#which will involve having to break out the power tools but will get me two wider bookcases rather than a three-piece bookcase

[seat-safety-switch]

One of the things that nobody tells you about automotive repair is how much of the job involves cleaning. Brake cleaning. Contact cleaning. Interior cleaning. Wiping off pounds of mud so you can even see. Some fixes, you spend more time cleaning off the area than you do actually doing the work.

There are two schools of thought on this issue. Not everyone believes what I do, which is that clean cars run better than dirty cars. Some part of the immortal machine spirit smiles upon you for having treated it well. I will swear as I am being lowered into the ground that a car wash picks up, like, a quarter of a horsepower.

A couple years ago, I went out mudding in my buddy's Isuzu Impulse which had been inexplicably converted to a dune buggy. He tells me that some kind of entity came to him in the woods and told him to do it, but I'm pretty sure it must have been some stoned kids on spring break. Either way, it's very satisfying to pop the pressure washer and hose off five pounds of mud from each of the seats after we're done playing. It's by far my favourite kind of maintenance: done from afar, indiscriminately, with power tools.

Of course, there are limits to my love of the clean. For instance, my old Impala has a hole in the floor big enough to catch a mid-sized dog inside. Road salt and the oil leaking out of the engine make a huge mess in the interior. Cleaning it is futile until I've fixed the hole, and I can't fix the hole until I've cleaned it well enough to get a weld down on what's left of the metal. So instead, it's got some stolen hotel towels duct-taped over the hole. When one becomes too rancid, I put it in my neighbour's trash, and wear my hotel-maid outfit to go get a new one.

Don't worry; I do a little bit of tidying-up while I'm in there. Otherwise that towel cupboard would be so cluttered. How could anyone see what they're doing in there? Super dangerous to the workers, they should be paying me.

[gurugirl]

Gurugirl's Wattpad & Tumblr Fic Recs

Anything you read in these masterlists won’t disappoint but I’ve picked my absolute favorites from each blog and listed below.

NOTE: I did my best to include all my faves here but I've probably forgotten a few. I intend to add to this list (may need to make a part 2 once I hit my mentions and link limits) because I'm always reading new fics so come back often!

Angst recs (all taken from list below but specific to the more angsty ones)

Daddy kink

Enemies to lovers

Summer vibes & party fics

Personal faves from my own writings

Other blogs I love

Tumblr

@1d1195

One Shot: Right Here: one bed, nightmares, enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, childhood "friendship," coworker Harry, grumpy/sunshine (I'll let you guess who's who), etc. etc. etc.

@a-strange-familiar

Series: His Memories (3 parts): you and Harry broke up few months back but still love each other. And after all these months you see him again in a party. All memories you tried to push back in your head came back with a powerful speed.

@adorebeaa

One shot: Undo Me: YN reveals a kink in front of best friend!Harry, who is curious…

@awideworldoffanfics

Series: Milking the Grip (5 parts): Harry Styles is a single dad who golfs every Tuesday. Y/N is his babysitter who also happens to work at the golf course he goes to. They’ve never run into each other there. Until they do.

@be-with-me-so-happily

Series: My Way Back Home: YN is left to figure out what to do when the love of her life, Harry, does not remember loving her. (AU)

Series: Don't Worry Darling: Y/N has her first big break as an actress as she lands the leading role in 'Don't Worry Darling'. The only problem is that her co-star is Harry Styles, who she feels has a very big ego. Tensions rise the more they film. All kinds of tension...

One Shot: Friendly Favor: When YN's best friend Harry asks for a favor, she knows it'll be difficult, but she loves him too much to say no. However, it's a dumb plan, and those usually don't end how you think they will.

Series: Laceleaf: Gemma is definitely Cassidy James' favourite Styles family member, considering they are best friends and all. And especially considering that Harry Styles is Gemma's smug and self-centered younger brother. Her life isn't perfect, and neither is she, but she knows for a fact that anything involving Harry gets messy.

@bopbopstyles

Masterlist (anything you pick here will be a pleasure - seriously)

@fkinavocado

Series: Daddy Issues: in which you’ve got textbook daddy issues and when your tool of a younger brother brings a sweet doe eyed girlfriend home for Thanksgiving and you end up offering her a ride home, you meet just the man to fix them. (daddy!harry, dilf!harry)

Series: Hard Candy: in which Harry owns a candy store and he just loves giving good girls special treats… especially after closing time (candyman!Harry)

One Shots & Blurbs: Long Hair Harry One Shots & Blurbs

@freedomfireflies

Series: Playboy: Welcome to 1965, where the women are loose, and the morals are looser. Here you'll meet Michelle and Harry. You don't need to know too much about them. Just that they're both incredibly bold...and incredibly jealous. The summer of June 1965 was a rather wild one for the Playboy Bunnies but even more wild for our two dear friends. Stick around and I'm sure they'll be happy to tell you all about it. You just have to promise one little thing... Don't tell Hefner.

Series: Teach Me: 5 parts - Harry needs a little practice in the art of Eating Pussy, and who better to ask for help than his best friend?

Series: Mafia!harry: 2 parts so far - more to come - Your mafia boss boyfriend, Harry, has been a little neglectful of his most prized possession. But he's found the perfect way to make it right. Exhibition kink!!

@goldenbuckyyy

Series: Illicit Affairs: A series of events between your affair with Harry. (Cheating together)

@harryistheonlyoneforme

One Shot: Little Freak: pairing: dbf harry x reader (so hot - so many kinks all in one little shot - must read)

@harrywritingsbyme

Sneaking Around (a series of shorts): Best friends dad - FUCKING HOT

@helladirections

Series: Brother's Best Friend: Harry is YN’s brother’s best friend, and YN isn’t a little kid anymore. Ft. dom/sub, rough sex, and soft words. 

One Shot: Under Summer Skies: Harry and YN are longtime best friends back for another summer as the Dream Team on staff. Featuring getting called out by 12 year olds, two dumb best friends who can’t see what’s right in front of them, and lots of stargazing.

One Shot: Moka Pot: Do you think you can maybe do y/n and Harry having a slow morning routine? Like drinking tea together, doing skin together, basically just doing everything together? 

@itslottiehere

One Shot: I Don't Want to Hear About Him (angsty): bff!harry writes a song about bff!reader.. and her boyfriend.

@jawllines

Harry is Y/n's Criminology Instructor (2 parts)

Harry is a single dad and y/n is surprisingly good at babysitting (2 parts)

Harry & y/n are witches, they hate eachother, and something's coming (3 parts)

Y/n knows something she shouldn't and Harry does what on Fridays? (4 parts) - Boxer!harry

Harry is a grumpy mechanic and y/n just can't stop talking (4 parts)

@jarofstyles

King of the Jungle (multi part series): Y/N’s family works for a wildlife preservation society and Harry is king of the jungle or tarzan!harry

Lone Wolf (multi part series): Harry is a grumpy alpha who has given up on finding his mate or werewolf!harry

Beauty & the Beast (multi part series): Harry is a moody, withdrawn but successful creature who needs a companion who can tend to his… needs.

@lemoncrushh

Series: The Entertainer: Set in the 70s, Sky Jones meets Harry Styles, an up and coming musician and soon-to-be rockstar. The Entertainer Part II

One Shot: Dressing For Revenge: Still heartbroken from finding your ex cheating on you, you go to a nightclub with your friend Kelsie, where not only do you run into your ex, but also a handsome gentleman who’s willing to help you get over him. Part II

@lukesaprince

Series: Intruder: You were an outside hire for a promotion Harry wanted, and he despises you for it. The hatred is mutual since Harry is a bit of an asshole, until the day of an important presentation where the tension is finally dealt with - A very steamy enemies to lovers romance (domrry)

Series: The Roommate Series: After Y/N’s best friend and roommate Alex decides to move out, she’s desperate for someone to take her place. Alex seems to have found the solution in a British fresh-to-New-York musician who ticks all the boxes. He just happens to be insanely attractive and charismatic… what could go wrong? (friends to lovers)

Series: Fratboy!harry You Can Pretend All You Want: You hate fratboys and everything they stand for, so you decide to prove one wrong by sleeping with him… safe to say it backfires (fratboy!harry, enemies to lovers).

Series: Rich: Neighbour/Older!Harry. A Summer dogsitting job for Mr. Styles is a dream come true for any broke uni student. He's rich, gorgeous and finally fucks you after your weekly dinner together. A series that follows two neighbours who end up in a sexual relationship.

@moonchildstyles

Series: Aster: Harry is a tattoo artist and y/n just wants to know if he's like this all the time or if he just doesn't like her. tattoo artist!harry / lhh!harry

Series: Citrine: Harry's a witch and it's been along time since since he's been around anyone new, but there's no way he was getting y/n out of his head. witch!harry

Series: Chiaroscuro: y/n needed a job but this place is strange and the owner is even stranger. vampire!harry

Series: Prosecco: Harry is just on the edge of 30 and y/n is someone he's sure he shouldn't get involved with. until she seeks him out anyway, and he realizes no one has ever really shown her how she should be treated. older!harry

@0oolookitsme

One Shot: Dazzled: In which Harry has an uneasy feeling about Y/n’s new mission but the devil ignores his guts’ screams. But the vampire as well as his fiancé, Y/n, isn’t dumb and is quick to listen and take some weight off of his shoulders. They both soon find out, why, he was feeling uneasy. 

One Shot: Anything For You... And I: SMUTTY!!!! Dwd!Harry x Dwd-Character!Y/n

@0nlythrowharrybeaux

Friends Share (2 parts):Harry & Y/N have been practically perfect roommates for several years but the appearance of a hot new neighbor creates an unexpected shift in their relationship.

Unavailable (2 parts): Y/N has a very specific preference for unavailable/inappropriate people and Harry is her therapist who is supposed to help her work through this.

@pleasingforharry

Moans & Elevator Music (2 parts): Y/N is in a rush for an interview at her new job, but her luck gives out when the elevators shut down due to a sudden power outage. At least she isn’t alone.

@purplekiwis

Breaking the Ice (2 parts): Hockey!Harry x Skater!Y/N It’s no secret that as a figure skater, you’re fed up with the local hockey team being treated like royalty… and your ex’s status as a player isn’t helping much either.

In the Witching Hours (will be 3 parts): Wizard!Harry x Witch!Y/N; Soulmates AU An emergency admission to the hospital gives rise to a series of strange events but luckily, there’s a cute, shy wizard around…

One shot: Tentmate: Friends With Benefits Y/N has always hated camping… until her and Harry got stuck together in the same tent. (This one is smutty AF)

@s-brant

Series: The Getaway Car: In a drug deal gone wrong, Y/N, daughter to a famous racecar driver, finds herself behind the wheel of a car with a gun to her head. A masked man named Harry demands she helps him evade the authorities, so she does the only thing she knows how to. She drives.

One Shot: Midas Touch: The night before they leave to spend Christmas with his family, a conversation with their friends makes Harry and Y/N confront the future of their marriage.

@stylesloveclub

Series: Pleasing: In which y/n is a broke waitress, and Harry is a Michelin star chef who thinks she’s cuter than a puppy. 

@swiftmendeshoran

Series: Curvy Secret/No More Secrets Daddy: Dad's best friend (dbf!) Harry x plus size reader

@watchmegetobsessed

Series: The Sun Will Rise: You’re glad to be back at college and away from your family. Everything is back to its normal, but you have a little issue: you told your family you’d bring a date to your sister’s wedding, but you have no actual partner. An unexpected deal is made with the person you couldn’t even consider to be your friend: Harry can take the spare room in your apartment for the semester if he’ll be your date for the wedding. But can you actually live together with a guy who obviously dislikes you and you have no idea why? Can you fool your parents into thinking you’re dating Harry? And what will they think about him? Nothing is ever good enough to them, nothing that’s not as perfect as your sister, Alice.

Series: Wildest Fantasies: You’ve been struggling to finish your assignment for Professor Styles’ Creative Writing class. Inspiration is seem to be avoiding you, so to relieve some stress, you mess around with your roommates and write a rather dirty fiction of the hot professor everyone is into on campus. Due to a fatal mistake however, you end up uploading the wrong file as your attachment to your assignment and your wildest fantasies end up in the hands of the person they are about.

Good Girl (Part 2): sugardaddy!Harry / CEO!Harry x Reader

@writerpetals (writes optional male lead smut but you can easily imagine any male *coughharrycough* as the males are described as tall, well-built, with a nice head of hair - read anything this author writes - it's good, you will find almost any trope - ENJOY)

One Shot: Lakeside: werewolf!au, werewolf x reader

@zayndrivesmeinvain

Series (wip): The One That Got Away: In which Harry and Alena were college sweethearts, however, all of that has changed and the only thing keeping in contact is the fact that they have a child together. Is it possible for them to even get to a normal standing friendship or is that long gone? dadrry x oc | single dad!harry

i hit my link limits so was unable to insert link to part one of their series. check out their masterlist and you'll find it!

Wattpad

1-800-TITS = @1800titz (added May 21)

Series: The Devil is a Gentleman: "My name is Eros," the masked male cocks his head a smidge at her, and, if only slightly through the shadow casts between the parted zipper, Isla catches sight of a smile tugging at his lips on the latter fragment of his statement, "But you already know that. I'd hope, anyways. We've had a chat. Or two." His lips - his mouth. Isla ogles the latex through the peepholes of her own and wonders what shape the rest of his features take, what carves and forges his face, how his nose slopes, the assemblage of it all. "I think I recall, vaguely," she teases. "Mm. Vaguely. I'll take note of that. Well, although we are acquainted," Eros smooths his fingertips over the arm of the chair, a lavish facade of plastic masquerading. The latter fragment of his statement prompts the steady bump of her heart to spur behind her ribcage. "You will address me as Master." Isla swallows. Despite her prior train of thought looping so intently on the tracks to decipher what she believes he'd look like beneath his mask, it's entirely derailed by the serious note in his previously light cadence. She wonders how a mere introduction manages to send such a thrilling rush rolling down her spine. Eros leans forward, forearms braced to his splayed thighs, almost as if to bend to her level. "Or Sir. Master, Sir, it's all the same to me. Your preference." OR the one in which there's a sex club, Greek stage names, the exploration of boundaries, an open house, a pair of dress shoes, and two sides of the same coin.

_miiki

Series: Artwork & Aquarelle: "Sierra, you go with Harry Styles." I raised up my head at the words, giving my teacher an incredulous glance. "Do I really have to?" Was the only thing I managed to say. The teacher gave me an annoyed look. "Did you not understand? You go with Harry Styles." I turned my head to look at him. At the mention of his name he glanced up, and if his green eyes hadn't frozen me in place already, the unimpressed look he gave me would've done it right away.

Aggressivelyfriendly = @aggresivelyfriendly

Series: Who Names the Colors: In the last year, Joanne Smith Giles, has once again become Jo Smith. In another heartbreaking turn of events, she's also the single mother of an infant, again. She knows she can do this on her own, and better at 40 than 19, but it seems weird to be launching a son into manhood, a new career as an art professor, and changing nappies all in one day. She is so thankful when Ethan, her boy, comes home from Uni. Jo could use the help. His best friend, Harry, comes round too. And his launch into manhood may be another heartbreaking turn, for all of them

ErinAlterEgo = @yourwattpadmom

Series: Late night Talking: Alex is craving something at night, and it's not ice cream. Encouraged by her husband to explore a polyamory relationship to meet some of her more....eclectic tastes, she finds herself on a dating app for the first time in her life. She expected maybe some interesting experiences, possibly her first one-night stand ever. She didn't expect to meet a man who made her question everything about herself. Harry is on a new path in his life that is exciting and different than he ever could have imagined. He's looking for excitement, experiences, but definitely not love and attachment. When he meets Alex, he sees a whole new path that he's unsure he wants to go down, but finds it hard to resist.

Hitterj (love all of her stuff!)

Series: All This Time: The coming-of-age story of Harry and Riley who have known each other for years, but never actually knew each other. They've spent countless nights at the same parties, shared a few drinks and glances, they're even on track to graduate top of their class. What happens when out of nowhere they start to connect? Like an invisible string pulls them together, so they can experience life and love and heartbreak. Riley and Harry learn a lot about themselves, and ultimately have to choose what's best for their future no matter how difficult that can be. But does love find a way? After all this time?

Series: Kiwi: If you don't know about this one by now... go read it - super duper smutty and sweet and angsty

Series: Sweet Little Lies: All her life, Ivy Malone has known what her family was. She grew up in the deep, unforgiving world of the mob. Ivy hates her position in life, knowing that her life was never fully hers. Harry Styles was cold. He trusted almost no one, especially his family. He had learned quickly that everyone was waiting for him to fail... to fall. An empire built by his father from the blood and bones of those who stepped in his way was all he had, no matter how much he hated it. He had no choice but to carry on the legacy. And marrying Malone's daughter was the next step in fortifying their defense. With new rivals making a move for power and a mysterious figure haunting the crime families of Queenstown, Ivy and Harry have to learn to live together. A bad start leads them down a tumultuous, passionate, and downright dangerous path, but maybe they were exactly what the other needed to live the life they always craved.

MysteryMixtapes (Just go read all their stuff)

Series: Stall & Stall 2: Violence/gangs/dark

Series: Perspective: Have you ever met someone that made falling feel like flying?

Series: Unforgettable: "If it feels so right, how can it be wrong?"

Peanutboyfriend (read all of Birdie's stuff - you won't regret it)

Series: Aerial: In Malibu, California in 1965, a surfer and world-famous aerialist undergoes a chain of comedic and not-so-comedic mishaps that force him to re-evaluate who he is.

Petit_cerise

Series: Devil's Due & Devil's Desire: Harry Styles, the brooding and intolerable tattoo parlour owner, meets River, a stubborn and somewhat oblivious girl, who just doesn't understand the reasoning behind his nefarious ways but is determined to find out. River comes to realize that Harry's hiding something much deeper than expected... only once those secrets come to the surface, it's too late to turn back.

Sunflowersnstuff

Series: One Word & Wonderland: We're all mad here, it's Wonderland.

ThousandYearsOfHope

Series: Lonely Nights: Willow Mackey is a quiet girl, but she is fiercely loyal and will never lie to you. Harry Styles is her brother's best friend, and someone she'll always have a soft spot for. Grown up and no longer shielded by their ages, lines start to blur, and mistakes keep being made. For the first time in her life, Willow realises that sometimes, the truth is too painful to hear. But how could she ever say no to the one person that's always understood her better than she understands herself?

Series: Pretty Boy: One night of impulse shouldn't lead to much for Joni Lewis, but when she meets the alluring Harry Styles, an opportunity arises that she can't ignore. A Harry Styles short story inspired by Pretty Woman.

Writhali (I really like everything I've read by Thali)

Series: Ambit: Gangs/violence/action/SMUT - "Hell's boring, Birdie." He claims, that cold, dead stare back to his eyes. "And this, this is what I call a Monday night."

[aroanthy]

thinking about nanami and touga both telling utena not to trust anthy at the end of the series. whilst nanami and anthy being friends is something that makes me bawl like a little baby and overjoys me immensely, ive never bought a reading of nanami post-32 that is anthy positive. like idk how you could get that impression when all she does is talk about how anthy is a terrible and dangerous person. she’s scared of her. and you know she shouldn’t be, but it’s understandable why a 13 year old living in ohtori academy might be scared of someone she already didn’t like after finding out something deeply traumatic regarding them and not having the tools to make sense of it in a compassionate way. and it makes me want to eat drywall

what’s really interesting about all this to me tho is how both kiryuus tell utena not to trust ‘the chairman/end of the world or himemiya anthy/the rose bride’. anthy and akio are a package deal of toxicity and harm to both of them and if that isn’t just the most fascinating thing ever. also the difference between nanami’s ‘chairman/himemiya’ and touga’s ‘end of the world/rose bride’ (nanami giving her warning during the badminton scene, touga giving his at the end of his duel. so much going on here wrt roles and settings and rituals and reality). but getting back to my real point isn’t it so cool (agonising) how nanami and touga are incapable of extending compassion or understanding to anthy despite the fact that they’re the two people who know the most about her other than utena and akio. and like. they don’t know a Lot, but theyve both had a smidge of insight into an abusive relationship that mirrors aspects of their own lives in myriad ways

idk something about the rose bride as a symbol who bears all of humanity’s hatred. and in the end all girls are like the rose bride yes, but key word here is like. an approximation; all trapped, all agonised, yes, but not all literally fucking crucified for eternity by a million swords that shine with human hatred. not abstracted in such a particular and insidious way. i always find anthy/kiryuu parallels compelling wrt issues of race and class and mannnnnn. nanami takes a step away from the duelling game. she’s not out, but she’s not actively partaking, not actively being exploited. touga, whilst a little more overtly involved in stuco business and still meeting with akio, does also take a step away. like, they’re both able to do that. it’s a bit of an artifice, sure, they’re still here, but oh my god oh my god oh my god. theyre not anthy. am i making sense can anyone hear me holy shit

i think what im trying to say is that for everything that both nanami and touga learn about ohtori academy and the people living in it, for everything that forces them to self-reflect and question the ground that they stand upon, they fail to break the chain with it. like, they too contribute to anthy’s abstraction. she’s an idea that they secretly embody/emulate (not sure which word works better for what im trying to say just yet), and not a person who shares experiences with them but is still wholly separate from them. this kind of compassion is like. it’s too hard, when you’re in the situations that all three of them are in. anthy too perceives both of them as nonhuman, but there is a crucial power dynamic at play here. how can you stomach such a kindness to someone you can only see as a poor imitation of the worst parts of yourself, whom you loathe??

^ THIS GUY loves it when characters commit acts of extreme violence against one another that they themselves have experienced. the nanamianthytouga brand

[iavenjqasdf]

👷‍♀️occupational hazards🐜

WorkerAnt, the world's app-first construction contracting platform, revolutionized the building-building industry. All you gotta do is just scroll through a couple of boring legal things on your phone and check some boxes and voila; you have everything you need to try and build a living with your own two hands! Who needs a fancy degree, or the hassle of going to a trade school? I certainly didn't!

They didn't even make me do a drug test, or ask why my name and sex didn't match what it still says on my license, so honestly it's like a win/win for everyone involved.

I did my paid training in like 20 minutes; I just needed to watch a few videos telling me where to go and what I’ll get fired for, plus one on how to use pronouns respectfully.

I already knew most of the stuff they were telling me, so I pretty much just got paid to relearn what the right things to call myself are for liability purposes. I usually do that for free!

Every day, all I gotta do is show up at the check-in location, get handed all my tools, and then I take my mandatory 30 minute lunch break in the app right as I wait in line for the elevator up to the job site, so I can focus on nothing but work for the next 12 hours. I don’t need to worry about food anyways, because they sometimes throw pizza parties for us, and there might be a few slices left when I come back down.

Most of the time work’s pretty boring; I'm just hammering some boards together or whatever. The whole building looks like it's basically already all built, so I'm not sure what all the things we're attaching and connecting to each other are supposed to do, and I don’t get paid enough to care.

But I can’t complain. It’s an honest job; I have tasks to accomplish and all the tools I need to accomplish them, as long as I don't fuck something up.

I'm very happy with this arrangement and it's all worked out really great for me so far.

It does get a bit lonely up there sometimes though.

There is my one coworker, Lana; I think she might also be trans, though it's kinda hard to tell under the hard hat goggles and respirator I always see her wearing. But she's always polite at me and doesn’t give me any trouble, and the bits of her voice I’ve heard that aren’t drowned over by power tools sound really nice.

Sometimes I think about it even when she's not around, which now that I think about it is kinda like stealing from the job site, and that’s a firable offense, so maybe I shouldn't be doing it.

She tends to work late like me, too. It takes us both longer than everyone else to finish all our tasks, but at least they pay us almost as much!

Tonight, it's New Year's Eve, and we're the only ones still up there; hammering stuff together, unable to look out at the empty city below, lit up and then abandoned for the season, because I'm being paid the minimum tipped wage to cut a 2x4 with a dinky little dollar store dremel, and we have to finish up before the sun sets, cause the cost of running the lights gets taken outta your pay.

BZZSCHLKK!

And now my finger hurts too.

I look down, staring at the little squiggly meat piece of guy lying on the workbench, and after a minute I realize that oh shit, that used to be part of my right pinky.

So might the scarlet mist that now covers most of the walls and floor. I’m gonna have to get THAT painted over before the end of my shift, too.

First things first, though.

"Um, hey Lana?"

The whirring echoing from the other side of the room powers down. Lana pulls her plastic goggles over the rim of her hard hat, both now spritzed ever-so-gently with my crimson phalangemarrow. She looks only mildly concerned as she swims upstream along the spatter pattern.

One of the stickers on her hat catches the sunlight, holographic prism reflections dazzling my vision before my pattern recognition software kicks in-

Y-yeah, I know what that logo is. I’m too afraid to ask her if she does, too though. They make s*x t*ys, after all, and I think those are by definition Not Safe For Work.

Without saying a word she grabs my wrist, yanking my hand up to her face to examine it. Even under the visor, her eyes are red; bloodshot, and they scare me a little, so I try speaking up.

"Um, Lana, I think I need to go to the, uh. Hospital, place,"

"Why?"

I stare at her, dumbfounded for a second, before a pulse of pain reminds me of the severance’s urgency.

"W-well, to get it, like, reattached, y'know?"

She looks at the little meat squiggum lying sadly on the bench, letting go of my hand.

"Not really anything left to reattach."

Her voice is muffled by the respirator, but her expression is one of almost boredom. I feel bad for offending her, even though I’m not sure how I did it.

I try flexing a bit. OUCH! Bad idea. I pinch hard just below the cut, to try to keep more things from coming out of me. "W-well, we have to at least try…"

She eyes her own workstation impatiently, dying orange skyfire burning in the reflections of her eyes. A little spurt of blood squirts out of my pinky stump.

"Look, if you keep wasting time worrying about stupid little things like that, you’re not gonna last long here.”

What the fuck is she talking about?! I’m very badly hurt, and I need to go get it checked out right away. Tears well up in my eyes as I keep staring at where my finger now ends, just above the second knuckle.

I'll never get to pinky promise silly things to my little sister again; I’d only have a reminder of this loss, something permanently removed I could never get back.

I inhale a sniffle. "P-please, we gotta go. I don't wanna go around rounding up the number of fingers I have for the rest of my life."

She rolls her eyes, reshielding them with her goggles. "Would a round number make you feel better?"

"What?"

My dremel's motor whines to life as she turns back to face me.

"For symmetry, y'know?"

Her tone concerns me.

She grabs my good hand, forcing it flat against the workbench. I try to pull free, but my knees are still a bit wobbly from the pain, and I don’t want to risk any sudden moves around the little spinning amputation death motor, so I can't try too hard.

“L-listen, I’m sorry for involving you. J-just let me go and I-I’ll just clock myself out, and get to the hospital on my own…” My hand grasps at her, trying to push her away, but all I succeed in doing is knocking her respirator loose, and I gasp as all the gouges and scars and other missing bits of her face come into focus at last.

I see her teeth click as her jaw clenches, bone trembling with the purest expression of rage. Her knuckles are white around the dremel.

"Long term, working here is gonna take a lot more of you than I’m gonna.”

BZZZZZZSZCHLRRKKRRRRRK--

“Oh, hold on, it got stuck.”

My vision doubles and quadruples, the room swimming around me as I try to keep myself from passing out. This is obviously a dream, and hey, I haven’t had one of these in a while, let’s just try to keep it going right hahahaha-

WHRRRGGZZCCHLLTLTTTTTT!

The spinny deathblade plants another gentle kiss against my fingerbone, tingling my entire skeleton with electromechanical sparks. I stare at a bead of sweat tracing down Lana's cheek as the blade grinds through at last with a spray of calcium white.

The whine fades as the disposable plastic motor inside the tool gets gummed up with mutilated chunks of gore. My mouth hangs open making a noise and I'm afraid it's probably kind of a pathetic one. The bottoms of my goggles are filling up with tears, but that means I’m doing a good job of keeping the crying contained inside, so there's a chance Lana might still think I'm cool.

“There you go. Eight plus two halves equals nine. Almost as many as before.”

“ohgodohgodohgodohgod-” I wish I had something more interesting to say.

“What? I thought you wanted a round number.”

“Ijustwantedmyhandstobenormalagain-”

She pauses for a moment, then wanders off into the neighboring room, leaving me standing there, trembling alone in the dark.

I think about trying to find my own way back to the elevator, but I’m afraid of tripping over a lead pipe or something on the ground and having to use my damaged limbs to break my fall and mangling them further, and I don’t wanna get my phone all bloody to use the flashlight either, so I stay put.

Fireworks burst off in the distance, prematurely celebrating the dawn of a big new thing. I try not to look down at my mutilated handflesh, instead insisting my gaze on the sunset bathing over the city.

It's a really nice view, and I don't know if I'll get to be up here to enjoy it ever again.

“Okay, here, I can fix everything.”

She's returned, and I can’t get away from her because I don’t want to say no, so I let her take my bleeding broken hands and lead me to the workbench again.

Behind her gore-spattered goggles, I can see her eyes are swimming with tears now too, like she doesn't know what the fuck she's doing either, but I don't even hate her for it, I don't think.

"Here, just hold onto me. I'll fix you."

She presses up close, close enough that I can feel a bit of her heat even through her jacket. She takes my unrecognizably mutilated hand in her own and strokes it softly.

The lead in my stomach sinks deeper when I see that she's holding a staple gun in her other.

I tighten my grip, spilling blood onto her palm.

THUNK.

THUNK.

THUNK.

----------------------------------------

She sweeps the remains of my amputated digits off the ledge with her boot, sending little chunks of meat tumbling into the glimmering city grid. Thankfully, the night is cold enough now that I can't feel much of my hands at all.

Staple gun didn't work out too good.

She fiddles with something on the side of her hard hat, and a light comes on. It's kind of dim, but it's better than nothing.

We walk past piles of unsawed boards, boxes of nails and wrenches and other tool things. Neither of us say anything to each other. Even more fireworks are whistling and exploding above the city in the distance but I'm not getting paid to care.

She stands beside me in the dusk-filled elevator. We descend slow, neither of us averting our gaze from the doors sealed tight in front of us.

“Um, Lana?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t think I'm coming in to work tomorrow.”

“You’re not,” she states plainly. “Any injury sustained on the clock is grounds for termination, remember?”

“Oh, right…”

We’re quiet for a while. I don’t like the silence, the emptiness, so I try to fill it as always. “Um, I’m sorry for getting you involved…”

“It’s fine,” she lets out a quivering little sigh and turns to face me at last. “I don’t think they were gonna keep me on much longer, either way. I waste a lot of staples…”

I pick at a little crooked piece of metal worming its way through the layers of fat and muscle that once made up our entwined fingers, wondering how much more might need to be amputated by the time we get to a hospital, then a laugh catches in my throat, when I remember we no longer have health insurance.

ao3

[epickiya722]

💜🌙🐇👊💚

Okay, folks, today I decided to bother you with my thoughts about my #1 favorites Rumi Usagiyama and Izuku Midoriya, AKA Miruko and Deku. Specifically, how they're similar.

Now, if you've been following me for some time, you've probably seen the posts I have already written before about them being similar. This post is just a more organized collection of those posts with a few added things.

Here are the links though of those posts if you're interested!

🐇 First I Talked About Their Similarities

🐇 The Rabbit Duo

🐇 There's 3 of Them

This is also NOT a ship post for these two. I am very quick to block anybody who reblogs this post as such.

I hate them together romantically. They're my "big sister, little brother" duo.

Without further ado, let's move forward and discuss these similarities.

First!

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE!!

I know, I know. At first glance they share nothing alike, obviously. But I need you to open your eyes here. Just listen, listen.

Both Miruko and Midoriya are pint-sized powerhouses when compared to everyone else around them. Both are considerably short, and pack muscle. Both even started off with no muscle when start their journeys into Hero-hood.

Costumes! Oh, yes! Their costumes share some similarities! The base colors are their signature colors (white - Miruko, green - Midoriya).

There's also the fact they both wear white/light colored gloves which are very important to their character. Miruko has been wearing hers since her middle school days (check out Vigilantes). Midoriya’s gloves importance is obvious, they're important tools for his skill set.

Accessories! Both wear something around their neck. Miruko wears has a tuft of fur around her neck. Midoriya has a breathing mask that is most of the time around his neck. They also wear armor pieces, including on their feet. They also have a thing for thigh-highs. SPOILER! Both even acquire new support gear for their arms.

SKILL SET/FIGHTING STYLES!!

This is mad nuts to me that even though Midoriya switched to kicking more because of Iida (if I'm remembering right), his kick style comes off more Miruko. They share kicking in their move set. Hell, can even break through walls with kicks. (Miruko being able to do it just out of raw power is amazing to me. Why is she just #5 again?)

Of course, there's also the fact they both rely on speed and strength.

It doesn't just stop there. They're both very analytical in battle. Miruko was able to figure out that the High End Nomu relied on long range attacks. Before that, just by listening, she figured out that Dr. Garaki was getting antsy about something and sure enough she was right. With Midoriya, we see it almost every single time.

RABBIT THEMED

With Miruko, it is very obvious. So I'm sure I don't have to explain anything. With Midoriya, I'll clear it up!

His costume has rabbit ear-like protrusions attached on the hood, he does the hopping and the jumping.

There's also the behavior. Rabbits are very cute, they look defenseless. But they're also very active and willing to put up a fight if they have to in danger. Rabbits can get destructive, as both Miruko and Midoriya do. Rabbits are also timid. Midoriya started off as timid and it's still present, just lessens as the story goes on.

PERSONALITIES & ACTIONS

Since the topic was touched on, yeah, they have similar personality traits. I know someone is gonna go "but Miruko is just like Bakugou", which yeah is true. But so is Midoriya.

Both Miruko and Midoriya are stubborn and hard-headed as hell. They tend to land themselves in situations they choose to put themselves in. Miruko choose to involve herself in a lot of fights during her middle school to high school years. She is also the same hero to come to Endeavor and Hawks' aid. That was a choice. Mind you, same hero that doesn't like teamwork, yet doesn't mind lending a hand when needed. Even during her time as a student, she still cooperated with O'Clock and Rappa during the Underground Fight Arc. Midoriya is the same way. He could have not gone after Iida when he confronted Stain. He could have not gone after Kota. But he choose to. Both choose to take action, even when it's risky, because it's what a hero would do to save someone. Whether you want to admit it or not for Miruko, she isn't a heartless person. She takes her duty as a Pro Hero seriously. If someone needs saving, she's hopping there. Same for Midoriya.

With that, once they're in those situations, someone is always there to tell them to step out, but they don't. In battles they fought in, even battered and bruised to the point they should opt out, they still insist on fighting. They don't care that they're bleeding or their arms are beyond functional, they get reckless, they still want to keep going. Again, they're hard-headed, but with good intentions. They want to get the job done. They want to make sure everyone is safe before they can rest.

They tend to also go in fights alone! As much as they are willing to work with others, these two throw caution out the window and head into the danger while thinking "Me, Myself and I". But not for selfish reasons! Here's the thing with Miruko. She isn't the type of person to care about fame. She isn't. She just wants to prove she can pull her own weight, that she is strong. (I go into details about in a theory post here.) That is the same case for Midoriya. And it lies as a problem for him. The Vigilante Deku Arc is a prime example of this.

OTHER SIMILARITIES!!

Their middle school years is where it all starts for them. Miruko had begun to be recognized as a fighter during her time in middle school where she would often get into trouble for fighting. She eventually got expelled from her middle school and for a while there was no word of her until her high school years where she is attending a hero school. (Check out this other theory post!) For Midoriya, that's when his hero journey starts. We all know the story. All Might, the Sludge Villain, getting OFA.

AFO wanted/wants to take their quirks. That's right. AFO wants to get OFA from Midoriya. During Miruko's high school years, AFO attempted to take her quirk. He actually was watching an Underground fight to steal quirks, but he opted out because it was getting bored. Then, Miruko (Tiger Bunny at the time) arrived on the scene and he was just "Oh, never mind, I'll take her quirk".

They have the same blood type, O.

They're also water signs. Miruko is a Pisces (March 1st) and Midoriya is a Cancer (July 15th).

Both got Yuki Hayashi's Revengers played over their fight scenes in season 6.

That's all I really have for now. I probably left out a few things, but I did link some posts for you to check out if there's more you want to read!

[nostalgicamerica]

"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions."

This quote uttered by Reagan is curious so I had to look up when it was first said by him. I agree with the concept of this quote and have always lived by this credo. The current attitude toward the January 6 riots that went on at the Capitol and his divisiveness in the Country is something we haven't ever experienced before. Trump Republicans want to sweep all of this aside and move on. I don't agree with that. Online chatter is fueling a lot of these dangerous people to come out in full force in a violent wave. The people involved in the Capitol riots that day are getting their day in Court and will be held accountable for their actions. While I think that the Former President did incite the insurrection, he never told them to break into the Capitol and bludgeon Police officers. The people that did that should be held accountable for those actions. Lady Justice is a patient entity.

Reagan made this statement twelve years before he became president, at a Republican platform meeting in 1968.  He said it in response to the urban rioting that was taking place in the aftermath of the Martin Luther King assassination.  He was arguing that the people who were breaking the law were responsible for their actions.  He was right.  He was also arguing that he and all of his like-minded conservatives had absolutely no responsibility for the societal conditions that existed at the time.  He was wrong.

In the book of Genesis, the Fall of Man is attributed to their consumption of a fruit (traditionally an apple) from the Tree of Knowledge.  The effects were immediate and tragic and eventually led to the murder of their second-born son, Abel, by their first-born son, Cain.

When Cain was questioned about his brother’s whereabouts, he asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  It is interesting that conservatives, many of whom consider their conservatism a moral byproduct of their faith, cling to a quote that seems to be answering that question with a firm no.

Well spoken, although I respectfully disagree with a point or two.

I don't consider my conservatism as an offshoot of my faith.

While my political beliefs have shifted from time to time (I was a flaming liberal in my college days), my religious beliefs have never changed to any great degree. The two are not at all intertwined.

In my case, politics is based in the pragmatic and emotionless belief that the central government should be run as spelled out in the Constitution. I'm a 10th Amendment deconstructionist which basically means the federal government has a few enumerated powers and all other issues should be left to the states. Period.

We have it all backwards.

----

My faith, on the other hand, does tell me I am my brother's keeper. I have an obligation to help my fellow travelers if I am able, to love my neighbor as myself, and be a good steward of this earth.

----

As to the 'January 6' debacle, I have a completely different take. I do not believe Trump incited anything. It is my considered belief that a largely innocuous incursion by unarmed grandmothers, and a few barking moonbats (who were invited into the Capital Building by security guards, by the way) has been hyped as the greatest threat faced by the republic by the media, democrats, and establishment republicans.

Please! These are the same folks, who, only months before were calling violent, destructive riots in major cities across the country 'peaceful protests' and urging people to join in the burning.

In my view January 6 was nothing more than a useful and expedient political tool to 'get' Trump. Boy howdy, knocking over a few stanchions and sitting in the Speaker's chair sure did threaten the underpinnings of our way of life. I have to say I was curled up in a fetal position in one of my closets, quivering in fear, until at least January 9th.

Of course, I could be wrong...

[aintgonnatakethis]

for the WIP game:

Cupiosexual James Bond - June: Mermaids

What Big Teeth You Have

Thanks for the ask! 😄

Cupiosexual James Bond - June: Mermaids

Part of The Aspec Year challenge, which I'd encourage everyone to get involved in, as the world needs more aspec writing! I've written a decent amount of ace and aro characters, so was wondering about microlabels, as I myself identify as aegosexual. I found cupiosexual, which means someone who doesn't experience sexual attraction but still wants sexual relationship and my brain instantly matched it up with Bond.

There's definitely a discussion to be had around him having had sexual attraction at one point, but due to the frankly abusive job he has to endure on a daily basis, he no longer does. Bodies being a tool is something I've talked about a lot for other characters (specifically David Telford from SGU) and the damage it does to a person's psyche, where they begin to view themselves as a tool and not even a person… Yeah, that's the good shit!

I'm not sure if I'll be going the angst route with this fic - it's my aim but you know how The Characters can be! Anyway I've started it off with Bond bringing Q gifts from his deployments, as I can never get enough of that idea.

It had started roughly six months ago, gifts beginning to appear on Q's desk without anything attached that could give him a clue as to who his sudden benefactor was. There didn't appear to be a pattern in temperament or price. A stuffed elephant one time, a box of the finest Cuban cigars the next, followed by a Newton's cradle with tiny cats hanging off the outermost balls, followed by a puzzle box intricate enough to flummox Q for a record two days - a flattened Roman coin inside - followed by a gigantic cat tree, still contained in its four large boxes. Q had questioned his staff and actually believed them when they swore they hadn't seen who'd left them, even if it seemed nigh on impossible to smuggle so many metre-and-a-half square boxes through the bowels of MI6 without anyone noticing.

What Big Teeth You Have

I've already discussed this one a bit here, but the Telford werewolf idea is an idea completely owned by @judgeverse and I'm merely borrowing it! As I talked about how it ended up in the cracky side of things on the other ask, here I'll post what I was aiming for when I started: some homoerotic violence!

Young's eyes flashed dangerously, his voice very low when he next spoke. "You get one chance to leave under your own power." The back of Rush's neck prickled with warning, but he found himself incapable of backing away from the challenge laid in front of him. Young didn't respect him as it was, and he never would if Rush turned tail and ran now. He jutted his chin out. "You're not going to touch me." Without breaking eye contact, Young dropped his pile of blankets to the side with a thump. A moment later an answering thud came from behind Telford's door, which Rush had a scant few seconds to wonder about before Young planted both hands into his chest and shoved him roughly backwards, sending him crashing to the floor in a wild tangle of limbs. Rush gasped for breath, taken off guard and winded by the sudden attack. He couldn't believe one of the soldiers had actually laid hands on him! He'd been assured by Doctor Jackson that things were different within the programme as compared to the military industrial complex at large. He'd said sure, they can be brusque and stubborn when it comes to what they believe, but we're very strict on who we let into the program. Jack's never put a finger on me. They're good guys.

These two men brawling until they're both bloody and gasping for breath? 😍 They're made for it tbh.

WIP game

[thessalian]

Thess vs Impositions

I need to take a break to vent about a thing. For once, not about work.

So my email pings while I'm working away. It's from my stepfather, saying, "Guy's coming in to Do Things to the fuse box on 27th November, probably all day (8am-5pm). The electricity will probably have to be off all that day. Even then, he might have to come in on the 28th if things aren't finished, but he'll try really hard to be done before you have to start work."

So ... a few things.

I did not find out that anything was being done to the electrics at all until yesterday afternoon, when he interrupted my work day to bring this guy into the house to look at the fuse box. He said that work would be done on it "at some point". I did not expect it to be this month.

I did not get asked if this was convenient for me. I did not get asked to choose dates. If I'd just been asked, I probably would have been fine with the 27th. The fact that I'm getting this dumped on my plate without even the remotest bit of input is just starting to get annoying now, because he keeps doing it. Every time he wants to do something in the flat, I get told, not asked. I get that this is going to make things better in the long run, but I should at least get some input.

The entire point of me moving into this mess of a flat was that they were supposed to finish the entirety of the other flat, then let me move into it while they worked on this one. So why are we doing major electric works when I'm trying to live in this place?

There was zero offer to help with logistics like, for instance, where the fuck I'm supposed to put all the stuff that's in my freezer. A couple of hours while he's rewiring shit is one thing, but all day? Do you have any idea how much food that's going to waste? I'm not going to finish it all in a little over two weeks!

So my entire restful Monday, which I need to actually recuperate enough for a week of work, is now shot. I can't sleep in, because there's going to be this person doing fucking electrical work - which is apparently going to involve removing and replacing two fuse boxes, so a lot of power tool noise. Nothing in the flat is going to work, so no food, no coffee, no internet, no TV, no video games, and given how dark it is by 4pm, at least an hour of no book. I don't know if my stepfather is going to be there, so either I can't vacate because I can't have a stranger wandering around the flat on his own, or I have to leave and let my stepfather deal with everything and also wander around the flat more or less on his own.

I feel like my space is being invaded with no opportunity to even have any input. The worst part is, I feel like I have to accept it because I don't really own this flat. It's my mother's flat on paper; she's just letting me live here. Not to mention that I should be happy he's getting any shit done at all, given he's spent two and a half years doing absolutely nothing on either flat. I'm assuming he had the electrician do work here this month because this guy's done work on the other flat and it makes sense to him to get both done at once. But I'm still fucking annoyed.

So currently gritting my teeth and wondering what the consequences would be of saying, "I'm grateful for everything you're doing with the flats, I really am. I would just really appreciate it if you could be more respectful of my time and at least ask for my input on things that are going to be that much of a barrier to anything I might have needed or wanted to do on any given day." Because this is bullshit.

And also upstairs is back to using the power tools. Thank the gods it's Friday and I'm not working next week.

...But I am working now, so I'd best get back to it. I don't feel better. I'm still fucking angry, and I just want to punch walls, thanks.

[countlessrealities]

Truth Serum + Evil Morty, what are your plans for the Citadel now that you've teamed up with your counterpart? Do you still plan on going back to your original plan?

Truth Serum Time || Accepting !

Much to Morty's dismay, he is forced to admit, at least in the privacy of his mind, that the question is harder to answer than he would like for it to be. Once upon a time, before he was elected and during the first period of his presidency, the answer would have been obvious.

A sound "yes", spoken in an unwavering tone. It was what he had been dreaming about for as long as he has memory. Freedom, the chance to be more than just a stupid kid or a tool. The chance to prove his worth and to open all the doors he could reach, without anyone standing in his way.

He had always craved to be free, to be something without being part of someone else's life, to dictate his own fate. He had always thought that this couldn't be achieved inside the Curve, that the only way was the one that led out of it.

Now...things have changed. Not just because he has discovered new ways to get what he had though impossible in that corner of the multiverse, but because of the two people who have so unexpectedly become part of his life.

"I..."

His first instinct is to lie. To say that nothing has changed. Not his goals, not his plans, not his feelings. And yet, for some weird reason, he finds that he can't stop the too truthful words that fall from his lips against his will.

"It would depend on what other me wants," is what he ends up saying, which, in itself, is a bigger admission than he can afford. "We haven't talked about it. That's the unspoken deal, to carry on our shared plans and leave together, but...Being President of this glorious monument to Rick's ego hasn't turned out to be what I was expecting."

He likes being president. He likes the power, the respect, the obedience, the loyalty he gets. He also likes what he can do with all that, how he can be the one to reshape what once was just a creation to make a god out of the crazy, pompous bastard who has poisoned his life.

This is no longer the Citadel of Ricks, this is his Citadel. Or, more precisely, it could be. He just needs to want it.

"I've always lived with some rules, believing certain things. Meeting other me, discussing plans and strategies with him, getting truly involved in this project that should have been just a facade...It showed me that, maybe, my beliefs weren't fully corrected or properly founded."

He has met his counterpart's second-in-command, a Rick who is anything but what a Rick should be, especially when it comes to Mortys. Ricks don't care about Mortys. Then why is there one of them, standing by his other self's side, proving him that the opposite is possible?

And then there is his own second-in-command. The Rick who has started it all, turning him into what he is today. Torturing him, damning him, breaking him beyond repair. The same who has been the one thing Morty has wanted to be rid of forever, the same who has been the one thing he hadn't realised he couldn't be whole without. The man who had once rip everything from him, consumed him till there was nothing left, and who is now bowing to his will and whms, eagerly and freely.

Proving him wrong about everything he has been led to believe during their previous coexistence.

"Let's say that I want to see just how far I can go, how much I can achieve and change before the moment to pick the true ending comes. I still have the intention to go through with my original plans, but...perhaps my decision isn't as set in stone has it had been."

And that's already a much bigger admission that he would normally allow himself to make.

"But, at the same time, I want us to be together in our decision. Other me and I. We're one and the same, we should share the same ending. It wouldn't feel right in any other way."

{ @mcltiples (Evil Morty) - mentioned }[[

[sleepii-moth]

kind of vague tunic spoilers below the cut, this is more just an opinion than anything- but if you're wanting to play this game blind then i wouldnt look. (if you don't mind some vague spoilers and are planning on getting it i would recommend reading this though) Tunic is the most heartbreakingly underwhelming game i have ever played.

Yes, I have played through the entire game. Yes, i have gotten both endings. When I say this it's not coming from a place of malice, I don't think Tunic is a bad game... it was just so so not for me.

Over the past year or two I've been playing a lot of games almost completely blind, and from that I've found some of my favorite games like In other Waters. Tunic was also a game i was told to go into blind, despite that though i heard a few things about it. I heard people compare it to Outer Wilds, I heard that it's combat was bad, I heard that it was a puzzle game that involved a very unique mechanic of piecing a book together to learn how to play the game. Of course, I never expected it to be just like Outer Wilds or anything, but given everything else I fully expected this game to be something that i would enjoy. I mean- a puzzle game with a gameplay mechanic that supposedly breaks away from what games are often thought to be? A once in a lifetime experience like Outer Wilds? Count me in! given all those facts there's no way i could not like this game, right?

Maybe it was a product of over-hyping something, maybe i just had the wrong idea. But Tunic was nothing like what i had heard. It leaned more in the direction of a Zelda rip-off than anything. The combat was bad, at least i knew that was true beforehand. But i didnt realize just how much of the game is combat. 90% of it is combat. But i can just turn it off and ignore that, right? I thought, Surely the story and puzzles will be enough to move me forward despite some boring gameplay, right?

And then I encountered the puzzles. The puzzles that rely on the in game handbook which ranges from just an answer sheet to incredibly cryptic. The puzzles themselves were sometimes just downright diabolical. I mean like some of the most crucial puzzles in the game rely on you just looking at some discrete pattern in a wall and pressing some buttons on your d-pad like 10 times. I usually love puzzle games, but when I think of puzzles i think of Portal's physics puzzles that require you to use your surroundings and tools in unique ways, or Outer Wild's logic puzzles that require you to think about the world around you works. Tunic's puzzles are along the lines of finding a code and putting it into a keypad- you never actually do that but that's always what it felt like to me. I can only think of one or two times where the answer to a puzzle actually has some merit somewhere else in the game. Much of the game simply relies on you going through dungeons, getting a tool you need to get to an unreachable place, maybe doing a few puzzles along the way, rinse and repeat. If it weren't for the handbook this game would've just basically been Zelda without Link. And even the handbook felt more like a gimmick than a gameplay mechanic. It was just like a sheet of hints because the games puzzles were too specific and complicated to leave them by themselves.

I think given all that i wouldn't have finished the game if i wasn't holding out for the story. I was convinced there had to be some reason why I had heard such good things about this game! If its not the combat or the puzzles it must be the story right? Except it wasn't. It felt like the game was going to give me a mystery with all the cryptic and hard to understand text it gives you, hell there's a whole guidebook in some made up language! But in the end the most i felt about the story was some small amount of intrigue, and at worst it felt like it practically didn't exist. I'm all for trying to tell a story without characters or dialog, plenty of games do that really well! The power of environmental storytelling, right?! As far as my incredibly recent memory goes i only remember about 3 times the environments ever felt genuinely unique to the story, and even then it wasn't ever elaborated on. All the other environments in the game were just your standard environments for a game with some small nod to a symbol or idea expressed in the story. The story itself.. was.. kind of nothing? Games don't always need to have some profound story with meanings and plot twists and all that but given the rest of the game being what it was i kind of expected something? I feel like it was sort of presented as a mystery but maybe that was just my overall cluelessness about everything in the game- though despite how little i knew i never exactly felt compelled to find answers, i kind of just wanted there to be a story?

In the end i was left with game that consisted of bad combat, ridiculous puzzles, a nothing story, and a gimmick that at most times i feel like wasn't used to its fullest potential. I kept going until the end because my mind was somewhere between "Just keep playing and you'll understand all the praise, it'll get better!" and "God dammit i paid for this with my own money and I'm past the refund cutoff" This could've been part of why my experience suffered, or maybe i simply should've looked up more about the game, or maybe it was a combination of a lot of things. But Tunic is a game most definitely not for people like me.

In the end I'm still not quite sure why so many people like this game, but it's not really my place to judge. I suppose might like it if you're the type of person who enjoys obsessing over things with a lot of codes or riddles to solve like ARGs, or if you like old school Zelda combat. I'm sure this game is great, but if you were expecting a game with unique puzzle solving mechanics and/or an interesting narrative, this game is not that.

[skaldish]

How do you feel about models of spirit work where entities represent facets of the self (while also representing universal facets expressed through more than one person at a time, such as across a culture)

Like to summon up and bind a demon is to seek internal control over that darker facet of yourself

And to form a strong mutual bond with a deity is to reflect upon your relationship with others and the world in some facet

Where these entities can be Magically Literal while also being entwined with Internal, Psychological Work on the behalf of the worshipper or magician?

I’m somewhat on the fence because I’m certain that at least SOME spirits are definitely entwined with the summoner/creator/manifestor. Like a house spirit to a newly built house. But I’m not sure if that’s anthropocentric to say that all spiritual entities exist in some way as a reflection of our relationships with ourselves and others.

Thoughts?

As someone with dissociative problems, my answer's going to have a pretty pragmatic bias to it:

You have to learn the rules before you break them.

Basically, what you described is a form of narrative play—specifically, this is a way to play with the narrative of the Self, as a means to understand the self in relation to the world.

Narrative is terrifyingly powerful. Powerful enough to change the course of history and alter people's perception of reality. It's a devastatingly effective psychological tool, but it's something so incredibly easy to be diluded by if you're not keeping tabs on the meta or using it appropriately. (The current state of conspiracy theory provides a great example of what happens when narrative is left unchecked.)

Using narrative as a psychological tool requires recognizing things as they actually are, as opposed to what we think they are or want them to be. But doing this allows me to find the right metaphor and a clear idea on how to use it. (For example: I'm human, but also the monstrous Other. The metaphor of monstrousness is a way for me to reflect on the condition of being human; it doesn't stand in opposition to my humanity but is in fact a byproduct of it, and knowing that meta allows me to use it appropriately).

Now, as for spirits being a product of the mind or autonomous in their own right, and the divide between those two things...I'm a hard polytheist and animist, and not because of faith, but because I've experienced deities and spirits as autonomous beings outside of myself. In the way we're conscious matter, they're conscious ideas.

There are things like thoughtforms and egregores, which exist only as long as we put energy into them. Some believe that these things can develop a life of their own if certain conditions are met, but I can also see these being roles that energy steps into. Couldn't tell you what conditions are involved in that though.

(Due to dissociative and ethical reasons, I avoid making thoughtforms out of what can easily be attributed to myself.)

The relationship between "material" and "metaphysical" is mysterious. All I know is that keeping track of "self" and "not self" is critical in how I measure it all without getting too lost in the sauce.

I'm not sure if this answers your question, so let me know if you need me to clarify or expand on anything!

[thequietmanno1]

Thelreads, Vigilantes 81, Replies Part 2

1) “Anyway, I bet this would make a really cool animated scene, but we definitely will never get an anime out of this manga, and that makes me both sad and happy.”- I dunno, I think there’s defiantly potential for one- certainly a lot of free space in that timeskip for a filler arc or two to flesh out everybody’s character, you know? 2) “you fuckers are worried about analyzing the lyrics and rhythm of it when she`s about to be turned into a roast?”-They had to dumb it down for those of us who can’t hear the music playing in our heads as we read. 3) “RACHEL I STILL CAN`T BELIEVE ANY OF YOU REALLY THINK THAT POP JUST DISAPPEARED FOR A FEW DAYS AND THEN COME BACK AS A CRAZY VILLAIN AND THAT THERE ISN`T ANY SORT OF SUSPICIOUS THING INVOLVED

THERE`S ANOTHER THREE GUYS IN THIS VERY SAME ROOM WHICH GOT KIDNAPPED AND TURNED INTO RAMPAGING VILLAINS, WHY DON`T ANY OF YOU THINK THE SAME APPLIES TO HER?”- I mean, they probably suspect, but they don’t have any definite proof, you know? Phelps is probably erring on the side of caution here from his prior experiences with trigger, which is why he wants her brought in alive, but that’s not really an outcome discount-endeavour has in mind. For the support group, all they really know is what they’ve seen and experienced, and none of them can really provide evidence that Pop’s been Triggered to be like this without getting samples of her blood and such, which the parasite likely isn’t going to allow. 4) “Pop please, piss off, you literally didn`t go through anything that would justify this behavior, but the story is really set into pushing that the Parasite just let you act in the darkness in your heart”- It does somewhat undercut the transformation, that’s there’s no real inherent ‘darkness’ within Pop to manipulate and mould into a villain, unlike with Tenko and his childhood abuse steadily building up until the breaking point. But on the other hand, that emphasises the ‘tragedy’ aspect more, because whilst Tenko was steadily coaxed into accepting evil by what he thought was choice, Pop is being brute-forced into the role by Nomura and not being given any true say in the matter, yet brainwashed into believing that she wants this outcome. 5) “KOICHI WHAT IS THAT

ALTHOUGH I AM GLAD YOU`RE KEEPING YOUR DAD`S TRADITIONS ALIVE WITH YOUR OWN GRAPPLING HOOK”- At least one practical piece of training Knuckle imparted onto Koichi was how to properly use a grappling hock in action to web-swing, even by example, which is a pretty neat  comparison to be made between Izuku and Koichi now that they both have the powers the gravity defiance (or will do in Izuku’s case whenever he manages to unlock it) and the power of swing. 6) “Oh it is actually his old grappling hook, oh wow. Can`t disagree that is essential to have a backup plan when the first one goes down the hole but

KOICHI YOU HAVEN`T EVEN USED YOUR FUCKING QUIRK”- The grappling hook is actually an extremely fitting tool for Koichi should he master it enough to make it his own, letting him keep in the fray and moving around buildings when his ‘Quirk stamina’ runs out and recharging it, then allowing him to start using it against after the brief ‘rest’ period. 7) “Actually no, he was the most “normal” person there, when you stop to think about it.

Also Puto, you saw him doing that like once, twice at most, what the fuck do you even know?”- He knows that with even a little application of his Quirk applied to this tool, Koichi would be able to pull off parkour stunts that would make Knuckle’s usage of it seem amateur in comparison. 8) “YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

HE`S FGOING FOR ITFUCKYEAH THE CRAWLER TOOK TO THE SKIES ONCE AGAIN!”-Maybe not the full-scale rocket blast he pulled off before, but the ‘double jump’ (or triple in this case) is a good in-between measure to catch up to Pop on her own playing field.

9) “FURUHASHI JUST FUCKING DECIDE ALREADY IF SHE`S IN CONTROL OR NOT FOR FUCK`S SAKE”-

Again similar to Tomura, Pop is convinced at first that society will never forgive her for her crimes, or accept the circumstances behind them, so she may as well accept being a villain and let the parasite have its way, but seeing Koichi chasing relentlessly after her and still willing to forgive her despite it all is just enough to make her realise that if he alone will never turn his back on her, then maybe that’s enough reason to actually fight back…which is precisely why Nomura steps in at that moment. I can see something similar happening with Tomura down the line- maybe himself not being actually ‘redeemed’ in the eyes of the public, but getting to choose to stop being the villain and start accepting help from Izuku when he needs it.

10) “but again, I am happy. At least I got my hope in things actually getting better written being renovated. It was far from perfect- in fact it was so far that light would take around a week before it could reach perfect, but we can still make it, this story still can make good use of all its potential so at least the ending is good.”- “Crossing the finish line with a broken leg is still finishing the race” @thelreads

[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

I wanna feel sorta proud of what I managed to get done today, but since I have no one to tell about it I’m inflicting it on all of you.

When I was a child our wading pool was this thing, a bit of scrap from the family fiberglass business Pop added a drain plug to. It was deeper that the wading pools most kids have, which was why it was so much more fun.

Anyway, eventually we grew up and didn’t need a back yard wading pool in town when we had our swimming pool at the shop. The wading pool got carried down to our river place and set on the drydock where it could be used to hold fish. I never fished (long story) but my father occasionally set fish traps, an uncle and his wife that loved fishing would visit very often, and there was this commercial fisherman friend that was always giving us more live catfish than we could eat (or, in my case because if my allergy…NOT eat). A tank to hold fish was kinda useful.

When my father got sick we stopped going to the river every day. Then life became a series if disasters, and we almost never made it to the river. Vandals did a lot of things. Break ins, graffiti, smashed portholes, gunshot damage, a smashed power box…and someone shoved our old wading pool into the river.

The wading pool ended up in the river, but between to the boat and drydock isn’t so deep nowadays with the river lower. One flange could be gotten at from the drydock with a bit of work, so for ages I meant to get it out. It just wasn’t a priority though. With houses falling apart around me, the animals to care for, and a new crisis everyday I couldn’t spend much time on something that can’t rot or move.

But the boat has serious problems. Again, long story, but it has an alarming list, water in the engine room, and is totally aground. My brother has decided the boat is the main priority over anything else. (yes, including a tree on the house, holes in the floor, no electricity, broken pipes, etc ….’cause he doesn’t live here) And he has ideas where that old wading pool would be useful.

On two different trips he made a stab at us getting it out. Things did not go well. We should probably leave it at that.

The thing was, unlike my brother, I spent decades helping Pop out in the shop where hauling and moving heavy loads using old fashioned manual tools was an every day job. I had ideas of how to haul the pool out I was sure would work, at least with a bit of persistence and adaptability in the moment.

Trouble was, I just didn’t have the energy to fight with my brother over everything. He can be….difficult…for me to work with. Together I wouldn’t be listened to, I’d get yelled out, I’d have to do things I knew wouldn’t work anyway just to prove it, and there was a very good chance someone would get hurt.

I needed to do it alone, before my brother could return in July.

I was absolutely certain we could do it. I wasn’t sure I could do it.

What I mean is, I knew what to do but everything would be extremely difficult for one person alone. Just for starters I’d have to haul with a come-along tied to the mast up on the boat, and I’d have to pull the pool towards the dry dock, and I’d have to hold logs back from jamming into the pool with the water current at the same time. I couldn’t be up on the boat AND on the drydock at the same time, let alone doing several jobs at once!

I told Mom in frustration after my first attempt, that I knew on the old days, with both her and Pop, the three of us could have done it in an hour. I also told her that if it had been before her stroke the two of us could have done it in an afternoon. But I was trying to do it alone, and knew of no one I trusted to help me.

I think I hurt someone’s feelings by saying I needed to do it alone. Even someone enthusiastic and meaning well wouldn’t be enough, it would have to be someone that I was sure had experience with this things. You could get seriously hurt with the things involved, or I could be so distracted trying to make sure they were safe I’d end up hurt. I had to do it alone so NO one would get hurt.

Yeah, the pics make it look simple. It wasn’t tons of silt as well as water filling the pool, the tilt of the boat and where I had the flange to fasten to pulling it into the side of the boat, nothing to tie to on the drydock in the places where I most needed them…..

I won’t bore you with all the details. Stuff happen. Difficulties were encountered and worked around. When the come-along on the boat had it’s lower mechanism jam I ended up having to lower thing by using the rope I’d tied the thing to the mast , which is NOT easy after a heavy load has pulled the knots tight that weren’t meant to be loosened under strain anyway. That sort of thing.

Point is, I DID IT! I got the dang thing safely on the drydock. Nothing was damaged and I got no injuries (other than when I was carrying the comealong over the plank at the beginning and got pinches). I am overjoyed!

You know, in a way it was fun. It was like the old days. The mix of figuring things out with your brain, while working your body hard, pushing yourself with an absolute determination and confidence that you will find a way….

That use to be what every single day was like growing up, and right up until the day Pop died. After Mom’s grief drove her to stop caring and then the difficulties I faced after Mom’s stroke got so overwhelming, I dunno. Nothing was ever as simple and straightforward as the old days. It was been tasks that were just beyond me, or at least too many of them at once that I didn’t know how to deal with. I have just felt so crushed by all that I can’t do compared to the old days where every day felt like accomplishments or progress.

This feels GOOD! Good to have done, but actually wonderful to do. It reminds me of who I have always been. I’m a Wolfe, and I did what we Wolves always did: we work our asses off with our mind and body to always find a way. I’m glad I can still do this, even if I now have to do it alone. The Lone Wolfe can get by when she has to! LOL

[achrilock-atmospherical]

Been looking for a hot take to just copy, but there isn’t one with sufficient complexity, so here’s a custom job. There are two problems with today’s legal outcome for Hushpuppy. One is practical, and one is a matter of principle.

On the practical side, he’s gonna get a fine. Or he’s gonna raise money off of it, which he is already artfully doing, playing into the narrative of victimization which is the bread and butter of fascist movements everywhere. It’s not really about him, it’s about the money and ideas behind him for which he is, however corruptly, an avatar. He’s not gone, he is branded ‘unlawful’ by people and a system that his supporters already plan on dismantling. So don’t break out your champagne just yet.

As a matter of principle, it’s another Democratic ‘gotcha’ move, which is the basis of nearly all neoliberal law and policy (please see domestic and foreign policy for the last hundred years). It’s a loophole to thread through in a given sociopolitical moment to achieve a short-term goal, in this case getting Biden elected, but little more than that. If it was about holding power accountable under ‘the law’ then Biden would be on trial for abetting genocide. Democrats aren’t clean, just cunning.

It’s a real catch 22, isn’t it? The purple MAGA crowd would have me say ‘yes, of course, this evil person should be held accountable for his crimes and punished for the good of the system,’ even though those ‘crimes’ are largely petty business offenses that are commonplace under neoliberalism and many of the genuinely harmful, heinous acts that occurred aren’t even actionable under the law.

The anarchists and abolitionists would have me say that prison is simply torture (it is) for the poor and the undesirable (it is) and that this is a shit show to legitimize a system that will only be used to further the goals and whims of oligarchic control tomorrow, once the dust from this anomaly settles (and that’s exactly what’s going on and what will happen).

So we’re back to, essentially, some within the system used the only tool at their disposal to carve out a kind of rough justice from a bad situation. And that’s the problem. The system cannot consistently create or ensure justice because it primarily exists to preserve its unjust hierarchical order. Trump’s not in trouble because he broke the law. He’s in trouble because he broke ranks with the powerful and made them and their system look bad. If he is ever punished, that will be the reason why.

Under a hierarchical system of ‘gotchas,’ what we think of as the ‘law,’ you have four (above board) options for imposing consequences: fines, imprisonment / torture, exile, or death. If this were some sort of horizontal anarchist utopia we could assign him a minder to make him behave and simply decide that he wouldn’t be involved in politics anymore for everyone’s best interests.

We don’t live under such a system, unfortunately. I don’t have a good answer to it, in the here and now, other than to say that he should have been handled sooner, and with a resolution that wouldn’t have left everyone with a choice between rallying around an unjust legal and political system or fighting his supporters in six months when he retakes power.

What it comes down to is that people, all people, seem to be more concerned with rhetoric and idealizations rather than with principles and systems that function in reality. That’s not where justice lives. That’s not where safety lives. That’s not where dignity and tranquility live. It’s way bigger than one bad guy or one election, as it always is. And we do need a good, solid answer to the question of how to control malevolent social actors that isn’t just group talk therapy.

[osta01]

Commercial refrigerator service by trained technician

Modern commercial fridges play a fundamental part in keeping fresh goods frozen, meeting the high standards of hygiene in eateries, shops, hospitals and any other store. Consequently, two things are required when commercial refrigerators are involved like any complex machinery; these are maintenance and servicing in order to be able to operate optimally. This is where the electronics and software knowledge of technically trained people is put to use. Through a combined discussion, let us explore the vital role of commercial refrigerator service from competent technicians and the resultant effect on the food service businesses. commercial refrigeration technician near me

Ensuring Food Safety and Compliance:Ensuring Food Safety and Compliance:

The commercial refrigerators are used for storing products like meat, fish, and dairy products to tolerate below-zero temperatures, not spoil them and foodborne illnesses not to occur. Training, qualified technicians and constant maintenance are the key to make sure that appliances for cooling work safely within the range of temperature and meet HACCP policy. Specialised technicians can measure ambient temperatures and airflow and spot problems that could risk food safety among foodservice operators.

Preventing Costly Breakdowns and Downtime:Preventing Costly Breakdowns and Downtime:

The industrial fridges, because of their demanding use, are susceptible to excessive wear causing an eventual decline of their quality and condition. Without necessary maintenance and servicing of refrigeration machines, they have a high potential for going down and a loss of time and resources for businesses due to maintenance or repairs. The workforce is made to train technicians that carry out routine maintenance : condenser cleaning, lube moving parts and inspect the refrigerant levels in advance to find and correct minor issues lest they get out of hand into major ones. This approach is undertaken preventatively so that the giant firms may be able to save themselves from expensive repairs and uncalled for disturbances of their operations.

Optimising Energy Efficiency:

Commercial freezers that use large amounts of electricity represent one of the main consumers of energy in food service businesses. However, effective operation of air conditioning devices is not only economically practical but also ecologically helpful in reducing power bills and environmental impact. Trained technicians with the knowledge to maximise energy efficiency among supermarket owners will provide the required expertise necessary to ensure that equipment is properly sized, calibrated and maintained. In this regard, we will do air leakage tests and adjusting thermostat settings, as well as replacing current worn-out components, for the sake of better energy efficiency.

Extending Equipment Lifespan:

Purchasing of the business commercial refrigeration system involves a large budget capital. Fixing and providing the service for refrigerators regularly help to increase both return of investment as well make them use them longer. Highly skilled technicians inspect and diagnose the machinery using different procedures and a number of techniques that can reveal the early wear and tear signs, corrosion, or mechanical failures which may result in premature equipment breakdown. With solving these flaws as quickly as possible and suggesting preventive maintenance activities, service specialists keep the operation of coolant equipment running and make the chance of heavy expenses related to equipment replacement as small as possible.

Expert Diagnosis and Repairs:

During outage situations, when fridge equipment fails due to malfunctions or break down, the businesses call for professionals to document and repair it. Experienced equipment operators possess advanced refrigeration systems training and tools such as diagnostics and equipment helpful in pinpointing the actual origin of problems that provide quick and effective solutions. Equipment technicians trained to be able to handle coil repairs, implanting new compressors, gaskets replacement, and any electrical problem that a system may have are not only able to restore a refrigeration machinery's capacity to function optimally but also to do the job quickly and efficiently.

Comprehensive Maintenance Programs:

Trained technicians more often than not provide maintenance programs tuned to the particular needs of companies which may cover various aspects of the organisation’s distribution chain. Such programs are typically aimed at regular inspections, cleaning, and servicing of refrigeration equipment especially without any delay with respect to a defined schedule. The refrigeration equipment maintenance plan is designed so that organisations can enjoy deeper sleep psychologically, knowing that every component is in the good hands of quality professionals. once there is a problem, it is addressed preemptively before it becomes a big problem.

Having certified service providers that are equipped with the necessary skills is pivotal when it comes to guaranteeing the safety, dependability, and cost-effectiveness of commercial refrigeration devices in restaurants. The role of trained technicians in contributing to maximising the performance and lifespan of a business' refrigeration equipment cannot be underrated. These professionals engage in routine maintenance to win the race against energy consumption and to reduce costs associated with costly repairs. Investment in a professional refrigeration service offers businesses a means of preserving the conditions of their food products, a way of keeping the required standards, and an opportunity to provide their customers with a nice and safe area.

For more info visit here:- commercial fridge repair near me

[benefits1986]

Gutenberg, Geisha Era, Gig Economy and GPT

While I’ve been on a long break, the GPT multiverse has been brewing in my back burner. I came from a generation which is weird because I know how life is without on-hand tech and eventually, dabble with phones and typing emojis, playing with cracking ringtones (which I never have patience with because I have people to that for me), until I reach the point of checking how I can lessen my screen time since my modern cross, calvary and hopefully, my glory, too is housed inside an 11 to 17-inch clamshell-ish box called a laptop. 

Back in 2015, I’ve already seen copies and designs and workflows being built by the bitch bots. :D Then, I’ve really, really abhorred the idea of autopilot using the bots while harping on the digital economy --one in which the capitalists wolf down content and make them chewable for the niches that they want to arrest via potions called brands and their stories to tell. These days, it’s called the gig economy --a make-believe world where digital nomads and hybrid workers come cheaper than a dime a dozen. However, when I saw how powerful the universe of AI could get in as far as guiding better decision making for terminally ill patients, I wished that AI could have kept up faster in time for 2004, when we were battling the 1 out 700K stats and trying to falsify my mom as a case study in her battle with GBS, a then new age disease or condition. If AI was present then, maybe, just maybe, there’d be tribes and subreddits for my mom and me, too. This aching, this itching is still present whenever I wish that Black Mirror’s Be Right Back and San Junipero are accessible, BUT, with reservations. Mom has almost zero digital footprints and I’m sure she’ll kill me because to her, cloning is “playing god” so lagot na naman ako. Hahahaha.  So, after a series of debates especially in grad school where academic excellence overrides the real and lived world (LOL), I have to put my put down on which side I’d take in as far as this tool is concerned. Is it an antidote? Is it a poison? Or is it but another pill with placebo effect?  (Mhie, ang aga-aga na, Sabado pa, chill ka lang BUT I can not. Sabi ko Monday pa ako babalik sa multiverse na ‘to pero no, can’t wait to be a mutant na talaga before I reach 50. Choz.)  I am not an early adopter, a geek, a nerd or a pa-cool person, so in this GPT world laced with both material and immaterial stuff, fluff, and bluff, I proceed with caution aka use it with intent; use it with caution.  Other pop cult-ish early steps toward GPT are Simsimi --a chat bot that is designed for bored people who want to have access to a boredom killer. Another one is Second Life, even IBM and an A-list university invested on it. It’s like Sims but you can interact with philosophers, inventors and celebrities. Both have not trended because then, people do not have ready access to tech, phone bills are off the roof and people are not yet too involved with the black mirror, the edited feeds, and the two-sided lives they live.  Should GPT be feared? I say, not really. If you’ve held a book, listened to a podcast or watched a tutorial video if not a TED Talk, then you’ve been an accomplice to the GPT multiverse. If you connect the crazy dots backward, all roads lead back to Gutenberg. How so? During this time is where mass content distribution started. Knowledge has been steeped and filtered and people are merely handed policed information that impact what they “eat” and what they “shit”, too. Imagine these printers mutate to a multitude of printers that are fed humanity’s HIStory, its biases, its pain points, its one too many hidden desires, its fears, and yes, its power dynamics, too.  Allow me to also touch on a specific part of Asian history when women in the Japanese courts used to be knowledge bearers; but later, turned to what’s known in this history as geishas. The whole culture of geishas deserve another post which goes beyond the pop cult and the movie and the book, but for now let’s zoom in on one tiny yet pivotal thing: Back then, women in Asian lived stories have an essential part in the community; however, women have been diminished to muted moms, muses and misfits. Hard candy but true. This does not mean though that I’m just another feminist yapping. Watch me. 

While GPT is a lean and mean machine, the people behind it are dominated by alpha male and yes, even the myth of being the alpha male. No offense to the men of the world, I salute you all, but what GPT is lacking is empathy, something that does not come by easily in whatever part of the multiverse. Actually, I stand firm with GPT being rooted on apathy. In Filipino, that’s WALANG PAKIALAM, BAHALA KA SA BUHAY MO which is so poignant and in your ass. And here is where women come in. If there’s a crack code for the bots, the algo, the models to have empathy, then and only then will the mega stories that it generates will make sense and will have a better stance. Empathy is a universal trait. Men and women have it, but the thing is, women especially those who balance their personal and professional game, are in the waiting room. This means, shattering the GPT ceilings and the fake solid floors, too. Heck, even the podcasts that are trending are dominated by male people who are talking with their two heads. Ego everywhere. Pataasan ng ihi each word they spout. LOL. Fight me. Fight me. Fight me. 

I’ve stopped watching TED because when it picked up, sponsors started marching in, unapologetically. One talk that etched me was a certain talk about how Pixar is slaying Disney by debunking its myths dressed to the nines. I’ve exhausted all KW to unearth this dated talk, but seems like it’s been policed. Baka bobo na ako sa KW kahit lahat ng long tails naman pati contextual ones, hindi ubra. There are still a good number of really good stories worth sharing, but, its diversity has been dimming a lot. Or ako lang ba ‘yun, ulit? Also, when Pixar bowed down to Disney, game over-ish era na talaga. LOL. Been a fan of Steve Jobs, hence my first smartphone is an iPhone 3GS, but, when he died of pancreatic cancer and brandished that he’s still too focused on his deadline, fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck that clever design and what it cost him, too. (Akala mo naman walang dark stories ang Samsung noh? Alam ko pero the S Pen is my vibe since forever. It’s like a magic wand for me lang.)  And so, we are here and now... the GPT multiverse on its way to Nosedive (Black Mirror EP yet again). However, I put my faith that as I immerse in this world and the worlds beyond it, I’d be able to welcome it, befriend it, and slay it. A GPT with empathy... now, that’s really scary, really curious and yes, even a potentially life-changing one built on legacy that is rooted on alpha female ego, too. LELS.  Pasa ko na ba to sa Thought Catalog, Medium or even sa Rappler? LOL. Daming dramatical errors along with technical ones. Thing is... I don’t care. LOL. Let’s keep it here for future reference. Basta ‘wag lang mag-close down or maclone ang Tumblr. Meantime, masticate this talk from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Gah. So hard to spell. I kennat. I also love too complex sentences --those that leave you breathless and dazed, because why not?