#now if only the ceo wasn't such a tool

[theviolenttomboy]

Something all the layoffs made me think, another legitimately sad and fucked up thing about the video game industry is at this point, Nintendo's probably the only company left that still has almost all of their OG devs from the 80s and 90s, their version of Disney's Nine Old Men. Almost all the veteran staff from other older, still existing companies, even the Japanese ones like Capcom and Sega, are long gone, either retired or went indie to wildly differing degrees of success. And all the newer companies keep shutting down or get absorbed before they even get a chance.

[trying-harder-then-u]

Philip wasn't used to all the stares he was getting from his workers; for god's sake, he was the CEO, and they should be paying respect to him, but instead all the builders to whom he paid the salary just stared in confusion and pity at the tall man in his suit guiding the investors around the construction site.

His black suit, thin build, and clean-shaven appearance drew a harsh contrast to the men that watched. The bored faces of the investors showed that they were just as interested in this as he was, so it was a respite when he managed to excuse himself to go to the bathroom.

Stumbling along, dirt and dust caking his boots, he finally ran into the manager of the property, a bulky man with a short fuse. "Where is the bathroom?" he inquired, only greeted by a judging glance as he stared down. "It's employee only; the public bathroom is a block away." Philip was shocked by the never-ending argument, but he made a mental note to find some recourse for the attitude. He picked his way through the clogged city blocks, finally coming to the public bathrooms.

As he walked into the graffiti-covered stall, he felt his disgust build as he saw a strange liquid covering not just the floor but the bathrooms and walls as well. and judging from the smell, he could tell where this liquid came from. Knowing that he didn't have time to waste, he quickly rolled up toilet paper and wiped down the seat of the toilet. After a few seconds, he went to chuck it when he stepped into a large puddle of cum, glaring at the gunk stuck on his heel. Using the wall to support him as he tried to scrape it off, he only managed to get it on his clothes before finally feeling more drip from the roof on top of his bald head.

Now thoroughly disgusted, he went to leave but found he couldn't; he seemed to be...

rooted to the spot? Phillip's whole body began to shiver as his eyes moved rapidly in his sockets. The shivering began to localize on his legs as a cracking sound filled the air. Did the door seem to grow bigger and bigger, or was he getting smaller? He remembered from the view that his height had gone from 6 feet 3 to 5 feet 6. His mind kept screaming as his body tingled, his thin arms tingled, and he began to thicken along with his legs, a small gut growing out.

His pale skin soon would change too as his skin darkened and tanned, matching that of his many workers. changed rapidly now, his once clean, shaven body growing hair all over and his slightly below-average "tool" shrinking a few inches. Finally able to leave, he felt his head fuzz as if his thoughts were being yelled at him through glass, but he did begin to panic when he didn't return to his investors but rather to the man. "Where have you been?" Phillip thought he was yelling; he couldn't hear anything, though. Looking down, his clothes also changed to a plain tee and some shorts; he truly looked just like a worker now.

The next 5 hours, his body went on autopilot, working harder than his old body ever had, but when the work day finally ended, he kept walking to a house he had never seen, climbing stairs after stairs before finally coming to a door that reeked of cum and sweat. Opening in, he saw a young Latino man, no pants, and busy playing some kind of video game. He somehow knew that this was the man whose cum had covered the bathroom that had caused all this.

glancing over the man—his boyfriend? No, that can't be. He was married, and his thoughts were getting harder. Mmm, Phillipe could see the bulge in the other man's underwear, and the other man obviously could see Phillipe's eyes. "Why don't you come help Daddy out, baby?" excitedly he moved forward and began stripping his BF. "That's it, ik you liked the stuff you found in the bathroom you slut, come get some from the source" as he greedily sucked away his memories. Natural, his Spanish accent? attractive to the ladies, not like he needs it with his boyfriend around. His memories shifted fully, and Philip was gone. He was Philip, a Mexican immigrant working hard so his hot boyfriend could play games. His life was difficult with working and then doing all the chores, but at least he got some good dick. and not a person would miss who he was...

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Direction

cw: paranoia, implied alcoholism, adult language

previous ///// Wildefire Masterlist ///// next

•°•°•

Alexei had no real plan.

Walking away from Spyglass and her safe haven had felt like the only option. He didn't belong there, with a ragtag team of ex-heroes. But where should he go now?

Even though he was assumed dead, Uriah had eyes everywhere. One slip up, and he'd be back. One slip up.

“Fuck…” he muttered under his breath. The rogues' new hideout was in a rundown part of the city, practically empty at this time of day, but it felt too crowded, too open. Someone could see him. Someone could recognize him and notify Fox, and then it was all over.

He ducked into an alleyway, pressed his shoulders into the ancient brick of one of the buildings. Fuck. Duck, cluck, buck, stuck. 

What did he do now? Where could he go?

Back to Chopper was the only answer he could come up with. Back to the job, back to Neath.

He needed a drink, but any bars would have people. Any liquor store would have people, and if Uriah found out he was alive…

He couldn't go back. Wouldn't go back. He'd die first.

“Fuck.” Lex rubbed his face with metal fingers, trying to ground himself. Not yet. I won't die yet. Neath could offer him protection. He'd been redlined for years and never gotten caught until Overkast.

But wouldn't this be different? 

No. No, it couldn't be. Uriah had no reason to believe he was alive, and if Lex just laid low for a while, maybe in a few weeks… months… years, everything would be back to normal.

He'd be on the job again, and he could forget all about Fox and the Tower.

And Spyglass. And her stupid quest for justice.

She wanted to take Fox down, to take Corp down. Couldn't she see that was impossible? The power the CEOs held was absolute. Any moves the rogues tried to make against them would end with them dead or worse.

It wasn't something Alexei could risk.

He could only hope that when Spyglass put her plan into action she fucked it up badly enough that the team was killed. Not captured. Not imprisoned.

He didn't want to picture them in the Tower.

Lex pulled up his hood and fished around in his jacket pocket. His mask was still there. And his gloves. He'd look a little suspicious walking around like this, but that was better than being recognized. If he kept his head down, maybe people would just assume he was sick and give him a wide berth. His stumbling gait, brought on by weeks-old injuries and exhaustion, would add to the illusion.

He slipped the gloves on and pulled the mask over his nose and mouth, then stepped into the street, feeling a little better now that he had a direction and a layer of fabric between him and the world.

Even in Neath, would he be safe? The subsector was full of opportunists; people who would sell him out for pennies. He needed someone he could trust, and there was no one he could trust. Except… there was Chopper. He'd worked under Chopper for years, never slipping, never stumbling. Would his old employer sell him out, if given the chance?

No. No, Chopper hated Corp. He wouldn't turn on one of his own for them.

And besides, where else did he have?

•°•°•

The walk to Chopper’s base was longer than Alexei remembered. Maybe it was the feeling of eyes on him, slowing him down. The constant worry of being watched that had him checking over his shoulder, running fingers along his throat to check if the collar was still in place, tracking him.

The fabric of his gloves grazed flesh every time though, and for a moment, Lex could relax. But the moment never lasted.

Chopper's place was fronted by a mechanic’s; as good a place as any to hide and repair the tools of the trade. Lex figured he'd walk right in the door, maybe pretend to peruse the scant amount of equipment for sale at the front. If something felt wrong, it would be easier to run from there.

The door jingled as he pushed it open, but there was no one at the counter. Stepping inside felt like stepping into a memory. Dingy tile floors and terrible fluorescent lighting; the sound of whirring tools in the back that he knew was just a recording being played on loop; the smell of old motor oil.

How many times had he stood here? Hundreds? Thousands? Muscle memory told him to keep crossing the floor, to walk to the back and take the stairs to Chopper’s office. Like it was two years ago, and he was still okay.

His ears pricked up at the sound of shoes on concrete, and he turned his face down immediately, pretending to study the oil cans. In his peripheral, he could see a bulky man rounding the corner, red hair going gray, hands gloved in heavy leather to avoid leaving fingerprints.

Chopper.

Slowly, almost robotically, Lex turned to face the counter. He could see the other man tense in anticipation, though the easy smile remained on his face. One hand was under the counter, no doubt resting on the grip of a gun. He’d been in the business for too long to stop being careful.

“Afternoon then,” Chopper said. “How can I help you today?”

Alexei pulled aside his mask, willing everything to be okay, to go his way for once. The other man’s eyes went wide.

“A drink would be nice.”

•°•°•

@whumpacabra @enteredin2eternity @kixngiggles @whumpsday @kiichu @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump @shywhumpauthor @distinctlywhumpthing , @bloodinkandashes , @fleur-alise , @whumpy-daydreams ,

[moofahdrome]

U have very good taste in ttrpgs !!

U should talk about ur fave character uve played as if u have one!

thank you thanks!!! its GOTTA be Ellen Weaver, alias Alloy, a PC I made for a Masks game that I'd love to use again! I've got a few pieces of her to share here, and I'll paste her bio below the cut :)

art by @beedokart and @paperandpencilsandskips respectively!

and some INCREDIBLE music from @maxknightley !!!

She's just. SO fun to play and explore and be cool and interesting and queer with. I really hope I can play another game where she'll fit! Plus designing her gave me sooooo much gender euphoria and I've started looking a lot more like her irl its wonderfullllll

Here's her bio if you wanna read!

Ellen Weaver is the goddaughter of the hero Stainless, an iron man-style figurehead hero for a major tech and defense company that her actual parents own. Ellen always admired Stainless and wanted to be a hero just like her, though as the eldest son (at the time) of a CEO she wasn't taken very seriously until she genuinely committed herself to the task throughout her adolescence. On her 18th birthday, a year after she came out as a girl, Stainless finally promised to take her on as an apprentice once she turned 20 as long as she constantly trained and studied, and the inheritance of Stainless Corp. was passed down to her younger brother.

One day, while Stainless was taking her on a tour of the company's weapons R&D, they observed the study(torture) of a captured alien creature resembling a long strand of silver. Sensing Ellen's deeply hidden empathy, the symbiote escaped its cage and bonded with her, becoming a living metal tattoo across her skin. This disturbed everyone greatly, but after months of testing, it seemed to not be a threat. The symbiote is sentient but not (yet) capable of human expression, but it gets along with Ellen and wants to help her. As long as it's still connected to her somehow, it can detach from her skin to be used as a weapon or tool akin to a whip, a spear, a rope, or anything it can coil into. This gave her a genuine superpower, when both she and Stainless were only using intelligence, martial training, and gadgets before.

This disturbed Stainless. She encourages or demands her apprentice to keep the symbiote dormant and unused, ostensibly because she doesn't want her protege to rely on an unpredictable power. In truth, though, alien or not, Stainless has a prejudice towards all genuine superhumans, viewing them as priding themselves above humanity and unfairly accomplishing what normal people have to work to create. Stainless was never a truly good mentor or hero, but this soured her further, and she is now much harder on Ellen, who still idolizes her.

Ellen, for her part, took the alias Alloy and officially registered herself as a hero on her twentieth birthday. The process was somewhat perturbing to her, since most heroes undergo various tests and trials to be officially licensed, but Stainless pushed her through the process without telling her and the judges just let her sit with them for a while before parading her out and celebrating her newly 'won' status. Alloy still strives to be a hero that will make her mentor and family proud, but eventually her doubts and fears will take over or she'll be pushed too far. When that day comes, she'll abandon her birthright and privilege and technology, becoming a vigilante entirely dependent on her relationship with herself, her symbiotic partner, and her friends.

[reflectionlike]

about park ji won - i dont think so. he was bighit ceo, wast he? bighit is this branch that is responsible for Jimin's release. and sgmb release was at the bottom level - like the face a year ago (maybe even worse), with one difference - there was no Jimin this time so there were no performances. the song had nothing.

as for the release of who essentially nothing has changed. just remixes and covers were added on the 5th day (im sure jimmy fallon happened bc of Jimin himself). I saw some pjms say that they are ready not to offend the company for a week, but I am ready. giving us tools to buy and stream and all the money will go to "american side" while - just pay attention! - there was no promo that should be paid by the company. the song was never sent to radio. it didn't get a high position in the tth playlist. in fact, everything that Jimin receives now is the merit of his fans. and of course the fact that the song is just a hit.

anyway, there's just too much good news right now to be distracted.

most likely his resignation has nothing to do with Jimin or BTS, he just served his purpose and now its high time for another bastard to shine.

He was Hybe’s CEO, not Bighit.

There is still a long way to go before conclusions can be drawn. The company didn't necessarily change the promotion strategy, just a couple more remixes, and additional covers (which do help a lot), but there has not been a significant push to have the song penetrate the market, and that is something that surprises none of us.The only thing I rescue is that, for now, it hasn't been seen or felt as shady as last year during FACE, when it seemed like the world was conspiring to crush Jimin, and we didn't understand where it was coming from. Clearly, I wasn't expecting a Seven style promotion because Scooter isn't involved up to his neck, however, a lot of what was being asked was that if they were not going to help him, at least they should not try to sink him.

Because there were other things to worry about and celebrate I waited to post this ask until now. We are only starting the second week and a lot of things can still happen, but this is my perception so far.

[lbova]

Rodney x Cappy Fanfiction

This is my first time writing a fanfic, so sorry if it's bad. There isn't enough Rodney x Cappy fanfic, so I'm writing my own gosh darn it. I love this ship so much. Characters belong to Blue Sky Studios Robots 2005. Hope you enjoy!

When you've become the CEO of your dream job, life couldn't be better. Two years ago, Rodney Copperbottom first arrived in Robot City to meet his idol Bigweld. However, he came to the city just to find out Bigweld had been forced into retirement thanks to his no good past CEO bot named Phineas T. Ratchet. When Ratchet took charge of Bigweld Industries, he outmoded millions of bots and sent Sweepers to collect them and take them to his mother's (Madame Gasket) Chop Shop, where they were melted into upgrades. Rodney knew he had to find Bigweld and save the city. Good luck was on his side, and he was able to find Bigweld, convinced him out of hiding, and defeated Ratchet and his cruel mother once and for all. Madame Gasket was thrown into the fire, and Ratchet was stuck on the ceiling. The Robot City Police took Ratchet to jail two days after. Rodney was seen as a hero, and was named the new CEO of Bigweld Industries.

Of course, none of this would have been possible if Rodney hadn't met Cappy. He first met Cappy when he crashed through the window of Bigweld's office and landed right in front of her. It was love at first sight for Rodney. He had never seen such a beautiful robot in his life. He met Cappy again when he snuck past the gates to get into the Bigweld Ball in an attempt to find Bigweld. Cappy saved Rodney from Ratchet's security bots, and flew him to Bigweld's workshop. Eventually, Cappy began to fall in love with Rodney. He was determined and confident, and he was kind and cared about others. After Ratchet's defeat and Rodney became CEO, Rodney and Cappy started dating. Rodney moved in with Cappy in her apartment a week after they started dating.

And now, two years later, they we still together. Although, being CEO of a very huge business wasn't easy. Rodney had been very busy the past two years, helping Bigweld come up with new projects and inventions to help bots' lives improve. Rodney would always come home late, always exhausted and tired. He would always feel bad whenever he came home late, knowing that he had kept his girlfriend Cappy waiting for him. He didn't want her to stay up for him, he wanted her to get a good night's sleep. He sometimes wondered why Cappy would still be with him despite him always coming home late. Some days, Rodney would wonder if he's even good enough to be her boyfriend. He's always late, he spends more time inventing and less time with Cappy. So why would she stay with him?

It was currently 12:39 a.m., and Rodney was finishing up one of his projects in his office. As he wrapped up his last adjustments to his project, he wiped his forehead and sighed. He was finally done for the night. Now he can go home, and have the weekend off. Rodney was so relieved that he had this weekend off. He normally worked on the weekends to further help out Bigweld. But Bigweld told him that he should take this weekend off, maybe spend some time with Cappy. Rodney offered Bigweld to call him in case he needed help, but Bigweld told him not to worry. Rodney put his tools back into his desk, turned the lights in the room off, locked up his office, and took a taxi home.

When Rodney arrived at their apartment, he took his keys out and unlocked the door to enter. He opened the door and entered the apartment, shutting the door behind him and locked it once he was in. He looked around the living room to see if anyone was home, but he didn't see anyone. He only saw his Wonderbot as they slept on a little cat condo peacefully. He guessed that Cappy was probably in the bedroom.

"Cappy, I'm home!", Rodney shouted not too loudly as to not startle Wonderbot awake.

He heard a voice cry out, "I'm in the bedroom!" He knew that the beautiful voice belonged to his lovely girlfriend Cappy.

He set his bag down and walked to the bedroom. When we entered, he saw Cappy sitting on the bed, reading a book. Cappy looked up from her book to smile at her handsome boyfriend.

"Hi sweetie. Welcome home.", Cappy said sweetly, as she set her book down on the bedstand beside her and got up to greet Rodney. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Rodney also wrapped his arms around her to hug her back. He closed his eyes as he did, and smiled tiredly. He loves holding her close after a long day at work.

"Sorry I got back so late again", Rodney said softly, as he pulled away from Cappy to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "This project is taking so much longer than I intended", He continued.

Cappy smiled at him softly. Rodney loved her smile so much. He loved everything about her. "It's alright hon. I know your job can be long and stressful," Cappy said. "You can say that again", Rodney chuckled tiredly. "I am so ready for this weekend. I don't have to get up early and I don't have to work late."

Cappy couldn't help but giggle a little. "Me too. I can't wait to spend the whole weekend with you", she said. Rodney smiled at her brightly. He then let out a big yawn, stretching his arms out a little. Cappy could see her lover was tired, obviously. She can almost read Rodney like a book. And he was her favorite book. "Well then, maybe it's time for us to sleep, hm?", Cappy grabbed Rodney 's arm and gently tugged it, trying to pull him towards the bed. Rodney let her guide him to the bed, and they both laid down onto the soft mattress. Rodney let out a deep sigh, it felt good to finally lay down. Cappy snuggled closer to Rodney, putting her head on his shoulder.

Rodney rested his head on hers, smiling. "Hey Caps?", he slightly whispered, "Thanks for always being patient with me. I probably don't deserve it, but thank you for being sweet to me no matter what the day brings or how it ends." He wrapped one of his arms around her waist and said, "I love you."

Cappy shifted her head slightly to look up at Rodney. She smiled at him and said, "I love you too." They gave each other a good night kiss on the lips and drifted off to sleep. They had each other at the end of the day, and that was all they needed.

....................................................

OMG I finished it yes! Now I have my own fanfiction to read hehe. Anyway, hope you guys liked it! Let me know if you want more Rodney x Cappy stories, I'll be happy to write them!

[neatandniffty]

My Niffty

I wanna talk about my psychotic BPD queen because she's the description of female rage and I love her.

Growing up at a time when women were meant to obey and take care of the home and family, as an eldest daughter with two younger brothers almost the entirety of the housework, cooking, and childcare fell on her shoulders as her father worked long hours and her mother was addicted to pills and drank most of the day cleaning herself up only before her husband came home to claim the credit for her hard work.

Upon turning 18 her father had arranged her marriage to the son of the CEO as a way in to even higher positions in his company, "networking, networking, networking" right? He seemed like a nice young man at first but he was cold and controlling outside the public eye, still she did her best to be a perfect housewife, maybe then he would love her.

After years of diligence and desperation for his affection there was something she couldn't just make happen with hard work. She was now 22 and still not a mother after several failed attempts, watching her husband get even more distant and cruel to her. The night she died she had found him cheating, not just cheating but when she confronted him he blamed HER for her inability to get pregnant.

Do we blame her for going off the deep end and stabbing him 27 times?

I don't.

It would only make sense then right? For her to then go to what was supposed to be her first home but was her first prison and take that anger out on the people who saw her as nothing but a servant and tool to use for their own wants and desires? Ok maybe she shouldn't have killed her two minor brothers along with her parents but she was CRAZY.

Neighbors of course called the police but she wasn't going to go with them willingly; her psychotic rampage made her lack all caring for her own life and in a standoff with them she was shot 3 times in the chest, dying right there in the living room of her childhood home.

[mariacallous]

Until the dramatic departure of OpenAI’s cofounder and CEO Sam Altman on Friday, Mira Murati was its chief technology officer—but you could also call her its minister of truth. In addition to heading the teams that develop tools such as ChatGPT and Dall-E, it’s been her job to make sure those products don’t mislead people, show bias, or snuff out humanity altogether.

This interview was conducted in July 2023 for WIRED’s cover story on OpenAI. It is being published today after Sam Altman’s sudden departure to provide a glimpse at the thinking of the powerful AI company’s new boss.

Steven Levy: How did you come to join OpenAI?

Mira Murati: My background is in engineering, and I worked in aerospace, automotive, VR, and AR. Both in my time at Tesla [where she shepherded the Model X], and at a VR company [Leap Motion] I was doing applications of AI in the real world. I very quickly believed that AGI would be the last and most important major technology that we built, and I wanted to be at the heart of it. Open AI was the only organization at the time that was incentivized to work on the capabilities of AI technology and also make sure that it goes well. When I joined in 2018, I began working on our supercomputing strategy and managing a couple of research teams.

What moments stand out to you as key milestones during your tenure here?

There are so many big-deal moments, it’s hard to remember. We live in the future, and we see crazy things every day. But I do remember GPT-3 being able to translate. I speak Italian, Albanian, and English. I remember just creating pair prompts of English and Italian. And all of a sudden, even though we never trained it to translate in Italian, it could do it fairly well.

You were at OpenAI early enough to be there when it changed from a pure nonprofit to reorganizing so that a for-profit entity lived inside the structure. How did you feel about that?

It was not something that was done lightly. To really understand how to make our models better and safer, you need to deploy them at scale. That costs a lot of money. It requires you to have a business plan, because your generous nonprofit donors aren't going to give billions like investors would. As far as I know, there's no other structure like this. The key thing was protecting the mission of the nonprofit.

That might be tricky since you partner so deeply with a big tech company. Do you feel your mission is aligned with Microsoft’s?

In the sense that they believe that this is our mission.

But that's not their mission.

No, that's not their mission. But it was important for the investor to actually believe that it’s our mission.

When you joined in 2018, OpenAI was mainly a research lab. While you still do research, you’re now very much a product company. Has that changed the culture?

It has definitely changed the company a lot. I feel like almost every year, there's some sort of paradigm shift where we have to reconsider how we're doing things. It is kind of like an evolution. What's more obvious now to everyone is this need for continuous adaptation in society, helping bring this technology to the world in a responsible way, and helping society adapt to this change. That wasn't necessarily obvious five years ago, when we were just doing stuff in our lab. But putting GPT-3 in an API, in working with customers and developers, helped us build this muscle of understanding the potential that the technology has to change things in the real world, often in ways that are different than what we predict.

You were involved in Dall-E. Because it outputs imagery, you had to consider different things than a text model, including who owns the images that the model draws upon. What were your fears and how successful you think you were?

Obviously, we did a ton of red-teaming. I remember it being a source of joy, levity, and fun. People came up with all these like creative, crazy prompts. We decided to make it available in labs, as an easy way for people to interact with the technology and learn about it. And also to think about policy implications and about how Dall-E can affect products and social media or other things out there. We also worked a lot with creatives, to get their input along the way, because we see it internally as a tool that really enhances creativity, as opposed to replacing it. Initially there was speculation that AI would first automate a bunch of jobs, and creativity was the area where we humans had a monopoly. But we've seen that these AI models actually have a potential to really be creative. When you see artists play with Dall-E, the outputs are really magnificent.

Since OpenAI has released its products, there have been questions about their immediate impact in things like copyright, plagiarism, and jobs. By putting things like GPT-4 in the wild, it’s almost like you’re forcing the public to deal with those issues. Was that intentional?

Definitely. It's actually very important to figure out how to bring it out there in a way that's safe and responsible, and helps people integrate it into their workflow. It’s going to change entire industries; people have compared it to electricity or the printing press. And so it's very important to start actually integrating it in every layer of society and think about things like copyright laws, privacy, governance and regulation. We have to make sure that people really experience for themselves what this technology is capable of versus reading about it in some press release, especially as the technological progress continues to be so rapid. It's futile to resist it. I think it's important to embrace it and figure out how it's going to go well.

Are you convinced that that's the optimal way to move us toward AGI?

I haven't come up with a better way than iterative deployments to figure out how you get this continuous adaptation and feedback from the real end feeding back into the technology to make it more robust to these use cases. It’s very important to do this now, while the stakes are still low. As we get closer to AGI, it's probably going to evolve again, and our deployment strategy will change as we get closer to it.

[ktempestbradford]

Content Moderation Isn't As Hard As They Say

Another issue from the Atlantic article on Substack that bears discussing is this bit:

Moderating online content is notoriously tricky. Amid the ongoing crisis in Israel and Gaza, Amnesty International recently condemned social-media companies’ failure to curb a burst of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic speech, at the same time that it criticized those companies for “over-broad censorship” of content from Palestinian and pro-Palestinian accounts—which has made sharing information and views from inside Gaza more difficult. When tech platforms are quick to banish posters, partisans of all stripes have an incentive to accuse their opponents of being extremists in an effort to silence them. But when platforms are too permissive, they risk being overrun by bigots, harassers, and other bad-faith actors who drive away other users, as evidenced by the rapid erosion of Twitter, now X, under Musk. In a post earlier this year, a Substack co-founder, Hamish McKenzie, implied that his company’s business model would largely obviate the need for content moderation. “We give communities on Substack the tools to establish their own norms and set their own terms of engagement rather than have all that handed down to them by a central authority,” he wrote. But even a platform that takes an expansive view of free speech will inevitably find itself making judgments about what to take down and what to keep up—as Substack’s own terms of service attest. ... Ultimately, the First Amendment gives publications and platforms in the United States the right to publish almost anything they want. But the same First Amendment also gives them the right to refuse to allow their platform to be used for anything they don’t want to publish or host.

I don't agree that moderating online content is "tricky" in the way that the article writer posits it. Even that first example is presented as if it's somehow talking out of both sides of one's mouth to condemn social media companies for allowing anti-Semitic and Islamophobic speech while suppressing pro-Palestinian posts and accounts. What?

And that bit about partisans using a network's propensity to use the banhammer as a tool to silence their opponents is indeed a thing, but is only effective if the network's banning "policies" (used very loosely here) are vague and mostly run by bots. It can even be a problem when humans get involved in the moderation if said humans don't truly understand what they're looking at or they have been trained improperly.

Back in 2017 ProPublica published a deep dive into what people who are tasked with reviewing flagged content are trained to see as appropriate or not. It wasn't a pretty picture.

There's also the part about language and cultural understanding. If a platform outsources their content moderation to a country where they can get that labor for "cheap", the individuals reviewing the content may not know English well enough to spot a problem or know the culture of the post origin well enough to understand dog whistles or even outright bigotry if it's not on the list given to them of what's not acceptable.

For issues at the scale of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other very large networks, the main solution is and has always been money. Money to pay people inside of a country or culture to review the materials. Money to train them properly. Money to support the mental health tolls this work takes on people. You know what companies hate to do? Spend money on stuff that isn't CEO pay.

But let's be real here: the ultimate problem in content moderation isn't that it's tricky, it's that corporate owned networks aren't willing to take an ethical stand on things like what constitutes racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other true bigotry. They're also not willing to take a stand against ideas like "reverse racism" or "reverse sexism" and similar. You won't see them saying: Those reverse isms aren't a real thing and we won't tolerate that crap around here.

You can't create a moderation policy that covers every tiny detail of what is and isn't okay and what words are and aren't okay and such granular stuff as that. You can have a code of ethics and a morality that prioritizes harm reduction, especially for marginalized groups. Not so ironically, I've seen these kinds of policies most when looking at various Mastodon instances suggested to me and others. Here's a good example.

Yes, I know that scale is a huge factor here and I don't discount it. Scale doesn't mean this kind of moderation is impossible, just more difficult or costly as things grow. Yet it's not difficult to take a stand and say: We don't want white supremacists or Nazis on our platform, period. As The Atlantic points out, platforms and social networks have a First Amendment right to do that.

The Substack CEOs? Aren't willing.

[sinister-faye]

Gamedev update

The good, the bad, and the revelation.

Hello my fellow artists, gamedevs, and other folk who stumbled upon this.

Tldr; I have to stop Armageddon ignition til I have more time and a team, but I have other things I want to release to help me get funds to help with both problems.

Here is the long version:

It's been a spell since the last update. The delays are complex and fairly personal. But the conclusions I've come to on the other side of my chaotic life are going to shape what this solo dev project will ultimately become.

The good

So for the longest time I kept hammering away at my game while having some blinders on. One core belief I held was that I was going to do this all solo. While writing and planning a game that I needed 12 voice actors for at a minimum. (The full weight of that dichotomy crashed over me later, don't worry.) Watching my first in game cutscenes and hearing either a soulless bot spit out the lines, or my own attempts at doing multiple voices, raised some flags in my mind. But I still pressed on. I just needed to work on the game every day.

I also wasn't seeing as much growth in followers with my various blogs or twitter. Sure I made posts. But they seem to blather about nothing and I never have anything other than a screenshots to hype my game.

Life then forced a large break on my time. A month and a half long break that was personal, and a little painful still. This forced break I took helped me see my process and allowed myself to do some introspection on my marketing, presentation, and my goals.

The good news is the game is still gonna happen, and I'm still going to develop it. But...

The bad

Because of this vague event in my life my time is now strained In a way that will prevent me from working on this game enough to make any meaningful progress. And this time constraint won't loosen for at least a year. I want to come back to it. And I have a plan to come back stronger.

During my month long interlude I had some time to think about each thing I could improve on.

1. Better content: guys I'm verbose. And I'm sorry I'm verbose. I really should have been a writer or a philosopher. The accounts I see with the most growth get that growth from .gifs. if I can't sell the idea in a gif I won't post it. Unless it's a bigger how to, or post mortem.

2. Solo development for a game is only good if the game I am making has 1 or less voice actors.

3. Art as a medium is under attack and we need to build groups to make it through. Solo dev only helps a solo person. Team efforts can help teams of people.

4. I talk a lot of talk. Boy do these words I say allude to a lot, without revealing a thing. Even this post assumes that there is a major audience clamoring to hear any small update. I need fans first.

Through all the navel gazing, the most important thing I Learned is that I need to start building a community, but the life event left me a little despondent . Most of my time was spent healing and getting back a good headspace. Now I'm refreshed and ready to use what little free time I have towards making a studio that is a group effort.

The revelation.

During my break I saw the writers strike, I saw the actors strike, I saw rights being pillaged from our livelihoods inch by inch. And I saw people win to get a fairer share. In order to complete Armageddon ignition I'm going to need money to properly pay some voice actors, I want to get more people involved. I finally started a game that I think will see the light of day. But I no longer want to be a hermit about it. And I want a team with more perspectives than my own to help me.

There are too many companies bleeding creative teams dry for "content", there are too many ceo's who look for tools or pipelines that completely remove humans to save a buck for the next quarterly earnings.

My goal has shifted from producing a game as a solo creative to building a company. A group of people who share in the earnings of their product, rather than some white dude who went to Yale and learned that slashing jobs makes the next quarterly earnings look a little better and gamed his own paycheck to give him more money than they ever "saved".

But I don't have the funds now, nor do I want borrowed equity for this thing. If I'm going to build up an organization that is more artistic focused, rather than profit focused. I can't do it on debt that can be leveraged to destroy a queer, story driven studio.

So in order to get a cash flow started I found something that I can do with my much leaner free time. This is going to be an animated project that can, on paper and not just in my head, be developed and maintained by a solo artist.

This time I'm going to release the videos and let the work speak for itself, rather than wax on before it's even done. Once I have some time back I'll try to make a post mortem.

So as far as timelines go. This is going to push back this game indefinitely. But I hope to utilize this time to actually build something that can benefit the game industry. And build a better game in general.

The next blog should be coming with enough detail to sell you on what I have cooking.

See you soon

[inspireofficespace1]

Using cloud ERP solutions, you may enable a remote workforce.

Introduction 

The ongoing pandemic has fundamentally altered the way we operate. Workers' preferences have altered, and many have indicated a preference for better work-life balance and flexibility, even if it means taking a pay cut or resigning. Approximately 70% of the US workforce has shifted to remote or hybrid work arrangements, and 84% have expressed a desire to continue working remotely post-pandemic. Hence, employers may need to modify their workplace policies to retain current employees and attract new ones.

While some companies have chosen to maintain a fully remote workforce, others have embraced a hybrid approach and some have returned to office-based work. Regardless of the approach taken by your organization, it's important to provide support and empowerment to employees, regardless of where they are working from. Industry experts concur that the trend towards remote and hybrid work arrangements is here to stay.

Owl Labs published a research report on the current status of the workforce.

The statistics from that report are listed below.

Working from home increases productivity, according to 83% of employees.

55% of people claim that they put in more hours at home than at the office.

After the epidemic, 76% of respondents believed that working from home would make them happy.

Following the pandemic, 70% choose a hybrid or remote option.

After the pandemic, 39% of companies mandate full-time attendance from their staff, but only 29% of those employees wish to do so.

In a PwC poll of almost 700 CEOs, 78% of respondents agreed that remote cooperation is here to stay. It will be around for a while. That is not to argue that issues do not arise for the employer when employees work remotely. Many businesses lack the appropriate software systems to support a remote or hybrid paradigm in addition to security issues. You cannot accommodate a remote or hybrid workforce if your company relies on an outdated, on-premise ERP solution.Your business model likely needs to undergo some changes, even if your day-to-day tasks haven't changed all that much. You'll need the appropriate tools if your business is one of the many that allow employees to work from home. Your team may access corporate data using any web-enabled device and any browser with cloud-enabled enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions. Because of this accessibility, working effectively outside of the office is now simpler than ever.

Consider this if you're hesitant about switching: Migrating your ERP to a cloud deployment model provides business continuity, even in times of emergency. Cloud-based ERP ensures fast access to information around-the-clock and has improved security measures that legacy systems are unable to provide.

You may have just concluded that moving to the cloud would be ideal for you and your company if you're currently using manual processes or an on-premise solution to conduct your operations. Still unsure? The epidemic has taught us that businesses must be flexible to survive.

Your business needs to adapt and find new ways to succeed because we are still dealing with labor shortages and unheard-of supply-chain issues. A flexible, effective, and collaborative work plan is the way to go; embrace a remote workforce and succeed in the face of uncertainty.

Providing Remote Workspace for Your Team:

Your team can work effectively and remotely with a cloud-based ERP. No matter where they are or what kind of device they are using, employees can access all the data and information they need to complete their tasks if there is an internet connection. Collaboration and open communication are opportunities provided by cloud ERP, even from a distance.

Data that is stored on the cloud may be accessed from any location, which is essential if your company has many locations and a large number of remote workers. Although it wasn't necessary, maintaining business continuity during the pandemic proved difficult.

You'll shift to real-time data visibility and increased collaboration when you move your business processes to cloud ERP, which results in better, data-driven decisions. Additionally, users' productivity and efficiency will increase with SaaS tools like cloud ERP that provide access from anywhere, at any time.

In a non-SaaS setting, you are required to have both an internet connection and a secure connection, which often restricts the devices that employees can use. Moreover, your own IT team is in charge of compliance and security with on-premise systems. The hardware and operating systems need to be updated, secured, and maintained. That might not be achievable as your team moves to remote or hybrid work.

Safeguarding and Backing Up Your Data:

You need assurance that the information about your business is secure during uncertain times. You may get that confidence using a cloud ERP. When your ERP is handled in the cloud, your provider has teams particularly committed to monitoring, safeguarding, and backing up your data.

When a piece of hardware malfunctions, such as a drive on an on-premises server, businesses must wait until IT can install a replacement and get it up and running. You lose money every second it is down. Downtime is costly: Depending on the industry and the amount of business, the estimates can range from $300 per hour to over $1,000,000 per hour.

SaaS, on the other hand, minimizes required downtime by replicating your data across server stacks, between regions, and/or across several locations.

With SaaS, you can get going more quickly. Your provider is also responsible for safeguarding your data, making sure it is backed up, recoverable, and secure. Once your data is in the cloud, it is protected from any threats by stringent security procedures. It's comforting to know that your data is secure and is being properly managed by devoted professionals as your remote workforce continues.

Reliable data access and security should be the least of your concerns as the modern workforce develops. And it is with a cloud-based ERP.

Conclusion:

Change is the one constant in the dynamic corporate environment of today. The discussion about how your organization can adapt to the changing nature of the workforce today and what we have outlined here is just the beginning. It's challenging to plan and prepare, but a cloud-based ERP can support your current business operations and keep you adaptable in the future.

[8one6]

I mentioned it before but whenever I start gearing up to run a TTRPG for my friends I put together a campaign prospectus. It's a page or so with three to five different campaign ideas that I both think would be fun to play and that I'd be willing to run.

In the past it led to some fun campaigns like the post-post (technically post-post-post) apocalyptic Fantasy Craft game where they had to find the keys to the engine keeping the world running, or the GURPS campaign that was pitched as "Non-military Stargate".

This time I've got five pitches:

Trinity's Gate - 80s cyberpunk/fantasy

The nuclear tests of the 1940s & 50s opened gates to realms beyond Earth. Wonders beyond imagination brought rapid advances in science and technology, allowed the wealthy to prosper, and caused the world to fall into corporate dystopia fueled by suffering and sorcery.

Arcanotronic cyberware, megacorps run by billionaire elves, shadows to run, and scores to settle.

This one is a little light on the description because it's going to be pretty obvious that it's store brand Shadowrun. Most of the players enjoy the various flavors of cyberpunk and I think adding portals to fantasy worlds offers a lot of hooks for the players and for running it. Also making the tech explicitly magic powered means I can go as chrome and neon mirrorshades as I want.

Blood Red Planet - 90s action/horror

The Face of Cydonia was real. Beneath the 10 million year old ruins of the Red Planet the first explorers found strange artifacts that kicked off a 21st century gold rush. You live and work in Muskberg, one of the half dozen cities on Mars, living the normal lives of service workers, corporate drones, or security guards when one day all hell literally breaks loose. Now monsters tear through the aging habitats and leaky domes, strange energies mutate your fellow citizens, and the only way off the planet is through the heart of the ruins. You'll need your wits, some luck, and the biggest fucking gun you can carry to escape from a planet stained blood red.

This is "What if Doom and Total Recall had a baby?" and I'm not even going to pretend it's not. It would likely be a shorter campaign mostly due to there being a pretty firm end goal of either stopping the invasion of Mars or getting off the planet.

Aaron's Troubleshooters - space adventure

Freelance problem-solving you can trust! Courier service, private investigation, security consulting, defense contracting, emergency extractions, resource scouting, and birthday parties. No job is too big. Founded by the child of the former owner/CEO of Aaron-Starjet Astroneering (And Aaron's Errands package delivery), the Troubleshooters have fallen on hard times. You are the crew of the company's last starship, the cryptid-class Chupacabra. Your mission is to take any job worth more than the fuel cost to get there, pay off your debts, save the company, and maybe solve a galactic crisis or two while doing it.

This one is a bit of the opposite. It's an open ended sandbox. The players get a ship and a goal to wipe out their mountain of debt. Also the name is 100% because Aaron sounds like errand and I thought the pun works.

Spears & Spirits - Animal empowered cavemen vs demons of shadow and bronze

You know the rituals to absorb a creature's spirit and take its power and strength for your own. You know how to make stone and claws, wood and bone, fangs and flesh, into tools and weapons for yourself, your band of warriors, and your tribe. You know how to tame flame and turn back the darkest night.

Something evil now encroaches upon the lands of three rivers. Creeping from the depths of dark fire mountain a new threat has arisen, monsters armed with strange, gleaming weapons and commanding the forbidden dark flame.

Think fantasy Far Cry: Primal. The players gain the powers of creatures they hunt (like wolves, cave bears, dragons, etc) and use them to fight the armies of invading demons. I was looking for an idea that wasn't just standard fantasy and I had the idea that stone age vs bronze age (but with magic) would be neat.

Hench-Monsters in the Dimension of Dungeons - Monster dungeoneering

Hench-Monsters: name for the many creatures spawned in endless hordes by the Mother Dungeon, a near limitless expanse of always, mazes, chambers, corridors, caves, and caverns.

Known to the outsiders as the Dimension of Dungeons, the outsiders come seeking treasures, power, and the glory of defeating the Dread-Boss at the heart of every subdomain.

You were a Hench-Monster until something awoke within you. Perhaps by random chance or a gift imbued by the Mother Dungeon herself, it is a spark of greatness, a spark of awareness, and unfortunately for you, a spark that has severed you from the Grand Cycle of battle and rebirth. Without that you are as much an outsider to the other dungeon denizens as any Elf or Human.

By scavenged sword, by tooth and claw, by wits and cunning you fight and survive. Will you carve your own kingdom from the dungeon walls, will you seek the outsider gates and the realms beyond, or will you brave the perils to seek the secrets of Mother Dungeon herself?

Simple idea: what if you played the monsters in the dungeon? The setting is basically the dungeon from Danmachi and the players would use the species creation rules from the Genesys RPGs Keyforge book to build their characters.

~-~-~

All of these are pitches for a Genesys RPG game because right now it's my favorite generic/universal system (no one wants to play anything goes GURPS for some reason). We've got access to all of the published materials and it's got some decent support on Drivethrurpg.

Once we can get together to discuss what sounds good for the group I'll know which pitch they like and can begin camping prep.

[skies-diary]

You are not the problem for driving a car instead of biking to work. You are not the problem for buying food wrapped in plastic. You are not the problem for leaving the light on overnight.

You are not the cause of the problems the world faces today. Late stage capitalism is.

Yes, driving a car causes air pollution. Yes, plastic is a cancer upon this land. Yes, using electricity burns coal.

Chances are, however, that you don't have any other choice - particularly if you live in America. I've never worked a job that was a comfortable walking distance away, because in America, walking cities aren't really a thing. Public transportation used to be common, but that's changed (because of multiple factors).

Food wrapped in plastic is, more often than not, the only option people have to be able to eat (particularly in food deserts, where the food is far more processed and, therefore, nearly always wrapped in layers of plastic, as opposed to produce and other less processed foods).

Civilian use only accounts for about 1/3 of electricity use; the rest is used by the "industrial and commerical" sectors. Yes, civilian use adds up, but it's nothing compared to manufacturing plants sucking down energy day after day. Using solar power is pushed hard for civilians, but the truth is many people do not have access to solar power; many people live in apartments where they cannot install solar panels, and other live in areas where the HOA forbids solar panels. If you dont live in the customer range of a company that produces green energy, you're out of luck as well.

The truth is individuals are not causing the climate crisis. Wanna know who is?

Here's a good starting point:

Emissions:

Plastic waste creation:

While this is by no means comprehensive, it's a launching point.

Through a mix of disinformation campaigns and lobbying for favorable laws, the corporations of America have convinced the public of America that the climate crisis is whatever the CEOs want it to be. First the narrative was that it wasn't real. But we can see the world burn, we see the fires in Californa and Australia. We see the disturbances in weather, causing natural disasters in rapid succession. We see the start of a mass extinction due to the planet beginning to fail. The lie that climate change is a hoax no longer holds water with the majority of the population.

So, new strategy. The corporate machine develops a new theroy, one still in use today: climate change is real, and it's your fault. You, as a consumer, have been reckless and greedy. Only you have to power to stop the oncoming climate crisis.

This is, of course, entirely false, but it allows corporations to continue, unpunished and unaccoutable, while consumers are saddled with the blame. The truth is, however, we cannot fix this from the civilian side. You can take all the five minute showers you want; that wont save the fish while factories are dumping toxic waste into oceans, while energy companies run pipelines under lakes and rivers which explode and poison the waters and all that live in or drink from them. You can trade in your car for a bike; Amazon and Walmart still runs delivery trucks across the nation day and night. You can bring your own bags to the grocery store and go without plastic straws; marine animals are more likely to be trapped in and drown by fishing nets.

So what does this mean? Give up?

No, of course not. What it means is to be critical of what you're being told about climate change. Recycling, cutting down on plastic use, going vegan, driving a hybrid; all of these are incredible places to start.

But - and I hate to say this - it's not enough. We cannot solve this by ourselves. The charts of corporate giants above; they're the ones that have to change.

So, we press them.

Call the customer complaint lines of companies like Nestle, Coca cola and Pepsi, as well as oil giants, and, keeping in mind that the person on the other end is also a working class person who has not caused any of this, tell them that you're boycotting their company because of their disregard for climate change. Encourage them to do R & D into things like biodegradable plastics if they want your business back. (I know some people cannot boycott these companies; that's okay. If you can, boycott. If you cannot, still call. You just need make them believe you're boycotting. Make them nervous. Make them change their behavior.)

Advocate for green energy; call your electric company and ask what they're doing in terms of green energy. Write or call your representatives and demand that green energy in your state be expanded via government backing like subsidies. Also tell your representatives to back the Green New Deal. Threaten to cast your vote elsewhere if they refuse.

Educate yourself on the facts about climate change and green energy so that when the media giants, megaphones for big oil politicians, and corporations try to tell you lies, you know they're full of shit. Also educate yourself on the views of your local and state representatives. If they're not governing in a way that is in your best interest, throw them out next election cycle. Unfortunately, we cant solve this without major policy and legal changes; your elected representatives are the ones who control those.

It can be hard to fight when you feel overwhelmed by all this. I understand. This is overwhelming to me every day. However, you need to remember: you are not powerless. The phone you're holding right now is a tool. Use it to write to and call the people who need an attitude adjustment. Use it to research. Use it to make a change.

Other great ideas for those who have the means to do so: Take public transport instead if driving. Grow a garden in your backyard; not only for yourself, also for your neighbors. Buy food at farmer's markets or other locally-sourced food (local is best as transporting food is a major polluter). Shop at thrift stores and buy secondhand.

Not everyone can do this. That's okay. You still have a voice. Use it.

Together, we are strong. Remind the bad guys of that.

[toastedwrittenthoughts]

Sitting in my chair I finish up the last of my notes from today and sign out. Rolling my neck, I get up from my desk when my phone rings. The groan that left my lips was a nervous one as I saw the number that show up on that little screen was Gordon Littz, the CEO of the company. If he was calling me, it was intentional because he knew I was still here in the building. Taking a breath, swallowing tightly, I picked up the phone.

"Good evening, This is Elodie Buchanan, I.T, How are you, Mr. Littz?" I answer and internally beg for this to be a quick phone call.

"Evening Miss Buchanan. I am well. I apologize for the late call but I was wondering if you could come to my office for a few minutes of your time."

So much for my hope of just a quick phone call. Glancing at the clock again I manage to keep my exhaustion held in check. "Is there a problem, sir?" I ask as I faintly hear the sounds of some papers shuffling vaguely on the other end.

"Not exactly. I have a few notes here I would like to discuss as well as some concerns regarding employee codes and thought it best to discuss it in person."

O..kay? I nodded and reached over for my bag.

"Of course sir. I just have to gather my things and then I'll head right on up. Do you need me to bring anything? My tools, my handheld?" I ask as change my shoes from my work to my runners.

"Thank you for the thought, but no. I have everything I need here."

"Alright. I'll be up promptly, sir."

"Very well. See you in a few minutes."

"Yes sir." Hanging up the phone I finish gathering my things. Tossing my windbreaker over my arm I slide my work shoes under my desk and lock up my access USB in my drawers and lock it with my keys before putting them into my bag. Instead of heading to the stairs like I would to go home, I head back to the elevator and call for it. A few of my colleges are walking from the breakroom to their desk and say a quiet goodnight as I walk into the small box once again. As it rises, I look to my phone and blow out a breath at the time. I hadn't eaten anything since I had taken my lunch break, and yet, I wasn't feeling hungry. Just exhausted. I close my eyes, just to rest them for a minute and let the lull of the elevator rising in floors bring me a small moment of peace before the doors open again.

This floor is completely empty and dimly lit, save the one office with frosted glass windows at the end that was illuminated from the inside. Not even Littz's secretary was around. He must have let him go home early. The quiet is back, but this time, something has nerves skittering up my arms. I get about a few feet from the door when my hand is raised to knock when I hear voices on the other side.

"-the time draws near. We are close to perfection, but there is zero margin for error." The voice faded away for a second before coming in clearer a second later. "-boros is on the eve of its appearance."

Zero margin for error? Appearance? What...? Schooling my face and swallowing tightly, I raise my hand and knock a few times. A curt 'yes?' has me opening the door and peering in. The first thing I see is Littz at his desk, his oval face with a rounded jaw that moves side to side a little in thought, hooked nose, and large lips that are pressed tightly together. His dark brown eyes are hooded from his thick eyebrows. He has very short, fine, dark hair that is thinning, and has a pencil moustache that reminded me of French waiters in stuck up restaurants. No suit jacket though, just his dress shirt and his tie loosened.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" I push my glasses up as he motions me in.

"Yes, please come in. Close the door behind you." I step gingerly in and turn to close the door when I see another man in the room, his back resting against the corner wall.

"Punctual." He turned his head to Littz who glanced to him. "I like that."

"Thank you?" It was all I could manage as I took another step deeper into his office.

"Forgive me, Elodie Buchanan, this," Littz gestured to the tall man who stood in the corner who I now took a good look at. He had pale white skin and blond hair that was slicked back, he wore a long black coat that reached his ankles. Black boots, black pants, black gloves and a posture that gave me a sense of unease in my stomach that left me swallowing tightly, "is a big partner in our merger from 2 years ago." I didn't miss the slight stress on a few words from Littz as I looked back to the blond-haired man. "Albert Wesker."

He finishes and I feel my blood cool as my eyes went from my boss to now, the man who, from what I have only read mere whispers about, was stirring things he shouldn't in the bio-weapon black markets.

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13902480/1/Bindings-To-The-Past

[dragonsinkwell]

Snippet #73

I'd say as a blog who's tagline is an actual Baskin Robbins joke I'd say this was the monthly flavor if it wasn't Mermay and I wasn't brewing up some lovely things for that in the background. But still, have a starter for a funny Angel!AU where it's the thief's turn to try and keep someone, namely you, on the straight and narrow.

“You are fully aware I cannot help you, yes?”

The warm voice from behind you, providing a statement you’ve heard numerous times during your adventures with your guardian, only gets a small chuckle from you as you finish touching up your makeup. Tonight there’s a huge soiree at some CEO’s place, you forget who exactly because you don’t care, and you’ve managed to ‘acquire’ a pair of invitations to gain access. She’s not celebrity level famous, but definitely rich and word around the block says she’s real fond of nice jewelry, which just so happens to be your favorite target.

“Oh come now, aren’t we only going to a party tonight?” you reply with a soft laugh, stepping away from the vanity and turning to face your partner with a bright grin. As usual, you give him a once over and let out a pleased hum. Arsène is always pleasant to look at, a fact you admit with glee, but here in a suit and tie he’s even more handsome. “Besides, we both know I’m super talented and if there was anything happening, I’d be able to handle it alone, right?”

You finish it off with a wink, and earn yourself a lovely laugh. Oh, what you would not give to get a chance to steal a kiss from him every time you see Arsène like this, beaming at you like the spring sun and eyes glittering with joy. Perhaps you should try seeing if angels can make plea deals; if his job is to convince you to stop your thieving ways, a compromise can surely be made.

Arsène adjusts one of his gloves, more habit than anything, before extending it out to you now that you’re finished getting ready. You run down a quick internal checklist, you’ve got yourself loaded up with quite a few tools, all hidden completely under your dress, and while you can’t get away with a large purse, you’ve definitely got enough room for plenty of spoils. Assured you’re prepared for the party, you shoot him a grin of your own and place your hand in his.

“Only attending a party, hm?” Arsène asks, and there is no doubt in that smile of his that he knows you’re lying the same way he knows your hair color. Still, you grin back and nod, causing him to offer you his arm. “Well then, I have nothing to worry about at all, now do I? I can enjoy a night out with you and not have to keep an eye out for any trickery."

He knows. Arsène knows exactly what is going on and it only draws another round of giggles from you. Perhaps a strange reaction knowing you're being escorted by a heavenly chaperone, literally being watched to actively discourage your illegal hobby, but that fact only makes you want to try your hardest to see what tricks Arsène will come up with to keep you too busy to indulge yourself in some thievery. "Of course," you chime with absolute cheer, linking your arm with his. "Would I ever lie?"

[bluboothalassophile]

Wow, the new story with Jason is incredible! I liked it so much. Can you make a one-shot about Athanasia and Damian? Please! Cause they are siblings, but they grew apart and he didn't know about her. There was a moment in injustice comic when she tried to tell him about herself, mentionined the Lazarus pit. He wasn't listening, and she seemed to be hurt. What if she told him a little more and he rejected her because he didn't want a sister? This story must be touching and heartbreaking!

Hello,

I’m not sure I could give you what you wanted exactly, but trust me there is a whole HfaB story coming dedicated to the Jason, Maya, Athanasia and Damian drama of the League of Assassins. Trust me it’s coming, it’s just going to take a wee bit while I write Run Away Bride.

Here’s another snippet from Damned Prince of Gotham...

Unknown Ghosts...

They were standing there in the freezing cold, and she stared at the two boys. That’s what they were, the younger was about ten years younger than she. She recognized him, of course. It was impossible not to, especially with that glare and sneer in place. The smaller one, was very slight of build, his black hair was hanging wildly down, and his sleep deprivation made his glare almost comical.

“Where’s our brothers you harlot!” the young prince demanded, which had her turning to look at her little brother.

“I did not take our brothers!” she hissed fiercely to him. The young prince glared at her, and she snarled as she struggled against her restraints.

“Out brothers?” the smaller and elder asked.

“Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne, third son of the Bat, our father, third Robin, current Red Robin, CEO of Wayne Enterprises, best detective. Damian Wayne, also known as Ibn al Xu’ffasch al Ghul, son first biological son of the Bat and our mother, Talia al Ghul, first grandson of Ra’s al Ghul. Terrance McGinnis, affectionately called Terry, second biological son of the Bat, created through Cadmus and A.R.G.U.S. experimentation. I know who you are, and I know who has our brothers!” she snapped as she finally escaped her bindings.

“Who are you?” Tim asked her.

“You will know me as TH3 GH0ST.”

“You say our brothers? Are you…?” Tim started.

“I am the first biological daughter of the Bat and Talia al Ghul,” she answered.

“Impossible,” Damian whispered, his eyes were wide and studying her in shock and disbelief.

“I am Athanasia al Ghul, and we must hurry,” she said. “Jason is in trouble.”

“He wouldn’t be if you had left him alone!” Damian shrieked.

“You think I willingly dragged our brother into this!?” she demanded. “I needed help, and he is the only one alive who has bested Ra’s al Ghul on skill alone! I needed his aid!”

“And now Terry’s been snatched!” Tim snapped.

“I am surprised an enemy could get so close as to claim leverage with the children!” she spat out.

“Cat and B are in the JL ICU whoever the hell that was, it was inhuman!” Tim snapped.

“That was Grant Wilson, son of Slade Wilson, also known as Deathstroke. He is after Jason, he has been since they were fifteen!” she snapped out the information as she snatched up the blades her brothers had taken from her. “And he is employed currently by Dusan al Ghul of Leviathan!”

“Why would Grant be after Jason?” Tim asked.

“Because Grant was Ra’s best pupil and Jason always humiliated him in training!” she hissed.

“The American was grandfather’s best pupil,” Damian stated. “Jason is the American.”

“Jason is an American, but he was not the American. Jason, like I was a slave for the League, we were never members,” she stated as she found a console and started looking for where Grant could’ve lured Jason. Grant having Terry as bait would guarantee Jason would hunt him down, and no doubt Grant would try to gravely injure or maim Jason before they had their duel. She paused the feed when she spotted blood in a corridor.

“Grandfather would never enslave his granddaughter.”

“He could not enslave Maya, but he stole me from mother’s womb, put me in a tube and when I was a girl, he disowned me,” Athanasia explained. “And if you think our grandfather couldn’t do something so malicious know that he made mother and the Bat think they had had a miscarriage and drove them apart. And if you still think grandfather couldn’t do something so malicious then I will inform you of the circumstances of your conception. Now we can either dwell on my identity or we can go save Jason before Grant kills him!” she snapped.

“Why is Grant after Jason, specifically?” Tim asked cutting off whatever Damian was about to say.

“Because Jason is the sole perfect resurrection of the Lazarus Pit. Grant is a metahuman with full access to his brain, like his father, by all accounts he should be superior, and yet…”

“Jason beats him,” Tim deduced.

“Now lets go,” she said swiftly stalking past them, she snatched up her gun as she started moving through the keep. Grandfather had done his damnedest to break Jason, and used Grant as a tool to do it, Jason had never broken, and she knew Grant would do anything to break Jason. She had been Grant’s slave for years, she knew exactly what he wanted.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Jason walked out into the cold ring where he had spent many days training before he had been sent to the All-Caste, and all of Talia’s private tutors.

Grant glared maliciously at him, and Terry whimpered in his grasp. The five year old was trying to be brave, Jason could see the struggle for that, and he felt Ace’s hostility towards Grant rising behind him.

“Heyya Duckling, doing okay?” he asked; keeping his voice carefully carefree. He smiled at Terry and Terry smiled back, rather tightly.

“Finally you’re here, I thought I’d…” Grant started.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Jason snarled feeling the Pit surface. “I was talking to my little brother!”

“I want to go home Jay,” Terry said.

“And I’m going to get you home buddy, just close your eyes and it’ll all be over like a bad dream,” Jason promised as he watched Terry closed his eyes. “Let the kid go now, Grant or I’ll tear you apart, limb by fucking limb.”

Grant smiled as he threw Terry aside, he saw his brother’s blood, and Ace streaked for Terry, Grant went to cleave his dog which had Jason slamming into the larger man with all his force. Grant threw him away, Jason rolled to his feet feeling all the aches and pains from previous fights today to get here, but it didn’t stop him as he smiled, tasting blood on his lips. His opponent held his sword with ease, and for the first time since Raven’s death, Jason felt the All-Blades tingling in his blood as he rushed Grant for another attack.