#and creates ongoing issues down the line

[marginal-notes]

Who knows if this fic will ever see the light of day, but UGH JUST

Clogging up my phone’s notes app with increasingly crazed notes and plot ideas like:

No joke, 60%+ of this fic is turning into a raging argument over military defensive needs vs what’s an optimal urban design configuration for supporting civilians at scale.

It feels so dumb how I’m lording all of modern research over the heads of these characters. They’re fictional men in the past of some magic ninja story. Why am I taking so much glee in causing all these problems for them.

[walnutcookie]

Is TOS! Glisten the type that had minimal (1-2) crashouts or was he consistently freaking out about different things- like- visibly, but specifically only to looey. Because while I know he’s the type to hide things, I also know that there’s an entire line of toodles dialogue about glisten whining and crying to Rodger. If he has had a few (reasonable or not) crashouts what was his worst? :3

OH NO HE LIKE. CRASHES OUT DAILY. not even just in tos have u SEEN his room and his twisted and his interactions he has breakdowns in his room he just tries to keep them secret so he doesnt ruin his "flawless" record (bullshit nobody actually thinks hes flawless)

Try as he might to conceal it, it usually all tumbles out when hes around looey. its just kind of The Effect when he's relied on them for so long and has already told him so much, looey isnt the greatest at reading people but he can also notice when glisten is off sometimes and sits him down to talk it out.

Probably one of his biggest crashouts (possibly reoccurring because this is an ongoing issue that hes struggled with since he was created) is his jealousy toward looey, since thats the One Thing he cant talk to looey about. of COURSE he wont bring it up to them because beyond just Not wanting to be perceived as flawed he also knows that looey would be hurt if he heard all of the ugly inner thoughts glisten has about him yk . and with their already low self-esteem they wouldnt be able to properly talk things out.... Rodger is still the Therapist guy in this au though, glisten was very hesitant to talk to him at first but eventually he couldnt bottle it up anymore (and rodger is persistent) and he explodedb. Rodger was able to talk to him about it in a more reasonable and nuanced way and while i dont think its a solvable conflict it def helped to get it off his chest, and with rodgers advice and how he offered support it was a little easier to carry all that bitterness and guilt going onwards

[acourtofthought]

Elain and Connections

Is not Elain and her friendship with the wraiths. Is not Elain and how she and Az will frolic in a field of flowers together (I can't EVER imagine Az doing this by the way). Is not even Elain and Lucien sharing quiet moments together. I mean sure, those things are technically connections but are they really what Elain can offer the world? Are those things that will benefit the story? To me, Elain and connections is part of what makes Elain special to everyone, not just those she could have a romantic relationship with and those we want her to be friends with so that her endgame person is better suited to her. Elain makes friends everywhere, it's in the text so narrowing it down to this one friend or that one friend takes away what makes her special. Elain and connections is about how she can have a positive influence on the things that are outstanding plot-lines and other relationships. Back in book 1 it was Elain who unknowingly changed some of Feyre's opinion of Nesta by telling her how Nesta went to try to bring her back. Elain's personality, without her even putting much thought into it, is the type to share the good in others with the world. In book 1 it was simply her sunny disposition that had the brusque head cook bringing her special treats, a trickle down effect when you think about it. Elain softening their personality can only benefit those around them, it allows others to see a different side of someone normal considered difficult. In book 2, it was Elain who broke up the tension between Feyre and Nesta by gently but forcefully reminding Nesta how much Feyre gave to them over the years, that it was now their turn to help her. It was also in book 2 that Elain broke the tension between Cassian and Nesta by jumping in to claim responsibility for her part in failing Feyre as well. Elain does not just create connections for herself, she helps others create connections by diffusing the tension and when you consider the long list of broken relationships in this series, that sort of personality can make a bit difference. Convincing those across the continent to sign the peace treaty, helping gain the Spring Courts army as an ally (as we were told was necessary in SF) by softening the relationships between Tamlin and the IC, the now broken trust between Eris and the IC. Some will attack me for stating that Elain could have a positive influence on Tamlin but I'm not here saying they're going to be best friends, I definitely don't think they're fall for one another. But he, like it or not, is still a player in this series for now and his mental state has been an ongoing issue for Prythian because of how Spring borders the human lands and how Beron has his sights set on the weakened court. Like it or not, Tamlin either has to heal or he needs to step down but as it stands, nothing has broken him out of his depression. In fact, we're told he got worse as of SF. Just because Tamlin was part of Feyre's trauma, Nesta's trauma, Elain's trauma, does not mean Elain cannot be stronger than what happened to them and make a difference. It's not about Tamlin so much as helping the people of Spring, protecting Spring from attack, and gaining an ally for the other courts.

I think Elain's truest "connections" will be in her ability to heal that which was broken. Finding a way to mend bridges that were previously burnt. Not because it will benefit her personal relationships but because it will help everyone.

[pinkwizardd]

twin fantasy is an album about making up a person. its an album about falling in love with a character youve created and the idealization of who you wish they were, the heady rush of your first real relationship and speeding past any flaws you see. naively assuming you can fix their problems because you love them. its about seeing your lover through a mirror or yourself, seeing you through a mirror of them. the desperation of needing to be impossibly part of them, impossibly conjoined, even as you feel them slowly drifting further and further away.

so, uh, here are the songs.

my boy (twin fantasy): singing about a long-distance partner, will begins the song with a quiet voice w little backing instruments aside from his own voice. even just the first lines hint at some metaphor that becomes an ongoing theme in the entire album.

'my boy, we dont see each other much' is more of a literal description of their distance and also touching upon the idea that will and his partner can't truly see each others needs, only seeing eachother in a reflection of themselves (a mirror-to-mirror, if you will) and therefore both missing the connection they desperately both need. they both are deeply lonely people and they feel isolated from humanity in similar ways and finding comfort in the other.the song continues and progressively gets more of a mournful howl for the person he can't touch, yet, this person seems to be the only person that is able to touch him.

beach life-in-death:.

i am almost completely soulless i am incapable of being human i am incapable of being inhuman i am living uncontrollably it should be anti-depression as a friend of mine suggested because it's not the sadness that hurts you it's the brain's reaction against it ITS NOT ENOUGH TO LOVE THE UNREAL I AM INSEPERABLE FROM THE IMPOSSIBLE I WANT GRAVITY TO STOP FOR ME MY SOUL YEARNS FOR A FUGITIVE FROM THE LAWS OF NATURE I DONT WANT TO GO INSANE I DONT WANT TO HAVE SCHIZOPHRENIA

he feels like his depression separates him fundamentally from the 'human-ness' of the people around him, but that he also can't truly divorce himself from humanity; he 'loves the unreal' by constructing an idealization of a relationship hes only newly in and he has an unsatisfiable itch inside him to be something impossible, to free himself from his humanity, anxiety, depression, and he wants to cut the ties but he can't let himself go completely because he doesn't want to go insane.

he feels paralyzed.

stop smoking (we love you): stop smoking is a short, repetitive and quiet interlude after the rollercoaster that is beach life-in-death. its a plea from will to his lover to stop smoking, a habit that terrifies him because of how he fears of how he fears it will destroy his lover. it also presents smoking as a medium though which will sings about other conflicts and issues in their relationship.

sober to death: sober to death begins the first hints of a future toxicity in their relationship. its an ode to the similar mental issues of will and his parter, and wills determination to construct their relationship by bonding through those issues.

the final terror is in your house somewhere hiding in boxes, beyond closed doorways out from the forest adjacent to your garage ive seen its marks at the corners of your eyes

will references horror movies multiple times throughout the song, and these lines allude to wills partners mental illness through familiar tropes of the evil present in them, as something always hiding behind some unseen corner. a constant presence that terrifies the both of them with its unpredictability. will feels like a spectator, unable to help and only able to watch his partner break down from afar. his anxiety around the problem paralyzes him and his partner feels out of reach for any assistance he tries, or has tried to, offer.

nothing works / nothing works for everyone

his partner dejectedly complains that ‘nothing works’ to help them, and will responds by saying that no solution universally works for everyone. they just need to keep trying.

take your hands off your neck and hold on to the ghost of my body / take my hands off your neck and hold onto the ghost of your body

pleading with his partner not to give in to their suicidal urges, will asks instead for them to remember that hes there for them, and to take comfort in that, even if their long-distance relationship means his physical presence cant be. like beach-life-in-death, however, the flipping of these lines later in the song betray wills true frustration, and instead of their partner trying to kill themselves, he finds himself trying to kill them, leaving his partner holding only on what remains of themselves for comfort.

dont think it'll always be this way, not comforted by anything i say what if it will always be this way, not comforted by anything you say we were wrecks before we crashed into eachother

no matter how hard tries to help his partner, at the end of the day, theyre both messes. will wishes that it 'wont always be this way' for the both of them, but they are both wrecks and so they cant truly fix or help the other.

dont worry you and me wont be alone no more

these lines are similar to whats sung in 'my boy', except 'we' turned into 'you and me', symbolizing wills growing realization that even when theyre together, they wont ever truly be together. their distance isnt something thats physical. the constant repetition of this as the ending is will trying to convince himself the truth of that statement, and leads to a disillusionment with the fantasy of their relationship.

-from reddit user cshr

[buffster]

The Thin Dead Line (ATS 5.14)

This is part of my ongoing Buffyverse Project, where I write notes/meta for every episode in an attempt to better understand the characters and themes of the shows. You can find the BTVS list here and the ATS list here. Gifs are not mine.

At this point in the season I'm struggling. Some episodes had an interesting premise but I missed the chemistry and fun of the main crew. Angel's dark character desperately needs to play off the lighter attitudes of the main cast. It felt like Angel's breakdown lasted a season rather than a few episodes. And we still have two more episodes before we come back together...

Angel Investigations is still struggling to find a new name, symbolizing their struggle to create structure in their new ranks. Angel and Buffy's specialness gives them clear rank as lead warrior, Wesley and Giles' book smarts puts them on research, Willow and Cordelia provide magical assistance, and Xander and Gunn go wherever they're needed. Things start to fall apart once "assist Buffy/Angel with their mission" is gone as a goal. The team has to reinvent themselves solely as a business now. I am a little curious how it all would have shaken out...I think Wesley would have taken the lead role, but I'm not sure if that would've worked. Giles and Wesley too easily fall into a military-style leadership and expect absolute authority. Remnants of Watcher training.

Not that Wesley doesn't add a value all his own. The relationship with informant Merl has completely fallen apart since he stopped being the go-between. Merl is leaving town.

We have this major subplot all season where Gunn is getting heat for abandoning his old post and his people since joining Angel. He feels constant guilt for it, but I can't remember if this ever resolves itself or comes to a head in any way. I've seen this conversation in a couple different pieces of media--the last I remember being O.J. Simpson and their attempts to make him appeal to the Black members of the jury--this idea that the Black community you're from feels a sense of betrayal and like you're trying to be white when you leave. Especially if there's money involved, which is what they accuse Gunn of doing this episode. He's a sell out.

On to the episode premise. Demonic police in L.A. makes an excellent allegory in the 90s. Turns out they're more zombie police, but still. Anne hears about the trouble at her teen center and goes to Gunn for help. I do see the need for him here...he understands the troubled teens he's trying to help and isn't naive or coddling enough to let them pull any shit.

Gunn: Plan's simple. We roll the camcorder, wait for the cops to hassle us. Anne: How do you know they will? Gunn: 'Cause we'll be the ones walking while black.

Gunn's plan is highly risky, but risky is about the only option they have now they're no longer working with supernatural forces. Wesley runs to assist using his Looks Rich and White powers, but zombie cop shoots him. They're forced to take shelter at the teen center, where zombie police attack.

Angel decides to go to Kate Lockley as he does his own investigating on the issue. He discovers a bunch of dead cops have been dug up. Kate's meltdown over her father is lacking some emotional resonance. The guy was an asshole. I'm over it already.

Anyway, Angel and Kate track down the Captain ordering all of this. His side of the argument is that the streets are safe now and that people used to be afraid to come to work. He defends his brutal policing as a necessary reaction to an out-of-control public. Kate seems to agree as she reads the rising crime stats to Angel once they've removed the zombie cops. It seems like a feedback loop, with aggressive cops making the public (even those not committing crimes) distrustful and hostile to police, which in turn makes police more hostile to the public.

Angel's victory over the Captain was interesting because he had so much knowledge of how something like this would be done. Not from books...but from experience. He actually manages well on his own (in a fight that is). The rest of the crew would be dead without him.

He doesn't tell them that when he goes to visit Wesley in the hospital. Cordelia tells him to stay away. He walks.

Character Notes:

Cordelia Chase: She sees a girl wearing her shirt that Angel donated to the teen center.

[mariacallous]

Are there generative AI tools I can use that are perhaps slightly more ethical than others? —Better Choices

No, I don't think any one generative AI tool from the major players is more ethical than any other. Here’s why.

For me, the ethics of generative AI use can be broken down to issues with how the models are developed—specifically, how the data used to train them was accessed—as well as ongoing concerns about their environmental impact. In order to power a chatbot or image generator, an obscene amount of data is required, and the decisions developers have made in the past—and continue to make—to obtain this repository of data are questionable and shrouded in secrecy. Even what people in Silicon Valley call “open source” models hide the training datasets inside.

Despite complaints from authors, artists, filmmakers, YouTube creators, and even just social media users who don’t want their posts scraped and turned into chatbot sludge, AI companies have typically behaved as if consent from those creators isn’t necessary for their output to be used as training data. One familiar claim from AI proponents is that to obtain this vast amount of data with the consent of the humans who crafted it would be too unwieldy and would impede innovation. Even for companies that have struck licensing deals with major publishers, that “clean” data is an infinitesimal part of the colossal machine.

Although some devs are working on approaches to fairly compensate people when their work is used to train AI models, these projects remain fairly niche alternatives to the mainstream behemoths.

And then there are the ecological consequences. The current environmental impact of generative AI usage is similarly outsized across the major options. While generative AI still represents a small slice of humanity's aggregate stress on the environment, gen-AI software tools require vastly more energy to create and run than their non-generative counterparts. Using a chatbot for research assistance is contributing much more to the climate crisis than just searching the web in Google.

It’s possible the amount of energy required to run the tools could be lowered—new approaches like DeepSeek’s latest model sip precious energy resources rather than chug them—but the big AI companies appear more interested in accelerating development than pausing to consider approaches less harmful to the planet.

How do we make AI wiser and more ethical rather than smarter and more powerful? —Galaxy Brain

Thank you for your wise question, fellow human. This predicament may be more of a common topic of discussion among those building generative AI tools than you might expect. For example, Anthropic’s “constitutional” approach to its Claude chatbot attempts to instill a sense of core values into the machine.

The confusion at the heart of your question traces back to how we talk about the software. Recently, multiple companies have released models focused on “reasoning” and “chain-of-thought” approaches to perform research. Describing what the AI tools do with humanlike terms and phrases makes the line between human and machine unnecessarily hazy. I mean, if the model can truly reason and have chains of thoughts, why wouldn’t we be able to send the software down some path of self-enlightenment?

Because it doesn’t think. Words like reasoning, deep thought, understanding—those are all just ways to describe how the algorithm processes information. When I take pause at the ethics of how these models are trained and the environmental impact, my stance isn’t based on an amalgamation of predictive patterns or text, but rather the sum of my individual experiences and closely held beliefs.

The ethical aspects of AI outputs will always circle back to our human inputs. What are the intentions of the user’s prompts when interacting with a chatbot? What were the biases in the training data? How did the devs teach the bot to respond to controversial queries? Rather than focusing on making the AI itself wiser, the real task at hand is cultivating more ethical development practices and user interactions.

[preggomancer]

Mother is really cool!! Is there background as to why it was created?

oh you would not believe how much thought I put into this 

SHORT ANSWER: due to the whole post-apocalypse situation, there was a population crisis and Mother was built as an ethical solution. 

LONG ANSWER: The setting is sort of post-post-apocalypse, where society is getting its legs back under it. (is. That the saying. Anyway) Mother is from the dwindling remains of a civilization which was never huge to begin with, but now has only a few thousand people. At this point, birth control/abortion etc are universally accessible, and in a society where most traditional values were scrapped in favor of survival, not a ton of people want to get pregnant. Because it’s hard and unpleasant and also everyone’s kind of busy with the rebuilding society thing. This meant they were at risk of dying out in a few generations. Because this particular society is run partially by a bunch of AI who think very hard about ethics all the time, they weren’t about to force anyone to have kids against their will. So they all thought extremely hard about what to do, and figured out that the only ethical solution was to create a robot specifically for the purpose of procreation. 

This was itself a whole problem. They have the tech to grow babies whole cloth, but it’s far too difficult and resource-intensive to do on a large scale. They originally considered implanting an AI in a donor corpse, but aside from the challenge of having to find a donor with the right body parts and age who just happened to die in a way that sticking a robo brain in there would fix, that raises a whole slew of ethical problems with autonomy. Does the new host have a right to pilot around this body, where is the line between body and person, etc etc. 

So the solution they set on was to grow one body which would never have a human mind. Which just came down to developing a fetus with almost no brain—just enough for basic physical functions. The body was then run by a dummy program for about a decade, which had no intelligence, but just kept it alive and healthy until it had enough fine motor skills to not be super annoying to live in. They then replaced the dummy program with Mother. 

To the robots, this was a perfect ethical solution which totally negated any concerns about autonomy. Mother's not human, and never was! It has total autonomy, so they can be sure it's acting of its own free will, and it's just programmed so that it'll (most likely) choose to perform its role as surrogate. Of course, a lot of humans still feel weird about it, because we have all these built-in ideas about the human soul and whatnot. I imagine that its a lot like some humans are having this ongoing existential philosophical crisis about the whole thing and the robots just can't comprehend what the issue is.

[the12thnightproject]

Chapter Six: Mitsunari POV (gacha) - The Closed Door Conumdrum - We peek inside Mitsunari's brain and discover he's not nearly as absentminded as he seems. Ok. Not as absentminded.

Mitsunari x OC; Nobunaga x Mai

Previous Chapter

Logline - In order to protect a political alliance, Katusko and Mitsunari must pretend an engagement. But this “all business” arrangement is threatened by a coup against Nobunaga… and by feelings.

From the Military Notes of Ishida Mitsunari…

Accurate communication is essential on the battlefield. The ‘fog of war’ can create confusion, cause errors, and even be the cause of self-inflicted casualties. It is essential that prior to a battle beginning, clear lines and methods of communication are established.

Personal comments: Lady Okatsu is willing to eat my carrots, which is a promising development for our alliance.

Additional Note One: Lord Hideyoshi saw the above note and reminded me that carrots are good for me and that I should eat them.

Additional Note Two: Lord Masamune also saw the above and asked me if “willing to eat my carrots” was a euphemism. Am unsure what he meant.

The words of the book he was reading wavered before his eyes, then disappeared. No. It was dark. Everything had gone dark again. Dark and …

Mitsunari reached up and removed the scarf that had been tossed over his head. Mitsuhide stood in front of him, holding a tray that contained several dishes of food (including a main dish that held far too many carrots) and jar of something that looked sticky. Was that a new dessert? And why had Mitsuhide delivered his meal? He dipped a finger in the sticky substance and brought it to his mouth.

“I wouldn’t if I were you. It’s unlikely to kill you, but I doubt the effects would be at all pleasant.” Mitsuhide put the entire tray into his hands. “It’s salve, for Okatsu’s eye.”

“Is she in here?” Mitsunari glanced around the archive room, but the only other occupant was Mitsuhide.

“No. You are to deliver this to Okatsu – I’m certain, that she at least, must be hungry by now.” Mitsuhide paused for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. “I told the maid not to bring her evening meal.”

Why had he done that? Mitsunari was aware that Hideyoshi was upset with all of them, but it was unfair of Mitsuhide to only punish Lady Okatsu. He was also certain that Hideyoshi was unaware that Okatsu wasn’t being fed.

After another long moment, Mitsuhide eventually answered his unasked question. “In order for the charade of an engagement to succeed, you and Okatsu need to figure out how to act like a couple in love.”

Love? Mitsunari liked Lady Okatsu, but he didn’t have the slightest idea how to behave as if he loved her. “What is the best tactic for love? Where would I begin?”

“You need to spend more time with her. Starting tonight. Lovers enjoy sharing a meal together.” He tapped at one of the dishes on the tray. “Lovers converse. Often, they casually touch each other – as Nobunaga and Mai do.”

I wouldn’t be so impolite as to touch her!

Mitsunari’s panic at that instruction must have shown on his face, for Mitsuhide softened his tone. “It is for you and Okatsu to decide for yourselves what feels the most natural.” Mitsuhide gave Mitsunari a light push toward the door. “Having a frank conversation would be the best place to start.”

Lady Okatsu’s door was shut. Mitsunari looked at the tray in his hands and wondered how to slide it open without dropping anything. If he were being honest with himself, he was surprised he’d managed to carry the tray from the archive room without incident.

Well. There must be a trick to it. Maids did this every day and he’d not heard any of them drop trays. But maybe they did? Maybe dropped trays was an ongoing issue that needed solved. What if they were to build small tables outside of each room? That way one could put the tray down, open the door, then pick the tray up again.

Although such a solution might take a while.

Perhaps he should talk to Lady Mai and discuss having the maids deliver meals in teams of two, so that there would always be someone to open the door. Though that would be a waste of manpower, would it not? What if each dinner tray came equipped with an attached stick that could be used as a lever to pull the door open? He was halfway through the schematics of such an invention before he realized that Lady Okatsu’s food was getting cold. Maybe she would open the door for him. “Lady Okatsu?”

He heard her rustling around. “Come on in.”

That… solved nothing.

He started to shift the tray to one hand. It tipped precariously.

Thankfully, before disaster struck, Lady Okatsu slid open the door, let him inside and immediately cleared a space for him to set down the tray. He appreciated her ability to understand what was needed without verbal instructions. It was a good quality to have in a warrior.

Not that she was a warrior. Tonight, she was a civilian, and a wounded one at that. As it had been his slow reaction time that had allowed her to get injured, he owed her an apology. “I’m sorry for-”

“I need to apologize for-” she said at the same time.

“I’m sorry-” Wait… Should he also apologize for interrupting? “I’m sorry you were hurt.” Her eye had turned purple and looked swollen and painful. At the last moment, he realized he’d been about to touch it, and quickly pulled his hand back. “I should have protected you.”

“Oh, no. It wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have gone over there in the first place… and once the fighting started, I should have stayed out of your way. It’s my fault. I didn’t think.” She looked away from him, and Mitsunari realized that Mitsuhide had been correct – the two of them did need to learn how to communicate. Not simply to portray love, but at more importantly to be able to cooperate during this mission.

However, medical aid was the first order of business. He handed her the salve and the cloth. “For your injury. Ieyasu makes it.” Second order of business? Determine what had happened at the restaurant. Lady Okatsu didn’t come across as particularly flighty.  “Why did you go to talk to the sailors? You must have had a good reason.”

There was a battered, and unfortunately food splattered drawing on the desk. It was a sketch of a young man, who, from the shape of his face, could be related to Lady Okatsu. “My brother is missing, and the last information I had about him was that he had been imprisoned on a ship of some kind. So, whenever I see sailors – I ask. But normall… Normally they answer my questions.”

She moved the portrait aside and picked up the ointment. After taking a cautious sniff, she dipped her finger in and swiped it across her cheek… missing most of the injury entirely.

He ought to assist her. Perhaps this was what Mitsuhide meant by ‘casual touch.’ “You missed a spot – let me help.”

Lady Okatsu hesitated a moment before sitting down on the futon. She turned her face to him and shut her eyes.

It wasn’t as if he’d never treated battlefield wounds before – but the hurried ‘patch them up and move on’ atmosphere of a medical tent was different from this peaceful summer evening. It was so quiet he could hear the buzzing of the cicadas and the setting sun shone through the window at just the right angle to highlight a hint of red in Lady Okatsu’s hair. Though he knew nothing about women’s hairstyles, he suspected it wasn’t supposed to look like that, with pieces of it falling out of the complicated knot. He liked it though - it made her look a bit more approachable.

Right. The salve. He knelt next to her, dunked his fingers in the jar, and… was that too much? Better too much than too little. He transferred the ointment to her face, doing his best to spread it all over her wound before that extra glob slid-

Oops.

Lady Okatsu shivered.

“Did I hurt you?” Maybe he was putting it on wrong. He reminded himself again that Lady Okatsu wasn’t truly a warrior, for all that she was fierce and efficient.

“No.” She lightly touched the now-oily wound. “It tickled, actually.”

Hm. He had indeed put too much on. He didn’t think it was supposed to look shiny, it ought to sink in. Better try to rub it in a little more. But… now his fingers were all oily too. He tried to get the last of it with his palm, and -

Interesting.

The curve of her face fit exactly into his hand, as if her cheek and his palm were pieces of a puzzle. “There. Done.”

She opened her eyes and Mitsunari realized their faces were too close. And he was still touching her. Mitsuhide’s instructions or not, this did not feel like the prescribed ‘casual touch.’ He jerked his hand away and jumped to his feet.

Lady Okatsu reached up and brushed her fingers across her face in the spot where his palm had been a moment earlier, and he had the strangest urge to put his hand back again. She cleared her throat. “Thank you.”

You’re welcome. But the words stuck in his throat, so he smiled and bowed. He should leave. Yes. It was time for him to leave. This was enough getting-comfortable for him.

Her words stopped him at the door. “Wait. Have you eaten?”

Hm. He had not. Right. Eating together was what Mitsuhide had intended.

She beckoned him back inside. “There’s more than enough for two people.”

Yes, this was obviously true, although… “Yes. If you promise to eat all the carrots. I do not like them.”

She laughed. “Sure – if you do the same with the mushrooms.”

Perhaps that was part of what ‘love’ was. Finding someone who would eat the food you did not like. He settled down at the writing desk and watched as she divided up the dishes, keeping the carrots for herself, and transferring the mushrooms into his bowl. It might be a good idea to keep a list of things he liked about Lady Okatsu, so that if he were questioned about the truth of their relationship, he would be able to respond without hesitation.

She eats my carrots.

She is interested in military strategy.

She made sure that books didn’t fall on my—

In that instant, the memory of Lady Okatsu moving the pile of books this morning was replaced with the memory of the elderly bookseller moving a similar stack earlier this summer. He might not be good with names, but he was good with faces and… yes. He was certain that several weeks ago Lady Okatsu had been in Azuchi. And she had been disguised as an old man. Which potentially meant that… “Are you a spy?”

She paused, her food halfway between her bowl and her mouth, and looked warily at him. “No. Why are you asking?”

Best to simply get it all out in the open. “Because you were in Azuchi a few months ago dressed as an old man.”

“How did you know?” She must have determined that she was ok with him knowing because she returned to eating.

“When we met, you were familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen you. Then, today in the bookstore, when you moved those books before they fell, I realized you had done that before.” And… having put together Lady Okatsu and the old man, he suddenly realized she had also been the young man he met outside the castle yesterday morning. Interesting.

She seemed nonchalant about the whole thing. “Yes, that was me. But I wasn’t spying. I mean, to me, spying is sneaking into some place and stealing information that they don’t want anyone to know about, right? I was observing things that anyone could have seen if they were paying attention.”

“Hrm.” He didn’t quite agree with her definition of spying, but he supposed part of that would depend on who she passed on her observations to. “What were you doing with the information?”

“Generally, it’s for those people who don’t want to be caught in the path of warring clans.” Either she was pretending she wasn’t worried, or she truly was not worried. Or… Mitsunari simply wasn’t interpreting her emotions well at all? It could be that. Reading people’s emotions wasn’t his strength. Maybe he ought to tell Mitsuhide and have him question her?

That idea made him pause – Mitsuhide had a reputation, a well-earned one, for his harsh interrogations. The thought of Lady Okatsu (or, whoever she was) at Mitsuhide’s mercy made his chest tighten.

But she anticipated that thought too. “In any case, Mitsuhide knows about the booksellers – my employer runs it – and if he had a problem with it, he would have put a stop to it. He uses it himself as a message drop.”

Ah. That was ok then. It seemed that Mitsuhide had taken the time to find the most qualified person to portray his fiancée. Okatsu was a professional observer (to use her word) and Mitsunari could count on her as a colleague, rather than worry she was a spy. “I ought to have realized Mitsuhide had taken this into consideration already.” He relaxed… then noticed there was another dreaded carrot in his bowl. He tossed it at Okatsu’s dish.

Even better, she could be counted on to simply play her role, and act as a rather specialized warrior. She could pretend to be in love without truly being in love. “If you are a professional observer, Okatsu, then you aren’t someone Mitsuhide forced into this charade. Nor are you someone whose feelings could be hurt.”

“Why would my feelings be hurt?” There was a hit of something less-than-professional in her voice. He’d apparently said something wrong. But he couldn’t think what that might be.

Not daring to look at her, he tried to explain without making it worse. “I don’t want to be in love with anyone. I don’t have time for it, and I don’t want you to think-”

“No worries. Once our fake engagement is called off, I’ll go back to being a messenger and a scout, and I really like that job.” A wayward mushroom found its way into his dish. “Anyway, I imagine being a wife would severely limit my ability to search for my brother.”

Good. They seemed to have sorted out… er… whatever it was that he had said. “We are in agreement then?”

“We are.” She smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but smile back, feeling relieved that they could now be friends and fellow soldiers without the danger of feelings getting in the way of things. This was good.

This was exactly what he wanted.

That taken care of, he thought back to Mitsuhide’s suggestion and asked Okatsu (or should she still be Lady Okatsu? Maybe he needed to continue to use the formal, otherwise he might get it wrong when they were public? Although maybe an engaged couple were allowed to be less formal?) about her life as a courier and was rewarded with an interesting story about a time she had had to help a ninja out of a tree.

He sat back and listened to her chatter away knowledgably about politics and military strategy. On one level, he had a feeling that she had chosen her topics because she knew that these were things that interested him, but she had to have some interest herself to be able to speak so confidently about such things. “I witnessed a couple of the battles of the Siege of Itami last year. Was that triple column your formation?”    

He nodded. The formation hadn’t been what had proved the deciding point in the campaign, though. They’d won when they filled in the castle’s moat… which had been Mitsuhide’s idea.

Before he could point that out, Lady Okatsu moved on to a different topic. “I bet you’re really good at shogi.”

“I don’t know how to play.” He’d wanted to learn but hadn’t made it a priority. Lord Hideyoshi relied on his battle plans too much for him to take the time to learn a new game on his own and he’d not found anyone willing to teach him.

“I know Mitsuhide plays – half the messages I’ve delivered over the past four years have been a part of a long drawn-out game he’s been playing with Aki.” She picked up a cloth bundle, then unwrapped it to reveal a shogi set. “I could teach you.”

That was an enticing idea. As much as he enjoyed listening to Okatsu’s stories, learning to play shogi sounded even better. If he were playing a game, he would be less stressed to think of things to talk about. “I would enjoy that very much. Mitsuhide has refused to teach me.”

Over the past week, Mitsunari had learned two things. One: he very much liked shogi. Two: Okatsu took defeat remarkably well. Rather than be upset that he’d surpassed her abilities, she instead took it as a challenge to improve her own game. Or games, since they’d branched out to Go and ban-sugoroku.

“You two are playing the less exciting version of Go.” Mitsunari looked up to see that at some point, Lady Mai had come into the room with a bundle of clothing. He’d been so intent on the game he hadn’t heard her enter.

There was a more exciting version? He took a quick peek at Okatsu’s face, but she didn’t appear to be familiar with that either, because she said to Lady Mai, “Alright, since you’re clearly waiting for me to ask – what is the more exciting version?”

“Nobunaga and I play with penalties … and favors.” Lady Mai winked.

“Oh! So, if I were to lose, Okatsu could tell me to eat my carrots?” In the years before he’d been sent to temple to be a page, he had played “Go” with his older brother. The penalties for losing hadn’t been much fun. Luckily, he’d quickly learned how to win, although that hadn’t always stopped the penalties. “That might add an element of daring to the game.”

“Uh, yeah. That.” Lady Mai laughed to herself. “Eep.”

“Serves you right.” Lady Mai and Okatsu seemed to be having a conversation that was flying past him. He wasn’t sure if it was the sort of conversation that Masamune and Mitsuhide took part in, or if this was something that would go into the mysterious vault of “women.” He figured if it was important, Okatsu would tell him later.

Meanwhile, Mai interrupted their game in process by requiring that Okatsu try on her new clothing. While his ‘fiancee’ hurried behind a screen to change, he killed time by setting up a shogi game to play against himself. Then Mai handed him a bundle of fabric as well. “I made a couple new kimonos for you too.”

He hadn’t realized that he’d be receiving a new wardrobe for this journey, but he supposed there might be formal occasions where Lord Hideyoshi would want them all to dress up. Rich clothing was a form of armor, he knew, a way to alert others that your clan had money and enough resources to spend it on luxury.

He peeked inside the bundle and saw the not only the purple hues that he normally picked out on his own (it was simpler for him to acquire clothing that looked similar – less chance of mismatching something), but also something in a dark blue-green shade. He sent an enquiring look at Lady Mai.

“I believe that’s Lady Okatsu’s favorite color,” she said to him softly, and indeed a moment later, Okatsu emerged from behind the screen wearing a complimentary lighter blue-green kimono.

“This is easier to move around in.” She turned from side to side, and the material made a soft swishing sound against her body.

That sound of fabric rustling across her body… it created an echoing vibration in his head, that for a moment blocked out all sound. He shook his head to clear it.

He hoped he wasn’t coming down with something.

When he was able to refocus his attention on the present, it was to see Okatsu swirl around and kick her leg up and out to the side. “This is amazing. Thank you!”

Mai smiled just as the door slid open behind her. “This is what I do. But… don’t tell Hideyoshi.”

Lord Hideyoshi and Lord Mitsuhide came into the room. “Don’t tell Hideyoshi what?”

“How much she spent on the fabric.” Okatsu lied to Hideyoshi so smoothly that if Mitsunari hadn’t known she was lying, he would have believed her. In fact, she possibly was telling a truth, but not the one in question.

And Lord Hideyoshi seemed to accept it without a second thought. “Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s your due as an Oda Princess.”

Mitsunari couldn’t decide how he felt about the lying. As a tactician, he thought her ability could be useful. But personally, he hoped that she never lied to him.

If she did, though, would he even be able to tell?

@bestbryn @katriniac @lyds323 @briars7 @lorei-writes

[noxsylvania]

I'm Opening Commissions Once Again!!!!!

Hey y'all! I'm likely gonna be running into work issues real soon and need to get some extra money. If you've been following me a while you've probably heard me talk about not planning on ever doing commissions again, but desperate times and all that.

ADDITIONAL SECRET SALE [aka I forgot to write it on there...]: If you show me proof of a donation of $20 or more to the PCRF, I'll knock 25% off of ANY commission.

More Details Below the Cut!!!

What I will and won't draw:

I will draw, mechs, furries, Sonic characters, complicated armor and clothing. However these may be subject to change in price for extra detail.

I will draw gore, blood, and mildly suggestive art (including partial nudity). However on account of gore, I will not allow self harm injuries or heatshot wounds.

I will not draw NSFW, porn, or fetish art. Sorry! Maybe someday!

I will not draw anything I find might be offensive and I reserve the ability to decline a commission request for ANY reason. Feel free to ask anything if you are unsure.

Payment

I accept payment through Paypal and Venmo, payment must be in USD. After I complete the initial sketch for your commission I will ask for a down payment of $5USD, this payment comes out of the final price! Tips are greatly appreciated as well, but please make a note of it so I know there wasn't a mistake on your end!

Additional Characters:

For lined drawings each additional character is the base price minus %30. For render style 1, each additional character is the base price minus 15%. Additional characters in render style 2 are however the same as the base price, digital paintings take a long time.

About Sales

I have two ongoing sales currently available, Sonic art and Final Fantasy VII art. All sales apply to the full price of the piece, so if you have extra detail or background charges, the sale will apply to the full price PLUS these charges. And of course, if you'd rather I draw a character that you or a friend created, so long as they are designed to be from either Sonic or FFVII, they are included in these two sales. For proof of donation to the PCRF I only need to see your email confirmation showing the amount you donated, feel free to redact your name if you want. All three current sales can stack to a maximum of 35% off! All sales however have a minimum of $5USD, you have to pay me at least SOMETHING..

All sales end on April 1st! If I start working on your commission before that date, the sale will apply to your total even if I finish it AFTER April 1st.

About Backgrounds

I am absolutely happy to do backgrounds, for a price! The price of backgrounds is highly dependent on what you want so I can’t really put estimates here. Please know this can vastly extend the time I would require to finish the piece which may affect refunds. By default, all of my drawings will be transparent PNGs with a solid color BG variant. If you would like a gradient background, those are completely free! Just ask!

Timeline and Refunds

Art takes time, for me as a disabled artist, it's a bit more time than many other artists I know. Commissions are first come first serve, so please know that I can only get to you when I finish anyone else on the waitlist before you. If I do not finish your piece in 30 business days, I will refund your down payment, regardless of how far in I am.

If you have any other questions just ask! Thanks so much!

[omgmaxsmith-blog]

How Outsource Insurance Underwriting Services Improve Risk Assessment Accuracy

The importance of accurate underwriting in insurance has increased, helping to decrease risks, build trust among customers and keep operations efficient. Companies in the insurance industry are expected to give quick responses while still managing risks well. Utilizing outsource insurance underwriting has become popular, as it accurately measures risks at a lower cost.

As operating in the insurance sector becomes more demanding, firms are trying out operational models that combine speed and high quality. Using outsource insurance underwriting is an example of a plan that blends people’s capabilities, automation and using information. Outsourcing tasks helps insurers handle work better, offer more efficient services and check underwriting for errors. Now, it helps create consistent processes for underwriting, meet customer demands and follow regulations in various areas.

1. Better Risk Assessment Through Technology and Process Control

Outsourced underwriting providers use structured processes, digital platforms, and automated decision tools. These systems analyze large volumes of data, detect inconsistencies, and apply risk rules more consistently than manual reviews. As a result, underwriting becomes more reliable. According to a Deloitte study, 61% of insurers using outsourced models saw better accuracy in their underwriting decisions.

2. Access to Experienced Underwriting Talent

Outsourcing partners maintain trained underwriting teams across multiple insurance lines—life, health, property, and casualty. These professionals follow strict underwriting guidelines and undergo regular training. Their experience reduces decision errors, even with complex risk profiles. A McKinsey report noted that insurers working with external underwriters cut their average underwriting time by 35% and reduced rework by 28%.

3. Lower Operational Costs with Scalable Capacity

Hiring, training, and maintaining an internal underwriting team requires high ongoing investment. By outsourcing insurance underwriting, insurers shift to a flexible cost model. Service providers manage staffing, infrastructure, and compliance at scale. This helps insurers save money and adjust quickly to market demands—without slowing down operations or quality.

4. Stronger Compliance and Risk Control

Outsourced underwriting firms work under formal Service Level Agreements (SLAs). These contracts ensure that all activities follow regulatory requirements, such as HIPAA, GDPR, and country-specific insurance laws. Outsourcing partners also maintain audit-ready documentation and track every transaction. PwC found that insurers using outsourced models improved audit readiness by 40% and reduced compliance issues by 25%.

5. Focus on Strategic Growth

By outsourcing routine underwriting tasks, insurers free up internal teams for higher-value work. This includes developing new products, improving customer experience, and expanding into new markets. Outsourcing removes time-consuming operational bottlenecks, helping insurers grow without increasing headcount.

Leading Outsource Insurance Underwriting Providers

Several recognized firms offer outsource insurance underwriting support at scale. These include EXL Service, Xceedance, Infosys BPM, and WNS Global Services. Outsourcing insurance underwriting is no longer just a cost-cutting move—it’s a way to improve accuracy, scale operations, and strengthen compliance. With the right partner, insurers can increase efficiency, reduce risk, and improve time-to-decision without sacrificing quality.

[neechees]

what do you think of blood quantums for tribal enrollment? I’ve heard many different opinions about it and wanted to ask your opinion. On one hand it undoubtedly filters out the pretendians, on the other it seems to keep many indigenous ppl from connecting with their communities when they are legitimately indigenous. It was also put in place by the govt so that doesn’t help it’s merit either

BQ for tribal enrollment does not filter out the pretendians, it's not ironclad. And even if it did, it's also disenfranchising people who are also ACTUALLY Native.

We (& i mean the royal "we" here) talked about this on my blog that there's a type of "pretendian" that technically does have some kind of (usually distant) Native heritage down the line, but that they use this to their advantage. If you've lived your whole life as a different ethnicity and only very recently learned of some Native lineage (esp if one is white), that Native heritage somewhere does not suddenly make you Native.

Like if I found out I had a greatx8 Chinese grandmother I would not suddenly start calling myself "Asian". Obviously that situation would be a little different since Chinese Canadians & FNMI have different histories of racialization within Canada & experiences among the diaspora, but it would still be weird for me to do something like sign up for a scholarship specifically meant for Chinese Canadians or started selling "Chinese inspired" art while marketing myself as Asian-Canadian. I would have Asian heritage yes, but I did not live my life as an Asian Canadian, and suddenly wanting something (what one could perceive as "benefits") from that experience without even trying to do ANY work in actual exploration, community building, self education & reflection, or reconnecting of that heritage would be weird & wrong.

The type of pretendians that I mentioned do the above: they might have some Native heritage, but there's a lot of people (and I mostly see White people do this), that aren't actually interested in reconnecting or building community & allyship with Native people, but want the perceived "benefits" of being Native, be it imagined (like how some people think that ndns don't pay taxes, which is a myth), financial (like applying for Native scholarships or selling "Native" products like sage), or social (like wanting to be perceived a certain way, or trying to market themselves as a Native "activist", or building a social media platform) or Fetishistic (being obsessed with the idea of Native lineage, hippies, appropriation) or literally anything else. So no, BQ laws for Native enrollment doesn't necessarily filter out pretendians effectively, because this type of "pretendian" also exists, and will and have used that heritage to get tribal enrollment for the above reasons.

And as I mentioned, it also disenfranchises other ACTUAL Natives, both those who technically have very little or no Native BQ but were adopted in & have always identified as Native their whole lives, or those who are mixed race and have what would be considered a "high" Blood Quantum as well, and even those who are "full blooded" but do not have tribal enrollment & are denied it for any number of reasons. Black Natives for example, are regularly denied tribal enrollment regardless of BQ for no reason other than that they are Black, so BQ for enrollment doesn't even necessarily work for people who are ACTUALLY NATIVE either.

BQ for tribal enrollment has a racist history in the past AND ongoing issues in the present. In other words, the system of BQ is bullshit, and was made up by White colonizers who literally did not know or care about Native ideas on Native identity, and their goal in creating BQ was also working along with genocide. BQ in enrollment was not made to protect us.

[covid-safer-hotties]

COVID-19 deaths in aged care facilities are still too common - Published Aug 26, 2024

The health system needs to take an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to ensure at-risk people in aged care communities have prompt access to vaccination, testing and treatment for COVID-19.

In 2024, hundreds of Australians are still dying from COVID-19, especially at-risk vulnerable elderly people in aged care facilities (ACFs). Indeed, in the three month periods leading up to July 2023 and July 2024, there were very similar numbers of deaths in ACFs from COVID-19: the total for 3 May to 26 July 2024 was 442 deaths, compared to the similar period, 5 May to 27 July 2023, with 439 deaths.

Looking at the wider graph of COVID-19 deaths in aged care facilities (below), we see the ongoing issue of deaths in aged care facilities, while deaths in the broader community have declined considerably.

In Australia, around 1000 COVID-19 deaths were recorded each year in 2020 and 2021, but, after opening up, at least 12 000 perished during 2022. Several thousand died in 2023, when the “milder” Omicron strains dominated in a new period of increased mixing and much-reduced social distancing.

In 2023, when the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) was rescinded, the WHO director stated that there remained significant ongoing concerns regarding COVID 19 deaths and disease.

So, what is going wrong in our aged care facilities? Why aren’t we winning the war on COVID-19? In one recent July week, there were about 400 active outbreaks, with 2000 infected residents.

Once again, we need closer attention to infection control. High quality non-pharmaceutical interventions make a difference and are essential in aged care and other closed community settings to ameliorate virus spread. In addition, disappointedly, only about 44% of aged care residents (aged 75+ years) have had the recommended COVID booster in the past 6 months and many infected people are not getting a COVID anti-viral drug early enough.

We have a near perfect storm creating an ongoing high death rate in ACFs.

Molnupiravir (Lagevrio) — named after the hammer of the Norse god, Thor — has been most prescribed (around 128 000 times), while Paxlovid has been prescribed 10 times fewer.

But following the declarations of the National Clinical Evidence Taskforce, molnupiravir is now considered second-line (albeit still useful). In short, it is deemed less effective than Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) — what might be called the “peace and love” drug — in preventing severe disease.

GPs face the difficult task of determining if a COVID-test-positive vulnerable ACF resident, with multiple medical problems, should take Molnupiravir or Paxlovid while also being treated with other essential medications. It requires skill, but we believe it is time well spent to ensure the at-risk have optimal treatment to reduce the risk of complications further down the line. Research suggests a high level of protection from use of Paxlovid in preventing severe COVID-19.

The major impediment to widespread use of Paxlovid has been concern over drug–drug interactions where the body’s blood level of other important drugs (for example, antidepressants, antipsychotics, anti-arrhythmics, some statins, and anticoagulants) may be seriously altered by taking Paxlovid, but not impaired by using Molnupiravir.

Paxlovid is widely available in Australia but has been used sparingly. The health system needs, again, to take an “all hands on deck” approach to ensure at-risk people in aged care communities have prompt access to vaccination, testing and treatment and that non-pharmaceutical interventions, including rapid antigen tests (RATs) for staff and visitors, are effectively implemented; that means better supporting GPs and better educating patients, relatives and aged care staff on the recommended approaches.

While we have been generally successful in the war on COVID-19 in Australia, doctors on the ground know that the war on COVID-19 is not over yet. A brief survey of six GPs revealed all have ongoing concerns and all endeavour to prescribe the most effective anti-viral treatment based on online guides like the Liverpool Tracker. The war on COVID-19 continues and we need to break the stalemate of so many vulnerable elderly still perishing.

We also know we must now prepare for the next pandemic, which is likely to be a novel influenza or coronavirus.

As Winston Churchill said: “If you wish for peace, prepare for war.”

Professor Booy is a clinical epidemiologist and an honorary professor at the University of Sydney. Professor Gary Grohmann is a consultant virologist and adjunct professor at the University of Sydney. Prof Booy wishes to pay tribute to the PhD student Christian Jones who worked diligently and intelligently on the prevention of respiratory outbreaks in aged care facilities. We are grateful to Jennifer Watts for epidemiological assistance.

[boss-poss]

My take on the whole HD2 psn account scandal is that it sucks and it should have been expected but I really want to highlight just how far under the bus sony is throwing the devs with this:

-Announcement came out yesterday, meaning that the brunt of the (assuredly) expected blowback occurs over a weekend when most of the players don't have anything better to do and the news has reached most of them. Arrowhead takes the heat and eventually anger simmers down when monday rolls around and people get back to work and such. No skin off sony's back.

-Arrowhead community managers are already known to be blunt and dismissive compared to other games making them, and arrowhead by extension, seem the easy target as they deal with complaints. AH says they're already chasing sony about related issues but the chance of the big S giving anything more than an empty promise (if even that) is remote.

-HD2 has a large community, and as with any game playerbase, it's filled with reactionary idiots and trolls. The principle of the thing (giving sony your leash), not to mention the hassle or regional issues that could come with creating a psn account, is enough to whip people into a frenzy. There was no way this was expected to go over well.

-The requirement for a psn account was always noted but was waived for a couple of months, more than enough time for people to get invested and buy premium currency, not to mention the game becoming a landmark title among a sea of trash. That's more than enough time to forget a stipulation like that. Can't have people refunding to show their displeasure!

-A warbond was announced right before the psn mandate so whether that was to try and cushion the blow or just unfortunate timing or a mandate from higher up it makes AH look like they prioritize selling you stuff over player enjoyment, adding fuel to the fire.

-A lack of polish in certain areas of the game and rampant balance issues that cause players and the devs to butt heads have been ongoing issues since launch. Clearly, AH is having a time keeping their vision and player enjoyment balanced which has already created a fairly deep divide. The psn requirement is pretty much taking a hammer to a widening crack and will (whether intentionally or not) bring more heat towards the developers.

-PSN is famously bad at security and ultimately pointless off of their consoles, with numerous huge data breaches and accounts offering little more to players than a way for you to give your information so sony can sell it. That seems to me to be the main motive here, alongside cementing the notion of HD2 as a playstation exclusive (sorry xbox players but I don't think you'll be getting this game anytime soon). A live service game that isn't squeezing every last penny out of its players at every opportunity is ultimately financially inefficient and I'm sure some sony people are kept up at night by that fact.

-The biggest fuck you I've seen though is that the game is sold on steam in countries sony doesn't support, meaning that you could have bought and played the game already and then now be barred from playing it a few months later (can't have those pesky, preemptive refunds). Also, VPNs are against sony terms of service, so yeah... any burner accounts could get you banned and be a huge hassle.

I can't conclusively say that sony set up arrowhead as the patsy while they try to collect all that sweet, succulent, valuable, personal data but I don't believe this was an accident either. Corporations are far from stupid and fortunately for them and unfortunately for consumers, a significant portion of us are pretty easy to lead by the nose to certain conclusions. They know this and many facets of business work along those lines. Outrage is profitable and brings attention, if you're not the one in the direct line of fire.

I feel bad for the devs and I doubt much will come of this besides a temporary drop in players and maybe some sort of optional linking concession if things get dire enough, but I doubt the game will fail. Arrowhead aren't the devil but they did sign on his dotted line and sometimes the cost of success is getting told you'll bending over and taking it for someone else. Seems to be the case here to me at least.

[amazing-spider-man-book-club]

The Amazing Spider-Man #6

Published: November 1963

Containing: "Face to Face with...The Lizard!"

Introducing: Curtis Connors/The Lizard, Martha Connors, Billy Connors

Synopsis: Peter is sent down to Florida to get some photos on a mysterious figure, The Lizard, who is terrorizing the everglades, but soon must discover a way to help this new villain become human again.

Read alongside us here:

https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/The-Amazing-Spider-Man-1963/Issue-6?id=4028

@frankendykes-monster: There's something so humorous to me about naming a villain "The Lizard" after already having one named "The Chameleon". The off-brand model even if they share nothing in common. I had to look up when it was discovered that dinosaurs are more closely related to birds than reptiles but no luck unlike last issue's forcing me to look up how spiders communicate.

The introduction of The Lizard rings like a horror film, the setting in Florida couldn't help but make me think of The Alligator People (1959). Virtually all the tropes like the monster staking a claim in hostile territory and scientific mishaps and an ancient castle ooze charm, it's only the near ending when The Lizard wants to create more reptilian humanoids that you're forcibly reminded that this is a supervillain we're dealing with.

I have to wonder if The Lizard was originally intended to be a one-and-done given the character never returns during Ditko's time on the title but Curt Conners does. Much like Mysterio returning to his first costume, it's something that's only established as an ongoing threat when John Romita takes over. I have to say the character's design is probably the first Ditko one that's something of an acquired taste, had he worn a purple coat and had black eyes with white pupils like on the cover, it would have been more cohesive and threatening, though I'm not a giant fan of more animalistic subsequent designs decades down the line. This issue's title page is another all-time favorite of mine for how much it reads as a three-dimensional space. Ditko occasionally goes all-out, though at the same time I feel like we see way more of Spider-Man sans webbing in this issue (whenever the character is far enough away from the camera that drawing them would be too much of a hassle. Blah.)

I have to wonder what people reading this for the first time have to make of Liz Allen and Betty Brant being Peter's love interests, because if it wasn't a full-time thing last issue, it certainly is now. Betty's appearances in the live-action Spider-Man films have more or less been cameos, is what I'm saying. Given Liz's newfound interest in Spider-Man I think it's quaint if disappointing that it isn't until Civil War, over 40 years after this, that she discovers it's Peter under the mask alongside the rest of the world. Womp womp.

Probably the most realistic thing about this issue is Jameson accidentally starting a tabloid frenzy wherein he demands Spider-Man go down to Florida to fight The Lizard. It's ridiculous but plausible enough that I could see people actually read papers and developing a strong opinion on the matter.

@duel1971 : This issue may be my favorite so far. The story takes Peter out of NYC and down to Florida on J Jonah Jameson’s dime to get pictures of the Lizard. This leads to Peter and Jameson being traveling partners, a concept I would happily read a full-length story about but which is only touched upon briefly here.

Curtis Connors has one of the most well-realized supervillain origins we’ve seen yet in ASM. The tragic nature of the character feels iconic: the loss of an arm motivates him to recklessly experiment on himself and leads to a complete physical transformation that renders him a threat to his beloved family and, as the issue draws on, civilization itself. (Or at least Florida.) In addition, lizards being a natural predator of spiders makes the Lizard’s ability to physically outmaneuver and outmatch Spider-Man feel ordained by nature.

Some parts of the story feel a little clunky – in particular, I’m not sure what a serum that turned a man into a lizard would do to actual lizards. The story doesn’t seem to have a firm idea either, but apparently it would be very bad. I appreciated the attempt to raise the stakes, but found Curtis’s alienation from and eventual reconciliation with his family to be much more compelling.

[gamesception]

Sception Reads Cass Cain #36

Batgirl (2000) #16 - July 2001 Writer: Puckett Pencils: Scott Inks: Campanella Colors: Wright

Another solo one shot, another resonant and memorable stand alone story that Cass fans from back in the day will remember clearly. Got a bit more time to work with, gonna try and pull some more images this time, because the art in this one is just really good. Honestly, this issue is peak early days Batgirl - the kind of story she was literally made to tell, and it's really well executed. If I had to pick a single issue of Cass's entire Batgirl run as sort of a 'this is what she's all about' encapsulation for someone completely new to Cass and her book, this would be on the short list. If you've never read her ongoing before, i strongly recommend you actually read the issue for yourself before the summary here.

The issue opens on a bunch of kids playing a mean game where they throw a rat in the air and get points if it lands in a circle they drew on the ground. The nerd in my has to point out that it's kind of unrealistic. Rats aren't quite as fall resistant as, say, cats, but while they could be hurt or maybe even killed by a fall from only as high as a grade school kid could throw them, most are going to scamper away and none are going to land so badly that they splatter like a water balloon.

Anyway, it's gross and its cruel but also kind of cute as the kids argue about the rules and 'nuh uh' each other, and Scott draws their faces really expressively, and the whole scene starts with a rat silhouetted in front of the moon mid toss in an image that's as aesthetically compelling as it is disturbing in context before plummeting back down

I could talk about how Cass is flying high through the city as Batgirl while her mental state is hurtling towards a painful crash, but that's probably reading too much into it.

Anyway, after the first splat there's this kind of cool sequence where the next kid throws the rat up and they all run back and look down at the circle...

Only the rat never comes down, and when they look up like 'where did it go?' there's Cass

The image of Cass swooping down from above with the kids all looking up is pretty cool, and the way the panels create a pacing for the scene is really good. Effective storytelling through sequential art.

Cass drops down, and the kids scatter. Not a situation that needs any more intervention then that, and we get a nice panel showing just her hands and feet as she crouches down to gently let the rat go. A pretty standard inverse kick-the-dog moment to establish Cass as the good guy by having her be nice to an animal, but for those who have been reading along from the first issues of her book it also reminds us of how Bruce once praised her for being 'gentle', and how despite everything that's happened that part of her is still in there.

As the other kids scatter, one stays behind to kick off the main plot for the issue. I like how awkward Cass is here, towering over this kid when she's used to being around allies and enemies taller than herself, not knowing how to talk to him.

Also, I haven't talked about it in a bit, but I just really love the way Scott draws Cass as Batgirl? Her proportions with her big head emphasizing her youth. The way you can make out her expressions despite the full face mask - and the way he gives her the same expressions that he gives Bruce. Her prominent jaw line making her feel tough and defiant and stubborn. The way you can make out her expression through the mask, the sleek lines of how her cape drapes from her neck to the point shoulders and then down, or the way the cape flows when he draws her in motion, all with an oil-slick feel that likely owes as much to Campanella's inking as to Scott's pencil work.

There are aspects of how others draw Cass in her batgirl suit that I like - most recently I love how Leonardo Romero draws the pointy ears on her cowl in the recent Birds of Prey run, it gives Cass a retro feel that really fits his vintage newspaper comic aesthetic. But Scott's version of Cass-as-Batgirl is always how I'll see the character in my mind.

The kid, Tim, takes Cass back to his home, a messy apartment with a mattress just dropped on the floor. You can feel the poverty, and start to form an image of this kid's dad in your head as, like, a decent man pushed into crime by desperation to provide for his kid.

An impression that Tim then explicitly reinforces.

The scene cuts to the bank mid robbery, and we meet someone who seems to fit the mold - Jake. The way Scott draws Jake's expressions, you can tell he doesn't want to be there, and when asked what he's going to do with the money they steal, he just says he's going to pay some bills. But when a security guard surprises them, Jake is startled and shoots him, almost by accident....

The boss, Chaco, compliments Jake on the kill, rubbing in how this isn't a guy who would normally do something like that with the 'didn't think you had it in you' line, and as they walk away you can see how horrified Jake is at what he's done.

In contrast, Chaco shows just how comfortable he is with killing by shooting one of his own guys point blank when he realizes the guy was stealing traceable jewelry from the vault, the way the panel suddenly goes red, and Chaco's calm expression just the panel before, emphasizing how sharp and sudden the violence is.

Chaco's a professional. Ruthless and dispassionate, about the job, about killing, even with his allies. He clearly didn't even feel any malice towards the guy he shot - he was downright friendly with all of his crew, even Jake, just a few panels ago, and that friendliness was probably even genuine. But this guy became a liability, and Chaco doesn't have any time or pity for liabilities.

It's around this time that they notice Jake is missing. More liabilities.

A couple of the crew find Jake in an alley, overwhelmed by guilt over killing that security guard, and again, I just have to say, the art in this issue is really good. The perspective in that first panel looking down, with the shadows stretching forward guns first, the expressions on Jake and the guy who has a gun drawn on him, the detail on the background cobblestones & brickwork. All really good.

Anyway, this is when Cass shows up, in terrifying shadow form, knocking out the two goons with the guns in as many panels.

Cass sees Jake, like us assumes he's Tim's dad, and takes pity on him. For Tim's sake.

But Jake is overwhelmed by guilt.

Guilt is one thing Cass understands.

Tim wanted Cass to stop his dad before he did something bad, something he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for, something Tim wouldn't be able to forgive him for. But Cass was too late. Once again, she's failed.

Only, Tim isn't Jake's son.

He's Chaco's son.

Chaco the remorseless killer. Chaco who can be friendly one moment and commit murder the next. Cass wasn't too late to stop Tim's dad from doing something bad, Tim's dad had been bad the whole time.

And bad dads are also something Cass understands.

I need to take a step out of the story for a moment here though to talk again about how Scott draws Cass, and in particular the bit about conveying her facial expressions through the mask. Scroll up a bit and look at the downcast resignation on her face when Jake says he has to pay for what he's done, then the surprise when he says he isn't Tim's father, and then the absolute fury here.

The expressions are so vivid, and carry so much of the load when it comes to conveying Cass's thoughts and emotions and personality.

Bringing back another old chestnut of this blog, Cass can speak now, and think in words and sentences, but there are no thought bubbles or narration blocks in the entire issue. The book just doesn't need them, not when Scott's Art is able to put everything going on in these characters heads right on their faces.

Cass lays into Chaco, stopping only when she realizes he's already unconscious, and you can feel the sharp snap of her attacks in how the panels are layed out.

Bringing back another old chestnut, the action panels are practically perfunctory. They're there, and they're good, but there's no back and forth, there's never any question of the bank robbers so much as landing a hit on Cass. Who will win in a physical fight was never where the story's tension was. It was all about the emotional stakes.

Tim arrives on scene just in time to see his dad carted off on a stretcher to the hospital, and as Cass takes him home he looks back, through the spikes on her gauntlet, as through through the prison bars that are going to separate him from his father for the rest of his life.

And the last page is this somber, heartbreaking moment of Cass trying to console Tim that just because his father is a bad person, doesn't mean he is too, and it's obvious that Cass is thinking about herself and David Cain here, but while I might be reading too much into the panel, the way Cass's shadow forms Bruce's symbol to me draws attention to the fact that Cass has two fathers, and just because one of them isn't a murderer doesn't mean he isn't also bad.

...

So yeah, this really is more or less the archetypal Cass Cain Batgirl (2000) issue. A somber, contemplative tone. Street level / no super-villains or over the top scenarios. A focus on the individual humanity of the minor characters, including criminals who would be faceless mooks in any other bat book. Story and characterization conveyed through expressive artwork and deliberate panel use rather than blunt narration, taking advantage of the specific strengths of the comic medium. Violence and action scenes sharp, short and snappy rather than heavily drawn out, with the main conflict grounded in personal and emotional stakes. Narrative themes - guilt, parenthood - that tie directly back to Cassandra's core themes, history, and character motivations. All concisely contained within a single issue episode that works as a stand alone story.

Although there might be a bit too much emphasis on the stand alone part. Sometimes Cass's stories do come back to be referenced again later, we'll have an example of that next week, but we never see Tim again, we never see Cass following up or checking on him which is kind of a shame.

[staringdownabarrel]

I've seen a couple of posts where people are getting caught up on the time travel aspects of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow because they aren't really sure how it's meant to work. This is an aspect of Picard's second season that people got caught up on as well, so I want to go over how time travel works in Star Trek.

I think the part people are getting caught up on is that time travel in Star Trek is largely based on two rules, but neither of them are explicitly stated in canon. They've both largely gone unstated.

Rule 1: Time travel doesn't make a difference unless it causes a difference

What this means is that just the act of going back in time isn't enough to cause huge changes in the timeline. This isn't the kind of franchise where you can go back in time and move a leaf and suddenly cause all of history to drastically change. It's only if you actively go out of your way to change things--e.g., killing one historical figure or saving another--that it makes a difference.

This is the reason why in The Voyage Home, when Kirk and co. go back and save the whales, they're not presented with this drastically changed Federation when they get back to the 23rd century. Bringing two whales and a marine biologist to the future isn't enough to cause drastic changes to the timeline. It's not enough of a difference to make a difference, essentially.

It's also why Sisko was able to take the place of Gabriel Bell in DS9's Past Tense two-parter without it causing issues down the line. While Bell not being there and doing what he did cause a ripple effect, as long as someone was there to fill that role, things would all go according to plan. Sisko playing the part of Gabriel Bell during the Bell riots kept his timeline intact because while it was a difference, it also wasn't enough of a difference to make a difference.

The third example of time travel by itself not causing a difference is something like TNG's Time's Arrow two-parter, where just the TNG crew going back to the nineteenth century isn't enough to cause ripples down the line. It just means they're there.

Rule 2: When it does make a difference, it overwrites everything that happens afterwards

The best example of this rule in practice is Voyager's Year of Hell two-parter. Annorax's temporal weapon ship is built to be able to cause changes in the timeline that ripple out and change everything afterwards. He's also obsessed with restoring the timeline to what he considers its proper course, and that's an ongoing thing during the story.

There's other examples of this rule in practice, too. The other obvious example of this is TOS's The City on the Edge of Forever, where if Edith Keeler survives, the Nazis win World War II and cause the Federation to never exist. In DS9's Past Tense, if the Bell riots don't happen, the Federation never exists. In VOY's Endgame, Admiral Janeway going back in time causes Voyager to be able to get back to the Alpha Quadrant years earlier than it had in her timeline.

This doesn't mean that the timeline splits off and causes a new universe to form. It means that everything that happens after the significant change in the timeline, everything after that change is different.

This is why Guinan didn't remember Picard during the 21st century scenes in Picard's second season. Because the timeline had been changed so that the Federation didn't exist, it'd also been changed so that he probably hadn't been to the nineteenth century in this version of the timeline. There wasn't an evil Federation version of Time's Arrow in this timeline essentially, so there was no reason for Guinan to have met Picard because from her perspective, they hadn't.

This is also one of the reasons why the 2009 movie tends to be such a contentious thing in some circles. Its presentation of time travel causing a change in the timeline so bad that it causes it split off and create a new universe isn't really in line with how time travel has traditionally been presented in the franchise. The flow on effect of this is while the writing team for the Kelvinverse films are pretty adamant that Enterprise as shown is canon to both the Prime universe and the Kelvinverse, there are fans who don't really buy into that idea.

Keep in mind that during First Contact, when the Enterprise-E is chasing the Borg sphere through the temporal vortex, nobody's saying, "Oh, we're in a new universe now." What they do say is that the Borg assimilating the Earth in the past is a major difference and therefore needs to be prevented.

That's in direct contrast to an episode like TNG's Parallels, where when Worf goes to each new universe, they're able to run some tests on him and find he's not meant to be in that universe. Stuff like that wouldn't work if there wasn't a difference between going to a different universe and traveling in time.

So the opening scene of the 2009 movie, where the Narada came in and destroyed the Kelvin, is really better explained by one of two options. One is that this was a different kind of time travel that hasn't been expanded upon since or even replicated in canon that caused the new timeline to split into a new universe, or the Kelvinverse was always a separate universe. Either would be fine, in my opinion.

How this is all relevant to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is that this episode is another example of how a change in the past was enough of a difference to make a difference. While there is room for debate on where the line is for what constitutes enough of a difference, this episode clearly framed this set of changes as enough. This is a pretty straight example of how time travel is supposed to work in Star Trek.