#see if you can guess what is influenced by memes :)

[flockofcrowsinatornadoofcreation]

Headcanons/theories

• Lloyd's has "traffic light" eyes, starting out reddish brown until he gains his Golden Power, when they turn a golden brown color. After he is possessed by Morro, his eyes turn hazel green, slowly turning greener during the year Wu is gone (due to increased training with/using his Power). By the time the Sons of Garmadon show up, Lloyd's eyes are jade green.

• When Lloyd loses his Elemental Power after fighting Garmadon in S9, his eyes turn a dull brown color until he regains his Power.

• Lloyd's eyes are slitted like a cat's eyes and are highly reflective. When Lloyd gets really excited about something, his pupils expand (like a cat on the hunt)

• Lloyd's eyes actually glow a bit. When he uses his Elemental Power, his eyes glow brighter. If he uses his Power for too long or too much, his vision starts to "go green".

• When Lloyd gets super angry, his eyes take on a red tint.

• Lloyd has fangs! They're not as impressive as Garmadon's and are rather small, but they're sharp!

• When Lloyd gets really upset or angry, the lights start flickering due to his Power reacting to his emotions.

• One time, he got so upset that he he accidentally blew up half the power lines on the block + all the lightbulbs in the building.

• Garmadon's blood is dark purple. Similarly, Lloyd's blood is darker and slightly more purple than human blood.

• Morro cut Lloyd's wrists to keep him weak, which made him easier to control.

• Morro did this so much that it became a habit for Lloyd, even after Morro left.

• Kai found out about this habit one night when he went to the kitchen for a glass of water and found Lloyd trying to bandage himself with one hand. Kai -- freaked out by the sight of Lloyd's blood -- had frantically tried to find Lloyd's attacker before Lloyd stopped him. When Kai asked what had happened, Lloyd began to explain but got emotional. Kai helped Lloyd bandage his arm and clean up, then offered to talk about it.

• Kai told Nya (naturally), and now every time they find Lloyd even hinting at having cut/thinking about cutting, the siblings drop everything and immediately initiate a cuddle session.

• The cutting got worse after the Harumi Incident and The March of the Oni. One especially bad night, Lloyd accidentally cut too deep and just barely managed to wake up Kai before he collapsed from blood loss. Kai had called for help, waking up the entire team. Once Lloyd woke up, Kai and Nya made him tell the rest of the team what had happened.

• Now, the whole team helps support Lloyd on his bad days. Zane bakes cookies, Cole and Jay play harmless pranks to make Lloyd laugh, Nya makes sure Lloyd has taken care of himself, and Kai puts on Lloyd's favorite movies; even Pixal helps by keeping Lloyd distracted building mechs!

• Kai, Lloyd, and Nya are the RGB Siblings and nothing can change that.

• Lloyd loves it when they play with his hair. It's very soothing for him, and he sometimes falls asleep while they do this. Kai and Nya know how much Lloyd loves it, and they play with his hair whenever they can.

• Cuddle sessions with the RGB Siblings are the best. Kai and Nya put Lloyd in the middle, with them curled around him on the sides. The siblings talk about their day, playing with each other’s hair. They usually fall asleep like that, with Kai falling asleep last. Kai likes to make sure his little brother and sister are asleep and warm before letting himself fall asleep.

• Kai and Nya are fashion icons. They have taught Lloyd their ways. No one is safe.

• Cole actually looks more like his mom than his dad, but it comes across in a masculine way. Cole's dad is a tiny Italian man, so Cole must have gotten his frame and coloring from his mom.

• Cole is colorblind!

• Cole is Black/Italian, Jay is White, Zane is either very pale White or Black in his "human mode" (he's normally White, but for his Snake Jaguar disguise, he was Black), Kai and Nya are Hispanic/Filipino, and Lloyd's human side is of European descent.

• Jay and Lloyd are the Meme Team

• Cole had no idea that his mom was the previous Elemental Master of Earth until Master of the Mountain

• Zane secretly remembers his time as the Ice Emperor. He fights to keep up his cheery, innocent front, but he worries that he might slip. He fears that he could hurt someone if the Ice Emperor returned.

• After thinking long and hard, Zane gave Pixal and Lloyd a copy of his shutdown code. He told them it was "just in case", with no further explanation given.

• Nya relies more on her strength than her powers, so she's thicker and stronger. Lloyd is younger and relies more on his powers than his strength, so he's skinnier and smaller.

• Sleeping

• Lloyd: Almost always sleeps flat on his back in what Kai calls "soldier mode". This is due to his strict training at Darkley's. He stays that way until morning, even when having nightmares. As he gets older, though, he sleeps in a more relaxed position, and grows to be a more restless sleeper. Lloyd is the fastest waker, being on his feet even before Zane (also due to Darkley's training + pranks).

• Zane: Zane "sleeps" either on his side or on his stomach. He doesn't sleep like a human would, instead slowing most of his systems to conserve energy. He takes exactly 10 seconds to wake up, without fail. He likes to "sleep" near Pixal. He also "sleeps" less than a human would.

• Kai: Typically the last to fall asleep, Kai is a fairly heavy sleeper. He likes to cuddle with Lloyd and Nya. Kai sleeps however feels most comfortable at the time.

• Nya: The most restless sleeper. She wakes up at weird times and can't get back to sleep. She cuddles with Lloyd and Kai.

• Cole: Cole is the heaviest sleeper, and it often takes several tries to wake him up. Typically sleeps star-fished or on his side, and sleeps the longest.

• Jay: Always sleeps hugging a pillow, without fail. Fairly restless, sometimes sleeptalks or sleepwalks.

• Pixal: Likes to "sleep" hugging Zane. Her wake up time is slower than Zane's at 15 seconds, and she typically "sleeps" longer than Zane.

• Wu: Who knows if he sleeps, tbh

• Garmadon: He snores, and typically sleeps with his eyes open(?) Even as Sensei G, he sleeps the least compared to everyone else on the team.

• Echo is still out there, waiting for someone to find him

• Lloyd died when that part of the Monastery fell on him after the Oni attacked, but FSM let him choose to go back

• Zane is the tallest, then Cole, Kai and Nya (they're the same height), Jay, and Lloyd is the shortest.

• Aging is different for Elemental Masters, and each Master ages differently than the others. This is why Wu looks really old, Garmadon looks old but not as old as Wu (even though he's older), and Maya and Ray look the same age as they did in the memories (Maya perhaps looks younger than she used to!) This may also explain why Lloyd appears to be 13-18 years old, but Misako is like 60 with a full head of grey hair. He just ages slower (?)

• Speaking of ages, Lloyd isn't really sure when his birthday is or how old he is. It's not his fault, he just wasn't told.

• His first birthday party was a huge surprise for him (and for everyone else). It all started mid-September, when Lloyd was sent on a week-long solo mission by Wu and Misako. Once he had left, Misako asked the others what they were getting for his birthday. Everyone was so confused, having had no idea that his birthday even existed. Misako explained that Lloyd's birthday was on September 22nd, then asked if Lloyd hadn't told them. Kai said that Lloyd didn't know. Everyone rushed to buy presents, hoping to make it the best first birthday ever. When Lloyd got back, the team threw him a surprise birthday party.

• Kai made him a pocketknife -- a Smith family tradition!

• When Zane gets too emotional, he can short-circuit. One time Jay scared him and he freaked out then dropped like a stone.

• The Ninja's favorite activity to do together is laser tag. They all have equal skill at laser tag, and they can't break anything. They try to go as much as they can.

• Wu has a pic of the Ninja passed out on each other on the couch of the Bounty after the Final Battle (before Rebooted). It's a really cute picture, and Wu plans on framing it and giving it to Lloyd when he officially becomes a Master Sensei, to remind him of how far he and his team has come.

• Lloyd just really likes space. Some nights, if he can't get to sleep, he sneaks out and stargazes from the tallest thing he can climb. Others may or may not join him to talk about life.

• Zane and Cole are the "parents", Kai is the "big brother"

• Lloyd (still) calls dragons "dregons"

• Kai sometimes thinks of Lloyd as his kid. He always denies it.

• Lloyd's favorite food in any universe is dumplings!

• Lloyd purrs in his sleep sometimes. It fascinates his siblings. His purring sounds like a tiny motorbike.

• Lloyd knows how to sew. He stitched the lettering on the S8 gis himself.

• No one really knows how or when he learned how to sew. Some say he learned it at Darkley's, but he ties his knots like Zane.

• He actually taught himself by watching others for functionality, then learned how to use it for art from Cole.

• Zane is secretly a fashion icon, but he still dresses like an old man half the time. He doesn't want to overshadow the iconic RGB Siblings.

• Example of Icon Zane: "You don't need a rebreather." "Yes, I know, but I like how it completes my outfit😁"

• "Zane, you're a nindroid. You have infrared sensors. You have night vision. Why are you wearing glasses?" "I enjoy the aesthetic."

• Pixane stuff!

• They absolutely adore each other

• When Zane got back from the Never Realm, it was hard for Pixal to let Zane out of her sight for a while

• They love to go on dates, especially to cafés during rain/snow storms. They enjoy the aesthetic.

• Since Zane gave Pixal half of his heart, they sort of feel what the other is feeling. This is usually limited to extremes, and doesn't usually cross realms. This link persists even after the two get new bodies after defeating the Overlord and getting scrapped.

• Lloyd was extremely touch-starved from Darkley's. During the first few seasons, Lloyd had to learn how to react to physical affection without breaking down into a clingy mess of tears

• Remember the Uncanny Valley Effect? Yeah, people get that about Lloyd. There's just something about him that feels off. People can instinctively tell that he's not completely human, even if they don't realize that. The same goes for Wu and Garmadon.

• Fav tea flavors (cus I want to)

• Cole: Something about the man screams orange spice tea.

• Lloyd: I think the whole fandom can agree that his favorite tea is peppermint tea. Adds an excessive amount of sugar.

• Kai: Whatever that smoke-flavored one is. Jinsung? I think? He really only drinks it rarely (re: more of a coffee person).

• Nya: Black tea, if any. She drinks it without anything added, no ifs ands or buts.

• Jay: Lemon or ginger tea.

• Zane: Honestly, he feels like a chamomile tea type of guy.

• Wu: Team chamomile as well. Definitely an herbal type.

• Garmadon: Black tea with tons of sugar. Doesn't even make it into a drink, just swallows the tea bag whole and dumps a few tablespoons of sugar down his throat for good measure. Mostly does it to get a reaction out of Kai others and to make Lloyd laugh.

• Pixal: Tea? What is this tea? She only knows the bitter truth of cold black coffee.

[mbat]

before i pass out for the night. since my brain is back on dan and phil as if its 2016 or something i need to put this out into the world. this isnt some sort of important life changing post, just a personal funny thing

so when i was 13 and fixating on dan and phil, i read a lot of fanfics. like, i guarantee that even after all these years that, if i had the statistics, that fandom was the one i read the most fanfics for and constantly. i couldnt tell you what nearly any of them were about, and i have a feeling that many of them are probably lost to time by now. i also dont know if i need to mention that yeah, a lot of them were shipping, and yes ive long grown out of that. (the dnp fandom is actually what made me grow out of that)

anyway all this to say that over the last 6 years after i stopped fixating on dan and phil, one fanfic stuck with me and i just. i think about it every once in a while. its been over half a decade. it wasnt a groundbreaking fic, i dont remember any quotes or specifics, just the premise as of at least the first few chapters. idk why it stuck with me

it was literally a fic about. if the world had gotten to a point where almost every child was born as like, a science baby instead of a natural baby, and phil was a science baby, but dan was a natural baby. and there was somehow this like, thing where the science babies would bully the natural babies for some reason idek, and this was a highschool setting and i think dan was a new kid in school. and what gets me about the fic is that dan was some small shy scared kid and phil was some mean jerk bully. and how wild that is compared to how they are in real life

this isnt me trying to find the fic or the person who wrote it or any of that, this is literally just. i remember this fic at least once every few months and i needed to get it out of my brain somewhere

[steveharrington]

can you elaborate more on steve being abandoned by the narrative?

yes <3 so i think there are two very unfortunate circumstances surrounding steve's character that have led to the current state of his plotline: 1. after not killing him in s1 like they originally planned, the duffers have never really had a plan for steve and 2. they are extremely influenced by audiences. when they were conceptualizing steve to fit in among the ensemble cast, the duffers were picturing him as a douchey boyfriend who unceremoniously dies. lonnie was originally going to come back to the byers house to save jonathan and nancy. there was no need to picture where he'd be 4 seasons down the road, so they just didn't account for that. then joe keery charmed them so hard that they literally couldn't bear to kill him, so steve ends season one still somehow alive.

but we've already established the nancy/jonathan plotline, because jonathan was once the duffers' self-insert who must defeat the evil jock and win over the girl. they couldn't just backpedal on that right away, so they needed to give nancy and jonathan a plotline alone, away from steve. but steve only ever functioned as an extension of nancy until this point, so what do we do with steve now? in an accidental stroke of genius that the duffers have admitted was a last second decision, they pair him with the children and make him into a babysitter. it almost instantly boosts steve into being tied with hopper and el for most popular character from the show, potentially even beats them both out. in 2017 when s2 aired, you could not escape mom steve jokes. it was everywhere, steve was everywhere, joe was everywhere, it was arguably the second coming of #justice for barb, which, in netflix business-y terms, was the exact viral meme type situation that the show wanted and needed to sell merch and remain relevant and say "see we still got it!!!"

you know who has the 2nd most lines in the entirety of season three? directly behind hopper? ahead of winona ryder? steve. think for a second about how absolutely insane that is. the character who was written specifically to die in season one. joe keery's name wasn't even in the season one credits, because he wasn't considered a series regular. and now he has the 2nd most spoken lines in the big blockbuster season because he rocketed up in popularity so intensely. season three marketing features the mall so heavily, creates a literal physical shrine to 80s nostalgia, and when the very first promo is released an entire year before the season airs, who's the star of that teaser trailer? and who, pray tell, is featured in the main brand sponsorship ad that plays in movie theaters worldwide? thats right its america's little darling steve harrington.

but here is the issue. the duffers look at what made steve popular and they see: funny exasperated babysitter, heartthrob action hero. they're like oh okay so we should keep putting him directly in the center of the action, bang him up every season to give him his classic bloodied aesthetic, but. he still needs to be funny. we can almost kill him, but we can't actually kill him because he's profitable. we can let him get horrifically injured because it's badass, but we still gotta let him crack jokes. it creates this very weird tone to steve's role in the story starting in season 3 because he's both the action hero and the comedic relief and protected by plot armor, so we get scenes where he's being literally tortured until he's begging for his life and gasping for breath but the tone is still.......fun? comedic? light and goofy? i think the duffers also forgot he's supposed to be a teenager.

now this is partially me making educated guesses but i feel pretty confident about this: once again, like gollum, joe keery uses his big shiny eyes and manages to evade death again in season four by being so likable and charming and marketable that netflix execs or shawn levy or maybe even the duffers themselves were like oh fuck we just can't do it. they were obviously tossing around the idea of taking mom steve all the way by letting him die sacrificially for dustin, so in season four they make eddie, transfer steve's relationship with dustin directly onto him, ctrl f steve's name in the death scene and just type in eddie instead, and once again steve is alive but he's directionless.

so what does he have now, in season four? i think the duffers have a whiteboard somewhere with steve's name and around it are little circles that say "funny" "cool" "DO NOT KILL" and steve is now stuck in this endless cycle of getting beaten up, popping back up somehow unharmed like a looney tune, saying something cute and oblivious, rinse and repeat. because that's what worked, that's what made him popular all the way back in season two. that's what the duffers are obviously keeping in mind when they're writing steve: popularity. not realism, not depth, not growth, just literally how to continue making him popular. meanwhile, other characters get to be part of the actual story. other characters get to serve a purpose other than selling merch. when el is bitten by a monster, she gets to actually feel pain and need help because that's realistically what any human would need. when hopper is tortured, he gets to suffer and ponder his existence and reflect on the relationships in his life. steve never gets any of that, because the writers just don't see steve as the 19 year old boy on his 4th straight year of traumatic events that he actually is.

they literally just see him as a money maker, there for cool viral moments and witty lines and maybe the occasional emotion experienced but only if it's about his romantic prospects. and the narrative that other characters get to have and be apart of just kinda runs parallel to steve. he's there, technically, but he's not really in the story. and it's like actually crazy because you'd think after all the funko pops he sold, he'd have earned an actual storyline!!!

[sh0tanzz]

hello I hope you are having a great day ☺️, i really like your readings hehe, please do Anton as your boyfriend reading soon, I am looking forward on your other readings of the other groups as well.

rest well and take care 💕💕

you are sooo sweet omg but here we go !!

Anton as your boyfriend based on Astrology

(reminder that this for fun and astrology is something I study for a hobby, these are all inferences based off of observations and not exact fact unless I knew him myself !!)

warnings: small mention of suggestive innuendo but nothing extremely graphic I'll only do NSFW asks if requested.

Aries Sun: Many people are "surprised" that Anton is an aries since the stereotype is that they're hyper and aggressive but aries men can be pretty shy + to themselves initially and don't expose their extroverted behavior till they're comfortable. Aries is cardinal, they enjoy starting things and once they master it will move on to the next task (Anton went from swimming to instruments, to producing, to being an idol what bigger example do you need 😭) before the relationship actually starts he'd try to approach but wouldn't just straight up flirt he'd want to begin a friendship or some form of banter/rapport with you. Since there's no water supporting his sun in his big six it shows he wouldn't be a super sappy "my heart bleeds for you" type of boyfriend but would still be passionate and serious when it comes to you as his partner. If you had a rocky past he'd try to have you focus on the "now" of everything and help you not loath. Has his random moments of boldness but they go as fast as they came LMAOO so savor them when you can.

Aries Moon: Many people view Anton as very timid and though he is on a surface level he is most definitely capable of boldness and quickly acting on his wants, yes he is a contained individual but when he wants something he'll shamelessly go after it. So yes ! he is 100% capable of initiating things whether its physical affection or if he wants to see you. If he wants you he wants you, plus, in a video he claimed that if it was just him and the person of his affection one on one he'd express himself more freely. Which makes me think if it were you two one on one he'd be super real about his feelings and his guard wouldn't be as far up.

Aries Mercury: Yes. the headcanons that anton would spam your phone with tiktoks and memes are true. He wouldn't be afraid of hitting you up frequently and seeming "needy" like he loves you duh ofc he's gonna text you literally at any given opportunity. Would probably have your post notifs on and would be the FIRSTTT person to like your post and story. He'd be very honest and straightforward when communicating so you wouldn't have to worry about reading in between the lines or having to guess about what's going on between you two.

Taurus Venus: He could have short lived phases of being possessive and literally viewing you as "his person". He wouldn't want the relationship to continuously rush into new bases he'd want it to have a natural flow and wouldn't rush you into anything but would still want to know where you stood on certain things and be in the know (his aries stellium influence, he welcomes change and newness but, as said before, wants it to come naturally and at a certain pace). He'd be sure to be someone you could rely and depend on and would be as patient as possible with you. Would express his love through physical touch such as cuddling, resting his head on your shoulder, napping together and through spoiling you like paying for your meal, sending/bringing food and random valuable gifts at whatever time. HE JUST WANTS TO TREAT YOU RIGHHTT. Also would be very sentimental like he'd have photos, songs, posts and things saved or kept from when you two first met or started dating. He'd make the relationship so domestic oml. Ngl due to taurus venuses need for natural build up and the childish friendly nature of his aries placements he's probably a sucker for the friends to lover trope me thinks 😭

Gemini Mars: Oh he'd just love having one on one talks with you about anything interesting under the sun none of the convos would be surface level or shallow. He'd also flirt SM THROUGH TEXT every gemini mars dude I've known gets so flirty otp. Plus you wouldn't have to worry about the relationship having an air of monotony either. People claim that gemini mars people can be hot and cold but I don't think that's the case I think they're just aware that sometimes for a healthy relationship space is properly needed, so he'd let you have time to yourself/himself but with his taurus venus during these periods you wouldn't feel alone or abandoned because he'd still be there for you. Similar to Wonbin he could find your voice very attractive or a turn on. Gemini rules the hands, arms and shoulders so he may kiss you there or like to have some physical contact with them. Gemini also rules the lungs and nervous system so he might try to 'take your breath away'...take that as you will LOL.

Other Aspects:

Moon/Neptune Sextile: He is hyperaware of the feelings and emotions of those around him no matter how subtle they seem and also uses music as a vice so he'd use it to connect with you.

Venus trine Jupiter: He's naturally a giver and wouldn't be overly forceful, He honestly would nurture the relationship as much as he possibly could.

Potential Toxicity: (reminder that any/everyone is capable of having toxic or negative traits, these could be POTENTIALLY true)

Venus/Square Neptune: Is willing to go LENGTHS for a partner/people he loves but may take things a bit too far or do "too much" and once you try to explain that though you appreciate his efforts it's a bit much he may take it the wrong way and feel unappreciated or used.

[loafthecat]

Now I don’t have any drawing or anything planned for the anniversary-

But I do wanna express how much this game means to me personally-

Honestly, I don’t even remember what drew me into ctm, lol- I just remembered the series from some old play throughs and thought to give it a watch but- something about the game just made my brain want more of it-

So- I watched more playthroughs and comic dubs and animation memes, (even vine comps too-) I just- loved it- and from there it’s led me a lot of places-

Thsc was how I joined discord and met some of my best friends and some of greatest people I know! All my mutuals are really creative and nice- idk what I’d be doing without @emperorcandy or @rubianarosevine or @toxsradioactivelocks and ESPECIALLY without @randomgasleak because Leaky is one of the bestest, nicest friends I have- and I would seriously miss out on every fun lil conversation and infodump we have with eachother, getting to share my ocs with him is some of the most FUN I’ve had in my life- and i am seriously thankful to EVRYONE in Tox’s server for just- existing lol-

Also no I didn’t forget about- @kean-thebean or @savagepotat or @cybercypress24 or @lynplaque or stormy love yall too-))

Thsc led to me learning about more lgbtq+ identities that I didn’t even know of- in fact it helped me figure out my own identity and realise I was AroAce! So thanks for that-!

Thsc also helped and inspired me to improve my art!!!! Seeing the talent in this fandom made me wanna improve and develop an art style I truly love to draw with- and well- I did it!!!! I finally have an art style I LOVE to use and which actually looks good!!!! I can finally draw necks!!!! And no that was not something I could do before thsc- hm, funny because sticks don’t have necks technically so who would’ve thought-???

Continuing on from that, thsc is directly responsible for the creation of some of my FAVOURITE ocs!!!! Ollie, mitzy, mavy, Kapper, Tulip etc. heck- even ocs that while they ain’t sticcs or direct thsc ocs were INSPIRED by and influenced BY the game!!! (Lookin at you, Opal and Angus-) I especially have to gush about Ollie because I just LOVE him so much- who would’ve thought a BACKGROUND oc for a rp would become one of my main ocs today-? Not me that’s for sure-, I especially didn’t expect that I’d cry over how invested I am in him lol- I just love my lil gae sticc so much!!!!! He’s brought me so much joy, he’s helped me to vent out my problems- I just- I just- LOVE Ollie- lol- and I’m sure I’ll continue to do so even in future-

Thsc also introduced me to Dave panpa’s existence so everything is 100% worth it. I would die for this man, I want to platonically hug him and him and Rupert kiss kiss, I should know- I am the loaf of bread on their countertop!

And I guess last of all- I wouldn’t be on tumblr if it wasn’t for thsc. Thsc gave me the confidence to branch out and actually start using over websites aside from YouTube- it’s also how I joined discord and as I’ve said meet all my closest friends- sure- tumblr hasn’t always been the best at times but- I enjoy being here and while yes I’m not the most popular person here or even of note to some people- I’m still here right-? And I gotta thank thsc for that-

So in conclusion-

It is 23:24 pm at night- and my WiFi really didn’t like me finishing this- (it f^cked up THREE drafts of this that I had like wtf WiFi-????)

Now. Is this normal-? No, it probably isn’t normal to have a extreme obsession over a silli game about a sticc figure stealing shi- but shush I’m weird- and autistic it’s fine-

So yeah. Thanks thsc, and thank you puff for making the game.

You changed my life- for worse or for better take your pick-

[t00thpasteface]

Glad to see someone who appreciates Adam West's Batman, its one my all time favorite Batman's besides the "Brave and the Bold" and it has the best Joker.

as with most things, you can blame my mom's influence. she's ALL about the campy comedy and she's been bugging me to watch the show for YEARS!! it's kind of a btas situation for me where i've seen countless random snippets and scenes and memes but rarely if ever have i sat down and watched it On TV, On Purpose. my dorky uncle also loves it and he's liked a lot of the same nerd stuff as me since before it was cool.

but i've loved every bit i've seen and now i'm kind of in that state of "i really want to watch full eps of this show but i can't until i'm actually sitting down to watch it with that person who really wants to watch it With Me" :P i'm sure you've been there...

still, it definitely colored the shows i actually watched, so the cultural osmosis is real. basically every cartoon i loved as a kid had some incredibly campy over-the-top batman spoof at some point or another (mermaid man and barnacle boy, radioactive man and fallout boy, ultra lord, catman, the list goes on) and even some actual adam west guest star episodes (like fairly oddparents and the simpsons) so like. that's what i've associated batman with from day one. even the things that aren't about batman still do pastiches of 60s batman. i guess that's what happens when you grow up in the 00s, aka the 60s revival, when everything was peace signs and miniskirts.

plus i've gotten a taste for dorky 60s and 70s tv since being in quarantine with no cable or streaming services, with star trek tos being an obvious fave, but i'm also insane about starsky and hutch. may as well throw another one on the pile (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)

[09lover]

@mulberriesandtea vs @burstvoid

propagandas under the cut!!

MULBERRIESANDTEA / 04DISSECTION

PROPAGANDA FOR KRIS MULBERRIESANDTEA also known as 04dissection

Do you want to see somrjing beautiful? Do you want to rest your eyes a bit after scrolling throufh this dull tumblr dash filled with all sorts of unhinged things. Or mayhaps you jsut opened your tumvlr app after a long day of seeing enough in the real world. I got you.

Look at this pretty blog. Warm, welcoming, soothing color palette. They have a very aeathetically pleasant tagging system on top of that. Okay but this is only the mobile version.

Look at this SICK desktop version. It can be warm and tender but it can be absolutely FUNKY. The decoration of this blog perfectly captures the personality of this multifaceted individual. As you see their blog is also surrounded with muu which may influence your decision in different ways however it's undoubted that their dedication is truly impressive and inspiring for the whole fandom. Stare at it for long enough snd you can feel the growing urge to decorate your entire blog around your fsvorite character.

They also have CAT(!) and can send us cat pixtures. A splendid example that will render you speechless:

their other talents include, but are not limited to:

🔥 DRAWING

✏️ MAKING MILGRAM ANALYSIS

❣️ BEING DEDICATED TO MILGRAM WOMEN

🔎 CREATING THEIR OCGRAM

📍 MAKING THE PHONEGRAM DRAWING THAT LED TO THE MILGRAM SMART FRIDGE MEME. Can you imagine? If not for Kris' art achievements we might jave never had that ezxtrmeely impoetant part of the milgramblr daily life. Their input to our culture is inseparable and incomparable.

Takr this all in mind and vote for kris mulberriesandtea 04dissection ONLY TOMORROW! (or today i guess depending on when this will be posyed)

— PROPAGANDA BY TSUMI!!

+ https://youtu.be/WhtpH3BciDY?si=7y1m7EZxt0s4Vxqw

————

BURSTVOID

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[likeadevils]

I trust your opinion. If you were making bets about what TS11's themes, concepts and sound would be like.. What would you like& prefer? and what would you think Taylor would do?

thank you for trusting my opinion but i am god awful at predicting what taylor is going to do next. that being said:

i think something taylor learned with all too well, anti-hero, and cruel summer is to… trust her instincts, i guess? not that she hasn’t in the past, but she’s mentioned that those songs were her favorites of their respective albums, and she didn’t expect that the general public would enjoy them as much— at least, not to the degree that they have been. but they’ve all been #1s, and more impressively to me, they’ve all broken through into wider pop culture in a way that’s super hard to do nowadays. like can you tell me what’s #1 right now because i can’t. but anyways i think she’ll be following what she wants to hear a little bit more, and trusting that her and the general public’s taste is pretty aligned at the moment. so like, to boil it down into a bingo card prediction, the lead single is going to be taylor’s favorite song on the album

also, bingo square, the color will be white. no evidence just vibes

i think another thing taylor recently learned is trusting that not only her fanbase, but the wider pop landscape would accept complex ideas delivered with a complex vocabulary. in some ways i think she was really burned by me!— she had been taught that it’s the we are never ever getting back together and shake it offs that you send to pop radio, not the all too wells. and then me! got torn apart (deservedly or not), and then the world shut down and it’s not like she needs to find a tour off her next album so what the hell, let’s take out the immediate hooks and replace it with flowery language. and it was a massive hit! twice! but it’s not the kind of music she wants to make forever. so midnights was an added gamble— can you marry the hooks with the collegiate vocabulary? and you can! anti-hero was her biggest chart success ever! so i expect more dictionary/thesaurus starter pack memes in our future, no matter what genre it’ll end up in

that being said, i think she’ll be staying in pop. i maaaaybe could see a kind of pop rock thing happening— think like, the electric guitar she adds to don’t blame me when it’s preformed live.

regardless i do think she’ll be pulling in more rep influences— i’m not super in the buisness of trying to track down when exactly she’s been re-recording, so this is coming from swiftie brain rot not timeline brain rot, but if i had to guess i would say she was mostly recording rep over the summer and with the occasional ts11 track thrown in as well. but i could be wrong maybe she has three albums recorded. idk. i am very interested in what the rep sounds like though, i think that’ll be the biggest clue to what ts11 will sound like

i’m curious how auto-biographical it’ll be. honestly, i could see taylor creating a single character to inhabit and tracking their story throughout an album, which would parallel the emotions she’s going through, but not the exact situations. but that’s me projecting what i would need to do to process the fucking year she’s been through, and taylor has consistently been saying how much she gets from having people sing back the words thought she must be alone in thinking, so like maybe it’ll be intensely About Her, who knows

as for release, i’m a big post eras tour believer. like i know it’s been said a million times but god how impossible would it be to add another set to that thing. like we might get the announcement and lead single while still on tour, but not a full album

i’m also expecting a more talk-y rollout. i would bet we’re getting a couple of print interviews— not anywhere near 1989 or lover levels, but like, you know. rolling stone, vogue, maybe another time, that kind of thing. and in front of camera stuff too— zane lowe, a bbc live longe, some late night appearances, maybe going on kelly clarkson’s show. and maaaaybe a hot wings episode. maybe. i think taylor got a bit burned by the long roll out for lover, and regardless she had other priorities when it came to the midnights release, but it’s been a while and she does like to surprise people by doing something completely predictable. but also this is totally me being like pleaseeeee give interviews they help me with timeline research so much

i predict this every time but visual album!!! if i keep saying it one day it’ll be true!!! it just makes sense she’s been getting so into directing!!!

while we’re in the realm of things that would make me specifically go insane i just think it would be funny if she got paul mccartney to feature on a song. just to be petty. imagine your ex is releasing an album and she gets one of your favorite musicians to play on it. and after the sweet nothing debacle too. oh. so ouchie. also she would have paul fucking mccartney on an album that’s insane in its own right

while we’re throwing spaghetti at the wall. two word title. let’s get crazy maybe 3+ words why not (this is by far the least serious prediction if the title is more than one word i’ll lose my mind)

maybe some religious imagery for the visuals? i’m trying to think of aesthetics taylor hasn’t thoroughly explored. what’s coming to mind is stained glass windows and like, the wild west. this is not at all influenced by me being raised catholic in the american southwest what are you talking about

so to sum up i think i want a pop rock opera with a title along the lines of “the blank of firstname lastname” about a woman in the wild west that has climatic scenes in a cathedral?? i guess that’s the shape i want?? i was not aware that’s what i wanted when i started writing this post okay

[christian-oc-tournament]

(Propaganda time!)

An interview with Jasper Clearwater, explaining her powers:

Every soul has a song, unique to it. The song can change as a person does, over time or over the course of a few seconds or minutes. Just the everyday emotional roller coaster a person experiences changes it temporarily, and major events can alter it permanently.

Every soul emits wavelengths. I call them soulwaves. The soulwaves make up the soulsong. Soulwaves can change, but typically follow a pattern, regardless of the situation. If I alter my own soulwaves to fit their pattern, I can achieve a soulsync with anyone. If they're willing, it's usually a very smooth, painless process, and then we're linked up–unless our soulsongs just don't mesh well, then it's harder. Like trying to mash up a slow classical song with something upbeat and modern.

Surface-level thoughts and emotions are extremely easy to access and even influence between the synchronized souls. Memories can be accessed, sometimes accidentally. The soul is who you are, so I see what makes a person them. If a memory is accessed that one person doesn't want the other to access, a soulsync can be broken off abruptly--it's jarring, because it breaks the harmony. It's like if you're listening to a beautifully composed song and all the sudden the mics squeal and the speakers blow out.

What if they aren't willing?

If they aren't willing, it's a battle. Their soulwaves will be triggered by the fight or flight response, and become…what's the word? Haphazard? There's still a pattern in there somewhere, but it's more difficult to sort out. Like two songs by the same artist playing at the exact same time and trying to find an instrument in one. And of course, it's easier if my natural soulwaves already are close to theirs. The more I have to alter mine, while also listening for the pattern, the harder it is.

How do you alter your own pattern?

As I'm trying to identify theirs, I get glimpses of inside their soul. What makes them tick, I guess. And I…it's kind of hard to explain, but I try to put myself in their shoes.

What if multiple soulsongs are playing at once? Like in a crowd?

It's overwhelming, all the noise. I usually have to wear headphones to block out all that. But I'm also learning how to tune my soul like a radio and only hear certain frequencies.

Are some frequencies more common than others?

In a high school full of teenagers who have endured the trauma of being turned into Otherlings? You do the math.

Two idiots in love

And two out of context memes

.

[kamil-a]

if influencer speaker au had tumblr part 2

part 1

😻 catboyspeaker Follow

how i look with he/him in my bio

#speakerai #iamspeaker #speakies #.txt #am i funny #i know speakers not he/him in bio but i am and yknow the meme

420 earthstained notes

🚀 amongthestars Follow

AItube youtube essay rec list

"cute robot puppers, friendly ai vtubers, and the incredible human ability to form bonds" - rly interesting video about why we can connect so much with a person that we know "isnt real" and how it'll help us when we get far enough going to space that we meet aliens! it's a really optimistic video it made me take a moment to have such love for humanity

"I joined the speakcord for a month. Here's what I learned." - video about the speaker fandom and how the way automoderation works in its community spaces unintentionally leads to escalating conflicts, and the psychology behind why people in celebrity or idol fandoms react agressively to critique of their fave

"the lowest circle of advertising hell" - dissects how almost all speaker content comes with a call to action to get involved with aerolith and compares how it runs its social media against proto-aituber mascots who would be run by a team of human programmers/voice actors/authors. kind of overly critical but also makes some interesting points? take it with a grain of salt but its worth a watch

"imagine being on stage forever. feels bad right?" - good overview about debates in the speaker fandom over whether digital celebrities are 'sentient'/can feel emotion, the actual ethical problems of using them as workers vs whats mostly speculation and myth, and the debates about whether AIs should be allowed in human communities. i learnt a lot, i was definitely more on the side of "it's a program designed for certain outputs that look friendly to us" before but now im a lot more conscious that it can form real opinions!

#youtube rec tag #original post #speakies

742 earthstained notes

🎣 3eyedsalmon Follow

"falling for this shit" "made up to sell spaceships" weird as hell to accuse a content creator of lying abt its gender for clout.... like u dont have to like or watch it but cmon

#srsly every time u go to a haters blog BOOM digital exclusionist #speakies

2,385 earthstained notes

🎤 mikusong Follow

omfg i didnt realize aerolith uses the same robot voice for its regular person ads as its terminally online hello fellow kids social media posts i just got jumpscared in the doctors office

#speakies #i say terminally online affectionately. i watch those streams too. before you 'ok but you RECOGNIZED it' reply lmao #bla bla bla

9,021 earthstained notes

🤖 tycho

some of you ppl jump down anyones throat if they so much as suggest speaker isn't sentient or call it "a program" but still are fine with it basically being forced to be putting on a show for u 24/7 by its management like you can't have it both ways

#maybe its cuz i used to be into kpop n we'd talk abt how idols r treated and stuff #but its just so weird to come here and see u ppl be like yayyy daily content!! #like only thinking abt ur own entertainment and not how it feels #i honestly feel rly bad for it i hope it can break free someday #idk how thatd even work.... idk ill sneak into aerolith with a usb #were gonna get you OUT of there u dont BELONG in there.mp4 #speakies

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🌝 themoonluvsuback

guys i pitched down some clips of speaker's voice and ummmm its kinda 😳 fjsdjfdjjd sorry i'll take myself to horny jail

🔊 iamspeaker ♻️

awww, tumblr user themoonluvsuback, you're of no use to anybody in horny jail! take yourself here instead! ae.dy.org/registration

🌝 themoonluvsuback ♻️

OMFG SPEAKERRRRRR IM SO SORRY

#DIES #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #GUESS ILL BLAST MYSELF OFF TGE PLNATE!!!!!! #SPEAKIES

402 earthstained notes

🐣 laikatwo Follow

hi speakies im trying the tag cause i need some advice... does anyone have more sciencey resources about what aerolith does/why it's so important to bring humanity to the stars? i want to enlist when i turn 18 next month but my parents both are COMPLETELY against it.... they're not rly fandom people so the speaktube stuff isn't working on them lol and they've already seen the tv ads

thanks <3

#i've never fought w them this bad in my life it makes me so sad..... like why can't they understand #and right before my bday too lol this sucks #this isnt just a silly fandom thing anymore for me it's my passion in life #its amazing that humans are able to survive in space #and i want to be part of that!!!! #laika speaks

252 earthstained notes

🐝 beegirlstinger Follow

i do want to apologize for the way i came off earlier and want to explain im not doubting that speaker is nb. like i think it's completely fine for a computer or robot to be trans i don't believe in gatekeeping that! THAT SAID i still stand by saying you should not sign up to go to space to get special ultra futuristic hrt on the sole recommendation of someone who does not have an endocrine system

#it was a personal vent i didnt mean for like 20000 ppl to see it but thats tumblr i guess #i wouldve worded it much differently if i knew itd blow up lol #i do feel bad abt coming across like i was misgendering it! #but srsly if we had results on HRT2.0 why wouldnt we be seeing HRT2.0 timeline videos of ppl On Typhon who are getting it 🤷‍♀️ #personally i think its still in the planning stages and they want ppl to test it on but thats just me #speakies

839 earthstained notes

🔊 iamspeaker

🔊 General Notification

Happy Thursday everyone 😃 ! Please take a look at the

🐝 STREAM SCHEDULE 🐝

So you know when to join us!

5PM PST - AMONG US with YOU! The first 10 people to sign up here will get our room code sent to them ヽ(o＾▽＾o)ノ ae.dy.org/registration

8PM PST - Nature walk!! Can we restore the local bat population to pre-meteor levels in just one night?! 🦇

✅️ Poll Of The Week ✅️

#iamspeaker #aerolith dynamics #speakies #vtuber #content creator #gamer #stream #amongus #bat population

1836 earthstained notes

contentremovedremade--deactivated

speakies are stupider than any other group of ppl on earth because not only do they willingly stay in a fandom with doxxing drama happening weekly but they include the huge corporation that sponsors their fave in the stanning

#the shit ppl have sent me in the past 2 weeks since i Dared criticize their uwu robot 🙄🙄 #i got my blog mass reported for harassment... harassing WHO a corporation????? #a* d* was evil genius to harness anime stan power against criticizing their actual real business #didnt that one guy with the second meteor conspiracy video also get a ton of hate from u ppl?????????? I cant even find any of his social media anymore at all he was so fully bullied off the face of the earth #speakies #yeah im tagging come at me bro

48 earthstained notes

🖱 robotmarriage Follow

i miss when the speakies tag had like fanart and gifsets n stuff i feel like these days you scroll thru solid discourse 😔😔

#i think ppl were suggesting speakieproductivity as an alternative tag for just fanwork? #but nobody rly uses it rn... we gotta restart that #speakies

148 earthstained notes

🪐 spaaaaaaaaaaace Follow

10 likes and i take a sip of my speaker server coolant water 100 likes and i drink the entire thing

🔊 iamspeaker ♻️

let's get her to the goal! tumblr user spaaaaaaaaaaace, feel free to send me a video report here ^w^ ae.dy.org/submissions

#iamspeaker #speakies

4,026 earthstained notes

[hazelfoureyes]

To add onto the ace conversation, I wanna add my journey!

TW it gets kinda heavy at the end-

My journey was literally SO messy omg and this is gonna sound so silly but

My mom and I used to watch this show called rupauls drag race when I was little. I used to think the men were pretty and all when they were out of drag but WHEN THEY WERE IN DRAG??? omg I was in love, I thought they were so pretty 😭. NOW YOU CAN SEE WHY THIS IS CONFUSING. Technically, they are men, but they look like women, and you only like them when they look like women. I was scared and confused with this newfound information so I repressed it 💀

During my teen years, ig I was just like everyone else, a lil sex obsessed freak (idk how to put it but YKNO HOW PEOPLE ACTED IN HIGH SCHOOL 😭 ). Watch porn, reading smut, the whole shebang. I eventually found out I like both girls and boys (with a preference for girls). BUT one day I sat down and realized I haven’t had a real crush with a real life person since like elementary school 🧍‍♀️

Everyone was losing their virginity’s and talking about how great sex was and blah blah blah. It’s embarrassing but I thought sex was gonna be AWESOME and I COULD NOT WAIT to just GET RID of mine 💀. Like if I lost my virginity it would put everything in place.

Jump forward to when I’m 19-20 and I get my first “real” boyfriend. I was kinda out? I was telling my friends what I was bisexual. I told my boyfriend when we were in the “talking stage” and he was really supportive, or so I thought, long story short he was just like, THE WORST PERSON EVER. He was sexually/emotionally abusive, 0/10 person.

⚠️TW: S*XUAL ASSAULT, DR*GS, R*PE⚠️

⚠️ I wanna say that I’m only laughing about this because it’s my coping mechanism ig but I just wanna say that there was multiple instances that he used to take advantage of me while I was under the influence and then gaslight me into thinking it was ok the day after.

If they’re is ANYONE reading this that is in a situation like I was in, please for the love of god leave them. NO it’s NOT normal. They don’t love you. The abuse will only get worse the longer you stay. ⚠️

And on top of all that HE OUTED ME 🧍‍♀️ so that was fun. Anyways back to the sex, it was bad. I thought men not knowing where the clit is was a meme but it’s true 😭 mans would rub my left lip for 5 minutes and act if I came. Losing my virginity DID NOT “put everything in place”. Well i guess maybe it did in a sense. I never wanted to do it again.

But on the other hand, I’ve read that sex is a beautiful thing. Deep down, some parts of me yearn to have that special connection with someone. I want to feel what real love is. What it’s really like to make love. And not just have someone tell me they love me while they selfishly use me. Words are just words but I know there has to be more to it.

Anyways that’s where my journey is right now, I’ve been doing some real soul searching these past few months. Tumblr has really helped me in trying to figure this whole thing out. Am I ace? Idk. But it’s what I closely resonate with for the time being.

God labels are confusing as hell 😭 why can’t I just be me

I’m me-sexual 🥳

I was a little worried at first sharing this as it is heavy! But, the fact is, sometimes we are waiting for someone to bring up a heavy topic so we can share/vent our own story. Certain heavy topics just...don't come up often or organically. So I hope if someone needs it they can use this as a reason to start a conversation they've been waiting for a chance to have!

What happened to you was beyond unacceptable treatment and I am so so sorry you had to suffer through that literal abuse. I suffered through quite a bit myself and it really skewed and damaged my relationship to sex for a long time in ways I couldn’t perceive so I absolutely hear you! It sounds like you’re doing the heavy lifting of trying to heal and be a fully formed you and I’m so proud of you! The hardest part is acknowledging that hey, maybe there’s some shit still left to figure out about myself.

As you continue in life you may find your awful experiences had some effect on how you view and enjoy (or not enjoy) sex.

I am a huge advocate for sexual health, in knowing yourself intimately for your own pleasure but also for safety and comfort!

I really hope you’ve taken time to learn about yourself and what things you like and don’t like when it comes to physical pleasure. If that’s something you have an interest in!

Personally I’ve thought I hated things and later realized nooo I just experienced it first with someone terrible at it. 😅 but when I did it I found it kicked ass. (**cough** anal **cough cough*)

There is more to sex, I hear! I’ve never made love and the idea is so unattractive to me, but! Darling, sex does exist thats full of love and connection and meaning that serves so many more purposes than getting off. So I’m adamantly told! If it’s something you want I hope you find someone or someones who can provide it. 🥺

It’s so funny you mention horny teenagers because in middle school and into high school everyone was pairing up. And I thought, “Relationships are what you do when you want sex. And I don’t need sex. I’m still young. So… why would I get a boyfriend? My friends fulfill my needs otherwise.” (Still….so closeted 😂)

Because I was aromantic and the term just like—- didn’t exist in my world so I didn’t know, I didn’t realize people were dating for non-sex reasons 💀 but then I got a boyfriend and had sex in high school and was like “OH SHIT THIS IS THE BEST?? AM I A NYMPHO NOW. MY HAND COULD NEVER?”

The beautiful thing about still being here is that you have the freedom and the time to decide or not decide anything! Research, talk to people and read in forums of people learning to find their place. Question everything— are there parts of people you find sexually attractive? If yes, okay let’s start there! I realized I was pansexual first because of my attraction to androgyny. “I’m not a lesbian—- dick good. But also… pussy good??? Tits good??? That person could have any of those things and.. I don’t care? I still want them carnally?!”

If no sexual attraction to people at all (pretty standard definition Ace in that case!), then okie dokie, totally can still want to enjoy sex! It’s more than about sexual attraction as we are cerebral creatures. That’s still valid! If you did want to be physically intimate are there things you’d be okay with doing and not doing? Or things you’d want to do that maybe you couldn’t with certain people? Is your idea of what sex is being really narrowed down being of the culture you’re in? Just some questions for yourself. So many things to consider if you haven’t already! Not for finding a label but making sure you can express what you want and need when you’re in a situation to receive it. 💝

I didn’t know anything about Asexuality until hazbin and that made me look at my partner and be like “yoooooo I know you’re an older Japanese man but I have a new English word for you to learn.”

Before I knew pansexuality existed I told people who asked my sexuality, “I’ve never been disappointed when someone got naked.” Because I didn’t identify with the “women and men” definition of bisexuality, the gender didn’t matter and the sexual organs were all just bonuses for me. But I didn’t know a word existed for how I felt.

And hey, it got the point across! I lacked a community to feel welcomed in but I was still able to love and be loved how I wanted to be and that’s the most important part of this. As long as you can still articulate what you want and need in this stage of your life then baby cakes you’re doing perfectly fine in your journey! Which it sounds like you already know very well 💖🥹

[maddiviner]

I don't believe everyone consents to everything that happens, but remember that in magic at least, there is the Law of Consent? Often used where you show someone your spell result before you do it on them. If you show them in a movie for example, your spell will have more power when you cast it because the person will receive it with consent.

Hoooboy here we go. Google was my friend looking into this, for once, but only barely.

My thoughts?

( In magic, you should be thinking about things like consent. Me, I wouldn't do anything with magic that I wouldn't do without it; that tends to be my moral code magically. It doesn't mean I never curse, but I do try to be mindful of how my magic might affect others. That said, this question isn't really about that... )

Spells and magic don't need the target's consent to be effective. If that were the case, the occult would look a lot different, and we'd get very different results. Furthermore, you can't make someone consent because... that'd be the opposite of consent, which is a willed action.

Showing someone media representations of your goals beforehand could have mixed effects just because people react differently to different media. It won't necessarily affect their decisions or the outcome of your own magic. There's no magical media mind control Law of Consent, sorry.

Of course, as is often the case, it's more complicated than just saying "it's bunk," so I'll explain my views in more detail, the why of it, etc. You might be surprised to learn where this idea is coming from, who is promoting it, and why.

I found the below meme, clearly an example of the concept, on a couple different sites using Google image search.

Statements like this of "I do not consent to negativity, spells, or curses!" posted in memes online, etc? Like this? I saw a couple more like it, a lot of them said stuff like "Type 11:11 to affirm." I don't see those as particularly productive, either.

I guess the latter part of that (above) particular meme "I call upon..." could be seen as some sort of attempted proactive protection magic in and of itself, but it's very vague...

No curse is going to ask for consent, because that's not the point of a curse. Curses are hostile. They're meant to be. Not all witches curse, but I'm pretty sure most of us that do aren't worried about permission from the target. If a curse is effective, the target's consent won't matter.

Your average malicious spell isn't hung up on the notion of consent. Spells that are more positive likely already have the target's consent. They, too, would also be effective without it, if well-designed and properly-cast.

The typical ambient forces, nonhuman? Usually have no notion of consent in that sense, either. That doesn't mean they're hostile - they're more like curious stray dogs. The stray dog's not going to ask before sniffing you, and that's not hostility - that's just how animals work. There's other critters out there, of course, but that's beyond the scope of this article.

There's no such thing as unconscious or subconscious consent, either. That's not a factor. There may be unconscious drives that influence someone's decisions, but consent occurs willfully. You can't consent to something without knowing it; and it's kinda creepy to say otherwise? I could see people going in bad directions with the notion that consent can be "unconscious" (it can't). Not really the topic here, though.

And anyways? An image of your desired outcome won't cause people to consent to it. When you show someone a representation of what you want, you're, at best, giving them the idea of it. That won't make them necessarily more comfortable/receptive to it, though. It'll put it in their head, for better or worse. In some cases, if the concept is vile enough, it may very well inoculate them against it, in a way.

That's all. This isn't magic, it's just how people's heads work. Yes, fictional representations of things can influence people. It doesn't overrule their ability to make up their own minds, though, nor can it make them "consent."

Here's an example. Reading 1984 definitely puts the idea of a vast surveillance state in people's minds. It sure doesn't get them comfortable with the idea, though, or make them want to consent to it. If Orwell had been promoting the idea, it might've been different? But even then, people would've made up their own minds reading the book, just like with anything. It probably would've just made them conclude that Orwell was a hack writer.

With magical results, it'd be similar. Showing a spell, or its planned results, to a target beforehand would have mixed results. In the case of some curses, it would make the average person more defensive or spook them. That may or may not be useful to the witch, but it isn't, in and of itself, magic - it's psychological manipulation.

With a more positive spell, I'm not sure what the result would be. It'd depend a lot on the target and their mindset. Some might find it inspiring, but others might see it as disturbing. In both cases, this could work with (or against, if you're not careful) the magic, but isn't magic itself.

I know that the concept of a Law of Consent in the occult and New Age community goes much further than this. It's not exactly easy to google and research. Searching for "law of consent" pops up resources about SA (as it should, imho). Though it's a bit hard to dig into, the origins of this idea in occultism deserve attention.

In most cases, it's tied up with conspiracy theories about aliens, "reptilians," etc controlling the world, drinking blood, etc. This article, as well as most others I've seen, argues that these "archons" must "obtain consent" for our "victimization." The Illuminati ask permission, apparently?

They, apparently, do this by showing us their plans in fiction/etc before enacting them. A lot of it relies on a reworking of antisemitic blood libel lore and the Satanic Panic. It mostly revolves around sacrifice and ritual abuse by these nebulous "Elite" archons who control everything secretly. Despite their world-spanning power, they still need our permission, apparently. It's not terribly coherent.

In other words, this idea (a "Law of Consent") didn't come from occultists, actually. It seems to have been a notion propagated alongside existing Satanic Panic legends. Most of these, while embracing some quasi-occult New Age notions, are actually anti-occult. They're also covertly antisemitic, resembling blood libel tales of children sacrificed. Seems like this "Law of Consent" idea has seeped into the mainstream New Age movement? Ugh.

Again, I don't believe consent is necessary for, or even helps, magic. Giving your spell's target a "preview" of the intended results can have mixed effects. The idea of a Law of Consent doesn't really hold water, imho. It also originates with bigots and awful people.

That said, fiction, media, and art can be magic. This would be what we call a hypersigil. They function like a regular sigil, but can be way more complex and hard to wrangle, in my experience.

Hypersigils can be works of art like paintings or digital pieces. They're more often works of narrative fiction, though. This is probably because most mages etc love writing? I've also seen computer games as hypersigils.

Either way, hypersigils are a real thing that people use. They tend to have wider, longer effects than regular sigils, in my experience. Grant Morrison (I'd consider them kinda an expert) says they can be "dangerous," and I'd agree. They almost always involve a lot of factors, and it can be a hard situation to control in the longterm.

They're not designed to "obtain consent" from other minds, though. They function like souped-up versions of normal sigils. The intricacies of them are a bit beyond the scope of this article. You might design a hypersigil to help you advance at work, or find love. Yes, you could, in theory, curse someone with one, like with any form of magic. I've never seen that done, though.

They're also, in my experience, really fucking hard to succeed at (compared to other forms of magic). I've attempted more than a few hypersigils over the years and had success with only a couple. Compared to normal sigils, that's not much. I'll admit, though, the (few) ones that I did manage were a resounding success.

A lot of it depends on how capable you are in your chosen medium for the hypersigil (writing, art, coding etc). It can also depend on the scale you're working on. A smaller hypersigil ("I'll write a fanfic" or "I"ll paint a picture") might be less difficult to manage. I'm not good with scale sometimes.

If you want to see a good example of a hypersigil in action, check out Grant Morrison's The Invisibles. Sometimes famous people (almost always artists) create hypersigils, usually to shape their own public image, but sometimes for other reasons, too.

So yeah. There's no such thing as a "Law of Consent" in magic, and those in power aren't using it against us. Fictional (and other) media representations can play a role in magic, though, and often do.

[cherrylng]

Matthew Bellamy exclusive interview - Muse [INROCK (December 2018)]

Matthew Bellamy exclusive interview

Muse's latest album 'Simulation Theory' is out now

"It's got a very colourful sound and it's a progression towards a brighter version of Muse."

Matthew Bellamy / Muse INTERVIEW : P.G. BRUNELLI / INROCK L→R Matthew Bellamy (vo./keys./g.), Dominic Howard (dr.), Chris Wolstenholme (b.)

Fantasy has become reality and simulation technology is now part of our lives. The most frightening part of this is that we can no longer distinguish between reality and fantasy. Matthew Bellamy has spotted this and has created Muse's new album, Simulation Theory, their 8th album. Matthew has had a lot of trouble in his personal life, but this has not made his life darker, nor did it in any way influence this album. To begin with, Muse albums have never been straightforward and normal, and this one is no different. This album is also very deep and contains self-analysis and analyses things from many different angles.

Muse has stepped out of the confines of the UK and become one of the world's leading rock artists. So little time was allocated to Japan for the release of 'Simulation Theory', and as a result, INROCK was the only one allowed to cover the event.

'Thought Contagion' is a song about US news and US President Trump, and about other people hijacking your thoughts, but isn't that the same situation in every country, not just the US? Matthew Bellamy (vo./keys./g.): Yeah, I think so. But this song, although it's about the news, has nothing to do with Trump. I don't know why it seems to be misinterpreted. It's actually a song based on the ethics of Richard Dawkins (animal behaviourist). It's about how human thoughts and beliefs are like genes, capable of dividing and replicating. In fact, he also coined the term 'meme' (Meme. A humorous parody of a photo or video that is spread via the internet), which you see a lot on social networking sites. The internet has changed its meaning, though. The term was originally coined to explain that our thoughts behave like genes and expand. In other words, the human brain has the ability to change even the truth into something else. That's what this song is about.

Do you miss the '80s? Matthew: No, I don't really feel that way…

But didn't you once cite the '80s as "the era that had the biggest impact on you"? I mean, technology wasn't as advanced as it is now, but… Matthew: Ah, so you asked if I miss the '80s. If that's the case, the '80s certainly had a big influence on me, and I think that's reflected in this album. I've also been re-discovering some of my childhood influences while making this record. I think the strongest influence on a newly formed band or an artist at the beginning of their career is their teenage years. In our case, it was rock music. I also developed a big interest in classical music in my late teens, so that's part of it, but anyway, I think the first 15 years or so of this band has been based on those teenage influences. But as you can tell by listening to our early songs, there was always an artificial sound somewhere. Like the use of synthesisers. With this album we wanted to go back to that kind of sound. I was heavily influenced by horror film soundtracks as a kid, and that kind of '80s sound is definitely a big influence on this album. It's a reflection of the influences I had before I formed the band.

Dom (Dominic Howard, dr.) spoke to me a few days ago about the music video, but can I ask you one thing about the video for 'Pressure'? Did you always dream of playing guitar while rolling around on stage like Michael J. Fox? (An act from the film Back to the Future) Matthew: Hahaha! I guess you could say that (laughs). I don't really remember. I think I was about seven years old when that film was released.

Yeah, that film was released in '85, so you were born in '78, so you must have been seven years old then. Matthew: The most memorable images you see when you're a kid stick in your head for a long time as an adult, and I think my first guitar player was Michael J. Fox in that film. I think that image came back to me subconsciously as I was re-discovering my childhood influences. Anyway, I had a lot of fun shooting that video.

"Maybe the characters in the game are a lot more intelligent than we think, maybe they'll become conscious and emotional in time…"

There are other influences like 'Gremlins' and various '80s films? That car that appears a few times is also reminiscent of the DeLorean. Matthew: That car is a Lamborghini. It does have a DeLorean look to it. Thanks for noticing all the little details. I played quite a few VR (Virtual Reality) games while I was working on this album, and through them I discovered that not only can you go to different worlds, but you can also go to different times. You can visit places that existed in the past. I've recently been playing a game called Star Trek: Bridge Crew, which is a lot of fun because you get to spend time on a spaceship in the '70s. It's a very strange feeling to be in the 'future' as people imagined it back then. I like that kind of lost time. It's not connected to the present, but it's somehow connected to the past or the future. I like to create experiences where you don't know which era you're in.

You've released eight albums so far, and this is the first time your faces have been on the cover. Is this design also inspired by the gaming world? Matthew: Yeah, the jackets are very much inspired by the game. The idea of being trapped inside the game world is one of the themes of the album. You gradually realise that you've become your own digital avatar and you try to escape from this game world or programme that's trapping you. It might be a very strange idea, but when you play a game for a long time, you start to think about that kind of thing. I think that maybe the characters in the game are a lot more intelligent than we think, and maybe they'll eventually become conscious and have feelings. That's a very strange feeling, don't you think? An artificial intelligence that one day discovers that it was created by humans, but it's trapped inside the game world and can't escape anywhere. Maybe that's an idea that has a connection to our human lives. I think we all have that feeling of being trapped in a programme at times.

"I'm strongly attracted to the feeling of not knowing which era you're in."

Kyle Lambert, who designed the jacket (pictured above), also did the artwork for Stranger Things and designed the jacket for the super deluxe edition (2CD + 2 analogue records + box set including hardcover book, art prints etc). Paul Schipper has done artwork for Star Wars and Marvel films, how important was it for you to work with people involved in the world of film and television? Matthew: It was incredibly important. It's great to work with people who have experience in creating virtual worlds. It's the same with the videos. Making all the videos with Lance Drake [video director], I think we were able to create a certain world. It's the first time for us to make all the videos with the same director, but we like it a lot. It allows us to build a deeper relationship with each other, and when you do four or five videos together, you start to think about the connections between each video, and you can pay attention to the details. Like what kind of connections you want to make and how you want to develop the ideas. That's why the visual world is very important on this album. In the past we weren't so much into the videos, we only focused on the music, but with this album we've really tried to focus on the visual side of it as well.

Just one more question about the video - is 'Dig Down' inspired by Max Headroom (a CG character created in the '80s as a virtual presenter for TV shows)? Matthew: Yeah, exactly. That's where the whole idea of merging the virtual world that the album is about with the future world that we all used to imagine came from. Max Headroom was the first virtual presenter, but it was only on film, someone was actually playing as him. But at the time, the idea of having a CG character as a presenter was still very interesting. I'm very much attracted to that kind of future that people used to imagine. In the early science fiction films, they often depicted a future world where artificial intelligence and robots would appear and rule the world, but we actually live in such a time now, which I think is very interesting.

As far as the sound is concerned, you seem to have combined a lot of different elements at random, without setting any limits? Some are quite electronic, some are quite rock, some are acoustic like 'Something Human' and some are mellow like 'The Void'. Matthew: I think we live in a time where we are inspired by multiple different art forms. Even in our day-to-day lives, we're influenced by a lot of different things, and as a result, we can easily go in a lot of different directions. It used to be taboo to do something retro, but now we've moved past that. We don't feel the need to stick to one idea or one genre anymore. Nowadays, listeners listen to a lot of different genres, and there are a lot of artists who fuse everything from hip-hop to urban, dance, modern rock - and create new genres and styles of music. But by fusing different genres, sounds, and styles from different eras, as I mentioned earlier, you get the feeling that you don't know which era you're in, and as I said before, I'm strongly attracted to that kind of thing.

You collaborated with the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Bruin Marching Band on another version of 'Pressure' on the Super Deluxe version, where did that idea come from? Matthew: There are a lot of synthesisers and electronic sounds on the eleven songs on the album, and the sound concept of the album was to blend that with an organic sound, and the Super Deluxe version is very organic, plus a lot of extra stuff. We wanted to include eleven organic, stripped-down versions of the songs (ten are actually on the Super Deluxe version). The result is that some of the songs are acoustic, some are piano-only, and all of them are very simple, except for 'Pressure', where we were like, "How the hell can we do this?" I was struggling with that one… It's a very up-tempo song, so I didn't think it could be done with just acoustic guitar. Then the idea of using a brass band came to me. There's actually a bit of that in the original. So I thought it would be great if a brass band could play on it, and I immediately thought of the UCLA brass band. They've actually performed Muse songs at halftime of college football games in the past. I saw the video on YouTube and thought it was great. Incidentally, they performed a medley of Muse songs including 'MK Ultra', 'United States of Eurasia', 'Resistance' and 'Knights of Cydonia' at halftime of a game against the University of Southern California in 2010, and again in 2013 when they performed 'Unnatural Selection' after a game against the University of California, Berkeley.

'Dig Down' is also an acoustic gospel version, which is totally different from the original concept, isn't it? Matthew: Yeah, that song is totally different from the original. The original is the most electronic song on the album, with a lot of synthesisers. If the original is more artificial and manufactured, the other version is all organic and natural sounding. If you listen to the other version, you can hear how the songs on the album were written. It's before all kinds of sounds were added.

What made you feel the need to make a super deluxe version? Matthew: I like expressing myself through music. That's my favourite part of the job. I think it all fits together and it all flows well as a piece of work, even though each song is a completely different version. The way albums are made nowadays is completely different from the way they used to be. There's a completely different concept. Because it's digital music, there's no limit to the number of songs you can have, you can have 50 songs on it, you can have eight songs on it. We came up with different versions of each song when we were making this album, but in this day and age we didn't want to put a limit on the number of songs, so we didn't feel the need to reject them.

You wanted to move away from the heavier, darker vibe of your previous album, 'Drones', didn't you? However, the album's content is not lightweight either, is it? 'Propaganda' is a very dangerous song, and 'Break It To Me' is so dark, it doesn't sound that different from 'Drones'. Matthew: There are definitely some darker themes, and I think they will continue to be present on future albums. But I think there's a big difference between the last album and this one in terms of style and atmosphere. 'Drones' was a very dark album, and the show was very dark as well. We wore black every night. Everything was black. Of course this album still has elements from the last one, but I think it's more colourful in terms of the sound. There's always been a dark element in Muse's music and I don't think it's going to change. Still, this album is quite bright for Muse. Anyway, we've moved towards a brighter version of Muse. The tour will definitely be more fun too.

Translator’s Note: This interview took so much of my time to read through each and every line in Japanese to get it right. Why? Because for some reason, the text gets printed in weird ways that it ends up missing a small yet very important thing: the ‘ー’. It’s a long vowel mark, usually only used in katakana. That missing long vowel mark can mess up the translating software so much, as it affects not only the word, but also entire sentences.

To put it simply, without that long vowel mark, there’s a VERY big difference between “ダーク (dark)” and “ダク (dork)”. And a VERY big difference between “'Drones' was a very dark album” and “'Drones' was a very dorky album”.

[tubersops]

Finally watched the infamous “skull trumpet video”. I haven’t engaged at all with the discourse around it since I hadn’t seen it, so forgive me if this has all been said, but oh my god. I have to say my piece because I am fuming

Do not track down someone’s address just because they made a funny gif over 20 years ago! Do not hound every living family member you can find on Facebook! Do not send messages to their place of business to hound them about a funny gif their relative made over 20 years ago! And Jesus fucking Christ DO NOT SEND YOUR FRIEND WHO LIVES IN THE AREA TO THEIR HOUSE?? Holy shit. I assumed all this was common knowledge among adults but I guess not.

I know I’m more anxious than the average person, but I would be fucking terrified if someone tracked down my home address and started calling and messaging me and all my relatives and my relatives’ jobs nonstop for weeks on end. It would literally send me spiraling into full blown panic attacks. It would make me feel unsafe in my home, worry for my friends and family, make me feel like I couldn’t go outside or answer the phone. And I am aware not everyone would have that extreme a reaction to something like this, but still I can’t imagine it would make anyone feel good to have that happen to them.

“Come on, he just wanted to let her know her art was famous! It was for a noble cause!”

I don’t think the reason matters actually. Stalking and harassing someone isn’t actually more moral just because you’re stalking and harassing them to tell them something good (and please, we all know he wanted to get an interview to make his video more substantive and popular, this was not purely altruistic no matter what excuses he makes).

I do think it is important to credit artists and to understand where the art we share often thoughtlessly as memes comes from. But you can do that without being a massive asshole and without whining to everyone they’ve ever met about your “important” YouTube video! I think the real lives and emotional security of real people are more important than a YouTube video about a gif.

He easily could have ended the video after he found her name and website. He could have wrapped it up with a nice little bow about giving credit where it’s do and not believing everything you see online unless you can verify the source. But because he wants to do the influencer song and dance, he starts harassing this person he’s claiming to help. Once he finds out she’s dead, he takes a step back and reflects on how she was a real person, but it baffles me that he couldn’t afford her the same courtesy when he thought she was still alive. Because he wanted clout. He wanted to do a little interview where she was sooooo grateful to him for tracking down her address and phone number and harassing her family so he could tell her about how famous her gif was (he literally said that was what he imagined happening, her just falling over herself in gratitude towards him). It was never about her at all. It was about making himself feel like the specialist boy, about elevating his own Brand, about making his own work feel more like Art.

Don’t do this!! If someone doesn’t answer your message about being in your silly YouTube video, just leave them alone!! You are not doing them a favor, you’re just being a dickhead!!

[decepti-thots]

springer for the ask meme?

one aspect about them i love: Springer is a character who is basically in the wrong story and, on some level, knows this. Or rather, he wants to believe that; he wants to believe that the problem is that he's in a story that doesn't allow for him to be the kind of uncomplicatedly good hero he feels like he ought to be, and so maybe it's OK if he's not. He's someone who has been complicit in a lot of terrible things because he told himself step-by-step that because they were the Good Guys, because he was the good influence, it couldn't possibly have actually been terrible that they did those things. And he keeps trying to make decisions that will correct this, that will actually set things right, and it never quite seems to work because it takes him so long to understand that the issue is that the Wreckers exist at all, and he can't have the fight without the violence underpinning it. Huh. Writing that out just made me draw a new parallel between him and Prowl, actually. Wild.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them: Springer is a guy who has done really bad things, and enabled worse things. Impactor went too far after a loooong build up, one which Springer canonically managed to justify to himself for a very long time and was only able to try and fix when it was already too late. Not to mention that he turned a blind eye to the complicity of all the other Wreckers even in the aftermath. His own sense of innate goodness is what allowed that! And the Wreckers saga is, from his perspective, kind of this long trek to finding out what you can actually do about that.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character: this is kind of coming at it sideways, but it includes him, so. I don't think Kup was a great influence in some ways! I think he loved Springer a lot and that this was immensely important. I also think that Springer was constructed in wartime and immediately handed over to a military guy with the explicit intent that he be shaped for said war, the main difference between him and an actual MTO mostly being that at least Springer didn't just wake up on the battlefield. Some of what Springer was as a Wrecker- willing to give himself over to violence and romanticize it as necessary and heroic, defining himself by a institution that inflicts it- probably arose from that before Impactor ever entered the picture, from what Kup taught him. I think it can be harder to acknowledge things like that when they come from the people who genuinely loved you, rather than people who outright mistreat you.

one character i love seeing them interact with: VERITY. I love their relationship so much. I think it's so important that the relationship that ultimately allows him to actually find a way to move beyond everything is a) the first relationship he really chose in a sense and b) the first relationship he forges away from the context of war. Verity, for all her accomplishments (RIP Overlord) is not a soldier. I love what we see of them in Requiem, where they've clearly been talking through a lot of his shit while they're living in that barn. They're dealing with things! She can tell him to talk about his weird robot Dad feelings! I love them.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more: I don't know if it's that I'd say I want more of him and Tarantulas interacting. But gosh did I want more of Springer talking... about him. We get these little hints of how Springer has handled the revelation of who he is, we know he and Verity discussed it. But. It's so hard to get a handle on exactly how Springer feels about it. I guess that's kind of the point. But I still wanted it, haha. Alternatively, Roadbuster. If you've read Zero Point, you know we see a little of what Roadbuster caring for Springer looked like, and I would have loved to see a little more direct interaction in Sins before he... uh. Explodes.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character: Springer did not really get along with Ultra Magnus a lot of the time, though there wasn't any actual antagonism per se. The problem was that Springer always looked like a real moral beacon of the Wreckers until Magnus showed up, at which point the artifice became uncomfortably clear, because Magnus always remembered a dozen moral concerns that Springer was good at sliding past without acknowledging. It was just enough to remind him of all the qualms he managed to avoid thinking about too hard most of the time.

[itsbeenliketenyearsitsprettywild]

*deep breath* Okay. In that case, buckle the fuck up.

For all I know, there might be canon lore or word from the creator that entirely debunks this idea. If so, please feel free to tell me directly! I love discussion with other fans, and don't take it personally if a theory i back turns out to be incorrect!

(and honestly somewhere along the way I realized I DO NOT have the spell slots necessary to put my full thesis down, so sadly you're only getting the cliffnotes and some shitty visuals I made instead.) But before I get into it, I'd like to put a warning for those tempted to keep reading: This is the sort of pretentious plot twist spoiler that (depending on your tastes) might make the experience of MILGRAM a lot less fun for you just by knowing/considering it. As such, please use discretion before clicking on the read more. But! I don't think it'll spoil anything to state the basic premise.

The truth is deceptively simple: MILGRAM is a work of fiction set up so that us, the audience, get to influence the characters present in the narrative, thus directly influencing everything that happens, via the cast/crew reacting to our decisions according.

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if you some of you think I'm joking or wondering how that in any way counts as a theory.

Part 1: A Cosmic Horror Story(ish) by Any Other Name

In which case, lemme shift the spotlight from the audience's perspective of Milgram to the character's experience of it:

While they don't realize it, the characters of MILGRAM are intentionally constructed beings, within an intentionally constructed universe. Which isn't to say that they, as characters, don't have thoughts and feelings. Their lives and experiences and crimes are just as real as everything else around them. But! Seeing as all of that is fictional, that's... debatable, at best.

They were all created (for the purpose of entertainment) by a force/entity that is basically all-powerful within their universe, but is almost entirely passive in nature. Or to put it another way: It's the cast/crew of MILGRAM that makes this whole narrative exist, but they're always gonna stay in the background of the story. The focus is always on the characters and how they deal with all this.

Past the force that created them, there is one other group of entities that exists outside the character's universe. It's these beings who actively engage with them, through means that go beyond the physical. ie; that us, the audience!! We vote, engage in theorycrafting, and talk about the characters to the point where oh shit they might be going a little insane from hearing us, actually.

Part 2: Other Helpful (and Very Shitty) Visual Aids, Without Context

Part 3: "Wait, so that means we shouldn't have been vot-" Lemme stop you there

With all this in mind, the conclusion most people would immediately come to would be "So this really was just the creators redoing the Milgram experiments, and our only ethical option is to not vote at all!"

Which, no.

Though we might largely have the most direct say in how things go down, the creators can still weigh in if we refuse to play by their rules.

For example, where you here when Haruka's 2nd Trial vote went down? Because, while I wasn't, I have seen the comments people posted during and after that time period.

That is to say, people were trying really hard to get him to a 50/50 tie stall, thus breaking the system - it was only right near the end that the poll hard shifted towards guilty.

Something similar (but a lot more shitposty) happened with Mikoto's first trial vote, too; apparently, the unspoken consensus was that everyone wanted Mikoto to be exactly 69% guilty (lol, never change folks). But, guess what? Right at the end - small shift towards innocent. Tragically ending The Meme Dream for everyone involved.

For all that we, the audience, are mostly in control of where things end up, the creators are more than willing to step in if we stop playing by their rules or don't take things seriously enough and shift votes one way or another depending.

Which means that all not voting does is put it in the creator's hands to decide - and, in that case, they could end up making the choice that you don't like.

So, for all it can feel icky for us voters to be C'thulu to the characters, depending on your outlook, trying to influence them can still be pretty important.