#sundiver

Boston Manor- SUNDIVER

This is the second half of the double album. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I enjoyed the second half better than the first half.

Do you recommend Startide Rising by David Brin? I saw you talking about it on another post and I was wondering if you would Actually Recommend It or is it one of those "this piece of media impacted my life irrevocably and I wouldn't be who I am without it but I would never actually RECOMMEND IT to other people" kind of deals...

So, there are two things to know about Startide Rising. The first is that it is part of a series of two trilogies, and while it is technically the second book, the first trilogy are all kinda vaguely standalone books that just happen to be set in the same universe. The second trilogy are a lot more interconnected.

The second thing to know is that some of the "sci" is a little dated, particularly the psychology-flavoured bits. I didn't enjoy Sundiver (technically the first book, but I probably read it last) as much as I might otherwise have because of that, but if you are like me and you enjoy picking apart a piece of media in your head to see how it fits together then this is kind of a negligible complaint.

There are a LOT of aliens, almost all of them can probably be read as problematic if you're into that, and the whole series is built around a model of galactic society that, looking back, kinda reeks of infantilizing paternalism, and the books KNOW this. Half of all the action is politicking and subterfuge, and the other half is politicking and backstabbing. Also, whie it has been a Long Time since I read them, I remember the final book (Heaven's Reach) was kind of a fucking mind bender towards the end and I had to stop and marinate a couple times.

If you want a book to dump a dozen deeply compelling questions directly into your brain, it's great! Just be aware that it was written for people who enjoy giving their brain a workout.

Another Felid done: this is Sundiver, a puma type, who got a new costume redesign for this one. Description is in the alt text.

You're out of your mind if you think it's selfish for people to not want to be forced to pay for some shit head's college tuition. Do you even understand that "free" college doesn't mean it's free? You hear the word 'free' and think it costs no one a dollar. You're scum, and parasites like you are wannabe slave owners. Eat shit and die.

i understand how free college can work, & there are many countries that offer it. theyre doing fine, & in fact they seem to be doing a lot better than us in so many ways

you are crying about something that will barely make a difference to you -- if at all -- that is life-changing to millions likely, your tax dollars will just be shifted to allocate more towards the debt relief

clearly you dont understand just how predatory these loans are. people owe a fuckton more than they borrowed after making their payments on the higher end -- not just the minimum

in your fantasy-land, im sure you think everyone who will benefit from this has a "useless" degree, but in reality its more like doctors, teachers, therapists.. &, wow, who else? construction managers, to give just a few examples

3/4/21

Please, for the love of all that is good in this world, please take as much time as possible to think about whether or not it's a good idea to spell out accents/quirks/etc. when writing dialogue.