#stories as equipment for living

[snapbookreviews]

Summer 2024 Behind-the-Scenes Reading

This summer was the summer of thesis reading.

There’s a very academic bent to this write-up, because, as I mentioned in last quarter’s write up. This was the summer of thesis reading. The write up you see before you is in no small part an extension of my thesis journaling, which was the half of my summer that wasn’t reading, meaning that even the non academic books here have been read in an academic mindset with an academic…

[tllgrrl]

Pardon me while I geek out on the Production side a bit.

This stuff here. This is the stuff that makes parts of my brain feel like Wheeeeee!

Andrew Lincoln (Rick) has deep-set eyes and sharp, angular facial features, which plays into his acting style, whereas Danai Gurira (Michonne) has shallower-set eyes. She has a very open face but darker skin, so she can take a lot of different tones and textures of light and color. They were an interesting duo to light…. Adrian Peng Correia, DP - The Ones Who Live

After I had been hired to do the middle block [Episodes 3-4], Adrian and I spoke about the look and he updated me about the discussions. I supported 65 mm because I felt the story needed to feel big. It needed to be part of the world of the original “Walking Dead,” but it had to have a clear, distinct vibe – something that belongs specifically to Rick and Michonne, because they are so pivotal to the story. The ALEXA 65 was an obvious choice to give it a very distinct visual break from the original series and the spin-offs. — Wesley Cardino, DP - The Ones Who Live

*****

There were times when I was watching the mothership show (the original The Walking Dead) where I wanted to throw something at the TV, specifically because of the way Danai Gurira was lit. Or not lit. Or care wasn’t taken in lighting her even if the director was going for something of a mood.

Run Adrian Peng-Correia and Wesley Cardino their flowers for the work they did on The Ones Who Live.

[whump-me]

Whumptober 2024 Day 24: Equipment Failure

“Kill them,” the technician ordered.

The battle robot looked out at the huddle of shivering civilians. Not military targets. Not threats.

The technician aimed a kick at the robot’s metal leg. “Kill them, you useless tangle of circuits.”

One of the civilians, a small child, started crying. He stared at the robot with terror in his eyes. The robot looked away.

With a grunt of annoyance, the technician pulled out a gun and shot the child between the eyes. “You need maintenance,” he told the robot. “A long session this time.”

“No, please—”

“By the end, you’ll regret disobeying.”

[falthiere]

i saw some mabel and dipper pines cosplayers in an ikea parking lot today

[ginshariboy]

🥺 goodbye.......

[radley-writes]

Unpopular opinion time: a 'forgiving abusers' storyline isn't automatically bad.

I say this as someone with Trauma Credentials and as someone with a debut coming out soon which very much celebrates NOT forgiving your abusers.

You can write a story about a character choosing to forgive someone who was abusive but has since put in the time and effort to improve themselves, without making it seem like this is always the 'right' thing to do. Without implying that anyone who doesn't forgive their abusers is wrong. Without implying that abusers in any way deserve forgiveness and reconciliation if they become better people.

The problem is not inherent to the idea of an abusive person being redeemed and forgiven. It's with how that arc is portrayed, and with ensuring that the victim is always centred and that their comfort and choice is prioritised.

If you write a survivor-centric narrative that shows genuine change and contrition from their abuser - and recognition from the abuser that they are not owed jack shit - you can have the survivor react however they please with full autonomy. Whether that is walking away and telling their abuser to never contact them again, or establishing clear boundaries and letting them back into their life.

People do genuinely forgive people who have abused them irl, and they are not saints for doing so. But they're not gullible fools asking to be hurt again either. They're not 'bad representation' of survivors.

Forgiveness and the lack of forgiveness are both equally without moral value. They are a personal choice that each survivor can make individually, whether in fiction or irl. What matters is that this choice is their own, that it is informed, and that they are empowered to decide how much they want the person who abused them to be in their life.

[mellohimelody]

hi ash how are you doing? :]

hi artie!!!!!! sorry ik i kinda like disappeared but i’ve been competing in a film competition in california for the last couple of days!!!! it was wild and included events such as winning five awards, almost kissing my best friend, getting mass amounts of sunburn, and making some of the best packages i’ve ever made. but i am now back and will continue to be insane abt block men!!!! how did the rest of your trip go? :D

[constantvariations]

I have little hope that crwby will ever address the origins of the faunus (or if they do, it'll be in the show proper instead of shoved off into a side product), but I'm genuinely curious as to what they would go with if they did

They could say it's mutations, a la X-Men, or a radiation accident like Spider-Man, or Salem decided to fuck around with dna for whatever reason and created a new race

So many options yet so little care

[dan-crimes]

I don't personally enjoy death in my stories for one because I have no experience with it personally and for two because you can't torture a character anymore once they've died 😇

[chooey]

just finished breaking bad

[brightsuzaku]

An OC is like a noun, and can be a person, place, or thing!

an oc doesnt have to be a person or even an animal. the only limit is your definition of "original character" and your imagination. some of my ocs are literally buildings.

[karemandohan1999]

🙏😔Stop, please 😔🙏

Don't ignore me, listen to our sad story💔🥹🍉

My name is Kariman Dohan, I am 25 years old. I was a committed and diligent teacher, and my husband, Ayman Olwan, 30 years old, is a business administration graduate, but due to unemployment and difficult conditions in Gaza, he was forced to work as a fisherman. We have a wonderful son named Hamoud, who is one and a half years old. We live in Gaza, specifically Khan Yunis, where the fishing boat, fishing equipment and the school where I worked were damaged🥹🫂💔😭😭😭😭

We have been displaced several times, and our tragedy has reached the point that we now live in a tent that is unfit for living. We desperately need your help, I have launched a donation campaign but I cannot get the funds so I can get $50000 to get through this current crisis.

15.000$********75.000$

Before the war and after the war, this is what happened to us😔💔

................

I know that the world is full of people who want to help others, and you are one of them. Please be with us in this ordeal and share your donation to help us get out of these difficult situations🫂🥹🥹🙏🙏🍉

Donate, share and be the reason for our happiness 🙏❤️🫂🥹🍉😭🇵🇸💔😣

[bonewicca]

solution nine discourse on the for you page. here's my input: 👎

[falesten-iw]

Nothing can truly show you the reality of what's happening in Gaza, not a picture, not a video, and not even words. The truth is far worse than anything an image can capture. Families are not just enduring genocide, they’re being erased. Their history, their homes, their existence, wiped away like they were never there.

What’s left behind? Bits and pieces. Fragments. A scrap of fabric here, a shattered memory there. People are still trapped beneath the rubble. Some are alive, their voices weak but desperate, pleading for help that will never come. There’s no rescue equipment. No teams to save them. And anyone brave enough to try is met with drones, striking down anyone who gets close.

Those who’ve managed to survive aren’t just hungry, they’re freezing. Imagine huddling in a makeshift tent, shaking not just from fear but from the biting cold that seeps into your bones. The wind tears through everything, ripping apart whatever tiny bit of warmth you’ve managed to cling to. Inside the tent, there’s no comfort. Only the sound of bodies rustling as they try to stay warm, muffled cries of grief, and the haunting sound of people buried beneath the rubble, their faint cries for help echoing in the dark.

The cold doesn’t care. It doesn’t spare anyone—not children, not parents, not the elderly. It sinks into everyone, leaving them numb, both physically and emotionally. Hunger takes what little strength they have left, and the cold takes their hope. This isn’t some tragic story from the past—it’s happening right now. These are my people. This is my family.

A single line can hold the weight of an entire story, and a single choice can save a life. What if you skipped that extra coffee, brush pack, or subscription and put that money toward rescuing lives in Gaza ? One small sacrifice from you could provide food, warmth, or even survival to my family who’ve lost everything.

You might wonder, “Does it really matter? Can I make a difference?” The answer is yes. Every dollar you give is a line of hope, a stand against the darkness. Don’t let this story fade. Don’t let Gaza disappear into silence.

Please help us and donate now if you can, and reblog this post to spread our story.

Vetted and shared by @90-ghost: Link.

Verified and shared by @el-shab-hussein: Link

Listed as number 282 in "The Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser Spreadsheet" compiled by @el-shab-hussein and @nabulsi : Link

Listed on the Butterfly Effect Project, number 957: Link

Additionally, Al Jazeera News has documented apart of my family's case: Link

If, for some reason, you couldn't donate via GoFundMe, you can donate via PayPal instead.

Donate on GoFundMe: Link

Donate on Paypal: Link

Please keep the conversion rates in mind when donating through GoFundMe. Every 250 SEK is equivalent to 25 dollars, and 506 SEK equals 50 dollars and so on. Note: There’s even a raffle for a handmade Palestinian thob if you want to participate : Link

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[arolesbianism]

Thinking abt my salmonid ocs again... I need to design them soooo bad but at the same time I have yet to decide what to do with their clothes as while the traditional battle salmon pant would suffice my need to do needless extra work for the sake of worldbuilding is powerful indeed

[foldingfittedsheets]

When deciding who to work for there is a sliding scale of employers that goes from lil mom and pop shops up to corporate monoliths. I have worked at both ends of the spectrum and I can pretty definitively say that tiny businesses are hands down the most insane employers.

The sweet spot is a place that has like 10-20 stores; that’s the best possible work environment. They’ll be polished enough to have protocols that make work structured, but not so bogged down with bureaucracy that nothing can ever get done.

This story is not from that sweet spot. This story is from my time working at Oil and Vinegar. Now, like many little franchise stores, the idea was solid. There was on tap imported olive oil and vinegar and it was really delicious. Top shelf. Unfortunately, each location was like the Wild West because owners varied wildly.

My owner was the human embodiment of Mr. Krabbs. His eyes were just constant dollar signs. Throughout my training he informed me of the price of every single piece of equipment I touched and how much it cost to replace it.

He had cameras set up to watch us, and an app on his phone to access the live feed. He’d call us to ask what we were doing when he’d just checked a camera to make sure we were being honest.

Now, the trouble was he had two locations. His location further south did amazing. It was way more centrally located and got three times the foot traffic. The one I worked in was in the snottiest mall possible in Arizona and consequently the rent was through the roof.

It was not going well for my store. We didn’t get as much traffic, so there was only so much I could do in a day. I could dust, sweep, and wait for customers. I read a lot and was frank when he called to interrogate me. I always asked for additional tasks but he never had any. What could I do to prop up a failing business?

But this man was convinced there was some Secret Reason that the store I was in was doing worse. He crunched numbers, looked at staff, and eventually hit upon the most insane possible solution.

We used too much toilet paper.

We were probably stealing toilet paper! Bleeding him dry one single ply square at a time! How dare we need to use the bathroom?! His south location used half as much toilet paper as we did, we must be thieving little monsters!!!!

Friends. The south location was populated entirely by men. My location had three people on staff who had to sit to pee. It was so blindly transparently the source of the discrepancy but this man was convinced we were making off with toilet paper to bankrupt him.

So he implemented what he believed to be an entirely reasonable response to this base treachery. We were allowed to have one roll of toilet paper. At any given time, one roll was permitted to us. This was so transparently unhinged that we protested but he insisted. If we were low on toilet paper we needed to call him to drop off a roll that he brought from his home. Smiling jovially, he assured us he lived so close by that it would be no problem!

When we needed to call him often for more he started tearing his hair out. What were we using toilet paper for?! Why wasn’t his genius plan to stop our scandalous waste working??!

Finally, the manager, the only man on staff had to pull the owner aside and be like, “Look, man, their bladders are smaller. They need to wipe every time they pee. They need to pee even more on their period. Is this really the hill you want to die on?”

Yes. It was. The manager was fired unrelated reasons and denounced as a traitor. The toilet paper ration lasted until I quit and probably until the store closed six months later.