the-modern-typewriter-aesthetic
the-modern-typewriter aesthetic
things I like and things which inspire my writing
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My cartoon for this weekend’s @guardian books
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What do you think of ttpd? Would love to hear your thoughts!
It's not my favourite album of hers and I don't think it's her best, but I have enjoyed it! My assessments of her songs often change over time.
I think a bit like folklore/evermore, it has some great songs that will probably only continue to grow on me, but when you listen to the album in one go some of its greatness is lost because there's a samey vibe. E.g. no bops, less obvious highs and lows than in some of her other albums which sound more varied as a listening experience.
So far, my TTPD top three are (in no particular order):
My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys
Florida
Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
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Look at the sky. It's looking back.
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“ – and then, you see, they both hold the scale, and say – ”
“How’s it going, boss?” the henchman said, ambling into the interrogation room.
The hero sat tied to a chair, just as planned. The villain hunched across from them, head down, elbows on their knees.
“The truth potion works,” the villain said.
“That’s great, boss!”
“It would be. If ‘sharing all their secrets’ didn’t mean all.” The villain jerked their head up, glaring at the hero. “It’s been hours and we still haven’t gotten to the good stuff! [Hero]’s just been rambling about how Dragon Tales is a – what was that word you used again?”
“It’s an isekai!” the hero exclaimed.
The villain’s frown deepened. “And that’s a secret?”
“This info’s highly secret,” the hero said. “In the wrong hands, it could destroy the light novel industry.”
The villain put their face in their hands. “What the fuck are you even talking about?”
“You can’t ask them anything more specific?” the henchman asked.
“I tried, but it never works,” the villain said. “Instead they just reveal some other secret that isn’t worth anything. Here, watch. [Hero], what are your agency’s security passcodes?”
“I have no spatial intelligence,” the hero said. “I’m banned from loading dishwashers in three states.”
The villain groaned.
“Hold on, I might have something for that,” the henchman said.
They went over to their worktable in the corner, and tinkered a bit with the potion, adjusting the ingredient levels. Then they returned, and stood in front of the hero.
“Will you drink this please?” they said softly.
The hero gulped. “Do I have to?”
“If you don’t, [Villain] will make you. And I don’t think I have to tell you that they’re in a pretty bad mood right now.”
Reluctantly, the hero drank.
The henchman returned to their boss’s side. “Okay. Try asking them something again.”
The villain returned their attention to the hero. “[Hero], what is your biggest secret?”
The hero bit their lip in an effort to keep their mouth shut.
“Oh?” The villain leaned forward with a renewed interest.
The hero shook their head rapidly, eyes afraid. The veins in their forehead stood out.
“You don’t need to hold it in, [Hero],” the villain said, smiling. “Whatever it is, you should just get it off your chest.”
The hero was changing colors from the strain. Eventually, their mouth flew open like a waterspout.
“I have a crush on [Henchman]!”
“What?” the villain and henchman cried in unison.
Once the floodgates were open, the hero couldn’t stop.
“They’re just so strong, and dependable. And they’re always so gentle. Have you noticed that? Sure, they’re rough sometimes, but only when they have to be. I have this recurring dream where [Henchman] and I are fighting, and then they pin me to the wall with their big, powerful arms, and then – ”
“Okay!” the villain yelled, bursting up. They began rushing towards the door with a beet-red henchman in tow. “We’re taking a break. We’re going to let that wear off, and then reconvene. Jesus.”
The hero had never been more grateful for a break in their life.
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werewolf body horror is under utilised- imagine pissing a guy off and his bones start rippling under his skin only to settle back as if nothing happened because he decided you werent worth it
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Once upon a time . . . there was a wicked queen. A hungry wolf. A thing in the dark. A dragon thief. A falling star, crooked in the sky. The lines between heroine and Other, fair and wicked, are illuminated in five transformative stories.
Five fairy tales, five perilous journeys, five star-crossed romances. A Snow White retelling that focuses on the wicked-queen-to-be and her mirror. A take on the classic parable of a deer pursued by wolves. A powerless maid making a deal with Shadows. A wishing star pursued to the ends of the earth and the knight sworn to return her to the sky. A princess trapped by a dragon with her only visitor a burglar.
The Crooked Stars is a collection of sapphic stories that shows there are many ways to read the stars and many ways for love to find a way into places it never was before. If you enjoy enchanting tales of adventure and magic, you'll fall in love with this mesmerizing collection that contends with the cruelty and beauty in fairy tales.
Official release date April 16th, 2024.
eBooks ✨ Paperback ✨ Goodreads
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It's here, IT'S HERE!!! My next new collection is on it's way and features two of my all-time favorite stories I've written. I am so excited. Please be sure to boost and leave reviews if you can. I am a small-time author and don't spend any money on advertising so word of mouth is how I get my stories to the world.
Gorgeous cover art by Megan O'Donell.
Website 🌸 Previous Work
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Bad Space Comics: The Suit
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The hero knew they'd be found one day.
So they weren’t entirely surprised when they were ambushed in their house, drugged, and dragged off to the enormous castle that they used to call home. But their anticipation didn’t stop the dread from pooling in their gut as they were tossed, unceremoniously, onto the ground.
They stifled a groan, flexing their bound hands behind them as they tried to shake off the last of the sedative in their system. Someone grabbed the scruff of their collar and yanked them up to their knees before pulling down their blindfold.
They blinked several times at the ground, squinting through the sudden change in light. As their vision cleared, the marbled pattern of the throne room's floor came into view and they involuntarily stiffened.
"Dismissed."
Fuck. That voice. The cold, cutting power laced in every syllable, the venom in each word that had haunted the hero's dreams for years, even after they escaped. Or so they thought they did. The hero's mouth went dry.
They kept their gaze trained down, hearing the guards behind them leave and close the doors with a harsh, resolute click.
Silence stretched between the hero and the villain, who sat languidly on the throne in a grotesque show of vanity. Of pride.
After a moment, the villain sighed. "So you thought you could get away."
The hero swallowed, hard. "I guess I was just playing hard to get." They hated how unstable, how hoarse their voice was.
The villain chuckled dryly. "You, my prized possession, the greatest weapon I've ever had the pleasure of crafting, were just playing hard to get." The hero heard them shift in their seat. "I'm sure that's a fantasy you'd love to be true, but I knew you'd run. Did you really think I haven't dealt with this before?"
"Guess I thought I'd get lucky." The hero looked up then, to stare the villain straight into their eyes.
The villain held their gaze and smiled, flashing teeth. "Unfortunately, even the most precious treasures are always found at some point." They tilted their head, brow furrowing. "Come here."
The hero did not move.
The villain tapped a finger, and an invisible force pulled the hero taut, dragging them towards the foot of the throne. They grit their teeth, knowing better than to struggle, but hating the agonizing memories that flashed through their head of when they used to fight back, of what the villain was capable of beyond simple commands.
"I see you've grown into disobedience after so many years," the villain tutted. "That's certainly fixable, but what I want to know," they dragged a hand through the hero's disheveled hair, who shuddered at the familiar touch, "is if you still remember what I've taught you." Their touch suddenly turned sharp as they grabbed a fistful of—
The hero's body reacted to the pain before their mind did, and they kicked their leg around, slamming their foot into the villain's forearm. Apparently they still remembered a thing or two.
They landed on their stomach, panting as they faced the wide expanse of the gilded room before them. The villain crouched down beside them, placing a boot on their back and squeezing the air from their lungs.
"Look at you. You could've had all this," the villain hissed in their ear. They grabbed the hero's chin, forcing them to look up. "You could've been by my side, sitting with me on the throne. But you chose to run and try to become someone who could overthrow me, the very person who created you. You are nothing, nothing, without me."
For the first time since they've been back, fear struck the hero deep in their heart. "Please," they breathed, and immediately realized their mistake.
Begging was a weakness. A crack in the boulder. An infection in a festering wound. And the villain saw it all too well.
"Forgiveness," the villain murmured, honey-sweet, "is for the traitors. Punishment is for the cowards. Which one do you think you are?"
As the villain's hand tightened on their face, the hero closed their eyes, knowing the question had already been answered for them.
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Yeah, I agree with thepenultimateword on this one.
I think we as a society have started conflating the word 'filler' with other things, up to a point. Originally, I think 'filler' was used to identify when a narrative is just 'padding/filling' space in a story, with nothing of value happening. Filler isn't the same as 'a moment not focused on the plot'.
A scene/chunk can further plot. But it can also further character/relationships or theme. Or all of these things at once! It's filler if it doesn't do any of these things.
There is a problem of stories being incredibly tightly wound, with no room to explore/play or develop characters outside of the high-stakes of the plot. There is a connection between this and filler. But I don't think they're the exact same problem.
Working on my novel and couldn’t figure out why it felt so empty. I didn’t have any filler. It was all 100% plot. The characters only interacted when necessary. I didn’t prattle on about the scenery or how the birds sounded. I had all my fuller stuff that I loved saved in another file because I “didn’t need it”.
Y’all, I knew this existed in TV shows but it didn’t hit me until this that everything is being whittled down. We are so starving for filler that we snap up anything. I unload all mine on Tumblr or keep it in a massive Google Docs. It SUCKS.
Honestly? Death to plot necessity. Revive filler. Revive unnecessary interactions. Revive just vibing with characters sometimes. I don’t want to just consume the plot and I don’t want to just create the plot either.
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He wants some bread… 🥖🥐
Twitter I Instagram
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AI Sellout
Used an email mask to read the whole article, pasting it below the cut.
Quick important points:
The tweet content is a list of things that are currently included, but were not SUPPOSED TO BE, and engineers are working to scrub it.
Automattic is supposedly going to add an opt out option.
Automattic did not respond to a question from 404 Media about whether it could guarantee that people who opt out will have their data deleted retroactively.
Tumblr and Wordpress are preparing to sell user data to Midjourney and OpenAI, according to a source with internal knowledge about the deals and internal documentation referring to the deals.
The exact types of data from each platform going to each company are not spelled out in documentation we’ve reviewed, but internal communications reviewed by 404 Media make clear that deals between Automattic, the platforms’ parent company, and OpenAI and Midjourney are imminent.
The internal documentation details a messy and controversial process within Tumblr itself. One internal post made by Cyle Gage, a product manager at Tumblr, states that a query made to prepare data for OpenAI and Midjourney compiled a huge number of user posts that it wasn’t supposed to. It is not clear from Gage’s post whether this data has already been sent to OpenAI and Midjourney, or whether Gage was detailing a process for scrubbing the data before it was to be sent.
Gage wrote:
“the way the data was queried for the initial data dump to Midjourney/OpenAI means we compiled a list of all tumblr’s public post content between 2014 and 2023, but also unfortunately it included, and should not have included:
private posts on public blogs
posts on deleted or suspended blogs
unanswered asks (normally these are not public until they’re answered)
private answers (these only show up to the receiver and are not public)
posts that are marked ‘explicit’ / NSFW / ‘mature’ by our more modern standards (this may not be a big deal, I don’t know)
content from premium partner blogs (special brand blogs like Apple’s former music blog, for example, who spent money with us on an ad campaign) that may have creative that doesn’t belong to us, and we don’t have the rights to share with this-parties; this one is kinda unknown to me, what deals are in place historically and what they should prevent us from doing.”
Gage’s post makes clear that engineers are working on compiling a list of post IDs that should not have been included, and that password-protected posts, DMs, and media flagged as CSAM and other community guidelines violations were not included.
Automattic plans to launch a new setting on Wednesday that will allow users to opt-out of data sharing with third parties, including AI companies, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, and internal documents. A new FAQ section we reviewed is titled “What happens when you opt out?” states that “If you opt out from the start, we will block crawlers from accessing your content by adding your site on a disallowed list. If you change your mind later, we also plan to update any partners about people who newly opt-out and ask that their content be removed from past sources and future training.”
404 Media has asked Automattic how it accidentally compiled data that it shouldn’t share, and whether any of that content was shared with OpenAI, but did not immediately hear back from the company. 404 Media asked Automattic about an imminent deal with Midjourney last week but did not hear back then, either.
Another internal document shows that, on February 23, an employee asked in a staff-only thread, “Do we have assurances that if a user opts out of their data being shared with third parties that our existing data partners will be notified of such a change and remove their data?”
Andrew Spittle, Automattic’s head of AI replied: “We will notify existing partners on a regular basis about anyone who's opted out since the last time we provided a list. I want this to be an ongoing process where we regularly advocate for past content to be excluded based on current preferences. We will ask that content be deleted and removed from any future training runs. I believe partners will honor this based on our conversations with them to this point. I don't think they gain much overall by retaining it.” Automattic did not respond to a question from 404 Media about whether it could guarantee that people who opt out will have their data deleted retroactively.
News about a deal between Tumblr and Midjourney has been rumored and speculated about on Tumblr for the last week. Someone claiming to be a former Tumblr employee announced in a Tumblr blog post that the platform was working on a deal with Midjourney, and the rumor made it onto Blind, an app for verified employees of companies to anonymously discuss their jobs. 404 Media has seen the Blind posts, in which what seems like an Automattic employee says, “I'm not sure why some of you are getting worked up or worried about this. It's totally legal, and sharing it publicly is perfectly fine since it's right there in the terms & conditions. So, go ahead and spread the word as much as you can with your friends and tech journalists, it's totally fine.”
Separately, 404 Media viewed a public, now-deleted post by Gage, the product manager, where he said that he was deleting all of his images off of Tumblr, and would be putting them on his personal website. A still-live post says, “i've deleted my photography from tumblr and will be moving it slowly but surely over to cylegage.com, which i'm building into a photography portfolio that i can control end-to-end.” At one point last week, his personal website had a specific note stating that he did not consent to AI scraping of his images. Gage’s original post has been deleted, and his website is now a blank page that just reads “Cyle.” Gage did not respond to a request for comment from 404 Media.
Several online platforms have made similar deals with AI companies recently, including Reddit, which entered into an AI content licensing deal with Google and said in its SEC filing last week that it’s “in the early stages of monetizing [its] user base” by training AI on users’ posts. Last year, Shutterstock signed a six year deal with OpenAI to provide training data.
OpenAI and Midjourney did not respond to requests for comment.
#to consider going forward#do not like that they now have hundreds and thousands of words of my writing since 2015#time to back up and consider options methinks
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Full of salt, water, and stolen things.
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"Villain killed over twenty people in the last two days," Hero slammed the file down on the table. "He must be stopped."
Sidekick opened the file. Her hometown. Her knuckles turned white.
"Villain did this?"
"Yes. Over the weekend."
Hands in her hair, stroking, petting gently. His mouth against her ear, crooning softly that she's so beautiful, so lovely, such a pretty little thing all for him. She gasps. His hands run up the insides of her thighs.
Sidekick frowned. "Are you sure it was Villain?"
A vein bulged in Hero's forehead, and his pupils seemed to dilate. "Who else could it be? Villain is evil. He must be stopped."
I wouldn't call him evil, she didn't say.
His fingers traced the line of her jaw, the curve of her neck. She let out a breath against his chest, inhaling the smell of his dusky cologne.
"I'm just... do we have any proof?" Sidekick rubbed her knucke against her palm, studying the photos carefully. "I somehow doubt this was Villain."
Hero gripped the edge of the table, manic. "Excuse me?"
His lips on hers.
"It couldn't have been."
Her hands tangled in his hair.
"And how would you know?"
Because I was with him the whole weekend, she didn't say.
Sidekick closed the files, shaking her head. "It just doesn't match his MO, that's all."
"Twenty five people," Hero snarled. He jabbed his finger into the file, denting it with his enhanced strength. The table creaked. "He went in there with his minions and set fire to three houses. Did you read the file, Sidekick, did you? Because if you did you wouldn't even be questioning me."
Sidekick leaned away from Hero, nodding slowly to appease him. "Okay. Okay, I believe you."
"Good." Hero backed off. He tried to smile, but it came off rather unsettling.
"Have you seen the crime scene yet?"
"No. I was waiting for you."
Sidekick nodded. "We should get to it. Stop him as soon as possible."
Hero shook hos head, turning on his laptop, muttering to himself about forgotten passwords which Sidekick dutifully repeated back to him.
"Who knows what he'll destroy next - maybe that little food truck on 6th next."
"Mm." She flicked through her texts absently, nit fully hearing him. She read the newest text with a faint smile. Then- "How do you know about the truck?"
"Pardon?"
"How do you know about the truck. The food truck. It's only there on Saturdays, and even then, Mary's schedule is..." Sidekick's eyes widened in realisation. "It was you."
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SLUSH PILE 📚
The Bread & Roses, Clapham (20th-24 February) 🥪 🌹
Etcetera, Camden (11th-13th March) 🎫
Unseen Theatre presents a groundbreaking new comedy which stirs debate about AI, the nature of the arts and what happens when there's 'too much' great art for people to consume.
Tickets here:
Aaron Devine as Jack
Pauline Marion as Iris
Nicky Vatvani as Kai
Ariana Shaw as Piscopia
Marek Lichtenberg as Virgil Riga
When the prestigious Piccadilly Press opens to unsolicited submissions, three interns are tasked with sorting through these unrepresented novels and finding one which is worth publishing. To the surprise of the managers and the interns alike, the so-called slush pile is in fact filled with thousands of great works of literature, making the task of deciding impossible.
Meanwhile, esteemed BAFTA-winning actor Virgil Riga finds himself growing tired of a film world dominated by generic franchises and scripts written by committees and algorithms. His frustration at the state of the entertainment industry spills out into a debate about AI and the rights of actors and artists, which soon crosses over with the interns' concerns.
🎭
L. T. Hewitt makes his theatre writing and directing debut, after winning Best Film at the Free Independent Queer Film Weekend for Battersea Power Station and Best LGBT Film at the Tokyo International Short Film Festival for A Matter of Trust, among other awards.
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on the topic of villains redeemed or whatever... i also dislike that whenever a villain joins the good side they suddenly become weak as fuck. KEEP THEM VICIOUS. KEEP THEM SCARY. ALLOW THEM TO BE TERRIFYING AT TIMES SO THE HEROES CAN JUST EXCHANGE LOOKS OF "holy fucking shit i am so glad theyre on our side now"
#yes#this!#good side doesn't have to bland#moral characters can also be interesting#but also yes yes yes on the villains
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