#and its use and its prevalence

[blueboyluca]

“When I first heard it, from a dog trainer who knew her behavioral science, it was a stunning moment. I remember where I was standing, what block of Brooklyn’s streets. It was like holding a piece of polished obsidian in the hand, feeling its weight and irreducibility. And its fathomless blackness. Punishment is reinforcing to the punisher. Of course. It fit the science, and it also fit the hidden memories stored in a deeply buried, rusty lockbox inside me. The people who walked down the street arbitrarily compressing their dogs’ tracheas, to which the poor beasts could only submit in uncomprehending misery; the parents who slapped their crying toddlers for the crime of being tired or hungry: These were not aberrantly malevolent villains. They were not doing what they did because they thought it was right, or even because it worked very well. They were simply caught in the same feedback loop in which all behavior is made. Their spasms of delivering small torments relieved their frustration and gave the impression of momentum toward a solution. Most potently, it immediately stopped the behavior. No matter that the effect probably won’t last: the reinforcer—the silence or the cessation of the annoyance—was exquisitely timed. Now. Boy does that feel good.”

— Melissa Holbrook Pierson, The Secret History of Kindness (2015)

[godslush]

Random observation that the game is somewhat inconsistent with implied character sizes, especially between 'overworld' sprites and battle sprites, and it reflects in how a lot of folks draw characters.

For instance, a lot of people (myself included!) draw Lyle as Very Large because his battle sprite takes up a large portion of the screen... but his overworld sprite is actually comparatively small, almost human-sized.

(also at some angles the cloak cuts off his googly eyes and makes it look like he's going >w< but that's an unrelated aside that just makes me laugh every time I look at the sprite)

This is presumably because he was intended to be recruitable, and Frankie mentioned on stream that larger sprites wouldn't work as follower sprites (after a comment about possibly having Masked Shadow as a party member, incidentally).

Meanwhile, most people who've drawn Spine (again, myself included!!) tend to assume it is relatively human-sized... but its overworld sprite...

.... is... actually pretty damn big...

Again, presumably towards a different end (to get as much detail into it as possible, which would be immensely difficult in scale with human characters), but as usual, I tend to think too much about these things.

I know it's nothing because for instance vehicles are drawn way too small for the purposes of fitting them in, scaling issues in sprite games will always be a thing.

[sadkachow]

You cannot claim to be anti-AI while still actively seeking out and using AI.

Once again.

You cannot claim to be anti-AI while still using generative AI, no matter the reason.

(Bold/italicized text: You cannot claim to be anti-AI while still using generative AI, no matter the reason.)

Even if you’re just using it to make fun of it or show how bad it is.

Even if it’s only for your personal use, and you don’t plan on sharing it with anyone.

Even if you’re “just” roleplaying on Character AI.

If you are willing to justify your usage of a system created and profiting off of stealing from artists and writers, a symstem that is destroying the Earth, then you were never as “against that system” as you think you were. Being anti-AI isn’t something that exists only in name. You can’t claim to be against AI if you are willing and able to use it as soon as it benefits you. You can’t say you’re for writers’ and artists’ rights if you’re using the very thing that is causing them harm. You can’t claim to care about climate change and saving the Earth if you are participating in the system that is destroying it.

There is no middle ground here.

There is no “Oh, but I-“.

If you have the knowledge of what generative AI is doing, of how it is hurting people, and you choose to use it anyway, you aren’t  against it. You aren’t fighting against that system, you’re upholding it.

You can say how much you hate AI and how horrible you think it is, if you choose to use it anyway, then your actions and your words are not lining up, and the former reveals so much more than the latter.

Stop pretending like AI is something you can condemn only in name, while using it to your heart’s content in your free time. All it does it tells writers and artists that you don’t really care about us, and that any actions you claim to be taking to protect us are performative at best and lies or even outright malicious at worst.

You are—and I mean this in the kindest way possible, even with the fury that generative AI invokes in me—a complete and utter hypocrite. AI is not your friend. It is a tool, and it is a tool that steals from writers and artists in order to function. It is a tool that is using levels of energy and emitting amounts of polution in order to be maintained that are actively damaging the Earth. No matter how much you try to justify using it to yourself, that doesn’t change.

Stop hiding under the guise of being anti-AI while continuing to use it yourself.

[spearxwind]

Happy 10th birthday to Cercerion!

OUGHHH UR RIGHT CERCIE IS 10 YEARS OLD NOW !!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY BOY BELOVEDEST DID NOTHING WRONG EVER IN HIS WHOLE LIFE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[corellianhounds]

I know we (rightfully) give Attack of the Clones a lot of grief for Obi-Wan just being able to show up unannounced and for him to just be given the literal biggest state secrets possibly of the entire war, in addition to how this cloning operation has been going on for like a decade without anyone knowing anything or any documentation crossing Mace Windu’s desk, but considering Sifo Dyas or Dooku or whoever was able to somehow erase an entire planet from (allegedly) every known bit of data collection or documentation, it could be argued that maybe Dyas and Dooku were just master forgers and had fake correspondence and reports going between them and the Kaminoans for over a decade now.

It’s not that far of a leap to say they got their hands on some heavily encrypted software on some very expensive computers and were able to imitate different speech patterns and documents and handwriting and official stamps or even holograms and holocalls. As far as the Kaminoans know, all of their contacts are fully aware and in the know about this clone army (because as far as they know, Sifo Dyas is alive and had to have been in communication recently)— When Obi-Wan shows up, it just happened to be at the exact time Dooku was the one supposed to be there in person himself that day. The Kaminoans did greet him as Master Jedi and said he was expected.

Obviously that could have only worked in the movie if Dooku had shown up and we saw him having to keep his cool/sneak around when some other Kaminoans tell him his “assistant” has already arrived, would you like us to escort you to him?

Internally Dooku’s thinking “WHOMST??” but externally he’s keeping his chill while searching the Force for whoever else might be— is that OBI-WAN KENOBI??

It’s soooooo tasty for Qui-Gon’s master and Qui-Gon’s apprentice to meet under these circumstances. Both of them know the other shouldn’t be there right now. They’re both having to play it cool in front of the Kaminoans, and this is even besides the fact Kenobi was there to find the bounty hunter assassin in the first place.

“I didn’t think you… were still as active in the Order,” Obi-Wan says slowly and diplomatically, knowing for a FACT that Dooku left the Order a long time ago.

“I… retired from active service,” Dooku says, equally diplomatically. “I act as a… consultant from time to time.”

“It’s soooo funny how I’ve never heard anything about that or this clone army the Jedi ordered,” Obi-Wan says, making direct eye contact with Dooku and probably trying to read his mind (to no avail). “The one they ordered ten years ago before there was ever any thought of the Jedi being actively involved on the frontlines of what isn’t a declared war. What would the Jedi want with a military in the first place?”

“How old are you, young one?” Dooku deflects in that fake kindly condescending grandfatherly voice. “How long have you been on the Council— Oh you’re just a Kniiiiight, that’s right, okay I see. How interesting. How much information are you actually privilege to, Obi-Wan?”

And this is all happening even before Obi-Wan Nancy Drew’d his way to Jango Fett’s private quarters!

Obi-Wan KNOWS he can’t go rogue right now when he’s that far from his ship on a city surrounded by an ocean and a literal army of clones soldiers (of that one super efficient bounty hunter, whenever it is he finds that out) all apparently under the command (?) of someone who definitely definitely super should not be speaking or doing or ordering anything under the name of the Jedi Order.

Count Dooku (who he doesn’t even know is a Sith yet) could very easily accuse him of being an impostor and have him detained or attacked or killed on sight. Zam Wessel was already established to be a shapeshifter in this movie, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility for Obi-Wan to not be who he says he is (which is kinda true?? since he WASN’T the Jedi ambassador for the Temple there to pick up his to-go order of a quarter-million identical men, with a million more on the way??). The Kaminoans might not even know much else about Jedi and Sith aesthetics besides “Wears robes” so if Dooku pulled a red lightsaber it might not even faze them, since he’d be able to provide more information and correspondence proving he’s the ‘actual’ Jedi anyway

Like can you imagine a fight breaking out not just between Kenobi and Jango, but a team-up of Jango and Dooku against Kenobi? That would have jumpstarted some of this clone army business a lot earlier in the movie and actually addressed what should have been the biggest conspiracy, coverup, and militaristic move of the MILLENNIUM

[razberrypuck]

fucked up that dropping gillion off for his training was done as unceremoniously as it was btw. it wasn't some grand goodbye, they didn't do anything special that day for their little boy -- it was just gillion and his father. his sister, his mother, his grandfather, they weren't there. it was just gillion, his father, and a quiet, possibly several day long trip to the capital. it was just gillion and his father at the steps of the palace, just his father that saw the big smile on his face, heard the little boy's promises of telling them everything when he got home. no one had even bothered explaining what was going on to him. he had to figure it out on his own, when papa never came back.

[spooksier]

also btw that passage about media consumption as activism and the idea of "gayboring" (this post) are twin sisters to me because when you see media consumption as activism and therefore as a reflection of real life, any gritty or unsavory or "weird" aspects of any marginalized culture/community gets completely sanitized in favor of portraying an "ideal" form of that community in the eyes of consumerism (i.e.: boring and safe and non-confrontational)

[commoncoldz]

i am soooo tired of like Art Market type events where half the vendors are selling like. 2 dollar temu jewelry for 20 dollars. bootleg plushies of indie horror mascots. shitty plastic keychains of unicorns and dinosaurs and enamel pins with stolen designs all from temu. unsanded 3d printed figurines of the same octopus with moving tentacles and pikachu with the rocks face and dragon eggs that everyone else is making and selling. its all such horseshit and im so tired of it

[prettyboykatsuki-moved]

i am so devastated by todays outcome. i am so sick to my stomach. this has me so heartbroken. i don’t know what to say or do. i know this is so stupid, all things considered, but i am genuinely scared they will take tumblr/ao3 away. fanfic/fandom is such a safe space for me. i am at a loss. you and so many others have changed my life on here. please know i love you and your work. i know there are more pressing things, i just had to get this off my chest. i hope they don’t care enough to take it, but i fear they will.

oh man

i dont think its silly you're worried about that. im sure u know there are bigger fish to fry but sometimes its those kind of losses that weigh on you a lot and i dont blame you. and with the whole anti porn thing a lot of conservatives r trying to push i think its a valid concern

i dont want to feed you empty platitudes about what will be okay and what wont. but i do have confidence in the fact that we will get through this and that there is perhaps no time better than now that people will want to come together and make things and find joy and that hope will persevere even over persecution.

i love you too and i love everyone here and i love that there is a place like this for us. it will be okay regardless but. its a good reminder to continuing being kind to each other for things we might take for granted right now like access

[oifaaa]

actually i prefer mexican dubs to american english dubs because they're more faithful to the Japanese script (usually)

My friend you have missed the point doesn't matter if you are watching sub or dub or reading the manga unless its in the og Japanese your getting a translation English Spanish Portuguese Irish they're all very different from Japanese they all change things to make it make sense its also good to point out that it's not one translator for one language there are multiple people whose job it is to translate and they also deserve to be rated on their own merits anyway if you enjoy the Mexican dub over the American English good for you you don't have to try and justify it just enjoy the show how you enjoy it

[gwalch-mei]

Regarding your Guinevere take, *my* hot take is that I don't think there's good intentions there, rather it's all for Arthur's sake. They'll never convince me brainwashing Guinevere or making her less horny is feminist, in particular when Isolde never gets the same treatment. I don't blame Merlin fandom calling her "Gwen Pendragon" instead of queen, they may as well call her Mrs Arthur because that's all she became.

anon VERY true when i see modern day feminist takes (which ARE important we do need them!) it tends to be. the most surface level feminist takes, with a hint of gender essentialism sprinkled in. and it feels partly like the author is lazy, and doesn't want to take the time to write nuanced characters, but it also feels like they have no faith in their audience to actually interpret the nuance either!

[cacw]

I think online mutual culture is killing some of you

[sukibenders]

"Cannibalism as a metaphor for love is such an interesting narrative choice!" Until you add poc into the narrative and here come the millions of "think pieces" that either 1.) dehumanize them for the same thing their yte counterparts are praised and, sometimes, even...applauded for (eg. Yellowjackets and other supernatural media), 2.) or use it inappropriately to justify harm brought on to poc communities. But that's a conversation for another time.

(tw for some of the tags as well)

[dullahandyke]

also new distraction technique found, reading latin aloud. im used to it enough that i can keep up a consistent pace (with pauses for longer words with more syllables) but i still have to keep the sounds in mind in my head so it takes brainpower that cant go towards anxiety. yay

[stardecahedron]

attack for dear friend @propfortytwo , his mutant cat boy janitor oc Rags Huxley! i had a very silly reference phot of i think harry styles?? in my refs folder doing this pose and i thought it was so fitting for Rag lmao. ヾ(≧ ▽ ≦)ゝ

kofi // instagram // artfight // bluesky

[sparklecarehospital-archive]

Does polly still have TUC in multicare :0

he does! :] he just manages it a little better