Somehow wound up mostly blogging about sci-fi and fantasy and writing bullshit, with the occasional "this I gotta see" and "don't do that, you will die". Also this is my "cool stuff" pile, no sideblogs, no sorting, abandon all hope you who enter here. Art on banner is "Sphinx's Day Off" by Sandara (https://www.deviantart.com/sandara/art/sphinx-s-day-off-179426159). Art on avatar is "Lost Track" by Aron Wiesenfeld (https://aron-wiesenfeld.squarespace.com/2018).
The Nameless Fanfic (6/7 stories written, 7th in draft): Masterpost
The Nameless Fanfic (AO3 series link) is a series of crossover fanfics for Time to Orbit: Unknown and The Murderbot Diaries. I post the rough drafts here as I write them, then edit them and post them on AO3. As of right now, I have stories 1 through 6 up on AO3, and I am working on the culmination of the last big story in this cycle. There are also standalone short stories from OC and other canon characters' perspectives.
Length-wise, this cycle is five novellas, two novels (final one in progress), and two short story collections. For The Murderbot Diaries, the story begins soon after Fugitive Telemetry and becomes an AU after System Collapse. For The Treegrave Chronicles series, this is a canon-compliant post-canon story to Time to Orbit: Unknown, which becomes a non-canon compliant AU from The Void Behind onwards. (VERY heavy spoilers for TTOU—if you don’t want to be spoilered on several major twists, get on the normal spaceship before reading!) Closer to The Murderbot Diaries than to TTOU on the sci-fi hardness scale. Point of view is primarily—but not always—SecUnit’s
Most of the rough drafts for these stories can be found by going down The Nameless Fanfic tag, but as this has already grown... Unwieldy, below the cut you will find AO3 links and blurbs. Enjoy!
Story 1: Connection Test Start (AO3 link)
SecUnit has told Senior Indah it is open to further work, but only if the work is really weird. So when a research transport from an unfamiliar non-corporate political entity called Trellin arrives at Preservation Station and starts throwing strange errors within seconds of contact, SecUnit is tasked with figuring out what the hell is wrong with that ship. (A lot. A lot is wrong with that ship. One, it’s not ART. Two, it’s kind of an asshole anyway. Three, it has feelings. And morals. And that last one might be the worst.)
Story 2: Formless and Vanquished We Shall Travel (AO3 link)
One Public Universal Friend runs a corporate blockade with a shuttle full of refugees, fully expecting to die in the process. Instead, it wakes up on an unfamiliar ship, with a bot pilot that informs the Friend that it is well aware of the Friends' existence and has helped it escape pursuit. In the Corporate Rim era, the Friends have been forced into becoming an underground operation, and they have few allies. Stranded, disoriented, and hounded by a corporation in possession of an anti-terrorism mandate, the Friend must deal with its situation and not sink its entire organization in the process.
Direct continuation of Connection Test Start.
Story 3: The Worst Movie Night (AO3 link)
The alien remnant contamination did far more damage to Perihelion's wormhole drive than anyone had initially realized, and the PSUMNT researchers are at a loss with how to solve the problem. But SecUnit and its Preservation humans have seen “super fast organic wormhole drives” before. With the reluctant permission of Perihelion's crew, a distress call is sent to Trellin, and three scientist teams, two sentient research transports, and one SecUnit convene to figure out how (and whether) ART can get its wings back.
Set after System Collapse.
Author's note: the main thing that you need to know about this story is that I started writing what I thought would be the NE analogue in this cycle, and it turned out to be SC: ART Edition instead. So expect a marked tone shift in comparison to the previous two stories, leaning towards introspection and existentialism. Also, altered states of consciousness.
Story 4: Roots and Branches (AO3 link)
Being responsible for the security of two separate groups of humans is hard enough when SecUnit knows and likes the ships they are travelling on. But once its humans arrive at the incredibly normal space station in orbit of Trellin, SecUnit finds their potential new allies to be much more difficult to deal with than most hostiles. To do its job, it must navigate local privacy customs, dead and/or naked humans, experimental biomes full of planetary fauna and, worst of all, the helpful local HubSystem, which happens to be a) very friendly, b) totally useless at security, c) really fucking creepy. Can SecUnit keep its humans safe and not be driven absolutely beeshit by argumentative social scientists, HubSystem or human, along the way? It’s about to find out.
Direct continuation of The Worst Movie Night.
Story 5: Digging in the Dirt (AO3 link)
Following the events of Connection Test Start, one doctor from Preservation Alliance decides to make things right and sets out for the Corporation Rim, hoping to unearth and eventually bring to justice a certain humanitarian-cum-terrorist organisation. Utterly unprepared for the reality of the Rim, the good doctor finds far more horrors than they ever bargained for—but also many more friends than they expected. Nobody is what they seem to be, and now Dr. Mrinal must decide what to do with what they have discovered and live with their choice.
Direct continuation of Connection Test Start and Roots and Branches.
Story 6: Mitigating Circumstances (AO3 link)
When the Second Great Ship of the Arborea Cosmica fleet, Dandelion Tenacious, commits a series of crimes that could lead to her being decommissioned under fleet law, two of the youngest generation of ships are raffled in to lead the investigation and present its results to the rest of the fleet. In a community of fewer than fifty individuals, bias and personal tensions are unavoidable in any court case, and the trial of someone who was a major contributor to the fleet legal system was never going to be a simple affair—but Prosecutor Nike and Advocate Blaze, two New Texan sisters with very different relationships to the first generation of Arborean ships, never expected to face off against each other in a precedent-setting case involving a critical political alliance, ancient history, and obscure theology. Now they must chart a course to steer Arborea Cosmica for decades and centuries to come, and the currents they must navigate are far more turbulent than they ever imagined.
Thematically follows Roots and Branches and takes place during Network Effect.
Short stories, collected as Voices From the Pegasus Constellation (AO3 link)
A collection of short stories portraying some of the events of The Nameless Fanfic from the perspectives of Trellians (and other members of Starwind Accord). Character tags updated as stories get published.
Note that these short stories are placed in different points of the main continuity and are best read one at a time! Links to the relevant stories are given chronologically in the main storyline.
Right now, this includes:
Chosen Burdens (Captain Reed) - after s2ch5, "Verdict"
ship's haunted (Navigator Brisote) - a view of s3ch4-5
Cultural Significance (Senior Engineer Haze) - between s3 and s4
what's in a name (Senior Computer Technician Iceblink) - after s5ch18, "Preparation"
Losing Starlight (Dandelion) - during s5ch24, "Beeshit".
Massacre (Blaze) - during s4ch30, "Preparations"
Medicine From Your Hands (Aspen) - after s4ch41, "Puppetry"
As Above, So Below (Ruby) - technically set between chapters 44 and 45 for Roots and Branches (s4), but probably a good post-epilogue read
Axiom (Ghostwheel) - set between chapters 44 and 45 of Roots and Branches (s4ch44-45), best read after Digging in the Dirt chapter 7 (s5ch7), "Monster."
Group Therapy (Joscelyn) - best read after s6ch12, "Trial Eve," but chronologically set after chapter s6ch8, "Saint"
There is also an equivalent collection from the points of view of various TMBD characters, Voices from Preservation Alliance and PSUMNT (AO3 link).
Little Miracles (Ratthi) - set during s4ch13, "Visage", but best read after s4ch31, "Chief". Note that this contains mild Aspen/Ratthi smut (because they are nerds).
People Worth Knowing (Mensah) - the events of Connection Test Start from Dr. Mensah's perspective. Functionally a prequel to s6.
Death Penalty (Pin-Lee) - best read after s6ch9, Evidence.
Inaugural Rites (Ratthi) - chronologically between chapters 44 and 45 of Roots and Branches (s4ch44-45), best read whenever you want to learn specifics about how this is an AU from TVB. Same as before, mild Aspen/Ratthi nerd smut included.
There are more short stories in the tag, but they're not quite edited yet and also a little bit ahead of the currently posted storyline. I will update them as I go!
Extras:
A series that stands slightly aside from the rest is Interesting Biomes (AO3 link). This is the full-smut version of Ratthi's chapters, plus an extra sketch. Having two versions available is mostly for reader preference, because I'm writing in two "complicated relationships with smut" fandoms.
If you're the sort of person who likes comparing text versions, some old chapters are up on the nameless fanfic: deprecated tag.
I also occasionally post music, pictures, reference materials, etc on the nameless fanfic: supplemental and music I write to tags. This is mostly for my own convenience, but if you're the sort of person that enjoys finding new music or something that way - enjoy!
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Oh so people were having discussions like this about art then too! Apparently Van Gogh had unrefined technique so he declared paintings only had to be made with love and passion and will, (and artist manifesto), forget these “experts” with their meaningless techniques and such. (Edit: I see he did not endear himself to the local experts. But hey, in the end, he’s the only one people actually remembered eh) (also, aww city life is good for him. It lets you socialize with all sorts and feel active)
It’s interesting, no lie. In the book I was looking at, which was oddly well written by the way I should go read more by whoever that was- it was focused on an understanding of his artistic growth. I googled it here (a habit of proselytizing his newest interest and dropping a manifesto a day is actually a slightly handy habit to develop for future lay historians sniffing around in the historical record) and he is self taught to the point he regularly got into scuffles over the much more restrictive standard taught at art schools of the time. I think this was a commonly held opinion by a lot of artists, considering a) he talks about gesture drawing as if it doesn’t exist in what I understand to be the commonly taught form nowadays and considering b) the impressionist movement that came around two years later. Also, van gogh improved remarkably in his art style and technique between 1887-1890, which is a short amount of time for the amount of work he did. But he did do charcoal drawings that didn’t seem horrible in 1885-86.
Source for interest: https://www.metmuseum.org/met-publications/vincent-van-gogh-the-drawings
Fwiw he was casting around for a solid style that would portray what he wanted it to, but it seems he just never got the knack for portraying gesture and life and movement in the way he imagined. (This is another reason I think he would legitimately like to study manga if he ever saw it, filed under revelations that ping off the side of your head from a letter from days past)
None of the art you see from Van Gogh is a result of grace or talent. He did not much artistic skill inherent in him. Everything he did was almost over deliberate, blood sweat tears repetition at the cost of his social reputation, and not very intuitively eye catching (for years) or beautiful besides. But he really did find a unique style and way to represent himself from what appears to be habit and working at his ideas alone- where he could habitually produce very eye catching and interesting works even when he was used to basically- not having much ‘talent.’ (His early works even outside the restrictive views of what constituted “art” at the time seem to me a little continuously off kilter (he is clearly trying to portray a landscape or perspective he is failing to hit) and wobbly (his figure drawings are not like this on purpose- they do not reach the expressiveness he wants them to have). He just did not give up. He did not go with any outside pressure he didn’t think cohered with his artistic goals, even though he had a habit of throwing himself wholeheartedly into anything or anyone he got impressed by. Very financially insolvent approach to life.
I think there are a lot less torrid ways you could become known as an artist, but he was kind enough and made enough of an impression on his sister-in-law Jo at least, that his story and art became known.
His output and letters are most interesting when he is happy and learning new things about what he wants to do in Paris, where his sense of what life could be and is and what his circumstances most align. You get the sense he could have one day developed the skill of making something of himself. It’s good to strive to become good enough at your work to become a part of the historical record. But it is a skill to do it well.
Every time I see bullshit about women never EVER being able to beat men in any sport, I think about how in martial arts classes I, a cis woman, 5' 8" and 145 pounds, regularly beat the tar out of 6' 2" 230 pound cis dude weightlifters. One guy ragequit class. He came in cocky as hell and talking the standard bs line about how a woman simply never could beat a man in a fight because they're physically weaker and our instructor was like. Okay. Put the pads on you're sparring her. Yes, her, the one 4" shorter and 100 pounds lighter than you.
It wasn't close I beat the pants off that man, and others like him. I did it more than once. Some guys got humble and stayed. One guy got angry and stormed out.
And I think about that every fuck damn time I hear that bullshit, which seems to be all the fuck over the place these days. Oh, women are just fragile little soft delicate flower creatures who can't do ANYTHING and could NEVER compete with big strong manly muscular strong MEN.
I think about driving that dude into the mats and seeing the brutal reality of this big dude's misogany meet the realization that a woman was beating his ass literally that second, that none of his strength could stop the fact that I'd just hip thrown him facefirst into the mats and that had I actually connected with the axe kick to his neck I would have crushed a bunch of important shit and he could not stop me, and his whole psyche collapsing like a dying star in that moment.
Anyway, don't ever fall for it, ladies, and there's absolutely no goddamn reason to get your knickers in a twist about trans people in sports.
Given his skill at navigating the Great Material Continuum his obvious place is as a rear admiral doing logistics. Basically nowhere near a ship. But Captain of a vessel is The Thing he'd want to do, and there's a point where the needs of the many cannot ask a man to give up his dream entirely.
So he's made aware that his long-term career is going to be a desk job in San Francisco managing the needs of the whole fleet. But first he gets 5 years or so running a ship, doing mainly diplomatic and economic missions as training.
And he purposely tries to get a crew of nonstandard starfleet, first in their family or planet or species to join. He wants to be, to them, what Worf was to him: a sign that anyone, anywhere, can join starfleet, can be more than the culture or stereotype they were raised in yet not abandon it entirely.
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Favorite thing about Azem and their shards is the sheer amount of, "How are you not dead yet?" their soul embodies.
Because Hythlodaeus, upon watching WoL take a shot of magic to the chest for him and then get thrown off a ridiculously tall building is just like, "Yeah, that tracks." Meaning that's a patented Azem Maneuver. Just face-tanking damage to protect someone without thinking of other options like, I don't know, magical barrier?
And then there's, y'know, Ardbert striking out on his first little adventure and being found half dead in a ditch somewhere by a conjurer who just happened to be walking by.
WoL's passing out half the time in ARR because their Echo powers are Too Great as soon as they get to Eorzea. Gets bodied by Lahabrea.
Like, yeah, they inherit the Bad Ass-ness of their progenitor but, uh. Also the propensity to have Mishaps. (Which, if the real Golbez is a shard...fatal.)
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(defense) attorney culture is like the opposite of cop culture. lawyers hate all other lawyers with a barely concealed passion, yes, even their partners at the law firm. no solidarity, 85% drama and 15% social niceties. they’ll hang out together socially on occasion but they hate each other to their core. they’re like betta fish.
cop: Officer Misconduct would do that, he’s a good lawman, he was the best man at my wedding and I’m lucky to have known him.
doctor: I’ve worked with my colleague, Dr. Malpractice, for 15 years now and I have never witnessed the behavior you are describing.
defense attorney: Yeah, that sounds like something that stupid bastard would try. He doesn’t have the good sense to navigate his way out of a wet cardboard box, much less construct a sound legal defense. He has the integrity of a fucking gnat too. When we were in law school 35 years ago, he barfed in the back seat of my Mercedes after a night out and he never paid to get it cleaned. Even his wife can’t stand him. Fucker. I hate that guy.
This is because cops and doctors are fundamentally deferrential to their sources of authority. Lawyers are different. The purpose of a lawyer is to challenge authority.
Exactly. Thats why I specified defense attorneys (and corporate law, family law, estate and injury/employment, to different degrees) and not prosecuting attorneys, those guys can be suspiciously friendly…
(defense) attorney culture is like the opposite of cop culture. lawyers hate all other lawyers with a barely concealed passion, yes, even their partners at the law firm. no solidarity, 85% drama and 15% social niceties. they’ll hang out together socially on occasion but they hate each other to their core. they’re like betta fish.
cop: Officer Misconduct would do that, he’s a good lawman, he was the best man at my wedding and I’m lucky to have known him.
doctor: I’ve worked with my colleague, Dr. Malpractice, for 15 years now and I have never witnessed the behavior you are describing.
defense attorney: Yeah, that sounds like something that stupid bastard would try. He doesn’t have the good sense to navigate his way out of a wet cardboard box, much less construct a sound legal defense. He has the integrity of a fucking gnat too. When we were in law school 35 years ago, he barfed in the back seat of my Mercedes after a night out and he never paid to get it cleaned. Even his wife can’t stand him. Fucker. I hate that guy.
This is because cops and doctors are fundamentally deferrential to their sources of authority. Lawyers are different. The purpose of a lawyer is to challenge authority.
Exactly. Thats why I specified defense attorneys (and corporate law, family law, estate and injury/employment, to different degrees) and not prosecuting attorneys, those guys can be suspiciously friendly…
If any part of your plan involves the words “nobody could be that stupid”, please be prepared to be proven wrong at any minute at a moment’s notice. Pay in mind that the person determined to prove you wrong may already be aware of this assumption, and is already approaching your current location at an alarming speed.
In 2011 I attended an event called Bmore Fail, in which entrepreneurs in Baltimore talked about their failures and what they learned from them.
What I learned is that there is an inflexible rule about how people interact with systems. If your system would work perfectly if people Just Would, and yet they Don’t, then your system is bad and you should feel bad. Systems must be built with an eye toward “will people actually do this”?
Recycling was a thing when I was a child. (The 70’s.) In my home in New York State, you could carry recyclables to a recycling center. Nobody did. Now in 2024 Baltimore there is a trash truck that comes every week to pick up my recyclables, and I and my neighbors fill our cans with objects that can be recycled, because a system was developed that was easy for busy people to do, and there’s a lot of social pressure to do it – but the social pressure wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t easy to do. Only the most crunchy granola people bitched at you if you didn’t recycle in 1979, when it required a lot of effort. Now it is considered kind of on par with spitting in the street or leaving a dirty diaper on the diaper changing table in the bathroom instead of throwing it out, if you don’t recycle.
Your job as the system creator is to make it as easy as possible for people to do the right thing, and as hard as possible to do the wrong thing. This is why web forms have data validation (but too much data validation actually makes the forms harder, so hit the spot in the middle.) And if you want people to adopt social change, whether it’s environmentalism, accepting gay people, or whatever, make it as easy as possible. And don’t guilt people about not doing it until it’s as easy as possible; instead phrase things more like “wouldn’t it be cool if”. It’s not the fault of the individual that they can’t get things done in a bad system. Fix the system.
if users regularly fuck up using a tool you made, and your answer is “you’re holding it wrong”, the next question you should ask is “why did i make this tool so it’s easy to hold it wrong?”
That’s the problem with making animal proof trash cans for parks. The animals tend to be far more motivated to open the difficult mechanism than the tourists do.
Daydream? I did, AND it somehow finally made the adults take me seriously and punish HIM. Get witnesses, prove that the only way the bully could have been harmed is by invading your space. It can work
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