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vodika-vibes · 8 months ago

Text

Every Time We Touch

Summary: Your relationship with Crosshair and Tech, before Order 66 and after.

Pairing: TBB Crosshair x Jedi F!Reader x TBB Tech

Word Count: 4987

Warnings: Smut. Oral (male and female receiving). Some Dom/Sub dymanics.

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: This has been a labor of love that took me, in total, almost 16 hours to write. The first part is smut, the second part was going to be smut but I decided it didn't make sense with everything that happened. It has not been edited aside from a very rough spellcheck. Happy reading~

It’s easy, losing yourself in the ebbs and flows of the force. Especially here, on a planet largely untouched by the war.

The Marauder landed here three days ago, with the plan being that you’d move on as soon as you got a new set of orders. Only, those orders still haven’t come.

And, as much as Hunter might hate it, you decided that you needed to get off the ship, even for a little while. It’s not as if they’re going to leave without you, after all.

So here you are, sitting next to a stunning little pond with a waterfall roaring in your ears, meditating. Or, well, you’re supposed to be meditating, but really, you’re considering whether or not you’d like to go swimming.

You absently tap your fingers against your knee, before coming to a decision. It’s not like anyone is going to bother you, not at this time of night. So you unfold from your sitting position and quickly tug your clothes off.

You set them neatly on a rock, with your lightsaber and comm perched on top of the clothes, and step into the cool water. You wade out until you’re waist deep and then you dive into the water.

This is exactly what you needed, the water feels amazing against your skin, and with the moon high in the sky, it almost feels like something from a fairy tale. You know, if fairy tales generally involved skinny dipping.

You’re pulled from your thoughts at the sound of a low chuckle from the shore, and you smile when you see a familiar figure standing next to the rock holding all of your clothes.

Crosshair lightly plucks your panties from the pile on the rock and dangles them from one long finger, before his sharp gaze finds you in the water. “Funny,” He practically purrs, “I didn’t know that there were mermaids on this planet.”

You laugh softly and swim closer to shore, until you’re able to stand on your toes, “What brings you out here, Cross?”

He absently folds your clothes and stacks them a little neater than you did, “You, of course. You weren’t in bed.”

“I needed a moment off the ship. Hunter’s practically radiating anxiety.” You answer with a shrug.

“Well, I can just about guarantee that if he knew you were swimming, naked, in a lake he’d probably have a heart attack on the spot.”

“Um…well…he doesn’t need to know?” You offer sheepishly.

“Oh definitely.” Crosshair agrees, as he peels his shirt off and sets it on the rock next to yours, “Especially since I’m joining you.”

You laugh, “Are you?”

“What? You think you’re the only one who needs a break?” Crosshair finishes stripping off his blacks, and sets them on the rock. He pauses and then sighs and grabs his comm, shooting a quick message.

You tilt your head in question.

“You’ll get pouty if Tech doesn’t join us.” He explains as he steps into the water and walks out to you. The moment he’s close enough, he pulls you into his arms, and bumps his forehead against yours.

“I do not pout,” You reply as you slide your arms around his neck.

Crosshair urges you to hook your legs around his waist, which, really, you would do anyway. “You pout.” He teases, “It’s adorable.”

You press yourself against him, “Yeah…well…cite your sources.”

“Do I look like Tech to you?” He asks with a grin, “I’m not citing anything. You’ll just have to take me at my word.”

You release a huff of laughter, and bump your nose against his, “Thank you for inviting Tech, Crosshair. It means a lot to me.”

Something soft slides across his face, and his hand comes up to brush against your cheek, “Well, you said so yourself, the only way this works for us is if we’re in it together.”

“I can’t believe you were listening to me when I said that.” You admit.

“I have a very vested interest in making sure that you stay happy, kitten.” He replies, “And if you’re happy with me and Tech, then who am I to argue.”

“And you, Cross? Are you happy?”

“Happier than I ever thought possible,” He confirms as he tilts his head to catch your lips with his own.

You lean into the kiss, your hands trailing up to slide through his hair, a soft moan slips from your lips, swallowed by Crosshair, as he nips your lower lip and then trails his tongue across the sore spot to soothe away the pain.

Heavy footsteps on the shore forces him to break the kiss, pulling a whine from you as you try to follow him. Crosshair chuckles and squeezes your hip, before he glances towards the shore, “D’you have to be so loud, Tech?” He asks.

Tech peers at the pair of you, “Yes. I did not want Crosshair to shoot me.”

“As if I would.” Crosshair mutters with a roll of his eyes.

You giggle and nuzzle your nose against his neck, “Will you be joining us, Tech?”

He glances at you, and then the water, and then back at you. “I have a better idea, you both should come to shore.” Tech quickly starts tugging his own blacks off, tossing them carelessly to the side.

Crosshair exhales sharply, and you giggle. “Let it be, Cross.”

“Annoying, everything else is folded-”

You giggle again and pull him into a deep kiss, your tongue sliding across his lips and then past his lips. You map out his mouth, as though it’s the first time, and he releases a quiet groan, his strong hand tightly gripping your ass to grind you against his half hard cock.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” He breathes against your lips. “Believe it or not, I didn’t actually come out here to fuck you.”

You grin against his lips, “Oh? What a pity. Maybe Tech will be interested-” You squeak as he pinches your ass.

“Well, my plans have clearly changed, imp.” He carries you towards the shore, and only sets you on your feet once the both of you are clear of the water.

Tech’s eyes drag down your bare body, lingering on your breasts for a moment, before he steps into your space to catch your lips in a deep kiss.

Tech kisses you like he’s trying to learn everything about you. Like kissing you will answer any and all of the questions he has about you.

Crosshair, on the other hand, kisses you like he’s trying to take everything that makes you you and replace it with himself.

You love both kisses, almost as much as you love both men.

When Tech breaks the kiss, you’re a little breathless, “I’m guessing you have a plan?” You ask.

“I always do,” Tech replies with a small smile, he trails his finger down your cheek, and then across your lips, “You have such a clever mouth, cyare. I want your lips wrapped around my cock.”

Your face heats, and you press your hands against your cheeks, “You can’t just say it like that, Tech.”

Crosshair coos in your ear, “Embarrassed, kitten?” He turns his gaze to his brother, “I assume you have no issues with me fucking her while you’re fucking her face.”

“I am hardly going to be fucking her face,” Tech counters blandly, and then he pauses, “Well, I did not have the intention to.”

“Not an answer, vod.”

“Oh, yes. Do what you like.”

“Well, that was never in question.” Crosshair slides his hands down your sides, “On your knees, kitten.”

You shiver under his touch, especially when his hand slides from your side to dip between your thighs. His finger just barely brushing over your clit.

You release a breathy little moan and Crosshair chuckles and kisses your jaw, before pulling his hand away from you and licking his fingers clean.

“Actually, I had a better idea than her on her knees,” Tech says thoughtfully, and once he's sure he has all of the attention, he smiles. “You on your back, Crosshair, with our cyare riding you.”

Crosshair's fingers pause on your hip, and he glances at you, “You mean I get to feel her all around me and watch her tits?” He asks with a sly smile.

You release a strangled noise and thump your forehead to Tech’s shoulder, “Why?” You ask as your face burns.

Even after all this time, you still get flustered and embarrassed when your boys talk like that.

Which is exactly why they do it, and all of you know it.

“Because you are just too cute when you are ten kinds of flustered, cyare.” Tech kisses the top of your head, and then glances at his brother, “I would suggest spreading her robe across the ground.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Crosshair drops one last kiss to your shoulder, “That was the plan.” He walks over to the piles of clothes, kicks Tech’s stuff out of the way with an annoyed grumble, and then carefully pulls your robe from the bottom of your stack of clothes.

You watch as Crosshair spreads your robes out on the sand, and then lays down on his back. And then you’re distracted as Tech takes one of your hands and wraps it loosely around his half-hard cock.

“I know my brother is pretty, cyare,” Tech teases as he trails light kisses across your cheek, “But I would like your attention too.”

You give him a few light strokes, feeling him harden under your touch, and you’re not surprised when he shoots you a slightly frustrated look. “Cyar’ika, why are you being so gentle?”

A small, almost angelic, smile spreads across your lips, “I have no idea what you mean.”

He peers at you for a moment, and then releases a soft sigh, “You have decided to be a brat tonight then?”

“I have never done anything wrong in my life-”

His hand lands, firmly, on your ass and your sentence breaks off with a startled yelp.

“If I did not already have plans, cyar’ika, I would make this punishment much more enjoyable.” You shiver at his tone of voice, and he presses a light kiss to your forehead, as he massages the sore spot on your ass, “Perhaps later tonight.”

You watch as his gaze flickers past you, and then he locks his gaze with yours again. His rough, calloused hands settle on your hips and he lifts you just enough that he’s able to move you to stand next to where Crosshair is laying.

“How would you like her positioned, vod?” Tech asks lightly, as though he’s commenting on the weather and not manhandling your naked body.

Crosshair’s gaze drags across your body for a moment, and then he smirks, “I was going to say that I want to stuff her full with my cock, but I changed my mind.”

“Oh?”

“I want her to sit on my face.”

“Oh, but-” Two pairs of eyes lock on your face, and you duck your head, “I don’t want to hurt you-”

Crosshair laughs, “I don’t know if you remember this, kitten. But I’m a decently strong guy. You can only hurt me if you try.” With Tech’s help, the two men lower you so that you’re hovering just over his face.

“Are you sure-” You yelp when Crosshair roughly pulls you down so that your pussy is settled over his mouth. His tongue immediately darts out to drag along your folds, and your yelp turns into a moan of pleasure.

“There we go,” Tech murmurs, “No need for such anxiety, cyare.” He moves so that he’s standing next to you and he rests his hand on your head, smoothing your hair for a moment, “Open up for me, darling.”

You part your lips for him, obediently, and he presses the head of his cock against your lips.

“You remember what to do if you need a break?” Tech asks, and his gaze softens when you tap his thigh twice in quick succession, “Good girl.”

And then he pushes the head of his cock past your lips, and lets you do whatever you want.

The dual sensations of Crosshair alternating between flicking your clit with his tongue, shoving his tongue as deep inside you as he can, and sucking on your clit, combined with the feel of Tech, heavy in your mouth, and the taste of his precum on your tongue, is almost too much.

Almost.

But you’ve been in a relationship with them for a while now, and you’re not a blushing virgin anymore. You’ve had a lot of practice using your mouth on both of them, and you have a few tricks to push them over the edge quickly.

For Tech, all you have to do is trail your fingers over his balls while hollowing your cheeks and sucking hard.

Which is exactly what you do, pulling a hoarse groan from his lips, “Kriff, should have tied you up.” He gasps as his hand fists in your hair, and he starts lightly directing you how to move by moving your head for you.

Crosshair closes his lips around your clit and sucks hard as he eases two of his fingers into you and curls them, pressing them right against that spot inside you that makes you see stars.

Your hips, which had been rocking against his face, using his mouth for your pleasure, stutter as you teeter on the edge of your orgasm. You just need a little bit more, but you aren’t able to vocalize it.

Luckily, Crosshair knows you as well as you know him, and one of his fingers slides across your folds, and then further back to circle the tight ring of muscles of your asshole.

And you shatter with an almost broken moan, your vision dimming as you plummet over the edge.

Tech pulls himself from your mouth and Crosshair quickly lifts you and moves you down his body, quite happily pulling you down on his solid cock until he’s completely bottomed out.

“There you go, kitten.” Crosshair mumbles as he wipes his lips with the back of his hand, before he slides his hands to caress your breasts, “Move for me, sweetheart.”

“You need to open your mouth again, cyare.” Tech whispers, a proud smile crossing his face as you mindlessly obey him, “Good girl. Such a good girl.”

He’s just about to slide his cock past your lips again, and Crosshair is just about to start thrust up into you, when all three of you are distracted by heavy footsteps.

“Crosshair? Tech?” Hunter’s voice echoes from the forest, and then there’s an explosive sigh, ��I’m not going to come any closer because I do not need to see what I can smell.” He sounds deeply grieved.

“Go away, Hunter.” Crosshair snaps as he pinches your nipples and pulls a soft moan from your lips. “We’re busy.”

“Yeah, I can tell.” Hunter calls back, “We have new orders.”

There’s absolute silence for a moment.

“If I have to come over there and get you-” Hunter threatens.

“We will return to the ship shortly.” Tech calls, “We need…an hour?”

Crosshair searching your face for a moment, “Not even. 30 minutes, to give her time to recover.”

“An hour would be preferable.” Tech argues.

“Five hours would be preferable, but orders are orders.” Crosshair counters. He sits up and caresses your cheek, “I’m afraid we’re not going to get to play like we wanted to, kitten.”

“S’okay.” You whisper to him, though you are careful to make sure that Tech can hear you too.

Tech settles back, “We need thirty minutes, Hunter.” He calls.

“Fine, but if you’re not back in thirty-” He leaves the threat hanging, and then he stomps away.

“You first, Crosshair.” Tech says quietly, something quietly wistful on his face, “I will have my turn when you finish. We will just have to play properly later.”

You lean your forehead against Crosshair’s, your breathing heavy, as he thrusts up into you.

“Deal.” Crosshair replies with a glance at his brother, before focusing his attention on you, a small smirk crossing his lips, “Ready kitten?”

“Always-” You gasp out in response.

The events of Beloved happen here

“I appreciate you doing this,” You say as you press the palm of your hand over your new, well, newish cybernetic eye. You’ve come to learn that entering and leaving the atmosphere makes the cybernetic feel very uncomfortable.

“Ya don’t have ta thank me, kiddo.” The pilot, a Chiss man with bleached blonde hair, drawls as his hands fly over the console, “Yer…da and ya…Ah still owe ya more’n ya owe me.”

A small smile lifts your lips, “You owe me nothing, Cid.”

“Bah, in yer opinion.” He glances at you, “Yer eye botherin’ ya?”

“It’s not fond of pressure changes,” You admit, “I guess that removes deep sea diver from my list of future professions.” You cast your gaze out the front window, “So this is Pabu?”

“Yup, like a glimmerin’ gem.”

“Cid, I didn’t know you were a poet.”

He flashes you a roguish grin, “Ma lady loves it.”

Your smile widens slightly, though it fades when you turn your attention back to the planet.

6 months ago, the clones turned on you and your fellow Jedi. The majority of your brethren were wiped out before they even knew that they were in danger.

You had been in the temple, catching up on some school work that you missed out on due to the war.

It was a blessing, perhaps.

After all, if you had been on Kamino, you’d definitely be dead. Rather than just…

Your fingers glide down the smooth metal of your new prosthetic arm, a gift from Senator Riyo Chuchi, just like your new cybernetic eye. She even offered you shelter for the last six months, while you recovered from your injuries.

You’ll never be able to pay her back.

Still, she swears up and down that Pabu is a safe place, a good place for someone like you to vanish. And you need to vanish.

“A’right there, kiddo?”

“Yeah. Just…lost in thoughts.”

He reaches over and lightly grips your shoulder, though he doesn’t say anything as he focuses his attention on bringing the ship down to the landing pad.

He says nothing until the ship settles on the landing pad, and then he turns to look at you, his crimson eyes scanning your face. “Bein’ a Jedi taught ya how to survive. Taught ya how to adapt. Yer gonna be fine, kiddo. An’ if yer not…jus’ give ol Cid a holler.”

You stare at him for a moment, and then you smile at him, “Thank you, Cid. Really. It’s nice to know that the Jedi still have some friends in the galaxy.”

“More’n ya might believe.” He places both of his hands on your shoulders, and squeezes, “See ya around, kiddo.”

You nod once, and then slide out of the co-pilot’s seat to gather the one bag that you have from your life before, and you step off the ship and onto the landing pad to start your new life.

You move to the edge of the landing pad as Cid powers his ship back on and takes back to the sky, and then you turn to get your bearings. The island isn’t large, you can only imagine that everyone knows everyone.

Still, according to Riyo, this is a refugee planet, so maybe people don’t dig here.

You step off of the landing platform to follow the path towards the building that you can only guess is the welcoming center.

The woman at the desk, a Togruti woman, is very patient with you as she processes your citizenship. She doesn’t ask many questions, though she does eye your prosthetics and scars with a sympathetic smile.

“Welcome to Pabu,” She says quietly, “I hope you find peace here.” She presses a map into your hands, as well as written instructions to the nearest hotel.

Useful.

So you thank her, and then step out the main doors.

Pabu is a tropical island, which means hot. You’re immediately grateful that Cid suggested that you switch to a tank top and shorts rather than the longer clothes that you’ve taken to wearing since you lost your arm.

It’s also humid. So humid. Humid enough that you’re sure that your hair is already getting frizzy.

You sigh and rub the back of your neck and pull your hair off your neck with a hair clip, and then you focus your attention on the written instructions in your hand.

“After leaving the welcoming center,” You mumble to yourself, “follow the sidewalk to the left until you reach the jewelry store, then turn right-” You look around and then you hoist your bag up on your shoulder and you start following the sidewalk.

“Jewelry store? Jewelry store…oh! Jewelry store.” The shop is, quite literally named, Jewelry Store. Handy. You glance at the note again, “Turn right, and follow the sidewalk until you reach the whale statue.”

You glance both ways, before you cross the street and you start walking.

You pause as a shop door flies open and a small girl with short blonde hair darts out into your path, running into your leg, “Ah! I’m sorry!” She blurts, as she looks up at you.

She has a very familiar face. A very, very familiar face.

“No harm done,” You reply, your voice slightly strangled.

The girl stares at you, and then beams, “Oh! You must be a new arrival! My name is Omega.”

Well, so much for your hope that she just looks like a clone.

You introduce yourself with a small smile, even as you carefully, very carefully, reach out through the force to try and determine if you’re in any danger.

There are no warnings, and so you relax. Ever so slightly.

“Um…wait…” Omega reaches up and twists a strand of pale blonde hair between her fingers, and you jolt in surprise. It’s weird, seeing your habits on another person. You used to twist your padawan beads when you were trying to remember something, and when you were promoted, you took to rolling some of your hair between your fingers.

A habit that Hunter took up when you took command of Clone Force 99.

“I know your name…” the little girl murmurs. “Why do I know your name-?”

The door to the shop slides open again, “There you are, Omega. I was wondering where you ran off to.”

You turn your gaze to the veritable wall of muscle that just came out of the shop.

You’d recognize Wrecker anywhere. Even dressed down in civvies.

It’s funny, you thought you’d be nervous about running into any of your men. Especially after the temple. But you’re calm, peaceful even.

“There’s a new person, Wrecker. And her name sounds familiar-”

“Well, names are names Omega.” Wrecker replies, before he finally glances at you, “Welcome to Pab-” He stops mid-sentence. You see his gaze dart to your cybernetic eye, and then drop to the prosthetic arm, “...General?” Wrecker, who’s usually so loud and enthusiastic, sounds hushed and disbelieving.

He sounds guilty.

And you can’t allow that.

So you flash the smallest smile, “Hey, Wreck.”

Wrecker drops his shopping bags into Omega’s arms, pulling a disgruntled noise from her lips, before he tugs you into a tight hug, “Thought you were dead.” He says against the top of your head, “Tech and Cross will be thrilled-”

You don’t move for a moment, and then you release a sigh and wrap your arms around him as well, “I got lucky,” You admit, not the least bit surprised when he doesn’t release you.

He finally pulls back, his hands warm on your shoulders, and his gaze darts across the scars covering your body. You can see the questions on his face, but he swallows them, with difficulty, and instead squeezes your shoulders, “You’re coming home with us.” Wrecker announces, “It's where you’re supposed to be.”

“If you insist.” And it’s as simple as that.

The house your boys share is located near the water. It’s a massive house, big enough that they all probably have their own rooms. That had to have come as a shock to them, seeing as they shared for most of their lives.

Wrecker leads you up the stairs, with Omega in the lead. The little girl isn’t sure what to make of you, not that you blame her. You have just as many questions about her as she probably has about you.

“So this is where we live.” Wrecker says as he leads you into the house, “It’s kinda big, but it’s nice too. We never had our own space before.”

There’s light footsteps coming from the kitchen area, “Who are you talking to, Wrecker?” Crosshair asks as he steps into the front hall, his gaze locked on his brother, before it drops to land on you.

Crosshair stops.

His sharp eyes lock on your arm, your eye, your scars.

And then he’s moving, shoving past Wrecker and stopping only a little bit in front of you. His hand, rough and calloused, gently grips your chin and he tilts your head back so he can see your eyes properly, “Oh, kitten.” He breathes out.

He doesn’t ask what happened. He doesn’t have to.

“Hi Cross.” You whisper.

He releases your chin and his fingers move to your prosthetic arm, to the scars that mar your once barely scarred body.

There’s more footsteps, and then Tech is there. His gaze finds you immediately, and he quickly moves to stand next to Crosshair, his eyes cataloging the array of healed injuries covering your body.

It doesn’t take much longer for Hunter and Echo to join the crowd in the hallway, with Omega watching everyone with confusion on her face.

It’s a confusion you understand, though you’re sure that your confusion isn’t at all similar to hers.

Slowly you set your bag on the ground and you hold up a single hand, “Boys.” You don’t raise your voice. You don’t have to. All five of them immediately fall silent when you speak.

You don’t understand.

You close your eyes and take a deep breath before you open them again, “I’ve had the…most awful of times.” You say, quietly. “I would, very much, like to know what crime my people committed to deserve to be executed in our own home.”

The faces around you change. Delight morphs into something stricken. “You…don’t know?” Hunter asks.

You glance at him, “Tell me.”

Hunter takes a deep breath, “Yes ma’am.”

One very, very long conversation later and you finally understand. The knowledge that the men hadn’t turned on the Jedi willingly, that they were forced to do it, eased a hurt that had been festering in your heart.

Though now your heart hurts for the men who are little more than slaves to the Empire.

But that was earlier. Now you’re sitting on Crosshair’s bed, your back pressed against the headboard while he makes room for your stuff in his closet. Tech is messing with something at Crosshair’s desk, and they’re both completely silent.

Crosshair, you know, will wait for you to say something. He’s incredibly patient like that.

You suspect that Tech is going to break first.

And you're right, as only moments after you have that thought, Tech pushes the chair back and moves to the bed to sit next to you. There’s probably a million questions running through his mind, but you can wait for him to settle on one.

But he surprises you.

He doesn’t ask anything, instead his hand moves to a large scar on your shoulder. There’s something pained and guilty on his face.

You reach out and press your hand against his cheek, “It’s not your fault.” You whisper, “Either of you.”

Crosshair drops a jacket to the ground and joins you on the bed, his strong arms slide around your waist and he drops a feather light kiss to your throat, “We should have been there.”

“We thought you were dead.” Tech adds, sounding so deeply pained that your heart lurches.

“I’m sorry,” You comb your fingers through Tech’s hair, and he sighs as he presses his forehead against your other shoulder.

“You don’t have to apologize,” Crosshair says roughly, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

You shift and lay your cheek against the top of his head, and his arms tighten around you.

“It’s funny,” Crosshair murmurs against your skin, “I genuinely thought that the only thing I would want when I had you back in my arms is to make you fall apart for me. But now that you’re here, all I want is to hold you.”

You laugh softly, “I love you too, Cross.” You say as you press a light kiss to the top of his head.

Tech presses himself firmly against your other side, “When things get back to normal,” He murmurs, “I would like to give you a full examination, so that I can see how your prosthetics and cybernetics work. So I can keep you healthy.”

“Of course.”

“No one is ever going to hurt you again, cyare.” Tech promises.

“That’s not your job, Tech. But thank you all the same.” You whisper as you press a kiss to the top of his head as well.

And then you squeak as you’re tugged down the bed so your head is resting on one of Crosshair’s pillows. His face is pressed against your neck, and his legs are tangled with yours. Tech rests his head on your shoulder, his fingers threading with yours.

For the first time in months, you feel safe.

And slowly you drift off to sleep. Sure that this was part of their plan.

Your boys always did know you better than anyone.

#star wars #tbb #tbb crosshair x reader x tbb tech #crosshair x reader x tech #star wars fanfiction #x reader fanfiction #f!rreader fic #18+ fic #nsft

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kristihines · 7 months ago

Text

Can you trust AI Answers about your health?

During the summer of 2020, when the entire world was focused on the pandemic, getting treatment for other health issues became a challenge.

I started experiencing a lot of back pain, but I shrugged it off as an injury and took Advil to cope.

A week later, I thought I had food poisoning.

I tried an at-home service where they pumped me full of IV fluids.

I went to urgent care. They sent me to get scans. I paid hundreds of dollars out of pocket to get them quickly.

The imaging place never sent the scans to the urgent care.

A day later, I had the worst chills. It was July, in Phoenix. Most likely 100 F. I went outside and was still freezing.

At that point, I was taken to the ER. I ended up in the ICU in one of those rooms they zipped up in plastic.

While most of the focus was on COVID, I had something else: a large kidney stone. The kind that doesn’t pass on its own.

I was in septic shock and acute renal failure according to discharge papers.

The hospital stay itself wasn’t too long, but the treatment with specialists took three months to complete.

Surgeries during COVID were extra special because if you tested positive, your surgery was delayed.

Two years later, in 2022, I ended up in the same hospital for the same reason.

And now, I’m a few days into aggressive antibiotic treatment for my kidneys, yet again. Wondering if I make it to the next followup or have to Lyft off to the ER.

So what does this have to do with Google AI Answers?

In 2020 and 2022, I spent a lot of time perusing Google Search results on kidney stones.

Now, I get AI Answers above at the top of SERPs (search engine results pages).

This wouldn’t be a bad thing if one could trust the AI to accurately summarize its sources.

That’s the big if.

In the first screenshot, you’ll find an AI Answer from Google Search results for the phrase how to pass kidney stone.

The first mistake involved an error with paraphrasing a source with legitimate information.

Because I can assure you after four years of seeing urology specialists, no one has ever suggested drinking two quarts or liters of urine.

The basil leaves suggestion, on the other hand, is suspect. I’ve never come across that as a suggestion. It would have stood out, because I have a lot of basil growing around the garden.

I don’t even remember that website from my previous Google searches. I had to check Wikipedia and other sources to find out what the company even was.

Much like the search quality raters and AI Answer checkers do...

In the second screenshot, Microsoft Bing with Copilot offered ads for supplements and advice from five sources, two of which are the MSN Health Hub.

The hub includes a section where you can Ask a health professional questions.

In the third screenshot, ChatGPT using GPT-4 with browsing offered a concise response based on its training data, but claimed not to have access to external sources.

In the fourth screenshot, Perplexity provided the best AI Answer with 19 sources I recognized from my previous research into this health issue.

Moral of the story:

You can’t trust generative AI with your money or your life issues.

But if you do, start with the right AI Answer engine. One that cites sources you trust and doesn’t suggest drinking your own pee.

Think of Perplexity as a better starting point for more in-depth research that you can discuss during your next doctor’s visit.

Not as a definitive answer.

Follow @kristileilani on X for more on AI news, trends, and tools.

#ai chatbot #google #openai #chatgpt #perplexity

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television-overload · 7 months ago

Text

of our own making

(an X-Files fanfic)

Chapter 4/34 - phone battery

[Read on AO3]

After a bit of a drought of decent cases, their latest, honest to goodness X-File was a welcome distraction. It hadn’t taken too long to wrap up either, which was a double win for Scully, who could only handle so many nights in a dilapidated motel room in a row. With the case now solved, more or less, all that remained for the morning was a bit of paperwork and a drive to the nearest airport to get back home.

“Your mom called me last night,” Mulder says, sitting in the driver’s seat of their rental car.

“Last night?” Scully asks, furrowing her brows. “What for?”

“It was when we got back to the motel, after your phone battery went dead. I told her to give it a few minutes and try again, give you a chance to get it charged.”

Scully doesn’t respond immediately, and when Mulder turns to look at her, he sees a puzzled look on her face, a crease forming between her brows.

“She didn’t call you?” he asks, matching her expression and turning his attention back to the road.

“No,” Scully answers, concern marring her features. “What did she say?”

“I think she was going to ask you something about Christmas, figuring out plans or something,” he says. “I did mention we were on a case, maybe she decided she’ll just call when you get back and aren’t busy.”

“Probably,” Scully says, then sits back in the passenger seat and gazes out the window at the passing scenery.

He steals another glance at her, thinking about the heavy weight that hung over his brief conversation with his future mother-in-law on the phone the night before. It really had been a short talk, with her asking if he knew where Scully (rather, Dana) was, and then how he’s been doing since his unwitting brain surgery.

He made polite conversation, of course, but keeping such a gigantic secret from a woman like Margaret Scully has a way of making one feel guilty for things they aren’t even guilty of. If the call had gone on much longer, he fears he would have started confessing like a Catholic over the phone, and he couldn’t have that.

Clearing his throat, he asks, “You think we should tell her about us?” then quickly corrects, “I mean– the adoption, eloping…”

She shakes her head. “I don’t think so. Not yet,” she answers.

He shoots her another glance—only for a moment—but to be honest, that wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting.

“I know you said you don’t want a big wedding or anything, but if you want to tell her, you can. I doubt she’d give you any real trouble for it,” he reasons, having a hard time believing Mrs. Scully would be anything but supportive once everything has been explained to her.

“It’s not that. I just—” she struggles to explain. “With Emily, it was so stressful and confusing for her. I don’t want to put her through more of that unless…”

Ah.

He reaches over and places his hand on top of hers, which rests on her knee.

“Unless you’re absolutely sure this is going to work out,” he finishes, and she nods, grateful she doesn’t have to conjure the words herself.

“There are so many variables at play here, Mulder. Any one of them could go wrong,” she says. He knows she’s mentally making a list, calculating how likely each factor is to throw a wrench in their plans. She’d be here a while if she wanted to plan for every possibility, but that won’t stop her from trying, he knows.

He squeezes her hand once. “I hope you know that whatever happens, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not going anywhere.”

That earns a small smile, and she looks down at her lap in that way that she thinks hides her blush from him. Thankfully, it does no such thing.

“No, the Mulder variable is one that I have on good authority is fairly constant,” she says, not quite meeting his eyes.

“Oh? And are those findings available in a peer-reviewed journal article, Dr. Scully?” he teases back. “If you don’t cite your sources, I’m afraid your claims may be dismissed as unsubstantiated by the wider scientific community.”

“I’ll have to get back to you on that,” she says, “I’m still working on gathering all my evidence. Research takes time, you know.”

“Maybe run some more tests,” he suggests.

She reaches out, running a hand through his hair, gently brushing over the place where his head had been drilled into.

“I’ll try to keep it less invasive than your previous experiences,” she teases, a small smile pulling at her lips.

He breathes out a laugh, forcing his focus back on the road instead of on the feeling of her nimble fingers tousling his hair.

-.-.-

Their discussion picks up again on the plane, perhaps serving as a distraction for his partner who isn’t all that fond of flying.

“You agree with me, don’t you?” she asks.

He gives her a look, his best impression of the Skeptical Scully Brow.

“Is that a blanket statement? Because in general, no, I think that would be factually incorrect, Scully, that’s kind of our whole thing.”

“I mean,” she says, rolling her eyes, “that we should wait to tell people. At least my family.”

He turns toward her. That she’s bringing this up again shows that it’s something she’s really worried about. If it’s reassurance she needs, he’s happy to give it to her.

“Sure, Scully. You know them best.” Really it isn’t his place to decide this, but if she’s asking, maybe she wants it to be. They will, in a way, be his family too if all this works out.

She takes a deep breath, her usual flying anxiety momentarily forgotten in favor of whatever new kind of anxiety this was. “I just mean– If we even get approved, and if we get matched with someone… there’s always a chance the birth mother changes her mind at the last minute,” she says, talking through the scenario aloud. “This will be hard enough with just you and I to worry about. I don’t want to have to think about protecting my mother from heartbreak on top of everything else.”

He has to suppress a sigh on hearing her pessimistic view of what he’s hoping will be a very joyous process. But then again, this is what he loves about her. She’s the yin to his yang. The day to his night. Together, they cover all their bases, leaving no stone unturned in their search for the truth. Why should this be any different? He won’t get very far on nothing but blind hope. She’s here to ensure they are prepared for everything, come what may. Unfortunately, that means her taking on an extra burden of worry, one he hopes he might help alleviate.

“We can wait to tell them,” he vows, hoping that will put a stop to her spiraling. “I’m with you on this, don’t forget. We’re a team.”

She leans back, her head resting against the back of her seat, a sign he knows means she’s relaxing a little.

Success.

Still, the idea of telling no one at all feels dangerous. They need to have someone in their corner besides each other, for a whole slew of reasons. Character witness, taking time off work, filing necessary paperwork so that everything looks totally above board when they make it official… Really, there’s only one person he feels they have to tell, and that’s—

“What about Skinner?”

She turns her head to look at him, confusion playing on her face. “What about him?”

“I think we should tell him. Sooner than later.”

Maybe he should have planned out his pitch a little better. He can tell she’s not immediately drawn to the idea. He should have made up a list of reasons why it is a good plan, not just blurted out his half-formed thought before it was ready.

“But Mulder, what if they split us up?”

He turns in his seat, his attention intensifying. “That’s why we only tell Skinner. Ask him to keep it quiet in case things don’t work out.” She’s gonna need more than that. Think! Tap into those persuasive skills! "But, Scully, there’s going to be times we might have to take an afternoon off for a meeting or something. It will be easier if he knows.”

His focused gaze implores her to consider it.

“I won’t let him split us up. It won’t happen.”

He can’t promise that, she knows, but they know Skinner well enough by now, don’t they? Sure, there may have been times when their trust in him wasn’t so strong, but it has been years now. Surely he would keep this to himself if they asked, right?

“Okay. You’re right…” she says tentatively, turning over his proposition in her head. “Just Skinner. No one else?”

His pinkie finger finds its way to hers and nudges it playfully. When she looks up at him, he smiles.

“Just you, me, and our big, bald boss makes three.”

~~~

SURPRISE - that was a short chapter, so here's another to make up for it

Chapter 5/34 - rulebook

“Hold on, go back to the IVF,” the follically challenged Assistant Director says, his hands tented in front of him. His brows furrow in concentration, and he breathes deeply through his nose, looking up at the two agents across the desk from him. “In vitro fertilization, right? So you’re saying—”

“Agent Mulder and I attempted to conceive a child through scientific means last year, yes.”

Scully’s answer is straightforward, perhaps hoping it will be like ripping off a band-aid. Judging by his stoic reaction, his pursed lips, the vein popping out of his forehead… her nonchalance does not really soften the blow.

His gruff voice returns after a moment of staring at them, his expression unreadable. “Right. Okay. Just wanted to make sure I was understanding.”

“It was unsuccessful,” Scully offers, continuing. “The ova that were fertilized unfortunately were not viable, probably due to the inconsistent storage conditions in which Mulder found them.”

“Yes, that– that’s where you lost me. The part about your abduction and then the cancer…” He sets a hand on top of one of the files Mulder had brought him, as if any of the words in that folder made a lick of sense to him.

“Believe me, sir, it’s just about as confusing to us as it is to you,” Mulder says.

Skinner clears his throat, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“Well, I’m very sorry about what happened to you, Agent Scully. I suppose that also explains the existence of… well…”

Emily. A story he never had fully explained.

“Yes, Emily was somehow part of all this. She was an experiment, never meant for me to find.”

Skinner balls his hand into a fist, tamping down the rage he feels bubbling up inside. “These men need to pay. What they’ve done to you– to you both… ”

“With all due respect, sir,” Mulder breaks in, “we’re not here to talk about revenge. We’re just trying to move forward.”

That’s… a surprisingly healthy outlook, coming from Mulder. What had Scully done to him? Whatever it was, the man owed her a heckuva lot more than whatever her last birthday and Christmas gifts had been.

“Of course, I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “So, what is it that you were asking for?”

The two basement-dwelling agents glance at each other, words being passed unspoken between them. It’s unnerving, the way they do that. Downright spooky.

Evidently, they come to the decision that it’s Mulder who should say the next part.

“Well, since we’re looking into adoption, sir, we thought it might be easier if we got married.”

Silence fills the room, an inadvertent staredown commencing between all parties.

“Married.”

Mulder nods. “That’s right.”

Scully is sitting bolt upright in her chair, a picture of professionalism on the surface, but in conjunction with the topic of discussion, it feels distinctly forced. Mulder, on the other hand, is bouncing his knee so severely that it’s a wonder he hasn’t worn a hole in the carpet below him yet.

“We just don’t want there to be any issues here on the bureaucratic side of things, if at all possible,” Mulder adds. “In fact, we’d prefer to keep this quiet, at least until we know if this will work.”

Skinner presses his lips together, shifting his gaze between them once again.

“Well, your personal relationship will have to be disclosed to HR at some point. I can pull some strings—”

“Sir—”

“Although it would have been good to know a little earlier on. Say, around the time you were making some pretty serious medical decisions that may have affected your ability to do your jobs…”

“Sir, I—”

Mulder’s attempts to interrupt go unnoticed.

“You know, I have to commend you. You’ve really kept up appearances around here. I had my suspicions, of course, but you continued on like normal, I almost wouldn’t have guessed—”

“Sir, we’re not actually… together.” Finally, Mulder is able to get the words out, leaving an awkward hush in their wake.

Skinner leans forward, turning his ear toward the younger man as if he hadn’t heard him the first time. “What do you mean?”

A pink tinge blooms on Mulder’s cheeks. “We’re not– Sir, this marriage is a formality, to make the application process easier and hopefully give us better chances of getting approved.”

“A formality,” Skinner repeats.

“Yes. We– We’re just trying to do whatever’s best to improve the odds that this works out.”

One of these days he’s just going to disappear to Cancún. Seriously, he’ll do it. This can’t be good for his health. He suppresses a groan, storing up a massive eye roll for whenever these two idiots leave the room. Only they could think up something like getting married and adopting a child platonically . Not to mention everything else they’d evidently been doing when left to their own devices.

“Right. That’s– Okay, sure. So then, the IVF…”

Scully pipes up. “I asked Mulder, and he agreed to help me.”

“As a friend?” He feels like this bears clarification.

“Is there something against that in the rulebook?” Mulder asks challengingly.

The look he gives them in return is withering. “I don’t think there’s a rulebook for all the insane stuff you two get up to, but I might have to make one, after this.” The two of them have the decency to look chastised at this, though he knows from experience it will do no good in the long run. “You know this is not normal, right?”

“Come on, Skinner, when have I ever been referred to as normal?” Mulder laughs.

“ You , I might expect this from,” he says, pointing a finger in his direction. “It’s Agent Scully that surprises me. You’ve really done a number on her, haven’t you?”

He takes a little solace in the fact that all this IVF business happened under Kersh’s watch, not his own. Imagine if it had worked…

“Will you help us or not, sir?” Scully asks, impatience beginning to make her uneasy in her seat.

He waves a hand in the air. “Yeah, yeah. I thought this day might come at some point, but… definitely not like this.” His mind is wandering already, thinking back to any signs he might have missed, things that may have gone wrong in his career to lead him to this exact moment. “You have my blessing, or whatever it is you came to get from me. You need anything, just ask.”

Scully lets out a sigh, and her shoulders visibly relax.

Mulder moves to stand without another moment’s hesitation, bouncing up with far more energy than a man of his age should have. “Thank you, sir. I promise, this is the last time we ask you to cover for us.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Agent Mulder,” Skinner warns, though his words contain no malice. If anything, he’s resigned.

As much as these two make him tear his hair out (what little he has left), he holds a certain fondness for them that is undeniable.

“And, hey– I’m happy for you. Seriously. The things I’ve seen you go through over the years, everything you’ve lost… You deserve this. Even if I don’t understand it.”

Mulder holds out a hand for him to shake. “Skinner. Thank you. Really.”

He nods. “Good luck with everything. And if you need any advice on adoption, my ex-wife’s sister has gone through it before. I can get you in touch, if you want.”

“We’d really appreciate that.”

They’re gone before he knows it, heads bent toward each other in secretive conversation before they’re even out of sight.

Skinner lets out the eye roll from earlier, leaning back in his desk chair in exhaustion.

They’d figure it out sooner or later, of that he is certain. It’s just taking a little longer than he expected, that’s all.

-.-.-

"I want to get married Christmas Eve."

The proposition comes out of nowhere on a Thursday afternoon, and Mulder nearly spills his coffee mug all over his desk instead of setting it down gently like he was trying to do.

"Next week?" he sputters, the burning liquid nearly going down the wrong pipe.

She purses her lips. "...That's when Christmas is, yeah Mulder."

"I knew there was a reason that guy on the street corner with the bell was dressed as Santa Claus," he jokes, wiping a few splattered droplets of coffee from his tie.

"Mulder..."

"Okay, okay,” he says, dropping the jokester act. “But don't you want to spend the day with your family?" he asks.

She shrugs. "Maybe.” Her eyes are locked on the desk in front of her, pointedly avoiding his concerned look. “I'll go for a little while, but they don't... understand me like they used to. Maybe it's just me, but when I'm with them for too long, I get this sense that they're... afraid of me. Or somehow uncomfortable around me. Ever since Emily..."

He stops her. "That's their problem, Scully. I'm sure they don't mean it."

"I know, it's just... hard."

He bites down on his bottom lip to hold back the slew of words he'd like to say to Bill Scully, Jr. He knows that's not what Scully needs right now, as much as it would make him feel better to have a go at him.

"Is that why you went ghostbusting with me last Christmas?" he asks, his heart softening at the thought.

"I don't know, maybe a little,” she shrugs. “It helped get my mind off things." She looks embarrassed to admit such a thing, but it only serves to make his heart twist in his chest.

"Well, too bad we don't have more time to plan. Could have had a Christmas Eve wedding in a haunted house," he deadpans.

This succeeds in getting her to look at him, and she emits a nervous giggle he doesn't often hear. "Absolutely not.”

He grins, leaning back in his chair and twirling a pencil between his fingers. "Come on, don't you think Maurice and Lyda would like to know we’re getting married? I'm sure they'd have a field day with all our issues from the past year."

"Stop it, that didn't really happen."

"Well even if it didn't, I found it enlightening."

"Good for you. No, the courthouse will be fine."

They fall silent, the jovial atmosphere settling.

"And you don't want to invite your family?” he asks, clarifying. "Since they'll be in town?"

She shakes her head. "No, I think it should be just us."

Just us. He likes the sound of that. But still, one problem remains—

"Alright, so let me get this straight... you want to get married—to me—the one day a year your brother is in town? Are you trying to get me killed?"

Her lips quirk up at the corners. "He won't find out, Mulder."

"You like the danger of it, don't you?” he teases, leaning toward her. “You're a rebel at heart. I knew it. Probably snuck out every night in high school to run around with Johnny from the football team."

She stares at him unwaveringly, not dignifying him with a response. "Is it a yes or a no?" she asks, arms crossed in front of her.

He sobers, meeting her eyes with startling honesty. "I'll marry you any day of the year, Scully,” he says, and it's the truth. It has been the truth for years now. “Just remind me to wear a cup in case he figures it out."

"You're ridiculous."

-.-.-

The next week passes in a blur. Arrangements are made, paperwork acquired, work winds down for the holidays, and for once, Mulder isn't bored out of his mind this time of year.

"I was thinking… for tomorrow..." her voice crackles over the phone.

"Not having second thoughts, are you?" Mulder asks, his tone light and teasing despite the tinge of genuine concern he tamps down.

"No, of course not,” she assures him. “I was thinking, I'll need an excuse to leave Christmas at my mom's."

"No problem,” he says with a shrug. “I'll give you a call and make up some case we have to work."

He hears her sigh and gets the distinct impression that his suggestion was somehow wrong. "I can't ask you to do that,” she says. “They already blame you for last year."

"Gee, that's reassuring,” he chuckles, leaning back on his leather sofa. He adjusts the phone cradle on his chest, stretching the power cord to its limits.

"Not all of them, but, you know—"

"Bill."

"Yeah."

He waits for a second, but when she offers no further thoughts, he asks, "Then what do you suggest?"

She waits a moment more before responding.

"Before you say anything, just listen to what I have to say…”

Oh boy.

"Why does that not give me a good feeling?" he muses aloud, his fingers twirling and tangling with the cord on the phone.

"The only way for you to be in the clear is if you're... with me, when we get called away."

"Scully—"

"We can just leave straight from her house, it's closer anyway."

"All excellent points, except for one thing..."

"Skinner can call us in."

Silence. He wants to argue but he can't.

"He already knows what's happening, I'm sure he'd be happy to help us," she reasons.

"I'm not gonna be able to talk myself out of this, am I?" he asks, a wry smile on his face. He's all out of excuses.

"Mulder, if this works out... Well, there's a chance that by this time next year, we'll be a... family... of some sort, anyway. You might have to get used to it."

The word family sends a thrill right through him. He never thought he'd have one of those again. Never in a million years.

"You're right,” he says regretfully, running a hand over his face. “And it's not that I don't like your family, Scully, it's just I'm not sure they like me back."

"My mom loves you,” she says decisively. “And we'll only be there a few hours anyway. The courthouse closes early for the holiday."

He closes his eyes. He can't believe he's about to agree to this.

"Alright, I'll go. Just so you can get your thrill in doing something wildly irresponsible and rebellious right under your mother's nose."

She protests, "That's not why I—"

"I know you, Scully,” he teases. “You're not as strait-laced as you like to pretend."

After they hang up, Mulder stares up at the ceiling, lost in thought. His stomach flutters with nerves, unrelated to his worries about crashing a family gathering in the morning.

‘I am getting married tomorrow,’ he thinks. To Dana Scully.

It's a Christmas miracle.

~~~

Lovely tag list ♡: [if you would like to be added or removed, let me know!]

@today-in-fic @ao3feed-msr @agent-troi @angegova @baronessblixen @calimanc @captainsolocide @cutemothman @danasculls @deathsbestgirl @edierone @enigmaticxbee @figureofdismay @frogsmulder @hippocampouts @invidiosa @monaiargancoconutsoy @numinousmysteries @primrose19 @randomfoggytiger @skelavender @skylarksong @slippinmickeys @stephy-gold @teenie-xf @the-redhead-in-a-dress @vincentsleftear @whovianderson

#msr #txf #x files #xf fanfic #mulder and scully #my fanfiction #fox mulder #dana scully #of our own making #ooom #msr adoption fic #adoption

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odinsblog · 10 months ago

Text

The website, https://whichfaceisreal.com tests your ability to detect a.i. generated faces. In the pictures above, at least 4 of the faces are real. But which ones?

The website first surfaced about 5 years ago, but it’s new to me, so I thought I’d give it a try. I was doing pretty good at guessing the real face vs. the a.i. generated fake faces … until I started getting most of them wrong and doing really badly.

Anyway, it’s on all of us now. Confirmation bias is real, and you are not immune to propaganda (me neither). Don’t believe everything you see or hear. Slow down before sharing a viral social media post, because it just might be fake. Look for reliable sources; sources that cite sources and quickly post retractions if they’ve made a mistake.

We are going to have to step up our media literacy game (and laws) regarding deepfakes. I recently posted about deepfakes of Richard Nixon and Joe Biden, but those were illustrative; intentionally made with poor quality to drive home a point. There have been more insidious deepfakes, like the one with Bella Hadid saying she supports Israel, even though she’s known for having a history of outspoken support of Palestine. 🇵🇸

With sO many important democratic elections coming up this year, I think that we’re going to be missing “the good old days” when all you had to do was be able to detect if something was photoshopped or not. We are going to need a revised + updated version of media literacy for the new century.

This post is not interactive, but if you’re curious about the faces shown above, the answers (real or fake) are beneath the page break. But before you look at the answers, did you guess correctly, or were you fooled?

#politics #deepfakes #misinformation #media literacy #disinformation #chatgpt #palestine #gaza #sudan #congo #election 2024

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thelostgirl21 · 2 months ago

Text

You know, it occured to me that I should really let people fight their own battles.

So I've sent this messages (under the cut) here.

If it bothers his publishers, or Mr. Sapkowski himself in any way, given that the Witcher wikipedia apparently gave Netflix their own page when they came asking politely, I'm sure they won't mind doing the same for Mr. Sapkowski.

And if Mr. Sadkowski's people don't see any issue in having a single page blending books canon and games canon in the intro, and/or believe the way that the references are indicated are more than enough to ensure that the people looking at the wiki can quickly and clearly make the difference between what's part of the books and what's part of the games, I'll just have to let it go!

That being said, kudos to that "Wiki Specialist / Bureaucrat" for their patience and kindness in that conversation (and very lenghty answers... I've never had a moderator on any wikipedia devote so much time to answering me. I'm very impressed, actually.)

The fact remains that those decisions don't rely on a single person, and they pretty much have to convince the vast majority of the people working on the wiki that something is problematic and that those changes are indeed needed. So, it's not like they could have just gone "Of course! Just let me go and fix this right away!" whether they agreed with me, or not.

Some of the arguments they gave me might not even have been their own (when you're part of the group, you represent the group).

So yeah, I think that's probably the most productive / potentially effective approach, if I'm remotely hoping to actually fix anything.

And if it doesn't work, well, at least I'll know I've tried...

Hi,

I would like to bring your attention to a particular situation with the way that the current Witcher's wikipedia is run, that I believe is currently contributing to the misrepresentation of the content of Mr. Sapkowski's books in the media.

Essentially, instead of having chosen to adopt the model most often used by fandom wikipedias, where the source material has its own page, and each franchise/adaptation of that source material also have their own pages, the people in charge of the general Witcher's wikipedia have chosen a different approach, quote: "the idea when we started overhauling bios for characters was to make them read like an actual bio. Thus, we refrain from referencing the books, games, shows, and other adaptations within them as the focus is to summarize the character/their importance to the overall lore (the witcher lore is more than just the canon books). The only exceptions are items or crucial gameplay features where bios aren't as important as just providing quick game info for those needing game assistance.

[…] If there's anything to take away from this, you have to remember this wiki is about the witcher, not just the canon books, but the entire witcher lore and universe. We are not purist: that means all the adaptations, both canon and non-canon, are allowed here. Everyone appreciates the rich and in-depth Witcher series by Sapkowski. We also respect his thoughts that none of the other adaptations are canon to those novels and try to re-affirm that whenever it gets brought up. However, the witcher lore has been greatly expanded on by others with his approval/licensing and has also helped not only bring to life the witcher but also greatly expanded the witcher universe. To deny all the work by others (and let's face, many cite the CDPR games as the reason his books even soared in popularity outside Poland) would be a disservice to those who helped bring it to life and those looking for a complete picture of the entire lore (regardless which adaptation it came from)."

This was in response to me pointing out to them that the way their wikipedia has been designed (here is how it looked before I started trying to edit it: https://imgur.com/a/old-version-yZN6sd4 ), with the "game canon warning" placed where it was at some point in the biography, suggested that everything that had appeared before it (including the introduction paragraph that mixed both books lore, and videogames lore) were ALL part of Sapkowski's books, when that is not the case (here is a compilation of every reference that I was able to find about Radovid in the books, for your convenience: https://imgur.com/a/AbGA9eL ).

And that this confusion - regarding what is part of the books and what was written for the videogames by CD Projekt Red on the main Wikipedia page - has lead to at least 7 articles like this one pictured here ( https://imgur.com/a/CmOP41q , source: https://screenrant.com/the-witcher-king-radovid-future-books-games-comparison/ ), where game content has been erronously attributed directly to Andrzej Sapkowski.

All 7 articles can be found here: https://collider.com/the-witcher-season-3-jaskier-radovid-romance/ https://www.looper.com/1364442/why-the-witcher-season-breakup-radovid-and-jaskier-romance/ https://screenrant.com/the-witcher-season-3-prince-radovid-books-games-changes/ https://screenrant.com/the-witcher-king-radovid-future-books-games-comparison/ https://screenrant.com/the-witcher-season-3-king-radovid-age-story-different/ https://www.dualshockers.com/the-witcher-season-3-prince-radovid/ https://www.dualshockers.com/the-witcher-season-3-jaskier-radovid-relationship/

Though there may be more (Let's say I didn't do much digging to find them).

They also argued that "there are more than just Netflix and CDPR game adaptations and not all of them are confirmed canon to each other. For example, there's Polish comics that are also not canon, there is the original Hexer show and movie that the author has distanced himself from (but was created so the info still gets added here), the pen-and-paper games, and even non-canon and non-witcher books Sapkowski has written but still touched on topics within his witcher universe. In short it wouldn't be a simple "just 3 tabs" because the way you're wanting to split all info out, it'd be at least: canon books, CDPR games/Dark Horse comics/Gwent, Polish comics, non-canon books, Netflix's show, Hexer show/movie, pen-and-paper games, etc.. In short, this would be very impractical and create a lot of nearly empty pages (there are times where the books themselves only mentioned a sentence or two of something that got greatly expanded on in other adaptations). The main reason Netflix is its own tab is because that was requested by Netflix and it made more sense as the show progressed as they altered a lot of information to the point they were completely new bios (as opposed to just adding details in where gaps were to fit their narrative, like with CDPR's adaptation)."

So, here was my last answer to them:

Except the books are the source material, they are not adaptations of Mr Sapkowski's work!

In the examples you've given me:

The books and the added material Sapkowski wrote (like the details about legacies) are all part of the same lore / universe.

The videogames / gwent, etc. are all part of CDPR's own lore / universe.

"The Witcher", "Blood Origins", "Nightmare of the Wolf" are all part of Netflix's own lore / universe.

And then, you have "other adaptations", that are part of their own smaller universes, that could either have their own pages, or share one bigger page with a different section for each.

If you want to organize it into tabs, you would have:

Tab 1: The original franchise (with its own world / lore).

Tab 2: The videogame adaptation franchise (with its own world / lore).

Tab 3: The Netflix TV show franchise (with it's own world / lore).

Tab 4: The "standalones".

This is how most fandom Wikipedias are built, actually.

They are usually divided by franchises and recognize that each of them are their own distinct entities.

Not by mixing all together a bunch of different franchises that are not owned by the same people, and are not telling the same stories!

And Mr Sapkowski having sold the rights to videogame writers to create their own franchise from his own work, by borrowing any element from his books that they want, does not give CDPR the right to claim that their videogames are part of the same lore / world / franchise as Sapkowski's books (despite a lot of elements having been integrally borrowed from the books)!

Far from it!

And this shouldn't give the right to fans to blend his characters with the videogame characters, either, by using excuses such as "the videogame writers didn't diverge from what Sapkowski wrote to create their own character, therefore it's okay for us to absorb the book character into the videogame's, and treat that character as a single entity in the Wikipedia, rather than two completely different characters existing each in their two separate worlds".

And/or "since the page on the book section of the wiki would be just a small paragraph, it's better to make the CDPR character absorb them and treat what Sapkowski wrote as a simple template for the videogame character, rather than a full fledged book character, belonging to its own independent world/franchise!"

In the case of Radovid, for example, in the physical appearance section, it states he is bald.

Not:

Book: N/A

Games: Bald.

They aren't the same characters and they do not share the same continuity / world / lore / franchise, and yet, it has been decided that, because the videogame filled in blanks that Sapkowski never filled, he's officially bald!

We are treating the books and the videogames as a single franchise / entity where, if nothing was specified by Sapkowski about a specific aspect of the character, then who he is and what he looks like can be determined by CDPR.

And Sapkowski has never authorized the fans of his books to treat his work as belonging to the same franchise as the videogames, and in filling in any blanks that he didn't fill himself with someone else's work.

You can do it in your own fanfiction and headcanons because those aren't meant to accurately report or describe someone else's work, and they are personal to each fan.

But Wikipedia pages aren't supposed to be fanfiction.

Right now, regardless of all those added references, that's what Radovid's main page looks like: fans taking a character from an independent book franchise (the original material, no less) and using material from one of its adaptations (the CDPR one) to fill in the blanks and create their own mixed together version of the character!

Sapkowski is not David Gaider, that wrote stories and characters directly for "Dragon Age", and then published novels (prequels, sequels, etc.) that all exist as part of the same franchise.

In that situation, it makes perfect sense to put all the information gathered across books and games together as a single "Dragon Age" Wikipedia page for a character.

They share the same lore/world/franchise.

But here, we have three big franchises (Sapkowski's books a.k.a. the original, the CDPR games, and the Netflix TV show), that all belong to different people.

Even I only personally learnt that Mr. Sapkowski was not a "Polish David Gaider" thanks to the show, because until then, I thought that he was something like "The Witcher's lead videogame writer" that had written novels about it!

A lot of game fans are still under that impression and, the way "The Witcher" 's Wikipedia is built, treating everything as a single franchise all sharing the same lore on its page (if that's what you're saying), is extremely confusing for fans because they start thinking that the books and the games are all part of one single big franchise all sharing the same lore, that "Netflix has the chosen to disrespect"!

Netflix asking for their own page sadly only reinforced that belief.

But, at the same time, they are not part of the same franchises, so what were they supposed to do?

I don't remember having ever come across a Wikipedia that had appropriated the source material (the books) to give it to another franchise/universe (the games) in such a way as it is done here, to attempt to integrate game content into Sapkowski's universe.

Usually, on a fandom wiki dealing with more than a single version of a world/franchise based on a series of novels, you will have a specific section for the novels (source material), a section for the TV show and any graphic novels or novels written specifically for the world of the show (the adaptation), a section for the movie (another adaptation), etc.

For example, see "Jace Herondale" here ( https://shadowhunters.fandom.com/wiki/Jace_Herondale )? Under his info box you have:

Jace of Thule ( https://shadowhunters.fandom.com/wiki/Janus )

TV Jace ( https://shadowhunterstv.fandom.com/wiki/Jace_Herondale )

Film Jace ( https://shadowhunters.fandom.com/wiki/Film:Jace_Wayland )

This is usually how it is done when you want to respect and honor the integrity of the source material, and ensure it doesn't accidentally get erased / confused / absorbed into other people's work (or other people's work don't end up being added to it when the author has explicitly said they want to avoid it happening), and even avoid potential legal troubles (should the owner of the original material realize that their own original work is being absorbed into other people's work).

Because authors tolerate fandom activity as long as it benefits them and does not threaten the integrity of their work.

If characters from the books had their own pages, things like these articles I showed you would be a lot less likely to happen.

Because a quick search in "The Witcher" wikipedia would have brought these authors right to the "Books Radovid" 's page, and the way he's portrayed in the books would have been clearly written there.

I genuinely do not understand why "The Witcher" fans apparently care so little about preserving the integrity of the author's work in the fandom and in the media, that they think giving Andrzej Sapkowski's franchise (characters, lore…) its own standalone page for his characters, locations, etc. would be the same as giving "Gwent" its own page!"

Gwent belongs to CDPR!

"The Lady of the Lake" doesn't belong to CDPR! It belongs to Andrzej Sapkowski.

Do you see the difference, and how that argument fails to stand?

The books, as the source material, are more than deserving of their own Wikipedia pages.

If Sapkowski's books do not deserve their own pages on "The Witcher" wiki, free of additions taken from other people's adaptations (that the author keeps insisting are not part of the stories he wishes to tell), who does?"

And the answer I got was:

"I do really appreciate your thoughts on this, however as noted previously, we've already discussed this topic several times at length among admins and moderators over the years, and each time the majority have agreed it's best to keep the information as it is currently set/on one cohesive page with markers and refs. If anything changes in the future, we’ll be sure to revisit this topic and make any necessary adjustments as needed. For now though, most people reviewing the wiki (i.e., not those using bots to auto summarize) can easily distinguish between the canon books and other adaptations, and many in the community already know Sapkowski's stance so any newcomers to the lore generally are quick to learn this themselves. I thank you for your understanding!"

(Here is the link to the entire conversation: https://witcher.fandom.com/wiki/Message_Wall:Mechemik?threadId=4400000000000064664 )

From this conversation, we already know that when Netflix came knocking at their door, requesting that they be granted their own page on the Wikipedia, they complied.

So I figured, instead of continuing to argue with them, I would bring this issue directly to you.

That way, you'll be free to evaluate the situation, and decide if any action seems necessary.

Thank you, and wishing you to have a wonderful day!

#Radovid #Adventures in Wikipedia editing #The Conclusion!#Of that specific chapter at least #The rest #if it ever leads to anything #will be out of my own hands...#Tons of spoilers for the books!#Again!#My Thoughts #Sort of...

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unclekaz · 2 months ago

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What drove you to write about a big fluffy bunny man and his twig blood-soaked husband? What's the most unexpected thing that you did in said work that surprised yourself?

that's a really good question actually. unfortunately my answer to the first one might sound a bit weird

(yes i had to segment these because it's a great question)

i actually don't really identify much with springtrap fans! im a homosexual man and i always felt like i liked springtrap for different reasons than everyone else, that being i always liked imagining him wearing aprons and cooking pancakes from the springtrap and delilah series - BUT he's completely harmless and just happy to be a house husband!

i never actually used ao3 until i started writing except for one instance, which was to look for springtrap fanfiction to see if anyone shared my feelings because QUICKLY discovering that i should've learned how to block tags before i saw some grotesque things

so i figured y'know. i want to see a plus-sized springtrap that is relatively harmless and just moreso the residential housekeeper husband! so i started writing, rest is history.

as for the blood-soaked twig husband, i also wanted to do a little spin on the whole slasher villain thing that springtrap is known for. what if the bunny was harmless, but his boyfriend (remember: gay) was the murderer instead? so, in came Nolan Williams.

i never actually planned anything in the series except for a few fics forward, but i did very explicitly want to write the fic where Nolan kills the employee doing a wellness check outside Fazbear Frights. i felt like that was the perfect way to illustrate that the series was NOT about what i saw as the majority of springtrap content, instead a way to say "this is what i want to do!"

unfortunately i can't really rabble off inspirations for what made Nolan into a very unique character, but i do have a few references. Aiden Pearce, who was kinda inspired by Christian Bale Batman and Dexter Morgan, was the main inspiration for Nolan Williams. that, combined with all the action dudebro games i played growing up like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed led Nolan into becoming a critique of hypermasculinity through his gender identity, for an example of how his character was developed!

as for surprising myself, i don't really feel too shocked outside of inherently weird things such as how Nolan and Springtrap have their routine oral examinations and the like. i could probably point to a lot of the unspoken intricacies such as Seigman's telekinesis, Nolan meeting the ghosts of the children that William accidentally killed with his Remnant experimentation, the ENTIRETY of how i wrote Remnant, the prophecy of The Marked One, the entire death trial thing that Nolan went through.. yeah (:

unfortunately i just can't answer that specific question because the series is so jarring and bewildering that it's just. impossible for me to cite something that shocked me! not forgetting nolan's ability to resurrect, alongside many other unspoke feats about himself. if you want a direct source of why this insanity is normal to me, id point you towards the Assassin's Creed games as they're just as insane as my series

as a closer, if you've always wanted to know why Nolan chooses to bite his tongue so much? Call of Duty had a prolonged stint of having silent protagonists. that's why his internal monologues are his main source of emotion for the reader, because otherwise he'd kinda just be standing there like an idiot-

so in reality. nolan is the way he is, because there are games where the only thing you see of your character are their military gloves.

#ask questions #ask me anything #send asks #fnaf #springtrap #fnaf fandom #fnaf springtrap #five nights at freddy's #springtrap fic #fic drabble #ao3 #ao3 writer #ao3feed

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counterpunches · 1 year ago

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Punches, I know this is completely out of the blue, but I know you're a lowercase "l" librarian and an uppercase "A" Archivist so I wanted to toss a question your way.

I had a conversation with someone who claimed that the Oxford Dictionary was, essentially, not a good resource for accurately defining current slang. This came up because I Google'd the definition of a term, the result of which this person didn't find accurate. I acquiesced that maybe it wasn't perfect since language can and does move faster than documentation, but that it was still completely fair to cite. This person utterly snubbed such reasoning, saying to cite Urban Dictionary instead.

I know Urban Dictionary just fine, and agree it's a decent resource for quickly emerging and very new slang, but the complete toss out the window of Oxford really threw me for a loop. Any thoughts what resources might be best in this day and age for defining words - classic dictionary or crowd sourced? Also, when I say "cite" I'm not talking about any kind of academic paperwork, I mean in a typical "oh hey what does that word mean again?" kind of way.

Also I promise I'm not some word snob, I've just never heard anyone discard the dictionary so casually and confidently before. Oxford or otherwise.

Totally fine to answer publicly or privately btw

Oh man this is an excellent question and such a fun one to get!

You're correct in identifying me as lowercase 'l' librarian, so please take my response with a book of salt.

However! As an Archivist, I can speak to the topic at hand and say you're correct in that language evolves and changes faster than documentation. There's a concept in archives I always blank on (something doctrine? literary merit?) which basically proposes that certain terms have to come from the outside organically at which point the Library of Congress documents the change with an official subject category. Ground-up instead of top-down.

In many ways this strikes me as a similar situation with slang terms. There's no way the OED can keep up, the way the system works and is built just doesn't account for that. There are rules about how/when a word can be officially added and there are good reasons for that. That said, other resources have popped up, namely Urban Dictionary and others. But also Urban Dictionary isn't always the most reliable having multiple definitions that sometimes counter each other and don't necessarily have reliable sources given its crowdsourced nature.

Often I've found Merriam-Webster online to have some slang terms. It seems like a good middle ground between the the OED and UD. Tossing out the OED entirely seems silly to me, especially since language can be very cyclical and often the etymology of a word can come into contemporary play and the OED is very good at word history. ('Got the morbs' for example, becoming popular again ironically (not ironically?) in the post-everything era.)

As with most things, having multiple sources is usually a good idea anyway so tell your friend to get off their high-brow (low-brow?) horse and that the OED is still perfectly fine to reference, even for slang.

#punchy answers #language!#hope this helps!

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writtengalaxies · 2 years ago

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*crashes through the door, leaves a me-shaped imprint behind*

Have you ever gotten any requests for Marvin? I can’t remember. If you have, it’s not many, so I’m here to change that! Magic mans valentines, pretty please?

Quill, lovingly, you utter simp. <3

[Valentine's Requests are open!]

The magician and you had just barely begun to date, and Valentine's was approaching quickly. You had met briefly a couple of times before you two had ended up on a couple of coffee dates, then more serious date-dates. You were excited, looking forward to your first year spending the holiday of love with a partner. Marvin only told you he did simple magic tricks, some stagework with playing cards mostly. He was largely quiet about a lot of his life, always citing "a magician never reveals his secrets", but would answer you about all the little things, the things that actually mattered. But he wouldn't say anything about his work, wouldn't allow you to go to any of his shows.

"Not yet," he'd always cite, kissing your knuckles with a playful glimmer in his eye.

But there was one thing you were still nervous about.

Your secret admirer.

In the years past, you enjoyed finding the discovery outside your door of a single lily and a card. Inside was always a sweet affirmation, always signed with a little cat face and nothing else. It always appeared on Valentine's Day, and had for a few years now. Would that still be true this year? Would your secret admirer still leave a card and flower, would Marvin be okay with it?

You paced near the door on Valentine's morning, worry biting at your stomach, concern in your throat. Do you open the door? What if the card wasn't there? Why did you feel disappointed at the possibility that it wasn't? But what would Marvin think, you getting a card from an unknown source...

You heard a knock on the door, your heart racing now. That was going to be Marvin, you knew it. He was going to take you on a date today, a surprise he had spent putting together.

Worrying your lip, you took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and opened the door. Whatever would happen, would happen.

And what did happen was blinking in surprise at the white cat mask covering your boyfriend's face, and the armful of lilies he held out to you now.

"...Marv?"

"Surprise!" He pushed the mask up, revealing the slowly blooming blush over his cheeks. "I...I wanted to do this big surprise reveal, but...I...got worried that you wouldn't..."

"You've...been my secret admirer?"

"...Yes." He looked honestly bashful, a far cry from the normal confidence he held himself with. "I...wasn't sure how to tell you, so I...I thought this would be the best way, and--"

He didn't get to finish his sentence, with the force of your joyful kiss.

#my writing #valentines requests #jacksepticeye egos #jacksepticegos #marvin the magnificent #marvin x reader #magic little meow meow #askbox and you shall receive

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silverjojo08 · 6 months ago

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how does one get into superhero comics (speaking as a complete newbie) I'm currently watching "My Adventures with Superman" and I feel like such a noob with so many of the references flying over my head lol.

I love this question, and truly there's no wrong answer. If nothing else, I think it's important to not get too self-conscious about not knowing stuff and just jump in. DC (and Marvel) comics will often reference things that you haven't read and like 9 times out of 10 it will not be required to understand the story you're currently reading (similar to MAWS that you're enjoying), and for that remaining 10% they will show a brief flashback scene and also cite specifically what issue you can revisit to read the referenced scene if you want. But they do their best to make it so that if you pick up any arc you can have some context for what you're reading right then and there. You basically never have to do a ton of backreading if you don't want.

More under the cut, this got long lol.

As far as literally where to start: if you just google for like "best DC comic stories" types of lists you will find structurally some of the best comics the medium has to offer. Like I know there was a huge poll on the DC subreddit that folks came together to make a year or so ago. You may not (probably won't) like them all, and that's ok! You don't even have to read them all. The point of doing such a thing is for you to generally find your personal taste and learn more creators and more characters so you can then begin to decide what to read without a list. It will also help you build a sense of reading comprehension for sequential visual storytelling (if you read indie stuff or manga already you will be able to catch on very quickly in this regard since it's the same stuff).

For Superman specifically: A tie-in comic to MAWS recently started and it's written by one of the writers of the show too (Josie Campbell). It has only one issue so far, but I found it to be very much in the vein of the series and a nice read I started with the Up, Up, and Away arc by Busiek, Johns (he's kind of a scumbag, google for behind the scenes JL movie stuff if that's a concern), Woods, and Guedes. It is kind of old at this point (almost 20 years), but it's a banger to me and you might enjoy it. A lot of lists for Superman have a lot of origin stories which is fine (Birthright would be my recommendation there), but I don't think you have to get too caught up in trying to follow a 80 year old character "from the beginning". Superman Smashes the Klan is another banger that is more standalone too if you want something shorter.

As far as where to get comics: of course I'm going to tell you to go to the comic shop because small businesses need as many of us out there and honestly locally folks are often happy to suggest what they like as well to a newcomer. If you are in the US many public libraries are partnered with hoopla digital and you can get many, MANY comics there to read. And of course there is piracy: no shame in that but make sure you have something like Ublock Origin protecting your computer as your browse sketchy resources. Digital comics can be purchased on Amazon and Google Play Books in most regions. InStockTrades is an online retailer that has good sales on comic (and manga) physical collections.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask more. I love helping people get into what I love. And truly we all had to start somewhere.

(side note: My journey to comics was actually similar to you. I watched Superman Returns (after having watched other DC stuff like Smallville and JLU) and then just got kind of obsessed enough to read a bunch of fanfics and then be like "but wait, what's all this then" and had to dig into the source.)

#asks answered #detective comics comics

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46ten · 2 years ago

Text

AH’s political prospects in 1798; Or, how a white man continually falls upwards

It’s a bit difficult to gauge the real-time reaction and consequences of AH’s late August 1797 publication of the Reynolds Pamphlet. We have newspaper articles, sure, and scattered letters here and there.

But this is even more interesting: Kaminski and Levinson (Levinson is a lawyer and publisher at statutesandstories.com; Kaminski is Founder and Director of the Center for the Study of the American Constitution at UWisc) published a blog post last year confirming that AH’s “secret” (all the discussions were supposed to be secret) plan, delivered on June 18, 1787 at the Constitutional Convention, was leaked and published in early 1798.

Kaminski and Levinson continue:

James Madison’s Convention notes were not published until 1840, after his death as the last surviving member of the Philadelphia Convention. Accordingly, historians have generally assumed that the full text of the Hamilton Plan only became public in 1840 after Madison’s death. As set forth below, recently rediscovered sources prove that the verbatim text of the Hamilton Plan was leaked to the press in January of 1798, during the vitriolic newspaper war of the 1790s.

[From Benjamin Franklin Bache’s Aurora on January 13, 1798]: The following document, which so complete unmasks the political character of the man who has been most instrumental in entailing on the United States those pernicious systems under which they now groan, comes to us thro’ a certain tho’ indirect channel, from a member of the Grand Convention.

...It has recently been discovered that after the Aurora published Hamilton’s Plan several Democratic-Republican newspapers quickly followed suit. In early 1798 the following newspapers republished the Hamilton Plan as a means of “unmasking” and attacking Hamilton’s “political character” as a monarchist:

Greenleaf’s New York Journal, January 17, 1798

The Alexandria Advertiser, January 23, 1798

The Independent Chronicle, January 25, 1798

The Bee, January 31, 1798

The Albany Register, February 2, 1798

The Poughkeepsie Journal, March 13, 1798

Whether Madison personally authorized the leak will require additional scholarship, which will be discussed in the pending book, My Most Ardent Wish: New discoveries and insights into the framing of the Constitution.

In the months to follow Statutesandstories.com and the Center for the Study of the American Constitution invite scholars to join in a deep dive into the Madison, Jefferson and Monroe papers looking for clues as to the reason(s) for releasing the confidential Hamilton Plan. While generations of historians and biographers have written about the growing schism between Madison and Hamilton, as far as can be determined no biographer has cited the leak of the Hamilton Plan in the Aurora on January 13, 1798. Why then? And to what end?

Look at these guys promising me a good time! A lot of interesting work has been published on the blog about the Constitutional Convention, how AH may have been in Philadelphia for more days than usually noted, done more politicking towards the other NY delegates than previously known, and how he may have been more active in the writing of the Constitution than usually attributed (hi Gouverneur Morris), in what they term the Hamilton Authorship Thesis. They also have provided some more information about missing/ previously unknown Hamilton legal cases (I’ll link one here), among other topics.

So even with the Reynolds Pamphlet and the publication of AH’s “monarchist” views, John Jay (then NY Gov) was willing to name Hamilton U.S. Senator from NY in April 1798 - without even asking him if it was okay!

The present delicate State of our public affairs, and the evident Expediency of filling this Vacancy without Delay, induce me without requesting your Permission and waiting for your answer, to determine to send you a Commission to fill that place, by the next Post. I can say nothing that will not occur to You. [19April1798, Jay to AH]

And then took a breath and sent off another note:

On further Reflection I doubt the propriety of appointing you without your previous permission, and therefore shall postpone it untill I receive your answer. If after well considering the Subject you should decline an appointmt. be so good as to consult with some of our most judicious Friends and advise me as to the Persons most proper to appoint and at the same time likely to accept. [19April1798, Jay to AH]

The situation was that Philip Schuyler had been elected Senator again in 1797, but then had to resign (3Jan1798) due to poor health. John Sloss Hobart had been NY Supreme Court justice for over 20 years and was appointed to Schuyler’s seat on 11Jan1798. But then he was nominated for the federal NY District Court by Pres. Adams. Did Jay think AH wanted to warm his father-in-law’s seat that badly? AH responded to Jay (24Apr1798):

I have received your two favours of the 19th instant. I feel as I ought the mark of confidence they announce. But I am obliged by my situation to decline the appointment. This situation you are too well acquainted with to render it necessary for me to enter into explanation. There may arrive a crisis when I may conceive myself bound once more to sacrifice the interest of my family to public call. But I must defer the change as long as possible.

I do not at present think of a person to recommend as adapted to the emergency. I shall reflect & consult and write you by the next post. This, the first day, is not decisive of our election here; but there is as yet nothing to discourage. With respect & attachment...

He’s already lawyering and anonymously publishing and meddling all over Adams’s administration and reading every newspaper mention of himself to respond to that too (and tending to his family, I guess)- when did Jay think AH would also have time to be a senator? The lucky fellow appointed Senator until the next legislative session instead was - William North. (James Watson was elected to the position in August 1798.)

And of course, in July George Washington would appoint Hamilton Inspector General with the rank of first Major General, jumping both Pinckney and Knox in rank. Yeah, Hamilton’s reputation and prospects were really suffering. And the biggest problem remained unaddressed - that Hamilton needed to make more money.

I believe it’s first attributed to Jefferson, but some of the Federalists also took to calling Hamilton “Colossus.” If he lived now, he could have made shirts with his picture and the logo “Too Big to Fail.”

#Alexander Hamilton #John Jay #George Washington #Philip Schuyler #William North #Quasi War #Hamilton lives - the War of 1812 never happens #Hamilton becomes the 1st Governor General of the British United States of America

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