mesk
@meesk.bsky.social
2K followers 180 following 310 posts
TV, media industries, algorithmic brand culture, videographic criticism. Associate Professor of Rhetoric & Media Studies, Lewis & Clark College. She/her.
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meesk.bsky.social
I told my students that some of their professors might use AI to give feedback on assignments, and most of them were outraged/horrified.
meesk.bsky.social
My friend Laura is urgently seeking a new home for two sweet kitties in/near Charleston, SC. If you have any leads or could share her post, I'd really appreciate it.
chaneen.bsky.social
I added their Home To Home profiles at the bottom of the thread! More info about my parents' two cats that need to find a home ASAP. Also, some more pics!
A grey and white long-haired cat sitting on a fleece blanket that's kind of covered in his hair. It's his favorite spot on the couch. A very cute black cat with a white bib and bits of white on his paws. He's got white whiskers and a little patch of white by his nose. He's standing, looking curiously at the camera from the floor.
meesk.bsky.social
Speaking of Critical Role, I saw a panel with Liam and Sam at Rose City Comic-Con yesterday, but the true highlight of the day was an actual play set in Val'Ruvina, the setting of TPK Brewing's Leyfarer campaign (in which I play). Tons of lore drops and our GMs were amazing as beloved NPCs.
meesk.bsky.social
This is the perfect convergence of my research and personal interests, and I can't go! I'll be in NYC the next weekend for NYCC, and I really wish this ran longer. I'm sure there will be tons of social media posts, but that's no substitution for going in person.
criticalrole.bsky.social
SENDING SPELL INCOMING 🗣️ 🍭

Jester (Laura Bailey) has big news about our LIVE show at Radio City Music Hall in NYC - we're conjuring up a pop-up shop to celebrate the wedding of the century - more details coming SEPTEMBER 3RD! ✨

FJORD & JESTER'S WEDDING INFO ⬇️
https://bit.ly/45SRDxa
meesk.bsky.social
I'm surprised (in a good way) to discover that the majority of students in my intro class have not only heard of the WGA/SAG strikes of 2023, but could also say generally what they were about. Also, a surprising number of them have recently watched Brokeback Mountain (because of TikTok).
meesk.bsky.social
Critical Role revealed details about Campaign 4 this morning, and I am stoked! I love the expanded cast, and while I didn't like the split party as much in C3, I think it will work well here (and I understand that it makes production a lot easier). Is it Thursday October 2 yet??
meesk.bsky.social
Fun fact: all our AI tools are Google-powered (but we have been assured that none of what we put into/produce with them will be used by Google! Yeah, right...).
meesk.bsky.social
Oh, but it gets worse: apparently, a task force has been hard at work to develop gems like an "outcomes curator" where you can ask AI to make sure your syllabus is in good shape, and a "productivity assistant" to "schedule my work effectively each day." 🙄
meesk.bsky.social
Our library website now prominently links to an "AI" "research assistant" and I want to scream into the void about it. It is so upsetting to see the library, of all places, cave like that (granted, the institution may have forced their hand). Ugh.
meesk.bsky.social
Our library website now prominently links to an "AI" "research assistant" and I want to scream into the void about it. It is so upsetting to see the library, of all places, cave like that (granted, the institution may have forced their hand). Ugh.
meesk.bsky.social
This morning, observant Critical Role fans discovered the password-protected critrole.com/Unseal/ and a few hours later, managed to guess the password to reveal a 20-second audio snippet introducing a new setting along with this Thursday's date. Maybe we will get a little trailer for Campaign 4?
meesk.bsky.social
Related to the CR puzzle, Dropout also had an ARG embedded in this season of Game Changer that ultimately leads to a page where 100k people need to enter a secret word to unlock the bonus episode for this season. I did my part. (More on this: www.argn.com/2025/08/its_...)
A screenshot that says, "Congrats on exposing Sam's secret! You are Game Changer superfan #6762. 93238 others needed to unlock episode 11."
meesk.bsky.social
Over the course of the day, Beacon (CR's subscription platform) sent out mobile notifications with another cryptic phrase and a link to the discord channel. The plot thickens. Hundreds of messages in the CR discord trying to crack this puzzle. (Is this what the Lost ARG was like in 2006?)
meesk.bsky.social
Yesterday's Critical Role newsletter included a picture of random letters arranged in a square, a new channel appeared CR's discord that only accepts commands, and people commenting on CR's latest Instagram post got DMs w/ cryptic phrases. I'm very curious to see where this leads.
meesk.bsky.social
Oh, I am already in the discord!
meesk.bsky.social
Yesterday's Critical Role newsletter included a picture of random letters arranged in a square, a new channel appeared CR's discord that only accepts commands, and people commenting on CR's latest Instagram post got DMs w/ cryptic phrases. I'm very curious to see where this leads.
meesk.bsky.social
I don't know for sure, but I assume so since they officially hired her as a writer.
meesk.bsky.social
Oh wow, what is the name of the channel?
meesk.bsky.social
Absolutely, and I don't think this would happen/would be possible today.
meesk.bsky.social
That's the sense I got from the discussion!
meesk.bsky.social
Right! I didn't catch her name during the panel.
meesk.bsky.social
It was called 30 Years of Xena Warrior Princess: A Fan Appreciation Panel (the latter is typical SDCC signalling to say it was organized by fans, not a studio). There was definitely some vagueness in their statements still (to summarize them briefly). I'm sure someone recorded the panel.
meesk.bsky.social
Yup! I didn't know that, either.
meesk.bsky.social
I wrapped my con with wandering along the show floor and then got Dole whip from Sweet Things (IYKYK). On Preview Night, the four days seem endless; then you blink and it's Sunday afternoon. See you next year, SDCC.
A view of the crowds in the Gaslamp, with tall buildings in the background. The buildings' facades are wrapped in giant posters promoting current films and TV shows. The lobby of the convention center. A large poster of the Comic-Con International logo hangs suspended from the glass ceiling. A banner over the entrance promotes the TV show The Talamasca.
meesk.bsky.social
Ah, interesting! I wish you could have seen this panel, then. Most of the people who asked questions were younger than the show.
meesk.bsky.social
I didn't know that a fan got invited to write two episodes of the final season of Xena because the showrunner liked ideas she shared online. That's wild.
meesk.bsky.social
Considering how terrible the crowds around the Marvel booth have always been, adding a registration system is a good idea. The data collection is a huge bonus (for Marvel).