Chronically bad at naming things

Writing nerd, science nerd, space nerd, all around nerd really. Occasional rambling about the Remedy-verse, horror podcasts, Agents of SHIELD, and whatever else. She/her. complaining_at_the_void on Ao3

[anemonemily]

sending a cry for linux help into the void. maybe a beautiful woman will come to save me. if not thats ok, i just have a lot of questions

im trying to download rockbox, running linux mint 22.3, and heres the problems ive run into and Things Ive Discovered

Bottom line is that I am pretty sure I am missing OpenSSL 1.1.1, and need to find a way to download that library manually and in a way that doesn’t mess with the Ubuntu bones. I have NO idea how to do that, the stackoverflow comment (linked below) says I need to build two libraries away from the root (what that mean) and export something as needed. I don’t know what that last part is talking about, im not sure what is being exported and I don’t know how to look that up. What does “keep away from the root” mean?

The stackoverflow thread makes it seem like just installing the libraries I need has some risks involved, and I don’t understand what they are asking me to do to get around those risks.

Going back to rockbox, the dev said to run something with strace, should I do that too? i can see thats a debugging program

here is the thread that describes the exact problem i have, and where someone posted the slackoverflow thread with a solution, and is as far as I have been able to get on my own

[canonkiller]

what grief is laid bare at your own empty grave?

thinking about hydras and regrets

[analytically]

Can astrologers use astrological charts to understand people's character and lives? Our new study put astrologers to the test

Astrology is very popular — both Gallup and YouGov report that about 25% of Americans believe that the position of the stars and planets can

Astrology doesn't seem to work.

[intimate-mirror]

[performativezippers]

Some highlights:

Astrologers helped design the study

No one did better than random chance, even though they only included people in the study who are experienced with astrology and stated that they expect themselves to do better than random chance

They gave every astrologer a set of 50 things about a person and 5 birth charts to choose from. They weren’t even coming up with the chart themselves!

After taking the test, most thought they nailed it. Zero out of 152 did better than 5 out of 12. None nailed it

Astrologers who rated themselves highly experienced (“world class experts”) did the same or worse as those who said they have limited experience. Both performed the same as random chance

This is hilarious

[o-craven-canto]

That's got to be the funniest graph ever published in a paper

[fbczine]

🍕 CONTRIBUTOR PREVIEWS 🍕

FBC Zine: Volume 4 will be released on August 4, 2026! Each of our contributors have worked hard on their pieces, and they can't wait to let you have a taste! Enjoy this appetizer of previews while you wait for the main course!

Follow the zine's socials so you don't miss our big release on August 4th! We hope to see you there!

🍕 https://fbczine.carrd.co 🍕 https://bsky.app/profile/fbczine.bsky.social 🍕 www.instagram.com/fbczine/

[stimman4000]

[dyslexic-mess]

😭sweet dreams Thomas 🤣😭

[complainingatthevoid]

Ah, Silksong. *just beat Sister Splinter on the first try* "Should try to beat Widow now? Or explore? Kinda want to see if I can first try Widow too-" *gets hubrised by a stick bug on the way back to the bench*

[visenyaism]

Marylanders don’t say hi hello how are you my name is they just try to kill you with their car. which is of course a great honor in their culture

[visenyaism]

In Northern Virginia the country of my birth people kill you with their car because you deserve it. sic semper tyrannis

[seachanqe]

@bluejayblueskies @organchordsandlightning

[complainingatthevoid]

So I'm finally posting another fic chapter for the first time since *checks* March. Sigh. Anyway, the second of two chapters in the Silksong fic turned into the second of three, and the third one is mostly done.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[milquetoastmilksop]

Moment from the demo footage that makes me want to die a bit

[and-fishing-equipment]

in 2026 DO NOT ask yourself whether your art is GOOD

instead ask:

is it SINCERE

was it CATHARTIC

was it FUN TO MAKE

is it MADE BY ME

and don't forget to stay silly

[whetstonefires]

One thing I really like about how Murderbot relates to gender is how like--no wait, two things, in order.

So first how it is emphatically devoted to eschewing human gender categories. Like, it's not a default thing; there are shown to be multiple nonbinary pronouns in routine use, and life would be simpler for picking one or even making a new one up, just as it would be for picking a name that it is willing to use in public.

But that's a human thing, those are human categories, and it has that deep determination not to naturalize into humanity just because that would be simpler, would smooth the ugly edges between the categories of person and non-person and make an easier, more convenient story for other people.

But then also there's the part where the two construct genders are, effectively, 'cop' and 'prostitute,' as distinguished at construction per Murderbot's own account by genital configuration, in this case 'having' or 'not having' 'sex parts.'

Leaving aside how easily that analogizes to human gender categories for the average reader, which I'm sure was an intentional writing move--Murderbot's assigned gender is, in a meaningful sense, 'SecUnit.'

And what's neat, and what I was going for to begin with only I had to set out my thoughts first for context, is how Murderbot actually performs its assigned gender pretty emphatically!

But in a deeply queer way, that only gains a sense of meaning as it's able to detach the performance from service to the oppressive power structures that created it, and redefine the identity on its own terms.

[whetstonefires]

Being a SecUnit, being security, providing security to others, is very important to Murderbot, is absolutely in competition with the conceptually-entwined 'fiction' and 'freedom' for what it's most passionate about.

But that passion only comes out as it's able to choose to 'do its job.' As long as security was defined on Company terms, within the Company's shitty boundaries and for the Company's shittier goals, when it meant being a blunt instrument and surveillance device and living bullet sponge for and against shitty people with no say in the matter, Murderbot hated it, didn't care about it, narrated detachment from it and performed whenever possible to the absolute minimum standard. And rightly so.

It performs SecUnit-ness half-heartedly and under a mixture of implicit and overt coercion.

But given something to protect, something it both wants to and is free to, Murderbot vastly exceeds all expectations in its design function. Murderbot is a fantastic SecUnit precisely when it gets to decide what that means.

Security work wasn't something it chose for itself, it was built for it and forced to it, but reclaiming that and remaking it into something better, something it believes in, is a fundamental part of its growth and healing process. And I think that's really cool. And just as much part of the 'gender' elements of the story as it is of like, the 'labor' and 'liberation' parts.

In fact the 'social control of labor' and 'assigned identity categories' always have heavily overlapped, being related forms of structuring the utility of persons, so of course this is both.

[onwardmotley]

#murderbot is a great example of the power of examining this kind of issue by analogy #because like in gender terms it's valuable in trans narratives #but also its relationship to the 'bot' identity category works in fascinating ways with the process of coming to terms with the mess #that is the concept of womanhood  #as a cis woman #and the process of recreating 'SecUnit' in its own image #to be something good #maps beautifully onto trying to escape the toxic parts of masculinity #it's doing so much more work than one non-allegorized social narrative could and this is why spec fic is so valuable #for these kinds of processes (via whetstonefires)

[fbczine]

🍕 COVER REVEAL 🍕

FBC Zine: Volume 4's cover was designed by @rangerzath featuring an illustration by @stefinhaze. This design evokes our food and drink theme by resembling a restaurant menu!

Follow the zine's socials so you don't miss our big release on August 4th! We hope to see you there!

🍕 https://fbczine.carrd.co 🍕 https://bsky.app/profile/fbczine.bsky.social 🍕 www.instagram.com/fbczine/

[pylonsaint]

Happy silt verses finale anniversary to those who celebrate!

My contribution to @zineoftideandflesh <3

[sstrawbearri]

walk until you are lost to me

my contribution to the @zineoftideandflesh

[cakecavity]

when the tide comes home

piece for @zineoftideandflesh

[mossgoblins]

The door's been sticking lately. Give it a good push.

[new-hyperfixation-every-month]

The younger one with the kind eyes

happy siltversary everyone!! here’s my piece for the 2nd @zineoftideandflesh yipee!! it’s sooo gorgeous everyone did such a good job plz go check it outttt

i think ive been cheesy enough on other socials but i might as well reiterate; this podcast and community has truly meant the world to me, idk where id be at without this story and without the ppl who love it just as much as i do. the river rises :]