o()xxx[{:::::::::::::::> ...hi

so many responses of “its nice that you’re privileged enough to be able to steal from Target willy nilly!” and that’s not at all what this is about. like, yeah, shoplifting and loitering and graffiti and breaking the rules is, obviously, part of “do crime”. but they’re not parts you have to do.

would you help someone get an abortion where it was illegal?

would you help a trans friend get healthcare that had been criminalized?

would you shelter someone fleeing persecution, even if the law said not to?

would you help a gay couple stay together when the state decided their relationship was unlawful?

instead, would you report someone else for breaking the law? will you snitch on your hungry neighbors for stealing food? on your homeless neighbors for sleeping where they’re able?

And the answer is, we don't.

The unhoused people who come here seeking refuge 99% of the time understand that they will be kicked out if they misbehave.

The people you have to watch out for are Jessica, who only came because the kid she didn't want had to visit for a homework assignment and she just *needs* to yell at her child for asking to borrow two books or stay an extra five minutes, or Michael, who came in to look at porn on our computers for whatever fucking reason, or Karen who just wanted to come by to throw a fit that the particular book she wanted was checked out and harrass our staff about our collection being too limited.

And we did what we could to help. He was incredibly kind and patient despite his obvious anxiety and stress, more than most able bodied, housed patrons are to us under much less dire conditions. I liked knowing that we were the first place he came.

We have so many people like this who come in everyday. Many are quiet and keep to themselves, but sometimes they talk to us.

They tell us about how they're taking a few courses on a scholarship they applied for from our library's computer at the local community college to get their diploma. Or ask about a manga or dvd or book we might have to help them pass the time.

One woman, who comes in daily with her tattered walker always says hello to me and likes to work on the new jigsaw puzzle with me when we set one out.

So like, treat unhoused people like people. Treat disabled people like people. I don't want my library to feel like the only safe space in the world, but I'm glad it can be one of them.

Try a genre that isn't currently On Trend. If you don't like the current romantasy bestsellers because they all follow the same tropes in order to game the tiktok algorithm, try something that isn't romantasy.

Read something written before 2010. There are plenty of amazing books being written right now also, but if your problem is with current trends specifically, go read the books that people were complaining were "ruining literature" twenty years ago. They're great.

Walk into any second-hand bookshop and just start looking around. There will be a lot of the thing you don't like there and there will also be a lot of other stuff, some of which you do like.

Make friends who like the same sorts of books as you.

This might only apply to me, but I get a lot of recommendations by simply being into vaguely philosophical video essays. If you follow a lot of the Jacob Geller Types on youtube or nebula then you will get more truly awesome science fiction recommendations than you know what to do with.

Write a web serial and every few days somebody will pop into your inbox saying "this thing you wrote kind of reminds me of [x], have you read it?" and it's almost certainly something you've never heard of in your life but now you have another story to check out that you know touches on themes you've demonstrated interest in.

If you find yourself in truly desperate straits, go to tvtropes.org and type in a trope you like. Scroll down to 'examples'. There's a whole long list there of stories about a killer on a leash, or battle couples, or whatever else you're in the mood to read about today.

Wow thanks for the ingot man let me just inspect the quality real quick

Dude come on

The game treats the Miis like they’re real people and makes zero mention ever that they are not, and only ever refers to them and their POV as if they are real and you are their caretaker! While playing this honestly messed with my head pretty badly at times and made me worry a lot on if I was hurting real people/not doing enough for real people while I was playing!

I cannot imagine how much worse this would be for someone who’s unmedicated, non-dormant, or experiencing breakthrough symptoms! Do please be careful and PLEASE remember to have a way to reality check yourself while playing the game!!!