#also in case you dont know i mention admin pretty clearly bc the datapack maker can be seen a few times

[single-malt-scotch]

i am saying this purely for meta discussion and not as a negative criticism to the series and its admins but i think fans may need to consider that some of what the life series post-SL has tried to come off as "random" and undetermined is not random and is actually targeted/assigned to players at times. i know there is no solid confirmation on this happening (as in i dont think any admins has strictly said it) but after seeing some of SL having strangely targeted tasks, then the WL quiz bot having oddly fitting questions (and the way the bots worked, they did have to be "assigned" clearly to players so they couldnt be stolen), and now very obvious super powers that are practically made for certain people-- yes i think i can go with the assumption that many parts of these newer gimmicks are targeted at certain players and are not random at all.

whether or not this is a good thing is up for debate, and i do not at all think theres something wrong with it in the sense of, us as viewers not knowing for sure if theyre determined or random. but i think it really defines a shift in the series. especially if we look back to moments like the quiz, where references and questions were made by fans (yes, fans, as much as the artists were commissioned/requested to work by grian directly they are fans) brought into question fan influence on the series itself going forward and so...

i already talked abt the flow of the smp series changing but, knowing this it does add on to the feeling that the series really is more about the gimmicks rather than the natural core survival elements, for entertainment. because we are at the point where gimmicks arent *about dying* or the vanilla survival mechanics, theyre just additions of Something going on that some times has no effect on dying anyways. its about the reactions to the gimmick and whether or not the fans like the gimmick. and, i can easily see how that would start to take away some of the actual randomness and instead assign things like the super powers, as theyd be catered to the players more in in turn more likely please fans because it fits.

i already personally disliked how some of SL's tasks were due to this (tho i had issues that were less abt how they were assigned), but on the other hand today's wildcard imo was well crafted and fun, and did not actually cause blatant issues compared to previous ones like the snail. still, knowing how 'fitting' the powers were for some, made it feel like an entirely separate series crafted specifically for the fandom fun of powers that fit our fave guys and not at all something related to the Life series as it has been.