#okay that became a rant

[multifandom-nerds-blog]

I'm rewatching Trollhunters in the background right now, and the disfunctional mother son relationship between Jim and his mom is making me crazy.

Like, he's taking care of the household and his mother for years as a teenager and before probably. She is sometimes giving half hearted comments about him not having to do so much, but very obviously she's not gonna make him stop do all the cooking and cleaning. Y'know. Both because they've been living like this for years, and because it's obviously also very comfortable to have someone do all the house work.

Then Strickler comes into the picture, and if we ignore the whole Troll and changeling side of the story, Barabara gets very offended cause Jim doesn't want her to meet him privately. Again, ignoring the whole magic and trolls stuff, STRICKLER IS JIMS TEACHER. If Jim hadn't figured out that Strickler was a changeling he probably wouldn't have a problem with it, but the fact that he does, no matter the reason, should be enough for Barbara to put a stop to the relationship. Her child is clearly uncomfortable with her seeing/dating that guy, for whatever reason, and even clearly vocalized it. But she doesn't care about, or rather, she tells Jim that she "wouldn't expect something like that" from him. Obviously not, cause she may see him like her child/teenager he is, BUT DOESN'T TREAT HIM LIKE ONE.

And then Jim, unknowingly to Barbara, becomes the Trollhunter, and his behavior changes. He's suddenly doing reckless stuff, sneaking out, getting bruises, landing in detention and even at the police station, barely avoiding a police report. What does she do? Asking him what's going on? If everything's alright at school? If he has any other problems? Maybe trying to lower his workload around the house, which again, he's doing most of that as a teenager and longer probably.

Nah. She doesn't do anything until he lands in the hospital. Except for again, dismissing him rather negatively at the one topic he's openly expressing any negative opinions about (Strickler). And after he lands in the hospital she now starts not asking questions, but demanding answers. Demanding answers from a teenager in a difficult situation who is also now acting much more like a teenager than he ever did before, from her point of view at least. Except she obviously doesn't know how to deal with a teenager, cause she has never had to raise or live with a teenager. She instead lived with a child pretending to be an adult for years, that was partly much more of an adult than she was, who did way to much work even before Jim became the Trollhunter. So she throws punishments at him and grounds him, but does he listen?

No. Cause why should he? Not only is he dealing with things much more important than being grounded, yknow, saving the world, he's trying to protect her from the sheer knowledge of the supernatural and physically protecting her from getting harmed. And again, for the majority of the time since his dad left he pretended to be an adult. He was and is the main adult in the household, dealing with important things she doesn't even know about.

The only one's treating Jim like a teenager are teachers, other children and Blinky and Aaargh sort of when they're not in the middle of Troll business. Strickler, in the first episodes where Jim doesn't know about his true identity, is much more of a parental figure to Jim (also after his redemption later on tbh) than his mother.

In summary: Barbara is treating her son like an adult, almost like a partner, instead of a child/teenager. And when that isn't possible anymore she doesn't know how to properly treat him. She also doesn't really care that her son is uncomfortable with her being around Strickler, or Strickler in general. And it takes Blinky telling her (when Jim is 16) that Jim might be affected by his father leaving when he was five years old.

Jim meanwhile is treating his mother more like a child/teenager instead of the adult and MOTHER that she is. Seeing her as his responsibility. Cooking for her. Cleaning for her. Telling her to rest and take breaks.

They obviously love each other other. And their relationship might not be toxic, but it's very much disfunctional. In a way that is mostly negative for Jim.

[mrcowboydeanwinchester]

we talk a lot about how in s15 the characters becoming aware of chuck's writing of them impacts their views of love (destiel's "you asked what about all this is real, we are" and saileen's "i don't know what's real anymore; i know that was real") but we don't talk enough about how this affects the women specifically. maybe because there aren't really any women left at this point. but there is eileen and chuck toys with her SPECIFICALLY saying he built her to be sam's love interest. donna appears in 15x18 entirely to supply sam with help on "whatever he needs" and jody appears similarly. and imagine if mary winchester had lived long enough to realise that everything she had ever done was scripted purely to drive the motivations of sam and dean. because that's all the women ever are in this show and can you imagine the absolutely loss of selfhood that comes with that??? who are you outside of your usefulness to the main man. what can you do other than die for the cause. it's such an insanely damaging message for the women of spn specifically and can you imagine them sitting together going fuck!! who Are we we are literally women being written by some dude!!! have any conversations we have ever had together pass the bechtel test?? is that a fair way to measure ourselves??? and so then. then what is the way for them to heal from that? it's all the women sitting together and talking about themselves and solely themselves and their own dreams and desires and motivations and in that moment chuck literally can't see them because they're not doing anything Important Related To The Winchesters so they are FREE for one conversation. they break free of the narrative they are entirely beautifully themselves it is act 4 scene 3 of othello where in the privacy of the desdemona's bedchambers with no men present desdemona and emilia reveal themselves to be far more intelligent and thoughtful and powerful than the simple wives the men reduce them to. it is their relationship which single handedly defeats iago's tragic ploy - because be doesn't see it coming!!! he doesn't see women's love as enough to bring down his plan!!!!! and so when eileen and donna and jody and yes mary storm chuck and take their narrative all back on their own terms because he never for an instant saw them coming. IT IS EVERYTHING

[aria0fgold]

My headcanons for the named trio in The Cursing of Chateau Castle series:

Josephandre is a big bear. It just fits for him I think! He gets he/him pronouns, and as a way to make him a liiiil more relatable for Mira, he'd have two craft types (Rock type being his main one and paper craft for the other). Battle style wise, I think it fits him to be more of a self-sustaining tank. He buffs defense, heals, and puts up shields. For his weapon, he'd use his fists like Isabeau. He'll be the second fastest in the trio.

Lady Irene-Janine-Kanine looks like an elegant noblewoman on the outside but she has vibes similar to Euphrasie! She gets she/her pronouns. Her craft type is Paper. Battle style wise, she's more on the offensive side, a main dps kind of thing. Most of her skills focus on buffing attack and speed, she'd have an item that helps regen her hp a lil bit and her chosen weapon is an umbrella. The tip is a sharp blade so it's used like a spear that has a hidden sword in its handle. Open it, and it becomes a shield! That'd be one of her skills too, although it's only applicable to her. She's the fastest one of the trio.

Pierre-Jacques-Erneste looks like a nobleman and carries himself as such! He gets he/they pronouns. Their craft type is Scissors. Battle style wise, he's more of a debuffer, skills focusing on weakening the enemies, slowing them down, poisoning them. Their weapon is a sword dagger, though he doesn't seem to be able to handle it well, how clumsy! But he Is a nobleman so it makes sense! Oh but... why doesn't he have a title? They're the slowest one of the trio, how strange, he seemed to be faster than Lady Irene-Janine-Karine that one time though.

[hello-that-happened]

Psst, dunno if you already knew, but askgiegueandcrew is posting again. They're also making a fan fiction reboot of the story. Thought you might be interested. (I do enjoy seeing you go crazy in the tags)

*deep breath*

WHAT

WHYYYYY DIDN'T TUMBLR NOTIFY ME THAT @askgiegueandcrew IS POSTING AGAIN

also yes I'm totally going to check out the fanfic

[triglycercule]

murder time trio come back from killing some guy (me) and dust just pulls out a rainbow cleaning duster and starts dusting himself off. horror questions him. he says it's self care

[gothsuguru]

Top 5 of your favorite jjk characters!!!

AHHHHHHHHH THANK YOU FOR ASKING I LOOOOOOOOOVE THIS QUESTION HEHE :3

1) toji: my FAVORITE character of ALL TIME and yes i do mean ALL TIME from ANY series… and i’ll tell you why… i have been BEGGING on my hands and knees for a MEAN HOT DILF ASSASSIN IN MEDIA FOR SO FUCKING LONG… and there like a beacon of light in the shadows was toji fushiguro… mean. hot. sexy. looks like he could and would step on me and kick my ass. also very sexy. just everything i wanted all rolled into one <3 and i also legitimately love love LOVE his character arc & backstory so much! heavenly restriction was PERFECT for him and i love that he genuinely fucked shit up + distorted fate… he came out the gate SWINGING!!!!!! also just the fact that he also Genuinely loved his wife and was truly a better man for her & himself and then she died… oh that’s just heartbreaking. him naming megumi “blessings” because names have meaning and megumi was truly his blessing… man i love toji so much. so so SO much. he’s sooooo multi-faceted and i love that no matter what at the end of the day, BOTH TIMES, his last memories were of his son and wanting to protect him. god i love toji <3 also elite character design i Love his scar & his massive tits and also. his spiky hair. Delicious

2) satoru: another elite character and design listen i looooove white-haired characters so much! they’re only second to black-haired characters <3 i also. genuinely. just love how much he loves his kids…….. him doing everything to protect the youth & always wanting them to nurture themselves/their friendships is so fucking sweet??? also i feel like some people just don’t understand that satoru is ACTUALLY, in my opinion, quite emotionally mature & also VERY responsible! he has so much on his plate/the world is on his shoulders and he carries that weight alone & willingly… i think it’s also another reason of why he wants his kids to get stronger… he knows curses won’t ever leave the world and he KNOWS he’s not infallible no matter how much he says he’s the strongest… i just think he wants the new generation to be better than him in every which way! also satoru had to do the work of essentially 3/4 special grades all by himself… yuki left, suguru went awol, yuuta only became an official sg in when he came to school and then he left during his 2nd yr… like i really genuinely truly honestly admire satoru SO much it makes me so upset when people don’t recognize that maturity and silliness can coexist! also him putting up infinity so no one can ever physically hurt him again… like i think people also forget that satoru… DIED. he DIED. when he was 16… and then he came back to life… like he’s such a traumatized character ALSO it’s another pet peeve of mine when people always attribute all of satoru’s best qualities to suguru like… i think people forget that satoru is also SUCH a good person in that he always calmed down suguru’s overthinking mind/would take the blame upon his OWN self… he’s self-sacrificial when necessary while also simultaneously easing the worries of his younger students… he’s my beloved. he’s in my lap as we speak i’m feeding him chocolate covered strawberries bc he deserves it. my baby boy my big baby

3) sukuna: BAD BITCH! I LOVE MEAN BAD BITCHES! I LOVE VILLAINS SOOOOOO MUCH I LOVE THOSE WHO ARE UNFORGIVING! WHO ARE EVIL JUST TO BE EVIL! NO RHYME OR REASON! also. listen. i fucking loooooooooove the idea of him doing this based on his whim… i just adore that when characters do it! if he’s hungry he eats, if he’s feeling murderous he kills, if he’s curious he keeps the person alive for the time being… he’s just so fascinating to me! i also just completely took sukuna and make him into bestie!sukie so i think i love him even more bc of that 😭 he’s just so fun and cool and fucked up to me! he’s everything <333

4) yuji/maki/yuuta: MY BABIES!!!!! MY BESTIES!!!!! MY REASONS TO BE 🥹🥹🥹 yuji is my son my baby child my sunshine boy and also. my badass kid <3 he’s so fucking cool i love him as a mc so much! so much abt him we don’t know esp when it comes to his backstory but you just can’t help but root for him! he’s such a genuinely good kid you always wanna see him win — and seeing him angry? pissed off? another fav of mine <3 the mahito vs yuji fight when yuji tells mahito he’ll kill him no matter the form? poetic cinema. also don’t get me started on geto & toji meeting yuji it’s in my brain all the time 😭 and MAKI IS MY DAUGHTER!!!!! literally like my fav female character of all time she’s so cool and badass and is so powerful! her reaching demon toji level and surpassing him??? DELICIOUS. also scarred maki is my fav character design ok the short hair + scars + yuki fit??? iconic. AND YUUTA <333 my bestie <333 he’s so fun to me i love that he’s babie but also an unforgiving badass! the dichotomy is everything to me! him having a creepier aura than satoru but just as strong… one of my fav panels of all time and i’m so serious. just unmatched

5) suguru: hate this bitch in canon but love this bitch in kanon (kairo canon) <333 he’s a very. interesting character. i disagree w his entire logic and i personally find it foolish (maybe bc i’m a toji & maki truther and love heavenly restriction above all else) but suguru truly is soooo fascinating. even as a high schooler pre-defection he considered non-sorcerers weak and something that sorcerers had to “protect” i think that suguru is very very VERY paternal and i think that influences a lot of his decisions… he’s a literal PATRIARCH in his cult family + he’s technically nanamimi’s dad + he wants to usher in a new age simply to protect those he loves but what he fails to realize is that… he just creates more chaos! he was his own downfall at the end of the day and i do think that no matter if satoru/shoko intervened that he still would have defected i just think he was doomed from the start… you don’t just ingest curses and then not be affected by it y’know? i think eventually he also would have been consumed by negativity the same way he consumes negativity (curses) and ultimately? he was. he’s a wonderful character to me in that he makes me feel genuine anger at certain times and at other times i just feel pity! i love him. he makes me think & feel a lot of things which is why i Write for him 😭 you’re probably wondering well why is he 5th/8th if you write for him the most??? idk maybe he should be theoretically first but i just. like him in my brain more than i do in canon i think he’s unlikable in canon to me but he’s also my skrunkly… i have duality ok i love him i dislike him i want him carnally

[anoddopal]

🐰 Thoughts: [Pre]Alabasta/Alabasta Arc

[WAIT A SECOND OFFICER! I CAN EXPLAIN MYSELF! ➡️ The ritalin tells me what to write and I just spew out nonsense as it comes to me. Anyway, here goes a stim-induced attempt to express a bit more about how these two became an item.]

[POSSIBLE TW: One mention of n00dity, also kinda ominous language towards the end... Listen he's a liar but aside from that they go on to have a very unproblematic relationship!! He just has to be knocked down a peg first!!]

It all starts when Bun-Bun Silva is hired at Rain Di.nners [not Bar.oque Works] to care for the Banana Gators/Ban.anawani that surround the establishment. Prior to her filling the role, it was a difficult position to fill. A job like that isn't exactly an opportunity many people would jump at-- save for a smiling local who seems much more interested in staring at the beasts during the hiring process than looking another human directly in the eyes for longer than necessary.

She takes good care of those gators. Excellent care. She’s happy to show up to her job and do whatever is needed. There’s never a complaint from her end. A bit of a quiet enigma- Silva doesn’t talk much to anyone she crosses paths with at the casino, staff or otherwise. As he does with all of his employees, Cro.codile keeps tabs on her, especially since she’s responsible for the health of his beloved pets. Sometimes the warlord overhears her chattering away to herself/the ban.anawani… she says more to them in a day than she’s ever said to any person at Rain Di.nners during the several months she’s worked there.

She has to be some sort of spy. He’s certain of it. Nobody is that enthusiastic about working with a species of animal that most people run screaming from. This is all a sad attempt to infiltrate his organization.

But after calling her into his office for a little talk he realizes that there’s nothing malicious going on. She really is just a completely innocent, if not eccentric person. And once he asserts that fact, Silva is dismissed.

Or rather, she would be under any other circumstances. Normally, Cro.codile wouldn’t bother with more one-on-one interactions. He’s not a person who entertains potential wastes of his time.

But there’s a lot more going on there than she lets out during that meeting. He can tell. He just can’t tell what it is. And that bothers him. Cro.codile can see how well she works with his pets- the gators are unusually affectionate and happy when she’s around. Silva can also be assertive with the animals, something that’s needed to maintain a safe dynamic with the apex predators. Cro.codile… appreciates that. [He’s not keen on anybody knowing but he is a big animal lover!!]

An offer for dinner is placed on the table. An offer that she almost doesn’t take. An offer that leads to a tension-filled first ‘date’. It becomes apparent to the pirate warlord that this isn’t going to be easy. Silva will not make it easy. Those big brown eyes constantly flutter over him; an attempt to figure out what’s going on in his head, just as he’s trying to figure out what’s going on in hers. Despite how sweet Silva can be, she’s equally as prone to scrutiny. There's a nervousness that radiates off of her, a hesitant wariness- she doesn't want to make any wrong moves. Yet at the same time she will not grovel or cave. Huh. In a way it almost reminds him of his own general caginess. The both of them aren’t keen on letting just anybody in. Someone has to be special for that to happen. The other party has to prove that they’re worth it.

That’s okay. Crocodile can wait and see. He's been patient over the last few years in regards to his scheme to overtake Al.abasta anyhow- why not divert a little in his free time? Everything is going according to plan. In the end, he's always in control.

The courtship undertaking is a give and take. Little tidbits of insight bubble up more and more over time. And they're... peculiar perceptions. It’s not often that somebody manages to catch his eye. And it’s certainly not normal for him to take a legitimate interest in someone who touts a lot of the traits he claims to despise.

Annoying. Weak. Soft. Pathetic. Naive. A bleeding heart.

Yet at the same time; Guarded. Private. Careful. Just a bit cynical/jaded. Even a bit of a misanthrope.

Ah... she's just enough of a realist to know that notions such as fulfilling dreams and obtaining justice are novelties few can afford. Yet her acknowledgment of how sobering reality is does little to crush her stubborn optimism. The world should have crushed someone like her long ago. And while while it certainly has bent her, she refuses to let it break her.

Humans are hypocritical in nature. Sir Cro.codile is no exception. Ironically someone like Silva - someone with so many facets he’s incapable of appreciating in others - is exactly the type of person he can trust with his life. With his secret. As a consequence of the connection between them continuing to build, that’s exactly what he ends up doing.

Silva doesn’t worship him like the hero the rest of the country thinks he is. She doesn’t shrink in terror because of his warlord status, either. Instead she’s curious about the man behind all that. Someway, somehow, she manages to point out his “positive” traits. She values his person in a way nobody ever has before. Cro.codile can’t help but let a thin lipped smile spread on his features every time they’re alone together.

When he isn’t dealing with his shady enterprise or mummifying invading pirates, he ardently seeks her out. She’s endearing to him. The way she likes to hide under his plush fur coat. The way she holds his rough, calloused hand. Hell, sometimes she even reaches out to hold his hook. When he’s trying to catch up on mundane work she often hangs out in his office, sprawled out on a chaise lounge while she babbles away about whatever is on her mind. [There are many, many conversations about animals that take place between them!] She has a penchant for sass and playful banter, but Crocodile finds himself uncharacteristically unbothered by it. There’s something about her audacity that he finds amusing. He hardly minds the misguided nagging. Something lurches in his chest when she places tiny kisses along the length of his facial scar. There’s probably a corny phase to insert here about how pirates adore their treasure, but in Cro.codile’s case? He absolutely covets her. If anyone dared made her feel uncomfortable he’d reduce them to nothing more than a dried out husk.

Silva makes him feel so… so… well, she makes him feel. There’s a certain kind of power she holds over him; the power to worm her way into his thoughts, his life, his heart…

… How did this happen? How could he have let himself become so weak? He’d resent her if he didn’t love her so much.

It wasn’t supposed to play out like this. He wasn’t supposed to get in this deep. She was an anomaly; not part of the plan. This has all gone too far. She doesn’t even know about his master scheme- Cro.codile makes sure he keeps his work life and his love life separate. Silva only knows as much as the general population of Al.abasta does as far as his profession goes. He’s smart enough to know that she’d recoil from him if she knew that he was methodically bringing her homeland to ruination. It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie, he figures. How ironic was it - that the very person who knew the absolute most about him - had no idea as to what would occur because of him in the near future?

She’ll know soon enough, he tells himself. On that night she’s curled up next to him in bed, with nothing but his green fur coat to cover her naked form. A pretty gemstone ring glimmers on her left ring finger; opal and rose gold, just like she told him she wanted. All Crocodile can do is reflect over how she managed to best him. A feat that nobody before her had ever been able to achieve. His vision for the future changed the very minute she came into his life. He can admit that [to himself]... Part of him was aware of that from the very beginning.

That doesn’t mean his objective to usurp the Kingdom of Al.abasta is going to be thrown to the side. Rather, he simply adjusts his plan to include her in it. Not that he’s going to need a queen, but he’d love nothing more than for her to be his. How romantic.

It’s not like she’d reject the idea. He’s confident Silva is far too loyal to detach from him once everything is said and done. She's just as invested in what they have together as he is. What’s she going to do? Say “no”?

[Huh? Well of course he’s still an awful person. What- did you think the power of love was enough to change the man?]

Of course, the course of events don’t play out in Sir Cro.codile’s favor. He's defeated and sent to Im.pel Down. Al.abasta is saved. Silva packs her bags and leaves her home to find a new place in the world. They’re [as far as they know] separated permanently. It's over.

...

Or maybe... maybe it's merely a little break? Maybe fate has something else in store for the both of them... an inevitable unconventional crossing of paths? A reunion of sorts?

...

Maybe it's really only just begun. >:3

[myname-isnia]

Personally, I think if critically acclaimed classical author Alexander Dumas could look at his most well-known creation, The Three Musketeers, and go “Okay but what if the hot evil lady had a secret child who then grows up and interacts with people responsible for his mother’s death”, then 12 year old me was in her full right to turn around and do the same thing

[heather-chandlers-weirder-cousin]

I had the weirdest dream last night btw

[nthflower]

Sometimes I want to rant about something small and criticise something I don't have strong opinions about but I also know people have really strong opinions about this (and I don't blame them I can understand them problem is not this) and they are sometimes reply my post (again no problems I love people sharing their opinions to me I have no judgement) but think is they are very angry and I am not and I actually enjoy it and actually we are not in same frequency in our rant here.

Tldr I wanna rant sometimes about small things complain a little and it turns into immediately super negative place while I was mostly not caring soo I can't complain about small things :(

[celestial-ringleader]

Love it when I'm trying to have fun in an rp server and then people have their muses just decide to be sexist assholes towards my (male) muse 😐

[distort-opia]

😞 One wild arguement I saw is it's wrong to say J made Jason more interesting because " it implies trauma makes people more complex, therefore it's good". These are characters and trauma does in fact make them more interesting??? Yes literature has impact on the real world but as a genre superhero comics would not work without this. ( Almost) No one would tune into Bruce Wayne economics class 101. That J plotline made Jason more recognisable- non fans literally know him mainly for it, individualised him further and got him more fans, and got his fans to care even more about him because J is fucked beyond belief, and gave Jason an overarching mission. Alas, J is not some evil entity possessing writer's minds, but a very convenient and efficient device to push these characters to their limits. Why would you want that gone, I don't get it. To hate him as a character based on his morality is more than valid( Jason beating him up is some good shit), but to hate the existence of him as a character is strange imo. He drives the plot forward. ( And carries archetypes and universal themes therefore is bound to stay as a relevant and popular character, but that's another topic)

Some things are just deep emotional gut reactions, I think. This applies to real life as well. You just might really not vibe with a person, or with a character, and they might get on your nerves even though there's little rational reason for it. It doesn't really matter to that emotional side of you that a character might have a deep convoluted history, or is very important to the narrative. And I do believe this is a perfectly normal thing, disliking a character doesn't necessitate a reason. You can just say you don't personally resonate with them and move on. I only think pure, vitriolic hatred raises many questions, because a lot of the time it also involves treating the character as if they're a real person, and/or also hating the fans of that character. After all, since one can't harass a fictional character (on account of them not existing), the next best option is harassing the real fans (who sadly are within this mortal plane).

This all ties into the first thing you mention, Anon -- that argument regarding trauma denotes an inability to differentiate between reality and fiction, and a type of black-and-white moral thinking that's hard to combat. Conflict drives a story forward. It's simply a narrative device, and of course, traumatic events will be part of that conflict. What made Bruce Wayne become Batman, the main character we all follow? The death of his parents. What prompted Jack Oswald White to become the Joker, his main antagonist? The death of his wife and unborn child. What made Dick Grayson take on the Robin mantle? The death of his parents. What prompted Jason Todd to become the Red Hood? His death at Joker's hands.

And so it goes. At their core, Batman comics especially are about dealing with trauma. There's horrible events happening in canon all the time, but that doesn't mean the writers or the fans think that trauma is good. An adult story is not meant to teach you moral lessons; you're supposed to bring your own critical thinking to the table. Joker happened to be the vehicle through which Jason underwent major conflict, which then became a turning point in his evolution and made him into a fascinating anti-hero. (Not even going to delve into the interesting aspect of Jason's death that is the fact fans voted for him to get killed off.) As you say, characters are, at their core, tools in a story. And again, anyone can just dislike Joker, but the intense wave of hatred towards him specifically is... well, it isn't entirely about him. He's become a fandom scapegoat in a lot of ways, and a popular method to signal loud and clear that you're denouncing the "evil toxic serial killer" for many fans. But that's a whole other can of worms that I've gotten into elsewhere already.

[earlgreytea68]

Okay. It's time for an AI rant.

My nephew is 13 years old. Whenever he writes a paper for school, I check it over and fix all of his mistakes for him. He said to me, "Maybe I'll proofread your paper for you in exchange," meaning one of the scholarly articles I write for work. I said, "Cool," and gave him the file. And he said, "Well, this is full of errors! See, you always say you have a lot to correct on my stuff, and look at all the stuff you got wrong!" And I said, surprised, "What? Where?" Because I'm sure there are typos in the draft I sent him, but not, like, that many.

And then he pointed to the screen and said, "Look at all the blue and red lines you have."

And I said, "Yeah, but those are wrong. Like, those are blue and red lines I'm ignoring because the computer is wrong." And then I paused and added, "You know you can't proofread a paper by just looking at the red and blue lines, right?" And he gave me the blankest look, because that clearly is EXACTLY what he thinks. And it became even clearer suddenly why, whenever I correct something on his paper, his immediate reaction is, "It didn't have a blue or red line."

There's a very good reason for that: THAT'S BECAUSE THE COMPUTER ISN'T SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT IT WAS WRONG.

I am so tired of being sold the idea that computers are better than humans and so we should just outsource everything to them, which is clearly the lesson my nephew is absorbing in U.S. middle school. COMPUTERS ARE NOT BETTER THAN HUMANS. Like, maybe they are better at humans at crawling through rubble to find people trapped inside. They are also better at preserving things in a searchable format. Things like that. Very limited circumstances.

I don't want to sound alarmist but everything I hear about people using generative AI freaks me out. It's not just that I'm freaked out by people being like, "I use it to write novels!" (Although I don't see how they do, I have tried to have it write fiction for me and the output was truly terrible.) But I recognize my bias around creative writing and so no one needs to credit my views on artificial writing. But! Other things are alarming, too! "I use it to brainstorm x, y, or z." But...why? Why not just...use your own brain...to...brain...storm? The computer doesn't even have a brain to brainstorm with! And you might be like, "But it comes up with things that my brain would never think of!" So would other people! You could also brainstorm with other people! Or even through Google to see what other people have thought before you (not AI). Please don't belittle the wonder of thinking.

I just feel like the marketing around generative AI boils down to "Wouldn't it be easier not to use your own brain to think about things?" Everyone. No. It would not be. Please just trust me on this. I'm not just an old person who is out of touch with technology or something. I promise. USE YOUR BRAINS. IT WILL BE OKAY.

[mostlykind]

…

[h2llish]

i really need to make an acc where i can just vent because i don't want to keep subjecting you guys to my negativity / episodes.

[xiaojaan]

University experience so bad you start missing your abusive household 👍🏼