You Are Amazing

truly some people have no genre savviness whatsoever. A girl came back from the dead the other day and fresh out of the grave she laughed and laughed and lay down on the grass nearby to watch the sky, dirt still under her nails. I asked her if she’s sad about anything and she asked me why she should be. I asked her if she’s perhaps worried she’s a shadow of who she used to be and she said that if she is a shadow she is a joyous one, and anyway whoever she was she is her, now, and that’s enough. I inquired about revenge, about unfinished business, about what had filled her with the incessant need to claw her way out from beneath but she just said she’s here to live. I told her about ghosts, about zombies, tried to explain to her how her options lie between horror and tragedy but she just said if those are the stories meant for her then she’ll make another one. I said “isn’t it terribly lonely how in your triumph over death nobody was here to greet you?” and she just looked at me funny and said “what do you mean? The whole world was here, waiting”. Some people, I tell you.

Something I don't think we talk enough about in discussions surrounding AI is the loss of perseverance.

I have a friend who works in education and he told me about how he was working with a small group of HS students to develop a new school sports chant. This was a very daunting task for the group, in large part because many had learning disabilities related to reading and writing, so coming up with a catchy, hard-hitting, probably rhyming, poetry-esque piece of collaborative writing felt like something outside of their skill range. But it wasn't! I knew that, he knew that, and he worked damn hard to convince the kids of that too. Even if the end result was terrible (by someone else's standards), we knew they had it in them to complete the piece and feel super proud of their creation.

Fast-forward a few days and he reports back that yes they have a chant now... but it's 99% AI. It was made by Chat-GPT. Once the kids realized they could just ask the bot to do the hard thing for them - and do it "better" than they (supposedly) ever could - that's the only route they were willing to take. It was either use Chat-GPT or don't do it at all. And I was just so devastated to hear this because Jesus Christ, struggling is important. Of course most 14-18 year olds aren't going to see the merit of that, let alone understand why that process (attempting something new and challenging) is more valuable than the end result (a "good" chant), but as adults we all have a responsibility to coach them through that messy process. Except that's become damn near impossible with an Instantly Do The Thing app in everyone's pocket. Yes, AI is fucking awful because of plagiarism and misinformation and the environmental impact, but it's also keeping people - particularly young people - from developing perseverance. It's not just important that you learn to write your own stuff because of intellectual agency, but because writing is hard and it's crucial that you learn how to persevere through doing hard things.

Write a shitty poem. Write an essay where half the textual 'evidence' doesn't track. Write an awkward as fuck email with an equally embarrassing typo. Every time you do you're not just developing that particular skill, you're also learning that you did something badly and the world didn't end. You can get through things! You can get through challenging things! Not everything in life has to be perfect but you know what? You'll only improve at the challenging stuff if you do a whole lot of it badly first. The ability to say, "I didn't think I could do that but I did it anyway. It's not great, but I did it," is SO IMPORTANT for developing confidence across the board, not just in these specific tasks.

Idk I'm just really worried about kids having to grow up in a world where (for a variety of reasons beyond just AI) they're not given the chance to struggle through new and challenging things like we used to.

We're back everyone!

Are you sad QSMP is over? Do you have Minecraft Java and want a little piece of QSMP that you can play? Do you like RP SMPs you can make OCs for?

Consider applying to join our QSMP AU Minecraft server!! We're accepting another group of roleplayers to add to Isla Quesadilla!

"20 years after the events of the original QSMP, a new batch of islanders have been brought to the island. Working together, they need to uncover the mysteries of The Federation, unfold the events of the past, and find a way to escape the island..."

(Since our project has already existed for about a year or so, you'll be introduced via crash landing (plane, boat, etc) to the pre-existing SMP!)

Google Docs

Isla Quesadilla Application Form

Hello! Thank you for considering Isla Q! We're so excited to introduce new members to our island. Please fill out this form so we can determ

REMEMBER TOMORROW IS A BLACKOUT FOR PALESTINE. DO NOT POST ANYTHING BUT SUPPORT FOR GAZA ON MARCH SECOND. YOUR INTRESTS CAN WAIT, THEY CANNOT.

arab.org

Home – 2020

arab.org aims to empower every person & every organization to do Good.

and remember to do your daily clicks!

The Dark ritual is upon us

aw fuck this ones hard

1. i like how creative i am. i come up with ideas stupid or good pretty quickly

2. im a fast learner

3. i like how i continue to grow and move forward. i like how im never stagnant

4. i like how i manage to find beauty and potential in imperfect/"bad" things

5. fill in the blank for this one ive got no clue

@maxmerized @purpleleafsyt and anyone else who wants to do it!

Once you get this, you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly. Then you have to send this to ten of your favourite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool~)🌈🌈

Well I uh

Hmmmm

GUYS LOOK ITS AN ASK YOU GOTTA DO IT!

@wistfulenchantress @the-only-country @im-cyprus @picklerab23 @xeme-starx @m0ngrxl @aesthetic-writer18 @gayafaaryn @hedgehog-troops @vbbaby-girl @allamericanb-tch @thelov3lybookworm @liggy-not-potter @bloophasarrived

I want all of you to find something you love about yourself 🫵

I compiled this a while ago but I was just looking for references and found the file so...

Best places to find reference photos:

Body types, poses, and anatomy:

http://reference.sketchdaily.net/en

https://www.posemaniacs.com/

https://quickposes.com/en

https://www.characterdesigns.com/#home-section

https://www.adorkastock.com/sketch/

https://line-of-action.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/

https://www.proko.com/browse/tools?af=242

Giant anatomy reference tutorials Pinterest board:

https://www.pinterest.com/deedee1232/body-reference/

General:

https://unsplash.com/

https://pixabay.com/

https://www.pexels.com/

https://stocksnap.io/

https://www.freeimages.com/

https://kaboompics.com/

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

https://morguefile.com/

https://www.flickr.com/

https://www.dreamstime.com/

https://pmp-art.com/

https://www.freepik.com/

https://photobash.co/

https://picjumbo.com/

https://burst.shopify.com/

https://magdeleine.co/

https://wordpress.org/openverse/

Historical:

https://nos.twnsnd.co/

LMK S4 SPOILERS

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I don't know who I am.

character designs for a show i dont watch

Hi, I hope you're doing well. I'm writing to you with a heavy heart and an urgent request for help. My family is in a very danger situation due to the ongoing war, and I've launched a GoFundMe campaign to save them. Could you please reblog my campaign post from my profile? Each share could be a lifeline for my family. 🙏 Feel free to share it in any other social media platform if you would like. Our campaign has been verified ⭐️ by operation olive branch, and is entry number 26 on their spreadsheet. Also with ⭐️ Project watermelon,line 249/(212) on their spreadsheet. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you in advance for all of your support and kindness.

^