iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I actually yell "Transformation into WHAT," out loud in my class when students say transformation as a catch all. 😂 I share the same fears you do around the word, because there's also a feeling that transformation is guaranteed if you just play whatever experience is hawked.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Emancipatory bleed, Liberatory Steering and Wyrding the Self was meant to be used actively and given freely to the people, not the academy. This framing comes from me being too burned out to the point where I disengaged, but I am really fucking hydrated now.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

By framing my work outside of the sociopolitical call I'm making you're letting me know two things: -transformation has become a toothless word -you should read the works I cite - you should consider how your own identity contributes to the reading -I really need to finish these articles.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Don't let the word wyrd fool you into thinking I'm talking about holding hands and discovering the personal magic in you at a crystal retreat. I'm saying that the mythical norm (Lorde) oppresses us all, and through play and reflection we can actively begin to decolonize ourselves.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

When I say liberation and emancipation those are active words. I believe that when you roleplay you can actively begin the process of not only seeing how society shapes and contains you but you can actively choose to reconstruct yourself away from harmful societal norms. You can also design for this

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

One of the wildest things I've had to come to terms with this week while reading how others have used and cited my work is that there are academics who think the words emancipatory and liberation are passive because I use the word theory. Or worse, that it's somehow the same magic as a retreat.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

If the conclusion of the article is that larp can now mean "fake it till you make it" and nowhere in the article does it engage with the fact that it has always basically meant this, then we have an ivory tower problem.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The NYT article on larp is really great timing for me and my KP article. While I know the academics featured had their words hacked to death, nothing showcases my choice to step away from seeking to publish larp academia in favor of teaching and creating like, "Maybe larp is aspirational."

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

💯 No one tells you the ability to do a tricep dip is also the ability to put on pants.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I feel super lucky that I not only get to have you as a colleague, but as a friend who sees creativity and collectivity as a strength. You genuinely inspire me. 🦷

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Once again, I have had the pleasure of riding along with this whole trilogy, and I cannot wait to assign it to my students. The innovation in the whole trilogy and the way it deals with ethnicity, power, and how far people go to attain basic creative freedom is a powerful set. A24 better lock in.

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Reposted by Jonaya Kemper

Quinn murphy @gamefiend.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Oh. Shit. How am I just now learning about Black Speculative Fiction Month happening in October? anyway, I will try to do a little TTRPG thing related to it this month, but I will come back *prepared* next year. blackspeculativefictionmonth.org

blackspeculativefictionmonth.org

Constellation of Change — A year-round hub for Black speculative fiction and Afrofuturism

A living archive of the writers, scholars and artists building Black speculative futures — open to readers, students, journalists and librarians every day of the year.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

So for the future remember thick thighs do save lives. Yours. They fucking save yours.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I can bench press about 125 on a bad day, and can squat 200 (used to be 250). Do you know what that means? It means I can use my crutches well enough to move around safer and do essential functions. I can lift my leg and brace up. I can safely lower myself using my arms. But it's because I lift.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Hi, I come to you after knee surgery to tell you something really important for ageing and health. LIFT. SOME MOTHER FUCKING WEIGHTS. I don't care if you don't want to bulk up. BULK UP BITCH. Make them use the extra large Blood pressure cuff on your arms. Make them squint at your BMI. Lift. 🏋🏾‍♀️

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Super stoked to add this to my to read list.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Does this have anything to do with games and play? Yes. Every single day is an opportunity to instill play. "Who feels really awkward today? Okay, put your hand in the bag." You put your hand in the bag and pull out a tiny handmade porcelain cup. No gotcha. Just... here take this.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

On Welcome Day I filled a wagon with my ceramics in mystery bags and wheeled them around for my colleagues and our Masters students to take them as a fae deal. Then I hawked a sack of my small pieces down the auditorium aisles making our first years put their hand in the bag and take something.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

When @jeffstormer.gobirds.online put out the Bird signal I absolutely had to answer. A lot of our world can be cynical. Jeff and the vibe of Party of One has always made me feel like the point is to play with an open heart and curiosity. It rekindles my love of the medium. Happy 500, here's to 1k. 💗

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

omg, I have so many of these sized printing pads and never did anything with them yet. This is an excellent motivation to do so.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I need to go further. I need to buy one of these clowns from you.

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Reposted by Jonaya Kemper

shing yin khor @shing.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I'm prepping MAIL DAY this week, so this is a good time to sign on to my Patreon if you want a print of my Whatever Tart recipe/process! It is literally only $6 for my art to land in your mailbox! www.patreon.com/shing

patreon.com

Get more from Shing Yin Khor on Patreon

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Campus movers picked up my home studio today, and I was self conscious about my stuff which to ME looks unusual. Academics have books mostly, but I have pottery, bolts of fabric, sewing machines, etc. Them: Do you have a piano? Me: No. Them: Yeah, this is fine. They moved a jellyfish tank once.

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Reposted by Jonaya Kemper

Camilla Zamboni 🔜 Metatopia @czamboni.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Excellent work by @scorchadoom.bsky.social - share widely! Add your name, or recommend others'! I'll go through my collection later and double-check that I haven't forgotten anybody. Thank you 🙏🏻

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

It took me over an hour to pack up all my comics. I got really confused as to why I was missing so many and realized I bought *half* to my office. But I still can't find my TPB of Gloom Cookie. 😭

A cover of Gloom Cookie, a gothic comic book. There is a shirt woman in a black dress, a very tall demon like figure behind ger and a glowering 18th century dress man next to a white mohawked punk.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I need your experiences to stop being universal. (solidarity)

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Thank you Meg! Yes, I want to say this is it. It fits the timeline and as far as I know the demographic.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Kind folks do we know what game this is? This could be a lot of things (murder mystery parties were HUGE) but it could be something specific.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

You're not bothering me, let's see if we can solve this mystery, eh?!

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I don't know, but this feels like something @megueyb.bsky.social would be interested in too? For instance, when I teach my creative tech course I ask students if a loom is tech. They say no usually, until I ask them how to make cloth. So in a survival moment I hope folks know how to sew.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

This makes me feel like the Joker. No academic thoughts anymore, just cackling.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I will bend space and time for you, yes.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Everything's an immersive experience. You wake up in the morning and hear birdsong just like there's real birds outside. When you get dressed there's a closet with real clothes inside. Your mailbox opens with a KEY and the food tastes just like food you'd eat. You're so immersed you're drowning.

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Reposted by Jonaya Kemper

Evan Torner @guyintheblackhat.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Multiple students of mine have made some sort of career in TTRPGs! How do we do it? * We emphasize diversity of play / facilitation experience. Students should see the range of social situations these games produce. * Your portfolio >>> your grades * The journey >>> the destination

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I just submitted two proposals for the KP book this year. One on my teaching at UCSC and another on the project I'm doing inside Neotropolis. I'm back, baby.

An image of Jiggly puff smacking the snot out of another pokemon.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

And then they wanna know why they're still hungry. 💀

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Reposted by Jonaya Kemper

Banana Chan 🔜 Tabletop Oahu @bananachangames.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

If you’re going to PAX West next weekend I’ll be there boothing with Read/Write Memory at 4142 at the Tabletop area at the Summit Convention Center. Come say hi 👋

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I really do look forward to your essay! I think you're thinking in spaces we need more light on. 💯 I just finished an interview for a book where I talk about this, and frankly? I'm just going to go ahead and try to make theater borrow bleed. It's a very easy and transferable concept.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Yes! I think this is really a much needed thing within games, especially those that involve roleplaying. My theater experience really colors how I view embodied games, and so I was quite surprised to find that there's a lot less established critical reflection points or that they may be mocked.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

There's a lot of intersections here. It's been very interesting to watch people watch other people. 😅

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Anyway, it's been really a great reminder that I don't think we should film or record larps for public distribution until we figure out how to debrief the inevitable fans and fandoms. It's been extremely interesting to see how the audience has a toxic imaginary closeness to a player vs. actor.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

And to me this is wild, because often the BNFs (big name fans) and other folks who invest in APs will themselves have their own ideologies in full view while guessing at a player's. So there's a lot of internalized isms out there that are persistent even for fans who'd say they were leftists.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

So what you have is people who can see into the game like a play, but invested like they're in the magic circle. They're watching a person play a role they're embodying and created and *that* bit allows viewers to believe they know the player like a person rather than an actor. One step is removed.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

In a larp someone playing a character who is disagreeable or a villain can be seen the same way by fellow players once the larp is over. Debriefs are helpful here. APs allow a lot of people to watch a game and then armchair comment on it. It's like a glass magic circle, but the glass is frosted.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Doing research on parasocial behavior in AP spaces reminds me of what occasionally happens after larps when players play disagreeable people. APs are like if fandom got to watch your larp and have opinions on who the player is as a person based on their character without being there.

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Reposted by Jonaya Kemper

Sharang Biswas @sharangbiswas.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I’m going to be using @cyborgurl.bsky.social’s ITSY BITSY EXERCISES in my intro to videogame design course this fall! It’s great resource if you wanna teach with Bitsy (which is itself a great platform for teaching games or storytelling) w.itch.io/itsy-bitsy-e...

w.itch.io

Itsy Bitsy Exercises by Anna Anthropy

Exercises from a narrative design class

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

As a designer and researcher I take special pleasure in having to explain the word Thot academically. It's a reminder that I am not trapped in here with them. They're trapped in here with ME.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Dolly Parton was an American treasure. When my grandma taught me how to sew, it was because I couldn't afford the clothes I wanted. She told me her mother once made her a patchwork coat, and to listen to this Dolly song to understand the bond we shared. I'm a 3rd generation seamstress.

youtu.be

Dolly Parton - Coat Of Many Colors

YouTube video by gussie5555

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I was literally in the mood to buy a new game, and forgot this was on my wishlist. Great recs as usual.

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Jonaya Kemper @violetriotgames.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Exactly. I love sex and horror as much as the next person, but if we could maybe...larp winning against fascism once in a while I'd be very down.

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