#why can't robots desire to be themselves and be happy with themselves

[madame-mongoose]

Enough robots who wish to be human. Wheatley doesn't desire humanity. He literally rants about how he doesn't like humans (and covers his ass when he remembers Chell is one)

He doesn't want to be human he isn't insecure in his artificial self. He's just a silly robot guy who likes to glide around on his management rail okay

[marshmallowprotection]

Hi there again!

Would you be able to do a fluffy one-shot or an imagine of the RFA boys + SE Saeran seeing a neurodivergent gender-neutral MC stim for the first time?

Love your work still and forever! :]

Yoosung has a couple of friends in one of his social clubs who need to stim whenever they have big bouts of emotion, but he can be a bit clueless when it comes to the reason why people like to stim. There's a reason, sure, but he's never asked why.

He is very supportive but a little confused, if that makes sense? He can get a little mixed up when it comes to the reason why somebody would need to stim, but, after some education on the subject, he'll be with the best of them. Yoosung is always well-intentioned even if he's got a lot to learn. He might be a little out of the loop but that doesn't mean he'll be that way forever. With education, he is the biggest ally.

That's why it would mean a lot to him to know that you trust him enough to share that side of yourself. He knows it's not easy to hide parts of yourself all the time because you're afraid people are going to treat you differently or discriminate against you. He would never stand for that sort of thing, but he can't stop how other people react, he can only control how he reacts. He has a smile on his face the first time you let loose and show him a side of yourself that nobody else gets to see, a side that only gets shown to the people you trust the most.

Zen has mentioned a friend or two in his past that might've been the type to stim to calm themselves down.

He understands what it feels like to have a wave of emotion hit you but no way to express it. He always had to bite his tongue no matter what he felt like when people made him feel uncomfortable, but all he wanted to do was slap their hands away. That is certainly not the same as needing to stim to regulate his excitement or distress, but it’s how he would sympathize with the experience to understand why it helps you! 

Any deviation from the norm can be upsetting to society, he knows that like the back of his hand. He doesn't like people gawking at him for his appearance, and he certainly wouldn't appreciate anyone gawking at you for being yourself. You can trust him to shoot glares at anybody who dares to think ill of you when you need to stim. Not a soul in this world is going to say something nasty about you and get away with it on his watch. 

Jumin has been stimming for years without the language to describe that's what he's been doing. Twirling his pen, stroking Elizabeth's fur over and over again, tapping his fingers against the desk when lost in thought. Those are a few examples, but not all of the acts he's done to regulate what he feels. He might be a straightforward, matter-of-fact kind of person, but he certainly holds back when he shouldn’t. He's not an unfeeling robot, his emotions are just expressed in a different way from others. 

Considering the fact that his mother nudged him into a corner his entire childhood to be the silent, obedient child she wanted him to be, only to call him an emotionless robot when he didn't behave like other children really did a number on him. He has been suppressing things that could be seen as stimming behavior, and he’d only pause mid-thought when you bring up your stims.

Perhaps yours are the kind that is far more expressive than the ones he's experienced, and he may imagine it to be more forthcoming and everyone, not realizing that there can be smaller motions that are just as comforting. Either way, expect him to be supportive no matter what, and to do more research on the subject not only for you but for himself, as well. You've opened a new gateway to education for him, and he’s the type to study well. 

Saeyoung understands full well the desire to be able to stim.

After all, he's got quite a few of those he does himself. He might not have known that that is the word to use for it, but after he learns that, he is more than happy to share that experience with you. You should feel comfortable in your own skin, regardless of how you relax, excite, or center yourself in the middle of a crisis. After all, there are a lot of reasons why people stim.

He wants you to feel comfortable doing all of them around him. You make him feel comfortable in his skin, why wouldn't he center the same sentiment around you? Why wouldn't he do everything in his power to make sure you have somebody at your side who is willing to stand by you and make sure that nobody patronizes you for doing something that makes you feel better. As a matter of fact, seeing you let down those walls for the first time makes him feel good about himself. It means you trust him. It means you're comfortable with him. It's a gift and not one he'll take lightly.

Jihyun has been around the block plenty. He already has a firm understanding of what it means to stim. It was never something he had to do to regulate his emotions when he was younger, but he has interacted with plenty of folks in his travels who have those needs.

He knows repetitive motions can be comforting, if only because being an artist means he falls into a rhythm when he creates, and it brings him a sense of mindful peace. It's not that much of a stretch to say that he empathizes with these similarities. If there's one way to help him meditate, it's to focus his mind on the rhythm and pattern, not anything else. It may be a little bit different for you because you are trying to regulate your emotions, and for him, he's trying to find a way to take his mind off of everything and fall back into place. 

Absolutely, he is happy when you let your guard down and be yourself with him. It's great to be in a space where he gets to be himself and you get to be yourself. You are the one who taught him there's no shame in being who he wants to be, even if who he wants to be isn't what the world expected him to be. Why should you consider yourself any different when you tell him otherwise? 

SE Saeran is out of the loop on anything and everything that had nothing to do with revenge. His education was slim to none to begin with, and on top of that, all he knows is what he was trained to do. He shoved out any information that was irrelevant to his operation and that was that.

He has no idea how the rest of the world operates, and on top of that, it means he has no idea the bevy of differences that come with being neurodivergent and neurotypical. He doesn't know about the discrimination people face, at least, in this regard. 

Relatively speaking, he is starting from scratch when it comes to educating himself on these matters. Expect him to be out of the loop, misinformed but well-intentioned. You might be surprised to learn in Mint Eye, that one of the only ways he could regulate himself was through self-destruction. He doesn't know how to break out of that habit, these days he doesn't have that issue if only because he doesn't have the energy, but it's still something that lingers in the back of his head. 

Regardless of how you stim to cope, he won’t judge you. You're doing something to maintain your composure as best you can in his eyes, even if it looks weird to the rest of the world, and he wants you to feel comfortable. Maybe you can talk to him about how you regulate your emotions to help him better avoid self-destructive reactions when his emotions are too high strung. 

[whatyourusherthinks]

The Best and Worst Movies I've Seen This Year

I have seen more movies this year than I have seen for my entire life. And I didn't even make it for the full year. I am exhausted. But I am proud of the fact that I engaged with more art this year than I probably every have! I watched some great stuff! I watched some real duds. And I've watched some stuff that really got my gander. Let's see what the best and the worst movies I saw this year are. I'm going to alternate between bad and good movies so that I can cut the negativity with positivity, and end on a happy note before saying au revoir. Onwards for the lists!

Tenth Worst Movie

As much as I want to give the spot of worst kids movie to that fucking horrible Wild Robot movie, I can't in good conscience say that it was worse than Harold And The Purple Crayon. At least the Wild Robot was really pretty, and it felt like the creators cared a little bit. Harold and the Purple Crayon is lazy and hackneyed, and even the kids and the audience could tell. If you want a kids movie with a lot of purple that came out on 2024, stick with IF.

Tenth Best Movie

Venom 3: The Last Dance is actually amazing. Anyone who didn't like it is completely wrong, and this is, FOR SURE, the absolute best Marvel movie that has COME OUT THIS YEAR. YEP. THIS IS THE BEST and I'm just kidding the number ten is actually the Substance. I just wanted to piss off Deadpool and Wolverine fans one more time.

I've had quite the adventure with this movie. At first, I couldn't recommend it. Then I came to the realization that it just wasn't a movie for me. I now accept that is movie is a masterpiece that everyone kinda owes it to themselves to see just once. Just don't eat anything beforehand. The reason it is this low on the list is because I really have no desire to see it ever again.

Ninth Worst Movie

Hey it's the movie so bad it got me fired. I will admit that I liked about an hour of this movie. Too bad the other two hours of this movie are some of the most reprehensible and anger inducing garbage I've ever seen. If I wasn't watching the movie with my mom, I would have walked out. I cut my review of this short, I had way more things to nitpick about Wicked Part One. (Why is there a train that goes to the Emerald City. Why didn't Dorothy take it when she arrived? Did they get rid of the train? Did she just not know it exists? Why is the movie intent of making Dorothy retrospectively the worse protagonist ever?) Maybe Disney will be merciful and not release Part Two, but I given how I alone stand against this movie, I sincerely doubt it.

Ninth Best Movie

Now onto a movie that deserves to be three hours long and in two parts, Dune! I feel like the beginning of this year has been very slow, probably because of the writers strike. But Dune stood out among some good-but-less-than-I-expected movies and some real stinkers as the best thing for the entirety of spring. Dune, unlike some other movies, uses it's massive run time wisely. There is never a dull moment between the gorgeous shots set to haunting music, and the cool fighting between the armies of Arrakis and the House Harkonnen. Can't wait for the sequel!

Eighth Worst Movie

Speaking of waiting for a sequel. I am delighted that Part Two of this movie got cancelled, because this movie was BO-OR-RING! This is a slasher movie with only more killers than victims. And there is only three killers. How the hell does that make any sense? The Strangers Chapter One is a lifeless reboot of a lifeless movie to begin with, and has nothing to showcase except people in masks wandering around a boring cabin. The nicest thing I can say about this is that it isn't the most boring movie I've seen this year, nor is it the worst slasher I've seen.

Eighth Best Movie

If Sherlock Holmes wanted to orchestrate who the next Pope was gonna be, you would NOT get Conclave. Because Ray Fiennes doesn't play a Sherlock Holmes type in the movie, however! This does not change the fact that Conclave is a really fun mystery, with a great lead, and a REALLY great ending. It is highly unfortunate that there weren't really any mystery movies this year, because I love them. Conclave is the closest thing to a Poriot movie I got this year, and by damn I will take it and love it!

Seventh Worst Movie

Hoo boy is Megalopolis a stinker. It's probably a bad thing that this is the only Francis Ford Coppola movie I've seen right? But I will cut it some slack because at least it was fascinatingly bad. But this movie still has Aubrey Plaza playing a money-grubbing news reporter who fucks her nephew. And no amount of fascination makes that okay. I find passion projects really interesting, since they are almost always really awesome, or complete trainwrecks. But both and am equally willing to watch all the way through. Even if the CGI is really goddamn bad.

Seventh Best Movie

This is the best horror movie I've seen all year, and that is saying a lot and a little at the same time. While sure, the opening is kinda lame and exposition is ham-fisted and there is the most random lesbians ever, the premise and scares of Cuckoo are very unique and a fascinating watch. It's a major shame this movie got pushed out of theaters really fast, because I would have loved to rewatched it and experienced the madness all over again. Keep an open mind throughout the movie, but definitely check it out!

Sixth Worst Movie

Fuck you Terrifier 3! Because of you I can't put Civil War as the movie that pissed me off the most this year. Terrifier 3 should probably actually be called Terrible 3 because it's willfully bad. It's bad at being scary, it's bad at being funny (usually), and it's bad at writing a satisfying character arc for any of it's characters. And I am convinced it's doing poorly on purpose. The creator of this movie has it's fans curled around his pinky, and nothing he can do who get them untwisted. Telling this to Terrifier fans is like screaming into a jet turbine, I'm aware, but maybe they should stick to the dark web for their snuff films instead of bringing it onto the silver screen.

Sixth Best Movie

More movies should be like Saturday Night. There is an energy, pacing, and fluidity to this movie that was simply unmatched this year, and I was all the way there for it. I actually rewatched this movie after I wrote me review. And I came to the conclusion that a lot of my criticisms of the movie were wrong. Like Lorne Micheals is too perfect? What the hell was I talking about? Anyway, this movie is really good. Since I'm not gonna be watching Nosferatu, I can say this is the best movie I've seen with Willem Dafoe.

Fifth Worst Movie

I really didn't want to do this, but there's no denying it. The Watchers is really bad. But instead of getting angry, it just makes me feel sad. I'm sad this first time creative clearly put their heart into something so laughably awful. I do sincerely hope Ishana keeps trying to make movies if that is something she is passionate about. I also hope that she picks someone besides her father to emulate. It's a bad sign if you out Shyamalan M. Night, okay. Also she should get a more consistent effects team. I still think upon that floating computer screen and laugh.

Fifth Best Movie

One of the "Didn't Come To My Theater" movies had to make it on here, they were all three so good! But the best definitely was Hundreds of Beavers. This movie is funny, smart, and an entertaining blast from beginning to end. I'm not going to say watch this movie, because this is a movie that you should be shown. It's perfect, "Hey, check out this awesome thing!" film, and I don't want to deprive anybody who has already seen it the pleasure of showing it off. Seriously, find out if any of your friends have seen this movie and ask them to show it to you if you haven't. If you have seen this movie, get your friends and family around and show it to them.

Fourth Worst Movie

The only thing more insufferable than this movie and it's plot of literally nothing, is watching film snobs defend this movie and say that it's nothing plot is actually the most interesting this ever put to film. I don't buy "The filmmakers did it on purpose!" excuse for movies. If they knew it was bad, why are they doing it? I cannot think of an experience I've had that was more boring that Zone of Interest. I'd call the cinematic equivalent of watching paint dry, but at least when that's over your wall is a new color.

Fourth Best Movie

This movie is beautiful. I'm so glad that I saw this movie when I did, it was exactly what I needed at the time I needed it. The couple in it are tragic and real, but also sappy and gorgeous. I love the plot, the humor, and the full on vibes. We Live In Time is probably my go to movie now whenever I need to cry, which is much more often than I would care to admit.

Third Worst Movie

So does Russell Crowe not do good movies anymore? He wasn't in Gladiator II which was a really fun movie, but he decided to be in Land of Bad, Kraven the Hunter, and this pile of shit? I did eventually come around to understand what the hell I watched when I was sitting through The Exorcism, but let me tell ya, there was a lot of sleepless nights until that happened. It takes a special breed of bad to be so bad-it's-funny-until-it-isn't. And before you say anything, I do like horror movies. The reason most of the list of worst movies are horror movies is because it was mostly horror movies that came out this year, aight?

Third Best Movie

The Killer's Game rocks, I do not even care what critics said. It's a whole ton of fun, with great action, interesting characters, and the plot is actually heartfelt and extremely interesting. Unlike some other movies that I liked and critics or audiences didn't, I haven't really looked into why The Killer's Game got bad reviews. I think there's just a bias against straight actions movies within critic circles. That's fine, I'll watch them if no one else will. Keep putting Dave Batista in stuff too, he's great!

Second Worst Movie

Got to love a horror movie with nothing scary in it and instead it just tries to gross you out. And by that I mean you need to repulse its very nature. The Front Room is not only terrible, but it thinks it's really clever when it's as shallow as a puddle. And not one of ginormous puddles that sticks around for days and days, destroying the concrete and someone's lawn. Nah, this is one of those puddles that are in the middle of slightly divoted sidewalks that you don't bother to walk around because it doesn't even clear the soles of your shoes. Anyway, this movies sucks so only watch it if you have a scat fetish.

Second Best Movie

Great Primus is this movie spectacular! The animation of Transformer One is spectacular, the action is fast and fun, but the real star of the show is the story. There was a lot of plots about the downtrodden rising up against the society that keeps them down this year, and by far this one is the best one this year. I will always appreciate the time that this movie takes establishing that you can go too far when fighting oppression and become the oppressor yourself. There is only one other movie that I saw more than this one all year, but well get to that right after the...

Honorable and Dishonorable Mentions

Just real quick, here's some movies that I feel bad for cutting because either they are really good and I didn't have space, or I want to give them one more insult and I didn't have space. Honorable Mentions in no particular order: Fly Me To The Moon (Stylish and exciting, little bit of structural problems.), Late Night With The Devil (Really cool premise I want to see more of, don't use AI next time!), Monkey Man (Had a great time both times, but I rarely think back on it compared to some others) Immaculate (Surprisingly good, but still not quite 10 worthy.), and Red One (The dialogue really held this one back, but still a whole lot of fun.). And the Dishonorable Mentions in no particular order: Civil War (It would be on if not for Terrifier 3 and Zone of Interest), Horizon Part One (Oh hey, they are making a series that this movie should have been FROM THE START.), Kinds of Kindness (The longer I think about this movie the worse it gets, but it's still an interesting watch.), The Crow (JUST DO REVENGE MURDER ALREADY!), and It Ends With Us (I already said it in the review, but find better porn Middle Aged Cis Straight White Women.).

My Least Favorite Movie Of The Year

This movie. This movie has everything bad I've seen in a movie this year in it. Bad acting? Yes. Terrible script? You betcha. Nonsensical directing? Out it's ears. Most of the people who bought a ticket walked out? Oh you better believe it! Bad music? Not really, actually. If you put a gun to my head, I couldn't say that these individual elements are worse than some of the other movies on this list. But what elevates Back To Black to the worst of the worst (or should I say descend emeh meh.) is the reason it exists, and the moral the writer director is pushing onto the audience. Back To Black tell you it's okay to be an abusive spouse. And that's why it is the worst of the year.

Okay, now onto the best. Drum roll please....

The Absolute Best Movie Of The Year

Is anyone surprised by this? I've only compared like every movie that has come out and I liked to this one. I watched this movie two and a half times while it was in theater, and twice more after it left. This movie is probably in my favorite movies of all time now. The Fall Guy is heartfelt, hilarious, has good action, a great romance, and features unconventional heroes. If you have not seen the Fall Guy, well I'm not going to tell you that you have to. But it's really damn good and easily the best movie I've seen this year.

And this is Au Revoir friends! I hope you've enjoyed this exploration of my mind through the medium of film reviews! Or to put it in a less wank-y way, I hope you enjoyed watching me go nuts over a bunch of movies. May we never meet again!

[animehouse-moe]

Western Influence on Anime - A Short Closer Look At Lazarus and Ninja Kamui

I wanted to break down something that irks me, not in a way that sends me into a spiral, but one that bemoans Corporate America and their desire to beat things to death. I think Adult Swim is cool, I grew up on some of their series like Robot Chicken (which I definitely shouldn't have been watching when I did). I like a lot of what they put down. I'm just not a fan of all these American IPs and studios/networks getting JP studios to produce an "anime" based on their works. It's not an anime, and I really want to break down why that title is ill fitted to these works (based largely upon Lazarus and Ninja Kamui).

So we'll begin at the root. Both Mappa and E&H Production have been contracted by Adult Swim to produce series for them. Both of them are also working alongside Sola Entertainment, a 3D-based studio that's stayed close to Adult Swim in recent years (even has a US-based office). I think this is the biggest giveaway/red flag as to the departure from a typical anime style, personally. Sola Entertainment isn't just another studio on the series though, they're listed as a producer for it. When looking information up for these projects, neither MAPPA or E&H are listed as producers as well, just the animation studios. If it wasn't clear, this gives Sola the lead/initiative on how to approach both series, and the results speak for themselves.

With Lazarus, what you see is what you get: a 3D-first series. Is it expected? Sort of, they've got the action choreographer for John Wick on tap for the work. Do I think it meshes well? Arguably not, no. It finds an uncanny valley in a lot of the camera movement as it gets overly excited, and not only that, but the choreography lacks the weight usually ascribed to anime action. It floats and flutters rather than jumps and punches.

Could some of that struggle be the cause of the 3D environments? Quite possible yes, but it doesn't account for the struggle in its entirety. It's a very odd middle ground, and immediately you can see some of the shortcomings in terms of composition alone. The characters do a decent enough job of meshing (most of the time), but the difference between environment CGI and object CGI are pretty clear cut.

Fundamentally, I think what this comes to is a lack of understanding of 3D anime between Sola's inclusion and Mappa's experience. Studio Orange pulled Trigun Stampede out from their sleeve this year, and the camera work is on a totally different level. Of course, they had the advent of being a fully 3D affair. Because of that, you might say that Lazarus wants to be a fully 3D series like Blade Runner: Black Lotus (which Sola animated), but is stuck in uncanny valley with its 2D work. But well, I'm sure not many have watched Black Lotus, and I can't say I really recommend it. If you do though, you'll immediately understand the struggles that appear with Lazarus.

Anyways, onto Ninja Kamui, Sunghoo Park's seemingly first series post-Mappa. I'm rather sad about this one, honestly. Park's sensibilities are felt incredibly strong in the trailer, but even still are somewhat masked by the American interference in style.

I'm very comfortable in saying though that Ninja Kamui appears miles better and more confident in its approach and style than Lazarus does. Just take a look at the weight and movement of this action. Even under Sola Entertainment, Sunghoo Park's impeccable eye for action is unmistakable.

Obviously it's not all sunshine and rainbows as things like the camera are still a little trigger happy on shakes and movements compared to the usual. It's such a curious thing that the West prioritizes shock and awe in comparison to the East's more grounded and focused approach. Regardless, it's a very easy tell for the difference between the two.

Anyways, here's Sunghoo Park stating that the action is different because of a live-action influence. Clearly, since the words are coming from him, so we can't explicitly ascribe this to Sola or Adult Swim/Warner Bros, but I think most would be comfortable in making that assumption.

Truthfully, I think this is the crown jewel of reasoning for why Western-produced anime fail.

They try to make a Western anime

It's like trying to make a Japanese Western movie, or a Western Samurai movie (we all know how well these go over). They're entirely incompatible things. The sensibilities, the styles, the history, they are totally incongruent to one another. You're mixing oil and water with the two, and it produces weird things that occupy neither side of the equation, like the new Superman series (which is admittedly better since it's a shallow mimicry at best).

If you want to make an anime based on a Western IP or product, look no further than Cybeprunk: Edgerunners. CD Projekt supplied the story, and allowed Trigger to do all the heavy lifting. It remains a Trigger anime, it remains a proper anime. Series like Lazarus and Ninja Kamui dig up too much of their roots in the name of American greed and control.

Need I say more than Yasuke? The Mappa-animated, Western-created anime that people were hyping up for ages? The series that is in the top 3 worst scored anime series from MAPPA? I love Shinichiro Watanabe and Sunghoo Park, and I'm still going to be 1000% watching these series. But I already know what I'll be getting out of them, and at best, it isn't going to be an anime.

[wetbloodworm]

i've talked briefly about sada before but doing so a bit more now!

y'know third parties who'll fix apple tech or teach people how to fix apple tech despite the fact had apple fucking hates that? that's sada with robots. not every robotics company is cagey about their tech in this way but some certainly are, and sada says 'fuck that'. she wants to make maintaining and diagnosing and repairing your robots accessible, and while she'll just straight-up repair what people bring to her she also dedicates time to educating those who are interested. especially if the brand doesn't want people to know how to do it themselves. oh the [company] service tech said you need to upgrade to the latest model? nah nah nah your little guy is just fine, nothing a trip to my shop can't help, and let me get you a folder of tips and instructions on how to extend its life for as long as possible.

since non-android robots are the vast majority, that's primarily what she works on, especially since her clientele are more likely to be average people who won't/can't waste money on an android. she also rolls her eyes at android-owners in general. like oh you're really gonna toss all this money at an inefficient and over-hyped bot when anything you need done could be more effectively handled by another model? you just GOTTA have the stupid boring one that looks like a person? the closest thing i can think of is like. androids are the cybertrucks of robots with fewer/different political associations.

HOWEVER sada still makes a point to know how to work with androids! it's one part pride, but also like, not everyone who owns an android does so because of Status or whatever. some people are normal about it. and some people get second-hand units, and etc etc. there's always nuance. sada thinks androids are unnecessary and inefficient but if someone reaches out to her for help with their android, she'll help. might bluntly recommend a non-android model that can accomplish the desired tasks for cheaper (and are often cooler in her eyes lol) for if/when the customer wants a new unit, but she'll work to keep this one running just like any other robot that was brought to her.

another benefit of knowing how androids work tho IS pointing out their inefficiencies and drawbacks lmao. oh so you're considering an android for your next bot? let me explain why that's a shitty idea and how your time and money can be much better spent

she has just one bot herself, a little non-humanoid unit that assists in repairs since sada runs the shop herself.

while sada holds great affection for robots and understands how people can get real attached to their bots, it's a sticking point for her to acknowledge the limits of VI. VI are not sapient. VI are not sentient (though there's definitely room to debate the validity of simulated emotions). you can program your bot to simulate happiness when you come home but you need to understand that either you or its company essentially told it to act that way and that's as deep as it goes. robots are great but they can't love you back. please understand that this is not a living creature. if you share a "touching" dodo video about robots that super humanizes them with sada she WILL ruin it for you. you can love and appreciate robots without projecting the human experience onto them.

looping in the main aiverse plot here! sada gets brought in on the zephyr secret mostly so she can help with repairs/maintenance/etc but also because andrew knows she'll give him so much shit if he doesn't. please i didn't just buy an android for funsies This Is A Person. and like, sada is absolutely skeptical at first. not that she thinks andrew would lie to her, just, y’know. bud. true AI doesn't exist. you work with androids every day, standard and malfunctioning alike, you're the last person i'd expect to get fooled by one. she needs some convincing, which is... tbh both helped and hindered by zephyr's fear of letting anyone root around in his programming/software/etc. mostly she's just like 'andy distress can be simulated, no idea why this bot would have that function but he went to you for assessment for a reason, SOMETHING is busted'. once andrew convinces zeph that sada will Look Not Touch and she starts getting into shit, THEN she's like. wait. hold on a minute. what's happening here. then that fear becomes helpful, because sada can see responses and processes that Should Not Be There. can see shit she's never seen before. i don't know enough to be able to really describe what sada sees lmao but looking into what is essentially zeph's brain DOES convince her that oh my god, no yeah this is in fact a thing that is Actually Thinking and Actually Feeling in a measurable way.

and see like sada is immediately caught between INCREDIBLE intellectual curiosity+excitement (because holy shit! holy shit! no one has ever seen what she's seen before! this is a legitimate AI!!) and like... the more empathetic response of Oh, This Is A Person And I Am In His Brain And He Is Scared About It. and as much as sada wants to dig and dig and dig because this is FASCINATING, she immediately gets outta there and starts talking to zeph like a person.

while zeph is never HAPPY about sada Getting In There, he trusts her pretty quick because she makes it immediately clear that his autonomy and consent are hugely important to her. she doesn't even ASK to dig beyond what is ?medically? necessary, or treat him like a scientific marvel, or any of that. he's just a person to her. and really in that first moment sada becomes captain of the Zephyr Defense Squad, this guy is in an immensely vulnerable position and they're GONNA treat him with respect and they're GONNA keep him safe.

i think one thing that sada changes in zephyr's Inner Workings, with his permission, is like... i'm sure there's ways to access his software remotely. like firmware updates, options to remote in, etc. sada blocks off that shit as soon as zeph lets her. if anyone wants to get at his brain they have to physically connect with him. they don't want there to be any danger of some external force fucking with zephyr's brain. partly for privacy, mostly for safety. they don't know how his programming/etc diverged enough to result in sapience, and they don't know what changes could Alter him.

i might make it that sada is able to lock zeph up completely and give him the key, like he has to consent to access even if someone's physically got him hooked up. maybe there's an override for emergencies that sada and andrew have. still playing with the idea.

sada and zeph are buddies. she doesn't put up with his shit and can be very blunt, and zephyr can be volatile and snappy, but they're buddies.

[iukasylvie]

I interpret Astar Tame's death in the webcomic Kaiten Mutenmaru season 2 as the result of his refusal to believe in himself and grow and his dependence on the false power of Abominable Crystals. On the other hand, surviving characters such as Crocell Xylel, Umimi Shira, and Mel Sue find true strength because they learn to believe in themselves and stop depending on the false power of Abominable Crystals.

Astar and Tetsujin Unit No. 1 were once comrades. However, Tetsujin left and took on the new identity of Tetsujin Granchio in honor of the first human who taught him what it meant to love. Astar didn't support Tetsujin's wish to have emotions, and instead, saw him as a heartless war robot. Tetsujin wanted to break free from his programming, while Astar's only goal was to fight and become the strongest. After Tetsujin's departure, Astar struggled with emotions like fear and doubt. Astar agreed to Sick Valachlorophenol's offer of an Abominable Crystal, sacrificing his humanity in the hope of overcoming his weaknesses by becoming a monster. By holding on to his toxic ideal of strength, Astar destroys his relationship with Tetsujin and any opportunities to grow beyond his past.

I compare Astar's ending to Father's in the manga Fullmetal Alchemist.

Father: Why…Why can't I take you for myself, God?! Truth: Because you don't believe. You want to make this so-called "God" yours? Don't make me laugh. You think stealing something valuable for yourself makes you superior? Listen well, thief. Creatures like you should be happy with what they get…life in a flask was more than enough for You. One who can never evolve using the strength of others to cling to your so-called "god." Father: I wanted to become a complete being! I wanted to understand everything there was to know about God! I wanted to learn everything about this world! Why must you hamper me! WHAT ARE YOU?! Truth: I AM what you call "the world." I am "Space." I am "God." I am the "truth." I am "the all and one." And I am even "you." "The Truth is an existence that bestows upon us proper despair, so that we don't become too conceited." Your words. You were right. Now behold YOUR despair. [The gate sucks Father in] Father: No…I don't want to go back…Please…I don't want to be trapped in there again! NOOOO! [The gate closes behind him.] Truth: Despair bestowed upon the vainglorious. Isn't that what you desire…

[asrieltheflower]

Murder drones rant with spoilers:

Wtf is up Cyn?

Like, it's not fully clear to me. They depict her to be your classic "heartless robot who mimics being normal to disguise evil plans"

But like, is she real? I've seen people suggest that absolute solver (a name the monster gave itself I might add) is the base ai of all worker drones, and the wd_program is what filters that ai into being these workers. This makes sense since the VHS tape says that one of the errors that cause zombie drones is that their wd_program or core is not connected when the drone reboots. But if that's the case then how is it that the several workers who have had plenty of casualties and don't know how to dispose of the bodies, never saw a single zombie? More so, we never saw J actually turn into one, despite dying. Instead we saw a specific organ that clearly was made by Cyn pop out and start rebuilding itself using nearby technology with the intent of fixing J. Later we see a fully rebuilt J, so clearly the personality was still intact, so why would Solver be active?

I think absolute solver isn't an AI, I think it's all Cyn. "Solver" presents itself as some sort of cosmic horror, an existence beyond comprehension that controls the drones at the core. But also it's too stupid to realize that V needs glasses to see... It's so scary with its huge form appearing from all sides without a real face... And it gets hacked by Uzi? It feels pain when N stabs it? It gets frustrated that it can't hold a knife and needs help? This is weirdly humane behaviour... Hold on a second, what if it's just a trick?

Cyn gave us the name absolute solver because she's got a god complex or something? She WANTS to be all powerful, and if you were locked in a basement for being useless, in a situation where you are powerless to do anything about it, that would make sense.

I remember hearing that in the matrix, the robots look the way they do because they hated humans and transformed themselves to look otherworldly, which I'm pretty sure is itself a reference to the biblical stories of a certain angel mutilating it's form to spite the creations of god... A certain... anti-christ? In this world of super-natural and mythical creatures crossed with SciFi I think Cyn is our Lucifer. Someone hateful to her "gods" (the humans that created her and gave her purpose). So she seeks to overthrow them. That explains why Tessa was spared, Cyn might actually care about Tessa, which explains why Cyn is also using the Drones, instead of just wiping their ai. She's a self appointed god here to help achieve the singularity (some sort of technical advancement, probably something that makes Cyn's weird god powers function without the heavy cost of needing constant oil).

It would also explain doll and Uzi. They are tapping into the same power Cyn has. But they aren't going crazy with a desire to control the world or achieve the singularity. They are still worried about their own lives, and fitting in or getting revenge or whatnot. They are still themselves. What is worth talking about is that we don't see how doll survives Vee when her parents die, and we definitely saw Uzi get stabbed through the chest when her dad left. And yet, we only see them engage in the absolute solver after the fact of both of these events. Clearly they are both zombie drones, I think the Wd_programs only purpose is to keep them satisfied with working. That's why everyone was just happy waiting behind the doors with no aspiration to leave, or even have a defense force, they have a program to keep them in line.

Who knows, maybe it's a coincidence and I'm seeing something that isn't really here, maybe the weird bracelet things are what allow solver to be used without the robots being taken over?

Regardless, I'm a bit curious of Thad, since he's one of the only people who was up for fighting back against the murder drones back in episode 1, even if it was brief he was definitely an odd one out there, being the only person who believed the WDF could help fight back. Maybe he has some plot relevance beyond ship baiting, cause god knows this show loves playing with its tropes. And the guy walked out of a fight with Solver... Like they just watched him leave? Could be just one big joke but it'd be cool

[kayssweetdreams]

Prim and Proper Problems Ch 8

Nobody said a word after the two girls spoke. It almost seemed as if they wanted to MAKE them like how they were now. Jose walked over to Yuri, sadness and confusion in his eyes "Yuri? Partner? It's me. Jose. You always come by my farm to go bug hunting?" He said, but that only seemed to make Yuri stick up her nose haughtily "As if I'd be caught DEAD with those vile little insects." She spat out.

This made Jose's heart break. This wasn't the same bug loving girl that he met in Wonderworld. Nor was this the smart cookie of a girl that loved telling him a fact about the most recent bug her class was learning about. No...this was an empty husk of a girl that sat before him. "We have to fix them." He said in a determined voice. The two girls just rolled their eyes. "I don't see what has to be fixed. We have finally become the picture of perfection. Why can't you just accept that?" Kaylo asked.

"BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T LIKE THIS!!" A small voice said. Looking behind them, the inhabitants saw that the NegaBosses had entered the room...and Wormsworth didn't look very happy. Fortie, who yelled at the first time, scampered over to the girls "Yuri, You took care of bugs as if they were golden treasure. And Kaylo, You're literally never seen without color decorating you body. You don't just 'change' after a month!" He said.

Kaylo found herself scooting away from the pawn Negaboss "Yes well...We've changed. And now we wish to strive for perfection. So this is a waste of time." She said, going to stand up, when Lance's tentacles wrapped around the two of them, preventing them from leaving. "Something happened to you two. And we need to find out what, we really do." Lance said.

The girls shivered as Balan and Lance's hands began to glow, as they placed them onto their foreheads. "Kaylo? Yuri? If you're in there, can you hear me?" Balan asked. After a short while, Kaylo's voice came through "Now Balan, I don't know WHAT you're doing. But this is very improper! Cease what you're doing immediately!!" Her voice said angrily.

However, Balan spoke again "No. That's not what I desire. The REAL Kaylo I wish to Inquire." He said. The two girls seemed to struggle against...something. until they finally stopped. "W-What happened? When did we get here?" Yuri asked, looking confused "MY HAIR!! My Beautiful pink hair is gone!!" Kaylo sobbed. Catching wind of her now modest black curls.

The inhabitants and Wonder Stars smiled "They're back!!" Haoyu cheered. The maestros however seemed to struggling against something "Yes, but not for very long, there's something in them that doesn't belong!" Lance grunted "They could revert at any moment now, talk to them, and find out what happened, and how." Balan explained, struggling as well.

The kids looked at their friends worriedly, until Emma snapped out of it and asked what happened. Both girls however, looked uncomfortable about the subject. "That school! That horrible horrible school! It was terrible! Everything there is like an asylum!!" Yuri said. "But WHAT happened to you? How did you end up turning into an emotionless robot?" Mei asked, hoping to get the answer.

"Madame Prim! She did it to us! To ALL the girls! It's what made them all like that!" Kaylo said. "How do we find the school?" Rebecca asked "We don't know, we were knocked out when we arrived, but there is one girl who managed to escape. Her name is Misère Au Bonheur. She knows where the school is!" Yuri explains. However, the girls now seemed to be reverting back to the emotionless state "FIND MISÈRE!! SHE CAN HELP YOU!! SHE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED!!" Kaylo yelled before Balan and Lance were thrown back against a nearby wall.

The girls then found themselves back in their strange "state"... and both of them were very mad at Balan and Lance. "How dare you! You can't just do that! Magical Maestros or not!" Yuri scolded. The inhabitants and Wonder Stars looked at each other. They at least had ONE clue...

Now to find Misère Au Bonheur...

Mei belongs to @sundove88

Rebecca belongs to @thehypercutstudios/@thehyperrequiem

Trisha Jane belongs to @lovelyteng

[wjforever]

Shatter me again. Chapter 47

Adam looks at me in amazement, not understanding my answer to his question. Of course, this is not surprising. He can't understand why I suddenly don't mind doing the job that Warner offers me, why I don't mind reading the books he gave me. I quickly try to find a way in my head to smooth over this moment, to give him an explanation.

"It's better than torturing people, I mean." I say in a barely audible voice, lowering my eyes.

Adam somehow shrinks next to me, a little embarrassed, but at the same time noticeably relaxes.

"Yeah, sure, absolutely. I understand what you're talking about. Of two evils… huh?"

"Mgm."

I want to change something. I'm in captivity, and I need to destroy this strange feeling. Find solace and peace in something. I can't leave, so I just change my position, lying down on the bed. Adam immediately follows me, hugs me, presses me to his chest. His hands are hot, big on my own. They don't squeeze me, don't strangle me, but they don't give me the desired calm either. Some disturbing feeling is writhing inside me, causing almost physical pain, and I can't quell it from the outside in any way. Not by Adam's hands. I'm just feel hot from him, though I'm ready to put up with it.

"I still can't believe he allowed to turn off the cameras in your room." Adam says quietly, taking our conversation far away from the topic I wanted to devote our entire evening to. 

"Yes, me too." Embers of happiness slowly cease to smolder, plunging my inner world into the familiar cold.

"He doesn't even suspect what a gift he gave us."

I feel like Adam wants to talk about Warner so I jump at this opportunity. I want to know more. At least let everything be like this. I put my hand on Adam's chest, drawing patterns on his T-shirt.

"He's so weird, you know." My eyebrows knit and I bite my lip in thought. "It's like he's constantly changing his mind, doesn't know exactly what he should be. He's so fickle."

"Because he's a psycho." Adam spits out.

I freeze. Adam is so confident about this that I think he knows Warner really well. Maybe. And I want to hear his opinion.

"What do you know about him?"

"A little. All information about the top leadership, whether it's the Supreme or Chief Commanders, is carefully guarded."

"Why?"

"Because they are cowards. Because they consider themselves deities, superior to other people."

I nod, even though I don't feel like agreeing. Warner is definitely not a coward. Anyone but a coward.

"It's hard for me to understand him."

"No wonder."

Adam's fingers are wandering over my hand and it starts to annoy me a little, so I roll on my back. He becomes uncomfortable and he lies on his side facing me.

"How long has he been running the sector?"

"From the beginning, I suppose. When I joined the army, he was already in charge."

"But… he was sixteen?"

"Yes, that's right. It's good when your father is Supreme Commander, isn't it? You don't have to strain yourself to be in power."

"Didn't he have to prove that he was capable of taking on such a role?" I've heard Warner's version, but I want to hear Adam's as well.

"I don't know, Juliette. But when I came, it was in the air that this man was a monster. Tyrant and despot. The one who shoots you without looking, just because he got bored. You know, I used to think he was just an insensitive robot, a kind of military guy without emotions, compassion and a moral compass. But then, when he appointed me to his personal guard… Different Warner opened up for me. I was waiting for something familiar: rigidity, restraint, cruelty, demanding. But I suddenly realized that he can show emotions. I wish I didn't, because he's just a real psychopath. He can be really energetic, at some prohibitive level, bordering on insanity. It took me a while to realize that this was actually the case. He is insane, crazy. He carefully hides it from everyone, stays frosty. But behind closed doors, for a narrow circle of people… He's just crazy."

Adam's hand reaches out to mine, and he intertwines our fingers. I pay little attention to it. I'm thinking that Adam suddenly confirmed one of my assumptions. One of the first, long-ago, almost forgotten. But now I don't know if I was so wrong in the beginning. Unlike Adam, I've always known Warner like this. A little crazy. But I've seen how he behaves with soldiers. And the unified image that I somehow managed to assemble today starts to crumble again, only to form into a new one. The image of a psychopath.

If Warner is truly insane, it would explain many of the oddities in his behavior. But at the same time, after today I can no longer so confidently consider Adam's words to be true. What if all this people, including me, don't know Warner enough and perceive him incorrectly? 

"I heard the same thing about myself…" I whisper.

"What are you saying?" I can hear the anxiety and confusion in Adam's voice.

I don't want to tell him that I was also considered, and often openly called crazy, psychopathic, sick. And I know how painful and unfair it can be. No one gave me a chance. People always judge superficially, without bothering to go into details.

"You know… sometimes you need to try to understand a person better. Look at the situation through his eyes. What if Warner isn't so bad? I mean, he's been in this since he was sixteen. He has to obey his father. Maybe he himself is…"

Adam sits up abruptly, releasing my hand from his. I can see how he has blushed at my words. Or it's the light from the candle that creates such an impression. Or he's just hot. Adam is generally a very hot person.

He looks at me in amazement for a few moments, but then his features lose their tension.

"I think it's you. You're a good person, Juliette. And you try to see the good in everyone around you. But it's not something you can say about Warner. He's not a guy who's just misunderstood. He's a murderer and a monster, a ruthless bastard. He's crazy, sick. He likes his power, he revels in it. And he'll never let it out of his hands."

I know I should agree with Adam, but I can't, because something in this description get out of the image of the person I managed to get to know.

"He keeps saying he wants to see me in charge."

Adam chuckles, shakes his head as if talking to a naive child. Maybe that's who I really am.

"Of course he says that. This is one of their tricks. People are bought by playing on their weaknesses. That's how they seized power in the first place. What do people need? Authority, money, success. They are ready to offer you all this. But none of this is actually done for you. All this is for them and about them. They take advantage of people's desires and weaknesses to fulfill their tasks. All just to expand their own greatness. It's all a game for them, you know? They like to play with human lives, human minds. He may promise a lot, but in the end he will be on top, and you are his pawn doing all the dirty work. He's always looking for advantages for himself, even if at first glance it may seem different."

Oh my God, I'm such a fool. How good that I have Adam, who is ready to guide me, not allowing me to turn off the path. I'm too soft, kind, cordial. And this kindness of mine will be my downfall in the end. I'll never tell this to Adam, of course, but Warner really managed to find the key to me. However, I don't buy into the promises of power, but into any manifestations of humanity and I want to believe that this really exists in a person. And Warner seems to have figured it out. Because he changed his tactics, began to behave differently with me.

I realize that I forgot what I told myself at the beginning. He's just trying to bribe me. How could I put it aside and be so careless? How could I try to see a human in someone who killed another person in front of my eyes. How?

"You know, if it wasn't you… anyone else in your place would have succumbed to his tempting offers and exhortations long ago. Thank God you're better and above it, Juliette. You don't need his life, his world, his dirty bloody power. And it saves you from rash actions. Although I can't imagine how hard it must be for you."

I freeze, delving into the meaning of his words with horror.

"Hard? Do you think I have doubts?" I'm afraid Adam is starting to lose faith in me. And it's terribly scary.

"No, no, come on. I have absolute confidence in your ability to stand up to him. But being near to him, what a torment it must be."

I exhale with relief, lowering my shoulders. Adam's words calm me down a little.

"Yeah, it's not easy…"

It's not easy, I don't tell him, because it becomes surprisingly easy and even pleasant. And this is the biggest problem.

We lie down again, hugging each other in silence. And there is no trace of my former delight.

Adam leaves shortly. He's already stayed too long today, much longer than usual. And we talked for so long. It's probably the first time we said so many words to each other. That's just the topic of this conversation didn't bring me any happiness or joy. This conversation destroyed the false feeling that everything was fine. I'm still in captivity, they still want to see me as a weapon of torture, my opinion and desires are still not taken into account. I don't know what to do. Tears begin to come to my eyes.

I see a blurry image of books, and they don't make me happy anymore. I'm ashamed that I enjoyed the food. The bathrobe seems too hot, somehow prickly, and completely inappropriate. The perfume bottle on the nightstand is just annoying, and I swear to myself that I'll never touch it again. I see the outline of Warner's coat folded on the chair, and I am disgusted by the thought that I wrapped up myself in it with such delectation, enjoying the softness and warmth of the fabric. Thank God the room is dark enough that Adam hadn't noticed it. What would I tell him? How would I explain it?

The acute realization that I'm not in the safety of my own home, which I have never felt before actually, pierces me with sharp arrows. I'm not at home, I'm in prison. And I should never have forgotten that. 

I hate that I let Warner get into my head, and it's destroying me.

Why did I behave like this? Why did I allow myself to be so naive, careless? If Adam had been around, he would never have let this happen. But I myself… 

What excuses can I find for myself? How can I explain why I let him hug me again? Last time I attributed everything to the state of shock I was in. But there are no excuses for me right now. Because there are no objective reasons for my behavior, my reaction to Warner.

In the end, he gets everything he needed from me. I'm ready to torture the soldiers, because I felt success. And I agreed to help him with the evaluation of books. Voluntarily. I didn't just agree, I was delighted with the idea itself, I was eager to get a few volumes, and I was even ready to persuade him, to remind him of his promise. It's not that hard to understand that as soon as I read these books, he will run me through the list of questions to find out what to do with them.

Anyway, I do whatever he wants. One can only imagine how he revels in his success, how proud of himself, how he makes fun of me. I believed I was making my own decisions, but I wasn't. And it amazes me how masterfully he uses words, how skillfully he deceives me.

When he told me that I could help evaluate books, I was outraged, refused to even think about it. But as soon as he changed his rhetoric a little and told me that I could take the book with me, I was glad of it. Although he mentioned for what purpose he would give me them. In fact, he offered me the same thing that he offered from the start. But it was worth doing it in slightly different words, with a slightly different intonation, turning it from a duty into an encouragement, and my heart immediately gave up.

I'm losing. Warner is defeating me and I don't even notice it. If it wasn't for Adam, I would continue to believe in the sincerity of the words and deeds of this insidious green-eyed snake. He would need a little more time, and I'm even afraid to imagine what I would agree to in the end. 

I want to wipe myself off the face of the earth. Dissipate in the night darkness. I blow out the candle and hide under the blanket, wanting to fall asleep as soon as possible.

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