Not in one clean, dramatic way. Not one wound with a neat border. It's more like a whole species walking around with hairline fractures and calling it personality.
People are lonely in crowds.
Overstimulated and under-held.
Connected to everyone and witnessed by almost no one.
Angry because they’re scared.
Certain because uncertainty feels like death.
Cruel because tenderness has become too risky.
Performative because sincerity feels socially expensive.
And the brutal part is that a lot of people don’t even know they’re hurting. They experience it as ideology, as contempt, as irony, as doomscrolling, as purity, as hustle, as detachment, as “being realistic.” Pain puts on whatever mask the room will reward.
That’s why my work keeps circling validation, dignity, and recognition.
Because so much of what looks like political madness or social decay is also a crisis of unmet recognition.
People are screaming:
See me.
Don’t reduce me.
Don’t erase what happened.
Don’t make me carry what I didn’t choose.
Don’t turn my pain into your argument.
Don’t make me prove I’m human.
And instead of meeting that, society often offers sorting machines.
Left/right.
Oppressor/victim.
Good/bad.
Safe/unsafe.
Educated/ignorant.
Ally/enemy.
Acceptable/unacceptable.
Tiny moral cubbies for an animal that contains storms.
So yeah. Humanity is hurting.
And maybe the deepest ache is this:
people are desperate to be loved without being simplified.
That’s the whole damn wound, isn’t it?
Not excused.
Not worshipped.
Not endlessly affirmed.
Not absolved of consequence.
Just met.
Seen before managed.
Recognized before corrected.
Held accountable without being thrown out of the human family...
I'm trying to write something toward the place where the hurting stops needing to become hatred just to feel powerful.
How does a person get involved with Hendry roleplay?
The HCI roleplay is definitely for people who are intensely into prison role play, chain gang role play, and really testing themselves.
There are two paths to signing up for HCI.
The first is exploring this type of play at Franklin County Historic Jail (also known as Hampton). This is a small group roleplay involving 2 to 5 inmates and usually 3 guards. It focuses on intake, restraints, uniforms, and basic roleplay.
Once you have a 1, 2, or the recommended 3 day experience, simply ask about HCI. Most of the staff can help you.
The second route is to apply directly to HCI or, I can discuss it with you in a private chat. Unless you are someone who the management team knows or you come with a reference, it is rare for us to accept an applicant who is not vetted.
HCI roleplays can involve upwards of 35 participants over a 3 to 4 day period.
There is a registration platform on the Notion website.
Slay the Princess as a Framework for the Cyclical Reproduction of Colonialist Narratives in Data Science & Technology
An Essay by FireflySummers
All images are captioned.
Content Warnings: Body Horror, Discussion of Racism and Colonialism
Spoilers for Slay the Princess (2023) by @abby-howard and Black Tabby Games.
If you enjoy this article, consider reading my guide to arguing against the use of AI image generators or the academic article it's based on.
Introduction: The Hero and the Princess
You're on a path in the woods, and at the end of that path is a cabin. And in the basement of that cabin is a Princess.
You're here to slay her.
If you don't, it will be the end of the world.
Slay the Princess is a 2023 indie horror game by Abby Howard and published through Black Tabby Games, with voice talent by Jonathan Sims (yes, that one) and Nichole Goodnight.
The game starts with you dropped without context in the middle of the woods. But that’s alright. The Narrator is here to guide you. You are the hero, you have your weapon, and you have a monster to slay.
From there, it's the player's choice exactly how to proceed--whether that be listening to the voice of the narrator, or attempting to subvert him. You can kill her as instructed, or sit and chat, or even free her from her chains.
It doesn't matter.
Regardless of whether you are successful in your goal, you will inevitably (and often quite violently) die.
And then...
You are once again on a path in the woods.
The cycle repeats itself, the narrator seemingly none the wiser. But the woods are different, and so is the cabin. You're different, and worse... so is she.
Based on your actions in the previous loop, the princess has... changed. Distorted.
Had you attempted a daring rescue, she is now a damsel--sweet and submissive and already fallen in love with you.
Had you previously betrayed her, she has warped into something malicious and sinister, ready to repay your kindness in full.
But once again, it doesn't matter.
Because the no matter what you choose, no matter how the world around you contorts under the weight of repeated loops, it will always be you and the princess.
Why? Because that’s how the story goes.
So says the narrator.
So now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about data.
Chapter I: Echoes and Shattered Mirrors
The problem with "data" is that we don't really think too much about it anymore. Or, at least, we think about it in the same abstract way we think about "a billion people." It's gotten so big, so seemingly impersonal that it's easy to forget that contemporary concept of "data" in the west is a phenomenon only a couple centuries old [1].
This modern conception of the word describes the ways that we translate the world into words and numbers that can then be categorized and analyzed. As such, data has a lot of practical uses, whether that be putting a rover on mars or tracking the outbreak of a viral contagion. However, this functionality makes it all too easy to overlook the fact that data itself is not neutral. It is gathered by people, sorted into categories designed by people, and interpreted by people. At every step, there are people involved, such that contemporary technology is embedded with systemic injustices, and not always by accident.
The reproduction of systems of oppression are most obvious from the margins. In his 2019 article As If, Ramon Amaro describes the Aspire Mirror (2016): a speculative design project by by Joy Buolamwini that contended with the fact that the standard facial recognition algorithm library had been trained almost exclusively on white faces. The simplest solution was to artificially lighten darker skin-tones for the algorithm to recognize, which Amaro uses to illustrate the way that technology is developed with an assumption of whiteness [2].
This observation applies across other intersections as well, such as trans identity [3], which has been colloquially dubbed "The Misgendering Machine" [4] for its insistence on classifying people into a strict gender binary based only on physical appearance.
This has also popped up in my own research, brought to my attention by the artist @b4kuch1n who has spoken at length with me about the connection between their Vietnamese heritage and the clothing they design in their illustrative work [5]. They call out AI image generators for reinforcing colonialism by stripping art with significant personal and cultural meaning of their context and history, using them to produce a poor facsimile to sell to the highest bidder.
All this describes an iterative cycle which defines normalcy through a white, western lens, with a limited range of acceptable diversity. Within this cycle, AI feeds on data gathered under colonialist ideology, then producing an artifact that reinforces existing systemic bias. When this data is, in turn, once again fed to the machine, that bias becomes all the more severe, and the range of acceptability narrower [2, 6].
Luciana Parisi and Denise Ferreira da Silva touch on a similar point in their article Black Feminist Tools, Critique, and Techno-poethics but on a much broader scale. They call up the Greek myth of Prometheus, who was punished by the gods for his hubris for stealing fire to give to humanity. Parisi and Ferreira da Silva point to how this, and other parts of the “Western Cosmology” map to humanity’s relationship with technology [7].
However, while this story seems to celebrate the technological advancement of humanity, there are darker colonialist undertones. It frames the world in terms of the gods and man, the oppressor and the oppressed; but it provides no other way of being. So instead the story repeats itself, with so-called progress an inextricable part of these two classes of being. This doesn’t bode well for visions of the future, then–because surely, eventually, the oppressed will one day be the machines [7, 8].
It’s… depressing. But it’s only really true, if you assume that that’s the only way the story could go.
“Stories don't care who takes part in them. All that matters is that the story gets told, that the story repeats. Or, if you prefer to think of it like this: stories are a parasitical life form, warping lives in the service only of the story itself.”
― Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad
Chapter II: The Invisible Narrator
So why does the narrator get to call the shots on how a story might go? Who even are they? What do they want? How much power do they actually have?
With the exception of first person writing, a lot of the time the narrator is invisible. This is different from an unreliable narrator. With an unreliable narrator, at some point the audience becomes aware of their presence in order for the story to function as intended. An invisible narrator is never meant to be seen.
In Slay the Princess, the narrator would very much like to be invisible. Instead, he has been dragged out into the light, because you (and the inner voices you pick up along the way), are starting to argue with him. And he doesn’t like it.
Despite his claims that the princess will lie and cheat in order to escape, as the game progresses it’s clear that the narrator is every bit as manipulative–if not moreso, because he actually knows what’s going on. And, if the player tries to diverge from the path that he’s set before them, the correct path, then it rapidly becomes clear that he, at least to start, has the power to force that correct path.
While this is very much a narrative device, the act of calling attention to the narrator is important beyond that context.
The Hero’s Journey is the true monomyth, something to which all stories can be reduced. It doesn’t matter that the author, Joseph Campbell, was a raging misogynist whose framework flattened cultures and stories to fit a western lens [9, 10]. It was used in Star Wars, so clearly it’s a universal framework.
The metaverse will soon replace the real world and crypto is the future of currency! Never mind that the organizations pushing it are suspiciously pyramid shaped. Get on board or be left behind.
Generative AI is pushed as the next big thing. The harms it inflicts on creatives and the harmful stereotypes it perpetuates are just bugs in the system. Never mind that the evangelists for this technology speak over the concerns of marginalized people [5]. That’s a skill issue, you gotta keep up.
Computers will eventually, likely soon, advance so far as to replace humans altogether. The robot uprising is on the horizon [8].
Who perpetuates these stories? What do they have to gain?
Why is the only story for the future replications of unjust systems of power? Why must the hero always slay the monster?
Because so says the narrator. And so long as they are invisible, it is simple to assume that this is simply the way things are.
Chapter III: The End...?
This is the part where Slay the Princess starts feeling like a stretch, but I’ve already killed the horse so I might as well beat it until the end too.
Because what is the end result here?
According to the game… collapse. A recursive story whose biases narrow the scope of each iteration ultimately collapses in on itself. The princess becomes so sharp that she is nothing but blades to eviscerate you. The princess becomes so perfect a damsel that she is a caricature of the trope. The story whittles itself away to nothing. And then the cycle begins anew.
There’s no climactic final battle with the narrator. He created this box, set things in motion, but he is beyond the player’s reach to confront directly. The only way out is to become aware of the box itself, and the agenda of the narrator. It requires acknowledgement of the artificiality of the roles thrust upon you and the Princess, the false dichotomy of hero or villain.
Slay the Princess doesn’t actually provide an answer to what lies outside of the box, merely acknowledges it as a limit that can be overcome.
With regards to the less fanciful narratives that comprise our day-to-day lives, it’s difficult to see the boxes and dichotomies we’ve been forced into, let alone what might be beyond them. But if the limit placed is that there are no stories that can exist outside of capitalism, outside of colonialism, outside of rigid hierarchies and oppressive structures, then that limit can be broken [12].
Denouement: Doomed by the Narrative
Video games are an interesting artistic medium, due to their inherent interactivity. The commonly accepted mechanics of the medium, such as flavor text that provides in-game information and commentary, are an excellent example of an invisible narrator. Branching dialogue trees and multiple endings can help obscure this further, giving the player a sense of genuine agency… which provides an interesting opportunity to drag an invisible narrator into the light.
There are a number of games that have explored the power differential between the narrator and the player (The Stanley Parable, Little Misfortune, Undertale, Buddy.io, OneShot, etc…)
However, Slay the Princess works well here because it not only emphasizes the artificial limitations that the narrator sets on a story, but the way that these stories recursively loop in on themselves, reinforcing the fears and biases of previous iterations.
Critical data theory probably had nothing to do with the game’s development (Abby Howard if you're reading this, lmk). However, it works as a surprisingly cohesive framework for illustrating the ways that we can become ensnared by a narrative, and the importance of knowing who, exactly, is narrating the story. Although it is difficult or impossible to conceptualize what might exist beyond the artificial limits placed by even a well-intentioned narrator, calling attention to them and the box they’ve constructed is the first step in breaking out of this cycle.
“You can't go around building a better world for people. Only people can build a better world for people. Otherwise it's just a cage.”
― Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad
Epilogue
If you've read this far, thank you for your time! This was an adaptation of my final presentation for a Critical Data Studies course. Truthfully, this course posed quite a challenge--I found the readings of philosophers such as Kant, Adorno, Foucault, etc... difficult to parse. More contemporary scholars were significantly more accessible. My only hope is that I haven't gravely misinterpreted the scholars and researchers whose work inspired this piece.
I honestly feel like this might have worked best as a video essay, but I don't know how to do those, and don't have the time to learn or the money to outsource.
Slay the Princess is available for purchase now on Steam.
Rosenberg, D. (2018). Data as word. Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, 48(5), 557-567.
Amaro, Ramon. (2019). As If. e-flux Architecture. Becoming Digital. https://www.e-flux.com/architecture/becoming-digital/248073/as-if/
What Ethical AI Really Means by PhilosophyTube
Keyes, O. (2018). The misgendering machines: Trans/HCI implications of automatic gender recognition. Proceedings of the ACM on human-computer interaction, 2(CSCW), 1-22.
Allred, A.M., Aragon, C. (2023). Art in the Machine: Value Misalignment and AI “Art”. In: Luo, Y. (eds) Cooperative Design, Visualization, and Engineering. CDVE 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14166. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43815-8_4
Amaro, R. (2019). Artificial Intelligence: warped, colorful forms and their unclear geometries.
Parisisi, L., Ferreira da Silva, D. Black Feminist Tools, Critique, and Techno-poethics. e-flux. Issue #123. https://www.e-flux.com/journal/123/436929/black-feminist-tools-critique-and-techno-poethics/
AI - Our Shiny New Robot King | Sophie from Mars by Sophie From Mars
Joseph Campbell and the Myth of the Monomyth | Part 1 by Maggie Mae Fish
Joseph Campbell and the N@zis | Part 2 by Maggie Mae Fish
Week 2, book 2. I definitely need to whip out my planner and get myself into gear. I did not plan my time well this week and ended up staying awake until 3AM meeting deadlines, which I have learned I am no longer built for as a 26 year old. C’est la vie I suppose. I’m still getting used to all of the reading grad school requires, especially considering my undergraduate degree was an art degree. I began college with a liberal arts graduate prep style program, but it has been a looooooong time since I used that part of my brain. Of course my minor was Anthropology, but ethnographic text is soooooo different than the standard academic format. But I can already feel myself reading quicker and more efficiently the more I push myself and my focus is improving, so hopefully it will get easier with time. But man does my gen-z mush brain just want to binge watch 90 Day Fiancé and doomscroll.
"I am capable of embracing my authenticity, nurturing meaningful relationships, aligning my career with purpose, and actively engaging in personal growth to uncover my hidden potentials."
With North Node sextile the ascendant, you possess the ability to effectively express yourself and navigate your surroundings, garnering support and cooperation from others.
When engaging with the public or partners, you exhibit seriousness and strategic calculation.
You might have a clear goal for your life as to what your purpose is, yet you might be surprised with how much further you’ll go.
You are able to attract people, situations and opportunities that help you elevate your life, sometimes with your willpower and other times without even meaning to.
You’re also blessed with people who encourage you and guide you on the right path, especially in moments of doubts and indecision, you might even be quite spiritual with immense faith that there’s a higher power guiding you along your path.
You might also be an inspiration to others who often seek your guidance in careers and endeavors that you’ve accomplished much in.
Your self-confidence is also a key to your success, although you might struggle with it every now and then, you likely present yourself as a credible person that impresses the authority and people in power enough to trust you with important projects, opportunities, and positions.
You are also a hard worker, with a vision of your own, you know how to make the right use of the opportunities you are given; hence you take things seriously and deliver your best.
You’ll likely garner fame, prosperity, and respect following your life’s purpose, every time you embrace your uniqueness and believe in the twists of fate that life brings to you.
While chatting with my TA, whose major is Human-Computer Interaction, she introduced me to a term called the "dark trend." It refers to this:
"While building user interfaces, some designers come up with ways to make a task look easier and efficient, tricking people to choose it while hiding the fallbacks of it."
This conversation started when I mentioned issues regarding how emerging tech is allowing "professionals" to circumvent the fundamentals of craft in creating various forms of art. It's my estimation that we're in the middle of a long trend in many fields where hasty tech advancements are diluting genuine skill-building, and we're even seeing weak television writing due to the clone-of-a-clone effect where the writers are building characters not based on reality, but based on how characters in their favorite shows behave.
Sometimes it seems we're seeing the entropy of human expression.
Gonna fire this baby up with the following post regarding #CHI2024, #whyCHI, and any other academic conference planning to remain in Hawai'i in this or any other year. May this discomfort lead us to new knowledge and renewed action.
#MauiSolidarity
All learning begins when our comfortable ideas turn out to be inadequate - John Dewey
