@NaClKnight i don't think you're immature or insufferable at all: you've been careful to qualify "i think" before each of your value/rating statements, which *i think* is interesting; especially "i think... something has objective merit," which is a statement that seems to undermine itself.
(layperson undrstndng) for anyone remotely interested, mastodon instances gather data (replies, user profiles, hashtag stuff, likes/reshares, etc.) from accounts you follow, and then your instance "absorbs" that data so that it's visible for other users on your instance; this is why an su instance can be problematic: a multi-user instance has many vectors to gather data, an su instance does not; this leads to things like no replies on posts, blank/small local timeline, blank profiles, etc.
i've been thinking a lot recently about old JRPGs and how some (most) of them are a real slog to play now (when not on some form of meth/speed): turn-based, super-linear storytelling, little customization, etc. etc. then i was thinking, i bet there's a good essay in how classic turned-based is busted and not fun in general, and maybe there's a good case for that, right? but here's the problem, and here's the sole reason why i rarely (if ever) write "review" stuff anymore: wtf is fun????
the whole thing becomes a joke to me. i see game review/journalism as a total clown show because of, literally, this one question. and the question can't be answered objectively. when some IGN dude writes this 6 paragraph review and is all confident that Grandia II is actually real bad or whatever, it's just pathetic to me. i cannot get beyond this. i fear i have thought myself into a spot where objective analysis of almost anything is absurd to me, fraudulent even.
and as an extension of this, anyone who seems overly confident in their opinion about anything multimedia/music/art related comes off as immature and kinda insufferable to me; like, our worldviews do not jive, man. i, in no way, could say that any song or game is objectively bad, much less GIVE IT A SCORE!
i'm thinking about making a single-user #mastodon instance (via masto.host) but have read some cautionary tales concerning limited post visible/reach due to the technicals of federation (this is the most-cited article: https://mull.net/mastodon).
does anyone w/ experiencing running a single-user instance have any insight? is it really a "bad idea?" esp from the perspective of someone who is less interested in seeing "federated timelines" and more focused on follower interactions?
there's always been a nag in the back of my skull, this urge to write a novel; it's been there for years, but i've always put it off as the prospect was too intimidating. over the last few weeks, however, i've mapped out some characters, a loose plot, and world (science fantasy loosely based on ancient greece); and i've written the first chapter (5k words), which i'll post later today.
(this is a brand. not operating as a human being. they are trying to sell you something in all cases. sometimes their product is esoteric and weird, but it is still a product.)
(i've lightened on this a bit. i'm ok with someone selling stuff [to an extent]. i guess. do what you gotta do to survive or whatever. but the whole inhuman-mount-olympus thing? no.)
@NaClKnight when i'm in the ZONE it's as if i am channeling some sort of supernatural entity. the cosmic muse, or something. this is a common "artist meme," right? but there's something to it, for sure.
@NaClKnight will do it, for sure. just a matter of timing. if i'm not spending time with my family or working, i'm writing something or doing something with the intention of writing about that something; so, i just need to get my priories in order. regarding outlines, i used to outline absolutely everything i wrote beforehand, but have stopped doing that. now i take vague (usually paper) notes to jot my memory later. i get too boxed in with an outline; like you, my best stuff "just happens."