#the final bits of their argument

[theladyfae]

for some reason it didn't occur to me to put 'tere nainon ke aage to taare bhi sharmaaye' down as an aziracrow lyric until now but realisation has just hit me and i am. Sobbign

[meloartist]

"i simply do not see it. i am looking away"

[artheresy]

I can’t stay quiet about this, I need to scream it to SOMEBODY ANYBODYYY

Dan Heng and Blade were Dan Feng and Yingxing. “Dh and Bld are Df and Yx!” Nope, their current selves aren’t them, that lacks nuance. “Dh and Bld aren’t Df and Yx!” THAT ALSO LACKS NUANCEE they are still connected and fundamentally shaped by their past identities, they aren’t entirely separate from them while also still being separate in a way. The best way I can describe it is like a venn diagram, there is overlap, but there also are still areas where they don’t.

To expand more, I wanna talk about the way they foil each other a bit in this sense. For Dan Heng, even if he is a botched rebirth, simply a “de-aged Dan Feng” not fully reborn, he is still not Dan Feng. While Dan Feng has made up the basis of his personality and he accepts him as his past, I think we forget that Dan Heng had his own entire childhood after the molting rebirth was completed. One he spent imprisoned by the Ten Lords Commission, and then he was exiled when he was old enough leading to his whole journey until he became apart of the Astral Express crew etc etc. Dan Heng is made up of a basis of Dan Feng + All of his own memories and experiences. While he shares traits with Dan Feng such as personality aspects like his stubbornness, his technique with a spear, and being able to connect with his old items, he also is very much himself with his own outlook and traits shaped by what he’s learned rather than what he has been born with. To treat him as if he is Dan Feng exactly is a disservice to both of their characters and the greater narrative that they apart of. He may still carry the burdens and karma of Dan Feng, but Dan Heng is still making his own future.

Now, Blade. Blade similarly is not Yingxing, not completely. Though he accepts Yingxing’s sin as his own and is intent of repaying the sin of Dan Feng and Yingxing (and getting Dan Heng to repay it too), there still are distinctions between him and Yingxing. In fact, I’d argue there are more things separating them. I could talk for so long again about the layered use of craftsmanship to connect, or rather disconnect, the two identities of Blade and Yingxing, but there’s more than that. “Now, ██ had died. His first — and only — death.” “From this moment on, that body will be the one and only "Blade."” Although Blade was Yingxing, a disconnect exists between them through the death of Yingxing. He awoke with no memories of his past, no even his name, until Jingliu came along, instilled in him her ideologies, made him remember, not only his past sins but the feeling of death so that he might inflict it onto others. As she said, he was reborn and had even given himself a name…

I want to add that the specific ways in which their current identities exist in proximity to their past ones foil each other. As I said, Dan Heng, in part as his sabotaged rebirth, is built upon the foundation of Dan Feng and all of his own experiences and memories. He has the capacity to gain back more memories of Dan Feng as his DH IL character stories outline, and though he is still himself and still moves forward, we see him accept his relation to Dan Feng eventually. Though that past life of his is clouded by fog and mist, he may eventually be able to push away the clouds that block him and understand more, about Dan Feng and in turn about himself. With Blade, it is so heavily emphasized in game from his relic lore to the very sword he uses that his mind is essentially broken, due both in part to the trauma of Jingliu’s “teachings” and the mara that was brought on by those lessons. He can’t fully remember everything about Yingxing, in fact actively remembering such or seeing familiar things is harmful to him. Like his shard sword, he is made of broken pieces, put together in a way that can never erase the cracks, and continuously shattering before being glued together again. His life is shaped by Yingxing’s past, the trauma he has endured is directly caused by his past actions. Unlike Dan Heng, he hasn’t had this whole life to build up and live. Though he’s experienced new things, they don’t shape him and change him in the way that Dan Heng’s built his identity up.

Where Dan Heng basically has supplements to Dan Feng’s identity that make him who he is, Blade is the broken shards and pieces of Yingxing that weren’t lost to the waves, making him who he is. Dan Heng is a next chance, finally free from the Preceptors’ control and of the role that stripped his past selves of their individuality, meanwhile Blade is the husk left behind of Yingxing’s regrets, broken by trauma caused due to Yingxing’s past actions, forever tormented by his past until he inevitably is able to die. If Dan Heng is more than just Dan Feng which is why he is separate but intertwined with him, than Blade is less than Yingxing, in a way that has caused such a severe disconnect that has caused Blade to have his own identity still shaped. And looking at this, not to again bring up my craftsmanship post about Blade, Dan Heng can connect to Dan Feng. He can clear the fog, remembering his memories through dreams even if he can’t fully connect emotionally to him, and he finds sentiment in many of items that once were his, smth not many Vidyadhara actually are capable of doing. To contrast, Blade is forever separated from connecting completely to Yingxing’s identity. His memories will always be fragmented, his own path entirely changed. He can’t connect to Yingxing’s past goals and passions, seen through the distinct decision made in his character stories to talk about how he can no longer use his hands to forge weapons (something that completely defined Yingxing’s life and legacy, tied to his childhood trauma and hatred of the Abundance, something that became his genuine passion), and how none of that mattered to Blade.

All of this, the ways they foil each other and the separation between their past selves and current, just makes me love their dynamic and their lore a lot. Makes me want to cry most days of my life if I’m honest. And it’s part of why I do take issue with the way nuance has completely left this argument, only having two extremes of “Dan Heng is Dan Feng!” Or “Dan Heng isn’t Dan Heng!” Again… Dan Heng WAS Dan Feng, he wouldn’t be Dan Heng without Dan Feng, but he is still himself. That’s part of the tragedy between them. They are still fundamentally defined and shaped by their past selves, similarities able to be spotted if they can be remembered, but they’ve also experienced so much that has changed them, and they can never truly go back to being Dan Feng and Yingxing. It would never be fully the same again.

[chaoskid-deer]

For the ask game: Victor Frankenstein, 12 and 21!

I have so many strong opinions on this man you have no idea. 

12. What’s a headcanon you have for this character?

Why did I immediately forget any headcanon I’ve ever had. This is soooo basic but I always imagine him with greasy, chin length black hair, so seeing Oscar Isaac’s victor frankenstein have exactly that was a YAY LETS GOOO moment for me (although he is too old to be frankenstein in my head. That is a floppy sad 23 year old.) 

Again, not really a headcanon so much an extrapolation of text, but i think he’s a huge perfectionist. He’s the kind of guy who would rewrite his PhD thesis from scratch just to make it “read better”. 

21. If you’re a fic writer and have written for this character, what’s your favourite thing to do when you’re writing this character? What’s something you don’t like? 

Surprising no one, my favourite thing is to make this man an unreliable narrator. He’s fighting through guilt, grief, and depression, but also he’s the kind of guy who thinks he’s smart enough to laugh in the face of God and nature and create a whole man from scratch perfectly the first time. His mental headspace is bananas and I feel like I haven’t done him justice if I’m not accurately reflecting that. 

So I love to have him be like woe is me, I’m so alone, no one understands me, as Elizabeth and Henry are like “hey! I’m here! Maybe eat some soup! Go outside! I’m worried about you!” 

Something I don’t like… hmm. I would say simple fix its, or happy endings. The thing that compels me the most is Victor’s spiral into madness and his destructive mutual obsession with the creature. I think there’s a lot of interesting ways to take a fix it, and things worth exploring, i’m just not interested in being the one to explore it. 

[starsandgutters]

Kevin x fem Aaron brainrot is back & stronger than ever but I don’t even have time to write it because I’m still working through my list of like *checks* 30-something fics I have to write & probably only two people will read it but I am thinking about them so much atm & the subtle changes in their dynamic & how they’d come together so much easier but consequently have a lot more issues earlier on and heeeuuaaaggghhhh fem Aaron x Kevin

[autisticzenitsu]

I don't know who needs to hear this, but character development does not equal a complete personality change.

[non-un-topo]

Sometimes I write without a plan and the most nonsensical shit tumbles out lol

[calypsolemon]

i know I've spoken on this extensively before but it's still so funny to me when ppl point out harumi blaming lloyd illogically for her parents death instead of pythor or whatever as if it's like an actual plothole of her character. If she was "logical" she wouldn't be a crazy evil bitch ok <3

[bacchuschucklefuck]

I just wanna say that in the most positive way possible, your Magis and Hyde piece made me burst into tears. They're so important to me and goseiger is overall so overlooked so the fact something so raw and perfectly THEM now exists from your passion and efforts means the world to me. Thank you

this is very sweet im glad u enjoy my little comic! goseiger really did surprise me with how it handled a number of topics, wuxia-style heroic sacrifices included. it feels worth writing a small thing for at least. im glad what i wrote found good company!

[alongtidesoflight]

.

[bumblingbabooshka]

A Klingon and a half Vulcan participate in a myriad of rituals.

[azems-familiar]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Azem/Emet-Selch/Hythlodaeus/Original Character, Azem/Emet-Selch (Final Fantasy XIV) Characters: Azem (Final Fantasy XIV), Emet-Selch (Final Fantasy XIV), Hythlodaeus (Final Fantasy XIV), Original Final Fantasy XIV Characters Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, the oc is another ancient obviously, The Final Days (Final Fantasy XIV), Amaurot (Final Fantasy XIV), Break Up, Angst, Named Azem (Final Fantasy XIV), Male Azem (Final Fantasy XIV), Established Relationship, which is in the process of being unestablished, Tempering (Final Fantasy XIV), POV Emet-Selch (Final Fantasy XIV) Series: Part 1 of your boldness stands alone among the wreck Summary:

He has never been particularly aligned to the Light, nor has he made a habit of utilizing Light-aligned spells when he fights, but his aetheric balance is skewed and he can sense it, and it makes every spell he casts, no matter how minor, behave differently. Hythlodaeus had been horrified, when Emet-Selch had first come home in the wake of the summoning, though he hadn’t spoken of it; he’d merely pulled Emet-Selch into a tight, clinging hug and asked if it was over, then.

No, Emet-Selch had said, because even then they had already known that Etheirys was still dead. But we will end it soon, this I swear to you. - In the aftermath of Zodiark's summoning, the Convocation gathers to discuss the next sacrifice. Azem and his best friend leave Amaurot. Emet-Selch is left behind with the wreckage.

[true-blue-sonic]

(HI BLUE!!!) I've never failed to notice how mistreated and/or bullied silver has been in the comics and games, so what if he went evil over a long period of time? With the words "Do better" and "get out of my sight" thrown at him (especially in archie) I have a feeling he wouldnt exactly love it tbh.

Hello! ^-^ If I'm being quite honest, that is one of the things I really did not like about the pre-reboot Archie comics. Not only is Silver a dumbass who rudely accuses people left and right with very limited and lacking information as his guide (which is still somewhat understandable since his future was in ruin and only few people in the past seemed remotely willing to help), I just... Heck, I hate how they characterised Sonic there. Sonic wouldn't do the things he did to Silver in Archie, plain and simple. He'd eventually get irked, yes, but what I appreciate about Sonic in the games is that in '06, he's quick to accept Silver's change of heart and sees that he only means well for the future, and in Rivals he remains his chipper self most of the time even when Silver is being blunt. And they make up, and Silver clearly respects Sonic at the end of both games! I cannot see either of those Sonics drag Silver throughout an entire town by his quills to throw him head-first into a hospital bed. Nor would Sonic from the games tell Silver to fuck off in such a manner. And that whole thing with Lanolin in IDW has left quite a sour taste in my mouth too, not gonna lie. If there is anyone who needs to 'do better' it is her, with the complete life-threatening failure of a first mission concluded under her leadership and her general bossy personality she is aware of yet makes no improvements on to change for the better. So yeah, Silver is indeed the no-respect guy from both comics. It's just not fun to see such things happen to my favourite character, especially because the other characters are either being wildly OOC assholes or in-character assholes to facilitate it. But that was a bit of a rant, apologies.

Still, I do not think Silver would turn outright evil. I can see him become more withdrawn and even more short-tempered, with the decision that if people are so unwilling to help him he'll just have to go completely solo and take matters into his own hands quickly following. And that would actually cause a lot more trouble for the heroes, because Silver has mostly no qualms against murder, is highly OP so very difficult to defeat in a fight where he is giving his all, is more deceivable than most others and thus might be entirely on the wrong path despite he himself believing he is doing the right thing, etcetera. His intentions would still be heroic, but his actions would be more anti-hero- or even villainous-like. Which is unfortunate, because with only one or two good conversations where he is taken seriously and maybe some brawls to knock some sense into him, none of it would have been necessary in the first place. But yes, I can imagine he is hurt and bothered by how he gets brushed off by the heroes, and that is a prime situation for him to go do things by himself if no-one takes him seriously. And that could cause more trouble than it is worth... Hmm, I cannot see someone like Archie!Sonic apologise for not listening and taking Silver seriously, but who knows what we'll get in IDW when the whole plotline with Duo/Mimic is resolved. We'll only be sure once the issues have been released, for better or for worse.

[buggachat]

bumping this in celebration of the fact that, after an entire week of being "in review", tumblr finally decided that a string of emojis was not worth being censored for Mature Themes

adrien has always been a very supportive wingman

bonus:

[alexanderwales]

I'm a big fan of wizards-as-programmers, but I think it's so much better when you lean into programming tropes.

A spell the wizard uses to light the group's campfire has an error somewhere in its depths, and sometimes it doesn't work at all. The wizard spends a lot of his time trying to track down the exact conditions that cause the failure.

The wizard is attempting to create a new spell that marries two older spells together, but while they were both written within the context of Zephyrus the Starweaver's foundational work, they each used a slightly different version, and untangling the collisions make a short project take months of work.

The wizard has grown too comfortable reusing old spells, and in particular, his teleportation spell keeps finding its components rearranged and remixed, its parts copied into a dozen different places in the spellbook. This is overall not actually a problem per se, but the party's rogue grows a bit concerned when the wizard's "drying spell" seems to just be a special case of teleportation where you teleport five feet to the left and leave the wetness behind.

A wizard is constantly fiddling with his spells, making minor tweaks and changes, getting them easier to cast, with better effects, adding bells and whistles. The "shelter for the night" spell includes a tea kettle that brings itself to a boil at dawn, which the wizard is inordinately pleased with. He reports on efficiency improvements to the indifference of anyone listening.

A different wizard immediately forgets all details of his spells after he's written them. He could not begin to tell you how any of it works, at least not without sitting down for a few hours or days to figure out how he set things up. The point is that it works, and once it does, the wizard can safely stop thinking about it.

Wizards enjoy each other's company, but you must be circumspect about spellwork. Having another wizard look through your spellbook makes you aware of every minor flaw, and you might not be able to answer questions about why a spell was written in a certain way, if you remember at all.

Wizards all have their own preferences as far as which scripts they write in, the formatting of their spellbook, its dimensions and material quality, and of course which famous wizards they've taken the most foundational knowledge from. The enlightened view is that all approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, but this has never stopped anyone from getting into a protracted argument.

Sometimes a wizard will sit down with an ancient tome attempting to find answers to a complicated problem, and finally find someone from across time who was trying to do the same thing, only for the final note to be "nevermind, fixed it".

[complainblogforthevoid]

I've finally figured out an argument that convinces coding tech-bros that AI art is bad.

Got into a discussion today (actually a discussion, we were both very reasonable and calm even through I felt like committing violence) with a tech-bro-coded lady who claimed that people use AI in coding all the time so she didn't see why it mattered if people used AI in art.

Obviously I repressed the surge of violence because that would accomplish nothing. Plus, this lady is very articulate, the type who makes claims and you sit there thinking no that's wrong it must be but she said it so well you're kind of just waffling going but, no, wait-- so I knew I had to get this right if I was gonna come out of this unscathed.

The usual arguments about it being about the soul of it and creation fell flat, in fact she was adamant that anyone who believed that was in fact looking down at coding as an art form as she insisted it is. Which, sure, you can totally express yourself through coding. There's a lot more nuance as to the differences but clearly I was not going to win this one.

The other people I was with (literally 8 people anti-ai against her, but you can't change the mind of someone who doesn't want to listen and she just kept accusing us of devaluing coding as an art) took over for I kid you not 15 minutes while I tried desperately to come up with a clear and articulate way to explain the difference to her. They tried so many reasonable arguments, coding being for a function ("what, art doesn't serve a function?") coding being many discrete building blocks that you put together differently, and the AI simply provides the blocks and you put it together yourself ("isn't that what prompt building is") that it's bad for the environment ("but not if it's used for capitalism, hm?" "Yeah literally that's how capitalism works it doesn't care about the environment" she didn't like that response)

But I finally got it.

And the answer is: It's not about what you do, it's about what you claim to be.

Imagine that someone asks an AI to write a code and, by some miracle, it works perfectly without them having to tweak it---which is great because they couldn't tell you what a single solitary thing in that code means.

Now imagine this person, with their code that they don't know how it works, goes and applies to be a coder somewhere, presenting this AI code as proof that they're qualified.

Should they be hired?

She was horrified, of course. Of course they shouldn't be. They're not qualified. They can't actually code, and even if by some miracle they did have an AI successfully write a flawless code for every issue they came across that wouldn't be their code, you could hire any shmuck on the street to do that, no reason to pay someone like they're creating something.

When actual engineers use AI what they do is get some kind of base, which they then go though and check for problems and then if they find any they fix them, and add on to the base code with their own knowledge instead of just trying different prompt after prompt until they randomly come across one that works.

People who generate code like this don't usually call themselves engineers. They're people who needed a bit of code and didn't have the knowledge to generate it, and so used a resource.

And there you go. There are people who have none of the skills of artists, they don't practice, they don't create for themselves. When they feed the prompt to the AI they then don't just use the resulting image as a reference point for their own personal masterpiece, and if they don't like it they don't have the skills to change it---they simply try another prompt, and do that until they get something they like.

These people are calling themselves artists.

Not only that, these people are bringing the AI generated thing to interviews, and they are getting hired, leaving people who slave over their craft out of the job.

And that is the difference, for the tech bros who think AI art isn't a big deal.