#Replacement Burner For The Source

[askengiecow]

It had been weeks since they had visited Taurie’s family and Dell was happy to say they had finished the repairs in time for respawn maintenance, but now that they didn’t have all that work keeping them busy, he couldn’t help but dwell on Taurie. The man seemed to be doing good, certainly did a great job reconstructing the kitchen roof, and it was nice how he cuddled up with Dell each night and updated him on how Beau was doing, which he was thankful to hear well, kumquat and his posey taking to her, swimmingly, as Dell would say.

Taurie had still appeared hesitant about Dell helping to milk him after a long day, but Dell was starting to get less of that feeling now. His hands once again being a relaxing reprieve from the pumps, though not as much of a source of intimacy. Most nights so far they had been too tired for such things though they did get a morning tryst or two. However Dell was sad to say he had yet to have Taurie do good on his promise to pay him back for all his missing shirts with wearing his knew chaps, and maybe that was one of the reasons he felt particularly giddy when thinking of his lover and the upcoming week and a half he’d have being alone with Taurie. Hell, maybe he’d even get his ring on the man.

That thought had him grinning like an idiot as he leaned back in his chair, waiting for Taurie to find his way back to the workshop through the crowd of men packing up the bus and trying to get all their arguing out before the trip where murdering each other would be off the table.

After helping Medic carry a few suspiciously marked boxes to the bus(most likely some organs on ice) and resetting the front door after a spat between Soldier and Scout saw the younger man thrown into the wood hard enough to knock it off its frame, Taurie was finally ready for a break. Doing a quick visual check in the vicinity for anything burning, breaking, or blowing up he was satisfied any other issues could wait a spell.

He smiled as he made his way toward the workshop. It had been harder than he thought adjusting to the team again, and he had taken to buckling his helmet back on just in case his watch failed, but with Dell he had never felt closer. They had been busy, true, but hopefully the coming maintenance period would afford them some quality time together.

"Please tell me the AC is workin in here. Hotter than bein snuck up on by a pyros back burner out there." He said, closing the door behind him and coming up behind Dell to rest his arms on the back of the lounging man's chair.

"Think we got everythin in order. Shipment of replacement coolant for respawn came in finally. Once everyone ships out we can get started, whenever ya see fit." He said, swiping an arm across his forehead to clear it of sweat before leaning down to kiss the Texan's cheek.

@dirty-dell

[meraki24601]

Indulge Me for a Moment

Caretaker knew who Hero was the first time they stepped into their apartment. The flimsy mask they wore as part of their costume barely covered any of their features, and the limp they’d sported that day matched what they had seen on TV. Though, considering they hadn’t wanted to scare a potential roommate away, they hadn’t mentioned it. Hero seemed happy and perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, so Caretaker let them keep the apartment as a sort of safe zone.

Later, Caretaker would swear it wasn’t them who changed things. Hero was the one who brought work home in such a way Caretaker would either be cruel or just a fool to ignore it.

Back from work later than usual, Caretaker had seen the fight between Hero and Villain. It happened outside their office; how could they not have seen it? They saw the hits Hero had taken to protect innocent civilians. Particular interest was taken in how Hero convinced the emergency responders they didn’t need medical aid. 

The smell of bleach, weakly covered by scented spray, met Caretaker at the front door instead of their cat, Pounce. Hero’s quiet voice in the kitchen only added to the disturbing greeting, “‘M making ramen. W'nt some?”

“I think I’m alright.” Caretaker sighed. They made their way to the kitchen, nearly tripping over Pounce, stationed just inside. 

Hero had never come home that beat up before. They always had some carefully crafted “regular citizen” excuse for any minor injuries and would claim a work trip or family visits for the worse ones that needed time to heal. This was bad enough that even the cat knew better than to take their eyes off Hero. 

Caretaker shook their head at the clumsy wrapping on Hero’s arm, the two large regular band-aids slapped on their forehead that had already bled through, and the steady growing stain on Hero’s side. They had no idea why Hero hadn’t gotten someone to care for them like normal. It seemed it would be up to them, “Hey. You okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine, citizen. You don’t need to worry about me.” Hero whispered. They leaned forward to rest against the counter and stared down into the too-large pot of water on the stove. The burner hadn’t even been turned on.

Yes, this time, it was really up to Caretaker to save their Hero.

The first-aid kit was in the bathroom. Caretaker trusted Pounce to watch Hero while they went to get it. As they had suspected, the small room was the source of the bleach smell. Presumably, Hero had made a decent effort to clean up their mess despite their condition, but there were still a few splatters of blood around. They had taken the trash out but left it outside the front door, so Caretaker had seen it anyway and hadn’t replaced the bag. Even the first-aid kit had been left a mess. 

It didn’t matter. Caretaker would set everything right once Hero had been put to bed. Though mixed up and a few items were scattered, the kit had everything they needed for the time being. 

Pounce’s meow echoed in the small space as Caretaker reentered the kitchen. Hero was now completely bent over the oven, arms bracing them on either side of the pot. They seemed fixed on how the small but steady drops of blood from their nose disappeared into the water.

“Hey,” Caretaker called. “Come sit.”

Hero didn’t seem to hear them. They looked moments from collapsing. Though Hero’s hair hid their eyes, Caretaker saw tears had begun to join the drops of blood in the pot.

At that moment, Pounce decided she’d had enough. The cat bounded over to Hero’s side and raised up on her hind legs to lovingly claw at the back of Hero’s leg. Her strangled meow was overwhelmed by the sound of Hero’s pot smashing against the opposite wall and crashing to the floor. It was too much for both cat and human, but Pounce was the only one composed enough to run out of the room. 

“You’re safe!” Caretaker cried as Hero collapsed on the floor in front of the oven. “Can you hear me? Breathe. You’re alright.”

Whining into the hand covering their mouth, Hero curled in on themselves. The low squelch the action caused made Caretaker sick. They had to move this along. Consequences be damned.

Caretaker whispered each move they made out loud. Scaring Hero again would be bad. Likely very violent, too. Unfortunately, the only way they could think of getting Hero’s attention might potentially turn out even worse. Even the sound of them setting the first-aid kit on the floor nearby made Hero flinch. 

Raising their voice only slightly, Caretaker decided to test their luck. “Hero.”

It seemed that Hero had never once suspected Caretaker knew who Hero was. The shock of hearing Caretaker use their hero name was enough to pull Hero out of the depths of whatever memory they had been drowning in. They didn’t react more than looking up dazedly with a soft frown. 

“Hero, It’s okay. You’re safe.” Caretaker didn’t dare move so much as an inch.

“No.” Hero’s voice was rough. Barely half of what it had been when they called out to Caretaker only moments ago. “I’m not…”

“May I touch you, Hero? You’re hurt.”

“I’m not—”

“Enough. It’s alright.”

A slow tear rolled down Hero’s cheek. Caretaker had expected to hate the look Hero would fix on them once the secret was revealed—anger, disgust, betrayal, etc. They didn’t plan on fear they saw there. 

“You don’t know. You’re lying. This is a dream, a nightmare.” Hero fell forward on their hands and knees. Blood sprayed the floor below them as Hero’s groans turned to deep chest-rattling coughs. 

Caretaker didn’t bother to respond. Instead, they picked up the damp rag they had brought, lifted Hero’s head, and gently wiped away the blood and tears. Hero didn’t fight the touch, so they kept working. Removing the sloppily placed bandaids and cleaning the cuts was simple and quick. 

When Caretaker tried to move on and unwrap Hero’s arm, Hero pulled back with a barely audible “Wait.” So Caretaker did. They sat back on their heels, supporting grip still on Hero’s arm but not moving until Hero nodded. Caretaker could do this at Hero’s pace. They didn’t let the way Hero kept flinching away from even the softest touch drive them away.

Once Hero’s arm was bandaged correctly, Caretaker pulled Hero into their arms. “It’s alright, Hero. You don’t have to deal with this alone.” 

“But why?”

Keeping their grip on Hero steady, Caretaker lowered Hero to lie on the floor. They were glad they’d mopped it earlier. “Don’t worry about that right now. We can worry about answering questions once you’re feeling better.”

Hero’s fist tightened in Caretaker’s shirt. They barely had the strength to keep their back from pressing against the floor. “Why?���

Caretaker shook their head, “Trust me, Hero. Indulge me for just a moment longer.” They lifted Hero’s shirt, barely catching them as pulling the fabric away from the untreated wound sapped away the last of Hero’s strength. “We both have questions that need answers before tomorrow comes. For now, let me save my hero.”

Version 2

[kaelidascope]

In light of some dirty laundry found, I'd like to set the record straight about a threat that was made against me and my work

Since I'm being accused of stealing or copying a roleplay that was done between 2021-2022, here's the facts. The roleplay started with a concept that I had made about a magic college school for another roleplay that never went anywhere and was then repurposed for this one with a new partner. The question was popped on 2/23/21 and we began on 2/25/21.

It lasted the span of a little over a year and went through several rounds of development, a few attempted rewrites, and a spin off sequel revolving their kids. It was a good split between actually roleplaying the characters and also just hours upon hours of talking/plotting as one does. Usual exchanges between creators. We never posted the roleplay publicly anywhere, so it was never officially 'published', nor were any legal steps taken to get rights reserved. I'm fairly certain a discussion happened once about turning it into a book but both parties were not on the same page so it never went anywhere. We did ofc share it with close friends and just talked about it in general.

I also drew quite a bit of art for it, and we both collectively commissioned better artists for art for the characters as well. I did not put in nearly as much money as my roleplay partner did, but I did most of the concept art to provide as reference.

After the friendship ended and the roleplay was put to rest, I pulled the OCs that I had exclusively made to start working on a new concept. I had no intention of using anything that wasn't mine. The new concept was entirely removed from it's original source, meaning different setting, different characters, different everything. It was just repurposed OCs that had new backstories and purposes and new ones that I had made to replace characters I didn't own. However, despite the change, I was threatened with a Cease and Desist form pulled off Google by my previous roleplay partner because I made a vague tweet showing progress of the reworked characters (Rowen, who was in the original roleplay, and her love interest, Lyra, that was meant to be a replacement design for a character I did not own). Lyra shared a physical likeness to the original character, Emi, that was owned and played by my roleplay partner that they designed using an AI generator and then I later drew concepts for [white complexion, black hair, blue eyes]. I took it down as requested, sent it back to the workshop, consulted several professionals to make sure any likeness was scrubbed away, and put it on the back burner for further development so I could be left in peace.

I made this disclaimer post back in December 2023 about any likeness my own OCs would share in future projects and their affiliated partners on twitter. At the time, the names and designs were still being changed so Rowen Santiago was a placeholder while I was waiting to hear back from legal advice. I never said I was taking what was originally written and publishing it 'as is'. I'm allowed to use my original character designs for different purposes.

Ultimately, I came to the decision after a lengthy back and forth to scrap my own OCs original personality and design and start from scratch. Only a few things survived that can have lines drawn between the original roleplay design and the new story concept [the magic collar, werewolfism, Hispanic descent, wolf eyes] but that's nothing new. I have a lot of werewolf OCs. I've got an entire series dedicated to werewolf OCs. The new story concept is more military and racism based set in a fantasy dystopian universe than a magical school romance trope set in English Europe. The new story isn't even set on Earth, it's so far removed from where the original design came from it's not even remotely close to this roleplay. The kind of prose and worldbuilding featured in this new work is similar to the fanfiction I already write and am known for [The new world building will be somewhat similar to a setting I already made as far as fantasy science themes go. See Midnight Menagerie]. I also have several designs that look similar to each other (see MM Blake and Tessa for example. Same hairstyle. And MM Yang's entire physique was scraped from Rowen's whole vibe) though I can say my art style is improving enough to where I don't suffer from same face syndrome anymore (at least I hope!). All my bases were covered, everything was a brand new start over and nothing from the original roleplay was touched.

Well, even after a whole year and a half later post cut-off and small meltdown, it's apparently still living in their head rent-free that I am stealing their work and threats are still being made both anonymously and by name!

So I'll tell y'all what, for anybody who's curious, go ahead and have full access of all the notes and docs that I supposedly 'stole' and you tell me if my future works are stealing lol since you wanna wave it around like it's a big scary threat to get me any time I draw sapphic content that isn't fanart. The only things I will not include on this post is the commissioned work because I don't know who originally did them and therefor I'm not sure what their reposting terms are

Anything listed as [NOT ME] was not written by me. Otherwise everything else is either by me or was collaborated on (like the roleplay exchanges)

Misc Docs

Rowemi timeline 2.0

Figure Skating Practice

Emi/Lauren Relationship Notes

Pregnancy Arc Notes

Project Blackbird Notes

Worldbuilding Notes

Rowen Build Sheet

Rowen Notes

Emi Build Sheet (NOT ME)

Emi/Mom Relationship Notes (NOT ME)

Rewrite Docs

Prologue

Episode I

Shorts

William's Lament

Another Secret in the Pile

Rowen's Invitation

The Meeting (NOT ME)

The Hospital Visit (NOT ME)

Simon's Suggestion (NOT ME)

The Date (NOT ME)

Original Roleplay Docs

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 4.5

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Artwork Done By Me

Genuinely I'm not sure what y'all hope to accomplish by obsessively sending me hate mail and empty threats like I'm supposed to care and be effected by it. I haven't even looked at it since I quit Deviantart lol it has nothing to do with my current projects and it died when I cut you off. You never even knew what the new novel project was about, so you really had no grounds to threaten me with that email or the anonymous inbox submissions. You also slipped up and sent one with your actual user after I turned that off, that's how I figured out you were still obsessed with me after all this time. I encourage you to do something with your ideas someday. While you weren't the healthiest friendship I've ever had, the roleplay was fun to engage in. Maybe working on something new will bring you the peace of mind you're looking for and help you move on.

[flowerwiththemachinegun]

Fluff? Fluff. Only slightly sexual. Tseng x Gunsmith!Reader. It doesn't matter if it's noon or midnight. If Tseng feels like there's something off about his firearm, he's on his way to you. He’ll never take no for an answer since it's “what we pay you for.” 

*****

“One of these days, this crappy 1911 is going to get you killed.” You couldn't help the irritation seeping into your voice. Nor could you stop yourself from giving Tseng a lecture about upgrading his firearm entirely. Considering he woke you from your sleep at 2am, you had the right to be in an unpleasant mood. The frequency in which Tseng has come by over his weapon has been increasing quite a bit in the past couple of months. You weren't even sure what spare parts you had left for his gun right now. 

Pulling the slide back, resulting in a failed attempt to chamber a round. Next, dropping the magazine and dislodging the now stuck bullet. Giving Tseng a disapproving look over your kitchen table as you tried loading the gun a few more times, resulting in the same misfeeding problem. You were too tired for this shit. Going over your usual inspection, you note a considerate amount of damage as you break down the gun. ‘Is that rust?’ You think to yourself, as many parts as you've replaced in the last couple of months that just shouldn't be. You've never spotted rust on his weapon before either, Tseng has always gone out of his way to keep his 1911 oiled and clean. So why did the entire assembly look so...neglected? 

That's when it dawned on you. Tseng didn't need to be here. He wanted to be here. You weren't sure how you didn't catch it sooner, but this wasn't his usual firearm. One look at the grips could've told you that.  Giving Tseng a chance to confess to his actions, asking when the last time he used the gun was. 

“Yesterday's target practice. I could only get a few shots off before it started jamming.” Lies, he was lying through his perfect teeth. 

“So what made you change pistols? Didn't like the upgrades I did to the last one?” You can't help the smirk dancing on your lips as Tseng frowns, knowing that he was caught red-handed. 

“Can you fix it or not?” Deflecting. It was his strong suit, that's for sure. Of course you could. You already planned on rebuilding it to ensure its full functionality.

“Yes,” you start, making your way around the table until you were standing directly in front of Tseng. Grabbing his face gently so he was forced to look at you. “Why don't you tell me why you're really here.” 

You knew why. You just wanted to hear it come from his mouth. Everything sounds so much better when it's coming directly from the source, especially if that source is Tseng. With the routine the two of you have fallen in, it's a wonder he still comes up with excuses just to see you. Popping up to ask you questions that you were sure he knew the answer to. At times certain he was lying when he'd complain about defects in his firearm. Often finding nothing to be wrong with it at all, but humoring him by replacing the parts that he claimed may be troublesome. Usually taking care of any additional 'needs' he may have afterwards.

Tseng grabs the back of your thighs, fingers grazing your ass as he guides you to straddle his lap. Looking up at you with soft brown eyes, his voice a bit too shy in comparison to his actions. “I just wanted to see you. It's been a while.” 

“It's been a week.” Placing a quick kiss on his lips, hearing him mumble that it had been ‘a long week without you’ before he pulled you into a much deeper kiss. Not breaking away from you as he picked you up and pressed you against the table.

Sleep would have to go on the back burner for now. Knowing Tseng, he would have his way with you until he was fully spent. Making sure to keep a mental note to inform Tseng he doesn't have to come up with excuses to come by. If he wants you. He can have you. 

****

I was just staring at a lot of Tseng and finally noticed boyo uses a 1911. At least it looks like it. Makes sense considering it's known as a government issued firearm. Not a fan of 1911's…maybe it's due to small hands. Or the fact that I have yet to go through a session where a 1911 doesn't jam. (I cannot confirm if it's a 1911 as I can't find anything about his gun. Just based off of what I see)

[smallmariofindings]

Unused level found in the files of New Super Mario Bros. 2. It consists of a typical end-of-level staircase with the flagpole being replaced by a Burner instead.

Main Blog | Twitter | Patreon | Small Findings | Source

[intersexbookclub]

Summary: Chapter 4 of Critical Intersex

For many of us, Chapter 4 of Critical Intersex (2009) turned out to be a particularly rich source of information about intersex history. So I (Elizabeth) have decided to give a fairly detailed summary of the chapter because I think it’s important to get that info out there. I’m gonna give a little bit of commentary as I go, and then a summary of our book club discussion of the chapter.

The chapter is titled “(Un)Queering identity: the biosocial production of intersex/DSD” by Alyson K. Spurgas. It is a history of ISNA, the Intersex Society of North America, and how it went from being a force for intersex liberation to selling out the movement in favour of medicalization. (See here for summary of the other chapters we read of the book!)

Our high level reactions:

Elizabeth (@ipso-faculty): Until I read chapter 4, I didn't really realise how reactionary “DSD” was. It hadn't been clear to me how much it was a response to the beginning of an organized intersex advocacy movement in the United States.

Michelle (@scifimagpie): I could feel the fury in the writer's tone. It was a real barn burner.

Also Michelle: the fuckin' respectability politics of DSD really got under my skin, as a term! I know the importance, as a queer person, of not forcing people to ID as queer, but this was a lot.

Introducing the chapter

The introduction sets the tone by talking about how in the Victorian era there was a historical shift from intersex being a religious/juridical issue to a pathology, and how this was intensified in the 1950s with John Money’s invention of the optimal gender rearing model. 

Spurgas briefly discusses how the OGR model is harmful to intersex people, and how it iatrogenically produces sexual dysfunction and gender dysphoria. “Iatrogenic” means caused by medicine; iatrogenesis is the production of disease or other side-effects as a result of medical intervention.

This sets scene for why in the early 1990s, Cheryl Chase and other intersex activists founded the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA). It had started as a support group, and morphed significantly over its lifetime. ISNA closed up shop in 2008.

Initially, ISNA was what we’d now call interliberationist. They were anti-pathologization. Their stance was that intersexuality is not itself pathological and the wellbeing of intersex people is endangered by medical intervention. They organized around the abolition of surgical intervention. They also created fora like Hermaphrodites With Attitude for the deconstruction of bodies/sexes/genders and development of an intersex identity that was inherently queer. 

The early ISNA activists explicitly aligned intersexuality in solidarity with LGB and transgender organizing. There was a belief that similar to LGBT organizing, once intersex people got enough visibility and consciousness-raising, people would “come out” in greater numbers (p100).

By the end of the 90s, however, many intersex people were actively rejecting being seen as queer and as political subjects/actors. The organization had become instead aligned with surgeons and clinicians, had replaced “intersex” with “DSD” in their language.

By the time ISNA disbanded in 2008 they had leaned in hard on a so-called “pragmatic” / “harm reduction” model / “children’s rights perspective”. The view was that since infants in Western countries are “born medical subjects as it is” (p100)

Where did DSD come from? 

In 2005, the term “disorders of sexual differentiation” had been recently coined in an article by Alice Dreger, Cheryl Chase, “and three other clinicians associated with the ISNA… [so as] to ‘label the condition rather than the person’” (p101). Dreger et al thought that intersex was “not medically accurate” (p101) and that the goal should be effective nomenclature to “sort patients into diagnostically meaningful groups” (p101).

Dreger et al argued that the term intersex “attracts the interest of a large number of people whose interest is based on a sexual fetish and people who suffer from delusions about their own medical histories” (Dreger et al quoted on p101)

Per Spurgas, Dreger et al had an explicit agenda of “distancing intersex activism from queer and transgressive sex/gender politics and instead in supporting Western medical productions of intersexuality” (p102). In other words: they were intermedicalists.

According to Dreger et al, an alignment with medicine is strategically important because intersex people often require medical attention, and hence need to be legible to clinicians. “For those in favor of the transition to DSD, intersex is first and foremost a disorder requiring medical treatment” (p102)

Later in 2005 there was a “Intersex Consensus Meeting” organized by a society of paediatricians and endocrinologists. Fifty “experts” were assembled from ten countries (p101)... with a grand total of two actually intersex people in attendance (Cheryl Chase and Barbara Thomas, from XY-Frauen). 

At the meeting, they agreed to adopt the term DSD along with a “‘patient-centred’ and ‘evidence-based’ treatment protocol” to replace the OGR treatment model (p101)

In 2006, a consortium of American clinicians and bioethicists was formed and created clinical guidelines for treating DSDs. They defined DSD quite narrowly: if your gonads or genitals don’t match your gender, or you have a sex chromosome anomaly. So no hormonal variations like hyperandrogenism allowed.

The pro-DSD movement: it was mostly doctors

Spurgas quotes the consortium: “note that the term ‘intersex’ is avoided here because of its imprecision” (p102) - our highlight. There’s a lot of doctors hating on intersex for being a category of political organizing that gets encoded as the category is “imprecise” 👀

Spurgas gets into how the doctors dressed up their re-pathologization of intersex as “patient centred” (p103) - remember this is being led by doctors, not patients, and any intersex inclusion was tokenistic. (Elizabeth: it was amazing how much bs this was.)

As Spurgas puts it, the pro-DSD movement “represents an abandonment of the desire for a pan-intersexual/queer identity and an embrace of the complete medicalization of intersex… the intersex individual is now to be understood fundamentally as a patient” (p103)

Around the same time some paediatricians almost came close to publicly advocating against infant genital mutilation by denouoncing some infant surgeries. Spurgas notes they recommended “that intersex individuals be subjected (or self-subject) to extensive psychological/psychiatric, hormonal, steroidal and other medical” interventions for the rest of their lives (p103).

This call to instead focus on non-surgical medical interventions then got amplified by other clinicians and intermedicalist intersex advocacy organizations.

The push for non-surgical pathologization hence wound up as a sort of “compromise” path - it satisfied the intermedicalists and anti-queer intersex activists, and had the allure of collaborating with doctors to end infant surgeries. (Note: It is 2024 and infant surgeries are still a thing 😡.)

The pro-DSD camp within the intersex community

Spurgas then goes on to get into the discursive politics of DSD. There’s some definite transphobia in the push for “people with DSDs are simply men and women who happen to have congenital birth conditions” (p104). (Summarizer’s note: this language is still employed by anti-trans activists.)

The pro-DSD camp claimed that it was “a logical step in the ‘evolution in thinking’” 💩 and that it would be a more “humane” treatment model (p105) 💩

Also that “parents and doctors are not going to want to give a child a label with a politicized meaning” (p104) which really gives the game away doesn’t it? Intersex people have started raising consciousness, demanding their rights, and asserting they are not broken, so now the poor doctors can’t use the label as a diagnosis. 🤮

Spurgas quotes Emi Koyama, an intermedicalist who emphasized how “most intersex people identify as ‘perfectly ordinary, heterosexual, non-trans men and women’” (p104) along with a whole bunch of other quotes that are obviously queerphobic. Note from Elizabeth: I’m not gonna repeat it all because it’s gross. In my kindest reading of this section, it reads like gender dysphoria for being mistaken as genderqueer, but instead of that being a source of solidarity with genderqueers it is used as a form of dual closure (when a minority group goes out of its way to oppress a more marginalized group in order to try and get acceptance with the majority group).

Koyama and Dreger were explicitly anti-trans, and viewed intergender type stuff as “a ‘trans co-optation’ of intersex identity” (p105) 🤮

Most intersex people resisted “DSD” from its creation

On page 106, Spurgas shifts to talking about how a lot intersex people were resistant to the DSD shift. Organization Intersex International (OII) and Bodies Like Ours (BLO) were highly critical of the shift! 💛 BLO in particular noted that 80-90% of their website users were against the DSD term. Note from Elizabeth: indeed, every survey I’ve seen on the subject has been overwhelmingly against DSD - a 2015 IHRA survey found only 3% of intersex Australians favoured the DSD term.

Proponents of “intersex” over “DSD” testified to it being depathologizing. They called out the medicalization as such: that it serves to reinforce that “intersex people don’t exist” (David Cameron, p107), that it is damaging to be “told they have a disorder” (Esther Leidolf, p107), that there is “a purposeful conflation of treatment for ‘health reasons’ and ‘cosmetic reasons’ (Curtis Hinkle, p107), and that it’s being pushed mainly by perisex people as a reactionary, assimilationist endeavour (ibid).

Interliberationism never went away - intersex people kept pushing for 🌈 queer solidarity 🌈 and depathologization - even though ISNA, the largest intersex advocacy organization, had abandoned this position.

Spurgas describes how a lot of criticism of DSD came from non-Anglophone intersex groups, that the term is even worse in a lot of languages - it connotes “disturbed” in German and has an ambiguity with pedophilia and fetishism in French (p111).

The DSD push was basically entirely USA-based, with little international consultation (p111). Spurgas briefly addresses the imperialism inherent in the “DSD” term on pages 118/119.

Other noteworthy positions in the DSD debate

Spurgas gives a well-deserved shout out to the doctors who opposed the push to DSD, who mostly came from psychiatry and opposed it on the grounds that the pathologization would be psychologically damaging and that intersex patients “have taken comfort (and in many cases, pride) in their (pan-)intersex identity” (p108) 🌈 - Elizabeth: yay, psychiatrists doing their job! 

Interestingly, both sides of the DSD issue apparently have invoked disability studies/rights for their side: Koyama claimed DSD would herald the beginning of a disability rights based era of intersex activism (p109) while anti-DSDers noted the importance in disability rights in moving away from pathologization (p109).

Those who didn’t like DSD but who saw a strategic purpose for it argued it would “preser[ve] the psychic comfort of parents”, that there is basically a necessity to coddle the parents of intersex children in order to protect the children from their parents. (p110) 

Some proposed less pathologizing alternatives like “variations of sex development” and “divergence of sex development” (p110)

The DSD treatment model and the intersex treadmill

Remember all intersex groups were united that sex assignment surgery on infants needs to be abolished. The DSD framework that was sold as a shift away from surgical intervention, but it never actually eradicated it as an option (p112).  Indeed, it keeps ambiguous the difference between medically necessary surgical intervention and culturally desired cosmetic surgery (p112). (Note from Elizabeth: funny how *this* ambiguity is acceptable to doctors.)

What DSD really changed was a shift from “fixing” the child with surgery to instead providing “lifelong ‘management’ to continue passing” (p112), resulting in more medical intervention, such as through hormonal and behavioural therapies to “[keep] it in remission” (p113).

Cheryl Chase coined the “intersex treadmill’: the never-ending drive to fit within a normative sex category (p113), which Spurgas deploys to talk about the proliferation of “lifelong treatments” and how it creates the need for constant surveillance of intersex bodies (p114). Medical specialization adds to the proliferation, as one needs increasingly more specialists who have increasingly narrow specialties.

There’s a cruel irony in how the DSD model pushes for lifelong psychiatric and psychological care of intersex patients so as to attend to the PTSD that is caused by medical intervention. (p115) It pushes a capitalistic model where as much money can be milked as possible out of intersex patients (p116).

The DSD treatment model, if it encourages patients to find community at all, hence pushes condition-specific medical support groups rather than pan-intersex advocacy groups (p115)

Other stuff in the chapter

Spurgas does more Foucault-ing at the end of the chapter. Highlight: “The intersex/DSD body is a site of biosocial contestation over which ways of knowing not only truth of sex, but the truth of the self, are fought. Both intelligibility and tangible resources are the prizes accorded to the winner(s) of the battle over truth of sex” (p117)

There’s some stuff on the patient-as-consumer that didn’t really land with anybody at the book club meeting - we’re mostly Canadians and the idea of patient-as-consumer isn’t relatable. Ei noted it isn’t even that relatable from their position as an American.

***

Having now summarized the chapter, here's a summary of our discussion at book club...

Opening reactions

Michelle (M): the way the main lady involved became medicalized really made my heart sink, reading that.

Elizabeth (E): I do remember some discussion of intersex people in the 90s, and it never really grew in the way that other queer identities did! This has kind of helped for me to understand what the fuck happened here.

E: It was definitely a very insightful reading on that part, while being absolutely outraging. I didn't know, but I guess I wasn't surprised at how pivotal US-centrism was. The author was talking about "North American centric" though but always meant the United States!!! Canada was just not part of this! They even make mention of Quebec as separate and one of the opposing regions. I was like, What are you doing here, America? You are not the entirety of our continent!!!

E: The feedback from non-Anglophone intersex advocates that DSD does not translate was something that I was like, "Yes!" For me, when I read the French term - that sounded like something that would include vaginismus, erectile dysfunction - it sounds far more general and negative.

M: the fuckin' respectability politics of DSD really got under my skin, as a term! I know the importance, as a queer person, of not forcing people to ID as queer, but this was a lot.

E: it was very assimilationist in a way that was very upsetting. I knew intellectually that this was going on. There was such a distinct advocacy push for that. The coddling of parents and doctors at the expense of intersex people was such a theme of this chapter, in a way that was very upsetting. They started out with this goal of intersex liberation, and instead, wound up coddling parents and doctors.

Solidarities

M: I feel like there's a real ableist parallel to the autism movement here… It dovetails with how the autism movement was like, "Aww, we're sorry about your emotionless monster baby! This must be so hard for you [parents]!" And it felt like "aw, it's okay, we'll fix your baby so they can interface with heterosexuality!" [Note: both of us are neurodivergent]

E: A lot of intersexism is a fear that you're going to have a queer child, both in terms of orientation and gender.

E: You cannot have intersex liberation without putting an end to homophobia and transphobia.

M: We're such natural allies there!

E: I understand that there are these very dysphoric ipsogender or cisgender people, who don't want to be mistaken as trans, but like it or not, their rights are linked to trans people! When I encounter these people, I don't know how to convey, "whether you like it or not, you're not going to get more rights by doing everything you can to be as distant as possible."

M: it reminds me of the movements by some younger queers to adhere to respectability politics.

E: Oh no. There are younger queers who want respectability politics????

M: well, some younger queers are very reactionary about neopronouns and kink at pride. they don't always know the difference between representation and "imposing" kinks on others. In a way, it reminds me of the more intentional rejection of queer weirdos, or queerdos, if you will, by republican gays.

E: I feel like a lot of anti-queerdom that comes out of the ipso and cisgender intersex community reads as very dysphoric to me. That needs to be acknowledged as gender dysphoria.

M: That resonates to me. When I heard about my own androgen imbalance, I was like, "does that mean I'm not a real woman?" And now I would happily say "fuck that question," but we do need an empathy and sensitivity for that experience. Though not tolerance for people who invalidate others, to be honest.

E: The term "iatrogensis" was new to me. The term refers to a disease caused or aggravated by medical intervention.

M: So like a surgical complication, or gender dysphoria caused by improper medical counselling!

The DSD debate

ei: i think the "disorder" discussion is really interesting. in my opinion, if someone feels their intersex condition is a disorder they have every right to label it that way, but if someone does not feel the same they have every right to reject the disorder label. personally i use the label "condition". i don't agree with forcing labels on anyone or stripping them away from anyone either.

M: for me, it felt like a cautionary tale about which labels to accept.

ei: i'm all around very tired of people label policing others and making blanket statements such as "all people who are this have to use this label”... i also use variation sometimes, i tend to go back and forth between variation and condition. I think it's a delicate balance between being sensitive to people's label preferences vs making space for other definitions/communities.

We then spoke about language for a bunch of communities (Black people, non-binary people) for a while

E: one thing that was very harrowing for me about this chapter is that while there was this push to end coercive infant surgery, they basically ceded all of the ground on "interventions" happening from puberty onward. And as someone who has had to fight off coercive medical interventions in puberty, I have a lot of trauma about violent enforcement of femininity and the medical establishment.

ei: i completely agree that it's psychologically harmful tbh…. i was assigned male at birth and my doctors want me to start testosterone to make me more like a perisex male. which is extremely counterproductive because i'm literally transfem and have expressed this many times

Doctors Doing Harm

M: for me, the validation of how doctors can be harmful in this chapter meant a lot.

E: something that surprised me and made me happy was that there were some psychiatrists who spoke out against the DSD label. As someone who routinely hears a lot of anti-psychiatry stuff - because there's a lot of good reason to be skeptical of psychiatry, as a discipline - it was just nice to see some psychiatrists on the right side of things, doing right by their patients. Psychiatrists were making the argument that DSD would be psychologically harmful to a lot of intersex people.

ei: like. being told that something so inherently you, so inherently linked to your identity and sense of self, is a disorder of sexual development, something to be fixed and corrected. that has to be so harmful

ei: like i won't lie i do have a lot of severe trauma surrounding the way i've been treated due to being intersex. but so much of my negative experiences are repetitive smaller things. Like the way people treat me like my only purpose is to teach them about intersex people …. either that or they get really creepy and gross. I’m lucky in that i'm not visibly intersex, so i do have the privilege of choosing who knows. but there's a reason why i usually don't tell people irl.

M: intersex and autism have overlap again about how like, minor presentation can be? As opposed to the sort of monstrous presentation [Carnival barker impression] "Come see the sensational half-man, half-woman! Behold the h-------dite!" And like - the way nonverbal people are also treated feels relevant to that, because that's how autism is often treated, like a freakshow and a pity party for the parents? And it's so dehumanizing. And as someone who might potentially have a nonverbal child, because my wife is expecting and my husband and she both have ADHD - I'm just very fed up with ableism and the perception of monstrosity.

Overall, this was a chapter that had a lot to talk about! See here for our discussion of Chapters 5-7 from the same volume.

[usernamesuggestionsarefunny]

My avatar tla hot take ACTUALLY UNPOPULAR and not just minority opinion is that Azula is a terrible addition to the series. On her own? Oh, her character was great, complex, etc. She is a queen, a great diva, wonderful villain, interesting, deserved a great redemption too (She is 14! A baby!) etc. She just would have suited a magic girl show, a horror movie (in the typical scary, powerful little girl fashion), or a darker, more mature show with more characters like her, meaning child prodigies, better.

Combined with the rest of the atlab story? Kinda makes me laugh. She is such a ridiculous addition that makes it obvious this is a kids’ show. When I first watched the show, Zuko's father and the fact he had branded him was such a serious “oh shit” moment. Like, that is a father whose expectations are truly ridiculously high. It was scary. I mean who could meet them?

Zuko, whether a villain or an anti-hero, was a special, unique character the first few episodes because he was intimately acquainted with the scary main villain in a way no one was.

Then comes Azula. Come at me to debunk me (I may not even try to argue because this is such a weird opinion in the fandom, for real I haven't heard it) but she feels like a writer self-insert. Not a little kid’s writer self-insert, mind you, she feels like a well-written, dark, and complex self-insert or oc written by a talented fic writer in her 30s with years of experience that may become an original writer someday, but an oc nonetheless.

Azula feels like “oh, Zuko could never live up to his evil father’s ideals? Oh here comes my oc Azula, despite being 2 years younger she is soo much better at firebending and does everything better, even being evil, she is the main villain’s golden child and sidekick! And the sister of the main antagonist who interacts with him constantly!” (oh isn't that so cool?) “oh shit wait she needs flaws otherwise she is a villain Sue, let's see.… perfectionism! Perfect flaw! and at the very end after needing a 2 against 1 setting to be defeated she has a mental breakdown, perfect!”

“But gifted children and prodigies exist!!” you may say. Yesss I knowww. She is both too dark of a concept and too corny for atla. I see the flaws and contradictions in the ~vibes~ Azula gives me, thank you anyway. But regardless of rationally being aware of this, the reveal that this powerful character that comes to replace Zuko in causing the gaang trouble (Because let's face it, the beginning of Zuko's redemption arc and needing an even bigger bad to replace him and shock the viewers by how much more dangerous/powerful they are is the whole reason for Azula’s existence) is his 14-year-old LITTLE sister is so… dorky and laughable for me personally. And not only because of her gender in case you come to attack me from that angle. Zuko's prodigy little brother would perhaps have been an even worse and more ridiculous big bad replacement (Girls being shorter is understandable, but with a little brother we would visually see how much Zuko would be able to beat him if this weren't a kids’ show with magic, it would be even harder to suspend my disbelief to). Like, I am sure the reasons I hate the concept are the very same reasons some others love it, but you are telling me that the one capable of fulfilling the evil child burner father's expectations is… simply some rando younger child? It is not that Ozai was a freak who wanted the impossible, it is just that Zuko wasn't it. It is corny, it is dumb. It is so obviously meant for kids. Thanks, I hate it.

Azula also combines in a very weird and bizarre way with Zuko's tragic origin story (Also it is just another source of angst that is completely unnecessary, that distracts from what his father did to him and never living up to his expectations or being too compassionate for his own good, now there is a little sibling in the way being better than him at everything). Call me crazy, but Zuko as an only child, or at least a child without crazy op YOUNGER siblings would have had a MUCH more interesting relationship with his father. Perhaps an even ANGSTIER and more complex relationship where his approval is just within reach but also not quite there. Where it seems conceivable and yet out of reach. Where Ozai is the type of abuser who gives him praise when he does something right just to tear him down mercilessly when he doesn't.

What Zuko has in canon with Ozai and Azula is also interesting, painful, and angsty, but it is “never be able to be this other random younger child who happens to be a prodigy so what is even the point of trying when dad always reminds me of how meh I am compared to her” instead of “never be able to be like my father who is putting all his hopes and that of his empire on me, who at times seems to care so much”. That last one is much more compelling for me personally for a character that ends up being the opposite of his father and learns being like him is not a good thing, it also gives Zuko a good, believable reason to keep trying to please his father: there is actually a chance, there is no one there who has already won the race. Oh my, his search for the Avatar would have made so much more sense without Azula why does Azuka exist in this universe whyy 😭

Don't get me wrong, the sibling rivalry and abusers putting children against each other, having a golden child and a scapegoat, is realistic in many families, but from a storytelling perspective I find it VERY whatever, MEH. Like, the moment Ozai burns Zuko would have been a much greater instance of utter betrayal and shock if Ozai actually acted at times like he had some hope in his son instead of being constantly comparing him to his sister. Now everytime I am made aware of what Ozai did to Zuko I am like “duh” what were you expecting, Zuko, baby? It is still evil as fuck, but no longer shocking or a wtf moment, it is just the boring, edgy and predictable culmination of Ozai already having a “better” child he prefers to succeed him, a total overkill, and in fact, knowing Ozai, he should have done so earlier or straight up had Zuko killed, it makes no sense he is still alive when Azula is a much better successor from his perspective. It means nothing and Zuko should of fing course be traumatized and emotionally and physically distraught by the damage done to him by his own father, but he should not longer logically be that shocked or struck dumb. From a fictional, storytelling perspective, for me personally, the moment loses a tiny bit of its power, at least from the betrayal-someone-who-should-care-for-you—hurting-you—instead aspect.

If I had been there to write the ~big worse bad before Ozai~ meant to replace Zuko as he begins his journey of redemption, I would have chosen something much more serious (I get “abused child soldier” is serious, duh, I just mean serious in a way that makes me fear for the gaang being faced not with a peer but with someone bigger and much more experienced, and not just distract myself with how horrible it is that a “father” makes a 14-year-old girl into a soldier for an invading army). I would have chosen an equally or even more powerful, ADULT, right-hand man (or woman) of Ozai. If it really had to be a sibling of Zuko, it would have been a brother or sister 5 years OLDER, and that is AT THE VERY LEAST, perhaps the son or daughter of a minor wife or concubine (To fix the issue of why they are not the heir and why Zuko could be jealous of their much better skills while at the same time still having a good reason to keep trying to earn their father's approval, which is that there is still time to learn and improve as the younger party, this could have also made Ursa more sympathetic since the “evil” sibling is no longer a child of hers that she emotionally neglected). This could also give the character depth in the sense that they hate the fact they have no claim to the throne despite being older and “better”. They could still care for Zuko while having a love hate relationship with them, a sibling rivalry, Ozai turning them against each other, same as Azula, without taking away from Zuko's interesting relationship with Ozai (I just want his urge to overpower his better sibling to come from a place of his father actually expecting him to do it and be mad he doesn't instead of just Ozai putting all his hopes on the other sibling and Zuko for some plot related reasons still wanting his father's impossible approval despite never being able to earn it because Azula is there, better at a younger age, is that too much to ask? Like at this point Zuko should be smart enough to see that firebending skills are inborn and related to ~fantasy-version-of-genetics~, he should logically have seen it is not his fault and stopped trying to be Ozai or Azula MUCH earlier).

So in summary, believe it or not, I like Azula. I like the whole child prodigy golden child psychologically groomed and abused by evil father angle and I would love a redemption arc for her. I just don't like her AS an atla character. I feel like she does a disservice to Zuko by even existing due to how complex and interesting yet overpowered she is, actually. She ruins his motivations imo. Ironically enough, Zuko does not do a disservice to her, he makes her more interesting because he is a warning of what could happen to her if she is not perfect, he makes her vulnerable. But here is the deal, this would work better if she was the protagonist.

Edit: I just realized it is not just Azula who does a disservice to Zuko's story, it is the whole “Ozai straight up hated the little fucker since birth and tried to kill him before as a child therefore what he did to him was not a consequence of Zuko being compassionate as fuck, Ozai might as well have been looking for an excuse”. It just cheapens it immensely.

Zuko caring for those soldiers still counts just as much (of fucking course), but it would have been more poignant story-wise for his suffering to have also be a direct consequence of his first signs of goodness + his father being an abuser pshyco and not just the latter + Ozai always hated him because Zuko is the good guy and his father’s empire is evil so we need a way to make the children see Zuko is good and not like the rest from the beginning in a painfully simple way by making Ozai inherently hate him or smt because abusers “loving” their children in fucked up ways is too complicated

[stingslikeabee]

3)  our muses take a shower together to wash blood off each other. // just a getting clean after a killin'.

smut prompts with plot . accepting

It was clear to anyone who visited the countess' estate that Melissa was an art collector; the ample building was tastefully decorated with beautiful tableaus, rare porcelain sets, a number of well-maintained musical instruments and exquisite rugs from abroad. It expanded into her own closet, too - jewelry, shoes, limited edition items released by fashion brands that the woman enjoyed and perfume bottles made up for another sizeable (and very private) collection.

Not all of that had been sourced through legal means, however - Melissa had her own contacts who would come to her first for a chance to peruse and acquire what they had procured, either through certain black market channels or simply by opening up a private viewing before bidding began. Such was the nature of a very profitable partnership with an auction house in Baltimore - the gentleman in charge of running the place had come to the countess very often, knowing she was generous in terms of offerings. Perhaps unfortunately for the general public, many beautiful items never saw the light of day away from the Forteguerri manor.

But the trusted alliance that Melissa had with the prior manager dissolved when he notified the lady of his retirement, moving away with his family to a small farm in Indiana. The replacement was a man named Jeremiah Williams, his junior by a few decades, and someone that the countess immediately disliked.

Jeremiah had the trademark signs of an ambitious young man who thought himself too clever - and it didn't take Melissa long to realize that the deal that existed before (and which had been so mutually beneficial) was now just a façade for a newcomer to use her art knowledge to test the value of his findings. He would visit the brunette, discuss prices and then leave - never to make contact again or to just vaguely mention they had been sold to someone else if there was a follow up call.

That happened a few times, which was enough to frustrate Melissa - but when Jeremiah did it to one of Robert Lecter's paintings (which the woman was now keenly watching for on behalf of Hannibal, of course), that had been the last straw. As someone who had done her fair share of questionable things, the countess could excuse certain things - but not taking her for a fool in addition to blatant rudeness.

It was one of the first times that Melissa selected the victim and planned for mostly of the setting - Hannibal provided input and assistance, of course, but he was happy to let his companion take charge for that occasion. The countess was careful to create a different scenario for a potential 'assessment' - all communication was done through non-official means and burner phones, there was no paper trail associated to the meeting (considering that the painting Jeremiah had this time was stolen property - so no police could be made aware or be involved) and the location was not her home but a more removed storehouse used by the Melissa for shipments from Europe.

Jeremiah suspected nothing up to the point where he was forcefully hit from behind, losing consciousness and then coming around half an hour later while being securely tied to a chair. Melissa was dressed as she normally did underneath the protective suit made of plastic, a creation from the man standing right at her side and equally prepared for the next steps of the countess' plans. It was just the beginning: first, the woman questioned their victim for the name of the person who acquired the Lecter painting, smiling pleasantly when it was yielded among tears and pleas for mercy.

Then, the true lesson of that evening began - and Hannibal carefully tutored his partner to execute her vision perfectly. Melissa had wanted to leave behind a scene that alluded to theft, treason and shifted the blame to the organized crime lords who had been laundering money through Jeremiah's side hustle - so cutting his hands off seemed like a very historical reference to the ancient punishment applied to those who engaged into similar activities.

It was far from a perfect attempt - not being a surgeon herself meant that Melissa's abilities in dismembering someone were somewhat lacking, not to mention more painful for the victim. Hannibal was nonetheless a patient teacher, helping her get the severed limbs as desired and then moving to the next part where they strangled the man to death. It was a joint effort - the countess made a point of being a part to it, looking at the lifeless body later with nothing short of satisfaction.

Now Jeremiah would no longer be rude to either one of them, including Robert Lecter's legacy.

Over the next hours, they dragged the corpse to someplace else entirely and with no connection to the Forteguerri, hanging him from a tree after the deed was done and placing the severed hands around his neck for dramatic purposes. Hannibal had provided valuable assistance in that regard, sewing them to the rope in order to create the visuals of a man who had brought it upon himself and no one else to blame for the tragic fate.

But it was not all - a large chunk of skin was removed from his chest too, opening the way for certain organs to be harvested by Hannibal for later (a shame to let a good heart and liver go to waste, after all). There was a final touch from Melissa, which Hannibal also helped with - making the right incisions needed to leave 30 pieces of silver inside his stomach, adding a touch of religious symbolism.

By the time they had cleaned the scene and returned to Hannibal's home (simply because no servants meant no questions asked), they had managed to properly store the newly acquired meat, plant the false evidence tying the execution to an aggravated mobster who lost money with Jeremiah's dealings and then get to a long, pleasing bath. Melissa poured them some wine and brought it into the bathroom while they made sure to remove all traces of blood from one another, even if the plastic suits had kept most of it off their skin.

Still, the countess was not complaining - she trailed hands over her partner's body slowly and carefully, leaving a soft path of kisses once the flesh was properly cleansed. Between the soft music playing from the bedroom, the candles around the tub and the sips from the lightly chilled bordeaux, it had been a perfect evening out - and it showed in how Melissa sighed contently while leaning against Hannibal's chest, resting inside the tub with him.

After the washing was done, they just sat in the warm water to enjoy each other's company - and among the commentary for the particular performance of the orchestra that was playing or the food that would have paired well with their drink, Hannibal's left hand moved over Melissa's wet skin. At first it seemed to have no purpose - but he slowly worked with her like clay on his lap, obtaining access to the neck for a light scraping done with teeth (which quickly turned into a smile when a moan was offered in reply).

"How do you feel, my dear?"

"Elated," the word came easy enough, carrying a distinct dream-like edge to it; it did not stop Hannibal from humming in acknowledgement, allowing his hand to travel further, finding a breast and idly massaging it while he spoke against Melissa's flesh.

"Anything else?"

"Hungry," the woman added like an afterthought, stirring in his grip and pressing herself back into the taut muscles of Hannibal's chest. Melissa's legs stretched into the open space of the tub before bending knees and bringing them up, over the water - and it allowed the pair to grow more aware of the subtle changes to their own bodies in relation to the teasing touches and topic of conversation.

"And what are you in the mood for?" the doctor queried again, although the answer was painfully obvious. It was true that Melissa genuinely worked up an appetite after their killings (something that had surprised and amused the lady herself); but Hannibal's fingers continued south, sliding further inward over the closest thigh before reaching for the middle of her legs, probing lightly before making a definitive move.

"You, of course," the countess replied with a breathy laugh, head falling backwards to his shoulder and shedding any notion of self-protection. Melissa was a willing offering, taking the first curious digit in with a delighted sigh and enjoying very much the building pressure against her back - the material evidence of their foreplay affecting not just the woman, but Hannibal as well, "Nothing else is as divine as you are, carissimo."

[autisticsupervillain]

FTF: Isekai Invasion

The show where we take a character and drop them into a different franchise at a random location to see if they can conquer the world.

This Episode....

Mary Jane Watson invades Mount Massive Asylum!

Conditions:

Insomniac Games's Mary Jane

MJ as of Spider-Man 2 with all her associated equipment.

MJ will be replacing Miles Upshur in the plot of the original Outlast with all the same goals. If she can escape the Asylum alive with all the evidence needed to bring Murkoff to justice, that will count as a win.

MJ cannot call in the Spider-Men or anyone else for help.

Scenario:

The same set up as Outlast but with MJ replacing Miles Upshur. Mary Jane Watson, reporter for the Daily Bugle, gets an anonymous email from a burner account about the atrocities being committed by Murkoff at Mount Massive and goes in to investigate. MJ speculates that the building has a jammer when she mysteriously losses all signal after getting in range, but she pushes on regardless. It is only after MJ can no longer get out the way she came in that she realizes the building has been overrun, leaving her no choice but to push in deeper.

Invader: MJ

Mary Jane Watson. One of the most iconic damsels and love interests in comic book history. Though iconic for her role as damsel in distress in the Rami movies, Insomniac's Mary Jane is more in line with her comic counterpart. She's a freelance reporter capable of kicking as much ass as her superhuman boyfriend sometimes and she'll do anything to unbury the truth.

She's surprisingly an expert in stealth and infiltration. She's snuck into the compounds of crime lords like Tombstone and Hammerhead, snuck past the international mercenaries of Silver Sable and her men, and avoided capture by Kraven the Hunter's mercenaries. Using her boyfriend's Spider Lures as a distraction, she's even managed to break into the Oscorp undetected.

While writing a book on the country of Symkaria, MJ got some self defense training from Silver Sable herself, as well as a fancy new taser that can drop a goon in one shook. She later upgraded this taser gun with Peter's gadgets, allowing it to shoot webs and shoot sonic blasts loud enough to ward off a symbiote behemoth. With these tools, she's able to take down Kraven's hunters, who are strong enough to kick down steel doors with a single kick snd survive rpg rockets exploding in their face. These are the same rockets that usually explode with an energy equivalent to 650 kilojoules.

Source:

What's more, MJ is fast enough to dodge arrows from a hunter's crossbow, which csn travel up to 350 feet per second or 106.68 meters per second.

Source:

Honestly, Mary Jane Watson is kind of a badass. She's escaped from being captured by Kraven's hunters, fought her way through a symbiote hive, outrun a Symbiote controlled Spider-Man trying to kill her, and managed to fight off the control of the Scream Symbiote, with some help from Peter.

This MJ is a far cry from the damsel in distress she's stereotyped as and she's just as vital a member of Spider-Man's team as the Spider-Men themselves.

Invaded: Mount Massive

The Murkoff Corporation could never be said to have had a sterling reputation. The company had an unofficial history of human experimentation and exploitation. Never on American soil, of course. Never anywhere that the American public would actually care about. Not until they bought out Mount Massive Asylum.

Because if there's one group that Americans care about less than foreigners, it's the mentally ill.

Murkoff wanted to exploit the theories of the retired Nazi Dr. Wernicke by diving into dream theory. The enlisted him in their Morphogenic Engine program, hoping to summon, empower, and control the nanotechnological ghost known only as the Walrider. To this end, the experimented on the mentally ill, physically and psychologically torturing them. Turning the compatible into human engines so their nightmares could fuel the god they wished to enslave while leaving the incompatible to rot and die. Even loyal members of the company, like executive Richard Trager and Father Martin Archimbaud, were used as test subjects at the earliest convenience. The variants, as they were called, begain to mutate and deform. Tumors formed over their bodies, clogging their mouths and block their eyes. Their hair begain to fall out and they emancipated into borderline skeletons.

The variants pre-existing conditions worsened. At best, they became catatonic and unresponsive to the outside world. At worst, they became violent and murderous.

And then they found a subject fully compatible with the Walrider. Able to sustain it, control it, and survive as its host. Billy Hope. As soon as he was in control, all hell broke loose. The Variants broke out and happily took their revenge on their tormentors. Scientists and security alike were butched like pigs, heavily armed soldiers were impaled on pikes. And the Walrider was set free.

Notable Variants include the likes of Eddie Glusken, a misogynistic serial killer who was only made worse by the Morphogenic Engine. Granted superhuman strength by the treatments, he was now strong enough to lift a full grown man off the ground with one arm. "Doctor" Richard Trager was now strong enough to cut off limbs, decapitate his victims, and cut open the gates to the elevator with his giant scissors. And every varienty in the build was now strong enough to bash down doors and kill reporter Miles Upshur, who survived a massive explosion that blew him out a window. An explosion thst generated an energy equivalent to 11,840 kilojoules.

Source:

But the most dangerous Variant in the entire building was Chris Walker. Once a simple war veteran suffering from severe PTSD, Chis became a killing machine with an enhanced sense of smell, hearing, and sight that could let him track down his victims even in the dark. Obsessed with containing the threat of the Walrider, Chris's judo skills and military training make him a veritable beast, capable of easily ripping Miles's head clean off with one hand and bashing down reinforced steel doors.

But even he is still just a man next to the Walrider. A futuristic marvel of nanotechnology that feeds off the dreams of its host to survive, the Walrider can fly, go through walls, go through your pores and rip you apart from the inside, and is nigh-invisible to the naked eye, only complely visible on night vision cameras or during the day.

The only issue, however, is that the Walrider is completely submissive to the will of its perfect host, reliant on them to survive. And if its host is not perfect, as Miles Upshur turned out to be, they will be reduced to a walking corpse overtime by the possession.

Mount Massive Asylum represents one of the biggest atrocities committed in the name of corporate greed. A warcrime that even drew the digust of the Nazi forced to work on it. No one cares about "a building full of forgotten lunatics". Let it burn, I say.

Throwdown Breakdown:

The stats on this one are rather interesting. Miles Upshur is 11x more durable than the goons MJ can one-shot, meaning every single thug in the building is going to be strong enough to rip MJ apart if they get their hands on her, seeing how Miles is almost completely helpless against them.

But, none of the Variants have ever demonstrated superhuman speed, meaning they're absolutely never catching MJ, who can move fast enough to dodge subsonic projectiles. Sure, Chris Walker is fast, but MJ is faster than a speeding car. If he doesn't get the drop on her or corner her, he's not getting his hands on her.

Then there's MJ's other gadgets. Her sonic blasts will likely have no effect, as they're specifically designed to fight Symbiotes and ordinary humans are unaffected. At most, I could see them potentially stunning Chris Walker due to his advanced hearing. MJ's noise devices could be a good distraction, but her taser could likely be tanked due to how much stronger the Variants are. On the flipside, I don't see any of the varients breaking free of her webbing. This is the exact same webbing Peter regular uses to lift cars and restrain his supervillains. That's a bit out of the league of most Variants. Meaning she could probably skip Trager's whole segment by webbing him to the wall, which is admittedly funny.

This is compounded by MJ's far superior stealth. Walker might be a military veteran, but MJ's snuck past some of the best international mercenaries on the planet. It's no contest on that front, even with Chris's enhanced senses.

It's with the Walrider that this becomes tricky.

The Walrider isn't invisible or intangible in the same way, say, a ghost is. It's basically a cloud of microscopic nanites. It's difficult to spot and touch because it's a very thin cloud. For most people in most circumstances, it's difficult to spot until it's basically right in front of you, at which point it's too late to escape. This means that I'm pretty confident in it getting through MJ's webs, even if some of its components get stuck.

The issue is how damn fast MJ is. The second it appears in her face, she's gone halfway down the hall. It doesn't help that it prefers to throw its victims around before killing them, which would only give MJ the opportunity to escape.

I think the Walrider could easily end MJ's run if it got the drop on her. Which it very well could. It got the drop on Miles several times and he actually has the means to see it coming in less than optimal conditions, something MJ wouldn't without a night vision camera.

But, this is where MJ's superior stealth comes into play. With a sneaking ability far superior to Miles and a speed that the Walrider can't keep up with, MJ could avoid getting ambushed by the Walrider by never getting found by it in the first place.

There are plenty of scenarios where MJ gets ripped apart or, worse, possessed by the Walrider. But there are more where MJ uses her superior stealth and speed to avoid it long enough to complete her mission. And once she kills Billy Hope, whose sitting helpless in a tube at this point, the Walrider wouldn't be able to make her a new host to survive due to her just being too fast for it to catch.

Overall, I think Ms. Watson has all the skills she needs to get the scope she's after.

This Throwdown's Winner is...

Mary Jane Watson!

[hesitationss]

fb+/meta or whatever is one severely unfunny joke. i know i am mostly a hater of social media, but i don't see how threads is going to be better for usability and reach. especially given how shit numbers are on IG (i get more noted "per capita" of followers on tumblr and twitter for untagged posts). i already made a small thread of zucc apps being shit which I'll copy paste here. i don't know how people are thinking threads is going to be better than any of the twitter alternatives when it's most likely the WORST option out there. anyway-

the reason why the other twit replacement apps aren't as insidious as threads (zucc/fb owned) should be obvious, but i'll list some things:

• infamously on zucc platforms you can get reported for saying "white people" which is why so many of us say yt now (a bit of poc social media history for u from the 2010s)

• private messages are sold/given to police no warrant: this could be anything used against you, could be protest info, where you've been, etc.

• right wing propaganda/misinfo is lucrative for facebook. this is something that heavily affects the global south btw.

• they lie about views and growth for business accounts to keep you on their platform. the case i know best is that they inflated college humor's analytics to compete w youtube. this resulted in so many businesses throwing money and labour at facebook w out much return.

also zucc sucks, he's pure evil... like u don't need me to get into *that* hopefully

addition:

omg 🙄 so shocked 🙄 that zucc is further propelling nazism on his latest app that has the exact same content moderation as all his other fucking apps lol 🙄 who would have guessed ?

Far-right figures, including Nazi supporters, anti-gay extremists, and white supremacists, are flocking to Threads (Media Matters)

Adding sources:

Point 1 - i can't find any formal articles that document the particular insidiousness of this, but I and many others who were in BIPOC only "leftbook" groups had either our accounts or groups we joined completely nerfed for using language against white people. hubs that had been for info dissemination, discussing theory, and organizing were marked as hate speech or reported by white reactionaries (even "leftist" ones)

Point 2 - Has been apparent since Michael Brown's murder by police in 2014 and the protests following, but was esp apparent in protest following George Floyd's murder and subsequent protests.

FBI trawled Facebook to arrest protesters for inciting riots, court records show (NBC News)

Point 3 Links - Facebook Admits It Was Used to Incite Violence in Myanmar (NY Times) | Whistleblower: Facebook is misleading the public on progress against hate speech, violence, misinformation (CBS) | How Facebook and Google fund global misinformation (MIT Tech Review)

Link for point 4 - Adam Conover talking about College Humor's inflated FB numbers (plus many other articles have been written about this)

more on the privacy shit - sex workers who have used fb AND ig on burner emails with fake names, had their emails and real names auto linked bcuz of how much a little bit of information goes. how fucked up is that.

How Facebook Outs Sex Workers

BTW i have been preaching this for years but if you want to learn why our internet is fucked up, learn about what happened with net neutrality cases in the US, and then later, SESTA FOSTA (primarily targetting sex workers but is the reason why everything is censored now). ppl online have been warning everyone about this for years, but you are just now experiencing the consequences. but again, nobody listens to things that target primarily sex workers.

plus from a functional standpoint, if you want to delete your threads account, your instagram is deleted as well. like it really doesn't seem worth it for people who are desperate to find the social media that will stick. i don't have anything nice to say about any of the other social medias except that some Mastodon instances do a great job at keeping nazi's out and using alt text, but the bar is extremely low and everybody else is even lower ^_^

[profile-234]

The Role of Gas Work Services in Energy Efficiency

When we think about energy efficiency, we often focus on appliances, insulation, and even smart home technology. But one key player in this game is often overlooked—gas work services. Whether it’s installing, maintaining, or repairing gas systems, these services play a crucial role in ensuring that homes and businesses use energy as efficiently as possible. And when it comes to top-notch gas work services in Essex, MD, JSquad Services stands out as the best in the business.

Why Gas Work Services Matter for Energy Efficiency

Gas-powered systems are widely used for heating, cooking, and hot water in many homes and commercial spaces. While gas is generally an efficient energy source, inefficiencies in installation and maintenance can lead to wasted energy, increased costs, and even safety risks. That’s where professional gas work services come in.

Here’s how expert gas work services contribute to energy efficiency:

1. Proper Installation of Gas Appliances

If a gas-powered appliance, such as a furnace, water heater, or stove, is not installed correctly, it may not operate at peak efficiency. Poor installation can lead to gas leaks, incomplete combustion, or higher energy consumption. JSquad Services ensures that all gas appliances are installed with precision, maximizing their performance and energy efficiency.

2. Regular Maintenance to Prevent Energy Waste

Over time, gas appliances and pipelines can develop wear and tear, leading to inefficiencies. A clogged burner, a faulty pilot light, or leaks in the gas line can cause appliances to work harder than necessary, consuming more gas than needed. Regular maintenance by JSquad Services helps detect and fix these issues early, preventing energy loss and keeping utility bills in check.

3. Efficient Gas Line Repairs and Leak Detection

A gas leak is not only dangerous but also contributes to unnecessary energy loss. Even small leaks can add up, leading to higher gas usage and increased costs. The skilled technicians at JSquad Services use advanced leak detection tools to identify and repair leaks promptly, ensuring that no gas is wasted.

4. Upgrading to Energy-Efficient Gas Systems

Older gas appliances tend to be less energy-efficient compared to modern, high-efficiency models. If you’re still using an outdated furnace or water heater, it may be time for an upgrade. JSquad Services can assess your current system and recommend energy-efficient replacements that will reduce gas consumption while providing better performance.

5. Optimizing Gas Pressure for Maximum Efficiency

Gas appliances need the right amount of pressure to operate efficiently. If the pressure is too high, it leads to excessive gas usage. If it’s too low, appliances may not function properly, leading to increased running time and wasted energy. JSquad Services ensures that your gas system is calibrated to the perfect pressure, keeping everything running smoothly and efficiently.

Why Choose JSquad Services for Gas Work in Essex, MD?

If you’re looking for reliable gas work services in Essex, MD, JSquad Services is the name you can trust. Here’s why:

✅ Experienced Technicians – Their team of certified professionals has extensive experience in gas installations, repairs, and maintenance.

✅ Safety First Approach – They follow strict safety guidelines to ensure that every job is completed without risks.

✅ Energy-Efficient Solutions – They focus on providing solutions that reduce gas consumption and lower energy bills.

✅ Affordable and Transparent Pricing – No hidden fees, just honest and fair pricing for top-quality service.

✅ Emergency Services Available – If you have a gas emergency, JSquad Services is ready to respond quickly to keep you safe.

Final Thoughts

Gas work services play a vital role in energy efficiency. From proper installation and routine maintenance to leak detection and system upgrades, professional gas services ensure that your home or business gets the most out of its energy use. If you want to maximize efficiency, cut down on costs, and ensure safety, JSquad Services in Essex, MD, is your go-to expert for all gas-related needs.

[mastersservices]

Gas Fireplace Repair in Dallas: Keeping Your Fireplace Safe and Efficient

Gas fireplaces are a popular choice for homeowners in Dallas, offering both warmth and convenience with the flick of a switch. However, like any appliance, gas fireplaces can experience issues over time that require professional attention. Whether it's a lack of heat, a malfunctioning pilot light, or unusual odors, timely gas fireplace repair is essential to maintaining a safe and efficient heating source. In Dallas, where winters can be chilly and the use of fireplaces is common, understanding the importance of regular maintenance and repair can ensure that your gas fireplace continues to perform optimally year-round.

One of the most common issues that homeowners face with gas fireplaces is a pilot light that won’t stay lit. The pilot light is a small flame that ignites the gas when the fireplace is turned on. If the pilot light keeps going out, it may be due to a dirty thermocouple, a malfunctioning valve, or a clogged gas line. A professional gas fireplace repair technician in Dallas like Masters Services Chimney & Masonry can diagnose the issue and replace any faulty components to restore the functionality of the fireplace. Ensuring that the pilot light works properly is vital for both safety and efficiency, as it ensures that gas only flows when needed.

Another common problem is insufficient or uneven heat output. If your gas fireplace isn't providing enough warmth or if the heat distribution is uneven, it may be due to a variety of reasons, such as a clogged burner, dirty logs, or issues with the thermostat. Over time, dust, dirt, and debris can accumulate inside the fireplace, affecting the burner’s performance and causing the system to work inefficiently. Regular cleaning and maintenance can help prevent these issues, and a professional technician can clean and inspect the fireplace to ensure proper airflow and optimal heat output.

Additionally, unusual odors coming from a gas fireplace can signal a problem that needs attention. A gas fireplace should never produce a strong odor unless there is a malfunction. Common causes of unpleasant smells include the buildup of dust and debris on the burner or logs, or issues with the gas line. Sometimes, if the fireplace hasn’t been used for an extended period, dust can accumulate and burn off when the fireplace is lit, which may cause a temporary odor. However, if the smell persists, it could indicate a gas leak or other issues that require immediate repair. In such cases, it is crucial to have a professional repair technician inspect and address the problem promptly to ensure safety.

Furthermore, gas fireplaces in Dallas can face issues related to the remote control or thermostat. If the remote is unresponsive or the thermostat fails to regulate the temperature properly, it could be due to faulty wiring or other electrical problems. A technician can inspect the electrical components, repair any broken parts, and recalibrate the system to restore proper functionality.

Gas fireplace repair in Dallas is essential for ensuring the safety, efficiency, and longevity of your fireplace. Whether dealing with a stubborn pilot light, uneven heating, strange odors, or electrical malfunctions, addressing issues early with the help of a professional repair service will help keep your gas fireplace running smoothly. Regular maintenance and prompt repairs not only enhance the comfort of your home but also ensure that your fireplace remains a safe and reliable source of warmth for years to come.

Masters Services Chimney & Masonry - DFW 11245 Goodnight Ln #35, Dallas, TX 75229 (972) 877-4650

[heskynn]

I can not stress enough that the traditional use of a range (or an aga which is a kind of range) is to Heat Your Entire House Constantly.

It would have been a source of hot water, house warming, cooking, you name it. They were important in houses before modern forms of heating and insulation. I love them. I've spent time in many houses that had original (or replacement) ranges and or agas that patently needed them in their past lives. And frankly nothing cooks like an aga I love them so much. You sometimes see smaller ones in place of multi/wood burners as they doubled as heating and cooking tools.

But they are a luxury good for modern houses and most renovated ones tbqh because we have better options now. Hell even the properties I've been in that benefited from a range often also needed a modern boiler to keep up with modern requirements and sensibilities. I cannot think of a single reason why a modern US property would require an aga when most traditional range-having homes don't need one. We have a range. It's not been used since idfk. The 50s at Least I should imagine. And honestly I'm amazed they're building anything to hold one they are Fucking Heavy and usually require a completely solid floor.

Edit: there are ranges and aga that run on gas, oil and electricity these days however and I have no idea how one weighs up against another.

[heatgen]

When it comes to keeping your oil burner running smoothly, having access to top-quality replacement parts is essential. Whether you're dealing with routine maintenance or unexpected breakdowns, using high-quality oil burner parts components ensures efficiency, reliability, and safety. Here’s a guide to the most critical replacement parts you should have on hand:

Oil Nozzles: The oil nozzle is crucial for atomizing the oil into a fine mist for efficient combustion. Over time, nozzles can become clogged or worn out, leading to uneven burning and reduced efficiency. Replacing nozzles regularly ensures optimal fuel usage and better heating performance.

Ignition Electrodes: These parts ignite the oil-air mixture, initiating the combustion process. If ignition electrodes become damaged or misaligned, it can result in ignition failure. Having spare electrodes available helps ensure a reliable start-up every time.

Fuel Pumps: The fuel pump delivers oil from the tank to the burner at the correct pressure. A failing pump can lead to inconsistent fuel flow, causing poor burner performance and even system shutdowns. A high-quality replacement fuel pump restores optimal operation.

Burner Motors: The burner motor drives the fan, which delivers air to the combustion chamber. If the motor fails, it can cause poor combustion and increased emissions. Replacing a faulty motor with a high-quality part ensures consistent performance.

Flame Sensors: These sensors detect the presence of the flame and prevent the burner from operating without proper combustion. A malfunctioning flame sensor can cause unnecessary shutdowns. A replacement sensor guarantees safe and effective operation.

Air Filters: Over time, air filters can become clogged with dust and debris, reducing airflow to the burner. Regularly replacing air filters maintains efficient combustion and reduces the risk of overheating or system damage.

Using top-quality replacement parts for your oil burner not only extends the life of your system but also improves overall efficiency, saving you money on energy bills and minimizing downtime. Always ensure you source parts from reputable suppliers to maintain the integrity of your burner system.

[brickks]

How to Maintain Your Brick Kiln for Longevity

Brick kilns are an essential part of the brick manufacturing process, crucial for producing durable and high-quality bricks used in construction, paving, and other applications. However, these kilns undergo extreme temperatures, wear, and tear. To ensure that your brick kiln remains efficient and continues producing quality bricks for years to come, proper maintenance is key. A well-maintained kiln can not only extend its lifespan but also improve its energy efficiency, reduce downtime, and lower operating costs.

Here Kailash Bricks provide a comprehensive guide on how to maintain your brick kiln for longevity.

Regular Inspection and Monitoring Regular inspections are the first line of defense in identifying issues before they escalate into major problems. Conducting thorough and routine checks at specific intervals can help ensure your kiln is functioning optimally.

Check for cracks and leaks: Over time, the brick structure of the kiln may develop cracks, which could lead to heat loss or affect the quality of the firing process. Inspect the kiln walls, roof, and floor for any signs of damage. Monitor kiln temperature: Consistent temperature control is crucial for firing bricks properly. Install temperature sensors and ensure that the kiln’s internal temperature stays within the required range. Sudden temperature fluctuations or inconsistent heat distribution can affect the quality of the bricks. Inspect the burners and fuel supply system: Ensure the burners are operating correctly and that there are no fuel blockages or leaks in the fuel system, whether gas, coal, or other fuel sources are used. Cleaning the Kiln A clean kiln ensures efficient operation, better heat retention, and reduced chances of failure due to debris or material buildup.

Clean the flue and chimney: The flue and chimney are vital parts of the kiln’s exhaust system. Over time, ash and soot can accumulate, obstructing airflow and reducing the kiln’s efficiency. Regularly clean these areas to prevent any blockages and ensure proper ventilation. Remove ash and debris: Ash buildup can interfere with airflow and even clog burners, reducing the effectiveness of the kiln. After each firing cycle, thoroughly clean the fireboxes and other components where ash tends to accumulate. Maintain clean fuel feed lines: For coal or biomass-fired kilns, the fuel feed lines can become blocked over time due to ash and other impurities. Keep these lines free of obstructions for smooth fuel flow and consistent burning. Refractory Maintenance The refractory lining inside the kiln is designed to withstand high temperatures, but it can deteriorate over time, leading to reduced efficiency and potential damage to the kiln’s structure. Proper refractory maintenance is essential to maintaining high kiln performance.

Inspect the refractory lining: Regularly check the integrity of the refractory lining inside the kiln. Look for signs of wear, cracking, or erosion. If you notice any damaged areas, they should be repaired or replaced immediately to prevent further damage to the kiln. Rebuild the refractory lining periodically: Depending on the intensity of use, the refractory lining may need to be rebuilt every few years. Rebuilding ensures that the kiln can maintain the necessary heat retention levels without wasting energy. Fuel Efficiency and Proper Combustion Improper combustion can lead to excessive fuel consumption, lower firing temperatures, and increased emissions. Efficient combustion is essential for kiln longevity and reducing operational costs.

Check the air-to-fuel ratio: An ideal air-to-fuel ratio is necessary for efficient combustion. An incorrect ratio can result in incomplete combustion, leading to excess soot, smoke, and waste. Ensure that the burner settings are optimized for the specific type of fuel used. Fuel quality: Use high-quality, clean fuel to avoid blockages and to ensure efficient burning. Impurities such as moisture or foreign particles in the fuel can damage kiln components and reduce firing efficiency. Maintain a steady fuel supply: Ensure that the fuel supply to the kiln is constant and consistent. Fluctuations in fuel delivery can disrupt the firing cycle and affect the kiln’s performance. Kiln Door and Ventilation Maintenance The kiln door and ventilation system play a crucial role in regulating airflow, controlling temperature, and maintaining efficient firing. Properly maintained doors and ventilation systems help prevent heat loss and improve overall efficiency.

Inspect the kiln door: The kiln door should be tightly sealed to prevent heat loss. Over time, the door may warp or become damaged, compromising its seal. Inspect the door regularly and replace any worn-out seals or gaskets. Check ventilation openings: Adequate ventilation is necessary to remove excess heat and gases. Inspect the vents and make sure they are free from obstructions to allow smooth airflow. Proper ventilation also helps prevent the build-up of harmful gases, which can affect the quality of the bricks. Kiln Firing Cycle Optimization An efficient firing cycle is vital to the longevity of your kiln. An optimized firing cycle reduces stress on the kiln structure, minimizes fuel consumption, and ensures consistent brick quality.

Avoid overfiring or underfiring: Overfiring can damage the kiln and increase wear and tear, while underfiring can result in poorly fired bricks. Carefully monitor the firing process and adhere to the optimal temperature curves. Proper loading and unloading: Ensure that the kiln is properly loaded and unloaded to maximize heat circulation and minimize uneven firing. Improper loading can lead to inefficient heating, longer firing times, and uneven brick quality. Proper Maintenance of Electrical and Mechanical Components A brick kiln often relies on various electrical and mechanical systems, including fans, temperature controllers, and motors. Maintaining these components is crucial for the smooth operation of the kiln.

Regularly check electrical systems: Inspect the wiring, connections, and electrical components to ensure there are no loose connections or signs of wear. Faulty electrical systems can lead to equipment failure, which may result in costly repairs and downtime. Monitor mechanical systems: Fans, motors, and other mechanical systems must be regularly lubricated and maintained to prevent mechanical failure. Check for unusual noises, vibrations, or overheating, which could indicate mechanical issues. Training and Operator Maintenance Operators play a key role in maintaining a kiln’s longevity. Proper training and awareness can help prevent human error, optimize kiln operations, and reduce wear on components.

Operator training: Train kiln operators on proper loading/unloading techniques, firing schedules, and safety procedures. Knowledgeable operators are essential for the efficient operation of the kiln. Document and track maintenance: Keep detailed records of all maintenance activities, including inspections, repairs, and parts replacements. This documentation will help you track the kiln’s performance over time and anticipate when certain components may need replacing. Energy Efficiency and Emission Control Kilns are energy-intensive operations, so maintaining energy efficiency is crucial for both environmental and cost-saving purposes.

Install insulation: Ensure that the kiln is properly insulated to prevent heat loss. Insulation helps retain the necessary temperature and reduces fuel consumption. Emission control systems: Check the emission control systems to ensure they are functioning effectively. This includes filters, scrubbers, or other systems designed to reduce harmful emissions from the kiln. Maintaining a brick kiln for longevity requires consistent care, attention to detail, and proactive planning. By regularly inspecting the kiln, maintaining its components, and optimizing operations, you can significantly extend the life of your kiln and improve its performance. A well-maintained brick kiln will operate more efficiently, reduce energy costs, and produce high-quality bricks for years to come. Additionally, by investing time and resources into maintenance, you protect your business from costly repairs, minimize downtime, and contribute to a more sustainable operation.

[rightcliq-concept]

Steps to Fix a Gas Stove Burner That Won't Light

A gas stove burner which does not working properly and efficiently can really be a big annoyance in your kitchen. It is a common matter of concern among seasoned cooks as well as beginners when their gas stove burner is not lit. This could be due to a simple blockage or more complex technical issues, and knowing how to identify and deal with these problems will save one a lot of time and money. This short and rather simple beginner-oriented manual will spell out steps to fix gas stove burners that won’t light, discuss some common problems, offer some handy DIY gas stove burner repair tips, and show you when it’s time for an expert. Let's get started then.

Understanding Your Gas Stove Burner 

Prior to fixing your gas stove burner, you need to know the mechanism and what drives it to work. To be exact, one burner has three main elements that specify how it operates well:

The Igniter: This part makes the spark needed for igniting the gas so as to produce a flame.

The Safety Valve: An important feature that controls the flow of gas into the system, ensuring safe and regulated operation.

The Gas Supply: It is from this source that fuel comes, which in turn powers the burner, producing flame.

A malfunction of any of these pieces will prevent you from lighting your burner because it may interrupt the ignition process.

If you know how all of these segments interact with one another, you will be capable of eliminating errors easily and quickly, hence, the safety of your stove and its optimal performance will be in place.

Why Won’t My Gas Stove Burner Light? 

However, prior to moving to the remedies, it is essential to be familiar with certain problems that may make your burner useless. These are some of the things every homeowner should know in the stove burner repair guide:

1. Blocked Burner Holes: The gas flow can be blocked by food particles and grease.

2. Broken Igniter: If there is no spark in your igniter, then a burner can not light up.

3. Gas Supply Issue: Look for any disruptions in the gas line.

4. Dirty or Damaged Safety Valve: Dirty valves restrict the passage of gases fully when opened, hence preventing the free flow of gas.

5. Gas Burner Won’t Spark: This usually implies an electrical connection problem has occurred

By knowing about these common gas stove problems, anyone can quickly determine whether they want to attempt fixing it themselves or just hire a professional technician.

DIY solutions: Let’s get fixing

Sometimes, it’s just the ignition that needs some cleaning and maintenance. Home remedies for gas stove burners not lighting include:

Step 1: Gas Stove Not Lighting – Check Gas Supply

If the burners are all out of use, check the tube at the back of your oven. Be sure to have a valve handle lined up with this line of gas, then;

- Take off the burner cap

- Locate the brass gas orifice and clear the small holes with a straightened paper clip.

- Break any clogged part as you rotate the paperclip a few times.

- Securely reassemble the burner cap and test the flame.

You should go to the next step if either non-inflammation or weak flame.

Step 2: Gas Stove Not Lighting – No Spark

When you hear a clicking noise but there is no spark evident,

• Check that the stove is plugged in and has a power supply.

• Clean the white porcelain igniter using a cotton swab soaked in alcohol

• Clean off also debris from the burner cap.

Make another attempt on the unbearable. If there is no spark, proceed with step 3.

Step 3: Clicking, But No Spark

If the igniter clicks but the burner still won’t light:

• Use a wire brush and alcohol to remove and clean the burner cap and head.

• Check for small holes in the burner head using a paperclip then clear them.

• Reassemble these pieces so that they fit tightly and cleanly.

Cleaning correctly and aligning these will restore a strong electrical connection for sparking.

Step 4: Finishing Up

Call a professional to replace the spark module if there’s no clicking or spark, even after you’ve checked, to ensure that the stove is powered.

Following these steps, many times can fix ignition problems without needing an expert.

→ A Gas Stove that isn't lighting? See this video!

When Do You Need to Call a Professional?

DIY solutions have their limits, and if your burner is still not lighting or you are experiencing problems like gas leakages or electrical breakdowns, you must call professionals. 

The RightCliq gas stove repair service can be relied upon as they allow you to book online and schedule a service within 60 seconds, have technicians at your door in under an hour, and these experts we offer are verified personnel with certifications and clean records.

They use brand-authorized genuine parts, give prices upfront without hidden charges, and assure customers of warranties for 90 days. Make safety the priority; opt for RightCliq when confused.

Keep Your Gas Stove in Top Shape 

The most effective approach to maintaining your gas stove is to take preventive measures. It’s good that it is cleaned once a week by wiping down the burner caps, igniters, and trays with a mild cleaner to prevent dirt from accumulating in them. 

Besides, plan for an annual professional inspection to ensure no underlying problems. When repairing the appliance, it’s advisable to use genuine parts and not to have them replaced often. 

Avoid spilling foodstuff on the burners while cooking since they don’t drain liquids quickly. Finally, when you clean the stove, turn off its knobs, ensuring no gas flow accidentally. Occasional care minimizes frequent repair needs.

Summing Up: Your Fix-Friendly Kitchen Awaits

Fixing a gas stove burner isn’t as daunting as one may think. You can address most of these issues independently if you know enough about them. Otherwise, RightCliq has accredited professional gas stove repair experts in Bangalore who will restore your kitchen in seconds.

Need help now ? Just click on RightCliq; book a repair service for a gas stove burner today and receive unmatched assistance at your doorstep!

Find our exceptional and unique DIY Top Gas Stove Repair Services, and come to our RightCliq specialist at your leisureResource: https://homeaplliancesrepairservice.blogspot.com/2025/01/steps-to-fix-gas-stove-burner-that-wont.html