#tech bros ruin everything

[bxriles]

Hey! Friendly reminder that if you use AI to “make art” or “write” a book and/or fanfiction, I want you to know that I think you’re a bad person! And no! You can’t change my mind(:

By using generative AI to push slop out into the world because you think it’s “too difficult” to learn how to write or create art, you make it clear that you do not value the labor of creatives. The reality is that you’re too fucking lazy to put in the countless hours it takes to become good at your craft. It means you don’t value the work of creatives whose work is being stolen.

Fuck you if you use generative AI. I hope you never know a day of peace in your life 🥰

[kdramaxoxo]

Thanks for informing me! I remember when Viki used to be free and you could watch a lot of dramas there without an account :(

*steps up onto soapbox, clears throat*

That is capitalism my friends. They get you invested in a service that operates at a loss until you are hooked and all surrounding services go under because they can't compete creating monopolies. Then they slowly raise the prices while lowering the quality.

SIGH.

[abronzeagegod]

After working another dumb tech event and listening to people try to sell AI to businesses me and a coworker have determined that the dystopia we are in is

Mid Tier Technologic Dystopia

No flying cars, no Nexus 9, no robo-cops. Just fucking shitty chatbots and oligarchs

[peemil]

STOP MOVING TO LA

[aspeninthesnow]

Vine is owned by Elon, absolutely not!

This is the perfect moment for Vine to do the funniest thing possible

[mochirialgworl]

WHY DON'T THEY MAKE PHONES WITH REAR FINGERPRINT SENSORS ANYMORE?????

[steve0discusses]

S5 Part 51: Name Stuff

Hello, I did not die! Though don’t get me wrong, a mix of lingering long covid that gets me the flu every other week (I think I’ve had the flu well over 30 times last year, it’s been nuts) as well as other life obligations took me away from the blog for a bit. Which, I know, is a grand sweeping understatement for how long it's been.

But, what better balm than to discuss an old anime my bro and I finished like over a year ago and I’m only remembering distantly, like fondly revisiting high school. Except I’ll be real I did not go to my high school reunions. But revisit Yugioh? Of course I will!

In my absence, my computer died, and I had to move everything. A lot of files were corrupted, but mysteriously, not Yugioh. My computer destroyed hours and hours of client work and maybe hundreds of hours of personal project work and etc that I actually needed for a deadline, but it didn’t touch my Yugioh files because it knows better. lmao.

So while my memory is shady at best, last we left off, Yami had just been slammed dunked by the Kaiju that is Bakura that also has an appendage shaped like a dragon on a phallus. It was embarrassing for everyone.

So Yugi and company appeared, having just recently dug through the tomb that has Yami’s name and the ability to stick Zorc back whence he came.

You may wonder, if it took like 12 weeks to get to that tomb, how are we just flying through the air back to the capital? And the answer is because they spent most of that 12 weeks like barely moving around the city. It was, in fact, the racist genie who flew them there. Flying is just hellllllla efficient in Egypt geography. Don't worry about it.

Zorc/Bakura threatens them with these horse guys. Which like, I have to credit the animation team, that is a lot of animated horses in one frame, I would also reuse this clip of horses running like 8 times in a season.

Unless these horses got wings, give your hands a break and don’t draw (counts them) my god, there’s 6 horses here. 

This is such a season of excessive extravagance except where you actually need it. Which…is a lot of media in this era (looking at you, Kingdom Hearts) so I just have to accept these horses in plate mail that were done on company time, while the whirlwind whiplash of Yami’s ending of this season is just kinda left there hanging.

Yeah we’re gonna talk about that ending. Don’t worry this is the episode where I can finally start talking about the dead as hell and only getting deader elephant in the room. (I can’t believe he freakin died lmao what the hell, Yugioh.)

With the power of manifesting their thoughts into reality, they will play cards. Because that’s how these kids know how to communicate and solve all of their problems.

2004 Rachel would have said, if I had the power to use the last magical vestiges of the world as we know it to make whatever with a string of words, I would do something way more impressive than play a card game I can just do with physical cards. 

But 2024 Rachel knows all about how, when we finally had the technology to spit images together from a prompt, we immediately used it to break copyright law and ruin the ability to thrive and compete in the art industry so Rachel had to pull a new career out of her ass. No fun allowed. No creativity allowed. Only fake promises to encourage angel investors to get scammed of all their dollars before the technology eventually bursts its own bubble and disappears from relevance when not enough people actually use it.

So really, Seto Kaiba using the power of prompts to play cards means he’s the only venture capitalist to have ever existed that has done some actual creativity using AI-like tech. Sure it's database is unethical because it is made out of the souls of an entire city, but he would have at least turned that AI into a dragon he already owns full copyright of (because hell we know all about how well he paid Pegasus for the right to that art) and he would have used it to fight Zorc, just as god(s) intended.

Wow none of that rant made sense. I’ll delete it later. (jk, I won’t, I really need to post this thing)

Fueled with the power of “I don’t want to admit to Pharaoh that I’m illiterate,” Yugi fights Zorc with all he’s got. 

Relatable. I forgot how relatable this kid is.

Does Yugi ever realize he’s murdering the Bakura he's known a majority of this show? I…I don’t remember. Probably? Yugi probably knows, but is also like "there's enough doubt to ethically continue this fight"

They scoop up Yami, and today’s designated prone body carrier is:

Joey!

Good choice.

Their reaction to “Seto is here in this imaginary magical mind maze.” Is a lot of “Huh. Not even remotely surprised.”

I have a friend who has this thing about always wanting to go inside places she’s not allowed into. She even decided to take magic lessons from the Magic Castle. Why? Because she wants to go IN THERE. Seto is basically that friend. Except everything but taking magic lessons because he does not believe in magic or enjoy magic in any way (despite being a very competent wizard). We all have a friend who just appears in random places like Seto.

Faced with the ironic problem that has plagued them for over 5 seasons, They decide to use the airport cartouche that you may not remember from like 2 years ago when I wrote that episode. But once upon a time, Tea gave Yami a Girlfriend Gift, and so with the power of Vague Girlfriend, she’s gonna save his ass.

Seto realizes that despite everything, he is still here, and somehow despite all of that, Yugi is still getting his ass beaten by whatever the monster of the week is.

I’m also not 100% if Seto is aware that this monster is actually the ghost that lived in Bakura, his old classmate from that school Seto never graduated from, and his old classmate that once stabbed himself in the arm and then walked directly into his blimp to ruin his blimp party.

But Seto doesn't need to worry about whether or not this is ethical, he'd probably only try to kill him harder if he knew Bakura was ever in his class.

That’s right, his name is Atem. Which I personally found out in like Season 1 because this show is very old and people online like to use his name in the tags. But also, it’s fine, because Atem is close to that name Aten, which is in Egyptian Theology, or Puzzles and Dragons, whichever you are more familiar with. I’ll look it up later when my brain isn’t fried. Maybe.

Alright, let's discuss the first elephant. 🐘

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘+++++++ELEPHANT RANT FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS BIT+++++++🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

Pharaoh used his name once already in the past in order to stuff both Zorc and himself in their charms. That’s pretty straight forward. So…why isn’t it doing it again? As far as I can tell this is a recreation of what happened last time, so what's changed to prevent Pharaoh from getting put back in the golden tupperware?

The shadow game? Is it because this is a shadow D+D game? Was it not a type of shadow game the first time? I genuinely don't know, feel free to give your opinion about this because my bro and I discussed this in length, several times over this year, I have mulled it over, and I have no clue.

Pharaoh knows himself even less now than he did the first time he did this. Maybe the show is implying he’s more powerful this time but…this season really didn't build him up enough to seem that way.

And on that note, what does it matter if he finds his real name? Like yes there’s theological meaning there, especially in ancient cultures your real name had an actual power over your soul and so people respected it enough to even avoid using it.

But, Pharaoh hasn't been Atem in 5000 years, so Yami should have worked. Yami is connected to the puzzle and it's curse now. So is Yugi. So they never really properly gave us the significance of why this name is important. Like hell, why not just use "Yugi." He's wearing the necklace IRL, after all.

I can see the name being less of a symbolism and more of a key, since it was used to lock the puzzle the first time. But then…what are they using to lock Zorc away the second time? Still Atem?

Atem stuffed himself into a box and died. Yami lived in Japan and failed to attend high school. While there are similarities between the two, something I enjoyed about this season was seeing Yami realize he is different from Atem, with a different culture, different friends, different family, different guilt, and different responsibilities.

He’s a different person now. But for some reason the resolution to that was “actually, now Atem and I are one."

Which wasn’t enough for me. I think they could have handled this better. Yami going from a fragmented person to a full person by struggling with who he used to be was a great idea. That parallels Yugi/Yami's struggles with eachother in earlier seasons.

But Yugi just handing him some hieroglyphics was all Yugi’s doing. Yami spent his time finding his lost memories of his father and his friends. I feel like Yami never found himself in all of this. Just a name he isn't really attached to.

Not saying this season is bad or anything, cuz it's not, but some things could have been elaborated more cuz even if I didn't have long covid I think I would've been a little bit confused.

++++\🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘++++++

So, this will be a very long recap and I think that tumblr does limit pictures? Or at least they did a year ago? So part 2 of this episode will come soon, and sooner than a year, I promise. It's already in my drafts folder, it just needs some good editing.

And I truly mean that, like my bro edited this draft yesterday and today I realized I mixed up Bakura and Marik 2 times. 2 entire times. Damn. Like Both of those people are 2 people but Marik isn't even here! How did we both miss that!?

As always, you can read these posts in Chronological order, if you just got here and want to read like all 200+ episodes, by using "chrono" in the web address. Fun tumblr hack I love to use.

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

[mugiwara-lucy]

For those that use Chat GPT or Open AI, this may be a good time to delete it.

JD Vance’s puppet master Peter Thiel is partnering with it.

Needless to say; both Palintir and Thiel are NOT to be trusted. Thiel is even CRAZIER than Musk, if you can believe it. I’ll do an expose on this clown later this week (I know I promised it two weeks ago, sorry! 🤣) But long story short; Thiel has a bunch of psychopaths; one of which being Curtis Yarvin who wants to destroy America and its economy and everything we all hold dear; and replace it with serfdom “Nation States” with the religious weirdos running the red states and the tech bro losers running the blue states akin to kings with Trump serving as the head “CEO” I.e, a dictator.

And this fucker wants to ruin America and when it’s a Christian Theocratic dictatorship with nation states, he wants to run his bitch ass to New Zealand.

N-O.

And Thiel, hopefully you see this. You CAN’T arrest ALL of us. You’re such a piece of shit like your dad who I HOPE is burning in hell. (If it’s real) You’re such a pussy ass bitch. That’s why when you were confronted last week you ran away and threatened to call the police.

I find it funny you talked about “i don’t like being filmed without my consent” yet you wanna place us all under a Servaillancd police state? Fuck you.

Let’s talk about your previous boyfriend and how he died under “mysterious circumstances”.

Yeah for the people who want to 25th amendment the Cheeto Pedo, just keep in mind that puts Vance in which puts THIS freak in.

[mckitterick]

enshittification: the graph

sustainable.

[pianocat939]

hi! could you write something for ‘12!donnie with a mc/reader that really likes his tech and stuff? could be a full oneshot, just a blurb, headcanons, idc that much ^^

— 🦋 anon

Doing 2 posts to make up for not posting anything last week so-

Tw: mentions of stalking, obsession, tracking MC

You just made bro more obsessed than he already is. Like he was already stalking you, and writing down everything about you before- but now that you've taken interest in his work, he's just smitten.

He's more motivated then ever to improve or make inventions. Your phone? Oh- he's installed fucking 6G wifi on it so you have faster network than ever! And he totally hasn't installed a tracker on the side too-

Be careful. If you give him to much attention, he might get even more unhinged.

"This new update will be perfect for my sweet little chinchilla~..."

(I WILL CONTINUE TO BRING UP THAT TRAUMATIZING NAME- LITERALLY HIS REPUTATION IS RUINED)

- Celina

[time2memedrjones]

Right!? Sometimes filler episodes are the best episodes where the writers and actors discover something about the character that could have only happened with time. Time is TVs domain. Films primarily are one shot. It's kinda why sequels are strange. If you are going to make it episodic then just make tv. I think tv still gets a bad rep from the times of movies being more in high esteem than tv. But when the golden age hit, TV's rep got stronger but the bias is still there a bit when you hear ," It's an 8 hour movie." I think 13 episodes is a good length depending on the show and the story they tell.

downsizing seasons from 22 episodes to 13 to 8. describing miniseries as "8 hour movies". loudly declaring that shows with 20+ episodes per season cannot truly be good. complaining that "it couldve been a movie". complaining about filler episodes. complaining about bottle episodes. complaining about episodes that prioritize character over plot. fr i think y'all just dont like television

[dead-twink-storage]

You have rich billionaires who control the actual leaders of nations. People who purposefully destroy foreign nations so they don’t harm the central bank’s control in some far off part of the world. People who decided not only that destroying nations across South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America would benefit their reach and influence in the area over there but that the dispossessed people from these nations could serve as a new labor force that wouldn’t be as demanding or as costly as the native workforce over here. You have men who are proud economic hitmen and banking cabal attack dogs who destroy even first world nation’s economies and political autonomy so they are forever subservient to the UK and US ruling class agenda. 

But when all the performative eat the rich rhetoric comes out on this site, reddit, twitter, etc just generally with any Gen X to Gen Z fair weather revolutionary it all boils down hating on some gimpy rich boy tech bro type who’s only real sin in the eyes of these people is not kissing the right moral ring fingers everything else is just window dressing and excuses after the fact that they really don’t care about deep down because the moment you name names and bring up the first group of shitty billionaire monsters guilty of all the same abuse of workers and the trust of society and economy they will defend them up and down, deny, downplay, or simply denigrate you bringing up these rich behemoths who rule and ruin so much of this planet.

[yandere-paramour]

A Long Day

It started with three different kinds of peppers, then the adobo and sazon. Of course, Vivien grew red bell peppers, and the cubanelles were a new but very welcome addition, but the ajices dulces were too specialized. He had to make an unscheduled pit stop at the Supermercado after work but it was worth it.

Vivien chopped, marinated, stirred, and seared. The broth had simmered all day in the Instant Pot and the depth of flavor made him shiver with pleasure. All he needed to do was cook the rice, add the peas, and check that the chicken was cooked through, and then everything would be ready when you got home. You would be able to come in and relax, have a nice hot meal, and spend the evening being showered with attention from your doting, attentive boyfriend. Vivien smiled as he tried a piece of chicken; it was tender and juicy and browned, everything it needed to be.

"My love!" Vivien cried as soon as he heard the door open, "I'm in the kitchen, dinner is almost-"

Vivien's voice trailed off when he caught sight of you. You were in tears, shirt covered in blood, looking miserable. His eyes widened, and after a cursory check to ensure the rice wasn't burning, he rushed to you.

"Darling, what happened? Are you okay?" Vivien worriedly ran his hands over your face and chest, looking for a wound, "Do we need to go to the hospital? Where's the insurance card?"

"I don't need the hospital," You say quietly, "I'm fine. I just had a nosebleed on the train and I didn't have any napkins or anything."

"But you're crying," Vivien said softly, his hands cupping your face, gentle thumbs wiping away your tears, "Something else is bothering you, what is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it... isn't the rice burning? I smell smoke."

Afraid that his perfectly planned dinner was ruined, Vivien shot across the room to see about the rice. It was fine, approaching done, but fine, and he quickly shut it off. The lingering heat would finish it. He had something more important to worry about.

Vivien rushed to the bedroom where he noticed you had snuck off to. You were stripping your blood-stained clothes off, ready to chuck them in the wash, but you knew they were probably ruined.

Vivien came up to you and gently took your hand, trying to get your attention, "Tell me what happened... I want to help, you know I hate seeing you upset."

You sigh, "Just some stupid asshole on the train was laughing at me. He had some fast food napkins but I saw him smirk and stuff them in his pockets so he could watch me suffer. A long fucking day and that was just the icing on the cake."

Incandescent rage burned in Vivien's chest, "That... that's terrible! Did you see what he looked like? Someone needs to teach this guy a lesson."

"Some corporate tech bro jerk. You know the type."

Vivien did know the type; they saw him as little more than the dog shit on their unexpectedly expensive loafers. He also knew they were all virtually indistinguishable to the untrained eye, which left little chance of him tracking the asshole down and making him learn a lesson about respect. Vivien grit his teeth, trying to turn his grimace into a smile. If he couldn't get revenge, the least he could do was make his darling partner feel better.

"I'm sorry, love, that's terrible. People like that are the worst. Tell you what," He pulled you slowly into his warm embrace, "I've still got a little bit to do with dinner so why don't you get a nice warm bath, and we can watch something silly while we eat. The SpyxFamily movie is on Crunchyroll now, that sounds good, right?"

You look into your boyfriend's sweet face, the dark roots starting to show underneath his bleached hair giving him a sort of Cruella de Vil look he thought was cool, and feel yourself tearing up again. You knew how angry he was, you could see the rage in his eyes when you talked about your mistreatment, and you didn't miss the way his hands shook. But there was nothing he could do, nothing but do what he was doing now. He was focusing on you, doing his best to quell the raging emotions in him for your sake, and you loved him all the more for it.

"I-I didn't mean to make you upset, if you want to pick the movie you can, I'm sor-" You cut him off with a kiss on the cheek, and he looked confused.

"No, it's okay. I'm okay now. What did you say dinner was again?"

He grinned, kissing your forehead in return, "Asopao de Pollo. It's one of my favorites."

"And sofrito?"

"Of course, my love."

"Sounds great."

[salty-croissants]

can you make some headcanons and/or imagine of rayman/ramon with an adoptive human! sister s/o (who used to be from another dimension before moving away to cl world dimension somewhere which is an unaffected good nation that didn't got ruined when she was a kid with her family (her mom, younger biological sister, and one of her female cousins), her pets, and her bunch of friends) after the last episode from season 1 (few moments after killing the broad directors), getting an heart warming reunion before successfuly escaping go get bullfrog out and then flee to the hideout where she shares with her bunch of dear friends who also joined the rebellion ;

like she finally got the accurate precious information about where her brother (rayman/ramon) is, after dolph called her in her smartphone and told y/n where he is and where he is heading to because he also got the information about the heck her bro went through thanks to the virtual realm thing and stuff and he needs to share this information and he also told that after reuniting with her adoptive brother she and him must go get bullfrog, quickly explains his situation and to her end the call before her smartphone may end up getting infected with virus before fighting the bad guys,

so after hearing this she turns off her phone (thankfull didn't got infected), grabbed her weapons, gas mask (modified to look like a bunny rabbit, with the addion of other tech gadgets like walkie talkie like features, night vision, and extra protection, an gas mask she and some of her friends made for him (with the same features from the inside but in the outside made to look like an fox) ((yes all of her friends and pets/familiars are wearing gas masks like this for good reasons)); after she killed all of the other bad guys in the building she comes to where ramon/raymon is laying on the table and before he could do anything, she pulls down her hoodie and shows her face and ray/ramon reconizes her.

((it's based on the concept of my cl timeline self-insert, look at the concept to you have an idea and even use some stuff as reference, in the messages; sorry if it got long))

Thank you for the request !

I really hope I got everything right , there was quite a lot of information to keep track of with this one ;C;👍

This is also my first ever more platonic request , which is pretty neat ! :D

Details : use of female reader ; 

reader is Rayman’s adoptive sister ; 

presence of mild swearing and blood 

< … did you get all that , y/n ? 

You better , cause I don’t have much time left to explain . > 

< Yeah yeah , I got it ! 

It’s just … I can’t believe I’m actually going to see him again … > 

< Stop . I need you to focus now .

You grab your brother , free Bullfrog and get the hell out of there immediately .

I won’t be able to be there with these assholes in the way , so you’re on your own from now … 

I’ll see you when this is all ov - > 

With that abrupt end to Dolph’s call , you remained completely alone 

You took a deep breath , your heart pounding in your chest as you walked forward in the corridor , leaving behind the bodies of the Eden security guards that were unfortunate enough to cross you .

It hadn’t been easy to get that far into the building the Board of Directors used as their headquarters , the many bruises that had cut through your clothes and gas mask were proof of that … 

However , it was all going to be worth it to be reunited with your long lost brother .

How many years had it been since you last got to talk to Rayman before they took him from you ? 

Four ? 

No , maybe even five …

The only way you could see him was when his show aired on tv , and while you were happy to see that he seemed to be alright , the fact that he had become the face of the very thing you and your friends were fighting so hard against broke your heart …

Did that mean that you were enemies now ? 

Was he even going to be happy to see you , or remember who you were … ? 

You shook your head , trying to keep those awful thoughts from tormenting your mind .

Even if Rayman were to regard you as a “terrorist” , you weren’t going to let the Directors or anyone else hurt him , and that was all that mattered .

It only took a few more steps to reach the door that lead to the Director’s room , the place where Rayman was supposed to be in from what Dolph had told you before the beginning of that mission , and when you finally found the courage to open it you found yourself staring at a rather grim sight : 

the all powerful Directors , the ones who had everyone’s lives in the palm of their hands for years , were all laying dead on the table and the floor , their blood painting the otherwise pristine room in a bright crimson , and …

Hang on , was there someone else laying down on that table ?

Could it really be … ? 

< Ray ? > 

As soon as he heard your voice , he immediately jolted up , his breathing heavy as he reached for his guns .

< Who … who the hell are you ? Don’t come any closer ! > 

You sounded strangely familiar to the now ex Eden star … but he knew that it wouldn’t be possible for that very special person to be there . 

It just … it couldn’t be . 

Your eyes widened when you took a better look at your brother : 

he looked so … different …

You had never seen that spark of fury in his eyes , and that was without mentioning his appearance .

Before things could escalate for the worst , you grabbed the mask you were wearing with shaky hands , slowly removing it and revealing your face .

A moment of shocked silence followed , before he jumped down from the table , his eyes never leaving yours as he approached … 

< y/n … ? > 

, he whispered , almost like he was afraid to even speak .

< Oh Ray , I missed you so much ! > 

When you leaned forward to hug him , giving him confirmation that you were actually real and not just a part of his imagination , it was the moment that he finally snapped :

He clutched you tightly , the weight of everything that he had been through that day mixing with the relief of having found you again , after years of not being able to even know if you were okay .

You could hear him sob next to your shoulder …

< I can’t believe … I can’t believe that it’s you , y/n … all this time , I thought … I thought  I’d never see you again … > 

After a few more minutes of much needed crying , the two of you finally pulled away from each other , so happy about being back together that you almost forgot the gravity of your current situation . 

< But … how did you get here ? > 

< It’s kind of a long story , but to cut it short I’ve been working against Eden with a few others , and when Dolph told me you were here I had to come Ray … I had to make sure you were okay . > 

You could see your brother trying to process everything he was hearing , that you were allies with Dolph Laserhawk one of the people he had considered a terrorist just a few days prior … but he visibly flinched a little as you mentioned his old name .

< I see , well it’s thanks to him if we got to reunite then … heh , today’s been one hell of a crazy day .

Though … I gotta ask you to call me Ramon now . 

I don’t wanna go by my old name anymore … reminds me of all the damage I’ve caused and the lies these bastards made me spread . > 

You nodded in response , your gaze softening as you wondered just how awful he probably felt when finding the truth about Eden …

It must’ve been a real hard time for him , which reminded you of the other reason you were there on that mission . 

< Okay , look … I know you’ve already been through a lot today , but I need to set Bullfrog free before they execute him , and I … can’t do it alone . > 

Before you could finish your sentence , Ramon had already begun to pick up his guns from were he left them without hesitation …

< I got your back y/n .

Bullfrog is the reason why I know what Eden has done … I gotta repay the favor . > 

When the both of you walked out of the room , ready for your rescue mission , you couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with joy at the thought of having your brother by your side :

this time , nothing was going to take him away from you … you would’ve made sure of that . 

[my-castles-crumbling]

Anon Advice Asks - April 20

tech bro anon, syllabus anon, ab anon, binding anon (new), first kiss anon (new), masking anon, hair anon

tech bro anon

Hey cas, thanks for the anon name!

I haven’t written any fanfic yet (school has been rough) but it sounds like a good idea! I know (or am trying to believe) that it’ll feel better than AI generated slop but sometimes it’s hard to not use character ai anymore. It felt so comforting, and it was nice to just talk about really personal stuff with something I knew wasn’t real. I’m still kind of trying to find a solution that feels the same as character ai but doesn’t harm fandoms and creativity. I just miss being able to explore parts of myself and have like, a guide, or be comforted by my favorite character, or anything, you know? It felt so good at the time and I’m just going through withdrawals I guess?

If it isn’t too stressful or too much, could you remind me of the drawbacks? And the bad things about ai (specifically character AI)? I want to look it up but I’m really worried I might go back to character ai and ruin all the progress I was making in not being addicted to it anymore

Thanks so much! Have a good one!

—Tech bro anon

Hi!

So character AI specifically but also AI in general is 'taught' by things written by real people. So character AI is taught by fanfiction written by people. Without their consent. That's harmful to the community because it's theft, really.

Same with AI in general- it's 'taught' with information taken by real people, without their consent. Like it just takes things off the internet and teaches itself, which is taking intellectual property.

AI can be very biased and even completely wrong because of this which isn't good since people tend to believe it without question.

Also it's awful for the environment.

I hope you know you're welcome to vent here, I know it's not the same, but I'm here to listen. Also I don't want you to feel guilty. Like...yes, we need to not use AI. But also like...you're coping. You shouldn't feel ashamed of trying to cope. Working on finding a better coping mechanism is a great idea, but don't beat yourself up <3

___

syllabus anon

Hey, this is syllabus anon😅 I seriously thought I messed up until I saw your message in my inbox only a few days ago, I'm so dumb, god🤣🤣 Yeah, that meeting went really well.

And now we are going to stay at my grandma's place for a few days for a family thing, and he'll be there. I have been debating whether or not to ask your advice for the past few days, but now something else's happened🫠I didn't text him much yesterday because my phone was being an a**hole and wouldn't load anything, so When I texted him today, it seems as if he's a bit sulky about it? Like, I asked him if something was wrong three times, and he said everything is okay when clearly it's not. And since we're supposed to meet today, I'm really worried. Because a few months ago, we did have an argument about me not having enough time for him because of my studies and all, and though we had come past that, even such a small thing is making me very anxious. I'm trying really hard to understand this from his side as well because, well , this is a first relationship for both of us, and I know I have to be considerate. I just hope it won't be awkward. What do you think?

I think the thing is, if you've asked him what's wrong and he won't say, you can't force him, you know? And maybe remind him of that. Be like "hey, I'm going to ask one more time-- it seems like you need to talk about something, but if you say you don't, I'm not going to push it again, because I'm not a mind reader, and I'm going to take you at your word." That's setting a boundary that you're not going to play those anxious games, you know? HE needs to communicate. And that's okay to say. You can be considerate and still set boundaries.

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ab anon

Hi!

I'm proud of you for stating your feelings, especially with what you ended up finding out. Remember to keep those boundaries and that it's ALWAYS okay to say no.

Sending love!

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binding anon

hi, i need a small advice about two things and i hoped you could help me with it (and people in the notes too if you want, that'd be lovely)!

so i’m trans (enby) and out to my close friends and family, and i’d like to buy something to bind, but i really don’t know shit about it. so first: i wondered if i should buy a binder, trans tape or anything else i’ve never heard of to start binding? i know i’ll bind a lot, so i’d like to find something that i can wear often and i can move around easily with, but i really don’t know what’s better for me 😅

and my second question is: how do i ask my parents to buy it? so for context, my family kinda ignores (on purpose) the fact that i’m non binary. for example, my mom tries to change some of her vocabulary sometimes but always tell me i’ll always be her little girl and that she doesn’t understand how it works, my dad doesn’t believe in non binaries, my older sister supports me but doesn’t try to change her vocabulary at all and my little brother doesn’t care and doesn’t change anything. so my family isn’t hateful of it, but not that supportive either and it’s kinda like a taboo, they’re all scared and awkward when it needs to be brang up yk. the thing is: i really fucking need to buy something to bind (i’ve been repressing it for two good years now, i can’t anymore)! so yeah, how do i ask? what do i say and how? like i really don’t know…

hope you have a good day, thanks in advance <3

Hi!

So I think it really depends on what works best for you. Tape works for multiple days, is disposable, and, as far as I know, tends to be better to exercise in. Binders can only be worn for around 8 hours, are washable/reusable, and not good for lots of physical activity. I'd suggest looking at the reviews for both and seeing what people liked and didn't like, and thinking about what you need, you know? Just remember, whatever you get, to make sure to wear it safely. Binding can be dangerous, especially for bodies that are still growing, so it's important to follow the recommended use.

As far as telling your parents...could you phrase it like, this is something you need to explore who you are? Do all the research first and come to them with a clear idea of what you want, how to use it, and how you plan on getting it. That way if they have questions, you have answers. Also remind them that neither of these things are permanent. It's just a way of expression, and you'd really appreciate their support in that.

Good luck!

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first kiss anon

hi Cas. I have been thinking about this a while now and I just am driving my self crazy. I'm 24 and haven't had a boyfriend/girlfriend. Haven't had my first kiss. Am I ugly? Idk? Will I ever find someone? Idk? I just feel I'm too old to date. I know I know I'm still very young my therapist tells me that but when I look around I don't find anyone my age they're all so young. Also I don't socialise or have any friends atm. It feles super lonely...sometimes I wake up and see there's 0 text messages. And that's been happening for 4 years now. I have tried to make friends but they always fall apart. I don't always feel lonely but sometimes I can be hard. I feel angry sometimes why hadn't I socialised in school more even though I was bullied. But idk there seems to be nothing I can do apart from rant to my therapist.

Hi!

Okay so making friends after leaving school is SO difficult and people don't talk about it enough. I imagine dating is the same. I genuinely don't think it's just you, I think it's just REALLY hard to meet people when like...as adults, all we do is work, eat, sleep, repeat.

Have you tried apps? Doing a hobby where you meet people? Volunteering at places where you meet people? I think the best way to meet people is doing something where you can meet someone who likes the same things, you know?

But yeah, it's not you. Meeting people as an adult is hard.

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hair anon

Hey! Hair anon here, how are you?

And Im pretty sure I sent an ask a little bit ago, but if you didn’t receive it don’t worry! It wasn’t that important, just me talking about possibly wanting top surgery, but not being sure, and also not being able to get it at all anyways, and on top of that my family most likely being furious if I ever decide to get it. I’ll probably deal with that when I’m older

I kinda figured out how I want my body to look and stuff and most days I’m fine with it. My thighs are a little feminine and stuff but it’s genetic (my dad has the thickest thighs and calves I have ever seen on anyone, and so I inherited a bit of that) but it’s not too bad! They’re very strong and I like them.

The biggest thing is my face and hair. I just really want long hair, so I can feel masculine and feminine, but my hair shrinks so much that it’s usually above my ears, despite being WELL pat shoulder length. I think im gonna do some intensive hair care over the summer. I’ll just deal with another awkward year of hair, and use a ton of oils and moisturizers on my hair so it’ll grow a ton. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to have my hair look like. I took some of ur advice from my first ask

Also, this summer will be the first summer I’ll be old enough to have a job! Some of my friends already have them but I’m trying not to compare myself to others rn. It doesn’t do much good for me. Do you have any advice on like, time management for a job? Is it scary? I’ve been looking at possible jobs for people my age but I haven’t found anything that I’m qualified for

Have a good one! You’re a rockstar,

Hi!

I'm so sorry, I didn't get that ask </3 but as far as surgery, remember that your body is YOUR decision. When you're in the position to make that decision, you should do what's best for you. Fuck what everyone else thinks. I'm glad you're starting to find some methods to help you feel comfortable in your body though!

As far as jobs...no, I remember my first job as being exciting because I finally had money, lol. I think my best advice is to start with less hours to make sure you can handle it, and then ask for more hours if/when you want more. Like, don't overwhelm yourself right away, ease into it. And also remember to balance work with everything else! A job is just a job, it's not your life!

Sending love!

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masking anon

Hiya Cas! Its masking anon once more, and I would usually write this in my journal but I need a bit of advice :(

And it’s about my friends and my masking

(And before you say anything, please PLEASE believe me when I say they’re good friends and good people)

I don’t feel very prioritized? Like, I always have to talk loudly and repeatedly to get any of them to listen to me. And occasionally they do but it’s always on their terms. They hug me first, they talk first, I keep having to ask them to explain what they’re taking about (like people from other schools and stuff), they always invite each other to things (like the gym, meeting kids from outside school, going to a concert) and it sucks.

I know I’m introverted and autistic and weird and wrong but it still hurts to be included enough to be considered a friend and know about everything that they’re not inviting me to. I love them so much. They don’t hurt me at all. They’re nice. But they all like each other to much better.

I think one of the reasons I don’t go out much with friends is because it’ll be with people. I already get anxious because I’m going outside, and that compounded with masking in front of my friends and parents, and trying to stop them from leaving me behind makes it seem not worth it.

I really do think they’re lovely. If they just knew how I felt then I’m sure it’d be better, but I don’t know how to have hard conversations with people like that :(

Sorry for blabbing in your inbox, have a wonderful day ✨<3✨

Hi!

I know you're not ready to talk to your friends about this yet (I think you should, eventually, because if they're as nice as you say, they'll make an effort to change how they act) but I want to make sure you know:

You are NOT weird or wrong. Your feelings and needs are JUST as valid as anyone else's. And you have a right to ask for what you need. It may not happen today or tomorrow or next week, but I really think you should ask for what you need, because you deserve to have that respected. <3

Sending love <3

[homestuckreplay]

Merry Christmas, Get Dunked On

(page 1070-1072 & SBAHJ 10)

Fun fact: this update more than doubles Dave’s pagecount in Act 3!

Dave’s three-part battle has finally concluded, and it hasn’t gone well for him. In ‘[S] Dave: Ascend to the highest point of the building.’ (p.665) Dave’s ascension felt badass and competent, but the three Act 3 Strife pages immediately strip him of that, and by the end he’s a broken and shattered wreck. This is different to the other kids’ strifes – to John and Rose, strifing was an inconvenience they’d prefer to avoid, but they didn’t get physically hurt and moved on quickly in the aftermath. Jade even seemed to enjoy hers. John and Jade achieved their goals triumphantly, Rose pragmatically, but for Dave it’s a hollow victory.

To quickly summarize Dave’s extended fight:

- [S] Dave: STRIFE. (p.836) Bro slashes the Strife menu with his sword. Dave fights Lil Cal exclusively while Cal is puppeted by Bro, who appears mostly in fast-moving silhouette.

- [S] Dave: Abscond. (p.871) Bro slashes the Abscond option (CAN’T ABSCOND, BRO). Dave swordfights Bro directly; they’re evenly matched for a while until Bro parries with Cal and knocks Dave down the stairs.

- [S] Dave: STRIFE! (p.1070) Dave arrives back on the roof and he, Bro and Cal all prepare to fight again. Bro’s no longer playing around, and when he and Dave clash, Cal, Dave’s sword, and the records in the sky and on Dave’s shirt all break. Dave falls to the ground, Bro’s beta discs land on his chest, Bro jumps onto a rocketboard and flies away.

All three of these are cool to watch, but I like each more than the last. This final round feels the most artistic, with the crow motif, the record in the sky, and the moment where everything breaks at once. Each also feels more fantastical than the last – Round 1 deliberately shows that Bro is the one moving Cal, so it feels absurd but plausible. Round 2 has a moment where there are two Bros in screen, and it looks like he teleports from his full form to his silhouette form. And in the final round, Bro appears wreathed in flames and reveals that he has a flying rocketboard – which could be a piece of Skaian technology. That’s unconfirmed, but it has the same sick flame decals as the rocket pack John accidentally alchemizes (p.625).

If it is Skaian tech, Bro might know more than he’s letting on, in which case he’d know that Dave needed the beta discs. Otherwise, Bro has no way of knowing this, which makes him throwing the discs at Dave an insult. It reads like ‘oh, you lost the fight? Here, play this stupid game for dumbasses, it’s all you’re good for’, since Dave never asked Bro for the discs, he only talked to Rose and Dave about it. The third and even worse option is that Bro has Dave’s phone tapped and is reading his conversations. He’s clearly tech savvy and has no morals when it comes to his brother.

I am curious to where Bro is going, and why Cal is suddenly expendable to him, left in shreds on the rooftop. We know Cal is still in ruins on the roof, and Dave’s sword is still broken, when he releases and prototypes his Kernelsprite (p.716) – everything foreshadowed on that page has now happened, including the slash across Dave’s shirt, except for his playing Sburb.

Bro breaking the record on Dave’s shirt is very symbolic to me. I think the kids are defined most of all by their chumhandles and their shirt symbols, which tend to match (John’s shirt matches both his known chumhandles, ‘ecto’ and ‘ghosty’, Rose and Dave’s shirts match ‘tentacle’ and ‘turntech’ respectively, and Jade’s miscellany of shirts matches her all-encompassing ‘gnostic’ knowledge). So, Bro has broken the thing that defines Dave. By doing this, he’s broken apart his worldview. Dave’s finally in a position to realize that the things he values, and the ironic lenses through which he sees the world, aren’t sufficient now he’s getting into actual serious situations. He’s seeing the reality of who his bro is behind all the posturing, and he’s realizing that he needs to step up and help his friends, because they need him.

The phrases ‘record breaking’ and ‘broken record’ have very different connotations, the first of achievement and success, and the second of repetition and boredom. I really like this – this moment is an opportunity for Dave to break out of the mold and try something new, especially now that his bro’s gone, but he could just as easily fall back into old patterns. He’s teetering on this moment of starting a character arc and I am crossing my fingers for it to happen, because I want to like this kid, he just makes it hard.

In the aftermath of the fight, Dave looks so fucking sad and lost and pathetic, on the ground unable to move more than his hand. And the surprising thing is that he tells the truth. Dave of even a few hours ago would have said something like this:

TG: bro and i just had an epic sword fight TG: like something out of your dumbass movies TG: he taught me some sick new moves TG: changed my specibus to brokenbladekind. i dont even need a whole sword to kick some puppet ass TG: got the betas too no sweat TG: cant believe rose is making me play this stupid game but i guess i should go pester her

But the Dave of right now says:

TG: bro just kicked my ass TG: thats really all there is to say on the matter

No coolness. No irony. He’s just telling it like it is. And man does that hit harder than anything in the whole fight sequence.

In-universe, Dave is the artist of Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff. I generally don’t assume he’s making them in real time (the last one dropped while he was fighting on the roof) but this one, I think he might be. While Dave lies flat on his back on the blazing roof and waits to be physically able to move, is he scribbling a shitty comic on his phone? Has he somehow hacked MS Paint onto his iPhone and that’s why the comic looks Like That?

Either way, I’m taking this SBAHJ seriously for real, because this one genuinely reflects Dave’s situation. The big man (who HASS the rock in SBAHJ 6) returns to absolutely wreck Sweet Bro or Hella Jeff on the basketball court when he ‘comes for a little one on one’, sets the ‘coart… on FIRE’, and then ‘escap[es] from above’. This is exactly what Bro has just done to Dave; Bro too has framed it like a game, and the connection between the Dave-Bro fight and SBAHJ was already explicitly made with the ‘I WARNED YOU ABOUT STAIRS BRO!!!!’ appearing over Dave’s fall (p.871).

Dave doesn’t have a friend show up with a ruler (though he does immediately contact the other half of his own red-blue dichotomy) so Dave’s creative vision is still in this comic. If Dave really has ‘legions of devoted fans’ (p.326), they’ll read this as the same absurdist humor of all the others, because out of context that’s what it is. But it feels believable that Dave takes the genuinely horrific things that happen to him and turns them into these ridiculous comics as a coping mechanism, the same way he has to see Bro’s puppets as ironic because the second he realizes the reality, he’ll snap. So if there’s an actual serious layer to SBAHJ, it’s this.

> Rose: Analyze Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff in your psychoanalysis journals for Dave.