#and billie eilish to a lesser extent

[cthulhu-hands]

Anyways I have been so sick for so long of Toronto men defending drake just bc he's from here when it's been public knowledge for years!!!! that he's a pedophile and all around shitty human being!

[psihawaii]

hey, i saw you joined the mwm server. welcome to hell! (joking) (i've been here for 3 years)

i actually got into stw via mashup week all that time ago so i'd love to know what it's like coming through the other way, as it were. how's all the fun?

HI!! THATS CRAZY. THATS AWESOME

Stw technically got me into mwm Twice if u can believe it. First, through one of the scott week tracks getting recommended to me, i wanna say it was like 2022? I did nottttt know mashup week had lore or anything at this point i barely knew what a mashup tourney Was but it got me to start passively listening to it. And then when the juno + ace match up was happening i, at this point, realized there was lore i wasnt reading and, since i was briefly into tally hall again for a bit there, i thought it would be fun to start reading for the tally hall character.

Anyway i completely didn’t realize 1. Scott was still in the lore 2. Hes the host and also important (HE WON??) which yeah ruler n scott being involved with mashup week and also kinda being friends (or at the very least scott’s nice to them 👍) was the perfect storm to get me hooked.

BUT ANYWAY I DIGRESS IT HAS BEEN SO MUCH FUN. I likeeeeee the way scott’s written in the story posts he’s cute he’s endearing i need to. As they say. Throw him against a wall. I’ve gotten a bunch of ppl into mwm (AND THATS AWESOME TOO, like how scott n juno were for me i feel like there seems to be a character for every1 that is their Exact Hook to get them invested its been great 4 introducing ppl to it. I love them flabbergasted that tyler is there) and i love getting to bombard them with Scott The Woz Lore u guys don’t even know he had gay sex on christmas and then tried to erase all sex.

[antiquepearlss]

Greetings it tis ✨Pearl✨

✨ She/her ✨ 18 ✨ biromantic asexual ✨

✨Intp, Libra, Whore

✨I’m very dry and people often can’t tell when I’m joking, so don’t hesitate to ask, I don’t mind

✨This isn’t an 18+ only blog, but be warned that sometimes I post artistic butts, and talk a little less artistically about butts.

✨I post about history, the arts, astronomy, fashion, and just general aesthetic vibey shit. But mostly, I post stupid fandom bullshit

✨My current fandom is Tangled and Tangled The Series. I’m gay for Rapunzel and straight for Eugene and that is called bisexuality kids. To a lesser extent I talk about VAT7K. Rose Dewitt Bukater is currently consuming my brain like a disease.

✨I’m physically unable to give a fuck at all times.

✨My only life philosophy is to Be Fucking Kind

🖤I love anything and everything vintage. History is my passion and reblogging aesthetic vintage moodboards is my second passion. Anything historical piques my interest, but I specifically love US history. But if you ask me about the Renaissance era, art history, or ancient civilizations I will not stfu. I also love learning about folklore and various cultures.

🪻Alongside history I love Astronomy. Specifically the moon and stars, but the sun is also very beloved by me. The moon is my wife and Uranus and Neptune are my concubines. I also adore the earth and nature and consider myself pantheist. I love flowers.

🫀Horror is also dear to me. Creepy shit, gothic ambiance, southern gothic, religious imagery… if it’s spooky I love it. 

🎵Billie Eilish, Frank Sinatra, Ethel Cain, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Lana Del Rey, Hozier, Florence Welch, Fleetwood Mac, Heilung, Johnny Cash, and Blackmore’s Night are my favorite musical artists.

🍒I’m a waitress at a shitty lil diner and I make that a way bigger deal to my personality than I should. 🚬 I love gas stations, motels, sweet tea, New Orleans, mermaids, old cars, peacocks n bats, and diners.

🦇I write sometimes so you can check out my ao3 here or my writing tag here for smaller things. I don’t really stick to a genre or write large projects, I mostly write stupid shit when I have time. 

🦌You can check out my Pinterest if you want…

🦚I’m too obsessed with my own face and post fit pics here 

💋Aesthetic posts here, vintage/history posts here, celestial posts here, Tangled posts here.

⚰️My art tag is currently dead and being reworked but it will be here soon. (I’m lying)

🪷Ask box and DM’s are open and appreciated, but I take 3-47 business days to reply. Be patient please and thank you. 

Some stamps made for me by my beloved Draco~

[fairyboygenius]

everywhere, everything

simon “ghost” riley/original female character

prev | next

maisie speaks: so. hello. the brainworms for these two are back. gonna start trying new things formatting wise also!! things ramp up here and we learn allie’s backstory

cw: alcohol, one (1) mention of weed, mentions of emotional abuse, allusions to mommy & daddy issues, one mention of abortion, allusion to religion/religious trauma

@dwarvenagenda ur just gonna permanently get tagged so i hope ur cool with that

fic under the cut love u all mwah mwah

“So he faked his death because you dumped him?”

Allie shrugged. “I mean, I don’t think that’s the only reason. Also, he dumped me.”

Kyle looked at her, a little smirk on his face. “It’s funnier that way, though. Commander Philip Graves got dumped, couldn’t handle it, and he faked his fucking death so he wouldn’t have to deal with the humiliation.”

Allie rolled her eyes, crossing and uncrossing her legs for what felt like the fifth time that night. The worn down leather of the pub booth was sticking to the backs of her thighs, and she feared for her ability to get up otherwise. Besides, she wasn’t a small woman. And she was sandwiched between two objectively large men. She felt strapped in, Velcroed to the booth. All she could really do was sip her drink. “He had also majorly fucked y’all over. Philip’s never been one to face the consequences of his actions.”

“So he fucked you over, fucked us over, and then faked his own death?” Kyle shook his head. “What an absolute prick.”

Allie let out a short laugh. “Tell me how you really feel, Garrick.” She took another swig of her drink- a Pimms, some sort of sweet British cocktail. This was her second. “It’s alright, though. I’m almost over the shock of him still being alive. At least I get more time to prepare myself for that inevitable, awkward encounter when we go.”

Chicago had been postponed indefinitely. Faulty intel combined with the most insane weather even for mid-January would do that. Despite everyone’s bloodlust for Makarov- and to a lesser extent, Graves- Laswell had refused to send them.

“Well, whatever.” Gaz raised his glass to Allie, and she raised hers in return. “To Philip Graves’ slow and painful death, hopefully at our hands.”

“Hear, hear,” Allie responded dryly.

“But don’ ye think that it’ll just draw out the inevitable?” Soap was studying her, that predatory gleam still in his eye. Allie had noticed this about him; he was like a dog with a bone. She had the urge to point out the gaggle of pretty college students at the table by the window.

Allie took a deep breath, sipping her cocktail again. “How long was your longest relationship, Soap? Because I was with him for almost ten years.”

He winced, sensing where this was going. “Fair point, lassie. Y’want another round?” Without waiting for an answer, he scooted out of the booth and headed over to the bartender. Allie excused herself soon after, heading outside to smoke a cigarette, Lola trotting happily beside her.

She settled on a bench, taking a few deep breaths and stroking Lola’s head. Allie had known this was coming. Ever since the reveal, her teammates had regarded her like she had a secret weapon. Some wealth of experience they wanted to learn about, a trauma they wanted to pull from her with alcohol and the occasional gummy (Price, surprisingly, was fond of them after a long day- or so she’d heard). Meanwhile, she’d kept herself locked up tight, wondering where the boundaries were. Was this appropriate? Would they overreact? Would they underreact, or dismiss what she had gone through? Would their camaraderie with Graves- soured as it was- override the friendship she wanted from them?

“Room for one more?”

She looked up at the wall of a man standing in front of her. Ghost (Simon- it was in his file) looked right back down at her, not even faltering when she broke eye contact. Allie shifted over, giving him a little nod. She lit her cigarette, remembering the purpose for her break outside. He crutched over to the bench and eased himself down, clearly getting better at the transferring.

A comfortable silence settled over the two of them. Ghost smoothed a gloved hand over Lola’s head, and Allie gave him a small smile. Lola, always happy to get the attention, leaned her head on Allie’s thigh. They took twin drags, the smell of cigarette smoke filling the air surrounding them.

“You can tell them to back off,” he finally said, letting the words settle in the air between them. Simon’s voice was deep and rough, the unique accent- Manchester, she had learned- thickened by a glass or two of bourbon.

“I get why they’re curious.” Allie took another drag. “It’s… After getting space from him, I’ve realized that the whole relationship is soiled. He’s a manipulative little shit-weasel.” This earned her a chuckle. It was over quick, but it was there. She tucked it away, holding it in the Ghost-shaped space he’d taken in her brain. “And this is going to sound horrible, but I was glad he was dead. I felt the same way when my mom died. I don’t hate either of them, but the thought of never having to see or hear from him again was… nice.” Here, she let out a bitter laugh. “Like when my mom died, and part of me was just glad I’d never hear her voice anywhere but my head again. Or when I left for basic and knew I wasn’t bound to Sunday service at my dad’s church. There’s a freedom there.”

“Felt the same way when my dad passed.”

The silence settled over them once again. Allie took another drag of her cigarette at the same time Simon did, the synchronicity calming. They felt linked- connected, moving at the same time. She tried not to think about “mirroring”- a sign of attraction, or so she’d heard.

“Didn’t think anyone in healthcare smoked,” Simon nodded at the cigarette, dangling from her fingertips.

“‘S more self destructive than anything.” Allie laughed, bitterly. “Phil got me into it during basic. Now I’m hooked. I wouldn’t encourage it for anyone else, but I was 18 and wanted to impress him.”

The look she got from him- neutral, just barely interested- caused her to explain. “He’s eight years older. He came to do mentoring for stealth training, saw me, and saw something that he wanted to exploit.”

He gave a nod, almost saying, Continue. How much do you want to know? Allie tried to say back, but her expressions never seemed to communicate the minutiae of her thought.

“I don’t want to get into it, but just for the record, I believed him when he said we were doing good.” Allie laughed bitterly. “I just knew that my job was to help people who were hurting, and he presented himself with an open wound to be filled.” And her heart had ached in return. Love me, it had said as it pulsed, oozing blood as she held it out to Graves. Love me. And he had been good at pretending to do just that.

“He’s a good actor,” Simon finally said. He squinted at her. “Did you come with him to Los Almas?”

Okay, Allie. Let it out. It had been a year, but this part was still hard to talk about. The only person who knew was her therapist. “He dumped me right before. Left me at the base because-“ She took a deep breath, realizing the abortion was not a story to tell this early in a relationship-platonic or romantic. “Anyway. He took another medic with him, and come to find out she was hooking up with him the whole time I was involved in Shadow Company. Then he… well. Pretended to die.”

“Prick.”

“For sure.”

“You deserve better.” The words seemed to tumble out of Simon’s mouth, and he looked almost taken aback. Allie felt her cheeks heat. She’s almost certain her bare shoulders are cherry-red. The decision to put on a sundress under her oversized denim jacket was clearly foolish- made by someone still used to mild Texan winters.

“Thank you,” she managed to say, pulling the jacket tighter around her, hoping to burrow inside.

“Are you still in love with him?” This also caught her off guard- something Simon seemed to be good at. He also caught himself off guard- Allie could tell by the way he cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. Someone was going to ask.” She took a deep breath, before a long drag of her cigarette. “I’m not, no. Was actually just starting to put myself back out there before Kate called me. And I’m not sure you know this, but it’s hard to get a date when your entire life revolves around spending time with four large men.”

“We’re very lucky,” Simon said dryly, eyes crinkling at the corners as she laughed. He touched his nose, drawing both their attentions to the brace there. “Thanks for this, by the way.”

“Was just doin’ my job.”

His phone buzzed with a text, breaking the bubble of peace they had cultivated. Allie shivered as he looked down, the cold suddenly hitting her bare legs. Goosebumps popped up all over her skin. Without even pausing, Simon slipped the thick leather jacket he was wearing off, holding his hands out for the denim one.

“You don’t have to.” Inside, Allie was giddy. She wasn’t sure, but she could imagine that there was a stupid smile on her face- it had been a while since she was flirted with like this. She shrugged off her jacket anyway, wondering if Simon had any idea how obvious he was being. “Won’t you be cold?”

“‘M used to it. Run cold.” He took the denim jacket as she shrugged it off, passing her the leather one. Allie let out a sigh of relief as she pulled it on. It’s still oversized on her- well worn leather, smelling of smoke and either whiskey or bourbon. Phil had always bought new jackets a couple sizes too small. He wasn’t nearly as broad or tall, his hands not even big enough to cup one of her breasts fully. She had a feeling Simon could do that with no problem. She also distinctly felt those amber eyes lingering on the expanse of her collarbone, the slightest hint of cleavage. He definitely saw the tattoos littering her arms and shoulders.

She willed the blush on her cheeks to go down and stuffed her hands into the jacket’s deep pockets. “What was the text?”

He started, pulling his phone out again to reread it. Weird. “Johnny’s apparently tryin’ to hit on some college girls. Wanted to know if I wanted to join.”

The butterflies in her stomach turned to dust. “Do you?”

He looked at her, eyes meeting her own. “No.”

It was only one word, but even so, the butterflies reassembled.

“Besides,” he said, his voice quiet. “Unlike some people, I don’t like sleeping with women a decade younger.” They both knew he meant Graves, but Allie’s mind flashed to their own age difference. She was about to turn 30, him 35. Was that too much for him? Where was his limit? Was she too young?

“You wanna head back in?” she asked. Lola nudged her nose against Allie’s leg, tail thumping against Simon’s thigh.

He shook his head, which made her laugh. “If you insist.” He got up and went inside before she could say, No, I’m not insisting, I’m perfectly happy doing this with you every day for the rest of my life. So she got up anyway, brushed the dirt off her skirt, and headed back inside.

Allie tucked herself back into the booth, sitting right between Kyle and Simon. They watched as Johnny tried and failed to pick up one of the college girls, trying to hold back laughter at his expense. They had two more drinks each. She split a plate of “chips”(fries) with Kyle and gave him shit for not liking mayo. Price bought her a whiskey as a welcome gift. She swished the amber liquid- same color as Simon’s eyes-around in her mouth and tried not to think about losing them.

This was what she would do now, after all. The 141 had her for six months. Then they could decide if they wanted her to stick around, and if not she’d go somewhere else. A week in and she already felt herself getting attached, unable to imagine her days without them. Without her next-door neighbor in particular.

They got back to base around two in the morning. Allie split off from the group, leaving them to play pool and yell drunkenly in the rec room as she headed to bed. She had just finished doing her skincare routine and was putting on pajamas when a piece of paper slid under her door. She unfolded it to see a message, chicken scratch handwriting in black ink.

gonna raid the kitchen

you want anything?

The note was signed “S.R.” and Allie rolled her eyes despite herself. Always so formal. She pulled out a pen and wrote back, handwriting slightly sloppy as it flowed from her liquor-soaked brain.

no thanks! i’ve got snacks in here. but feel free to come by the medbay and pick up some aspirin for the hangover tomorrow:)

She didn’t bother signing it, just slid it under her door before locking it and sliding into bed. Lola lay at the foot, already dozing even as Allie tossed and turned trying to get comfortable. Simon’s jacket lay across her desk, and she could still smell cigarettes and whiskey (bourbon?) if she concentrated.

She drifted off to sleep thinking about amber eyes, big hands, and a rough accented voice in her ear.

[bakershakers]

hi!!

i dont really know how tumblr works or what people usually post here, and i dont know if anyone will even see this but heres just like an intro to me :))

im cesar, im 15 almost 16 as of writing this and i love nature. i love geography and travel and flowers and i love music and i wanna get into reading, if you have any book suggestions feel free to give them to me 😛😛

okay so geography--in 2021 i moved from my childhood house and i kinda felt like i also left myself there, so id turn to google earth as a form of coping because that was the only way i could continue to see all the places i loved and my house without having to drive the 20ish minutes there through heavy traffic. i know its not a long distance but yall its america thats like really long like almost 10 miles. anyways, me scrolling around all my childhood memories on google earth lead to me exploring well earth. from then on, i was obsessed. call it a hyperfixation if you will but i was OBSESSED, i never stopped. my passtime is exploring cities on google earth. i can name every country within 15 minutes now, every state, locate every state on a blank map, every canadian province, locate ever mexican state, you get the point. i love geography. this sorta ties into my next one:

i love traveling! im pakistani american (first gen) so ive been to many places internationally including the uae, pakistan, canada, the uk (just london tho), the netherlands, and to a lesser extent (like layovers n such) portugal, spain, and qatar. the second i graduate highschool i am leaving florida because i can not STAND it here omfg. i wanna go to nyu, but if i get into ucla thatd be my first. given my grades and the fact that my mom went to nyu, it seems more reasonable of a goal. my dream is to live in seattle and raise kids there in the city proper, i love washington state and the mountains and the forests like yall omfg you dont understanddddd.

speaking of forests, i love flowers. flowers are literally the bane of my existence. a newer one of my interests seeing as it started in late january and its currently late february, but oh my god i cant i cant i cant theyre so pretty and delicate and precious and beautiful like how do they even exist its just so unfathomable how pretty they are like this is literally proof god exists because wTFFFF!!! something this beautiful and this widespread doesnt happen by chance (with that given, im an ex muslim and an athiest so 😭😭, philosophy is one of my big interests though, i just dont feel like writing about it rn) i love biology and science like im in ib rn and my hl's (higher level classes) that i picked for next year and senior year are hl bio, hl chem, and hl english so yeah i love science. im more of a naturey science person, like animals plants geography, FLOWERS, etc!! im thinking of doing something science for my major in college 🥳🥳

next, i love music. if you know me irl, youll know my love for music. it expands into nearly ever conversation i have. my top artists rn are (not in order) lana del rey, billie eilish, beabadoobee, marina, bôa, laufey, mitski, the marías, ic3peak, some of poppy, olivia rodrigo, grimes, kali uchis, and im tryna get into doechii currently. i love music, its so beautiful. my fav albums ever are norman f*cking rockwell, ultraviolence, happier than ever, froot, this is how tomorrow moves, beatopia, and bury me at makeout creek. as of writing this my top song for the past week are as follows; this is how it went, california, beaches, mariners apartment complex, and youre here thats the thing :)))

last but definitely not least, reading. poetry is so poetic. poetry is beautiful. i love when words have meaning instead of being flat blank skidmarks on a piece of dead tree pulp, like i love the entirety of violet bent backwards over the grass by lana del rey, her poetry and her symbolism in music always shocks me, its so good. same with marina and billie, theres a reason those are what i consider my 'big 3' , i stream them by far the most and theyre my absolute favs, i know the lyrics to nearly all of their songs!! anyways, i want poetry that speaks to me, literature that speaks to me. im thinking of maybe pursuing music or poetry in the future as maybe a side thing. i love sylvia plath, ive been meaning to go to the library and see if they have her books for a while now but i just havent found the time, hopefully soon!!

heres some last things to know about me though; im fascinated by religion and philosophy having grown up muslim (and still practicing despite not believing cuz yk parents n all), im also fascinated by topics like politics or gender and sexuality. for most of the pandemic i went by he/they and identified as gay, but as of now im he/him and identify as bisexual. ive never dated but like DGAFFFF, anyways!! i maybe wanna be a politician in the future bc i hate the current system, but idk how thatd play out. so, yeah, thats me! have any thoughts leave them below, wanna be friends then follow me and we can get to talking :)) thanks for reading!!

[quintessentialwriter]

🌕The Moon🌕

An In-depth Analysis-Part 1

Art: Moon at Magome-Hasui Kawase

The moon, like a flower In heaven"s high bower, With silent delight Sits and smiles on the night.

-William Blake

The Moon has been a source of inspiration for human beings probably since the dawn of time. From Art, Poetry, Music, Science, Astrology. The Moon is without a doubt a very large part of The Human Experience. She is the brightest object in the night sky and as such it is nearly impossible not to notice her. Some of The Miscellaneous Associations connected to the moon are:

The Mother, The Home, The Zodiac Cancer, The Ocean, Mermaids, Magic, Witches, Witchcraft, Fear, Dreams, Sleep, Darkness, Wisdom, Changes, Evolution, Allure, Cycles, Menstruation, Secrets, Hidden Feminine Knowledge, The Triple Goddess(Maiden, Mother, Crone), Pregnancy, The Ovaries, Emotions, Water,

In Tarot she is Represented by The Moon card as Well as The High Priestess. The High Priestess represents Hidden Feminine Knowledge, Intuition, Spiritual Initiation and Deep Spiritual Wisdom. The Moon often Represents Our hidden fears and anxieties in a Tarot Reading.

Fun Fact The High Priestess is one of my Birth Cards!

Astrologically speaking The Moon is Domicile or home in The Zodiac Cancer. Cancer is a deeply sensitive, emotional and nurturing sign but there is a caution against prioritizing the needs of others above your own. Cancer people are often times very loving but need to be mindful of the importance of self care and not spreading themselves too thin. As they naturally have Mother energy inside of them to be nurturing towards others is almost second nature to them, However, a Mother cannot be a Mother at least not a Good one unless she is first a Mother to herself. You cannot nurture from a place of lack or depletion.

I like to Think of The High Priestess as a woman who has Mastered Self Care and Compassion towards others in a way that is perfectly balanced. The Two pillars behind her stand for Balance and Justice. Her light and dark feminine energy are in perfect balance with each other and because of this she will always be abundant (represented by the peaches in the back of her)

Luna(The Moon) is largely responsible for the fall and rise of the sea levels which is caused by her gravitational forces. This is also caused by The Moon and Earth orbiting around each other. The Sun also plays a part in the rise and fall of the sea levels but to a much lesser extent than Luna.

🖼Art Work Representing Mother Luna🖼

Of Trees, Tenderness and The Moon- Hasui Kawase, Canaletto, Starry Night-Vincent Van Gogh, The Snake Charmer-Henri Rousseau.

On To Music!

These are some songs that embody Moon Energy In my opinion.

In this Shirt- The Irepressibles

The Worst- Jhene Aiko

Running up That Hill- Kate Bush

FKA Twigs- Cellophane

Is it a crime?- Sade

Stay- Rihanna

Comfort Inn Ending- Jhene Aiko( I love me some Jhene)

Mother Stands For Comfort-Kate Bush(I also love me some kate)

Everything I wanted- Billie Eilish

To Keep things balanced I also have to mention some of the less than stellar and Mysterious associations with the moon. The Moon while representing our own needs can also represent our own shortcomings. More specifically Insanity. The Word Lunacy and Lunatic are derived from The Latin word for The Moon 'Luna'. The Lunar Effect is said by some to be the psychological effect that The Moon has on humans and other living organisms throughout the moon's lunar phases. For example it has been said that the full moon causes an increase in Emotional, Irrational and downright chaotic behavior in human beings. The theory is that since the moon's gravitational pull is strong enough to effect the ocean tide's it can also effect the human body as we are made up of mostly water. Though more research is definitely needed it is surely interesting to think about.

It is clear that The Moon is a Beautiful and Alluring planetary object that has and continues to enchant human beings probably untill and after the end of life as we know it. For all of Luna's flaws and complexities she is also adaptable to change which is represented by the different Lunar Phases. No other planet changes in the way that she does and probably couldn't if they tried too. The Moon encourages us to be adaptable and go with the flow of life naturally instead of fighting against it. In doing so we can evolve into a better and more wiser version of ourselves and continue to do so as we age.

Àṣẹ!

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌙🌙🌙🌙🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 3: Bury a friend.

I suggest listening to the Billie Eilish song while reading this. Kinda sets the atmosphere.

Part 1 here - part 4 here

PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC

RATING: ALL

Graphic description of violence.

SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him.

TVA, 2021.

Loki took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in."

Lydia had her back to him as she inspected the bruises she had earned on the field just a few hours before in front of a mirror in a TVA room.

"Hey," Loki greeted her from the door, not expecting to find her shirtless and blushing slightly.

"Hey," Lydia smiled at him from the mirror.

"I heard you had a tough day, so I thought I'd bring you some of these…" Loki showed her a couple of ointments and bandages.

To Lydia, Loki looked funny, with his hesitant expression, disheveled hair, and wrinkled shirt.

"Close the door," she nodded without turning around.

Loki approached her, who didn't move from the mirror, and observed the extent of the bruises covering her stomach and back. They were of various shapes and colors.

"It looks like a painting, doesn't it?" she let out a bitter laugh, but Loki didn't seem to appreciate it. He furrowed his eyebrows and reached out a hand toward her back without touching her.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"What for?" Lydia tilted her head, trying to meet his gaze in the mirror, but he wasn't there.

Midgard, 2012.

"What was that?"

"You'll have to be more specific, Miss Princhett," Loki looked up at her, standing with his arms folded in front of him.

"You had a distant look and then you tilted your head, as if you'd been hit. Which is strange because the only one who could do that here is me, and it would give me a pleasure impossible to forget."

"You're foolish if you think you could beat me in a fight, Miss Princhett."

"Don't change the subject," she smiled at him. Interrogation rule number 12: don't get sidetracked by chatter.

They stared at each other for a second.

"Who's on the other side?"

Loki furrowed his brows. "What other side?"

"Don't play games with me," she gave him a smirk “Whoever is there, crearly is not on your side” Interrogation rule number 27, instill doubt.

"You know nothing, Miss Princhett," Loki stood up, walking past her and moving around the room.

"But I can see when a man is under duress. And you are, Loki of Asgard," she said. Interrogation rule number 15: keep the conversation going, and rule 16: even at the cost of a confrontation.

"Do I seem under duress to you?" Loki turned to her, starting to stomp heavily on the floor as he walked. "I have the Tesseract, and all the power that comes with it."

"And what do you want to do with it?"

"It's part of a larger plan" he turned to her. "Impossible for a lesser mind like yours to comprehend."

She looked at him.

"You don't know" she blew a derisive breath.

They stared at each other and for a moment she was convinced she saw his blue eyes tremble, with anger or frustration.

And he punched her.

Lydia should have expected it. She doubled over, gasping for air. Loki lowered himself to her height, bringing his face a few inches from hers.

"Don't push your luck too far, Lydia Princhett. Remember that you stand before-."

He couldn't finish the sentence before Lydia grabbed his head and kneed him in the face. Loki stumbled backward, bringing a hand to his face. When he lifted it, his nose had a strange shape, and blood covered his mouth.

They breathed heavily, staring at each other.

Lydia moved first, but Loki was faster. He reached out a hand, closed it into a fist, and brought it down, pinning Lydia hands and feet to the floor as if tied by invisible ropes. Loki approached and kicked her in the lower abdomen. Then again. Then in her back and again.

Lydia felt like she couldn't breathe.

Finally, Loki lifted her up, as if she were made of feathers, and holding her by the throat, pinned her against the wall.

"This is what happens when you oppose a god, Miss Princhett," he spat.

She gathered saliva, wanting to spit in his face, but she didn't even have the strength for that, and the mixture of blood and saliva only reached his feet.

"Odin is a god, he is feared and respected by the entire galaxy. You, Loki, are just an undergrown giant." She tried to force a laugh, but it came out as a groan. "And you'll never be like him."

Loki struck her again; Lydia didn't know where or how many times. Everything hurt. And she lost consciousness.

TVA, 2021.

"What for?"

Loki cleared his throat, taking a deep breath and blinking to dry his moist eyes.

"I'm sorry you got hurt."

Lydia turned to him. "It's the risks of the job, I suppose," she smiled, shrugging, and tried to suppress a grimace of pain resulting from that small movement. "Sometimes bad people act just like that, badly."

Loki nodded, keeping his gaze low.

"Do you mind helping me with that?" Lydia indicated the ointment.

Loki took a breath, as if reconnecting with the present, and smiled at her. "Of course."

Lydia turned again and shivered when she felt his hands covered in cold cream touch her skin.

"Sorry,"

She shook her head. "It's okay, thank you. No one else cared about how I was," finally, their eyes met in the mirror, "you're a good friend, Loki."

He nodded, lips pressed into a thin line, proceeding carefully with his task.

Midgard, 2012.

When she woke up, Lydia was on a makeshift bed, with a blanket pulled up to her throat. The strangest thing, though, was that she felt refreshed, as if she had slept for days and every muscle in her body had relaxed.

She furrowed her eyebrows. Relaxed?

She threw off the blanket and rolled up her shirt under her chest. She got up and ran to a black glass that could serve as a mirror, but again, nothing. She didn't even have a scratch or a mark. She was perfectly fine.

"Son of a bitch."

She grabbed a jacket and ran out, wandering all over the SHIELD base Loki had taken over.

She found him near the only exit to the outside. He knew she had noticed him, but he didn't move. Lydia joined him.

"So, is this your magic?" she asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Listen, I just wanted to say thank you” Lydia was angry at him, obviousely, but she knew that letting that anger out would get her nowhere "I know I provoked you."

"I hope you've learned your lesson," Loki glanced at her, but Lydia saw that it wasn't pure superiority in his gaze. There was a slight sense of guilt behind it somewhere. After all, why would he bother to fix her otherwise? Lydia saw humanity in Loki, an opening in his impenetrable facade. An opening she would exploit to the end.

"Oh sure, now I know how to get under your skin, and I can't wait to do it again," she smiled and he returned his gaze to the outside, "I can't fix your nose with magic, but my point remains. Loki," and the way she pronounced his name made him feel strange, making him turn to her with a less harsh expression than before, "if there's someone or something that somehow threatens you or if in some way all this isn't your doing, you can tell me. I promise I'll help you, and only us will know."

Loki didn't respond, not that Lydia expected an answer. But in this case, it was a victory, it meant he was considering her words, instead of taking them as an offense.

Maybe, just maybe, she would manage to get under his skin and handle his alien brain, convincing him not to destroy her planet.

----

I'm having so much fun displaying the two kinds of relationships in different timelines and how different they are despite being the same people. 2 Chapeters more and then the truth will come out.

Guys, thanks a lot for the support you've shown me, again feel free to leave a heart, a comment or to reblog, this really helps a lot. Part 4 will be posted around Tuesday 02/13!

[jcmarchi]

AI music sparks new copyright battle in US courts

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/ai-music-sparks-new-copyright-battle-in-us-courts/

AI music sparks new copyright battle in US courts

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The emergence of AI systems that can create songs presents the music industry with a new challenge.

This phenomenon has sparked numerous discussions on concepts such as creativity, copyright, and the development of the music industry. Some artists, recording studios, and legal experts have taken an interest in this issue and raised important questions that highlight the necessity of finding the optimal balance between technology and human work.

A recent example: AI attempts to mimic a Grammy nominee

To illustrate the current state of AI in music, let us take the example of Tift Merritt, a country musician. Her track “Traveling Alone” is her most well-known piece due to its presence on Spotify. The song is a ballad that contemplates the open road and one’s capacity to travel alone. After requesting an AI music site, Udio, to create “Tift Merritt’s Americana song,” Udio promptly returned to the author with “Holy Grounds.” Specifically, the song contained lyrics about “driving old backroads” and “watching the fields and skies shift and sway.” Naturally, Tift Merritt’s work was unlikely to be entirely unique.

Merritt, a Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter, is not particularly satisfied with the result. She stated that the “imitation” that Udio came up with “doesn’t make the cut for any album of mine.” However, the singer has a much more serious charge against the generated content – she doesn’t consider it a manifestation of creativity; in her opinion, it’s more like theft. “This is a great demonstration of the extent to which this technology is not transformative at all,” Merritt asserted. “It’s stealing.”

Artists unite in concern

Merritt’s stance resonates with many in the music industry. In April, she joined a cohort of high-profile artists including Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, and Stevie Wonder in signing an open letter. This document warned that AI-generated music, trained on their recordings, could potentially “sabotage creativity” and marginalise human artists.

The industry takes legal action

The issue is not confined to individual singers but affects giant record labels as well. Recently, Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music have sued Udio and another music AI outfit, Suno. They are the first in the music industry to join the alarming copyright fight over AI-made songs, a battle only beginning to be waged in the courtrooms.

The significance of the situation was highlighted by Mitch Glazier, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He referred to the lawsuits as a response to “shameless copying of troves of recordings in order to flood the market with cheap imitations and drain away listens and income from real human artists and songwriters.” However, he also mentioned the potential in AI: “AI has great promise – but only if it’s built on a sound, responsible, licensed footing.”

AI companies respond

In their initial court responses, Suno and Udio have defended their technology. Additionally, the companies have referred to the industry’s past fears and concerns about the development of synthesisers, drum machines, and other technological advances that were expected to ruin the field by replacing all musically skilled humans. Both companies have maintained their original position, pleading not guilty and explaining that the lawsuits are a means to attack lesser market players, as the apps they provide cannot be used to exactly replicate the top artists.

Legal complexities and novel questions

These cases raise new questions for the courts, such as whether AI can use copyrighted material to produce something original and whether the law should make an exception in such cases. The situation is further complicated by the fact that in music, text, melody, harmony, and rhythm of the created material might be mixed, making it much more challenging to determine a case of plagiarism.

As mentioned by musicologist Brian McBrearty, who specialises in copyright cases, “Music has more factors than just the stream of words. It has pitch, and it has rhythm, and it has harmonic context. It’s a richer mix of different elements that make it a little bit less straightforward.”

The fair use debate

One of the key elements of both these cases is likely to be the notion of “fair use” in copyright law. Fair use is a provision of the law that allows some unauthorised uses of copyrighted works based on a few different conditions, one of them usually being whether the new use transforms the original work from which it was created. The AI companies argue that their use of existing recordings of music is “quintessential ‘fair use.’” However, legal experts suggest that music-generating AIs may not find it as easy to prove fair use as text-generating AIs did.

The road ahead

If such cases come to a conclusion in the courts, they are likely to set relevant precedents for the future of AI in the creative industries. Depending on the outcomes, it is possible that the matters discussed above will have widespread effects on producers of art, technology companies, and consumers alike.

From the perspective of Tift Merritt, who is both a musician and a long-time activist for musicians on various points of law, the concerns feel valid: “Ingesting massive amounts of creative labour to imitate it is not creative. That’s stealing in order to be competition and replace us.”

The music industry is now at a critical point due to the ongoing debate and legal disputes. The main question is whether the current issues will be resolved and how. Additionally, a conclusion must be made about whether it is possible to allow the development of technology for AI music creation while maintaining the copyright of human artists.

(Photo by Lechon Kirb)

See also: Elon Musk revives OpenAI legal battle with fresh allegations

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

Tags: ai, artificial intelligence, machine learning

[thewhumperinwhite]

12 for Art and 19 for Karim (because i am sure he is Soft Baby about random items no one else would ever care about), for the intrusive ask game - to heal you from your sickness <3

Thaaaaanks <3 I already feel a lot better today, just a li'l sore throat left, clearly you have succeeded in healing me.

12. what kind of music do they like ?

Art likes The Front Bottoms. He can't really sing? So he likes bands whose lead singer Just Kind Of Yells, so he can sing along. Also easily 60% of tfb's songs seem to be about Self-Destructive Tendencies and that really speaks to him. He also for sure really likes Billie Eilish and to a lesser extent probably olivia rodrigo.

Also if you ask him he will not admit to liking any of these bands. Actually if you ask Art. He will deny ever having enjoyed anything in his life, honestly.

19. what’s something symbolic to them ?

There's a reason Karim's part time job, which he's extremely passionate about, is repairing out-of-date electronics: they're things that have been left behind and are functionally worthless, but can be perfectly good and useful again with a little attention and effort. It's basically the closest he comes to self-care.

His favorite is a vintage Zenith radio, which was in absolutely awful shape when he found it and is now, after many hours' work, actually worth quite a bit of money, not that he would ever, ever sell it.

Basically, the equation in Karim's head is usually: These things are broken, but they can be fixed, and then they'll be worthy of love again. If I'm the one who fixes them, maybe I'll be worthy of love, too.

[nathanbatesbandjournal]

Band Journal

Due to the stresses of Covid 19 our last gig will no longer be taking place.

The last few rehearsals with the band have been enjoyable and very efficient. Even in the rehearsal time we had I fine tuned my skills and my ear, bonded musically with different types of musicians and performed songs I never thought of attempting.

With a band of 10 people we had to choose songs that would compliment everyone's abilities but also challenges them. Some of the challenges are splitting guitar parts up among 4 guitarists. This was thought to be the most difficult but in actuality became very efficient and sounded very well together eventually.

After the last show we had, we wanted to perform upbeat songs with elements of funk and rock. Pop was essential because the audience needed something they were definitely going to know. It was then up to us to adapt to the songs and make them exciting to see performed by a 10 piece band.

I Want You Back - Jackson 5

For our first song we chose jackson 5 i want you back. This was a good idea because every age group will know this song and almost everyone is guaranteed to enjoy it. The guitar sections were split up between 3, with acoustic parts, an electric accompaniment and my parts with the main chucking note. The key was in F for convenience to the singers.

Never Too Much - Luther Vandross

Considered to be one of the lesser approved songs, Luther vandross’ never too much was the next tune on the set list. With soul guitar parts split into 3 with octaves and harmonies. The struggle was being able to convey the energy without making it sound too aggressive. The parts for the hook were played among us.

Big Love - Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood mac’s big love was next. Having a big band in this case was a positive because we were able to achieve the rhythm section and the lead sections with ease and able to achieve a very mystical vibe. This I thought was one of the stronger songs on the set.

Bellyache - Billie Eilish

Wanting to have a pop song that we would feel comfortable putting in our set was Billie Eilish, with having dark tones and multiple harmonies we were able to achieve her sound and add flavour of our own, with guitar inversions and large solo’s. This was a good choice for audience engagement given her current popularity.

Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran

This song is a classic, duran duran hungry like the wolf. This song was good for our band because having so many people filling out this song so it sounded large was not a problem. With classic tones such as chorus and a tonne of reverb we could emulate that sound.

Money For Nothing - Dire Straits

Dire straits money for nothing brings us in for a jam track that could get the audience rocking a dancing. In this song we were able to achieve the groove of the track and add improvisation around the clock. Harmonies and chord inversions were a must when adding elements of funk.

Do It Again - Steely Dan

Following similar styles our next track was do it again by steely dan. For this track it was a good idea placing it after money for nothing because this gave us an opportunity to merge the tracks and go into the next flawlessly, after time and effort we were able eventually to play it. This is fortunate for me because my guitar parts change ever so slightly between the 2 tracks.

Life Is A Highway - Tom Cochrane

An anthem for many of the young and old that would have been attending the gig, life is a highway by tom cochrane. Mirroring the guitar parts and adding layers of harmonies vocally and instrumentally we were able to make this song the potential highlight of our set.

Touch Me - Rui Da Silva

A dance song was a very experimental but otherwise excellent idea for a track to play at a gig. With a sing along that is almost surely going to attract every type of audience member and have them dancing to our mix of dance and funk cover of this track, mixing elements of ambient sounds and funky riffs this track was a highlight in our set.

Don’t Call Me Baby - Madison Avenue

Playing about finally with don't call me baby we were able to create a hybrid of dance rock. This was an enjoyable cover for us in terms of experimenting with tones and style, it also gave everyone a chance to add their own elements. More practice time with this song would have had it perfect.

The module gave me opportunity and skill in musicianship and technicality within covering a song and making it memorable, original to an extent and more than anything enjoyable. It also taught me how to play less and make much more of an impact, this was prevalent in songs like, touch me in the morning and big love.