#and was compensated in some way

[necro-hamster]

ppl defending ai art by completely ignoring the genuine major issues that people have with it and pretending like ppl r just mad because they're Art Elitists and think that art should only be made through Suffering instead of being easy are some of the most embarrassing ppl tumblr has been recommending to me lately

#kris.txt #''erm well claiming that using art for databases is wrong just means you're defending ip laws'' #no actually i just don't think artists individual pieces should be used in a way they didn't consent to. #hope this helps #the issue isn't that ppl r ripping off a style or whatever #it's that they're taking work without permission #feeding it into a machine #and then often monetizing the result #it's a matter of consent #if an artist said they were fine with their stuff being used #and was compensated in some way #then it'd be totally fine #or if they used like public domain stuff then it'd be no problem #ai is specifically being used against artists not for them #which is a shame because i do think it could be a good tool

[junosmindpalace]

Kento needs something good in his life.

For most of his life he was fairly indifferent to a lot of things, his face often, if not always, chilled or some kind of annoyed. This seemed to be on the surface, perhaps, but Kento found pleasure within and among many things. Sakura trees, baked goods, the feeling of warm sand beneath his feet and cool ocean water washing it away.

They're the little things, even just thoughts of them, that keep Kento moving through this god awful world. As he gets older, goodness is found in even more trivial things, because with age also comes additional burden and various disappointment. Restock of a favorite product. Flowers in bloom. Small things that bring colour into a life that very frequently threatens to drain it all until he only knows to identify shades of grey and black.

The withering of leaves and flowers hanging onto dying branches amidst chilling winds, threatening to leave them completely bare, is when Kento is reminded more than ever that he needs you. He needs something good, something to work toward. Something to come home to. Something pleasant to fall asleep to. Something beyond material means to motivate him.

His work, in theory, serves him well enough. Pays him well enough if he sacrifices enough of his physical and mental strength to commit to working with difficult people and staring at a blue light that drains his energy almost as much as the routine of it all itself. In the end, he gets a paycheck, and that's what matters.

But truly, it makes Kento a little sick when he thinks that just can't be all life is. Meant to constantly choose which is the more daunting path. Meant to rot at some miserable desk around miserable people in a world that thrives off misery. When the leaves wither and gain spots, when the baked goods don't taste right, when even the thought of a satisfying future isn't enough to push out the nauseating images of curses, he needs something constant. He needs a good thing. He needs you.

You need something good in your life.

Beyond academics, beyond a 9/5, beyond completely busy and hectic days where, by the end, you struggle to remember half of it. Something besides validation from others, besides the constant need to catch up.

A rest would be good, perhaps. A rest from your responsibilities, a rest from the nonsense and vileness that spouts out of people's mouths on the daily, from the streets to your work to the bubbles on your phone. A rest to remind you that in this world, there was still something worth going on for. Something that made all the work worth it. That there was still time to do you, to be with someone who appreciated you. You need something good in your life.

And you've had something good, both of you: you've had each other. For quite some time.

Neither of you would've been able to predict that your futures would intertwine in such a personal and intimate way. Neither of you would've been able to predict from your high school years that you'd steadily fall in love with each other over trauma bonds and shop run-ins and whatever else there was. Neither of you would've fathomed sharing a home together, a small one, but yours, nonetheless.

Never would you both think that the good thing would consist of each other.

But it's been good. It's been grounding, it's helped you retain some semblance of identity and hope in a world that seems adamant on stripping it from you. Besides late-night conversations about bad memories and the heaviness of the world, there were joint cooking sessions. There were silly debates about nonsensical topics. There was reading together. There was indulging in each other's hobbies, when time made room for them. There were attempts at movie marathons: such as the one you were attempting tonight.

It usually never worked out because often you and Kento both came home exhausted from work, but sometimes a shower, a light dinner and a change of comfortable clothes was enough to wake you both just enough to want to spend the remainder of your energy together. So, you agree on trying a movie you've wanted to see for a while, making yourselves comfortable with blankets and pillows.

Your legs are sprawled over his lap, hugging a cushion pillow close to you as the arm of the couch supports your back. Nanami's slouched and still with his arms crossed over his chest. They'll occasionally come down to settle on your knees. It's a little after midnight, the only light resonating throughout your living room being the blue light from the television. The more time that passes, the more Kento becomes aware of the power it has over his senses, lulling him in and out of sleep. When he tilts his head against the cushion toward you, he can see from the crescents in your eyes that the effect was the same.

"Hey," he mutters quietly, gently nudging your side. "Don't doze off on me, now."

You object with a groan as you sit up against the cushion, lulling your head to look up at him. "M'not."

"Didn't look like it."

"Oh, don't start. I saw your eyes close."

"And you thought that'd save you?"

"Maybe."

Kento has never, but especially not since high school, believed that anything has any real permanence to it, besides maybe death. Everything is fleeting. Life is fleeting, he sees it in the shrivelled lines and drained colored from plants through the changing seasons as well as in the creases of skin and unusual paleness of corpses from the morgue. Routine is not always consistent, it's reminded when he's forced to work overtime, to take a detour to a location, when he falls behind some sort of schedule.

But when he looks over at you, takes in the small smile on your lips, the glow on your skin from the TV lights, he thinks of how badly he wants this good thing to last. Even though it's selfish, even though there was no guarantee that it would no matter the thought of a ring on your finger, there was something in him that wanted it anyway.

The only thing that holds him back from letting the question fall from his lips is the guilt he’d feel for not being more thoughtful in the gesture. No ring, no nice day spent together. Truly, he’d resent himself if he were to propose to you in such an undeserving, unaffectionate and unromantic way. But when he watches you with his head lolled to the side, your own eyes cheerfully boring into his as you sit in the dead of the night trying to enjoy some semblance of peace in your togetherness, he wants so badly to just say it:

Marry me. Let’s have something good.

You know, for good.

He holds his tongue though, and instead gives you a smile of his own, a small but meaningful curve of his lips. The TV light illuminates the sides of your faces, and soon enough the blue light and dialogue will lull you to sleep, and you’ll both abandon your movie session in favor of some much-needed rest. So he stands up from the couch before it could get to that point, letting your legs gently swing to the side to accommodates the sit up. He turns toward you, and offers both of his hands out. "Come on. Let's go to bed."

You whine in protest. "But the movie..."

"We'll finish it another time, promise. I have a day off, soon."

"Really?" A quiet gasp escapes you, and your smile gradually widens as you take hold of his hands as he aids in pulling you up and leading you down the hall.

"Next week, I'm pretty sure. We can do something."

"Not spending the whole day in bed."

"Awfully tempting."

He has a good thing, Kento thinks as you swat his chest, but he doesn't move his hand from your lower back to block at all. He has a goddamn good thing, he thinks when your chuckles break the silence within your home, and through the good, bad, and ugliness of it all, it'll be something that keeps some order and hope in his life.

#hi everyone wow has it really been WELL OVER A MONTH since ive written #Im sorry this in NO WAY COMPENSATES for my long ass absence i just havent had ANY ideas #But i had this randomly #And its awful as always #But i miss nanami </3 #i went to see the hq movie today so i might have some inspo for hq!! #kento nanami x reader #kento nanami fluff #kento nanami oneshot #nanami kento x reader #nanami kento fluff #nanami kento oneshot #nanami x reader #nanami oneshot #nanami fluff #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jujutsu kaisen oneshot #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk oneshot

[puppyeared]

adhd is when you shoot for the moon but you forgot the rocket fuel and by the time you realize it everyones already on the moon and then you panic and crash into the sun and it explodes

#my meds stopped working and i didnt know thats something that can fucking happen apparently??? #like i knew eventually my body can get used to medicine that the effect kind of dulls but for some reason this time around i thought #that my body just decided to become lazier since the meds were already working anyway. cuz thats the thing as soon as smth is made #easier for me even if its the thing thats supposed to make the disability less disabling i get too relaxed and end up fucking up anyway #so i assumed my fucking cells worked the same way LMAO. they still technically work like i can feel my energy spike when it kicks in #but everything else like focus and memory went down and i thought oh so its just a me problem then. my habits are getting worse #even though ive been doing everything the same like setting reminders checking my schedule. hell ive been setting MORE reminders #to make up for the memory thing and i didnt even realize i just knew i had to compensate since it feels like my memory is getting #worse again. and i only figured this out bc my brother showed me an icecreamsandwich video with him talking about the EXACT FUCKING #THING IM GOING THRU WORD FOR WORD #i have to bring this up with my doctor next week so maybe i have to take different meds. i wonder if this will be a recurring thing #i guess one thing that hasnt changed is that im still slow as hell and stuff only comes to me 5 hours after the fact #its 6 in the morning and i only JUST realized that the word froyo is probably short for frozen yogurt #yapping #adhd

[chirpsythismorning]

bylers when over 350k people don’t have the exact same thoughts and opinions as them

#byler #stranger things #byler tumblr #i know some of us have been singled out or humiliated by others on here insisting we’re delusional for our theories #and so you compensate by doubling down and telling everyone else their theories are actually headcanons and yours aren’t #or maybe you are someone on the other end who is fed up with bylers reaching and are sick of group think having a place here #some advice: just let the show be whatever YOU want it to be #if you think everything you analyzed is right and everyone else is wrong #congrats #you are as pathetic as the rest of the fans who think the exact opposite and also think they're right and you're wrong #we are one of over 350k ppl with differing opinions and thoughts and experiences guiding us to coming to the conclusions we do #i don't mind ppl giving different perspectives to things even if it goes against my analysis (just don't be an asshole about it) #i have changed my mind about certain aspects of the show bc of this and i have changed other peoples' minds as well #without all of us being able to say what we think we would not have near the evidence we do now #but what comes with over 350k people in one space also comes with some semblance majority that feels a certain way about certain things #it's never going to be perfectly even across the board #what is believed and what is agreed upon will always be shifting as different people say their peace and as the show itself progresses #and hell even if you're the 3% that feels a certain way about something and think the other 97% are setting themselves up for disappointmen #bask in your perceived glory WHEN that time comes #but in the mean time... me personally? #i think it would be quite embarrassing if i devoted my time on here to telling everyone else their theories are wrong and mine are right #only to end up being the one that was wrong #let ppl set themselves up for disappointment #save the celebration for when you actually secure that win #for now #id rather be on here discussing my theories/reading others' theories that aren't rooted in tearing everyone else's down to feel superior #all of this is to say it is never worth making ppl feel like shit over a fucking tv show… I’ll never get that #and this is coming from someone who has no (current) plans to say i told you so (not even to that redditor that has a 2 year timer) #bc until s5 comes out... #crazy together

[taibhsearachd]

Hey my wife just randomly mentioned fltreasurehunt.gov to me (a search for unclaimed property in Florida, other states have them too)... I checked just for shits and giggles, didn't expect anything bc I haven't been able to work for ages and have rarely had a bank account or made payments for anything...

SURPRISE I FOR SOME REASON HAVE A LARGE REFUND FROM NYU FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. It's not, like, a semester's tuition (which would be life-changing to me at this point), but it's.... a lot to me. My wife had less than $100 and I have... more than a month of my wife's salary.

Gentle reminder to check if your state has a way to search for unclaimed property, especially if you move a lot (like we have). Shit might be important.

#psa #I truly don't know why NYU sent me that much money #I do feel they should compensate me for some things #bc of the way I was treated when I tried to address my depression in the way I was told to #and instead of actually helping me they forcibly institutionalized me and then expelled me #but that's probably not why they're sending me money

[uncanny-tranny]

I think it's a mistake to assume that computer generation (so-called AI) is the only manifestation of the exploitation that workers (especially in artistic fields that are already considered lesser) experience. The problems that they experience are, I think, exasperated by computer generation, but it isn't like there were no problems with compensation, theft, or other forms of exploitation.

The problem is the exploitation, and I think sometimes, people lose sight of that in these conversations.

#politics #i don't think i'm inherently against 'ai' *but* I don't think it can exist in the world we live in now #we already had problems with worker compensation and recognizing workers and i don't think ai is the solution #like i don't know - i'm sure computer generation can be done in a more ethical way on a smaller scale... #...but if we're talking about the system we currently live in I don't think that those ethics will be adhered to... #...the profit motice outweighs the desire for equity or equality or the artistry that was taken without compensation from artists #but sometimes it feels like people think the only battle to 'win' is against 'ai' and not the system that fostered the success of it #anyway these are some shot of thoughts 👍 #i've just seen some conversations about this that i vehemently disagreed with not because of the conclusions but how they arrived there

[venacoeurva]

I feel kind of insane that it was a very strong consensus that AI voices are unethical because the original VAs never consented to their voices being used in this way, are not compensated, and their voices are being used for things they never agreed/would never agree to say and it doesn't matter if these uses are commercial in nature or not, it feels very ghoulish, but one of the biggest trends rn is AI covers of songs and they're being pumped out like crazy and people are falling over themselves to defend people who don't have big time production budgets using them instead of hiring someone on Fiverr or imitating the voices themselves or voice clip mixing and sampling pre-existing lines like the olden days. ok. alright. Good to see some of you out there have the moral fortitude of a wet paper straw

#vena vents #not art #I think the only ethical voice synthesis ones are vocaloids and tts with a small pool of compensated speakers tbh #Because yeah your voice might read out some weird shit but you kind of gotta know and accept that before being sampled for those purposes #the VAs in the case of AI did not agree to that and are all very vocal about not wanting their voices sampled #I feel like most who were aware of uberduck and w/e early on just kind of didn't care because it was obvious clunky tts for fun #but creative AI are so predatory and violating and often hard to parse if AI or not these days it's way different

[jamietarttsnorthernattitude]

"Ah, ah, ah I wouldn't do that if I were you"

But I don’t think it’s a good idea.

Nobody wants you.

Ted and Ari’s words rattled through Jamie’s head like thunderclaps as he walked from the Crown and Anchor. 

He should have known it was too much to think that one pass would’ve been enough to show Ted he had changed. Apparently, Ted meant all that winning isn’t everything shit he tossed around last season or he would have known Jamie would help them end their series of draws. Or maybe it was just more mind games. Or maybe Jamie just wasn’t good enough. 

Good enough on the pitch.

Good enough as a teammate.

Good enough as a person. 

Maybe he didn’t deserve a team. 

Maybe he was useless.

Maybe his father was right. 

Jamie hastily wiped a tear away he felt fall from his eye and willed his eyes to stop stinging. Too soft to take rejection of his own creation. 

“What the fuck did you think you were doing running off like that? For an ickle tv show? You think they’re going to sit around and wait for you? You think they’ll keep your seat on the bench warm? Christ, Jamie, you only played because they already had the title sewn up. You know you had to work harder to make it, but instead, you fucked off to Ibiza or wherever the fuck you were. What a waste of what little talent you have.”

That was the first voicemail. He shouldn’t have listened to it. And it defintiely shouldn’t have listened to the second.

“You think you can last one week working like I do? Cause now that Manchester City kicked you to the curb, you’re gonna need a real fucking job. All you can do is kick a fucking football around, Jamie. Too dumb, too weak to do anything else. Pathetic, that.”

He didn’t listen to the other fifteen messages his father had left for him. There probably would’ve been more but the mailbox filled before his father got a chance. Jamie regretted not blocking his father’s number when he left for Lust Conquers All, but part of him wanted to hear how angry Jamie made him. 

He should probably block it now that he was back in England and his father wasn’t a safe distance away in another country. Now that he was kicked off Lust Conquers All too. Jamie couldn’t even fuck right apparently. His strategy gone up in flames after jacuzzi sex with Denise. 

Now, no other team wanted him. Not even relegated Richmond wanted him. They would rather stay in the Championship than let Jamie Tartt back into the changing room.

Jamie couldn’t blame Ted. He only makes things worse. His Mum’s life, Keeley’s, hell there was no one at Richmond that was better for having spent time with him. His Mum would be better off without having to worry for him, without him holding her like an anchor, forever connected to James Tartt. Keeley was successful and happy without him.

“Watch where you’re going.”

Jamie hadn’t noticed the pair of men he bumped into until he bounced off the solid form of one of them. 

“Yeah, sorry, mate,” he mumbled, without looking up. 

“Aren’t you Jamie Tartt?”

That got his attention and his head snapped up to scan their faces. 

“Nah, just look like him,” Jamie deferred and tried to step around him. 

“Nah, I’d know that fucking face anywhere.”

Jamie tried again to step around to no avail, one forcibly moved his body in Jamie’s path. 

“Ah, ah, ah I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jamie was so fucking sick of these two, of this night, of this week, of this fucking year, of his fucking life. 

He was done with it all.

“What the fuck you gonna do about it, pretty boy?” the other said, shoving Jamie roughly with two hands.

Jamie should’ve taken the time to realise both of these men were bigger than him in height and pure body weight. He’d lost muscle mass and strength already during his time on Lust Conquers All; he was skinner than he had been in years. He should’ve taken the time to realise he could turn heel and run, and neither of these fucks could have caught up with him. 

But Jamie didn’t take the time to think about any of that. 

Jamie punched one of the men instead. 

He was quick, dum dum one stumbled back caught unawares by the attack, holding his bleeding nose between his fists. Jamie was fast, but the other man was faster. Dum dum two’s fist connected with the side of Jamie’s jaw before he had time to react. His head whiplashed to the side, and the man followed it up with a punch to Jamie’s ribs. Jamie reared back an elbow, connecting with a crunch to dum dum number two’s nose. Jamie grinned, even as pain shot through his jaw. 

Dum dum one though was just reorienting himself and swung out at Jamie, who ducked it easily. Jamie came back up swinging, connecting with number one’s mouth, Jamie’s ring stinging as it bit into his skin, but Jamie knew from experience it would inflict more damage on the person on the other end. Dum dum two though had recovered enough to lower his body weight and tackle Jamie, american football style. 

The move startled Jamie, and he hit the pavement with an oomph as the air was violently pulled from his lungs. He was still coughing when a fist connected with his face, forcing his head to bounce forcibly off the pavement. A rough kick to his ribs had Jamie trying to curl in on himself, but the weight of number two was enough to keep him firmly on his back. 

“Take his wallet,” Jamie heard vaguely through his ringing ears. 

His hands instinctually went to his pocket, and he fought for hold with dum dum two. Eventually, he was overpowered, his wrists held in vice-like grips of number two as the other pulled the wallet roughly from his jeans. 

“Fuck off,” Jamie said, spitting at the one holding him down. 

A kick to his ribs met his futile act of resistance. Two, still straddling him, wiped hastily at his face. 

“You’re gonna pay for that, prick.”

Jamie spit at him again, bucking his hips, trying to throw the man off him before dum dum one plated a boot painfully on his shoulder. “Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

And as the rest of the hits rained down on him, like a downpour on a hot summer day, Jamie had just enough time to think at least he wouldn’t have to explain this to a coach before he lost consciousness.

(Outnumbered in a fight)

#feeling some type of way and it's jamie's problem tonight #sorry jamie #i owe him much financial compensation #and like 35 pure fluff fics #but alas my fingers write checks i can never cash and this is what he gets instead #jamie tartt #whump #angst #hurt no comfort #ted lasso #bad things happen bingo #cw suicide ideation #to be safe #just in case #whump prompt

[h0estar]

rereading noragami and realizing again that yato went to that mountain, dug through heaps and piles of snow with nothing but his tracksuit and scarf to keep him warm, probably also taped back haruki's torn letters, read them ALL, and buried them together with haruki's remains under the cherry tree on top of haruki's sister's house. he put so much thought in where he would let haruki rest and he did this immediately after getting yukiné like..... and the way this reveal was what solidified that yato genuinely does care for yukiné and he always did since day 1. he wept then took it upon himself to give his now self-proclaimed & technically adopted son a far brighter life. i love them, truly.

#noragami 100 #yeah i bruteforced my way throug noragami 100 reread sue me #idc if i'm yapping and idc if some of yall have moved on i never will !! #i love them and their dynamic so much ugh #looking forward to them smiling again w hiyori & mizuchi just like in the cover <3 #noragami happy ending yay!! #it's compensation for years of suffering #noragami #noragami reread #goodbye noragami #mine

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

did they have 13 do anything like this? they shouldve had 13 do stuff like this

#someones like 'overcompensating?' and shes like aCTUALLY im compensating JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT thankyouverymuch #if anything im UNDERcompensating #ryan in the background mouthing: undercompensating? #look i think it's dumb and not particularly funny when men do it #when women do it however #i contain multitudes #thats untrodden ground #ever seen the biggest fragilest ego in the universe been worn by a WOMAN? thought so #she couldve been a bit more of a loser is all im saying #rights for this loser when hes a girl also #that post thats going around abt how the doctors typical flaws dont work well with 13 bc shes a woman? #im not smart enough to tell if thats true but #maybe tey shouldve like just switched some flaws or smth so it evens out and theyre still a loser #i mean 13 is still a loser but like in serious ways mostly #or maybe im just overinvested Not an impossiblity in fact a likelihood nigh Certainty #i guess 'i think his was a bit bigger actually' maybe counts but she didnt even respond to that one so

[spotsupstuff]

No wonder he is always angry...

At least he has his family.

Does Sparrow knows? Do the others iterators know? Is there another city that does the same!??!

Also "venom of the lower circles"? What is happening there?

how very angry Boreas is is a testament of how much he has had to suffer, in both the lighter funnier ways as putting up with constant knowledge of everyone's life such as roadrage to darker ways such as actual torture, and how much self respect he has to recognize that he didn't deserve this. "just because we can heal does not mean it is alright for us to get hurt."

everybody knows about it! but it feels like it's always been like this, so it's okay. this is just how it is. it is just another fact of life. (yet both Zephyr and Orion still remember the first time Boreas has dragged himself online in their chats and how closed off he was- too hurt to interact with them normally)

there isn't anyone else with this kinda thing! the bigger the city the easier the empathy gets lost. and as we all know at this point, Boreas was blessed with being the biggest of them all

with the venom- i've laughed in the tags of that one big Boreas raging pic how it's funny that someone would rather put warning sign program into him rather than find a way to help him with his anger and as i've been working on him a bit more, i decided to take this idea a little further

he gets angry, the warnings pop up. he gets more angry, past what the Houses consider alright to allow him to feel, they "cool" him down by automatic injection of the paralyzing venom directly into the puppet. it hurts like a bitch and causes a very small Hivemind unsync, damages his puppet's internal organic systems (but "that is okay. he can heal." they say.) + sort of works like a sedative. nothing too severe that would affect the parts of his consciousness that controls the city, of course, can't be inconvenient to the citizens, but it pulls on his metaphoric reins like That

this was originally implemented because back when he still used to have Mechanics looking after him (those were from the Wellspring, too), he started being a little too... daring and disrespectful for their tastes. so it's his little "controlled shock FNaF: sister location" moment

it is no fun

after his facilities were deemed stable, he no longer had any Mechanics workin on him (an Admin and a Mechanic are two different roles, even though they r very similar). then he had only one Admin that sometimes checks in on his systems without directly interacting with him. the paralyzing doses were instead used when the Houses had to arrange things with him n he didn't want to comply for whatever reason and when the school became a thing, it was a way to ensure he doesn't actually hurt any of the students

because there is an exception in his taboos when it comes to laying harm upon certain kinds of Ancients instead of covering all of them. he is allowed to kill anyone who is considered an intruder And he is allowed to harm Iterator Mechanic students (not severely though) in order to rough up the to-be Mechanics. they have to be ready to deal with the absolute worse an Iterator can offer, Just In Case. this taboo gets a little bit more broken for the Mechanics' last test, which is looking after Boreas' systems for a few days

during this last test period, all of the students are guaranteed to be in the respawn cycle now. which means Boreas can wound them fatally if they provoke him enough (since that is a big No on what to do with ur Iterator charge as a Mechanic, the severe punishment would be warranted). the first meeting between the student n Boreas is monitored by the teachers- the student comes into his chamber to introduce themselves and lay out their plan of system check ups. if a student manages to severely anger/provoke Boreas Here already, the teachers will administer the venom n just send the kid home to retake the year or leave. if they can't handle the first meeting right, they are pretty much helpless. and for this helplessness Boreas has to suffer

the venom is advertised to come from willing lower circles (or levels), but it hardly is. while it is rarely extracted by force, it is usually gotten by financial manipulation of people who are well or as an abuse of unfortunate poor citizens/lower circles. if you give us this resource, we will compensate you, give you money, take it as part of your taxes. it's dehumanizing, but out of desperation the unfortunate souls give in

they do not know what their venom is then used for. they don't ask out of fear. and while Boreas is aware of this manipulation, he blames the unfortunate ones either way. the end result it that they've allowed him to hurt with those generous donations of theirs. he's too bitter, angry and hurt to give much of a shit. all of the Ancients are the same. all of them are a part of the problem

which is why the fuckin -ruffles hair- his and Sparrows' relationship gets me so hard

in his eyes, she's just as guilty as his Houses at the beginning. but she's strange, she gets bullied a lot, she's thrown away by everyone of these high city levels. she breaks one of his overseers- such expandable unimportant things to him- and she cries over the broken eye. and the most puzzling thing... during her last test, once she enters his chambers, she bows to him as she gives him a shortened version of her name- "just Three Sparrows, i know you don't want to waste your words on me"- she still flinches when he approaches to judge her, but she suppresses any other sign of distress that would warrant a venom administration. she offers to make him a deal. she offers to listen to what he's comfortable with her working on him. she says she won't force anything on him. it just makes no sense. cautiously, he accepts. he watches her like a hawk during her work, but she never breaks the promises she's made to him

this doesn't change his opinion on the Ancients. when later Sparrows changes Zephyr's, he's salty and still angry about it. they all should pay. this is just one individual. she is an anomaly. she is dangerous. with how sick his puppet feels from those doses at the end of each semester, there is no other way for her to be

and he holds on to that opinion until he witnesses that reconciliation between her and Euros after the 1st Rot situation. she could've been mean, she could've screamed, she could've hurt him. first two of those that he has done to Euros before the euthanization, even though he's already been made aware of his fault and the situation was considered in control (he's done it out of concern, his own fear and worry for the young thing, but still-). but no. Sparrows was better than him, then (she screamed at him at first becuase she had no idea how bad it could've been- maybe he was damned already n there was nothing she could've done to save him). she was kind and warm even after being lied to- betrayed- she gently whispered explanations, she leaned against him softly and allowed it when he leaned against her back.

an Ancient was a better person than him- the same venom held at bay in her fangs coursing through his bloodstream, remnants of yesterday's dose still ringing off- and he has no other choice but to see and recognize her for it

#Spot says stuff #rw #oc tag #oc: boreas' blessing #i love him so fuckin much. #dear heavens. #thought that he has it too easy- with that self-sufficiency and yeah essentially playing life on creative mode- so i wanted to fuck him up- #-a lil to compensate. no iterator is born mean and hurtful. only experiences can transform them into such things #the first time he allows Sparrows to do a puppet check up on him happens cuz smth in there didnt wanna heal right #and while shes elbows deep in his guts she asks if there is... possibly some way for her to rid him of the lil tube that administers the- #-venom. and he huffs at her shoots her a glare n tells her that would raise more problems than its worth so that also happens

[widowshill]

I have noooo idea how to price commissions but one of the artists I follow is offering $25 for an uncolored sketch — is that something people find reasonable?

#a lot of the advice online about pricing is based around the time it takes you and compensating yourself fairly for it like you would #if you were being paid an hourly rate #but I struggle so much with that because the time varies *wildly* for me #and that doesn’t include hours or days of compiling my references before I start a project #bleh anyway #I’m going to be serious about this now because of The Tragedy. #have 2 make some money I guess. so I can continue to make stuff. horrible the way the world works #I wish I was sponsored by some gay Italian aristocrat lady who was doing war crimes but liked art #➤ ooc. ┊ she’s nauseous，she’s hysterical，and exhausted.

[henrysglock]

So I assume we're just not going to talk about the uh. coding on the attic scene in TFS.

Henry decides he doesn't want to use his powers anymore because he's afraid. He'd rather just listen to music and hang out with Patty in the attic. He tells Patty as much. Patty pressures him, saying she has to do this...despite it being Henry's powers she's relying on, powers he should have the final say about using, since it's his body and mind. He gives in and agrees to go forward with it despite his gut telling him its a bad idea.

Smash cut to him having a nightmare vision forced upon him in the middle of it. Him having his mind invaded against his will while doing something he tried to say no to but agreed to because Patty insisted, despite his protests...and then being left on the floor alone to put himself back together after everything goes poorly. Patty being frightened by Henry's fit of possession, but not being the one whose mind is invaded against their will.

Like...we can all admit it's not a good look for the scene in general, especially not when that same scene includes an immediately retracted "I love you"...Especially since it follows a peer-pressured almost-kiss that Henry literally runs away from, a mind-invasion vision where he physically fights against Vision-Patty, and an ensuing panic attack that gets funneled into a real kiss, one that Henry tries to physically avoid and beg his way out of until he's physically cornered and peer-pressured into standing very still and taking it...in that order.

What would Henry Creel sacrifice in order to be loved and be seen as a normal boy? Or maybe a better question is: What wouldn't he?

#[nervous laughter] Mind Rape! in the Attic #dear god nobody jump me i'm just looking at the canon plot points #and this isn't me blaming Patty for the attack (bc i know some of you will try to make it out to be that) I'm just saying the whole #first chapter of TFS has a weird smell to it that's really topped off by the timing of the nightmare visions #not to mention how this parallels Billy being flayed on his way to hook up with Karen...something he's doing to compensate #for Neil's homophobic abuse...behavior he engages in to look and feel macho/''normal'' #i feel like i'm back in august 2022 trying to figure out how to bring up the CSA coding surrounding Will/The UD/HNL #without being sniped immediately hdbdhfbdhbfd

[monty-glasses-roxy]

ANYWAY

Speaking of details, do we actually know how big the Pizzaplex is? Like... Obviously it's huge but do we have any kind of source that says how big it actually is? Or a good approximation of it?

#fnaf security breach #tales from the pizzaplex #tagging both cause why not #but yeah in terms of rebuilt au and possibly Meteors too #i want to know how much space i have to fuck around with #obviously it's a lot but i have some ideas #and thought it would be cool if i could figure out a way to make like #a to-scale or whatever mock up of the place to experiment with #like if i had the dimensions of the Plex #i could than add areas around it to compensate the car parks and shit #then remove the actual building #even the edges of the land and blammo! #exact map of the land to fuck around with!! #i can experiment and see what i like the look and feel of! #and it would also give me an idea of what CAN fit in that space #my problem is I'm a very visual person #if i can't SEE it mentally or physically #i find it kinda hard to work with #numbers mean fuck all to me but if i can put them in a program that will give me a visual plane- #to work with? #that'd be dope as hell I'd have fun with that #so yeah is there any kind of source with this information? or perhaps #a good approximation we could work with? #i wanna fuck around and find out with the space!!

[lord-squiggletits]

Something I keep seeing when I speak to others about MTMTE Megatron is basically the idea that he's going on a personal journey to become a better person, that the point isn't for him to be "redeemed" but for him to get a chance to do good and die as a person he can live with again. That MTMTE presents a unique take on this because being away from Cybertron gives Megatron a chance to be a person rather than a political figure and this is how it gives him more depth as a character. Or just generally pointing out in a narrative sense that Megatron being in MTMTE limits his story options so of course his story is going to be more focused on a personal journey than on politics of him dealing with the Decepticons/Earth/etc and that just because JRO made a choice to take that path with Megatron doesn't mean that it's inherently bad.

And I'm just, mmm like I understand all of those points and acknowledge that they all contributed to the MTMTE Megatron we got. I even think that without JRO writing Megatron we wouldn't have had his lore be as fleshed out and 3D as it ended up becoming.

(Post starts out as a sort of meta analysis or at least me giving a reasoned explanation for my interpretation of the story, ends up being petty bitching in the last 1-2 paragraphs)

I just..... I just personally don't agree with the "he's becoming a better person by getting a chance to relax and experience happiness and trust after a life of trauma" as being the best choice for his character? Because the problem is that maybe if he were a random Decepticon foot soldier that would be appropriate, but he was literally the leader of the Decepticons that made them Like That and has political/cultural/societal responsibility for why things are the way they are? To be completely frank, I don't care about him going on a personal journey for self-peace, I think that he should become a better person by helping to un-fuck all the things he actually screwed up???

Like idc about the debate of whether he can be "redeemed" or if he should've been killed/imprisoned/etc at the ending. It just comes down to the fact that for me personally, I feel that since Megatron's wrongdoings were at a social level, him "being a better person" would've been better shown by him engaging with those people who he wronged instead of just going on a frigging personal journey for his legacy and self-peace???

Especially since in other series (exRID, possibly Windblade) we literally got plots like "the neutrals hate Autobots but they hate Decepticons even more" and "the Decepticons have been taken over by Galvatron and are now invading earth 2 electric boogaloo" and "yeah the Decepticons are literally living in slums because people hate them so much and won't give them any work." It just leaves me wondering why in the hell people are like, "oh Megatron got to be happy and have a chance to be a normal person." I don't want him to be normal! I want him to repay his debts to the people he actually wronged! Like if you want to cast Megatron as a hero of the people so badly (which so many of his stans do as if he actually cared about the Cons) then how do you reconcile the fact that Megatron just fucked off and left the Decepticons to suffer on Cybertron? Including some of them attacking during his trial and getting killed and Megatron is basically like "sorry, I'm not coming with you and this isn't going to work." And then Megatron complains about "toxic Decepticon loyalty" as if he didn't literally make them that way? Like I get that MTMTE Megatron is still an asshole but if you've read something besides MTMTE and know what the Decepticons are going through, it just ends up being really grating.

I just don't see Megatron as being a particularly good hero or having a particularly fulfilling story if he's completely isolated from all the bad things he did on Cybertron/the way the Decepticons are suffering until LL#25 where it's like "ah damn I'm going to trial now, well this is what I deserve so it's fine." Why could we not have seen something like Megatron trying to deradicalize the Decepticons or change their public image so they could integrate into normal Cybertron again? They were living in SLUMS and getting gunned down by Starscream's badgeless enforcers!

The best we got was the Functionist Universe but like.... I'm sorry, but JRO inventing a whole alternate universe for Megatron to save doesn't do jack shit to save or fix the people he left behind in this one. It was especially grating to read because JRO literally wrote in someone saying "you saved billions of lives from the Functionists" as if he was trying really hard to show how good Megatron is because he saved people (and also if not for Megatron existing Cybertron would be even worse and half of your faves would be enslaved or dead, also the Functionist Council was going to genocide organics too so technically they're WORSE than Megatron since they hate organics AND want to enslave their own race).

I read Barber's, JRO's, and MScott's series concurrently using the omnibus + a release order list for phase 3, and after all that I'm kind of puzzled why the fandom seems to ardently love MTMTE Megatron and think he's so well written but then also shit on Optimus for things that he did during the same points in the story? Because, and I know this is a blazing hot take, I honestly think that Optimus makes a better hero of his story than Megatron does for his, and Optimus' personal journey combines his personal and political identities into a narrative that's a lot more gruelling and questioning of his goodness than we got for Megatron in MTMTE. Which is fucking saying something considering Megatron committed crimes against sapient species and Optimus is the guy who tried to stop him from doing that and has always been pro-equal rights for all beings. But people pretty much just cherrypick things like Optimus annexing Earth or beating up Prowl and go "he's bad" and I'm like no??? IDW OP isn't a bad person or a bad character??? It's just that unlike MTMTE Megatron he's placed in a narrative that actually suits the nature of his actions and has themes that match. To the point that IMO sometimes Barber's narrative shits on Optimus excessively or paints him mainly in the most unflattering ways.

But like. It's just funny to me because Optimus spent his entire part of the story doing things like trying to stop Earth from being invaded/colonized yet again. Grappling with his identity as Prime and dealing with the fact that people literally worship him vs. the fact that his upbringing made him see the Primacy as nothing more than a facade of authority/leadership. Having people get mad at him for prioritizing politics over friendship/relationships with other people. Even getting shit on for being a cop a decent amount so people can STFU about IDW OP being "copaganda" or "not held responsible for his actions". The problems that Optimus dealt with were personal because they had to do with his self-doubt, culpability for the war as a leader of one of the armies, distance from his soldiers, etc. But all of these are also POLITICAL struggles. Because Optimus gave up on the chance to just be a normal person having personal struggles when he chose to become a LEADER, which also means that he's held to extremely high standards that he regularly fails at in the eyes of others.

That's why, to me, MTMTE Megatron falls flat in comparison and really as a "hero" or heel-face character in general? Because he also made a decision to be a leader, and IMO once you do things like become the commander of an army and start your own galactic empire, you lose the right to prioritize your personal problems and instead are obligated by the power you've chosen to wield to focus on your POLITICAL problems. If Megatron's power, influence, and crimes are of a social-political nature, then his heel-face turn arc and ways of showing that he's a better person/helping to heal what little damage he possibly can should have been shown with actions that help on a social-political LEVEL. That's why I'm not particularly impressed with his character arc and feel as if it was overhyped by other people in this fandom: sure, the extra character depth and emotion is nice, but I'm not really going to see him as extraordinary or even particularly good when the extent of him "becoming a better person" happens entirely on a random road trip to fuck-off nowhere. Especially not when the ending of LL tried to sell me a "they lived happily ever after" ending while basically leaving the freaking MUTINY as just Rodimus going "oh it's okay you're forgiven, we're all together again" and I guess everyone was fine with Megatron and wanted to spend an eternity on a ship with him just because Getaway died.

This is why I like (the concept/themes of) exRID/OP and the way Optimus' character arc was handled a lot more. Because for Optimus, the personal and the political were as one. He was held accountable for his actions towards others and the disruptive effects they had on a social level, sometimes to a ridiculous extent (the fucking "oh Megatron is an Autobot so now that makes the Autobots colonizers" plot and that stupid colonist screaming about how Optimus is "literally fascist" my beloathed). Even his very personal issues like his relationship with Zeta were still cast in a wider lens of, yeah this is a personal struggle that Orion faced, but he was still part of a Society TM and his actions were sometimes ill-informed or harmful to others. Even if I had a lot of problems with the way Optimus' story was written by Barber (plot holes, little meaningful character interaction, forced conflicts), at least the BASELINE of it was way better than Megatron's in MTMTE. Especially since Optimus' struggle was explictly about things like struggling with responsibility and how he feels he HAS to intervene in political affairs because has to save people/make up for his past mistakes. That's something that a good leader/good person actually does, so I found Optimus to be a better hero (even if his actions weren't all "good") because he was trying to be a good person by actually getting involved with Cybertron/Earth and subjecting himself to something he hates (leadership, war) and dealing with a shitload of criticism instead of just going on a fuckin "personal journey" lksdlkfsd.

Which just makes me extra salty that people hold up MTMTE Megatron as the pinnacle of Megatrons and literally the best Transformers writing evar! while turning up their nose and ignoring or outright despising IDW Optimus. Like okay. I guess since Megatron got handled with silk gloves on while Optimus got put through the wringer of being shit on by every other person in the story, it's easier for you to pretend that Megatron is a poor uwu boy who just needs friendship and love while Optimus is literally the worst bastard to ever exist. Or maybe it's just that since Optimus' story involves him sometimes fucking up, being criticized, or making things worse, that makes him morally bad. As opposed to Megatron who disrupted a lot of other characters' stories in MTMTE, had to have an entire alternate universe invented so that he could "save lives," and got to sail off on a quantum Lost Light happily ever after, so since he's happy and the story says he saved people that means he's a good hero.

#squiggposting #it started out sort of analytical but ended up bitchy #i also feel like for some reason my understanding of what a redemption arc is is different from others? #when i talk to people about it they keep saying 'well M can't make up for what he did' #and i'm like. no that's not what i mean by redemption arc #to me redemption arc literally just means 'a character goes from bad to good over the course of a story' #whether they're forgiven or if they can 'make up for it' objectively is irrelevant like #redemption arc is literally a common label used for the general trope so idk where this confusion is coming from? #also hot take when i say a character should be redeemed i'm literally not talking about wether they're forgiven or pardoned in universe #i just mean. as a reader. do i read their story arc and see them go from bad to good and progress in meaningful ways #do they do something. anything. to address or apologize or fix what they did #is there some sort of symbolic or literal sacrifice or act of service or any Good Thing even if it's only one single moment #then to me they've been redeemed in a narrative sense. it has nothing to do with whether they can literally compensate for hteir crimes #anyways. the tldr of this is that i don't hate mt/mte at all and i also don't hate idw M. i love them in fact #it's just i feel like i was severely let down by how much this fandom hyped and continues to hype mt/mte meg #(peg/gy the pirate spongebob meme voice) that's it? that's the M redemption arc? #that's just a guy going on a space road trip and being emo #mfs tried to tell me it was one of the best tf stories ever written and i'm like. yeah thanks but no #worse still ppl came out of m/tmte going 'actually M was right about everything' #and i'm like. shit take and you are spreading this nonsense everywhere including shitting on my faves w your bad takes #mfs wanna call M a hero of the ppl who at least cared about the cons when he literally left them for broke on cybertron #i don't think idw M had a good heel-face turn arc bc he didn't really like do anything meaningful in the wider scope of things #what if idw M achieved inner peace by protecting the cons and making sure they had rights post war. how about that #i mean for various reasons the story would've been more complicated than that due to editorial and company mandate bullshit #i just feel as if talking about the story narrative itself IDW M's redemption arc is far from remarkable #except for the fact that JRO dared to do it at all perhaps #(vine voice) that's my OPINION!!!!!

[nerdnag]

Oh btw I found out this week that I "won" a human rights case against my local authorities 😎

#It sucks that I can't talk about it because I want to talk about it #But I would doxx myself if I did.. #Anyway here's a vague kinda post abt it for you all to feel proud of me 🥳 #If anyone wonders about the “won”: #The decision very firmly said that I am in the right and that the local authorities infringed on the constitution and human rights #In how they treated me #But apart from this very clear slap on the wrist and instructions to adjust their routines and such in line with the decision #And apart from establishing a good and clear precedent #The decision itself doesn't do a lot else. I don't get any compensation or anything #But hopefully I have made some kind of difference. Some kind of dent. #And hopefully in the future others won't have to be treated the same way I was. #That is a win if anything #Nagnerd