Not Much

big fan of stories that, while undoubtedly being about the power of friendship, acknowledge that the power of incredible violence is just as important

Was doing the “watch an ad to get [some in-game boost]” thing earlier and completely out of the blue got an ad for some anime game where you spawn as a little mushroom person and then have isekai adventures while becoming increasingly human. Or something.

The thing is that books usually DO teach you something, but it's not usually something explicit in the text. (Sometimes the author has an explicit moral they want to push, but whether they pull it off or not is another thing.) Reading fiction teaches you about experiences and viewpoints beyond your own. It can act as a safe way to engage in hard emotions like grief, anger, disappointment, betrayal, etc. It can also be a safe way to engage with certain experiences you'd rather avoid irl. Most folks don't want to go to war, but understanding even a little bit of what war is like for the people who are forced into war is extremely good insight into other people's lives & experiences. That's the kind of thing a story can facilitate. Most people who do bad things DO justify their actions in one way or another, and stories can help you understand how someone could think or act in certain ways. So, yes. The more you read the more you learn, but the things you learn are typically cumulative over many stories with diverse points of view and not every one of those stories is *trying* to teach you anything. Even when a story is trying to teach you a lesson or a moral, you don't have to accept or agree with that lesson, but it's good to think about things you don't agree with just as an exercise in critical thinking.

This may be the worst use of LLMs anyone has attempted, ever. Up there with recognizing mushrooms.

MAJOR TBOY NEWS ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

According to producer Sean O’Neill, hosting such a show was a lifelong dream for Glenn-Copeland, who appeared as a series regular on the Canadian children’s program Mr. Dressup for decades, in addition to composing music for Sesame Street. But as Glenn-Copeland told Them in a 2021 profile, as much as he loved working with and for children, he felt uncomfortable with being cast in “female” roles on Mr. Dressup, though he didn’t realize he was trans at the time. “Elizabeth had a vision for a series that would bring together Glenn’s warmth and playfulness, inspiring music, and amazing puppets,” O’Neill said in the press release. “The project is a tribute to Glenn’s spirit — a celebration of his music, his joy, and the path he has spent a lifetime laying for others.” Over email, O'Neill added that while Glenn-Copeland is “an all-too-rare Black trans elder,” part of what made the series feel important was because of “his insistence that he has just as much to learn from the younger folks following in his path as they may from him.” “That’s something he constantly reminded us of while we were writing — that he didn't want to be an all-knowing, sage guide in the series, but rather that his vulnerability and learning and silliness need to be part of the storytelling too,” O’Neill said. “Ultimately, Glenn was insisting on his humanity. And so, at its center of our series is this warm, kind, wonderful host who could be anyone’s favorite grandparent, and who also happens to be Black and trans.” While Caring Cabin was initially envisioned as an ongoing series, the press release notes that the project was put on hold “following a health diagnosis shortly after the pilot was completed.” The Glenn-Copelands shared in September 2024 that Beverly was diagnosed with dementia, and that his upcoming tour would be his last one. At the time, Glenn said that the couple wanted to “challenge the mainstream image of this illness, which focuses on loss. We are actively asking the universe to show us where the life is here.”

Hi OP no notes I just wanted to add some more guys because I have disorders

had to nab these tags from @ravenvsfox