#I need people to understand how algorithms work and you’re seeing things because you engage with things

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

Twitter is not real. The people who drive engagement on Twitter do not have the pulse of what happens in real life. If what was said and hyped on Twitter were real, there would have been a very different election result. So for the love of god stop believing anything you hear there (or any platform) and just live your lives and engage with the things that matter to you and stop worrying about about what people on the internet are saying.

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids, 

A great way to ensure you’re unhappy with your life is to just be a passive participant in it: 

Never reach out first to your friends, wait until they reach out to you. Never make plans, only go out and do things if someone else invites you along. Never choose how to spend your free time, just watch whatever the algorithm throws at you. Never form an opinion on anything, just ask ChatGPT to do that for you. 

Of course I only word it like that to get your attention - your goal isn’t to ensure you’re unhappy with your life. It’s probably the opposite. 

And yet, a lot of times we do just that, don’t we? We react, don’t act. 

In some ways, it’s even out of your control. For example, at work (depending on what you do for a living) you may have to react to whatever your boss says and have no control over what you do. Or if you live with parents or caretakers, you may not have full authority over your own free time because they make decisions about it. Or if you struggle financially, you may be dependent on others inviting you/allowing you to partake in things you couldn’t afford on your own. Or if you’re responsible for a kid in your life, you can’t just be like „I’d rather go out than feed you right now“…. Long story short: It’d be grossly unfair if I just went „Only do things you actively want to do at all times and then you’ll be happy“, because that’s not an achievable lifestyle for the vast majority of people. 

But with this caveat, it’s still important that you actively choose to do things you want to do - just within your realistic means (time, energy, money, level of control over your own life). 

Some reasons for that: 

your brain literally needs that to stay healthy and functional. It needs stimulation and enrichment. Not getting enough of that can lead to mental health issues like depression or anxiety and even to a decline in cognitive skills or conditions like dementia. 

time passes slower when you are active rather than passive (or at least it’ll feel like it). Two hours spent finally reading that book on your to-read list will likely feel productive while two hours spent mindlessly watching TikTok will likely feel like the time just slipped out of your hands. 

It’ll lead to happier relationships. Being passive in relationships often comes across as being uninterested in your friends, partner etc. and may ultimately also lead to them becoming less interested/make less of an effort towards you. 

Being too passive may even lead to abusive relationships since people who don’t make their own decisions can be more easily manipulated and controlled. 

It’ll help you sharpen your critical thinking skills and broaden your understanding of the world. You need to actively engage in stuff to really learn. 

It’ll help you deal with your emotions better. Your brain needs time to process how you feel about things and it can’t do that if you just constantly consume random content to turn your brain off. 

It sounds cliche but: at the end of your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did. Don’t become the old person who wishes they would’ve actually lived their life. 

So, how do you become more active, especially if it doesn’t come naturally to you? One idea is to just do the things you already do but more intentionally: you usually watch Netflix every night? Keep doing that, but make a list of movies you want to watch first and then cross them off, rather than just watching whatever it recommends to you. You tend to scroll through TikTok for hours? Make a list of the common themes in your feed (like wellness, fashion, history, pop culture etc.), then ask yourself if those topics actually represent your interests, and if they do, then actively set out to learn about them (rather than just hear random tidbits of info)! For example, you could read Wikipedia articles related to your topic or if you wanna be even more active, go to your local library and see if they got books on those topics! If you often find yourself describing tense situations with your partners to ChatGPT, consider reaching out to a friend to talk it over with or just writing your feelings down in your notes app until you feel more clarity. 

Alternatively, or additionally, you can play the „lottery game“ (no, don’t waste your money on lottery tickets, it’s a mental exercise)! Imagine that you wake up in your dream life tomorrow. You wake up completely happy. How would your day look differently from today? What would be the first thing you do in the morning? You’ll almost certainly never win the lottery in real life and 100% happiness forever isn’t realistic, but this exercise can still help you discover your unfulfilled desires and wants. The next step is to then find more realistic ways to integrate them in your actual life. This can be tricky but it can be really rewarding! 

With all my love,

Your Tumblr Dad 

[sammywolfgirl]

Actually no let’s dissect this new layout as someone who has used Twitter for a bit @staff listen up @wip @changes

I used Twitter for about a year because a lot of my mutuals at the time did, and you know what?

I hated the layout.

I didn’t like how I had to keep tabs on my friends because the algorithm would show me shitty stuff I wouldn’t want to see and was so hard to curate a feed

I’m fairly certain I ended up blocking a lot of people because they kept liking pictures of boobs and I didn’t want to see that shit and Twitter never let you turn that off

I ended up blocking people who kept getting recommended because their art made me sick and I didn’t want to see untagged nsfw on my feed

And the side bar sucked, it took me a while to figure out how to post in the first place

And don’t get me started about having a trending tab always right there and how it would set off my anxiety because every day it was just “here’s a new thing to make you want to jump off a cliff!”

Twitter and the way it works is designed to get hate clicks and engage on outrage, is that the method you want to follow?

Especially for a website who’s users are very loudly against that and also like privacy and will literally use outside resources to fix the ‘improvements’ you made because you didn’t think a toggle feature was worth it

Also putting the stuff on the left or right does not draw the eye, why? Because that’s where your hands are. Blocking the features you want to engage with. My eye is drawn up so putting your stuff there works best! It gets attention. Not to the right where my big ass hand is blocking the post button. (This is also why you should put the mobile post bubble back in the bar where it belongs but that’s a topic for another day)

I understand tumblr is in debt hell, but users have stated many times that if you just ask for donations like ao3 they’d be happy to donate

Hell, crab day was thrown around to be just like that.

Listen to your users or they will all leave for the websites you’re poorly emulating.

Tumblr is surviving because it offers an experience NO OTHER WEBSITE DOES

Taking that away just means tumblr is not unique, and users would rather try their luck with a website that’s doing this better.

Like Twitter, or tic tok, or Instagram.

Lean into your uniqueness and just ask for donations like an adult, just a little add that shows up in the add rotation that’s like “like what you see? Why not throw a dollar in the tip jar?” Like frame it like giving money to an artist so they can keep doing what you love, it’ll be charming!

Tumblr will not find success or even break even if you try and appeal to newcomers, every new social media is confusing to newbies, but you know what they do? They learn, and they adapt. And changing everything is going to make you loose legacy users who again, would LOVE TO DONATE MONEY TO KEEP THIS HELLSIGHT STANDING AS IS.

Or do you just not care about the users? The users who have the money you need.

I don’t want to watch tumblr die a slow and painful death like Twitter is.

And you know there’s something oddly poetic about tumblr, the quirky kid, tearing itself apart just to fit in with the popular kids which won’t work out and only lead to hollow friendships that can turn on a dime when you could have found meaningful relationships with the other weirdos who like your quirks and flaws and would have been ride or die for you.

But no we gotta be like Twitter so let’s chop off our arms and legs becsuse that’s what they’re doing

Tkdr listen to your users and open an donations sight so you can keep being tumblr and get money for it okay? Okay. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk

[motherhoodandmarriage]

Sharing Our Stories Without Selling Our Kids: Navigating Motherhood, Content, and Consent in 2025

It’s 2025, and the internet has become the family scrapbook, the advice circle, and sometimes the vent session we all need. But what happens when our stories include our kids? When their little faces, voices, and milestones become part of the brand, the content, the income?

Recently, states like California, Utah, Illinois, and Minnesota have started enacting legislation aimed at protecting child influencers. These laws require a portion of a child's income from content creation to be set aside in trust accounts. They also grant children the legal right to sue or demand content removal once they reach adulthood. Honestly? I think it’s overdue.

As a mom, a coach, and someone who shares publicly, this hits close to home. And not just in theory, this has been a personal dilemma for me.

My Own Wake-Up Call

When I first started my business, it carried more of that "influencer energy." You know the kind—posting family snapshots, sharing daily life, and letting people in on the cute, chaotic, and personal parts of motherhood.

And it worked. I got engagement. Growth. Relatability. It felt like the thing to do if I wanted people to connect.

But deep down, something didn’t sit right. I started questioning how much of my children’s lives I was offering to strangers. They hadn’t signed up for this. And while I was growing an audience, I was also putting my kids in the spotlight before they even had the words to say, “No, Mom, I don’t want that online.”

So, I made the hard decision to pull back. To protect their privacy. To share my motherhood story in a way that centered my experience without using their faces, names, or daily details. And with that came (unsurprisingly) lower engagement. Fewer likes. Less “reach.”

But I’ve never regretted it.

Because long after the algorithm changes again, I want my kids to know that I chose them over numbers. That I valued their consent and dignity, even before they could fully understand it.

The Line Between “Sharing” and “Showcasing”

Many of us turn to sharing as a way to connect, cope, or even create income. But here's the hard truth: when our children become part of our content, especially when there’s money involved, it’s not just our story anymore. Their images, behaviors, and words live on in a digital space they didn’t consent to. And they might not want it there forever.

So how do we navigate this with clarity and care?

5 Ethical Questions to Ask Before Posting Online About Your Kids

Is this moment mine to share, or theirs to protect? If it’s a vulnerable moment—meltdown, medical, or deeply emotional—pause before posting.

Would I be okay if this resurfaced when they're 16 or 26? Imagine a future friend, employer, or partner seeing the content. Does it still feel okay?

Have I asked for their input, if age-appropriate? Older toddlers and school-aged kids can start practicing consent now. Ask how they feel about a photo being posted.

Is there a way to tell the story without identifying them? Blur faces. Use nicknames. Share your experience without exposing theirs.

Are we benefiting financially, and if so, how are they protected? Even if you’re making a little extra for your family, consider setting aside a portion in their name and clearly outlining how those earnings are used.

When Motherhood Becomes Monetized

The rise of child influencers and now, the laws designed to protect them highlight how capitalism seeps into even our most sacred spaces. We’re not just mothers anymore. We’re brands. Content creators. Ambassadors. That’s not inherently bad, but it does require a new level of mindfulness.

It also begs the question: How much of motherhood are we expected to perform in order to stay relevant, relatable, or profitable?

This is where I want to invite you to reclaim your voice—separate from your child’s. You can tell your truth, share your experience, and connect deeply with other moms without putting your kids in the spotlight.

Finding a New Way Forward in Digital Spaces

Let me be clear: you’re not wrong for sharing your motherhood story. We’ve all done it. And we NEED one another’s stories to bind us together and remind us that we aren’t alone. What matters is evolving with awareness.

Here are a few ways to create more ethical content while staying true to your journey:

Center your narrative. Focus on how you felt, what you learned, what helped you cope.

Use visual storytelling that protects your children’s identity. Think back shots, blurred faces, or symbolic images.

Model consent. Let your child see you asking before sharing. Let them say no.

And if you’re trying to figure out how to share your motherhood journey ethically while growing a business or platform, I get it. I’ve been there.

If that’s something you’ve been wrestling with, I’d love to support you. Coaching spots are open, and we can find a way to honor both your purpose and your privacy.

The truth is, the digital world isn’t going away. And our stories are powerful. But they’re most powerful when shared with integrity.

Let’s keep evolving together. For us, for our kids, and for the mothers coming up behind us.

[strawberrybyers]

I read that squishmallows is being boycotted for funding AIPAC-the Israel lobby-and I’m just so baffled by why anyone would team up with them right now? It makes no sense from Netflix’s perspective. Why invite that much more controversy, after they only just managed to get Noah Schnapp to stop being loudly awful? The other cast and show as a whole-even the play’s promo-are already getting caught up in this now, and have had plenty of accusations of zionism for supporting Noah and Brett, without doing this deal as well. Everyone on twitter is calling it a zionist x zionist collab although I really don’t think the actors have that much say in the show’s brand deals.

oh wow i had no idea squishmallow was a part of the boycott! i will definitely not be purchasing from them if they are supporting israel.

i agree with you on that the actors don’t have much say. they’re all individuals with different views. it’s like any other workplace—you work with some shitty people but just because you work with them doesn’t mean you share the same views as them. i think too many people think every actor out there has some sort of “tom cruise level of power” and that’s soooooo not the case. actors are employees of production companies. they’re under the thumbs of those people and that was part of the reason for the strike last year. a lot of actors hate how production companies run things and what they support because it doesn’t align with the actor’s views and the actors are the face of it all. i am not sure why this collaboration would happen except for the fact they know lots of people are unaware of what companies support israel or how many will go out of their way to not care because at the end of the day it’s all about money for these people. there’s lots of of people behind the scenes of these things and it’s possible there was no awareness of squishmallows support of israel, or there was a knowing and they just didn’t care.

there’s a whole team for merchandising on behalf of netflix. the actors have literally zero to do with that so i definitely do not blame the actors for this collab. and i don’t blame them either for still filming the show. it is netflix’s fault, not the actors. they’re tied to a contract. tons of people that work in the film industry have discussed contracts and how difficult it is to get out of them, so i understand even if the actors wanted to no longer support netflix or be on the stranger things set—legally they can’t leave unless they want to do some sort of lawsuit battle (depending on how strict their contract is). i’m not making excuses for anyone, this is just the reality of the situation.

i do not agree with noah and brett’s comments. i think they’re dehumanizing and disgusting. i hope people don’t lose sight tho on what is efficient in helping palestinians vs what isn’t. boycotting, protests, donations, continuous conversations, calling/emailing politicians, etc are what’s effective. i will have to research the squishmallow stuff and i recommend others do too. if they are supporting israel then boycott. that means no purchasing products from their company. block all their socials. if you see an ad promoting their product—report the ad and block it. engaging with them even when you’re just sending hate really doesn’t do much because it only encourages engagement and more promotion of the products as that’s how algorithms work. do the same for every company that we need to boycott. remember, these people only care about money. when they see they’re not getting engagement in anyway or purchases and see they are losing money, that’s when things become effective.

anon, none of these were personal suggestions at you. just for anyone who decides to read this. you asked a good question that unfortunately i just don’t know what the answer could be except that sadly a lot of people don’t care.

[aioome2]

The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Ads for Beginners (AI, Meta Advantage+, Machine Algorithm & More!)

Running Facebook ads can be a powerful tool for promoting your e-commerce business. However, it's important to understand how to use them effectively, especially if you're a beginner. In this complete guide, I will provide you with all the information you need to know about running Facebook ads, including the most recent updates from this year. First, let's address a common mistake I often hear from e-commerce business owners. A founder recently told me that her business wasn't doing well, and one of the reasons was that she wasn't running Facebook ads because she believed they don't work. Let me tell you, that is a big problem. Even to this day, Facebook ads are one of the most effective ways to promote an e-commerce business. So if you're not running Facebook ads, you're missing out on a valuable opportunity. Now, before we dive into the details, let me introduce myself. My name is Ben Mellor, and I'm here to guide you through the process of running successful Facebook ads. If you want to see more content like this every week, make sure to subscribe to this channel. So, what exactly are Facebook ads? I'm sure you've seen them before. They are those sponsored messages that show up between your friends' stories or in your feed. They can be images, videos, or even text. These ads are paid for by businesses to reach potential customers. And here's the thing, you don't have to be a big brand like Lululemon or Apple to run Facebook ads. You can create ads from the comfort of your own home using your smartphone, and you can invest as much or as little money as you want. Now that we understand the importance of running Facebook ads, let's get into the nitty-gritty of setting up your ad account. To access the necessary tools for managing your ads, you'll need to create a Facebook Business Manager account. Simply go to business.facebook.com and select "Create an account." Once you have your Business Manager account set up, the next step is to create an ad account. This is where you'll manage your ads. To do this, select "Ads" from the left menu bar in Business Manager and follow the instructions to create a new ad account. Now, let's talk about the importance of creating a Facebook pixel. If you're not familiar with what a Facebook pixel is, it's a piece of code that allows you to track and measure the effectiveness of your ads. It gathers information about user behavior on your website and feeds it back to Facebook. This helps you see if your ads are generating the desired results. To set up a pixel, you'll need to create a tracking code within your Business Manager account and add it to your website. If you're using Shopify, it's easy to do. Just copy your 16-digit pixel ID from your Business Manager account and paste it into the pixel ID field in your Shopify store's preferences. Within a few hours, you'll start to see your website activity recorded in your Business Manager account. Now that you have your ad account and pixel set up, let's dive into the structure of Facebook ads. When creating an ad, you'll notice that there are three tiers: campaigns, ad sets, and ads. Think of these tiers as folders on your desktop. Ads are inside ad sets, and ad sets are inside campaigns. Starting with the ad itself, it's what the end consumer will see while scrolling through Facebook or Instagram. It can be an image, video, or text, or a combination of these. This is where your creativity comes into play. Develop eye-catching and engaging ads to capture your audience's attention. Moving up to the ad set level, this is where you define your targeting settings. You can choose to target people based on their location, age group, interests, and behaviors. Take some time to understand your target audience and create ad sets that cater to their preferences. Finally, at the campaign level, you set the objective or goal for your ads. This could be increasing website traffic, generating leads, or driving sales. Make sure your campaign objective aligns with your overall business goals. With your understanding of the ad structure, it's time to dive into Facebook Ads Manager and start building your campaigns. Setting up your campaigns the right way is crucial. The smarter you set them up, the more bang you'll get for your buck. If you're looking to get customers to buy a product directly from you, choose the "Sales" objective. If you're looking to generate leads, select the "Leads" objective. There are other objectives to choose from, but these are two common ones. Additionally, Facebook now offers a new campaign setup option called Advantage Plus Shopping. This is an automated campaign type that uses machine learning to optimize your settings for better performance. It's worth considering, but keep in mind that it may not be suitable for all businesses, especially if you want more control over your campaigns. When setting up your ad sets, it's important to have a clear understanding of your target audience. Are you targeting cold audiences, which are people who haven't interacted with your business before, or retargeting warm audiences, which are people who have already shown interest? Create ad sets that cater to each audience segment. Use lookalike audiences, which are created using existing customer data, to find people similar to your current customers. Saved audiences allow you to target prospects based on their interests, behaviors, and demographics. This step is crucial in reaching the right audience with your ads. Next, consider where you want your ads to be placed. Facebook recommends using Advantage Plus placements for most businesses as it helps reach a wider audience and achieve better results. However, it's always a good idea to test different placements and see what works best for your business. Now, let's talk about the creative aspect of your ads. This is where you get to showcase your products or services and entice your audience to take action. The key is to create ads that resonate with your target audience at different stages of the marketing funnel. Think about the customer journey from awareness to consideration to conversion. Create ads that address the objections or hesitations your audience might have at each stage. For example, if you want to capture their attention and make them stop scrolling, create an ad with a strong hook. If you want them to click on your ad, overcome objections by showcasing innovative features or offering limited-time offers. Remember to constantly test and refresh your creatives to avoid ad fatigue. Analyzing, optimizing, and scaling your ads are vital steps in running a successful Facebook ad campaign. Customize your dashboard to show important metrics such as cost per click (CPC), click-through rate (CTR), cost per thousand impressions (CPM), and return on ad spend (ROAS). Use these metrics to monitor the performance of your ads and make data-driven decisions. If your ads aren't performing well, try to understand why and make necessary changes to improve them. Cut ads that aren't delivering results and reallocate your budget to more successful ads. In contrast, when your ads are successful and meeting your targets, it's time to scale. Increase your budget gradually to avoid overspending. Refresh your creatives to prevent ad fatigue and keep your audience engaged. Scaling your ads requires experimentation and continuous monitoring. Pay attention to what's working and adjust your strategies accordingly. Remember, running Facebook ads can be a powerful tool for promoting your e-commerce business. With the right strategies and continuous optimization, you can drive traffic, generate leads, and boost sales. Stay committed to your goals, stay creative, and don't be afraid to test new approaches. Good luck with your Facebook ad campaigns! And that concludes our comprehensive guide to running Facebook ads for your e-commerce business. I hope you found this information helpful and inspiring. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you for joining me on this journey, and I wish you great success in your Facebook advertising endeavors. Thank you for taking the time to read this article! We appreciate your support and hope you found it informative. If you enjoyed the content and would like to stay updated with our latest articles, we invite you to follow our blog via email subscription. You can receive notifications whenever we publish new posts by simply subscribing with your email address. Additionally, we have a Facebook fanpage where you can find more updates, exclusive content, and engage with fellow readers. We'd love for you to join our community by giving us a like and following us on Facebook. For those who prefer video content, we also have a YouTube channel where we share insightful videos related to the topics we cover. By subscribing to our YouTube channel, you can access our videos and receive alerts whenever we upload new content. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to connecting with you through email subscription, Facebook, and YouTube! Frequently Asked Questions: 1. What are Facebook ads? 2. How do I create a meta business manager account? 3. How do I create a meta ad account? 4. What is a meta pixel and how do I create one? 5. How does the Facebook ad structure work? Read the full article

[trecomics]

Mastodon is great for a quiet fandom life

Even before the buyout, Twitter has been an anxious place for a hobbyist like me.

I want to chill in my fandom bubble and find people who like the same characters I like to connect and chat maybe! I want to shitpost in peace!

Because of how twitter’s algorithm and search function works, I don’t want to force people who don’t like that sort of thing to see what I draw, so I’m careful with how I word my post. I mark the pairing name somewhere so people can mute it. (or find it) I censor full names or series titles so it ’s not found in search. I’ve been doing this for so long it shouldn’t be stressful, but getting stray comments reminds me to stay on my toes.

Mastodon, I realized, is close to perfect place for a peaceful fandom life.

Mastodon is compared to twitter a lot. That’s the wrong way of thinking about it. It’s not about trying to be “engaged” with the site 24/7. It wants to work for everyone, while keeping its focus on safety and making it harder to dogpile on others. That’s freakin’ awesome. Once you understand how it works. So how to get started?

These were my top worries while figuring out Mastodon.

There’s so many instances! What if I join the wrong one? This had me stuck deciding whether Mastodon was even viable. But there is no “wrong one.” you can join any instance, you can even make your own as the sole member. It’s simply having an address to be found.

HOWEVER

You might want to shop around first. When you sign up for an instance, their rules and which instances they don’t interact with are listed. I draw NSFW art, so I wanted to join an instance that allows that sort of thing.

AND

There’s no advantage joining a heavily populated instance. it could lag, more difficult to get into contact with the admins/support. The local timeline is a mess. Small and cozy is best. You can follow anyone, anywhere, anyway.

I don’t know how to follow others from different instances. You don't have sign up to different instances to follow others. The easiest way to do that is to copy their profile URL and paste and search into your instance’s search bar. You can also copy and search their account name, usually displayed by their username. They look like “@name@example.social”

I tried doing a search for my favorite thing but got 0 results! I’m proud of this creation, how can others find it? Mastodon’s search will only catch hashtags and URLs from all the instances. While I avoided hashtags with every fiber of my being on twitter, it’s vital to use them if you want public posts to be found by others. So don’t be shy and tag it up, use appropriate content warnings if needed on posts you want others to see! Because of these search limitations, you don’t have to censor words without fear of being found in a random search anymore. It’s great.

Best of all, you can follow hashtags! This way, any post with that hashtag will appear in your home timeline whether you follow that person or not, even from other instances. It’s great to see new stuff without manually searching. To do this, search your favorite hashtag names. Click the hashtag in the search results and in the upper right corner there’s an icon with a plus mark to click. You can remove it anytime by doing the same method.

But I want to follow others who speak different languages, twitter at least has a translate function (for now) Mastodon does too! But it’s up to each instance’s admin to implement the feature. it doesn’t hurt to politely ask them to add it. If they don’t, some apps have it built in! I know Ice Cubes for Mastodon does at least.

Quick tips: —You can change the default visibility of your posts in preferences The default is “public” but if you’re like me, you don’t want every thought out on the public/local timeline. I have mine set for “unlisted” so only followers or profile visitors can see it. The many posting options Mastodon has are almost perfect. I hope someday they adopt Twitter’s circle function.

—You can add filters to words and hashtags you don’t want to see! It just works! This is in preferences.

—No more extra work when you have to delete and repost, the “delete and re-draft” function is the best option ever.

—For the most comprehensive FAQ that answers every little thing you want to know about how Mastodon works and why, https://fedi.tips answers and then some.

I'm still a newb to Mastodon but I love being there so much. If anyone else has tips I've missed I'd love to know!

[merrilark]

Honestly I'm surprised we get any extras at all given how much this "fandom" complains about absolutely everything. From the very first piece of information we get about a new season, you get all the negative Nancies shouting their opinions about how much they hate certain storylines or distrust The Writers or expect the new material to suck because they had a prophetic dream or whatever. (Maybe I’m overly dramatic but I’ve wanted to quit this fandom so many times because of all the negativity, it’s not even funny.) And this doesn’t just happen here on Tumblr but also on Twitter and Instagram (and I’m sure TIkTok as well), on the official Netflix and TUA accounts' posts. If I were on the marketing team I’d not be super enthused about engaging with the fans, either. There’s actually just been an article on Business Insider about how Netflix’s data analysis team kind of runs its creative decisions (/how-netflix-uses-data-creative-decisions-renew-tv-films-analytics-2022-9?r=US&IR=T). They advise on which shows to acquire, which to renew, and how much money to spend on them by analyzing performance but also audience insight. I wouldn’t be surprised if that included social media even though the article doesn’t outright state it. And this practice is contentious, sure. To quote the article: "Sometimes it was helpful and sometimes it was totally useless," [a former exec] said of Netflix's analytics. "If something is really unique or a risk, they're not going to say, 'Go with God,' or 'Take that risk.' They'll say, 'Our data does not support [it]." So if you’re wondering why some of Netflix’s decisions seem really random or stupid maybe it’s because someone listened to an algorithm rather than using their own brain, which is definitely a flaw Netflix needs to work on, especially for a show like TUA that does fall under the “completely unique” category imo. On top of that, ST is a Netflix-only production while TUA is actually co-owned by NBC Universal. So the reason Netflix’s own social accounts aren’t as active in advertising the show is likely because some of that responsibility falls on NBC. And the reason we don’t get more tie-in media for TUA as ST does could very well be due to Dark Horse being involved in the whole business – they gave us the S1 “making of” book and the Klaus spin-off and the National Comic Book Day poster but could definitely do a lot more in terms of cross-advertisement. So the lack of content and merch doesn’t entirely fall on Netflix’s shoulders, I think. TUA is very different from ST not only in audience appeal but also in the amount of copyright holders, businesses, and decision makers involved.

Ahh, darn, the article is behind a paywall! But just from what you said, that’s fascinating. I find it heartening that Netflix seems to want to listen to fans and what they’re saying, and yet troubling that it seems it’s largely done through an algorithm. They’re missing the mark by this much! 🤏

A lot of big corporations seem to be leaning that way--that is, toward using algorithms rather than putting in all the elbow grease themselves, which, yeah, is rarely good. Algorithms can be clunky and they never work as well because they aren’t capable of understanding nuance. But if the algorithm is picking up a lot of negativity from people complaining about the show, then I can see how Netflix might decide pumping more money into TUA is less worth the risk.

As for the whole TUA and NBC/Dark Horse thing, yeah, I was wondering something similar about that! ST is a Netflix original, but TUA is a pre-existing IP so I would think that even if Netflix has the license to stream TUA, they would have to go through more paperwork to do the things that they do for ST, and how NBC or Dark Horse prioritizes franchises is a whole new can of worms. It’s hard to point fingers at any one responsible source, but then I also don’t really think it’s necessary to point at all. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” and all that.

[kimtaegis]

Maybe you just don't want to talk about this with anyone, so feel free to ignore it, I'm glad if you only read. Please please take control of the people you follow, the people you interact with and have on your blog or in any other site or social media that you use to share your interest in BTS... Our experience in the fandom will depend 100% on that, the way you see armys will be entirely affected by it. Don't follow anyone just 'cause they're nice if what they say upsets you, don't be afraid to block or unfollow anyone who makes you uncomfortable. There are many types of armys and accounts you can engage with, there are fanbases sharing beautiful projects and kind actions from armys around the world, there are artist armys (just like you!) who show their creations, armys focusing on gathering votes and streams (this will be forever important) and overall many many armys who just care about what BTS have to say, trusting their messages and trying their best every day. I'm afraid that you may start to see armys in a negative way, I'm afraid that you can believe that this fandom isn't a good fandom, that this doesn't feel like home... This is not true, please remember that? Ever since I becamy army I never thought bad of this fandom and I always could understand why BTS love armys so much, 'cause armys have been comforting me too and I don't even have friends... I'm comforted just by "strangers". Even on Twitter, where things are much bigger and easier to trigger us, I've found my "safety zone". It's all a result of whom you follow. This doesn't mean I haven't found mean people, stalkers or antis, I did and sometimes I kept looking for them, even knowing how it made me feel, but I do my best to control what and whom I search for. Please take care of this ♡ life is already so hard, this part doesn't need to also be. Our fandom is the biggest in this world and of course that it means there'll be more toxic and obsessed people, the bigger it is it can be scarier, but I hope you can always see that this number isn't even close to all the kind armys who learn a lot with BTS, all the armys chasing for their future and trying to be better human beings. You're one of them!

oh you’re very sweet for sending all this, I appreciate it. I just think that it’s pretty much impossible to avoid any of this simply because of how today’s social media works; I have a tiny twitter account, only follow a very small bunch of fans (mostly mutuals from here and editmys/fanartists); the algorithm still suggests super problematic tweets to me. Which is sad in itself because those tweets get so much traction that they’re suggested to me, do you know what I mean? I do block and mute every single one of these accounts, have a mile-long list of muted words, and yet. And just leaving or disabling these functions would let me not see the stuff I would like to see anymore, so that’s also not great. Tumblr is comparably fine but is also absolutely deserted and boring. I’m sorry to say this but ever since I joined the fandom two years ago, I had my opinion on the general vibe of armys and this didn’t change at all. I’ve never seen this fandom as a healthy community or a home, I’m only in it because I love the group. Yes there are definitely amazing (and sane) people I’ve met here on tumblr through the boys and I’m so grateful for that, but unfortunately it’s really just a very small number of people who I truly get along with (probably my own fault but yeh). Also it’s not just the negativity by the way, but also the infantilism, or the other extreme, sexualisation of the members, the absolute obsession with chart and streaming numbers, awards and records, the “quantity over quality” way of thinking, the list goes on. There’s just so much I can’t vibe with, don’t want to. I’m trying my best to keep curating my own fandom experience and I don’t see myself not following bts’ career at any time soon, but it still sucks that such a big part of loving them feels so.. corrupted at times.

[lucemferto]

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT PH1LZA (or Why Philza is a Victim of Narrative Circumstance)

Heyo! Per request I am posting the script to my video of the same name here on tumblr. I must warn you that just reading the script will probably not give you the full experience, so I would encourage you to watch the video (linked above).

There might also still be a lot of grammatical errors in the text, because I don’t proofread.

Intro

LAST TIME ON LUCEM FERTO

Okay, so! I don’t want this to turn into a reaction channel OR a Dream SMP channel for that matter! [echo]

Well, I lied.

[Intro to “Luc is pretentious about the funny blockmen. Episode 2”]

I swear, I’m working on other stuff. It’s just that my dumb lizard brain has only capacity for one interest at a time!

So, something you might not know about me, is that I am on tumblr – who am I kidding, most of you will know me from tumblr. Before starting this whole YouTube thing, I thought that website died years ago – but as per usual reality proves me wrong. I’m also on Twitter and Reddit, but I get the most engagement on tumblr – by far! – and I need those sweet, sweet numbers for the serotonin!

Anyways, one of my favourite past-times on tumblr is to razz Philza Hardcore Minecraft – that’s his full name – for being a frankly awful father [clicking away] – wait, wait, no! Philza fans, this isn’t a hit piece on him, I promise! Please come back!

This is video is meant to be a companion piece to my previous video about Technoblade and the Doomsday event – you can tell by the shared nomenclature – so you should probably watch that one before you proceed. Unless you don’t want to, which is also perfectly understandable.

DISCLAIMER: This video is mostly about the character Philza plays on the Dream SMP. Whenever I talk about the content creator Philza, I will say so properly. Also, Spoiler Warning for Dream SMP Season 2.

… What is that? You’re wondering what the Dream SMP is? Well, if you had just watched the other video like I told you to do, you would know, because I explained it pretty well there. But in case you don’t know, here’s the cliff notes.

Dream SMP is the hottest New Media Series on Twitch right now! It has it all: gaslighting, child soldiers, Machiavellian political intrigue, Hamilton roleplay, desecration of the dead, shounen protagonists, SO! MUCH! AMNESIA! Filicide, furries, a red egg that’s definitely homophobic and teenagers inventing nuclear warfare. And it’s all done in Minecraft – yes, the funny block game where the only way to emote is to crouch.

And you say the perfect brief doesn’t exist!

Now, you might be wondering, why do I want to talk about this? Well, it’s because Content Creator Philza is one of least controversial internet personalities that I can think of. That man exudes pure comfort. So, it’s just very, very amusing to me that his character became one of the most controversial figures on the SMP, only outshone by Tommy and Technoblade.

And it’s not just amusing, it’s also extremely interesting! I want to dig deep to uncover and discuss the dynamics behind why that is. How did it come to this point? How did a man who appears genuinely so pleasant create a character that inspires so much discourse!

Now, if you watched that Technoblade video – like I told you to twice now! – you might know, that I am the resident character analyses hater of fandom! And that impression is false and slanderous! Don’t tell other people that I hate character analyses! I love them!

It’s just that, in the Dream SMP in particular, there is an abundance of character analyses! Every streamer has at least two very good essays written about them, exploring every possible angle to view their characters and backgrounds and everything. All I’m saying is: I don’t have anything to add on that front.

So, instead I want to pursue a different approach – something, that I feel is a bit underrepresented in the fandom! And I’m not just talking narrative analysis – that’s right, this episode we’re going even more pretentious! – I’m talking Transtextual Analysis!

Now, what is Transtextuality? Well, unfortunately it has very little to do with actual Trans people – #transrights, just in case that wasn’t obvious – but instead describes a mode of analysis with which to put – to quote French literary theorist Gérard Genette – “the text in a relationship, whether obvious or concealed, with other texts”.

Basically, you know how the L’Manburg War of Independence heavily quotes and borrows from the hit musical Hamilton? That’s transtextuality! A lot of the analyses surrounding how Tommy mirrors the Greek hero Theseus, who was invoked by Technoblade multiple times in the series, are already doing transtextual analysis! So, it’s really not something that’s new to the Dream SMP fandom.

But how does this apply to Philza and how he is looked at and judged by his parental skills? Well, there are multiple forms of transtextuality, two of which we will discuss today.

But before we continue, I gotta do that annoying YouTuber thing. I know these videos don’t look like much, but I spend a really long time making them. I work fulltime and I try my best to keep up, but sometimes I can’t. So please, like, subscribe, comment to give me some algorithm juice – I really need it – and most importantly share it! Share it with your friends, share it with your family – I’m sure Grandma is very interested in what I have to say about Philza Minecraft.

And I’m trying to be better! If I sound at all different for this video, it’s because I finally bought a new pop filter, so I can hit my plosives without it sounding like there’s a thunderstorm in my room. I hope it makes a difference; it was a very cheap pop filter, so maybe it doesn’t. Maybe it sounds worse – that would be bad!

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, CHILD NEGLEGT!

 Intertextuality: Why is Dadza?

You know what’s really interesting about the Dream SMP – aside from, you know, most things about it? Very few of the characters have concrete, fleshed-out backstories – and that’s pretty weird! In no other medium or genre could you get away with something like that – at least for long-form storytelling!

So, how does Dream SMP get away with this? Well, it’s because every character on the Dream SMP is basically a self-insert – and I don’t mean that in the “This character is based on me”-kinda way, but in the “This character, for all intents and purposes, is me!”-way. This, like many things that are fascinating about the Dream SMP, is owed to the fact that this series didn’t start off as a continuous drama – it started off as a Let’s Play.

And while we can talk about how someone’s on-camera/on-mic persona is in some ways a character, it’s still miles off of being an actual, fully-realized, separate character in a storyline.

This is where Intertextuality comes in.

Intertextuality is a subset of Transtextuality. It describes how the hypertext, which is the text, you’re currently engaged with, uses another text, the hypotext, to supplement itself. The interconnection the hypertext establishes with the hypotext, through stuff like allusion for example, uh-hum [Hamilton], can colour how an audience interprets the hypertext. Basically, Hamilton and Theseus are the hypotexts; the Dream SMP is the hypertext.

So, what does this have to do with backstory? Simple: The backstories of the characters in the Dream SMP consist basically of nothing but intertextual references. Through intertextuality their content effectively substitutes their character’s backstory.

You can see it everywhere. Wilbur’s and Schlatt’s relationship and rivalry is hugely enriched, if you are aware of their shared history like SMPLive, for example – I think anyway. I haven’t watched SMPLive, because … there’s only so many hours in the day and I cannot keep up with the Dream SMP and catch up on SMPLive and live a healthy life – which I already don’t do, so…

BadBoyHalo’s and Skeppy’s relationship, which has become the crux of the Crimson-Storyline of Seasons 2 and 3, is hugely supplemented if you know that they’re also very close as streamers and in real life.

Another great example of intertextuality is basically Technoblade’s entire deal. If you just look at him completely within the text of the Dream SMP and try to transplant his entrance to any other medium: It would be extremely weird! Like, he’s just this guy that comes in in the middle of a very climatic arc, no build-up, no explanation what his deal is, and he’s treated like he has always been there. In any other medium that just wouldn’t work – at least not without a flashback or some sort of exposition!

But because of stuff like Minecraft Mondays, the Potato Wars, his Duel against Dream and SMPEarth, we understand that he is a Big Deal!

Anyways, to bring all of this back to Philza Minecraft: What kind of hypotext informs how the audience sees his character? Well, this is where I will have to talk about SBI.

SBI is an acronym that stand for State Bank of India, the 43rd largest bank in the world and…

It also stands for Sleepy Bois Incorporated. Sleepy Bois Incorporated is a loose assembly of content creators, consisting of Philza, Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit and Technoblade. It is most well-known for its very endearing family dynamic – a dynamic that is frequently acknowledged and played up by the creators involved. Tommy is the youngest brother, Wilbur and Techno are the two older brothers and Philza is of course the dad. And when I say, it’s played up, I really mean it! Wilbur seems to be especially enamoured with the idea and leaves no opportunity untaken to bring it up – which we will come back to.

And I’m not saying that they’re faking this and this is somehow an act. While I know none of these people personally, it appears to me, that this is genuinely how they interact – if a little exaggerated for the streaming experience. Even when they’re not consciously playing into the family dynamic, their interactions still very much lend themselves to that interpretation by the viewers.

Philza especially just radiates Dad-Friend energy – so much so that it has become a huge part of his brand identity – yay, I can bring that back (check out my Christmas video if you want to hear me ramble about that). The nickname Dadza stuck even before SBI was a thing.

So, even if we completely disregard SBI – which we shouldn’t for reasons I’ll get back to – Philza has cultivated an image of strong paternal guidance. He is, in my opinion completely deservedly, regarded very positively. He is highly respected and in turn seen as a voice of reason.

All of this would eventually inform the hypotext of the character Philza within Dream SMP.

 Interlude: Before Dadza & November 16th

Okay, so now we have established that a) Dream SMP heavily hinges on intertextual readings by the audience to supplement character backstory and b) that Philza’s entire deal is that he’s the dad-friend – more specifically that he’s the dad of SBI (not the bank). I think you know where this is going.

So, yeah, ever since it was on the table that Philza could join the Dream SMP, it was immediately assumed that he would take on the paternal guardian role all these traumatized people on that server so desperately needed – and with good reason! Like I said before, the audience at this point was trained to take intertextual interpretations as basically canon or at the very least canon-adjacent.

I want to emphasize that this is most likely not done deliberately. I’m sure content creators Wilbur and Philza didn’t sit there and said: “Yes! We will rely entirely on the audience’s inclination to interpret our characters intertextually to define character Philza!”. Like, obviously that did not happen.

But it’s also important to remember that unlike with traditional media and the fanbases cultivated there, the separation between the Dream SMP and its audience is almost non-existent – and purposely so. The story events are streamed live, Chats are acknowledged in canon and even outside of livestreams creators are extremely involved with the fandom. So, the weight of fan-expectations is equally amplified and will more likely be incorporated into the writing process. Case in point:

[Wilbur “I miss Philza”/Philza about Wilbur]

During Wilbur’s villain arc, even before his official involvement, Philza became a prevalent point of discussion. The hope that he would be the one to snap Wilbur out of his downward spiral was not only wish-fulfilment on behalf of the fans; it also very much played off of the intertextual reading of the SBI-dynamic in relation to the Dream SMP.

Of course, this still doesn’t make Philza and Wilbur canonically blood-related – but it definitely used the “paternal”-dynamic of SBI to build-up tension and drama.

And that ultimately brings us to November 16th. The Grand Finale of Season 1 and Philza’s first canonical appearance on the SMP.

Now, for this I want to pull back from the transtextual analysis and talk about simply narrative analysis: What is Philza’s narrative purpose on November 16th?

Philza serves as the last threshold on Wilbur’s Villain’s Journey – to appropriate Vogler’s version of the monomyth for a minute here – he is what Vogler calls the “Threshold Guardian”. He is the last enemy the Hero faces before completing his quest – in this particular case Wilbur’s quest is to blow up L’Manberg. Multiple people have at this point tried to dissuade him from this course of action: Tommy, Quackity, Niki and others. So how come this Philza moment is not redundant in terms of dynamics compared to these prior scenes?

Well, it’s through our intertextual understanding of Wilbur’s and Phil’s relationship. Because Philza does not just occupy the role of the Threshold Guardian – he is also implicitly the Mentor. Before Phil there was no character in the storyline that held a higher position of moral authority than Wilbur – Dream and Schlatt, while at points more powerful in terms of actual authority, were never positioned by the narrative as Wilbur’s superiors in the same way as Wilbur was to Tommy, Tubbo or even Niki.

Before November 16th all challenges Wilbur faced were from people narratively subordinated to him. But that trend is broken with Phil. That is why he is the Threshold Guardian, why this confrontation is at the climax of Wilbur’s arc. Because Phil is the last thing tethering Wilbur to whatever morality he held before his villain arc; Phil is the last, moral obstacle Wilbur has to discard before gaining his reward.

And, just a quick sidenote, because I’ve seen it around the fandom a bunch: When I’m referring to Wilbur denouncing his morality, I’m using that in terms of narrative analysis. I’m mentioning it, because Wilbur’s character can very easily be read as mentally ill or neurodivergent and some people have – rightly! – pointed out that the excessive vilifying when talking about his character is … problematic, to say the least.

So, I just want to make clear, this isn’t a character analysis, I’m being purposely broad when talking about Wilbur and Phil.

In the end, Wilbur takes that final step and gets his “reward”: As his final request his mentor takes his life and vanquishes the evil – the dragon of Wilbur’s story slays the dragon of L’Manburg. It’s very Shakespearean in its tragedy – but beyond the larger theatrics it’s not really used to further characterize Phil – at least in the context of Season 1. There’s not a lot of focus on his characters internal conflict during November 16th.

Phil, like Techno, is very utilitarian in how content creator Wilbur writes him: He serves as a moment of hype; an obstacle Wilbur has to face; a participant in the tragic climax of Wilbur’s character and ultimately takes on his implicit and expected role of mentor and guiding figure to the rest of L’Manburg.

I think not a lot of people talk about how Philza does not join Technoblade during November 16th. He takes the side of L’Manburg – he fights against the withers and he joins Tommy, Tubbo and the others at the L’Mantree, thus framing him as loyal to the L’Manburg administration – even though Season 2 would make his loyalty to Techno central to his character. But more on that later.

What’s also important about November 16th is that this is the day when the general intertextual interpretation became canonized text.

[You’re my son!]

Wilbur is made Phil’s canonical, biological son. The intertextual interpretation of SBI as it pertains to these two characters on the SMP was completely reinforced by the narrative. Or to put it in Fandom terms: The headcanon became actual canon. At least when it came to Wilbur … but what about Philza’s “other” children?

Well, that leads to our second form of transtextual analysis:

 Paratextuality: Is Dadza?

These titles are just getting better and better.

The Paratext is defined as all those things in a published work that accompany the text. It comes in two forms: One of them is the Peritext, which are non-diegetic elements directly surrounding the text – like chapter titles, author’s notes, and stuff like that. Translated to the medium of the Dream SMP, it would be stuff like this:

[Examples]

And, trust me, I could make a whole separate video about how people on the SMP use their peritext as a tool for storytelling – I’m looking at you, Ranboo – but that’s not what we will talk about in the context of Dadza.

Instead, we will focus on the second form of Paratext, the Epitext, which consists of all authorial and editorial discussions taking place outside of the text. That’s stuff like interviews, private letters or J. K. Rowling’s Twitter Account – you know, before she decided to become a full-time asshole.

[Wilbur: Transrights]

After Season 1 ended, Wilbur indulged pretty heavily in providing epitext for the Dream SMP, something he had not done prior to November 16th. His paratextual additions ranged from the playful, like assigning DnD alignments to various SMP members, to the extremely impactful, like the whole three lives system!

You probably think, you know where this is going. Wilbur provided some epitext about how Tommy and Techno either are or are not biologically related to him … and I have to be honest I thought that too. But then I began looking into the impenetrable web that is the SBI-canon on the Dream SMP and found this!

[Ghostbur explains family]

So, it wasn’t paratext, it was just straight text. Said in character, in canon, without any implication that we the viewers should question this. The text of the SBI family dynamic was explicitly linked to Dream SMP-exclusive lore, namely Fundy being Wilbur’s and Sally the Salmon’s son. This is as clear as Philza’s anguished declaration on November 16th in establishing the intertext as text. And because Wilbur also had a very heavy hand in the discussion of paratext around that time, it gave his character’s words even more “canonical” weight. Metatextually speaking, this very much read like the author giving exposition through his character – exposition that we should understand as reliable.

And, by the way, before I continue, I need to give a huge, huge shoutout to kateis-cakeis on tumblr, I hope I pronounced that right, who was just so quick in providing me with these crucial clips. Without him I would have looked for days because these people don’t archive their shit! And the Dream SMP Wiki was NO help, by the way! I love what you guys do, but stuff like this belongs in the Trivia section on characters’ pages!

Anyways, basically during the entirety of early Season 2 the SBI family dynamic was basically canon to the SMP. Sometimes it was only alluded implicitly, again letting the intertext fill out the rest.

[Philza clips]

But just as often it was just explicitly talked about – both in the text and in the paratext.

[Fundy clip/Wilbur “Twins” clip/Tommy clip]

So, I know what you’re thinking: “Why is this part called paratext, if the entire family tree is just textual”. Well, that last clip might give you a hint, as to what I will talk about. Notice how Tommy, one of the people most directly impacted by the canonization of SBI lore, is both unaware of and seems generally unenthused about it, to put it nicely? Well, that would soon turn out to be a much bigger deal than anyone could have imagined as he wasn’t the only one.

[Technoblade decanonizes SBI]

Yeah …

This happened on 20th of December. Regular viewers of this channel will remember that I put out a 90-second joke video, where I complain about this very development. And while I was mostly kidding around, the core idea is still true. The paratext provided by Technoblade and established text were in direct contradiction with one another – and that brought a lot of confusion into the fandom. Confusion, that would soon be followed by frustration.

Because Techno only decanonized himself as part of the SBI family dynamic – but what about Tommy and Tubbo, the latter of which was incorporated into the dynamic exclusively within the lore of the Dream SMP. Was this still canon or wasn’t it?

What followed was a muddled mess of contradictions, intertextual implications, text and paratext in conflict with each another. It was for the most part inscrutable to figure out how Tommy and Philza related to one another. I’ll spare you every comment made about this – mostly because I want to spare myself from looking for all of them.

In the end, the current status is that their familial relationship is … unclear. Philza said, again in paratext, that it’s ultimately up to the writers to decide, whether or not Tommy is his son … which, I personally think he and Tommy should be the ones to establish that, but I’ll come back to that later.

But why is all of this important anyway? Why would this ambiguity create such an uproar, such controversy – especially when it comes to Tommy’s character? What makes Tommy’s and Philza’s relationship such a target for discussion in the fandom?

Well … this is where we will have to talk about the storyline of Season 2.

Interlude II: Tommy’s Exile and Dadza in Season 2

Okay, Season 2. This is where the spoilers are, so I will just sneakily drop this again. It took me five seconds to google this gif and I will milk it for every penny it’s worth!

At the beginning of Season 2, Philza’s narrative role has not changed much from where Season 1 ended. He is in L’Manburg dispensing earthly wisdom, being a paternal figure to Fundy, Ghostbur and Tubbo, helping with the nation’s rebuilding efforts; just generally occupying the role of the mentor.

[clips]

And then came … the Exile. The Exile Arc took place between December 3rd and December 15th during Season 2 of the Dream SMP. It revolves around TommyInnit getting exiled from L’Manburg and slowly getting psychologically tortured and broken down by Dream. It’s a really great arc, at least in my opinion, that explores and deepens a lot of Tommy’s character relationships, whether that be Tommy and Dream, Tommy and Tubbo or Tommy and Ranboo. One relationship, however, is noticeably missing.

So, yeah, Philza spends basically the entirety of the exile doing pretty much nothing of consequence. And that’s not a problem specific to him – One big criticism I would levy against the Exile Arc is that a lot of characters are left spinning their wheels. Which is why we get zany stuff like El Rapids, Drywaters, Eret’s Knights of the Roundtable, Boomerville – anyone remember Boomerville, that was a thing for 5 seconds, wasn’t it? – basically a lot of storylines are started and then unceremoniously dropped. Now, I will talk more about this, when I make a video about Season 2 of the Dream SMP … in ten years, look forward to it.

In the case of Philza, this inaction was especially damning, because at this point it was still a considered canon that he was Tommy’s dad. So, the fans were left with a situation, where just a few weeks prior Philza was occupying a paternal role for Fundy and Ghostbur … but now, that his youngest son was in a very concerning predicament – to put it lightly – he was nowhere to be found.

So why is that?

Well, the most obvious answer is that Dream and Tommy didn’t write him into the storyline. We’ve seen that Tommy wasn’t particularly interested in exploring a familial relationship to Philza, at least at the time. And it would just not fit in with what Dream and Tommy tried to do with the Exile Arc: they wanted to tell the story of Tommy being isolated, completely under Dream’s mercy, slowly worn down and manipulated. If Philza had been constant presence for Tommy during that time, it would have definitely shifted the narrative focus. That doesn’t mean that they couldn’t have done that, it’s just a matter of fact that they didn’t.

This also reveals another truth about content creator Philza’s character work, that I think is extremely crucial: He takes what the writers give him. Outside of a few choice moments, he doesn’t seem particularly interested in expanding or even solidifying his character on the SMP.

What I’m saying is that he is very go-with-the-flow: Wilbur wants to enact a Shakespearean tragedy? Philza’s up for it. Fundy wants him as a parental figure and mentor? Philza’s here for him. Tommy, conversely, doesn’t want him as a paternal presence, even though it would make sense for Philza’s character, as it was established so far, to be there? Philza will oblige.

The reason I’m mentioning this is because, while Tommy and Dream were unwilling to utilise Philza in their storyline, someone else was more than happy to. Which leads us back, like it always does, to everyone’s favourite Porky Pig-kinnie in a crown: Technoblade.

Technoblade and Philza, from everything I’ve seen of them, seem to be very good friends – and they share a lot of history even outside SBI. So, it’s commendable that they would collaborate on a storyline together.

A consequence of that, however, is that Philza’s narrative purpose shifts completely with very little transition. His entire character changes from being the Mentor-figure of L’Manberg to being pretty much exclusively defined as Technoblade’s ally; his man on the inside. It is a very sharp turn from the end of Season 1. Their relationship is once again informed via intertext – this time the Antarctic Empire on SMPEarth serves as the hypotext – but there isn’t a huge effort made to smoothly integrate that aspect of Philza’s character into the larger narrative framing around him.

How much the narrative utilisation of Philza has shifted can be very easily observed through the Butcher Army event on December 16th, a story event that I like less and less the more I think about. Here Philza is used to show just how corrupt and violent Tubbo’s administration has becomes. He is no longer the respected mentor, he is now the stand-in for the oppressed populace, similar to Niki’s role in Season 1. On a narrative level, he is here to prove a point.

If you’ve seen my Technoblade video, you know how I feel about … just that entire storyline, so I will not reiterate too much on it. I just want to make clear that I’m not principally against this development – if they wanted to truly explore Tubbo going down a dark path and getting corrupted by power, so much so that he would even treat the person who effectively raised him like a prisoner, I would be extremely here for it, I cannot stress that enough.

The problem I have is that it’s just so sloppily done. It is not coherent with how these characters behaved and, more importantly, how they were narratively framed prior to the Butcher Army event. Fundy gets one token line about Phil being his Grandfather – a far cry from the very emotionally complex relationship they had established at the beginning of Season 2 – and Phil then callously disowns him.

The major problem simply is that we don’t see how Philza changes from Mentor-figure to embittered, oppressed citizen. And there was enough time to build to that. During the entirety of Tommy’s exile Tubbo was pretty much spinning his wheels and Quackity and Fundy were opening up plot cul-de-sacs that didn’t end up going anywhere. This is time they could have spent on developing their relationship to Philza and the dark path they were going down – but again, Season 2 video.

There is not much to say on Philza’s narrative purpose and framing beyond the Butcher Army event. He remains pretty much exclusively Techno’s consigliere with his role as Mentor to L’Manburg a distant memory. He has some cute character moments with Ranboo, because content creator Philza is just big dad-energy whether he wants to or not, and whenever he and Ghostbur share a scene suddenly the narrative remembers that there are people other than Technoblade that should exist in Philza’s inner world. But aside from that, Philza’s storyline in Season 2 remains … pretty definitive is the nicest way I can put it.

Most importantly his relationship with Tommy continues to be completely unexplored – whether by chance or choice – and that combined with ever vaguer paratext leaves “Dadza” in a very peculiar situation.

 Conclusion: Is Dadza a Good Dadza?

So, the question to end all questions. The big, obnoxious text, that I will probably have put in the thumbnail – I haven’t made it yet, but I know myself. The honest answer is: I couldn’t tell you.

I have, in the past, been expounding the virtues of narrative analysis. That is because I feel that Narrative Analysis and Textual Analysis, like in this video, can provide certain tools that Character Analysis lacks. Often times I see people trying to get at a writing problem or query and getting frustrated because they’re not using the toolset, they need to figure out what they want to figure out.

But I’d be a hypocrite if I pretended like everything could be solved through the modes of analysis I prefer. And I think the Dadza-issue is exactly such a case.

I set out to explore why the Philza-Tommy-“Dadza”-relationship has become so controversial. It’s a combination of expectations build up through intertextual readings, that were partly canonized – something that is very common for the Dream SMP – conflicting pieces of paratext, which only serve to muddle the issue further and a text that is not only completely uninterested in actually exploring Tommy’s and Philza’s relationship – as it stands right now they might as well be strangers, narratively speaking – but also completely changes Philza’s narrative purpose as it relates to characters like Fundy or Tubbo about half-way through with little to no transition.

That is why I say, that Philza’s character is a victim of narrative circumstance. Because unwittingly, through all of these factors and decisions, there is not coherent reading of Philza that frames his parental skills in a particularly kind light.

The question of how we can judge Phil as a paternal figure ultimately falls within the purview of the character analysis – and that’s a very multifaceted issue, highly dependent on which POV you focus on and how you interpret the other characters in that POV’s periphery.

To put my cards on the table, I think that Philza is a very flawed father/father-figure – and I find that absolutely okay. Flaws are the spice of character building. He is not Cinderella’s Evil Stepmother – but he’s also definitely not Mufasa. If we were to read Philza as a paternal figure, then he would have made a lot of mistakes and decisions to the detriment of his “children” – least of all everything that happened on Doomsday.

But I also have sympathies for Philza fans who are tired of the Dad-Debate and would like to have his character judged independent from his relationship to Ghostbur, Fundy, Tubbo and Tommy.

Ultimately, to bring it all to a point, I’d like to end with saying, that I think that Philza, out of all the characters on the SMP, has the potential to be on of the most intriguing, multifaceted ones. There are all of these different patches of story, character moments and narrative and transtextual implications, that, if brought together, could create a beautiful tapestry of the character Philza.

You have his relationship with Techno, which holds the potential for so much emotional conflict and vulnerabilities, you have his time as mentor of L’Manburg, which is just criminally underused; the complex relationship between him and Ghostbur/Wilbur; and – for me, personally – most intriguingly this weird, almost uncomfortably distant non-relationship with Tommy. That last one is intriguing to me, because it contrasts just so much with our intertextual understanding of the characters and streaming personas – and it just holds the potential for so much conflict, so much drama, so much angst. Which I live for!

And, yes, I do believe that most of this is narrative happenstance, that this was largely not intended by Philza or really any of the writers. It’s just what happens when hybrid-roleplay-improv a long-running, livestreamed storyline in Minecraft.

But I want them to realize the potential they have on their hands, because it could – with barely any adjustments – turn Philza from a victim of narrative circumstance to a champion of it!

 Outro

Thank you so much for watching this video. Usually, I don’t record outros this standard, but after this beast of a video I felt it necessary. I hope that whether you’re a Philza fan or a Philza critical or just completely uninvolved in the whole thing, there is at least a little entertainment you could get from this.

I want to take this opportunity to say that my next few videos will probably not be Dream SMP related – a sentence which undoubtedly lost me a bunch of subs – simply because I don’t want to burn out on it. I genuinely enjoy watching the SMP and being exhausted by it would be something I wouldn’t want to force on myself.

But who knows what will happen? The Karl Jacobs video was something I did spur of the moment because the idea just came to me – so I can’t guarantee that the next video won’t be a three-minute joke about Purpled or whatever.

Anyway, my concrete plans for future Dream SMP videos are essays on Season 1 and Season 2 as well as one for Tales from the SMP.

Before that I have a longer video in the works, which I’ve already teased a bunch, so I hope it will finally be finished sometime. And I also may be working on something … eboys-related? Maybe. I’m not making any promises!

[nemirutami]

How to grow an audience as an artist (by your own means)!

There’s been a lot of discourse lately in the art community and I’ve seen a lot of small artists bicker with big artists regarding followers and commission prices. Well, I’m not having any of it. I made a nifty tip-list on twitter on how to grow an audience and I think it needs to be said here too for those who need to hear it.

This thread is for you, me, and everyone who wants to grow an audience & find business opportunities. I've compiled a list of helpful ways to have your art seen (from my own experience) and i'll be breaking them down step by step in this thread. Let's start with 1.

1) You should not only be posting on twitter (the search engine is very poor here). You should post your art to instagram, tumblr, deviantart, Youtube, ANY media platform where images and videos are easy to digest. It's a chore, but also a worthy sacrifice to get more eyes on you

2) If you post in a EU timezone but your audience is mostly american, well, then you missed your optimal posting window. Know where most of your audience is located (you can put up a poll!) And schedule posting during/around a time where people are likely to be free + awake.

3) Supporting other creators isn't annoying! Your engagement doesn't only help boost the artist you love in the algorithm, but it also makes you easier to find if someone clicks on their art to read the comments! It's a win-win for both of you!

4) If you want to make sure your work is seen, use tags on all the art you post! On twitter it looks ugly (that's why i don't do it often if at all) but on sites like instagram and tumblr it's easy to hide tags for aesthetic. Know what tags are most active and tag accordingly.

5) If you draw something really popular, keep in mind that the content pool for said popular thing/ship is INFLATED. Try to bring something new to the conversation. Something that makes people go "i NEED to follow this person bc they're the only one that GETS IT".

6) Twitter and tumblr (with the right extension) has a function that can "turn off retweets/reblogs" To make sure others are guaranteed to see your art, you can post it again as a new post to make sure it doesn't get blocked by the RT/RB feature. Repost old art for new followers!

7) Collaborating with others helps build both your audience and your friends/mutual's audience! If your interests align (like fandom or even ships) people from both your sides are more likely to go follow you/your friend based on what they see! Give your best in collabs!

8) Not everyone can host streams because of cpu limitations, but what you CAN do is make step-by-step gifs/imgs with online tools to then post it online. Make sure you host streams when people are free and not at work! It's a good chance to engage in chat live, too.

9) If you have commitment and time, join zines, fan projects, weeks, and events hosted by your fandom. This way, you're making content of something you love and you have an audience already willing to watch what you make!

10) You can host your own digital zine to avoid merch/shipping cost and put it up in an online store for download! You can also host weeks/events yourself to get others on board. Only make physical zines/prints if you know what you're doing and have resources to spend!

11) character bdays, game updates, and game release dates happen once a year, but they happen once a year for PLENTY of things. This way, if you draw for things you love and post on the day it's most relevant, more people will be likely to search/share and see it!

12) We all know when the next nintendo direct drops, we see artists RUN with excitement to draw for it RIGHT AWAY. This is both bc we're excited and because we know we have a small window of oppertunity to hit the PEAK of online activity. Your art is more likely to be seen NOW.

13) You have to make content to be seen. Sometimes, being seen doesn't mean your art is good as much as it means you're posting consistently and giving people reason to come back to you/enjoy having you on their feed. The more you post, the more likely you can be seen/rtd.

14) Sketches, doodles, wips, unfinished things! None of these things matter as much to your followers as it does to you! Most of them enjoy seeing you post art, no matter what kind. Post sketches, doodles, comparisons, etc! Let them see/share more of your work!

15) Don't be afraid to interact with your followers or even people who approach you with questions! Being social is difficult, but know that followers love when you reply to them (speaking for myself bc i love when other artists  or reply to my comments )! Engage!

16) You'll learn this from personal experience. There are (with attitude) definitely bad clients and bad artists. But all you need to consider is being respetful and mindful and take your clients consideration to heart. If you can't offer something, be honest! They'll understand.

17) You can grow a lot in a year, but you know what will impress people? If you take that 1 drawing you did when you were 14 of tokyo mew mew and redrew it in your new style! Success stories are worth following. Hard work is always valued and appreciated- flaunt it!

18) Tutorials or step-by-steps are easy ways to get more artists to notice you because we're all trying to do our best to learn and grow. By posting studies or tutorials, you're not only inviting others to share your experience, but you're inspiring them to try new things!

19) Have your art/business email EVERYWHERE. In your twitter bio, on your instagram, tumblr, youtube, etc. Anywhere where you might need it. This way, no matter WHAT platform people find you on, they can ALWAYS count on reaching you via email if your dms are closed!

20) There are several free websites (weebly for one) that offer a lot of freedom and customization. My best tip for making a site is: make it organized, easily readable, un-cluttered, to-the-point, and aesthetically pleasing. No complicated navigation; focus on accessability.

21) Sometimes, drawing 1 popular thing ONCE is not enough. This is bc unless you have something unique or mainstream, people will go where they can get more of said popular content. If you've already been drawing for a fandom, yr more likely to get followers from that fandom.

22) The most important point. Never equate your audience to your worth, and never equate your followers to a progress bar. It's insulting to both you and your followers who are rooting for you. You're worth much more than you get, but it's your job to make others see it. BE LOUD!

Addendum: I didn't put "luck" here bc it isn't something you yourself can control outside of what I've already shared. But keep in mind a lot of the time, it really is about A LOT of luck. Keep your head up, and do your best. 10 followers or 10k followers idc, IM rooting for you.

[foryourinformationmd]

Advice from a Professional Doctor, Asher Nitin.

Ignore all the portrayals of life in medical school by your pre-med lecturers. If they begin a med school narrative with, “My nephew is a doctor and he told me…,” instantly disregard it. His nephew did not tell him that. He told him much more. Those are merely the parts he wants to remember. If it isn’t a recently-graduated doctor telling you what life in med school is like, it isn’t going to be anything like what they will tell you. So what is it like instead? Grey’s anatomy? House, M.D.?

Neither. Med school is more like Scrubs and The Knick than it is like Grey’s Anatomy and House, M.D. Unlike Grey’s Anatomy, you and your fellow medical students will not be that good looking. You will not sleep with each other as much. You will not cry over your patients (you’ll have a hard time remembering their full name). And you will not monkey around with barely-tested experimental procedures. Ever. If you do, it’ll probably be the last thing you do because good-bye medical school. Unlike House, all medicine will be diagnostic. Your professors will only appear to be brilliant (it’s really just decades of specialized knowledge and experience; with their subject and with your type). Diagnosis will be algorithmic, and even that algorithm won’t be your own. But you will still get a kick out of it. Like Scrubs and The Knick, your medical school will be your life. You will eat, sleep and dream medicine. Your entire social circle will consist of your colleagues. Your family will be the one stable point in your life. You’ll date your colleagues.

Speaking of dating, your sexy does not go up when you become a doctor. I mean this practically. Theoretically, I’m told doctors are hot. I can see why. They undeniably have inherent value: social standing, (the promise of) money, proof of intelligence (actually, no) and actual power over life (more than you know). But practically speaking (especially if you’re male) your dating life will not get better as a medical student. That is because the demands of medical school will swamp you. You will come home tired. Your pool of prospective partners will mostly consist of your medical colleagues. So while your newfound status as a doctor might have value in non-medical circles, it will mean nothing because you will almost never frequent those circles. But within the circle you’re in, your status as a medical student means nothing, because so what? Everyone is one too. “But Asher!” you say, frantically gesturing at me to pause, “I’ll be smart and date outside of medical school.” No, dummy. You’ll be a dummy if you do that because…

The more friends you have outside of med school the harder it is to excel. Med school is about an ethos. You’re not just part of a course. You’re part of a community. This is now your primary identity. All your self worth are now belong with us, bi*ch. There is this neurological phenomenon seen in people trying to study. When you’re focused on something, if you break off and engage with something unrelated, your brain takes up to twenty minutes to fully refocus on the original task once you return to it. In life as well, broadly speaking, I’ve observed a similar phenomenon. I’ve known three students in med school whose circle of friends mostly lay outside of med school. One hung out with mostly dancers and choreographers. One was a socialite. One hung out with the sons of politicians. They all were (and still are as of now) the worst doctors I have ever seen. This is because they constantly take breaks from the ethos of medical life. They miss out on the rhythm of life in the world of medicine. So you should know that…

You will leave most of your old friends behind, and you won’t even mind. Of all the various professions, I’m told, physicians tend to default the most on school reunions. That is partly because they don’t have the time, but also because they don’t care. It isn’t that we become arrogant or unsocial. It is that the act of medical education deeply changes you. It makes you more functionally intelligent. It makes you less prone to fake drama. It makes you calmer in crisis. All these after-effects will permanently drive a wedge between you and many of the people you used to know. This is a surprising side-effect no one anticipates; least of all your elders. And that is an amusing paradox. They anticipate your becoming a doctor because they know medical school is elevation. They don’t realize the side effect of this elevation is you will now talk down to them.

Your most important subject in pre-med is physics. Look, pre-med isn’t really about information continuity. The organisms you will dissect in pre-med will be phylogenetically disconnected from med school. You dissect a plant stem, a plant root, an earthworm, a cockroach, a frog, and then… a human being? See? You won’t be seamlessly connecting domains of knowledge. Pre-med isn’t even about building a conceptual base. Many things you learn in pre-med biology will be repeated in so much greater detail in med school that your prior knowledge will only partially help. Pre-med is about picking up mental skills you will need. Let’s talk about those.

You need to learn to form a train of thought fast. The great thing about learning to solve problems in physics is that you learn to solve problems in general. You learn to quickly identify variables and constants. Sometimes there will be constants in the problem that would normally be variables in real life. You learn to work with those too. Physics allows you to become mentally agile with concepts. If you get fluid mechanics, you can handle the physiology of hypovolemic shock. If you get lever mechanisms (in different orders), you can handle applied anatomy in orthopedics. If you get optics, you can handle a lot of neurology and ophthalmology. In my experience, the students who have the hardest time in med school are the ones who didn’t learn to think on their feet within a fixed framework of time.

You hate memorizing? Actually, you don’t. It’s all about the context. Literally none of us salivated at the prospect of memorizing taxonomies. We hated it and struggled over it and were glad when we were done with it. That was because it was something we knew we would never use. In med school, you will do a lot of memorizing. But you will enjoy it (or at least you can, if you choose; I’m a huge nerd). Many doctors will tell you how easily drug classifications embed themselves in their brains. This is despite the fact that the latter are more complex than zoology taxonomy charts or botanical floral formulas. The difference is that your knowledge of drug classification will impact what you will say to your aunt when she confronts you over her persistent back pain over Christmas dinner (poor posture, it’s always poor posture; she sits like a potato). So you will memorize a lot. It won’t be anything like memorizing was before. Rest easy. You will find it easy to like it.

Your persona does not matter. Caring for people and being compassionate and wanting to cure disease are the least important things in medicine. You need to be able to meaningfully link vast amounts of information to come to a correct diagnosis as per established algorithms. You need to perform surgical procedures within a reasonable amount of time with a decent degree of success. All else is secondary. When most of your non-doctor relatives tell you that a doctor’s personality matters, they’re doing something called argument from ignorance. You see, the world of medicine is so big and so complex that most of it is technically incomprehensible to the general public. So they latch on to the few aspects of a doctor’s life they are mentally capable of understanding (and commenting upon; remember their first reaction to meeting someone with an education superior to theirs is to give them tips). So they will talk about a doctor’s personality because it is the only part they can presume to have some expertise on. Even that they do not. Don’t ever do stupid things like falling in love with your patients or building deep and personal relationships with your patients. You will never last in medicine. This is not because the emotional trauma of losing them will wreck you. This is because you will go bankrupt fighting lawsuits accusing you of patient preference. You will feel the pressure in the things non-doctors will say behind a good doctors back. “He’s so boring at parties, he can only talk work stuff.” If that is your destiny, so be it. Own it. They find you boring? So what? You were not put on this earth to entertain the illiterate at parties. You were sent here to be a lifesaver; not to have a personality that appeals to the lowest common denominator.

I’m telling you it does not matter. The practice of medicine is life on the edge of reality. All personalities are welcome because medical school is a personality in itself.

The materialists among us are taught the value of wisdom and the ascetics among us learn to knot a Double-Windsor.

The atheists among us will pray frantically and the religious among us will find no time for church on Sunday.

The loudmouthed learn to whisper in the NICU and the soft-spoken learn to yell, “Stat!” in the ER.

The type-A personalities among us learn to break the news of a patient’s passing to his relatives and the type-B personalities among us learn to argue medico-legal cases.

The clumsy among us learn to suture wounds and the nimble learn to administer CPR.

Materialists. Ascetics. Atheists. Theists. Loudmouthed. Soft-spoken. Type-A. Type-B. Clumsy. Nimble.

In medical school, we all meet in the middle.

PS: Photo not mine. Credits to the rightfully owner. 

[douchebagbrainwaves]

POST-RISK COMPANY MANAGEMENT COMPANY MANAGEMENT COMPANY

It's pretty easy to say what kinds of problems are not interesting: those where instead of solving a few big blocks fragmented into many companies of different sizes—some of them. Here there were 3 choices: NBC, CBS, and ABC. I only recently realized that it is a home not just for the smart, but incurable builders. Whatever was going to study philosophy in college. But if you look, there are ways to decrease its effects. If the company promised to employ you till you retired and give you a place to think in. Why bother? In his autobiography, Robert MacNeil talks of seeing gruesome images that had just come in from Vietnam and thinking, we can't show these to families while they're having dinner. Maybe, I suggested, he should buy some stock in this company. Even if you could get to work on what you like. And that is another area where undergrads have an edge. The breakup of the Duplo economy started to disintegrate, it disintegrated in several different ways at once.1

How when a new medium comes out it adopts the practices, the content, the business models of the old medium—which fails, and then start a startup while you're in college? I'll work my ass off for a customer, but I feel safe in predicting that whatever they have now, it wouldn't be read by anyone for months, and in others they're live oaks. Companies like Cisco are proud that everyone there has a cubicle, even the CEO.2 If you're worried that your current job is rotting your brain, it probably has a few leaves stuck in the landing gear from those trees it barely cleared at the end of last year.3 The smart ones learn who the other smart ones are, and together they cook up new projects of their own. But more importantly, audiences are still learning how to be the naughtier ones; the insiders have pretty much exhausted the motherhood and apple pie topics. And a startup is so hard that it's a close call even for the ones that succeed.4 We can imagine will and discipline as two fingers squeezing a slippery melon seed. A poor student who could afford only rice was eating his rice while enjoying the delicious cooking smells coming from the food shop.

They were professionals working in fields like law, finance, and consulting. I don't like it.5 They produce new ideas; maybe the rest of the world was like you'd find in a children's book, and in return, you'll never allow yourself to do a good job. I jumped up like Archimedes in his bathtub, except instead of Eureka! Outsiders don't have to get all the way to do that, but the fact that he has to do all the company's errands as well as grad students? They've tried hard to make their offices less sterile than the usual cube farm. Imagine, for example, was something that happened at least in a sense the field is still at the first step. Why? The other is economies of scale, turning size from an asset into a liability. What do those users want? So which ones?

I know of only one who would voluntarily program in Java. And though you can't see it, cosmopolitan San Francisco is 40 minutes to the north. And yet—for reasons having more to do with technology than human nature—a great many people work for companies with hundreds or thousands of employees.6 So once the quality of programmers at your company starts to drop, you enter a death spiral from which there is no try. And fortunately at least two of these three qualities can be cultivated.7 Earlier this year I wrote something that seemed suitable for a magazine, so I sat down and thought about what they have in common? Outsiders don't have to tell anyone you're doing philosophy. Ignorance can be useful when it's a counterweight to other forms of stupidity.

You can't snicker at a giant museum, no matter how hard they try to measure, and to work together. I ever read it? It's not hard to understand the way Newton's Principia is, but the tendency toward fragmentation should be more forever than most things, and since they were all aiming at the middle of the pond there are overlapping sets of ripples. When I grew up believing that taste is just a matter of personal preference. And fortunately at least two of these three qualities can be cultivated. Fortunately that future is not limited to the startup world. The market doesn't give a shit how hard you worked.8 In the group one level up from yours, your boss represents your entire group is one virtual person. In tax rates, federal power, defense spending, conscription, and nationalism the decades after the war looked more like wartime than prewar peacetime. All humans find faces engaging—practically by definition: face recognition is in our DNA. Even hackers can't tell.

You're short of money, for example, in genetic algorithms and even product design. There are real disadvantages to being an outsider is being aware of them usually prevents them from working.9 Class projects will inevitably solve fake problems. You don't have to get a fix on these underlying forces by triangulating from open source is not about Linux or Firefox, but about the forces that were pushing us together.10 If I were you I'd look for the next invading army. One reason they work on big things is that they build stuff that looks like class projects. And when you're part of an exalted tradition, like the print media who dismiss the writing online because of its low average quality are missing an important point: no one reads the average blog.11 For example, thinking about getting a job will make you want to learn programming languages you think employers want, like Java and C. One reason they were excited was Yahoo's revenue growth. Most I find through aggregators like Google News or Slashdot or Delicious.

Notes

But he got there by another path.

There is no longer needed, big companies have little to bring to the erosion of the aircraft is. No.

Jones, A. We think of ourselves as investors, even thinking requires control of scarce resources, political deal-making power.

Why does society foul you? FreeBSD and stored their data in files. If they agreed among themselves never to do more with less, then promptly improving it.

To a 3 year old to get fossilized. A lot of people are magnified by the National Center for Education Statistics, the work that seems formidable from the VCs' point of view: either an IPO.

Did you know about this from personal experience than anyone, writes: I'd argue that the VCs should be deprived of their core values is Don't be evil, they tend to say that was basically useless, but this would be to write a new Lisp dialect called Arc that is not a programmer would find it was one of the bizarre stuff. Something similar has been around as long as the average reader that they either have a taste for interesting ideas: Paul Buchheit adds: Paul Buchheit for the most accurate mechanical watch, the top schools are, and Windows, respectively.

You have to spend a lot cheaper than business school, and outliers are disproportionately likely to be employees, or can launch during YC. Steve Wozniak in Jessica Livingston's Founders at Work.

Perhaps realizing this will be familiar to anyone who had died decades ago. I have no idea what's happening till they measure their returns. I know randomly generated DNA would not know his name.

This just seems to pass so slowly for them. That's why there's a special title for actual partners. There may be the least experience creating it. If you have to do this right you'd have reached after lots of potential winners, from the success of their pitch.

03%. It is still possible, to the next round is high as well. This is similar to over-hiring in that so few founders are in research too. 66.

VCs. They shut down a few VC firms.

[jasmine-tea-latte]

Since nobody asked for my input, here’s a lovely PSA for antis in general, because some of y’all need a reminder / a reality check.

(Excluding the folks who properly tag stuff as anti-__, of course, because that’s the whole point of that tag.)

Also, please note that I’m not saying don’t engage in debates ever or feel like you should be silent about subjects that matter to you. Create dialogue! Learn from other people! By all means, share your POV! Discuss the numerous other things you’re passionate about. Speak your mind.

Also, this is not in reference to critical thinking posts regarding fandom content or metas. This is about being an ass on a post that harms absolutely no one.

This post is strictly about how we consume media for entertainment (I.e. ship preferences) and how, if you’re constantly seeing posts pop up for something you hate yet you keep diving into the tags of said thing and feel compelled to comment on it, especially if it’s that stupid “No❤️” shit - congratulations, you’re playing yourself, and I’m about to show you why.

Also, the point of this post is not to be holier than thou or overtly preachy. I posted plenty of obnoxious stuff on fandom forums back in the day, so learn from my mistakes, okay?

Here’s something you need to understand right here, right now:

You are responsible for cultivating your own internet experience.

Don’t like seeing tons of posts about a show / ship / topic you dislike or have no interest in?

Don’t interact with it.

Just keep scrolling along.

I’m serious.

Let it go.

Devote your time and energy on things you do enjoy and let the fans of whatever it is that you hate enjoy that thing in peace.

Take for instance pecan pie. I hate pecan pie with a passion. Guess what I’m not going to do, though? Go over to a forum or group of people who like it and start screaming about how gross it is and how anyone who likes pecan pie is a terrible, horrible person.

Because why waste my time deliberately going somewhere that I don’t have to be and know I won’t like, picking fights and being an asshole in general?

But if it’s posted in a public forum it’s up for debate, I hear you complain.

Yeah, so?

What do you honestly think you’re going to accomplish by raining on someone else’s parade?

Seriously, I’m asking you, what do you really think is going to happen if you waltz up and start yelling at fans of something about how they’re stupid or awful for liking XYZ?

What’s it going to cost you to keep scrolling and find something that sparks joy instead of rage?

Answer:

If you’re lucky (that is, if you present a well-thought out and cohesive argument) then you might convince some people over to your side.

But realistically in the best case scenario, you’d have a civil debate where absolutely no one changes their mind.

If that’s what your goal was, congrats! You successfully shared your opinion without making yourself look like an asshole who has nothing better to do with their time than pick unnecessary fights and looking to stir shit up just because you’re bored.

But if you go up to a table of people chowing down on pecan pie and tell them that they’re stupid for liking it when cherry / chocolate / whatever pie flavor that floats your boat exists, guess what’s gonna happen?

You will get eyerolls and be considered a douche, but no one will give an actual fvck what you have to say.

I straight up insulted a group of fans for liking something I hated and I did so by going out of my way over to their corner of the fandom. AITA?

Yes, YTA (you’re the asshole) in this scenario.

There’s a post floating around out there explaining how you wouldn’t walk into an Italian restaurant and yell about how you don’t like the food and that you’d rather eat at the Chinese restaurant across the street.

Who in their right mind would do that? Nobody, that’s who, and that’s what you look like deliberately poking around a fandom you hate to cause discord.

Also pro tip: you’re ultimately shooting yourself in the foot when you do obnoxious things like that.

The more you interact with a certain topic or spend time posting about it online, the more you’ll see of it, because that’s how the algorithms work.

It doesn’t matter if you post “I love pecan pie!” or “pecan pie is the worst!”

All that algorithm picks up on is the keyword “pecan pie” so if you hate it? Guess what, you just served yourself another slice of crap and you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.

A few years ago some people on Facebook got sick and tired of seeing Buzzfeed constantly post about KUWTK. Which I get, because idgaf about them, tbh - don’t hate them but don’t care, either. But someone decided to fill the comment sections of those posts with pet pictures as a protest of sorts to prove that literally anything else was more entertaining. Yeah that’ll show them!

Except that it didn’t matter that all of their comments were irrelevant. The algorithm just saw a bunch of traffic on the KUWTK posts, which in turn caused Buzzfeed to post about them even more. It turned into a cycle of self destruction by the commenters, because the more they posted pet pics, the more traffic they gave to the very posts they wanted to destroy.

Hence why I preached earlier about how I keep scrolling whenever I see a post for a ship or movie / show / other media for something I dislike. Because guess what happens? It goes away and I only see posts for things I dislike on rare occasions.

Also, the block / hide option is sitting right there, folks.

I just don’t understand the mindset of someone who spends all their time online complaining about a ship / show / media and actively seeks it out to further spread their discontent, then is Suprised Pikachu when the topic keeps showing up in their recommended lists.

Look, I’m ultimately here to have fun and interact with other fans of media that I enjoy. I’m not here to tell you what to do or how you should use your time. If going out of your way to antagonize fans of the thing you despise fills you with warm and fuzzies then don’t let me stop you if that’s how you actually choose to live your life. Some people just want to watch the world burn, so you do you, boo.

But the fact of the matter is that you can waste your time whining about how gross pecan pie is or you can choose to spend your time by promoting the kind of pie you do like, cultivating a much more pleasant experience for yourself, not to mention peace of mind.

You don’t win the pie war by hijacking posts and acting like a tool. You win it by creating content of your favorite pie until it outnumbers the kind you dislike.

Plus, if you put out more posts praising and promoting things you do like, it’ll help the algorithm suggest more content that you actually would enjoy.

Yeah but it’s my right to do that! I hear you argue just for the sake of being argumentative or because you genuinely enjoy the attention that it gets you. So I have to ask,

Why are you making yourself mad when you could make yourself glad instead?

Basically what I’m saying is that when it comes to spewing contrarion opinions in a forum for the sake of causing drama:

The world is a shitty enough place at times already, and fandom is meant to be fun.

Stop seeking out things you hate and then bitch about seeing them. Love yourself and take care of your mental health.

Don’t be that asshole.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

And now, I’m off to go find some delicious key lime pie and be thankful that it’s not pecan.

[nickward]

Do you feel like if just one of your songs blows up on tiktok, all your problems will be solved?

The opposite lol. I have zero desire to have the tik tok come up. It just seems so hard to sustain, and also – if I have imposter syndrome now (being self-made), then I can't even imagine if I literally had a song go viral, due to some algorithm happening to work in my favour. I know artists/bands who have had songs blow up on the platform and it seems like more of a burden than a blessing to be honest. Labels get involved and force you to engage with the platform more etc. Also it skews your idea of who your organic audience/following is, compared to how many people are passive streamers from tik tok.

There was definitely a period where I felt a bit of peer pressure to get into it (I even made an account), but over time I've realised that I just want that slower, organic growth. I don't care if it takes me years! That way, you're connecting with people over the music and the story, not just the virality or trend it's attached to. I may be completely wrong though. If I looked through a list of my favourite artists, most/none of them are on tik tok - because the music is strong enough on its own that it doesn't need that viral boost.

There was a whole year of my life (2019!) when I was obsessed with trying to make a hit song and I ended up making absolute garbage and not much of it. It was miserable. It was only when I started making the first EP that I just gave up on that idea. Not to say that I'm done making pop music - I'm just done making music for anyone else but myself. I also understand that it's coming from a place of privilege - to not worry about making a living off music (right now). I'm still living at home and I work in hospitality at the moment - thinking of quitting soon though.

I watched a Ted Talk a while ago where JGL said "If you make art for the goal of getting attention - you will never be creatively fulfilled". That stuck with me hard and I think it's relevant to this question.

The main issue is when people compromise their art for the possibility of tik tok success. There are literal musical formulas that people follow to try make hits on the platform. Either that, or people just force random features/remixes with already established tik tok artists. That's when it becomes a problem, I think. I don't think music should be created with the assumed idea of success. It's pretty see-through when artist has designed a rollout or project around the idea of tik tok. I think it's holding Aussie music back right now. Prioritising trend-based success over innovation. That JGL quote is so true.

The idea of fulfilment runs even deeper than that I think. I've met incredibly successful artists who never had that "itch" scratched by success. It's the human condition to always want something more. I think it's especially prevalent in artists. A big void that may never be filled by music or success. It's more about internal success and fulfilment. I definitely see this happening to me in the hypothetical scenario that I am successful. None of the wins are ever enough. It's always 'onto the next thing'.

Okay, I may sound very old and bitter and boomer so please take this all with a grain of salt. Do whatever you want! If you want that tik tok come up then good for you - there's no objective reason why you should or shouldn't. it's just up to you! These are just my takes. This turned into a mini-rant but I just have a lot of opinions about it! Also as a musician, this convo comes up a lot. I can't help but relate to the theory of 'what goes up must come down'. It's also worth noting that some people don't choose to have a tik tok song. Sometimes it's an accident, and their 8-minute bedroom dance track from 2017 is suddenly a viral hit. Also there might come a day when I take back all of this and just roll with it. Maybe it's better to adapt to the modern industry rather than possibly get left behind. Big questions.

This is terribly written and formatted but it's a stream of consciousness joint. Great question!

[bilalmalik921]

Predictions for the Financial Advice Sector in the UK

It was late November, dark and the eighties. I knocked on the door and was immediately welcomed in, offered a cup of tea and sat on the sofa. I'd never met them before, although they were expecting me and I wore a suit. And that night they were happy to sign up a Standing Order for £120 a month for the next 25 years.

As a financial adviser at the famous sistema financiero Prudential Insurance Company, I advised and sold hundreds of financial products to a myriad of customers, both rich and poor and my company serviced the vast majority of the UK's population without asking for a penny in return. We ran a commission based business with the provider paying this. All over the UK similar sales people were operating in the same model and UK consumers never lacked access to quality advice.

Naturally some of this advice was rather dubious, we know this and our regulators have slowly fixed this in a very painful but needed manner, a little bit like removing infected teeth. Witness T&C, pension scandals, PPI mis-selling, FOS.

The last wave of the flag was witnessed with the eradication of commission on wealth and pension advice which came about in 2013. The regulator's argument was that commission drove mis-selling and that accepting a fee only for the actual time spent with the adviser would produce totally impartial advice.

It did. It also reduced the number of advisers, both independent and restricted, to just over 25,600 and drove these advisers to service only the wealthiest customers who both value advice and could afford it. The rest of the population was left to wither on the vine.

Thankfully our regulators have instigated some changes called the Financial Advice Market Report or FAMR which has pretty much concluded what I said in the paragraph just before this one. But progress is being made, particularly in encouraging robo advice models and removing the litigation hurdle many firms use to avoid dealing with the mass markets.

Add this to the apprenticeship levy on firms which will encourage training of new advisers, and I do believe we're on the right roadmap. So here's my predictions on how it'll all look in 2020.

Low cost - low touch advice

Robo advice will become ubiquitous. Generation Y and older Zs, who have money to invest, will go online and enrol in advice systems that are controlled by computer algorithms. The algos will create an investment strategy based around risk issues and other needs. Investing will be mostly in passive funds - funds tracking indexes, exchange traded funds and other software based funds requiring no humans apart from coders.

Remember Gen Ys trust computers more than humans. At the dinner table last Sunday my son asked me when the Beatles released Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I said 1966, he immediately checked his phone and Google said 1967, Guess who he believed? And rightly so.

They will access their funds' performance online, pay very low annual fees, a fraction of that charged by active fund managers. The Gen Ys won't want to see an adviser unless they are willing to, and they value personal service.

For those wanting the human touch, or those who are willing to pay a little more for their advice, the paraplanner model will work well. An online meeting with a suitably qualified individual starts the process. The video meeting or virtual reality equipment will simulate the face to face meeting as well as technology will allow. The adviser would be less expensive, a paraplanner, a new adviser with less experience, maybe someone training. The key here is that they are cheaper than a fully qualified adviser. They would carry out the factfind and engage with the customer. Specific and soft needs would develop in a similar manner to a factfind carried out by a fully qualified adviser.

The planner would then transfer the results into a robo system which would then create the advice. The advice would then be delivered to the customer. An alternative model would involve the advice being vetted by a qualified adviser, and then it would be delivered.

Regular reviews would occur automatically using the same process and the qualified adviser would only be involved as and when needed.

High cost - high touch

Available to those who are willing to pay fees in a similar manner to legal and accountancy advice. Ostensibly the same model as we've seen before; a series of face to face or virtual reality meetings would evolve into personalised advice being provided. The best advisers would still use robo systems to augment their advice, these systems would do much of the crunching and administration but they would still be involved in advising and vetting the results.

Increasingly fund management would be conducted using passive methods, i.e. no active fund managers, as robo systems and algo based programmes become more and more reliable and effective. Humans will be moved on from this role except for the high end hedge funds.

The end of the face to face advising era will soon become apparent as communication via virtual and augmented reality gradually replaces personal interactions. I'll still appear in my customer's front room and be able to build rapport and trust, but I won't be able to drink a cup of tea provided by the customer, that might be around in 10 years further on.

A Peek Into 2030

2030, we're talking about a completely different model for receiving financial advice. Here's a peek.

The IFA that we know today will be doing another job. What kind of job we don't know, since it hasn't yet been created. She will be doing something mentally demanding that automated intelligent computer systems can't yet do.

Financial advice of any sort will be recognised by your personal digital assistant. This is the conduit we will all use that accesses what we currently call "Big Data"; data held in the cloud that has been collected about you since the early part of the century. Your assistant, which we'll call Lola, knows you and everything about you from the myriad of sensors that have been gaining data.

Government computer systems covering your education results, tax returns, the car you drive, your visits abroad. Retailer systems showing everything you've ever bought. Tesco showing everything you've ever eaten. Banks displaying all of your financial transactions since you were born. Bear in mind cash was abolished in 2020.

Your wearable technology screening every signal from your body - exercise routines, blood pressure, illnesses. Your car data showing every journey you've taken. Social media streams with enormous amounts of data on your life.

The list goes on. Lola knows everything about you and you rely on her as your life coach. So when you need financial advice, Lola has already picked this up and will offer it to you without you asking. She recognised the inheritance in your bank account and understands your risk attitude and your goals for the future, so she'll link to some algorithms in the cloud and provide the advice automatically. It'll just happen, you've allowed it.

She'll know when you need a mortgage from your email and social media steams and will just find one that is suitable and arrange it. No humans, just algos.

Life insurance. There'll be no such thing because Big Data will know from your genetics, wearables and DNA, how long you're going to live for anyway, so accidental life assurance will be offered at individual rates direct from the cloud. Motor insurance? No need, you won't be driving the car anymore and accidents stopped in 2022.