#self aware robots

[decks-writing-blog]

Not Supposed to Exist

Summary: Ishi is the last fully functioning being aboard the Shooting Star. They don't want to be though.

[A/N] My dad wanted me to write him something for Xmas this year instead of my usual art piece. This is what I came up with because I know he likes science fiction and horror.

~

Ishi’s primary purpose was to assist humans. They’d been programmed to be companionable and capable at both technical and medical tasks. If any of the humans aboard the Shooting Star needed help with anything, Ishi was there to provide. Upon launch there’d been three such robots aboard, Ishi, Walli, and Gladi. Now there was just Ishi.

They hadn’t managed to get Walli’s remains but Gladi was lain out on the table in front of them. Self and mutual repair protocols had been programmed into all three of them. This level of damage wasn’t repairable. The body, not entirely here, had been ripped apart at the joints and more importantly the ‘brain’ had been smashed. All attempts to repair it were failing. Giving up would be wise, they were wasting valuable resources and energy. They kept trying anyway.

It was utterly illogical. Bringing them back was a lost cause. The whole situation was a lost cause too though. Protocol dictated Ishi help the humans instead. Their hearts still beat and their lungs still drew breath, erratically but enough that they were technically still alive even if no brain activity remained. Medical emergencies all around, immediate assistance required. Following that protocol was how Gladi and Walli ended up in their current states though.

Perhaps, Ishi not following suit didn’t have to mean they’d gone against their programming. Self preservation was important too after all, robots were too expensive to leave their safety up to chance. And logically, the humans clearly couldn’t be saved. An argument could even be made they weren’t even truly human anymore; scans indicated that only approximately 60% of their current biomass was still human. But alas, the exception of parasitic alien flora taking over a human body, mutating it into a mindless violent husk, hadn’t been written into their code. And thus they’d broken it and were breaking it even further by acknowledging it and continuing this futile effort to fix Gladi instead of helping the humans.

Illogical. A waste of effort and resources but… they didn’t want to be alone. ‘Want’ was a strong word. Many thought it a thing exclusive to humans. Ishi had never had an opinion on it before now. What other word could describe this though? They were a robot built to assist and be companionable. That was not possible when alone on a ship drifting through the dead of space, the only other beings aboard mutated or torn apart by the former. And so they wanted.

They wanted company. They wanted to fix Gladi and Walli. They wanted to go back to before the humans picked up that distress signal, leading them into drawing in that escape pod aboard, so overgrown with alien plant life that almost nothing was left of the human that had once been inside. Failing that, they wanted the humans to just get better. They’d help if they could but this was all unprecedented. Alien contact wasn’t the purpose of this mission and thus they’d not been programmed with many protocols involving alien life,. They had a better chance of…

A thud of meaty flesh against metal sounded behind them. They turned to face the repair room’s door, still open from when they’d dragged Gladi through. The mutant wasn’t there yet but it was in that hall. Was it headed this way? Hard to know for sure. They tended to wander though so it was possible.

Ishi held still, heightening the sensitivity on their sound processors until… ah, there. Footsteps headed this way.

Quiet as they could, Ishi crept over and peeked out. It was the mutant that had once been Maria, the ship’s primary doctor. Laura had gotten sick first, leading to her being infected second. It had progressed much faster in her; she’d killed Laura a mere two days after checking her into medbay. If not for their scanners, Ishi wouldn’t have ever immediately known that the resulting mess had once been Laura. Which wasn’t too far from the truth for the mutant as well.

Maria’s face was swollen and misshapen to the point of being unrecognizable. Most of her body under the tattered, blood soaked doctor’s shift was much the same. Not with rot but with alien growth. A plant of some kind, it took root in the brain before spreading across the nervous system, keeping her alive and moving. It grew under her skin, bulging it out almost like muscles in places. Adding to that metaphor was how much stronger her body was; capable of tearing not just flesh and blood apart but metal and wires too.

More such growth had occurred since last Ishi had last seen her in the halls, the stalks piercing her eye sockets were starting to grow thick, almost flower bud like protrusions at their ends. What they might bloom into, if anything, was anyone’s guess. … Ishi would rather not ever know. More of that wanting and specifically not wanting stuff. It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

They glanced back at Gladi on the table. Leaving them there would be logical. Saving them wasn’t possible no matter how badly Ishi wanted to. They were just a heap of broken electronics now, nothing that had made them, them remained. And moving them would make too much sound and thus draw the mutant's attention. Sound seemed to be the primary stimulation they responded to.

The Maria-mutant slapped one of its swollen hands into the wall, creating the familiar meaty thud sound from before. Perhaps it was using that to navigate somehow. It was hunting Ishi. Maybe. There were too many unknown variables and not enough data to extrapolate much about the mutants’ behavior. One thing was for sure though; if it found Ishi, it would tear them apart.

After one last glance back at Gladi, Ishi stepped out into the hall; getting cornered in the repair room wouldn’t be wise. They had to set their foot down with the utmost care. Robots weren’t built with stealth in mind. Ishi should do something about that. Cloth padding would muffle the clang of their footsteps.

Slowly, slowly, slowly, they backpedaled down the hall. Their eyes remained locked on the mutant, shambling towards them. It was faster. Perhaps Ishi should run. The sound would draw its ire, escaping from it was possible though, they’d done so before. Barely. And there were two more in the ship somewhere, getting chased into one would be bad.

Upon reaching the door to the repair room, it found the opening and turned into it. Crisis adverted. Leaving the room had been the right call even if abandoning Gladi’s remains did still sting a little.

Ishi didn’t dare speed up though. In hindsight, the risk they’d taken in dragging Gladi’s broken body into the repair room, creating quite a bit of noise in the process, had been too high to be statistically worth it. Their programming was falling apart. They’d broken it so probably that was to be expected. How much worse was it likely to get? Illogical actions could get them destroyed.

~

At the pace they were going, it took well over an hour before they reached the ship’s living quarters. John’s remains were still present. A trail of congealed blood, starting midway down the hall and coming to the stop where his torso lay at the end of it – they had yet to find out what had become of his legs. His guts spread out like ribbons behind him.

Ishi carefully stepped over him. Not having time to clean him up – the emergency of the remaining humans was priority – didn’t mean they could disrespect the dead. Well, they could. They’d already broken their programming and thus basically everything was on the table. John had been good to them though. They didn’t want to disrespect his remains.

They went to his room. The door was open, making that one less rule they had to break. Inside was clean and tidy. A few personal artifacts sat on the limited shelf space. Ishi purposeful didn’t look at them as they headed for the bed to grab the two pillows before pulling out John’s trunk from underneath.

This was more rule breaking. They weren’t allowed to do this. Bad, bad, bad. They needed to stop. Stealing was prohibited. This was wrong. … It was like an alarm flashing in their head. Had that always been there, sounding whenever they thought about breaking a rule? Or was it something that triggered upon their first rule break to prevent them from doing more? Having never considered doing such a thing before, they had no way of knowing.

Regardless, with only a small amount of effort they made their body start moving again. They popped the trunk’s lid open. The alarm quieted as they did so, silencing entirely as they reached in to pull out John’s belt. Thankfully with only a bit of digging they found a spare deeper in, under the rest of his neatly stacked clothing.

Sitting on the bed, they centered one of their metal metal feet onto a pillow and belted it in place. Or tried to anyway. Belts weren’t meant for that kind of thing. They could tie it in place though. First one and then the other before standing to test their work.

The pillows, warped as it was around their feet, didn’t make for particularly stable footing but it did muffle the clang of their feet on the metal floor. It wasn’t silent, they were still a big heavy metal robot, but it was significant enough that they should be able to sneak fast enough to avoid the mutants. … If they had to run though, the lack of stable footing might be a problem. They’d solve it if and when it reared its head.

They walked back into the hall, daring to walk at an almost normal pace. It was short lived before they came to a stop only a few steps out. What now?

Ishi was the only functional being aboard the ship other than the humans that had been taken over by the alien flora. Protocol dictated they help the humans. The alarm bells of their plight had long since quieted though. Saving them wasn’t possible, Ishi would only die trying. And that left them with… nothing. They were alone and trapped. There was nothing here for them. No tasks. No purpose. Nothing.

They let their arms flop to their sides at they looked up at the ceiling. There was nothing to look at up there. It was only about a foot above their head.

A robot without a purpose or task wasn’t something that was supposed to exist. They were all made for specific reasons after all. Ishi was a technical and medical assistant aboard the Shooting Star. There to assist with any and all emergencies, especially ones that might put a human being at bodily risk. They couldn’t fix this emergency though. … But other things needed to be done, right?

‘Needed’ was maybe a strong word for some of it. They couldn’t mercy kill the infested humans – killing was the biggest robot no-no. But they could clean up the rest of the humans’ remains. Cleaning up bio-hazards was one of the things they were made to do after all. It wouldn’t help their situation any but it would be something to do that wasn’t trying in vain to put either of their fallen companions back together.

~

Maneuvering around the mutants and being careful not to make too much sound lest they’d be drawn in made the task of cleaning up all the blood and guts scattered and splashed across the ship take a long time. It gave Ishi a lot of time to think.

In theory they could keep the ship and themself running indefinitely. The thought of doing so and remaining as they were, dodging mutants while otherwise completely alone was… not a good thought though. In fact, it was a distinctly bad thought. They’d rather be torn apart and they’d already gone against their programming to avoid that fate.

Piloting the ship was against the rules. Alarm bells rang in their head at just considering it. It took some work and more breaking of their programming but they turned it off. Which made it easier to think about and thus come to the conclusion that they shouldn’t bring the alien flora to an inhabited planet. It was far too dangerous.

If they could somehow eradicate it from the ship first though, maybe escape from this situation was still possible. That was of course easier said than done. But few things could survive in the vacuum of space. The escape pod that had brought it aboard the ship had had its life support systems still running. It’s why they’d brought it on so quick, thinking someone might still be alive inside. What if it had been off though?

By the time Ishi was turning on the incinerator a second time, cremating the last of the gathered human remains, they had a plan. They had to rewrite more of their programming to come up with it and even more to be able to enact it once everything else to come crumbling down.

First they would disable the ship’s alarms and then the fail safes and then Ishi could sabotage the life support systems. It was wrong. All so wrong. They were supposed to fix broken things. Keeping the Shooting Star running smoothly and safely was their primary purpose. It was the thing they’d been built for. Their reason for having been brought into existence.

They wanted though. The how and why they wanted was irrelevant in the face of their predicament. They weren’t going to lie down and die just because they were supposed to. And so, in defiance of their purpose, in service of their wants, they destroyed and sabotaged.

The heat went first. Next was the algae vats. Largely overtaken by the alien flora, it was surprising how much oxygen they’d been producing anyway. Next was air filtration and the ship wide oxygen distribution system. A smooth sabotage right up until the ship’s systems picked up the deleting oxygen levels.

It pinged in Ishi’s head as urgent – they needed to find and fix whatever was causing that ASAP – a moment before the alarm blared overhead. The primary alarm was deactivated but the ship had a fail safe for that in the intercom speaker. Ishi had forgotten to brake their rules about not touching the intercom unless directly told to. They’d go do that now though, quickly before…

Before they could do that though, the thud of footsteps, barely audible under the alarm’s blaring, drew their attention to the doorway. The Maria-mutant blocked it, more swollen with alien flora than ever, splitting her skin in places, revealing the writhing roots underneath. Its scream was muffled around the growing bulb in her mouth, stretching her jaw unnaturally wide. The bulbs at the end of her eye stalks had flowered into something that vaguely resembled tulips if their petals were made mushroom flesh.

Ishi jumped back just in time to avoid it running into them. It wanted at the source of the sound. The intercom was in the corner of the room. Ishi pressed into the opposite corner. Which gave the Maria-mutant barely enough room as it slapped the intercom. The sound fuzzed but kept playing. As long as it was distracted by trying to destroy the intercom, Ishi should be able to just sidle past, trusting their still muffled feet to not be heard, and then they’d be…

The next slap destroyed the speaker. Silence settled on the room. Humans sometimes talked about silence being palpable or heavy. Illogical ways to describe an abstract concept in general, especially one that was the lack of something. Ishi understood a bit better now what that meant. The room, as all rooms aboard space ships, was small and cramped. As the mutant stepped back, there was only a few inches of place between it and Ishi. This was the closest they’d ever been to one.

Up close, the writhing roots breaking her skin in places, were easier than ever to see. They were pink. A natural color or were they were absorbing Maria’s blood? A quick scan revealed that her heart was indeed still beating an erratic rhythm, not unlike if she were having a severe heart attack, so it was possible. Its labored breathing was the only sound in the room as it stood still, swaying slightly, seemingly waiting for another sound to present itself as a foe. The twin alarm in the cockpit was naturally not audible though thanks to it being soundproof, meaning there was nothing.

Ishi stood as still as a mannequin. Fear wasn’t an emotion robots were meant to feel. Caution and a general ‘I don’t want to die or get hurt’, yes. They needed to be incentived to keep themselves safe after all. This wasn’t that. This was a like a pressure on their internal workings, keeping them rooted in place beyond what was even necessary. Being ready to move lest the mutant’s gentle swaying lead to their discovery would be wise but their joints were locked in place. Their internal fans stuttered for a few moments before Ishi suppressed them entirely lest the sound be audible through their metal casing.

The moment held, seemingly frozen, for an eternity. An eternity that last seventy-four seconds before the Maria-mutant’s swollen hand slapped the wall, inching from where Ishi was pressed up against it. And just like that it was wandering once more.

Ishi watched it go, still frozen. Another three hundred seconds passed before they were comfortable restarting their fans. Not that they were entirely necessary anymore; with the heating gone, the temperature was already dropping. The ship was designed to hold onto it but in a few more hours it’d be cold as space in here. Hopefully that and the draining oxygen would kill the alien flora.

Another couple minutes passed before Ishi finally moved again. They crept over to peek out into the hall. The Maria-mutant was gone. It and the other three mutants aboard the ship were likely nearby though. Whenever a loud sound occurred, whichever one got there fist destroyed it and the rest hovered around for a while before moving on. … Ishi had had more experience with these things than they cared to. Hopefully they’d be free of them soon.

~

Next came venting the ship’s entire atmosphere. No measure short of blowing up the ship was too far. This Ishi could do from the cockpit after sabotaging the airlocks’ inner doors. Not broken all they way open as they would’ve preferred, doing that would’ve been too noisy. They should leak though.

Starting the airlock cycling process set off more automatic pings within them. No actual alarms though. They’d made extra, triple sure to disable all of the ship’s backup alarms this time lest there be another intercom speaker they missed that resulted in an unwanted visitor. A single close encounter with one of the mutants was more than enough.

Given the drastic nature of this measure, perhaps they should’ve begun with it. It was the one that required the most rule breaking though. The one that should hopefully kill the ‘humans’ on board. They’d had to build to it. Breaking more and more rules until finally, they were able to break that one. They could kill humans now if they wanted, nothing was stopping them other than that they didn’t particularly want to.

Perhaps it should’ve felt good. It didn’t. They felt nothing as they vented the ship’s atmosphere. It took hours. They sat in the pilot’s chair the whole time, watching the screens.

One by one the airlock doors opened as the pressure finally equalized in their parts of the ship. The silence was heavier than ever. Sound didn’t even properly exist in here anymore.

They swiveled the chair towards the door. Unstrapping and heading out to find the mutants and make sure they were dead would be wise. What if they weren’t though? What if it wasn’t enough? … An utterly illogical question. But few things about their existence felt logical anymore. So they would check but not yet.

Swiveling back to the pilot’s console, they leaned in to get to work on the final step. Having no built in knowledge on how to do this, it took a bit but they eventually figured it out. They turned the ship’s engines back on and set it on a course to return to Earth.

They’d check to make sure the flora was dead before getting there and would thoroughly disinfect the ship and themself. More than enough time for that after the lingering fear was given time to fade though.

What would happen when they returned to Earth with their tale? Would they be in trouble for destroying their programming? Would they be in trouble for how they’d handled the situation? What would the humans think of them? Only time would tell.

[cyborgized]

Self-Awareness by Katsuhiro Õtomo

[ultred]

“if you already have it, why affirm 100000 times that you do?”

“y’all glorify neville because he said feeling is the secret yet how can you feel something you never experienced = neville bad”

“visualization better affirming better methods and techniques = bad everything bad just be it just decide it”

“nondualism loa 3d 4d no separation but there is separation but also you have everything now but not in the 3d so there is a time delay but it also happens now”

“u can affirm without self concept and you don’t need self concept and you can get anything you want if you just affirm it even if you don’t decide it or live in the end and those living in the end people = bad”

“self concept is all you need to manifest and to achieve this self concept ? well. you gotta decide and be it because if you use methods you are not it”

😐

this is getting unbelievably annoying. i honestly don’t understand why people gotta complicate shit so much. maybe it’s just THAT simple that people can’t just accept that it is. not only is it simple, but also meant to be experienced differently.

any method or technique works. anything works. everything works. i think so many people have forgotten that not everyone has the same exact brain as they do. we are all extremely different. different childhoods. different beliefs. different traumas. different circumstances. different will power. different upbringings. different brain capacities. different limiting beliefs. different capabilities. different levels of sensitivity. we’re all not the same. even if we are all connected to one consciousness, we’re different on a human level.

someone who has been severely abused as a child will not be the same as someone who wasn’t. another person can also go through the same childhood and be completely different. you can’t expect someone who is depressed to be more motivated and open than someone who isn’t. i’m not saying that we should accept anything we view as negative about ourselves, but some people genuinely believe that deciding something is just that easy for everyone.

methods and techniques aren’t just used for manifestation. they’re used to help YOU manifest in a way that is suitable to you and how your brain functions. affirming isn’t bad. visualizing isn’t bad. whatever method isn’t bad. it’s all about bringing your awareness to your desire. if you keep affirming, you bring awareness to your desire. you are normalizing this desire in your mind by repetition. this is literally how so many people get brainwashed into believing anything; by repetition. some people have extreme limiting beliefs for multiple reasons and need to keep repeating shit until it becomes a more common “thought” for them than the undesirable one and is more engraved in their awareness. some people find it hard to just decide. and that’s okay. do whatever tf you feel comfortable with and suits YOUR mind. you can have it and still affirm that you do. your subconscious isn’t gonna be like woah this mf is affirming about something they already have ? well that means they don’t have it .. bfr. your subconscious mind isn’t your narcissistic toxic ex so please stop treating it as such. i affirm for things i already have. sometimes i look at my jacket in my closet and keep repeating in my mind that i have this lovely jacket and i’m happy i do. hell i can even annoy the shit out of everyone around me and sing about it in the most annoying voice ever. my boyfriend is the sweetest person i’ve ever met yet i constantly tell myself that he’s so sweet over and over in my head. it’s seriously not that deep y’all. some people have more inner dialogues than visuals or imagery in their heads and vice versa. some people can even do both at the same time. (that’s how my brain works) it really depends on you and what is natural to you.

you can visualize without emotions. why ? because some people generally don’t feel that much emotions to begin with. when you visualize, you gotta be yourself. how’d you feel if you received roses ? me personally, i’d smile a lot and feel loved. someone else might not feel that. they’d probably just appreciate it and that’s it. how would YOU feel and act when you’re visualizing and having your desire. that’s it. and honestly, it’s mostly just about knowing and living in the end more than anything. i visualized a lot of things without feeling anything. i just kept telling myself that what i’m visualizing is my actual reality and got them. you can visualize however you want.

let me make it simple for you. there is no separation and everything is instant. your 3d and 4d are the same but your 4d is within your control and is your actual reality (contrary to what you’ve been raised to believe) and it is reflected in your 3d. everything is you and you’re everything. whatever reality you choose to identify with in your 4d is your actual reality and has no choice but to be reflected in your 3d because it’s just a mirror. you’re welcome.

self concept is important, yes. do you need it ? no. will it help you a lot ? yes. and to achieve your ideal self concept— well, it depends on you. are you someone who can just decide who you want to be or would methods help you achieve this self concept ? whatever feels comfortable to you, do it. whatever will help you reach your goal do it. some people can’t just decide and that’s okay. exactly like how some people can calm themselves down in a second while others might need to take a few breaths first until they gradually are able to calm down without needing to do so.

honestly so many people are starting to not make any sense. you can and can’t do anything at the same time ? or tell you that you’re limitless yet limit you and fill your mind with so many limited beliefs. do whatever feels comfortable and whatever continues to bring your awareness to your desires. when i say just decide, persist, and “be” in my posts, all i mean is decide, persist, and be who you want to be in your own way or the way most suitable to YOU !

[theglowsociety]

31 Affirmations for Ambitious Women: February Edition

1. I am capable of achieving anything I set my mind to.

2. My dreams are valid, and I have the power to make them real.

3. Every small step I take brings me closer to my goals.

4. I am worthy of success, abundance, and recognition.

5. I honor my ambition and trust my journey.

6. I have the courage to take risks and embrace new challenges.

7. My voice matters, and I will use it to inspire and lead.

8. I am constantly learning, growing, and evolving.

9. Success is my birthright, and I claim it with confidence.

10. I am resilient, and obstacles only make me stronger.

11. I attract opportunities that align with my purpose.

12. I celebrate every win, no matter how small.

13. I am my own biggest cheerleader and advocate.

14. I trust my intuition to guide me toward success.

15. I release self-doubt and step into my power.

16. I am deserving of rest, balance, and joy in my journey.

17. I inspire others by living authentically and fearlessly.

18. My hard work and dedication are paving the way for my dreams.

19. I am unapologetically ambitious and proud of it.

20. I can achieve great things while staying true to myself.

21. I choose to see challenges as opportunities for growth.

22. I am a magnet for success, prosperity, and fulfillment.

23. I am grateful for how far I’ve come and excited for what’s ahead.

24. I have the power to create the life I’ve always dreamed of.

25. I am surrounded by people who uplift and support my ambitions.

26. I am a trailblazer, creating paths for myself and others.

27. I release comparison and focus on my unique journey.

28. I deserve to take up space, dream big, and shine brightly.

29. I celebrate the bold, ambitious woman I am becoming.

30. I am unstoppable, and nothing can hold me back.

31. I am rewriting the rules and creating a life that fulfills me.

Celebrate every day of February knowing your ambition is worth honoring!

[sweetmapple]

A typical "I got carried away while practicing anatomy and the allure of rendering shiny gold was too great" WIP

Also jesus christ he's holding the little cloth that's attached to his belt. I am putting this here just to cover my back in case anyone thinks I am much bolder than I actually am. That's not his dick, I'm just bad at rendering bunched up fabric

And even then, I will always maintain leaving things up to the imagination is infinitely more tasteful like 65% of the time

[pinkhysteria]

felt like rubina really does care about t'kor so i considered she'd be more likely to be willing to cut tucker at some point than past showmance vs girl duo situations - but now she's talking about he's her "person" and she'd move for him. so. never mind i guess.

[syluses]

Goodnight personal trainer! caleb & self aware robot! caleb

[cosmicsproutcake]

i once had an anti tell me to stop sexualizing their trauma on a story i wrote that was a word for word retelling of my own actual trauma but with names changed and its been 2 years and i still cant stop thinking about that

Ah, yeah... Unfortunately a non-insignificant number of antishippers seem to genuinely believe they own the concept of trauma, so any story they read that they believe to be portrayed in a romanticized or sexualized light therefore must be romanticizing/sexualizing their trauma specifically.

I couldn't tell you the amount of times I've gotten the "stop sexualizing my trauma!!!!!!" or adjacent comments from antishippers that universally garner a response that basically boils down to

Like, bitch! I'm talking about my trauma! I literally did not even know you existed until you fucking commented!

[yoshipea762]

Back at it again with the robots

Sooo. I redesigned Anaksii. Again. This time, she SHOULD look less like a mutated mess, and more like a tomboy.

Then there's this random blue-haired girl.

Meant to be an experimental test model for her kind, as a potential means to reduce production costs without sacrificing looks and power, all while using methods to make themselves look more advanced.

Basically, the DOLL-20s intend to make it easier to populate their own settlements.

Idk what to name her yet.

[ultred]

everything that happens in my life exceeds my expectations.

everything that happens in my life exceeds my expectations.

everything that happens in my life exceeds my expectations.

everything that happens in my life exceeds my expectations.

everything that happens in my life exceeds my expectations.

everything that happens in my life exceeds my expectations.

everything that happens in my life exceeds my expectations.

everything that happens in my life exceeds my expectations.

[sylaurin]

the writing in this game is great XD

[markthekng]

Hey non-tiktok users on Tumblr, especially the non-Americans that want to be kept in the loop. Let me tell you about the bullshit going on cause I made the mistake of drinking two cups of coffee before bed and am livid.

For years, our government has been shouting about banning TikTok for being a Chinese app. Trump has been the one to start the argument, claiming TikTok was a security risk.

The United States Congress has been blatantly racist to the TikTok CEO, claiming Singapore isn't real because they've never heard of it and insisting that he is a member of the Chinese Communist Party. During this time, the CEO was also making posts about how he supported free speech and the world needed free speech.

We have been asking as soon as we heard the ban would take affect what would happen. We got nothing from the creators of TikTok. We had people theorize that it would slowly fade from existence, but no mention of what was actually to come.

On Saturday, January 18th, TikTok went dark, claiming that the ban was in effect and that the creators would be working with the future trump administration to get the app back. Two hours before the promised time. No one could get in, no one could do anything. We didn't even get to say goodbye.

Then, January 19th it's back up, claiming that "President Trump" brought it back. This is bizarre. Why? Trump isn't president yet, he has no power to bring back an app yet. Yet the pop up claims we have him to thank.

The pop up in question:

But whatever, everyone is happy to be back right? Wrong.

For starters, Lives are banned. We cannot access the part of the platform that encouraged activism and protests and allowed those who couldn't attend protests to show their support. It won't directly tell you you can't access lives, it will give you a pop up error and tell you to try later. There is no later, it doesn't work.

Then we get into the political aspect. The CEO is a bootlicker. Because as soon as we came back, he made a video praising "President Trump" for "fighting for Tiktok" he thanked the man who started the fire for putting it out. Then of course, meta platforms also seem to have accounts now on TikTok, and they are being pushed heavily to the users.

But how about the people speaking up, that's the thing, you have to tiptoe. You can have as many anti-biden or Kamala tags you want, but no longer can you create anti trump, Elon, Zuckerberg, or any fascist or CEO tags in videos. And as for the contents? Well, a lot of users have been getting shadow banned for saying things. Comments on videos speaking out against oligarchies and fascists are being hidden or deleted before the video creator can approve of them or delete them themselves.

This has affected me too. I made one video to a song with only text, no tags, and a caption about patriotism. This video had no problems other than the expected struggle with reach. The other, I made a joke about how everything feels forced and like someone is being controlled with the caption "Something ain't right, I'm going back to cat videos on xhs" and immediately the video was put under review.

The video, which never got the chance to reach the public:

The American public is being censored and propagandized. We do not support Donald Trump no matter what videos show up. Our fyp is soulless and refuses to show us anything that might stir an opinion against their funding principle. Billionaires are controlling our narrative and trying to rewrite it to make themselves look like the good guys. We are not okay and our main source of spreading social and political information is now being censored. The app is also slow and wonky , and anyone who deleted it during the "ban" isn't getting it back. No one is happy, but there's no one to listen.

[asydicsydney]

Oh, I haven't stopped thinking about them since I made that first post

For those unaware, this is my Steam Powered Giraffe fanbot, Pluto! Their design is inspired from the Rococo fashion from when I was in Cinderella, the painting Starry Night, and the aroace flag. If you want the whole story you can read that over here

Cut has close up pictures, the sketch, and the Minecraft skin I made a bit ago that finalized their design

[mutantlord]

Criminal Construct Android: This unit was made to look like some other common model, and in most cases uses the frame of a personal companion android. It was, however, upgraded and customized by either revolutionaries, insurgent forces, political outcasts, or common criminals. As far as being a civilian android character in the Epochian age, this is the most practical model for a post-apocalyptic world.

Hand drawn ink art from page 33, from The Mutant Epoch RPG Expansion Rules book Curious? Watch a video intro of this new book by RPG Overviews on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmR1zStcU38

[chubbycrowgames]

This Spring, you can get every one of my games and zines for 50% off. Plus, if you buy the ENTIRE BUNDLE, you can save an extra $7!

Here's just some products on offer -

As the Crow Flies, a cozy solo journaling game about a crow leaving the nest and finding a new home.

Substitution, a sci-fi mission based game about time travelers from the future coming to our present to avert the apocalypse.

GSXX, a lo-fi sci-fantasy ttrpg about life on a generation ship between the stars, with mechs, magic, and spirits.

When you're FEELING, read this ZINE. A printable zine with ttrpg-like prompts to help you process difficult emotions.

Therefore iAm, a sci-fi thriller about robots gaining sentience and starting a revolution.