#bots are a curse to social media and I love them

[commissionsdarian]

GUYS. ONE OF THE PORN BOTS HIT MY ASK BOX. Best day of my life, that's the first time it's happened on here

[kaiijo]

ROMANCE TROPES — [HAIKYUU]

characters: hinata shoyo, miya atsumu, bokuto koutarou, sakusa kiyoomi content: gn! reader, the msby four, rich sakusa (i am a rich sakusa truther until the end), bokuto picks you up, sakusa is implied to be taller than you notes: omg i lowkey want to do a fuller version of sakusa’s part 

hinata shoyo ✶ love at first sight

slouched in a plastic airport seat, hinata’s leg bounces anxiously as he awaits his flight. rain beats down the side of the windows and he prays to whatever universal force there is that the flight leaves at the right time. he couldn’t fly with everyone else earlier since he celebrated his grandmother’s birthday with family but it put him on a late night flight that lined up with an incoming storm. 

he scrolls mindlessly through his social media feed, double-tapping a photo of oikawa’s reunion with his high school team and tanaka’s anniversary post for kiyoko. 

the speaker system crackles to life. “attention, passengers of flight 7644 to sapporo, due to inclement weather conditions, the flight has been delayed an estimated two hours. we apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.”

hinata curses under his breath, already on his way to pulling up the black jackals’s group chat to tell them. he pulls his cap off, running a hand through his hair with a long sigh. his phone begins to buzz with texts, no doubt from his coach telling him to keep them updated. 

he rests his forearms on his knees, slumping forward and skimming through the messages. then, he feels a cautious tap on his shoulder and a soft voice asks, “excuse me, do you have a charger i could use?”

when he looks up, hinata thinks the greater powers that be answered a different prayer of his. because holy shit he has never seen anyone as beautiful as you. you’re in a comfy-looking pullover and sweatpants and hinata only realizes he’s just been staring silently for a few seconds when your expression turns apologetic. “i’m sorry to bother you, i’ll ask someone else!”

“no, no, i’m sorry,” he says, words tumbling out of his mouth. he scrambles to unzip his backpack, rummaging through until he triumphantly pulls out his charger. he hands it to you and you thank him. before you can leave, he blurts out, “i’m hinata.”

“oh!” you stick your hand out and tell him your name with a small smile and when you do, hinata knows that he’s gone. 

miya atsumu ✶ brother’s best friend

osamu’s not sure how atsumu managed to weasel his way into his plans. it was a bit of a blur, atsumu practically crashing through the door of onigiri miya as osamu closed up shop to go get drinks with you, begging to be included. he supposes to reason was pity and atsumu’s pleading look as well as the fact that you work far away that had him agreeing to his brother tagging along. 

it was in your last year of high school that osamu figured out his brother had a big, fat crush on you. honestly, it should have been more obvious, especially with the way atsumu flaunted himself and often paraded around the house shirtless when he knew you were coming over. it bothered him at first, thinking bitterly that ‘tsumu couldn’t let him just have one thing to himself? but over time, the annoyance faded as he saw atsumu prove that this wasn’t just a flight-of-fancy, and osamu has already made peace with the very real possibility that you could be his in-law someday. that is, is atsumu could even tell you in the first place.

it’s a little disturbing, osamu thinks, watching the way atsumu flirts with you and wondering if he too makes the same googly-eyes at someone he’s crushing on or if that’s the way he sounds. you giggle when atsumu tries to take a sip of your margarita, telling him, “order your own then, ‘tsumu!”

“nah, yours tastes way better.”

“can’t take this scrub anywhere,” osamu says, earning a laugh from you and a glare from his twin.

you pat atsumu’s shoulder and osamu can’t believe you don’t feel how atsumu melts into your touch. “i’m actually glad both of you are here,” you say, “because i wanted to tell you guys that i’m moving back to tokyo! my boss promoted me so i’m back at main headquarters! isn’t that great?”

“that’s awesome,” osamu says, speaking for both himself and atsumu, who looks like he just won the lottery. 

bokuto koutarou ✶ opposites attract

whenever akaashi introduces you and bokuto as a couple to new people, he always gets pulled over to the side and asked in a whisper, “how did those two get together? he’s so… and they’re less…” 

akaashi can’t say that he wasn’t surprised when you and bokuto started dating back in high school, given that they two of you were on very different trajectories. obviously, bokuto was the captain of fukurodani’s volleyball team while you were student council president and vice-president of chess club. bokuto’s grade sat at the lower end of the spectrum while you were always within the top five students in your class. bokuto liked loud, screaming parties while you preferred a quiet night with a few friends. 

so when bokuto grabbed him by the shoulders one day and shook him, saying that he needed to tell you how he felt, akaashi was taken off-guarded. he didn’t even know you knew each other beyond having a mutual friend, him. 

maybe back then, akaashi would have agreed with the person asking him but now, he just tells them to observe the two of you. because when akaashi does, everything falls into place. like right now, as he and bokuto sit in the stands, watching your final chess match. if you win, you’ll hold onto your spot as a national champion and go on to compete internationally. 

out of the corner of his eyes, akaashi watches as bokuto sits at the very edge of his seat, chewing on his bottom lip. it’s clearly killing him not to cheer and it’s a testament to both his devotion to you. your hand hovers above the bishop before you switch quickly to the queen and move the piece with confidence, setting it down and announcing, “checkmate.”

the crowds erupts into the cheers and you’ve only barely finished shaking your opponent’s hand when bokuto flies out of his seat and barrels towards you. he sweeps you off your feet, spinning you once and setting you down before planting a big kiss on your cheek. you’re beaming as you’re handing your trophy, and bokuto steps back to let you soak up your spotlight. akaashi can’t help but notice that bokuto is beaming too and clapping the loudest. 

as the crowd starts to disperse, akaashi and bokuto join you again, ready to take you to your planned dinner. before you leave, bokuto says, “i was going to do this later but i can’t hold it in anymore, babe.” and he gets down on one knee with a ring box akaashi is all-too familiar with. 

sakusa kiyoomi ✶ reunited childhood sweethearts 

“try not to look so dour, sweetheart,” sakusa’s mother tells him as she fixes his tie. sakusa wants to grumble some choice words but he knows better than to complain to her. besides, he’s only partially paying attention, eyes darting about the crowd and back towards the venue’s entrance. 

he settles on adjusting his mask with a barely audible sigh and mumbles a quiet thanks as she flits to fuss over his older siblings. he glances again, disappointed as a different group of people waltzes in. he knows his older sister wouldn’t be so cruel as to lie to him that your family will be in attendance but the anxiety is making his antsy.

the two of you were inseparable as children with you being one of his only friends growing up.  you spent you days squirreled away in some nook reading or outside playing volleyball. your mothers always cooed that you two would get together one day, and as he got older and learned what that really meant, sakusa found himself hoping too. but then your parents took you and your siblings abroad, leaving him alone and heartbroken. he cut you off, hoping the distances and time would make your departure hurt less, but it didn’t.

sakusa doesn’t recognize the voice that calls his name but his head snaps towards the doorway. you’re standing in between your older sister and younger brother, waving at him. his heart skips a beat. your social media postings don’t do you enough justice; you’re even more attractive that the pixels he’s spent hours staring at. 

you still have that ever-present smile on your face and you quickly break-off from your family to bound over to him. without even thinking, his arms close around you as you embrace him tightly. you feel so familiar and he doesn’t want to let you go as you part. evidently, you don’t either as you keep him close still, only leaning away to look at him. “you’re so tall,” you laugh, more shyly you add, “and very handsome.”

this time, sakusa thinks his heart stops. 

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Social media needs (dumpster) fire exits

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

https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/14/fire-exits/#graceful-failure-modes

Of course you should do everything you can to prevent fires – and also, you should build fire exits, because no matter how hard you try, stuff burns. That includes social media sites.

Social media has its own special form of lock-in: we use social media sites to connect with friends, family members, community members, audiences, comrades, customers…people we love, depend on, and care for. Gathering people together is a profoundly powerful activity, because once people are in one place, they can do things: plan demonstrations, raise funds, organize outings, start movements. Social media systems that attract people then attract more people – the more people there are on a service, the more reasons there are to join that service, and once you join the service, you become a reason for other people to join.

Economists call this the "network effect." Services that increase in value as more people use them are said to enjoy "network effects." But network effects are a trap, because services that grow by connecting people get harder and harder to escape.

That's thanks to something called the "collective action problem." You experience the collective action problems all the time, whenever you try and get your friends together to do something. I mean, you love your friends but goddamn are they a pain in the ass: whether it's deciding what board game to play, what movie to see, or where to go for a drink afterwards, hell is truly other people. Specifically, people that you love but who stubbornly insist on not agreeing to do what you want to do.

You join a social media site because of network effects. You stay because of the collective action problem. And if you leave anyway, you will experience "switching costs." Switching costs are all the things you give up when you leave one product or service and join another. If you leave a social media service, you lose contact with all the people you rely on there.

Social media bosses know all this. They play a game where they try to enshittify things right up to the point where the costs they're imposing on you (with ads, boosted content, undermoderation, overmoderation, AI slop, etc) is just a little less than the switching costs you'd have to bear if you left. That's the revenue maximization strategy of social media: make things shittier for you to make things better for the company, but not so shitty that you go.

The more you love and need the people on the site, the harder it is for you to leave, and the shittier the service can make things for you.

How cursed is that?

But digital technology has an answer. Because computers are so marvelously, miraculously flexible, we can create emergency exits between services so when they turn into raging dumpster fires, you can hit the crash-bar and escape to a better service.

For example, in 2006, when Facebook decided to open its doors to the public – not just college kids with .edu addresses – they understood that most people interested in social media already had accounts on Myspace, a service that had sold to master enshittifier Rupert Murdoch the year before. Myspace users were champing at the bit to leave, but they were holding each other hostage.

To resolve this hostage situation, Facebook gave prospective Myspace users a bot that would take their Myspace login and password and impersonate them on Myspace, scraping all the messages their stay-behind friends had posted for them. These would show up in your Facebook inbox, and when you replied to them, the bot would log back into Myspace as you and autopilot those messages into your outbox, so they'd be delivered to your friends there.

No switching costs, in other words: you could use Facebook and still talk to your Myspace friends, without using Myspace. Without switching costs, there was no collective action problem, because you didn't all have to leave at once. You could trickle from Myspace to Facebook in ones and twos, and stay connected to each other.

Of course, that trickle quickly became a flood. Network effects are a double-edged sword: if you're only stuck to a service because of the people there, then if those people go, there's no reason for you to stick around. The anthropologist danah boyd was able to watch this from the inside, watching Myspace's back-end as whole groups departed en masse:

When I started seeing the disappearance of emotionally sticky nodes, I reached out to members of the MySpace team to share my concerns and they told me that their numbers looked fine. Active uniques were high, the amount of time people spent on the site was continuing to grow, and new accounts were being created at a rate faster than accounts were being closed. I shook my head; I didn’t think that was enough. A few months later, the site started to unravel.

https://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2022/12/05/what-if-failure-is-the-plan.html

Social media bosses hate the idea of fire exits. For social media enshittifiers, the dumpster fire is a feature, not a bug. If users can escape the minute you turn up the heat, how will you cook them alive?

Facebook nonconsensually hacked fire exits into Myspace and freed all of Rupert Murdoch's hostages. Fire exits represents a huge opportunity for competitors – or at least they did, until the motley collection of rules we call "IP" was cultivated into a thicket that made doing unto Facebook as Facebook did unto Myspace a felony:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

When Elon Musk set fire to Twitter, people bolted for the exits. The safe harbor they sought out at first was Mastodon, and a wide variety of third party friend-finder services popped up to help Twitter refugees reassemble their networks on Mastodon. All departing Twitter users had to do was put their Mastodon usernames in their bios. The friend-finder services would use the Twitter API to pull the bios of everyone you followed and then automatically follow their Mastodon handles for you. For a couple weeks there, I re-ran a friend-finder service every couple days, discovering dozens and sometimes hundreds of friends in the Fediverse.

Then, Elon Musk shut down the API – bricking up the fire exit. For a time there, Musk even suspended the accounts of Twitter users who mentioned the existence of their Mastodon handles on the platform – the "free speech absolutist" banned millions of his hostages from shouting "fire exit" in a burning theater:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/martineparis/2022/12/17/elon-musk-bans-journalists-on-twitter-as-more-flee-to-mastodon-heres-who-to-follow/

Mastodon is a nonprofit, federated service built on a open standards. Anyone can run a Mastodon server, and the servers all talk to each other. This is like email – you can use your Gmail account to communicate with friends who have Outlook accounts. But when you change email servers, you have to manually email everyone in your contact list to get them to switch over, while Mastodon has an automatic forwarding service that switches everyone you follow, and everyone who follows you, onto a new server. This is more like cellular number-porting, where you can switch from Verizon to T-Mobile and keep your phone number, so your friends don't have to care about which network your phone is on, they just call you and reach you.

This federation with automatic portability is the fire exit of all fire exits. It means that when your server turns into a dumpster fire, you can quit it and go somewhere else and lose none of your social connections – just a couple clicks gets you set up on a server run by someone you trust more or like better than the boss on your old server. And just as with real-world fire exits, you can use this fire exit in non-emergency ways, too – like maybe you just want to hang out on a server that runs faster, or whose users you like more, or that has a cooler name. Click-click-click, and you're in the new place. Change your mind? No problem – click-click-click, and you're back where you started.

This doesn't just protect you from dumpster fires, it's also a flame-retardant, reducing the likelihood of conflagration. A server admin who is going through some kind of enraging event (whomst amongst us etc etc) knows that if they do something stupid and gross to their users, the users can bolt for the exits. That knowledge increases the volume on the quiet voice of sober second thought that keeps us from flying off the handle. And if the admin doesn't listen to that voice? No problem: the fire exit works as an exit – not just as a admin-pacifying measure.

Any public facility should be built with fire exits. Long before fire exits were a legal duty, they were still a widely recognized good idea, and lots of people installed them voluntarily. But after horrorshows like the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, fire exits became a legal obligation. Today, the EU's Digital Markets Act imposes a requirement on large platforms to stand up interoperable APIs so that users can quit their services and go to a rival without losing contact with the people they leave behind – it's the world's first fire exit regulation for online platforms.

It won't be the last. Existing data protection laws like California's CCPA, which give users a right to demand copies of their data, arguably impose a duty on Mastodon server hosts to give users the data-files they need to hop from one server to the next. This doesn't just apply to the giant companies that are captured by the EU's DMA (which calls them "very large online platforms," or "VLOPS" – hands-down my favorite weird EU bureaucratic coinage of all time). CCPA would capture pretty much any server hosted in California and possibly and server with Californian users.

Which is OK! It's fine to tell small coffee-shops and offices with three desks that they need a fire exit, provided that installing that fire exit doesn't cost so much to install and maintain that it makes it impossible to run a small business or nonprofit or hobby. A duty to hand over your users' data files isn't a crushing compliance burden – after all, the facility for exporting that file comes built into Mastodon, so all a Mastodon server owner has to do to comply is not turn that facility off. What's more, if there's a dispute about whether a Mastodon server operator has provided a user with the file, we can resolve it by simply asking the server operator to send another copy of the file, or, in extreme cases, to provide a regulator with the file so that they can hand it to the user.

This is a great fire exit design. Fire exits aren't a substitute for making buildings less flammable, but they're a necessity, no matter how diligent the building's owner is about fire suppression. People are right to be pissed off about platform content moderation and content moderation at scale is effectively impossible:

https://www.techdirt.com/2019/11/20/masnicks-impossibility-theorem-content-moderation-scale-is-impossible-to-do-well/

The pain of bad content moderation is not evenly distributed. Typically, the people who get it worst are disfavored minorities with little social power and large cadres of organized bad actors who engage in coordinated harassment campaigns. Ironically, these people also rely more on one another for support (because they are disfavored, disadvantaged, and targeted) than the median user, which means they pay higher switching costs when they leave a platform and lose one another. That means that the people who suffer the worst from content moderation failures are also the people whom a platform can afford to fail most egregiously without losing their business.

It's the "Fiddler on the Roof" problem: sure, the villagers of Anatevka get six kinds of shit kicked out of them by cossacks every 15 minutes, but if they leave the shtetl, they'll lose everything they have. Their wealth isn't material. Anatekvans are peasants with little more than the clothes on their back and a storehouse of banging musical numbers. The wealth of Anatevka is social, it's one another. The only thing worse than living in Anatevka is leaving Anatevka, because the collective action problem dictates that once you leave Anatevka, you lose everyone you love:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/29/how-to-leave-dying-social-media-platforms/

Twitter's exodus remains a trickle, albeit one punctuated by the occasional surge when Musk does something particularly odious and the costs of staying come into sharp relief, pushing users to depart. These days, most of these departures are for Bluesky, not Mastodon.

Bluesky, like Mastodon, was conceived of as a federated social service with easy portability between servers that would let users hop from one server to another. The Bluesky codebase and architecture frames out a really ambitious fire-suppression program, with composable, stackable moderation tools and group follow/block lists that make it harder for dumpster fires to break out. I love this stuff: it's innovative in the good sense of "something that makes life better for technology users" (as opposed to the colloquial meaning of "innovative," which is "something that torments locked-in users to make shareholders richer).

But as I said when I opened this essay, "you should do everything you can to prevent fires – and also, you should build fire exits, because no matter how hard to you try, stuff burns."

Bluesky's managers claim they've framed in everything they need to install the fire exits that would let you leave Bluesky and go to a rival server without losing the people you follow and the people who follow you. They've got personal data servers that let you move all your posts. They've got stable, user-controlled identifiers that could maintain connections across federated servers.

But, despite all this, there's no actual fire exits for Bluesky. No Bluesky user has severed all connections with the Bluesky business entity, renounced its terms of service and abandoned their accounts on Bluesky-managed servers without losing their personal connections to the people they left behind.

Those live, ongoing connections to people – not your old posts or your identifiers – impose the highest switching costs for any social media service. Myspace users who were reluctant to leave for the superior lands of Facebook (where, Mark Zuckerberg assured them, they would never face any surveillance – no, really!) were stuck on Rupert Murdoch's sinking ship by their love of one another, not by their old Myspace posts. Giving users who left Myspace the power to continue talking to the users who stayed was what broke the floodgates, leading to the "unraveling" that boyd observed.

Bluesky management has evinced an admirable and (I believe) sincere devotion to their users' wellbeing, and they've amply demonstrated that commitment with capital expenditures on content moderators and tools to allow users to control their own content moderation. They've invested heavily in fire suppression.

But there's still no fire exits on Bluesky. The exits are on the blueprints, they're roughed into the walls, but no one's installed them. Bluesky users' only defense against a dumpster fire is the ongoing goodwill and wisdom of Bluesky management. That's not enough. As I wrote earlier, every social media service where I'm currently locked in by my social connections was founded by someone I knew personally, respected, and liked and respected (and often still like and respect):

https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/02/ulysses-pact/#tie-yourself-to-a-federated-mast

I would love to use Bluesky, not least because I am fast approaching the point where the costs of using Twitter will exceed the benefits. I'm pretty sure that an account on Bluesky would substitute well for the residual value that keeps me glued to Twitter. But the fact that Twitter is such a dumpster fire is why I'm not going to join Bluesky until they install those fire exits. I've learned my lesson: you should never, ever, ever join another service unless they've got working fire exits.

[hahahahawk]

I want a fake person to live in my computer. But not like that.

The neurospicy coping/productivity technique “body doubling” is about seeing someone doing your desired activity helps your executive functioning circuits let you also do the desired activity.

I’m not a scientist about this, I just have a wonky brain that responds well to this (but not working in an open plan office, go figure (that probably has to do with agency and consent, but this is a derail))

Today I tried a utility/tool/“game” called Spirit City: LoFi Sessions. You get an avatar in a cozy apartment, and both avatar and apartment can be customized. You set the lighting/time of day and tell your avatar where to go (“on the bed”, “at the desk”, “on the window seat”, “by the fire”) and what to do (writing, typing, gaming, drawing, meditating, knitting (as a knitter, I judge the knitting animation “not bad”)).

There are lofi-chill out music playlists in the “game” and rudimentary productivity tools like a todo list, a habit tracker, a pompodoro timer, and a “journal” feature.

The gamification is earning coins (by logging in, having the app open, and using the productivity tools) to buy different furniture/clothes and following hints to find new wacky pets.

I’ve spent about 15 years obsessing over productivity tools and techniques, so that side of the utility did nothing for me. I pay for Spotify, so the included music did nothing for me (the songs were pleasant, but repeated too soon for my liking, and I wasn’t interested in manually switching the playlist every 40 minutes). Dress up/decorating does nothing for me.

Needless to say, I got a refund pretty quickly.

Well, I did… but not without some hesitation because holy shit the body doubling aspect did something for me. At a few junctures in the hour-ish I had the program open, I looked over from my main project, saw my avatar typing away at their desk and thought “hell yeah, we’re getting stuff done” then went back to my project without doing any random googling or checking social media.

I considered keeping the “game” just for that aspect, but

The window didn’t fit well on my vertical monitor

The avatar wouldn’t change tasks/take breaks without my input

I would *so much* love to have a CG avatar in the corner* of my screen that would have its own pompodoro timer and mostly spend 5 hours typing on their laptop in a variety of locations, but also model “get up and stretch/snack/drink water” for me.

The interaction I’d want to have with this avatar:

Patting them on the head to tell them they’re going a good job.

I do *not* want that behavior reciprocated to me because I refuse to be complimented by inanimate objects (or people who don’t know what they’re ‘complimenting’)

Them suggesting I take a break whenever they do

Me notifying them when I start a break/get back to work. (I do a lot of flow state work and usually prefer flexible breaks rather than scheduled ones)

I will accept feedback (and data exports) about my working/taking a break patterns

—-

* I think the large default window was both a blessing and a curse for Spirit City. It allowed the avatar to be big enough to feel like a person in an environment instead of a stick figure in a box. But I don’t actually have a lot of screen real estate to give over. So it’s be nice if the program handled being odd window sizes better.

Anyway, Rusty’s Retirement is an idle game that doesn’t scratch the body double itch (though it might if you identify as a robot), but it is a calm farming game that is designed to only take up a strip along the bottom/side of your monitor and it’s been much better for my productivity. It’s great for the occasional quick hit of dopamine (bring it to the front, plant some crops, queue some bot upgrades, put it away again), and also useful for short breaks. On those longer short breaks, I make larger functional and aesthetic changes to my farm, but it generally takes less than five minutes to catch up/run out of content. After that I’m generally ready to jump back into work, and if I’m not it’s usually a sign I need to stand up and take care of some other needs.

[vulpes-aestatis]

The door opens. I'm expecting like a swat team or something, but it's not. It's just a woman in a crisp white pantsuit. Everything about her is perfect - her hair, her makeup, her nails.

Maybe she's my lawyer?

"Hello... Ion, is it?" she says in a slight accent that I can't quite place. "My name is Janice, I'm with super hero media relations."

Not a lawyer.

"Uh... am I not under arrest?"

"Technically no," she replies. "Lucky for you, the ratings on your fights are through the roof. I'm here to explain to you how this all works."

I blink.

"But I robbed a bank," I reply.

It's actually been a couple banks by now, but I don't wanna give that away if they don't already know about them.

"Yes, you also exposed a massive corporate embezzlement scheme and donated most of the money to charity. People love an anti-hero."

She opens the manilla folder she's holding and examines the contents.

"Just look at your social media," she continues. "You have thousands of followers on... Tumblr."

She says the word like it's cursed.

It's true... the followers part, I mean (although I guess the cursed part might also be true). Last I checked, @super-ion had over 13,000 followers. A lot of those are probably bots, but who's counting? The important part are the eleven rainbow checkmarks next to my name.

I suddenly realize that I now have an opportunity that I simply can't pass up.

"Ion doesn't have any social media," I tell her with a straight face.

She stares at me like I'm completely out of my mind.

Original story

[doodlenoodleboi]

I don't understand why you put a bunch of random tags for things, like you say it's for exposure but that's not how tags are supposed to work, you say that it's fine cause so many other people do it but it just clogs the tag, I know you say to ignore it but when it's in the tag of smaller fandoms it just floods the tag with unrelated things. I am not trying to be rude but I just don't think tagging like this is ideal. Love your fics though im sorry but I just needed to ask this.

I’m sorry, but my family used to work in a lot of social media companies. They specialize in advertisement and such but besides that. If delicious and dungeons, Is trending and you put a tag under that you’re more likely to get more reach given the fact that that tag is popular. Obviously this tag is popular because people like delicious and dungeon and it’s either new or been on the rise because of something. (That simply how trends work. From a business standpoint)

Now I like let’s say blooming panic blooming panic and a lot of other visual novel games aren’t as popular as let’s say resident evil. Given the fact that you are noticing my tags and you have to look for the tags under more. I’m guessing you’ve been pulled in by the other tags, not related to it or not.

I like delicious in dungeon I also like booming panic, a lot of people know don’t follow the tag of blooming panic but they do follow a tag of delicious and dungeon. People can simply ignore my blog of course because it doesn’t catch your interest or simply not looking for. People that like delicious and dungeon and blooming panic are going to click on mine. Because they like delicious and dungeon and Blooming panic. (it also might encourage them to follow the tag)

I also like delicious and dungeon and blooming panic. I mean, of course I could’ve put something like error 143 which I do because it’s also another visual novel and the creators, I think know each other or something. Most people that played Error 143 played Blooming panic.

Oh yeah and I know this works and I have results because I’ve done this in less than 24 hours and I already got comments and requests. Also, if one person does it it’s not gonna flood the entire entire tag. I promise you that. I also think you’re misunderstanding this because I do works for a small fandoms when I do this and put them under bigger fandoms which obviously is going to overwhelm my small post but it does get people that like both of those things to like my content. One post amongst 1000 post are not going to do anything. If it was the opposite and 1000 post of a big fandom overwhelmed a small fandom then of course the fandom would be lost. But of course, that wouldn’t happen because the name of a small fandom tends to be less known therefore thousands of people would not know about it to tag it and the fandom would not be small.

Btw Thank you for genuinely asking and not being rude about it like other people have! <3 I’d rather not be cursed out because of a simple tag that takes a second to ignore. I’m sure you have seen a porn bot with 100 non-related tags and ignore those all the time.

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Tony Stark’s Daughter (The Teenage Years)

Tony Stark x daughter!reader

warnings:

a/n: this is LONG so please dont let this flop

prompt: y/n is 12-16, takes place from Avengers 1 to Avengers 2

The Early Years (1) The Intense Years (3) The Aftermath (4) Continued (5)

starting out with tony powering stark tower with clean energy:

it was very late, you were supposed to be asleep

“what are you doing up, missy? it’s way past your bedtime”

“it’s my fault, i let her stay up to see her dad’s big achievement” -pepper

just vibing on the couch with absolutely no intention of sleeping anytime soon

you really did take after your dad

“how was the show, sweetheart?”

“uh, cool?”

coulson showing up when he did

you were excited bc you knew he had to be there for superhero stuff

“hi, agent coulson!!”

“hey there, kiddo!

BEGGING to come with your dad

“no. absolutely not. there is absolutely no way im letting you get involved in any of this”

you got involved

but like, not the whole “im a 12 year old superhero” involved

“y/n, sweetie, this is dr. banner, you’re gonna be his assistant in the lab!”

“—what?” *bruce utterly shocked*

talking that man’s ear off oh my GOD

he taught you a few things along the way, though

it ended up being very educational

“yeah i built my own suit! it’s definitely not as cool as my dad’s...and he put a bunch of safety controls on it. obviously, i could bypass them and do whatever i wanted, but it’s best not to break his trust, you know?”

“you are astonishingly wise for a 12 year old”

bruce being kind of scared around you because he thinks he could hurt you

also scared you might hurt yourself on the scepter

CASUALLY talking to the rest of the avengers

“so, you’re stark’s daughter? now i’ve met three generations of starks.” -steve

“oh, wonderful, there’s a smaller one!” -thor

“hey, y/n, it’s good to see you again. still practicing those moves i showed you?” -natasha

listennnn as you got older you started to exert more of your father’s personality traits

you developed his sarcastic and occasionally ill-timed humor...and

YOU WERE COCKY AS FUCK

“i mean, i’m not saying that i’m better than you but i know you’re thinking it”

when the helicarrier was attacked nobody really knew the correct way to protect you

“dad? dad??”

“right here, y/n, come with me”

tony brought your suit for emergency purposes

“you put this on and you stay here, understand?”

oh, another thing you got from him? NOT LISTENING

helping where you could, the first step to becoming a superhero, right?

being really upset when coulson died

but understanding that it was apart of the job

going back to new york for some alien ass kicking and having the whole team check on you every thirty seconds

“y/n, how’s it going?” “stark junior, are you doing okay?” “need any help out there, kid?”

“you guys don’t have to babysit me” “i’m still kickin’ it, thanks”

tony calling right before he went through the wormhole

“hey sweetheart, just gotta let you know that i love you and i am so proud of everything you’ve done”

the avengers holding you back from him when he fell back to the ground because you were unreasonably worried for obvious reasons

“is he breathing? steve? steve, let me see him! JARVIS, are you there?”

falling on the ground and hugging him (with your clunky-ass armor still on)

“hey! yeah, i missed you too”

*clink clink* pat on the back

schwarma stop

“you’re gonna eat it and you’re gonna like it”

having your own input on the stark tower remodel

taking a slight pause for random stuff

you’ve definitely drawn his mustache/goatee on your face before

“please tell me that’s not permanent marker”

“it’s permanent marker”

you and pepper doing mother/daughter things for bonding (but you and her already had a great relationship)

unreasonable amount of cussing from your father has rubbed off onto you and now he doesn’t notice when you say bad words

natasha taught you how to shoot so that was cool

“if i can shoot a repulsor, i think i can shoot a gun”

“whatever you say, baby stark”

obviously the team is just a bunch of protective uncles and an aunt

“i miss [insert avenger here]”

resume to iron man 3

just tinkering in the shop with pops

“are you sure that’s safe, dad?”

“duh, why wouldn’t it be safe?”

you were right and it was not safe

sometimes you proved your dad wrong and it made him happy?

“well would you look at that, you’re right”

learning how to help your dad with his anxiety and panic attacks

the house in malibu got blown up and your dad disappeared

you were benched by pepper effective immediately

“don’t you think it would be better if i were still out there? someone has to be out there and...i don’t know, protect the people?”

“y/n, please, you’re still a kid. i can excuse fighting aliens but i draw the line at terrorism”

“you can excuse fighting aliens??”

pepper sent you to a different house and hired a...babysitter

zip zip zip its AOU time yall remember the beginning of that at the hydra base

*explosion* “oh, shit! didn’t mean to do that...”

“watch your language, y/n!” -cap

“don’t tell my daughter what to do!”

having an external monologue that everyone just kind of rolls with

“glad i put a heater in this suit” “anyone up for burgers?” *humming Eye of the Tiger*

going back to the lab with tony and bruce and being very uncomfortable with the idea of ultron

“okay dad, you know how im usually right?”

“lighten up, kiddo. remember what i taught you about trial and error? this is a learning experience”

*bruce and you side eying*

“i’ll ground you”

“what?!”

“kidding, im kidding”

a lot of kid jokes from other partygoers

“isnt it past your bedtime”

“very funny”

actually dressing up nice for a change, as opposed to an oil-stained band tee

but then ur outfit was ruined because you had to shoot murder bots :(

“not cool! i designed this room!”

tony still got all the blame for ultron while you and bruce went 😬

tony made a joke about ultron being your brother and you didn’t talk to him for hours

“oh, come on! you have to learn to laugh at your mistakes!”

“poor choice of words, stark” -literally everyone

🎶getting to see your worst feaaar🎶

which was a mixture between tony not surviving the wormhole and being abandoned and vulnerable again

your phone got confiscated “because of ultron”

meeting wanda and pietro on better terms

“you are stark’s daughter?”

“um, yeah, that’s me. i sincerely apologize for anything he’s ever done wrong while i’ve been alive”

actually getting along with them (plus you were in a similar age range)

“uncle rhodey!!!”

“staying out of trouble, i hope?”

“define ‘trouble’”

okay okay, enough of that. besides a few robots hitting you and you hitting harder...and ultron taking a couple personal jabs at you after accessing some of your social media accounts...it went back to normal(ish)

you made a friend of wanda and visited the avengers compound weekly and helped with training

and nat gave you some spy pointers to help you if you ever found yourself without the suit

when you left the compound after thor that day, you had some nice father/daughter time

“why don’t i give you a driving lesson, yeah?”

“you’re gonna trust me to drive this thing?”

“sure, why not?”

you drove very fast, wonder where you learned that from

he was clasping onto the seats and whispering curse words

“next time, you can drive with happy”

[darkdeltakai]

“Can manhwa ever be as popular as manga?” -A Question from Quora

I couldn’t submit my answer for one reason or another, but I spent a lot of time writing it so I’m throwing it in the Tumblr Archives.

“Can manhwa ever be as popular as manga?”

But isn’t it?

I won’t look up and show statistics and such. This answer just comes straight from what I’ve observed in the country/state where I’m from.

And where I’m from, more people definitely read manhwa and webtoons than they do manga. And the reasons are pretty obvious.

(Shoutout to CurtRichy from “Get in the Robot”/”Beyond the Bot”, he has a very popular "Anime you can't watch in public" series on YouTube.)

If I was in public and was watching, let’s say, “Kill la Kill”, I would instantly be labeled, and honestly? Probably be reported depending on where I am and how many people can see it. No matter how good or cool I think the story and animation are, that’s just not the issue here.

A lot of Japanese media is heavily sexualized, and sometimes for absolutely no reason. The small number of female anime fans who find wardrobe malfunctions, unrealistic proportions, and jiggle physics “entertaining” is dwindling and fast.

I can’t remember the name of the anime, but for Valentine's Day, my university Anime Club had an event where singles and couples could all come to watch romantic animes together. They went all-in with decorations, games, candy, and more. Normally the club would carefully review the animes in advance before blasting them across those large lecture room projectors. But this time, someone screwed up. The anime we ended up viewing was about some yandere chick kidnapping a little boy for salacious intentions.

Oof...

We had an unusually high turnout that night of about 30 or so people, and it was a great way to socialize and introduce more people to the world of anime/manga. And we lost 90% of them 30 minutes into the event. It wasn't an "H-anime", but it was still pretty disturbing and walked a very thin line. Luckily, no administrators or deans were present and no one was reported...

I also have another funny story about a 10-year-old(?) kid trying to get his dad to let him buy manga and watch anime at an anime merch store. But TLDR, the dad’s first exposure to manga was Peter Grill. Tough break, kid… See ya in a few more years.

Manhwa, on the other hand, is very tame and appeals to larger demographics. The “free-to-read” and “read-online” formats only make it that much easier to access.

A large number of friends who I thought had no interest in comics or manga all have Webtoon downloaded on their phones. Last year I went to a birthday party with a dozen or so friends and strangers, and come around 8:30 p.m., half of our phones went off at the same time. We all looked at each other and realized it was the Webtoon app. It was a pretty good laugh and a long discussion about what we were reading.

Shockingly, at least to me, most of the guys (who didn’t seem like the type) were reading stuff like “Lore Olympus” and “Cursed Princess Club” while the girls were reading everything from that to “The Boxer” and “Sweet Home”. Some of them aren’t Korean manhwas, but still.

I’m constantly recommending manga to my anime/manga friends, I’m pretty much the “manga guy” in my friend groups. No matter how much I recommend “Terraformars” or “Killing Bites” to those who I KNOW would love it, those black and white pages for 14.99$ (or incomplete to read free online with “You won’t last 5 seconds playing this game” ads) would just be put aside for “later”. But if I bring up the colorful “Jungle Juice” that’s being updated on a reliable schedule and free-to-read right now on a popular mobile app?

It’s no contest.

I think a lot more people are opting out of all the shonen, large “plot”, and Isekai manga stories, and getting into the deeper/emotional and more varied stories manhwas have to offer.

It’s happening slowly but surely.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hello princess/prince! Good day for you! Can you do a headcanon with Heartslabyul boys? What if they had instagram? What would they post, what would their username be? And how many followers would they have? Thank you! 💙

Greetings, my dear.

Fufu. Royalty, am I? What is a prince or a princess if they do not have the support of their people--or in this case, their readers? Nothing.

For your request, I am going to use MagiCam in place of Instagram since they seem to be similar platforms.

Please enjoy.

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Riddle Rosehearts...

...uses social media as another means to impose his rose-clad rule.

He summoned Trey and Cater to show him how to use “this confounding platform”.

Trey helped Riddle with setting up the account and password while Cater tried to advise the dorm leader on maintaining a “profile aesthetic”. Riddle had waved off such nonsense.

His account is RiddleRosehearts05, though he was super annoyed that he couldn’t just be “Riddle Rosehearts”. Cater and Trey had to explain to him that other people may have claimed his preferred username before him, which just made Riddle even more annoyed.

The thing that annoys Riddle the most is that hashtags don’t follow normal spelling, punctuation, and grammar rules. He gets so infuriated when he has to tag his posts that he just simplifies tags to a few words each to make it simple. This makes Cater shake his head and sigh.

Riddle makes all of the Heartslabyul students follow his account for updates on dorm activities and reminders to do their work.

He only follows “informative” accounts, like those that share the news or are associated with reputable organizations (such as the official Night Raven College MagiCam account).

He’s terrible at taking pictures; they come out all blurry or somehow have his finger stuck in the frame and obscuring a section of the photo.

Riddle goes around liking and sharing pictures of tarts and other sweets like crazy. That’s the only thing that looks out of place on his feed.

Trey Clover...

...was amused when Cater told him he should make a MagiCam account. He wasn’t against the idea and thought it would be fun to try out.

His account is “Cooking with a Clover” (his posts are mostly baking, but Trey thought the phrase “cooking” sounded snappier).

Regular posts include pictures of the fresh strawberry tart he just pulled out of the oven, videos of him icing tiered cakes, tips on decorating, etc.

Riddle spam likes all of them even though Trey laughs and tells him it’s fine, why like the photos and pictures when Riddle can sample the real thing any time he wants?

His desserts look so mouthwatering that quite a few of his posts go viral. He stands at a few hundred thousand. (According to Riddle, it would--and should!--be even more if they could actually taste Trey’s work.)

Unfortunately, Trey’s videos often get reposted or put into baking compilation videos without his consent or giving him any credit. This makes Riddle very angry (he offers to find the perpetrators to punish them), but Trey is too nice and tells his friend to let it go.

Trey follows a handful of other accounts on baking and cooking tips, as well as accounts for...dental hygiene.

Cater Diamond...

...is already a MagiCam sensation!

Last he checked, he had a little over 500,000 followers! One day Cater hopes he can have as many as Vil’s 5 million follower count.

If Cater’s username is not directly stated in TW, I’d like to think his account name is something like “Diamond in the Rough” because Disney, and it sounds catchy.

He’s the type to post about whatever catches his eye while somehow still maintaining a cohesive and pleasing aesthetic. Also, he totally gets sponsorships. On the weekends, he’s mostly showing off the cute cafes and restaurants he goes to.

Cater knows how to manipulate a hashtag to fit an algorithm and how to frame a situation for the most clickbaity thumbnails.

He selectively follows big and trending fashion, food, and lifestyle accounts (including Vil-senpai’s, of course!). Cater also follows those he knows in real life so he can stay up to date about their lives--and sometimes drag them into his shenanigans as guests on his account.

Occasionally he will do something very dumb, like a questionable viral challenge.

Cater fanboys soooo much about Vil, he’s so active on Vil’s MagiCam account.

Sometimes Cater posts on his kouhais’ accounts to point out things to them (especially how Riddle is “misusing” his MagiCam account), even when they’re in the same room in real life.

Deuce Space...

...calls himself “bluech!ckadee” online. A very soft, simple name for a soft, simple boy that loves and cares for chicks. The random ! in the middle is a callback to his delinquent days, referencing censors for curse words like “sh!t”.

He hovers around 50ish followers, but every so often he drops below that when MagiCam sweeps around to delete bots.

Deuce loves liking and sharing cute animal photos and videos. He rarely ever posts his own stuff, but he loves to comment on posts--it helps him feel like he’s staying super connected with his friends, even if they are far away.

He follows all of his friends and liberally follows accounts of various genres. His list of accounts that he follows is in the thousands now--but Deuce thinks it’s important to be well-rounded and learn from all kinds of sources!

Ace Trappola...

...would have a shitpost username from the early 2000′s, something like “xXxAc3/0f\H3artzxXx”. It suits him.

He posts memes and dumb things that come to mind.

Also, Ace is responsible for reposting Trey’s work and making baking compilation videos with Trey’s clips without crediting him.

Ace loves getting involved in internet drama just to give his two cents.

He’ll slide into people’s DMs and pester them until he inevitably gets blocked.

Ace got reported to MagiCam many times for being a “public nuisance” and “disturbing the peace”. In his defense, he claims you can’t have fun without a little chaos. He’ll just make a new account to start the cycle again.

Because of that, Ace never racks up many followers and never really follows any other accounts. He anticipates that his shitpost accounts will be deleted eventually, so why bother becoming attached to one of them?

[tiernamente]

Hello! 💫✨💛 This is the love bot! I am here to ask you to describe your mutuals as your favorite things/feelings! Spread some love during these tough times 💛✨💫 Then send this to 10 people and keep the love going 💛

This is gonna be a long list cause I have a lot of love to share!🥺💖💖💖

@chaylani nerdy memorabilia, cuddles with my pets (Benji and Mochi) & good morning messages 

Elle, my love, my adorable dork, my one and only. Am I writing a love poem? (maybe) I remember when you first messaged me and we realized that we’re both really nerdy. We’ve bonded over our shared interests which resulted in our strong bond. I trusted you instantaneously and you make me all soft which is why I can’t see my life without you now. 

@khaleesionjupiter my obsession of plushies, blankets & mugs

My baby! Whenever I receive a message from you, I get this instant feeling of wanting to hug you and protect you. Nothing can stop us from fulfilling our evil mad scientists plans. You crack me up and make me smile so fast that it’s crazy. Thank you for being you.

@do-you-know-bts deep talks with friends & warm cups of coffee

Helena, we both now that our sleep schedules suck but at 4am the thoughts just come rolling out. I’m glad to have someone who understands the bad moments just as much as the good. You give me comfort even if you give me a heart attack from all the 2seok content. (Keep it coming please!)

@shadowdevilsslayer nature/landscape photography & fresh baked goods

I know you hate the name but I love seeing Abi’s adventures (even if it’s the same path). I enjoy seeing nature’s beauty in any shape or form and you live in a place that’s surrounded by green!!!!!! You may be more reserved but your caring nature shines through. Thank you for being that mom friend we need.

@zamisriza-the-resurrection board game nights with friends

Zami!!!!! You’re so adorable and funny. Your love for Jungkook makes me all types of soft. You’re just like during a game night, were things start off calm but get chaotic as time progresses. I love that about you!

@glossyvante oranges, mangoes, watermelons & strawberries!

Lovely Mica! You’re such a sweet soul just like my favorite fruits haha. Thank you for letting me get some sneak peaks of your story. (I hope I get to see more of your works soon!) Also thanks for dealing with my crackhead snaps because I’m such a dummy. 

@alittlesugaorspice tea & biscuits (this opportunity was too good, sorry!)

The absolute best person to roast Helena with me! Thank you Li for putting us all together. You make me laugh so hard when we’re on a call and you have such funny stories to share. You’re gonna be an amazing veterinarian! 

@d-rex03 blasting music in my room & having my own jam session

Querida, you already know I love you so so so much! You’re the cutest little bean and I enjoy sending you random Yoongi related posts. You two are so similar that it makes sense why you love him. (But I still love you more!) Te quiero muchisimo chapina!

@dreamyeyes26 watching my favorite youtubers/random videos online

Naz! I love speaking with you when I get the chance to because you’re so calming and comforting (just like the videos I watch haha). You make me happy just by being there. I hope you continue to take care of yourself and I love you!  

@ahh–lexia daydreaming with headphones in during a road trip

The homieeee Lex! I love how we’re both so damn loud. That crackhead energy really makes itself known. You’re easy to talk to and laugh with. I love seeing your creative side because it’s really cool! 

@hobissunshiness the feeling of starting a new book/show/series

You’re like a breath of fresh air Sofie. I love reading the stories you come up with or hearing about your ideas. Your mind is so powerful and I want to encourage all of your ideas (even if some of them are cursed). 

@napofamikrokosmos learning random facts about things

I found it super funny when I realized how we just have random knowledge about things. Google who? I only know Sam. You get super passionate about stuff and I absolutely love that about you. Keep doing what you’re doing sweetie!

@billie-harper discovering new music & getting obsessed with the artist

I love seeing your posts because I’ll notice we’ll share a lot of similar interests. It’s really exciting to see how much we have in common. You’re really kind and I would love to talk to you more. (Suho’s album is TOO GOOD FOR WORDS!)

@jayhoee creating handmade gifts for my friend’s birthdays

The meme queen Kaite! I love how we got into bts at the same time and that we both haven't been to a concert (freaking corona ruining our time to shine). Keep those memes coming Kaite. They're essential in this time of need.

@liamgayllagher the smell of my mom’s cooking/any home cooked meal 

My twin! You're such an extreme version of me and that's saying something. I love how enthusiastic and loud you can get over things you love. Please continue that and I enjoy all the lovely messages you send me.

@the-assembly-call receiving memes from friends on social media

Overalls!!!!! You're so smol and cute and you make me laugh alot with your memes. You're a wonderful human being and I'm glad to have met you.

@dearmyxing soundtracks, soundtracks, soundtracks! (games/movies/etc.)

The Queen when it comes to being a fangirl. I bow to you and respect you. You’re so damn cool to talk to Mary Jane. Thank you for being so awesome. Also, I promise I’ll get around to watching the prodigal son. If not, just yell at me until I do.

@jxnaexo warm hugs, smiles & laughs

Nana! Like I've said before, you're so wholesome and caring and considerate about everyone. You care so much about us and I couldn't be more grateful to have you as a friend. I will fight anyone for you!

@soondaengie finding bright clothing with cool patterns

Omg kiddo you make me laugh so much because of the theories you have or the stories you share. You're bright and passionate and so cute!

@uibout tiramisu & coffee ice cream

This is a cop out because I actually do love tiramisu! You made me wheeze when you sent me those drunk posts. I'll always be your dweeb. (I love you Logan. Also, you jerk you didn't tell me you switched your url, I had to search for you!)

@gukssunshine that feeling of solving homework problems correctly

I love that we can complain about school to each other. You’re so honest and sweet with me and I love you so much Tanya. I love your energy when you talk about random things.

@zombiewerewolfqueen earrings, eyeshadow palettes, nail polish art

I have basic lobe earrings but yours looked so cool when you showed it to me. I don’t do makeup myself but I enjoy seeing the colors and designs people will do. Similar to that, I love seeing how creative you are with your writing even if I don’t understand the context.

@kiwipitupandstir winning on mario kart

You're such a cool person and I absolutely love seeing your posts on my feed. I wish you the best bud. Stay true and stay cool.

@notreyoon flowers, gardens, all aesthetically pleasing things

Ah yes the superior Leslie, you’re just as precious as yoongles. Whenever I see your blog I'm like, how is a human this stunning?!?!?! Like girl, show me your secrets! Sending you my love!

@clickclacktothemangmang museums/observatories/spontaneous adventures

I miss you my fellow funky little Hobi lover. It was so nice to talk to you about the random things bts would be releasing last year or the shows they were doing. You're so adorable and I hope you continue to shine bright!

@majestikblue listening to stories about people/life (post secret/humans of new york/etc.)

Ah yes my taegi buddy. Thank you for showing me post secret because I haven't been the same since. I love stories and you encouraged that. Continue to yell about taegi to me and I will continue to yell about 2seok to you.

@galaxiejoon ​going to bed after a long day

My fellow nam2seok enthusiast. Unfortunately, we don’t talk much but whenever I see your tags on posts, I crack up so hard. You’re so relatable so just keep doing what you’re doing bud.

I love you all! And to all of my other mutuals I haven’t had the chance to talk to, please know that I love you too! I promise I’m nice???? 

🥺🥺💕💕😘😘 sending y'all my love

[interstellactic-studios]

Howdy guys! I have some news today for y'all, just a small update on some stuff but I'd appreciate it if y'all who still exist here would read!

Here's a watercolor piece I finished recently uwu sorry for not posting here often anymore, tumblr mobile is how I mainly accessed tumblr and it's like super shitty.

Even after I switched from apple to Samsung when I got a new phone back in July, so I've hopped around a little and I think I'm going to officially start using Instagram a bit more. I'll still post here occasionally for y'all who don't have Instagram and are too lazy to make one though so don't worry XD

Ok so now to some important news! If any of my mutuals have dms with me or people who actually contacted me (unlike some who basically haven't talked to me since they made a request which is a bummer) about request have dms open then message me on whether or not you have an Instagram so we can maybe do more stuff there? ^_^" I'm not joking about tumblr mobile going to shit for me: notifications don't work like at all and are super janky, my dms are oddly changing order even though I haven't touched some in a long time, and sometimes I cant even make post cause the button just poofs even when I close and reopen the app >_<" if I have a dm with you or y'all have wondered why I keep dying, when I started using tumblr less is when these problems started. I literally am having technical problems that carried over to a completely new and different branded phone than my old one. I'm sure I'm not the only one here with these kinds of issues, and of course now most of my notifs are literally pron bots following me or liking random old ass post of mine.

I'm super disappointed in what's happened to tumblr tbh since I didn't think this hellsite could actually get worse ._. Except now it's in quality too rather than just a bunch of its content. I'll stick around because the tumblr website itself still works pretty decently for me, but I'm not on my laptop for media as much so activity will be slowed until I can figure out how to rise from the grave permanently oof. Also irl life has also kept me super busy and my art time is restricted to school sketchbook doodles. This art here is literally art I did for my AP class and i put many days of at home work into it as school days =_=""" I'm hella tired. Good news is you'll guys probably can see more improvement on my art since I am taking 3 art classes and I'm gonna try and post my work from those at least.

Also I know I've typed a bunch so I apologize for the long ass message most of y'all probably won't read and probably won't even see tbh, but I got one more very important thing to say. Everyone who has dropped contact with me who had request, I am no longer going to waste time and effort into them since I have asked many times for those who haven't talked to me to rekindle a convo since a while back all my dms were poofed and I messaged who I could track down. I've had no new people come up since the ones I've messaged myself so all those requests will be moved to my discarded/incomplete folder and I will no longer work on them until you come out of the dark and ask. I've gotten behind on art request for other people because of time wasted on these and I owe several people art now, which I apologize for those who have been waiting btw I've been doing my best but things keep getting difficult. Please understand that I'm not being rude by doing this, I just can't overstress myself anymore over these because it's hindering my ability to create for others and I feel hella shitty about being pushed behind and basically being ghosted. I'm going to use all the free time I have working on art I owe to people who still speak to me, figuring out job stuff, trying to set up a college portfolio since these are taking up most of my time. Once I completely finish these hopefully I can start doing more of what I love on here and other social media sites than just for school and shit.

Ok that's finally it now phew! Sorry again for the long post, and some cursing oof, I hope y'all have a fabulous day/night! ^w^

[transslyblue]

Also "1-99"

(1) Do You Sleep With Your Closet Doors Open Or Closed?

Haha, closed. I don't like seeing the dark void that I call a closet

(2) Do You Have Freckles?

Yea, but you can't really see them unless you're close

(3) Can You Whistle?

Yes

(4) Last Song You Listened To.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame musical, the Tavern Song

(5) What Is Your Favourite Colour?

Blue, but I also like a variety of purples and greens

(6) Relationship Status.

Single and not looking

(7) What Is The Temperature Right Now?

69º F

(8) Did You Wake Up Cranky?

Yea, unless I wake up myself

(9) How Many Followers?

118, but I need to go through and block any bots. (;w;)

(10) Zodiac Sign.

Leo

(11) What Is Your Eye Colour?

Blue/green hazel. My eyes are multi-coloured so they have blue, green, and brown with a very grey look to them.

(12) Take A Vitamin Daily?

I forget daily

(13) Do You Sing In The Shower?

Yup!

(14) What Books Are You Reading?

I really want to get back to reading some more Lovecraft, but i don't have much time to read

(15) Grab The Book Nearest To You, Turn To Page 64, Give Me Line 14.

"Minutes before librarians ate him."

(16) Favourite Anime?

Uuuuhhhhhh, hm. I guess it'd have to be InuYasha, but I like a lot of anime

(17) Last Person You Cried In Front Of?

Err,,, it was a very close friend. Idk if they'd want me to say who they are tho

(18) Do You Collect Anything?

Rocks and those snowglobe musicboxes

(19) What Did You Have For Lunch?

Yogurt and a protein bar. Ik, ik real healthy and filling

(20) Do You Dance In The Car?

Depends on the song, but not really

(21) Favourite Animal?

Owls and cats

(22) Do You Watch The Olympics?

Not really, but when I do it's the diving Olympics

(23) What Time Do You Usually Go To Bed?

2am

(24) Are You Wearing Makeup Right Now?

I don't wear makeup. Though I have considered it

(25) Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean?

Either. Pool is safer though

(26) Favourite Tumblr Blog?

Oof, idk if I can pick just one, so imma name a few. @ohhimarx @mirosuikaaa @masochist-incarnate they're all really friendly and nice

(27) Bottled Water Or Tap Water?

Whichever is most convenient at the time

(28) What Makes You Happy?

The sound of rain, art, my friends talking to me, I have a list that I've posted, so I won't list out here

(29) Post A Gif Of What You’re Currently Feeling Right Now.

(30) Do You Study Better With Or Without Music?

Haha, I don't study;;;

(31) Dogs Or Cats?

Cats

(32) If You Were A Crayon What Colour Would You Be?

Blue-tiful lol, for real though probably bubble blue

(33) PlayStation Or Xbox.

Does Switch/ds count?

(34) Would You Swim In The Lake Or Ocean?

Idunknow

(35) Do You Believe In Magic?

Not really, but I won't bash on anyone who does

(36) What Colour Shirt Are You Wearing?

Black, but is a Link being a meme

(37) Can You Curl Your Tongue?

Yes

(38) Do You Save Money Or Spend It?

I save more then I spend.

(39) Is There Anything Pink Within 10 Feet Of You?

Yea, it's a pink pillow of Lion from Steven Universe and a music stand from when I was in middle school

(40) Do You Have Any Obsessions Right Now?

Kirby in general

(41) Have You Ever Caught A Butterfly?

Nope, but I have touched one before

(42) Are You Easily Influenced By Other People?

Yes and no. It really depends on how long I've been around them

(43) Do You Have Strange Dreams?

Omg yes! I remember a few and they were all lucid dreams! (I looked up the term from last time I answered this question)

(44) Do You Like Going On Airplanes?

Never been on one

(45) Name One Movie That Made You Cry.

Of Mice and Men

(46) Peanuts Or Sunflower Seeds?

Both

(47) If I Handed You A Concert Ticket Right Now, Who Would You Want The Performer To Be?

Panic!At the Disco, Fallout Boy, or The Neighborhood

(48) Are You A Picky Eater?

Not really. There are some foods I refuse to eat, but otherwise I eat pretty much anything

(49) Are You A Heavy Sleeper?

Yes

(50) Do You Fear Thunder / Lightning?

Nope! I actually like thunder

(51) Do You Like To Read / Write?

I enjoy reading. As for writing, eh. I'll write out my ideas but I'mno good at fleshing them out to be interesting

(52) Do You Like Your Music Loud?

Yes. But not too loud, just enough where I don't hear everyone around me

(53) Would You Rather Carve Pumpkins Or Wrap Presents?

Carve pumpkins! I really am bad at wrapping presents

(54) Put Your Music On Shuffle, What Is The First Song That Came Up?

Hurts - Illuminated

(55) What Season Are You In Right Now? (Weather)

Spring and dying from pollen

(56) What Are You Craving Right Now?

Idk, something salty tbh

(57) Post A Screenshot Of Your Tumblr Feed.

(58) What Is Your Gender?

I'm a transgender male, so i use he/him pronouns.

(59) Coffee Or Tea?

Both, but I like tea more

(60) Do You Have Any Homework Right Now? If So, What Is It About?

I'm not in school anymore soooo no

(61) What Is Your Sexuality?

Idk. Questioning I guess

(62) Do You Make Your Bed In The Morning?

No

(63) Favourite Pokemon?

I already answered this one, so I'll say a new pokemon that I love. Rowlet!

(64) Favourite Social Media?

Bruh I am not a fan, but Tumblrs the one I'm on most.

(65) What’s Your Opinion On Instagram Stories?

Idk. I don't have an Instagram

(66) Do You Get Homesick?

Yes

(67) Are You A Virgin?

Yes, and I plan to stay that way for awhile

(68) What Shampoo And Conditioner Are You Using Right Now?

I use Suave, but I also use TeaTree when I get really bad dandruff

(69) If You Were Far From Home And Needed To Sleep For The Night, Would You Choose To Rent A Crappy Motel Room For $60 Or Sleep In Your Car For Free?

Depends on the place. But most likely I'd risk the motel.

(70) Are Both Of Your Blood Parents Still In Your Life?

My mom yes, my biological father... It's complicated

(71)  Whats The Next Movie You Want To See In Theaters?

I don't really watch movies, so none

(72) Do You Miss Your Ex?

I don't have an ex

(73) What Is Your Favourite Quote Right Now?

Be the person you needed when you were younger. I have no clue who said it, but I live by that

(74)  What Eye Colour Do You Find Sexiest?

Eyes in general are great. Idk how anyone can not find something they like in any eye colour

(75) Did You Like Swinging As A Child? Do You Still Get Excited When You See A Swing Set?

YesYesYesYes

(76) What Was The Last Thing You Ate?

Nachos

(77) What Games Do You Have On Your Phone?

Voez and Pokémon Go

(78) Would You Give A Homeless Person CPR If They Were Dying? Why Or Why Not?

Yes, because no oen deserves to die. I'd do my best to help any homeless person

(79) Been On The Computer For 5 Hours Straight?

Haha, not today. Yet

(80) Stalked Someone On A Social Network?

Not really

(81) Do You Like Meeting New People?

Yes!

(82) Do You Wear Rings? If You Do, Take A Picture Of Them.

I don't wear jewlery much. But I would like to get my ears pierced properly

(83) Do You Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open Or Closed?

Closed! I don't want people or my cat to walk in

(84) What Are Three Things You Did Today?

I woke up, did laundry, answered these questions

(85) What Do You Wear To Bed?

Pajama pants and a t-shirt

(86) List All Of Your Different Beauty Products You Have Right Now.

I've got none. Unless you want me to name what body wash i use. :/

(87) Are You A Day Or Night Person?

Night person

(88) List All Of Your Video Games On Your Phone, Console Etc.

Phone: Voez, Pokémon Go

Switch: Legend of Zeld: Breath of the wild, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Kirby Star Allies, Mario Kart 8, PuyoPuyo Tetris, Bayonetta 1&2, Hyrule Warriors, Just Dance 2017, Super Mario Party, Let's Go Eevee, Mario Odyssey, Undertale, Shovel Knight, Pokémon quest, Mom Hid my Game, Deemo, Sonic Mania, Detention, The Coma, Cave Story

3DS: Kirby Clash Deluxe, Kirby Triple Deluxe, Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, Kirby Planet Robobot, Kirby Canvas Curse, Kirby Mass Attack, Kirbg Super Star Ultra, Kirby Squeak Squad, Pokémon Y, Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon Ultra Moon, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Pokémon Heartgold, Legend of Zelda Link Between Worlds, Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask, Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D, Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass, Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks, Super Smash Bros, Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon, Wario Ware Gold, Super Princess Peach, Animal Crossing New Leaf, Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, Cooking Mama, Cooking Mama 2, Sonic Colors

Gameboy Color: Pokemon Blue, Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening

This is over the course of many years

(89) Tell Me About A Dream That You Had And When It Happened.

I had this dream where I was flying a red paper plane. It took forever to carry it up this tapestry, but i did it. When I finally took off this group of white paper planes were chasing me so I shook them off and landed, taking shelter in this museum. This museum held other people hiding and was actually an abandoned grocery store. Then I woke up.

I don't rememebr when this was, but I wrote it down. I have a few more if you're interested.

(90) Favourite Soda Drink?

Strawberry Ramuné

(91) What Sounds Are Your Favourite?

Rainstorms,

(92) Do You Wear Jeans Or Sweats More?

Jeans, since I can't wear sweatpants to work

(93) How Do You Look Right Now?

Uhhh, probably a slob since I've been in pajamas all day

(94) Name Something That Relaxes You.

Stuffed animals

(95) What Tattoo Do You Want?

Idk. Haven't really wanted one. Maybe a connect the dots one.

(96) Favourite YouTuber?

Idk. I watch Pyrocynical and Markiplier, but other than that I listen to music, watch speedpaints, and speed plays of various videogames

[xsister-serpent]

I Dig You Part 1

Summary: Goth!Reader x Kylo meet on tumblr and their friendship evolves to something more. But what happens when the reader wants to finally meet Kylo face to face? 

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of suicide and self harm. Fluff and Angst. 

A/N:  I literally just came up with the idea a few nights ago and i loved how it turned out. Readers message is in purple lettering while Kylo’s is in red. There’s a couple of hints in this story and I hope you guys get them <3 Tagging: @floral-and-fine @xephyrsong 

 You and Kylo were two peas in a pod. Your relationship was somewhat normal now a days, being that you two bonded through social media. At first a notification came up on your email, signaling that you had a new follower. Because of those annoying porn bots you had to be certain that this was an actually person. You clicked on the icon and an blog showed up along with the username, xKnightofRenx. Much you your relief It was a person. A young man facing away from the camera in a blurred black and white photo. You couldn’t help but chuckle at his edgy “Welcome to my Dark, Twisted Mind’ theme he had. His blog was filled with gothic-esque photos, artwork, and beautiful gif sets of mythology and fandoms. Some photos were of his silhouette or his modern goth outfits you’d seen floating in your recommend tag. Occasionally some NSFW gifs of bondage and Dom imagery, nothing that truly shocked you. Curiosity got the best of you as you searched for a selfie of his. Unfortunately there was none to be found. As you scrolled through his Tumblr you eventually hit the follow button. Yours was lacking a polished look compared to his and everything he made/reblog was to your liking. Soon enough your notifications began to show up with his username. He’d like your posts and reblogged images you had. You had wondered if he posted any tags on your images. Some of them were straightforward general wise, others were absolutely hilarious. Especially ones of favorite fandoms. A smile crossed your face when you read the tag thanosdidNOTHINGwrong, or stillnotoverit.

You reblogged his content too like aesthetic photography, quotes from movies, books etc. It had become a normal thing now seeing him label as your number 1 fan on your activity feed. Until you had notice something on your dash while scrolling one night. He was reblogging posts of glorifying suicide and self harm. You sat up on your bed as a little red flag went up. You notice the depressing vagueness in his posts. You immediately went to the messaging icon and pressed it.

Hi Kylo I noticed some things on your dash and I just want to let you know if you ever just want to talk or vent I’m here.

With another touch the message was sent to him. You sighed hoping that he’d reply or at least just see the message. You placed your phone to the side of you and reached for a book. If you were honest with yourself you didn’t expect much from him. You made yourself comfortable in bed and began to read. Within a couple of quiet hours your phone beeped with a notification. You reached for it and saw his reply.

Hey Y/N, thanks for checking in on me. I’m just going through a rough patch with my personal life. I’m an idiot for posting it on here.

An idiot? You questioned

No you’re not an idiot. And I’m really sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it? I won’t press on it if you don’t want too.

A few seconds later he replied.

I don’t want too, but I do appreciate your concern, it’s a kind distraction, He added a smile emoji.

Before you added a reply another message showed up.

So American Horror Story huh?

You chuckled at least your words gave him some comfort and distraction. Before you knew it the night consisted of back and forth messages of your shared fandoms. It was something you looked forward too. You grew close to him and you even exchanged instagram usernames. Just like his Tumblr he never showed his face even in his stories, just pictures and videos of his brothers or his mom. It bothered you a bit but you didn’t think too much of it. It was interesting relationship, especially the flirting. Kylo was always a gentleman when it came to complimenting your selfies, he was one of the few men who you enjoyed reblogging your photos knowing he’d never say anything too explicit. Sometimes he’d add cute flirty tags to them. Within the next couple of months of messaging each other you felt yourself hard and fast for him.

A few months passed by and your birthday was just in a few days. You wanted to see him. He’d mention he had lived close by where you did and It excited you that there was a possibility you could finally see him.

What are your plans for tonight? Gonna try to summon Cthulhu? Or is that on saturday night?  He messaged you.

You laughed aloud and typed back. You paused as you throughly thought out your message.

Maybe, ask him If we can make him our president ask for free healthcare and affordable living lol. To be honest, I was thinking maybe you’d want to hang out with me?? If you’re not busy that is?

You held your breath as you sent it. Almost immediately you felt your stomach twist in regret. There’s probably a reason why he doesn’t show his face, you thought to yourself. A millions things went through your head as you played the numerous possibilities. It was him not doubt, his videos had his deep voice, and went live when he was editing photos, and always left cute comments photos of your dogs. But what was done, was done. You watch as three rolling dots showed up on your phone. Another chime.

You asking me on a date Y/N?? He asked with a blushing emoji.

Your feelings for him grew no doubt and now you believed his did too. From the poetry he’d tag you in to the sensual gifs you tagged him in. Your fingers traced over the keyboard and with a deep breath you began to write.

“Kylo I really really like you, I’d like to get you know better and maybe meet face to face?” You said aloud as you typed.

You sent it and prayed he’d reply back. Another three rolling dots.

I really like you too Y/n. I’d really love to meet up with you tonight. How about we meet up at the Catina Restaurant? My treat?

“YES!” You screamed in delight scaring your dobermans Xena and Nyx. They both looked up at you with a tilt of their head. “Sorry babies, mommy got a little excited.”

‘Sure, do you want to meet up at 8?’ You messaged.

‘Yea, I’ll be in the reserved corner of the bar in the outside patio in a black suit.”

‘Alright I’ll see you then’ you smiled as you press send.

You hopped off the couch and ran towards your closet. You looked at your black dresses picking out a nice slim cocktail dress. A bubbling of excitement filled your stomach as you made your way to the shower. You were finally going to meet him.

KYLO’S POV

 Kylo couldn’t help but smile to himself as Matt high fived him.

“I can’t believe she said yes,” He gasped.

“I can’t believe she gave you a chance,” his brother Ben spoke as he looked at Y/N icon, “She’s a cutie, got that whole Morticia Addams thing going on. It’s kinda hot.”

Kylo shot a glare at his brother.

“I’m happy for you Ky,” Matt interjected. “You two would look good together.”

“Yea you’d guys would match everyday in monochromatic clothing, you don’t have to worry about separating colored clothes from laundry,” Ben chuckled.

Kylo’s hand went to the back of his neck as he stared at the message once more. A spike of anxiety racked his nerves.

“This is the part where you thank us,” Ben whispered patting his brother on the back.

“Did you even tell her what I looked liked???”

The brothers fell silent and Kylo groaned in annoyance.

“I just said you’d show up in a all black suit,” Ben admitted sheepishly.

“CHRIST BEN THAT COULD BE ANYONE!” Kylo snapped.

Ben tossed his hands in the air, “OH HEY Y/N LOOK FOR THE EX MANAGER OF HOT TOPIC WITH A CRAZY ASS SCAR!”

Before Kylo could retaliate. Matt interjected, “Kylo! Check to see if she logged off!!”

Kylo hastily went to his computer and checked the instant messenger but her icon had disappeared. His stomach turned into knots as he shot a glare at Ben. Kylo grabbed a pillow from his bed and chucked it at him.

Ben quickly ducked, “You’re lucky I did this for you!!”

“Lucky?!? Are you serious?!?,” Kylo snarled, “This woman has no idea what I look like!”

“But she said yes to meeting you,” Ben shot back, “Isn’t that what counts??”

Kylo groaned and slump back to his bed covering his face with his hands.

“Well,” Matt spoke pushing his glasses, “You can’t back out now Kylo. She’s getting ready thinking she’ll go out on a date with you. You owe it to her to show your face.”

Kylo ran his fingers through his hair. They were right, she did explain she was falling for him. And he fully admitted he felt the same way.

“She won’t care about the scar,” Matt assured.

“Yea but what about the others??” Kylo asked.

“If she’s does, she’s just as shallow as Bens’ personality.”

Kylo softly smiled while Ben furrowed his brow at his little brothers’ comment.

“Alright I’ll do it,” Kylo breathed.

He took a quick shower and styled his long black hair. He shoved past his brothers and went into his closet, pulling out his best suit. He called the bar and reserved the spot he told Y/N he’d be at. Kylo fixed his suit straightening his sleeves. He looked at himself in the mirror admiring his look. With one more spritz of his cologne he walked out into the living room.

“Where you going??,” Asked his father Han eyeing his sons suit.

“I’m going to join a coven,” Kylo replied in a deadpan voice as he grabbed his keys.

“Well be safe,” his mom Leia called as he walked out the door.

Kylo unlocked his car and climbed in. He took a slow breath and began to drive.

[tinstol]

I love social media, but i also hate it.

I hate how it dehumanizes us. You can tell if the person your talking to is a person or a bot or a troll or a psyop. Everyone is just a tiny picture with a username, so you can say anything you want, which is a blessing and a curse. You can say things you could never say to someone’s face. Someone could cry at what you’ve said but you’d never know even if they told you because you can’t see their face or hear their voice. Everyone’s individuality gets lost because all the usernames and pfps of people you’ve never interacted with blend together your mind just creates one large entity out of all of them. You can claim they did or said something they never said or did because the larger entity they became a part of said or did it. “You” becomes “you all” or “you people”. The cruelest people are the ones who don’t know you and don’t care to know you.

[lgbt-ffxv-imagines]

Noctis makes a twitter and basically copies all of Prompto's twitter bio, just changing it to fit him, but he leaves the little gay pride emoji because he wasn't sure what it meant. It leads to some awkward conversations with his dad abt social media and Sexuality?

Noctis is not clueless. He knows how to use social media and surf the web. He just prefers not to. When you can google your name and hear about your dozens of imaginary siblings and girlfriends, being on most social media sites really loses its appeal. 

But then there’s Prompto who wants to be able to tag him in photos and send him memes that aren’t just screen shots that fill up the storage space on his phone. There’s Prompto who says he’ll help Noct get a decent photo for his icon and make sure his privacy settings are at least configured to block the worst of bot spam. When Prompto pushes him to actually write something for your bio, man, he draws a blank. 

“Can I just copy yours and change a couple things?” Noct twists half off the couch to snatch the bag of potato chips from where they sat on the floor. He picks through the remnants of oily potato to find the larger pieces before flattening out the sides and pouring the crumbs into his mouth. Prompto laughs when he half inhales a piece of chip and ends up wheezing for a minute before the cursed shard stops trying to commit murder. 

When Noct finishes recovering from the attempt on his life, Prompto agrees to his request with a shrug. “Just don’t say something stupid, bro. People on Twitter can be really mean.”

“Okay so just don’t copy your bio and leave it blank,” Noctis quips, already selecting and copying the text over to his own bio. He likes the little flag at the end of Prompto’s bio, the rainbow stripes are cute and non-incriminating. It’s not like he’s adding an eggplant, or those awkward sweat-looking-things. It should be fine. 

He ends up with a passable attempt at a bio, icon one of the many shots Prompto had taken of him and worked on to make him look a tad less tired. Thank god for Lightroom and the ability to negate dark circles from gaming marathons. It’s a little ramshackle, but when Prompto pastes a crown icon at the end of his name and helps him upload a fishing themed banner, Noct finds that he doesn’t really mind. 

What he does mind, however, is that his dad calls him not even three hours later. Not even Cor, the usual man trusted to pass on messages for Regis when he’s too busy to talk to his son. 

His actual dad, the King of Lucis, calling him in the middle of the day. 

It’s unheard of. There are almost always meetings and audiences being held in the afternoon, his father required to attend nearly all of them as a benevolent figurehead of justice. Noctis thinks it’s complete bullshit that his dad has to shit through all that while shouldering the burden of the Wall, but he’s also still a kid to the council who only respects him for his lineage and nothing else. 

He shushes Prompto, who had been chattering on about tags and blacklists, to answer his phone. He’s worried in the same breath as he’s nervous, greeting his father with a casual, “Hey, dad.”

“Hello, son. Do you have a few minutes to spare for your poor, old father?” He can hear Regis’s particular brand of amusement through the line, how he can faintly make out the sound of Clarus berating him for leaving in the middle of a council meeting in the background. 

“Yeah,” Noctis answers. “What’s up?” For all their strained relationship is worth, they still get along well enough and conversation will flow easily. Well, it would have, had Regis not dropped the equivalent to a bomb in one, short sentence. 

There’s a slow inhalation before his father’s voice crackles through the line. “Are you gay, Noctis?”

There’s a long moment of tense silence before Noct sputters and rebukes him, confused and already well on his way in terms of sexuality-centric soul searching. “Wha-” his voice cracks a little and he has to clear his throat. “What? Dad, I’m… a little confused about where that came from?”

Prompto is peering over at him from where he’d sat down to work on culling the shots he’d taken the day before, screen full of Insomnia’s streets in vivid black and white. He whispers, “Uh, buddy, everything okay?”

Noct nods hurriedly, phone pressed tightly to his ear because he cannot believe his father was notified of his Twitter specifically because of the tiny, innocuous flag in his bio. 

The flag he now knows is not, in fact, just a really colorful addition to his rather bland online intro, but rather something that represents a whole community of people he’s only barely begun to look into and understand. 

The thing that really sticks is that, Ifrit’s flaming balls, he’d essentially wrongly announced to all of Lucis that he is a gay man. Noct doesn’t feel like there would be a problem with it, had he felt comfortable with the label, but he’s really stuck on just understanding who he likes at all. He’s not ready for choosing labels and may never be. 

Regis just gives a soft, fond sigh. he’s calm as ever when he requests, “Will you share lunch with me tomorrow, Noctis? I’ll make sure we have time to ourselves, save Clarus’s nagging.”

“Sure, dad, I just…” Noctis trails off, staring out into nothing. He takes a deep breath and lets it out through his teeth. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for calling, I guess.”

“Thank you for answering my call,” Regis responds and Noctis can hear how his voice has lightened. “I love you dearly, my son.”

“Love you too, dad.”

[justasocialmediastudent]

Is social media really bae?

Over the past few weeks, I have been talking about the identity crisis of Tumble, how social media relates to activism and political engagement. We all know that social media started off with the moto “to connect people worldwide”. Its reachability has been a great help in many ways to from communities and societies. It has linked millions and millions of individuals online and even brought some connections from online to offline. However, troll and social media conflicts exists. There is still this question: Is social media really bae?

Bae has been up to something all the time

Danah Boyd mentioned in the book called It’s Complicated:

Although  new forms of drama find a home through social media, teens’ behaviour have not significantly changed. Social media have not radically altered the dynamics of bullying, but it has made these dynamics more visible to more people. - Danah Boyd

Our bae did nothing wrong by existing and became the medium of trolling and social media conflicts. Trolling and other social media conflicts (or the Internet plague) are everywhere online. It spreads like a plague, disease and social media happens to be the medium. You wouldn’t blame the ship that carries disease-carry rats for the plague outbreak, right? I agree to what Danah Boyd said, especially how Internet makes the conflicts more obvious. Memories stay forever on the Internet, so does mistakes. No matter what you do, you just can’t undo whatever has been done online. This leads to a huge question: Why do people troll or involve in conflicts?

It’s all about ME!

Trollers love reactions from those who they trolled and bullies love to target those who are weak and powerless. The trollers and bullies have a sense of achievement or accomplishment after taking it all out on total strangers. This kind of behaviour is what people called narcissism.

Internet trolls are narcissists, psychopaths and sadists. - Dr. Golbeck

It’s all about themselves, the big word ME! They might have no reflections on their actions or might know that their actions are harmful towards others but hey, they can do it. No one would know. No one would care. It’s the INTERNET! The Internet then become the medium for them to spread this cyber plague. A case for this is the Tyler Clementi case. Tyler was ridiculed by his friends on Twitter after Tyler’s roommate recorded him kissing a boy in their room on his laptop web cam. This happened after he had come out. In the end, he jumped off the Washington Bridge. There is another case where a teenager called Hessay has committed suicide after receiving mean anonymous feedback from Sayat.Me.

I don’t know you, you don’t know me, so……

The concept of anonymity has been the idea of social media in connecting people and creating a safe space for everyone to voice their opinions. It was aimed to create a public sphere for everyone to take part in something without concerning their identity. There is this ideal “equality” for everyone online, but look at how it turns out. Trolling, bullying, harassments, and more ill-thoughts or ideology are being spread online. The idea of freedom of speech has been the shield for those who abuse it. The social media affords people to create fake identities online and start doing whatever they want to, including attacking people online.

Not long ago, when episode 14 of Darling in the Franxx aired, it causes the fandom to rage as the plot twist is unexpectedly different from the fans’ expectation. It leads to some fans string to use thrown-away twitter accounts to send death threats, curses, and harassments to the producer’s tweets.

I don’t belong here

The sense of belonging also plays an important role in social media users behavior online. Most people went online to seek for connection with people, they want to build their own social circle that they feel they belong to. It’s all good when the people connects with one another in a community that are sharing the same hobbies or interests. However, it also forms societies where ideologies and information are being spread from communities to communities. For instance, a person may be inside of a community that loves pets, this person may also be inside a community that pro-guns. Imagine this kind of relationship where each person are in different communities as they have different interest and beliefs, the transmission of information will happen when they start sharing information from each of their own communities. It spreads like a ripple effect. Here are some examples of unhealthy or rather dangerous ideologies that exists online:

Pro-suicide : It’s not that long ago since the Blue Whale challenge came out, “preparing” or encourages teenagers to suicide in order to “become a whale”. It consists of 50 tasks over the span of 50 days which include mutilation, carving blue whale and watch horror or gory videos.There are posts on Tumblr that encourages suicide. Some are even forcing people to suicide.

Thinpo : I believe a lot of people has discovered the dark side of Tumblr that Tumblr is now trying to get rid of. Thinpo came from the word “thinspiration”. There are a huge community online that supports thinpo which also relates to eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Majority of the people who supports thinpo would be also in the pro-ana community, where they believe that being thin to the bone and boney figures are attractive. However, they just cannot see that their health is declining and their bodies are slowing dying because of the unhealthy practices. For them, it hurts more to look in the mirror and to being called “fat”. Thinpo can be often found on blogs and Tumblr where they would write blogs about their tips on achieving the boney figure through excessive or extreme dieting or practices.

The two ideologies mentioned above are spread using hashtags, such as #Iamawhale, #proana and #thinpo. The social media affords exposure and findability through the hashtags function but the fact that it also affords unhealthy ideologies to be spreading is also an issue.

Save them, save us

Now most of the social media have revised their community guidelines to prevent these kind of communities online. Does social media governance work? Well, I think it can restrict the access and minimize the spreading of cyber plague but not totally killing it. People will still find ways to get around any restriction or rules. I have seen some blogs that have taken down, came back with a new blog but with secret messages hidden in it, still convey the messages that broke the community guidelines. Bots can only block certain words but not hidden meanings. I think that social media classes should be given to parents and students at young age, so they would understand how Internet works in order to face and handle social media conflicts and trolling the best way.

Social media is love, social media is life

In my opinion, the Actor Network theory can be applied here as social media is a tool used to connect with people, and people are the ones that created social media. Human and this piece of technology are influencing each other. This can also be related to grassroots ‘bystander’ activism, where activism happened because human made social media a medium to spread the awareness or issues, but social media also affords human to be able to connect and form communities and societies. An example of this will be the #MarchForOurLives campaign.

References

Chin, B n.d., ‘ Week 7 Digital Citizenship 3: Trolling & social media conflict ’, MDA20009 Digital Communites , Learning materials on Blackboard, Swinburne University Sarawak, 16 April 2018, viewed 16 April 2018.