Joppiesaus asks anything

These are the answers to the “AMA” I announced the other day, which were all from Joppiesaus. Enjoy.

Why did you create your site?

As a teenager I mostly lurked reading 4chan threads and GameFAQs walkthroughs. Later on I got into game development and I joined a forum for an RPG engine (like RPG Maker), which is where I first started expressing my opinions. As I neared adulthood I invested a lot of time into deviantArt and ended up becoming moderately notorious for making fun of shitty poetry and getting homophobic evangelical Christians banned off the site. I was one of the OGs on YouTube and one of the first few followers of the Amazing Atheist, and as you can imagine I was the “debate me bro” guy.

Near the first year of university, much of my social circle and online fandom had migrated to tumblr due to the failings of traditional platforms at the time, like LiveJournal and deviantArt. As with deviantArt I became moderately notorious for my loud mouth and some viral posts I’d made. Tumblr was becoming more and more of a living parody even in 2013, and by 2014 when GamerGate exploded, everyone on that site was maximally mentally ill.

I was not having a good time. I had devoted a lot of time in tumblr politics and I had to deal with people who had extreme politics because they were hallucinating and had personality disorders. One of my friends was stalkerish and had chat logs leaked where he tried guilt tripping an underage girl for feet pics. Another stopped talking his anti-psychotics and started hallucinating that he was otherkin. Some friends who liked Steven Universe started wishing death on other friends who liked My Little Pony. Many got involved with “this is thin privilege” and rationalised their lethal obesity (40+ BMI) as healthy. Many reblogged dumb shit like “kill all men”.

I started writing again and remembered how good it felt. Then I left tumblr and hang around YouTube and reddit. In 2016 the Trump campaign happened and we saw a rerun of the dynamics of tumblr but this time with more nazis. I quit all social media and vowed never to return. However I still wanted to host my non-fiction posts somewhere and I stumbled upon fauux through some anime RSS feed. That’s how this website was born.

How are you holding up this pandemic?

2020 hasn’t been a good year for me so far. The pandemic itself isn’t to blame, as I’m an anti-social NEET anyway. However I had to deal with army conscription with less that a week’s notice. I’ve also been suffering with some vestibular issues, including tinnitus and dizziness, and coming to terms with the possibility that I might go deaf in the future. Also, most of my friends moved away so that they can be jobless and depressed in some other town. Needless to say, it hasn’t been very fun, but I think I’ll get through it.

What’s your involvement in the paradise papers?

None, but I helped spread the Citigroup plutonomy reports that Citigroup tried relentlessly to purge from the internet. As you imagine people were more interested in shitty Gamergate bullshit at that time even as our 🏦neoliberal elites🏦 openly admitted that they run the economy. I did not come out of that affair feeling very optimistic about my “allies.”

You seem quite ferm(?) on your blog sometimes. Is this your personality?

I don’t think that’s a word, but I am a huge edgelord. The Amazing Atheist’s early style has had a big effect on me, and to a lesser extent MannixThePirate’s. I am more soft-spoken in real life, but as the years go by I also become an edgelord offline too. I had difficulty reconciling these two aspects, and I think being excessively agreeable was my way of coping with minor social anxiety. I have it more under control now, for the better.

Do you enjoy your life?

Since 2017, it hasn’t been my goal to enjoy life, but rather to be serene and content. Recently I read Andrew Yang’s book and he wrote that there’s a huge amount of millennials who feel empty, like they are meant to accomplish something great that will give them some kind of enlightenment, but they don’t know what it is and they don’t have any concrete passion for anything. For the longest time, that’s how I felt. I am the “honors student” smart kid, and I grew up seeing my peers move overseas and work at major tech companies where they became religiously Socially Just, worked 80 hour weeks, sucked new dicks every weekend cause it was cool, and microdosed on illegal drugs so that they don’t feel broken and degenerate every morning. I don’t think materialism and social climbing is for me or that it’ll make me happy, so I don’t view my life through the lens of enjoyment anymore.

What type of dinner do you enjoy?

We don’t really have dinner in my family, but I like grilled cheese.

Do you have a job?

No, but I am a volunteer for the Organisation for Transformative Works.

Do you like your job?

It isn’t the most amazing thing in the world, but I think it adds value to my life. If you are a high IQ NEET like me, I suggest you give volunteering a try, particularly if it involves interacting with other people and you feel the organisation’s mission is valuable.

Do you like the climate in Greece?

I used to think it was too warm for my liking, but I’ve grown to like it. Sunlight exposure is important for alleviating symptoms of depression, and if you find yourself feeling like that often, I suggest moving to a more temperate climate if you can. I also suggest moving out of cities and densely populated areas. You will pay less rent and stop worrying about what the crazy cat lady with the 700 body count from HR thinks about you. You should focus about the important things in life, like disturbingly sexualised prepubescent children and making art.

What type of flora & fauna do you think is cool?

My favourite flower genus is anemone. It isn’t a happy flower.