#thank you moen for running this!!

[whitherwanderer]

30 // amity

Breath slow. Eyes open. Hands steady, for once. It was nice not to feel how much of her strength she’d lost and still be able to aim straight.

When was the last time she did this? When was the last time she did this and felt something good?

She squared her posture, pulled her arm back tight, and stared down the first bottle she’d perched on a rock. She took her time. She felt through herself, the wind, the savory calm. And when she was ready, it wasn't a matter of letting go in the way she was used to. Instead, she gripped tight. She squeezed the trigger.

Her arms jerked, but she held herself steady. It wasn’t as loud as she remembered, though the shot rang through the desert and scared the nearby birds into flight or silence. And her target? Sif’s heart nearly burst into flames in her chest when all she could see of it were glittering shards of brown glass littering the dirt. But she pulled a deep breath. Then another. Measured. Composed. For a beat.

Her boot came down hard into the gravel and her arms went up in the air, barking a laugh at herself as she pulled the weapon—this hard-won trophy, a symbol that she wasn’t a failure but merely changed—close to her chest to feel the heat off of it. “Gods, damn it. Finally,” she sighed, an irrepressible smile on her lips.

If only she had more than a precious few bullets, she might have fired off another round or two, become more familiar with the weapon, built her confidence and learned her limits. But this? This small, long-sought victory was enough for now. Enough to assure her that she could still be good for something. That he alone wouldn't have to bear the responsibility of protecting them both.

Spinner would have Her way of turning her fortunes tomorrow, Sif wagered, but today? Today was hers.

She settled down in the shade of the ironwood under which they’d made camp and set the weapon aside in favor of a flask, lifting it to the heavens in thanks before bringing it to her lips. As a bitter taste flooded her tongue, she was given pause, then huffed to herself.

A battle-in-progress that she was fighting on a quieter front. Tea.

[sea-wolf-coast-to-coast]

Hi there! I participated last year in this! And I am attempting to do so this year as well? I just had a question? You said there is no deadline the first week of FFXIVwrite2022, do they still count as entries to the draw at the end? Or does the first weeks ones not count?

Sorry if this is worded weirdly! As always thank you for running this amazing challenge Moen Moen! It gives me a passion and inspiration to sit down and write, which I've been struggling with so much in recent times

Heya! No worries - I completely understand what you mean.

Yes, all entries submitted from September 1st - September 8th @ 12:00pm PST do count toward participation prizes (up to one entry per writer per day).

I'm so glad that the challenge is stirring up passion and inspiration for you! I always love to hear that <3

[blackestnight]

{/sweat}. WE DID IT!

this makes the third year i’ve completed all 30 days of ffxivwrite (31, this year—thank you for the bonus day, moen!), and i realized late last week that it was actually the second month-long challenge in a row i did (having completed au ra august.) y’all, i’m tired. holy fuck.

i’m so, so grateful to @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for running this event every year. the prompts for this challenge are always so thought-provoking and unique, and daily challenges help me to keep up a habit of writing and force myself out of the mental rut of not feeling “ready” to write certain stories, or even to feel like some stories aren’t worth telling. it’s a bad mindset, and having a whole community writing alongside me is immensely helpful in forcing myself to stop thinking that way. you guys rock. thank you for the enthusiastic yelling, it really is the best medicine for creative funk.

and hey, speaking of the ffxivwrite community—YOU. yeah, you. did you write something this month? anything? yeah? GOOD. YOU KICKED ASS. I’M PROUD OF YOU.

okay i’ll quit being sappy. stats and masterlist below the cut!

TOTAL WORD COUNT: 36,327 words*

LONGEST FILL: “the ordeal of” (3139 words)

SHORTEST FILL: “in the ring” (87 words)

*the total word count isn’t completely accurate to the words i wrote during the duration of the challenge, because i did write an entirely separate fic between september 30 and the bonus day, and i was working on other writing projects this month, neither of which are included here, but it sort of balances out because i included the extra 900 words or so from “the ordeal of” that i had already written and tacked onto my fill for that day.

1. foster - children of the heart - 2251w hanami and rielle take a moment to discuss parenting.

2. aberrant - seek not forgiveness - 2306w after hanami narrowly avoids a murder conviction, aymeric confronts her.

3. scale - the dragon’s wake - 525w haruki knows he has no place being a hero.

4. baleful - polymorph - 1172w aymeric can’t decide if he’s being assassinated or just has indigestion. starfinder au.

5. free day (scion) - heritors - 1918w hanami and aymeric address the question of names.

6. avatar - reach out and touch faith - 907w after ravana’s defeat, hanami and ysayle share a moment in a storm.

7. speculate - alter idem - 1835w hanami discovers that she is being hunted by a voidsent. she makes a mistake.

8. adroit - no hand on the rein - 738w aymeric knows her body so well. nsfw.

9. friable - autodestruction - 1119w hanami knows how she lost her horn, but her subconscious is happy to embellish. body horror.

10. heady - blackfire - 1313w aymeric tends to hanami on the airship ride back to mor dhona...or tries to, anyway.

11. preaching to the choir - o gracious companion - 245w hanami and estinien are good friends. no, really.

12. free day (announcement) - the ordeal of - 3139w so hanami kind of forgot to tell the scions she was getting married. for a year.

13. oneirophrenia - made manifest - 1230w her soul is like a sieve at the best of times, and amaurot is not the best of times.

14. commend - veneration - 1465w the veneration of saints is a time-honored tradition in ishgard, and aymeric makes no exception for hanami. suggestive, but sfw.

15. thunderous - the crowd goes wild - 704w hanami hates talking about her gladiatorial career, so of course thancred brings it up whenever possible.

16. crane - crime and punishment - 255w munehise slacked off on his chores. haruki motivates him to get them done.

17. destruct - slower, slower - 543w hanami and fray start to wind down after one of nastrond’s shows. modern au.

18. devil’s advocate - in the ring - 87w handeloup and aymeric discuss the ul cup contenders.

19. free day (troth) - the adoration of - 2796w hanami presents aymeric with a pair of rings.

20. petrichor - make me a believer - 233w coda to “reach out and touch faith.” hanami wakes up with ysayle.

21. feckless - though the losses be grave - 862w after the sin eaters’ assault on lakeland, ardbert and hanami reflect on death.

22. fluster - just give me mercy - 366w a’dewah is going to die because hanami is going to kill him and his so-called friends are fine with it? apparently?

23. soul - absentes adsunt - 1254w sequel to “alter idem.” a voidsent hunts.

24. illustrious - slip of the tongue - 992w aymeric seeks to make a good first impression upon the warrior of light. he...does something, alright.

25. silver lining - that hum of night - 1576w facing unexpected delays in limsa, hanami and aymeric attend a light festival.

26. free day (traditional) - schemers and betrayers - 2446w hanami has no idea what a hen’s night is supposed to be and she’s afraid to find out.

27. benthos - give a man a fish - 832w haruki presents a’dewah with the catch of the day.

28. bow - road to mastery - 2204w dulia-chai presents hanami with a thoughtful gift and hanami has a minor breakdown.

29. debonair - of the silver lining - 432w when she deigns to appear at formal events, hanami is guaranteed to turn heads.

30. abstracted - case study - 300w summarizing unusual applications of jaeger technology in the medical field. pacific rim au.

31. free day (catechesis) - build an altar here - 352w follow-up to “veneration.” aymeric prepares to worship his most favored saint. nsfw.

[mizgnomer]

Behind the Scenes of The End of Time (Part 17)

Excerpts from The Mirror interview with Alexandra Moen (who played Lucy Saxon), by Charlotte Ward

Alexandra believes she knows the secret of David’s incredible appeal.

She says: “David is genuinely interested in people. He also has a geeky charm and dry wit. He has this swoony effect because he is so approachable. He brings out your maternal instinct. Everyone loves him.

“When I got the part he called me straight away and said how excited he was I was joining the cast.

“He is a really caring person and such a hard worker.”

Alexandra got to know David well when they co-starred in the stage play Look Back in Anger. She says: “He was such a Doctor Who fan before he got the part, it was slightly worrying. He used to tell us about how the show had such an impact on his childhood and his absolute dream was to play the Doctor.

“When the news broke that Christopher Eccleston was leaving we were doing the play together. The whole cast was like, ‘Ooh David it could be you!’ not thinking that it would be.

“He must have known he’d got it for two of those weeks, but he kept it secret”

Alexandra believes David will have found it tough to quit his dream role.

She says: “When we were filming there was definitely a sense of every moment being precious. It’s been such a massive part of his life. He’s leaving a show where they film for 10 months a year. Everyone lives in Cardiff and it’s really friendly.”

She adds: “There have been so many Doctors and there’s a lot of pressure, but Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant have shown that you have the license to do your own thing. Matt [Smith] could be amazing. There is a real buzz about him coming in. The good thing for him is he is kicking off with a new production team, so everyone’s keen to make their mark.”

She also hopes to work again with David one day, saying: “He’s a very committed actor, a lovely person and he’s also a lot of fun.”

“I saw his wicked side when we were in Look Back in Anger. It’s an actor’s trick if you’re on a long run to insert fish names at random intervals during the performance like, 'Oh my COD!’  David was so good at that. I’d kind of forget the game and then suddenly David would say, ‘That PLAICE on the corner’ instead of ‘That house...’  He once did it to me on stage. I had to turn away from the audience as I was shaking with laughter. I’d really love to work with him again.

Thank You! to everyone who shared set photos

Other posts from this set:  [ one ] [ two ] [ three ] [ four ] [ five ] [ six ] [ seven ] [ eight ] [ nine ] [ ten ] [ eleven ] [ twelve ] [ thirteen ] [ fourteen ] [ fifteen ] [ sixteen ] (or click on the #whoBtsEot tag)

[low-budget-korra]

Coments on The L Word Gen Q season finale

Quiara and Shane

Quiara is gorgeus but toxic as fuck. She literally wants to force Shane to become a parent.

Shane did everything right, always being honest even when she "embraced" the idea.

Where’s Carmen? Carmen wouldn't hurt Shane like that

Bette

I already imagined that Bette would lose because if she won the show would have to deal with all the politics and would run away from the "queer group of friends" focus of the show

But when the result came out I was devastated. I wish Bette had won.

And That beautiful scene of her and Angie screaming is just all I want to do sometimes

Alice, Nat (and Gigi?)

The whole scene in Alice's show was perfect. Nat really made me like her in this scene. And that really was what she needed for her to really live happily with Alice, to solve the things she didn't solve with Gigi.

I think that this whole scene makes it kind of clear that the trouple doesn't come back for second season but I really hope they find some role for Gigi next season because every time she appears on screen my depression is cured.

If the problem is creating a storyline for the character, they can hire me to be her romantic couple, no problem at all.

Just keep Sepideh Moafi in season 2, I beg you.

Micah and Jose

I mean, Jose can be in an open marriage right? But even so, if that's the case, he should have talked to Micah first. I dont know what to think i was shoked just like Micah

Sophie, Dani and Finley

Sophie is canceled for me, she will have to work hard to earn my respect in the second season. After all, she broke Dani and Finley's heart.

And grl, wasn't it that Dani's father wasn't right? All it takes was a little hard time to Sophie to cheat and think about leaving Dani, because honestly I think that in the end she went after Finley.

Do you know what made me mad? Yes, Dani's problem was work and the priority she gave it to work. But after it's over, you can see how much there is no doubt that she loves Sophie and wants to be with Sophie.

After work was over she not only wanted to work things out with Sophie but also with her father.

And grl ... She was so happy to say that she was going to marry Sophie, while Sophie said it with no emotion in her face.

And Finley? Finley felt guilty about something she was not to blame.

Even if she was already in love with Sophie, she made no move and she tried to walk away and pretend that nothing happened after the kiss. Sophie was the one who went after her more than one time

Seeing Finley's reaction, blaming herself for what happened and afraid to destroy the relationship between Dani and Sophie, pulling the blame all on herself. It really broke my heart. I love Finley, there's something about her that really hits home for me, maybe it's "i dont know what to do with my life" thing

Sincerely, I hope that they explore the character more in the next season because for me she is the most interesting of the new ones.

PS: And was that bike stolen? FINLEY!

Ps: The actors are all amazing this season. Hate it  or love it  the character, the actors really made a good job on them. Both Jennifer Beals and Jacqueline Toboni really shines in those more dramatic scenes, and Jennifer Beals performance in that dinner scene in episode 07 was Emmy worthy for me.

Leisha Hailey had an amazing comic time, no jokes out of time. Kate Moening still manage to bring this “aura” on Shane, like she really hasnt change but you can see she changed, i dont know. 

Arienne Mandi and Rosanny Zayas had a good chemistry which makes a lil painfull watch the relationship fall apart. And , i dont know if was intentional but Arienne really brings some Bette Porter vibes to her Dani. And Rosanny didnt need to say a word to me to know what she was thinking (Thats how i know Sophie goes after Finley) 

Leo Sheng acting really gets better during the season. I wanna see more of Micah in season 2 for sure.

And i love the commitment all the actors have during the sex scenes, they are both gorgeus and real. Those scenes looks a bit akward to film, so yeah, thanks for make it great

[autumnslance]

29 Letter

“There you are, kupo! You’re a hard man to find!”

Thancred took a deep breath and slid his dagger back into its scabbard when he realized it was just a moogle suddenly bobbing a fulm from his head. “Apologies for that,” he said, not clarifying. He wasn’t even sure if the fuzzball realized how close she had come to losing her pom.

The moogle bounced, unperturbed. “The important thing is I found you and can do my duty!” She cheered, waving an envelope in his face. “Our deputy postmistress was very specific that this be handed to you personally, no leaving it in secret!”

Thancred blinked and took the envelope, uncertain what the moogle was talking about--until he saw the handwriting on the surface, the familiar slants and swirls of the letters of his name.

Of course; Aeryn had once gotten herself wrapped up in some postmoogle’s woes and ended up running a few dozen errands for them and the Seedseers. He recalled teasing her about the hat they’d given her for her help; she had proceeded to wear it for a time after just to prove she wasn’t bothered.

He had actually found it adorable on her, but wasn’t about to tell Aeryn that, not back then (even if Moenbryda had been merciless in her own teasing of Thancred, despite all protestation it wasn’t Like That; ah, he missed Moen).

“Right, thank you for the delivery,” Thancred said--before realizing the moogle was gone, or at least invisible again. He sighed and made his way to the old monk cell he had claimed for quarters in the wreckage of Rhalgr’s Reach.

The mood in the encampment was still subdued and somber, the last of the hasty funeral rites having been completed. Rebuilding was proceeding slowly and with a great deal of caution, Alliance soldiers supplementing Resistance personnel to keep guard and restock. Thancred was here to take over for Y’shtola--soon to be moved back to the Rising Stones--and for those who had gone to the Far East to cause trouble for the Empire there in the meantime.

Thancred sat on the narrow bunk where he’d tossed down his bedroll, leaning against the wall to open the letter. The ink was a dark blue, the paper an unfamiliar but fine texture. For a long moment he simply scanned his eyes across it, noting the familiar loops and lines of Aeryn’s handwriting filling the page, each letter neat and exacting, almost as if printed. She had apparently had a strict teacher at one point, who had taken offense to her negligent, childish scrawl, and so she had practiced to make her letters faultless out of sheer spite.

Come to think of it, annoying Aeryn to the point of rebellious compliance seemed to be a fair tactic.

He returned to the top of the letter and began to read in earnest, hearing the words in her voice.

“By this point you’ve received at least one of Alphinaud’s exhaustive formal reports that’s no doubt strained your eye already, but I still wished to share with you my own view of our travels and arrival in Kugane…”

He had indeed read Alphinaud’s report, as he always did, and given a much shortened summary to the General and Y’shtola. Most of Aeryn’s details were the same, if written with more of a mind to entertain than inform, with a few different details here and there, though nothing contradictory.

He reached the end of the few pages she had sent--it was also much more concise than Alphinaud’s reports--and he frowned as he looked at the sweeping peak of the “A” at the start of her name. Simple, informal, and practically elegant. He returned his gaze to the top of that page to finish reading properly.

“Our talk in the Rising Stones before we left for Doma was all too brief but I enjoyed it greatly. I’ve (the ink blotted a little here, as if she had tapped her pen in thought before committing to the next carefully written words) missed our longer talks and if you’ll forgive my saying so that felt comfortably like one of them. Too much has happened over the last year, but I wouldn’t mind more talks like that again in the future.”

Thancred thunked his head back against the wall, taking a moment to watch the sun’s ray shift in angle and color through the little slit window, as it made its way westward.

He had missed those talks as well, and recognized his own fault in their ending, once he had returned from the wilderness. He was beginning to realize it wasn’t just frustration at his changed condition, nor anger and grief over Minfilia’s fate. He had heard the stories about his colleagues’ time in Ishgard, read reports, listened to the gossip and rumors...and had been jealous.

Jealous of the brief relationship Aeryn had with a good man who had been lost. Jealous of those who had been there for moons and now vied for her affections.

Absolutely, utterly ridiculous, but there it was. It had abated recently, between everything else that had happened, and then with those rare moments Thancred and Aeryn had the chance to talk and just spend time together, almost the way they used to.

And now here was her letter, penned separately from the reports, delivered directly, requesting more.

“Don’t read too much into it,” he muttered to himself. Yet even as he finished the letter, he couldn’t help but feel...almost giddy. Which was even more ridiculous.

His eye lingered over the closing: 

“Til next time, Aeryn” 

There was evidence of yet more hesitation, of beginning to write one thing, scratching it out, and replacing it with that simple, innocuous little phrase.

He would write a response; there were many things he had noted as wanting to tell her about anyway, from the amusing to the macabre that she would find of interest. And it would mean another letter in return…

Gods, he really was acting like a besotted schoolboy. Perhaps a talk with Y’shtola was in order, before she returned home. That would be a douse of icy logic on his mindset and get him back to a reasonable perspective.

In the meantime he folded the letter back into its envelope and tucked it into a pocket in his vest.

[lambs-rest]

Mask of Grief - Make Your Peace

“Master Louisoux… I understand now…the choice you made… In death…there is life. Farewell, Urianger…you daft old coot.”

Granye threw open the doors to the Waking Sands with those words ringing in her ears.

It was like the hot chocolate had brought her back to life, reignited her sense of purpose. The only thing that stopped her from outright sprinting to Vesper Bay from Horizon was the logic that a chocobo porter would be faster, and speed was her priority.

But once she was there, standing in front of the door to the common room in the Waking Sands, breathing hard to get her breath back after her mad sprint from the Bay’s front gate, she floundered.

How was she supposed to broach the topic? It was still raw as an open wound. For a moment she doubted: would her worlds be salt, or a salve?

No matter what they were…

‘He has to know.’

She lifted her hand and knocked three times, loud and clear.

“Angel? I’s Granye. Are ye in?”

There was a sound of shuffling and a scraping chair before Urianger bade her enter. She pushed open the door and looked around. He was standing in his back corner, swimming in books, with his back turned. He was alone.

She closed the door and made her way toward him, stopping behind the table in an attempt to give him space. Granye wished for the fortitude that had taken her when she drank that hot chocolate…

‘I’m sorry’ was the first thing that almost came off her lips. She frowned and lowered her head. It wasn’t about her. It was about him. He was feeling something awful, something he didn’t have to.

“She knew.”

He paused his hand over the book before him, fingertips brushing the page. Granye cursed her mouth for running at the same time as her brain. The agonising was taken out of her hands now, so she breathed deep.

“Yda told me what ye were thinkin’ about Moen and Louisoux. But she knew, at the end. I heard ‘er. She said…that she understood the choice he made.” The words stuck in her throat. Tears she thought she’d run dry of welled in her eyes. She breathed deep. “An’ she said goodbye to you. Called ye a daft old coot.”

Urianger bowed his head. Granye could not see the broken, tired smile on his lips.

“…I dinnae ken if that helps ye, but I had to tell ye.” She stared at the books, the spines of titles she couldn’t read. “…I’ll be blamin’ meself fer her bein’ put in a spot like tha’ t’all, dinnae matter what any’ne says…but ye dinnae have to blame yerself for not tellin’ ‘er. …Ye did nae fail her, angel, I promise.”

His hand dropped into a loose fist against the page.

“I-” Urianger’s voice caught, and he faltered. “…Thank you, Granye. Thy words…do indeed bring me much comfort.”

Her expression crumpled at the trembling of his voice. He was crying, or damn near about to.

“Angel… Come ‘ere.”

He tilted his head partway at her beckoning call, confused until she tugged him to turn completely. He supposed he should have expected it when Granye wrapped him in a hug. The initial reaction was to stiffen, to ‘play dead’ until she lost interest. Yet, the ache that gnawed at his heart lured him to relax, if only a little. The lingering scent of something sweet was almost soothing. Getting teary behind his goggles did no favours for the lenses, nor his vision in general, but…he found he could indulge for a little moment.

“If ye ever want to talk – about Moen, about anythin’ – just call me on the shell, aye?” Granye said quietly.

He nodded against her shoulder. “Aye.”

---

Rathefrost gleamed in the clear, sunny day that bathed Mor Dhona. Granye waited some ways from the stone at the base of the tree. Yda was knelt in memorial, the moon daisy they had obtained, placed at the foot of the stone.

Thaliak.

She glared at the stone and the symbol of an open scroll engraved upon it.

Azeyma. Nald’Thal. Thaliak.

Useless, the lot of them.

The Twelve – for all their worth – could have been the Zero, and nothing would have changed. Silent gods were not gods; they were figments. Granye could no longer entertain the idea that the Twelve were anything of substance. If they were, then they were the cruellest patrons in all the heavens. Silent, sadistic cretins that watched from afar and laughed at the struggles of man.

What was the point of asking them to watch over living or the dead? What was the point of praying to a god that didn’t answer your prayers?

Her expression soured again, hardening into a horrid scowl.

“Why do you not hear us? Do our words no longer reach You?”

Her teeth ground together.

Useless.

Granye would take no gods as her own. No deity was worth her worship or love, not when they had all failed her so grossly.

Some might call her weak of faith. Her some twenty-six summers of faith in Azeyma might say otherwise. Yet, how could she rightly believe in a god that left her alone and yearning for justice when she needed it most? And, most pressingly, how could she confidently place her faith in anything? Faith was a weapon. The devout could turn to kindling or slaves at any time for their precious gods. Gods she was sworn to slay…

The words of the Black Wolf haunted her conscience.

How were the Twelve any different to the primals?

“The song riseth to a crescendo.”

She whipped her head sharply toward the whelp of a dragon king that appeared at her side suddenly. Yet, he was gazing at the sky, transfixed, before glittering aether swathed his body and swept him away.

She had no time to ponder or curse – whichever took her fancy first – before a great and terrible roar sounded. It chilled her blood and fastened her to her spot. Not since they had driven the XIVth legion from Eorzea had she heard a roar like that, and even then…

Yda backed away from the tree til she reached Granye’s side. “Granye… That didn’t come from the dead dragon on the lake…did it?”

“No, Yda. Tha’ came from somethin’ else.”

A chorus of screeches suddenly swarmed above them, a wave of shadows filtering the sun, wingbeats pounding together like a heart.

“…Are those what I think they are?”

“…Aye.”

Wyverns swarmed overhead, screaming and howling as one as they flew north.

North, to Coerthas.

Granye had no doubt the Dragonstar would be burning brightly were it night, for there was no question. 

A great wyrm had called.

———————–

<- Previous | Next TBW ->

[sockpansy]

Why are you guys sleeping on Cinderella?

Alright, so a few days ago, i watched all 3 Cinderella movies and just...

This girl

Is amazing!

In her first movie, she has to do all the chore and be a maid to her stepfamily, but she still works hard, but she doesnt take everything so easily. This girl has attitude every small chance she gets! She axts nice when she is getting in trouble for something that isnt her fault, but she still triws to defend herself. Even thoughout the movie she tries to speak for herself and has snide comments when she can.

Dispite the hatred of her stepfamily, she is still kind to others! She even manages to convince her stepmother to let her keep a dog, so long as he doesnt cause trouble. She dresses, saves, and feeds the mice, just because she can. She is always looking out for others, even if it ia a small thing. And all her help got her repaid when the mice made her dress for her, although they did (technically) steal- causing the dresses destruction.

She wasnt after the prince actually. It seemed that the prince was far from her mind. She just wanted a magical night of fun, to go to the ball, and she worked so hard to get all her chores done so that she could...she aaid she wouldn't go when her dress wasnt finished, but quickly ran down in the new dress the mice made in excitement.

Then it gets ruins, and she runs iut to the garden. Cinderella had put so much effort into just having one fun night....so much work just to have it ripped from her last minute. It is perfectly understandable that she would break down crying after all that. Then fair godmother shows up, and cinderella doesnt stop thanking her.

Plus! She didnt know it was the prince she met st the ball. Althought we dont know whag they talked about, it is shown thst cinderella and prince charming spent all night together - and she disnt even know he was the prince! She says it when she runs away.

Then the rest of the story unfolds. The prince has the grand duke search for her, she geta locked in her room, the mice come to her rescue, and after the glass slipper breaks, she shows thst she has the other slipper, and gets to marry the prince.

In the first movie, she was her own person, who wantwd a night to have fun, and got a lifetime of happiness after all her hard work, and help from others when it was needed!

But movie two shows a bit more if herself.

Movie two has three stories in it, and I love that they made Anastasia redeemable! She became my favorite. But this is not about her (yet).

Cinderella spends the firdt story, trying to be the best princess she can be, by doing jt by the book. She puts forth a lot od effort, not for the man she loves, because she wants to. In the end. She decides that doing it by the book isn't her, and she changes it up, but doesn't shoot her teacher down. She is still friendly ans inviting to her, she never says that her way was dumb, she just wantws to plan things in a new way. She opens the curtains, has dun with colors, music, and dances, and she incites the commoners into the castle. In the end, she has the most slpendid party, and the king and prince approve.

The second story is mostly about jakjak wanting to her cinderelly more, but we do see how cinderella is always finding ways to help people.

The third story is about Anastasia finding love, amoung a common baker. Cinderella finds her, but instead of laughinf st her or ingoring her, she offers her help. She teaches Anastasia how to be beautiful as she is, and helps her find a way to end up with the baker, and speak up for herself. Agian, cinderella was more of a background character here, but she was more active in thsi one.

Now Cinderella three.

This movie takes the cake.

Now, the secibs movie is completely ignored. Anastasia isnt with the baker, and instead, end sup stealing fairy godmother wand, which the evil step mother uses to turn time back to the moening after the dance. She makes Anastasia fit the shoe, and Cinderella misses her chance to show the prince loves her. Now this movie has character developement for EVERYONEA. Cinderella, Anastasia, the prince, and his dad! Cinderella is threatened to never go near the palace, but she knows that her night st the ball wasnt a dream. She sings the most bomb aong ever, and like, why is 'a dream is a wish your heart makes' her song? Like...this one is so much better (in my,personal opinion). She sets oht for the castle, where she sneaks in as a servant, lies about being the royal mouse catcher, hunts down the prince (who was spelled to not remember her) tried to get him to remember, and yeah, she give a up a bit, until the mice tell her that the prince was cursed. Then she is back tenfold! She works to steal the wand, and almost manages to save the prince, before the gaurda catch her. She end sup on a boat, out of the kingdom, and she actually gices up here, which is understandable. But the prince chases after her, and it is a bwautiful scene, go atach the movie, please, the boat scene is adorable. After that, when Anastasia is turned into her, she is asking if it will make anastasia happy, and when she is in a runaway pumpkin carriage of doom, she keeps the mice as safe as possible, while fighting an evil cat. She then crashes her own wedding, and stepped in front of anastasia to protect her from the spell that the stepmother was going to cast. She was headstrong and determined, and she always gave it her all, for even a silver of hope. She only gave up when there was nothing she could do anymore, and it is wasnt given back to her.

Anastasia found out thag she wanted to love someone who would love her back, and (kinda) turned agianst her mother, she refused to msrry the prince, and stayed by Cinderella side, but she still loved her mother, never telling her off. I found it kinda nice, they didn't turn her around to hate her mother suddenly. Anastasia had always worked for her mothers praise, and im sure it hurt to be called a 'spoiled ' child, but she did what was right, for everyone, and her heart as well.

The prince was given moee than a few lines, and was a key part in the story. Not jsut a driving force. He was shown as talented in many things, like a prince would be, but had humor to himself too, he saw anastasia the firdt time, and flat out asked if he was in the wrong room. He believed talking mice when they told him he had the wrong girl, and he JUMPS OUT A WINDOW for her. He also calls her cinderelly, which was a nice little laugh. He uses his sword to hit thw final magic spell to the stepmother, and spwnt the entire movie just looking for the love of his life.

The king was a good laugh, and wss more than just a shott tempted dad aho wants grandkids. He had some logic to him flst out saying "you csnt pick a girl all because of her shoes" and he took anastasia aside to give her a shell that means the world to him, because it was a symbol of the loce between him and his wife. He was still shorttemped, but was showing more of the dad side of him.

Overall, Cinderella herself, as a princess, is more than someone who waited aeound for help. She was always working for a happier life, and when she got the chance, would give it all she got until she couldnt anymore. In conclusion

We stan

[nooraiskind]

A Little Like a Serial Killer (Transcript)

Blank 3x01, Clip 4 Thursday, October 31, 2019

(Scrolls through list of offline friends)

... Chat to Fredrik: Interested in a game? Fredrik: Yes Helicopter over, helicopter! Yes, I see it Good... that's good I got him Yeah, really good, man. Jump out jump out jump out! There are usually people at the church here. Up here up here up here! Just jump out of the boat and come here How do I jump out of the boat? Hey, uh, the "V" key Yeah Where are you? Behind you Good good good. Arg, I'm almost dead I'm running over Good. I'm coming now. I'm there. Further! Enemy here, enemy here! Behind you- Fuck! I'm dead You died? Yeah Okay Oh my god, you're so good. What the fuck? I just did a little snort Where do you live now?/Where are you living? In Moen Still living at home? Yeah, just while I take some courses** Cool, I'm at home now and- I actually just moved home again Did you? Oh yes, cool! Should we just play another one? Start new again? Yeah, but I'm actually little hungry so I think I'm going to eat something first I'm actually starting to notice that myself, I've been playing for a while We could eat something together! We could meet at Haugli and maybe get Pizza or kebob or something? Yeah Hello? Yeah we can do that Yeah? ... Here's a Pepsi Thanks And then here's the kebob It's good though It's good It's a shame you quit (cross country) skiing Did you ski? No, but I remember that- remember that you were really good I was good when I was ten Yeah- When I was ten Yes, I remember that. And it was- It was really fun to watch, when you did it, like So it was.. So it was a pity that you stopped Are you a '99-er or? No, '00-er Okay But I went to "studiespes"/trade school(?) Not electrical.* "Estudiamos espanjoles juntos"... We had Spanish together Yeah! Okay that's right Yes, so that's just why I said that. It was maybe a bit nerdy.. No, no, no! Oh my god. I just didn't remember that we had Spanish (together) No? No, that's completely fine. That isn't very weird actually, because I sat in the back and you sat in the front, so you didn't see me Now it's being to get a little.. Yes (they laugh) Now it's starting to become a little too much A little serial killer-ish Yeah, a little serial killer-ish, actually! "I remember that you sat..." That's right Snapchat: "Orientation in the gym. Get ready to start search and rescue (training)*" Didn't think you guys were together anymore Me and Karoline? Mhm Yes, we're together Good Why didn't you think that? Umm... No, I just though that since you'd moved and such. So... like that... It's really lovely that you guys are still together Yeah? Yeah Yeah, we are together, in any case

--- *There was a lot that I needed to look up for this clip. As always, I'll have a clearer version once the full episode comes out!

**This seems to have to do with him finishing up his course requirements at trade school to get his fagbrev. @hakkepeiling​ has a good explanation in her notes here

[whitherwanderer]

30 // abstracted

It was a strange double-standard she held to her world like a torch. A promise to keep it all lit, or a threat to burn it, if she saw fit to do so. A sermon of song: don’t follow this path, but if you should, there will be someone to walk it with you. An angel in your ear, a devil on your shoulder. Breathe the smoke, drink the poison. Just to prove you can.

This was the way of the star they walked.

Fire followed this rule, too. She supposed that’s why she had always thought herself kin to the flame. Provide light, provide warmth for the small price of whatever fuel you can feed it. Whatever you can afford to lose in exchange for the chance at another sunrise. A fire makes a hearth, a hearth makes a home—just as easily as a spitting spark or an errant ember can take it.

He called her a light once. A light, given just a bit more oil. She kept that memory like a secret, guilty in knowing that a light meant the gift of sight. But if beyond the black was horror—or worse, disappointment—was it a gift at all? Was it better to live in the lie?

But lie she did. To herself, to him, to the star. There’d come a day they could face the truth with open eyes—maybe tomorrow. A hundred sunrises had come and gone, but tomorrow never seemed to arrive. Life in perpetual twilight, preparing for a night that wouldn’t come to relieve them of the dread and a dawn that wasn’t promised. It was maddening enough for anyone to understand why she would turn to the fire in lieu of sun.

And what if it came? Would it be all she hoped? All he hoped? He called her a light, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t still a fire, and it was easy to convince a fool living in the dark that pyrite is gold. It scared her to think of what she would do when morning came and he wasn’t there.

But until then, she was a light. She was an angel. She was gold. And they would soldier on by firelight as if there was nothing more to the star than these truths.

Maybe she wasn’t a Walker, but she could sure play the part.

—

OOC Notes: This is an incoherent mess, but I guess that's kinda on brand for the prompt.

And that's a wrap for 2021. Definitely not my proudest FFXIV Write year, but 29/30 isn't bad. Thanks again to Moen/Sylb for running this and encouraging us all to get ourselves writing, and congrats to everyone who participated. 💛

[hellyeahscarleteen]

Here is how it works. For every $1 you donate to Scarleteen here, we'll issue you one raffle ticket as a thank you. If you donate $10, we'll hook you up with 13 tickets. Donate $15, we'll give you 20 tickets. Donate $20, you get 27 tickets. Donate $25, 35 tickets. Want to donate more than $25.. email us!

You can choose which prize(s) you want to enter into by selecting them above. We'll evenly divide your tickets up among the ones you select (if you select more items than the number of tickets you are entitled to we'll choose from what you have selected). We will not mail you any tickets. 

Note: This is an 18+ online raffle due to the fact that a lot of the prizes are sex toys.

FINE PRINT! PLEASE READ:

The raffle will run 1/7/19 - 1/21/19. Winnings can be shipped to your US address for free after the event. If you want to enter this raffle but do not have a US address, you will have to pay for shipping if you win. Winnings can also be picked up in our Chicago shop (and if you are in the area we ask that you do pick up in-store). Drawing held on 1/22/18. Donations made via our website are not tax dedcutible. If you wish you make a tax-deducible donation to scarleteen, you can do so here. Email us (searah@early2bed.com) your receipt and we hook you up with the raffle tickets!

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• Buffering the Vampire Slayer Pack: Smash the Demon Lizard Patriarchy Tee, Girl Gang Tee Angel on Top Tee, 3 Enamel Pins, Season 3 CD.

• Erika Moen & Matthew Nolan Pack: Drawn to Sex The Basics and Oh Joy Sex Toy Coloring Book

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• SpareParts Deuce Harness (designed for folks with a penis)

• Elle Chase's Curvey Girl Sex Pack: Curvey Girl Sex Book and two NSFW Coloring Books

[fae-magic]

Nervous Habits: Tessana bas Daragan

nail biting | throat clearing | lying | interrupting | chewing the ends of pens | smoking | swearing | knuckle cracking | thumb sucking | muttering under their breath | talking to themselves | nose picking | drinking | oversleeping | snacking between meals | skipping meals | picking at skin | impulse buying | talking with their mouth full | humming to themselves | chewing gum | leg jiggling | foot tapping | hair twirling | whistling | eye rolling | licking lips | sniffing | squinting | rubbing hands together | jaw clenching | gesturing while talking | putting feet on tables | tucking hair behind ears | chewing lips | putting hands on hips | rubbing the back of their neck | being late | procrastinating | doodling | shredding paper | peeling off bottle labels | forgetfulness | running hands through hair | overreacting | teeth grinding | nostril flaring | slouching | pacing | drumming fingers | fist clenching | pinching bridge of nose | rubbing temples | rolling shoulders

Tagged by: @cassian-kane (thank you for the tag!)

Tagging: @moltvurildrilasffxiv @resistance-ranger @bad-moen-rising @kyrie-silverwings @azims-chosen @az-ffxiv @corsair-extraordinaire (if you’ve been tagged before, sorry! lol)

[starwroughtchild]

🆓 + Moon/Vadal! ;) Maybe you won't get a sad one. lol

1d23  = (4) = 4

4: A sleepy, good morning kiss

The Seeker had long been used to nights where he only got three or four hours of sleep, and over the past several years his body had adapted to run on it from before sun up to well after sun down. He could recall the clear early morning skies of saffron reds and corn silk yellows dotted with the palest wisps of clouds that greeted him above deck of the Janky Dodger each morning. It had been enough.

It had been before he had become a father.

The gurgling of the coffee pot mixed with the sounds of the child moving about in her crib, wide awake and restless. She had pulled him out of sleep three times during the night and three times he had roused to soothe, feed, change and comfort her so they could both go back to sleep. Now dressed and trying to wake for his first of two jobs of the day he blessed the seemingly never sleeping Roegydan woman that moved around his apartment behind him. Like her namesake Moon was a blessing to any who did not fully rise until the sun did like himself. Really, he aught to get her flowers or something. Maybe a card, if they made ‘thank you for selflessly being on call to help even though you don’t know me from a sack of furry bricks’ cards. He ruminated on the possibility that ‘furry brick’ was as good a moniker for him as any when Moon spoke up from where she sat in one of the armchairs, V’aelri in her arms.

“Are you going to be alright? You look-”

“Like hell.”

“Like hell, yeah.”

Honesty. He appreciated that. “Soon as ah drink this pot of coffee ah’ll be fine. Ah ‘preciate this Moon...again. Don’t mean t’ treat ya like a babysitter. Ah’ll make it up t’ ya somehow, promise.” 

“Just buy me something expensive and it might be enough.”

“Hah.”

N’evadal poured himself a cup of coffee in the largest tankard he owned and stuffed a sweet roll into the pocket of his work shirt. Limsa Lominsa docks were mercifully close to where he lived in Mists; a proper breakfast was only half an hour away.

He had turned towards the door when V’aelris whine drew him up short. “Course. How could ah forget?” He shuffled over to where the kit was standing up in Moons arms and bent down to press a kiss on the top of the infants head. “Ya be a good girl for Moon now. Anda’ll be back soon. -You- be good too.” He side eyed the roegydan and, still half asleep, planted a soft whiskery kiss to her temple before he moved away.

“No promises.”

“Hah!”

@bad-moen-rising @freekuponuts

[abrahamsnotes]

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕕

Let’s go back years ago! When I was young and dumb haha😅..

So where do I start? What age should I start ? hmmm... Okay not too far so when I was in primary school I used to fight a lot with my friends, sometimes just for fun and sometimes for real😣 I had a lot of problems in schools, yeah schools because I went to 4 different schools, cause I was a disruptive child, I did a lot of stupid things, I talked a lot in class and I was bothering the class, teachers and everything, like alwaays 😅 I even broke a kid’s arm in a fight😣😣 So yeaah this period was full of fights but it was also a good period I made really good friends ! Even though I’m not seeing them anymore😔 But I still can contact them on social media so its fine. (Why am I telling you this you’ll see it later)

Now we are entering one of my worst period, I think it was actually my worst years but thankful that I came out stronger! So let me tell you what happened those years in “collège” (middle school I think, I don’t know). So the first year lol I was still fighting yeah :/, but less than before ! And it was more fighting for fun like class vs another class. So yeah this is where I met my bestfriend Bilel, we didn’t like each other at first and we got into a little fight for nothing, and then we became bestfriends! I was still a disruptive child, always bothering teachers etc ! next year hmm one day I played basketball, I was doing very good until a guy kicked me behind the shin and it broke...😥 so I went to the hospital I stayed like 2 weeks, I had surgery, my very first surgery I stayed in the hospital alone, very bored watching TV. It was like a torture, but the most painful thing was the probe, they put a tube in your thingy and press your belly to remove the pee anyways, it was the most painful thing i’ve ever felt physically ! But the most heartwarming part was when I received letters from my friends and my principal, and they were texting me and sending me messages like “please come back quickly we miss you” and yeah it was heartwarming. Next year I had a sprain on my knee in the same leg (left one) by playing basketball again, and my knee moved but it was okay I just couldn’t walk properly. Next year, I broke my right leg, in handball, I was crying not because I broke my leg but because I was tired of breaking my legs 😔 So I had another surgery and I got homeschooled, for 4 months. I lost a lot of weight , I became really skinny! 😩 After that the next year I couldn’t walk properly so I had another surgery on the left knee because the knee wasn’t in the right place, so yeah my whole “collège” years I was basically spending more time in a hospital than my school.

High school, My first year in high school was very hard, I was scared when it was sports class, because we did the 3x500m, so I was scared to run because it was the first time I was running after 2 years not running 😣 but came out really good actually, I came 2nd ! Well anyway, so yeah this year was the year I got to know a little bit about Jesus, cause yeah my parents are christians and I was raised in the christian world but I wanted to get out of this, because I didn’t like to go to church and stuff like that, I was bored and always sleeping. Anyway, I was saying that this was the year I got to know I little bit about Jesus, because one of my classmate was in a Gospel choir and she invited me to join her group, so I went with a friend of mine and then we started to hanging out with each other ! I really liked the gospel choir they were very welcoming and everything and this is where I started singing, I sang when i was younger but not that serious and I was saying to myself I can’t sing. But this gospel thing really helped me open myself not in singing but I became a little bit more confident about myself. But at the time I was singing because I always liked to sing but I did that for myself only not for the glory of God. Same year this is where I entered the church i’m in right now called CEC, and this is where I entered the youth group there ! Second year I entered the choir, by an audition ! But still I was singing because I like to sing, but over time I learned that, God gave me this gift, and He wanted me to use this gift to give praise to him ! So he gave me an opportunity to share my gift to others by a Youth concert! It was the first time I was singing a solo in front of people ! It was a big challenge for me, because I was so nervous and I was scared to fail, the song I sang was God will make a way by Don Moen, this song always reminds me of my dad because he was singing this song all the time ! And yeah God made a way for me because I was lost, I didn’t know what to do after my surgeries I was depressed I thought my life was pointless not to the point I wanted to kill myself but I felt useless :/ but he made a way that I didn’t know I was actually following. So yeah after the concert I became even more confident than before and I stopped fightings! But yeah I still had struggles and pains on other things. I was struggling in school because I was still a disruptive child haha and always bothering teachers, I didn’t change on this side, struggling in relationships too lol😅. But entering this church and the youths was a start for me to change.

Last year of high school, I was still a clown in class, always the one to do stupid things to make laugh my classmates, this is how I became close with every class I had, by making them laugh ! But this last year I became a little bit more serious because it was the BAC, final exams ! So yeah at the end of the year I was praying God to guide me and help me, but still I said that if it’s your will for me to not pass those exams then your will be done, if it’s your will for me to pass then I will pass those exams ! I felt bad about praying only for this moment, because I wasn’t praying that much but when it comes to this haha suddenly you need God ? You need God everyday of your life ! Not only when you want to ! So yeah I felt bad for this! So I passed yeeey !🙌🙌

After this, I went to uni, but didn’t work out ! And I started a relationship with someone and I got my first work, In a shoe store where I met a lot of good people, but this year was really tiring gosh, cause I was more and more absent in the church and the youths ! And my relationship :/ she was upset because for her I was here but not here (if you know what i mean), and I was doing my best to make her happy and everything, I was buying her clothes and everything, but still :/ it wasn’t enough, I gave her my time in my day off, I canceled plans with some friends because she wanted to see me and if i didn’t see her, she would sulk me🙄. Anyway really tiring year, so one year past and I broke up with her 😕 It was hard, very hard because 1 year its not nothing! But I think it was for the best because she became closer to God, she created a relationship with him, and like I always say “We may have lost a relationship, but she won a bigger one and I became closer to him too” and I am very happy for her. And this is where I really changed, there was a hillsong young and free free concert! I went with some youths and it was waaaw, I didn’t want the concert to finish it was overwhelming ! This was the time I decided to surrender my life to him, to God! So after that he gave me a lots of trials and tests, because the more you get closer to God the more tests and trials you have ! I applied for nike and I had an interview and I was waiting for their answer, It was very long so I started to pray a lot but no answer and I was angry, for a long time but then it hit me I had to wait because his timings is perfect ! So yeah I waited a little bit more and boum I got the job ! He taught me patience! Then the fasting was approaching, and when it came, I decided to fast anger, because I was warm-blooded, I could get angry very fast ! (this is why I was always talking about fighting and everything, I used to fight a lot because I’m warm-blooded and hyperactive so yeah not the good combo) So when I decided that, God knew that I was going to fast this, so he gave me a lot of trials and tests, some tests i’ve failed really badly, because he wasn’t only testing my anger, but he was testing my faith in him, If I had a problems I was going to rely on him, but I’m human and human make mistakes ! But every decisions you make God can still work in you even if it’s bad or good, you just have to ask wisdom and guidance. So yeah I made mistakes, but I don’t regret it, I’ve learned from it, And I wouldn’t even be here now, those mistakes I made, made me who I am now and it lead me to someone I never thought I would be with now✨✨ And I’m really blessed to be by her side, and it might sound corny but I hope to be by her side forever, God was preparing me for this relationship, cause now I see why my other relationships didn’t work... God should be the foundation of all relationships, my girlfriend told me “If everyone was searching for a Godly relationship, there would be no more heartbreaks” So yeah I could still talk about my relationship now but I prefer to keep the details for now personal.

To conclude God changed me and saved me, I became less angry, I’m for peace now haha😂, don’t wanna get into fights anymore, I became more patient, I pray a lot more than before, I read my bible ALMOST everyday cause yeah sometimes I don’t. So that’s it, I’m sure I forget to say some things but it’s fine It’s long enough. Thanks for reading ! If I did some mistakes let me know and If went this far waw🙌 I would be bored if was you

[hotwaternow]

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[abangtech]

Is artificial intelligence changing art? – Scienceline

Jonathan Moens: I forced a bot to watch over 1,000 hours of Seinfeld episodes and then asked it to write an episode of its own. Here is the first page.

Automated Bot Voice: George and Elaine sit on the couch. Jerry eats a plate of cereal. George…

Hannah Seo: You may be familiar with this viral Twitter meme format. The idea is that a bot consumes content, learns from it, and spews out a script for similar content, which ends up being a touch off the mark and yet wildly funny. This meme format began as early as two whole years ago, and while it is definitely fake — no bots actually produced any scripts just from watching videos — the meme alludes to a very real and growing phenomenon. 

Allison Parrish: I think these techniques actually have a really, really long history.

Hannah Seo: That’s Allison Parrish. She’s an assistant arts professor at NYU’s Interactive Media Arts program. 

Allison Parrish: My practice is mainly focused on text. What I do is make computer-generated poetry, it’s been the main focus of my arts practice for the past 10 years or so.

Hannah Seo: Allison has published a book of computer-generated poetry. She fed a statistical modeling program lines of poetry from a big database. Then the program scored each line based on its phonetics and sequenced them based on how close the lines sounded to each other. 

Allison Parrish: I don’t actually believe that these techniques are new. If you look at the history of like, specifically computer-generated poetry, like, it goes back, you know, 70 years. 

If you think about language games, like you know, Pig Latin, or you think about games like Scrabble or things like that, letter blocks are a kind of algorithmic text composition. And I really just view myself as being one chain in that long link of poets and creative writers that have been working with chance, randomness and things like that.

Hannah Seo: Allison says that methods of randomness — like drawing words out of a hat to make a poem —  were used in the 20th century and prior. Her algorithm, she says, is doing something pretty similar, but the computer is doing the selecting, and at a faster rate. An algorithm, she says, is just a protocol, a methodology.

And it’s a methodology that can be applied to all sorts of art forms, including theater. 

Annie Dorsen: The first piece I made like this had no human performers at all, it was a piece for two computers. It was a chatbot performance, and the text was spoken by a text-to-speech synthesizer.

Hannah Seo: That’s Annie Dorsen. 

Annie Dorsen: I’m a theater director who works with computer programmers to write and design algorithms that then perform in algorithmic theater.

Hannah Seo: By “algorithmic theater”, Annie means using algorithms to generate new scripts for her performances. She’s created a number of theater productions over the years that run this way. Each show is completely unique, with the algorithm generating new scripts or music as the show goes on. 

Theater clip: 

Bot 1: Can machines think? 

Bot 2: I love games. 

Bot 1: You are going to lose. 

Bot 2: Thanks a lot for telling me I am going to lose. 

Bot 1: You’re very welcome. 

Bot 2: I think we better define our terms.

Hannah Seo: That was the chatbot piece that Annie was talking about, called “Hello Hi There”. It consisted of two chatbots whose lines were generated from algorithms that Annie programmed. The algorithm was designed to scrape text from a famous 1971 debate between Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault, as well as comments from YouTube videos for the debate and excerpts from other philosophical texts. She says the algorithm she used was fairly simple for a reason…

Annie Dorsen: I wanted the audience to maybe be able to reverse engineer in their minds how the algorithm is resequencing the text and what the linguistic rules might be. So that was part of that goal of having the audience be able to sort of understand or try to figure it out, to empower audiences really. 

Hannah Seo: With artificial intelligence, a computer is pretending to be a human. In theater, a human is pretending to be a different human. Because of that parallel, Annie knew AI (artificial intelligence) and theater were a perfect pair, especially in today’s oddly dystopian world.

Annie Dorsen: I think one issue we’re having, culturally, is that these tools are so complex, they’re so mysterious to so many people, that we feel a little helpless in the face of them. So I was always trying to — I am always trying to create pieces that really engage the imagination of the audience, which means they have to be able to think alongside the piece.

Hannah Seo: In a traditional theater show, you watch actors perform memorized lines that never change between performances. But in one of Annie’s shows, you see a performance evolve according to how the algorithm runs. A lot of what Annie does is bridging the gap between her audience and the weird, complicated world of programming. She likes to quote Arthur C. Clarke.

Annie Dorsen: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, and I always wanted to avoid that magic feeling. I sometimes refer to art that’s about what the technology can do as kind of trade show art. For those kinds of works, you can only have one response, which is “wow, that’s so cool.”

Hannah Seo: Allison, however, has a different take. 

Allison Parrish: A lot of my work has also been accused of being a tech demo. But, I’m fine with that. If you’re disparaging something for being a tech demo, then you’re disparaging the skill that goes into producing new forms of technology. And you’re also saying that that’s not a valid way of being expressive, which I don’t think is the case.

Hannah Seo: Allison says that a lot of people have a hard time viewing programming and algorithms as valid tools for creativity and expression. They often think that, because computers are machines, they must be objective, but she says that’s not true.

Allison Parrish: The idea that computers themselves are agents is a lie. And that’s why I’m very, very careful in my own work when I publish a book of poetry, it has Allison Parrish on the cover. It doesn’t say, like, Allison Parrish and poetry-bot 3000 because it’s my poetry. I wrote it, it was my intention. And I should get the credit if it’s good, and I should get the blame if it’s bad.

Hannah Seo: The use of algorithms and programming in art and creativity is an interesting, thought-provoking, and evolving area of work. But why do we even need AI in art? 

Annie Dorsen: Technology is affecting our relationships. It’s affecting our economies, it’s affecting our choices,  it’s affecting how we know what we know. Why do you need a novel? Why do you need a film? You need it because you’re curious about the world.

Hannah Seo: Making art that uses and comments on algorithms and AI is important because algorithms and AI in life are important. And perhaps with this art, we can better understand the technological world around us, and what it means to be a human living in it.

For Scienceline, I’m Hannah Seo.

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