(I think the overall issue is nuanced; fandom gives ppl a way to interact with media second-hand without ever consuming the source material, and their enjoyment is legitimate, but at the same time, enjoying the fandom and enjoying the thing itself are not equivalent experiences!)

I knew every detail of lore and story from my research, but actual gameplay I only knew vaguely second-hand. Weird position to be in, and I often disclaimed that I hadn't played it when opining on the game itself, but... given the depth of my obsession, nobody can realistically say I wasn't a fan!

I'm in this post, kinda! I was obsessed for 4 years w/ a game I never fully watched or played, but I read every supplemental material, joined in theorising, and drew a staggering amount of fanart. I didn't think the game was good, but I loved the promise, the characters, the scenario, the backstory

OOOOO LOVE THIS

Immediately ceding to any idea you can't effectively argue against would, I think, leave you really vulnerable to persuasive, well-spoken people, and to any ideologies that train their followers to debate. I don't think it would make you more likely to have a correct or well-considered view.

I am not personally an expert in every belief I hold. If someone pointed out that every piece of info and experience I have on a thing was wrong or being interpreted incorrectly, I should look into that?? Maybe I'm wrong! But that followup is where I change views, not the moment of being out-debated

"if it makes them happy its fine, what does it matter if its Real" is all well and good, but when you develop a relationship with AI you're making yourself emotionally vulnerable to a program that's in someone else's wildly unregulated hands, and that's very different from an imaginary partner

my kneejerk feeling is that a relationship with an AI is less mental disorder and more like, joining a cult or buying into a pyramid scheme. Absolutely messes w your perception of reality, but even skeptical informed people can be vulnerable to something designed to hack human perception

Oh, I gotta share this relevant article from a while back on this very thing, following several people's relationships w/ AI companions and the way it affects them emotionally (even when they understand how LLMs work) -- found this a really interesting perspective

www.theverge.com/c/24300623/a...

Hdhgdjfncjfk DENIED

thank you for your dedication mr broth

OHHHH THIS CAME OUT SO GOOD

HEHEHEE THANK YOU this feels like the ideal reaction

That's not a beetle or a pet!!

Oh no that's so cute...!! I rly love everyone coming up with ways to get an item but keep him with the coalman; I've also seen calling the item "an occasional visit from a poodle-sized beetle" and someone else hoping for "any Bernard Jr.s" that they could adopt

oh that green looks so cool