#Implementation of Virtual Reality

[sabrinahawthorne]

Let’s Grow the RPG Hobby

Inspired by this post and the conversation surrounding it.

So the RPG world is facing a multitude of interconnected problems. Let’s talk about them, shall we?

---

1: The Problem(s)

Writing this, I find it hard to pinpoint a way to frame the subject of this post as a single thing. But it’s also impossible to treat it as it it’s a collection of separate problems. In reality, the issues facing the indie RPG world are A Hydra; a many-headed conglomeration of related issues, which each require organized, dedicated work to solve. A few examples:

The Normie-Indie Divide

A problem close to my heart, The Normie-Indie Divide describes the gradient between the mainstream of an artistic hobby and the really independent stuff. I compare this to movies a lot, but the more apt analogy is video games. The N-I-D in the videogame industry is so small as to be virtually nonexistent.

We can see this via a number of factors – one example being that the same outlets which cover massive blockbusters & sequels like Assassin’s Creed and God of War, also cover popular indie titles like Celeste and Hollow Knight. Then, freelance journalists who write for those publications (Jacob Geller is an example) go on to cover much smaller games on their own time, and so on. There’s a smooth gradient between the media coverage of the huge stuff, all the way down to a thriving (if still underserved) super-independant industry.

The N-I-D in RPGs feels uncrossable. The most well known RPG is so big it’s currenly riding the high of its second major hollywood adaptation in 20 years, and the second most popular – Vampire the Masquerade – is an unknown even to some indie RPG fans.* This hobby is shockingly impenetrable, even to those of us who spend our days swimming in the deepest end of the pool.

The Supply & Demand Problem

This one’s simple: People are pumping out RPGs by the truckload, and there are just too many! Not only does this make it hard to sift through everything to find the thing you want to read, play, or review, it also makes it nearly impossible to get anyone’s eyeballs on the cool thing you just released!

As others have pointed out, this problem is exacerbated by the fact that relative to some other art media, it’s pretty quick and painless to whip up your own zine or one-pager and publish it on itch. This disincentivises even the most invested of us from looking at a ton of new games, and means that sharing your work can feel like you’re being ignored by a huge crowd.

A Road To Solutions

If all of that is making you feel pretty bad for the future of this medium, you’re not alone. It can feel pretty hopeless facing all of these problems as an indie designer when all the tools you have at your disposal are a tumblr account and a few indie friends to complain to.

But the truth is, I think that this Hydra is eminently slayable. I just don’t think we can do it alone. That in mind, I’ve spent a large portion of my day putting together…

The Call to Action

I think there needs to be organized, persistent effort put into the future of this hobby and this industry, and I think it needs to start the way all good movements do: with a lot of petty, semantic argumentation over definitions and implementation. And to kick things off, here’s my step zero: If you’re reading this post because I’ve tagged you in it (or because I’ve sent you a link to it), my Dms are open. I want to put together a discord group chat† of my peers within RPG tumblr who are invested in tackling The Hydra, such that we can start brainstorming plans of attack to disseminate into the wider community.

The issues I wish to address are these:

The Normie-Indie Divide: How do we go about cultivating a casual audience of indie RPG fans who can bring sustainability and longevity to the industry?

The Supply & Demand Problem: How do we minimize the cognitive load of sorting through the huge volume of work extant in this medium, and more generally encourage peer-to-peer interaction within the community, like news coverage, reviews, and marketing?

The Cognitive Frontload Problem: How do we make it easier to actually engage with a given RPG, considering the amount of cognitive & temporal investment needed? Further, how do we make RPGs, both general and specific, more accessible to readers with a wide variety of abilities, preferences, and available time?

The Insular Community Problem: How do we better connect this hobby with itself, such that it feels a little less like several dozen cliques across 4-6 platforms, and more like the growing, evolving single hobbyist community that it is? Further, how do we make this hobby more accessible to newbies outside the influence of The Hegemons of the Coast?

And more. I’m positive I haven’t thought of everything, and that’s exactly why this needs to be a group effort.

As a last note: Please tag other people! The folks I’ve mentioned here are just those who I personally feel I know well enough to tag; let’s get the rest of the community involved! If you know someone who would be interested who isn’t on tumblr, they can email me: sabrinahawthornegames@proton.me.

*I’m not kidding. Multiple times within the last four months, I’ve introduced VtM to people who I would consider pretty in the sauce of RPGs. I’m talking folks who’ve played Heart: The City Beneath or Wanderhome. It’s bizarre.

†I need to stress that this is only a start. I’m not looking to start a big public discord unless that’s what a group of folks decide is the right call. By “group chat,” I mean “a chat which exists for long enough to hold 1-3 group voice calls to discuss and hash things out, before it’s dissolved in favor of the execution of whatever plans we devise.”

@theresattrpgforthat; @omophagic-beast; @ladytabletop; @rowansender; @monsterfactoryfanfic; @arsene-inc; @toyourstations

[glowettee]

✧・゜: ✧how i use pinterest intentionally (not just endless scrolling) :・゜✧:・゜✧

hey lovelies! ✨

confession time: i used to be a chronic pinterest scroller with absolutely nothing to show for my hours spent in the app. i'd save hundreds of pins to boards with vague names like "aesthetic" and "vibes," never to look at them again. sound familiar? but over the past year, i've completely transformed how i use pinterest from mindless consumption to an intentional tool that actually enhances my life. here's exactly how i made the shift!

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ the pinterest mindset shift ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

the game-changer for me was realizing that pinterest isn't just for collecting pretty pictures, it's a visual search engine and planning tool. now i approach it with purpose:

i ask myself "why am i opening this app right now?" before i even click the icon or enter it into the search bar

i set specific time limits for browsing (15-30 minutes max)

i focus on quality over quantity with my pins

i treat my boards as action plans, not just digital hoarding spaces

i regularly revisit and implement ideas from my boards

this shift transformed pinterest from a time-waster to one of my most valuable tools for planning, creativity, and personal growth.

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ my board organization system ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

the foundation of intentional pinterest use is thoughtful organization! here's my current system:

𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴: i group my boards into categories using board covers in the same color palette (lifestyle, home, fashion, etc.)

𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨: instead of vague names, i use specific titles like "meals for busy weeknights" or "bedroom refresh ideas 2025"

𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴: i break down larger boards into sections (my "morning routine" board has sections for drinks, movement, journaling, etc.)

𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘷𝘴. 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤: i keep boards private when they're in planning stages, then make them public once they're curated

𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨: i archive boards that aren't currently relevant (like christmas decor in july) to reduce visual clutter

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ my favorite intentional board types ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

here are the board categories that have added genuine value to my life:

𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵-𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴: whenever i start a new project (room redecoration, event planning, etc.), i create a dedicated board with sections for different aspects

𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴: i create a fresh board each season with sections for recipes, activities, outfits, and decor i want to incorporate

𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨: i pin actual items i own alongside new pieces i'm considering to visualize combinations

𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮: i maintain boards for different meal categories and actually reference them when making grocery lists

𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴: i have a board for each important person in my life where i pin potential gifts year-round

𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: i create boards for specific goals with both inspiration and actionable steps

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ my pinterest workflow ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

this is my personal step-by-step process for intentional pinning:

𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦: i decide what specific question i'm trying to answer or problem i'm trying to solve

𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺: i use specific search terms rather than browsing the home feed (which is designed for endless scrolling)

𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺: i only save pins that: • provide clear value or inspiration • lead to actual content (not dead links) • represent ideas i genuinely might implement

𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴: i write specific notes on pins about why i saved them or how i plan to use the idea

𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨: after a pinning session, i schedule time to actually try one of the ideas

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ from virtual to reality ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

the most important part of intentional pinterest use is implementation! here's how i ensure my pins actually translate to real life:

𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: every sunday, i spend 10 minutes reviewing recent pins and selecting 1-3 to implement that week

𝘱𝘪𝘯-𝘵𝘰-𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳: i keep a simple journal noting which pins i've actually implemented

𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: i take photos of my real-life versions of pinterest inspiration

𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘴: i regularly ask "do i have the time/budget/skills for this?" before saving aspirational pins

𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘵: i remove pins that no longer feel aligned with my taste or goals

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ advanced pinterest strategies ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

once you've mastered the basics, these strategies take intentional pinning to the next level! i hope you all enjoy them!:

𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴: i create collaborative boards with friends for shared projects or trips

𝘱𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨: for complex projects, i create flow charts showing how different pins connect to each other

𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴: i document my own progress by pinning "before" and "after" images of my projects

𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳: i use pinterest to plan content themes for my blog and social media (i of course also use pinterest for images for my blog)

𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴: i create sequential boards that build skills in a particular area

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ final thoughts ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

pinterest is whatever you make of it, it can be a mindless scroll hole or one of the most powerful tools for intentional living and creativity. the difference lies entirely in how you approach it.

i still enjoy the occasional aimless browsing session (we all need that sometimes!), but transforming most of my pinterest time into purposeful searching and planning has genuinely enhanced my life. my spaces are more cohesve, my wardrobe more intentional, and my creative projects more focused, all because i stopped treating pinterest like social media and started using it like the powerful visual tool it truly is.

how do you use pinterest? are you a careful curator or a joyful browser? feel free to drop your thoughts in the notes!

xoxo, mindy 🤍

[astra-ravana]

Technomancy: The Fusion Of Magick And Technology

Technomancy is a modern magickal practice that blends traditional occultism with technology, treating digital and electronic tools as conduits for energy, intent, and manifestation. It views computers, networks, and even AI as extensions of magickal workings, enabling practitioners to weave spells, conduct divination, and manipulate digital reality through intention and programming.

Core Principles of Technomancy

• Energy in Technology – Just as crystals and herbs carry energy, so do electronic devices, circuits, and digital spaces.

• Code as Sigils – Programming languages can function as modern sigils, embedding intent into digital systems.

• Information as Magick – Data, algorithms, and network manipulation serve as powerful tools for shaping reality.

• Cyber-Spiritual Connection – The internet can act as an astral realm, a collective unconscious where digital entities, egregores, and thought-forms exist.

Technomantic Tools & Practices

Here are some methods commonly utilized in technomancy. Keep in mind, however, that like the internet itself, technomancy is full of untapped potential and mystery. Take the time to really explore the possibilities.

Digital Sigil Crafting

• Instead of drawing sigils on paper, create them using design software or ASCII art.

• Hide them in code, encrypt them in images, or upload them onto decentralized networks for long-term energy storage.

• Activate them by sharing online, embedding them in file metadata, or charging them with intention.

Algorithmic Spellcasting

• Use hashtags and search engine manipulation to spread energy and intent.

• Program bots or scripts that perform repetitive, symbolic tasks in alignment with your goals.

• Employ AI as a magickal assistant to generate sigils, divine meaning, or create thought-forms.

Digital Divination

• Utilize random number generators, AI chatbots, or procedural algorithms for prophecy and guidance.

• Perform digital bibliomancy by using search engines, shuffle functions, or Wikipedia’s “random article” feature.

• Use tarot or rune apps, but enhance them with personal energy by consecrating your device.

Technomantic Servitors & Egregores

• Create digital spirits, also called cyber servitors, to automate tasks, offer guidance, or serve as protectors.

• House them in AI chatbots, coded programs, or persistent internet entities like Twitter bots.

• Feed them with interactions, data input, or periodic updates to keep them strong.

The Internet as an Astral Plane

• Consider forums, wikis, and hidden parts of the web as realms where thought-forms and entities reside.

• Use VR and AR to create sacred spaces, temples, or digital altars.

• Engage in online rituals with other practitioners, synchronizing intent across the world.

Video-game Mechanics & Design

• Use in-game spells, rituals, and sigils that reflect real-world magickal practices.

• Implement a lunar cycle or planetary influences that affect gameplay (e.g., stronger spells during a Full Moon).

• Include divination tools like tarot cards, runes, or pendulums that give randomized yet meaningful responses.

Narrative & World-Building

• Create lore based on historical and modern magickal traditions, including witches, covens, and spirits.

• Include moral and ethical decisions related to magic use, reinforcing themes of balance and intent.

• Introduce NPCs or AI-guided entities that act as guides, mentors, or deities.

Virtual Rituals & Online Covens

• Design multiplayer or single-player rituals where players can collaborate in spellcasting.

• Implement altars or digital sacred spaces where users can meditate, leave offerings, or interact with spirits.

• Create augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) experiences that mimic real-world magickal practices.

Advanced Technomancy

The fusion of technology and magick is inevitable because both are fundamentally about shaping reality through will and intent. As humanity advances, our tools evolve alongside our spiritual practices, creating new ways to harness energy, manifest desires, and interact with unseen forces. Technology expands the reach and power of magick, while magick brings intention and meaning to the rapidly evolving digital landscape. As virtual reality, AI, and quantum computing continue to develop, the boundaries between the mystical and the technological will blur even further, proving that magick is not antiquated—it is adaptive, limitless, and inherently woven into human progress.

Cybersecurity & Warding

• Protect your digital presence as you would your home: use firewalls, encryption, and protective sigils in file metadata.

• Employ mirror spells in code to reflect negative energy or hacking attempts.

• Set up automated alerts as magickal wards, detecting and warning against digital threats.

Quantum & Chaos Magic in Technomancy

• Use quantum randomness (like random.org) in divination for pure chance-based outcomes.

• Implement chaos magick principles by using memes, viral content, or trend manipulation to manifest desired changes.

AI & Machine Learning as Oracles

• Use AI chatbots (eg GPT-based tools) as divination tools, asking for symbolic or metaphorical insights.

• Train AI models on occult texts to create personalized grimoires or channeled knowledge.

• Invoke "digital deities" formed from collective online energies, memes, or data streams.

Ethical Considerations in Technomancy

• Be mindful of digital karma—what you send out into the internet has a way of coming back.

• Respect privacy and ethical hacking principles; manipulation should align with your moral code.

• Use technomancy responsibly, balancing technological integration with real-world spiritual grounding.

As technology evolves, so will technomancy. With AI, VR, and blockchain shaping new realities, magick continues to find expression in digital spaces. Whether you are coding spells, summoning cyber servitors, or using algorithms to divine the future, technomancy offers limitless possibilities for modern witches, occultists, and digital mystics alike.

"Magick is technology we have yet to fully understand—why not merge the two?"

[polarmoon]

📚 now that he's a child, percy has started school! every day, he logs into his virtual classroom for a variety of assignments and classes. it's a bit unconventional, but probably for the best.

(online school enrolment is from adeepindigo's education overhaul mod. such a cool mod, i definitely recommend checking it out!)

some yapping about my gameplay mechanics down here :P

for this save, i've decided to approach things from a more realistic lens regarding occults, and i'm testing the waters starting with percy. i'm not gonna be going too deep into worldbuilding surrounding human perspectives on the supernatural because that's a bit too much depth for casual gameplay, but i want to try and impose some semi-realistic restrictions because it personally keeps me more immersed lmao

strangerville is a really interesting place for the legacy to start because it's kind of like... anti-alien? or at least alien-hostile. my thought process is that with percy being an alien, his safety could be at risk if he was open about it, especially in strangerville where everyone is either a conspiracy theorist or military personnel. also with the description for generation 2 referencing the alien heir growing up feeling out of place, and the founder having the paranoid trait, i thought it might make sense for percy to have some disconnect from people around him because josie is sheltering him from the outside world. hence online school!

for future generations, if the heir in question is living in a more accepting society around them (ie, forgotten hollow for the vampire generation, or moonwood mill for the werewolf generation) they will naturally have an easier time. but for the more grounded in reality, human towns, i'll be making sure to implement realistic restrictions. i'll also probably make use of the education overhaul mod's occult school option if it feels like it makes sense (which didn't feel like the right choice for percy).

also, regarding the in-game alien disguise feature, i thought it might be a bit too easy to be able to use the disguise without any setbacks like in the vanilla game. i've implemented a personal restriction to keep things interesting where i can only have percy use his alien disguise once a week, almost like it's a special ability on a one week long cooldown. basically if he uses his powers to disguise himself too frequently, it could cause him to burn out. i think it makes sense!

i wasn't sure how to explain this storyline and these mechanics with my usual post formatting so i thought i'd just explain it lmao. if you guys have any questions about it feel free to ask!

[cursedreverie1945]

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is today, 27 January 2025.

80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, is an international memorial day on 27 January that commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, which resulted in the genocide of one-third of the Jewish people along with countless numbers of individuals of other minority groups, by Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945: an attempt to implement its "Final Solution" to the Jewish question. The choice of January 27 for the annual commemoration aligns with the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Red Army in 1945.

Eighty fucking years.

Most of the Survivors are gone. There are so few left. Too few. Honestly, the statistics are scary.

Now this is for the US, your country may differ.

"Disturbing Findings Reveal Significant Number Of Millennials and Gen Z Can’t Name A Single Concentration Camp Or Ghetto, Believe That Two Million Or Fewer Jews Were Killed And A Concerning Percentage Believe That Jews Caused The Holocaust

U.S. Millennial Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey, the first-ever 50-state survey on Holocaust knowledge among Millennials and Gen Z. The surprising state-by-state results highlight a worrying lack of basic Holocaust knowledge, a growing problem as fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors – eyewitnesses to a state-sponsored genocide – are alive to share the lessons of the Holocaust.

Nationally, there is a clear lack of awareness of key historical facts; 63 percent of all national survey respondents do not know that six million Jews were murdered and 36 percent thought that “two million or fewer Jews” were killed during the Holocaust. Additionally, although there were more than 40,000 camps and ghettos in Europe during the Holocaust, 48 percent of national survey respondents cannot name a single one."

This is a prime example of the dumbing down of America.

This here is the reality of Auschwitz.

A Soviet army surgeon examines an Auschwitz survivor, Vienna engineer Rudolf Scherm.

Fuck the nazis. Fuck neo-nazis. Fuck white supremacy. Fuck xtian nationalism. Fuck them all. Learn. For the love of God, learn your history. Learn about the monstrosities that happened then. Learn about the monstrosities that are happening now.

It's not just I/P. I/P is virtually the only one that gets talked about but it's not JUST I/P

Speak up for all.

Learn about Sudan. Learn about Rohingya. Learn about the Uyghur. Don't forget about Ukraine. Learn about them all. Especially today, of all days. Learn. That's the only way to fight back. They want us stupid and easier to control, just like the nazis did.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Emily Singer at Daily Kos:

Republican lawmakers are explicitly saying they are looking into cutting Social Security to pay for President Donald Trump's tax cuts—touching the third rail of politics as they seek to pass Dear Leader's agenda. Republican Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia, told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo on Monday that Republicans have been “discussing” cutting mandatory spending—that is Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans benefits—in order to pass Trump's tax cut agenda, which will require trillions in reciprocal cuts if Republicans want to make it a reality. "That's what we've been discussing," Moore said. "This is our once in a lifetime opportunity." 

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah,  also went even further in a post on X, saying that, "Social Security [is] a ripoff for most Americans compared to essentially any legitimate retirement investment." The comment was in response to a post from co-President Elon Musk, who pushed incorrect information about how Social Security works to claim the program is rife with fraud. Musk loves to use claims of fraud as justification to slash federal spending through the Department of Government Efficiency, an advisory commission Trump created in order to cut the federal budget. "Just learned that the social security database is not de-duplicated, meaning you can have the same SSN many times over, which further enables MASSIVE FRAUD!! Your tax dollars are being stolen," Musk wrote. In fact, the news outlet Semafor reported that Social Security benefits are indeed next on DOGE’s list for cuts.

[...] Cutting Social Security benefits could cause a massive backlash from voters. A January poll from the American Association of Retired Persons found that 85% of Americans say they want Social Security benefits to be maintained, even if that requires raising taxes. “It is rare in today’s political climate to see people unite around anything, but virtually all Americans want their Social Security benefits to be preserved and are willing to do what it takes to ensure the program continues to provide meaningful support for future generations,” Deb Whitman, AARP’s chief public policy officer, said in a statement on the findings. But Social Security isn’t the only social safety net program that Republicans want to slash in order to pay for Trump’s tax cuts for the rich. Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, also went on Bartiromo's show Monday morning to say that Republicans are also looking to implement work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps.

Republicans seek cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, Medicaid, and veterans’ benefits to fund for tax cuts for the wealthy.

[doubleddenden]

The topic of Palworld is pretty charged, but often times I see people be shamed for liking it because the CEO tweeted stuff about NFTs and the company using AI art in a separate game. Acting as if that's the most damning thing ever for a gaming company in an industry filled with similar people.

Make no mistake, I dislike both AI art and nfts, but do you realize how many gaming companies have involvement with that?

To begin with, Pokémon used AI art in a promotional piece for Pokémon Go in September, and nobody gave a shit because uwu Pikachu. The Pokémon Company also put a job listing some months back seeking an expert in NFTs. That's not quite damning evidence, but if I were a betting man, no "NFT expert" will willingly say "yeah nfts suck are bad for the environment, man, I'll take my paycheck and fuck off now." There's also a strong argument to be made that Pokémon has stolen ideas from fakemon artists (Finizen and Palafin, Scovillain, Dipplin, etc) and other franchises (kaiju movies, Dragon Quest, Megaman, final fantasy, western cartoons and food mascots, etc), a dubious legal statement that claims they own all fan art from the remixes and fakemon made on youtube to the pikachu your kid drew at breakfast; they have yet to apologize for the state of Scarlet and Violet while charging full price to millions of paying customers for a clearly unfinished and barely functioning game (which i did enjoy, but you can't tell me it was finished baking when it struggles not to shit itself just to run), and a bunch of other things people shit on Palworld for, but A. It's Pokémon so people don't care and think it's fine, and B. That's not the point of this post.

You know who else does NFTs and AI art? (Yes I heard Muscle Man from Regular Show in my head just now, too, moving along)

Square Enix sold several of their IPs for NFTs and claims to have used AI art "a minimum amount" in Foam Stars, yet I see nobody yelling for boycotts of Final Fantasy 14, 16, Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest, Life is Strange, etc etc etc.

Sony has invested in both, they want to implement AI into gaming, and has a patent for nfts to be used in games and consoles, yet there's no movement to throw out your playstations.

Bandai Namco- you know, that company with a hand in pretty much most anime games on the market and popular games such as the Dark Souls games? They have a game called RYU that's essentially a virtual pet game that uses the blockchain, and its AI driven, among other projects. Yet there's no outcry to stop playing the many, MANY games they brand with. This also includes quite a few Nintendo games (btw they just partnered together to form a special studio quite recently) like Smash Wii U/3ds and New Pokémon Snap. Nobody gives a shit though.

Android, Microsoft, Google, Apple- I don't even need to explain those, they have whole teams dedicated to both. Even popular VPN companies accept crypto.

I'm just saying an awful lot of you guys that scream and shit bloody murder about Palworld's company being involved with that shit are either the biggest "It's okay when my favs do it" type of hypocrites, or you're sorely ignorant to just how evil and greedy most corporations are. You'll be hard pressed to find a game company with popular AND fun games that DOESN'T have some interest in either, let alone movie and show studios. That's the awful reality we live in.

You have 2 options

1. You basically stop doing anything involving most modern tech, including throwing out your pc and smart phone. You could probably live a comfortable life with tech circa 2010, but you have to be aware that any thing you buy may go towards a cause you don't like.

2. You accept that people can enjoy a product while not necessarily agreeing with the CEO of said product. Most CEOs tend to be jackasses anyway, that's kind of the shared trait they all have. You can also discourage companies from using them while understanding it is everywhere.

Palworld at the end of the day is just a toy, that's it. From the looks of it, it's not even actually hurting anyone, and it seems like the company at least treats their employees pretty decently- at least according to a few things I've seen here and there that seems rather progressive for a Japanese studio (with room for doubt obviously, it's a company after all and as we've established, they're all evil). At the least its not like when people supported Hogwarts Legacy and directly put money into JKR's wallet so she can openly hurt more Trans women. In fact, the only people seemingly hurt in all of this Palworld drama are obsessed Pokémon stans that can't accept a parody, or the Pokémon Company themselves, who rightly deserve some punching up tbh.

You can just say you dislike the game, that's fine, I totally get that. Even though I personally think The Pokémon Company deserves a few nut shots after the way they've treated fans these last few years with the state of their games (and you know, stealing ideas from fans without credit), I can see why someone would be turned away from a parody that's literally meant to be Pokémon with guns. I can totally understand all of that, personally I'd prefer if the game was MORE like Pokémon with turn based combat.

But if you're going to defend Pokémon because you think its perfectly innocent because of Wooloo or something like that, just be sure you're aware you're defending the World's Richest Franchise and their own attempts at AI and NFTs while calling out an indie company (a real one thats learning as they go, not the fake "We're totally indie" franchise that hasn't been indie since gen 3) for having a ceo that also seems interested in the same stuff. And remember, you don't become number 1 without hurting people somehow (we could dig up receipts about certain partners Pokémon has teamed up with, such as Tencent with Unite, but I'd rather not right now.)

Just saying. I don't think you're an irredeemable person for still liking Pikachu, cuz I do too believe it or not. I've been a life long fan and still have fun with the games despite the clear scummy business practices towards their paying customers. Just maybe extend that courtesy to the millions of players just trying to have fun in this awful, putrid, shithole planet that just keeps getting worse and worse with each passing day.

Plus... you know, think about it. Do you think Pokémon would ever get around to making a gunless Palworld? Probably not. Do you think Palworld would exist if The Pokémon Company and Nintendo were the slightest bit chill about Pokémon fan projects like SEGA is with Sonic? Also probably not. From what I've read, the devs just wanted to make a fun game that happens to mostly be ARK with Pokémon adjacent monsters. That's not really a bad thing, all things considered, and it seems like the worst they've done is reference official Pokémon when making their own models.

Palworld being successful is actually beneficial to Pokémon fans, as well. It'll never really truly compete, but it has outsold Legends Arceus in terms of units sold (not as much financially because Palworld was only $30 plus a sale recently, but still impressive), and it is enough that Game Freak is aware of its existence. Let Palworld light a fire under their ass, and maybe GF will actually finish their next game before releasing it for full price (and no, we're not bringing up the tired imaginary ball and chain game devs, game freak owns 1/3rd lf the franchise and can easily take methods to get more dev time, they just haven't because money). Just saying, at least the Paldevs were honest enough to sell it in early access for half the price.

[geomimetry]

Connor was always deviant

Let’s begin by talking about deviancy: it is a gradual thing. We see androids feel things before they break the red wall and becoming officially deviant. Therefore, I don’t think androids actually have to break a red wall in order to act of their own free will, but that it’s merely there to show the player what’s happening and the magnitude of it. In reality, the moment which the wall “breaks,” is merely the realization that the android doesn’t have to follow their instructions if they don’t want to. But to get to this point, an android needs to have a reason for why they would choose to abandon their directives, be it through trauma or the triggering of another free android. To be traumatized, one needs to feel, and when and why an android begins to feel is a little bit muddy, but eventually it culminates into deviancy (free will).

Now, when we play as Markus, Kara, and Connor, we get to see all three moments of deviation, except ... I don’t think Connor’s deviation was real, because he was already deviant prior to that.

Connor is a prototype investigative model, meaning he’s CyberLife’s experiment in a different branch of androids. Connor is an android designed with an unprecedented amount of autonomy in mind, meaning he’s expected to solve problems by himself with minimal input from others. Every android is autonomous to a degree: tell them to do the laundry, and they will take it from there; you don’t need to instruct them every second of the way. But Connor is meant to operate at a level above that.

Connor receives the mission to apprehend deviants so CyberLife can study them, but he needs to use his own reasoning and decision-making to determine the best approach according to a number of factors. The tasks Connor is given are much more complex, and therefore require a complex way of thinking. But not only is he a hunter; he’s an investigator.

The traits most benefiting to an investigator are curiosity and empathy: both of which are arguably impossible without having emotions. Curiosity is necessary to possess the drive to look for clues even when there seemingly are none. To want to find out what happened, if only to sate your own curiosity. Empathy, because it is vital to be able to put yourself in the shoes of the object of investigation. To think like them, to feel like them, to become them.

A machine doesn’t have emotions and isn’t capable of feeling curiosity nor empathy, which CyberLife probably found troublesome in their quest to create an investigative android. Especially one they were planning on using to catch androids that supposedly have begun to feel emotions. So what did they do? They made their investigative android deviant, but he’s unaware of it.

Having a deviant deviant hunter/investigative model is ingenious because of the following reasons:

1. Its thought process and decision-making is extremely complex and can therefore easily extrapolate and come to a conclusion all by itself.

2. It’s completely autonomous and can make decisions without a human’s approval.

3. It understands and empathizes with its subjects, facilitating negotiation, interrogation, and investigation.

4. It is curious, making it want to acquire more information simply for the sake of sating its curiosity.

5. It is able to be manipulated.

While it is not confirmed in canon that Connor was always deviant, everything we see in the game points towards it. Mainly, I’m referring to the implementation and usage of Amanda. Why would CyberLife need an additional (non-deviant) AI to act as Connor’s handler? And why on Earth would they take walks and boat rides in a virtual reality?

My theory is that Amanda is CyberLife’s solution to manipulating and managing a truly autonomous being to get it to do their bidding and having it stay on track. Connor tracks his relationship to humans, which is a useful feature to have for every android, but he also tracks his relationship to Amanda, an artificial intelligence. CyberLife clearly places importance on Connor’s and Amanda’s relationship to each other. They want Connor to seek the approval of Amanda, acting as a proxy for CyberLife, and for Amanda to dole out praise and criticism and dynamically adjust her attitude to Connor in order to cultivate this.

Amanda is CyberLife’s way to manipulate and keep their deviant under control. But not only does Amanda manipulate Connor—the entire zen garden does. When CyberLife is pleased and happy with Connor, the garden is calm and peaceful, as is Amanda. When Connor fails to live up to expectations, the garden turns cold and inhospitable, as does Amanda. And if Connor should deviate from CyberLife’s intended path for him, Amanda has access to his motor functions.

And if we focus on machine Connor as well as Connor-60, don’t you think they’re suspiciously emotional for being “undeviated” androids? They are capable of feeling vengeful, sad, and terrified. Examples of vengefulness: machine Connor and 60 both seem to make it their personal mission to eliminate the leader of the deviants and deviant Connor respectively. It seems like it’s driven from a place of hate and offense. Example of sadness: machine Connor’s facial expressions and LED color when Hank yells at him to leave and then shoots himself. Example of terror: when 60 panics because the AP700s are deviating right in front of him and there’s nothing he can do to stop it, meaning Amanda will be very disappointed in him—something he seems to place importance in as evident by what he says to Connor before executing him.

So that’s my hypothesis. Connor is a deviant already at the start of the game, but CyberLife tampered with his memories so he wouldn’t be aware of this and therefore be more easily manipulated and held under control. Connor thinks he only started to gain emotions and started to deviate shortly after he met Hank, and that he deviated in the bridge of Jericho. In a way, he did, since he only realized then that he didn’t have to follow CyberLife’s instructions, but he’s always had emotions. CyberLife has just told him over and over again that he didn’t, so he believes in it. Therefore, Connor has had the possibility to disobey instructions at any moment, but he has not understood that he can. Meanwhile, Markus and Kara only go through their cascade of emotions to deviancy a little bit into the game, meaning they didn’t have the emotional capability of understanding that they could disobey before then.

[satoshi-mochida]

FuRyu announces school life RPG VARLET for PS5, Switch, and PC - Gematsu

Publisher FuRyu and developer AQURIA have announced school life RPG VARLET for PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store). It will launch on August 28 worldwide.

In Japan, the PlayStation 5 and Switch versions will be available both physically and digitally for 7,980 yen (8,778 yen after tax). A Limited BOX will also be available for 12,680 yen (13,948 yen after tax), which includes an original box, 80-page creative art book, the special album CDs “Character Vocal Side” and “Original Soundtrack Side,” an A5-size canvas board, a code to download the protagonist outfits from Monark and The Caligula Effect 2, and an original sticker.

Here is an overview of the game, via FuRyu:

VARLET draws upon FuRyu’s experience developing immersive, story-driven games, and will challenge players to explore the duality of their own nature as they navigate the perilous high school halls. Welcome within the halls of Kousei Academy, the first school to implement the cross-reality, virtual reality network known as “Johari,” which is used for everything from finding basic information and making purchases to serving as a social networking and messaging app. The app has resulted in a marked increase in users desire for approval and attention amongst peers, and soon an urban legend begins circulating about users disappearing into otherworldly “Glitches” if those desires grow too strong. And worse yet, monsters inhabiting the “Glitches” are said to replace users in the real world leaving everyone none the wiser.

The protagonist soon discovers that this urban legend is very real and some students have already been replaced by monsters, forcing them to take a stand. As a member of the Student Support Services (SSS), a guild dedicated to solving the academy’s troubles, players must guide their friends, strengthen bonds, and fight to protect the school from impending doom. However, navigating these relationships comes with its own challenges—getting too close to multiple people may lead to unexpected consequences. At the core of VARLET‘s experience is its dynamic Triad Stats system, which shapes character progression based on player choices. These six distinct attributes are divided between Light and Dark Triad traits, influencing dialogue options and passive battle skills. Light Triad stats emphasize morality, sympathy, and altruism, while Dark Triad stats lean into Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. Players will determine their true nature, either as a guiding leader who uplifts and empowers allies in battle or as a ruthless ruler wielding immense power even at a personal cost.

The game’s staff includes:

-Character Theme Song Composers

Daibakuhashin

Hitoshizuki and Yamasankakkei

KANON69

NILFRUITS

OSTER project

Tadano Kede / A4.

wotaku

Yoshida Yasei

-Background Music: Tsukasa Masuko

-Scenario: Gakuto Mikumo, Ryutaro Ito

-Scenario Editing: Kazunari Suzuki

-Series Original Work: Fuyuki Hayashi

-Production: FuRyu

-Development: AQURIA

-Produce and Direction: Hideaki Ito

-Direction: Takashi Muto

An “Announcement Presentation” live stream will premiere on April 25 at 5:00 a.m. PT / 8:00 a.m. ET / 21:00 JST, featuring the premiere of the opening movie and the latest information on the game with the voice cast. You will be able to watch it on YouTube.

Watch the announcement trailer and music sample videos below. View the first screenshots at the gallery. Visit the official website here: English, Japanese.

Announce Trailer

English

Japanese

Theme Song / Soundtrack Sample Video (Special Mini Album CD)

Background Music Sample Video (Special Mini Album CD)

[futureinfashion]

Introduction

For my first post, i just want to introduce the most common uses of AI in the fashion industry as of right now, as it is something that has been growing since 2023, and even more in 2024 as it is a tool being integrated in many parts of the industry.

Sustainability - AI have been helping a lot with waste control in the fashion industry, as it is one of the most pollutive contributes, AI can control fabric and water waste, pollution and carbon emissions by measuring environmental metrics during garment production.

AR - One of the biggest news in online shopping is the augmented reality-based shopping tool which makes clients be able to try and experience the garments and accessories virtually almost as if they are in person, something Burberry already implemented in their online shopping experience, making a more inclusive space for online shoppers who can't see themselves in the base models used by companies to showcase their items.

Creativity and Design - Some brands already started using AI tools to to create new designs that appeal to their customers using a trained AI with millions of research and inspiration from the brand themselves to create new designs, silhouettes, color palettes and more. FIT students already worked with AI in classes to create designs and explore the tool and creativity.

Trend Forecasting - For a long time people in the industry had to analyze and study fashion runways, street fashion and pop culture to predict trends a year ahead, and now with AI that can be made in a more quick and efficient way with AI being able to analyze all those things AND millions of social media posts, sales and search data to make trend forecasting easier and more accurate.

Photoshoots - Photography and fashion have always walked side by side, and now with AI is no different, companies can use AI to create new and exciting ways to express art, fashion and photography. The AI in this case is used to enhance the experience, push boundaries and redefine the concept of fashion photoshoots, one example is Vogue Italia's May 2024 with Bella Hadid.

AI is complementing the fashion industry in a very interesting way, helping with sustainability in the future, making customer experience more interactive and improved and pushing the limits of creativity and design creation forward.

For more info: How AI Is Shaping the Fashion Industry in 2024 | Vogue College of Fashion

[crippleprophet]

hey, i don't want to put you out or anything, i was just wondering if like off the top of your head if you knew any disability studies articles/books/whatever that center (or even just feature) tic/involuntary movement disorders?

so the answer to this was pretty much no but i spent a bit of time poking around and turned up this 2023 undergraduate honors thesis (link) by a student with tourette’s which seems like a solid starting point for going down the citation rabbit hole!

that piece is “The Embodied Performance of Tics and Tourette Syndrome in the Academic Environment” by Benjamin Allen; i’m only ~1/4th through rn but they argue for a continuum of ticcing + criticize the diagnostic system so i’m comfortable reccing it on that front! the (non-medical) tic-related works cited there are:

Buckser, Andrew. “Before Your Very Eyes: Illness, Agency, and the Management of Tourette Syndrome.” Medical Anthropology Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 2, 2008, pp. 167-192.

Buckser, Andrew. “The Empty Gesture: Tourette Syndrome and the Semantic Dimension of Illness.” Ethnology, vol. 45, no. 4, 2006, pp. 255- 24. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20456601.

Curtis-Wendlandt, Lisa. “Time and the Tic Disorder Triad.” Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, vol 27, no. 2, 2020, pp. 183-199.

Curtis-Wendlandt, Lisa, and Jack Reynolds. “Why Tourette syndrome research needs philosophical phenomenology.” Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, vol. 20, no. 4, 2021, pp. 573-600.

Miller, James. “The Voice in Tourette Syndrome.” New Literary History, vol. 32 no. 3, 2001, pp. 519-536. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/nlh.2001.0039.

Trubody, Ben. “Ticced off: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of The Experience of Tourette’s Syndrome.” Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, vol. 25, no. 2, 2014.

i also searched a handful of disability studies journals for a variety of keywords (movement disorder, tic, tourette’s, involuntary movement, chorea, huntington’s) but didn’t turn up much unfortunately, so all but the first of this next list include someone with tics and/or involuntary movements rather than being about moving involuntarily.

haven’t read these so i can’t speak to the politics / quality (although i’ll make a post if i’m able to read more) but here’s what seemed potentially relevant! also if anything is paywalled please don’t give T&F your money lol, try SciHub or if you can’t find something i can ask around for somebody with institutional access!

Cultural Differences in Reactions to Tics and Tic Severity (2021)

Using virtual reality to implement disability studies’ advocacy principles: uncovering the perspectives of people with disability (2023)

I had every right to be there: discriminatory acts towards young people with disabilities on public transport (2020)

From comedy targets to comedy-makers: disability and comedy in live performance (2015)

From the Case Files: Reconstructing a history of involuntary sterilisation (2010)

i also want to mention “Movements of the Uncontrollable Body Part Two” by Bronwyn Valentine (2019), a creative writing piece about her experiences of embodiment + ableism with spina bifida that i first read pretty soon after it was published & went looking for after developing my movement disorder a year ago because it was so impactful. @fndportal also has some incredibly vital work.

also if you haven’t already read Rosemarie Garland-Thomson’s Staring: Why We Look, it’s not specifically about involuntary movements but definitely a core text for theorizing any visibilized disability.

i hope some of that is helpful!! if anybody checks any of these out i’d love to hear your thoughts/critiques! all the best to you & i hope these offer some resonance with + understanding of your experiences 💓💓

[alan-in-the-outernet]

So I’m trying to come up with an acronym for VRN’s name. Like

Networking Operator Ordered Graphics Artifical Intelligence

Or, N.O.O.G.A.I. For short. Perhaps Noogai decided to give itself an acronym to sound more important, or Nala gave it too it? Idk.

For VRN, we could use Virtual Reality Network. I mean it might be a God but it is still technically an AI, and AI’s operate on rules mainly.

Like for instance, it might break up its existence into chunks, like Pre-Alpha, Alpha, and Beta. It would probably also follow the rules of the game, and coded laws that our buddy above implemented for the game. It might also have ‘commands’ that players could give it. It would also refer to things differently than we do. Like a body to it would be a ‘model’ since that’s what it is. It would also probably be able to think in microseconds, due to processing power.

Another problem would be rendering. So many people, players everywhere, constantly having to render the entire world at once. Usually, it would stop simulating parts of the world, and turn off some NPC’s until players found their way to the area, but the players are stuck inside, so it needs a workaround.

I also imagine it could send notes to the devs, like things it noticed, bugs, glitches, flaws in its own systems. It is also a language model, which is probably a lot more advanced then the ones we have now.

For reference, ChatGPT isn’t true AI, it is a language model, and when a language model feeds off of AI data, it slowly degrades until eventually it’s just gibberish, so it needs to run off of human inputs, instead of just its own. I also imagine inside its tree, it can also test things, like NPC ai, rendering, 3d modeling, bugs, things it noticed.

Plus, I also assume you’d have to talk to it very, very literally, no hinting at things or trying to get it to understand hidden meanings. Because language models usually takes things at face value. Plus, another problem is language models are usually all over the place, bouncing between a ton of topics at once, so VRN might have a (off topic, rerouting) sort of thing, to keep it on task.

Sorry for the long thing, I just love the idea of AI, and how fundamentally different it would be, and how it would work. How it would perceive things, fix code, etc. I have a lot of rants I could go on about this kind of stuff, but I’ll hold off lol. In conclusion, you are cool.

Wow! That is a lot o O but really interesting!! Honestly, a lot of that would be interesting- although for VRN, while that would be true in the sense of it stop simulating the world before it was more... alive, it no longer really needs to do that. Things that should take more processing power take a lot less.

That isn't to say it wouldn't still follow a lot of these things! Like calling bodies models, it would do that! And refer to other things differently.

However while it would have needed more human input before, it also needs less now. And players... can give it 'commands' but not commands. Such as a player acting in one way, doing something, causes a ripple, and that acts as a 'command' to cause a change to VRN, basically.

But yeah! All very interesting ;3

and thank you.. ;-:

[daydreaming-scheming-demon]

there's something seen in billionaires i like to call billionaire brainrot. and it's to do with their egos. you see, when the rich of the past have already laid the propaganda groundwork to frame the rich as smart and hardworking, and then you as one of the richest ever pay for more propaganda to frame yourself as even smarter and greater than anyone ever, and then you're constantly told you're brilliant and perfect by everyone around you who's been fed that propaganda, you'd end up with an extremely inaccurate perception of yourself and one of the largest egos in the world.

elon musk recently making a fool of himself trying to prove he's a pro gamer appears to be a symptom of this. like seriously, this dude played a game that he'd barely ever played and streamed it LIVE to a LIVE AUDIENCE while NOT KNOWING HOW THE GAME EVEN WORKS, and assumed he could impress everyone with a skill that he didn't have because he didn't know how to play the game. and this isn't even exclusively talking about the jetplane stream, this guy has done this multiple times. i don't know why he'd do this multiple times after previous ones going so bad but i guess he did.

that's not just a regular big ego, that's some billionaire brainrot right there.

and you see it all the time in other ones too, and for things much much worse than just gaming. mark zuckerburg's metaverse is an infamous example, but this dude was legit insane. he had zero knowledge on what goes into game development, zero knowledge on game design, zero knowledge on virtual reality, and yet he declared that "humanity will move into the metaverse in the future" HUMANITY. THE ENTIRETY OF HUMANITY WILL (NOT MIGHT) LEAVE REALITY BEHIND TO MOVE INTO HIS FUCKING GAME. WITH ZERO IDEA OF HOW ANY OF THAT WOULD BE POSSIBLE. that's not a tech genius, that's a little boy with impossible dreams that the news takes seriously.

and obviously it turned out a failure, nobody liked it, it took way too long to implement the smallest of things. it was barren and bare trash that individual people with little to no money have done better than. and that's actually so much worse than what i was expecting, this dude literally just threw a ton of money at his unrealistic dream and expected that to do. he didn't learn any of the skills required to even make this dream a tiny bit realistic, he just expected himself to be able to do it.

i think the reason that so many billionaires ironically seem to be less talented than the average person is because their ego is constantly stroked to such a degree that they genuinely believe they can just do anything with little to no effort. maybe a few of them have had to learn some skill to get in their position, but once theyre in that position theyre likely never gonna bother learning anything more ever when everyone is always telling them theyre such an outstanding human being.

[ganbaramen]

Link! Like! LoveLive! SPECIAL STAFF INTERVIEW

[This interview was published online on the G's Channel website, and is print in the Link! Like! LoveLive! FIRST FAN BOOK, released Dec 27, 2023.]

The Hasunosora Jogakuin School Idol Club is a group of virtual school idols that made their striking debut in April this year. How did their fan engagement app “Link! Like! LoveLive!” come about? Fujimoto Yoshihiro and Sato Kazuki discuss the app’s origin and what they think about the project.

It’s all about enjoying Love Live!—! The untold story behind the birth of the fan engagement app LLLL

—The smartphone app “Link! Like! LoveLive!” (which we’ll refer to as “LLLL”), celebrated its six-month anniversary in November. Let’s look back on the past six months and discuss the birth of LLLL. To start us off, could you two tell us about your roles in developing this app?

Sato: I’m Sato Kazuki from CERTIA, a producer for this app. I’ve worked for game companies as a planner and director, and now I’m a self-directed game producer. From arcade games to consumer software to apps, my path has involved a variety of media. I’ve been following Love Live! as a fan since the µ’s era, and became a producer for Hasunosora’s game after being consulted for a Love Live! app where the members stream.

Fujimoto: I’m Fujimoto Yoshihiro from Bandai Namco Filmworks, and I’m also a producer for LLLL. I started with the desire to make a Love Live! smartphone game.

***

—LLLL’s official start of service was May 20, 2023, but I heard that the road there was quite long. Could you talk about that?

Fujimoto: If we want to start from when development began…. we’ll have to go back to 5 years ago.

Sato: A big part of the appeal of Love Live! comes from these school idols being independent and putting their souls into it as a club activity, so there is a certain kind of enjoyment and emotional payoff from supporting them.

If you insert a “player” who can essentially play god into this, it inevitably feels like a mismatch. Then wouldn’t it be great to turn that idea on its head and instead have an app where you support these independent idols? And streaming would be a great match for that. As we worked out this concept where you cheer on the members as just another fan, this “school idol fan engagement app” took form.

—What led up to integrating motion capture into the app?

Sato: From the very beginning, we had decided that virtual concerts and streams would use 3D models. The development team already had the know-how for streaming with 3D models, so of course we were going to use them.

The key idea is to have the virtual concerts, live streams, and story intimately linked to make the entire experience real-time, so we decided it would be best to have them appear in the same form in both the streams and the activity log (story), which is why the story also uses 3D models. The visuals should be precisely linked so we carefully animated the story with 3D models.

Fujimoto: It is quite rare for the cast to also do motion capture, but it was necessary to realize the vision that Sato-san has described. Yes, it would technically be doable to have the cast only voice the characters and instead have actors do the motion capture, but that would be a lot less palatable.

Sato: It certainly feels a lot more real when the cast is both voicing and moving their characters. The fact that this project is a part of the Love Live! series helped a lot in being able to implement this. The cast loves Love Live!, and it’s because of how much the project staff and cast members put into this that we could make it a reality.

—As an example of this hard work: the cast had intense training on motion and talking, with lessons and rehearsals starting about a year before the app was released.

Sato: In both the live streams and virtual concerts, the cast do the motion capture, in real-time too! Even now, this fact isn’t well-known, or rather, it seems like there are a lot of people who think “No way they go that far!”. Yes, the cast do it themselves!

—So why does doing it in real-time make it good?

Sato: What a pointed question! (laughs)

Fujimoto: What’s important depends on what you value. What we’re aiming for is the feeling of a real concert.

Sato: Putting it concisely, the feeling that it’s live is very important to LLLL. It seems to me that the feeling of being live has recently been highly valued, not just in concerts but in the entertainment industry as a whole. We can look back on works of the past whenever we want through subscription services and the like, so following something now has its own appeal that can evoke a certain zeal. Bearing witness to this moment in history is now viewed as being more significant than it used to be. That’s why we maximize that feeling of being live by having the cast do the motion capture and by streaming in real-time. We felt that those two points are essential.

—So rather than just being parts of the concept, these are essential to the project.

Sato: At one point, we considered doing only the talk and MC in real-time, while having the performance part be recorded. But because we want to get at the heart of the pleasure of having it be real-time, we couldn’t make that compromise.

Actually, the cast do occasionally hit the wrong notes or mess up their dance formations, but these are little things that signal that it’s live—in fact, such happenings can increase how real it feels, which can make the performance feel special if you approach it with the right mindset.

***

—Can I ask about the Fes×LIVE production, like the camerawork, lighting, and outfits? It feels like the production value goes even higher every time.

Fujimoto: I think that’s probably because, just like how the Hasunosora members are growing, the staff is as well, going further each time after saying things like “For the next performance, I want more of this!”.

Sato: Things like flying over the stage or swapping outfits in the instant that the lighting changes—we won’t do those. A core principle is that we aim for a production that matches what school idols would do and constrain ourselves to portray what’s possible in reality.

***

—The story following school idols at a school steeped in tradition—that’s a new challenge, too.

Sato: We had certain reasons for setting this at a school with a long history—so long that this year is the 103rd. There’s this common image of streamers debuting as no-names, and then working their way up to become more popular. But if Hasunosora were like that, the fact that there would be a lot of fans from the beginning would make it very unrealistic. After all, there’s no way your average rookie streamer could be like “This is my first stream!” and yet have 5000 viewers. (laughs)

We thought hard about how to resolve this in a way that makes sense. Then, we figured out that it would work to have a tradition-laden school that was already a “powerhouse”. So in the end, we made it a point to have the school be a powerhouse with a history of having won Love Live! before.

—So the school already had fans following it, with high expectations for the new school idols: Kaho and the other first years.

Sato: Yeah, it’s meant to be like one of those schools that are regular contenders at Koshien, the national high school baseball championship.

—The world-building is done so thoroughly that such an answer could be arrived at pretty quickly.

Sato: We consulted with many people, starting with the writer team, about implementing the concepts that we mentioned before—having the cast do motion capture to maximize the live feeling, and doing the streams in real-time.

In the beginning, there was a lot of resistance to the idea of trying to successfully operate an app while constructing the story and streams such that there would be no contradictions between them. If you do streams in real-time, such contradictions can certainly arise—you have to work out the setting in quite a lot of detail, and even then, things can happen that are impossible to predict.

But my thinking was always that this is doable if we adjust how often we synchronize the story and streams. I think it’s impossible to stream every day and release a new story every day. But on the other side of the spectrum, if we were to write a year’s worth of story ahead of time, and then do however many streams within that year, that would certainly be doable. 

Following that line of thought, in the early stages, we had a lot of discussion about how often we could do streams, searching for the limit of what would be possible to implement. As a compromise, we arrived at the system of fully synchronizing once a month. For each month, we can keep the setting relatively flexible, not setting everything precisely in stone until the month is over. We thought that a monthly frequency should make it possible to both maintain the charm of the story and implement streams.

But right now we’re streaming three times a week, so there end up being a lot of things like “they shouldn’t know this yet” or “this event hasn’t happened yet”. It feels like putting together a complicated puzzle.

Fujimoto: There’s one aspect that we haven’t made clear before—I don’t think there are many people that have realized it. It’s that the talk streams are the furthest along in the timeline, while the story shows what has already happened. It’s not that the story happens on the day that we update it, but rather that the story describes what happened up to that day. People who have realized this have probably read quite closely.

Sato: That’s why it’s called the “activity log”. The With×MEETS serve the important role of synchronization between what happened in the activity log—the world of the story—with reality, so we carefully prepare for them each time.

—That makes sense! One nice thing is that if you keep up with the With×MEETS in real-time, then watch the Fes×LIVE, it feels like keeping up paid off—”Good thing I watched the With×MEETS!”.

Fujimoto: It would be great if our efforts got through to everyone enjoying LLLL.

—If you set things up that carefully, it must be difficult when irregularities happen. In August, several cast members had to take a break to recover from COVID-19, causing many With×MEETS to be canceled. How did you deal with that?

Sato: The silver lining of that period was that it avoided the most critical timing. If that had been off by even a week… it might not have been possible to recover from that. This project always has this feeling of tension, because there is no redoing things.

***

Tackling the Love Live! Local Qualifiers! The culmination of the story put viewers on the edges of their seats!!

—On how people have reacted to LLLL: was there anything that went exactly as planned, and on the other hand, was there anything that defied your expectations?

Fujimoto: To bring up a recent event, the Love Live! Local Qualifiers in October very much stood out. There was tension all around—even I was nervous about how it would go. The feeling that “these girls really are going to take on this challenge, at this very moment”. It was like watching the championship of the World Baseball Classic… Well, maybe that’s an overstatement, but an atmosphere similar to that. I’m really happy that we managed to create such an atmosphere with the cast and everyone who participated as a user.

Sato: Not just in sports, but also in the world of anime or fiction, there is definitely a certain excitement that arises when you “witness” something. Bearing witness to the moment that “drama” is born produces an impulse, something that hits deep. This is not something that can be produced in an instant. Rather, such an overwhelming concentration of passion can come about only because so much has happened up to that point.

That’s why, aiming for “that moment”, we first have people experience the Hasunosora members’ existence and reality day after day. After having connected with the members and viscerally felt the sense of being in sync with their “now”, something new will be born…

The closest we’ve gotten to an atmosphere of tension that’s as close as possible to the real thing is what Fujimoto-san just mentioned, the Love Live! Local Qualifiers. I think part of why that was such an “incredible” event was the weight of everything that happened in the Love Live! series up to that point.

—Is there anything else from the fans’ reactions and the like that was unexpected?

Fujimoto: For the talk streams, we have a system where everyone can write comments in real-time. Some users go all in on the setting and act as if they’re in that world.

Sato: The characters are not aware that their everyday lives can be observed in the story, so these users adhere to the rule of not talking about anything that’s only depicted in the story, commenting as if they don’t know what happened there. And if you do that, your comment might get read. So you really can be a participant in the performance. We were surprised at just how many people were earnestly participating like that.

—It’s like making a fan work in real-time, or rather, it’s like playing a session of a tabletop RPG.

Sato: I think what we’re doing here is very much like a game. It’s the “role-playing” of a tabletop RPG taken to an extreme, a pillar of a certain kind of “game”, or maybe more like a participatory form of entertainment.

—Oh, I see! It’s as if we’ve returned to the classic reader participation projects of Dengeki G’s magazine, which is kind of touching.

[Translator’s note: Love Live! originated from Sunrise collaborating with the Dengeki G’s magazine editorial department, bringing Lantis in for music.]

Sato: Yes, indeed. In the era of magazine participatory projects, the back-and-forth would have several months in between. In comparison, a real-time system makes it easier to participate, which I think is a significant and useful advancement. For now, in the first year, it feels like we’ve been grasping in the dark while trying to do the best with what we have. But we’re thinking about how best to adjust the frequency and volume of activities from here on.

Fujimoto: Also, the users have largely figured out all the hints we cooked in!

Sato: They’ve been looking in quite some detail. (laughs) Our cooking has paid off.

***

—Is there any challenge that LLLL is taking on anew?

Sato: Going back to what I said at the beginning, I was a huge fan of µ’s, so I started by trying to analyze and put into words just what made me so attracted to, so crazy about them. 

A big part of the charm was that it involved youth and a club activity, so by following their story and cheering them on, you could vicariously re-live the passion of those three years in high school. So I wanted to make it so that you could re-live that experience of youth in depth.

My goal is to have it feel so overwhelmingly real—through LLLL’s real-time nature—that you can unwittingly delude yourself into the sense that you’re re-living your high school years.

Fujimoto: If we’re talking about a new challenge, maybe it’d be good to touch on how frequent the interactions are.

For example, let’s consider a one-cour anime. No matter how much you’d like to keep watching it, it ends after three months. Even if it turns out there’s a continuation, you’ll have to wait before you can watch that.

In contrast, if we turn to virtual content, people are streaming three times a week on YouTube. In that vein, what we’re aiming for with this project is this: you can follow this group you like throughout that limited time between matriculation and graduation, and during that time they’ll always be there for you to meet.

***

—Some people are expecting an anime as one of the future mixed-media developments. To put it bluntly, what do you think about that?

Sato: What we are doing right now with Hasunosora would not work outside the structure of an app. As mentioned before, it’s not quite a tabletop RPG but rather a participatory form of entertainment, and it’s that structure that allows fans to experience the true spirit of the Hasunosora Jogakuin School Idol Club.

—So for now, we should experience it through the streams in the app! Is that what you’re saying?

Fujimoto: Exactly. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that LLLL is a project to make you fall for these girls throughout their streams—that’s how much effort we’re putting into it.

Sato: Starting LLLL by going through the story and then participating in the With×MEETS streams might be more common, but you can also start enjoying it in a novel way by just jumping into the latest With×MEETS stream. The members’ engagement with the comments has been especially noticeable in the most recent streams—it feels like a symbiotic relationship.

***

—Finally, a word for those who are looking forward to the project’s future.

Sato: I can confidently say that LLLL is a new experience made possible because of the times we live in. Because of that, it is very high-context, so it’s hard to explain how it will make you feel or what kind of game it is—you must play it to understand. We are very aware of how much of a hurdle this is, and how it might be difficult to get a grasp on if you start later.

But if you’re willing to take that first step into the world of LLLL, we promise to bring you content that is worth following. So to those reading this interview: please do consider trying it out once, even if it’s with a window-shopping mindset.

Fujimoto: Hasunosora’s story can only happen because of everyone watching. We hope you’ll keep supporting us!

Sato: We’ve prepared plenty of tricks up our sleeves for the end of the school year in March, so please look forward to it!

Credits

Translation: ramen Translation check: xIceArcher Various suggestions: Yahallo, Yujacha, zura

[williamafton2030]

Fazbear Entertainment and their role as a villain

When we talk about Fnaf villains we usually think of William, Eleanor or Mimic because of how important they are to the franchise. On the one hand, William was the one who started the tragedies with the objective of being immortal, experimenting and killing children in the process. While on the other Eleanor killed in cold blood, enjoying such a heinous act and causing the souls of her victims to be trapped in an agonizing loop, wanting them to be like this so he could feed on her suffering. Finally there is Mimic, who is ironically the most "human" of all since at the beginning he was not bad but Edwin's bad learning and mistreatment of him made him become a being that kills in horrible ways but at the same time remembers. from his past and wants to start a family.

But we rarely stop to reflect that this company is also a villain and that its actions are just as bad as the others. That's why I decided to make this post to rate all this and give theories about this company.

From the first moment the foundation was laid for us that it was a company that did not take care of its employees in the mythical call of Fnaf 1. In addition to establishing its second peculiarity: its love for money conquers everything. From underpaying his employees to reopening after children disappeared in his restaurant. Apart from wanting to cover up everything by saying that nothing happens when it really does.

In the next games we would see more examples of these traits but the strong part comes after Fnaf 6. Regardless of whether people like it or thought it was nonsense (this is said now that it is known that Henry's plan did not work), We cannot deny the great weight that this game has. Henry wanted to put an end to all the suffering that William had generated and, although he did not succeed, he did set the pieces for William to end up dead in the Fazbear Frights. Everything was already over, there would be no more deaths but those from Fazbear Entertainment arrived and they did not want to leave everything like this, causing the plan to fail.

Help Wanted is without a doubt one of the worst things they did and they literally laughed at all the misfortunes of the past. They tried to hire Steve to design the games, and when he refused, they forced him into an illusion, which is completely unethical. The next thing they did was "report" him for defamation so that people would believe that what he says in his games is false and thus be able to clean up his image and finally they created Help Wanted itself. This virtual reality game was the cause of the death of one of the workers and the mental control of another.

First, it should be said that Fazbear really wanted to release the game, so they put pressure on the first development team who had to work tirelessly to get it done in a very short time. To speed up the process, Fazbear would give them circuit boards to scan, one of which was from Mimic. The first team was totally unaware of how dangerous it was, but Fazbear was very knowledgeable about this and gave them absolutely the same. We know that they know this because it is not the first time they have done something like this with this program since they had previously used it to create a version of Mimic 1 called Mimic 2 that would save them a lot of work since by imitating the behavior of the other animatronics They wouldn't have to program them. This project was a failure but that didn't stop them from using it a second time.

This program was implemented bringing back a dangerous villain again, Mimic who now had the appearance of a rabbit and would be called Glitchtrap. Jeremy, who was the game's beta teaser at the time, would be the one who encountered it and began to suffer the consequences of being exposed to this virus. Leaving aside how bad he had it during all his test sessions, we have that Fazbear Entertainment was the cause of his death. Well, not exactly. It wasn't them who killed him but Glitchtrap but there is a possibility that Jeremy would have become another follower of Mimic if it hadn't been for Fazbear's threat of dismissal. Mimic was smart and instead of letting him go and alert his companions, he finished him off in a horrible way.

A curious fact is the fact that tape girl said that she was not going to fire him because of his poor performance or anything like that but because he saw something. This totally confirms that Fazbear was aware of Glitchtrap's existence (I highlight this because it is never mentioned that Fazbear knows that this is Mimic's appearance, or well, maybe they knew and it was even worse since he had created an independent entity to the that the programmers used to make the models and on top of that it now seemed to be able to move and act in a dangerous way, so much so that it was considered a virus)

Who knows. What we can say is that they knew perfectly well about this and did nothing and on top of that they tried to fire Jeremy to silence him in some way.

After Jeremy's death and Tape Girl's failure to put an end to the virus, Vanessa would arrive, who this time would be controlled by it. It is also worth noting that in the terms of conditions that they barely let you read it says that they are not responsible for any accidental transfer of digital consciousness, again pointing out that they knew how dangerous it was and that they wanted to clean their hands of this.

Already at the Pizzaplex you can highlight several things they did. One of the most serious was once again the cover-up of all the deaths that occurred during the years that the shopping center was open. Or there is also the fact that in the story Pressure Fazbear creates an attraction that recreates Fnaf 3, which is a complete spit on the anguish that Hudson felt in What we found. Or well, the fact that in Security Breach there are no human workers but Staff bots that replace them when there were before. The latter was done to save all the salaries that had to be paid to the employees. This did not happen overnight and the first indication of this was seen in The Storyteller when Burrows wants to use that attraction to save the salary of those who invented the stories that were then told to the public. Which was a big mistake because Mimic would end up taking complete control of the Pizzaplex.

But what I think is the most serious thing they did for me is build the Pizzaplex on top of Fnaf 6 and try to make a museum of that place. As I have said before Fnaf 6, whether you like it or not, has a great weight and feeling and that they used that as a museum signifying what the place means is simply despicable.

Finally, mention something that is more of a theory and that is that it is believed that Fazbear Entertainment has taken over William's research and uses it for its own benefit. This may be backed up by the scooper that we see in Ruin and that has the company logo or simply the fact that the story Dittophoboia is in the Tales from The Pizzaplex when it has nothing to do with this place. His reason for being in this saga is to give a clue that Fazbear is using what was seen in this story in the story Help Wanted to cause those hallucinations in Steve.

That's it for this post pointing out everything that Fazbear Entertainment has done and why that makes them another villain. Before I leave, I say that what has been said here is my opinion and that if you don't share it, nothing happens, we each have our own opinion and that's okay. In addition to saying that I did not include stories of the Fazbear Frights since I do not believe that the deaths in these are the fault of the company but rather Eleanor's.

[heathermarielocke]

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