#there would have been more time to find a solution

[noegrets]

I know this is meant to be funny and not entirely serious, but if I can be serious for a moment here...

Thomas was looking for a fuel additive that would prevent engine knocking, and he found that tetraethyl lead (TEL) did just that, providing better engine performance for less fuel. That's wonderful!

Thomas was aware of the health risks of lead, but reading between the lines, it sounds like there was a lot of corporate and military pressure to get TEL additives to work, since it was the most cost-effective and the most patent-able solution. It also sounds like Thomas fully believed that TEL could be proportioned within the gasoline in a way that would be safe, to the point that he was willing to use himself as his own guinea pig to prove it. At least until he had to take a leave of absence due to - ah - lead poisoning (which he attributed to all the work with the substance, not to the final product). I don't think he would have risked his own health so much if he didn't fully believe in it.

Maybe his sin in this case was overconfidence that a safe level of lead existed, and that he didn't instead push for the less commercially-enticing possibility of ethanol additives... But that's also with our view from his future. Remember, the Wikipedia article is written with the benefit of hindsight, and so it highlights all the early evidence that leaded gasoline always was a bad idea, but at the time, I imagine it would be easier to believe that leaded gasoline could be safe and an important advancement for humanity.

After all, we'll never get anywhere if everything needs to be perfect on the first try. Every invention throughout human history has built upon what has come before, and helps us learn something new that we can further build upon. Science is full of small steps in understanding that helps us reach the big conclusions. Even something with as many negative effects as leaded gasoline helped us to better understand what was needed to make gasoline and engines more efficient, and to seek solutions that could achieve the same and better, without lead.

And regarding chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Thomas was trying to find a refrigerant that would be non-flammable and non-toxic, because, before that, the refrigerants in use were toxic and flammable! And Freon is non-flammable and much less toxic, and works great as a refrigerant! So, Thomas's work helped to end the use of dangerous refrigerants and enabled huge advancements in home refrigeration! That's wonderful!

And it wasn't until long after he was dead that we even discovered the ozone layer and how CFCs like Freon negatively impact it.

Wikipedia puts it like this (bolding mine):

The harm of leaded gasoline and chlorofluorocarbons have been framed as lessons in known unknowns and unknown unknowns, respectively. When leaded gasoline was invented it was known that lead had harmful effects on human health in large quantities, and that leaded gasoline caused emissions of trace amounts of lead to the atmosphere, but it was not known whether those trace amounts had adverse effects. The existence of the ozone layer, however, and the potential for chlorofluorocarbons to harm it, was not known at the time.

When Thomas died, his obituary emphasized that he was a scientist who figured out some neat chemistry to make daily life better and safer. It was only later that we concluded that what he thought was a safe trace amount of lead was actually not safe at all, and even later that we realized his safe refrigerant eats the ozone layer that he didn't even know existed.

So the way Wikipedia article's introduction kinda makes it sound like he killed himself out of regret for his work in chemistry... that can't be it. Or how the article makes it sound like his invention comically backfired and killed him as the last in a long series of disastrous inventions... probably isn't right either.

A newspaper article from the time says the coroner ruled his death a suicide, the implication being that Thomas decided to use his invention to intentionally strangle himself, tired of living confined to bed due to the effects of polio. It sounds like he didn't have a lot of support to have quality of life as a disabled person at the time. After all, he had to invent his own elaborate system just to be able to sit up... That sounds like a much more likely source of his despair, which is very tragic in a completely different way than the joking over regrettable inventions...

So yeah, I just wanted to take a moment to recognize that, it seems to me that this guy was doing his best with the information he had in the corporate and political landscape of the time, and he did improve human life in important ways despite all the unintended negative consequences, and his work provided stepping stones for future scientists to come up with even better solutions, and while it's easy to meme on a distorted view of the situation, the truth is probably much less funny.

all demographics and time periods and geography taken fully into consideration, some people were just born to lose

[would-you-punt-them]

Your technology curse is my roman empire.

Honestly, for the past couple of months I've been having more tech problems than usual, and if anyone has an explanation for this I'd love to hear it.

It started last year when my desktop finally stopped working; it would power on, attempt to start up, and then immediately shut itself down again.

I decided to just leave it, because for as long as I can remember it's always kinda done whatever it feels like. Like, I have to unplug it when I go to sleep because it likes to turn itself on in the middle of the night for literally no reason.

I thought maybe if I just left it alone, there was a chance it would eventually decide to wake itself up on its own. But after a while it became pretty clear that this really was the end. I mean, the thing was pretty old and already barely functional, so it was bound to die sooner or later.

I left it at home collecting dust for a couple months until I went back for the holidays. When I got back, I tried it again, and still nothing.

If modern technology had failed, then clearly the only reasonable solution was to tap into what little vestiges of dark power I still possessed to summon its soul back to the material plane in a profane ritual. Also I was super bored and didn't have anything else going on that day and desparately needed something to do.

So, I spent that afternoon using salt to draw out what I imagined a magic circle might look like, put the computer in the centre, covered all the windows and then spent two hours in a dark room pretending to commune with its machine spirit dwelling on the other side or whatever.

I swear to god, two days later the stupid thing turned itself on at like 1 in the morning for the first time in three months. Then the next day the lights in my room stopped working with zero warning.

For some reason ever since then my life has basically operated on the law of equivalent exchange; whenever one thing is miraculously fixed, within 24 hours something else will inexplicably break.

Someone came round to fix the lights, and later that day my electric razor (which was pretty much brand new) randomly stopped working. About a week after that, my night light that hasn't worked in forever magically became functional, while my kettle immediately broke even though it had been fine that same morning.

Just to prove I wasn't going crazy, I went and dug out the oldest thing I could find, my 3DS that's been broken since like 2018, and tried to get it to work, which should be straight up impossible. Except it now works fine, and like clockwork the next morning my toothbrush wouldn't turn on. This shit just keeps happening and I'm not sure what I did to deserve it.

Anyway, my phone has started going on the fritz, so who knows, maybe it'll shut down in a week and bring my fucking Bop-It back to life.

[itsacruelsummerbaby]

THE OFFER

After your brother and sister-in-law die in an accident, you're left with the idea to adopt your niece. The problem? Her grandparents. The solution? Unknown, although Spencer has an idea.

pairing: Spencer Reid x reader || tags: mention of a fatal accident, fem!reader, bau!reader, fake marriage offer || wc: 1.3k || navigation

Being a member of the BAU prepared you for the brutality of the world, you saw the animalistic instincts and insanity which drove some to commit the most gruesome murders. Over the three years you’ve spent here, you got used to it, and while you weren’t an emotionless machine, you still knew how to move on.

But nothing could prepare you for the simple deaths. The unexpected fatal accidents that happen to so many people in the world. The tragedy of a little girl losing her parents because of an ill-timed puncture on the highway that led to a series of unfortunate events is something even you can’t quite comprehend. 

And now here you are, sitting in the living room of your late brother’s house to discuss the details of their funeral with your sister-in-law’s parents. Deep down you’re happy your mother isn’t around to see it, but your father is still here, and he’s been mourning in the institution he was sent to due to his mobility issues with the help of a therapist. 

Upstairs in her room, seven years old Cady is playing quietly, refusing to speak ever since she fully understood that her parents aren’t coming back. For now, her maternal grandparents are the ones looking out for her, but they’re not getting younger, they have health issues, and now that their daughter is gone, there’s no relative to take care of them if something happens. 

For now, you remain silent, you don’t want to upset them even more by presenting your idea to adopt Cady, but soon you’ll have to speak up about this. You’re closer to her in age, you’re young, active, and you have a stable job. It would make more sense to let her stay with you, but it’s obvious that her grandparents love her too. 

Once you’re done with the preparations, you excuse yourself and go to Cady’s room to check on her. When she hears the door creak, she looks up, and there’s a faint smile on her lips before she returns her attention to the toy she’s playing with. That’s when you notice–the smile is gone and it’s replaced by a sad look.

“I have to go, Cady,” you say as you crouch next to her. She doesn’t look up, but you can see as her grip on the toy tightens slightly. “Hey, I have an idea. There’s this friend of mine whose son is the same age as you. Wanna meet him tomorrow?” 

Her eyes find yours again, and she nods eventually.

A small smile creeps on your face. “Alright, I’ll call my friend, I’m sure we can meet them,” you tell her before leaning closer to place a kiss on her head. “Take care, sweetheart.”

On the way back to the others, you quickly dial Hotch’s number, then stop at the top of the stairs when he picks up. “Are you on your way back?” he asks.

“Yeah, I’m just about to leave. Look, I have a quick question. Will you and Jack happen to be free tomorrow? Cady and Jack are the same age, and I’m kinda hoping that he can finally make her talk,” you explain before he could answer.

On the other end of the line, Hotch takes a breath, and you can tell he’s smiling at the mention of his son. “He has a soccer match early in the morning, but we didn’t really have plans for the rest of the day. We’ll figure out what to do.”

After you end the call, you go downstairs and tell her grandparents that Cady is spending the next day with you, but at first they’re against it. They get upset, they point out that they know you want to take her away from them, and it takes every ounce of willpower to keep your calm and remember your training. You can deal with unsubs more dangerous than these two.

The argument ends with an agreement; you can pick her up at ten in the morning, but she’ll have to be back by three in the afternoon. Fair. Strict, but fair. 

The drive back to the office is filled with heavy silence, and your brain is working in overdrive as it tries to figure out what the best solution could be. The things they said still haunt you, because you know perfectly well there’s some truth in them.

You’re single. You have a demanding job, which comes with a lot of traveling, and which is also dangerous. How could you take care of a little girl better than they would? 

“Is everything okay?” you hear Spencer’s voice when you plop down into your chair in the bullpen.

You look over at the man who’s been your deskmate since your first day here, the one you trust the most, the one who always knows what’s going on in your head. Maybe he can give you some advice, give you an outsider’s thoughts regarding this delicate matter.

So, after carefully considering each and every word, you give him a summary of this morning. “Would it really be cruel to Cady?” you wonder, trying to keep your voice steady despite the obvious sadness in it. 

Spencer lets out a thoughtful hum as he rolls his chair around the desk to be closer. “It’s difficult, but… They live here, right? They could look out for Cady if you have to leave for work,” he suggests. 

“But then it would be better if she just stayed with them, wouldn’t it?” 

“I have an idea.” 

Your brow shoots up in surprise, because you didn’t expect someone to come up with a plan this fast. Not even Hotch, who happened to be a lawyer with a bunch of lawyer friends that probably saw cases like this one before. He was your plan A, everyone else was plan B. 

And then your friend says the two words that completely floor you. “Marry me,” he says so casually like he just suggested an episode of Star Trek that you would surely like. “Look, we can talk to Hotch to let one of us stay behind every once in a while and work from here with Penelope. So, hopefully the remaining number of cases that require us both would decrease, and Cady could spend those nights with her grandparents. And with our combined salaries, we could hire a nanny to help out sometimes too.”

As usual, Spencer is practical. It’s not about emotions, it’s all about how you can solve problems. You can’t argue with the plan, the only thing that comes to your mind is a touchy subject, though. But it wouldn’t be fair to completely ignore it. “Spence, you’re already taking care of your mom, I can’t ask you to get involved in that mess too,” you say with a gulp.

To your surprise, Spencer flashes a small smile at you. “You’re one of us; if you’re in trouble, we’re here to help. And we met Cady when she visited you here with her parents, she’s a lovely little girl who deserves to be happy. I’m sure her grandparents are nice people, but they’re not getting any younger, you’re right about that one. If marriage can solve the issue, I’m willing to do it.”

It takes a few seconds to comprehend what he just said. “That’s… I mean, it’s a nice offer, and thank you for thinking about this, but I can’t ask you to do that,” you manage to say. 

“The offer stands,” he says with a smile, “just tell me when you’re ready. I’m sure it–”

In the background someone calls for you, and when you both whip your heads in the direction of the source, you notice it’s Hotch waiting for you. Signaling him that you’re going to his office in a moment, you look back at Spencer. “Thanks, I appreciate it,” you tell him kindly before pressing a soft kiss on his cheek.

[simaddix]

Opening TS3 Medieval Market

Hello, my lovelies! Today I would like to talk about an opportunity for our beloved medieval (and historic) TS3 community!

Interested? Well, I guess let’s get into it and see how far it goes.

Why Discord, rather than a Tumblr Community or a personal page?

That’s a great question – and one that might be better explored as time goes on. However, here are a few perks that I’ve noticed.

1: A discord server as a download market presents an ideal solution by combining accessibility, organization, and engagement.

2: Organization – less scattered forums/websites. Discord allows structured categories and channels to keep content well-organized. We have the option to create additional channels or categories to keep content separated – so there’s less confusion when people stop using a tag, or add a new one that other’s aren’t tracking. There are also transferable roles assigned by moderators, so if someone wants to leave – there is no data lost, and the server stays active as usual.

3: Direct downloads – requiring no additional host/server. If you’re a part of the creator discord pages, then you’ll notice there is a hoard of available downloads that bypass the need to go to an alternate download site. Creators can upload their content directly into the appropriate category.

4: Discord servers have little to no spam bots (that I’ve noticed, anyway), and if there are issues, it’s relatively easy to remove those pests and keep the community protected.

5: By centralizing downloads in a dedicated server, creators can upload their content, receive immediate feedback, and build faster relationships with their community, and followers can immediately engage, comment, or download. Discord mimics Tumblr in that it allows for real-time interactions, sneak peeks, polls, events and more.

Here's what I've established so far inside the server:

A welcome channel established for people to drop into the server, and members to say hello!

More channels to host discussions, show off real life/other games/hobbies/etc. And of course, everything TS3 - because we like seeing people play!

All the "Market" tabs you could want! (And if it's not there, we'll add it to the list - free of charge lol)

The "Cargo" section mimics the creator discords a bit in that it allows you to ask WCIFs, make CC requests, trade and barter another member/creator for CC (I.E - swap CAS for BUILD/BUY items, etc), start collab projects, and more.

I highly recommend also keeping up to date with the other creator discords, there's already so much activity there!

_____________________________________________________________

Is the market meant to replace Tumblr pages, other creator discords, or personal pages?

Absolutely not! As we all know, there are many Tumblr pages/websites/servers dedicated to the TS3 community at large. Ts3 has thrived for so long partly because it has such a dedicated modding community, and hosts player-made content. However, distributing and protecting all of the content effectively while also fostering a sense of community is challenging. There has been a massive amount of effort put into the community through wonderful pages such as @katsujiiccfinds and @pis3update, (as well as all the other CC pages out there), I am personally a member of two creator discords that have been essential to me as I’ve learned to create, and now tumblr is exploring the new community options. However, the fallback of this is that hosts get burnt out, stop creating themselves, or abandon pages/websites all the time. There are many of these “ghosts” haunting Tumblr as we speak – though we all love a good comeback story, so to those who have returned, or will return, we all welcome you back with wide open arms! Right? Right! Huzzah! The point is, this discord is not meant to replace any of these options, but it might help us find a centralized location.

Modern/electrical CC will be booed – but possibly tolerated lol

This Discord is being opened as of right now – so don’t be surprised if you pop in and there’s no CC yet. These things take time – Rome wasn’t built in a day.

You will need a Discord account to follow the invite!

Paid only content will not be allowed on this discord. If you would like to upload paid content - you can always start free servers on Discord! When your content is free - absolutely feel free to add it to the market!

See you there! (Please let me know if there are any link issues!)

Personal Letter of Invitation: https://discord.gg/e6skNu9t

[sonrium]

Bruce is obviously shocked by this stunt double that looks almost exactly like him. After a thorough investigation and a modified test that accounts for the strange substance bonded to his DNA, Bruce finds out that they have no family relation, and they really do just happen to look like each other.

Danny is doing his best to get out of the limelight. He had his moment of fame as a teen, and that was more than enough for one lifetime. If he never has to see another shrine to himself again, it will be too soon. The thought of it makes him shiver. Of course the movie's producer sees this as free publicity and only fuels the media fire.

When some raw footage of one of his film sessions 'leaks,' a massive media flurry of "do the butts match?" whips the media storm into a full-blown tornado. Because Batman is the only one who could pull off stunts like that in real life. Danny's further denials just make everything worse, until Batman himself shows up next to Danny to prove his innocence before it can get too far. (Much to the producer's consternation)

Everything quiets down after that, much to Danny's relief. It's not perfect, and the rumors of long lost twins still circulate, but it's bearable. Even the proof of Danny's parentage isn't enough to dissuade the more zealous fans. He just needs to finish filming and get the hell out of dodge.

Filming is almost over when disaster strikes.

A villain (maybe the Riddler), somehow catches a glimpse of Batman without his mask and knows its Bruce freaking WAYNE under there.

Knowing that facing Batman head on to unmask him was a doomed endeavor, they target Bruce Wayne instead. They publicly kidnap him with a live broadcast to all of Gotham. Multiple cameras showing every angle of Bruce tied to a chair while the villain rambles. Bruce can't so much as twitch in a competent manner, or his Brucie persona will be done for. No morse code blinking. No falling in a convenient manner. Nothing. The villains claims that he is Batman aren't confirmed, the idea is already planted. There's no way out of this.

So it's up to the Batfam to arrange the rescue, and they knew exactly what to do!

The solution is obvious. They need Batman to rescue Bruce on live television such that nobody could suspect a fake Batman or impersonator. This would clear Bruce's name completely and blackmailed material for the future. This wouldn't be the first time they've needed to pull the ol' switcharoo.

Naturally, Batman swoops in like an avenging tide of darkness. Beats up the villain and their goons in true Batman fashion, with an amazing fight full of flips and punches and leg sweeps all while bouncing off walls and wrapping goons up in cables and whatever else is around. There is no doubt. This is the real Batman. Only someone who has been fighting for justice their entire lives can move like that, all while expertly protecting the hostage.

All too quickly in the viewers' opinions, the villain is tied to the very chair they trapped Bruce to. But the show wasn't over. Bruce was on the floor, legs shaking too much to stand. Without a word, Batman effortlessly lifts Bruce bridal style and carries him to safety. Never one to miss an opportunity, Brucie Wayne immediately starts batting his eyelashes and flirting enough to make grandma blush. Batman's stoic expression doesn't even twitch as they exit frame and out of sight.

As soon as they make it to a safely secluded spot away from prying eyes and ears, 'Batman' sets Bruce down then promptly doubles over laughing.

Used to it, Bruce rolls his eyes and sighs. "I'm surprised you showed up, Dick."

Instead of answering the unasked question of 'how did you get back so fast when you were supposed to be off planet,' 'Batman' is far too busy suffocating and collapses to the ground.

He finally answers when the giggles subside enough to breathe again. "H-How-How-How do you keep a straight face like that?! I almost pissed myself when you started squeezing my bicep and calling me 'hunkaliscious'!"

Bruce freezes. That wasn't Dick's voice.

"Who are you?"

"Do you call everybody that saves you a dick? Or am I special?" Danny bounces to his feet, pulls the cowl back, and gives a dramatic bow with a wink. "Your one and only stunt double, at your service."

"How?"

Danny lifts his hands in innocence. "Not my fault! I was trying to avoid getting involved with your nightlife. Been there, done that. But when a bunch of color coded teenagers try to kidnap you? I make an exception. Plus, I have to admit, this suit makes me feel like a badass. How are you not grinning like an idiot all the time strutting around with a cape?" Danny pulls it up to his face like a cheesy vampire. "I am the night."

"How did you figure it out?" Bruce pulled out all his Batman intimidation. This is bad. This is bad. This is really, really bad. A civilian knows his identity. And it sounds like he's known for awhile.

Danny just gives him an unimpressed look, not the least bit intimidated. Honestly, Bruce looks more puffed up kitten trying to be threatening. "Normal people don't reak of death. I've had you clocked since the "do the butts match?" incident. Thanks for the save, by the way. The last thing I need are more stalkers. Those guys are ruthless. You can keep 'em'."

Bruce stares him down.

Danny sobers when he senses Bruce's anxiety. "Don't worry. I know how important secret identities are. I promise no one will learn about it from me."

Something in his voice and eyes makes Bruce relax. He believes it.

That's when a rainbow horde of teenagers vault down into the alley, practically jumping on Danny who laughs along with their antics. They ramble about how perfect he was and where did he learn that one wall run then flip combo, completely forgetting Bruce.

He'd have to fix that. He clears his throat. "Does anybody want to explain whose idea it was to force a civilian to impersonate me?" The response is instant. Everyone falls silent then scatters.

Danny looks at Bruce with a grin. "Can I watch you lecture them? I reeeeeeally want to watch you lecture them."

Maybe letting this civilian hang around for a bit wouldn't be such a bad idea. It was always good to have a back up plans anyway, and Dick couldn't always be around when he needed a double. This was just for contingencies. Nothing else.

Bruce couldn't help a slight smile of his own. "I could maybe arrange something."

Danny has been having issues trying to find a job that allows him to use his powers. He’s no longer in the superhero scene anymore but why not still put his powers to use?

After successfully gaining a job as a Stuntman, he didn’t know what he signed himself up to do but he took multiple classes to prepare and fell in love with the profession. His powers letting him further excel in his career as things like flight, intangibility, and duplication all were things that studio heads were delighted of as it lessened the cost of production.

Stuntman don’t get a lot of recognition by average film goers which is fine for Danny. Staying under the radar and living a normal life is all he could ever ask for.

Sadly for Danny, that anonymity didn’t last forever. Danny was hired as a stunt performer in a 90s satire esque autobiography movie written and starring the Gotham Billionaire Bruce Wayne.

During an on set interview midway though Bruce explaining to the interviewer that Hot Shots was his biggest inspiration for this film, Danny casually walked behind the set, just trying to get to the costume department and thinking nothing of being temporarily on camera behind the Billionaire.

The day the interview was uploaded onto YouTube, Danny’s phone was blowing up from messages from his friends and family telling him he had become an internet sensation overnight. It turns out his casual walk behind Bruce Wayne led to the internet losing their minds trying to find the Bruce Wayne look-alike. I mean, Danny DID become Bruce’s primary stunt double because he looked so similar, that’s the whole point of stunt doubles, but Danny didn’t think it was THAT similar.

[coffee-fueled-cookie]

I feel like they'd all actually be pretty terrible at it but how would the club go about comforting their partner when they get insecure about the way they look?

Been eye-balling this one out of the four I have so I'll dothus and then work on this Pete one I have for today

Bill

Oh boy, no, no, no, no, this probably won't come out how you want

Comfort is not this guys forte

He gets verrryy uncomfortable around criers, especially considering the fact he doesn't cry a lot himself

Do you want words of affirmation? Do you want reassurance? It's not gonna happen

You will, however, get an aggravated Bill talking immense shit about whatever it is or who that's making you insecure

"My thing is, who pays attention to that kind of stuff?? They think that's bad they should get a look at the catapillar on Pete's face."

Yeah.... not very productive

But, the stiff hand rubbing your back kinda makes it worth it

Pete

It's probably one of the better out of the three

Will he find whatever it is you're going on about stupid? Yeah, it's hella stupid in his eyes

But also, he won't deny holding you and listening

(Only because last time he spoke, he made things worse. How was he supposed to know you didn't want a solution)

Definitely tries to offer solutions. It's kind of annoying if all you want to do is just vent or verbalize your frustrations because the last thing you want to be hearing is how to fix said insecurity

He bought you a sugar-free snack after last time and nearly got kicked out of your house

Josh

Nah, don't even try

Or I hate to say it, but whatever insecure you've got going on, Josh probably has it worse

So if you come to him about something you're insecure about, he's going to see it as a view you have of him

Especially weight wise, it'll just upset him

If you do come to him about it, he'll probably turn it around to be about himself or talking about his insecurities

And while that's a distraction, yes, it's very hard not to be listened to

I feel like it'd just be a competition for the most part. You'll come out more exhausted than relieved

I would say, as he gets older and kinda grows into himself, then he's definitely more susceptible to your insecurities and more mature about how to give you comfort and just listen

You've just gotta be patient with him

Jerry

Top tier here

He knows insecurities, he gets it, and time and time again he's come to you, so it's only right you come to him

The kind to just lay back and listen, even if some of your insecurities sound stupid

Listen, he's just starstruck that you stooped so low to date him and don't see yourself the way he does

He usually opts for distraction, watches movies, makes you laugh, and plays a game. He doesn't want you dwelling on it

Now, if only he could apply those things to himself

Major hypocrite

If he comes to you, it's like almost a whole fight because he can't possibly believe you. He just can't

It can be frustrating, but when you get to know him well enough, then you'll know how best to slip through that barrier

[dangermousie]

Yup, still thinking about Olive Tree.

I was thinking that at first glance, it may appear rather sudden to have Zan run off to psych ward after that one episode in the hospital and then for Ran, after finding him and marrying him, leave the elope note for their parents and disappear into parts unknown. I mean, yes, it's been only months since he came back and this is ONE big incident, not years and repeat incidents.

One may be tempted to go "but wait! isn't it hurried!" but it actually makes total sense. Not just from the practical aspect of the fact that even this drama, as amazing as it is in centering on trauma, would not make viewers sit through ten episodes of agony as its finishing arc (who could even bear to watch?)

But because it fits Zan's character (and Ran's.) If you think about it, Zan is an absolutist and someone who by choice of profession makes quick decisions and seeks quick solutions. Impatience in term of long time is a trait and so is, tragically a binary sort of "well or not" thinking.

That is what motivates him to go back for the third tour. Yes, he is driven by guilt and desire to help, but even more he is driven by desperation to be healed, to be a whole man for Ran. The thing is, unlike when he comes back at the end, his situation is not horrifying. He is ill and he has episodes and it's tough but he is healing - slowly, painfully, with set-backs but he is. (And if he didn't push his trauma past its limits like with the bomb test, he might do even better.) But he cannot wait and he is desperate because he doesn't deal well with uncertainty and long wait times. I mean, it's so clear that if he didn't go for that last tour of duty, he'd be so much better off - he'd either heal more or even if somehow he never got better than he was before he went, he'd still be miles better than he ended up being.

And I think it's that kind of absolutist, impatient thinking that drives him to the psych ward after the hospital disaster. He is not a man to wait and ruminate and hope. He is so decisive and so unhesitating and that was helpful in his work but is detrimental here. To him this means things are not working - but this time he doesn't have the strength to try to fix it, he just wants to take himself out of equation to protect Ran. (If you think about it, he was motivated to help - like that stranger who fished him out of a well as a child; only this time he's fallen back into that well only so deep nobody can fish him out.)

(Of course, it didn't help that the hospital scene WAS horrific - it was so public and it made strangers look down on her and just...oooof. When you think that he started the story as a man who would turn women's heads as he walked in, who all these coworkers and soldiers and children adored, the light of any crowd and now he's surrounded by faces that hold only pity, fear or disgust...oooof.)

And Ran - she just wants to do what makes him as comfortable as he can be. So of course she is fine with disappearing with him into the aether. I have to say, his shrink is genuinely awful. She was awful the first time (sure, you are cleared to go to the war zone to deal with your trauma WTF) and she's terrible here - there has to be a middle ground that's not "if you don't keep him drugged up to the gills he will kill either himself or someone else sooner or later." Send him to some place that is equipped to handle war trauma for one - she doesn't even specialize in this omg.

Anyway, enough from me for now but I am also amused that the makers apparently said they thought long and hard and decided to change the novel's tragic ending. I mean, I suppose it's not the tragedy of the novel but I can't say I'd call it a happy ending in any way.

PS I love this MV

[ruins-of-gods]

Hey, um, as a GM who has Strong Feelings On This TM, I want to point out that that can be just as big of a rabbit hole, if not more so. Preparing in that way, trying to plan out every single possible eventuality, is a doomed errand - and, more importantly, a legitimate waste of a lot of your time. The players will take exactly one path through the story - no more. You need to be prepared for them to take the path they want to take, and you need to be ready to put the things on that path that they need to find. If one uses the metaphor of laying the tracks out in front of the train, you need to be ready to turn towards where the train driver wants to go - and, at the same time, to gently steer the train back towards where you want to go. That is collaborative storytelling.

My approach to making a functioning mystery in a TTRPG is to have a very solid idea of what events occurred. For instance, say there's been a murder in a house. You, as the GM, know who's been killed, by whom, in what way, and why. Conventional logic suggests that the next step is planting clues around the house, but players don't find clues like that. They investigate what they think might be important, and when that continuously fails, they get frustrated. Instead, because you know what events transpired, when the players go to a room and search it for clues, you can improv a clue to place there. In this case, absence of evidence itself even becomes a functional clue, because it guides the players towards what's actually happening, rather than sending them in confused circles.

Of course, it's still possible that you'll screw something up, or the players will take all the right evidence and come to the wrong conclusion. In that case, I keep two things in mind. Firstly, as long as the players are satisfied with a story, it doesn't matter if every piece doesn't quite fit. They're not Redditors dissecting your mystery for what does and doesn't fit, they're players that want the cool emotional experience of solving a mystery. If they feel like it's solved, then you've succeeded, whether or not they've found every clue or if some things you've said don't quite line up. And secondly, the solution to the mystery does not exist until the players come to it. Remember, your players are not actually detectives. They can misunderstand something, or think that something should be there when it shouldn't, or forget about a crucial clue. They can take every piece of evidence you've given them, put it all together on a big corkboard, and come to completely the wrong conclusion. And in that instance, you need to ask yourself: what's the more satisfying answer? Does your narrative work better if they're wrong, or if they're right? Would the flow of the game be disrupted if you had to just tell them "no, you're wrong, start again"? What solution makes the best collaborative story? Because, at the end of the day, that's the goal here - a fun, interesting collaborative story, that every single person at the table gets to enjoy. A lot of the time, that's more important than having a hard-and-fast "truth" behind the scenes.

Y'all state in the Eureka rulebook (at least the version I have) "In our experience, the more preparation,the better, no matter the genre." I was wondering if you've expanded on that anywhere? I've been rambling in my drafts about how different games talk about prep, including PbtA games which often state outright that you should only make limited preparations.

Yeah this is something that it would be a good idea to expand upon, because “GM prep” is word that has been so diluted and corrupted by D&D5e and its toxic critical role play culture, where “GM prep” means “they will do this, and when they do, the music will be timed just right and the battle map will be so impressive, etc.” PBTA is telling you to avoid prep because it doesn’t want you doing that kind of prep (and no good RPG does). This can work for PBTA for a number of reasons that I actually don’t want to get into in the interest of time but it has a lot to do with the pure genre emulation and the limitedness of the playbooks.

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, however, cannot get away with this because it is both a much more expansive “toolbox” game and because it is explicitly a mystery-investigation game. There are many other games that do also really benefit from the type of prep that Eureka wants from its GMs, such as dungeon crawlers, but Eureka needs it the most.

But the kind of prep Eureka wants isn't “they will do this and when they do it will be perfectly timed and look so impressive,” it is “what if they do this? What if they do that? What if they do some other third thing?”

A Eureka GM needs to have something ready for the shed behind the house, in case a PC decides to go to the shed behind the house, because this is a mystery game. You can’t just improv it, if you make something up on the spot, then and that thing doesn’t perfectly adhere to the facts of the case, the case can be ruined. That’s why we push for using adventure modules so much, because they’re literally designed to do that prep for you.

TL:DR

TTRPGs are games where anything can happen, so instead of being extremely meticulously prepared for one possibility, a good GM is moderately prepared for a wide variety of possibilities. In a game where “the facts” not 100% lining up doesn’t fully matter or isn’t likely to be pried into, you can get away with lower prep in each of your possibilities you’ve prepped for, but in a game where “the facts” and tiny little details are all that matters, you should have a high level of preparedness for each possibility, and the best way to do that is to use an adventure module.

[leigh-mccoy]

Hank during Inhumans vs Xmen: WHY are we jumping to all out war??? I won't be a part of this. I'm going back to my lab to figure out how to solve this problem WITHOUT killing people

Storm and the other mutants, attacking Hank and imprisoning him: Wow Hank i can't believe you'd betray us like that :'(

[i-reblog-everything44]

The fandom when Anya is nice to jimmy and compliments/butters him up after the crash: obviously this is a fawn response. She doesn’t actually think these things about jimmy, she is simply trying to protect herself against a volatile, unstable person by placating him

The fandom when curly tries to placate jimmy by telling Jimmy he’d fix things, after being very nervous about jimmy’s anger and reaction when talking to Anya right beforehand and his heart racing so hard on the way to confront jimmy that he’s likely on the verge of a panic or anxiety attack: hmm. Obviously everything curly is saying to jimmy here is completely genuine and not motivated by anything. He obviously doesn’t care about the fact jimmy raped Anya and only cares about helping jimmy at the detriment to Anya. He’s a rape apologist. There could literally be no other potential explanation for why curly is saying the things he is saying right now. Let’s take everything curly is saying here completely at face value and not analyze anything else about Curly’s behavior or the rest of the scene.

[seriously why are people only capable of recognizing the fawn response in Anya and not Curly]

[dykedvonte]

I think the most baffling thing about the Tulpar as a vessel to me is the fact that the ship really did only have a one way communication system.

I know it was cheap but even the most basic of vessels regarding major transport would have some way, shape or form for outside communication. Not only that but there was absolutely no form of innate emergency signal to show they may have been offline or in trouble despite clearly having a system to dock credits if they went off course. It's another factor that really shows that bad situations are made to get worse by design. One person who is required to relay all information to the crew and make all the choices without feedback. No way to update or call for help in case of a dire situation. No way to inform of inner personal conflicts and acquire procedures accordingly.

It really is like they are all in some sort of fucked up solitary confinement. They have their own world with strict roles that are meaningless in the end, as long as the cargo makes it, it doesn't matter what happens on that ship to the company. They don't want to hear anything and will come to conclusions on what happened based on how much pay they can withhold from the workers. Even what they do send is short, sterile and corporate to the extent it was likely written and sent out with a command by some random unmanned computer in an office.

There's something to be said about how unfair it is to force absolute power and control onto one person when you as an entity could do so much more to offload it but I've said it many times before so I won't again.

[sandycookie]

fellas the book 7 update…. *crying*

(refer to the tags for my rambling, just to minimize ppl accidentally spoiling themselves)

[ivan-fyodorovich-k]

well lots to think about there

[undomesticated-animal]

Sigh

[arcturianview]

im still pissed abt Viktor being told "nooooo don't try to cure your terminal illness!!! dont try to fix your leg!!! you're beautiful because of it"

there was a way to write this that didn't feel gross. this was not that way. with more time; with him actually overstepping bounds and pushing on in spite of it instead of immediately becoming suicidal; with this desire to "fix himself" shown more to be because of external pressure instead of a desire to stop his escalating pain and impending death, i could have found this to not feel awful. but it does.

maybe just pointing out his leg as an example could have worked. especially if it was more heavily demonstrated that his desire to walk without mobility aids was rooted in insecurity (perhaps he proudly shows off to people that he can now walk "normally")

but using his terminal illness as an example is just gross. just "be happy you're going to die young because its part of what makes you who you are" GIRL WHAT???

especially when his terminal illness is rooted in systemic issues... eh. feels bad man.

[naivety]

this is why i'm a deadcoded samgirl