#it's mostly just a matter of building the site for them and i'm having to relearn how to do it

[roisnoir]

The most recent batch of swatches

the triangle piece is for a doily ("d'oyley") - you make seven of them and attach them to a cloth center, as far as I can guess. I think it would make a very pretty, very maybe-wear-it-over-something-solid (or at least wear good sunscreen), top when paired with one of the deeper borders. I would need to work out how to increase the size of the triangle pieces, though - they're currently only the one size. Which might be worth doing - the motif in the middle might make for a pretty lace on it's own.

[not-poignant]

Hi Pia

I have 2 separate questions that are unrelated but share a subject matter.

Would a woman omega or trans man omega who was infertile/sterile be allowed at Hillview?

And 2) Have you thought or would you ever write an mm pairing where one of them was a trans man?

I'm trans masc and I find it so hard to find good trans fics that deal with trauma recovery or aren't just pwp. And I love your writing so much that if you ever decided to write a transman fic I'd literally cry from happiness.

So, I was going to write a big long world-building response to this but instead I'm gonna take it back to something personal - you're asking me to consider worldbuilding for and writing for stuff I feel pretty dysphoric over in my personal life. I go out of my way to really, really avoid writing heterosexuality of any kind for a start, so I don't want to think about all the fringe cases where I can make heterosexuality possible at Hillview or the sister site. That's just...icky to me.

As for trans folk, being that I'm also transmasc, I'm mostly team 'if you want to see it happen you can write it happening. I have zero problems with that. But there's stuff I'm not writing about either for reasons relating to dysphoria, or for reasons relating to 'this is not actually why I enjoy writing in the first place.' This is why I don't do self-inserts, for example. I don't like seeing myself in my own stories, I prefer seeing myself represented in other stories.

So -> If other folks want to write it, they can! If they want to solve those worldbuilding issues, they absolutely can! If they want to write fic about it, I'm gonna set off a confetti cannon for them in celebration.

In terms of worldbuilding, the answer would just always be: It depends. If you want to find the fringe cases then sure, there would always be exceptions! But if there was any chance of fertility/pregnancy with their companion, then no. So it would absolutely need to be not just a hormonal transition (a lot of things can impact consistent hormonal uptake and I think omegaverse hormones in the Underline universe would actually impact them a lot too), but one that covered bottom surgery as well.

Is that like, a problem in honouring someone's gender? Absolutely!! The Underline universe isn't perfect. But preventing pregnancy is their biggest concern at Hillview and the sister site. I know in regular/standard ORFs, they only care about the fertility issue, and care about literally nothing else, and yes, that can be a huge issue re: trans folk. This world is a dystopia, it doesn't pretend to be anything else.

The fun thing about fanfiction, is that other people can erase all of that with a sweep, come up with some magical contraception, and just make it happen. :D

As a transmasc person myself, I have stuff I just don't like writing. Just like everyone else does. You are absolutely welcome and completely have my blessing to imagine whatever you like for Underline, to write it in fic, to daydream about it, to bend and change the rules that already exist or to make up new ones that don't exist yet, that work for a world you want to read about.

But for me...it just comes too close to 'if I have to change or figure out these things I also have to think about how to set up 'woman omega and man alpha' heterosexuality and I just don't want to.'

I'm so sorry anon. I'm going to circle this one under competing needs. Sometimes the thing another person needs to find gender affirmation, is the thing that will harm another person's experience of their own gender, even if that gender shares the same general name, even if that changes down the track. (This is how we get some trans people who hate genderbending in fic and say it's dysphoric, and other trans people who love it and say it's affirming. It's true for both, neither should impose their views on the other).

The TL;DR being: I write what I want to be writing. If I'm not writing it, and have never written it, it's because I don't want to write it. In the matter of heterosexuality: zero interest, I'll leave that for other folks. In the matter of being trans, dealing with my own gender stuff irl is already a nightmare that I don't want to have to write out a version of that again in fiction, because I can't live it twice, and I don't like writing fluffy stories.

[insanescriptist]

Im so scared because of this election and what it means for my loved ones and I.

If you're a global nonnie,

I'm sorry; you believed in the intelligence and humanity of the average American voter and were denied both.

Obviously Trump being elected is going to embolden the worst politics; either to use or abuse or both, the world and it's peoples. Not just in the current warring areas, but all over the world.

And remember, Trump is currently 78; he could easily die of natural causes within the next four years. Without Trump's star power, a lot of that momentum will die fast.

If you're in the US nonnie,

If you live in a Blue state, your state's likely to stay Blue, with all that being a Blue state entails

If you live in a Red state, your state is likely to stay Red, with all that being a Red state entails

If you live in a Purple state, it's likely going to swing one way or another and I wish you the best in surviving the politics and the political ads

Further US specifics under the cut

Like I'll be real and say I'm disappointed my state's not more purple, which is the best color anyway (side effect of living in the South; it's very Red Republican politics) but it is what it is; we just gotta live with it or deal with it so... most posts I've seen going around have focused on the importance of letting yourself grieve, choosing an issue to focus on and avoiding burnout. I think I'll focus on awareness somewhat. Just things to watch out for. Because there's going to be all sorts of obnoxious crowing and cawing about everything. I'll touch on things and if I had the time and energy, I'd link to various stories and sites but most of what I'll say here is easy enough to verify in broad strokes with a couple of internet searches.

If you're worried about the economy... yeah that's a valid worry and probably not the way you're thinking. You're thinking another trade war (Mexico would love it if there is btw, they benefited off of the last one and the Farmers who had soy in their fields as part of that rotation lost so much money) which would be ow for the US again, but mostly survivable as trade wars only focus either a trade good or trade partnership. The lesser issue but more concerning, Trump will slash anything he wants (regulations mostly) to ensure an economic boon because that's what people want and will notice by year 2 and 3 of his second term. What they'll celebrate. That and cheap gas. What they won't notice for a couple years is the further loosening of food regs (see all the recent food recalls and outbreaks) and what people won't notice for decades is the infrastructure issues (building regs for housing and ofc infrastructure in general.) There's also the various other safety regs and requirements built into the laws, no matter how shitty it is ie workman's comp. Regs are built in blood but business don't care if their money is bloody. But yeah, these reg slashes are going to crop up with after effects for absolute decades afterwards. Don't believe me? You should watch more housing renovation programs; there's various types of plumbing and electrical regulations that can absolutely date your house. And yes, the housing insurance companies can spot them and also not tell you about them, but certainly charge you for the increased risk. That's just for the housing regs btw. Industrials regs concern entire industries, like how much carbon your car can emit to be considered eco-friendly to what sort of pipes can be laid out where. No one wants to be the next Flint, Michigan but it could easily happen and probably with something else. There's buildings made less than 50 years ago that are made with materials considered unsafe by standards now. There's also banking shit to consider with businesses and housing. The oodles of various office and retail space unused which um. The banks care a lot about unused office space that can't even be refit into human housing. Empty retail space can eventually be filled with another business. Empty offices less so now that more businesses are less tied to the office as a place. (Reduces other business' overhead.) Banks hate having empty unprofitable buildings in their portfolio, but at least the interest rates are back to "normal" percentages. Like I won't get into the the money generation/shuffle game that's going on with the US debt, other than 2.4% is sustainable for political purposes and not humanitarian purposes, because boy would it be nice to slash the national debt. Really make the dollar worth something that way. Sure, I'll take getting paid more, but I'd sure like to be able to also buy more with my pay. Because foodstuff is still going high because of various supply issues due to climate issues, the newest banana plague, in addition to many, many recalls. Like does no one remember the arson going around various meat farms several years ago? The various poultry farms ended because of avian flu? Long story short, the food prices are still so high because supply is pretty fucked up. Stores have been jumping through so many hoops to get supplied, that the logistics people are probably Olympic level rhythm dancers by now. Which is an additional complication to the whole ongoing recall issues whenever there's a bad batch of anything. They're a bit too busy ensuring supply to always have all the documentation in order. Which obviously, recalls work best when stores know which products to pull. More economic news though, Trump is going to be so good for businesses. And so bad for the people.

If you're worried about your medical health, that's also a valid worry. Especially with his comments on various known vaccines. Like the standard ones we've had for ages. Might wanna get those touched up. Medical red tape is annoying to wade through at the best of times but he's not in office yet, so plan accordingly. Make the most use of your health benefits this year and next year (they're already set for the year), since the year after will be once he's in office and things will obviously shift to some degree with whatever health insurance you've got, if any. A little medical debt in prevention is more than worth the expense of cure later. Get the cavities seen to. Get that pap smear. Refresh your vaccinations. Do your tests, get your bloodwork ran and go through it bit by bit. Take your damn vitamins. (And your meds.) Because again, those regulations? Those are going to get more loosey-goosey. In some things. More tight on some things than others. It's going to vary by state politics. Like my state for example does allow for birth control but not for abortion. Would I like abortion to be an option, yes, because my state is terrible about supporting families after the birth of a child beyond WIC and SNAP benefits. Daycare waiting lists can be over a year and maternity/paternity leave is something of a joke depending on what/who you work for. About the only solid boon I can think of would be Trump's loosening of the health regs, that might entice some nurses back to nursing, easing that lack of human resources in the health care system. As a red state, there were so so so many nurses I've talked to that quit/retired rather than take a booster shot for Covid or even the original Covid shot. Which is a whole different story, but not for here.

If you're worried about your public safety because you're part of a vulnerable/minority population? Yeah, be concerned. Trump's political leanings and what he says emboldens all kinds of impulses in the worst people. So they might actually go through with impulses they wouldn't otherwise act on. The KKK might try to recruit again. Which I wish was a joke, but they actually did try to have a public, local to Izzy, meet during Trump's previous term; they got scared off by the locals. So general advice Look at travel recommendations/warnings when going through parts of the US. Plan trips carefully. Consider moving to friendlier places if able, take precautions if unable or unwilling. Keep to a buddy system. Stay with friends in public. Make your plans for if the worst happens so you don't anxiety spiral. Know who to crash with in an emergency How to get copies of your important documents if they're all ash or being held by another party etc. I know no one really does this nowadays but know your emergency contact's phone number!!! Still very important information. Your phone can be dead, lost, stolen or confiscated and along with all the data on it and with it. (Those phone cases with the wallet attachment? How delightful, a lost phone that has a wallet attached, especially one with a photo ID of any kind is a golden goose for anyone looking to do a little identity theft. Because in order to call to put cancels/holds on all your cards, you've gotta have a phone.) Also as a reminder, your biggest and best shield is your confidence; the moment you act like prey, you'll be treated as such by those looking for targets. Do your murder strut and your main problem will be people asking you for directions and grannies trying to get you to go to church.

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Hi Avery! You may remember me from "my church is going on its RIC journey" several years ago! Covid set us back but we've made some progress with enacting inclusivity in our building, including participation in our city's Pride, officially naming two gender neutral bathrooms (i worked SO hard for this), celebrating RIC Sunday, and slowly starting a Faith and Diversity section in our library!

I wanted to ask though - the affirming committee (which I'm on) wants to include some resources on our church website for brand new allies who may know little to nothing about the LGBTQ+ community! Things like definitions, explanations of pronouns... I wanted to know if you had any advice or suggestions for places I could look, for both super basic resources and ones with a Christian lens!

Thank you so much for all you do!! - Moth

Oh hey, I do remember you; so glad to hear from you again! <3

Thank you for your part in moving your church further into affirmation. I know how frustrating such work can get, especially because it tends to move so slowly; but it is good and holy work, and what you've done and continue to do for your church matters so much.

First, I imagine you're already aware of it but just in case, Reconciling Works has its own webpage of resources, including basic definitions. Definitely makes sense to link some of those!

See this post for my recommendations for some queer Christian resources mostly related to sexuality. One of them, the Queer Grace Encyclopedia, is a database both of basic queer definitions and theology. You'll find a lot of great, simple but well-researched articles on there!

Next, I've got a Google doc masterpost of basic trans stuff, including pronoun practice and how to apologize gracefully when you accidentally misgender someone. I don't recommend passing the whole doc along to your church because Too Many Links gets overwhelming, but if you wander through you can pick out the resources you think they'd find most helpful!

I also have a Google doc of Christian-specific trans stuff; I recommend similarly that you pick out just a few to pass on for the church site. Especially some links from the Transmission Ministry Network :)

Posting this so others can add recommendations!

[samkat10423]

Sunset-died

Lately I've been following @tiaamorosa's Sunset-died story. If You haven't seen it, be sure to check it out. Anyway, I've played this world before. Mostly during a sim world-hop challenge we had over at the old Sims Daily forum, with my all-time favorite sim, Theo Kaplinski. Who was created using my good friend @franglishetchocolat's self-sim that she created and shared on that site. Anyway, it was while Theo visited this world, that she adopted her cat, Marley, and the rest - as we say - is history.

This world was created pre-Seasons, which was fine. But once Seasons came out, sims could actually die from exposure. No so good. When Theo landed on shore, she found a roofless, partially wall-less structure to live in. Again, pre-Seasons it didn't matter. But now - since I have all the EPs and stuff crap - it presents a bit of a problem. So, I'm lending my current sims a hand by upgrading their shelters. In my game, the destruction of SV was due to an alien attack. I used a crash site lot from Into the Future for the downed craft in my town. Several months have gone by and sims are slowly beginning to get their lives together.

One of the first community lots they built was a medical clinic. I ousted VJ Alvi from the Monotone house that he had squatted in and converted it into a small clinic.

The local scientists have provided some solar panels for electricity, since the main power lines are still down. BTW, I haven't placed the rabbithole rug yet, but it will be accessible via those stairs on the side of the building that lead to a basement.

There's a tiny waiting area, furnished with dumpster finds and a general exam area with a chemistry thingie. The other room is the surgical suite. There is also a room where x-rays can be done and a small space for consults. In my town history, most of the equipment was looted from the spacecraft that crashed, since sims wouldn't have had time to get it from the hospital that was nuked - nor would they have anyplace to store it. So, I figure they stole it from the spacecraft. Some of it is pretty advanced for these sims - they are nothing if not backward - so, they are still learning how to use it. Have only killed 3 sims in the process. Anyway, most of these items came from Sandy @aroundthesims3. If you're wondering, those 2 aqua-colored items outside the back door, are porta-potties. There wasn't enough room inside, so this is their work-around.

These are the Wolffs down on what was once their lot. There isn't much left other than a tent and those boxes. I took both of them into CAS and gave them make-overs. Both will be moving elsewhere. Since their marriage was already on the rocks, they decided to call it quits. Actually, Thornton just upped and abandoned Morgana.

And this is who he dumped her for - the ever-lovable Jaime Jolina. They now live in that trailer next door to Erin Kennedy's lot. Jaime is currently jobless, since the clinic hasn't officially opened yet. Thornton has joined the criminal track since that building survived the attack. Because she is in the medical field and considered a necessary worker - a lot like I was at the height of Covid - Jaime's housing was given priority status and was one of the houses renovated first. (I'll share some pics of it in my next post).

Anyway, for now, I plan on only having essential careers in this town - political, medical, police, and science. Then military. And criminal, since whenever disasters strike, it always seems to bring out both the best and worse in people.

[vervainvoyage]

MR5, woot woot! THAT test was the hardest of them all- they wanted me to hack 6 things in a row. Never ask me to do this again. PLEASE.

I'm done with farming for now and getting back to quests, and I have a weird feeling that I got spoiled with some info too soon by doing the Heart of Deimos mission and

being told that apparently, those huge people made me? cool. Nice to know. I like the look of their old buildings, very gold and white, so I can vibe with that. OH and it suddenly makes sense why the extraction points in Orokin ruins look so conveniently designed- because they were designed to be landing points for Frame aircraft. Neat.

Me and Daughter are really vibing, mostly because I applaud her choice of blasting a boyband at full volume on a moon entirely taken over by eldritch mutated meat growth. The horrors persists but we stay silly.

Despite having now... 20 hours in the game, wow, I still run face-first into walls and fall off the map. I applaud Lotus for still wanting me on any missions despite that, though considering how often she tells me to "Focus, Tenno" she might have figured out I just have ADHD and usually forget to put on glasses. She scares me with some of her warnings though- when raiding Vaults, she sometimes says "something's wrong" and DOESN'T ELABORATE. MA'AM. PLEASE. DETAILS.

Also it took my bro a few tries to hammer it into my head that during the drilling missions, when Lotus tells me "The scanner has picked up a target. Go to the dig site" I'm supposed to STAY exactly where I was. Lotus please WHY are you telling me to go somewhere else and then nag me about my excavator getting destroyed 😭 I'm just a little gal, I can't receive this many orders at once, you already know I woke up from the coma a bit uh... uncalibrated.

Anyway, I just finished Stolen Dreams and... well that was a plot hook if I've ever seen one. I am more confused than before that mission. The Codices sound like a random MacGuffin, but I must assume they will show up later and this was just a set up that they even exist. The message though? About "the womb of the sky" being empty? Yeesh thanks ominous machine. Good to know. I'll just. I'll just leave you to it, thanks.

So. It's fun playing a warmachine that goes through enemies like a lightsaber through butter, even if I'm clearly one that lost some vital brain matter during the coma.

[darkisrising]

⭐

suuuuusssshhhhiiiiiiiii my love! Thank you for playing with me, and per our dm conversation you settled on the sex worker bobadinluke au series for the director's commentary ask game. Which is gonna be hard since you were there when I was writing it, I'm not sure what I can come up with that you wouldn't already know/vaguely recall, but I'll give it my best shot.

Right away, I'll say that everyone that knows me has dragged me at least once about my fic titles. I'm not great at coming up with them, and usually just pick something at random. At the time I was writing this series, I had this idea of grouping fics together with some very loose theme. Which is why my dinluke stuff mostly have a mando'a words as titles, the big BDL series are all lines from songs by Frank Sinatra, and this series has titles that are all songs from the 2000s. The songs have nothing to do with the fic, except that the one line I used for the title somewhat had something to do with the fic itself. Which I know drives @bronze-lorica crazy, lololol, and I'm sure she'd not alone.

This series started off as three prompt fills. Three people requested "sex worker" from a list of AUs but asked for different ships, and I decided to make my life easier by setting them all in the same, modern world. This series got me by the throat as I was writing, and I'd post a little more, only to be like "Oh! And another thing..." over and over, until there were 37k words of it.

I knew I didn't want to tell an angsty story with this one-- I love angst but I wasn't in the mood--so instead I went with the idea that Luke's a sex worker that's doing this as a means to an end, and is very clear about when the end will be. So, instead of seeing him hit rock bottom and let that be the motivation for the sex work, it's more transitory than that. This is only a moment in his life that we're seeing, and he's very clear about that.

His sex worker style I sort of based on the persona I take on in my client-facing/customer service jobs. Upbeat and patient. "You can trust me" and "We'll get through this together" vibes. And since I like my triads where everyone is a puzzle piece that fits in together, providing something for each person that's unique and different, it synced up nicely to make Din someone with a repressed/religious fanatic background. Luke's very open and non-judgemental, not to mention competent, energy is like Valium to Din. It lets him soften and be more willing to engage in a way that he doesn't really with his bristly husband. Boba's my gruff, blue collar man and when I hit on the idea of him dealing with chronic pain from an accident at a construction site (the Sarlacc building project, he fell into the pit, natch, and then after I decided that, I couldn't stop hearing Andy Dwyer singing "pit. I fell in it, the pit. You fell in it, the pit. We all were in that pit.") it made sense that Luke was able to help him if he was training to be a physical therapist. After that, it was all a matter of teasing those three connection points in different directions to see how the three of them could provide for each other in unique ways. That's really where the plot (such as it is) came from. Writing it was a really organic, natural process, which isn't normally the case for me. But, I guess, I started off knowing the characters in this incarnation really well (and with faaaaaaar more clarity than usual) so it was mostly a matter of seeing where that would take me.

(link if anyone else wants to play)

[bluereo]

Trio of Chaos!AU

Sorry in the beginning. This turned out more serious then I intended but I want to create some surroundings for future crack.

Memes at the end

Backstory more or less part 1

Megatronus and Soundwave meet eachother in the arena. Sound held the title of chempion for some short time before he was chalanged and overthrown by Megs. Still the fight was toughter then both expected. Finding themselves nearly equal in battle they started to form very slowly their friendship.

They build trust and understanding between eachother. Soon they were inseparable. They always had eachother backs. In the arena or not. Megatronus got along with cassettes too.

They discovered through Megatronus poems that their political views were similar too. Megatronus started writing a lot more in his free time then. Between matches and trainings he always stayed at his quarters preparing essays and poems usually with Ravage or Laserbeak as his companions.

Soundwave beeing the technological master he is soon found a way to publish his essays online.

In the matters of days and weeks more and more bots started to read and talk about Megs works. Mostly in lower castes but not only. Of course he used a pseudonym to not be recognized by someone of higher standing immediately.

They never expected that their works would ever reach someone of wealthier middle or higher cast. Until one day they got a message on their private communication Chanel with they both used.

Soundwave was always confident about their security soo the moment they saw unknown message from encrypted com they were kinda stunned.

"Your words reached even Iacon. Though you need to be careful. Those words can get you killed - O.P."

This message woke up something inside Megatronus. He was heard by someone above. His words were spreading and listened to even by bots of Iacon, the capital of north half of Cybertron.

"And who are you secret messenger? Are you perhaps trying to warn me that someone already chosen to snuff my spark and i should watch my back? - M."

Reply came almost immediately.

"Of course not. I'm intrigued and interested about your other political views. Also, I would like to discuss some unclear details in you last essay. Of course if you are ready to chalange? - O.P"

Megs smilled to himself when Soundwave siting next to him confirmed that no one was spying on them.

"Then bring it on, let's see what you have to say - M."

And that was the start of the longest debates in Megatronus live. Days and night he was writing with secret O.P. who never introduced himself. He found someone who chalanged his views in constructive way.

In the matter of weeks they went from using their initials to full names. Mysterious O.P. was an archivist Orion Pax who worked in the Hall of records under Alpha Trion. There was something in the way they talked, that instantly made them fully understand eachother. Their views complemented and soon Orion started to be an editor of megatronus works. He gave him more words to use, more materials to work on and much more motivation to write.

They were working together something around two months when Megatronus invited Orion to Kaon. They both craved meeting in person and ability to discuss everything without long long messages. Soundwave on the other hand chosen to use safe distance for now. He too was amazed by the archivist and his dedication to their work but chosen to be safe rather then sorry if something bad happened.

When they finally met, something just clicked and Soundwave, Megatronus and Orion become much more then ally. They become friends. Orion turned out to be a truthful person who, even with his higher standing, could see the pain and misery of those below.

Orion stayed in Kaon for whole 3 days. Cassettes loved how, even when he was working, still payed them a lot of attention and could listen to their stories without a problem. He could fully concentrate on two, three and sometimes even four things in the same time.

The  the time came for Orion to return Soundwave needed to separate his minions from archivist who was one minion tear way from staying another day.

Their thrived around eachother. Need for change in the system become their focus. Soon Megatronus started presenting his speeches after won matches. Orion spent days and night making sure that there were good enough to present, he even pulled some political strings and few contacts to make sure about pits beeing safe for time beeing. Soundwave carefully made sure that no Master of Pits tried to help Megatronus dissappear and started to use some contacts to find a safe place for meetings of more and more mechs who started to listen and follow them.

In matter of weeks their work started to pay off. They were able to get real medic to do health exams on bots living in the Pits poorest around. They were able to get some datapads and even teach some mechs how to read and write. Of course hunger among them was still a thing but with time and some strings pulled they managed to get few allys who supported their movement from the shadows.

Their "headquarters" was safely hidden underground in old cavern of unknown use. But Soundwave was nearly sure that this place is remnant of secret tunnels to hide bodies of those who perished in the ages when rust plague thrived, but never actually been used. Those tunnels provided them with a lot of space and safe ways of going in and out.

This was normal to see there Orion surrounded by young sparkling begging him to tell them another story. Pax thanks to beeing an archivist remembered a lot of those, especially about first primes and their legacy.

Normal was also finding Megatron in company of his loyal followers who offered their help and ideas on next steps.

Normal was that Soundwave allowed his minicons to roam free around. He knew they were safe and there was nothing that could hurt them here. They were among those who would always help them.

-----------

Okay so that's the first part of backstory. It came out serious but I focused on main events. I will post some separated post with more silly situations after I finish backstory more or less.

If you saw any mistakes in my writing pls message me.

But for now some new memes

[owenthetokencishet]

I know this is the influencer-free social media site and follower counts don't matter, but I have gained quite a lot of them in the last few months for some reason and I figure I should at least introduce myself to those who don't yet know me.

My name is Owen, my pronouns are he. Just he, I could never be him (Adam Savage) and my username is the closest you're gonna get to a carrd. My specific microlabels, disabilities, and traumas are none of your business.

I'm currently a college student majoring in technical theatre, and a maker. I LOVE working with my hands to create weird shit, with a special love for propmaking, miniature painting, and cosplay.

I am a MASSIVE sci-fi nerd. If it has spaceships I'll probably love it, and then try to build a model of the spaceship in question. Spaceship.

I will post mostly about

Warhammer 40,000 (The Calladayce kesh memes must flow)

Doctor Who (never not thinking about Peter Capaldi shredding on a tank)

Star Trek (Paramount PLEEEEEEEASEEEE hire me to work on SNW I live in the area where its filmed PLEEEEEEEAAASEEE let me come build phasers n shit for you I wanna hang out with Carol Kane)

My political views should be pretty clear through a quick glance at my page, but generally if you believe there's a certain type of person anywhere in the world that must be completely eliminated you are a fucking dalek and I don't want you anywhere near me. I try to be funny about the issues(tm) because it's the only way I can cope with living in a satire so obvious nobody smart enough to write it would ever bother. Also labour unions are good. IATSE is the only way I could ever have a sustainable career as a stagehand

On this blog: RPF is a community of propmakers and cosplayers sharing advice and displaying their work, Ship Discourse is about warp nacelles, and CNC is a computer-controlled milling machine

the world is my lego bin. Grab an olfa knife, a hot glue gun, and come play with me

[cookinguptales]

this isn't sad posting, this is irritation posting

(under a cut because uhhh I got really irritated)

my family is most likely going to be going to Japan in a few months and I'm very excited to be going back!!!

the one snag is that my mother and my aunt will be there for the first few days of the trip and my mother I love dearly but she's... not as fond of traveling these days.

but okay. I can plan around that. not a lot of moving around, not a lot of "difficult" foods, etc. I can do that.

my aunt, though.

my aunt.

we're estranged from most of our family because... honestly, they're terrible people. but my father and mother have stubbornly hung onto my father's aunt, mostly because she is outwardly sweet and they love her and she's not As Awful as most of the evangelical extended family.

but she's still very much a lutheran minister's wife and she is saying

I shit you not here

she's saying she does not wish to see anything shinto or buddhist

in

KYOTO

like she wants to take a day trip to Nara to see the deer but is refusing to go see the daibutsu IN THE SAME PARK which is FIFTEEN METERS HIGH and in one of the largest and most beautiful wooden buildings in the world and like oh my fucking god can you imagine just refusing to look at an entire hemisphere's art because it's not christian enough I am going to SCREAM and I'm really considering being a dick and telling her that the deer are religious, too, WHICH IS TRUE, but I know my parents would probably get irritated with me (...because they also want to see the deer)

*breathes*

and I mean I could probably arrange like three days in Japan that completely avoid all Japanese religion even though it seems fairly shitty to ask a person to do all the translating for you in a country that they went to school in to study Japanese religion and refuse to let them go!! to any religious sites!!!!!

and honestly I'm not sure I even want to take her to any shrines and temples because she's probably just gonna be rude there and I don't want to inflict that on people but like

I'm so frustrated, and I'm frustrated that my parents aren't just like. telling her that she's being a dick.

dad is going with me to koyasan after they leave, probably partially to make it up to me, but like.

I feel like it's only a matter of time until I blow up at this woman and tell her that I hate her. I recognize that it would deeply damage my fragile family dynamics but. holy shit.

lmao this is how I fucking snap

[spaceoperetta]

today I learned a new phrase!

tw suicide, long post where I talk about how awful I've been feeling

'passively suicidal.'

of all things, I saw it on a twitter post about kendall roy

and, uh, that's what I'm going through right now I'm having a bad time.

I'll be fine I'm not going to do anything but I have cried every day for the last two weeks. don't give yourself constant jaw pain by letting a new-to-me dentist file down the side of your tooth. (I needed a filling replaced early bc of pain but it was nothing compared to this, I'm so stupid and instantly knew something was wrong after, I legit got home and wanted to hurt myself, but when I called the dentist back they wanted to file more shit down to fix it and, no.)

Ways to fix it run anywhere from 'get the filling adjusted by a different, trusted professional' (done, but they can't build up what was ground down) to 'try a mouth guard' (better but doesn't fix the issue) and I guess I'll need a crown or to cope with unending pain in my jaw for the rest of my life. except they make crowns off your current tooth and it's not right! and I got a filling since then elsewhere! something I am utter shit at because I caused it by saying yes it's not like I was hit by a car

hurts to talk, no singing from me, and I still can't do all that much shit with my wrists and therefore hands because, still recovering from wrist surgery. and my neck's been hurting for two months.

going to see a new therapist next week, at least. unfortunately due to my first hand POV of my siblings extensive health issues I always think my health issues will never go away/get worse. because that's been my past two years and also my past six months

anyway turns out 'passively suicidal' is the correct phrase for what I went through in college due to my whole breakdown and it's back except I'm not in school and it's in my body and even though I know it doesn't matter, they're issues I caused myself, one way or another. (and that's what's driving me crazy with self-loathing amidst the pain)

working on fixing things but I have no energy and mostly just sit around like a lump and crying a lot. I need a routine but that's hard when all I want to do is sleep or do nothing, barely keeping on with 'massage healing surgery site 3x a day' my first one was at 2pm today.

so, uh, I'm feeling up there with said college breakdown for worse consistent feeling in life. I'm not going to do anything I just feel sad and upset and awful most of the time either that or nothing and I have successfully zoned out for a few hours watching streams or internet videos. I have trouble imagining any future for myself, career-wise, personal life-wise, anything. I've never been good at that, and granted, I've spent more of my adult life being depressed than being productive.

anyway, hopefully like the mountain goats say, there will come a day when I will feel better, but when that day's coming, who can say?

I got some prozac from my pcp but haven't started it yet due to imagined, easily resolved barriers

I just feel like if I don't fix things it'll be like this forever and this will never go away. because it's fucking jaw pain and I have to fix the bite issue. my orthodontist said my bite's always been shit and my dentist said my bite is 'perfect' and uh I believe one of the more than the other.

I've just had a lot of health issues this year and half of them were caused by saying 'yes' to something I shouldn't have and now I'm in pain and the other half were 'so you played too many videogames two years ago to distract from the desire to self harm and now you just think about how that harmed you even more than that moment of slapping yourself would have'

yes I know it's all stupid

[vimoh]

The low-code moment for writers

I was talking to a coder about how there are promises in the air about how "anyone" can be a writer now. A few years ago, I remember similar promises about how "anyone" could create an app "with the click of a button". And of course, there were the promises from the early web about how "anyone" could start a business or a publication. Plenty of people did, but "anyone"?

Seriously?

Nope. Not just anyone. Many did none of those things. In fact, most didn't.

App makers are still mostly actual coders. Online businesses are still mostly actual businesses. We need to look at the promises made by AI-based art and writing tools in the same light. Most people who will use AI tools to make art and create fiction will be actual professional artists and writers.

The thing that makes someone something is not the availability of a tool. It is the desire to do the thing.

No matter how easy it becomes to create an app, someone who doesn't want to do so, won't do so. And even if someone does, they will either end up with something generic and without soul. Or something that they will need knowledge of code to fix and improve.

No-code or low-code solutions mostly only do one thing to markets. They bring more people into it and provide the professionals with more opportunities. Popular website building tool Wix doesn't need you to have any knowledge of code. But after you have built a website, it offers you the option of hiring professional web designers and web developers to enhance your site.

I see the panic among writers, designers, and artists about the coming of the AI age, and I feel like telling them that though they will lose out on some opportunities in the short term, in the medium to long term, this revolution will open up doors that they don't even know exist right now.

I will write more about this soon. I recognise the fears and apprehension that is emanating from creative communities right now. I even share some of those. Particularly the ones about professions at risk and jobs being lost. But I'm a huge fan of the movie Hidden Figures. In it, a group of mathematicians are at risk of being made obsolete by computers that can do their job in seconds.

They solve this problem by being the first people to understand and operate the new technology that threatens their livelihood.

[athenawasamerf]

hi i love ur blog sm!!! i'm studying in egypt for around 9 months as part of a university program and i was wondering if you had any advice for me (based off ur pinned post- if u don't live in egypt anymore u can ignore this!!!!) both as a woman and just in general. if this isn't something you'd like to talk about feel free to ignore! i hope you're doing well <3

Hey! Welcome to Egypt, also known in the region as the mother of the world.

Mostly my advice would be to steer clear of anyone trying to sell you things on the streets. Don’t take taxis, Uber is more expensive but safer and you’re less likely to get scammed. Idk if you speak any Arabic but try to learn some, it helps in navigating day to day life without getting scammed. Most everyone speaks English (badly, lol), though, so it’s not a requirement. Don’t walk alone at night, don’t trust Egyptian men for half a second, ever, no matter how well you think you know them. Try to make friends quickly, Egyptian women are very friendly and welcoming and extremely helpful. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and support from friends and neighbours. If you’re in Cairo, beware the metro system, it’ll always take at least twice as long as you think it will. If you’re in Alexandria, trams are a good way to travel around if you know what you’re doing, but you’ll have to get to know the tram lines.

Don’t trade currency on the black market, keep to the banks and currency exchange outlets. Don’t drink tap water, and don’t eat from dodgy looking carts unless you have someone’s assurance you won’t get sick off of it.

And, most importantly, enjoy your time to the fullest. Try all the traditional food, explore the museums and historical sites, try to find social media pages and influencers who share ‘hidden gems’ around where you’ll be staying.

Download talabat (it’s a food delivery app and it delivers groceries as well) and mrsool (it’s basically an app to like… get someone to pick up/buy/deliver something for you for a fee) once you get here. And get an Egyptian SIM card on arrival, I recommend Vodafone but be aware coverage might not be great depending on where you are, a lot of areas don’t get any cell coverage inside buildings.

If you’re going to be in Alexandria, hit me up for recommendations if you’d like! And have fun!

[helianskies]

👀👀👀 that's three AUs but just will also suffice

three au's? hm. let me just check to see if we've got any out back— ah, yep, yes, three au's. let me just... wrangle them out for you... hmm...

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🪐 ꒱

Transient as the Stars

premise: on the humble planet of K'tose Paradi, a young inventor and scientist finds himself at the centre of an intergalactic bounty hunt. luckily for him, the first bounty hunter that manages to find him may just be convinced to pass on the payday in favour of saving their home.

details: Gilbert lives on K'tose Paradi, a small and quiet planet known for its rather arid landscapes and four suns. He spends his time mostly scavenging through scrapyards in search of materials he can use for work, or pocket for use on his inventions and projects. one day, he stumbles upon a relatively new crash site. not knowing immediately who it may have belonged to, he boards the vessel and goes about his business. only, something he pockets has such a great value that it comes to put a greater price on his head.

Antonio is a bounty hunter. he is in the middle of a spring clean when notification of a new bounty arrives, and it sends him flying into action - and flying not all that far, as the job is on the same planet he's currently calling home. it isn't so hard to find his target, and even though there is a short run-around, he is able to aprehend the small time inventor and wrangle him onto his ship. before he knows it, Gilbert is out in space, and his host and captor decides to let him in on why he's suddenly wanted.

however, just as Gilbert thinks he's done for, Antonio discovers exactly what it is he found on that ship and pieces together who is looking for Gilbert. and with that knowledge, he decides to risk his life and turn his back on his trade in order to help the other get to safety—to the people who can help. what results is an intergalactic journey, in which Gilbert sees planets he has only ever been able to dream of seeing, in which Antonio finds that loneliness is a fate worse than death, and in which the pair of them form a bond unlike one they will ever know again.

i had a lot of the world-building plans sorted for this one - it was the highlight of planning a fic. there's a fair bit of inspiration from star wars, i admit, but really this came from my brain in my big pruspa phase and ugGhhh the drama this au has in it. the betrayals, the friends, the action... so good!

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 💡 ꒱

Virtue's Mask

premise: some are born with powers, where others are bestowed them. not everyone uses these powers for good, however—or, perhaps, that is a matter of perspective.

details: Antonio works as an investigative journalist until... he doesn't. one night and one lead come to change his life forever, and a man who used to seek out secrets in order to better the lives of others has come to hold many secrets himself. even his brother, the only person he trusts, does not know the full extent of his nightly ventures. but Toni will do anything to keep it that way, just to keep him safe. it's for the best—as is his work.

meanwhile, as crime rises in the city, Arthur takes it upon himself to do what local law enforcement won't. vigilante work is tiring and endless, but he wouldn't give it up for the world—not even when a nameless figure appears on his territory and threatens the peace he is trying to restore. encounter after encounter, Arthur finds himself a nemesis, an equal, a challenge... even if his best friend worries for his safety, life has become far too exciting for him to walk away from.

by day, the pair of them are model citizens. they cross paths and their lives begin to tangle in ways more complicated than they could have imagined. what will happen, then, when they discover each other's dirty little secrets?

i have written a lil' chunk of this one, and in particular Antonio's backstory. i'm a fan of the 'they're totally the villain but well actually if you look at it this way—' and it suits nicely. i was more indecisive with Arthur's abilities, but for Antonio, i settled firmly on shadow manipulation as a contrast to his bright personality. i also had it in my head that Antonio works in a bookshop (having left his journalist profession) which is where he meets Arthur. and it grows from there!

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🍞 ꒱

Slice of Life

details: Arthur branches away from the family business in order to establish his own small bakery. as rocky as it is for the first few months of trying to stand out and make his business thrive, he gets through it, and finds that the dough has finally given him a new purpose. that is, until about a year into his stint, a new café opens directly across from his bakery, and threatens to steal not only his customers, but his sanity, too.

over at The Warren, our charming new café, lifelong friends and owners Antonio and Francis are greeted with overwhelming support on their opening day and beyond. it's like a dream come true. organic food and coffee combined with great service is truly a winning combination!

and then, one day, Arthur braves the no man's land between the two businesses and checks out the competition. the pastries? they're okay. their teabags might as well be old dishcloths. but even he may have to admit that a certain someone's smile may just turn out to be a positive in his life. and a positive that he keeps coming back for.

i have literally no plans for this one, it lives only in my brain. but i love the potential for three different relationship dynamics. Toni and Fran have been friends since forever - nothing should come between them, in theory. but as Toni and Arthur start to get close and maybe even closer, the threat it may pose to Francis, who finds Arthur to be a thorn in his side, grows. maybe that in turn affects Toni and Arthur's relationship. but, in the end, Francis may just realise that he does miss how Arthur comes over to exchange words, to complain, to be their best critic. he misses the saltiness and how it compliments Antonio's sweetness. and so, he may just have to do his best to fix what he ruined. doesn't that sound like a fun plot?

well, that's all from me, anon. i hope you were mildly intrigued by one of these :')

[ 👀 ask game here! ]

[cielsosinfel]

I forgot, but yesterday I managed to get to the public library branch and pick up that fuck-off huge binder about radiation exposure and its lasting health-effects caused by the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. This was a nuclear plant in Benton county, Washington state, the site of the first plutonium production reactor in the world, which provided the plutonium to build the first nuclear bombs in the Manhattan Project. It expanded significantly post-WW2 and affected scores of people in Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. Not least the Indigenous communities in the immediate areas around the nuclear plant(s).

While the focus was on how these regions of the Pacific Northwest and immediate neighbors were affected, the binder also has a lot of documents and archival material about nuclear sites and their health impacts in other parts of the United States, Canada, as well as in the United Kingdom, and some few documents mentioning Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (There might be more, I've mostly skimmed so far.)

It was put together in 1995 by the Hanford Health Information Network, which according to Journal of American Medical Associations:

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY in Spokane, Wash, the health agencies of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, and 9 Indian nations have collaborated to establish a unique repository of health and other personal information from the Hanford downwinders, individuals who were or may have been exposed to radiation from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation plutonium plant (known as the Hanford Site). The Hanford Health Information Archives, which opened July 24, will collect, preserve, and make available to the public unedited health records, questionnaires, and other personal information provided by the downwinders.

Apparently you can search these archives on Washington State Digital Archives portal, but I haven't actually checked yet. But if you wanna give it a shot, follow that nifty link up there.

I wasn't sure what to expect after placing this on hold to borrow, because the library does not include any kind of summary description or catalogue details about its government documents. I just had the title to go off. But it's pretty interesting. A lot of the documents are 90s-published fact sheets from the "Technical Steering Panel of The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project," which seem to have been available to the public and to medical providers in areas immediately affected by nuclear testing and pollution? I'm not 100% certain.

Here's an article providing an overview of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project: "The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project was initiated because of public interest in the historical releases of radioactive materials from the Hanford Site, located in southcentral Washington State. By 1986, over 38,000 pages of environmental monitoring documentation from the early years of Hanford operations had been released."

The language in the fact sheets is pretty soft on government responsibility and some of them have a very clear assuaging tone, like civilians shouldn't worry too much about the health impacts they're suffering from government nuclear experimentation.

It also has a lot of government documents regarding the Hanford plant, include some government investigations into human experimentation at Hanford.

But besides that it had scans of articles in local newspapers covering the issues of locals impacted by radiation exposure, and government silence on the matter.

And some anti-nuclear articles published by the Committee of Nuclear Responsibility, which was a educational anti-nuclear non-profit founded in the 1970s and spearheaded by several Nobel laureate scientists calling for an end to nuclear power and research, & government transparency on the effects of nuclear testing.

Downwinders mentioned:

Anyway it's all very interesting ! To me!!! IDK about the rest of you having to scroll past this long-ass post lmao But this is a part of US history we are NEVER EVER EXPOSED TO or taught about, unless you happen to have a personal stake in this history. So I'm like obsessed with all the information in this binder and all the avenues of research being opened up for me, all these governmental and community organizations.

Anyway. I'm very grateful this is readily available at the local public library, and that I can take it home to flip through (my arms nearly fell off carrying it uphill to the train, though.)

[the-firebird69]

We had posted about land and you lost the thing no he lost it very funny but what we're saying is there's lots out there for sale $3,000 500 of them are Trump's and he has two small developments of 20 or 30 houses each large ones there are five we're talks I'm going on about three of them and we're going to offer them some houses and first dibs on some more and some onesie Tuesday lots maybe and we're getting a call from one of the others they want to begin as soon as possible they have about a hundred lots and they want to hire my husband in some capacity and he has the distance now and really they want to hire him to do some sort of estimating and it's not very hard and yes he needs to do it off site and needs the use of a company vehicle for a while and they approve that they say and it will help because going there and back it'll draw the Trump away and she says no way and he has to move him trying for another stuff drawing board it needs a landline and we're going ahead and we're going to talk with them today and that's four out of the five and the fifth one is thinking about it I didn't want to know what kind of deal they want to know what kind of deal and it was kind of stupid because you build for other people and you don't want to and starts huge fights this will start fights but not with the builder and they're amazed and how dumb it is so we're going to head and probably deal as well then they're empty lots that are not developed and they're not plotted we're in talks with them about those there's probably four that are 200 acres and we didn't mention that before but we mentioned other stuff. And there are about five that are around 1500 acres and we're going to sit down and talk to them about that because the 1500 would be like a mixed use mostly apartments some condos and some houses and they would have a certain number and we will gift a certain number two he says it. Oh yes the house is in the community that you saw would range from 1.5 million to 2 million on the average and 2.5 million at the high end and it's because they're 2500 square foot so really it's not just for anybody but you guys preclude each other anyways once you set up a trailer and it's several other things to mention and this land is not free we have to pay for it but it is not really that much money and it's not a matter of money it's not necessarily true everybody fights and it's not much money and it's real..... You make the money real and they do it on purpose to say that we have most of the houses because they don't want him moving back here to Florida and that's the warlock they wanted to Utah and California and one of their Islands so we're going to go ahead and it should be profitable experience and easier than we thought other properties too and businesses should start coming to us

Hera

This is the concept that people don't want out there they don't want him going out west and it's the empire

Thor Freya

You don't want to go out west either well it's not really true

Mac Daddy

The stuff about Trump trying to set us up got out and it's being looked at an examined and we're going to question them we have some of it in and it's real

Stan

Is that enough of this with the biggest enemy and he says of course you're stupid that's why I can't stand it anymore this guy's berating us it says go somewhere else someone else will berate you I don't want you here you're a nasty piece of s*** I sort of get something I'm going to get beat up and yeah you can beat up every day inspiring me to interrupt because you think that it makes it you look good or something people don't want me Disturbed believe it or not and they see her method in Iowa and they said they saw it and they're going after an idiots in New Hampshire and killing them all it's hard to differentiate no hers are women and they find you disguised as women and they're killing you for the disguise can you go faster hopefully you'll be cleared out