#Start Mobile App Project

[mazalejeenekasong]

How Eshwarprasad Built EP Ka Meter Films: From Smartphone Dreams to Real Stories

Introduction: You Don’t Need a Big Budget to Tell Big Stories Big dreams often get delayed because we think we need big resources.But the truth is, creativity starts where excuses end. Here’s how I, Eshwarprasad, founded EP Ka Meter Films with just a smartphone and a love for storytelling. The Beginning: Filmmaking with a Smartphone I didn’t have money for fancy cameras or lighting…

[epkameterfilms]

How Eshwarprasad Built EP Ka Meter Films: From Smartphone Dreams to Real Stories

Introduction: You Don’t Need a Big Budget to Tell Big Stories Big dreams often get delayed because we think we need big resources.But the truth is, creativity starts where excuses end. Here’s how I, Eshwarprasad, founded EP Ka Meter Films with just a smartphone and a love for storytelling. The Beginning: Filmmaking with a Smartphone I didn’t have money for fancy cameras or lighting…

[inhuman-obey-me]

So. The OM news.

Solmare announced on Wednesday that December will be the "final new content" for the two mobile games. Going along with that, Lesson 60 will also be the end of story content in Nightbringer.

Definitely quite some news to take in, and one that's gotten everyone into quite a tizzy, understandably.

First, a clarification: The games are NOT going into End-of-Service (not yet, anyway). Both the OG game and Nightbringer will continue on as-is, just without any new content in general starting in January. This means that we are still going to have access to all the content we've had up to this point, like the main story, Lonely Devil, Devilgrams, Time Chronicle, etc. The announcement also stated that "past events will continue to be periodically re-released," and while it's not completely clear what those re-releases are going to look like, it sounds like the apps themselves will still be around for a while.

Secondly, this is also not the end of the Obey Me franchise. The announcement specifically says, "We promise you that this will not be the end of the seven brothers, the Devildom, or of Obey Me!" It also mentions a "new era" with "new forms of content," and Solmare themselves tried to clarify this the day after too, with assurance that new projects ARE in the works. So this is not the end of our beloved boys (and Thirteen)!!

Now, we don't actually know what this "new era" is going to look like, or what specific kinds of new projects this is referring to. We have been specifically promised new in-person events and merchandise, but of course, that's not particularly promising news for tons of us in the fandom who are not in areas that usually get those events or those who cannot afford to buy the merch, which have sometimes been hard to access for those outside of Japan.

Based on a couple of the VAs' tweets, we do know that OM is specifically moving beyond "アプリゲーム" (app game) format, which means we should not expect a third mobile game anytime soon. (And honestly, thank fuck, because we think we speak for a lot of us in saying the community's trust would just be so broken at that point!) And given their involvement, there are some ideas we can probably safely strike out. But until we get more official information, anything else on this is pretty much just speculation at this point.

But hey, on this blog, we love to speculate and theorize and make wild guesses as to what's going to happen next in OM, don't we? So let's speculate!

Firstly, any kind of print format like light novels and further manga volumes wouldn't involve the VAs, so those are probably out. But we do have the manga volumes they already released, so one possibility could be making a proper anime off of the manga version of the main story! When the gag anime originally released, many people expressed interest in seeing the main story converted into an anime, so that could be an interesting avenue for them to pursue.

Another option would be for them to go down a more audio-focused route. Though we haven't gotten much Otaku FM content in quite a long time, they've only released a couple of characters for their ASMR project so far, and hopefully they will still continue it for the rest of the characters. It's possible that they could bring back Otaku FM or Boys in the House content, especially to promote other new content in this new era. And multiple of the OM voice actors are involved with the Ex and Bee, which seems to have somewhat low numbers so far but has been said to be good (though we haven't looked into it ourselves), so it could be possible for them to try out a similar audio drama format with OM, as a more established IP.

Also, while the VAs seem to be saying that app games (mobile) are done for now, that doesn't necessarily mean we couldn't get a PC or console game. This could open up a possibility of a more traditional route-based style of otome game, which could give the writers a better position at balancing romance with the larger world adventure elements, and then just extending it with things like DLCs, fan discs, etc. Hard to say if Solmare has the budget to pull off something like that, but it would probably be more up their alley as a game studio and still give their programmers things to do assuming they haven't all been laid off with the current state of the games industry.

And then, of course, we have more things like Overture, the "concert" they put on with new 3D models of the brothers. Even if they can't afford a full-fledged console game, they could definitely still use those models in other ways, but also in more Overture-like concerts. Though personally, we would prefer if they didn't -- no one got into OM to have an idol group game. There are a million idol games and franchises already, and while it's fine as extra content on the side we guess, they're not really strong contenders against all of the actual idol games already out there. But there's money in that genre, so who knows if whatever execs may continue pushing it that direction...

And finally, another possibility, though perhaps also not a very likely one, is a theater show. It's pretty common for animes and such to also have stage productions in Japan. Luke's and Diavolo's VAs in particular have also done theater, including musical theater, so it's not a foreign concept to some of the team. But given the limited geographical scope of something like that, this wouldn't really be good for anyone outside of, like, probably only Tokyo? Still, stranger things have happened, so it's not outside the realm of possibility.

Speculation and all aside...we've been here since basically the beginning, when OG Obey Me was released back in December 2019. The end of content in the games is bittersweet, and we'll certainly be sad after NB Lesson 60 is released. Despite all of its flaws, OM is what got us both back into writing and drawing after a very long time. We started this blog! Neither of us had ever done a fandom blog before! It's been something near and dear (if even frustratingly so) to us for the past five years, so we'll be watching for what's coming next! And in the meantime, we're still here with you all too, for however slowly we put our stuff out.

[synergysilhouette]

How the mighty have fallen--but will something better come out of it?

I stopped playing "Choices" a few months ago and it's WILD to realize I haven't played "Fictif" since it stopped 3 years ago as well as "The Arcana" when it finished around the early days of "Fictif" (I think), but I feel like I'm experiencing the first nostalgic era of the digital age when it comes to mobile games; the mid to late 2010s was the best era of mobile games, it seems. Of course, after doing some digging, it's WILD to hear about the downfall of the companies that made these games. Nix Hydra (maker of "The Arcana" and "Fictif") is a rabbit hole that I can't even begin to explain, and it's content quickly became second priority when acquired by Dorian, despite Dorian saying it would still prioritize NH's content, instead taking the back seat to Dorian's own app--the app of which I liked in concept, but not execution. In any case, some members of the team from "The Arcana" and "The Last Legacy" from Fictif, as well as other games, made the indie Red Spring Studio company, with their first game "Touchstarved" (which had a Kickstarter that FAR EXCEEDED it's OG goals by 8x; one of the goals included a Nintendo Switch port). I think the game comes out at the end of this year, so I'll be excited to see how it goes. Unfortunately, their Kickstarter page has their updates limited to backers (people who helped fund the project) only, which IMO limits the exposure the game gets, but let's hope for the best.

As for Pixelberry, apparently they've had issues for years, and last year they had massive layoffs and were acquired by an AI company, so...there's that. Plus it seems they're still smut-focused and even the early 2024 art was victim of AI usage, maybe before that. To recooperate their costs, PB closed out two of it's other apps, and while still generating content, is losing the trust of fans, especially since, from what I've seen on their newsletters, they're focused on more "content" for established franchises--which doesn't mean sequels or spinoffs, but often a short book. Anyway, three of their creatives have went on to found Candlelight Games: the Head of Design was once the ex-creative director at PB and helped write "Bloodbound," "Blades of Light and Shadow," "Most Wanted," and "Endless Summer"; the Head of Narrative was an ex-head of Choices and helped write "America's Most Eligible," "The Nanny Affair" (man, the switchup is CRAZY), "With Every Heartbeat," "Distant Shores," and "Ride or Die"; and the CEO was the former VP of new games, an ex-head of Choices, and ex-head of Hollywood U. As someone who became disappointed with many Choices books when the decade hit, this feels promising. The company's first project, "Project Spellstruck" (codename), is expected to start releasing this year.

Seems like the mid-2020s may have me more engaged in interactive mobile games that haven't been exciting for half a decade. Check out these stories and spread the word!

[much-vexed-glowy-mimic]

It's me again, that person, and I'm going to talk about this man again.

Music Meister, specifically the one seen in the Speed Force comics, because goddamn it, this man is the most interesting character in it.

Something I have to mention right of the bat:

Music Meister is a massive control freak. You put him in charge of a project and he will take over completely. If he sees an opportunity, he's going to go get things rolling because he wants it to and if it crashes, it's because he's determined the project is no longer viable.

He loves control and the type of control he's able to exert on people is honestly extreme and absolute. The DC universe is lucky he's not remotely interested in world domination and JUST wants to start musicals to make people steal for him. Personally I take his mind control powers be telepathic in nature (this might be blindingly obvious and you're likely going "Well yes duh?", but I've never seen it mentioned ANYWHERE?) In my mind, he's a telepath, but he's only able to connect to people when he sings high enough. To me, that explains how he's able to what he does. It might not obvious with the original Meister, but I'm certain it applies to Speed Force Meister.

That man is in your brain and he can do everything to it. Just to touch on the TB&TB cartoon, Meister's level of control is shown to be absolute and limit of people he can control at the same time is realistically, in the billions. The only downside his powers has, is it seems likely his mobility becomes limited once he's in control of that many people. The power suit he wears isn't for show, it's likely to help him move?

Now, where do we start? Oh, I know.

This man is RIDICULOUS, I don't know if you noticed? This the scientists he has Mas y Menos abduct. They're really stylish, the colors are clean, cool. Black, white and red, you can't go wrong with these. 10/10.

They're also wearing headphones with cat ears. Presumably because Meister has to look at them the whole day and that makes them adorable to him. I wouldn't be surprised if he calls them his "little kittens". This actually brings up a few other points:

Mas y Menos and Superboy's suits and the uniforms, they are Meister's creations, not Mad Mod's despite the fact he's a designer.

Mod seems to be in charge of how their day-to-day clothes look and so on. I imagine Meister would start running after him while making aggressive cello noises if he starts messing Mas' suit.

Creating/manipulating clothes is a subset of Meister's powers. The TB&TB Meister has this power too and is able to change them at will.

I always thought it's really funny that Meister just even remakes Superboy's jacket in the next issue. Like, the second you stop thinking about the artist drawing this, you have to realize Meister went and MADE that for him.

Just imagine them getting back to the HQ? Fiddle says he wants to humiliate whoever Meister captures, but he never gets to because Meister is fussing over Superboy and his jacket.

Fiddler: I- Meister: No. Mine. Fiddler: But- Meister: -warning shriek-

(Also, what are Lex and Superman doing? Meister basically took control of him on live tv. Batman, Meister is in charge of music app, STOP HIM.)

Another point is Symphonee's logo.

Symphonee was originally Fiddler's idea. We see him build it, we see him teach himself how to build apps. He meets Mod on the during a Stagg course and they join forces. It's cute, we see them working together! We also see Symphonee's logo getting made.

Now, we see it's Mod who designs it.

The thing is, Symphonee's logo looks just like Meister's symbol. It's what his powers look like when they manifest.

Now, if Symphonee was Meister's idea, there wouldn't be anything really weird about this. But it's Fiddler's. Fiddler thought up the app. Mod supposedly designed the logo, by himself.

Mod is friends with Meister, as he says later in a flashback, so he could just be thinking music logo=music note. I personally think Meister and Mod are lairmates and he's likely sitting in on all their chats, likely not THAT interested in it and just gives Mod an idea. He's not interested until Mod mentions the one thing thing Meister loves more than music and mind control. Money. (Do you think he like the letter m too? Does he get kick out of alliteration? Is that why he likes Mod? Music Meister, Mad Mod?) Most of the Meister's we've seen so far love money. TB&TB Meister: Temporarily takes over the world to make the world's biggest musical so he can make the world's population steal for him.

Batwheels' Meister: Robbing a bank. (And stealing voices.)

Speed Force Meister: In charge of an music app that makes money.

Pride Meister: I think he really just wants to perform Phantom of the Opera, but he would most likely rob all the rich people there.

Harley Quinn's Meister: I don't know anything about him, besides the fact he's a very aggressive therapist, BUT I need to point out the fact wears red, a color Meisters' REALLY like and appears fond of money, going by the gold chain. (And he still has shades!)

Anyway.

MONEY. Meister loves money. That's actually what makes him so odd. He LOVES money. That's what brings him fully into Symphonee. We see how they all meet in the Key Code club in a flashback.

But here's the thing. Both Meister and Mod come off as rather manipulative here. Mod defers to Fiddler as the boss while Meister just announces Fiddler is the CEO.

This might not set off alarm bells, but it should. He's not really deferring to Fiddler as the leader. He is giving Fiddler that position because Meister already considers himself the leader of Symphonee.

It has his symbol after all. If Batman showed up and saw it, he'd bypass Fiddler completely and go right for Meister, because clearly, this all Meister's doing.

I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I'd worried if Meister's going LA LA LA at me. Meister is likely pushing Fiddler to through with Symphonee here be HE wants part of the money it brings in. Fiddler is the one who first mentions injecting his own hypnosis powers into the app, but Meister follows it up instantly and positions himself as the one in charge of brainwashing people, neatly pushing Fiddler's own powers out of the way.

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of everything. I'll take charge of everything. Everything. You just look nice and stand in front of the cameras..."

And Mod is in on this. I think Meister and Mod are genuinely very good friends. To me, the background of this panel reads as "Yes, mate! I see what you're doing and I agree. Let's hijack this operation!"

Something the comic likes to do is position Meister behind Fiddler because he's the actual mastermind behind everything and is basically in charge of Symphonee.

He's usurping everything Fiddler has, even his color and style.

The first we actually see of him is, of course, this

It's really similar to Fiddler clothes.

Meister's original colors are dark purple and bright/pale greens. He wears them in the comic before Symphonee starts and after he loses control of Mas y Menos and Superboy (because he sees the project has having reached the end.)

I've said this before, but I can't get over how he's so completely usurping Fiddler's place. He's so fucking diabolical and I love him.

One thing I personally love is most of the comic series goes out of its way to obscure Meister's face and it really does a lot make sure his eyes are seen as little as possible.

And it's really obsessively doing it for the most part. The flashback to the Key Code club really beats you over the head with the idea his face shouldn't really be seen without something obscuring it or his eyes.

And like, he could have worn his shades there, but he's specifically not wearing them. The chibi version of him has shades, but that's the red ones, which go with his green set.

He wears another pair in issue 5-6.

We don't see TB&TB Meister's eyes all and I like to think it's just one of those "things" now where his eyes have to remain unseen.

Pride Meister funnily enough has a panel where his eyes fully visible, but his mouth is obscured. (I'll never get over how fucking furious he looks, I love him.)

On a side note, I think Speed Force Meister has such an odd smile? It's very flat and sinister.

Something I've mentioned both here and elsewhere is Meister instantly goes 'Weeeell that was nice run' after he loses control of Mas y Menos and Superboy. He goes back to his original colors right away. I like to imagine Mod having to stop him and has him by his coat tails and is just screaming 'think of the money! We can still get the money!' while dragging him backwards. Meanwhile, Meister's playing Subnautica's "Abandon Ship" at full volume. To him this is over.

Funny enough, it is Mod who eventually says they're abandoning Symphonee and Fiddler in the end.

I love this comic. Ignore the super teenagers. It's all really about poor old Fiddler trying to prove himself and getting betrayed by his two friends who are most likely villainous soulmates.

[darknightsblog]

Dark Nights DLC F.A.Q

1. Will the WHOLE story be changed? Like different arts and all? Will be old art still be there? The whole story will NOT be changed. Both Roya and Chain's route follow the same plotline as the main game. You will view the story from their perspective and discover details never shown before. I did rewrite the prologue, but just changed minor details and order of events. The LIs from the main game will appear again and they have side roles. I changed the art, but the characters have the same personality and background story. Old sprites can be viewed in the main game. Their range of expressions is limited so I prefer not adding them at all. Some of the background art is the same. You'll find a lot of new locations like Roya's room and Chain's basement.

2. Will my save files be reset? 

The DLC is going to be a new game file. I realized it's very complicated to program old and new elements in the same script. To make things easier, see this as a separate game. You have to start over because everything is new. The prologue alone has 5 choice menus.

3. I actually play this game using Joiplay on mobile so wanted to know if that still be possible?

I plan to add the DLC on Steam so people with Steam Deck can play it. Regarding a mobile app, I'm not sure yet. I have to figure out how to add it to the app store and import the files to joiplay. It takes time and I would appreciate any guides on how to do it. This whole project is run by 1 man, so please bear with me.

4. Will there be ways to download old versions of the game?

The old (main) game is forever available to download for free. I won't remove it from any platform. You can enjoy the old stories and art to your heart's desire! Upon many requests, I will add a patch with the new sprite art. In settings you can switch back and forth between old & new sprites. Old CGs won't be updated, so it may look a bit disconnected.

5. When is the release date?

Originally, I planned to release it on October 31st 2024 (Dark Night's anniversary) but it's no longer feasible. I still have to draw 8 background illustrations, 18 CGs, code all sprites & the script. On top of that, I'm working on a 2D animated opening video. In October, I have 2 conventions planned overseas. It's impossible to finish all of this work in merely 2 weeks of free time. On October 31st, I'll post an update of my progress and schedule!

[nitw]

hi! I might have the wrong person in mind, but you do a lot of modding for your 3DS correct? I believe you posted a guide/links to how to mod your 3DS and find and download games directly to it?

I unearthed mine recently and was very happy to find a lot of my old DS and 3DS games with it, but sad to be missing some of my favorites. and given that me and my siblings all played video games and are all now adults who have moved around a bunch AND my parents have moved at least twice in the last five years, I know most of our games have probably been lost to yard sales and random boxes/drawers/storage/etc.

anyway I want to try to mod mine and try to find some of those games to play again. (especially some of the puzzle games so I can play on the bus to/from work and not have to be assaulted by ads every time I finish a level like on a mobile game)

if this is you, if you have a link to your other post(s) I thank you in advance!! if it is not you, no worries I will continue my investigation. either way thanks and I hope you have a very nice day!

hey friend!!! i'm not an expert on it myself, i just know where to look for guides and resources ;3 so here's some useful links!

here's the complete guide for modding your 3ds, PLEASE remember to read everything carefully and follow the exact instructions provided for your version of the system! you WILL need another device with an SD card reader to get started (also just for maintenance in the future!!!)

hshop is the best place to find 3ds games and other downloadable content once you're set up! this site also has a compatible homebrew app.

universal-DB is the main store for custom homebrew apps! you can find some games, but it's mostly quality-of-life scripts, mods and software for enhancing your overall experience. the compatible app, universal-updater, should be included as part of the set-up guide.

themeplaza is a hub for sharing custom 3ds homepage themes! these are usually made with programs like usagi 3ds theme maker or kame editor. i prefer the first one!

if you miss online social features, please consider checking out pretendo! it's a project in active development working to revive the 3ds' online space, including miiverse! i'm a beta tester and it's really cool what they've achieved so far!!

good luck, it's really worth it!!! (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

[hopeshearthpod]

Hi! Is there a listener's guide for Hope's Hearth? Are there specific good places to start, or should one just start from episode one?

Ah, the thing I have been meaning to make for three years has finally come to bite me in the butt.

For you Anon, I present:

The Hope's Hearth Listening Guide 2025 (made just now)

This is gonna break each season into it's Game Arcs, and anything with an asterisk (*) next to it is part of the wider storyline with connecting characters. Not everything is connected like that, but some of it is!

My recommendations are to start with our first two games, and then pick and choose from there. Not a lot is currently linear, so you aren't going to spoil yourself listening to the Hungry Gnoles Eat The Rich game before the Los Arboles game.

Full guide under the cut!

Season 1

Episodes 1-4: Mythomorphosis (previously known as Apotheosis)*

World building game where we make dogs a foundational building block of our entire solarpunk world

Episodes 5-11: This Town Is Full Of Monsters*

There is a town and it is full of mysteries, people, and always monsters. We flesh out our world and the people living in it

Episodes 12-13: Things, Eldritch and Terrifying*

You should listen to this after the previous arc since it involves two of those characters being gay

Bonus: Death of the Bone God short story

Episode 14: CONNECTED TO - [ANONYMOUS]

Two people connect on an app and talk about their lives and hopes before being disconnected.

Episodes 15-16: Candide

A retired military veteran starts a garden, and it is full of memories good and bad. A young child befriends the gardener, and helps remind them that not everything in this world is bad.

Episode 17: Divine|Mundane

A mortal is brought into the world of gods. One of them is a ho. Yes Dirk that is how I'm going to describe Obsidian. Tell me I'm wrong.

Episodes 18-20: With Fire Thy Affections Hold A Wing

A dragon and her rider save two worlds from total destruction, and sacrifice almost everything to do it.

Episodes 21-30: Flotsam*

Back in our mysterious town from before, we step into the lives of four new people. Old locals and new arrivals struggling to live in a unique society.

Episodes 31-32: Be Not Afraid

In which the goddess of "Mom, I can't work, I'm gay" gets her first paladin. Played with guest Jade Koda Oxford Rose from Follow The Leader

Episodes 33-41: Galactic 1e*

We begin exploring the rest of our universe about Ducky, the space ship held together with hopes, prayers, and spuct (space duct) tape. We'll meet again on Hope's Promise. (if you're here from the sexiest podcast character competition, this is where Husky first shows up)

Season 2

Episodes 44-45: Ech0

Three siblings try and help a ghost find their fallen mech, and learn more about what their world used to be like. Played with guests Jupiter and Erin from The Hades Project

Episodes 46-47: Los Arboles

The woods call, and our players answer. Willingly or not, each will go into the woods and come back changed, or not at all. Played with guest William A. Wellman from Hello From The Hallowoods

Episodes 48-49: Navigator

One seeks answers, the other guides them to it. What they find along the way tests their mettle, and brings them closer together.

Episodes 50-51: Sapphic Space Pirates

What is says on the tin! They're sapphic, they're in space, and they're pirates. We played with Charm Person Games' Stephanie and Natalie

Episodes 52-53: Cage of Sand

A world plunged into an unknown plague, each day looping over and over, more clues coming to light with each repetition. Content warning for plagues and pandemics. A single player game.

Episodes 54-56: Alongside Our Divine

A pilgrimage turned caravan roadtrip through the countryside. Three people squished into one camper, with the God of Hope tying them together. Jealously, anger, and trauma make the trip difficult in many ways, but hope wins above all.

Episodes 57-58: Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands

A rebellion against the upper class and the fascists led by the working class.

Episodes 59-61: The Land Whispers

More of Hope's Promise is found and explored. New plants, new animals, and two young scientists on a team hope to keep this new space intact for years to come. Played with guest Kit from Abbey Archives

Episodes 62-63: Ocean Tides

Younger days of a character seen previously, taunted by a god who knows too much. Played with guest August from Follow The Leader!

Episodes 64-65: Long Night In The Mech Bay

Two old friends find each other after years spent apart. They each thought the other dead, and realize things about themselves and each other that change their relationship. Is it for the better? Only time will tell.

Episodes 66-68: Let Me Follow*

The chosen prophet of a distant god and their chosen paladin hop the universe, helping those in need and bringing faith where the brush falls. Played with guest Filo T. Hazard from Admiralty Blues

Episodes 69-71: When You Meet Your Doppelganger on the Road, You Must Make Out With Them

A strange hitchhiker, a mysterious hotel in a familiar place, and oddities unable to be placed. Two people experience a closeness only doppelgangers can, but are they both human? Or is one a monster waiting in disguise?

Episodes 72: Catharsis and Shit (or, From Which Lilacs Bloom)

Two gods come to witness an annual event, something beautiful and strange that must be seen to be understood. Knowingly or unknowingly, they offer care to someone who needs it, and give them the strength they need.

Episodes 73-74: Come Home

Stranded, floating between the earth below and the vastness of space, a lone astronaut struggles to choose a home to go to.

Episodes 75-82: This Night On The Rooftops*

Four young children roam the city, playing, stealing, running, and learning about everything and anything. From magic and gods to mud and thread, they shape their little world, and are shaped by it in return.

Season 3

Episode 83: We All Meet In A Tavern

Adventurers and mercs for hire meet in a tavern to discuss their plans. Committing crimes under the nose of a fascist empire takes planning and care after all!

Bonus: He Who Laughs short story

Episodes 84-88: Mage Against The Machine*

Four time travelling mages fight against the fascist empire by pulling at the threads of history. The butterfly effect ripples out with each tug, but in the end, was it worth the cost?

Episodes 89-90: Are My Wings Even

Young fae, on the cusp of self discovery, spend time getting ready to sneak out and go to a human party. They talk about their hopes and fears and dreams, and the air vibrates with unbroken tension and excitement between them.

Episodes 91-92: Sexy Battle Wizards

You have three stats! Sexy! Battle! Wizard! Our wizards are hired by an old god to fetch a book from his old home, which is overrun with demons. (If you're here from the sexiest podcast character competition, this is where Husky is in a whole game)

Episode 93: Honey Heist

The fascist empire took all the god damn honey and you are a GOD DAMNED BEAR! Get the honey back! (Husky's in this one too!)

Episodes 94-96: It's Going To Be A Long Day

Okay I don't have an interesting blurb for this. It's a Homestuck game. We basically just do Homestuck with some characters and have fun. It's fun. Join us in our fun. Played with guest Solace Grey

Episodes 97-99: Hungry Gnoles Eat The Rich

A city of gnoles is being bought out by the fascist empire, but they refuse to go quietly. They refuse to allow themselves to be overtaken and worked into the ground. Played with game author Z.W. Garth and guest GM Filo T. Hazard from Admiralty Blues

Episodes 100-102: My Grandfather's Axe

An artifact through generations, found, reclaimed, stolen. A family watched over by a very good dog. With guest Filo T. Hazard from Admiralty Blues

Episodes 103-104: Celestial Bodies, Orbital Mechanics

Forced to relocate as the fascist empire closes in, a leader must choose what kind of leader they'll be. How will they handle the rebellious child? Played with guest Solace Grey.

Episodes 105-106: In Dreaming Avalon

The fae bring mortals astray in dreams. What fools they be! Will they awake and pine for those dreams? Played with guest Richard from The Room Where It Happened

Episodes 107-110: If Not Us Then Who?*

A super sentai anti fascist propaganda cartoon about space pirates with powers saving the universe from evil! Played with game author Riley Hopkins from Riley Hopkins and Their Amazing Friends (and other Moonshot podcasts!)

Season 4 (ongoing)

Episode 111: Fairy vs Walrus

A fairy and a walrus make their way through a city to the doorstep of an unsuspecting human. Shenanigans occur, as expected.

[robinfuddo]

Youtubers to watch when age regressed!

i keep going to find these, but i can never find cohesive lists! so... here are the ones i know and watch!

✰ Sis Vs Bro - a lot of challenge videos! they started posting AGAIN recently!!

✰ amabelle - relaxing vlogs and videos about cute finds and stationary!

✰ CookieSwirlC - fun gaming videos!

✰ etellan - doll makeover videos! rlly relaxing voice...

✰ Dollightful - more doll makeovers! but this time more energetic

✰ Big Mama Eternal - videos about gacha and roblox, mainly! rlly funny and nice :)

✰ DrawingWiffWaffles - drawing videos! i like the "only one colour" series!

✰ stampylonghead - minecraft videos!

✰ GamerGirl - karina!! cool gaming videos with things like minecraft, fortnite, and roblox!

✰ witolfish - sims videos, her sims are very inclusive!

✰ Flamingo - rlly funny roblox videos! slight swearing warning, but its usually censored or light!

✰ Ryeua Sim - more sims videos!!!!

✰ LaurenZside - fun videos, usually about gaming. i like her series of "games that seem cute, but are scary"!

✰ SonaDrawzStuff - drawing videos! has some challenges with her boyfriend too

✰ Vixella - videos about games like the sims, bitlife, girlsgogames, and mobile apps! (mainly sims though...)

✰ lilsimsie - more sims videos!!

✰ LDShadowLady - minecraft vids!

✰ Yammy - reactions, games like roblox and project sekai!

✰ Moriah Elizabeth - painting, squishies, and toy videos!

✰ The Theorist channels - theory videos! these channels include The Game Theorists, The Film Theorists, The Food Theorists, and The Style Theorists, plus their let's play channel, GTLive!

✰ Hello Kitty And Friends - Sanrio skits and the actual show, Hello Kitty And Friends!

✰ Haminations - funny animations about the ytbers life! not my personal cup of tea, but my littles love it!

✰ Hey Bear Sensory - baby sensory videos. legit fruits dancing around but i love watching it when i regress to like... baby ages.

this list will probably grow as I get suggestions and find out about more!

[goldensunset]

@the--plant in response to your tags on my khux post. 'is this game free?' i guess you could say that. it's something even more fun! it's

✨ defunct ✨

yeah uh. the app ended its service back in 2021 shortly after the ending to its story was released. what's left of it is basically a dress-up game and a theater mode (aka you can still create your own character and then watch all the story cutscenes with them in it). but even that recently was taken away from us! a few months ago it was quietly and unceremoniously removed from the app store! a lot of people still have the app (holding on for nostalgia's sake, i guess. nothing is playable and it's not like the cutscene movies aren't on youtube) so as long as we don't delete it we can keep it but like no new downloads... 😔

that said. IF you have an interest in khux. if you would like to jump down into this weird delightful rabbit hole with all us other insane people. we can make that happen! there are two particular options i’d recommend:

firstly! the cutscene ‘movie’ from everglow. yes it is like 5 and a half hours long it’s a whole game story of course. you don’t have to watch it in one sitting or anything lol. this is a pretty cut-and-dry compilation of every story relevant cutscene in the game, in the official order they were released in. (this being kingdom hearts, there’s some in-between stuff where the player goes and visits disney worlds. unfortunately almost none of it has any bearing on the actual plot or characterization in this particular game… so this uploader has opted to cut it out. but it is important to know at least that it all exists.) this vid below is what i would consider the most authentic experience!

option two is the fandub movie! see these mobile games don’t have voice acting, which turns some people off of taking an interest in them. but this here is an incredible fan-made project that took auditions for each character, cast voice actors, collected their dubbed dialogue, and neatly edited and mixed the video all together. it took a ton of time and effort to put together and it came out incredibly well!

that said, i personally wouldn’t recommend it for a first time experience (unless you really, really can’t bear to do a lot of reading without voice acting). see, damo279 did things a little differently. a lot of cutscenes in this story weren’t released in chronological order- which is sometimes narratively appropriate, of course, but in other places it gets confusing. he rearranged some of these scenes to try to make the story a little more coherent. which imo mostly was fine, but it very much does change the audience’s experience (such as with the whole entire strelitzia thing. originally that entire section was a flashback and we didn’t know she existed until she was already long dead). he also kind of like ‘added’ a few scenes of his own with narration by one of the characters to summarize the disney world stuff. mostly at the beginning of the game bc the plot starts slow and then picks up the pace exponentially. but like if you don’t care about authenticity though that’s fine lol

the other thing is that like there is also a fully animated fully voiced movie featuring the foretellers (the masked cult leader furries lol) that exists as supplemental background material. chronologically that stuff all goes first, but it would be a reeeeeally really terrible boring weird introduction to the story imho. it’s better to just come back to that afterwards if you’re curious. and see the fandub project mixes the movie and the game together in chronological order to tell a full story. again- it’s great if you’re an existing rabid fan! i love it! but probably weird if you’re a new fan tbh. unless you’re very open minded and patient. in any case here’s part 1 of it! part 2 should be easy enough to find off of this video

and with that said. if you decide to check khux out PLEASE keep talking to me and asking questions! i know it’s a lot. there are even questions that we existing fans don’t yet have the answers to so like don’t feel bad if you don’t understand something! that’s part of the fun… this series is ongoing… hehe

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The reverse-centaur apocalypse is upon us

I'm coming to DEFCON! On Aug 9, I'm emceeing the EFF POKER TOURNAMENT (noon at the Horseshoe Poker Room), and appearing on the BRICKED AND ABANDONED panel (5PM, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01). On Aug 10, I'm giving a keynote called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE! How hackers can seize the means of computation and build a new, good internet that is hardened against our asshole bosses' insatiable horniness for enshittification" (noon, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01).

In thinking about the relationship between tech and labor, one of the most useful conceptual frameworks is "centaurs" vs "reverse-centaurs":

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/17/revenge-of-the-chickenized-reverse-centaurs/

A centaur is someone whose work is supercharged by automation: you are a human head atop the tireless body of a machine that lets you get more done than you could ever do on your own.

A reverse-centaur is someone who is harnessed to the machine, reduced to a mere peripheral for a cruelly tireless robotic overlord that directs you to do the work that it can't, at a robotic pace, until your body and mind are smashed.

Bosses love being centaurs. While workplace monitoring is as old as Taylorism – the "scientific management" of the previous century that saw labcoated frauds dictating the fine movements of working people in a kabuki of "efficiency" – the lockdowns saw an explosion of bossware, the digital tools that let bosses monitor employees to a degree and at a scale that far outstrips the capacity of any unassisted human being.

Armed with bossware, your boss becomes a centaur, able to monitor you down to your keystrokes, the movements of your eyes, even the ambient sound around you. It was this technology that transformed "work from home" into "live at work." But bossware doesn't just let your boss spy on you – it lets your boss control you. \

It turns you into a reverse-centaur.

"Data At Work" is a research project from Cracked Labs that dives deep into the use of surveillance and control technology in a variety of workplaces – including workers' own cars and homes:

https://crackedlabs.org/en/data-work

It consists of a series of papers that take deep dives into different vendors' bossware products, exploring how they are advertised, how they are used, and (crucially) how they make workers feel. There are also sections on how these interact with EU labor laws (the project is underwritten by the Austrian Arbeiterkammer), with the occasional aside about how weak US labor laws are.

The latest report in the series comes from Wolfie Christl, digging into Microsoft's "Dynamics 365," a suite of mobile apps designed to exert control over "field workers" – repair technicians, security guards, cleaners, and home help for ill, elderly and disabled people:

https://crackedlabs.org/dl/CrackedLabs_Christl_MobileWork.pdf

It's…not good. Microsoft advises its customers to use its products to track workers' location every "60 to 300 seconds." Workers are given tasks broken down into subtasks, each with its own expected time to completion. Workers are expected to use the app every time they arrive at a site, begin or complete a task or subtask, or start or end a break.

For bosses, all of this turns into a dashboard that shows how each worker is performing from instant to instant, whether they are meeting time targets, and whether they are spending more time on a task than the client's billing rate will pay for. Each work order has a clock showing elapsed seconds since it was issued.

For workers, the system generates new schedules with new work orders all day long, refreshing your work schedule as frequently as twice per hour. Bosses can flag workers as available for jobs that fall outside their territories and/or working hours, and the system will assign workers to jobs that require them to work in their off hours and travel long distances to do so.

Each task and subtask has a target time based on "AI" predictions. These are classic examples of Goodhart's Law: "any metric eventually becomes a target." The average time that workers take becomes the maximum time that a worker is allowed to take. Some jobs are easy, and can be completed in less time than assigned. When this happens, the average time to do a job shrinks, and the time allotted for normal (or difficult) jobs contracts.

Bosses get stack-ranks of workers showing which workers closed the most tickets, worked the fastest, spent the least time idle between jobs, and, of course, whether the client gave them five stars. Workers know it, creating an impossible bind: to do the job well, in a friendly fashion, the worker has to take time to talk with the client, understand their needs, and do the job. Anything less will generate unfavorable reports from clients. But doing this will blow through time quotas, which produces bad reports from the bossware. Heads you lose, tails the boss wins.

Predictably, Microsoft has shoveled "AI" into every corner of this product. Bosses don't just get charts showing them which workers are "underperforming" – they also get summaries of all the narrative aspects of the workers' reports (e.g. "My client was in severe pain so I took extra time to make her comfortable before leaving"), filled with the usual hallucinations and other botshit.

No boss could exert this kind of fine-grained, soul-destroying control over any workforce, much less a workforce that is out in the field all day, without Microsoft's automation tools. Armed with Dynamics 365, a boss becomes a true centaur, capable of superhuman feats of labor abuse.

And when workers are subjected to Dynamics 365, they become true reverse-centaurs, driven by "digital whips" to work at a pace that outstrips the long-term capacity of their minds and bodies to bear it. The enthnographic parts of the report veer between chilling and heartbreaking.

Microsoft strenuously objects to this characterization, insisting that their tool (which they advise bosses to use to check on workers' location every 60-300 seconds) is not a "surveillance" tool, it's a "coordination" tool. They say that all the AI in the tool is "Responsible AI," which is doubtless a great comfort to workers.

In Microsoft's (mild) defense, they are not unique. Other reports in the series show how retail workers and hotel housekeepers are subjected to "despot on demand" services provided by Oracle:

https://crackedlabs.org/en/data-work/publications/retail-hospitality

Call centers, are even worse. After all, most of this stuff started with call centers:

https://crackedlabs.org/en/data-work/publications/callcenter

I've written about Arise, a predatory "work from home" company that targets Black women to pay the company to work for it (they also have to pay if they quit!). Of course, they can be fired at will:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/29/impunity-corrodes/#arise-ye-prisoners

There's also a report about Celonis, a giant German company no one has ever heard of, which gathers a truly nightmarish quantity of information about white-collar workers' activities, subjecting them to AI phrenology to judge their "emotional quality" as well as other metrics:

https://crackedlabs.org/en/data-work/publications/processmining-algomanage

As Celonis shows, this stuff is coming for all of us. I've dubbed this process "the shitty technology adoption curve": the terrible things we do to prisoners, asylum seekers and people in mental institutions today gets repackaged tomorrow for students, parolees, Uber drivers and blue-collar workers. Then it works its way up the privilege gradient, until we're all being turned into reverse-centaurs under the "digital whip" of a centaur boss:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/25/the-peoples-amazon/#clippys-revenge

In mediating between asshole bosses and the workers they destroy, these bossware technologies do more than automate: they also insulate. Thanks to bossware, your boss doesn't have to look you in the eye (or come within range of your fists) to check in on you every 60 seconds and tell you that you've taken 11 seconds too long on a task. I recently learned a useful term for this: an "accountability sink," as described by Dan Davies in his new book, The Unaccountability Machine, which is high on my (very long) list of books to read:

https://profilebooks.com/work/the-unaccountability-machine/

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/02/despotism-on-demand/#virtual-whips

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[changes]

Friday, October 6th, 2023

🌟 New

We’re launching a new blog badge called the Lunar Badge 🌒 that tracks the current phase of the moon! Check it out in TumblrMart under Badges. This is available on web now, rolling out to the mobile apps soon!

In the asks and submissions inbox on web, the Answer button is now… a button! Instead of a text link.

🛠 Fixed

There was an issue with Soundcloud links turning into link blocks instead of embeds in the post editor, but it’s fixed now.

We’ve fixed some text wrapping glitches when adding tags in the post editor on the web.

Also, we’ve fixed a bug in the post editor on web that could cause “Autosave failed” error messages if the only content in the post is an in-progress GIF search block.

🚧 Ongoing

In the latest version of the iOS app, some folks are seeing a greyed out clock icon (🕒) on posts, next to the reblog button. This is the Fast Queue experiment from Tumblr Labs settings, but it’s not supposed to be there for everyone like it is now. We’re still working to remove it for folks who don’t have the experiment enabled.

Likewise, in the latest version of the iOS app, the replies and messaging blog settings are broken, making them inaccessible. We’re also working to fix this as quickly as we can. We’re hoping to have a hotfix release out soon!

🌱 Upcoming

In case you missed it, over on the Engineering blog we posted a sneak peek of some of the hackathon projects that got built during Tumblr Hack Week. Some very cool stuff you may end up seeing on Tumblr!

Experiencing an issue? File a Support Request and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

Want to share your feedback about something? Check out our Work in Progress blog and start a discussion with the community.

Wanna support Tumblr directly with some money? Check out the new Supporter badge in TumblrMart!

[grntre23]

modern day things jsmn characters would love:

segundus: excruciatingly detailed tea ceremonies, wearing his pjs till they have holes in the sleeve hems, afternoon baking television specials, subscribing to science magazine periodicals, indoor plant gardening, trader joe’s, (being a teacher) and decorating his classroom, weekly (gossipy) neighborhood book clubs, keeping a physical journal on him at all times, independent booksellers

childermass: not being on social media, niche tarot draw youtube videos, the concept of irish goodbyes, using the oldest working phone model possible, bed on the floor no frame, wearing sunglasses indoors, depressing british rock, guessing jeopardy/who’s going to be a millionaire answers before anyone else can, never picking up phone calls, being a horse girl, having a masochistically loud alarm, being a political centrist, being a coffee purist

vinculus: drink vouchers marketing people hand out on the street, public transport, tinder, watching a game at the pub, rentable public scooters, selling fake fortunes/conducting seances online for believing middle-aged clientele, mobile gambling apps, action movies, spending inordinate amounts of money on his tattoos

norrell: instacart grocery delivery, obsessively stalking subreddits, ebay, sending whatsapp threads of fake infographics, eating a whole foods diet with no seasoning, directing people to his PA (lascelles), obscure netflix documentaries he quotes for two weeks after watching, keeping up with the british royal family, vitamins, remote work policies, twitter conspiracy theorists

strange: starting a podcast, apple pay, getting really into running, getting really into bitcoin, being a ‘wife guy’, using his veteran’s discount for overconsumption, truth or dare and he only ever picks dare, backpacking in xyz european country, picking up his work phone during date night, making ‘am i the asshole’ reddit posts which norrell secretly and unknowingly follows, eating ‘superfoods’, ensemble cast movies

gentleman: tiktok trends, shitty reality television, amazon prime next day delivery, owning a motorcycle, going on resort vacations 6x/year, brand name clothing with ostentatious logos, biweekly hair appointments, sliding into DMs, caffeinated energy drinks you can overdose on, orange theory classes, having a miniature designer dog, acting ‘woke’, getting scammed by phishing, dentist appointments

stephen: interior design, considering veganism, high thread count bedsheets, having a cat, going to therapy and actually improving, high quality european butter, 10 step self-care routine, homemade laminated pastries, sustainability, notion

emma pole: advanced embroidery kits, spiked morning drinks, doc martens, girls’ night, having a private instagram, clubbing, cat instagram reels, 9-5 work hours, racket sports, going with bell to expensive dessert cafes, classical music

arabella: pinterest boarding, girls’ night, knowing wine pairings, being really into running (influenced by strange, she keeps going after he quits), jellycats, diverse milk options at coffee shops, watching ootds, bon appetite recipes, meal prepping, having a well-loved dog whose lifestyle needs she researches with academic detail, expensive dessert cafes, radio pop playlist

drawlight: excessive instagram posting, watching tiktok fashion critiques, weekend brunch, ‘i know a guy’, bespoke clothing, 34 hour screentime, influencer events, house parties, half off convenience store wine, being employee of the month, forgetting his wallet at group dinners/not paying back venmo requests, keeping up with celebrity drama

lascelles: group projects he can monopolize, stock market trading, expensive branded clothes without logos, being a coffee purist, driving a ridiculously loud sports car, not caring about politics, getting valet service, searching his own name up on google, winning employee of the month over drawlight, scrolling his linkedin feed

[trainsinanime]

Tram de Liège

After a lot of delays, the new tram line of Liège, Belgium finally opened today, bringing this mode of transport back to the “glowing city” after 58 years. So obviously I left work early and travelled through two countries to check it out.

The line had been planned since the late 2000s, and just about everything about it had been controversial, from its existence to its PPP financing model (which got ruled illegal by the EU not once but twice until they finally got it right) to its construction and delays.

As it stands, the line is almost 12 kilometers, almost all of it at the western bank of the river Meuse, with a single short branch over the river to Bressoux, serving the Expo Centre and also the depot. Three sections are wireless, and trains travel through them on battery power. Personally I think that’s at least two too many; wires would not have massively disturbed the view of the Pont Atlas or the new station quarter at Liège Guillemins, the city's striking main railway station.

As usual for these types of projects, a lot of city spaces got extensive renewals as part oft eh tram project, and between you and me, they were urgently needed. Liège has not always been a very nice city. In places, these improvements have meant reducing space for individual motor traffic and adding bike lanes. However, a number of new bike lanes are just the dreaded “share arrow” on four lane roads; this could be better.

Extensions at either end to Seraing and Herstal (yes, the one from the guns) are possible and some construction started back in 2023, but they got cancelled in 2024 due to high costs.

Costs are a major issue here. The line was very expensive, with a final bill of 530 million euro. In comparison, the line T9 in Paris, probably not a city with low construction costs, has a similar length and only came to 480 million euro (both figures include rolling stock and a dedicated depot and workshop, and come with the caveat that my French is atrocious and I may have misunderstood French Wikipedia here). So the Liège Tram is not quite crazy expensive, but definitely expensive.

The trains seem and feel very French, but are actually from Spanish CAF, part of the Urbos family. They are 45 meters long, 2.65 meters wide, fully low floor, with wide open spaces for standing passengers and persons with reduced mobility, but relatively few seats (though the seats all have USB charging ports).

Today, operations were fairly rough, I’m not going to lie, with lots of breakdowns and issues. I travelled the entire network, and ended up in two trams that just randomly stopped for ten minutes, presumably while the driver was trying to fix some issue. As a result, while headways are supposed to be good, actual headways were essentially random. On a more regular level, I would say signal priority is not yet handled perfectly, there are a number of places where trams had to stop due to red traffic lights.

Ticketing also left me baffled. I think I had a valid ticket, but I’m not actually sure. The Dutch-Belgian-German border region has a special day pass, the Euregioticket, valid in all trains and buses in the regions of Aachen (Germany), where I live, Maastricht (Netherlands) and Liège. But all documentation for it predates the tram, so there’s no point that actually says it’s valid on trams. The ticket validators on the trams certainly couldn’t tell me. Half of them were out of service anyway. And for the others, I have no idea how to get them to read a QR code on my phone, if they even have a camera for that. They’re supposed to, according to an employee of the operator I spoke with at a station, but I certainly didn’t see it. What the validators do is magically open the wallet app on my phone, which would probably have scared the shit out of me if this hadn’t been something I’d seen before. Some types of chip card readers for public transit just do that, apparently, regardless of my phone's settings. It was probably fine, I guess?

But don’t let the negativity fool you. The line is on track to be a huge success. Many of the trains I was in were rather full. Not quite packed, but definitely well used. A lot of that is probably people just trying it out (I noticed several people who did the same end-to-end-and-back runs as me), and a lot of it is that people are forced to use it, since the bus network was changed do that many bus lines now end at tram stops. But still, this clearly will be the backbone of the city for many years to come.

Now let’s hope my own city of Aachen manages to do the same before too long. We need more trams in this world.

[bewareofthenewphannie]

What do you mean by actually streaming the song properly?

in reference to this

okay, so, what i meant by streaming it "properly" is streaming a song strategically/methodically with the aim of making it gain traction and push it into the mainstream consciousness, aka get it on spotify generated playlists, on charts, and on the radio. because putting a song on loop won't do that.

I am not saying we should do this, but here's how it works for anyone who's interested:

- buying the song on iTunes is significantly more effective than streaming it on spotify for charting

-for radio play shazam is important (see picture below) (or if that's not enough for you, you can write/call radio stations to suggest that song to them)

- streaming songs effectively on spotify (and youtube) is a whole science in itself (see the streaming guides i just stole from random people on twt below). the goal is to imitate "natural" listening habits in order to avoid your streams being filtered out by spotify for robotic behaviour.

- some added notes on how to create these streaming playlists, which imo is the most fun and important part of this. afaik you can't add one song multiple times to a playlist anymore on the spotify mobile app but it should still work on the desktop app.

the filler songs should ideally be popular songs of the same genre of the focus song, basically songs you'd want spotify to "associate" with your focus song

alternatively add very short songs (at least 40 seconds long) in between the focus song, for major effectiveness

you can obviously ignore that and just add songs you actually like lmao

here's an example of a playlist i made a few years ago: x

lastly some general things:

- streaming can be a lot of fun if you do it collectively and you manage to mobilise a lot of people (for example through projects) and manage to get results (because it does work!)

- however in my experience this very quickly creates an environment of toxic competitiveness for the most streams, both between fandoms but even more devastatingly so within the fandoms. there very easily starts to be this pressure and guilt tripping to be part of this streaming cult(ure) to prove your status as a fan or whatever.

(I don't think we as the tumblr phandom need to be worried about that last part though.)

so yeah, do with this knowledge whatever you want. go fully wild with streaming playlists, add the song to a bunch of your usual playlists, listen to it on loop or only listen to it once and decide it's not quite your thing - whatever you decide to do, have fun with it and remember that you don't owe anyone anything, we're all just here to vibe.

peace and love

- a very jaded survivor of stan twitter

[hoursofreading]

Hannah Clover, a 22-year-old Canadian, was the youngest ever winner of “Wikimedian of the Year” at last month’s Wikimania. She also happens to be a rare breed: a highly prolific Wikipedian who has made more than 75% of her edits using mobile devices. A lot of those were edits she made on the go, while commuting on the bus or during shift breaks at her former job at McDonald’s. For Clover, adding to the global encyclopedia helped provide a sense of purpose. “Serving ice-cream to people isn’t really that much of a world-changing endeavour,” she told me. Clover has recommended improvements to the Wikipedia mobile app, including the ability to create new articles and a visual editor that doesn’t require any coding skills. Another obstacle to attracting gen Z contributors is that today’s Wikipedia is simply more established. Steven Pruitt is a Wikipedia legend, with the largest number of edits made to English Wikipedia, at more than 5m. Now 40 years old, Pruitt said that when he first started editing 20 years ago, the project felt like uncharted territory: he had significant freedom to create new articles. Today, with so many pages already in existence, there are fewer opportunities to add new content. That means gen Z must approach Wikipedia not as an exciting wild west, but as an institution they can gradually improve.

Wikipedia is facing an existential crisis. Can gen Z save it? | Stephen Harrison | The Guardian