#How LCD Works

[iero]

So, today is my ex-best friend's 31st birthday... And, I still fucking hate that I know so much about you. I hate that I remember so much about you. I remember your birthday. I remember your favorite music. I remember your favorite T-shirt that had the hole in the armpit area that you kept telling me you needed to throw away, but never did. I shared so much with you. Some of my deepest, darkest secrets. I remember driving to your apartment and crying my eyes out to you because I had to break up with my partner. You hugged me and told me that I will be alright without them. I remember laughing on the drive to the beach feeling on top of the world as we blasted Brand New and sang along to every word. You told me that Archers was your favorite song on that album and it still remains my favorite.

I'll never forget that day in late 2019 when your roommate dropped a ball on me and told me you're a monster and you're being put away. I just woke up and was about to go to my first job of the day. I remember just wanting to stay in bed for a very long time after that. It was such a shock to me. I didn't think you have the capacity to do such a thing. I didn't know that you had this side of you.

There were so many promises we made to each other and now there's no chance. There are so many things I wish I could take back, so many words I wish I never uttered to you. And, I know I can't and that makes it all the more worse. There's only one thing I wish to ask you now and it's "Why did you do what you did?" But, I will not give you the liberty of letting you know that I still think of you. I don't think I ever will.

I know you are where you belong and I hope you stay there for all the years to come. You will get your due some day, but most of all, I hate the fact that I can't hate you. I hate myself for allowing myself to miss you some days because I really, really shouldn't. I'm scared most days that once you are released that you will find me. You are not a good person and I know this, but you were my best friend and I fucking loved you.

[krawdad]

I'm not well versed in how tv production works nowadays. How would a digital HD news broadcast have interlacing artifacts in what might have been cellphone video. Why would any interlacing happen at any stage of an HD broadcast intended for a 1080p screen.

[katatonicimpression]

Underrated annoying thing about this app is how if there's any significant fandom for a TV show, people only want to hear blind praise or relentless shitting on the thing and my "this thing is endlessly frustrating and kind of bad but I don't want to rag on it so much as talk about how it could have been good" doesn't really have a space

Like, it's always salt or stannery

[sthilarions]

Just realized Charles probably has no idea that TV screens don’t make your hands fizz anymore. Cos like, he’s seen LCD/LED/OLED screens, obvs, but he probably hasn’t been able to feel the static/fuzz/tingle for decades already by the time he first encounters one and it’s not like people on the street are going around talking about how their TVs don’t make them buzz anymore so like. How would he know.

He’s probably so confused by touchscreen phones, he’s like, how are people standing putting their fingers all over that all the time, it seems like it would fuck up your joints or give you cancer or something

(Alternatively, the CRT fuzz was one of the very few things he could still feel as a ghost, and he was rather upset when it got hard to find non-flatscreens. Edwin hunted through thrift shops and got him a little portable CRT TV for Christmas in the late 2010s. You’d think it’d be hard to keep an electric device running in a ghosts’ haunt, but it turns out CRT tech is halfway to being supernatural anyway, so it works out.)

[babyjinsu]

[r/offmychest] my boyfriend objectifies me in an online forum and i feel sick.

pairing ; any riize member x fem!reader || reddit smau

warning ; harassment, disgusting nasty misogynistic online comments made to you, noncon imaginations, perverts, implication of wanting to tie up, taking pictures and posting without consent.

[r/offmychest] my boyfriend objectifies me in an online forum and i feel sick. posted by u/yn777 • 6h ago

hi everyone. this is my first time posting something on reddit because i don't know where else to go to. i feel sick, i'm terrified, i've been puking and crying, and i just feel so disgusting about myself. i'm ashamed and embarrassed to tell my IRL friends, and i don't want my parents to ever know about this. i don't even know if this is the correct subreddit to go to, but please hear me out.

i don't know what to do with this information and i'm going to lose it everytime i think about it.

so about three days ago, i had to use my boyfriend's laptop to do my assignment because mine broke. my cat nibbled at the corner of the screen and yeah. it just broke. the lcd cannot be used, and i wasn't in a rush to have it repaired because of the cost but i did (now), after this... thing.

my boyfriend ([age]M) was in the bathroom so i'm 110% sure he didn't hear me letting him know that i'm going to use his laptop and i didn't think it would be such a big deal since we've been a couple for 2 years now. my intention was purely just to open some websites to check for citations for my paper and not to snoop around as i trusted him completely.

but as soon as i opened the browser, multiple tabs were already opened, he didn't close it - it's just like, youtube, a website to watch movies illegally, football scores from a couple nights ago, and some kind of private forum community. i wouldn't have thought much of it since my boyfriend is those guys who does IT and computer science, and just knows a whole lot of stuffs about devices(??). he's the one who helped repair and update my phone. so i didn't find it weird for him to have a forum tab opened since he engaged in online discussions a lot.

the title tag of the forum was something like, "my girl at the most fuckable state and..." it got cut off because the caption/title was too long. i'm the type of girlfriend who doesn't mind if my boyfriend watches porn (not camgirls though...), as long as it doesn't impact our sex life or relationship, and he only watches it with me (TMI). but for some reason this time, it immediately made my heart and stomach drop. it felt REALLY off, and my instincts and guts were both telling me to check, and leave it alone.

i shouldn't have clicked it, oh my god. i wish i didn't. not because i love him and i'd rather not know what he does behind my back, but because i love myself and this. this changed EVERYTHING.

the forum is not like reddit, or 4chan. it's basically a private forum or a space for men to post and talk about their girlfriends in the most degrading ways. i saw some appreciations posts but nonetheless (in THAT type of website?). i saw guys sharing private, intimate pictures (obviously taken without consent, because some of the girls were sleeping, in the bathroom taken from the gap between the door, or simply just watching the television), humiliating stories about how awful the girlfriends are in bed... and just,, the most disgusting, objectifying comments i've ever read.

some guys post their girlfriends picture and asked if anyone wants to share. some asked other users/guys to rate, degrade, or just comment on the girlfriends appearance. some guys even doxxed their girlfriend's working address and captioned, "do what you want with the information".

i feel so fucking sick. as i'm writing this, i can't count how many times i've paused to take a breather and just pace around in my living room.

the thought of my boyfriend even being in that forum already twisted my insides, but then i saw his username, and me.

i clicked on his profile and saw that he had around 9 posts, but his activities/notifications were quite a lot. his account was created a few months after we got together and his username was literally my nickname and the year i was born, and his profile picture was my cat. the same cat that broke my laptop.

my face wasn't visible in the pictures he posted, it was covered with some stupid fucking emoji (just my face). but i knew they were me. i knew those pictures because they were all ones taken by him. i knew they were me because i recognised the couch, the bedsheet, the clothes, and all. it's just obvious.

they were pictures when we're being playful and intimate. some were just me in my pyjamas, or lounging around in his hoodie, and others were me napping or sleeping. i didn't even know he had those pictures.

but the captions. god.. the captions.

i can't even. i don't even want to repeat or write it down. it's so so fucking disgusting and humiliating, and i would NEVER ever thought they were written by him. he took those pictures, covered my face, opened the forum, captioned, reread, and posted. he had a lot of time to rethink about what he was doing, but he didn't.

stuffs like, "she acts all innocent but you guys have no idea how easy it is to put her in her place." "god i feel like fucking her in front of her ex-boyfriend sometimes. to think of how he got her first before me pisses the fuck out of me man. he's crazy for not tying her up when he had her tho." i can't believe this is how he views me.

another horrible thing was he didn't just posts about me, but he shits on my family members and friends too. he claimed that my friends are just shitty people in my life that needs to get a partner of their own so they can get the fuck out of my life. he also admitted into bullying the people i am no longer friends with.

but the comments were worse, or they both were, i don't fucking know anymore. just the most toxic, red-flag, misogynistic nonsense. they were saying how lucky my boyfriend is, and how instead of making the same mistake as my ex-boyfriend did, he (my boyfriend) should keep me leashed to the bed with a collar. that was the only comment my boyfriend replied to. he agreed, and added that he can't have other guys looking at me.

some wanted to share and pass me around. these are guys with wives and girlfriends, and daughters, and mothers, and sisters by the way. the comments and posts were from guys who probably seemed normal to you. these guys could be your colleagues, neighbours, classmates, professors, or even your dad.

he doesn't comment, interact, or engage on other people's posts. it was as if he only made the account to post about me. with how he covered my face, it seemed like he just wants to let out his sickening, disgusting thoughts unlike some of the guys in the forum. but that didn't make it any better.

i immediately closed his laptop after going through the forum and went out of the room before he stopped showering. i think he knows something's wrong with me because i haven't been talking to him much, or reacting, or responding to him. it's been three days, and i told him i'm sleeping over my friends' house. i don't know how long i can avoid or keep up with the lie. i'm shaking so much.

i don't know how to process this. he has always been so sweet and respectful to my face. on the surface, he's your parents' dream son-in-law. not once have i felt unsafe around him, until now, that is. he doesn't even seem like the type to do these kinds of things but i'm not sure now. the way he talks about me when i'm not around. like i'm some kind of trophy or an object for him to. yea. sexualise online. for strangers to see.

i feel disgusting, violated, harrassed, assaulted, objectified... everything. i don't know how, or even if i SHOULD confront him. what can he say to justify this? that it's a joke? what if he fucking kills me because i wasn't supposed to see it? should i report this to the police? he lets a bunch of strangers talk about me like that. he doesn't fucking love me.

i don't know what to do. i don't know what to do. i feel so fucking sick and scared oh my god. i don't know what else he could be doing behind my back. i'm so scared.

💭 omgg………… hehehehhehehe hope u guys enjoyyyy xoxooooo

[dunmeshistash]

Interview to celebrate the opening of the Ryoko Kui Exhibition

About Delicious in Dungeon: Story making

Q1. Your first long-running series has lasted for about 9 and a half years. Has it been different from your previous experience drawing short stories?

A1. Compared to short stories, the series has been easier because the same characters appear each time. But I was surprised to find that I got tired of drawing the same characters too many times.

Q2. You have said before that the overall structure of the story was decided before serialization began, but how much of that had you communicated to your editor? Also, what kind of communication did you have during the series production?

A2. The goal was something we discussed and had decided on from the beginning. The goal itself was simple, but the path to get there was more difficult and took longer than imagined.

Q3. Regarding the overall story concept and development, did you write out or put anything down in writing (such as the plot)?

A3. I did, but it was simple.

Q4. Did you come up with the dishes based on the monsters you wanted in the story? Or did you come up with the monsters based on the dishes?

A4. It depended on the story, but usually the story came first followed by the monsters or food. I feel like that was most often the order.

Q5. As you progressed in drawing the series, what elements of the characters, story, or world expanded or grew in the most unexpected way?

A5. Nothing particularly unexpected perhaps. When I used to draw web manga, I tended to think up inconsequential settings. So, from the beginning I tried to restrain myself as much as possible and not expand too much. I was surprised when my editor said "Let's expand it more," in the second half of the series.

Q6. "Delicious in Dungeon" starts with a relatively simple setting, but as the series and the labyrinth exploration continues, the map slowly expands little by little in the readers' minds. It becomes more three-dimensional, revealing the secrets of the world, and taking on a multilayered structure. Are there any sources that you used as a reference, or which influenced you in creating this multilayered structure?

A6. A long time ago, when I was working on my personal web manga (fantasy), I drew it however I wanted, thinking that "Only people who can read this will read it," but I regularly received feedback that it was "unreadable", so I tried to make it as easily. accessible as possible.

Q7. The series combines many elements, including "fantasy", "gourmet", "battles", and "puzzle solving", but I think it's also important that it is a "comedy" which makes people laugh. Could you let us know if you have a creative commitment towards depicting humor?

A7. My hopes are that I can make it fun for people to read.

[page 5]

About Delicious in Dungeon: Drawing manga

Q1. Please tell us about the drawing tools you currently use, both digital and analogue.

A1. In terms of analogue tools, I use a light box, a G pen, a round pen, and a brush pen. And for digital, I use CLIP STUDIO PAINT and a Wacom LCD tablet. Screentone pasting is always done on the computer, so ultimately it all ends up as a digital manuscript.

Q2. Do you have any rules or reasons for using digital and analog separately?

A2. I'm always looking for ways to draw better and save time, so the exact approach is probably different for almost every chapter. Personally, I feel that analogue methods create more appealing lines, but I feel like digital saves time, so maybe I'll do a digital rough sketch and do the inking by hand… I might have been using a G pen, and maybe I'll try out a turnip pen, or this time I'm short on time so I'll draw it entirely digitally, but with digital I can redo it over and over, so maybe analogue is still faster, and so on and so forth. I'm indecisive in this way and so haven't developed a consistent process.

Q3. I understand that you prepare 3D data for your assistants to draw the backgrounds. What kind of data did you make for "Delicious in Dungeon" ?

A3. You could call it 3D, but it's not a proper model, just something to help with the rough sketching. I line up cubes to share the perspective and sense of scale, and they use it as a reference.

Q4. At the beginning of the series, the characters and backgrounds were somewhat simply drawn, and it seems like they became richly detailed over the progression of the story. What was your intention behind using these different styles?

A4. It's simply that my technique isn't stable. I thought I'd put a lot of effort in at the start. I remember being confused when my editor asked me to add more in to the drawing, and I wondered "Where…?"

Q5. Thinking about the food, were there any menu illustrations that you were particularly satisfied with, or which you struggled with?

A5. I've never liked my own food illustrations. But the times when I read other people's manga and thought "That looks delicious," I think it's been more an influence of the movement, the staging, and the situation than the drawings.

Q6. For the world maps and the terrain of each continent, did you refer to any maps of the real world? I feel like the shape of the 'island' is similar to the shape of Fukuoka Prefecture or Kyushu.

A6. I didn't reference any specific geography, but I did try to put thought into things like whether a developed city would be near a river or the sea, and what the coastline would look like. I'm pleased if it feels similar to a real place, because it means my interpretation was pretty accurate.

About Delicious in Dungeon: Other

Q1. Which is your favorite monster?

A1. Nightmare.

Q2. I'm sure you have received a lot of feedback from readers in countries and regions outside of Japan. Please tell us if there was anything from them that made you happy, was unexpected, or which made a lasting impression on you.

A2. When you play foreign games, there are times when you think "Why did they translate it into Japanese like that?" But having been on the side of having something translated, I've realized some things are unavoidable, or endless, and there are many things that don't matter either way from the author's perspective, so it was interesting.

About Ryoko Kui's short story collections and herself

Q1. Dragons are a consistent and important motif in your work. Was there any particular work or experience which inspired this? Also, are there points about drawing dragons which you find interesting or have had to work hard on?

A1. It's less about liking dragons, and more that I'm interested in the worlds in which dragons exist. When I draw dragons, the depiction in itself has a sweet feeling to it. I have never had a pet reptile, so I don't have a very good understanding of them.

Q2. Unomiya University in your story "The dragon's school is on top of the mountain" has a Faculty of Dragons, Department of Environmental Studies, and Department of Technology Studies, and a Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. If you were to enroll in the university, which department or faculty would you like to enter?

A2. I probably wouldn't be accepted….

Q3. The collection includes a short story staged as an essay manga. Are you a fan of essay manga? Please tell us about any genres of essay manga that you like.

A3. I love all kinds of essay manga. I read them often.

Q4. If you were to make your own game, what kind of game would you like to make?

A4. I prefer being a player when it comes to games.

Q5. When did you first start drawing illustrations (doodles)?

A5. I don't exactly remember when I first drew a picture, but I think I started drawing manga around the fourth or fifth grade of elementary school. in my notebooks and had my friends read them.

Q6. What is the most fun part about drawing manga?

A6. Every part is fun and hard in its own way.

Q7. Please tell us if there is anything you "just can't stop no matter what".

A7. My procrastination habit.

Q8. Could you please tell us if there's something you want to draw now?

A8. I've been working continuously since the serialization, so I'd like to take about 2 to 3 months to just draw whatever I want.

[activitytime]

Pixel - November 2024

OBSESSED with @yellowhellion ‘s screen-phasing munchie-napper, Pixel! Tried to emulate a screen-printed poster while still giving a nod to their power set. Took inspiration from my childhood fascination with CRT static LCD computer monitors, how their screens would bruise green and purple if you pressed on them too hard. I had a truly unhinged amount of fun working them. Their shapes????! Are so goood???!!

[phoebe-delia]

Four Years in Fandom!

Hiii! It's been four years since I posted my first fic on AO3, and while I started reading fic before that, I consider April 25 my fandom anniversary.

To celebrate, I want to talk about my favorite fic I wrote each year. And I'm going to make it a tag game! Y'all do it too if you feel like it! Make a list of your favorite of your own works, one from each year you've been a creator. It can be fic, art, podfic, etc.—anything you made. I'll start by tagging some folks (but no pressure): @basicallyahedgehog @getawayfox @kittycargo @phdmama @peachpety @lqtraintracks @greattemptation @written-in-ash and @cailynwrites

2021 (Year 1): this is me trying

Rated T, 12.6k

This is still my favorite thing I've ever written. If you read only one of my fics, I'd want it to be this one. It's one of the more personal stories I've written, and it means a lot to me. It was also, at that point, the longest fic I'd written, and I feel it marked a turning point for me as a writer. I'm also so grateful for the friendships it's brought me, and I am always humbled when people tell me it helped them through a difficult time. It helped me, too.

2022 (Year 2): Goodnight, and Have a Pleasant Tomorrow

Rated T, 1.4k

This was for LCD in 2022. I won't lie, I am very proud of this fic. It's an SNL AU with Drarry as hosts of Weekend Update. I wrote all the jokes myself based on real news headlines at the time. It was difficult, but probably the most fun I've had writing a fic. (Note: Lyssa @written-in-ash made some lovely art for it, but I think the image host link isn’t working).

2023 (Year 3): Just Take Me Home

Rated T, 4.7k

This was a fun one, too. I love it because it feels like the kind of fic I'd love as a reader, especially when I was first getting into Drarry. I was also really happy with the idea/concept, not to mention how fun it was to come up with a, let's say, unfortunate acronym for this fake Ministry department. AND the incredible @cailynwrites made a podfic of it and made it sound 10x better.

2024 (Year 4): I Could Never Rescue You

Rated M, 1.6k; (mind the tags!)

This has a VERY different tone than what I usually write. It falls into the category of: Fics I Enjoy Writing but Wouldn't Like to Read, mostly because it's angsty and I am very selective with the angst I read. Mind the tags on this one, if you do read it. I won't spoil it, but all I'll say is, it is structurally (and somewhat thematically) inspired by the musical The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown. (There are a few major differences; if you're familiar with the show and you want to be spoiled/know the plotlines I changed for the fic, message me!) I had the idea when I first started writing fic, but I put it off for so long because I knew how hard it would be to make the unique structure of the show translate to fic form. I also hadn't figured out how to honor the angst of the show without making myself too sad and/or writing Drarry in a way that felt inconsistent with how I view them.

[didyoulookforme]

mayhaps could i request getting high and shotgunning with young bf matty😳☝️

you’re wedged between matty, the boys and other friends during an amazing, sweaty lcd soundsystem set at the academy. it's no surprise that someone in your group lights up a joint mid gig and sneakily starts passing it amongst the lot of you, only that when it make its way to where you and matty are, there's barely any left. he tries to hand you the last drag but you shake your head, george noticing and leaning in towards the both of you: mate, just shotgun her.

to be honest, you have no clue what that means but matty’s instant absolutely not tells you that it’s probably something bad.

com’on, you’ve kissed her before.

heat blooms up your neck because apparently matty’s told him about your little make out session from months ago. it’s a bit mortifying because of the circumstances as to why it happened, but it’s also kinda sweet that he deemed it important enough to share with his band mate.

anyway, you stop their bickering by asking to tell you what the hell they’re talking about but both just stare at you. oh, for fucks sake, just enlighten me.

george finally explains. one person inhales, then exhales the smoke straight into the other’s mouth, practically lip‑to‑lip, so you both get a bit stoned.

soooo no wonder matty shut the idea down lol.

but there’s absolutely no way you’re letting a prime opportunity to fluster your best friend slip by, so you tilt your head, put on your best pout and point at the dying joint. do it for me. matty just keeps staring at the stage pretending like he didn’t hear you but you can see the muscle in his jaw twitch which makes you grin. (and there’s definitely sweat rolling down his spine for reasons that have nothing to do with dancing but you don’t know that.)

yet he ignores you so you huff, grab the joint and spin toward george. fine, you then. you ask, sugary sweet, george’s eyebrows raising in amusement because he totally knows matty’s down bad for you.

matty snaps around so fast it’s a miracle he doesn’t break his neck. absolutely not. no universe exists where you almost kiss the drummer. thus with an over dramatic scoff, he snatches the joint from your fingers, places it between his lips and cups your cheek, pulling you close. the lights flare purple and blue over his curls as he drags in a slow breath, eyes locked on your mouth silently asking you to open up. you part your lips and absolutely everything—synth lines, screaming, james murphy himself—goes quiet the second his mouth ghosts over yours and you feel the warm smoke rest against your tongue. you don’t even notice when you close your eyes but they snap open when matty tells you that it only works if you inhale. which you do as you nod, the smoke catching at the back of your throat, leading to a coughing fit that makes matty laugh quietly as he rubs your back up and down to help you out.

once you do stop coughing, you don’t know if you’re feeling lightheaded from the weed, the lack of oxygen, or the fact that his lips were so close to yours once more, something you’ve been daydreaming about since the last time it happened on his bedroom floor. you just hug yourself, trying your best to focus on the fact that “new york, i love you but you’re bringing me down” is pouring from the monitors but it’s damn difficult to do so when matty’s hand rests on your lower back because it never left your body. you keep sneaking glances, noticing how he’s softly singing along to the track, the smallest grin pulling at the corner of his lips because he’s definitely over the moon himself right now. but again, no way he can tell you that <3

[luetta]

oh to be a robot sitting on the edge of a workbench in a tinkerer's dark workshop, the room only slightly illuminated by various analog computer screens and tiny LCD lights on parts scattered around. letting my mechanic best friend take off the outer shell off my knee to inspect the metal joints and wiring - something came loose in my knee today. looking down at my creator on her knees, so delicately going inside my machinery with tools and gloved fingers, her tongue poking out slightly, strands of hair whispering down her face ... and realising that there's new protocols running. evoking unprecedented emotions. feelings that are distinctly different from friendship. something much more powerful. my fans switch to a stronger mode thinking about how much i adore her, and she looks up at me now, my dim red cheek blush LCDs turning on. she just gives a little smile, brushes aside some hair which immediately falls back into place, and goes back to working on me.

[4theluvofsapphos]

Butterfingers - Ch. 2

Melissa Schemmenti x Futch Mechanic!Reader

A/N: no beta, but this is a shorter chappy but it's filler for big things i promise!!!! let me know how u like this one :3 enjoi!!!!

warnings: nada

chapter 1 here

tags: @10gay-keysmash01

Wandering through the halls of the school, you took your time– meandering about from machine to machine, checking stock. Nothing seemed to be amiss aside from a minor repair on the primary hallway vending machine. The thing seemed to have a busted display panel, so users wouldn’t know what they were picking, fate deciding whether or not their corn nuts would be barbeque or ranch. 

As you unscrewed the punch pad’s panel, you thought about your giant duffel bag carrying a cartel-sized amount of snacks for the teacher’s lounge. 

A small chuckle escaped your lips at the thought, something amused you about the idea of a bunch of adults wanting candy and Cheetos. In a way, you found it wholesome. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, you thought. It made sense, they were around kids all the time– and kids had some of the best snacking inventory out of all of humanity. 

The sound of a familiar voice ripped you from your thoughts,”Hey new guy! What tech-centric genius IT thing are ya doin’ over there?” 

Janine jogged over to you, (miraculously) out of breath in the four hurried steps she had just taken. Your eyes glimmered with the question. 

You were always something of a teacher. Loving to teach, and more than that, loving to see people learn new things. There was something so satisfying about seeing the gears turn, before clicking things into place and watching a machine whir to life just as it should. 

“Oh! It’s nothing too serious, actually. The LCD here seems to be busted, so it’s just a matter of getting a replacement part and plugging these little wires back in right here.�� You gestured to the small 5 pin wires needed to connect the screen to the rest of the vending machine. 

Janine nodded, clearly not entirely there. She seemed to be looking around for something, and her eyes lit up as soon as she (assumedly) found that thing…or person, rather.

You didn’t mind the dismissal from Janine– you knew your interests were boring to most, or just too complex for people to care about much. Rifling through your repair bag, you opened a large plastic container with multiple small compartments. Various pin wires, replacement nuts and bolts, and most importantly, a small handful of packaged LCD screens sat in the different compartments. 

Taking one out of its plastic, you stuck the container back in your bag, before looking over to Janine, only to see that she was waving down the fiery headed teacher from the day before. She was approaching rather quickly, alarmingly so, actually– how on Earth did a woman so petite move so damn fast?!

Brushing aside your unnerved feelings for the mach one woman racing towards you, you turned back to the pin holders still sticking out of the machine, connecting the red and blue wires, before going to connect the black and yellow ones. 

“What is it, Janine?” The woman grunted, seemingly annoyed she had to detour. “I’m boutta’ to be late for class, and so are you, kid. Whaddya even doin’ over here– oh.” 

The older woman’s gaze went from the beaming young teacher, to your face, before darting away. 

“Yeah uh. Hey.” She muttered, shifting uncomfortably from one heel onto the other. Something in you crumbled at her reaction to your presence. Did she really not like you? Maybe it was just because it was early morning…that’s what you told yourself to calm your rising anxieties. 

Smiling in response, you let out a little hum in greeting, before turning back to your work. 

Melissa clutched her jacket tighter around herself. You noticed she used it like her shield. Something hardened and tough to protect her, maybe? You didn’t have time to speculate– Janine hopped up, patting you on the shoulder and jogging off to class. 

“See you, y/n! Glad to see you’re settling nicely!” Janine yelled as she rounded a corner, disappearing.

“Oh- uhm! Bye!” You called after, turning to the machine, before looking over at Melissa, who stood there– seeming to hover, as if waiting for something. 

You looked up into those prying green eyes, lips pursing tight as you thought of what to say. 

Looking down to your duffel of snacks, you suddenly realized what she was likely waiting for. Grabbing the grey bag with one hand, you lifted the bag while standing up. Melissa followed your gaze, having to crane her neck to see your eyes. 

“Sorry about that, I totally thought you were waiting to talk to me– you probably want this, right?” You asked sheepishly, opening a compartment in the duffel, and handing her a small Butterfingers. The bright yellow packaging gleamed in the fluorescent light of the halls. 

Melissa’s brows knitted, an unreadable expression crossing her features before she smiled small. 

“Oh...thanks, hon.” She sighed, seeming almost disappointed. You cracked a smile at this, knowing she would’ve wanted more than just the one piece of candy. 

“I’m messing with you, red. I have this for you.” With a swift motion, you grabbed a quart sized Ziploc bag full of the glimmering yellow and blue candy. 

The redhead’s eyes bugged out to the size of dinner plates at your grand display. 

“Holy fuckin’-- damn it, you really didn’t hafta do all this! When I said some, I meant a few. Do you know what a few looks like?” 

Your features lit up with a nearly face splitting grin,”Several, right? Which is more than two, but not many, but many is a lot, and this is only a quart size. So by definition, you could say this is a few, isn’t it?” 

Melissa’s eyes rolled so hard they almost fell right out of her head, a smile threatening to spill onto her features. 

She gave a small laugh, and the sound had you grinning even harder, somehow. You presented the bag to her with two hands, the duffel half open on one arm, your tool belt on your other arm, and your repair bag hanging off of your wrist. You looked absolutely insane, but something about that fact seemed to endear Melissa.

She carefully took the bag, cheeks puffing out with how surprisingly hefty the bag was. “In any case, you’re absolutely insane n’ I think you’re crazy for this.” She chuckled halfheartedly, her features hardening to a level of genuine sincerity. “Thank ya, though…really. No one’s ever really done…this for me. Get me my favorite candy n’ what not. So. Yeah. Thanks..”

Before you could say anything back, Melissa turned on her heel and sped off (at that alarmingly fast speedwalk). You let a small puff of air out of your nose, something like a laugh. But you’d never laugh at Melissa Schemmenti. She wasn’t someone to be laughed at. Turning back to the LCD you’d been fixing, you plugged in the remaining connectors, before screwing the panel back on and plugging the machine back in. 

As expected, the screen flickered to life. You nodded to yourself, before standing up and heading to the teacher’s lounge. 

–

Melissa settled into her classroom while the kids went about writing their daily plans and writing prompt for the morning. Looking at the bag sitting in her lower left drawer, she noticed something sticking out of the mound of Butterfingers she’d recently come into possession of. Opening the bag, she grabbed the slip of paper, unfolding it carefully. 

Hey Red,

Hope you don’t hate me for my clumsy introduction. Found these fresh from the factory for you. 

Enjoy!

y/n

Melissa’s lips parted, before she quickly crumpled the note and tossed it into the trash. She couldn’t do this, not again. 

Not another repairman, not another relationship.

But if you were a woman, did that make it different?

[redvexillum]

💖 Vexi Update 💖

Guess who crawled out of the corporate overtime abyss with coffee-stained dignity and a stack of half-finished reports? This gal! Did ya miss me? (Lie to me if you didn’t.) While I was being held hostage by deadlines and adulting, I hope the brilliant writers and artists around here kept your hearts warm and your imaginations fed. 

Okay, storytime my beautiful gremlins: remember back in the day when I used to post constantly? Like, practically breathing out fanfics? YEAH, turns out that was at the horrifying cost of completely neglecting my actual work and life. (Please... don’t look at me like that. I know, okay?? My impulse control is about as sturdy as wet tissue paper. AHHH.)

Anyway! Here's the deal—posting like a maniac isn't exactly sustainable unless I wanna be homeless but with vibes ✨️. So why am I telling you this when all you want is more spicy shenanigans with LCD TV Man, Deer Demon, and maybe the Sad Devil?

Because! My wonderful, wise friend Kit a.k.a @redfoxwritesstuff (bless her patient soul) taught me a valuable lesson: slow and steady updates are way better than dumping a story buffet and then vanishing into the void for, uh... counts on fingers... over five months.

Sooo the new plan? Scheduled updates! Actual routines! Feeding you delightful gremlins just enough to keep you full without starving you for half a year! (You’re welcome.)

And guess what? I've actually got some projects lined up!

First, I must finish my extremely belated New Year's kisses (seriously, it's almost embarrassing at this point). Then, I’m planning to finally sit down and edit some raw stories I’ve been hoarding like a dragon with emotional baggage. No joke, I legit have almost an entire story written—raw, completely unedited—but hey, it should be ready soon! (Hopefully! Haha...ha.)

Now I’m ready to dust off the cobwebs in my creative attic and shake off the metaphorical constipation (yep, it’s that kind of re-entry). It might take a few awkward story stretches and cringey one-shots before I get my rhythm back, so bear with me while I recalibrate from "boring office zombie" to "smoll sad party bonzanas. 🥳" 

How long will I maintain this Responsible Era ✨️?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

No clue. But let’s enjoy the chaotic semi-organization while it lasts. Bwahaha.

My goal is to start updating near the 🌸 end of May/early June 🌸, so...

[bitbybitbot]

Stone Computer

Stone computer is one of my most involved and time-consuming projects I have ever made.

The idea and early sketches first came to me around 2020 when I was thinking about what makes our electronic devices feel different from our other objects. Maybe it's a screen, maybe it's a button, maybe it's nothing but a single blinking light and subtle whirring. Any of these indicators can shift an object's perception from something that could be tossed across a room to something that is delicate and thinking; almost treated as alive. I started considering the smallest change needed to turn a thoughtless, solid object into a device, thereby changing how the viewer perceives and interacts with it.

It wouldn't be until four years later in the summer of 2024 when I was finally in a place to start working on this project for real. I was back in my home state of Rhode Island reconnecting with my friends. The previous summer, we had worked on an ambitious project that included teaching ourselves to anodize aluminum and conducting dangerous experiments in our own backyards. I was inspired by the accomplishment of working on and finishing a project like that just through having a vision and an obsessive work ethic, and I wanted to make something new the next summer.

My friend Cooper and I work well together: I study art and design, he studies electrical and computer engineering, and we share a strange abstract wavelength of thinking. It was the perfect pairing to make the stone computer a reality. We started with sketches designing what we wanted our computer to do. We made prototypes and tests as we went starting with the form made of chicken wire, the exterior sculpted from concrete, and finally inserting the electronic components and coding the machine.

The final piece is an interactive sculpture that generates a combination of odd words fed to the machine by Cooper and myself. Pressing the button flashes an LED indicator light and shows a new cryptic message on the LCD display. The organic shape of the concrete rock and the unique words it spits out give the stone computer a personality.

It is a fun to use and completely non-utilitarian interactive sculpture, and it makes me happy every time I look at it.

[directdogman]

hi dogman! i just picked up dialtown recently and haven’t finished the game or started the dlc, (so this stuff might be answered later in the game and i just don’t know yet, sorry) but i do have a bunch of questions about the science of dialtown that have been plaguing me since i started the game:

are all the people of the dialtown universe (sans gingi ofc) still classified as human, or are they another species? object heads are implied (as far as i can tell) to be man made creations at some point, but no one but norm has an actual human head. have they mutated to only have object heads? are they born with object heads? if they are born with the ability to get an object head, are they born with no head, or does the doctor cut it off and install an object head, are object heads technological or biological (or magical)? are they biologically capable of changing their object head from birth? the objects are clearly still made of plastic/metal/glass etc, and they’re fully integrated with the “human” body systems- the ability to blush means blood cells circulate through the non-organic (non-meat?) parts of the head, and they can feel pain inflicted to the mechanical parts just as easily (shoutout to randy for being so unfortunate). so are the mechanical parts of the objects, like wires, integrated into the human parts of the body as well? are the object heads a completely scientifically separate thing to the actual body, like prosthetic? if so, how does blood and nerve pain transfer? where are their brains? is the canonical consciousness and memory of a person in their body, since their heads can be swapped (especially when most of the objects are not capable of storing memory at all?) furthermore, since the object heads can function like the objects they represent, do printers and typewriters require ink, or have they developed ink cartridges/sacs like cephalopods? similarly, are object heads with LCD displays (like cellphones, the teleprompter, TVs etc, if those even exist in this universe) bioluminescent and/or chromatophores, since they can light up (i think) and change color? if the object heads are mostly technologically developed, and Dialtown takes place in the present, why are most object heads deeply outdated technology (typewriters and analog phones, with the most modern tech being randy’s Nokia and Karen’s printer, both of which are still incredibly outdated?) are object heads considered a completely different technological process from the technology they resemble, or is this of a cultural anachronism, (like cpu mice being called mice because their cord resembled a tail, even though they no longer have the tail at all)? is it a cultural thing?

tl;dr: how does biology work in dialtown? people can change their heads if they want, but the objects are still treated like part of the person. are object heads at all a genetic feature of the people of dialtown, or purely a technological thing, or both or neither?

apologies if i’m looking into everything too deeply- but i am fascinated by the scientific and biological implications of object heads. also, the game is great. karen is the only printer i have ever loved.

are all the people of the dialtown universe (sans gingi ofc) still classified as human

Yes, to the point where flesh heads are considered an inhuman trait now. To the point where some beloved historic figures (like Washington) are often depicted with phone heads, despite never having one.

are they born with object heads?

They're born with an adapter, and the heads are added immediately after birth.

are object heads technological or biological (or magical)?

I'd argue they're technological and biological. It's a bit like asking if a hermit crab is biological or mineral.

[] parts of the head, and they can feel pain inflicted to the mechanical parts just as easily (shoutout to randy for being so unfortunate).

Our brains have no pain receptors, but the areas around them do, so brain swelling is indeed unbelievably uncomfortable. I see object-head pain as a similar phenomenon. It's the biological pieces that cry out when the mechanical parts fail.

if the object heads are mostly technologically developed, and Dialtown takes place in the present, why are most object heads deeply outdated technology

I've answered this question before, but the long and short of it is that most modern devices aren't easy to swap individual pieces out of, while older devices (with vacuum tubes and basic transistors) can be swapped out. Imagine having to replace your entire head every time something screwed up, or having to get your repairs from a single company who makes the device. You think dealing with Apple support is bad, imagine if you HAD to go to them for healthcare!

Also, there's a cultural inertia. Crown's memory being bricked meant that his plan essentially halted and it's not like anyone had the will/ability to continue it.

are object heads considered a completely different technological process from the technology they resemble, or is this of a cultural anachronism [] is it a cultural thing?

That's complicated and to answer this question completely, I'd have to delve deeper into the rationale of the Dialup affecting non humans. The answer is it's a bit of both.

but the objects are still treated like part of the person?

They're considered part of the person, though with the acknowledgement that they can be swapped out and aren't a part of the person anymore if lost. Like teeth for us.

are object heads at all a genetic feature of the people of dialtown, or purely a technological thing, or both or neither?

Head choices are cultural, and the only genetic link to headtypes is based on how genetics influence cultural norms. EG: the tendency to give people phones or typewriters depending on the gender given at birth.

[hustlerose]

metric fan.... what are your thoughts on art of doubt ? i'm trying to get into metric and that's the one album that's clicking with me big time... it's so good

i have strongly mixed feelings about art of doubt, and broadly about this newer era the band is in

i hated pagans in vegas. that album was a major slump. i thought they were going the way of bloc party or lcd soundsystem or any number of weirdo indie rock bands from the 00's, where they'd keep on truckin but never reach their glorious highs again...

well, it didn't turn out that way. art of doubt is a triumph, a return to form, and proof they can still write a great rock album. emily's voice is in top form. i've always loved how delicate and sincere she sounds on mic, and middle age has only made those qualities stronger. listen to her gliding across that slippery groove in "anticipate," fluttering breathlessly over the chorus of "underline the black," or balancing between warmth and sarcasm on "seven rules." performances like these make a metric album worth it

i think art of doubt contains some of the best metric songs EVER. "now or never now" is genuinely a top 10 indie rock song imo. when it's on, i never want it to end. "dressed to suppress" is a really knockout track, the kind no one else seems to make anymore. and the last 3 songs are gorgeous. they're naked and unpretentious in a way that just melts my heart

and can i just say the production is killer. metric albums are usually super crisp and detailed, but this one blows em all out of the water. every drum hit BANGS. the guitars on this whole album sound phenomenal

all that said, i think the album has problems. emily pushes her voice outside her comfort zone a few times and... sometimes that works, like on those high notes in "no lights on the horizon." sometimes it DOES NOT WORK, like when she tries to scream some lines on the title track. her voice refuses to get loud and she just yelps awkwardly. the production tries to help her out by adding some distortion, but that only makes it worse. moments like this draw attention to how one-dimensional this album is outside of some key moments.

but here's my real beef with art of doubt, as well as formentera 1 and 2. these songs have a terrible case of "bad verse, great chorus" disease. "die happy," "holding out," and "dark saturday" are the worst offenders here. the choruses sound like they're totally disconnected from the verses around them. the transitions are janky and abrupt, and when the chorus ends my only thought is "damn, i have to slog thru 30 more seconds of sludge before i can get back to the song i was enjoying." so many of the deep cuts have this problem, and it makes the whole album feel choppy and stilted

overall, i like the record. i like it a lot. but on repeated listens, i end up skipping more and more songs until i'm left with the handful i truly love. not my fav metric album, but i'll admit it's grown on me since it dropped

if you like art of doubt, do yourself a huge favor and listen to synthetica. the whole album, front to back. it's one of the greatest alt rock albums ever written. when you're done, listen to fantasies. it's their most popular, and it's equally great.

somewhere in there, find some time for this playlist i just made: metric essential deep cuts. emily doesn't get enough credit as a master lyricist and songwriter. together, the haines-shaw songwriting duo are truly special, the kind of thing you're lucky to get once in a generation. i hope this playlist makes a case for that <3