#other soda machine companies

[sleepyghostuwu]

Aventurine Headcanons: Working with him

(A/N) Just some goofy ahh headcanons I made for our goofy ahh gambler because I like him very much (I'm patiently waiting and saving up for his banner). These can be viewed from both a platonic and a romantic POV ;) Enjoy~!

Cw: Alcohol and gambling mentions, subtle spoilers to his backstory from HSR 2.1

First off, you're going to have one heck of a ride with this man

He's very snarky, so brace yourself for a hellish amount of attitude every time you interact with him for any purpose. It can and will get to the point that you actually start complaining about him at least once to your other friends and colleagues during breaks or even work itself.

Aeons forbid if aforementioned friends and colleagues counter your complaints with the argument that he's very handsome. As if being devilishly good-looking and charismatic is going to excuse his sass (Unfortunately, it does).

He can't help but chuckle whenever he finds out that you've been grumbling about him to pretty much the entire workplace. Not even the innocent janitors and cafe baristas are spared from your rants.

He also has a bad tendency to eavesdrop on your conversations whenever given the chance, solely for his entertainment.

He finds it amusing to "just so happen to pass by" when you're talking about anything (including your complaints about him messing with you), even more so when he decides to interject into the conversation when you finish talking, giving you a nasty surprise in the process.

"...I just can't stand having him around anymore!" Aventurine, who has been listening for the past 20 minutes: "Oh no, how awful of him." "SHUT UP, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!"

Even when his sass continues to show itself to you, once the both of you get used to working together and get more acquainted with each other, you may even end up getting along with him pretty well, much to the surprise of both of you. Before you know it, when the time comes, the both of you are now good friends with each other.

If you think simply working with him in the same workplace is bad enough of an experience, imagine earning his friendship and unlocking a newer level of shenanigans he's about to pull off before you while you're at it.

Being more open to your company, Aventurine will make it a habit to drag you to the casino and bar after working hours to spend time with you.

You initially protest against his seemingly unhealthy obsession with gambling and alcohol, and often question out loud how his life is still put together, much to his amusement. As time passed, your nagging ceased, but of course, you still express concern towards that aspect of him.

He eagerly teaches you how to gamble your fortunes skillfully whenever you join him at the casino, but he only allows you three tries when it comes to playing around with the the assortment of gambling machines there, claiming that you were not ready to push your luck as far as he did with his.

He treats you to lots of drinks too. Being a regular at the bar, sometimes he boasts about having you as his companion to the bartender and the other patrons, much to your initial embarrassment.

He also makes outrightly crude jokes about colleagues he has beef with, after which you either burst out in boisterous laughter from the drinks and the same sense of humour, or you stare at him in disbelief and horror as you wonder if the both of you would be sued for his reckless remarks in public.

Sometimes you have to make Aventurine aware of his own alcohol tolerance as he downs one drink after another, even having to request a simple cup of soda for him to help him stay alert.

There are also times where he gets so wasted that you practically had to drag him home with you (you did not have his address) and leave him in a spare room for him to stay the night until he sobered up, something that he silently appreciates you for. In return, he genuinely tries to make work easier for you and tones down his attitude just a teeny bit as a way of showing his gratitude.

Needless to say, having you look out for him is a big win, both for you and the man himself.

If you've managed to reach this part of your relations with Aventurine, congratulations. You've hit the jackpot.

As the both of you spend more time together, bantering during working hours and (almost) getting financially and physically wasted at the casino bar every now and then, Aventurine slowly displays a starkly contrasting side of his flamboyant self.

While your initial outings with him were merely restricted to the casino bar, he gradually begins bringing you around a variety of places, most of which were noticeably quieter than what you thought was his taste.

Heck, he even brought you to the library once to read together with you, and you had trouble figuring out whether this was actually Aventurine you were going out with and not some quiet impostor from work who decided to steal you away after work.

That being said, you eventually find out that Aventurine has a much softer side of him that he has been keeping in the dark, one that he finally decided that he felt safe sharing with you.

You also find out that he likes drawing as a hobby and is surprisingly good at it, though most of the time he makes Gepard-skill level of doodles of his colleagues and higher-ups out of spite.

You joke once about sending those doodles to their respective art subjects as gifts, and when an amused Aventurine agrees, you honestly can't tell if he was playing along or seriously considering your suggestion.

Having grown closer to him, you also can't help but suddenly feel more curious about who he is, not as the extravagant and sometimes obnoxious member of the Ten Stonehearts of the IPC, but rather as a person, whatever his real name may be.

You asked him about the barcode-like tattoo on his neck once, though from the way he tensed up at your question, you decided that this man (unsurprisingly) had some walls up, and for now, it was not yours to break through by force.

On the bright side, at least you know him a lot better compared to most people around him. For Aventurine, that will be more than enough...for now.

[splatashahowlett]

kitchen confessions

logan howlett x reader

to be honest, you didn't even know how your body could function on a daily basis with the amount of sleep you were getting each night but you couldn't do anything about it. so here you were, sitting on a kitchen stool, notebook in hand, spoon in the other. trying to enjoy the remains of your favorite ice cream.

life wasn't easy when you lived in a school, you could say goodbye to any kind of privacy and to all your favorite food that you would try to hid on top of cupboards. the fact that you were older than every students here didn't help. but you were grateful above anything else.

when charles found you, you refused his proposition at first. but you came to the realization that you had nothing to lose. that's why you didn't mind having trouble sleeping everynight. you got used to going into the kitchen and sketching in your notebook. you could finally breath without worrying about people asking very intimate questions (those kids wil be the death of you).

but what you weren't used to was having company.

all you could hear was the noise of your pencil scratching against the paper and the loud humming of the washing machine next door supposedly on silent mode... but you found it comforting in a bizarre way.

your dissociating state was disrupted by a grumpy voice coming from the door leading to the hallway.

"doesn't anyone sleep around here?".

startled, your eyes connected to a tall figure leaning against the doorframe. his arms were crossed and eyebrows slightly furrowed. you recognized him as the guy rogue told you about, was it nolan ?

rumour has it the professor asked him to join the xmen decades ago and his only answer was "go fuck yourself".

"only two of us are awake -well, three with you-" you answered, getting back to your drawing. you know that aside from you ,the only person awake at this time of night was the kid always glued to the tv whose name you forgot. your heard the bear-looking guy sighed and open the fridge.

"is there any beer in this kitchen?" he huffed, probably still emerging from his sleep. you chuckled softly, amused with his animal-like behavior. maybe you shouldn't but you thought he was cute. not in a "i'm interested in him" way of course, but more in a "he looks like he listens to katty perry in his free time and dream about adopting thousands of kitten even if he would never admit it" kind of way. this must have been something to do with your mutation considering you could see people's aura and "true nature", if that's even a thing...

"this is a school, but you can find some soda in the cupboard on your left" you answered, still smiling.

you certainly weren't expecting it but ater grabbing a bottle, he pulled out a stool from under the kitchen isle and sat infront of you. okay maybe you also thought he was cute in a "i'm interested in him" way. I mean, it's also like he did it on purpose: walking around the house in a white tank top probably a size too small for him which made his biceps pop out.

so naturally you acted like you didn't care about him at all (or so you thought).

"are you afraid of me?" his question caught you off guard and the face you made must have been really funny cause you could swear you saw the corner of his lips twitch upwards at the sight of it.

"excuse me?" you asked, waiting for further explanation.

"your heart is racing" he answered, taking a sip of his drink. you didn't even question what you just heard and gave the first excuse that came to your mind.

"coffee" you hoped the guy couldn't also sense lies. he raised his eyebrows and smiled, knowing you didn't drink coffee in, at least, the last three hours.

after a not so awkward silence, he finally decided to speak up: "I'm logan", still keeping his eyes on you.

"y/n" you settled fot the shortest answer, wishing he could not see through the crush you were developing for him.

"not so friendly huh" he said, almost disapointed. you sighed and even felt a bit guilty for not making any efforts.

"I"m sorry, I'm just exhausted. it's nice to meet you logan" you hoped this answer would be enough for him cause you don't think you would be capable of more for tonight.

"trouble sleeping? at least I won't be the only down here everynights" in usual, the thought of not having your alone time anymore would push you over the edge and you would probably start crying, but in this case, it didn't feel so awful. this may be the reason why you felt bold enough to ask a very personal question: "nightmares?"

logan froze and you immediatly regretted opening your mouth. but you still waited for his answer, afraid to make it worse if you said anything else.

"yeah" he nodded "what about you?" he added.

"same issue" you answered, happy he felt comfortable enough around you to tell you about it. this was also one of the benefits of your mutation, your own aura was singular. everybody felt at ease around you, some of your friends even used you as an ambulant aspirin.

"you wanna talk about it?" now that was surprising. you didn't know the guy but he definitely wasn't the type to listen to you ranting about your struggles. at first you were resilient about it, but then you realized that it's been a while since you had let someone in, and even if the grizzly seated on a stool that was most likely to break under his weight may not be the best person to open up to, you felt a strong urge telling you that you could and should trust him.

"just some traumatic experiences. being a mutant in the 21st century is far from being easy; people take advantage of that" you answered, not as uncomfortable as you thought you would be. logan nodded and kept his eyes on you.

"yeah, same issue" he articulated in an empathic tone.

so you both spent the night talking about things you shouldn't have to go through, hoping that some day you'll be brave enough to learn to live with those harrowing memories.

weeks passed, then months...and you found yourself falling harder for logan each day. you two grew quite close and you valued your friendship with him which is why you still didn't tell him about your romantic feelings for his stupid face.

but you had enough of being scared and anxious so you decided today would be the day. well the 8am version of yourself did, it's now past 10pm and you still didn't tell him anything. but you knew he was coming to the kitchen like every other nights.

right as when you started getting lost in thought you felt a hand on your shoulder, logan's. you didn't even jump, used to him sneaking up on you.

"hello there" he said, happy to see you. you couldn't bring yourself to look at him so you just muttered what seemed to be a "good evening" under your breath.

"you good bub'?" he asked, stopping in his tracks. you loved that about him, he didn't necessarily show it but he cared deeply for everyone in the mansion, and you hoped he cared in a special way about you.

"yes, sorry. I'm just bored" you grasped on how stupid you sounded when your words reached your own ears

"you do realize that has to be the worst excuse you ever came up with, right?" he laughed, and sat on the same stool from the night you met.

you knew it, but you still weren't ready to admit what was plaguing your mind.

"I'll be there when you're ready" logan interrupted your train of thoughts almost like he could read your mind: another thing you loved about him.

logan knew exactly what you were thinking about, cause he was also thinking about the same thing: he really cared about you. so he took your hand in his and squeezed it, as a sign of reassurance. he gently stroked your knuckles with his thumb and kept his eyes on you. he couldn't get over the fact that you were the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"do you want a drink?" you said, hoping to release some tension and make up for your lack of enthusiasm when he walked into the kitchen. he only nodded, keeping his words for something much more meaningful. so you stood up and opened the fridge. you knew logan was right behing you and it killed you; why did he always had to do that ?

so when you turned around, you found yourself only inches away from his torso, you looked at his eyes for the first time of the night. logan took the two bottles from your hands and placed them gently on the cupboard next to him. never breaking eye contact. your heart was racing and breath quickening: was this a dream?

once his hands were free, he gently took your chin between his fingers and muttered: "I don't know if it's the way you talk, your gorgeous smile, or the way you brought me the intimacy of being understood, but I think that I may be falling in love with you"

you stopped breathing for a second and looked at him with your wide eyes.

"nevermind, I think it's the way you were completly oblivious of my feelings for you from the begining" he added while smiling and closed the space between your lips. you kissed him back (duh) and wrapped your arms around his neck. you couldn't help but smile hear to hear; your smile grew ever wider when you felt logan also smile against your lips.

to be honest you didn't even know how your body could function on a daily basis with the amount of love you had for this dude...

[michixoxo]

"𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙣?"

you and main cast, where yall going?

John

put on your sunscreen! cuz you're going the fuck outside

takes you to a carnival in town for your first date.

he instantly wants to get you every single prize there is, doing multiple games, all rigged against him, and his frustration gets progressively higher.

until, the fated claw machine.

it was your mistake to mention that you'd love the cute pig plushie, because he spends quarter after quarter determined to get you it.

it gets to the point that you end up leaving to go get you both a soda, seeing how he won't even move from the machine.

with his last failed attempt, he slams his fist against the side of the machine, impossibly frustrated and out of quarters.

but, fate seems to be on his side, as the metal panel guarding the inside of the machine falls as a result of his punch.

can you really blame him for reaching his arm inside and taking a plush or two? or three? or... all of them?

he carries as much as he can, excited to show you. he can see you in the distance, only a little bit more, just a little—

"freeze! you're under arrest!", aw shit.

"you are being charged with destruction of property and theft. anything you say can be used against you in court.", he feels shame and embarrassment pool in his stomach as the altercation draws your attention, your hands covering your mouth in shock as he's cuffed.

as he is put into the carnival police car, he hangs his head low. i'm such a screw up. how could i be so fucking idiotic? they hate me, don't they? i fucking hate mysel—

"john!", your voice rings out even in the police car. he sees you, standing in the middle of the mountain of plushies. he sees as you pick up the prized pig plush, holding it in your arms.

"thank you!", you shout, smiling at him and waving. he tries to wave back, but resorts to shaking his head left and right, indulging in the laugh it pried from you.

even as the police car starts to move, his feelings are replaced with more welcomed ones: feelings for you.

he would take you mostly on casual dates when you start dating. you would go to places like arcades, fairs, and the like. cute picnic dates with each other, just talking and loving each other's company.

cute couple that ends up getting kicked out of every establishment they go to.

Sera

takes you to woaba boba for your first date.

what? it's not romantic? welp, that's rough buddy.

honestly, she doesn't feel the need to overly impress you. of course, she wants you to have a good time and have a good impression of her, but she isn't gonna stress herself out.

also uses it as a sort of test. she's had people, if they're brave enough, try to befriend her in order to benefit off her family's wealth, connections, and power.

so, if you don't like it, then you can happily take your business elsewher—? oh? you love boba? you always wanted to go here? you're thanking her?

hm. well, she may have been a bit rash. maybe you aren't like other people...

you blink slightly as she sips her boba, looking strangely pleased. did something happen..?

takes you to different hang out spots.

you'd go shopping together at the mall or spend time at a skating ring, whether or not either of you can skate is entirely irrelevant.

similar to john, you both get into a lot of trouble on your dates, though your chances of being caught are now halved 👍

badass couple that get progressively dumber the longer they are around each other.

Arlo

first date on the moon

okay not actually but its still exuberantly fancy

french restaurant in the heart of Wellston that has three michilen stars and a price range that would make the average man cry.

you're not surprised when you show up and he's wearing a suit that's the cost of the same man's salary.

classic candlelit dinner, the chef personally comes to serve you both. you pray that he doesn't believe in 50/50

not nervous at all. in fact, bro thinks he's the shit. (and he is but don't tell him that)

he knows he outdid himself with this one, and he knows that it's gonna impress you. still... you look sort of... bored—? well, no matter. he didn't pay the chef just for them not to have any tricks up their sleeve.

date goes well, because of course it did. still, as he walks you to your home, you look... less impressed than he hoped for.

did he do something wrong? did you not like the food? did you hate the restaurant—?,

"arlo!", huh? "there's a cat in the tree!", what did you want him to do about it? you stare at him with those pretty eyes, looking up at him. don't you remember that this suit costs a fortune? why not just call the fire department— "please, arlo..?"

...so what? he got a few twigs caught in his hair. and sure, maybe his suit is completely stained and torn from kitten claws and branches. but that sweet smile of yours, the impossibly bright light in that dim alley, is more than enough to make up for it.

takes you to expensive, classic dates. dinner dates are always a favorite, but you also go to nice lounges and country clubs to play golf or drink champagne.

elitist couple that thinks they are better than everyone and technically is.

Remi

first date is bowling, 90s style

she's very excited for the date, isen and blyke? not so much.

she had to practically chain them to a street lamp to be able to go with you on the date, and still, two guys in employee uniforms seem to be glaring at you an awful lot huh...

but anyways! the date is great! you both spend time with each other and take turns bowling. a fun sort of competition evolves from every passing round. she's... happy. she's really, really happy with you. and it's like she never wants it to end.

alas, a rumble of her stomach catches you both off-guard, resulting in a light chuckle from you and an embarrassed blush from her.

enjoying a burger, fries, and coke, you both sit together playing footsies in the food court. except, no good thing lasts for long.

a stray fry passes by your table, hitting someone behind you on the head. yet, despite doing something about it, the person simply cowers further in fear.

then, another fry. and another. and then a soda cup splatters hard and fast against them, covering them in a sticky, brown liquid. it's disgusting. it's revolting. and remi can barely stand to see it.

yet, for some reason, you grip tightly onto your own soda cup and stand up, your face obscured by the overhead light.

there's no way. no way you're gonna join in this, right? you were better than this, right? you wouldn't stoop to their level. no. no, how could you—?

your own soda cup slams against the face of the perpetrator, a sticky, orange fluid plastered all over them.

after the shock, remi's face almost shines. maybe, maybe you aren't like everyone else. she was right about you. and she's so happy she was.

takes you on classic dates. sharing a milkshake or pasta in a small diner is only one of her many ideas for you both. also likes going to fairs and carnivals, she'll win you so many plushies.

sweet couple that gives everyone diabetes with how cute you are.

Blyke

tries to do something similar to arlo and fails miserably.

first date at a fancy restaurant but he shows up 15 minutes late covered in dirt and mud on his suit.

ask him what happened and he'll brush off the fact that he lost his phone in the sewer drain and bought a fishing rod to get it out and it worked until he accidentally flung both fishing rod and phone into a tree that he had to climb but didn't realize was being actively cut down and got stuck on a semi-truck as he fell and terrifyingly slid off until he bounced and bumped and conveniently landed right in front of the restaurant.

but don't worry! just a few scratches and stains and oh, is there a bird in his hair?

sits down and— "pfft, do you see them?", huh?

"please, what an embarrassment. people like that shouldn't be here, they ruin it for everyone."

...y'know what? fuck them. it doesn't matter. he's here with you, and he won't ruin it by getting angry. he shouldn't be mad. don't get mad—

and suddenly, a cup of water is thrown at the talking man.

"hey! keep your ass out of our business! what makes you think you can talk about us when you're balding at, what, 30?"

after a few more comments comparing the man to mr. clean and a couple profanities later, you're both thrown out of the restaurant with nothing but the clothes on your back.

"psh, assholes. let's go, blyke.", "go? what do you mean?", you smile at him, standing up and offering your hand. "our date isn't over just yet."

he might just love you.

takes you on gym dates. just gym dates. only gym dates. and maybe a few coffee dates or dates at the beach.

superhero couple with all the energy of a shonen anime and the bad decisions to show for it.

Isen

first date at the mall

think about it, it's casual enough to not be taken too seriously but also enough activities to make it seem like he's putting in more effort than he really is.

he's a genius, isn't he?

sometime during the date, you both go inside a stationary store. there, he might've just met the love of his life.

a pen, no, the pen. everything from the smell, to the sleek style, to the vibrant red and black accents. it's beautiful. but he'll be damned if he's spending $300 on a singular pen, even he has his limits.

so, after staring longingly at it, he leaves along with you to the next place. it's fine, surely nothing wrong could happen now—

"hey! you there with the bad haircut!", huh? first of all, rude—

the security guard yells at him, telling him that he apparently stole the valued pen at the stationary store. that the cameras saw him looking at it and they know it was him.

not only is the dude embarrassing him in front of you, but his integrity is being called into question.

why is it always him? can't he have a simple day without things going wrong? he didn't even do anything! why is it always his fault—?

you step in front of isen, almost to protect him. "he wouldn't do that, he isn't like that. just because he was looking at it doesn't mean he did it. you don't even know him, not like how i do."

..? you're taking his side? even after what the security guard said?

his thoughts are stopped as the store owner comes up to the security guard, saying that after checking the cameras, someone with invisibility probably took it.

the security guard stops, looking rightfully embarrassed. "s-sorry, then. my mistake." what an—

"asshole. you think we're forgiving you that easily. you better start groveling right now, you pig."

... you're worse than him... which is kinda hot.

instead of taking you on dates, you both just do everything together. if he needs help with the press team, then you're the first person he's going to. if he needs to share a secret that's been weighing him down, then you're always there to lend an ear.

annoying couple that pisses everyone off in 0.420 seconds.

based on the values i think the main cast would appreciate/need in a partner:

john: forgiveness

sera: authenticity

arlo: kindness

remi: righteousness

blyke: courage

isen: loyalty

[gacha-incels]

below is a machine translation of the article into english. If you see any discrepancies lmk and I’ll fix it asap. Thanks everyone for your help and continued patience

Ten Million Downloads for the Photo App 'SODA'… Criticism Over AI Being Out of Control Subsidiary of Naver, Snow, Responds Mechanically to AI-Generated Inappropriate Content

Snow, a subsidiary of Naver and the creator of the camera application 'SODA', has come under fire for generating sexually inappropriate images using its AI editing function. The company has stated that it "cannot 100% control AI-generated content," sparking criticism from experts who argue that commercializing an uncontrollable AI service is irresponsible. SODA is a popular camera app with over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store.

Ms. G, an office worker, complained in an online messenger conversation with Hankyoreh on the 9th, “I didn't expect to feel shame while using the app. It's so unpleasant and traumatizing.” On the 4th, she applied the 'AI background expansion' feature, a paid service of the Soda app, to her photo. The intention was to correct the photo, which was cropped in the middle of her shoulders, to show her entire upper body, but the AI generated a result that made her appear to be clutching her chest with both hands. The rest of the results were normal, but Ms. G said it was hard to get over the shock of the image she suddenly received while using the app.

In response, Snow explained, “Due to the nature of the service that applied A.I. technology, the result was unexpected.” Snow explained that the AI-generated images are filtered to remove offensive or sexualized images as much as possible before they are finally displayed to the user, but this feature did not work perfectly in G's case.

However, experts argue that the issue is more complex. The core problem lies in the AI image generation engine applied to the SODA app, called 'Stable Diffusion'. Developed primarily by the UK startup Stability AI, it was revealed that this model had included explicit content in its training data. Professor Kim Myung-joo of Seoul Women’s University (Information Security) explained, “Unlike other AI models, Stable Diffusion was designed to generate graphic images and included pornographic content in its training data, which has raised concerns since its release.”

Experts are calling for measures like age restrictions on the app to prevent irresponsible commercialization. At the moment, SODA is rated for use by individuals aged 3 and older. Jang Yeo-gyeong, the director of the Information Rights Research Institute, stated, "Even if it doesn't lead to sexual exploitation, consumers who suffer mental harm from AI tools should be able to hold the companies that release these services accountable. Snow's response that 'current technology can't prevent this' is irresponsible."

In response to The Hankyoreh, a Snow representative said, "All companies utilizing AI are struggling to address issues like this. We are working to enhance the service by strengthening filters to prevent similar cases in the future."

plain text in the original Korean

카메라 애플리케이션(앱) ‘소다’(SODA)의 인공지능(AI) 편집 기능이 성적 불쾌감을 일으키는 사진을 생성한 사례가 발생한 것에 대해 이 앱을 만든 네이버의 자회사 스노우가 ‘인공지능 생성물을 100% 통제할 수 없다’는 입장을 내놨다. 통제할 수 없는 인공지능 서비스를 상업화한 것에 대해 무책임한 행태라는 전문가들의 지적이 나온다. 소다는 스마트폰 앱 장터인 ‘구글 플레이 스토어’에서 1000만회 이상 다운로드된 인기 카메라 앱이다.

직장인 ㄱ씨는 9일 한겨레와 온라인 메신저 대화를 통해 “앱을 사용하다 수치심을 느낄 줄 몰랐다. 너무 불쾌하고 정신적 충격이 크다”고 호소했다. 그는 지난 4일 소다 앱의 유료 서비스인 ‘인공지능 배경 확장’ 기능을 자신의 증명사진에 적용했다. 어깨 부분 중간에 잘린 증명사진을 상반신 전체가 나오는 모습으로 보정하려는 의도였는데, 실제 인공지능이 생성한 결과물에선 자신이 가슴을 양손으로 움켜쥐고 있는 듯한 모습이 나왔다. 이 이미지를 제외한 다른 나머지 결과에선 정상적인 사진이 나왔지만, ㄱ씨는 앱을 사용하다 갑자기 받은 이미지의 충격에서 벗어나기 힘들었다고 했다.

이에 대해 스노우 쪽은 “인공지능 기술이 적용된 서비스의 특성상 결과물이 예상치 못한 형태로 구현된 것”이라고 설명했다. 인공지능이 생성한 이미지를 사용자에게 최종적으로 노출하기 전 필터 기술을 통해 모욕적이거나 선정적인 이미지를 최대한 제거하고 있지만, ㄱ씨의 사례에선 이 기능이 완벽하게 작동하지 않았다고도 설명했다.

하지만 문제가 간단치 않다는 게 전문가들의 지적이다. 소다 앱에 적용된 인공지능 이미지 생성 엔진인 ‘스테이블 디퓨전’ 자체에 문제가 있다는 이유에서다. 스테이블 디퓨전은 영국 스타트업 ‘스태빌리티 에이아이(AI)’가 개발을 주도한 모델인데, 개발 단계에서 음란물을 학습 데이터에 포함시킨 것으로 알려져 있다. 김명주 서울여대 교수(정보보호학)는 “다른 인공지능 모델과 달리 스테이블 디퓨전은 그래픽 이미지를 생성하기 위한 목적으로 포르노 영상물을 학습 데이터에 포함했기 때문에 공개될 때부터 많은 우려가 제기됐다”고 말했다.

전문가들은 소다 앱의 이용자 연령을 제한하는 등의 방식으로 기업의 무책임한 상업화를 막아야 한다고 지적했다. 현재 소다 앱은 3살 이상이면 누구나 사용할 수 있다. 장여경 정보인권연구소 상임이사는 “성착취물로 연결되지 않는다고 해도 인공지능 도구로 정신적 피해를 입은 소비자들이 서비스를 출시한 기업에 대해 최소한의 주의 의무를 요구할 수 있어야 한다”며 “‘현재 기술로는 막을 수 없다’는 스노우의 태도는 무책임하다”고 꼬집었다.

스노우 관계자는 한겨레에 “인공지능을 활용하는 모든 회사가 이번과 같은 이슈를 해결하기 위해 분투하고 있다. 유사한 사례가 발생하지 않도록 필터를 더욱 강화하는 등 서비스 고도화를 노력하겠다”고 했다.

[bokujou-monogatari]

So about this series and localization;

Ok, to start this off let me say I do not work in localization. It's not my department. I -do- work in video game development, but in production management and quality. That said, I work -with- loc teams, know people outside of my workplace that do loc, and have mad respect for the localization profession within the industry.

And, this is all a personal perspective again! I mean no ill intent in what I'm about to say. It's merely observational, and I could have an incorrect understanding and I own up to that in the circumstances!

This is probably going to get a little long, and it's a bit of a nuanced conversation. I appreciate everyone who reads to the end though!

Well, where to begin?

The 90s and early 2000s produced media in which culturally relevant aspects were largely changed to suit the audience taking in the media....but in some cases, that didn't hit the mark at all.

Are you familiar with jelly donuts? A long time example in infamy, Brock Pokemon's Jelly Donuts were a product of a time when localization efforts in western media were wholly focused on providing a digestible media experience to a western - rather, American-focused - audience. (Another example that was shown on the big screen was the original Digimon Movie!)

"But wait! Isn't the point of localization to make things relatable to the target audience?!"

Yyyyes! But there's an asterisk here.

In this case, breaking it down:

Bad localization = "Jelly Donuts", and the art remains unchanged.

Good localization = "rice balls", and the art remains unchanged.

Good localization = "Jelly Donuts", and the post processing changes the art to jelly donuts.

Bad localization in this example strips the intent of the media by pigeonholing a westernized regurgitation without respect to the origin and attempting to call it by another name -- erasing the cultural significance that it provides. Let me explain; A food item that may be a staple in many American (specifically Asian-American) households for ages... Do those households call them jelly donuts? Of course not!

90s and early 2000s media was largely at fault of bad localization with a movement based around the idea that a western audience needed those westernized concepts for the audience to be able to fully relate and immerse themselves in what they were digesting.

In essence, it was easier at the time for someone depicted drinking ramune to actually be "drinking a Coke" in dialogue, because everyone knows coke is a soda/fizzy drink. (That's only an example, and I hope it's understandable!)

On the other hand, -Good- localization either provides an equally significant replacement (such as replacing the art with actual jelly donuts) or calling things what they are outright as they represent a culture portrayed.

To reiterate, good localization does justice to the original tone, atmosphere and intent by either substituting an audience society-based equivalent that makes sense contextually OR by telling the audience exactly what is going on in the media's world context using words that can explain it to the audience while preserving that cultural significance.

"OP I'm not seeing how this relates to Bokumono..."

Well, this series was created in 1996, and localization began in 1996-7. And unfortunately, California-based Natsume Inc. was not exempt from those weird "sanitize it for the American audience" views. In their attempt to "make everyone happy...", there were many things that contributed to a less than ideal localization per game from Natsume.

For a long time, Natsume localization was done largely in part through an outsource localization company called Pole to Win. If you're in the light novel and otome venn diagram of fandoms, you'll know that Pole to Win is pretty damn infamous for its bad loc, cheaper labor based on underpaid and over exploited workers (largely based in SEA), and the heavy usage of and reliance on Machine Translation. Some loc work on games leading up to 2012 was done in-house, but a large reason why we have so many Natsumeisms is due to lack of quality and care in the localization process.

Alongside poor localization efforts and the drive to sanitize content for an American audience, there was extra effort in making the content "family friendly" by removing anything that was "out of the norm" for the time. I don't think I need to explain what that means, but it's what led to things like the removal of the Best Friends system (girl x girl marriage) in DS Cute and Julius in Animal Parade being "a man of average height" in the English dialogue. This family friendly movement applied to other media as well in the same time period, but for the sake of being on topic it largely applied to Natsume's approach in localizing the series.

"So what was lost?"

Well, in addition to what I just said above...

Names which were meant to reflect specific cultures referenced in the games based off of existing world cultures were changed.

For example, a Chinese-based character in Sunshine Islands; English Players know her as Lily. Her true name is スイレン Suiren. (Suiren is the name of a famous Chinese hero of legend, as well as the name of a species of Water Lily!) The name was derived literally, instead of staying as Suiren to reflect her heritage; Lily was the "easier" and "more digestible" translation.

I recently posted translations of Grand Bazaar characters with their true names. Grand Bazaar is VERY largely Danish, with Nordic/Baltic influence from Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and some bits of Mexico, Greece, Austria-Hungary, and France sprinkled in.

As a result, the names given to characters were from those particular regions. Ivan's true name is Juris (the J is Germanic, pronounced with a Y like You) for instance. The average American isn't going to meet someone called Juris often, however, so the name was changed to "fit".

I'm largely of the opinion that names are sacred and innate parts of the Character Core. A name was given to them for a reason, and it would be like going up to Sasuke from Naruto/Boruto and saying "hey man, I'm just going to call you Steve, ok? Cool."

Since we have changed Localization companies to XSEED, Marvelous' English subsidiary, the quality and care put into the localization has drastically improved.

Names are (usually!) 1:1 counterparts - as in romanized - or their very closest equivalents.

Examples being: Cam from Natsume's Tale of Two Towns loc, who is actually カミル and was localized properly in Story of Seasons 3DS with his true name as Kamill / Dudley from the Friends of Mineral Town remake - whose original name is ダッド (Dadd) and was Doug in the Natsume Loc.

Dialogue throughout the game now reflects original tones and intent with some embellished flair here in there, but never to remove - only to add!

I'm not going to get into a conversation about censors and ESRB ratings at this time (Blue Bar to Cafe type of example), but I'm so glad that we have reached a point where we no longer have totally misrepresented cultural aspects in the games.

[downbadperture]

You said you're more likely to do obscure characters so I'm curious: can you write something short about a male reader and The Announcer(it's the guy who talks in the background saying stuff like "you've been in suspension for 9 9 9 9 9")? I'm just curious about what you could come up with.. I imagine it's him as a robot (more like body less) and like, maybe the reader just walks around aperture talking to random unanimated stuff and the unanimated stuff starts talking back. It could be platonic or romantic, whatever you want

DUDE THIS IS WHAT IM TALKING ABOOUUUTT. I LOVE THIS, i love this a lot like actually. This is what we as the fandom need in this day and age. I fully support this, and I will totally do this.

~Male!Reader x Announcer~

~No warnings apply~

You might have officially lost it.

After the events of 'The Incident', you were the only living soul wandering around in this godforsaken facility. Maybe it was the humidity when you were only a floor separated from the incinerator below and making your work shirt stick to your skin, maybe it was the silence that threatened to make your mind feel hollow if it weren't for the facility constantly reminding you of how it was digesting your very being with every little scrape of metal or gear grinding in the distance.

But maybe you finally lost it when you started talking to inanimate objects, anything to make that aching loneliness numb for a few minutes. It started with talking to the cubes when you would hide out behind the walls of a testing chamber, it didn't even have to be the pink ones with the little hearts that were put in place to boost test subject morale, sometimes it would just be the dull blue ones staring at you with pure indifference. For some reason you felt more comfortable around those ones.

Then it started turning into having lively conversations with a can of beans you were eating, then sitting on the floor by a chair and talking about your day with it, and you started talking with any object that you deemed friendly enough to talk to. Never really talking to the Turrets though, they gave you a sick feeling whenever you heard their voices.

But talking with objects helped you stay sane or as sane as you could be while in this hellhole.

You were wandering the corridors of the dorms the test subjects used to reside in when they had to stay in the facility for multiple days at a time, the company not wanting outside forces interfering with the testing. The halls reminded you of a hotel almost, the nicely carpeted floors and the lights lining up against the ceiling. They even had some fake plants lined up in some places too, usually near the broken elevators or a vending machines. You were about to get some soda for your parched throat, after not having drunken anything in days the thought of some carbonated orange soda sounded like an oasis in a desert.

As you walked up to the machine, the artificial plants caught your eye. The greenery gave you an aching yearning from a time before, but it also made you feel a warmth that was so rare in a place like this.

You stopped mid-way, your lab coat swaying behind you as you turned towards one of the artificial potted plants. There was a little smirk hidden behind your tangled and overgrown beard.

"Come here often?" You ask with no hesitation.

"..."

"Heh I hear that. it's one of the more nicer parts around here," You replied flippantly. "Not many areas you can get carpet and chairs besides the offices, but who wants to hang around at work all the time am I right?"

"..."

"Yeah..." You let out a small dry laugh, "Well, i'm gonna get some soda from the vending machine right over here. You want one? I'm guessing since you're all plastic and foam you have a different diet from real plants,"

"..."

"Whoa! Take it easy there," You lifted and waved your hands defensively, taking a step back. "Sorry, I mean OTHER TYPES of plants. Didn't mean to press a button there, just wanted to see if you wanted some soda" your smile stretched into more of a jester like grin.

"..."

"Yeah yeah, now the soda is definitely on me," You playfully rolled your eyes and stared at the glowing orange machine. Citranium was written in small white letters, the logo being the Aperture brand but in the shape and color of an orange. Shame really that there wasn't really much variety, but you can't bite the hand that feeds you unless it starts choking you in the process then definitely bite it. But there was no biting required in this specific circumstance.

You pressed a button to see if maybe someone accidentally left a few dollars in the machine and forgot to order, but suddenly a speaker on the ceiling was triggered and your spine shot out of your back from the piercing hiss of the old intercom.

"Aperture science proudly announces it's newest and sweetest product since the m-" it cut out, leaving a horrible garbled mess of static before clearing up, "- Citrianium! Now test subjects can experience the wonders of science with every sip. Citrianium sources it's oranges from the farms founded in the agronomy department within Aperture Science itself. So we guarantee that by supporting Citrianium, you are also supporting your local farmers and is sourced organically. Note: The measures of organic may vary with each can and may cause unprecedented side effects depending on the amount,"

The voice from the intercom was robotic, but not monotone. The best way you could describe it was that you could feel the toothy smile the man had while talking. It had a pep to it to put it simply.

You must have triggered some sort of advertisement for the soda. It was almost foreign hearing an actual voice after so long of just faint sounds and inevitable silence as responses. But as you stared at the speaker with your head craned up high, it felt like a friend talking to you.

"W-well, do you think you can do a guy a favor and get me a soda? I'm kinda on the broke side right now," You asked the speaker, digging your hands into your lab coat pockets. You can feel the lint and dust at the bottom starting to pile up.

There was a small silence, but then there was a response.

"Citrianium can now be found in grocery stores and gas stations near you! Science in a can now at the low low price of two dollars each in American currency," The Announcer semi-replied cheerfully.

"Well, I don't really have two bucks on me right now," you huffed, sighing as you started eyeing a cushioned chair near an elevator. A smirk creased your lips when the light bulb went off. You cracked your knuckles, meandering towards the unsuspecting chair.

"Sorry pal, but a guy needs his drink," you mumbled before picking up the chair by the wooden armrests, it surprisingly being so light you could hold it over your head. You stared at the vending machine with determination, starting to charge towards it and preparing to smash it with the chair until it finally gave you a damn soda. But before you could take the swing, a bright shiny can was dispensed immediately.

"All staff get a complimentary Citranium for the hard work they give here at Aperture Science!" The Announcer chirped, "We appreciate your commitment, complacency, discipline, and respect! Keep up the hard work and remember that science starts with you,"

You almost dropped the chair on your foot when you fumblingly placed it on the ground. You couldn't tell if this was just coincidences or if you were finally going crazy or something else. Your attention drew to the speaker hanging over the machine. You couldn't recall the announcements themselves ever being sentient, but then again this place loved giving things sentience even when if it would be more humane for it to just be a simple object or mechanism.

You hesitantly picked up the can, the tin shimmering from the ceiling lights. It was still chilled in your grip. Your gaze lifted up to the speaker hanging over the machine once more, your mind flooded with intrigue and curiosity.

"Thank you," You chirped.

There was a loud hiss like it was struggling to give a proper response, "Ap- welco- Aperture Science welcomes yo- Wel- Welcomes you," was all he said before cutting out.

"Ha Well... I'll see you around," you sighed, shrugging off as you popped the can up to reveal the citrus smelling fizzing liquid inside. Maybe it was science in a can considering how long this soda was able to last.

You started walking down the corridors, going to go find stairs to hopefully find your way to the cafeteria the test subjects would lounge in every once in a while. But in every corner there was an intercom of some kind put in place, including the rooms as well if you could actually get inside them (Not that you particularly wanted to, not really in the mood to see a possible dead body).

But then you got another idea.

"Hey uh... Announcer guy? You don't happen to know where all the food is stored right," You ask, your eyes once again fixed onto the intercoms.

"Aperture Science cares very deeply about their test subject's and staff’s health and well being, which is why we found the food octagon back in 1965," he immediately replied, "Breakfast, lunch and dinner that have all categories of the food octagon are held in the dining hall on the first floor of the building,"

“Hm,” you hummed, “Are you gonna be sticking around me for a while?”

“Aperture Science constantly surveils their staff to see if they’re keeping up with their company mandated work quota to make sure science is being done throughout the day and they are following company policy,” he responded

“I’ll take as a yes,” you smile, happy that you’re finally talking to someone that talks back somewhat.

[decks-writing-blog]

Whatever the Fuck Benrey Is: Chapter Three: Feel Bad For Him

Chapter One: Never Stayed Dead

Previous Chapter: But You Owe Me

~

‘Sulky’ was the only way that could describe Benrey’s attitude. Short noncommittal answers were his only replies when Gordon asked him about this or that clothing item. And he didn’t say anything unprompted as he followed. He was utterly unhelpful in every way but he wasn’t being an active nuisance or wondering off again so it was preferable.

Gordon put up with it for as long as he could bear before giving up and just picking stuff out for Benrey without even bothering to ask. Probably because he was used to see Benrey in blue, he ended up picking out mostly blue and other cool coloured clothing. It would make the inhuman yellow he’d chosen for to put in his eyes pop but most people would likely assume he was wearing contacts. Anyone wearing such contacts would want them to stand out, thus making them less suspicious.

Blessedly after paying for everything, they were allowed into the changing rooms so they could spend the rest of their shopping trip in real clothing. Immediately Gordon felt better; he was clean, safe, and wearing proper clothing again at long last. And their group no longer stood out even a little, making the fear of anyone noticing them and asking too many questions much less potent.

As they set to grocery shopping, Benrey continued to sulk as he followed along at the back of the group. Apparently he was really upset about no one being willing to buy him a new PS3. As long as he was expressing that in sullenness and not trying to kill them though, Gordon didn’t care. Let the bastard be unhappy for once, he deserved it after all the misery he’d put Gordon through.

Without easy access to a fridge and the only means to cook anything being the microwave in the hotel’s cafeteria area, the kinds of food they could get were limited. But anything was better than living off of vending machine snacks and dead pigeon that was always undercooked in some places and burnt in others. Somehow though despite how much soda they’d drank during that same trip through hell, Gordon just barely managed to convince to not add it to the list here. They could spend their money how they wanted of course but packs of soda were always bulky and they had enough to carry already.

Luckily the walk back to the hotel wasn’t long even if it was uncomfortable carrying so many bags at the height of the day’s heat. Not so luckily though, upon inquiring at the front desk, there were no new rooms available. Gordon had to continue sharing with Benrey. Tempting as it was to complain to the receptionist or the rest of the Science Team again, he didn’t bother.

As soon as they were back in their room, Benrey dropped the bags Gordon had given him to carry and wondered over to flop face first down onto the bed. Ignoring him being the easiest thing to do, Gordon set to putting stuff away. Including Benrey’s clothing, not a job he should have to do but he wasn’t in the mood to start something. Their share of the groceries, he put some in the night stand, the rest he left put in a box next to it.

Once everything was put away, he sat in the chair and pulled the phone out of its cradle, resting it on his lap while he dialed. By some miracle he remembered his supervisor’s phone number after only a little bit of thought. As usual, because the asshole never picked up his phone, it inevitably went voice mail.

“Hey, if you’re not dead,” though there was a good chance he was, “it’s Gordon Freeman. As you probably know, stuff kinda exploded and went to hell during my last shift. So I’m calling because I don’t know if I technically still have a job at Black Mesa or not. So I’d like news on that as well as compensation since it was a workplace accident and all that. Also uh… I got a thing that I need help handling. I can’t talk about it over the phone because it’s sensitive company stuff,” and because Benrey, the exact thing he was talking about, was right there, “but it’s important. So get in touch soon.” He gave the hotel name and his room number before hanging up with a sigh.

Probably the guy was dead so he’d have to go further up the chain of command if he wanted any hope of getting confirmation on his job status, compensation for his suffering while on the job, and/or answers on what he was supposed to do with Benrey. Perhaps all the way up to Administrator Breen,himself. Normally he would’ve balked at such a thought but after everything he’d been through he’d run out of fucks to give.

Though the situation with the US military did make it a bit more complicated. They could threaten to turn him in if he tried to demand anything from the company. But then he could in turn threaten to spill the news of the incident to the public if they tried. Or heck, he’d taken part in plenty of top secret experiments even before this latest fiasco that he could threaten to reveal too. He didn’t currently have any proof of any of it – it had all been in his office or living space at the Black Mesa facility – but he could bluff and say he did. Perhaps he could even head down there to get that proof.

The thought of returning so soon sent a chill down his spine. But… it might be a smart idea. Everything should’ve calmed down by now both in terms of the aliens as well as the military. They could check to see if any of the possessions were salvageable and well, there might be survivors they could help. And if Gordon really did have to black mail the company to get them to compensate him and the rest of the team, having the means to actually do so before he even needed to threaten it would be helpful.

If they were going to go down there, the sooner, the better. … He didn’t want to though, not today. It was too soon, he needed some some time. Tomorrow would be better. If they heard nothing from Black Mesa by then, he’d talk to the others about renting a car and heading down there to see if there was anything to see. For now, he was done thinking about it.

Instead, he looked over at Benrey, still lying face down on the bed. It couldn’t possibly be comfortable but he didn’t seem inclined to move any time soon. “How long you planning to sulk for?” Talking to him might be a bad idea but the silence was too heavy.

Benrey’s response was so muffled by the pillow his face was pressed into, it was indecipherable. Gordon could just get up and leave him there, would be justified in doing so too, and go talk to the others instead. But Tommy had made a good point about all their fun stuff being gone or at least currently inaccessible. Fun stuff wasn’t necessary for survival but it was necessary for thriving and after everything they’d been through, fun distraction would not only be really damn nice but also much deserved.

Since starting college, Gordon hadn’t had as much time to play video games as he’d have liked. Getting hired at Black Mesa had given him a little more time since he lived and worked in the facility but he’d mostly been focused on work. They’d been working on some pretty cool projects after all… though they seemed less cool now. Getting lost in video games was more appealing of an concept than ever. And there were by far worse coping mechanisms he could be tempted to turn to if he resisted this one. Benrey being a gamer too meant he could kill two birds with one stone; fun distraction for himself and something to keep Benrey occupied and hopefully content enough to not cause more problems.

With a sigh, Gordon stood back up and put his shoes back on. “I’m about to head to the used game store, you wanna come with?”

For a moment it seemed Benrey hadn’t heard or wasn’t going to respond but after several seconds he twisted his neck to look up at Gordon. Far enough that it looked painful but he wasn’t human so he was probably fine. He opened his mouth but Gordon quickly cut him off before he could say something stupid.

“We’re getting an old, used, cheap console with old, used, cheap games, nothing new or expensive. I only got so much in savings. But I am willing to buy a couple games solely for you if it’ll keep you from being a nuisance and if you promise to behave. Understood?”

Benrey pushed himself up and was back to his feet in seconds. “Yeah, yeah, understood.”

“You promise to behave?”

“I promise to behave. Let’s go.” It was quick and Benrey was already starting for the door so it would have to be good enough for now.

~

Despite having made it clear that he was a Sony fanboy, Benrey was the one who suggested they get the Game Cube instead of the original Play Station because, “There’s more good games for it.” Which was true, the store’s selection of Game Cube games was almost twice as big as it’s Play Station section.

He was also the one to suggest they get multiplayer games. Gordon didn’t like the idea of playing games with him but after some thought he agreed that it was a good idea. Since they had to share the console, they were bound to end up fighting over it, having some games they could play together should mitigate that to some extent. Besides he did like the idea of occasionally playing with Tommy, Bubby, and Dr. Coomer if they desired to as well.

In all, the shopping trip was quick, easy, and Benrey was relatively well behaved the whole time. They walked away with a Game Cube, four controllers, two memory cards, a decent handful of games and three Beyblades from the toy box next to the cashier for less than a brand new PS3 would’ve cost. Gordon had checked to see if he could get Dr. Coomer a SNES and Super Punch Out but the latter wasn’t in stock so he put the idea on the shelf for later.

For now instead, during the walk back to the hotel he stopped by the 7/11 to get everyone their own two litter bottle of soda – all on brand, unlike the cheap stuff available at Black Mesa’s vending machines – and at Benrey’s suggestion a box of on brand candy too. It wasn’t much but he owed the Science Team his life so he wanted to do something at least kind of nice for them. Benrey got included solely because he was physically with Gordon at the time and well, he was feeling generous so why not?

“They got pizza too,” Benrey said as he bumped his shoulder into Gordon’s as he made his third and final trip to the counter – having only one real hand meant he couldn’t carry it all at once until it was bagged and Benrey’s arms were full with their game purchases, meaning he couldn’t help.

“Yeah, and?”

“Could get some… maybe?”

“What? No. Have you ever had 7/11 pizza?”

“Nope. This is my first time inside a real 7/11.”

Damn, another reminder that Benrey probably spent his whole life locked up inside Black Mesa. Gordon still refused to feel bad for him though. The world had been better and safer with Benrey contained. Now apparently it was Gordon’s job to prevent him from running amuck and causing untold chaos until he could get him to someone who could contain him again.

What were the pay rates for babysitting whatever the fuck Benrey was? Had to be pretty high, right? Between that and the compensation he was owed, he should be set for life. Maybe he really could retire and spend the rest of his life goofing off and playing video games online.

For now though, he finished putting the last of his purchase on the counter and said to Benrey, “Well, trust me, unless you’re high enough that you’re happy to eat literally anything, convenience store pizza is garbage. Like, it’s worse than frozen pizza.”

“Oh, no thanks then, frozen pizza’s pretty bad. It’s too cold and the plastic wrapping gets stuck your teeth, real uh… real awful. The cardboard ain’t bad but can’t save it.”

The cashier ringing everything up chuckled, clearly believing it to be a joke. Gordon wasn’t so sure. It was tempting to ask but he didn’t need to know and just laughed along instead because Benrey eating a frozen pizza straight out of the freezer, packaging and all, was a pretty funny mental image.

~

Upon returning to the hotel the first thing Gordon did was unload all the sodas and candy, much to the delight of the Science Team. Especially Tommy once the Beyblades were brought out for him too. Sunkist had apparently caught up and seemed excited too. Gordon would have to get her a bone or toy of some sort eventually. Which he would have to talk to Tommy about to ensure he got here something that wouldn’t be dangerous to her health if she had an allergy or whatever. That was for later though, for now he just wanted to go back to his own room and relax for a bit.

Even before Gordon was quite finished closing the door behind them, Benrey was off and starting to plug the Game Cube into the TV. Being an older console and an older TV, they were perfectly suited to each other. “Wanna play Melee?” Benrey asked as he turned towards Gordon, holding up the appropriate game box.

“Sure. Go easy on me though, I’m, uh, down a hand.” Later he was going to have to do some research on how difficult it would be to get or make a controller meant for use with a single hand.

“Of course, of course. Gotta go easy on the noobs otherwise they ain’t gonna wanna play anymore and then that’s no fun.”

Gordon could perhaps find reason to be annoyed with being called a noob but it had been a long time since he’d played the original Smash Bros back on the N64. Back when the Game Cube was new, he’d considered himself too cool for Nintendo. So this was his first time owning one and thus, he was a noob. Nothing wrong with that though.

***

Even when going as easy on Gordon as he could while still actively playing the game, beating him was almost trivial. Benrey had never even played Melee against real people before but Gordon took only slightly more effort to beat than the easy bots.

Normally Benrey would’ve teased him to hell and back for being so bad but he knew why Gordon was playing so poorly. Game Cube controllers were designed to be used with two hands. Gordon straddled his on his gun hand while awkwardly splaying his left hand over it. Technically he could press the buttons and move the analog stick at the same time but not with any degree of finesse.

If Benrey had known leading Gordon to the soldiers would result in him permanently losing a part of his body, he wouldn’t have done it. There was being bad because he’d been wronged – and so Gordon would pay more emotion-filled attention to him – and then there was his actions resulting in Gordon having only one functioning hand for the rest of his life.

“If humans don’t grow back cut off bits does that mean they also don’t, uh… come back when you kill them?” He eventually had to ask once he’d knocked Gordon down to his final stock for the third time.

“Nope. As a popular meme says, ‘people die when they are killed’. It’s permanent unless it’s the kind of thing a doctor can resuscitate someone from. That’s pretty rare though.”

“What about Bubby? He comes back when he dies and he’s human.” Or at least Benrey was pretty sure he counted as such.

“He does?”

“Bro, you saw him die at least like… twice, I think. He comes back.”

“Well… Bubby’s special. He was made in the lab so even if he is human, he’s got stuff going on that the rest of us don’t. Normal humans stay dead when they die and don’t grow back lost body parts. Heck, you injure us bad enough and we’ll be permanently fucked up because of it.”

“Damn. Your species don’t got much going on, huh?” And their little fight took on a whole new meaning. Benrey had thought they’d been mostly still chill even if they’d been actively trying to kill each other. But if death was permanent for humans that meant the nothingness between it and reformation would be permanent as well, right? Making trying to kill someone a much bigger deal than Benrey had thought.

“Hey, we got plenty going on, we’re just not immortal or whatever like… whatever the fuck you are. What even are you?”

Before answering, Benrey won the round. It was so easy it wasn’t as fun as it could’ve been. While the announcer claimed him the winner, he looked over at Gordon sitting on the chair next to him. “I’m not human.”

“Yes, we’ve established that but what are you?”

Benrey hadn’t considered that question in a long time and it had been even longer since he’d cared. “I don’t know.”

“What? How do you not know what you are?”

“Just don’t.” He was Benrey and he wasn’t human, what more mattered?

“They made you in the lab too, didn’t they?”

“Um… maybe. I’m not really sure. All I remember is the lab though so probably, I guess.”

Gordon was silent for a few seconds, his face full of thought before it scrunched up in sudden anger. “God fucking damn it!”

“Whoa bro, why you so angry?” Benrey wasn’t always great at telling what kinds of things would make people mad at him but he was pretty sure that that shouldn’t have. What did he know though? Sometimes people just got mad at him even when he didn’t intend for them to.

“I’m not… or I guess I am angry. But not at you and it doesn’t matter right now. Let’s just shut up and keep playing.” He turned his attention back onto the TV, pressing start to get them back to the character select screen.

After switching characters to Link – he had a sword so he was cool – Benrey rested his controller on his knee and bent his right arm around behind himself. Playing one handed was only fair, right?

Somehow Gordon didn’t seem to notice until he won the round and turned to look at Benrey again. Whatever he’d been going to say died on his lips and his eyes widened a bit surprise. “Oh, I guess that explains why you were playing so much worse suddenly. You don’t uh… don’t gotta do that for me.”

“Nah, beating you’s too easy, gotta even the playing field a bit to make it more fun.” And it had been more fun, certainly it meant he could put real effort in without it being a steamroll. He’d even lost that round, pretty handily too because Gordon had more one-handed practice at this than him, but it was only a matter of time before he got his mojo back. And then when he started winning again, he could tease Gordon for being bad.

“Oh, um… okay then, I ain’t gonna complain about that, thanks.” Gordon turned his attention back on the game and started the next round.

***

Gordon had been planning on not tolerating sharing the bed with Benrey again. He’d been intending to insist Benrey sleep on the floor or in one of the chairs. But then Benrey had inadvertently made Gordon feel bad for him. No wonder he was so fucked up and weird, he’d spent his entire life in the lab and didn’t even know if he was made in it or they’d just found him super young and kept him around to experiment on. Idiot didn’t even seem to understand how fucked up that was which just made it worse.

Bubby had a similar life story – though he at least seemed to understand that it was horrible to some degree – which largely had to do with why Gordon had forgiven him for his part in the betrayal. Just like he’d forgiven Dr. Coomer for the whole clones trying to kill him thing. Being part of or the product of an unethical science experiment was bound to result in acting out a little, being a little strange, and maybe not fully grasping the ethics and impact of one’s actions. And so Gordon should forgive Benrey too, shouldn’t he? He didn’t want to though.

And so after wrestling with the thought on and off for hours, reaching no conclusions, it was finally time to go to bed. He’d planned what he was going to say earlier at Target; ‘You’re sleeping on the floor tonight.’ A statement, not a request, brooking no room for argument. ‘You’re not human so you don’t need to sleep in a bed. Beds are for humans,’ if Benrey tried to argue. But even if he didn’t forgive and thus very much wanted to not share the bed with Benrey again, he did still feel bad. Bad enough that making Benrey sleep on the floor seemed too harsh and with no other options available, that meant sharing the bed again.

It was big enough for two people though, no cuddling or touching necessary if they stayed close enough to separate sides. Which would leave them close to the edges, perhaps more than Gordon preferred but not so close they’d for sure roll off. They were both full grown adults, they could handle sharing a bed without making it weird. But wait, Benrey wasn’t human so…

“You’re an adult, right?” Gordon asked as stepped out of the bathroom, wearing the pajamas he’d bought from himself earlier.

Benrey looked up from where he sat on the chair by the window. “Uh… why you asking?”

“Just you know, you’re not human so I figured maybe you’re in like a larval stage or something and you’re gonna one day make yourself a cocoon and transform into something more monstrous. Like how caterpillars turn into butterflies or whatever.” Or like he had in Xen but more permanent.

“Nah… I don’t think I can cocoon myself. Though I guess I’ve never thought about it before. I could try it.”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t. I mostly just want to know if you’re a child or adolescent version of whatever you are. I’ve been assuming you’re an adult this whole time but like, I don’t even know what you are and neither do you apparently so I could be wrong.”

“I’m full-grown. Or uh… full-grown in that sense. I can physically grow bigger, just don’t want to.” Great so he had no excuse for acting like an immature little brat at times. Except he still did because he’d been raised in a lab as a science experiment. Probably no one had ever bothered to try to teach him how to behave and thus even now as an adult he had no idea how to properly interact with others. That didn’t mean Gordon had to like him or forgive him but it was another good reason be the bigger man and not let Benrey get under his skin anymore. And so…

“Good, great. That means we can both be mature adults about his sharing a bed situation. There doesn’t have to be anything weird or uncomfortable about it. We were too tired to discuss or even think about it last night so let’s do this now. You sleep on one side of the bed and I sleep on the other and we don’t touch, got it? I request the side closest to the door.” That way if anything tried to attack through the window, he could make a run for the exit. Though, probably an attack was more likely from the door so maybe window side was better. It’d be easier to get cornered there though so actually…

“Oh, I thought you liked touching.”

Gordon flinched out of his thoughts as he looked over at Benrey again. “What made you think that?”

“You slept in the middle last night.” He stood to walk over and point to said middle. “Made it hard to join you without touching so I thought you did it on purpose ‘cause you wanted to touch.”

“No, I just wasn’t thinking.” That at least explained why they’d woken up so close. “Sorry, I guess. But we’re on the same page now though, right? No touching.”

“Lame bro, that sucks. But fine, whatever, no touching.” He genuinely sounded disappointed.

“Why is that lame?” And should Gordon really ask? It was too late now though, his bad tendency to speak before thinking coming back to bite him again.

“You’re warm. It feels nice.”

Oh, that wasn’t so bad. A bit weird but not anything super creepy like Gordon had feared. “All right, uh… good night then.” He turned off the lights and got into bed, staying just far enough way from the edge for there to be only little danger of rolling off in the middle of the night.

Chapter Four:

[sterekchub]

I’ve got an idea! I’m a sucker for soft bby Derek 🥺 him trying to get his life together after the fire but because he barely finished high school the only place that will hire him is the local fast food joint, where the floors are greasy but the food is greasier 😆 but he doesn’t care he just wants to do something on his own for once.

Head manager Stiles just wants to eat him up when he shuffles in for the interview, all shy and lean (too lean). He hires him immediately, devoting lots of time and attention to making sure Derek is comfortable and adjusting nicely. This may or may not include encouraging Derek to take advantage of the free food perk.

As Derek’s frame grows he is slow to notice because Stiles keeps “upgrading” the uniform when he outgrows his.

Also I for sure know Derek would have such a feminine gain 😩

Yesss I also adore soft Derek who deserves nice things. Who has the family fortune to support him but doesn’t feel like he deserves to use it. Too many rumors around him killing his sister, no degree or work experience to mention…he applies everywhere and gets more and more dejected with every day that passes without a job offer.

And Stiles has heard the rumors. Sees Derek’s gruff and ‘I could care less’ attitude….and doesn’t buy it. He’s the kid of a cop- he sees what most people miss. The way Derek’s belt has extra holes poked in it because he’s lost so much muscle mass and weight. The way his jacket hangs loosely off him. How he uncomfortably shifts his weight and looks out of place and ready to bolt immediately.

Stiles immediately offers him the job. Probably working as a manger while he finishes his degree and it reminds Derek he should be a college grad by now, if he ever bothered to go, if his parents were alive to help him with college apps and moving into a dorm…. But Stiles doesn’t make him feel bad about it. Even offers to help Derek look into online classes, even if he starts small with one class at a time at a local community college.

And in the meantime- tells Derek eat what he wants. Better than throwing out leftovers. Sends him home with bags of burgers or nuggets for dinner even if it’s way more than Derek can eat and he protests he can’t take the food.

But- it takes awhile but Derek eventually opens up and feels comfortable being his snarky, rough around the edges- pre fire self. And accepts he should stop arguing with Stiles and take the food.

At first, Derek only notices his 30+lb gain because he’s back to a healthy weight. Doesn’t need the belt to hold up his jeans, his shirts fit snug but not stretched tight. How he used to be.

Which- absolutely when Stiles doubles down. Tells Derek stay hydrated! Get a soda! (And orders those deluxe pick any flavor digital soda machines). Totally keeps a mental note of how often Derek refills his soda- and Derek is solidly chugging at least a small bag of sugar a day with the amount he drinks

Mostly because all the fries Stiles gives him “happen” to be over salted… oops.

Or has Derek try possible new menu items. Triple burger? Triple cheese? What about if they add more bacon? If they add ranch? What about nuggets on a burger?

Derek tries it all and ignores the button of his pants digging into his now rounded middle.

He gets *soft* and blubbery for sure. Because he has nothing else to do- so he picks up all the shifts he can. Maybe keeps Stiles company even when he isn’t on the clock. Comes into the restaurant when he has online classes so Stiles can help him.

He’s on the round the clock greasy fast food diet and as a result he just expands. Ass getting wide and heavy, thighs that are rubbing against each other and the friction leaves holes in his khakis. Belly that protrudes out and hangs low over his waistband- when it isn’t stuffed with burgers and soda and an inflated orb, taut to the touch. The start of a double chin. Pecs that soften and drop. Upper arms that have a solid amount of fat that hang down. Love handles that are always stretching out his shirt and Stiles keeps having to resist the urge to SQUEEZE everytime he walks by.

Derek with his belly resting on the counter, no customers in sight, burger in one hand and large soda in the other…

Sorry I got from “awww angsty and sweet” to “kink” real fast.

[entitycradle]

Future Anime Girl Gestalt

As a breakthrough in silicon nanostructure materials makes photonics and near-eye displays cheap, smart glasses become the new ubiquitous computers, replacing smartphones. The always-on display provides unique opportunities for advertisers, as does new machine learning-assisted ad targeting. In the new omnipresent augmented reality, ads become personalized, three-dimensional, interactive displays, emerging from blank rectangles in subway stations. You see your facebook friends conversing animatedly, drinking budweiser.

As smart glasses become increasingly necessary for modern life, brands are able to invade further into perceived reality. Cars shine luxuriously. The name and price of your coworker's smartwatch floats above it. Of course many modern advertisements no longer directly sell a product or service, but rather create and maintain brand identities. Large corporations advertise on everyday objects--the plate at your favorite restaurant reveals the name of a software company as you finish your food. Your brother's anger turns him super saiyan, reminding you of the new episodes. A poor neighborhood turns into an alien-inspired techno-organic nightmare.

Many companies use characters to perpetuate their brand. These characters can be personalized--the insurance company mascot that shows up on your car dashboard during a harrowing rush hour is your favorite color, features large, expressive eyes, and is covered in shaggy fur.

Of course, machine learning algorithms can be unpredictable. And ad agencies could not anticipate the omnivalent memetic power of...

...anime girls.

The algorithm customizes your pepsi soda into a fizzy anime slime girl. They customize the call to your healthcare provider to raise the pitch of the representative's voice and translate the audio to Japanese (your glasses display English subtitles). The missiles you see striking a city in Iran are ridden by pale, northrop grumman-labeled anime maids.

As more human agency is ceded to enormous, power-chugging processing centers, the connections between everyday occurrences and brand presence become more abstract. Every character on a show you're not paying attention to, every old shoe you own, every person you interact with, every grain of sand on the beach, every floater in your eye, is an anime girl.

As humans do, they adapt. Generation Glass becomes accustomed to experiencing two entirely foreign sets of sense-data: one, their local, mundane world, of humming processors and concrete and scraggly trees. The other, the networked world, where your entire visual field is painted in overlapping anime girls of various sizes and your auditory vestibular nerve is drowned in high-pitched giggling. Each girl represents some object--pomegranate, sunset, friends, love, death.

As global civilization gently deflates under the pressure of climate change post-2100, so does the capacity to manufacture complex electronics. Within the space of a generation, billions of people are reduced to creating facile, vapid illustrations of the moving, living anime girls they once knew as bigotry and tarmac. Pictures of anime girls are used to label street signs, mathematical concepts, genders, religious texts. Ironically, anime girls become more incorporated into the real world than they ever were in the Glass period, because they adorn real surfaces. A post-traumatic behavior develops, in which a person destroys objects bearing anime girl images in an attempt to, according to one individual, "let them out," or otherwise restore networked consensus reality.

Thousands of years pass. Peregrine sophists of the Fifth Yyrzoc clan uncover an underground concrete structure. In it are glyphs of a single, big-eyed, pale, skinny, large-breasted woman with bright blue hair, surrounded by female figures in blood-red uniforms who are collapsed on the ground. The sophists are able to decode this message and avoid what we would recognize as a nuclear waste storage facility. They theorize that the figures are ancient feminine gods of radiation and death. Several etchings and illustrations are published by a notable scriptorium. Years later they are largely forgotten.

[donutboxers]

I have a few semi-old food in glass inspired furry adopts that never sold and I wanna try turning one or two of them into an OC, if I make them OCs I think I'll keep the soda and the gumball ones. idk if they're gonna stay furry or if they're gonna lean more into robots rn tho

spoilers/long ramble about CiCi and Peri:

I know I want a gumball machine and claw machine OC, with Peri now out I might want an entire arcade machine group (like gumball machine, claw machine, soda machine, vending machine, skeeball? etc)

it might not have been clear that Peri is an OC (the arcade machine) but they're a part of CiCi's universe about 20 years into the future. Peri is a based on a Soviet Union era arcade machine about fighting US naval forces and she acts/acted as a spy for the USSR during the cold war, she's not the villain of the setting (CiCi and her company are, although CiCi is not doing this by choice but she's meant to be the bad guy, she may gain independence at some point) but Peri is also not the protagonist either, both sides are meant to be good and bad

Peri was installed in a US arcade machine under an alias, and meant to report back to the USSR the vulnerabilities of US children and to spread pro Soviet propoganda through subliminal messaging. CiCi was meant to spy on US families through her security dogs and report back any abnormalities or suggestions of communism to the US government so they're very much alike

that's pretty much my ramble, I'm probably gonna talk more in other posts,note that I'm only surface level in my knowledge of the cold war right now so if I get terms wrong I'm sorry, I'm looking more into it because it's a big inspiration for my OCs

[the-nosy-neighbor]

TV from the Period of Welcome Home

TV from the period, continued.

There is a part 1 on the blog if you are interested.

So, three channels on a good day, and there were local TV shows, news, but also like around noon there was like a Farm and Ranch Report and some show I remember being suuuuper boring where old ladies with poofy hair would talk. Granted, given how women were judged as old at 30, they were probably younger than I am now.

As a kid, after school cartoons were a thing, but mostly old ones like Bugs Bunny, or Rocky and Bullwinkle or Hanna Barbera cartoons:  The Flintstones, and Scooby Doo for example.  There were cartoons on Saturday morning; they stopped around 11, and then it would either be Wild Kingdom or some old TV show like Land of the Lost.  There were also reruns, like Little House on the Prairie(!) and game shows (No Whammy!).  I watched more episodes of The Newlywed Game than was probably good for a child. 

My parents, however, had a very early form of at-home movie watching, the Laserdisc.  I have only seen this at my parents’ house. 

In this image is the exact machine we had at my house.  Based on the pictures I found, this wasn’t as common as more of a cd type machine.  However, those things on top of the player were the movies.  They were kind of like cassettes in operation.  You took that cartridge (which was about 18”x18”) and you slid it into the machine.  The case would come back out, but the disc remained inside.  Eventually, we got curious and pulled the middle out of one, and discovered the disc on the inside.  The wild part was that there would be a pause as the disc came to the end of a side.  Yes, like a record.  Then you had to put the cartridge back in, and pull it out.  The disc was now in the cartridge.  Then, you turned it over (seems ridiculous in hindsight) and pushed it back in, and the cartridge remained.  I could still tell you exactly where that break is in The Great Muppet Caper. 

So, I mention this, as a rural kid with very little money and even fewer trips to the movies, because my parents bought us kids movies on this thing, and while there weren’t a lot, we had The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper.  Oh, and we had Hey Cinderella! and The Frog Prince (both on 1 disc) and Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas.  The Cinderella/Frog Prince was one of my favorites.  I still think the jokes are super solid in that one, as well as has good music.  We also had Watership Down, which we couldn’t get past the intro as it was too spooky.  We watched a lot of The Secret of NiMH, which was also spooky, but less bloody.  Plus that crow is hysterical.  We watched these over and over. 

Oddly enough, my parents had a few Mel Brooks movies, so I grew up on The History of the World, Part 1, though mostly just noticed the slapstick.  I didn’t get the jokes until much later.  We also had Young Frankenstein, which continues to be one of my favorite movies.  I must have been an oddball kid to be able to recognize Mel Brooks in The Muppet Movie. 

Look!  James Frawley, Jim Henson, and Mel Brooks!

We lived in a community that was rural, like a subdivision 15 minutes from anything, and most of us could not afford cable.  I mentioned my dad was an electrician, so he somehow looped most, if not all, houses into cable through the rich guy’s cable.  (He had an indoor pool and a soda machine.  It was decadent.)  I’m not sure how that worked, because we weren’t limited to what the main house was watching.  I don’t know how long we had it before the cable company figured it out., probably close to a year.

TV shows didn't really try to appeal to children, as far as I can remember, so it was nights of watching whatever was on, because you had two choices:  either this or the other channel.  Plus, at the time, it was expected that the adults would pick the show.   I remember watching lots of crime dramas. Magnum PI, CHiPs, The Fall Guy, etc. When I was older, The Cosby Show was the best thing on TV.  But, the most amazing thing as a kid were the Special Presentations.

If you saw this guy, you were in for a nice time.

Not to be confused with "A Very Special Episode," which meant some lame thing where they had your favorite TV characters talking about something really depressing or scary, also known as an “After School Special,” though a lot of times those were not filmed with known characters, just really lame low budget deals.  The most famous example of this is where a character on Saved by the Bell was taking diet pills (so excited and so scared).  Definitely worth a watch.  I actually didn’t see this at the time, and only learned about it as an adult.  Two TV stations.  If Clown does “A Very Special Episode,” I will die.

So, Special Presentations were your really good things. It meant either you were getting something you didn't see a lot (Miss America), a once-a-year treat (Wizard of Oz), or cartoons (Holiday Specials!) I remember how excited we were to have the Wizard of Oz every year.  It seemed random when it happened, but I’m sure there was a schedule that I wasn’t aware of as a kid.  I don’t think we even got the TV guide.  However, there were TV listings in the newspaper. 

Once a year treats included things like "Circus of the Stars." I had forgotten about it until I googled Special Presentation to get that graphic. Actual TV stars would learn to do circus stuff, like trapeze. I am going to drown in nostalgia. Here's a later one in 1992, (Downtown Julie Brown!) with Weird Al, because Weird Al is synonymous with TV. Apparently.

Also, the first home gaming consoles were coming out. I remember that we had an Intellivision, which was one of the earliest consoles.

Given we had that and one of the first home computers (Commodore 64), maybe we were more middle class than I realized, or my dad just liked technology.

That's it for now. If i think of something that could be especially helpful in understanding the world of Welcome Home, I will add it, but for now, I am sure this is more than enough. I am working on a personal history post about The Muppets and Jim Henson as well.

[dertaglichedan]

It’s no secret that Americans love guns. Not only do nearly half of Americans say they live in a household with guns, but the U.S. beats out every other nation on Earth when it comes to gun density (the 2nd most gun-dense country is Yemen, and it’s not even close). The U.S. is actually the only country that has more guns than people. Given all that, it’s not much of a surprise that, in some states, you can now walk into a grocery store and buy bullets from a vending machine as if you were ordering a candy bar or a soda.

Well, sorta. Not quite. The vending machine company behind this new trend, American Rounds, says it uses artificial intelligence and facial recognition technologies to verify that buyers are of legal age to buy bullets. So it’s a slightly more rigorous process than buying a Twix

[queentheweeb]

All Might X Quirkless Autistic Female Reader

A/N: I know All Might doesn't have a lung or stomach but here he does have a stomach

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If someone would have told you that you were going to be married to the former number 1 hero you would have looked at them like they were crazy. Why in the world would he want someone like you? First of all, you're quirkless. The man with one of the strongest quirks in history is going to want to be with a plain Jane like yourself? There was nothing special about you. You worked full-time at a grocery store with your program. You thanked that program and your parents for helping you so much in life and making it easier for you to navigate. You had three things against you that made people treat you worse than dirt, You were quirkless, you were autistic and you were a woman. No wonder your parents kept you sheltered they knew what they were doing. Honestly, none of those things should matter and should make society treat you as less than a person or as an object for other people's pleasure but, all well. It's going to take more than just you to change mindsets that have been the same for generations. 

"I'm home my beautiful wallflower!" You turned away from the burgers and French fries you were making. You were scared of fire because you didn't want to get burned so Toshinori got an electrical stove and grills and other cooking machines to help you. It was really nice of him because you wouldn't be able to handle the pain. You were very sensitive from your ears, to your head, to your body down to your feet. You knew a lot of people thought you were dramatic and maybe you were but, you couldn't help it. A lot of things hurt you and a lot of things you didn't like. You hate loud sounds, being touched suddenly, bright lights, and certain smells that make you sick and you want them to stop or go away. Toshinori was very understanding of this which you were thankful for.

"Hi, Toshinori!" You checked the air fryer and pan seeing that the food still needed a few minutes before they were done. Toshinori liked his burgers medium rare while you liked yours well done. "How was your day?" You walked up to him to initiate a hug. You didn't like touch all the time but, you didn't mind giving hugs and kisses once in a while. He was quick to hug you and plant a kiss on your temple and let go. You loved how he would give you space when you wanted and would give you company when you wanted it. He balanced you well. You hoped you did the same for him.

"My day was alright, I saved a few people this morning and I used the last of my power for the hero course training. It's a good thing the students don't know my true form." You nodded your head knowing it was a sensitive subject for him. You didn't understand why it upset him so much because you saw nothing wrong with the way he looks, but everyone responds differently to such comments. You would cry and be angry because that would hurt your feelings.

"I think when the children find out the true form they won't treat you any differently. They love you because you are All Might the number one hero of Japan. You are also really sweet and nice and understanding." That was the most you have ever said without stuttering or thinking about something else. You were proud. 

"You are really kind my wallflower. I hope that one day what you say comes true." You nodded your head leaving to finish cooking and for Toshinori to clean up and set up in his office. You lived in a studio apartment and had a routine of paying bills, buying groceries, and doing other things. When you met Toshinori you eventually fit him into your routine until he asked you to move in with him. That messed up your routine and you freaked out since you didn't have a routine now. It took a while for things to make sense to you but after a year they did. 

"Let me just make our plates." You fixed his burgers and your burgers with the French fries. You got a cup of soda and gave him water. You sat down at the dining table waiting for Toshinori to finish in the shower. You checked your calendar to make sure you didn't miss anything important. You didn't have any doctor's appointments, you already had your appointment with your therapist on Monday at 3:30 P.M and your appointment with your Psychiatrist is on Friday at 5 PM. You tried to make them when you knew Toshinori wasn't home because it made you feel better knowing you were alone. He would not eavesdrop as long as you're not hurting in any way, shape, or form but, still. It made you feel better knowing you had the privacy of being by yourself. 

"Y/N? My wallflower?" You jumped at the voice turning to see Toshi staring at you with a kind smile. You must have zoned out. "I think your mind went blank?" You smiled laughing nervously. He never got bothered by you zoning out or losing thoughts but, you still felt insecure about it. He was quick to reassure you though. 

"I-I'm sorry I was j-just checking the c-calendar to make sure w-we didn't f-forget anything." You started stuttering rubbing the back of your neck. He walked up to you grabbed your hands and leaned his forward against yours. The two of you stayed like that for a few minutes until you calmed down. Once you were calm he sat next to you and the two of you started eating making light conversations. Once you guys were done he offered to wash the dishes while you put on your favorite TV series. You liked watching the same thing because you knew what was going to happen and it didn't trigger your anxiety about what was going to happen next. The show was halfway through episode 1 when Toshi joined you on the couch with your purple weighted blanket. He pulled you to lay on him and laid the blanket on top of you. This is what you loved. You never had to say much and Toshi always knew what to do. You were glad to have married him.

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It was short and sweet.

[jcurneysend]

@91cmspoilers continued from here

This Summer Vacation was already odd enough that it took place within a virtual reality- but to think they'd add haunted houses and the like.

Still, usually she could handle aspects like this. Horror, Occult, that genre? That was a excitement Sonia Nevermind could continue to sink her teeth into regardless, even despite her standard or 'talent'.

She fidgets, grimacing. Maybe it was the company of Hajime Hinatas elder twin.. After all, he was quite perceptive of others. Earlier that day, he had sincerely ripped apart Soda's new machine he built to perfect on it, leaving the mechanic downtrodden.

Which, she was grateful for, though it was.. strange how quick the action was. As if it took him no time at all to find the Ultimate's faults and perfect it.

Though, at least the humbling action would give Soda some time to reflect on things and not rely on just his talent-

Oh!

"Wait up! Usami said we should stick together, yes?"

Sonia began to dash after- deciding to not linger on the truly frightening aspects that made up Izuru Kamukura, and to try and experience the spooktastic events Usami had lined up..

...Which would probably not be up to par with Sonias usual tastes of horror, but hey, the rabbits trying, ya know?

[mysteriousmoss]

A glimpse at a Security Guards Night at a Pizza Place.

———————

New oneshot lets go.

This little thing was inspired by this post by @samwasneverhere

———————

It’s Joe’s regular night working security at Hermits and Friends Pizzeria.

Or well as normal as it can be with him having to deal with the animatronics and their antics(while also trying to think of lies for whenever management asks why Scar The Mongoose is stuck in the vents again with a stuffed cat plush or when they ask why Jevin the Skink is more sticky than before and for some reason wet or when they ask why Ren has a broken voice box that seemingly died out as there is no damage to the wires.

Yeah, “normal.”

But either way Joe’s being paid enough so he can afford shelter and food(even though he should really be paid more for the amount of trauma and chaos these animatronics cause.)

But come and join Joe for a look at his night as the night time security guard for Hermits and Friends Pizzeria.

Any trauma received is normal and please do not sue the company. There are already too many lawsuits .

————12 am 12/29/XX————

“BOO!”

Joe flies out of his seat with his food flying out of his hands towards the voice that scared him.

It takes him a moment but he calms down and looks at the Mongoose animatronic(that’s covered in a cold microwaved dinner) with an unimpressed look.

The Mongoose face shows a sheepish grin(how it’s possible nobody knows) which makes Joe continue to give the animatronic an unimpressed look.

“Scar, this is the third time this week. Can I please eat my dinner in peace?”

The Mongoose, Scar, turns away from the security guard and acts like he didn’t just scare Joe and get food thrown at him.

“SCAR!”

————1 am 12/29/XX————

“Martyn…Martyn why does nobody listen to my stories?”

Joe looks towards the Wolf animatronic, who is talking to a plant that looks like it needs some water and sunlight, from where he’s standing restocking the prize corner.

‘Does he think I stopped listening to him? I knew getting him a plant might be a good idea but him talking to it almost 24/7? I may need to look up how to get Ren therapy.’

Joe’s internal monologue was interrupted by the sound of glass breaking and a distressed shout.

“MARTYN NO! MY HAND DON’T LEAVE ME!”

Joe looks at Ren, who is now on his knees holding the plant in his hands and acting like said plant is dying. The culprit who knocked the plant pot over is none other than Cub and he somehow has a mischievous grin on his face.

Joe lets out a sigh and places down the merchandise he was restocking and heads over to deal with the situation and try to make Ren feel better by listening to his tales.

————3 am 12/29/XX————

“CLEO SPIT JEVIN OUT!”

Joe chases after the zombie wolf animatronic who has a skink animatronic in their mouth and is running towards the soda machines in the kitchens.

The other animatronics look up from their card game and watch as Joe chases Cleo to try and save Jevin from becoming more sticky.

Ren turns towards his friends, paw keeping the plant in a cup firmly and safely in place, to see what they’re thinking.

“You two are brewing up a plan aren’t you.”

Scar and Cub put on innocent looks as if they weren’t just planning to make the chaos worse.

“Noooo.”

Ren gives the two a look that he doesn’t believe them.

“Well I’ll just have to tell Ariana and watch Jellie for the night if you two cause chaos. Now let’s go back to our game my dudes.”

Ren doesn’t need to look up from his cards to see the scared looks on the mongoose and bear's faces.

“CLEO! NO!!”

The sound of something hitting the floor and screeching rings from the kitchen.

“Uno.”

“I thought we were playing poker?”

“….we aren’t playing Go Fish?”

————5am 12/29/XX————

“Andddd done. I got you as clean as possible Jevin. Geez you guys really need an upgrade to a more plastic or metal material instead of just fabric.”

Joe places the sponge back into the bucket and looks at the deactivated Skink.

“Right, forget I powered you off.”

Joe flips the switch located on Jevin’s back to power the animatronic back on.

It takes a moment but Jevin powers back on and looks at his clean or as clean as it can get fabric

He turns towards the security guard and gives him a thankful smile.

“Thanks dude. Sorry that you have to deal with cleaning me up every time that happens.”

Joe shakes his head and smiles.

“It’s no problem. Anyway, better start heading to the stage it is almost 6 am and the place will be opening soon.”

Jevin nods and heads towards his area where he is in stage mode during the day alongside a young animatronic turtle that was recently added to his area.

————6 am 12/29/XX————

Joe closes the front door as he leaves the pizzeria.

“Well that’s another day of working the night shift. Time to head home and try to get some sleep.”

As Joe leaves he doesn’t notice the set of eyes following him.

—————9 am 12/29/XX————

“Hello there everybody! Who’s ready to party!”

————————————

You can also find this one shot over on ao3

[drizzlederg]

What is PAWPAINT and It's Just Me and You Too?

Companies! Very fun companies! Society kinda exists in my show's world anyways, and there's a bunch of company logos that show up sometimes! Here are some companies.

It's Just Me and You Too - A family entertainment company! They make ALL the things! They have an excessively cheerful television show with two whimsical little gnome creatures in it too! Many people love going to their family entertainment centers - you know, gambling for kids - where you go throw fake plastic golden tokens at arcade machines and lose, and eat really awful pizza, listen to horror stories of the ballpit, and have fun! And if you DO work there, do everything you have to do there under 8 hour's sleep of stress, scold adults as in: "EW GROSS GET A ROOM THERE ARE KIDS HERE!!!", clean up Blunderbore's Diaper, also known as the ballpit, dread having to put on the vomit-stained costumes, console children after the animtronic's head falls off, and listen to your old coworkers about a story passed down for generations: the story of the fabled and legendary "I.J.M.A.Y.T. tape of love" and that one of the actors was never found again.

PAWPAINT - A tech company specializing in mainly authentication software but works on some other projects too. It is said that their computer software isn't very good.

Popbly - Soda drink company that, in addition to selling soda, also sells some interesting and perfectly legal uh, "flavored carbonated drinks." They sure do sell a lot of bath salts too, despite being a soda drink company!

Milkypops - A """food""" company that infamously uses excessive amounts of suggestive themes in their ads, and like typical """food""" companies, sell a lot of questionable magazines. They spend so much on advertising that neon signs have been forever tainted, and 4 out of 5 of any depiction of flashy physical ads in object media will include a parody of their mascots (which by the way, are furry alien lollipops)

Callico Cakes - Cake brand that was brought out by Milkypops. Perhaps this acquisition can widely be considered a mistake, because before the acquisition Callico Cakes didn't sell "birthing cakes" and "pregnant belly" cakes and "kitty litter" cakes and publicly display them on the store's front shelves. Now they do.

WhismVision - A rather shady surveillance company. Fans call them the "Curious Face Looking Up" company. Detractors call WhismVision the "Snakeussy" company, and they're right.