TSTO as a Matchmaker?

Hi y’all! I’m Em. You may know me from Sites like T-Ouk, TopiX and theAdiposeTV-twitchtv channel. I’m Internal Support, writer and moderator on those places but here, on DrewDabble’s blog, I’m just Me. Drew’s Girlfriend, his Sweetheart, his Em 😀 Just Lucky Me!

>> We enjoy decorating our towns with sweet little messages to one another…

The Simpsons Tapped Out (TSTO) is the mobilegame that brought us together. This story takes us on a journey through the TSTO community. It started with the download and continued with that well-known blog, Flickr, our personal blogs and T-Ouk. After ‘the incident’, the community expanded to include TopiX, TSTOAddicts, TheAdiposeTV and some other personal TSTO blogs.

A dialogue with Em & DrewDabble (DD)…

Em: I first learned about the game in the autumn of ’12. I don’t do console- or computer games so I was excited! just to be disappointed when it wouldn’t work on my android phone. Oh, well. A new year arrived. Won the MyPad in January ’13 and finally downloaded the game. My life changed.

DD: I started in late February of ’13 – just after the Valentine’s Day event. I at first I played on a Motorola Electrify. I thought about getting a tablet but I liked the idea of having the game on my phone so I can have it with me all the time. My real-world job involves periods of intense activity followed by periods of downtime on a daily basis. Being able to play the game during brief breaks in my work was what drew me into the game. When the Samsung GS4 came out I got one of the first ones. The screen on that phone is phenomenal… from then on I was hooked.

Em: The social aspect was difficult at first but a quick search on the web lead me to awesome sites and pages! The best place was the well-known and beloved blog. I started adding friends but wanted a way to discuss and share ideas with my neighboureenos.

DD: as I stated in my blog I have certain social issues. When Whacking Day came around and I realized the going social was a must at this point, almost quit the game. Thank goodness I stayed with it, for obvious reasons 🙂

Em: T-Ouk is the place for daily interaction with my friends. It became my Home within my Home. A place where TSTO rules, where neighbours organize tapping schedules, invent games and give each other tips, support and advice.

DD: I had my first TSTO social interaction while still playing TSTO anonymously on a well-known blog that was getting an unbelievable amount of hits. Vicissitudes at this blog caused me to look around for other ways to socialize with dedicated Tappers.

Em: I wanted all my Neighbours on T-Ouk and that included DrewDabble, so I left a comment on his blog, at that time tsto-free. Yeah, pushy but one of my best decisions so far.

DD: *Smiling ear to ear* I’m so glad you did push (just a little IMO) I’m sort of a timid fellow socially, especially when I feel an attraction to someone. I find it very attractive when a gal knows what she wants and is confident enough to pursue it.

>> Another example of how we’ve used TSTO to make messages…

Em: LOL I’m as shy as Drew, in real life. The faceless internet does dulls the shyness and there I can do things I wouldn’t dare trying in the real world. I’ve always liked Drew. His comments and his insights, way back to the well-know blog. After the .com thing on Topix he became DarlingDrew for me, like Alissa became the Amazing after her helpful blogs on T-Ouk (she’s now on Addicts).

DD: As is a frequent theme with me – timidity was a factor. I can’t state strongly enough – how attractive I find a strong female personality, who is not afraid to speak her mind. However I was reserved in my initial response because this was after all the Internet and I wasn’t sure of certain important bits of information particularly her age. Age really doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s legal and proper.

Em: The more I got to know Drew, the more I liked him. I like flirting, from the security behind my screen, so I tried it on Drew and the response…

DD: She knocked my socks off! By this time I had established that EM was an appropriate age. While I do like flirting it’s been a few years but wow before I knew it I was involved in a ‘wicked flirt’ with this amazing person a third of the way around the world from me and was having more fun than I’d had for almost a decade.

Em: My Darling. Sure he has issues and is a complete mess in some areas but those aspects suites and attracts me, as I’m totally f****d up and have plenty of issues myself 🙂 The perfect guy for me. I don’t think I could be happier right now.

DD: As I mentioned earlier, my DD blog did not start out to be about TSTO. It was intended to be a ‘mental exercise’ to help me come to terms with ‘being a complete mess’ in some areas. The truth is, I’d been trying to work up the courage to share this information about myself for a while. I’m glad I finally broke through my insecurities and started posting about this. Turns out it may be one of the best things I’ve ever done since it helped to find the perfect gal for me. Like ‘My Em’, I don’t think I could be happier right now.

>> We’ve even ‘invented’ Em & Drew tasks. Too cute, maybe?…

Em: Final thoughts. Tappers have a lot in common, not just the love for the Game. Our worldviews are similar and so are our humor, thanks to the TV show that started it all over two decades ago. So finding my match within the TSTO Community didn’t really come as a surprise. T-Ouk remains my home and Drew remains My Darlin’.

DD: My thoughts exactly. As I said my previous post this is much more than a game… it’s a lifestyle. A lifestyle based on a common point of view established by The Simpsons TV show. It boggles my mind to realize that what started out as a simple act of downloading a game to my phone has led me to become involved in a wonderful global community and most of all for giving me the opportunity to meet such a wonderful person. While my DD blog serves as my home base I spent most of my ‘TSTO online time’ hanging out at T-Ouk.

>> This amazing 2D of Ren & Stimpy perfectly expresses our mutual feelings…

>> Check out Shelfcleaner’s Flickr to see more of his great TSTO 2D art!