#I learned this from the internet! (Shitpost)

[thatnoulguyorsomething]

As someone who is almost religiously obsessed with fixing and maintaining my old electronics as long as possible, there's a thing to be said about repairability, planned obsolescence, etc.

I have a phone. I've had it for close to seven years, and I dug it out of the trash, so it's probably a couple years older. I mainly use it to listen to music. The headphone jack is now starting to bend out of shape, one side completely does not work anymore. There are no replacements for that part - it is so specific that the only way to get a replacement is to find another phone of the same make and take it apart (which is pretty counter-productive).

The phone is otherwise perfectly capable, but because of the failure of a single, simple part (six wires in a plastic casing), I can no longer use it (I can, but I'd have to get something else to listen to music, and that defeats the purpose.)

Another example. My laptop is half as old as I. The cd drive started failing years ago (the ribbon cable had started tearing), I had to remove a single screw to remove the entire thing (to make sure it stopped messing with the device settings). The 'z' key stopped working, so I learned to type without it (either rewording stuff, or using unicode escapes if really needed - fun fact, german uses that letter a LOT). At some point, the 'e' key stopped working, which was a lot more critical - so I started lugging along a usb keyboard (that I also dug out of the trash). Wifi card started failing - got clever with how I use the internet (mainly doing stuff over cable). The battery started failing, so I promoted it to a PC and set it up on my desk, where it is always connected. Lately, the usb ports have been wearing out, so I'm considering opening it up and replacing them with a usb hub board (have a guess where I got that one from). People have been telling me it is too broken to use for a decade, yet lo and behold, I am still shitposting from it, making and playing games, and as of late, making an operating system.

Crucially, those are things that can be fixed. In part, because it's a laptop and laptops are easier to manage than mobile devices, though in large part because the people that designed it did so in a way that I can do anything I want with it with a 4mm screwdriver and a soldering iron. And that makes it very easy to fix broken parts and just keep it going. When corporations try to make this impossible by removing all outside access and installing traps and then making things break quicker so they can charge you more money for repairs and replacements, they are also causing absurd amounts of trash and waste that could have been used better and lived longer if only it had been made fixable.

So yeah, being unable to fix things and having to toss them away are manufactured problems. Upcycling and tech hackery are one side of it, but those rely on the people making these electronics to make them properly in the first place.

Not a bold take here, but I believe nevertheless that our current way of producing and consuming electronics (I speak globally here) is not sustainable and built on huge human suffering. On the logistical level, virtually all of the world's microchips are made in a single factory on Taiwan because every single technology company outsourced it to them. Any conflict or disaster could simply stop the delicate supply chains that have their point here and make anything related to microchips, that is, our entire lives become much much harder. It is, in fact, very likely this might happen in our lifetimes and might lead to a major crisis in the first world.

This does not mean that computers or robotics shouldn't get produced anymore because that's a stupid idea by jokers. It means that the world needs to rethink how we make and consume electronics. Stupid fashion items like iphones are only possible because of this system; a tool, like a smartphone is, a very useful tool, shouldn't be needed to be replaced with each new model but endure. Computers should last longer and be upgradeable. I'd even go as far as to say that the power of a device should be proportional to its function; if a rugged brick phone can do the job, it will do the job. The exploitation of African countries for mining cannot continue, any international trade must be done in their terms and with the rights of their workers fully respected, no matter the price the end consumers will have to pay.

This cannot happen in a world where computers are seen as luxuries instead of tools and where capitalism creates demand.

[sundial-bee-scribbles]

"my education is my highest priority" everything returns to vocaloid

[artcorvid]

I fucking hate tiktok. I genuinely thought "unalive" was a real word ALL THIS TIME because english isn`t my first language. What the hell

[myuzucompendium]

"For ¥3000 yen a month you can now get access to Sophia+, and get all new features and better more personalized recommendations. Sophia+ will also buy one thing off the dark web with cryptocurrency for you per month, with insta™delivery."

[cathalbravecog]

based on 90% vibes and 10% facts about the characters. i do not take constructive criticism. buck ruffler never read warrior cats but he'd act like a cat and bite others and invade warrior cat larps as a rogue

[eyepatchdate]

sorry i was having lonnie thoughts recently because i have been considering in putting him in a Huge Fic I’ve Been Planning so something has been unlocked for me

[cyberspacebear]

i have this theory that the internet is starting to collapse because funny cat videos were meant to be the one thing that brought us all together and now there is a war being waged in the comments of every kitty video

[myuzucompendium]

"Then you would taste any oils and other assorted things on their skin." Sophia was concerned, to say the least

"I wasn't planning to, just thinking... But, what if, hypothetically, someone were to give explicit consent to let someone nibble on them? Just a bit..."

[thewebcomicsreview]

so what's your take on the recent "stonetoss is a much better comic than haus of decline because it has fewer words" over on twitter?

I really wanted to reply with a snarky dismissive one-liner. I had one written and everything, but then I wanted to make sure I understood the context and looked into this and ugh. Now I have to explain Twitter drama, this sucks.

Okay. Christ.

Haus of Decline makes this comic

The comic pops up again, and a person named Basil sees it and has a take that it has too many words.

As arguably the most prominent Webcomic Critic out there (which is the say, the only one still doing it), I kind of prefer the wordless version as well, but it's a matter of taste, more than an "objectively correct" take.

Basil then follows up on that take with a rather spicier one

It's worth noting here that Basil is saying Hans Kristian Graebener is "better" in the sense that they believe it's more effective propaganda, not in their own personal opinion of quality. And that's....arguable? For one, Haus of Decline isn't really trying to be left-wing propaganda, it's just shitposting, and for two I think Hans Kristian Graebener's effectiveness is way more complicated and sophisticated than just "brevity". And for three, saying Hans Kristian Graebener is "better comics" is really ill-advised, especially given some context I'll reveal shortly.

Haus sees this, calls Basil a moron, and it turns into a dumb stupid internet argument where both people look bad. And being, again, the top Webcomic Critic, I can confirm that sometimes when you call a webcomic bad the creator will get mad at you over it and that's just something you have to expect and live with and try not to beclown yourself in response to. I don't think Basil responded well here, and "just learn to take criticism" is a pretty common and loaded phrase in Webcomics Discourse. Still, whatever. A questionable take led to a short slap fight. That would be the end of it.

Except. The context.

Seven or eight months ago, Basil made this tweet.

Which is a far better tweet, and is now a meme used by liberals in intra-left twitter discord fights to dunk on the anti-voting Trump-curious twitter left. This tweet also came around the time Will Stancil was whipping a lot of normie liberals to push back against the anti-Biden narrative and obviously the election itself has led a notable shift in the vibes where you're seeing a lot more "Biden's not that bad" takes and even a bit of "Actually, Biden is good and I'm tired of pretending he's not" in leftist spaces. And if you follow my personal account you'll know that my vibes have also shifted in that direction a lot. Basil obviously didn't cause the shift, even Stancil didn't, it was the election, but it's their name on the top of the tweet that's used as an anti-anti-voting meme that the left still doesn't has a great response to, so a lot of leftists fucking hate Basil. The kind of passionate hatred you only feel when you're getting clowned on by Matthew fucking Yglesias. So there's a huge hate mob against Basil in the way that hate mobs tend to occur.

This all attracts the attention of Hans Kristian Graebener, who pops out a comic taking a shot at Haus over this. Which is, honestly, a much better example of why Hans Kristian Graebener is effective propaganda than the brevity thing, because god damn did that pour gasoline on the fire, and....well....tldr:

My take is that this whole fight is incredibly stupid, no one involved looks good, and the only one benefiting from it is the literal fucking Nazi.

[highfiveheroes]

HELLLOOOOO one and all and welcome back to another fantasy high stan blog! i’m your humble shitposter ben/benji/jam/etc and here with me as always is my proper introduction list with fics included. say hi, facts and fics!

(hi, facts and fics!)

26 (minors please dni, be safe on the internet)

he/they/xe (please refrain from using feminine terms towards me in any capacity, including sis or girlie)

D20 ARTISTS FOR PALESTINE IS LIVE! donate to palestine and get a commission from some of your favorite artists and writers and editors :)

IN PROGRESS! now i breathe flames each time i talk verse (52,585 words, 3 fics, incomplete)

> now i breathe flames each time i talk—The Rat Grinders vs. Junior Year.

> i would have died for your sins, instead i just died inside—Jace Stardiamond doesn’t like not being Porter’s favorite.

> love doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints—Buddy Dawn isn't sure how to cope with pretty emo boys who write him songs.

NEW! is this love or mass extinction? (4,264 words, 2 chapters, might be complete)

> Gorgug Thistlespring is having a very bad senior year.

what came before won't count anymore (12,871 words, 2 chapters, incomplete)

> Eleven years after the disaster that was the end of his Junior Year, Pastor of Helio Buddy Dawn is faced with the chance to go back to Elmville for his ten year reunion. And it shouldn't be such a daunting offer, except Buddy Dawn has never learned to keep his heart off his sleeve, and mistakes have always been his boone.

my goodness, you're bleeding (what a wonderful feeling) (50,125 words, 10 chapters, complete)

> Baron joins the Rat Grinders and their boyfriend at the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, and all hell breaks loose.

kristen applebees character studies (6,095 words, 3 fics, incomplete)

> a selection of kristen applebees and her friends

they’re best friends, your honor (10,487 words, 4 fics, incomplete)

> kristen and gorgug fics because they’re the most underrated duo i know

in spite of the way that it is (1,709 words, one shot, complete)

> Kipperlilly is alone.

this cage was once just fine (2,138 words, one chapter for now, incomplete)

> Buddy Dawn is not a sinner, thank you very much.

[nsomniacsdream]

Tumblr, in my estimation, cannot be a place that is profitable, because the aims of the userbase can be described somewhere between fuck around and fuck off. No one comes here for anything other than shitposting. Companies don't try to find your tumblr, to my knowledge, so it's the last safe place on the internet to just say stupid shit and learn from it, instead of becoming unemployable.

Tumblr would be a really good buy for like, Archive.org. Someone who doesn't have to worry about 'profit', they just have to keep the lights on. Do moderation by roundtable, when someone submits a support request, like "I'm being harassed", the proof they provide is sent to ten random active bloggers(unrelated to any involved parties), and their decision is actionable. Provide the tools for self determination, instead of a black box that doesn't seem to be working for anyone. It's cheaper, and fairer to the community in general. I dunno, it's probably not perfect, but it's better than 'just doing nothing until the person who keep complaining gives us a reason to ban them, that makes the problem go away'. Honestly, Matt whatever should just donate tumblr to them, call it a charitable donation, claim it on his taxes. It's a sinking ship every minute you're trying to extract value from it. It's real current value is almost certainly hovering around "the change in people's couches of like 20 households".

Tumblr has a place on the internet, an important place, but it'll never be a need that is profitable. And Tumblr's history and reputation kind of prevent it from ever being changed into something different that would be as profitable as whoever currently owns it would want. I suppose you could burn it all to the ground, wipe the servers and start a twitter clone. But it'll just be one more on a field that's so oversaturated it's not worth trying. I'm not sure why people keep buying tumblr, it's a fantastic creative community, but it's products can't be sold, and the userbase is poor and has little to no interest in paying for 'upgrades'. So you could sell everything to AI scrapers, or data miners, but you'll lose the entire userbase and no one's gonna come in to fill the gaps left. It's a quick and messy death.

[loweffortopinions]

Davrin’s Scene with Eldrin 

This was supposed to be a post about the positive aspects of Veilguard, but somehow it spiraled into how I’d rewrite the scene between Davrin and Eldrin. Happy reading, I guess? Let’s start with the original dialogue snippet as it plays out. You meet an elf named Eldrin who clearly knows Davrin. Eventually, you ask him to tell you something about Davrin:

Eldrin: “He sang a lot.”

Rook: “This guy?”

Eldrin: “He’d sing to the halla.”

Rook: “You mean the Grey Warden standing next to me?”

Davrin: “Now hold on—I’d get tired herding them, so I’d hum to keep myself awake, and they slowed down to listen!”

Rook: “So naturally you broke into song.”

Davrin: “Only when humming didn’t work. Just getting the job done.”

Eldrin: “And now the job is caretaker to a griffon.”

Rook (Choice): Diplomatic/Amused/Stern

Eldrin: “Seems my old lessons sunk in. Not every creature in the forest is quarry.”

Davrin: “I didn’t ignore everything you said.

I like this scene. It’s fun, cute and wholesome. That said, it’s not perfect. The dialogue is clunky for one. So let's tackle it!

New Scene Setup: In a quiet clearing of the Arlathan Forest, an older Dalish elf stands beside a lone halla, stroking it gently. Around him, the faint hum of activity carries from other elves tending to their duties, though they keep to themselves. As you approach, the elf looks up, his posture stiffening. His expression is wary, but when his gaze lands on Davrin, his shoulders ease, and a faint smile forms on his lips.

You exchange pleasantries, and then ask him to share something about Davrin. He chuckles softly before speaking:

Eldrin: (Pauses thoughtfully, then grins) “He used to sing to the halla.” Rook: (Amused, raises an eyebrow) “Is that so?” Davrin: (Slightly defensive) “Now hold on—" Eldrin: (With a knowing smile) That’s right. As I recall, you had a thing for 'The White Stag’s Lament'. Always humming about Ghilan’nain and her journey home. Even the halla seemed to know it by heart after a while. Davrin: (There is a shift in his expression when Ghilan’nain is mentioned) "I wasn't doing it for fun. Herding halla’s exhausting, so I hummed to stay awake. That they slowed down was just a bonus." Eldrin: (Teasing) “Funny, I seem to remember a lot more singing than humming.” Davrin: (half-joking, half-defensive) "I only sang when humming didn’t work!"

(At this point, Assan interrupts, trotting up to Davrin and nudges him for attention. Davrin hands him a snack and pats him on the head.)

Eldrin: (smiling) “I see some of my old lessons finally stuck."

(Davrin shrugs, but there’s no hiding the softness in his expression as Assan nudges him for another pat.)

Davrin: (glances at Eldrin, voice is softer) “I didn’t ignore everything you said... some of it stuck, whether I wanted it to or not.”

Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert, I’m just doing this for fun. I'm not taking a jab at the original author of this scene. I have the luxury of shitposting on the internet, which gives me ultimate creative freedom without the constraints of actual game development, take this for what it is.

This is pretty much how I’d go about it if I wrote it. I’d probably change a whole lot more if I went through the entire scene, but I’ll leave it at this unless someone wants me to dive deeper.

Thought process

Context: Eldrin doesn’t know about the whole… elven gods running amok situation, and Davrin chooses not to burden him with it.

Let Eldrin and Davrin have their moment without Rook interrupting every other line.

Add more immersion! Instead of characters standing around, I'd have them interact with their surroundings. Too many scenes in Veilguard feel static, like the world is waiting for you to show up.

Add more information! As it's written, we don’t really learn anything new about Davrin: We already know he has a soft side and tends to be practical. So I added a connection to Ghilan'nain.

[jstor]

From your experience working as the secret agent behind the JSTOR blog here on tumblr.com, how many of the people who work at/for JSTOR (assuming your job entails frequent contact with them) would you say are familiar with ye olde hellsite/general hellsite-adjacent internet culture?

I ask because as a sophomore English/Theatre student, I’m quickly learning that many of the academics who I thought would be stuffy and out of touch are actually the some of most chronically online and shitpost-fluent people out there lmao (vibes of “do not cite the deep magic to me witch i was there when it was written” etc etc)

Unless there are more I haven't met yet, it seems those who have been familiar have since abandoned the site (understandable). Against my better judgement, I remain chronically online and an avid user 😪

[myuzucompendium]

Sophia proceeds to do an extremely low dab because she was dared by someone to do so.

[mused-like-roses]

~ 1,000 followers ~

// Due to the length, it'll be under a read-more

I remember starting my RPing journey back in... 2014-2015 on this little place called Miiverse. It was the most inconvenient place to start RPing, but we all had to start somewhere. and boy did I had to start somewhere; I didn't know much on the whole RPing shtick, using mostly the script style of RPing (e.g. Ruby: dialogue *actions*), threads didn't go anywhere much, and Miiverse had the problem of rarely having RPers thanks to it's "30 posts a day" limit. I hung around for almost a good year I believe until it was time for Miiverse to slowly die out and close it's door.

It was around it's dying years I stumbled further into the internet's other corners. Places like Deviantart and whatnot... and then there was this little place called Tumblr. My curiosity piqued due to knowing a really really REALLY old mutual back on Miiverse and to an extent Deviantart. My start was awfully ROUGH. I didn't know anything about Tumblr and how it rolled; icons, PFPs, writing, etc. I didn't even start RPing until like... around 2016-2017 maybe? It was slightly better than MV, but it was still a bumpy ride. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun learning the ropes.

My start in the platform was rough to say the least; icons weren't used all that much, I didn't really get all semi-lit - literate like I am today, hell I didn't know jack about trimming my posts! but it didn't stop me from trucking on. I slowly but surely learned the ropes, made a small group of friends, met my first love slowly turned toxic bitch of an ex-GF on here, it was going slow but smoothly. Then around the '17 - '18 period, I started fresh with all the experience in hand. Said years rolled around and I slowly transitioned over to Discord as well, making another slew of friends over there as well.

And that was when things kicked off; I was RPing like it was a casual past time of mine, made many of friends, many of foes, but most importantly I was having fun. And then 2022 came around... my self-promo came to be, and I locked in to take my hobby more serious. Now look at how it started vs. how it's going: I started out knowing nothing about RPing, I ended with years of experience under my belt and many mutuals, and with many mutuals eventually came 1,000 followers. I never thought I'd get this far into my life, let alone the RPC, but here we are. And it wouldn't have been possible without some close mutuals I know and like to give a shout-out to:

@astral-multiverse ~ I'm getting the elephant out of the room with the one I've been by their side the most since day one. What started with small interactions here and there slowly turned into full blown long-term RPs broken up by smaller RPs. We made so many ships with your OC (whom I'll say it before and say it again, is one of my faves in the RPC), and OOC you're a blessed bean that I can go to anytime for anything be it nerding out for venting. Thank you so much for being by my side 'til death does us apart, and here's to many more RPs.

@the-expatriate ~ Much like Astral above, we had tiny interactions here and there. But good gracious you are one of the most blessed muns I've had the pleasures of interacting with. Your OC is AMAZING, we were like twins nerding out about music and similar tastes in games/shows, but most importantly you knew me so well with my Autism and was always there to speak to me when needed. I gotta give you the same amount of thanks for being around this long, couldn't have done it without you.

@grayfxce ~ You are literally the SMG4 of the RPC. What started out as a silly concept of roleplaying as the titular anon soon turned into something huge; you fleshed Gray out into an OC that would fit in any place, anywhere. And boy did we nerd out about similar tastes and shitposted like there was no tomorrow! You're one of the many whose company I've enjoyed greatly, and I hope to RP with you again.

@historias-multorum ~ One of my more recent mutuals I had stumbled across after being followed by them... I made the best call I could ever make when I followed back and started interacting. Your portrayals are spot-on, and you're so understanding and to the point in and out of RPing. And shipping with you is always a treat, especially Sasuten! Thank you for being by my side, I greatly appreciate RPing and speaking with you and hope to continue this train.

@musecheerios ~ Also another recent mutual I've began to interact with, and also another call that I've made that was worth it. Our interactions have been amazing so far, both IC and OOC. You're the literal definition of "Soft Baby Hell" and will not take shit with anyone, something I can appreciate in a mun. Talking with you has been amazing, and I hope to interact more with you!

Honorable mentions for muns I've interacted with and/or yearn to interact with more: @on-dragons-wings, @divinityunleashed, @chronicparagon, @whiskeysmulti, @reddawnmultimuse, @dragvnsovl, @mz-pixie (also an old mutual of mine!), @hxroic-wxlls-rxborn, @samayo-tamashi, @wildxcardrebel, @flamesignite

Thank you all so much for being stuck with this anxiety-induce otaku of a mun, and here's to many more with you guys.

~ May your heart be your guiding key ~

[jtl-fics]

Hello, I got a question regarding Smiths first name and the reason the foxes cant figure it out. Wouldn't they just be able to Google it? Or at the least hear it when they are called onto court during games? Or when they rewatch a game? Or is it just story magic? Sorry if you answered this before

No problem! The answer is mostly that this is a little bit story magic and a bit from when i was writing these as shitposts that the world itself seems to work to exclusively call Smith by his last name.

Announcers only ever call him Smith, its still early enough on the internet with google that searching someone not like famous famous is kind of hard, and Kevin stopped the freshmen from introducing themselves because he wanted to get on with practice and “We’ll learn the names of the ones that matter as we play.”