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Soft breathing played from the phone’s speaker, her own personal white noise. Eyes closed in the pitch dark, she could almost feel the hot air against the back of her neck. A small snort and breathy murmur emitted and she held back a giggle. He was fast asleep. There was something about the vulnerability. The talking and gradual intermittent yawns. The slurring. The eyelids no longer able to part. But neither person willing to say goodnight and end it. Warmth filled her belly, fireflies illuminating a dark cave. The all-encompassing darkness of the room wrapped around her like a tight embrace. When she opened her eyes, all of her familiar surroundings were gone. She was outside. She didn’t remember how she got there, nor did she remember not being there. The air was heavy and she was shrouded by ancient-looking trees. It was eerily quiet, other than the occasional breeze flowing through and tickling the leaves. The sky was colorless. Not dark, but entirely devoid of clouds, stars, or a...

  My internet personality is Terri Joe, the online persona of a tiktoker with the username itspsyiconic, real name Kelon. Terri has built a distinct and engaging brand centered around chaotic yet hilarious live-stream interactions. Through TikTok and Instagram Live, Terri Joe presents herself as a deeply religious yet hypocritical Southern Christian woman, often harshly judging others while engaging in outrageous conversations. Her humor works off of quick and funny improvisation and the tension between her ultra-conservative views and the often absurd, unfiltered conversations she has with celebrities and internet personalities. She has some interactions where both parties are acting and others with people who have no idea she is a character. The mix of satire, character acting, and audience participation keeps viewers coming back, making her brand a unique blend of comedy, performance art, and social commentary. I think Terri found mainstream success because of her Tiktok livestr...

  A picture of a new species of tree frog that had recently been discovered. Scientists speculated that the reason it had never been before was because, quote, "It is covered with warts and it wants to be left alone." me me unbelievably me it me (p.29) This section reflects the protagonist's inner thoughts after viewing a news article about a species discovery. These responses are exactly the kind of overused self-deprecating "comedic" replies that are all over the internet. Nearly any image of anything could have a comment under it saying "me" or "that's so me". The protagonist yearns to be like everyone, because the right answer is always the most popular one. Therefore when she sees this frog, her response is immediately the default one you would see on instagram or twitter.  

Texting functions as a way for Margot and Robert to interact at a distance, therefore allowing her to create an imaginary, idyllic version of him in her head. They never talked about personal things, just joked around a lot and sent each other memes. I feel that this especially emphasizes the maturity gap between the two. Margot is over ten years younger (unbeknownst to her, as they never even discuss their ages while messaging each other) and thus is more inclined to have unserious conversations. She enjoys texting each other as their cats and quickly became infatuated and eager to please, telling her stepdad that they are "in love" and "going to get married." Margot also had to "work to impress him" and if she took too long to respond, he'd give dry, short answers, forcing her to make more effort and respond faster in order to 'earn' a good conversation. This meant that she was frequently put in the position of having to initiate their exchan...