#we know for certain that the one that talks via messages in chat is on tr!Owen’s side and is named Dylan

[tamtaco]

OWEN YOU MADMAN WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUVE KNOWN THE KEEPERS FROM BEFORE AND THEY’VE HELP YOU TEAR DOWN KINGDOMS??? WHAT DOES DYLAN MEAN BY FOR OLD TIMES SAKE?? HUH???? TR!OWEN GIVE US ANSWERS NOW YOU CANT JUST SHOW US THAT YOUVE KNOWN THE KEEPERS ALL THIS TIME, BEEN FRIENDSWITH THEM AND THAT THEY ALSO WANT TO SEE CHAOS UNFOLD?? HE IS LITTERLY THE HARBINGER OF CHAOS WITH THE KEEPERS OF THE REALM ON HIS SIDE SINCE THEY LOVE A GOOD SHOW.

[inthelittlewood]

Questions about Eyes And Ears AU

I had somebody ask for a brief interview regarding my storytelling for their university project and thought I'd lend a hand.

I thought those of you that follow the story might like the insight too, so here ya go:

When you first introduced the Listeners in Evo SMP, did you have a broader narrative or concept in mind, or were they more of an atmospheric element at that point?

The honest answer is that I didn't want to write too much about somebody else's character(s), that being Grian's Watchers. If I could write the conflict from the side of the Listeners then we could continue the narrative with a pre-designed opposing force but have them be relatively mute for the most part. Partly to build anticipation of when they might act or retaliate but it also worked for behind the scenes purposes too. If the series hadn't slowed/stopped as suddenly as it did, I definitely would have poked Grian to pick his brain about what story elements fit his original imagining of the Watchers. So it was mostly narrative reasoning but they also served a mechanical behind the scenes purpose of transporting us to a new area which was necessary due to bugs we'd encountered with world gen etc.

What inspired you to flesh out the Eyes and Ears AU more in recent years? Was that mostly a personal creative decision, or was it influenced by fan interest?

Honestly I hadn't premeditated too much their reintroduction into anything that I was working on. Sure I'd seen a little chattering here and there about the Watchers but I honestly just wanted to write an individual story beat (albeit a tropey one) of c!Martyn snapping and turning on Ren but that never came to fruition due to Scar taking us out. The plan was always to backstab Ren then say a cool line like "Red Winter is over, Red Spring has begun" or something else punny. Seeing the fevered reaction of the audience though gave me some confidence that I could try my hand at some layered or entirely post-production storytelling, so heading into Last Life I was all guns blazing.

The Eyes and Ears AU is quite open-ended — do you intentionally approach it with the idea of leaving narrative space for fan interpretation?

It really is right? Yes, it's a very mindful decision to leave it open-ended but not so much for the audience's benefit or interpretations, but to give myself creative freedom to take the story wherever I'd like to. Committing to too many power scale, multiverse or narrative shackles early can really strangle stories I've noticed (from reading comics and manga) meaning back pedalling or aggressive retcons are required to explore certain paths, which is rarely a good experience for the reader. I do enjoy their versatility and capability to be applied to any Minecraft or adjacent story too. Some might call it too broad, I call it malleable.

How do you feel about fans expanding the lore through headcanons and theories? Have any fan interpretations stood out or surprised you?

I think it's brilliant! People inundate my inbox on Tumblr seeking permission to write stories or create characters / AUs but I've literally no authority on that. I suppose it might be a different conversation if they were profiting off of those works, but 99% of people simply want to write for fun which I highly encourage!! I'll be honest that I haven't read a great deal of AUs or headcanons, my exposure to them is mostly via chat messages during lore talk streams or questions that come through regarding the Eyes And Ears AU. As a general rule I try to avoid reading too much of other people's works on the topic because I worry I'll accidentally regurgitate it in some way then stumble into plagiarism, you know? It's why I focus more on digesting stories outside the fandom whether it's manga, Sanderson books, reading old Japanese folk tales and the like. I can source inspiration from those on how to weave narrative and execute plot twists without having to glance in my front yard.

Has fan content (art, theories, animatics, etc.) ever influenced how you think about or approach the AU?

Oh for sure they have. It's literally why after every season we'll do a sit down stream and talk about the lore in detail. Figure out the puzzle and potential trip wires of plot points from the episodes and how we can neatly pack them into the pre-existing story. A lot of people wouldn't do that as they'd be precious about their work and believe their opinion is th only correct one, but I looooove soundboarding with the audience on it. I also take that mindset in game and sometimes think about the scenery of an impactful moment whenever I'm able to control / design it. I'll have little quips or quotes cooked in my mind for how I'd ideally deliver a blow or plot twist, buuuuut given the nature of the Life series you very rarely get to execute things how you'd like haha! I definitely wouldn't have done as many of the poems had their not been such a positive reaction to those. I often see individual lines or entire passages make their way into art pieces as typography or highlighted in animatics which is really gratifying. It's why I also put such an emphasis and priority on audio production in my editing. If I can craft something that feels atmospheric, driving and punctuating with music, staggering vocals or sound effects then the auditory portion is already done, they can focus solely on the visual aspect of things. I try and be as cinematic / TV like as my skillset allows for that reason.

You’ve mentioned trying not to fully canonise the AU, but still referencing it consistently — how do you balance telling your own story effectively, while trying not to involve other creators, particularly on the Life Series, when a lot of your time is spent in a group?

The easiest way to do this, is to not do it. For the most part the only storytelling done with the AU is done in post-production. I never name drop the Watchers or Listeners in world (believe me, I was as surprised as all of you when I saw that Secret Keeper statue in Secret Life!!) and in recent seasons they haven't even reared their head as an influence whatsoever. They're on holiday, they deserve it. But when they do whisper in my ear, they're motivated decisions that I would likely make as a player/character anyway because the win objective is always the thing I'm striving towards. I can just pepper angst around it to make things seem more manipulated rather than selfish ha. I think that's why the open ended nature of the Watchers has served me well because as much as they have a singular motive which is to feed on negative emotions, that can be achieved in so many ways ranging from bloodlust to deception, heartbreak to panic. It's versatile for storytelling. It can be in your face, or a slow burn.

What do the Watchers and Listeners represent to you, symbolically or narratively? Do they serve a specific function in the stories you tell?

The Watchers used to represent the audience when Grian first introduced them, but after departing EVO I've definitely breathed more of an egotistical and sinister air into them. They're very much a unique entity / faction now, they in some ways represent gluttony, selfishness and neglect in achieving their goals. The Listeners on the other hand, are a lot of the opposite traits, but I'm still wanting to explore how being the hard end of most conflicts can be dangerous. I want to explore that at some point, whether it be with infighting or failures. They shouldn't be seen as simply bad/good, they're just, different. It shouldn't be too hard navigating that nuance but I want it to reflect elements and motives that we find in our own lives.

[stalarys]

Martyn's Post Wild Life Lore Dump: live report!

dear lord what a bombshell of a stream

this is regarding Martyn's personal interpretation/AU of the life series, the Eyes and Ears AU that focuses on a conflict between entities known as Watchers and Listeners. Some other creators are involved and follow it, and it makes its way into videos sometimes, but this isn't Big Big canon to every creator.

Talks a lot about the Watchers and the Council so everything is below the spoiler!

Wild Life + Series in general:

Canonizing Scar being trapped in Secret Life after his win as the only who didn't die; plucked away for Wild Life and returned afterwards.

Zombie!Martyn in finale: Doesn't recognize Ren or have that level of conciousness. No thoughts head empty thrall, in a primal headspace.

Because Martyn died earlier than most, his emotions were stripped away in the feeding, and then sent back in for one last cruel trick, hence the barebones conciousness.

leaving Martren to Ren's lore/decisions; "Mutant Class WL8" according to ren's message revealing it to Martyn; follows Ren's naming conventions used in Hermitcraft (HC8, etc)

Suggesting the Martren fusion as a method of Watcher torment; purposefully leaving Ren with remnants of what he held close, and leaving Ren in an internal struggle of his mind and Martyn's mingling. eg, situations that Ren would flee or be diplomatic where Martyn would fight and be aggressive, and this torture persists in even the most mundane actions. Mentioned to potentially be a 'test' of shared conciousness.

Martyn's gained scar/fragment from Wild Life: a triangle piece from the top of his ear, based on the prominence of the coincidence of his superpower.

Wild Life's mechanics is essentially a compilation of prior seasons (out of thousands of games that took place but had the memory stripped from the players). Each mechanic played out in a full season, but for whatever reason, wasn't considered a good enough result. Thus, they went for a compilation season to lean into the frantic uncertainty.

Martyn's power was once of the random assignments; a happy coincidence, doesn't see a need for it to be given a lore explanation. Rather finds that it'd be perceived as a coincidence by those Perceiving it all (Grian + Listeners: damn thats ironic)

Impulse's more aggressive/wild behavior is him getting a bit desperate to win, to know what it feels like and what it entails (at least, a win that he remembers). The persistent taunting via this silver medal leads to a certain hunger + out of character aggressiveness in pursuit of victory.

All memories are stripped of the games, EXCEPT for the ones that appear as videos. However, some gut feelings remain and build up without the players knowing why.

There's nothing stopping multiple winners; in Martyn's canon, there has been plenty of repeat winners and consecutive winners, but they aren't the persistent memories; only games they remember are those we see.

Canary Curse situation: not actually a curse, but just a tool to wind jimmy up; bled that avenue dry of the canary curse actually affecting him, and so they let it go

Martyn's earlier successes and recent early losses potentially being an inversion of impulse's situation, but moreso just him winning, finding theres nothing really there, and being content in the process instead

At the end of Wild Life, activating all of the wild cards was kinda overwhelming on the Watcher's part, so they removed them in the last few minutes when it was just a few stragglers; the process of operating the games and worlds is concentration and focus, and such chaos makes it tricky.

Post-Wild Life: martyn be sleeping in the void, man's tired

For the 'persistent series', the players do remember their time as spectral ghosts after their final death, able to fly around and watch the games' ending. also canonized that they still interact with the players that are still in the game via chat, that ghost bullying in chat is also canon :]

Grian, Watchers, and The Council:

Grian's role and power within the games (and his point of resistance) is to manipulate the mechanics of the games to make them at least somewhat fun and enjoyable, rather than pure torture. Grian's abilities and power over time are growing, nearing the point of equivalent power with the Watchers running the game.

Coming into Wild Life, Grian is able to actually See the rules

Watchers of a higher power within their hierarchy can veil aspects of reality from those below, and see the rules, systems, and mechanics of reality that goes on. Blurring faces, manipulating perception of reality, etc.

Leaving this method of visualization up to fan interpretation; puppet strings, scrolls of knowledge, screens of code, etc.

The Watchers can't really interfere with Grian's presence as it'd break the fourth wall and shatter the reality they're in, but grian also can't tell the others because to the other players, Grian's just another player and don't really think about why they're in the games. It just... is.

Speaking of which: each player is plucked from their own worlds; undecided if its servers, worlds, planets, timelines, etc. To them, it's like a field trip; they're aware that this isn't their permanent life and that they come from Elsewhere, but don't have the memory of it. The games themselves give them a compulsion and importance to the idea of victory, so they all mutually understand the Goal of the games while they're within them and don't really question it.

Outside of the games, there is The Council; consisting of eight seats, it's a collection of individuals that are a higher level of being than players/mortals who keep the universe running. Two seats are occupied by Watchers 1 and 2, the ones who operate the death games. Two other seats are occupied by Listeners. The remaining four are occupied by other species of this higher level of existence, unknown divisions of quantities.

Watchers 1 & 2 are the youngest of the Council; the Listeners are in the middle age range. Other council seats can be potentially eons older.

Council Visuals:

A place out of time and space; set within a starless expanse of space-like void, there is a 3-quarters round table that curves around a pedestal in the center, with a Tome upon it. The table is fragmented, broken up to provide a seperate section for each Seat. Style is envisioned to be colosseum-esque, ancient architecture pulled from the mortal realm, yet clearly fragmented. It's absolutely Giant, with the space in front of each table hosting rows upon rows of seats for spectators of the Council (not really touched upon; probably non-council members but still authorities over mortal dealings). Each Council Member has a personal seat floating behind their position at the table, with each section being distinguished by their personal symbol etched into it, glowing with their species'/order's associated color (Watchers = glowing purple, Listeners = glowing gold, white, green, or whatever gets decided as canon). Behind this table is a staircase bordered by two columns, with something... unknown at the top. We're only given static.

The member species' themselves have no set visual description; they could be anything from humanoid to biblically accurate angels. At this time, we are only given the species/order names of Watchers and Listeners.

Martyn's MS Paint art below: Showing the pedestal and Tome, the table around it, the symbol etched into the table of the Watchers' (who sit on the far right side), and the staircase up to the [???] behind the Council. For a sense of scale, the hatching in front of the table section with the chair is of rows and rows of seating.

The Council's existence is spent with their Focus on the Tome, for... some reason, channelling their power through it. The Tome is of utmost importance to them, but Martyn said that whatever is on top of those stairs is far more important and carries much more weight, but this isn't known to the Council.

They operate by collectively running the universe, but they're individuals with personal motives and ideals. So long as it doesn't conflict with the order and function of the universe, they turn a blind eye to personal differences (for example, the Watchers running death games was considered just a foolish undertaking, meddling with mortals, but they're younger and less wise so whatever). However, what they wouldn't turn a blind eye to is Grian.

Watchers 1 & 2, the council members, brought Grian from a mortal player and into this new level of Being, an utmost taboo as it threatens the veil between the Council's level of existence and the player's. The Watchers, in response to the rest of the Council disapproving of this, underwent self-exile and left the council to continue their way of feeding and manipulating the mortal realm. However, the Council couldn't replace their positions, as their symbols remain scorched into the table.

The Listeners, who stand most strongly against the Watchers' actions, are those undertaking this pursuit of justice/order. It's unknown that if the Listener's "win" that the Watcher's symbols will disappear and the council can be restored.

As a Watcher (albeit not on the power/hierarchal level of the council seats), Grian feeds on emotions, but in a more neutral way; little tastes of a variety of emotions consistently, like the Watchers used to do, but they have since shifted into instant gratification and strife as their feeding method

and one last, fuck you tidbit:

"Are the Datastream lore and Eyes and Ears AU connected in any way? No comment ;)"

(Don't tag with tr@fficblr and other main tags; Martyn stated that he doesn't want it taking over the main group tags, as he doesn't want his personal AU and canon to be pushed onto the main series' followers)

[spitdrunken]

relationships: robin x reader, sunday & robin, sunday & reader

notes: ambiguous relationships, implied mind control (not with robin/reader)

Robin is pretty particular about the people she wants to date, and has a certain modus operandi. Due to her cross-galaxy fame, it’s pretty much impossible for her to go on dating apps, at least via the usual channels. But she doesn’t want to limit her dating pool to just fellow celebrities, either. Masterful at disguises as she is, during first contact and first dates she has a tendency to hide her real identity, though she would never wait long before revealing herself. Even prior to how famous she is now, she has been burnt in the past by people being interested in who they think she is, rather than who she actually is as a person.

She has a special fondness for romance novels, and spends quite a bit of time discussing them on online forums. Online is one of the places she does not have to worry about how she presents herself, and she can gush in anonymity like anyone else. Thinking of a meet-cute is one of the few unrealistic dreams Robin allows herself, but perhaps she meets you through prolonged chatting online. Starting from your shared interests and underneath fake aliases, before spreading out to subject such as your actual lives and the people around you. Your friend is rather secretive, not giving out her exact name or showing pictures, but you assume it’s just in the name of privacy, until…

You: no waaaaaayyyyy You: where’s the /j?? birdie i swear lmao You: you’re kidding right You: or are you actually being serious?? wait wait ok You: ok if you’re serious. ily girl and no offense but like. send me a picture of you and a note with my username on it or smth? cuz im sure you can imagine it’s kinda hard to believe you’re THAT Robin

And she does! She sends you multiple pictures in fact, in multiple poses, to reassure you that the images aren’t A.I.-generated. When she apologises to you for hiding who she really is, she does it through a voice message, and you can hear one of the most envied voices in the galaxy speak just to you. It’s… Kind of overwhelming? But at the same time, it doesn’t change all that much.

She’s still your friend, who you’ve talked about to your struggles and gushed about your interests to, who always listens and always has a nice word to say. Who, if she has any faults, is always too hard to herself, never seeming to cut herself a break. Who always seems to be asleep at different times, and can disappear for days at a time. You thought she just had a horrifically wrecked sleep schedule, but this would explain that! Maybe it helps that, though you’re definitely familiar with Robin, you wouldn’t call yourself a fan or stan of hers.

When she confesses her feelings for you, it’s over the phone, a rare trembling enter his voice as she carefully considers her words.

“I’ve thought… A lot of times about how to put this. I still don’t really know how,” she says, laughing lightly. “I don’t want to lose what we have now. In my life, you’re one of the few people I can always turn to— Who I can show… Other sides of myself. I’ll just say it. It’s not really as romantic as the books we’ve read, but, I’ve fallen for you. Would you care to meet, sometime? And go on a date? I don’t want to pressure you, or feel like you have to do this. If you’re not interested, I still really, really would like to be your friend.”

There are a lot of conversations to be had when you begin to date Robin. It’s not going to be exactly easy. Not only do you need to be prepared to be put on blast on social media and feature in gossip articles, you’ll have to deal with the fact that she’ll be away on travel most of the time. Including to dangerous places, such as active warfronts.

This is something that, regardless of their love for you or anyone else, is integral to Robin’s life, and one thing she’ll never change. If that is something you cannot come to terms with and this reveals itself during your conversations, you’d be better off remaining friends. You can accompany Robin on certain travels, maybe even all of them, depending on the kind of person you are, but for a long while at least, Robin won’t settle anywhere permanently.

But if you manage to get through all of this, Robin is a wonderful girlfriend. She writes you letters and sends you gifts no matter where she goes, and makes time to call you at least once a day whenever she can. In interviews, she’ll bring you up as one of the people who give her strength, and her face lights up when she speaks of you. At events, she’d enjoy helping you dress up in whatever style you want, and constantly keeping your arms interlinked as you walk around.

While she isn’t all that touchy in public, she’d be clingy whenever it’s just the two of you. Making up for lost time together. Another thing she would enjoy is putting the both of you in increasingly elaborate disguises for public outings together! She has to make the fact she’s nearly always followed around by paparazzi fun somehow.

One of the largest ‘hurdles’ when dating Robin is, funnily enough, meeting her older brother Sunday. She speaks of him with nothing but affection and the occasional tinge of worry (though, when you tell her that she has the exact same kind of habits towards overworking herself, it’s suddenly not so bad after all).

Robin herself seems to have no fears that you won’t meet her brother’s standards, but you have your doubts, really. If your glances over the letters he’s written her are anything to go by, he loves Robin just as much as she loves him, if not even more so. While his approval is important to her, you’re certain that she would never break up with you over it, or anything of the sort. Still… You can’t help but feeling nervous.

Your worries aren’t unfounded. Over a dinner in Penacony’s Dreamscape, Sunday seems to scrutinise you, gaze boring into your forehead. All the time, there is nothing but a gentle smile on his face. Yet, you’ve never felt to be under such a strong spotlight, not even at events accompanied by Robin, walking across massive stages. Your head hurts, but you’re guessing it’s just from the general stress that you’re feeling.

As Robin laughs about the type of meal manifested on her brother’s plate (“An Alfalfa Salad for yourself? I really thought you would’ve gone for something sweeter, brother!”), you shift on your seat in discomfort and attempt to keep small talk conversations going.

Perhaps it’s your mind being tricks on you, perhaps you are ‘spiraling in on yourself’, as Robin sometimes calls it, but you really do believe that this man does not like you whatsoever. When you can’t take it anymore, you move your chair. Its loud scraping breaks up any conversation.

The smile on your face is wobbly. “I’m just going to go to the bathroom for a second. Excuse me.”

Robin puts her hand on your arm. “I can show you where it is? The mansion’s layout can be a bit confusing at times, even though I’ve been here plenty of times myself.”

Sunday, across the table, shakes his head and gets up. “Please stay seated, sister. As the host, it is my duty to guide your… Partner, to wherever they may need to go. Allow me to guide you.”

Somehow, your attempted escape has become a new trap in and of itself. It’s practically impossible to deny to go with him now, though, so you straighten your shoulders, nod, and follow Sunday further into his home. The clacking of his shoes on the marble floor is the only noise keeping you two company as you walk a step behind him. He stops. There is no bathroom, here. Only a giant paint of Robin situated on the wall. She’s smiling. Sunday turns half a circle around and stares at it, hands folded together behind his back.

“You…” he speaks slowly. “Do you think you can make her happy?”

Your head throbs. Your head hangs a little to the side, as you stare at the painting. “I think… When I met Robin, she was already happy. In a sense. She has a purpose. A goal she’ll always keep striving for— No matter what. Chasing that, I think it makes her feel more fulfilled than many people… Like me.”

You slowly shake your head. “So, no, I don’t think just myself could make her happy. But as things are now, she is. I do add something to her life, but… I don’t think the rest could be taken away.”

You stare at Sunday. If there is a thought that hits you now, in the painfully placid nature of his expression, in the manner he has watched you all evening, it is not merely protectiveness that fuels him. In part, it is jealousy, too.

You sway a little on your feet.

“You act as if Robin does not care for you,” you smile wistfully, turning to the painting in turn. “You don’t know how she talks about you, if you aren’t around. I think about it, sometimes. If you and I… Were hanging off of a precipice, and she could only save one of us— I can’t say for certain who she would pick. But if I’m honest with myself, as much as it would pain her, and how much it hurts me to think, I really do believe she would save you.”

You squeeze your eyes shut as the corners of your vision turn blurry. “I— I don’t know why I’m saying any of this.” You press your hand to the side of your head, and drag it down your cheek. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m feeling very well.”

“Is that really the truth?” Sunday asks.

“To me it is, I guess.” You mumble. “If you asked Robin, she would answer… That she would find a way to save both of us. No matter the cost. Because that is the kind of person she is. But I can’t seem to think that would be a reality.”

Sunday hums, then turns around you. When he nods, your nausea dissipates, you straighten your back, and whatever stupor you had found yourself in leaves your mind. All at once, shame crashes into you. What the hell have you been babbling on and on about for the past five minutes? When he looks at you now, his gaze is not quite as oppressive as before, though you are not entirely sure how to feel about him.

He lowers his head a tad, ears fluttering. “Thank you for allowing me to understand you better,” Sunday tells you. “You are a different type of person than I imagined you to be— Perhaps you and I are more similar than I believed. Due to my personal feelings, it seems I led my thoughts stray into disharmony. Will you forgive me?” Though the ice has left his tone, it is now as if he has shaved off every edge, covering it all in fabric. It is almost condescending.

But you, honestly, still kind of need to piss. And you’re over all of this, really. “I— Yeah. Yeah, sure. Spirit of harmony, and all that.”

Sunday smiles. “Well, then I believe a reintroduction is in order.” He extends his hand towards you, and you hesitate only a moment before taking it. “I suppose we are family now, too. Know that, whenever life’s troubles seem to be consuming you, Penacony will always opens its arms to you.”

[cleoselene]

So @sylvieons and I have been doing this thing where we recommend albums to each other and then record our reviews because we hate talking on the phone and video chat is like, what, what kind of terrifying person wants that? and DM chat is good but has other purposes. So sometimes it is occasionally necessary for us to communicate via long form unlisted youtube video, lol, and for our album reviews, we've been doing that

our running joke is that in every video she mentions and rants a little about how much she hates the band Ghost, to the point where it's REALLY funny to me and like, tradition and I get disappointed if she doesn't spend a section of the video hating on Ghost (if you would like to know WHY @sylvieons hates the band Ghost, please send her an ask. She would actually legit love to talk about it. I should buy her a custom tee next birthday that reads "ASK ME ABOUT MY HATRED FOR THE BAND GHOST"

but then in the last video she pointed out to me that I am exactly the same with the album 1989. and I DIED laughing because she's totally write I fucking hate 1989 (aside from like three songs) but I hate TTPD about a zillion times more so I should really talk about that more but somehow it always comes down to me calling the production a lifeless imitation of the 80s vibe and how much I love synthpop and how as a REAL synthpop fan it makes me lose my mind that people pass 1989 and some of TTPD and Midnights as synthpop because i'm like NO SYNTHPOP IS COMPLICATED AND INTERESTING AND HAS PERSONALITY AND IS A LITTLE QUIRKY AND MAKES YOU FEEL A CERTAIN WAY AND THIS IS AUDIO CHLOROFORM AND SHAKE IT OFF IS ONE OF THE MOST ANNOYING SONGS OF ALL TIME

and then she messages me today saying she laughed her ass off at my Kate Bush/Tori Amos post because I somehow managed to slip in hatred for 1989 into it and she was in awe of my haterizing game

but anyway this is not an anti-Taylor post this is an anti-1989 post I think a solid 70% of her music is fuckin' awesome but 1989 is so goddamn bad for so many reasons (except you Clean and Wildest Dreams, you will always be stars)

and it makes me feel like I'm losing my mind that it's a fan favorite and got AOTY

I do feel SOMEWHAT vindicated in knowing that the CRITICS consider Red to be her best work and not 1989 because Red is a goddamn masterpiece, the vault songs are the fucking hands-down best too. fuck sonic cohesion Red is a magnum opus that deserved all the flowers 1989 got and Reputation is her BEST pop album that got WAY unfairly maligned and has the BEST production of her career like the SOUNDS IN THAT ALBUM WERE FUCKING AMAZING. ....Ready For It? opening industrial pulsing bombs? Like that shit was POWERFUL. That whole album the production was clean and tight and powerful and vulnerable and it was so goddamn good and i will never as long as I live figure out why Reputation got the bad reviews and stiffed at the Grammys and 1989 gets reverence.

[threeyesrp]

Rules

At times this blog may deal with more adult themes like violence and such. I'll try and tag anything that may have a tw but if I forget or anything just send me a dm or ask and i'll fix that.

I can ramble sometimes in replies, don't worry about matching my length. Just do whats comfortable to you.

I will probably only take 2-3 rps at a time. I usually only rp a scene or event at a time. Like first meetings, beach episode, or other events like that will be their own things and then from there we can do new rps for new events. This will allow for me to rotate between partners if needed while keeping no one waiting for long.

– Interactions:

I like to ship things, I'm just weak like that but don't worry about returning any oc's feelings. One sided things can be fun as well and if you feel uncomfortable at all just hit me up and i'll change it. This is all for fun after all.

All anon hate will be deleted unless directed purely at the muses. I don’t mind, be mean to them for all I care.

I have no triggers or squirks so don't worry there Three Eyes is like, he doesn't know what personal boundaries are so warning on that. He'll act more on instinct then with logic. So while he may stay at arms reach for awhile, once he gets comfortable he will get touchy. Hugs and stuff. Also softly obessed with things softer then he is. He's weird. I have more mc ocs then shown and they may come in and out to fill rolls as supporting characters and such. So from time to time one might pop up here and there.

– Other:

I’ll try and tag all obvious triggers, though if you need something specific tagged please do tell me.

Sometimes I can be late on replies, sometimes my muse is being a shit, sometimes I am just plain tired and cannot concentrate on certain threads. I am not ignoring our thread, just trying to figure it out or wait until I am more away and awake to reply.

Feel free to message my via the chat system to either plot, talk ocs and or aus or just goof around. I am open to starting friendships but sometimes am bad at keeping up conversations.

[fenthrasandbluefeather]

Let's have a chat about rules, Darling

This blog is 18+ and the mun 28+. Minors DNI and I won’t respond to messages of others who don’t state their age.

This is a Main blog so follows happen through here. Other active blogs I have right now are: @therooftopsofketterdam and @shieldagentnatasharomanoff

DM’s and ASKs are open

Anon is welcome as long as people don’t abuse it. I won’t respond to hate or sexual anons without context

I take pride in being a safe space for everyone. I will not tolerate drama or hate towards anyone and people will be blocked without a comment.

NSFW warning: Blood, violence, knife fights, childhood trauma and other triggering subjects will be discussed and are welcome to be written about. They will get tagged accordingly.

This blog is OC friendly

Multi-Ship and Ship friendly

I might be a huntress but I have boundaries: There are topics that I am uncomfortable with: including triggers as rape, unconsensual activities, strangulation and such. Just message me if you have questions about that. I’m pretty open.

Within Vox Machina communication is key: If you ever need or want to talk about anything shoot me an ask or a dm. If there are things bothering you while we write or you want to start a play and don’t know how.

I reserve myself the right to not respond to certain messages.

This is not just a ship blog: platonic Interactions are always welcome

I will not RP with personal blogs though you are welcome to send questions via anon.

I don't have the time or skill to make elaborate aethetics for my blog. I am always impressed to see different styles, formats and how people take pride in them but you won't find them here if that is a deal breaker, that's okay but please don't fault me for choosing not to invest time I currently don't have.

Writing of any type is welcome: novel style, short one liners anything you fancy. I do my best to match length don't feel pressured to match mine :)

The most important thing: Let’s have fun!

[findroleplay]

(This is my first tumblr ad bear with me)

All characters are 18+

Danny phantom, MLB, DC, etc. Willing to do crossovers! Mxm, t4t and nonbinary welcome! (Ftm x mtf)

-----------------------------------

18+rpers please!

-----------------------------------

Hi! I’m Kieran(they/he) and I’m 24. :3

I am tentatively seeking long term and/or short term partners! If you message me, I can’t guarantee you that we will be partners. Nor can I promise prompt responses, as I do have things to keep track of in this server as well as real life.

But: I do tend to talk a lot ooc! I love making pin boards, picking songs, brainstorming ideas, and doing an occasional doodle. I’ll probably bring in a bunch of templates for us to play with and share my daydreams ~~brain rot~~ on the daily.

__What I am looking for:__

I want to rp as **Danny Phantom**! I am also looking to try Rping as Chat Noir.

(Also! I will **not** be rping characters in highschool. If anything: university.)

Usually I end up putting different perspectives on my cannon characters to make them more unique + give new things to discover via rp. I’ll also plan on playing Danny (and maybe Chat) as ftm, but I can play him cis as well. If it matters to you: most of my characters tend to be switches lmao.I would like intimacy in the rp, but not let it overrun the rp. I’d be happy to discuss more once I get comfortable ooc and we’ve rped a bit.

__Who will I play danny against? Aka, who **You** will possibly play__

•Tim Drake (DC) is my favored one!

•Masc/Male identifying ocs

•Sam, Dash, Tucker, Valerie (DP)

•I could try writing against a Cat Noir!!

__Who would I Like to play Chat Noir against?__

-Ladybug (male, ftm, nb)

-I wouldn’t mind trying Luka!

-Feel free to suggest!

__Fandoms I know__

Nicktoons

Batfamily

Miraculous ladybug

Steven universe

MLP G4

Supernatural (on the end of S9 rn)

Owl House

Spider-Man

BG3

*I would also LOVE to watch El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera so if anyone knows where I can watch it lmk! (I see tigerghost art all the time and LOVE it but idk much about Manny 😭)I plan to watch Star and the forces of evil too!

-feel free to suggest other characters to see if I know them. People from other fandoms even Just know if I happen to not know much about a fandom, you’ll have to fill me in a bit and help plot!

What I don’t want:

-an oc being another halfa or ghost.

-please note that I’m only comfortable with rping with female characters *from* the Danny Phantom show. I don’t think I could rp with female ocs or other fandom characters. Sorry!! I normally go for mxm,mxnb, etc. Will tolerate genderbends!

**When you dm me, I please present a writing sample & ideas for an oc and/ or character you’d like to use!** it’ll help me jump into brainstorming:) I can also provide a sample if requested!

**Please also share any limits you may have 🙏**

I will be more likely to answer if the above is provided. Reasonable questions or asking if i know certain fandoms is okay.

Plots I brainstorm will depend on the character you choose, or else I’d blab more

The most ideas I already have is geared for the DC universe (Time and Danny) if we go that route.

If Danny is Ghost King though, I may make the Fright Knight into a side chara for fun and throw him some character development.

I am ghost (haha pun) friendly until we’ve written over 6 months irl time. If I get to know you and you poof, I may actually get genuinely worried about you!

I mainly rp on discord! Contact me for info:3

-

[roleplayfinder]

Hello hello! My name is Spots (20 and she/her) and I’m currently looking for a One Piece (specifically the anime/manga) writing partner.

Specifically, I was hoping to do an OC x Canon roleplay with doubling because I’m a silly indulgent dumpster gremlin. That said, there are certain rules and facts to keep in mind:

• I currently am on Water Seven (I’m an anime watcher but tempted to pick up the manga. I’m just terrible at reading) and while I am aware of spoilers, I would prefer to only play characters that appear before or during the arc. Yes I am aware that is at the beginning and it does lead to some characters like Law and Doflamingo being excluded so if this is a turn off for you I completely understand. If, not epic! That said, I am doing my best to get through the show quickly and know too many spoilers (… I spoiled a good chunk of WCI for myself cause I am a sucker for Sanji content) so you don’t have to worry about completely tiptoeing around spoilers with me.

•If you can’t tell by my icon and the talk about spoilers, I would love to play against Sanji. I’m just a sucker for this silly little guy man. That said, if you’re willing to play him for me, I would be down to play just about anyone for you in return as long as like I said, I’ve been able to see them on the screen.

•That said, this is not a requirement but I would love to have our OCs involved in the same plot rather then being in two separate stories because I am a sucker for OC interactions and the stories feeling connected. So I would be especially be down to play another Strawhat for you (especially Zoro since I feel like that could allow for some very funny interactions but I’m down for anything).

• I prefer to rp on Discord but am down to try other formats just inform me.

•I am a literate-novella roleplayer and often tend to write 2-3 paragraphs at the very least and have written some pretty long winded posts. That said, I never expect the same length. Just quality replies I can work with.

•I love OOC and headcanons. Please please hit me with all your ideas, memes, rambles. I beg. I will eat all that stuff up. All I ask is that we both show equal interest in each other’s stuff and it doesn’t feel like one’s OC is more important than the other. If you ever feel like that is the case with me, tell me and I, in return, will tell you.

•That said, you don’t need an OC prepared to respond. I don’t have a bio myself. If anything, feel free to message me if you don’t have an OC at all because I would adore to bounce ideas off of each other and see what we can make together. If you do have one ready though, feel free to hit me with them and I shall gush over them

•I try to be fast with replies but with school, reply times can be a bit shaky. That said, I usually am a fast replier with ooc and if anything, ooc helps motivate my responses so please feel free to chat with me even before I respond.

•That said, I usually send check ins if you’re gone for 2-3 days. If this is irritating, let me know. That said, if you have to disappear for awhile please inform me.

•I usually prefer canon over AUs at least when I first rp with people but I am willing to do AUs if convinced. But with a world like One Piece, I do sort of wanna explore canonverse

•Like the way I am craving a canon divergent rp where we rp through plot events and such but with our OCs and change whatever we wish to fit them or have things go how we prefer. PLSSSSS! I’d love that. But I’m down for other plots too!!

•I am fine with NSFW just don’t want the plot to focus solely on that. No explicit DD stuff please. It really makes me uncomfortable

That said, if you’re interested, feel free to either reach out to me in DMs or interact with this post via likes or replies or reblogs and I shall reach out as soon as I can ^^

Hope to sail with ya!

.

[criticalstories]

Let's have a chat about rules

This blog is 18+ and the mun 28+. Minors DNI and I won’t respond to messages of others who don’t state their age.

This is a Main blog so follows happen through here. Other active blogs I have right now are: @therooftopsofketterdam and @shieldagentnatasharomanoff and @fenthrasandbluefeather (possibly moving here soon)

DM’s and ASKs are open

Anon is welcome as long as people don’t abuse it. I won’t respond to hate or sexual anons without context

I take pride in being a safe space for everyone. I will not tolerate drama or hate towards anyone and people will be blocked without a comment.

NSFW warning: Blood, violence, knife fights, childhood trauma and other triggering subjects will be discussed and are welcome to be written about. They will get tagged accordingly.

This blog is OC & CROSSOVER friendly

Multi-Ship and Ship friendly

I might be a teller of stories but I have boundaries: There are topics that I am uncomfortable with: including triggers as rape, unconsensual activities, strangulation and such. Just message me if you have questions about that. I’m pretty open.

communication is key: If you ever need or want to talk about anything shoot me an ask or a dm. If there are things bothering you while we write or you want to start a play and don’t know how.

I reserve myself the right to not respond to certain messages.

This is not just a ship blog: platonic Interactions are always welcome

I will not RP with personal blogs though you are welcome to send questions via anon.

I don't have the time or skill to make elaborate aethetics for my blog. I am always impressed to see different styles, formats and how people take pride in them but you won't find them here if that is a deal breaker, that's okay but please don't fault me for choosing not to invest time I currently don't have.

Writing of any type is welcome: novel style, short one liners anything you fancy. I do my best to match length don't feel pressured to match mine :)

The most important thing: Let’s have fun!

[letmeoutofthebasementt]

can I ask your honest advices on something personal? so I get next to no communication from a now former friend, I had some hunch to ask a reader if said friend dislikes me and the answer came back as yes so I recently googled if ignoring someone or not reaching out to them via texts can count as them being jealous or having some dislike? yet they still send the bday present and xmas card or present as do I but I feel like its a cheap way when I know she practically lives online but I barely here from her so I dont really know what to do? we havent met in years and she makes next to no effort to seem interested in what im doing even if I try to take interest in herself as a friend it feels very one sided even when we used to meet up it would always be about her and never any follow up questions.

I know she has a disablity of some kind however the effort she puts into her other friends is vastly different. if she messages me its once in a blue moon and only to ask if I want to do a quiz, now I stopped checking my online profiles so much because like it seemed she was much more into what she got from others i dont want to feel desperate by constantly trying to fix whatever this "friendship" was supposed to be. do i ask her or do i wonder about it? if she dont tell me how am i gonna know what to do about it because many ppl been like her even when I was in school I was always dealing with ppl who pretended to care when they didnt. I didnt know any better then so it feels like ppl r just only using me if they need me for that certain point otherwise they fuck off and find "better friends" elsewhere like am i that replaceable or weird?

is this petty of me to want to ignore her back or is it mostly her behaviours towards me? the thing is I have dealt with many ppl like her and it doesnt put her in a good light it gives trying to be nice to my face but for all I know she could be chatting shit with someone about me? and shes quite popular online. hence why it feels like im always bottom of her priorities since always having to instigate a conversation felt like conversing with a brick aka it was going nowhere. I know her disability cant prevent her from being a decent person but do I just leave her? yet this whole present giving thing really isnt it for me. its giving oh I will just send her something to make it seem like she cares when she dont message or try to get in touch nor does she want to meet up. all her messages in recent years have been so short almost too blunt

does this sound like jealousy or regular dislike? sorry for rambling again but im so effing tired of these types of ppl who act like they care to have a friendship but then half ass their way out of it, it doesnt help that we moved since long ago so we cant be closer physically as friends. But I feel like my existance bothers her for some unknown reasons. as I told the tarot reader im nothing special heck im not the popular one she is if anything I would guess she was quite popular that she simply didnt need me? You would think if we was real friends she would make a bit more effort cause sometimes theres things I wanna tell her but am like wait she dont care so im not gonna bother cause she want certain replies and comments yaknow?

thanks so so much in advance if you read all of this!!! I love your blog and readings so felt comfortable to ask you for your thoughts hope you dont mind the rant there!

Honestly that’s an awful situation to be in. In my opinion, it’s not necessarily jealousy. She just doesn’t like you, point blank period.

Now, I can admit I’m the type who’s on my phone a lot but can sometimes miss people’s messages, and I’m not good with reaching out first. But that’s not a good behavior. And at least if she liked you she’d be interested when you’re talking, which is something I do. And she’d be there for you. And at least she could come around to responding eventually instead of flat out ignoring you and only contacting you when she needs you.

It seems like to me she’s keeping you around so she can have more people clinging to her and chasing her to fuel her ego. It’s more an ego thing than a genuine like. She does not like you. I’d bet she doesn’t even necessarily tolerate you. But she likes your attention.

She likes the experience of being worshipped and chased. Knowing she doesn’t have to try and you will just chase and follow her to the ends of the earth.

[ha-ha-saidtheclown]

So much has happened since my last post that I don't really know where to start so I'll let my mind guide the way.

I still haven't visited your grave, it feels quite overdue. Currently I am battling depression and my self worth is at the minimum. I don't feel like I am worthy of anything. Every time I find something good, there's always something or someone that snatches it away. I wish I was exaggerating but I am not.

I was doing okay, I was chatting and increasing my social activity. I was okay just being myself, less need to do the masking. I started opening up to L until he started vomiting out outrageous little statements that really ticked me off. That's just his poor age related skills I gather. He's still nice in general and has been very helpful in life. I've kept the chatting in minimum for a while. I don't want to encourage him in any way. Also I don't have much patience to read and answer to his messages that are statements of the obvious, like no shit, Sherlock. Also I don't care for a "know it all" attitude. He doesn't know it all, but still has the attitude at times. Not all of the time, but yeah. As much as it annoys me at times, he also is very protective and ready to help at any time. Sometimes he is over the top with it and leaves me speechless and I don't want to be rude. He's the older generation, my dad's. He's kind, very smart and generous over the top. I appreciate everything but the things that tick me off.

I am still in my corner, stuck in it like it's been my home for years upon years. You know in August I met again someone from my past, from 20 years ago. It was like the fresh breeze I didn't know I needed. First day we talked 14 hours nonstop via messages. We met again for the first time about week later and things rolled forward from then on. Met multiple times, he initiated most of it. It was absurd, testing my limits and different. Crazy even but in a positive way. All of it made me happy. I'm not used to being happy, and not used to having things go smoothly. This was different in a sense. Since then he has been testing my limits in both good and bad. Still now, in October, we are hanging onto it but everything is overshadowed by negative things like being on the verge of a burn out and his fears. And what was in august feels has taken a 180 turn. Feels like at times. I feel I am in limbo. Caught up in the corner just waiting for the storm to pass. Not really able to do anything but tiptoe around, yet trying my everything not to lose my mind. And no, it's not me being dramatic, I haven't been on the edge, fighting like this in a long time. Fighting for something good. Because what's the sense in letting go something that makes you feel good? I've said it before, when ever there's something good going on in my life, someone finds some reason to sabotage it. It doesn't matter how much space, care, love, freedom or communication I give, even if I don't do anything at all, there's always something or someone that stomps it on the ground. I'm not being heard when I say I don't deserve certain things and that's a big problem. If I am being heard, it's not validated clearly enough, due to cants and wonts and exes and whatnots. I've also never been the "hidden" one in any human relations before. I try to navigate with that as well as I can. Trying not to create further problems. That's okay too, I can be the hidden one, to a certain point. I won't do the same to them though. First, I don't have the need and second, I have faith that things will in the end be okay, one way or another. Like J-su always said, everything will be okay in the end, and if it's not okay, it's not the end.

I aim to keep surrounding myself with good people, my people, like Jen, P and U.

I try to navigate through depression by doing one hour at a time, holding myself back whenever my mind doesn't seem to cope or when it starts creating scenarios, telling myself it's not that bad and it's going to pass.

[toon-rp-finder]

🌟Hello hello! My name is Spots (20 and she/her) and I’m currently looking for a One Piece (specifically the anime/manga) writing partner.

Specifically, I was hoping to do an OC x Canon roleplay with doubling because I’m a silly indulgent dumpster gremlin. That said, there are certain rules and facts to keep in mind:

• I currently am on Ennies Lobby (I’m an anime watcher but tempted to pick up the manga. I’m just terrible at reading) and while I am aware of spoilers, I would prefer to only play characters that appear before or during the arc. Yes I am aware that is at the beginning and it does lead to some characters like Law and Doflamingo being excluded so if this is a turn off for you I completely understand. If, not epic! That said, I am doing my best to get through the show quickly and know too many spoilers (… I spoiled a good chunk of WCI for myself cause I am a sucker for Sanji content) so you don’t have to worry about completely tiptoeing around spoilers with me.

•If you can’t tell by my icon and the talk about spoilers, I would love to play against Sanji. I’m just a sucker for this silly little guy man. That said, if you’re willing to play him for me, I would be down to play just about anyone for you in return as long as like I said, I’ve been able to see them on the screen.

•That said, this is not a requirement but I would love to have our OCs involved in the same plot rather then being in two separate stories because I am a sucker for OC interactions and the stories feeling connected. So I would be especially be down to play another Strawhat for you (especially Zoro since I feel like that could allow for some very funny interactions but I’m down for anything).

•While my pairing is MxF, I am lgbtq+ friendly so feel free to hit me with any pairing on your side

• I prefer to rp on Discord but am down to try other formats just inform me.

•I am a literate-novella roleplayer and often tend to write 2-3 paragraphs at the very least and have written some pretty long winded posts. That said, I never expect the same length. Just quality replies I can work with.

•I love OOC and headcanons. Please please hit me with all your ideas, memes, rambles. I beg. I will eat all that stuff up. All I ask is that we both show equal interest in each other’s stuff and it doesn’t feel like one’s OC is more important than the other. If you ever feel like that is the case with me, tell me and I, in return, will tell you.

•That said, you don’t need an OC prepared to respond. I don’t have a bio myself. If anything, feel free to message me if you don’t have an OC at all because I would adore to bounce ideas off of each other and see what we can make together. If you do have one ready though, feel free to hit me with them and I shall gush over them

•I try to be fast with replies but with school, reply times can be a bit shaky. That said, I usually am a fast replier with ooc and if anything, ooc helps motivate my responses so please feel free to chat with me even before I respond.

•That said, I usually send check ins if you’re gone for 2-3 days. If this is irritating, let me know. That said, if you have to disappear for awhile please inform me.

•I usually prefer canon over AUs at least when I first rp with people but I am willing to do AUs if convinced. But with a world like One Piece, I do sort of wanna explore canonverse

•Like the way I am craving a canon divergent rp where we rp through plot events and such but with our OCs and change whatever we wish to fit them or have things go how we prefer. PLSSSSS! I’d love that. But I’m down for other plots too!!

•I am fine with NSFW just don’t want the plot to focus solely on that. No explicit DD stuff please. It really makes me uncomfortable

That said, if you’re interested, feel free to either reach out to me in DMs or interact with this post via likes or replies or reblogs and I shall reach out as soon as I can ^^

Hope to sail with ya!

You forgot to add an age range to your request if there's going to be NSFW in the RP, but otherwise it's all good 😉👍

[vishal6x]

Using WhatsApp Spy Apps to Keep Your Kids Safe Online?

Being one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide, WhatsApp comes with ample features like voice messages, group chatting, location and photo sharing and location sharing as well. According to a certain study this kind of app is widely used by people of all ages. Since WhatsApp is becoming more famous by a diverse range of people. Parents need to pay attention to their kid’s mobile use on WhatsApp.

What is the need to spy on a child's WhatsApp?

As we already explained above, the advantages WhatsApp provides to its users. But at the same time, the Whatsapp spy app can easily deal with children's online activities with ease. With the help of the WhatsApp spy software  like Onemonitar , parents can keep an eye on their child’s WhatsApp conversations, call logs, videos, photos and more. 

Benefits of the WhatsApp spy app

The WhatsApp spy software can be remotely installed on the smartphones of your children. The WhatsApp spy app will remain hidden on the target device without letting someone track them. Hence, you can spy on their WhatsApp without worry and get peace of mind knowing your child is safe online. 

There are numerous advantages of spying on all the conversations and chat messages made via WhatsApp. When you plan to monitor it, you will get all this information:

Chat: 

When you start doing so, you can see your child’s all the personal chats online like viewing the messages and reading the full conversations.

Group chats:

You get access to read all the group chats.

Multi-media support:

You are available to spy on all the WhatsApp media. Once you decide to spy on the media, you are then able to check the images as well as videos. 

Contacts:

All the contacts will be shown to you once you have a WhatsApp spy app, which means you can check the name, number and even profile picture of the person. 

Timing: 

As a parent, you can also check the message and chat timing on your child’s mobile. 

Some other benefits of the Whatsapp spy app

Protect your child from online predators: WhatsApp is a popular platform for predators to target children, and a spy app can help parents identify and block these predators.

Prevent cyberbullying: Cyberbullying is a serious problem, and it can have a devastating impact on children's mental health. A spy app can help parents to identify and address cyberbullying incidents early on.

Monitor your child's online activity for general safety reasons: For example, a parent may want to know who their child is talking to and what they are talking about, or they may want to know where their child is located.

Track your child's location: This can be helpful if you are concerned about their safety or if they go missing. Onemonitar is an whatsapp spy software that comes with geo-location functionality for this very purpose. 

Get insights into your child's social life: This can help you to better understand your child and their relationships with their friends.

Conclusion:

Hence, the Spy WhatsApp app can be a handy tool to restrict your child’s online activities. But our suggestion is to not fall for the trap of free spy apps as they can cost you big time. Instead, go for a spy app from a reputable firm and Onemonitar is one such kind of spy app which you can trust easily. Our WhatsApp spy software comes with affordable price packaging comprising more than 50 features. 

[nanjokei]

i think the spread of character ai usage (and ai art generation usage also) is definitely an issue with people wanting instant gratification which actual rp usually is just not sustainably built for unless you're doing chat rp, even then your friends aren't awake 24/7 waiting at beck and call to entertain you. it's not literally entitlement, but it 100% stems from entitlement to be entertained constantly and passively instead of actually going out and finding something to do.

god this sounds like such boomer shit but the creation of endless scrolling like on tiktok with specifically tailored algorithms has made people so PASSIVE. ai can never come close to human creators but if people, especially the younger generation, are getting too cozy with choosing it over seeking out other human beings (whether it be indirectly via consuming fanmade work or directly via actual collaborative stuff like online roleplay), then how different is it from the ai "winning"? i don't think any of the excuses are valid. it's a subpar product in every way. it's almost never im character, it breaks if you propose anything too left field, and it's ultimately empty wish fulfilment and i have no idea how anyone past the age of 16 AT BEST gets any gratification from it. is it just the spread of a lack of reading comprehension? OPEN THE SCHOOLS!!

i do think it's an issue of people not being comfortable with boredom, always needing instant gratification, not wanting to sit down and hone a craft, or give the people who hone a craft themselves the time of day because they can't crank out """content""" for you 24/7. in a way, i'm thinking right now, when i'm bored i just channel surf on tv even if i don't do it as much anymore. but most people don't have tv anymore (personally we pirate iptv so LOL). i don't blame it on that necessarily, but i think with the rise of streaming, you just sit there on a media library staring at a bunch of thumbnails and posters, having to make a decision on how to invest your time. in this case, i get why people are so passive. tiktok is easier, character ai is easier. because i never ended up watching anything whenever i opened netflix (when we had it years ago). one could argue that watching tv is passive, but there's still a choice. you check the tv guide or google it and you know a certain show is on tv a certain channel at a certain time so you keep that in mind. what do you do in the meanwhile? i remember when that was an actual routine for me. i'd be slacking and not doing my homework, so maybe i'd draw a bit, maybe i play on my ds for a while, maybe i go make myself a snack or bake some pastries if i have all day, maybe i continue a book or even surf the web a bit.

the instinct of "aight, im gonna do something else on my own while i wait" is kind of dying. yes i'm on my phone! the difference is my use case. these days i'm not on social media aside from here so i don't use it as much aside from talking to friends on messaging clients and playing games (rarely tho). i say this as someone who stares at the ceiling not doing anything for a good bit each day, but at least i feel like i still have retained some ability to sometimes go, ok time to learn about a new hobby! i don't have to even pick it up. just entertaining it is gratifying on its own. i'm not a writer, but sometimes i'll write a little bit for fun then go "yeah i get why i don't jive with this". lately, i've been interested in competitive pokemon (with not much interest before) because i've been replaying platinum. i research a bit, watch videos, i even got a little brave and tested some sample teams on showdown. it was a fun time killer! i might keep doing it. i might even do it later today. i started reading pokespe too to scratch the pokemon itch too. and it's not like i don't suffer from crazy hard executive dysfunction but hey, this is a product of my effort. lately i've been thinking i wanna pick a character in guilty gear and learn at least one combo! trying new things is fun!!!

i'm sure this post sounds self important, self impressed, self absorbed (c-c-c-combo breaker) and boomer ish as fuck but honestly i don't care anymore. if someone who struggles with simple tasks on the daily like me can find shit to do that isn't just instantly caving to endless scrolling and resorting to chatting up an AI then i'm sure most people can too. it is so much more gratifying actively seeking out fun than to be passive about it.

[maryellencarter]

so sleep is refusing to happen, which is very annoying. i took my night meds and wore my blindfold and everything. my right leg has also decided it is stabbing pains time, which might be associated with the first thing. so while i wait for some ibuprofen to kick in, i figured i would start to explain my latest effort in the ongoing saga of getting myself to actually go to work.

so i was talking to logan about it, as one does. i haven't even explained logan for the sherlock holmes people, have i? call him my imaginary friend, close enough. he's a version of wolverine from the x-men (comics version circa 1983 if you want to get specific -- hugh jackman is a foot too tall and looks oddly like peter lorre to my prosopagnosic ass), he's my big brother via my teenage mary sue (that's a whole other post, but my little sister maintained this au where we all got to pick our own fictional or invented parents and relatives, which says exactly the things about our irl family situation that you'd think), he's been with me for nearly twenty years now, saved my life multiple times, got me out of some truly horrendous situations. these days he mainly shows up when things are Very Bad. and right now, because i'm struggling to get myself to go to or stay at work by any damn motivation whatsoever, things are pretty damn bad.

so i was talking to logan about it, which i've been doing for a bit while, but this time we were talking about the delayed gratification aspect of a paycheck. how if i skip work and go do a fun thing, i get to have fun immediately, but if i sit at work being mildly bored and intermittently annoyed, then i get money 1-3 weeks later, which might as well be the heat death of the universe as far as actually making an emotional connection between action and reward is concerned.

(it might be relevant to explain what i even do, huh? text chat tech support for a major cell phone company, basically. it's the sort of job where the elevator pitch is like "living the dream", because i get to sit around at home in whatever state of dress i prefer, doing anything i want as long as i keep an eye on my workstation and drop everything when a message from a customer comes in. on slow days it can be a good 15-20 minutes between customers. on busy days, i can be typing nonstop for hours, but those are rarer. however, when faced with a basic choice between "i can't practically play certain video games or do complicated crafts on the clock, because they're too space consuming or not pauseable enough, and I definitely can't go to any events or meet people" versus "if I'm not on the clock I can do whatever I want", it's hard to prioritize Getting Money At Some Future Point.)

so anyway what logan suggested was -- because i know how to calculate my own payroll taxes and often do it for fun (in fact, it probably indicates just how badly off i've been emotionally that i hadn't even downloaded the 2023 irs schedule 15-t for payroll tax brackets until yesterday), i have the ability to figure out, down to the minute if necessary, exactly how much my take-home pay will be based on time worked so far. because logan is inside my head, he also knows that i used to really enjoy being the banker for monopoly, organizing all the play money and making change and keeping track of Amounts and what-all.

so he suggested getting some play money and paying myself in realtime -- basically creating a physical representation of how my paycheck is accruing. i have sat at work for so many minutes, pay myself a dollar. like gamifying shit, but instead of getting a little token in an app that doesn't directly relate to anything irl, i'm getting tokens that very directly represent the exact benefit i am getting by sitting around being annoyed that i don't have room for my gaming laptop next to my workstation.

at this point it becomes relevant that the game of monopoly no longer comes with play money. the company that sells it decided, some years back, that declining sales were due to cash being insufficiently hip with the kids and making change being an absolute turn-off, rather than... you know, literally nobody anymore having the free time for an all-day game that causes intergenerational feuds. so they replaced the paper money with play debit cards and a digital voice-activated top hat that does all the math for you. so now you don't even get any practical life skills with your intergenerational feuds!

so, after a couple of shopping adventures, i have procured construction paper and a silver sharpie (and a working black one because mine was dead) and a clear jar so i can see all the colorful play moneys when i pay myself. i have adapted the rupee color system from breath of the wild, because i'm already familiar with it, to fit the colors of construction paper i have, so ones are green, fives are blue, and so forth.

i tried this method at work yesterday, and so far i'm very excited about it. it takes me about six hours of work to cover my healthcare deductions for a two-week pay period, and after that (until federal tax brackets kick in after a few days' earnings) i basically earn a dollar every four minutes after tax, which means roughly every time i start to get bored, i've earned another dollar and i get to fidget with my little pieces of construction paper again.

i'm also definitely going to have to confront the thing where it feels wrong and unrealistic that i make this much money. because in an eight hour workday near the beginning of the pay period, my take home pay is about $120, and that just feels like a silly amount that doesn't apply to me. but, well, i earned this dollar, and also that one, and the other one over there... which one didn't i earn? it is a conundrum.

i don't know if i'm just excited because everything is shiny and new, but i definitely am very excited that this might actually Help, because it's making being at work *feel* different in a way that hasn't happened before. have a couple of pictures.