#because they're probably pointing at people not using the services they don't provide and saying there's no demand

[underwhelmingalchemist]

Every time I see those "services libraries provide" posts I'm always nodding along like "true! They do provide a lot of helpful services. Now if someone could get mine to do literally any of those-"

[hyperlexichypatia]

The thing about "lack of third spaces in the U.S." that doesn't get mentioned enough is that it's not just "Capitalists and corporations bought up the commons, privatized public resources, and made people pay to access them."

That's a big part of it. But it's not the only part.

The other part is that middle-class people -- particularly middle-class white, abled people -- willingly forked over money to set up private spaces rather than share public spaces with people of color, disabled people, neurodivergent people, poor people, religious minorities, and other "undesirable" people.

When you look at any article or picture from some point in the 20th century about third spaces that are less common now, consider that depending on exactly where and when in the 20th century U.S. this was, people of color might have been banned from that space by either law or threat of violence or both (or, at minimum, made to feel unwelcome). Physically disabled people probably could not access those spaces (or were institutionalized or kept at home). Visibly non-passing neurodivergent people probably could not access those spaces, because they were institutionalized or kept at home. Two women kissing, a man in a dress, any type of visibly queer or gender nonconforming person would not have been tolerated in that space.

And my point is, these things are not unrelated. The decline of third spaces is not unrelated to civil rights gains.

I'm not saying "Stop talking about the good things of the mid-20th century, don't you know that era also had racism and sexism and ableism and queerphobia?"

I'm saying they're not unrelated -- it's not "This time period was better in some ways, like more third spaces, but worse in some ways, like more racism and ableism." It's "Those good things, those third spaces, those labor unions, those safe neighborhoods, that sense of community, relied upon the systemic exclusion of a dehumanized underclass, and as soon as any civil rights pressure was put on that systemic exclusion, the sense of community crumbled."

The pattern is clear and recurring: Privileged people build a public space for "the community", marginalized people start using it (sometimes after a court case or two), the public place gets a reputation for being "full of" marginalized people, privileged people build a private space they can exclude people from, privileged people abandon the public space, the public space gets neglected and deprioritized because "nobody (who matters) uses it anymore," the public place goes to shit from neglect and possibly closes, the private space gets expensive, privileged people lament the loss of the public space.

Privileged people killed public pools rather than share them with Black people. Mortally wounded public schools rather than share them with people of color and religious minorities. Are trying to kill public libraries rather than share them with queer people and unhoused people and neurodivergent people. Can't revive public transportation for fear of sitting next to poor people. It's white flight all the way down.

The whole "Social democracy is the left wing of fascism" claim is tankie ridiculousness, but like most tankie ridiculousness, there's an underlying grain of truth. In this case, the underlying grain of truth is that widespread support for public services is a much easier sell when people don't think they'll have to share resources or public space with people they consider inferior. It's not a coincidence that some of the countries that provide the highest quality of life for their abled citizens are some of the worst to noncitizens and disabled people.

And it's not like Weird Queer Left-Leaning Types have a great track record of sharing public space with people different from yourselves, either. Y'all can't be normal about someone wearing a yarmulke at Pride. Y'all can't be normal about adults playing board games with kids. There's no way you'd be okay with unsupervised, uncontrolled, unmedicated-by-choice schizophrenic people hanging out and talking to themselves. You cannot handle public third spaces.

Yes, blame corporations and advertisers for privatizing public spaces, but also blame the social prejudice that willingly forks over money to avoid sharing public space with Those People.

[gothhabiba]

I feel like I'm having to do the 4D-chess brain calculus of three variables that I had to do to understand what white people are ever talking about all over again, in order to understand what the fuck happens in able-bodied people's minds. so far I'm at:

they believe that no motion or force whatsoever is required to do things that require motion or force, such as using your hands, moving your face, or getting up to go to the bathroom. they think these things just sort of happen through universal permeating energy waves or something. they will probably continue to believe this the first ten times you point out their error to them even if they live with a disabled person. this is a really, really hard one for them.

they have a weird idea of what it means to do something "by yourself" or "under your own power." they seem to simultaneously belleve that doing something with the assistance of a mobility device that you can operate on your own is not doing it under your own power (?), and that needing a person to help you do something is not really a big deal & there's no importance at all in setting things up such that a disabled person can do as many things on their own as possible. they don't tend to think it important that disabled people have autonomy, or they find the consideration to be oxymoronic in the first place.

part of this last one is that they think it's trivially easy for any disabled person to get anyone to help them with something at any given time. this is possible for them because they are thinking in the abstract, without any of the messy calculus of "who do I ask for help" and "are they busy" and "when did I last ask them for help; am I using up all my grace by asking again" and "how patient were they the last time I asked them for help" and "when should I do this thing so that it's the best time for them to help" and "do I know anyone who's able to do x" and "if I make sure to stay friends with this person because they can do y for me is that the action of manipulative monster" that anyone who actually requires help with many of their daily actions knows is necessary.

and yet, at the same time, if you ask them for help with any task at any given time, half the time they will not do it (even if they're able to). they will only say that they will help, in the abstract, because maybe on some level they recognise that their assistance will be helpful or necessary, and they want to think of themselves as good people, and give on that they value you & their relationship with you, at least to your face. however they are not used to doing the kind of calculus that dealing with real-life disability involves (again, in their minds things just sort of 'happen') and will usually quickly bow out.

nevertheless they believe that the willingness of able-bodied people to provide help will make accessible design unnecessary ("no, there's no ramp, we'll just carry you up").

they believe that a mobility aid or prosthetic will magically make a person not disabled, no matter what said person's condition actually is, or whether a wheelchair is suited to help said person at all. you can plop someone into a wheelchair and all of their difficulties with anything, no matter what those things are, will disappear. simultaneously, and bizarrely, they consider mobility aids to be some sort of tragic impediment that is "other" to and not an extension of the body (see above about their interpretation of "under your own power").

as a corollary, if they think that a mobility aid would be helpful for someone (or even if it genuinely would be), they think that person should be basically forced to use it by being denied any other accommodation (e.g. "surely a motorised wheelchair will obviate the need for an on-call taxi service?"). reasons of personal preference or discomfort do not matter. they think that everyone should want to be as "normal" as possible.

[spacelazarwolf]

That reply completely glossed over op's point that if you're GNC and you want to go to a business meant to aid you in your presentation (an explicitly GNC presentation!) you're more than correct in feeling unsafe. The kind of nb people they're referring to are explicitly non-GNC in their presentation. Every time I go to the barber I feel anxious and worried at what their reaction to me, extremely non-passing trans man, will be. The same goes for a non-passing trans woman (augmented, even)

The most the average nb person who isn't going out of their way to present differently from their agab (which is VALID, btw. Like the op said they don't *owe* anyone androgyny) would have to deal with is misgendering, but for the most part I don't think a nail salon is going to ask for your pronouns when you come in and refuse service if you give the "wrong" ones

yeah i think people were getting very fixated on that example and not really understanding what the point of it was. part of it i think is because the op didn't explain it very well, but also this is tumblr dot com where we piss on the poor daily. the point wasn’t “asking for a trans friendly business if you’re not visibly trans is stupid and bad”, it’s “are you afraid someone isn't going to understand that you're nonbinary and will assume you're cis unless you say something? or are you afraid someone will refuse you service or treat you poorly?"

when i was pre t and looking for places to get my haircut, when i kept it longer and more "feminine", i didn't have a problem finding places to go. i just showed up, said i wanted a trim, and that was it. when i decided i wanted to cut it shorter and get a "men's cut", i had a lot of trouble finding someone who would even do it. over and over i would get hairdressers (all women) who would give me pixie cuts instead of men's cuts. i once spent two hours at the salon repeatedly telling the hairdresser "go shorter" because she literally would not just buzz it and insisted we go little by little in case we went "too short." but they still provided me service. it wasn't until i found my current hairdresser, who is a gay man, that i started getting the cuts i actually wanted. and now that t is making my voice drop and most importantly in this context changing my hairline in a noticeable way, it is imperative that i have a barber who is trans friendly. because people can absolutely react badly to discussions about pronouns, but when there is a physical marker of Gender Difference, that's when i noticed people started getting more aggressive. that's when i started to notice "oh this isn't just really uncomfortable and shitty anymore, this person doesn't want to mock me, this person wants to hurt me." both sucked, but one was significantly more terrifying to experience.

an example that is probably more relevant to the topic and what's currently happening in my life is a conversation i had with a friend of mine who is nonbinary, was assigned female at birth, presents feminine, and has no interest in any aspect of medical transition. love that for them! but trying to talk to them about losing my access to hrt is nearly impossible because they simply do not understand the severity of it. they have compared me losing a job because my coworkers found out i was trans, and being unable to do anything about it because my state is an at-will state, to their coworker misgendering them their first day at work when they were not wearing their usual pronoun pin.

does getting misgendered at work suck? yeah. does it suck to have to wear a pin with pronouns on it just to get people to use the correct ones? yeah. is this indicative of a larger societal problem with cis normativity and the gender binary? absolutely. but the sting of being misgendered in the moment and having to correct someone (who from then on used the correct pronouns) is absolutely not the same as losing your health insurance and only source of income and housing all within the span of two months.

the problem isn't that You Must Be This Oppressed To Talk, the problem is that interrupting a conversation about the government legislating your right to exist to center a moment of personal discomfort is an asshole thing to do.

[localplaguenurse]

Considering how many of us wants to headpat the reader from Gold as The Gingko Trees, how do you think Morax would react to his wife having secret admirers and do you think it’ll affect his mood if the reader chooses to keep the flowers around

I uh. I got carried away with this but to answer the question: I think he would be a little competitive for his wife's attention if he were to find out they have admirers. He'd also know that his wife is more than likely unaware of said admirers. They would confuse flirting with kindness and it wouldn't be until they were given a bouquet or something obviously romantic that they're like "oh no."

As for his wife keeping flowers, chances are they probably took them because they felt too awkward about giving the flowers back than anything, so in that case I don't think it would bother Morax. He knows what his wife is like and trusts them.

Anyways, I got carried away under the cut so enjoy~

Shopping alone was never ideal to you, especially after that run in with the thieves. It is why you only entered the harbour to grab necessities and why you would only stay on the main streets. You're not taking another chance down an alley again, not without your husband nearby.

Your favourite spot to shop is near the docks, where merchants sell their wares from foreign lands. You're particularly fond of the spices that come in from Sumeru, and the ciders from Mondstadt. By this point, you're on friendly terms with the merchants from each stand.

The Mondstadt merchant already has apple cider set aside just for you, and when you open your bag to pay, he stops you. "This one's on me today." You're surprised, and a little unsure of the gesture. After all, these are imported goods, surely this man cannot give product away just like that? You do not push it, though, and simply thank the man for the bottle.

After this, you pay the stall a visit each time you enter the harbour. He gives you discounts on his wares, or he throws in something small on the house, usually an ornament of sorts. You keep them in your room on your windowsill with some of your things from the monastery. When Li Lei finally arrives, the two of you go shopping, and out of habit, you visit the merchant you can almost say is your new friend. He offers you his discounts, cracking a few jokes that actually make you laugh.

Li Lei speaks up as you two are walking home. "Little one, I think he likes you."

The preposterous idea makes your face burn. The merchant? Having a crush on you? Not only is it odd he would be crushing on you of all people - a stammering, anxious pushover - but that would be unprofessional, would it not? He is merely providing customer service to one of his regulars. Of course he would be kind to them.

It's naturally one of the first amusing stories you tell Morax after his return home. You awkwardly laugh as you recount the tale. He chuckles as well, but something about the way he smiles through your story is... odd. You cannot pinpoint what it is, but he is oddly invested, asking you to tell him more about this merchant. What does he give you discounts on? How often does he do it? Oh, he sometimes gives you free gifts with each purchase? Please, why don't you show them to your husband?

When you show him the little collection of trinkets you have acquired, he doesn't really know what to say. He knows the significance of some of these items, as told by that disgraced drunk of an Archon next door, but he doesn't know if he should explain the romanti connotations of some of these gifts. You clearly have not picked up on the merchant's intentions, as seen by your openness about the subject and your wholesome demeanor.

Morax accompanies you into town one day, and he is the first to suggest heading to the docks.

The merchant is already looking your way when you make your way over, saying something about checking out another stall first. He's only a short distance away, so it's of no concern.

The banter is the same as it is any other day, though you are unaware of the way Morax watches you. As he suspected; you are completely oblivious to the man's attempts at flirting as he adds more and more to your bag for a ridiculously cheap price. You simply laugh along, and you ask if it is really okay to give out so much product.

"Of course, a lovely young woman like you deserves all of the pleasantries she is offered."

You open your mouth to respond, and are stunned into silence when presented with a fresh bouquet of flowers.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh no.

Your face burns at the realization that this man is flirting with you, and looking back, you realize he's been doing that the whole time. Your stomach sinks when you recall that you husband is only a few stalls away, and when you realize you have to explain to this man that oh, no, you're not into him this way, you're married. All of those free samples, those discounts... You're horrified at the idea that this man has possibly lost money because you were too stupid to clue in on the fact HE HAS BEEN FLIRTING WITH YOU THE WHOLE TIME.

"Oh, what a lovely bouquet," a familiar deep voice remarks from behind you, "say, how much?"

The merchant looks up and sees Morax, or rather Zhongli, placing his hand on your shoulder. He looks at you, then at him, then back at you, and at the hand holding your coin purse. His eyes land on your ring, and you see it click together in his head.

"U-Uh..."

Morax produces his coin purse and pulls out a heft pile of mora. "Here, this should cover everything, including the flowers for my darling wife."

The merchant's heartbreak is muted by the shock. He doesn't say anything, and he hardly moves, only accepting the money and letting go of the flowers. Morax thanks him, and he hands you the flowers as the two of you make your way home.

"..."

"If you are worried I am upset," Morax states, "I am not. Not with you, at the very least."

"B-But..."

He sighs. "Really, I am surprised he did not notice your ring early on, or bother to ask if you were available to begin with."

You feel tears of embarrassment welling in your eyes. "I... I didn't know..."

Morax smiles, and he plucks a flower from the bouquet to tuck it behind your ear. "It is an unfortunate situation, but there is only so much you can do about these things."

It is of little comfort to you, but it is true. You just hope the merchant is not too heartbroken, and you hope he knows that while you do not return those feelings, you are at least grateful for the gestures.

At the very least, the flowers are very pretty.

[sweetsweetemo]

How Tumblr views it's rights to moderation, a short post

(All screenshots taken from Tumblr's TOS and Community Guide) (Alt text provided)

Screenshot One:

According to the TOS any and all Services of the site (including an user account) can be removed or terminated at any point, for any reason, without any responsibility to warn it's users, at it's discretion.

The note claims that they only terminate or suspend accounts when they have a reason, but that's not necessarily true for the rest of the TOS.

Screenshot Two

"Tumblr may terminate or suspend your access to or ability to use any and all Services immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason or no reason."

well, it's written right there. they don't ever have to explain why they're terminating their users, because it's totally viable for them to do so with no reason whatsoever. i wonder if, maybe, this has any sort of relation to their alleged discriminatory bias towards trans women and transfeminine people on the site. probably not, don't worry about it!

At least, you say, they still have to abide by their own terms of service in their management!

Screenshot Three

"We reserve the right to enforce, or not enforce, these guidelines in our sole discretion, and these guidelines don't create a duty or contractual obligation for us to act in any particular manner."

That should explain, then, why rape threats are suddenly fine according to the Community Guidelines, however a trans comic with no genitalia being shown is flagged as mature content. These aren't actual rules, not to staff.

They have no obligation to enforce the Community Guidelines of their site, and according to TOS they are well allowed to terminate whoever they please for whatever reason comes to mind. Maybe, they'll send you an email before terminating your blog. Maybe not. Who knows? Maybe the april fools "we're deleting the website sayonara you weaboo shits" was always within realm of possibility!

[vorish-wonderland]

You're a shrimp mermaid. You're quite the coward, but you still have a small "business" where you offer to clean the mouths of other merfolk. Recently, two morays have taken interest in you. But strangely enough... you don't feel that scared of them.

Includes: soft/safe vore, semi-willing prey

★✦Symbiotic Relationship✦★

☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ

The pair's sharp, serrated teeth were covered in blood. It was probably the blood of people like you.

That could be you.

Just a bloodstain on some carnivore's teeth.

That thought has always terrified you.

"Can you help us with the blood, please? You'll be paid well."

"No problem, Jade!" You happily said. "I'll get you both cleaned up quick as I can!"

"Ehehe! You're the best, Shrimpy!" Floyd smiled.

"You truly are, (Y/N)." Jade added.

These strange twins have been frequenting your business recently. You're not sure why, but they've taken a certain interest in you. They're morays, and... very terrifying. They paid you very well the first time you met, so you put aside your fear and helped then with the blood staining their mouths. Ever since that day, they've come back every time they need your help.

"So, Shrimpy-"

"No talking while I'm in your mouth."

"But-!"

"Zip it."

You used a small scrap of cloth that had fallen from the surface when cleaning. You wipe off the blood, and use your spindly little limbs and feelers to make sure you'd done a good job. You aren't sure if you do a good job, but these two keep coming back, so you have to be doing something write!

"There you go!"

"(Y/N), may I ask you something?" Jade asked as you crawled out of his brother's mouth.

"Sure, go ahead."

"If I recall correctly, you claimed to be quite cowardly, and you were scared of us when we first met, yes?" Jade tilted his head. "So why are you no longer scared of us?"

"Huh? I don't know, actually." You responded. "If I had to guess... it's probably because I've gotten to know the two of you... and I know that you would never hurt me!"

"...I'm flattered, but that is an idiotic thing to say given that we don't really know each other." Jade smiled.

"Well, I have my reasons for thinking that..."

Jade stuffed you into his mouth. A bit more forceful than you'd expected, but whatever.

"I know you would never hurt me because, well, you gain something by keeping me around. So you have no reason to hurt me." You explained. "We have a symbiotic relationship, in a way."

And then you were swallowed.

You were a bit surprised, honestly. You didn't at all expect this to happen.

But it doesn't matter, because you know you'll be safe. Like you said, these two won't just get rid of something that benefits them.

And you know you were right when you heard the pair start arguing.

"Great job Jade, now Shrimpy's gonna be scared of us!!"

"Oh dear, I didn't mean to do that..."

"That's bs and you know it! You absolutely did that on purpose!"

"They tasted too good, Floyd, I simply couldn't resist."

"Well I guess you've got a point... but you didn't have to eat them!"

It's a bit cozy in here.

"Heeeeeey, Shriiiiiimpy??? You ok in there???" Floyd asked you.

"Stop poking me, Floyd." Jade demanded.

"I'm good!" You responded. "Why did Jade do this? Did he... want me to clean in here...?"

"Huh? You mean you're not scared out of your mind right now?" Floyd asked, clearly very confused. "You... you do know that Jade just ate you, right...?"

"I know. But I know I'm not in any danger! After all, I provide you a service, and if I died, then you wouldn't have that service anymore!" You explained. "So can you, uh, let me out now, Jade? I... don't really like it in here..."

"Hmm... who knows? You tasted amazing, and not to mention I feel so nice and full with you in there~" Jade licked his lips. "You poor little shrimp... such a pity you were so delicious-"

"What, do you want them to be scared of us?!" Floyd yelled.

"Fine I'll get them out." Jade sighed. "I would've thought that you of all people would enjoy teasing (Y/N)."

"Yeah, but like... they're right. If they get too scared of us they'll probably stop helping us."

"Hm. I suppose you're right."

It feels kinda awkward to just listen to these two argue...

But hey.

At least you'll be safe.

[holocene-sims]

oc deep dive

thank you @stargazer-sims for tagging me!! naturally, because i am predictable, i'll answer these questions for grant 🙈

not sure who has done this tag because it went around mostly when i was on hiatus, but i'll tag: @windermeresimblr @nectar-cellar @papermint-airplane @queeniecook @sparkiekong + anyone who wants to do it 💌

what uncommon/common fear do they have?

common: he's a major germaphobeeeeeee

hello, mr. showers-multiple-times-a-day! 🧼

btw i always headcanon grant as wearing masks frequently in public and always in very crowded places like airplanes. you just don't see that in-game because all the mask cc i have installed conflicts with his glasses and/or eyelashes 😔

uncommon: idk if he's afraid of anything uncommon. the main ones for him are germs + being yelled at or physically pushed around, which are common. i guess you could say noses kind of freak him out; the whole cartilage/bone/close-to-the-brain combo is a very unpleasant thought for him lolz

do they have any pet peeves?

you know how most people hate it when a two-person party at a cafe/restaurant sit on the same side of the bench? grant actually hates it when the other person sits opposite of him; he finds it a little bit awkward and lonely. he'd much rather have the friend or partner sit next to him, provided they're cool with it and a side-by-side seating arrangement is possible! ❤️

what are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

his cat, probably

hand sanitizer (citrus scent)

pikachu plush acquired during the korea arc with henry

what do they notice first in a person?

physically: hair 💇 simply because hair is the first thing his eyes can see when looking at someone...unless they're the same height as him, at which point he can finally look someone in the eyes lmao

personality-wise: if they're nice to servers or other customer service workers and tip well

on a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

at this point, it's a 10. his body is a little (a lot) banged up from old injuries and being chronically ill. when he was super young, his pain tolerance was not that great, like stubbing a toe was a serious hour-ruining problem, but he's had to get used to feeling much worse, so his "i feel great, let's go run a marathon!!" days now are probably an average person's 6 on the pain scale but a 2 or so for him. it's not that things hurt *less*, it's more that the conditions that would get him to notice his pain, pay more attention to it, or rate the pain level at a 6 or well above that are far more extreme.

do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

it depends what kind of pressure. if it's some kind of social pressure, aka being in an argument with someone or having upset someone, it triggers major fight or flight response, and usually, he's a flight kind of person. it's changed, though, over the course of the story. i think he's more willing to fight or at least just feel the fight/flight response while responding with a cool head.

if it's a non-social pressure like a situation at work, even if people are involved in the situation he needs to deal with, grant responds very differently. he doesn't get the fight or flight response here, he's always pretty level-headed and logical about non-social situations.

do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

his family is too big, but he adores them all (sans his parents and one of his sisters). grant is 1000000% a family person!

what animal represents them best?

personally, i think he could be a panda. large, cuddly, and endearing

what is a smell that they dislike?

ultimate irony: he hates the smell of cigarettes ☠️

and he finds it funny. he's unfortunately been addicted to smoking forever, but he's so irritated by the smell and also scared of bothering anyone with it that he takes extreme measures to avoid not absorbing cigarette scent lmao

have they broken any bones?

oh dear. yes, he has. lol. the whole "i accidentally knocked out/broke some of my teeth playing hockey thing" was real 😭😭

the teeth were probably the most obvious/annoying bones to break, but he did also break the pinky finger on his left hand, aka his dominant hand, at church when he was like six. he was fucking around in the church basement with his cousins and friends after some church event, and when they were leaving to go back upstairs, he shut the giant wooden door too quickly, which jammed his finger hard enough to break it 💀

how would a stranger likely describe them?

physically: giant, should have played basketball

personality-wise: charming

are they a night owl or a morning bird?

i think he's somewhere in between! he's happy to stay up late and get up early. although, even if he does stay up late, he still will always get up early. he's used to that from work and also from chronic pain bothering him in his sleep.

what is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

love: coconut, chocolate, citrus, coffee

hate: strawberry, vanilla, tea

do they have any hobbies?

cooking, baking, playing video games, dungeons & dragons/TTRPGs, painting, stargazing/reading about astronomy, watching airplanes irl or in videos, watching youtube, watching cat videos on instagram reels, hiking when he feels up to it, working out, traveling, reading (he's trying to fully get back into it), etc.

boom, surprise birthday party! how do they react to surprises?

honestly, grant is one of those people who does muchhhh better with surprise birthday parties than planned parties. if you give him zero time to think about receiving love, gifts, and affection, he can't do the whole "woe is me, i don't deserve it, you're too nice" shtick

do they like to wear jewelry?

at this point, he doesn't really own any. he used to have piercings (the only ones remaining are the 🍒💍, and he did have a claddagh ring, which was a gift from his great uncle, but the piercings were lost to career dress codes, and the ring disappeared with all his other stuff that his mother threw out years ago.

so, he's not anti-jewelry, like he'd totally wear rings at least, and he regrets that his one very nice ring was lost :( i think he'd also wear a necklace if someone gave him one, but grant himself would not naturally consider himself a necklace guy, so he wouldn't go out of his way to purchase one of his own volition.

(author's note: he deserves a nice necklace)

he does wear a leather watch all the time, though, but i'm not sure if that should be categorized as jewelry or just an accessory!

do they have neat or messy handwriting?

he has very neat handwriting!

what are two emotions they feel the most?

probablyyyyyy contentment (i know that may seem ironic given the story, but i think he's generally chill *now*, and my image of him is always a little bit colored by the yet unpublished end of everything the stars promised, which will get posted some day when the plot gets to that point) and shame

do they have a favorite fabric?

he may not own anything in this fabric but minky dot!! grant has visited fabric & craft stores many times with grandma aoifeeeeee, and when he and his cousins were younger, they loved to run around the stores feeling up all the fabric. he's always fond of minky dot because (1) it's soft, and (2) the dots are fun to poke at.

what kind of accent do they have?

i feel like i've answered this so many times, but grant, in my mind, has a unique accent!! he grew up in small town upper peninsula michigan, so he's had plenty of time to absorb the yooper/midwestern accent, but he was also raised by a family full of immigrants and spent most of his childhood hanging out around his grandparents specifically and traveling overseas to visit family, so at the same time, his accent turned irish-y early on. he's not the only one that combo accent happened to, but he probably has the strongest case out it outside of his aunt and uncle.

basically, with 100% certainty, i deem that grant has never and will never be able to pronounce the th sound with the h in it or vowels without them being nasally.

it's hard to put what i think he sounds like on paper, but it's some mix of these people: (1) (2) (3)

[runwayrunway]

No. 46 - Royal Flying Doctor Service

In contravention of my normal operating procedures I've fast-tracked this request to the front of my queue because of how fantastically timed it is. It was requested the day my BermudAir post went up, and the moment I saw it I realized I was going to publish it as the next entry on this blog, because I want to highlight something really important and really positive about aviation. So thank you @alionessespride for the impetus to discuss why aviation is genuinely indispensable, regardless of what cynical things people might use it for.

My most recent post on BermudAir is definitely a major downer, and other posts I've done, like my David Neeleman special and various other assorted brief allusions, have been really distinctly pessimistic and jaded about the motivations of airlines. Which I don't regret or think is bad or wrong - these are very omnipresent specters in the airline industry, which is inherently more than a little predatory both due to its necessity for profit and its very heavy ties to the military-industrial complex, with airlines, governments, and manufacturers ending up in elaborate daisy chains of sweetheart deals and making money being sort of incompatible with anything I'd consider a virtue.

But I went on about this in my Neeleman post and sort of alluded to it with BermudAir as well - aviation isn't just that, and it's really hugely important. In addition to the sheer fact that people who live on islands or in remote places with poor infrastructure can easily access the rest of the world, aviation provides a lot of important services - weather research/surveillance, aerial firefighting, aerial inspection of things like power lines, agricultural work, greatly increasing the speed and thoroughness of search and rescue, and of course air medical services.

If you live in a major city you probably get a handful of ambient helicopters (I've been told a lot of people find them annoying because they tend to fly quite low), and if you've ever wondered what they are, they're probably medevac helicopters. There's a chance they're news, or private helicopters, or something else, but most of the time they're there to airlift people to hospitals if their condition is too dire to wait for the length of time an ambulance would take to get them to the trauma center, and a helicopter can easily land in a small, precise area and bring them there.

Which is all well and good, but that's for large cities. But most of the world actually isn't large cities. Case in point: most of Australia is borderline empty.

Most of Australia is on par with places like Alaska. While it's overall the fourth least dense country in the world, that density is wildly skewed and the best thing I can say for the dark green section is that it's still denser than Greenland, but not denser than Mongolia. Safe to say you aren't getting an ambulance if you live in there. So what if you have an acute medical problem which needs immediate attention to prevent your death?

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is probably the best-known aeromedical service. It was the first such organization, nearly 100 years old, established in 1928. They provide medical services, particularly in medical emergencies, to the parts of Australia where getting someone to a hospital would probably otherwise take days. They also provide telehealth services, transfer of patients between hospitals, and transport general practitioners to places which lack access to primary care, among other things.

The initial ask requesting them outlined a lot of this:

RFDS is an absolute lifeline in rural, regional, and remote Australia, staffed with flight doctors and nurses that fly out 24/7/365. Often they land on runways that are actually just roads or dirt strips, sometimes with the runway lit up for a night landing with rolls of toilet paper dipped in kerosene and lit on fire. They move patients that may be many many hours from any medical service, as first responders to an incident or as a medical evacuation service for small hospitals to big city hospitals.

It takes a special kind of skill to land a plane somewhere like this, and an even more special kind of skill to do paramedic work while someone is landing the plane you're in somewhere like this.

While initially RFDS just rented their airplanes and pilots from Qantas, these days they have their own fleet and pilots, and while it's hard to find exact numbers because of their several regional branches their planes number in the triple-digits and are mostly small-to-medium and capable of operation on very short, poorly-equipped airstrips (STOL). The most-used models are the Pilatus PC-12 turboprop, Pilatus PC-24 very light jet, and Beechcraft King Air 200 twin-turboprop.

They have a couple of different liveries, presumably varying by time and branch, so I'm going to stick with one I think is both more visibly distinct and more current.

Here's a fairly standard example of this livery. The 7NEWS sticker is, I believe, a sponsor - there are different ones on different planes. As you can see, the livery is primarily red, white, and blue, which I suppose is fair enough for a non-profit service in a country with a flag based on the Union Jack, though I still find it a bit of a pedestrian choice. That said, it's at least quite an ambulancey color scheme, though it's missing giant strobe lights and a siren. I think you could install those on a plane (I mean, strobe lights are actually mandatory, just not that type) but I feel like you also shouldn't, and this is better.

Here's a view from below, so you can see the clear and bright underside with RFDS emblazoned very visibly on it. Being easy to spot and identify is a broadly desirable trait in an emergency medical vehicle, and I love their specific choice in shade of fire-engine red. Note also the suspension on the landing gear and the weather radar on the wing facing towards the camera. The PC-12 is an incredibly designed aircraft which is popular for good reason, and is very well-suited to exactly what the RFDS is doing.

The white is used in a very interesting way, where the transition between it being a dividing line separating red from blue and the main body of the aircraft with the blue as just a swash is very very subtle, and the taper of the red is extremely well-executed. The red underside is excellent because it specifically prevents the blue and white from blending in with the sky, which wouldn't be ideal.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service and/or RFDS name is placed in three distinct places - the underside, the rudder, and above the windows. My gripe is that I wish they were a little bigger and more visible, I think. I'm not sure about the rudder, but I think a relatively easy fix would be to make the text above the windows bold and red - perhaps they just wanted to sequester the red fully to the bottom of the plane rather than having it on both sides of the blue, which I understand but don't think I fully endorse.

Another great view of how the red tapers, though, and the blue's termination just below the nose, far enough back that the end is still clearly visible behind the propeller. I've always felt like PC-12s (and similar single-prop aircraft but for some reason especially the PC-12) look like they have a moustache, and this adds a pair of whiskers. I enjoy that.

Admittedly, with the painted nacelles on the King Air something about it can begin to get a little...plastic-looking, I don't have any way to word it better. The blue in general isn't my favorite - unlike the saturated red's strikingness, it just sort of looks over-saturated in a way that I dislike. I'm not sure what would fix this. Maybe a darker blue?

Now, the RFDS's livery is by far the least worth-discussing thing about them. The service that they provide goes way beyond appearances, and because of that and because of the fact that designing liveries for smaller planes like this begins to get difficult I'm going to not be as harsh to them as I would other subjects. I'm just not really going to take into account the fact that this is a pretty generic scheme, because that's fine, there's no reason to care. My main takeaways are that the placement of the colors is quite well-executed, and that I wish the wordmark on the main fuselage body was more distinct. In photographs it's honestly downright illegible, and the text on the rudder doesn't exactly pop out either. The tailfin, in general, looks a little cluttered, like they didn't want to leave it empty but couldn't figure out what to do with it - the RFDS text doesn't even appear centered. But at the very least it's visible, which is crucial for an air ambulance service. Maybe I wish there was less white, but there's enough red and blue, and it's bright enough, so it's done its job.

That said, I'm giving them a C.

This is exactly what I expect of them. They've done a completely adequate job, and probably in a roundabout way it's good they've been spending their money on things that aren't genius graphic design. So if you have anything to take away from this post, don't have it be the grade, or even the fact that the Pilatus PC-12 is a really fantastic airplane - have it be the fact that aviation isn't just airline startups and massive conglomerates, and that it literally saves lives and provides services that we city-dwellers take for granted to people who would otherwise have to go without.

[chaotic-goodsir]

@ashturns30 Happy birthday week! I hope it's okay for me to join in with this challenge, even if I cheated by only making something for one day and posting it a day late 😅

Your fic Remember You Like A Song - which everyone should go read first if they haven't, because it's brilliant - is THE fic that got me invested in MacNaCross in the first place. This was going to be just a short, extremely fluffy pre-portal drabble-thing inspired by it, but I got carried away and it ended up longer than planned. I hope you don't mind me posting something inspired by your fic, but no worries at all if you do for any reason - just let me know and I'll take it down.

Anyway, thank you for hosting this challenge and I hope you have a great birthday week!

***

What Was The One You Always Loved?

The highway outside is a river of speeding taillights in the dark, reflecting red and green and yellow in the rain that runs down the diner's grease-streaked window.

Steam rises from the mug of black coffee in John's hands as he waits for it to cool, soaking in the warmth. The caffeine fix should, in theory, keep him awake long enough to reach the motel PIEP have booked for them without collapsing on the side of the road.

Two pairs of motorbike gloves lie on the table, beside his wallet and an almost-empty pack of cigarettes (he'll have to pick up more at the gas station before they leave). Across the booth, Wilbur frowns at his strawberry milkshake, stirring it with a red-and-white striped plastic straw.

'I swear they used to put more sprinkles on these.' There's a solemn gravity to his tone that few people but Wil could apply to the matter at hand. 'Used to be more colours as well. Half of these are just red. What's that about?'

'Is there a difference?' John asks. 'Surely they all just taste of sugar?'

Wilbur scoops a piece of cream and eats it from the end of the straw, the actual spoon lying ignored on the table.

'Its about the principle, Johnny' he says, stabbing the straw into the air between them like a teacher illustrating a point. 'If they're gonna call them 'rainbow' sprinkles, there oughta at least be an even ratio of colours.'

John smiles, taking a sip of still-too-hot coffee.

'Duly noted, Lieutenant Colonel.'

'Don't give me that cheek, MacNamara,' Wilbur says, grinning. 'You lectured me on the flaws of digital watches for half an hour yesterday.'

'Yes, because I can't in good conscience let you waste your money on such an abomination. Time is-'

'-a precious thread in the fabric of the universe, deserves respect, sure, I get it. And sprinkles are a precious thread in the fabric of a good milkshake.'

'I'm not sure the metaphor works quite so well in this case.'

Predictably, a dollop of cream is flicked his way. He dodges with practiced ease, laughing. It hits the back of the booth, earning them a scowl from a passing waitress that's probably deserved.

The diner is quiet, save a couple of fellow travellers and a few employees unlucky enough to be working late. There's a jukebox in the corner - a classic, vintage one with that archway shape and faded neon lighting - but the scrap of paper taped to the front reads Out Of Service. A cheap plastic radio on the counter provides the alternative, courtesy of some local station's late-night show. The host sounds as though he'd rather be at home in bed. John can't help but sympathise.

A familiar sequence of strummed chords catches his attention. He taps his fingers silently against the coffee mug and listens, remembering last year on the drive back from Shenandoah National Park. (Almost a year ago, now, though it doesn't feel it. Time, for all it's importance, is a wily creature that slips away if you lower your guard.)

*

It was late summer, the tail end of a slow August. The road wound it's way like a silver snake through a sea of green just beginning to turn gold, and Wilbur was leaning against the window on the passenger side, explaining to John why he should learn to ride a motorbike.

He made some good points, but John was only half-listening, distracted by the song playing on the radio. It had seemed to fit the drive, the scenery, the whole weekend, so perfectly that it had buried itself in his brain in a way that music usually doesn't. He's heard it a few times since, always fondly picturing the same memory. And yet he's never managed to catch its name.

*

He tests the temperature of his coffee again, the burn on his tongue bringing him back to the moment.

'You good?' Wilbur asks, reaching a hand across the table. John puts the mug down and takes it, lacing their fingers together.

'Just tired.'

'You look half-dead, darlin'. No offence.'

'Coffee should help. Do you know what song this is?'

Wilbur tilts his head a little, listening.

'This one? Nah, I don't. Why?'

'No particular reason. I just like it.'

That earns him an odd sort of look, followed by a pause and a quiet 'huh' that's half a laugh.

'What's funny?'

'S'just I think that's the first time you've expressed an opinion on music that I didn't ask you for.'

John opens his mouth to protest, then closes it again. He knows he's told Wilbur how musical theatre makes him uncomfortable, and why loud music in grocery stores should be banned (it's distracting, there's no need for it, they're awful places already with their fluorescent lighting and endless rows of too many options...) - but those are probably not the kind of opinions Wilbur is talking about.

John's never had a favourite song - it's Wil whose CD collection takes up two shelves of the bookcase in their living room - but if you held a gun to his temple and demanded he choose, he'd probably pick this.

'I think I've heard this before,' Wilbur is saying now. 'It's cute, all that kiss me stuff. Very romantic. Didn't know that was your kinda thing.'

John turns his face to the window, a little embarrassed. It doesn't help his case that the singer is crooning something saccharine about fireflies.

*

The night before the drive home, the lightning bugs had surrounded their campsite, like miniature fallen stars hovering in the dusk. They were part of the reason John had wanted to come out to Shenandoah. After a week spent handling an a gruesome case, he needed the reminder that the world was more than just horror and paperwork. That sometimes it could also be beautiful.

Wilbur stood behind him on the slope of the hill, arms wrapped around John's waist. He was talking, of course. This time about watching fireflies in his parents backyard as a kid.

'They looked like this, mostly. But sometimes you'd get these weird green ones...'

'Green?' John asked.

'Yeah. Bright green, like... neon, or somethin'. They moved differently, too. Made this weird noise, sorta like whispering. Never seen them anywhere else.'

'You're sure they were fireflies?'

'I don't know,' Wilbur leaned forward, resting his chin on John's shoulder. 'Probably just imagined it. I was a weird kid. No one believed me then, either.'

John took a drag on his cigarette, careful to angle the cloud of smoke away from Wilbur's face.

'Whatever you saw, I'm sure it was real. Many things exist in this universe. There's room in the scope of infinity for green fireflies.'

Wilbur had pulled him closer, kissing him on the cheek.

'See, this is why I like ya so much. Don't matter how crazy I sound, you'll still give me a chance.'

John had laughed at that, watching the ordinary, yellow-gold fireflies form constellations around them, a million tiny fires to match the glow of his cigarette. He'd had the sudden, irrational urge to suggest they stay - pack up their tent tomorrow, leave the car behind and keep walking into the wilderness. Become their own unsolved mystery. Abandon PIEP and everything it demanded of them. Hell, even go looking for green fireflies.

He didn't dare mention it. The concept itself was less terrifying than the thought that Wilbur might agree.

'Mmm,' he'd answered instead. 'I wonder what that says about the both of us.'

*

The song fades out, lyrics first and chords trailing after. The DJ's bored monotone takes over. To John's mild irritation, he's managed to miss the name of the song yet again.

'...thank you to Jodie for requesting that one - I hope you and your husband have a wonderful wedding anniversary. So, next up we have...'

Wil stops tracing lazy circles on the back of John's hand and glances towards the radio with an amused smile.

'What?' John asks, raising an eyebrow. 'You're plotting something.'

'Me? Never. Just thinkin' I'm gonna need to find out what that song is called, since you like it so much. For future reference, y'know?'

He winks.

John frowns back, awaiting an explanation.

'For when I get round to marryin' you. Assumin' you'd want me?'

John almost spits out the coffee he's making a third attempt to drink. Several responses run through his head at the same time, none of them especially coherent.

Wilbur just laughs, and finishes the last of the milkshake.

'Don't look so scared, Johnny. When I'm really askin' I promise I'll do a hell of a lot better than that.'

[nokingsonlyfooles]

Finish the Feed and Plug the Thing! (And Play the Music!)

Today, under the cut, I shall demonstrate my new ability to create original music that might be recordable! (Guest Starring the Radio Demon from Hazbin Hotel!)

My web serial! My brainchild! My empire of dirt! I write this, I'm only on social media because I want people to look at it, and they're not. I suspect I've sold my cow for some magic beans and it turns out they're not even regular beans, they're foam peanuts. Nevertheless, the people in my orbit seem decent in general SO I WILL CONTINUE TO BROWBEAT YOU WITH GUILT-INDUCING REMINDERS UNTIL MY READERSHIP IMPROVES! No need to thank me! It's a service I provide!

Current known readers: 3 (hi!), 1st Goalpost: 10?

Current supporters: 2 (hi Kith and 5th!), 1st Goalpost: 5?

So! I am doing a Hazbin Hotel fic, while working sporadically on the serial. It involves David and I have a lot to say about mental health, fictional universes and massive multiversal crossovers, so it's still technically serial content, even if you may not want to read it.

But, I like to use side projects to experiment. I have to have something I like enough to put a lot of effort in, but I don't want to feel terrible if that effort comes to nothing. The fic happened because I drew David Vivzie-style to test my drawing ability and stamina. (It's improving! I can draw! Slowly!)

I am writing MUSIC with STAGE DIRECTIONS for David's stay at the Hotel, both reprises of Hazbin Hotel tunes with new lyrics, and new songs with public domain melodies. There is a LOT of music in the public domain. I've been filking pop songs, but that's still legally grey. When I filk this stuff, there's no limits!

...but that's not true, because a lot of it doesn't have lyrics. My process up until now has involved rewriting music with existing lyrics. Never before did I tackle an instrumental. Now I have!

I would call it a 75% success. It scans, fairly well, but I think I made an error in choice of melody. I LOVE this raggy 1925 arrangement of Hungarian Rhapsody - I listened to it a million times to do this and I STILL love it - but if you actually had to sing it at speed, I think your tongue would fly off. Hamilton has unsingable music like that, too, but I think this came out too complex to be catchy. I can barely sing it and I WROTE it!

Nevertheless, here it is (stage directions omitted for ease of reading along fast enough to keep up), with some background on the fic for context: David has, at this point, convinced Alastor they were best friends in the 20s, and made friends with Angel Dust in a more conventional way. Alastor does not wish to be second-best at anything (we've already got a canon song about that!) and is registering an objection from the piano.

...That's probably still incomprehensible, but the point is, it scans. You gotta ignore the intro and start reading when the treble kicks in, but I do think it scans.

ALASTOR: Funnily, we’re both used to dining with refinement Trust two chefs to know I thought our dinner was almost perfect When the waiter served it But then you fondle The ketchup bottle! There’s bearnaise right there on the platter, what’s the matter? Must you stoop so low? Horrors! It’s just as if you called the sous-chef over —  “This needs salting!” So insulting! DAVID: Darling! The sauce is no improvement If the meat is poor With ketchup, there’s no dressing there to dress up  No one loves a pompous bore, Bestie! A: If that’s better, I’ll do better Don’t we both play well together? Formal wear is not required Friendship outshines one’s attire And I won’t mind, I won’t pretend Remember I’m your dearest friend I won’t compete, it’s not a test I can’t be beat, I’m always best D: Although your doubtful dedication’s Quite despicable I don’t envy your situation That’s forgivable A: I’m dedicated when it’s worth it Is that true for you? And of course my friends deserve it What I’d do for you! D: Oh, I forgot, my poor coat is soaking Might you mop up my reckless joking? A: If that’s better, I’ll do better Don’t we both play well together? D: And one more thing, I’m a little squeamish You think we could keep the murders cleanish? A: If that’s better, I’ll do better Don’t we both play well together? D: You’re so competitive Do you just want to win? A (counterpoint) : (If that’s better, I’ll do better) D: Hey, I need devotion, too, if you’ve a notion to! You can’t be listening Might you do anything? A: (If that’s better, I’ll do better) D: A fur coat, a fancy car, how ‘bout a chocolate bar? A: If that’s better, I’ll do better Don’t we both play well together? D: For the salt lick, I hope I’m forgiven? I show respect with little gifts given A: If that’s better, I’ll do better Don’t we both play well together? D: If I’ve annoyed, I think I should mention I just enjoy all kinds of attention A: And I won’t mind, I won’t pretend Remember I’m your dearest friend I won’t compete, it’s not a test I can’t be beat, I’m always best And I won’t mind, I won’t pretend Remember I’m your dearest friend I won’t compete… D: Can we have sex? A: I ca… [spoken] Old friend, if you were a woman… I’d turn lavender [note: 20s slang for gay] with shame. D: Ah. Tant pis! Shave and a haircut, no sale!

It diverges at the end, they need time to talk to each other, but it's very close!

And I should add how I "transcribed" the music to write that, because it almost broke me. It was so silly I started cackling and had to confess what I was doing and show the spouse the placeholder lyrics. You see, transcribing the beats and stresses as dashes and numbers wasn't working, so I decided to use words. I decided to listen to this music over and over, trying to find words that had a matching rhythm, and place them into stanzas with a rhyming scheme. THIS is what THAT looks like:

It’s okay it’s not even ready it’s a steady It’s an onion bowl Oh but it’s not a begonia-bopper It’s a hot dog topper It’s a taco And it’s a tico It’s okay it’s not even ready it’s a steady It’s an onion bowl Oh ba-by but it’s not a holy hanger it’s a radio And it’s okay but it’s just a Samples! It’s not a rosy robber It’s an onion bowl It’s not a motherfucking compsognathus  It is just an onion bowl But it’s Not a pony in a pickup It’s a doughnut in a slicker It’s no pony in a pickup It’s a tuesday hiccup coat And scrambled eggs, and scrambled eggs And applesauce, and applesauce And jellybeans and jellybeans And polka dots and polka dots It isn’t very much to listen It’s okay but it’s Not much of a good decision It’s okay but it’s It isn’t very much to listen It’s okay but it’s Not much of a good decision It’s okay but it’s Not a dog, it’s okay but it isn’t Not a dog, it’s okay but it isn’t Not a pony in a pickup It’s a doughnut in a slicker Not a dog, it’s okay but it isn’t Not a dog, it’s okay but it isn’t Not a pony in a pickup It’s a doughnut in a slicker It’s a blue doughnut boy he’s got a taco truck (not a pony in a pickup) And it’s a tree it’s a tree it’s a tree but it’s not It’s a blue doughnut boy he’s got a taco truck (not a pony in a pickup) And it’s a tree it’s a tree it’s a tree but it’s not Not a pony in a pickup It’s a doughnut in a slicker It’s not a puddle puck in a piston It’s just a whiny duck who won’t listen Not a pony in a pickup It’s a doughnut in a slicker It’s not a puddle puck in a piston It’s just a whiny duck who won’t listen And scrambled eggs, and scrambled eggs And applesauce, and applesauce And jellybeans and jellybeans And polka dots and polka dots And scrambled eggs, and scrambled eggs And applesauce, and applesauce And jellybeans and jellybeans And polk— It’s not anybody it is just a Camaro cap!

I can't sing that version either ("It's not a motherfucking compsognathus!" I'm dying! 😵I'm dead!) but I'm still fond of it. And look, it worked! Kinda!

If I want to do this for the actual serial, I may have to pick simpler music, or simplify it by choosing PART of the melody to use and repeat. I can't write or read musical notation, but most people can't either, so if I can link you to a piano roll or someone's recording of an old record, we can both sing along on the internet. And maaaybe some day I'll be able to record something. I wouldn't be good at playing or singing, but if you throw enough money at me, I can pay someone!

SO PLEASE GO BEG PEOPLE TO READ ME AND GIVE ME MONEY! THANK YOU!

[azzandra]

I don't think I realized how wide-spread video-game like "systems" were as a literary device until I started reading transmigration stories (and, ok, transmigration stories aren't the only ones, but for some reason it does seem to pop up a lot in this genre). I haven't yet encountered a story that does the meta thing of actually delving into where this pseudo-game UI thing originates, though I'm sure there's plenty out there (if nothing else, when the trope gets lampshaded, transmigrators will often make reference to things they've read in other stories).

However, I will confess that every time a system appears in a story, I like to picture that behind the scene there is like, a huge call center where customer service employees sit in their own little cubicles and tap away at their computers, providing system users with service.

This especially accounts for the disparity between systems' usefulness in stories: in some they are an active hindrance, locking users into a set of behaviors and penalizing them for trying to stray from the script. In others, the system acts as an overpowered god-like machine showering the user in perks and advantages and deus ex machina-like interventions at every turn. In most stories, systems fall in the middle, where it's a mixed bag of advantages and drawbacks.

Now, I personally like to believe that how helpful a system is depends on how helpful the customer support agent behind the scenes is feeling.

Because I'm just picturing the, like, progression of one of these agents as they begin all rosy-cheeked and naive and wanting to be so gosh-darned helpful! So they keep tweaking everything in their user's favor, granting them OP junk and bending the plot for them in every way, until the user gradually becomes an asshole and spirals out of control and just makes a huge fucking mess of everything.

But that's fine, probably. That happens. Uhhh... our nice agent doesn't lose their faith in humanity! Even when the cynical colleague one cubicle over snorts and says what happened is fairly typical, our intrepid agent will prevail and help their next user with reaching a happier ending! So they go in on their new case, maybe dial back on the overenthusiastic bonuses and--uh... this one gets killed horribly through a mix of overconfidence and bad decisions. Hm. Okay, okay, it's fine next one is going to be just--aaaand this one becomes a manipulative, tyrannical asshole.

Okay, it's-- maybe it's just the quests. Gotta give out quests that encourage good morals! ...and now this user became a puritanical judgmental busybody.

Eventually, it's hard not to become even a little cynical, you know? What's the lesson here, that given even the least bit of power over others turns people into monsters?

New tack then! If helping doesn't work, let's give these users something to work for! No free shit, they gotta EARN their currency! They think they're so lucky? Bam! Every time they think things are going well, Murphy's Law comes to beat their ass like they owe it money! You want a quest? "Don't die, moron", there's your quest. You get five points if you survive. Spend that in the shop, dipshit.

And for a while, this maybe seems like a better attitude to take. The users are forced into rising to the occasion or suffering catastrophic consequences. With their leashes being shorter, they can't derail the story or the intended narrative as much. Some may even reach the desired outcome, albeit the road is hard.

But all the punitive quests, the limitations and the meager rewards take their toll on most users. Some make mistakes they never recover from. A lot fail, hard, in painful, deadly ways. And the agent grows increasingly uncomfortable as they realize the users being subject to all this become like rats in an experiment, constantly terrified of getting zapped for even twitching the wrong way. The system becomes not a tool, but an enemy, a monster, a strange thing to overcome. The agent gets, on more than one occasion, a screen blowing in their face when a user manages to attain some power that allows them to unshackle themselves.

And hey, the agent has other problems too! Like, the manager is always on them about their metrics, because they're not hitting the goals and they're dragging the whole team down!

So maybe the agent loosens up a bit. Maybe they recalibrate and try to balance out their attitude towards the users before they burn out completely.

And by the time some newbie agent comes to fill up the cubicle next to theirs, they'll have some wisdom to pass down.

[elisgeorge]

Did you know there are services that offer free university-level modules, for free?

I am one of those people that are obsessed with learning, but structured courses are expensive. Not these. Here are some links if you, too, are obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge and want to learn something (for FREE!)

EdX is my personal favourite. It offers loads of subjects that are usually taken from university courses, and the ones that I have done are pretty good. These can all be taken for free, or you can pay £40 to take the assignments and recieve a graded certificate. Now, the catch here is that most of the courses are archived, which means that, occasionally, some of the links won't work and you have to be creative with the readings. I have found this to be a pretty minimal issue though, and it is worth it.

I recently took this EdX course about 19th Century literature and it was excellent. Some of the links were broken so I took some creative liberties with the readings, but I read all of the books discussed and used the course materials to critically analyse them as I did so. I didn't follow the course exactly, but it was still an enriching experience and something I wouldn't have thought to do otherwise.

Another good one is OpenLearn, which is a branch of the Open University. The OpenLearn courses are usually pretty good, although some can feel a bit lackluster and basic. Don't expect super in-depth courses, but they're good for an introduction to a subject, or to top up your skills in somethign you haven't done in a while. These offer free certificates of participation, so they're great if, say, you want a career change but you haven't studied data science since college. I enjoyed the classes I took, but I wouldn't say they were as challenging as EdX.

I recently took this OpenLearn course about Hadrian's Rome. Classical history is something I'm interested in and this was a great way to guide my study of an aspect of it.

Coursera is a very popular one. Similar to OpenLearn, these courses can sometimes be a little surface-level. These also have a much larger focus on building transferrable skills than developing cultural knowledge and learning for your own enrichment. Even so, there are some wonderful gems on there if you're willing to scroll through and find them. Coursera is also great because it has project-centred courses, where you work towards a finished product under the (virtual, recorded) guidance of an expert. Think of it like a corporate skillshare.

Last summer I took this Coursera course about screenwriting. It was project based, and I came out of it with a fully realised first draft of a pilot episode of a TV show. I realised through this process that maybe screenwriting wasn't for me, but it allowed me to get out of my comfort zone with writing and explore that avenue that I would have probably always wodered about.

OpenCulture is a good database of free courses that then redirects you to other websites, but you have to be willing to sift through the sludge with this one, as some are more worth your time than others.

Another good way to find free courses is to search for them on university websites. I have found that most US universities (and loads of UK ones too, though it is less common) offer free online courses. You have to be careful here, because sometimes they will say they are free but actually the 'free' part is viewing the syllabus.

You might be thinking 'what is the point of a course that doesn't get me a qualification?' and I'd say 'I get you, because I felt the same way,' but if you're anything like me and love learning, they're a godsend. Of course, there is nothing stopping you from finding all of the course content online, and I'd actually encourage you to do that alongside the courses, but knowing where to start is the difficult part. There is so much information to learn about any given topic that it can be overwhelming. These courses provide you with a structure that you can then use within your own wider research to learn about subjects you maybe don't want to commit to in a formal setting.

I'm not paid by any of these websites, I just think the monetisation of knowledge is wrong and awful and disgusting and anyway to beat that should be celebrated and shared and used as widely as possible.

Happy learning! :)

[blazehedgehog]

Thoughts on EGS basically locking games to it exclusively by throwing obscene money at them because otherwise it's a garbage service and basically Chinese spyware?

Listen, I don't really like EGS (that is, the Epic Game Store) but you don't have to sound so... borderline racist about it.

In truth, it's almost a little worrying how pretty much impossible it is to topple Steam's control of the market. Epic gave it pretty much the best shot anyone has ever given it, pouring millions, possibly even billions of dollars into giving away HUNDREDS of free games and tying dozens more up in exclusivity deals. They played hardball in the press, calling Valve's practices out, and providing developers a better, more profitable deal.

And the needle barely even budged. There are a growing number of stories of developers who finally release their games on Steam only to see orders of magnitude more customers than they ever had on EGS. And thanks to the lawsuit with Apple, it's been revealed in pretty black and white terms that all those free games they give away do not necessarily translate to sales.

Because let's be fair here: Valve may not exactly be a very great company? Even in a best-case scenario, they are difficult to motivate because of their explicit company structure. Though Valve eventually produces some of the greatest games ever made, their mantra when it comes to managing and maintaining the health of certain parts of their company is often one of "eh, good enough." You have to rock the boat pretty hard to get them to take real action.

That's not me rallying around EGS. Or Origin (sorry, "The EA App"), or Battle Net, or anything else.

I go out of my way to avoid those applications when I can. Spyware or not, they just suck to use, and I don't need yet another username and password to keep track of, or another client sitting dormant for 99% of my computer's uptime. The only non-Valve storefront I like is GOG, and GOG's client (GOG Galaxy) isn't very good and may actually be making their service worse, given they route all game installs through Galaxy now instead of just giving you a regular PC installer.

But it is hard to be a fan of a company like Valve who, at least publicly, seems to be so indifferent to the people who built their throne.

Their development mantra almost feels like hedonism at times. Like Gabe Newell is splayed out on couch somewhere wearing a toga, an olive branch crown adorning his head, being fed grapes like "Left 4 Dead 3? Ehh... whatever."

They are basically what happens when an indie studio has infinite money. There's no incentive to do anything for anyone because there's zero external motivation.

It would be nice if somebody, at some point, lit a fire under their asses and actually got them to focus up and try for once, again. Instead of decades of dead end experiments, most of which probably never even make it into the public view. I love Valve, but that affords me the ability to say that being a Valve fan has sucked big time over this last decade and a half.

And the fact that Epic could burn all that money, all that effort on EGS, and not even scratch them? That's scary.

And now Epic has just revealed their brand new terms to publish games on EGS: for the first six months, you get to keep 100% of your revenue. Which would be great, if not for the fact that, y'know, as I established in this very blog, nobody is really buying tons of games on EGS. This just means Epic gets to have more exclusives but now they don't have to pay for them anymore. They aren't even getting that launch window revenue anymore.

Epic isn't just falling on their sword here, they're bending over backwards to do it, in the hopes of shaking someone, ANYONE off of Steam. But Valve is just that entrenched.

[thesweetestsupervillains]

Nice dig at AI there at the end, but this has nothing to do with AI. It actually has to do with adobe pulling a major CYA move.

Now AI has something to do with it, but not with the use, more the existence. AI makes it easier to say, make porn of famous people. But you could already do that with Adobe products, such as photoshop. People have. You could draw it. Or, in that regard, you could use adobe products to draw fanart.

Which, I should point out, is illegal. But the legal realm has long treated the products used in the production of infringing content as a non-factor. They treat it the way you'd treat analog methods. If you draw a picture of spiderman on a piece of paper, Disney isn't going to sue the paper and pencil manufacturers.

The world of service based products has changed this dynamic. Now, because lawmakers want to do things like, say, ban apps and the like, that opens the door to saying 'people who provide services that allow for this content to be made are possibly liable.' That's how they took down Megaupload; the charge, not unfairly, that it was a giant hub of pirated content.

So now, people are going to say, 'adobe products allow people to create and distribute copyrighted material. Adobe isn't like a pen and paper, it's more like a publisher, a printing machine that allows for endless copyrighted forgeries.'

Would that hold up in court? Probably not. But what they're actually liable for doesn't matter as much as what they believe they're liable for. So rather than take the risk, they've decided to just spy on all their customers, put cut the arbitration time in half, and also given themselves the right to prevent you from using their software.

And that's not too much different from the increasing desire of lawmakers to demand that say, tiktok, doesn't exist on your phones. How do they enforce that? Spyware.

And it won't stop there because actually enforcing ToS is much harder than just saying it. For example, let's say that the government wanted to fine Tumblr for anyone who was underage that accessed the site. The only way to ensure that didn't happen would be if every user provided proof of identification to be checked by the government. Some on the American right have been demanding this for years to stop 'bots' but anyone with a brain can see how that would probably be used. They like the Chinese system of everything being linked to central government servers.

And of course, that's worked out so well for women in America whose period apps are now being looked at in order to prosecute them if it looks like they had an abortion.

My point is that Adobe doing this isn't because 'adobe wants to know everything you're doing because they're creepy weirdos.' They're doing it because they probably correctly foresee that the next step in the internet's development is that anyone who provides the ability for people to violate the law online will be liable.

It's a shift from the liability being only on the end user and being on the companies themselves. Again, this is exactly why various nsfw content providers are being hit by new restrictions, because Visa and Mastercard don't want to be associated with them. But they also don't want to be liable if the laws shift so that facilitating payments becomes illegal too.

Buckle up people. The corporations are not simply looking to stop you from selling content. They want to stop you from creating it in the first place. And probably will then try to sell you a license to do it.

Adobe is going to spy on your projects. This is insane.

[the-firebird69]

I have a certain look that certain men like and he says it's Germanic and that's what it is and I like that look but I like to live well too and I like my people to do well so I can this guy Trump is ruining us and he's ruining a lot of people he's stepping all over this kid and he keeps saying just shut him down and get him off me but people try to and the idiot get stuck to them and he gets stuck to me a little cuz I was helping at that a****** shelter which was full of s*** is and a lot of them with these idiot trumpsters and there's a certain group that suck real bad yeah I'll tell you what a lot of them are terrible they're just horrible and he says it's really a matter of what their leaders doing that other security guards start to change a little and I noticed it he said this a****** Trump is a huge dick and he came in as a kid and he's walking around people are pointing him out and they're telling him he can't do that and he said you can't tell me what to do and all sudden he got it that he's just got this chip on his shoulder with everybody so it's learning process but boy is he a loser that guy is such a loser and is mean and he's screwing everything up and he is delusional and is a mental patient and yeah that computer is probably gone and there's proof he says on Mars and eventually he goes and looks and figures out some of it and becomes a maniac and dies and that's what it is but I want to be part of this thing JetBlue is our thing and we own it as a group and we want to compete and we're not competing at all we don't have any resorts and we don't even have like our hotels there and he says there's a concept hotel that he and she made up and it's awesome and it's like an extended stay or it's not and it's really easy to go in and out and security is there too but it is convenient and clean and quick and just like the airline and he was amazed that things are set up the way that he said and it really works and we want to start doing it and so he's saying that you can have a boil down version of the resort some people don't want to pay that much and you don't really have to it would be like the hotels used to be possibly and I do understand that they used to be really nice and it would be service against the facility and it costs a lot to have the service but it's really something that makes a difference and we would have some big ones too and see how it goes but we want to try and do that and we welcome it and you know right now we having a little war and it doesn't look like it's going to work out if they attack the Ridgeline and things like that it's going to be bloody and we don't want it to be but right now we're going to peacefully coexist with our airlines and people need it everybody does of ours

Freya Ridings

I think this is great because it's what I said and it is happening we're different people who have different character but we're similar in from the same cloth and we're going to try and do it and we need to provide it for our people and we find each other's airlines this is great this is an opportunity and we do need to places to go these guys have to calm down and we have to stop attacking each other

Taylor Swift

We need to work something out but Trump is unreasonable and won't stop doing it we found bja to be reasonable and Trump is not going after his stashes and caches no and he's not trying to grab them and he's an ass just like Joel Watts because that's who he is we are so sick of that idiot and he's ruining people of his own who are worse stuff I'm so tired of seeing it and I'm tired of seeing so many people die because they don't know what radiation is he's a vulgar piece of s*** named Charles Manson and he needs to go we can't work with him we can work with cheeseman and her friend says nobody can work with Charlie even his own wife and it's true it's something to think about and his dupes are horrible and they were trained by Hawthorne who was Mac proper and they're ruining him and they're probably in their midst and they can't figure it out

Mac daddy

I have to tell you nobody likes what I'm doing or who I am or how I am he says that's a real big surprise you and Dan have the award of the millennium for being the biggest assholes to me and unbelievable okay unbelievable stupid s*** all day everyday day and night with this harassment and it's horrendous so we have to admit we just sit on him and bother him and we think things come from it and we still do and we're probably stupid and just going to die there's no way we can see what it does for real and how it is

Trump

Oh well it looks like you're going to lose your life because that's what it's going to happen because it's been happening because of the stupid attitude of yours and dumb talk and really I'm done talking to you you're going to die soon Trump and you should have died in westborough you're a piece of s*** you're not worth anything and you never were you're just this middle man he doesn't do anything when you ask to do stuff you don't know how to do it and you go around talking to people. But really you're a mean person you're mean to me and I don't want you in my face or near me people are going to fight over this facility here and they're going to kill you hopefully throw you off the top of the building where you belong

Zues Hera

We do know that there are people here who are threatening him all the time for him to leave and they're beating his people up a lot of his people can't stand it and they're trying to get them out of here but they're not using for us and it's not going to work and Sarah doesn't want to and she says I can go build regular hotels for allegiance and it probably let me and it's probably too true so she's going to try that she's got investors in her own plan and our son says that he'll probably want to try and take him over and that's how you can get it done and she said wonderful that's a great idea and so you make like a sunseeker Junior and then you make like a Hampton inn so she's going to do those two and it's attractive to people like Trump because he has this as some crown Jewel and she's moving on it too and it's smart and on the other side of things Freya riding is going to take off with the idea and it's going to work and it's going to help us.

But yeah Trump is lost I can't stand him his s*** is rancid as long as being this ass and I don't want to deal with him anymore so I'm going to go through and like crap through a goose and pull Hawthorne out there and get information right now it's a huge function that's happening because of this facility people are here in the facility fighting over it. I'll have to tell you it had investors and they have a share and he keeps saying they don't and they're enforcing their share and they are getting mean about it and strong and he is getting beat and he's going to continuously and pretty soon he's going to be out 3.25% is very bad and in 2 weeks it's horrific and he is going to lose more and more and it will be exponential and if his own people don't shut him down he's going to do it it's him and he's duplicates and they're not regular clothes they're like 99% and it's kind of a curse and they're idiots so they might decide to do it at some point but right now it's horrific we have other things happening but we're going to print and tomorrow and start another day and we're hoping it goes well he's got kind of planned out and it should be okay

Thor Freya

Olympus

We're ready down here and we have the laundromat ready there's not too many people objecting they like him sitting there and they like to bother him and stuff and if we have to we'll call the police and have Dan arrested or Trump those two are huge huge losers everybody's beating the s*** out of them now and money is coming out and it's not going to stop we don't have a ton of money and we didn't take a ton of stuff from him but big groups are now going after his stashes and caches cuz he's sitting there mumbling bothering people to do so and not taking it out himself and not coming up with a plan he's not doing anything he's a huge a****** I'll tell you what I've I've been trying to do business and I'm using his facilities and stuff and he's just huge dick every time I'm down there he comes by and starts bothering me what are you doing and I have to repeat what I'm doing over and over finally he leaves comes back bothers me shoves it my face you won't be here for long I'm going to take it over and stupid s*** like that so why don't you go take it out house over Trump he's pretty soon you're not going to be able to take over anything except that and after that people will say no we don't need you doing that dude really have to get burned honest to God there's so many people that are going to go after you very soon you're such an a****** you look a gift horse in the mouth all day long and you're stupid everybody wants you dead and you should be I'll tell you what though you should feel guilty because you're helping my cause so much... So he's like arguing about the conversation I said you should argue about the content because you're an a****** and you're giving the game away and you're stupid it says what can be lost in conversation nothing and he is you're the literary and you're arguing that you're trade and skill or nothing and he says wow that's bad and you stop for me and he says what's going to happen he said nothing you're going to keep blabbing like an idiot and people are going to cut your arms off and you find new ones people are going to smash your head in and you're trying to find a new one that's all you should be squished by a machine just such an a****** what a f****** a****** I take a shotgun to your f****** head so I heard all that and he's sitting there mumbling and starts yelling and he's saying s*** to his guys he said you don't have to listen to this twit people listen to him and I'm dead because he's a loser who thinks he has my brother's program and the computers to funk okay they put George on ice put him on ice and give me a break and f*** this guy up. So I see him leaning over the desk and he's talking to people and they're saying you're not being nice to him and he's doing all this work for us f****** mouth and start getting them mad and they said no we want you to shut your f****** mouth now we're going to take over your share and take over your stuff cuz we can't stand you and he's sitting there yelling almost and finally he stops and he walks out and says I'll be back in a minute and they followed him and they started killing all his dupes and they're taking information he says it would be nice to stop and think that you're okay but really you should just keep going we don't have any use for these idiot dupes they're completely contaminated by Hawthorne and they're never coming back and you're going to run into the Hawthorne and they have mac information that started a little war and it's going on now. We're starting to fight with him tonight and we're going to clean his clock

Bg

We're going over this s*** you know we're going after you Trump you shithead

Sarah

And yeah Dan is a piece of s*** and we talked to him that way too he's garbage this guy Trump is garbage and you have to be selective I'll tell you what this whole thing is going to die because this piece of junk Trump and right now the minorities are pouring in and they're warlock and they're going after the idiot and other groups are going after him because of it and using them as cover we said 3% and it's up to about 4% of the general population is coming here and messing the guy up and in the United States the Trump group is probably only 5% but of the general population there are 3.25% in the United States are about 1.7%. this 4% is of the general population and he says are you serious that is a huge number and it is they have about 12% off Island huge numbers that are coming in okay it's more like 1% but that's gigantic it almost matches theirs and other groups are attacking him and he's going to be gone and we need him to be gone he's such an a****** what a juvenile delinquent that piece of crap is you're not even human you're so God damn dumb Trump

Nuada Arrianna

We have a couple things more to say Trump you're a dead man Trump you're stupid and we're going after you now the hotel and other investors from your clan and other investors in the clan you have about 50% and they have about 30% and others have 20% but they're aligning against you and they're taking your people out and they're dating shares and it's a public company and it's allegiant Air that owns this facility and you have lost 10% of your stock in the past 2 weeks you're going to lose 20% this week coming and starting tomorrow and you will be down to 20% and you are a minority at that point as you are right now you are not a controlling share and we are going to kick your f****** ass you piece of f**** s***

Thor Freya

Olympus