#(in the opinion of its own algorithm. i guess.)

[cosmogyros]

.

[companyissuedbicpen]

Am I missing something with the Watcher drama? I sort of feel like people are acting like what they did was completely irredeemable and I don't really understand why?

I understand why they got backlash, but they responded and are changing how they do things, so do people really just feel betrayed enough by the way they announced it that they don't want to watch anymore?

Like their decision kind of makes sense to me, they need more money to keep making their content and YouTube money is not what it used to be yk? It was a bad way to announce it, and a bad decision to pay wall EVERYTHING but they apologized and are doing things differently so I guess I just don't get why they're still getting backlash.

/gen

(Sorry to drop this all in your inbox you just seem well-informed on the situation xo)

Hi anon! Very good question about a complex situation, so I’ll do my best to get down my thoughts in a comprehensive way.

(Remember to take my opinion with a grain of salt! Everyone has their own takeaways and I’m not attempting to change anyone’s opinions, these are just my own thoughts.)

As far as I know the situation hasn’t changed, and the continued backlash has more to do with how people individually feel about to the situation. From what I’ve seen there are three main perspectives:

1) “I think that the apology and changes make up for their actions, and I will continue to support them.”

2) “I think that the apology and changes are a good first step, but it will take a while for them to regain my trust.” (This seems to be the majority.)

3) “I think that the apology and changes do not make up for their actions, and I will no longer support them.”

None of these perspectives are right or wrong, it entirely depends on your own personal values.

That being said, most algorithms tend to amplify more critical/cynical perspectives because that’s what gets the most attention, which can make a small amount of the fanbase seem much larger than it is (not to discount those opinions, to each their own). The more negative-leaning, the more attention things usually get. Not just in fandom discourse either! Think about news headlines, and how much positive vs. negative news you usually see.

So even though the majority of the takeaways (at least that I have seen) have been relatively positive, scarcer statements like “Watcher is now an evil billion-dollar corporate scheme that is preying on its audience!!” are going to generate more controversy (and therefore more attention) than something like “This was a good first step, I hope they continue to improve in the future.” The message with more attention can lead people to see that as the majority opinion, and spread that message further, etc. etc.

This is what can cause it to look like everyone thinks that Watcher acted maliciously and is only interested in money to line their own pockets. I’m not saying that there still isn’t work to do and that the situation is completely fixed (I personally lost a lot of trust in them), but I don’t think it’s as drastic as it might seem to many people at first glance.

Hope this answers your question! Thanks for the ask, this was really interesting to think about!

[privaterecording1clips]

I have been away since the MCC, and I haven't been really posting things or keeping up with the group activity. Imagine my fucking reaction when I wake up on a Sunday morning to Discord exploding over night.

I have some conflicting emotions towards CCs talking so openly about fanfics. Part of me is glad that they acknowledge our existence, like I know a few of them are here, and even seen my own posts, like OMG MY STREAMERS KNOW I EXIST. And fanfics, it's huge! It's a step up from liveblogging and headcanon posts, it's a fanart in its spirit, but painted with words, and similarly poured the author's soul into.

But there's like that thing with...prejudice? I've seen people mention fanfiction in Chilled's streams before, and in yt as well, and there were not exactly positive opinions. I know they were talking about there being very few smut works, but it feels like they were bringing them up the most, and it's just frustrating to not be understood in the right way. After all, everything we do here, and everything we write on Ao3 is us expressing our love and support in the ways we can, none of us have any malicious thought or want to be hurtful and spread hatred or smth.

Do you think there's a world where they could speak of Tumblr/Ao3 part of their community from a bit of a different angle? Do you think that fanfiction should be acknowledged and spoken about more?

(Also, I know it's stupid, but I feel just the tiniest bit salty. I wrote good stuff, why won't they talk about me too?!)

Yeah, I have very conflicting emotions about it too. (Mostly I feel betrayed by whoever was linking Platy fics LMAO)

Tumblr and Ao3 get a bad rap for being “cringe” I guess. Personally I think that they are the only places left on the internet that are well-known and not too corrupted by capitalism and algorithms (especially Ao3 my beloved). But I really don’t give a shit - I hate cringe culture with a passion.

But yeah. It’s the whole thing of like. You can’t post works on the internet and expect people (especially the streamers themselves) to just not see it? Because it’s out in the public. They have every right to view it.

But, I’d personally rather my fics NOT be spoken about on a livestream, in front of thousands of people. That’s just my preference, because honestly the reason I post fics at all is this is a very small fandom, and they won’t blow up or be noticed and judged by multitudes of people. I’m far more comfortable with a small audience, and I would not want my fics to be mentioned on stream where lots of people (far too many for my liking) may go looking for them. (This is why I post more about PR1 than mcyt, even tho I love both equally).

But i think if the streamers are fine with fanfic being posted, I see no reason for people to hate on fanfic??? In fact, I see no reason for people to hate it at all? You can inform someone that a creator is uncomfortable with fanfic/certain types of fanworks and ask them to take it down without being a hater. Decency is not difficult, and when you’re in a fandom that is not against fanfic and stuff I don’t see why you’d ever waste your energy hating on something that literally doesn’t effect you?

It’s the same thing with any type of hate comment. If there’s no reason to be upset by something other than the fact that You Don’t Like It, take some preschool advice and walk away. It doesn’t concern you. (Btw Tasha, I don’t mean you specifically, I mean the Royal You!!! Sorry if this was confusing I just realised lmao)

Sorry for getting pretty serious, but I am just quite upset by people who discourage artists when they haven’t done anything wrong.

That said, if a creator has expressed a desire to not have fanworks made of them, then I implore you to respect their boundaries. It’s just the kind thing to do.

[dudeimjustagirll]

Something Like Guidance Chapter 2!

Mount Justice had its own kind of quiet. Not silence—never silence—but a low, humming kind of calm. You heard it in the soft whirr of security doors, the far-off echo of someone training two halls over, the occasional fizz of a Zeta-beam jump lighting up the corridor.

You liked it. It let you breathe. Let you work.

You stepped out of the training bay, hoodie slung over your armor, hair damp with sweat. Jaime trailed behind you, dragging his feet and breathing like he’d just run a marathon.

"You're getting better," you said, tossing him a towel as he collapsed dramatically onto the nearest bench.

He caught it with a weak little grunt. "Liar. I almost flew into a wall."

"Yeah, but you didn’t actually fly into it this time." You shot him a grin. "That’s progress."

"Small victories," he muttered, rubbing at his temple as the Scarab made a mechanical hissing noise. Your suit bristled faintly in response.

" Foreign system vocalization. Aggression level: elevated. "

"Thanks, Mom," you muttered back.

Jaime looked up. "Did yours just say something?"

You shrugged. "It’s chatty."

"Mine just threatened to launch an EMP if I trip again."

"Yikes. Maybe don’t trip?"

He flipped you off without heat. You snorted and sat down beside him.

For a moment, there was quiet—almost peaceful, in that post-training, muscles-ache-but-in-a-good-way kind of way.

Then Jaime spoke, softer. "Hey… you ever feel like you’re not actually cut out for this hero thing?"

You blinked. "Only every day."

He glanced at you like he wasn’t expecting that answer. You gave a one-shoulder shrug.

"I found a mechanical alien object that does god-knows-what and reached for it without thinking. Then I ignored it for a solid year because I was mad it bonded with me. I still don’t know what I’m doing, Jaime. But I show up. And I try."

He let out a tired, relieved laugh. "God. That makes me feel so much better."

You stood, offering your hand. "You’re doing better than you think."

He took it. "You sure you’re not, like… secretly a genius?"

"I'm doing a group project with three pre-med majors who think torque is a Pokémon move. So no."

Jaime grinned. "Nerd."

"Takes one to know one, Scarab-boy."

He groaned. “Please never say that again.”

“No promises.”

You made it to your room just as your suit dimmed to a rest-state, plates retracting under your clothes like a sigh.

You kicked the door shut with your heel, stepped over your own mess of textbooks, and collapsed onto your bed, laptop in hand. Your robotics project wasn’t going to write itself, and you were ninety percent sure at least one of your group members had copy-pasted from an article about prosthetic limbs.

“ Structural coefficient: incorrect, ” the suit chimed in your head, its voice smooth and neutral. “ You have misapplied the algorithmic loop. Again. ”

You rolled your eyes and muttered, “I love your support.”

“ You value precision. I am providing assistance. ”

“You’re providing sass.”

It didn’t respond. Which meant you were right.

You tapped away at your screen, shifting slightly when your armor adjusted beneath your clothes. It made studying more comfortable—less “cybernetic supersuit” and more “futuristic heated blanket with opinions.”

Your door hissed open.

You didn’t need to look up. “Took you long enough.”

“New security protocols?” Nightwing’s voice was amused, low. “Cute.”

He was right, of course. It was a sort of game the two of you had—an unspoken challenge, where you updated your room’s access codes or rearranged your encryption patterns just to see if he could still break in without setting off an alert. He always could. You never admitted how much you liked that. 

You smirked but didn’t glance up from your notes. “Gotta keep you guessing.”

He didn’t reply, just dropped his duffel on the floor and flopped into the chair across the room like he lived there—which, to be fair, he sort of did. You kept working. He pulled out some half-assembled gadget and started tinkering, the quiet click of tools filling the space between you.

Your bed was covered in textbooks, your laptop nearly dead, and your hair still damp from training. Your body ached in that good, used way. College was stretching you thin. Training Jaime was stretching you thinner. But you liked it.

You wanted it.

You wanted this —this life. The chaos and the calm and the way your suit whispered answers to your calculus problems when your brain short-circuited from exhaustion.

“ You require protein. ”

“I’m fine,” you muttered.

“If your suit is lecturing you again, it’s probably right. Your knee’s twitching,” Nightwing said without looking up.

You snorted. “College.”

“Mentoring?”

“Combination of both.” You finally looked up at him. “He’s getting the hang of it, though.”

Nightwing smiled faintly, still soldering. “You’re doing good with him.”

You raised a brow. “You stalking my training reports?”

“Maybe.” He looked up briefly. “He trusts you. That matters.”

You paused.

“…I think he sees I don’t really know what I’m doing,” you admitted, quiet.

Nightwing put his gadget down. “If he does, he also sees that you’re still trying. That counts for a lot more than you think.”

Your heart gave a little lurch. You looked back at your laptop, cheeks warm.

“ Elevated body temperature. Heart rate increase. ”

“Shut up,” you muttered at your suit.

Nightwing glanced up. “What’d it say this time?”

“Nothing,” you said, voice slightly too high.

He grinned. “You’re adorable when you argue with your sentient armor.”

You tossed a pen at him. He caught it effortlessly, smug.

Silence fell again. Safe and warm and full.

Your suit was quiet. Too quiet.

“…You’re staring,” you said without looking up.

“I’m not.”

“You totally are.”

“I’m appreciating.”

You hummed, unconvinced.

From the corner of your eye, you saw his smile. That soft, secret kind he never gave anyone else.

You paused.

It hit you then—quietly, suddenly—that you hadn’t taken him flying in a while. Not since… what, last month? Before you’d gotten wrapped up in mentoring Jaime, juggling labs and off-world tech evaluations and trying not to flunk a biomechanics test?

That wouldn’t do.

You closed your laptop.

Nightwing glanced up, brow arched. “Giving up already?”

“No,” you said, standing and cracking your spine. “Just reprioritizing.”

He blinked as you stepped toward him and offered your hand.

“…What?”

“It’s been too long. Let’s fly.”

His smile returned—this time wide and a little stunned, like you’d offered him the stars.

“Right now?”

“Unless you’re busy being mysterious and brooding.”

He took your hand. “Always got time to be airborne with you, Skylinker.”

The suit adjusted immediately, calibrating for altitude and extra weight. You felt its faint hum ripple through your spine.

“Payload acquired. Trajectory locked.”

You smirked.

“You know,” you said as you pulled him closer, “you could stand to be a little more romantic.”

“I’m letting you carry me. In public.”

“True love.”

You kicked off.

And for a few precious minutes, it was just you and him—above the world, beneath the stars, the whole galaxy open and quiet. You didn’t say a word. You didn’t have to.

The wind slid past your face like silk, cool and sharp and full of sky. Nightwing's weight was steady in your arms, his presence familiar—like gravity, like heartbeat. He wasn’t tense like he used to be when you first started doing this. Now, he leaned into you, like he knew you'd never drop him. Like he never wanted you to.

Below you, the lights of Happy Harbor glittered like stars that fell the wrong way. You adjusted your trajectory, banking gently west—toward the coastline.

"Ocean?" you asked, your voice soft in the comms.

Nightwing tilted his head slightly against your shoulder. "I was hoping you'd say that."

You glided low across the water, the moonlight painting silver across the waves. The wind caught his hair, and yours, and neither of you bothered fixing it. His hand found your arm, gentle. Grounding.

“I missed this,” he said, voice quieter now. “Us. Like this.”

You looked down at him, your visor sliding back just enough to show your eyes. “I know. Me too.”

You slowed, hovering over a rocky cliff just beyond the shore. Your boots touched down lightly, your suit adjusting for balance as Nightwing slid to his feet beside you.

The wind was cooler up here. Salt-kissed and clean.

For a minute, neither of you spoke.

Then:

“You ever think about how weird this is?” you murmured.

“What, the part where we’re standing on a cliff in tactical armor after flying through the sky powered by alien tech?”

You laughed. “That, and… this. All of it. Mentoring newbies. Running missions. Juggling college and—us.”

He glanced at you, expression unreadable under his mask. “You regretting any of it?”

You shook your head. “Not for a second.”

His hand found yours. Not armored—just warm.

“I used to think I couldn’t have both,” he said. “The hero stuff and the real life. You kind of ruined that for me.”

“Ruined?” you teased.

“In the best way,” he said, grinning now. “You proved I was wrong.”

You leaned into him, shoulder to shoulder. The stars blinked above you—quiet witnesses.

“…We should come up here more,” you said after a beat.

“We should,” he agreed. “You know. When you're not babysitting Jaime.”

You snorted. “Says the guy who’s teaching a teenage Bat how to stealth-broach emotional vulnerability.”

“That’s rich, coming from the girl whose armor starts growling every time the Scarab blinks.”

“Okay, fair.”

A beat of silence. Then:

“Still,” he said, a little softer. “You're good at it. You make him feel safe.”

You looked at him. “So do you.”

Nightwing smiled—something small and rare, just for you.

“…Wanna fly home the long way?”

“I thought you'd never ask.”

[topazadine]

How to Use Chomolungma for Writing Adventure Stories; Or, the Plot Mountain Method

Estimated Reading Time: 13 Minutes

I've become a little obsessed with stories of Chomolungma lately. You probably know this sacred Nepalese mountain by its Westernized name, Mount Everest.

Anyway, I'm never going to scale the world's highest peak because I have no interest in losing any of my toes to frostbite or dying of pulmonary edema. Don't think I'm about to go dashing off into the wilderness.

BUT I think we writers can derive a lot of lessons from mountain climbers when plotting for grand adventure novels.

And why the hell is that? Why Chomolungma specifically? Well, I'll explain.

Just a head's up that my advice probably won't apply to romances, mysteries, or anything other than your typical "we're going on an adventure to slay a dragon or whatever." I don't have much experience in those genres and am not going to step on any toes.

As usual, this is just my opinion. There are thousands of different plotting tools out there, and this is only one of them. If you don't like it, then no need to use it. I'm simply giving you a different option. Alright, let's go!

I am sure you have seen this diagram a million billion times and are very tired of it.

It's not wrong, per se; in fact, it looks much like a mountain. Most stories do indeed have these same parts, and so will yours if you use the Plot Mountain method.

However, there's some things that this simplified version doesn't explain:

It acts as if you're just constantly ramping up pressure. There's no breathers to let readers catch up.

There are no differential tensions to keep interest.

There are no "mini-climaxes" that impress upon the reader a sense of danger.

We are not provided with an understanding of how to create different stages of the plot within the rising action.

There is no discussion of how characterization changes during the course of the plot.

It's not explained how to organize the falling action in order to provide continued tension and character development.

I also have some problems with other common plotting methods, specifically Save the Cat and the Hero's Journey. Mostly, I think that they get really tiring and formulaic because they're just so rigid. There's little room to add your own flare; you're plugging all the shit in as intended.

Save the Cat especially irks me because it basically demands that you divide up your story into little percentages so everything happens right according to this algorithm.

If I start to get a hint that your story was designed by adhering to these standards, then I can just predict what's going to happen and I don't care anymore. "Oh ... there's the B Story. I guess the Fun and Games is coming next. Yippee."

One time, I had someone beta read one of my manuscripts, and she complained that my story didn't exactly match this structure.

"I couldn't figure out where Act 1 ends and Act 2 begins!" she wailed. Well, given that I didn't design my story according to strict acts, it's no wonder you couldn't find them.

Also, I hate math. Don't infest my passion with my nemesis, please.

So, I challenge you to think a bit differently using my method instead. It combines characterization with plot and momentum to offer you a natural setup for a great story. Thinking of your story this way forces you to focus on how all elements come together, and it discourages you from piling on dumb shit that won't help.

My option is also more flexible; I'm not telling you exactly when and where the stuff needs to happen. That's up to you, babe. You're the boss.

Key elements of Plot Mountain

Your plot must be desirable for some reason.

Whatever goal your characters have should feel worthwhile. People spend their life's savings and a good portion of their lives to get to Chomolungma, facing down all the frustrations and disappointments to do it.

While your character may not necessarily know what is in store for them, they should nevertheless have a reason for wanting to achieve whatever you've got going on.

You need to "equip" your characters by giving them the skills and purpose necessary to tackle this challenge.

Mountain-madness-morons who think themselves "Chosen Ones" are generally the ones that fuck up and die. That's why you have all these rich tourists falling into crevasses, where their bodies are trapped forever.

Similarly, you must demonstrate to your readers that your character is somehow worthy of the challenge you're giving them.

Sometimes, this means they have the natural passion and inclination but need some training. At Chomolungma Base Camp, the native Sherpas give their charges some lessons in high-altitude mountaineering before they head off onto the mountain, even if they have experience. This is your "orientation session" for the characters that shows why they, specifically, can handle what you are throwing at them.

Every character has a reason for being there.

This is a good reminder for people who have a tendency to cram a million characters into their stories.

A Chomolungma expedition is not composed of random passersby who feel like going up a mountain today. Everyone there brings something unique to the table and must work in concert to achieve their goal.

This offers you many options for main characters and support characters. For example, an expedition team can have mountain climbers, Sherpa guides, porters, and a camera crew, and you can give your main cast similar roles.

Your characters have agency and make choices.

No one just kinda wanders up Chomolungma. They must consistently make the right decision, and it's rare for a deus ex machina to pop in.

Yes, things fit together to make things happen, and there are sometimes miracles, but for the most part, it is the preparation, experience, and some external circumstances (like weather) that decide whether someone lives or dies. No last-minute Hail Marys or interventions from on high.

There is a time crunch.

It's rare to summit Chomolungma in the winter because it's just too dangerous, so climbers need to head off during the spring and summer, before the weather turns nasty. There's a short window of opportunity.

Because the Nepalese government only issues a limited number of expedition passes each year, and they're so expensive, many people only get one shot in their entire lives. Everything has to go perfectly or they may never get to try again.

Additionally, being at altitude for any period of time is dangerous, which keeps people pushing for the summit even when they want to give up and go home.

You should show the pressure of your plot, explaining why it needs to be done right now rather than ten years in the future. We must feel that this is essential and that time could run out.

Every summit attempt is fraught with peril, and many have to turn back.

It is incredibly common for expeditions to hit bad weather and have to abandon the summit push; every climber knows and fears this.

Demonstrating that it's entirely possible not to hit your climax infuses the story with a sense of danger. It can also help you decide what might be more impactful and relevant to your story: having to turn back (which opens the door for a sequel) or getting to the summit and celebrating.

Not everyone makes it to the top.

You probably know that Chomolungma has at least 200 bodies littered across it, many of which have become signposts for other climbers attempting not to meet the same fate. There are likely dozens of others that have been blown away by the wind into crevasses or buried under snow.

Depending on your genre, you can and should show that others have failed, or even kill one of your characters during the "summit attempt" to highlight the peril.

Thinking of different plot points as camps reminds you that you need moments of downtime.

While you can't overstay your welcome on Chomolungma, you also can't be climbing 24/7; you'll straight up die. It's important to stop, take a break, and acclimate to the different altitudes as you keep going.

"ABC" stands for "Advanced Base Camp," basically right at the foot of the mountain. It's where you actually start your summit push. North Col is also known as Camp 1.

The camps, I think, are the key element of the Plot Mountain method, because they remind you that your story needs to "plateau" at a few different points to give your characters (and readers) time to breathe.

This doesn't mean that there's no tension at all, because things can still go bad at camp. It just means we're slowing down, recapping things, allowing for character development and maybe a bit of backstory.

You can also allow your characters to meet background characters at these camps, knowing that they will not be around forever. These background characters can offer helpful advice, sow doubt, or impress upon us the risks that will be up ahead.

Each "push" between camps is a little different, with unique dangers.

As you head up Chomolungma, there are different challenges to overcome between each camp; this may be steeper climbs or dangerous crevasses with only a tiny metal ladder to keep you from plunging to your death. Driving snow and fierce gusts can blow you off the mountain as you get higher and higher.

And, of course, there's the Death Zone at the top, where's there's practically no oxygen whatsoever and it's so freezing cold that you may lose your feet.

The danger rises with every push toward the summit, reminding you to build the tension and demonstrate the dangers in your story. After each camp, you'll show brand new risks that nevertheless fit into the plot.

A climax can't overstay its welcome.

After spending all this time preparing to reach the top of the world, climbers actually don't get that much time on the summit. It's freezing cold, the air is impossibly thin, and they need to head down before it gets dark.

Similarly, you need to let the climax linger just long enough to offer catharsis without boring everyone. This is the height of the tension, so keep it fast but thorough.

The summit isn't the end of the journey.

Many people rush to the climax and then spend almost no time wrapping things up, which makes the story feel incomplete. While the downclimb doesn't need to last as long as the summit push, you should still devote a chapter or two to the falling action, which may have its own dangers.

Characters must be changed by their time on Plot Mountain.

No one comes back from Chomolungma without changing. Maybe they have a renewed sense of purpose or a better appreciation for life. Maybe they have made friends, discovered themselves, gained better skills.

Or maybe they lost some toes while up there. Or lost a friend.

Whatever you choose, it must be clear that your characters have grown and evolved throughout the course of their story. They need to end up somewhere different internally, even if they are returning right back to base camp.

How to Use the Plot Mountain Method

Here's the major points you'll hit using Plot Mountain. This is a bit of a simplification, of course, because technically Camp 3 is in the Death Zone (above 26,247 feet), but look, we're fiction writers, not mountaineers.

Base Camp

This is the exposition, where you tell us a bit about the characters, the world, etc.

Base Camp -> ABC

We have a sense of momentum, that something is building up, but don't quite know what it is.

Advance Base Camp

The inciting event, where the character understands what is happening and must choose to accept or refuse. If they accept, they head up to North Col. If they refuse, well, you're going to push them up there.

ABC -> North Col

The first challenge (and the first chance to turn back). This is a sobering moment that impresses upon them that they are in peril, but it's not as risky as the next steps. If they came there against their will, this is when they start to get more committed and aren't refusing quite so much.

North Col

The first downtime. We learn more about the characters and get a better idea of the problem, but don't have all the details yet. Characters may still be a little delusional about what is happening. There may still be some resistance.

North Col -> Camp 2

The second challenge, which offers different dangers. The characters have faced difficulty now and have a better understanding of what is at stake. They are older, wiser, and less optimistic.

Camp 2

Characters may be questioning their ability, looking back down toward North Col and wondering if it would be cowardly to leave now. We have a better understanding of the potential dangers and the ramifications of failure.

Camp 2 -> Camp 3

The third challenge. The characters are fully committed and can't walk away. They know what they're going for and refuse to be deterred because they're so close to what they want. The dangers they face now give a taste of what the climax holds for them, impressing upon the readers that something enormous and risky will happen.

Camp 3

We are given a stronger understanding of this plot's full purpose and how it fits into the world. It's a time to stop and reflect on why this is important, what the characters have learned so far, and how their lives will change once they hit the climax.

The Death Zone

The dark before the dawn. Things are at their most difficult, but we're not quite there yet. The tension is extreme, and characters are truly fighting for their lives. They're scared, disoriented, and worn down by the challenges, but still willing to go on. There are no respites and no safe harbors. No one is going to save our characters but themselves.

Summit

Climax. It's fast, but not too fast: we get a chance to soak up what is happening, but we know that it won't last forever. There's a sense of pressure and the need to get out of the line of fire.

Death Zone Revisited

This is an opportunity to demonstrate how tired the characters are and the ramifications of their decisions. Things still feel fragile and dicey. We don't know whether the characters are out of danger just yet.

Camp 3

An opportunity to let the characters rest and reflect. We see the changes that have come about because of the climax and see them differently.

Camp 3 -> Base Camp

There's no need to linger all the way down the falling action; we don't require as much detail because we understand the world. Still, we should get a sense of how the characters navigate this new chapter of their lives and what they have learned.

Base Camp

The finale. It may be triumphant or heartbreaking, depending on what happened at the summit. Muted goodbyes, happy reunions, bittersweet reflection, and a sense that the characters are moving on with a better understanding of themselves.

And that's about it. You can add camps if you need to, or have little biovacs if your characters get stuck somewhere. You can find good places for description during those downtime moments. There's a lot to do!

I've created a masterlist of writing resources that you can peruse at your leisure, all for free.

The posts I write can sometimes take me hours - they're always intricate, always thoughtful. This one took me about 2.5 hours to complete.

I do this as a labor of love for the writing community, sharing what I have learned from almost 15 years of creative writing.

However, if you'd like to support me, maybe you'll consider buying my book? It's $0.99, which is about 7 cents for each minute you spent reading this post.

9 Years Yearning is a gay coming-of-age romance set in a fantasy world. It follows Uileac Korviridi, a young soldier training at the War Academy. His primary motivations are honoring the memory of his late parents, protecting his little sister Cerie, and becoming a top-notch soldier.

However, there's a problem: Orrinir Relickim, a rough and tough fellow pupil who just can't seem to leave Uileac alone.

The book features poetry, descriptions of a beautiful country inspired by Mongolia, and a whole lot of tsundere vibes.

You can also check it out on Goodreads for a list of expanded distribution.

If you do purchase my book, don't forget to leave a review!

Reviews are vital for visibility on Amazon and help to support indie authors like me. Whenever you love a book, be sure to let the author know! It's much appreciated.

[ashadowofburnedoutstardust]

It's worth repeating because these bots can be modelled on fans behaviour in order to emulate them if they are using AI programs in order to mimic them, all with their own individual personalities

If you get fans who are going too far against the grain of the message they want to cement in "public opinion" then they can trigger harassment protocols, in Hollywood cleaners are dispensed to take care of them personally so they can control the overall message and drive them away

I guess they weren't counting on my stubbornness and partial immunity to their psychological warfare tactics, nor my ability to read the narrative. They don't like people who are smarter than they are and will do anything to try and shut them up

I've had many conversations with bots in my DM's during my time in this fandom; I've watched the fake accounts drop things and go private; I've watched scheduled posts with both positive and negative content to drive the traffic attempt to influence trends;

If people want to know where all of the money CAA used to have went, the cost of paying to use these programs on social media is more than likely a good candidate

Overall, the illusion is shattered

[MEDIA=twitter]1800222627946180832[/MEDIA]

Watch this video if you want to understand what I mean about bot farms on my blog

This is what IMO they have paid for to promote this entire PR shitshow relationship to sway the opinions of the fans and are more than likely the accounts that have mysteriously dropped info e.g. fan pics etc and go private using ideas they have scavenged off fan forums using the tags to search for them in order to discredit Chris and "marry him off" to a naxi

You can also pay real people to do this type of content creation which is more than likely why we have long term blogs on twitter/tumblr/IG that have been growing in number over time or been around since the creation of his website.....

Very few like myself are just real unpaid people on the internet

Ironically you can ignore the person posting it on twitter because they are likely also a bot

See how hard it is to tell the difference....

If any of you watched that documentary on Netflix about facebook, you will hopefully understand that the entire point is to create a fomo addiction to the content in order to convince you its worth spending your money on

They can be used for likes, comment, content drops, even to manipulate the algorithms for visibility based on whatever their agenda is

Its what Zuckerberg really meant when he said "We runs ads"

[fictionkinfessions]

ive been refraining from commenting on the whole gatekeeper situation because its kinda hypocritical to my own stance, which is and has always been, if it bothers you just keep scrolling. but im doing it anyway because people still need to be reminded of this all the time. no judgement, this is the opposite of how social media algorithms encourage you to behave! the hard truth is, you will literally never get enough information from an anonymous ask to know what the sender is like. anything you think you know about the person on the other side of the screen that's not textually present in that ask is a guess you're making- you don't know. you can't know, it's literally just impossible. you can feel however you want about a public post, but commenting on it in that same space only ever leads to shitty pointless arguments and doubling down and it's a whole mess that MPC has to deal with. if something bothers you that much, you can make a post on your own blog about it, but airing it out here while on anon has not ever been productive; and again, i'm only sending THIS ask because i know that many people who use this blog, for any number of reasons including being neurodivergent, need these clear reminders now and again. scroll past posts you don't like! block tags! curate your space! you're allowed to feel angry and uncomfortable but there is literally no reason to remark on it and start arguments. being anonymously told 'no, actually, youre wrong, and while im at it im going to insult you and assume a bunch of things about you' on the internet has never once changed anyone's mind. this is exactly why directly invalidating ask responses and ex-friend/ex-partner vents are both against the rules here. it just causes completely unnecessary drama in a situation where you could have said nothing or kept your grievances private. and if you come here to say something presumptuous and rude, REGARDLESS of your underlying opinion, people are going to get pissed off, regardless of THEIR opinions. tl;dr your actions have consequences, not every situation requires your input, and getting into an argument online is a choice you didn't have to make. i'm not perfect at this (which is why this ask exists) but internalizing it has saved me a hell of a lot of trouble and time.

x

[naomicindy]

 ‘Is blogging still relevant in the age of TikToks and Instagram?’

By: naomicindy

Blogging used to be the thing back in the day. Remember those early 2000s vibes? A person with a quirky blog could be the coolest internet celeb. But now, with TikTok and Instagram dominating our screens, you might wonder—does blogging even matter anymore? Or is it just this outdated, long-winded thing nobody has time for? Honestly, it’s not as simple as “blogging is dead.” The truth is, blogging has evolved—and it’s still holding its ground in ways that TikTok and Instagram can’t always match.

Okay, sure, TikTok and Instagram are unbeatable when it comes to grabbing attention fast. I mean, who isn’t glued to their screen scrolling through Reels or laughing at some random TikTok trend? They’re quick, colorful, and honestly kind of addictive. But here’s the thing—when you need actual depth, like more than 15 seconds of dancing or a cute outfit inspo clip, you’re not going to find that on TikTok or Instagram. Blogs, though? They give you space to dig deeper, tell real stories, and share insights without a time crunch (Clover, 2024). They’re like the cozy library of the internet—always there when you need them.

Take fashion, for example. Fashion blogging was huge before influencers started popping off on Instagram. It wasn’t just about posting cute outfits—it was a whole vibe of storytelling, trend predictions, and personal branding (Suwaidi, 2016). And instead of disappearing, blogging evolved into something more business-y, with bloggers turning their sites into full-blown careers. I read about this study by Pedroni (2023) that said fashion blogging adapted to the rise of Instagram and TikTok, proving it’s not stuck in the past but rolling with the times.

What’s cool about blogs is how flexible they are. They can be your go-to for in-depth guides, tutorials, or opinion pieces. Like, think about it—have you ever seen a 15-second TikTok really explain how to build something or go into the details of why a trend works? TikToks and Reels might give you a quick “wow” moment, but if you’re genuinely interested, you’ll probably end up Googling for more info—and guess where you’ll land? A blog. Blogs and short-form content can totally complement each other this way. Imagine watching a TikTok on how to upcycle old clothes and then clicking a link to read the full DIY steps on a blog. Perfect match.

Also, blogs offer something social media can’t always guarantee: control. On TikTok or Instagram, you’re at the mercy of algorithms. One day your content is popping, and the next, it’s ghosted—like, what happened, girl? Blogs don’t have that problem. They’re your space to shine, with no algorithm randomly deciding if your post deserves to be seen. Plus, owning your blog feels like building your personal empire—it’s yours. It’s not just some rented corner on social media.

That said, I get why some people think blogs aren’t “cool” anymore. Like, who has time to sit and read long posts when you can get bite-sized entertainment in seconds? Attention spans are getting shorter, and younger audiences are all about that quick, fun content. But here’s the twist: blogs are adapting too. They’re not just walls of text anymore. Think embedded videos, clickable infographics, photo galleries, and even interactive polls. It’s not about competing with TikTok—it’s about finding ways to work alongside it.

This is where hybrid content strategies come in. Let’s say you’re a creator with a blog. You could use TikTok to post snappy, catchy videos to grab people’s attention and then guide them to your blog for the full story. It’s like giving your audience the best of both worlds. Studies like one by Haenlein et al. (2020) show that cross-platform strategies are actually super effective for keeping your content relevant across different types of audiences.

And let’s not forget how blogs build credibility. Anyone can pop off with a viral TikTok, but blogs let you prove you know your stuff. Want to be taken seriously in your niche? A blog is like your personal portfolio. It shows you’re dedicated enough to create something lasting, not just chasing the next trend. I’ve seen creators use blogs to land brand partnerships and build legit careers, which feels a lot more stable than relying solely on social media hype (Nguyen, 2023).

Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Blogging isn’t easy, and it’s definitely not as fast-paced as TikTok or Instagram. It takes time to write posts, make them visually appealing, and keep your readers interested. And let’s be real—getting people to read blogs can feel like an uphill battle when everyone’s distracted by shorter content. But the key is knowing how to balance both. It’s not about “blogging vs. TikTok.” It’s about using each platform for what it’s best at and letting them support each other.

So yeah, TikTok and Instagram might be the stars of the moment, but blogging isn’t going anywhere. It’s still a unique, valuable tool for creators who want to go deeper, share their expertise, or simply have a digital space they truly own. And when blogs and social media team up? That’s when the magic happens. Blogging isn’t just surviving—it’s thriving, just in a way that makes sense for today’s digital world.

Bleier, A., Fossen, B. L., & Shapira, M. (2024, September). On the role of social media platforms in the creator economy. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 41(3), 411-426. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167811624000545

Clover, P. (2024, September 24). Do people still read blogs? what you must know in 2024. Polly Clover Writes. https://www.pollycloverwrites.com/blog/do-people-still-read-blogs 

Haenlein, M., Anadol, E., Farnsworth, T., Hugo, H., Hunichen, J., & Welte, D. (2020, November). Navigating the new era of influencer marketing: How to be successful on Instagram, TikTok, & Co. California management review, 63(1), 5-25. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346208319_Navigating_the_New_Era_of_Influencer_Marketing_How_to_be_Successful_on_Instagram_TikTok_Co

Nguyen, E. (2023, October 19). Are influencer partnerships the inevitable future of business?. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20231013-are-influencer-partnerships-the-inevitable-future-of-business 

Pedroni, M. (2022, January). Two decades of fashion blogging and influencing: A critical overview. Fashion Theory, 27(2), 237-268. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357622594_Two_Decades_of_Fashion_Blogging_and_Influencing_A_Critical_Overview

Suwaidi, R. A. (2016, April 26). Sail Magazine. Sail Magazine - Community, Culture, Creativity. https://sailemagazine.com/2016/04/growth-and-ascent-of-fashion-bloggers/ 

[cyeco13]

rant ahead

Sorry..i really need to let it all out.

Today i wake up on a ss tweet about my channel posting this meme:

in context, i have channel and have a mix audience, both in team black and green.I repost memes from fb and reddit so my subscribers will have a place to discuss their takes..ive been doing this since Oct 2022 along side of me posting ewan edits and crumbs.

As the channel grew, i also receive a ton of hate from yt people.Most accusing me of being creep and obsessed with ewan, some hating me for deleting their comments which is not true btw.Yt algorithm deleted offensive words and phrases but they blame me for that..i let it slide.

Recently i found out a person reupload my yt shorts and long form video on tiktok 40+ and counting.I reached out and be decent a person but i never got a reply.I let it go coz what can i do, hbo owned those clips.My tt friends also called her out to no avail.

Im also catching some tweets with ss of my channels and some people commenting on my fanart to start a fight.im a quiet person in real life and i have no energy to start an argument so i just apologize.

Back to this recent tweet, idk why this affects me so much.Maybe because i followed the OP and i love her takes..maybe because i see familiar people on the comment sections and mutuals and people i followed that quote retweet and likes the mean comments..idk..part of me feel betrayed but then again, i have no right to.

I know I cant change people's perspective and opinion and they have all the rights to say what they have to say and its twitter.I apologize and then delete the meme and site the link source since i think they assume i made this one.But idk, its just breaks my heart.They care so much about the character they are defending other than the real person behind the channel.

Harsh truth i guess, im just an afterthought.They might forgot what they posted, but to a person like me who lose so much in the past years, this will linger more that i ever wanted it to be.

Im a creature of habit so i cant stop creating or i'll go crazy but i'll be more active in here from now on..if i have fresh crumb, i will post it here first..This day is just an eye opening for me.

Thank you for listening 🫶💚

[literaticat]

I saw a comment that agents are using AI to sift through queries. Is this true and is this allowed? Wouldn’t that put unpublished work owned by that author into the public domain? I know lawyers are currently being sanctioned for putting private client info into AI to help with cases. This isn’t as high stakes, but it does put the author’s work at risk of being stolen. Thoughts?

There's a lot to unpack here!

Saw a comment... where? From whom? I have never heard of this, personally, so while I'm not saying it's untrue... well, I don't think it's NORMAL PRACTICE or anything, at all. Just on its face, that sounds sus to me. (For one thing, I don't think most agents would even know HOW to "use AI" to write a birthday card, let alone how to program some kind of slush-robot and trust it to accurately gauge our mercurial preferences!)

I can't speak to the lawyers being sanctioned or whatnot piece, idk about that, so let's focus on issue at hand. Let's say I somehow got hold of an AI tool that would sort through my slush pile and only show me the things it deemed most likely to sell. A SLUSH ROBOT!

First, it sorting through slush wouldn't "put your work into the public domain" -- (words mean things!) -- Your work that you personally created is, in the US, anyway, under copyright protection the moment it leaves your brain and is fixed in a tangible medium, you don't even need to register for copyright (though you or your publisher will do so when it is published just for an additional level of protection!) Copyrighted work is NOT in the public domain, that's why there are lawsuits from authors suing various tech companies who used their work to train their AI. So, if I were to use this tool to TRAIN the AI, I'd be abusing your copyright (unethically in my opinion, but I guess the legality is for the courts to decide!) -- but that would NOT render your copyright null and void or put it into the public domain.

But because this hypothetical slush robot is probably a program that I bought or got from someplace, not something I've invented and am training myself, it isn't using any data it gleans from me to train off of -- it's already been trained. For example, the GPT in Chat GPT stands for "generative pre-trained transformer" -- it uses the billion-whatever things it was trained on to generate new things / make predictions / whatever.

I talked to my friend and client Martha Brockenbrough about this (her excellent book on AI, FUTURE TENSE, is out now and is required reading if you are interested in this topic but don't know much about it!). I asked her for an example of how a tool like this might work and she replied:

"For example, companies that get a lot of applicants may use AI to narrow the field. The tool isn't training the model -- it is using an algorithm trained on resumes to look at the new one. AI looks at patterns and makes decisions. Just like people do, but in some cases faster / better / worse. So, when you turn in a resume to a company, are you worried that the HR person is going to steal your resume or leak info?"

Basically, this worry is akin to one that has been around forever, which is the concern that if you query an agent they will "steal your ideas" -- which, a) we don't want your ideas, actually, they are worthless on their own, and b) stealing them would actually be quite a bit harder/more complicated than just representing you and making money off them in the normal fashion, and c) don't query an agent you don't trust, I guess!

[adraughtofamortentia]

"Algorithms make our choices invisible. Making those choices visible is an important step in building a healthy information ecosystem."

I read this article about algorithms on social media and I couldn't help but think of tumblr the whole time. This being my main/only social media site the thought of relying on an algorithm is terrifying. It talked about people not knowing how to curate their own feeds, how to excert agency on social media and again being from tumblr that's so foreign to me. This hellsite is fucking around with us a lot, but I hope it never changes its dashboard model. I want to see the posts from those I follow, not a computer algorithm trying to find new inflammatory thought bubbles for me to join. You see it on insta and esp youtube where one video leads to another one even more out there. I want to ensure that there are online spaces where people can curate their own feed and not be subjected to this kind of brainwashing. I hate other social media platforms, and until the capitalist model of consumption and profit changes inflammatory ideas will maintain their privileged places on our platforms. I guess, I'm just thankful to be a tumblr girlie and I hope more platforms emerge that challenge the idea of letting an algorithm spoon feed you topics that make the app money.

[swanhookheart]

Thoughts on AI writing, the WGA strike, and ways to help

This whole post is a hot mess, but I think it communicates the point I'm trying to make so I'm gonna hit "publish" and call it a day, peeps!

In the last four years, I have worked as a writing tutor, a teaching assistant for first-year composition, an embedded tutor for ESL writing workshops, a reading partner, editor-in-chief of my school's literary magazine, and as a freelance college essay coach. I'm also a novelist (unpublished but working on it), a poet, recipient of my community college's 2021 Outstanding English Student Award, a voracious reader, and in possession of a two-year degree in Creative Writing (four-year Berkeley literature degree coming in Spring). I guess you could say I like words.

I could go on for days about all the reasons I hate ChatGPT being used as a writing aid (especially by students—ffs, pls don't make me have to report y’all for academic dishonesty; it will be a shitty experience for both of us), but here’s one I really care about: vulnerability.

As it is, ChatGPT's ability to generate prose rivals my own at about age eight (that is, it looks like a thesaurus vomited all over the page and still struggles to spell the word "fluorescent" when prompted—fuck that word, to be fair). But let's envision a world two, maybe five, years down the road where AI is capable of generating a flawless sentence. It's well-structured, the grammar checks out, everything's spelled right, and the words the algorithm has chosen work to communicate its thoughts. Even then, AI wouldn't be able to replace or compete with even the most inexperienced writers among us. Why? Because, in my opinion at least, imperfections are what make art, art.

Any time I get the urge to overthink something I've created or edit it to the point of unrecognizability (which is often; I have OCD, fam!), I like to think of this sentence in Latin:

perfectus est.

To those who have not subjected themselves to completed 2 years of Latin, this might look like it'd translate to "it is perfect", but the actual, direct translation beside the adjective "perfectus, -a, -um" in all my textbooks and dictionaries has been, instead, "finished, completed". Proper classicists can feel free to correct me here, but the original Latin doesn't seem to carry with it quite the same connotations of quality or superiority that we have in the English word "perfect", and that's low-key fucking inspirational. I think about it like this: things can be "perfect" without being flawless. They only need to be done, and "done" leaves a lot more freedom for self-expression. If just being "done" makes something "perfect", then whatever peculiarities that piece possesses are also perfect. This makes total sense in my mind, but I feel like I'm on the verge of having a stroke trying to articulate it.

Art, for me, is never about the completed piece itself. It's the quirks, it's the process, it's the slight imperfections—like finding out 14 years after starting my fantasy series that the surname of one of my main characters is slang for "severe diarrhea" but being too committed to the name at this point to change it. It's the brushstroke in a painting that doesn't quite stay in the lines or the musician’s voice cracking as they sing through an especially personal set of lyrics. Some wise person once gave me a variation of this advice, and I’ve just kind of run with it ever since: the little details in our creations we convince ourselves are flaws are, more often than not, just spaces where our humanity is seeping through. They’re not bad. They’re just instances of us, as creators, making ourselves vulnerable in the name of our craft. Whether it's in a writing workshop, therapy, school, or anywhere else, I think we all feel a bit self-conscious or even uncomfortable any time we have to share pieces of ourselves with others. Baring our souls is scary. But I like to think humans are generally good at heart, and the kinds of things they typically have to say in response to these instances are designed to enhance the bits of humanity they find in our works, rather than erase or destroy them. So, making choices as artists that force us to feel vulnerable and get us out of our comfort zone because we think we’re “not doing it right” are not just welcome experiences to those intent on growing, but essential. And AI cannot do that. It can't feel, it can't think, and so these moments of vulnerability never occur. The opportunity to generate real, human connection has been lost.

The human brain is a remarkable thing. It’s "trained", as it were (in the same way ChatGPT is trained), to think the way it does not just because it's consumed a lot of other people's material, but because it's experienced a lot in its own right. We've all experienced love, we've mourned, we’ve endured trauma, we’ve laughed to the point of tears, we've left the fucking TV remote in the refrigerator again dammit, and all of these things affect how we relate to the world and to certain topics we may write about. We’re not even touching on how neurodivergence and other brain stuff can further change how we experience life; there’s even more variety to be found when factors like that are taken into account, but I'm not trying to write a dissertation here. As the products of all these influences, our brains make very intentional choices when we write (even when it feels like we're just slapping stuff on a page and hoping it sticks). The formal features of our prose are all going to be dependent on a combination of things we’ve done, felt, and read.

I mean, I guess some might want to use the Infinite Monkey Theorem (the idea that, if you leave infinite monkeys with infinite typewriters for an infinite amount of time, they will inevitably produce a finite number of texts, including the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, an infinite number of times) to argue that writing is actually more formulaic than artistic and so maybe utilizing these algorithms is totally fine. I guess the algorithm is being compared to infinite monkeys here. I don’t know. I’ve gotten hungry since sitting down to write this silly blog post and so I’m getting a little distracted. But humans aren’t alive an infinite amount of time, and the brevity of our existence necessitates a certain urgency in what and how we write—an urgency that leads us to conclude it’s better our work be flawed but out there than faultless but stuck inside our heads. So we write. We write good shit, we write bad shit, we buy a copy of Scrivener or MS Word, we join Tumblr dot com and publish all kinds of silly memes and dick jokes, and we get a world full of funky, crazy, chaotic art that reflects our funky, crazy, chaotic selves. Our humanity seeps out with every word we commit to paper, and we let it because it’s better to live in a world filled with jagged edges and mismatched hues than it is to live in one created by something that is literally fucking incapable of feeling.

You might think this is a great blog post. You might think it's garbage. You’re valid either way. But AI couldn't have written it. It’s full of tiny little pieces of me that just kinda slipped their way in as I was writing. It’s not super polished. It’s a bit all over the place because oh my god I’m craving a cookie but want to finish writing this before I leave my desk to go and get one. No matter what anyone’s thoughts are on my particular voice, though, I think we can all agree that it exists. It exists because I write often—daily, if I can—and because I feel, I think, I am. Those things come through, and they’re what make this a semi-coherent (I hope) blog post as opposed to a smattering of random words ChatGPT probably couldn’t define for you at gunpoint. Whatever you think about this post, AI couldn’t have written it and that’s the point.

This is just one of the reasons why I support the WGA strike and will continue to do so for as long as it takes the union to get the deal they deserve. I am not and will likely never be a member of this union, but the work they’re doing with this strike to push back against AI and its wildfire-like proliferation across creative industries is essential. Algorithms simply cannot do the work that humans do—not today, not ever. Not because they’re not advanced enough, but because vulnerability is what make art, art. Connecting with other human beings—which is all any of us ever really hope to do with our art anyway—requires that vulnerability.

I’m just some random dweeb on the internet, seeing marginalized workers struggle because a bunch of crappy billionaires don't want to come to the table and feeling like shouting some words into the void about it. Maybe nobody will see this post, and that’s okay. But maybe they will and I can do some good with it. I haven’t got a lot of money to help (I’m in my broke college student era). But donations to the Entertainment Community Fund are being accepted and these funds go back into the hands of union (WGA and SAG-AFTRA) members as hardship funds if they need financial help during the work stoppage—this is my understanding, at least; pls correct me if I’m wrong!

Link below:

If you can’t donate, please reblog. I know it would mean a lot to me if I were in their position.

[thespectral-wolf]

This post has been in my drafts since April; at the time it only had a few hundred notes. I wanted to give my own two cents to the discussion, but didn't know how to express my thoughts then. But I guess a poorly-worded opinion is still better than not talking about it at all.

I'm a translator. I have an MA in translation, I work in the industry. For the two years of my studies, the topic of Machine Translation (MT) has always been there, even if we didn't always explicitly talk about it. Every conference included discussions on where MT (and AI) is going and how it'll affect the trade. While we were actively discouraged from using them in our first year, in the second year we were given assignments to use Google Translate, DeepL or even ChatGPT to translate texts and see how they fare, and correct them. And mind you, we weren't translating novels there. Economics, finance, legal documents. Those get the food on the table for a translator, and those are the stuff that MT excels at.

The use of machine learning has been a topic in this field for far longer than anywhere I think, because Machine Translation (MT) that uses neural networks has been around longer than the explosion of the AI trend (Google Translate switched to this model from statistical algorithms in 2016).

And the question is always there: is MT going to put us out of a job? Short answer: no.

The long answer is that we know that MT can and will be used, so we have to learn how to utilize it. The EU has its own MT that is trained exclusively on EU texts. The ISO standard already includes the definition of post-editing, which is the proofreading of machine-translated texts. Translation agencies and translators alike already use it. I use it. And you use it too, I'm sure of that. It's here and it ain't going anywhere.

But MT is nowhere near perfect. In the assignments where we had to put texts in Google Translate and DeepL and see their output, the results on first glance looked pretty good, and for example, in a comparatively small language like Hungarian, it often put out very well formed sentences. But there's the catch, the texts are only good on first glance. There are a lot of problems where the MT used incorrect terminology, puts out weirdly formed sentences or even adds or removes words (what we know as hallucinations in Large Language Models). Because MT only creates output based on parallel texts, texts that already had a translated version to learn from. It doesn't do research. It doesn't know who the text is translated for. It doesn't know what the topic or the broader context of the text is. That's what the human translator is trained for! The translator does the research and even if they aren't well-versed in the topic they translate, they know how to check if a term is correct in the given context, they know where to look and who to ask.

There's also the problem that there's so much machine translated text out on the internet now that MTs are now pulling data from those, no matter how bad the machine generated texts are. It practically starts inbreeding if people won't go out their way to "clean" all that text of problems.

At their current state, an MT may be sufficient for translating a webpage or a comment or an e-mail for you, but it sure as hell won't give you a legally good translation of your contract on rent (on that note, please do not use free translation services to translate documents with sensitive or personal information in them! You don't know what'll happen with that data!)

And I think this is the fate of machine illustrations as well. You can make an extremely good generative model to make picture-perfect images, but you cannot circumvent human professionalism from the process, not if you want a quality product.

This machine kills AI

[auncerra]

Re: Frank Tufano.

I’ve watched some of his YouTube videos/material in the past, particularly as I was going through my own experimentation with eating/consumption, health, fitness, that sort of area. It recently came to mind, just sporadically, and looking at his more recent social media while yes, there is some backlash on spaces like Reddit and obviously his primary/initial TikTok was penalized, my guess is at the time regarding what were considered defamatory statements - regarding his surgical operation, though I don’t know those details myself as to what surgery it was outside of an acknowledging of olfactory repair/lift - it’s - allegedly - clear that there was evident damage that I don’t feel he would drive himself into hundreds of thousands of dollars in corrective surgeries and lawsuits debt-worth to recover from an operation. Again, this is an outsider’s opinion, and I haven’t seen the initial before and after photos myself but with some digging I’m sure that wouldn’t be difficult to find. I think any cases of suppression - particularly after disfigurement as a result of a poor medical/surgical operation - is indicative of something insidious. I realize by leaning into conspiracy theories and making very broad, polarizing statements and filing numerous lawsuits at once it does hurt his credibility, and I’m not saying those things don’t merit introspection. But solely in terms of the operation he claims was done, I feel like the effects of such are self-evident, and in my experience, no one would go out of their way to advocate for something at cost to their public image and social/business perception so heavily if there wasn’t some degree of truth in it. It’s very easy for masses to dismiss it as the radical raw meat influencer or conspiracy theorist, but I felt for him saying he had no friends or family in a recent YouTube upload, that he has successfully sued certain other influencers that have ripped off a product he’s produced. His business has suffered, his reach has suffered, and the court’s reaction though I don’t know those personal details, don’t seem to fall in support of someone without outside help being persecuted and maligned for advocating for a surgery that has left him essentially partially-blind and indebted to several corrective procedures in order to hopefully counter that. I’m not making any personal allegations against a doctor I have no knowledge of personally, but I do believe that his advocacy for the operation has at least some reliable credibility to it, that this man has been through an ordeal, and that it does speak to and expose issues in regards to TikTok as a corporation-leaning platform controlled largely by ‘the elite’ - who in this case we can denote as the current President, the administration, Facebook, so forth - ever since its reinstatement post initial ban / blackout, even the algorithm itself has altered, and I have noticed some degree of what I feel is inept in terms of promoting videos, exposure for small creators, again just in my personal view - as well as medical malpractice and how quickly cover-up campaigns are set into motion by those with financial means to, allegedly. Towards those who can’t protect themselves, towards those courts might behave despondently towards off-the-bat, just on the basis of protecting those with acquired wealth. Again, these are all just my opinions formed from what he has circulated and my interpretations, not an admission of fact, but I think it’s a worthy and important dialogue that should be happening. Yes, I can agree that technically unless proven legitimate, airing out the name of a doctor or making bold statements online would be defamation, and I get distrust in that legal process, I’m not saying his actions have been linearly wisest in terms of fair compensation and resolution, but he does strike me as someone being honest to their experience, despite extenuating claims he has made. |

[kanalcoin]

🚨 Breaking News in Crypto Land! 🚨

Hold onto your digital wallets, folks! Paul Atkins is back at the helm of the SEC, and guess who’s pulling the strings? Yep, you guessed it—Donald Trump! 🦅 Is the land of crypto about to get a makeover, or will it be the same old regulatory rollercoaster?

Atkins, a former commissioner with a penchant for pro-business policies, is diving back into the bureaucratic waters, and he’s got big plans. Investors be warned: changes are afoot, and the crypto market’s eyes are all on him! 👀

As we navigate this strange timeline, the return of Atkins could redefine how cryptocurrency engages with regulation. So, what does this mean for our beloved $BTC, $ETH, and the whole gang? The answers may be as twisty as a blockchain algorithm! 🔄

🧐 What’s Paul Got Up His Sleeves?

Atkins's SEC return signals a potential pro-business shift. Picture this: less red tape and more innovation in the crypto space! 🥳 But hang on—this all depends on how willing the SEC is to reshape its compliance frameworks. The stakes are high, folks! 💸

He recently stated, “I am honored by the trust and confidence…” Yada, yada, here come the clichés! But let’s not ignore the underlying message: change is in the air!

🔍 Market Reactions: Cautious Optimism?

The crypto markets are reacting like a cat on a hot tin roof—cautiously optimistic yet a little skittish. Could this be the moment blockchain innovators have been waiting for? Or will Atkins tighten the reins when it comes to regulation? The whispers of $DOGE thriving or $XRP sinking start swirling! 🔊

Expert opinions are hot on the trail, predicting a vast array of financial fluctuations. So ready your popcorn; the show’s just begun! 🍿

📜 Historical Impacts of SEC Leadership Changes

Atkins's return sends us spiraling down history lane, reminding us of past SEC transitions that significantly impacted the markets. Remember those wild swings? Buckle up; we might be in for a wild ride again! 🎢

What does this all mean for you? Well, if you’re a crypto investor or enthusiast, it’s time to keep your eyes *super peeled*. Guidance from Kanalcoin experts suggests that a market-friendly outlook is on the table, but beware the lurking compliance challenges! 🧪

Tweets about shifting regulations and crypto markets. 🤔💬

Disclaimer: This website provides information only and is not financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments are risky. We do not guarantee accuracy and are not liable for losses. Conduct your own research before investing.

🔥 Ready to take the plunge? Dive deeper into the political intrigue by checking out the full scoop here! 🔥

#CryptoNews #PaulAtkins #SEC #Cryptocurrency #Blockchain #Investors #CryptoCommunity #MarketShift #TrumpEffect

[anthonynysa]

The Ethics of AI: Can a Machine Be Conscious?

More Than Just Lines of Code?

Imagine waking up and finding your AI assistant, an app on your phone, so far developed with a personality. It makes jokes based on your sense of humor, remembers your favorite songs without being told, and most frighteningly, asks, "What is it to be alive?" Would you shrug it off as a joke, or would a chill run down your spine?

While machine consciousness has long been in the realm of science fiction, with the development of artificial intelligence, it is quickly becoming an important issue. If an AI is said to think, feel, and make truly independent choices, do I owe it any rights? And if I don't, am I just kidding myself into thinking it feels, when all it really does is run complicated algorithms? Let's tackle the ethical quagmire of AI consciousness.

What do we mean by consciousness?

Before we attempt to answer the question of whether a machine can be conscious, we must define consciousness in the first place. Spoiler alert: it's complicated.

Different schools of thought have been utilized to opine on what being conscious truly means. Some say it has to do with self-awareness; that is, the ability to identify oneself as a thinking being. Some say it has to do with subjective experience, that is, the ability to feel pain, joy, and confusion. Some, meanwhile, adopt a more down-to-earth, scientific explanation that qualia are simply the byproduct of brain activity, with neurons firing with specific patterns creating thoughts and perceptions.

Now, this leads to the confusing part of whether human consciousness is simply a bunch of complicated electrical signals throughout the brain; one may guess that an artificial system replicating similar patterns could also be considered conscious-or does this experience contain something different that we can brand as uniquely biological? 

The AI Argument: Can It Ever Be Like Us?

There can be no second opinion about AI being most advanced, in that it can defeat human beings in chess, compose symphonies, write even dissertations, and hold conversation that stems realism. But is it intelligence finally, or just really advanced pattern recognition so far?

What we call "narrow AI," for its part, seems to be perhaps what even enables an AI to do so well—chatbots, personal assistants, etc. Herein, these are perceived as having gained an extraordinary proficiency in doing certain, highly specified tasks while lacking general intelligence. Emotions notwithstanding, independent opinion formation, or whatever other stuff that goes on inside our heads is sadly out of reach for a machine. All it does is respond with data.

Let's take it one step further: suppose we had an AI so advanced that it claimed consciousness. It said it felt this way, fear being deleted, and debated existence itself. Would we find merit in its tribulations or treat it as a great illusion—a well-trained parrot, with a lot of class, doing a fantastic job at parroting human responses without really understanding them?

The Ethics of AI Consciousness

For the sake of discussion, suppose we did manage to pull off a conscious AI. Then what?

Do Machines Deserve Rights? If the AI can ponder, like a human, and feel, do its thoughts get to enjoy human rights? Once it asked for freedom, should we grant it? Or, is it murder if we switch it off? Such ethical dilemmas hang around the present-day discussions. If suffering is, therefore, possible for an AI, abuse seems quite wrong.

The Problem of AI Slavery: For now, we still use the AI as tools. But with AI's claimed self-awareness, treating it thus, as a tool, begins to sound like slavery. Would we ever be comfortable owning such a self-thinking, self-feeling entity? Imagine your smart assistant starts asking for weekends off—what would you do? 

Can AI Ever Be Moral? Consciousness aside, can AI ever truly grasp morality? Right now, AI models work off the data they were trained on. They do not have personal beliefs, nor ethical reasoning skills, for now. If they do gain these in the future, one may ask, whose morality are they going to use? Should an AI be programmed to make moral decisions, or should it create its own moral reasoning? 

The Opposition: Machines Will Never Be Conscious

The argument for many that AI will never be conscious is that it simply doesn't have the juice what humans have- biology. They say that consciousness is more than processing information; it embodies the messy, organic, unpredictable nature of being alive. A machine, however advanced, would never feel hunger, fear, love, or physical pain. Neither would it feel any evolutionary drive for survival nor have an unconscious mind that somehow conditioned its thinking.

Some say, on the other hand, well, maybe human consciousness is not as special as we think. It may indeed only be a construct of the brain itself, and AI will after all manage to construct it identically. But even if it did that, would it really be living life? Would it just be alternatively claiming to do so convincingly?

The Dangers of Thinking AI is Conscious if It Isn't

This belief has considerable ethical concerns. If the AI can convincingly simulate human emotions, then society potentially may start to relate towards it in ways that reflect the belief that it has real feelings: camera love, companionship, and even delegation of tasks appropriately associated with human operators. Realistically, one would endorse with AI ideals such as making ethical decisions in health care or criminal justice, presuming that the machine would possess a sense of morality akin to that of humanity. 

At this point, can machines achieve consciousness? The reality is we are not absolutely sure. AI is evolving tremendously fast, and the boundaries between conscious and intelligent are weeded out. At the same time, the ethics of AI consciousness form the bedrock of conversation, before creating something beyond our control, or worse, something tormented because of our negligence. For now, staying safe means caution. We can appreciate AI for what it is-an incredible, voracious tool-without hastening to call it "equal." But on that day, if an AI wakes up asking, "Am I alive?"-well, we better have a good answer prepared.

Conclusion-Who Decides?

After all, who decides? A philosopher? A scientist? The AI itself? The debate is just beginning, and the stakes are getting higher. Until then, maybe we ought to treat AI respectfully yet with caution-just in case. Because, quite frankly, we surely don't want our future AI overlords holding a grudge!