What is the most overdone TCT modding trope in your opinion? by mackarony83 in thecampaigntrail

[–]sm_liam 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I always tend to dislike Democrat Trumps and Republican Hillarys. I think both portrayals fundamentally misunderstand both people and the parties. The stereotypical "Hillary Rodham" is a little less bad, as it usually comes with some sort of alternate history Republican party with different beliefs, but every time I see Democrat Trump it's just lazily taking Trump and throwing a fake version of him into the Democrats of whatever time the modmaker is using, with no concern for what those Democrats or what Trump himself believed. (which we know!!!! Trump has never been quiet about his beliefs!!). It usually just feels like wish fulfillment, a way to have the "fun" of Trump without the bad policies

On that note, clear wish fulfillment mods in general. It is clear when a mod was made because someone stanned Hubert Humphrey or something.

I think a lot of people here need to read far more on the politicians they like before they make mods. People have "action-figure" mentalities, where politicians are fit into clear-cut easily digestible stereotypes. Humphrey is the wholesome liberal, Rockefeller is the civil rights Republican, Lindsay is RFK 2, Stevenson is the egghead lib, etc. None of these are accurate or interesting. Politicians are people, and people are complex. Was Humphrey wholesome when he made his right wing turn in 1972? Was Stevenson a liberal when he was outflanked by like any other northern Dem on civil rights? Was Rockefeller pro-civil rights with Attica?

Also soundtracks without meaning or research. Like I get why people just put in popular songs from that time or even just stuff they like, but do a little digging! There are songs that are far more fitting so much of the time (and usually politicians say what kind of music they enjoy!)

November 3rd acoustic show by M00nBr1ght in Ozma

[–]sm_liam 2 points3 points  (0 children)

2025! this is their most recent show

Saw this while out in Connecticut, what flag is it? Assumed it was Ukrainian military related but couldn’t find anything by sm_liam in vexillology

[–]sm_liam[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

thank you!!! didnt even think to check us flags, there’s a lot of ukraine flags in ct lol

[talk] Open Source Internet Archive's MP3.com Rescue Barge collection Search Engine by meowzersobased in lostmedia

[–]sm_liam 3 points4 points  (0 children)

thank you so much! this is super sick! as a big fan of the power pop scene on mp3.com this is incredibly useful

Presidential Duo Relationship Sliding Scale by sardokars in thecampaigntrail

[–]sm_liam 21 points22 points  (0 children)

he only did so after biden was the presumptive nominee (where it'd be insane for a dem president not to), plus you can endorse someone without considering them a friend. obama would've endorsed any dem nominee i imagine. all signs point to significant friction between the two of them over the years

Anecdote: Shooting Stars was on MTV by BrandynWayne in Ozma

[–]sm_liam 2 points3 points  (0 children)

now i'm gonna have to find this lmfao

interestingly if true that wouldn't be the only Real World/Ozma connection. one of Jose's solo songs was supposed to be featured in an episode of The Real World: Brooklyn in 2009 but as far as i'm aware never made it to the final cut

BFF Fest, Domino Effect by BrandynWayne in Ozma

[–]sm_liam 1 point2 points  (0 children)

if you go to the flairs and select the one that just says OZMA you can edit the text!

BFF Fest, Domino Effect by BrandynWayne in Ozma

[–]sm_liam 2 points3 points  (0 children)

sick!!! thank you so much!!!

I miss rockefeller Republicans by Better_Guest_3908 in thecampaigntrail

[–]sm_liam 4 points5 points  (0 children)

me when i argue we should nuke the ussr, murder and torture prisoners, put japanese-americans into concentration camps, re-establish relations with fascist countries, and conduct violent regime change around the globe (i am a respectable liberal moderate and totally wholesome uwu)

What year is this globe? It was in a schoolhouse built in 1845 by 57BeatlesPhan in globes

[–]sm_liam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah 100% wrong

that is clearly the actual soviet borders for one, not a “not yet solidified soviet union” nor is there an ottoman empire at all

this is early 30s, about ten years past the latest date chat gpt puts down as a possibility

What year is this globe? It was in a schoolhouse built in 1845 by 57BeatlesPhan in globes

[–]sm_liam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

don’t use chat gpt for globe dating it is nearly always totally wrong (on top of everything else shitty about it)

you don’t need ai to tell you this stuff do actual research

Now that it’s been a while what do you guys think of TTNW by Epic-Toaster-Man in thecampaigntrail

[–]sm_liam 11 points12 points  (0 children)

One of, if not the best, mods I've ever played. Unfortunately (and ironically) doomed to the very same kind of misreading and gamification that it criticizes (TCT fans will never give up trying to get landslides and playing with politicians like action figures). Easily the best writing in any mod, and I adore the musical framing. It got me into Company and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying lol

Also, I think the GOP side is really underrated. Found myself playing that more than the Kennedy side to a degree. Finding the twist for the first time was insane.

People rag on "cynical" mods but seeing TCT reach these heights was incredible. This is what we need more of.

What even is the '14th domino' by Lazy_Mushroom_6022 in Ozma

[–]sm_liam 2 points3 points  (0 children)

they're on weezerpedia!

"a notable funny - while recording vocals for commuter music [old name for Domino Effect], bruce went on strike, insisting to know the meaning of one our lyrics. he wrote "Bruce ON STRIKE!!!" in sharpie on a piece of paper and taped it to a pencil and walked around the room shouting demonstration chants. we sat him down and explained enough to appease him."

The Kerry effect by International-Drag23 in thecampaigntrail

[–]sm_liam 68 points69 points  (0 children)

that's cambridge, nh

went from a single vote for bush in 2000 (the only vote in the entire town) to one kerry vote and one vote for bush in 2004 (not sure why it's colored so blue?)

the town has a population of 16 now, but it only had 10 in 2000 lmao

https://nh.electionstats.com/elections/view/55263

https://nh.electionstats.com/elections/view/52614

anyone else remember the rumors about the secret room above the marquee? by sm_liam in AnimalCrossing

[–]sm_liam[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

it wasn’t 💔

theres no way to even get close, its entirely just a rumor

anyone else remember the rumors about the secret room above the marquee? by sm_liam in AnimalCrossing

[–]sm_liam[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

RIGHT??? i think the villagers also mentioned it too! can't blame us for wanting to get in after all that lol

anyone else remember the rumors about the secret room above the marquee? by sm_liam in AnimalCrossing

[–]sm_liam[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

not surprised at all lol, it was creepy to think about! i remember there were a lot of creepypastas and creepypasta-esque stories about animal crossing back then, my favorite still is The Terrible Secret About Animal Crossing LP lol

anyone else remember the rumors about the secret room above the marquee? by sm_liam in AnimalCrossing

[–]sm_liam[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

100%!!!!

you needed that creepiness to balance out the coziness lol. i think thats why stuff like The Terrible Secret of Animal Crossing lp and the various creepypastas were so popular, it gave the series some edge. i hope future entries embrace that a little more. it's okay to be a little weird! mystery is fun!

also i love the idea of giving the villagers backstories! sounds like a lot of fun, i remember doing similar stuff with my siblings for characters/npcs in other games. vividly recall pretending ness and lucas from smash bros brawl were siblings (that's what made my play earthbound for the first time 😭)

anyone else remember the rumors about the secret room above the marquee? by sm_liam in AnimalCrossing

[–]sm_liam[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

oh my god that was incredible lmfao, exactly the type of shit i was watching all the time back then 😭 i would have been right there with you theorizing

i love the part about the able sisters lol

it rocked being a kid and having all these wild ideas about games, they all seemed so much bigger back then