#p; harvest countrys

[whore-ibly-hot]

Yan!Farm-boy x Reader

'City Boys ain't worth nothin'

18+ Minors DNI

Warnings: Smut, NON-CON, mentions of exs, p-in-v sex, mentions of religon, mentions of conservatives, bondage, mentions of marriage, mentions of pregnancy, mentions of divorce, female and male genitalia, female reader, pet names, sub-par writing of southern accent.

(AN: Had fun with this one!)

Sitting on your porch, you sip from a cup of sweet tea provided by your lovely Aunt May, when you hear the sound of a truck approaching. A cloud of dust can be seen flying up from the dirt road as the beaten-up yellow pick up from the McCall farm rolls up the edge of your aunt's driveway. A freckle faced, redheaded boy parks the car, and hops out, his face and arms already red from having been working in the sun all day. You huff, but call out to your aunt. "Aunt May! That McCall boy's here!" You yell, a twinge of annoyance in your voice.

Ever since your parents split up, you moved from the city to live with your aunt May in this godforsaken hick town. You've always seen yourself as a city-girl, and just the thought of spending even a month on some dusty farm in the middle of nowhere made you want to gag. Despite the fact you've been here for several months now, the feeling has not gone away. Aunt May is nice, but you miss your friends, and you would rather die than go to another country-bumpkin harvest festival or Sunday service. Your predicament isn't helped by Joey McCall, the youngest son of the McCall family. From what you've gathered, the McCall's have been the largest family in this county for years. While not necessarily rich, they are well-known as salt-of-the-earth people, always willing to help. The McCall family has six kids, with the oldest four already married and starting their own families in the county. It seems that's Joey's goal too.

Everyday, even before you arrived in town, Joey was hired as a farmhand for your aunt, tending to animals and mucking the horses. He took pride in his work, and it only furthered his position as a town darling. When you arrived, despite your arrogance and clear disgust at your new life, he feels that you just need to see how great it is to live in a community like this. Joey hadn't really ever felt anything serious for the girls from town, and some would even say he didn't seem like the romantic type. This was far from the truth, as it was plain as day what he wanted when he would go doe-eyed at the preachers sermons on marriage, and god's purpose for it. He hasn't relented since he met you. Flowers, offering you baked goods, offering to do your chores, whatever you need to get him on your good side. Frankly, you can't stand him. It's not that you hate him persay, but you want nothing to do with this community of red-necks, and you would NEVER sink so low as kissing one of these country bumpkins sons.

Joey hops up the porch with a grin, adjusting the strap of his overalls as he approaches you. 'Aunt May, please hurry up and give him his chores already!' You think, trying to suppress rolling your eyes. "Mornin', stranger!" He teases. "It's a nice morning, sun's not too hot neither..." You nod, trying to simply wait out the conversation. He waits for you to speak, and when you don't, he sighs, but is happy to do the talking. "I'm glad I ran into you, I hadn't seen ya the last few times I visited. I-I sure hope you're not avoidin' me!" He laughs awkwardly, his grin faltering a little when you don't deny that this was your intention. He clears his throat, and quickly turns around, grabbing something from his back pocket. He thrusts his hand out, and a bundle of mixed flowers and weeds rests in it, still covered in dirt. You look disgusted at the half-dead bouquet.

"I don't want that." You say. His hand shakes a little, and he rubs the back of his neck with his free-hand. "Yeah, I understand. I was actually riding Maisie this morning, and by the time I saw these out in the field, she'd trampled right over em' with her hooves." He tosses the bouquet away over the porch, and it falls apart immediately upon impact with the ground. "It was stupid a' me to think ya'd like em'. Worth a shot though!" You open your mouth to retort, but before you can your aunt finally comes to the porch.

"Mornin' Ma'am!" Joey greets, and she responds sweetly, before pointing out a few things round the farm from her spot on the porch she'd like him to get done. He nods, and after grabbing the toolbox he'd always leave by the stairs, he sets off. You decide you've had enough off outside for today, and head back inside, placing your now empty glass on the counter.

Several hours go by, and as you flick through the channels on the tv, (most of which are static due to the terrible signal out here), you hear your aunt call you from the kitchen. As you enter, you can see she's finishing preparing lunch, a salad bowl to her left and a knife in her hand. Her free hands steadies some lettuce on the cutting board. "Hiya kiddo', how's your day been so far?" She asks. You don't hate your aunt, and lie to protect her feelings. "Fine. Just fine." You lean against the counter. "That poor McCall boy has been out there all mornin', hasn't even come in to ask for a glass of water." She sighs. You roll your eyes. "Be a dear and bring him this sandwich, would ya?" You want to say no more than anything, but when your aunt raises her brow and gives you that look, you quickly take the plate and scurry out to the barn.

As you approach, the sound of hammering and heavy breathing can be heard. As you enter, you see Joey trying to patch the gate on one of the horse-stalls. It seems he sent the horses out into the field, as the barn is empty save for you and him. "My aunt wanted you to have some lunch." You say coldly, placing the plate on top of a turned-over bucket which you considered to be the only place clean enough for it. Joey looks up, eyes wide in appreciation. "Well, thank ya' very much! I'll admit, I've been getting might hungry sittin' out here tryna' fix this darned gate." He huffs. He thinks it's a problem with the hinge. You let out a 'hmm', in response, and begin to leave, when Joey abruptly hops up and grabs your wrist. As soon as he sees your face change to one of disgust and shock, he recoils.

"Sorry to spook ya', I just wanted to ask you something before ya' ran of like ya' always do..." He places the hammer down, and his hands come to fidget at his side. "There's a party being held soon, outside the church. It's a picnic on the lawn sorta' thing, we have one every year. It's a real big deal." You raise an eyebrow. "I guess what I'm tryna' ask is if you'd considering going with me? I could show ya' around, help you meet some of the other townsfolk. Hell' ya' could even meet my sisters! I bet ya'd get along swell." His smile become shy, his freckle disappearing into his skin as a bright red blush covers his face. He hopes you think it's just a sunburn. You sigh, and shake your head. "I'm sorry, Joey. I don't think so..." You say. He frowns, but quickly nods. "Nah, I get it. It's kind of a big event. Maybe we could start with something smaller, maybe just the two of us? Say- I know a real nice spot north of the creek, I could take ya down there, a-and we could-" You let out a loud groan, and stomp your foot.

"No, Joey! It's not that I don't want trampled flowers, or I don't want to go to some big event with all you hick's, it's that I don't want you!" You exclaim. His face falls immediately, that light in his eyes extinguished like squashing one of the fire flies you'd see in the fields on a hot evening. "What..." He mumbles, shaking his head a little. "I don't want to date some small-town guy, okay! I don't even want to be in this town. I have a life back in the city, where I belong. Shit, I've got a BOYFRIEND!" You yell. His sadness at your rejection falls for a minute, and he seems to freeze his panicked breaths. "Ya- Ya' gotta' beau already?" He asks, his voice trembling as he swallows heavily. "A beau? What the hell does that mean, some kind of country talk? Yes, I have a boyfriend, and a very handsome one from the city at that." You sneer, turning your nose up at the boy.

"He pretty?" Joey mumbles, licking his lips as his gaze falls to the floor. You raise an eyebrow at the odd question. "Yes, he's very handsome." You respond. "S' got a lotta' money?" He asks. You nod again, not bringing yourself to be able to speak at Joeys sudden change in demeanor. When Joey does finally look up again, his face is no longer blushing red, but red with shame and embarrassment. Tears prick at the corners of his eyes. "W-well, it ain't gonna work out. I know how boys from the city are. They only want one thing from girls... that's what the preacher says." He points out the barn door. "You know Peggy, from the grocery store? She went and ran off with a boy from the city once. H-he knocked her up and left her alone, no where else to go. She came back to town, and she eventually married my brother Samuel. She always says he's the best thing that happened to her. He saved her..." Joey whimpers, his fist trembling at his side. You scoff. "Please, boys from the city have plenty to offer-" He cuts you off. "MORE THAN ME?!" He yells, a sob cracking his voice. "Have you done it with your pretty beau? Has he made you feel good?" You gasp, shocked at his vulgar question. "I don't have to tell you that..." You exclaim. "I'm not asking, I'm tellin' you to tell me." His voice is now filled with an equal tone of contempt, though you don't think it's direct at you, but rather the image of your boyfriend he's conjured up in his head. "He has. We've had sex before, he was my first." You say, swallowing nervously as you try to stand your ground.

"Then lemme ask you one more thing..." Joey huffs. "Is he gonna' marry you? Get ya' a nice house, some pretty dresses, keep ya' safe?" You shrug. "Uh, we're only twenty, we don't need to think about that." Joey shakes his head. "Cause'... Cause' that's what I'd do for ya'. Get you a nice ring, somethin' to match all your pretty dresses and clothes from the city. I'd build ya' a house right on my ma and pa's land, make sure we're still close to the family, but still give us some privacy..." He swallows harshly, taking a few steps towards you. "But most of all, I'd make sure you were safe, safe from any city boy who'd try to get off in ya' and then leave." He's now only a few inches from you. "And I intend to do that." He whispers.

You gasp as his calloused hands grab your wrists, turning you around to face the barn wall. He frees one of his hands up and moves to the stall door he was working on, bumping it open with his hips and shutting it behind the two of you. "L-Let go you brute! Get off of me!" You yell. He rips the red patterned bandanna he usually wears around his neck to keep the sun off, and quickly shoves the cloth in between your pretty, soft lips. As you try to kick, your feet only seem to bounce off the boys firm chest. "That's one thing about us farm boys, we're pretty strong. Firm, ya' know?" He whispers. He forces you to turn over, and you sit on the floor of the stall with your back to the wooden wall of the barn. Joey fumbles around, looking for something. His hand brushes across a rough rope for leading the horses mixed into the hay of the stall, and in just a few moments your hands are bound up to a horse feeder, just above your head. You whine through the gag, tears beginning to fall down your face. He shakes his head.

"Nah, c'mon now... don't cry. It's gonna be okay, I promise ya'." He whispers, brushing away one of your tears with the pad of his thumb. "Don't be scared, I'm not gonna do anything that hurts ya', I just wanna prove to you how good I can be. I realise, I can give you all the things that I said earlier, but... but I know the one thing that city boys have given you." Your eyes widen when you understand his words. He smiles softly. "I know the pastor says we should wait till' marriage, but I kinda need to convince ya' to marry me, and I know now to do that I have to prove that I can give everything some city boy can, and more." His hand comes to rest on your knee, before he uses the palm of his hand to bunch up the fabric of your pink skirt, now smudged with dirt. "Sorry about the location, didn't want anyone to see us. I-I'll buy ya' another dress after this, one even prettier, okay?" He says. Hiking up your skirt, your trembling thighs are visible to him, and the sheer lace of your panties allows him to see you without even taking them off. "Wow, I've never seen something as pretty as this..." His fingers trace the top of the lace, brushing your outer lips slightly. Despite your fear, the contact with a sensitive spot makes you whimper through the makeshift gag. "Maybe I don't wanna get ya' a new dress, maybe I want to see ya' in more of these." He laughs a little, rubbing the back of his neck.

His rough hands try to pull down the fabric around your womanhood, though your resistance makes it hard. Eventually, he groans and simply rips the lace in two, tucking it into the pocket of his overalls. "Surely, since this is damaged now, ya' won't need it." He mumbles. He toys with just the fabric in his hands for a moment, his curiosity evident, before he turns back to you. "I'm gonna get a look at ya', okay? See what exactly a pretty girl like you is workin' with." He roughly slots himself in between your knees, making closing them impossible. His large fingers part your folds, giving him a full view of your moist, aroused pussy. He bites his lip, letting out what can only be described as whimper. "G-geez, darlin'. This is definently better than them' health videos they used to show us in the schoolhouse..." He sighs. Joey's face falls for a moment, suddenly insecure.

"I guess you'll be wanting to see me now, too." He removes one hand from your inner thigh, and unclasps the shoulder straps of his overalls. "I-I'll admit, I know there's a little more to all this, but I only really know the basics, so I'm gonna show ya' what I know how to do. Rest assured though, I'm a quick learner." He stammers. His hand is shaking, and it takes several seconds for him to even undo one button on his overalls. Eventually, they fall, resting just below his wait. He lifts his button up shirt slightly, revealing a pair of briefs, and a very prominent bulge. He blushes as he looks down at it, and your eyes widen at the size. "Y'know, I've never had to deal with these before I met ya'. But, sometimes I go home and thinkin' of you is the only way to get em' to go away." His face is even redder with shame. He pulls the briefs down, allowing his cock to spring free. It's thick, and veiny. Somehow, it's freckled, much like his face. He spits into his hand, shivering as he rubs it down his length. "Sorry I don't have something better than my spit. I know it's kinda' gross, but, we are doin' it in a barn." He pulls his hips forward a little, rubbing the tip of his cock against your entrance, which against your will is now soaked with arousal. "See, I've already got you wet, I can do whatever that boyfriend back home can do for ya'." He says.

"Listen, I know ya'd said you've had sex with him, but I know it can still hurt a little. So, I promise to be real gentle with ya'." He stroke your face with his free hand, and presses his chapped lips to your forehead in a tender kiss. "I'll never get over how much softer you are than me..." He whispers. He begins to hump his manhood against your entrance, biting his lips each time he angles away from you instead of penetrating. "Huh, this is a lil' harder than I thought..." He seems upset at the idea he is under-performing. He takes his hand, and with a solid grip on his member, he pushes the tip just past your hymen, making you squeak into the gag. Before he's even fully got the tip in, his legs are shaking at the feeling. "Oh... Oh lord..." He stammers, fighting the urge to put himself in you all at once. He musters all his strength to pull out, then go back in, just a touch deeper this time. After a few thrusts, he's almost bottomed out in you. Despite your shaking head, your pleas for him to stop, muffled by the gag, soon turn to wanton moans. He places his hands against your hips, allowing him to work himself in and out of you. "God, you're so wet, a-and it's tight... God, didn't know you'd be this tight." He shakes his head though, and leans forward. "Not bad though, not a bad thing, darlin'. You feel so good around me, do I make you feel good too?" In a moment of weakness you nod, prompting him to grin widely. He's so overwhelmed in the moment, from the pleasure and happiness, that his eyes begin to swell with tears. He quickens his pace, almost sobbing now. "My pretty darlin', taking me so well. Making me feel so good, such a good girl. Not city boy could give you what ya' need, not like me..." He huffs. He angles his hips up just a bit, so his tip smacks against a spot deep inside you.

At this, you practically convulse, making him continue once he notices your reaction. "I'll make you finish, don't worry. That's what a good beau does, makes you finish..." He groans, his pace now rapid as he hammers at that spot. Both you can him feel a coil forming in your stomachs, ready to burst. "Hah, I think I'm gonna cum to, you wanna' come together?" His minds fills with thoughts as he thinks more on this while chasing his high. "I already said I-I would marry ya', build ya' a house. We could add on an extra room, for a baby." Your eyes widen in panic at the thought. "Don't worry, I wouldn't leave ya' if you got pregnant from this. That's what that city boy did to Peggy, remember?" He moans. "I'd help ya' the whole way. Build our little one a crib, get them clothes, and I'll bet you'd still be beautiful, if your worried about that." He assures you. You can feel his cock twitching inside you, as as the coil inside you bursts, you feel yourself cumming around him. He gags, inhaling a breath at the feeling. Soon, you feel him convulsing to, a warm liquid filling your caverns as he groans. "God, you're milking me, taking all my seed. So good for me... C'mon baby, just let me stay in a little more, fill ya' up." He groans. After a few seconds, he finally pulls out, and pants, wiping some sweat from his brow. He makes sure to close your legs, wanting to keep in all the seed. He chuckles a little. "Y'know, I'm sure that seed'll take pretty quick... my dad says all the McCall boys are fertile..." He pauses .

"That's why I've got so many siblings."

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Apple fucked us on right to repair (again)

Today (September 22), I'm (virtually) presenting at the DIG Festival in Modena, Italy. Tonight, I'll be in person at LA's Book Soup for the launch of Justin C Key's "The World Wasn’t Ready for You." On September 27, I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine.

Right to repair has no cannier, more dedicated adversary than Apple, a company whose most innovative work is dreaming up new ways to sneakily sabotage electronics repair while claiming to be a caring environmental steward, a lie that covers up the mountains of e-waste that Apple dooms our descendants to wade through.

Why does Apple hate repair so much? It's not that they want to poison our water and bodies with microplastics; it's not that they want to hasten the day our coastal cities drown; it's not that they relish the human misery that accompanies every gram of conflict mineral. They aren't sadists. They're merely sociopathically greedy.

Tim Cook laid it out for his investors: when people can repair their devices, they don't buy new ones. When people don't buy new devices, Apple doesn't sell them new devices. It's that's simple:

https://www.inverse.com/article/52189-tim-cook-says-apple-faces-2-key-problems-in-surprising-shareholder-letter

So Apple does everything it can to monopolize repair. Not just because this lets the company gouge you on routine service, but because it lets them decide when your phone is beyond repair, so they can offer you a trade-in, ensuring both that you buy a new device and that the device you buy is another Apple.

There are so many tactics Apple gets to use to sabotage repair. For example, Apple engraves microscopic Apple logos on the subassemblies in its devices. This allows the company to enlist US Customs to seize and destroy refurbished parts that are harvested from dead phones by workers in the Pacific Rim:

https://repair.eu/news/apple-uses-trademark-law-to-strengthen-its-monopoly-on-repair/

Of course, the easiest way to prevent harvested components from entering the parts stream is to destroy as many old devices as possible. That's why Apple's so-called "recycling" program shreds any devices you turn over to them. When you trade in your old iPhone at an Apple Store, it is converted into immortal e-waste (no other major recycling program does this). The logic is straightforward: no parts, no repairs:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/yp73jw/apple-recycling-iphones-macbooks

Shredding parts and cooking up bogus trademark claims is just for starters, though. For Apple, the true anti-repair innovation comes from the most pernicious US tech law: Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

DMCA 1201 is an "anti-circumvention" law. It bans the distribution of any tool that bypasses "an effective means of access control." That's all very abstract, but here's what it means: if a manufacturer sticks some Digital Rights Management (DRM) in its device, then anything you want to do that involves removing that DRM is now illegal – even if the thing itself is perfectly legal.

When Congress passed this stupid law in 1998, it had a very limited blast radius. Computers were still pretty expensive and DRM use was limited to a few narrow categories. In 1998, DMCA 1201 was mostly used to prevent you from de-regionalizing your DVD player to watch discs that had been released overseas but not in your own country.

But as we warned back then, computers were only going to get smaller and cheaper, and eventually, it would only cost manufacturers pennies to wrap their products – or even subassemblies in their products – in DRM. Congress was putting a gun on the mantelpiece in Act I, and it was bound to go off in Act III.

Welcome to Act III.

Today, it costs about a quarter to add a system-on-a-chip to even the tiniest parts. These SOCs can run DRM. Here's how that DRM works: when you put a new part in a device, the SOC and the device's main controller communicate with one another. They perform a cryptographic protocol: the part says, "Here's my serial number," and then the main controller prompts the user to enter a manufacturer-supplied secret code, and the master controller sends a signed version of this to the part, and the part and the system then recognize each other.

This process has many names, but because it was first used in the automotive sector, it's widely known as VIN-Locking (VIN stands for "vehicle identification number," the unique number given to every car by its manufacturer). VIN-locking is used by automakers to block independent mechanics from repairing your car; even if they use the manufacturer's own parts, the parts and the engine will refuse to work together until the manufacturer's rep keys in the unlock code:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

VIN locking is everywhere. It's how John Deere stops farmers from fixing their own tractors – something farmers have done literally since tractors were invented:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/08/about-those-kill-switched-ukrainian-tractors/

It's in ventilators. Like mobile phones, ventilators are a grotesquely monopolized sector, controlled by a single company Medtronic, whose biggest claim to fame is effecting the world's largest tax inversion in order to manufacture the appearance that it is an Irish company and therefore largely untaxable. Medtronic used the resulting windfall to gobble up most of its competitors.

During lockdown, as hospitals scrambled to keep their desperately needed supply of ventilators running, Medtronic's VIN-locking became a lethal impediment. Med-techs who used donor parts from one ventilator to keep another running – say, transplanting a screen – couldn't get the device to recognize the part because all the world's civilian aircraft were grounded, meaning Medtronic's technicians couldn't swan into their hospitals to type in the unlock code and charge them hundreds of dollars.

The saving grace was an anonymous, former Medtronic repair tech, who built pirate boxes to generate unlock codes, using any housing they could lay hands on to use as a case: guitar pedals, clock radios, etc. This tech shipped these gadgets around the world, observing strict anonymity, because Article 6 of the EUCD also bans circumvention:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/10/flintstone-delano-roosevelt/#medtronic-again

Of course, Apple is a huge fan of VIN-locking. In phones, VIN-locking is usually called "serializing" or "parts-pairing," but it's the same thing: a tiny subassembly gets its own microcontroller whose sole purpose is to prevent independent repair technicians from fixing your gadget. Parts-pairing lets Apple block repairs even when the technician uses new, Apple parts – but it also lets Apple block refurb parts and third party parts.

For many years, Apple was the senior partner and leading voice in blocking state Right to Repair bills, which it killed by the dozen, leading a coalition of monopolists, from Wahl (who boobytrap their hair-clippers with springs that cause their heads irreversibly decompose if you try to sharpen them at home) to John Deere (who reinvented tenant farming by making farmers tenants of their tractors, rather than their land).

But Apple's opposition to repair eventually became a problem for the company. It's bad optics, and both Apple customers and Apple employees are volubly displeased with the company's ecocidal conduct. But of course, Apple's management and shareholders hate repair and want to block it as much as possible.

But Apple knows how to Think Differently. It came up with a way to eat its cake and have it, too. The company embarked on a program of visibly support right to repair, while working behind the scenes to sabotage it.

Last year, Apple announced a repair program. It was hilarious. If you wanted to swap your phone's battery, all you had to do was let Apple put a $1200 hold on your credit card, and then wait while the company shipped you 80 pounds' worth of specialized tools, packed in two special Pelican cases:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/22/apples-cement-overshoes/

Then, you swapped your battery, but you weren't done! After your battery was installed, you had to conference in an authorized Apple tech who would tell you what code to type into a laptop you tethered to the phone in order to pair it with your phone. Then all you had to do was lug those two 40-pound Pelican cases to a shipping depot and wait for Apple to take the hold off your card (less the $120 in parts and fees).

By contrast, independent repair outfits like iFixit will sell you all the tools you need to do your own battery swap – including the battery! for $32. The whole kit fits in a padded envelope:

https://www.ifixit.com/products/iphone-x-replacement-battery

But while Apple was able to make a showy announcement of its repair program and then hide the malicious compliance inside those giant Pelican cases, sabotaging right to repair legislation is a lot harder.

Not that they didn't try. When New York State passed the first general electronics right-to-repair bill in the country, someone convinced New York Governor Kathy Hochul to neuter it with last-minute modifications:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/12/weakened-right-to-repair-bill-is-signed-into-law-by-new-yorks-governor/

But that kind of trick only works once. When California's right to repair bill was introduced, it was clear that it was gonna pass. Rather than get run over by that train, Apple got on board, supporting the legislation, which passed unanimously:

https://www.ifixit.com/News/79902/apples-u-turn-tech-giant-finally-backs-repair-in-california

But Apple got the last laugh. Because while California's bill contains many useful clauses for the independent repair shops that keep your gadgets out of a landfill, it's a state law, and DMCA 1201 is federal. A state law can't simply legalize the conduct federal law prohibits. California's right to repair bill is a banger, but it has a weak spot: parts-pairing, the scourge of repair techs:

https://www.ifixit.com/News/69320/how-parts-pairing-kills-independent-repair

Every generation of Apple devices does more parts-pairing than the previous one, and the current models are so infested with paired parts as to be effectively unrepairable, except by Apple. It's so bad that iFixit has dropped its repairability score for the iPhone 14 from a 7 ("recommend") to a 4 (do not recommend):

https://www.ifixit.com/News/82493/we-are-retroactively-dropping-the-iphones-repairability-score-en

Parts-pairing is bullshit, and Apple are scum for using it, but they're hardly unique. Parts-pairing is at the core of the fuckery of inkjet printer companies, who use it to fence out third-party ink, so they can charge $9,600/gallon for ink that pennies to make:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

Parts-pairing is also rampant in powered wheelchairs, a heavily monopolized sector whose predatory conduct is jaw-droppingly depraved:

https://uspirgedfund.org/reports/usp/stranded

But if turning phones into e-waste to eke out another billion-dollar stock buyback is indefensible, stranding people with disabilities for months at a time while they await repairs is so obviously wicked that the conscience recoils. That's why it was so great when Colorado passed the nation's first wheelchair right to repair bill last year:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/when-drm-comes-your-wheelchair

California actually just passed two right to repair bills; the other one was SB-271, which mirrors Colorado's HB22-1031:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB271

This is big! It's momentum! It's a start!

But it can't be the end. When Bill Clinton signed DMCA 1201 into law 25 years ago, he loaded a gun and put it on the nation's mantlepiece and now it's Act III and we're all getting sprayed with bullets. Everything from ovens to insulin pumps, thermostats to lightbulbs, has used DMCA 1201 to limit repair, modification and improvement.

Congress needs to rid us of this scourge, to let us bring back all the benefits of interoperability. I explain how this all came to be – and what we should do about it – in my new Verso Books title, The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation.

https://www.versobooks.com/products/3035-the-internet-con

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently

Image: Mitch Barrie (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daytona_Skeleton_AR-15_completed_rifle_%2817551907724%29.jpg

CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

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[probablyasocialecologist]

As urban populations boom, urban agriculture is increasingly looked to as a local food source and a way to help combat inequitable food access. But little is known about how productive urban agriculture is compared to conventional, rural farming. A new study digs in, finding urban gardeners and hydroponics can meet and sometimes exceed the yields of rural farms. “Despite its growing popularity, there’s still quite a lot we don’t know about urban agriculture, like whether the yields are similar to conventional agriculture, or even what crops are commonly grown,” says Florian Payen, an environmental scientist at Lancaster University and lead author of the study, published today in AGU’s journal Earth’s Future. The new study compiles studies on urban agriculture from 53 countries to find out which crops grow well in cities, what growing methods are most effective, and what spaces can be utilized for growing. The researchers find that urban yields for some crops, like cucumbers, tubers and lettuces, are two to four times higher than conventional farming. Many other urban crops studied are produced at similar or higher rates than in rural settings. Cost efficiency remains an open but important question. Most studies on urban agriculture have focused on green spaces, such as private and community gardens, parks and field growing operations. Payen’s work includes “gray” spaces — places in cities that are already built but could be used for growing, such as rooftops and building facades. In both green and gray spaces, the study examines a suite of crops grown in soils versus hydroponics, horizontal versus vertical farming, and natural versus controlled conditions. “Surprisingly, there were few differences between overall yields in indoor spaces and outdoor green spaces, but there were clear differences in the suitability of crop types to different gray spaces,” Payen says. Certain crops like lettuces, kale and broccoli are more naturally suited to be grown vertically in indoor spaces than others. “You can’t exactly stack up apple trees in a five- or ten-layer high growth chamber,” he says, “though we did find one study that managed to grow wheat stacked up like that.” Other crops, like watery vegetables (e.g., tomatoes) and leafy greens, performed well in hydroponic environments. And crops grown in fully controlled environments can be grown throughout the year, allowing harvests to happen more times per year than in open-air environments, which leads to higher annual yields. But scientists will need to keep studying these systems to plan cost-effective agriculture solutions. The finding that urban agriculture can have similar or greater yields to conventional agriculture “is exactly what we have been waiting for in the urban agriculture research community,” says Erica Dorr, an environmental scientist at AgroParisTech who was not involved in the study.

[cognitivejustice]

“If we used to use oil-powered machines to flow water from irrigation canals to your fields, now we power it with electricity from sunlight. Free electricity from the sun so we can provide free irrigation,” said Marcos Jr at the inauguration ceremony. “Certainly because of the construction of this solar-powered pump irrigation project, in your barangay there will be a continuous flow of water in the irrigation systems, crops will be well taken care of, your harvests will increase, double to the product.” 

The project is the first in the Philippines to be constructed over an irrigation canal, meaning that the land cultivated by farmers will not be reduced.

[dosesofcommonsense]

MAGA wants to protect the country (men, women, children). The Globalists don’t want you to believe that. They want you to think we’re controlling when they are the ones who want to control you.

Don’t believe me?

Who’s been raping kids? Who’s been sacrificing kids? Who’s been selling women to Harvey Weinsteins altar of success? The same people telling you to vote for Kamala so they can avoid prison.

Weird. Why would they be afraid of going to prison?

Cause they’re raping kids and harvesting that Adrenochrome.

Who would you believe? P Diddy and LeBron and John Legend for telling that Kamala will allow them to continue on?

Or Donald Trump for wanting to protect the kids?

Epstein was just one supplier.

Maxwell was his boss and just one supplier.

P Diddy has been having child sex parties with most of Hollywood. Those people want you to vote Kamala so they can continue.

Vote Trump and we have the best opportunity to destroy the cabal’s altar and break their control, because Trump, Vance, RFKjr, Elon, Tulsi, and the rest want to protect and free this country from the evil grasp of the Deep State cabal.

[antimony-medusa]

QSMP HALLOWEEN TRANSLATIONS MASTER POST

This post is to help us do a halloween event without everyone necessarily having to speak english! Here are some translations for the phrases Trick or Treat or Happy Halloween, if they exist within the cultural context in other languages, so you can wish someone a happy holiday back in the same language!

French (from @/omglescubes)

Trick or Treat = Des bonbons ou un sort! (litt: sweets or a spell) Happy Halloween = Joyeux Halloween or Bonne fête d'Halloween

Brazilian Portuguese (from @/leolingo and @littleseasalt)

“trick or treat” = "doces ou travessuras" or "gostosuras ou travessuras" “happy Halloween” = feliz dia das bruxas OR just feliz halloween

Hebrew (from @/qdramatrio and @/azure-wing)

Happy Halloween! Option 1 - ליל כל הקדושים שמח! Pronounced "lel kol ha'kdosheem same'ach" (The ch sounds kinda like the French r). This is the translated version Option 2 - האלווין שמח! Pronounced "Halloween same'ach". This is the transliterated version many people use Trick or Treat! This one is a bit tricky(pun not intended) because the tradition simply does not exist here, which means any translation would just that- a translation Option 1 (most used[relatively]) - תעלול או ממתק/ממתק או תעלול! Pronounced "ta'alool o mamtak/mamtak o ta'alul" Option 2 - תעלול או גמול pronounced "ta'alool o gmool" Option 3 - ממתק או ברדק pronounced "mamtak o bardak" (The last two are mainly attempts of translators to make the Hebrew words for "trick" and "treat" rhyme)

Korean, (from @/koreanbibliophilegirl)

No phrase available in Korean I'm afraid, at least nothing that's widespread enough to count. I mean, I suppose you could say: 즐거운 할로윈 보내세요! (Have a nice Halloween!) (We do NOT say this, but if you really want to wish someone happy Halloween, this should be your best bet I think.) Here are some Halloween-related words instead! 할로윈 - Halloween 마녀 (pronounced ma-nyuh)- witch 해골 (hae-gol) - skeleton 좀비 - zombie 뱀파이어 - vampire 미라 (mee-ra) - mummy 해적 (hae-jeok) - pirate 공주 (gong-joo) - princess 사탕 (sa-tang) - candy 호박 (ho-bak) - pumpkin 보름달/초승달 (bo-reum-dal/cho-seung-dal) - full moon/crescent moon 묘지 (myo-ji) - graveyard 무덤 (moo-deom) - grave 거미 (guh-mee) - spider 피 (just pronounce the alphabet P) - blood

Bahasa Malayu and Bahasa Indonesia, (from @/tu-es-gegg)

i mean halloween has no direct translation in my language its just 'selamat halloween' or smth like that same with trick or treat

Polish (from @/dendixia)

trick or treat has been most commonky translated to "cukierek albo psikus" (candy or trick literal translation) and we dont translate Halloween so its a bit awkward so its usually "Wesołego Halloween" (happy halloween)

German (from @/vacillantvoid)

Süßes oder Saures or also Süßes sonst gibt's Saures and uuuh #Frohes/Fröhliches Halloween <- german

Japanese (from @/wondernoise)

In Japanese you usually see トリックオアトリート！ (trick or treat) ハッピーハロウィン！ (happy Halloween!) both of which are just direct transliterations of English… A direct translation of “trick or treat” in Japanese would be お菓子をくれないといたずらするぞ (lit. "if you don't give me a treat, I'll play a trick on you") but that’s a little less natural.

Welsh, (from @/b1odeuwed)

in welsh it is: calan gaeaf hapus!! it means happy harvests/winters eve trick or treat is : cast neu geiniog (trick or coin)

Spanish (from @/anothera and anonymous)

in Spain we aay “truco o trato” for trick or treat and “feliz halloween” for happy halloween

Can I add to the translation Halloween list in my country we say "Me das una calaverita" (Spanish for Can you give me a Skull) of trick or treat :]

Yiddish (from @/atthebell)

Yiddish doesn't have a translation really of Halloween; you can transliterate it as: האַלאָווין (haloveen) And for trick or treat there are, predictably, far more words for trick than treat in Yiddish, but I'm partial to: כּישעף (kishef), המצאה (hamtsoe), שטוקע (shtuke) And treat: לאַקעטקע (la'ketke) or צוקערקע (tsukerke) So you could say "Happy Halloween" as "פריילעכע האַלאָווין" (freylekhe haloveen) [though below I'll talk about why you don't have to] and phrase "Trick or Treat" as really any combination of the above, though "שטוקע אָדער צוקערקע" (shtuke oder tsukerke) rhymes somewhat and "המצאה אָדער לאַקעטקע" (hamtsoe oder la'ketke" sounds nice to my ears. It would also be perfectly reasonable to use Hebrew for parts of this, particularly the "Happy Halloween" bit, as Yiddish incorporates a lot of Hebrew (for instance, "hamstoe" is Hebrew but has its own meaning in Yiddish). For "Happy Halloween," I would also probably say "האַלאָווין שמח"/"Halloween Sameakh," similar to the above with Hebrew, although you run into the religious issue that Halloween is not a Jewish holiday, so it does sound kind of funny. Yiddish doesn't have a translation really of Halloween; you can transliterate it as: האַלאָווין (haloveen) And for trick or treat there are, predictably, far more words for trick than treat in Yiddish, but I'm partial to: כּישעף (kishef), המצאה (hamtsoe), שטוקע (shtuke) And treat: לאַקעטקע (la'ketke) or צוקערקע (tsukerke) So you could say "Happy Halloween" as "פריילעכע האַלאָווין" (freylekhe haloveen) [though below I'll talk about why you don't have to] and phrase "Trick or Treat" as really any combination of the above, though "שטוקע אָדער צוקערקע" (shtuke oder tsukerke) rhymes somewhat and "המצאה אָדער לאַקעטקע" (hamtsoe oder la'ketke" sounds nice to my ears. It would also be perfectly reasonable to use Hebrew for parts of this, particularly the "Happy Halloween" bit, as Yiddish incorporates a lot of Hebrew (for instance, "hamstoe" is Hebrew but has its own meaning in Yiddish). For "Happy Halloween," I would also probably say "האַלאָווין שמח"/"Halloween Sameakh," similar to the above with Hebrew, although you run into the religious issue that Halloween is not a Jewish holiday, so it does sound kind of funny.

Vietnamese (from @blocky-tides)

these are rough translations as Vietnam doesn't really celebrates it Happy Halloween - Halloween vui vẻ Halloween - lễ hội ma quỷ (ghost festival) / lễ hội hóa trang (masquerade festival) Trick or Treat - Cho kẹo hay bị sợ (give candy or scared) Candy - Kẹo Jack o' Lantern - Ðèn bí ngô Haunted House - Nhà ma ám Witch - Phù Thủy Mummy - Xác ướp Zombie - Thây ma Black Cat - Con mèo đen Skeleton - Xương người (literally means bone people) Mask - Mặt nạ Cemetery - Nghĩa Trang

Irish, (from @cube-people-fandom)

Halloween is Oiche Shamhna. And to say happy halloween you would say Oiche Shamhna shona duit. Milseáin is sweets, púca (my favourite irish word) is ghost. Witch is cailleach. Oiche Shamhna is like: Ee-ha How-na Oiche Shamhna shona duit: Ee-ha How-na hunna dit Milseáin: mill-shawn Púca: poo-ca Cailleach: kail-yuck (sort of)

Latin, (from anonymous)

i don't know what practical use this would have, but i thought it might be fun to add Latin to the list -- so i've come up with "dolus aut oblectamentum" for "trick or treat" and "felicem vesperam sanctam" for "happy hallowed evening"!

Thai, (from @routeriver)

In Thai happy halloween would be either แฮปปี้ฮาโลวีน or สุขสันต์วันฮาโลวีน Trick or treat is จะหลอกหรือจะเลี้ยง ghost - ผี witch - แม่มด (which is kinda weird bc if you look at the word separately it’s literally mother ant) candy - ขนม haunted house - บ้านผีสิง skeleton- โครงกระดูก

Chinese (from anonymous)

In chinese you’d usually see 万圣节快乐！(in hanyu pinyin it’s pronounced as: wàn shèng jié kuài lè!)

[mariacallous]

Sudan, already ravaged by a disastrous war, is now suffering from a failed, politicized humanitarian response.

The ongoing crisis there has reached catastrophic proportions, yet the international community’s response remains woefully inadequate. A series of missteps and political maneuvers have undermined efforts to provide meaningful assistance to those in desperate need, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group responsible for much of the violence, has yet to be held accountable for actively destroying the country’s food reserves. The situation demands immediate attention and a drastic shift in approach from global leaders and institutions.

At the core of this failure is the United Nations Security Council’s persistent delays in addressing findings from its own Panel of Experts on Sudan. These findings document “credible” allegations of the United Arab Emirates’ involvement in violating Darfur’s arms embargo by supplying the RSF with weapons and ammunition. Furthermore, the Guardian reported that U.K. government officials have been blocking discussions of the UAE’s involvement in the Security Council for months—including after the Labour Party took power in July.

This procrastination not only undermines the urgency of the crisis, but also permits potential external interference to continue unchecked. The Security Council’s inaction sends a troubling message about the international community’s commitment to resolving the conflict and protecting Sudanese civilians.

While diplomatic efforts are crucial, these discussions offer no new mechanisms to enforce an end to attacks on civilians. The U.S. special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, has failed to provide any concrete mechanisms for enforcing last year’s Jeddah declaration, which required the protection of civilians and specifically committed the RSF and rival Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to vacating and refraining from occupying public and private facilities. Perriello simply noted in an interview on X earlier this month that the UAE and Egypt will attend the latest round of talks, held in Geneva in mid-August.

Yet there is no substantial pressure being applied on the UAE. Without concrete measures to protect the Sudanese people, such talks risk becoming little more than performative gestures, failing to address the immediate suffering on the ground. The Sudanese government boycotted the Geneva talks after the UAE was added as a mediator, despite its continued military support to the RSF. Additionally, U.S. rapper Macklemore canceled his October show in Dubai to protest the UAE’s destructive role in the Sudan conflict.

The international community’s financial response has been equally disheartening. Despite numerous humanitarian conferences, only a fraction of the $4.1 billion appeal made by the U.N. in February 2024 has been met. This severe underfunding leaves millions of Sudanese refugees and internally displaced persons without essential support, exacerbating an already dire situation. The stark contrast between the promises made at these conferences and the actual aid delivered reveals a troubling gap between rhetoric and action.

The lack of accountability for those perpetrating violence and weaponizing famine is exacerbating Sudan’s crisis. The RSF, responsible for much of the destruction, continues to operate with impunity, actively destroying the country’s food reserves. Since the RSF took control of the state of Jazirah, the country’s farming center, in December, the nation has been grappling with humanmade famine. Farmers in the state have reported a near-complete loss of cotton and wheat crops due to RSF control.

In contrast, areas that remain under SAF control saw normal crops. According to local reports in Jazirah, the RSF pushed local farmers to harvest crops only to confiscate them and transport the yields out of the state for their own benefit.

On June 26, the RSF advanced on the southeastern trading hub of Sennar, seeking to expand its territorial gains more than 14 months into its war with the Sudanese army. This move forced the displacement of more than 150,000 people living in the state, many of whom had fled from Jazirah during the RSF invasion in December 2023. The militia also targeted Sennar’s agricultural project and food reserves, further deepening the humanitarian crisis and undermining efforts toward stabilization and peace.

Doctors Without Borders (or Médecins Sans Frontières, the MSF) reports that the RSF is targeting local hospitals and blocking aid in Darfur. Outside the city of El Fasher, where more than 800,000 civilians are trapped by the RSF, MSF supply trucks have been held in the nearby town of Kabkabiya by the RSF for the past four weeks. This blockade threatens to leave the Saudi Hospital, one of the last working health facilities in El Fasher, without critical supplies.

This deliberate targeting of essential resources not only worsens the humanitarian crisis, but also underscores the urgent need for international intervention to implement the U.N. arms embargo in Darfur and stop the alleged UAE arms supply to the RSF through Chad.

Moreover, it is crucial to halt the alleged UAE arms supply to the RSF through Chad, particularly at Amdjarass’s airport, a small town in eastern Chad where UAE air cargo planes reportedly land and unload weapons that are then transported across the border to RSF strongholds in Darfur.

Political maneuvering has further complicated efforts to address the crisis effectively. Actions such as the United Kingdom’s reported intervention to alter the format of U.N. Security Council meetings have prevented Sudan from directly presenting its case, prioritizing commercial interests with the UAE over humanitarian concerns.

Al-Harith Idriss, Sudan’s permanent representative to the U.N., asked for an urgent Security Council meeting on April 26 in response to what he described as UAE “aggression” against his nation. However, the U.K., serving as the current penholder on Sudan in the Security Council, intervened to change the meeting’s agenda and format to closed consultations. As a result, Idriss was not allowed to attend the meeting, which ultimately took place on April 29.

During these secret discussions, U.N. Security Council members issued a statement urging the RSF to commit to refraining from attacking any cities and to end the violence surrounding El Fasher. On another occasion, the Guardian reported that the U.K. government has been actively discouraging African states from criticizing the UAE. Such actions erode trust in international institutions and their ability to respond impartially to crises.

The current approach to Sudan’s war is failing. The international community must prioritize the protection of civilians, punish perpetrators of violence, and deliver on financial commitments. The UAE and its proxy, the RSF, must be held accountable for their alleged crimes and, in the case of the latter, attacks on civilians in Sudan. The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council should publicly address the UAE’s reported support of RSF crimes and the Emirati government’s violation of the international arms embargo in Darfur.

Furthermore, international human rights organizations should take Abu Dhabi to court for its alleged crimes against Sudanese civilians. The UAE’s ongoing arms supply has enabled the RSF to carry out ethnic cleansing in Darfur and commit massacres in Khartoum, Jazira, and Sennar.

Some actions have already been taken. The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights is campaigning to hold the UAE accountable in the International Court of Justice or through other legal avenues, such as in Germany or the European Court of Human Rights. Additionally, the International Criminal Court should leverage its existing jurisdiction over Darfur to prosecute crimes against humanity in the region. But more must be done. A concerted, unified international effort to address the root causes of the conflict could pave the way for lasting peace and stability and alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.

[iamthekaijuking]

Gigabash character overview: RAWA

While Passion Republic Games primarily took inspiration from Ultraman when making Gigabash, it would be remiss to make a kaiju setting without its own Godzilla, and indeed no kaiju setting is worth its salt without one. And brother, Passion Republic Games delivered.

The song used is Area 51 S-class, which would become one of my favorite songs ever. Also if you haven’t already listen to the Gigabash soundtrack, it’s great and funky.

My favorite character in the roster and my main. In comparison to Thundatross, Rawa is the lightning bruiser of the roster. His attacks are slow but hard hitting and he has decent combo potential. Rawa has a powerful charge attack, a breath attack that can extend his time in the air, and an “atomic pulse” with superarmor for sticky situations. This attack in particular can be charged, but be careful with this as the charged version sacrifices one of your health bars.

Design

Being the Notzilla and destruction deity of the setting, Rawa takes obvious inspiration from godzilla, but also some Ultraman reference as to be expected of PRG. Ultraman Belial was a surprising source of inspiration. Rawa also reminds me of Natsunomeryu, although this might not be intentional.

The biggest source of inspiration though was the Phaya Naga, a dragon in southeastern Asian mythology and religion. Different countries and cultures have different versions of the Naga ranging from a snake person, to a multi headed cobra, to a more traditional looking eastern dragon. Rawa specifically takes inspiration from the Malaysian and Thai versions, and it’s pretty obvious given his giant horn, golden plating, and large canines. One of Rawa’s skins is named after the country Napal, and I actually have a coworker who grew up there. It was pretty fun talking to him about his country’s version of the Naga in preparation for this overview! I learned that in Napal, Naga are worshiped as god-like figures, and that to disrespect them or even dirty their shrine can bring bad luck and bodily injury such as swelling and rashes.

Just like his inspiration, Rawa is worshipped and treated with reverence. His worshipers even fashioned him gold rings to wear on his canines!

Here’s some concept art.

Rawa also kinda reminds me of the notzillas made by many people on deviantart back in the early 2010’s when people were starved for kaiju content and were making their own.

Lore

As you figured out by now, Rawa is the infamous “dragon king” mentioned in Skorak and Rohanna’s overviews, and so I think it’s time I paint a complete picture of what happened on Tarabak island.

Long ago the natives of Tarabak island lived in fear. They were constantly under threat of kaiju, until one day a great serpentine dragon appeared and defeated every monster with his overwhelming might and burned them away with his ethereal flames (which aren’t actually composed of fire or generate heat, Rawa’s flames are made of Giga Energy and instead of burning things they rip stuff apart on a molecular level). Under his protection they were safe, and were finally able to settle down and create a grand city.

However, Rawa’s protection came at a cost. He demanded to be treated lavishly and have access to Giga Energy 24/7, so his worshippers had to make giant pyramids in his image that channeled Giga Energy and stored it (that’s why the pyramids in one of the Tarabak arenas sometimes make giant Giga Energy orbs). This wasn’t enough though, and so every year the citizens of Tarabak would gather to provide offerings called “Violet Elixirs”. These were a drink made using Giga Crystals, and people had to mine deep within the earth to harvest them. Years of exposure often left people with purple ring marks on their skin (this is the only side effect of contact with Giga Energy on humans that we know of, and it’s unknown if this is actually a medical condition that needs treatment or if this just means people have tie-dye hands). If this elixir was made in poor quality or if Rawa didn’t like it, then he would burn you alive. If he did like it though then you were allowed to take one of the golden scales Rawa shed.

The most ardent of Rawa’s followers didn’t mind that and viewed death as a gift, but others were obviously not jazzed about the prospect of being killed every year because a big garish lizard didn’t like your radioactive grape juice. What was worse is that the aristocrats started weaponizing Rawa against anyone they didn’t like, so any form of protest was flattened underfoot. This reached a breaking point and almost a century after the founding of the civilization of Tarabak, the people who would eventually become the Eyes of Skorak performed their dark ritual that summoned the eggs of the parasitoid slug. They then put the eggs into their Violet Elixirs, fed them to Rawa, and eventually Skorak ate him from the inside out and took his skull as a shell.

Some people decided to follow this new kaiju and became the Eyes of Skorak, while others fled into Rohanna’s territory and came to worship her. But a third group of people stayed. Unflinchingly loyal to the dragon, they gathered his horn, dead body, and as much Violet Elixir as they could and revived Rawa. This and the fact that flesh still clings to his skull and can still generate ethereal flames after all this time on Skorak’s back indicates that in the universe of Gigabash, kaiju can eventually regenerate from mortal wounds and their cells can potentially live independently and indefinitely so long as they have access to Giga Energy.

Rawa’s new revived form isn’t long and serpentine like it used to be and is now stumpy and sorta dinosaurian, and he’s still trying to gain enough power to reach his original form. This technically also makes Rawa a dracolich.

In the in universe book The Lost World of Tarabak, Petyr’s crew comes across the followers of Rawa last before leaving the island. They still roughly maintain their habitats from their fallen civilization, even keeping their legislative system. They wear gold and some of them even spoke English. Doug, being a member of the Eyes of Skorak, became a slave working in the mines digging for Giga Crystals, the rest of Petyr’s crew were free to leave the island on the condition that they spread word of the return of Rawa, which worked out pretty well since Petyr recorded everything that happened in his book. The captain of their ship never left with them though as he stole a gold trinket, and so he was forced to give Rawa a Violet Elixir before being burnt away. The followers of Rawa know that the dragon hates dishonesty.

To wrap this up: I love Rawa. Rawa is my favorite, and I like talking about him. In fact this entire series of overviews was partly an excuse to talk about him. If you ever face me playing as Rawa then you better beg for mercy.

[arcanespillo]

it says that ur into poetry in ur bio and thats so cool!!! i like poetry as well and am taking it as an elective at uni but i am actually not too good with poets so was wondering if you had any favourite poets? if not thats totally fine. maybe poetry recs? thanks ☆

poems

i'm not the river / nox by anne carson is tricky to find but there's a fragment here / PORTRAIT OF THE ALCOHOLIC WITH WITHDRAWAL / A BOY STEPS INTO THE WATER / SOME BOYS AREN’T BORN THEY BUBBLE / Thirstiness is Not Equal Division / EVERYTHING THAT MOVES IS ALIVE AND A THREAT–A REMINDER / A Man Said to the Universe / The Worm King’s Lullaby / Cortège / the triumph of achilles by louise gluck / the reticent volcano keeps by emily dickinson / the mirror by louise gluck / i go down the shore / the arrowhead / Brother / My Brother at 3 A.M / I would I might forget that I am I / the second elegy / stripped car / The Saints Come Marching In by Anne Sexton, How to Be a Dog by Andrew Kane, Angel of Hope and Calendars by Anne Sexton / I Remember / WHAT THE BIRD WITH THE HUMAN HEAD KNEW / THE TRUTH THE DEAD KNOW / In The Deep Museum / Lament / The Starry Night / A Curse Against Elegies / jesus suckles / start here / march is march / a bad day by mary oliver / Portrait of the Illness as Nightmare / lord knows / Town of Finding Out About the Love of God / fragments from Avalon Revisited (1963) by Margaret Atwood / from crush by richard siken 'the torn up road', from war of the foxes 'landscape with fruit rot and millipede', 'birds over the trampled field', 'the museum', 'self portrait against red wallpaper'/ from louise gluck's the wild iris 'clear morning' 'spring snow' 'scilla' 'the hawthorn tree' 'april' 'the jacob's ladder' 'matins' 'song' 'vespers' 'harvest' 'retreating light' 'lullaby' 'the gold lily' / from her vita nova 'the open grave' 'roman study' 'timor mortis' 'castile' 'mutable earth' 'inferno' / from faithful and virtuous night 'aboriginal landscape' 'utopia' 'the melancholy assistant' 'a foreshortened journey' 'the horse and the rider' / from meadowlands 'parable of the king' 'moonless night' 'departure' 'rainy morning' 'telemachus' guilt' 'meadowlands I' 'telemachus' kindness' 'parable of the dove' 'purple bathing suit' / from firstborn 'the cripple in the subway' 'seconds' 'letter from provence' 'firstborn' / from the house on marshland 'the pond' 'gratitude' 'abishag' 'the fire' / from descending figure 'the garden (2)' 'origins (4)' 'thanksgiving', from the triumph of achilles 'exile' 'seated figure' 'liberation' 'adult grief' 'horse'/ apostle town / the town of the sound of a twig breaking / strawberry moon by matthew dickman / the wolf god / this poem by mark bibbins (another year on the day/ of class photos/ i scratched at my face/ with a sharpened popsicle stick/ no blood just a few pink lines/ that didn't read/ what else./ i wanted a cast on my leg/i wanted braces and glasses/and my tonsils out/i wanted scars/i don't know when or whether i figured out the difference between wanting to be damaged and wanting to be healed) / ancient text by louise gluck

books

short talks by anne carson, waiting for god by simone weil, blue horses by mary oliver, dog songs poems by mary oliver, men in the off hours by anne carson, trances of the blast by mary ruefle, autobiography of red, red doc and norma jeane baker of troy by anne carson, richard siken and ocean vuong's books are famous honestly but try to read their stuff if you haven't checked them out yet (i don't like ocean vuong but i did like some bits of his first book) and also i suggest reading 'the journal of albion moonlight' if you find yourself particularly liking red doc, i hope you were not expecting old poetry because that really isn't really in my ropes

this is what i have noted on my journal :p if you can't find some stuff dm me but you can search for most poetry books on archive.org and it's free and legal

+ poems by Margaret Atwood ! i forgot, like this one

[valyalyon]

2 Harvest Whispers

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CW: Police officer character, smut, p in v, unprotected intercourse, explicit language, descriptions of sex, cheating, open relationship, slight societal homophobia, hints at queer identity for main character. MDNI. 4.1K Words.

Star woke up later in the morning of January 6, 2019. She was in the master bedroom of Jasper Conrad’s guest home and the man was asleep beside her.

He was laying on his back, eyes closed staring up at the ceiling. Star was stunned for a moment because he wasn’t making any sound. She wasn’t surprised by how quiet he was, she was more so scared as something terrible showed itself to her.

It’s not fair to try and explain what she saw, so here is an excerpt from her perspective:

When I woke up that morning at his side for the first time, I saw him laying in his coffin.

His arms were over his chest, there was no more breath in his lungs. He was… dead. His hair laid neatly, he was dressed so properly in the coffin.

That’s what he wanted, though. He wanted to shake God’s hand dressed formally. He wanted to thank him personally.

When it was all too real, he breathed… and I laid back down in the bed, hugging him.

Jasper was snoring lightly, holding her close to his chest. She listened to his heart beat, calmed her shaking breaths and watched as his chest moved.

For a moment, Star questioned where she planned on going once he woke up. She couldn’t stay there, she had to leave and find her own place somewhere else.

Truth be told, she had nowhere to go, though.

Star had moved into Heliosea with her parents when they were still alive. She couldn’t remember much about them, or the move, but a lot of times she remembered her favorite white sand beaches from her home.

She’d returned there only once, as a teenager, and spent a couple weeks along her home island. Eventually, though, Star had gotten caught and was sent back to Heliosea. She was a minor and had no documents to travel, having snuck onto the island illegally. Not to mention, she had ran away from her foster family.

One of many families that tortured her until she finally turned 18. She lived on the Southeastern coast of Heliosea when she finally became an adult, and packed her bag at 11:50pm the night before.

She snuck out of the foster’s home just a little after midnight, and arrived at a bus station shortly after. From there Star took several different buses, getting out of that corner of the country and arriving on the Red Highway.

She hated the SE with a passion, so she couldn’t return there and the Red Highway… well… Lazarus was probably still looking for her. Star didn’t know if there was any point in going to the SW coast, and she was there in Sunwoods, now…

At the same time, she didn’t think she could stay with a married man. What situation could he even show her that would make it a good idea for her to stick around? Still, she had to admit she was wildly attracted to him.

Star figured she’d be quickly proven that staying around would be a bad idea, so she figured maybe she should try to enjoy the feeling of his chest against hers.

Just as she was admiring his muscular frame, his snoring began to cease and his eyes began to flutter open. His green eyes looked up into the ceiling of the room, before adjusting his position and kissing the top of her head.

She smiled up at him, and Jasper kissed her lightly, looking away to say, “let’s go start the day. How are you feeling?”

“I’m good,” she commented as the two got out of the bed and Jasper opened the bathroom door for her, she walked in, “thank you.”

…

Jasper walked Star into the main house through the sliding patio doors, which were already open when they came up. Star was mesmerized by his ranch, and she hadn’t seen all of it yet.

When they walked in, they were immediately in a very large living area with high ceilings and open windows. She thought it was beautiful, and her eyes scanned the room quickly.

Immediately, she noticed there was a fireplace with several family photos sitting on top. Her eyes pulled away quickly, not wanting to pry, but Jasper had noticed her eyes already. He looked over to where she had been, “ah, I probably should show you a couple of those so you believe she’s my wife.”

He walked over normally, grabbing a picture off the mantel, “this is probably one of the better ones.”

Jasper brought it back to Star and showed her, “this is my wife, her name is Dahlia Conrad, and these are our sons, James and Emery when they were younger.”

Star looked at the photo, maybe imprinting it in her mind. The photo had Jasper and Dahlia sitting side by side, with James and Emery on either side of them.

James and Emery were younger than six, with only their eye colors being noticeable features about them.

James had large, pitch black eyes almost — the darkest shade of brown, and messy black hair. He wore formal black pants with a red button down. His little sleeves were rolled and he stared at the camera in annoyance at being photographed.

Emery had a similar expression of annoyance to his brother, but his eyes were large blue pools, his hair the same black though a little more put together. He wore formal black pants, and a cute blue sweater that matched his eyes.

Dahlia wore a fairly dated but black dress. She looked like a typical 1950s wife in a dress, but her hair was a lot longer in this photo with balayage highlights and gold wavy hair. Her eyes were a deep brown, almost as dark as her sons.

Jasper was definitely the center of this photo. His smile was perfect for the camera, and his green eyes really popped in the photo. He wore a black suit, with the suit open slightly, exposing the white shirt underneath and no hat on his head. His black hair matched that of his sons perfectly.

“Hmm… Conrad Sons really does make sense,” Star commented, handing the photo back to Jasper, as the man chuckled.

“They are the spitting image of me, aren’t they?” Jasper chuckled.

Star was about to agree, just as Dahlia came into the living area and stopped to look at Star.

Her eyes ran up and down Star’s figure, and her expression showed her surprise, “how much money did he have to offer you for you to be around him?”

“Are you saying I look like a slut…” the young girl asked timidly. Dahlia was in her 40s or 50s, Star assumed.

The older woman shook her head of blonde hair quickly, “no, no, I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right at all! You’re gorgeous, I’m just shocked you’d want to be around an old man.”

Star laughed slightly and tried not to meet the woman’s eyes, worried she was offending her in her home, “I’m sorry… I am attracted to older people quite a lot if my history proves anything…”

She wouldn’t lie, she found Dahlia gorgeous and very sexually attractive. There was just a natural energy the woman had, and Star couldn’t help but be attracted to beautiful women.

“Dahlia, this is Star Bennett,” Jasper said, placing his hand on Star’s lower back, and bringing her and himself closer to his wife.

“Hi, Star,” Dahlia smiled at her and gave her hand.

Star shook her hand, smiling up at her, “good morning, Mrs. Conrad.”

The older woman gagged, then laughed, squeezing the hand of the younger woman’s a little, “ew, no… you always call me Dahlia.”

She was looking up into the woman’s dark brown eyes, and she smiled again, “sorry, good morning, Dahlia.”

“Well, Dahlia, do you want to start explaining us to her? I’d like to have Star around if she wants to be here. I need a new girl on my arm, and she’s… well, you can see her for yourself,” Jasper spoke so confidently, and showed off the girl to his wife.

Dahlia laughed, “you make us sound so creepy old man.”

Dahlia did nod her head, and turned her attention to Star, “if you’re attracted to him, though… You have no competition in me. Him and I were forced to marry each other by our wealthy families. His father just doesn’t want me to misbehave or make his son look bad.”

“What about your sons? Did you two not love each other when you had them?” Star asked, and she realized after she did that she probably sounded very childish.

The blonde woman laughed and looked back at Star, “we love each other as best friends. That’s about it. Our sons, while I love them, were like a payment to his family.”

“A payment?” the young girl looked up at her curiously, the woman was taller and gorgeous, but the statement was odd, “how do you mean? Did they go to live with his family?”

“No, they lived with us until Emery decided to disappear and then James did too. Don’t blame them, though, they weren’t made for life in Sunwoods high society,” the old woman shook her head, “really, who is? As for payment, his family requested that I provide two children into the family soon after marriage.”

“We would only have sex during ovulation, so I could get pregnant, and I was pregnant soon. We didn’t have sex again until we went to have the next baby, and it was the same thing essentially.”

“Do you sleep with each other now?” the younger girl asked, she wanted to sleep with Jasper. She didn’t want to involve anyone else just yet, but she wanted to understand what their boundaries were like.

“We’ve had threesomes with each other and another girl since having our sons, but we haven’t done that in years. I discovered, since I’m very sheltered, that I’m a lesbian. I have girlfriends and I date and sleep with them, while Jasper has his own…” Dahlia explained.

“You feel free, stick around as long as you want. I think you’re gorgeous and you should do whatever makes you feel happy.”

Star blushed and looked at Jasper, who was smiling down at her. She hugged his wife goodbye, and Jasper took her out of the house to show her around the ranch.

…

The Conrad Sons Ranch was massive with fields full of farm animals and crops. She wasn’t sure what they were growing, with everything being cold, but there were tall stocks growing in the rolling fields.

There was mud anywhere they tried to off road, following a bit of a cold rain that happened in the early morning, but Jasper’s truck took the roads easily. Star looked out the window of the truck, watching every field pass by.

In the land of Gods and Monsters, I was an angel living in the garden of evil. Screwed up, scared, doing anything that I needed.

In that moment, Star was reminded of nights in the center of her island. For awhile, she would go into the farms and get lost in the fields. She remembered all the golden corn, the feeling of the hot sun on her face. All of it was something she missed so much in Heliosea.

Yet, here she was in Sunwoods, driving through a massive farm with the town sheriff and being reminded of that place. She felt at peace, for a second, and caught herself too comfortable.

Why did she feel so safe?

During drives, Jasper didn’t speak too much, only turning the music up for Star, and smoking out the window at the same time.

He knew that she liked to disappear in memories on drives, he knew that she seemed to disassociate into the all nature around her. She would sink into it, she’d be at peace. He’d see it out of the corner of his eye, and he couldn’t help but be entranced by her.

Despite having had other girlfriends before, the man was never quite pleased or satisfied by anyone. Everything always broke apart so easily, because he struggled to ask for anything or take any initiative. He just… would get bored so easily.

Usually though, he would hold onto girls for longer, even if he didn’t feel anything.

This — with her… it was different. Star, his Ember… that girl with those beautiful green eyes, that passenger princess lost in thought. He was interested in her without touching her, just by being near her.

Jasper parked the truck at the top of a hill on the property line, and jumped out the car. He walked over, opening the door for Star, who hopped out with his assistance.

She smiled up at him as he took her hand and led her to the back of the pickup truck. He’d parked in reverse and opened the bed of the truck, helping her up onto it.

He easily got himself beside her, and the two sat staring at the hundreds of acres. Full of animals, crops, homes, roads… And in the distance, she could make out Sunwoods, where the road ended and the Ranch would start.

She looked up at him, “this is so beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Jasper laughed, “I think you’re more beautiful, of course.”

Star blushed and shook her head, “I really don’t know why I’m so into you…”

“So, you admit it,” he smiled, and took her small hand in his massive one, “I’m into you, too… Do you have somewhere to go?”

She didn’t know what to say, she didn’t want to admit it, but she dropped her head, shaking it, “no. I’m an immigrant and a criminal.”

“What’s your wanted status?” he asked completely seriously, but continuing to hold her hand.

He was stable, and always so able to calm her down somehow, especially when he added, “we’ll just change your hair… You and those green eyes with some blonde hair? The Feds will never know.”

A smile broke on the young girls face, and she turned her eyes back up to his, “I’m always down for a hair change.”

Jasper’s dark green eyes hid so much, but in them Star always saw such pride, strength, and intelligence. His smile, too, was so comforting.

Star wondered in that moment why her heart seemed to so easily jump between people.

Reflecting, she didn’t think her heart ever fully jumped to Rocco. She thought she loved him, and she might have, but something was always happening in the background. How long had he been assaulting her in her sleep, or did he really only do that once?

In the end Rocco admitted to nothing and Star always knew with him that she just wasn’t cut out to be his forever. She could never imagine herself in Laguna Hills for longer than a day or two, living in that community of celebrities and wannabes felt impossible.

Star was a confident, beautiful woman that desired to be worshipped by her partner in private. Rocco treated her like she was an accessory to his performances, to his place in the spotlight.

She wouldn’t have minded that treatment if in private he was more honest and less critical.

Sitting on the truck bed, looking out at the Conrad Sons Ranch, she felt a sense of calmness. The hills all around the area were beautiful, and the land seemed so alive still in January. She sighed a relaxed breath and turned towards Jasper as he began to speak.

“I want you to stay here,” the man said, tightening his grip on her hand a little, “I don’t want to pressure you. If you stay, though… I want you to be my girlfriend.”

Star’s eyes ran along their clutched hands. His hands didn’t seem old, they were large and strong, veiny hands, a little calloused and rough. Her hands were small in his grasp, “are there any expectations of me, any boundaries or rules?”

“So many,” Jasper said with a laugh, but his tone relaxed as he continued, “it involves telling you quite a lot about me, Ember… There’s a lot about Sunwoods society that I am unfortunately a massive part of.”

“I am the wealthiest man in our area and I am the chief of police. My jurisdiction for policing extends from Sunwoods to all the desert towns along the Opportunity Highway until the Red Highway. That intersection is the end of my control,” then he stopped and chuckled.

When you talk, it’s like a movie and you’re making me crazy ‘cause life imitates art.

“What? You’re cute when you laugh but what is going on inside your head?” Star was curious, she wanted to understand it all before she agreed to anything.

He laughed, hopping off the truck then walked towards the edge of the cliff and pulled a cigar out of his jacket. He started smoking, looking at the endless view of all his land. Jasper looked over at Star, who still sat on the truck bed, “it’s the end of my legal control.”

Her eyes widened a little, and she tilted her head at him, “I’d love for you to elaborate on that…”

He held his arms out, his cigar in between his fingers, as he explained, “As we all know, the Red Highway is lawless and I own the middle third of it. Sometimes I go over there to check on all the gangs and get what they owe me. Sometimes I go to gamble illegally, sometimes I get in trouble.”

Hearing about the Red Highway again, this time from Jasper who lived hours from it… It almost spun her world out from under her, but she was still so fixed on him. She felt herself tremble as she began to realize that he could probably just hand her back over to Lazarus.

Star didn’t want to think about it, though. She brushed the thoughts aside, and asked him, “what would you expect from me?”

“As my girlfriend, you’ll have to wear dresses when out with me in Sunwoods or out publicly with me anywhere, including the Red Highway. I want to explain that this isn’t because I want to control how you dress.”

“My father is senile and on the verge of death. He’s been this sick for years, but I show him pictures of me with other women in dresses and he doesn’t know they’re not my wife. Since I have mandatory attendance at public events in Sunwoods, those will be where we’ll be photographed.”

Star stopped him, “does the town not know that you’re cheating on your wife?”

“Everyone knows, this isn’t a secret but my father has been told these are different women before and he doesn’t process that. He shuts down, pretends to be asleep, and then when he sees a picture of that girl again he will say that Dahlia looks so beautiful as always,” Jasper sighed, smoking his cigar from the stress.

“I’m sorry you’ve been going through that with your father,” Star got off the truck bed and walked over to him, reaching up to touch his cheek.

He leaned forward into her hand and his eyes opened to look into hers, “he was a terrible man who karmically deserved what happened to him. I just don’t want him modifying his will in this state and the court system refuses to assign me or anyone to control his assets.

“The only way someone would be able to prove to him that I was cheating publicly, is if the girl was photographed wearing a short skirt, jeans, leggings while beside me… Anything he considers non-traditional and unbecoming of a rich wife in Sunwoods Society.”

She nodded her head as she stared up at him. He always spoke so genuinely, so she asked, “you keep saying publicly… Am I allowed to wear anything I want inside the guest house and anywhere on the ranch? Or…”

“Of course, wear whatever you want here. As my girlfriend, you have your own space in the guest house, and this property is your home, too. Enjoy it freely,” he nodded his head.

“You won’t judge me?” she asked, furrowing her brows together and staring up at him.

“For wearing what you want around here? No. Your body is beautiful, you deserve to display it however you want. I wish you could do that anywhere with me, but not until he’s dead… I don’t give a single fuck then,” he promised, holding onto her face.

Star smiled and looked up at him as the two shared a kiss. The kiss was sweet and gentle, at first…

I’m singing, “fuck, yeah, give it to me, this is Heaven, what I truly want”. It’s innocence lost.

After a few more sweet kisses, the intensity started. Their mouths began to open for one another, tongues playing as she reached her arms around his neck, “mmm…”

He led her back to the truck, where he helped her up into the bed of the truck. He hopped up himself, and the two continued kissing. Jasper pulled off her top, then her pants, while Star pulled at his shirt and reached for his belt.

Next, he laid her upper body along the top of the pickup truck, making her stand close to the open back window, her ass spread. Her fingers reached back to help in spreading her cheeks, and Jasper got on his knees momentarily.

He ate her out, starting with circles at her clit, and then following along her slit to her vagina. His tongue forced its way in, and swirled around inside. Star moaned and trembled against his invasion.

Jasper stood back up, and pressed his hard tip right to her entrance, “you’re beautiful… did you decide to be my girlfriend or not?”

“Is the only rule clothing?” She asked in between moans, as his cock began to slowly push its way in.

“Don’t sleep with any other men,” Jasper said as he began to thrust steadily, “besides that, nothing else.”

She looked over her shoulder at him, and his dark green eyes met hers. The sun was setting behind him and it was beautiful, the cold creeping in, and Star felt amazing, “I’ll be your girlfriend… Don’t sleep with any other girls without me.”

He chuckled, “I promise…”

His thrusts intensified, and he began to kiss her back as he fucked her, “couldn’t imagine anything better than this, though…”

“Aaaaahhh, Jasper… mmm… you’re so amazing,” her legs were trembling with every hard thrust, the sound of their bodies meeting filling the darkening air.

He pulled her hair, and she moaned into the air, begging to be kissed which he happily gave in to. They swapped spit, their tongues connecting with saliva as they pulled away, and as Jasper felt himself beginning to cum.

“I want to fill you up, real bad, real full, too… can I cum inside you, my Ember? Do you want it as bad as I do?” He asked against her ear, his thrusts not easing up on her even though he desperately wanted to fill her.

“I do,” she moaned, nodding her head and kissing him again, “please… all of it…” She moved her ass to meet every thrust now.

They came together, making out as they reached their orgasms. Jasper released a huge load in Star, and her legs were dripping wet from her orgasm and his leaking cum, “fuck, you pervert… You got me all wet.”

“Doesn’t that make you the pervert?” He asked, slowly pulling his cock out and chuckling as he heard her pussy pop, “you’re little pussy did such a good job, Star.”

She felt him rub her clit, and he collected a lot of the leaking cum from her pussy, shoving it inside Star’s hole with two fingers. The girl moaned as she felt his fingers start to fuck her, but before she could get too excited…

He pulled away, and helped her clean herself off.

Hope you all enjoyed little love bugs <3 Took a little bit to write, but I really love this story and wanted to give it the attention it deserved instead of rushing anything. Next post will have an unknown release date, I'm thinking by Sunday but I have nothing for the next post just yet. Part of me wants to release a preview or something for the next character, so there might be a separate poll for that later.

SONG REFERENCES Gods and Monsters by Lana del Rey

[aristotels]

https://aristotels.tumblr.com/post/739069720012161024/when-you-talk-about-the-protag-in-stardew-valley

Hi, same anon. I was trying to give further evidence of your point (i.e. that SDV lets you literally become a landlord), not sure if that came through, but never mind that. I'd like to ask about 2). You said:

 you and feral hobo running a commune and splitting income STILL isnt communism, its just cojoined small business practice. communism requires socialist state to first exist, and it covers a broad political and economical system.

Okay, yeah. But "no it can't exist because the government isn't socialist" feels a bit boring. What if we tried to meet the game where it's at? Which is "Feelgood escapism where your grandfather leaves you a farm in your will and escape your crushing job at Corporate USAmerica and live on that farm in a little town full of simple hard work and community, a town that is almost, but not quite, outside of the grasping hands of the surrounding system".

We've established that SDV's depiction of this fantasy is not meaningfully anti-capitalist in any way, but is there a way to interpret that concept in a way that is meaningfully anti-capitalist without removing the core of this initial contrast/struggle?

Especially when realism isn't strictly speaking a constraint. If the game can get away with "You can become a millionaire overnight by selling turnips", I don't think "the town somehow exists with a totally different political organisation than the country it's in" is that egregious, because it's in keeping with the way the game's setting is kinda in a bubble.

Even if the answer is "no, of course not", or "sure, but only if we do something like how the farm is in a completely different country and the struggle against Jojo Corp is now the struggle against imperialism", I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. I'm not particularly attached to SDV, my enjoyment of it has never hinged on it being somehow "progressive". It's just the kind of conceptual game design challenge that tickles me.

How would you redesign SDV to be meaningfully anti-capitalist while trying to keep its core concept recognizable? Can it be done at all, even slightly? etc etc.

well i mean, the thing is that a little town cant exactly exist in its own political bubble, since socialism requires a large-scale operation.

well, while typing this i just remembered a pretty wholesome story on a small scale - and ive mentioned it before, vlak u snijegu by mato lovrak, and its such a pity it wasnt translated. it shows socialist ideals on a small scale, in a group of kids. ill try to make a summary post when i have time.

idk, personally i dont see a way to make an escapist cozy game anti-capitalist. and tbh, i dont even think its necessary for it to be, as long as it isnt marketed that way! socialism involves collectivism and work (well it is centered around workers isnt it) and i mean... that isnt exactly what we think of when we say "escapism fantasy". in those secret little fantasies we want to be privileged and not deal with injustice or corruption or whatever.

the closest to a socialist fantasy i can get is maljčiki by idoli (the song is a banger btw).

i mean, i dont know if that makes for like, an actually interesting cozy game. tbh when i am looking for guilty-escapism, i read p reactionary stuff; theyre just fantasies, after all. its nice to imagine myself as a noble lady from 18th century getting courted by 5 different rich men or whatever. i just think its important to realize the difference between fantasy and reality.

i mean, theres a reason were talking abt sdv here and not harvest moon. harvest moon was never marketed as anti-capitalist, its just a silly game of owning a farm and then like the goddess makes a girl fall in love with you blabla. nobodys exactly going around and saying how anticapitalistic it is.

[neilphen]

which records in your collection do you consider your best finds? And which ones do you spin the most?

hi connor ^_^ im gonna waffle on here

my BEST finds are definitely the Rushmore (1998) soundtrack, Walk Among Us: Misfits (both are reprints but still!) THE MUPPETS ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK!! Uhmm my Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was a rlly good find and for like 15$ too, my MMT is also very cool, I have a rlly cool picture disc of Aladdin Sane too. uHmmm. Silver Moon mike nez 45 :D Finally my reprint of Joni Mitchell song to a seagull on yellow vinyl love her so much...OH! MY Harry Nilsson record which was promotional in New Zealand is super cool find to me

the ones i spin the mossstttt would have to be Joni Mitchell: Song To a Seagull, Neil Young: Harvest, Bruce Springsteen: Nebraska, The Beatles: Abbey Road/White Album, Stephen Stills: Manassas uhnmmmm. i think thats all i spin the most of, I also like to spin Deja Vu a lot cuz i love country girl so much. blah i think thats all off the top of my head rn :p

[captainbobbin]

Are there any media – games, books, movies, music etc. – that you loved as a child, that you can say shaped who you are as an adult?

Hard mode: you can't pick "Kingdom Hearts".

I was raised by my nan - I'd spend every single day helping her out around her house, working in her garden, cooking together, doing my homework, and then sitting with her and playing games; I would play and she would watch. For the most part it was N64-Gamecube era games. Things like Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, Wind Waker, and Sonic Adventure 2s Chao Garden were favourites for both of us, games that were chill and comfy and laid back, bright and colourful but had a nice sense of responsibility and progression. I remember very fondly the way that my nan would always like how the horses hooves sounded in HM:AWL and even though you said that I can't pick KH, she was the one who got me KH2 and watched me explore through it countless times. Banjo-Kazooie, Pokemon Snap, and Ocarina Of Time were also played a lot, and I hold them all very close to my heart haha. I still very much enjoy games designed to be relaxing, I love me some farm sims and I tend to get attached to specific characters regardless of their original media.

In terms of books, I am a big fan of Junji Ito's work, I have quite a few graphic novels and a collection of books, and growing up I was a very avid reader in general. I have a signed autograph from Micheal Morpurgo somewhere from when I was very young. I don't read as much as I used to to be honest, especially fiction, but that's because I spend so much time writing that I worry a lot about accidentally absorbing other people's ideas or words and stuff through reading :p Ito's structure and overarching sense of scale are super interesting to me and I really love how detailed and foreboding his work always is - and that despite being one of the biggest horror mangakas of all time he's actually just a sweet and chill little catdad guy lmaoooo

my taste in music and movies is so jacked, dude. I have the most bizarre sense of taste imaginable. I love terrible awful movies. I'm a big fan of monster movies, quite a lot of foreign films, shlocky action lmao; I have a degree in animation and enjoy a lot of art movies and character studies. I did my third year dissertation in how body horror in media is portrayed differently depending on its country of origin and I have a lot of passion for movies in general, I love discussing practical vs special effects, exploring background details and plot contingencies, character motivations etc. I do weekly movie nights with my chat and its my fave time of the week! I've always liked weird movies and I always end up going back to my faves

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Long Distance (2) Masterlist

part one

can i call you tonight? (ao3) - oihesmine

Summary: texts between long distance d&p

can’t wait for you to be back (ao3) - okaydoomer

Summary: Dan is on tour and they miss each other so much.

Come Back, Be Here (ao3) - jestbee

Summary: The five times Dan and Phil said goodbye in a train station, and the one time they didn’t.

Distance does not have to be a problem (ao3) - Phantje

Summary: Dan lives in the South of England, Phil lives in the North. They meet at a party from Dan's theatrical group. Dan has unknowingly left quite an impression on Phil. Phil saves himself as a contact when all his attempts to make a move don't succeed. Dan is just happy to leave the party. When he eventually texts Phil the next day to see if it was genuine or a stupid joke Dan starts to wish he was Phil's friend. So does Phil but his thoughts lead a bit further. Follow them on their journey to getting to know each other through texts, phone calls, visists and malcommunication. :D

distant love (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan hates being away from Phil. As always, he can't wait to see him again. And even if it takes a while to get there, he hopes they will make it in the end.

Hi Bear (ao3) - phangirl00

Summary: Dan has a bonfire night with his friends, but misses his long-distance boyfriend Phil who he was supposed to see that night.

If These Sheets Were the States (ao3) - Emejig16

Summary: Ever since Phil moved to Florida, Dan has been missing seeing him, talking to him, and just all of the things they would do together; especially the nights they would spend together.

Internet Relationships (wattpad) - rickyblitzz

Summary: Long distance love is directly proportional to heartbreak.

Let The Salt Dry (ao3) - dandrogynous

Summary: “When I look at my old pictures, all I can see is what I used to be but am no longer. I think: What I can see is what I am not.” - Aleksandar Hemon

2009 except Dan is a trans boy

Letting Someone In Can Change Your Life (ao3) - winstonlives

Summary: “Fine. I will let you in. But I am not buzzing you in I'm coming down. And bringing my phone and a weapon.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Dan shoved his phone in the pocket of his hoodie and grabbed the tennis racquet he had by his front door for protection. Once downstairs he looked out to see one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen. He very much regretted not putting on actual clothes. He ran his fingers through his hair trying to smooth out the unruly curls he knew were there from his shower. He pushed open the door and the man smiled, his bright blue eyes flashing.

“Thank you so much! I thought I was going to be locked out all night!” He said, shaking the rain off of himself as best he could while clutching a soggy pink bakery box. “I’m frozen. Sorry, uh my name is Phil. I live in 301.”

“Dan, 503.” Dan said as he followed Phil up the stairs. “So when did you move in? I haven’t seen you before.”

Long Distance - auroraphilealis

Summary: Phil’s gotten into his top choice school, York University, and Dan’s the first person he calls to tell the news. Dan wishes he could be happy for him, but all he can think about is how they’re going to survive in a long distance relationship.

long-distance lads (ao3) - possumdnp

Summary: Dan worries that he’s going to miss Phil while on tour.

The Harvest for the Seed (ao3) - cosmogeny

Summary: Phil’s gone away for a family reunion and Dan is left at home to contemplate the various ways he shouldn’t come out.

The Odd Uneven Time (ao3) - yikesola

Summary: Phil fancies a boy on the opposite end of the country, four years younger than him, with a girlfriend. Lovely. This is gonna end so well. A fic about 2009 and inching closer.

Too Many Miles (ao3) - YourEyesHoldTheGalaxy

Summary: Things you said with too many miles between us.

Tuck You In Every Night On The Phone (ao3) - cafephan

Summary: After their Skype call ends abruptly, Phil calls Dan to say goodnight in their own special fluffy way.

until you come back home (ao3) - lestered (clonetrobed)

Summary: it's 2009, distance sucks, and phil's probably (definitely) in love.

What Are You Doing Here? (fanfiction.net) - who tf knows

Summary: Dan has to move from Reading to Manchester, but he’s been so busy he didn’t have the chance to tell his boyfriend, Phil.

Where Demons Hide (ao3) - goodluckgettingtosleep

Summary: Groaning into his pillow, Dan reached for his phone. Of course he had to spiral into the the black abyss of his mind when Phil was still on holiday with his family, thousands of miles away. A holiday he could’ve been a part of, but decided to miss out on in favour of spending some time alone in their new flat, recharging and finding the desperately needed inspiration for a new video.

Or, Dan is struggling with anxiety and the one person he needs is thousands of miles away.

You > Cuddles (ao3) - calvinahobbes

Summary: Dan wakes up alone, physically aching to cuddle someone.

[energy-5]

Wind Farms: Harvesting Energy on a Grand Scale

Wind farms represent the vanguard of renewable energy, showcasing how the forces of nature can be harnessed on a grand scale to power our cities, industries, and homes. These sprawling complexes of towering turbines are becoming an increasingly common sight across vast tracts of land and coastal areas around the world, symbolizing the shift towards sustainable energy production.

The Composition of Wind Farms

A wind farm is an assemblage of multiple wind turbines in a single location used for the production of electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and they cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles. The land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other purposes. For instance, the Gansu Wind Farm in China stretches over 7,965 square miles, an area larger than some countries.

Site Selection: A Crucial Step

The placement of a wind farm is a meticulous process that involves consideration of wind patterns, environmental impact, and proximity to the grid. Optimal sites are usually in areas with steady, strong winds averaging at least 14 miles per hour. According to the Department of Energy (DOE), wind farms on the U.S. coasts and Great Lakes could generate more than twice the amount of electricity used by the entire country. Coastal areas have the advantage of offshore wind farms which can utilize stronger ocean winds and have less visual impact on the community.

The Technology Behind Wind Farms

Wind turbines in these farms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology to maximize efficiency and minimize downtime. Turbines are now smarter, with sensors and automated systems that adjust blade rotation and orientation to the wind for optimal energy capture. Many have a capacity of 2-3 MW each, with some of the largest offshore turbines boasting a capacity of up to 12 MW. The DOE states that a 2 MW wind turbine can supply electricity to over 500 homes.

The Economics of Wind Energy

Wind farms are economically compelling as well. The cost of wind-generated electricity has plummeted over the past decade, with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reporting that onshore wind power is now among the cheapest sources of electricity in many parts of the world. Wind farm projects also create jobs, both in construction and maintenance; the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) reported that the sector employed 1.2 million people worldwide as of 2021.

Impact on the Grid and Energy Markets

Wind farms play a significant role in grid stability and energy markets. As intermittent sources, they are often backed by energy storage systems or integrated into a larger grid infrastructure that can balance supply and demand. Innovative solutions like battery storage or interconnections with other renewable sources are being developed to mitigate wind’s variability. Market-wise, the increased wind energy supply is driving down electricity costs and fostering competition among energy sources.

Environmental and Societal Considerations

While wind farms are a boon to renewable energy, they are not without their challenges. Concerns over wildlife, especially birds and bats, and noise pollution for nearby residents are significant issues that require careful planning and mitigation strategies. Nevertheless, the environmental impact is substantially lower compared to fossil fuel-based power generation. Wind farms also contribute positively to the local communities through land lease payments and increased tax revenues used for schools, roads, and healthcare services.

Looking Forward: The Evolution of Wind Energy

The future of wind farms is intertwined with advancements in technology and energy policy. Continued research in aerodynamics, materials science, and turbine design is poised to make wind energy even more efficient and less expensive. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that by 2040, wind and solar will power more than a third of the world, with wind energy being a significant contributor. Wind farms are not just about generating electricity; they are about reshaping our energy landscape, fostering sustainable development, and creating a blueprint for future energy solutions.

[thesynaxarium]

Today we also celebrate our Venerable Father John Theristus. Saint John was an Italian Byzantine monk, called Theristus or “Harvester”. Despite dying almost a century after the Great Schism of 1054, he is notably a saint in both the Catholic and Orthodox Church. Saint John’s Calabrian mother was captured Saracens and brought to Palermo, where she gave birth. At the age of 14, he was encouraged by his mother to flee to his native country. He crossed the Strait of Messina in a boat without oars or sail, and reached Monasterace. The inhabitants, seeing him dressed as a Moor, took him to the Bishop, who interrogated him. The boy answered that he was seeking baptism, but the bishop subjected him to harsh trials before giving him his name. Once he grew up, he felt more and more attracted to the life of the monks who lived in the caves around Stylus, fascinated by the example of two Basilian ascetics, Ambrose and Nicholas. After much insistence, despite his young age, he was admitted into the community. He distinguished himself by virtue, so much so that he was later elected abbot. He found in Cursano a treasure that belonged to his family, and following the rule of Saint Basil he distributed it to the poor. Once in June, at harvest time, he went to visit at Monasterace a knight who had provided food for the monastery. He took with him a flask of wine and some bread. When he arrived at two fields, called Marone and Maturavolo, he offered the farmers the bread and wine. A furious storm rose up, risking destruction of the harvest, but through John's prayer the storm held off until the wheat be harvested and gathered in sheaves. Thus he helped to miraculously harvest a large crop ahead of destructive weather, saving the locals from starvation. This and other episodes testifying to the help given to the farmers, earned him the nickname of Therìstis, that is "reaper". The owner of the fields, struck by the incident, donated them to the monastery. The monastery of Saint John Theristus is the only operating Eastern Orthodox Monastery in Italy. May he intercede for us always + Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Theristus (at Calabria, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co-dZiNr65M/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=