"[Xikipedia is] a demonstration of how even a basic non-ML algorithm with no data from other users can quickly learn what you engage with to suggest you more similar content. The algorithm runs locally and no data leaves your device."
Xikipedia a microcosm of the programs running in the background of your favorite evil platforms. It's a local instance of the same search-reward loops that lead to social media addiction. It's brilliant commentary, edutainment, and applied computer science research all in one.
"Hey. I know I'm probably the last fictional character you would ever take advice from. But I want to tell you something: YOU CAN SURVIVE ANYTHING.
Well, at least, you can MENTALLY survive anything. You can't actually survive falling into a pit of lava, for example. But, in other ways, you can still climb back out.
I've fallen into a LOT of lava pits. Sometimes I've been pushed in by someone else. More often, I've been the one pushing other people into lava.
That wasn't right. In fact, pushing other people into lava is an awful thing to do. I acted awful, I feel awful about it, and now other people feel awful about me. I still don't fully forgive myself, and why should I? I'm the villain.
But there's a good part. A REAL villain would never feel bad about something they did. I feel bad, which means I'm not completely messed up. There's hope.
Maybe you've been rude. Maybe you've told lies or said insults or thrown punches. Maybe you've even pushed someone into lava for real. I know how it feels.
No matter if you're a human or an animal or one of the sentient objects walking around Elmore, you've done bad things. And I know you've heard it all before, the whole "everyone makes mistakes" speech. But your mistakes are in the past, and the past is permanent. You'll always remember some mistakes and other people might, too.
So don't forget your mistakes. FORGIVE your mistakes. Forgiveness doesn't mean believing that they weren't mistakes at all. Forgiveness means trying to fix what you can and trying to fix yourself. It's gonna take a while, with a lot of setbacks and relapses and moments where you feel like giving up. But you deserve to be forgiven.
Oh, and I hope you'll forgive me for rambling. What did I open with, again? That you can survive anything? Well, I mean that you should forgive yourself so you'll love yourself, and loving yourself is the key to survival. It can be hard, I know, but just try it a little. My point is, you deserve to survive. I promise."
My favorite grocery store cashier died a few months ago. I know this probably sounds like a bizarre thing to be sad about. Her name was Judith and I only saw her once or twice a week, and only while I was paying for groceries. But even now, months later, I think of her when I'm at the grocery store. She used to save the ends of receipt paper rolls when they only had a foot or two left on them and give them to me, which I never asked her to do, but the first time she did it she held one out to me and said "you look like someone who would make a craft out of this," and I laughed because she was right. I do save them to put in geocaches and letterboxes. Our small talk was about the weather and the weekend and aren't those cookies good? They're so expensive though. But it's worth it.
I'm just saying. If you ever sit around wondering whether you'd be missed if you disappeared off the face of the earth, the answer is probably yes, very much, and probably by more people than you think.
what do you think of Rob’s new voice? I personally like it okay but I was a little bummed about charles philipp not coming back :[
I think Max Cazier did an amazing job. His voice fits Rob well and it feels super close to how the character sounded in the pre-void episodes. I'm also genuinely happy for him because getting to voice such an important, plot-relevant character that's loved by so many fans is a huge deal, and Max absolutely deserves it, especially since he's already nailed it as Clayton and Ocho.
Still, I really do miss Charles. Even though the two sound quite similar (to the point where most of the fandom didn't even notice the change lol), there are still unique qualities in the original voice that hit differently and just carry a lot of emotional weight for me personally.
So yeah... I'll probably always have a soft spot for Charles Philipp, but at the same time I think the new VA is a solid and worthy replacement, and I'm excited to hear more of him in future episodes and the movie.
Random snail fact: the gene that determines which way snail shells spiral also plays a role in determining which side of the human body the heart sits on.
okay so ive given it some time and thought, and after rewatching the episode i would like to take a moment to re-evaluate my take on The Rewrite
i do still dislike the explanation behind The Inquisition and the inclusion of The Awesome Store, HOWEVER that is mostly because all of that got dropped on us in a very short amount of time with little-to-no room for elaboration or development.
what the meta-narrative plotline needed was more time to re-establish itself as part of the show, specifically more episodes setting up The Rewrite.
see, in the past, important lore episodes were sprinkled throughout a season and served to set up some sort of climax (ex: The Nemesis -> The Bus -> The Disaster). these lore episodes typically numbered 2-3 a season and occurred near the beginning, middle, and end of said season.
so now, i would like to introduce you to the reason i made this post: my take on how the meta-narrative should've been re-introduced:
first, we have an episode near the beginning of the season to re-establish Rob as a character and resolve the events of The Inquisition.
maybe its called "The Rewind" and its a direct follow-up to The Inquisition. it starts as a flashback, Rob falling into the Void, but then at the moment where it froze in The Inquisition, time rewinds and the Void spits Rob back out in the same hallway he started in. Rob then watches as the apocalypse he was trying to prevent is rolled back before his eyes.
further canonizing the time skip, Rob explores a now-still Elmore as he attempts to decipher what happened. through montages we see him spend a long time trying to figure it out, until he decides to return to the Awesome Store in the hopes of finding something else like the Universal Remote. episode ends with him approaching the dust-covered van as time unfreezes and the credits roll
second, we have an episode to establish his relationship with the Vendor and the Awesome Store's affiliation with the Void (that part felt the most rushed and least fleshed-out to me).
this would be one of the rare Watterson-absent episodes; maybe its called something like "The Laptop" or "The Van". Rob tracks down the Awesome Store and interrogates the Vendor about its origin. its here that we learn that the Vendor has ties to the Void.
after some pressure, the Vendor explains that he gets his products from the part of the Void responsible for making things and he gets in and out through a folded-in spot not too dissimilar to Molly's treehouse. he notes that for a while, the Void and his way in had been getting more and more unstable, until it randomly stabilized. Rob asks the Vendor to show him and the two enter the Void to figure out whats going on
together, they figure out that the show got another season, which reversed Rob's fate and stabilized the Void.
back in Elmore, something happens that makes Gumball and Darwin question things for a moment. at that exact second, the Void destabilizes again. Rob and the Vendor put 2 and 2 together and figure out that the apocalypse will be brought on by the Wattersons becoming self-aware.
realizing how dire their mission has become, the two band together to try and find something to help them save the world.
maybe somewhere along the way Rob opens up about his trauma in the Void and the Vendor comforts him. maybe the Vendor has also been hurt by the Void in some way, or maybe he feels some sense of responsibility for this child whos had to carry so much for so long. either way the two form a close bond
they eventually discover a laptop with a draft of the next episode's script on it, and realize they might have a chance to make it so Gumball and Darwin can never, ever question reality again.
the episode ends when the void begins to destabilize again and
this finally launches us into The Rewrite. now that we dont have to deal with the added bloat of explaining everything, we have more time to spend with Gumball and Darwin in a similar setup to the original episode.
G & D remember The Inquisition and begin investigating what they slowly become more and more aware of as a plothole, all the while Rbb and the Vendor try to stop them
after their first attempts fail, Rob realizes that they have to respect the continuity in order for things to go the way they want. this makes it less abrupt when he starts yelling at the Vendor about continuity.
most of the events are the same, Rob decides to play into the role of villain, things dont quite go as planned, but everything ultimately works itself out.
the ending would be different here. instead of the Vendor leaving Rob in charge of the store, he offers to take Rob under his wing. Rob accepts and starts his journey as the Vendor's apprentice. for fun, lets say the Vendor gives him the cloak early to make it official.
then the episode ends on some silly gag between Rob and the Vendor, cementing them as an adopted father-son duo.
damn. now i actually kinda wanna write all of that 💀
anyway, those are my thoughts! tried to be a bit more positive here to make up for how much of a Negative Nelly i was in my original post. hope the good people of gumball tumblr approve of...whatever this was lol
gonna be honest, some of the motivation posts you retweeted really helped me a lot, i really appreciate that!
aww aw man this is so sweet <3 I'm really glad that post reached you at the right time! it honestly makes me so happy to know that something I shared could give you a little motivational boost :)
well... I'm gonna be honest too. You're genuinely one of my favorite artists in TAWOG fandom. The ideas behind your art always resonate with me and touch the deepest parts of my soul. Like, seriously, I find myself lingering on your pieces every time they pop up on my dash!! :D your artworks feel so sincere and full of meaning, and it's clear how much thought and effort you put into everything you make
so yeah... thank you for sharing your art with the world. I hope you keep creating and expressing yourself in ways that feel joyful and true to you :)
i need to bring something important to the community's attention ... this guy might seem like an ordinary rob fan, and his art is good, but he is 19 years old and clearly attracted to rob (a 13-year-old boy)!
he essentially defends it by saying fictional characters don't have ages and that rob doesn't have any child-like features or behaviors. he even uses the phrase "he's very mature for his age" and implies that his age is just a number.
i shouldn't have to explain why this is disgusting and wrong. if you confront this creep he starts (ironically) talking like a supervillain, calling you stupid and irrational, etc, and just being a toxic narcissist overall.
i'm not commanding you to block him, but i highly recommend it. it's harsh, i never want to make a "callout post" about anyone, but the best way to keep a fandom safe is by exposing and excluding these kinds of people. thank you all for the platform i currently have, which hopefully allows this post to reach a lot of people. reblogs are greatly appreciated!
edit: sorry for not adding tws in the tags!! i was too nervous that i forgot - -"'
areudirty
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