#like. not the concept its self. but as a meme

[dreamgirlvibes]

We live in a culture where we are told we can go find better and do better- thus isolating ourselves and repeating this cycle over and over after small disagreements and ego-driven battles. Only to find ourselves becoming a capsule of emotions, memories and soul ties left with nothing but a false hope. Yes, there are instances where you SHOULD remove yourself and disconnect from people and things that are truly detrimental to your life and well being. But every single time someone fails or doesn’t meet such high standards, we’d rather let go instead of giving grace. We would rather remove what could have been instead of thinking of our own triggered responses and actions. We end up selfishly choosing ourselves instead and left with only ourselves. Traumatized by what is called love but we never truly find it. Taught by instagram memes and twitter posts and led by their manifestations. Guided by the followers of God and not Himself. Walking around the earth with a pride so high that couldn’t be reached but expecting for people to climb our walls. Love used to last back then because people knew what it was to TRY. We hallmark this ‘’90’s’’ r&b era because deep down inside we all want to find a love that stays, a love that never quits, that is vulnerable and faithful. It’s not about the boy groups ‘’begging and pleading’’ for their women. It’s not about the r&b divas expressing their hearts outs and uplifting their men. It’s not even about a nostalgic feeling. It’s about the fact that that we all had examples and situations that made us BELIEVE that the kinda love we deserve is WORTH IT. Worth crying for, worth chasing, worth staying, worth giving and trying. We are now blind to that type of love. We all have our guns in our pockets and weapons ready to aim at any kind of instance that doesn’t deem to be perfect. We have traded healthy love for toxicity and eventually made toxicity a normal thing- so normal we are TERRIFIED to try. Scared to stay. Horrified to look so crazy, so dumb, to be open, to cry, to do, to feel that we’re slowly becoming numb to the idea of it. Some praise singleness as a form of healthiness to the point of normalcy. And not saying that being single is not normal, but it’s the projection we forget about. People’s projections have become our new will and we all then cycle it back and pass It along. Causing all of us to eventually feel like we can do so much better, be so much better, when in reality we don’t even realize that the real work is working on ourselves. Nothing changes if nobody changes. We point the finger at each other when the target should be our own lives. If only you and that person could call it truths and instead instantly erasing the memories and history you’ve built off a disagreement, y’all can find a solution- first by removing the ego and letting vulnerability take its place. However, in this generation, that almost seems like a scam. We have power words we use for people who make simple mistakes- calling their choices a disease and spreading awareness to what could have easily been an apology. We would rather categorize people by names then to understand their reasons. We would rather perceive someone for what we choose to believe instead of allowing that person to find solace in us. Because in this generation- love is merely a concept. It is just a partnership until the contract is broken and when it breaks, we can go find another partner than can fulfill our selfish needs. It is prideful, it is not kind, it envies, dishonors others, self seeking, easily angered, never trusts, delights in seeing evil after departure and eventually fails. EVERYTHING opposite of what the Bible describes to BE LOVE. So do not think it rare that we have an enemy who is seeking to remove this altogether. To keep us soaked up in this concept until we no loner have a fighting chance. To keep us ‘’cutting each other off’’ and ‘’blocking’’ each other altogether because we feel like there is SO MUCH better when in reality the better needs to be YOU. You are the change that the world needs.

If everyone looked at themselves before trying to find this love in everyone else- we will all be facing ourseves and getting hit with the fact that when you finally turn around- you will THEN truly see each other. We will then finally see LOVE for what it is.

[basil-the-bulbasaur]

I was possessed

[james-stark-the-writer]

the difference between the fourth wall breaks of something like the Deadpool movies compared to something like Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is that every joke in Deadpool feels masturbatory like the writers think they're so hilarious for doing a fourth wall break like that's never been done before whereas both of the other two not only feel right at home with the characters' personalities but are much more natural and much more well done compared to the jokes in Deadpool or its sequel. (do not get me started on Deadpool 2, the movie sucks ass in basically every way except for the characters of Domino and Yukio. every single joke in it was outdated before it was even written. they were making fucking dubstep jokes in 2018. it was a 2012-ass script made way too late and riding on the coattails of the first with even less effort into being actually good.)

but the difference between those properties is that Deadpool wants to be congratulated for being some insanely crazy shocking movie that's pissing off the studio system or whatever but every single joke in it was approved by those people because it makes them money like it's so antithetical to the entire point they're trying to make and it makes for a very infuriating watching experience sometimes. the cognitive dissonance is hard to swallow with that one. but the way BOPATFEOOHQ and She-Hulk do their bits feels so much more authentic and less self-congratulatory and also just like they're clearly done with so much more passion and effort and care? when I watch either of the Deadpool movies, I feel like I'm watching a bunch of executives jerking themselves off. when I watch the other two, I feel like I'm watching a passion project that the executives clearly didn't give a shit about and thus the creative team were actually allowed genuine creative freedom with not a lot of oversight. that's a little less true with She-Hulk (especially in terms of that glorious finale although even that feels more authentic and artist-driven than most things in either Deadpool movie. Kevin Feige's boring, sanitized ass does not have the range to do that finale) being a MCU property although Phase 4 was so fucking experimental and it was a joy to behold even if not everything hit but it's still true and more authentic for the most part. with Deadpool it feels like the only person who really really cared about it was Ryan and like maybe a few of the other actors who actually did do commendable work with what they were given but with the other two projects, it feels way more collaborative because every single person showed up and cared deeply about what they were making.

(this is an addition to the tags bc I ran out [apparently i forgot there was a 30 tag limit] but. anyway the point is. Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is a phenomenal movie in basically every single way and you should watch it.)

[hirokiyuu]

racher bear w me i am also goign to give you the most indulgent 3sen prompt in the world . if icould taste your take on hades/persephone rtiz i would die happy . but also no pressure . lvoeyou

Ritsu'd just left the dumb fruit on the desk when he'd been dragged away by Ou-sama to go talk about the whole 'technically kidnapping a god of the overworld' thing, and it sits half-picked at with juice puddling on the tablecloth, the kind of dumb gross mess Izumi's always getting on him about.

That's the only reason he goes closer, to get rid of it, even though Ritsu and the others down here have warned him a hundred times about what happens if he eats any food from the Underworld, even on accident. It's just to clean up, when Izumi picks it up, tilts it in his hand; it's just to get rid of the mess, when he licks the juice off his fingers.

[dredshirtroberts]

it's the final move day

BWAH NANANAHH BWAHNA NUHNUH NAH

[omgthatdress]

An Analysis of the Ubiquity of Mall Brands in the late 1990s to early 2000s, or

I Fucking Hate These Guys

by OMG!thatdress

If you were a tween to teenager from roughly 1997 to 2004, chances are, you were left with profound life-long trauma caused by someone wearing Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ralph Lauren, Nautica, American Eagle, The Gap, Old Navy, or, if you were came along a little later, Hollister or Aeropoastale.

I cannot overstate to my young followers how over-saturated these brand names were in teen culture at the turn of the millennium, the extend to which EVERYONE was wearing them, and yet, in a weird way, how light the imprint they actually left on fashion history was.

Watching iconic teen shows of the era, you don't see any of them because a.) TV teenagers tend to be way cooler and more stylish than awkward and desperate real teenagers actually are, and b.) these brands were all copyright protected, which kept their names and logos off the airwaves.

Look in a middle school yearbook, however, you'll see it. Look at your aunt and uncle's high school photo albums, you'll see it. Ask any late Gen X or early Millennial. It was real and it was fucking awful.

The big question is why? Why? WHY, GOD WHY?! There's a lot of answers to that question.

First of all, I'm going to cite this absolutely wonderful article from Collector's Weekly about why everyone's grandma had a hideous orange couch in the 70s, and give the most simple and straightforward answer: it's what was available.

This is when the concept of online shopping is still very much in its infancy, and the hub of American consumer culture was still your local mall. If you needed new clothes, you went to the mall. And guess what stores were at every local mall? You guessed it.

For the second answer, I'm going to dig up this utter relic from the early days of internet meme-ing, that has nonetheless stuck with me and had a profound impact of my understanding of how popular fashion works:

I'm pretty sure that the reason Abercrombie & Fitch manages to survive as a brand today rests solely increasingly middle-aged Millennial men whose sense of style has refused to evolve past the shit their mom bought them in high school.

And why the hell would they? Nobody wore Abercrombie because it made them stand out or feel special. I'm still pretty convinced that nobody actually *liked* the aesthetic or thought the clothes actually looked good. You need not look past the basic color palette to understand these were not brands meant for uniqueness or self-expression.

While Britney Spears pranced around stage in her iconic neon colors and body glitter, American teenagers existed in a never-ending hellscape of washed-out neutrals, faded denim, and American flag primary colors.

All of which served its exact purpose: it was safety. It was a way to appear cool if you didn't want to go through the ordeal of actually having a personality or a sense of style. Which, of course, goes back to point number one: it was just shit you bought at the mall because you needed clothes.

It wasn't enough to save you once the school bully caught that whiff of autism and/or queerness on you, but it was enough that you could blend into the herd and pray no one ever noticed you.

Underneath it all was a very subtle undercurrent of class and classism: to wear mall brands was to declare to the world that you could indeed afford to shop at the mall. It meant you weren't, god forbid, poor.

Status symbol clothing goes back to the invention of clothing itself. The concept of brands as status symbols is still very much alive and well, its just more limited to actual luxury brands nowadays. One need look no further than your favorite high-end children's clothing website to see that rich parents still very much think it important that you know their five-year-old is wiping its boogers on Versace.

None of these brands were actual high-end luxury brands, but they still advertised and presented themselves as such. Their ads featured signifiers of "all-american" (read: White) wealth: yachts, skiing, horses, beaches, shirtless dudes with chiseled abs playing verious sportsballs.

The color palettes and cuts mimicked the preppy "Ivy" style of the New England old-money elite, along with their hobbies and lifestyle. You may not actually own a horse, but you can wear a polo shirt. You may not be able to run without breaking your ankle, but you wear the same shirt as the dude holding a football in the ad.

It was an elitist, White and skinny image that didn't age well into the diversity and body-positivity of the 2010s.

In 2003, a lawsuit was filed against Abercrombie & Fitch alleging systematic racial discrimination. People of color were rarely hired, and if they were, they were given jobs in the back, away from customer view. In 2005, the U.S. district court approved a settlement of $50,000. A few years ago, Netflix released the documentary White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch which admittedly I haven't watched yet because my hatred runs too deep to remind myself of its existence.

It was a hatred of Abercrombie & the (white, thin, neurotypical, heterosexual) conformity that it represented that drove me screaming into the loving arms of Hot Topic and Linkin Park. Jordan Calhoun wrote an excellent article for the Atlantic about his experience growing up poor and Black and not fitting in to the Abercrombie aesthetic.

I would be very remiss if I didn't bring up the "urban" mall brands of the early 2000s: Fubu, Sean Jean, Ecko, Baby Phat, among others. They were favored by Black teenagers and White teenagers who wanted to be Black. I know there's a lot to be said about these brands, but I'm too Caucasian to really be able to talk about them with nuance. Maybe someone else will, and I will be very happy to listen.

As much as I hate Tommy Hilfiger, I really do have to give him credit for recognizing the incredibly lucrative "street wear" market and selling power of hip-hop. While most of these mall brands kept their image sparkling White, Tommy made Aaliyah his brand ambassador and regularly appeared in the wardrobes of popular rap and R&B artists of the time.

It'd be very easy and very reductive to say that the changing ideology of the 2010s was the downfall of preppy mall brands, but really, the thing that truly killed them was the downfall of the mall itself. Shopping habits changed, and logos and brand names no longer held the power they once had.

The moral of the story is that being a teenager is fucking hell, and these popular brands both offered the safety of conformity and a status symbol to hold over the heads of the poor and uncool. The irony is that everyone who hated them as teenagers (read: ME) and the freaks who grew up to truly love the power of self-expression through personal style (read: ME) became the truly cool people. If you wore Abercrombie you grew up to vote for Donald Trump.

GO GOTH. PREPS SUCK. THE END.

[zhongrin]

✼ tags ┈ sagau, gn!reader, creator!reader, not impostor au, more of a concept description than actual fic/hc, angst, hurt -> comfort(ish), slight mindfuckery, no specified pairing (general concept, so you can imagine your faves)

✼ a/n ┈ not sure if this exists yet but i'm feeling... not so good, and this idea hit me last night.

sagau plotline where you're thrown back into teyvat, and of course you absolutely loved it ー everyone loves you, your favorites seem to always wish to be near you, the world brightens when you smile and dulls as your mood sours... everything's just. perfect.

until one day it hits you.

you were the creator.

you made them this way.

of course teyvat and its law abides to your will. you made it this way.

of course the animals and all the nonhuman lifeforms favor you. you made them this way.

of course everyone loves you. you made them this way.

what would your favored one think when one day, they realize this, too?

(word vomit content ahead)

imagine the physiological mindfuck you could explore with this. one could even claim essentially akin to a curse, and for the super devoted ones like zhongli, i imagine it would hit so much harder. what do you mean his steadfast devotion was an illusion all along? what do you mean the fact that he can't get fully angry and not resorting to bury you ten thousand feet under is because he was cursed with this very predicament? why would you do this?

and then maybe you feel so bad that one day you just decide to use up all your power to erase this core trait from all lifeforms walking upon teyvat. due to the sheer scale of the action, i'd imagine it wouldn't be a stretch to result in your death. or at the very minimum a coma of sorts. (cliche i know but imagine the mental stress of it all for a moment. personally i'd go insane from the combination of guilt, impostor syndrome, doubting my self-worth 24/7, and paranoia. but if your mental fortitude can handle it then congrats ig)

a 'happy ending' alternative would be for your favorite to wake up the next day and realize what you've done... and yet instead of being glad that they were freed from the 'curse', all they felt was dread. they rush towards your side, fall onto their knees, and cradle your hand, their own ones shaking terribly.

they find themselves loving you, still.

for them, it was never a curse.

✼ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱʜɪᴘ (ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ) ┈ @abyssmal-skies | @hamdehlesmis | @sunnshineflxwer | @yuutasbabe | @queen-belial | @stygianoir | @silentmoths | @niktwazny303 | @dustofthedailylife | @marina-and-the-memes | @mixed-kester | @lordbugs | @anonymousficreader | @shizunxie | @irethepotato | @sassy-cat-in-town | @syrenkitsune | @smokipoki | @cakeboxie | @crystalflygeo | @ciexuvia | @illaasya | @celestewritestoomuch | @pams-comfortzone | @spidermanluvr444 | @ourstrawberryclouds | @ryuryuryuyurboat | @hrts4hanniehae | @fiannee | @jingyuansbird | @florapocalypses | @genshin-impacts-me | @scarasmood | @hellcatinnc | @beloved-brynn

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

if I remember right, a year or two ago you made a list of recommendations for the Edinburgh Fringe. Any recommendations for this year? Already got Steffan on the list, obviously

I did! Okay, okay, here's what I've got this year. Caveat: I personally have not been up there yet (I'm going in a few days), but these are things I saw in preview/have heard great things about.

Steffan Alun: Free Standup, but at What Cost

Venue 156: PBH's Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth - Banquet Hall, 21.30-22.30

Back again! Eighth Fringe, this. The show is an hour, but that includes a 15 minute warm-up act, then Steff for 45 mins. He does this so that reviewers won't come and ruin the vibe.

Anyway this year he talks a bit about being Welsh and how he is therefore grumpy with Bristolian Tesco self-checkout machines

.

Jake Baker: Rule Breaker!

Venue 78: PBH's Free Fringe @ Canons' Gait - Lower, 16.30-17.30

I love Jake, he's lovely. He's a gentle soul and has an excellent delivery style; very warm and deceptively witty. Normally he goes with Just The Tonic and is given a searing hot basement in the sky that smells of mould for a room, but this year he's in Canons' Gait, which is much much nicer.

His blurb: A rule-breaker, a risk taker, a wave-maker and a convention-shaker – all phrases never before used to describe Jake Baker. But when a frustrating game of Alan Turing-themed Monopoly leaves him questioning the laws of the game, he finds himself turning that analytical impulse to bigger things.

.

Stephanie Laing: Rudder

Venue 300: Underbelly, George Square - The Wee Coo, 14.50-15.50

This show is particularly Tumblr-friendly, actually; it's described as 'neurodiversity-led'. However, it's a show with a content warning, although all the ticket page is saying is "themes" (insert Stephen Fry meme here); so, <SPOILER> she talks about withdrawing consent while sleeping with a FIB, and him continuing anyway. She talks about it in a very gentle way, avoiding Big Words, and it's very heavy on aftercare </SPOILER>

Her blurb: A comedy dance show about balance. Stephanie has a history of falling over a lot, accidentally kneeing herself in the face, and falling in love with total kn*bheads. In this show she uses a mixture of stand-up and dance to talk about bodies, sex, dancing, liking yourself, consent and healing. Also, there are cartoon bears and burlesque.

.

Erin McKinnie: The Faff Chronicles

Venue 108: Hoots @ The Apex - Hoot 4, 16.50-17.50

An Edinburgh local! Good solid standup for those who like such things. New-ish, but one to watch, she's very good. Don't be surprised to see her take off

Her blurb: What a faff! Erin McKinnie, a rising star on the Scottish comedy circuit, talks about faffing through early adulthood – from rogue adventures to living the "below-deck life" on cruise ships – she finds the funny in every bizarre encounter in this uplifting show that asks: Do we really need a life plan? Or... are we all just winging it? A brilliant, snort-worthy giggle-fest about exiting your 20s, facing life indecision and chasing answers for those big questions, all the while trying to convince your mother that this is a real job...

.

Alexander Bennett: Emotional Daredevil

Venue 24: Gilded Balloon Patter House - Coorie, 18.20-19.20

Dark feelings show with a really positive, optimistic message and a fun concept. It uses audience participation, but that's not compulsory, you're safe.

Blurb: I'm the emotional daredevil, and for my next feat, I need someone's help. A show about risk, for the unsatisfied and traumatised, from a Chortle Award nominee

.

Alex Franklin: Gurl Code

Venue 61: Underbelly, Cowgate - Delhi Belly, 20.25-21.25

Alex does a fun thing each year where she takes her publicity budget and rather than spending it on publicity, she hides it somewhere in Edinburgh and then reveals a clue to its location every day. This tells you something about her, I think

Her blurb: In 2024, trans girl Alex (me) started HRT. Now she (me) feels the most alive she's (me's) ever felt; and she wants to make you feel alive too, or die trying. A ludicrous, musical, chaotic, joyful show about the colours of the world becoming slowly brighter and giving people furniture via the tube. Also being trans.

.

Character Building Experience

Venue 49: Bedlam Theatre - Bedlam Theatre, 20.00-21.00

It's a D&D show - the MC Sasha Ellen makes a bunch of 40-minute simple campaigns and a selection of pre-rolled characters to do them, and then gets three comedians each time to play them. You know the drill. Good quality fun, and different each time, since you'll never see the same campaign/comedian mix.

.

2 Truths, 1 Lie

Multiple venues and times (search the EdFringe app or website to see them all), but I recommend catching the 3pm show on either the 25th or 26th August at Venue 108: Hoots @ The Apex - Hoot 1 for reasons I shall not share here (ooh, mysterious)

Fun panel-like show! Often MC'd by Steff, especially if you catch one of the 3pm shows. The format is:

Three comedians each declare a statement. Two are true, but one comedian is lying. The MC doesn't know the liar, nor does the audience. The audience gets to ask questions of the comedians; at the end, they vote on who they think the liar is.

(The prize for winning is a smug sense of satisfaction.)

.

Anyway, once I'm up there I will possibly have more, but currently, that's my list

[sexymemecoin]

The Rise of DeFi: Revolutionizing the Financial Landscape

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) has emerged as one of the most transformative sectors within the cryptocurrency industry. By leveraging blockchain technology, DeFi aims to recreate and improve upon traditional financial systems, offering a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient financial ecosystem. This article explores the fundamental aspects of DeFi, its key components, benefits, challenges, and notable projects, including a brief mention of Sexy Meme Coin.

What is DeFi?

DeFi stands for Decentralized Finance, a movement that utilizes blockchain technology to build an open and permissionless financial system. Unlike traditional financial systems that rely on centralized intermediaries like banks and brokerages, DeFi operates on decentralized networks, allowing users to interact directly with financial services. This decentralization is achieved through smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code.

Key Components of DeFi

Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs): DEXs allow users to trade cryptocurrencies directly with one another without the need for a central authority. Platforms like Uniswap, SushiSwap, and PancakeSwap have gained popularity for their ability to provide liquidity and facilitate peer-to-peer trading.

Lending and Borrowing Platforms: DeFi lending platforms like Aave, Compound, and MakerDAO enable users to lend their assets to earn interest or borrow assets by providing collateral. These platforms use smart contracts to automate the lending process, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

Stablecoins: Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to stable assets like fiat currencies to reduce volatility. They are crucial for DeFi as they provide a stable medium of exchange and store of value. Popular stablecoins include Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), and Dai (DAI).

Yield Farming and Liquidity Mining: Yield farming involves providing liquidity to DeFi protocols in exchange for rewards, often in the form of additional tokens. Liquidity mining is a similar concept where users earn rewards for providing liquidity to specific pools. These practices incentivize participation and enhance liquidity within the DeFi ecosystem.

Insurance Protocols: DeFi insurance protocols like Nexus Mutual and Cover Protocol offer coverage against risks such as smart contract failures and hacks. These platforms aim to provide users with security and peace of mind when engaging with DeFi services.

Benefits of DeFi

Financial Inclusion: DeFi opens up access to financial services for individuals who are unbanked or underbanked, particularly in regions with limited access to traditional banking infrastructure. Anyone with an internet connection can participate in DeFi, democratizing access to financial services.

Transparency and Trust: DeFi operates on public blockchains, providing transparency for all transactions. This transparency reduces the need for trust in intermediaries and allows users to verify and audit transactions independently.

Efficiency and Speed: DeFi eliminates the need for intermediaries, reducing costs and increasing the speed of transactions. Smart contracts automate processes that would typically require manual intervention, enhancing efficiency.

Innovation and Flexibility: The open-source nature of DeFi allows developers to innovate and build new financial products and services. This continuous innovation leads to the creation of diverse and flexible financial instruments.

Challenges Facing DeFi

Security Risks: DeFi platforms are susceptible to hacks, bugs, and vulnerabilities in smart contracts. High-profile incidents, such as the DAO hack and the recent exploits on various DeFi platforms, highlight the need for robust security measures.

Regulatory Uncertainty: The regulatory environment for DeFi is still evolving, with governments and regulators grappling with how to address the unique challenges posed by decentralized financial systems. This uncertainty can impact the growth and adoption of DeFi.

Scalability: DeFi platforms often face scalability issues, particularly on congested blockchain networks like Ethereum. High gas fees and slow transaction times can hinder the user experience and limit the scalability of DeFi applications.

Complexity and Usability: DeFi platforms can be complex and challenging for newcomers to navigate. Improving user interfaces and providing educational resources are crucial for broader adoption.

Notable DeFi Projects

Uniswap (UNI): Uniswap is a leading decentralized exchange that allows users to trade ERC-20 tokens directly from their wallets. Its automated market maker (AMM) model has revolutionized the way liquidity is provided and traded in the DeFi space.

Aave (AAVE): Aave is a decentralized lending and borrowing platform that offers unique features such as flash loans and rate switching. It has become one of the largest and most innovative DeFi protocols.

MakerDAO (MKR): MakerDAO is the protocol behind the Dai stablecoin, a decentralized stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. MakerDAO allows users to create Dai by collateralizing their assets, providing stability and liquidity to the DeFi ecosystem.

Compound (COMP): Compound is another leading DeFi lending platform that enables users to earn interest on their cryptocurrencies or borrow assets against collateral. Its governance token, COMP, allows users to participate in protocol governance.

Sexy Meme Coin (SXYM): While primarily known as a meme coin, Sexy Meme Coin has integrated DeFi features, including a decentralized marketplace for buying, selling, and trading memes as NFTs. This unique blend of humor and finance adds a distinct flavor to the DeFi landscape. Learn more about Sexy Meme Coin at Sexy Meme Coin.

The Future of DeFi

The future of DeFi looks promising, with continuous innovation and growing adoption. As blockchain technology advances and scalability solutions are implemented, DeFi has the potential to disrupt traditional financial systems further. Regulatory clarity and improved security measures will be crucial for the sustainable growth of the DeFi ecosystem.

DeFi is likely to continue attracting attention from both retail and institutional investors, driving further development and integration of decentralized financial services. The flexibility and inclusivity offered by DeFi make it a compelling alternative to traditional finance, paving the way for a more open and accessible financial future.

Conclusion

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) represents a significant shift in the financial landscape, leveraging blockchain technology to create a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient financial system. Despite the challenges, the benefits of DeFi and its continuous innovation make it a transformative force in the world of finance. Notable projects like Uniswap, Aave, and MakerDAO, along with unique contributions from meme coins like Sexy Meme Coin, demonstrate the diverse and dynamic nature of the DeFi ecosystem.

For those interested in exploring the playful and innovative side of DeFi, Sexy Meme Coin offers a unique and entertaining platform. Visit Sexy Meme Coin to learn more and join the community.

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 408 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1 "与一"と名付けたのは自分に最初に与えられたものだったからだ "よいち"となづけたのはじぶんにさいしょにあたえられたものだったからだ "Yoichi" to nadzuketa no wa jibun ni saisho ni ataerareta mono datta kara daHe named [his brother] "Yoichi" because [his brother] was the first thing given to him.

tagline 1 自分のものにならないのなら… じぶんのものにならないのなら… jibun no mono ni naranai no nara... If he won't become his...

tagline 2 No.408　努努‼︎GANRIKI　堀越耕平 ナンバー408　ゆ���ゆめ‼︎がんりき　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 408  yumeyume!! ganriki   Horikoshi Kouhei No. 408 Relentless eyes*!!  Kouhei Horikoshi (*Note: This chapter title is as interesting as it is incomprehensible. "Yumeyume" is a word that means basically "more, extra, whatever it is but PLUS ULTRA," and "ganriki" is something of a meme Horikoshi loves and uses a lot in MHA that refers to eyes bright and extra detailed to the point of being distracting or over-defined. It can refer to the eyes or even just the "power within the eyes" or one's gaze. All together it's basically just some nebulous sort of concept of eyes that are bright/sharp with dreams or effort or toil or just EYES, BUT EXTRA.)

3 弟が彼の元を去ってから おとうとがかれのもとをさってから otouto ga kare no moto wo satte kara Since his younger brother had left him,

4 約２ヵ月が経っていた やく２ヵげつがたっていた yaku 2kagetsu ga tatte ita about 2 months have passed.

1 所有物を奪った青年と目が合うも おとうとをうばったせいねんとめがあうも otouto (kanji: shoyuubutsu) wo ubatta seinen to me ga au mo He met eyes with the young man who stole his younger brother (read as: property), but

2 彼の眼球は生まれつき薄膜が張ったように艶がないので かれのがんきゅうはうまれつきうすまくがはったようにつやがないので kare no gankyuu wa umaretsuki usumaku ga hatta you ni tsuyaganai no his eyeballs were lackluster from birth, as if they were covered with a thin film, so

3 その瞳に青年が映り込む事はなかった そのひとみにせいねんがうつりこむことはなかった sono hitomi ni seinen ga utsurukomu koto wa nakatta the young man was not reflected in those eyes.

1 僕が「与えた」筈の異能が消えていた ぼくが「あたえた」はずのいのうがきえていた boku ga 「ataeta」 hazu no inou ga kiete ita The meta ability I definitely gave him had disappeared.

2 「他人から奪ったモノ」「隷属させる為に奪ったモノ」はいらないと拒み続けた与一に無理矢理与えた力… 「ひとからうばったモノ」「れいぞくさせるためにうばったモノ」はいらないとこばみつづけたあいつにむりやりあたえたちから… 「hito (kanji: tanin) kara ubatta MONO」 「reizoku saseru tame ni ubatta MONO」 wa iranai to kobami tsudzuketa aitsu (kanji: Yoichi) ni muriyari ataeta chikara... The power he forcibly gave Yoichi, who kept refusing, saying he didn't need "something taken from others" or "something stolen in order to enslave"...

3 こんな事は今までなかった こんなことはいままでなかった konna koto wa ima made nakatta This sort of thing has never happened until now.

1 いや…与一に"異能"がないのは僕の力で確認している いや…よいちに"いのう"がないのはぼくのちからでかくにんしている iya...Yoichi ni "inou" ga nai no wa boku no chikara de kakunin shite iru No...I'm confirming with my power that Yoichi does not have any meta abilities.

2 自我も芽生えぬ頃に「奪った」かと思っていたが… じがもめばえぬころに「うばった」かとおもっていたが… jiga mo mebaenu koro ni 「ubatta」 ka to omotte ita ga... I thought I stole it before I even had a sense of self, but...

3 僕の"異能"が認識できぬ程に小さく機能しないゴミが検査で見つかった ぼくの"いのう"がにんしきできぬほどにちいさくきのうしないゴミがけんさでみつかった boku no "inou" ga ninshiki dekinu hodo ni chiisaku kinou shinai GOMI ga kensa de mitsukatta I found upon inspection a piece of trash that was too small to be recognized by my meta ability.

4 形成時の栄養不足によって形にならなかった因子のようなもの… けいせいじのえいようぶそくによってかたちにならなかったいんしのようなもの… keiseiji no eiyou busoku ni yotte katachi ni naranakatta inshi no you na mono... Something like a factor that did not take shape due to lack of nutrition during its formation...

5 まさか…動いたのか…？ まさか…うごいたのか…？ masaka...ugoita no ka...? It can't be... Did it move...?

6 リーダーあの敗戦の時ーー リーダーあのはいせんのときーー RIIDAA ano haisen no toki-- "Leader, at the time of that defeat--"

7 AFOには触られてないんだよな？ オール・フォー・ワンにはさわられてないんだよな？ OORU FOO WAN ni wa sawararetenainda yo na? "you weren't touched by All For One, right?"

8 しつこいなブルース shitsukoi na BURUUSU "You're so obstinate, Bruce."

9 結果だけ伝えろ けっかだけつたえろ kekka dake tsutaero "Just tell me the results."

10 「あの日以降全身に違和感」…よく気付いたよ… 「あのひいこうぜんしんにいわかん」…よくきづいたよ… 「ano hi ikou zenshin ni iwakan」...yoku kidzuita yo... "You noticed it well...how since that day something's felt out of place all over your body..."

11 因子が２つある… いんしが２つある… inshi ga 2tsu aru... "You have two factors..."

12 生来のものと…出来損ないのような小さいものが せいらいのものと…できそこないのようなちいさいものが seirai no mono to...dekisokonai no you na chiisai mono ga "Your innate one, and...a small, seemingly useless* one." (Note: FYI this term, "dekisokonai," is the word Izuku uses in DvK1 to tell Katsuki that his "Deku" name won't always mean "useless.")

1 ……なんとなくそうじゃないかと思ってた ……なんとなくそうじゃないかとおもってた ......nantonaku sou ja nai ka to omotteta "......Somehow, I was thinking that was the case."

2 与えた"異能"が消えたのは…足りない部分を補う為に取り込み…「奪った」…！ あたえた"いのう"がきえたのは…たりないぶぶんをおぎなうためにとりこみ…「うばった」…！ ataeta "inou" ga kieta no wa...tarinai bubun wo oginau tame ni torikomi...「ubatta」...! The [reason] the meta ability I gave him disappeared...was because he took it in to make up for the missing part... [He] stole it...!

3 僕は兄さんを止められなかった ぼくはにいさんをとめられなかった boku wa niisan wo tomerarenakatta "I couldn't stop my older brother."

4 僕を生かしてくれた ぼくをいかしてくれた boku wo ikashite kureta "[You]* kept me alive." (*Note: Yoichi is likely speaking to AFO in this frame as implied by the art.)

5 他人が玩具やゲームにしか見えてない ひとがおもちゃやゲームにしかみえてない hito (kanji: tanin) ga omocha ya GEEMU ni shika mietenai "He saw other people as nothing more than toys or games."

6 もしほんの少しでも他人を思い遣れていたらーーーー もしほんのすこしでもひとをおもいやれていたらーーーー moshi hon no sukoshi demo hito (kanji: tanin) wo omoiyarete itara---- "If [you]* could be even a little considerate of other people----" (*Note: Yoichi is likely speaking to AFO in this frame as implied by the art.)

7 俺の中に与一の意志が おれのなかによいちのいしが ore no naka ni Yoichi no ishi ga "Yoichi's will is inside me."

8 まだ在るのか まだあるのか mada aru no ka "So it still exists?"

1 与えるも奪うも あたえるもうばうも ataeru mo ubau mo "Whether giving or taking away,"

2 世界一優しい力になったかもしれないのに せかいいちやさしいちからになったかもしれないのに sekai ichi yasashii chikara ni natta kamo shirenai noni "it might have become the kindest power in the world."

3 涙を出せば狼狽させられるから出した なみだをだせばろうばいさせられるからだした namida wo daseba roubai saserareru kara dashita If I shed tears it would make me flustered, so I shed them.

4-8 嫌がる事と望んでいる事を操り貶めそうやって手中に収めてきた いやがることとのぞんでいることをあやつりおとしめそうやってしゅちゅうにおさめてきた iyagaru koto to nozonde iru koto wo ayatsuri otoshime sou yatte shuchuu ni osamete kita I took possession of that which I hate and that which I desire through manipulation and degradation.

9 なのにおまえは nanoni omae wa But you

10 思い通りにならない おもいどおりにならない omoidoori ni naranai did not go the way I wanted.

11-12 ただ欲しいだけなのに ただほしいだけなのに tada hoshii dake nanoni I only* want [you], but (*Note: He's not saying he wants Yoichi and nothing else but that the only thing he feels is desire in this situation. You could read the "only" here as "simply" to have it make better sense.)

13 追っても おっても ottemo even though I chase

14 追っても おっても ottemo and I chase,

1 すり抜けていく すりぬけていく surinukete iku [you] slip through the cracks.

1 おまえのせいだ omae no sei da "It's because of you,"

2 駆藤‼︎ くどう‼︎ Kudou!! "Kudou!!"

3 駆藤！奴の血縁は絶やした！それだけじゃない奴に近しかった女も子どもも疑わしきは全て！ くどう！やつのけつえんはたやした！それだけじゃないやつにちかしかったおんなもこどももうたがわしきはすべて！ Kudou! yatsu no ketsuen wa tayashita! sore dake ja nai yatsu ni chikashikatta onna mo kodomo mo utagawashiki wa subete! Kudou! I eradicated his blood relatives! Not only them, but all the women and children and anyone suspicious who were close to him!

4 もし奴の血ならばーーー もしやつのちならばーーー moshi yatsu no chi naraba--- If [Bakugou] has that guy's blood---

5 あの時何か感じるものがあった筈！ あのときなにかかんじるものがあったはず！ ano toki nani ka kanjiru mono ga atta hazu! I surely would have felt something back then!

1 ー眼が！あの時はまだその眼じゃなかった‼︎ ーめが！あのときはまだそのめじゃなかった‼︎ -me ga! ano toki wa mada sono me ja nakatta!! --His eyes! Back then, he didn't have those eyes yet!!

2 ただの空似だ ただのそらにだ tada no sorani da It's just an accidental resemblance.

3 だが今確かに駆藤に似た意志が だがいまたしかにあのおとこににたいしが daga ima tashika ni ano otoko (kanji: Kudou) ni nita ishi ga But right now, there is certainly a will similar to that man's (read as: Kudou's)

4 時空を超えて じくうをこえて jikuu wo koete transcending space and time, and

5 僕を阻んでいるのだ‼︎ ぼくをはばんでいるのだ‼︎ boku wo habande iru no da!! it's blocking me!!

1 "ワープ"で強制的に引き剥がそうにも転送可能ポイントは "ワープ"できょうせいてきにひきはがそうにもてんそうかのうポイントは "WAAPU" de kyouseiteki ni hiki hagasou ni mo tensou kanou POINTO wa Even if I were to forcibly remove him with a warp, the transferable points are

2 すぐ近くのオールマイトか弔の位置しかない…！ すぐちかくのオールマイトかとむらのいちしかない…！ sugu chikaku no OORU MAITO ka Tomura no ichi shika nai...! only the positions of nearby All Might or Tomura...!

3 これ以上交戦し体を小さくするわけにはいかない‼︎ これいじょうこうせんしからだをちいさくするわけにはいかない‼︎ kore ijou kousen shi karada wo chiisaku suru wake ni wa ikanai!! I can't afford to engage in battle any more than this and make my body smaller!!

4 弔の元に辿り着いても とむらのもとにたどりついても Tomura no moto ni tadori tsuitemo Even if I reach where Tomura is,

5 彼は既に僕を拒否しているのだ争いは必至 かれはすでにぼくをきょひ���ているのだあらそいはひっし kare wa sude ni boku wo kyohi shite iru no da arasoi wa hisshi he has already refused me. A fight is inevitable.

6 "譲渡"を成立させる為余力を残しておかねばならない "じょうと"をせいりつさせるためよりょくをのこしておかねばならない "jouto" wo seiritsu saseru tame yoryoku wo nokoshite okaneba naranai I must leave enough energy to make the transfer happen.

7 …と思っていたがもういい… …とおもっていたがもういい… ...to omotte ita ga mou ii... "...or so I thought, but enough..."

8 おまえを殺すのもゴールも譲渡も… おまえをころすのもゴールもじょうとも… omae wo korosu no mo GOORU mo jouto mo... "I'll kill you, [reach my] goal, and [do the] transfer..."

9 一括だ いっかつだ ikkatsu da "all at once."

1 来る くる kuru "[Here it] comes."

2 全因解放 ぜんいんかいほう zen'in kaihou Unleash all factors

3 "全ては一つの目的の為に" "オール・フォー・ワン" "OORU FOO WAN (kanji: subete wa hitotsu no mokuteki no tame ni)" "All for the sake of one goal (read as: All For One)"

1 押し通る おしとおる oshitooru "I'll push through."

2 あの膨大なエネルギーを推進力に…⁉︎ あのぼうだいなエネルギーをすいしんりょくに…⁉︎ ano boudai na ENERUGII wo suishinryoku ni...!? "He's using that huge amount of energy for propulsion...!?"

3 一気に総取りするつもりだ…！ いっきにそうどりするつもりだ…！ ikki ni soudori suru tsumori da...! "He plans to take everything all at once...!"

4 ……赤ん坊にまで戻るぞ！賭けに出たか！ ……あかんぼうにまでもどるぞ！かけにでたか！ ......akanbou ni made modoru zo! kake ni deta ka! ......He'll return to being a baby! He's taking a gamble!

5 避けろ少年ン!!! よけろしょうねんン!!! yokero shounenN!!! "Dodge, young man!!!"

6 バカがてめえんなもん BAKA ga temeenna mon "You really are such an idiot."

7 勝てるわけねーだろ かてるわけねーだろ kateru wake nee daro "There's no way you can win."

tagline しかし、確かに、希望を見据えてーー しかし、たしかに、きぼうをみすえてーー shikashi, tashika ni, kibou wo misuete-- However, certainly, looking toward hope--

[scholarhect]

saying this in its own post bc i’ve been thinking about it lately. it’s one thing to self identify with certain concepts. it’s one thing to joke around with your friends. you can reclaim harmful words/ideas to have fun with them. but these days it seems like people think words like slut whore thot bimbo etc are morally neutral… these insults are deeply misogynistic & have real power, they’re not little meme words that fell out of a coconut tree… you can’t just sling them around at people are you out of your mind 😭 these are misogynistic slurs. nothing wrong with saying you’re in your slut era, or telling your friend they look like a slut if you know they don’t mind, but when what you’re saying is nearly indistinguishable from a misogynistic comment meant to devalue a woman, you can’t just expect the rest of us to know that you didn’t mean it like that, you meant it in a silly little meme way

[existentialterror]

ARG notes: ZampanioSim, part 2

Hey guys. catfishAnabasis (Light) here, continuing my… uh, ZampanioSim Let’s Play? That’s dumb. My investigation into the Homestuck/Magnus Archives/House of Leaves-inspired alternate reality game ZampanioSim. Read Part 1 first.

Now we have the bare minimum on Zampanio Sim’s format. Actually, we don’t know much and it’s constantly changing, but we at least have an idea of what we’re in for. Cool.

What is the story unfolding within Zampanio Sim?

So we know from the Classpect Menu game, the one that “is” ZampanioSim, that this was an effort to simulate a now-deleted game from the 1970s called Zampanio, based on a now-lost* FAQ on how to play it. At some point, possibly just search engines, I have learned that Eyedol Games is the company that makes Zampanio. Let’s take that going in.

*dubious

A lot of the “routes” off the house at the start of ZampanioSim – see the diagram – are procedurally generated places to explore or are otherwise collections of content. But other have a more directly obvious narrative to them. I have marked these places here.

Let’s go. We'll start... Uh...

…

(Okay, so there’s a recurring meme in ZampanioSim about whether personality-typing you based on whether you traverse labyrinths clockwise or counterclockwise.

But I’m confused about which one that means – like if I’m looking at a drawing of a labyrinth top-down, and I go from the entrance to the right passage, I guess I’m going counterclockwise. But if I were standing in a physical maze, the clockways framing wouldn’t occur to me – I mean, they’re both chiral processes, but like, the hand of a clock moves to the right, so which reference am I taking?

Maybe I’m not cut out for labyrinths. When I’m caving in minecraft I go to the right, so if I’m coming back into the house through the north door, then... I guess:)

We’ll start with the non-existent West Route (accessible by clicking on the west side of the house, where you’d expect a door to be.)

AdventureSimWest

AdventureSimWest is an audience-participation adventure game that, like Problem Sleuth or Early Homestuck, takes suggested commands from an audience that guide a character, and the author tells a story around it. This one has been running for quite some time, so there’s a lot of backlogged material!

AdventureSimWest gives us a lot of info right away. It’s about a character named Peewee, who is hired by Eyedol Games. Peewee and the staff of Eyedol Games are trapped inside a Space Loop. A Space Loop is like a Time Loop except that once you die, physical space (within the loop) and many of the circumstances reset, but its point in time is… not fixed. Peewee is a snakelike alien called a lamia. He first appeared in a different SBURBlike game on FarragoFiction.com called Farragnarok, which he remembers but which I don’t know anything about. He is a COOL GAMER who has lived various other lives including through the destruction of his home planet, Segundia. Keep in mind that he is from a SBURBlike.

Oh, hey, according to an offhand exchange in AdventureSimWest, solving mazes by following the righthand wall means you’re going counterclockwise. Everyone jot that down. We can bootstrap this. We can do this.

I read up through the “JR Rambles about Spoilers” interlude. And it was fun! It’s Peewee’s quirky, haphazard series of adventures in a quirky, sharp universe. The style is fun, self-aware and whimsical. I don’t know how much about the AdventureSimWest lore applies to mainstream Zampanio, especially given the multilayered narrative Zampanio serves up to us like a delicious but concerningly non-Euclidean cake, but some of the characters and concepts appear in other places, and so the worldbuilding might too. Here are some things we learn about the world of AdventureSimWest:

Peewee arrived here from his old universe by jumping into a giant, spiky, magical wall of flesh called an Echidna. He’s actually one of the set of gods who created this universe, but seems to be the only one left.

People central to the space loop remember the space loop exists.

Eyedol Games may have caused or be causing the space loop, but does not appear to be completely in control of it.

The space loop started in 1971 and is spiraling towards the end of the world in 2022.

Eyedol has other employees, including:

Wanda, the “CEBro” and “Lord of Space” (homestuck classpect). She’s tremendously rad and maybe a shapeshifter.

The Intern, a college-aged dude from Ohio, who Wanda is always trying to find and who seems unexpectedly critical to the existence of Eyedol Games. (I might apply a little homestuck logic and guess that he’s the “Muse of Time”, but this is my own speculation.)

The Closer, an aggressive businesslady in a suit and cape

Someone called the Eye Killer, who, like, lives in Eyedol’s basement and kills people.

Flower Chick, some kind of identity-stealing fae, who keeps a copy of Peewee’s skull on her desk.

Quotidians, which are another alien species – these ones are shapeshifting crows and are a hivemind. Many of them are named Tom.

Parker, a “waste”, who has made his business out of learning glitches, hacking, etc, in reality itself.

There are also just two other teams of people who don’t work at Eyedol Games, who both got ejected into some kind of infinite labyrinth around the same time. They have kind of SCP energy. I don’t know what their deal is. Yet.

What about that FAQ?

The mysterious lost ZampanioFAQ actually exists, more or less.

When I found it, it felt like natural game progression: I beat the Classpect Menu game, then there got a link to the official Discord. Then buried in one of the Discord channels, one of the pinned links goes to – yes – THE Zampanio FAQ.

But then it turned out the thing I’d found a link to was a fan-made transcript (by @verbosebabbler) of a different “official” ZampanioFAQ PDF. And through various link-hopping, most of which I now forget, I also found the original PDF on a different website by JR. So I don’t know if I got there the way I was “supposed to” or where else I might otherwise have found the FAQ. But we’re here now!

(The official discord, by the way, does not have talk permissions open in any channel. They are all frozen conversations from years ago, with only a spare few used threads acting as the actual usable channels. So the discord is its own labyrinth too. ITS A-MAZE-ING)

Okay. The ZampanioFAQ. In the frontnote to the FAQ, JR describes this finding a printout of fic they'd read long ago, and sharing it as evidence that they did not invent Zampanio – that this is a sburbsim/glitchFAQ (we’ll get to that, hang tight) crossover fanfic by someone else that they read once, lost, and recently re-found - and that it has a couple indications that it’s referencing Zampanio.

Mostly, contentwise, this FAQ is sort of a interuniversal document about how to play SBURB (the universe-creation game that the characters in Homestuck play), written by a group of players. The Zampanio FAQ has, unfortunately, been heavily redacted by interdimensional forces, perhaps SBURB itself.

It’s like it’s written by a new set of characters who are playing their own game of Sburb. They’re learning about it as they experience it! Haha, that’s a cute gimmick.

Oh, the skull? Yeah, don’t worry about that. Hah, no, I get how it looks. But it's actually totally fine.

The redacted words in the ZampanioFAQ seem mostly to do with certain details of SBURB itself, like SBURB is trying to keep its players from spoilers.

Drawing from VerboseBabbler’s transcript and partial de-redaction of the FAQ, I gave my hand at making what sense I could out of the original PDF.

Excerpt. You may not like it, but this is peak ARG performance: multiple collaborative layers of nested PDF annotation.

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

Trying to fill in these blanks made me appreciate the potential of the fan-ARG.

Homestuck is a story that both rewards a lot of knowledge about its worldbuilding and also often doesn't explain itself – I think that’s why it has such intense fanwork, because it implies so much but leaves you to fill in the gaps.

Like, okay, classpects, alright? Fans make a big deal about classpecting and it’s cool but it’s also kind of nothing, like, we get some gestures about what it means but not much. (Quick, what does a mage do?) There’s so much fanon trying to make sense of it that even the wiki explanation is based on fanon. But fanon can be dope and people have done some really, really neat stuff bouncing off of the gaps in canon.

ZampanioSim is about nested realities and missing information, and it's heavily based on specific fanworks of homestuck. And filling in missing information on this document, I could use my knowledge of Homestuck to make inferences about this related-but-separate storyline and worldbuilding. That’s so cool!

In the same way that the best fanfiction draws from and interacts repeatedly with canon, the fan-ARG can act as a commentary on or a dialogue with its sources - a story made stronger by connection to another.

There have been other fan ARGs and this is really my first experience with the genre (well - does EverymanHYBRID count as a fanwork? discuss), but like, holy shit, I get it now.

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

Okay, let’s regroup. So the FAQ is a bunch of advice written collaboratively by a group of people playing SBURB. The FAQ is about a kind of SBURB that is very similar to the one in Homestuck – but it’s even more similar to another game on the FarragoFiction website, SBURBsim, which is “is a fanmade browser simulation” of SBURB.

In SBURBsim, you can throw in a randomly-generated or customized set of characters into their own session, and SBURBsim will invent plotlines, fights, character progression, romance, alchemy, time travel shenanigans, and more, eventually telling you a story about how that session might go. It is mind-bogglingly ornate and cool, check it out.

Okay, anyway, so the game described in the FAQ is mostly Sburb-y but has some clear Farrago/SburbSIM elements in the form of the fan-classes – wastes, graces, smiths, and more. But it has some stuff that feels more Homestuck-classic-SBURB, like in the FAQ [EDIT: SBURBsim] there’s a convention where all the randomly generated player-usernames have the same initials as their classpects, so like the session’s Bard of Time might have the username belugaTrainer or belligerentTriangle or whatever, which isn’t a thing in Homestuck nor in the FAQ. It also adds a few elements all its own, like that there’s a recognized pantheon of gods who have sway over the rules of the universe, with their own usernames and classpects.

(Hey, synthesizing that with some background Homestuck knowledge + what we’ve learned from AdventureSimWest, I think the ‘gods’ are the players whose Sburb session created the ones that the FAQ authors were born into. Elegant!)

Oh yeah, as JR mentions, the Zampanio FAQ also takes heavy and pseudo-explicit inspiration from a fanfiction called the Sburb Glitch FAQ, a sprawling fanwork I haven’t read that’s sort of a game guide and technical manual to SBURB. Maybe more of this is references to that, I don’t know.

(Sidenote, Rose’s GameFAQ was one of my favorite plot points in Homestuck. I’m only sorry it wasn’t used more. So I’m delighted to see all these fanworks that took inspiration from it.)

So okay whether the FAQ players are more playing OG-SBURB, or SBURBsim, or a game that has aspects of both – well, they’re all pretty similar, I don’t’ think we need to split hairs. This document is an in-universe survival guide for a SBURBlike.

You know what it’s not particularly like? ZampanioSim, the game it supposedly inspired!

This is so fun to me. SBURBsim existed long before ZampanioSim. If you were going to make a simulator game based on the Zampanio FAQ, that game would be SBURBsim. But SBURBsim was already a thing! JR knows this – they worked on SBURBsim! Their sburbsona is on the about page!

They mention this in the introduction to the “found scanned printout” of the FAQ - they initially read it deeply to figure out, through the redaction, if it was a fanwork for their own project (SBURBsim). They write:

this is obvs JUST the faq, not any of the like, description or author name or all that shit that eventually lead me down the rabbit hole. like, you could find the missing sections in this weird ...not arg? I don't THINK? and they started talking about things like the achievement system and shit, stuff that stuck with me a lot more if what i chose to focus on in zampaniosim is any indication. still. having a record of the START of this branch is better than nothing

So, okay, the FAQ itself is not explicitly Zampanio. We’re missing the description and whatever else that’s supposedly out there somewhere, as lost media. I tried to find some reason to think the fic was supposedly out of time, like that it would have been from before SBURBsim was made, but there isn't any - everything lines up with what JR said in the forward.

So I think maybe reading so far into the FAQ without that other supposed metadata was a great time and, yes, sold me on a new art form, but it wasn’t that productive in terms of the broader Zampanio story.

... Or was it?

I've connected the dots

There was a reference somewhere – I think in the South route, though I can’t swear to it – that was pretty outright something like “JR added Magnus Archives elements to Zampanio because of an at-the-time obsession with the Spiral from TMA.” Now, some stuff like the south route is less in-character than in other places, so I don’t want to necessarily say that everything like that will “carry through” to the rest of canon, if that makes sense. But it helps put those pieces together, so here’s my running theory:

In the story, Zampanio is a memeplex that moves and spreads between dimensions - very diverse multiple dimensions, including different fictional worlds. (Think the Big Bad in There Is No Antimemetics Division - effecting "universes which embed ours as fiction".) Sort of a psychic prion that goes around twisting orderly systems and punching its way between meta-layers. The core of it stays similar between - it has a predilection for spirals, mazes, meta bullshit, and games - but some of the specifics change from instance to instance.

Zampanio probably spread rampant among this constellation of Sburb universes, perhaps because Zampanio is affiliated with games and Sburb universe is a game. (Or at least uses a game to reproduce.) It’s a great carrier. From there, Zampanio rode into our universe on the back of the FAQ. (Game FAQs being a known way to throw information between Sburb dimensions, in Homestuck.)

JR took the seed that came with the FAQ and instantiated Zampanio in this universe, and added their own compatible TMA-spiral flavoring to it.

(This also lines up with another cool aspect of Zampanio, which is that if you make your own fan-work or fan-story about Zampanio, that’s canon too. It is impossible to gamejack this. Thus far I’m focusing on JR’s ZampanioSim canon, but there are other people out there putting their own spins on it, which are also canon.)

Questions I have now, if that theory is true:

What other aspects of ZampanioSim carry on between versions?

Is Eyedol necessarily associated with the Zampanio memeplex? Does or did it actually create ZampanioSim in some causal way?

Does the Space Loop that occurs in AdventureSimWest have ramifications or equivalents in other instances of Zampanio?

Why does Zampanio like games so much? (Is it because interactive games are a convenient way to punch through from one dimension to the fictional dimension within it?)

There are comments about someone, maybe Eyedol, trying to scrub the ZampanioFAQ from the internet (in our dimension). Why would they want that?

What’s the other missing metadata that would have associated the ZampanioFAQ with Zampanio?

Who wrote the ZampanioFAQ? Was it written (...IC) as a fanwork of SBURBsim or did it “come from a SBURB universe”? Who censored it?

Aw man. And there's still so much I haven't even gotten into.

Like, okay, do you guys know gopher? It’s an early alternative to HTTP as a way of organizing the internet that was mostly sidelined, but a few servers are still around.

Apparently there’s a bunch more Zampanio stuff only accessible via Gopher and I’m going to have to figure out how to use it.

Thanks, JR, YOU MAD SORCERER.

So, that's where I'm at vis a vis ZampanioSim. I gotta get back to my own stuff for right now, but thank you ZampanioSim discord for helping blaze trails and mostly to JR for weaving such a wonderful weird mystery.

If you have questions or comments you want me to talk about in a future one of these, my ask box is open.* Also, if you get into ZampanioSim yourself, feel free to say hi on the discord.**

*(okay I know people have been involved in this for years and I’m still mostly trying to formulate my own opinions about what’s going on, so if you know something that’s like “an actual answer” and want to share, then consider phrasing it as an ominous clue instead of telling me outright – but I’m under the strong impression that this is an ARG where there’s not gonna be like a canonical underlying “answer” to a lot of things so, you know, do what brings you joy.)

**Your first challenge is to find the discord. I wanna be cryptic too!

[lychniis]

tagged by @pearlsxandxpeonies on my main ( @ainescribe ) to share my wip folder!!! which is *laughs nervously* kind of maybe full of a whole lot of abandoned works but okay kijhgvfbghnjmk.

rules: post the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! tag as many people as you have wips!

GENSHIN IMPACT —

memory ( zhongli x reader ) ;

this project was written then rewritten so many times it may as well be a meme. the premise of this one is the reader being a god birthed from a human, who is sustained by the faith and belief. however, due to some mishaps in their early days. they've been cursed to be forgotten. i was heavily inspired by noragami in how yato struggled to be remembered by people around him to stop himself from fading out of existance. // angst, hurt - no comfort, chaptered fic.

in the sky, on the earth ( zhongli x reader ) ;

a oneshot ( a long long oneshot ) about zhongli meeting a khaenri'ahn doctor and falling in love. once more, we fall into angst territory because i like making people cry apparently. this is kind of based off of one of my oc's, one silentmoth and i keep yammering about ( we have pour own little found family scenario involved as well - it's fun kijhbgvbhnj ). // angst, hurt - comfort, eventual happy ending, oneshot.

the earth, encased ( zhongli x reader ) ;

this one is zhongli grappling on your mortality ( yay ) after a near death experience grants you a vision. and it's geo. and he's having a crisis. // angst, hurt - comfort, near character death, lots og hugs, oneshot.

sehnsucht, or the taste of longing ( diluc x reader ) ;

and old old concept i want to revisit. set during the three year period in which diluc was investigating the fatui, he poses as a fatui recruit and marries the reader, a snezhnyayan citizen and a double agent who works alongside him. its mostly marriage of convenience, blossoming feelings and diluc and the reader being sneaky sneaks while they fall in love. // angst, fluff, slightly domestic, arranged marriage. oneshot.

arare litus ( neuvillette x reader ) ;

a mermaid is washed ashore and nevullette finds kinship in them. but there are murders going on, the reader learns how to human ( very little mermaid esque ) and pretty soon the killer is kind of revealed to be an unexpected face. this fic took a darker turn when it was supposed to be fluffy. i had crys screaming in my dm's it was a doozy and i loved it XD. // fluff, smut, oneshot.

HONKAI : STAR RAIL —

and this all consuming hunger ( jing yuan x reader ) ;

a guideverse fic featuring a sentinel jing yuan and a guide reader. it touches on touchstarvation, mortality and loneliness and i lowkey a catharsis in a sense. it's very self indulgent, everyone is tired and needs a hug. // hurt - comfort, fluff, oneshot.

from a warm climate ( jing yuan x reader ) ;

a bit of an au fic with a small dash of ancient magus bride. jing yuan is a retired warrior and a pathstrider who works in a society where magic is urbanized yet practiced on the downlow. he finds the reader, a kinnara who was abducted by hunters and managed to escape badly wounded. they can't quite bounce just yet due to having their veena, a sentimental object and a source for their use of magic, taken away as well and seeks to find it out. jing yuan just accepts it lol. it's mostly domestic, with found family elements to it. // angst, fluff. hurt - comfort, found family, chaptered fic.

like real people do ( jing yuan x reader ) ;

kjhgfdcfvghj this is also a wip in my folders for a while now. but in short. the reader was once a follower of the abundance and now seeks to live a normal life post lan lux - arrowing their planet apart. contrasted with memory ! reader who wants ti keep living, this one wants to live a good life and die a peaceful death. the ending is flat out tragic. do not touch if you hate angst. // angst, hurt-comfort, no happy endings lol, still debating on chaptered or oneshot.

it will come back ( blade x reader ) ;

the premise is blade finding the reader who runs a clinic on a planet overrun by shady businesses and crime. their meet cute is basically them driving a scalpel into his medulla and killing him. blade in turn just...keeps coming back lol. i really need to stop wolfing on hozier songs for my titles but then again most of his tunes serve inspiration kjhbgvbnj. it might contain mature content. i'm still mulling over it. // slight yandere??? idk, violence, blade is a walking red flag and a sad sad man.

tagging — @crystalflygeo @perpetualcynicism @euniveve @moraxsthrone @masuchu @silentmoths @silkjade @thesparklingwriter

feel free to join in, whether you are tagged or not! thanks for giving me this chance!

[libbytwq]

Oh?

SMG4 self insert concept?

And its traditional art?

Hm

(I couldnt sleep or get the concept out of my head hksbdkc so i doodled it on paper lol, will make a digital version... at some point) (edit: boom shakalaka i did it)

About time i made an SMG4 oc LMAO i keep seeing so many cool creative ones and im like. Man i wanna join in too 😭

AND SO I DID. for the funyy

Meet SMGL:E, or Super Meme Guardian Lore: Error!!

Or you can call them Lore for short, or Error if you dont want to get them confused with my actual sona lol

Basically a messed up meme guardian whose pod decided her avatar would be Princess Peach, but since Peach is... well... A monster thingie of some sort, their file got a little corrupted and messed up so now they look like that.

They also are evil >:))) so evil mwahahaha (and by evil, i mean that the evillest thing he can do is steal candy from a baby, but even then thats iffy)

(They also think Karen is kinda neat but shhshh no one said that)

Might do more with them, possibly

[penaltyboxboxbox]

👼✨ ok some sentimental rambling

i hit 4000 on here today and its like. kind of crazy and makes me really happy n emotional idk i havent even had this blog for 2 years yet and i have really met such wonderful friends on here, people i'm really thankful to have in my life and talk to every day.

Having this blog and being in this fandom has also done something so special for me in terms of recapturing that fandom feeling i had as a teenager. Posting without worry of cringe, being self indulgent and unafraid to share it and getting to see others enjoy it with me. To experience that feeling of creating hand in hand with friends and talented mutuals....reading fic and being excited for updates, drawing art of the fic, having fic written off my art, drawing friends aus, getting involved in fandom projects and ask games and meme fills and fests etc, talking concepts for hours and hours in a way i really have not done on such a large scale since i was literally a kid....it really has been so fun and so special and needed in whats been a pretty mentally taxing time in life.

So, thanks guys, for enjoying my art and supporting me making it. I love to read all of your tags and comments and asks and messages and everything. I always have fun playing on the dashboard with you guys, and I hope you have fun playing here with me too :')

[yermes]

PAC: how do you do it all? How can you be healthy, workout regularly, have job(s), have enough money and financial literacy to move through life, eat well even in the stress of it all, how do you take care of yourself (one of the most magical things you can do) in the face of all the pain in the world? 🃏

Disclaimer: please take what I say with a grain of salt and not as the gospel. I just want to share some ideas of practicing and giving advice using the medium as often as I can with school, work, and my own personal studies and practice. My ask me event is still going and asks are always open 🥰

Socials: Podcast | Follow me!

Pick a meme

1 2 3

The cards

dissension 🃏

Le despote africain

The government is fucked up, like literally almost everywhere nothing seems to be going right and its overall a huge looming concept that we either try to ignore when we can, or relish in the small victories we choose to pay attention to. Political awareness is something that should be unmoving in our lives but honestly its such a hell scape I know many people who try to duck and hide. But hiding and ignoring won’t further us. We need to be aware of the hate and the injustices so we can teach the next generation of what not to do even if history has a tendency to repeat itself. More to juggle.

Appui 🦜

Les oiseaux les poissons

Babe try and find your safety net, your protection circle. In the most trying times your squad will always come to your most desperate calls and our tenderness for each other is how we stay above water in the world we live in.

Dépouilement

Le ciel

FUCK! As if juggling everything isn’t enough! The weight of juggling has taken a massive toll on your mental and physical health. Try and take a break every now and then investing in your self, and like I said in the beginning: taking care of yourself is the most magical thing you can do.

Extras:

Story/vent:

Ask me event still going to the 16th! Asks are always open