#i originally replied on the post but this deserved to be its own post

[thedisablednaturalist]

How to not derail a physically disabled person's post -guide for abled neurodivergents

Hey this is a huge problem and a ton of my and other peoples posts about physical disabilities have been getting overrun with comments making it about mental illness and completely derailing the post.

Here's some things to think about before adding a comment/reply onto a physically disabled person's post:

Is the person talking about disabilities in general? Or are they only talking about physical disabilities?

Do they say specifically that neurodivergent people are welcome to comment? Or do they have a banner or tag that says DO NOT DERAIL

Check the comments and reblogs that are currently there. Are they already overrun with people making the same points you are? Are physically disabled voices getting drowned out?

Is the post tagged with cripplepunk only? (Aka not neuropunk or madpunk)

What is your addition adding to the conversation? How is it related to the original post? Is it shifting the conversation or generalizing it?

Did you actually read and internalize the post or did you only focus on adding your point of view.

Who is the intended audience for the post? Is it you? Are you listening or arguing?

Are you using their language for yourself?

Could the addition stand on its own as a separate post? (If so it probably should)

Think about how you would feel if someone did that to your post and everyone only talked about their problems and ignored your original statement. Think about how angry you'd be if they then said "you're not allowed to get mad cuz I said I wasn't derailing! I love you people!"

Also these questions can and should apply to other posts made by people who are frequently talked over (people of color, fat people, etc.) No your adhd autism does not count. There is a long history on this site of neurodivergent people talking over and taking over entire disability spaces and the problem persists today. This problem is why cripplepunk was created in the first place.

Yes mental illness deserves to be talked about. I'm proudly neurodivergent and often reblog posts from neurodivergent blogs. But you are able to make your own posts, you don't need to take over ours, especially when we are specifically pointing out how our physical disabilities differ from mental disabilities.

Also respect when someone asks you to please delete your addition. Mistakes happen what matters is how you respond to them. Learn from it and move on. Don't cry about the meanie cripples "censoring" you.

#wrenfea.exe #im gonna end up on so many blocklists for this #cripplepunk #chronic disability #chronic pain #spoonie #disability #chronic illness #cpunk #physical disability #physically disabled #do not derail

[evilscientist3]

nice job supporting ai stealing artwork dickweed 👍

First, let me start with a disclaimer:

I don't like AI art personally. Subjectively speaking, it just doesn't feel like proper art to me.

I just think that the rhetoric behind why, from an objective standpoint, AI art in particular is bad (i.e. immoral) deserves more thought.

Some questions which you might find worth answering:

Is there a means of explaining how AI art steals from artists that doesn't imply collage and/or inspiration are also forms of art theft?

For an artist, is anything intrinsically lost when their art is used as a sample in an AI's data model?

When it comes to AI generated photographs, is art theft still occurring?

Consider the post you're getting mad at me about. whompthatsucker1981's copy of the AI generated photo likely wouldn't have existed without an AI generated photo to copy. Is there no value to be found in the AI enabling the creation of the art?

Suppose I were to train a data set on, say, Rembrandt's paintings to try and generate my own "new artwork" of his - just to hang in my living room. He's famous and dead, so this action doesn't affect him at all - is anything wrong with me doing this?

Similarly, suppose a commercial entity or institution were to do the same, and sell or display it with the pretext that it was generated - would this novelty not at the least be somewhat intriguing?

How about if a team of experts assessed the product, and personally corrected and altered details to keep it consistent with his other works if necessary?

Many years ago, I met an artist called Doug Fishbone while he was doing an exhibition called "Made In China" at the Dulwich Picture Gallery. There was no clear piece on display as part of the exhibition; there was, however, an impostor. One of the paintings in the gallery had been replaced with a replica commissioned from the Meisheng Oil Painting Manufacture Co., who only ever saw the painting they copied as a high resolution photo - thousands of visitors were invited to guess which.

This both questions the value of originality in art (is the copy really less valuable than the original if you can't tell the two apart? How about if it's utilised as part of a philosophical point or artistic message?) and reveals, via the copycat painting's minor discrepancies, that even in careful replication, the preferences of the artist often shine through (perhaps this is a motivation in the encouragement of copyists by many old masters).

I would certainly agree that it isn't particularly desirable to study the "eye" of an AI all too closely - its own quirks will simply be the mean of other artists' idiosyncracies. But suppose that the image is then copied, modified, or used as inspiration - is its place in allowing for another artist to develop a concept not valuable at all?

To be clear, these questions aren't rhetorical; I'd like to hear your views. If you reply, I hope you do so in good faith.

#ask #hope people see the big red line and avoid crucifying me #i simply think we should think about what we think

[gwenster]

This Had Better Come to a Stop (March of the Falsettos)

Per usual, Marvin is projecting his misogyny onto the people in his life. This statement demonstrates Marvin's insistence for Whizzer to take on a domestic role in their relationship as he attempts to compensate for the lack of a housewife role in his life following his divorce. He wants Whizzer to take over Trina’s previous role with no complaints; in “Tight Knit Family (Reprise)” Marvin literally states, “I want a wife who knows what love is” as if he wants a wife when we clearly know that is not the case.

Not only that, it demonstrates Marvin’s continual disrespect for Whizzer’s emotions as the statement clearly shows his disregard for whatever Whizzer is feeling: “hating him” or “needing him.” Marvin doesn’t believe that Whizzer loves him and so he self-sabotages through dismissing his own, and Whizzer’s, emotions.

Marvin’s self-centeredness is not something the musical shies away from admitting and thus us a prime example of just that. It highlights Marvin’s selfish nature, prioritizing his own needs and desires over Whizzer’s.

The subject of the lyrics pertaining to food is so fitting. The continued textual theme of food in the Marvin Trilogy is one of my favorite things to point out and it deserves its own analysis post but for now I’ll stick to writing about how these lyrics highlight Marvin’s particular relationship with meals and cooking. With a concept like this that unmistakably dates all the way back to the sequel, with In Trousers specifically honing in on his obsession with meals with songs like, “How Marvin Eats His Breakfast” and continues to plague the rest of the trilogy.

This Had Better Come to a Stop (Falsettos)

The lyrics in Falsettos differ. I am curious as to why the lyrics were replaced. In the context of Marvin’s character and the pair's relationship, the remark is so meaningful that its removal feels like a missed opportunity; I almost feel robbed due to its absence. Not that I dislike the new lyrics by any means; rather, I adore them.

The entire exchange between Marvin and Whizzer during the beginning of this number is truly one of my favorite scenes in the entire musical. The acting in this singular minute of dialogue is breathtaking, it’s so grounded and characterizes the pair insanely well.

Even though it’s directed at Whizzer, Marvin’s remark on how “Life can be wonderful” is him reassuring himself of that fact, not Whizzer. In this scene, he shows no regard for Whizzer’s emotions; continuing the very one sided nature of the exchange the two are enduring.

Following the reflection of his life, he narrows down his analysis, remarking on his relationship with Whizzer. With his words now partially directed at the other he states, “Isn’t this wonderful?” seemingly giving Whizzer the floor to voice his opinion. Which, in the proshot, Whizzer eagerly does, or rather, attempts to. He begins to reply in an effort to soothe the other and point out the truth in his statement, but an insecure Marvin, who admittedly enjoys picking fights over trivial issues, interrupts him, continuing to stir the pot.

Whizzer’s actions heavily contrast his nature in previous scenes. Unlike “The Thrill of First Love” which introduces us to their relationship, describing how both Marvin and Whizzer both enjoy fighting stating how “of all the lesser passions” they “like fighting most.” Marvin is still acting under this notion. Despite this, Whizzer acts maturely in this situation, making an effort to have a sincere discussion. This is the first time we see Whizzer’s genuine investment in the committed aspect of their relationship, showing there is more to him than originally presented. It’s just another example of how he’s not so great at continuing his facade of not wanting something serious while actively pursuing exactly that. Namely how it explicitly states that he’s had dinners with Marvin’s immediate family and has familiarized himself with his child to the extent that he has.

As previously mentioned, the acting in this scene is amazing. Depending on the performance there are plenty of conclusions that can be drawn from their own interpretations and I’ve had varying ones over the years but it’s undeniable that their body language speaks volumes.

I wish I had access to any stage directions from this moment, but alas I will just be describing what I see:

Whizzer is provoked and stands up to emphasize his point. Marvin then grabs the collar of Whizzer’s suit and shakes him while proclaiming “Life can be wonderful.” He lets go and continues with “Isn’t this wonderful?” Following this Whizzer reaches out to reassure him but Marvin is quick to push him away to which Whizzer flinches or at least experiences a full-body pause to represent shock or dismay and he spends the rest of the confrontation stone faced after freezing up.

Marvin’s display is insanely contradicting, he speaks so gently at moments yet aggressive is at the same time. Due to this Whizzer is left confused, scared even, during their interaction with his whole demeanor changing when Marvin puts his hands on him.

TLDR. I adore both renditions of “This Had Better Come to a Stop.” It’s arguably my favorite song in the entire Falsettos soundtrack and I love both variants of these lyrics. I feel like Marvin as I practically profess how, “I want it all” as I wish these lines could coexist in the same version because of how impactful and relevant they are.

#falsettos #march of the falsettos #falsettoland #in trousers #marvin falsettos #whizzer brown #marvin x whizzer #falsettos analysis

[forgeofthenine]

Okay, needed to share this thought with another Dammon appreciator.

Imagine Dammon not quite knowing how to express his feelings for Tav once he has to admit he has them. Like he can’t just come out and say it. It feels too wrong coming from him when compared to everyone else it could be coming from around them.

So he gives a generous discount, he helps Karlach (though he’d’ve done that anyway. If not for doing the right thing to help someone then to feel the pull of the infernal metal again. He misses the power and how dangerous and unwieldy it was and that’s just another reason those words can’t come from him.) He pilfers away damaged pieces of armor once Tav is asleep and repairs them, always placing them back in the pile before he heads to his own bed in the forge. He doesn’t know if anyone sees him but no one ever stops him. One day a piece of the armor can’t be repaired and so he makes something better. Something that won’t break. (Something to keep Tav safe while the rest of the world is being saved.)

And Tav. Tav cares. Tav admires. (Tav wants but has to lead, so Tav marches on) Always quietly relived when the group gets to the Last Light at the end of the days information gathering and planning and everyone is still there. Eyes glancing over to the warmly glowing forge and catching on the relentlessly determined (handsome) tiefling working there.

But Tav is also tired, they all are but at the end of the line all the decisions are on Tav and that weight isn’t insignificant.

This fight was particularly brutal and it shows in the weight of the party as they trudge to their tents. Tav starts to take their armor off at the end of the night and it’s different. Looks down and sees gleaming metal, armor that just by its looks is obviously more lovingly and well crafted than anything else they have on. Who looks over at the still glowing forge in the glow of the moon shield and follows their feet over that way.

Who just looks at Dammon as they stand there dumbly, half in and half out of armor. Who just stares at him as he turns to see who wandered in. Who has the armor in question their hand as they walk over to him slowly and now Dammon is panicking. Are they mad? (They aren’t.) Was the original piece special to them? (it wasn’t.) And while he’s panicking Tav has gotten within a few feet of him and stopped suddenly (Their brain finally caught up to their feet) and when he looks up they look so confused and maybe a bit hopeful? And before he can say anything they’re looking down at the armor in their hands (the armor he made for them) and he wonders idly when the last time someone protected Tav instead of being shielded by them was. And before he knows it, that thought has propelled him to right in front of them and he’s tentatively pulling them into his chest and holding them tight when they sink into his arms, tail wrapping around their leg down to the ankle and he’ll do everything he can to make sure no one takes them from him (ever) .

(I’m pulling a bit from the Dammon Flaws post earlier because it resonated with something in my Tav)

I'm sorry anon, I definitely sat on this for a couple days. That was mostly because I post my inbox replies right when I wake up and I feel like this deserved a slightly less sleepy me 😅

I honestly love this so much, just sneaky Dammon trying to do whatever he can for Tav, to make their life a bit easier. All of it culminating in a sweet hug in his forge when they finally realise the extent he's gone to. Honestly I can absolutely see him doing these things, and telling himself they aren't anything special, and that they have many more options than just him. He just really needs a kiss to quieten down his thoughts a little bit.

Thank you for sending this in, I love it so much and I'd love to hear more of your stuff sometime ♥️

#bri rambles #bri answers #bg3 dammon #dammon x reader

[ssaseaprince]

Hannibal is known for its religious imagery and metaphors, and one example of this that really jumped out at me recently, was how I truly believe that in some moments Hannibal views Will as Jesus, and therefore, views himself as God. There has been plenty of discussion in the show about Hannibals relationship and belief in God, and I understand that they never say he views himself as God, but I want to share my thought process as to why, at moments, I think he does. This was originally a reply to a post, but I think it deserves its own.

In Dolce, after Will's been shot, and Hannibal appears to comfort him, I fully believe it comes from a place of love and quiet acceptance. In this scene, Hannibal has made the decision to eat Will, and he has accepted that he must do what he believes is his only choice. Hannibal is not eating Will out of anger, he is eating Will out of love and respect. He is eating him in the same way that he ate Mischa. He is eating Will to elevate him, to hold him near, to show him respect. He wants to give Will the most respectful and loving end that he can imagine. And because he has accepted all of this, he feels free to express his affection towards Will. The time they have is ticking down, if he can give Will any comfort, he wants to. Will is going to become a sacrifice, and Hannibal believes that it is only through that sacrifice that their relationship will be healed. He does do things during this episode that feel very mocking and disrespectful, so I'm not saying he was an angel by any means. But the affection is very blatantly there.

It's in this situation that I believe that Hannibal saw Will in the same way that God saw Jesus. God sacrificed Jesus on the cross as a way to heal humanity and wash away our sins, and that is exactly how Hannibal views Will in this episode. He believes that he is sacrificing Will to heal their relationship and wash away the betrayal. Jesus was the closest thing God had to an equal (or is the only equal he has, depending on your beliefs). God loved Jesus so much so that he used him as the ultimate sacrifice. God sacrificed Jesus out of love. And that is how Hannibal feels. He loves Will more than anything else, and so Will is the ultimate sacrifice. Hannibal believes that he is sacrificing Will out of love, in the same way that God did. If your greatest gift was suffering, would you not comfort them too?

#hannibal #nbc hannibal #hannibal lecter #will graham #hannibal nbc #hannigram #hannibal and will #mads mikkelsen #hannibal headcanons #hugh dancy #hannibal meta #favs #favourites #hannibal analysis

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

'Who am I to Complain?'

As part of my own contribution to this year's first day of Spring 2024, aka the in universe birthday of one Richard John Grayson-Wayne, the First Robin and the crime fighter known as Nightwing, I would like this opportunity finally....FINALLY...posting up for you all a fic that's been in my drafts for pretty much the better part of any entire year. Originally meant on being released last Christmas, various forms of delay, writer's block and other general distractions have prevented me from finally finishing such a project. Well finally after such anticipation at least on my end, I have managed creating a final form for this story I think can satisfy.

For very quick context, this story is a component of my long running idea proposing and lore building of my own version of the DC Comics Universe. In particular, it takes within the long storyline both @thattimdrakeguy and I have crafted for the better part of two years, the first part being involved within the hypothetical Nightwing solo book, 'Clipped Wings' and its follow up crossover with Detective Comics proper, "Blue Hawk Down'. For more information regarding the general summaries of events, check out the links here and here.

I shall like to dedicate this story to my mutuals and friends @adalineozie @meara-eldestofthemall @nightglider124 @faesystem @confusedhummingbird @spider-jaysart @mothnem @lightdusk96 @camo-wolf @sbd-laytall @theredheaded-stuff @celaenaeiln @starlightbelle @shootingstarssel @avaraydrake @pin-crusher2000 @sillymanwithocs @batboyblog @bluegarners @tarisilmarwen @orange-s-mario @altinyns-multimedia-museblog @katmaatui and so many others

Constructive Criticisms are Generally Welcome; Replies and Especially Reblogs are greatly appreciated

The Following May Contain Graphic Scenes of Violence, References to Sexual Assault and other themes not suitable for a Young Audience. Viewer Discretion is Heavily Advised

As per usual, All Rights and Copyrights to Characters and Concepts seen in this work are owned by DC Comics, Inc, a subsidiary of DC Entertaiment and Warner Bros. Discovery

With all that....Happy Birthday Dick Grayson....Here's my gift of Grade A angst for you

Sigh. Cough Cough

Look at yourself. Just Honest to God, Dick, just look at yourself.

Take a good look at those cuts, that blood all over your ugly as hell face, that blood pouring out of your stupid, big fat hole you call a mouth. You wanna know who’s Goddamn fault it was for all this? You wanna know who's responsible for you being more pathetic and a freak than you already are? Cough Cough

You.

Don’t try to deny it. Why should you? 

After all, you allowed this to happen to you, right? Not just with what happened tonight but over these last few weeks. You know what I’m talking about. Losing your home and failing to find out how despite insisting you paid for it. What will Kory Cough say now when she comes back and sees that home you wanted to allow her into isn’t even yours anymore? What kind of fiance are you to allow that? 

  Why stop there? Here you are, without any place to call a house, your face gushing and oozing red as it had been lately, broke, nobody likes you, not a single damn soul cares about you. You wanna know who’s fault it is? Yours. In fact, as you right now are flinging that bottle of peroxide into your ugly face and stinging from it as you deserve, how about we explore what even happened tonight that led to this, shall we? 

  I think I should…Cough

 Three Hours Earlier….

 BAM 

“Ack!” 

“Tell Us Goddamnit, You Blue Wearing Cunt!!” 

As if I would. How do I tell these bastards where the hell Bruce is if I wasn’t even able to speak to him for weeks by now? 

I know what you’re thinking, ‘but are you his…’

Stop right there right now. If you’re gonna pull that whole ‘you’re his son’  bullshit on me, for one thing, at the very most I was adopted, I ain’t his real kid. I never deserved being his real kid at all given who we are. Another thing too; if he were to come to my help, he would’ve done so about…God knows how many times by now lately. I would handle it anyways, what kind of person needs any sort of father or even friends when it was their own damn fault they wound up taking two  bullets to the hamstrings? 

Why yes, that’s what I’m going through and yes it was my Goddamn fault being this utterly stupid and an utter embarrassment with my training for getting caught by those sickos like I was. Now you are thinking, everyone has an off day and…

BAM BAM BAM BAM 

Crap! Two on the calves and two more on my hamstrings, I can tell. 

“Motherfucker….” Damn it all they weren’t supposed to hear that. Great, now they laugh at it. 

The hell’s wrong with me? There’s no time to let them know what’s going with my nerves acting up. 

“You know, guys” (Cough) Keep it in, Grayson! You got something to say these assholes need to hear Damnit! “ You’re getting absolutely nowhere right now. If I knew where Batman was, I still wouldn’t tell you. So what the hell makes you think I do then after an hour and…” 

“Shut the fuck up, Birdfreak!” 

BAM

A kick right to my face? Yeah, another in my long line of failures and that one was justified; I should’ve seen that one coming. Hey, compared to the bullet holes though, it’s nothing really. Besides why even be hurt by that when I have this lowlife staring directly at my ugly mug of a face right now? 

“You know him, more than us here! You have to know where he went! We got a sweet little gig here and I ain’t rushing to see that pointy eared son of a dick trying to ruin it! ‘Sides, you’re in our hands now, so you see; once we’re all done here one way or another, we can get that dough from the cops since they’re looking for you more than us! Now you tell us if he knows about this place and if he’s coming, will ya?! We ain’t got all night and I’m missing my game!” 

Sweet little gig? As in the child trafficking operation they got here right now? Some of those children right behind me behind a cage like animals, forced to see me pinned on my torso and face, taking crap in many ways from them? They call that ‘sweet’ in mine and their faces?! 

“You calling that a game? Selling kids to sexual slavery? I really hate to see what’ll be your idea for a movie if that’s what you.re saying” That quip, I couldn’t help, it was damn true and these creeps needed to hear that. It was about as much a fact as Bruce hates me right now and rightfully so. 

Yet all they do is laugh even harder than before. They’re really….really starting to get on my nerves. 

Their ringleader grins ever so much in my face. His disgusting and unbearable cigarette smoke billows in my face. “So what?”  

So what? So what?? Is that really your best retort to me? It’s unbelievable, just what kind of devils and evils dwell in this city. But it’s evil I hunt for every single night. No one around me sees what I have to or does what I do around these parts. Not Bruce, not Tim, not Kory, no Donna….no one. On that note,  no one should have to. Maybe it’s my failure to stop evil like this and everything I do, everything so wrong and never good enough, that’s why I’m certain Bruce decided just to cut me off. 

No job, no place I can call a house or a home to stay in, no money, no spare clothes, no answering my calls, nothing. It’s been about three months of this so far, a three month test to see if I break if I had nothing, only for the big bad bat wanting me to literally cry my way back home to him. You know what? Screw you too, Bruce. Or whoever was doing all this. I know that, even for you Bruce, ins outs of everything, even you normally won’t stoop this low. It’s not just nothing I’ve been trying to figure out suggests otherwise. Maybe it’s just this….paranoia….no I can’t be paranoid. What’s happening is real and I need to deal with it and…

“Hey Cockscuker, you listening to me??” 

Oh right, this asshole. 

Looking at him, I can’t help myself but make my eyes go towards his own. What does he think would work now to make me talk? 

In his hands was some sort of object. It looks bladed, I can tell based on the glistening of the steel coming from the moonlight coming in through the window. Once he gets a bit closer, I see it now….oh of course….a damn pizza cutter. Oh and just my luck too, in his other hand is a goddamn cheese grater. I guess either this warehouse is for kitchen  tools or just my karma telling me how much I fucking suck and rightfully so again. Maybe the latter. 

The asshole only grins at me. “Okay then, maybe some…slices can get ya to talk. What do you say?” 

I take a deep breath and brace my teeth within my mouth. No use crying out, screaming or any of that weakness than I already showed earlier . This frankly I deserve, and come on. 

I’ve taken a few swings from a baseball bat from Two Face, got injected with Slade’s nanoscopic probes that were shredding my cells inside and out, got blasted by an alternate Luthor, forcibly swallowed a heart paralyzing pill by Slade and the actual Luthor (that bald cunt)….and now just a circular blade and a metal sheet with blades on it on my forehead and face?

Seems fitting enough to take; whatever I’ve done and didn’t do in my vow to protect the innocent and never strive off the path of justice, being a terrible friend, never good enough for Batman as I had always been, letting the only two people that actually had any right to care for me fall to the sandy and hard floor, shattering almost every bone in their bodies when I had only one job to do which was catch them….yeah this is appropriate. This is exactly what I deserve after all of that. Losing my home, my job, and my means to do basically anything for myself, I deserve that.

Who am I to complain, really? 

  Back at the Present Day….

   Sssszzzz….

“Ah Fuck!” 

Peroxide…it never fails to emit any sort of sting on any sort of cut, don’t it, Dick? 

Oh but you gonna start cussing and feeling it now? What the hell’s wrong with you? You can’t handle just a tiny sting of this shit without any yells? 

Suck it up, will ya? You’re acting like a spoiled brat. 

Who are you to complain about really?

Oh and by the way, there goes the last of our Peroxide, just circling down this old bathroom sink drain into God knows sewer pipes along with the blood it splashed off. You're gonna have to fetch some more, Dick. It’s not like Bruce is gonna get us anymore. 

Fuck Him. 

We’ve been putting up with his shit every since we lost are damn place to stay in, then our jobs all over this city, villain after villain breaking out, us being blamed for the Mayor, his wife and girl getting ripped to shreds and blood all over one day with one of your Wingdings, making you hunted down from pretty much everyone (for what only $1.5 Billion Alive? Oh c’mon that's too generous of a bounty for you. I’d put myself at about only 25 cents given your piss poor track record); You know for sure Bruce did all this, all behind the scenes, pulling every string he can to get us like this. 

 And why? Letting him know that you can take care of ourselves that one time and him being this offended by it? Well, fuck it, You’ve been showing him alright! Things are shittybut maybe that’s just how he likes it for you. Nothing gonna change that anytime soon; might as well make it the best for you, because it’s all you can do by now. 

  So now, no shoes, no fucking good socks at all, only one pair of torn sweats, that black tee, suit and toothbrush in your bag, here in this damn blizzard….every breathe getting…heavier….kinda….getting hard to stay awa…Cough Cough Cough

  Hey! Cut it out, Dickface! Cough Keep going at least somewhere! Anywhere out of this snow…so much of it….Wait, that spot there, in this alley. That’ll work for now. 

You hear that, laying on this backpack now….yeah this’ll work….at least not being out in that wind, though…..so much snow….it’s everywhere. It’s been everywhere these last few days. Fitting really, since well you do hear that right?

  C’mon pick it up, Dick, your ears can’t be that piss poor 

Cough

  “May I, as your new Mayor, wish us all in this dear Bludhaven…..”

   Yeah, there it is…..old Mafia boss now politician giving his speech for what today is. 

    “A Good…Merry ... .Christmas…!” 

   Okay, you get the idea. At least that’s one thing you got right….

   Getting sleepy now….

…...pretty cold…..tomorrow might be better….

But at least that’s one thing, Dick….

…this damn city….all of its people….they got a good Christmas….

Gotta close your eyes now…..

Wait….that the Redbird….isn't that….can’t be Timmy…..

Cough Cough

 Heh…looks like he tripped…Not real though….can’t be…..Bruce doesn’t care….you don’t need him…..but yeah….need rest…..you gave them a good Christmas 

Who…am….I….to….Cough…..Complain?

#dick grayson #my posts #first day of spring #fanfic #content warning #cw violence #cw self loathing #cw gore #cw blood #cw self deprecation #cw child abuse #sfw #viewer discretion is advised #cw language

[leantailean]

I really love Toko, but i feel like its often constrained, largely due to the age gap. Like stories will often either be set in post-canon, or the characters will be aged up. Do you feel like that holds true and if yes do you feel like there's a dynamic that i'm missing. And post-canon is fun to explore, but i feel like the most interesting story telling is generally set while the war is ongoing. Conversely i feel like aging up Zuko would be fairly disruptive to his journey. Not that i think those are bad things, i'm really liking Third Time's the Charm that plays with the latter, and arranged marriage which to feels like a very natural trope for them, and obviously i love your art. They say for a reason that constraints inspire creativity. I'm just curious about your thoughts about that.

Hi! Thanks for the ask and sorry for the late reply (sickness prevented me from replying)

I have a lot to say about this, so let’s begin (it’s a loooooong answer).

Age gap is the most common argument against toko I’ve heard. And, to be honest, I find it really strange. You see, Aang and Zuko have the same age gap, and almost the same have Sokka and Toph, and nevertheless Tokka and Zukaang are quite widespread and supported ships, and no one cares for the age gap. That’s why I don’t really see why people believe that age gap as an issue in Toko.

And this argument sounds strange also because If relationship, even romantic one that are originates from friendship are starting to built it doesn’t mean they immediately become sexual. Kataang is canon and beautiful, but in reality several years should pass for them before they step into that kind of relationship. I’m even uncomfortable to think about Maiko having sexual activity in the canon, when they both are around 16.

Besides, it is difficult to imagine Zuko anything but aro/ace to me.

 Toko's relationship originates from similar life experiences and mutual support for each other. This is not a love at first sight, but a gradually developing "friends-lovers" relationship. Which, by the way, completely similar with other canonical pairs, such as kataang.

Also I think that this argument originates from extremely wrong, primitive fanon interpretation of Zuko and Toph. Usually Zuko is depicted super mature and super experienced dude (all that dadko bullshit, omg), and they prefer to see Toph as some tomboy-ish brat (here in Russia people call such girls “the guy from the next yard”), rude, not serious and childish. Nothing can be farer from the truth.

In fact, Zuko is emotionally underdeveloped, traumatised and rather infantile due to the abuse he experienced. He Is a teenager with serious anger issues and bad social skills.

Toph is, otherwise, one of the most mature gaang members. She is able to understand and listen to other people , and she never demand anything back (“Yes, thank you Toph”. Indeed it woul be very nice of Sokka and Suki to thank her for saving their lives). Despite her guarding her boundaries carefully she is always open to other people and she is in good contact with her own emotions (which is what Zuko lacks). So in their relationship, at least that the very beginning Toph would be the most mature side (although it’s fair for every possible Zuko’s partner, such as Maiko, Zukka or Zukaang).

 So I don’t think that Toko is having any problems in that sense.

On the one hand, I agree that it’s the most interesting when the relationship somehow develops during canonical events, and not in the post-canon. But in this case, this applies to absolutely any couples, except of maiko, kataang and sukka, since they are the only ones developing during the war. Any possible other relationships, such as Tokka, or Zukka, or Zukaang, can exist only in  post-canon if canonical couples break up for some reason. Again, Toko is no exception in this case.

Zuko and Toph's relationship (doesn’t matter friendly or romantic) did not get the development  they deserve in the third season. In fact, their relationship was just thrown under the bus because of the sloppy writing of the entire third season (to give Zuko one episode with each member of gaang  just to check the box, like "mission accomplished" and give almost not developing of his relationship with each of them outside of these episodes. And Toph was robbed even of this). But despite this, toko still has more then any other fanon ships (although “Boiling Rock” is definitely a very Zukka episode). We see that Toph was the first one who believed Zuko, and not just believed - she actively defended him in front of the others and made an attempt to have a chat with him herself. It is important: the fact that Zuko's relationship with Toph is radically different from any other ones with the rest of the gaang member, since she was not with them when Zuko actively hunted the Avatar, and their first close interaction was after his redemption, when he became the best version of himself. Toph has no personal negative experience with him, and Zuko does not  feel guilty towards her, and with her he doesn’t need to make up for anything, and this is very important.

Strangely enough, but, one of the most Toko moments of the show is the moment in which Zuko and Toph do not interact personally: the meeting of Iroh and Toph. She is also the first from gaang who met and even, one might say, became friends with Iroh. Iroh, who has always been Zuko's father figure is talking to Toph about real Zuko. Not about the imperialist prince cruelly pursuing the last hope of the world - the way Sokka, Katara and Aang knew him - but about just a boy only Iroh, his closes person, knew. In addition, Iroh, who knows and loves Zuko, says how much he and Toph have in common (Iroh is the first and main Toko shipper, and I will die on this hill). Narratively and dramatically, this is an amazing moment, and I will fight with anyone who says that Toko has little canonical content: any other Zuko ships can only dream about such a moment.

It is also interesting that it is with Toph that Zuko has the most sincere conversation about his guilt towards his uncle. He talked about it with Sokka and with Katara, but it was Toph who was able to tell him the right words that really comforted him and make him smile (seriously, this is the best smile Zuko has ever seen, and it happens during his conversation with Toph!)

We see that they feel extremely comfortable and open with each other, even though they barely know each other.

Toph is the only girl in the canon made Zuko to blush, just a fact. And Toph, in her turn, openly talks to Zuko her feelings for him (I'm not saying that her feelings were already romantic at that time ). "This is how I show affection" is just the best moment.

We can talk about many other canonical points that are important for toko: the similarity of characters and life experience - both Zuko and Toph are from the upper class, both grew up in abusive families and both know what it is to feel unloved by their own parents. The Blue Spirit/Blind Bandit is one of the most interesting and direct parallels of Toph and Zuko - an alter ego that they needes to get away from theirs social roles (a prince and a young lady from an aristocratic families). This is the same direct parallel as the canonical pair has: The Painted Lady/Kuzon. Just as Aang and Katara need alter egos to help others people which is the core of their characters and unites them,Toph and Zuko need alter ego in order to satisfy their own desire for freedom, which they cannot satisfy in any other way.

They are both disabled, forced to deal with the fact that people judge them by their disability and appearance, forced to prove every day what they are more than their disability. Again: neither Zuko nor Toph share such an experience with anyone else, only with each other.

So canonically, toko has a lot of support - certainly no less than any other fanon ship.

After all, they look amazing together.

Also, I just love the moment with kissing doves. Seriously, ATLA rarely show us such a perspective, why they needed to place such a scene in the same shot with Toph and Zuko as if it were foreshadowing their future relationship? God, I love it!

I really like to explore the post-canon, especially since  I don’t consider comics and LOK to be canon, although it doesn't even matter - nothing in them contradicts the idea that Toph and Zuko could be together at least at some point in their lives.

To explore  alternative universes for toko, such as the arranged marriage plot, is also a very interesting, and it would be great to talk about it another time.

Thank you for the question, I think my thoughts turned out to be a little messy, but I hope it could be interesting to you.

________

Let's talk about TOKO!

#zuko #toph #toko #avatar the last airbender #kataang #i think? #atla #atla fandom discourse #long post #zutoph #ask #we need to talk about toko

[babyjakes]

a little loud. [blurb.]

〈 disclaimer: this blog posts content not suitable for individuals under the age of 18. minors are strictly prohibited from viewing, sharing, or interacting with this blog. for more information on this blog's commitment to protecting minors, read our full statement here. 〉

summary | bucky knows just how to help you when everything gets to be too much.

pairing | daddy!bucky barnes x little!reader

warnings | sfw regression (daddy!bucky little!reader), reader is overwhelmed/anxious/panicky, soft!bucky omg so so so soft, all those petnames he calls her :’-))), too cute might die lol

word count | 452

requested by @norsebunny | uk gal here. i’ve never sent a request before so i feel nervous but nevertheless,,, could i suggest an angsty but fluff ending of little!reader and daddy!bucky; reader feels anxiety and insecure often but it’s gotten particularly bad, but she doesn’t want to let it show so keeps it bottled up. she’s overly dutiful and bucky can see right through it and comforts her? not very original and you have so many amazing fics that there might be a similar one out there🤗

an | hey friend thanks so so much for this request yay i was hoping to write more soft!daddy!bucky hehe, i feel like he’s just the most observant and all-knowing daddy ever like as soon as his baby seems a little off, he’s on it like *that* – anyway, i hope you enjoy friend!

“Princess, what’s all this?” Bucky’s voice is almost dangerously soft as he stands before you in the kitchen, his concerned gaze shifting from the pile of dishes you’ve just cleaned to your trembling form.

Doing your best not to stutter, your words come out slowly as you try to formulate a believable reply, “I-I just-… I just thought I-… you-… thought y-you might want me to do them.”

Taking a step forward, the brown-haired man crouches down a few feet in front of you, his soft expression filled with worry. Struggling to catch your eyes with his own, he hums, “S'that so? Gee, doll, I’m sorry you felt like you had to do them all yourself. You should’ve come get me; you know Daddy’s always happy to do chores with you.”

Fighting back tears, you nod, your heart pounding almost painfully in your chest as your breaths begin to shorten. “I-I’m sorry, Daddy. Will c-come get you next time. I’m s-sorry,” you mumble your apology again.

“Hey,” he breathes, raising his brow gently at you with a gentle smile. “It’s okay, petal. Daddy’s not angry with you, not angry at all. You’ve been such a good girl for me, haven’t you? Got so much work done, think you deserve a special reward. What do you say?”

“R-reward?” you ask warily, your fingers twitching nervously at your sides.

“Mhmm. Maybe some ice cream? We’ve got a new tub of vanilla in the freezer,” the man offers, nodding his head towards the fridge. “You wanna make some sundaes and cuddle up for a movie?”

Swallowing down the lump in your throat, you do your best to nod firmly, quickly rushing to add, “Y-yes, thank you Daddy. That sounds so nice. I-I-…” But before you know it, despite the promise of the frozen treat and a film, a tear has still managed to make its way down your cheek, causing you to flinch back, wiping at it quickly as your cheeks begin to burn.

“Oh honey, it’s okay,” Bucky soothes, reaching out and pulling you into his arms. “Com'ere, babydoll. It’s okay. I’ve got you, sweetheart. You’re just overwhelmed, aren’t you, pumpkin? Brain’s gettin’ a little loud? That’s okay, sweets. Sometimes Daddy’s head gets loud and scary, too. I’m right here with you, bug. Let’s just take some deep breaths, hmm? Think you can show me what a good breather you are?”

Nodding into the safety of his shoulder, you begin to count along silently as Bucky guides your breathing, one of his hands finding your lower back and rubbing in slow, soothing circles.

“That’s it, bunny. Doin’ so good for me. Such a brave baby I’ve got, haven’t I? Always make me so proud.”

#eun's writing #a little loud #bucky barnes #daddy!bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes fluff #hurt/comfort #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes drabble #bucky barnes blurb #bucky barnes headcanon

[mrsjellymunson]

okay, so I'm gonna need any information you're willing to share on "3 Holes..." please and thank you <3

LOL, I did wonder whether that one would pique a bit of interest 😂😂😂

This is 3 ideas I’ve had for this month’s @steddiemicrofic Steddie drabble-writing challenge for the prompt ‘hole’.

Hole number 1

is a 90s AU that involves, amongst other things, a skateboarding Dustin Henderson (sadly, all too briefly), a broken CD case and a dead fly, and it’ll probably have a T rating.

Here’s a snippet:

The stranger looks like he’s about to walk off, and Steve finds he doesn’t want him to. Thinking quickly, but not very originally, he blurts, “Watcha listening to, anyway?”

Appraising Steve, but not unkindly, the stranger replies,

“Uh, something you probably wouldn’t like.”

“Sounds like a challenge. Try me.”

Hole number 2

is a handyman!Eddie x new tenant!Steve super-cheesy p0rñ plot (seriously, it deserves its own funky guitar soundtrack), which will probably have a rating of M and stops just as you get to the good bit because I enjoyed writing the set-up too much and the wordcount target this time is only 404 🤷‍♀️ Here’s a sneaky bit:

Steve returns to kneel at the altar of disassembled flat pack furniture he’s been trying to build, but gets distracted by Eddie’s deft arm movements as he stretches and bends to repair the holes, black ink dancing and the occasional glimpses of his torso appearing as his shirt rides up.

Steve forces himself to look back at the instructions. They might as well be in Swedish. Maybe they are…

Hole number 3

is a dental technician x new patient smutfest (I haven’t finally decided who’s who yet - somehow I automatically gravitate towards writing dom!Eddie and sub!Steve, but the tech is the dom in this and I think the job would probably suit Steve better). It’s half flirting and half filth and will have an E rating, but I can only publish it if someone is ok with me using some of their dialogue from a personal post, and I haven’t heard back from them yet. I could rewrite it with my own I guess so it may well see the light of day after all, and I can still share the first little bit…

“Looks like you've got a little hole here, Mr Munson.”

The dentist’s implements clatter back into the tray by Eddie’s head.

“We could fill it for you now, if you’d like. It won’t take long.”

Eddie, shit-scared of dentists since he was a kid, does all he can to hold it together and not book it straight out of the room. He’s an adult now, for goodness’ sake.

“O-okay, sure, I guess.”

“Great. I’ll just get my technician. Steve!”

“You bellowed, doctor?”

Wow. The doorway fills with the prettiest-looking healthcare worker Eddie’s ever seen.

Maybe this won’t be so bad after all…

Thanks so much for asking!! 🥰🥰🥰

#TYSM #ask game #asked and answered #WIPs

[rjalker]

Giving this its own post because I'm tired of arguing in replies and the OP doesn't deserve to have this crap spammed on its post.

@'s removed from replies to make it easier to read.

Replies on this post:

(Archived link)

@pxsteldreamer said:

If the person talking about someone who uses it/its pronouns is really that uncomfortable with that, the person still has a name. It's still sort of shitty, but at least just use the name in conversation instead of pronouns if you're /that/ uncomfortable

Rjalker said:

No, that's still misgendering. You wouldn't tell anyone to do this for binary trans men and women who use he/him or she/her so stop telling people this is an acceptable option for misgendering it/its users.

Pxsteldreamer said:

It's not misgendering to call someone by name...? As long as it's not a deadname, it's not misgendering, it's just... not using pronouns. I'm nonbinary, I have friends who use it/its pronouns, I'm not saying it's a GOOD option, but if they genuinely cannot bring themselves to use those pronouns, it's better to not use any pronouns at all than to misgender you

Rjalker said:

Yes it literally is. Refusing to use someone's pronouns is misgendering, no matter how you go about doing that. I use it/its pronouns. If you refused to use my pronouns and insisted upon only referring to me by name…you would be misgendering me. You do not get to tell anyone that it's okay for them to refuse to use people's pronouns, which is what you're doing by saying they should just use the person's name instead.

Pxsteldreamer said:

How is it misgendering to call you by name? It's your name. It's no different than if I was talking about a chair and instead of saying "it", I said chair every time. Pronouns take the place of nouns, so if you use the noun every time, I fail to see how it's misgendering. If you're not comfortable with that, that's fine, but I don't think you can say it's misgendering in a broader sense. Misgendering is deliberately labeling you in an inaccurate way

Rjalker said:

Because it's a refusal to use my pronouns. Stop thinking about it so literally and realize what the intention is. To refuse to gender me correctly. If you don't use it/its pronouns, you have literally no business telling people its okay for them to misgender us and argue that it's not misgendering to refuse to use our pronouns. It doesn't matter if you're also nonbinary, you're still being exorsexist + transmisic Refusal to use pronouns is misgenendering!

If you refuse to use someone's pronouns, you are misgendering them. That's it. End of discussion. Stop arguing with people who use it/its pronouns about how it's not misgendering to refuse to use our pronouns. Delete your original reply. I'm so tired of people like you telling everyone it's okay do to this shit to people like me.

Pxsteldreamer said:

I'm not trying to make you upset, I genuinely am trying to understand your viewpoint here. I'm not going to delete my reply because I don't believe in hiding my mistakes, if I even made one, but I really am just confused. I would much rather have someone use my name than directly misgender me, which is the alternative if they won't use my pronouns. What other option do you see, when you know you can't force someone to change?

I understand that using the correct pronouns is the ideal, but there are some people who aren't going to do that for whatever reason. Isn't using your name the better of the alternatives? I did say it was still shitty, but it's better than directly using incorrect pronouns for you

Rjalker said:

Either people use the correct pronouns, or they don't. There's no third option. It's not better to misgender us by calling us by name than to use any other pronouns, it just means that now the person's /pretending/ to respect us while still misgendering us. Just because /you/ think it would be less offensive to be called by name does NOT mean you get to say this is okay for people who use it/its!

deleting the original reply is not about hiding your mistakes, it's about not encouraging even more people people who already hate us to misgender us and pretend they're not doing anything wrong. Telling people they can just call us by name and it's less bad is not okay. You are speaking directly over people who use it/its. Even if this were about any other pronouns you can only speak for yourself about what you think are okay substitutes!

Pxsteldreamer said:

I feel like you're getting very upset with me and I apologize, I guess? But I also don't think you can say that your feelings extend to every it/its user, so I will let OP decide whether or not my reply stays up. I'm not trying to talk over anyone at all, and I'm sorry I made you so upset, I really didn't mean to cause such a problem by leaving what I thought was a fairly innocuous alternative. I'm genuinely trying to understand your views here

Rjalker said:

Yes, I am upset because you are doing the same thing everyone else does. You do not use it/its pronouns. You are encouraging people to misgender us. You are giving people excuses to misgender us. There are no other ways for me to explain to you that telling them they can just not use our pronouns is inherently bigoted and misgendering. Your job is to listen when it/its users tell you you are being bigoted, and you're not doing that

Most people who use it/its pronouns are literally too exhausted by constantly dealing with this shit to bother arguing. If you're going to wait for someone else to tell you you're wrong you're gonna have to wait a long time considering you haven't listened to a word I've said and aren't giving anyone any indication you'd listen to them either.

Pxsteldreamer said:

I am listening to you, truly, but I still don't feel like I should delete the reply. If I hear that this is a shared opinion, I'll remove it, but if it's something other people feel they're okay with, then that's up to them too? I'm trying to be open here, and I get being tired of arguing, I'm not trying to argue. I'm trying to understand, and see things from your side.

I think I posted a reply that was my opinion, you replied to me with your opinion, and now I'm trying to hear other it/its user's opinions too. I don't want to talk over anyone, I want to hear from others if your opinion is shared and I'm wrong. I want to learn, and that's the only way for me to do so

Rjalker said:

if actual people who use it/its pronouns are okay with people using their names rather than pronouns, then that person in particular will say that is okay /for them/. You are not listening if you still think that your opinion as someone who literally doesn't use it/its pronouns is more valid than actually letting us speak for ourselves. You do not need to understand to accept that what you said and are saying is bigoted.

Pxsteldreamer said:

Okay, I guess. I'm not interested in fighting and I think you're getting more and more irritated with me, which is only making me upset as well, because I don't mean anything bad. I still will let OP decide if my reply stands, because it's not my post and internet comments are always going to express opinions, so if my opinions don't jive with it, then it can delete my reply or tell me to do so. I hope you have a good day anyways, even if I upset you

So. Someone else who uses it/its pronouns please fucking chime in with whether or not you think it's misgendering for someone to refuse to use your pronouns and instead only call you by name, and if you think it's okay for people who literally don't use it/its pronouns to tell other people this is an okay thing to do for everyone who uses it/its pronouns.

Yes I am just gonna keep editing this post to include all the new replies. Thank you, @ratscallionz!

pxsteldreamer said:

I really wasn't trying to tell anyone specifically to do this, I was just offering up an alternative option to something that seemed to be a very contentious issue. I really don't want to cause any problems here

My response:

Then delete your original reply. Your intentions don't matter -- everyone who reads your reply is going to jump a the chance to misgender us and use your reply as evidence that it's not actually misgendering.

angryikalgo said:

You are correct in the fact that deliberately using a name in the place of it/its pronouns (or any neopronouns for that matter) is misgendering. However, your agressive tone does nothing but create hostility and discourages people from actually listening to what you have to say. If you want others to change their opinions it would serve you well to take a more measured approach.

My response:

sarcasm: oooh don't we just love tone policing and victim blaming everyone? /sarcasm

ratscallionz said:

@angryikalgo question- did they insult the other person, call them names or accuse them of anything? if no, then don't worry about 'tone'. people are allowed to feel upset when others offer a way to go against their needs.

@pxsteldreamer the problem is the alternative option dodges respecting someones pronouns, just like other forms of misgendering. what people should do is learn why others use those pronouns (and just respect them outright), and you should promote understanding rather than evading.

pxsteldreamer said:

@ratscallionz This is going to be my only reply because I don't want to argue anymore but I was under the impression that it wasn't misgendering because it's technically not an inaccurate label. I've spoken to some friends and come to understand I was mistaken, but being accused of transphobia and not having things explained to me was fairly aggressive of OP. Things could have been communicated better on both ends, however I'm not going to delete my comment as OP asked

ratscallionz said:

@pxsteldreamer if i found out someone was calling me a nickname because my real name made them 'uncomfortable' that'd make me uncomfortable to be around them as i'd feel they don't respect who i am. same applies to pronoun dodging.

#long post #misgendering #ititsantagonism #ititspronouns #exorsexism #replies #transmisia #trans #transgender #nonbinary #Pride #Queer #liom #MOGAI #very long post

[veliseraptor]

@mayedays replied to your post “Sometimes I get immensely sad that you're not in...”:

What do you see as the other options? Bc the alternatives to defanging or death that I can see are (1) the author subjecting the antagonist to serious suffering/punishment (up to and including 'fate worse than death') to appease readers' sense of justice or (2) the fandom becoming so much more toxic towards the character (and their fans) bc of rage that justice (read: punishment) "wasn't served". (And I hate those options too! This feels like a no-win situation!)

​I feel like you are talking about something a little different than I am, first of all, in that you seem to be talking about the canon fate of characters in-universe whereas I was specifically (in this post) talking about the way characters get written in fandom. But since I'm here and this does feel relevant to my interests, I'll take it!

Firstly, I don't think that avoiding a storytelling choice because "readers/fans will react poorly" is...a good way to do writing. An understandable way in this day and age, certainly! But I also think it's generative of...well, you know how people talk about the phenomenon of media being bleached of its color for the sake of not offending potential advertisers? That's what I see happening as a result of this kind of implied emotional terrorism, or fear of emotional terrorism on the part of writers.

Like I said, I think it's understandable to be scared of how people are going to react to something you write, whether that is for your own sake or the sake of a hypothetical reader - it's human to want to avoid unpleasant experiences. But I think caving to that fear, or accepting that as a stifling force on the creative decisions a writer feels at liberty to make, is neither desirable nor inevitable.

Secondly - it is relevant that I was talking about fandom here, because in a canon setting the antagonist is probably going, in some form, to have to lose. But if I'm engaging with this purely on the personal level of "how do I like to see writers handle their antagonists," there is a wide variety of ways for a narrative to treat its antagonists with grace. Even if an antagonist dies horribly, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a narrative decision that I by nature have a problem with. (I have discussed before the internal conflict for me between 'but I want this character to live :(' vs. 'it makes for a better narrative if they die', including with several of my own original projects.) But the way that defeat or death is handled can make a world of difference in my (personal) response to a text.

I have read books where it feels like the aim of the text is specifically punitive: it wants to punish the bad character, it wants to make them suffer, it wants to illustrate that they deserve it. I tend to not enjoy that. It's not the only way to write an antagonist's defeat, and not even the only way to write an antagonist's death. It feels miles better to me, as someone who tends to get invested in antagonists, to read a text that doesn't come with a punitive mindset baked in. (Punitive texts aren't inherently bad, they just tend to not be for me.)

But that isn't the only way to write a conclusion, and there are ways of hurting or even killing an antagonist that don't have to feel like the goal of the narrative is specifically to punish them. (I wrote a whole essay about an example of this! There were footnotes and everything.)

But I think the bigger thing here, that is perhaps just a distinction between the way I approach this question and the way you seem to be, is that the question you're asking is predicated on the understanding that the question of "how a text handles its villain" is a matter of how readers/fans will react to a text, and that is a major determining factor in how a story should be told. I just fundamentally disagree with that, and I think a story that is written under those premises is going to suffer.

#mayedays #lise has opinions #christ that got long #i need to eat dinner #i wrote this instead of doing havdalah whoops #actual english major lise #does this make sense? i hope so

[kinomiya]

Mayblade Day #11: Music.

I had a fun time writing this one

Yuriy groaned at the incessant pinging sound of his phone receiving a million notifications. He pulled the white duvet over his head and buried himself deeper into the plush hotel pillows silently pleading for it to stop, his tour schedule was already grueling without being woken up God knows how early by his band mates, or management. When the device refused to silence itself after several minutes he reached his hand out from the cocoon he’d burrowed into and patted around until his hand made contact with its smooth glass screen.

What the fuck did they want now? He growled in frustration as he pulled the phone under the blankets and squinted at the brightly lit screen. When his eyes finally focused realized that while there were a dozen or so messages from their manager, what was actually happening was dozens of verified accounts talking about some tabloid article. He was about to ignore it until the headline of an article caught his eye:

‘Just who is NeoBorg’s ghostwriter?’

Yuriy clenched his jaw, immediately feeling the squeezing pain in his forehead of a tension headache beginning to take root. With a loud sigh, he tossed the blankets off himself and slipped out of the bed, before sauntering out of his hotel bedroom into the kitchen area and making a beeline for the espresso machine. The coffee may not be strong enough to get him through today, but it would have to do.

He gingerly sat down on the sofa with his americano and scrolled through twitter, feeling like a narcissist as he looked through various tags related to himself. It took only a few minutes to find the catalyst for all the tabloid articles and tweets rocketing his name onto the trending page. An instagram post from the celebrity gossip account deuxmoi vaguely implying a rockstar beloved by the internet didn’t write their own music.  Vague, but just enough for plausible deniability if the so-called “blind” turned out to be bogus. It was plenty clear from the context clues who the post was referring to, and the internet did as the internet does and ran with it.

Taking a drink of his coffee, he was surprised at how calm he felt about the leak as he sifted through the instagram comments on the original post. He ignored his manager's continued frantic texts, the old bat probably deserved to panic anyway.

A sharp knock on his hotel door took his attention away from all the gossip and conspiracy theories contained within the small handheld device. He idly tapped the empty coffee cup in his hand with a finger and contemplated ignoring it, hoping that whichever band mate would get the clue. However after a short time another knock would sound out into the quiet room. Yuriy frowned, standing up and stalking over to the door before deactivating the deadbolt and pulling the door open.

The figure on the other side flashed him a smile, leaning against the door frame and looking up at him with a look of amusement on his face before he spoke: “The internet told me you don’t write your own music, what’s that about?”

Yuriy’s eyes narrowed as he stepped aside to let the figure into his hotel room before allowing the door to slam shut. 

“Is this what you do when you’re not touring the world selling out stadiums, Takao? Read gossip rags and cause trouble?” He asked, turning in the direction of the smaller man, watching as he peeled off his red letterman jacket to reveal a bright yellow t-shirt.

“Might be,” came the reply as he glanced over his shoulder, smiling at Yuriy again before continuing: “Or maybe I just wanted to see my favourite fraud!”

“Are you trying to get me to kick you out… or worse?” Yuriy spoke with an unconvincingly bitter tone as he approached his bubbly guest, allowing a hand to rest centimeters from the other man.

“Well you could but…” Takao trailed off, moving to close the gap between their hands, intertwining their fingers together before yanking Yuriy forward so their chests were touching before he continued his thoughts: “But then who would write your music for you?”

Takao quickly leaned up to steal a kiss from the scowling man before he was shoved away. He giggled cheerfully as his legs hit the back of the sofa and he fell onto it.

“You’re such a fucking trouble maker, did you do this?” Yuriy questioned as he moved to drop himself down on the sofa beside Takao.

“Nope! But I can guess who,” he said, still snickering a little as he kicked off his shoes and pulled his knees up to his chest on the sofa.

“And are you going to enlighten me?” Yuriy asked flatly, running fingers along his forehead to ease the ever worsening headache.

“Of course not, where’s the fun in that,” Takao answered, playfully nudging his foot against Yuriy’s outer thigh.

“You’re such a headache,” he remarked with a sigh before moving his arm to wrap around his cheerful companion and pulling him closer.

“But you’d be lost without me,” came the reply as Takao rested his head against Yuriy’s shoulder and fell into a content silence.

Lost indeed, Yuriy thought as he recalled the many clandestine meetings they had throughout their days in university. Where the young passionate musician had declared one day he would sit atop the music world and be unrivaled by anyone. And how he could only ever be so lucky as to be allowed to stand in the shadow cast by a person who shone so brilliantly. 

“And you’d have way less music to perform,” Takao tacked on, bringing Yuriy out of his reverie. Without missing a beat, he pushed his partner off the sofa enjoying the surprised squeak he made as he crashed onto the floor.

Just because he was grateful to live in his shadow, didn’t mean he had to put up with his insufferable bullshit, after all. 

#mayblade #mayblade 2023 #Yuriy Ivanov #Takao Kinomiya #The beyfic tag #Idk I thought it was super clever to write the start of this as a deuxmoi gossip article #also someone is a shit disturber #Beyblade #bakuten shoot beyblade

[ryttu3k]

List of cool bits of foreshadowing, compiled from this post

Volo being freed from the Goblin Camp: "I can't wait to pick your brain!"

-

'Wyll thanking Balduran that we haven't sprouted tentacles yet.'

-

Raphael in act 1: "Hope… SUCH a tease."

-

'First time I heard Barcus Wroot say "If we meet again, then we will have met again," I knew I'd be seeing him later.'

-

'After saving Arabella, I was SHOOK about Arabella’s parents in Act 2 in my first run. In my second run, after you save the Grove, their parting words are surprisingly negative compared to everyone else’s and it’s very sad in hindsight. Komira says “We didn’t die today. Tomorrow perhaps, but not today. Thanks to you” and Locke says “One sorrow ended. The next soon to begin.” the FORESHADOWING-'

-

'Astarion's sardonic laughter upon discovering what the tadpole will do'

'of course it will turn me into a monster…'

'hows this one foreshadowing?'

'The laughter comes with the line "of course it will turn me into a monster"

It's foreshadowing that he is 1) already a monster (which the PC technically doesn't know yet) and 2) his whole situation around escaping from cazador

He says it with a tone that's like "oh of course, I thought I was free but in reality I'm about to turn into another fucking monster bc that's just how shitty my life is." You don't really pick up on this tone until your second playthrough, after you've learned more about him'

-

'Better: He say “I hope when we next meet, we’ll be wearing the same skin” if you don’t recruit him, and when you see him again at Cazador’s, he’ll have been flayed.'

-

'Similarly, the option to say "It felt like you weren't really there" after the first romance scene with him. I remember thinking it was kind of a strange choice to include and his excuse about not wanting to lose control seemed convincing but somehow off.

Finding out why that line was an option in Act 2… oof.'

'He's also not even aware of whats happening to him in act 1. he only realizes this in act 2 when he starts to be more self-aware about his own feelings and starts to prioritize them over the whims and lusts of other people. Until act 2 he doesnt think about his own feelings at all. in act 1 he has almost fully convinced himself that he wants to do this because he cant see why he wouldnt. there are only benefits to sleeping with Tav. Tav is attractive and the leader of the group who can protect him so theres no reason for him not to do it. but If you play with karlach origin he has a reason not to do it(her burning condition) and is relieved but doesnt understand why he's relieved. So he lashes out at karlach to blame her for the night being ruined rather than his feelings of relief that he has a perfect excuse not to have sex with her.'

'It’s a great example of what long term disassociation does!'

'Yup. And if you manage to get him to proposition before the tiefling party he tells you “you deserve a reward” (for letting him drink blood) and you can reply “you don’t need to do that just because you feel like you owe me” and shrugs it off and says “its more of an excuse it anything”. its like hes trapped in his own coping mechanisms.'

-

'Coming from someone who knew nothing about the Forgotten Realms before Bg3, I love the books you can find and read very early in Act 1. They hint at the Dead Three, Astarion’s vampirism, and Shar’s evilness. My favorite book may just be the Shar one, “The Unclaimed.” Is that not a warning for what awaits Shadowheart if she continues down the path of Shar? Amazing foreshadowing about what’s at stake, and the book didn’t quite hit me until my second playthrough, running into it again, and realizing just how much was at stake for Shadowheart. We were fighting for her soul.'

'to add onto this, theres the book that talks about Selunite rituals of children having to fend for themselves in the forest and find their way back to civilization in order to become her follower (paraphrasing) then our first glimpse into Shadowhearts memory is… her lost in the forest.'

'Withers' library of foreshadowing books.

Bro has The Unclaimed, The Curse of the Vampyr and The Mortal View: Eyewitness Accounts of the Bhaalspawn Crisis all in his library, all appearantly hundreds of years before we even come across it.'

'In my head, he actually prepped the temple in a hurry before the gang makes it there.'

(Ry's note: On that note, Withers being Jergal is pretty much spelled out long before any plot-relevant stuff like Durge rejecting Bhaal and the ending scene, mostly in the temple itself.)

-

'Talking to Alfira in the grove you can ask if she’s having trouble with her song, she says “I’m about to suffer a grisly death… at the hands of this bloody song”'

'To add to that - the song is called Weeping Dawn, and Durge likely kills her right before the dawn, as you have little time to react before the companions wake up'

-

'The cow in Grymforge that reveals Ketheric is back.'

'He also tells you it was a devil that destroyed the place'

-

'The extremely blatant musical foreshadowing of the Emperor being Balduran, with a bit of melody first appearing in an instrumental when his true form is revealed and then re-appearing as “The Song of Balduran” in the Elfsong, the lyrics of which tiptoe right up to just spelling it out plainly.

Super obvious and in your face and yet I absolutely did not notice until like my third playthrough.'

'Not to mention the opening Larian logo animation when you first boot up the game :)'

'It just occurred to me that, since the singing in the Elfsong is supposed to be the actual ghost singing, it could literally be the ghost singing to the players about the Emperor, who is also in the room with them. The lyrics to the song actually appear in the game after all, in a book, so they aren't "meta". And the ghost would clearly know who the Emperor was, since his hideout was in her basement.'

'When you meet the Emperor for the first time (the reveal that he's a mindflayer) it's playing an instrumental version of the Song of Balduran in the background.'

'Speaking of the Emperor, he's the first guy we see when we boot up the game as there's a statue of Balduran on screen right before the main menu.'

-

'shadowheart will say "we can't save them all" in a banter referring to the refugees at the grove. after my first run, i found out it was an achievement.'

-

'Volo says “every story benefits from a dragon!” and then there’s a random dragon in the final battle'

-

'Omeluum telling Durge someone else has been in his mind and carved a tunnel through it was a pretty good bit of foreshadowing on the Durges story.'

'Similarly, I love finding the "Disorders of the Nerves and Mind: A Treatise" book everywhere. It's such a cool Durge-related story (very tangentially related). Ditto with Durge's prayer you find in the colony in Kressa's room.'

(Ry's note: The Prayer for Forgiveness gives away everything. That Durge is a Bhaalspawn, that it's the Chosen of the Dead Three behind everything, that they used to be Chosen, that Orin is their sibling and thus Bhaalspawn herself, and that there was some kinda Thing between Durge and Gortash. Even if you're not playing Durge, it still gives away that Orin is only a replacement Chosen and there was another one earlier on.)

-

'All the hints of Yurgir in Grymforge in Act 1. You find evidence of some massive hellish creature that seemingly wiped out all the Dark Justiciars, but it's a mystery that won't be resolved until Act 2'

'And you piece together why they’re there in the first place if you read books in the shadowlands, as well as seeing a certain debtor in the house of hope'

-

'"Who's to say ? Perhaps my Goddess is keen to see me corrupt you . She'd be delight so see a follower of Selûne towards the darkness"

When you romance Shadowheart as a selûnite . It's pretty funny the first time but once you know what happens then it's a little bit more amusing to hear her say that'

-

'just got one last night where lae’zel says that she feared the dream visitor was some illithid deception, but after speaking to voss, she believes the dream figure can help them. oh lae’zel, you truly were onto something…'

-

'There's a note outside of Waukeen's Rest that basically reads "Statue of Beloved Ranger missing, please return." As someone who didn't play the previous games, it took until act 3 to learn that Minsc is the beloved ranger, he'd been turned into a statue, then un-petrified (hence the "statue" is missing), and also that's why his crime boss name is Stone Lord.'

-

'Astarion's comment on Malus Thorm "He just like Cazador, utterly insane!" and both Malus and Cazador actually share the same battle theme'

-

'Alfira casually dropping the line, “I’ll be gone by first light”

Yeah, she will.'

-

'Act1 Astarion: the biggest threat to a vampire is another vampire. They are scheming paranoid, power-hungry beast, so why would any vampire give up control over response to create a competitor?

Ascended astarion: you wouldn’t just be some spawn on your far more than that to me my dark consort, my right hand, my most beloved spawn.

Tav: spawn? I want to be a true vampire.

Ascended astarion: and you will in good time.

Later when you ask him if whats going to happen to you now that youre his spawn:

Ascended Astarion: 'Spawn' is an ugly word. I really do prefer 'consort'.

Six months later in the epilogue Tav is still a spawn. Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of my own actions.'

-

'Shadowheart's wound flaring up anytime she interacts with something Selune-themed in act 1 is my favorite. Shar's method of negative reinforcement is subtle.'

-

'There’s a book in True Soul Gut’s chambers that is contains what is very clearly an account of Orpheus pre-imprisonment appearing before some random citizen of Baldur’s Gate, that just seems like normal flavour text when you’re unaware'

(Ry's note: And this appears as early as the Nautiloid!)

-

'the symbol of the Absolute being a mashup of the symbols of Bane (handprint), Bhaal (skull surrounded by blood drops), and Myrkul (skull in a triangle). it’s there as early as the goblin camp brands in act 1, well before you learn about the three'

-

'When you explore the Emperor’s Hideout and the Emperor points out the cutlery set on his desk, he states that the butter knife is gone/missing. A direct reference to the colloquialism “by Balduran’s butter knife”.'

'Not just that!

Balduran's Butter Knife is a weapon from the previous games. It is enchanted to be stronger against shape-shifting foes.

The Sword of the Emperor, found in the same hideout has the same enchantment.'

(Ry's note: I wonder if that includes dragons who can take dragonborn-esque forms?)

-

'You can find a book written by Gortash in the zhentarim hideout in the act 1 inn, before he’s ever mentioned'

-

'Right before they meet with Gortash for the coronation, Wulburn fucking Bongle tells Durge, “You have a knack for passing amongst these bastards as if you were one of them.”

There’s lots of other ones, but that one was very TRAGIC! Worst person makes great point!'

-

'I just realized that in the camp in the act 2 -> act 3 transition (maybe before that too?? I'm not 100% positive) if you ask Halsin a lot of questions he asks "you're not a doppelganger are you? Trying to learn all about me to take my place?" and I GASPED. It's only sort of foreshadowing since we see Orin shape-shifting in the scene between her and gortash RIGHT before but, you know, still funny'

-

'Probably that Durge-specific line with Astarion during the cutscene where he asks how you would like to be killed if you turn into a mindflayer. If you ask him how you should kill him, he says "Oh my dear, I'd like to see you try". Hits different now that I romance him each time as Durge'

-

'You can see Bhaal's glowing red circle on the floor beneath the Dark Urge, when customising his character.'

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 spoilers #reference

[unstabull]

TW victim blaming, mis-gendering in screenshot

TW personal mentions of my own abuse /trauma

warning for a long post

So I was going to just block and move on but considering @bcbdrums decided to post a screen shot with my username and tag the whole soul eater fandom in an attempt to, I dunno, shame me? I feel I need to at least say SOMETHING on my own behalf. I am trying to learn I matter and can stand up for myself and I think this is a good time to practice that.

So when the original post was made, in my head I was thinking to myself "I didn't tag or say who said the thing, I simply made it known the thing was said, so I could give my own opinion" and although I was a bit nervous in the end I decided this is my blog and I am allowed to have and even share an opinion.

I am a nervous mentally ill trauma survivor myself hence why I love Crona in the first place, so when I first even noticed the comment on my original post I was filled with immediate fear, because I had already openly disagreed with this person before. Now after some hours of panic and my mate waking up, so they could tell me what the comment said in the first place, (I was too frozen with fear to even go on the app), they suggested I not delete my post (which was my immediate reaction) and instead just block and remove the comment.

I did this because one I wasn't looking for an argument or a discussion, if I was I'd of reblogged the original post where the original thing was said. Two the reply itself was talking about how "the quote in that book meant adult child relationship-" I literally addressed this first thing by saying that no adults, in the universe in which we are discussing, are offering that help. So by starting with that they were ignoring what I already said. Three if you innately hate Crona why are you even near my blog? Personally I hate soul x maka and I could go comment on everything to do with it, but guess what? I don't, because I don't need to.

Now, when I was shown parts of a post, you ask why no one will talk to you about this ship, and instead they block or ignore you. From just a small search from back at our first interaction, I found many posts proving it would of been pointless to try discussing anything with you. One of the most concerning to me was this one:

you clearly hate Crona (and misgender them). In this post, you victim blame an abused child saying that they're willing in their actions? "Dont care if (their) mom was horrible that's no excuse" You are blaming an abused teen for doing what their abuser tells them they must, this kid is 15 and been groomed since day one of its life, and you're calling them cold blooded and willing? meaning they feel nothing no remorse and want to do these things? that's literally not true you are just insanely bias by your hate. If you actually understood what abused kids go through and feel you would know Crona had no options and deeply truly felt it had no choice. Even Maka understood this.

Now I'm not gonna continue about that or even go out of my way to pull any "evidence" for you on why Crona was clearly unwilling, because of posts like this:

"Crona should have died" like why the hell should anyone even attempt talking to you about this subject, when you're saying stuff like this? "It would have made Crona's story meaningful" you've obviously made up your mind that Crona is some heartless monster undeserving of forgiveness, and will forever be guilty in your eyes, so the idea you really believe you are capable of discussing this topic is ridiculous. And I'd like to stress again, you are talking about a mentally ill, abused 15 year old in the above post... fictional or not, I find your hate towards this abused teen disturbing. I really can't even imagine how you would view and treat real victims of abuse. I mean again even if it's fiction, you openly think a teenager deserves to die because in your eyes its the only way they can, what? "repent"? Like honestly that's pretty ableist in my opinion. The fact you can't accept that Crona is worth helping and deserves to be saved shows just how little you got out of this series.

Now I am going to discuss more personal topics and down to why I felt I truly needed to say something in the first place.

As previously stated I am an abuse and trauma survivor myself, I have been through a lot, and my first abuser was my older brother, and therefore I could not get away from him. Having a family member abuse you from day one and constantly be in power of you, and above you, and stronger than you, is extremely detrimental. I had him bullying me almost 24/7 growing up until I was finally about 11 or 12 when he went to live with my bio father. I was SO relieved he was leaving I cried with relief and couldn't wait till he left. And It wasn't until a couple of years later when I was about 14 that he came back. I was terrified. Now here's where people assume I should have said something or done something or perhaps even isolated completely to get away from my abuser (I did that near the end).

Well as a survivor of abuse I tend to always blame myself by default, and back then I had no confidence, I was pretending to be cishet, and also hiding that I wasn't "normal". So when my brother came home I was subservient to him almost immediately. I kept his secrets, I played the role assigned, I was his punchline, I was his errand boy.

Like Crona I felt I had no options and my best choice was to protect myself and to do whatever my abuser wanted and keep them appeased. Even if that meant hiding everything and pretending we were close. Yes Crona is fictional but their character means a lot to people who have been through or are going through abuse like that especially familial. And your comments that Crona is a willing participant and guilty because they do what their abuser says, really is insensitive to people who have been in a situation or are still in a situation in which they must do what an abuser wishes, or believe they must do it.

Now another point you keep bringing up is how "Crona needs therapy" an argument that is moot because no one in the universe in which this character lives is offering such help. And even if they were openly offering therapy to Crona it's still not the only thing mentally ill abused people need. Especially ones that have gone through childhood trauma and continued abuse.

I first went to therapy when I was about 15 or 16, because I was young I was treated as if I had no need to depressed or struggling in the first place. My first counselor not only taught me that masking was best so that I didn't make others uncomfortable, she also would talk about other cases she was working on. I decided to find another. Again because I was young I was not taken as seriously, and because I had learned to mask so well from my last counselor my new one didn't recognize any signs and after a year she "graduated" me. I've tried a few others throughout the years and all to no avail. It took me a bit more than decade from my first counselor to finally find one that knows what they're doing, has been through trauma, and is actually helping me.

"Go to therapy" isn't the magical fix neurotypicals think it is. And asking us to completely open up to strangers in a system that could possibly lock us up and harm us for our thoughts and feelings is such a ridiculous request. Most mental health providers I have met are not trust worthy.

Now that doesn't mean I have said anywhere that therapy doesn't work, or should be avoided or disregarded. But I am also not going to pretend like it's all we need either. I am a mentally ill, trauma survivor and I am so tired of people telling me what I experienced, and what I need. I know exactly what I needed, I was there. And I know what it's like asking adults for help and looking to adults for help and getting none. I don't need to have someone come at me on my private blog trying to convince me that I'm wrong and that I don't know what I'm talking about when I have literally been through a lot of what I discuss. Also I don't need someone framing it like me posting on my personal blog about a book on trauma and a fictional character is "spreading misinformation" that's ridiculous. I have done nothing wrong.

As someone with experience being abused and being through trauma I know for a fact if I had, had someone near me, near my age to befriend me, and that I could trust, that would have done me a lot of good. Not because they would have "fixed" me but because I would have gradually started to learn that I am capable of being loved, and that I deserve good things. A very important step for those of us with trauma.

And in conclusion I want to say this whole thing has been quite ridiculous. The fact there was even a need to publicly post the screen shot with my username included in the first place, along with adding the tags to the main fandom to, again I can only assume, try to shame me? is just weird to me in general, and all this because I blocked someone for my own wellbeing. This is all I have to say on the matter, I felt I should stand up for myself, and after seeing a screen shot of this person saying they "really want it to be explained to them" I decided to give the reasons why I don't bother discussing topics with people like that, and people who think in the ways shown in the above screen shots, there is nothing to be said, because they are never going to listen. I hope this marks the end of whatever this has been, I have said what I feel I not only have a right to say but honestly should say.

I want to thank whoever reached the end of this post I appreciate your time, and if you agree with either of the screenshots above we should now part ways.

#UNSTABULL #mental illness #mental health

[nostalgic-films]

@ttdougi replied to your post “I'm sorry but if you in anyway contributed to this...”:

I really dont think its that deep. She was pissing on an old classic without a single positive comment throughout the whole interview. And people where pissed. I dont think any actor has shit on the original plot so much even before the movie is out. Atleast robert Pattinson waited for a few years after he started hating on it. And Twilight isnt anywhere near Snow White. She doesn't deserve all the hate she is getting for it. But girly needs major media training.

​Well I kinda wanna make it that deep because if the gen. pop. is gonna call her a cunt, pick me, selfish, and anti-feminist, I wanna talk about it. If you don't care about film criticism or discussing pop culture, that's fine, not everyone does, but it can be deep. Almost any part of culture (like film and celebrity) can be nuanced. I'm not sure which part of my post was too deep, but I genuinely do think some of the things that have been said about this whole controversy are worth talking about further.

She can absolutely say whatever she wants about 1937 Snow White, even if it is a classic. Nothing is above critique. And you can dislike her opinion. I don't care for GIrlboss Disney either for other reasons. But imo her opinions are very tame and would have easily been found on 2010s Tumblr.

I swear people beg for GoT actors to talk shit about the final seasons of their own show but its crazy that Zegler cant give her quick soundbite opinion on an 85 year old movie. Pattinson very much did talk shit about Twilight while he was still doing the films. I think as early as his behind the scenes commentary of the first film. Also unless I missed it, I don't remember Zegler shitting on her own movie? I think a lot of people took in what she said, didn't like what she had to say, and also decided the tone that she said it wasn't nice enough.

I don't think she needs media training, I think more people need media literacy. Because the leaps and bounds people made about her comments were crazy. Somehow, Zegler not liking the romance in 1937 Snow White means she hates romance in movies, wanting love makes you weak, makes her antifeminist, and is mocking every young girl who wants to get married. It's ridiculous.

#ttdougi #i can go on but i just wanted to address what you brought up in your response #no hate to you either #i hope i didn't come off rude or passive aggressive #i took this as a chance to elaborate on my thoughts and jumped on it #reply

[cagedchoices]

About using AI to write replies... Why does it matter if people do or not? Maybe they don't have time to come up with a reply on their own but still wanna be active on tumblr. I just don't see why everyone paniced the minute this came up and jumped to banning anyone who might use it.

It matters because as of now, there's not really very many restrictions on what writing AI language models are allowed to pull from or not.

OpenAI is being sued in California because reportedly their AI was found using material protected by copyright from two best-selling authors. The authors were hosting both published and unpublished work on SmashWords. This means that the artists who created the work that the AI used and Frankensteined together, weren't paid or credited for their contribution to its dataset. This is currently a HUGE concern being observed with AI art and AI voiceover capabilities as well, with the fear being that if you can just use an AI to make a painting or replicate a voice for free or otherwise at only a small cost, then why would you pay an artist or actor for their time and effort? And I believe it is a valid concern.

I saw a thumbnail for an AI cover of A.rthur M.organ singing on YouTube just yesterday. I didn't even click on it. I blocked the channel, which was called "Made With A.I." or something like that. Because what this means is that R.oger C.lark, the actual artist who portrays the character of A.rthur M.organ, is most likely not getting paid for his work even though the AI is pulling from audio/video clips of dialogue he recorded and then emulating the voice by cutting together and simulating all the different sounds it needs to process to make it sound like A.rthur singing. Thus, now YouTube is profiting from the site traffic and ad revenue that video is creating for them (because they put ads everywhere now regardless of if the video is monetized or not), and the company that built the AI voice program is profiting from its use, and possibly the channel creator is profiting off of posting these kinds of videos. The actor is not getting paid even though it's his voice on the line.

When it comes to fan works such as fanart, fanfiction, tumblr roleplay, we are in a different boat. We legally cannot claim copyright infringement or make a profit off of our work in any way. Everything we do and everything we make falls under a social contract.

Most of us believe that stealing is stealing. When people repost art and other graphics or writing and claim that they made these things when they didn't or they trace over or repaint someone else's fanart, we call them out for it and tell them to reblog from the source, give credit to the original poster and stop being an art thief. That's generally what the social contract is. AI as it stands right now, violates our social contract. It doesn't give credit to anything it finds on the internet. It assumes that everything it finds is fair game.

Now all of that said, I have not personally picked out anybody using AI in the rpc yet. What I have seen is a confession blog in which somebody stated in one confession post that people were starting to use AI chat bots to write positivity for them and they hated the idea of that. I found some evidence that something like this has been happening on ao3. Bots are allegedly using the usernames of existing ao3 members to leave anonymous comments, most likely after datascraping fics so that the number of hits don't look as suspicious in proportion to the number of comments and kudos.

There have also been more than a few comments on anti-AI posts in which other users admit to using AI language models to continue unfinished fics they stumble across, with some feeling entitled to do so because "well if you leave a fic unfinished for a year i'm gonna assume you're never coming back and take matters into my own hands to get the ending i deserve" Which is an insanely entitled cold take.

And for another thing, we can't trust the companies who are developing all of these AI programs, because they could be lying to us. Currently there's a bit of a panic going around concerning Google's new beta AI assistant. There have been several conflicting reports. Some have been saying that the AI scans all of the Google Docs you've saved, public and private. Others claim that it only looks at documents you have set to public, and still other claim that it doesn't scan or save anything that it scanned without your permission. The problem is that Google as a company has shown us repeatedly through past experiences that they cannot be fucking trusted. Remember when they said they would never sell your data without permission? And then they got caught and 'apologized' for selling everyone's data without permission? Yeah. It's that lack of transparency surrounding how the AI actually works that truly makes it unethical.

I'll admit that yeah it may have been a little hasty of some of us rpers to start adding rules against using AI to write as quickly as we did and with only a minimal 'wait are people actually doing this?' mentality, but the way I see it is, I would rather outline my stance on it now before it becomes a huge problem, than risk leaving it alone until it's effectively too late to matter.

And as for being a roleplayer in a hurry to get replies done... I think we should address the root of the problem there. People are so anxious and afraid that their writing partners will ditch them and move on or that they won't seem interested enough in writing if they aren't pumping out replies all day every day and honestly, that's sad and it's really reflective of how transactional fandom spaces have become in the modern day, I think.

Using an AI to poop out a reply so that you don't have to feel anxious about not replying fast enough is not going to help us get out of that situation. It's just gonna make it worse. What we should be doing instead is encouraging people to go at their own pace. Not driving them right into the arms of AI authoring by stressing and pressuring them to respond within [x] amount of hours/days.

#mobile tbt. #long post. #i...went off i'm so sorry 😭 #the thoughts kept coming and they didn't stop #mel vs AI