respect is spat on for decades. We may seem aggressive, or even snob, but we are just exhausted and afraid,

We too are human, until none of us are anymore.