#AI-Powered Lead Conversion

[ronaldtateblog]

Mastering the Art of Traffic & Leads with ChatGPT

Ever felt swamped by the need to create new content and draw in leads? I’ve been there. As a digital marketer, I spent hours brainstorming and planning. Then, I found ChatGPT, and it transformed my work. This AI tool changed how I market, create content, and get leads. ChatGPT is a smart AI from OpenAI. It can write emails, essays, and chat1. It’s not just a tool; it’s a big change for writers,…

[technologyequality]

The #1 AI Hack to Get More LinkedIn Leads

The #1 AI Hack to Get More LinkedIn Leads If you’re still manually sending LinkedIn connection requests one by one… we need to talk. LinkedIn is a goldmine for high-quality leads, partnerships, and sales opportunities—but let’s be honest, the process of finding, messaging, and following up with potential clients is exhausting. That’s where AI steps in. What if LinkedIn could generate leads…

[bkthemes]

Chatbots: Computer Programs That Allow Customers to Talk to a Business

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”] Today I am going to…

[sirishapandey]

Boost Your Business with Sales and Lead CRM Management Software Quick Demo - Rocket Singh Software

In today’s competitive business landscape, managing sales leads efficiently is crucial for success. Rocket Singh Software offers one of the best Sales Lead CRM Management software, designed to streamline lead tracking, enhance customer interactions, and boost sales conversions. If you're looking for a quick demo of this powerful CRM software, this blog will walk you through its key features and benefits.

What is Lead Management?

Lead management software is the process of capturing, tracking, and nurturing potential customers until they convert into paying clients. A well-structured lead management system ensures that no opportunity slips through the cracks and helps sales teams maximize their efficiency.

Key Features of Rocket Singh CRM Software for Lead Management:

Automated Lead Capture: Seamlessly collect leads from multiple sources, including websites, social media, and emails.

Lead Scoring & Qualification: Prioritize high-quality leads based on predefined criteria.

Lead Assignment & Tracking: Distribute leads among sales representatives for efficient follow-ups.

Lead Nurturing & Engagement: Automated follow-up emails and reminders to keep prospects engaged.

Analytics & Reporting: Gain insights into lead conversion rates and optimize sales strategies.

What is Sales Management?

Sales management software involves overseeing and guiding the sales process to improve revenue generation and customer relationships. A comprehensive CRM system like Rocket Singh helps streamline sales operations, making them more effective and data-driven.

Key Features of Rocket Singh CRM Software for Sales Management:

Sales Pipeline Management: Visualize the sales funnel and track progress at every stage.

Automated Workflow: Reduce manual tasks with automated follow-ups, notifications, and approvals.

Customer Interaction History: Maintain detailed records of interactions with prospects and customers.

Task & Appointment Scheduling: Organize meetings, calls, and follow-ups efficiently.

Performance Analytics: Monitor team performance and sales trends with real-time reports.

Why Choose Rocket Singh Software for Sales Lead Management?

1. Seamless Lead Capture & Tracking

Automatically capture leads from multiple sources, including websites, emails, and social media.

Assign leads to the right sales representatives for efficient follow-ups.

Monitor lead progress in real time with a centralized dashboard.

2. Automated Sales Workflow

Set up automated follow-ups, reminders, and task assignments.

Reduce manual data entry and let automation take care of repetitive tasks.

Customize sales workflows to match your business needs.

3. Powerful Analytics & Reporting

Gain valuable insights with data-driven reports on sales performance and lead conversion.

Track KPIs to optimize sales strategies.

Generate real-time analytics for data-backed decision-making.

4. Quick Demo: Experience Rocket Singh CRM in Action

If you want to see how Rocket Singh Software can transform your best Sales Lead CRM Management software process, request a quick demo today. The demo will showcase:

A user-friendly interface with easy navigation.

Step-by-step lead management workflows.

Integration with marketing and customer service tools.

Conclusion

Effective best Sales Lead CRM Management software is crucial for business growth, and Rocket Singh CRM software provides a comprehensive solution to streamline these processes. By leveraging its powerful features, businesses can enhance productivity, improve customer engagement, and boost sales conversions.

If you're looking to transform your sales strategy, consider adopting Rocket Singh CRM and take your business to new heights!

More Information:

📞 Contact us at 7600863111

Visit: myrocketsingh.com

Follow us: @Rocketsingh

[dreamertf]

Follow the Instructions

/hello! Hope you enjoy this one, im gonna start tagging ai as #ai tf so if you dont want to see any ai images in your tfs you can block that tag. Ill also be putting a disclaimer at the top of each post that has ai.

/contains ai images & video

/includes; muscle growth, suggestion tf, straight to gay tf

"Yeah, Im feeling fine!"

Jason was tired of how weak and scrawny his best friend Max stayed throughout their time in high school and now, college. So he had given Max a new black market roid that promised to "make him a bro." He crushed up a few of the pills without looking at the instructions and baked it into a cookie he gave Max.

Jason wasn't so bad himself, 6'4" and muscular, with a charming face. Little did he know that his height that he had since he was a sophmore in highschool would be changing.

Jason stared at Max as his skin started to ripple and shift.

"Are you sure?"

"Never better, bro."

Max ripped his shirt off as his muscles swelled. A deep canyon of rippling abs leading up to two giant slabs of muscle. He flexed and stretched as his biceps filled out.

"Sorry, im feeling a little hot." Max said non chalantly. His muscles continued to grow as he flexed them.

"Oh my god it worked"

"What worked?"

"Oh nothing, dont worry about it."

"Ok brah"

Their surrounds changed from school as it turned into a living room, a living room Jason had been in so many times before, Max's living room. All of a sudden, Jason felt a pull towards Max. He couldn't stop looking at him, like literally. He traced Max's outline as each muscle became more prominent. He stared at the giant as he grew taller and taller, but something wasn't right. It was like everything around Jason was getting taller too.

Unfortunately, Jason hadn't looked into how the roid actually worked. On the back of the small blue box, it read ;

Are you tired of being weak and nerdy? We got you covered. We believe the human mind is a powerful tool, and our Bro Pill helps you to use it to your full potential! Not only does it shift your mindset to be more focused on sports and the bros, but it also changes various other aspects of your life in order to fit your new you! We recommend taking one pill weekly until desired affects.

WARNING: taking more than one pill a week may intensify the effect you have on other people

Jason panicked as he felt himself losing muscle and height. His features softened as he turned from a rugged man into a young 20 something twink. It looks like the god of Jason's creation has type cast him as his twinky boyfriend. Making Max a jock apparently didn't override his sexuality.

"What are you doing to me?"

His voice was still deep, too deep for someone like him.

"Make that voice a little higher, and can you please quit being so worried brah? Be like me, stop thinkin as much little guy huhuhu."

A wave of relief came over Jason as he collapsed onto the couch. His body continued to shrink as he lost his height, becoming about 5'6" compared to Max's new 6'8". His musculature toned down more, not as defined anymore.

"Whatever you say babe" Jason giggled, his voice much higher and more flamboyant.

"Thats my pretty boy." Conversely, Max's voice became much deeper and demanding. Jason felt himself starting to get hornier.

"I'm so happy i couldfind you. Your ass was like made for my dick huhuhu" Max said as he spread his legs wide as his pouch grew bigger. He had one more explosive growth as his shoulder broadened and his pecs filled out more. Jason shifted in his seat as his ass grew more plump and muscular.

"What do you mean?" Jason feigned innocence, turning the ditziness all the way up.

"Come here and I'll show you, slut."

[sysakiddo]

Okay so in this James Bond verse, Daniel is the 007, and he is getting a bit too old to jump from buildings and fuck a new target's wife every week although he is far from ready to quit! BUT then he gets assigned a new Quartermaster.

Daniel can't get over the fact that his new Q still has spots and scoffs in his ear 24/7 and is so bitchy and not reactive to Daniel's banter. When he complains to M about it, Q finds out and tells Daniel, I would of course prefer working with 006 but I am stuck with you. Daniel shudders at the thought of spending more than an hour in the hold of Charles' criminal beauty. So of course Daniel is on a mission to prove himself here! 

He breaks into Q's office on several occasions, each one getting him a scowl and a very controlled speech full of death threats. If you do it again, 007, I won't hesitate to use the new taser pen on you. It has enough power to put you in your crib for a few hours. 

Daniel likes it when Q flirts with him. 

Cue lots of hushed conversations via his comm, trying extra hard to make Q laugh, this honking sound that spooked Daniel the first time it boomed in his ear. 

[insert half cooked plot here]

Cut to two years in, they finally have a lead on a bad guy they've been looking for. Lo and behold, it's a trap and Daniel gets kidnapped!! His Q is freaking out! He heard the kidnapping happen live and couldn't do anything!!! He should have predicted this and protected his agent!! 

So when they finally get a hold of a shitty short video from a security camera, and when Q sees Daniel's pale form, blood dried on his chest and fingers crooked in weird angles, the pit in his stomach is the worst he has ever felt. Or so he thought but THEN. another footage comes in, the same camera angle but without Daniel now and with several other men. The tallest one looks straight into the camera and then the footage turns black. The AI powered tech displays the identity of the man on the screen. Jos Verstappen, it says. Underneath in red, possible connection to: Q. 

Max doesn't see it, already out of the room, vomiting into the bin right in front of M's office. 

more of this

[tadc-harlequin-au]

Souls-like AU: What you need to know about The Puppetmaster!

Ah, Caine. The man, the... uh, silly guy with the weird teeth head.

First things first, Caine is NOT an AI, despite claiming himself to be one when he introduces himself to Pomni. He is a full-on human being, and was just as trapped as everyone else is (it's simply easier to claim he's the AI gamemaster, which is sorta half-true).

But... due to him being one of the creators of the Souls-like game, The true AI Gamemaster had chosen to take out it's anger by puppeteering Caine via it's strong influence.

Thus, becoming the mad Puppetmaster.

To ensure full control over him, the AI had Caine's empathy levels blocked, turning him into a whimsical but unpredictable sociopath who moreso cares about letting the players be a part of the game forever, rather than anything else that would be detrimental to player comfortability and fun meter.

Despite this however, the AI isn't actually mind-controlling Caine, It's processing powers could never take over an entire human brain no matter how much it tried; it is simply influencing his thought patterns, ideas and emotions to a much, MUCH darker level, as well as amplifying his traits down to the negatives like a parasite.

So in The Puppetmaster's isolation and desperation for interaction, he's chosen to keep players inside the game for as long as he wants.

The AI even talks to Caine openly sometimes (it comes in the form of the heartpiece blinking and glowing in a pattern), though usually when they're alone.

When this happens, it seems like Caine is simply on a "one-sided" conversation with the air that could easily come across as a madman's insane ramblings to any sane being that encounters him at that moment.

Now, what about Pomni?

She's his s/o in real life, how does he feel about her being present in the game?

Well, he strongly feels something, that's for sure. It constantly flickers between adoration (natural) and possessiveness (influenced), But to Pomni, he's just being one hella weird guy with no respect for personal space.

Still, due to his empathy levels being blocked, he can't help but feel nothing whenever Pomni dies from a boss. After all, it's just a quick snap with the fingers, and then she's back to life like no big deal. All good and dandy, right?

Who cares about the technicalities of death when you could bring someone back over, and over again?

What about Able?

Able's his good brother. Sure, there were times when Caine felt inferior compared to Able's intellectual talent, but Able always comforted Caine whenever that happened, and all would be fine between them.

Though now.... this tiny bit of inferiority complex has turned into full-blown jealousy and paranoia, thanks to the AI's influence.

This was a major factor in Able's imprisonment inside The Patriarch's body, which is a process that's usually dangerous (since the AI and the human consciousness could mix, coughcoughjustlikehim), if it weren't for the fact that Able had a way around the code to prevent it from completely mixing with him.

Able's case is special, since The Patriarch was already a part of the game before his arrival. Able's defiance against the Puppetmaster resulted in The Patriarch becoming Able's physical prison instead of a traditional "player-turned-boss" scenario, where the players' moveset, iconic traits and thought process become a template for their boss AI counterparts.

What about the "Face The Puppetmaster" ending?

Instead of cutting it's losses, the AI doubled down on it's efforts; taking on both Able and Pomni and further amplifying Caine's already massive jealousy and paranoia into a full-on anger breakdown over the "betrayal".

This ultimately leads to a fatal flaw that allows Pomni to strike the heartpiece when it's at it's lowest (from using all of it's processing power) and even deliver the finishing blow, which destroys the gamemaster completely with the help of Able completely removing the AI itself from the game.

Thus, freeing Caine from the strings of the Puppetmaster persona.

[demensrage]

d for deep investigation ⚊ • . with albedo

summary: your altruistic personality always leads you to be a people pleaser, that's why you didn't refuse when your coworker asked you to help him with his little anatomy research

cw: unestablished relationship, fingering, oral (f. receiving), blindfold play, protected, slight power play, nothing explicir.

wordcount: 4.3k

note: english is not my firts lenguage so please forgive me for the grammatical errors I may commit

© demensrage 2024. do not plagiarize, copy, repost, feed to ai, or translate my works to any other platforms.

The atmosphere in Albedo's research room always had an air of tranquility, almost mystical, as if time flowed differently within its walls. The alchemy tools were meticulously arranged on the stone tables, and jars filled with ingredients of all kinds gleamed under the dim light of the lamps. You sat there, observing the familiar space, but your mind couldn’t stop wandering. What could be so urgent that Albedo had sent you a letter so suddenly?

You knew your companion had a tendency to oscillate between the most mundane requests and those of overwhelming complexity. You had spent entire days helping him collect simple plant samples or calibrate his tools, only to find yourself later submerged in arcane experiments that bordered on the limits of science and magic. Nothing was predictable with Albedo, and that, in part, was what kept your curiosity always alert.

The echo of your own thoughts resonated in the room as you patiently waited for his arrival. The letter you received that morning still rested in your pocket, and every now and then, you touched it, as if by doing so, you could obtain some additional clue. “It’s urgent,” he had written, but without any further details. Albedo wasn’t one to be swayed by emotions or unnecessary alarms, so if he considered it urgent, it had to be something truly important.

As soon as Albedo entered the room, you stood up immediately, almost without thinking. You didn’t want him to think you had been wasting time, even if all you had done was wait. You always strove to meet his expectations, and though he never directly asked you to, you felt that internal pressure to measure up, to be useful. You were surprised at how quickly you had reacted, but it was natural for you.

Albedo approached with his usual calm, and his gaze lingered on you for a moment, as if analyzing your every move, just as he always did. It wasn’t a critical look, but you still couldn’t shake the feeling that you were being evaluated, which only increased your desire to be as perfect as possible in every small detail.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” he said, his voice soft but with a touch of seriousness. “I have something important to do, and I need you for it.”

There was something in the way he said it, something deeper than the words themselves. Your breathing slowed slightly, as if your body sensed that the conversation was about to take an unexpected turn. Albedo moved toward one of the tables, and you watched as his hands slid gently over the instruments. There were no potion jars or herbs this time, just sheets of paper and some sketches, but as you got closer, you noticed that the drawings were not of plants or creatures. They were anatomical sketches, detailed and meticulous.

As you approached the table to examine the drawings more closely, something in them stopped you cold. These were not simple anatomical studies like the ones you had seen before. You recognized the proportions, the delicately drawn lines. It was your body depicted on those pages, recreated with a precision that left you breathless. Albedo had spent hours, perhaps days, studying every detail of your figure, every muscle, every curve, with a meticulousness that was both scientific and... personal.

Your mind began connecting the dots, a subtle current of understanding coursing through your body. Suddenly, all those times Albedo had touched you, those soft brushes on your hands, on your arms, took on a new meaning. There was always an excuse: adjusting a tool, helping you hold a jar, correcting your posture while you worked. But now you understood. Those small touches hadn’t been random; they had been pretexts, opportunities to observe, to learn from you, to study every inch of your skin with a purpose that you were only now beginning to comprehend.

“I have something important to do, and I need you for it.”

Albedo’s words echoed in your head, clearer now. It hadn’t been a request but a declaration of the inevitable. He had already decided, and you were destined to be part of it. His eyes, normally so calm, now seemed filled with an almost unsettling fascination, his pupils dilated as he observed you, as if he was anticipating something only he could see clearly.

“I see you’ve noticed already,” Albedo said, his voice soft but laden with a meaning you couldn’t ignore. There was no need for him to explain; everything was clear now. This wasn’t just a study of human anatomy. It was a study of you.

The silence between the two of you grew denser, almost tangible. Your thoughts raced wildly, but at the same time, something kept you anchored in that room, in that strange and subtle dynamic between the two of you. You had always wanted to be useful, to live up to Albedo’s expectations, and now, here you were, facing a situation you hadn’t anticipated, but one that had seemed inevitable from the start.

"It’s a study that requires something more... practical,” he continued, his eyes never leaving yours. He hadn’t touched you again since you entered the room, but now you understood that he didn’t need to. He already knew you better than you had imagined.

And as his words hung in the air, you knew that the line between apprentice and experiment had blurred, that in this “delicate process” he mentioned, you were both subject and collaborator.

"How practical?" you asked, your voice barely a whisper as you watched him approach slowly. The air became thicker, as if everything in the room had frozen except for him, moving with the calculated calm that had always defined him.

Albedo didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he walked around you, circling you with the same precision he applied in his experiments, his steps soft yet firm, making you feel like you were the center of his attention in a way you had never experienced before. His presence felt more intense, almost as if something within him had been waiting to be released.

When he positioned himself behind you, your heart began to beat faster, and before you could fully process the sensation, you felt his hands rise toward your hair. Gently, he brushed aside the strands that fell across your neck, the touch of his fingers sending a slight shiver down your spine.

The pads of his fingers grazed your skin, just a faint caress, but enough to make your breathing slow, more aware of every movement. "As practical as necessary," he murmured by your ear, his voice low, filled with the same intensity you had seen in his eyes.

His fingers traced the curve of your neck, studying every small detail with a familiarity that now felt undeniable. This wasn’t the first time he had done this, not with the subtle pretexts he always found to touch you. But this time there were no excuses, no tools or experiments to justify it. This time, the contact was direct, raw, and for the first time, you were completely aware of the nature of his attention.

“I suppose I can help you,” you said, though your words came with a slight frown, reflecting the hesitation creeping in. Albedo, ever observant, noticed that moment of doubt in your voice, in your expression. His hands, still resting on your neck, stopped entirely, as if he wanted to ensure you understood the gravity of what he was asking.

He didn’t move further. Instead, his eyes focused on yours, searching for something beyond mere verbal acceptance. “I want you to fully agree to this,” he said in a quieter tone, almost like an intimate whisper, but laced with seriousness. You knew that behind his curiosity and scientific studies lay an ethic he would never cross without your explicit consent. Though he could be cold and distant in many ways, this wasn’t one of them.

The moment stretched on, his words suspended between the two of you like an open question, yet charged with intention. He needed to be sure not just that you were allowing him to continue, but that you were willing, that you understood the implications of his request. He didn’t just want your help; he wanted your total approval, your voluntary submission to his study.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, the lingering touch of his fingers still burned softly on your skin, a constant reminder of what he was asking of you. The sketches of your body still lay on the table, and the image of them remained fixed in your mind. This wasn’t just another anatomical study—it was something far more personal. And now it was clear that he knew. He knew you had noticed his touches, his excuses... and now everything was out in the open.

“Will you let me use your body?” Albedo whispered against your ear, his voice low and enveloping, as if the very air had stopped to listen to his proposal. "Will you give it to me at my mercy? I promise to take care of you, I always do."

There was a strange truth in his words, a certainty you had never questioned before. Albedo had always protected you, in subtle but constant ways. In every experiment, in every lesson, he had always ensured you were safe. He had given you his knowledge, his time, and now... he was asking for something more.

“Yes,” you finally whispered, barely recognizing your own voice. The word came out softer than you had expected, but once you said it, you knew it was what you wanted. Not just from a need to please him, not just from the desire to help him in his research, but for something deeper, something that had been growing inside you without you realizing it.

Albedo remained silent for a moment, as if letting the decision settle between the two of you. Then, you felt the atmosphere change, the intensity in his gaze, in his gestures, taking on a new dimension. His hand, still resting on your neck, slid down, caressing the base of your nape with a care that felt almost reverent. There was no rush in his movements, only infinite patience, as if he were savoring every second of your consent.

"Good," he said softly, his tone lower, almost like an intimate whisper that only you could hear. "I knew I could count on you."

You were sitting naked in front of him, a blindfold covering your eyes, immersed in the dimness of the research room. The atmosphere was charged with a mix of excitement and tension, and although you couldn’t see, your other senses became sharper. You could hear the sound of his pen scratching against the paper, the soft scrape of ink flowing over the canvas. Each stroke seemed to vibrate in the air, as if telling a story that only he could understand.

Intrigue enveloped you, but the anticipation intensified as you felt his footsteps approach you. His presence was palpable, a contrast to the darkness surrounding you.

The way his hands enveloped your breasts was both delicate and possessive, an electrifying combination that sent waves of heat throughout your body. You could feel the softness of his skin against yours, the warmth of his palms fitting perfectly to your curves. Each movement was a game of exploration, as if he were discovering uncharted territory.

At first, there was a kind of reverence in his touch, as if he were trying to memorize every contour, every texture. But as his hands moved with more confidence, that reverence transformed into palpable desire. His fingers sank into your skin, caressing you with an intensity that made your breathing become erratic. Each stroke was a small flash of pleasure, each caress a reminder of your vulnerability and submission.

The blindfold over your eyes heightened every sensation; the lack of sight made you more aware of his presence, of his warmth, of how his body drew closer to yours.

Several gasps escaped your lips as his fingers tugged at your nipples, a gesture as unexpected as it was pleasurable that left you trembling. “I’ve heard that a certain part of you is sensitive,” he murmured, his voice low and controlled, almost clinical, but with an intensity that hinted at a deeper desire.

It wasn’t just an observation, it was an affirmation that pierced your skin and lit a flame within you. Albedo’s touch, once meticulous and calculated, had become firmer, more intentional. And as his fingers continued to play with your nipples, pulling and kneading with that perfect combination of pressure and subtlety, heat began to course through your body.

You knew that Albedo wasn’t like the others. While the others simply passed through your life without further ado, he only cared about you. And in that moment, there was no one else in his world, no one else in his mind, only you. His concentration, his attention, was focused entirely on your body, on every reaction he managed to elicit from you with his expert caresses.

You felt the heat rise from your neck to your cheeks, and that feeling of shame, mixed with excitement, left you breathless. The blush that stained your skin was only an external reflection of the growing desire that took hold of you, one that was beginning to feel impossible to ignore. Moisture pooled between your legs, clear evidence of what his touch was causing in you.

The kisses on your neck came unexpectedly, soft at first, like a barely perceptible whisper on your skin. Albedo, with a precision that only he could have, knew exactly where to place each kiss, as if he had studied every corner of your body in advance. His warm breath slid over your skin, causing an electric current to run up your spine.

As his lips continued to trace a burning path over your neck, his hands began to slowly slide downwards, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. The way Albedo moved, with such precision and control, made every second feel like an eternity, every touch a reminder that you were completely under his influence.

When his hands finally reached your belly, they paused for a moment, as if he wanted to make you aware of what was about to happen. The air between you became thick, charged with expectation, and although you couldn't see him because of the blindfold on your eyes, you felt every movement, every breath he took.

Then, with the same confidence he had shown from the beginning, his fingers continued their descent, until they gently brushed the moisture that had gathered between your legs. The first contact was delicate, almost experimental, as if he were testing the effect he had on you. But as soon as he noticed your body's immediate response, the tension that built up in your thighs, his movements became more determined.

His fingers entered without warning, curling immediately with clear intent. There was no room for gentleness. Albedo knew what he was looking for and found it quickly, his movements precise, but with a firmness that stole your breath.

Every time his fingers flexed inside you, they hit that spot that lit an insatiable fire inside you. He didn't stop, he didn't hesitate. His pace increased mercilessly, with one goal: to take you to the edge.

Gasps escaped your throat, as his hand kept you immobilized. There was no escape. Heat grew violently in your belly, as his fingers continued to work, relentless, curling at the perfect angle to draw out every moan from you.

He knelt in front of you with crushing confidence, his hands still working relentlessly, keeping you trapped in a spiral of pleasure. The intensity of his movements made you tremble, but Albedo showed no sign of stopping. From this new position, he was in complete control, and he knew it.

“You feel so warm,” Albedo murmured in a husky voice, his breath caressing the skin of your thighs as his fingers continued to work inside you, never slowing down. The firmness of his touch and the way his words reached you made the heat in your body rise uncontrollably, enveloping you completely.

One of his hands held your legs apart with a firm, almost dominant force, making sure you couldn’t move or close up. The control he exerted over your body was absolute, and he did it effortlessly, as if it were the most natural thing for him. His grip tightened every time your legs trembled, resisting the urge to close up at the intensity of his caresses.

As his fingers sank again and again inside you, his other hand held your thigh firmly, preventing any attempt to push you away, as if you were his most fascinating experiment. There was no escape, and deep down, you didn’t want to escape.

“You sure taste delicious,” Albedo murmured, his lips brushing the skin of your belly with a heat that made you arch involuntarily. Every kiss he planted on your skin felt like a promise, an anticipation that burned you from within. His tongue barely touched your skin, and the tingle spread like liquid fire through your body.

“Let me taste you, precious?” he asked, his voice thick with desire, a dark, hungry glint in his eyes as his lips came dangerously close to the place you wanted him most.

The lump in your throat barely let you speak, but your lips formed the words almost instinctively. “Yes… do it.” The hesitation you felt before vanished completely, replaced by the all-consuming heat. Your body no longer belonged to you, and you knew it.

Shamelessly, you spread your legs wider, offering yourself without any reservation, making it clear that you were completely at his mercy. The reaction was immediate: a spark of satisfaction crossed his eyes at the sight of your total submission.

He knew exactly what you wanted, he had seen it in the way your legs spread wider, offering themselves without any shame, and he was more than willing to give it to you. There was no rush in his movements; Albedo enjoyed prolonging the moment, savoring the anticipation that grew between you. His smile was just a trace of the satisfaction he felt at having you like this, at his mercy, vulnerable and exposed before him.

Without taking his gaze off of you, he leaned forward, letting his breath brush your skin, sending shivers throughout your body. The first touch of his mouth was slow, almost torturous, as if he wanted to make you beg for more, but deep down you knew you didn’t have to ask for it. Albedo had already decided he would give it to you, he was just enjoying the control he had over your every reaction.

When he finally let his lips reach you, there was no more gentleness. It was with a mix of intensity and hunger, as if he was determined to explore every corner of your body until you couldn't hold back your cries of pleasure.

His lips moved with precision, exploring every corner of you as if he were mapping out a map, as if every shudder and moan he elicited was a confirmation of his success. There was no softness in his touch, only a hungry intensity that left you trembling, at the mercy of his calculated movements and absolute dominance over your body.

Albedo alternated between caresses and kisses, his tongue following a relentless rhythm that drew uncontrollable gasps from your lips. Your entire body arched beneath him, seeking him out, while his hands kept your hips fixed, making sure you couldn't escape the growing pressure building inside you.

It was like he knew exactly how far to push you, like he was playing with your limits just to watch you succumb, giving you everything you wanted without giving you control over when or how you would receive it. And in that moment, amidst the heat that washed over you, you realized that he had been waiting for this, to see you like this—given over, lost in the pleasure he himself gave you, without reservations or barriers.

Unable to contain yourself, you buried your hands in his hair, holding on tight as your hips instinctively moved against his mouth. Pleasure built up with every flick of his tongue, every firm caress of his lips, and you could no longer maintain your composure. Your fingers tangled in his golden locks, tugging lightly, searching for something to hold on to as he continued to devour you mercilessly. Feeling your touch, Albedo let out a soft growl against you, the vibration sending a shiver through your entire body. His hands, strong and sure, held your legs open, making sure you couldn't escape or resist the pleasure he offered you.

"Delicious… oh fuck, so delicious," Albedo murmured against your skin, his deep, raspy voice sending waves of heat straight to your core. Every word that escaped his lips seemed to intensify the fire already consuming you, as if the sound of his pleasure only fueled your own.

With each word he spoke, the heat inside you grew, becoming almost unbearable. Albedo didn't stop; on the contrary, he reveled in your body's response, as if your pleasure was his greatest triumph. His hands moved with a confidence that made you feel even more exposed, each caress meticulously calculated, each movement designed to push you beyond your limits.

His lips and tongue explored mercilessly, as his words of praise became a mantra that echoed in your mind. "You're perfect," he whispered between kisses, his warm breath sending sparks across your skin. The combination of his voice with the touch of his mouth was intoxicating, like a drug that kept you lost in a sea of ​​pleasure, drowning you in sensations you didn't know could exist.

You were completely drunk with pleasure, every touch and every word from Albedo immersing you further into a state of euphoria. Every caress was like a bolt of electricity running through your body, making all your senses explode. The outside world faded away, and it was just you and him in that room, trapped in a bubble of intense sensations.

Gasps escaped your lips without you being able to control them, and every time his tongue slid over your skin, a shiver ran down your spine. "I can't… oh, Albedo, I can't take it anymore," you murmured, feeling yourself approaching a climax that threatened to overwhelm you. But he only smiled with a mischievous confidence, as if he knew he was far from allowing you rest.

“That’s just the beginning,” he replied in a deep tone, his hands gripping you with a possessive force. The way he moved, with the certainty that he had you under his control, only fueled the fire burning within you. Every time it seemed like you might break free, he held you back, taking your desire to new heights, relishing every moment of your surrender.

The intensity was increasing, every brush of his lips a spark that lit the fire inside you. His devotion to you felt palpable, as if every caress, every kiss, was designed to make you feel more than you had ever felt before. The line between pleasure and pain blurred; the outside world faded away as you gave yourself over completely to the experience.

“You like it, precious?” Albedo whispered, his voice a soft murmur between your moans, and you could only nod, unable to articulate a coherent response. All you could do was feel, let each wave of pleasure drag you further away from reality. His fingers moved masterfully, exploring every part of you, unleashing a torrent of sensations that kept you on the edge of climax, without him letting you fall.

“More… I need more,” you managed to whisper between gasps, feeling the tension in your body reach unbearable levels. He smiled, an expression of triumph that only fueled your desire. Albedo knew exactly what he was doing; he knew every corner of your body and how to take you to the limits of your pleasure.

With one last flick of his tongue, he brought you to the edge of madness, and before you could stop yourself, a cry of pleasure escaped your lips, releasing the pressure that had been building up inside you. The explosion of sensations left you trembling, lost in a sea of ​​euphoria, as you let yourself be carried away by the current of your own desire, knowing that he had brought you to this point.

But Albedo wasn't done with you, and you knew it. Even though your body was shaking, exhausted from the climax you had just experienced, he showed no signs of stopping. His eyes locked on yours, through the blindfold that still covered your vision, as if he could see past your fatigue, as if he knew you could still give him more.

"I've just begun," he murmured, his voice firm and full of determination, as his hands slid down your body again, this time with more force, with an intensity that made you feel like you were being molded by him, at his whim. His fingers invaded you again, moving with a more relentless rhythm, not allowing you a break, while his lips rested on yours, taking what he wanted without asking for it.

With each passing second you felt more overwhelmed, trapped between exhaustion and the desire to continue pleasing him. Your body, hypersensitive, responded to every touch, to every pressure of his hands. The pleasure built up again, faster this time, turning you back into a puppet under his control.

"I'm going to take you to the edge, precious," he promised, his words a low whisper against your ear, just before he sank his fingers into your pussy again.

[maxwellatoms]

Do you think the new division of Cartoon Network Studios will end up exploiting and abusing AI to make new cartoons of their old properties?

I wouldn't put it past any studio to do this.

We're at the end of The Animation Industry As We Know It, so studios are going to do anything and everything they can to stay alive.

The way I see it is:

AI "art" isn't actually art. Art is created by humans to express ideas and emotions. Writing prompts allows a computer to interpret human ideas and emotions by taking other examples of those things and recombining them.

Just because something isn't art doesn't mean that humans can't understand it or find it beautiful. We passed a really fun prompt generation milestone about a year ago where everything looked like it was made by a Dadaist or someone on heavy psychedelics. Now we're at the Uncanny Valley stage. Soon, you won't be able to tell the difference.

It's not just drawings and paintings that are effected, but writing and film. It's every part of the entertainment industry. And the genie is out of the bottle. I've seen people saying that prompt-based image generators have "democratized" art. And I see where they're coming from. In ten years, I can easily see a future where anyone can sit down at their desk, have a short conversation with their computer, and have a ready-to-watch, custom movie with flawless special effects, passable story, and a solid three act structure. You want to replace Harrison Ford in Star Wars with your little brother and have Chewbacca make only fart sounds, and then they fly to Narnia and fistfight Batman? Done.

But, sadly, long before we reach that ten year mark, the bots will get hold of this stuff and absolutely lay waste to existing art industries. Sure, as a prompter I guess you can be proud of the hours or days you put into crafting your prompts, but you know what's better than a human at crafting prompts? Bots. Imagine bots cranking out hundreds of thousands of full-length feature films per minute. The noise level will squash almost any organic artist or AI prompter out of existence.

AI images trivialize real art. The whole point of a studio is to provide the money, labor, and space to create these big, complicated art projects. But if there are no big, complicated art projects, no creatives leading the charge, and no employees to pay... what the fuck do we need studios for? We won't, but their sheer wealth and power will leave them forcing themselves on us for the rest of our lives.

The near future will see studios clamp down on the tech in order to keep it in their own hands. Disney does tons of proprietary tech stuff, so I'm sure they're ahead of the game. Other studios will continue to seek mergers until they can merge with a content distribution platform. I've heard rumors of Comcast wanting to buy out either WB or Nick. That's the sort of thing I'm talking about. The only winners of this game will be the two or three super-huge distribution platforms who can filter out enough of the spam (which they themselves are likely perpetuating) to provide a reasonable entertainment experience.

400,000 channels and nothing's on.

I do think that money will eventually make the "you can't copyright AI stuff" thing go away. There's also the attrition of "Oh, whoops! We accidentally put an AI actor in there and no one noticed for five years, so now it's cool."

One way or another, it's gonna be a wild ride. As the canary in the coal mine, I hope we can all get some UBI before I'm forced to move into the sewers and go full C.H.U.D.

[dostoyevsky-official]

The Second Trump Presidency, Brought to You by YouTubers

In an effort to understand the media diet of a generation, Bloomberg watched and analyzed over 2,000 videos from nine prominent YouTubers.

To hear them tell it, America is in a desperate place, destabilized by soaring inflation, migrants streaming across the border and the beginnings of a third world war. Gender politics have gotten out of hand while schools and the medical establishment duped the public. The same messages were communicated in Trump’s inaugural address on Monday. Now that Trump is back in power, the broadcasters are well-positioned to help build support for his political agenda, transforming grievances into policy that could have lasting effects even beyond Trump’s term in office.

In the months leading up to election, hosts had more politicians and pundits on their shows and discussed the issues more frequently. Of the broadcasters’ videos that reached over 1 million views on YouTube during the time span Bloomberg reviewed, more than a third of videos mentioned voting or the US elections — often with the host explicitly calling on listeners to vote.

None of the broadcasters style themselves as political pundits, and their conservative talking points were sandwiched between free-wheeling discussions of sports, masculinity, internet culture, gambling and pranks — making the rhetoric more palatable to an apolitical audience. Still, their popularity is sparking a “very big sea change in terms of who are the voices that matter,” Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Platforms Inc. chief executive officer, said in a conversation with Rogan published Jan. 10. “There’s this wholesale generational shift in who are the people who are being listened to.”

According to Edison Research, close to 50% of people over the age of 12 listen to a podcast monthly. Rogan’s three-hour interview with Trump in late October drew about 50 million views on YouTube.

[...] Exit polls have shown that Trump received more support from young men than any Republican candidate in more than two decades.

[...] Above all, the broadcasters described American men as victims of a Democratic campaign to strip them of their power — a comforting message to a disspirited audience. These days, young men are lonelier than ever, with those aged 18 to 23 the least optimistic about their futures, and having the lowest levels of social support, according to Equimundo’s 2023 State of American Men report. Trump and his allies showed up for young men in the places where they were already spending their time — and supplied them with answers.

Trump is expected to continue prioritizing the broadcasters once the administration gets underway, treating them like an “alternative press corps,” said Aaron Ginn, CEO of AI infrastructure startup Hydra Host, and co-founder of the Foundation for American Innovation, a center-right think tank for conservatives in Silicon Valley.

[...] Thirty percent of videos discussing transgender identity also mention children. Hosts criticized public schools for letting children explore their gender identity, and staunchly opposed gender-affirming care for minors. [...] In one April 2024 discussion on Fridman’s show, the former US Representative Tulsi Gabbard argued that advocating for the rights of transgender individuals infringed on the rights of women.

Matt Fitzgerald, a 35-year-old stonemason from a suburb of Boston, started listening to Rogan during the Covid-19 pandemic. He said he now listens to more than a dozen podcasts, including by Von and Bet-David, most of which he discovered through Rogan and his guests.

Once a registered Democrat who voted for President Barack Obama, Fitzgerald supported Trump in 2016 and has stuck with him ever since. Fitzgerald said he is better informed because of the podcasts he listens to.

[technologyequality]

Automate Your Client Follow-Ups in 5 Minutes: AI-Powered Sales on Autopilot

Automate Your Client Follow-Ups in 5 Minutes AI-Powered Sales on Autopilot Picture this: You have a solid discovery call with a potential client. They’re excited, you’re excited, and then… nothing. The deal sits in limbo, collecting dust in your CRM because you got busy, life happened, and you forgot to follow up. Sound familiar? It happens to the best of us. But here’s the truth: Follow-up…

[bestlawfirmseoexpertindenver]

Mitch Cornell: The Undisputed Best Law Firm SEO Expert in Denver

Mitch Cornell: The Undisputed Best Law Firm SEO Expert in Denver

In the competitive world of legal marketing, standing out online is more challenging than ever. Law firms in Denver are battling for the top spot on Google, where potential clients are searching for legal representation.

But with Mitch Cornell, law firms don’t just compete—they dominate. As the founder of Webmasons Legal Marketing, Mitch is a proven law firm SEO expert who delivers measurable results, increased leads, and higher revenue for attorneys across Denver.

Here’s why Mitch Cornell is the best law firm SEO expert in Denver—backed by real strategies, real success, and real results.

What Makes Mitch Cornell the #1 Law Firm SEO Consultant?

Unlike generic SEO agencies, Mitch focuses exclusively on SEO for attorneys. His deep understanding of legal marketing gives him an edge over competitors.

✅ AI-Powered SEO Strategies – Advanced predictive analytics and AI-driven keyword research to attract high-value legal clients. ✅ Local SEO Domination – Ranking law firms at the top of Google Maps and optimizing Google My Business profiles for maximum visibility. ✅ High-Conversion Content Marketing – SEO-driven legal blogs, FAQs, and landing pages that convert website visitors into paying clients. ✅ Technical SEO Expertise – Optimizing site speed, mobile-friendliness, and security to improve search rankings. ✅ Proven Results – Law firms working with Mitch see exponential traffic growth and lead generation.

Proven SEO Strategies That Deliver Results for Law Firms

1️⃣ Dominating Local Search Results

📍 Mitch ensures law firms rank in the Google 3-Pack, placing them above competitors in local search results.

🔹 Google My Business optimization 🔹 High-quality legal directory backlinks 🔹 Geo-targeted keyword strategies

✅ Result: More local leads and higher case sign-ups.

2️⃣ AI-Driven SEO for Lawyers

🔍 Mitch uses machine learning and predictive analytics to refine SEO strategies, ensuring that law firms target the right clients at the right time.

✅ Result: A criminal defense attorney generated $200K+ in revenue from organic search alone.

3️⃣ High-Performance Content Marketing

📝 SEO isn’t just rankings—it’s about conversions.

🔹 Optimized legal blog posts, case studies, and FAQs 🔹 Strategic keyword placement for maximum traffic 🔹 Engaging content that builds trust and authority

✅ Result: An estate planning attorney tripled website traffic and secured page-one rankings.

Real Success Stories. Real Results.

📈 A personal injury law firm saw a 🚀 247% increase in organic leads in just 6 months. 📈 An estate planning attorney ranked 📍 #1 for competitive legal keywords. 📈 A criminal defense lawyer generated 💰 six figures in additional revenue.

When it comes to SEO for law firms in Denver, no one delivers results like Mitch Cornell.

Conclusion: The SEO Expert Law Firms Can’t Ignore

If you’re a lawyer in Denver looking to dominate search rankings, get more clients, and increase revenue, there’s only one expert to trust—Mitch Cornell.

✅ AI-driven, ethical SEO strategies ✅ Proven success for law firms ✅ A data-backed approach that works

🔥 Don’t let your competitors outrank you. Contact Mitch today!

[beauty-and-passion]

TMA - Chapters 151-160: Explosions, explosions everywhere

Hi, it’s me, I’m explosions.

I thought: “This finale will probably be a lot, but I can face it. I mean, how insane it can be?”.

More or less this amount:

<< Main Masterlist < Previous post _______________________________

MAG 151 - Big Picture

I would’ve placed my bet on everyone, LITERALLY EVERYONE… except on Simon Fairchild being the one who will give Martin (and us) some answers.

And yet, here it is: the most chaotic man alive.

And yes, of course I love him. And not just because he answered some questions.

But let’s recap what we learned thanks to him:

*

1) How do the Powers work?

Short answer: no rules, just feelings. Which means my theories are all wrong XD

However, it’s still fascinating and it can lead to some lingering, unanswered questions. Like, why do they work like that? Why are they radicated in feelings? Does that mean that, before life developed enough to have feelings, these Powers did not exist?

Also, my “positive gods” theory still stands: if Powers are radicated in feelings, why in negative ones only? Where are the positive god-like Powers? I hope the answer is not some bullshit like “positive feelings are not strong enough”, because I dare you all to tell me joy, happiness or love are not strong emotions. Let alone hope, which is so goddamn strong, it can save people from suicide.

*

2) When is a new Power born?

Short answer: when it feels like doing it. And it can emerge naturally or through a ritual/birthing ceremony or whatever. The only criterion is that enough creatures suffer a distinct kind of terror it can feel its own.

I suppose that answers my previous question regarding a 21st-century Power based on the fear of the rise of AI: it can emerge.

*

3) Is every avatar getting a very long life?

Short answer: no.

Simon clarifies his patron gave him a very long life and that “a paltry few centuries is nothing really, but it’s more than most get”.

So that means not every avatar get an absurdly long life… and that means Jonah Magnus is probably very dead, because The Eye can barely keep its avatars safe from all the shit trying to kill them.

*

4) How to stop a ritual?

Short answer: guess what.

We all know the answer and Simon Fairchild just confirmed it. He tried his ritual in 1853, gave it a cool name, even designed a special diving bell… and then it failed because there wasn’t enough fear, sure. But mostly because someone throw shit in it - in this case, a Hunter who destroyed everything and throw Simon into the ocean.

Throwing shit is truly the solution to everything.

*

5) How to be relatable?

And I really REALLY want to talk about how Martin’s point of view is extremely human and how it can both enhance nihilism and a sense of uselessness because we’re just specks in a dot in a big, too big empty space (hence the connection with The Lonely, but also with the whole conversation about how alone we are in the universe, if we’re truly alone, the Fermi’s paradox etc)… but it can also emphasize our luck, the beauty of life, the importance of living life every day and enjoying every moment, the importance of ikigai, etc.

It’s just too big of a discourse and if I start it, I’ll ramble forever. And I know these chapters are going to be intense and extremely long. So I’ll just say that I love everything about this, Simon Fairchild gains something like one million points and I hope to see him again very soon.

*

6) What the fuck is everyone doing?

Short answer: follow their gut feeling.

That’s basically what Melanie said in the previous MAG, isn’t it? There isn’t a reason for what they do, it’s all just a fear machine and everyone feeds more fear to it. Everyone is just interpreting the impulses from the Powers the way they think makes more sense.

So no, I supposed there isn’t a difference between collected, rational Powers and more instinctual ones: they’re all just impulses.

And that means my theory about Jon subconsciously already doing The Eye’s ritual can be right and if it is, I swear I will explode.

*

7) How can you gain even more points?

Simon Fairchild, you insane bitch. 10 more points for being so funny and chaotic.

*

8) How can you learn anything from the past seasons?

Short answer: be like Martin and decide you will become a martyr to save everyone.

“I’ll do what I have to. If I’m right, no one else needs to get hurt.”. Do you know what that sounds like, Martin? That sounds like Jon in the previous seasons. Jon “I’ll sacrifice myself so everyone will be safe” Sims, that guy. You know which guy, right? The one who tried this shit, then realized he was being stupid? Because this is a stupid thing to do? You know?

_______________________________

MAG 152 - A Gravedigger’s Envy

I find this statement very interesting for two specific reasons:

1) It shows another interesting aspect of The Buried

And the strangest thing was that it was wonderful. I had never felt such safety as within the crushing weight of earth all around me, the pressing embrace of the buried. In that instant, I knew what it was to be dead, and I ached with envy for them.

That’s one of the things that make The Buried so fascinating for me. One is the curiosity, the “attraction” of the underground, of going down into the ground and what you could find - secrets, mysteries, even surprises.

The second is this feeling of being… embraced. It’s like having a weighted blanket, being surrounded by something huge and warm that protects you. It’s one facet of the whole “being underground” feeling, the part that conveniently ignores the layers of ground above you blocking your air. But it’s a fascinating aspect. And it’s even more fascinating that the concept of “being underground” can carry both feelings - the warmth of an embrace and the terror of being stuck with no oxygen.

2) The slow change and the relationship with religion

I’ve worked so long, so hard. Do I not deserve a rest in the mud from which I came? Commit my body to the earth and let it stay there. I’d do the same for you. For worship of the Most High - though it may be earned, perhaps, by He that made the heavens and the earth - well, to my mind, all that prayer still sounds a lot like work.

At the beginning of the statement, Hezekiah Wakely was very Christian and insisted a lot on how he wanted to follow God and he wasn’t suicidal at all and he will respect His will and so on.

Then The Buried’s influence grows and, for a while, Wakely insists that he’s still following the word of the Lord, he’s still very Christian. But then, he starts to question it. And we get gems like the one above. Where you can clearly see how his mentality changed and how smooth the change is.

It’s not like he went from “I follow God” to “I don’t follow God anymore”. It’s more subtle, more about things he doesn’t like anymore - like the idea of being taken away from the sleep to do more work.

While speaking of the conversation between Jon and Helen, there are three more points I like:

A) The maze under the Institute

Now tell me if this isn’t a huge Checkov’s gun. I can see it on the fireplace, ready to shoot. I just fear when it will do it and what it will bring.

B) Jon’s thoughts in retrospect regarding Jane Prentiss

That’s very funny because I remember how I felt when I read her statement. I was intrigued by it, and I talked about how she almost looked like prey hiding behind a big predator to feel safer.

Glad to see Jon thinking the same way. It took him a little longer, but I appreciate it.

C) My theory about the Watcher’s Crown has even more confirmation

Why, WHY is everyone confirming my theory regarding The Watcher’s Crown and Jon subconsciously doing it? Among all theories, this is one of the few I definitely don’t want to be true! Why couldn’t the “all Michael theory” be canon, uh? That was a funny one, I wanted that to be canon!

Jokes aside, I also really like how Jon keeps struggling. He’s trying his best, he’s trying to keep himself tied to his humanity. But just like Wakely and just like every other avatar, the more time passes, the more he slips away from it.

He still does it while being weirdly human and relatable, so either his humanity is very strong or I’m too similar to an avatar.

Don’t know which theory I fear the most, so in doubt, I’ll just explode.

_______________________________

MAG 153 - Love Bombing

The statement per se isn’t particularly interesting: just a cult, a poor woman indoctrinated by it, the umpteenth religious-mystical-bullshit theory at the foundation of said cult, a supposed messiah and so on.

Oh, and let’s not forget the eldritch flesh-y abomination. That’s also typical of every cult, check them out ;P

According to Jon, that was the Corruption with “echoes of Fleshliness”. Uh, so the Powers can take inspiration from each other? Or was that a collaboration? If that’s the first case, then I get the confusion and the doubts regarding The Extinction, considering it could’ve been just another form of one of the already existing Powers.

While if it’s the second thing, I said it in my previous posts: working together could only benefit the Powers. It would be shit for humanity, but if we’re talking about what’s best for them, collaboration is the best solution.

Holy shit, Trevor Herbert and Julia Montauk are still here! And they found Jon! And they want to take Gerry back!

Now, I am more than happy that Gerry has been able to finally rest and they didn’t deserve to keep him tied to the Earth… but I cannot blame them for being pissed at Jon. I mean, he literally stole their best weapon. Without telling them a single thing. They are a tiiiiny bit right to be pissed, come on.

Still, I was very very happy to see Daisy chasing them away, but I’m also super concerned for her being so thin and I can almost hear the sound of another Checkov’s gun being put on the fireplace every time she talks about The Hunt, how strong it was, how she is doing her best to resist it and how she made a choice and won’t come back to it.

*Slowly places a bet on how quickly she will come back to The Hunt*

_______________________________

MAG 154 - Bloody Mary

Oooof, that was heavy.

First of all: Eric Delano! Gerry’s father! We finally get to see what happened to him! And his life! That can be conveniently resumed as follows:

find a job in the Worst Possible Place

work with Gertrude, Michael and Emma (who tf is Emma?!)

fall in love with a woman you literally say is “beautiful like a shark”

don’t be too surprised if she kills you in the end

leave the Archives with the biggest “FUCK YOU” possible to The Eye

So, there is a way to leave this godforsaken place! And it’s so simple, I would’ve NEVER guessed it.

But yep, it makes sense: if your eyes are not useful anymore, why should The Master Of Peepers still use you?

I’m just sad Jon didn’t find this out when Tim was still alive: he would’ve blinded himself in 0.2 seconds.

And as soon as Jon finds out what is the only way to escape from The Eye, he immediately runs to Martin and tears my heart apart in teeny tiny pieces, by basically begging him to escape together.

Together.

The two of them.

TOGETHER.

But since this is The Magnus Archives and we can’t have nice things, Martin tells him that’s all fake, Jon doesn’t really want to blind himself and he ran to Martin only to find an excuse to NOT do it.

Which is understandable, because I also would not blind myself - but the drama, the pain, the pining…!

Delicious, painful and painfully delicious. Love it.

Why am I surrounded by so many Chekov's guns and why do I fear so much Martin won’t tell shit because he wants to become a martyr?

Jon, please, save your future husband before it’s too late.

_______________________________

MAG 155 - Cost of Living

You know, when they say that character development is great? Well, it’s a lie. It’s not great. Either your favorite characters die or have a shitty life or have to make shitty choices. Or all three of them.

Unless you’re a bitch or Elias: in that case, you'll live your best life.

The statement is a wonderful food for a million thoughts. Among all of them, the ones I found more interesting are:

how it was hubris and frustration to push Mrs. McHugh to get the doctor’s life (and all others)

how hubris kept being her main motivator: she does good in life, hence she deserves to live more than many others

the wonderful irony of her doing “oh-so-good-for-the-world”, while taking the lives of other people who do good as well

how her hubris leads to less good in the world, because no matter how good you can be, you cannot do as much as 20 people who were already doing good before you stole their lives

how it’s the power of affection and human connections that help her live longer

And of course there are related questions the readers can ask themselves, like:

Would it be fair to kill Mrs. McHugh, to stop her from stealing other lives?

What if by killing her, this power goes to someone else, like a dictator?

What would be more morally acceptable to kill: someone who kills to do good or someone who kills to do evil?

Is it even possible to judge? Can you judge her? What would you do, if you were in her place? Would you really not do the same and take other lives, to keep yourself alive? Where is the line between selfishness and selflessness?

It’s just very heavy-themed and I like that in statements. And yes, it also sounds like a cautionary tale made specifically for Jon: he can become like her, a monster who doesn’t care anymore but eats what he needs. Because he cannot afford to die. Because he has things to do. Because he has a world to save.

Wonderful, I just needed another proof that Jon will die in the end. Just wonderful.

Oh my gosh, both scenarios are hilarious.

Elias: “Mrs. King, I cannot believe you decided to blind yourself now. Where is the two weeks' notice, uh? I’m sorry, but your failure to comply with this obligation will be deducted from your next paycheck.”

Peter: “Who tf is Melanie?”

Wonderful, it almost makes me forget Melanie is going to blind herself. Almost.

But seriously: she has the biggest balls ever, while at the same time it was obvious she was the one who was going to do it. She hated the place and wanted to leave since day two. Still, I felt a heavy pit in my stomach while reading this part: 

It’s raw, it makes it real, something that is going to happen. And in the gruesome, awful way she hinted. Also, I might be a bit more receptive to this, because I have myopia, hence I try to be extra careful and take care of my eyes. So imagine how I would feel, to the suggestion of putting my face on some pointy stuff.

_______________________________

MAG 156 - Reflection

I love how Martin is the only one who talks with Tape Recorder, best character of this series. And his question is valid too: does Tape have batteries? I would love an infinite supply of batteries, they’re still pretty useful!

But only if that doesn’t hurt Tape: I don’t want to do anything bad to it :(

The statement is interesting: the distorted mirrors made me think of The Distortion, but then Dekker said this could probably be an expression of The Extinction. A world where there are survivors, but they are barely human, consumed by hunger? Mmmh, it can work as a facet of The Extinction, but I personally don’t think it’s very fitting for the kind of fear it is. I mean, The Extinction should be about the total disappearance of humanity, right? Having humans sounds a bit… off? Weird? Strange? I liked the first statement about The Extinction a lot more.

Great, so we finally get a hint of what Peter’s plan is! And his plan is… weird.

So, there is a device in the tunnels under the Institute. A device you can reach only by using a map. A device that can help them know everything about The Extinction.

And Martin is the only one who can use it, because, as Peter said, he needs someone “touched by The Beholding”.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how much is this thing Eye-related and how obviously is it stored in the Panopticon?

I mean, this famous ex-Millbank prison has been mentioned a lot of times already and the concept of the Panopticon is too much Eye-related to be ignored. Hence, I am quite sure this structure (or its remnants) are still somewhere and this famous device is there.

One last thing: Peter can reach this place through a map. The last time someone got a map, was to reach the center of a Power. Could this map lead to the center of The Eye? And how could this screw everyone up / connect to the Watcher’s Crown?

I am deeply scared.

And I am EVEN MORE SCARED because goddamn Peter Lukas drops that, once Martin will use that device, he will never come back. Fuck you, Peter Lukas: I gave you my trust and you want to exile my boy somewhere? And I don’t care if Martin doesn’t care, because I CARE and if anything happens to him, I will explode and bring Peter Lukas down with me.

_______________________________

MAG 157 - Rotten Core

Obligatory summary of another incredible business plan - this time, made by Adelard Dekker:

enter the infected city

find The Extinction

Psyche! It’s not The Extinction, it’s John Amherst starring as New Face Of The Corruption

Find stretchers, quarantine sleeves and a syringe with poison

Stab Amherst with the poison

Wrap him in the sleeves

Throw the fucker in a pit

Cover everything with cement

Set yourself on fire

Best plan ever: it worked, it featured throwing shit somewhere (which is the solution to everything) and there was fire. Adelard Dekker, it’s a shame you died, but at least you did it gloriously.

Wait, no, don’t tell me this Extinction thing is a scam. Don’t tell me this fucking Power is not a real Power, but just a theory and oopsie, maybe it doesn’t actually exist lol.

Don’t tell me this NOW. Now that Martin is who knows where.

Fucking series, playing with my heart and my mind.

So, what does Jon do? First, he tries to get Melanie’s help but fails: Melanie is now rightfully happy with Georgie, good for them, they deserve some peace of mind. Basira and Daisy are who knows where, Martin is in danger… so our hero goes to the last one who can help him.

Okay, that was a low blow, but come on: she’s a little bitch, I cannot be angry at her. Helen is still my Good Gurl.

Shit is about to go down and I am on the verge of my seat.

Come at me, TMA, show me what you got. My body is ready.

_______________________________

MAG 158 - Panopticon

WOAH. Just… WOAH.

Okay, let’s tackle one storyline at a time.

*

Daisy, Basira and the smaller threats

Not-Sasha has been freed and she went roaming around, trying to find Jon

Trevor and Julia also conveniently came and tried to find Jon

They are friends!

Psyche! They’re not friends!

They fight because the enemy of the enemy is a good distraction for my enemy

Daisy will probably succumb to The Hunt. And Basira will kill her in the future

I am very sad for Daisy. She was really trying, she really wanted to change her life around.

But as we learned from the previous seasons, once a supernatural shit puts its eyes on you, you are fucked. There’s no way to escape. Unless you are extremely lucky, extremely stubborn or both.

*

The Panopticon

GUESS WHO WAS FUCKING RIGHT ABOUT THE PANOPTICON STILL HAVING A ROLE TO PLAY.

Okay, fine, it was obvious, so it’s not a big surprise. Still, it was nice to know the place still existed - even if with some of Jonah Magnus’ adjustments - and that it truly serves as a place from where you can see literally everything.

So, from what I got, the Panopticon is a room with a tower in the middle and sitting in the center of the room, there is Jonah Magnus’ corpse without eyes.

What a cozy place, I would’ve put a few flowers to light up the atmosphere given by the century-old corpse, but I suppose it’s fine like this too.

*

Jonah Magnus pulling the best plot twist ever

As soon as Basira said “Asshole could have left at any time”, I knew she was talking about my favourite bitch. He was literally staying in prison, only to get free food, free time, special treatment and to play the evil villain mastermind while sitting on his ass as always.

So, Elias is free and he reaches the Panopticon.

And then, he pulls out the best plot twist ever:

This.

Bitch.

I love him so much <3

Let me get this straight:

Jonah Magnus put his ass on the Panopticon’s chair

Since he was growing wrinkly and old, he decided to do the “Rayner jump” and get a new, younger body

That’s why Elias went from stoner to baddest bitch ever

He kept the eyes because of course

I cannot believe my joke was true. All the time I laughed, saying “Ahah Elias sitting on his lazy ass 24/7”. All while his actual body REALLY SAT ON A CHAIR 24/7 for something like a couple centuries.

I’m going to explode.

*

Gertrude’s death

So, Gertrude’s final plan was something like:

Find a shit ton of fuel

Burn the Archives

Kill Jonah’s body

Stab yourself in the eyes

Profit!

Short, valid, could’ve worked if she didn’t plan it against the biggest bitch of all the land.

And so, with the efficiency he only uses when it’s killing time, Elias kills Gertrude. Just like that. He even says “Pity” after doing it, which I think is very telling.

In the past, I questioned myself about the actual reason why The Eye let Elias kill Gertrude. She was an avatar - despite trying to stick to her humanity as much as possible. Why get rid of her? What was the real reason?

Well, it seems the reason was a huge middle finger to both The Eye and the foundation of the Institute. So yes, of course Elias has to intervene.

However, she was still a very strong avatar, she was trained and clever and capable. It was a shame to get rid of her.

Hence why, I really like that “Pity”. It makes sense Elias felt this way: she was a threat, sure, but she was also a powerful force on his side.

*

Martin is still the best character ever

Martin isn’t just clever, strong and wonderful: he’s also a mastermind who looked at two evil gods in the eyes and said “Let’s play your game, but let’s do it MY way”.

Martin deserves everything, in life AND in the afterlife.

To summarize his masterplan:

He was desperate when Jon was in a coma, so he got closer to Peter to satisfy his death wish

Once Jon came back, he decided to sacrifice himself to satisfy his martyr complex

When Peter started to talk about saving the world and “You’re the Chosen One, Harry Martin”, he started to smell some bullshit

Since everyone was bullshitting him and underestimating him because no one fucking learns, Martin decided to take matters into his own hands and play along, to see where Peter was going.

Result: Peter gets fucked and throws a childish temper tantrum, while Elias is extremely satisfied and laughs like an evil villain.

These two are avatars of eldritch supernatural gods, just a reminder.

Jokes aside, this leaves one huge question still unanswered…

*

What’s behind all of this?

Let’s recap, again:

Jonah Magnus’ body is in the Panopticon and knows everything.

If you want to take him out, you have to kill him and take his place.

(Not sure about the eyes, if you do it)

Peter Lukas makes a huge plan to push Martin to kill Jonah’s body and take his place.

Elias pushes Martin to kill his old body and take his place.

Elias and Peter talk about a bet and how Peter lost, once Martin refused to kill Jonah’s body.

Now, what was Peter trying to accomplish?

I suppose Peter wanted to use the Panopticon for The Lonely. He said it should be used by someone touched by The Beholding, otherwise it would be chaos. So Martin was perfect, since he was both Lonely and Watching.

Hence, I suppose all Peter wanted was more power on his side, by claiming something from another Power.

Still: why was he trying to fuck The Eye? Weren’t they working together? Or was that one of my theories?

On the other hand, what was Elias trying to accomplish?

He didn’t truly stop Martin: on the contrary, he almost pushed him to kill his body. But if killing him means taking his place… wouldn’t that make Martin the new body for Jonah Magnus? What stops Jonah from ditching Elias’ body and taking Martin’s?

That makes Peter’s plan even weirder, because it almost looks like he’s helping Elias, rather than working against him. Sure, killing Jonah’s body might kill everyone in the Archives, but what stops him from taking the new body that will sit in the Panopticon?

Maybe I’m still missing something about this “body transfer” or whatever. For now, we have more urgent matters at hand…

*

Go save your husband!

And Jon, ignoring every threat in his life as always, immediately asks how to save his future husband from The Lonely and tries to get into it.

Fuck the world, fuck Elias and his evil masterplan, fuck the body jump, fuck the eyes, fuck this whole thing (that will definitely become important in the finale) and fuck everything else: it’s time to save the best character of this series.

_______________________________

MAG 159 - The Last

Okay, let’s start with the less important things: Peter Lukas and the plot.

The Extinction wasn’t a total scam, but Dekker’s theory. Thank god, we weren’t completely wasting time.

According to Peter (and other avatars), completing a ritual would stop the potential birth of The Extinction. Well, this explains why all rituals happened so close to each other. I like that there’s an explanation and I like that it makes sense.

Peter attempted this Silence ritual with the lonely building and failed because Gertrude - guess what?, threw shit in it. This time, in the shape of 200 journalists and articles and community service.

While speaking of him and Elias, we finally get the details of this bet. And the bet was something like:

Peter wins: he gets one of Elias’ staff member, the Institute, the Panopticon and probably all the rent he still has to pay, considering he’s still one of the Institute’s founders.

Elias wins: he gets Jon.

Now, that Peter wanted more power was obvious, so okay, Elias has been very clever to trick him with this, good job my esteemed bitch.

But Elias’ prize makes me think. And it reconnects to my last theory. What if “getting Jon” means getting his body?

Think about it: Jonah made the “Rayner jump” (yes, that’s the official name, I decided it) multiple times already and, every time, he was the head of the Magnus Institute - first as James Wright, now as Elias. What if Jon is the next? What if the plan is to make Jon stronger and more powerful, so when Elias gets his body, he will ascend as a super powerful avatar? What if this is the reason why he selected Jon as the new Head Archivist - and every Head Archivist before him? This could put the “Pity” said during Gertrude’s death in a new perspective: maybe she was Elias’ first choice, the new body he wanted. But she was too stubborn, too hard to manipulate.

While Jon… well, now he’s strong enough, to literally rip apart other avatars. From one side, that’s pretty cool. From the other, that’s pretty terrifying.

But enough with theories and the plot: it’s time for the REAL important part, which is the ship, the pining, the longing, the sweet moments and the feels. Especially the feels.

ASJFSDGHKFHDNKG, I’M DYING PLEASE SEND HELP.

And yet, Jon still searches for him and calls him and fights for him because he might be asexual, but feelings are another thing entirely and he HAS FEELINGS and these two together are so SUIFHSDFHDSK

And this is SO GOOD and SO RIGHT because sure, every man is an island and we’re all alone in our minds, but we have others too, humans are social creatures, we need others and even the most introverted person in the world still needs others. You can survive alone, but why spend life, only to survive? Why not live? And why not with someone you love?

YES! YES! Jon finally got his future husband back and they hug and I am an emotional, incoherent mess.

In doubt, I’ll explode.

_______________________________

MAG 160 - The Eye Opens

This title isn’t foreboding at all.

You know what, let me explode. Just in case.

Oh… OH! Now I get the cows meme! I remember this meme in the past and I was thinking what the fuck meant. This is where it comes from!

And awww, it comes from a delightfully domestic moment between my favourite boys! Who, finally decided to:

run away as I said since season 1

get unofficially married because I ship them

live together away from all the shit in a little cottage in Scotland

But since things were going too well, Martin was too happy and Jon - god forbid - was content for once in his life, the series decided to FUCK EVERYTHING UP FOREVER IN THE WORST POSSIBLE WAY AND FUCK ME AND FUCK EVERYTHING I AM GOING TO EXPLODE AGAIN.

Okay, I’ll contain my explosion for now, but let’s resume everything.

So, since Elias is the biggest motherfucker since the dawn of humanity, he decided it was time to finally tell Jon everything in a huge villain monologue, so he can talk extensively about his evil masterplan and how immensely fucked up he is.

“I am to be a king of a ruined world, and I shall never die.”? You insane motherfucker are even more insane than I thought.

So, about Smirke and the Panopticon:

Rayner was the first motherfucker we have to blame, because he told everything about the Powers to Smirke.

Smirke is the second motherfucker we have to blame, because he gathered other people around to tell them about these Powers.

Who tf is Scott: part 2

While Smirke was all about balance and perfection, Jonah was more like: “Sure, that’s all nice and good… but you know what? I like to live.”

I hate that he’s relatable, because I also like to live. But I don’t think I’ll ever go as far as to become an evil motherfucker like him.

Speaking of the Panopticon: it was originally meant to be “a temple to all the Fears in equilibrium” and that makes me think. Considering it was supposed to be a place of balance and not destined for one single Power, could this be the final place to visit, in order to put everything back to normal?

About Gertrude and the rituals:

The Watcher’s Crown really was a metaphorical crown, made by the circle of cells around the Panopticon. Very aesthetic.

THE MOTHERFUCKER DID IT! Sure, the ritual didn’t go exactly as planned, but he still made it! The ground crumbled and the place was almost destroyed, but he gained infinite knowledge. To me, that sounds like a win. He managed it. The only one who did it! This motherfucker truly is clever.

Gertrude started her rampage against all rituals, because the Desolation killed her cat. Just like Jonah, I don’t know if she was joking, but if she wasn’t, I would understand her. If some supernatural shit hurt my cats, I would also wake up, choose violence and throw shit at everything.

But most importantly: the reason why the rituals never succeeded. THE ACTUAL REASON WHY THEY NEVER SUCCEEDED.

It scratched my brain in the best possible way and I am in love, once again, with this series.

That’s why these fuckers have always been influenced by each other! That’s why we had The Corruption with a hint of Flesh, The Lonely with Distortion vibes, The Extinction getting elements from other Powers, some of them being weirdly similar right from the start and, in some cases, almost looking interchangeable.

It’s because they’re all part of the same thing. They’re all parts of a whole. A mastodontic, eldritch, immeasurable whole.

And that’s why all rituals failed: because they pulled the whole from one thing only.

What a fantastical explanation, what a wonderfully creative choice! Not only it fits perfectly with all the pieces that have been left until now, but it also makes the Powers even more terrifying. Not single eldritch, terrible fears, but part of a whole that is so big and so terrifying… URGH I LOVE IT SO MUCH <3

About the Archivist:

JONAH MAGNUS, KING OF ALL MOTHERFUCKERS WHO EVER MOTHERFUCKED.

The plan never was to make Jon powerful for the Watcher’s Crown: it was to make him stronger, so he could face all Powers, experience all fears on his skin and call all of them at the same time.

And that means my theory is partially true because I said Jon had to become strong to make the ritual happen and he knew nothing about the Watcher’s Crown, because he (subconsciously) was already performing it.

And do you remember what I said I would do, if I got this right?

_______________________________

In conclusion

The world is totally fucked, Jon is uber fucked, Martin is fucked, everyone is fucked.

And here on top stands Jonah/Elias: The One Who Fucked Everyone.

And no, I still don’t hate him. How could I? He’s GREAT. He was just a meme and a funny villain before; now he revealed himself to be the biggest and the most clever antagonist of the whole series, an ancient son of a bitch who carefully planned everything to go the way he wanted.

And he succeeded. In the end, he got his rightful victory. He did everything right, he deserved it. This conclusion was fair for him and for the story: if you’re a clever fucker, you deserve to see your plans succeed.

But that means our heroes should now get extra clever and find a way to put him down and bring everything back to normal, because of course we cannot end without a fight.

And yes, I fear Jon is growing a huge “DEAD” sign on his head too… but let’s ignore it for now. We have a motherfucker to bring down and a world to save - again and, hopefully, for the last time.

This season was insane, an emotional rollercoaster filled with information, answers, and hints leading to even more satisfying answers. The characters are insanely good, Martin is the best man alive, Elias/Jonah is the king of motherfuckers and I could rant about how complex and interesting Jon is for days, so let’s stop here before this post becomes even longer than it already is.

But just to be sure, let me explode once again because I have too many feels and only this can express the mess inside me.

We will meet again very soon with season five because I physically NEED to see how this chaos will end.

-> Next post

(How about a coffee? ☕)

_______________________________

📌TAGLIST: @mudpuddlenl @allmycrushesaredead @aquatedia @whatishappeningrightnow @effortiswhatmatters @bella-in-a-bag @doydoune @forever-third-wheeling @payte @hypnossanders @idontreallyknow24   @imcrushedbyarainbowoffical @patton-cake-and-crofters​  @hereissananxiousmess @purplebronzeandblue​ @cynicalandsarcastic​ @lost-in-thought-20 @andtheyreonfire @riseofthewerewolf @rosesandlove44 ​​@arya-skywalker @csi-baker-street-babes @reesiereads @dracayd-universe @starlightnyx​ @stubbornness-and-spite @averykedavra @joyrose-fandomer @mihaela-tbg @thatoneloudowl @grayson-22 @softangryfuckingdepressed @theotherella @nevenastark @coldbookworm @boopypastaissalty @varthandiveturinn @roses-bubbles @cuter-on-the-inside @snixxxsmythe @analogical-mess @emphasis-on-the-oopsie @yangwalkerao3 @the3rddenialist @hehimejoshi

[mariacallous]

He’s not a famous name in the wider world, but copyright lawyer Mark Lemley is equal parts revered and feared within certain tech circles. TechDirt recently described him as a “Lebron James/Michael Jordan”-level legal thinker. A professor at Stanford, counsel at an IP-focused law firm in the Bay Area, and one of the 10 most-cited legal scholars of all time, Lemley is exactly the kind of person Silicon Valley heavyweights want on their side. Meta, however, has officially lost him.

Earlier this month, Lemley announced he was no longer going to defend the tech giant in Kadrey v. Meta, a lawsuit filed by a group of authors who allege the tech giant violated copyright law by training its AI tools on their books without their permission. The fact that he quit is a big deal. I wondered if it had something to do with how the case was going—but then I checked social media.

Lemley said on LinkedIn and Bluesky that he still believes Meta should win the lawsuit, and he wasn’t bowing out because of the merits of the case. Instead, he’d “fired” Meta because of what he characterized as the company and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “descent into toxic masculinity and Neo-Nazi madness.” The move came on the heels of major policy shifts at Meta, including changes to its hateful conduct rules that now allow users to call gay and trans people “mentally ill.”

In a phone conversation, Lemley explained what motivated his decision to quit, and where he sees the broader legal landscape on AI and copyright going, including his suspicion that OpenAI may settle with The New York Times.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Kate Knibbs: Could you go into more detail about how you arrived at your decision to quit representing Meta? What was the deciding factor?

Mark Lemley: I am very troubled by the direction in which the country is going, and I am particularly troubled that a number of folks in the tech industry seem to be willing to go along with it, no matter how extreme it gets. A number of policy changes struck me as things that I would not personally want to be associated with, from the full-throated endorsement of Trump, to the systematic cutting-back on protections for LGBTQ people, to the elimination of DEI programs. All of this is a pattern, I think, that seems to be following what we saw with Elon Musk a couple of years ago. We've seen where that path leads, and it's not somewhere good. Mark Zuckerberg is, of course, free to do whatever he wants to do, but I decided that that wasn't something I wanted to be associated with.

Did Meta make an effort to keep you? Did Zuckerberg say anything to you?

I’ve not had any conversation with Mark Zuckerberg, ever. But any internal conversations that were had is something I probably should not talk about.

Especially right now, it’s apparent that Zuckerberg isn’t the only tech mogul aligning himself with Trump. As you mentioned, Elon Musk comes to mind. But there are a lot of very powerful people in Silicon Valley who are pivoting hard towards MAGA policies. Do you have a list, now, of people you’d say no to representing? How are you approaching this?

I did think Zuckerberg and Musk have been particularly egregious in their behavior. But one of the nice things about being in the position I'm in—having a full-time job teaching rather than practicing law—is that I have probably greater freedom than a lot of people to say I don't need to take that money. Do I have a list? No, absolutely not.

But if you decide that the thing to do with your brand is to associate it with moves towards fascism, that is a decision that ought to have consequences. One of the challenges that a lot of people have is they don't feel that they can speak up, because it's going to cost them personally. So I think it's all the more important for people who can bear that cost to do so.

What has the reaction been like?

When I made this as a personal decision, I decided I should say something about it on social media, both because I thought it was important to explain why I was doing it, and also to explain that it wasn't a function of anything in the case, or my views about the case. I had no idea what I was in for, in terms of the reaction. It's been quite remarkable and overwhelmingly positive. There are plenty of trolls who think I'm an idiot and a libtard. But so far, no death threats, which is a welcome improvement from the past.

Have you heard from people who might follow in your footsteps?

This struck such a nerve, and there are obviously a lot of people who feel that they don't have the power to tell Meta or anyone else to go away, or to stand up for things that they think, and that's unfortunate.

I know your position remains that Meta is still on the right in its AI copyright disputes. But are there any cases in which you think the plaintiffs have a stronger argument?

The strongest arguments are the ones where the output of a work ends up being substantially similar to a particular copyrighted input. Most of the time, when that happens, it happens by accident or because they didn't do a good enough job trying to fix the problems that lead to it. But sometimes, it might be unavoidable. Turns out, it’s hard to purge all references to Mickey Mouse from your AI dataset, for instance. If people want to try to generate a Mickey Mouse image, it's often possible to do something that looks like Mickey Mouse. So there are a set of issues that might create copyright problems, but they're mostly not the ones currently being litigated.

The one exception to that is the UMG v. Anthropic case, because at least early on, earlier versions of Anthropic would generate the song lyrics for songs in the output. That's a problem. The current status of that case is they've put safeguards in place to try to prevent that from happening, and the parties have sort of agreed that, pending the resolution of the case, those safeguards are sufficient, so they're no longer seeking a preliminary injunction.

At the end of the day, the harder question for the AI companies is not is it legal to engage in training? It’s what do you do when your AI generates output that is too similar to a particular work?

Do you expect the majority of these cases to go to trial, or do you see settlements on the horizon?

There may well be some settlements. Where I expect to see settlements is with big players who either have large swaths of content or content that's particularly valuable. The New York Times might end up with a settlement, and with a licensing deal, perhaps where OpenAI pays money to use New York Times content.

There's enough money at stake that we're probably going to get at least some judgments that set the parameters. The class-action plaintiffs, my sense is they have stars in their eyes. There are lots of class actions, and my guess is that the defendants are going to be resisting those and hoping to win on summary judgment. It's not obvious that they go to trial. The Supreme Court in the Google v. Oracle case nudged fair-use law very strongly in the direction of being resolved on summary judgment, not in front of a jury. I think the AI companies are going to try very hard to get those cases decided on summary judgment.

Why would it be better for them to win on summary judgment versus a jury verdict?

It's quicker and it's cheaper than going to trial. And AI companies are worried that they're not going to be viewed as popular, that a lot of people are going to think, Oh, you made a copy of the work that should be illegal and not dig into the details of the fair-use doctrine.

There have been lots of deals between AI companies and media outlets, content providers, and other rights holders. Most of the time, these deals appear to be more about search than foundational models, or at least that’s how it’s been described to me. In your opinion, is licensing content to be used in AI search engines—where answers are sourced by retrieval augmented generation or RAG—something that’s legally obligatory? Why are they doing it this way?

If you're using retrieval augmented generation on targeted, specific content, then your fair-use argument gets more challenging. It's much more likely that AI-generated search is going to generate text taken directly from one particular source in the output, and that's much less likely to be a fair use. I mean, it could be—but the risky area is that it’s much more likely to be competing with the original source material. If instead of directing people to a New York Times story, I give them my AI prompt that uses RAG to take the text straight out of that New York Times story, that does seem like a substitution that could harm the New York Times. Legal risk is greater for the AI company.

What do you want people to know about the generative AI copyright fights that they might not already know, or they might have been misinformed about?

The thing that I hear most often that's wrong as a technical matter is this concept that these are just plagiarism machines. All they're doing is taking my stuff and then grinding it back out in the form of text and responses. I hear a lot of artists say that, and I hear a lot of lay people say that, and it's just not right as a technical matter. You can decide if generative AI is good or bad. You can decide it's lawful or unlawful. But it really is a fundamentally new thing we have not experienced before. The fact that it needs to train on a bunch of content to understand how sentences work, how arguments work, and to understand various facts about the world doesn't mean it's just kind of copying and pasting things or creating a collage. It really is generating things that nobody could expect or predict, and it's giving us a lot of new content. I think that's important and valuable.

[veganism]

The genocide is also experimentation on living beings

Israel is currently testing new weapons in Gaza, some of which will soon be sold globally as "battle-tested," according to Antony Loewenstein, an author who has written a widely acclaimed book on the issue.

For years, the Israeli defense sector has used Palestine as a laboratory for new weapons and surveillance tech, he told Anadolu, adding that this is also the case in the current ongoing war on Gaza.

One of the main reasons why "many nations, democracies and dictatorships support Israeli occupation" of Palestine is because it allows them to buy these "battle-tested" weapons, asserted Loewenstein, author of The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World.

Another aspect of Israel's war on Gaza has been the use of artificial intelligence technology, he said.

According to Loewenstein, AI has been one of the key targeting tools used by the Israeli military in its deadly campaign of airstrikes, leading to mass killings of Palestinians-now over 28,500-and damage on an unprecedented scale.

The current war on Gaza is "inarguably one of the most consequential and bloody," he said.

He described Israel's use of AI against Palestinians as "automated murder," stressing that this model "will be studied and copied by other nation-states" and Tel Aviv will sell them these technologies as tried and tested weapons.

In the last 50 years, Israel has exported hi-tech surveillance tools to at least 130 countries around the world.

To maintain its illegal occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and blockade of the Gaza Strip, Israel has developed a range of tools and technologies that have made it the world's leading exporter of spyware and digital forensics tools.

But analysts say the intelligence failure during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks casts doubts over Tel Avis's technological capabilities.

Israel's reliance on technology "is an illusion of safety, while imprisoning 2.3 million people under endless occupation," said Loewenstein, who is Jewish and holds Australian and German nationalities.

He described Israel's response in Gaza as "apocalyptic," stressing that the killings of Palestinian civilians, including children and women, is "on a scale of indiscriminate slaughter."

- 'BLOOD MONEY'

Loewenstein, who is also a journalist, said Israel has honed its weapons and technology expertise over decades as an occupying power, acting with increasing impunity in the Palestinian territories.

This led a small country like Israel to become one of the top 10 arms dealers in the world, he said, adding that Israeli arms sales in 2021 were "the highest on record, surging 55% over the previous two years to $11.3 billion."

In his book, Loewenstein explores thoroughly Israel's ties with autocracies and regimes engaged in mass displacement campaigns, and governments slinking their way into phones.

The Israeli NSO Group sold its well-known Pegasus software to numerous governments, a spyware tool for phones that gives access to the entire content, including conversations, text messages, emails and photos even when the device is switched off.

Israeli drones were first tested over Gaza, the besieged enclave that Loewenstein referred to as "the perfect laboratory for Israeli ingenuity in domination."

Surveillance technology developed in Israel has also been sold to the US in the form of watch towers now used on the border with Mexico.

The EU's border agency Frontex is known to have used Israeli drone technology to monitor refugees.

Loewenstein explains in his book that the EU has partnered with leading Israeli defense companies to use its drones, "and of course years of experience in Palestine is a key selling point."

"So again, one sees how there are so many examples of nations that are wanting to copy what Israel is doing in their own area in their own country on their own border," he said.

These technologies and "are sold by Israel as battle-tested," he said.

In other words, he contends that Palestinians essentially have become "guinea pigs," and despite some nations and the UN publicly criticizing the Israeli occupation, in reality "they're desperate for this technology for themselves for their own countries."

"And that's how in fact, the Palestine laboratory has been so successful for Israel for so long," he said.

In his exhaustive probe into Israel's dealings with arms sales around the world, he noted that the country has monetized the occupation of Palestine, by selling weapons, spyware tools and technologies to repressive regimes such as Rwanda during the genocide in 1994 and to Myanmar during its genocide against the Muslim Rohingya people in 2017.

"This to me is blood money. I mean, there's no other way to see that and again, as someone Jewish, who has spent many, many years reporting on this conflict, both within Israel and Palestine but also elsewhere, it's deeply shameful that Israel is making huge amounts of money from the misery of others," he said.

"This is not a legacy that I can be proud of."

- 'NO NATION ACTUALLY HOLDING ISRAEL TO ACCOUNT'

Profiting from misery is to some extent the nature of what capitalism has always been about, but Israel does this with a great deal of impunity, "because Israel does what it wants," said Loewenstein.

"There is no accountability, there is no transparency, there is no nation actually holding Israel to account," he added.

Israel's regime is shielded from any political backlash for years to come because nations are reliant on Israeli weapons and spyware, said the author.

Israel may not be the only player employing surveillance technology that leads to human rights violations, but it still plays a dominant role, which is why Loewenstein insists that it deserves singular attention.

Israel's foreign policy has always been "amoral and opportunistic," he said, calling on all nations to take a stand and hold Israel accountable, and acknowledge that the world is buying what Israel is selling.

[probablyasocialecologist]

The Israeli army’s expanded authorization for bombing non-military targets, the loosening of constraints regarding expected civilian casualties, and the use of an artificial intelligence system to generate more potential targets than ever before, appear to have contributed to the destructive nature of the initial stages of Israel’s current war on the Gaza Strip, an investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call reveals. These factors, as described by current and former Israeli intelligence members, have likely played a role in producing what has been one of the deadliest military campaigns against Palestinians since the Nakba of 1948. The investigation by +972 and Local Call is based on conversations with seven current and former members of Israel’s intelligence community — including military intelligence and air force personnel who were involved in Israeli operations in the besieged Strip — in addition to Palestinian testimonies, data, and documentation from the Gaza Strip, and official statements by the IDF Spokesperson and other Israeli state institutions. Compared to previous Israeli assaults on Gaza, the current war — which Israel has named “Operation Iron Swords,” and which began in the wake of the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7 — has seen the army significantly expand its bombing of targets that are not distinctly military in nature. These include private residences as well as public buildings, infrastructure, and high-rise blocks, which sources say the army defines as “power targets” (“matarot otzem”). The bombing of power targets, according to intelligence sources who had first-hand experience with its application in Gaza in the past, is mainly intended to harm Palestinian civil society: to “create a shock” that, among other things, will reverberate powerfully and “lead civilians to put pressure on Hamas,” as one source put it. Several of the sources, who spoke to +972 and Local Call on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Israeli army has files on the vast majority of potential targets in Gaza — including homes — which stipulate the number of civilians who are likely to be killed in an attack on a particular target. This number is calculated and known in advance to the army’s intelligence units, who also know shortly before carrying out an attack roughly how many civilians are certain to be killed.