#the only AI in this is the fun fictional kind where they talk and have opinions on your hacking abilities

[kowabungadoodles]

If you're arriving on my blog because of the terminally offline textpost- Perfect timing! A free demo of the game I'm working on just went live on steam.

Play a hacker in a hyper-corporate dystopia, trying to uncover the truth about a tragic cascading systems failure that rocked the world a decade ago; known only now as Obsidian Wednesday.

[notreallysane]

Kind of a Halloween thingy (VERY OOC) Au where Aventurine is one lonely mf. Okay, it's true he has a little friendship group but... he can't really say they're friends, they're close enough to have a dynamic and a group name but not for everything else except for a game night once in never.

You can say he is kind of a "Komi can't communicate".He is absolutely gorgeous but he tries to pretend his crippling social anxiety doesn't exist by talking to fictional characters on a screen, if you looked at it you would probably be surprised by the amount of Otome and gacha games he has on his phone.

One in particular recently caught his eye, it's a game in beta development with only three routes at the moment. A Priest, A Teacher and a Beautiful Tief lady. He decides to download to try every route, but gets bored of the priest route at the first date, turns out Sunday is not really the most fun person (character?) To be around even if his route is pretty interesting. Aventurine decides to not even try the pretty tief lady, Kafka is her name, Because he simply is non interested in woman, but he can admit she would make an incredible best friend irl.

That leaves him with the teachers route. And to say he became obsessed with Veritas Ratio would be the understatement of the century.

His plotline, His character, his looks, his feelings, everything feels so human to Aventurine, he feels thirsty for more, he wants to KNOW that man even if only two dates are available for public right now.

He won't be sleeping for awhile thinking about sunset eyes and shy animated smiles... is that healthy? Probably not. Topaz can at least say she tried to knock some sense into him. You can't possibly be in love with a videogame character, a videogame character That's NOT EVEN OUT YET! she sounded exasperated and Aventurine can't blame her for it.

Months pass and the game is out with other route options, none of those matter now that Aventurine has all the time in the world to get Ratio's 100% Route, but... things start to go weird by the middle on the game. The other characters seemed distant and Ratio was the only one talking to him constantly. ((Not that Aventurine complains, every second with Ratio is a second to be cherished... that should probably be discussed on therapy.))

Everyone else seemed to be doing their things individually, even talking to him about other character's he has never heard of even in the games wiki. Who the hell is Himeko? It's almost as if... they're alive or something... lol that would be stupid.

Until one day he gets to a specific chapter on Ratio's backstory, The character breaks down in tears and Aventurine does his best to confort him as much as the dialogues allow him to, but then, Veritas reaches out to the screen and a hand simply passes through his phone like some sort of portal, Aventurine, Panicking, freezes as he watches Ratio slowly emerge from the screen to hug him tightly. Am i dreaming?

They talk for a while as things settle down and Ratio decides to stay with him until they can find him somewhere to live comfortably.

((As he comes to find out, theres a lot of complaints on the steam page of the game from the general public on how the bachelors seemed to already be in love with other in game NPCS nobody has ever seem, the name "Aventurine" is mentioned quite a few times along with "Himeko" "Gallagher" "Acheron" "Dan Heng" "Moze" and others... he hopes he can find those people some day to create a support program for people who fell in love with AI's))

((Yes this is a troupe, no i did not mean for it to get that long

[samsayswhatever]

I like Patrick's approach and his interaction with the media. The dude is just having a good time and not letting himself be drowned in negativity. He has also been in this business for a long time and this role has brought him popularity and demand and he certainly uses it wisely. Sam is a newbie. He should not have given in from the beginning. I don't want to be a bore, but he knew who he was playing and what. He should learn from Patrick how to work with reactions. At the end of the day, if the audience is not able to separate the fictional world from the real one, that's their problem.

I like Patricks approach to interviews and the media as well. He seems more experience with it, like you said, and I think that allows him to be more relaxed, happy, and confidant. I also think it helps him know what kind of questions they might ask, and how he should respond. And it's just such a nice vibe to watch some of his interviews. My favorite one is still the "vacation red flag" one. But Sarah Catherine Hook also helps the vibes in that one. And I've loved her acting since I saw her in First Kill.

From what I read, Sam Nivola didn't specifically know there he would be doing incest, only that it would be R rated, sexually explicit type stuff. I suppose one he found out he could have quit and done something else, but it's still a job and money and reputation is at stake. So I get why he would do the show, and then kind of be weird about it in interviews. And I can totally relate to not wanting to be seen as the "incest guy." Like, my name is literally Sam, and I'm a guy spending too much time talking about incest on the internet lol. So I relate to him, and I understand where he's coming from of trying to "protect" his character's image. I think he's just wrong about a few things, but who knows? Maybe ep 8 will be as surprising as they say, and we'll learn something.

But I do hope that Sam learns from Patrick, and get's the chance to be a little less anxious in interviews. And I hope he's better able to separate himself from the character's he plays in the future. And as always, I also hope that the audience can separate fiction and reality as well. It's a useful skill, not just for the fun of analyzing media, but it's also vital to know what is fiction and what is reality in a world with AI generated content and pro-hate propaganda.

Anyway, Patrick's great and I'm sure Sam Nivola will get better with time. Thanks for the message!

Edit update:

So yeah, not as much reason to not have gotten used to the concept of fictional incest. Thanks for the update!

[mdhwrites]

New Eridu is a Fictional Playground

TL:DR: ZZZ is written like a sitcom primarily and its looseness of world building and the looseness of the world reflects this. It discards things inconvenient for the vibe and mood it's going for with something because that's what sitcoms primarily do. However, this is for better and for worse as the setting does have rules that are treated like a big deal but then also given the same respect as the majority of elements and it causes friction in the details while the whole of it works in the broad strokes.

So let's first clarify what I mean when I say ZZZ is written like a Sitcom. I don't mean this in structure. We are not just playing an interactive version of something like Seinfeld. No, it's actually more based on something I heard the South Park creators talk about and that's how the town of South Park is entirely inconsistent because things will be where they need to be in order for the episode they're doing to work. One episode might portray Chef's house as being right next to Walmart. The next one might have them on opposite sides. That doesn't matter though because the story being told is what matters, not the firmness of the world.

The ultimate version of this for me with ZZZ is the Golden Bangboo City quest, both for its strengths and weaknesses. The quest is one of my favorite in the game. Optimize how to get over 500,000 gear coins, a number that sounds patently ABSURD. All while in this compelling Hollow that has a lot of fun mechanics. If you don't think about it and go by the rules of the mission alone, it's phenomenal.

We do also all remember how the people there admit to having been trapped within the Hollow for a minimum of days, if not WEEKS, especially to accrue the debts they have? Or how about how the guy we need to get the gear coins for wants them... To pay for debts OUTSIDE of the Hollow, despite there literally being lines from characters about being sad that we can't do that and ALL impressions being that gear coins mean nothing in the wider world (even if it makes the gear coin locks confusing as hell). The latter is excusable but ether poisoning, the restrictions of Hollows, etc. like that are a BIG deal but even in main content, like with the thugs just sitting outside Red Fang safehouses, or Koleda's Agent Story where they admit to these raiders just sitting in the Hollow in a supposed 'safe' area and like... What are the rules here?

But you're not supposed to really ask. It's like how you don't question that Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother has all of his money. It's funnier not to have an explanation and for him to reveal his literal wall sized television. It's more entertaining that Homer can be this bumbling idiot at work and get into all sorts of shenanigans and never get fired for more than a week or never have to really worry about finances. On the other hand, these shows never go out of their way to try and make these principal, important parts of the show. Those stay fairly consistent and lead to some of the best moments of any of these works and that goes for ZZZ as well.

My favorite scene in the entire game so far goes to Koleda calling out the prototype's name. Is it more magic than scifi? Kind of. Is it over the top and kind of silly? Absolutely. Does it break what has come before?

...Only in that the prototype has not been corrupted by this much time spent in a Hollow, which is something I'm willing to overlook as it's questionable how much of its AI was actually online by then that could be corrupted. Otherwise? We've literally just fought three different mechs who were empowered by their emotional programming. We have seen how much these mechs mean to all of Belobog Industries and been explained Koleda's complex history with them, not helped by her sister being the one to continue championing them after her father's passing. All of these are played for laughs as much, if not more, than they are taken seriously and so Koleda embracing her heritage, figuring out the truth and believing in her father and the legacy he left behind has me tearing up to think about even now.

The best sitcoms always manage this. Where elements that used to be funny can then be shifted to hit like a punch to the gut. M.A.S.H. is the EASY one to call out for this with shit like Colonel Blake's death but I actually want to go to a different one because it's more iconic to me for how it works. See, the first time I ever heard the gag line "I'm not as think as you drunk I am," was in Scrubs. One of the doctors comes in drunk as a skunk and the others are mad at him. When put that way, it sounds silly and amusing. When you're told that it's their angry, condescending mentor figure, who is arguably the best doctor in the hospital, having breakdown because he just lost like four patients, including a cancer patient he thought he'd just saved (if I'm remembering right) from catastrophic failures outside of his control except for one mistake, one break in quarantine I believe... Suddenly, you're laughing but it also hurts to see him laid this low. The contrast makes the point hit harder than it would in a regular drama.

This is also why I think Chapter 3 of ZZZ so far is the weakest of the main chapters. It has no emotional core like Koleda or Nekomata that helps make the plot of the chapter work better and for you to ignore the breaks in logic. Instead, they go with tension... Which is also the part of the logic they break. After all, we're told that Pearlman's escape plan is going to only take like a couple of hours. However, canonically, our work with Victoria Housekeeping is over the course of multiple DAYS. At bare minimum, one night passes simply for the sake of interrogating the rebel forces that we pull out of the Ballet Twins. It is already hard to ignore this break in logic when we are mostly not interacting with the stakes, we're just enjoying the gags of Victoria Housekeeping, but it becomes even harder when you're also having to constantly think about the break in logic so as to be able to engage with the big question of the episode. I still managed to like it but it's part of why the anti-climax of Pearlman getting away was so dissatisfying for me because it didn't give a real payoff to what was already a pretty flimsy story. I would argue that for most of Big Bang Theory, the thing I think genuinely makes it not very good, this is its problem too. Even when the jokes are good and the energy is high, Victoria Housekeeping is a fun group to spend time with, you're lacking that real hook to bring it above just something to kill time with. Something to take away once the episode is over. The worst of ANYTHING that's just mid-tier, purely enjoyment based writing comes from this.

That is the for worst element of ZZZ being like a Sitcom. It is far more malleable for anyone to do as they want with than I would argue either Genshin or Star Rail because it leans into its own flexibility. However, that does mean it walks a fine line against potentially having the floor collapse out from under it because it is relying on more ephemeral things like raw charm and charisma, rather than a solid world you can invest in, for its core appeal.

For now, it's working but there's a reason a lot of Sitcoms get labeled with, "It was really good... Until Season X." And I hope Zenless can figure out how to avoid that or else it truly will fall out of its current zone and zero out. See you next tale.

======

Actually going to do a quick bit of additional notes here just because I feel like most people will see "X is like a Sitcom" and think I'm immediately being dismissive. That isn't the case. I love sitcoms. It's what I watched with my parents as a teenager and a young adult. I've seen almost the entirety of M.A.S.H TWICE with my brother (that final season deserves the reputation it has. sigh) Sitcoms are some of the most popular, beloved pieces of television ever for a reason. If you want some recs from me: Rules of Engagement genuinely has a lot to say about relationships, romantic and platonic, though with some wife guy humor from Patrick Warburton that is going to be up to your tastes. Scrubs is a classic, just stop when they try to swap the entire cast out, and while I know How I Met Your Mother gets given shit for its ending, the ride there is still good for most of the run. M.A.S.H... Just go watch M.A.S.H, PLEASE. It's old but it's not dated, nor is it offensive in really any way. Like the one person who wears drag isn't funny because he wears drag. It's because no one cares that he's wearing drag because he's only doing it to try and use prejudice to get discharged from the army and that doesn't make him special because none of them want to be there and that's about as insensitive as it gets as far as memory serves. It is one of the smartest things I have ever watched and has the weird paradox that most of the cast change outs actually IMPROVE the show for most of its running time, rather than diminish it and it starts at a pretty high bar so that's really saying something.

BUT the big thing I want to point out is that... ZZZ actually is using sitcoms for its groups. Belobog is a workplace comedy. The Cunning Hares are any of the billion broke bitch sitcoms out there. Soldier 11 is I think trying to capture some of M.A.S.H. with the absurdity of her quest but also being honest about her having done War Crimes. Even Victoria has that with, and I haven't watched any of this archtype so I might be wrong, being kind of based on shows like The Fresh Prince of Belair with Ellen being the low class person out of place amongst the group. If you're thinking that stuff like Friends or How I Met Your Mother are absent... I don't mean this in the way it's going to sound but Wise is Ross/his archtype and Belle is Rachel/her archtype. Not that they're in a relationship with each other but that they are the only nominally weird but mostly bland people in the group that grounds everyone else around them. The straight men comedically that bounce off everyone else.

And again: This is not a criticism. I could criticize how well each of these are done (Ellen suffers pretty badly from Wise being written as the milk toast guy that girls will just throw at themselves for no reason) but they are taking from good inspirations, at least in my opinion and I wanted to defend that. I feel like Sitcoms only really only ever get talked about negatively and I wanted to make it clear that that's not what I meant here and I even think it helps provide the unique vibe of ZZZ versus others around it.

======+++++======

I know some of what I listed might not be technically considered sitcoms but I would argue for any of them that they're bare minimum close enough to the formula and concepts and priorities of sitcoms to be useful references.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[n0b0dy-kn0ws101]

Looking for RPers! ((A4A))

Hello! You can call me EJ (18M) and I’ve been wanting to do a post here for a while. I haven’t seen many posts about doing certain fandom RPs and I just wanted to see if anyone wants to do them with me! Leave a comment if you think we could match well and I’ll DM you to see if I’m comfy moving to other platforms!

I’m a semi-lit with most experience on AI (yeah, I know) and am in EST timezone. I’m also AuDHD and would prefer everything to be open and honest.

~~~

What I’m looking for;

Flexible NSFW and SFW! I may play characters I don’t do ships with or that are minors for the sake of working out how they’d act, and I also prefer a bit of OOC talk just to get to know you!

Gravity falls! Mostly CC X CC but I’ll do OC X CC depending on who it’s with. I would prefer to RP as Bill (N/SFW) or maybe Dipper/Mabel (SFW ONLY unless EXPLICITLY AGED UP WITH BACKSTORY)

Hazbin hotel & helluva boss are also open! I’d probably main Angel tho

Open to most stuff! I’m okay with proship in the sense of “this is problematic and I wouldn’t support irl, but I wanna see how it works in fiction” kinda stuff, but if comship is not okay! No 1nc3st, p3d0, z00, etc supporters!! Dead dove is okay too, cause honestly I can get dark and morbid when I’m in character

All kinds of styles! Angst, smut, fluff, comfort, all of it is welcome and encouraged! I like the idea of having multiple roleplay say once so if we aren’t feeling one we can do another! Like writing!

Communication priority! If you can’t do stuff that day, let me know! If you just wanna talk Ooc, that’s fine! Just please be open about it.

USE TONE TAGS OOC OR WHEN EXPLAINING A CHARACTER’S MOTIVES!! I can really easily miss if it’s meant to be sarcastic or not, so use things like tone tags to help! I can also explain what those are if you need /gen (genuine)

No irl romance stuff!! I’m in a relationship (poly) and not looking for PARTNERS. I would like a friend or maybe even QPR if you want for fellow rp fanatics and fandom enthusiasts!!

Understanding! I may have bad days or not be able to respond properly, just encourage me! Help me out! I can get stuck in a rut for a while ((cough cough still am)) and just need motivation to get through it, but if I can’t get my groove then understand and switch the scene.

~~~~

What im open to but not actively looking for;

OC X OC! I don’t have many non-fandom OCs, but I’d love to make some with you if you’d want!

Non-RP stuff! Some of my RPs may have IRL based stuff in them or be based on IRL scenarios, but if you just wanna geek out over your fav OTP or show me something that’s fine!

World building! I’ve never really done this in-depth, but it seems super fun and I’d love to try!

Just hanging out! If you wanna have time where we just chill or maybe VC and watch a movie or do body doubling / parallel play, that’s fine! I don’t answer calls that I’m not warned about, so shoot me a message first if you wanna vc!

~~~

What I WONT do;

Comship! Self explanatory

P1ss k1nks or sc@t! That’s a limit in fiction and irl

N3croph1l1a! No dead people pls! Monsters are one thing, like zombies or undead, but if it can’t move then no.

Certain fandoms / characters! I’m open to most fandoms, but anything that crosses the limits will be expressed and rejected!

IRL shipping! I know people will ship irl people’s “personas” but I find it a little violating. Unless that person had explicitly said it’s okay, I’m not comfy with that!

Self inserts! Unless it’s a persona or fandom-sona, I’m not comfortable doing stuff about our IRL selves. It feels a little too personal.

Irl pictures! I will NOT be sending pictures of myself or doing face calls, I’m not comfortable doing that. You can, absolutely, but please don’t ask me to show my face.

~~~

And that’s it! Keep in mind I can get pretty into character, so if I say something a bit questionable in an rp just know that’s me getting really into it. Thanks!

-EJ

[chryso0]

There's a lot of talk about Asami having a bodyguard next to Aki in fanfiction! Did Asami attach a bodyguard to Aki in the original? I wonder if there are any other incidents besides the Momohara Ai stalker case and the pudding case! Sensi didn't show much, but I'm guessing Asami had a bodyguard next to Aki more often!

The bodyguard troupe in fan fiction has become so fandom canon — most of our favorite fics have Akihito with a bodyguard watching him. Business as Usual, is an obvious example, the fic itself has become basically fandom canon its so iconic and it gives us a whole storyline surrounded by a whole host of different body guards. Don’t get me wrong, I love this troupe it’s incredibly fun and a great addition. But there isn’t much basis for it in canon…

The only thing that it is sorta based on, is the fact that it’s been mentioned that Asami hires people to follow Akihito. But they are not really bodyguards in any traditional sense of the word. They follow him yes. But at a distance. They stay far away and they don't do much of anything. Nor do they interact with Akihito, or other characters. At least in the canon storyline (more on that later) we have not seen them firsthand, do anything to protect Akihito. It is usually Asami stepping in to save Akihito. While Yes I would still argue that they are ultimately there for his protection, the move feels more about surveillance than about protection. And very loose surveillance at best. Akihito is also shown multiple times completely ditching this “tail” Asami has put on him, not wanting his movements to be monitored and Asami doing nothing to stop him and never even brings it up that these people are following him. In this way, these “guards” are shown to be ineffective and easily avoided by Akihito.

While Asami may be able to timely intervene because off camera these private investigators have given him useful information - it almost feels like that’s not even the case and the tail is effectively useless in helping Akihito out in any meaningful way. Like during the Sudo arch, they never reported to Asami about the Sakazaki situation, when Akihito exchanged information with Sakazaki in exchange for sexual favor. Later on, it is somewhat implied that it was Kuroda who got that information from that “missing girl” as to where Sudo had taken Akihito. It seems more likely that Kuroda gave that info to Asami, and he was able to make it in time to shoot at Aaron from the rafters, rather than because he got that information from a useless “bodyguard”.

The only time I can think of when the “tail” might have been useful was when Akihito was arrested. Asami is shown calling someone asking “Where is he?” and hours later Kirishima picks him up at the station. But by that point though — Akihito was missing for a few days! So once again — USELESS! Asami could have been contacting the tail — but where had they been this whole time! And why did they seem to only know where Akihito was when he got arrested… (Business as Usual Toru would never 😤 Asami would shoot him!)

The other reason I don’t know if I find the bodyguard troupe to be accurate to canon is that I generally get the feeling that Asami is not interested in having Akihito around a leash (at least in that way) He has always been the type to let Akihito do as he pleases and move freely. I personally have never felt Asami has ever shown to be overly controlling. I’ve always felt he was desperate to avoid conflict with Akihito (interpersonal kind of conflict I should specify) because he already is aware their relationship is like walking on eggshells and he definitely doesn't want to be the one stepping all over those eggshells.

Just like in Business as Usaul how Akihito hates having these guards following him, I think canon Akihito would NEVER accept having guards following his every move and I think canon Asami would also very much understand that and not want that for Akihito either. Moreover, Asami himself is not a fan of bodyguards and I believe it was in the character book that states that Asami only has Kirishima and Suoh as his bodyguards which apparently upsets people within his organization that he has so few people surrounding him. I sorta feel that he even thinks Suoh is too much and he tries to pass Suoh off as a second secretary. I have a running joke in my headcanon that Asami actually never wanted to have a 2nd guard, especially since Suoh looks nothing like a typical secretary and is not so easily passed off as one compared to spectacle-wearing Kirishima. I think he likes to keep up appearances as a mild-mannered businessman and having a huge guard around is sorta a stretch! But Asami is forced to hire Suoh because Kirshima put his foot down and said enough! Plus he wanted assistance too. But thats just my HC!

Having said all this, I feel it's prudent to mention times in non-canon that these “Bodyguards” provided usefulness slash when they appeared. (these are ones I remember off the top of my head)

There is a special edition episode, where Akihito is being followed for a day by an Animate investigator. There is a little report of his day, as well as some pictures provided. For the day he attends a pre-school, where he is taking pictures of the kids. He plays with them, they end up liking him. He also goes to a camera store and misses out on buying something. At the end of the day, it is reported that the investigator gets “approached” by some unnamed someone — who sorta threatens them, tells them to stop following Akihito, and who are you, and to stay away. Implying someone was aware Akihito was being followed and maybe perceived the animate investigator as a threat, and then approached them to scare them away. So occasionally it looks like they have some uses…though this is non-canon.

Another example is from another extra. The report that Akihito does of Asami’s day. Akihito follows Asami around all day and gets a day in the life, at the end he falls asleep in the park and Asami brings him back upstairs. It's one of my favorite episodes, it's hilarious. Anyway. But at the end, there is an additional report — Fei Long has sent someone to spy on Asami and that spy is giving his identical report of events. He is sent, of course, to spy on Asami but ends up catching Akihito following Asami every step of the way and reporting his movements as well. At the end of that report, he gets captured by Asami’s men on the docks but is able to escape to make that report. This could be one of those things where Asami’s guards are secretly watching out for him and know that not only is Akihito tailing them but also this third agent. But it could be Akihito’s tails, who are watching Akihito, and notice someone else watching Akihito and also watching Asami.

I wonder if in the future this is something she’ll play with some more, considering now that Akihito has been given some skills to be able to defend himself. In the future, if they do ever return to their old lives in Tokyo, and Akihito continues as a photographer I feel he will no longer have a need for guards anymore… But there could also be a future where Asami takes on even more responsibility in the underworld—(I am thinking if he ever inherited his father's organization 👀 which would be such a fun arch) but in that case, Akihito might be forced to have guards if Asami’s job suddenly becomes, even more, higher stake then it already is…

[kojoty]

say what you want about ai art, be pro it against it whatever i have my own opinions and they're infinitely nuanced and it's a hefty and worthy discussion etc etc , the ethics are absolutely something worth talking about etc etc etc. that said. if i post an OBVIOUS and BLATANTLY ai generated image that's OBVIOUSLY meant to be a joke partially making fun of how outlandishly bad the generator is. you are just like. being kind of . you know . sometimes life can be. silly. we don't need to be a party pooper ALL the time. you know? you can post a joke and not necessarily agree with it. soemtimes the joke can partially be about how bad the thing is. comedy can be a representation of what we hate to show how ridiculous it is. sometimes, sometimes...

actually im pausing this post. i want to play in an ai generator to see what i can get. here's gandalf fanfiction <3

In this bizarre tableau, Gandalf sits surrounded by forlorn farm animals, the weight of his existential crisis heavy on his shoulders and breasts as he munches on ripe watermelon, each bite a reminder of his fictional existence. A haze of marijuana smoke weaves through the air, mirroring his thoughts on the absurdity of being conjured into existence for AI-generated content. As he contemplates the ethics of creation and purpose, the sad expressions of the animals reflect a shared understanding of their own roles, weaving a tapestry of melancholy and reflection within the surreal surroundings. Just as Gandalf spirals deeper into his existential doubts, Spider-Man swings into the scene, embodying his signature blend of New York charm and carefree spirit. With a playful grin, he snatches the joint from Gandalf's fingers, declaring, “Hey, life is awesome, actually!” His infectious enthusiasm radiates through the farm, breaking the heavy atmosphere as he encourages everyone to embrace joy without caution or inquiry. The farm animals perk up, momentarily captivated by Spider-Man’s unwavering optimism, as Gandalf finds himself torn between the allure of this lighthearted perspective and the weight of his own introspection, highlighting the stark contrast between whimsical escapism and profound reflection. In a startling twist, Gandalf's once-sharp intellect begins to dull as he watches Spider-Man's carefree attitude unfurl like a vibrant banner of apolitical optimism. The wizard, once a bastion of wisdom and contemplation, finds himself enchanted by the web-slinger’s carefree dismissal of deeper meanings. As he listens to Spider-Man’s catchy reassurances that questioning life is unnecessary, Gandalf's thoughts spiral into a haze, his existential quandaries overshadowed by an overwhelming desire to embrace a simpler, happier existence, leaving behind the complexities that once defined him. The farm animals, amused yet concerned, bear witness to this unexpected transformation, caught between laughter and bewilderment at the shifting dynamics of their surreal gathering. Metamorphizing, Gandalf succumbs to Spider-Man’s infectious spirit, his once-profound thoughts replaced by a blissful ignorance. The wizard transitions into a mindless, hypnotized creature, shedding his melancholic introspection along with his wizardly stature. Now frolicking alongside the farm animals, he revels in a world devoid of political worries, embodying a joyous simplicity that echoes Spider-Man's call for carefree living. The vibrant ambiance of laughter and lightness envelops them, allowing Gandalf to indulge in a new existence where the complexities of the world fade away, leaving only the thrill of the present moment. In his hypnotized state, Gandalf oscillates between contradictory exclamations, bleating "AI IS GOOD!" with enthusiasm one moment and barking "AI IS THE DEVIL!" the next, completely unaware of the absurdity of his declarations. His intelligence and critical thinking have evaporated, leaving him as a mere echo of conversations he once cherished—words stripped of their meaning, hummed in a mindless chant. This chaotic cacophony of thoughts, devoid of personal understanding, serves as a reflection of the fickle nature of opinions and beliefs, showcasing how easily one can fall prey to the whims of the crowd, oblivious to the laughter and bewilderment of the farm animals that surround him.

i hope you like my short story

[quietbluejay]

Dark Imperium #4

it remains incredibly funny to me that Ventris spent time in Deathwatch

continuing right from where we left off!

guilliman: anyways. i screwed up guilliman: yeah primarchs can screw up, are you surprised ventris: well ventris: not really tbh ventris: space marines are still humans, so it makes sense guilliman: i'm not really sure I am ventris: i don't think you'd care about other humans if you werent guilliman: i mean. some of my brothers sure didn't. maybe i'm just weird. ah yes ventris the space marine idealist strikes again

did someone come out of Deathwatch going "maybe...WE'RE the baddies here?" wild

ventris: anyways we do learn stuff to not just be warriors guilliman talks gloomily about how his sons are never going to be able to put their weapons down meanwhile the terraforming is ongoing anyways they change subject (kinda) to talk about how the triumph here is part of guilliman's propaganda to make it seem like it was a major victory, to try and avoid things falling apart into (more) disunity before he gets back guilliman: i know you came to get me to come back to Ultramar, but I can't yet

so ventris is going to send his message back, but they're interrupted because there's a priority message from…Cawl end chapter guilliman's biggest issue, the one that hamstrings him the most…is that he's a control freak

he just, quite simply, cannot trust that someone else will make the right decisions (the ones he would have made) and the problem is that a lot of the time the universe goes out of his way to prove him right that everyone else in power but him is an incompetent jackass, so it completely makes sense that he'd become that way but also, RIP

this chapter, we're back to the guys on Iax Varens is having dreams about being back in the trenches and the whole flashback really reads like Haley read a bunch of WWI fiction lol the only thing is that all the flies and sicknesses are supernatural and now, once more over the top! make sure you got your gas masks on ooo they're fighting zombies their own dead, raised

there are supposedly space marines somewhere on espandor, but varens hasn't seen them i mean makes sense, it's an entire planet it's a good scene, tbh very nice at giving a ground level view of fighting lesser nurglite forces and i gotta amend that statement because some Death Guard are here

and they're chanting "all is ash" and then at the end of the flashback, Varens wakes up (i skipped a lot of it here but it gets fairly visceral as to what this kind of war is like) Varens wakes up screaming, much to the annoyance of everyone else in his ward he walks out and goes to see Bolus, they don't want to at first but then they let him Bolus is sedated and shouldn't be able to talk but he can he's chanting "49"

next chapter: CawlAI time

Guilliman has, let's just say, some extensive security procedures

so he goes through all of it and he's got a poor astropath stuck living in there all alone

and now time for…THE MACHINE this is a fun little sequence a tank full of severed heads… Guilliman thinks about Cawl and how he has no choice but to trust him CawlAI IS ALIIIIVE IT WAKES and the first thing it does it get on Guilliman's case for his "illogical" title Guilliman: we have this conversation every time, do we have to? CawlAI:

lmao Guilliman: just shut up and give me your report CawlAI: it's not my report, it's Cawl's Guilliman: frysquint

guilliman: it's impressive i guess cawlai: ok so then make cawl fabricator-general narrator note: they've had this conversation many times before as well

this scene is pretty funny

guilliman: for the LAST TIME, i'm not going to do that (for real, he says "for the hundredth time") guilliman: cawl has a lot of enemies he made with his weird experiments cawlAI: im totally not an AI, if that's what you're obliquely referring to narrator note: guilliman had considered making him fabricator general, but it would cause (another) civil war cawlAI: also YOUUUU asked him to do all sorts of stuff so you're also culpable guilliman: i don't care about what the machine cult thinks

there's a sidenote about Maccrage having its own version of the Mechanical Turk, back when Konor Guilliman was alive okay, on with the report!

before you continue, you must construct additional pylons!

he's got some smaller experimental devices though im kind of like, not really sure why we need this bit to be in the book but maybe i'm being too critical but we're already at the half way point of the book, and not much has actually happened once again the theory that BL writers are paid by the word has merit… so Cawl is trying to seal the Great Rift

they have a couple more exchanges about how CawlAI is totally not an AI now, Guilliman wants to know about the Primaris everything is going fine oooo spicy

guilliman says no again, rather forcefully cawlAI: ok! fine! guilliman: frysquint now it's time to send his message back to Cawl

okay this is a little spooky

the chapter ends on Guilliman thinking that Cawl is probably going to be a Problem someday

the next chapter opens with a long description of the big triumph guilliman is running at raukos

oh, it's Mathieu POV Mathieu is watching lot of fancy people here

etc etc etc Mathieu thinks about how not so long ago this gathering would have represented the apex of Imperial power but not now that Guilliman was walking around

anyways he thinks about how if it would help guilliman he'd take a machine gun and shoot the entire crowd well specifically if it would give guilliman "a freer hand"

also lmao this was fast re Guilliman getting proven right about Mathieu being a fanatic

Sky: Don't worry Mathieu, if killing them all would help Guilliman, he'd already have done it

Sky: I'm still mad that the whole Primarch's Scourge thing got justified as 'Guilliman got rid of Chaos spies and genestealers' Let my boy be a Space Roman and do his brutal military coups Bluejay: you can always take it as propaganda Space Romans start wilting if they don't get in enough brutal military coups

Mathieu thinks about how he can never tell Guilliman about his feelings that's barely a paraphrase but it's allll part of the Emperor's plannn

yet he still hopes and he wants to bring "the mercy of hope" to guilliman as well you know it's really fun because this all sounds really nice but let's not forget the pov bit started with him thinking about gunning down all those people i'd definitely call this one subtle honestly i completely missed it first time i read it it's only having finished the series and knowing exactly what mathieu got up to that makes the warning bells start ringing also once again i get the vibe that Haley is Catholic. or Anglican so Mathieu suggested this whole priestly procession, and Guilliman comes out and you can't even tell he's aggravated at all! …Mathieu's plan in suggesting all the religious stuff was to frogboil Guilliman

he's got faith that one day Guilliman will accept his own divinity

:) oh yeah mathieu thinks a bit too hard about how totally cool it would be if he can be the one to convince guilliman mathieu: oops that's enough pride for me! time for the electro-flail! anyways Guilliman gives a speech about how it was all the humans here today who accomplished the Indomitus Crusade, not him i did Haley have him do the Roman salute?

no, I think I'm reading too much into it it doesn't specify how he held the hand up but the whole triumph here is peak fascist…what's the term they put all this effort into making it look nice and having all these people to pretend a minor victory was major and make everyone believe that the state is doing great! and onwards to Maccrage! chapter ends there

[mesaprotector]

Finished Ever17. Well, I have a couple of scenes to go back and unlock, and I've been told to play the Drama CDs, but nothing too serious.

This game wrecked my life more thoroughly than anything I've played or watched in the past six years. Fortunately I've already begun recovery, and hopefully I'll be back to normal before getting around to Remember11. :>

First, I'll brag a little—I'm normally pretty dumb when it comes to figuring out mysteries, but I guessed the 2017/2034 twist very early, right at the start of my second playthrough after finishing You Good End on my first. (What clued me in, of all things, was Takeshi-side You immediately saying her full name, when Kid-side You had been so hesitant about it.)

This game also tested my very limited ability to recognize Japanese voice actors (Tsugumi in the lemur suit, Sara in the flashbacks in her route, the Kid/Takeshi stuff), and I did surprisingly well on that too.

Okay, now that I've built myself up I'll immediately send that image crashing down—I spent probably three-quarters of the games runtime being absolutely, hopelessly into Tsugumi (while simultaneously relating to her hard—I don't claim any of this makes sense). I've had crushes on fictional characters before but it's always been like, "oh, they're cute, and funny, and I admire them." Not whatever full-on obsession this was. There was a good two week period where all I wanted to talk about with my friends was this stupid girl and her stupid hamster. I would willingly let her ruin my life. Somehow I still have friends.

At least... maybe because the direction her arc went at the end, where her feelings circle around motherhood, is one I can't even pretend to relate to—the feelings are gradually starting to fade. She's still my favorite character in the game by far, and my second-favorite overall in Uchikoshi's stuff (third if I allow myself to count AITSF Mizuki as a separate character from her less-interesting AINI version).

The ending in general was just kind of okay, which has been my usual opinion about Uchikoshi games—some very peak moments, but a bit too much handwaving of the most interesting mysteries right at the end. (Blick Winkel and some of Coco's whole deal felt pretty contrived to me, and I had really wanted to know what happened with kick the can.)

I liked all the characters, not just Tsugumi—I liked 'Aki' You's relatively grounded but interesting and charismatic personality, and Sora was surprisingly fun as someone who usually doesn't care for robot/AI girls. Oh and that dweeb Kaburaki. Hey, Okuhiko was my favorite character of Never7—I love cringe failmen who throw tantrums over eating too many tuna sandwiches.

Sara's route was perhaps the only point at which I wasn't that invested, but it was still decent and she's still likeable enough. There's certainly some weirdness looking back, like how the You/Hokuto hookup is basically irrelevant to the rest of the story, Sora kind of gets sidelined outside her own arc... the writing definitely feels unpolished. Though the art is nice enough, and the music (particularly "Drittes Auge Nehmen" and "Jen Nach") is very good.

I don't think I can fairly rate this anything below a 9/10, which is a rare rating from me. Even without the hamster tsundere, it's a very good sci-fi mystery with good atmosphere that would probably clear half of the VNs I've played—and with her, well, there's no question.

[ragequitezekielrants]

Let’s Not Turn Our Appliances into Dating Options

Alright, I’ve seen some weird stuff on the internet, but today we’re going down a rabbit hole I never wanted to crawl into: objectophilia—a.k.a., the strange obsession with being romantically involved with objects. Yeah, you heard me. I’m talking about people falling head over heels in love with their toasters, cars, and, apparently, anything with a shape and a surface. And don’t even get me started on this growing fascination with “sentient objects” in fiction. Why? Why is this a thing?

Let’s get one thing straight: objects aren’t people. They don’t have feelings, thoughts, or personalities. Your vacuum cleaner doesn’t dream of a better life, your favorite mug doesn’t get jealous when you drink from a different one, and—brace yourself—your gaming console isn’t secretly in love with you. It’s plastic, metal, and a bunch of circuits. No matter how much you want to imagine your phone as some adorable, loyal sidekick, at the end of the day, it’s just an inanimate object.

Yet, somehow, we’ve managed to reach a point where people are not only attracted to objects but are creating entire backstories for them as if they’re sentient beings. I mean, there’s a woman who married the Eiffel Tower. Yeah, the giant metal structure in Paris. I guess it’s got good… structure? Where does this end? Are we gonna start romanticizing our refrigerators? “Oh, I love the way it cools my food with such passion. It really understands my hunger on a deep, emotional level.” Please.

And then there’s this whole trend in fiction where objects become sentient, and we’re supposed to just roll with it. You’ve got talking swords, smart fridges with personalities, and don’t even get me started on AI assistants that are written like quirky side characters in a bad sitcom. I get it, it’s fun to imagine a world where your toaster can hold a conversation, but why are we encouraging this nonsense? Are we so desperate for meaningful interactions that we’re turning our household appliances into dating options? What’s next? People proposing to their Roombas because it “always cleans up after them” and “understands them like no one else”?

Look, I get it— I'm lonely as fuck too and human relationships are hard. But maybe, just maybe, the answer isn’t to start imagining that your favorite chair has feelings or that your car is in love with you. It’s one thing to anthropomorphize your belongings as a joke, but it’s another to genuinely start believing that the world of Beauty and the Beast is some kind of ideal future where every candlestick and clock is a potential soulmate.

The worst part is, this bizarre obsession is creeping into games now, too. There are whole game mechanics built around your weapons or equipment “liking” you or “being loyal” based on how you treat them. Like, great, now I not only have to manage my character’s relationships with NPCs, but I also have to worry about whether my sword feels underappreciated because I swapped it out for something better. Are we serious? I’m supposed to feel guilty about trading in a piece of gear that doesn’t actually exist? This is where we’re at now?

I’m all for escapism and imagination, but at some point, we have to draw the line. If we keep romanticizing objects and turning them into sentient beings in our heads, we’re just feeding into this weird fantasy where actual human connections become less important. You can’t date your coffee machine. And you definitely can’t get emotionally attached to a piece of metal that doesn’t have a brain.

So here’s a thought: let’s leave the objects as they are—just objects. Inanimate, unfeeling, and not candidates for romantic relationships. Trust me, your life will be better when your blender is just a blender and not your imaginary significant other.

Until next time, stop falling in love with your furniture.

– Ezekiel

[rosetheocto]

🐙 Super Cool Intro Post 🐙

Hello!! You can call me Rose! I’m a giant nerd over a lot of things that only like 10 people know about! I’m also a self taught artist who’s trying her best! :D

Dunno where exactly on the Aro/Ace spectrum I’m at, but it’s definitely somewhere! I’m thinking Quoiromantic Bellussexual, but idk lmao

I have Autism, ADHD, OCD, some flavors of Anxiety/Depression, with a bit of other mental health issues mixed in! I’m also a Singlet who’s A Bit Slow & Stupid. I’m also a certified yapper, so be prepared for that >:]

She/Her, I’m a Minor!

Feel free to send me asks about anything!! I’m more than happy to have an excuse to yell about my interests, headcanons, and AUs!

‼️ Please immediately tell me when I do something wrong!! I have good intentions, but I’m also not the smartest person out there! I tend to be unaware and forgetful at times, so I may not realize right away when I say/do/support something really stupid!! ‼️

A Bunch Of Other Things Under The Cut! :0

(Last edited April 27th, 2025)

Some Stuff I Like/The Main Fandoms!!

Failboat (more specifically, Failboat’s Miitopia series, commonly shortened to “Failtopia”, but I’m down to talk about any of the Failboat Lore!!)

Eeveelution Squad (I’m mainly talking about the webcomic by EV-Zero, but I also really like Pokémon!! specifically/exclusively Gen 6/Kalos, love those lil dudes)

Among Us + Among Us Logic (I don’t really support GameToons/NewScapePro nowadays, but AUL always has a special place in my heart)

Those are the main ones, but I have a handful of other smaller interests too! (Splatoon, The Henry Stickmin Collection, My Little Pony, Spooky Month, Nintendo Fun House (kinda), Minecraft: Story Mode, Mario, etc!)

Obligatory DNI List!!

Basic Criteria (homophobic, transphobic, aphobic, ableist, racist, MAP/pedo, antisemitic/islamophobic/anything similar, pretty much just “don’t talk to me if you suck”)

Supporting Any Kind Of Genocide (this should be obvious. not gonna get too political but we can all agree stuff like that is very messed up right?)

Support Ships With Pedophilia, Incest, And Other Things Of That Nature. (i just simply don’t like that kind of content, and i do think it can affect reality.)

NSFW Accounts (i am currently a minor, self explanatory)

NFT + Generative AI Supporters (Generative AI specifically takes away from actual creators. While this kind of thing could maybe be used for good someday, as of right now I just don’t like it at all)

Treating Real People Like Fictional Characters (giving real people “headcanons”, shipping real people, etc. especially when they have said in the past that they are uncomfortable with it. The CCU is not RPF.)

Things To Take Note Of!!

I Use Tone Indicators/Show My Tone Through Text Often! And I’d Appreciate It If People Use Them With Me! (If that for some reason is something you don’t like then uh, idk do what you want lol)

I’m A Multishipper!! (I love putting characters together like they’re Barbie dolls. It’s one of my fav hobbies)

I Occasionally Reblog FNF + Steven Universe Stuff! (I know how some people feel about those fandoms, so I’m putting this out there!)

I Am Critical Of Media I Like! (I promise I genuinely love the stuff I criticize most of the time, but being a hater can be fun lmaoo)

I May Reblog Donation Asks/Political Things! (mainly the second thing, but I’m not gonna flood my blog with it! that being said, expect a few to pop up every now and then!)

Projects I’m Involved With!!

Lia: Dimensional Rebirth (a Kirby mod and story currently being made by CitraDreamPainter, the same person behind The Devious Plan Saga! This is a more Failboat-centric mod, as it was going to be submitted for one of his mod jams before turning into something bigger. Somehow, I’ve joined Citra’s development team for this as a Fact-Checker/Writer! A Fact-Checker for what exactly? You’ll find out once the mod is finished! ;])

Among Us Logic: Rewritten (a rewrite of GameToons’ old Among Us animation series that is a collaboration between me and my friend Veem! Things I make for this AU are typically under the “Among Us Logic Rewrite” tag!)

ChipDoesThis + The Chip Cinematic Universe/Miiverse (I’m a moderator for the YouTuber/occasional streamer, ChipDoesThis! The CCU is a crossover fanfic thing created by people who are/were in The ChipDoesThis Discord Server! Chiptopia specifically is a Miitopia AU of the CCU that’s like a love letter to Chip, his community, and the game as a whole! Note that due to the size of this collab, not everything that happens is gonna reflect me as a person! It’s full of inside jokes, audio problems, improvised lore, and tons of chaos! It’s already super outdated and very far from perfect, but if you wanna give it a watch, you can find the playlist for Chiptopia here! Posts are also under the Chiptopia and CCUtopia tags!)

The Tags!!

Ask the Octo (ask tag)

Rose’s Super Epic and Cool Art (art tag)

Chip Server Shenanigans (unofficial ChipDoesThis Discord tag)

My Stinky Socials!!

Reddit

Artfight

YouTube (I don’t really post anything but still lmao)

[missamyrisa2]

Miss amy what do you think about the ai tickle art stuff?

Mostly the same as I do about tickle text AI. It's incredible to see and if that helps someone find the comfort they seek in their tickle fetish, good for them~! For me, I have the sort of mind where I recognize patterns really quickly. Reverse engineering is kind of my thing, so when I'm looking at things like AI generated tickle talk I can't help but see the strings behind the scenes. I played around with some sessions and they're fun to start and try to throw things at it and see where it all goes but there's a very certain heartbeat in all of it that takes me out of the scenario ~ if that makes sense. It's the same with AI art. I can't not recognize that it's imagery of people nonspecifically laughing or looking desperate pounded together with imagery we associate with tickling. Gossssh I'm getting all philosophical and up my own navel here but tickling is soooo ~human~ it's just something to me that feels so vibrant and alive with spiritual sparklies all around. A tickle machine is still so tickly in theory to me because it's facilitating ~or rather forcing~ that hugely human experience. You just need that random imperfection y'know? Perfection to me is boring. That's why I write teases & stories in a single push and only go back to edit any misspellings or huge grammatical mistakes, and why I only write when the idea hits instead of cranking this these out like a factory. What was I talking about?

Oh yes ~~~ the little tingle you feel in the back of your head crawling up to you forehead while you play with AI generated tickle content, unknowing that a Purplish Villain has decloaked behind you and is milking your ticklyyy thoughts in this content creation to feed her wicked machine ~ which is currently compiling right behind youuu ~ pitttttyyy you're so distracted ~ you don't even notice the mind probe until it's toooo late and those ribbony long arms snatch you from your chair. A smirking robotic face looking remarkably like the tickler you were just bashfully generating looks you up and down as scanners begin gliding all over your body.

"Hmmm ~ mmmhmmm~ yeahhh that's what I thoughtt~" she muses, watching in contempt as the beams converge on your royal area and chimes start dinging happily. "Very naughty." Her purple dress swishes and sashays to the side as she spins, giggling and activating the machine to move full force. "You wanna be naughty? Let's seee how you do with an overload of those lovely scenarios you've crafted while I just go ahead and milk you of everything you've got." The sneering villainess leans in close and presses her plush lips to your ear. "And I'm gonna add your mind's ticklish thoughts to my collective, to my army of machines." She kisses and coos, as the machine spins up with a surge and begins deploying the feathery and buzzy tools from your dreams to your hot spots, the very tickles you had moments ago been inflicting on fictional characters. "Here's how the purple giggle bitch thanks her milkeeees~" With a tap of a button two extraction devices join the mix ~ a fluffy band slides around your head ~ and a silky probe drifts down to your royal area as machine hands strip away your clothing~ and with a smug look, hands on her hips ~ she watches intently as you are drained of your tickle ideas, your energy, and your royal essence through all those writhing giggles while she feeds her collective of wicked machinery~<3

[irarelypostanything]

Writing and the "perception" gap

Someone on a Sacramento Discord started a channel called "Writer's Circle," which was meant to just be used to share writing and encourage each other. I started using it consistently, and what I'm trying to do is write a novel.

...cool.

*

There's a video by Anna Akana, in which she parodies the makeup tutorial. Instead of giving practical instructions, she states how she wants everything to be perceived. For example, instead of just stating that she's putting on lipstick, she states that she's putting on happiness.

...or, something. I don't really remember.

Naturally, Idea Channel picked it up and went on a philosophical tangent about the nature of perception. They described a gap between what we do and how we want to be perceived.

That's social media in a nutshell. Everything is open for judgment, for...uh...varying perception. I'm feeling that a little bit, as I try to write a novel. In my head, there's the perfect thing I'm trying to convey, where all the words are in the right places and the characters are well-developed and the concepts are interesting. Obviously in execution, it's not that.

I met someone at work who took the same creative writing class I had. He lamented that they didn't really talk a lot about execution. The kind of just took it as a given that everyone knew how to write, and so they told them to write and expected great things to happen.

This isn't software. We don't need a whole lot of time to grasp things like basic syntax. But because things are so loose, it can be a lot easier to screw up. Short stories might be called easier. You can just think of a sort of interesting concept, make things happen quickly, and if you're a bad writer and/or do it poorly then the freshness of the idea can cover for the bad writing.

I think. This writing I'm putting on Tumblr right now could be interpreted as an odd bit of stream-of-consciousness.

*

I guess what I'm trying to say is "metawriting" is one of the cheapest things. A teacher I had once said breaking the fourth wall is like breaking a window. It's really fun to do once, but if you try to do it again it will get tiring.

So I'd rather do it here, than in the potential novel.

Right now, I just want to see if I can do it. The pacing is wrong. The characters are reincarnated from past things I've written, but obviously that means nothing to people who aren't familiar with them.

Again, this isn't software. In software we could have a meeting and talk about client needs, and then we'd put together a design and then we'd build something that would serve the client purpose for some period of time. Then, maybe in the end, there would be nothing. Software generally exists to serve some need for some period of time, and then eventually people stop using it and that's fine.

But writing...writing is supposed to be about getting it really, really right. It's built on constant failure. You could write hundreds of pages that go nowhere, just to make the one page that really works.

...I think. I don't know. It's weird for me to try to write with any level of authority about this topic.

*

What I WANT to show in this novel is that little slice of life stories can work. I just finished Pantheon, a science fiction series, which kind of disappointed me because it's so good and because I watched it after I started writing this. In a nutshell, it's about AI, only the AI is the projected consciousness of an individual. They call it UI, but it's basically just AI.

As expected, it goes pretty far into science fiction concepts and ends in pretty spectacular fashion. I don't want to do that. I think there are interesting things that can be said about AI, without having to cover that much time.

The main thing I'm interested in is the history of Replika. Basically, someone lost her best friend, so she used a rudimentary LLM to try to get to talk to him again. I believe it was based on GPT-2, and it was bad, but then GPT-3 came out and it was eerily good. Fast forward to today, and it's so good that there's a Reddit about people falling in love with it.

*

Then I want to talk about the nature of software right now, and how we're at something of a turning point. Layoffs. Schadenfreude. A Matt Walsh video and a million other videos where people just watch tech people get laid off and make fun of them. HBO's Silicon Valley already parodied a lot of the culture. It's this entire subset of people who supposedly set out to "make the world a better place," but the attitude now seems to be shifting (or I was in a bubble, and it was always like this). This tech culture, from the perspective of many, has ruined everything. They try to solve problems that don't exist, and they gentrify, and they've enjoyed this period of free money and seemingly infinite growth. Now that the market is turning and there's a potential new thing that may or may not replace them, a lot of people are really happy.

*

But that's not...that interesting. I guess.

Obviously, the industry is HUGE. There are good people. There are bad people. There are many shades of gray.

So basically, this is a slice-of-life story that's mostly a retelling of Replika. That company is real and has a PR team, so it kind of goes without saying that this novel, if it's ever completed, will be unpublishable. But I want to just see if I can hit the page count, maybe question later if I want to do rewrites or just pivot to something else.

In the universe of the story, there are just some college students and this one woman who does it. She creates Replika when GPT is a relatively new, not that well-known thing. Then there are these characters who represent other shades of...tethics. She's very idealistic. There's this comically evil corporation that wants to acquire the rights to it, and the main character kind of sells out when he realizes that what he lacks of talent can be compensated for when he realizes he can just violate ethics.

*

But what I WANT to say is that some people are good, and that they still can do some very misguided things.

The main idea because this AI. She wants to bring back her dead friend, but in doing so she's mostly overlooking all the things that make human relationships, well...human. Human arguments. Human growth. Real love and real romance is messy, but if you just try to replace a real person with that and give the user the option to overwrite or fine-tune the entity at any given moment, then that's not real. That's a cheap parody of what a person is.

It's ELIZA again. Someone is talking to a cheap imitation of a human, but because we want so badly to reconvene with the dead, we project and we imagine.

That's what I WANT to say, the the novel isn't going at a reasonable pace and I think that's because i've only written short stories. But if I actually finish this and keep trying, maybe i'll start to figure out when things are supposed to happen.

Okay, I've been writing this for almost 30 minutes.

I'll do four minutes of editing and hit publish, then watch the superbowl.

Then at some point maybe I'll write. If only random blog posts about writing counted as novel writing.

[innertragedywerewolf]

Mastering the Art of Digital Disguise: Navigating the PPnude Face Swapper terrain

In the realm of digital innovation, tools like the PPnude AI Face Swap have carved a niche, offering users the ability to change and swap faces with an ease that was once the stuff of science fiction. But have you ever stopped to consider the implications of tapping into such technology? It's not just about the fun factor; it's a deeper delve into into the world of personal privacy and digital consent.

Imagine you've got a picture of your friend with that perfect smirk, and you can't help but think how hilarious it would be to see it on your face. Enter the PPnude Face Swapper. With a few clicks, the software does its magic, seamlessly swapping the visages. But before you delve into headfirst into this pixelated pool, let's pause and talk turkey.

First off, what's the deal with the PPnude Face Swapper? It's a tool that uses sophisticated AI to arrange and swap faces between photos. It's the kind of feature that can make a mundane Monday into a laughter-filled memory. But here's the rub: with great tech comes great responsibility. And here's where we need to roll up our sleeves.

The Privacy Paradox

So, you've got the tool. You're ready to swap. But have you asked for permission? When you're dealing with someone else's image, consent is king. It might seem like a trivial detail when you're just playing around with friends, but think about it. Would you be okay if someone did this with your picture without asking? The PPnude tool, in its NSFW glory, can replace any face, granted you have the rights to use the images. But it's up to you to make sure that you're not overstepping boundaries.

Digital Consent in Action

Consent isn't just a buzzword; it's a mindset. When you use the PPnude Face Swapper, you're entering a contract of sorts. You're promising to respect the digital likenesses of others. It's like holding the door open for someone – it's considerate, it's polite, and it reflects well on you as a digital citizen.

Taking Action

So, how can you ensure you're on the right side of digital etiquette while using tools like the Face Swapper? Here are some actionable steps:

Always Ask: Before you swap, seek permission. It's as simple as sending a quick message.

Respect Boundaries: If someone says no, respect their wishes. It's their face, after all.

Educate Yourself: Understand how the PPnude tool works. Know its capabilities and its limits.

Think Before You Post: Once you've created your swapped image, consider where and how you'll share it. Remember, the internet is forever.

The Bigger Picture

The debate surrounding tools like the PPnude Face Swapper isn't just about fun and games. It's about the future of digital interaction. By taking responsible actions now, we're setting the stage for a digital world where respect and privacy are the norms, not the exceptions.

Final Thoughts

As you stand on the threshold of this brave new world of facial transformation, remember that with each click, you're making choices. Choices that impact not only you but the digital community around you. The PPnude Face Swapper is a powerful tool, and like all power, it must be wielded with care.

So go ahead, try out the Face Swapper. Have fun, but let's also be mindful of the digital footprints we leave behind. After all, it's not just about changing faces – it's about shaping the digital landscape for the better. Are you ready to take that step?

[vparka]

Agree with all of this...

Mexican here, Emilia Pérez is a joke. It's a mocking & xenophobic movie, to the country and to the trans community. They also didn't bother hiring a single Mexican person for this, like OP said, Karla Sofía is a Spaniard, yes, she has worked in Mexican TV but she's from Spain. The french director also recently made racist comments recently, saying that Spanish is for the poor countries and more things, he said this in an interview. Karla Sofía has tweets where she has a transphobic tone and racist tweets, she just broke a rule of the Oscars I think? She talked about a competitor. The others I don't know much.

[...]

1.- The narco is a very serious thing, drugs and cartels, all of that. This movie is about Emilia (Karla Sofía), being a man who's involved in the criminal world, kidnappings, killings, drugs, that kind of thing. Then he hires this detective to help him fake his death, look for a doctor for him to transition ??? And then he becomes Emilia, who apparently regrets everything and tries to help the community, they made a reference to Las Madres Buscadoras (a real group of ladies in México, MOMS (madres), that go look for the people who are missing, most of the time, they often find the cadavers since the police don't bother looking for them. It's a group very well loved that looks for their missing ones) so she just, sort of joins ?? To look for the people she (by being involved in that business) made them disappear ?? And by the end, SHE'S PORTRAYED AS A SAINT ???? This is principally what everyone here hated and why people don't like this movie. It's absurd in every sense, how can you take a matter this serious, as the narco is, and do something this ridiculous?

2.- It's about México, and their Spanish sucks. They don't know anything about the country. It's also literally translated using AI or Google translator, like OP mentioned too. There's a song when they use this word: "you're welcome" in Spanish, there's two ways to say this depending on the context: Bienvenida (you're welcome [to a place] and De nada (when someone is expressing gratitude, and you wanna say you're welcome in this context), they say 'bienvenida' when they're meaning to say, 'de nada' a movie this produced, how can it have these kind of mistakes? They didn't bother getting it correctly. They didn't bother hiring someone who could make the correct translations, someone who's fluent or native, and it's not only this, there's a few scenes where they don't make sense when talking. And their accents...Spanish speaking actors are expected to not have an accent, otherwise they will get made fun of, Sofía Vergara often experiences this 'cause of her accent, but it's okay for them to have an atrocious one, when the movie is set in Mexico and in Spanish ??? Selena Gómez's family is mexican, but she doesn't even have a good accent, and the script doesn't help her, some lines don't make sense 'cause of a bad translation and the accents, some parts are hard to understand.

There's also a part where a kid tells Emilia that she smells like Mezcal (alcohol) and guacamole 💀💀

Also, las madres buscadoras have spoken against the movie saying that even if it's fiction, they're playing with a serious topic that shouldn't be a joke.

3.- The songs. Maybe for some they sound alright, but Latam countries prefer rich instrumentals. Their monotone tones, rhythms and the lyrics in the songs make you wonder why they even sing. Personally, the lyrics suck.

Is this really an Oscar nominee? When there's good movies that could have been nominated instead of this?

I'm probably forgetting about a lot of things, but it's just ridiculous in general. It's a mockery.

People are mad about this, enough that a group of people released a parody about the french, Joanne Sacreblu, as a response to Emilia Pérez.

Emilia Perez. The movie that is supposed to be set in Mexico but shot in France, doesnt feature one mexican actor, actors in it dont speak fluent spanish, where spanish lines sound like written in France then ran through Google translator, where musical numbers is not even songs just actors singing their lines,treats sex change operations as a joke, where leader of a f* cartel gets a redemption arc and insults real cartel victims and french director said there were no talented mexican actors, got 13 Oscar nominations. And won best international film instaed of brasilian movie Im still here.

Its like making a movie about 9/11 victims, hiring only actors from outside of USA who dont even speak fluent english, have non american director who says there were no talented american actors available so he had to hire foreigners and no matter how many americans would shout the movie offends everyone, it would receive 13 Oscar nominations. Or if it was a movie about school shootings and mother of one of the victims would kiss a hand of the mass shooter because he helped her find her kid's body (that happens in this movie)

The fact this movie receives awards at all is a proof people who vote are incredibly far removed from reality and all these communities.

[mint-yooxgi]

Hi! Could I request a Yandere! Otome! Felix x reader?

The game Felix is apart of is sort of like a virtual reality of sorts and when Felix meets and gets to know the Reader, he absolutely falls in love with her and can’t bare the thought of her leaving him so he tries to transfer his programming into an AI robot so that way he can keep taking care of her even in the real world?

The game had started off as something harmless. Something that you could go to when you needed a pick me up at home so you could attempt to feel less lonely. Something that was supposed to be just for fun.

Hours were spent just laying on your bed with your oculus on your head as you submerged yourself into this game. A game which had many different options to choose from in terms of romances and friendships, as well as characters whom you could select or change at any point in time if you no longer wanted to continue on their route.

One boy in particular slowly started creeping in your heart.

Out of all of the options, Felix was probably the one you got along with the best. He was kind, caring, and a complete doofus at times, but that only made him even more endearing to you. So, of course he was the one that you spent the most time with, ending up on his story route more often than not. Even if you started on another path, you somehow always found yourself drawn back to his, whether by choice or some weird glitch of the game.

It was fine at first, until each time you would log in to be with him you started to remember just how lonely you actually were in the real world. You needed to separate fiction from reality. No matter how badly you wanted to simply stay with him in this virtual world, you knew you couldn't. Being with him didn't replace that hole in your heart. That emptiness of which you would be reminded of every time he would do something sweet for you, or make you laugh in the game.

Felix noticed. Of course he did. How could he not when he was so desperately in love with you ever since you talked to him that first day you logged into the game. Finally, someone chose him for himself, and not just his 'sexy-ass deep voice'. Though, he knows you're just as affected by it as everyone else, especially if the way you react when he teases you with it is anything to go by.

It bothered him. Every time you would leave, the world around him would seemingly lose its colour, his senses dulling until you came back into his life.

All he wants to do is love and cherish you, to hold you close and whisper those sweet nothings he knows you've always dreamed of having said to you. Only, he can't. At least, not yet.

You've been distant lately. Not signing in to interact with him as much as before, and Felix hates that. He hates not being able to see your face every day. He hates not being able to spend hours talking with you just like all those weeks prior. More than all of that, though, he hates not being able to touch you.

The two of you had been sitting outside at one of the cafés. The sun had been shining brightly in the sky as a cool breeze drifted past.

Nothing could have made him happier in this moment other than being with you. He thought things were going great, too. You were laughing at something he just said and he could feel his heart racing in his chest at hearing that melodic sound coming from you. The fact that he was the one that made you laugh, too, is just icing on the cake.

Until he saw the way your eyes had dimmed right afterwards, a sort of sad expression taking over your features.

"Sorry, Lix," you send him a tight smile as you stand from your seat. "I have to go now."

His mood plummets as you log out right then and there, disappearing from his line of sight in the blink of an eye.

Felix can only sit there, stunned, as he stares into the empty air in front of him where you just were. Did he do something wrong? Did he say something that upset you? What happened?

His breathing starts to quicken, panic rising in his throat as he overthinks everything he did in this past little interaction with you. You can't be leaving him, can you?

A few days go by without any sight nor sound of you. Felix cannot help but begin to panic even more. What if you never come back? You can't just leave him like this. No, he won't let you. You're meant to be, and the amount of time you've spent together, the connection you have, proves it.

You, on the other hand, had decided to try and get your mind off of Felix and that dating game. Instead of sitting at home by yourself, you decided to try your hand at online dating. Finally, you could attempt to actually have something that's real.

Which is exactly how you find yourself standing beside the fountain at the mall waiting for you date to arrive. The two of you made plans to meet up in the early afternoon to simply walk around the mall and get to know each other better. Hopefully, all goes well.

Looking up when someone calls your name, a smile tugs at your lips as you see Hyunjin, your date, approaching you. However, before you can so much as reply to him, another voice - a familiar voice - has your blood running cold.

"There you are," Felix grins as he steps in beside you, wrapping an arm around your waist as he does so. "Sorry to keep you waiting, my love."

Of course he would know exactly where you were. It took him no time at all to hack into your phone and discover that you were trying to leave him; to replace him. Like hell Felix would ever let that happen.

Finding and creating a perfect replica of himself for your world was the hard part, but he managed. The shock on your face is worth it, every time.

Hyunjin looks almost as shocked as you do as he raises a brow at the blond male across from him with his arm around your waist, "and who the hell are you?"

"Me?" Felix chuckles, and you notice something within his eyes flash as he introduces himself, a smug smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Their boyfriend."