#AI-ASSISTED TRASH

[swan2swan]

oh I hate that

OH I HATE THAT

sorry, they just showed a clip from The Acolyte, and Darth Vader said "Have you come to DESTROY ME, Obi-Wan?" in the absolute most AI-generated voice, the "destroy me" is the same tone as "only your hatred can destroy me", and the "Obi-Wan" is the "I have been waiting for you, Obi-Wan"...

I really hope that Obi-Wan "I will do what I must" was Jay or Mike dubbing it in silly-ly, because if that line was ACTUALLY in the show, no, no, there's no excuse for Liking It.

[wahoo-stomp]

I spent five years coming up with unique ways to photograph the same group of plushies to help tell a story.

You don't need AI to help you be creative, you're just being lazy and want brain chemicals without doing any of the work or respecting the people who put time and effort into it.

[demie90s]

Final Whistle, No Mercy

꒰ 🍒 ꒱ Juju Watkins x READER ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

MASTERLIST MORE

⭑ pairing: Juju Watkins x reader (demon-time!fem!reader)

⭑ summary: You’ve been on demon time all season—techs, fouls, and a stat sheet so filthy it’s biblical. Now it’s the final game, UConn vs. USC, and Juju thinks she’s the one to humble you.

⭑ genre: Sports tension, enemies to almost-lovers, peak chaos, certified menace energy

⭑ warnings: Strong language, aggressive basketball behavior, fouling without remorse, unsportsmanlike conduct, flirtatious rivalry

⭑ word count: 0.9k

I’ve been a problem.

Ask any coach in my district, any ref in my state. Hell, ask Juju Watkins. She’s been watching me since senior year—when they still thought she had a shot at being number one.

She didn’t.

No one did.

By the time I hit 18, I had D1 offers flooding my inbox, sneaker reps in my DMs, and NIL deals before I touched a college court. I wasn’t just ranked #1 in the country—I was problems in motion. A walking violation with a vertical so disrespectful it should be illegal. Grown-ass men in the stands would flinch every time I hit the paint like they were watching someone get jumped.

Because they were.

But the crazy part? Off the court? I’m calm. Chill. Say “yes ma’am” and “no sir.” I help carry team gear. I shake hands with little girls in the stands. My GPA’s tight, my teachers love me, and my coach calls me “the sweetest terror he’s ever met.”

“You ever watch her play?”

“No, but I heard.”

“She’s insane.”

“Y’all remember that video where she stepped over that girl like AI?”

“Yup. That was me she stepped over,” some random girl at a camp once admitted. “She said ‘Move.’ And I did.”

I didn’t talk trash. I didn’t need to. My game was a loudspeaker. Elbows out, knees high, fouls intentional. My high school coach used to brag about me in gas stations. One time a recruiter asked if I could tone it down. Coach said, “You want a ballerina or a f***ing champion?”

That was my last game in that district.

⸻

Flash to now—UConn.

Freshman year. Same dog, new leash.

Geno ain’t even try to hide how hype he was when I committed. Said something about me being “what happens when talent gets raised by wolves.” First two games we lost? Wasn’t on me—I hadn’t started yet. Third game, I dropped 32 with a busted lip and three fouls in the first half. After that?

Undefeated.

I’ve been on pure demon time ever since.

30 points per game. 10 boards. 6 assists. 3 steals. 1–2 techs a night depending on the mood. I foul with intent. I fight screens like they owe me money. I dunked on a 6’4 center and smiled at her mom in the stands. Geno yelled, “Calm down!” but then added under his breath, “But don’t stop.”

You ever seen Sue Bird at a freshman game? She came to ours. Wore a hoodie and sunglasses, left before halftime.

Later that night she tweeted:

“#17 on UConn is HIM. And she’s not even trying.”

Jerseys started selling with no name on the back. Just “17” and “Y’all In Trouble.”

⸻

Now it’s USC. Final game of the season. And guess who’s still tryna humble me?

Juju.

She’s been hovering behind me since high school. #2 on the 2023 list. Always good. Always consistent. But I was hell. She knew it then, and she definitely knows it now. Still—she walks onto the court with her chin high like she forgot.

I make sure she remembers.

⸻

Tip-off.

Her eyes are already on me. Mine aren’t on her. I don’t look at people I’m about to violate. I just let the game do the talking.

First play—Juju tries to drive. I cut her off, chest-to-chest. She bounces off me. Ball goes loose. I scoop it. Coast to coast. And-1. Crowd goes feral.

I don’t celebrate. I just look at Geno. He nods. I nod back.

Free throw? Splash.

Next possession? Juju gets the ball again. I press. No space. She elbows. I smile.

“Getting frustrated already?”

“Not even close,” she mutters.

She should be. By the end of the first quarter, I’ve got 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and one body. I stepped over a girl after a fast break block, and the cameras caught it in 4K. Twitter already eating it up.

Halfway through the second, Juju finally catches fire. Hits back-to-back threes and stares me down.

“You gone guard me or pose?”

I walk up slow. “You really think this ends with you?”

She tries to answer. I strip the ball. Layup. Back on D before she even finishes turning around.

⸻

Halftime: UConn 41, USC 34.

Locker room is heat and energy. I’m pacing like usual, chest heaving, jersey untucked.

KK’s laughing. “You’re not even tired. That’s the scary part.”

I grin. “Not even warm yet.” Geno comes over. “You doing alright?” I nod. He sighs. “Keep it clean…ish.” I nod again.

⸻

Third quarter’s a war. Juju’s pulling everything out now—spin moves, hesitations, floaters. She’s quick. And she’s pissed.

But I’m inevitable.

Every time she scores, I answer. Three. Block. Jumper. And when she hits the deck trying to draw a foul, I walk right past her and say, “They not saving you tonight.”

⸻

Fourth quarter. One minute left. Game tied.

Ball in Juju’s hands. She’s eyeing me down like I’m the villain. And I am.

She tries to drive again. I step in. She stutter-steps. Fakes. Goes up. I meet her in the air.

Block.

I catch it before it even hits the floor. Crowd loses their f***ing minds. I push it up. No look pass to KK. Layup. Up two. Next USC possession—rushed shot. Miss.

I grab the rebound. Foul. Whistle. I’m at the line. The gym is vibrating. Everybody’s standing.

I hit both. Game. UConn wins. Final score: 82–78.

⸻

I don’t smile. Not until I see Juju.

She’s standing across the court, hands on hips, breathing hard. We lock eyes.

She shakes her head. Walks up. “I swear I’m gonna beat you one day.”

I lean in, smirk low. “No you won’t.”

She looks me up and down. “You’re crazy.”

“I know.”

⸻

That night, I post a single photo.

My jersey hanging in the locker. My shoes under the bench, laces loose like I just finished something holy.

Caption? Nothing.

It hits 80k likes in four hours.

⸻

The next morning, Juju reposts it to her story.

Adds one line: “I still want you though.”

[rainbowsky]

Anonymous asked: Hi,I hope you’ll be doing great. I’m a huge fan of yours I’ve watched the following video... most of it is total trash, except for the segment from 2:05 to 2:31, which seems significant. I’m requesting your thoughts on it. If you’ve already seen it and commented, could you please direct me to your response? I think there’s a woman in the mirror wearing a white top and black pants.

Hi Anon! Thanks so much for your kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying my blog.

The clip you sent me was filmed when DD was in quarantine for Legend of Fei filming. The person in the background would have been an assistant or producer or something. If you observe his demeanour in that clip and he seems a bit sad, that was right when 227 broke and he and GG were separated because of his quarantine for LOF. It was a very sad time.

And I'd like to add my usual reminder that pretty much everything you see on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram that is GGDD related is utter BS. All 3 platforms are completely flooded with AI generated nonsense, grifters posting fake garbage for clicks and clout, and overall just utter delusional trash. I'm always frustrated when I see turtles active on those platforms. Understand that almost none of what you see there is accurate.

[enavstars]

Some characters in the Cyberpunk au (part 1)

I tried to make Echo and Zane more robot-like since robots are pretty much treated like people regardless of their appereance. And Garmadon's design is from when the rgb are kids so he's younger (he's not an Oni in this au).

Characters details from within the story:

Echo

Echo is created by a younger Julien (like in his 30s) as a test run for his project to build himself an assistant to deal with his chronic disease, which, despite not being deadly per se, it could still leave him impaired in the long run and therefore he needed some sort of safe net just in case.

But sadly, the prototype's AI ends up being deficient for his purpose as he is not able to process neither human emotions nor their needs, so after much deliberation, Julien decides to set him free rather than letting him collect dust in his storage.

However, Echo could not fit into the city's human society either, as people would not accept his strange speech nor behavior. This eventually culminated in an assault by one of the problematic gangs that sprouted up after the crisis, where they thrashed the helpless robot relentlessly and even managed to damage his voice module. He then was trashed out to the Outside, and from there, mauled and hopeless, he wandered aimlessly and without a purpose in life for a long time.

But at one point through his senseless journey, he stumbled upon a couple of abandoned kids crying in the middle of the woods. Even though he did not understand what their tears meant, he was curious, so from then on he started acting as their guardian.

Thanks to them, slowly but surely he began to learn about human emotions and, as he could only do little beeps to communicate, he also figured out a way to communicate without words. Although sometimes he was still lacking as a caregiver, he worked hard to develop the necessary skills to look after their (newly discovered) basic human needs, like fishing and hunting. He even takes a third kid in after Kai and Nya find another lost boy in the woods and convince him to keep him.

As they grow, he also begins to teach them how to be self-sufficient, because he is painfully aware that he would never be capable of being a better parent due to his poor programming. It is in this context when, years later when Echo finds a potential job opportunity as the ferryman to the city, the RGB urge him to take the chance, knowing that he wants to work to feel more useful and wanting to have more solo adventures.

Even though he was reluctant to leave them behind, he is now the happiest he's ever been and still looks after his children whenever they need him (even going so far as to risk his job) out of his gratitude for granting him another chance in his doomed life.

Ronin

Currently retired, he used to be a renowned mercenary and bounty hunter in his youth. However, he gradually gained more and more enemies and got himself into more and more dangerous trouble (which is why he’s a full cyborg now), until eventually, battered and grown past the age of peak physical strength, he decided to quit to save his ass.

From then on, he started looking after the demon children around the most miserable parts of their struggling segregated neighborhood in exchange for minor treasure hunts; this is why he is now protected from his remaining enemies, as many of them grew up to become members of some of the local gangs (also as an added bonus Garmadon is a pretty ominous legend and people are kind of afraid of hurting demons because of him, but more on that later).

Although he lives rather isolated from the rest of society because of his (extensive) criminal record, he still manages to make ends meet with the treasures he got from all his exploits and the profits of the little side quests he tasks the children in exchange for his care.

No he’s not charity, he’s a wine uncle, but he is an asshole to everyone (especially humans) except the kids. In fact, even though he does not give out help for free, he always ends up rewarding them with his teachings and advice and about life on top of the food and shelter, so almost every child he's taken under his wing ends up becoming pretty competent to face the harsh society they live in.

And in particular, he grows to like the RGB a lot because he recognizes their wit and appreciates how cunning they can be, sometimes even negotiating with him and being capable enough to uno reverse his little tricks on the kids like they are equals (for example, Nya stealing her brother’s bionic eye blueprints to avoid being totally dependant on Ronin for maintenance).

In fact, later on when Nya introduces him to Jay (a human) to be his apprentice as a mechanic, she somehow convinces him despite his hate for his kind.

Bonus: when he meets Jay at first he’s irritated at him because he takes his fear and shyness as racism, but the kid is just intimidated by the sassy cyborg (don't worry, eventually he figures it out and the child grows on him, Jay is too cute).

(I will talk about Jay in my next post dw)

Zane (24NE)

He’s the successful final product of Julien’s project, a kind and refined assistance nindroid knowledgeable in human care. His role is very important to him, so when his father died he lost all purpose in life and, unable to deal with his grief on top of that existential crisis, he became depressed and stagnant, trapped in his own mind inside his creator’s abandoned home and slowly wasting away due to his mental stress and a lack of maintenance now that nobody could look after him.

And he stayed in that sorry state until the RGB found the house and, upon looting it for supplies, Nya stumbled upon the nindroid lying dormant next to Julien’s bed. When she wakes him up, his rusty voice module is damaged and he can’t speak properly (Julien is shit at making those apparently), so she repairs it as best as she can and as a result, he eventually becomes their friend.

Although they were wary at first, they understood his situation, and in the end they decided to help him by introducing him to Doctor Rashid (an oc) to learn more about biology and medicine.

Speaking of, I’ll talk more about Dr. Rashid in another future post but basically he’s an oc of mine I inserted in this au, a friend of Kai and Nya’s and sort of a parental figure.

Garmadon

He is an elusive red-eyed demon, the rarest of his kind, and a criminal brought to legendary status. Now vanished and rarely ever seen amongst the city shadows, he used to be an undefeatable wandering warrior. He would spread chaos everywhere he went and, along the way, he would mercilessly murder anyone opposed to the Demon’s Rights movement.

However, one day he disappeared suddenly from the face of the earth. But his legacy carries on to this day: he is feared universally, considered an antihero by his followers and a bloodthirsty criminal by the rest.

A few months after his disappearance, though, a human woman named Misako gave birth to a demon child with ominous red eyes. Soon, people started making the connection and his mother, who by that point had developed a deep hatred towards demons, was put under such public scrutiny that she ended up abandoning him on the Outside to leave behind the city and her trauma along with it.

Sadly for Garmadon, it was too late when he finally learned that he had a son. He’d left Misako pregnant without either of them knowing, and after he was gone she had been unable to reach him. For that reason, when he came back to the city years later and at last he found out, in the end he decided to let Lloyd be with his new family, as he he realized he had no right to take him in after being absent the entirety of his short life when he already had the two loving siblings looking after him.

After that, he turned back to his wandering, and he was barely ever seen again.

[thundeer-arts]

i made a thing

hi! lately i've been seeing a bunch of artists i love being inconvenienced by low quality A/I trash on google (and not all of them know the ways around it), so i tried making a simple tool that assists you on cleaning up some of that slop

let me know if it helps or if the site doesn't work correctly! i'll try improving it the best i can. posting here first, cause while i don't know tumblr very well ik you're more chill than twitter fr fr

(inspired by this post by @cutabello!)

[thedialoguedilemma]

The Dilemma Bulletin: Thursday January 23rd, 2025

Keeping you informed about the daily events of the Trump Administration

A Seattle judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s end to birthright citizenship Executive Order for two weeks ripping into the order as Unconstitutional.

Trump has ordered a communications blackout for America’s top federal agencies including the CDC, HHS, the FDA and more.

A North Carolina rep has introduced a bill to allow Trump to run for a third term. This would need 2/3 vote in Congress and 38 states to ratify the amendment. Republicans are far from having the votes.

Trump floats an idea of inviting the January 6th terrorists to the White House.

Nashville school shooter was a US citizen high school student who was radicalized by Candace Owens

Trump’s staff are furious with Elon Musk for trashing Sam Altman’s investment his administration provided for AI infrastructure.

Trump signs an Executive Order to declassify the MLK and JFK assassination but does not include the Epstein files.

Trump has directed the Department of Justice to order that orgs that receive federal funding for legal assistance of immigrants to stop work immediately

Trump signs an Excutive Order to ban central bank digital currencies as he abuses the crypto market with this meme coins.

A top lawyer penned to work at the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ is exiting the coalition.

Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins vote no to advance Pete Hegseth.

ICE raids in Newark lead to detaining of US citizens including a military vet.

Trump threatens Canada, Mexico and foreign allies with tariffs in a virtual speech at the World Economic Forum

Trump demands the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. The Federal Reserve is an independent body that does not take orders from the President. They balance interest rates to curb inflation

[kdinjenzen]

🔥 Your favorite video game (or one of them if you have multiple)

Pokémon lost a lot of personality in the characters, designs, and details when it shifted to 3D models over pixel art.

GameFreak has suffered because of this change because the 3D stuff was never really in their development pipeline and expecting this company who often developed for mobile games or made smaller experiences to be able to pick up and run with a new 3D development pipeline was and still is a ridiculous concept.

The vast amount of people in the credits for the Pokémon games don’t work at GameFreak and are actually hired out as contract through other studios (Like Bandai Namco) through Nintendo to actually assist and work more directly on those 3D pipelines.

That said the 3D games are great and most people who trash on them as being “GOD AWFUL GARBAGE” have no idea how hard game dev is and have no concept of the industry struggles.

“Gotta Catch Em All” was easy for Gen 1 and 2, but once 3 and onward happened most folks didn’t give two fucks about catching them all and just focused on their favorites. So the hateful explosion of “FUCK THE DEVS FOR REMOVING POKÉMON” is bullshit and most folks likely never complete a Pokédex anyway even with the smaller dexes.

Everyone who said “Palworld is Pokémon But Better” is an asshole and either doesn’t care or ignores the fact that designs were stolen and the company loves generative Ai.

GameFreak needs to be able to make a game every 3 years instead of every single year/year and a half.

Nintendo should be supporting GameFreak with more side games to support a release schedule for the series instead of pushing for mainline games.

[fearcrowz]

Did whoever created the AI have a specific goal in mind when designing them? I could see a bit of it being aesthetic but it made me wonder why most of them are between robot and human and then there’s others with a more unique design. Does it impede their work any or do they have augmentations to help them do their job easier?

The facility is very white and perfect. Sleek design, simple, very clean. Workers do the dirty work so they wear just black jumpsuits to show ranking.

Thats why the Leads are all pure perfect lookin'. This was the Director's choice. Wanting them to look perfect and clean.

They do have their own stations that they plug themselves into. Nel for example, if you're a worker you very rarely will ever see her large heart-shaped self. She is always on screens that are scattered through the working stations to talk to everyone. Sometimes they can all have their faces on screens (I'll have to draw them sometime) to keep an eye on their sectors and their workers. They also plug themselves up to cameras and screens for their said jobs. Vin would use security cameras. Percy would have control over satellites on earth and in space. Thaddeus controls medical equipment. (He doesn't have to be plugged in tho) Nel is always plugged in to keep track of workers and their health and safety. Repo would be plugged in to manage machinery to lift very heavy things or trash compacting. Clip would be plugged in to fix systems internally while his assistant is more hands on in fixing things.

[juurensha]

Neon Flux ARC review

So I applied for an ARC of this novel because it was billed to me as a dark fantasy-cyberpunk romance with bi4bi and a cat and mouse dynamic between a hacker and a coporate enforcer, and boy did it deliver.

First off, as mentioned above, I love a good cyberpunk story (ESPECIALLY if there's messy romance involved) and this delivered that in spades! You can feel the grunge, the neon lights shining off of puddles, the ever-present corporate overlords working their tendrils into every part of life, the rebellion simmering just underneath, and of course, tech + magic worked deep into the fabric of everyday life. From the sterile corporate offices of POM to the seedy sex clubs of Magenta, the world of Neo Stellaris is alive and fully explored.

Now, let's get into the characters, because they're what makes a novel for me, and I love them a lot here. Eon is our badass cyberunner MC who is really just trying to make ends meet between her mother's crushing medical debt and also struggling with addiction. She's messy and doesn't always make the right decisions, but that just makes her seem more real--and her heart is generally always in the right place. She desperately wants to help people, but she also just wants to survive herself and help her mother, whether that's through sex work, hacking, blasting people with her electrical Flux powers, or working with people she hates to solve a corporate mystery.

Cy is our corporate enforcer MC who is, yes, starts as an unrepentant asshole. He knows he sold his soul to the corp, but hey, he's also Magenta gutter trash, so how many options did he have exactly? He kills and fucks around blithely, but is also charming in a carefree fashion. It's not totally a facade, but he does start to gain depth after running into Eon unmasked. After that, he's obsessed with her, and they both are using each other <spoiler>she sleeps with him to distract him from a job her anarchist friends are pulling, he hunts her down to help POM with a case</spoiler>, but through the insults and the fighting, they both start to see each other's true selves, grow to respect that, and start to really fall in love. (Helped along by their electric Flux powers being in synch as well)

Other characters that I really enjoyed were Maddox, Cy's more stoic partner who gets stuck as the good cop of their duo but also gets a few moments to snark, DITA, Eon's advanced AI assistant who is sassy but deathly loyal to EON, and Mercy, Eon's friend from the Hellfire club who has a really cute thing with Maddox.

Going into the romance, this is a dark romance in that both members of the couple are pretty messed up, but they love each other in all their dark glory--Cy more than Eon in some ways. A good summary of their relationship is this quote from Cy:

"I'm not afraid of death. He and I have always had a close relationship. What I'm afraid of is that someday you'll stop looking at me. I don't care if you hate me. I don't care if you're mad. I don't care if you hit me or hurt me. As long as you're looking at me, then I know I'm real. I know I'm not just a ghost, a demon who haunts the night. When you look at me, I'm a man--and you're the only one who's ever really seen me."

Are they sometimes pretty deranged and violent about each other, yes--but that's what you want from a dark romance, right? (Or at least, that's what I want when reading one :DDD) The smut is stellar and sizzles off the page. I was basically sold on them as a couple just based on their first cat-and-mouse sex scene because the character dynamics there were just delicious.

The 0.5 star off is just for the random peppering of Japanese in dialogue--it sort of makes sense in this context I guess, since Cy is at least part Japanese and has yakuza connections, but it also felt a little off at times.

Other than that, the plot and mystery of the novel was good as well--lots of conspiracy and dark deals and connections between the various power players of the city that had me rapidly turning pages and wanting to know exactly what the dark secrets were. I also appreciated that while of course, in this novel ACAB and corporations are all awful and capitalism is the worst, the anarchists themselves are also portrayed as being capable of dark actions as well and just sheer asshole behavior--everyone is very human here, and no one is entirely in the right. (But some people are definitely all in the wrong and deserve everything coming to them <spoiler>Rook</spoiler>) The ultimate conclusion is a cliffhanger that while satisfying, also has me clamoring for the sequel.

4.5/5 stars, definitely recommend you guys reading it (and if you want that specific copy up there with the pretty edges, the preorder link is here)

[iwonderwh0]

AI is used in many harmful ways, but when it is FINALLY used for something actually useful and actually helpful that proves to be more effective than human alternatives in some usually inaccessible assistance like accessibility tools, it should be fucking celebrated for once instead of being criticised out of a habit of hating everything with the word ai in it.

AI is a tool that is not inherently evil. Language models aren't represented by as a whole by catastrophic failure of google summaries trained on some trash sources and generative ai like midjourney whose entire existence is a big copyright violation. Language models aren't limited to commercial giants like those owned by openAI and Google that require huge computational power to run, some can run on a local machine like a laptop and are open. They're getting more effective with less computational power needed over time as they improve. Did you know that? If not, now you do.

[blueteller]

Cale and Impostor Syndrome

From discord, sent by @Jalffy22's dad, who apparently used Chatgpt… to diagnose Cale with Impostor Syndrome?? As well as my own thoughts on analysis on it.

Cale Henituse is a character from the popular Korean web novel series "Trash of the Count's Family" written by Yoo Ryeo Han. Impostor syndrome can be explained in the context of Cale Henituse and his journey within the story. Cale Henituse, as a character, experiences various aspects of Impostor Syndrome: Comparing Himself to Others: Throughout the story, Cale Henituse often finds himself comparing his abilities to those of other characters, especially his closest allies and mentors. This self-comparison can lead to feelings of inadequacy, especially when he believes he falls short in comparison to powerful figures like Alberu Crossman or Raon Miru. Downplaying His Achievements: Despite his significant accomplishments, Cale often downplays his own achievements. He might attribute his successes to luck or the help of others, rather than acknowledging his own talents and efforts. Fear of Being Unmasked: Cale's reluctance to reveal his true identity as the "Trash of the Count's Family" can be seen as a manifestation of impostor syndrome. He fears being exposed as a fraud, even though he consistently takes on important roles and responsibilities within the story. Reluctance to Seek Help: Cale often hesitates to seek assistance or advice from others, even when he faces challenging situations. This hesitancy may stem from a belief that he should be able to handle everything on his own, contributing to his impostor syndrome. Setting Unrealistic Standards: Cale frequently sets high and often unrealistic standards for himself, striving for perfection in his decisions and actions. This tendency can lead to stress and burnout as he constantly pushes himself to be better. In the context of Cale Henituse and his experiences, here's how you can relate impostor syndrome to your passion for "Trash of the Count's Family" or to your own experiences: Recognize Your Achievements: Just as Cale should acknowledge his accomplishments, you should recognize and celebrate your own successes and contributions in your passion. Understand that your engagement and dedication are valuable. Embrace Learning: Accept that it's okay not to know everything about the story or the characters. "Trash of the Count's Family" is filled with intricate plotlines and characters, and it's natural to learn and grow along the way. Seek Support: Connect with other fans of the series who share your passion. Engaging with fellow enthusiasts can help you gain a deeper understanding of the story and characters, and it can provide valuable support. Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself. It's perfectly normal to have limitations and areas where you may not have all the answers or insights. Self-compassion can go a long way in alleviating feelings of impostor syndrome. Set Realistic Goals: Define achievable goals within your passion that align with your knowledge and interests. This will help you enjoy your journey while gradually building your expertise. Remember that impostor syndrome can affect anyone, even fictional characters like Cale Henituse. By recognizing your own worth and embracing your passion for "Trash of the Count's Family," you can overcome impostor syndrome and fully enjoy your involvement in the fandom.

***

Now, with the AI stuff out of the way… (Man it really feels like reading a medical textbook doesn't it? You can tell it was written by an AI…) Let's discuss what our dear AI told us about Impostor Syndrome, and how Cale is overcoming it throughout the story.

That aspect can be easily overlooked, even though Cale clearly experiences character growth as time goes on. Sure, it's snail-paced and it can be frustrating at times – but you can blame it all on the trauma. A 36-year-old man with a list of traumas long enough to fill a restaurant menu sure deserves to be given some slack for being a bit slow on the "healing" process.

Comparing Himself to Others vs Embracing Learning

Unlike what AI stated, Cale really doesn't compare himself to others all that much – at least not directly.

Cale is not the type to say, "I am a much worse person than Choi Han." Cale is the type to say, "My past is nothing interesting to talk about, really. Now Choi Han, he's such an admirable guy. He managed to stay a good guy despite all the hardships he suffered through. Might have been that good family influence he got in his childhood." Now, unless we know the information that Cale is ommitting here – the abuse at the hands of his uncle and a terrible childhood overall – we wouldn't know that by all this, Cale is actually saying "Choi Han is a better person than me, might have been because he was raised right and I wasn't." Thing is, I don't believe even Cale himself realizes that's what he's doing. He would probably deny it, if someone tried to confront him about him.

It is true, however, that Cale often insults himself, while praising others at the same time, in quite the hypocritical fashion. If Cale saves someone, he's doing it "because of self-serving reasons". If someone else saves someone, in his eyes, they're a good person. You can clearly see the pattern here.

However, the "embracing learning" comes in where Cale starts raising children, and they pick up his mannerisms and behaviour. Most of the time, Cale stays completely oblivious to his own influence. "Where did they learn that?" he asks, hilariously, while it's extremely obvious to the readers exactly where they learned it: YOU, CALE!!!

But Cale learns. He watches his children grow, he watches his allies grow, and he feels proud. He's accepting his role in their life as someone they deeply care about. Someone they wish to protect. He starts avoiding injuries for their sake. And sure, he still has those dumb moments of "Well I didn't even cough blood this time, do I really deserves this reward?", it doesn't change the fact that he's getting better at this. At being appreciated. …Worshipped? Heck no, he'll run as fast as he can in the opposite way. Appreciated by his family? He's getting better. Where he used to deny the kids head pats in the beginning, now he pets them all the time. He eats Raon's apple pie not just out of hunger, but because it's from his son, and it makes him feel better because of the connection. Slowly, he's leaving self-deprecation behind and embrances his family. It's incredibly heartwarming and sweet to watch 💖

Downplaying His Achievements vs Recognizing His Achievements

Yet another snail-paced progress we can observe, but it does exist nonetheless. Cale downplays his achievements mostly as a self-defense machenism. Taking that much responsibility on himself is SCARY. He said so himself right at the start of the novel: "Kim Rok Soo knew that the responsiblity for the lives of people is a very scary thing". …Funny how he keeps taking the initiative then, isn't it?? But despite all his denial, Cale isn't stupid. He knows exactly how much his actions changed the world; the scale of it is frightening. Nevertheless, he dismisses it all for the sake of his dream – becoming a slacker. He does not want the fame of a hero who saved everyone. He wants to rest!!! But, yet again, his family enters the picture here. Cale doesn't need to be the hero for them to love him. They are grateful for all he has done for them, but it's not a fanatical worship; it's love, thankfulness, appreciation. By the end of Part 1, Cale admits to Alberu and Eruhaben's faces that "he finally starts considering his own life a bit precious". That is a very big moment! It might seem like the lightest of concessions, but it's a huge step for someone like Cale!! See, he's growing!!! 👏

Fear of Being Unmasked vs Practicing Self-Compassion

Best example I can think of is when Cale's identity as Kim Rok Soo is revealed to Choi Han, and later on Raon and even Alberu. Cale did fear his identity being exposed, and for a good reason. You'd think that Choi Han being Korean himself would make things easier – but actually, it would only make things harder. Choi Han doesn't come from the same Korea as Kim Rok Soo. A lot has changed since he was on Earth. Cale revealing the monster apocalypse would involve a lot of vunerability. He also valued Choi Han's good opinion greaty, I think. Cale read the story of him and concluded that Choi Han was a "good guy". He respects him. No matter what he claims, Cale doesn't want Choi Han to think badly of him. In the Indignity Test, there was a moment where Cale reflected how much he did not want to get by the younger Choi Han or Raon – not because of the physical pain, but because of the emotional pain involved. He would feel incredibly shamed if Choi Han or Raon hated him. Because he cares about them both. So. Much.

And then, there's the Alberu reveal. It's surprisingly sincere. Alberu offers Cale the chance to explain himself, and promises to listen to everything without judgement. Cale is visibly shaken by the promise, but he believes him. It was such a precious scene!! That's where the self-compassion comes in. Cale is learning to be a bit kinder on himself than in the past. He's starting to trust his allies with vulnerability. When Cale uses Instant, he tells Raon how he's someone who can never forget and asks him to "not be like him". Because Cale's life is full of sacrifice and suffering, and he doesn't WANT others to be like him. But after that incident, he promises Raon to avoid hurting himself as much as possible when he captures the White Star with Embrace. His self-care is directly linked to his compassion towards his family, but it's there! It exists! Way to go, Cale!! 👏 (…Just don't stab yourself again, lol. I get that it was special circumstances, but still.)

Reluctance to Seek Help vs Seeking Support

Cale is such a paradox in this aspect. On one hand, he's a strategist – asking for help is his JOB. He wouldn't be able to achieve all he has if he never requested help. He asks people to do tasks for him all the time. On the other hand… whenever things go wrong, he's the one to handle the repercussions. Cale is the one to make the sacrifice whenever something unexpected happens.

For Cale, this is such a delicate balance. He wants to make sure everyone is always safe. He never allows them to face mortal danger without making a plan to let them all survive it. The time in the Empire, when the White Star used the Sky Attribute for the first time, Cale yells at everyone to run while he himself rushes towards danger. While it's very hypocritical, it's directily linked to his sense of responsibility for others. On the other hand, once everyone refuses to leave, we can see how excellent their teamwork is. And who taught them that?? Cale, of course!

It isn't that Cale doesn't ask for help. It's that whenever the scales tip and his group is in danger, he will do anything to light up their weight by taking it on his own shoulders. And like I said – it's an extremely delicate balance to walk. Like spider silk thin rope. One wrong step, and Cale could fall. Still… I think Cale is gaining experience in this as well, and so are his allies. They get stronger, and they understand Cale better. They're able to handle dangers without him being involved. It's a positive direction to grow for all of them, even if Cale is constantly unlucky enough to get himself into trouble like this… over and over and over 😅

Setting Unrealistic Standards vs Realistic Goals

Cale has one of the most simple, yet the most unrealistic dream ever imaginable. "To be a slacker". Which, if taken literally, would be the easiest thing. Just sit around, enjoy your wealth and do no work. Simple, right?

…Except, Cale's version of "slacker life" involves making sure the ENTIRE FREAKING UNIVERSE IS AT PEACE. 🤣🤣🤣 "So that no one bothers him or his family." That's… a bit difficult, isn't it??

So, Cale's dream is completely unrealistic, yet with the speed he's going at it, he might actually achieve it. Way to go, you madlad. Respect!!

However, with the help of Lee Soo Hyuk, aka. Sui Khan, Cale has another goal. Which is much more down-to-earth. Creating a farm in the Forest of Darkness. And tending to it with his family. That's… such a sweet ambition. I really hope they can make it. No – I'm sure they will, eventually. One of the "glimpses of the future" we got in the story was the fact that On and Hong's red mist would sometimes linger around the Forest of Darkness, as a sign of the Molan family's legacy. So the kittens will definitely live there in the future, and naturally, so will Cale. Personally, I can't wait 😁

…So yeah, that's all I got to say about Cale's Impostor Syndrome. Got any more thoughts on it? Let me know!

[jellofish-of-the-deep]

Y/N Dies of a Caffeine Overdose and Lycaon Finds Your Corpse in a Public Bathroom

Read on ao3 here:

It was a day like any other for the employees of Victoria Housekeeping. Rina was ordering her Bangboos (Bangboo? Bangbi?) to dust the bookshelf, Ellen was holding the vacuum cleaner in one hand while tapping at her phone in the other, and Corrin was busy being useless.

In the middle of the room stood Von Lycaon, proud and diligent president of the company, the pocket watch in his paw reflecting gilded sunlight onto snowy fur. In a smooth, practiced motion, he stowed the watch in his breast pocket, sighing.

“Corrin, although I admire your tenacity, your performance has been lacking this morning. I have noticed a twenty-two percent decline in incomprehensible sobbing from you today, and an almost seventy percent decrease in rampant property destruction. At this rate, you are never going to hit your quota.”

“Ah!” squeaked Corrin as she tripped over thin air, catching herself by stabbing her saw blade into their very rich client’s very expensive and irreplaceable rug. The rug spontaneously burst into flames. The pair looked at it for a second, before Corrin practically slammed her head into the ground. “I-I’m very sorry for not meeting your expectations, Mr. Lycaon!”

“It is quite alright Corrin, we each have our off days. However, may I inquire as to the reason for your lapse in focus? If there is any way in which I may assist you in upholding your ‘dojikko-moe’ character, as the kids these days call it, I shall be happy to lend you my aid.”

“Please… please don’t ever say that again, boss,” Ellen muttered emotionlessly, blood trickling from her ears.

“Well, you see, Mr. Lycaon… I-It’s [Y/N].”

Lycaon raised an eyebrow. “The Proxy?”

“Yes! I’m just so worried about them, Mr. Lycaon… Oh, they’re not in danger or anything! At least, I don’t think so…”

Lycaon did that thing that hot fictional men do where they put their index finger and thumb on their chin. “Would you care to elaborate, Corrin?”

“Oh, yes! Well, it started last week…”

One week ago

After two hours of crashing into every single person who walked by, Corrin finally managed to escape the train station and step into Sixth Street. It was one of her favorite places to visit, as it was never too loud and there were plenty of alleyways she could duck into to break down crying at a moment’s notice.

Unfortunately, Corrin did not have time for a nervous breakdown today, as she was here to run an important errand for Victoria Housekeeping: namely, to repair their Butler Bangboo that she mistook for an Ethereal yesterday before promptly brutalizing it with her fully charged EX Special Attack. Now, if she remembered correctly (a rare occurrence), she just had to turn this corner to get to the Turbo Remodeling Shop…

“FUCKING SHIT GOD DAMN IT I’M GOING TO END IT ALL!”

At the sudden string of expletives, Corrin yelped and dove headfirst into the nearest trash can, startling the cats that happened to be sleeping inside and leaving Corrin with a fresh set of claw marks on her face.

“W-What was that?” Corrin whimpered, peeking around the corner. The noise, she now recognized, was coming from the music shop, Bardic Needle.

“WHAT DO YOU M E A N, I’M OUT OF MASTER COPIES??? I HAD HUNDREDS OF THOSE LITTLE SHITS SAVED UP!!!”

A tired, robotic sigh echoed across the street. “Please, [Y/N], this is quite inelegant-”

“QUIET, ELFY, OR I’M DOWNLOADING YOUR AI INTO A B-RANK W-ENGINE!”

That was [Y/N]’s voice! But what exactly was upsetting them so much, Corrin wondered, as she trepidatiously slid open the door.

“H-Hello, Master Pro-”

“CORRIN SWEETIE PLEASE YOU HAVE TO HELP ME I’M LOSING MY MIND,” [Y/N] screeched, causing Corrin to flinch and knock over an antique record player.

The legendary Proxy was hunched over in the middle of the store surrounded by a comically large pile of nearly identical music disks, hair completely frazzled, eyes bloodshot, looking as though they had just snorted several lines of Ether powder. Elfy stood in the only uncluttered corner of the room, hands dragging down her face, muttering to herself about closing down the shop and taking a swan dive into the nearest Hollow because Corruption couldn’t possibly be worse than this. Corrin hadn’t realized that robots could have bags under their eyes.

Corrin cleared her throat. “You seem to be in a lot of trouble… M-May I ask what is bothering you, Master Proxy?”

[Y/N] visibly took a deep, shaky breath, and tried to lower their voice. “Well, you see… I’m trying to farm Fanged Metal Drive Disks for mommy sorry I mean mommy sorry I mean mommy sorry I mean Jane Doe, but these stupid things KEEP GIVING ME HP AND DEF SUBSTATS!!”

Corrin cowered in fear at the sudden volume, but [Y/N] continued to raise their voice to a howl. “AT THIS RATE I’M NEVER GOING TO REACH 420+ ANOMALY PROFICIENCY FOR MY TOP TIER S-RANK DUMMY THICC HOT RAT DOMMY MOMMY WAIFU! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!”

“Please, try to calm down, Master Proxy! I-I don’t exactly understand any of what you just said, but I’m sure it’s very complicated Proxy things that I’m not knowledgeable enough to understand… A-Anyways! Let’s try to think about how to approach this!”

Corrin frowned. “You mentioned earlier that you were ‘out of Master Copies’, whatever that means, but… Is there a way to get more of them? O-Or, maybe there’s another way to get…” she looked around at the hundreds of music disks piled on the floor, “…whatever it is that you need, without them?”

“I can’t get any more Hi-Fi Master Copies,” [Y/N] groaned, “I’ve already maxed out my Fortnite Battle Pass this season. And the only other way to get these is through Routine Cleanup, but I’ve already used my Battery Charge for today… Unless…”

[Y/N]’s eyes widened.

“OF COURSE! I just need to get more Battery Charge, and then I can suck the military’s dick for CDs as much as I want! And the best way to do that is…”

[Y/N] turned around, crouched down into a running start, and tore through the wall of Bardic Needle, leaving behind a [Y/N] shaped hole.

“CAFFEINE!!!” echoed their voice, leaving Corrin and Elfy to stare at the now-demolished music store.

“W-Well, I’m glad I could help?” Corrin called back, hesitantly.

Elfy very calmly turned around, sat down in her chair, and began a factory reset.

Present day

“So, then they went to the coffee shop, you said?” Lycaon asked, rubbing his temple.

“Yes, Mr. Lycaon! I spoke with the barista later. Apparently they had a heated argument, because he’s only supposed to serve customers one coffee per day, but he gave up after [Y/N] threatened to drink a k-cup mixed with ketchup and orange juice.”

“I… see…” Lycaon frowned, unsure as to how to process this.

“Was it with or without pulp?” Rina asked, scribbling in her cookbook. Her two Bangbongle flew out from the drawer they were cleaning.

“Ewwwww, orange juice with pulp fucking sucks!” Drusilla pitched in.

“Fucking sucks! Fucking sucks!” Anastella parroted.

“Rina, for the sake of our clients’… survival, I would urge you not to replicate the Proxy’s handiwork in a professional setting,” Lycaon coughed, as Rina’s Bangbussy giggled to each other.

“Do it when I’m around,” Ellen said, “I kinda wanna try it.”

“Ahem. Returning to the matter at hand,” Lycaon gave a pointed look to Rina and her Boob, “I do not understand much about the underlying issue myself, but I am concerned about how much stress it seems to be putting the Proxy through. Corrin, was this the last time you spoke with them?”

“Yes, Mr. Lycaon, I-I tried to message them several times this week but they didn’t respond, and when I went back to their video store there was only the Bangboo at the front desk… I’m really worried about them, Mr. Lycaon…”

Lycaon sighed. “It is no wonder you have been struggling as of late.” He retrieved his pocket watch and flipped it open. “Well, as proud representatives of Victoria Housekeeping, it would be quite unbefitting of us to leave a client in want of assistance, would it not?”

He smiled and reached down to pat Corrin’s head, who squeaked and leaned into his paw. “Don’t worry, Corrin, I’ll go check in on them, to make sure that our friend is doing okay.”

The mood was becoming too fluffy for a crack fic, so Corrin promptly tripped and broke a vase that was filled to the brim with live spiders.

~~~

After sending the Proxy a message and confirming that there was no response, the first place Lycaon investigated was the Random Play video store. He was greeted only by the cheerful ehn-nas of Bangboo 18, which was disappointing but expected.

He then tried Bardic Needle, which was permanently closed. Listening to the gossip on the street, he learned that the owner of the place had transferred her consciousness into a Bangboo and ran off into the night to find a new calling in life. To each their own, Lycaon supposed.

Finally, Lycaon walked into Coff Cafe, and was greeted by a robot slumped over on the bar.

“Ugh… I swear to god, [Y/N], if you keep coming in like this, your next coffee will have cockroach powder in- Oh wait, you’re not [Y/N]!”

Tin Master looked up at Lycaon and sagged noticeably in relief.

Lycaon raised an eyebrow. “Good morning to you, sir. As a matter of fact, I have come here for the purpose of inquiring about that very person. You’ve seen [Y/N]?”

Tin Master groaned. “Been taken hostage by them, more like.” The robot slammed his head down onto the bartop. “Yes, I’ve seen them. For the past week, they’ve been coming into my cafe every ten minutes to order a coffee. Twenty. Four. Hours. A day.”

The barista sighed. “I know that my cafe is open 24 hours, but even us robots need some downtime to recharge, you know? But every time I try to explain that to them, they just pull out a thermos of that horrid concoction…” He shuddered. “I’ve had to run on low power mode just to survive! Isn’t it awful?”

Lycaon blinked. “I… am very sorry to hear that, sir. Are they here right now?”

“Yeah, they went to use the bathroom. That was what, ten minutes ago, now?” Tin Master looked up at the clock and squinted blearily. He rubbed his eyes. “Huh, I could’ve sworn it hasn’t been that long.. I guess my internal clocks are malfunctioning from battery deprivation.”

Lycaon tried to quell the rising anxiety in his throat. “May I ask sir, how long ago did they enter the bathroom?”

“About two and a half hours ago.”

Lycaon’s eyes widened. “And they’re still in there?”

“I never saw them walk out, that’s for sure.”

Lycaon sprinted past the disoriented barista and slid to a stop in front of the single-stall bathroom. He hurriedly knocked on the door. “Master [Y/N], are you in there? Can you hear me?”

He placed his ear against the door. He faintly picked up on weak gurgling that his heightened Thiren senses were able to identify as that of the Proxy.

“Master Proxy! Forgive my intrusion, but I am opening this door to confirm your safety! Yell at me if you wish for me to stop!” Lycaon shouted as he broke open the lock with one swift kick (he made a mental note to reimburse Coff Cafe later). He pulled, and the door swung open.

The bathroom was a complete mess. The mirrors and tiles that were normally kept, according to Tin Master’s sanitary standards, “shinier than my ex-wife’s crocodile tears during the custody battle, like, she had artificial tear ducts installed into her frame and everything,” were spattered with speckles of fresh and vaguely coffee-scented vomit. In the middle of the carnage was [Y/N], slumped over and drowning in the toilet bowl.

“Proxy!” Lycaon yelled in alarm. His cybernetic leg pistons fired as he propelled himself towards [Y/N], grabbing them by the collar out of the toilet with one hand and steadying them with the other.

[Y/N] coughed and sputtered, dangling limply from Lycaon’s arms. Their skin had turned a deathly pallor, and Lycaon could see their cheekbones - when had the Proxy last eaten anything of substance? They opened their eyes. “Wha- Huh? Where am I-”

“[Y/N]! You are currently located in the lavatory of the Coff Cafe establishment on Sixth Street. What happened? Do you require me to call you an ambulance?”

The video store manager groaned. “Probably, yeah, I think I might’ve had too much caffeine- urp-” They gulped, then turned around and threw up violently in the toilet. “Uh, shit.”

There was now a bloody mess inside of the toilet. “That’s not good,” [Y/N] mumbled, blood dripping from their mouth. “Chat, I think I grinded too hard.”

They collapsed.

“Proxy!” Lycaon yelled, catching [Y/N]. He pulled them close to his chest, and took out his cellphone. “I am going to call an ambulance for you, Master, just stay with me!”

[Y/N] closed their eyes, sighing dreamily. “Oooohhh… I can’t believe I get to spend my last moments on earth cradled in the arms of a furry butler sexyman… My life’s mission has been fulfilled, now I can die in peace.”

Lycaon paused, and coughed into his hand. “You will have to pardon my coarse language, Master Proxy, but I must ask: What the actual fuck?”

[Y/N] took one final breath, and went limp in his arms.

“Proxy? Proxy?!” Lycaon shouted, checking for a pulse. Their heartbeat was as still as a rock.

“No… Proxy!!!”

~~~

The funeral was a sombre one in spite of [Y/N]’s efforts to “spice it up”, according to their will. At one point, an unnecessarily high-quality animatronic made to resemble [Y/N]’s rotten corpse violently burst from the ground, causing Nicole, Billy, and Corrin to faint. Corrin somehow managed to land on the casket and smashed it open, creating even more chaos as everybody scrambled to repair it. Anby was the only person who found it funny, which [Y/N] would’ve considered a win in their book.

Ben, the executor of the will, downed two bottles of aspirin. (As unwilling as he was to set up pranks for a day of mourning, the terms of the will were VERY clear and legally bulletproof. Ben wondered how much money [Y/N] spent on lawyers and elaborate props for this. He also wondered why they had to choose him, of all people.)

Rina floated over to where Lycaon was standing.

“You realize it’s not your fault, dear,” she said to him with a saddened expression, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. Even her usually energetic Bag were silent today. “You did everything you could.”

“I know, Rina. It’s just…” Lycaon hung his head. “I have failed my clients in the past, over the course of my career. But never before have I had one lose their life while under my watch. Not just a client, a comrade …” He clenched his fist. “I should have been there sooner.”

“Not even you can be everywhere at once, Lycaon,” Rina reassured him. “At the very least, you made sure that they weren’t alone when they passed away. Speaking of which,” she tilted her head, “What were their last words?”

Lycaon thought about it for a second.

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Fuck.”

[nyoaeuikhoudu]

a list of my favourite Bree plot episodes because Bree is the best and needs more love. This will not include episodes in which ABC all get a plot together, just Bree or maybe a Bree duo.

Notice how in most of these Bree only gets the B plot :(

Smart and Smarter (01.07) - Leo uses Bree as his personal taxi service

Death Spiral Smackdown (01.09) - Bree and Chase use their bionics to embarrass eachother at school

Can I Borrow the Helicopter? (01.10) - Bree gets her own room but still doesn't get privacy

Air Leo (01.16) - Bree and Adam compete for the last spot on the cheer squad (this is my favourite episode of all time for multiple reasons btw)

Night of the Living Virus (01.17) - Bree holds a sleepover to impress some mean girls at school

Concert in a Can (01.19) - Bree signs her and Davenport up for a career fair to spend time with him, but he blows her off and changes the project last minute

Spy Fly (02.02) - Leo terrorizes Bree with his newest toy and she gets her revenge

Quarantined (02.04) - Bree gets exposed to a dangerous chemical on a mission, ignores her quarantine to hang out with a boy she likes

Bro Down (02.06) - Bree discovers her vocal manipulation and uses it to cause chaos at school

Spikes Got Talent (02.09) - Bree gets jealous that Owen is getting along so well with her brother, so she sabotages their sculpture

Adam Up (02.18) - Bree and Chase get stuck babysitting Perry's evil niece

Llama Drama (02.19) - Bree and Leo enter the Domino Domination contest at school

The Haunting of Mission Creek High (02.20) - Bree gets assigned to decorate for the schools dance but gets in a fight with Owen over creative differences

Perry 2.0 (02.21) - Bree and Adam suspect a new student may be bionic and terrorize him until they can know for sure

My Little Brother (02.22) - after challenging Perry, Bree becomes principle for a day

Prank You Very Much (02.23) - Bree is fed up with being stuck in her brothers prank war, so she decides to prank them back

Trent Gets Schooled (02.25) - Bree's photo for picture day gets ruined when Adam messes up her hair and then messed it up even more

The Jet Wing (03.03) - Bree and Adam spend the day doing odd jobs for Perry and begin to glitch

Zip It (03.05) - Bree gets a job at Tech Town to get away from her brothers, but Chase starts worker there too

Not So Smart Phone (03.06) - Leo and Bree trick Perry into spending all her money so she can retire

Three Minus Bree (03.10) - Mad about her lack of freedom, Bree quits the team and smashes her chip

Spike Fright (03.18) - Bree and Leo investigate a supposed murder committed by Perry

Face Off (03.19) - Bree gets stuck in a cyber cloak as Perry, forcing Chase to go to the dance as her

Bionic Dog (04.05) - Bree and Leo fight over his phones ai assistant

Simulation Manipulation (04.07) - Leo is mad at Bree for never picking up after herself and they get into a trash war

Spider Island (04.09) - Adam is annoying Bree on her day off, Bree takes down a giant spider (not Bree centric but I love it when she gets to be the hero at the end of the day)

Spike vs Spikette (04.10) - Bree is given the commando app to battle it out with Kate

Bionic Action Hero (04.13-14) - Bree has a huge crush on Troy, when they discover he's an android working for Giselle, she is able to save the day (and her family) and defeat him for good. (God, I love when she gets to save the day!)

One of Us (04.15) - Adam and Bree make the best of their last day before they're killed by a virus

Human Eddy (04.17) - Leo and Bree discovers that Eddy isn't as reformed as they thought

The Ultimate Tailgate Challenge (04.21) - Bree and Chase try to impress college kids with their bionics

[beanghostprincess]

Transfem buggy anon, back at it again-

• the sanji bit threw two thoughts into my head and it's both the "I love women (romantic)" thing and "i love women (trans)" thing.

Romantic: Sanji starts off all laughing at the overdramaric misery of his friends being step-clowns (new insult courtesy of him), but then, as he's serving Robin and Nami some snacks, he catches sight of the loose papers pile. He offers to assist with organizing it so Robin can enjoy her book and Nami can enjoy her newspaper and drink. They graciously accept, and he takes his place there with a smile, begins sorting them between fliers and bounties.

Then he finds a certain article.

That Article.

The One That Trash Talked Buggy For Being Trans.

Oh that shit is NOT gonna fly. Sanji is livid. Not only is that just.... mean, but he may have been in his own variant of ""hell"" on the okama island, but he met so many people between his training, and there's nothing WRONG with it. Women are women and women deserve RESPECT, damn it!!

Then, as he's frothing, he finds a bounty - updated since her coming out, name still the same, amount still higher than most expect, but the picture is changed.

He doesn't even realize his nose is bleeding until a drop falls on the paper.

Poor Sanji has to play off the heart flutters and face flush and nosebleed as sheer Respect Women Juice Induced Anger and not a flutter crush on a clown.

Nobody believes him but he still gives it the old college try.

It only really "comes out" as it were when the crews wind up meeting. Luffy is immediately tucking himself into Buggy's personal space with big smiles and bigger laughter, wrapping around his auntie-mom happily. She huffs but let's him cling, a sign enough on its own that she isn't all that bothered. And the eye roll, the half smile, the gruff hair ruffle-

Oh poor Sanji is gone. He is swooning, is spinning, is presenting a snack and affirmations. The other Strawhats are rolling their eyes, casual flippancy, fond exasperation.

Crocodile and Mihawk are Processing, Buggy is flustered and astounded, and it winds up bringing out a slight possessive streak in the two dark haired former warlords and it is HILARIOUS.

Trans route:

Sanji gets SUCH gender envy, and things go fairly similar to the above, but they wind up actually becoming something really soft and sweet with Sanji carefully hedging questions and Buggy just going "due are you a fucking dumbass, your crew loves you, they'd defend you to the ends of the world, they'd never be mad that you're a woman"

Sanji: I'm trans.

Ussop: oh I'm nonbinary! Neat!!

Nami, a lesbian: I AM THRIVING

Luffy: mmm good food

Anyway yeah that's it and ai am soft for Sanji and Buggy becoming friends or at the very least Awkward Friends.

And if anyone has a moment of "weird crush on a friend's relative", it would totes be Sanji and him having a moment of "Oh my seas it's a Stacy's mom deal, but it's luffy's clown mom-aunt-frenemy, fUCK-!!!"

Buggy's just flattered regardless and thinks it's kinda cute, she too had a puppy crush on someone older when she was a kid-

HIIII <333

Honestly, Sanji falling for fem!Buggy makes sense because fem!Buggy is just-- She is stunning. Gorgeous. Perfect. The only reason why she isn't transfem canonically is that it would be too much for this world to handle. And of course, Sanji, being the lover of women he is, would absolutely fall for her. Who wouldn't???? Sanji wants to die a little bit after the realization, though. If Luffy and Zoro ever find out, he won't be able to deal with the embarrassment.

AND!!!!!!!!!!!!! Trans Sanji <333 Transfem Sanji??? Genderqueer Sanji??? My favorite is honestly Genderfluid Sanji but the point here is they find out thanks to Buggy and it's the most unexpected thing in the world. Hilarious, even. The whole crew accepts them though because they're all queer. Like there is no way there's someone allo/cis/hetero in that ship.

I agree wholeheartedly btw Sanji is SO the type to fall for a friend's relative. Maybe that's why I love Sabosan,,, And Acesan,,, So much,,,, Mmmm. It just makes sense.

[vague-humanoid]

The ongoing harms of AI

In the early days of the chatbot hype, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was making a lot of promises about what large language models (LLMs) would mean for the future of human society. In Altman’s vision, our doctors and teachers would become chatbots and eventually everyone would have their own tailored AI assistant to help with whatever they needed. It wasn’t hard to see what that could mean for people’s jobs, if his predictions were true. The problem for Altman is that those claims were pure fantasy.

Over the 20 months that have passed since, it’s become undeniably clear that LLMs have limitations many companies do not want to acknowledge, as that might torpedo the hype keeping their executives relevant and their corporate valuations sky high. The problem of false information, often deceptively termed “hallucinations,” cannot be effectively tackled and the notion that the technologies will continue getting infinitely better with more and more data has been called into question by the minimal improvements new AI models have been able to deliver.

However, once the AI bubble bursts, that doesn’t mean chatbots and image generators will be relegated to the trash bin of history. Rather, there will be a reassessment of where it makes sense to implement them, and if attention moves on too fast, they may be able to do that with minimal pushback. The challenge visual artists and video game workers are already finding with employers making use of generative AI to worsen the labor conditions in their industries may become entrenched, especially if artists fail in their lawsuits against AI companies for training on their work without permission. But it could be far worse than that.

Microsoft is already partnering with Palantir to feed generative AI into militaries and intelligence agencies, while governments around the world are looking at how they can implement generative AI to reduce the cost of service delivery, often without effective consideration of the potential harms that can come of relying on tools that are well known to output false information. This is a problem Resisting AI author Dan McQuillan has pointed to as a key reason why we must push back against these technologies. There are already countless examples of algorithmic systems have been used to harm welfare recipients, childcare benefit applicants, immigrants, and other vulnerable groups. We risk a repetition, if not an intensification, of those harmful outcomes.

When the AI bubble bursts, investors will lose money, companies will close, and workers will lose jobs. Those developments will be splashed across the front pages of major media organizations and will receive countless hours of public discussion. But it’s those lasting harms that will be harder to immediately recognize, and that could fade as the focus moves on to whatever Silicon Valley places starts pushing as the foundation of its next investment cycle.

All the benefits Altman and his fellow AI boosters promised will fade, just as did the promises of the gig economy, the metaverse, the crypto industry, and countless others. But the harmful uses of the technology will stick around, unless concerted action is taken to stop those use cases from lingering long after the bubble bursts.