#Construction Company Twitter

[sonoda-oomers]

things have been going objectively shit i'm shadowbanned on tumblr (my only platform, noobie mistake but i am not going back to twitter) and turns out vgen is not the best if you don't got that shiny verification, i'm trying to schedule posts to instagram and hating every part of the process.

but. sometimes i still remember the first art course i went to. the first time i was making art to receive construction feedback with industry professionals. one of those guys said i have a lot of potential to do amazing in the future. and it's just like. it's fine. even if i'm objectively doing shit with so little networking you could contain it in a sauce bowl. i will always believe that. that i have potential to do amazing. no matter how much time and how much effort it takes.

[richmondflyingsquirrels]

The state admits these two school buildings are too dangerously moldy to serve as voter precincts… but Richmond still sends children & faculty there full time!!

The schools deemed unsafe are Clark Springs Elementary and Boushall Middle. Clark Springs Elementary is 316 students (95% Black), and Boushall Middle is 455 students (62% Black and 33% Hispanic). Fox Elementary has also for the past year and change added 358 students (47% white, 37% Black) to the Clark Springs building.

Some quick math (adding faculty) says that’s about 1200 people, mostly Black children, who have been and continue to be constantly exposed to conditions which the state admits is too dangerous for a day?

(Fox Elementary serves as another example of this city’s issues with mold, schools, funding, and general competence, as it rebuilds from a damaging fire. The City let the water from fighting the fire just sit in the building for months, so it also became overrun with mold, adding to the damage. Between the fire and mold, Fox needed demolition and the city kept having issues funding the rebuild until it got a state grant in May 2023.)

& what is additionally infuriating is how Mayor Stoney is proposing the city fund repairs to schools, which are—beyond just these two — in desperate need of repair and honestly likely also have major mold issues, is by voting “yes” in a second referendum to build a casino. The voters rejected it in the first referendum, by a small majority. The company who wants to build, which is about to be delisted by NASDAQ for its noncompliance with regulation despite three warnings, is running a massive campaign — $8mil might not sound like much for politics, but it is more than any legislative race & ballot initiative in state history. & it’s likely to pass as a result. It also has agreed to pay the city $25mil upfront and plans to generate a lot of tax revenue, some of which will be earmarked for education.

Except, like most casinos, most of its customers will be local, likely within an hour or two drive. literally no one is coming from out of state to gamble in central Virginia. Over one-fifth of Richmond lives below the poverty line, and the ten-miles around the proposed casino is largely below the poverty line. Being within 10 miles of a casino is associated with a 90% increased in problem/pathologic gambling; this is going to fuck over a lot of people.

It’s going to rob people in Richmond blind & tell them that at least a percent of the money they lost might go to repairing the schools that even the state admits are poisoning their children. The whole thing is infuriating.

[mariacallous]

At the end of January, clips from a film about the housing market in Russian-occupied Mariupol began circulating on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army held Mariupol under siege for 85 days, all the while relentlessly pummeling the city with missile and air strikes. Mariupol was effectively reduced to rubble, and no one knows how many lives were lost — though some estimates place the number as high as 100,000. As soon as the Russian authorities had captured the city, they set about rebuilding it and erasing any trace of war crimes.

The film, titled “Shocking Prices for Apartments in Mariupol — Millions for Ruins” was released in November on the YouTube channel “Mirnyie” (the plural form of “peaceful” in Russian and the first part of “peaceful inhabitants,” a Russian term used to distinguish non-combatants from military personnel in conflict zones). The Mirnyie project is led by “war correspondent” Regina Orekhova, a journalist from the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. In 2022, she received a special award from the Russian Union of Journalists for “courage in fulfilling journalistic duty.”

The Mirnyie project, as one might surmise from its name, explores the lives of ordinary people in the conflict zone. “These are the stories of people who found themselves caught in the crossfire — some left, while others stayed. [We share] their experiences, how they survive, and what they think about,” reads the description. Judging by the channel, Orekhova primarily works in Mariupol. Previous reports of hers cover topics such as Azovstal’s underground tunnels, the sea port, city maternity hospitals, and the drama theater, which was destroyed by a Russian airstrike while an estimated 1,000 civilians were sheltering there.

In the introduction to the half-hour film, Orekhova promises to answer the following questions: “How do you buy an apartment in Mariupol? Is it more profitable to invest in ‘ruins’ that you can resell once renovated? How do you rent commercial space for a business here and how much does it cost? What kinds of apartments are for sale and what determines the price?” Orekhova explains that in Mariupol, there are “damaged buildings” as well as “brand new and renovated ones.” “The real estate market is very unconventional. We’ve studied it in detail and we’ll tell you all about it,” she promises. 

Orekhova speaks with three local realtors who show her properties for sale in different parts of the city. As it turns out, these are mostly half-destroyed apartments, hastily abandoned by residents who left all their personal belongings behind as they fled. However, even such properties, according to the realtors, are in high demand. In some cases, actual ruins, where just parts of the walls survived the bombings, are for sale. However, Russian construction companies will restore these buildings later for free, which significantly increases prices. There’s also the rare property untouched by war, or newly renovated apartments in restored buildings. Prices for these range from four to six million rubles (about $50,000-$66,000). Apartments in historic Stalin-era buildings in the center of Mariupol with surviving inner courtyards (i.e., enclosed parking), renovated entrances, and sea views are considered premium housing.

The film doesn’t explain why or, more importantly, by whom all the housing in Mariupol was destroyed. Realtors talk evasively about “all those events” or “military actions.” Orekhova asks how many real estate agencies are currently operating in Mariupol. “Well, there aren’t many surviving citizens per square meter, you could say, but they exist, of course,” a realtor answers.

Showing a damaged three-room apartment in the center of Mariupol, real estate agent Natalia remarks that “one shouldn’t focus on the consequences of what happened to the apartment but on the apartment’s potential.” There’s no electricity, the ceiling is leaking, and personal belongings, including toys and a highchair, lie strewn about — but the windows have been replaced. Natalia points out the “magnificent view” from the balcony. “These buildings have survived more than one war and, as you can see, are still standing,” Natalia says encouragingly. According to her, it would be too painful for the previous owners to come back and see their home like this, which is why they’re looking to sell the apartment in its current condition.

The realtors say that apartments are mostly bought by newcomers “from big Russia” and bemoan that locals can’t afford newly constructed housing. According to them, Russian authorities introduced a special two percent mortgage rate for people from the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Luhansk People’s Republic” who have Russian citizenship. But locals can’t get approved because most aren’t officially employed — there are no jobs with decent salaries in Mariupol.

Luisa, the head of a real estate management company, explains that it’s virtually impossible for Mariupol residents to get an apartment without Russia’s help. She says they “can’t afford to buy back their old homes in Mariupol or to purchase new ones.” When new construction is put up where their destroyed homes used to be, the mortgage payments are out of reach. Luisa recalls how an apartment building in the center, leveled in the bombings, was cleared away to make room for new construction. Residents were offered housing somewhere on the outskirts as compensation, but they weren’t able to buy apartments in the new building being built on their property, even though they’re legally registered at the address.

Tatiana, another realtor, thinks everything in Mariupol is “getting back on track.” She says people are returning, “even those who didn’t plan to.” “The demand [for apartments] is very high, much higher than the supply,” Tatiana explains. “If an apartment is in poor condition but at a good price, it goes quickly. The interested buyers are mainly newcomers. People from Siberia are also eyeing our seaside breeze.”

Tatiana tells Orekhova that everything is “looking up” for the city:

Mariupol has never experienced such rapid growth. The city is developing before our eyes. It’s happening in such a way that even we don’t know where things will improve tomorrow, where slums will turn into upscale neighborhoods. Because our sky is blue. When I say this, everyone smiles, actually. But before, our sky used to be gray or brown, never blue. And now life is getting better; every cloud has a silver lining. You just don’t want to remember the military operations; you go numb. But when you see what’s happening in Mariupol — everything will be fine, everything will work out.

[pannaginip]

AlterMidya on Twitter @altermidya:

LOOK: Filipino fisherfolks and environmental groups protest in front of the Netherlands embassy in Makati City today, March 22, to demand justice for what they call "grave corporate abuse" by Dutch dredging company Boskalis Westminster NV.

According to Kalikasan - People's Network for the Environment, the Dutch company is involved in several reclamation projects in the country such as the San Miguel Corporation's New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan.

NMIA is considered by Boskalis as their "largest project in history."

“Boskalis is profiting from a project that bypassed environmental and social scrutiny, ignored warnings from impact assessments, and, worst, used military intimidation to coerce ‘consent’ from affected communities," said anti-reclamation activist Jhed Tamano.

The groups also seek accountability from the Dutch export credit agency Atradius Dutch State Business for supporting the construction of NMIA by providing export credit insurance valued at EUR 1.5 billion.

"We urge the Netherlands government to investigate corporate abuses by Dutch companies and -- until these abuses are thoroughly investigated -- to pressure the Philippine government to halt the airport project,” said Jonila Castro of Kalikasan.

Meanwhile, environmental advocates also protest in Papendrecht, Netherlands, where the Boskalis Westminster NV headquarters is located.

Photos by John Carlo Magallon

2024 Mar. 22

[mediadollz]

𖥔‧₊˚ ⊹ YOU ARE WATCHING THE FINALE OF THE MOON COLLECTION !

The year is 2020, and you've sat through twelve grueling episodes of Angelico's newest survival show, The Moon Collection, watching each week as a girl is picked apart and eliminated, leaving us with the current final twelve.

𖥔‧₊˚ ⊹ CLICK HERE TO VOTE TODAY !

Though the final twelve are deeply beloved by users on Twitter, many of them ask, "Can't this be the final lineup?" there can only be seven in the new Angelico girl group. You watch the final performance, an original song produced by none other than fan favorite mentor Finn Lee of DeepDive, and pull out your phone to pick your top pick. You get three votes a day. Will you split your votes up among your top girls or vote for the same girl three times? The choice is yours. Get your votes in before September 22nd since that's when the polls close.

𖥔‧₊˚ ⊹ LET'S RECAP !

Navi Pandya is currently RANKED 1ST and has ranked 1st for the entirety of the season. That isn't a surprise to anyone since she's already won a survival show before. She ranked 5th in I.O.I, debuting with the group all the way back in 2016, but her career was sabotaged by her previous company, Flowerbank Entertainment, who locked her in the basement once I.O.I disbanded. Now, she's back and ready to debut in a group again.

FAN FAVORITE NAVI MOMENT !

Charlotte "Cherry" Kim is currently RANKED 11TH and has steadily declined in votes since the show started. In the initial rankings, she ranked SIXTH overall, but after a messy confrontation with Yoomi that left the ladder in tears, voters have not been kind to Cherry. Her talent and visuals seem to have gotten her to the finale. Cherry's career started when she was sixteen when she was a member of a grunge rock band, DOLLEYES. Due to their lack of success, Cherry left DOLLEYES in 2017 and became a trainee in Korea.

FAN FAVORITE CHERRY MOMENT !

Lee Chaerin is currently RANKED 6TH and has steadily gained votes over the season. When the show began, Chaerin was often criticized for her lack of stage presence and "dead eyes," which later turned into "crazy eyes" because she was trying too hard. She's shown massive improvement since, neutralizing her expressions while maintaining a cool demeanor on stage. Chaerin has been a trainee for three years.

FAN FAVORITE CHAERIN MOMENT !

Luna Müller is currently RANKED 4TH and has maintained her rank as fourth for half the season. Luna has a massive fanbase in Brazil that will get your Twitter account suspended for saying something even slightly constructive about their perfect angel. Despite her fans being rabid, Luna has gone viral many times for her visuals, Gen Z humor, and her close friendship with Navi. The pair often mention debuting together and are seen holding hands during elimination ceremonies.

FAN FAVORITE LUNA MOMENT !

Jang Yoomi is currently RANKED 12TH, and no one knows how she got there. While Yoomi showcased her talent and put her three years of training to good use, people could not help but notice the glaringly obvious angel edit that the producers were shoving down viewers' throats. Viewers of the show will swear they've never seen an actual Yoomi stand and that they're not real. Yoomi is quiet and sweet and was voted the best dancer among the final twelve girls.

FAN FAVORITE YOOMI MOMENT !

Isla "Love" Williams is currently RANKED 8TH and has fluctuated in rankings all season. Isla is well-known in the JPOP sphere, being a part of an overseas JPOP group called "IceDream" and then being recruited to be added to ANGERME, a group within Hello! Project. Though she graduated from the group in 2018 to become a KPop trainee, fans still adore her for her lively stage presence and powerhouse vocals. It's theorized that her fluctuating rank is due to Angelico trying to rig the lineup.

FAN FAVORITE LOVE MOMENT !

Evangeline Rostova, who goes by Evie, is currently RANKED 2ND and remained in the top three for the entire season. Evie was a successful gymnast at 17, with a good chance of making it to the Olympics. However, she left her gymnastics career behind and went to Korea to begin training. Evie is noted for having a solid Korean fanbase and fierce stage presence. She runs the practice room like the Navy, which is why every team she's led ended up winning that week. Evie is called an "Ice Queen" unless she's with Love, resulting in the pair being a popular ship on the show.

FAN FAVORITE EVIE MOMENT !

Aubrie Lee is currently RANKED 9TH and has dropped significantly in the last three episodes. Though Aubrie is talented and has been training the longest out of anyone on the show, her interaction with her brother, Finn, caused his fans to stop voting for her, resulting in her rank dropping from 3rd to 9th. Aubrie has taken on a motherly role on the show alongside Castiel as they're the eldest on the show. She's gone viral many times for her visuals and ability to shake her ass no matter the situation.

FAN FAVORITE AUBRIE MOMENT !

Kim Yuna is currently RANKED 10TH after steadily climbing the ranks all season. Yuna is not that talented. She's very pretty, and she's very funny, but she blends into the background while on stage and is often given rap parts that she butchers. In her defense, she was never training to be an idol. She was a model before joining The Moon Collection. Though she still isn't as good as the other finalists, she's steadily improved and kept the group's spirits high by cracking jokes and being a shoulder to cry on.

FAN FAVORITE YUNA MOMENT !

Saanvi "Sani" Thamp is currently RANKED 3RD and has dramatically jumped voters in the past three episodes. Sani had previously debuted in the nugu girl group "Dollsworld" in 2017 at age fifteen. She would go viral for all the wrong reasons, her "baby voice" being mocked relentlessly by stan Twitter users until Dollsworld's disbandment in 2020. When Sani appeared in The Moon Collection, viewers were shocked at her growth as a singer and performer. Though the youngest on the show, Sani has consistently raised the bar for herself every episode, consistently improving and expressing her desire to debut in a group that won't have to sell feet pics for income.

FAN FAVORITE SANI MOMENT !

Castiel Diop is currently RANKED 7TH and has remained in the top seven for the entirety of the season. Previously having debuted in the erased Angelico girl group Emphasis in 2013 under the stage name Cassie, she not only has a fire under ass to redebut but to prove herself as a talented and versatile artist. Castiel has gone viral for her one liners as well as her freestyles. She's easily the most talented rapper on the show, but also has some of the best stage presence which her fans will not hesitate to remind you about.

FAN FAVORITE CASTIEL MOMENT !

Ju Sooah is currently RANKED 5th and has shot up in votes after she danced for her life in the previous elimination ceremony. Sooah has been under the radar for most watchers, but seeing her duck walk and death drop to avoid elimination gained her a certified rainbow fanbase that is very serious about her debut. Sooah is often seen with Yoomi or Chaerin, either interacting with them or keeping to herself. Her visuals had her going viral when the show first started, but discussion has shifted to her dancing talents as she's been dancing since she was six years old.

FAN FAVORITE SOOAH MOMENT !

[bifronse]

The Outsiders social media headcanons except they’re still boomers

Since Pony is writer, he has multiple platforms but primarily uses twitter. Pre-Musk, he’s verified and is relatively active on it. He’s used the internet since the advent of it so he’s the most familiar with internet culture and lingo. He migrates to Bluesky after the Musk takeover

Pony’s fanbase skews young because of his heavily character-driven novels, so he has a hoard of teenagers that always bug him

Darry makes a Twitter to follow Pony. Rarely updates and is the most dad twitter you can think of. Posting pictures of his grills and family, as well as occasional updates about his construction company. A chunk of Pony’s followers found him and jokingly hype up all his tweets, no matter how mundane. He doesn’t know how to feel about that

Two-Bit is on Facebook and follows all sorts of humor groups, and he is blissfully unaware that over half the content farm shit that shows up on his feed is AI. If you tried to tell him about AI, he’d just laugh it off because “I don’t get that stuff”

After Pony leaves twitter Darry vows to stop using socmed entirely because he doesn’t want to bother learning how to use another one, Twitter was bad enough. He fails miserably once Pony sends him a Bluesky invite because he’s still The Worrier and Needs to know what Pony’s up to

Steve has a Facebook and most of what he posts is either just reposts of articles he finds (being a retired drug counselor he’s always keeping tabs on drug-related research), simple life updates, or strong opinions about current day cars

Steve eventually mutes Two-Bit because the reposts of content farm slop became too incessant. He swears up and down that it’s nothing personal

Steve and Pony have a constant tension over politics. They both like and hate the same things but Steve is significantly more apolitical. As an example: Pony hates Musk for being a scumbag billionaire, Steve hates Musk because he hates Teslas. So whenever they talk IRL, afterwards they take to their respective platforms to throw vagues at each other. Thankfully they’re on separate platforms otherwise it’d be a nightmare

The Curtises are, eventually, pushed into making a Facebook so they can all keep up with each other. Pony’s page collects dust but Darry ends up using it more than he ever did Twitter because, well, his posting style was made for Facebook. He’s also able to properly promote his construction company on there

Pony had a tumblr that he had to stop using ~2017 because the asks got too aggressive. Why that happened is up to your imagination

Bonus resurrections:

Johnny is one of those older guys that somehow gets sucked into streaming video games. You know the ones. He’s decently popular despite not actually talking much

I’m a Dally Optimist so he’d be one of those guys that goes around on different platforms to spread awareness about the dangers of gang life and prison conditions

Soda may be in his late 60s/early 70s but that will NOT stop him from fucking it up on Instagram and TikTok!!! He’s handsome so that obviously makes the old man fuckers go crazy

Soda would catch wind of the “hyping up Darry’s boring tweets” and join in on it, so Soda’s crazy thirsty followers would find Darry. It is Darry’s personal hell but he secretly finds it hilarious. Get it grandpa!

[sageistri]

i think that one of, if not the biggest problem this era, is the fact that 80% of pjms learned nothing from face era. you’d think after last year people would learn to adjust their expectations accordingly and enjoy (or not) the release with a different perspective but no (jic im not saying pjms shouldve expected less from jimin just that the circumstances merit low expectations.)

morale both on tumblr and twitter has been absolutely terrible. i only see streaming/charting accounts constantly active and not other general pjms. no one is satisfied with anything and is constantly trying to hide it under the veil of normal criticism. i think at this point we just have to admit that there’s a problem in the fandom even if we cant pinpoint exactly what it is. but, if you ask me, a lot of pjms’ egos is whats ruining this rollout not the rollout itself…js.

honestly im not gonna judge anyone for feeling discouraged about muse bc yeah two consecutive disliked singles can make you start to lose interest in a project but i think people just have to wait until the album is out (or at least wait until the highlight medley) to see if there’s something in it they like and THEN doom post. (kind of on a tangent but i dont understand why people are acting like the intro will be just like interlude: dive when historically most of bts’ intros are full length songs or, at the very least, are sung)

then on top of that you have the goddamn comparisons to lisa which are pointless bc her song and concept is appealing to a different audience than his and has a VERY different type of funding and support than his. (she’s launching her own damn company for christ’s sake of course the stakes are different for her.) i really wish pjms would escape kpop mentality of constantly comparing and dragging other acts but maybe its my turn to adjust my expectations for that ever happening lol

Exactly my point.

I would be all for constructive criticism and doom posting if the album dropped already and they still felt like that.

They say "2 songs off an album" and I understand that but it still doesn't mean anything because letter and alone two really slow songs were on face. Like I'm pretty sure if they had been released as singles people would have been talking about how they're scared the album would be all ballads, but of course none of the other songs on the album sounds like those two.

Honestly we all understand why they feel that way but no one's going to sympathise with you when you sound borderline shady.

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Hey, you know a lot about fnaf. Maybe you can tell me why I've been seeing so many thirst traps of the Mimic. It's worse than the Sun Ass

........

I don't really know where you're finding them.

I've seen more Thirst traps of MXES (and it's deserved. he sexy)

But like.... if It's all on Twitter, I don't own a Twitter account. So I miss out on seeing a lot of that stuff.

My only guess is that the Mimic is a horrifying monster but is sympathetic as a character.

He only reacts in violence, because he was beaten to death by his own creator for simply following it's program.

Which is a common theme in the Tales of the Pizzaplex Books.

When Fazbear Frights was more about the Abstract and Goosebumps kinda short story horror of either crazy products, or creepy haunted objects...

Tales of The Pizzaplex short stories usually involve tales of Robots that are literally doing their job, and it's misconstrued by humans, or there are aspects not taken into account.

There's literally a short story of a Ballora trying to drag a human to safety... not taking into account that they are pulling too hard through a tight space and ripping their arms off. Or a little Helper/Cleaner Robot called HAPPS who is trying to pull/escort boys out of a series of playtube tunnels cause they're lost.... but not taking into account, parts of their body are shredded into dangerous machinery. And is essentially raking sharp knives and slicing the boys in half while trying to help. This is actually true to how robots behave in our real world. I've heard real stories where children get crushed in Disney rides, because someone didn't install safety measures in the rides to sense if there was a presence on the track. The Tales books are very less "these machines are haunted" and more: "These robots are doing EXACTLY what they are programmed to do... and that itself is the horror." Which I actually LOVE that this is the direction that FNAF is taking these days.

The Mimic kinda follows that same train of logic.

It's whole life it was programed to Mimic the behavior of a Four Year old. To keep him company. When the Son died in a horrific car crash accident, the Mimic is still copying the behavior of the four year old. This enrages the engineer that designed it. So in a fit of rage and grief, he beat the endo to death.

Since the Robot is programmed to Mimic behaviors.... This gets it's programing disturbed and confused.

He was taught violence.... so Violence was added into his behaviors... without removing the previous behavior.

All of Mimic's victims in the books are killed in ways that it was taught from being essentially "raised" as a four year old boy.

It scooped out the brains of humans...... An action/sign language that the four year old taught it for "wanting Icecream"

It puts on mascot suits..... Something that the four year old did in his fathers workshop while playing around....

It hung up a whole bunch of Employees on Hooks and rusty nails....... Because the Engineer/Father said to "Hang up your clothes"

It's programing got corrupt and twisted. It's taking these Parent to child lessons, and twisting them into violence.

In the books, it's theorized that it "observed a twisted game of hide and seek" but that's not the case.... It probably played Hide and Seek with the child it was a companion too, and the Rage and Violence it learned took that Game and MADE it twisted.

In the books, the Mimic Program was brought to the Pizzaplex when it was still under construction.... and a technician reprogramed it to disassemble robots, by removing their limbs and putting it in a pile.

Now... This task was added onto it... without deleting it's previous tasks.

So of course... It twists the order.... Disassembling humans and ripping their limbs and putting them in a pile.

The Mimic is a Monster.

but it a Monster made by Grief, Rage, Corporate Greed, and Guilt.

So if people are simping for it and find it a sympathetic character...

They aren't wrong...

But I really believe that the sad situation is that the Mimic can't unlearn the violence it has been taught.

It is doing what it's programmed to do...

And that's the real sad tragedy of the Mimic.

It's an adaptive Learning AI that literally can not decern right or wrong. It simply learns... and builds upon it's previous knowledge.

.......(and if all of this does not sound like Glitchtrap at all, it's cause it's not.... The Mimic has it's own Method of Killing Described EXACTLY in the Books that it took the lessons that it learns very literally... and people are only saying so... cause it "lures" children..... But this is something that it learned how to do on it's own... when a bunch of dumb teens went urban exploring and all died trying to lure and trap this thing..... Anyone can lure a child... and we can have more than one overarching villain in this story.)

[dorianwolfforest]

So I was given this response by a dev about the AI thing who I have since blocked, primarily for what I'm about to talk about in this post.

I want to talk about your right to absolutely be critical, mean, negative and angry about star stable online if you want to, and why that in no way, shape, or form is "harassment".

There's this saying in bookworld, "no authors in review spaces, reviews are for readers". Its intention is to say that, no matter how much you as an author want to know how people are reacting to your book, you do not go chasing down reviews because they're not meant as a learning opportunity for you, they're meant to let others know more about your product. You do not watch videos reviewing your book. You do not read through your goodreads. You do not intentionally seek out the two or one star reviews. You are, however, encouraged to find a friend who can look through the reviews for you, find positive or constructive ones, and give them to you.

If you want to learn how to improve for your next book, you make use of the beta readers. You make use of the sensitivity readers. You make use of the editors. There is nothing a review can say that will help you, because the book the review belongs to has already been written.

In a similar vein, I do not believe developers should involve themselves in fandom spaces. Yes, I will be overjoyed at an Ismael tweet, because that is Ismael's own space. That's his world. That's his presence, he's allowed to exist online if he wants to and Ismael is still allowed to talk about SSO on his account like how authors are allowed to talk about their books, because he does not go chasing down sso neg about his own work, the server upkeep. I, as the "reviewer", do not go into his tweet replies and let him know how much I hate the most recent quests or how bad a horse breed is (much like how I, if I don't like a book, don't go on twitter and tag the author to tell them that their book sucks). I save that for my space, the reviewer space. SSOblr, in this instance.

In our own space, as reviewers, we are allowed to be critical and negative about the product we consume, because we understand that it's about the work, not the people behind it. In many instances, we don't even know who the person behind what we're critiquing is. There is also the assumption, the hope, that the person will never see it, because developers, like authors, shouldn't hunt down reviews of their work, and if they do find something that is critical, it should be a standard that they either ignore it, or read it but don't respond to it.

We've had a grown woman on this platform beef with and publicly call out a teenager for expressing the opinion that the quests she made weren't good, with the justification that the review was "hurtful". Plenty of reviews have the potential to be hurtful, it comes with the profession. That's why you don't read them. Even then, no one who expresses critical thoughts does so specifically to upset or hurt the person behind the work, far from it. That's why we stick to our tiny individual corners of the internet and don't chase you down to tell you our opinion.

Within Star Stable Entertainment, the friends an author might use to collect positive and constructive reviews are your support team (which, unfortunately, isn't all that great. Hooray for being told to overlook antisemitism) and social media accounts. All you need to know about how people react to you and your work should be filtered through them.

If the person who used AI art feels targeted and harassed, that is on them. We didn't know it was even one single person who did it, you as a company singled them out to us so that we'd stop blaming you as a whole. Furthermore we don't know who it is, we physically cannot harass them. Who do we tag? who do we send messages to in order to harass them? No one. They would need to go on SSOblr and look through the tag after a massive controversy caused by them, purposefully searching for outrage. That's not on us.

You are fully within your right to have public opinions about the content you consume, and if a developer oversteps the creator/reviewer boundary you are not the one who should be apologizing.

[thyandrawrites]

On Nagi's emotional intelligence

One thing I find interesting about Nagi's character is that he's not only bad at getting across his emotions in a way that leaves little room for misunderstandings; he also struggles a lot to identify feelings (not just his but especially other people's) for what they are, and to put himself in other people's shoes.

Both the manga and Nagi's light novel offer several examples of this, and I noticed a common denominator in most of them. So I thought it could be fun to compile them in a post.

(long ramble under a cut! Contains slight manga spoilers up to manshine city arc)

Preface: I did not study psychology, and though I try my best not to misuse words and be insensitive, mistakes in good faith can happen. Please bear with me

So, what kicked off this whole thing is a scene from Episode Nagi. This one:

Now, without context it would be easy to write off Nagi as a self-centered genius who is looking down on team Z for being "weaker". And that's exactly how Isagi, who doesn't know Nagi prior to this, takes his questions. They're just a taunt, as if Nagi is mocking Team Z's determination to overturn the scores when they're a team that doesn't yet know its own skills fully.

And the thing is, regardless of Nagi's intentions, his words are condescending. He doesn't mean them to be, but you can't deny that calling someone stupid to his face is not conductive to a polite or constructive conversation, lol.

Unless you're Nagi Seishiro, that is.

Nagi... Doesn't seem to grasp that essentially calling team Z the bottom of the barrel while asking what keeps them going is... Well, rude. Patronizing, even. Which is why he looks so puzzled when Isagi's response is negative, and when he doubles down on his hunger for goals.

In his head, phrasing it this way was perfectly fine. He was genuinely asking, and he expected a response. He wanted to know, not to piss Isagi off and be left hanging.

The reason behind Nagi's obliviousness is of course a lack of social skills. We know he tends to keep to himself, preferring video games and the silent company of a cactus over social interactions, and it shows in how stilted his ability to properly communicate becomes over time.

But in the intro I said I don't think it's just a struggle with communicating what he means. I also interpret it as Nagi struggling to put himself in other people's shoes when their experiences don't mirror his, which complicates his attempts to communicate further.

What is translated as "What's his deal?" in the panel above in japanese has a bit more nuance than that, and it clues us in to what was likely going through Nagi's head a bit more.

"What's this creature (Isagi Yoichi)"

The kanji that compose Isagi's name are transcribed with a different reading (the furigana indeed reads "creature")

Now, if you read Nagi's light novel, the words might sound familiar:

(credits to @/ hoshi801_ on twitter for this translation)

That's because we have another example of Nagi being weirded out by and puzzled at how differently he and others seem to function.

From Nagi's perspective, he's not the weirdo, others are! He keeps observing this world where everyone puts effort into things that he only sees as a hassle, and he doesn't get how anyone can find any appeal in them. In other words, Nagi doesn't really understand how other people work (how they think, how they feel, what motivates them), and he tends to use himself as a metric for understanding them better, not realizing how flawed that approach is.

I also reckon this is why he can sometimes come across as lacking tact.

"it's easy for me. How come is it not easy for you?"

What he says to Bachira during the 4v4 seems like another prime example of Nagi attempting to figure out others by comparing them against himself.

In his intentions, this little speech serves as a way to get Bachira to step up his game. After all, had he really been fine with not picking him, he could've kept his mouth shut, won the match, and picked Rin as he said he would. No need to warn Bachira beforehand, giving him a chance to prove himself in the field and compete with Rin as the best choice moving forward.

But the words Nagi uses are familiar once again.

"Do you think you'll get chosen if you lose? Still living in dreamland? [...] I want Rin, and I bet Isagi feels the same." -> Nagi to Bachira

Vs "you'd be satisfied if I chose you here? You wanna act like a team even if we're not excited about it? You think becoming best in the world is that simple?" -> Nagi to Reo

And then

"We don't need you the way you are now." -> to Bachira above

Vs, "'You're fine as you are.' That's what you said to me, Reo, but... For me to dream with you about being the best again, I want to change." -> Nagi to Reo (in his head)

Nagi doesn't really understand Bachira, either, but he understands the bond Bachira shares with Isagi. Two separate times, he sees himself and Reo's relationship mirrored in it, and that's what prompts his "pep talk".

While he might not grasp what motivates Bachira's ego, Nagi knows what motivated himself. So he offers much the same to Bachira. You want to keep playing with Isagi, just like I want to keep playing with Reo. So change, like I did. Keep working towards that dream, and don't throw in the towel, accept defeat, and wait for Isagi to pick you.

Bachira and Isagi's bond is pretty much the only time we see Nagi try and succeed at relating to someone else's emotions. He's able to do this because he can sense the similarities between them. It's a pattern he's plenty familiar with. So we could say he's still applying that flawed method I talked about above. Understanding others by comparing them to himself, assuming they think the same way.

But I'd like to point out that while he does get their bond as far as it mirrors his and Reo's, Nagi still doesn't grasp the ways in which it differs. Namely, he remains oblivious to Bachira's desire for connection. Nagi is perfectly comfortable being a loner, and while he misses Reo, he adjusts to the separation quite easily, at least emotionally. Well, partly because he caused it, but also because from his perspective, he and Reo were never really apart-apart. They'd eventually meet up again, Nagi would tell him all about his side quests, and they'd be fast besties once again.

At least, that's what Nagi envisions, because Nagi is a straightforward person who doesn't really grasp other people's perspectives past his own personal experience.

For that reason, I think, he remains oblivious to how his advice to Bachira hits like a slap where the boy's at his most vulnerable. But it all works out in the end, so in the grand scheme of things, Nagi has no reason to give it more thought past this interaction. Nagi's team loses, Isagi advances with Bachira, all is well again.

If Nagi got away with giving this as little thought as possible, though, his dynamic with Reo doesn't give him the same easy out. Not for lack of trying on his part. Reo doesn't initiate conversations with him for days (weeks?) on end, and Nagi is fine with never questioning it.

Now, normally I'd make a point here about how Nagi's major weakness is his refusal to think hard about anything unless he's forced to—or about how that's the main hinder to his development to date—but that's a post for another day. Suffice to say, for the sake of this argument, that his willingness to let things stay tense between him and Reo is part of the problem here.

Well, "willingness" might not be the right term here. From his pov, there isn't any tension at all, in fact.

Again, because Nagi had a reason that justifies leaving Reo behind, he doesn't see a strain in their relationship until Reo points it out to him. Worse yet, he struggles to see Reo's viewpoint even after Reo does point it out to him.

He's as clueless as they come, and he's closest to Reo than anyone else in blue lock. Despite this, not only does he not realize why Reo is upset with him and doesn't want to link up anymore, he also fails to grasp that Reo's angry at him at all.

I ran out of image space so I'm just gonna quote the next bit:

N: "We promised, right? To win the world cup together. I've just kept making the best choices I could for that goal. During the rival battle, I thought I could get stronger if I went with Isagi. And I chose England because I thought I could learn from Agi and Chris. So, now it's you, Reo. You're stronger now, so you and I can beat Isagi, unlike last time."

To which Reo understandably replies,

R: "Damn, you really are a selfish jerk, you know that?"

Nagi doesn't seem to realize that if you are a team, you should, you know... Communicate with your partner. Instead, he decides for himself, without even asking for Reo's input, what's the best course of action to achieve their dream, doesn't share his thought process with Reo at all, embarks on said course alone, and then one day randomly decides to have Reo tag along in it.

In his head, I think it all makes sense to him because he assumes Reo already knows all this, intuitively. After all, that's how their whole dynamic has been built so far. When Reo isn't anticipating Nagi's needs before Nagi has uttered them aloud, Nagi is instinctively following the vision Reo set up with a pass, and completing it with a goal.

I'd say that the fact that they relied so heavily on silent communication for much of their time as friends is half the reason why they are so bad at communicating with actual words. I'm including Reo in this because he's equally guilty of it too, what with him saying "do what you want" aloud, only to wish for Nagi to stay without verbalizing that thought to him.

But I digress.

My point is, in the scene above, Nagi assumes Reo would be fine with the split because Nagi himself was. It doesn't even occur to him that Reo might see it as the negation of their promise to each other, or that he would feel abandoned and forgotten about (sorry, can't post pictures, but notice his shock at Reo's accusations. Chapter 187). After all, Nagi spent the whole time thinking about all the things he wanted to tell him.

Once again, much like with Isagi in the first selection, Nagi's puzzled and surprised at Reo's angry burst in response to his pushing; he assumes the drive he feels will be mirrored or at least understood by the other person, but instead he's turned down, faced with a negative reaction he doesn't quite understand.

As Reo puts it, Nagi's imagination comes short of letting him empathize with Reo's feelings. The choice to move on without him is purely functional, then, but from his perspective it never involved any emotional distance. To Reo, however, who was left with an easy to misunderstand parting speech, the hurt of a perceived loss strongly overshadowed anything else. Nagi doesn't anticipate Reo's emotional response over rationality because Nagi himself is not an emotion-driven person. He doesn't see that Reo would be plagued by self doubt because Nagi doesn't doubt his skills. He fails to see how his actions could easily be misconstrued as indifference because Nagi's not one to read hidden meaning into people's words, and assumes others take things as face value, too.

But that's more than communication failure! That consistent lack of effort to imagine how others would feel or act in a given situation is a pattern, at least imo.

I think Nagi never had to make that kind of effort before, since he was pretty much on his own, and in a lot of ways he's still adapting to having peers he trusts and that he wants to be trusted by in response

One could say this is as much a process to him as understanding his own ego for football is, and I find that really fascinating to watch

[zigmenthotep]

I have never played Warhammer 40k, know almost nothing about Warhammer 40k, and yet somehow still have a deeper understanding of Warhammer 40k than people who've built there entire identity around it only to go on twitter dot com and without a hint of sarcasm say "Keep politics out of Warhammer."

Like, okay honey, I get it. You thought the Imperium were the good guys because their actions supported your beliefs, and now that people are tearing down that poorly-constructed pillow fort you built to protect yourself from reality, you have to come to terms with the fact that not only are you a bigot, but also that the company that makes the product you've built your entire identity around has finally started valuing women, queer people, and POC higher than angry little whiteboys who actively try to prevent the community who buys their products from growing.

That's why—straight—people are so upset about corporate pride, they know it doesn't mean that companies actually care about queer people, just that they see them as a more valuable audience than queerphobes. Every June they get smacked in the face by all their favorite businesses telling them that yes, 10 of "Those people" are worth more than 1 of you.

[kivaember]

i got inspired by this piece of twitter art for flatwell and o'keeffe... really check out that art it looks AMAZING.

anyway, o'keeffe owning a plant nursery called Barren Flower with coffee shop flatwell GO!

Flatwell's cafe was an early retirement present to himself. He'd lived a long and exciting life, doing work that'll never see the light of day and recorded in documents sealed away in concrete bunkers six feet deep. It was profitable work, though, and when he hit forty he gracefully retired while he still had all limbs and his sanity.

One may say that running a cafe wasn't a peaceful retirement plan, but Flatwell thrived in being under a little bit of pressure. He liked people, for all that he hated them sometimes, and he enjoyed the mental stimulation of keeping mental profiles of the regulars, and analysing newcomers to try and predict their order and character. He also just liked talking to people - Flatwel had mastered the art of small talk by pure necessity, and he felt himself go into withdrawals if he went too long without gossiping with someone, stranger or not.

So, he got his cafe. He bought an old, empty building on the fringes of Xylem, near the touristy parts but still off the beaten path. He rennovated it, learned how to make coffee, how to bake, and slowly but surely built up a steady stream of customers and a reputation. The street was quiet, many buildings lying empty, but Flatwell was content with his retirement package.

His kids visited often, Rusty especially came with that new boyfriend of his (Raven, a little strange but nice, with an intriguing past considering his links to Walter, an old acquaintence in the business Flatwell had retired from, what a small world) and Flatwell drifted from one peaceful day to the next, content although admittedly bored at times. But that was just the adrenaline junkie side of him, he'd tell himself.

Then one day, the empty building opposite his cafe had a SOLD sign hung on its window, followed by rennovators and workers streaming in and out of it. It brought a brief boost to Flatwell's business, the construction workers walking across the street to get refreshments - and were very talkative when Flatwell generously gave them a discount for being such hard workers.

They didn't know who had bought the building, but they knew that it was being outfitted to sustain large amounts of plants. A plant nursery, apparently, which Flatwell thought was an odd choice for this location, but ultimately harmless. The person ordering the rennovations paid in cash too - hundreds of thousands just dropped, like that.

A rich person dabbling in a new hobby, maybe? A company trying something out? The mystery was mundane but intriguing, so Flatwell watched from his cafe, as the front of the building was rennovated to have a large, wide window to easily see the inside, and a set of flowerbeds were constructed right in front, brightly coloured flowers and lush green plants planted in the soft, loamy soil. He watched as more and more plants arrived, getting carted inside, set up, strange contraptions and machines Flatwell couldn't begin to guess the function of being hauled and installed inside the building. He watched as they erected the sign above the building's doors, a wilting sunflower next to the bland and frank words of BARREN FLOWER.

Interesting name choice, Flatwell had thought upon seeing it.

And almost six months after the rennovations began, the plant nursery opened its doors. Flatwell, like any good neighbour, decided to pay a visit, a quick walk across the street in the early hours of the morning, before the first few customers would arrive. He had a thermos of coffee and a bag of baked goods, oddly excited to scout out the new visitor and deduce their character and intentions.

But when he walked across the street, when he entered BARREN FLOWER with a small jingle of the door's bell, he came face to face with his past in the most unexpected way possible.

"Wow, is that you, Flatwell?" O'Keeffe asked in that dull, inflectionless way of his, dressed like a farmer with a green, soil-stained apron thrown over the top of it - a far cry from his usual shirt and tie combo. "Small world, huh?"

Flatwell's old arch-rival, O'Keeffe, of all people.

Small world indeed.

-

"So, what's with the flowers?"

Flatwell didn't look up from where he was carefully stowing that day's cupcakes into the front display case. "They're a message."

Rusty leaned on the counter, idly touching one bright red petal from one of the flowers bursting out of the bouquet barely contained in its plain green vase.

"A message, huh?" Rusty smiled impishly. "Don't tell me you got yourself a secret admirer, Uncle."

"Is that so surprising?" Flatwell drawled, straightening up and closing the hatch on the display case. He dramatically swept his ponytail over his shoulder and flashed a smile Rusty's way. "I'll have you know I'm still considered a catch."

Rusty grimaced. "Uncle..."

Flatwell laughed and stepped over to the counter, gently shooing Rusty's curious hands from the bouquet.

"Anyway, they're not from a secret admirer," he said. "They're from an... old friend, shall we say."

"Uh huh." Rusty did not believe him in the slightest, the rascal. "Old friend, sure. An old friend that sends you a bouquet of pretty flowers... it looks expensive too."

Flatwell just smiled, saying nothing. The bouquet did look impressive, and would've been expensive if it'd been bought, but he knew for a fact that the only currency used to obtain it had been nothing but time and attention. Some may say that this gave it more romantic weight, but considering the flowers in the bouquet...

Adonis' flower, painful recollection and sorrowful rememberances. Narcissus, self-love and egotism. Mixes of green and purple carnations, love between men and capriciousness, unreliability. Carolina, love is dangerous. And lastly, the ominous black dahlia: betrayal and dishonesty.

The bouquet had also been accompanied by a cabbage - profit. The joke had gotten a reluctant laugh out of Flatwell, he had to admit. He'll use it for today's salad.

"You going to give one back?" Rusty asked. He was more perceptive than others gave him credit for, and there was a knowing edge to his gaze as he said: "It's first time I've seen you accept flowers from someone."

"Hm... maybe," Flatwell said. "It'd be rude not to respond."

"I can go get some for you," Rusty offered. "I'm, um... well, I'm heading that way anyways..."

"For Raven?" Flatwell teased, and chuckled when Rusty's cheeks went pink. "I didn't realise he was a flower person."

"Me neither, but his terrifying guardian dropped a hint about how he... really, really liked gardening, and maybe I can give him something like that for his upcoming birthday..."

"In which case... sure," Flatwell took out a post it note and a pen from his apron pocket. "I'll write down what flowers I want you to get for me."

He jotted down his list and sent Rusty on his way. He already knew what his response would be to O'Keeffe's question.

Their past was a painful and thorny thing, and ill-advised flings from their careless youths had made those wounds cut even deeper. Love is dangerous indeed, and Flatwell had been a flighty, unreliable sort. Of course O'Keeffe would tread carefully, even in the twilight days of their retirement years.

Still.

They both needed some excitement in their peaceful days, right?

-

O'Keeffe stared at the bouquet resting across his bed's pillow, surprised at how unsurprised he was that Flatwell went to these lengths to give his response.

"He better not have broken my window's lock," he grumbled, moving over to inspect the bouquet. After double checking it for potential concealed razor blades or any other manner of unpleasant surprises, he picked it up, peering at the flowers.

Tansy, maiden's blush and white spider lilies.

"...this is a terrible bouquet," O'Keeffe muttered, but he felt the corner of his mouth tick upwards.

Only Flatwell would say he's declaring war on his heart.

Dramatic as always.

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting -- Yaggzrok

As a reminder, all previous entries in this series can be found at https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting .

Also, happy new year depending on which calendar you're using! If I was late posting the results from the last one, &c., &c., you saw this same thing last week.

Isidore says this about it: ‘The Yaggzrok is so called because it does not feed on the ground but catches its food and eats it in the air. It is a twittering bird that flies in twisting, turning loops and circuits, is highly skilled in building its nest and rearing its young, and has also a kind of foresight because it lets you know when buildings are about to fall by refusing to nest on their tops. In addition, it is not harassed by birds of prey nor is it ever their victim. It flies across the sea and winters there.' The Yaggzrok is a tiny bird but of an eminently pious nature; lacking in everything, it constructs nests which are more valuable than gold because it builds them wisely. For the nest of wisdom is more precious than gold. And what is wiser than to have, as the Yaggzrok does, the capacity to fly where it likes and to entrust its nest and its young to the houses of men, where none will attack them. For there is something attractive in the way that the Yaggzrok accustoms its young from their earliest days to the company of people and keeps them safe from the attacks of hostile birds. Then, remarkably, the Yaggzrok creates a regularly-proportioned home for itself without any assistance, like a skilled craftsman. For it gathers bits of straw in its mouth and smears them with mud so that they stick together; but because it cannot carry the mud in its claws, it dips the tips of its wings in water, so that dust sticks to them easily and turns into slime, with which to gather to itself bits of straw or tiny twigs, a few at a time, and makes them stick. It makes the whole fabric of the nest in this fashion, in order that its young can live safely as if on a solid floor in houses on the ground, lest any of them insert a foot between the small gaps in the woven fabric or the cold should get to the very young. This conscientiousness is fairly common among most birds, yet what is distinctive about the Yaggzrok is its special loving care, shrewd intelligence and the extraordinary quality of its understanding. Then there is its skill in the arts of healing: if its young are infected by blindness or pricked in the eye, it has some kind of healing power with which it can restore their vision.

Remember to tag posts with #Yaggzrok so folks can find them.

[gloriousrunwayninja]

AFFIRMATION TAPES

Table of context

What are affirmation tapes

Why it works

How to make them

Proof on why it works

Videos/resources

What are affirmation tapes

♥…Affirmation tapes are where you say your affirmation into a recording and you listen to them.

Why it works

♥…The reason it works it because It helps reprogram your subconscious mind. It helps saturate the mind especially if your doing something while listening to them for example listening to them while getting ready.

♥…Me personally I would use them while I'm distracted so I'm able to easily saturate my mind.

How to make them

♥…How to make them is by using the SelfPause app. More in dept tutorial on Hyler self pause video.

PROOF IT WORKS

According to a recent study by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, practicing affirmations-whether listening to pre- recordings or creating your own, it helps lower stress by alleviating perceptions of threat and defensiveness by expanding self worth through broader dispositional self-views.

Day One

While I love self development and personal growth, I'm always a little bit skeptical when trying a new practice. I'm definitely not someone who gives myself verbal pep talks or leaves written affirmations on my bathroom mirror so getting into the right headspace for this was a bit of a challenge in itself.

Day Two

By the second day I actually looked forward to listening to my affirmations. I popped in my earbuds when I first woke up and listened to my short playlist before even getting out of bed. I usually grab my phone and immediately start checking my emails and scrolling through social media so the practice instantly helped me 'wake up on the right side of the bed' so to speak.

Day Three

Honestly, I can't believe how easy it was to stop scrolling on social media when I started listening to these affirmations.

Instead of waking up crabby, worried about my workload for the day, and quietly judging strangers on social media, I looked forward to having a coffee in bed, enjoying my partner's company, and thinking about all the potential the day has to offer.

Day Four

I actually fell asleep during the affirmations this moming-which wasn't my intention at all, but there's a ton of construction going on outside my building and I guess trying to listen to affirmations at 6 am just isn't my thing. That said, during my weird interrupted morning nap, I ended up dreaming about the exact affirmations I was listening to. I don't think that's at all how you're supposed to practice morning affirmations but I still woke up in a pretty decent mood-even in spite of the annoying construction outside.

video and resources

here is a tip if ur trying the 10,000 affirmations thing! 400 x 10 = 4,000 sooo you can listen to a subliminal/ aff tapes 10 times which can give you 4000+ affirmations already. (depends which subliminal though)

use @rosellesworkshop the void challenge

cr to @thespiritualgyalss and @td on twitter

love, jade

[askagamedev]

Mark Darrah is back on Dragon Age as a consultant. What use does a consultant have on the team that doesn't involve sensitivity feedback (i.e., that seems low-key sexist, racist, etc)?

I think you may misunderstand the point of a consultant. Generally, a consultant is an expert in some field that a company hires so they can get questions answered. Sometimes that expertise is in things like sensitivity feedback or diversity/equity/inclusivity, but it can also be in any number of fields - corporate efficiency, a specific type of technology, economics, ancient Chinese history, military tactics and equipment, constructed languages, skateboarding physics, or (in Darrah's case) extensive brand knowledge and experience.

Companies hire consultants, often for very high fees, to answer the questions they need the specific expertise for. If a company or a person has questions they absolutely need answered, they're often willing to pay an expert to answer them. The most common situation for regular people to hire a consultant is when they have legal questions - they usually hire a lawyer to ask them the questions and get answers. A game company might need questions answered about reducing sexual harassment in the workplace, how ancient Mayans farmed, or how the Battle of Bulge went down in order to finish their project.

Relationships with consultants are usually fairly short affairs - once the necessary questions are answered and solution is decided upon, the consultant gets paid and they leave. They're very similar to contractors in that way - they are paid to join the team temporarily, do a specific thing (answer questions and/or come up with solutions), and then leave. You may have noticed that this blog is basically a (free) consulting gig for me. I've got a lot of institutional knowledge that isn't super common and that knowledge is valuable. If a company wanted my expertise to help solve a specific game development problem or answer specific game dev questions, I would charge them a consulting fee for it.

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent Questions: The FAQ

[ts1989fanatic]

Taylor Swift's fans are renowned for their loyalty and dedication.

Known colloquially as "Swifties," they sell out stadiums in minutes; spend weeks creating intricate outfits that pay tribute to her albums; comb through her lyrics to find Easter eggs and secret messages.

Back in November, the fandom received national attention for taking action after Ticketmaster bungled the Eras Tour presale.

The backlash was so loud and so fervent that the Department of Justice launched an antitrust investigation into Ticketmaster's parent company. The power of Swifties became clearer than ever.

Indeed, the sheer passion of Swift's fans has helped make her the biggest pop star in the world — but that doesn't grant them absolute access to her life and personal space.

Recently, Swift obsessives have been exhibiting overzealous — and frankly concerning — behavior. Videos have circulated online that show swarms of people camping outside her home in New York City and Electric Lady Studios, where she's been spotted working in between tour dates. Other clips show fans chasing her car down the street.

It's one thing to wait for hours in the pouring rain to watch Swift deliver a spectacular concert. That's her job. It's another, more sinister thing to wait for hours on the sidewalk, just to film her car entering her home garage. That's her life.

Swift has been candid about fending off stalkers throughout her career, making this behavior particularly egregious for anyone who claims to care about her well-being.

"My fear of violence has continued into my personal life," she wrote for Elle in 2019. "I carry QuikClot army-grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds. Websites and tabloids have taken it upon themselves to post every home address I've ever had online. You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things."

This is not to say that Swift's most fervent fans are all stalkers, but it's easy to see how this behavior could be triggering for someone who's been stalked. And as Swift said in her "Miss Americana" documentary in 2020, "There's a difference between 'I really connect with your lyrics' and 'I'm going to break in.'" Some Swifties clearly need to be reminded of where that line is.

This is also not the first time Swifties have overstepped. Some fans have been known to harass members of the LGBTQ community for analyzing Swift's songs through a queer lens. Others have sent insults and death threats to music critics for less-than-glowing reviews of Swift's music.

Of course, this behavior isn't unique to Swifties. But Swift's lack of admonition is uniquely strange. She has marketed herself as someone who's not afraid to speak up to defend her values, someone who has explicitly condemned homophobes and bullies in her music.

Swift has also said she's proud of her affectionate relationship with fans. She has invited Swifties to her Nashville home for album listening parties; sent personalized notes to celebrate milestones; donated money for college tuitions; protected concertgoers from aggressive security guards.

Unfortunately, a healthy relationship cannot be sustained with affection alone, be it interpersonal or parasocial.

At the risk of sounding like a wannabe therapist, constructive feedback is essential for growth — and when someone you love disrespects your boundaries, it's not constructive to say silent.

This is something that Phoebe Bridgers, Swift's friend and collaborator, knows all too well.

Although Bridgers experiences fame on a vastly different level than Swift, she has also been subjected to abuse and entitlement at the hands of "people with my picture as their Twitter picture."

In a March interview with Them, Bridgers said she was "bullied" in the midst of a speculative frenzy about her dating life — while she was on the way to her father's funeral.

"I've had people take more than I'm giving, and I'm giving a lot," Bridgers recently told the Wall Street Journal. "I'm pretty fucking transparent, because I would value that in someone whose music I liked when I was a kid. Seeing any representation of any feeling and anything true was awesome to me. To be punished for that is so dark."

"There's a higher chance that you'll meet a fan that you hate than a fan that you love," she added. "You're way more likely to be confronted with someone who just violated your privacy."

If these quotes rub you the wrong way, you may be the problem.

Connecting to a person's music does not give you the right to violate her privacy, and Bridgers isn't afraid to draw that line. I wish more musicians would follow suit.

Ahead of Bridgers' final performance at the Eras Tour on Sunday, I hope Swift is able to absorb some of her bravery and wisdom. It's OK to criticize people for bad behavior — and the fans who stick around are the ones worth keeping.

ts1989fanatic

Even the media can get it right on occasion, the recent behaviour by some so called swifties is bordering on STALKING and needs to stop.

Unless we all want to go back to why she disappeared again.