vespaer77

[vespaer77]

the heavens are waiting, and you have work to do.

[vespaer77]

Say what you will about Solas, but I truly believe that in another life, Dorian and Fen'Harel would've been besties.

They're drunk and mean.

[vespaer77]

“how to recognize AI in fanfic” — hey so this is another not-gentle reminder that AI stole from us. it’s using OUR words and OUR sentences and OUR styles.

writing “long” paragraphs is not a sign of AI — it’s a common narrative choice many writers make both in fanfiction and in traditionally published novels, and AI stole it from us.

using an em dash is not a sign of AI. it’s a stylistic sentence choice that’s been an option in place of commas and semicolons for a very long time, and AI stole it from us.

long sentence structures are not a sign of AI, but are yet another stylistic choice writers often make to create a cadence and tone that mimics the flow of poetry, and AI stole it from us.

“YA narrative breaks”? i don’t even know what the fuck this means, but i can guarantee that AI stole it from us.

italics are once again a stylistic choice that many writers love to use to create emphasis, and it’s a more stylistically acceptable and traditional form of emphasis than bold or underline text. oh, and just to be extra clear: AI STOLE IT FROM US.

stop creating fandom witch hunts over AI when you know fuck all about what it means to sit and write a story, and to spend hours fiddling with sentence structure and dialogue to get the exact right tone. writers will stop writing out of fear that their work “sounds like AI” — IT DOESNT! AI STOLE FROM US! AI SOUNDS LIKE US! — and after a while, all that will be available on AO3 is shitty AI-generated fanfiction.

because yeah, people are going to continue to use AI to write fanfiction whether you “call them out” or not. but making a laughable thread on X that uses asinine criteria is not going to fix that problem. it will just push the real writers out because people will accuse them of using AI when they haven’t, and they will (rightfully) stop writing for spaces that attack them.

anyway. fuck ai.

[vespaer77]

Adobe is going to spy on your projects. This is insane.

[vespaer77]

Had the day off, drew a wizard :>

[vespaer77]

The Wisps of the Lighthouse

@datvcompanionweeks for Neve Week! Day 2: The Lighthouse The wisp of the Lighthouse had taken a particular liking to Neve Gallus, accompanying her every steps, making attempts to help that usually failed, keeping her company on the many, very late night of work she did.

Neither Emmerich or Bellara could keep their attention, and neither of them knew why they picked her of all people to mess with. They stayed clear of Lucanis, sometimes humored Rook, learned to no be within reach of Assan's beak. "It never occurred to you that maybe they just find you pleasant to be around?" Rook asked, flirting. "Never heard of such a thing said about me before." She replied, avoiding the compliment and the idea that the answer might be so simple.

"Not even by that girl you were sweet on, that saved candles like Emmerich? Or Rana's friend who you keep a memento of? Or Harding who tries to fatten you up with her mom's recipes?" Rook starts to enumerate as she leaves her office. "The guy with a griffin who constantly trust you to keep an eye on him?" Rook pushes the door open, stepping outside. "... Or the Crow assassin who brings you coffee past midnight, or the girl who read every article about you?" The door is starting to close behind Rook as she continues to enumerate. "Or the firebreathing Qunari who you helped figure themselves out?" Neve smiles when she hears Rook say 'or me' in the distance, as her door finally closes. A few of the wisps starts to flutter about her now, distracting her for the lingering thoughts.

"Am I pleasant to be around?" She asks the wisps around her, not expecting a response, but one of them pokes at her back, then another and another, pushing her, urging her toward her door. "I appreciate the encouragement, but, I'd rather wait until we're in Minrathous." Neve speaks in a soft whisper, watching Rook get back into the main building of the Lighthouse through her window. The wisps stops pushing, but keep fluttering about, hiding her pencils and paper, leaving her stuck with her thoughts.

[vespaer77]

Oh man I know this is old because I'm American and even I knew this one haha! 🤣

Ma-ia hi

Ma-ia ho

Ma-ia ha

Ma-ia ha ha

[vespaer77]

LOL I'm a database analyst for my day job and I know exactly what happened and what they did to fix it. Neat!

Congratulations to all AO3 users! Important Milestone reached!

Bookmark database overran!

[vespaer77]

You should get an AO3 account

With the rise of AI and the well known epidemic of AI companies scraping Ao3 for training data most authors on Ao3 have locked down their fics to logged in users only. This is unfortunate for authors and readers. As an author I've noticed a steep drop in readership on fics restricted to logged in users and when recommending fics to my friends I've noticed that the folks without an account can't find the fics. The logged in users only toggle, not only keeps people without an account from reading a fic, but also from seeing its listing at all. More than 50% of fics I come across have this setting turned on. So, you should get an AO3 account. I know this seems daunting and unfair because it's an invite only system but, you can invite yourself through the homepage if you don't already have one, and in the past few years I've never heard of someone who requested an invitation through this method, not getting one. And for those of you who are hesitant because you don't write, that's okay. It's not weird at all to click on a commenter username and find that they have 0 works and 10,000 bookmarks. It might take a week for the invitation to actually show up, but I can almost guarantee you will get one, just keep an eye on your email. It's free to join and donations are optional. You'll have more to read if you have an account and maybe give your favorite author the chance to protect their work from AI without a loss of readership and feedback.

[vespaer77]

This was only supposed to be a quick meme drawing for Disability Pride Month but oops I got lost in the Astral Plane

[vespaer77]

I think about how Mythal convinced Solas to leave the Fade - and why.

She knew he loved the Fade. That he was content there and had no desire to enter the physical world. She didn’t call him because she missed him or longed for their old companionship as spirits, nor was it to experience the world with him.

She pulled him from the Fade because she needed something from him.

That moment defines their dynamic - hierarchical from the start. Commander and soldier, wielder and weapon.

And I think about Matt Rhodes’ art and note from the Black Codex:

“Dwarves tend to the Titans, like helpful bacteria. The spirits begin to envy their form.”

Envy.

If that was the impulse that led Elgar’nan, Mythal and the other Evanuris to take form, then their fall was inevitable.

But Solas, who is no younger?

He took form for another reason entirely.

Devotion.

Elgar’nan was right - Solas was never like them.

And I want to be clear that this isn’t a condemnation of Mythal. If anything, I find her character tragic, complex, and compelling. I believe there was love between them, I believe they were bonded as spirits long before either took form, and I don’t think our human frame of reference can truly grasp what that means. We reach for tidy labels - friend, lover, mentor, rival - because we’re uncomfortable with the unknown. But the Evanuris resist categorization. That’s part of their mystery and why they fascinate me.

Still, whatever existed between Solas and Mythal - once Mythal called Solas in service to her needs, and once Solas (reluctantly) agreed - it was no longer a bond of spiritual equality. I suppose it's why Memories of a Duet is so emotional. It feels like a memory of their harmonic union together in the Fade, when they last saw each other for who they truly were.

And while much of what we understand about their relationship comes through Solas’ memories, it isn’t a memory of Mythal who stands before him in the atonement ending, speaking not as a companion would, but as a queen addressing a subject, formalizing their dynamic: release from service.

[vespaer77]

I swear to fucking god. I would claw out OneDrive from my computer if I could. I would burn down their servers if I could. I would run down their stocks to the ground if I could. I hope every single one of their workers gets a better offer from a competitor in the next 24 hours. I hope every single one of their light bulbs explodes at the same time. I hope every single carton of milk in their fridge will always be expired.

Stop backing up my fucking files.

Stop asking me to back up my fucking files.

Stop taking my fucking files off my fucking computer.

I don't want a fucking reminder in three fucking days. Let me fucking say no.

Fuckers.

[vespaer77]

“Hello. I’m Gale of Waterdeep.

Apologies. I’m usually better at this.”

[vespaer77]

Wake up honey, a new head canon just dropped

Quick Solas I drew last night. I’m certain he holds his paintbrushes in his mouth like this.

[vespaer77]

my husband 🫶🏻

[vespaer77]

I could use this, yah

Hey writerly friends, wanna do a WIP project in May?

Something like daily words and when you post about it, you'll get a star? What do you think?

Anybody interested?

[vespaer77]

my son (a 45 year old single dad)

he’s ready to commit a war crime and delete the evidence

Pattern is Simplicity S9770